Quick Lit Bits: "The Haunted Life and Other Writings" by Jack Kerouac

When it comes to new releases from the Kerouac estate, I'm sorry to say I believe we've reached the Bukowski Point.* Right now, as I glance at my bookshelves, I count over 50 books either by or about Kerouac and I have a hard time believing anything new or interesting has yet to come to light. While Kerouac was a prolific writer, how much more can be mined from this vein? Well, as it turns out there still some more good stuff out there.

"The Haunted Life and Other Writings" is a manuscript that Kerouac famously claimed to have left in a NY cab around 1944. As it turns out, the manuscript was actually left in a closet in a dorm room at Columbia University. At some point it was discovered and remained in a private collection until it was sold in 2002 at Sotheby's for $95K. The lost manuscript was Kerouac's most complete attempt at the time at writing what was to become "The Town and the City," his first novel.

But what I found more interesting than "The Haunted Life" bit was the "Other Writings" bit, primarily because it includes a handful of letters written to Jack by his father, Leo. In Kerouac's books, Leo is always portrayed as who he was in real life: a hardworking, blue collar guy full passion and bombast. And these letters show that Jack got at least some of his literary flair (and passion and bombast) from his old man, who, as it turns out, was quite the letter writer himself. And that new tidbit of information alone makes "The Haunted Life and Other Writings" a worthwhile read for any Kerouac devotee.

* The Bukowski Point: when a popular writer's work has been mined so ruthlessly that literally ANYTHING (good or bad) with his/her name on it will be published. Why? Dolla-dolla bill, ya'll!

Mistakes on your resume may doom job prospects

Even in an era of typo-ridden texts and tweets, making a goof on your resume can still prove costly, according to a recent survey by Accountemps.

Sixty-three percent of senior managers said just one or two resume mistakes would eliminate an applicant from consideration for a job. But, in what may be a sign of the times, the research showed employers today are more tolerant of errors than they were five years ago: Only 17 percent said a single snafu would land a resume in the "no" pile now compared with 40 percent in 2009 and 47 percent in 2006.   

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 300 senior managers in the United States at companies with 20 or more employees.

Senior managers were asked, "How many typos in a resume does it take for you to decide not to consider a job candidate for a position with your company?" Their responses:

"The quick and casual nature of communication today shouldn't extend to the job application process," said Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Job Hunting For Dummies^®, 2^nd Edition (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.). "Job seekers should take great care in crafting, proofreading and submitting their resumes."

Messmer added, "Attention to detail is required for most jobs, and a resume should showcase this skill, not detract from it."  

The following real-life resume blunders collected by Robert Half, parent company of Accountemps.   These are actual excerpts from job application materials:

• "My last employer fried me for no reason."
• "I am graduating this Maybe."
• "I am looking for my big brake."
• "Referees available upon request."
• "My talent will be very a parent when you see me work."
• "Objective: To secure a challenging position and accell in the accounting industry."
• "My three biggest hobbies are cars, racquetball, golf, and reading."
• "Work experience: academic tudor."
• "Earned a diploma from a very repudiated college."
• "Looking for a bass salary of $40,000."

Find more amusing resume mistakes on Robert Half's Resumania blog.

'The Texter' incites the most road rage, survey reveals

Most Americans rate texting while driving as the most aggravating driver behavior, according to the 2014 Road Rage Report released Friday by Expedia.com®.

The report is based on results of a survey conducted on Expedia's behalf by Northstar, which asked 1,001 adult Americans to identify the behaviors that are likeliest to elicit road rage, from texting to swerving to speeding and beyond.

With the Memorial Day weekend just ahead, when more than 30 million Americans are likely to take to the roads, courteous and respectful driving behavior will be at a premium.

On the whole, distraction is the most infuriating feature of the American driver, the report said. People who text while driving incur the most anger: 69 percent of Americans rate "The Texter" as the most aggravating driving behavior, followed by "The Tailgater" (60 percent), "The Multi-tasker" (54 percent), "The Drifter" (43 percent) and "The Crawler" (39 percent). 

Nearly 7 in 10 Americans (69 percent) report having been "flipped off" by a fellow motorist, while only 17 percent have admitted to doing so themselves.

"As the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day sees a huge spike in the number of drivers on the road," saidJohn Morrey, vice president and general manager of Expedia.com. "Expedia rents millions of cars to Americans, so we set out to learn what behaviors on the open road are most welcome, and what behaviors most aggravating. The rule, as with airplanes and hotels, is that shared spaces demand decorum and attentiveness."

The full list of driving behaviors ranked as "most annoying or offensive" includes (percentage identifies behaviors ranked in the top five):

A full analysis of Expedia's 2014 Road Rage Report can be found at http://viewfinder.expedia.com/.

