Suing To Make The Team

Ever try out for some club or team in school and not be selected? It's a pretty common life learning experience, or at least it used to be seen that way. Most people who try out for a team sport and aren't picked will go home, feel down for a day and hope to do better next time. The biggest benefit in failure is that it teaches us that failure is common and can teach us to try harder next time. But wait! This is the Age of Entitlement, the PC Era. Every failure is seen to be someone else's fault and the idea that any kid is rejected after a fair tryout is considered and abomination. In the "everyone gets a trophy" milieu that just won't do.

So reading today about a teenage girl's reaction to failing to make her school's cheer leading team gave me a view of how failure for kids is increasingly viewed.  An unidentified senior at Leon High School in Tallahassee, Fla., tried out for the school’s cheer leading team but didn't make the cut.  And instead of accepting the "better luck next time you aren't qualified enough" decision, she contacted the school district and said that if she wasn't put on the team, she would move forward with legal action. She is going to sue if the don't put her on the team!

The head cheer leading coach at the school, Caylen Berry, expressed her opposition to putting people on the team who don't deserve to be there. She told the media that “They should not put an athlete on the team that doesn't deserve to be on the team. A decision like this would question my integrity as a professional. It also questions the entire legitimacy of tryouts and cheer leading as a sport.”  Further, the coach said that the girl didn't make the varsity team because she “fell twice during the same tumbling routine and was ranked too low for a place on the squad.” Well, at least the coach lives in reality.

One would think that the girl's parents would have a long talk with her and explain that there are no guarantees in life, that entitlements are just gifts that politicians give to attract voters, that ...well...she needs to grow up and accept failure now or she will fail much more in the future. Not making the team because you didn't qualify is not abnormal. Suing because you didn't is. That the parents support her and sue for her is the most revealing thing of all. I can understand wanting to help your kids, but this is just pathetic. Too bad the girl can't sue her parents for irresponsible parenting.

The Potato Chip

Guess what is the most popular snack food in America? If you answered "kale" or "chia seeds" you should be shot! No it's not that junkie, tasteless health food. It's that junk food favorite, the potato chip. In fact, the world likes the too. Worldwide the population consumes about 16 billion dollars worth of potato chips each year. They are tasty and the salt makes them addictive. One company, Lays Inc., has sold billions of them with the slogan, "I bet you can't eat just one".  Even though it fits even better for their product, the cigarette companies would not have dared use that motto because addiction is usually a bad thing. But no potato chip addict thinks their chips will kill them.

According to legend( no one is exactly sure where the potato chip first emerged in a kitchen), the potato chip was born when Saratoga Springs, N.Y. A restaurant chef  named George Crum presented the first plate of chips to Cornelius Vanderbilt in 1853. Crum was trying to get back at Vanderbilt, who kept insisting that his french-fried potatoes weren’t thin enough. Sick of having the potatoes dish sent back, Crum sliced a fresh batch of potatoes paper thin, cooked them until they were too crisp to be picked up by a fork, and had them brought out to Vanderbilt, expecting to get a rise out of him. Instead, Vanderbilt loved them, and a new tradition was born.

The problem then was potato chips go bad quickly. Until 1936, when a lady named Laura Scudder invented the wax coated bag to preserve the chip's freshness, the chips had to be eaten the same day they were cooked. Today, your favorite potato chip bag is inflated with nitrogen gas to keep them fresh for an even longer time. And in the 50's an Irish company had the idea to flavor potato chips, something I hate with a passion. Flavoring potato chips is like flavoring a piece of chocolate It's sacrilegious.

Today they make potato chips with cheese, onion, oregano, vinegar, parsnips, barbecue sauce, tapioca, carrot, paprika, cassava, mint, mayonnaise, hoisin duck, Cajun and banana flavors. In Japan ,soy sauce and seaweed flavors are the favorites. But the Japanese will eat anything.  But in Germany the most popular flavor is Paprika, in India they are spicy Cassava ( nt potato) chips There must be more types as well. I never eat a potato chip that has been altered, so I am not sure what other altered chips are out there. The most weird and objectionable of all to me are those Pringles. Pringles are made from, among other ingredients, dried potatoes rather than fresh potatoes. They are like artificial boobs. Once you look at and touch one you realize what they are. They are definitely not a potato chip.

I think you have enough potato chip info here to munch on. Now go out and enjoy a handful of chips

Skydiving

Another nonagenarian celebrated his birthday by skydiving from an airplane. He was a young one, at 95. I remember a granny in Australia did a skydive at age 100 in 2015. Those oldies are usually harnessed to a younger skydiver in a tandem jump and basically take a ride. They don't dive independently or pull a rip cord. Still, what a daring thing to do at that age. One would think a heart attack or, joint injury broken bone might be the norm, but the oldies almost always are unhurt and joyful to take skydiving off their bucket list. They must have great genes.

I read that over half a million people of all ages skydive each year. I did it long ago but have no desire at my age to do that again. As for safety issues, skydiving is not overly dangerous. The average number of fatalities to skydivers in the U.S. each year is only 25. Statistics say that skydiving is about as risky as driving an automobile. That's an improvement. I remember when I did some skydiving, long ago, a woman who made her first jump died when her line chute did not open and she failed to pull the cord on the emergency. I'm glad that I didn't see that. I was told she bounced skyward on impact. Had I seen that it would be have been enough to make me stop doing it.

I am not sure why people. Everyone seems to have a a singular reason. But I remember that what was attractive to me was the quiet I experienced in the float to the landing spot. There is absolutely no sound 10,000 feet above the earth., and it's weird. The first impression I had experiencing that was that it reminded me how much noise our earth has down below. I guess a person 90 years old can't hear well anywhere, so the silence might not be special to that one.

So if skydiving is on your bucket list here are some death probability stats that will embolden you to put on your parachute.  Skydivers have a 1 in 101,083 chance of death from a jump. Boxers have a 1 in 2,200, scuba divers 1 in 34,400, motorbike riding 1 in 1,000, canoeing 1 in 10,000, mountain hiking 1 in 15,700, and mountain climbing 1 in 1,750. But before you jump I have one request. Can you add me to your will before you do it?

Crazy Woman On The Plane

You have to view this. Click and watch and I'll comment afterward.  http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2017/01/22/woman_berates_trump_supporter_gets_kicked_off_plane_hes_in_my_space.html
It's an amazing show of why Americans elected Donald Trump. For eight years we have had a government run in the manner of that crazy woman on the airplane. Like the lady the Obama government has been is arrogant, ignorant of reality, abusive, politically correct and partisan.  You might have noticed that when police finally removed her a number of passengers cheered and clapped, some chanting "U.S. A" over and over. Surely, the woman's behavior is extreme even for left wingers like her, but it does reflect the attitude of the Democratic Party and their supporters. Just as the  Americans removed the Democrats from control of the presidency by rejecting Hillary Clinton, Americans of all political views on that plane were repulsed by that woman's behavior.

