Shame on you, for not spending money on things you don't need.

I am intrigued and a little irritated by news reports about companies going out of business, not because the company was overextended or because they have not been able to get loans or are suffering from many of the other ills we have been inundated with recently, but because people have "stopped buying things they don't need." The report itself is not what bothers me, we have many non-essential industries that are being hit hard by the current recesion. What bothers me is the accusatory tone of some of the reports towards people who have cut back their spending on non-essential items.
What does it say about how we have been running our economy when the fact that people don't buy things they do not need is looked on as being a BAD thing? And, people who do not buy things they do not need are looked on as unpatriotic. This perspective is an example of how skewed our perspective has become regarding how our economy should function, and how ferverently some choose to ignore the fact that we have created an economy that revolves around rampant consumerism that is not sustainable.
I cannot help but wonder how different our situation would be now if, after 9/11, Bush would have led a nation wide reflection instead of encouraging spending as a form of showing our patriotism. Of course do we really want to reflect on what he wants to reflect on?

For Sale??

A big story coming out of India is the purchase of several cricket players, for previously unheard of amounts. The language that is being used to discuss these sales is appalling, the reporters talk about these players in terms of being “bid on” and “purchased”, and the sale not of the contracts under which these players are performing, but of the players themselves. It is disconcerting to hear the reporters talk about wealthy team owners “bidding on players” and of players being “sold”. I know the process is the same for most sports around the world, but the language is usually around contracts being bid on and sold, not people, and about athletes playing for different teams not being “bought”. Maybe I am being a little sensitive, but this language has seriously negative overtones that I think should really be reviewed.

Snow in the neighborhood

These are just some pictures I took while it was snowing .

Butt talk in public transportation

On public transportation you are constantly trying to maintain some semblance of personal space, while sharing with the world. On trains where all of the seats are in long row benches along either side, the attempt to maintain personal space manifests itself by people leave small amounts of space on either side between them and others sitting on the bench. As new people enter, sit, and leave there is a constant shuffle and scooching from side to side in an attempt to maintain some level of space. What I find most interesting about this phenomenon is that there seems to have developed an unspoken code to indicate your intention to sit. I witnessed the perfect example of this code yesterday.
It was early, just before the evening rush, and the train was somewhat crowded with most of the seats filled. There was a woman on the bench across from me who had just enough room on either side of her that a child might have been able to sit there, but not an adult. Several people entered the train, looked to either side of the woman, determined they would not fit, and moved on, but one man looked to either side, chose the side to the woman’s left and indicated his intention to sit in that spot. Although the woman had ignored the other people once the indication to sit was evident, she moved to the right effectively combining the two spaces into one large enough for the man to sit in. What is this powerful indicator that has the power to move tired commuters? When you intend to sit in a space, you approach that space, then turn your backside to the people already sitting and jut out your buttocks. Much like in the animal kingdom, this presentation of the butt acts as a signal to those around you of your intentions. Whether it is actual comprehension of the intended signal or just fear of being sat upon, people move over and so this appears to be an effective means of communication, as let’s face it, no one wants to talk to you on the train.