#Xfinity #WiFi #booming #InternetService #ReliableInternetService The Xfinity ad says, “The WiFi is booming!” One might get the impression that it is so fast, and so reliable, that you actually notice that it is “booming!” In fact, the ad makes you think that people are moving to Xfinity territories because the wifi is booming. Actually, depending on where you live, there can be relatively frequent spotty outages. Though the Xfinity app lets you know they are aware of the outage(s), they can vary by length and frequency. When the wifi goes out for whatever reason, one cannot think of it as “booming!” The economy can be booming. Business, if you own one, can be booming. It’s really a stretch to think of wifi as booming. These days, it’s tough to live without wifi. Certainly, one can buy data plans that don’t require Internet connections, but most of us use the internet for just about everything – phone, TV, computers and other devices. Some older folks use it sparingly. Most younger folks use it constantly. In fact, for younger folks, they are on it all the time, or close to. Even if you are on the internet frequently, it’s tough to think of it booming. In fact, you probably don’t think about it at all, unless it goes out. In fact, a good utilitarian service should not be noticed if it is working. When was the last time you received a handwritten letter in the mail? Or, when was the last time you received a holiday card in the mail? Most such communications are done by text or e-mail, or through social media. It’s certainly less time-consuming to send a text or e-mail, vs. a letter or card. It’s even getting so commonplace, we no longer see such communication as impersonal. Not only is it less time-consuming to send electronic messages, you can send the same messages to an unlimited number of people with one click. Not only is it no longer impersonal, it’s extremely convenient. So much so that it’s getting tough to live without it. That’s what makes lengthy outages so frustrating. So, the next time you use the internet for whatever purpose, remember that Xfinity wants you to think of it as “booming!” Most of us would rather think of it as fast and reliable, which is not always the case. Communication, business and entertainment have been revolutionized by the internet. Some of us have to constantly watch our screen time, because we can get too much of a good thing. As long as the internet works, life is normal. When it doesn’t, it could be a real pain. So, ask yourself: Does my internet provider make my life “booming?” Maybe. But, just as likely, maybe not. Peter
#parents #parenting #children #ChildRearing #independence #CommonSense A mother complained to behavioral consultant Scott Ervin that her academically talented teen daughter seems to have no common sense. She couldn’t understand how a kid couldn’t apply her book smarts to real-world activities. Ervin basically told the mother that the teen needed to experience the real world without her parents. Ervin discussed the interaction in a column published May 24, 2025, in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. What Ervin is saying is that common sense is not learned in a book. It is learned by trial and error. He’s also saying that common sense cannot be taught by parents, teachers or anyone else. The student has to acquire it independently. This interaction calls to mind the concept of “helicopter” parents, who hover over their children’s lives well into adulthood. In the guise of being “helpful,” these parents end up taking an outsized role in all of their child’s decisions. Also, the interaction brings to the fore the idea that parents have to let go of their children by a certain age. Many children grow up in overly restrictive households, with way too many rules imposed upon them. They have no way to get out to learn common sense. Their “sense” is dictated to them. Children need space to make mistakes. Mistakes are the learning tools for common sense. No parent wants a child to make a fatal mistake, or a mistake they will pay for the rest of their lives. Still, they need some freedom to learn on their own. Parents may not want their children interacting with certain other children, or certain other adults. But, those interactions often turn into positive learning experiences. They could broaden the child’s mind, perhaps beyond the point mom and dad want it broadened. Parents want children to be obedient, not defiant. However, some defiance can be healthy for a child. It can teach them that some of what they are being taught may not be in their own best interest, even if it is in mom and dad’s best interest. As author and leadership expert Andy Andrews has said, good parenting is not raising good kids. It is developing good adults. Being a good adult may mean, in some cases, not being like your parents, as the Dr. Rick commercials muse. The process of growing and maturing must be a healthy combination of good parenting, a healthy bit of independence and exposure to good and bad experiences. Some things that parents view as mistakes can benefit the child over time. Some of what parents view as “accomplishments” can be meaningless, or even detrimental, to the child over time. As Ervin advises, give the child his or her own space and time to learn common sense on their own. They will become better adults for it. Peter
#NoKings #protests #PeacefulProtests #MinnesotaShootings Millions of people stood on the streets and public plazas this weekend with a simple message: “No Kings.” They say the numbers signify a movement, but they also showed that we all still have agency, and our opinions mean something. That same Saturday, two state legislators and their spouses were shot in Minnesota. One legislator and her husband died, the other couple survived. The “No Kings” protests are an example of how Americans SHOULD behave. The shootings show the opposite. The country was founded on the principles of democracy, separation of powers and rule of law. Standing up for that is what citizens should do. Taking lethal revenge on those who don’t think as you do is un-American. There is much work we must do as citizens to reclaim our country. We must elect representatives who stand for democracy, separation of powers and rule of law. That means everyone who is eligible must vote when elections roll around. When no election is imminent, we must let those in power know how we, as citizens, feel, whether those in power want to hear it or not. That may mean, in some places, standing in protest as an eligible voter if someone says you are not. It also means the return of respected institutions to their full and upright capacities. That means bringing back facts and knowledge when some would discard them. That means bringing back bona fide research that some wish to replace with conspiracy theories. It means not letting a would-be king overwhelm our power as citizens. Democracy, separation of powers and rule of law may not be for every nation. But this nation was built on them, and we shouldn’t let anyone take them away from us. Democracy, separation of powers and rule of law were given to us by our forebears. It’s our job now to protect them. As we protect these virtues of our self-governance, we do so peacefully, unlike the Minnesota shooter. Guns may show hard power, but peaceful protests show soft power. We must leave the areas at which protests are staged just as we found them. We must ensure that no one gets hurt by our message delivery. Even if those who resist us may try to hurt us, we must not hurt them. We must only deliver our message loudly and clearly. So, if you don’t like what is happening in our country, you can work to change it. You can do so peacefully. You can do so in many ways that make clear how you stand. It took much work and time to build this country as we want to see it. It can take remarkably little time to tear it down. We, as citizens, must stand in the way of that. Peter
