tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36339110939845952102024-03-14T14:20:01.506-07:00The Bottom WhineCarolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-36404477318056338052020-04-13T09:38:00.001-07:002020-04-13T09:38:52.617-07:00Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-42170592294931872652015-09-10T10:56:00.001-07:002020-01-23T11:17:31.364-08:00#33 YOU CAN'T GO EMPTY-HANDED! <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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It all started with
a thunderous crash in the kitchen. The
source, I quickly </div>
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determined, was the pantry. An upper shelf had collapsed onto the shelf
below it, which, in turn, collapsed and fell onto the shelf below it, which in
turn toppled the shelf below that. A
tsunami of cans, bottles, and jars lay on the pantry floor. Unfortunately, nothing had broken. Even more unfortunate was that I could no
longer avoid the twenty-plus years of house gift accumulation, all brought by
well-intentioned people -- like me -- who had been raised on the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e commandment I had been: “You never go to someone’s house
empty-handed.”</div>
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I
began picking the “stuff” off the floor, stacking it all on a kitchen counter, and reading
labels as I went: Ajika Channa Masala Punjabi, African Shito Seafood, Raspberry
Rhubarb, and Texas Tongue Torch. As I
set more stuff on the counter, I wondered if that was how “foodstuffs” got its
name, given that as soon as we got a jar of
Sweet Montana Dills, Spicy Grill Glaze, Fig Butter, or Moutardeen Grains
we quickly stuffed it into the pantry, never again to see the light of
day. </div>
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I
guessed it was our latest host-hostess gift -- the three-pound quart jar of Bulgarian Plum Sauce --that had
triggered the avalanche. I set it on the
counter along with Mamma Joe’s Exotic Delight, Tart Mayhaw Jelly, Rocky
Mountain Horse Radish Sauce, Torch Hazel Nut Spread, Apple Butter, Eggplant
Ecstasy, Olive Tapenade, and Raspberry Pomegranate. To make room for
the jars of Cinnamon Apple Sauce, Fresh and Salty Salsa, the Marinated Red
Pepper, Bitter Sweet Orange Marmalade, Thick and Spicy Barbecue Sauce, and
Sliced Brazilian Peppers, I pushed the stuff farther down the counter.</div>
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Then came jars of Fresh
and Fruity Apple Salsa, Kuntry Kettle, Pickled Okra Fresh, and a bottle labeled
“Amazing Grass Green Super Food" to the inventory. Amazing Green Grass? That, I thought, didn't sound like something that
belonged in the pantry – more likely the garage, which is where I put it. </div>
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The jar of Organic
Raw Honey: Unprocessed and Unheated, sounded pernicious as did the can labeled
Smoked Rattlesnake. When the bottle of Olive Tapenade fell over, I
noticed the sticker taped to the bottom of the jar: “To <st1:personname w:st="on">Julie</st1:personname>
and Jim. Enjoy. From Arlene and Arnie” it read. We were not <st1:personname w:st="on">Julie</st1:personname>
and Jim, and we didn’t know any Arlenes and Arnies. The Tapenade had obviously been regifted –
maybe more than once -- which got me to thinking – maybe instead of returning this stuff to the pantry I could
do the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e. Regift it all. </div>
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The jar of Torch
Hazel Nut, for example, was in a beautiful reusable jar, a narrow yellow bow
still tied around its neck. It would make a lovely house gift, but given the
amount of stuff I had, I shuddered to think how long it would take to transfer
all of my stuff to someone else’s stuff.
I counted the inventory -- a total of 45
jars, bottles, and cans. It would never
work, I decided. Even if we got one
invitation a week (which seemed a bit optimistic), it would take almost a year
to clean out the pantry. Plus, knowing
my luck, I would probably end up regifting to the original gifters. There had to be another way.<br />
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I could “shop the
pantry,” like people were now “shopping their closets,” I thought. There had to be recipes that called for Mountain
Horse Radish, Tongue Torch Hazel Nut, Organic Vindaloo and the like – but, no, even
if there were, such exotic ingredients would probably call for ten to fifteen or
more exotic ingredients, and I didn’t do recipes with more than five
ingredients. Most of the titles of the cookbooks on my shelf had titles like: “The
Three-Ingredient Cookbook,” “Fifteen
Minute Kitchen Prep,” and “A Meal for Ten in Thirty Minutes.” More than likely I would be joining those
other Americans who toss out $165
billion worth of foodstuffs every year.<br />
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But before I did
that, maybe some soup kitchen could find a use for this stuff. But I didn’t want to make anyone sick… so I
began checking the expiration dates.The Torch Hazel Nut had expired in
2005. The Cinammon Apple Sauce in
2010. The most current expiration date
was 2016, but the worst were some with no dates at all! That stuff had probably been here since time immemorial. It all had to go. </div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Photo courtesy of <st1:personname w:st="on">David</st1:personname> Wickersheimer</span></i> </div>
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I hope I don’t
sound ungrateful because I’m not. I know
you don’t bring wine because we don’t know one wine from another. Or flowers
because I’m allergic to most scents… but how about a pound of butter or a dozen
eggs in the future? You can wrap a bow
around it, and I promise, Girl Scouts word of honor, it will never be regifted!</div>
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Whiningly
yours, Carol</div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-61486546765138195152015-07-19T08:13:00.000-07:002020-01-23T11:17:07.370-08:00# 32 WHERE HAVE ALL THE CHILDREN GONE?<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaT2LH04-pFGy7ZYX-Efm_etcRhVdXCTxPP48JU0xqpcBygDe88Sc6wHIzUt1vLgLvkjVfl-p2wFZlfXA4glXvvi_4ikfPva1TfSVtRnS0ie6oNUhNDP0P920FO8IEOFBqM99YaN6J_g/s1600/outside.jpg+go+out+and+play.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioaT2LH04-pFGy7ZYX-Efm_etcRhVdXCTxPP48JU0xqpcBygDe88Sc6wHIzUt1vLgLvkjVfl-p2wFZlfXA4glXvvi_4ikfPva1TfSVtRnS0ie6oNUhNDP0P920FO8IEOFBqM99YaN6J_g/s200/outside.jpg+go+out+and+play.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
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“Go out and play!” I grew up on that command. Out I went and glad of it because it was while
I was “out there” that I not only developed physical, mental and social skills but
began to exercise my creative juices.
Like what? …like deciding that
the winner of an argument was the person who could stand on his/her hands the
longest (which was me, by the way).
Unsupervised play also teaches how to compromise, to lead and to follow,
how to win with humility and lose with a smile; that is, if you want to have
friends. And on rainy or blustery winter
days when we had to play indoors, our imaginations took over, and we made up
stories and produced plays based on ideas extrapolated from the “stuff” in our
basements. </div>
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Being “out there” is
also responsible for many wonderful childhood memories, such as when my then
best friend Margaret and I decided to break into a mysterious and abandoned
mansion a few miles from our homes. We
biked there one summer day, hid our bikes under a bush, and circled the
mansion, checking all the doors and windows for a point of entry. A locked screen door leading onto a small
porch looked like a possibility. We
scratched a hole in the screen and unhooked the latch. Standing on a milk box (yes, milk was
delivered back then), we were able to reach a small window, which was unlocked. We climbed through, descended on pantry
shelves and entered the kitchen. After
touring the first floor, which was the size of a hotel, we climbed to the
second floor, quickly took stock of the eight bedrooms, which were all littered
with papers, bottles, and clothing. </div>
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As avid readers of
the only female hero in our lives, Nancy Drew (of mystery novel fame), we were
accustomed to a heart-stopper-a-page; therefore, we quickly found the second
floor boring and decided to descend to the basement, the floor of all evil. There
was no electricity in the house, but we found a candle and matches in the
kitchen, and proceeded to the basement. Margaret,
holding the candle in a shaking hand, went first. A moment after we hit bottom, she let out a
blood-curdling scream, ran past me, up the stairs and into the kitchen. She scrambled up the pantry shelves, exited
through the window, and ran. I was right
behind her. </div>
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“What happened?” I
asked, when we reached our bikes. </div>
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“I hit something
with my foot. I bent down to see what it
was, and touched a hand. There’s a dead
body in the basement.”</div>
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“You’re making
that up!” I accused. </div>
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“Look! Up there!” </div>
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I looked. A man was standing at a second floor window, staring
out at us. We did not hesitate. We got on our bikes and raced home. </div>
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Yup, those were
the good old days, when children were out on the streets, playing games,
climbing trees, jumping rope, developing
strengths, testing their limits, learning to improvise, discovering what they
are capable of and what they should leave to the pages of Nancy Drew mystery
novels. But now when you drive or walk
through these <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e residential areas
you rarely if ever see a child … though you will see a number of adults walking
their dogs; after all, everyone knows that dogs need exercise and happy and
healthy chickens should be free range.</div>
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Childless streets,
sidewalks, and yards are not limited to a few neighborhoods. My friend Ralph, who has been flying a hot
air balloon for forty years, says that he has floated over our community
thousands of times – at 4 MPH and from a height of 400 to 500 feet, which
provides “a unique perspective of life below.”
According to Ralph, it can be a beautiful summer evening, but there’s
not a child in sight -- not unless he’s part of an organized little league
game. “It wasn’t always like that. Up until fifteen years ago, children were outside,
playing. Not anymore.” </div>
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So…
where are they, the children? They’re
inside their homes, their playground a digital one, made up of videos, computer
games, friending and following. And on
those rare occasions when they do venture outside, ostensibly to meet up with
other children, their play is parallel, not interactive. I call it PAT, playing alone together.</div>
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` Despite
the fact that researchers have proven that unstructured play and social
interaction are an important part of a child’s overall development, public
schools have reduced the number of gym classes and recess has almost
disappeared. Where it is available, it’s
frequently denied students as a punishment for misbehaving. </div>
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If you ask parents
why their children aren’t outside playing, they’ll most likely tell you that
they’re afraid they’ll be kidnapped. In
actuality, kidnappings are very rare, and when they do happen, it is usually an
angry spouse who is responsible…still, it is understandable that even a “few
and far between” highly-publicized kidnappings is enough to put fear into the
hearts of any parent…</div>
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…but there is a way
to both protect the children -- without penning them up inside a safe house and
sedating them with a mountain of electronics -- and get them outside: establish neighborhood
“Watch” groups. Many neighborhoods
already have them, though originally created
to “watch over” homes and property. It's time to add children to the "watch" by having parents (or their designated substitutes) monitor them, unobtrusively. </div>
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So let's hear it again for "Go out and play!' Otherwise, future generations
of children will be deprived of the kinds of experiences that promote cognitive,
physical, mental, and social development, and the numbers of obese children and
diabetics will continue to grow. </div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>
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Whiningly
yours, Carol</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-51285338192170254052015-06-08T08:21:00.001-07:002020-01-23T11:16:40.375-08:00#31 COFFEE SHOP SPOILERS <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
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<i> </i><span style="line-height: 150%;"> I
was second in line at a local coffee shop.
The man ahead of me chatted away on his cell phone while the barista waited,
patiently, to take his order. It made me
think about my mother, who was frequently heard to say -- especially in her
later years: “I’m not meant for this world.”
By this she meant that whatever it was she was witnessing at the time was
so far out of line with the world she grew up in and the values she was taught
that she felt she was visiting an alternate universe. The older I get, the more I sound like my
mother, though instead of saying “I’m not meant for this world,” I’m thinking: “Hey! It’s
not all about you!” </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> The
line behind me was now five-deep; yet the man in front was still on his phone, oblivious
to everything and everyone around him. The
barista made eye contact with me and shrugged, helplessly. I tapped the talker on his back. He turned and glared, his cell phone still
glued to his ear. </span></div>
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“You’re
holding up the line,” I shouted. “The barista is waiting for your order.”</div>
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After he had his “quad
venti half caf breve, no foam and with two Splenda stirred,” I took my simple
cup of coffee and looked for a table.
There weren’t any. All the tables
-- for two or four -- had been taken by singles and were covered with laptops,
books, papers, travel bags, and drinks. The
so-called “empty” chairs were covered with more personal belongings. </div>
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<span style="text-indent: 0.5in;">A woman left her table and headed for the exit door. Although it was covered with dirty dishes, litter, and a puddle of water, I grabbed it and bused it myself. On my way back to my table, I noticed that the woman at the order counter was juggling her infant in her arms while struggling to get her wallet out of her purse. Finally, she set the possibly urine-saturated child on the counter. Would the barista wipe off the counter with a strong detergent? I decided I didn’t want to know and took the chair that put my back to the counter. </span></div>
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A cell phone rang. Its owner, the man at the table to my left, answered, speaking in a very loud voice. I was going to ask him to either lower his voice or take his call outside when music blasting from a nearby laptop drowned him out. It was the overture to Lawrence of Arabia. Did someone actually intend to stream a four-hour movie on the coffee shop’s broadband? </div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> The woman to my right covertly pulled a Styrofoam cup and tea bag from her book bag, filled the cup with the shop’s free hot water, and returned to her table with a fistful of sugar packets, stirrers, plastic utensils and napkins. She, at least, knew to be discreet, unlike the moocher in front of me who obviously saw nothing wrong with bringing food and drink into the store. A jar of peanut butter, a loaf of bread, and a drink can were on his table, out in the open, for all to see. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.5in;"> Another kind of coffee shop parasite are those who nurse one cup of coffee for four to six hours, negatively affecting store turnover. These “shoplifters” (of the coffee shop variety) apparently feel no economic </span><span style="line-height: 24px; text-indent: 0.5in;">or moral obligation towards their benefactors; after all, "It's all about them." </span></div>
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The problem for coffee shop owners is that they have been <i>too</i> successful in making customers feel “at home.” That’s why you often see them …</div>
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SLEEPING...</div>
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...MANICURING THEIR NAILS...</div>
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... PICKING THEIR NOSES...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65j_rnHg4mH-8ACRHqkFoEqTM44SrdDOUv0vs8iH2Sum_yHqZHBsF4oezS6hcgFvLQlg2QmTFmpdlHZA2mYhBjF9xQVXOJw9lUGYlhTGgRK2FOw6Om3FGDWL4UvbcYcw3yacdvl-llEU/s1600/images.jpg+coffee+shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh65j_rnHg4mH-8ACRHqkFoEqTM44SrdDOUv0vs8iH2Sum_yHqZHBsF4oezS6hcgFvLQlg2QmTFmpdlHZA2mYhBjF9xQVXOJw9lUGYlhTGgRK2FOw6Om3FGDWL4UvbcYcw3yacdvl-llEU/s200/images.jpg+coffee+shop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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...PLAYING GAMES...</div>
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<img alt="Image result for playing cards in coffee shop" height="149" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT7X9nzMTHecaEXJGiQfZ98GCO46NSFycxP45gN0Tq-9RRXz515-w" width="200" /></div>
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....AND MORE !<br />
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<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">People didn’t used
to be so self-absorbed and disinterested in how their behavior impacted
others. If Mother were here, she would
pitch her thesis on “reciprocity,” which goes like this: “Successful lives and relationships are based
upon reciprocity. If givers give but never
receive (not even a simple thank you), givers will eventually be sucked dry and
have nothing left to give.”</span><br />
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Mother
was right, I thought. Slowly but surely there's a “laptop backlash” across the country. In some coffee shops there are signs asking patrons
to share their tables -- especially during peak hours. There are also signs notifying customers that
laptops are banned during high traffic hours -- unless the customer is eating <b><i>and </i></b>keyboarding
at the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e time. Many shops have discontinued free Wi-Fi
service on week-ends and cover electrical outlets. And believe it or not, there are coffee shops that prohibit
laptops at any time! </div>
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Owners
of a coffee shop in <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
became so annoyed with customer rudeness that they started charging different prices for
the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e drink, depending on relative politeness. For example, if the
customer says “One coffee,” the coffee price is 7 Euros. “One coffee, <i>please</i>,” 4 Euros, and “<i>Bonjour, one coffee, please,”</i> 1.4 Euros. </div>
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If
coffee shop devotees don’t want to lose their privileges, they
should follow these ten commandments: </div>
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1. Don’t download
huge files or stream movies. They take
up a lot of </div>
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broadband.</div>
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2. For every hour you’re in the coffee shop, buy
at least one item.</div>
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3. Take the smallest table you can, and leave
room for others. </div>
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4. Don’t hog electrical outlets, and use your
own battery whenever possible. </div>
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5. Mute the sound on your computer or wear
headphones. </div>
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6. Turn off your cell phone or put it on vibrate,
and take your phone </div>
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calls outside. </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->7<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Bus your own table.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->8.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Never bring your own food and drink into a coffee shop!</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->9.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><!--[endif]-->Remember to say “please” and “thank you.” It doesn’t cost anything! </div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->10.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->If
you’re going to hit on the barista (or baristo), pick a “slow” time of day.</div>
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Follow these rules and maybe you
and your coffee shop will be able to enjoy a long and happy life together. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_W3nv_a3b4mgjNktM7nbq0AcUr-2TXcSgi0Gb2LLzyXvBFkdZlwpJyWJDwisYdCKnRUPbvGlrjNe9EPmHJCLzmbuJelZVcaasZlLoEzN97N56ZdB21aauAbRj2fVBsKgNWHyhDfHC4M/s1600/imagesCAEUNJYB+I%2527m+a+whine+expert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh_W3nv_a3b4mgjNktM7nbq0AcUr-2TXcSgi0Gb2LLzyXvBFkdZlwpJyWJDwisYdCKnRUPbvGlrjNe9EPmHJCLzmbuJelZVcaasZlLoEzN97N56ZdB21aauAbRj2fVBsKgNWHyhDfHC4M/s1600/imagesCAEUNJYB+I%2527m+a+whine+expert.jpg" /></a></div>
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Whiningly yours,
Carol</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-71414330270498917732015-02-01T14:56:00.000-08:002020-01-23T11:16:06.326-08:00#30 MY BUCKET LIST IS SHOT-FULL OF HOLES !!!!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_-2Vavqbi_B7SIRx_xBMYzTtxiWiN_lirAR6FybJWwb9jZpbvbEgRKNhyBMWtRSLe58MtN4RQeyAn65-4iNcVMQv69pVnT07AQTfqE4yVMUYgqBfnezMA9aPg4ZiBFRvBGVuX1hJyh4/s1600/images+(1).jpg%2Bbucket%2Bwith%2Bholes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_-2Vavqbi_B7SIRx_xBMYzTtxiWiN_lirAR6FybJWwb9jZpbvbEgRKNhyBMWtRSLe58MtN4RQeyAn65-4iNcVMQv69pVnT07AQTfqE4yVMUYgqBfnezMA9aPg4ZiBFRvBGVuX1hJyh4/s1600/images+(1).jpg%2Bbucket%2Bwith%2Bholes.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>
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Once upon a time
and not that long ago my bucket list was filled to the brim with places to go
and things to see, but not anymore. That bucket has sprung a leak; in fact,
it’s hemorrhaging. </div>
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<b>ENGLAND </b>had once been at the top of my
travel list, but now it’s a place where Jewish bikers are stoned, Rabbis
attacked, synagogues fire bombed, Jewish-owned businesses threatened with
burnings and bombings, swastikas painted on Jewish homes and houses of worship,
and where death threats against Jews have become commonplace. The number of
anti-Semitic attacks in <st1:place w:st="on">England</st1:place>
hit a 30-year high in 2014, 95% of all hate
crimes were against Jews, and a recent survey of British Jews revealed that 50%
see no future there and are intending to leave. </div>
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Rabid
anti-Semites also include members of Parliament, such as neo-Nazi MP George
Galloway, leader of the “Respect Party” (I kid you not!) who – with the support
of his constituency -- has declared the district of Bradford an “Israel-free
zone.” That means no Israeli goods,
services, academics, or Jewish tourists. Ta Ta to merry old <st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region>… </div>
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…
and au revoir to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b>FRANCE</b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b>, </b>which also experienced an unprecedented
number of anti-Semitic events in 2014. In
the past two years alone, there have been eight synagogue attacks, Jewish
homes, businesses, and houses of worship have been looted and firebombed, Jews
terrorized and verbally attacked with: “Death to the Jews…Hitler was right…Slit
Jewish throats,” and “Gas the Jews!” In <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region>
a seventeen-year-old- girl was pepper sprayed in the face and called a “Dirty
Jewess,” a woman who hung an Israeli flag on her porch received death threats,
and people who “look Jewish,” can be beaten to a pulp by Islamists on <st1:city w:st="on">Paris</st1:city> metros. Add to that the 2012 murder of three Jewish
children and their teacher in Toulouse, the fire bombing of its Jewish Community
Center, and the continuing harassment of this community, and you’ll understand
why 7,000 French Jews emigrated in 2014, and 10,000 more are expected to leave
in 2015. </div>
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Anti-Semitism
has become so mainstream in <st1:place w:st="on">France</st1:place>
that the “comedienne” Dieudonne has become a celebrity for popularizing a
reverse Nazi-salute which he and his followers enjoy flashing at Jews. </div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;">This anti-Semite recently announced
to the world: </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">“I am Charlie Coulibaly,”
(as in “I am Charlie Hebdo"), the family name of the terrorist brothers who
murdered four Jewish men in the kosher supermarket in January of this year (while their
comrades were busy killing twelve journalists and cartoonists at the offices of
Charlie Hebdo.). .</span></div>
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Life in <st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region>
will become even more dangerous, considering that the 1,000 homegrown
terrorists who went to <st1:place w:st="on">Syria</st1:place>
to join ISIS, et. al, have returned … but cannot be found. </div>
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Another
hole shot in the bucket! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
In
<b>BELGIUM</b> terrorists killed four
non-Jews this past year at the Jewish Museum in Brussels, thinking they were
Jews, a doctor refused medical assistance to a 90-year-old woman because she
was Jewish, a train conductor announced he was going to send Jewish passengers
to Auschwitz, a storekeeper posted a sign in his storefront that reads: “Jews
and Zionists not allowed but dogs are,” and a woman was refused service because
“management doesn’t sell to Jews.” </div>
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Once again, it’s
not just the riff-raff at work. Elected
politicians have joined in the fun, calling for the “slaughter of Jews” at a
500-person rally in <st1:city w:st="on">Antwerp</st1:city>
this past summer. It’ll get worse in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Belgium</st1:country-region> before it gets better – now that 300
home-grown terrorists who fought with ISIS in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Syria</st1:country-region> have returned. </div>
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Another piss hole
in the old bucket! </div>
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<br /></div>
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Hate
speech might be a crime in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b>GERMANY</b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b>,</b> but it’s not one the authorities take
seriously. That’s why <st1:place w:st="on">Berlin</st1:place>’s leading imam feels free to call
upon allah and his congregationists to “slit Jewish throats…destroy the Zionist
Jews… kill them, down to the very last one,” and the far right Green Party
calls for the gassing of Jews. This
satanic union has led to multiple attacks on Jews, their homes and houses of
worship. <st1:country-region w:st="on">Germany</st1:country-region>?
