Year-End Round-Up 2018

Another year goes by and the 2018 calendar goes into the trash.

SNOW!

When it gets cold, there is more time inside the cage that means spending more time in front of the screen reading everything from news to nonsense. Clean up bills and shred last years paper. Start a new spreadsheet for money spent and food ate. Social media cleaned up and movies watched on YouTube, even wasting time on the ‘State of the Onion’ chit-chat of the ridiculous from the ‘Head of the Free World’? Wrote a play-by-play of the Super Bowl L2 then unplugged the TV, never to be watched again through the year.

Relationships

As the snow shovels were replaced with red boxes of chocolate in the shape of hearts, the rom-com was replaced with a Supreme Court justice hearing and women rising up with a “Me Too” movement. Like the Confederate statues, the acceptable cultural belief for men was in the spot light. It is an interesting look at history and the manipulation propaganda still hasn’t changed. Excuse me can I have this dance?

Spring

Layers started to be peeled off and sunshine stayed longer. Children came out to play in a video game bus and more doggies got walked but there was lots of rain. A couple minor repairs, testing organizations that bring people with tools to do an easy DIY project for a sum of money, were completed and scratched off the to-do list. More projects on the list would gather dust while escaping outdoors was the priority all the while writing what filled my head everyday. Between the puppies and babies and memes, the daily news of outrageous behavior and the silly chatter kept me within the walls, except for my daily exercise. The rain kept coming and the cool days turned humid very quickly. The sweats, long sleeves, sweaters were put away for t-shirts (with my name on them), shorts and longer ventures.

Memories

Age brings memories. A sound, smell, word might bring a thought. A dream or photo might bring a thought.

The few coffees and drinks had with friends in the sunshine were burst of ideas and creative that took awhile to comprehend and absorb. Most of these people I know nothing about their families or where they live or what they drive or even who their partner is. I don’t know why they comb their hair a certain way or what religion they are or even what gender. They are not my friends for background reasons they are friends for their ideas. They are mostly younger and have that excitement of the moment. Instead of showing photos of their families on the phone, they talk about the way the shadows move or their latest novel’s theme or some new musical structure they are trying and open for elderly advice or alternative ideas.

We never argue about the check and all walk away enlightened.

Another Birthday

The time passes. Some do not make the turn of the page. This year seems to have been more scratches out of the address book than previously. Like the slower steps, age becomes more aware.

The Tummy Temple

The daily frequent destination of human interaction went through restructure to hide all that was necessary to maintain life. The cast of characters thinned to a few who were worth the brief laugh at checkout time.

Nonsense of a year’s past

If our president, before he took the oath to the nation but after he took his oath to his wife spent $130,000 for three minutes with Stormy Daniels, then that equals out to $43K a minute. Not bad pay and it didn’t make the Internet viral videos.

People need to have a pet to travel on a plane.

The Winter Olympics were as forgettable as last time. There should have been a missile from the north to excite the crowd. Back home the supper bowl had a lucky winner and was just as forgettable.

Instead of listening or watching established new organization, everyone turned to social media for reports that maybe colluded.

While the American Royals were running amuck over here, the Brits put on their usual pomp and circumstance with another divorcee with questionable ancestry. They got enough to worry about with separation from the world.

Meanwhile children are being separated from their parents if they cross the border (in NY too?) and where is Barron? Where is health care? Where is the parade? Where is the wall?

Brett’s confirmation turns into a mesmerizing circus while state-after-state legalizes pot.

Giants of our industry are called upon Congressional hearings and old established icons of merchandising are fading away. I like beer. It is hard to tell reality TV vs SNL?

Sure some schools and churches and anywhere people gather got shot up. This is the new normal. Light me a candle, but don’t burn down the west coast.

Red tide, dead whales, psycho weather, earthquakes and some big waves just keep everything exciting. Even tornados came to town to make life interesting.

Still the space station way up thar keeps circling and wondering why they can’t come back.

Next Year’s To-Do List

Taxes & Money

Seems with only a minimum of dead presidents, there is survival. Being a certain age, my money saved is wanted by the government before I croak, so need to study the alternatives and see if moving to France is the solution. It worked for the Rolling Stones.

Tummy Temple & Consumption

There seems to be more and more Tummy Temples gathering in my area. Perhaps I should change denominations? Once the warm weather and sunshine arrives, a venture through those other who offer that which keeps life going, maybe worth a look.

Temper Tantrums & Drama

Avoiding conflict seems to calm without explanation. There is still plenty of obnoxious fury but like bad commercials can be scrolled through quickly.

Travel & Transportation

Looking at the images recorded from across the globe, there are no sites I wish to watch. Although I enjoy different cultures and music and taste and laugher, my two-wheels can take me to most of them.

Temperature & Shelter

Feeling the early heat and knowing this is what we must adapt to, as long as the coal powered plant or whatever Dominion comes up with to bill me, provide electricity to rotate the fans, sweat through it. Soon enough will be layering and be thankful the water doesn’t fall on your head.

Trees & Family

Appreciate the moment stepping outside and pause to take in the air. Look up knowing you’ve just disturbed the neighborhood by your presents until they realize who you are. Take the time to provide and appreciate our neighbors who long distant generations from those before we invaded.

Thoughts & Transmissions

Dreams, visions, thought encompasses an “aim-free flow of ideas and associations that can lead to a reality-oriented conclusion.”

Although thinking is an activity of an existential value for humans, there is no consensus as to how it is defined or understood.

