the end of the world?

     A lot of people seem to be worried that the world will end tomorrow, because an ancient Mayan calendar will expire. If you look at an old time-and-date watch you may find that it too has expired--that the function for the date ended sometime in the 1980's, or the 1960's--but the world didn't end. I once had a date-and-name stamp from an employer that ended with 1985--but I'm still here. If I'm not here tomorrow, the doomsday crowd won't be able to say "we told you so"--because they won't be here, either.

Santa Claus

     You can find out a lot about people by asking them what they tell their children about Santa Claus. Many people tell children that Santa only leaves presents for "good" or "nice" children. The same people will tell you that they never would stoop to bribing children, as it ruins their characters. They may tell children that Santa leaves coal for bad children, or that Santa won't leave them presents if they are naughty. The same people will deny that they threaten children idly, as that would also ruin their characters.
     What people tell children about Santa is likely to be philosophically similar to what they tell children about God. Many parents raise children to believe that God punishes naughty children and rewards good ones--the concept of "naughty" or "good" being at the whim of parents, Santa, or God, and not based on an actual  code of ethics or behavior.  "God" may be just another part of a parental arsenal of bribes, and threats, or rewards and punishments.

picture ID's

     We need more picture ID's. Our pictures are on our driver's licenses, our school, ID cards, and sometimes our employee ID cards. Why aren't they on our credit cards and debit cards?

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.