ANOTHER 4 Per Cent Solution?

Recently I had lunch with a soon-to-be Northrop Grumman retiree, who has thirty-six years at Northrop Grumman.

He had decided to "retire" after receiving his WARN letter (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) and was sad to see that his manager just shoved him his layoff notice at him with no acknowledgment or appreciation for his hard work and loyalty to the company.

I can only assume that Northrop Grumman expects no loyalty from its employees, as there is certainly no loyalty to the employees from Northrop Grumman.

The given reason for the lay-offs of 500 employees at Northrop Grumman in El Segundo and Redondo Beach was that the government had mandated a $40 million reduction in labor costs.

(Also remember that Northrop Grumman will be hiring approximately 250 people for other contracts, and unfortunately Northrop Grumman employee skill sets are not interchangeable, nor are Northrop Grumman employees are trainable to do other work.)

According to my calculator, Northrop Grumman is saving $40million a year by not paying 500 employees an average salary of $80,000 a year.

Given that there are 12,500 employees in El Segundo and Redondo Beach, we see the logic of Northrop Grumman management - MUCH BETTER to lay-off 500 employees before the Christmas break so we don't have to give them Christmas pay.

ALSO NOTICE that given these 12,500 employees are earning an average of $80,000 a year, the $40 million reduction can be ALSO accomplished through a 4% pay cut of all 12,500 employees' salaries.

Northrop Grumman management evidently finds this a deal-breaker, as it is better to 500 employees a 100% pay cut instead of 12,500 employees a 4% pay cut.

While Boeing is cutting 10% of its executives and Lockheed 25% of its executives, Northrop Grumman is NOT doing likewise.

Northrop Grumman executives are obviously MUCH SMARTER and are NOT PAID AS MUCH as the Boeing and Lockheed executives so there is no need to cut any Northrop Grumman executives.

Reconnaissance military drone: The changing face of aerial reconnaissance - latimes.com

Reconnaissance military drone: The changing face of aerial reconnaissance - latimes.com

Northrop Grumman is in the news with a picture of the Global Hawk displayed for this article.

Northrop Grumman is only one of the several players producing the platform for aerial sensors.

Northrop Grumman wins $189.2M Navy contract - Washington Times

Northrop Grumman wins $189.2M Navy contract - Washington Times

High technology ship-building - this $189M is in addition to the original contract to build the ship and only covers ". . the cost of additional design, planning and systems integration and analysis".

The ship itself will cost a huge amount of money.

Surprise Package From Northrop Grumman

Imagine my surprise today when I got a Fedex(?) shipment from Northrop Grumman.

In it was a note, "Hello Michael - I found this while cleaning out Louise's office...How are you? I hopeyou you're doing well. Pat Moore".

Thank you, Pat!

Enclosed was a acrylic award with engraving (below my name)

"In recognition of recognition of 33 years of service - Northrop Grumman".

The packaging showed this printed message:

Michael Jue

33

Years of Service

Your significant contributions have help make Northrop Grumman a leader in our industry.

We thank you for your loyalty,, dedication, and commitment.

Congratulions and best wishes on your retirement.

Surprise: receiving this thing unexpectedly in an untimely manner.

NOT a surprise: receiving this thing unexpectedly in an untimely manner. See what I wrote about my last day at Northrop Grumman.

Once an person is no longer an employee of Northrop Grumman, it SEEMS that the now former employee then becomes irrelevant.

What do you think?

Health Update - September 28, 2010

Doing much better - am now "fair" and "vertical" (standing and walking around.)

This is great improvement over "poor" and "vertical".

"Poor" and "vertical" is a great improvement over "poor" and "horizontal" (flat on my back lying down in bed.)

Even this is MUCH PREFERRED over "dead" and "horizontal"

Northrop Grumman workers in El Segundo and Redondo Beach brace for cuts - latimes.com

Northrop Grumman workers in El Segundo and Redondo Beach brace for cuts - latimes.com

Northrop Grumman is getting ready to have a reduction in force because of the downturn in income coming in from contracts from the government.

In order for Nortrhop Grumman NOT to pay employees MORE than it is taking in on contracts etc., Northrop Grumman will do what it needs to do to REDUCE the number of employees that it has to pay.

Having been on the receiving end of a WARN letter, I can make the following observations:


- NEVER, NEVER believe your manager when he says that he will not lay you off - most likely he is just saying that because he needs you to finish the work you are doing instead of you finding another job elsewhere. Thomas Lee Hull told me in 1999 that he would pull the layoff notice, and yet I got the phone call from payroll asking me to come on down to sign the final paycheck form.

Of course, Human Resources said that my manager, Thomas Lee Hull, did NOT lie to me, but "...may have mis-stated the facts based on overly optimistic projections." (?!) Also remember that Human Resources is being paid by the company, and will represent the company AGAINST the employee.

I know of two other individuals who were told similar things by their managers were subsequently laid off.

LESSON: If you CAN, DO find another position elsewhere - don't trust what your manager says.


- Northrop Grumman will get rid of MORE employees that they actually need to get rid of - Northrop Grumman will lose the really smart guys who can find work elsewhere in addition to "deadwood and dogmeat" (this is a Northrop Grumman management term for employees slated for lay-off).

As a result, Northrop Grumman will have a shortage of experienced, knowledgeable personnel and thus will eventually go into a employee incentive hiring mode where they REWARD employees for referring new hires to Northrop Grumman.

The employees left will be inexperienced and not have the knowledge to do the work of two or three former employees. This makes work HARD for the survivors.

Of course, management position is "Suck it up - be glad you have a job!"

Northrop Grumman was Mentioned in This Article

Drones create a buzz in Southern California aerospace industry - Los Angeles Times

This article was mostly on the Predator and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems - Northrop Grumman gets mentioned on the second page in the fifteenth paragraph.

I am glad that Northrop Grumman is getting good coverage, especially when it comes to drones.

ANOTHER Reason Northrop Grumman Did Not Bid on KC-X?

See this article about Boeing: Aerospace: Boeing may have interest in buying Northrop - latimes.com

This is possibly another reason that Wes Bush decided that Northrop Grumman would not bidding on the KC-X contract - he knew that Boeiing was interested in buying Northrop Grumman so that Northrop Grumman would be bidding against itself future self.

SMART MAN, Wes Bush. I thought it was because Northrop Grumman had no political clout - after all, Northrop Grumman actually won the KC-X contract once, but Boeing had the political cloutg to have the contract re-bid and the requirements changed to favor Boeiing.

Wes Bush is a very smart man.

One-quarter of Lockheed Martin executives take buyout offer

One-quarter of Lockheed Martin executives take buyout offer

Lockheed Martin is going through a round of layoffs.

However, for their executives they have a special plan where they "buyout" the executives to leave on their own instead of being fired.

Ordinary employees MIGHT NOT get the same deal to go away - what do you think?

Do you think Northrop Grumman will "buyout" the executives while doing a "layoff" of ordinary employees (known as "peons" because they are p**d on, or sh*t on?

Or do you honestly think that Northrop Grumman will "buyout" ordinary employees?

Business Digest: Northrop Grumman to cut 642 more shipyard jobs

Business Digest: Northrop Grumman to cut 642 more shipyard jobs

Good news/bad news - Northrop Grumman is consolidating shipbuilding facilities (good news for cost savings for Northrop Grumman), and Northrop Grumman is laying off employees (bad news for the employees).