#retirement #RetirementAge #pensions #PensionPlans #WorkToAge70 Denmark is raising its retirement age to 70, to help shore up its version of Social Security. Such a move is fraught with peril. First, many occupations are physically demanding. At age 70, workers may not have all the physical characteristics to perform their jobs adequately. Second, employers don’t want to keep people around until age 70 in any capacity. Once you get up in age, you are making a lot of money (in the employer’s eyes). They will want you to go, so they can hire someone younger and cheaper. Remember, too, that older people generally use the health insurance a lot more than younger people do, if the employer happens to provide such benefits. In general, older workers are reliable, follow company protocol and are dedicated. That doesn’t mean they want to keep working until age 70. Most of those who work until that age, or beyond, are high-level people – executives, celebrities etc. Some who are still working at that age should not be: think singers. Still, boosting pension plans is a real issue. With people having children, there are fewer younger workers contributing to most pension plans than there are retirees collecting. With these pension plans, it doesn’t matter whether people are working at age 70 AND collecting, because they are still paying in at the same time. But, not collecting until age 70 can be a problem for a lot of workers. Further, if Worker X is laid off by Employer Y before his or her retirement age, who will hire that person after that? U.S. labor laws of the past were written to protect those older than 50 from undue discrimination. Of course, employers found ways around those laws if they really wanted someone gone. If a person has a good job and loses it before his or her retirement, will he or she be forced to take a much lesser job at, say, age 60? Will an accountant have to go work in a grocery store until he or she retires? Even though that happens sometimes, usually the ex-accountant is collecting an income from somewhere other than the store. He or she is just using the store job for pin money, social interaction etc. But, if he or she is unable to collect an income and is forced to live off the store salary, how much of his or her life will have to go so he or she can survive? Sell the house? Liquidate savings? None of these is a good option for the worker. The best way to shore up retirement plans, like the U.S. Social Security system, is to tax every earned dollar during the working years. Currently, the earnings cap is $176,000, which rises every year as average earnings increase. The system would shore up pretty quickly if you put no cap on earnings to be taxed for Social Security. That way, executives, athletes, celebrities etc. who earn millions annually can pay their fair share and boost the system. Perhaps there could be room for refunds if the system suddenly is flush with cash, but that is unlikely. Forcing people to work into their elder years is not only cruel to the worker, but also impractical in the current job market. The real problem for workers is finding ways to survive when they are forced to retire before they want to. Peter
#GraduationSpeeches #graduates #graduation #GraduationCeremonies #speeches Graduation ceremonies always have speeches. Some speakers make pretty good coin speaking at graduations. Some even make news with them. Some, if not most, graduates couldn’t care less about hearing a speech from someone well-known or famous. Many just want to get the ceremonies over with, so they can get to the fun celebrations sooner. Also, graduates mostly hear speeches talking about motivation, following one’s dreams, working hard etc. Most graduates know what they are going to do next, so the emotional speeches can ring hollow. Some graduation speakers have taken to straying from conventional topics and talking about themselves, their grievances and what THEY – not the graduates – can do for the world. That not only can ring hollow for graduates, but can be downright annoying for them, and potentially embarrassing for the speaker. Still, the graduation speeches must be given, and endured, because it’s how we do things. The truly outstanding graduation speech – one that has graduates soaking up every word – is rare, but not unheard of. What if schools and colleges dispensed with the speeches and just handed out diplomas or degrees and sent everyone home? That would put a real dent in what has become more than a cottage industry. Not only do a lot of these speakers get paid well for a speech, they also often collect honorary degrees from the institution. Politicians, authors, athletes, celebrities and academics often thrive on giving these speeches. To be fair, some good ideas and quotes arise from the speeches. As a graduate, wouldn’t you love to have a few quotes from the speech in the folder with your degree or diploma, rather than sit through a whole long speech? Graduation ceremonies can be uncomfortable. It can be 100 degrees in a big venue with no air-conditioning, or outside in the heat or the rain. To sit through a long speech in either of those conditions likely would mean you won’t get much from the speech, no matter how good it is. And, regardless of conditions, it’s unlikely a graduate will remember much from any speech a few weeks later. If schools removed the speeches and cut to the chase of handing out degrees or diplomas, there would be more time for families to take pictures and enjoy a good celebration afterward. Though speeches can be inspirational, educational and motivating, most graduates likely would rather do without them. More comfortable clothes and more fun with family and friends are on most graduates’ wish list. Some graduates opt to skip the whole ceremony and have their degree or diploma sent to them sometime later. If one must sit through a graduation ceremony, those who plan them should think more about what the graduates want, and less about what the institution or the speakers want. Peter