Kudos to the airline captain who kicked this nutty, brain washed, leftist terrorist off the plane. An extra congratulations to the flight attendants for standing up to her and for protecting that passenger who was assaulted by the woman because he silently supported Donald Trump's election. It reflects the end of civility in this country. Now, both the left and right wings of the population (a growing segment) inflict their hostility on anyone who is not in agreement with their views. Perhaps the woman is just brainwashed with the  the extreme left rhetoric like so many other US Citizens have been during the Obama years. They have heard the wrong message for so long they now tend to not only believe it but to feel to impose their "knowledge" on others.

First the right was intolerant, and now it is the left. We are now a divided nation because not only of the kind of nonsense that lady spewed, but because. Spewing these lies has made political correctness not only possible, but pervasive. For the slow of intellect, like the abusive plane lady perhaps flight attendants should pass out fliers to passengers as they board the plane. "When you enter the plane keep your mouth shut and keep to yourself because not everyone wants to hear your opinion."  After all, we are prisoners of the plane once aloft. Had the crew not summoned police to take her off the craft, the only option for the poor fellow minding his own business when verbally assaulted would have been to move from his seat to the plane 's WC, where the odor would have been less pervasive.

The lady is a product of Marxist indoctrination in education. She is more annoying and pathetic than dangerous. If I were the husband I would have requested to stay on the plane sense he did not accost any one and it might be his only chance for peace from his wife. I sure hope they put her on a no fly list before my next trip.

Pushing Pot

The national attempt to make marijuana a legal substance on the same plain as alcohol is now a frenzy in the United States. Eight states that have passed initiatives to legalize non medical sales of pot, California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Nevada, Maine, Colorado and Massachusetts. More states have measures on the ballot for their stoned voters to approve.  It probably reflects the change in social mores and folkways today, but I don't get it. Why would any adult want to legalize another intoxicant that says, "Go ahead, Kids. Smoke that joint?"

In my view kids are the main victims when making recreational drugs legal. Society sends the message that drug use is normal and a part of a mature adult's life. Sadly, the harm caused by drug use is rarely even debated anymore, from the endless number of lives lost to car accidents caused by drivers were were high at the time, to the physical, mental and emotional damage pot does to humans. But in this age, if something is trendy and endorsed by cultural favorites like celebrities, then drug use, even drug abuse is sanctioned.

Politicians are intimidated by the pot head drug legalization movement. They are no longer a weak minority. Sixty percent of Americans now believe that pot should be legal. Politicians now speak of the tax revenue marijuana brings to their voting districts or the crazy equivalence that "pot is no worse than alcohol" for the user. That politicians now openly support legalizing more recreational drugs and still get elected is a reflection of the new order in the world. Pot is highly addictive. In places like Holland, where pot has been legal for some time, social problems have increased dramatically. Too, pot is bad for mental health and even degrades brain structure and memory. It is even more toxic than smoking cigarettes, and heavy use of it correlates with failure in work and in life. Yet the hear no evil, see no evil money mentality predominates among pot supporters.

People who want to legalize and sell marijuana and politicians who want to tax it, mislead voters about pot's health consequences. But then, maybe too many of us are already too loaded to realize or care.

Another Protest March

There was yet an other "protest" march the day after Donald Trump's inauguration as president. Protest marches are the platform for public tantrums. Though a few are legitimate, most seem to be social outings by uninformed, confused or angry people.  This one was the 'Women's March on Washington' (and sub Women's Marches) in many other cities).  My best guess for it was to bash Trump (every left wingers dream) and to claim that women are not treated as equals in the U.S. The marchers were calling for social justice". Hmmm Maybe instead of a questionable march here, those in the bubble marchers should visit Saudi Arabia or one of the many nations where women really are treated badly. The narrative ("The War On Women" concept) that women were discriminated against here started with the Democratic Party, which needed another "social justice' issue to motivate voters to elect them. However, it has become tired and stale now. No wonder a fellow like Trump is appealing to so many. His crude bluntness represents the opposite view of the march for everything crowd.

Anyway, nothing will come of the march because the march was about an imaginary cause. Still, it reflects the march mood today. It seems that whenever a person has a grievance, instead of exploring and learning whether the grievance is real and deserves attention, the complainant organizes a march. It's trendy, it's fun and it's a whole lot easier than sincerely addressing a complaint. Besides, politicians love marches too. they can identify with the cause and pick up some votes while doing it. This is the age of the protest. No sense to your cause is needed, as the Internet and a fawning media love to report anyone moving their feet forward and chanting "down with"....

I suppose people are attracted to useless marches because they fell too impotent to actually change whatever it is they don't like.  In the 80's the world sang and waved to the  Maracena. Today they don't sing, they just chant inanities and move forward,  misspelled signs galore. The problem is that the proliferation of ridiculous marches makes sensible marches seem trivial too. Too many bad apples hide the good ones. Need an example of an even less substantive one than the Women's March? In London they once marched for the right to feed pigeons in Trafalgar Square. (The pigeons pooped in protest too) In Berlin to protest global warming, two lone men stood alone in a field of snow. (No word if they froze to death, but I sure hope they did). A group of Canadian residents from Leader, Saskatchewan, protested against a fairly common complaint: poor road conditions. They posed nude in potholes, took photos and created a calendar of the gallery for sale to finance the road repair. (I am not sure if they sold any of the calendars because there idea was a bit of a "bumpy" ride).

You get the idea. The protest has been taken to a new level these days- downward. Real protests have been cheapened by trendy, silly ones. Many people roll their eyes and ignore the protest today because of it all.  Hey! Maybe I should protest that.

Nutella Attack

Do you ever eat Nutella spread? I like it, and it is one of the world's most popular spreads for bread and pastry. Leave it to the Italians to invent Nutella. They are number one in my eyes when it comes to food.  But Nutella is under attack from the European food police. Ferrero, the maker of Nutella is fighting back against claims that palm oil, a key ingredient in the hazelnut and chocolate spread called Nutella,  may cause cancer.  Ferrero recently launched an advertising campaign in Italy that assures consumers that palm oil used in Nutella is safe to eat. "Making Nutella without palm oil would produce an inferior substitute for the real product, it would be a step backward," Ferrero's spokesperson said. They also pointed to the lack of evidence from research on the matter that it causes any health problem.

