Trailer to NOTEFLIX’s soon to be released, binge-look “Troubles In The Garden”. Our hero, The Multicolored Bluebird of Happiness, trying to return home after the battles, is blown off course and lands on the Isle of The RadDevil Bird, who tempts our hero to stay with him where …”life will be on a bed of roses. There will be beads, gold and money.” (- whatever ‘money’ is). “Home is not what you think it is,” says the Red Devilbird. Our hero is tempted, indeed. (To be cont’d.)
HERE IS THE WORST OF IT:
- It is all over the news. “They” recently discovered a bloodsucking leech that has three jaws and 59 teeth. Biglie ugly. These leeches are hermaphrodites and they have accessory pores that secrete mucus, which helps them stick together when they are mating. How did we not know this before? And is there something in the mucus that can help us in our own reproductive capabilities? What have the scientists been doing with all their time? Making bombs? Caballing on the climate? Putting robots in outer space? Why haven’t they discovered and dealt with these leeches before now? I am not going to let one of these bloodsuckers near me, let me tell you.
…and now onto lighter fare…
SO, YOU WANT TO BE RICH?
- I have read that the children of the wealthy are under great stress. The wealthy parents, themselves, are under great stress to get their children in good kindergartens and so on. The parents expect the children to excel in sports, grades – you name it. I mean money is being spent. The children are competing hard at kindergarten level. (Me? I was lucky to be taught how to whistle in kindergarten). Then comes soccer and college and, oh god, it’s tough, and then they have to get high paying jobs. Young lawyers are known to work up to 80 hours a week and the young doctors – there is no known upper limit. These young ones are suffering from ‘Time Famine’ (a new phrase), where they are not chasing any passion; but the ‘Merit Star’….all this so they can stay in the ‘Elite’ moneyed class. I mean who wants to drop down to the middle class, which is disappearing before our very eyes? It seems like it is no fun to be an ‘Elite’ anymore. *Studies show the ‘Elites’ live longer than the poor. I suppose this is a plus. *I have read that ‘Income disparity’ is the greatest risk to the Global Economy – and if that is true, it is probably better to have some money in your online account – for all your efforts – when you need to get past the barricades. *Tangentially related, I have seen a study which shows that giving cash to the poor instead of giving them training courses – is a better method of improving lives than otherwise. Me? I’ve always preferred cash over a new set of skills; but that’s me.
- I see where last year the Fortune 500 CEO’s made on average 347 times the amount of money as the average worker. But how many hours did the CEO put in? In the ’50s the CEO made 50 something times the average worker – times are improving for some.
In case you think I’m picking on the rich – not true. Next week I’ll have some negative things to say about being poor. But for now, a few quotations related to all the above:
- “People who have made money want to look like people who have inherited money.” -Mario Buotta – aka – “The Prince of Chintz”
- “Nouveaux Riches, Oldeaux Riches – I don’t care which – all I care about is the Riches!” So said R. York, Hedge Fund manager, schmoozing at Allen’s pub in Manhattan – saying he would invest anybody’s money, no matter how old it was.
…and one more comes to mind, concerning the frantic-ness of it all:
- “Do not rest on Success…Success will make you lazy…and laziness will bring you failure…Only the paranoid will survive.” -A. Grove, Intel Corp. (But will your kids accomplish great meritorious achievements in kindergarten, without having a breakdown?)
Later…
