Thursday, January 19, 2023

Davos For the Rest of Us

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: Whether you read sober analysis by The Economist or stop channel surfing at Entertainment Tonight!, you pretty much can't escape the annual World Economic Forum is happening in Davos, Switzerland. There, the wealthy, the powerful, and the intellectual elite (Hey, they had will.i.am!) gather to discuss the weighty issues of the day and then decide what they're going to tell the rest of us to do. Like this little gem that's been making the rounds:

Yes, this is real.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think we need an economic forum for the rest of us. How do you know if you're part of the great unwashed? Ask yourself this question: "Do I have a private plane?" If the answer is no, congratulations, you're a peon. So how do we go about having our own cool meeting where we can talk about "entrepreneurship in the global public interest?" 

First off, we need the right place. Davos is a skiing resort town in the Alps, a vacation destination where you can put on your fur-trimmed anorak and spend the morning on the piste, choose between several Michelin starred restaurants for lunch, and then drop a hundred thousand francs shopping for shoes, hats and watches on the Bahnhofstrasse.

 


For our version, there's only one possible choice: Branson, MO. 


 Is there anywhere more the place of the people than Branson? No, there's no skiing, but you can ride the Copperhead Mountain Coaster, dine at the Chicken House, and later hit up the Rockport Store at Tanger Outlets. You're going to want those comfortable shoes for the main part of the Forum: the meetings.


Last year, for instance, some of the important sessions at Davos included the following:

"We Desperately Need to Disrupt Our Approach to Retirement Savings"

"How to Build a Circular Business Model That Works"

"Will Digital Services Remain in the Vanguard of the Global Trade Recovery?"

"5 Reasons Why Eating Insects Could Reduce Climate Change"

Yes, that last one is real, too. I wonder how many of the attending billionaires will be including ants and grasshoppers in their diets?

Obviously, our People's Economic Forum will have slightly different topics.

"We Desperately Need to Start Playing the Lotto if We're Ever Going to Retire"

"How to Build an Crocheted-circle Ebay Business Model That Works"

"Will Facebook Remain in the Vanguard of Global Grandmother Communication?"

 "5 Reasons Why Eating That Cake Could Reduce Your Stress"

Another major change from Davos? Participation by women in the invitation-only World Economic Forum averages 18-20%. We're going to have a LOT more than that. The Peoples Economic Forum will have your Aunt Lil, talking about clipping coupons, and your brunch girlfriends, presenting the economics of splitting the bill, and a whole lot of moms, who will just mingle about, advising attendees to always pay into their 401(k)s,  buy your clothes on sale because no one will know, and to get a whole chicken and cut it up instead of that tray of breasts - it's almost two dollars less per pound!

The men won't be left out, though: there will be captains of industry (the industries being garages, Thai restaurants and that office supply store which somehow stays in business despite the fact you never see anyone go in or out.) We will also have in-the-know politicians - mainly town selectmen named Frank or Buddy who can tell you everything about plowing roads.  

 Finally, we'll wrap up the rounds of meetings, deal-making and parties with some position papers. In Davos, this results in very nattily designed slide decks and in policies that affect the daily lives of people who will never be invited: 

 


In the Branson forum, I think we should return the favor. I'm considering a similar slogan: Now is the time to tie the reset rope on the guillotine.

What activities and topics would you include in the People's Economic Forum, dear readers? (And seriously, if we ever do manage a JRW convention, can we please have it in Branson?)

114 comments:

  1. Perhaps the People’s Economic Forum could address the lunch debt issue facing many schools [and families]?

    Despite the possibility of reducing climate change, I think I’d like to pass on serving insects for dinner . . . I'm good with eating cake to reduce my stress level . . . and, yes, to both a JRW convention and to Branson] . . . .

