Land of Oz

Baby Boomer - busted

I am a reluctant member of the so-called baby boomer generation. I was born in 1953 which puts me smack in the middle of that bunch. Boy, did we fuck things up. My parents generation (born in the 20s-30s) was the golden generation. And no, I'm not talking about winning World War 2. I'm talking about prosperity and quality of life. Have you heard the oft-quoted saying that their daughters and sons are members of the first generation who more than likely won't do better than their parents?

Look at the way things have changed. My parents both pretty much worked for one company for the majority of their working life. They came out of that with a great pension and a positive outlook. I forget how many times they've told me, with a college degree, you have it made - ha! I've been lucky enough to just hang on to some of the benefits of their times. I'm a retired vet, so have a fairly nice retirement - though my just married spouse doesn't get any thing out of it. And, oh, by the way, I do have to pay taxes on that retirement pay. And, oh, by the way, I'm still eligible for call up until I'm past 60.

Try to find a job today that gives you a sense of security. How many people out there are happy each morning to find out their ID still works the electronic lock to their workplace? How many of you are planning on living off the company pension? Or how many of you lost your pants when the stocks you invested in went belly up? Savings accounts now pay less interest than inflation does, so by keeping you money in a bank, you're actually losing value. And how many of you got raises that amounted to anything in the last couple of years? Our raise was also under the value of inflation, which means that I'm making less money the longer I work here. Not to mention that my medical benefits have both decreased in value and increased in cost.

Oh well, cheer up. Maybe soon the war in Afghanistan/Iraq/Syria/North Korea/Taiwan/Sudan/Iran will step up to the point that the military-industrial complex will take off again and make everyone rich!

2fers: Military-Industrial Complex and Retirement Planning

Let Go of the Past

Believe it or not, it's actually the 2004 Presidential election coming up. You'd think that Nixon or Johnson was running right now. It seems that the biggest worries of the nation are if Bush actually flew a plane for 18 months in the 60s and if Kerry was actually shot at in the 60s. Did one dodge Vietnam by defending Texas against the communist threat or did the other dodge Vietnam by going to Vietnam and not getting shot too bad?

At this point, who the hell cares? That was 40 years ago. People change. What about today's problems? The country is going broke, jobs are changing from nice fulltime, reliable, good paying jobs to part-time MacJobs at $6 an hour. Here in Saginaw the city is going both financially and morally bankrupt. There's less cops and firemen and city services, and more crime, vandalism and people moving out. The city government spends more time in court and yelling at each other than they do running the city.

Companies go bankrupt now more often than Wendy's serves hamburgers. The workers and stockholders get left holding the empty bag of wages and pensions. Medical costs are climbing. Three years ago, I was getting my meds for $10, and now it's $30. And that's after the meds were changed to better fit the insurance company's needs - not my doctors choice you see.

We've got a war in Afghanistan that been going on for four years and doesn't seem to be even close to a conclusion. At least their poppy crop is improving. Iraq, which didn't have nukes is a bigger mess now that it was a year ago. Over 1000 G.I.s have paid the price for that sand pit. North Korea and Iran are both waving signs around saying "We Got Nukes" and for some reason no one cares. Dozens of thousands of people are being killed in Africa and we don't care. They don't have oil.

OK, Mr. Presidential candidates -- what the hell are you going to do about now and tomorrow. I really don't care what you did 40 years ago. If you were rich enough to dodge 'Nam, there's nothing I can do to change that. If you weren't fortunate not be wounded severely, there's nothing I can do to change that either. Vietnam sucked and it was 40 years ago - not yesterday and surely not today - 40 years ago! I ask not what you did for me then, I ask what can you do for me now.

2fers Kerry and Bush

The War?

I really gotta wonder what happened to Osama. Remember him? It wasn't too long ago, he was the cause of all our troubles. You know, 9/11, beheadings, buses blowing up, things like that. For awhile he was "Wanted dead or alive" and now he isn't even mentioned. Instead, we went to war to remove Saddam Hussein, who it turned out, had neither weapons of mass destruction, terrorists, or any other thing to hassle us. He's still probably wondering why we invaded.

Now that we're fixated on Iraq - remember Afghanistan - what about the rest of "axis of evil?" Remember those guys? How about North Korea - they keep saying they got nukes and missiles and aren't afraid to use them and we just keep ignoring them. Why isn't China in our sites? They aren't exactly the nicest country around. Just ask Tibet or Taiwan. India and Pakistan have nukes - they have actually exploded them. Why is OK for them to have them? For that matter why is it OK for Israel, China, Britain, France and the USA to have them? What sets those countries apart from others?

Ah well, keep looking over your shoulder, because, believe me, they are looking at you.

