Headline: gas line gets ruptured.
Headline: motorcyclist gets injured.
Headline: team gets beaten in overtime.
Headline: tourist gets robbed in parking lot of casino.
Headline: murder trial gets started
Correction: gas line ruptures.
Correction: motorcyclist is injured.
Correction: team loses in overtime.
Correction: tourist is robbed in casino parking lot.
Correction: murder trial starts
"It's a great get" means, in slangspeech, that the papparrazi was in the right place at the right time to take a photograph that, when published, will provide financial reward and augment the photographer's reputation with his/her peers.
"A great get" means that a talk show host secures an interview with a top name in any of several fields that result in top TV ratings, such as Oprah, the President, George Clooney, Jennifer Aniston.
"Get" means the same as the word "fetch" when teaching a dog to retrieve, as in "get the ball" or "fetch the ball." "Get" also gives direction to a child who is required to go to a place and retrieve something for a parent, as in go get your toys and then put them into the toy box.
"I get it" means that I finally understand the point you are making, although I may have seemed a bit dense when you began the blog.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
A Sob Story
People will fall for anything, especially if it involves kids, schools, and fundraisers. Picture, if you will, a typical school fundraiser, one of the annual holiday events that includes cards, gift wrap, and over-priced, useless Christmas tokens that can be given as gifts to classroom teachers and grandparents. Then, picture little kids selling fund-raising junk in a tough economy, in a poverty-stricken community, in a neighborhood populated by many, many families on public assistance.
Does this scenario add up to $20,000 in cash/checks available to be stolen from behind two locked doors contained within the locked school office -- and no clues as to whom may have committed the crime? None of it adds up: not the alleged $20,000 in cash/checks, nor the lack of leads. How many fundraisers actually amass $20,000 in cash/checks at all, much less in a mere 2 weeks? How many people have all 3 keys necessary to get into the main office, then through the 2 locked doors behind which the cash/checks are secured? How many people would take the checks when they cannot be cashed?
To be perfectly cynical, this whole blown-up local story is hooey!! There may have been a fundraiser, but the public is supposed to believe that $20,000 was collected from sales in a poverty-stricken community during a recession from families that rely on public assistance for their basic survival. We're supposed to believe that somehow an unnamed fund-raising genius was able to engineer that award-winning achievement, which would, in theory, require 500 students each to sell $40 in merchandise and collect the cash/checks at the time the order is placed. And, we are supposed to believe that there is no explanation for the perp to have access to the 3 different keys during a time that no one was on campus to witness the theft.
Right: no suspects; no clues; no witnesses. Just $20,000 missing in cash and checks. Uh, that would be a hell no.
The media is on-board to make this the story of the pre-holiday season, with all the holes filled in with crying children and outraged parents. So far, the stories about the theft have resulted in donations from the community, including, allegedly, $11 from a student who is confined to a wheelchair, but who feels that the theft from the students is far worse than his disability/confinement to the chair.
Nice touch to a story that simply does not hold up under scrutiny.
Does this scenario add up to $20,000 in cash/checks available to be stolen from behind two locked doors contained within the locked school office -- and no clues as to whom may have committed the crime? None of it adds up: not the alleged $20,000 in cash/checks, nor the lack of leads. How many fundraisers actually amass $20,000 in cash/checks at all, much less in a mere 2 weeks? How many people have all 3 keys necessary to get into the main office, then through the 2 locked doors behind which the cash/checks are secured? How many people would take the checks when they cannot be cashed?
To be perfectly cynical, this whole blown-up local story is hooey!! There may have been a fundraiser, but the public is supposed to believe that $20,000 was collected from sales in a poverty-stricken community during a recession from families that rely on public assistance for their basic survival. We're supposed to believe that somehow an unnamed fund-raising genius was able to engineer that award-winning achievement, which would, in theory, require 500 students each to sell $40 in merchandise and collect the cash/checks at the time the order is placed. And, we are supposed to believe that there is no explanation for the perp to have access to the 3 different keys during a time that no one was on campus to witness the theft.
Right: no suspects; no clues; no witnesses. Just $20,000 missing in cash and checks. Uh, that would be a hell no.
The media is on-board to make this the story of the pre-holiday season, with all the holes filled in with crying children and outraged parents. So far, the stories about the theft have resulted in donations from the community, including, allegedly, $11 from a student who is confined to a wheelchair, but who feels that the theft from the students is far worse than his disability/confinement to the chair.
Nice touch to a story that simply does not hold up under scrutiny.
Blog One Thousand
I use my writing to resolve external issues, ask questions, comment on what I see around me, but I seldom write about what I feel inside, where it really matters. There is a pattern of judgment in everyone’s life, judgment made by outside forces who believe they see/know the “real” me because it’s easier than actually knowing the “real” me. I know, however, that I am yin and yang, a light side and a dark side, because I know how hard it has been for my life to be shaped by what used to be called manic depression syndrome, but now seems to have morphed into bi-polar disease.
My childhood was, just as most other people’s childhood, a roller coaster of emotions. I was never an easy child, nor a well-loved child, nor a particularly well-liked child. I knew from an early age that I didn’t fit into most social situations, but that was easy to understand as I grew up with parents who were also alienated from an easy fit. I could look into the mirror and see that I didn’t fit into the “pretty” child social circles, and I also could look within myself and know that there were some serious internal issues that I did my best to hide, but that scared me to death. I desperately wanted to be a normal child, a laughing child who had friends, as well as siblings, who would accept and love me regardless, but I had no idea how to be that child. I wanted a close family, a loving family, a fully functional family, but the years taught me that few children have that family, while many, many children learn to live with what life provides for them.
I don’t remember much from my childhood, but I do remember being sick once, in my bed in the house on Mission Street, which means I was very young. My mother came to check on me before I fell back to sleep and woke up in a field of flowers, dressed in a beautiful little girl’s dress that was starched and blowing in a gentle breeze. There was such a sense of absolute freedom and love surrounding me that I stayed in that field for what felt like hours, running, playing, dancing, singing, and smiling and laughing. I awoke, back in my bed, very sick, with a high fever, and life continued. That one single memory remains the only time in my entire life to date that I have ever felt entirely free just to be – or loved unconditionally.
More often, I remember the rages: my own; my mother’s; my siblings’. I remember running away, scared, hiding. I remember the man at the beach who sought me out, talked to me, and tried to make me go with him. I remember the man who stopped me one time as I walked home from Kearney’s, carrying a box of things she had so kindly given to me. He, too, wanted me to go with him; perhaps his offer was genuine and sincere, but he scared me, so I ran away and hid from him. I remember far more darkness than sunlight, far more fear than love, but it was not until after my father died that I remember the manic depression that became the controlling force in my life.
Teaching has been my salvation, a venue where my manic side thrives, providing me with energy to get through thirty-five years of days filled with hundreds of students, changing classes, changing course content, mountains of papers to grade and deadlines to meet. It also cursed me with alienation from my own family, from a spouse who did not deserve my inability to love, and from children who learned how to accept my compulsions and question my fevered constant movement as I ran a race against myself just to make it through another day. The frenetic whirlwind of energy was a symptom, a coping mechanism, a better alternative than the crashing blackness that descended when my life was too quiet, too empty, too introspective.
Of course, I’ve crashed; I’ve crashed big time. It was inevitable: no one could keep up the frenetic whirl of activity that I used instead of a life, including me. I retreated into intense depression after my father died, depression that manifest in excruciating migraine headaches. A collapse occurred during college, brought on by so many factors about my life that I simply could no longer control, contain, nor confront. There was a long stretch when I just worked myself into exhaustion so I didn’t have to bring reality to the surface and face what an absolute sham my life was from beginning to end, but, eventually, I crashed again.