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    1. Yes! The school lunch debt is a serious issue! I was shocked to discover that happens in public schools when our tax dollars pay for public schools!!!! I remember classmates getting vouchers which meant they were eligible for free lunches. Many students at my school were from families living below poverty level. Unfortunately there were a few students who tried to sell their vouchers for pittance. I wonder if the vouchers were only for the cafeteria because I think they wanted to buy food from the food stand? Next to the cafeteria???

      Diana

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    2. Oh, my God, Joan, yes. Student lunch debt makes my blood boil. We're the richest country in the world, give the kid a G.D. lunch.

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    3. In California all students get a free lunch, no debt issue here.

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  2. Oh, the Chicken House! I love it.

    Session ideas:
    "How to work from home and avoid buying new clothes for years."
    "Duct-taping your car into passing inspection one more year."


    On a serious note, a friend who closely (obsessively) tracks COVID infections, said at DAVOS they're using state of the art air filtration systems, requiring negative PCR tests, and more cautious measures, things they tell the public aren't necessary and don't implement in schools.

    But in Branson, we'd be outdoors all the time, right? (Find me poolside in my old bathing suit...) No worries about infection.

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    1. Your session ideas sounds great! And interesting about Davos vs informing the public 🙄

      Diana

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    2. From Celia: I'll be sitting with you Edith and we'll demo how to cut up the chicken and serve 5 chicken dinners to a family of 4 from one scrawny bird.

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    3. Hear, hear, Edith. We could also have a forum about kitchen gardens.

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    4. Edith, I can usually go for years without buying new clothes. Sadly, my job is such that working from home isn't possible.

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    5. Edith, I'm strangely unsurprised the attendees at Davos are using sophisticated disease-prevention methods the rest of us "don't need"...

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    6. Susan Nelson-HolmdahlJanuary 19, 2023 at 1:00 PM

      Branson is in the state of Missouri, given the insurrection of their sitting senators, we need to move the location. The current political climate just went back 100 year there, given the title of your conference it would not be allowed. Also, see the new dress code for the women in the Missouri legislature!

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  3. Thanks for starting my day with smiles - several of them. On the other hand, the Davos Conference is nothing to smile about, when I wake up and think a little more. It's so obnoxious. Grrr.

    As for the Branson Forum, I would have to pass on the Chicken House, since I'm vegetarian, but I could make room for the cake. And I already buy clothes on sale. What activities would I add? Poetry readings. Lots of them.

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    1. Yes! Poetry! And I'm sure there's a good vegetarian restaurant somewhere in Branson, Elizabeth. We'll find it for you. I suppose insects aren't vegetarian? :-D

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    2. No, insects aren't veggie. I don't really know what they are except icky. But I'6in for Waffle House!

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    3. “Poetry readings” were code when e-mailing other district librarians about happy hours! So, yes to lots of poetry readings at the forum!! — Pat S.

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  4. If we peons of the great unwashed are having our own forum, shouldn't it be at a Waffle House? You know to keep the whole theme intact?

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    1. Waffle House sounds great!

      Diana

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    2. Waffle House will be the site of the late, late night sessions, Jay. Everyone knows it's best at 2am.

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  5. Count me in. If the Chicken House (or Waffle House, per Jay) is where we meet for lunch, we will be having dinner at the Dolly Parton Dixie Stampede Dinner Attraction, right?

    Edith, I'm signing up for your sessions!

    I propose "Strategies for effective binge-watching" and "How to get fit without a personal trainer or matching fitness clothes".

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    1. I need both of those sessions, Amanda! And of course we'll go to the Dixie Stampede. In fact, Dolly is officially the only celebrity welcome at our conference.

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    2. No Dolly Parton in Branson!

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  6. Bugs aren't Kosher. I am guessing that this group of economists and big shots weren't worried about that.

    As for Branson, MO, I will need to know a bit more about the place before I book my ticket. But if working women and stay -at-home moms are running the show, I suppose that they will make it work.

