August 3, 2010 at 8:07 am
Since this is the water cooler, any comments?
http://abcnews.go.com/US/ground-mosque-plan-stirs-controversy/story?id=10670631
August 3, 2010 at 8:12 am
Steve Jones - Editor (8/3/2010)
Since this is the water cooler, any comments?http://abcnews.go.com/US/ground-mosque-plan-stirs-controversy/story?id=10670631
Personally, I don't see a problem with it. Just because the people who attacked the WTC happened to practice a certain religion doesn't make that specific religion the problem. Historically speaking, Jews and Christians have done things just as bad. The difference was the technology available to them at the time. If we're going to shun Islam as a religion because of 9/11, all religions should be shunned for the things they've done.
But as religious debates are dangerous things to have, I will hush on this particular topic and say no more.
August 3, 2010 at 8:12 am
Steve Jones - Editor (8/3/2010)
Since this is the water cooler, any comments?http://abcnews.go.com/US/ground-mosque-plan-stirs-controversy/story?id=10670631
Tasteless and insensitive. Is that an olive branch or a sharp stick I see approaching?
For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden
August 3, 2010 at 8:12 am
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
Steve Jones - Editor (8/3/2010)
I think we have a pretty good balance in the US, though tipping a little from side to side at times.I believe the official phrase is "Self-Correcting Market." Or something like that. @=)
It seems to happen that way with pay rates, anyway. After the tech bust, salaries went down. They've bumped up a little since then, but now with the financial market bust, they've gone down (or flat) again.
When we get a lot of employers who need people and hardly any people who need jobs, rates will climb again.
Jack, I don't recommend consulting right now. The job market's too wobbly. You could get burned and find yourself without options (and jobs) if a employer decides they don't have the budget for that 6 month contract you were promised and cuts you after 6 weeks. (Happened to me way back when).
I've been contracting for 15 years and I've never had this happen. Not to say your experience isn't valid, just offering another perspective. The contract might not be extended beyond the initial 3 or 6 months, but I've never had one cut short for budgetary reasons. I did have one cut short because I wouldn't guarantee the system would work without anyone testing it, but that's a different story.
--------------------------------------
When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
--------------------------------------
It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams
August 3, 2010 at 8:15 am
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
But $14.00 per hour? That's help desk / travel around fixing hardware pay where I live. And it was not that much more than I was making when I worked in Customer Service.
Take into account that this is what I'm paying my baby sitter.
I'll consider moving into baby sitting rather than consulting! 😀
I read a joke once in Italian and I'll try to translate it in English:
"A lawyer calls a plumber to do some maintenance. The plumber arrives, works for two hours, then he goes at the lawyer to say he's finished. OK, says the lawyer, how much is it? It's $500, says the plumber. What? $500??? You must be crazy! I don't earn that much and I'm a lawyer!!! The plumber says: I know, I didn't earn that much when I worked as lawyer!."
-- Gianluca Sartori
August 3, 2010 at 8:20 am
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
You could get burned and find yourself without options (and jobs) if a employer decides they don't have the budget for that 6 month contract you were promised and cuts you after 6 weeks. (Happened to me way back when).I've been contracting for 15 years and I've never had this happen. Not to say your experience isn't valid, just offering another perspective. The contract might not be extended beyond the initial 3 or 6 months, but I've never had one cut short for budgetary reasons. I did have one cut short because I wouldn't guarantee the system would work without anyone testing it, but that's a different story.
In my sitch, it depends on who you talk to. The hiring company or the contracting firm. I was told by CF it was a 6 month contract, then they called me on week 6 and said "No more budget. Sorry."
I was told at the HC that it was a 6 week only contract. The person I heard that from had no reason to lie to me, and I was told soon enough in the contract, that I expected it. But no matter how many times I talked to my handler, he insisted that it was a 6 month contract. Until the end, that is.
I've also seen it happen to other people at other firms I've worked at where things went south really fast and so they decided to cut the positions' time short.
August 3, 2010 at 8:25 am
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
I've been contracting for 15 years and I've never had this happen. Not to say your experience isn't valid, just offering another perspective. The contract might not be extended beyond the initial 3 or 6 months, but I've never had one cut short for budgetary reasons. I did have one cut short because I wouldn't guarantee the system would work without anyone testing it, but that's a different story.
