The Daily Eudemon
"The only end of writing is to enable the readers
better to enjoy life."
Samuel Johnson, The Idler, 4/5/1760
January 5, 2009A guy, even a wimp, could win the UFC championship with this strategy: Passengers said the man left the plane’s bathroom covered in his own waste on the Dec. 26 flight and attacked the flight attendant.
__________I do a fair amount of bankruptcy work, so I found this Economist piece about European bankruptcies interesting, especially this brewing jurisdictional mess:
Because of the stark differences in treatment of creditors in Europe—Britain, Ireland, the Netherlands and Scandinavian countries are the friendliest, with Belgium, Germany, Portugal and Switzerland in the middle and France, Italy and Spain the worst, according to S&P—the next few years are likely to see jurisdictional battles. According to European Union law, a company can request to file for bankruptcy in the country where it has its “centre of main interest”, and creditors will fight to avoid the worst regimes.
__________
From the Notebooks
The basic assumption behind human activity is a one-on-one cause-and-effect: I hunger, so I eat. I thirst, so I drink. I want money, so I work.
But the vast bulk of everyday actions and decisions aren’t that simple. As I’ve grown older, I increasingly distrust my motives. When I argue with another attorney, am I acting out of pride (to have the satisfaction of winning?), out of duty (to my client), out of a religious motive (does it touch on matters of morality?). Indeed, when I undertake any decision that requires reflective consideration, I am always amazed to see the number of threads that are used to form the final decision, so much so that I have a hard time sorting them out and determining which threads are dominant and which are secondary. All decisions (even the most simple ones, like “I hunger, so I eat”) have these threads that come together in a split second and often effortlessly, so much so that we don’t even recognize the dozen or so threads.
__________Eighteen years behind the curve, but I still found this interesting: Godwin’s Law: As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.
The facts, corollaries, and emotions accompanying this irrefutable truth make me disdain online discussions. I few exchanges in the TDE combox are fine, but anything lengthier either becomes emotional or tiresome. I also find that many people who are willing to engage in lengthy online exchanges are high school or college students, or maybe childless young adults, without (i) many time commitments, or (ii) developed civility.
__________The eighteenth century’s Mississippi Scheme and South Sea Bubble, the seventeenth century’s tulip mania, the 1920’s stock market frenzy, the 1990’s dot com explosion . . . the twentieth century modern art craze?
[T]he circuit from euphoria to catastrophe is not confined to the housing market and over-leveraged hedge funds. It applies, with ghastly pertinence, to that carnival of pretense and grotesquerie, the world of contemporary art. Stage One, the acceleration. It was an international inebriation: “The Chinese painter Zhang Xiaogang saw his work appreciate 6,000 times, from $1,000 to $6m (1999–2008); work by the American artist Richard Prince went up 60 to 80 times (2003–2008). The German painter Anselm Reyle was unknown in 2003; you could have picked up one of his stripe paintings for Ï14,000. Now he has a studio with 60 assistants turning them out for about Ï200,000 each.” . . . .
But this bubble is now deflating. Sotheby’s share price has lost three quarters of its value over the past year, sinking from its peak of $57 in October 2007 to $9 in early November—close to its 1980s low of $8. The latest round of contemporary art auctions in London has gone badly. In October, the Phillips de Pury sale made only £5m—a quarter of the minimum estimate; at Christie’s almost half the lots didn’t sell; and an air of denial hung over the Frieze art fair like a fog.
The article, incidentally, has an ample passage from Charles MacKay’s classic Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds. It’s a pretty good book, but I can’t get through the verbose nineteenth-century style. I just read bits and pieces as the mood strikes me. If you want a taste for the point made in the first third of the book (the part dealing with economic crazes), just check out the quoted passage in this article.
__________Never tried it, but sounds pretty neat:
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListHere’s a number worth putting in your cell phone, or your home phone speed dial: 1-800-goog411. This is an awesome service from Google, and it’s free — great when you are on the road. Don’t waste your money on information calls and don’t waste your time manually dialing the number. I am driving along in my car and I need to call the golf course and I don’t know the number. I hit the speed dial for information that I have programmed. The voice at the other end says, “City & State.” I say, “New Bern, North Carolina.” He says, “Business Name or Type of Service.” I say, “Taberna Golf Course.” He says, “Connecting” and Taberna answers the phone. How great is that? This is nationwide and it is absolutely free! Click on the link below and watch the short clip for a quick demonstration.