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    1. Look, our summit cannot be in Missouri, especially with so many women in attendance. Would you really hold a big conference in a state that has banned abortion? Not me. I wouldn't spend a dime there.

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    2. I’m with you on this Judy, we can’t go in that state or any other that banned abortion.
      We should go in a place that is women friendly. Danielle

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    3. Oops. I hadn't looked at the location through that lens. I've just cancelled my ticket. But change the venue and I'll rebook in a flash!

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    4. Isn't Missouri the place where the state legislature revised the dress code for women?? No bare shoulders, you naughty, distracting female legislators! Perhaps Branson could secede from the state? Become like the Vatican, a world unto itself, only for the great unwashed masses trying desperately to stay financially afloat.

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    5. Nope, Missouri is a miss for me, too.

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    6. Agree with everyone about Missouri. Not interested in traveling to Missouri nor to any of the blighted states that allowed private prisons and horrific crimes against humanity including women. Even the Vatican is not as bad as Missouri. Just my opinion.

      Diana

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    7. Oh, fudge, I forgot about that and you all are absolutely right. I was really looking forward to the Chicken House, too!

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    8. Diana Missouri is bad but it isn’t blighted like the real south. Also, no private prisons! Politically Brandon area is the most right wing crazy in the state.

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  7. And don’t forget that we need to be concerned about the dress code if we’re holding this event in Missouri...Emily Dame

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  8. Why you American friends don’t you come to Canada ? You would get more for your money.
    Hardly won women rights are respected. We are welcoming.
    Danielle

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    1. Danielle: What a good idea. We could organize in Montreal (wonderful Quebec experience), in Toronto (major multi-cultural city) or Winnipeg (the geographic heart of the country)...

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    2. I love that idea! Do it in Ottawa (capital) and I can work in a visit to my sister, too. Heck, she would probably register.

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    3. If you do it in May, and come to Nova Scotia, I can arrange a lobster feed - the real kind, not the restaurant meal. We are friendly, have no dress code, just wear clothes, and can talk your ear off about anything! Add a libation or two, and we will solve all the world issues...

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    4. All much better than "Missery" methinks! But, Nova Scotia for the win!

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    5. Margo, since Nova Scotia is in Canada, I agree with Judy. My university professor has a family cabin in Nova Scotia. When he died, he was buried in the family cemetery there.

      Diana

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    6. Danielle, YES to Canada. I love Canada. Diana

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    7. Darn it, I'm too lazy to go get a passport.

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    8. Jay, first thing I did after Election Day 2016 was to RENEW my passport! Diana

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    9. Well, it is supposed to be the World economic forum, and to many Americans, the world consists of us, Canada, and Mexico, so this checks out. Maybe we can have a rotating site, ala Bouchercon!

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    10. I've always wanted to visit Nova Scotia! I'm in.

      And isn't that close to where Anne of Green Gables is set? Side trip!

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    11. Nova Scotia is close to PEI which is where Green Gables is. We also have lobster, beaches, no dress code, and anything else you might want.

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  9. Hey Julia, if you think you all in the US can't escape the WEF on the evening news, pity me in Bern who lives only a three-hour-drive from Davos. If you want to talk about the hypocrisy of the elite, here's my favorite example so far. Supposedly, one of the most important topics being discussed at the forum is what can be done about climate change. BUT the attendees used hundreds of private jet flights to get to the meeting, and a Greenpeace study shows how many of them could easily have come by train. Why am I not surprised?

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    1. By train? Gasp! But think of their comfort! And time! Time is money, what a wonderful excuse for someone worth billions.

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    2. Yikes! By private plane???? Every time I think about a private plane, I’m reminded of Sally Fields. She and her family were traveling in a private plane owned by Merv Griffin who graciously lent them his private plane. I seem to recall a near fatal crash? Sally fields and her family survived because otherwise she would never have been in Forrrest Guno. Her twins were babies at that time. I remember it was quite a harrowing experience for Sally and her family. Even if I won the lottery, no thank you. Not a fan of private jets. I prefer the 🚂 train.