Additional findings

• Despite the fact that Americans identify texting as the most offensive driving violator, 55 percent of Americans do admit to using their mobile phone at least some of the time while driving. In addition, 70 percent of Americans also admit to having been guilty of aggressive driving behavior, including speeding (58 percent), tailgating (28 percent) and yelling and/or swearing at fellow drivers (28 percent). Men are only slightly more likely to admit to aggressive driving than women (74 percent to 67 percent). 
     
• The rudest drivers are found in the largest cities: 33 percent of Americans name New York City as home to the least courteous/most rage-inducing drivers. 71 percent of Americans put New York among the top five rudest driving cities. Los Angeles (22 percent) ranked second, while Atlanta (9 percent) came in third. Only 5 percent of Americans believe Boston features the country's rudest drivers, but 27 percent of Americans place Boston in the top five. 
      
• American drivers do regularly demonstrate courtesy and helpfulness. The survey said 55 percent of American drivers report that they have stopped to help a fellow motorist – one they did not know – in distress. That behavior grows likelier with age: 42 percent of those aged 18-34 report having done so, versus 59 percent of those aged 35-54 and 64 percent of those 55 and older. 
      
• Gas Price Pessimism vs. Open Road Optimism: Americans are generally pessimistic as it relates to gas prices: 96 percent believe gas prices will rise this summer. Even so, 56 percent define a road trip as an ideal way to spend a vacation and 30 percent have taken an overnight road trip in the past 12 months. More than a third of Americans (36 percent) have rented a car in the past 12 months, with most of them (70 percent) renting for leisure.
• The Expedia 2014 Road Rage Report found that 61 percent of Americans claim to treat their rental cars better than they treat their own cars; 19 percent claim to treat rentals worse. And 92 percent of Americans say they always refill the gas tank before returning a rental.
• Price is the most important feature in a rental car, with 62 percent ranking it as most important. Size is the second most important feature, followed by rental type (convertible, SUV, sedan or other), style (standard versus premium/luxury) and brand. Of those surveyed 42 percent claim that they always rent the same type of car. When Americans invest in rental car upgrades, they are likelier to do so when they are renting a car for business (52 percent) than for leisure (42 percent). 
• Mobile apps have replaced printed maps. The Road Rage Report revealed that mobile phone maps – Google / Apple maps among them – are the most popular source of driving directions, with 40 percent of Americans using them regularly. Another 35 percent rely on dashboard GPS systems, while 22 percent still use printed maps.
• Among the 76 percent of Americans who own and regularly use an app-enabled mobile device, more than 4 in 10 (42 percent) have downloaded an app specifically to use while in the car. Among road-trip-related apps, Americans place the most value on maps (63 percent), traffic notification (47 percent) and weather alert / driving conditions (44 percent). Mobile devices are also popular for accommodations, with 23 percent of U.S. drivers using their mobile device to search for a hotel.
• 62 percent of Americans believe 16 is too young to drive.
• 17 percent of U.S. drivers have driven in a foreign country on the opposite side of the road; 66 percent would do so while 34 percent would not.

• 91 percent of American men and 57 percent of American women claim to know how to change a tire.
• 85 percent of American drivers are "always pleasantly surprised" to receive a wave of thanks from a fellow driver.
• The two most popular reasons to honk at a fellow motorist are "if a driver starts to drift into my lane or is about to cut in front of me" (78 percent) and "when another driver cuts me off" (52 percent).
• 62 percent of Americans prefer "the scenic route" to the fastest route when driving on vacation.
• "Spouse/partner" is the favored road trip companion for 68 percent of Americans, followed by best friend (31 percent), children (29 percent) and dog (14 percent).
• "Chips" are the top road trip snack for 36 percent of Americans, followed by"Fast food" (31 percent), "Nuts or dried fruit" (31 percent), "Candy" (29 percent), "Beef jerky / pepperoni sticks" (25 percent).
• The Pacific Coast Highway is the preferred scenic route for 41 percent of American road trippers, followed by Route 66 (33 percent listed in the top 3), Overseas Highway / Florida Keys (28 percent) Hawaii Belt (27 percent), Blue Ridge Parkway (26 percent).
• Classic rock is the preferred road trip music for 40 percent of Americans, followed by country (28 percent), Golden Oldies (25 percent), top hits (24 percent), pop (23 percent), easy listening (22 percent), Hip Hop (15 percent), and heavy metal (10 percent).

Biodiesel Producers Hit by Policy Uncertainty

Policy setbacks in Washington are taking a major toll on the most successful advanced biofuel in the U.S., according to a nationwide survey of biodiesel producers released Wednesday.

