As the Western world enters its festive season, it is well worth remembering that depression hits many during this time of the year. The exaggerated emphasis on family togetherness depresses those living alone or far away from loved ones. It's worth noting that all these putative celebrations are principally driven by the merchant class always looking to earn an extra buck or two.
If family cohesion is that important in our society (as it should be), then we ought to practice it every day of the year and not just a few weeks out of 52...
The Fairbank Report...(如意報告)
**NB: Signed articles represent the opinions of the respective
authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of THE FAIRBANK REPORT/RUYI BAOGAO (如 意 報 告).
Showing posts with label DEPRESSION. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DEPRESSION. Show all posts
17 November 2018
15 June 2015
So Sad :--(
Four Chinese siblings, aged five to thirteen, were found dead of apparent suicide. The children drank pesticide, the common method of suicide in rural China. The siblings were members of the large and growing legion of "left behind" children whose parents have left for work in faraway cities.
Chinese media speculate that they were either physically or psychologically abused. Several village government officials in charge of child welfare have been sacked or disciplined.
04 April 2014
Decimation of the American Middle Class
The following unusually well-written comment from a Yahoo Finance (4/4/2014) reader sums up the plight of the American middle class. In a few paragraphs, the piece succinctly outlines what happened to the middle class during the mini-depression of 2008.
My spouse leaves for
work at 7:00am and returns at 8:00pm. He is on call 24/7. Most nights the calls
stop by 11:00pm. Some times they last all night.
During the recession, companies did a lot of cutting from the top of the income scale. The remaining people were so scared, they were willing to do anything to keep their jobs...now these "emergency" measures are the new norm, for salaried workers who were asked to take up the slack.
There is no such thing as the 40 hour work week for people on salaries...the new normal starts at 60 hours and goes up from there. (Unless you work for the govt. )
Do not get me wrong, after a period of unemployment, we are still grateful just have a job and an income, even if it is about half of what it was a decade ago.
As it turns out the Recession was a gift to businesses. They were able to do in one fell swoop what they had been doing by degrees for several decades....which was to drastically cut the wages of middle and upper income earners...a few months operating near the red, have now been followed by five years of record profits.
During the recession, companies did a lot of cutting from the top of the income scale. The remaining people were so scared, they were willing to do anything to keep their jobs...now these "emergency" measures are the new norm, for salaried workers who were asked to take up the slack.
There is no such thing as the 40 hour work week for people on salaries...the new normal starts at 60 hours and goes up from there. (Unless you work for the govt. )
Do not get me wrong, after a period of unemployment, we are still grateful just have a job and an income, even if it is about half of what it was a decade ago.
As it turns out the Recession was a gift to businesses. They were able to do in one fell swoop what they had been doing by degrees for several decades....which was to drastically cut the wages of middle and upper income earners...a few months operating near the red, have now been followed by five years of record profits.
12 June 2013
not working...
For the full essay, go to:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/control/
In the summer of 2011 the writer DW Gibson set out across the country to speak with Americans who had lost their jobs. The following account is adapted from Mr. Gibson’s July 12, 2011, interview with Dominick Brocato of Kansas City, who had been fired nearly two years before from his position with DST Systems, where he had worked successfully for 20 years. The full interview, and more than 70 others, are collected in the forthcoming book and documentary film “Not Working.”
Mr. Gibson describes Mr. Brocato: “He is 58 and has lived in Kansas City all his life. His shirt is pressed and tucked. His hair is definitely not gray, nor do I think Dominick would allow it to become so. He carries a notepad encased in a leather pouch. His appearance is immaculate and I can confirm it is not easy to remain so well turned out in the July humidity that grips this city, wringing composure from those who are exposed to it.”
Between April and August I have filled out and put in resumes for about 380 to 390 positions. I probably had 45 to 50 different meetings that I would just initiate on my own, asking someone, “Can we just go have coffee, or just go to lunch?” I spent a lot of money doing that. The majority of people, where I would say, “Can we just go to coffee?” … I didn’t get a lot of response. If I’d say, “Hey, let’s go to lunch; I’ll buy lunch,” I got more takers.
And that was O.K., if I thought it was going to work to my benefit. Sometimes I would say, “You pick the place.” I did that a few times, and after a $40 lunch I realized this isn’t going to happen anymore. This is not fair. I guess I was really shocked that people would allow me to go ahead and pay knowing they’re working and they’re with a company, but again, I made the offer, and I was willing to do that. And I’d always try to end every meeting saying, “How can I help you?” And quite a few would take me up on that. I wrote out personal thank you notes, sent cards, had cards made with my name on the front. So I did all those things that I don’t think the average person does.
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/21/control/
In the summer of 2011 the writer DW Gibson set out across the country to speak with Americans who had lost their jobs. The following account is adapted from Mr. Gibson’s July 12, 2011, interview with Dominick Brocato of Kansas City, who had been fired nearly two years before from his position with DST Systems, where he had worked successfully for 20 years. The full interview, and more than 70 others, are collected in the forthcoming book and documentary film “Not Working.”
Mr. Gibson describes Mr. Brocato: “He is 58 and has lived in Kansas City all his life. His shirt is pressed and tucked. His hair is definitely not gray, nor do I think Dominick would allow it to become so. He carries a notepad encased in a leather pouch. His appearance is immaculate and I can confirm it is not easy to remain so well turned out in the July humidity that grips this city, wringing composure from those who are exposed to it.”
Between April and August I have filled out and put in resumes for about 380 to 390 positions. I probably had 45 to 50 different meetings that I would just initiate on my own, asking someone, “Can we just go have coffee, or just go to lunch?” I spent a lot of money doing that. The majority of people, where I would say, “Can we just go to coffee?” … I didn’t get a lot of response. If I’d say, “Hey, let’s go to lunch; I’ll buy lunch,” I got more takers.
And that was O.K., if I thought it was going to work to my benefit. Sometimes I would say, “You pick the place.” I did that a few times, and after a $40 lunch I realized this isn’t going to happen anymore. This is not fair. I guess I was really shocked that people would allow me to go ahead and pay knowing they’re working and they’re with a company, but again, I made the offer, and I was willing to do that. And I’d always try to end every meeting saying, “How can I help you?” And quite a few would take me up on that. I wrote out personal thank you notes, sent cards, had cards made with my name on the front. So I did all those things that I don’t think the average person does.
08 August 2011
CONTAGION...DISASTER...GLOBAL COLLAPSE
BREAKING... IT IS NOW NEARLY 11.00 (AUGUST 9, 2011) IN EAST ASIA. THE HONG KONG HENG SENG IS -1400 OR ALMOST 7%. IN SEOUL (漢城), SOUTH KOREA, THE BOURSE IS DOWN 8%
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