We've almost reached the entry. You know the one--the weird vortex of holiday festivities where every week is filled with office parties and potlucks and gift exchanges and shopping trips and travel. During this hyper-social, super busy time of year, it is often easy to pay no mind to the events in the nation and around the world. And who can blame us? During the time of year to be jolly, who wants to listen to some decidedly un-jolly headlines? Well...okay, so maybe I do, but I'm weird like that. Read ahead to be weird too...
The headlines that have captured my attention thus far this week are:
Somolian pirates successfully hijacked a GIANT Saudi oil tanker on its way to the US--the largest capture ever. This is second time this week I've encountered stories on Somolian pirates, and it's forcing me to pay attention. Though the headlines seem to be straight from a James Bond script, I regret that they are very real. Please join with me as I learn more about the plight of the Somolis--
California staged one of the largest ever emergency drills in an attempt to prepare citizens and emergency workers alike for the possibility of a cataclysmic event (like an earthquake). My first thought? Way to go, Cali! I hope that the prep is never put to the real test, but I sure admire the effort. And I think we should all take a cue from the Golden State and do some preparation ourselves. Click here to learn more.
I confess that prior to most recently, I've been tuning-out the food tainting scandals coming out of China. But again this week I've run into a number of articles on the subject, and I think it deserves more of my thought. My initial impressions are that these troubles are a symptom of a dysfunctional global food system, of which the US plays a large part. This issue of food safety, security, and provision is actually on my list of top issues that I think every woman needs to be informed about. How it took me so long to connect the melamine conflict with the larger picture is a mystery! Duh!
Finally, I read this article on slumping retail sales, and the forecasts for lower holiday spending. This will be, I'm sure, only the first of many times I address the issue of spending during this holiday season. So, to kick off the discussion, for the record I think that an economy that is so heavily reliant on holiday consumer spending is imbalanced and unsustainable. I'm not against spending during the season, but I think there has to be a better way to keep the economy afloat than to charge up the credit cards so that Junior can have the latest and greatest toy.
What do you think? Which headlines are jumping out to you today? What are your thoughts on holiday spending? And what perspective do you have on the global food chain? I'd love to know. Email Me today and share!
Coming up on Smarty Pants: I think a bit of background might be in order. After all, some of you might be wondering why a blog on domestic affairs and entrepreneurialism has a regular column on current events? And why I choose to highlight some headlines and completely omit others? Some explanations, I know, are in order. Stick around this season to hear them!
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