Friday Funnies: Aging Gracefully

I pointed to two old drunks sitting across the bar from us and told my friend, "That's us in 10 years".

He said "That's a mirror, dip-shit!"

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Collective Memories: Pearl Harbor Day and more

For each generation certain days are cemented into our collective memory. For my grandfather's generation, it was the day Pearl Harbor was attacked. It was the first time blood had been shed on American soil since the Civil War, 70 years ago today. I encourage you to sit down with an elderly person and ask them to share their memory of that day.

These memories are fading away as we lose our seniors. The only way to keep them alive is through stories, passed from generation to generation.

My children were in the womb when the World Trade Center was attacked. I've told them about that Tuesday morning, sitting at my desk, watching horror unfold.

I was in sophomore chemistry class when I heard about the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.

My parents were teenagers when President Kennedy was killed in Dallas.

My grandfathers were young men when Japanese airplanes attacked the Naval base in Hawaii, and America was pulled reluctantly into war. Both men served in the military during World War II.

These collective memories serve as a timeline for our families, our country, and indeed, the human race. We all have a story from those days. We were watching television, or eating breakfast, or sitting in school, or listening to the car radio. Our mundane activities of life get cemented to a time and a place. They act as a benchmark, on a day typically unmemorable.

There are other memories of other days that enter our consciousness, some to a lesser degree than others.

• The days assassins took Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. or John Lennon.
• The days we lost great talent like John Belushi, Kurt Cobain, or Chris Farley.
• Inspiring leaders disappeared like Princess Diana, Malcolm X. or John F. Kennedy Jr.
• Natural phenomenon like the Indonesian tsunami, the Mexico City earthquake, or Hurricane Katrina.
• The days war ended, and the days others began.

Please share in the comments some of your memories ingrained in our collective conscience from your perspective. Tell us, "Where were you the day...?"

Friday Funnies: Playtime

TV commercials now show you how detergents take out bloodstains, a pretty violent image there. I think if you've got a T-shirt with a bloodstain all over it, maybe laundry isn't your biggest problem. ~ Jerry Seinfeld
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There's so much comedy on television. Does that cause comedy on the streets? ~ Dick Cavett
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A conservative minister walks into a hotel and goes to the desk. He walks up to te receptionist and says "Excuse me, have you disabled adult movies?" The receptionist replies "No. We just have the regular kind."
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A man goes to see his doctor. He has a hot dog sticking out of one ear, a hot dog bun sticking out of the other, and two french fries jammed up his nose. He says to the doctor, "I'm not feeling well. What's wrong with me?"

The doctor says, "I'm not sure. Are you eating right?"

Occupy Wall Street -- my opinion

I understand the values that Occupy Wall Street is attempting to promote, and I support them... but...

I think they're going about it the wrong way. A group of young liberals wants to change the world. Unfortunately, they aren't being very effective.

Here are the problems I have with the occupation of financial districts as a method of protest.

First... Corporate Greed can't be protested.

Occupy Wall Street is protesting, but I don't think they even have a clear idea of what they are protesting. In general they are protesting "corporate greed". Unfortunately, you can't protest greed.

Like the other seven deadly sins, greed is an attribute or a trait, not a decision.

It would be the equivalent of protesting lust, envy, gluttony, sloth, pride or wrath. While none of these traits are appealing, they are human.

Imagine a group of protesters trying to eliminate "lust". They may march around a strip club and interrupt business, but the customers still experience lust. The protesters can't eliminate it, they simply interrupt the process temporarily.

You cannot eliminate greed.

Second... they love to be hated by the media.

Occupy Wall Street was screaming that the media was treating them unfairly. They began the protest, but the media didn't cover it extensively. The protest gathered momentum when the protesters felt they were being ignored.

Unfortunately, a bunch of people chanting isn't news... the news media when interviewing protesters got only snippets and sound bites rather than real dialogue.

Third... when it comes to Fox News, Occupy Wall Street is a bit hypocritical.

Fox News is well known for their conservative viewpoints.

