Tuesday, July 22, 2008
We Are Worth Less or Worthless, Whatever
EPA has lowered the value placed on a human life--20% from 5 years ago. Why? So that the value calculated for health and safety issues such as toxics and global worming can be lessened. They really wanted to lower the life value of us oldsters. "Who cares they are just near death anyway." Thanks a lot, Bush.
Vanity Fair Cover Shelved
Vanity Fair had this cover in the works but has shelved it now with the outcry over the New Yorker cover.
Monday, July 21, 2008
ATT Confusion
The story of a pretty red Samsung.
When we were in Europe this winter I had son Jon unlock this phone with codes found on the internet so I could use a Belgacom Pay and Go card for local calls in Belgium. I put the ATT sim card in my eyeglass case and made arrangements with ATT for what I thought was a sort of minimal fee to keep the phone number.
In May I went to Radio Shack and spent 1 1/2 hours getting the phone reactivated and returned (I thought) to the previous calling plan (500 minutes and rollover). Surprise, Surprise. They kept the calling plan that I had been given when the phone was unlocked--a minimal fee and a charge of 45 cents per minute for usage.
I did not notice until I got a note this month indicating a problem with my calling plan. Translate that to mean large charges.
So things are straightened out now. I have a new (old) calling plan and they did take off the per minute charges for the bill I will not even get until after July 25th. I told them I suppose that is better than the civil or criminal penalties they might have faced for eavesdropping on all our phone calls.
Trapped in the corporate system.
When we were in Europe this winter I had son Jon unlock this phone with codes found on the internet so I could use a Belgacom Pay and Go card for local calls in Belgium. I put the ATT sim card in my eyeglass case and made arrangements with ATT for what I thought was a sort of minimal fee to keep the phone number.
In May I went to Radio Shack and spent 1 1/2 hours getting the phone reactivated and returned (I thought) to the previous calling plan (500 minutes and rollover). Surprise, Surprise. They kept the calling plan that I had been given when the phone was unlocked--a minimal fee and a charge of 45 cents per minute for usage.
I did not notice until I got a note this month indicating a problem with my calling plan. Translate that to mean large charges.
So things are straightened out now. I have a new (old) calling plan and they did take off the per minute charges for the bill I will not even get until after July 25th. I told them I suppose that is better than the civil or criminal penalties they might have faced for eavesdropping on all our phone calls.
Trapped in the corporate system.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Social Security Hypocrisy
I think it is the height of hypocrisy to condemn Social Security and suggest that privatization (which would destroy the system) would help it and choose to take Social Security yourself as McCain does. If he does not need it, he should not take it.
You are not required to take Social Security payments. It is a form of social insurance, providing an income in old age for those who need it. Yes, we all pay into it. But we also pay fire insurance on our homes and for the most part we never collect anything on that! I do not plan on taking Social Security until I am about 70, since I do not feel I will need it until then.
Mom felt somewhat bad about taking Social Security, since she was a double dipper with California Teacher's Retirement and Social Security. Often at Christmas she would give my sister and me a large check to spend. She said she considered it to be from her Social Security. She later put the money she saved from her Social Security in an investment fund to benefit the two of us.
McCain does not need Social Security and does not seem to understand that he could refuse the benefit.
McCain is already a double dipper with a military retirement and Social Security. He will also collect retirement from the Senate, making him a triple dipper with a 6 million dollar spouse.
Of course other government workers including postal workers are not allowed to collect Social Security even if they would otherwise have qualified.
It would help Social Security a bit if it were means tested. If you really don't need it, you should not be able to collect it. I would put the break fairly high, at about 100K for a couple. Then it would become more the social insurance program it was meant to be. No rich people collecting Social Security.
You are not required to take Social Security payments. It is a form of social insurance, providing an income in old age for those who need it. Yes, we all pay into it. But we also pay fire insurance on our homes and for the most part we never collect anything on that! I do not plan on taking Social Security until I am about 70, since I do not feel I will need it until then.