No thanks. <i>Alviderzein.</i> </div>
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And
remember <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>Holland</b></st1:place></st1:city>, once the home of “live and let
live”? Now it’s a country where its Chief
Rabbi is twice-attacked with stones,
anti-Semitic crowds scream for the “slaughter” of Jews, Holocaust
memorials are defaced; Jewish women are targeted in fire bombings, the CIDI
(the Netherlands main anti-Semitism watchdog group) receives more than 70 calls
every month from alarmed citizens, and in the Hague (home of the International Criminal
Court, a political organization dependent on donor countries), the mayor
refuses to order the arrest of ISIS supporters threatening to kill Jews in the
city center (while ISIS simultaneously posts photos of their day’s beheadings
on Twitter). </div>
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This <span style="line-height: 150%;">is the New Holland, where murderers
fear no reprisals for violent anti-Semitic attacks.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Another hole in the bucket!</span></div>
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And no to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b>DENMARK</b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b>, </b>where Jewish children are warned not
to wear religious symbols to school or near school grounds for fear of attacks,
Jewish tourists are told to hide their
religion, and Israelis are cautioned to speak Hebrew “softly.” And it’s in <st1:place w:st="on">Denmark</st1:place>
that the deputy head of the National Zionist Organization receives death
threats and the government shuts down a peaceful pro-Israel rally but lets threatening
Muslims take over the streets. Peaceful
voices are silenced, and hate mongers rewarded.
Things are still rotten in Denmark.
<st1:place w:st="on">Ping</st1:place>. <st1:place w:st="on">Ping</st1:place>! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
And scratch off <b>SWEDEN </b>-- where anti-Semitic attacks
have tripled in the last three years and DOUBLED after the January attacks in
Paris-- and <b>NORWAY</b>, where
anti-Semitism has become so pervasive that most of its tiny 1,000 Jewish
community (less than .0002% of the population) is leaving the country. </div>
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I’ll leave <st1:place w:st="on">Scandinavia</st1:place> to the Scandinavians and their peace-loving
population. </div>
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And
“no” to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b>HUNGARY</b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b>, </b>where last year a member of its parliament publicly demanded that
a list be made of all Jews in the country because he considered them to be a
“security risk.” This anti-Semite is
still in office. </div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on"><b>ITALY</b></st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
peace-loving citizens spent 2014 defacing Jewish homes and houses of worship with
swastikas, spray painting Jewish businesses with anti-Semitic graffiti (i.e. “Dirty Jews….Jews, your end is near”) and attacking
Jewish fans at a baseball game with baseball bats and knives because their team
lost. But what else can you expect in a country where a member of the Italian
parliament announces on its state radio station that “<st1:country-region w:st="on">Israel</st1:country-region> is a bit
worse than the Nazis,” and “I’d like to shoot those Zionist bastards!” Arrividici, Italia. </div>
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And <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on"><b>SPAIN</b></st1:country-region></st1:place><b>? </b>No
way, Jose. This dystopian country is mismanaged,
bankrupt, and schizophrenic. The left
hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing so while the Government puts out
a worldwide APB to Jewish descendents of the Spanish Inquisition (those they
didn’t burn alive at the stake), extending a (bladed) hand in friendship and an
invitation to return to Spain after 500 years and gain a Spanish passport, the publishers
of Spain’s second largest newspaper, El Mundo, explains to its readers that
Jews were expelled in 1500 because they “cannot coexist with others…Jews end up
creating problems for everyone…It’s not a surprise they have been so frequently
expelled.” … </div>
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…and celebs like Penelope Cruz and
Jamie Bardeem lead packs of anti-Semites though Spanish streets screaming for
Jewish “heads,” but, hey, Bardeem’s no anti-Semite. “Some of my best friends are Jews,” he
proclaims. </div>
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<st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region> is also
the home of the cowardly Real Madrid basketball team, which -- after losing to
the Maccabi Tel Aviv team -- screamed anti-Semitic obscenities at the players
and continued their temper tantrums on social media. </div>
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Nah. I’m not going to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Spain</st1:country-region>,
which ranks third on a list of <st1:place w:st="on">Europe</st1:place>’s most
anti-Semitic countries. Another
piss-hole in the bucket! </div>
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I’m skipping <b>GREECE</b>, as well, considering that 69% of
the populace was found to be anti-Semitic, the neo-Nazi party, the Golden Dawn,
grows in strength, and 16% of the last mayoral vote went to a candidate with a swastika
tattooed on his shoulder. </div>
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And NO, NO, NO to <b>TURKEY, </b>where the Erdogan government leads
the anti-Semitic dog pack, holding Turkish Jews personally responsible for
Israeli policies and threatening them with pogroms (to be led by Turkey’s
“unconstrained youth”) if Israel doesn’t do Turkey’s bidding. And it’s in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Turkey</st1:country-region> where parliamentarians
participate in violent anti-Israel demonstrations and can be heard screaming in
the streets: “May God Bless Hitler.” </div>
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<st1:place w:st="on">Ping</st1:place>! <st1:place w:st="on">Ping</st1:place>! Slosh! What a mess on the floor! This bucket
is beyond repair. Time for a new one! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw7lEdt3txACvjfGd6rNCuD3ZyDWytFhR27bRfp3HjA7_md3iHZlf1uFsMRisIlqzmcpDiVtgOX1i6nyEcYP2i4Il57Ax5pgMECllH1g-_aum4aOnzM7bXnLO46InKlpD16ecSZrqKa0/s1600/download.jpg+bucket+water+on+floor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlw7lEdt3txACvjfGd6rNCuD3ZyDWytFhR27bRfp3HjA7_md3iHZlf1uFsMRisIlqzmcpDiVtgOX1i6nyEcYP2i4Il57Ax5pgMECllH1g-_aum4aOnzM7bXnLO46InKlpD16ecSZrqKa0/s1600/download.jpg+bucket+water+on+floor.jpg" /></a></div>
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Yeah,
I know. My critics will say that most
Europeans are peace-loving people. Maybe so, but they’re irrelevant because when the going gets rough, those <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e peace-loving people get going – in some OTHER
direction. My recommendation to the Jews
of Europe: Get the hell out, and until
you do, arm yourselves! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7NuOF4_f9o7kCPVaB2237aO0_m4-4Cl3Uw7VllM8b5DggGt3KH300z4EgiplGEY9V6O6jnzYlxJpjU6sOoama58CGEOwnTTv4ByV3lW80qCpxelXUnEjPlwRkHMjGO2ZuYF56bysYVM/s1600/whine-expert1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjk7NuOF4_f9o7kCPVaB2237aO0_m4-4Cl3Uw7VllM8b5DggGt3KH300z4EgiplGEY9V6O6jnzYlxJpjU6sOoama58CGEOwnTTv4ByV3lW80qCpxelXUnEjPlwRkHMjGO2ZuYF56bysYVM/s1600/whine-expert1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Whiningly yours, Carol</div>
<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-61954693545943801452015-01-04T09:45:00.000-08:002020-01-23T11:10:16.664-08:00#29 I Love a Cliche<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aL9M9mNXmJXop8TZNU7EG93qzMOd9h7-qwiNbz7eXCVX5OST0XimF2AdrvH3ix9brYTe6a_HpxFFko6h6dQXdPvxZi5DoRB20n4OqH8x_MdqE0V0OWJaRwbpkH4Ur2quWU4U48Tgx_8/s1600/download.jpg+ciche.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aL9M9mNXmJXop8TZNU7EG93qzMOd9h7-qwiNbz7eXCVX5OST0XimF2AdrvH3ix9brYTe6a_HpxFFko6h6dQXdPvxZi5DoRB20n4OqH8x_MdqE0V0OWJaRwbpkH4Ur2quWU4U48Tgx_8/s1600/download.jpg+ciche.jpg" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><b>CLICHE: </b>an expression, aphorism, proverb, maxim, idiom, or phrase that is overused, trite, hackneyed, stale, commonplace, banal, unimaginative, worn-out, and tired. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
About the worst insult one can hurl at writers and speakers is to accuse them of being a purveyor of cliches, and, therefore, deficient in original thinking. In truth, attacking cliches has become a cliche itself.<br />
<br />
Well, I’m here to defend the cliché and those who use them
and to convince you that the study of the cliché not only improves one’s critical
thinking but teaches us to appreciate the history of human experiences, shared across
cultures, language groups, and time. </div>
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<br /></div>
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To begin, ask yourself: </div>
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<br /></div>
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“Why <u>would</u>
a group of words be used, re-used, and overused? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The answer:<br />
<br />
Because they describe undeniable truths
about the human experience,<br />
and they do so effectively and efficiently. Cliches are shorthand forms<br />
to human behavior
and history.<br />
<br />
The cliché’s crime is its success, and its success lies in its
ability to cut to the gut (a future cliché, I hope) of a matter in a language understood
by all. Oh, yes, I suppose a writer or
speaker could invest countless hours in search of a new and different way to
say “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,” but why bother when chances
are the result will be second-rate and not connect as powerfully as the original with the
receiver?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
And that’s because clichés reflect the best thinking of our
forebears. Their users should be thanked
for perpetuating their usage; in fact, if I had my way, public schools would be
mandated to teach a course on the “The Wisdom of the Cliché.” If studied, understood, and examined through observation, we would all be better-armed against double-talk, scams,
fluff, and all around bullshit. The cliche, a rational commentary on life, lets you penetrate below superficial surface structures to the truths that lie below. </div>
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<br /></div>
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To prove my point, take the three cliché tests
below, all descriptions of real life events, and pick the cliché(s) that go to
“the heart of the matter.” </div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->A
parishioner attends the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e church every
Sunday for twenty years and listens to the minister deliver anti-American and
anti-Semitic sermons. Later in life, the parishioner insists
that he never agreed with the minister’s views of the world. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in;">
a) It’s not what you say. It’s what you do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->b)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Birds
of a feather flock together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->c)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->You
will be judged by the company you keep.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->d)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Lay
down with dogs, get up with fleas.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All four describe the truth of the parishioner’s behavior. </div>
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<br /></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: .75in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .75in; text-indent: -.25in;">
2.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->An
engaged woman is leaving her hospital room after undergoing abdominal
surgery. Her fiancé says to her: ‘I’m glad that’s over. I was sure worried about you.” He starts out the door, turns to see if she
is following, and says: “Pick up your
suitcase, Honey, and let’s go. I sure do
love you.”<br />
<br />
<br />
a)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span>A
friend in need is a friend in deed.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->b)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Actions
speak louder than words.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l0 level2 lfo1; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->c)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->What
you see is what you get. <br />
d) A stitch in time saves nine.</div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a> <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg265FIrJKMxqXlr62lA-djMoNsyaUSBIcRbU-8ECFIHI4za89kxPoGPaMWic9lLlbmfaROUR1AtcIzdFwfsl0QRa71Mdzxm-XAzDArg_BrfrdQX-imhdd2BE4Xmiw0ikWXkDjSW9fUpzM/h120/images+(1).jpg+WHAT+YOU+SEE+IS+WHAT+YOU+GET.jpg" /></div>
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</div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A, B and C are correct. (And my advice to the young woman is
to “run, don’t walk, to the nearest exit!” ALONE!)</div>
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<br /></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->We
are told that <st1:country-region w:st="on">Cuba</st1:country-region>
is an economic and social success; that its people are healthy, happy, and
productive. Yet on a recent eight-day
tour of <st1:country-region w:st="on">Cuba</st1:country-region>, my
fellow-travelers and I were chased through the streets of <st1:city w:st="on">Havana</st1:city> by crowds of raggedy people, begging
for food, soap, and toilet paper.
Scaffoldings -- erected 15 plus years earlier for the purpose of
reconstructing deteriorating buildings – were now stories-high metal trellises,
now long-time carriers of vines and debris. And driving hundreds of miles across the island, one sees only a trickle of cars and trucks (until the vintage cars of Havana). Most transport is by horse-drawn wagons, and despite the obvious
shortage of food in the country, acre after acre of fields are uncultivated. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->a)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->One
picture is worth a thousand words.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->b)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Seeing
is believing </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->c)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Don’t
believe everything you read.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.25in; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; tab-stops: list 1.25in; text-indent: -.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]-->d)<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span><!--[endif]-->Killing
two birds with one stone. <br />
<br />
The answers: a, b, and c.<br />
<br />
At the root of these vignettes and all good stories (novels, plays, movies) are cliches. And that's because LIFE <b>IS</b> A CLICHE! These age-old truths are not the products of lazy minds, but their automatic rejection is most definitely a sign of the closed mind.<br />
<br />
<u><b> To reject the cliche is to reject human history.</b></u><br />
<u><b><br /></b></u>
<img alt="whine-expert1.jpg" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkRBpYXkLO4Gk6TBkOlh997O6S1kLAUBkI1plyDsZQY_kQdqwbfkfOKwSfHLUgqUyUV60NONGqDw9p7SIzEQxhpQha1jgUbZ4PhAtnlQhRUv75liKtZg_FgOOPtsLNTdG5BAQP_9aR9sU/w140-h140-p/whine-expert1.jpg" /><br />
<br />
Whiningly yours, Carol<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Cliches deserve your respect. They are not the product of a lazy mind, but
their automatic rejection is most definitely the product of a closed mind. To reject
the cliché is to reject human history! </div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-15189420258310034602014-12-06T14:24:00.000-08:002020-01-23T11:08:15.579-08:00#28 I HATE NEW YEAR’S EVE<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> It’s December, which means that in no time at all New
Year’s Eve will be here. But instead of
getting excited, I am indifferent, and I wonder if there are others like me who
hate New Year’s Eve. I do a Google
search and input “I hate New Year’s Eve,” and would you believe? There are over 6,500,000 entries. Apparently I’ve got plenty of company. I don’t know what their beefs are, but I can
tell you mine. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41ohRaayi8IV521aTKW7iBiROv8FjD7mptMy4TmH2fIOFnUhk1bBZ1eZSDYHvtcz9bucQXY5ncGIebtc8UNZhbFIMFu7wZJkw-KZhXERMZG7MHL49eqBI4vYb3IkcBXnr05wB7Sk4nhg/s1600/download.jpg+i+HATE+nEW+yEAR'S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj41ohRaayi8IV521aTKW7iBiROv8FjD7mptMy4TmH2fIOFnUhk1bBZ1eZSDYHvtcz9bucQXY5ncGIebtc8UNZhbFIMFu7wZJkw-KZhXERMZG7MHL49eqBI4vYb3IkcBXnr05wB7Sk4nhg/s1600/download.jpg+i+HATE+nEW+yEAR'S.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> It started way back, as far back as I can remember. My parents would be all gussied up and flushed
with excitement, apparently heading out for the be-all and end-all of nights,
while I was being left behind in the care of a babysitter who obviously hated
me. The sitter’s instructions were to
take me to a movie. She would enter the
movie house, hat pulled down low over her forehead, and look furtively about, praying
that no one she knew would see her. As
young as I was, I got the message: the worst thing that could happen to a girl
of dateable age was to be seen in public on New Year’s Eve without a date. </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Years
later, when it was Near Year’s Eve, and I was of dateable age and without a
date, I would close my bedroom door, draw the drapes, take the phone off the
hook, and read a book. God forbid anyone
should know that <b><u>I</u></b> was
dateless. And back at school after the
holidays, when the girls would stand together describing in exaggerated detail their
fabulous New Year’s Eve, I would join in with a fictionalized account of my
own. I was out-of-town, of
course. Out-of-town dates were
impossible to disprove… plus they sounded more exotic. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">One
year I was in <st1:city w:st="on">Chicago</st1:city>, where I met up with my
long time pen pal and his family, who were visiting from <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Paris</st1:place></st1:city>. We made the rounds of comedy clubs and
ate dinner in an exclusive restaurant. Dustin Hoffman was at the next
table. Another year I joined a group of
exchange students from Mexico at a private party hosted by the Mexican Museum
of Art, but my finest New Years Eve fantasy took place in Cleveland, where my
cousins and I went on a city-wide scavenger hunt that took us to bars, restaurants,
famous landmarks, and—in the end – to a police station for a pair of
handcuffs. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">I was
thankful when in my senior year of high school I was invited to a party. I didn’t think I could dream up anything to top
the previous year’s scavenger hunt. John
came to the house, and with shaky hands, pinned a corsage to my dress (that was
the fashion back then), and off we went. I was looking forward to a night as unforgettable
as the ones I had invented, one filled with witty jokes, clever repartee, and
Ginger Rogers-Fred Astaire-like dancing couples; instead, we all stood
awkwardly about, waiting for someone – anyone – to make this night different
from all other nights. It wasn’t; in
fact, it was worse – except for the few minutes some time before (or after)
midnight during the Disputation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> “Get ready!” the host yelled. “It’s midnight!” “No, it isn’t!” someone argued. “It’s five
minutes to." Another voice piped in. “You’re both wrong. We missed it.
It’s five minutes <u>after </u>twelve.” Everyone was on a different time. Mayhem ensued… until the voice of reason took
over. “It doesn’t matter what time it
is,” he shouted. “It’s arbitrary. So I say that the New Year starts when I reach
zero. So get ready! Pick up your glasses! Sixty, fifty-nine…” And down he went. When he hit zero, screamers screamed. Drinkers drank. Tooters tooted. Kissers kissed, and John planted a
saliva-drenched smack on my mouth. It
was all downhill from there. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">If I had
known years earlier that New Year’s Eve was a hoax, I would have enjoyed those
nights I spent behind a closed door, curtains closed, and the phone off the
hook. Yes, New Year’s Eve <u>is </u>different
from all other nights, I decided. It’s
worse, much worse, but how could it be otherwise? Such a build-up can only lead to a letdown, which
is why I spent the next two New Year’s Eves in my bedroom. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In my
junior year of college I was part of a sixty-student contingency traveling by
busses to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Mexico City</st1:city></st1:place>
for a semester of study. On New Year’s
Eve we stopped for an overnight in the town of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ciudad</st1:place></st1:city> de Valles. One hotel room became the designated party
room. When we arrived at the party, three naked young men were in the bathtub,
singing their hearts out. Fifty-seven more
students stormed the bathroom and joined in a drunken rendition of Auld Lang
Syne. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxph0oPSUheEuQMJm-6ig_fNBLS8Q9Zmjx2mI5wATMe3W_ohPDWkfiW8ypiVUf2cro8R3cZ58hwMeOn0TNGo5pWt1OlikNGW0eXlsOqS9RhdJmsCnQl2sylKJrCFiE0yGQVSOQpimWxF0/s1600/download.jpg+3+men+in+a+bathtub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxph0oPSUheEuQMJm-6ig_fNBLS8Q9Zmjx2mI5wATMe3W_ohPDWkfiW8ypiVUf2cro8R3cZ58hwMeOn0TNGo5pWt1OlikNGW0eXlsOqS9RhdJmsCnQl2sylKJrCFiE0yGQVSOQpimWxF0/s1600/download.jpg+3+men+in+a+bathtub.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">This was no forced gaiety. This was real. These were the unconstrained voices of
students in the 1950’s who were suddenly liberated; no dorm mothers, counselors,
chaperones, hall monitors, sign-in, sign-out sheets, or curfews for probably the
first time in their lives. We had freedom
of choice: to behave or misbehave, get drunk or stay sober, stay with the crowd
or go to sleep. It was a New Year’s Eve that
surpassed all my imaginary exploits. That
raised the question: could such a high lead to comparative lows in the future? </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> The answer to that question is: if and only if you buy into the commercial fantasy
of New Year Eve: the $100 a plate dinner, an on-site presence at <st1:place w:st="on">Times Square</st1:place> when the ball drops, or being in a roomful
of old friends you’ve never met before. You
have the power to make New Year’s Eve (and every other eve) whatever you want
it to be. But if you’re one of those
people who makes a list of resolutions for the new year, do yourself a favor
and don’t! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPouMOl8eTeq8tdYpblZd3kRktRRoOHlI9Z88y2_klXK6ndnNcCAVz7tywpcXgnhbYHa80BrXlBoc8tLl4x4hE1OU8_umzk1buzZs4kJmRXZVuGg87tmi7snvOfawS54ngsKw3pI7wTMs/s1600/new+year's%2Bresolutions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPouMOl8eTeq8tdYpblZd3kRktRRoOHlI9Z88y2_klXK6ndnNcCAVz7tywpcXgnhbYHa80BrXlBoc8tLl4x4hE1OU8_umzk1buzZs4kJmRXZVuGg87tmi7snvOfawS54ngsKw3pI7wTMs/s1600/new+year's%2Bresolutions.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> First of all, you and 92% of the population
will break them before the month is out – at which point you will beat yourself
up. So this year make yourself a
different kind of list -- a list of your past year’s successes. Let the positive energy of everything you did
right in 2014 carry you into 2015. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> Whiningly
yours, Carol<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> And HAVE A VERY HAPPY NEW
YEAR!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-35118836998733106592014-11-08T09:58:00.001-08:002020-01-23T11:07:47.715-08:00#27 OUR BORDERLESS SOUTH<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Borders
have existed since time immemorial. It’s part of our DNA -- to mark off the
spaces between us – and the others.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">We
create borders for personal, political, social, economic, health, and security
reasons.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">We fix boundaries between our home and our neighbors’
-- subtly, even subconsciously -- with vegetation, driveways, rock piles, etc… and, of course, a legal document.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Finally, and most importantly, we expect these borders, once established, to be secure and
respected. In that regard, our southern border with </span><st1:place style="line-height: 150%;" w:st="on">Mexico</st1:place><span style="line-height: 150%;"> is a joke.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Many
call it “porous, but “porous” seems a bit disingenuous, considering that at
least 11 million illegal immigrants have already crossed that border and are
now living in the United States. Tens of
thousands more enter illegally every month.
