JUST SOME POSTS

Yesterday I had the distinct pleasure of watching a cashier self-implode. (OK, not totally "self", I was involved!) I had bought six 2 liter soft drinks. She was bagging them. She had done the first two - two to a bag, then double bagged it. She complained - "Man I HATE working with these drinks and bags! They don't cooperate at all!". I said - "Why not just put one to a bag, and not double bag?" Her answer - "We are required to put two to a bag." My response (ever trying to be helpful) - "If you put one to a bag, and then DON'T double bag them, it will be the same number of bags; and even the same weight per bag." Her - ????????????? (I could hear the wheels turning) "...but we have to put two to a bag." Me - "I guess it is better. Carry on." Now, what is scary to me about this is twofold - 1) she obviously had no concept of what I was saying 2) it might be policy, which means some "manager/...

I have written some about this in previous posts, but I think it deserves additional attention. It is amazing how true the axiom of (paraphrased) "repeat a lie often enough and it becomes an accepted fact". Said with a different slant it applies to names, titles, and labels. For example, it is in my lifetime that swamps disappeared. WHAT? - you might exclaim. I know swamps. There are swamps near me. Au contraire mon frere. A swamp is now a WETLAND. We did not learn about wetlands when I was in school. Preserving the wetlands was not a requirement or even a wish. It was all about draining a swamp. Swamps and wetlands are homes to mosquitoes and other nasty insects. However, no one will donate money to save a swamp. Legislation to save the swamp is not a headline grabber. Therefore they became a wetland. Now we save them. (I understand that there are ecological and biological benefits from "swamps". I also understand that if I have an acre of my property that is alm...