POLITICS: If I Spell Antidisestablishmentarianism Can You Make It A Steak?

So I stumbled upon this Web site called FreeRice. Their tag line says "For each word you get right, we donate 10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program." When you visit the site you are presented with a word--for example, "wizardry"--and you are given four definitions--in this case, "fixation," "sorcery," "bureau," or "twelve." If you get it right (by choosing "sorcery" in this instance) the people behind the Web site donate 10 grains of rice to the UN World Food Program.

My first reaction to this site was "Wow! Pretty cool!" because I love words and I love helping people (especially if they are poor or hungry). But then I was like, well, why do you have to make people come to your site and play a little game before you donate this food (and very little food at that). On the site's FAQ they have this answer:

If FreeRice has the rice to give, why not give it all away right now?

FreeRice is not sitting on a pile of rice―you are earning it 10 grains at a time. Here is how it works. When you play the game, advertisements appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these advertisements is then used to buy the rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people.

Honestly, I understand how they work and if there were a site where people could go and play a game and earn money for Autism research you bet your ass I'd be on that site all day playing. But, I guess I just like to look at the bottom line of things or cut through the proverbial crap with this sort of thing and that's why I read their answer and still ask, okay, then why don't the advertisers just directly give money for food for the poor?

There's another quote on the site that really got to me:

The United Nations estimates that the cost to end world hunger completely, along with diseases related to hunger and poverty, is about $195 billion a year.

$195 billion a year. That's nothing! Look at how much this buffoon in Washington is spending on his illegal war in Iraq and his bogus "War On Terror" and no, they are not related...get over it!

I'm not saying the U.S. should be the only ones to pay for this "War On Hunger" but we could if we wanted to. And there are other rich countries in the world that could help fill the pot.

Actually, I truly, truly believe, that if all of us, all of humanity, worked together (and I'm not even saying we have to like each other), if we worked together we could end so many horrible things in this world. Hunger, poverty, disease, war, racism...these are not challenges that humans are beyond solving.

Am I on my soapbox...nah...not even close! But, as strongly as I feel about helping Mikey and other autistic children I am equally strong-willed in changing the entire world for the better.

Are chance, in our small part of the globe, is coming in a year. I'll write more about that soon but I think it's something we need to think honestly about. Even-tempered, clear-headed, fearlessly...think.

Don't let doing the right thing seem like my next word on FreeRice (Imposition).

LIFE: Bitterness Doesn't Always Mean Failure

The following paragraphs are from the new book The Gum Thief by Douglas Coupland (one of my favorite writers--check out his Web site at: http://www.coupland.com/). This is one of the best things I've read or heard lately:

"...We need to have laws to make killing dogs illegal. But what about cats? Okay, cats, too. What about snakes? Or sea monkeys?

I draw the line at sea monkeys. I draw lines everywhere. It's what makes people think I'm Mister Difficult. For example, people in the ATM machine lineup who stand too far away from the dispenser forfeit their right to be next in line. You know the people I mean--the ones who stay fifty feet away so they don't look like they're trying to see your PIN number. Come on. I look at these people, and I think, Man, you must feel truly guilty about something to make you broadcast your sense of guilt to the world with your freakish lineup philosophy. And so I simply stand in front of them and go next. That teaches them.

What else? I also believe that if someone comes up behind you on the freeway and flashes their lights to get you to move into the slow lane, they deserve whatever punishment you dole out to them. I promptly slow down and drive at the same speed as the car beside me so that I can punish Speed Racer for his impertinence.

Actually, it's not the impertinence I'm punishing him for, it's that he let other people know what he wanted.

Speed Racer, my friend, never ever let people know what you want. Because, if you do, you might as well send them engraved invitations saying, "Hi, this is what I want you to prevent me from ever having."

Bitter.

I am not bitter.

And even if I was, at least if you're bitter you know where you stand.

Okay, that last sentence came out wrong. Let me rephrase it:

At least if you're bitter, you know that you're like everybody else.

Strike that last effort, too. How about: At least if you're bitter, you know that you're part of the family of man. You know that you're not so hot, but you also know that your experience is universal. "Universal" is such a great word. You know that we live in a world of bitter cranks--a world of aging bitter cranks who failed and who are always thirty-two in their own heads.

Failures.