What I've seen a fair bit of this year is planned (and sometimes proposed and accepted) contracts getting canceled or delayed due to budgetary concerns just before they were supposed to start.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability
August 3, 2010 at 8:26 am
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
You could get burned and find yourself without options (and jobs) if a employer decides they don't have the budget for that 6 month contract you were promised and cuts you after 6 weeks. (Happened to me way back when).I've been contracting for 15 years and I've never had this happen. Not to say your experience isn't valid, just offering another perspective. The contract might not be extended beyond the initial 3 or 6 months, but I've never had one cut short for budgetary reasons. I did have one cut short because I wouldn't guarantee the system would work without anyone testing it, but that's a different story.
In my sitch, it depends on who you talk to. The hiring company or the contracting firm. I was told by CF it was a 6 month contract, then they called me on week 6 and said "No more budget. Sorry."
I was told at the HC that it was a 6 week only contract. The person I heard that from had no reason to lie to me, and I was told soon enough in the contract, that I expected it. But no matter how many times I talked to my handler, he insisted that it was a 6 month contract. Until the end, that is.
I've also seen it happen to other people at other firms I've worked at where things went south really fast and so they decided to cut the positions' time short.
What happens too often here is that they run out of budget, they let the contract go as if nothing happened and then the consultant doesn't get paid. No way to get your money.
-- Gianluca Sartori
August 3, 2010 at 8:26 am
Steve Jones - Editor (8/3/2010)
Since this is the water cooler, any comments?http://abcnews.go.com/US/ground-mosque-plan-stirs-controversy/story?id=10670631
Personally, I have zero issues with a mosque near Ground Zero. But... that particular organization has an agenda that is not simply teaching Islam & worshipping in their own way. The name alone is a give away, Cordoba House. Cordoba was an Islamic city in Spain and organizations within Islam that reference Andalusia & Cordoba are usually supporters of the return of the Caliphate, meaning Islamic take-over of previous Islamic territories or even any other territories. In short, they're probably representatives of the very people that performed the attack in the first place. So, while, sure, build a mosque, who cares, I'm not so sure these specific people should be allowed to build a mosque.
"The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
- Theodore Roosevelt
Author of:
SQL Server Execution Plans
SQL Server Query Performance Tuning
August 3, 2010 at 8:28 am
Gianluca Sartori (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
You could get burned and find yourself without options (and jobs) if a employer decides they don't have the budget for that 6 month contract you were promised and cuts you after 6 weeks. (Happened to me way back when).I've been contracting for 15 years and I've never had this happen. Not to say your experience isn't valid, just offering another perspective. The contract might not be extended beyond the initial 3 or 6 months, but I've never had one cut short for budgetary reasons. I did have one cut short because I wouldn't guarantee the system would work without anyone testing it, but that's a different story.
In my sitch, it depends on who you talk to. The hiring company or the contracting firm. I was told by CF it was a 6 month contract, then they called me on week 6 and said "No more budget. Sorry."
I was told at the HC that it was a 6 week only contract. The person I heard that from had no reason to lie to me, and I was told soon enough in the contract, that I expected it. But no matter how many times I talked to my handler, he insisted that it was a 6 month contract. Until the end, that is.
I've also seen it happen to other people at other firms I've worked at where things went south really fast and so they decided to cut the positions' time short.
What happens too often here is that they run out of budget, they let the contract go as if nothing happened and then the consultant doesn't get paid. No way to get your money.
That's why I always use an agency. I get paid and the agency deals with billing.
--------------------------------------
When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
--------------------------------------
It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams
August 3, 2010 at 8:34 am
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
Gianluca Sartori (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
You could get burned and find yourself without options (and jobs) if a employer decides they don't have the budget for that 6 month contract you were promised and cuts you after 6 weeks. (Happened to me way back when).I've been contracting for 15 years and I've never had this happen. Not to say your experience isn't valid, just offering another perspective. The contract might not be extended beyond the initial 3 or 6 months, but I've never had one cut short for budgetary reasons. I did have one cut short because I wouldn't guarantee the system would work without anyone testing it, but that's a different story.
In my sitch, it depends on who you talk to. The hiring company or the contracting firm. I was told by CF it was a 6 month contract, then they called me on week 6 and said "No more budget. Sorry."
I was told at the HC that it was a 6 week only contract. The person I heard that from had no reason to lie to me, and I was told soon enough in the contract, that I expected it. But no matter how many times I talked to my handler, he insisted that it was a 6 month contract. Until the end, that is.
I've also seen it happen to other people at other firms I've worked at where things went south really fast and so they decided to cut the positions' time short.
What happens too often here is that they run out of budget, they let the contract go as if nothing happened and then the consultant doesn't get paid. No way to get your money.