Mom felt somewhat bad about taking Social Security, since she was a double dipper with California Teacher's Retirement and Social Security. Often at Christmas she would give my sister and me a large check to spend. She said she considered it to be from her Social Security. She later put the money she saved from her Social Security in an investment fund to benefit the two of us.
McCain does not need Social Security and does not seem to understand that he could refuse the benefit.
McCain is already a double dipper with a military retirement and Social Security. He will also collect retirement from the Senate, making him a triple dipper with a 6 million dollar spouse.
Of course other government workers including postal workers are not allowed to collect Social Security even if they would otherwise have qualified.
It would help Social Security a bit if it were means tested. If you really don't need it, you should not be able to collect it. I would put the break fairly high, at about 100K for a couple. Then it would become more the social insurance program it was meant to be. No rich people collecting Social Security.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
The Bike Ride With Frank
Look at the name of the store where Frank and Bill stopped for a beer on the ride!!
Oregon Country Fair
Camping was cheek to jowl. Tents and cars eventually filled the area where I stood to take this pic.
William tries to stake out a bit of privacy space.
The fair is an extravaganza of art and costume.
Look at the dragonfly on top of the mushroom seat.
The green tree stilt man was amazing.
Everyone was having fun.
Many of these art works are permanent parts of the fair grounds.
Thalia (former kindergarten teacher at Sawyers Bar) and her son Josh. Thalia has a booth here where she sells her weaving.
The haute trash fashion show
The fair had dance, acrobats, music, circus acts and spoken word about everything from spiritualism to the energy crisis. The Oregon Country Fair
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Consumer Price Index
I find figures for 4.0% increase through May excluding food and fuel. Add in food and fuel and you get around 9%.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Domestic Spying
Were you aware that GW and Friends began planning the domestic spying program with the telecoms as soon as he was elected and implemented it early in 2001. I didn't know this.
Were you aware that when Qwest refused to participate in the program and turn over customer records because their lawyers told them it was illegal, GW and Friends reneged on promised contracts causing the company to tank later in the year. I didn't know this.
Were you aware that GW and Friends got the justice department to prosecute the CEO of Quest for insider trading after he sold stock options that were due to expire early in 2001, because he continued to speak positively about the prospects of the company before it tanked because of the reneged contracts. He was unable to present any of this information about the contracts and domestic spying at his trial because it was suppressed as classified information. I didn't know this.
I think what we all don't know about this administration is mind boggling.
Were you aware that when Qwest refused to participate in the program and turn over customer records because their lawyers told them it was illegal, GW and Friends reneged on promised contracts causing the company to tank later in the year. I didn't know this.
Were you aware that GW and Friends got the justice department to prosecute the CEO of Quest for insider trading after he sold stock options that were due to expire early in 2001, because he continued to speak positively about the prospects of the company before it tanked because of the reneged contracts. He was unable to present any of this information about the contracts and domestic spying at his trial because it was suppressed as classified information. I didn't know this.
I think what we all don't know about this administration is mind boggling.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Jobs down the drain
Doing a bit of my own statistic gathering.
economists estimate that the nation needs to add roughly 150,000 jobs a month just to keep up with population growth
150,000 x 12 = 1,800,000 per year
From US Bureau of Labor Statistics
2000 non farm jobs 131,785,000
2007 non farm jobs 137,623,000
jobs increase 5,838,000
1,800,000 x 7 = 12,600,000 would have been needed
actual job loss for 2008; 400,000 first 6 months
predicted for next 6 months; 400,000
So for full 8 years of Bush;
12,600,000 – 5,838,000 – 800,000 = 7,562,000 job shortfall
And of course many/most of the new jobs were in the service sector, paying less than the manufacturing jobs they replaced.
But income increased? Only in the sense that when a hedge fund manager walks into a bar the average income of the people in the bar increases.
Why aren't the unemployment statistics higher?
1. people have given up
2. if they have run out of unemployment benefits, they are also not counted.
economists estimate that the nation needs to add roughly 150,000 jobs a month just to keep up with population growth
150,000 x 12 = 1,800,000 per year
From US Bureau of Labor Statistics
2000 non farm jobs 131,785,000
2007 non farm jobs 137,623,000
jobs increase 5,838,000
1,800,000 x 7 = 12,600,000 would have been needed
actual job loss for 2008; 400,000 first 6 months
predicted for next 6 months; 400,000
So for full 8 years of Bush;
12,600,000 – 5,838,000 – 800,000 = 7,562,000 job shortfall
And of course many/most of the new jobs were in the service sector, paying less than the manufacturing jobs they replaced.
