TRASH COLLECTORS CELEBRATE THANKSGIVING

AT HOME
Johann Wagener 11-27-13

In a civil society, at least in my town, trash collectors are given  the day off on Thanksgiving and most of other nationally recognized holidays. For most of America's workforce receiving a paid holiday off, has become a thing of the past; something their parents and grandparents talk about.

I know I'll be getting flak from the "politically correct" crowd, for referring to "sanitation technicians" as trash collectors. But, let's be real here. I think the people that do the job and those they serve all know that what they do is pick up American's trash. Just as the "N" word doesn't excuse racism, neither does "sanitation" sanitize collecting trash.

In my opinion they are "first responders" though I've never heard anyone refer to them as such.  These people are out in our streets every day hauling away disease ridden, toxic, and dangerous waste; putting themselves at risk, to keep America clean. How does that compare with firefighters, policeman, and others in the ranks of first responders?

Yet the only recognition they get might be a Christmas card from some conscientious person in a neighborhood they clean up. Their employers express their appreciation by giving them holidays, like Thanksgiving off. The only impact that has on me or my neighbors is that we will put out the trash on Friday.

Trash and the City

America’s largest city generates garbage in torrents—11,000 tons from households each day on average. But New Yorkers don’t give it much attention. They leave their trash on the curb or drop it in a litter basket, and promptly forget about it. And why not? On a schedule so regular you could almost set your watch by it, someone always comes to take it away.

But who, exactly, is that someone? And why is he—or she—so unknown?

THE NEWTON -AURORA GENERATION

ALL-AMERICAN FAMILY
Johann Wagener 11-25-13

Kids, just crossing into adulthood and already completely indoctrinated and desensitized with violence; being born and grwoing up in a culture that glorifies violence.

* grand theft auto;  School warns parents of 'unsuitable' video game Grand Theft Auto

Rockstar Games’ “Grand Theft Auto V” was the top selling videogame for the second month in a row in October, according to NPD Group, selling nearly 1.1 million units.

The game, which raked in more than $800 million on its first day of release and crossed the $1 billion mark in just three days, represented 15% of revenue generated by all games sold last month.

* guns for kids; Here's How the Rifle That Just Killed a 2-Year-Old Girl Is Marketed for Kids

The company is equipped with modern, state of the art equipment, and a capability to increase production to meet the growing demand for firearms. KSA continues to grow, producing 60,000 Crickett and Chipmunk rifles in 2008. Currently KSA employs 70 people, and in Sept 2009 completed a 45,000 square foot addition to accommodate existing production and new projects.

At the present time, KSA produces the
Crickett & Chipmunk single shot .22LR/.22MAG caliber rifles,
Crickett and Chipmunk single shot .22LR/.22MAG pistols, as well as
Revolution after-market stocks and after- market 10/22 barrels.

Here's what our customers have to say about our products:

"I recently purchased one of your Davey Crickett rifles (My First Rifle) from my 7 yr. old daughter and I would like to say that i have nothing but positive things to say about it. To put it simply, she loves it and looks forward to going shooting with me at every opportunity. It is obvious that a good deal of time was spent in the development of this product as it is perfectly designed for kids in regards to length and weight. My daughter is rapidly improving her marksmandship and takes the responsibility of a firearm very seriously. She is also looking forward to going squirrel hunting with me this upcoming season. In closing, I will recommend your product to everyone that might be interested in it. This pink polymer stock was an excellent tought, I might add. P.S. I am going to take the liberty of sending a note to Field & Stream magazine recommending your product, as well."

* blood sports (football games) In Bullying Case, Questions on N.F.L. Culture

VIOLENCE AND ATHLETIC CHILDREN

Role Models: Coaches, parents and older athletes are common role models for children. The examples set by these role models mold children's ideas about what constitutes acceptable behavior in society. When they witness their heroes engaging in violence in a sports setting, children learn that this is not only acceptable, but also applauded in some cases.

 * More guns than the US population: More Guns in U.S. Homes, More Kids Getting Shot

The number of children wounded or killed by gunshots has been climbing in recent years and states with high gun-ownership rates also tend to have lots of childhood firearm injuries, a new study shows.

Report: Newtown shooter obsessed with Columbine

"Some recalled that the shooter had been bullied; but others - including many teachers - saw nothing of the sort."

"Yes, we have read the report, no, we cannot make sense of why it happened. We don't know if anyone ever will," Soto wrote. "We don't know if we will ever be whole again, we don't know if we will go a day without pain, we don't know if anything will ever make sense again."

