Why Susan Boyle Makes Us Cry

Why Susan Boyle Makes Us Cry Why Susan Boyle Makes Us Cry Ive seen some great pieces on the Susan Boyle phenomenon and all make sense. (If you dont know who Susan Boyle is, go here first). This one by Letti Cottin Pogrebin suggests that Susan makes middle-aged women cry because she represents a triumph over ageism.I wonder about this like many people, Ive watched the video a time or 10, and Ive teared up every single time. Is it because I am glad Susan is triumphing over the bias against middle-aged women? (a bias I might add, that is one of the last prejudices you can express out loud without expecting any objection).But I dont think thats it for me. I think I get weepy because of the way the audience and the judges move so quickly from ugly disdain to love and admiration. To me this shows how much we all want to accept each other how much, as humans, we want to root for abedrngnishers success. I said this on Twitter last night, and someone pointed out that the initial disdain was upsetting. Why were people so quick to dismiss the hopes and dreams of another? So ready to laugh at a fellow human being?I think fear is the answer. I think we all fear making fools of ourselves to some extent or another. I think we all dread not having the approval of others. By putting herself out there like that with her ill-fitting dress and bushy eyebrows, Susan was bringing all those fears to the surface and so we laughed. The audience, the judges, the public watching at home everyone laughed.But all it took was one honest, pure, heartfelt line of that song and everyone changed their minds. They wanted her to be good. They desperately wanted her to succeed. Even crusty old Simon Cowell was beaming with genuine joy at the audiences reaction. So I think that when we watch Susan Boyle sing that song, we feel encouraged that maybe the world isnt as cold and scary as it can sometimes seem and that if we just put ourselves out there authentically and honestly people will see th e best in us.And thats enough to make anyone weep tears of joy.

Work Perks What Are Your Favorites

Work Perks What Are Your FavoritesWork Perks What Are Your FavoritesEducation and training, tuition assistance, flexible work hours, telecommuting opportunities, and mentoring programs topped an employee perks survey of 1,400 companies conducted this year by Robert Half International. A smaller number of companies in the survey said theyd be offering gift-matching programs, free or discounted meals, child care, on-site dry cleaning, and fitness center discounts. Do these sound like the sort of perks you look for from potential employers?Inc. Magazine decided to make a list of work perks that it loved best. Out of their 10 favorites, we loved Serving locally grown organic goodies, sending professional house cleaners to employees homes twice monthly, letting employees use a percentage of their paid work time to do their own research, giving employees up to $5,000 to travel abroad and experience new cultures on vacation, and allowing employees two weeks paid leave to work for a green no nprofit they chooseEven the employers down under in Australia rely on employee perks to retain their highly qualified staff. The Sydney Morning Herald reported just this week that 80 percent of business executives say, the limited access to qualified staff is the biggest threat to their objectives and theyre trying to retain as many qualified professionals as they can using work perks. Thats mighty smart of them, because one company in the article found that 60 percent of its employees admit that a major reason they stay with the company is because of the employee perks.Business Insider went even further to list 16 Company Perks that Will Make You Insanely Jealous, including the free company pub found at Molson Coors, Genetechs free dog sitting program, DPR Constructions on-site wine bar, and Integrated Archive Systems $10,000 subsidy for any employee who wants to buy a hybrid vehicle. Jealous? Yes. Insanely Jealous? Perhaps.How about you? Have you ever had a work perk that would ma ke your friends insanely jealous? For your situation, what is the most desirable employee perk that a company can offer? Sound off in the comments, or find us on Facebook and Twitter

Facebook is facing two age discrimination lawsuits

Facebook is facing two age discrimination lawsuitsFacebook is facing two age discrimination lawsuitsFacebook is known for being one of the best places in the world to work, receiving annual accolades about its perks and benefits. But two new lawsuits are arguing that the social media giant is not an inclusive, great place to work if youre above a certain age.According to the New York Post, 61-year-old Stephen Cohen, who lives in Manhattan, says he was approached by Facebooksvice president of global marketing and director of schlussverkauf and marketing staff about a job in communications. But when he sent them his resume, which listed his graduation date as 1978, they suddenly told him the position had been filled, according to the lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court.Not the only Facebook discrimination lawsuitThis is the second age discrimination lawsuit to be filed against Facebook in recent days. According to City News Service, former Facebook employee Gary Glouner, 52,filed a suit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that he was fired in 2015 over his age and disability.Glouner claims that Facebook, whose motto was once move fast and break things, discriminated against older employees, including himself, for not moving fast enough. Glouner said he witnessed several other older employees get fired after being told that they were a poor cultural fit, or that they didnt get it or that they didnt move fast enough, according to the suit.Glouner said he believes that Facebook prefers digital natives, or employees who grew up with new technologies and that he and other older workers were considered culturally awkward within Facebooks work environment. After needing to take medical leave for a work injury in 2015, Glouner said he was fired for failing to meet Facebooks work expectations.According to reports, both lawsuits reference Facebook CEO fruchtfleisch Zuckerbergs speech to a tech gathering in 2007 as an examples of Facebooks ageist culture. Back then, Zuckerberg was a 22-year-old unpolished Facebook CEO. In a Y Combinator speech, he made his generational preferences clear.Young people are just smarter, he said. I want to stress the importance of being young and technical.Why are most chess masters under 30?I dont knowYoung people just have simpler lives. We may not own a car. We may not have family.Those words may come back to haunt Zuckerberg.