And then, one summer I was selected to attend a Shakespeare experience in Maryland and received a grant to cover expenses. That felt like such an honor and I was beyond excited about participating, but not everything that begins well ends well. In the middle of the night, one of the other participants broke into my room and assaulted me. He wanted sex, but that did not happen; perhaps it would have been easier if that’s all it had been because the middle of the night is still my panic time. I shared that experience with a friend, but no one else, because when I reported it at the time, I was told that because “nothing happened,” I should just move on.
[Recently, when I was called for jury duty, the case involved a rapist who broke into a woman’s home in the middle of the night and assaulted her. Because, in her effort to save her son from harm, a son who came into the room to help his mother, she screamed at the rapist that he could do with her what he wanted as long as he left her son alone, the rapist was actually pleading consensual sex. In a flash I was reliving my own assault, an assault that occurred 25 years ago in real time, but happened again instantly in my own memory. The hardest thing I’ve done in a really long time was to return to that courtroom and wait for my name to be called, so I could plead with the judge to excuse me from service.]
It helped when I was honest about what a mess my life was and finally set both myself and my ex-husband free with a divorce from our marriage, as well as our relationship, but that was merely a postponement, not a cure, for the darkness inside me.
In 1997, I imploded, an implosion brought about by people I considered friends, a trust that was sorely misplaced. This time, the depression that preceded the implosion almost won as I no longer had any reason to continue to exist. No matter how much I worked, no matter how hard I worked, I was doomed to failure because that’s what the person wanted when she made me the focus of her own dysfunction. She was relentless and I was literally unable to stop her because I kept trying to fix it, to make it all better, rather than defending myself. Before I fully accepted that my actions/ reactions had no effect on her relentlessness, it was too late. I still experience PTSD symptoms from this time in my life, but I’ve learned to remove myself at the first sign of personal attack, rather than stay around and become the bull’s eye of someone else’s target practice.
And, for whatever reason, after this total implosion, my manic/depressive cycles lessened and became almost unnoticeable, as well as very manageable. Although I’ve used medication in my past to help me level my life, diet, exercise, and adequate sleep seem to work just as well as chemicals.
When my mother died, I had no idea if remorse or relief would be my reaction, but I knew it would not be grief – which is not a good commentary on my relationship with her, but it is accurate. Manic depression is organic, but it’s also triggered, and my mother was my biggest trigger. When my sister stepped into my mother’s shoes before mom’s body was even cold, as they say, I reacted the only way I could to protect myself and my sanity: she’s out of my life. There is no contact because there cannot be contact if I am to survive. The popular saying is that God never gives us more than we can handle, but explain suicide to me, the last desperate attempt to survive that which we cannot handle. Believe me, I know how close I can come.
I’m waking up in the middle of the night, my mind seeking answers that aren’t there. I have lived in fear of myself and my life for so long that I have no idea how not to live that way. When I’ve tried to join back in, to trust that it’s okay for me to have a life, it’s bitten me in the ass, sometimes in an almost comical way – including the time I decided to accept the invitation to join a bowling league and ended up in the ER with a shattered shoulder and a cracked collarbone! However, on my recent birthday, I vowed that I am going to take strong, positive steps to try what may pass for more normalcy and see how it goes. My clock is ticking, and I don’t want to leave with regrets for the shoulda, woulda, coulda that I’ve allowed to control my life.
I have spent money without feeling devastatingly scared that I won’t be able to pay my bills, especially to finish off the backyard project by hiring people to help me, rather than giving into the uncontrollable compulsion to do it all myself. I took a trip to a state I had wanted to visit since I was a child and read a cowboy story set in Wyoming. I had a party, which may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me for personal reasons I don’t feel comfortable sharing publicly. I actually had a great time: no bad memories from the experience. I’ve decided to go to Greece, a place I’ve always wanted to see in person, and when I asked a friend if she would go on the cruise with me, she not only agreed, but is genuinely happy to go with me. I bought a ticket to see some favorite entertainers from my youth who are performing in concert at a local venue. And, I’ve been getting out and doing things that are positive reinforcement, rather than only those things that need to be done.
So far, so good, but I’ll admit that I’m still holding my breath while waiting for the other shoe to drop.
For some people, I’m simply doing what everyone else does all the time, but for me, it’s big steps for me to do what I want, rather than what needs doing. In my past, there have always been negative consequences to the times that I’ve done what I wanted to do, rather than what needed to be done, so I stopped doing them. This time, however, I’m going to assume that it’s all good and go for it. If there is an adverse reaction, well, I cannot say that I don’t have experience with that and, evidently, I can survive.
My childhood was, just as most other people’s childhood, a roller coaster of emotions. I was never an easy child, nor a well-loved child, nor a particularly well-liked child. I knew from an early age that I didn’t fit into most social situations, but that was easy to understand as I grew up with parents who were also alienated from an easy fit. I could look into the mirror and see that I didn’t fit into the “pretty” child social circles, and I also could look within myself and know that there were some serious internal issues that I did my best to hide, but that scared me to death. I desperately wanted to be a normal child, a laughing child who had friends, as well as siblings, who would accept and love me regardless, but I had no idea how to be that child. I wanted a close family, a loving family, a fully functional family, but the years taught me that few children have that family, while many, many children learn to live with what life provides for them.
I don’t remember much from my childhood, but I do remember being sick once, in my bed in the house on Mission Street, which means I was very young. My mother came to check on me before I fell back to sleep and woke up in a field of flowers, dressed in a beautiful little girl’s dress that was starched and blowing in a gentle breeze. There was such a sense of absolute freedom and love surrounding me that I stayed in that field for what felt like hours, running, playing, dancing, singing, and smiling and laughing. I awoke, back in my bed, very sick, with a high fever, and life continued. That one single memory remains the only time in my entire life to date that I have ever felt entirely free just to be – or loved unconditionally.
More often, I remember the rages: my own; my mother’s; my siblings’. I remember running away, scared, hiding. I remember the man at the beach who sought me out, talked to me, and tried to make me go with him. I remember the man who stopped me one time as I walked home from Kearney’s, carrying a box of things she had so kindly given to me. He, too, wanted me to go with him; perhaps his offer was genuine and sincere, but he scared me, so I ran away and hid from him. I remember far more darkness than sunlight, far more fear than love, but it was not until after my father died that I remember the manic depression that became the controlling force in my life.
Teaching has been my salvation, a venue where my manic side thrives, providing me with energy to get through thirty-five years of days filled with hundreds of students, changing classes, changing course content, mountains of papers to grade and deadlines to meet. It also cursed me with alienation from my own family, from a spouse who did not deserve my inability to love, and from children who learned how to accept my compulsions and question my fevered constant movement as I ran a race against myself just to make it through another day. The frenetic whirlwind of energy was a symptom, a coping mechanism, a better alternative than the crashing blackness that descended when my life was too quiet, too empty, too introspective.
Of course, I’ve crashed; I’ve crashed big time. It was inevitable: no one could keep up the frenetic whirl of activity that I used instead of a life, including me. I retreated into intense depression after my father died, depression that manifest in excruciating migraine headaches. A collapse occurred during college, brought on by so many factors about my life that I simply could no longer control, contain, nor confront. There was a long stretch when I just worked myself into exhaustion so I didn’t have to bring reality to the surface and face what an absolute sham my life was from beginning to end, but, eventually, I crashed again.
