Blogging Boomers Carnival #20 is up!

The Boomer Chronicles is this week's BBC hostess with the mostest. This week's delectables range from brains to food to mid-life garage bands. Enjoy.

Presidential Candidates...Where do YOU Stand on 50 Plus?

I run an online group on Eons.com, the Jeff Taylor (of Monster.com fame) creation for those 50 to 100 years old. The group, called "Careers for Boomers and 50 Plus" has a large, fairly active membership (you are welcome to join,) and I'm always interested in trends or through-themes. One of the biggest red flags waving right now in topics and comments in the group is the apparent age discrimination that is stopping qualified 50 plussers from finding gainful employment. I think we are in an interesting moment that is about to become a pivotal moment.

Within a short few months, the die will be cast for our presidential hopefuls. So who will be our next president? Who is hoping for our 78 million votes (yes, there are about 78 million boomers)? Will it be Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards or even possibly Al Gore? What about John McCain, Mitt Romney or Mike Huckabee?

We're a strong demographic and issues that affect us are front and center...for us. Medical programs and soaring medical costs in an overly bureaucratic (read "unhelpful") insurance system, threats of social security shortfalls, challenging employment issues including age discrimination in the workplace...and what ever happened with the resolutions that came out of the White House Conference on Aging?

Make sure that your voices are heard. Your vote will count. To learn more about each of the candidates under consideration, click on this link for profiles on each one (thanks to the Washington Post for this).

There is a powerful time ahead for our demographic. I'm not political by nature, but it would be nice if some of these candidates were listening. Make sure you are certain where each of these candidates stands on the issues that affect you, at 50 plus.

The difference between Gen Y and Gen Plus. You Tube.

Gen Plussers, 50 plussers, Boomers, children of the 60's...whatever you want to call us...this group of 78 million strong...there is one thing we cherish and will reluctantly give up. Our privacy. I should know. I've been blogging for several years, now. Hundreds of you subscribe and many of you email me. Often. But how many of you feel comfortable or confident making a comment on a post? Very few of you.

Oh, sure, you try to reply to the subscription email that arrives in your inbox and hope that will work (kinda sorta). It doesn't, by the way. Others of you click onto the title or head to the blog site and decide that today is the day you will put your words in a comment. And then you stop. Because it is darn tootin' scary. For us. For the Boomers and 50 plussers who live by our shredders, who won't create a my space or blog.

Well, I cracked up last night listening to the news of a young Mass. man who gave out his cell phone number on You Tube (the video site, where anyone can download/upload their video for the world to see!!) and has received over 5000 phone calls and text messages from strangers who just want to chat. From ALL over the world. WE are afraid to anonymously blog and HE is giving his number, his name, his city and his face out to the world. Forever! If there ever was a clearer illustration of the differences between Gen Y and 50 Plus, this has to be it. My hat is off to Ryan Fitzgerald, the young man, and to his generosity of spirit and sense of adventure. Love it! Won't be doing it myself, mind you...but LOVE it! To see the You Tube broadcast and fall in love with Ryan yourself, just click on this link.

Blogging Boomers Carnival #19 is posted!

This week's Blogging Boomers Carnival is hosted by the always intrepid, sometimes irreverant and always relevant, Life Two. Even a bit more than your usual Carnie fare -- this week there are also some fun contributions from a whole slew of guest bloggers. Check it out, stay current, or wax nostalgic. Always fun.

Snoop Dogg declares "izzle" has fizzled.

Interviewed on Movies on MTV.com, the king of "izzle", Snoop Dogg (famous/infamous rapper), is asking his fans to move on from talking like him. He created a whole new lingo, by adding "-izzle" into his language. He is "izzled" out and wants us to LIG (Let it Go!) So, before "izzle" has completely passed us by, I figured I'd give a shout out to all the potential employers out there who are looking to attract the 50-plussers to their workforce.

Here's how. For example, if I wanted to say, "HEY, Employers! Where are you? Why are you not declaring yourself 50-plus friendly? Get your jobs listed on Gen Plus!", in Snoop, I'd say "Whass up, Emplizzles? Whizzle yo at? Whizzle yo nizzle declizzling yozizzle 50-pizzle frezizzle? Foshizzle, gizzle your jizzles on Genizzle Plusizzle and watch it sizzle!"

Ahhh. Much better. Now maybe we'll get some attention.

A black, black week for Blacksburg, VA

Like so many others, I am so deeply saddened and disturbed by the tragic shootings that took place this week at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, VA. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and survivors of this massacre. To pay your respects, or to read more about this tragedy, please visit the official Virginia Tech website:
http://www.vt.edu/

Blogging Boomers Carnival #18

Take a fun stroll through Blogging Boomers Carnival, hosted this week at The Rearview Mirror. You'll find lots of interesting boomerlet tidbits to get you thinking throughout the week.