Another Dark Friday Ahead

What used to be called "Black Friday", the unofficial start in the United States to the Christmas holiday season, has morphed into more than the day after Thanksgiving of Friday shopping. Retailers who have to leave their families during the Thanksgiving holidays have stopped referring to Black Friday. They now have names for each of the four days of frenetic shopping.  Thanksgiving Day, what used to be a day when all stores were closed so families could gather around a big meal and give thanks for the blessings in their lives, is now "Gray Thursday". Then there is the previously mentioned Black Friday and, what is called now "Super Saturday" and "Cyber Monday".

Super Saturday is for those who were unable to shop on Black Friday ot Thanksgiving Day.  Cyber Monday is the day when all the alleged sales can be purchased on line.  This brings me to the question of the day. Why all the hordes of people at malls and other stores if those same people can buy the same things at the same price on line on Monday? Too, why all the fuss about artificial Christmas sales on those four days when every day prior to Christmas, for another month of so, there will be new sales offered to attract those same shoppers?  Running to a mall at 4 am in order to be first in line at a store, to buy something that can be bought for about the same price, seems a bit illogical to me. But then, I only shop when I have to, not for "fun".

I suspect the word fun might explain the crazed  pre Christmas sales, or maybe it's just a trendy thing to do. Americans are like sheep sometimes. They follow the lead when doing so garners attention to them.  Or maybe this shopping addicted insanity is a social bonding experience where the shoppers, exhausted and dazed, see other shoppers in the same condition and feel better for suffering in packs. Hmmm Perhaps they actually like the experience, a sado masochist one of sorts. What we find is fun varies according to our perspectives.

Surveys have also shown that despite the steady streams of people flowing into stores on Black Friday, not all of them drive home with trunks full of holiday presents. For instance, one study conducted by researchers at Indiana University found a consistently low rate of purchase among Black Friday shoppers. This tends to affirm the idea that Black Friday, ironically, isn't about buying those presents. It's more a bonding experience by the herd....sort of like cattle drifting aimlessly on the plains, achieving little. But i n the days before malls were open during Thanksgiving Day and weekend, all of the great deals were on Black Friday, but now the shopper sees some great deals on Black Friday and lots of offers throughout the season. So what's the point? 

Maybe I should skip all the shopping and just give out fruitcakes for presents. That would teach them!

Best And Worst Places For Old Age

Here's something about growing old, or rather growing old in the right place. It matters as much where you live if you are an oldie as it does where you live as an infant. Both situations are more fragile than the other age categories. Today, there are almost 900 million people who are at least 60 years old globally, or about 12% of the world's population. By 2050 statisticians say that more than 2 billion people will be 60 years of age or older. That's 21% of the projected world population. In the United States, 27% of all Americans will be at least 60 years old. Hmmmmm I better get me some of those Depends adult diapers before they sell out!

Anyway, 'Help Age International' (an agency that keeps track of heath of people world-wide) has released it's "Global Age Watch 2014 Index". It ranks the social and economic well being of older residents in 96 countries. The report rated each country on four broad factors important to an aging population: supporting income security, fostering good health, employment and education, and the overall environment for older residents. Norway was rated as the best country for older people to live in,  with the other Scandinavian countries right behind. They all have big, no cost to user, social welfare programs that include for oldies.  The United States was 8th of 96 countries on the list, strangely with medical care accounting for both a high rating (U.S. medicine is rated the world's best) and low rating (because it is also the world's most expensive to users).

Now for where you don't want to live during old age. Afghanistan was rated the worst country for older people for the second consecutive year. The other bottom ten mostly  were African and Midwestern nations that were very poor and war torn. Being a wealthy nation  or free from economic poverty or war issues  is not enough for a country to rate well on that index.  For example, the ability of older people to continue working and ensuring that they do not feel socially isolated, are examples of important factors that are included in the ratings.

It appears to me that the affluence of a nation is the best guarantee of a higher rating, but then we don't need a survey to tell us the obvious.

Thanksgiving List Of This Year's Thanks....Sort Of

I like the concept of Thanksgiving Day because it almost forces people to reflect on their lives, to gather with family and friends and even....maybe....but not likely to happen...to ignore their cell phones for a few minutes. But what I don't like about it is the aspect of orally stating what one is thankful for. "For what are you most thankful this year," is the refrain. I roll my eyes and try to explain that is a question best asked and answered by the individual. Otherwise, it becomes a less than serious list of hackneyed thanks that we hear constantly during the Thanksgiving holidays.