But income increased? Only in the sense that when a hedge fund manager walks into a bar the average income of the people in the bar increases.
Why aren't the unemployment statistics higher?
1. people have given up
2. if they have run out of unemployment benefits, they are also not counted.
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Where oh where did the money go?
Washington Post reports that there is a 10 year backlog of whistle blower fraud cases against companies that have bilked the government out of billions of our money. The Bush Justice Department is dragging their heels on investigations as the waste is bad press.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Starbucks
Has a Starbucks in your area closed? I was in the SaveMart yesterday waiting for a prescription at the in-store pharmacy and decided to get an espresso. The in-store Starbucks was closed with a sign that said we are exploring other coffee alternatives! Half price sale on the company stock and more.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
More Movies
Once a week the Nevada Theater shows movies that you don't see in the local UA theaters. This Sunday the movie was Where In The World is Osama bin Ladin? Since it is a Morgan Spurlock movie you know it is going to have a lot of humor in it, but it also has a quite serious aspect. We highly recommend it.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
A Busy Saturday
The new Saturday Farmer's Market in Nevada City had really local growers. No growers from down the hill. Lots of luscious greens as it is early in the growing season in Nevada County.
A lovely wild lily in the backyard.
The annual party at Blaze Baker's was a casual fun time. The pig roasts on the spit.
Back for the Foothill Theatre production of the History of America (Abridged). Extremely funny, very punny, very irreverent.
A lovely wild lily in the backyard.
The annual party at Blaze Baker's was a casual fun time. The pig roasts on the spit.
Back for the Foothill Theatre production of the History of America (Abridged). Extremely funny, very punny, very irreverent.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Movie outing
Went to the Magic Theatre to see Son of Rambow. Great little film. Highly recommend it for those who like British kid fantasy films.
Swami Beyondananda
2008 State of the Universe Address
Steve Bhaerman
By overlooking what we should have been overseeing, we have become enablers for the lowest common dominator. Whether it’s called globalization or gobble-ization, it’s the same old mining operation -- that’s mine, that’s mine, that’s mine. Because we’ve allowed ourselves to imagine that someday that “mine” will be ours, we have agreed to a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with our government. We promise not to ask them what they are doing, and they promise not to tell us. That way, we can pretend to believe we are invading a country to keep the peace, when we are really there to keep the pieces.
Steve Bhaerman
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Big fires in June?
The Yuba Complex (a series of fires from lightning strikes) continues to grow in the high country. One fire near the town of Washington is about 2 thousand acres now. So we are full of smoke. Air quality is 90 and heading up. Makes me cough to go outside.
A red colored sun leads to weird reddish shadows.
I had to take the car up to Voltz Bros this AM as the service engine light keeps coming on for no reason. No problem with the car and the code for the light just indicates vague things. So they were going to keep it for the day and think about it. But when dad came to pick me up in the truck, it began to sputter on the way up and totally died in front of the auto shop. Probably the alternator as they can catastrophically fail. So we left the truck and took the car home. The car can go in another day.
I wonder if all this smoke is going to keep the little old fruit lady away from the grower's market up at the Presbyterian church this afternoon. She has great plums, peaches, and tangerines.
A red colored sun leads to weird reddish shadows.
I had to take the car up to Voltz Bros this AM as the service engine light keeps coming on for no reason. No problem with the car and the code for the light just indicates vague things. So they were going to keep it for the day and think about it. But when dad came to pick me up in the truck, it began to sputter on the way up and totally died in front of the auto shop. Probably the alternator as they can catastrophically fail. So we left the truck and took the car home. The car can go in another day.
I wonder if all this smoke is going to keep the little old fruit lady away from the grower's market up at the Presbyterian church this afternoon. She has great plums, peaches, and tangerines.
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