So far the U.S. PC food police has remained quiet about this. But I better buy an extra jar of Nutella before they ban palm oil and change the product to a mush. Palm oil has long been used in food and has been considered to be perfectly safe. It makes the Nutella smooth and gives it a long shelf life. But the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has told Ferrero that they think the way it is processed makes it contaminated and unsafe for humans. There is question about that allegation, but the food police never has needed proof that their claims one food is "bad' and another is not.

Ferrero is fighting back with it's campaign in support of palm oil amid growing pressure from European officials to list the palm oil as potentially carcinogenic. Maybe the authority wants Europeans to subsist on water. The EFSA panel found that the major cancer concern is over glycidyl fatty acid esters or GE, which form during food processing, or when palm oil is refined at temperatures over 393 Fahrenheit. Nutella uses palm oil refined that way. So far a number of retailers in Italy, including the Wal mart of Italy, Coop Supermarket, have succumbed to pressure to ban Nutella. They no longer sell Nutella.

Ferrero doesn't want to get rid of palm oil because of the unique smoothness it gives to Nutella and because it's the cheapest vegetable oil on the market. Strangely, the EFSA’s  report on palm oil did not advise consumers to stop eating products with palm oil, and concluded more research was needed to assess the risk. Yet they want it banned? Sigh, who ever said the food police made sense. So what we have in Europe is what we have in the U.S.  It's the food as god or bad based on agenda. Once someone on the left decides it is unsafe or "unhealthy", either with or without any definitive proof, the left wing PC crowd remonstrates and cries until politicians bend and give into their food hysteria.

The war against Nutella in Europe is a microcosm of the war against non PC foods here. If the Nutella is banned on speculation about health, what might be next. I dare them to ban my donuts and burgers! If so I would reciprocate and mobilize my fellow unhealthy eaters to demand a total ban on tofu.

Trump's Inaguration

The new U.S. President is being inaugurated today. It's the official transfer of the presidency from the outgoing president to the incoming one.  It's not exactly exciting to view (I have never watched one) because it is formal and the new president makes speech that everyone pretends to care about. In actuality, the next day the incoming president takes action and we see the difference between the old and new president. The importance of the inauguration is that it shows the United States people respect the democratic process. Never before has there been any attempt to deny the new president. Until now....sort of.

This year the losing side, the democrats and Hillary Clinton, just can't seem to accept the Trump win. Protests, many violent, had been ongoing with more planned, including some which claim they don't mind violence. The "no fair, no fair. We lost" chanting by the leftists is annoying, but it is proof that in the U.S. everyone gets his or her voice, even when the voice is objectionable to most. What's amusing to the Trump supporters is the claim for the protests.

The PC crowd on the left first blamed Clinton's loss to the clownish trump on Wiki Leaks E mails that showed, in the words of the Democrat leaders themselves, how disingenuous and corrupt Hillary and her mafia are. When that one rang hollow Democrats then blamed FBI Director James Comey for investigating Hillary's shady activities E mail scandal. Then the left claimed the electoral system is "unfair" Now the blame is on "The Russians", who may have been a source of the stolen E mails called Wiki Leaks.  The left seems to have an excuse of the day for the voters rejecting it..

The problem is, the blame must go toward the Democrats themselves, who under Barrack Obama, have been a dishonest and incompetent party that nominated, via a rigged primary system, a horrible candidate as it's representative, Hillary Clinton.  So Horrible Hillary and the legacy of the Obama years which gave the U.S. racial hatred, a broken economy, open borders flooded with millions of illegal immigrants, a degraded military that no foreign nation either respects or fears would be used, a sell-out of allies who have little faith in the Obama crew, political correctness gone wild, record unemployment, debt and hopelessness. It's little wonder why the American people voted for a odd and severely flawed Donald Trump.

The good thing about an inauguration is the old is swept out for the new. There is hope for better. But with Trump taking over as the new president, I am  extremely doubtful about much improvement.

Have And Have Not Economics

We live in the "income equality" era. That is, people seem to worry if the fellow or lady next to them makes more money or has more income than them. Their idea is that people should all have the same amount of material wealth, a folly that used to be considered foolish but is now actually an ideal for the blind who believe it. Today the world is built on capitalism and free markets, and the truth is that for capitalism to work  there must always be an unequal distribution of wealth. In fact, the ideal of a free market economy is that some will be fabulously rich while others live in poverty.

The problem in evaluating it is that some think that by taking from the rich and giving to the poor there will be along term equalization of wealth. The failure of communism, which professed that ideal, shows that when wealth is given to the poor, it ultimately emasculates the will for the poor to create their own wealth.  Instead, they simply sit and wait for government to give them more.

In a recent study by Oxfam (an organization whose claim is to fight to end poverty), it was found that the world's 10 biggest corporations together have revenue greater than the 180 poorest countries combined.  The study also found that the richest eight people on the planet have net wealth of $426 billion, the equivalent to what's held by the bottom half of the world's population. Since capitalism creates a big divide between the haves and have nots, this isn't entirely bad. Surely, the ideal is to boost the poor to a higher level, but how to do it is the great dilemma today.

Driven by technology that informs  and misinforms even the least educated in the world, people who are poor are fed up with feeling ignored by their political leaders, and millions are mobilizing to push for change so that they can become...well...rich. Hmmm I wonder if a poor man who becomes the billionaire then becomes a hater of those who are the poor?

Oxfam is urging world leaders to, "take urgent action to reduce inequality and the extreme concentration of wealth by ensuring that workers are paid a decent salary and by increasing taxes on both wealth and high incomes." It's the same old Robin Hood failed strategy of stealing from the rich and handing to the poor. Perhaps Oxfam should concentrate more on making the poor more able to create their own wealth, instead of being handed the wealth of others. Education and government that is not corrupt is a good starting point for that. It seems to me Oxfam and other "steal from the rich" advocates are spouting more about jealousy of the wealthy than about about breaking the cycle of poverty.

The fact is that the world overall is more equal now in wealth than it ever has been. Millions have been raised  from poverty. The perceived problem is a few people at the top are doing increasingly better, so much better that the mantra for curing poverty is "let's just take it from them". In my view, that's a recipe for even more poverty. Good luck to Oxfam and the other Robin Hood's out there. I think they will need plenty of it to bring "income equality" to the world..