So here I am today in reply to that dreaded question to give a more unconventional list of my thanks in hopes that after doing so I will never be asked the question again. There will be no "I am thankful for my health" or  "that my child is so much more perfect than I". Nothing so banal or maudlin. No, I have a more realistic list and...well...I'll just shut up and give it to you now. Here is my list of thinks I am thankful this year.

- My bowels still work fine and I am still happily retired from any meaningful labor
- The illusion of the sanctity of the Obama regime is worn off and he has been exposed as the scoundrel he is
- Those daily updates and reports on the Kardashian are diminishing
- No one caught me with my unzipped this year, I think
- Those hot 20 year old girls I leer at that used to slap me for doing so, now see me as an old man who is harmless enough for a smile back
- That I have learned to tune out, almost ignore all the phony, trendy "issues" that way too many people take way too seriously and without challenge. Those global warming, war against women, income inequality, gluten and the rest....I just give my stupid smile and change the subject to something more serious, like which Hollywood celebrity had the best boob transplant. Substance wins every time.
- That I am not married to Rosy O'Donnel. Yuk
- That I am still the last human holdout for a non cell phone life.
- No prostate exam this year!
- I'll probably be lucky enough to die before I have to change that light bulb on the 20 meter ceiling. But then, I always root for my bulbs to live longer than I
- That I love red meat and hate tofu
- That I have no nude pictures posted on the Internet and that my photo has yet to appear on the post office wall of 'Top Ten Wanted' criminals
- That I have celebrated my old age fat with a diet of donuts and all the other good stuff my doctor says is bad for me.
- That I am not longer young and stupid. Being old, stupid but experienced triumphs every time.

Oh, and before I go..thank you for being bored enough to read my list. Happy H Thanksgiving.
 

Veterans Day

We just went through another Veterans Day holiday and I have a few observations about it. First, I am a veteran of the navy. I write this because some people, many people, think only a military veteran can comment about veterans.  It's sort of like saying one must be a mechanic to have an opinion about a car. That kind of illogic is what we get on Veterans Day.   If you're not a veteran your supposed to shut up, aside from verbally "thanking the veterans" for their service.

That thanking thing baffles me. Why does serving in a military deserve special thanks? We don't thank teachers, or plumbers, or fireman or sanitation people. Yet they are as essential to a nation as are members of the armed forces. Sure there is a much greater danger in joining the military. But every person who enlists in the military in the United States does so voluntarily. They place themselves at risk and receive many benefits- a free education inn the military or after, early retirement with very generous benefits, great health care for the soldier and family members, the chance to travel to many places round the world that most non military workers can not afford to see on their own, specific job placements that translate well to civilian jobs after discharge from the service etc.

I think Veterans Day today has been taken over by politicians, who use it as a platform to promote themselves. The average politician uses the transfer propaganda technique on Veterans Day by claiming an identification to the veteran. Voters see the politicians slobbering all over the veteran in praise of him, yes, "thanking the veteran for his service" loudly and often enough to win points with voters. Hmmmmm Maybe all politicians should be banned from any Veterans Day celebrations.

Some people are bothered by all the fuss we make over veterans of the military. They claim it is a war-like crush that sends the wrong message to citizens, that those of us who serve in a military and fight in wars are somehow, braver, better and more important than non military citizens.  I'm not sure that opinion isn't a bit of a stretch in the other direction. In my view, if we wanted to honor our military citizens we should honor them at Labor Day, with every other occupation that is honored.  That might promote the idea that all occupations are equally important to a nation and that claiming any one  of them is better or more important than the rest is disrespectful to the others.

Anniversary Of The Fall O The Berlin Wall

This year is the year of the 25th anniversary of the end of communism in Eastern Europe, as symbolized by the tearing down of the infamous Berlin Wall. Those of us who remember the October and November 1989 months in which the Soviet Union let it's satellite Eastern European countries go their own way, recall that the end of Communism meant a possible end of conflicts among nations. It of course, did not.

For decades, the wall, built by East German officials allied with the Soviet Union, stopped a flood of East Germans from going to the West. The communists used to claim that their was was not meant to keep the locals from defecting to the west, but rather to keep westerners from coming in and "infecting" the communist state or just because westerners would flood the communist countries in order to enjoy "the glories of communism" . That's somewhat like Islamic militants enslaving their populations with intolerant, hateful versions of the religion because "God wills it".