NOLA.com : Northrop Grumman closing Tallulah shipyard, laying off 110 at Avondale

NOLA.com : Northrop Grumman closing Tallulah shipyard, laying off 110 at Avondale

More good news/bad news - the shipyard at Tallulah will not close IMMEDIATELY because Northrop Grumman has contract work (good news for Northrop Grumman making money), and laying off employees and closing the shipyard in 2013 after the contract ends (bad news for the employees).

Why is it ALWAYS bad news for the employees?

Northrop Grumman layoffs won't lead to shipyard closing, leaders say | gulflive.com

Northrop Grumman layoffs won't lead to shipyard closing, leaders say | gulflive.com

This is good news/bad news - Northrop Grumman will not close the shipyard (good news for Northrop Grumman), employees will be laid off (bad news for the employees).

So, why aren't the employees HAPPY about the shipyaard NOT closing?

Five tips for preventing user screw-ups | Five Tips | TechRepublic.com

Five tips for preventing user screw-ups | Five Tips | TechRepublic.com

What do you think?

Northrop Grumman hires such INTELLIGENT employees that management does not believe that the users need any training to use its IT systems.

B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber Crash Video & Technical Report

See the YouTube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZB-iziY2Bw>.

Of all the videos on the internet, this one is the best edited and includes the technical report for why the crash happened.

Of course, the crash could have been prevented if the bomber maintenance were told of the problem with moisture affecting the sensors/transducers that provide information to the flight control computer and the need for calibration of the system.

Because the maintenance crew were not told, somebody saved some time and effort - but the aircraft was priced at $1.4 BILLION.

Northrop, Lockheed, Boeing plans defense job cuts

Updated because of broken link.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Northrop Grumman workers in El Segundo and Redondo Beach brace for cuts

Northrop Grumman announced that it would eliminate 500 jobs in its aerospace division, with most of the cuts expected to hit its sprawling facilities in El Segundo and Redondo Beach.

"Lockheed Martin Corp., the nation's largest defense contractor, said earlier this month that about 25% of its executives opted for a voluntary retirement program designed to cut costs as defense spending slows. More than 600 vice presidents and directors applied for the program offered in July, the Bethesda, Md., company said."

"This month, Boeing Co., the second-largest defense contractor, said it was planning to trim its military aircraft business and cut workers as the federal government tightens defense spending and profit margins shrink. The company's military division makes the C-17 military transport in Long Beach, the F/A-18 fighter jet and the Chinook helicopter."

"The Chicago-based company said job cuts would start with 10% of the group's executives. Boeing didn't say how many more workers would lose their jobs."

The cuts in the military budget is reflected in Boeing's military division employees.

Start with 10% cut of the executives.

Consolidate six divisions into four divisions.

Lockheed is cutting 25% of its executives.

Northrop Grumman makes not mention of eliminating any executives - MUST BE that Northrop Grumman executives are MORE SMARTER and LOWER PAID than their Boeing and Lockheed counterparts.

Expect the same type of thing to happen at Northrop Grumman.

Virginia governor calls for IT outage review on Northrop Grumman's tab | ZDNet

Virginia governor calls for IT outage review on Northrop Grumman's tab | ZDNet

Crash of Va. computer network has implications for tech world, state politics

Crash of Va. computer network has implications for tech world, state politics

The computer network that Northrop Grumman built for the state of Virginia has achieved something that never, never happened before. '"The thing that is never supposed to happen, happened," he said.'

"The crash -- still baffling to state officials -- exposes the vulnerability of modern, massively complex interconnected computer networks, and is being closely watched by information technology professionals across the country."

Virginia's IT outage doesn't pass management sniff test | ZDNet

Virginia's IT outage doesn't pass management sniff test | ZDNet

Northrop Grumman has a HUGE contract with the state of Virginia.

Northrop Grumman is getting paid large amounts of money (Virginia paid an EXTRA $236Million AND a three year extension on the original contract for improved service) for doing the IT for the state of Virginia.

For the past several days, 26 state agencies have been affected by an IT outage caused by EMC DMX-3 hardware failure. Blame your problems on the hardware.

Fairs help job-seekers with security clearances connect with intelligence firms

Fairs help job-seekers with security clearances connect with intelligence firms

Northrop Grumman will be having lay-offs in the near future.

Folks with the right security clearances may be able to find work elsewhere - or not.

Top-Secret job clearance: How the government fills intelligence jobs

Top-Secret job clearance: How the government fills intelligence jobs

At Northrop Grumman the TS clearance is not always easy to get.

Some folks get it in less than a year after applying, other folks never get it and will never hear "why" they did not receive it.

BBC News - Iran unveils first bomber drone

BBC News - Iran unveils first bomber drone

Iran has a novel design for a unmanned bomber which simplifies the design and development process.

Without a crew to keep alive, there is no need for environmental control or crew survivability.

The Iranians CLAIM that this bomber only has a 1000 kilometer range which is not far enough to reach Israel.

Perhaps they do not want to alarm the Israelis.

The Iranians perhaps will not have nuclear capability for another year.

Nothing for the Israelis to worry about in the short term.

This bomber might cost less than a B-2 bomber.

Israel To Purchase F-35I Fighter Jets From US - CBS News

Israel To Purchase F-35I Fighter Jets From US - CBS News

More good news for Lockheed Martin, and its sub-contractor, Northrop Grumman Corporation?

'Extreme Downsizing' May Hurt Companies Later : NPR

'Extreme Downsizing' May Hurt Companies Later : NPR

Northrop Grumman has a clear picture of its revenue flow for several years into the future because of its contract work - it knows how much will be coming in for each year.

Because of this, Northrop Grumman attempts to downsize its work force so as to not have a "loss" resulting from paying more in salaries than t is taking in on contracts.

In the past, Northrop Grumman went through lay-offs and warned its employees of potential lay-offs. This resulted in a lot of people leaving, both through lay-offs and on their own.

Northrop Grumman was able to minimize losses, but then had a SERIOUS SHORTAGE of knowledge workers, as TOO MANY people went away - so many that Northrop Grumman had to offer financial incentives to its employees for referrals of new employees in order to bring in new employees to replace the employees that left on their own or who were laid off.

First, Northrop Grumman makes a bunch of employees leave the company, either voluntarily or involuntarily.

Second, after determining the shortfall in knowledge and skills, Northrop Grumman goes into an hiring phase to make up for the lost knowledge and experience that went away.

Northrop Grumman is not always successful in replacing the lost knowledge and experience.

What a way to run a business - this is the Northrop Grumman way!

Pilot ejects from CF-18 before it crashes and explodes

Pilot ejects from CF-18 before it crashes and explodes

Another victory for the McDonnell Douglas/Northrop Grumman team - the ejection seat on this CF-18 works just fine, even when the aircraft stalls and the ejection seat is deployed at low-speed and high angle of attack. Good job!

For better customer relationships, concentrate first on employees - SmartPlanet

For better customer relationships, concentrate first on employees - SmartPlanet

This is something that Northrop Grumman does NOT believe in.

The customers come first, shareholders (remember "shareholder value"?) come next, management are next, with the employees in a very distant last place (employees are replaceable, expendable, cogs in a big machine).

New Army chief is ready to pull the plug on ¿over-priced¿ UK defence firms | Mail Online

New Army chief is ready to pull the plug on ¿over-priced¿ UK defence firms | Mail Online

The Brits are tired over over-paying for over-priced defense items from their over-priced defense firms. They would rather buy abroad.

They would rather pay for over-priced foreign military goods. Northrop Grumman can provide high-priced (NOT over-priced) products.