And then, one summer I was selected to attend a Shakespeare experience in Maryland and received a grant to cover expenses. That felt like such an honor and I was beyond excited about participating, but not everything that begins well ends well. In the middle of the night, one of the other participants broke into my room and assaulted me. He wanted sex, but that did not happen; perhaps it would have been easier if that’s all it had been because the middle of the night is still my panic time. I shared that experience with a friend, but no one else, because when I reported it at the time, I was told that because “nothing happened,” I should just move on.
[Recently, when I was called for jury duty, the case involved a rapist who broke into a woman’s home in the middle of the night and assaulted her. Because, in her effort to save her son from harm, a son who came into the room to help his mother, she screamed at the rapist that he could do with her what he wanted as long as he left her son alone, the rapist was actually pleading consensual sex. In a flash I was reliving my own assault, an assault that occurred 25 years ago in real time, but happened again instantly in my own memory. The hardest thing I’ve done in a really long time was to return to that courtroom and wait for my name to be called, so I could plead with the judge to excuse me from service.]
It helped when I was honest about what a mess my life was and finally set both myself and my ex-husband free with a divorce from our marriage, as well as our relationship, but that was merely a postponement, not a cure, for the darkness inside me.
In 1997, I imploded, an implosion brought about by people I considered friends, a trust that was sorely misplaced. This time, the depression that preceded the implosion almost won as I no longer had any reason to continue to exist. No matter how much I worked, no matter how hard I worked, I was doomed to failure because that’s what the person wanted when she made me the focus of her own dysfunction. She was relentless and I was literally unable to stop her because I kept trying to fix it, to make it all better, rather than defending myself. Before I fully accepted that my actions/ reactions had no effect on her relentlessness, it was too late. I still experience PTSD symptoms from this time in my life, but I’ve learned to remove myself at the first sign of personal attack, rather than stay around and become the bull’s eye of someone else’s target practice.
And, for whatever reason, after this total implosion, my manic/depressive cycles lessened and became almost unnoticeable, as well as very manageable. Although I’ve used medication in my past to help me level my life, diet, exercise, and adequate sleep seem to work just as well as chemicals.
When my mother died, I had no idea if remorse or relief would be my reaction, but I knew it would not be grief – which is not a good commentary on my relationship with her, but it is accurate. Manic depression is organic, but it’s also triggered, and my mother was my biggest trigger. When my sister stepped into my mother’s shoes before mom’s body was even cold, as they say, I reacted the only way I could to protect myself and my sanity: she’s out of my life. There is no contact because there cannot be contact if I am to survive. The popular saying is that God never gives us more than we can handle, but explain suicide to me, the last desperate attempt to survive that which we cannot handle. Believe me, I know how close I can come.
I’m waking up in the middle of the night, my mind seeking answers that aren’t there. I have lived in fear of myself and my life for so long that I have no idea how not to live that way. When I’ve tried to join back in, to trust that it’s okay for me to have a life, it’s bitten me in the ass, sometimes in an almost comical way – including the time I decided to accept the invitation to join a bowling league and ended up in the ER with a shattered shoulder and a cracked collarbone! However, on my recent birthday, I vowed that I am going to take strong, positive steps to try what may pass for more normalcy and see how it goes. My clock is ticking, and I don’t want to leave with regrets for the shoulda, woulda, coulda that I’ve allowed to control my life.
I have spent money without feeling devastatingly scared that I won’t be able to pay my bills, especially to finish off the backyard project by hiring people to help me, rather than giving into the uncontrollable compulsion to do it all myself. I took a trip to a state I had wanted to visit since I was a child and read a cowboy story set in Wyoming. I had a party, which may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me for personal reasons I don’t feel comfortable sharing publicly. I actually had a great time: no bad memories from the experience. I’ve decided to go to Greece, a place I’ve always wanted to see in person, and when I asked a friend if she would go on the cruise with me, she not only agreed, but is genuinely happy to go with me. I bought a ticket to see some favorite entertainers from my youth who are performing in concert at a local venue. And, I’ve been getting out and doing things that are positive reinforcement, rather than only those things that need to be done.
So far, so good, but I’ll admit that I’m still holding my breath while waiting for the other shoe to drop.
For some people, I’m simply doing what everyone else does all the time, but for me, it’s big steps for me to do what I want, rather than what needs doing. In my past, there have always been negative consequences to the times that I’ve done what I wanted to do, rather than what needed to be done, so I stopped doing them. This time, however, I’m going to assume that it’s all good and go for it. If there is an adverse reaction, well, I cannot say that I don’t have experience with that and, evidently, I can survive.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Washing a Chicken
Mercury must be retrograde again as life is going wonky and that’s the best/only explanation I’ve heard for oddness; well, other than global warming, which is a catch-all phrase for “who the hell knows why the world's getting weird?”
Prior to settling in for some TV watching and working on craft projects, I had to address the issue of blood spatter from the kitchen into the living room, all the way down the hall, into my bathroom, and drenching my clothes. Mia and Daisy, who get along well, got into a tussel last night that ended in blood pouring from Daisy's mouth, which she exacerbated by snuffling it into the environment, creating quite a crime scene. Mia was licking gravy off a plate and Daisy wanted to join her, but last night Mia wasn't sharing, so she turned physical on Daisy. Mia is about 90 pounds, a Rott mix, and Daisy is about 15 pounds, a Jack Russell Terrier, so their personalities are pretty feisty to begin with, but they've made their peace mostly. I chastised Mia, cuddled with Daisy instead of working on craft projects, then put Daisy into her little casa for the night so I didn't have to worry about another attack.
Believe me, no walk today as that's a treat for GOOD girls, not a reward for drawing blood! Anyhoo, still got to watch some shows, so all was not lost. Thankfully.
Last night, Maks told the world that DWTS is HIS SHOW, that HE’S made it what it is, so Len? Take a hike. I agree that the judges are nitpicking, critical, negative, and definitely pick their favorites to either support or dis, but really? DWTS is what it is because MAKS has made it so? Perhaps what Maks is trying to express is his frustration that HE’S never danced with a winner. Last season, Derek Hough was on hiatus, so Maks had a shot to take the mirror ball trophy, but, alas, once again he came up short. Derek, on the other hand, is back this season and kicking some fine ass with his partner Ricki Lake, who was absolutely NOT one of the frontrunners when the season began, which leads me to believe that Maks is not the hot stuff he thinks he is – and DWTS is not all about Maks.
On the Sing-Off, my absolutely favorite reality show, the Yellowjackets stayed to compete again next week, while the Collective was voted off, exactly opposite to what I would have done. The Yellowjackets have already peaked and are on their way down, but the Collective is still growing, challenging themselves and the music. I was sure the boys in yellow would be singing their farewell song, but not last night.
The sexual chemistry/tension between Castle and Becket has also peaked, and now it’s so contrived that it’s just not interesting. Because they appeared to have moved on, so did I, and I’m not willing to go back there and regenerate the feelings. If I want to go there again, I have the 3 Richard Castle Nicki Heat mysteries that I can reread; however, the TV show has gone in a different direction, so let it be. Please.
Finally, I caught the clip of the “real” housewife of Beverly Hills flummoxed by the challenge to find even one of her 3 ‘fridges, and then LMAO when she tried to follow her friend’s directions re: preparing the chicken for cooking. Washing the chicken with soap and water probably made sense on some level, but the incredulity on both women’s faces, the one giving the directions and the other taking them, was the best laugh I’ve had in a week. And the caution to let the chicken “stand” for about 15-20 minutes prior to carving was met with the deer-in-the-headlights stare that confirms total incompetency. My best cooking advice for this housewife? Hire a cook.