The survey, conducted by the National Biodiesel Board, found that nearly 80 percent of U.S. biodiesel producers have scaled back production this year and more than half have idled production at a plant altogether. Additionally, two-thirds of producers said they have already reduced or anticipate reducing their workforce.

The cutbacks come in the face of a weak Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) proposal from the EPA and Congress' failure to extend the biodiesel tax incentive.

Biodiesel producers and other advocates joined a group of U.S. senators at a press conference Wednesday in calling for Congress and the Administration to act quickly to restore the industry's progress by supporting a strong RFS and reinstating the tax incentive.

"Inconsistency in Washington is wreaking havoc on the U.S. biodiesel industry," said Anne Steckel, NBB's vice president of federal affairs. "It's not just hurting these producers. It is a setback for local economies where these plants operate, for our environment, for our national energy security, and for drivers who are tired of ever-increasing fuel prices that result from the petroleum industry's monopoly at the pump."

Among the other survey findings:

·         78 percent have reduced production versus 2013

·         57 percent have idled production altogether or shut down a plant this year

·         66 percent have reduced workforce or anticipate reducing workforce

·         85 percent have delayed or canceled expansion plans

The producers nearly universally attributed the industry decline to the weak RFS proposal and loss of the tax incentive.

The RFS proposal, which has not yet been finalized, would establish a biodiesel standard of 1.28 billion gallons this year. That is a sharp cut from last year's record production of nearly 1.8 billion gallons and would likely force many producers to shut their doors.

The biodiesel tax incentive expired Jan. 1, marking the third time in five years that Congress has allowed it to lapse. The incentive is included in the tax extenders bill currently under consideration in the Senate, but remains unclear when or if the incentive might be reinstated.

At Wednesday's press conference, several biodiesel producers and senators called on the Administration and Congress to restore stable policy to get the industry back on track.

"Unless Congress and the Administration act, we will be forced to make very difficult decisions in the near future," said Jeff Haas, CEO of General Biodiesel in Seattle. "We are all slowly being bled dry, and America's growing biofuels industry may be irreparably harmed."

"We made these investments because we believed in what the Administration and Congress were trying to accomplish with the Renewable Fuel Standard and because a road map was laid out for growth under the RFS for the next decade, particularly in Advanced Biofuels," said Wayne Presby, owner of White Mountain Biodiesel in North Haverhill, N.H., discussing the growth of his business in recent years and now-delayed expansion plans. "But with this RFS proposal, and the uncertain tax policy from Congress, that expansion and the jobs that would come with it are on hold."

"Biodiesel has proven itself to be a successful homegrown, homemade fuel," said Bryan Christjansen, general manager at Renewable Energy Group's refineries in Albert Lea, Minn. and Mason City, Iowa. "If the administration chooses to go with the EPA proposal, it does not just put domestic fuel production in jeopardy, it harms local economies and billions of dollars of investments."

"This uncertainty is bad for producers, it's bad for agriculture, it's extremely bad for investors, it's bad for the environment, and it's particularly bad for those of us who took cues from Congress and the Administration and made the commitments to build a U.S. renewable fuels future," said Terry Goerger, a seed company owner and third-generation farmer from Mantador, N.D.

"Biodiesel has an incredible success story to tell. Farmers in North Dakota and throughout the country are supporting good jobs, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and boosting rural communities," Heitkamp said. "But instead of promoting these successes, federal policies are dragging our farmers and producers down.  That's the wrong direction."

"It's time to provide predictability so that Washington state innovative companies like General Biodiesel can grow," said Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. "Investing in biodiesel is a win-win-win: It's good for energy security, good for the environment and it means jobs today in Washington state and around the country. That's why I have introduced bipartisan legislation to give businesses the certainty they need to invest in the development of affordable, domestic alternatives to fossil fuels."

"Indiana is a leader in biofuel production, and I have seen firsthand the good work being done at our biodiesel plants across our state," said Sen. Joe Donnelly, D-Indiana. "The biodiesel industry is an excellent example of American-made energy that increases our energy security and creates jobs at home. That is why it is so critical that we continue and strengthen energy policies, like the Biodiesel Tax Credit and the Renewable Fuel Standard, that increase the production of American-made biofuels."

Made from a diverse mix of fats and oils including soybean oil, recycled cooking oil and animal fats, biodiesel is the first and only EPA-designated Advanced Biofuel to reach commercial-scale production nationwide. Last year, the industry produced a record of nearly 1.8 billion gallons, with plants in almost every state in the country supporting some 62,200 jobs. According to a recent study, nearly 8,000 of those jobs would be threatened by a drop in production back to 1.28 billion gallons as the EPA has proposed.

The survey of NBB members was conducted between April 14 and April 25. Fifty-four biodiesel producers from across the country participated in the survey.

For more information about biodiesel visit biodiesel.org.