I Write Like erupts online, authors scratch heads - Washington Times

I Write Like erupts online, authors scratch heads - Washington Times

Check this out - I put a couple of blog entries from this blog into I Write Like and it told me that I write like Isaac Asimov(?!)

14 Ways to Expand Your Influence - by Dumb Little Man

14 Ways to Expand Your Influence - by Dumb Little Man

Here's a question: How many of the managers at Northrop Grumman have "influence"?

Take a look at these "14 Ways to Expand Your Influence" in this blog.

1. Understand It

2. Be a Person of Integrity and of Values

3. Be Authentic and Transparent

4. Accept Responsibility

5. Be a Solution Seeker

6. Be Proactive

7. Practice Empathy

8. Appreciate & Recognize Others

9. Respond vs React

10. Bring Out the Best in Others

11. Practice the Golden Rule

12. Be a Giver

13. Go Above and Beyond

14. Have Vision

BBC News - Row over Canada F-35 fighter jet order

BBC News - Row over Canada F-35 fighter jet order

There seems to be a big fuss in Canada because "The contract with US company Lockheed Martin was signed without a competitive bidding process, drawing fire from Canada's opposition party."

The whole idea of the Joint Strike Fighter was to share costs for a common fighter jet design for several nations.

Where else would Canada get a fighter jet for less than the total cost of $16bn, according to "Media reports estimate that maintenance could bring the total cost to Canadian $16bn."

Northrop CEO: Wesley Bush is steering Northrop Grumman in a new direction - latimes.com

Northrop CEO: Wesley Bush is steering Northrop Grumman in a new direction - latimes.com

Wes Bush wants to make over Northrop Grumman, and is proposing to make additional changes.

Northrop Grumman may get out of the ship-building business.

See the link above for more.

Here's an interesting observation by Rebecca Grant of IRIS Independent Research:

"Wes Bush is not hung up on the Northrop Grumman of the past," Grant said. "Time will tell about his judgment. But I think you have to give him credit for making the tough moves early on."

10 surefire ways to kill morale | 10 Things | TechRepublic.com

10 surefire ways to kill morale | 10 Things | TechRepublic.com

Here's a list of ten things that supposedly "kill morale" - how many do you see at Northrop Grumman?

1: Punish desired behavior

2: Reward undesired behavior

3: Play favorites

4: Change direction early and often

5: Ignore the positives

6: Focus only on the negatives

7: Use questionable measurements

8: Fail to give credit

9: Micromanage

10. Freak out

Official Announcement from Wes Bush

This came from a Northrop Grumman employee who thought I was interested in this:

If you have access to the Company Intranet, you can also view this message at the following location: http://home.northgrum.com/comm/comm_execs.html.

July 12, 2010

MFCP 10-17

Site in Falls Church, Virginia Selected for New Corporate Office

To My Colleagues:

I am pleased to announce our selection of a building in Falls Church, Va. as the new home for our corporate office. Northrop Grumman has entered into an agreement to purchase the building located at 2980 Fairview Park Drive following a thorough site selection process. We plan to open the new office in the summer of 2011.

The building is located approximately 10 miles from the Pentagon, just inside the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495). It will accommodate employees from both our Los Angeles Corporate Office and Washington Operations facility in Arlington, Va.

I want to recognize the members of our relocation team for their efforts in identifying an excellent site, and for continuing to assist our Corporate employees who are making significant personal and professional changes as a result of this move.

I also want to thank our Corporate employees for their continued cooperation during this time of change, and I ask for everyone’s support as we move forward with the relocation. This is an important step in our drive to achieve sustainable performance improvement and deliver increased value to our shareholders, customers and employees.

sig:\

Wes Bush

Chief Executive Officer and President

MY TAKE on this DOWN-SIZING is this:

That means A LOT of folks in Century City are not being asked to go to Virginia - remember what I wrote based on the Daily Breeze article April 27, 2010?

In reading the Daily Breeze article, NOTICE the DOWN-SIZING that Northrop Grumman is undergoing:

- Current Century City headquarters has about 360 people

- New location will have about 300 people

OBVIOUSLY not all of the current 360 people are being asked to move to Virginia. ALSO, how many people will be hired from the "local talent"?

How many folks from the Washington facility are part of the 300?

The more Washington folks there are, the less Century City folks beyond the obvious 60 there will not be.

Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Ten Signs of a Fear-Based Workplace - Yahoo! Finance

Ten Signs of a Fear-Based Workplace - Yahoo! Finance

Is Northrop Grumman a "Fear-Based Workplace"?

Look at the link for the article for more on the following ten signs:

1. Appearances are everything.

2. Everyone one is talking about who's rising and who's falling.

3. Distrust reigns.

4. Numbers rule.

5. And rules number in the thousands.

6. Management considers lateral communication suspect.

7. Information is hoarded.

8. Brown-nosers rule.

9. The Office evokes sad chuckles, rather than laughs.

10. Management leads by fear.

What do you think?

Dark-horse team bids against Boeing and EADS for $35-billion Pentagon tanker contract - latimes.com

Dark-horse team bids against Boeing and EADS for $35-billion Pentagon tanker contract - latimes.com

Now that Northrop Grumman pulled out of the KC-X competition after Wes Bush decided that it was not worth the resources, time and effort (and Northrop Grumman not having the political clout to keep a once-won contract won), there's Boeing, EADS (Northrop Grumman's former partner that now is going it alone), and the U.S. Aerospace Inc. of Santa Fe Springs and former Soviet Union plane manufacturer Antonov of Ukraine.

U.S. Aerospace Inc. is described as "small, cash-strapped" but evidently they feel that when they are teamed with Antonov they have have the resources, time, and effort required that Northrop Grumman does not

BBC News - EADS submits new bid for USAF refuelling contract

BBC News - EADS submits new bid for USAF refuelling contract

EADS was Northrop Grumman's partner on the KC-X before Wes Bush decided that Northrop Grumman did not have the political clout that Boeing had to keep the KC-X that it had originally won.

Lockheed cuts exec ranks as Pentagon seeks savings - Washington Times

Lockheed cuts exec ranks as Pentagon seeks savings - Washington Times

Given that Northrop Grumman now has a number of former Lockheed employees, do you think that this method of cutting costs will be adopted at Northrop Grumman?

U.S. Army to get new hybrid blimps for Afghanistan - SmartPlanet

U.S. Army to get new hybrid blimps for Afghanistan - SmartPlanet

Northrop Grumman is now working with the U.S. Army to build a hybrid blimp for ISR in Afghanistan.

Good stuff - Northrop Grumman can do high priced low tech stuff for the government as well as as high tech stuff.

12 Things We'd Tell Our Bosses if We Could - Yahoo! Finance

12 Things We'd Tell Our Bosses if We Could - Yahoo! Finance

Would YOU tell any of the managers at Northrop Grumman ANY of these 12 things?

Obama, Hill poised for clash on cuts - Washington Times

Obama, Hill poised for clash on cuts - Washington Times

Seems to be a big fuss about building a second engine for the F-35. Neither the Bush nor the Obama administration supported the second engine.

It's about the money - too little money is available for a program that is over cost, in a environment of record debt and near-record deficits.

DOWN-SIZING: Northrop Grumman chooses Virginia for new headquarters - The Daily Breeze

Northrop Grumman employees got this email from Wes Bush:

April 26, 2010
MFCP 10-10

Virginia Selected for New Corporate Office

To My Colleagues:

We are pleased to have identified Virginia as the home for our new corporate office. Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia put forward compelling, competitive offers. Our final decision was driven largely by facility considerations, proximity to our customers and overall economics. Our relocation team has narrowed its search to several buildings in the Falls Church/Arlington area of northern Virginia. We expect to make the final selection in the next several weeks.

