BY HARRY RING
"Quite a stable system - "Sales at the nation's biggest retailers took a slide last month, hurt by unseasonably warm weather and the funeral of Princess Diana, which kept many customers out of the stores and glued to their televisions." - October 10 San Francisco Chronicle.

Easy on the expectations -The European Union rejected a proposal to aim for the creation of 12 million jobs in five years and cut Europe's jobless rate from 10.7 percent to 7 percent.

A wire service report said the ministers of the 15 member countries "expressed concern that the adoption of such headline targets would raise false expectations that could lead to a popular backlash if the ambitious objectives were not met."

Enjoy - A scientist called in by the British government reports that E. Coli, the sometimes lethal meat contaminant, is now more common than salmonella. He estimates that a third of the uncooked chickens sold in Britain are contaminated and that each year up to half a million people suffer food poisoning from it.

The British Way of Death -Smaller British funeral companies complain that unscrupulous conglomerates are offering "cash for corpses." They point to the practice of offering contributions to nursing homes in return for the inside track on death notices and pay staffers for placing the deceased in shrouds bearing their corporate logo.

Isn't even his nickel - The prez loves to get on the horn. He phoned the Superbowl champs in their locker room and put in calls to other winners, not to mention inviting donors over for coffee. But when Jody Williams won the Nobel Peace Prize for her activity against land mines, Clinton skipped the phone and sent her a letter. His administration has refused to sign an international anti-mine treaty.

Miracle of the marketplace -In Russia, the Red Cross urged the wealthy to help an estimated 31 million people who are so impoverished that it's feared many may not survive the winter.

Meanwhile, reports the Times of London, with the drying up of government funding, health care "has deteriorated to the point of catastrophe."

Who says they're anti-entitlement? - Ex-Congressperson Daniel Rostenkowski was released after doing 15 months on a corruption conviction. At 69, he may find it hard getting a job, but he'll probably scrape by on his $100,000-a-year federal pension, which he drew even while in the joint.

Inching toward the millennium - In a test run at 800 parishes, the Church of England has altered the marriage vow so that a woman need not declare she will "obey" her spouse.

Join the fun - If you get a kick out of jabbing at the inanities of capitalism, how about sending clippings to this column? Great Society, c/o Pathfinder Bookstore, 2546 W. Pico Blvd. Los Angeles CA, 90006. Fax: (213) 380-1268.  
 
 
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