March, 2009 archive
Scam Alert 2
From the Virginian-Pilot. Follow the link for more detail:
The automated telephone message said the car’s warranty was expiring and this was the last notice.
It said to press 1 to talk with a representative. The guy on the other end gave only a first name, but Caller I D showed his number as (416) 523-1121. He asked a lot of questions, wanting the make, model, year of the car and other details.
He’ll call again, tomorrow or the day after, even if told to stop.
The Federal Trade Commission and other groups are trying to find and stop these folks, but the agency doesn’t appear to be succeeding in Hampton Roads and elsewhere.
I Should Watch More Telly Vision 0
I don’t normally watch press conferences. I read about them the next day.
I’m beginning to regret missing this one.
“Natural” Means “Natural” 1
Well, duh! The judge rules that the federal government (under the previous administration, mind you) really shouldn’t sell out our heritage.
[RANT MODE ON]
Of course, that bunch sold out more than our heritage. It sold out our traditions, our Constitution, our liberties, our laws, the treasure of our labor, and the blood of our young. Pah!
[RANT MODE OFF]
The ruling comes as a victory for Delaware Audubon, the Center for Food Safety and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility, the three groups that challenged the agricultural practices at Prime Hook.
Well, Just Don’t Get Sick 0
You should know better anyway.
That’s according to a study released Tuesday by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which found that nearly 1 in 5 workers is uninsured, a significant increase from fewer than 1 in 7 during the mid-1990s.
Adventures in Linux 0
I broke the screensaver.
Then I fixed it.
To Breathe Fresh Air 0
Off to drink liberally.
Jindal Bells, Reprise 0
Over at Mudflats.
Hu(me)bris 0
Mad Kane:
Fuming About Hume (Limerick)
By Madeleine Begun KaneThe blogs are a threat to the news
Cuz they’re slanted, says Hume, in their views.
A fellow from Fox
Casting “partisan” knocks?
To Hume I must say, “Brit, j’accuse.”
Via Skippy.
Maybe It’s Because I’m a Guy 2
Or maybe is was my low-key socially conservative Southern upbringing . . .
I do not understand the urge to have something new, not because I need it or not because I want what it can do or not because it looks like it might be fun or entertaining or useful, but, well, just because it’s new.
Yet, whole segments of our economy seem to be founded on new simply for the sake of new.
Edition by Banana Republic — featuring limited-edition handbags and jewelry, along with some shoes, sunglasses and personal-care products from Banana Republic — will open exclusively in Gap’s hometown Westfield San Francisco Centre in May. A Gap spokeswoman declined to comment on whether the company has plans to open more of the stores, but said that Gap plans to incorporate lessons from the test shop.
Limited edition over-priced unnecessary junk is still over-priced unnecessary junk.
I restrict my shopping to cheap, necessary junk, thank you very much.
Quicksilver 0
“This here next one’s rock and roll”:
Word of the Day 0
Courtesy of BuzzWhack (http://www.buzzwhack.com/):
menoporsche: Male menopause. Symptoms include a sudden lack of energy, crankiness, and the overpowering urge to buy a Porsche.
Me, I want a Lamborghini.
I’ve wanted one for 45 years, since I first read a review in Motor Trend. In 45 more years, maybe . . . .
It’s the Treasure. It’s Not the Blood . . . 0
. . . that has the capacity to outrage. Rosemary and Walter Brasch take a look at what does and doesn’t have the power to spark outrage amongst Americans:
And why are we outraged? Because it’s money.
As homeless children sleep beneath bridges, as millions desperate for work are told to go home and collect a pittance in unemployment, as innocent Iraqis die, as young soldiers return without limbs, as our earth is being destroyed, we sit and yawn through the news, desensitized to the horror. But, sadly, the one thing we react to, the driving impetus to contact our legislators, and the one thing that moves us to outrage is money.
Your Financial Geniuses at Work: Greedy and Stupid Dept. 0
Terry Gross: “How did they (AIG–ed.) calculate risk when they were putting these complex instruments together?”
Guest Gretchen Morgenson: “. . . they certainly didn’t . . . .”
Listen to the interview here.
Money Marlowes 0
Investors turn to shamuses (not shamans, as in the past) to look into investment firms. From Bloomberg:
“Investors are being more careful in checking out where they put their money,” said Pete Turecek, a senior managing director overseeing hedge funds at Kroll Inc., a risk-consulting company in New York “As the economy continues to weaken, some people including money managers may be drawn to taking shortcuts.”