But bitterness doesn't always mean failure. Most rich people I've met are bitter too. So, as I say, it's universal.

Rejoice!

Did you laugh when you read that? Did you nod your head in agreement? For me, it was very refreshing. I smiled and said, "Exactly!" Even though that made me feel a bit guilty.

You see, the reason I haven't written recently is that I have been feeling kind of bitter about some things. Bitter and depressed and somewhat defeated.

I didn't get a job that I had interviewed for and it really knocked me down. As I've written previously, I was doing pretty good dealing with the extreme adversity I've had to face these past few months. But, not getting that job really hurt.

It's not that I haven't been passed over for other jobs that I've interviewed for since July. But this one was different because I really, really, really wanted it. I felt passionate about it. I would have gone to work gladly smiling and feeling as if I was being utilized to the best of my ability for my benefit, the company's benefit, and the consumers' benefit. When I got the email that informed me that, although I was a very, very strong candidate, they went with someone else who had just a little more experience in certain aspects of the position it sapped my strength and staggered me.

I let that bother and disappoint me so much that I actually became physically ill. Silly, I know. But I get very passionate about things I want and believe in. And you can get bitter when you feel as if you've given all that you could to prove to an employer that you are more worthy of the job than someone else. Does that make me silly or does it just make me passionate and competitive?

When you are unemployed for a while it's very easy to get discouraged. And it doesn't help when you have to deal with an unemployment system that only wants make sure you jump through all the right hoops before they release your small check to you. I've had two experiences with them so far that made me feel like my dignity was non-existent. God-forbid you don't sign the right form or submit for your benefits at just the right time! At least a circus animal gets a treat when they do as their master says. And circus animals don't have a concept of dignity and self-respect...good for them!

I've also run into so-called "executive recruiters" that are really just bogus fronts for scams and rip-off artists. One of my favorites was a woman who telephoned me twice and told me she got my resume from Monster.com. She was contacting me about a position in the financial services industry. The second time she called I answered and asked her if she had indeed read my resume on Monster.com. She said yes. I asked again and said but did you really "READ" my resume. She said yes again. I said then you must see that I work in the publishing/editorial field, correct? Again, she said yes. I said, "Then why are you wasting my time offering me a job in finance?!" I don't understand how these companies justify the resources they use to contact people who have no interest or no business being involved in industries outside of their expertise. I mean, I'm horrible at math, you don't want me working in the finance industry!!! :-)

Last week I started a temporary freelance job. It felt good to go and be productive and appreciated in a work environment again. I believe a hard day's work...an honest day's work...is essential to a human's happiness.

I still pursue my hunt for a permanent, full-time position. My main motivation, as always, is Mikey. He never gets deterred from being happy and pursuing that happiness. I need to continue to take my life lessons from him. He may only be two-and-a-half but is still my greatest teacher.

SARCASM: Elvis Is Rolling Over in His Grave (Yes, He's Really Dead)

I saw a commercial on TV last night that I'd never seen before. A group of guys are sitting in a barn-like atmosphere playing instruments and singing (what I believed to be) "Viva Las Vegas."

I like that song so I'm singing along and bopping my head until they get to the chorus and instead of "Vivaaaaaa Las Vegas" I hear "Vivaaaaaa Viagra!!!!" Whoa! What?????!!!

Sad to say but with Elvis' penchant for drug-taking he'd probably be popping those little blue pills like candy if here were alive today and looking down and saying "Thank you. Thank you very much..." (written while curling my lip and using my best Elvis impersonation voice).

SARCASM: Isn't One of the Commandments "Thou Shalt Not Be Stupid?"

On a recent episode of the TV quiz show Cash Cab: After Dark I heard the following:

The question was regarding one of the Ten Commandments. The two people playing the quiz were a twenty-something male and female.

The female hears the question and looks at her partner and says, "Hellooooo, I'm Jewish, I don't know the Ten Commandments."

Um, what?

Did she get hit in the head with one of the tablets that Moses brought down from the mountain and presented to...THE JEWS!?!

Oy vey! It's called the Old Testament, people. LOL!

LIFE: The Danger of Great Expectations

Note: This post was originally written at the end of July and I went back and forth about posting it. Let me know what you think:

I normally wouldn't write something like this on the blog but my patience is completely shot lately and so with apologies...

