Retail Crapshoot

From the The Chicago Tribune - "Mistakes Found in Pricing at Wal-Mart": "Wal-Mart Stores Inc. charged the wrong price to shoppers in California and the Midwest at a rate that exceeds those set by federal guidelines, according to two union-commissioned university studies released Monday."

So I wonder if Wal-Mart's scanners are made by the same folks who make the very reliable voting machines - Diebold?

The being of the Individual

“Every person must render account to God. No third person dares venture to intrude upon this accounting. God in heaven does not talk to us as to an assembly; he speaks to each individually. Each one has the task of becoming an individual.” – Soren Kierkegaard

Everyday we are encountered with others who tell us what to believe, who advise that their interpretation is the correct one, and that they, above all others, know what is happening. We do not just encounter this in religion, but we encounter it in life. We interact with people that are so sure that they alone have been given the truth, when in reality; the truth will be spoken to each individual by God, if only they will listen.

“True individuality is measured by this: how long or how far one can endure being alone without the understanding of others. The person who can endure being alone is poles apart from the social mixer. He is miles apart from the man-pleaser, the one who manages successfully with everyone – he who possesses no sharp edges. God never uses such people. The true individual, anyone who is going to be directly involved with God, will not and cannot avoid the human bite. He will be thoroughly misunderstood. God is no friend of cozy human gathering.” – Kierkegaard

I used to think it would be great if everyone liked me, I thought that would mean that I was successful and productive in work and life. However, for me that did not work. I could not sacrifice that which I believed or held dear for the sake of being “in”. It happens to me at work all too often. I do not have the need to be “in” in this culture of cliques. I know the reason I am here. That reason may or may not be different from why others are here. However, I do not need to have the same reason as the “in”. This does not mean that I am confrontational or antagonistic, quite the contrary, this means that I am able to stay the course without having to worry if I am “toeing the line”. I want to be able to stand up and do what needs to be done, without worrying about how the “in” will view me. I want to be able to maintain my individuality.

Halloween

Yay! It is Halloween again.

Some good time Halloween Links:


Halloween from http://www.about.com.

El Dia De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead) from http://www.azcentral.com.

Halloween Radio from Live365.


Have a great holiday!

Bad news for the American working class

As seen on Raw Story and found at Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Gasoline costs will wipe out raises, study says: "Workers can expect an average pay raise of about 3.7 percent his year, but because of sky-high gasoline prices, they'll pour all but a smidgen of that extra cash down the gas tank commuting to work according to an analysis by Salary.com.".

Donate to Hurricane Relief (Oxfam America)
Donate to Earthquake Relief (Oxfam International)

Banned Book Week

Celebrate freedom by reading!

Because being told what you cannot read is lame.

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them" - Ray Bradbury

"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it." - Mark Twain

Check out American Library Association's Banned Book Week site

Still Kickin'

I am still around. It has been a very hectic couple of weeks. There has been a large influx of hurricane victims coming up to my neck of the woods, and I've been pretty involved in some other activities related to the hurricane(s).

I will write more this week. There has been a lot on my mind, and a lot going on...as we all should know. The situation in our world is scary. However, I hope some of these scary times will serve as a wake up call. There is always hope.

Donate to the Red Cross.

Hurricane Katrina

To donate to the efforts of the American Red Cross please visit: Donate Now!.

Here in Arkansas we are definitely feeling some of the effects of Hurricane Katrina. We did not get the weather up here, but we are accomodating many refugees, sending volunteers and providing a temporary home for misplaced college students. This is one of those times that I feel that while the media is portraying the event as a tragedy, it is not really being reported for as bad as it is. Personal reports that I've heard make the situation seem pretty grim. I hope and pray for the best. Of course it is cliche, but time will tell what damage was done. It does appear that New Orleans will be out of commission for months. That leaves hundreds of thousands of people homeless.

I will say that this is the real deal. This is a natural tragedy that I don't think modern America has every expected to see. If you are able, please give money or time to the cause. There are hundreds of thousands of humans that need your help...these are all of our neighbors.