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Better Than Jail Time, It’s The Day-Fine
Once again we will attempt to bring clarity to an obscure topic. Should traffic fines be calculated based on the driver’s income? Aroused by our last post, readers have bombarded us with their thoughts regarding the $1,000,000 fine levied on a speeder in Switzerland last week. After doing some research I discovered there’s more than … Continue reading
Faster Than WikiLeaks: We Scoop The NY Times, Once Again
It’s always nice when we beat the “Grey Lady” to a major story. OK, this isn’t really a major story, but we’ll wallow in the victory of our scoop. Last month we wrote that Cheap Knock-Offs Are Giving Fine Counterfeits A Bad Name. And almost three weeks later, here is the NY Times’ lede paragraph, After … Continue reading
Europe’s Oldest Political Body Now Swatting At Mosquitoes
Technology can be used to solve some of mankind’s thorniest problems. I read about the “mosquito” several years ago. It’s a gizmo that emits an irritating, high-pitched sound that can be heard only by children and people into their early 20s, and is used to prevent teenagers congregating outside shops, schools and railway stations. It … Continue reading
Hey BP, This Barrel’s For You!
You’d think a barrel would just be a barrel. But no, it turns out that a barrel of oil is 30% smaller than a barrel of wine. F2U Rio Linda a barrel of oil holds 42 gallons, while a barrel of wine holds 60 gallons. I discovered this the other day while standing in front … Continue reading
From Skinny Cows To Fatted Calves
Close on the hooves of our Skinny Cow report comes further bovine news from Wall Street, which we’ll put under the category of Fatted Calves. Fatted calf is a metaphor or symbol of festive celebration and rejoicing for someone’s long-awaited return. It derives from the parable of the prodigal son in the New Testament. In … Continue reading
Tragedy And Butterfly Wings
Now that speculation has begun on the cause of Saturday’s tragic plane crash in western Russia that killed Poland’s president Lech Kaczynski and many of the government’s leaders, it’s tempting to imagine that the pilots were pressured into landing against their better judgement. Investigators examining the crash appeared to be focusing on why the pilot did … Continue reading
Guess What, ATT Is The New Material Girl
Last week we noted ATT’s whining about a $1 billion [non-cash] charge they were being forced to take because of Obamacare. In fact the new law just eliminated a 7-year old scam allowing them to ‘double-dip’ by taking a tax deduction on healthcare premiums that were actually being paid (for them) by the government. A … Continue reading
Respect For The US Senate, Now An Oxymoron
As we approach April 15th., otherwise known as Tax Day, it’s time once again to mention the staggering corruption of the US Senate, the world’s ‘greatest deliberative body’. For well over three years (!) there has been an attempt to get rid of a loophole in the tax code granting hedge fund managers a lower … Continue reading
Crazy Uncles And Red-Headed Stepchildren
So here, free of charge, is my suggestion to lower the temperature of our political debates. Replace the metaphor for our clash of ideas, which is currently WAR, with something else. And since the Democrats and Republicans can’t yet agree on anything, I will offer up a custom metaphor for each side. The Repubs will henceforth … Continue reading
You Can Call A Spade A Spade, But You Still Have To Find It
The usual suspects are shocked, shocked they say, over last week’s annoncement by ATT and several other large corporations that they would have to take (non-cash) write-offs because of new rules in ‘ObamaCare’ taking effect immediately. In ATT’s case the number was $1 billion. The charges relate to prescription-drug benefits for retirees. Companies that provide … Continue reading
Time To Get Those Heads Out Of The Doggy Bag
Republicans might want to start thinking about who leads their parade. Our enemy is now clearly defined. We know who they are: Anybody with a D beside their name. There’s no moderate Democrat or pro-life Democrat. There’s no Blue Dog, lap dog, hot dog, back dog Democrat. If it’s a D, they are the enemy, … Continue reading
