Forgetting all the trivia that is posted..
What things really concern you about the World today ...and what are you doing about it?

I don't like the quest for Globalization and the exploitation it uses.

Therefore I refrain from buying the "Major" Designer labels (especially with respect to sports and casual wear) and try to buy from the smaller companies wherever possible.

Howard

If it helps,

I don't drop my litter on the floor anymore. I save it in my pocket until I get home (where there's a bin) or find a public bin.

Hope this helps,

John.

What concerns me in the world is the fact that it is becoming so PC that you can't speak your mind anymore. Everyone is worried about offending someone, that they don't speak their mind. With that, people are getting offended way too easily over stupid little things, LIGHTEN UP!!!!!

Another issue that concerns me is the fact that nobody today takes responsibility for their actions. For decades it has been common knowledge that cigarettes are bad for you, but people INSIST on smoking them and blaming the cigarette companies. Then there are the people that eat too much and blame McDonald's for their obesity... People need to take personal responsibility for their own actions. If you are overweight, and don't want to be, go on a diet. If you smoke, and don't want to, there are numerous ways to quit.

What I am doing about this is simple. I speak my mind, and I am teaching my daughter to speak hers. I take responsibility for my actions, and I am teaching my daughter to take responsibility for hers. Ex. I recently fell down a flight of stairs in an office building and sprained my ankle. I did not immediately call a lawyer and try to sue the property owners. I picked myself up, hobled my way to my car and drove home.

Jeff

Jeff,
I agree entirely with you and commend your attitude. It is however an uphill battle with the increasing "dumbing down" in all aspects of life.
Keep up the fight and stick with your principles.

Howard

America is the country that started the 'sue' revolution. I remeber a guy that was robbing a bank and got cut on the window when he ran out. After, he got out of jail, he sued the bank for millions and won.

That's messed up,


Lee

Real world issues...
How about 'patriots' outsourcing jobs?
How about the rise of the 'excluded middle' in political rhetoric?
How about all those medication commercials followed by anti drug messages?
How about noise pollution and indoor air quality at the workplace?
How about nonstop alarmist mass media 'news' that buries world events inside ticker captions?
How about our collective reading tastes showing TVGuide as the most popular reading material?
How about blockbuster movies that are about as interesting as popcorn and about as memorable?

Okay, almost forgot the "Doing" part.
I treat the mass media as juvinile entertainment, champion air filters in the workplace, try to buy from my neighbors and cite books in conversation. Also try to eat quality vegetables and treat fast food like most people treat a fudge sundae... every now and then as a 'treat'.

Here in the US, it seems you can become famous from just acting really dumb and subjecting yourself to ridicule on television. This frightens me. Patriotism frightens me. Close-mindedness frightens me. The corruption of the legal system (especially regarding the death penalty in my home state of Texas) frightens me. The fact that half of the people I meet and see on a daily basis are smarter and wiser than our president scares me. Censorship scares me too. It's the reason this post is bound to be deleted.

marko...No, hopefully the reason it will be deleted, is your idiotic fear of Patriotism. Without Patriots you wouldn't even be able to write your thoughts here. SO go back and think about what you wrote and think about the freedoms you still currently have and pray that patriots continue to provide it for you.

Kevin

Maybe I should clarify: There are two kinds of patriotism here - the kind that wants nothing but freedom for my nation and all others and the kind that throws its power around with a "with us or against us" mentality. It's the latter kind that frightens me. I am happily a member of the first kind, but I don't call it patriotism, I call it humanity. Hope that clears things up.

Kevin,
At the risk of interpreting his thoughts wrongly, I don't believe that Marko is referring to the patriotism of our founding fathers - you know, that kind that had some common sense attached. No, I believe he is referring to that new brand of patriotism that states,"If you don't agree with what the ruling party is doing, you are not patriotic and should be living in France." Marko, is that what you meant?
Oh, and Kevin, before the return reply gets written, I served my country honorably, giving twenty years and my health. I am now a disabled vet, and I am a patriot, whether or not I agree with you or President Bush about any given issue.

It is nationalism not patriotism of which marko speaks.
I too fear blind nationalism with its blindly subserviant us against them a
attitude.
But what I fear most above all is ignorance.

This I combat by not being as well informed as I can and thinking critically about all things.