Because thought underlies many human actions and interactions, understanding physical and metaphysical origins, processes, and effects has been a longstanding goal of many academic disciplines including philosophy, linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, biology, sociology and cognitive science.

Thinking allows humans to make sense of, interpret, represent or model the world they experience, and to make predictions about that world. It is therefore helpful to an organism with needs, objectives, and desires as it makes plans or otherwise attempts to accomplish those goals.

Predictions?

Some of those stumps will come up. The handrails will be put in place after painting. The painting will happen, and then the floor. Sure it will be a pain to move all that stuff into other rooms, but it has to happen. Make a jambalaya in the new Dutch oven but make some sort of stew in the old one to see if it can still work? Think before you put something into you mouth. Get the tires replaced. Trim toenails. Trim up shaving. Clean the toilet. Clean the tub. Throw away some of those grubby underpants and venture out to Target for a new batch. Wire a bunch of new gadgets and gizmos to make some loud sounds without headphones.

2019

Who knows what the future holds?

When did the government become a game show?

The word ‘deal’ seems to be in the news.

What is the big deal?

To deal is to distribute (cards) in an orderly rotation to the players for a game or round.

“Play the hand you are dealt.”

To deal is to distribute or mete out (something) to a person or group.

“Deal me in.”

To deal is to take part in commercial trading (buying or selling) of a particular commodity.

“Get in on the deal”

To deal is to be concerned about, have to do with, discuss, consider, cover, pertain to, tackle, study, explore, investigate, examine, review, or analyze.

“Here is how we will deal with this.”

To deal is to buy and sell illegal drugs. 

“Who is your dealer?”

To deal is to take measures concerning (someone or something), especially with the intention of putting something right.

“That’s the deal.”

To deal is to cope with, handle, manage, treat, take care of, take charge of, take in hand, sort out, tackle, take on or control, act toward, or behave toward.  

“Deal with it.”

To deal is to cope with (a difficult person or situation).

“I’ll deal with your later.”

To deal is to have relations with (a person or organization), especially in a commercial context.

“It’s a deal”

To deal is to inflict (a blow) on (someone or something).

“Been dealt a blow”

To deal is to deliver, administer, dispense, inflict, give, and impose.

“Deal with it.”

A deal do two or more parties for their mutual benefit enter into an agreement, especially in a business or political context.

“Wanna make a deal?”

A deal is an agreement, understanding, pact, bargain, covenant, contract, treaty, arrangement, compromise, settlement, terms, transaction, sale, account.

“The deal is done.”

A deal is an attractive price on a commodity for a purchaser, or a bargain.

“What a deal!”

A deal is a particular form of treatment given or received.

“I got a deal.”

A deal is a significant but unspecified amount of something.

“It is no big deal.”

A deal is a thing considered important?

“Don't make a big deal out of minor irritations”

A deal is to make an agreement.

“It’s a deal.”

A deal is used to indicate that something is of little consequence. The deal is the situation or state of affairs.

“What’s the deal with you and that guy?”

A deal is authenticity.

“It’s the real deal.”

The guy who is on the cover of this book, thinks he can make better “deals” with our allies, corporate partners, global traders, unions, farmers and even our foes better than anyone before.

A policy is a deliberate system of principles to guide decisions and achieve rational outcomes. A policy is a statement of intent, and is implemented as a procedure or protocol. A governance body within an organization generally adopts policies. Policies can assist in both subjective and objective decision making. Policies to assist in subjective decision making usually assist senior management with decisions that must be based on the relative merits of a number of factors, and as a result are often hard to test objectively, e.g. work-life balance policy. In contrast policies to assist in objective decision-making are usually operational in nature and can be objectively tested, e.g. password policy.

The term may apply to government, private sector organizations and groups, as well as individuals. Presidential executive orders, corporate privacy policies, and parliamentary rules of order are all examples of policy. Policy differs from rules or law. While law can compel or prohibit behaviors (e.g. a law requiring the payment of taxes on income), policy merely guides actions toward those that are most likely to achieve a desired outcome.

Policy or policy study may also refer to the process of making important organizational decisions, including the identification of different alternatives such as programs or spending priorities, and choosing among them on the basis of the impact they will have. Policies can be understood as political, managerial, financial, and administrative mechanisms arranged to reach explicit goals. In public corporate finance, a critical accounting policy is a policy for a firm/company or an industry that is considered to have a notably high subjective element, and that has a material impact on the financial statements.

A contract is a promise or set of promises that are legally enforceable and, if violated, allow the injured party access to legal remedies. Contract law recognizes and governs the rights and duties arising from agreements. In the Anglo-American common law, formation of a contract generally requires an offer, acceptance, consideration, and a mutual intent to be bound. Each party must have capacity to enter the contract. Although most oral contracts are binding, some types of contracts may require formalities such as being in the form of a signed, dated written agreement in order for a party to be bound to its terms.

In the civil law tradition, contract law is a branch of the law of obligations.

Meeting of the minds (also referred to as mutual agreement, mutual assent or consensus ad idem) is a phrase in contract law used to describe the intentions of the parties forming the contract. In particular, it refers to the situation where there is a common understanding in the formation of the contract. Formation of a contract is initiated with a proposal or offer. This condition or element is considered a requirement to the formation of a contract in some jurisdictions.

An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called allies. Alliances form in many settings, including political alliances, military alliances, and business alliances. When the term is used in the context of war or armed struggle, such associations may also be called allied powers, especially when discussing World War I or World War II.

