I read this article today about employment, and while I'm happy to hear that unemployment is going down, I hope that things like that news, like that article, have their proper impact as well. I've found that the state of the economy is all about what people think is going to happen. If someone thinks that the market is going to go bad, or that costs of products are going to go up, in the near future, then they will be more inclined to sell their stocks instead of buying more, or to save their money for later, when economic times are better. People get this information from the news.
The same works for employers and companies, for the decisions to hire for a position, rather than delegating the responsibilities of a position throughout people who already work for the company, come from a series of people who work in the upper ranks of a company. For a small company, those decisions are usually made by a select few people, and for a bigger company the decision usually varies from department to department, but needs approval from others above the singular department, etc. I just hope that everyone is reading this news!
I honestly believe that if the news gets around the the economy is improving, and that obviously someone must be hiring new employees for the unemployment rate to go down, then those with the responsibility of hiring will reconsider finding someone new to fill a need in the company. Positions for a new employee are made by growth in the business, a new direction in the company, a situation that requires specified skills, or even just a small addition to productivity that all each create a need to be filled. However, when money is tight companies will often opt to distribute the needs throughout the company for already employed workers to fill. When things are doing well, companies will hire new members in order to fill those needs. Therefore, when evidence is available that other companies are beginning to hire newbies instead of distribute needs, then more companies start to think "well, if someone out there is doing well, maybe we can hire another person or so over here", and the populous in general begins to relax and loosen the purse strings a little.
Then, once more spending goes on, the economy thrives, since it is able to receive and then distribute the income from consumers. Basically, we are all spending money in one way in order to receive money from a paycheck that comes from somewhere else. Of course, it is through an intense structure of supply and demand and cost effectiveness and lots of other business principles, but the basics are still the same: if you spend more money out there in the world at Target or Macy's or JCPenny or TJMaxx or wherever you shop, then the economy thrives and more opportunities for work appear on the market.
So Big Business: pay attention! We're doing better, start hiring! I need a real job!!!!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Argentinian Charm
The International Film Festival in my city has begun! Actually, it began a week ago, but I wasn't paying attention and decided to just pretend that it hadn't happened. But I am embracing it now!
Last night I watched an incredible movie, Music On Hold, that I simply adored. Most of the films in international film festivals are full of dark themes--mafia, murder, theft, disappointment, soul-searching trauma, rape, what have you. The films are often fantastic--stupendously written and shot and acted, and such a pleasure to experience as they are often so different from what I usually watch.
However, this year, I made a promise to myself. Personally it's been a hard year for me, and I decided that any dark or depressing films, anything that would leave me hating the world instead of loving it, would be exempt from my international film festival experience.
So last night I watched an Argentinian romantic comedy.
It starts with a quiet, frustrated composer, trying the best he can to write for a film, but coming up short and cliched. He listens to some on hold music, falls in love with it, and then randomly becomes entangled in a drama with a pregnant woman working at the bank, and her mother who has come from Spain to visit. It sounds so complicated, and yet its complexity is utterly charming. Apparently it is a huge hit in Argentina, which I totally believe, and I'm trying to figure out how I can get a copy of my own. So delightful!
It is one of those movies that we in the US have been trying to make for years now, attempting to recapture the glory of the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks 90s romance, and yet failing at every turn. Some succeed, but most just aren't that great. Nothing that truly captures your heart and your spirit, and makes you believe in the beauty of the universe and all its random eccentricities despite all the horrors that also exist within it. i haven't had that experience in so long! And to have had it last night, with silly comedy, random tie-ins, and delightful side characters, I was absolutely entranced.
I have recently come to believe that a movie is made of it's side-plots. The main story in Failure to Launch, I must admit, was terrible--they were all more than a little silly. But the side plot with two favorites of mine was delightful! So random, so silly, so strange and fun. I would say the same for Music On Hold. Because it let go of the need to keep within a formula, but simply let the situation play out as naturally as possible, it was so thrilling and charming to watch unfold, to experience the situation as it was in its best moments.
