Albino Murders: Man's Inhumanity to Man

--It is even worse, if possible, than I previously realized,
just a few scant hours ago, when I watched with horror
and some disbelief a PBS program documenting the
obscene practice of murdering Albinos in different
areas of  Tanzania, or short of that, dismembering
Albino adults and children to sell their limbs so that
their fantasies born of desperation, denial and
ignorance become reality:

(1) Magically, my fields will reliably, sustainably produce
(2) Magically, I will be a wildly succesful fisherman
(3) Magically, I will become a millionaire

None of these "success scenarios" involve more informed
practices or greater effort, no, not one. Every one of them
stems from primitive village leaders (essentially, witch
doctors) exploiting their own weaknesses and character
flaws (something for nothing) along with those of their
"subjects", the other villagers. "Nothing" is a bit of
a misstatement--Albino limbs have fetched fantastic
sums such as ~USD$75,000!

...in other words, treating actual human beings as if  they
were "merely" depriving rhinos and elephants of their
miraculous powers by taking only their horns or tusks,
leaving them to die without killing them first.

There is another atavistic aspect to attacks against
Albinos--being considered ghosts and/or devils,
"community" pressure exhorts many parents
to kill their own children immediately after birth,
if Albinism is evident, evil practices again, based
on superstition. When an Albino is dead, buried,
presumed safe from further harm, the grave must
be carefully cemented so as to foil greedy grave
robbers.

This documentary ends with our two Albino heroes,
both young men, persevering amidst ostracizing,
insults, death threats, attempted kidnapping, more.
Mr. Torner even fulfills a childhood dream, climbing
to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro, despite poor eyesight
and other ills sadly concomitant with Albinism.

Looking all this up afterwards was dispiriting--
it seems that there was a spike in the Tanzanian
Albino murder rate early in 2013.  

Man's inhumanity to man! I'll say it yet again,
now and forever: I'm ashamed to be human.

Gratuitous: Release by the News, the Newtown Tapes' Tragedy

There is nothing the public urgently needed to know
about this horrific multiple child and teacher murder
as heard on these 911 dispatch tapes...unless we
want to feel less confidence in the hearing/understanding
ability of 911 dispatchers, i.e., when the call center
person asked again if this was occurring inside the
school, when the distraught caller clearly had said so.
Then there was a teacher being entirely too vague--
couldn't she simply say, "many gunshots being fired
inside our school right now?"

Release of these tapes is merely cheap sensation by
the media networks; where, by the way, were the
JUDGE'S brains when he authorized the tapes' release?
This WAS NOT a First Amendment issue, period.
Consult the U.S. Constitution again, such a matter
is not promoted therein.

Even the main free broadcast networks have a lot of
cleaning up to do. There is this highly unnecessary,
yet frequent, gratuitous releasing of recordings which
agonize victims' survivors, all in the name of "buzz",
ratings, etc. I rail against right here. Anchorwomen
too often dress as if they're at a club or cocktail
party--ladies, this is NEWS, often tragic and/or
troubling--be sexy on your own  time, i.e., off air.
Lastly, the lengthy, time-consuming coverage of
celebrities (Movie, music, sports and TV)
wastes valuable on air time better spent on
more substantive matters affecting all of us.

Look out, ABC, CBS and NBC, you'll be
hearing from me....

I'd Be Thankful if These Words Disappeared from Common Usage

Here are words constantly belabored into a meaningless
meld, words which are overused and given to overpraise,
whether about oneself or others:

(1) He or she is "amazing". I hear that easy, therefore mindless,
flattery passed out many times a day. How extraordinary or
outstanding can just about anybody actually be?

(2) "Awesome". This word is related to number (1), but at a
supposedly more exalted level, yet it is far too commonly
used. I save it for God and places like the Grand Canyon,
the Himalayas, the world's oceans, per the original intention.

(3) "Passion."  Here again, a thoughtlessly overused word,
depriving it of its original special meaning. Better to substitute
or describe one's dedication or one's focus more specifically,
rather than insert passion as a quick way to communicate
ardor for a person or a project. With Americans' "passion"
and time given over to fun, what's the hurry, anyway?

(4) --And then there's "fun". So much preoccupation as
to whether one has it, has had it, will have it, and will
there ever be enough of it? Resenting others who seem
to have more of it, ad nauseam. This nation is declining,
let's find fun in pulling it back from the brink!


(5) "Tweak" and "Nuance", two twin trolls of presumed
sophistication, seldom realized but constantly uttered. Once
again, employment by an English speaker of a French word
(nuance) or phrase is not automatic entree into the hallowed
halls of expressional expertise or excellence. (Yikes, I've
stooped to such at times meself....)

You get the drift, if rejecting its import. Still, I'd be thankful
if people would strive to be more thoughtful with their speech.