Our border isn’t porous. It’s
wide open. So far this year 90,700
illegals have crossed that border and entered the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> That’s double the number for
the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e period last year, and
numbers are expected to increase further in 2015. Among this year’s illegals are 60,000 unaccompanied
children (UC) from Central American countries.
That number is expected to reach 100,000 before the end of 2014 and to
climb higher in 2015. To what do we owe
this great success? The <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> Government. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs5Kl6DozWX7I6j55aRBWD-UG25hQWu4fu41Ekmp_tsHHlJOVTSsw8n3i1jWqYQBBDvxPBmZtPZQ4i5O40cb8ICfDuUQmWtNtOk7LlfK__Imxq6eDvFLz2zRh4Rmw-abN3_SR35Ca7ps/s1600/images+(1).jpg%2Bwelcvome%2Bmat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs5Kl6DozWX7I6j55aRBWD-UG25hQWu4fu41Ekmp_tsHHlJOVTSsw8n3i1jWqYQBBDvxPBmZtPZQ4i5O40cb8ICfDuUQmWtNtOk7LlfK__Imxq6eDvFLz2zRh4Rmw-abN3_SR35Ca7ps/s1600/images+(1).jpg%2Bwelcvome%2Bmat.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
In 2008 -- when
our economy was already depressed economically and hundreds of thousands of
people were out of work – Congress passed the “Trafficking Victims Protection
Authorization Act, which provides asylum to
Unaccompanied Children (UC) from Central America whose lives are in
danger. These children, upon arriving in
the U.S, are asked by border agents if they are afraid of being killed in their
home country. If the answer is “yes,”
then an appointment is made with an immigration judge who decides the veracity
of the claim. If the judge finds the claim believable, the
UC can stay. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
The recent onslaught
of tens of thousands of illegals has overwhelmed border staffing and created such
a backlog of petitioners that it could take years for a UC to get a hearing (This
is a deliberate and successful strategy!).
Meanwhile, agents have no choice but to place these children in the
custody of family and friends. To date: 85%
of all “fear” claims have been approved, which may explain why these petitions have
tripled since 2012….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
The WELCOME MAT grows
cushier and plusher… </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-left: 1.0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<img height="115" src="data:image/jpeg;base64,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" width="200" /><!--[endif]--></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
… as the Obama administration defers
deportation of more than 500,000 illegals and hints it might grant amnesty to
as many as 5 million. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
Which
begs the question: why would anyone
bother to immigrate legally when there are only incentives for entering
illegally and deterrents for legal applicants?
Whereas 98% of all illegals enter relatively quickly, can expect immunity,
get a green card or visa within three years and <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> citizenship within thirteen, the
legal applicant could easily wait up to fifteen years to enter and 25 for
citizenship. According to U.S. Representative
Jim Sensenbrenner, our current immigration policy is holding skilled workers hostage
to comprehensive immigration reform. (What about the rest of us?) </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
And while our
Government acts as a giant magnet, attracting illegals to the <st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place>, their home countries do everything
they can to facilitate their departure -- equipping them with directions, maps
and guides to the border. And who can
blame them? <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>’s
second largest source of foreign revenue -- approximately $20 billion a year --
comes from Mexicans working in the <st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place> who send money back home to
their families. Never a good deed goes unpunished:
think Andrew Tahmooressi, who served two tours of duty in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:country-region> and returned home with PTSS, made a
wrong turn en route to <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state> and entered <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mexico</st1:country-region>. For 214 days he was held in captivity under
rude and crude conditions, beaten by guards, and chained to his bed post, naked, for nine hours. With friends like that, who needs enemies? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Adding fuel to the
illegal immigration fire is the influx of gang members, terrorists, drug and
sex traffickers.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">This summer, 14 members
of Mara Salvatruccha (MS-13), one of the world’s most notorious transnational
criminal gangs, tried to enter the </span><st1:country-region style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;" w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">They were apprehended at the border, but not
because of any brilliant investigative work by agents. </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">While waiting to be processed, members painted
gang-related graffiti on walls of the center.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">But don’t relax!</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">For every illegal
interviewed and given a “pass,” three illegals pass unseen over the border and
disappear. </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">(Government Accountability
Office)</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">This might explain why MS-13 has gained a
major foothold in the U.S, continues to expand its influence, and why gang memberships
have increased in the past ten years from 200,000 to one million.</span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">(Michael Sullivan, Director of the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Islamic terrorists
have also taken note of our hospitality.
In August of this year the Texas Department of Public Safety and
Homeland Security alerted federal agents that Islamist terrorist groups operating
in Mexican border towns were exploiting weaknesses (are there any strengths?) at
the border. On October 8<sup>th</sup>
Homeland Security confirmed that ten (10) ISIS and Al Qaeda terrorists had been
apprehended in <st1:state w:st="on">Texas</st1:state> by federal authorities
but that another 40 had slipped into the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> Recent intelligence confirms that terrorist
groups are planning attacks on the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> with car bombs and other
vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices (VBIED). <st1:state w:st="on">Border states</st1:state>
are on high alert, and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Ft.</st1:placetype>
<st1:placename w:st="on">Bliss</st1:placename></st1:place> has increased
security measures. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<img height="151" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTvXUzBBDRH5jPZoT6CRYdPHcQh_PD3DhEhbRRWFJb_CViobuuD" width="200" /><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
ISIS and Al Qaeda are not the only
terrorist groups eyeing our southern border.
In 2013 290 illegal Somalis entered the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> Of these, three have
subsequently been found guilty of providing support for Al Shabab. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Carriers of
scabies, lice, and chicken pox have been crossing the border for years, and now
it’s possible that Ebola will become part of the mix. (<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Pew</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Research</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Center</st1:placetype></st1:place>). When “Investigative
Radio” asked Chris Cabreta --Vice President of the National Border Patrol
Council in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Rio Grande</st1:placename>
<st1:placetype w:st="on">Valley</st1:placetype></st1:place> -- if illegals entering
this summer had been screened for diseases, he answered that because of the onslaught
of illegals “a lot slips through the cracks.”
Slipping through those cracks were 71 illegals from Ebola-infected
countries who were not screened. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
The Department of
Homeland Security blames Obama’s lax immigration policies for the country’s
inability to stop terrorists from entering the <st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region> “He and his administration have announced to
the world they will not enforce our immigration laws.” (U.S. Senator Jeff
Sessions). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
So why IS our
southern border still wide open? Why
aren’t illegals deported? And why hasn’t
the security fence -- approved by Congress in 2006 -- been completed? </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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" 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" 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<b>THE BOTTOM WHINE</b>: Illegals
experience no negative consequences for breaking the law –only rewards, which
is why Albert Spratte of the National Border Patrol Council observes: “We used to chase after them (the illegals). Now they chase after us.” </div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Whiningly
yours, Carol</span></div>
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<o:p> P.S. If you like <b>The Bottom Whine,</b> you might also enjoy my novel "Coming of Age...AGAIN." It is about four women "of a certain age" who prove that with a mix of moxie, humor, wisdom, and a weekly mahjongg game, coming of age can happen more than once. Available at www.amazon.com/author/carolmizrahi</o:p></div>
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<o:p>in paperback and kindle editions. </o:p></div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-69898242360913554802014-10-01T11:56:00.000-07:002020-01-23T11:07:14.560-08:00 #26 OUR KEYSTONE KOPS<br />
<span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Once
upon a time the words “Secret Service” conjured up images of virile, responsible
men, dressed in suits, packing pistols, and wearing ear pieces and sunglasses, and charged with the formidable task of protecting the President of the </span><st1:country-region style="line-height: 150%;" w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region><span style="line-height: 150%;">.</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Like I said, that was “once upon a
time.”</span><span style="line-height: 150%;"> </span><span style="line-height: 150%;">Now “Secret Service” evokes
images of middle-aged fraternity boys, drinking, whoring, and snoring on the
job, the 21</span><sup style="line-height: 150%;">st</sup><span style="line-height: 150%;">’Century’s take on the bungling Keystone Kops.</span><br />
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When did that imagery
begin to change? In 2009, a year after
President Obama took office, when Secret Service agents ignored security
protocol at the White House, and Tareq and Michaele Salahi crashed a private
party. Actually, they did more than
crash. They got close enough to the President
to shake his hand. Good thing they hadn’t greased their palms with poison. Secret Service bungling was later discovered only
because Michaele Salahi posted photos of herself taken at the event on her
Facebook page. The Salahis were not the
only gate crashers that night. Carlos
Allen, a party promoter, also got past the government’s so-called “security.” </div>
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Then, in April of
2012, twelve Secret Service agents were sent to Cartegena, <st1:city w:st="on">Columbia</st1:city>
to secure routes and sites before President Obama’s arrival for the sixth “<st1:city w:st="on">Summit</st1:city> of the <st1:country-region w:st="on">Americas</st1:country-region>.” For the week prior to
the <st1:city w:st="on">Summit</st1:city>, the
twelve agents mounted their own summits with local prostitutes. </div>
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It’s possible
their dereliction of duty might also have gone unnoticed if one of these brawn but
no brains agents hadn’t decided not to pay his lady love the $47 he owed her
for the sleepover. The lady – smarter
than the agent -- filed a report with the local police, and the police notified
the U.S. Embassy. All of this transpired just twenty-four hours before the
President arrived in Cartegena. These
agents not only set themselves up for possible blackmail (all were married) but
could have jeopardized the President’s safety.
When news of the orgy reached
Conference delegates, agenda topics --
trade, energy, and regional security -- took a back seat to joking and jiving about
American’s fittest and finest. </div>
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What could these
agents have been thinking, I asked myself – rousing and carousing while on
assignment? In truth, they hadn’t been
thinking at all. As my wise old
Grandmother used to say: “When the prick
is up, the brain is down.” </div>
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Following the
Columbian fiasco, the President replaced the then-Director of the Secret
Service with Julia Pierson, a thirty-year administrative veteran with no field
experience. Her assignment was to clean
up the Agency and “rehabilitate” its reputation. But in April of this year, three elite
members of the Secret Service, sent to Amsterdam to set up security systems for
protecting the president during an upcoming visit, drank heavily for a week and
were still drinking the day before Obama’s arrival (Agency rules strictly
forbid agents to drink alcohol in the hours preceding official assignments). One of the agents got so drink that he passed
out in the hotel hallway. A hotel employee
notified the U.S. Embassy, and the three agents were sent home. </div>
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Despite continued evidence
of the Agency’s kindergarten behavior, Obama continued to applaud Ms. Pierson’s
management, but that may soon be changing.
On September 19, Omar Gonzales, a veteran of three tours of duty in Iraq
and diagnosed with PTSD, scaled the fence on the North side of the White House,
ran 70 yards across the lawn to the executive mansion, opened the unlocked
doors, and entered. He knocked down a
Secret Service agent and got as far as the East Room, which is close to the
stairs leading upstairs to the Obama family’s residence, when he was finally
tackled by an Agent and handcuffed. A
folding knife was in his pocket, and in his car -- parked nearby -- were
machetes, hatchets, and 800 rounds of ammunition.</div>
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That
wasn’t the first time Secret Service agents had “interviewed” Mr.
Gonzales. Two months earlier he was arrested
in <st1:state w:st="on">Virginia</st1:state>
for possession of a sawed-off shotgun and resisting arrest. Police found a cache of rifles and handguns in
his car, plus a map of the City of <st1:city w:st="on">Washington</st1:city>,
a line drawn to the White House steps.
Yet Secret Service agents determined that Gonzales was not a threat, and
he was released. </div>
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A month later, in
August, Gonzales was again stopped by a Secret Service Agent when he was seen
near the White House south fence, a hatchet adorning his waistband. The mental giants at the Agency again concluded
that Gonzales was “no threat.” </div>
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You have to wonder
what the Agency considers a threat to national security if it’s not 800 rounds
of ammunition, knives, sawed-off shotguns, machetes, hatchets, and a map
marking the pathway to the front door of the White House. What kinds of tests – if any -- do future
agents have to take before being admitted to the Secret Service? Probably something like: Can you find the one image from below that represents a clear and imminent danger? </div>
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You also have to wonder where our biggest
and best were when Gonzales jumped that fence and entered the White House
through unlocked doors. You might also
wonder where the watch dogs were, and why the Secret Service, in all its
infinite wisdom had muted the alarm system.
Most of all, you have to wonder why Ms. Pierson, following this fiasco, commended
the agents for showing “tremendous restraint.” So now all the geniuses in <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> are deliberating: how can we better secure the White
House? Their answer: block off
additional streets so unwanted visitors have farther to travel to reach the
front door. Let’s think about that. If the agents can’t secure a “smaller” space,
why would they be more able to guard a larger area? Besides, the problem is not OUTSIDE the
fence. It comes from the INSIDE! </div>
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So what <b><i>is</i></b>
the answer? Before finding the answer,
one must first ask the right question: “Who’s in charge”? </div>
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I’ve noticed that
in medical clinics supportive staffs generally reflect the attitudes of those
at the top – the doctors. When doctors are
professional, thorough, and polite to patients, so are supporting staffs. But when those at the top are arrogant,
non-receptive, and rude, so goes the staff.
I call it “Clinic Culture.”
Clinic Cultures exists across all offices -- private and public. If there’s slop at the top, there’s slop at
the bottom! </div>
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See where I’m
going? If Secret Service agents are unprofessional
and irresponsible, they are reflecting values learned -- either consciously or
through osmosis – from their Director. </div>
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And if Ms. Pierson
teaches a culture of laxity and carelessness, whose signals has she been
following? </div>
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THE BOTTOM WHINE: Monkey see. Monkey do! </div>
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Whiningly yours, Carol </div>
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No whines, just laughs, as four friends of a "certain age" prove that with a mix of moxie and a weekly mahjongg game, coming of age can happen more than once. Available through Amazon in paperback and kindle editions:</div>
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www.amazon.com/author/carolmizrahi</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Have you ever had dinner
with a narcissist?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If not, let me tell me
be the first to tell you that it’s an unforgettable experience – one you
wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
normal conversations, there’s an exchange of ideas, a give and a take, but
that’s not how the Narcissist works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They pontificate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t reciprocate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In twenty minutes (but who’s counting?) I was
able to speak a total of nine words: “I’ll have the crusted tilapia,” and “How
was your summer?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Maybe if I hadn’t
asked first about <u>her</u> summer; if I had jumped in with a summary of
my own, the evening might have played out differently… but I doubt it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I checked my watch again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twenty-five of the longest minutes I could
remember, more painful than sitting in the dentist’s chair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I hoped the look
on my face hid the truth: that I was bored out of my gourd, and that my cheek
muscles were starting to ache.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t
know how much longer I could hold this pose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I thought back to the week before when we first met and how I had been
charmed by her articulateness, her intelligence, and showmanship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, yes, she was all of that, but now I knew
better and was reminded of that old elementary school playground chant: “You can
dish it out, but you can’t take it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
The waitress
brought our dinners, and when she asked if there was anything else we needed, I
overreacted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes,
yes, yes,” I answered, “Extra lemons, please. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, yes. Thank you.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was good to hear the sound of my own
voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Narcissist picked up her fork and dug into her lasagna.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had to admire the way she was able to eat
and talk at the same time without spraying bits of food across the table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I listened inattentively as she continued
talking about her trip to the Brazilian Amazon, the native informants she had
interviewed, and the day in Manaus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC1wNUm1gasQwlSLaUdZry9omrDO8wu9JNMOzdspinDvBcdI6akbAVc1X4N2CqZS7yP12yd5N0l6Hpzm8tAB-KbN_tHwWMAFIXJRpIBEhp-TZQHyOPcXKj8PZLzfC16mTYbJ1T-7108M/s1600/index.jpegbored.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipC1wNUm1gasQwlSLaUdZry9omrDO8wu9JNMOzdspinDvBcdI6akbAVc1X4N2CqZS7yP12yd5N0l6Hpzm8tAB-KbN_tHwWMAFIXJRpIBEhp-TZQHyOPcXKj8PZLzfC16mTYbJ1T-7108M/s1600/index.jpegbored.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I wondered what I
could do – if anything – to turn off the broken spigot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Speaking of Manaus,” I interrupted, “did you ever see that
wonderful movie about the opera house?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You know, Fitzcarraldo.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
She answered by
thrusting her smart phone in my face and showing me photos of children playing
in a village, women cooking at an open fire, a crocodile on a riverbank, and a
snake up a tree. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’ll
be returning in two months… to continue my research.” With glazed eyes and a
determined bite, I chewed my tilapia, enjoying the feel of my tongue and mouth
in motion, while she described her research project in even fuller detail,
which was, of course, funded by some major research foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
My life may not be
as exciting as hers, I thought, but I did have one. Did she even know I was here?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I remembered reading somewhere that
researchers found that all adults – except those afflicted with autism and
schizophrenia – responded to other people’s yawns with yawns of their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I decided to try it – just to see if I was here or not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOd1SJfG-ovai47-Yeye5xTzhYhs1Py8ajU3_L4ah0rnntNdZ3YIb43r0eqrxmygUy7OtUBPqj6gBZDt5qRV2H5UmWDRzlSiKnUMp2b4bsK4pagPgFqPzN9o-u5Z_dTC9N8j9TTk8dRw/s1600/index.jpeg+bored.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOd1SJfG-ovai47-Yeye5xTzhYhs1Py8ajU3_L4ah0rnntNdZ3YIb43r0eqrxmygUy7OtUBPqj6gBZDt5qRV2H5UmWDRzlSiKnUMp2b4bsK4pagPgFqPzN9o-u5Z_dTC9N8j9TTk8dRw/s1600/index.jpeg+bored.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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My first yawn was relatively
subdued, obviously too subtle to register.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I yawned again, adding audio to video.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It, too, went unnoticed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My third
yawn sounded like a cat in heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still she
didn’t yawn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She didn’t miss a
beat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously there was a third group
of adults unresponsive to the yawns of others -- Narcissists. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
Next
I rested my elbow on the dinner table and dropped my forehead into my
hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuJKeS_pibbOIGCS-uuHuOrq3Nduom-Tty_5x-IlD8gT-5jCDPN4FRWNKOYdn74ZM2YBjF-7-uuVKCH55ClCNslFvNC6htrrIkgD-3sr57m66W9l5oicDFSUYUGQJjNCPEichBXtu7VA/s1600/images.jpeg+head+on+hand+with+narcissist.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuJKeS_pibbOIGCS-uuHuOrq3Nduom-Tty_5x-IlD8gT-5jCDPN4FRWNKOYdn74ZM2YBjF-7-uuVKCH55ClCNslFvNC6htrrIkgD-3sr57m66W9l5oicDFSUYUGQJjNCPEichBXtu7VA/s1600/images.jpeg+head+on+hand+with+narcissist.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjuJKeS_pibbOIGCS-uuHuOrq3Nduom-Tty_5x-IlD8gT-5jCDPN4FRWNKOYdn74ZM2YBjF-7-uuVKCH55ClCNslFvNC6htrrIkgD-3sr57m66W9l5oicDFSUYUGQJjNCPEichBXtu7VA/s1600/images.jpeg+head+on+hand+with+narcissist.jpeg" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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When she didn’t react to this show
of disengagement, I pushed my dinner plate aside and collapsed dramatically on
the table.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Yjszu0hjNVTP8tbOzvvbsvIMrDeO2KVf3HqHy-nav7gYBK4206hBVYh-_JnA76FVzzYcCTmDM4gqVLdx4hZdl19lw1O_gUF0KrrTjRsXeNkSm9w6GmeF_y13IFHv8YGgQZq6pjIVkJw/s1600/woman-with-head-on-table-650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Yjszu0hjNVTP8tbOzvvbsvIMrDeO2KVf3HqHy-nav7gYBK4206hBVYh-_JnA76FVzzYcCTmDM4gqVLdx4hZdl19lw1O_gUF0KrrTjRsXeNkSm9w6GmeF_y13IFHv8YGgQZq6pjIVkJw/s1600/woman-with-head-on-table-650.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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The imagined image of myself lying
on the table top, unnoticed by my dinner companion, racked my body with swallowed
laughter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Are
you OK?” the waitress asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pulled up
my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tears were streaming down my
face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wiped them away with my dinner
napkin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Yes,
fine…. And thanks for noticing,” I answered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Dessert?”