If you can find it, I would highly recommend it.
Last night I watched an incredible movie, Music On Hold, that I simply adored. Most of the films in international film festivals are full of dark themes--mafia, murder, theft, disappointment, soul-searching trauma, rape, what have you. The films are often fantastic--stupendously written and shot and acted, and such a pleasure to experience as they are often so different from what I usually watch.
However, this year, I made a promise to myself. Personally it's been a hard year for me, and I decided that any dark or depressing films, anything that would leave me hating the world instead of loving it, would be exempt from my international film festival experience.
So last night I watched an Argentinian romantic comedy.
It starts with a quiet, frustrated composer, trying the best he can to write for a film, but coming up short and cliched. He listens to some on hold music, falls in love with it, and then randomly becomes entangled in a drama with a pregnant woman working at the bank, and her mother who has come from Spain to visit. It sounds so complicated, and yet its complexity is utterly charming. Apparently it is a huge hit in Argentina, which I totally believe, and I'm trying to figure out how I can get a copy of my own. So delightful!
It is one of those movies that we in the US have been trying to make for years now, attempting to recapture the glory of the Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks 90s romance, and yet failing at every turn. Some succeed, but most just aren't that great. Nothing that truly captures your heart and your spirit, and makes you believe in the beauty of the universe and all its random eccentricities despite all the horrors that also exist within it. i haven't had that experience in so long! And to have had it last night, with silly comedy, random tie-ins, and delightful side characters, I was absolutely entranced.
I have recently come to believe that a movie is made of it's side-plots. The main story in Failure to Launch, I must admit, was terrible--they were all more than a little silly. But the side plot with two favorites of mine was delightful! So random, so silly, so strange and fun. I would say the same for Music On Hold. Because it let go of the need to keep within a formula, but simply let the situation play out as naturally as possible, it was so thrilling and charming to watch unfold, to experience the situation as it was in its best moments.
If you can find it, I would highly recommend it.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Money Money Money
Today I found this article in USA Today, and I was really surprised and impressed by it--and found it to be quite true myself!
Ever since I found sale racks and realized you could get the same thing for less money, I have been wondering why people pay full price. Some people I know simply like the experience better, and are willing to pay for it. They maybe won't go to a JCPenny or a Marshalls for their shopping, but I can't imagine myself simply shelling out twice or three times as much money for something at Macy's when I can get it for less!
The coupon thing has taken over since the recession hit a couple of years ago, and I'm not surprised that people are taking a deeper look into their spending. The article also mentioned the aging baby-boomers who experienced the depression, and are still thrifty because of it. I think we might be headed in the same direction! I know that my attention to a dollar here or a dollar there has increased, and that $5 can go a long way if you spend it right.
If you save $1 on ten different occasions, that's $10 that you've saved and can buy you something else, or stay in your savings for something in the future. It isn't always easy, but I think as a nation we are finding out how to use our money better.
I often find myself wondering what this means for the economy. Although it can seem backwards to the everyday consumer, spending is good for the overall economy. The more you spend, the more sales companies have, and the more they can spend getting products back to you, or more importantly giving back to the community. If Target, for example, has some sort of community outreach program that provides economic assistance to a school or community, where do you think that money comes from? From the money you just spent on their groceries or swimsuits or whatever. It comes from you!
I wonder whether businesses, and therefore the economy in general, can simply readjust and reevaluate, find a new way to make things happen, or if a lot of good, but not necessarily inexpensive to consume, businesses will simply fail. In Minneapolis, Burch Pharmacy is closing after more than half a century of good, local service and delightful neighborhood charm. Out it goes!
Will we ever figure it out?
