Officially, there are 12.5 million employable people out of work in the U.S. That is not only bothering because of its historic significance, bit more so because it reminds me of that old adage, "desperate times call for desperate measures". I would not be surprised to see, as this ongoing economic crisis continues, that all over the world, a dramatic increase in crime is recorded as a result of folk simply trying to put food on the table...It is quite disturbing to think that the folk who put us here (take this for what it's worth), will in all likelihood never see a day of prison or face any other form of punishment, while the poor family who has lost most of what they worked their entire lives for might have to spend some time in jail for committing crimes to feed themselves. This is yet another difference between the haves and the have nots...White collar crime vs. blue collar crime...
Lately I have been walking down the alley behind my house in the morning. Not sure if you know or not, but the primary function of an alley is for garbage collection. That being said, I see a lot of garbage cans on my way to the car. Well this morning, something struck me as unusual and funny. Behind one of the nicer homes on the block, I noticed that the Christmas tree has just been thrown out! I thought to myself, "WTF? You have got to be kidding me!" Then as I was driving to work I thought of my own procrastination as of late. I have dry cleaning bags in my closet from February of 2007! This weekend, I am going to clean the closet, and like my neighbor, will be getting rid of stuff that needed removal LONG ago...
Werd O' Da Day:
scratch • \SKRATCH\ • noun
1 : a mark or injury made by or as if by scratching; also : a sound so made
2 : scrawl, scribble
3 : the starting line in a race
4 a : a test of courage
*b : satisfactory condition, level, or performance
Example Sentence:
The team made it to the championship despite the fact that they were not up to scratch for the last several games.
Did you know?
The phrase "up to scratch" has its origins in the world of sports. In the 18th century, "scratch" began to be used for a line or mark that served as the starting point in a contest or competition. In order to begin or continue a fight, for example, a pugilist would "come up to the scratch," positioning himself at a line drawn across the prize ring. "Up to the scratch" was soon being used figuratively of anyone who was ready and able to do something. Over the years, the usage of the phrase has evolved somewhat, but something that is "up to scratch" can still be said to be ready and able in that it is capable of functioning or performing as expected.
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