We plan to open the new corporate office by the summer of 2011, and we will keep you informed regarding our progress as we move through the design and construction phases to the official opening.

The relocation team has done a great job, not only in quickly identifying an excellent location for our new corporate office, but also for the work they are doing to assist employees in Century City and elsewhere who are making significant personal and professional changes as a result of this move.

I want to thank our Corporate Office employees for their continued effort and cooperation during a period of much change and uncertainty, and I ask for everyone’s support as we move forward in the relocation. We are creating a clear and compelling path to a better future as we position our company for higher performance and greater success.


sig:\
Wes Bush
Chief Executive Officer and President


This move affects very few of the typical Northrop Grumman employees. Few of us have actually gone to Century City for a meeting. (I've been there for meetings, and had a temporary work assignment in Century City - but that's another blog.)

Wes Bush decided that all Northrop Grumman employees to know this.

The Daily Breeze newspaper had a much more informative article at Northrop Grumman chooses Virginia for new headquarters.

In reading the Daily Breeze article, NOTICE the DOWN-SIZING that Northrop Grumman is undergoing:

- Current Century City headquarters has about 360 people

- New location will have about 300 people

OBVIOUSLY not all of the current 360 people are being asked to move to Virginia. ALSO, how many people will be hired from the "local talent"?

There will be some "retirements" as well as "re-deployments" among those not asked to move to Virginia.

Such a nice way to get rid of the "deadwood and dog-meat" (term used by a Northrop Vice-President when referring to laid-off employees).


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Enemy Lurks in Briefings on Afghan War - PowerPoint - NYTimes.com

Northrop Grumman has a fascination with PowerPoint presentations.

There are published "Northrop Grumman" standards and practices on how a Northrop Grumman PowerPoint presentation is supposed to look like.

People's presentations are sometimes judged on how well it followed Northrop Grumman PowerPoint standards and practices instead of how factual or true the information in the presentation is/is not, or whether or not it made any sense.

See Enemy Lurks in Briefings on Afghan War - PowerPoint - NYTimes.com for an interesting take on the military and PowerPoint.

See what it says about "rigid lists of bullet points", something is promoted by the Northrop Grumman PowerPoint standards.

Also note what it says about how PowerPoint ". . . stifles discussion, critical thinking and thoughtful decision-making".

Interesting is the point about PowerPoint ". . . does come in handy when the goal is not imparting information, as in briefings for reporters".

Most amusing is the assertion that PowerPoint presentations ". . . last 25 minutes, with 5 minutes left at the end for questions from anyone still awake. Those types of PowerPoint presentations, Dr. Hammes said, are known as “hypnotizing chickens."

Do any of these things apply to the PowerPoint presentations at Northrop Grumman?

I don't know if Northrop Grumman is in better shape because of PowerPoint.

MORE on PowerPoint:

Death by PowerPoint

Gettysburg PowerPoint Presentation - What if Lincoln used PowerPoint?

What do you think?


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

10 ways your organization can look unprofessional | 10 Things | TechRepublic.com

Take a look at this:

10 ways your organization can look unprofessional | 10 Things | TechRepublic.com

Think of how many times you have witnessed the 10 Things at Northrop Grumman:

1: Criticizing co-workers to outsiders

2: Passing the buck

3: Failing to supply material to a subordinate

4: Failing to test and verify your telephone menu options

5: Failing to acknowledge caller by name, if known

6: Failing to set up a personal voicemail zero out/attendant cover option

7: Overuse of cc:

8: Being clueless about the location of a principal

9: Misspelling names

10: Web site links that only Google can find


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Uh, I Don't Think So . . ."Poll: Is HR an advocate for the employee?"

The question today is "Poll: Is HR an advocate for the employee?"

What do YOU think?

In my humble opinion, Human Resources, aka HR, is strictly an advocate for the employer, and not for the employee.

Q. Who pays the HR employees?

A. The employer.

Q. Who does HR does its best to protected from potential lawsuits by employees?

A. The employer.

Q. What organization works to resolve any differences between the employer and employee, usually in the employer's favor?

A. HR.

In my limited experiences with HR, I notice that the typical HR person seems to be a nice enough person who is working on behalf of the company. Good people skills, talks well with the employees. (NOTHING like the typical manager at Northrop Grumman.)

Here's a "for instance". When Thomas Lee Hull was my manager in 1999, he evidently wanted me to stay around instead of looking for another job when Northrop Grumman was going through a downturn in contracts and were laying people off.

After I had received the WARN letter (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification), 60-day notification of potential layoff as required by Federal law, he assured me that "we're going to pull the lay-off notice".

OBVIOUSLY he wanted me to stay around and finish the work that I was doing instead of looking for another job as ANY REASONABLE AND SANE PERSON would.

Then I got the phone call from Payroll, asking me to come down and sign the form for my final paycheck(?!!)

I called HR.

I asked, "Did he lie to me?"

The reply was that "No, he may have mis-stated the facts based on overly-optimistic projections!"

I knew then that I was screwed, that I should not have listened to the lies of management HR is an advocate for the employer and company, and NOT an advocate for the employee.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Over Budget, Way Off Schedule

See Virginia and Northrop revise and extend VITA computer contract and look how Northrop Grumman has made it profitable to go over proposed budgets and way off schedule.

Northrop Grumman is nothing like the little aircraft company, Northrop Aircraft Company, that took PRIDE in being "under budget" and "on-time" in its contractual obligations.

The original deal was a ten-year contract for $2.36 BILLION.

Northrop Grumman has been able to re-negotiate a three-year contract extension for an additional $247.2 MILLION per year.

This is in addition to $105 MILLION over the next nine years for additional hardware and services.

Northrop Grumman is also getting another $47 MILLION for "security and disaster recovery services not included in the original contract".

Northrop Grumman has come a long way.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Aircraft Maker Pushing Exports of Spy Drones

Northrop Grumman is in the news again.

See Aircraft Maker Pushing Exports of Spy Drones in the New York Times.

Because of the success of unmanned drones in Iraq and Afghanistan, Northrop Grumman is looking at exporting this technology to Japan and ". . . other countries considering adding the plane to their air forces are South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Britain, Spain, New Zealand and Canada. Germany has already contracted for a variant called the EuroHawk to be delivered this year."

It is NOT a problem "despite concerns that exports might send sensitive technology into the wrong hands" AND the use of such drones might "also heighten tensions with countries like China, Iran and Russia -- who could be the subject of closer observation and perceive the drones' operations as offensive threats."


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Pentagon Would Extend Tanker Deadline 60 Days

See Pentagon Would Extend Tanker Deadline 60 Days.

In addition to the possible bid by a Russian aircraft company on the KC-X, EADS evidently has the clout to have the Pentagon extend the deadline on the KC-X proposal deadline.

EADS wants an additional 90 days, the Pentagon has indicated that the deadline would be extended by 60 days if EADS promises to bid against Boeing.

EADS had reversed its original decision to not submit a bid after Northrop Grumman withdrew from the KC-X competition.

Northrop Grumman was not willing to submit a proposal, as it did not have the clout to prevent the requirements from being written to favor the smaller tanker that Boeing will be proposal.

Northrop decided not to submit a proposal because Wes Bush did not want to expend resources.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Russian company expected to bid on Air Force refueling tanker

See Russian company expected to bid on Air Force refueling tanker.

