May 7, 2010

Today is May 7. It is a quiet day after yesterday's stock market screw up. But today is a major anniversary that is not widely noted and I am sure no American is aware of.

In 1945 on this day the War in Europe was over. The Germans signed their unconditional surrender and effectively ending the war there.

Since the Soviets came in from the east the war was gradually ending for the countries east of Germany but until the Allies met up in Berlin fighting was still going on.

I think this is a major anniversary but today nobody remembers and what is even worse, nobody cares.

In Moscow they celebrate this day every year with a military parade. The day is called Victory Day. But here, nothing.

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Sunday is Mother's Day in the US.

The definition of Mother's Day is to honor mothers and motherhood.

It is great that everybody will honor their mothers on this coming Sunday. One damn day a year!

What about the other 364 days the year has? On those days people just ignore their mothers?

First of all, where would we be without our mothers? We are here on this earth because they gave birth to us. They suffered with us for nine months and then the real suffering begun.

They raised us, they cleaned up after us, they worried about us and they chastised us when needed. All what they did was for our benefits. At the time we complained, we cursed (quietly) and thought we have the worst mother in the world.

But time justified all their actions because everything they did was out of love and to make sure we have a better life.

There is something, maybe an extra gene, that makes mothers worry. They worry about us all the time. No matter how old we are. We could be mature grown ups but if we are lucky enough to have a mother around we remain her children forever.

My Mother smacked me in the mouth for something I said once, and I was forty years old.

It is understandable that mothers grow closer to their children. Fathers go off to work and leave the mothers home to raise their child. This creates an unbreakable bond that lasts for a lifetime.

The biggest heartache a person can have is that his or her parents were not appreciated while there was a chance, while they were alive.

Regrets can eat a hole in the pit of one's stomach for things not done. All our lives we take our parents for granted but when they are not around anymore it is too late to be sorry for what we missed.

Love is an emotion that is not always shown. Americans are not huggy, kissy people, Europeans are.

I'm not ashamed to kiss my cousins (men) when I see them. There is nothing wrong expressing love such a way. What is wrong though is not expressing love at all. To hold it back because it is not proper or it shows weakness is totally wrong and regretful.

It doesn't mean Europeans are more loving it only means they just show it more. But it is nice to kiss one's Mom and there is nothing wrong to kiss one's Dad either.

I can not begin to tell how sorry I am now that when I had my chances to be with my parents I didn't. I was at the age when it was not cool to be seen with one's parents. I rather went with my friends than being with my parents.

I remember once I went to a movie theater with a girl and I met my parents in the lobby. It was an accident because they were not the kind who would have followed me there.

I coolly introduced them and went our separate ways. I was probably a little embarrassed for meeting my parents because I believed at the time that cool people have no visible parents.

I also remember that I always forgot Mother's Day. But my Mother never chastised me for it. Quietly accepted that I was a bum. But still loved me!

I believe that it is all of our solemn duty to respect our mothers every day of every year while they are among us and even after as long as we are among the living, and not just on Mother's Day.

May 6, 2010

Today the Market dropped almost 1000 points, all within about five minutes. People who were watching it were stunned. Nobody understood what was happening.

But after another five minutes it started to revive itself and closed (only) 348 points down. It was very scary to watch what was happening.

Prior to the drop CNN was having life broadcast from Athens, Greece showing the street riots. Naturally, my first inclination was that maybe that caused this unexpected drop.

Later all the analyst came forward and explained it as a supposed erroneous trade by one of the major health companies. All this drop caused by somebody punching the wrong button.

If that was really the cause it means we are having in a very fragile financial system.

But on another TV network their analyst explained that the Greece was the cause of the drop. She also said that due to the bad financial situation several European countries are this kind of phenomena is not unexpected.

I like the first explanation which said it was human error that caused it. But this is a perfect example of no matter how many experts look at this they each will come up with their own interpretations.

So, who do you trust?

Maybe everybody should go out and buy a bottle of ouzo, that might help Greece's economy.

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I love the security system this country has. It gives me so much confidence and feeling of safety.

It seems that no matter how much money is being spent on various security measures they are always a few steps behind. We know they are behind because the government keeps adjusting it to fill some newly found gaps they did not think of earlier.

How can I feel safe on a plane when some ya hoo brings aboard explosives in his underwear and nobody thought of checking.

How can I feel safe walking on the street when some ya hoo parks his SUV filled with explosives in the busiest area in our city and no professionals are around to catch it. It needed a street vendor with his eyes open to notice it.

How can I feel safe boarding a plane when the airlines had to update their no-fly list only every 24 hours. That meant that a sharp eyed terrorist was able to board any plane before his name ever got listed.

Sometimes I wonder who is more inefficient. The bumbling terrorist who (thankfully) can not execute his assignment or our security that can not discover the bumbling terrorist before his screw up.