Payne, thanks for the input, I believe you are correct in asessing marko's statement. What he probably didn't understand is that Patriotism DOES NOT change with the times, as nationalism as you stated does.

markjens...thank you for your service to our country. I too served our country and like yourself am also a disabled Vet. I am with you in that I may not agree with everything Bush does. However, I do uphold what our country was founded upon, I'm sure just as you do.

marko...sorry if your remarks were not stated clearly enough. I took them for what they define.

Kevin

hey guys, sorry about using the word even in quotes as it seems to distract folks. I was trying to communicate the contradiction between the ideal and the practice of outsourcing functions outside out national borders.

I find this interesting. I'm a disabled vet as well. There seem to be a few of us hanging around here.

I think it's easy to cite the negative aspects of 2003. Sure, I too dislike globalisation. I also object to the dumbing-down of what is called "art and entertainment". I hate so-called "political correctness" - as in some cases it simply means having to politely accept the unacceptable, and being unable to speak ones mind for fear of being labelled.

On the other hand us older people have spent half of our lives under the threat of the Soviets and Communism. Let's remember just how close the world came to the abyss over the Cuban missiles!! All this has ended now. I also rest easy with my Country's support of the USA since 9/11, - it's not just because we like being "the giant's best friend", - it just simply helps to repay a fraction of what we owe the States for what they did for us eight years before I was born! But I hope and pray for Israel and Palestine to come to peace (just like N.I. did). I also hope and pray for justice in Zimbabwe and other areas. What am I doing about it? Well, I use the internet to freely express my views. I have letters published in newspapers. What else can a guy in his 50s with a wife, two kids, houses, and all the trimmings of 'conventionality' do to change the world? The environment around me is certainly improving, - there are fish in the River Mersey instead of human faeces, farmers are required to keep a conservation area on their land, I must have planted around 30 trees over my lifetime to date, we re-cycle paper, bottles, cans; we no longer use CFCs, we use catalytic converters on cars. I was very impressed the other week on the sea journey from Liverpool to the Isle of Man, - one guy threw a cigarette butt overboard, - the crew went absolutely ballistic at him!! So we are obviously starting to care more for our planet.

Jontown,Marko,Payne,Markjens,Kevin.

Thank you for your replies..exactly what I was hoping to elicit through the somwhat "all encompasing" topic title.

You guys have restored my faith in what I hope is the attitude and thoughts of most of your fellow Americans.

Must be my age..(Geez! I'm even older than Aceparties..time must be running out for me)
but I'm taking more of an interest in whats going on in the World or should that be..
What we are lead to believe is going on in the World!!.Particularly how the Media excercises it Censorship etc, etc,

Please keep this thread going...at least until it gets deleted!

Howard

Hi Howard,

For my part although it may be small ..every bit helps..

I recycle, I volunteer for community organizations, such as the Learning Dissabilities Association and the Food Bank. I tutor high school kids for free, I foster animals for the Humane Society, and I garden for Naturescape. The latter is a program that involves growing things which attract birds, butterflies and bees. With so many pesticides in the world beautiful things like butterflies and hummingbirds (which depend on bugs to survive) are being erradicated from the planet. Bees are needed to pollinate our fruit trees, without them there would be no fruit..so every creature is important and every person can make a contribution to better the planet in some way.

<<Steps off pedestle...polishes halo

Me Again,

I think this is an excellent post Howard and may cause some to do some reflection on what contributions they can make to society.

Social conscience and responsibility is extremely important to me and I believe has a ripple effect.

Most of us are lucky to live in a comfortable home and have enough to eat, while others do not. We are a Global Community and sometimes I think it's easy to forget what's happening elsewhere in the world. There has always been the "haves" and "have nots" but does materialistic things make one happy?

Perhaps my view of sharing what we have, may be considered a bit optomistic. I believe every person can make a difference. [Now I sound like the commercials] but one less cup a coffee a day can make a huge difference if that money were sent to a family in a Third World Country.

Something as easy as recycling ( Recently I had the kids at my school involved} Every day we picked up all the cans,juice boxes and water bottles and returned them to the bottle depot. We earned over one thousand dollars!!!!!! It was enough to send 9 kids to the annual grade seven camp. Monies that would otherwise be thrown in the garbage. This was one grade seven classroom..can you imagine if all the schools did this?

Yes, one person can make a difference even with small contributions. We are a Global Community and we should care what goes on around us.

Chrystal,

Want to come over to England and have a chat to some of "our Leaders" .. point them in the right direction?.

Perhaps we can all think how useful the next gizzmo,trick,magic book is when we toddle off down to the magic shop!!.

Of course, you are quite in your rights to say "its my money I'll spend it on what I like".

Howard