Now that Northrop Grumman has decided not to compete for the KC-X against Boeing, a Russian company will be proposing its tanker design based on the Russian Ilyushin Il-96, a four-engine commercial airliner.

This is a Russian-state owned aerospace company, United Aircraft Corporation. It will create a joint venture between a still to be announced U.S. contract company and UAC-America.

Nothing but the best for our American fighting forces.

15 great leadership questions

See 15 great leadership questions.

How many of THESE questions has your manager EVER asked YOU?

At Northrop Grumman, many of the managers are sent to some kind of manager "charm school" to make them more "manager-like".

Unfortunately, being trained to be a good manager is NOT good training to be a good leader.

Take a look at these questions and think about how often your manager has asked you ANY of them.

(I am willing to bet that you won't be able to answer with more than ten, five, three, . . .)

1.”What can I do to make you more effective?”

2. What’s keeping you from falling asleep at night?

3. What one thing should I do more? (or one thing I should do less?)

4. What roadblocks are holding you back? (or preventing your projects from moving ahead?)

5. What’s the most important issue you are dealing with right now?

6. What do our competitors do better than us?

7. If you were in my job, what’s the first thing you would you do?

8. What do we do better than anyone else?

9. How can I improve your team’s productivity?

10. What are the two key behaviors of our leadership team?

11. What one thing can we do to make our weekly meeting more effective?

12. What are your top three goals for next month?

13. What’s waking you up at 3:00 in the morning?

14. When you think about our goals, what are we forgetting?

15. If I could do just one thing for you as a result of this discussion, what would it be?

Of course, Northrop Grumman managers are not paid or budgeted time to work with their employees in such a manner as asking employees a bunch of silly questions that would make the employees be more effective (as opposed to efficient) and that might make employees feel that the company values the employees as human being instead of faceless cogs in a some kind of machine.

Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Pentagon says cost of new F-35 fighter jet will be double original estimates - latimes.com

Pentagon says cost of new F-35 fighter jet will be double original estimates - latimes.com

Northrop Grumman is only a subcontractor to prime contractor Lockheed-Martin on the F-35.

At one time, long ago, when it was merely the Northrop Aircraft Company, the company prided itself on "on-time" and "under-cost" fulfillment of its contracts.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Tanker Competition Drop Out

Northrop Grumman and its European partner EADS won the $35 billion Air Force tanker contract in February 2008.

Boeing protested this decision and had the decision overturned.

The Air Force then re-wrote the requirements for the tanker contract.

Northrop Grumman has now dropped out of the tanker competition.

EADS has also dropped out of the tanker competition.

Wes Bush decided that Northrop Grumman did not need to expend resources competing for a tanker contract that had its requirements re-written to favor the smaller Boeing tanker designer.

UPDATE: I must assume that Wes Bush does not believe that Northrop Grumman has the clout to protest the eventual decision if/when Boeing wins the KC-X contract. Northrop Grumman has already shown that it doesn't have the clout to uphold its February 2008 win of the original KC-X proposal against Boeing's subsequent protest.

Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Five Weeks Today

Five weeks ago, January 26, was the date of open heart surgery.

Still slightly sore, still get tired easily.

Need to build up stamina - walking 25 minutes (not fast) a day.

Looking forward to resuming more "normal" activities.

No driving or heavy lifting for six weeks. Will still take it easy.

Doctor's Appointment Wednesday February 10

Kept my monthly appointment with the kidney specialist on Wednesday.

He said that I looked good for having had open heart surgery two weeks prior (on January 26).

Hemoglobin numbers are still low, so my procrit dosage was increased, and an iron infusion has been scheduled.

Protein number is low, so increased protein intake has been prescribed.

Coumadin (polite word for rat poison, Warfarin) is being adjusted for increase INR to prevent clotting around my new pig valve.

Most of the other numbers are looking good.

Still sore, and get tired easily. I sleep a lot too.

Anemia explains the lack of energy.

Super Bowl Commercials

Some Super Bowl commercials stood out for me.

NO, you do NOT need to WATCH the Super Bowl on TV to see the commercials. Wait until the game is over and then watch the AD BLITZ channel on YouTube.

1. Doritos commercial where the A**HOLE sees the anti-bark collar on a dog at the park and tries to get it to "speak" (and shock itself) for a Doritos.

The dog wants the Doritos, and removes the anti-bark shock collar and places it on the neck of the A**HOLE who the dog then shocks and immobilizes onto the ground, freeing up the bag of Doritos.

Good job, dog - you won against those who would torment you!

I only wish the same for Northrop Grumman employees.

2. Snickers commercial. Guys are playing football in the mud. The QB rags on one guy who is playing like (and looks like Betty White) for his poor play. His girl friend gives him a Snickers bar and he turns into his regular self.

The QB, on the other hand, plays (and looks like Abe Vigoda) in the next play. The tagline of the commercial - when you are hungry, you are not yourself.

We do what we need to do, no matter how ugly it looks. Northrop Grumman employees can surely identify with that.

3. Dodge Ram Charger. A list of stuff that men have to put up with (get to work at 8:00AM, attend boring two hour meetings, keep mouth shut instead of telling the truth, leaving the toilet seat down, etc.) to get along in life, and it ends with "I get to drive the car that I want", which is the Dodge Ram Charger, Man's Last Stand.

Some men are LUCKY to be rewarded for what they put up with. Not every Northrop Grumman employee will be rewarded for what they put up with at Northrop Grumman.

4. Bridgestone tire commercial. Dark and rainy night on the open highway, a car is stopped by a well-armed group of men who demand his Bridgestone tires.

The driver of the car pushes his very hot wife dressed in black leather out of the car, backs up and turns his car around, making his escape.

"I said your LIFE, not your WIFE!"

Some married men know what's really important!


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Saw Something Northrop Grumman Does NOT Know?

I saw this on-line that runs counter to everything that Northrop Grumman management believes it knows:

Study: Employees with flexible hours work harder, are more satisfied

Northrop Grumman management somehow just knows that the 9/80 work schedule program is favored by the majority of those employees who vote for it as long as it is convenient for management.

Northrop Grumman management's idea of flexibility is the alternating Friday off.

You don't get to choose whether or not you do 9/80 work schedule. Once a site goes onto 9/80, EVERYBODY at that site works 9/80.

Where's the flexibility? As long as you can get your eighty hours logged onto L/ANS every two weeks, Northrop Grumman management does not care when you come into work - weekends, after hours, etc.

However, the manager will ask that each employee publish their nominal hours - when they come in, when they leave, and when they take their lunch break. This is hard to do if they want to be within California labor laws (there's no federal law requiring that you are given a lunch break.)

SUPPOSEDLY by California law the employee is REQUIRED to take a lunch break (seven-tenths of an hour = 42 minutes?) but many employees will choose to "work through lunch" and not spend as long of a day at Northrop Grumman.

For the working mothers and fathers at Northrop Grumman, 9/80 presents a logistical challenge in getting the little ones to and from child care within the necessary time limits imposed by the various caregivers.

For those folks driving long distances to and from work, a commute time of two to six hours on top of the nominal nine hour workday makes for a very long day.

Nothing but the best for the Northrop Grumman employee.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Still Sore but Less

Vicodin has been a companion, but not as frequently as before.

Nominally it's "Take 1 tablet orally every 6 hours as needed for pain not to exceed 4 tablets in 24 hours."

First three days home I took it as prescribed, taking four tablets in a 24 hour period.

The last three days it's not needed as much, and only took three tablets in a 24 hour period.