The system is broken and it needs to be fixed. 20/20 hindsight is not permissible when our security and lives are at stake. But unfortunately nobody is able to realize it.

All these high priced experts walk around with their chests puffed out like a peacock and saying I am a security expert, I am a security expert.

Well, prove it damn it and prevent terrible things before they happen. Make us feel safe!

May 5, 2010

Today is cinqo de Mayo. All it means that today is the fifth of May. Why is this a date of importance I don't know and I really don't care.

It is a holiday in Mexico but since this is not yet Mexico it is absolutely of no importance to me. Tomorrow is the seis de Mayo. Are we celebrating that. too?

I just thought I'll say something about this.

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I am sick and tired of hearing how great our first responders are. Those include the police the firemen and the paramedics.

These people are being non stop butt kissed. Why? All they do is what their jobs are. This is what they chose to do with their lives and now everybody have to bow down for them? It is ridiculous.

Any sane person who wants to be a policemen is either a danger addict or likes to go around and show off his authority. Any person who wants to be a policemen has to face the reality that he might never live to retire. That is part of the job description.

Today, in today's world the dangers magnified and a World Trade Center type terrorist attack is not beyond the realm of reality. Everybody from the President down believes it agrees with this.

That means that anybody who joins law enforcement or the fire department has to be realistic enough to know that his life might be forfeited at any given time if conditions warrant it.

Last Saturday they diffused a bomb on Times Square in a car that was part of a terrorist action. It was done very professionally and without anybody getting hurt.

But this is their job. This is what they are getting paid, this is what they supposed to be good at. So why the world has to kiss up to them and praise them like a demi god. Only Jesus walked on water they didn't. There is no reason to worship them.

They chose this line of work. They were educated and trained and I'm sure it was not inexpensive. So now they earned their keep. And I hope that if anything like this happens again in the future they will handle that situation with the utmost professionalism they exhibited Saturday.

When an engineer designs a building that houses thousands of people and that building will not collapse the engineer will not get an award. Because this is his job, this is what he was trained for and is getting paid for.

So let the adulation stop and let them return to oblivion where they are probably much more comfortable then being in the forefront.

The Mayor is so busy kissing up to them and commending their actions that it really makes me sick.

We have young men in Iraq and Afghanistan in uniforms who do this kind of bravery every day and we never hear about those. They get their decorations and life goes on.

It should not be any different here either. They all say that we are at war. Well then let's act like it.

May 4, 2010

Is status quo good or bad?

Just to explain, status quo means the current existing state.

The question of the day is do we want to disturb the status quo?

And if we do, why?

Let's look at our own backyard. We are living our lives the way we are used to. We have our families, some have their jobs, we have our environment. No matter how we look at it, it is more or less comfortable

Everything we do is geared to own standards and what we are used to. So, why should we change that?

I know it would be great to win the Mega or any serious amount of money on the lotto. But can we handle it?

Can anyone imagine winning let's say two hundred million dollars? That amount of money is not just a new car and a new house. That amount of money is much more than life changing.

Could we be living that high on the hog? To get a box in the Metropolitan Opera, to shop at the best boutiques, to eat at the best restaurants, to get a limo with a driver, a staff to look after us at home. And that is just the "basic" rich stuff.

Could we be able to handle all that?

The answer in many of these cases is NO. People can not handle this kind of life changing. We hear more and more how lotto winners go into bankruptcy because they are not able to act responsibly with their newfound money.

We are all dreaming hitting at big at least once in our lifetime. But are we able to face the consequences that come with it?

There is a TV show called Extreme Makeover-Home Edition. In this show each week they rebuild the home of someone in dire need. The new home is totally furnished and given to the owner free and clear of any financial obligations.

Some people can not even handle the free home. It was in the news that some already had their new home repossessed because they put it up as collateral for loans.

Now let's go back to the original question. Do we want to disturb the status quo?

We all want to improve our standard of living. But to do it by ourselves or by a drastic outside effect are two different things.

But it is not always financial changes we are looking for.

Some people change their lives by leaving their life partners. Then they realize that they made a mistake and want to backpedal where they were before.

Some, many, people change jobs then they realize that the grass is not that green on the other side.

Should we be happy or content with what we have and be vary what the changes might bring forth?

I think it is human nature to be curious. We want to discover new things even at our own expense.

We all, including me, say let me win on the lotto and I'll be different than the other losers. I will know how to handle the shock of becoming a millionaire. We'll see!

But I guess choosing to disregard the status quo explains why some famous people have affairs with about twelve women.

May 3, 2010

When a prehistoric man wanted a woman he smacked her unconscious on the head with a club then took her to his cave and they lived there ever after. Happiness was invented (not discovered!) hundreds of thousands of years later.

This unattractive, yet honest courting method didn't change much in time except words and deeds replaced the club, and condos replaced the caves.

