It's hard to believe it is almost the Christmas season again. Yet again many face the days without knowing what tomorrow will bring. Unemployment is still high and many people are still struggling to make ends meet. It is for these reasons that the holiday season tends to show an increase in suicides and heart attacks. The population as a whole has gotten away from the real meaning of Christmas in spite of the fact that more people than ever in the current decade and century are finding it difficult to provide even necessities for their families.
Christmas has become more commercial as the years go by. I shouldn't say just Christmas but the holiday season in general. Even Thanksgiving is starting to become more of a commercial venture for the retailers: they depend on the extra sales of turkeys, hams and other types of food that people place on their tables. It has become a sin of sorts when a person is unable to afford to provide their family with all the good food that is part of the Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations.
Where have we gone wrong? What happened to the days when the holidays were designed for sharing and enjoying being with family? At some point in the past Christmas was a time for families to get together, and gifts were minimal--maybe one toy for each child, and they were happy with that. Today? Even if the children receive only one toy it better be a good one: stereo, computer, iPod, video game system and the like. There is no such thing as giving one beautiful doll to the girls and one truck to the boys.
The time when family was the most important part of the holidays has been pushed aside. Children enter into adulthood wanting to do more for their children than their parents did for them, and this need to do better is likely to be one of the causes of the increase in suicides during the holiday season. Parents fear disappointing their children, and some even skip their own necessities in order to make sure their children have plenty of toys underneath the tree.
In 2010 we still face a recession--some places are worse than others. People with degrees can't find jobs and are forced to take low-paying jobs just to be working. It is time we stand back for a few minutes and make some changes. Let us remember those who have less than what we have and instead of buying that $200 stereo or computer system, take the same $200 and give it to a child who may not have a warm coat to wear or is lucky to eat one meal every day. Instead of being disappointed when there isn't enough money to buy expensive gifts, think of the children (and families) who don't have enough food to eat or clothes to wear.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Tribute to the Fallen--September 11, 2001
September 11, 2001, a day we will never forget. At 8:46 a.m. Eastern Time the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center creating havoc for those inside. Strangely, nine years later we still don't know why or what really went wrong. Why did those inside receive orders to wait rather than to leave? Even more importantly, why did they listen? Would there have been fewer tragedies if everyone headed out the door as soon as the first plane hit? These are questions to which we will never have the answers.
What I find troublesome is the number of people including our allies in Canada who comment that we "deserved" it! How appalling is that? No one deserves to die, especially for something that is out of their control. Those people in the World Trade Center had nothing to do with the way the Bush administration handled the government. The firefighters and police officers who died trying to save those in the World Trade Center had nothing to do with the government operation. It was not their fault that ex-President Bush had made enemies of countries who had previous been our allies--or at lest ones who had paid us little mind. President Bush took office officially in January 2001 (elected in November 2000), and the WTC incident occurred on September 11, 2001--you tell me whose problem it was? Sure, there were a couple of attacks in the garage during the Clinton administration, but nothing any where near what happened on September 11, 2001.
Many believe there was a conspiracy, and while I don't have an opinion on that, I will say this much: if you read the Executive Summary of the 911 Commission Report you will find some interesting information. According to the Executive Summary President Bush had received warnings via e-mail in August 2001 but brushed them off as being idle threats. These e-mails apparently had a warning that if the U.S. didn't pull out of the Middle East al-Quaida was going to attack a major U. S. monument. When the 911 Commission Report came out the e-mails had somehow disappeared. Strange, don't you think? A cover up? That is another question that has been asked many times. Was the government part of the conspiracy and did they cover it up to save themselves from repercussions?
How many lives could have been saved if the president had acted responsibly? This is a man that was sitting in a classroom in Florida reading to children when he got the call about the World Trade Center, yet he continued what he was doing, completely unfazed by the news. He was unable to make a decision until he spoke with his father, the first President Bush. Why was this man president when he couldn't make his own decisions? Better yet, why was he elected yet another time? Of course, we know he wasn't really elected, but that's another matter completely.