Cabin Fever

After a week stuck in my home, amidst a foot (.3 meters) of ice and snow on my home's roof, and with snow and ice in the yard and covering the street, I feel like I want to break out and go...anywhere. This must be the cabin fever I always read about but have never before experienced. Living in swampy Louisiana for most of my life, I never was frozen inside, a prisoner of the winter. Even devastating hurricanes pass quickly there, allowing the survivors quick access to the outside.  But in this coldest winter in modern Portland, Oregon, the freeze is unrelenting and confining. When the snow came one week ago and continued through the next day, what would follow was, to this point and still counting, five straight days of temperatures well below freezing. There is no thaw because we are still in nature's freezer.

I have canceled appointments previous scheduled and can only look at my car, not drive it. It has the same .3 meters of snow on its roof, but I did venture out a few days ago to sweep the snow from the sides and windows of it. It was as treacherous as the walk I took this morning to see what mail I had in my mailbox, a community locked mail box area about 50 meters from my front door. The good news is a weeks mail included no bills! That walk was a near ice skate down the center of the street where the ice was compacted and more manageable for walking than on sidewalks deep with snow. I slid a few times but stayed erect, a  small but satisfying victory for me and a reason to forget my cabin fever for a few hours. But I bet some neighbor saw me from their windowed and bet on when I would tumble to the ground.

I wonder here in a snow prison. Do others have the same cabin fever thoughts, or is each person's different? And what about those who deal with snow regularly, snow of a larger equation than this. Do they out-grow cabin fever and not take offense at being inconvenienced by winter?  I find myself thinking about things that I should buy when I am freed from this snow prison. I make lists of them and have to remind myself that they are not essentials, but rather merely the ritual, milk, eggs etc. that we expect to have on hand and are troubled when not available. "Be patient" is my mantra. I worry about damage to my home's water pipes (when it finally reaches above freezing temperatures and thaws, I'll find out if there are pipe bursts) or if the roof or gutters are damaged after the thaw.

Occasionally, I see some foolhardy people drive down the treacherous street to where ever they are going, and I wonder if I should try it too. But reason takes over and tells me they are driving down the steep slippery mountain road on which I live because they have to. Their work, perhaps essential work, does not stop with a snowfall. It makes me gather what little reason I possess and tell myself that I will not drive an automobile that I feel unsafe handling. Instead, I read, I watch TV, I cook, I log on to the internet, or I nap here in snow prison.

I think those living in snowy areas would laugh at my frustration about my cabin fever, as I laugh at the reaction of those who have never been in a hurricane or suffered four meters of water in their neighborhood from a tropical flood. I shall pray to the thaw God now. Wish me luck.

Signs Of Old Age

Somebody asked me the other day when it was I knew I was "getting old". The bad news is I am long past the getting stage and now certifiably old, at least by my standards. That's right. I have a certain criteria that I use to tell how old I am becoming. Maybe you use it to. It's called the Comparative Elderly Parent Scale (I just made that up, don't research it on the Internet or you will reveal that your mind is too old to read context or hyperbole). To use the scale you say to yourself, "When did I notice my parents were old"?

Here's a few of the things my mom and dad did that I am starting to do now. They reveal I am more quickly on my way out of this life.

* Falling asleep in a favorite chair- this is worrisome for me because a  favorite chair or a couch in my house is now preferable for sleeping than is a bed. But then, if some sexy young girl were in my bed I would change that habit. Alas! That may be the fountain of youth for old farts.

* No ladders for me- Recently I decided to not stand on ladders anymore. I think the idea was not original. I read that the leading cause of death for men over 65 years of age is falling off a ladder and sustaining a fatal brian or other injury. Perhaps if I stay off ladders I might become immortal.


* Happy hour is now a nap-  I swear that I now prefer a nap to an outing, I  don't drink alcohol and never liked going to bars but now there is no point. At my age I have more interest in hitting on the sofa pillow than a hot chick.

* I am repeating my parents' admonitions- Terror for me was not Hillary Clinton wining the Presidency (But that was my number two fear). Nope! It's hearing me telling my daughter the same mess my mom and dad used to say to me. One  I uttered recently was, You should start planning financially for retirement now". My 22 year old already thinks I am nuts, but after hearing that one I am fortunate she didn't send me to a nursing home.

* Leaving the lights on and other memory lapses-  My memory is now functioning at about one forth of what it use to be, and my overall mental abilities have degraded to the point I am equal to most of the idiots who watch reality TV. My compensation is to make lists. If I go to the grocery store without a list for the one time I seek I am certain to not only forget the milk I intended to buy but to also forget my car keys at the store check-out counter.

* Dreading light bulb changes in my home- My motto is now that when I change a light bulb I wish that I die before the replacement burns out. "Boy! I hope I die before that bulb does."

* Giving up all the bad habits- Even when I gave up the bad habits I still felt awful. At that point I decided to find one vice in order to retain  what is left of my sanity. That's why I eat all the bad stuff and keep getting fatter.  But at least I have the energy to laugh at the clowns who run down my street every morning at 5 am. I secretly hope they have a heart attack and die young during their morning fitness run.

* More patience- My mom and dad seemed to have more and more patience when older. I am now more patient too. Problem is, it's because they and I just don't care anymore. The apathy of old age differs from young apathy. The young have meaningful purpose to their lives, even when apathetic. We oldies have as prime purpose to have that morning bowl movement. It's a life highlight now!

Ah, there is so much more but I think I need a nap now. That's highlight number two for me.

Sleepy Times

Do you sleep well? Sleep is strange. When we sleep we put ourselves into an unconscious state, temporarily losing command over everything we know and understand. When we awaken we resume life.  Adults need about eight hours of sleep each 24 hours, so if you fit in that category, congratulations. As one who is sleep deprived and has been most of my life, I envy people who get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation is associated with an increased risk of many serious health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, depression, heart attacks and strokes, as well as premature death and reduced quality of life and productivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I sleep about five hours each night, and feel tired often. Years ago I had my first sleep study, which showed I have sleep apnea and will have it all my life. It seems the structure of my breathing is not suitable to normal sleeping and all attempts I have made to correct it  (two surgeries,  a failed attempt to use a breathing machine at night, bandages on the nose to open nasal passages, etc. have failed. Physicians have told me that there is nothing left to try and I must live with the problem. It's certainly a much less severe health issue than most, but still (I am yawning as I type here.....) I am tired.

The Center for Disease Control says its data show that 28% of U.S. adults report sleeping six hours or less each night, and that's just not enough for most people. It's no wonder in these fast paced times that the insufficient sleep is a public health epidemic. No doubt that the pace of life today also lessens sleep time for most people. Sleep is so critical to good health that it is as important to good health as is nutrition and exercise. And yet my health has been excellent al my life. I guess good genetics can help negate some of the effects of insufficient sleep.

