Friday, October 31, 2008

Not Petty at all

I think this is so funny.
This morning I heard two men talking about a large employer in my area who plans to scale back his business if Obama wins. He can afford to do this because he is wealthy and isn’t interested in putting in extra time to maintain or expand his business if it means he will pay more taxes as Obama has promised. People will lose their jobs if this happens.

If this occurs, it won’t be based on pettiness or pique. The business owner has reached a point in his life where he doesn’t want to work for less money or a marginal amount of additional money. Of course, I doubt his employees agree with this perspective but ultimately it’s the business owner’s decision when he reaches the point where the effort isn’t worth the return.

This kind of reaction to just the possibility of a change in the top marginal tax rate from 36% to 28% isn't petty at all. It's perfectly rational.

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Lifestyle and Political Blogs


Monday, October 27, 2008

Didn't they tell you not to...

.. play with matches, or stick your hand down a toilet, especially on a train.

This guy found out the hard way.

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Sunday, October 26, 2008

Pirates

It used to be US Marines on the Shores of Tripoli.


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Friday, October 24, 2008

Training day

I'm not so sure that training the army of a country we might be going to war with is all that good of an idea.

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What kind of terrorist has a living room?



h/t Althouse

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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

On becoming a "Recessionista"

Apparently the Brits were on the same buying binge as we Americans.

According to a New York Times article

"One-third of consumer debt in all of Europe is held by people in Britain, said Chris Tapp, director of Credit Action, which counsels people about how to handle debt."


I especially liked this quote from the same article, offering tips on how to save money.

"...people were remembering that they could often get free coffee at work (not as good as Starbucks, but coffee nonetheless)"

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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Words count, and counting words

"James W. Pennebaker’s interest in word counting began more than 20 years ago, when he did several studies suggesting that people who talked about traumatic experiences tended to be physically healthier than those who kept such experiences secret. He wondered how much could be learned by looking at every single word people used — even the tiny ones, the I’s and you’s, a’s and the’s."

complete story

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Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Witching for Water

Witching for water. That's what my dad used to call it. He did it. My family seemed to think it was normal, but then my family's view of normal is sometimes a bit different.

That's how they found water in Kansas. My dad had several wells drilled, and I never heard of a time they didn't hit water, after he had "witched" for it.

I am sure Gary will have something to say about this.

The folks at the NY Times find it amusing.

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Lifestyle and Political Blogs


Sunday, October 05, 2008

Scabby The Rat

The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey has an article about an inflatable rat used by Unions to protest non-union hirings.


"The inflatable rat idea was first pumped up in 1990, when a Chicago union asked an outdoor advertiser to come up with a flashy way to catch the attention of nonunion employers. The owners of Big Sky Balloons and Searchlights, of Plainfield, Ill., which made the first rodent, called it "Scabby the Rat." Today, they sell rats up to 25 feet tall, charging as much as $8,950.

The rat in New Jersey's debate gets out about 50 times a year. It is inflated by a small electric blower that can be hooked into a car's cigarette lighter. When not on the picket line, it deflates to a storage bag that resides -- fittingly -- in the union's boiler room next to an inflatable pig that goes out when the rat is double-booked.

Union officials say they first try to talk to business owners to resolve the wage issues. The rat is a tool of last resort. "If they say 'Hey, leave us alone' then we bring out our friend," said DeAngelo."



This is the kind of article I always enjoyed reading in the Star-Ledger. Something local and quirky.

Sopranos creator, David Chase, got many of his plot lines from Star-Ledger articles.

Unfortunately the Star-Ledger is in bad financial shape and might be sold.

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Thursday, October 02, 2008

Rednecks explained to the Brits


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