Been places, done things, met people – and November promises to be an interesting, exciting, challenging month with few breaks for catching my breath. ‘bout time!!
Prior to settling in for some TV watching and working on craft projects, I had to address the issue of blood spatter from the kitchen into the living room, all the way down the hall, into my bathroom, and drenching my clothes. Mia and Daisy, who get along well, got into a tussel last night that ended in blood pouring from Daisy's mouth, which she exacerbated by snuffling it into the environment, creating quite a crime scene. Mia was licking gravy off a plate and Daisy wanted to join her, but last night Mia wasn't sharing, so she turned physical on Daisy. Mia is about 90 pounds, a Rott mix, and Daisy is about 15 pounds, a Jack Russell Terrier, so their personalities are pretty feisty to begin with, but they've made their peace mostly. I chastised Mia, cuddled with Daisy instead of working on craft projects, then put Daisy into her little casa for the night so I didn't have to worry about another attack.
Believe me, no walk today as that's a treat for GOOD girls, not a reward for drawing blood! Anyhoo, still got to watch some shows, so all was not lost. Thankfully.
Last night, Maks told the world that DWTS is HIS SHOW, that HE’S made it what it is, so Len? Take a hike. I agree that the judges are nitpicking, critical, negative, and definitely pick their favorites to either support or dis, but really? DWTS is what it is because MAKS has made it so? Perhaps what Maks is trying to express is his frustration that HE’S never danced with a winner. Last season, Derek Hough was on hiatus, so Maks had a shot to take the mirror ball trophy, but, alas, once again he came up short. Derek, on the other hand, is back this season and kicking some fine ass with his partner Ricki Lake, who was absolutely NOT one of the frontrunners when the season began, which leads me to believe that Maks is not the hot stuff he thinks he is – and DWTS is not all about Maks.
On the Sing-Off, my absolutely favorite reality show, the Yellowjackets stayed to compete again next week, while the Collective was voted off, exactly opposite to what I would have done. The Yellowjackets have already peaked and are on their way down, but the Collective is still growing, challenging themselves and the music. I was sure the boys in yellow would be singing their farewell song, but not last night.
The sexual chemistry/tension between Castle and Becket has also peaked, and now it’s so contrived that it’s just not interesting. Because they appeared to have moved on, so did I, and I’m not willing to go back there and regenerate the feelings. If I want to go there again, I have the 3 Richard Castle Nicki Heat mysteries that I can reread; however, the TV show has gone in a different direction, so let it be. Please.
Finally, I caught the clip of the “real” housewife of Beverly Hills flummoxed by the challenge to find even one of her 3 ‘fridges, and then LMAO when she tried to follow her friend’s directions re: preparing the chicken for cooking. Washing the chicken with soap and water probably made sense on some level, but the incredulity on both women’s faces, the one giving the directions and the other taking them, was the best laugh I’ve had in a week. And the caution to let the chicken “stand” for about 15-20 minutes prior to carving was met with the deer-in-the-headlights stare that confirms total incompetency. My best cooking advice for this housewife? Hire a cook.
Been places, done things, met people – and November promises to be an interesting, exciting, challenging month with few breaks for catching my breath. ‘bout time!!
Saturday, October 22, 2011
It's All About the Hat for Some People
Those favorite regional sayings have a way of cutting through any situation; this week, it was on The Mentalist that the words captured the spirit of my recent weeks. In response to Jane's observation that a ranch owner isn't much of a rancher, the cowpoke replies, "He's all hat and no cattle."
Yeah, that says it all on so many levels and in so many situations that I don't even have to write the essay!
Yeah, that says it all on so many levels and in so many situations that I don't even have to write the essay!
Friday, October 21, 2011
Pull the Plug
Maybe it takes one public figure to become the face of what’s wrong with the incredible sense of entitlement that pervades today’s young people. It’s all about me goes only as far as it interferes with or impacts another person’s life, but far too many young people warn the rest of the world to get the hell out of their way because they are coming through, like it or not. It’s difficult to know how to stop a runaway train, but it appears that a judge in Los Angeles is standing in the midst of a train wreck, hoping to contain it before there are any further casualties.
Lindsay Lohan is circling the drain and it's time for someone to pull the plug!
Lindsay Lohan was a great child actor, but she’s a failure as an adult. I’ve listened to the litany of it’s all her parents’ fault, but that doesn’t wash for me: children live their own mistakes, so they must accept responsibility for them. Yeah, we all have parental issues, but not many of us have the luxury of reliving them endlessly to avoid our own responsibility for the decisions we make. Lohan, on the other hand, seems to want a life-long free pass to act with impunity because … she’s Lindsay Lohan, whatever that means to someone, somewhere. And what a huge “fuck you” to the judge by failing to show up the day after your arrest for probation revocation.
There is a part of me that always wants to help, to guide, to support young people during their journey from then to now, but there are also those individuals who simply are past their expiration date, who make it far too hard to extend the helping hand when they bite it at every single turn. Will it somehow help Lindsay to be thrown into jail for many months or even a year? Perhaps not, but if it’s done right, it may impact her life enough to give her time to think about what’s she’s doing, rather than just continuing to act with assumed impunity.
Sadly, when I contact media coverage of Lindsay Lohan, my mind goes to Casey Anthony: peas in a pod. The intensity of the narcissism, of the total self-indulgence, without any sense of responsibility for their actions, is beyond belief in both of these women, who, incidentally, are in the same age bracket. Perhaps the only redeeming aspect of Lohan is that, so far, she does not have a child’s life to destroy while living in her own little narcissistic world.
Lindsay Lohan is circling the drain and it's time for someone to pull the plug!
Lindsay Lohan was a great child actor, but she’s a failure as an adult. I’ve listened to the litany of it’s all her parents’ fault, but that doesn’t wash for me: children live their own mistakes, so they must accept responsibility for them. Yeah, we all have parental issues, but not many of us have the luxury of reliving them endlessly to avoid our own responsibility for the decisions we make. Lohan, on the other hand, seems to want a life-long free pass to act with impunity because … she’s Lindsay Lohan, whatever that means to someone, somewhere. And what a huge “fuck you” to the judge by failing to show up the day after your arrest for probation revocation.
There is a part of me that always wants to help, to guide, to support young people during their journey from then to now, but there are also those individuals who simply are past their expiration date, who make it far too hard to extend the helping hand when they bite it at every single turn. Will it somehow help Lindsay to be thrown into jail for many months or even a year? Perhaps not, but if it’s done right, it may impact her life enough to give her time to think about what’s she’s doing, rather than just continuing to act with assumed impunity.
Sadly, when I contact media coverage of Lindsay Lohan, my mind goes to Casey Anthony: peas in a pod. The intensity of the narcissism, of the total self-indulgence, without any sense of responsibility for their actions, is beyond belief in both of these women, who, incidentally, are in the same age bracket. Perhaps the only redeeming aspect of Lohan is that, so far, she does not have a child’s life to destroy while living in her own little narcissistic world.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Much Ado About Something
Do the Wall Street Campers understand what it is they want to accomplish with their protest? The appearance is that younger people want something they cannot define, they want it now, and they want it free of charge. On the opposite side of the media coverage are the senior citizens who want to keep what they've spent a lifetime earning, including their homes, their health, and end-of-life quality experiences that celebrate their lifetime accomplishments. Between the two is a chasm of "change we can believe in," change that has little chance of happening because the people who want change don't have the power to effect the change they want.
