What Was That You Were Trying To Say??

More and more I come across websites for American companies which have content that seems to be written either by a non-proficient English speaker or someone severely dyslexic or semi literate. Not one sentence is coherent. It is impossible to figure out what they are trying to say about their products. Now these products may or may not be made in America, so it is possible the product descriptions and sales pitches are written by someone with limited English skills. The Chinese are known for doing this. But if you are going to advertise in English for an English speaking audience, then you should make sure whoever writes your ads or puts information on your website can write well in English.

I do not know about you, but I lose confidence in the product when the company making or promoting it cannot even create a sentence about the product that I can understand.  It is like reading a poorly edited book.  The author may be knowledgeable about his subject matter, but he just loses credibility if his book is full of misspellings, grammatical errors, etc.  Does this mean the product is deficient?  No, not necessarily. However, it means sloppiness and if you are sloppy in advertising and promoting, why should I assume you take great care in making your products?

My nephew and I sort of discussed this same issue about misspellings on signs.  What you have to say may have merit, but if you put up a sign about it and you have misspellings and your thoughts are poorly expressed, people will dismiss you as being not credible.  I am not a grammar snob.  I realize there is the common jargon and that we speak differently according to our purpose and our audience.  On FB and emails, we do not always check our spelling, grammar, and punctuation. I am as guilty as most people.  And I certainly do not always use proper grammar when I speak. That is okay in casual communications among friends. But, honestly, if I were putting my product and reputation out there for all to see, I would be very particular, as if my business depended upon it, because it just may. And if I were to advertise my product in a foreign country, I would  be sure that the person I hire to write about the product is proficient in both speaking and writing in that language. 

The reason I bring this up is that I was so irritated by the grammar on a site selling kitchen cabinets, that I actually began writing them to let them know the impression they were giving of their products and services.  Then, upon second thought, I decided I may be a little anal about this so did not send my criticism.  I am sure they would have made themselves clear in their response to "F*** off!".  But still, I cannot help but wonder about why this problem is becoming so common.  Is this part of the dumbing down of America?? Or is it part of more and more dependency upon foreign goods and ownership of companies?  I don't know.

The Case of the Disappearing Post

I seldom add to this blog as the dates on my posts show.  But I never have deleted a post until today when I found that some time since the new formatting Google put into place, some of my blog posts have disappeared and in one instance, only half disappeared but was saved as a draft.  I am not responsible for this so I imagine it is due to the automatic format change.  So I simply deleted the partial post and then deleted two others that made no sense without the posts that had disappeared.  I have not had time to go through all my posts to see what condition they are in.  This reminds me of FB.  There my posts often disappear and then some reappear, even multiple times!   Good old Google.

Sorry, That Item Is Out of Stock and Won't Be In Until The Foreign Manufacturer Reships or Hell Freezes Over

     This morning as I pondered the slow delivery of a ceiling fan, my mind turned toward the economy in general.  I have always considered myself a centrist politically but perhaps I lean more to the right.  In fact, I am pretty sure I do in a lot of areas.  I just think I have a common sense approach to politics. There is not much on the international and national level that when looked at on a smaller scale cannot be made easier to understand.  I just apply what works on a personal level to how I think our government should work.  You know, like in your personal finances, you cannot spend more than you earn or can pay back.  You  do it yourself if it costs too much to hire it done or else you do without.  Do not borrow, but if you do, do not borrow from your enemies.  Do not give money you need to support yourself to your neighbors so they do not have to work.  Do not let uninvited people into your home and then give them all your goods while family members are in need.  In fact, if they arrive uninvited and unwanted, kick them out on their asses. (If they won't go, call the cops.  If the cops don't help, shoot the invaders and get new cops.) There is only so much food on the table.  You take care of your family first.  If you need more money,  get a second job or cut back spending or both.  Buying American is best if the availability, cost and quality of US goods and services meets your needs and wishes. Anyway, that is how I think, and perhaps that will help you understand why, when having to wait on the delivery of a ceiling fan from a foreign country, my mind turned to the economy in general.  .    

