Eye on Faith: August 2018

Friday, August 31, 2018

Never doubt the power of a young girl's zeal

Waaay back in 1968... (Fair Use)

Sometimes all it takes is a seven-year-old’s zeal to make up the difference between “Linemen” and “Line Crew.”

When Zoe Carew was on the way to visit her grandparents, she noticed a road sign that didn’t seem fair. The sign warned that workers were at nearby power lines, but it only referred to “Linemen.” Young Zoe began wondering why nary a “Line Woman” was mentioned.

She not only wondered, she sprang into action. Since the pen can be mightier than the sword (and far less cumbersome), Zoe wrote a letter to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA). In it, she requested that the “Lineman” sign be replaced with something more gender neutral.

Lo and behold, her youthful voice carried all the way up the line! Fergus Gammie, head of the NZTA, is now seeing to it that new “Line Crew” signs will slowly replace aging “Lineman” ones.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/pulled-into-line-girl-seven-gets-new-zealand-to-change-sexist-road-signs/ar-BBLi5kF?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Thursday, August 30, 2018

Let's get real as far as wages are concerned

(Public Domain)

If the Staten Island ferry used to cost a nickel, then 20 rides would have been a dollar. If rides are now a dollar each, then 20 could set you back a whole Andrew Jackson.

If someone had given you a nickel back then, you’d get to Staten Island once. If someone were to give you a dollar now, you might still just get there once. Today’s dollar, in a very

real sense, would then be the equivalent of yesterday’s nickel.

In the same frustrating way, today’s “real wages are essentially back at 1974 levels.” Due to inflation, your current paycheck has no greater purchasing power than your 1974 one did.

Four-plus decades of backbreaking labor have therefore not furthered you financially. They’ve merely kept you afloat. So what’s the point? Mere survival? Hopefully, you've made your (tiny amount of) spare time count for more than just that.

Resources

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/real-wages-are-essentially-back-at-1974-levels-report-shows/ar-BBLUiNe?OCID=ansmsnnews11

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

Lassie Come Running

(Fair Use)

Have you had a rough day? Cat got your tongue? If so, your dog might be the one to loosen it up.

Dog owners have long sensed that Lassie will come running if something seems wrong. A recent study led by Emily Sanford helps to verify this. Dogs that heard their owners crying rushed to be of comfort. Those that held back only did so because of incapacitating stress.

Canines have had “tens of thousands of years” to figure out human emotions. That’s how long it’s been since “Lassie” first stood by humanity’s side.

Resources

https://www.businessinsider.com/dogs-comfort-their-humans-when-they-are-sad-according-to-study-2018-7?amp%3Butm_medium=referral