Gary, that was freakin' classic! I still maintain that the posts by you and wagga make this the most entertaining message board out there.

It was only 3 short years ago that I could look at a topic title like yours (For the Over-50 Crowd) and ignore it. Unfortunately, no longer.

As I was born in 1957 and therefore grew up pretty much in the 60s, bells were ringing all over the place while I read your diatribe. Are you sure you didn't live just down the street from me? Coupl'a thoughts that struck me while I was reading:

TV - there were only 3 networks back in the 60s - ABC, CBS and NBC. Maybe you got PBS if you were lucky. No cable, no Direct TV, just the stupid rabbit ears on top of the (black and white) TV set - which only worked if you were standing by the set holding on to them.

Music - if you were lucky there was a Top 40 AM station, and that was it. Later on in the early 70s you got an FM album station, but you pretty much heard what the DJ and the record companies wanted you to hear. Portable music was the harmonica in your back pocket and your imagination. A big day was grabbing your 45s and going over to a friend's house to listen together - usually on some tiny, carry-case mono turntable with tinny speakers. Oh yeah - and popular music actually consisted of tunes that could be hummed.

School - started after Labor Day, ended by Memorial Day. The summer was 3 months long, like it's supposed to be. None of this starting the first week in August crap. And your teachers usually had permission to paddle you within an inch of your life.

Comfort - The first 13 years of my life I lived in a home with no air-conditioning. In the 1960s cars weren't generally air-conditioned - other than those 4 windows. Schools weren't usually air-conditioned. You had to go to the grocery store and hang out in the frozen food aisle to get cool on those 95-degree, 90 percent humidity days. In Atlanta, that was pretty much May through September. Strangely enough, I don't recall being miserable or uncomfortable in the summer. It was all I knew at the time. Imagine that now, especially you folks in the Mojave and the Central Valley.

Culture - I remember in 1968 or 1969 the Beatles were scheduled to make a live appearance on some variety show - I don't remember which one. They were actually doing it remotely (wow, what technology!), and there was this huge build-up for two weeks beforehand. I and all my friends were so jazzed to see them. The night of the show I turned it on with a high level of anticipation. When my dad heard the opening notes ("Revolution", as I recall), his exact words were, "Oh hell no you don't - no hippie $%#@ in THIS house!" Click went the channel - to something like Lawrence Welk or Hee Haw. I was so bummed.

Oh yeah - and the "Ratfink" was an extremely popular toy - along with the Trolls, Rock-em Sock-em Robots and GI Joe. I miss my Rock-em Sock-em Robots . . .