just in case

right click, save, then print out... BOOM! (keep on you at all times)

oxfam eight

read

America (in music)

"America" is a song performed by American music duo Simon & Garfunkel, which they released from their fourth studio album, Bookends, in 1968. Produced by the duo and Roy Halee, the song was later issued as a single in 1972 to promote the release of Simon and Garfunkel's Greatest Hits.

think hard(er)

(click) The Challenge of Being Human

 

it's a pyramid scheme

Average wealth in America has increased over the past 50 years, but it has not grown equally for all groups.
Between 1963 and 2013:

• families near the bottom of the wealth distribution (those at the 10th percentile) went from having no wealth on average to being about $2,000 in debt,
• those in the middle roughly doubled their wealth—mostly between 1963 and 1983,
• families near the top (at the 90th percentile) saw their wealth quadruple,
• and the wealth of those at the 99th percentile—in other words, those wealthier than 99 percent of all families—grew sixfold.

Sources: Health and Retirement Study 1992-2012 matched to Summary Earnings Records 1951–2007. Calculations provided by Melissa Favreault, Urban Institute.

Notes: 2013 dollars. These people are age 61 in 2004–2012.

Why is the racial wealth gap so big? People with lower earnings may have a harder time saving. The typical white person earns $2 million over a lifetime, while the typical African American earns $1.5 million and the typical Hispanic person earns $1 million. These disparities partly reflect historical racial disadvantages that continue to affect later generations.

Shuttered, closed... well, America?

😩 Blue Shores... READ

Trump and other politicians may be too busy to care about the reality we see happening across America but many many small towns and small cities have long lived the consequences and experienced it first-hand... we see America's crumbling small town...

Now the towns are doing what they can regardless of an inept federal government... it's up to you and me, too.

Shop local, open your own small business, work with your city leaders to keep building a local economy and grow a local food supply.

Big Box store? No thank you.

#shoplocal

Oklahoma ghost town

What happened to America? #shoplocal

Wilson's in Greenfield since 1982

Greenfield, Massachusetts

We are so very lucky! In 2017, we still have Wilson's, a downtown department store in Greenfield (and plenty of small businesses and a Saturday farmers market). Our town has fought with the city council to NOT allow a big box store.

I grew up in Superior Wisconsin and we had a department store Roth's.  It's important to be able to shop and spend local. A department store is a place to buy clothes, underwear, gifts, birthday cards, even mattresses. I bought myself a orange leather wallet at Wilson's for my birthday last year. When I need something, I look there first.

Wilson's is where my husband buys jeans

I cannot remember all that Roth's (on three floors) sold but they did sell appliances, too. My parents had an account and you could pay for things in installments. Nice, right?

My sister's small town in Illinois was ruined when the big box came into town. They promised many things and even said they'd advertise with the local newspaper (to get their early support) - but that never happened - and one by one the small stores were shuttered. Out of Business. Out of a job. My sister lost her job.

I understand people need things... they need to shop... they need food, etc.
What happens when you do that at a big box or online - maybe to save a few bucks.

New Report: Wal-Mart Destroys Local Economy ...

New Study: Wal-Mart Means Fewer Jobs, Less Small Businesses ...

What happened to America? If you click on those links, you'll have my answer.

raise your dongers?

Can you please tell Boom what a donger is?

How to handle a meanie

When Someone’s Being Downright Mean

Not every manager is a good one. There’s not much you can do about the way your manager speaks to you, even if it’s rude, unfair, or so irrational that it’s over-the-top.
Before you initiate a screaming match that won’t end well for you, take a deep breath and reinterpret your boss’s comments:

• If your boss does this a lot, imagine him as a crazy person who speaks his own bombastic language. Translate inside your head to figure out how would a normal person would express this same thought. “This is a total piece of crap, I hate it, and don’t have any suggestions on how to fix it, but it sucks” may just turn into, “I’m disappointed by these results, so why don’t you get back to me with some constructive suggestions on how you think we could improve our process?”
• Is there any truth in what he/she is saying? Forget the exact words that are being thrown around—are there any takeaways you should note for future improvement?
• Take note of all the helpful suggestions and feedback you dissected from his/her mean statement, and throw out the rest of the words. (Manage Up)

we all adapt

Explore the exciting world of the Illinois' Peregrine Falcons!