The media sliced and diced The Tea Party movement, dismissing it without a qualm as some sort of aimless rebellion against the first African-American president, rather than a valid outcry against the callousness of both politicians and financial institutions. It is reasonable to say, based on the past 5 years, that both politicians and financial institutions have eroded the faith of the American people and are not making progress at reforming either their callousness or business practices. However, if the media would not accept the protests then, what makes protesters now think that their efforts will be different? that they will succeed in effecting change that simply is not going to happen?
Camping out results in mild amusement from the media, but using one's financial and political resources as weapons does have merit. NetFlix, with the smug brush-off of their price increases as the cost of a couple of lattes, now has to deal with the significant loss of consumer base and revenue stream that resulted from their actions. Removing financial resources from financial institutions "too big to fail" does impact them if the actions are taken by significant numbers of depositers, but it appears that protesters lack the financial resources required at the base of their own plan. An action plan to attack financial institutions begins with ... financial assets, not camp-outs.
Don't like the monthly debit card fees? Cancel the cards. Don't like the increase in cable rates? Cancel the account. Don't like the increases at the gas pump? Don't drive. Don't like the interest rates on credit cards? Cancel the cards or pay the balance due when the bill arrives. Cell phone plan too expensive? Cut your usage to basic services or (gasp) buy a prepaid minutes phone and wean yourself off 24/7 technology addiction. If you want prices to realign to reasonable, don't stand in line to purchase the newest, the latest, the most expensive "must have" gadget just because it's the newest, the latest, and the most expensive.
It's simple to understand: those with money/financial resources have the power. If you want to fight them, you have to join them. If you cannot put YOUR money where YOUR mouth is, don't expect either politicians or financial institutions to put THEIR money where YOUR mouth is!
The media sliced and diced The Tea Party movement, dismissing it without a qualm as some sort of aimless rebellion against the first African-American president, rather than a valid outcry against the callousness of both politicians and financial institutions. It is reasonable to say, based on the past 5 years, that both politicians and financial institutions have eroded the faith of the American people and are not making progress at reforming either their callousness or business practices. However, if the media would not accept the protests then, what makes protesters now think that their efforts will be different? that they will succeed in effecting change that simply is not going to happen?
Camping out results in mild amusement from the media, but using one's financial and political resources as weapons does have merit. NetFlix, with the smug brush-off of their price increases as the cost of a couple of lattes, now has to deal with the significant loss of consumer base and revenue stream that resulted from their actions. Removing financial resources from financial institutions "too big to fail" does impact them if the actions are taken by significant numbers of depositers, but it appears that protesters lack the financial resources required at the base of their own plan. An action plan to attack financial institutions begins with ... financial assets, not camp-outs.
Don't like the monthly debit card fees? Cancel the cards. Don't like the increase in cable rates? Cancel the account. Don't like the increases at the gas pump? Don't drive. Don't like the interest rates on credit cards? Cancel the cards or pay the balance due when the bill arrives. Cell phone plan too expensive? Cut your usage to basic services or (gasp) buy a prepaid minutes phone and wean yourself off 24/7 technology addiction. If you want prices to realign to reasonable, don't stand in line to purchase the newest, the latest, the most expensive "must have" gadget just because it's the newest, the latest, and the most expensive.
It's simple to understand: those with money/financial resources have the power. If you want to fight them, you have to join them. If you cannot put YOUR money where YOUR mouth is, don't expect either politicians or financial institutions to put THEIR money where YOUR mouth is!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Balls to the Wall
An interesting phrase was used by one of the DWTS judges last night to encourage a dancer to "man up" by leaving his "balls" on the dance floor, as it were; however, it seems that manning up has little to do with either balls or dancing success this season as the most effusive praise goes to Carson Cressley and Chaz Bono, neither of whom can DANCE.
I get it: we're breaking boundaries. It's okay with me to go where no man has ever gone before, but THIS IS A DANCING COMPETITION. The couples who absolutely kick ass with their performances are brushed to the side so the judges can gush over the contestants that are marginal at best, but represent social demographics that want to make a statement about sexuality. Can they make a statement but also DANCE?
It's awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing to have the performers who are DANCING well have to find a way to say, "Ah, come on, man" when their visibly more competent performances are scored less enthusiastically than the WORST DANCERS in the competition. If I were one of the top performers, I'd be tempted to tell them to shove it: why work your ass off to do the best dance and earn the highest score of the week if it doesn't matter?
This show has become a popularity contest that detracts from the goal of the show to take well-known personalities out of their comfort zones and teach them how to DANCE well enough to win a ridiculous mirror ball trophy. It used to be fun, a little bit campy, and I looked forward to cheering for those stars who went from two left feet to a passable paso doble. This season no one seems to care about what the feet are doing as much as what goes on behind closed doors.
If this is what DWTS is going to be, a popularity contest that ignores the performance indicators, I'll move on. If, however, DWTS is going to be a DANCING competition, the show has to find another way to decide who stays and who goes, rather than allowing the popular vote to sustain contestants WHO CANNOT DANCE!
I get it: we're breaking boundaries. It's okay with me to go where no man has ever gone before, but THIS IS A DANCING COMPETITION. The couples who absolutely kick ass with their performances are brushed to the side so the judges can gush over the contestants that are marginal at best, but represent social demographics that want to make a statement about sexuality. Can they make a statement but also DANCE?
It's awkward, uncomfortable, and embarrassing to have the performers who are DANCING well have to find a way to say, "Ah, come on, man" when their visibly more competent performances are scored less enthusiastically than the WORST DANCERS in the competition. If I were one of the top performers, I'd be tempted to tell them to shove it: why work your ass off to do the best dance and earn the highest score of the week if it doesn't matter?
This show has become a popularity contest that detracts from the goal of the show to take well-known personalities out of their comfort zones and teach them how to DANCE well enough to win a ridiculous mirror ball trophy. It used to be fun, a little bit campy, and I looked forward to cheering for those stars who went from two left feet to a passable paso doble. This season no one seems to care about what the feet are doing as much as what goes on behind closed doors.
If this is what DWTS is going to be, a popularity contest that ignores the performance indicators, I'll move on. If, however, DWTS is going to be a DANCING competition, the show has to find another way to decide who stays and who goes, rather than allowing the popular vote to sustain contestants WHO CANNOT DANCE!
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Clooney Does Caesar
After purchasing my ticket, I headed toward the theater entrance and handed it to the door greeter, who acknowledged me with a big smile as he confirmed that I was going to see “Ideas About March.” Indeed a teachable moment, but not one worth pursuing when I could hear the distinctive sounds of freshly-popping corn in the lobby of a theater outfitted with rocking reclining loungers, instead of hard plastic seats. I’d keep my little secret that the movie is actually entitled “Ides of March,” which refers to the quarterly “hump” day of the 15th of seasonal months, including March.
More importantly, in this film, for which Clooney is not just the director, but also one of the writers, the Ides of March is the first clue that Clooney is doing Julius Caesar. No, he never utters the classic “et tu, Brute?,” but his piercing stare conveys the message almost more effectively than words. The Ides of March were foretold to Caesar to beware, advice that he ignored because he was too big to be brought down.
It’s a complicated plot, a subtle massage of the Shakespearean classic, but it’s just as powerful as the Bard intended: the deepest betrayal comes from those closest to us. I found myself guessing who dunnit throughout the film, trying to hone in on the cast of characters: Caesar emerged; Brutus revealed himself; but Cassius is still clouded in maybe for me. The cast uses the highest professional skills to create the conflict, rather than tossing it into the viewer’s face. Subtlety is one acting craft I appreciate because it involves me in the film, rather than the usual cinema technique of putting it all out there so no one, and I mean no one, can miss the point.