2fers: FAS and The Clock

Tides

My wife and I recently took a short vacation to an area called Mackinaw City/Island. We went up on a Wednesday and came back Friday night. I like the time because it's after the summer rush, yet it hasn't gotten so cold that things are no longer enjoyable. There's an island, Mackinac Island, that's closed to auto traffic - just horses and bicycles, that we went to. You get there via a ferry boat. It's about a twenty minute ride. This time it was bit choppy on the way out, but not too bad. (and whatever the spelling - it's pronounced Mack-in-naw.

We also visited Colonial Michilimackinac which is a reproduction fort of the 1700s. It was actually the best part of the visit. Overall, the area is a typical overpriced vacation spot. Most of the old small mom and pop motels I remember from my younger days are now overwhelmed by Best Westerns and Clarions. There is now a modern shopping mall and "authentic" restaurants serving high priced meals. You can still find some of the old style places, but they are falling by the wayside.

We did stay at a Best Western, I will admit and eat at the new fancy places offering some store-built atmosphere. I also admit to missing the old small motels with their less that perfect rooms. It's also nice to go sometimes into the old restaurant and have a meal that may or may not be that great. Sometimes I like to try the little place and take my chances. Just because I'm on vacation, doesn't mean I wouldn't like to have a non-franchise pizza or other meal.

Overall, it wasn't too bad. The trip back was interesting. Even at this late date in the season, the Michigan migration is in place. There's a weekend tide here. On Friday's it's a rush of traffic northbound along I-75 and Sunday it's southbound. The secret is planning your vacation so you drive the opposite direction. I did a lot of trips to Toronto before we got married and that was always opposite the flow. I could zip along northbound Sunday night and watch traffic backed up for miles in the southbound lanes. I just don't see how that can possibly be relaxing. Fight traffic for hours going north, then spend a Saturday and Sunday morning at your cabin, then turn around and fight traffic heading home all over again.

2fers: Mackinaw City and Colonial Michilimackinac"

Mission Accomplished
	1000 and counting...

Life and Death?

I was just wondering how life would be changed if everyone knew exactly when they were going to die. Say, a lifetime was 59 years and barring a serious accident or starving to death or something like that, you would live until the fourth month of your 59th year when you would simple die. There would be no illness or mental deterioration, just death at age 59.

Try to imagine what the consequences of that would mean? You wouldn't wonder how long you lived or worry about getting sick and dying slow. Would there be a retirement age? Would people quit working around 50 and have the last 9 years to enjoy as they see fit? Think of the changes in business and banking and insurance.

What would medicine be like? There wouldn't be heart attacks or high blood pressure or cancer. There'd be accidents. What kind of risks would people take if they knew that barring being run over by a bus, they'd live until they were 59. How would family life be? Would the grandparents stay with the family? I wonder if people would marry sooner or later? I think it would probably be later so a couple could enjoy themselves before the kids came. After all, if you waited for a kid until you were 30, you'd still have 9 year to enjoy by yourself after the kid moves out at 20.

I think a finite lifetime would change life in unimaginable ways. This is kind of a strange thought, but hey - I have 8 years left...

2fers: Cafe 59 and DDG-59

Clothes Makes the Woman?

Here's a recent quote from a BBC news article:

Female civil servants in eastern China have been banned from wearing sexy clothes and told not to use "dirty" language in the office.
Women have been asked to refrain from wearing revealing tops and leggings as well as too much jewelry at work, state media report.
They should "dress in a serious, proper, simple and natural way. ... The clothes must not be "avant-garde and ostentatious", the regulations announced by the Zhejiang provincial archives bureau say.

Nor should they be "too thin and tight or showing the under-garments".

What I find interesting is the part about "simple and natural way". To my way of thinking the best way to meet the requirements of that phrase would be to come to work nude. I don't see any way to dress more simply or naturally. After all, I have yet to see a blouse or pair of pants growing on a tree. And all Hollywood aside, I don't think we're born wearing a green blanket and little white cap.

I did wonder about "revealing .. leggings" as well. How could leggings possibly be revealing? I did some searching for the Brit/Yank equivalent of leggings and did get "form fitting pants of a clingy material" so I guess they could be too revealing. However, I do think that no leggings at all could be much more revealing.

And then there's the too much jewelry bit. I have to say that I've never found a woman wearing too much jewelry to be sexy or bothersome. Now if it's pierced jewelry, I can say I often find it disgusting, but too many rings or bracelets just seems dumb to me.

However, it is China, and that means Asia, and that means that men really haven't figured out how to nicely treat a woman in many cases. I went to college just a couple years ago with some Asian students and watched how a male student snapped his fingers at one of his female classmates to demand a pencil. The treatment that the female students got from their male counterparts was pretty dismaying to me. Most were treated as if they were second class citizens instead of classmates in a course. And contrary to what you may want to believe, most of the females I talked to really resented it. It's just "an Asian thing" from the male point of view.

2fers: Now and Buy One!