Ever since I found sale racks and realized you could get the same thing for less money, I have been wondering why people pay full price. Some people I know simply like the experience better, and are willing to pay for it. They maybe won't go to a JCPenny or a Marshalls for their shopping, but I can't imagine myself simply shelling out twice or three times as much money for something at Macy's when I can get it for less!
The coupon thing has taken over since the recession hit a couple of years ago, and I'm not surprised that people are taking a deeper look into their spending. The article also mentioned the aging baby-boomers who experienced the depression, and are still thrifty because of it. I think we might be headed in the same direction! I know that my attention to a dollar here or a dollar there has increased, and that $5 can go a long way if you spend it right.
If you save $1 on ten different occasions, that's $10 that you've saved and can buy you something else, or stay in your savings for something in the future. It isn't always easy, but I think as a nation we are finding out how to use our money better.
I often find myself wondering what this means for the economy. Although it can seem backwards to the everyday consumer, spending is good for the overall economy. The more you spend, the more sales companies have, and the more they can spend getting products back to you, or more importantly giving back to the community. If Target, for example, has some sort of community outreach program that provides economic assistance to a school or community, where do you think that money comes from? From the money you just spent on their groceries or swimsuits or whatever. It comes from you!
I wonder whether businesses, and therefore the economy in general, can simply readjust and reevaluate, find a new way to make things happen, or if a lot of good, but not necessarily inexpensive to consume, businesses will simply fail. In Minneapolis, Burch Pharmacy is closing after more than half a century of good, local service and delightful neighborhood charm. Out it goes!
Will we ever figure it out?
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Nuclear Nearby
So today i'm reading the news on my ipod touch as usual, and I come across this story about contingency plans for a Nuclear Attack.
I didn't get very far--I'll admit I was interrupted by a friend happening to join me for lunch--but I was shocked and saddened to see that these government officials seem to believe that a nuclear attack is in our near future--as in, in the next 50 years or so. Somewhere in the next century, we will have another attack killing millions, spreading radiation, and perhaps destroying a nation.
It sucks! What's so weird is that all I could think about was this episode of Golden Girls about the Cold War that was going on at the time. In the show, Rose writes this letter about the promise of nuclear war always heavy in the air, and how her girl scouts (or whatever they were) are so concerned that they won't make it; that they won't survive what is sure to come. It ends up being funny, of course, because her letter is mistaken for a child's, but in so many ways the same fears are coming to light today.
I recently did research for the 80s political climate for a TV series I'm working on, and I was so upset to write updates of the Cold War, to see how much fear was generated just, it seems, for the sake of ego or in order to name on final, ultimate powerful country on the planet. Greater and greater threats seem like fights with my sister: we keep one-upping each other, always thinking that the other one started it, but never really knowing who was the initiator, and of course it doesn't really matter. An ego squabble multiplied by billions, and incorporating millions of lives in the booty of who gets to win. If winning means killing, then I don't think it's ever winning.
Of course, terrorism is a different story. If I remember my education correctly (which I fully admit that I may not), Islamic terrorists often see us as not being human--as not being like them. They believe that we deserve to be massacred, and can justify to themselves and their supporters a million times over why this isn't murder, and why it's so intrinsically important that complete strangers, living completely different lives, die for this cause. They think their cause is worth as many lives as it takes to make a point.
Personally, I disagree. All I can do is love them, and hope they see our love as real enough to stop from killing us. And wonder what it could take, what could possibly happen to these martyrs that makes them willing to kill, and die, for it? And again I am reminded of Anne Frank, and the holocaust.
Once humanity has been stripped away, how can you give it back?
I didn't get very far--I'll admit I was interrupted by a friend happening to join me for lunch--but I was shocked and saddened to see that these government officials seem to believe that a nuclear attack is in our near future--as in, in the next 50 years or so. Somewhere in the next century, we will have another attack killing millions, spreading radiation, and perhaps destroying a nation.
