at slate on the universality of the insult MF. In fact in texas in the 1800's you couldn't be charged higher than manslaughter if someone called you a MFing S of a B if you killed that man. I find that information about our simularities even via entertainment like the show 'Lie to Me' show the common humanity in emotion, insults, and certain expressions.
http://www.slate.com/id/2213558/
Also reading the Third Chimpanzee by Jared Diamond, recommend all his books. I hope, no I pray that everyone in the White House has read them, all.
if I didn't point out the excellent series of essays on slate about terrorism and how the US has gone so long without an attack
http://www.slate.com/id/2211998
Yesterday two events were marked in History. The Economy of the United States of America as measured by the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell to a point not seen since 1997. And a probe from the Peoples Republic of China reached the moon. If, like countless nations before us, we are destined to be replaced as the flagship of nations, then historians will look back at this moment and say, “See how China closes the Gap”. We must as the generation of the sixties did before us, by reinvesting in the math and science education infrastructure of our society. We must make education a life long priority.
just read about subidies to the state's for aquaculture in the Stimulus Bill; I assume that would be fisheries and the like. I just wanted to say that was an excellent idea. In fact, if there was one thing the U.N. could do to justify it's existence it would be to promote the controversial proposition that more fish in the ocean is better than less fish in ocean. The U.N. should be dropping fisheries off all over the world, in kits with brill shrimp if they have to. I support more fish.
I would recommend that we breed Chesapeake Bay oysters onto pyramid shaped reeflike structures; specially designed to support and encourage the oysters growth. Then plant them all over the Bay, outside of shipping lanes, in well marked areas. It used to take 3 to 4 days for oysters to filter all the water of the Bay, now it takes over a year. What would this take besides, aquarium, some miniumum filter (you'd want the oysters to feed after all), plankton, oysters, and a something for them to grow on, that is not the walls of the aquarium (you might let a few stay on the walls for breeding stock) and can be transported later; and convincing a state to pay us until Uncle Sam pays them? oh and a Boat. and some Buoys. Thoughts?
If anyone actually follows this blog, then you'll know my passion to trim the Post Office to mail once or twice a week. So read this.
Finally, enter the top man at the U.S. Postal Service into a fat-cat pay dispute. According to CNN, Postmaster General John E. Potter received $800,000 in total compensation a year ago, triggering howls of protest from critics who point out that Potter recently testified before Congress showing the postal service posted a $2.8 billion loss and might not be able to fulfill its six-day delivery mandate. But the agency's board of governors on Tuesday came to his defense, saying the pay is justified. "Even in these difficult times, the postmaster general continues to exhibit visionary leadership, effecting billions of dollars in cost reductions," said Carolyn Lewis Gallagher, the chairman of the agency's board of governors.
What could he possibly do that justifies that, think up new stamps? No, he probably creates a committee for that. Say, guys lets keep delivering mail; hey why don't we have a monopoly on validating postage, oh wait we do. Lets advertise so some other mail carrier doesn't take our place. No, lets do it to increase demand for more mailers, circulars, post cards, envelopes, and hallmark cards. And lets sell the trees to make it from federal land at $5 an acre. Oh, this will end well.
I'm sorry, but I hold incompetence to be a greater sin than malfeasance. When it comes to the resources of the commonweal. It's one thing to not have any torpedoes on your PT boat because you sold them all, it's quite another if they blow up when you fire them because they were assembled by morons. In WWII an American submarine commander once put 11 torpedoes into a Japanese Transport Ship, 11 duds; he took the 12th back to base for analysis. After sinking the ship with his deck gun.
The WSJ takes an interesting look at the confusion surrounding the executive-pay restrictions that were inserted into the economic stimulus package and could end up affecting more people than previously believed. The law essentially restricts the compensation of the 25 highest-paid people in a company that receives bailout money. But if the company identifies the 25 people it intends to pay the most this year and restricts their pay, they would no longer be the highest paid people and 25 new people would fall into that category. So does that mean their pay would have to be restricted as well? Alternatively, if it's done based on compensation received in 2008, those whose pay is restricted wouldn't be the highest paid in 2009. It could all result in a "weird game of leapfrog," as an executive-compensation attorney puts it.
I think you'll have to say that the top ten percent of management of a company can earn no more than 25% of a companies profit, as defined by an outside observer.
I try to read Slate.com's summary of the 5 biggest newspapers, and I saw this
In yet another disturbing story about the special immigration-enforcement units that were set up after Sept. 11 to catch dangerous illegal immigrants, the Post takes a look at a raid that took place in January 2007 that detained 24 Latino men. After being admonished for failing to meet their quota for arrests, a team descended on a 7-Eleven in Maryland and just started detaining people, many of whom were in the country illegally but most were not fugitives. One, in fact, had just stopped by to get coffee on the way to the hospital to visit his wife and child.