Link.
January 4, 2009“Let us remain in adoration; and to Him, who, in order to save us, humbled Himself to such a degree of poverty as to receive our body, let us offer not only incense, gold and myrrh (the first as God, the second as king, and the third as one who sought death for our sake), but also spiritual gifts, more sublime than those which can be seen with the eyes”
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListJanuary 3, 2009
The market rallied yesterday: The Dow topped 9,000 for the first time in two months. I suspect it’s a bull rally (translated: a temporary upswing in an otherwise down market), but I’ll take it. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Dow zig-zags upward all year, maybe for two years (heck, unemployment didn’t get really bad in The Great Depression until 1931). I’m bearish on the U.S. economical outlook in general, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some good periods. Enjoy them, use them to shore up your personal situation: get your garden started, start composting (at least one year initial gestation period, I’m told), maybe buy gold and silver, maybe buy some foreign currency.
I’m heavily invested in foreign stocks. Their rallies yesterday outstripped the NYSE rally. It makes sense: the U.S. economy is coupled with the international economy. Prior to 2008, international stocks outperformed rising U.S. stocks. In 2008, international stocks got hammered more than U.S. stocks. Now, international stocks are beating U.S. stocks. Whatever the U.S. stock market does, the international stock market does, plus a bit more. If the international scene de-couples from our dollar printing press frenzy, though, the two markets will no longer move together. If that happens, international stocks should win in the long run (though there could be a short period of pain for international stocks), and domestics lose big time.
Bottom line: if my dire predictions prove wrong, I will get pretty much the same result with international stocks as I would’ve gotten with domestic stocks. If my dire predictions prove right, I will get far better results with international stocks than domestic stocks. This Pascalian approach certainly isn’t a “lock,” but the logic is irrefutable. I adopted it in response to NYSE cheerleaders who assure me that “if the U.S. sneezes, the rest of the world catches a cold, and if the U.S. is healthy, the rest of the world is healthy.” If they’re right, I’m okay in internationals. If they’re wrong, I’m probably far better in internationals.
The problem is, no one really knows what will happen if that de-coupling occurs. It’d be a massive upheaval to global market patterns that have been developing since WWII, even earlier, from our beginning as a colony. I’m pretty sure, though, that it’ll redound more to the detriment of U.S. stocks than foreign stocks. After all, if the de-coupling occurs, it’ll be a result of the rest of the world jettisoning us, not vice-versa. And if they’re jettisoning us, it’s not because they think they’ll be worse off.
__________When there’s a stock market crash…typically…you can expect a bounce. Stocks should recover 30% to 50% of their losses - before heading down again. Heck, if you get the timing right, you could even recover all your losses from ‘08 (if you have any)…and end up ahead of the game.
If we were speculators, we’d take a long position in stocks soon. If we were speculators, we’d watch this position carefully…and reverse it when the rebound seems to have run its course - probably in April or May.
BTW: I don’t know what to think about Bill Bonner (the voice of The Daily Reckoning). I read (most of) his Mobs, Messiahs, and Markets. It was very good. I’d give it a “7.1.” I enjoy The Daily Reckoning. But then I click on the advertisements, and they scream, “Info-mercial! For gullible people only!” If the advertisements are for gullible people, what does that say about The Daily Reckoning in general? Are people like Bonner just capitalizing off fears of people like me? Is Peter Schiff in that camp? It makes me mighty uncomfortable. Just more uncertainty in these remarkably uncertain times.
__________Looking to buy food with a long shelf life? Honey has a virtually unlimited shelf life (pdf link). If you find some on sale, buy a bunch of it, keep a lid on it, and store it at 64-75 degrees. It’ll stay good for decades. If the economy completely collapses and food can’t be found, you can catch grasshoppers and live like the last of the Great Prophets.
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListJanuary 2, 2009
One of the best things about growing older: No winter blues. I’ll miss the holidays, but I’m thoroughly ready to settle back to normalcy and to take a long winter nap. A handful of these Otters might be perfect. “The new special release is a smooth brown ale, with a touch of raspberry. Rich and toasty with a warming body and light hops, this will be a malty and perfectly fruited beer- very appealing and comforting. Just right for wintertime.”