Today we pay tribute to those who lost their lives in an incident that could have been and should have been prevented. All of those who died or were maimed depended on the government to protect them, and they failed to do so. Not only did the incident change the lives of the United States, but the world. September 11, 2001 did not affect only the United States but the entire world, even those who thought it was funny and chose to dance in the streets. Are they still laughing nine years later when the world is still in a major recession that began during the aftermath of that day? Are they still laughing knowing it may be years before the economy returns to anything close to "normal?"
September 11, 2010--what is different today? We are in a new administration, and President Barack Obama wants to bring our military home from Iraq, something that should have been done long before he assumed office in January 2009 after being elected in November 2008. George Bush left him with a mess to clean up, and it is likely to take him until the next election to clean it up. We are still in a recession even though economists had originally predicted we would begin to pull out the first quarter of 2010. It is now almost the 4th quarter of 2010 and we are seeing no signs of relief.
To those who lost friends and family on September 11, 2001 my heart goes out to you. I lit a candle today in memory of your loved ones. If we learned nothing else from 911, we learned one thing: we can lose everything and everybody in a snuff. That's why today, on this day of remembrance, forget any fights you are having with those close to you: mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle. Say you're sorry today because tomorrow may be too late and you will forever live with the knowledge that you failed to mend broken bridges. Look at your family and say, "You know, I don't agree with you, but I love you and will support your decision. I understand we see things differently." Say it today while you still can!
What I find troublesome is the number of people including our allies in Canada who comment that we "deserved" it! How appalling is that? No one deserves to die, especially for something that is out of their control. Those people in the World Trade Center had nothing to do with the way the Bush administration handled the government. The firefighters and police officers who died trying to save those in the World Trade Center had nothing to do with the government operation. It was not their fault that ex-President Bush had made enemies of countries who had previous been our allies--or at lest ones who had paid us little mind. President Bush took office officially in January 2001 (elected in November 2000), and the WTC incident occurred on September 11, 2001--you tell me whose problem it was? Sure, there were a couple of attacks in the garage during the Clinton administration, but nothing any where near what happened on September 11, 2001.
Many believe there was a conspiracy, and while I don't have an opinion on that, I will say this much: if you read the Executive Summary of the 911 Commission Report you will find some interesting information. According to the Executive Summary President Bush had received warnings via e-mail in August 2001 but brushed them off as being idle threats. These e-mails apparently had a warning that if the U.S. didn't pull out of the Middle East al-Quaida was going to attack a major U. S. monument. When the 911 Commission Report came out the e-mails had somehow disappeared. Strange, don't you think? A cover up? That is another question that has been asked many times. Was the government part of the conspiracy and did they cover it up to save themselves from repercussions?
How many lives could have been saved if the president had acted responsibly? This is a man that was sitting in a classroom in Florida reading to children when he got the call about the World Trade Center, yet he continued what he was doing, completely unfazed by the news. He was unable to make a decision until he spoke with his father, the first President Bush. Why was this man president when he couldn't make his own decisions? Better yet, why was he elected yet another time? Of course, we know he wasn't really elected, but that's another matter completely.
Today we pay tribute to those who lost their lives in an incident that could have been and should have been prevented. All of those who died or were maimed depended on the government to protect them, and they failed to do so. Not only did the incident change the lives of the United States, but the world. September 11, 2001 did not affect only the United States but the entire world, even those who thought it was funny and chose to dance in the streets. Are they still laughing nine years later when the world is still in a major recession that began during the aftermath of that day? Are they still laughing knowing it may be years before the economy returns to anything close to "normal?"
September 11, 2010--what is different today? We are in a new administration, and President Barack Obama wants to bring our military home from Iraq, something that should have been done long before he assumed office in January 2009 after being elected in November 2008. George Bush left him with a mess to clean up, and it is likely to take him until the next election to clean it up. We are still in a recession even though economists had originally predicted we would begin to pull out the first quarter of 2010. It is now almost the 4th quarter of 2010 and we are seeing no signs of relief.