A formal military alliance is not required for being perceived, as an ally—co-belligerence, fighting alongside someone, is enough. According to this usage, allies become so not when concluding an alliance treaty but when struck by war.

When spelled with a capital “A”, “Allies” usually denotes the countries who fought together against the Central Powers in World War I (the Allies of World War I), or those who fought against the Axis Powers in World War II (the Allies of World War II). The term has also been used by the United States Army to describe the countries that gave assistance to South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

More recently, the term “Allied forces” has also been used to describe the coalition of the Gulf War, as opposed to forces the Multi-National Forces in Iraq which are commonly referred to as “Coalition forces” or, as by the George W. Bush administration, “the coalition of the willing”.

The Allied Powers in World War I (also known as the Entente Powers) were initially the United Kingdom, France, the Russian Empire, Belgium, Serbia, Montenegro and Japan, joined later by Italy, Portugal, Romania, the United States, Greece and Brazil. Some, such as the Russian Empire, withdrew from the war before the armistice due to revolution or defeat.

So what’s the deal?

When you and your employer sign an application to employment, it is a deal. You agree to produce for them as assigned and they agree to pay you for your services.

When you apply for credit to purchase things and services you cannot afford, you make a deal to payback all the money including interest.

When you marry you sign a piece of paper and pay a fee to make an emotional deal that will last until eternity.

How long does it take?

This year the pope wished for fraternity among men (and women too, he is hip to #MeToo movement sisters).

“We are all brothers,” he said. “Our differences, then, are not a detriment or a danger; they are a source of richness.”

“So that the Syrian people, especially all those who were forced to leave their own lands and seek refuge elsewhere, can return to live in peace in their own country,” he said.

“The globalization of indifference, the economy of exclusion and the throwaway culture” were thoughts on the Papal agenda.

Recognizing the global migration of war refuges he said, “We encounter Jesus in those who are poor, rejected, or refugees.”

He offered, “Salvation passes through love.”

He apologized (again) for sexual mishaps saying the church has made some “serious mistakes”.

Fine speech on this holy of holy days by the current CEO of one of the oldest and largest Christian churches, but the words seem to sound familiar.

Peace on earth, goodwill to all people who travel on this blue orb.

There was no acknowledgement of the addicted or the mentally disturbed or even the puppies in the pound. Global warming or plastic litter or over population or air pollution was never mentioned. The list goes on and on and grows every year, and all the pontiff can proclaim is “Why can’t we all just get along?” (Rodney King, I stole a paraphrase) before going back into the gilded halls of the Vatican for a huge dinner with the deity’s board of directors.

For as long as I can remember preachers, teachers, politicians and prognosticators have spoken eloquently about our need for humanity and most of us seem to agree, but we just can’t do it.

We can write laws and make declarations to stem our differences, but what we do best is make wars. Even the most powerful army cannot change the heart.

So like much else on this day of peace on earth, people will be murdered, children will starve and clashes will continue around the globe; no matter what is said.

We, as a species, can do some amazing stuff like shoot people into space or invent never ending versions of entertainment, but we can’t cure hath. We can’t even cure cancer with all the dough we’ve spent on that wonderful endeavor.

Maybe it will take a second coming from the child in swaddling clothing to take care of business?

No matter what is said or who says it, tomorrow will be another day and the words will be forgotten.

How long does it take?

New Holiday Tradition

Last year I did this and it felt so good all day, I’ve decided to make it another Christmas Day tradition.

Christmas Day is a silent day for us who live alone.

There is no tree. There are no presents. Perhaps a Christmas song but by now the brain is overwhelmed with Feliz Navidad. All the neighbors are either gathered under the tree and then packing up to visit grandma’s house or already vacated to parts and families unknown.

It is the one-day of the year the Tummy Temple is closed.

If there is snow, the landscape will be undisturbed but can’t be shared.

Other than putting out some treats for the woodland creatures that have not attended the manger request, it is 24 hours of silence.

Electronics can bring all the noise of the one-day holiday without shopping but messages of joy and reverence that have been heard over and over again. Choirs and angles and candles and flashing lights and fires in the hearth and children running and laughing and dying trees decorated with gaudy bangles soon to be put back in the attic and too much revelry and alcohol to make the most favorite into the worst enemy has lost whatever meaning this one-day is suppose to represent; other than a day off work.

Once all the drunken relatives and friends have left running over your bushes and tearing down your outdoor displays and the children are all asleep after breaking their new toys and the bags of expensive easily torn color printed paper that was never big enough to cover a box and those once used and discarded pre-tied bows are filed and taken out to the trash with the dog who is more crazed than you are about all the ruckus and inability to get outside to poop; one thinks a breath can be taken to pause and reflect on the one-of-a-kind holiday.

The 26^th of December may be a day of going back to work, or if agreed upon by an employer knowing no work will be done, spent taking back crap that you received from your friends and family rather than throwing it away in the garbage or worst re-gifting it back to them the next year. This day should be Christmas II for all the hangovers and tacky sweaters still being worn while the children are still out of school and fired up with candy and broken toys. A day of shuffling well-meaning family back to their previous locals instead of trying to cook more from the scraps creating more dirty dishes that won’t be cleaned before Valentine’s Day.

Calm won’t resume until after the cork pops and the balls drop.