__________I’m going to Alaska next Summer (courtesy of my parents). I’ll look for some of this: Alaskan Brewing Co. announced that it will expand the limited release of its award-winning Alaskan Barley Wine to all ten western states where Alaskan beer is distributed. Alaskan Barley Wine has been produced in limited edition batches each year since its introduction at the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival in 2003.
__________But I won’t have to wait until next summer to get some unique beers: Without a doubt, winter is in full effect. On the upside, however, Michigan brewers are rolling out their fabulous winter beers.
The best part of the article is this parenthetical reference: “Dragonmead — a non-smoking bar — offers Excalibur barley wine . . . “. A “non-smoking bar.” I love seeing that. I wish more bars went smokeless. I’m not an anti-smoking zealot, not at all, but if the free market were to produce more smokeless bars, maybe the anti-smoking fascists wouldn’t feel compelled to outlaw smoking in all bars. Give people a choice.
__________Buy that man a beer (or six or more)! A TDE reader logged onto Amazon through this site and bought one of these: Sony Bravia XBR KDL-46XBR6 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV. It resulted in a most-righteous kickback, hands-down the most I’ve ever earned from a single order. Many, many thanks. I enjoy blogging, but sometimes it gets to be a grind. Things like that are a real shot in the arm. Thanks again.
BTW: Someone asked me if I get a referral fee if he buys used books at Amazon that are sold by third-party sellers. The answer is, “yes.”
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 31, 2008
I celebrate the New Year in my regular fashion: Meet at the drinking club with friends and family at 2:30 to watch bowl games and drink beer. Afterward, I go home and meet the glare of my wife, who’s been racked with eleven children (my seven and my brother’s four) all afternoon and now has a somewhat-inebriated husband who’s not much help. It gets the marriage off to a lousy new year start, but we eventually get over it . . . by March, anyway.
Speaking of bowl games, Michael (10) got a book of sports trivia. One section contained a list of over 50 defunct college bowl games. I thought about re-keying the list, but instead, found this partial list and this partial list. My favorite defunct bowl name: “The Gotham Bowl.”
__________My New Year Resolution for 2009: Start square-foot gardening. I’m reading about it in this book. The potential results sound impressive. It should slash our vegetable costs during the summer and fall and give my children a healthier diet, but it’s going to be a lot of work to get started: gotta build the boxes (though I think I have found four boxes already, rummaging through my office basement and parents’ basement) and mix the proper compost. I was heartened to see that Bill Bonner (the intelligent pessimist at The Daily Reckoning) mentions gardening three times in his 12/29/2008 post about the bad times coming and how people could help guard against it.
__________Is your News Year Resolution to lose weight? Planning on using diet pop? These guys are killjoys:
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListJust because diet soda is low in calories doesn’t mean it can’t lead to weight gain.
It may have only 5 or fewer calories per serving, but emerging research suggests that consuming sugary-tasting beverages–even if they’re artificially sweetened–may lead to a high preference for sweetness overall. That means sweeter (and more caloric) cereal, bread, dessert–everything.
Guzzling these drinks all day long forces out the healthy beverages you need.
Diet soda is 100 percent nutrition-free, and again, it’s just as important to actively drink the good stuff as it is to avoid that bad stuff. So one diet soda a day is fine, but if you’re downing five or six cans, that means you’re limiting your intake of healthful beverages, particularly water and tea.
December 30, 2008Alright, I’ll vomit now: “The French perfumer Etat Libre d’Orange introduced a product this year called Sécrétions Magnifiques that’s supposed to smell like a mix of blood, sweat and semen,” Herz said. “And the fashion designer Tom Ford has a cologne called Black Orchid that he’s said he intended to smell like a man’s crotch.”
__________Believable if not enviable: The Roman Catholic Church says one in six diocesan priests now serving in the United States is from another country.
It’s not all bad. One of my best confessors ever is from Kenya. Speaking of which: The leader of Egypt’s Christian minority has banned his flock from confessing their sins over the telephone after a rise in phoned-in penitence. Man, I’d love to be able to do it by phone. A drive-thru would be pretty cool, too.