To those who lost friends and family on September 11, 2001 my heart goes out to you. I lit a candle today in memory of your loved ones. If we learned nothing else from 911, we learned one thing: we can lose everything and everybody in a snuff. That's why today, on this day of remembrance, forget any fights you are having with those close to you: mother, father, brother, sister, aunt, uncle. Say you're sorry today because tomorrow may be too late and you will forever live with the knowledge that you failed to mend broken bridges. Look at your family and say, "You know, I don't agree with you, but I love you and will support your decision. I understand we see things differently." Say it today while you still can!
Monday, September 6, 2010
Where Is the Economy Going?
Bush is out of office and Obama has been in office for almost two years, but the economy is not getting any better. Of course, we have to view it from another angle: Bush left Obama with a huge mess to clean up. While those supporting the Republicans will claim the recession was caused by Democrats, one can only wonder how that can be when the recession began when there was a Republican president and the Republicans had the majority of seats in Congress. Of course, there have been economic problems when the Democrats have been in office as well, so we can't entirely blame unemployment on the presidential administration.
When did the problems begin? Some of them we saw following the bombing of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. When air traffic was halted for several days and people who worked at the World Trade Center lost their jobs, it took a toll on the economy. Since that time several airlines have gone out of business or been forced to file bankruptcy, most likely directly related to the economic struggles they facing following 9/11. When you add these figures to those of the people who worked in the World Trade Center and suddenly found themselves unemployed, there is little wonder why the economy is in such poor shape.
If the recession began with 9/11, how does that make it a problem created by the Bush administration? Clearly the event was caused by the president making enemies throughout the world. If you read the Executive Summary of the 9/11 Commission Report that was published, you will gain some insight into what many believed happened to instigate the attack including alleged emails warning the president of the impending attacks. Unfortunately nothing was ever proven because the emails were never located, but it certainly affected the credibility of the Bush administration. Whether there was a conspiracy preceding 9/11 is irrelevant; however, there is no doubt it was the beginning of the current economic downturn.
Last year economists made predictions that we would begin coming out of the recession in 2010--some states earlier than others. The prediction was that Delaware where I live would ease out of the recession by the last quarter, but here it is the end of the 3rd quarter and unemployment is still over 9 percent. For such a small state, that's a tremendous amount of people unemployed, but we can blame some of it on the fact that we saw the shut down of both the Chrysler and General Motors plants thus eliminating thousands of jobs in the state. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are at an all-time high throughout the state and surrounding areas with little relief in sight. Even collection agencies are going out of business because people do not have the money to pay even after their debts are turned over to third parties.
As a freelance writer I have seen the economy hurt writers as well. People are cutting back on the number of books they buy thus forcing publishers to take on few new contracts and book stores are closing their doors. Of course, the electronic publishing industry has some effect on the reduction in print book sales, but the economy is the major problem. People are buying few print books and relying on borrowing from friends or the library and finding free versions of the books online. While I have nothing against e-books personally, I prefer print books for my pleasure reading and hope the current trends will never render them obsolete.
With unemployment still so high throughout the country and even the world, we are seeing retail stores suffering from slow sales. With the Christmas season coming up soon, it is likely the sales will continue to slump, at least from previous years. President Obama is talking about creating some government jobs to help with the sagging economy, but is this the answer? Do we really want jobs that will just keep people busy and provide a paycheck or do we need something that will make them feel they are worth something? The real question is: when is the economy going to recover? Unfortunately even if we begin to see changes in the next 30 days, it will take years before we see the economy return to its pre-9/11 status and even longer before it returns to a healthy state. I'm almost glad to be only three years from being old enough to collect Social Security; I will at least have a small amount of money for certain each month instead of struggling to find writing gigs and even a regular job.