Anyway, built in the 1950s, the wall was shored up over the year while East Germans brutally punished those who tried to escape the country. More than 136 people were killed or died while trying to cross into West Germany. Over the years the wall was fortified and became a symbol of how thugish rule can overwhelm the desire for self rule and freedom of choice.
Today's version of the "Berlin wall" might be the fanatical Islamic Muslim enslavement of whole populations in Muslim countries, as in the Isis movement and an innumerable number of other maniacal Islamic sects who have over run mainstream Islamic governments. There may be no physical wall, yet the control the militants have over their populations is even more brutal than the old Soviet communists.

The Soviet Union fell due to internal, structural decay. The great irony of it was that despite all the threat of war between the Soviet communists of the era and the west, not a single shot was fired between the two. Today, the west engages the Islamic militants with gunfire in an attempt to control it. But that policy has brought forth little success.  Perhaps the west should disengage and simple wait for the corrupt Islamic movements to self immolate. The very nature of them makes them hard to sustain, and surely Muslims in the enslaved regions will eventually push for their end.

Whatever, government structures come and go. When Islam liberalizes and expels the nuts who have temporarily taken mainstream Islam as its prisoner, there will probably be a new world threat/annoyance to take its place.

The Era Of Jealousy

This might some day be called 'The Era of Jealousy'. Jealousy is the emotion of the day for many today who feel their lack of whatever they want is really the fault of those who have much less want and who make a good target for the have-nots. Perhaps we are so jealous today because the idea is reinforced so often. Our communication technology makes it so much easier to have a grievance today, given that there are always places one may log onto to commiserate about their jealousy.

One of the biggest jealousy expressions is the rants against "the rich". It's true that the gap between the richest and the poorest has gotten even wider this decade, but that's because it is far easier to become instantly wealthy today. Maybe those who complain about the wealthy having too much power and success should instead themselves attempt to become one of the rich they hate. But then, once they became rich they probably would not hate the rich anymore. Someone computed Bill Gates wealth and said that if he spent $1 million every day, it would take him 218 years to exhaust his funds. Good for him. He can't take his money with him when he dies so I hope he enjoys spending it or giving it away (as so many of those "evil rich" do). I think the jealous crowd more should concentrate more on making their own money, rather than attack those at the top who already do.

The strange thing about jealousy today is that it is far less personal jealousy, as in "I am jealous that Ann is so pretty", and more in a general class jealousy, as in "White people have everything laid before them while black people can't make it because whites won't let them". So the jealousy tends to be general and class oriented. It is also expressed abstractly rather than concretely. That's why politicians like President Obama shamelessly promote class jealousy with phony political campaigns centered around "The War on Women", "Income Inequality", "Equal Rights For Minorities" "Class Warfare" etc. Sadly, those kinds of sentiments do attract the jealous voters.

Are the jealous today motivated by envy of the haves, or do they just want what they see as their fair share ("If you got it, I want and deserve it it too")? Conversely, the ones they are jealous about want to keep what they have because they feel they have earned it. But human beings have different abilities, due both to birth and through hard work. They have widely varying degrees of intelligence and energy and are honest and hard-working to very different degrees.  They can be ambitious and daring or not, curious or lethargic. For these and many other reasons, their contributions to making the world a better place differs. And a s a result, their rewards do too. It's not nice to be jealous of that.

Make A Difference Day

Did you miss it as I did? I just read that millions of people took part in the nation's largest day of volunteerism, something a called 'Make A Difference Day'. We were supposed to volunteer for  various charity/public service projects. Hmmm Why do we need a special day for that? Aren't we supposed to do that year round when we have the time and inclination?

They volunteered and actually worked in such jobs as  cleaning parks, working with local animal rescues etc. Nice. Anyway, here in the U.S. where Make a Difference Day started and is far bigger, individuals, corporations, universities, communities, states and nonprofit organizations The event started in 1992 when Gannett Corporation, through it's popular newspaper U.S.A. Basically, it asked people to spend a day doing something good for someone else. The response was overwhelming and has since expanded. Hmmmm Maybe I can get them to mow my lawn.....

Charity is great, and one can not be truly fulfilled in life if selfishly sealed from sharing and contributing. But the fact that organizations have to ask/beg people to volunteer is a great difference from earlier generations which practiced a more silent and consistent volunteerism. So because we might today be too absorbed with ourselves or with work, or with the gadgets and distractions of modern life it might be a good idea after all. 