she asked.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Before
I could say no, the monologist asked for strawberry pie and coffee.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would add another twenty painful minutes
to the evening.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Nothing
for me,” I said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Just the check.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Let
me tell you about my niece,” she continued.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>“She’s only eighteen months old, talking a blue streak and in full
sentences.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A number of smart ass
answers were on the tip of my tongue, but I said nothing; after all, I was
raised to be polite … plus I doubted she would hear me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And she can do 100-piece jigsaw puzzles by
herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Totally amazing.” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“Totally,”
I repeated after her. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
waitress left our checks and disappeared.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I opened my purse, found the exact amount plus a tip for the waitress,
laid it on the table, and got up to leave.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>That
was when she first took note of me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“You
leaving?” she asked, surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“But I
haven’t had dessert yet.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“I’m
sorry, but I have an appointment in twenty minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t want to be late.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>“We
must do this again sometime.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
monologist’s total disconnect with reality finally got to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“By the way,” I
asked, “Do you know my name?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>She
hesitated, obviously flummoxed by the question and was still grasping for an answer when I
exited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>THE BOTTOM
WHINE: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The spell of the Narcissist
comes in a breath,</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> B</span>ut dies an even faster death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwP4YeXN3amK-fNOJtJf7I1iGLPPKTARVuf0IkNieKIAFJOr_urcXb3PXInxbrrk0ddo9R7FByiUmmTVlA3MtidcLutMmehMMlkMX3Cc-XMIJW4niv48OjBfRbWhoK495Cp-iL6x3-PIU/s1600/imagesCAEUNJYB+I'm+a+whine+expert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwP4YeXN3amK-fNOJtJf7I1iGLPPKTARVuf0IkNieKIAFJOr_urcXb3PXInxbrrk0ddo9R7FByiUmmTVlA3MtidcLutMmehMMlkMX3Cc-XMIJW4niv48OjBfRbWhoK495Cp-iL6x3-PIU/s1600/imagesCAEUNJYB+I'm%2Ba%2Bwhine%2Bexpert.jpg" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Whiningly yours, Carol </span></div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-67773506002506358562014-05-28T12:48:00.000-07:002020-01-23T11:05:53.068-08:00#24 From FLIP FLOPS.... to SLIP SLOPS...to CAN'T STOP! <div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbodBeicwczWCsVf9cMZdgekODv0b-uXc4gHAW2CiPHufAgPevjK2eFh6RxBb7q4RLCeiHC7shpmvF9rwalL5jULvqciqlAbtd6EGtx2wHoX03vmzv5YrRlZbwgJf4-94-si0UTl_Y_E/s1600/images.jpeg+flip+flop+on+pedal.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbodBeicwczWCsVf9cMZdgekODv0b-uXc4gHAW2CiPHufAgPevjK2eFh6RxBb7q4RLCeiHC7shpmvF9rwalL5jULvqciqlAbtd6EGtx2wHoX03vmzv5YrRlZbwgJf4-94-si0UTl_Y_E/s1600/images.jpeg+flip+flop+on+pedal.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Flip-flops can be lethal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Yes, that’s what I said.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lethal! Flip-flops
can kill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It almost killed my son.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was riding his bike and approached an
intersection that was clearly marked: STOP!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>BIKERS AND WALKERS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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A woman driving an SUV slowed to a stop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My son started across the road when, suddenly,
the driver accelerated and hit him broadside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He first landed on the hood of her car, bounced off, and fell into the
street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If she hadn’t found the brake
when she did…</div>
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How did this happen?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
driver was wearing flip flops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her foot
slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></div>
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More and more accidents and near-accidents are being linked
to uncontrolled acceleration or brake obstruction caused by flip flops sliding
off drivers’ feet and getting stuck between or under floor pedals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></div>
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To cite a few cases:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>a woman in update New York recently lost control of her car and hit
three pedestrians who were standing on a sidewalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All three pedestrians died. According to
police, the driver’s flip flops got tangled in the floor pedals, and she lost
control of her car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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In 2010 a bicyclist was killed in Florida by a pickup truck after the driver’s
flip flops got trapped between pedals.</div>
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In 2012 a truck driver wearing flip flops crashed through a
store front and into the store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Fortunately, no one was killed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
happened?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The driver’s flip flops jammed
under the accelerator pedal.</div>
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In 2012 a bicyclist was struck and killed in Pittsburgh by a driver in
a pick-up truck whose flip flops got trapped between floor pedals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) says that crashes due to pedal misapplication happen about fifteen
times a month. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s 180 times a year;
however, the U.S.
has done next-to-no research on accidents or near-accidents caused by flip
flops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>England has.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw-Xx3tvvieIwqTRJjUcJNFboxkqX5TG-bnr4hz42qlJ5rCGNC5gTnjae4zk6cQ8WpHDZvKEsrAawehGBFhR-n5D_aE7_NhU7ACrhuTNIBf222ddXrJoeHMJxe2Z8zBbFuaHCqxFK7Rk/h120/images.jpeg+warning+flip+flop.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" class="yk-O-x" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsw-Xx3tvvieIwqTRJjUcJNFboxkqX5TG-bnr4hz42qlJ5rCGNC5gTnjae4zk6cQ8WpHDZvKEsrAawehGBFhR-n5D_aE7_NhU7ACrhuTNIBf222ddXrJoeHMJxe2Z8zBbFuaHCqxFK7Rk/h120/images.jpeg+warning+flip+flop.jpeg" style="height: 120px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 215px;" width="200" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Sheila’s Wheels, a British insurance company, surveyed over
1,000 drivers and found that 60% (600) drove wearing flip-flops, of which
one-third blamed their shoes for causing an accident or near-accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From this data, the company extrapolated that
flip flops were responsible for 1.4 million accidents or close calls a
year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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What makes flip flops the devil’s driving shoe?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Flip
flops get stuck under and between control pedals, leading to over-acceleration
or slow brake application.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>Thin,
soft soles brake .13 seconds slower than closed shoes. At 60 MPH, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.13 seconds equals 11 feet – possibly the
difference between life and death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span>It
takes twice as much time to move between the gas and brake pedals when wearing
flip flops than it does when wearing closed shoes. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Flip-flops cause more than car accidents.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the estimated 11,000 people who were hurt
riding escalators in the U.S.
in 2012, approximately 10% were caused when hands and feet became trapped in
the equipment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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In 2012 in Washington,
D.C, a teenager’s flip flop got stuck in a metro escalator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he reached down to retrieve his shoe, four
fingers of one hand lodged in the stairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It took emergency personnel 40 minutes to free him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was one of the lucky ones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He kept his fingers…whereas, this woman … <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<img alt="" class="yk-O-x" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Ia2yFZx7Ta6Cw2Z4n6s3JVaVgciXgA6FoBTDq08qItFjnNnQsXv5WSq3IpezT4husacycVzLjfUx61SEthX0LcPBHHBrUvakp7iNA-ZZBK736wPAgXGUqejeXhyphenhyphenlxjzxYCTOtWMT21o/h120/bloody+foot+from+escalator.jpg" style="height: 120px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 160px;" /></div>
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…wasn’t so lucky when her flip flop had an argument with an
escalator, and the escalator won.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Metro systems now warn riders about the potential danger of
wearing flip flops (as well as crocs and high heels) on escalators, especially
on hot summer days when rubber and other soft materials are more likely to sink
into escalator steps.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>
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And if all that doesn’t convince you to flip your flops
into the nearest garbage can, consider these findings from the Academy of Podiatric Medicine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Flip flops offer no arch support, no heel
cushioning, and no shock absorption; consequently, when worn for prolonged
periods, they can cause tendonitis,<i> </i>plantar fasciitis, stress fractures, and
micro-tears (as well as blisters and stubbed toes).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Running or jumping when wearing flip flops
often results in sprained ankles, fractures, and severe ligament injuries
requiring surgery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<div class="description">
Twenty thousand Brits visit doctors every year because of
foot problems, at a cost of 40 million British pounds. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Many of these injuries and surgeries are blamed on long term wear of
flip flops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Flip flops are also a breeding place for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Staphylococcus Aureus</i>, a deadly germ
that can invade your body and kill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One
lab found 18,000 bacteria on a pair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><img alt="" class="yk-O-x" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKH7-l1XsSwMdtOoFg3PW5vhYl9H7q4tWUb0bZKf1mbbwk1Of8qrwnQ3H3vBE-6p-PTZUR1-PuZj0QGoxXbHIIBMEMl7Nlwpuw2FLQR0krINv17c88rT37wAMRRRQhyV7PNTMVc-J7xgk/h120/index.jpeg++staph+on+foot.jpeg" style="height: 120px; left: 0px; top: 0px; width: 91px;" /> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Unfortunately, there are no laws prohibiting drivers from
wearing flip flops, although Departments of Motor Vehicles do warn that wearing
inappropriate footwear (and bare feet) can be dangerous. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even if anti flip-flop laws were enacted, how
could they be enforced?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite laws against texting and talking while driving, I see dozens of people every day doing
just that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The problem is there are too
many offenders and not enough police.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore,
enforcing a flip flop law is impossible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can see a driver’s hands and face through a car window but not their feet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Idi Amin, the dictator of Uganda, may have had it right when
he made wearing flip flops a criminal offense, punishable with death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeah, maybe that was a tad harsh, but I’m
guessing it got the job done.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<u>THE BOTTOM WHINE</u>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If
the shoe is fitted, wear it; if it isn’t, DON’T! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxzC1SYaJ0o7SUGb0jiP0dPmJ6X1-KQMlgiNXv68udnGsk_6_xMuAk6qKr3VKWxR0vjvj3eSK00CR3FpkBjo63tivRdAIESVK6zdU0bbpnAd20V7C_G1uDv7G3awlb2Nu4IuSRDrQprU/s1600/imagesCAEUNJYB+I%27m+a+whine+expert.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwxzC1SYaJ0o7SUGb0jiP0dPmJ6X1-KQMlgiNXv68udnGsk_6_xMuAk6qKr3VKWxR0vjvj3eSK00CR3FpkBjo63tivRdAIESVK6zdU0bbpnAd20V7C_G1uDv7G3awlb2Nu4IuSRDrQprU/s1600/imagesCAEUNJYB+I'm+a+whine+expert.jpg" /></a></div>
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Whiningly yours, Carol<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 5;"> </span></div>
Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-74482029011270089552014-05-09T07:48:00.003-07:002020-01-23T11:05:32.224-08:00 #23 LANGUAGE USE AND ABUSE <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3633911093984595210" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">According
to linguistics professor Henry Higgins in Lerner and Lowe's "My Fair
Lady," Americans haven't spoken the English language in years. If that’s what
he thought fifty-eight years ago, what would he say today, given the proliferation
of fillers, phrase and sentence reductions, techno-words, and the loss of words
indicative of a civil society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Fillers
are words that carry no meaning but are added to sentences to give speakers
time to grope for words and collect their thoughts. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of today’s popular fillers include: you
know, so, like, and uh (“uh” is the filler of choice for the over-fifty
crowd).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I was recently subjected to a “like” speaker at a
public lecture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After some minutes, I
became more interested in the number of times he said “like” in a minute than I
was in what he had to say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made a
tally.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .7in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">At 30 minutes, the lecturer had said
“like” 180 times. At thirty-one minutes, I left the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The speaker was either unprepared, dishonest,
or under the influence of his teenage children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Possibly all three.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> But don’t think that filler abusers
are limited to a particular age, social, or professional group.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They’re everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>President
Obama in an NBC interview in August of 2013 used “you know” 43 times. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein said “you
know” 84 times in a 2010 CNN interview, but the filler trophy goes to Caroline
Kennedy, who, in a New York Times interview in 2008 said “you know” 142 times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For your reading pleasure, a part of that
interview is below: </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-right: .7in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">"So I think in many ways, <u>you
know,</u> we want to have all kinds of different voices, <u>you know</u>,
representing us, and I think what I bring to it is, <u>you know</u>, my
experience as a mother, as a woman, as a lawyer, <u>you know</u>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I've been an education activist for the last
six years here, and, <u>you know</u>, I've written seven books.... so
obviously, <u>you know,</u> we have ....”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">One of the many negative consequences
of the electronic age is the public’s increasing impatience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our attention span has diminished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone wants everything fast -- and faster
yet -- including language, both written and spoken.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This need for speed has led to the reduction
of frequently-used phrases into single words and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>abbreviations, such as: do it yourself (DIY),
oh my God (OMG), laughing out loud (LOL), best friends forever (BFF), living alone
together (LAT), and by the way (BTW) --to name just a few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>E-mails and texts are often truncated, and it’s
not uncommon to receive messages such as: “PLZ 4GIVE ALL ERROZ.” (No wonder people
can’t spell anymore!) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">But why worry? This trunc8ing of
words and phrases in2 letters & symbols will probably die off B4 long.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s what happened to the once popular SWAK
(sealed with a kiss), written on the backs of envelopes containing social
letters and thank you notes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And if SWAK
hadn’t died its natural death, then it would have been pushed into its grave by
a modern culture that doesn’t write letters or send thank you notes, much less
ever addressed an envelope.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Technological changes have led to the
birth of many words which have, in turn, influenced the popular culture – words
like “selfie.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Selfies are </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">photos
people take of themselves on their smart phones, often including one, two, or a
dozen of their BFFs. Actor James Franco eloquently explains the joy of selfies
in a recent Instagram post:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">… “sharing a very (sic) kind of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intimate</i>
portrait…it’s almost like (sic) it’s connected to you putting <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">intimate </i>space out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a kind (sic) of this new thing we’re
getting used to.” </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span> <img class="rg_i" data-src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVL101t3svdf5_qaWuPGYLDnwWVMw0dgX9ntijkCdz6frtnvbxPg" data-sz="f" height="197" name="5U3kh2PvtezWyM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSVL101t3svdf5_qaWuPGYLDnwWVMw0dgX9ntijkCdz6frtnvbxPg" style="height: 169px; margin-left: -5px; margin-right: -8px; margin-top: 0px; width: 171px;" width="200" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s
good to know that narcissists like Franco can – in a matter of minutes – take
photos of their private parts and make them public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, if he learns that his phone’s been
tapped or that Big Brother is monitoring his library withdrawals (assuming he
can read), he’ll be the first to scream bloody murder for invasion of privacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>President
Obama recently one-upped Franco with a selfie ménage a trois at President
Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Not only did this photo set a new low in funeral behavior, it led to the creation of the term "funeral selfie." Selfies, in turn, have given birth to "shelfies," self-appointed harbingers of good taste, who arrange their "art collections" on shelves, then photograph and send them into the blogosphere for the world to see. The photo below of the two guinea pigs (stuffed, I hope) is an example. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Other new words include twerking,
which means provocative dancing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(What
was wrong with the more descriptive term “dirty dancing?”), bitcoin,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>wackadoodle,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>bestie, and honey jar (I guess it takes too long to say “a jar of honey.”)
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Although the “F” word has been around
forever, it is now being used in new and different ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traditionally a verb and expletive, it’s also
used as a filler, an adjective, adverb, gerund, noun, and pronoun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
hear Fs all day long: in the media (written and broadcast), in musical lyrics,
on TV, in the streets, at the movies, and out of the mouths of babes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The F word is spoken 500 times in the movie
The Wolves of Wall Street (That’s almost three F’s per minute.) and F is proudly
displayed on t-shirts, tattoos, coffee mugs, and billboards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">While thousands of new words are
added to the lexicon each year, others <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>--symbolic <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>of a civil society -- are disappearing from
use, like: please, thank you, excuse me, and you’re welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“You're welcome" is being replaced with
"no problem," which is counterintuitive because if I thought
“whatever” was going to be a problem, I wouldn’t have asked in the first
place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Yes,
I’m a cynic, but believe it or not, I’m also an optimist and am confident that
a future cadre of literate, intelligent, and independent thinkers will rise to
stem the tide of language abuse and its negative impact on human
communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An example of such a person
is Hannah Barnett, a high school junior from Chevy Chase, MD,
who recently wrote in a class essay: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.0pt;">"Please put down the selfie camera on your IPhone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A picture may be worth 1,000 words, but that
doesn't justify taking millions of selfies in lieu of having a real
conversation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It comes to the point that
we are now photographing ourselves doing nothing worthy of a photograph. We are
documenting ourselves documenting ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>More and more, I feel as if we get dressed up to do fun stuff just so we
can put it on social media and let other people see that we're dressed up and
doing fun stuff!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>.... I beg you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Put down your phones, make eye contact with
me, and let's talk." </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">That student, by the way, is my
Granddaughter, and that’s nothing to whine about! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span>Whiningly
yours, Carol</span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, there is a war on women, but it’s not being waged by Republicans, Democrats, Communists, Socialists, or Aliens. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a war women are waging against themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some do so unwittingly; others for perceived personal gains… while many more contribute to the war by remaining silent, rather than standing up and being counted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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These warring women come in a variety of shapes and sizes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are those in political circles who command a wide audience and use that podium to malign other women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Take, for example, Congresswoman Kyrsten Sinema who has publicly attacked women who choose to be stay-at-home moms: “These women are leeching off their husbands, or boyfriends, and just cashing the checks … that’s bullshit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, what the fuck are we really talking about here?” says Sinema. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Political strategist Hillary Rosen condemned Ann Romney for being a stay-at-home mom. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did anyone cross the aisle in order to support a cause larger than oneself?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And when presidential candidate Barak Obama said in 2007 that “…staying at home to raise children isn’t real work,” did you hear a public outcry?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(By the way, raising children is the hardest work I’ve ever done.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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When Michelle Malkin was viscously attacked with racial slurs for her political views and threatened to the point that she had to move, where were her supporters?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who came to Ann Coulter’s defense when she was called a transvestite?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who confronted Whoopi Goldberg when, on national TV, she described Roman Polanski’s drugging and raping of an unconscious thirteen year old girl as “not rape-rape but something else,” In other words, “something else” not so serious. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Another group of women waging a war against their own are the self-serving “good wives,” those camp followers who publicly support husbands who have trashed their public posts, violated their marriages, and humiliated their families. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To name just a few: Huma Abedin (wife of Anthony Weiner)</div>
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……Hillary Clinton (Bill), Silda Spitzer (Eliot, who had the hubris to violate a law HE had passed making payment for sex a Class E felony), and Bronwyn Ingram, fiancee of ex-mayor of San<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Diego, Bob Filner (found guilty of sexually harassing eighteen women), </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sociopaths like the above view such public support as a “green light,” which leads, inevitably, to more of the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What this country needs are more Jenny Sanfords, (ex-wife of Mark Sanford, Governor of South Carolina) and Lorena Bobbitts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In 2012 Carlos Henriquez, a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, was found guilty of beating and kidnapping his girlfriend.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was sent to prison for 2 ½ years but served only six months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only this year did the <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:state> House of Representatives decide to deal with Henriquez’ status: to vote him out of office…or keep him in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NAACP (with a half a million members) sent a letter to the House, requesting that Henriquez be kept in office. The NAACP president, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Juan</st1:placename> <st1:placename w:st="on">Cofield</st1:placename></st1:place> said:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He was convicted of two misdemeanors – not felonies… every day people commit misdemeanors – like jaywalking<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Beating and kidnapping is likened to “jaywalking”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hello women members of the NAACP!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where were you?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <strong><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">the kitchen making coffee?<o:p></o:p></span></strong></div>
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<strong><span lang="EN" style="font-weight: normal; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></strong>Politically ambitious women wage another kind of war against women. Take Sandra Fluke, for example, the law school student who just “happened” onto the scene when President Obama was being criticized for his contraceptive mandate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wailed like a baby that buying her own birth control pills would “financially tax’ her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She wanted me (and you) to pay for her to play.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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This is the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e Sandra Fluke who is currently traveling through Italy and Spain on spring break with her fiancé, Adam, the son of William Mutterperl, a “one-percenter”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who has contributed to more than fifty political campaigns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I feel confident that if Adam would ask his father nicely, very very nicely, Mr. Mutterperl would give his little boy $9 to buy a pack of condoms down at the corner drugstore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So thanks heaps, Sandra, for helping to promote an image of women as helpless and irresponsible little girls, so incapable of making life decisions for themselves that they need the Government’s intervention.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Flukes of this country are not solving any Sisterhood problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">are</b> the problem!</div>
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Another front on women’s war against women is being fought by the mothers of the 250,000 little girls entered into beauty competitions each year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What these children learn early on in life is that what’s between their ears isn’t important.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is … is how they look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to the American Psychological Association, “girls who are sexualized early will – when adults -- tend to measure their self-worth on their appearance.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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</span>Another warring group against women includes those who use their public platforms for personal gain – rather than for the public good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regrettably, one such woman is first lady Michelle Obama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Note her recent statement to the Chinese press on her trip to <st1:country-region w:st="on">China</st1:country-region> in March of this year: “It’s very <u>rare t</u>hat I have the opportunity to travel outside of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>, and it’s even more rare to have the opportunity to travel with three generations – with my daughters and my mother…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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Seriously?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This from the woman who has established the record for the most vacations taken while in public office, which include numerous trips outside the U.S and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- most often -- with her mother and children. While in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Michelle stayed in a 3,400 square foot hotel room that cost $8,350 per night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e hotel that Vice-President Joe Biden chose <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>NOT</u></b> to stay in earlier in the year because “It was too expensive.” (Thanks, Joe).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Obama administration has refused to talk about the price tag for this <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">China</st1:place></st1:country-region> trip, but, when hard-pressed by reporters, the White House spokesperson replied: “We got a great bang for the buck.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The total “buck” has been estimated to be several million taxpayers’ dollars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for the “bangs”</div>