When did the problems begin? Some of them we saw following the bombing of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. When air traffic was halted for several days and people who worked at the World Trade Center lost their jobs, it took a toll on the economy. Since that time several airlines have gone out of business or been forced to file bankruptcy, most likely directly related to the economic struggles they facing following 9/11. When you add these figures to those of the people who worked in the World Trade Center and suddenly found themselves unemployed, there is little wonder why the economy is in such poor shape.
If the recession began with 9/11, how does that make it a problem created by the Bush administration? Clearly the event was caused by the president making enemies throughout the world. If you read the Executive Summary of the 9/11 Commission Report that was published, you will gain some insight into what many believed happened to instigate the attack including alleged emails warning the president of the impending attacks. Unfortunately nothing was ever proven because the emails were never located, but it certainly affected the credibility of the Bush administration. Whether there was a conspiracy preceding 9/11 is irrelevant; however, there is no doubt it was the beginning of the current economic downturn.
Last year economists made predictions that we would begin coming out of the recession in 2010--some states earlier than others. The prediction was that Delaware where I live would ease out of the recession by the last quarter, but here it is the end of the 3rd quarter and unemployment is still over 9 percent. For such a small state, that's a tremendous amount of people unemployed, but we can blame some of it on the fact that we saw the shut down of both the Chrysler and General Motors plants thus eliminating thousands of jobs in the state. Foreclosures and bankruptcies are at an all-time high throughout the state and surrounding areas with little relief in sight. Even collection agencies are going out of business because people do not have the money to pay even after their debts are turned over to third parties.
As a freelance writer I have seen the economy hurt writers as well. People are cutting back on the number of books they buy thus forcing publishers to take on few new contracts and book stores are closing their doors. Of course, the electronic publishing industry has some effect on the reduction in print book sales, but the economy is the major problem. People are buying few print books and relying on borrowing from friends or the library and finding free versions of the books online. While I have nothing against e-books personally, I prefer print books for my pleasure reading and hope the current trends will never render them obsolete.
With unemployment still so high throughout the country and even the world, we are seeing retail stores suffering from slow sales. With the Christmas season coming up soon, it is likely the sales will continue to slump, at least from previous years. President Obama is talking about creating some government jobs to help with the sagging economy, but is this the answer? Do we really want jobs that will just keep people busy and provide a paycheck or do we need something that will make them feel they are worth something? The real question is: when is the economy going to recover? Unfortunately even if we begin to see changes in the next 30 days, it will take years before we see the economy return to its pre-9/11 status and even longer before it returns to a healthy state. I'm almost glad to be only three years from being old enough to collect Social Security; I will at least have a small amount of money for certain each month instead of struggling to find writing gigs and even a regular job.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Perils of Parenthood
If you think once your children are grown your troubles are over, think again! The same siblings that fought as children and teenagers may indeed surprise you and learn to get along or they may continue to fight. I had high hopes of growing old and being able to enjoy my daughters getting along, but no such luck! I have three daughters, 34, 28 and 25. While they get along with the oldest, the two younger ones still have problems getting along and often go for months without speaking. They currently are in one of their not speaking moods, this one caused by a couple of factors, one of which was because they could not agree about the 60th birthday party for their dad, an event which has now been changed and doesn't include the youngest daughter.
I have to back up a little bit because the problem with the party is only the last problem--it actually began because the youngest failed to show up for her nephew's birthday party because her husband had broken his shoulder. I think daughter #2 would have accepted this if daughter #3 had not held a party at her house after a show in which her husband's band performed. However, the fact remains that daughter #2 believes daughter #3 should have come without the hubby. The problem also has an additional element in that daughter #3 failed to even call her nephew on the actual day of his birthday three days prior to the party.
