A mixed bag

I was back at work today – for the first time in 9 (yes nine) weeks!! This is the longest break from work that I that I have ever had. It was quite an effort to wake up early enough to get to work in time. Then at work (I had to go to the Head Office and not my normal branch office), for Occupational Health and Safety purposes I was required to take a medical check. I was given a clean bill of health. As I told the medico, I am in better shape now than I have been for a number of years, with a new knee and all. He was quite impressed, which pleased me no end.

The letter the doctor gave me to pass on to the relevant HR person at the Head Office cheered me quite a bit as I had been a bit concerned that they (my employers) would use the fact that I was no longer young and with a new knee as an excuse to get rid of me. Times are a bit tough, sales are down and I feared that this would be, for them, the ideal opportunity to reorganise or “down size”, to save money. This does not appear to be the case. This is a great relief.

All this concern about myself has led me to take my eye of the ball, as it were, concerning events to write about. Here are a few which I will follow up:

The Illinois House of Representatives voted 114 to one to charge Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich with abuse of power. He now faces a trial in the State Senate. (This is the guy who tried to flog off Barak Obama’s former Senate seat to the highest bidder).

There is still the ongoing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with the Israelis pushing on regardless. I mean 850 Palestinian deaths (or thereabouts) to 11 Israelis is an absurdly high premium to place on the ‘value’ of Israelis, don’t you think – about 77:1? And what a way to ‘value’ someone’s life, in dead bodies! Yuk!!

Then there is a contaminated pet food scandal concerning imported (from Canada) pet biscuits. The manufacturers deny it and say it is the ‘irradiation’ treatment that the Australian quarantine authorities use to kill any unwanted bugs, that is the problem. Other imported pet biscuits presumably go though the same process without any reported side effects (so far at least).

The world just keeps on rolling round and people get up to their usual antics for the usual reasons, money, power or just plain old ego. We never seem to learn that what goes around comes around and that an old proverb (source unknown) says, “Take what you want from life, says God. Take it and pay!”