With so many people suffering from sleep problems, such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, shift work sleep disorder or narcolepsy, as well as sleep disturbances associated with many diseases, mental illnesses and addictions, it's amazing the society functions as well as it does. Too, people just don't make sleep a priority. Many people think taking the time to get sufficient sleep is being lazy and a waste of time even though they could be performing so much better if they were well rested. Daily sleep needs vary by ages and individuals  Looking at the daily recommended sleep guides makes me think that only the very young are getting enough sleep.

Here they are:
Newborns (up to 2 months), 12-18 hours  
Infants (3-11 months), 14-15 hours
Toddlers (1-3 years), 12-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5 years), 11-13 hours
School-age children (5-10 years), 10-11 hours
Teens (11-17 years) 8.5-9.5 hours
Adults (18 and older), 7-9 hours

So, are you sleep deprived or not? Do you feel tired often, and if so, does it affect your mental and physical functioning?  Ah, sleeping is so confounding. As the poet Byron once wrote, “Death, so called, is a thing which makes men weep, And yet a third of life is passed in sleep.”

Smartphone Anniversary

We just passed an anniversary, but I am not celebrating. It's the end of the first 10 years with the so called "Smart phone". What a name for it. It fits in that the phone is surely smarter than the users of it.  The beginning of the cell phone rage was the I Phone, which has sold over 1 billion units since it began the smart phone hysteria. At the end of this year, the prediction is that one in every three humans on the planet will have a smart phone. I will not be one of them.

Like most new technology the smart phone is an addictive property. TV, as an example of precious addictive technology, was that way as well Yet one using a TV set does so in his or her home and does not consider it to be essential to life as we know it. Clearly the phone that connects to the internet and is portable is as addictive to some as is cocaine to an addict.

No doubt the technology of those phones is good, but the world still has not settled on an etiquette for use, both from a societal and individual standpoint.  Though users need limits the makers of that technology keep tantalizing them more and more with updates and new uses for the phones. Just as pot can lead to cocaine, the first smart phone has led to an addiction to a phone that is irrational and in my view, not healthy to the soul. Users wait for the next new smart phone, eager to cast aside their new one as little as six months after issuance. The idea that a smart phone is outdated so soon is clearly one of perception. Thank Apple and other marketers for creating that illusion.

More people than I are pointing out the addictive property of those phones. The University of Derby, for instance, says that Smart phones are psychologically addictive, encourage narcissistic tendencies and should come with a health warning. Yes, like cigarettes that are labeled with warnings that they are hazardous to health. I like that idea. Derby did studies before making the addictive warning and found that Smart phone users spent an average of 3.6 hours a day on devices and found that 13% of participants in the study were addicted, often causing severe distraction from relationships and ‘real life’. Real life, for cell addicts, is what you get when you put away that electronic device you can't get enough of.

Just put your phone down  and observe those around you a while and you'll see that those phones use cause distraction from many aspects of  life, including employment, hobbies  study and personal relationships. I will not celebrate this anniversary. Instead. I will feel sorry for those addicts who waste time and choose  a phone instead of the real world. I  imagine them checking their phones for their posts every 5 minutes to see how many likes they have. It's pathetic.

Generation Z

I just learned that there is a generation Z out there. Sorry, Millennials. You've been getting all the attention recently. Topping out at around age 20, they outnumber the Millennials. This younger herd, Generation Z is so important (in the eyes of the media and retailers) that they are said to be a prime spender for the economy. They are responsible for about $600 billion of family spending, and will comprise 40% of consumers by 2020 according to HRC Retail Advisory, a retail strategic firm. Businesses are offering products and services that are particularly appealing to the so called generation Z.  Generation Z comprises 25% of the U.S. population, the biggest segment of it.

The people who create these many labels, which I find annoying and imprecise say there are no firm dates for when Gen Z starts or ends. It supposedly tops out around age 20 and is the generation that is  too young to be a Millennial. That would be birth years that range from the mid-1990s to early 2000s. Guess what are the two main obsessions of generation Z. Yep! It's a fascination with and dependence on technology of all sort and with social media. It's hard to believe that any generation can be more addicted to avoiding real life, but apparently those Z kids are.

I get why the term generation Z was invented by marketers. It gives retailers a target to which to appeal.  Also, society today is uncomfortable with abstraction. Labeling makes it easier to avoid thinking about matters to find truth and simply being a sheep who follows the trends rather than the truth. And think about the typical Z . He or she was born after cell phones and Samrtphones, most never search for news outside of those dopey social media sites. Ouch! This group might also be labeled as be the 'Uninformed Generation', people with super short attention span and an overemphasis on speed in relationships and, well, everything. Hmmmm Maybe 'The ADD Generation' is an even better label for them. I suspect they are the petri dish for experiments that see what an over reliance on technology can do to the individual.

The positive to this generation (age group) might be that it is so detached from societal norms that it is more open minded and will be capable of making more meaningful change, more rapidly than the other generations. Too, I suspect the arbitrary label given to them will wither away and, like all generations, a more individual profile will be formed for the members of Z.

Hmmm There may even be a few Z's who adopt my cell phone hatred. I sure hope so.

Kids Wising Up

Good news for the teenage generation of the United States. According to the annual Monitoring the Future survey,  American teens are drinking alcohol less, smoking less and doing fewer drugs than their predecessors in more than 40 years of tracking. Wow, sounds good. But the cynic in me says they might have traded addiction to drugs and alcohol for addiction to that crazy technology they use non stop. Oh well, technology addiction is far less damaging to the body. so the trade-off is a good one.

But what about all those U.S. states that have legalized marijuana? Apparently, that isn't creating more drug use among teens overall, because the use of marijuana is down among all 8th- and 10th-graders. In states with legalized pot there is a small increase in smoking by teens. The survey results suggest to those who study this that a decline in smoking may be largely responsible for the decline in drug use. For young teens, smoking is a gateway to other illicit activities, and by cutting smoking rates, fewer are moving on to alcohol and other drugs. In 1991, nearly 11% of U.S. high school seniors smoked a half pack of cigarettes or more a day. This year, only 1.8% said they smoke that much, and 10.5% reported any smoking in the last month.

Even e-cigarette use fell among U.S. high school seniors, from 16% last year to 12% this year. Largely because of anti smoking campaigns, cigarette smoking is now seen by most teens as a vulgar and unhealthy habit. Alcohol use is also at its lowest level ever:  37.3% of 12th-graders said they have been drunk at least once, down from a high of 53.2% in 2001. One theory is that social media is keeping kids from using alcohol and drugs by keeping kids busy at home and away from peer pressure to drink or use drugs. Teens now don’t have as many occasions to get together where the use of drugs would be because their brains have been taken over by cell phones, video games and those useless apps that kids love so much. Yep! idiotic Face book and other technological temptations might actually serve some good by distracting kids from substance abuse.