One might think today that the club was the better method.

Anyway, today men meet women or women meet men in various places. And, I only talk about the way it is here in our culture and not in other parts of the world.

There are school loves, there are blind dates, there are mutual friends, there are work places, there are bars and there are accidental meetings that lead to relationships.

Besides these there are countless other ways one might meet his or her future mate and reality shows don't count.

But meeting the other party is only the first step. To keep the relationship going is the hardest part. That is where both halves have to work at it, show some interest and also show some commitment.

Some people meet up only for fun and for a short term involvement some meet with a serious and possibly lifelong commitment in mind. The term lifelong today has a different meaning than the word itself implies.

But no matter what no two people are alike. I can not see a 'manual' on how to establish or keep a relationship going.

That's what make people unique. We are different from one and other. What might interest one person will leave somebody else totally blank.

What turns on one might be a turn off to someone else.

Now what prompted all this sociological diatribe? Because believe me, it was not very easy for me to come out with these smart thoughts.

There is a so called profession by the name of relationship expert. These people claim they know what drives us humans and how to avoid life's emotional potholes and navigate the labyrinth of love. (Wow!)

They claim to have the answer to all the mysteries of dating and maintaining relationships.

These claims are just as empty as the weatherman's claims that they know what kind of weather we can expect.

Relationship experts offer advice on TV, radio in magazines and probably in private counselings. Naturally all these are for fees, so it seems this is another money making service with absolutely no responsibility.

It is money making for the provider and not for the providee.

As they always say: it's a good country America!

But I still think the club (not the golf club) was a better way! Love could come later.

May 2, 2010

The other day I wrote an e-mail to Marshalls. This is a clothing store that prides itself selling designer stuff far below retail or rather far below anybody else.

They sell men's and women's items as well as many other household things.

What prompted me to write were two things.

One, I had nothing else to do.

Two, they are constantly advertising how nice their stores are and how much good quality merchandise they have that are fashionable and very low priced.

We had the chance to see a couple of their stores within the sphere of our shopping territory.

I have to tell you, they are disasters. The stores look like thrift shops. Salvation Army Thrift Shop looks better than Marshalls'.

The quality of their merchandise is very low. Designer names are in the eyes of the beholder. Just because they put a label on a piece of clothing with the name Joe it does not make it a designer item.

The stores are messy, disorganized and basically unpleasant.

This prompted me to write my e-mail.

I received a response from their Costumer Service rep that they appreciated my comments and it was forwarded to the right party for action.

Now either they will reorganize their stores or they will send someone to beat me up.

Or, they just ignore it like everybody else ignores everything.

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I just love when people stick their noses to where they have absolutely no business.

This Arizona thing is growing by leaps and bounds.

The way I see it this immigration law is not an anti Latino law. But let's be realistic, Mexico is the home of Latinos. People who sneak across the Arizona border are Latinos. These illegals are Latinos. Simple as that.

It does not mean that all Latinos are bad and illegals. It just means that the ones coming across the border down there are happen to be Latinos.

This prompted every politician to get on the bandwagon and declare the Arizona law discriminatory and that Arizona is a racist state.

The people in New York should mind their own business. I'll bet most of the demonstrators who took part yesterday have no idea where Arizona is.

They just demonstrated because it was a nice day and there was something to demonstrate about.

New York is about twenty five hundred miles away from Arizona. New York is a border state but it borders Canada and it does not have the same illegal problems as Arizona has.

How can the people here understand what is happening down there. But that will not stop anybody to demonstrate. They will voice their objections regardless if they know the facts and what is really happening down there.

People in New York will tell Arizonians how they should live their lives.

I am not saying that the Arizona law is right or wrong. I am not a lawyer nor a politician. All I am saying is that people should mind their own business and put their own houses in order before telling others how to live their lives.

Americans have the tendency to tell everybody in this world how to live. We are so convinced that our way of life is superior to everybody else that we can not comprehend a lifestyle different than ours.

If it is different than it must be bad. That is the motto.

And this applies back home, too. New Yorkers and North Easters can not understand that life might be different in other parts of the country.

That is the beauty of this country. It is so huge that lives and customs differ in other states and we just have to accept it.

Europe comprises fifty different countries (just like our fifty states). Each and every country has its own history, language and customs. Most of these countries are much older than the US, most of them were around when good old Christopher Columbus discovered America.

Yet, nobody is complaining about their lifestyles and nobody is trying to change their habits.

It would be very comfortable if the whole world would speak only English and the entire world would be called The United World of America.

Then what would we demonstrate about?

May 1, 2010

Today is May 1 and it was as summery all day long as possible. It was sunny and it was hot. In short it was gorgeous.

We were very busy all day long, got home late and I was exhausted. Maybe the heat contributed to it.

What I am working up to is an excuse why I am not writing anything today.

But, tomorrow is another day.