      Diana

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    3. I meant Forrest Gump

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    4. Kim, I knew about the hundreds of private planes, but I had no idea so many attendees could have come by train. Real commitment to reducing carbon emissions, there, although I shouldn't be surprised, since they had a whole Saudi-led and funded series on climate change..

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  10. Is the cheapest grade of gas bad for your car? What big name cereal companies make the generic fruity loops and cheerios? How to wash your car at home during the winter, because the car wash is frozen. Why is negotiating a new cell phone family plan tougher than negotiating a mortgage or buying a car (quick answer: cell phone companies do what's good for them, not you).

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    1. Margaret, we're putting you on the planning committee!

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  11. All excellent suggestions! I have nothing to add except the fact that Lauren Bobo has announced that she will NEVER attend the WEF. The twitter feed on that announcement alone was worth several snorts of laughter yesterday.

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    1. Who is Lauren bobo?

      Diana

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    2. Diana It's Lauren Boebert, a MAGA wackadoodle who was recently re-elected by a few hundred votes to represent a district in Colorado. Stephanie Ruhle interviewed her during the Speaker vote fiasco and Boebert is a true believer. She won't hesitate to crash the economy over the debt ceiling. Scary stuff.

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    3. And as I like to do every time I see something stupid from her on Twitter, let's never forget that she's married to a convicted sex offender.

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    4. Gillian, thank you!

      Why did I think Bobo was one of the Country Bears from Disneyland? Face palm!

      We all have to put our hands on the deck to make sure that these horrid people's "power" or whatever it is will be very very very shortlived!

      Diana

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    5. Also, let's not forget that Boebert took four tries to finally get her GED, just in time to run for Congress.

      Not the sharpest knife in the drawer,

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    6. That reminds me of Elon Musk, who has been making fun of Davos on Twitter (where else) and saying HE wouldn't attend such a silly conference. Only to have the WEF publicly announce he hadn't been invited since 2015. :-)

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    7. Karen, I did not know that Boebert took the GED four times. Just when you think she can't possibly be any stupider.

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  12. Best strategies for saving money on streaming services, how to reduce the number of emails you get in your inbox, how to stop scammers from stealing money from us.

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    1. Oh geez. I'd sign up for the email session in a heartbeat! No matter how many times I unsubscribe, my inbox is full of junk.

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    2. All great ideas , Grace!

      Diana

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    3. Liz, I like your ideas too.

      Diana

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    4. Best way to save money on a streaming service? Use someone else's account. Dishonest? Yes. Save yourself money? Definitely. Sadly I pay for my access.

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    5. Jay, I read - wish I could recall where - "If corporations are ripping you off, stealing from them isn't a sin - it's a rebellion." Not sure if I entirely agree, but it did make me think about the premise.

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  13. Nan McCann: another topic to consider is health value of exercise and music… add a little Texas Two Step snd line dancing to the conference agenda! 😉

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    1. Perfect, Nan! The Texas Two-Step should definitely be the official dance!

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  14. Thanks for the laughs, Julia! I actually didn't realize Davos was happening right now! As you point out, an indicator of how unbalanced everything is.

    Maybe instead of a centralized conference, we could do localized neighborhood conferences bound together by technology. Each small group could report on the economic conditions in their area and brainstorm ideas that would improve their economy. Because this is a fantasy, the ideas would be listened to by our political leaders and would be acted upon. No climate destroying travel involved, the opportunity for more to participate. We could do it on a holiday weekend--Presidents' Day sounds good to me--so that people wouldn't have to miss work. And in lieu of Michelin star restaurants, we could do pot luck and game nights!

    Re eating insects, more than 10 years ago, I was in a community ed Spanish class and our guapo profesor had us read an article about eating insects--as a way forward to avoid starvation and malnutrition in many parts of the world. We had quite the lively discussion. The teacher was from Guatemala originally and they do have a cultural tradition of eating insects.