Research also says that teens largely avoid the opioid epidemic that is so popular with millenials. Among 12th-graders, use of prescription opioid pain relievers has dropped significantly. Vicodin use, for example, fell from nearly 10% a decade ago to 2.9% this year. Who needs drugs when you can destroy your brain with your cell phone!

Anyway, it's optimistic news that the next generation may be more focused on dealing with real life rather than running away from it with drug and alcohol abuse.

The Delegitimization Of The American Presidency

The spin zone is rotating out of control regarding the "Russian effect" on this year's U.S. Presidential election. It's so bad that leftist Democrats are using anew kind of political spin, the idea that a new president (In this case Trump) of the opposite party is not only wrong, but that he or she actually holds the presidency illegitimately. Yep! The spin is so crazy that a recent poll of voters showed that 51% actually thin that Russia hacked into voting machines and changed votes in Trump's favor.  Never mind that it is physically impossible, Voting machines here are not connected to the internet. They are plugged into the wall like your toaster, and therefore not subject to being hacked.

Americans of both the Republican and Democratic party have always argued that ideologically opposite politicians are wrong, or perhaps unqualified. That's a legitimate perspective and anyone who says that Trump is both should not be challenged on their opinion. But the idea that the presidency was gained through trickery or subterfuge keeps gaining momentum in the U.S. as political parties count on their uneducated backers to accept every charge the party makes, even when it is as absurd as "The Russians elected Trump".

What the Russians may have done by hacking E mails of leading Democrats was to add more information to the public knowledge base about the candidates.  They simply put information out and let the public digest it, which is far less nefarious than the actual hacking of vote machines.  In fact, on Election Day, there were few voters that didn't know Russia was trying to influence the election through the release of the E mails. What they did know is that the Democratic party and their candidate's own words, from their own E mail showed that they were not trustworthy or honest with them.

This idea that the new president is not legitimate has taken hold on the last three elected, Trump, Obama and Bush. It began most notably following the 2000 election, when Democrats convinced themselves that George Bush actually lost  the vote in Florida, and thus the election. It was a fantasy of the Democrats needed to make a case that Bush was "not worthy" to be president. When they litigated and the Supreme Court ordered a recount of the Florida vote, and that result was by many sources in 2001 it confirmed that Bush  won as the first count reported.  Further, he would have won almost any recount. But left wind Democrats and an increasing number of regular ones under the spell of the crazies liberals still hang on to this fantasy today that Bush was not elected fairly.

When Obama was elected in 2008, the right wing Republicans applied the same strategy by claiming that "Obama was not elected according to the rules". Throughout Barrack Obama's presidency, Republicans pushed the idea that Obama was not born in the United States, and thus was ineligible to hold office. This ridiculous charge has never been proven to be true. Ironically, Trump was an advocate of the Obama is not legitimate nonsense. It's a delicious revenge that now the opposite side is claiming he is not legitimate.

The genisis of this deligitimazation process that the two parties use is probably a reflection of the decay in each party and the lack of education of the party members, who think their social media is the font of truth about all things political and not. In short, it's easy to brain wash your party members to believe idiocy when they are both upset with politics and uninformed about the truth of  government. This latest stupidity, that the Russians elected Trump and Clinton was cheated is all illusion that will eventually be dismissed by intelligent and informed voters.

What voters of both parties should focus on is what Trump actually does in the presidency. If they stop creating lies and hysteria about what he "will do" and hold him to what he does, there may be able to find enough ammunition to make a case to elect someone else in 2020.

Italian Food Scandal

I wonder if Michelangelo would like a Big Mac and fries from the Golden arches. Hmmm It may sound like a strange wondering, but I have reason to ponder the idea. According to Italian media, after a Mc Donald's restaurant opened right outside of the Vatican City Walls, the Catholic Church lost its appetite for fast food.  A lawsuit is being filed to block a McDonald’s from continuing to operate there.  Even though there are a number of little trattorias around the Vatican where you can get classic Roman dishes like carbonara or cacio e pepe, the neo classic dish "Big Mac Italia".

So Michelangelo, the guy who helped design the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, if reincarnated would today be able to view the design of the Golden Arches. But the classic Italian eateries that have surrounded the Vatican for generations feel that fast food behemoths like Mc Donald's should be excommunicated from the area. For four generations Manuel Tosti’s family has had a restaurant across the street. “McDonald’s is producing a lot of problems,” Tosti said. “It’s a multinational that has the same food everywhere – whereas we do pasta – that’s famous around the world and typical Roman dishes.”

Wow! What happened to the Catholic concept of diversity and brotherhood? In an interview with Italy’s La Repubblica, Cardinal Elio Sgreccia  agreed with Tosti and called the arrival of the fast food chain a “disgrace.” Pope Francis  rants about the excesses of big business, but when he lived in Bolivia once used a Bolivian Burger King to change into his religious vestments. I suspect Burger King is no less an infidel than Mc Donald's, so what does  Pope Frances think about fast food and the vatican?

Italian media says that the Vatican is a secret supporter of Mc D. It is said to be receiving more than $31,000 a month in rent from the Vatican based McDonald’s because Mc D is it's tenant there. To further muddle the issue of whether a huge fast food chain should be located next to the Vatican, the Hard Rock Café opened a store on the boulevard which leads to St. Peter’s Square.

To bring some sense to this Italian political correctness a Vatican priest has told Italian media, “I think there are more serious problem in the world. “There are greater scandals”

I wonder if he is referring to all those Vatican sex scandals involving its priests and little boys?

King's Day, 2017

In New Orleans and quite a few places around the world January 6th was a special day. It was Twelfth Night, Epiphany, or King's Day. Take your pick of names, but making January 6th special is a Catholic and to some degree, a Protestant religious thing . In some places, the day is known as “Three Kings Day” after the wise men, or Magi, who, the Bible says, brought the infant Jesus gifts and proclaimed him the Son of God. In other places, the day is known as the Epiphany, a day is for giving gifts, for extremely cold baths and for biting into "King cakes", which is a New Orleans obsession.

Celebrating the baptism of a baby, even if the baby is named Jesus, is not the most exciting thing to do. That's why some Catholics in Europe, Mexico, New Orleans and other Catholic centered places make "King's Day" the first day to eat King Cake.  As a life-long resident of New Orleans until 2011, and King Cake fan, I am having pangs of hunger for a King cake. But alas! Portland, Oregon, my current home, is like most of the rest of the world. It has no idea that King Cake should be eaten from January 6th until Mardi Gras Day, this year.