What makes no sense to me is that we persist in looking at these massacres as isolated events rather than connecting the dots. 

Why a society, supposedly as advanced as our, insist on denying reality and continue to sacrifice our children in the name of "freedom" is not only tragic, but just plain BSC!

THE DOMINO EFFECT

FAT LEONARD! 
Johann Wagener 11-17-13


The Pentagon is showered with Billions of Taxpayer dollars; usually by Republicans who pander them, to protect and defend America. Republicans also work very hard to exempt them from any cuts claiming that every penny spent on defense is worth every penny.

The rhetoric is usually laced with "one-liners" that feeds public paranoia (much like the NRA) that someone is "out there somewhere" who is going to attack us. After years of this blubber, nothing has come to fruition other than a bunch of rag-tag Saudi Arabians using our own airlines and box cutters to inflict the largest attack on US soil since Pearl Harbor.

Yet the Navy was able to convince Americans that we needed a $2.1 billion dollar aircraft carrier to our standing fleet of 10 which is equivalent to all the carriers in the world including the "red menace" (China)
who just launched their one and only recently which is not even armed.

Now we are discovering that our "paranoia" which is fed to us by the "Military Industrial Complex" is serving a much more cynical enemy that China.

I just can't wait to see where this goes and how FOX & Republicans will spin it, hoping as usual that Americans are dumb enough to buy it.  

Two admirals face probe in Navy bribery scheme

Two U.S. admirals — including the director of naval intelligence — are under investigation as part of a major bribery scandal involving a foreign defense contractor, Navy officials announced Friday night.

Vice Adm. Ted “Twig” Branch, the service’s top intelligence officer, and Rear Adm. Bruce F. Loveless, the Navy’s director of intelligence operations, were placed on leave Friday, and their access to classified material was suspended, the Navy said in a statement.

MOTHER NATURE WORKING ON THANKSGIVING

ATTENTION SHOPPERS!
Johann Wagener 11-27-13

Looks like it's going to take an "act of God" for Americans to get the message that Holidays are;

noun
1.a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done.
"December 25 and November 28th are official public holidays"

Thanksgiving Travel Update: Winter Storm Boreas Creates Headaches. Snow and Ice In South and Northeast

The massive Winter Storm Boreas, blamed for at least 14 deaths in the Plains and West, is parked over the East Coast and South Wednesday, halting Thanksgiving traffic with snow, ice, heavy rains, and even a tornado. In general its wreaking havoc on travel plans in the air and on the roads on the busiest travel day of the year.

"The timing of the storm couldn't be worse," said Chris Vaccaro, spokesman for the National Weather Service headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. "We are seeing numerous threats as the storm is beginning to develop and intensify."

The definition of a "holiday" could not be any simpler, so why is it so difficult for retailers and shoppers to understand?

My guess is that American shoppers have once again been duped by the major retailers who "promise" great bargains that turn out to be a hook to lure them in; knowing that they won't go home empty handed; bargain or no bargain.

Are Holiday Bargains Illusory?

Big sale. Thirty percent off. Half price. Are they real holiday bargains, or retail trickery?

Many deeply discounted items advertised for Black Friday and throughout the holiday shopping season are merely illusions. The Wall Street Journal reportsthat retailers often purchase items with the intent of offering big discounts from what they say is the regular retail price.

Even on sale, those items yield the profit that had targeted. Basically, the discount has been built in. One survey found that profit margins during the holidays are virtually the same as they are the rest of the year, despite the big bargains being advertised.

So, to all you shoppers out there, Mother Nature is saying; "Go ahead, make my day" 

WHAT WOULD JESUS SAY?

HERESY!  (adherence to a religious opinion contrary to church dogma; denial of a revealed truth by a baptized member of the Roman Catholic Church)
Johann Wagener 11-26-13


Imagine that? The leader of billions of followers of Jesus Christ is confronting greed and money worship; much like Moses and Jesus did before him.

Pope Attacks State of Capitalism

This might shake up a couple Thanksgiving dinners. Pope Francis has released his first apostolic exhortation, and in it he goes after “a new tyranny” of markets and “idolatry of money.” "How can it be that it is not a news item when an elderly homeless person dies of exposure, but it is news when the stock market loses two points?" he asks.  

OUCH!


Seems that the flock has again strayed preferring the edited version of the Bible; the "prosperity gospel"
bellowed by Rolex wearing preachers at "mega-churches" littering the American landscape

The "prosperity gospel," an insipid heresy whose popularity among American Christians has boomed in recent years, teaches that God blesses those God favors most with material wealth.
Or falling into lock step formation behind greed preaching moguls who claim to be doing "God's work."