Still sore, but differently - I like to think that I am getting better.

Robert Gates Tries to Get F-35 to Fly Right

I saw this in the latest issue of Time magazine (February 15, 2010) in a article regarding Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

"...as he did on Feb. 1 when he fired the military officer overseeing the Pentagon's new F-35 stealth-fighter jet program for cost overruns and technical failures and punished Lockheed Martin by withholding $615 million in fees. Lots of defense contractors and program managers underachieve, yet they always get away with it. Not with Gates..."

I had to look real hard to see this story in the L.A.Times - it is not big enough news regarding Northrop Grumman, sub-contract to Lockheed Martin on the F-35 to have its own story, as I found it in the eighth paragraph down in the story Pentagon budget calls for more unmanned aircraft.

"Gates announced Monday he was firing the officer in charge of the program and withholding $614 million from Lockheed Martin, the prime F-35 contractor. He said he would appoint a new general or admiral to oversee the program."

The New York Times thought the story was bigger, as it had the February 1 story Gates Shakes Up Leadership for F-35.

Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate

As part of the Peritoneal Dialysis regimen, I record my blood pressure and pulse rate twice a day.

My blood pressure has DROPPED to a more "normal" 121/69 this morning, as well as my pulse rate, going from 80 -90 to 65 this morning - this suggests that my heart is now beating more efficiently and effectively - GOOD STUFF!

When I Sleep I Don't Move

I notice that I wake up in the same position that I had when I laid down to sleep - flat on my back at night, flat on my back when napping during the day.

This means that I don't move around when I am sleep probably because it HURTS to move, so I DON'T move.

Talked to "Dr. Sam" regarding my Coumadin. I will be working with him to maintain a specific level of Coumadin for the desired anticoagulant effects. Regular blood test tests are needed as well as an awareness of anything and everything that could affect the Coumadin activity.

The Mobile Phlebotomy Service will be coming to our house to take blood from me tomorrow morning.

Wikipedia says that it was a pesticide (sounds better than "Rat Poison", doesn't it?) that was discovered to have it usefulness when "...an incident in 1951, where a US Army inductee unsuccessfully attempted suicide with warfarin and recovered fully, studies began in the use of warfarin as a therapeutic anticoagulant..."

Got Home Today

Got to go home today

Kaiser Permanent has a group of dedicated people who work in the same place, but don't necessarily talk o each other and coordinate things.

The idea of being "discharged" was a good thing for Dr. Sidhu, the man in the turban and beard who liked the idea of being rid of me on Sunday. I don't know what was supposed to be communicated and to whom, but the nursing staff was asking me when I was being discharged. I gave them "1:00PM" as that was the ime that Dr. Sidu's assistance suggested me me. She was nice to me - instead of telling me to "hold your breath" and yanking the wires of the temporary pacemaker out of my chest, she actually CUT the stitches with tiny shart scissors and then removing the wires.

Got printed instructions on new, old and discontinued meds, and how to take care of me for the next six weeks. (keep things clean and dry, watch for signs of infection and heart failure, etc.)

No driving, no heavy lfting (five pounds or more!) for six weeks. no vigorous upper body activity - have to allow the rib cage to heal up which takes weeks.

While napping, sister Kendyl Lyn called - I returned her call.

Also, Esther Germany, Toastmaster friend called from France - at least that what the "country code" show in my Google Voice Mail - Thank You! for the call, Esther - you had some good news!?

Another new adventure is being on Coumadin, (brand name - polite word for warfarin, which is RAT POISON). This being an anticoagulant, I need to be aware of diet, what I am eating/not eating, ANYTHING that will affect my "clotting factors" and having regular blood tests to measure how much my "International Normalized Ratio" (INR) is.

Because of the Pig Valve, I need to watch out for my body's tendancy to react to it and form a clot. A normal person's INR is 1.0. I need to have an INR of 2 to 3.

Because this is done by blood test and we have stairs to go up and down in the house, we asked about the possibility of the phebotomist coming. The nursing staff had asked and found that this was not done. However, the Anti-Coagulant Pharmacist Rick said that this could be arranged!

Going Home Tomorrow (Sunday)

The cardiac doctor with the turban and beard said that I was good to go home on Sunday.

His assistant who came to check my incision (nice job with no ragged edges - Thank You! Dr. Pfeffer!) told me that I would be discharged about 1:00PM after all the paperwork, instructions, and medications are done.

I was told by one of the nurses that the two wires connecting my heart to a temporary pacemaker would be removed on tne day I go home. ("Hold your breath!" and YANK! as there's only a couple of stitches used.)

They try not to keep their patients too many days because they don't want the patient to get sick in the hospital.

They say that I did good.

Tuesday: Got the aortic valve removed and replaced, and two(?) bypass grafts. Went to sleep 7AM and was remember being awake at 7PM, although I'm told that I was in and out earlier Tuesday.

Wedneday: breathing tube removed and able to "talk". Able to "sit" uprightin a chair for total of seven hours (four hours in intensive care, three in intermediate care after chest tubed were taken out - "Hold your breath" YANK!). Moved from 3rd floor intensive care unit room (no bathroom with toilet) to 5th floor intermediate care unit room (got a bathriim with shower and toilet.)

Thursday: Walked up and down the hallway three times; passed on walking Wednesday as I had already seven hours of "sitting".

Friday: Big day for visitors - Bill, Gordon, Donna, Rick, Mom, Lily, Diana, Elizabeth,And Virginia. Smerke called on the phone.

There's cable television that we don't have at home.. Watched the Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, AMC, CNN, and the Kaiser educational video on coumadin (polite word for warfarin which is known as a rat poison.) which I will now be taking to prevent blood clots.

Movies and programs included bits and pieces of Alien 2 and Alien 3, The Fugitive, Terminator 2 (I nap in between the bits and pieces that I watch.)

What was really good was "The Night of the Living Dead" where the live people did not refer to the living dead as "Zombies," The final resolution of the zombie problem was the phone call to the U.S. Army phone number stencilled on the storage container containing the original living dead (Secret Project of the U.S. Army) that was mis-delivered to a body parts shop in Louisville, Kentucky.

The U.S. Army simply launched a low-yield tactical nuclear shell that resulted in 4,000 killls over a twenty-square mile area.

Clean and efficient!

Sent from my Peek

Today's Wedneday

Yesterday was the DAY.

Fell asleep before 7:00AM (Teresa gave me a couple pills to "relax" in addition to acid-gas reflux(?) pill plus another of something. Diana says she talked to me as I was falling asleep, AND I don't remember talking to her.

Means that I don't remember ANYTHING between 7 in the morning to 7 Tuesday night when I know I woke up and knew that I did NOT DIE. Good Stuff! People are praying for me from the East Coast to the West Coast and who knows from elsewhere.

I know that I did not die for real becuse the book did not fall out of Norine's bookcase.

I don't remember:

- having IV put into right wrist and left neck .but do know that the two were removed by Maria.

- a tube put my pee-pee to collect my pee but know that Vicky pulled it out after telling me, "take a deep breath!" It hurt!. It also hurts when I pee.

- anything about the operation itself - the evidence I have is pain in chest that hurts when I breath and cough, two tubes coming out of my chest draining bloody fluid and gas, and a BIG bandage on my right leg where Vicky says they took a vein for bypass graft.

I think I had the operation.

I was moved from the ICU to "intermediate" care room because I am doing "well." I feel like I got hit by a bus, hurting all over, can't breathe or cough without pain and discomfort.