My normal Christmas tradition, given to me by my late wife and adhered to in reverence, has been to assemble a special load of treats for the one’s who don’t know it is Christmas. Sometimes it was going to the parking lot of the nearby mall to feed the gulls circling from the beach. Sometimes it was to walk to the park named after a prominent descendent of the township to offer grace with winged friends. Sometimes it is to carry a coffee cake to the mother of a former friend in knee-deep snow.

My presents beyond the ventures have been gift cards for city workers, postal delivery personnel and any one who has interaction with me and I wish to show appreciation. Similar to my yearly offerings to those I request to help with my house or yard. After grateful platitudes, a six-pack of beer on a hot day brings a smile.

This year there have been many stories from our west coast of good people working hard to save life and property against burning tinder. The photos and stories could not convey what they people were facing or even why they were there. They came from every part of the country to help strangers sometimes sacrificing themselves.

I like firemen.

There are few occupations devoted in helping others like firemen. On an instant call, they come running with a tangle of nerves and hoses trying to calm a disaster for fire has no enemies. Skilled in tactics that would make a military general blush they battle Mother Nature and offer medical assistance to those far from doctors and nurses. They will even come and get your cat out of a tree.

I like firemen.

If you can remember 9/11 when the call came in, these folks rushed to the scene of the crime with nothing less than an offer to help evacuate and care for the general public until the walls came tumbling down. YouTube videos show the unselfish attempts of these public servants doing what so few of us would ever.

Where I worked got a call from a local fireman. He asked if we could reproduce a NYT page with the faces of all the firemen who perished to inspire the local stations. My boss discarded the request as a waste of materials, so I contacted the NYT, got an email of the page and printed out the copies requested, presenting them to an appreciated fireman. While the company missed a public relations opportunity, the fire service community responded with FDNY caps from New York for a few who understood the need.

I like firemen.

Every time I hear their trucks, for they have a sound like no other, I pause and listen for where they are going. It maybe cars crash or a house fire or some other emergency, but when I hear their sirens, I know there is big time trouble.

Station #18 responds to my neighborhood. They have been here before. They carry no weapons or agenda but only offer to help.

I like firemen

On this year of our Lord two thousand and eighteen, I will continue my tradition from last year. This will be my second tradition for the day that is the one-day of the year that everything stops.

Depending on the weather, load up my pony and ride less than a mile through empty streets to the station next to the playground and the railroad tracks. A knock on the door, a quick presentation of an unexpected southern pecan pie and a ‘thank you’ and hope you don’t have to work today is my mission.

The surprised fireman can return with a present telling the others Santa had arrived, while I return to watch the feasting and enjoy the peace and quiet. Even the full moon is special on this last Tuesday in December.

and for the ladies, what couldn't be cuter than puppies.

Merry Christmas from Puppywoods.

Who are ‘essential personnel’?

You hear this all the time now. The snow stacks up to an inch and all the teachers and students have the day off… except for essential personnel. The federal government shuts down and employees are furloughed… except for essential personnel who must work for free.

Who are these ‘essential personnel’ folks?

Everyone wants to think their job is important and their work and contribution to their company is outstanding enough for a raise and an office. Unfortunately you may find out today is a ‘snow day’ and all your sweat and toil is deemed ‘unessential’.

Understandably security personnel are essential. What could go wrong with a policeman who is patrolling the streets in dangerous neighborhoods without pay? How many tickets are they going to write? The soldiers spread all over the world, missing holidays and their families, don’t mind getting shot at without pay.

Furloughed employees are basically being laid off without pay, because they are not on vacation, they are not working. Somehow our congress finds a way to give these ‘non-essential’ their back pay; avoiding a strike or a revolution.

There are a lot of people with titles who really don’t seem that essential. Look how many holidays and breaks our elected officials take and still life goes on for the rest of us.

If you think you are so important and a valued employee, take the day off and see if anyone missed you.

Unintended Pregnancy

Sometimes we do stupid things in the heat of passion. We say the wrong thing. We commit crimes. We make people.

No matter the excuses, what is done is done. There are no take backs.

Words will be remembered, crimes punished, but children?

Everyday there are reports of horrific occurrences involving children. Blame can be placed and judgment handed out, but family is one of our most coveted terms of social structure.

The innocent brought into this environment are incapable to survive without parents, a mother, or other adults to provide shelter, food, clothing and humanity.

Unfortunately along with the happy smiling faces playing on swings and holding puppies, there are the images of abused and forgotten children.

Pregnancy is a life changer. A teenage girl who misses that time of month looks to a parent. She has had her life directed but now it is her decision.

If Josef had decided not to befriend a single mom carrying another's baby, how would this holiday turn out? If Mary had another option but to be the vessel to deliver our holy savior, would it still be joy to the world?

Children and adults face this quagmire with moral, legal, emotional and physical depositions weighed.

Setting The Empty Chair for Christmas

Some do this as a Christmas tradition.

Danny is the first to arrive. He always is. Before he can take off his coat, the bottle is open and he is telling tales of shopping while swinging his arms like some suicidal puppet.

Michael and Madeline arrive next. Michael takes the coats and scarfs into the bedroom and returns to help arrange the table while she goes into the kitchen. While Danny is selecting the music on his second glass, Mike is allowing the wine to breathe.

Barb arrives giving excuses for Hanks absence due to work. She gives up her coat to Mike who gives her a look that is not seasonal then glances at me. We all know Hank doesn’t work on Sunday.