It sucks! What's so weird is that all I could think about was this episode of Golden Girls about the Cold War that was going on at the time. In the show, Rose writes this letter about the promise of nuclear war always heavy in the air, and how her girl scouts (or whatever they were) are so concerned that they won't make it; that they won't survive what is sure to come. It ends up being funny, of course, because her letter is mistaken for a child's, but in so many ways the same fears are coming to light today.
I recently did research for the 80s political climate for a TV series I'm working on, and I was so upset to write updates of the Cold War, to see how much fear was generated just, it seems, for the sake of ego or in order to name on final, ultimate powerful country on the planet. Greater and greater threats seem like fights with my sister: we keep one-upping each other, always thinking that the other one started it, but never really knowing who was the initiator, and of course it doesn't really matter. An ego squabble multiplied by billions, and incorporating millions of lives in the booty of who gets to win. If winning means killing, then I don't think it's ever winning.
Of course, terrorism is a different story. If I remember my education correctly (which I fully admit that I may not), Islamic terrorists often see us as not being human--as not being like them. They believe that we deserve to be massacred, and can justify to themselves and their supporters a million times over why this isn't murder, and why it's so intrinsically important that complete strangers, living completely different lives, die for this cause. They think their cause is worth as many lives as it takes to make a point.
Personally, I disagree. All I can do is love them, and hope they see our love as real enough to stop from killing us. And wonder what it could take, what could possibly happen to these martyrs that makes them willing to kill, and die, for it? And again I am reminded of Anne Frank, and the holocaust.
Once humanity has been stripped away, how can you give it back?
Monday, April 12, 2010
Diary of a Young Girl
So last night I watched PBS' new Diary of Anne Frank, and cried like a little girl. It was so fascinating to watch her develop over time, and to remember my feelings and transformations as I turned 13, 14, and 15, and then to watch her experience all of this, all while trapped in with her family and these relative strangers. I loved the little romance that bloomed between her and Peter, and then watch it disappear as she grows even more, and grows to love writing. I looked her up on Wikipedia, and was sad to learn that only weeks after her death would she have been saved.
They were actually found and interned after D Day, which is upsetting. In the program, they're all waiting to be saved, hoping each day that the Allies will reach them, that they will survive and the girls can go back to school and they can resume a life, free from persecution for being Jewish. It's insane to realize that they were in there for two whole years. How horrifying. In a way, before they got to the camps and faced their unjust fate, it must have been nice to breathe fresh air again.
It makes me feel so incredibly grateful for everything I have. A mother and father that love me, the privilege of everything in my life, material things as well as advantages and opportunities that others don't have. Family and friends who care, good times I'll remember in my old age--the opportunity to grow to an old age.
I also often find myself wondering about death and the afterlife when I experience stories such as this one. Does she know that we think about her? Does she know, somewhere, wherever she is, that we hear her story and that it has become a beacon for the holocaust sympathy? That small children can begin to understand the power and tragedy of such horror, and because of her put themselves in the place of those who suffered before us? That she is a part of the prevention of another genocide? The same situations are coming upon us again--racism, conservativism, etc. People will always find reasons to blame others for their troubles, and try to punish them for being different. People fear, and people aren't smart. But I always hold the dearest hope that Anne Frank, her story and the power of her experience, will bring to light the importance of staying away from that. Of realizing that just because they're different, doesn't mean that they're not human. I am human, and so are you. Please don't make me live in a small, secret annex for two years, and lead me to my death. Avoiding that would be nice.
They were actually found and interned after D Day, which is upsetting. In the program, they're all waiting to be saved, hoping each day that the Allies will reach them, that they will survive and the girls can go back to school and they can resume a life, free from persecution for being Jewish. It's insane to realize that they were in there for two whole years. How horrifying. In a way, before they got to the camps and faced their unjust fate, it must have been nice to breathe fresh air again.
It makes me feel so incredibly grateful for everything I have. A mother and father that love me, the privilege of everything in my life, material things as well as advantages and opportunities that others don't have. Family and friends who care, good times I'll remember in my old age--the opportunity to grow to an old age.