I am "doing well" because I can talk and sat upright in a real chair for several hours, as well as not asking for pain meds beyond what give me without asking.

Tomorrow they say that they are going to make me WALK with all these tubes wires hanging off me.

I am in Room 5781 with phone number 323-783-5781, visiting hours 8AM to 8PM with age limit and no colds/influenza.

Sent from my Peek

(Yesterday was) the DAY

Written Tuesday 1/26, ~5:30 AM.

Today is the DAY.

Nothing by mouth after midnight – no food, water, or meds –nothing.

Woke up at 4:00AM.

Took a shower with the scrub soap as a pre-operation preparation.

Lily and Diana brought me to Kaiser to check-in at 5:20 and will stand by until I come out of surgery, approximately 1:00 – 1:30PM.

I will be put "asleep" at 7:00AM, and won't wake up fully until Wednesday, being in and out of it (consciousness) today (Tuesday) after coming out of surgery.

This blog entry is being emailed for me by Diana, who also writes:

He has survived surgery and is in ICU. Miraculously, he is also sitting up. The breathing tube has been removed from his throat, too, so his recovery is going very well!
--
Diana M. Jue, MIT '11
MCP, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
International Development Group
dmjue@mit.edu
(626) 616-9238

One More Day

Tomorrow morning will be IT - open heart surgery to replace an aortic valve and double/triple bypass.

I have been assured that I will "go to sleep" and "wake up" after its all done with no memory of the surgery. Might be better to have no memory of what happens, and not know what the surgeons actually say about the patient.

Had blood (four vials) and urine tested, chest x-rays (back and side), filled out paperwork for admission - just need to sign in at 5:15A.M. tomorrow morning.

I will be made to sleep at 7:00A.M., and should be done by 1:00P.M. or 1:30P.M. Then I will be drifting in and out of consciousness the rest of the day and fully awake Wednesday.

Probably will be in Intensive Care for one or two days, followed by intermediate care for five to eight days, and then home for three to six weeks of recovery.

Talked with the anesthesiologist who answered questions.

Daughter Diana will send out an email after I come out of surgery.

Two More Days

In two days I will have heart surgery for aortic valve replacement and double/triple bypass.

While I have no problems with dying (everybody dies, see "Memento Mori") what has me concerned is the uncertainty involved - statistically this procedure has 85% survival rate.

That is, if I were to have this procedure done 100 times I would die 15 times "on average".

(This means statistically if an increasingly large number of batches of 100 procedures were to be done, the average number of times of dying in 100 procedures would converge to 15 as the number of batches gets larger.)

On the other hand, there's the certainty of being dead in two years if I do not have the procedure done - it's a no-brainer as far as making the decision to have or not-have the surgery.

After surviving and recovering from surgery I plan on having my ear pierced as a symbol of surviving a life-threatening situation..

(This comes from the sailor's tradition of ear-piercing if he were to survive a shipwreck, along with other things such as crossing the equator for the first time, or to ensure a Christian burial if his body washes ashore after a shipwreck.)

Instead of black pearl, I had made an earring with a two carat canary-yellow simulated diamond in a bevel setting (sits lower on the ear lobe), and will probably go to Old Towne Pasadena to a tattoo and body piercing shop that I found on Yelp for the ear piercing.

Diana will have her ears pierced. We will do this in May when she comes back from school.

Sent from my Peek

edited 3:34PM Sunday, January 24, 2010

"Stifling" - Why I Do It?

I previously wrote that I was writing this blog for my health. The full article on "stifling" can be found here.

Like all good husbands in the world, I listen to my wife.

She told me not to COMPLAIN, i.e., say something is the not right more than once. She does not want it repeated.

So I did not say anything when my health was deteriorating - that would be complaining, as my health was deteriorating over more than one day and the complaint would have been "repeated".

I did not say anything about my situation at Northrop Grumman - that would be complaining, as it was a continuous situation over many months and thus "repeated".

I was doing my best not to complain, me being the good husband who listens to his wife who does not want to hear repeated complaints from her husband.

OF COURSE, she tells me that I am STUPID because I did not do what employees at the Bank of America do in situations that they do not like - go on "disability" and still be paid for not working because of poor health and bad work conditions.

I am not of the high moral fiber as that of the typical Bank of America employee. Ken Lewis is an excellent example of a Bank of America employee.

The woman does NOT want to hear me complain.

As I am not a "manly man", I am prone to complaining - pissing and moaning like a woman, I guess.

My wife Lily tells me that I am "too sensitive", and that I should be more like her friend's husband, Addison (cute name).

When Susan tells Addison that he is "totally worthless", Addison (it is reported), will just "laugh it off" like a manly man.

"Ha! Ha! Hah! What, Woman?! You call me TOTALLY WORTHLESS?! Ha! Ha! Hah!"

I, Michael Jue, am not a "manly man" as Addison, and am NOT able to "laugh it off" as he does.

My COMPLAINT was that I didn't like being told that I was "totally worthless" by my wife. I just don't like it. I am too "sensitive".

Of course, she is TOTALLY JUSTIFIED, as I do not give her enough money, and what little money I give her, it is not given fast enough. Thus, I am "totally worthless" to my wife, Lily.

Another time, I was complaining that the air conditioning was not turned high enough in the car while travelling to San Francisco in the San Joaquin valley heat one summer. As the girls and she get cold more easily than I get hot, her solution to my complaint was a single word, "SUFFER!"

I have learned not to complain.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Not All Former Military Pilots Are the Same

Previously I had written about the former military folks at Northrop Grumman.

Nowadays they are hired because they "walk the walk" and "talk the talk" of our military customers and Northrop Grumman management needs and wants to have some kind of rapport with the customer.

Some of these pilot-types are really smart guys. Corey Moore, who is now Sector Vice President, Advanced Concepts and Integrated Solutions at Northrop Grumman Corporate Headquarters is an example. He was in the Systems Analysis group in the 1980's. As a F-18 pilot he wanted to be home more with his family.

Corey Moore even had some exposure to the THUNDER campaign model. He was SO SMART that he realized that didn't want to do the type of analysis that we were trying to do. He left Systems Analysis and went on to bigger and better things. Now he gets to move to Virginia.

John Haberbush is another smart guy. He's was also a F-18 pilot working in Systems Analysis at the same time as Corey Moore. John also had some experience with the THUNDER campaign model, and came up with two very smart sayings about analysis:

"If it looks easy, it's hard to do."

"If it looks hard, it's impossible to do."

John Haberbush was smart enough to get a job as an airline pilot and left Northrop Grumman.

There are other pilot-types at Northrop Grumman who were good at being pilots but perhaps not too good at anything else but "walking the walk" and "talking the talk" with the customer and building Powerpoint charts for the customer to look at.

For example, there is currently a "Program Manager" at Northrop Grumman (name not disclosed) who came to Northrop Grumman as a retired USAF colonel. He started out in Systems Analysis years ago. He sounded good, and looked good. Somewhat smart guy who was working on a fuel allocation problem and was able to boil it down to a mathematical description having six variables whose relationships were defined by five equations, all of which he was able to figure out. Smart guy!

Good start, but he was totally confused as to why he could not come up with a "unique" solution to his fuel allocation problem. Most mathematicians will tell you that to solve for an unique solution for six variables, you need to have six equations - he had only five equations.

He would NOT believe that six equations were needed instead of the five equations that he had, and would NOT believe the concept of there being an INFINITE family of solutions (values for the six variables) that would satisfy the five equations.

