If There Is An Economic Problem I Don't See It

I live in middle America. Madisonville, Kentucky to be exact. We are 45 miles south of Evansville, Indiana and about 90 miles north of Nashville, Tennessee. Things are supposed to be tough economically for regions like here. I don't see it. Gas prices are down. Food prices are down. If what I have seen at the local mall here in Madisonville as well as Evansville and the Opry Mills Mall in Nashville is supposed to represent and economic slowdown then I must be blind. 20 minutes just to find a parking place at the mall??? WalMart parking lot full???? The interstate with traffic going both ways as far as the eye can see???

Personally I think we have been sold a story. Obama says we are in an economic crisis and that Bush has wrecked the economy. Bush didn't wreck the economy, greedy people in positions of financial power did the damage, if there is indeed damage. Now, I am not a conspiracy theorist, but I am beginning to wonder why what I hear on the news doesn't match what I see out on the street.

Maybe I am just blind. What do you see where you live???

Wal-Mart Worker Trampled To Death on Black Friday Sale

Should Wally World be held responsible for the death of this employee during a "black Friday" sale? I suppose in today's society we should come to expect something like this when materialism and greed take over the Christmas season. Actually I blame all the major retailers for this. They start weeks in advance getting people excited and worked up about big sales just so they can make that almighty dollar. Like the billions they earn already is not enough.

God forbid black Friday sales were ever canceled. This is just another reason I have become so dissatisfied with the Christmas season. I long for the simple holidays of my youth. I was a military brat and spent my childhood in Italy and Germany. Back then Christmas meant a lot more and I don't remember the frenzy and the craziness that we see today. It was a quiet time of reflection and family.

My wife wonders why I feel like I do. I guess a lot of my friends wonder the same thing. I really think those involved in the death of this individual at WM and those that reacted so terribly when the store tried to close do to this incident, need to take a long inward look at their lives. I certainly am not perfect and would never dare to point an accusatory finger at someone but this goes way over the line.

Let's hope nothing more like this happens........... hope against hope.

Looking For Long Lost Childhood Friends

I grew up as a military brat which meant I got to see the world. It also meant I had no real roots and no real place to call a childhood home. I went to 14 schools in 12 years in multiple locations across the U.S. and in Germany. I have had some tremendous experiences, seen things that most kids had to read about in books and have some wonderful memories. All in all, I would not trade that childhood in for anything. One thing that I do lack however are childhood friends. Most military brats get used to making friends and then leaving them knowing they will probably never see them again. Now comes the world wide web and our world has gotten drastically smaller.

I would like to find some of my old childhood friends, specifically from my time at Andrews Air Force Base from 1973 to 1976. So here goes my list as best as I can remember. Most of the people in this list would be between about 43 and 50 and we all lived on Chicago Court on Andrews Air Force Base. If you see your name on this list please email contact me via the comments section with your contact info. Womens name would be maiden names as I knew them back then.

• Gay Kleinman (Kleinman or Klineman)
• Mike Antoskow
• Mary Ann Lokatis (sp ?)
• Karen Hildebrand
• Tony Hildebrand
• Steve Palmer (your dad was head steward on Air Force One)

There are others that I can't remember - maybe you will recognize my name, Eric Dytzel. We all went to Central Senior Highschool which was off base.

I hope this works and look forward to contacting you.......... eric

My List

This came from a blog I ran across called Sheep Droppings. It looked easy enough, so I thought I’d share it with you. All you need to do is paste it into your own blog and highlight the items below that you have done. Then let me know you are posting it, so I can check out your list as well.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity [I don't know; I think we can always give more]

7. Been to Disneyland/world

8. Climbed a mountain (hiking)

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea (from the beach)

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris (level 2 top was closed)

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Let me know if you do this so I can read.....eric