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and Tai Chi classes, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>took pictures, visited the Great Wall, and operated a robot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Michelle’s other recent and rare trips include her June, 2013 trip to <st1:country-region w:st="on">Ireland</st1:country-region><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(I thought <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ireland</st1:place></st1:country-region> was a foreign country, but what do I know?), where she stayed in a $3,000 a night room. This trip is estimated to have cost the American taxpayers $5 million. (<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place> Times). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Two months later, two generations of the Obama family took another rare<u> </u>vacation – this one to <st1:place w:st="on">Martha’s Vineyard</st1:place> (estimated to have cost $1.2 million.) I hate to sound petty, but by my calculation, if Michelle hadn’t “needed” to return to D.C. all by herself on a private jet – although the president and their daughters were leaving on the <st1:personname w:st="on">sam</st1:personname>e day – 30% of the bill (approximately $364,000 of the taxpayers’ money) could have been saved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Other recent but rare foreign-family vacations include Spain, a number of South American countries, and Africa, The three African trips alone are estimated to have cost the taxpayers over one million dollars.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then there are Michelle’s skiing vacations in 2012 and 2013, which totaled $1,092,000, and the rare family Christmas vacation to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:state> this year, where they stayed in a 7,000 square foot house and left the taxpayers with a bill of about $4 million. (Daily <st1:city w:st="on">Mail</st1:city>, <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United Kingdom</st1:country-region></st1:place>).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But seventeen days wasn’t enough for the first lady so she remained in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:state> for another week after the family left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This necessitated a not-so-rare need for a second Air Force jet to return her to D.C </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>White House dossier, Keith Koffler, estimates that costs of the Obamas four rare vacations to <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Hawaii</st1:place></st1:state> have cost taxpayers in the neighborhood of $20 million.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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First ladies can make a difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many have, and although no one ever expected Michelle Obama to be another Eleanor Roosevelt, she’s demonstrated just how frivolous, entitled, and self-serving a woman can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than setting a positive image for hundreds of thousands of young women – African American women in particular – she will be remembered as a “vacation junkie,” a first lady who misused the public trust (and treasury) to fill her private bucket list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>THE BOTTOM WHINE:</u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next time someone tries to sell you a bill of goods about how this or that political party is waging a war against women, please tell them for me that this particular war is one women are waging against themselves. </div>
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Whiningly yours, Carol</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-29380438812018496472014-03-15T12:26:00.000-07:002020-01-23T11:04:25.951-08:00 #21 WHAT'S IN A VOICE? <div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There are some voices that make me want to run for cover. It doesn’t matter what they have to say. There’s nothing that can justify the headache I get listening to them – their whines and whimpers, sighs and highs, killer-fillers, squawking and talking, and I’m not alone. Research shows that listeners care twice as much about the quality of a voice than what the speakers have to say.</div>
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At the top of my “I’m outta here” list is the <strong>WHINER </strong>(<u>Note:</u> My whines are exempt because they’re non-vocal). Whiners sound like squealing pigs being led to the slaughter. And looking at them is almost as painful as listening to them -- the way their eyebrows crash into their eyes -- like they’re undergoing brain surgery.</div>
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Is it possible there’s an anatomical connection between Whiners’ eyebrow muscles and their voice boxes? Just a thought. </div>
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Another annoying voice is the falsetto of the <strong>LITTLE GIRL </strong>who lives in an adult woman’s body. Their high-pitched screams shrill for attention. “Aren’t I adorable? Don’t you want to pick me up and take me home with you?” No, I don’t, but what I would like to do is put them in a crib, close the door, and not let them out again until they’ve grown up. Another problem with purveyors of the Little Girl Voice is that the content of what they have to say is commensurate with the repertoire of a little girl. </div>
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The good news is… sometimes, you can escape them. That’s because many come adorned with little girl bows in their hair… so, if you see one coming your way, run -- don’t walk -- to the nearest exit. <br />
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Have you met up with a <strong>WHISPERER</strong>? They’re the ones who talk so softly that even if you have 20-20 hearing, you have to crawl into their laps and stop breathing to hear what they’re saying. According to psychologists, Whisperers whisper because they need to control everything in their environment – including listeners. <br />
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First cousin to the Whisperer is <strong>BREATHLESS</strong>, but Breathless has a different objective. She thinks her voice is seductive (a la Marilyn Monroe) and uses it as linguistic foreplay. But when I hear Breathless speak, I don’t think sex. I think she’s in the throes of an asthmatic attack, and I offer her my aerosol spray. </div>
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<strong>UPTALKERS </strong>(akin to the Valley Girls) end statements with upward inflections, turning them into questions. Even statements of unquestionable certainty, such as “My name is Carol,” becomes: “My name is Carol?” </div>
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We expect Uptalking from teenagers who are generally too insecure to make definitive statements and are desperate for validation, but now the virus has spread to adults. Fathers of Uptalking daughters have also become Uptalkers, apparently to make themselves appear more friendly and non-assertive to their daughters and the daughters’ friends. This Uptalking disease has gone transgender and transcontinental, having spread from the United States… to Canada… and now to England. <br />
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The public, at large, perceives Uptalkers to be empty-headed, uninformed and lacking in confidence. Who would hire an Uptalker? Imagine one addressing a potential customer: “You’re going to like Product XYZ?” This affectation may explain why Uptalkers, when looking for a job, rarely get past the interview stage. <br />
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We’ve all been corned by <strong>FILLER KILLERS, </strong>those speakers who can’t get through a sentence without embedding a number of “huhs, uhs, likes…I means…or …you knows.” I was recently subjected to a FILLER at a 90-minute workshop. After fifteen minutes, I stopped listening, and for the next 75, I clocked the number of fillers in every sixty second segment. The result? Nine per minute, which means an “uh, huh, you know, you mean, or a like” every 6 2/3 seconds. <br />
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<strong>VOLUMIZERS </strong>kidnap a conversation and hold you hostage by talking louder than everyone else. Occasionally a determined but naïve listener will challenge the Volumizer by raising his or her voice, but Volumizers have no intention of giving up their bully pulpits. They respond by ratcheting up their own volume and increasing their speed of delivery, thereby making it near to impossible for a challenger to get a word in edgewise. <br />
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If you make the mistake of suggesting to a voice offender that he or she consider working on his/her speech, be prepared for: “That’s my voice. I was born with it, and there’s nothing I can do about it.” True, your voice is, in part, dependent on your DNA, but by the time you reach adulthood, your voice (along with much more) IS your responsibility. Most offenders can fix their impediments themselves … or with the help of a professional. <br />
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Remember: you will be judged by the voice you project. Speakers with high-pitched, loud, breathy, upended, whining, or whispering voices are judged to be weak, passive, nervous, empty-headed, insecure, and bullying; whereas speakers with attractive voices are viewed as successful, secure, and attractive. <br />
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Whiningly yours, CarolCarolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-8376343450573377322014-01-02T07:30:00.001-08:002020-01-23T11:04:02.909-08:00#20 ONCE UPON A MATTRESS<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <o:p></o:p></b></div>
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Once upon a time I could sit on the edge of my bed, touch the floor, and tie my shoelaces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our dog could jump from the floor onto the mattress in a single bound, the TV was at eye level, and my king-sized contour sheets hung snugly to the corners of the mattress.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>was before we bought our new mattress (which I named Mt. Everest) from one of the three mattress retailers, all lined up together in a neat little row on a street as scary as Elm Street (as in “A Nightmare on…”)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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At the time we thought that the line-up of retailers was conceived as a convenience for would-be mattresses buyers -- so we could more easily compare mattress quality and prices. But it turns out that comparative shopping is impossible because each retailer gets a different proprietary name for the same mattress. Retailers can then tell us that they have an “exclusive.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s exclusive is the name on the mattress<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- not the mattress.</div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Yeah, now we know, but now it’s too late. <o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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So we innocently went from retailer A … to B …to C, and listened three times to the same mind-mashing mumbo-jumbo about generic foam, space-age foam, memory foam, super-soft foam, medical foam, proprietary foam, cotton batting, latex, wrapped coils, unwrapped coils and padded coils.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The more we heard, the less we knew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sellers of mattresses can put car lot salesmen in their back pockets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How I yearned for the good old days when we had only once choice: soft, medium, or hard. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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As for mattress “testing” on the showroom floor – that’s a farce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How a mattress feels <u>then </u>… and how it will feel three days or three months later can be significantly different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s because cheaper foams break down very quickly. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Yeah,</u> <u>now we know, but now it’s too late!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>We never thought at the time of the purchase to ask how high the mattress would rise above ground level.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We should have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Mt.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Everest</st1:placename></st1:place> rises 35 inches off the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s approximately one-third the height of the typical 8’ wall -- well into the nose bleed section if you’re on blood thinners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thirty-five inch high mattresses also present a challenge getting in and out of bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder what short people, the physically handicapped, the elderly and other lap dogs do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first time our dog tried to <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">climb</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Mt.</st1:placetype></st1:place> Everest, she almost killed herself. We had to buy her a doggy stairs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That ran us nearly $100.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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There were other problems.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our contour sheets constantly popped off the corners of the bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gone were smooth, tightly fitted streets – unless we wanted to fork out $200 for a set of deep fit sheets. Then we discovered bed bands (only $15), which promised to keep the sheet corners in place. Snugstraps, sheet grippers, and sheet suspenders all do the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Then there was the problem with the headboard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pillows kept falling off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the old bedspread now hung about 18” off the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Yeah,</u></b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>now we know, but now it’s too late!</u></b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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And talk about the mattress weight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It took two strong men to carry this 125 pound behemoth into the bedroom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve only had the mattress for three months now, and I’ve already broken four fingernails trying to lift it to change sheets and tuck in the blanket. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now we understand why retailer “B” included two men to come to your house four times a year to turn over your mattress, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>but</u></b> <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>now it’s too late.<o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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Eventually, retailer B will have to send three or more men to turn over mattresses. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Recent research at Ohio State University found that because mattresses absorb body oil, moisture, and dead skin (which attract dust mites) a ten-year-old mattress is likely to have accumulated 100,000 to ten million mites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Consequently, between the mites and the guck we exude, mattresses could easily gain 30% of its original weight over a ten year period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This means that ten years from now our 125 pound mattress could weigh 145 ugly pounds. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>Yeah, now we know, but now it’s too late! <o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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I was on top of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Mt.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Everest</st1:placename></st1:place> the other night and wanted to read Vogue Magazine, laying on the night table some distance below me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I stretched over the side of the bed and grabbed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, after years of women’s plunging necklines and exposed cleavage, necklines are now on the rise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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That’s what they do, you know – the dictators of fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once they think a product has saturated the market, they change directions on us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That keeps buyers buying and the economy moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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That’s why I don’t need my tarot cards to predict that in the next few years mattress makers -- motivated by the upcoming market of aging baby boomers and their predictable aches and pains -- will develop some revolutionary new product that gives sleepers better body support without the coils, the foams, the padding and all the rest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ground-breaking material will lighten the weight and lower the height of the current mattress, and all makers of ancillary products will cheer them on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">THE BOTTOM WHINE</b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What goes up must come down.</div>
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<o:p> Whiningly yours, Carol </o:p></div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com36tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-23123323655586829422013-12-07T14:17:00.002-08:002020-01-23T11:02:52.442-08:00#19 PRIVATE VS. UNCLE SCAM'S<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Some scams have been around for years, like paying upfront for a job that doesn’t exist or for training sessions and work materials that never arrive. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are phony lottery and sweepstake scams, fake retail stores on the internet which look like the real thing, and the ubiquitous “I’m stranded in Timbuktu without any funds. Wire me money!” There are calls from scammers claiming to<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>represent legitimate philanthropies, asking for money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One such scam recently netted thieves more than $20 million.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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There are scams using internet re-sellers, such as E-Bay and Craig’s List, wherein a <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“buyer” makes a purchase, deliberately overpays, and asks you to wire the difference.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their check bounces, but your money transfer doesn’t. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Have you heard about the scammers who copy the code numbers on store gift cards, call the 800 number or check online to see when the card is activated, and when it is, go on an on-line shopping spree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By the time the legal card owners try to use them, they’ve been maxed out! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Newspaper and magazine publishers scam you, too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say you subscribed to XYZ magazine, and at the end of its subscription life, they renew you without asking (Your credit card is on file.). On top of that, your renewal is oftentimes at a higher rate than the previous year’s. The way to prevent this from happening is to use virtual cards. </div>
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Dayna Morales, a gay New Jersey waitress, gets an “A” for originality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She complained on Facebook that a couple she had served wrote on their credit slip: “I’m sorry, but I can’t tip you because I do not agree with your life style.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ms. Morales collected thousands of dollars from sympathetic Facebook friends -- until the maligned couple showed up at the local radio station with the controversial receipt in hand. There was no note to Ms. Morales on their copy, but there was proof that they had left her a tip – a generous one at that!<span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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There are dozens of ways you can be scammed into accepting malware on the internet: via e-cards and e-invites, holiday apps, screen savers, “fun and free” software, and by contacting friends and followers on Facebook and Twitter who have been hacked into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Please don'</span>t think that scams are the exclusive domain of the private sector. Our government is a major scammer, though their scams – once uncovered – are called “scandals.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the last two years alone, we’ve been <u>scam</u>dled a lot (not a typo). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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In 2012 the General Services Administration (GSA<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">),</b> whose mission is to manage the Government’s resources with “the utmost care...allow for no waste,” spent $800,000 of the taxpayers’ money on a four-day Las Vegas retreat for themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did they make restitution? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you think the answer is “yes,” I’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. </div>
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Then there was the National Security Agency’s (NSA) scam, which gave one man, Snowden, unlimited access to unlimited amounts of classified data, in violation of I.T’s golden rule. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the same NSA that tracks five billion cell phones daily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all the snooping they do, you’d think they’d know enough to snoop on their own snoops, especially when everyone knows more accidents happen at home. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Beginning in 2010, organizations petitioning the IRS for non-for-profit (501C) status and had the words “tea party” or “patriot” in their names were deliberately targeted – their paperwork stonewalled for years. Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To prevent them from functioning until after the 2012 presidential election. Were the victims compensated for IRS’ criminal behavior?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes – in fascsinista fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Petitioners’ names and personal data were “accidentally” released into cyberspace, putting them at the mercy of private and public sectors identity thieves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Then there’s the ObamaCare scamdel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than “Buy American” and create jobs for unemployed Americans, ACA contracted CGI, a Canadian firm with a known poor track record in the development of healthcare websites to do the job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s now $678 million later, and what have we got?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Guess ACA never heard of Amazon.com, which handles 800,000 users a day. </div>
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More jobs for Americans were lost when the Defense Information Services Agency also contracted CGI to the tune of $871 million.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And add to that the $143 million deal between CGI and Homeland Security and the Coast Guard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who gets the kickback? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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How would you like to be scammed and bullied all at the same time? In May of this year, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) brought a suit against the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), a non-for-profit made up of 22,000 music teachers whose shared goal is the promotion of music study. So why is the FTC going after them? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Because in MTNA’s code of ethics, written 137 years ago at its founding, it says that members cannot “actively recruit students from other teachers,” a common agreement in many professions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The FTC discovered this odious phrase and screamed “Anti-competitive! Price-fixing!” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The MTNA agreed to edit the offensive language from its code, but that wasn’t enough for the bored and bullying bureaucrats at the FTC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They wanted more, much more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The FTA mandated that MTNA must:</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'times romani';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span>send the FTC all their records going back twenty years.</div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'times romani';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span>read aloud a statement at every national meeting stating that the anti-free trade clause had been expunged. </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'times romani';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span>ensure that its 500 mafia affiliates sign a compliance statement. </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'times romani';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span>create an anti-trust compliance program which would include annual training. </div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: 'times romani';"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span>appoint an anti-trust compliance officer to send regular reports to the FTC for the next twenty years. </div>
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The FTC treats the country’s music teachers like they’re part of a drug cartel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there no one to stop them? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Yes, sort of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back in the seventies a cadre of watchdogs – called Inspector Generals (IG) -- was created to oversee Federal agencies and offices to prevent mismanagement, government waste, and criminal behavior. There are currently six vacant (not permanent) I.G. positions, vacant from between two and five years): State, Defense, Homeland Security, Interior, Labor, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those six agencies account for 58% of the Federal budget. .<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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For many reasons, Acting I.Gs are frequently ineffective, ultimately functioning like sleeping dogs<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- with little bark and no bite – rather than watchdogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You have to wonder if the Benghazi massacre would have happened if a permanent State Department I.G. had been in place. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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But in my opinion, if you want to oversee the public sector, the best watchdogs come from an independent private sector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good example of such an organization is Judicial Watch <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<a href="http://www.judicialwatch.org/">www.JudicialWatch.org</a>). As of December, 2013, Judicial Watch has processed and is pursuing more than 1,200 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and a record number of lawsuits (95) against various branches of the federal government.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The Bottom Whine:</u></b> Scams abound in both the private and public sectors ... <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" eua="true" src="" /></a><br />
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... but if I’m going to be scammed, I prefer it come from the private sector.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all, they use their own funds – rather than mine -- to bankroll their scams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also don’t bully the scamee; if they did, the scam would collapse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, in the private sector you are “invited” to be scammed, and, finally, there’s a (small) possibility that private scammers will be caught and punished, while with Government, there’s never anyone who’s responsible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh, yeah, sometimes they find a scapegoat or two, but the worst that ever happens to them is they get ten lashes with a wet noodle, moved to a new position, and keep their pensions.</div>
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Give me a private sector thief any time!</div>
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Whiningly yours, Carol</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-5614055162484752013-11-09T15:49:00.000-08:002020-01-23T11:01:46.879-08:00#18 EMPATHY...DOWN // NARCISSISM UP<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> <strong><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><o:p></o:p></strong></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 4;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> A </span></span></b>blind man was recently assaulted on a city street.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than help him or <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- at the very least -- call 9-1-1, bystanders watched the event with the gusto displayed by ancient Romans witnessing Christians being thrown to the lions. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Last year, a man was pushed onto NYC subway tracks. As he struggled to climb onto the platform, no one came to help him, but one man was kind enough to photograph him as he was hit and killed by an approaching train. The photographer later sold his photo to the New York Post, which published it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Unfortunately, these are not isolated events, and they are becoming increasingly common.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you go to YouTube, you’ll find hundreds of videos of rapes, robberies, abductions, and beatings witnessed by people who did nothing to help the victims.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The public, at large, is becoming so indifferent to the suffering of others that there is now a name for this phenomenon: “Bystander apathy.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although researchers have found an inverse ratio between a person’s age and his or her empathetic rating (people in their sixties demonstrate three times as much empathy as do people in their twenties), empirical evidence shows that apathy is rising across all age groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Examination of videos and photos taken at public assaults shows do-nothing bystanders of all ages – young, middle-aged, and elderly. </div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What is at the root of this growing epidemic? </div>
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In large part, our technology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, have created an environment where quantity replaces quality as a positive value.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How often have you heard people bragging about the number of friends and followers they have – and not their virtues? Numbering has led to a numbing of what’s important in life. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Another problem with the worship of numbers is that in order to stand out in the crowd, salacious content and self-promotion is required; in short, a wannabe has to become his own electronic National Enquirer, and who gets hurt along the way is unimportant. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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To that end: a fourteen-year-old student recently (and foolishly) sexted her then-boyfriend a naked photo of herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boyfriend, subsequently, forwarded it to a friend of his, who, in turn, forwarded the photo to dozens of others with an added caption: “If you think this girl is a whore, text it to all of your friends.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The photo went viral, and the girl was disgraced and humiliated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently those involved did not care a whit what damage was inflicted upon the girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t about her. It was all about them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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A male student posted a list of “sexually active” girls from his high school on Facebook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Included with the names were descriptions of their sexual activities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Within hours, over 7,000 people had “liked” the page and trashed the girls’ reputations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not only did these 7,000 people not care that reputations were ruined and pain and suffering inflicted, they also didn’t mind being identified as contributors; indeed, most probably never viewed their behavior as immoral at all. </div>
