Sabtu, 12 Desember 2009

For Women Only: Your Computer Usage Could Cost You Your Job

Few would argue that, despite the advancements of feminism over the past three decades, women still face a double standard when it comes to their behavior. While men's borderline-inappropriate behavior is often laughed off as "boys will be boys," women face higher conduct standards - especially in the workplace. That's why it's crucial that, as women, our behavior on the job is beyond reproach.

Small Towns and Big States

For evidence of the double standard, we need look no farther than Arlington, Oregon, where Mayor Carmen Kontur-Gronquist was recalled in a 142-139 vote after the town's denizens discovered that the mayor's MySpace page featured photos of her in lingerie. Although Kontur-Gronquist is alleging election fraud and challenging the returns, and even though the mayoral position was unpaid, no one is arguing that her MySpace page did her in.

Contrast her situation with that of David Paterson, New York's new governor. After Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned amid allegations of engaging the services of a prostitute, Paterson was sworn in and admitted that he had engaged in extramarital affairs and that he had experimented with both cocaine and marijuana while he was in his twenties. It seems odd that the mayor of a small town in Oregon is being held to a higher standard than the governor of New York.

With Computers, Private Can Go Public

The moral (so to speak) of the story is that, as women, our behavior must be impeccable - both on and off the job. Yes, we can have private lives, but we unwittingly make those private lives public when we boot up a computer, use email, or go online.

To protect yourself in the workplace, the first rule of thumb is never to conduct personal business using your employer's equipment. You have no right to privacy, and your employer can have total access to your record of computer usage, your Internet history, and your email. Resist the temptation to shop online, check the news, or surf the Internet while you're at work. Don't forward that joke or motivational email to your colleagues. And don't email your friends or family members.

The second thing to keep in mind is that the niche of the Internet you've carved out for yourself using your home computer is also visible to your employer. Increasingly, potential employers use tools to screen job candidates' presence on the Internet. That hysterical YouTube video of you dancing with a lampshade on your head at your best friend's bridal shower may prevent you from landing the job of your dreams. Before making a bold rant on your blog or uploading a questionable picture to a social networking site, think about the impact it might have on your career.

Final Thoughts

There's no arguing that computers enrich our lives and provide us with options our mothers never dreamed of. As women, though, computers can also be our downfall at work. It may be acceptable for men to check out the Sports Illustrated website while they're at work (even the swimsuit edition!), but women are held to a higher standard... Just ask Carmen Kontur-Gronquist.

Easy Games to Play for Fun

Get acquainted with a practical guide on the easiest games that you can play online. And once you read this article, you will find that you have at least stopped losing all your money. If you follow the advice well and to the dot, you will also learn how to start winning cash from other players or by beating the casino. Sounds interesting? It is.

Note that the games you must look out for are those where the house edge is very low. If these are hard to find at the casino you have entered, look for those games that depend more on skill than on luck. Some of these include blackjack and poker. The games to avoid because they depend solely on luck are any of the slot machine games such as Caribbean Stud or the regular or progressive slot jackpots. These rely only on luck and the house edge there is against you.

What is a House Edge?
Since the casinos and betting establishments are in it for making money, they have created an artificial method to gain leverage over the players. This is what they have termed house edge. What it means is that over and above what you win, the casinos deduct a certain amount for themselves. It is something like insurance but only for them and not for you. But the casinos do not actually do this. Instead, they have inserted these odds into the game winnings so that you do not notice it. When you win, you are paid according to the newly calculated odds and you are no wiser.

For instance, if you walk over to a casino and place a bet of ten dollars on a roulette table. (For arguments sake, let us also suppose it was an American roulette table.) If you win, you should be given three hundred and seventy dollars because the true odds is thirty-seven to one. Instead, you will only get three hundred and fifty dollars according to the odds of thirty-five to one. This is what I was referring to in the previous paragraph. What has happened is that you have lost twenty dollars to the casino as part of the house edge.

Playing Poker:
Pick and play this exceptional game because ,here, you are not competing against the house at all. It is other players like you who you are up against. Do battle against them and defeat them for cash. No house edge comes in the way here, but you do pay a small part of the money you win to the casino as a commission. This winning commission is called rake, and its so minute that you do not feel it pinch your pocket.

In addition, this is one of the best games to play if you are good at it and if you have razor-sharp skills. You will be able to mint money like crazy if you can read other expressions and count the cards well. You can also pick from a variety of game variations such as Red Dog Poker and Texas Holdem.

Playing Blackjack:
This is one of those games that the casino does not like you playing. If it was up to the betting establishments, they would remove these tables altogether. Why? Because the edge for them is only a half percent! Thus, is you play well by remembering that you have to beat the dealer and not reach 21, you stand a big chance of accumulating a large sum. I also suggest you brush up on your mathematical skills.

If you wish, learn how to count cards, but be careful. Because card counting works, casinos have banned it. All you have to do is count the colored cards (the cards that are ten and above). Then, it will be easier to decide which bet to make and which not to make. Practice again and again at home because you not only have to master this skill but you also have to learn to do it silently so that the casinos do not catch on.

Video Poker:
This is a game very much like one of the many regular and progressive slot machines games you will run into at a casino, but it is different. Unlike slots, skill plays a big part in the results, and thus you have a bigger chance of winning than at one of the slot machines.

But, before you begin, glance at the payment structure pasted on the machine. You should make your gaming decisions based on the house odds and payment structures of the machine.