__________Zmirak takes aim at Kwanzaa. Excerpt:
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListFriday’s New York Times addressed the question that nags at the back our minds this time each year: Could “over-commercialization spoil Kwanzaa?”
It’s best not to read such a sentence with your mouth full, lest you spend the new few minutes scraping tapenade off your tapestries. Like most people outside the Upper West Side, I can’t keep a straight face while reading about the pseudo-African holiday that the tenured black separatist and FBI informer Maulana (Ron) Karenga pulled out of his orifice. The Times, with constipated politeness, reports that Karenga “developed the concept for the holiday in 1965.” What kind of holiday is “developed” as a “concept”? I’ll tell you what kind: Administrative Assistants’ Day.
December 29, 2008Well, my Lions did it: 0-16. Unbelievable. The league is set up for parity, but the Lions have managed to be head-and-shoulders worse than anyone else in history (we can debate whether the 0-14 Buccaneers were worst, but surely we have better things to do . . . don’t we?)
But better times are coming. We got rid of Matt “I’ll continue to live in Pennsylvania and draw millions in salary while killing this team” Millen, and we have two first-round draft picks in 2009. We’ll get a new front office and coaching staff, clean house, come at this thing fresh, right? Nope, the owner (rich octogenarian kid given a franchise to run . . . into the ground) said he thinks he’s going to stay the course. Unbelievable.
__________I was out of town last weekend with no access to a computer. Here’s an abbreviated Econ Saturday make-up: Peter Schiff made it into the Wall Street Journal last weekend. And, Fred Thompson conveys my view on things:
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 28, 2008“If we live good lives, the times are also good. As we are, such are the times.”
St. Augustine
(Note: I saw this on the Internet; I haven’t verified it.)
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 27, 2008People sometimes ask, “What’s it like to prepare Christmas for seven children?” My response: Ask my wife. I just have to pay for it all, which is a huge task of course, but it’s spread over the course of twelve months, whereas my wife’s efforts are concentrated into about five weeks.
But I have a few observations about Christmas in general and Christmas in a large family that people might find interesting (for new readers, I have seven children, ages 15 to 3):
1. I wore my pedometer Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed. I logged in over a mile of walking, just carrying presents up the stairs to put under the tree.
2. It takes almost three hours to open, not counting the stockings (which they tear into as soon as they wake up). Marie and I buy approximately eight presents for each child, plus the children buy for each other . . . fifteen per person. They also buy for Marie and me, and Marie and I exchange a few presents Christmas morning (though we exchange most presents after the kids go to bed Christmas Eve). My parents also come over. The result is nearly 150 presents. Wasteful Americans or healthy celebration? I can’t decide.
3. We don’t spend as much on the children as other people in our “socio-economic” class. I simply can’t bring myself to drop $500 on a child at Christmas (and drop $2,000 to $4,000, just on children’s gifts). I don’t condemn those who do, not at all. If I had fewer children, maybe I would, too. I sometimes feel bad that my children suffer such “want,” but then I look at all their stuff–cell phones, iPods, libraries of computer games, more books than Evelyn Wood could read–and just snicker at the idea that they’re even remotely deprived.
4. We continue to celebrate Christmas to the eve of Epiphany. We give each child a small gift every morning. Most gifts cost $1 or $2, but there are some pricier ones in there. Credit my wife with the amazing hassle of organizing those “twelve days of Christmas” gifts. We started the tradition when our youngest were just toddlers, because we remembered the “post-Christmas blues” and wanted our children to have a softer landing. I’ve never seen a trace of pCbs on their faces, so I think it works. I also like the idea of emphasizing that Christmas isn’t a one-day affair. If more Americans got in touch with the rhythms of the liturgical calendar, they’d be happier.
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 26, 2008Light holiday blogging continues. Just this post from Tim J: I don’t want to catch anybody not drinking. A little Belloc exhortation on the evils of abstaining.