One thing to remember here is these two girls--women now--do not think in the same way. First daughter #2 has two children whereas daughter #3 has no children and at the present time still says she doesn't want any. This changes the way she thinks and the level of her priorities. Thus at the present time daughter #2 says she never speak to her sister again because she hurt her son by not showing up for his birthday party. On top of this she insists she wants the kids to have no contact with their aunt because she considers her selfish. I have tried to intercede on several occasions and tried to make #2 daughter understand she can't make her sister do things she is not compelled to do. The younger daughter has no children so therefore doesn't understand the concept of family obligations. I don't even see her on Mother's Day although she does call me. Even though it hurts I try to overlook it--such is not the case with her sister who refuses to make allowances.
Where am I at this point? Daughter #2 just told me she isn't inviting her sister to her daughter's first birthday next month. Now while I expected this she now tells me she changed her mind about letting them go with us when we go to visit her sister. She even went so far as to say if her son hates her she doesn't care--that's the way it is going to be. This is where I have a problem: if she doesn't want to speak to her sister that is her decision, but she is putting the children in the middle. Even if my grandson was upset that she didn't come to his party he loves his aunt. Why should he be denied the right to see her because his mother thinks she can spare him from further hurt? I'm not sure what to think or do at this point, but I am very tired of the fighting. I don't understand why the two of them can't just accept they have different ways of thinking instead of trying to demand the other one do things THEIR way.
All of this is making things uncomfortable because we usually go to the youngest daughter's for Christmas Day because all her in-laws except one are in Baltimore. This now means we will be unable to spend Christmas Day with all the family which I don't feel is fair to their dad and me. Both girls have always been very stubborn and headstrong, but to do this to their parents who are struggling to keep peace in the family is unfair in my opinion. Their dad said when all this came down that he would like to take both of them and stick his foot up their butts, and I tend to agree with him. Shouldn't we have the right to have all the family together and not fighting all the time? I guess that's too much to ask.
I have to back up a little bit because the problem with the party is only the last problem--it actually began because the youngest failed to show up for her nephew's birthday party because her husband had broken his shoulder. I think daughter #2 would have accepted this if daughter #3 had not held a party at her house after a show in which her husband's band performed. However, the fact remains that daughter #2 believes daughter #3 should have come without the hubby. The problem also has an additional element in that daughter #3 failed to even call her nephew on the actual day of his birthday three days prior to the party.
One thing to remember here is these two girls--women now--do not think in the same way. First daughter #2 has two children whereas daughter #3 has no children and at the present time still says she doesn't want any. This changes the way she thinks and the level of her priorities. Thus at the present time daughter #2 says she never speak to her sister again because she hurt her son by not showing up for his birthday party. On top of this she insists she wants the kids to have no contact with their aunt because she considers her selfish. I have tried to intercede on several occasions and tried to make #2 daughter understand she can't make her sister do things she is not compelled to do. The younger daughter has no children so therefore doesn't understand the concept of family obligations. I don't even see her on Mother's Day although she does call me. Even though it hurts I try to overlook it--such is not the case with her sister who refuses to make allowances.
Where am I at this point? Daughter #2 just told me she isn't inviting her sister to her daughter's first birthday next month. Now while I expected this she now tells me she changed her mind about letting them go with us when we go to visit her sister. She even went so far as to say if her son hates her she doesn't care--that's the way it is going to be. This is where I have a problem: if she doesn't want to speak to her sister that is her decision, but she is putting the children in the middle. Even if my grandson was upset that she didn't come to his party he loves his aunt. Why should he be denied the right to see her because his mother thinks she can spare him from further hurt? I'm not sure what to think or do at this point, but I am very tired of the fighting. I don't understand why the two of them can't just accept they have different ways of thinking instead of trying to demand the other one do things THEIR way.
