Ohio Suicide Fare State Fair
These days nothing seems to work or function properly ...
*Air bags in vehicles that shoot out sharp metal fragments when inflated
*Shoes that wear out completely after 6 months of use
*Constant recalls on vehicles and consumer products
*Improperly installed underground cable wire and gas pipes
*Shoddy repair jobs
*Incompetent public servants and a system that doesn't work
*Commercial and public transportation that's inadequate and falls short of serving the needs of passengers
*Poor craftsmanship, bad design, and second-rate materials used to build consumer products
*Public utility companies that overcharge and provide poor service

And it's only been getting worse and worse every time one turns around.
One can add amusement rides to the ever-expanding list now.
What happened at the Ohio State Fair a week ago is a prime example.  An exotic ride literally falls apart at the seams during mid-operation.  Like it was made of LEGOs, Lincoln Logs, or Tinker Toys.

It is called the Fire Ball.  It is one wild ride.  In fact a bit feral.
And, true to it's namesake, this ride is sparking some hot debate about safety procedures, regulations and standards.

To me it's a case of "style over substance" or, as Ralph Nader used to say about the automotive industry, "style over safety".

It's another violation of what one might refer to as "the trust element".
When one buys a food item they expect to not get poisoned.
When one plugs in an appliance one expects to not get electrocuted or set their residence on fire.
When one uses a shampoo or hand soap one expects to not suffer chemical burns.
When one uses a household cleaning product one expects to not find themselves overwhelmed by toxic fumes.

When one goes on an amusement ride one expects to not suddenly get their ass thrown out into the air 20 feet above ground to fall straight down onto hard pavement.

Having a trust element in such a corrupt society such as ours is a bit of a tall order though.

Song Analysis: The Entertainer

This 1965 hit by Tony Clarke concerns a stage actor who recently broke up with his girlfriend and is now so depressed and downcast he feels he "can't go on".

But he's reminded that once one makes a commitment to others, that when others are counting on him, he can't back down on that promise.

A true professional understands that once one assumes a position of either authority or servitude one can't allow their personal issues to interfere with carrying out their prior commitments.

Even in everyday life there are expectations placed on the individual, and one can't just "stop whatever it is they're doing" every time something "comes up" in their life.

                             Library Etiquette (revisited)
Boundaries---the concept of putting the right thing in the right place at the right time.

It's about a wildlife refugee park putting physical barriers between the giraffes, zebras, wildebeest and the lions, tigers, crocodiles.

But human society eschews this kind of wisdom.
It goes by the inane mantra of "We must learn to get along with one another".  Which is shorthand for "No matter how much the other guy annoys you, harasses you, gets in your way or messes with you, don't ever respond, react, or say anything harsh to them---not even defensively.  Just suffer in silence and endure it all.  Be a 'respectful' little trooper".

Should you do otherwise, and that other person "takes offense" at whatever you do or say, you're done for.  Finished!!!
In this society it's a criminal act to do or say anything to "offend" another.   Whenever another person finds anything you do or say "offensive" they automatically acquire the authority of a Federal Marshal and have full license to penalize or destroy you as they see fit.
And the proper authorities are obliged to unconditionally take sides with them.   Especially if there are two or more of them and only one of you.

I'm at the library reading an interesting blog post.  Or trying to anyway.
And two clueless domineering twits, both grown men in their 30s who are apparently "the new owners of this property and everything's going to be done their way from here on in", are having a loud conversation while standing right behind me.   And it goes on and on and on and on unceasingly.  And I wait, hoping they'll head on out real soon.   But, more than an hour later, they're still at it (not once do either one of them finally lose their breath and pass out).

And I don't dare turn around and ask them  "Uhhhh ....Hey, uhhhh....There's a STARBUCKS a few blocks down the street if you two MUST insist on having a long-winded dialogue.  This is the library and some of us are trying to read.  It's not really the appropriate place for your type of behavior".

God knows, they're liable to go ballistic on me, tell me "Go fuck yourself!", attracting the attention of one of those useless lame-headed library staff members.

The dumbass staff member, then, will ask "What's the problem here?" in the usual whiney yuppie fashion, to which those two are most likely to ramble off hysterically and histrionically all sorts of hyperbole defamatory character-assassinations and malicious allegations about me.