Tom, Sarah, Amy and Andy arrive. The house is growing louder and the kitchen is getting crowded with the giggling and the clink of bottles. Amy and Andy check out the tree and then head for Pete who has been patiently waiting for some attention.

Susan arrives looking like a model and with brief greetings to the gentlemen standing by the table sashays into the kitchen with Danny in hot pursuit.

The men share stories of the past year and their automobile problems, new neighbors, extended family, health problems and latest gizmos and gadgets keeping an eye on Amy and Andy rolling and tumbling around the house.

The ladies started their parade out of the kitchen each carrying a steamy bowl or dish still wrapped in foil to be placed on previously arranged hot plates and trivets. Their smiling faces flushed by the heat of the kitchen (or the wine?) direct the crew to assigned seats before removing their aprons. As everyone sits, new bottles are placed on the table to refresh glasses.

Then there is a moment of silence.

Everyone turns to the head of the table where a setting is place in front of an empty chair. Glasses are raised for a quiet prayer and praise for the person who will not be attending this year.

Usually Pete will break the moment with a bark and suddenly the tears turn into laughter and stories abound as the feast begins. The children might not understand but will hear legionary tales so the legacy will continue for the picture placed back on the wall.

Until all the chairs are empty.

What would have been 35th Anniversary. 

Band Practice

This morning, listening to the radio, there sounded like a bit of strange music in the background. I thought it was just filler music but it just didn’t match the program.

I turned off the radio and lo and behold, there was a live band playing in my neighborhood. They were playing loud enough for the whole block to hear, but it is Saturday and I got my chores to do, so off to the store and back again and they are still playing.

It is a band rehearsal.

I’ve done my stent in garage bands so I appreciate what they are trying to work out. They are not playing complete songs but going over a riff or a lead in again and again and again.

Didn’t recognize any of the tunes but when the drum started it drowned out all the other instruments.

I remember gathering a motley crew of semi-talented players and trying to figure out tune that was popular on the radio. Playing a sequence of chords trying to find a key we could all sing, then the drums kick in and we are off.

Never to get it right the first time, we’d divide up our mistakes and repeat again and again until we all settled on a pattern we could all play.

Next week we have another band practice and forget all that we had worked on last week.

It was as much about comradery as it was technique and style. A couple of quarts of beer (listen to Frank Zappa’s ‘Joe’s Garage’) and all the wrong notes started sounding good to our ears.

What we didn’t think about was what the neighbors were hearing until the police showed up.

It has gotten quiet now as the sunsets, but it might be an interesting summer. Might need to get my axe and go over and show them how it is done?

Eating Out

Getting family in the car or just meeting friends at a local dining establishment has become a habitual routine during this season.

For that matter, it happens all the time. Don’t we have kitchens and know how to prepare a meal ourselves?

There are certainly enough cooking shows and books and utensils and appliances to make even the most unskilled boil water like the finest chef. Even the laziest of us (yes, I concur) have that microwave machine that turns a bag or box into ‘food’ with a push of a button. Still the adventure of having a room full of drawers with pointed or sharp objects to slice and dice and apply heat and if following the directions correctly prepare a tasty plate of grub.

Still it is something special about ‘eating out’.

If it is the speed of the drive thru with no dishes to clean but just some Styrofoam boxes and greasy paper to dispose of, your tummy is full. If it is elegance and being waited on by folded napkins on your lap and real china and silver service, the meal maybe more expensive yet the feeling of superior privilege out ways the pallet.

Eating out does give the opportunity to try different dishes without committing to a cabinet full of weird sauces and spices. Oriental, Mediterranean, European cuisines can be tasted with every eatery having their own ingredients, techniques and presentation. With some back-story knowledge and some encouragement, new taste can be found and appreciated, with a possible return for more. If the eating background is a can opener and a Chef Boyardee, the nuances of flavor may be lost.

I’ve never worked in the meal preparation industry, but my father managed a private club and I’ve seen what goes on in the kitchen.

I’ve eaten in the roadside greasy spoon and the 5-star dining rooms, so I can be somewhat of my own critic of what I’d prefer on the plate presented before me.

The ‘eating out’ experience is not all about ambiance (but it helps structure how the meal is received) but by the timing and the people sharing the meal. If one is truly hungry, even whatever is present from a roach coach taste mighty fine. If one is unhappy, the most exquisite meal will be wasted.

Some diners pile on the servings while others don’t have enough for the kitchen rat to clean the plate. Don’t forget to fill up on the bread and salad before getting your main dish…. and don’t forget to save some room for dessert.

The server can make a meal taste better by being attentive to your empty plates and refills or can make a dining experience a disaster by presenting the wrong order or cold plates or mix up on the bill.

I myself read the restaurant reviews before I venture out. I have certain expectations and fully understand what will be prepared at ‘Joe’s Hogs & Dogs’ and am disappointed to find spots on the glasses at the table of reserved and proper attire restaurants. At these prices, everything should be perfect.

I will pay whatever fee the management charges but may never return if the experience is not worth the price. Every restaurant has problems with staff, food inspectors, crowds, but these should not be aware to the diner.

There are a few favorite places I normally attend and entertain, but restaurants come and go faster than sous-chefs and bartenders. If the food is palatable and the service attentive, the dining experience was worth the price.

And don’t forget to tip your server.

Incarceration

One thinks this time of year of those who will not be spending time with family and friends and exchanging gifts and pleasantries. Whether it be detention, jail, prison, marriage; some will not be able to celebrate the 25^th without permission.