Therefore, bakeries and people at home make King Cake, a pastry with a tiny figurine of a baby (usually it is a plastic baby or a bean to represent the baby Jesus) baked into the dough. the King cakes some in many flavors and styles. I like the French Almond cream filled pastry form almost as much as the danish like dough filled ones so popular in New Orleans. The idea of stashing a baby inside is not to promote cannibalism, it is that the baby will be revealed in a slice or a bite of bread, just as Jesus was revealed as the Son of God to the kings.

Catholics in New Orleans have taken the king cake to a new level. Bakeries all over the city offer elaborate, frosted, fruit or creme filled confections, all baked with a plastic baby on the inside. Customers eat them throughout the season of Epiphany, indulging right up to Ash Wednesday, which is the end of Mardi Gras (carnival).  On January 6th one can stand in line at his or her favorite bakery and purchase a King cake for family, friends or co workers to  dive into. Whomever gets the slice with the baby has to buy the next King cake. This goes on until Ash Wednesday, which falls each year 47 days before Easter Day. People do get fatter during this time, but they have more fun.

Besides eating King Cake, some places hold their first Mardi Gras parades on January 6th, a way of kicking off the carnival season. The streets are now subject to the first masking and carnival costume of Carnival season.  I like this tradition, but then, I am born and bred of many traditions, given I am from the city of New Orleans that is among the most traditional in the United States. How tradition crazy am I (I know I am just plain crazy, but I am talking tradition crazy here)? This year, January 6th, 2017, I carried on the King Cake ritual by reaching into my home freezer and pulling out a piece of King Cake that I saved for this year from my trip to New Orleans at Mardi Gras, 2016. It was tasty and my "holy day of obligation" to King's Day was fulfilled.

Now....if I just had more King Cake in my freezer.....

Parading For Nazism

The Taiwanese kiddies must love Hitler. Maybe they admire the former Pol Pot genocidal massacres in nearby Cambodia as a work of admirable efficiency. Well, I hope not. But to celebrate the 62nd anniversary of a school in northern Taiwan, students were invited to choose historical figures and "cosplay" them at a parade Friday. Liu Hsi-cheng, a history teacher at Hsinchu Kuang Fu High School, suggested to his homeroom class that they go with famous people from Arabic culture, he told the Taipei Times. But Liu's students had another idea.... a parade theme based on Adolph Hitler.

The teacher told his students, in an understatement that having a parade for Adolph would be "very controversial", but he said that he would let the kids decide without vetoing their choice. So on went the parade and the students showed up in their finest Nazi regalia. They wore Nazi uniforms and held Nazi signs, arm bands and long red banners with swastikas on them. In one photo that the school has oddly since provided to the media, one student can be seen sitting atop a tank made from cardboard boxes, his arm raised in a Nazi salute.

What's next at Kuang Fu High? Perhaps they might consider a concert honoring Benito Mussolini or Joseph Stalin. Once word got out about education gone wild on social media, people in Taiwan condemned the students' decision as "ignorant" and "a disgusting display of disrespect." The state of Israel issued a statement Saturday that called the parade "deplorable and shocking" and noted that, less than a year ago, Taiwan had marked International Holocaust Remembrance Day for the first time with the participation of then president Ma Ying-jeou. "It is deplorable and shocking that seven decades only after the world had witnessed the horrors of the Holocaust, a high school in Taiwan is supporting such an outrageous action as we witnessed yesterday at Hsinchu Kuang-Fu Senior High School," the statement read in part.

Most Taiwanese want the government to counter the Nazi sentiment with state mandated anti Holocaust programs in Taiwanese schools. But is the student choice a symbol of anti Semites and cruelty among Taiwanese youth, or is it a f reflection of the ignorance of both kids and adults about the reality of history. As kids play with their electronic devices more they seem to be reading and learning less about the real world and its past. Unfortunately, it is clear that those students  and probably many more in every nation are not aware that the Nazi symbol means oppression and contempt for human rights. Life for our kids is more about fantasy and escapism through electronics than it is about reality.

Taiwan's Presidential Office ordered an investigation into the incident and the country's education minister  formally apologized and urged all schools in Taiwan to learn from the mistake. In the Asian tradition of the leader falling on his sword when the organization errs,  the school's principal said he took responsibility for the incident and would resign from his position.  Teacher Liu, said that his students deeply regretted their actions  and that he regretted allowing them to proceed with their theme.  And teachers' groups in Taiwan lamented the incident as a failure of the nation's education system.

Let's hope the students didn't give a Nazi salute when they heard about the rejection of Hitler and Nazism.

2017, The Year Of The Politically Incorrect

It's time for my 'It happened in 2017' review. I know the year has yet to happen. But I have the power of observation that enables me to tell you what will happen before it does. Stop laughing and read what will occur in the first three months of 2017!  It will be a year dominated by politically correct imbeciles, the Year of the PC

January- On the 15th, left wing liberals demand that Donald Trump be impeached from office. When told that he has yet to be sworn in and that Obama is the one messing up, they cry and chant "No fair, No fair' again- At a Chinese New Year celebration in San Francisco, protesters chant and smash restaurant windows in opposition to the fortune cookies being served to diners.  A new politically correct action group forms to stop "racism" against Asian culture but is laughed at after praising Kung Fu movies as the height of Asian purity.- National Nothing Day, January 16th, is not noticed or celebrated because the world's cell phones forget it and because users are already essentially brain dead  and in a state of nothingness anyway.- When President Trump remarks that more than 75% of the babies born in Detroit are born to unmarried women, it is considered to be “politically correct” to suggest that there is anything wrong with that. An impeachment of Trump movement is formed- All over the U.S., the term “manhole” is being replaced with the terms “utility hole” or “maintenance hole”. But Trump riles the PC action by calling all of them "Assholes"- After pressure from the LGBT lobby, President Trump appoints an LGBT rest room Czar and is placed in impeachment proceedings by his own party- Liberal Democrats blame Trump for the end of January and declare he wants to destroy the calendar

February- On Valentine's Day the world is stunned by news that a man in England is murdered after giving his girl friend a VD gift of a subscription to Environmentalist Monthly instead of the species endangering mink Coat she asked for.- Mardi Gras is canceled by organizers when a huge feminist PC  protest demands the end of "Mardi Gras Kings" and replacement of them with Transgender Monarchs.- When one Non Binary customer at Wal mart sets himself on fire in protest of not being able to pee because of the absence of any Non Binary rest room Wal mart declares the end of sex. Patrons note that people have been confused about sex so much during the Obama PC era that it actually only exists on the porno cable channels.- California follows its policy of issuing illegal immigrants drivers licenses with a mandate that all residents with a net worth of $100,000 or more must  give their homes to illegal immigrants because "it would be racist" to not do so.- Non Hispanic Californians start a mass illegal immigration to Mexico.- The Barbie Doll is banned by the Supreme Court because "It hurts the feelings of little boys who want to be little girls"

