Perhaps it is just me. I still have a hard time believing that kids born in 2000 are already 10 years old. I feel like a grandma! It seemed like we would always be the new generation, the “kids of the 90’s” which has, in my experience and talking to other teenagers, become something that teens my age (16 and up) can relate to. We were supposed to be “the” generation, but a new one has sprung up and caught us by surprise. That generation has experienced hyper-connectivity, if any.

In terms of your excellent political examples about red states and blue states, I agree wholeheartedly.. America, and the rest of the world, could use a little tolerance and “purpleness”

Perhaps, like I am, BP is stunned at the electorate for not pointing the finger so heavily at the elected administration – surely they must shoulder some if not more of the blame for woeful regulation and an almost arrogant disregard for the safety of the earth, platform workers and communities?

This harks back to having oil men as presidents… be careful what you wish/vote for.

We’re all paying the price now.

BP’s troubles have been a long time in the making however. The way I see it public outrage towards the brand has been amplified many times over thanks to the claims the brand has made in its advertising in the past.

BP has always railed about its commitment to the environment, even spending over $100 million to develop a new Helios logo that reflected its new found passion (the environment).

The trouble for BP started when it failed to protect the very cause its advertising said it was passionate about and would!
The brand should not have attempted to take on the environmental high ground if it wasn’t prepared for it.

Consumers cannot escape a level of responsibility either though. Our desire for cheap oil – and unwillingness to sacrifice the creature comforts it provides – has driven many oil companies to resort to tar sanding and drilling at ocean depths that are just absurd.

Let’s not forget there are close to 4000 oil wells in the Gulf of Mexico. All of them are accidents waiting to happen.

The time I paid for the flight, I got hassles before I got into the TSA line. I was amazed. The gate didn’t open for three more hours, so I couldn’t get a ticket and couldn’t get into the terminal to get some dinner. I didn’t know that the international terminal at LAX was organized so that the TSA line protects only the gates, not the whole terminal. One less reason to fly.

Was I eliminating consumerism? No. I was eliminating the TSA and airlines from my life. The recession and its incipient has eliminated consumerism, except for groceries expressed in terms of what vegetable, or omelette ingredient can I buy for 38 cents.

I intend to remember this once I’m back in the money again, but I do know that I never recovered from the dot bust, and may not recover from this bust. I’m at the end of the road. There are no stores, museums of a life lived that way, but no stores. I didn’t decide not to consume. I just don’t have the means to do so.