I’d like to see Ides of March again from an informed perspective because just as I enjoy reading Shakespeare’s plays more than once, Clooney’s film needs a second experience to appreciate fully the nuances of plot, character, and conflict. The resolution is perfect and cannot be revealed without spoiling the moment. As the country song says, “You say it all when you say nothing at all.”
More importantly, in this film, for which Clooney is not just the director, but also one of the writers, the Ides of March is the first clue that Clooney is doing Julius Caesar. No, he never utters the classic “et tu, Brute?,” but his piercing stare conveys the message almost more effectively than words. The Ides of March were foretold to Caesar to beware, advice that he ignored because he was too big to be brought down.
It’s a complicated plot, a subtle massage of the Shakespearean classic, but it’s just as powerful as the Bard intended: the deepest betrayal comes from those closest to us. I found myself guessing who dunnit throughout the film, trying to hone in on the cast of characters: Caesar emerged; Brutus revealed himself; but Cassius is still clouded in maybe for me. The cast uses the highest professional skills to create the conflict, rather than tossing it into the viewer’s face. Subtlety is one acting craft I appreciate because it involves me in the film, rather than the usual cinema technique of putting it all out there so no one, and I mean no one, can miss the point.
I’d like to see Ides of March again from an informed perspective because just as I enjoy reading Shakespeare’s plays more than once, Clooney’s film needs a second experience to appreciate fully the nuances of plot, character, and conflict. The resolution is perfect and cannot be revealed without spoiling the moment. As the country song says, “You say it all when you say nothing at all.”
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Tread Lightly: A Measureable Outcome
The banker's bruhaha grows in size and shape: after being fired a few days after his public questioning of a local city manager at an open city council meeting, the former banker's former boss sent the terminated employee a letter that puts him "on notice" that he will be the target of a lawsuit for destroying the bank's reputation after a firestorm of media coverage and public pressure erupted.
In a classic case of covering one's own assets, the banker's boss says that he "warned" the employee to "tread lightly," evidently a "warning" with an implied "or else" that the employee failed to heed and which led to his firing. However, according to the boss, the firing decision was NOT based on the employee's public appearance at a city council meeting, nor any of the coercive tactics used by the city manager and/or city mayor and/or city council members that preceeded the firing.
The banker's boss is now at the center of the situation that began at a city council meeting. The media firestorm arose AFTER the boss fired his employee because the employee raised the question whether he has the Constitutional right to ask questions of his elected representatives in a public forum. The banker's boss created the appearance of giving into the city manager's coercion when he fired the employee, even though he adamantly denies that allegation. Perhaps, however, he's a football fan, and most fans of football believe that the best defense is a really strong offense.
In this case, I doubt that the banker's boss is going to get out from under his own actions regardless of how offensive he becomes.
One of the readers of the online paper sent this quote from a press release made by the bank executive (Kavanaugh) upon the hiring of the recently-fired employee (Libby):
"It's always been in our business plan to develop some kind of presence in the Coachella Valley where many of our investment advisory practice clients are at least part-time desert residents," says Kavanaugh. "The timing is now right for us based on having many clients with homes and other assets in the region plus having been fortunate to find a professional with Haddon Libby's expertise and community connections available. With several community and major banks in the area experiencing a wide range of problems that are hindering their lending capacity and Haddon becoming available, this became an opportunity we just couldn't pass up." [http://www.ff-inc.com/news/default.aspx?id=221]
I don't see the clearly-defined "goals" that Mr. Kavanaugh justified as "cause" for firing the employee after the city council meeting, nor do I see failure to "tread lightly" as a reason to terminate an employee. What I honed in on is the joy at finding "a professional with Haddon Libby's expertise and community connections" in praise of the recent new-hire.
That seems to be the key to the whole mess: the bank values its "community connections" far beyond Mr. Libby's Constitutional rights!!
I'm going to guess that even a casual examination of financial records will reveal a banking relationship between the city, the city mayor, the city manager, members of the city council (both public and private accounts), and Mr. Kavanaugh's bank. When push came to shove, Mr. Kavanaugh shoved Mr. Libby under the bus. However, after the past several days of intense, unrelenting media exposure, Kavanaugh did indeed achieve his goal to "develop some kind of presence in the Coachella Valley."
In a classic case of covering one's own assets, the banker's boss says that he "warned" the employee to "tread lightly," evidently a "warning" with an implied "or else" that the employee failed to heed and which led to his firing. However, according to the boss, the firing decision was NOT based on the employee's public appearance at a city council meeting, nor any of the coercive tactics used by the city manager and/or city mayor and/or city council members that preceeded the firing.
The banker's boss is now at the center of the situation that began at a city council meeting. The media firestorm arose AFTER the boss fired his employee because the employee raised the question whether he has the Constitutional right to ask questions of his elected representatives in a public forum. The banker's boss created the appearance of giving into the city manager's coercion when he fired the employee, even though he adamantly denies that allegation. Perhaps, however, he's a football fan, and most fans of football believe that the best defense is a really strong offense.
In this case, I doubt that the banker's boss is going to get out from under his own actions regardless of how offensive he becomes.
One of the readers of the online paper sent this quote from a press release made by the bank executive (Kavanaugh) upon the hiring of the recently-fired employee (Libby):
"It's always been in our business plan to develop some kind of presence in the Coachella Valley where many of our investment advisory practice clients are at least part-time desert residents," says Kavanaugh. "The timing is now right for us based on having many clients with homes and other assets in the region plus having been fortunate to find a professional with Haddon Libby's expertise and community connections available. With several community and major banks in the area experiencing a wide range of problems that are hindering their lending capacity and Haddon becoming available, this became an opportunity we just couldn't pass up." [http://www.ff-inc.com/news/default.aspx?id=221]
I don't see the clearly-defined "goals" that Mr. Kavanaugh justified as "cause" for firing the employee after the city council meeting, nor do I see failure to "tread lightly" as a reason to terminate an employee. What I honed in on is the joy at finding "a professional with Haddon Libby's expertise and community connections" in praise of the recent new-hire.
That seems to be the key to the whole mess: the bank values its "community connections" far beyond Mr. Libby's Constitutional rights!!
I'm going to guess that even a casual examination of financial records will reveal a banking relationship between the city, the city mayor, the city manager, members of the city council (both public and private accounts), and Mr. Kavanaugh's bank. When push came to shove, Mr. Kavanaugh shoved Mr. Libby under the bus. However, after the past several days of intense, unrelenting media exposure, Kavanaugh did indeed achieve his goal to "develop some kind of presence in the Coachella Valley."
Friday, October 7, 2011
Crossing a Dangerous Line in the Desert Sand
Let’s pretend that an American citizen, a resident of a local community, has concerns about what he believes is an inflated salary for a local city manager, who receives in excess of $253,000 in annual salary, as well as a premier benefits package that provides him with a city car, free gas, and a credit card, as well as top tier insurance and retirement benefits. As a concerned citizen, the local resident attends a city council meeting and, during the 3 minutes allotted for him to express his concern and ask questions, is verbally accosted by the city manager who tells him, in effect, to mind his own business. The local citizen, a taxpayer/home-owner/white collar professional, argues that it is he and the other local citizens who pay the salary, so he is well within his Constitutional rights to question it. Thus, according to the tenets of this country, it is his business.