Make A Difference Day is a chance for humans to come together for the common purpose of doing good and helping others. Uh, instead I should have written for a MEANINGFUL common purpose. The word meaningful seems to be shrinking in our world of spending hours each day playing with our cell phones or other electronic devices that in actuality separate us from each other more than bringing us together.

So maybe we ought to spend a few minutes each day picking up trash, pulling weeds on public property, donating food to the local food bank or whatever else might make someone we don't know a little more happy to be on this earth.

Thou Shalt Not Smell Thy Working Place

Something is smelly here! I just read that an employee of the Social Security Administration was formally reprimanded this month for excessive workplace flatulence, Yep, he farts too much. The SS sent the guy a five page letter announcing a sanction that included a log of representative dates and times when he was recorded “releasing the awful and unpleasant odor” in his Baltimore office. I wonder who had the job of recording his blasts.

They accused him of “conduct unbecoming a federal officer". And that he "had created an “intolerable” and “hostile” environment for coworkers, several of whom have lodged complaints with supervisors. Is passing gas a constitutional right or reason to punish the farter? The worker says he didn't mean to do it, but has a lactose intolerance problem that makes him constantly smell the work place. Regardless, the guy has a reprimand letter in his (smelly) file now, and those can be used to support firing a worker if another incident arises or if the employer just wants a "breath of fresh air" and figures removing a farter could achieve that.

Hmmmm Most government workers are expected to fart around all day at work on their computers, playing games and goofing off. I don't know what the big deal is about blasting a few while farting around at work.. Either they build that guy an airtight cubicle so he can fart his day away, or they might give him a disability pension to let him fart off at home with his wife. I just hope the airlines put him on the no fly list before he shows up in the seat next to me. It's bad enough I pollute the air with my diarrhea of the mouth. Putting him on the same flight with me would be cruel and unusual punishment for the other passengers.

Really, I think the government should probably reassign this guy to find a work position more suitable to his affliction. How about these five alternative spots?

- Send him to Congress. Congress smells so bad now they might not even notice his farting
- Let him interrogate, in a small and enclosed space, terrorist suspects.
- Give him his own reality TV show with Kim Kardashian as co star. Could be called 'Farting Paradise'.
- Declare him to be a weapon of ass destruction.
- Make him an instructor teaching women how to fart. No man has ever heard hear a woman fart.

To avoid making a further stink about this I will depart and wish you a flatulence free day.

Suspended For Having An Imagination

A 7 year old boy was suspended from school for throwing an imaginary grenade at imaginary bad guys. Did the school do the right or wrong thing? I hope you didn't have to think too long about that before saying, "Of course not". In Colorado 7 year old Alex Watkins, a student at Mary Blair Elementary School, was reportedly alone while playing a game in which he was trying to “rescue the world.”

So he imagined he was throwing a grenade at the bad guys to do it.... oh my....he even made a grenade sound when he tossed the imaginary grenade into a box. “I was trying to save people and I just can't believe I got dispended," Alex said. It’s called ‘rescue the world.’ I pretended the box, there’s something shaking in it, and I go ‘pshhh.” Wow! He's so young he thinks he got "dispended' instead of suspended. Can that 7 year old destroy the world the way Mary Blair School administrators think?

But the school( and every public school in the state of Colorado) has a list of “Absolutes,” that when violated may lead to suspension. This list includes “no weapons (real or play).” The list is intended to make “Mary Blair a safe environment,” say school officials. I am not sure how old 7 year old Alex is, but I think the adults who run the politically correct schools are damaging those kids way to much with such stupidity as the "absolute policy". The days of playing at recess in schools, of using our imaginations and developing well because of it are no politically incorrect behavior.

And to think as a child we used to play cowboys and indians with both imaginary and toy weapons. In today's politically correct schools I would probably be put to death for that.
Maybe it's time they started teaching and stopped turning kids into institutionalized robots.

I wonder what happened to common sense. When 7 year olds play we should regard them as normal. Alex isn't a 15 year old who threw a live grenade, he's still a baby. Imagination is a critical part of childhood. To deny it is abuse. School officials and the state legislature in Colorado should be ashamed of implementing such a stupid policy.

I suggest a firing squad be formed to deal with all of them ...and I don't mean an imaginary one.