Getting Old is BAD

Don't listen to anyone who says old age can be fun. It is absolutely not true. They should not be called the golden years - they should be called the rusted years. Even if you're in good health, at age 75, you always know in the back of your mind that as soon as you're gone, no matter how GREAT you were, NOBODY will remember anything you did.  Of all the billions of people who ever lived, not even one tenth of one tenth of one tenth of one tenth of one percent are still regularly talked about - perhaps one hundred historical figures in various fields: science, art, politics. You cannot enjoy anything when you're dead and you KNOW you'll be dead soon. People treat you with respect but only out of respect, not genuine interest. You are basically shoved aside. You become obsolete in front of your very eyes. You also look horrible - wrinkly and crooked. If you get sick, things are only worse. You spend a lot of time just worrying about whether you'll get sicker. You get depressed easily. You spend too much time with doctors, looking for a cure for the incurable. The only good thing about growing really old is that you might get to see a lot of your friends die before you do. That's it. Then, it's your turn. Death is NOT normal and it is never fun. Old people know all of this but they just pretend things are ok and that they are fine with old age. They are NOT. Getting old is bad - really bad. Let us not pretend otherwise. It is a CURSE but people just insist on looking on the bright side.  In this case, there isn't any. hahaha

Obsession

Is it possible to get too caught up in the stock market - to treat it as you would a table card game like poker? I'm afraid so. It can become an obsession - like a beautiful woman or like fine liquor. There is nothing wrong with becoming obsessed, just be careful what you become addicted to. There are always at least two roads to travel - choose wisely. 

Very funny

From a Yahoo! News story: “CARACAS, Venezuela – Prominent Venezuelan non-governmental organizations warned Thursday that a bill being drafted by lawmakers loyal to President Hugo Chavez could be used to financially strangle groups that criticize the government. Ruling-party lawmakers argue the proposed law is necessary to increase oversight of foreign funding destined for NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), although they've promised to hear concerns from critics before taking up the bill for likely approval in the coming months. A draft of the bill says foreign donations for NGOs would no longer be sent directly to organizations but instead would be deposited in a government-controlled fund. Officials would dole out the money at their discretion.” This is really funny. As the saying goes, “He who has the gold makes the rules,” no? Once the government gets its hands on the money, it will be next to impossible to shake it loose. Who knows?

Recession and cynics

From the New York Times: “Speaking at a conference in New York in December, Walter M. Pressey, president of Boston Private Wealth Management, a healthy bank with a mostly affluent clientele, said there were no immediate plans to do much with the $154 million it received from the Treasury. “With that capital in hand, not only do we feel comfortable that we can ride out the recession,” he said, “but we also feel that we’ll be in a position to take advantage of opportunities that present themselves once this recession is sorted out.” The report on the TARP concluded that the Treasury’s top priority seemed to be to “stabilize financial markets” by simply giving healthy banks more money and letting them decide how best to use it. The report also said it was not clear how giving billions to banks “advances both the goal of financial stability and the well-being of taxpayers, including homeowners threatened by foreclosure, people losing their jobs, and families unable to pay their credit cards.” For Mr. Hope, the Whitney National Bank chairman, “the main motivation for TARP” was not more loans, but rather to safeguard against the “possibility things could get a lot worse.” He said Whitney would continue making loans “that we would have made with or without TARP.” “We see TARP as an insurance policy,” he said. “That when all this stuff is finally over, no matter how bad it gets, we’re going to be one of the remaining banks.” WHAT UNBELIEVABLE CYNICISM. Isn’t this the same kind of greediness that got us here? Now, thanks to the bailouts, China and the Middle East hold the mortgage on the entire country – first and second lien, as it were. The higher ups don’t care – they will just go live in Europe. 

Government and Politics

If you want to learn something crucial about how politics and government work, simply try to find out why the flat tax cannot and never will be implemented.  

New Google Chrome saves the day

Testing. This is just a test. My old browser could not get me in so I tried Google Chrome and it seems to be working. We can write and edit again. Yipee!!!! I can even upload pictures like I used to. I need to celebrate but, unfortunately, I am out of beer and I have no wine nor wine coolers. I have no Scotch nor Tequila either. I should not have had that last beer at lunch. No problem. I can celebrate tomorrow. I might even just have a candied apple. Why not. There's more than one way to celebrate Google Chrome and its ability to rescue a floundering blogger.  By the way, that picture is supposed to be two trees being beat up by a hurricane. The original is much larger. I hope I don't experience any more blogger problems. 

Frank Lloyd Wright

"Bureaucrats: they are dead at 30 and buried at 60. They are like custard pies; you can't nail them to a wall."  This was said by architect Frank Lloyd Wright.  I wholeheartedly agree.