We spent thirty minutes last night trying to coax, and then kill, a cricket that was underneath our stove. Somehow, I felt like it was really amusing. But I woke up on the floor, and that was not amusing. Looking back, it was just a cricket...but you can't change the past, so here's the other interesting news from post-apocalyptic week 3!!
For the last five days, the French citizens have been protesting against a new proposal to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62, and the full state pension age from 65 to 67. The Senate has already endorsed the key articles, and is due to vote on the entire bill on Wednesday. Public and private sector workers took part in strikes from Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Bordeaux, and Toulouse. Unions had called for over 200 marches nationwide. A group of "anarchists" joined in the strikes, breaking windows, ransacking cafe terraces, and setting fire to trash cans. Some of them briefly took shelter at the Opera House in Bastille. These tussles didn't last long, but they were a reminder to both unions and the government that things can quickly spin out of control.
Prop 19. If you live in California, chances are you've been hearing about it everywhere you go. If it passes, people would be allowed to possess and grow pot for personal use. It would also allow (but not require) local and state taxation of the commercial production, distribution, and sale of marijuana. It's a simple prop, but maybe not such a simple vote. 49% of people surveyed in a poll last month said they supported the prop. When asked whether they supported or opposed Prop 19, however, many people could not say why they did or did not. It seems this time, the lines have been blurred. On November 2, the vote will decide whether we can smoke pot legally or not.
Alicia Keys and her husband, Swizz "Kaseem Dean" Beats, welcomed their first son into the world on October 14. They were engaged in late May, and soon announced that they were expecting. Despite the awkward circumstances of his life, baby Egypt Daoud Dean is promised the best life from his mother and father. Swizz Beats has two sons and a daughter from previous relationships, but Egypt is the first for Alicia Keys.
This week's advice column is about fear. We're all afraid of something--the dark, spiders, death, or even fear itself. But right now, I want to address fear of being different, and fear of things that are different. When we encounter something unfamiliar--be it a food, a culture, or a person--our instinct is to run, to scream, to point and shout "IT'S NOT NORMAL!" Well, that's okay, as long as you do it in your head. But before you judge anything or anyone, first think of it from the other side. How would you feel to be scrutinized and judged for no reason? To walk down the street and feel eyes on you, no matter where you are...it's always a bad feeling. For those of you who feel it already--you can start by making sure you don't judge anyone else! Remember how you feel, and withhold judgment at least until you talk to them. As for those of you who judge? Just do me a favor and GIVE IT TIME! Sometimes, people will be your opposites. But if you give them time, you might hear something that throws you off, something you have in common. Just wait for that moment, and I guarantee you won't be let down :]
Random fact: Jet streams (those things that create pressure systems around the planet) are traveling at speeds upwards of 400 mph...and planes have to avoid them. Pretty crazy, huh?
Remember to keep your crowbar handy,
Kay and Sage
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