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Our daily exposure to violence -- at the movies, on TV, and on video games -- has also contributed to increased apathy. The more violence we see, the more desensitized we become to the pain and suffering of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There has also been a relaxing of moral standards and rules of behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Relativists preach that there is no right and wrong; that all actions are moral, depending on the individual’s perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<o:p> </o:p>I disagree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are some perspectives that have no redeeming points of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Written standards have also taken a beating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Joel Stein accused Millennials of being “lazy, entitled narcissists” (Time Magazine, May, 2013), thirty-three year old blogger Tom Hawking responded: “horseshit… piss…asshole…and whoop-de-fucking do" (Flavorwine.com), substantiating Stein’s thesis. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Today’s technology has not only desensitized us from the inside-out, it has dulled our senses from the outside-in. In October a passenger on a commuter train waved his 45 caliber pistol overhead for some minutes, but none of the passengers -- numbering in the dozens -- noticed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were all too preoccupied with their mobile devices, as evidenced later on security footage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gunman ultimately shot and killed a twenty-year-old student.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The other side of the Apathy coin is the face of Narcissism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As concern for others decreases, self-love fills the vacuum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement,” Twenge and <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Campbell</st1:place></st1:city>). Contributing to the “It’s all about me” phenomenon are overly indulgent parents<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“helicopter parents” and followers of “self-esteem childrearing,” where children are taught that they’re right – even when they’re wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Failures equal successes, and an “F” is as good as an “A,” ignoring the fact that self-esteem comes as a result of REAL achievement -- not handouts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the self-esteem environment, children grow up with an attitude of entitlement...<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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... which leads to what I call the “Entitlement Walk.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Drive across a college campus today and note that at every corner and sometimes between corners there are well-marked pedestrian crosswalks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least one-third of the students entering the crosswalks clutch mobile devices like pacifiers -- talking, tweeting, and/or texting, never checking for possible oncoming cars. They believe they’re untouchable and that everyone is looking out for them; consequently, they don't look out for themselves.<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span> </div>
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This entitlement walk doesn’t end at the crosswalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>University professors report that there has been a significant change in student attitudes over the past four to five years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not uncommon today for students to not hand in required papers, to not attend classes, to fail exams; yet show up at professors’ offices complaining that they didn’t get an “A.” And sometimes, when the student gets no satisfaction, a parent will call later, explaining why his or her child must get an “A.” </div>
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The Entitlement Walk continues after graduation. </div>
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What can we do about it? How can we get the "me, me, me's" to think about "thee, thee, thee"? Here's how: </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Don’t accept rude behavior from others -- like those who treat public places like their living rooms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t speak up, you are part of the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>problem. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Stop and help those in need and enlist the help of others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You teach by doing.</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Relocate the “Turn your cell phone off” signs hung in doctors’ offices to the waiting areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Patients deserve as much consideration as do staff – maybe more.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The Bottom Whine:</u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Empathy is at the heart of morality, civility at the heart of civilization, and whining at the heart of change.</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-1035770960055936192013-10-08T08:41:00.000-07:002020-01-23T11:01:11.115-08:00#17 The Correct Spelling of Perfume = POISON<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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Fragrance hypersensitivity has become the most common allergy among adults. Over two millions Americans suffer from a condition called Multiple Chemical Sensitivity (MCS). This means they’re either allergic to the fragrances that go into perfumes, colognes and other scented products, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and/or to the additional twelve to eighteen toxins typically added from a cauldron of 5,000 chemicals. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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These chemicals can cause a variety of allergic reactions, such as headaches, migraines, asthma, wheezing, sneezing, runny nose, watery eyes, inability to concentrate, dizziness, raw throat, and skin allergies such as hives and rashes. </div>
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Diethyl phthalate (DEP) and DEHP (now banned in Europe), commonly used in fragrances, have been linked to breast cancer, liver, kidney, and lung damage, weight gain, diabetes, and hormone dysfunction. Other toxins affect brain function and have been linked to Attention Deficit Disorder. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Parabens, frequently used as preservatives, influence early onset of puberty in girls.</div>
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A study at the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">University</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Rochester</st1:placename></st1:place> found that women who had used perfumes and other fragranced products twenty-four hours prior to a urine test had three times the amount of the phthalate MEP (linked to breast cancer) in their urine than did women who had not used any fragranced products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Even so-called “natural” perfumes or colognes often contain an additive called Geraniol, safe by itself but transformed into the allergen Geranial when in contact with skin enzymes and acids.</div>
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On October 3 of this year, a passenger on an air flight reacted to a perfume scent on board and blacked out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The emergency crew that administered oxygen saved the man’s life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I began to wonder – was I putting dangerous chemicals on myself, endangering others, and polluting the environment?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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With the help of a magnifying glass, I read the label on the Lustre-Glo can, which promised to give my house plants “the glow of health.” Although no ingredients were listed, there was a warning to flush immediately if I got any Lustre-Glo on my skin, and if the discomfort continued, to call a doctor. </div>
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Lustre-Glo was apparently safe for plants but perilous for humans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How many other ways was I killing myself?<br />
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My deoderant warned: "Don't wear on broken skin and contact a doctor before using if you have kidney disease” (yup, in that order).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of the 14 four-syllable ingredients listed, I understood only one -- “fragrance.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Now <u>that </u>was frightening; after all, if the manufacturer was willing to list ingredients that sounded like a prescription for chemical warfare, how much more perilous were the toxins that <u>weren’t</u> disclosed; that were hidden within the catchall of “fragrance”? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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My hair gel listed 24 ingredients; among them, Geraniol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember Geraniol?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“…safe until it comes into contact with skin enzymes and acids…”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And my favorite perfume, Coty Musk, didn’t list any ingredients. I Googled “musk” and learned that all musks contain Galaxoide and Tonalide, two contaminants found to harm the endocrine glands.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pitched the Musk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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Neither my Revlon Powder nor Blush listed its contents, and the label on my nail polish was unreadable, written in pale white ink and in letters the size of a dot – this size: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>. <o:p></o:p></u></b></div>
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My hair spray listed 31 ingredients, and included the ubiquitous word “fragrance,” while the bathroom freshener contained Benzene and Formaldehyde, two chemicals linked to cancer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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How can it be that hundreds of chemicals used in every day products go to market untested and that potentially toxic chemicals can be hidden from consumers under the guise of “fragrance”? Isn’t anyone minding the store?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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The National Academy of Sciences has repeatedly asked the FDA to fund research to study the long term effect of toxins on human health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have been ignored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for mandating that manufacturers list all ingredients in fragranced products on packaging, this isn’t going to happen; at least, not until the Federal Government rescinds the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, which exempts manufacturers from disclosure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To protect their “proprietary blends” and “trade secrets.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Nice!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Protect the potential killers but not the victims!</div>
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More people are using more fragrances and more manufacturers are adding more toxins to their products.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The longer a person is exposed to toxins, the greater the possibility that he or she will experience MCS.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twenty-five percent of the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">U.S.</st1:country-region></st1:place> population is currently projected to have fragrance-related breathing problems by the age of 65.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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But we don’t have to take it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can fight back by: </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Contacting our U.S. Congressperson and pressing for repeal of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act and demanding that all fragranced products be tested before going to market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Boycott fragrance producers who do not list all ingredients (and let them </div>
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know).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Ask that your workplace and other public venues become perfume-free environments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If your health is being compromised, apprise management of the number of successful lawsuits brought against offenders under the American Disabilities Act (ADA).</div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Join one or more of the organizations fighting for a fragrance-free </div>
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Environment: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (<a href="http://www.safecosmetics.org/"><span style="color: purple;">www.safecosmetics.org</span></a>), the Environmental Working Group (<a href="http://www.ewg.org/">www.ewg.org</a>), and perfumestinks@perfume stinks. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Ask magazines and newspapers publishers who deliver toxic perfume samples inside their pages to remove them before mailing to you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If they refuse, unsubscribe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>Follow the tacit advice of perfume manufacturers who have created perfumes that replicate the smell of soap (i.e. Dia PerfumeGold, Happy Heart, Cal Che, Faer des 4, Clean Shower, and My Voyage) by throwing out your perfumes and showering daily -- with soap.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You will save your health, the environment and between $75 and $270 dollars. <br />
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span>And, finally, always carry a mini-fan with you for self-defense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blow unwanted scents back to their offenders. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>THE BOTTOM</u> <u>WHINE</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></b>Breathing in fragranced products may be more hazardous to your health than inhaling second-hand smoke. </div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whiningly yours, Carol</span><br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-4102771683990465622013-09-11T12:05:00.001-07:002020-01-23T10:59:30.023-08:00#16 YOO HOO: ANYONE LISTENING? <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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The wise old owl sat on an oak</div>
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The more he heard, the less he spoke.</div>
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The less he spoke, the more he heard.</div>
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I wish more folks were like that bird!</div>
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More and more people are talking but fewer are listening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They HEAR you all right, but they aren’t <span style="font-size: 16pt;">LISTENING.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>They don’t even pretend to listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just watch them -- fumbling with their smart phones, cleaning their nails, making lists, staring into space.</div>
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Some of those stargazers hear you, but they’re not interested in understanding you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re too busy formulating a response to what you’re saying – even though you haven’t finished saying it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s why mid-sentence you are interrupted with: “Oh, that reminds me…” or “Funny you should say that…” and BOOM!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve been high-jacked, and Speaker and Listener have changed roles. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<o:p> </o:p> There are also "listeners" waiting to one-up you. You’ll be in the middle of describing your boat trip on the Amazon when you hear: “That reminds me of the year I lived in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Ghana</st1:place></st1:country-region>, and the village chief taught me how to play the ju-ju net shaker.”<br />
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Some “listeners” just want to be RIGHT (by making you wrong).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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It doesn’t matter what the subject.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anything will do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You say: “We were in <st1:city w:st="on">Calgary</st1:city> last month -- that’s in the Canadian <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">province</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Alberta</st1:placename></st1:place>” -- and they’re immediately on their smart phones, pecking away like robins looking for worms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If -- after a minute or two -- they quietly put down their phones and study their shoes, you know you’ve been validated: that Calgary IS in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">province</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename w:st="on">Alberta</st1:placename></st1:place>! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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There is also a preponderance of listeners with nothing to say but who have a pathological need to keep their mouths moving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They trail your speech with a flow of empty monosyllables like “uhhuh, yeah, and right.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know why they do this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Possibly because they miss the sound of their own voice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Social media like Facebook and Twitter, e-mailing and texting, instagrams and Pinterest have significantly reduced the number of opportunities for face-to-face communication.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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The need for speed – another consequence of the electronic age – has further compromised the quality of communication between people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fast, faster, and faster yet have led to language shrinkage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Common phrases have been reduced to acronyms, such as: LOL, BFF, IMHO, DIY, LAT, and OMG.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This bastardization of English has, unfortunately, been legitimized by the Oxford Dictionary, which now includes these non-words in their once prestigious pages.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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The current dearth of talking venues has created a growing population of people who want to be heard…but, at the same time … there’s a significant decrease in the number of people who are willing to listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This imbalance has resulted in the growth of Toxic Talkers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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I was recently trapped by one such Motor Mouth who had just returned from a hiking vacation.<br />
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Admittedly, what I know about hiking (and all I want to know) is what I know about walking:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>you put one foot ahead of the other, and then the “other” in front of the “one,” and you don’t stop until you get to wherever it is you’re going.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only differences I can detect between the two are that hikers usually carry water bottles and backpacks while walkers don’t.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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But I listened politely as he described all the nooks and crannies, hills and dales, flora and fauna he saw on his trek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what he didn’t see was my glazed eyes, repeated yawns, and jiggling feet; otherwise, he would not have followed up his monologue by taking me over the same ground on his I-Pad – forcing me to look at photos of nooks and crannies, flora and fauna, and hills and dales.<br />
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And, then, just when I thought the ordeal was over, he said: “Well, that’s enough about me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now tell me … what do you think of <u>my</u> vacation?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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As painful as Motor Mouths are, I prefer them to the “Gotcha” talkers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The former make no attention demands on you (leaving you to zone out), while the Gotchas wage sneak attacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly, out of the blue, you’re yanked out of your reverie with: “Carol!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what do you think of that?” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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The old rules of communication are no longer viable… not when research shows that those who talk the most happen to be the same people who rank themselves the highest on listening skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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Today’s wise old birds need to update their advice to more accurately reflect the reality of the 21<sup>st</sup> Century:<br />
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If that wise old bird from days of yore --</div>
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Who spoke much less and listened more –<br />
Should stop to count his words today<br />
He'd never get to have his say.<br />
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Whingingly yours, Carol<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-62683272002309845962013-08-07T10:11:00.000-07:002020-01-23T10:58:34.295-08:00#15 THE SPEECH POLICE<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> T</span>he City of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city>’s Office of Civil Rights in its infinite wisdom decided that the words “brown bag” and “citizen” needed to be purged from public records and private discourse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How come?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apparently, “brown bag” has a racist etymology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The expression will be replaced with “Sack Lunch.”</div>
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<o:p> </o:p> But I don’t think “sack lunch” is a good idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For one thing, the 2000 members of the Nook<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>SACK</u></b> Indian tribe, living only 90 miles north of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city></st1:place>, might be offended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, “sack lunch” could upset those who put their lunches in backpacks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These folks might want to change “brown bag” to “Back Snack,” and what about people on diets, who don’t bring any lunch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Will they feel discriminated against and decide not to come to whatever? </div>
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The word “citizen” is being exorcized from the lexicon because it’s been deemed “exclusionary” and, therefore, injurious to the feelings of “illegals.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But rather than encourage illegals to take the path to citizenship, the City has decided to lexically ”un-citizenize” its citizens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, that might make the illegals feel better about themselves -- after they’ve stopped laughing -- but will the use-to-be-citizens not be offended? And what all-inclusive word will the geniuses in <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> choose to bring severyone together into one great kumbaya? <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Seattle</st1:city></st1:place> Settlers?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Inhabitants of? Residents?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And once <u>that’s</u> settled, will the City Fathers (that needs to be changed) begin editing book and movie titles they find offensive? Will Citizen Kane become Resident Kane?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are important considerations.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Eggheads in the <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city> government have also purged “Easter eggs” from usage because some people find the word “Easter” offensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So what are these odious eggs to be called in the future?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Spring spheres.” I kid you not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If this wasn’t so sick, it would be funny.</div>
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The State of <st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state> (like the City of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Seattle</st1:place></st1:city>) has little or no serious business to conduct; otherwise, it would not have spent the last six years expunging thousands of words and phrases – many written centuries ago – from the public records.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Want some examples?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pen<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>man</u></b>ship has been zapped and is now called “handwriting.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Fresh<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>men</u></b><u>”</u> are now “first year students.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But what about “sophomores?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Surely they’ll want to change their nomenclature, knowing that “sophomore” comes from the word “sophomoric,” which means “insipid” and slightly stupid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe they should be called “second year students.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And juniors?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who wants to be “junior,” a word that puts you forever in the shadow of your father?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Better they should be renamed “third year students,” and in the name of parallelism and equality, seniors should henceforth be known as fourth year students. </div>
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On and on it goes. Where it stops, nobody knows. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Proponents of these egalitarian language changes think they’re righting past wrongs – especially to women – but if they really wanted to make amends, they would follow the precedent set by Affirmative Action programs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than neutralize previously sexist language to asexual forms, the female form should become the new frame of reference for, let’s say, the next 50 to 100 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under my rules, mankind would become <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>woman</u></b>kind, penmanship -pen<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>woman</u></b>ship, manpower – <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>woma</u></b>npower, wo<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>man</u></b>, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>wo-wo</u></b>…so on and so forth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Such language changes would, hopefully, elevate women to positions of leadership, previously held by men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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The Language Police have also infiltrated school districts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An elementary school principal in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Portland</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Oregon</st1:state></st1:place> recently decided that peanut butter sandwiches in the school cafeteria were an offense to children from other cultures. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(If you understand this, please explain it to me.) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And the City of <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">New York</st1:place></st1:city>’s Department of Education has <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>woman</u></b><u>d</u>ated (that used to be <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>man</u></b>dated) teachers and administrators to avoid all words that might “evoke unpleasant emotions” in their students.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Are NYC schoolteachers psychic?) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Words to be avoided include (but are not limited to) “dinosaur” and “birthday.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do these educators know what K-12 children view at local movie theaters on a weekly basis?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ghosts, goblins, zombies, killer robots, knife-slashing psychopaths, murderous extraterrestrials, and end of world themes. If anything, these kids thrive on “unpleasant emotions.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for “birthday” being a word that elicits horror in the minds of small children <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>-- NO!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That doesn’t happen until age 55.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Speech <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Police have also taken up residence in the State Department.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its Chief of Diversity, John Robinson, recently published a warning to all State Department employees to cease and desist using the expressions “rule of thumb”and “hold down the fort” and to find alternative verbiage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>According to Robinson, “rule of thumb” refers to the maximum thickness of a stick a man could use to beat his wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for “hold down the fort,” the forts in question were used by Colonial soldiers in wars with Native American tribes.</div>
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Hopefully, Robinson’s acumen is not indicative of the entire Department of State; if it is, we’re all in big, big trouble.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>First of all, “Hold down the fort” originated in Roman times, and “Rule of thumb” was used to approximate measurements of various kinds.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Furthermore, even if Robinson <u>knew</u> what he was talking about, the notion that one can (and should) attempt to rewrite history by purging personally distasteful words is anti-intellectual, anti-educational, and total madness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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It’s bad enough when Government tries to legislate our lives by dictating language use and trashing our right to free speech, but it’s downright dangerous when this PC insanity infects and affects national security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Think <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Ft.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Hood</st1:placename></st1:place>, 2009, when Major Nidal Hasan, the self-proclaimed “soldier of Allah,” opened fire on soldiers, killing 13 and wounding 32, while repeatedly yelling “Allah Akbar.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead of calling Hasan’s actions what they are -- Islamic terrorism -- the Army has labeled it “workplace violence.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this day, Hasan is handled with kid gloves, while the former judge on the case was removed because -- in accordance with Army regulations prohibiting facial hair --<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>he ordered Hasan to be shaven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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If the Army had not turned a blind eye and a deaf ear to Hasan’s behavior, the murder of 13 American soldiers and maiming of another 32 would never have happened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Base officers knew Hasan was receiving “spiritual guidance” from a Yemen-based al Qaeda cleric, but because he was Muslim, instructions were “don’t offend.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand, if you’re an Evangelical Christian or a Catholic, you’re fair game for defamation. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Earlier this year the Pentagon released a briefing document which identified <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Catholics and Evangelicals as extremists, putting them in the same category as Al Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist organizations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Note: the Pentagon later corrected this document and blamed its release on someone “outside the chain of command.”) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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But who can blame the worker bees when the Queens drone on and on in twisted tongue about “undocumented aliens,” “workplace violence,” and the President of the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">United States</st1:place></st1:country-region> obfuscates reality by calling war a “time-limited military action”?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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If I had my say (but I don’t because I’m not on any Government payroll), there are a few words I’d like to see zapped from the English language, beginning with the expression “gypping” someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Gyp” comes from Gypsy, and as an admirer of the Rom people, their music and culture, I am deeply offended by its usage. Then there’s the expression “killing two birds with one stone,” which really makes me seethe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s cruel enough to kill one innocent bird but two at the same time?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m surprised PETA and the Audubon Society haven’t mounted an attack.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And what about renaming the game of Hop Scotch?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m sure the Scots are offended as are a number of other groups who resent the words “blacktop,” “<st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Redwood</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">Forest</st1:placetype></st1:place>,” and “whitewall tires.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for the prohibition against wishing someone a “Merry Christmas…</div>