Here comes the turning point: let’s also pretend that a pissed-off city manager takes his anger out on the citizen not just at the time he is questioned publicly, but also in a series of emails that are copied to various city officials. Then, he follows up with direct phone calls to the citizen’s employer, phone calls that result in the firing of the local citizen from his job at a local bank. After his firing, the former employee questions, “Hey, wait a minute! Why did you fire me for asking questions of the city manager at an open public meeting? What does one have to do with other?”
And that’s the question creating a fire storm of protest in the desert sand these days. Imagine that anyone who attends a city council meeting and questions the processes, the procedures, the decision-making – is fired from his/her job for doing so. Isn’t that a direct violation of one’s Constitutional rights? And the city council members who were copied in on the city manager’s memos never raised the question of, “Say what?” And the bank manager never realized that there would be blow-back from firing the employee?
Are people really this stupid? Do all people in positions of authority act with impunity? Have the American people strayed so far from the founding principles of this country that it has become okay for a personal grudge to turn into coercion that results in the firing of a private citizen for exercising his Constitutional right to the freedom to ask any question s/he wants to ask of a public official?
Afraid so.
At last night’s city council meeting, a week after the firestorm hit the media, the offensive city manager apologized half-heartedly for his lapse in judgment, but somewhere during the 3-hour closed door city council session, he either resigned or was fired; hopefully, he loses his very generous termination benefits. But that action does not address the city council’s complicity, nor does it hold the employer to account for his firing of an employee for asking questions in a public forum, nor does it get the man his job back.
Local citizens are enraged, but so what? Who cares? If it isn’t my problem, it isn’t my problem – you know what I mean. And the city manager did toss off a "sorry" after he realized how deep a pile of excrement in which he is not just standing, but created all by his lonesome. Who knows? Perhaps the bank official will contact the fired employee today, also offer up a "sorry," and offer the man his job back because the goal now is let's move on, people, before any more of the fit hits the shan.
Of course, anyone with half a brain can see the lawsuit train leaving the station. It may take decades, but heads are going to roll or deals are going to be struck to avoid the courtroom because there are some criminal actions involved in this mess, too. Where does it begin? With the complicit city council members who could have said “oh, hell no” to the city manager after receiving the alarming emails – but didn’t. With the bank official who was blackmailed into firing a valued, long-term employee? With the city manager who obviously grew much too big to fit his publicly-provided britches?
Or with a corporate attitude that is pervasive in this country and destroying our fundamental rights from the inside out? The Constitution allows citizens the right of redress, but that only happens if the power brokers allow it to happen. If it’s in the best interests of the top tier to stonewall, then the legal walls are built high and tight: woe be unto the little guy upon whom the foundation is laid! It does not matter if the little guy is right because might makes right, and being right no longer matters. Meanwhile, the now unemployed banker has to come up with the means to fight not just to get his job back, but to pay for the lawsuits that will come with it.
The Great American Way we do business is seriously flawed.
Here comes the turning point: let’s also pretend that a pissed-off city manager takes his anger out on the citizen not just at the time he is questioned publicly, but also in a series of emails that are copied to various city officials. Then, he follows up with direct phone calls to the citizen’s employer, phone calls that result in the firing of the local citizen from his job at a local bank. After his firing, the former employee questions, “Hey, wait a minute! Why did you fire me for asking questions of the city manager at an open public meeting? What does one have to do with other?”
And that’s the question creating a fire storm of protest in the desert sand these days. Imagine that anyone who attends a city council meeting and questions the processes, the procedures, the decision-making – is fired from his/her job for doing so. Isn’t that a direct violation of one’s Constitutional rights? And the city council members who were copied in on the city manager’s memos never raised the question of, “Say what?” And the bank manager never realized that there would be blow-back from firing the employee?
Are people really this stupid? Do all people in positions of authority act with impunity? Have the American people strayed so far from the founding principles of this country that it has become okay for a personal grudge to turn into coercion that results in the firing of a private citizen for exercising his Constitutional right to the freedom to ask any question s/he wants to ask of a public official?
Afraid so.
At last night’s city council meeting, a week after the firestorm hit the media, the offensive city manager apologized half-heartedly for his lapse in judgment, but somewhere during the 3-hour closed door city council session, he either resigned or was fired; hopefully, he loses his very generous termination benefits. But that action does not address the city council’s complicity, nor does it hold the employer to account for his firing of an employee for asking questions in a public forum, nor does it get the man his job back.
Local citizens are enraged, but so what? Who cares? If it isn’t my problem, it isn’t my problem – you know what I mean. And the city manager did toss off a "sorry" after he realized how deep a pile of excrement in which he is not just standing, but created all by his lonesome. Who knows? Perhaps the bank official will contact the fired employee today, also offer up a "sorry," and offer the man his job back because the goal now is let's move on, people, before any more of the fit hits the shan.
Of course, anyone with half a brain can see the lawsuit train leaving the station. It may take decades, but heads are going to roll or deals are going to be struck to avoid the courtroom because there are some criminal actions involved in this mess, too. Where does it begin? With the complicit city council members who could have said “oh, hell no” to the city manager after receiving the alarming emails – but didn’t. With the bank official who was blackmailed into firing a valued, long-term employee? With the city manager who obviously grew much too big to fit his publicly-provided britches?
Or with a corporate attitude that is pervasive in this country and destroying our fundamental rights from the inside out? The Constitution allows citizens the right of redress, but that only happens if the power brokers allow it to happen. If it’s in the best interests of the top tier to stonewall, then the legal walls are built high and tight: woe be unto the little guy upon whom the foundation is laid! It does not matter if the little guy is right because might makes right, and being right no longer matters. Meanwhile, the now unemployed banker has to come up with the means to fight not just to get his job back, but to pay for the lawsuits that will come with it.
The Great American Way we do business is seriously flawed.
Thursday, October 6, 2011
There is NO justification for greed!
As people stand in endless lines for unemployment benefits, attend job fairs carrying a college diploma to set themselves above the other applicants who want to learn how to bartend in these tough economic times, and try to avail themselves of government programs to help save their homes from foreclosure, Bank of America reps tell the American people that ... "Bank of America has the right to make a profit."
Really? That's your defense for adding a $5 monthly charge for customers to use a debit card? We all were forced into using debit cards to "save the banks money" a decade ago, whether we agreed with putting ourselves into the jeopardy of having our personal information stolen and used to defraud us. Now that we all have them and few other options, thanks to the endless cost-cutting measures instituted by the banks that always end up costing the consumer more money, we have to pay a monthly usage fee because YOU have the right to make a profit? Are you trying to sell the American people with the idea that WE are keeping YOU from making a profit?
I don't think so: according to a recent press release, Apr 15, 2011 – Bank of America reported profit of $2 billion compared with $3.2 billion last year, which may be a downturn to you, but the $2 BILLION seems to qualify in anyone's thinking as "making a profit" that in no way warrants crying poor me to the American people!
I'll bet you also don't have to cut back on your Starbucks' lattes to pay the additional charges recently dropped onto Netflix customers' monthly bills because Netflix is practically giving away their services free. Stop shoveling bullshit and think outside the box you are hiding behind: the American people are financially devastated, not sipping lattes at Starbucks, wearing designer clothes, dining out every night, and drinking pricey champagne! That's YOU FOLKS, not US FOLKS. How about you give US a break, rather than voting yourselves more profit?
Oh, that's right, you DO give SOME customers a break: any customer with a bank balance that remains above $15,000 will not be charged the debit card usage fees. I'll bet that exemption applies to ... someone, somewhere, but surely does not fit the banking experiences of most Americans who, according to recent articles, have an average of less than $1000 in savings that accumulates at the average rate of $372 annually! It would only take that average American 40 years to save the $15k minimum balance to qualify for no debit card usage fees, while paying $2400 in monthly debit fees during the savings' period.