Incarceration is built on order. Wearing the same clothing as everyone else, there is a certain time to eat, a time to sleep, a time for exercise; all under the watchful eyes of another. Any variation comes under the threat of punishment or isolation.

We start by being incarcerated in our bodies. Tall or short or healthy or disabled or thin or fat; our physical wrapping restricts our life from day one.

Our education, experiences, interaction, exposure, morality; expands our thought process or incarcerates our beliefs and rational.

At work our boss incarcerates us. Work is slavery but you have to buy your own home. The hours to be working, the pay, benefits available, promotions, raises, restrictions, punishment (including firing) forces demands of what we drive, what we wear, when we eat, time spent with our family or friends, relationships in an incarceration.

Incarceration isn’t just about putting bad people behind bars, but people who just don’t follow the rules and annoy the masses. The poor, the sick, the mentally ill, etc. are kept away from the rest of us so we can shop and enjoy the holidays.

Cultural consumerism incarcerates us to stress-fully purchase and wrap gifts for strangers, commute to parts unknown, eat and drink too much just to fit in with the holiday expectations. Don’t forget the tree and the lights.

So when sitting down at the seasonal gathering meal passing the mashed potatoes and listening to stories of seasons past sprinkled with political arguments and gross illness descriptions, this is an incarceration with people who have the same last name.

Competition

Competition is a contest or rivalry between two or more entities, organisms, animals, individuals, economic groups or social groups, etc., for territory, a niche, for scarce resources, goods, for mates, for prestige, recognition, for awards, for group or social status, or for leadership and profit.

It arises whenever at least two parties strive for a goal that cannot be shared, where one’s gain is the other’s loss.

Competition occurs naturally between living organisms that co-exist in the same environment.

Animals compete over water supplies, food, mates, and other biological resources.

Humans usually compete for food and mates, though when these needs are met deep rivalries often arise over the pursuit of wealth, power, prestige, and fame.

Competition is often considered to be the opposite of cooperation, however in the real world, mixtures of cooperation and competition are the norm. Optimal strategies to achieve goals are studied in the branch of mathematics known as game theory.

Competition is also a major tenet of market economies and business. It is often associated with business competition as most companies are in competition with at least one other firm over the same group of customers. Also competition inside a company is usually stimulated with the larger purpose of meeting and reaching higher quality of services or improved products that the company may produce or develop.

At the end of this game called ‘life’ did you win?

Was it worth the struggle? Were your spoils good enough?

What happens to the others that did not win? Even #2 is a loser.

Like all our celebrates who top the list as the best in their field and written down in history’s timeline, only to be replaced by the next winners.

Comprehension

Comprehension is the action or capability of understanding something.

It is understanding, grasp, apprehension, cognition, knowledge, awareness, perception; interpretation of a concept or a thought.

In logic, the comprehension of an object is the totality of intentions, that is, attributes, characters, marks, properties, or qualities, that the object possesses, or else the totality of intentions that are pertinent to the context of a given discussion. This is the correct technical term for the whole collection of intentions of an object, but it is common in less technical usage to see ‘intention’ used for both the composite and the primitive ideas.

Reading comprehension is the ability to process text, understand its meaning, and to integrate with what the reader already knows. Fundamental skills required in efficient reading comprehension are knowing meaning of words, ability to understand meaning of a word from discourse context, ability to follow organization of passage and to identify antecedents and references in it, ability to draw inferences from a passage about its contents, ability to identify the main thought of a passage, ability to answer questions answered in a passage, ability to recognize the literary devices or propositional structures used in a passage and determine its tone, to understand the situational mood (agents, objects, temporal and spatial reference points, casual and intentional inflections, etc.) conveyed for assertions, questioning, commanding, refraining etc. and finally ability to determine writer’s purpose, intent and point of view, and draw inferences about the writer (discourse-semantics).

An individual’s ability to comprehend text is influenced by their skills and their ability to process information. If word recognition is difficult, students use too much of their processing capacity to read individual words, which interferes with their ability to comprehend what is read. There are a number of reading strategies to improve reading comprehension and inferences, including improving one’s vocabulary, critical text analysis (intertextuality, actual events vs. narration of events, etc.) and practicing deep reading.

Understanding is a psychological process related to an abstract or physical object, such as a person, situation, or message one is able to think about and use concepts to deal adequately with that object. Understanding is a relation between the knower and an object of understanding. Understanding implies abilities and dispositions with respect to an object of knowledge that are sufficient to support intelligent behavior.

Understanding is often related to learning concepts, and sometimes also the theory or theories associated with those concepts. A person may have a good ability to predict the behavior of an object, animal or system and in some sense, understand it—without necessarily being familiar with the concepts or theories associated with that object, animal or system in their culture.

They may have developed their own distinct concepts and theories, which may be equivalent, better or worse than the recognized standard concepts and theories of their culture. Thus, understanding is correlated with the ability to make inferences.

Mathematical concepts were easier to comprehend than our convoluted method of communication. There is a problem and a logical formula to solve the problem in math. Numbers have unique qualities while words can have many interpretations and spellings.

Basic understanding of words put together (written or vocal) to transmit thoughts and ideas have been accomplished with a piece of paper and several years of listening.

Yet some of the actions and favors and notions in what is read or observed is beyond comprehension. If a television series watched or book read, how and reference be comprehended except to depend on what is presented until further research can enlighten comprehension.

