--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Buck" wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > > > > > > From: Buck > > > > > > > To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com > > > > > > > Sent: Saturday, November 24, 2012 4:42 AM > > > > > > > Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Black Thursday > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --- In mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com, "raunchydog" > > > > > > > <raunchydog@> wrote: > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> "A half century ago America's largest private-sector > > > > > > >> employer was General Motors, whose full-time workers earned an > > > > > > >> average hourly wage of around $50, in today's dollars, including > > > > > > >> health and pension benefits. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> Today, America's largest employer is Walmart, whose average > > > > > > >> employee earns $8.81 an hour. A third of Walmart's employees > > > > > > >> work less than 28 hours per week and don't qualify for benefits. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > > > > > I am in downtown Detroit, Michigan right now at a Thanksgiving > > > > > retreat with Ammachi. Half of the Fairfield meditating community and > > > > > many of the old TM meditating movement are here too on retreat with > > > > > Ammachi this week. It is like TM old-home-coming. Is very nice. > > > > > She is a powerful spiritual antenna radiating the Unified Field in > > > > > effect with a lot of people receiving and reflecting that too here. > > > > > She is very lit, helpful and generous that way. > > > > > > > > > > It is noteworthy to contemplate Detroit as an example of the new > > > > > economy. Fifteen years ago they had a middle-class work force. In > > > > > that fifteen years they lost a million people from the area. > > > > > Neighborhoods are empty. Last year they lost 70,000 people alone. > > > > > The downtown also is sobering to think about. An incredible amount > > > > > of commercial tall-building real estate empty downtown. What would > > > > > it take to re-occupy all that empty space with $8.81 an hour people > > > > > living? I do think the TM movement could afford to be magnanimous > > > > > and offer TM to people given the new reality of general employment > > > > > now in the economy at a scale that reflects common incomes and not > > > > > just hold out for the 1 percent. TM out in the world is not known > > > > > for that but the TM-Raja could think about surprising people and > > > > > actually be magnanimous, for a change. The science seems to indicate > > > > > that it would be helpful. > > > > > -Buck in Detroit > > > > > > > > > > > > I should like to see our David Lynch Foundation work with the > > > > > > > TM-Raja towards developing a subsidy to enable retail workers to > > > > > > > learn meditation. If these workers are only working 29 hours a > > > > > > > week they certainly have the time to help everything by > > > > > > > meditating. Scale the price of meditating to the 29 hour a week > > > > > > > worker earning $8.81 an hour. That would be helpful. > > > > > > > Magnanimous even. > > > > > > > -Buck, the Apostle > > > > > > >
Meditate and act. There is certainly a place for meditation and the David Lynch Foundation to do some good there. Where Fairfield is Utopia by comparison Detroit is dystopia and in post modern cataclysm. I Made the drive out of Detroit yesterday back home to Fairfield. Detroit is shocking to witness. The miles of empty highrise housing, empty office and commercial buildings and empty neighborhoods. Dystopia is usually fictional and frightening this was sobering and not fictional at all. The enormous scale there is witness now to all our spiritual cataclysm. -Buck > > > > Magnanimous, meaning noble and generous in spirit; giving and kind. > > > > > > Magnanimous Synonyms: All heart, altruistic, beneficent, benevolent, big, > bighearted, bountiful, charitable, considerate, free, generous, great, > greathearted, handsome, has heart in right place, high-minded, kindly, > knightly, liberal, lofty, loose, munificent, noble, openhanded, selfless, > ungrudging, unselfish, unstinting. > > > > > > > > >> There are many reasons for the difference â" including > > > > > > >> globalization and technological changes that have shrunk > > > > > > >> employment in American manufacturing while enlarging it in > > > > > > >> sectors involving personal services, such as retail. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> But one reason, closely related to this seismic shift, is > > > > > > >> the decline of labor unions in the United States. In the 1950s, > > > > > > >> over a third of private-sector workers belonged to a union. > > > > > > >> Today fewer than 7 percent do. As a result, the typical American > > > > > > >> worker no longer has the bargaining clout to get a sizeable > > > > > > >> share of corporate profits. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> Despite decades of failed unionization attempts, Walmart > > > > > > >> workers are planning to strike or conduct some other form of > > > > > > >> protest outside at least 1,000 locations across the United > > > > > > >> States this Friday â" so-called "Black Friday," the biggest > > > > > > >> shopping day in America when the Christmas holiday buying season > > > > > > >> begins. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> At the very least, the action gives Walmart employees a > > > > > > >> chance to air their grievances in public â" not only lousy > > > > > > >> wages (as low at $8 an hour) but also unsafe and unsanitary > > > > > > >> working conditions, excessive hours, and sexual harassment. The > > > > > > >> result is bad publicity for the company exactly when it wants > > > > > > >> the public to think of it as Santa Claus. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> Consumer spending is 70 percent of economic activity, but > > > > > > >> consumers are also workers. And as income and wealth continue to > > > > > > >> concentrate at the top, and the median wage continues to drop > > > > > > >> â" it's now 8 percent lower than it was in 2000 â" a growing > > > > > > >> portion of the American workforce lacks the purchasing power to > > > > > > >> get the economy back to speed. Without a vibrant and growing > > > > > > >> middle class, Walmart itself won't have the customers it needs. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> Most new jobs in America are in personal services like > > > > > > >> retail, with low pay and bad hours. According to the Bureau of > > > > > > >> Labor and Statistics, the average full-time retail worker earns > > > > > > >> between $18,000 and $21,000 per year. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> But if retail workers got a raise, would consumers have to > > > > > > >> pay higher prices to make up for it? A new study by the think > > > > > > >> tank Demos reports that raising the salary of all full-time > > > > > > >> workers at large retailers to $25,000 per year would lift more > > > > > > >> than 700,000 people out of poverty, at a cost of only a 1 > > > > > > >> percent price increase for customers. > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> And, in the end, retailers would benefit. According to the > > > > > > >> study, the cost of the wage increases to major retailers would > > > > > > >> be $20.8 billion â" about one percent of the sector's $2.17 > > > > > > >> trillion in total annual sales. But the study also estimates the > > > > > > >> increased purchasing power of lower-wage workers as a result of > > > > > > >> the pay raises would generate $4 billion to $5 billion in > > > > > > >> additional retail sales." > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >> http://www.salon.com/2012/11/21/dont_shop_at_wal_mart_on_friday/ > > > > > > >> > > > > > > >>> ________________________________ > > > > > > >>> From: Bhairitu <noozguru@> > > > > > > >>> To: mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com > > > > > > >>> Sent: Thursday, November 22, 2012 11:45 AM > > > > > > >>> Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Black Thursday > > > > > > >>> > > > > > > >>> > > > > > > >>> Ã > > > > > > >>> > > > > > > >>> This is also probably a generational clash. I know a lot of > > > > > > >>> younger > > > > > > >>> people who might have gone to a movie or played a video game > > > > > > >>> would > > > > > > >>> probably like to make the extra dough on Black Thursday and > > > > > > >>> Friday. > > > > > > >>> Many find family gatherings "old fashion" and have not much > > > > > > >>> interest in > > > > > > >>> them. I even recall in high school that after turkey dinner at > > > > > > >>> my > > > > > > >>> cousins we (the younger set) would go out to a movie. > > > > > > >>> > > > > > > >>> But hey, this is Kapitalist Amerika where kapitalism is > > > > > > >>> celebrated by > > > > > > >>> the masses though most of them couldn't give you a proper > > > > > > >>> definition of > > > > > > >>> it. :-D > > > > > > >>> > > > > > > >>> On 11/21/2012 03:59 PM, Mike Dixon wrote: > > > > > > >>>> And if they(shoppers) do that, they(retailers) won't open on > > > > > > >>>> Thanksgiving next year. Market forces at work. > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> ________________________________ > > > > > > >>>> From: awoelflebater <mailto:no_reply%40yahoogroups.com> > > > > > > >>>> To: mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com > > > > > > >>>> Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2012 1:55 PM > > > > > > >>>> Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Black Thursday > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > >>>> --- In mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com, "raunchydog" > > > > > > >>>> <raunchydog@> wrote: > > > > > > >>>>> This year, Black Friday has become BLACK THURSDAY. Employees > > > > > > >>>>> will work > > > > > > >>>>> 12-14 hour shifts, beginning at 4 or 6 pm on THANKSGIVING > > > > > > >>>>> DAY. Workers > > > > > > >>>>> have been told that "there will be consequences" which means > > > > > > >>>>> getting > > > > > > >>>>> fired. Workers need their jobs. The message needs to come > > > > > > >>>>> FROM THE > > > > > > >>>>> PUBLIC that the big box retailers have chosen an irrational > > > > > > >>>>> and > > > > > > >>>>> offensive way to do business. Tell the people who run those > > > > > > >>>>> stores that > > > > > > >>>>> you will not shop on Thursday. Tell them that disrespecting > > > > > > >>>>> a national > > > > > > >>>>> holiday for families to be together bothers you. > > > > > > >>>>> 1-800-WALMART, > > > > > > >>>>> 800-440-0680 is the number for Target. > > > > > > >>>> The whole thing is patently ridiculous. Can people not stop > > > > > > >>>> shopping for 24 hours?! Everyone should just stay home and eat > > > > > > >>>> on Thanksgiving. Maybe even spend a little time with family. > > > > > > >>>> How's that for a concept? > > > > > > >>>>> [https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-lL87ygk3F94/UK0O33nU-cI/AAAAAAAABos/\ > > > > > > >>>>> mbmM4hVwhF8/s512/WalMart.jpg] > > > > > > >>>>> > > > > > > >>>> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >