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    1. Gillian, I honestly love your idea and wish we could implement it. As to the insects, I went to a presentation on the same as well, and came away with a great deal more respect for the idea. As a practice, it was a LOT of cultural barriers to overcome, but the sheer amount of protein biomass in insects is astounding.

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    2. Both the Cincinnati Zoo and the Cincinnati Natural History Museum have had programs on insects as a protein source here, mostly around the emergence times of the periodic cicadas. Thane Maynard, director of the Zoo, famously ate ants at one such program. He said they tasted lemony.

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  15. Julia, I'd be in on your JRW conference in a heartbeat!

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  16. Julia, you are a treasure! The thing about Davos—it’s such self appointed fancy people. Who says they are smart? And kinda do we really care? Love this Julia. And packing for Branson-or-wherever now. !!

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    1. The fact they used to invite Russian oligarchs and Elon Musk says to me intellect is NOT the qualifying characteristic for attendees, Hank!

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  17. Sorry to say I prefer Canada to Branson.

    Regarding Davos, I was reminded of when I was with a budget tour group. We hiked the Alps. Not Davos. I think grinemwald ? The story about wealth reminded me of the wealthy people in my tour group. There was an expensive restaurant that was on the top of the world. I think it was in a James Bond movie. We all walked down to the ? Train stop? The wealthy members of our group stopped at the $$$$$ restaurant. The rest of us walked to the train 🚂 stop. There we’re two wonderful little restaurants? Takeaways? One was a Rosti, which translates to the American hash browns. Only three ? Francs? The other was a sausages? Like very long hot dogs 🌭 for three francs. The hike made me very hungry so I had both. The Rosti was the best food I’ve tasted in Switzerland. The night before some people in our group got all of the fondue so some of us did not get a chance to have some fondue and the dinner was awful! The sausages were very good too. When the wealthy members met us at the train stop after eating at the $$$$$ restaurant, they complained that the food was awful 🙄. I was reminded again that $$$$$$ does not always mean better.

    Thinking of what I would like instead of Davos or Branson. MAYBE Aspen festival of ideas???? Though I would prefer Canada or 🇬🇧 or Scandinavia.

    Because I’m old fashioned in some ways, I would like to see weaving, knitting, bookbinding, quilting, butter churning and ice cream making workshops. I also would like to see more accessible workshops like how technology can help people with disabilities. I would say I’m a mix of old fashioned and modernist. When I was a child, I remember learning how to create a cartoon strip at a science museum.

    Diana

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    1. Diana, I love your ideas, and I think we've worked out a rotating plan to have the conference in the US, then Canada, the Mexico :-)

      As to the $$$$ restaurant, it's such a silly, nouveau riche kind of idea. I've hiked in the Bavarian Alps as a kid, and I promise you, Rosti and sausages will taste better and are a much more authentic experience than some fancy ski-high restaurant.

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    2. We went to Newfoundland in 1977 (just before we were engaged - very short story that part). Anyway we were hiking Gros Mountain and Buddy met us going the other way. He said he had stuff for a picnic, and did we want to join him, so we said sure (he didn't look or talk like a serial killer). He opened a very small can of Vienna sausages (cold) and we sat and enjoyed them and him. They may be the best lunch ever! (if you don't know Vienna Sausages are really just tiny hot dogs - and a delicacy in Newfoundland!)

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  18. Julia, I love that idea about five reasons cake reduces stress IF we can also learn how to bake that yummy cake and eat pieces of that yummy cake too!

    Diana

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    1. There will be hands-on content in our conference, Diana!

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  19. Hey some of us are NOT the great unwashed. I know it is a joke. I think it is a reference to the French Revolution? Even us peons have access to soap and water. In Scotland in the old days people would bathe in the rivers. That was before industrial pollution.