   If any of you have ordered appliances of almost any sort lately, you may have noticed more and more how you have to wait on items to arrive because they are out of stock and the manufacturers are overseas.  You have to wait for a new shipment to arrive.  This to me is a very worrisome indicator of our dependency upon foreign imports.  It seems to me that in a land with lots of natural resources and people needing jobs, we should be producing most of our own goods and using the profits to pay off our foreign debts so we can get rid of foreign influence on our economy and politics. I mean, we are so in debt and dependent upon a COMMUNIST government (China) for one. This is insane.  I cannot help but think of scenarios where we become China's satellite country or where it becomes the capitalist state and we the socialist state.  Sound far-fetched to you?  I don't think so. Just try to buy something not made or assembled in another country anymore.  And so many of those things are Chinese.  And if you do not think the Chinese government is anything to worry about, you are totally ignorant of the Chinese government. 

  Sometimes our stupidity and lack of common sense appalls me.   Obviously, we cannot become an isolationist country and we benefit from foreign trade.  But we can cut down on our dependency on other countries, especially where infrastructure and energy is concerned. No foreign individual, company or country should be allowed to own any part of our infrastructure or any part of our defense industry.  I think that is just common sense, a commodity we are short on. We are the hens giving the key to our henhouse to the foxes.

     We could create, or recreate, an atmosphere where US manufacturers actually want to keep their plants in our own country without the US worker having to work for slave wages.  Of course, this would also  involve workers understanding that despite their historical importance, today's unions are nothing more than businesses that do not really give a damn about their membership and cause more harm than good. They are there to keep themselves in the money.  And companies would have to have incentives to keep their business here.  Americans may have to pay a bit more for goods but would end up making more and having a more stable economy.

     Do away with NAFTA!! (You union types should like that.) Even back in the early 1980's when I was living in Europe, it was predictable what would happen to the European economy with its economic union.  The wealthier states would be dragged down trying to give the poorer states a hand up.  I see NAFTA being more of the same. I believe in working with poorer countries to give them a hand up, but we cannot support the entire western hemisphere.  They do have to take on some responsibility for their own governments and economic and social structures. 

     That brings me to undocumented workers.  Illegal immigrants.  Send them home.  It is that simple.  I am not responsible for some kid who has lived here for ten years being sent back to his parents' homeland. And although I understand why they came here, his illegal immigrant parents are responsible for that and should have considered it before they came here illegally. And I do not care where they came from. There already is an appeals system in place for adults who arrived here illegally as babies or young kids and have only known the US as home. This new move by the Obama administration to offer these young people a way to stay is unnecessary and is intended as an election ploy. 

I oppose giving citizenship to babies born here when their parents are here illegally. That is not only rewarding people for committing a crime but encourages more people to come here illegally.

And do not give illegals benefits. (Colorado just made it cheaper for an illegal who has attended at least three years of high school in CO to attend a CO state university than it is for an American citizen of another state to attend a CO state university.  This is nuts and  considering how expensive schooling is and the current economy, policies like these should infuriate every citizen of this country.  You college students who are so hell bent on protesting American businesses, should be protesting this instead. )  Before any of you bleeding hearts start labeling me as a bigot, you should learn that opposing ILLEGAL immigration is not the same as opposing LEGAL immigration.  We all recognize the benefits of controlled, legal immigration.    

I am sick of hearing about how Mexico, Central and South America has been hurt by colonialism.  That has not existed since the 1800s.  Any rotten governments there since have been corrupt in their own right.  Yes, the US has sometimes contributed to the establishment and maintenance of those corrupt governments.  But if your kids keep getting into trouble, how long can you keep blaming the gang he runs around with?  At some point, shouldn't he have to take responsibility for his own actions?  Mexico, and Central and South America need to take care of their own problems and not just replace one dictatorship or corrupt ruler with another.  Hmmm.  Maybe we should follow the same advice the way our government is going.  I am all for kicking the current administration out!