Blankfein was widely criticized for an off-hand, half-joking remark he made years ago describing the role of an investment bank as doing "God's work."

In 2010, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil fraud suit arguing that the bank built the financial equivalent of a time bomb that was set up to fail and sold it to unwitting investors, referring to the sale of a structured product, known as a collateralized debt obligation (CDO), blamed for contributing to the bursting of U.S. real estate bubble in 2008.

God's work you say?

HOW EASY WE FORGET; Bible Verses and Quotes: Money and the Poor

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."

MEDICAL PROTOCOL OR ETHICS? WHICH COMES FIRST?

DO NO HARM?
Johann Wagener 11-26-13

I walked out of a doctor's office today after deciding to cancel my appointment for fear of what I might have said to him; better I come home at put the fingers to keyboard.

As I was driving home I thought about how to address this situation. It seemed to all boil down to "protocol vs ethics.

Here is how I got here.

I belong to what I consider a top notch HMO that actually put patient care before profits.

So, when I was referred to an orthopedic clinic for an evaluation by an orthopedic surgeon I assumed, as I always had previously, that I was being put in good hands.

I arrived early as requested, filled out a lengthy questionnaire, including several documents regarding "financial" responsibilities and a long list of questions regarding the family tree which I could not correlate with the injury I had sustained.

I also came armed with 2 MRI studies, along with written reports from the physician who interpreted the data and and cited his diagnosis. I made an assumption that these would be reviewed, either during, or before my visit with the orthopedic surgeon. I again assumed, from previous experience with other physicians, that this data would come in handy in treatment planning. Both assumptions seemed reasonable and logical to me.

As it turned out, I was grossly mistaken.

Besides completing the intake form I was asked to submit to 2 X-rays prior to consulting with the surgeon. It seemed a bit curious to me because screening tests are usually run past the HMO who then determine whether or not to proceed and, if approved, are always referred to "off-site" diagnostic clinics and labs.

I then made another assumption, and again found myself with egg on my face. I mistakenly assumed that the orthopedic surgeon might have accessed these reports online (which many do), already reviewed the MRI's and read the reports, but did not think they were conclusive.

So, I asked the staff person, "why the x-rays?" To which she simply answered, "It's protocol".

That set me back in the chair a little, so I asked her to elaborate a little. She then proceeded to tell me that this orthopedic surgeon insisted on 2 X-rays from patients "prior" to consulting with them and added, "just in case surgery is indicated."

I now sank into the chair, wondering how the leap from a 1st visit consultation without reviewing even my intake sheet, let alone the MRI's, this surgeon was already considering surgery??????

I made one last effort to make sense of what I was being told and asked; "would it not be better to review the MRI's and the diagnostic report before ordering more tests or procedures?"  And, how, pray tell, would an X-ray show more than an MRI?

How is an MRI different than an X-Ray or CT scan?

The response I received was jaw dropping. "Sorry, but this doctor's protocol (that word again) requires that I have 2 X-rays prior to him consulting with me; no exceptions, sorry.

Now I know the "freedom hounds" will respond to the dilemma I'm experiencing with a lot of constitutional references like "You're free to see any doctor you want (as long as you don't support Obamacare) and the Doctor is free to accept or reject any patient he chooses to (unless Obamacare is implemented). I'll also be advised to not make a big deal out of it; just move on...no harm, no fowl. Really?

So I made my choice; I cancelled the appointment.

Doctors Cost Medicare $100 Million By ‘Self-Referring’ Their Patients For Profits

AMERICA'S UNSKILLED SLAVE LABOR FORCE

ROMNEY'S 47%
Johann Wagener 11-25-13

To hear Republicans tell it, this is the profile someone in their ranks posted in one of the more prestigious blogs I go to.

Skills required to do 95% of the jobs in a fast food restaurant -

Show up on time
Leave on time
Don't steal
Be friendly
Be polite
Do what you are told
Make change

Unfortunately for the country, there is a large segment of American's who live in what Bill Maher refers to as "the bubble" and who actually believe that this BSC-BS is true.

So, for those who are willing to take a peek at reality it might serve our country better if they do a little fact checking;

Myth 2: Retail workers are unskilled 

Reality: 28% of retail workers (pdf) have completed some college, and 15% have a bachelor's degree or higher. Employers have deskilled a lot of the work, but  still report in surveys that they want employees with both soft and hard skills, including product knowledge, ability to relate to customers, and increasingly, familiarity with technology for assisting with online sales.

Read more;   10 Biggest Myths About Retail Workers