Occupy Wall Street accused Fox News of not presenting them favorably, or giving them enough exposure. Yet, when Geraldo Rivera and another newscaster tried to set up interviews on the street they were shouted down by the crowd. The crowd began chanting "Fox News Lies, Fox News Lies". They filmed it and placed their own news reports on YouTube.

Fox News tried to give them voice, and they declined.

Fourth... they have no real goals.

They brought attention to the fact that the vast majority of us are relatively poor, and much of the power in the world is controlled by the rich. Unfortunately, this isn't news.

They raised awareness, but now that they have our attention, they've done nothing with it. "Down with corporate greed" isn't an actionable goal.

Fifth... this isn't America seeking freedom.

I've heard Occupy Wall Street claiming that this protest is roughly an American equivalent to the grassroots Twitter inspired, protests that happened around the world and actually created significant changes.

In several Middle Eastern countries protesters gathered together in a peaceful demonstration and requested their totalitarian dictators step down. In some cases it worked, and in others it went awry.

In Egypt (where the first success happened) President Mubarak, who'd been in power for three decades realized he'd lost the people. Wisely, he chose to abdicate his presidency. The country is now in the process of rebuilding.

In Libya, Moammar Qaddafi refused. The result of the peaceful protest was an outright civil war that ended with many dead and injured. The protesters got what they wanted, Qaddafi was removed from power, but it's because the peaceful protesters offered an ultimatum, then carried it out.

Occupy Wall Street isn't toppling a government or changing the world. Furthermore, they don't have the constitution for what it would take. Clearly "corporate greed" hasn't given up. No CEOs of companies have stepped down. Banks haven't changed their policies. Stockholders are calling for elections. Yet, in spite of failure, Occupy Wall Street keeps protesting "peacefully".

Unfortunately, peaceful protests only works when there is the threat of force. None of the people on Wall Street are amassing weapons and getting ready to take the banks by storm. They're simply saying "Gee wouldn't it be nice if companies were less greedy."

Sixth... they aren't the 99%.

Yes, 99% of us don't have the power or money the other 1% has. Unfortunately, Occupy Wall Street doesn't represent the values of the 99%.

Most people are pretty happy. Yes, we give our money to banks, insurance companies, media conglomerates and oil companies. Yes, we aren't all happy about it. In fact, most of us are choosing the lesser of evils when purchasing products.

But, we aren't so unhappy that we stop purchasing.

We borrow money from banks. We purchase insurance rather than accept the risk. We subscribe to cable television and Internet service and all of us own cell phones and laptops. We drive cars, and continue to buy ones that put safety ahead of economy.

The only way to stop the effects of corporate greed is to stop buying.

If 99% feel the banks treat us unfairly, withdraw all your money. Bank of America will certainly change its policies when the masses start closing accounts.

"But I need my debit card" you may be thinking. Actually, you don't. If 99% of us stopped using them, stores would be happy to accept cash. Pay your electric bill with cash.

"But insurance is required by law." Well, change the system. Vote out any incumbent who requires mandatory insurance. Run for office on a platform of eliminating insurance companies. If you are elected, you can change the law.

"But the little guy can't compete in the marketplace." Sure you can. You simply need to build the product that is better, or cheaper, or makes people happier. Yes, this is difficult but every year new corporate giants come out of nowhere. Every corporation was a small company once. Even the large conglomerates became big because they bought smaller companies. Little guys can succeed, but they also have to be willing not to sell out when the big guys come knocking.

Occupy Wall Street protesters, it's time to go home. You've raised awareness in many cities. Unfortunately continuing to occupy will have the inverse effect of creating bad faith.

There is still work to be done. 

• Wherever possible stop buying from excessively greedy corporations. Buy locally. Buy less. Specifically stay away from corporations that don't add value to your purchases such as banks, insurance companies, etc.
• Start writing! Write to your Senators and members of Congress. Write on blogs and submit articles to mainstream publications.
• Vote with your money. When you do buy a service or product, learn about the company before your purchase.
• Research and vote to make changes in government.

I strongly believe in capitalism and democracy. It may not seem like it, but masses really do have the power. Corporate profits come from consumer buying. Political power lies within its constituency. Want to affect change? Educate yourself. Educate others. Vote.