I was in Seattle on election day and happened to see this display at the 5 Spot restaurant on Queen Anne hill. Elephant on the right, donkey on the left. Note the elephant’s salacious leer and the donkey’s defiant-yet-submissive posture. Looks to me like the Democrats had a pretty good idea what was about to … Continue reading Pain In The Ass -Ism
Angels and Pinheads
Today, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the recession that began in December of 2007 officially ended in June of 2009, some 14 months ago. I’m sure relieved to hear that. I’ll bet you are too. According to the Wall Street Journal, the NBER goes on to “warn” that any future downturn would … Continue reading Angels and Pinheads
Fun Photos Are Back!
Time magazine is printed on pretty thin paper these days. Thin enough that if you happen to read it with a little backlight, images from the back side of the page you're reading show through. The June 7 issue (Pope on the cover) included a photo of Kentucky senate candidate (also ex-ophthalmologist, libertarian scion, Tea … Continue reading Fun Photos Are Back!
Canada – Part Deux
OK, I used the Part Deux thing once before. A little latitude, please. The Canadians speak French. On our way back from the family road trip, we spent another very enjoyable day in Canada. Here are three more observations from the trip: 1) We crossed the border four times – twice out and twice back … Continue reading Canada – Part Deux
Blame Canada!
I’m on a road trip with the family that included a very pleasant three days driving across Canada from the Michigan border to Montreal. Here are a couple of observations from the road: Observation 1: In Toronto (my first time there), I was struck by the sight of construction cranes, something I haven’t seen in … Continue reading Blame Canada!
Toyota: There They Go Again
When I was 17, I helped my mother buy her first post-divorce car. We settled on the first Civic that Honda brought into the US. It was a great little car, and I’ve been pretty loyal to Honda ever since. These days, I’m glad about that because the big boys at Toyota are back with … Continue reading Toyota: There They Go Again
Words of Irresponsibility – “Our Company”
Did Toyota really do anything wrong? It’s hard to know. Infrequent, intermittent problems, especially electrical ones, are almost impossible to diagnose. You have to catch the criminal in the act, which is hard to do when the criminal is a packet of five or six electrons that turned left instead of right three layers down … Continue reading Words of Irresponsibility – “Our Company”
Healthcare – Part Deux
The other day, my friend Scott McMillan posted a comment about the opening sentence of my (now ancient) last post. He said, “I’d like you to comment on this statement: ‘It’s starting to look like we’re going to get some sort of healthcare reform.’” Well, Scott, here you go. It’s often been said of the … Continue reading Healthcare – Part Deux
A Plague on Both Our Houses
OK, I’ll admit that I’m stumped on this one. It’s starting to look like we’re actually going to get some sort of healthcare reform which, at least in general terms, I believe is a good idea. If you think what we’re doing now is working, read the first paragraph of this article. We spend more … Continue reading A Plague on Both Our Houses
A Quiet Bit of Good News
A wonderful thing happened two days ago. Lou Dobbs left CNN. I'd like to claim credit for this. A couple of years ago, I emailed CNN begging them to get Dobbs off the air. I offered up the only leverage I could, telling them that as soon as he came on the air, they immediately … Continue reading A Quiet Bit of Good News
Carp Diem 