Not A Mystery
Bob Gelber
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
This Cheese-Cam Is In Switzerland, Not Wisconsin
It’s a pity our blog isn’t more popular in Sweden. Just a few days ago we reported on a license plate ‘hack‘ that reduces your vulnerability to being spotted by speed cameras. It might have saved a (very) rich Swedish man his $1,000,000 fine. Record speeding fine of £650,000 given to motorist in Switzerland. Swedish man … 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
Missing Front License Plates, With Just A Tad Of Respectability
The careful observer will have noted that the Bentley we saw in Santa Barbara last week was not sporting a front license plate. Wassup with that? My (protected) sources tell me that this is a (well known) trick used to disguise cars in case they are photographed by a traffic camera. The risk of spending $25 … Continue reading
Some Things Work Out For Some People
August in the Sacramento area is hot; and I don’t mean in a cultural sense. So Leslie and I tend to get in the car and spend some time on the California Coast where it’s cooler; not necessarily in a cultural sense. Last week we found ourselves in Santa Barbara, part-time home for Oprah and other … Continue reading
Supersized Seats, Coming To A Theater Near You
What do theatre owners and airline executives have in common? Nothing. Well, actually they do both provide their services to seated customers, which should imply some sort of similarity. But in practice nothing of the sort. While the airlines constantly shrink their seats and services, theatre owners at least have a different take on customer … Continue reading
Next We’ll Be Streaming The Big Mac Index
Talk about fast news cycles. It’s the Economist’s Big Mac Index for 2010 … again! In a sign of these unusually uncertain times The Economist has speeded up their news cycle, and in the process seems to be taking themselves and their index more seriously. Used to be we’d get annual updates to the index, … Continue reading
If You Can’t Trust Big Box Anymore, Who Can You Trust?
We all know that Big Government, Big Oil, Big Tobacco and Big Bank cannot be trusted. But I’ve always thought I could trust Big Box. Not any more. Up until now I had written off ever-shrinking product packaging evilness to manufacturer’s greed. You know, charge the same price but put less ‘stuff’ in the box. … Continue reading
Cheap Knock-Offs Are Giving Fine Counterfeits A Bad Name
Recent events have moved the line between Cheap Knock-Offs and Counterfeit goods. Last week, major UK supermarket chain Tesco was caught in the act of selling what turned out to be a bogus bottle of Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuissé wine. Danny McGowan bought two bottles of French Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse wine, reduced from £14.49 to a bargain £5. … Continue reading
California Rocking Out, Once Again
It’s not a secret that California is fiscally challenged, with the legislature locked in partisan battles and unable to compromise on a budget. California [began] a new budget year … without a spending plan in place and with no agreement imminent between state legislators and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on how to close a $19.1-billion deficit. … Continue reading
It’s Hard To Argue With Gravity While Ordering A Hamburger
Being an expert must be harder these days. Nobody seems to have any good answers to tough questions about the economy. Morningstar pundits are usually pretty good when it comes to personal financial advice. But in is a recent answer on how to maintain yourself in retirement, they managed to coin the phrase ‘pre-tire’ when … Continue reading
Just Another Mystery
- Weaving A Different Kind of Necklace
- Jumping into Spring
- The Art of Using Natures Bounty to Dye Cloth
- A Shibori Stitched and Felted Wrap
- Faux Fur, Vogue and Verve
- The Perfect Dance, Part 2
- The Perfect Dance
- The Vest That Mysteriously Turned Into A Purse
- Vintage Kimono Baby Booties
- Zipper, Keys, and a Linen Belt Buckle
Sterling Jewelry & Gifts
Not A Mystery 