Back at home and enjoying the cool morning. It is going to be a little hotter today, close to 90. But I will take that over most of the country. In Dallas they are now in their 35TH day in a row of triple digit heat. 109 two days ago, 108 yesterday and predicted for today. It has been so hot there for so long that according to some reports air conditioners have began to melt.
A couple of days ago my friend Ted called and said he wanted to meet with to discuss something personal. I am off to downtown Portland to meet him at a Starbucks in what they call the cities "living room", also known as pioneer square. I really don't like going to downtown Portland because parking is either a nightmare or expensive. However, I am kind of afraid what is going on in Ted's life. In a bit of perception about three weeks ago I called him to check in on him and when I hung up my immediate reaction was "there is something wrong with him." Then less than two weeks later I get a call to meet to discuss "something personal."
I hope it is good news but I am afraid it isn't. More along the lines of a divorce or an illness. Prayers and good thoughts would sure be appreciated.
Discrimination is still going strong, just a different type of discrimination.
http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2011/08/03/why-charges-of-age-discrimination-are-on-the-rise/?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-nb%7Cdl17%7Csec3_lnk2%7C83145
Taxes usually depresses Pat but I am sorry, Pat, I found the following article and results of the survey pretty interesting:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/04/irs-incomes_n_918458.html
In kind of disturbs me that at a time with the so called job creators are paying no taxes that jobs are not being created and unemployment statistics aren't get any better.
Since some of my followers may think I am all wet for posting the above and others may think I am from another planet I found an article that combines water and planets:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/08/markings-may-indicate-water-on-mars.html
Comment Away.
QUOTES
Former First Lady Barbara Bush authored yesterday's quote. Today's quote is "It is not easy to be a pioneer -- but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world." - was authored by an answer to a woman featured as a Who Am I of the day. One of the first women to be featured. The doctor was born in 1821 and died in 1910. She was the third of nine children and when she lost six sisters and two brother she decided to enter a man's world and became the first woman in the U.S. to earn a medical degree. Banned from practice in most hospitals, she was advised to go to Paris, France and train at La Maternité, but had to continue her training as a student midwife, not a physician. While she was there, her training was cut short when she caught a serious right eye infection, purulent ophthalmia, from a baby she was treating. She had to have her right eye removed and replaced with a glass eye. This loss brought to an end her hopes to become a surgeon. In 1857, she long with her sister Emily and Dr. Marie Zakrzewska, founded their own infirmary, the New York Infirmary for Indigent Women and Children, in a single room dispensary near Tompkins Square in Manhattan. During the American Civil War, she trained many women to be nurses and sent them to the Union Army. Many women were interested and received training at this time. After the war, she had time, in 1868, to establish a Women's Medical College at the Infirmary to train women, physicians, and doctors. Today is a hard one but I have faith that you can tell me who authored today's quote.
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4 comments:
Good thoughts and vibes for your friend Ted, Bill. There are entirely too many problems for people going on right now! It's probably an age thing, darn it all. Witness your first story about age discrimination. The scary thing about elders being first on the lists to be fired is how hard it is for them to get another job. Retiring is great for those who can do it with full SS and a helpful bit of a pension. Oh, and healthcare, who can forget healthcare? As it is, being laid off in your productive 50's or even early 60's is a very scary thing if you don't have a major financial cushion to tide you over until 65 or 67 or whatever they've raised SS max to these days.
I don't get upset about my own taxes. Well, sometimes about all those "hidden" ones and often when my property tax bill comes in. But it does upset me that people with incomes of $1 million a year managed to pay no taxes at all. They are probably paying property tax and some sales tax, and the hidden ones in their phone bills and such, but no income tax??? How is this possible? And as you ask, Bill, where are the jobs they are supposed to be creating? China? Korea? Mexico? The Phillipines?
I saw the thing about Mars water in the paper today. I personally tend to think the other explanation, that the markings come from dry avalances of soil or other debris is more likely. However that the markings darken and fade does seem to point to water. I'll hope they find water on Mars, as it would open up a whole new possibility. Was there life there in the past? Is there some kind of life now? Is Mars in the first stages of being life-supporting as we were aeons ago? Big Questions.
Despite the fact I'm not happy with our temps in the high nineties and humidity from 47 to 74%, my heart goes out to those in Dallas and similar areas. Talked to b-i-l there and it was 113 at his house at 4:00 yesterday afternoon. The energy companies are asking people to cut back as much as possible on electric usage, as they're afraid the system is going to collapse under peak usage times. An emergency warning has been issued, asking people to not be outdoors unless absolutely necessary, but to stay home, stay in their offices, whatever for the next several days. It's not a pretty picture at all.
Prayers for Ted and for you to be able to support and encourage him and positive thoughts about your meeting today.
Yes, the age discrimination things is becoming more and more an issue. IN addition to what was cited in the article, there are some other factors at work. For one thing, older employees are often at the top of their pay scale, so laying them off or demoting them is a cost savings in payroll. In addition, workers in their fifties and sixties are being laid off or downsized just prior to qualification for full pension benefits or full vesting in the companies retirement program, again a cost savings for the company.
The tax numbers I've seen before. What I find equally, maybe more, disturbing is that income levels have dropped, rather than increased, which is something else I've been hearing much about recently.
Overall, I could pretty much say my reaction to these two articles matches Pat's.
Hi Pat
The good thoughts and vibes work it was a bigger problem in his mind than it was in reality.
I completely agree with you about there be to many problems. This has been my worse year in ages.
The sad thing about age discrimination is that the work ethic for them is so much stronger than any other group. They are better employees. Now if they could just get a job.
There are a lot of hidden taxes. Just like anyone else I don't like paying taxes and I am not against tax cuts but what bothers me more than tax cuts are unfairness and stupidity. There nothing more unfair then the Bush tax cuts as they skewed to on sector of the population and there is nothing more insanely stupid than cutting taxes at the same time you are increasing spending by trillions of dollars on wars. Never cut taxes during war, it is the most selfish and stupid thing any congress critter can do.
I guess I am always an optimist and think it is water. No reasoning, nothing to back my thinking up. Just that, that is what I want it to be. And it would be fun to have all the answers to you Big Questions before I move on to the other world.
Bill
Hi DR
My niece lives in Dallas and talk about having weird relatives she likes their weather. If your brother-in-law is in Dallas have him watch the morning news on channel eleven, that is my niece.
The prayers worked, it wasn't a serious problem.
Interessting point you made about the elderly employees being at the top of the pay scale. Laying them off just prior to full benefits is awful and employers that do that should be shot.
I agree the income levels dropping is disturbing as is the lost of the middle class. The income and asset disparity between the rich and the poor is the largest in history.
Bil
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