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… I’m redoubling my greetings this year.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>The Bottom Whine</u></b>:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reasonable people do not use offensive words when talking to and about others; if they do, no amount of legislation is going to stop them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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Whiningly yours, Carol<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-36679538906608604512013-07-16T02:30:00.001-07:002020-01-23T10:58:00.842-08:00# 14 THERE IS NO PRIVACY -- GET OVER IT!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">Today at a doctor’s office I was handed a medical form to fill out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More of the same, I thought, putting my pencil to paper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Half-way down the list, I edited my thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This questionnaire was definitely not “more of the same.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one had gone where no others had gone before. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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“How many sexual partners have you had?” it asked. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I have to admit that even at my advanced age (yet determined to continue advancing) I was taken by surprise. But I shouldn’t have been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was only the year before that I received a charge from the same clinic for an annual visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Under the rules of my insurance, annual visits were covered so I called Accounts Receivable and asked why the charge. After a few minutes the anonymous clerk informed me that part of my conversation with the doctor did not constitute an annual visit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“And how would you know what we talked about?” I asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“It’s all here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doctors are required to keep complete notes of all discussions and forward them to us for billing purposes.”</div>
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Apparently, the days of privacy between doctors and patients are gone, and “guarantees” by Government, hospitals, clinics, doctors’ offices, etc that all medical records are held private aren’t worth the paper they weren’t written on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyone who wants “in” will find a way.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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You don’t believe me?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2010 the Blue Cross & Blue Shield network was hacked into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Three thousand individual patient records were compromised. In 2012, some 4,000 records were stolen from the University of Michigan Health System’s records, but those events are child’s play compared to the millions of medical records now available for purchase on the Black Market side of the internet – all selling for as little as $20 to $30 per case. This “safekeeping” of our medical records has produced a treasure trove of personal data for use and misuse by Government, Business, and Individuals. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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These are just a few examples of the unintended consequences of government “management.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But you ain’t seen nothing yet ….Look!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Up in the sky!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a bird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a plane!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, it’s Super-drone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Last year President Obama signed into law a bill authorizing the use of domestic drones by law enforcement agencies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These modern day supermen will be used to pursue illegal aliens, apprehend criminals, track lost hikers, and pinpoint the whereabouts of errant husbands and wives. When technology came through the door, privacy went out the window. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>And now we know that under the NSA’s PRISM program, all Americans have been under surveillance for the past seven years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our every keystroke, phone call, e-mail, text message, video chat, and internet search has become part of the Government’s metadata collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The meaning of “relevant” was broadened (to the point of irrelevance) in order to capture our every move and thought, necessary, we are told, in finding patterns of suspicious behavior between individuals and known terrorists. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This mass surveillance of millions of Americans is considered by many to be a violation of the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees us the right to privacy and protection from Government’s overreach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it a violation? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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President Obama insists that this data-mining is only a “<u>modest </u>encroachment on (our) privacy.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The NSA pontificates that our rights have not been violated because metadata content may not be read or heard without first procuring a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC)… and the FISC will not issue a warrant without evidence of a link between the object of the warrant and known terrorist(s). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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That sounds reassuring -- until you learn that 34,000 warrants have been requested during the Court’s thirty-year history, and only 11 were <u>denied.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sounds a bit like….</div>
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There are other problems with the FISC: it only hears arguments from Government attorneys and agents; its meetings are closed; rulings cannot be appealed or reviewed; and it has in the past refused requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is, essentially, a secret Court, possibly too political, too biased, and too easily compromised to be trusted. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>So how did all this super-surveillance of millions of Americans come to be?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How did “relevant” and “modest” come to mean “everything?” The answer is: 9-11.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no argument among rational people that we are living in a dangerous world and that we want our Government to protect us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yet people are angry because the Government has been hacking, tracking, and photographing us without our knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But perhaps we are being insincere; after all, haven’t we -- on our own volition -- deposited some 97 billion pieces of personal information into the data cesspool… all in the name of convenience and fun? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Yes, we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember that search you did on Amazon for a new face cream and was subsequently inundated with banner and pop-up ads on your computer, text messages on your cell, marketers on your landline, and coupons in your mailbox, all pitching the Fountain of Youth?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what about that donation you made to the local Humane Society last year, using your credit card? Since then you’ve been solicited by the ASPCA, the Morris Animal Foundation, PetSmart charities, Animal Welfare Institute, World Wildlife Fund, and The WILD Foundation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And didn’t you voluntarily join Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where you spilled your guts and now find that your guts are spread across the world? I bet if you do a Google search on yourself, you’ll find statements you’ve made in the past and that others have made about you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You may even find a photo of yourself at <a href="http://www.images.google.com/">www.images.google.com</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In truth, the world knows more about you now than your mother ever did so what right do you have to complain about the Government’s data-mining? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Every right in the world!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Last I heard we were still a Democracy, and in a Democracy you don’t take without asking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What we give away (even stupidly) is on our volition, but when Government takes without permission, that smells more like a Dictatorship. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We also have the right because in case of a terrorist attack, it’s <u>our</u> heads on the chopping block….<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEvUeWVITwJVrm3EFmbUX0WoBZ-QgORkgEWlgxQx9MRmMWuhFZSlygA8dm5m_kRLyL3gw4IqiNZSGs15zzFRFrNN2kcBKAlK4soF3m0pDHkfjdBWyEa4DEGgzdoG1be3LMb1QzkPaxN4/s1600/untitled+head+on+the+chopping+block.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" iya="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEvUeWVITwJVrm3EFmbUX0WoBZ-QgORkgEWlgxQx9MRmMWuhFZSlygA8dm5m_kRLyL3gw4IqiNZSGs15zzFRFrNN2kcBKAlK4soF3m0pDHkfjdBWyEa4DEGgzdoG1be3LMb1QzkPaxN4/s200/untitled+head+on+the+chopping+block.bmp" width="140" /></a> </span><br />
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We have the right and the responsibility (via our Congressmen) to decide the quantitative and qualitative limits of such words as “relevant” in the collection of metadata.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also our right to decide how much we’re willing to sacrifice in exchange for promises of national security.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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We have the right to know what planned terrorist attacks were thwarted, thanks to PRISM’s metadata collection.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We already know that NSA and the other intelligence agencies were unable to prevent the <st1:placetype w:st="on">Ft.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Hood</st1:placename> and Boston Marathon massacres, but what we’ll never know is if better use of human intelligence (information from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placetype w:st="on">Ft.</st1:placetype> <st1:placename w:st="on">Hood</st1:placename></st1:place> personnel… warnings from the Russian Government regarding the Tsarnaev brothers) might not have stopped these bloodbaths. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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And, finally, we have the right to expect that all Government intelligence programs be subject to impartial, non-governmental oversight and that these watchdogs report back to the public.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have the right to expect the transparency in Government we were promised by President Obama. </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u>THE BOTTOM WHINE: SECURITY VS PRIVACY</u></b> </div>
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What good is all the privacy in the world if terrorists who have the inclination and wherewithal to blow our heads off are free to do so?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what kind of life would it be (even in the name of saving our heads) if we lose all our civil liberties in the process?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“Security vs. Privacy” is a double-edged sword of the sharpest order because we cannot have both 100% security and 100% privacy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A balance between the two must be found, and that balance should be decided by We, the people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span># # #</div>
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At that point in my thinking, I heard the nurse call my name, and I still hadn’t answered the question – “How many sexual partners have you had?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“23,456,” I wrote. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Whiningly yours, Carol</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-49578627895896114172013-06-07T13:39:00.001-07:002020-01-20T10:02:27.179-08:00# 13 CLEAVING TO CLEAVAGE<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>If you do a Google search for “bigger cleavage,” you get 28,800,000 websites. <br />
On the other hand, a search for “dental hygiene” brings up only 13,500,000. That should tell you something about where the country is headed -- though you don’t need the internet to apprise you of how over the top the current display of cleavage has become.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go to the malls, restaurants, food stores, and offices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peruse magazines, watch TV, and go to the movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cleavage is everywhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In your face. Women are obsessed with flaunting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Men possessed by seeing it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And -- as with any other product in a free market system – suppliers compete to fill that demand with the biggest and the best. Unfortunately, there is only one big winner in this cleavage war -- the clothing industry, which sells millions of dollars worth of seductive garments each year to the wannabes. At the front of the winner’s pack are the bra-makers. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Once upon a time there were only a few bra choices -- wire/wireless, lace/no lace, straps/strapless -- but today’s women are going where no women dared go before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They can chose from a seemingly endless number of bra designs, personified with names such as Balcony, Tease Me -Thrill Me, Hustler, Hollywood, Heartbreaker Push-up Bra, Wonder of Gel, the Wonderbra Bra, and Over the Shoulder Holder, to name just a few. One cleavage professional suggests that if you want to look like a porn star, you can reach new heights by wearing <u>two</u> plunge bras simultaneously.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This double plunge approach, however, comes with a caveat: “Beware of fall-out!”</div>
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Despite this plethora of bras for cleavage enhancement, there are few choices for the modest maid who doesn’t want to maximize or publicize her breasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finding a bra that isn’t molded, padded, wired, enhanced, plunged, pumped, cupped, sponged, gelled, or foamed is virtually impossible in today’s market. The Modest Maid holds onto her tattered old bras and prays she expires before they do. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrezk3Zic6if4_OR7Yak6KWf7BpOsA85rKzZIBRY55suUUuxl7WKPtuu9-081kJ5bVm3LzaZmz1VCNy5EdzBV4XD8xFn1UIiZxiz3jsvT350Yk-il5mNemPxxDpimOLlry1fbVT9WEV5Q/s1600/imagesCA0WNZUD+tattered+bra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrezk3Zic6if4_OR7Yak6KWf7BpOsA85rKzZIBRY55suUUuxl7WKPtuu9-081kJ5bVm3LzaZmz1VCNy5EdzBV4XD8xFn1UIiZxiz3jsvT350Yk-il5mNemPxxDpimOLlry1fbVT9WEV5Q/s200/imagesCA0WNZUD+tattered+bra.jpg" width="166" yya="true" /></a></div>
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Another outsider in this cleavage competition is the less endowed 32A, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>who often grows up feeling inadequate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some will resort to buying “illusions” while others may undergo cosmetic surgery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u><o:p></o:p></u></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This mammary mania is promoted by the media – both print and broadcast… </div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKmHitHdQ_GunkKplfgBdSV8evAHM5PIq71957wNoZa6Og6MlB-S1Nqcv8TbXtRs8Bx41BwcMX9zumMAgqGx0aRpyAquywnxKwS9huH4z7x2rwwB93VvvpU3vQsNTgjWXxQyObKKHFBY/s200/imagesCAS35IBO+pam+anderson.jpg" width="146" yya="true" />….<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 8.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><v:shape alt="" id="_x0000_i1028" style="height: 125.25pt; width: 94.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"> <v:imagedata o:href="http://media-social.s-msn.com/images/blogs/00290065-0000-0000-0000-000000000000_913e6ef8-b8d5-4f20-9d47-e99c063550a6_20130605171843_pam-2.jpg" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image005.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></span></div>
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… Politicians….</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxcl5vfWQ77cyR4PxJhf14XS25DoOoohmc28NgNuODeehQ2-hb3R-G0Q-nGHKutQPTSP4LI42KaRafmQo1lz0cM0whYuWvjl3Wn9mUMM595CUzm0So4ussKG0ozw9ReJ8WusqU-3my_U/s1600/imagesCA6PESPA+hillary+cleavage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxcl5vfWQ77cyR4PxJhf14XS25DoOoohmc28NgNuODeehQ2-hb3R-G0Q-nGHKutQPTSP4LI42KaRafmQo1lz0cM0whYuWvjl3Wn9mUMM595CUzm0So4ussKG0ozw9ReJ8WusqU-3my_U/s1600/imagesCA6PESPA+hillary+cleavage.jpg" yya="true" /></a></div>
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... leading ladies of the film industry...</div>
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and, of course, the social media. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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A Twitter Tweeter with the moniker of “cleavagetweet” tweets that he/she wants to “honor” the biggest and best cleavage” and invites would be competitors to send him/her photos of their jugs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what’s the reward (the “honor”) for being among the biggest and the best?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, it’s not cash. And, no, it’s not coupons or points.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, no, it’s not a year’s supply of sunscreen (which they will need as a protection against cancer of the cleavage). Cleavagetweet’s gift to the “biggest and the best” is a RE-tweet of their tits to his/her 44,876 followers! </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Whereas most cleavage exhibitionists are up-front about why they’re juggling their jugs (I want to be noticed), the owners of the most bandied about boobs are a bunch of hypocrites. At this year’s Oscars, <st1:place w:st="on">Hollywood</st1:place> icons were “outraged” when Seth McFarlane sang “We Saw Your Boobs.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“He’s trivializing us,” they complained. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRC0tkgaWn36F5gU5BAt6jRClaPluP-aw3p_62Ir4ksgHR6zzo9Pt6oxsOLCVTejpbSIwNH2uXhFWcJRooOvodv2CtM8uVKqmooAHRR2PRn17GtJF-y9hc6WN7Oa9SeX7tn18VnJ-TNk/s1600/imagesCA3VQ98Y+oscar+night+boobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdRC0tkgaWn36F5gU5BAt6jRClaPluP-aw3p_62Ir4ksgHR6zzo9Pt6oxsOLCVTejpbSIwNH2uXhFWcJRooOvodv2CtM8uVKqmooAHRR2PRn17GtJF-y9hc6WN7Oa9SeX7tn18VnJ-TNk/s200/imagesCA3VQ98Y+oscar+night+boobs.jpg" width="200" yya="true" /></a><span lang="EN" style="color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;">Two sets of cleavage out of many at the Oscars.</span></div>
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Hey, ladies! You can't have it both ways. When you flaunt your breasts in public, YOU are trivializing yourselves. Instead of attacking McFarlane, you should thank him for confirming (and musically, no less) that your self-promoted cleavage has been noticed. <br />
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Now the ones who <u>should be</u> outraged are the political activists of the 1960’s and 70’s who led the long, hard fight to liberate women – to end the self-limiting role of sex-object, and, ultimately, to be empowered. How depressing it is that less than fifty years later women who have choices voluntarily choose to use their tits to titillate, thereby spending precious time and money on marketing a commodity that has a short shelf life. In no time at all, bountiful breasts wither on the vine, a 36C becomes a 36 Long and tattoo'd cleavage turns to wrinkled decolletage. </div>
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….. Better to spend time developing long-lasting skills. There is also the law of diminishing return to consider since it applies to mammaries as well as economics. The more you see, the less its impact and value, which may explain why breasts now </div>
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look like cows' teats to me. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXGsMXTSALOVHfaRAv0QsOSkvF0AN8WEQbmncxR3M0FGrI4jcWS2QyMYUXVcVKoBIwA7_5wbbxNMQ-w4UDjBs_yjvpDYJVAAwbtSsfu6t1t5nWOnRfn3bzIoh3wH4hWcvrET-T8MlHTk/s1600/imagesCA1QFM57+cows+teats.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdXGsMXTSALOVHfaRAv0QsOSkvF0AN8WEQbmncxR3M0FGrI4jcWS2QyMYUXVcVKoBIwA7_5wbbxNMQ-w4UDjBs_yjvpDYJVAAwbtSsfu6t1t5nWOnRfn3bzIoh3wH4hWcvrET-T8MlHTk/s200/imagesCA1QFM57+cows+teats.jpg" width="149" yya="true" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YKUO_kvSLHbz7_s1KUBb2JWseL8tUpP3aqtpb0mKMtDfkZon7oBJombVUJaqMQFLj_jfLek_D0XgRwYB0XZASe4M1g-Jyv01Bi9M7ZQhpqFUkQOX3oELARermRgfVUQqvOby6w8VOPw/s1600/this+cleavage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7YKUO_kvSLHbz7_s1KUBb2JWseL8tUpP3aqtpb0mKMtDfkZon7oBJombVUJaqMQFLj_jfLek_D0XgRwYB0XZASe4M1g-Jyv01Bi9M7ZQhpqFUkQOX3oELARermRgfVUQqvOby6w8VOPw/s200/this+cleavage.jpg" width="127" yya="true" /></a><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="background: #cccccc; color: blue; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><v:shape alt="" id="_x0000_i1034" o:button="t" style="height: 108.75pt; width: 81.75pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"> <v:imagedata o:href="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQuxbHPY-txv9F7GiMU0DFkYczpC5HoFNDIkMdhh2p6gTtSOfb9-zfZPTI" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image017.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></span></div>
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Oh, come on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Admit it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is a resemblance! <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></div>
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Tits on parade have also created a number of social problems, such as what’s the protocol for cleavage-looking?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is there an “appropriate” look (i.e. staring vs. glancing); <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>for how long <u>may </u>one look; and do the rules of looking differ for men and women?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The only etiqutitty I could find on the subject was that given by Jerry<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seinfeld to George Constanzas after George was reprimanded for looking<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“too long.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“What’s too long?” George asked.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jerry’s answer: “Looking at cleavage is like looking at the sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you stare too long, it’s risky.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Another problem raised by breast-baring is that some men don’t understand the concept of “look but don’t touch.” To them, a public display is an invitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the biggest problem of all -- though an existential one now -- is the future of titillation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And I’m all for it – titillation, that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We need it – to keep our hormones moving and the population replacing itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But the objects of titillation are waning and will probably continue to diminish in the future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Once upon a time all it took to excite a man was the sight of a woman’s ankle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO6EYYnC2dfkM8os9CQLQvfT7Oaa8Blo9Oln0Za8ATVBXbzYyeCDzGKnAwryT1xSJ6QPZLHLsXikmgHi7IAoiTCUDtN-x8yLJ2J7bPPsfg0CgGARR7qfsB08DO_ZjgJHBiqluUq2VCKEM/s1600/imagesCAALDOOI+julian+peters+ankle.jpg" yya="true" /><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></v:path><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 123pt; width: 101.25pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="ankle3flasher" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></span></span><v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></v:path><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12pt;"><v:shapetype coordsize="21600,21600" filled="f" id="_x0000_t75" o:preferrelative="t" o:spt="75" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe" stroked="f"> <v:stroke joinstyle="miter"></v:stroke><v:formulas><v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"></v:f><v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"></v:f><v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"></v:f></v:formulas><v:path gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect" o:extrusionok="f"></v:path><o:lock aspectratio="t" v:ext="edit"></o:lock></v:shapetype><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 123pt; width: 101.25pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="ankle3flasher" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></span></span></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(<a href="http://www.julianpeterscomics.com/"><span style="color: #0084b4;">www.julianpeterscomics.com</span></a>)</div>
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After a time, ankles became ho-hum and women began displaying whole legs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Legs are now commonplace, and the female of the species has taken to flaunting her cleavage. But when cleavage no longer titillates, what’s next in the arousal arsenal? <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KckYuHQOwWWcbZALr0Td6yhT5DdJ_AM1rq4L-A6UWlNxGMhOYZ7DjREX57yGqBZh1uaSQwBEkRsDrqbyJxAJTvE4DxiAF3NhL_X1AcmpJssBxw_HLtQie8J8GHuaribptNEWRwqZPgA/s1600/woman%2527s+crack+in+pants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KckYuHQOwWWcbZALr0Td6yhT5DdJ_AM1rq4L-A6UWlNxGMhOYZ7DjREX57yGqBZh1uaSQwBEkRsDrqbyJxAJTvE4DxiAF3NhL_X1AcmpJssBxw_HLtQie8J8GHuaribptNEWRwqZPgA/s200/woman%2527s+crack+in+pants.jpg" width="200" yya="true" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 13.5pt; line-height: 150%;"><v:shape alt="" id="rg_hi" o:button="t" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 102pt; width: 102pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"> <v:imagedata o:href="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQWangKLXhPvyedyFGZT6Vv650NpwwZNcpBjtmJ0efLm4Sr2rSq1A" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image021.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Hopefully, before crotches and cracks see more daylight, men will have taken over the role of titillator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would require a cataclysmic event to redirect our cultural history, but just for fun let’s consider it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Would it excite women if men exposed their chest hairs? Tottered about on 5” heels? Displayed muscular pecs?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Left their flies open? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I say “go for it!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let men shop for low-cut shirts, buy Rogaine to grow blankets of chest hair, spend hours at the gym, developing their pecs, and destroy <u>their</u> feet by the time they’re fifty. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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Of course, within a few hundred years, even those stimuli would also fail to excite, and in the interim, we may have lost through disuse the greatest aphrodisiac of all -- the imagination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you leave nothing for the imagination to imagine, the imagination becomes vestigial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember: less is more and more is less.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hello!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is anyone listening?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUJrOCLMs5gybHCjpEMA44fzB7-f2OUK-aUtwlpqNnlIyu33twfWPJKfpg7rWsPP2_Y1wMQFaSn89rhKWJARyO4KqGLuTp84zS2Qs6pTRbA-nnZVLOTu6AetYLmlhU1ISMUlm19M-PI0/s1600/whine-expert1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbUJrOCLMs5gybHCjpEMA44fzB7-f2OUK-aUtwlpqNnlIyu33twfWPJKfpg7rWsPP2_Y1wMQFaSn89rhKWJARyO4KqGLuTp84zS2Qs6pTRbA-nnZVLOTu6AetYLmlhU1ISMUlm19M-PI0/s200/whine-expert1.jpg" width="200" yya="true" /></a></div>