The staff member, himself/herself an authority figure, would probably render a harsh extortive reprimand for my "disruptive" and "harassive" behavior.
Or, even worse, ask me to leave or even have me permanently banished form the library itself.

But that's the problem with being out anywhere in public anyway.   That most people aren't exactly the most gracious and well-bred specimens to run across.

 The "online shopping" coup d'etat continues ...
Have you ...
*Eaten out at a nice restaurant lately?
*Enjoyed a day at a posh shopping center---watching a movie, then afterwards grabbing a bite at one of the eateries on the premises, or having ice cream before heading into one of the bookstores or clothing shops?

Hopefully you're savoring these sensuous experiences as they're soon to become an anachronism as the popularity of online shopping continues to take over and envelop the whole shopping experience.

Which, for most of you, is no problem as you already do just about everything on/with your smartphone outside of eating, drinking, pissing, shitting, bathing, grooming and sleeping.
And you're most likely already ordering crap online to boot.

So this transition will not hurt you in any way.
However, there are those of us who do not have a smartphone and, in fact, cannot afford one ...nor the services and extras required to activate the functions and operations of one.

And, even if we did own a smartphone, we still wouldn't be comfortable with putting our account numbers online with the chronic breach of security issues so prevalent and seemingly insoluble.

And for people like us it's imperative the traditional physical stores, businesses, offices and shopping areas remain intact and continue as coexisting with the newfangled methods of commerce and material acquisitions.

Another factor:  When ordering either online, by phone, or by mail, one's burdened with having to be present upon delivery of said item, whether due to living in a secure residential building where residents and management need a key to the building just to even enter, or (in the case of those who live in houses) to prevent delivered items from being stolen from the porch or front walk by devious passer-bys.
And major companies and providers---like UPS, FedEx, the cable/satellite providers, the phone company---are not exactly known for their transparency or punctuality, or even for being able to establish any kind of timeline for making their deliveries.

Yet another factor:  Once online (and cashless) become bonafide "in vogue" there'll probably be a "minimum purchase" clause, wherein one cannot simply purchase a couple choice wanted/needed items.  They'll be forced to have to make a minimum $50 purchase per order.  Every transaction will be that of a "volume" nature.
They've already been doing this sort of thing in the REAL stores.  Selling "packages of 10" when you only need one or two of said items, but individual ones are no longer available for sale like in decades past.  Smaller items come in boxes of 50, or bags of 100, and the like.

In other words---online shopping is but a further erosion of our freedom-of-choice.

                                         Service (?) Industries
When did the ATM machines at CHASE do away with the option of handing out receipts with each cash withdrawal?

Not that I don't already calculate on paper how much I'll have in my account after each withdrawal beforehand.  I withdraw $100 each time, so it's a simple mater of basic grade-school arithmetic to keep track of my finances.
But having that receipt afterwards to confirm and coincide with my calculations would be reassuring just the same.

It also means the onus is completely on me to guess blindly where I stand with my checking account.  Anything conspiring or insidious going on behind my back can wind up being missed until it's too late.

I'll never understand modern-day services.  Why is it the customer, client, or patient has to do all the work themselves?  What qualifications do WE have?
Imagine taking a cab or catching a bus, and the driver has you, the passenger, take the wheel for them while they take a seat and relax and rest for the ride?
Doesn't make sense, does it?

               Update:  The ATMs are working normally once again.  Whatever the deal was I hope it's done and over with.

You're in a hurry.
You gotta make it in time for that special date.
While checking for messages on your SmartPhone you strike a pedestrian in the crosswalk.
But you can't stop now!
So you keep on going, figuring there are enough folks around someone else'll tend  to that pedestrian.
...but some wise-ass "crusader" has to record your license plate and post it online.
So now you're sitting in a jail cell, looking at a 5-year license suspension.
OF COURSE your insurance company sees fit to raise your rates---AGAIN!!!!
Plus they're now even threatening to drop you altogether.
So much for "customer loyalty" and "standing behind you".

At Entitlement Mutual we have a special Hit-and-Run Forgiveness policy just for those occasions when "life just doesn't come together quite right".

                                               Adage For Today
               The problem with the world is too many Bosses and not enough Servants and Companions