I hate Wal-Mart! Have always hated it but began to hate it more when I learned about how bad a company it is for this country ( http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/walmart/). Putting mom and pop stores out of business, blocking the formation of unions, underpaying and not providing enough health benefits for employees ( http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/facts/)...all things that I despise.

I had started my own personal boycott of Wal-Mart a few years back. I wouldn't spend any of my money there and avoided the place any way I could. I didn't force that boycott on my family but they knew how I felt (I don't believe in forcing beliefs on others but just ask that people listen to each other's ideas).

Well, with babies come expenses...such as diapers, baby wipes, baby food, etc. Wal-Mart, much to my mixed feelings, has these items cheaper than most other stores in the area. I wasn't very happy about giving them my money but economically it made sense for my family. And, now that I'm facing potential unemployment in two weeks, Wal-Mart is making me swallow my pride even more.

But, besides those other (admittedly, more important) reasons, the thing that gets under my skin the most about Wal-Mart are the people who shop there. Now, before you go getting insulted, I know that's a generalization and I accept that not everyone is the way I'm going to describe.

Now, I'm a Jersey Boy/New Yorker and I've seen just about everything and can tolerate many things. I've dealt with the "typical New Yorkers" that many people outside of NY envision. And I'll teach Mikey how to get along in this type of environment when he's old enough.

One of the problems that I've had in my adult life is having expectations of other people (you could call them great expectations in relation to our current society). I was raised with manners (saying excuse me, opening doors for people, respecting elders) and compassion for my fellow man. That's the way I want to raise Mikey, too. But, alas, it doesn't seem enough parents are teaching their kids that anymore and it seems even more adults have either never learned those things or have just given up on living them.

I was shopping with Mikey this past weekend at Wal-Mart. He's such a good boy when we go out in public and I enjoy his company. He made me being in Wal-Mart a little easier.

When I'm out with Mikey I'm very protective of him. Many people nowadays are self-centered and don't pay attention or care about other people around them and to me that's a potential danger to my child and/or my family.

Well, this big galoof of a guy (you know the type, a Vince Vaughan without the looks or talent) and his (I'm assuming) wife come walking toward us as I turn the corner to go down an aisle. There was barely any space between our shopping cart and the wall of the aisle and these two decide they can fit their adult frames in that space to get by. They squeeze through and bump the cart and, as I said about being protective of Mikey, that and the lack of manners was enough to get my attention. So, I said, "You know, 'excuse me' works." Making that comment was enough for me...kind of gets my frustration out to let people know when they were rude.

But, apparently, me making that comment was an even bigger affront than them bumping the cart and being rude. They both turn around and hurl some nice curses at me. I laughed and said "You gotta be kidding me." The lady (and I use that term loosely), I guess his wife, says "nice example you're setting for your son." This was enough to get my blood boiling and I said, incredulously, "Are you serious? You are the ones who have no manners!"

Again, I guess I was perpetrating such a crime in pointing this out to them that all of a sudden this "lady" comes marching at me with the look of a pit bull. I laughed again at the ridiculousness of this. She comes right up to me and knocks my Yankees cap off and says "Why don't you shut up, YANKEE fan!!!?" Now, other than when I was in Boston one time, I've never had my support of the Yankees be a reason for someone to attack me. She, like the cowards that these people usually are, started to walk away. I told her to hold on and come back. I said I was going to call the police and, again, apparently that is a crime too because that set Mr. Redneck Guy off into another rage of curses and threats to beat the "s***" out of me. Again, I laughed and said that "This is why I hate Wal-Mart...because of people like you."

As they took off walking, I was left to feel my heart rate pounding and my frustration level exploding. I always ask myself, after an experience like this, why do I bother expecting things of people? Why do I think that others will have the manners and compassion that I was told to expect? And then I looked at Mikey...

I looked at him and realized that this incredible little boy had more intelligence, class, and good-heartedness than those two adults could ever dream of having. I knew that I'd never let him get like them and that, yeah, I was setting a bad example for him by letting those people upset me. If you let someone who lacks your convictions make you lose your convictions (however temporarily) you're just as bad as they are.

Plus, and I don't know if this makes me a silly optimist, I still have faith in humanity. I've always believed we have the power to do good and to love each other. If that makes me the easy target then all I can say is that I'm ready to keep picking up my Yankee cap.