Curt's Eclectic Blog Posts

 By Curt Smothers Conceptually, becoming a better writer is a fairly simple idea when one considers that the word "better" is the next step up from "good." The challenge, then, is to be a good writer to begin with and to recognize and hone the qualities that make a writer good. So the question is, what makes a good writer? Certainly, talent is an indispensable ingredient in any writer's bag of tricks. Talent is difficult to quantify; however, we know good writring when we see it. It is where inspiration meets craftsmanship and experience. Use it or lose it, but remember the reader always But writing talent can rust and atrophy through idleness to a point where only continued writing can lubricate it back to life. Likewise, talent is useless without the self-discipline and mastery of the fundamentals of the writer's craft. One school of thought holds that writers simply need to write, and that simple act of writing is something akin to a cathartic epiphany. N

 by Curt Smothers Think of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) as the glue that binds the different computer systems for a large organization. So, is ERP more cost effective than running an eclectic silo of individual software applications? The answer is yes and here are threemain reasons: 1. Individual software applications, even if networked within separate departments, for obvious proprietary reasons, do not interact. ERP does. 2. The growth and proliferation of ad hoc business and manufacturing solutions work fine in their orbit but are of little use and applicability across the entire organization. Upgrades and maintenance of ERP software can be applied across the organization. 3. Individual applications cannot be customized without clunky workarounds. Those applications frequently hoard valuable data inaccessible to marketers, financial planners, and other key players in the organization. ERP software is made to order for the organization. Key cost and business advantages of ERP o

By Curt Smothers Writing a performance review is probably the most important task any supervisor or manager has. That is because the written review becomes the most important element in the employee’s documented work history.  Supervisors and managers need to take great care with performance evaluations, which are much, much more than a periodically annoying administrative task. Many organizations have their own format or performance review forms, but the advice below can be tailored to about every employee evaluation situation. Here are some suggestions in writing performance reviews. 1.  Speak to the employee’s actual work performanc e in terms of accomplishment of the organization’s (the company, the department) goals and mission. After all, the employee is paid to contribute to and support that mission. 2.  Describe how the employee met (or fell short of) mutually agreed upon objectives  and goals that you and the employee set at the beginning of the period covered by the evaluatio

By Curt Smothers (U.S. Navy, Retired) Nowhere is the challenge of career change for the older job seeker more extreme than for the retiring military man or woman. A career in the military offers an ideal opportunity for early retirement (usually in the early 40's, and sometimes in the late 30's). The retiring military person,therefore, faces unique challenges not only in seeking a second career but also in adjusting to a completely different working environment. When I left the U.S. Navy, I was completing a 25-year career. I was at the top of my game, in good health, and my financial support system that rested on a foundation of a generous retirement income was there for me. A few weeks before retirement, I attended a seminar for prospective retirees. The seminar was run by civilian contractors hired by the Navy, and it helped. Here are a three things I learned: 1. Begin the job search immediately. Do not take a sabbatical. It is important to jump into the job search mode imme

 By Curt Smothers Congratulations, you snared that job interview! Your résumé and cover letter got your foot in the door, and it's time to think about what you need to do to shine "front and center" as you lay "an eyeball and a handshake" on people who will decide your fate. Here are 3 things you should pay attention to so that you will perform well during your interview: 1. Be well rested, well dressed, and well groomed. Confidence in your stamina and appearance will relax you more and allow you to focus on the interview. 2. Be friendly, but not flippant or overly familiar. Try to remember that at least one member of your interview panel might be a bit nervous and uncomfortable with the process. A smile, good posture and appropriate eye contact goes a long way with people who are interviewing you. They are people just like you, and they have been through this, but you must respect their personal space. 3. Be prepared! -Make sure you are thoroughly familiar with

The Causes of World War I By Curt Smothers Diagnosing the causes of World War I would be similar to diagnosing the cause of a patient’s embolism that results in a stroke. A stroke is caused by a clot that builds up and obstructs the patient’s blood vessel, with all sorts of bad outcomes for the human body. The bad outcome that was World War I in Europe was caused by a “buildup” of nationalistic grudges, arms races and competition for colonies and a web of alliances and war treaties that sucked everyone into this useless, futile conflict. Nationalism and grudges France in 1914 was still smarting after their loss in a war with Prussia in 1871. The newly united Germany’s prize in that war was the valuable industrial area of the Alsace-Lorraine. The French wanted it back. Meanwhile, the crumbling empire of Austria-Hungary presided over a network of Balkan states with many national and ethnic groups. Problems in the Balkans festered since Austria-Hungary had annexed Bosnia with its minority

