I wanted to take a moment to share some of the good things coming out of the Occupy movement; I’ll wait until tomorrow to scare you. After all, today is a day for Americans to eat well and squabble with family. Perhaps there will be a fire on, perhaps you’ll watch the Cowboys play. Whatever the case, I hope the day brings you joy and to remember to be thankful for what you do have.

I will also add that tomorrow is Black Friday. Be smart – don’t fall for it. Buy from independent crafters, either via Etsy or something like the 99% Crafters. Remember – the thought is more important than the price tag. Don’t let societal pressure tell you you should spend thousands on your family buying assorted crap, and really – you can give gifts any time of year. Don’t let a single day of the year become the only day. Spread the love, spread the thoughtfulness, and always always – keep it simple!

Firstly, some feel good from this week:

Occupy march from Zuccotti Park to D.C.: My trip with the protesters
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/occupy-wall-street-protesters-finish-journey-from-zuccotti-park-to-dc/2011/11/21/gIQAz6PDjN_blog.html

This really made me smile, as you don’t see this sort of thing out of America. It’s just beautiful, and the whole thought makes me sniffle up a bit that people are so dedicated to making a point as to do something like this. Much like the campers, a sacrifice was made. It was made selflessly with no intent to injure others or put others out of their place; I’ll never understand people who put others down to feel ‘big’. I salute you, marchers!

The rest are just links showing that there are little things happening. The rudder is shifting, but it will take a long time for the boat to turn yet:

Bank Transfer Day: How much impact did it have?
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/1107/Bank-Transfer-Day-How-much-impact-did-it-have

Feds: All Commodity Traders To Be Audited
http://crooksandliars.com/susie-madrak/feds-all-commodity-traders-be-audited

Name and Shame? Obama May Go Public with Lawmakers’ Funding Requests
http://www.nationaljournal.com/whitehouse/name-and-shame-obama-may-go-public-with-lawmakers-funding-requests-20111105

Millionaires ask Congress to raise their taxes
http://money.cnn.com/2011/11/16/news/economy/tax_millionaires/

One can argue that last one was already in motion before the Occupy movement, and that wouldn’t be a lie. And even though the Supercongress produced nothing appreciable, there were still people in the upper crust being socially responsible to say, ‘We want to truly do our share’. That is worth celebrating – society is made up of ALL of us, from the craziest to the sanest, the richest to the poorest. That, I do think, is truly worth celebrating.

Otherwise, enjoy your turkey… hopefully not brined! While the science is neat, the end result is far from desirable. 🙂