1. How can you not help falling in love with the Olympic Gold medal winner "Gabby" Douglas and her and her family's story? And how incredible to go from total obscurity to one of the most famous people in the world overnight! But how sad it is that so many others who spent the last four years working for and yearning for the same result go home empty handed and unknown and unrewarded or feeling that way unless they have the maturity or wisdom or spiritual awareness to appreciate the experience and accept the reality as a gift rather than a punishment.
2. And sort of related: listening to an interview with the author of yet another book on what makes "successful" people "successful" and hearing that it's all about the rich and famous it occurs to me that a much better project would be to explore what makes happy people happy, whether rich and famous or not.
3. And yet still related if you can see it: no one I have noticed in the media is pointing out that the new jobs numbers that got so much attention today don't have to be seen through the prism of the president's perspective that more jobs were created in the last month than economists expected which is great given the incredible hole the Bush/Cheney regime dug in terms of jobs lost from their economic collapse, or from the right's attempt to spin the tenth of a percent rise in unemployment claims as a failure for Obama. It's much simpler than that. if you ignore government jobs lost, because of cuts, which are what the right is always clamoring for and became necessary due to the economic downturn, then the unemployment rate would be steadily dropping. In other words, enough non-government jobs were created to spur the recovery, but unfortunately too many government jobs were lost to lower the unemployment rate.
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15 comments:
Close, but no cigar. Two of the stalker's statistics aren't true so the delete button has been pushed.
Almost Zen-like, or maybe skip the "almost." In any case, an exceptional post.
Thanks Bill.
Lally, the economist, has arbitrarily decided that 2 of the statistics I quoted were false. Which 2 Lally? That of course means that the other facts, I quoted are correct even in Lally's eyes.
i agree that we need to have studies and books that interrogates our ideas of success. being famous and rich is sure not, for me at least, signs that you 'made it'. fame and wealth are surer indicators that one got lucky and factors, such as being born into a wealthy and/or famous family.
perhaps success can be examined thru the lens that happiness comes from the practice of doing what one loves to do. like writing, like those olympic athletes who do not win medals but have made it to one of the biggest events of their lives. success might come from gratitude.
Here is a possible health tip from this conservative to Lally liberals.
A little over 2 weeks ago I began taking an over the counter supplement that has been touted as helpful fighting various ills, including infections, cancer and arthritis. In is derived from a Japanese mushroom and there is much research and history on it. I have a problem with arthritis resulting in replaced knees and very painfull shoulders which was a result of spending too much time on the ground will attempting to off road motorcycle 10 years ago. It has been difficult to sleep and it has prevented me from lifting for 8-10 yrs. After taking AHCC I have been lifting (light weights but building) for 2 weeks. It is easier to sleep on my side. Today I went to the driving range and got the back swing much further back than I was able to 2 weeks ago. Here is an web address with info. http://www.ahccresearch.com/
PS I have also gone on a gluten free died and dropped 5 lbs. in 5 days. Last fall I dropped 18 lbs on a similar diet. My goal is to have the best ski season of my life this year. We shall see.
Jim, good going...have you looked into MSM? Also a supplement with proven helpfulness with joint and other issues. Jarrow is a good brand of MSM.
It's good that you're staying active and being an example in this regard. Now all we need is to get your perspective clear and you'll be a true champion.
Robert,
I have tried MSM and chondroitin and glucosmine, which I continue to use, resulting in moderate reduction of swelling and pain. The arthritis in my shoulders and ankle is not cured but I would judge the level of pain and constriction of motion has been reduced around 70% in 2 weeks. According to research I have read, the AHCC activates NK killer cells which is part of the immune system, which in turn attacks inflammation, infection etc. It seems to be helping me significantly. With the source being mushrooms, I figure the downside is limited. The only downside is that it is somewhat pricey for a supplement.
PS As for me changing my opinion of American liberalism and socialism, I am constrained by what works. We have had ample demonstrations in Europe and the US, that it does not work.
If the First and Second Amendments were practiced and regarded as they were intended, and not bastardized for profit and grossly misconstrued by ignorance and hate resulting from exploitation and greed, then we'd be ok, rather than having blood on our hands in Oak Creek and Aurora, glaringly tragic examples of the failure of your way.
I'll leave his comment in Robert since you answered it and he was talking to you. But I cannot let yet another lie pass. His statement that "we have ample demonstrations in Europe and the US that "liberalism" and "socialism" do "not work" is so incredibly wrong it's almost ridiculpus that anyone would have to pint that out. But it's a sign of our times that the victims of rightwing corporate sponsored mind control can either parrot while not believing or actually convince themselves that the liberalism that won World War Two that saved Europe from totalitarianism that created the longest stretch of peace and prosperity in Europe's history and did the same for the US (and so much more that entire volumes could be written and have just listing the achievements) "does not work" when every instance of the kind of dribble-down-everything-for-the-rich-and-what's-left-over-for-the-rest-of-us rightwing ideology that has taken over "American conservatism" has proven everywhere it has been tried to "not work" including here under Bush/Cheney.
Thank you Michael, for shining truth into falsehood.
Robert, Do you have examples of how the 1st Amendment has been bastardized?
Hate speech that leads to violence. Lies that materially and otherwise harm people. Unchecked media violence.
Robert,
I was thinking that you might have a specific quotation and person or persons in mind. Were you thinking of conservatives or contributors to the Alley, or everday liberal/socialists like Maher, Letterman, Pelosi and Obama?
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