As I begin
this report on Thursday, I am sitting in my living room watching the Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade,
and this has been one of my favorite parts about Turkey Day since I was a
little boy. Learning machine that I am I googled the Macy’s Day Parade and, of
course, there is a lot of conflicting information about the early years. The
event originated in 1920’s (1924?). According to what I read, there were no
balloons in the first parade, but they did parade animals on loan from the
Central Park Zoo. Apparently, in the early years, the balloons were released at
the end of the parade. I was worried that the giant balloons would not be in
the parade this year (Snoopy was always my favorite) because of high winds from
that most recent winter storm. Luckily, it was a perfect day for the event, and
the balloons floated down the street as they always have. The American
Thanksgiving will always be my favorite holiday. Traditionally, it was when my family
gathered in Buffalo, along with a few obligatory strays, and sat down to a
Thanksgiving feast, and I mean feast,
hosted by my mom and dad. There is no other holiday which is as meaningful to me,
and though the hosts of that party are now gone, the warmth of the celebration
will be with me forever. I know it’s maudlin to say this, but I am thankful to
have had that experience for so many years. Rather than whine about the loss of
family, I turned it around this year and called a bunch of friends and family
with whom I have not spoken in a while. I talked to Edmond, my shut in friend
with MS from Buffalo to whom I used to deliver meals for Meals on Wheels, I
spoke with one of the nurses who took care of my mom and dad, and to my cousin
who lives in Oregon. Vicariously, I soaked up some of the good vibes I always
used to feel at my parent’s house.
There was
an article in the NY Times yesterday which caught my eye concerning a
developing technology that falls into the “big-brother-is-watching” category.
We’ve all heard of face recognition software which can assist authorities in
apprehending the bad guys. Faces are recorded by a camera and sent to a
database which can then determine if the subject is on any criminal watch list.
With cameras popping up more and more in public places, there is the ongoing
debate about what violates a person’s privacy. Now there is a developing
software which uses algorithms to read facial expressions and determine what a person is thinking or feeling. It
isn’t much of a stretch to presume that computers will one day be able to read
people’s minds, and this is a little unsettling. There is an expression, “owner
of one’s thoughts, slave to one’s words.” Perhaps we are approaching the point
where we have become a slave to our thoughts as well. Or at least our
computers.
11/30/13 -
Well the insanity has begun, actually it began shortly after Halloween, and Shauna
just told me there was a news clip on CNN about some holiday-related violence
in a Wal Mart. Some predatory shoppers rioted over the last computer tablet on
the shelves. If it isn’t Tickle-ME-Elmo, or a Cabbage Patch Doll, or Pet Rocks,
it’s always some thing that brings
out the worst in human holiday behavior .
The news is always chock full of negative stories about the downside of Christmas
- gunfights in shopping mall parking lots over the last parking space, one of
Santa’s helpers caught exposing himself in public, or a Christmas tree fire
that wipes out an entire family. Misfortune doesn’t only happen at Christmas,
but Christmas always seems to highlight the suffering. It seems stories of goodwill
don’t stand a chance when put up against the intoxicating allure of yellow
journalism. This is probably why Santa has had so many emotional problems, but
I’m not even going to go there.
And speaking of overweight guys with public relations problems, on a lighter (heavier?) note, disgraced Toronto Mayor Rob Ford was asked not to attend this year’s Santa Claus Parade, because the promoters thought he might be too much of a “distraction.” Ouch. Somebody’s getting a stocking full of coal this Christmas. For those members of my tribe, I wish you a Happy Chanukah, which began at sundown last Wednesday night. I don’t read or understand Hebrew, but I googled Chanukkah prayers so I could recite the prayers phonetically as I lit the candles. Presently we have Shauna’s mom up here with us in the Great White North and, while she is still grieving the loss of her husband, I think she has been enjoying her time in this winter wonderland.
I am thankful
for the good friends and family in my life. May your holiday season be absent
stress and pain, and the last tablet computer from Wal Mart.
Written by Jamie Oppenheimer c 2013 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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