Whiningly yours, Carol </div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-53671482469745475002013-05-06T08:30:00.000-07:002013-05-06T09:20:20.545-07:00Blog #12: EXERCISING MY RIGHT TO WHINE <div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Believe it or not, there’s a lot to whine about in a group exercise class -- like the other members.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the top of my whine list is the Floor Hog, who invariably saunters into the room three to five minutes after the class begins and sets up shop within inches of me. There is an intuitive and tacitly agreed upon distance between exercisers, and the Floor Hog violates that rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I stay where I am, I will bang into her (and she into me), but if I move to the right, then I’ll run into someone else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Doesn’t the Floor Hog see this? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;"></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Yes, of course, she does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But hers is a deliberate tactic, executed to guarantee herself her favorite spot on the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It works like this: If she arrives early to claim her space (like the rest of us), she risks having it usurped by some other Floor Hog, coming in late, and forcing her to move.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her modus operandi is to be the MOVE<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">he</b>r, rather than the Move<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">me</b>. <u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">I re-position my mat and equipment a foot to the right, thereby forcing the person to my right to move further to her right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She glares at me, and I point an accusatory finger at the Floor Hog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She nods and moves, thereby forcing the person to <u>her</u> right to also move – and so it goes, down the row. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">You think I’m making this up?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That I’m paranoid? I’m not.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s very real, substantiated by the Floor Hog’s body language.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From the door… to the floor …she avoids all eye contact, appearing almost catatonic, as she inveigles her way into your floor space, seemingly oblivious to your existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her eyes are glued on the instructor, and she quickly joins the exercise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at the end of the set, her persona changes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She surveys the room, makes eye contact with me and smiles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a warm, loving smile but a snide one, that says, “won again.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to take it anymore, I tell myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The next time she pulls this on me I’m going to tell her to move her fat ass to some other space, where no one is standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Another annoying type is Motor Mouth. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lord only knows what conditions created this monster…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04gTkKhqP8fHJgYu_SLMXgxeuLTqJwYsi9Cck8IxdMOlrofdT7zqAvjnpS7Eh6-FJupZIsqBj3FBAAVbhrx-XnEmP3MI49v0Ob8UPYVC_oQ0MUolCK8zaFRHZil23rf_kj9aWctcJd08/s1600/imagesCA2MHJHD+bla+bla.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="190" mwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj04gTkKhqP8fHJgYu_SLMXgxeuLTqJwYsi9Cck8IxdMOlrofdT7zqAvjnpS7Eh6-FJupZIsqBj3FBAAVbhrx-XnEmP3MI49v0Ob8UPYVC_oQ0MUolCK8zaFRHZil23rf_kj9aWctcJd08/s200/imagesCA2MHJHD+bla+bla.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Maybe she lives alone and suffers from sound deprivation…or she simply loves to hear the sound of her own voice… but whatever the underlying pathology, why do I have to suffer?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ignoring her doesn’t help because she doesn’t need a respondent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Any upright body within hearing distance is enough to provoke her blather.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I want to say, “Shut the hell up,” but I don’t because I was raised to be polite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t offend. We let others offend us. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">The most annoying member of an exercise class is the Pseudo-Jock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She doesn’t just walk into a room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She makes an Olympian entrance, moving with long athletic strides, and carrying in one hand a signature gym bag, the gym bag of</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> ... </span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><img border="0" mwa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_fN_rT9f890mQdK7DTF0h4HnAkmu5XJUVPYrSCnudDUo4FbtBOVT-DdQUW4lB_DRXDxdOv37MYqFyMiLa061r6GYWla5F1Babw9-Ah2z0nBl8PdO1_pXoxcpbTEbEJBqeGo4EAfDX_A4/s1600/imagesCA7EJWUI+gym+bag.jpg" /></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">… champions, and in the other hand is a water bottle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not just any old generic water bottle but a “Survivor's”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> bottle. </span></span></div>
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No, she’s not a survivor of a life-threatening disease but apparently the survivor of a hard-fought and won confrontation between man and man or man and beast. To know what cataclysmic events the Pseudo Jock has survived, one need only read the imprints on her many macho workout shirts. </div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Today’s shirt reads: “Survived the Gulag.” Last week it was “Amazing Race Finalist” and yesterday -- <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Last One Standing.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was tempted to ask if she was the last one standing in Murphy’s Bar, but I didn’t because I was raised to be polite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">There is only one element missing from Pseudo-Jock's costume – a sweatband.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> But she </span>doesn’t disappoint. She reaches into her (otherwise empty) gym bag and pulls out a florescent green sweatband, stretches it over her very short </span><span lang="EN" style="color: blue; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">curly hair, and l</span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">anguorously covers her brow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She needs a sweatband like I need a hole in my head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This class isn’t called “Suddenly Senior” for nothing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We range in age from 60 to 80, and no one – not anyone – has ever been worked hard enough to drum up even a bead of sweat! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> I want to suggest that this senescent wannabe -- twenty years past her prime -- drop our class and take "To the Death" instead, down the hall in Studio Z. That's where they work up a sweat, and that's where an occasional body is carried out on a stretcher. But I keep my thoughts to myself. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 2;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Another irritant is the Exercise Dyslexic. She’s the one who moves to the right when everyone else is moving left.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The class steps forward…she moves backward, stepping on your feet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You try not to look at her because her contra-moves are disorientating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> She should move to </span>the back row where she can do less damage, but I don't say anything because I don’t want to hurt her feelings. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Newbies should also go to the back of the room; at least, until such a time when they’re familiar with the exercises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first row should be restricted to people who know the routines and who, in a large class can be an example for those towards the back of the room, who may not be able to see the instructor. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">You ever suffer the Perfume Shpritzers? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Personally, I’d rather stand next to a farter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The stink of a fart usually dissipates after a few minutes, while perfume stench hangs on for the entire class.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone needs to tell the Shpritzer that she reeks and is giving us a headache, but no one does. We don't want to offend, no matter the offense. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">And don’t think the instructors are beyond criticism. There are a number whose classes I’ve dropped because they waste time -- arriving late or waiting until class time to decide the exercise program for the day. Some raise the music volume so high I have to take out my hearing aids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Others music selections leave a lot to be desired -- funeral dirges and hip hop. </span> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">But the worst, the very worst sin an instructor can commit is to be PERKY. I don’t do “perky,” not at any time of the day or night! There is NO acceptable time to be subjected to high-pitched cutesy dribble; such as what the instructor had for dinner the night before…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">…or what her precocious six year old child said at breakfast that morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After five minutes of blather and no audience response, our chirpy cheerleader decides to change tactics: to query us rather than make statements. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">“Who has a good recipe for Chicken a la King?” she asks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one answers. “I heard a fascinating story on radio this morning about the Loch Ness Monster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did anyone else hear it?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still no answer so once again Perky changes her approach. Now she’s personalizes: “<u>Carol</u>, what are you planning to do after class today?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; mso-ansi-language: EN;">I'm not going to take it anymore, I think. “Drop this class,” I answer. </span><span lang="EN" style="color: #1122cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><br />
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Whiningly yours, Carol</div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-50626129947582380172013-04-04T10:28:00.000-07:002013-04-04T10:28:29.591-07:00BLOG #11: HOW COME? ...<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">… you can’t buy a single top or bottom sheet anymore?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">HOW COME </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">bed sheets are almost always sold in sets, when every fool knows that sheets don’t wear out in sets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bottom sheet gets more wear and tear than a top. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">And where is it written that top and bottom sheets have to match? Maybe I want a white sheet on top and flowers on the bottom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or maybe I don’t want a top sheet at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe I use a comforter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>You know what I think?</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a conspiracy to make us spend more money.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">HOW COME</span></b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> I never lose a PAIR of anything?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HOW COME I only lose </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">ONE </span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">earring or </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; mso-ansi-language: EN;">ONE</span><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"> glove? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">You know what I think?</span></u><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Designers and manufacturers should sell earrings and gloves in sets of three and more. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: FirstGrader; font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;">HOW COME</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; mso-ansi-language: EN;"> </span></b><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN;">clothing designers are possessed with wrapping striped fabrics horizontally around our bodies rather than vertically … when every fool knows that horizontal lines make thin people look fat and fat people look like trucks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>You know what I think?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></u>Clothing designers are in cahoots with the diet industry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt;">HOW COME</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> </span>after I say “thank you,” no one says “you’re welcome” anymore?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HOW COME I’m always answered, “No prob” (= no problem)?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trust me, I know it’s “no prob.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I thought “it” was going to be a “prob,” I would never have asked in the first place! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Script MT Bold'; font-size: 14pt;">HOW COME</span></b> no one writes songs with singable tunes anymore?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or songs with comprehensible lyrics? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>How come today’s songs can’t be repeated? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>HOW COME all the songs sound the same?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>You know what I think</u>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They ARE the same.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t think there have been any new songs since 1995.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s just the same old song being recycled under a new title. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">cars </span>run into trains?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aren’t trains big enough for drivers to see them coming?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>You know what I think?</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Departments of Motor Vehicles should add train crossings to road tests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Bright'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>maternity <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;">clothes look like street wear ….</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFxnDtRdT1RlwCuQ9cEW1LhGSbG2LCc88dtnVX64kuptCnFLk3KJqb4-pPB_nPtjFUkXnY3XG8KnXYG62k2FewzCbrgl_My07n49Hkro-QYUQOBOKGRn1MSuW0xUh0U8l0MhFTYzBh88/s1600/images+how+come.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMFxnDtRdT1RlwCuQ9cEW1LhGSbG2LCc88dtnVX64kuptCnFLk3KJqb4-pPB_nPtjFUkXnY3XG8KnXYG62k2FewzCbrgl_My07n49Hkro-QYUQOBOKGRn1MSuW0xUh0U8l0MhFTYzBh88/s200/images+how+come.JPG" width="149" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"><o:p> ...</o:p></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> and street wear looks like maternity clothes?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAX747L3veVq1MfmeRmN2h-EFqC_EoyiyZ0oPJ3Z-QAdtDFHrXA7FZXGlAVoMCqF4Qg2ex_1i3GBAzoQsMAvNrQuzwbYv00w-pO2fZ2HqxW9iZmf1kyH6z1CAdqgkGQWgknQsaoisCYc/s1600/images++non-maternity+dress+how+come.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKAX747L3veVq1MfmeRmN2h-EFqC_EoyiyZ0oPJ3Z-QAdtDFHrXA7FZXGlAVoMCqF4Qg2ex_1i3GBAzoQsMAvNrQuzwbYv00w-pO2fZ2HqxW9iZmf1kyH6z1CAdqgkGQWgknQsaoisCYc/s200/images++non-maternity+dress+how+come.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Albertus Extra Bold'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> no one’s ever at fault anymore? How come when something goes wrong it’s always someone else’s doing?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>You know what I think?</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have a blameless society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No one is responsible -- not to themselves and not to anyone else. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"> </span>the more contraceptive methods and devices available on the market, the greater the number of abortions?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: FirstGrader;">HOW COME</span></b> with THE pill, diaphragms, condoms, night-before and morning-after pills, patches, shots, rings, rods, and sponges readily available, there are more and more unwanted pregnancies?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><u>You know what I think?</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said above – “no one is responsible anymore – not to themselves and not to anyone else.”</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME </span></b>with the growth of communication<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>devices, people communicate less and less with each other?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn6hGG-0LL8lR9Q9Nj6edtqex1lDI2rzr2o4hzWWhia02R9GIxuHPoe34dFz-rpqnzsfK2ymFUiYyvvGu0NMvthC4yqE1e2Bx_SofRRxrzpBuwGYXSqtElmOHmeLgLCPGA_ilIXatc_I/s1600/imagesCAVFD3ZY+how+come+cell+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="134" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYn6hGG-0LL8lR9Q9Nj6edtqex1lDI2rzr2o4hzWWhia02R9GIxuHPoe34dFz-rpqnzsfK2ymFUiYyvvGu0NMvthC4yqE1e2Bx_SofRRxrzpBuwGYXSqtElmOHmeLgLCPGA_ilIXatc_I/s200/imagesCAVFD3ZY+how+come+cell+family.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<o:p> </o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: FirstGrader; font-size: 14pt;">HOW COME</span></b><span style="font-family: FirstGrader; font-size: 14pt;"> </span>every time I find a cosmetic I like, the manufacturer either takes it off the market or repackages it, simultaneously shrinking the content and raising the price?</div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Albertus Extra Bold'; font-size: 14pt;">HOW COME </span>every time I tell a friend I like the way her hair looks, she tells me she’s on her way to get it cut?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Broadway; font-size: 14pt;">HOW COME <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>there are more and more blow dryers in public bathrooms when research shows that paper towels are more effective and efficient.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Blow dryers not only spread germs from 3’ to 6’ but use more energy than paper towels, and dry your hands out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-EwkcygL_UGR_9ggK3IMClwMigh9mj6HI0y579LEpGVKOhfE6ZNSyME3AiLlk8RECv2RKhv7VY4Bbs1VFnbwTAfeBNEJDJNp7fnFP5lZuCGG-aWSid4M3OXWGwLEDLp5dcPlY6RfhR4/s1600/images+BLOW+DRYER+HOW+COME.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" mta="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0-EwkcygL_UGR_9ggK3IMClwMigh9mj6HI0y579LEpGVKOhfE6ZNSyME3AiLlk8RECv2RKhv7VY4Bbs1VFnbwTAfeBNEJDJNp7fnFP5lZuCGG-aWSid4M3OXWGwLEDLp5dcPlY6RfhR4/s200/images+BLOW+DRYER+HOW+COME.jpg" width="200" /></a><v:shape id="_x0000_i1025" style="height: 93pt; width: 139.5pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:title="images BLOW DRYER HOW COME" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image001.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape></div>
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<u>Know what I think? </u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a cost-cutter for management. </div>
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<o:p> </o:p><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS'; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME</span></b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">I get twice as many red lights on days when I'm running late than I do when I have all the time in the world?</span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Broadway; font-size: 14pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME </span>my lists never get shorter?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><strong>HOW COME</strong> after I’ve gone to the post office, the food store, the pharmacy, seen the dentist, and returned stuff I shouldn't have bought, the next day’s list is even longer than the list from the day before? <strong>HOW</strong> <strong>COME</strong> my lists never get shorter? </div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: FirstGrader; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">HOW COME? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>…<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: FirstGrader; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>…..<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I DON’T GET IT.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: FirstGrader; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">….. DO YOU?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: navy; font-family: FirstGrader; font-size: 16pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Whiningly yours, Carol<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3633911093984595210.post-18666816171368087542013-03-10T09:28:00.000-07:002020-01-20T10:01:40.942-08:00#10 THE ASSAULT OF CARDS, COUPONS, POINTS, PUNCHES, AND STAMPTS<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
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As I was paying for my yogurt at the new TCBY store in town, the cashier asked if didn’t want their customer loyalty card. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Buy 10, get the 11th one free,” she said, pushing the card in my face.</div>
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Only a fool wouldn’t want something for nothing. Right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I took the card and shoved it into my already bulging wallet (bulging with loyalty cards – not cash).<br />
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From TCBY, I went to CVS to buy a new lipstick, the current one worn down to metal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A sign over the Revlon lipsticks read:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Buy one, get the second at 50% off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I handed two lipsticks -- pink blush -- to the cashier.<br />
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"Your CVS customer loyalty card," she said.</div>
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I dumped my stack of loyalty cards on the counter -- alas, no CVS. “I don’t have one,” I apologized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“Then you can’t have the special,” the cashier scolded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“But that offer comes from Revlon, not CVS.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“No loyalty card, no special. Perhaps you would like to enroll in our program.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“No, I’m going to Walgreen’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t card you!” </div>
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At Walgreen’s, I found my lipsticks (same special offered) and handed them to the cashier. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“Your Walgreen’s Balance Reward Card, please,” she said. </div>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Since when?” </div>
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“Since October 25, 2012.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You <u>do </u>want to sign up for our card, don’t you?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t answer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“With your Balance Rewards card you not only qualify for in-store specials but you earn spaving points.” </div>
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“What’s ‘spaving’?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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“Every time you <u>spend,</u> you <u>save</u>.”</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Hg7SEgLn6gVDjxILv6QzZXy3THtoBWbhk0-m0xlNtsLzua0iGY2VW7c4fUiXPmx3-LjxMz2gaOceFF4yb80yEcqiayMp65UFVJLhfAkO-fN2TmYyK1ZAcHqp0-vV8tTlSMbYr4KPV6Q/s1600/walgreens-balance-rewards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Hg7SEgLn6gVDjxILv6QzZXy3THtoBWbhk0-m0xlNtsLzua0iGY2VW7c4fUiXPmx3-LjxMz2gaOceFF4yb80yEcqiayMp65UFVJLhfAkO-fN2TmYyK1ZAcHqp0-vV8tTlSMbYr4KPV6Q/s200/walgreens-balance-rewards.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Only a fool wouldn’t want something for nothing, right?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So I gave the cashier my name, address, home and cell numbers, e-mail address, the whereabouts of my first born child and was rewarded with a Walgreen’s “Balance” card -- and an information sheet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I got home, I read the contract (with the help of a high-powered magnifying glass) and learned that:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><br />
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1. Not all Walgreen purchases are created equal. To learn which items are <u><b>designated</b> </u>point-givers on any given week, one would have to read all their newspaper ads or walk the store aisles, checking the shelves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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2. <span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><b><u><span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN;">Designated </span></u></b><span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“point” products are only eligible for points (rewards) when purchased on <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b><u>designated</u></b><u> </u>days of the week… and …</span><br />
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3. <span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The purchase of <b><u>designated </u></b>products on <b><u>designated </u>d</b>ays of the week only earn reward points if the customer spends a <b><u>designated</u></b> minimum amount. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Customer (not Company) "loyalty" doesn't end there. Once-earned balance points are zapped by Walgreen’s if the customer doesn't “spend” his/her points within 36 months <strong>or</strong> if their account is inactive for six months.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> Furthermore, </span>it is up to the customer to keep track of their account activity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> At least the airlines send a monthly statement! To what use is Walgreen's putting all that personal information I gave them? </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">As for their promise to "spave" me money (= the more I spend, the more I save), I decided to check that out for myself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">To accumulate 5,000 points and earn a $5.00 credit, I would have to spend approximately $50.00 at Walgreen’s (remember: spending is limited to <b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>designated</u></i></b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u> </u></i><b><u>products.</u></b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> ) </span>Doing so would earn me (<u>not save me</u>) about 10%, but as I browsed through the week’s <u>designated</u> point-givers, I saw nothing I needed, nothing I wanted, and nothing I couldn’t buy elsewhere for less money. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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I made a rational decision. I reached for the scissors....<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzy_mbTMt5zhmbIxrctxse1n2v8NEdCBNaYDIkAxmC9NG5j1KMM7QfCiZTlrE6866AT4FqPjJ-40K3WhFjq5jYTLPbgGTN-y0eArz_z3gwH9oLvw4Z4_GVgn8INYEc4k3t8-VxfKtJUs/s1600/imagesCAUX49OM+cutting+up+credit+card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLzy_mbTMt5zhmbIxrctxse1n2v8NEdCBNaYDIkAxmC9NG5j1KMM7QfCiZTlrE6866AT4FqPjJ-40K3WhFjq5jYTLPbgGTN-y0eArz_z3gwH9oLvw4Z4_GVgn8INYEc4k3t8-VxfKtJUs/s200/imagesCAUX49OM+cutting+up+credit+card.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><v:shape alt="" id="_x0000_i1028" style="height: 99pt; width: 177pt;" type="#_x0000_t75"><v:imagedata o:href="http://www.yourhrexperts.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/loyalty-card.jpg" src="file:///C:\DOCUME~1\ADMINI~1\LOCALS~1\Temp\msohtml1\01\clip_image006.jpg"></v:imagedata></v:shape><b><span lang="EN" style="color: #464646; font-family: "arial"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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After my Walgreen's <u>Off-</u>Balance card had been eliminated, thirty more "rewards" cards suffered the same fate. It was time to get honest with myself, I thought, eying the mess of crumpled coupons at the bottom of my purse. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0392PsbneNUfirrXJIS49Og_zBTDDDL4DrsWsQZqgPn47NSqQ1rdqtgbT0BwQ4RJr3etevNloUHdxTA3xnrygPOzu1GLDAuLZYlFIyYM9KVnI1dKLjj6bFEEGcWXEVdEwFAqYioOd3mA/s1600/152947305+coupons+stuffed+in+purse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0392PsbneNUfirrXJIS49Og_zBTDDDL4DrsWsQZqgPn47NSqQ1rdqtgbT0BwQ4RJr3etevNloUHdxTA3xnrygPOzu1GLDAuLZYlFIyYM9KVnI1dKLjj6bFEEGcWXEVdEwFAqYioOd3mA/s200/152947305+coupons+stuffed+in+purse.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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I was an unmitigated coupon failure. I either forgot to use them while they were active, I remembered to use them after they had expired, or I redeemed them on a Wednesday when the coupon clearly stated it was only good on Thursday between the hours of two and five o’clock. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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I threw the coupons into the waste basket and promised myself that no coupon would ever touch my fingertips again. That would eliminate 50% of my supermarket angst. The other 50% was beyond my control -- that of the <strong>Coupon Commandos</strong>.<br />
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Have you noticed that they always do their grocery shopping at the busiest time of day? That's no accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re hoping the cashiers will be too busy to notice that a third of their sixty coupons have expired, another third is for brands other than those in the cart, or that they’ve taken dozens more cans, boxes, or bottles than the coupons allow for (thereby stripping the shelves like locusts and leaving nothing behind for anyone else). <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuhzcrJAtpsxCqYfVE4xuq_TLCHO3xZNmeR140IRGfMuGU_Dul4bKEQ0klrWQlJq5SHIhe2d9CrMQXiV_GYW6cdT5cjbEEoRY-S-uZlQulC8q8aJGINxtox-i2Uayj3UhayQEZ9Q6GtU/s1600/Grocery-Cart-with-Coupons1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRuhzcrJAtpsxCqYfVE4xuq_TLCHO3xZNmeR140IRGfMuGU_Dul4bKEQ0klrWQlJq5SHIhe2d9CrMQXiV_GYW6cdT5cjbEEoRY-S-uZlQulC8q8aJGINxtox-i2Uayj3UhayQEZ9Q6GtU/s200/Grocery-Cart-with-Coupons1.jpg" width="165" /></a></div>
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My cashier, <u>unfortnately</u>, catches and challenges a Coupon Commando Crook. She pages the manager (who's out on break), while I wait...and wait...and wait (as does everyone else in line). That's why I find the title of Joanie Deever and Heather Wheeler's book on coupon strategies particularly galling -- </div>
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"Pick Another Checkout Lane, honey" </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6RjNlYor1oiA43GZzoQKxTQD_j3CjqsbYy-uNPyW7buAgdmkSZY88LK2b5ty93GOYi9hhROhBSuRgy-Vnu17AihgscYQb6EKkRAsryLNpU99uH81FThsTUgfA6VJPL-EzMT0VCGnmnU/s1600/Pick-Another-Checkout-Lane-Honey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi6RjNlYor1oiA43GZzoQKxTQD_j3CjqsbYy-uNPyW7buAgdmkSZY88LK2b5ty93GOYi9hhROhBSuRgy-Vnu17AihgscYQb6EKkRAsryLNpU99uH81FThsTUgfA6VJPL-EzMT0VCGnmnU/s200/Pick-Another-Checkout-Lane-Honey.jpg" width="158" /></a></div>
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What management needs to do is create a designated lane for Coupon Commandos, and let them wait for each other! <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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One of the more ghoulish coupons is the offer from the Chapel of the Highlands, a burial service provider in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Millbrae</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">California</st1:state></st1:place>. To get a 20% cremation discount you need to present your coupon “prior” to your (or you loved one’s) demise -- and before the “deadline” on the coupon (no pun intended).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6To19KNz8BprMCduGeRcRTYgBzgCBFqhu6-rThaYA12R9gW9nY8hbdVvGB3niyjKl7QTYBRIHgHoZkAkl2eG-SnKX8VAYC2HNbWyMM13xlZlOI6s52fvv-3Nhlbpy7-vUwPz3HLcFnL8/s1600/imagesCAW6T8P8+chapel+of+the+highlands.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" jsa="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6To19KNz8BprMCduGeRcRTYgBzgCBFqhu6-rThaYA12R9gW9nY8hbdVvGB3niyjKl7QTYBRIHgHoZkAkl2eG-SnKX8VAYC2HNbWyMM13xlZlOI6s52fvv-3Nhlbpy7-vUwPz3HLcFnL8/s200/imagesCAW6T8P8+chapel+of+the+highlands.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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But why should I whine about coupon madness when the ones who are really being screwed are the manufacturers themselves? Losses from the illegal duplication of their coupon offers have cost them upwards of tens of millions of dollars.<br />
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A case in point: the Desperado Housewives of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Phoenix</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Arizona, who counterfeited legitimate coupons and sold them on E-Bay </st1:state></st1:place>or their own websites.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When police raided their homes, they found $25 million in counterfeit coupons </div>
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My pledge for 2013 is no more cards, coupons, or points. <u><strong>Their</strong></u> loyalty comes at too high a price; instead, I'll pledge <u>my</u> loyalty to those establishments that offer me quality merchandise at consistently competetive prices.<br />
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But if you’re still into cards and coupons, here's some advice: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u>Never pay for a coupon.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you have to pay, you’re not only <u>not</u> getting a deal, but it’s more than likely you’re being scammed, and the real deal is available elsewhere for free. </div>
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<span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span><u>Avoid what’s called “bait and switch.” </u>That’s when someone offers you an on-line coupon code, but you first have to provide personal information.<br />
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3. <span style="font: 7pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span><u>Go straight to the source.</u><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sign up for e-mails from the stores you frequent and get your coupons from them directly. </div>
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Whiningly yours, Carol<br />
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Carolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16996228667424269866noreply@blogger.com2