tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post5714339726515799111..comments2024-03-29T09:05:29.819-04:00Comments on Chemjobber: Ms. Madeleine Jacobs: sympathetic but powerless?Chemjobberhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-75926236223229316332015-10-21T07:55:22.911-04:002015-10-21T07:55:22.911-04:00Well, its the way anybody, who wants a great job (...Well, its the way anybody, who wants a great job (of the few available nowadays), gets a great job.<br /><br />You sound reasonably intelligent, commit no major gaffes, and somebody in power likes you.NMHnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-78344773750703999342015-10-21T06:14:44.906-04:002015-10-21T06:14:44.906-04:00Heh, we all are puzzling our heads at that, but sh...Heh, we all are puzzling our heads at that, but she was the head of Chemical and Engineering News for a long time. Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-27105019652270081882015-10-21T00:02:15.143-04:002015-10-21T00:02:15.143-04:00Chemjobber, I was curious and checked into Madelei...Chemjobber, I was curious and checked into Madeleine Jacobs's background. I found it here: http://www.chemheritage.org/discover/collections/oral-histories/details/jacobs-madeleine.aspx <br />I am not impressed. I don't understand how earning a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1968 followed by 25 years as a writer qualified her to be chosen as Executive Director and CEO of the American Chemical Society.Ellie Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11231840376889029260noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-53522491872807495362012-08-23T19:58:26.003-04:002012-08-23T19:58:26.003-04:00Well, you could be in a worse position and not be ...Well, you could be in a worse position and not be able to get a postdoc.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-82112107480731317952012-07-26T11:23:02.486-04:002012-07-26T11:23:02.486-04:00If you google "Madeleine Jacobs editorial&quo...If you google "Madeleine Jacobs editorial" and limit your results to last week there's a result on a first page that ostensibly has nothing to do with her. That result is Titanic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-5815718131691663262012-07-24T21:26:46.910-04:002012-07-24T21:26:46.910-04:00man, if i made millions like Mrs. Jacobs there. I ...man, if i made millions like Mrs. Jacobs there. I would be spouting corporate propaganda tooAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-40107102964189522722012-07-24T21:07:23.198-04:002012-07-24T21:07:23.198-04:00with someone so grossly under qualified, how she g...with someone so grossly under qualified, how she got her current job and pulling in $0.9M a year is beyond me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-39106749088042045352012-07-24T20:24:41.882-04:002012-07-24T20:24:41.882-04:00uncle sam - That is one of my favorite Connections...uncle sam - That is one of my favorite Connections episodes. I have to agree that the plow is up there in top inventions, because it is the reason why we don't spend every moment of every day looking for food. And that surplus allows for other avenues, be it arts, crafted goods, even philosophy - through which we attempt to better understand the world around us, leading to math, science, technology, and all the wonderful things those endeavors have produced. <br /><br />Still, people should just watch the video. I can't compete with Burke when it comes to making those points.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-43034204110620205032012-07-24T13:48:30.206-04:002012-07-24T13:48:30.206-04:00I've seen my family less than once every 2-3 y...I've seen my family less than once every 2-3 years and far less than 10-15 days at a time--and we live in the same country. Who gets that kind of vacation as a postdoc/grad student? Not to mention the $600 plane ticket. Food for two months, or a 5 hour flight? I'd rather eat.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-81959400606483326112012-07-24T12:29:11.174-04:002012-07-24T12:29:11.174-04:00Well I guess if members want to change the ACS the...Well I guess if members want to change the ACS they should start with an intensive letter campaign to the ACS BoD about the very poor pay for performance of the current administration. Then they need to replace BoD members one by one with chemists who actually care about the economic plight of chemists in America. Otherwise, we should just hang it us and move on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-14587294242256362332012-07-24T11:53:10.905-04:002012-07-24T11:53:10.905-04:00Speaking as a current applicant to med schools, it...Speaking as a current applicant to med schools, it's really frustrating to hear medicine pitched as a good career because of presumed stable and high wages. I think of it as a good career because I could do a lot of good in it.<br /><br />Speaking as a starry-eyed, naive idealist, it's a bit sad to hear that poetry and history "don't create that much actual value." They don't create huge numbers of high-paying jobs, sure. But somewhere, somehow, there is some kind of value in the existence of "Ozymandias" or "Do not go gentle into that good night".Poinsynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-46499177319709028472012-07-24T11:16:52.831-04:002012-07-24T11:16:52.831-04:00http://pubs.acs.org/cen/acs/8636elections.html#7http://pubs.acs.org/cen/acs/8636elections.html#7Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-60407690534011820282012-07-24T11:12:33.839-04:002012-07-24T11:12:33.839-04:00I was an ACS member since I was an undergraduate 4...I was an ACS member since I was an undergraduate 45 years ago. After my third layoff, I also let it lapse. Fortunately (I guess) I was able to find work in a field auxiliary to chemistry. It pays the bills (I make twice what I ever made as a chemist) and when the Pfizer debacle occurred, I was able to get an identical job months before my layoff date. This is not a job I choose for myself nor particularly wanted. All things considered I would be far better of if I had gone to school in my new field rather than to graduate school. I would be making five times what I made in researchAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-82753107527728915222012-07-24T11:08:33.344-04:002012-07-24T11:08:33.344-04:00When did we ever get to vote on Carrol as a BoD me...When did we ever get to vote on Carrol as a BoD member?