I also often find myself wondering about death and the afterlife when I experience stories such as this one. Does she know that we think about her? Does she know, somewhere, wherever she is, that we hear her story and that it has become a beacon for the holocaust sympathy? That small children can begin to understand the power and tragedy of such horror, and because of her put themselves in the place of those who suffered before us? That she is a part of the prevention of another genocide? The same situations are coming upon us again--racism, conservativism, etc. People will always find reasons to blame others for their troubles, and try to punish them for being different. People fear, and people aren't smart. But I always hold the dearest hope that Anne Frank, her story and the power of her experience, will bring to light the importance of staying away from that. Of realizing that just because they're different, doesn't mean that they're not human. I am human, and so are you. Please don't make me live in a small, secret annex for two years, and lead me to my death. Avoiding that would be nice.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Female Directors
I remember years ago, when Waitress came out, starring Kari Russel, and it was unique and interesting, and so plainly and beautifully shot, exposing characters and revealing human truths. And I thought, the time is coming. She's just beginning and she may change the world.
And then, Adrienne Shelley was brutally murdered for no known reason, and her light, spirit, and talent left the world. I was crushed and heartbroken, knowing what kind of experiences she could have shared with the world, but has chosen not to.
And today, I saw this:
Vera Farmiga to Direct Adaptation of 'This Dark World'
I don't know if it will change anything, but seeing more and more women working behind the scenes, paving the way for my hopeful future, makes my heart fill with joy! I hope she makes the exact kind of movie that she wants to see, and creates a delicious experience for us to be a part of.
I hope she can muster a way to change the world--they will keep trying to take it away from us, but we ladies have to get behind the camera and make it happen!
And then, Adrienne Shelley was brutally murdered for no known reason, and her light, spirit, and talent left the world. I was crushed and heartbroken, knowing what kind of experiences she could have shared with the world, but has chosen not to.
And today, I saw this:
Vera Farmiga to Direct Adaptation of 'This Dark World'
I don't know if it will change anything, but seeing more and more women working behind the scenes, paving the way for my hopeful future, makes my heart fill with joy! I hope she makes the exact kind of movie that she wants to see, and creates a delicious experience for us to be a part of.
I hope she can muster a way to change the world--they will keep trying to take it away from us, but we ladies have to get behind the camera and make it happen!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Flying Tiger
I recently read this article in the paper version, and thought it was tremendously interesting, showing how one person's life situation so determines adult character:
Tiger Woods's Inconvenient Women
I find it fascinating how Tiger Woods never seemed to gain any sense of propriety OR of simple, basic empathy. It's a crude article, but I appreciate its honesty in baring the truth of Woods' life behind the very firm and quiet exterior he exuded for the public eye. Everyone likes a family man, and so that's what they made him, creating a double life.
It's very clear to me from this article that Woods was never taught the very basic lessons of empathy and consideration from those around him. In our early development years, pre-teen and teen, we are all taught the hard way what happens when you constantly place your needs above anyone else's without any consideration for the other people in your life--you end up alone and unhappy since no one likes you. It's not a fun lesson, always, but it's how the world works. Then, into your 20s you build relationships, hopefully in a healthy way with equal give and take from both sides.
Tiger Woods, on the other hand, never knew one second of this. At a young age he was adored for his talent, then later for his wealth and fame, meaning that he could treat people however he wanted, putting his needs no matter their import at #1. And everyone would stick around, just to get a piece of the fame pie, or out of blind adoration to his talent. If anyone stopped hanging out with him, there was always someone else to replace them, waiting in the wings for a chance to hang with Tiger.
The arrogance that has carried him into adulthood was also evident in the article, demonstrating how he had been able to get away with everything and wasn't about to stop now.