Conrad Batchelder in the next cubicle overhead the discussion and came over with his Hewlett Packard HP-15C calculator and SHOWED him two sets of values for the six variables that satisfied the five equations.

The retired USAF colonel left the cubicle shaking his head, staring at the sheet of paper that Conrad had prepared for him.

I still don't know if he believed the idea that he needed six equations to get an unique solution for the six variables.

Today he is a unnamed "Program Manager" at Northrop Grumman.

No, he is not Thomas Lee Hull.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Got a Date with the Surgeon

Pat from Cardiac Surgery called.

My date for surgery is January 26, and I get to check-in on the 25th.

This will be done at Kaiser Hospital on Sunset Blvd.

Am I the ONLY One? Don't Think So . . .

I came across a couple of web sites that may or may not be of interest to Northrop Grumman employees. What's really interesting is that the comments cover all parts of Northrop Grumman, and not just one sector.

Northrop Grumman management will find nothing interesting because THEY DON'T CARE what the employees think and feel as long as they get what they want from the employees.

The first web site is Jobvent.com. By the name, you would expect to hear from employees who are "venting" about their jobs. Take a look at

Working at Northrop Grumman — Reviews by Employees

Here's a sample: "Northrop is a company moving backwards. Despite some of their technical achievements they treatment of their people is horrific. They burn their people out, and are becoming more and more inflexible..."

The second web site is Indeed.com. They ask the question, "What is the company culture at Northrop Grumman?"

On this forum, we hear both the good and the bad. Some employees are OK with the company culture, others are not OK.

Here are samples:

"My team has a lot of fun during the day, but we also get work done. We plan lunches and things, and no one views it as a lack of things to do. My boss is great, very professional, but also jokes around with us."

"It's a great place to work if you're single, don't have a family, and don't care if you have a life. If you value family, health, personal time, and/or community involvement I would suggest looking elsewhere."

See What's the company culture at Northrop Grumman?


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

As Good as It's Going to Get

"As good as it's going to get."

That's what the kidney doctor basically said - my test results (ELEVEN vials of blood were taken out of my arm on Tuesday!) showed that the numbers that they were looking to go up - hemoglobin and protein levelss - have gone up and are in their respective "normal" range.

Many of the other numbers are within the desired range for dialysis patient.

There were some adjustments to meds to handle the numbers that were not within normal range. A couple of new prescriptions were written and picked up at the pharmacy.

It's a "GO" for heart surgery. We will call the cardiology group on Monday to get things going.

I now understand that we want to have my heart surgery preferably before the end of January before Diana goes back to school so that she can see me come out of surgery successfully.

More on Wes Bush

Two day ago I posted about Northrop Grumman corporate headquarters moving to the "Virginia area". Northrop Grumman management is so smart that I don't understand how or why management makes the decisions that it makes.

Looks like Wes Bush wants to change the culture at Northrop Grumman. The "dead weight" (deadwood and dog meat? this is a memorable quotation from a Electronics Division Vice-President many years ago regarding "reduction of the work force") executives at the higher levels will not be asked to move with the rest of the corporate headquarters to the "Virginia area".

See this L.A. Times article New Northrop Grumman CEO Wesley Bush shows why he got the job.

Kent Kresa and Ron Sugar are described as sentimental for wanting the corporate headquarters in Southern California because of their being homeboys. Wes Bush, on the other hand, has no such sentiments and would move the corporate headquarters to Nome, Alaska if his key customers were the Eskimos.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Not Everybody at Northrop Grumman Knows This

I was talking to somebody at Northrop Grumman this morning and mentioned that I saw the article in the L.A. Times regarding Northrop Grumman's headquarters moving to the "Virginia area". He had not heard about this news at all, but said that he was pretty busy at work this morning.

Wesley Bush made this move announcement on his first day on the job as chief operating officer and President, taking over for Ron Sugar effective January 1, 2010. The L.A. Times had this quotation:

"This is an important move for the company, and it's one that we believe will improve the effectiveness in serving the nation and our customers," Bush said in his first public statement as the company's chief executive. "The proximity to Washington enables us to be a more integrated part of the federal process."

However, I also notice that Wes Bush is a native of West Virginia, and went to school in Massachusetts for both his Bachelor and Master degrees in electrical engineering from MIT. Smart guy. He likes the East Coast.

Wes Bush doesn't waste any time.

Ron Sugar, on the other hand, was born in Hawthorne, and went to school at UCLA. Local boy. Ron Sugar didn't want to move the headquarters to the "Virginia area"; he thought it was fine where it was in Century City.

Wes Bush, the East Coast boy, thought that Northrop Grumman would improve its "effectiveness" if its headquarters were to be physically closer to the federal process in Washington.

Hasn't he heard of the telephone, and airplanes? Distances are not what they used to be when people had to walk for days in order to visit and communicate with other people.

Does this mean that Northrop Grumman has previously been "ineffective" in serving its customers because of the geographic distance between Los Angeles and Washington?

Ron Sugar didn't seem to have a problem with the physical distance between Century City and Washington, but of course, he's a local boy.

Wes Bus does have a problem with the physical distance, but of course, he's from the East Coast and has the degrees from MIT.

They are moving only the corporate headquarters (that's where Wes Bush goes to work).

Evidently the physical proximity of the corporate headquarter will increase Northrop Grumman "effectivess" to its customers. The other parts of the company that CREATES the products for the customers evidently don't need to be in close proximity to the customer and federal process. The research, development, and manufacturing parts of the companyare going to stay in Southern California where it will be more effective after the corporate headquarters moves to be physically closer to Washington and the federal process.

I don't understand.

As I have told many fellow employees at Northrop Grumman, manaagement is VERY VERY SMART, and I am not smart enough to understand the hows and whys of Northrop Grumman management decision making process. This is just another example of Northrop Grumman management being smarter than I am.

I thought that it was because Wes Bush is an East Coast kind of guy, and just wants to go back home where he grew up. Shows how much I know.

Here are some links:

Northrop Grumman Corp. headquarters moving to Washington, D.C., area (L.A. Times, Sunday, January 4, 2010)

Northrop Grumman moving headquarters from L.A. to Washington, D.C., area (L.A. Times, Monday, January 5, 2010)

Northrop Grumman to keep many jobs in California

Northrop move worsens Southern California's Fortune-500 brain drain


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.

Happy New Year!

This is the beginning of a new year.

The only resolution I made this year is to survive the year in relatively good health.

We all hope for the best (at least better than last year). However, we need to prepare for the worse (my new email signature includes the quotation from Sun Tzu , "To rely on rustics and not prepare is the greatest of crimes; to be prepared beforehand for any contingency is the greatest of virtues.")

What normally happens though, is that things comes out somewhere in between the two extremes - thus by preparing for the worst and hoping for the best we are both delighted and disappointed. This is OK.

I have these things to look forward to this year:

1) Continued improvement to my health, including increase in hemoglobin count, and protein levels, and continued good results with dialysis.

2) Elizabeth's Birthday Party later this month, and Diana leaving to go back to school after a nice visit home.

3) Given my improved health, we are planning to have to have heart surgery after Elizabeth's birthday and Diana's departure, and not before.

4) Survive this surgery without dying.

5) Given my surviving this surgery (remove and replace aortic valve with pig valve, handle two partially blocked arteries), recover from the heart surgery which take a nominal three to six weeks.

4) Rehabilitation and regaining some semblance of a "normal" life in relatively good health.

These things might not seem like much to the ordinary person, but are a big deal to me.


Disclaimer: SORRY - This is only what I know from my point of view. No lies, just what I see as the truth.