Thursday, July 3, 2014

Ricky Ubeda and Jessica Richens Dance Sonya Tayeh's Choreography on SYTYCD

One of the most amazing dance performances I have ever seen.


Ricky Ubeda and Jessica Richens dance Sonya Tayeh's choreography to the song "Vow" by Meredith Monk
(video from Fox.com/Dance)

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Unpleasant Dream

I had a disturbing dream last night. I was away from home on this weird combination of cruise ship/renaissance faire/supermarket. I'd been on it for a while, and I hadn't been able to sleep or have any privacy because I had to bunk in a room with several others. So I was wandering around the ship/faire/store in search of ... something ... and I would occasionally run into people who would ask/say "You're having a wonderful time, aren't you?" And I would respond, "No, I want to kill myself." And they would laugh and go on about their business.

It was not a nice dream.

Sunday, February 9, 2014

Some Thoughts on Money Hoarding

There is nothing wrong with making a good living. And hard work should certainly be rewarded. But when is enough ENOUGH for these people who earn more money each year than most of us would know how to spend in a lifetime? People who keep more *stuff* in their house than they really need or could ever have use for are called "hoarders" and are frequently said to suffer from some sort of psychological problem. So what about these individuals and corporations who hoard massive amounts of money. More money than they could possibly need or use in several lifetimes.

Yes, having a savings account is good. It's a good idea to have enough money tucked away to keep you, your family and/or your business going through tough times. But when you start hoarding money simply because you feel you must have more and more and more money, that IS a problem.

What if these men were hoarding food instead of money? Keeping massive amounts of food locked away in their houses and shipped to secret vaults overseas -- more food than every member of their family could eat in several lifetimes -- food that slowly rots because no one is eating it. And this man won't sell it to people who are starving because he feels he needs to keep absolute control of all the food he can get his hands on. No one would accept that as normal behavior. However, it is acceptable to hoard money.

But in reality, money IS food. And medicine, clean water, clothing, shelter. Money is simply an easier way to carry and exchange all those things. So when you hoard money, you are stifling the exchange of necessary goods. You are letting food rot instead of making use of it.