USING ECOBAGS ? YOU MAY BE SUSPECTED OF BEING A SHOPLIFTER!

MAYBE WE SHOULD JUST LET THOSE ECO-BAGS THAT ARE SO HANDY ROT ON THE SHELVES and go back to PAPER OR PLASTIC ! USING THEM CAN GET YOU SUSPECTED OF THEFT!

This morning I packed one of those inexpensive but very lightweight ecobags that are being pushed to sub in for paper and plastic by almost all the grocery stores in Southern California - maybe around the country. I packed it with three library books, a bottle of water, a wallet, some fruit and a can of tuna I had bought for lunch. Also a folding umbrella, and a couple work files. It's lighter than any purse or backpack I have.

I went into my local grocery store - a RALPHS - to see what they had for sale for Halloween; cakes, cookies, candies, candles, pumpkins, all those things in various departments. So I was roaming all around the store. I don't think I was in the store too long. And no employee approached me to ask me if they could help me locate anything. As I was heading out, there was a woman with a full shopping cart ahead of me. She was older and slow. The alarms went off. I hesitated behind her. Then we both went out, though I was still behind her.

Suddenly an Operations Manager, three employees (likely baggers) and a Coke-A-Cola representative were accosting me on the sidewalk, because supposidly I set off the alarm. I told the Operations Manager that it was not I who had set off the alarm, but the woman ahead of me. I threw my ecobag to the pavement. Let her pick it up and search through it, I thought. I suggested she check her CAMERAS TO SEE WHO SET OFF THE ALARM. She said that "People don't walk around the store with ALREADY FULL ECOBAGS!"

By now customers were coming out of the store and taking looks my way. I said I was embarrassed and humiliated to be thought of as a thief. I pointed at one customer and then the guy who turned out to be the Coke- A-Cola guy. I told her that lots of people use the bags for other things.

"SO WHY DO YOU SELL THEM THEN?" I said.

In the end she was not going to put her hands into my possessions. And in the end I will not be shopping at Ralphs until I get an apology from corporate.

AREN'T WE SICK OF SHOPPING IN STORES THAT TREAT CUSTOMERS AS CRIMINALS?!

CHILD LABOR IN THE UNITED STATES

We did away with this for our own people. So why are we willing to buy products from countries that have children working like this? IS IT A BLATANT CASE OF "OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND?" This is one of many reasons why you don't need to declare a boycott. You just have to stop buying foreign products that use sweat shops, child labor, etc... And you have to substitute MADE IN THE USA with UNITED STATES RESOURCES!

You GOTTA HAVE A CAR ! STUCK ON A BUS TO NOWHERE!

YOU GOTTA HAVE A CAR...

We say this knowing that Obama's junker car program brought a lot of old vehicles in off the roads but that this has not necessarily stimulated new car purchases or manufacturing.

Having taking the buses for some time now in an effort to not only save money but be ecologically correct, I have found that it takes so much time to get around that what used to take one Saturday off running around to stores, nail parlor, hairdresser, shoe repair, library - all those errands, now takes days. Any business that is not on a bus line or more than a block walk has lost my business.

And finding and keeping a job using public transportation is well, LIMITING...

It's a limit I cannot afford.

HOW ABOUT YOU? ARE YOU STUCK ON THE BUS TO NOWHERE ?

WHY MICHAEL MOORE HATES CAPITALISM - TIME MAGAZINE

BILL SAPORITO of TIME MAGAZINE reports on the controversial film maker Michael Moore and his "hatred" of Capitalism. But is that a fair to say?

We're PATRIOTIC HERE and we think that we have the RIGHT to judge our own government.

MONEYBAGS

SOCIAL SECURITY ON LINE SERVICES

Want to find out what your beneifts will be... change your direct deposite- request a statement? Here is the on-line link.

STEALING LINCOLN'S BODY HISTORY CHANNEL DVD

Here's a DVD about what happened after Lincoln was murdered... A band of Chicago money counterfeiters decided to steal the dead President's body and hold it for ransom. But their plot didn't work out. And for years this favorite President, his wife, and children, did not have a final resting place. One to check out!

"Mexican" CATHOLIC SAINTLY VOTIVE CANDLES MADE IN THE USA

Surprise!

BRIGHT GLOW CANDLE COMPANY sells MADE IN THE USA glass votive candles flying the American Flag. Here in California we see these sold at FOOD FOR LESS, which is a Kroger Company store quite reasonably priced. The candles are about an inch and a half diameter, and each features a saint picture, and a devotional prayer, in Spanish and in English. Need San Miguel (the Demon Slayer) or the Sacred Heart of Jesus ?

1-800-587-4002 gets you to the company...

AMERICAN RECOVERY and REINVESTMENT ACT CAN PUT YOU BACK IN SCHOOL

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 by President Obama is explained at this Department of Education link... Can you qualify for $1000 towards tuition and a couple thousand in tax deductions?

BIG SUR

MARGARET MEAD ON CITIZENRY

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."

-Margaret Mead

DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

CALIFORNIA DRAGS OUT DEPRESSION AS NATION STALLS IN RECOVERY-

Reading the news lately, it seems that California is remaining in a Depression, with an official unemployment rate of 12.9 % BUT HONESTLY most people I talked to seem to think that it's more like 20% or more.



UNEMPLOYMENT FIGURES ARE BASED ON THOSE WHO ARE ACTUALLY (STILL) COLLECTING UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS. Those who ran out of benefits are not counted, though they may be more terminally out of work than most! All over there are apartments for (too high) rent, and foreclosures on homes are in the thousands every month, meaning that families are loosing homes and having to go live in apartments.


The rest of the nation is stalled out, meaning that the economic conditions are not much better and not much worse. There hasn't been signs of a growing economy that would make impact to our overall plight in a while, but even small improvements in the statistics mean a lot to a lot of people.

JOSEPH FARMS CALIFORNIA CHEEZE by the GALLO's

Today we enjoyed the Pepperjack Cheese ... and we noticed the package.

JOSEPH FARMS
CALIFORNIA NATURAL CHEESE
Joseph E. Gallo
NO ARTIFICIAL HORMONES GOLD MEDAL CHEESE GRADE A MILK

OUR GUARANTEE
OUR COWS ARE NOT TREATED WITH ANY ARTIFICIAL HORMONES
We raise the cows, grow the feed, milk our heard, and make the cheese !

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

JOSEPH GALLO FARMS
PO BOX 775 Atwater, California 95301

We like the bio of Joseph Gallo and the Environmental Responsibility Statement. We do notice that the company is expanding in North America and Mexico so we aren't 100% sure if we should flag this one or not. But the cheese is great!

FDIC BROKE CONTROVERSY

Link here to one of many articles on the net and in newspapers and the media which suggest that the FDIC, which insures bank deposites is broke. Of course, if the FDIC is broke this means our country is at it's weakest. BANKING IS GETTING TOO EXPENSIVE AS IS, but we are pretty much stuck with it. That is, unless you can barter and make and use cash, and want to defend your safe with your own rifle! Because of the pressure to automatic deposite and do on-line banking, as well as purchase on line, and the whole CREDIT REPORT threat, and IDENTITY THEFT FRAUD problem - well CONSPIRACY THEORIES EXIST !

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Think about this. What if you start using CHECK CASHING PLACES instead of BANKS? Will your fees for cashing your paycheck and getting money orders really be a lot more than you are paying your bank, and will it make your transactions more PRIVATE?

What if you use PREPAID CHARGE CARD services to stash your cash instead of BANKS?

ANY IDEAS?