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Maybe it’s all due to holiday giddiness — but when did our day-to-day lives turn into a series of slogans?
It all started with Thanksgiving Thursday, a simple, classic holiday. But nowadays, that’s quickly followed by a torrent of catchy-themed days: Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday and #Giving Tuesday.
For those who’ve been under a rock, Black Friday is all about frenzied shopping to get good bargains; Small Business Saturday encourages support for small, local businesses; Cyber Monday entices shoppers with online deals; and #Giving Tuesday is a day dedicated to generosity and giving back.
Our next suggestion: Make-it-stop Wednesday.
Climate refugees in the next wave?
Government officials and planners in Australia already are discussing ways policies could change in that country to accommodate refugees from neighboring island nations whose existence is threatened by climate change.
The international meeting in Paris has turned policymaking eyes toward the Pacific Basin as being the first to suffer displacement.
Even if Syrian refugees seem unlikely to settle in Hawaii, it’s hard to imagine that the islands wouldn’t be a choice stop for those fleeing inundation in the Pacific.
That may not be an immediate problem, but Australians are wise to be proactive on this issue. U.S. leadership should start the conversation about how it will affect us as well.