My favorite season Autumn is here, and the weather only gets better! Happily, we have moved to Stage 3 of reopening Central Florida. I’m tired of computers, how about you? Let’s get outside and enjoy! Don’t miss two special events: Veg Fest (10/24-25) and Fall Fest at Cassadaga (10/30-31). Both are sure to bring pleasure for the whole family. See all the events on p 27.

When lock-down hit last April, a friend recommended the award-winning (2007-15) TV series “Mad Men” which depicts lives of advertising executives in New York City’s top agencies. It aired for 7 seasons and focuses on the 1960s—a very tumultuous time involving all sorts of news (Civil Rights, JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr assassinations, Vietnam drafts, women’s equal pay and the emerging younger population promoting Peace & Love). Over the summer I watched all 7 seasons—and I wondered: How did my parents cope and safely raise four toddlers? No doubt, it was a challenging time for all ages. I remember us housing the touring choral group “Up, Up with
People” and happily getting on the first de-segregated school bus. Our family supports equal rights. When the Rap Brown riots happened in our Cambridge, MD area, I was only 6 yrs old.The “Mad Men” series also shows how consumers can be manipulated with deceptive advertising—often promoting unhealthy products (such as tobacco, alcohol and Coca-Cola-type products). “Just target human emotions, and watch sales grow!”Sixty years later (1960-2020), here we are in similar situations. The biggest change was the internet in the 1980s. Currently, the PBS channel is airing a series “Hacking Your Mind” which I find interesting—and disturbingly factual. It focuses on social media (FB, Twitter, Google, etc) and other internet sites which track your surfing preferences. From your credit card purchases and political interests—all of your private information is common knowledge to the many who buy their data. This PBS series also explains how the Obama administration was the first political campaign to gain from internet exposure. Check it for yourself. We, educated adults, know this; but younger, innocent minds do not. Adolescents can be easily influenced. As a Publisher, I am
especially interested in how products are branded and promoted. Deceptive advertising is my pet-peeve. Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) should always be considered!
Happy Autumn Days,