Pearl retail market in USA today

[Valeria101]

Really though, isn't there always something to complain about? Everyone I talk to in the US or Europe is moaning on about the economy, every farmer I talk to here in French Polynesia rolls their eyes and flinches about the situation ...

Same here. There's a large gap between media and workable news... even about economic matters. 'Tad silly, until one remembers that news are a business too. I've given up the box (TV, that is) and newspapers a long while ago although I need to be very tuned in for work purposes and I'm not living on a remote Pacific island...

[Josh]

Alright Ana, glad to hear it. I took a class in college that was about exactly that: showing how media is business and the role of business in that context is to make money not anything else. The teacher called what fills newspapers and television at 95% "fluff." And that has always stuck with me.
With the internet though nowhere is truly remote anymore. If I choose to tune into the news I just go on Yahoo and it's there, all the fluff I want. Yesterday I clicked on a title that said something to the effect of "Christian Right attacks Obama" which took me to a video of some dude who had had an Obama sign burned in his yard. It made me laugh out loud because not only did it have nothing to do with the "Christian Right", the man himself as well as his neighbors were saying, "well, it might just be an isolated incident. This is a pretty nice town." I think I'll go read a book.

[Valeria101]

That must have been a good college...

With the internet though nowhere is truly remote anymore.

Something like that... 'the faster it flows, the darker it gets' (a Romanian saying about muddy water & grapevine, approx. translated)

[Nathan Reed]

Ah... the ups and downs of globalization. But seriously, if we had primitive communication and transportation, the same economic problems would have completely different effects on the world as a whole.

[pearlescence]

The owner of a garden centre was on the news today. He had been turned down by his bank for a small (under £3k) overdraft facility. This was portrayed as horrid horrid bank.
However: he had five staff and had taken only £470 in the whole of September. He was not doing anything new to bring in custom.
On that record I would have refused him as well....recession or no

[dkan 168]

Recession is nothing new, I am old enough to remember the one in early 90s, when I was in negative equity for more than 12k GBP for my shoebox of a flat in central London, that I bought in late 1989, and then changed job shortly afterwards.

Oh yes, I did not see it coming around the corner alright

I sat tight, worked my ar$e off, tightened my belt, no holidays or any luxuries for about 3y etc... Eventually things started to pick up again. It helped that I had good job securities along the way.

I shall take the same approach this time, no unnecessary expenditures and extravagence etc... Luckily, next year's holidays have already been paid for, and my job looks secure for at least another year. Hopefully, I shall ride this recession out like the last one.

I do not have to cut down on any luxuries yet, however, that's probably because I don't have any in the first place.

Except for jewellery

Good luck everyone on PG, I hope this recession does not affect you too much

DK

[barbie biggs]

It's easy for me to turn the news off. All I have to do is not go to the store and buy a newspaper. No TV in this household.

Thanks Josh. I'm glad we're not the only 'nuts' on the block. We turned our TV off years ago. We do listen to public broadcasting on the radio and watch the occasional movie and now with the election it is definitely time to know what we can about the candidates so we can exercise our democratic responsibility and vote but bleck, has it ever dragged us into the muck on a daily basis.
I really appreciate your candor and common senses approach. I'm going to show this blog to my hubby. He was saying last night that he couldn't sleep because the whole thing was starting to depress him.
He'll feel better after reading this.
barbie

[Josh]

Thanks to you Barbie for sending the warm fuzzies over 4,000 miles of blue ocean.

[pearlescence]

that's right - rub in about the blue ocean and the warmth there Josh - here it is cold and forecast to be colder this week, and it has rained a month's worth in the last three days.

[Josh]

Whoa, time warp. I thought you were describing my trip to your neck of the woods this past summer.

[barbie biggs]

Josh:
Yeah, I read part of this blog with Dave over the phone and at first he was puzzled. "Barb, is there some point to this?" But then when we finished it and he understood where it was all going he was quiet, thoughtful. This morning he said, "When you get back to that blog, tell Josh I feel better".

Wendy:
I love living in a state with four seasons: except for the part about being cold and wet part of the time. But you know what? I lived in Thailand for a year and in South Korea 6 months. I spent 9 months scuba diving off ancient Chinese junks in the Gulf of Siam. I've been to a number of different colleges and lived in lots of different parts of the U.S. I could have just stayed in Los Angeles like my sister and brother and never gone anywhere else except for vacations. I'll take the snow, the rain, the sleet, the sun of summer.
Ain't it great to really live your life?

I was in Cambodia the day the Khmer Rhouge took over and left precipituously. Took forever to get my passport back. Gave new meaning to the concept of being an illegal alien. It was poor planning on my 19 year old part of course, but the U.S. consulate assisted me in getting home. Made for an interesting chapter in my diary.

Our country has lots of problems but I'm not ready to give up on it yet. I've had a good life here, and there. Injustices do happen. Every day. How could they not? We are people and not perfect. There are some things that are not acceptable. But they happen anyway. So the goal is to keep moving forward and create the best system we can by constant involvement.
What was that phrase about "Eternal Vigilance"?
barbie

[Josh]

Thank you Barbie for brightening my day again. Wild story about being in Cambodia too. Poor planning on the part of a 19 year old surely, but you probably didn't run into that many others that age traveling. Brave? Uh, yeah.

[barbie biggs]

Thanks Josh:
Funny thing is the time I spent scuba diving there was with a team of Navy Seals. Technically they were on R& R but for a year? And some of the group would dissappear from time to time then quietly drift back in on our weekend tours to the nearest good diving. Me tinks de were going a little farther north for some specious purpose not to be discussed here. Or anywhere else.
I don't usually tell either story for fear of being thought of as a ZE.
barbie
Ask me again in a year and I can give the same details without checking my references. Promise.

[Hanaleimom]

I stopped reading the news about stocks and mutual funds etc a few weeks ago. I also stay away from the "crime" section.

[Josh]

Yeah, yeah! That's the ticket! Diving with Navy Seals, taught 'em everything they know, uh huh.
Naw, I believe that one but it does remind me of this French legionary that used to work on a farm near Kamoka who had this long, elaborate story of being part of the French secret service and being THE diver who placed the bomb on the hull of the Rainbow Warrior which was sunk in New Zealand. A book will be written some day about the collection of characters that end up, flee to, and hide in those remote atolls.