A Fast Year

I can't believe it's August. I don't even remember when this year started and now it's more than half over. This year has been full of good changes for me and most of the world. I think deep down the conscious of the world we knew we couldn't keep up the way we were going. Our checks and balances system was off. Our economy collapsed. Our environment is changing due to global warming. I'm happy to see the President pushing the world to change. President Obama initiated a program for Americans to switch in there old cars for money to put toward hybrid cars. The program sold out their billion dollar budget in days. The world is ready. We need this change.

Thinking back to the months that have gone by, I think so much has happened that it seems time has been in fast forward. Every morning something new is happening. I recently read that the recession has started showing signs of slowing down. I'm a little surprised to see that. Maybe my life is still hasn't found the balance that economy is finding. I can see the signs of the recession a little more clearly in Tennessee. There is a much larger divide between the wealthy and the poor here. Signs of the recession are everywhere. Empty restaurants, vacant parking lots, stores closing down, foreclosed/auctioned homes.

Aiya, you might find it amusing that in the US the poor are usually quite overweight. The wealthy are usually slim. It seems like an oxymoron, until you see the most of the people below the poverty line eat food from McDonald's, BurgerKing and other fast food restaurants. The commercials on TV advertise fast easy and very cheap meals. Most of these families can't afford better than this. They are left without a choice. These restaurants have disproportionally changed the amount of diabetes and heart disease in the poor communities.

I'm excited to see the world after this new balance has been found. I'm hoping for a better place. I have been reading a great book: The Next Hundred Years. I recommend it. This book has really made me think about the world as we know it, the future that seems so sure, and the impossible being possible.