As for US citizens who claim they are put down because of race or economic class--oh, really?  Well, considering all the scholarships and loans available to you, have you actually tried to get an education or training to improve yourself? This means, of course, you may have to put forth a little effort or make a few personal sacrifices along the way so that eventually you can pull yourself up by your own bootstraps like most of the rest of us had to do. Do not use race or social class as an excuse to wallow in your own mess.   I am fed up with hearing it and paying for it.  I see no reason why I have to work to pay my own way and you get a free ride with the taxes I pay.   I washed dishes by hand and cooked for 200-300 kids in a child care facility to help pay my way through school because I could not qualify for Pell grants, all the while paying taxes so other people could get those grants.  So I figure you can do the same.  It took me eleven years to get a degree because I could not afford to go to school full time for a long time.  There are not many government freebies out there for middle aged white women who are married without a cartload of kids.  (By the way, Pell Grants should not be grants. Students should get them as interest free loans which must be paid back either monetarily or through teaching or service of some sort. I would think this could make them more widely available, too.) I could not attend college full time until I earned scholarships as a result of working really hard to get good grades. (Scholarships also are few and far between for middle aged white women who are married. In some ways, our society tends to reward women who divorce and/or who have children out of wedlock with men  who refuse to support their kids.)  Fortunately, my husband was willing to sacrifice so we could scrape together enough money to pay for what scholarships did not cover.  And part of that time we were helping our kids through college, too. By the way, they also had to work more than one job, plus earn scholarships to get through school.  And we were all A students. So you can get some training or schooling to improve your lot.  If you have not done this, then don't tell me how rough you have it and do not expect me to support your whining butt.  Oh, and I did not have more kids than I could afford to raise, plus I had mine within a marriage with a partner willing to help raise them---another economic plus based on good decision making and personal responsibility. The answer is not expanding hand-outs, but promoting personal responsiblity.  I really am not whining because I could not get a government hand out.  I am bitching because I had to pay so others could.

    Don't misunderstand me, anyone can be temporarily unemployed, or have a legitimate physical and or mental disability. Anyone can have a disaster strike that is truly beyond their control.  I have no problem helping these folks. I take issues with those who consider it the taxpayers' responsibility to help perpetuate their learned helplessness, irresponsibility and poor choices.   If this was your own kid acting like this, how long would you support him and listen to him tell you how awful you treat him?  Wouldn't you be an enabler?  Well, our Uncle Sam is an enabler. And he enables at the expense of the taxpayer.

Well, I am coming to the end of my rant.  Too bad that fan is not manufactured here in the US, with American made steel and made by American workers.  Could have saved me a lot of time I wasted on this rant! I need that fan to cool down.

Not a Remote Chance of this Happening

Between the televisions, dvd players, cable boxes, and music systems in our home, there must be a dozen or more remote controls.  Now I know remotes are available that supposedly handle all these electronics eliminating the need to have a dozen remotes sitting around. But one needs both a degree in engineering and the bank balance of Donald Trump to own one.   So we are pretty much stuck with using three different remotes to play a dvd.   This alone is enough to drive a person crazy.   But on top of that, we have portable phones which also have a ton of buttons.   I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to punch in phone numbers on a TV remote, or have become frustrated when the TV will not respond to my trying to change channels using the telephone!  Now, as wonderfully unique a  person as I am, I feel certain that I am not the only person to do this.  Maybe just the only one to admit to it.   

One would think that engineers could come up with an inexpensive, easy to use voice controlled one-remote-serves all.  This would require the user to hit an on button, say the name of the electronic gadget (tv1, tv2, phone, microwave) and name a function (on, off, volume, dial) and then refine the job further (channel 618, 555-1212, heat high, etc.).  This remote would work on radio waves so it could be used from any part of the house.   And it would not be black but would be made some color that makes it easy to find and to read.  

Ideally, the remote would be a tax deductible medical expense because it helps relieve stress and frustration.

FaceBook Sucks

I hate FaceBook.  I have had an account, closed the account, reopened the account and now am considering closing it again.  I suppose FaceBook can serve useful purposes but for me, I feel as if I have to walk on eggshells while navigating my account.  While I do not think FaceBook is the appropriate venue for hanging one's laundry out to dry, I do feel that if someone posts something that can call for varying opinions as a response, especially if it is posted on my wall, I should have a right to respectfully respond with my opinion even if it varies from the opinion of the person who placed the original post.  If they do not want dissenting opinion, they should either block the post from me or not post.  I gather it is okay for me to listen to their inane ideas, but how dare I disagree?  There are a lot of people out there who seem to have this attitude.  I don't have a desire to start an argument or offend anyone on Facebook, and I do not care to write anything I would not care if the world heard because heaven only knows who will end up seeing the comments I make.  However, if Facebook is only for positive remarks that cause no dissention, why bother?  I can use a greeting card for that. And while it is nice to be polite, I am sick to death of having to be politically or socially "correct" when that is not what I think.  So once again, I can either just monitor FaceBook or drop out.  I know I will probably not hear from people I like hearing from if I drop out, and that is the only reason I can think of to keep my account open.  Maybe it is just me that thinks FaceBook sucks in so many ways, I don't know. But more and more, the little irritations associated with using it are beginning to outweigh the good aspects of FaceBook.