That's why I always use an agency. I get paid and the agency deals with billing.
Likewise. You lose a small percentage but a cast-cheese guarantee makes it worthwhile. What really makes it worthwhile is getting paid within a sensible timeframe from your bill date. 400 quid a day is grand (heh not here), 5 months waiting for it is cr@p. You've done the work, you've not been paid, and you worry whether or not it will ever arrive.
For fast, accurate and documented assistance in answering your questions, please read this article.
Understanding and using APPLY, (I) and (II) Paul White
Hidden RBAR: Triangular Joins / The "Numbers" or "Tally" Table: What it is and how it replaces a loop Jeff Moden
August 3, 2010 at 8:35 am
Steve Jones - Editor (8/3/2010)
Since this is the water cooler, any comments?http://abcnews.go.com/US/ground-mosque-plan-stirs-controversy/story?id=10670631
I'm going to stay out of this one.
Jack Corbett
Consultant - Straight Path Solutions
Check out these links on how to get faster and more accurate answers:
Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help
Need an Answer? Actually, No ... You Need a Question
August 3, 2010 at 8:38 am
Steve Jones - Editor (8/3/2010)
Since this is the water cooler, any comments?http://abcnews.go.com/US/ground-mosque-plan-stirs-controversy/story?id=10670631
There's a quote in this article that sums up my feelings:
"On the one hand, stopping a mosque from being built undermines the very notion of freedom of worship in the United States. On the other hand, the idea of building a mosque and celebrating Islam at the site where 3,000 innocent Americans were killed by Islamic terrorists is an affront to so many people that I see it dividing New York and the nation."
Wayne
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
Author - SQL Server T-SQL Recipes
August 3, 2010 at 8:39 am
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
.Jack, I don't recommend consulting right now. The job market's too wobbly. You could get burned and find yourself without options (and jobs) if a employer decides they don't have the budget for that 6 month contract you were promised and cuts you after 6 weeks. (Happened to me way back when).
Like I said maybe a year from now, although I'd do some part-time remote stuff now if given the opportunity.
There are pluses and minuses to consulting and being an employee. I've done both, consultant/contractor for year in 2006-2007, and honestly, I don't really ever want to be an employee again if I leave where I'm at. I probably will end up an employee again, but if I think I can make it without, I'll try.
Jack Corbett
Consultant - Straight Path Solutions
Check out these links on how to get faster and more accurate answers:
Forum Etiquette: How to post data/code on a forum to get the best help
Need an Answer? Actually, No ... You Need a Question
August 3, 2010 at 8:54 am
Chris Morris-439714 (8/3/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
Gianluca Sartori (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
Stefan Krzywicki (8/3/2010)
Brandie Tarvin (8/3/2010)
You could get burned and find yourself without options (and jobs) if a employer decides they don't have the budget for that 6 month contract you were promised and cuts you after 6 weeks. (Happened to me way back when).I've been contracting for 15 years and I've never had this happen. Not to say your experience isn't valid, just offering another perspective. The contract might not be extended beyond the initial 3 or 6 months, but I've never had one cut short for budgetary reasons. I did have one cut short because I wouldn't guarantee the system would work without anyone testing it, but that's a different story.
In my sitch, it depends on who you talk to. The hiring company or the contracting firm. I was told by CF it was a 6 month contract, then they called me on week 6 and said "No more budget. Sorry."
I was told at the HC that it was a 6 week only contract. The person I heard that from had no reason to lie to me, and I was told soon enough in the contract, that I expected it. But no matter how many times I talked to my handler, he insisted that it was a 6 month contract. Until the end, that is.
I've also seen it happen to other people at other firms I've worked at where things went south really fast and so they decided to cut the positions' time short.
What happens too often here is that they run out of budget, they let the contract go as if nothing happened and then the consultant doesn't get paid. No way to get your money.
That's why I always use an agency. I get paid and the agency deals with billing.
Likewise. You lose a small percentage but a cast-cheese guarantee makes it worthwhile. What really makes it worthwhile is getting paid within a sensible timeframe from your bill date. 400 quid a day is grand (heh not here), 5 months waiting for it is cr@p. You've done the work, you've not been paid, and you worry whether or not it will ever arrive.
Absolutely! Being paid on-time is a great reason to use agencies, another is not having to do any of the legwork to find the companies that need you. Plus, they do all the tax nonsense for you if you're W2.
--------------------------------------
When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
--------------------------------------
It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams
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