Commercialism Only Adds to Joy of the Holidays

Some excerpts from Onkar Ghate of the Ayn Rand Institute in US News and World Report:

I’m an atheist, and I love Christmas. If you think that’s a contradiction, think again. …

“The best aspect of Christmas,” Ayn Rand once observed, is “that Christmas has been commercialized.” The gift buying “stimulates an enormous outpouring of ingenuity in the creation of products devoted to a single purpose: to give men pleasure. And the street decorations put up by departments stores and other institutions—the Christmas trees, the winking lights, the glittering colors—provide the city with a spectacular display, which only ‘commercial greed’ could afford to give us. One would have to be terribly depressed to resist the wonderful gaiety of that spectacle.”

Before Christians co-opted the holiday in the fourth century … it was a pagan celebration of the winter solstice, of the days beginning to grow longer. The Northern European tradition of bringing evergreens indoors, for instance, was a reminder that life and production were soon to return to the now frozen earth. …

When you genuinely feel good about your own life and when you’re allowed to acknowledge and celebrate that joy, you come to wish the same happiness for others. It is those who despise their own lives who lash out at and make life miserable for the rest of us.

The commercialism of Christmas reinforces our goodwill. When you scour the malls in search of the perfect gift for a loved one and witness the cornucopia of goods and lights and decorations, you can’t help but feel that your fellow human beings are not enemies to be feared or fools to be avoided but fellow travelers and potential allies in the quest for joy. …

But any celebration can be corrupted. It’s not uncommon today to hear people say Christmas is their most stressful period. … Seeking something to blame, they blame the commercialism of the season. But there is no commandment, “Thou shall buy a present for every­one you know.” This is the religious mentality of duty rearing its ugly head again. Do and buy only that which you can truly afford and enjoy; there are myriad ways to celebrate with loved ones without spending a cent.

Read the whole article: Commercialism Only Adds to Joy of the Holidays.

Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz thanks home plate umpire

The Philadelphia Philllies just won their second consecutive National League Championship, and are headed to the World Series.   Ronnie Belliard made the last out with a fly ball to center field.  On the replay, I noticed what Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz did: Before heading out to the pitchers mound to join the celebration, he turned to home plate umpire Tom Hallion to say something to him, and made a friendly gesture.  My guess is that he thanked him for calling a good game. If so, I admire this., as it’s a classy thing to do.

The virtue of gratitude

Published in last Saturday’s Daily Camera: (as printed)

I could go on and on about how I am grateful for my wife — and I’m sure she’ll ask me to “count the ways” when she reads this.  For now, I’ll thank her for showing me, and occasionally reminding of, the importance of gratitude.  Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday, as gratitude is about being thankful.

Recent psychological research has shown gratitude to be a fine virtue.  “There are really tangible, concrete benefits to being grateful,” says Professor Robert Emmons, a leading researcher in the field.  As the New York Times reports, “health improves, relationships get better, people are more active and enthusiastic. … Dr. Emmons said that even people who are lonely and isolated can become less so.” Check out his most recent book on the subject, simply titled Thanks!

Krugman: Ignorant, or a liar?

My post about Paul Krugman at PatientPowerNow.org has received many hits, thanks to Donald Luskin’s linking it on his blog.  Thank you, Donald!  The first person to comment was not impressed with my post. David’s comment on my response to it made my day.

Reminder of freedoms we do have

Sure, both of the United States oppose free speech through their support of campaign finance laws. But we have much to appreciate here, as Ethiopian journalist Habtamu Dugo discusses in this video.

Boulder Daily Camera – critical of Medicaid?

Yesterday the Daily Camera published my comments on Medicaid as part of their Virtual Editorial Board (printed version). They summarize my longer piece on Medicaid. I’m happy to note that among those that wrote in, I was not the only one critical of Medicaid.

Better yet, Dave Humphrey and Shirley Scoville of the “real” editorial advisory board ask excellent questions.

Improv Classes at Bovine Metropolis Theater – a happy ending

Last week was the final “graduate show” for my improvisational comedy class that I had been with for more than a year, given by the The Bovine Metropolis Theater in Denver. It has been great to perform with Anders, Jane, Jim, Lori Beth, and Marylee, and I hope to perform with them again.

Check out the blurb about the show in Westword. The dates weren’t right, but we did change them around a bit.

Madcap Theater – Improv Comedy in Westminster, CO

Today my improv comedy class from Madcap Theater performed a couple of shows to demonstrate what we had learned in the six week “Level 1″ class. As with the first performance, it went great. What is even more satisfying that what I’ve learned through the classes is the story of Madcap Theater as a successful family-owned entrepreneurial venture.

I’ve been taking the classes since September, and gradually realized the extent to which this is a family-owned and run business – from the actors, bar tenders, servers, to the behind-the-scenes marketing and other business aspects. Check out this televised feature on Metrobeat TV. I don’t know how long this like will be valid – I appear briefly in the part about classes – at 3:11 into the segment. Also, the Boulder Daily Camera has a nice article on it.

Finding a bug made my day

I noticed a strange book on my del.icio.us bookmarks that made it possible for the same URL to display a different webpage by clicking on different links to seemingly the same page. I’d written to tech support about this a few weeks ago, but I got a quicker response when I attached a screen print showing the odd behavior. Nick, the a Product Manager, quickly figured it out and wrote “you found an interesting bug and I think we got it nailed. Thanks for responding, it really helped us out.” Quite satisfying!

South Park is Gay! (a fantastic social commentary)

Last night I saw a this South Park episode (Season 7, Episode 8) that ridicules the metrosexual fashion.

Ridicule sure is persuasive – I’m going to start wearing my socks three or four times before washing them.