Presenting a thought or idea (as in this Blog) can make perfect sense to the writer but the description does not transfer in a meaningful way to the reader. Like any social media, comments below or email questions or reviews can help with gaps of understanding.

How many times have the words “I Love You” been spoken with a plethora of meanings? Does the other person comprehend your meaning of those three words?

Compensation

How did I miss this?

After 9/11 an Act of Congress created the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF). Along with the Air Transportation Safety and System Stabilization Act (49 USC 40101), it was to compensate the victims of the attack (or their families) in exchange for their agreement not to sue the airline corporations involved.

OK, I understand how we all felt after 9/11, but what was this? The congress of the U. S. of the A. decided to set aside money (our tax money) to compensate the victims of this disaster.

Now I’m all in for feeling sorry about all the people who went to work that day with the worst thought of getting a paper cut rather than a jet liner plowing into their office, but don’t we all do that everyday?

I’m very aware of the airline corporations wanting to avoid being sued by thousands for allowing their vehicles to be high jacked by ‘terrorists’ and illegally flown. Suppose you were t-boned by someone who stole the car that hit you? Would you sue the automobile manufacturer for a lacking locking system?

So our sympathy turns to compensation for those who lost their lives and others who would be affected by the residual effects of tumbling buildings.

At the same time, as we always do, people from across the country were setting up foundations and fund raising for the poor souls who are suffering. Along with the flowers and prayers, there was an outpouring of cash; but what gives the government the right to take my tax dollars as a payout compensation fund?

Kenneth Feinberg was appointed by Attorney General John Ashcroft to be Special Master of the fund. He worked for 33 months pro bono. He developed the regulations governing the administration of the fund and administered all aspects of the program.

 In his book titled ‘What is Life Worth?’ Feinberg described the eight-part plan that was applied to approaching the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.

1.  Identifying someone with sufficient and exceptionally broad experience is mass tort action mediation, litigation, and settlement, which Feinberg possessed through his previous personal experience as a political activist and his work in the Agent Orange compensation settlement.

2.  To support and follow the unprecedented law of Congress for the proportional compensation of victims based on estimated loss from future earnings as a key legislated criterion. Hire a full staff of accountants and attorneys to track and service each claim individually.

3.  Accumulate all the reports and applications, along with counter-claims to gauge and initiate the direct compensation process. How the compensation fund worked was in detail substantially different than the Agent Orange mass tort litigation case.

4.  The place of informed discretion in compensating claimants under the formula of keeping the domain of compensation under the rule of thumb that 85% of the money should not go to 15% of the 'richest' claimant families, under the principle of “narrow the gap” between the largest and the smallest compensations paid to claimants.

5.  With a mind to the future, the process of the program should be maintained and serviced as a precedent for future courts to defend in future compensation cases as needed. The actions taken should be uniform in their approach.

6.  There would be “no substitute for hard work and legal craftsmanship” of rigorous intellectual honesty.

7.  The support of Edward Kennedy would be recognized throughout the process that Feinberg knew since 1975.

8.  Lawsuits were to be discouraged as contrary to the spirit of an enacted Law of Congress legislated to expedite the claim process of victims of September 11.

So, as I understand it, Mr. Feinberg figured out what the potential earnings lost by the disaster and compensated the families with taxpayer cash.

The fund received 7,408 claim submissions from 75 countries. Awards were made in 5,560 of those cases and totaled over $7 billion.

The fund received 2,963 death claims. This accounted for more than 98% of the eligible families. Funds were distributed in 2,880 of these cases. The average award was $2,082,128 and went as high as $7.1 million.

The fund received 4,445 personal injury claims. Funds were distributed in 2,680 of these cases. The awards ranged from $500.00 to $8.6 million.

What about the rest of the nation who watched the scene over and over again creating PTSD, substance abuse, or however we coped with another possible attack or war. What were we worth?

The money was tax-free.

In law, damages are an award, typically of money, to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury. The rules for damages can and frequently do vary based on the type of claim which is presented (e.g., breach of contract versus a tort claim) and the jurisdiction.

At common law, damages are categorized into compensatory (or actual) damages, and punitive damages. Compensatory damages are further categorized into special damages, which are economic losses such as loss of earnings, property damage and medical expenses, and general damages, which are noneconomic damages such as pain and suffering and emotional distress.

Insurance purchased to cover the cost of damages does not always fulfill compensation.

When the lost of life has been caused, what is the price tag?

Punishment from judicial rulings can charge the plaintiff with fines including garnish of wages or assets or possible imprisonment time as compensation.

A salary is a form of payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis. Salary can also be viewed as the cost of acquiring and retaining human resources for running operations, and is then termed personnel expense or salary expense.

Salary is a fixed amount of money or compensation paid to an employee by an employer in return for work performed.

Salary is typically determined by comparing market pay rates for people performing similar work in similar industries in the same region. Salary is also determined by leveling the pay rates and salary ranges established by an individual employer. Salary is also affected by the number of people available to perform the specific job in the employer’s employment locale. The potential salary could vary from raises, new assignments, lost of interest, unemployment, disability, etc.

Workers’ compensation is a form of insurance providing wage replacement and medical benefits to employees injured in the course of employment in exchange for mandatory relinquishment of the employee's right to sue their employer for the tort of negligence. The trade-off between assured, limited coverage and lack of recourse outside the worker compensation system is known as “the compensation bargain”.