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-41872089809463927872012-07-24T11:07:09.923-04:002012-07-24T11:07:09.923-04:00Not really bias, she's grossly uninformed. Sh...Not really bias, she's grossly uninformed. She only has a BS, no research background, no papers, no patents, she simply doesn't represent or understand chemistry or research or employment for that matter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-27235506084974352242012-07-24T10:06:49.822-04:002012-07-24T10:06:49.822-04:00Bah, useless excuses to get out of working the lab...Bah, useless excuses to get out of working the lab. My girlfriend in grad school couldn't get a multiple entry visa and because of the really rigorous background check when she did get in she was afraid to go back and she never saw her family for seven years until she finished her postdoc and had to renew a visa by going outside the country! I don't know what these fools are complaining about! Waaaahhh.... can't see my loved ones. Yeah, tell me another one. Start calling them 'family' and not 'loved ones' first of all, then it'll be easier to deal.uncle samnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-12220309847160962342012-07-24T09:55:57.569-04:002012-07-24T09:55:57.569-04:00I believe that the board that members get to vote ...I believe that the board that members get to vote on is indeed the board that sets salaries, etc.:<br /><br />From the public minutes in March 2012:<br /><br />http://portal.acs.org/portal/PublicWebSite/about/governance/board/CNBP_030254<br /><br />"William F. Carroll, Jr., Chair, opened the meeting with a summary of the key Board actions and <br />discussion points from its executive session, March 23-24. He reported that the Board agreed to: <br />• approve several actions relative to executive compensation for the Society’s executive staff;"Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-57565173192031066202012-07-24T09:54:50.689-04:002012-07-24T09:54:50.689-04:00Yeah, many of them were contrived. The adviser di...Yeah, many of them were contrived. The adviser didn't have a lot of respect from his grad students. I don't think he'll ever be able to hire an American again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-2781229805851805982012-07-24T09:37:30.727-04:002012-07-24T09:37:30.727-04:00Does anyone know how the real Board of Directors f...Does anyone know how the real Board of Directors for the ACS is chosen? I am not talking about the fake guys ACS members vote on, no I am talking about the corporate BoD that sets salaries for Jacobs and Co. and runs the corporation. Normally it is shareholders who vote on these guys, but the ACS has no shareholders.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-39339856097050999592012-07-24T09:08:32.781-04:002012-07-24T09:08:32.781-04:00Anon: I don't know about other countries but i...Anon: I don't know about other countries but in case of China I believe it's not a multiple entry visa and they have to renew it every time they visit home, so at least some of the delays might be genuine and not contrived.Wavefunctionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14993805391653267639noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-78811691539323951542012-07-24T09:06:06.317-04:002012-07-24T09:06:06.317-04:00I used to be an overseas member of the ACS, but le...I used to be an overseas member of the ACS, but let it lapse after a year.<br /><br />If I were an American ACS member who had just read this complete sack of garbage I would be returning my membership card, never to rejoin. The only thing (highly) paid bureaucrats like Ms Jacobs will respond to is diminishing member numbers, nothing else.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-50769368188238948502012-07-24T07:54:21.480-04:002012-07-24T07:54:21.480-04:00It is a parent's duty to see to it that their ...It is a parent's duty to see to it that their child grows up productive and able to feed him/herself. Far too many women and children, and men as well, have been sacrificed for all sorts of "honor." I will not sacrifice my family's future for Ms Jacob's strange idea of honor. If our society doesn't value science, then there is something wrong with our society in general, and something wrong with our American Chemical Society in specific. One can try to swim against the tide, but it is rather personally unproductive. It requires a large, well funded organization to turn the tide - so...What the hell have you been doing Ms Jacob's to turn this tide?!?!?!<br /><br />Ms Jacob's performance is Below Average, and she should be laid off.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-7831219353081691272012-07-24T07:41:23.220-04:002012-07-24T07:41:23.220-04:00One interesting feature of this thread is how many...One interesting feature of this thread is how many of these strong words are from anonymous commenters. Looks like people are immensely dissatisfied, yet vulnerable because they're looking for work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-17915119846818287782012-07-24T05:59:57.581-04:002012-07-24T05:59:57.581-04:00You should really watch the youtube video I linked...You should really watch the youtube video I linked to earlier. <br /><br />"This is the first great man-made trigger of change: the plow. Because with it, you know how much harvest you're going to get next year, and because of that, you know you're going to be here next year and because of that you can plan for the future. And after a while you produce surplus food, and that's when things really start to move in the tiny settlements..."<br /><br />I think we're today pretty much still like ancient people. This whole thing with competition and moving from place to place and getting used to the competitive economy does not work. Like the ancient agrarians, the chemist wants certainty in their life and all the good things of civilization, and all the breakthroughs in research, cannot happen if you don't know if you're going to be there next year.uncle samnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8964719845369935777.post-49714907339143888212012-07-24T00:40:32.823-04:002012-07-24T00:40:32.823-04:00I should point out here, for the overly literal, t...I should point out here, for the overly literal, that the above is unlikely to be the actual Madeleine Jacobs.Chemjobberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15932113680515602275noreply@blogger.com