All of this is making things uncomfortable because we usually go to the youngest daughter's for Christmas Day because all her in-laws except one are in Baltimore. This now means we will be unable to spend Christmas Day with all the family which I don't feel is fair to their dad and me. Both girls have always been very stubborn and headstrong, but to do this to their parents who are struggling to keep peace in the family is unfair in my opinion. Their dad said when all this came down that he would like to take both of them and stick his foot up their butts, and I tend to agree with him. Shouldn't we have the right to have all the family together and not fighting all the time? I guess that's too much to ask.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wake Up Call
I've never been very conscientious about going to the doctor as I should, choosing to go only when I am ill or my allergies act up. In fact I had not been to the medical doctor in over two years when I recently went to the opthamologist in order to make arrangements to correct my vision. I had been suffering from cataracts since at least 2004, and my eyes were getting worse--driving at night and when the sun was out were becoming more difficult. I could only see to write when I was sitting right on the computer with zoom on 140-150%.
When I went to the etymologist he told me I had very dense cataracts and scheduled surgery on my right eye for January 13th. Before surgery I had to get an EKG and blood work which I did on Monday, January 11th. When I went for the surgery they told me pre-surgical results showed a blood sugar level of 346, so they did 3 more tests revealing 402, 409 and 420, so they gave me an injection of insulin to bring it down to 367 with a recommendation to see my doctor.
When I got home from the hospital I called my doctor and made an appointment for the next day. Though the appointment was for 3:30 and was not a fasting blood sugar, it was still 359, and the PA also told me my cholesterol was high. She originally wanted to put me on insulin, but the doctor advised against it, wanting to start with oral mediation first. In addition to a change of diet, daily blood sugar checks, and 2 blood-sugar lowering medications, I am also attempting to get my weight under control.
My message to anyone who does not regularly see their doctor is--GO! Don't put it off as I did because you are afraid of the results or just don't want to bother going to the laboratory. This has been a wake up call for me because I am a chocoholic, and I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I have to learn how to eat healthy instead of stuffing my face full of high-sugar and high-fat empty calories.
You don't have to give up everything but rather learn to substitute. I am now eating a lot of whole grains such as whole wheat bread and pasta and with my next grocery store trip I plan to buy whole wheat bagels and English muffins. I have learned to eat plain instant oatmeal by adding Splenda brown sugar and cinnamon which by the way lowers blood sugar levels and tastes great, too.
No, having Type 2 diabetes is no fun, but you learn to adjust. I have three grandchildren, one is only going on four months old, so I have too much left to do in this world. Taking care of myself is more important than having fattening desserts and meals; I have come to accept that food is only a substance for energy and nutrition.
When I went to the etymologist he told me I had very dense cataracts and scheduled surgery on my right eye for January 13th. Before surgery I had to get an EKG and blood work which I did on Monday, January 11th. When I went for the surgery they told me pre-surgical results showed a blood sugar level of 346, so they did 3 more tests revealing 402, 409 and 420, so they gave me an injection of insulin to bring it down to 367 with a recommendation to see my doctor.
When I got home from the hospital I called my doctor and made an appointment for the next day. Though the appointment was for 3:30 and was not a fasting blood sugar, it was still 359, and the PA also told me my cholesterol was high. She originally wanted to put me on insulin, but the doctor advised against it, wanting to start with oral mediation first. In addition to a change of diet, daily blood sugar checks, and 2 blood-sugar lowering medications, I am also attempting to get my weight under control.
My message to anyone who does not regularly see their doctor is--GO! Don't put it off as I did because you are afraid of the results or just don't want to bother going to the laboratory. This has been a wake up call for me because I am a chocoholic, and I love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I have to learn how to eat healthy instead of stuffing my face full of high-sugar and high-fat empty calories.
You don't have to give up everything but rather learn to substitute. I am now eating a lot of whole grains such as whole wheat bread and pasta and with my next grocery store trip I plan to buy whole wheat bagels and English muffins. I have learned to eat plain instant oatmeal by adding Splenda brown sugar and cinnamon which by the way lowers blood sugar levels and tastes great, too.
No, having Type 2 diabetes is no fun, but you learn to adjust. I have three grandchildren, one is only going on four months old, so I have too much left to do in this world. Taking care of myself is more important than having fattening desserts and meals; I have come to accept that food is only a substance for energy and nutrition.
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