Meanwhile, I'm deeply thankful for the good things and people
still left on this Earth, and pray they stay so.

Homo Sapiens? No, Homo Fecundis

...the sapient part is highly exaggerated and quite undeserved,
in my opinion. Many otherwise intelligent writers still insist on
describing humans as apart from nature and the other mammals
(all animals), in stultifying defiance of the obvious: breasts,
urinary, defecatory and sexual parts, etc. To top it off,
because of our extraordinary fecundity, we are overrunning
the Earth, and it is only due to worsen, as China has just
announced a loosening of its one child policy.

Say, China, just WHERE do you plan to put all the extra
people?  It is past time for such selfish individualism
(i.e., what I want is more important than anything else)
and high time for this planet's humans to prove their
sapience...

Until then, Homo Fecundis it is.

~25 Illinois Tornados: Nature's November Deadly Dance--A New Normal?

Two  striking features stand out about the tornadic tragedy that
swept through central Illinois and other state locations yesterday,
Nov. 17th:

(1) Amid the horrific damage around our state, only six are
confirmed dead. (I pray there aren't any further finds; these are
sad enough.)

(2) Weathermen repeatedly reminded us that these kinds of
storms are rare in November.

Lives were saved because many heeded the forecasts and
took cover when sirens went off--good job, no kidding.

                                But:

--Will the unlikely become a sort of new normal? --Is this a
consequence of global warming? --Is there a way to accurately
ascertain likely future scenarious since our NOAA satellites
go blind in a few months?

We can't help but stay tuned and informed. These deadly
dances of wind-whirling dervishes are devilish, deadly art,
photo portraits of which are as close as anyone wants to be.
 

Silly Quests Define Our Decline: NYC and Chi Compete, Again

A long, expensive, much-publicized contest is now
over, and--NYC won. Did anyone think Chicago's
Sears (Willis) Tower had any chance against the
emotional power of the phoenix-like World Trade
Center 2.0?  The two structures are very close in
height; there was a squabble over duelling definitions
of antennas allowed, etc. New York City now has
the nation's tallest building, if not the world's.

In normal times I don't object to obsessing on the
signally silly, like the above-mentioned race to the
top, but with new, ill-advised trade agreements
(the TPP), persistent high unemployment (recall
that 3-5% was considered "structural or normal"
for decades) and  apparently successful efforts
aimed at bringing the U.S. back to a harsher, more
rights-impoverished era continuing, this is no time to
concentrate on "fun", or less substantive matters.

...But fun is a never-ending national focus, except for
horrifying tragedies like the latest typhoon in the
Philippines, death toll of ~10,000 expected. Right
now many of us are galvanized into helping with
funds and goods, but such concerted care fades,
and our persistent problems remain, dealt with
in haphazard or downright wrong fashion.  

PLEASE: Let's have more serious emphasis
on tackling what matters, punctuated by rest
and recreation, yes, yet not as the main goal
and activity in life.

Such silly quests brought Ancient Rome to her
knees and the vandals. Such may quite easily
define our decline.

The $15.00/hr. Minimum Wage: An Unrealistic Dream That Will Be Denied

Memo to all the relatively unskilled front-line workers in the U.S.:
Hopes for a  $15.00/hr. federal minimum wage won't win out.
The reasons are many, but I will list just a few:

(1) Unskilled work doesn't have the power to demand such
high wages here, perhaps nowhere. The fact of large families
struggling to exist on $7.25/hr. wages is very sad, but whose
obligation is it to provide a "living" wage for these families?
I  had only one child, knowing how uncertain economies,
even ours, can be; I too held a number of modestly-paying jobs.
There is no "right" to have five or more children, particularly
when would-be parents don't possess high-level skill sets.
   
(2)  Prices at fast-food restaurants would go up exponentially,
putting many of them out of business, as they could no longer
profitably compete. Most jobs at McDonald's, Burger King,
et al. aren't really designed for a lifetime career unless workers
earn significant promotions. Many such employees are high
school and college students, spouses with employed partners,
and Social Security/pension recipients. Employers might solve
their problem with terminations, making miserable those who
remain.

(3)  A more controversial reality centers on wage competition
between the highly skilled (degree holders or technically
trained) and those with negligible or modest abilities. Why
would anyone pay a low-level worker what a skilled employee
earns who finished college and has firm computer capabilities,
for example? It will not happen.

Poor people or the young starting  out can't "have it
all" unless they inherit, have rich parents, win the lottery, etc.
What should happen is simple: step by step, build that larger
life. Swimming carelessly through one's existence, then
expecting everybody else to pick up the pieces for you
isn't smart or fair. Want a big family? Make sure you can
pay for it. In the meantime:

Please realize there will be no national, $15 an hour
minimum wage. Set your sights on something you can
personally accomplish-- such "dreams" won't be denied.