He demanded so much, and gave nothing in return, and yet because of his name or the hopes for future financial rewards, women who had very little to gain from the relationship kept coming to him. I can see how he began to see himself as impervious, acting in any way convenient to him without any regard for the situation of anyone he was involved with. This arrogance was encouraged time and again by the multitude of fans who poured out their adoration to a man they really knew nothing about and by the people around him, close to him, who gave him everything he wanted without ever challenging his behavior as would be normal in any other social situation.
Piled on top of this treatment throughout his character-building years in social development (I'd say ages 13 to 20?) was his father's behavior: no-apologies infidelity, public drunkenness, lewd behavior without any restraint for the impact he might be having on his son. And so, a total asshole was made. No one stopped him, no one checked him, no one punished him enough.
Throughout our socialization, most human beings are punished for their inappropriate, unfeeling, selfish, or arrogant actions. They either end up in a fight, or end up alone. Your friend lacks empathy when you tell him or her a story, you maybe don't talk to them for a couple of days. In high school, a friend lies to you or talks behind your back, you stop the friendship even though you see theme every day at school. No one did this for him--they treated him like a god, athletic manna from heaven shining fame on a sport that had been lost to old drunks ages before.
And is it really a wonder, that after such bad treatment, the women he's screwed and dumped are rushing to come forward, eager to share what an asshole he really is?
Tiger Woods's Inconvenient Women
I find it fascinating how Tiger Woods never seemed to gain any sense of propriety OR of simple, basic empathy. It's a crude article, but I appreciate its honesty in baring the truth of Woods' life behind the very firm and quiet exterior he exuded for the public eye. Everyone likes a family man, and so that's what they made him, creating a double life.
It's very clear to me from this article that Woods was never taught the very basic lessons of empathy and consideration from those around him. In our early development years, pre-teen and teen, we are all taught the hard way what happens when you constantly place your needs above anyone else's without any consideration for the other people in your life--you end up alone and unhappy since no one likes you. It's not a fun lesson, always, but it's how the world works. Then, into your 20s you build relationships, hopefully in a healthy way with equal give and take from both sides.
Tiger Woods, on the other hand, never knew one second of this. At a young age he was adored for his talent, then later for his wealth and fame, meaning that he could treat people however he wanted, putting his needs no matter their import at #1. And everyone would stick around, just to get a piece of the fame pie, or out of blind adoration to his talent. If anyone stopped hanging out with him, there was always someone else to replace them, waiting in the wings for a chance to hang with Tiger.
The arrogance that has carried him into adulthood was also evident in the article, demonstrating how he had been able to get away with everything and wasn't about to stop now.
He demanded so much, and gave nothing in return, and yet because of his name or the hopes for future financial rewards, women who had very little to gain from the relationship kept coming to him. I can see how he began to see himself as impervious, acting in any way convenient to him without any regard for the situation of anyone he was involved with. This arrogance was encouraged time and again by the multitude of fans who poured out their adoration to a man they really knew nothing about and by the people around him, close to him, who gave him everything he wanted without ever challenging his behavior as would be normal in any other social situation.
Piled on top of this treatment throughout his character-building years in social development (I'd say ages 13 to 20?) was his father's behavior: no-apologies infidelity, public drunkenness, lewd behavior without any restraint for the impact he might be having on his son. And so, a total asshole was made. No one stopped him, no one checked him, no one punished him enough.
Throughout our socialization, most human beings are punished for their inappropriate, unfeeling, selfish, or arrogant actions. They either end up in a fight, or end up alone. Your friend lacks empathy when you tell him or her a story, you maybe don't talk to them for a couple of days. In high school, a friend lies to you or talks behind your back, you stop the friendship even though you see theme every day at school. No one did this for him--they treated him like a god, athletic manna from heaven shining fame on a sport that had been lost to old drunks ages before.
And is it really a wonder, that after such bad treatment, the women he's screwed and dumped are rushing to come forward, eager to share what an asshole he really is?
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