• Illinois Peregrine Webcams

• The King of Michigan Avenue

   

thanks Barry!

So here is my gift to you – a Get Out of Jail Free card for those silly social situations.

Simply print, cut out, and keep in your wallet.  If you want to get really serious, then I would suggest laminating it. Whenever you are short on time, or just not feeling it, simply show the card and other people are banned from complaining.  Done!  You are now free to only partake of the baking, cleaning, shopping, gift-giving, that you WANT to do or that are NECESSARY to keep people clean, clothed and fed.  Enjoy the freedom, and you are welcome!
READ:

Why Does She Do It?

Cheap Basturd Boss

READ UP: How to Deal With a Cheap Boss | Chron.com

This Guy!

Would you like a "Get out of Jail Free" card from your boss? https://t.co/5i8sOirHzh

— My Boss is a Bastard (@MyBossIsABstard) May 17, 2017

 
OH. OH. read this:
Top 10 percent of US households now own 75 percent of our wealth –> That stunning number and a remarkable chart come to us via Pedro Nicolaci da Costa at Business Insider. 

 

POWER: The Queen of Versailles

I recently spoke with Greenfield about her latest book, Generation Wealth, an enormous undertaking made up of Greenfield’s photography as well as short reflections on wealth and money. Generation Wealth documents the last quarter-century of America’s obsession with and desire for money and the material goods that signify status—and what happens when people lose all of it. The conversation below has been lightly edited for clarity.

---

Gillian B. White: This book seems perfectly timed. There’s not only an ongoing conversation about inequality, but the U.S. has a president who seems to fancy himself a populist, but has also made his name off of flaunting his wealth. What do you make of this moment?

Lauren Greenfield: I did not expect Trump to win the election, but when he did, it was kind of like the content of this work, of the 25 years, bearing out. In so many ways, Trump and his rise was the apotheosis of Generation Wealth. There were so many commonalities between him and David Siegel [one of the main subjects in Greenfield’s documentary, The Queen of Versailles, about a wealthy family before, during, and after the financial crisis], from the love for gold and the aesthetic of luxury, to the owning beauty pageants, to beautiful women in their personal life being an expression of their success, to making money in real estate. That’s more for Trump than for David Siegel, but certainly a theme in the book, the power of celebrity.
But I think in terms of the populist part, there’s a quote from Fran Lebowitz that I put in the front of the book about how Americans don't resent the rich because they always imagine that will be them someday. I think that is part of the admiration for Trump. Unlike some other cultures that resent the rich or resent the upper class, Americans admire wealth. READ



The Queen of Versailles is a character-driven documentary about a billionaire family and their financial challenges in the wake of the economic crisis. With epic proportions of Shakespearean tragedy, the film follows two unique characters, whose rags-to-riches success stories reveal the innate virtues and flaws of the American Dream. The film begins with the family triumphantly constructing the largest privately-owned house in America, a 90,000 sq. ft. palace. Over the next two years, their sprawling empire, fueled by the real estate bubble and cheap money, falters due to the economic crisis. Major changes in lifestyle and character ensue within the cross-cultural household of family members and domestic staff. VIA

get out of jail free card?

We could have told him that wouldn't work –> Last week, a Minnesota man was pulled over and then arrested for outstanding warrants. But before police could slap the handcuffs on him, he pulled out a "get out of jail free" card from a Monopoly game and tried to use it to get off the hook. According to a local NBC affiliate, the cop gave him an A for effort but hauled him in nonetheless.

it will be funny

BOOM is kinda ditching directions in our next few posts - we can poke fun at the wealth gap, greed, sexism and classism all around us...Don't worry, it will be fun... BOOOM

wait, I'm the boss