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Society's "work ethic" can be a source of self-punishment, usually in the form of self-critical thoughts. The terminology people use, "working" and "not working," are non-coincidentally the same terms we use when a vacuum cleaner or television are either operating properly or broken and in need of repair. -more-

Editor's Note: Congratulations to Helen for this column, which is #200 in an outstanding series contributed for Planet readers!

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Crime is yet another aspect of the problems aging populations are likely to experience… and sometimes to cause. Elder abuse crimes -- that is, crimes against senior citizens or in which elders are victimized -- fall into four main categories: physical abuse, physical neglect by a caregiver, psychological (mental) abuse, and financial (fiduciary) abuse, including theft of such personal items as cash, investments, real property and jewelry belonging to an elder. Recent criminal activity among senior citizens has been attributed to such things as handling the hours of daily loneliness, novelty-seeking, poverty, anxiety over the future, money having become important, financial stress, a lifelong habit, the early stages of dementia, topping up pension benefits, and fear of being put in a retirement home.

In most nations, young men still commit a disproportionate share of crimes. Bloomberg Business attributes increased criminal activity among senior citizens to loneliness and poverty. But as year 2015 ends, rates of crimes committed by senior citizens are rising in Britain and other European and Asian nations, while the U.S. appears to have escaped the trend. -more-

For those seeking an explanation of US politics, there was no better primer than President Obama’s December 6th address to the nation and the Republican response. The President made six points and Republicans rejected most. The two political parties might as well live on different planets. -more-

Persons with various disabilities, compared to others, are generally more tolerant of people who are different. Those "mainstream" Americans who, without too much difficulty, have found material success, often do not understand persons with mental illness or other disabilities. The epitome of this is Donald Trump, who has become known as the candidate with the most bigoted and ignorant attitude of anyone running for President.

A symptom of society's lack of understanding is the standard work ethic. Since when can someone get away with taking a day off from work because they are just too depressed to go to work that day? The work ethic decidedly doesn't acknowledge excuses not to perform that stem from something happening between the ears. When taking a day off from work due to a flare-up of mental illness, it is usually necessary to fabricate a physical excuse. -more-

Why did Turkey shoot down that Russian warplane?

It was certainly not because the SU-24 posed any threat. The plane is old and slow, and the Russians were careful not to arm it with anti-aircraft missiles. It was not because the Turks are quick on the trigger. Three years ago Turkish President Recap Tanya Endogen said, “A short-term violation of airspace can never be a pretext for an attack.” And there are some doubts about whether the Russian plane ever crossed into Turkey’s airspace.

Indeed, the whole Nov. 24 incident looks increasingly suspicious, and one doesn’t have to be a paranoid Russian to think the takedown might have been an ambush. As Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney (ret), former U.S. Air Force chief of staff commented, “This airplane was not making any maneuvers to attack the [Turkish] territory,” the Turkish action was “overly aggressive,” and the incident “had to be preplanned.” -more-

Another mass killing in the U.S. This time in San Bernardino — 14 dead, 21 wounded. We say ho-hum as gun violence has now become an expected event in our every day lives. Consider that since 2006, there have been more than 200 mass killings in the U.S. Americans have seemingly come to accept gun violence as long as it doesn’t directly affect them or their love ones personally. -more-