March- President Trump (they haven't yet impeached him) cancels the Obama administration order that the military that forced a policy in which U.S. soldiers are instructed to avoid “any criticism of pedophilia” and to avoid criticizing “anything related to Islam”. Huge numbers of the military defect to Islam and the Man/Boy Club.- Leftists in the Democratic Party organize an impeachment of Trump for not supporting pedophile rights and the right of Muslim terrorists to practice their religion through bombings.- The Obama  instituted Equal Employment Opportunity Commission policy that says it is illegal for employers to discriminate against criminals because it has a disproportionate effect on minority groups  and forces a criminal rights movement in the U.S. Congress. But  Hillary Clinton and a host of other crooks announce they are insulted because criminals already control the U.S. Congress.-  Those 'privacy screens' PC advocates successfully implemented on San Francisco library computers so that perverts can continue to exercise their “right” to watch pornography at the library without children being exposed to it, are seen in Congress, the Supreme Court and at every Catholic Church in America.- One local chapter of the Girl Scouts celebrates National Girl Scout Day by engaging in Sumo Wrestling, fart contests and other traditional male role play. Not to be outdone, the Hollywood chapter of the Boy Scouts wear dresses at their Scout meetings.

That's the first three months of 2017 in this PC world. I'll let you be surprised about April through December. Remember to always fight against those white, male Christians because they are "racist" and hate "diversity".

The Bubble Wars

Here's the current landscape of personal relations between the left-wing and right-wing in the United States. We now live in a super polarized world. On one side is the ultra conservative group, housed in a bubble that wants no change from the idealized days of the past. In a separate bubble, about the same size, is the ultra liberal crowd (AKA the PC Police) that wants much of what has been the norm to be the abnormal. Oh, and anyone in the middle outside of those two giant bubbles is just ignored rather than shunned. They have a little voice.

It's odd how far humans here have separated from each other. Everything today seems political. People don't "dare not talk about politics" when at a social engagement anymore. They talk because only those in the same bubble are invited to the social engagement. People who challenge anything in the bubble are unwelcome. To utter a dissenting word in  the bubble is equivalent to middle age heresy. We want comfort in our bubbles, they say, not reason and alternative perspectives. That's why liberals live in "liberal states" (like California and New York) and conservatives live in "conservative states" (like Utah and Texas).

And now, instead of disagreeing with someone from the other side who happens to live in the other bubble, the bubble demonizes that outsider.  The right bubble will call the dissenter "evil", while the left labels their dissenters "racists". It's always easy to invent labels to characterize one from outside the bubble. Otherwise, one would be required to use his or her intellect and reason in a discussion. Each bubble wants orthodoxy rather than truth.

In today's polarized world self expression now becomes the primary way that people engage in politics. They don't vote much, probably because each bubble is so uninformed about the reality of the election they defer to the default bubble explanation. Instead of being an informed voting constituency, the bubbles produce plenty of residents who, because of so much distrust with politics and other world views, prefer protest and boycotts. They protest anything not in alignment with the bubble agenda. No matter that the protests more often than not defy reason. They even use those inane computer and phone "apps" to organize their protest and boycotts, turning them into social events that peter out into nothing but a sustained ignorance of reality. That's because the act of protest or boycott is what is important to the bubblers, not the cause they claim to support. Just look at Face book and some of the other time wasting platforms to verify this. You'll find protests and boycotts of much unworthy of a protest or boycott.

The two bubbles even divide companies and consumer products into them and us bodies. The left bubble, for example, adores Hollywood and hates Chick Fil A. The right thinks Wal mart is sacred and same sex marriage an abomination.  In America, we do not live among people with diverse political opinions anymore. The middle is just shunned. We don't read the same news.  Sometimes, we don't even deal with the same set of facts. We cannot bond over television or entertainers because for the most part we are not watching the same shows or entertainers.  We cannot bond over shared interests because we don't share any. When we come across someone who disagrees with us, we un friend them on dopey Face book or whatever insulated social media platform fits our bubble.

Sadly, the bubbles are moving further and further away from each other in the United States. When humans spend time with an ideologically opposing person or just someone with a different take on life, they  discover that they have other things in common, and those other things reduce the distance that the bubble ideology creates. But now the bubbles have now locked themselves in and don't share anymore. And that is making life more stressful and less pleasant for everyone.

And The Children Shall Lead......I hope Not

Some support for my long held theory that for many of us, the internet isn't necessarily broadening our scope and educating us. No, it's more like confusing us in deciphering what is news and what is pretend news. You know, like that garbage that appears all over social welfare sites like Face book.  Stanford researchers evaluated students' ability to assess information sources and described the results as "dismaying," "bleak" and "a threat to democracy." The nonsense and propaganda many believe often has its origin on line.

According to the Stanford Study, children and young adults have a difficult time discerning between fake news and real news circulating on the internet. 7,800  middle school, high school and some college students across 12 U.S. states were examined in the study   "Many assume that because young people are fluent in social media they are equally savvy about what they find there," the researchers wrote. "Our work shows the opposite." I see that with adults too.

Many adults, on line and off, can not differentiate between truth and deliberate deceit, things like "Trump is a racist".  Not only do people have trouble discriminating among the stories they read, but even after they are shown clear evidence of the truthfulness or falsity of  information they read on line, they refuse to accept the facts presented to them.

As for the kiddies out there. The Stanford study concluded that:

Middle school students have a hard time distinguishing between native advertising, which looks like news articles, and actual news stories.
Many high school students couldn't distinguish between a fake news source and a real news source on Face book.
Only a quarter of those surveyed knew what the "blue check mark" (which is supposed to indicate a real news source) meant.
More than 80% of middle school students believed that advertiser content was a real news story.
High school students accepted photographs as presented, without verifying them as real.
Many high schoolers could not tell the difference between a real news story and a fake Face book posting.
A professional appearance could easily persuade students that a site was neutral and authoritative.
Young people tended to accept information as presented even without supporting evidence or citations.
Most college students failed to detect bias from tweets by activist groups.
Many college students could not tell the difference between a mainstream source and a fringe source.

Wow! These are the future voters and decision makers in society. They have had their brains addled by the technology they worship. Where do we go from here to save the minds of the youth? I'm not sure, but pulling the plug on some of those electronic devices might be a good start.