Who are these people? How do they rise to the top of these businesses? Who teaches them to act with impunity just because they can? Without their $4k tailored suits, shirts, ties, and shiny shoes, they would be criminals in any other enterprise, but put them in charge of a financial institution and they chastise the peasants for denying them the "right" to make a profit. There is NO justification for this kind of greed.
None.
Really? That's your defense for adding a $5 monthly charge for customers to use a debit card? We all were forced into using debit cards to "save the banks money" a decade ago, whether we agreed with putting ourselves into the jeopardy of having our personal information stolen and used to defraud us. Now that we all have them and few other options, thanks to the endless cost-cutting measures instituted by the banks that always end up costing the consumer more money, we have to pay a monthly usage fee because YOU have the right to make a profit? Are you trying to sell the American people with the idea that WE are keeping YOU from making a profit?
I don't think so: according to a recent press release, Apr 15, 2011 – Bank of America reported profit of $2 billion compared with $3.2 billion last year, which may be a downturn to you, but the $2 BILLION seems to qualify in anyone's thinking as "making a profit" that in no way warrants crying poor me to the American people!
I'll bet you also don't have to cut back on your Starbucks' lattes to pay the additional charges recently dropped onto Netflix customers' monthly bills because Netflix is practically giving away their services free. Stop shoveling bullshit and think outside the box you are hiding behind: the American people are financially devastated, not sipping lattes at Starbucks, wearing designer clothes, dining out every night, and drinking pricey champagne! That's YOU FOLKS, not US FOLKS. How about you give US a break, rather than voting yourselves more profit?
Oh, that's right, you DO give SOME customers a break: any customer with a bank balance that remains above $15,000 will not be charged the debit card usage fees. I'll bet that exemption applies to ... someone, somewhere, but surely does not fit the banking experiences of most Americans who, according to recent articles, have an average of less than $1000 in savings that accumulates at the average rate of $372 annually! It would only take that average American 40 years to save the $15k minimum balance to qualify for no debit card usage fees, while paying $2400 in monthly debit fees during the savings' period.
Who are these people? How do they rise to the top of these businesses? Who teaches them to act with impunity just because they can? Without their $4k tailored suits, shirts, ties, and shiny shoes, they would be criminals in any other enterprise, but put them in charge of a financial institution and they chastise the peasants for denying them the "right" to make a profit. There is NO justification for this kind of greed.
None.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
No Apology Necessary
A few times, I've felt a bit bad about bagging on Obama for his apparent disconnect from the American people. However, this week he came on-board and actually said in a speech that this is NOT working. Okay, I took his comment out of context, but if he actually realizes this is NOT working on any level for anyone, perhaps he can come back around to humming the "change we can believe in" theme song and actually write the lyrics to define that change.
Obama's chances of being re-elected are slimming down to none as he continues to berate the public for apparently failing to understand what it is he is trying to accomplish, as well as his agenda for so doing, but when anyone asks him to define himself, he repeats himself, rather than explain. He hammers at Republicans in Washington as solely responsible for the Titanic disaster of the past couple of years, while failing to realize that there are millions of other Republicans (potential voters) he's alienating along with his Washington targets. The poor, who not only continue to be poor, but have become poorer, may not catch his TV appearances, nor attend his upperclass fund raisers and/or purchase the published media that continues to support an increasingly unpopular President, but I feel confident that even the poorest among us accept that it's not getting better under Obama's presidency.
I gave up after the address to the United Nations: no matter the words that were carefully crafted by the speech writers, Obama's facial expressions and tone of voice sent the silent message: it's all your fault, people, not mine. Americans have learned to turn a deaf ear to being berated by the American president, but Obama was speaking to the world!
I am well-read, well-educated, interested in politics and make carefully-considered political decisions for my life in general. I have ideas for change we all can believe in, primarily involving curbing out-of-control government spending, but my President denigrates my ability to grasp the complex concepts of assets, liabilities, and debt load that keep money in my savings account, my mortgage current, and my bills paid in full and on-time, while his grasp of the same concepts puts the country in financial peril. I know that to keep America working, we have to keep Americans working, but my president fails to grasp that basic concept, believing instead that all Americans should be able to live the American dream without lifting a finger to make it happen for themselves or others.
His solution to complex problems: the government pays for whatever the people (think they) need. That, Mr. President, is NOT change I can believe in, nor will I support your efforts toward that goal. If you want MY vote, insist that all people work to earn what they want, what they need, what they value. What we get free we do not appreciate, nor value.
Mr. Obama, the people need to be involved not just in the problem, but in the solution to the problem. It is only through my personal investment in my own success that others benefit. It's a basic economic principle, but there are still millions of us living in the USA who believe that we each have to work for what we have and resent the hell out of creating even longer lines of free goods and services for those who sit on the stoop waiting for the gravy train to roll on by.
Obama has the opportunity to moderate this train wreck, although I believe it's far too late to turn it around, but he fails to recognize that his total polarization of political parties, as well as his basic failure to understand common economic concepts of supply and demand, makes him a very unattractive candidate for anything except retirement to private life... .
Obama's chances of being re-elected are slimming down to none as he continues to berate the public for apparently failing to understand what it is he is trying to accomplish, as well as his agenda for so doing, but when anyone asks him to define himself, he repeats himself, rather than explain. He hammers at Republicans in Washington as solely responsible for the Titanic disaster of the past couple of years, while failing to realize that there are millions of other Republicans (potential voters) he's alienating along with his Washington targets. The poor, who not only continue to be poor, but have become poorer, may not catch his TV appearances, nor attend his upperclass fund raisers and/or purchase the published media that continues to support an increasingly unpopular President, but I feel confident that even the poorest among us accept that it's not getting better under Obama's presidency.
I gave up after the address to the United Nations: no matter the words that were carefully crafted by the speech writers, Obama's facial expressions and tone of voice sent the silent message: it's all your fault, people, not mine. Americans have learned to turn a deaf ear to being berated by the American president, but Obama was speaking to the world!
I am well-read, well-educated, interested in politics and make carefully-considered political decisions for my life in general. I have ideas for change we all can believe in, primarily involving curbing out-of-control government spending, but my President denigrates my ability to grasp the complex concepts of assets, liabilities, and debt load that keep money in my savings account, my mortgage current, and my bills paid in full and on-time, while his grasp of the same concepts puts the country in financial peril. I know that to keep America working, we have to keep Americans working, but my president fails to grasp that basic concept, believing instead that all Americans should be able to live the American dream without lifting a finger to make it happen for themselves or others.
His solution to complex problems: the government pays for whatever the people (think they) need. That, Mr. President, is NOT change I can believe in, nor will I support your efforts toward that goal. If you want MY vote, insist that all people work to earn what they want, what they need, what they value. What we get free we do not appreciate, nor value.
Mr. Obama, the people need to be involved not just in the problem, but in the solution to the problem. It is only through my personal investment in my own success that others benefit. It's a basic economic principle, but there are still millions of us living in the USA who believe that we each have to work for what we have and resent the hell out of creating even longer lines of free goods and services for those who sit on the stoop waiting for the gravy train to roll on by.
Obama has the opportunity to moderate this train wreck, although I believe it's far too late to turn it around, but he fails to recognize that his total polarization of political parties, as well as his basic failure to understand common economic concepts of supply and demand, makes him a very unattractive candidate for anything except retirement to private life... .
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