One of the problems that the compensation bargain solved is the problem of employers becoming insolvent as a result of high damage awards. The system of collective liability was created to prevent that, and thus to ensure security of compensation to the workers. Individual immunity is the necessary corollary to collective liability.

While plans differ among jurisdictions, provision can be made for weekly payments in place of wages (functioning in this case as a form of disability insurance), compensation for economic loss (past and future), reimbursement or payment of medical and like expenses (functioning in this case as a form of health insurance), and benefits payable to the dependents of workers killed during employment.

General damage for pain and suffering, and punitive damages for employer negligence, is generally not available in workers’ compensation plans, and negligence is generally not an issue in the case. 

People fall in love and get married, but it doesn’t always work out.

Alimony (also called aliment (Scotland), maintenance (England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Canada), spousal support (U.S., Canada) and spouse maintenance (Australia) is a legal obligation on a person to provide financial support to their spouse before or after marital separation or divorce. The obligation arises from the divorce law or family law of each country.

Is alimony a compensation for broken hearts?

Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to help the physical, mental, or emotional pains of another and themselves. Compassion is often regarded as having sensitivity, an emotional aspect to suffering, though when based on cerebral notions such as fairness, justice, and interdependence, it may be considered rational in nature and its application understood as an activity also based on sound judgment.

Compassion is a feeling you get if you are a true human; the desire to help or, at the very least, see what you can do. There is also an aspect of equal dimension, such that individual’s compassion is often given a property of “depth”, “vigor”, or “passion”. The etymology of “compassion” is Latin, meaning “co-suffering.” Compassion involves “feeling for another” and is a precursor to empathy, the “feeling as another” capacity for better person-centered acts of active compassion; in common parlance active compassion is the desire to alleviate another’s suffering.

Compassion involves allowing ourselves to be moved by suffering and experiencing the motivation to help alleviate and prevent it. An act of compassion is defined by its helpfulness.

Qualities of compassion are patience and wisdom; kindness and perseverance; warmth and resolve. It is often, though not inevitably, the key component in what manifests in the social context as altruism. Expression of compassion is prone to be hierarchical, paternalistic and controlling in responses. Difference between sympathy and compassion is that the former responds to suffering from sorrow and concern while the latter responds with warmth and care.

Ranked a great virtue in numerous philosophies, compassion is considered in almost all the major religious traditions as among the greatest of virtues.

Veterans are a good example. Here are boys and girls, sons and daughters, who have volunteered (or have been drafted) to go into ‘harm’s way’ to protect our country from the boogieman. Not only do they get trained how to march and polish their belt buckles but are given the best weapons money can buy allowing them to shoot at people. Unfortunately those people shoot back.

Our compassion for our fallen heroes creates a bureaucracy for compensation to their duty that no ‘mom and pop’ organization can match.

What is it all worth?

A body could be worth up to $45 million — Calculated by selling the bone marrow, DNA, lungs, kidneys, heart … as components.

What about the value of a body based around just the chemical elements that make up a corpse?

Let’s assume we possess a Superb Person Atomizing Machine (SPAM for short); a Sweeney Todd like device that can reduce a body to its elemental components. We throw a body in the top, press a red button, and out of the far end come a pile of its elemental constituents. What would come out? (Remember, we’re talking about reducing our body to its elemental components, not compounds, so whilst a body might be 61% water, we’re not looking to get H₂O out of the far end, we’re looking to split this into Hydrogen and Oxygen.)

Parts for our elemental components is worth just over $160.

The value of life is an economic value used to quantify the benefit of avoiding a fatality. It is also referred to as the cost of life, value of preventing a fatality (VPF) and implied cost of averting a fatality (ICAF). In social and political sciences, it is the marginal cost of death prevention in a certain class of circumstances. In many studies the value also includes the quality of life, the expected life time remaining, as well as the earning potential of a given person especially for an after the fact payment in a wrongful death claim lawsuit.

As such, it is a statistical term, the cost of reducing the average number of deaths by one. It is an important issue in a wide range of disciplines including economics, health care, adoption, political economy, insurance, worker safety, environmental impact assessment, and globalization.

In industrial nations, the justice system considers a human life “priceless”, thus illegalizing any form of slavery; i.e., humans cannot be bought at any price. However, with a limited supply of resources or infrastructural capital (e.g. ambulances), or skill at hand, it is impossible to save every life, so some trade-off must be made.

Also, this argument neglects the statistical context of the term. It is not commonly attached to lives of individuals or used to compare the value of one person’s life relative to another person’s. It is mainly used in circumstances of saving lives as opposed to taking lives or “producing” lives.

If our government decides to use our tax dollars to compensate all the shooting victims from Sandy Hook to Parkland or those flooded from Michael to Florence or the Paradise survivors, then what about the homeless or the hungry or mental illness or addicted or global warming or abandoned puppies, etc.

In this season of giving, a dollar in the red pot, gives our compassion but where is that red pot in April? If you ever donate to a fund or cause or charity, they won’t forget you and will come begging for more.

After the government hands out paper towels and checks, it is time to move onto the next disaster.

All this dependence for someone else to take care of us in time of need seems false hope. With all the humanity we have, giving blankets to people who are fleeing thousands of miles, the news cycle will turn to Saint Nick and another candle will be lit.

Empty your wallet for the mother and children on the curb only to turn the corner and find three more and across the street another dozen. Our taxes will still pay for them with law enforcement clearing the streets and endless processes leading to basic shelter reservations and soup lines as a discarded population.

Does our compensation equal our compassion?