the resurrection of the body

     I watched a movie last night about the "resurrection of the body". The dead came back to life--anyway, their bodies did. The movie was called The Night of the Living Dead. 

les tricoteuses

     Les tricoteuses were the women who supposedly knitted the fates of the condemned during the French Revolution.  Their knitting supposedly contained a record of the names of those who were to be put to death. Very creepy. Now we have "yarn bombers", who knit things around trees and posts. I wonder if the CIA has been working on breaking their code, and what secret messages might lie hidden in this knitting?

raising money for charity

     The walks for charity--you have probably seen or heard of them. It's great to raise money for a cause. I went on two 25-mile walks when I was younger, for a charity. But I'd really like to see the charities pick a product or a job--that's right, a job. How about being the charity that offers to rake leaves every fall for a fee? The money to go to the charity, of course, and the labor to be done by volunteers.  The volunteers could show up with paper bags and take the leaves to the composting center. How about an annual pick-up-the-park day for charity? More than one charity could use this one.  How about a highway clean-up for charity? Or a playground clean-up and fix-up? Or annual chimney sweeping, gutter cleaning, or anything else you can think of? Once word got around, the charity would become known for its service, and people would save jobs and money for the charity. So much more useful than walking about.

business practices

     When I go into a  grocery store, and ask where the coffee is, the clerk doesn't ask if I'd like to talk with the man who couldn't find the cereal.  The clerk tells me what I want to know.
     When I go into an auto repair shop to have my transmission checked, the mechanic doesn't ask if I'd like to meet the man with the bad radiator. The mechanic fixes my car.
     When I go to the doctor's, the nurse doesn't ask if I'd like to chat with some sick people. The nurse asks about my symptoms.
     If  I ask a police officer for directions, the officer doesn't ask me if I would like to connect with other lost people, so that we could form a club. The officer gives directions.
    But this is all in realityville. Cyberspace is different, or so it seems.
   

voting

If you're not planning to vote in November, remember that among those who do vote, your non-vote means that you have agreed to everything or anything the rest of us decide with our votes. No quibbling. Or complaining. If you want to complain, vote.

stamps--it matters

     A new campaign suggests that we put pictures of living people on United States stamps. The people you see honored on stamps are always dead people, usually people who have been dead for 10 years, at least.  The image of a living person on a coin or stamp traditionally, and currently around the world, means that the person whose image is on the stamp or coin is the head of state, and probably the hereditary monarch, of the country issuing the coin or stamp. From ancient times, when the Romans "recalled" and reissued coins when a new leader took over, to the modern image of the British queen on British stamps and coins, the figure of a living person has meant the ruler of the state. In America, we use the stamps and coins to remember and honor those who have made contributions to our society, not to proclaim a new dictator.

voter ID

     How about a joint program to help people without ID's obtain them before election day? They ought to have them anyway, and there's still plenty of time. They will need a Social Security card, a birth certificate and  ( 2 ) proofs of residency, such  as a piece of mail addressed to them or a W-2 form. If the applicant doesn't have a piece of mail, send him or her one.A birth certificate can take weeks, so the time to send for one is now. The fee is $10, sent to the Division of Vital Records of the State of Pennsylvania. There is an online application for this, to speed things up.
     A Social Security card can be obtained at the Social Security office. The applicant will need a birth certificate and other ID, preferably photo ID, such as a school or employee ID. Social Security cards don't cost anything, but you may spend a few hours in the Social Security office. A Social Security card is required for employment, so everyone needs one anyway.
     For the  state-issued ID, the applicant will need a $13.50 fee and perhaps transportation to the driver's license facility.  The ID process takes an afternoon or a morning, including getting to the facility and back. The person leaves with a state-issued ID card, not a driver's license. The ID card is as good as a driver's license for identification at the bank or anyplace that asks for an ID. So why not get moving?