Grumpy Grandpa

Post 4.    Black Lives --All lives-- Matter .     Just in case you missed Sunday's (June 7) Washington Post , Here are some of the reasons that African-Americans, people of color, minorities, and folks in general are so shocked and outraged.  The following is a partial list of people killed in the last six years due to police violence:      1.  2014--Michael Brown, age 18, shot scuffling with a police officer, Furgason, Mo.       2.  2014-- Eric Garner, age 27, choked to death by NYC police.      3.  2015 --Freddie Gray Jr., age 25,spinal cord injury in police custody in Baltimore.      4.  2015--Sandra Bland, age 28, died in jail after arrest for traffic violation, Prairie View, Texas.      5.   2015--Corey Jones, age 31, shot at his disabled car, Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.      6.  2016--Alton Sterling, ...

Post 3.  Today, almost a week after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis police, the national toll is still to be calculated.  The trauma of witnessing his unnecessary death remains, and will remain, etched in our collective memory.  The protests which seemed to evolve naturally should have been no surprise to anyone.  In this age of instant communication, with seemingly endless slayings of unarmed but also minority citizens, the anger develops and builds up.   Add to that the frustration of our national helplessness in the face of the Covid-19, the millions and millions out of work, hanging on the barbed wire of financial ruin, the uncertainty of infection, and the feeling of vulnerability shared by most of us, and the fuel for protests and violence was amply present.   That some miniscule minority would see the protests and unrest as opportunities to wreck mayhem and to loot should not be surprising.  What we, as a society, have to ...

Blog 2:   Stuff closer to home.  Now that the states are gradually allowing a re-opening of businesses and places, it is so sad to note the utter lack of concern on the part of DonaldDuck Trump for the ills and deaths of CoronaVirus victims.  And his total disregard for what the experts say about the lurking dangers of re-arousing the spread of Covid19.  It is interesting that the Ethical Standards For Psychologists warn against diagnosis without contact and full information.  Yet judging from frequent speeches and proclamations, it is almost certain that Trump would qualify for two diagnoses:  Antisocial Personality Disorder (more commonly, "psychopath") and Narcissistic Personality Disorder (more commonly "egomaniac.")   Except for one important qualification.  And that is, that to be diagnosed with a mental disturbance, the symptoms have to cause "vocational, educational, and/or social difficulties" for the person.  Trump, for al...

Grumpy Grandpa's first post.  In these times, everyone wants to help others, and everyone is asking for help.  Gifts of $25 spread around a variety of charities, should be helpful.  Are they ?  Many are quite worthy, but in my opinion there is a problem, a real problem, with the salaries of the chief executives.  What follows is data for some of the best known charities--ones whose appeals I get regularly--and their presidents (or CEOs).  The last number on the right is the number of $25 contributions it will take to equal the salaries of the highest paid executives:                                                                                                                 ...