  The Causes of World War II By Curt Smothers Wars begin as a result of immediate as well as long-range causes. World War II was no exception. Its "sparks" were Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939 and Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941.  Those two events coalesced and gave World War II its truly global aspect as the Axis powers of Germany, Japan, and Italy battled the Allies of the United States, Great Britain, France, and the Soviet Union in an over-six-year bloodbath. Vindictive victors in World War I sowed the seeds Historians, who are much like "reverse fortune tellers," recognize the long- range causes of the War. Those causes were a sad history of shortsightedness on the part of world leaders. For example, the vengeance wreaked on the defeated Germans after World War I sowed the seeds of long-term German resentment towards Britain and France.  The rise of fascism in Germany Harsh economic reparations coupled with a world-wide depression virtually

  The U.S. and Japanese Warships that Fought the Battle of Midway By Curt Smothers When Japan decided to send its 185-ship task force to wrest control of the Pacific Island of Midway from the United States, no one would have bet on America’s 28-ships to turn back the tide of Japanese conquest. But that is exactly what happened, and it occurred for a number of reasons:  (1) an overly complex battle plan on the part of Japanese Admiral Yamamoto that included an invasion of the Alaskan Aleutian Islands, (2) separation of the Japanese battle force kept much of his non-carrier force in reserve and out of the fight, and  (3) better military intelligence on the part of U.S. Navy ♦ The mismatch of forces ◊ Japan (185 ships) The Japanese deployed 4 carrier divisions: Akagi, Hiryu, Kaga, and Soryu ; 11 battleships, including the top-of-the-line Yamato ; and a large assortment of heavy and light cruisers, destroyers, submarines and various support ships. Admiral Yamamoto was a battleshi

Events Leading to the Battle of Midway  by Curt Smothers Author's note: I am a retired Navy aircraft carrier sailor. My final service at sea was on board the USS Coral Sea, a carrier named for the battle that preceded Midway. Both Coral Sea and Midway were places where the Japanese naval onslaught was turned back. From those battles forward,   Japanese  Admiral Yamamoto undoubtedly knew that Japan could not defeat the United States. What follows is a chronology of events that marked the turning point of the war in the Pacific. Japanese looked for a knockout punch at Midway In May of 1942, just five months after their Pearl Harbor surprise attack, the Japanese launched what they hoped would be another coup in the Pacific: to take the island of Midway from its American defenders and establish a western base for further dominance of the Pacific. The Japanese hoped to lure the smaller American Pacific Fleet (still reeling from its Pacific losses) and deal the Americans a knockout

  A Timeline of the Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor By Curt Smothers At five minutes until 8 a.m. on December 7, 1941,  Japanese bombers and torpedo planes began a coordinated attack of  U.S. military ships at Pearl Harbor and the Army Air fields at Wheeler Field and Hickam field.   The attack was over by 10 a.m. when all but 29 of the over 180 Japanese war planes rendezvoused and headed back to the Japanese carriers, which departed for Japan at 1 p.m. on that fateful Sunday. National Geographic’s web page Remembering Pearl Harbor: Pearl Harbor Time Line   is an excellent resource that recounts in detail  the events of December 7, 1941. The following is an excerpted summary of the important events of that day: ♦ 7:40 a.m. – The first wave of Japanese planes (49 high-altitude bombers, 51 dive-bombers, 40 torpedo planes, and 43 fighters) headed for Pearl Harbor through cloudy skies homing in on an Oahu radio station. ♦ 7:49 a.m. – Japanese attack commander Fuchida sends the famous messag

  A Short History of the Buffalo Soldiers By Curt Smothers Army General “Black Jack” Pershing knew good soldiers when he saw them. During 1895-96 he served with the U.S. Army’s 10th Cavalry, an all-black unit in the wilderness of Montana.  Later, while on U.S. border duty and running after Pancho Villa, Pershing also commanded a group of “Buffalo Soldiers,” whom he praised and treated with professionalism, courtesy and concern for their welfare.  (He got this nickname "Black Jack," which was really a racial slur at the time, from his close association with segregated black soldiers.) Who were the Buffalo Soldiers and how did they get their name? The Buffalo Soldiers were four regiments of all-black infantry and cavalry (two each). After the Civil War in 1866, Congress reorganized the U.S. Army and expanded the number of regiments to include these segregated units commanded by white officers.  Where they got the name “Buffalo soldiers” is somewhat in dispute. Some say that the