Chinese Imports

Why is it that so many things we import from China stink?  I am not speaking of bug spray that is used on imports to make sure no strange bugs enter the country.  I am talking about the smell of petroleum.  Just about everything I buy that is made in China reeks of petroleum.   I have had to throw out a laptop cooler, and a billfold which, despite airing and washing, continued to reek for months.   I bought a bookcase that aired for a month and still reeked.  I am now used to it but can still smell it when I stand very close.   I have to wonder what that does to my health.  Today I noticed the same smell on a electronic reader cover I bought.  So what is it the Chinese do or do not do when producing goods that leaves them stinking?   I can only imagine what a Chinese home or office must smell like.   No wonder so many Chinese are getting cancer.  It really worries me about all the toys made by the Chinese and how they may affect the health of the children who play with them. 

Speaking of Chinese goods, I am reminded of Japanese goods we imported in the 1950s.  Back then if it was made in Japan, it was junk.  Once the Japanese developed transistor radios, it seemed as if there was a deluge of Japanese goods.   Like Chinese goods today, most of those early Japanese goods were pretty junky.  Over time, Japanese goods improved and often surpassed the quality of US goods.  Of course the Japanese had the advantage of stealing a lot of American technology.  They then improved upon it.  Today, though, Japan is a leader in electronics and auto development and production. Perhaps the Chinese will go the same way.  Lord knows they have stolen a lot of technology.
  I hate to buy things made in China for a variety of reasons, quality and odor just being two of them.  The Chinese government is another.  I think it one of the most despicable governments.  Not as irresponsibly unpredictable as Iran or North Korea, but still bad.  Until it becomes a democracy and until a system of laws and procedures are in place that encourage and safeguard capitalism and free trade, I think it foolish to invest in China or buy Chinese if you have other options.
I don't see this happening any time soon.  That is too bad for the Chinese people.
I also dislike the lack of human rights accorded the Chinese citizenry.   I have friends who were lucky enough to leave China, some legally, some had to sneak out.  They  are now US citizens and are proof positive that the United States is still the land of opportunity if you are willing to work .  Hearing their stories confirms my impression of the Chinese government. 
Then of course there is the issue of the US being in debt to a communist country.   That is our own fault, but I still do not like owing the Chinese. 
I guess imported Chinese goods stink in a multitude of ways.  I would rather spend more for US made goods than buy Chinese.  But already that is sometimes impossible to do.

Why I Hate Facebook

I have a Facebook account because my daughters insist upon it.  I despise Facebook for the most part.  One reason is I always manage to tick someone off on Facebook.  I swear I will not comment on posts that I disagree with, but sooner or later I do, and I always end up receiving private emails letting me know how unappreciated my remarks are.  Tonight I stepped on toes because I just could not let go a post that kept referring to Mormons as if they were not Christians.   Now, I am not siding with anyone on religion, because I am not a religious person, myself.  But people who say things like "Christians and Catholics", or "Christians and Mormons" drive me nuts.  Especially, if they claim to be Christians.  If you are a Christian, you should know enough about your religion to know some of its major sects.  I always read enough to be sure these references are not mere grammatical errors, but that indeed, the speaker thinks Catholics and Mormons are not Christians.   Oh, the little irritations that rile me and lead me to speak up and end up offending people.  
That is why I have this blog.  No one reads it so I can say pretty much whatever I want.  If anyone does read it, they probably do not know who the person behind the blog is, so I have a degree of anonymity even if it is not guaranteed.   That being said, I try not to post anything I would mind having attributed to me, and I often do not say the full extent of what I am thinking on a subject that I would mind having attributed to me in a public way.   At my age, I do not mind speaking my mind but still see no point in being hurtful.  But there are always those who will take offense at the least remark.