I recently read Life, Inc., and am currently reading Cheap. These books are capable of completely depressing any American-actually, I suppose, with globalization, pretty much anyone. I've been feeling more and more lately that the financial deck is stacked against the average American, and these books don't help. Years ago, when credit cards became widely available, the conventional wisdom was that you bought today, instead of saving as people did before they had easy credit, and paid off with inflated dollars. You were being financially savvy. The problem was that in so many cases, people didn't pay the bill on the first go-round, so then they were paying interest on the loan. Instead of being smart, they were just saps. The de-regulation of the banking industry, the outsourcing of jobs-the list of contributing factors is just too long. In Cheap the author asserts that a retiring CEO of Walmart made more in his bi-weekly paycheck than his average employee made in their entire career working for Walmart. That is injustice on such a scale it makes my head want to explode. You can blame people for shopping at Walmart, but for many people that's the affordable place to shop. For myself, I am re-dedicated to attempting to shop locally and buy American. I know it can't be done all the time, but I am going to make a sincere effort. The results will, I hope, be fodder for future posts.

Lone wolf

Well, I realized the other night, during a conversation over the dinner table, that most of my swimming against the cultural tide has to do with television shows. It's not music, or plays, or even books, to a large extent, that has me at odds with most of the American population-it's just TV. Can I really sustain a blog on such a small platform? I don't think so.
So, farewell blogosphere. At least until I find myself really howling out there, alone, in the wilderness.

Memorial Day

I don't know if I am in the minority on this or not. I think on Memorial Day everyone should take some time to think about Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice in our country's name. And then I think people should go and do very American things-like barbeques. But, and I know this is curmudgeonly, I don't think people should go shopping on Memorial Day. There are many reasons, but ultimately, I guess I don't want to think that the best we can do to remember those who died in our country's wars is to go and spend money on, generally, things we don't need all that much. Ooh-too curmudgeonly, even for me.

American Idol

Ha, and you thought I wouldn't know about American Idol. But, see, I do. I am not, however, sure who won this time; I know it was between this and one other fellow, and I think the other guy won. But if I were picking, this would have been my choice.

Britain's Got Talent

I have to admit, I never GOT American Idol. I watched part of one episode, and the entire concept didn't appeal to me. I didn't want to see people who weren't really that talented getting up to try and being knocked down.
But when I saw Susan Boyle's performance on Britain's Got Talent, I got it. It was like seeing a five minute version of Rocky. I still remember walking out of the movie theater when I saw Rocky, the sense of euphoria. Seeing Ms. Boyle triumph was like that-only better, because it was not a Hollywood film, it was a real person. Great stuff.

Bo, and other dogs

I actually don't feel out of the mainstream so much on this issue, yet I haven't heard anyone worry out loud about what the Obama's choice of a purebred dog is likely to do to the breed. Portuguese Water Dogs have not been a particularly popular breed-up to now; in 2008 they were ranked #62 in popularity, as determined by AKC registrations. This is up from #82 in 1998. The problem is that there is no doubt that puppy mills are already devoting more cages to Portuguese Water Dogs as I blog. I totally sympathize with the Obama's need to get a dog that they knew would be unlikely to provoke their daughter's allergies. It's just too bad that there is currently no legislation to protect the dogs who will now be relegated to producing litter after litter of puppies to sell to people who do not know enough to go to a reputable breeder or a shelter for their pet.
Sorry to be such a bummer. I'm happy for the girls-I'm just impatient to get legislation passed that will end puppy mills.

Life on Mars

Will there ever be an end to the cancellation of TV shows I like? I'm really not that picky. I admit, I never saw a single episode of ER or Dallas, but I saw more than my fair share of silly sitcoms and ho-hum dramas. But why, oh why, do the big three networks put in the time and energy and cash to produce a worth-while show, and then cancel it before it has even had a full year to build an audience?
My son says I should be happy; Pushing Daisies and Life on Mars vand Sports Night will never jump the shark. I take comfort in that.