    Diana

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    1. Just don't hold this mythical conference at a comic convention. The term "The Great Unwashed" is not a cliche there, but an accurate description. It's like some people forget what soap and water is when they go to a comic show. One time I was looking through some comic boxes and this guy came up next to me to look in some other boxes and I could see the air around him (and thus me) almost literally curdle like spoiled milk.

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    2. Jay, do you mean that person was like that character from Peanuts with clouds of dirt surrounding the character?

      Diana

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    3. Diana, yes Pigpen is a good way to think about it.

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    4. I've never been to a comic con, Jay, but I recall a few similar experiences while attending science fiction cons...

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  20. Julia, this is priceless! Made my day... and made me splurt my coffee... Sometimes I wonder if we're not a few steps closer to what Karl Marx predicted. Welcome back to the age of robber barons. Seriously. Branson sounds like heaven.

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    1. Hallie, sometimes you have a choice between laughter and murder. :-D

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  21. This is brilliant, Julia! I'm down for Branson.

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  22. From this morning's news. You have to laugh at the very idea of millionaires clamoring to tax themselves nearly nothing.
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/millionaires-higher-taxes-on-rich-davos-inequality/

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    1. I note in the article those aren't people invited to attend Davos. You have to be the right kind of millionaire to get into the WEF - one who would never dream of proposing policies that might reduce the wealth of the 1%.

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  23. About a JRW conference: let's do it. If not 2023, how about 2024? I'll help organize it.

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    1. We've talked about it a lot. Maybe 2024 is the year to put it in action?

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    2. I will be there even if I have to ride a mule to get there.

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    3. When is our first planning meeting? Let's get this row on the shoad, ladies!

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  24. Affordable public transportation, including trains, with deep discounts for seniors, to encourage people to stay off the roads.

    Canada is a great idea, especially in the
    summer!

    DebRo

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    1. Oh, Deb, how I wish we had more public transportation in my rural state...

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  25. I'd like a forum on how to retaliate against drug companies that charge us an arm and a leg for prescriptions that are available in other countries for a fraction of the cost. If my husband ever wins the lottery and buys his private island maybe he'll allow our JRW convention to be held there.

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    1. Pat, we can have a workshop on how to sharpen pitchforks, how to create long-lasting, environmentally-friendly torches, and how to heat tar and feathers to just the right temperature.

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  26. Julia, thanks for starting my day with a laugh. This is brilliant! Davos always makes me think of the villain Davros on Doctor Who, very fitting. I'll take Branson any say. Can we stop at Buccee's on the way?

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    1. Deborah, I love each and every time you work in a Doctor Who reference!

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    2. Debs, the actual founder of the WEF, Klaus Schwab, looks - and acts - a LOT like James Bond's Blofeld. Don't know if he has a cat, though.

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  27. You are brilliant and hilarious but mostly brilliant, dear Julia. Thank you for making me feel smarter just by reading this post, also, I think I can chair the panel on cake eating for stress reduction...just sayin'.

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    1. We're going to have a whole presentation on Bad Breakfast Choices and you're going to be in charge, Jenn.

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    2. That's a panel I want to be on!

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    3. 😂 I would like to be on this panel too. Diana

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  28. I am loving today's evolving conversation!

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  29. I needed this today Julia. Thank you ever so much. My topic. Transportation choices for the 21st Century.. mules, or cars, balloons or jets, paddle boats or cigar boats?

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  30. Thank you, everyone, for putting the world and its media-selected leaders into perspective.

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  31. I'm coming in late because of some doctor appointments, and I needed this hilarity. At least the x-ray place made everyone wear masks. Julia, you have made me laugh so hard at your post. I will follow you to Branson or anywhere.

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  32. Here on the Central Coast of California, we’re thinking of classes like “expand your wardrobe by repurposing burlap sand bags.” and “dodging storm debris is the new hot yoga”

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