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList“For who can be properly nourished, if indeed he be of human stock, without wine? St. Paul said to someone who had consulted him (without remembering that, unlike St. Luke, he was no physician), ‘Take a little wine for your stomach’s sake.’ But I say, take plenty of it for the sake of your soul and all that appertains to the soul: scholarship; verse; social memory and the continuity of all culture. There may be excess in wine; as there certainly is in spirits and champagne, but in wine one rarely comes across it; for it seems to me that true wine rings a bell and tells you when you have had enough. But there is certainly such a thing as a deficiency of wine; and such a deficiency is one of the most awful ravenous beasts that can fasten upon a living soul…”
December 25, 2008A Christmas Carol
by G.K. ChestertonThe Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap,
His hair was like a light.
(O weary, weary were the world,
But here is all aright.)The Christ-child lay on Mary’s breast,
His hair was like a star.
(O stern and cunning are the kings,
But here the true hearts are.)The Christ-child lay on Mary’s heart,
His hair was like a fire.
(O weary, weary is the world,
But here the world’s desire.)The Christ-child stood on Mary’s knee,
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkList
His hair was like a crown,
And all the flowers looked up at Him,
And all the stars looked down.December 24, 2008“For while all things were in quiet silence and the night was in the midst of her course, thy almighty word leapt down from heaven from thy royal throne.” Book of Wisdom. “[This] passage, brimming with the mystery of the Incarnation, is wonderfully expressive of the infinite stillness that hovered over Christ’s birth. For the greatest things are accomplished in silence–not in the clamor and display of superficial eventfulness, but in deep clarity of inner vision; in the almost imperceptible start of decision, in quiet overcoming and hidden sacrifice. . . . The silent forces are the strong forces.” Romano Guardini
_____“He rules the world with truth and grace.” —Isaac Watts ++ “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” —Charles Dickens ++ “The Incarnation…illuminates and orders all other phenomena, explains both our laughter and our logic, our fear of the dead and our knowledge that it is somehow good to die, and which at one stroke covers what multitudes of separate theories will hardly cover for us if this is rejected.” —C.S. Lewis ++ “Regarding not the day, let us give God thanks for the gift of His dear Son… If it be possible to honor Christ in the giving of gifts, I cannot see how while the gift, giver and recipient are all in the spirit of the world… [B]ut we have a Christ gift the entire year.” —Charles Spurgeon ++ “Holiday and Holy Day, Christmas is more than a yule log, holly or tree. It is more than natural good cheer and the giving of gifts. Christmas is even more than the feast of the home and of children, the feast of love and friendship. It is more than all of these together. Christmas is Christ, the Christ of justice and charity, of freedom and peace.” —Francis Cardinal Spellman ++ “The place that the shepherds found was not an academy or an abstract republic; it was not a place of myths allegorized or dissected or explained away. It was a place of dreams come true.” —G.K. Chesterton
_____“We consider Christmas as the encounter, the great encounter, the historical encounter, the decisive encounter, between God and mankind. He who has faith knows this truly; let him rejoice.” Pope Paul VI
_____“There were only two classes of men who heard the cry that night: Shepherds and Wise Men. Shepherds: those who know they know nothing. Wise Men: those who know they do not know everything.” Fulton Sheen
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 23, 2008
Advent is a penitential season. It doesn’t get nearly the respect Lent does in this regard, but I try to do something. This year, I resolved to read all the daily entries in Francis Fernandez’ meditation series, In Conversation with God.
It didn’t go well. The book is great, but I’m not. Between sickness and a blitz at the office, I fell five days behind last week. On Saturday, I started reading Tuesday’s entries and caught up by Sunday evening. It has a lot of great stuff. I figured, “Maybe others have struggled this Christmas, too. Maybe a ‘best of’ Frankie F.’ would help get them ready for Our Savior’s birth.” So as I read last weekend, I typed in a few good passages as I came across them:
“Once again we must want a new conversion–that turning towards God just before Christmas.”
“When you love someone, you want to know all about his life and character, so as to become like him. That is why we have to meditate on the life of Jesus, from his birth in a stable right up to his death and resurrection.”
“It was the simplicity of [the shepherds] that would enable them to see the Child who had been announced to them. It enables them to surrender themselves to Him and adore Him. . . . Without humility and purity of heart it is impossible to recognize him, although he may be very close.”
The “Church invites us to pray: Almighty and merciful God, grant that the anxieties of this life may not impede us as we hasten to meet your Son.” (Quoting the Collect of the Mass for the Second Sunday of Advent.)
“Watch. . . [W]e men tend towards drowsiness and comfort-seeking. We cannot allow our hearts to become dulled with gluttony and drunkenness, and the cares of this life.” (Quoting 1 Thessalonians)
“Our vigilance has to be in the little things that fill up our day.”
“It would be sad if our life was like a great avenue of wasted opportunities. [It] could happen through letting negligence, laziness, comfort-seeking, selfishness and a lack of love creep into us.”
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 22, 2008
A handful of unusual small things occurred Sunday.
First, the temperature dropped to -8. I’m not sure I’ve seen the thermometer that low my entire adult life. Wind chill was at least -25 (it was -20 in the afternoon, when the temperature was 0). Of course, it’s not as cold as this place (where people don’t start to complain until it hits -40).
Second, I watched a little bit of The Incredibles with my kids last night. It was aired as part of ABC Family’s 31 Days of Christmas extravaganza. During the second round of commercials, they aired a Victoria Secret’s commercial (compete with ample cleavage and high thigh shots), followed by a cologne commercial, complete with shirtless men climbing on women. Unbelievable. Network people are trolls.
Third, I bought some of that Emergen-C. It helps fight off colds and supposedly gives a boost of energy. I was dragging a bit after dinner, so I filled my Elvis glass with Mountain Dew, then dumped in a packet and stirred. The thing fizzed up and gushed over the sides of the glass. Odd chemical reaction, that. But the resulting drink was excellent (I used the pink lemonade flavor), and I felt good the rest of the night.
Fourth, my godson, nephew, and next-door neighbor got Robo Pong for his birthday. It’s one of the coolest toys I’ve ever seen. I spent almost an hour playing it last night. Actually worked up a sweat. Sixteen years ago, I, with great hesitation, bought a house next to my oldest brother. It was the only good house available in my price range. We both kinda shrugged when we talked about me buying the house (”Yeah, it’ll be kind of weird living next door to each other, but shouldn’t be a big deal. Let’s see how it goes.”). It turned out to be one of the best life moves I ever made. Whether he feels the same way, I don’t know, since I’m the one with the parade of kids tramping over his yard and house all times of the year.
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 21, 2008If you have a God you understand, you have erected an idol.
Benedict Groeschel, 12/13/2008 Podcast from Sunday Night Live (not a precise quote, but I got it very close).
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 20, 2008Today’s economic post is a simple thank you: Thanks to everyone who has been purchasing from my Amazon link. Scores of purchases have been logged in after people accessed Amazon from TDE, including a purchase of a camcorder and Quick Books software. I’ve earned over $65 in Amazon credits this month. In the grand scheme, it’s a small thing, but sometimes the small things are the most encouraging.
Some Letterman econ humor: “Bernie Madoff, the guy who swindled investors out of $40 billion, was arrested and released on bail . . . sent home to his $7 million Park Avenue penthouse. He’s on house arrest. That sends a clear message.”
I still don’t officially blog on Saturday, and I have to work today, so that’s it for now. Note: I suspect blogging will be light throughout the holidays.
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListDecember 19, 2008Yes, I realize posting has been a bit lazy this week. I’ve been struggling with a cold/virus/bug/demon for almost six weeks now and this week it tipped me: ongoing fatigue reinforced by a new non-stop cough laid me out, plus I was met with deluge of bad events at the office. I was lucky to have the FTN bank at my disposal. I’m feeling better now, thanks to some anti-biotics (doctor gave them to me Monday, thinking I might have some low-grade bacterial infection that I wasn’t able to beat . . . kinda like AIDS, I gather). Anyway, no BYCU today, except this announcement:
Bookmark it: del.icio.us | Reddit | Slashdot | Digg | Facebook | Technorati | Google | StumbleUpon | Window Live | Tailrank | Furl | Netscape | Yahoo | BlinkListMillerCoors LLC has announced that it no longer will produce caffeinated-alcohol beverages. The Milwaukee-based company will reformulate its Sparks energy drink to remove the caffeine, taurine, guarana and ginseng after a group of state attorneys complained that the stimulants in the beverage would reduce drinker’s sense of intoxication and increase risky behaviors.