What Caught My Eye Today - Norway, Sweden, Venezuela, Fish

Norway - As if there were not enough reasons to envy Norway... Middle East-style oil wealth combined with a generous Nordic welfare model is slowly throttling big chunks of Norway’s economy, threatening western Europe’s biggest success story. On the surface, Norway is the envy of the world: growth is strong, per capita GDP has exceeded $100,000 and the nation sits on a $700 billion rainy day cash reserve, or $140,000 per man, woman and child. But it may just be too much money as Norwegians, more keen on leisure and family life are working less and less. Gee whiz. Your heart just bleeds for these poor folks, doesn't it? Wage costs are up 63% since 2000, about six times more than in Germany or Sweden, while the employment rate, adjusted for part time work, is 61%, below rates anywhere in the Nordics and even below Greece. Still, unemployment is a barely visible 3% as more prefer part time work. The government recently warned that unless working hours are increased by 10% over time, the state will eventually start eating into its savings. Yeah, yeah. Cry me a river. You have $700 billion collecting dust in some vault. There are worst things that could happen. The central bank also warned that the welfare model is simply. encouraging people to leave the labor market. Norway’s egalitarian wage distribution pays low-skilled workers well above the European average but pays the higher-skilled at, or even a touch below, international norms. The central bank predicts that wages will rise about twice as fast as GDP for several years to come while productivity improvements will trail economic growth. With a budget surplus worth 12% of GDP, Norway can afford just about anything now but unless it scales down benefits, that surplus will melt away. But generous benefits, a good work-life balance and limited wage inequality are long-standing parts of a social model cherished by many Norwegians, so any change will be difficult. And that, my friends is why they are called entitlements. When times are good, governments pass along that prosperity to its citizens, as it should. The problem, is that those same citizens get used to the frills they receive in good times and cannot understand why they shouldn't get what they have become accustomed or entitled to when the good times inevitably end.

Sweden -  Sweden is in a bit of a pickle: the squeaky clean Scandinavian nation of more than 9.5 million has run out of garbage. How is this even possible? The landfills have been tapped dry; the rubbish reserves depleted. And although this may seem like a positive predicament for a country to be facing, Sweden has been forced to import trash — 80,000 tons of refuse annually, to be exact — from neighboring countries, namely Norway. Pray tell, why would anyone do this? Swedes' remarkable recycling habits - only 4% of all waste generated in the country is landfilled - are also a bit of a problem given that the country relies on waste to heat and to provide electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes through a longstanding waste-to-energy incineration program. So with citizens simply not generating enough burnable waste to power the incinerators, the country has been forced to look elsewhere for fuel. Finally something I can relate to. It’s kind of a great deal for Sweden. Why am I not surprised. Norway pays Sweden to take its excess waste, Sweden burns it for heat and electricity, and the ashes remaining from the incineration process, filled with highly polluting dioxins, are returned back to Norway and landfilled. On one hand, I'm impressed at what Sweden has managed to accomplish with not only its recycling program but also its innovative energy incineration program.  One wonders if other countries couldn't learn something for the Swedes.  On the other hand, don't you just hate these guys? 

Venezuela - Venezuela's government has given up on its plan to preserve the body of late President Hugo Chavez in a glass case like that of Vladimir Lenin. Bugger. I guess I will have to cancel my trip to Venezuela. If I cannot see Chavez's corpse, the trip just wouldn't be worth it.  After Chavez died early this month of canter, the acting president announced that the body would be placed on display in perpetuity in the Museum of the Revolution.  But Russian scientists told Venezuelan officials that the body was not embalmed in the right way to preserve it for long, and now it is too late.  I cannot help but wonder what these guys did to Chavez's body in attempting to embalm it the "right way".  I know it's a bit gross, but tell me you weren't thinking the same thing. Instead the government will convene a commission of "the world's best scientists" to study tissue samples and investigate whether Chavez was poisoned by the United States. Will this commission really consist of "the world's best scientists" or just those who weren't able to come up with a good enough reason to get out of it? Personally, I think a good lie detector is all that is needed here. What with everyone lining up to take credit for this, I'm not sure science is really going to help here.

Lent ends this Friday, so I thought this next item was not only rather amusing but also timely.

Fish - Early settlers of Quebec had a tough time following the Catholic Church's Friday dietary restrictions, since there wasn't much edible fish around.  There was no shortage of beaver meat, though. Lucky them. So in the 18th century the Quebecois asked the church to declare that the beaver was a fish. Seriously? How do you make that connection? After all, it lived in the water and had a flat, scaly tail. How can you argue with logic like that? The Church agreed and the beaver got classified as a Christian fish. Of course they did.

Run, Fred, Run Update - Mar 2013

Fred's Note: My elliptical journey around the country has entered its sixth year. After nearly 3 years in Texas, the next 3 states have come in relatively rapid succession. I just arrived in my one and only stop in Alabama, Mobile. With luck, I'll get through the Florida panhandle and start working my way up the Atlantic coast sometime this summer. I'm also just 60 miles from completing the equivalent of my 100th marathon. 

Total miles to date: 2,560.1
Number of marathons (26.2mi): 97.7
States visited: 7 (CA, AZ, NM, TX, LA, MS, AL)
States to go: 26
Miles to go: 5895.9

Did You Know? #22

How long does a U.S. one dollar bill last in circulation?

A one dollar bill will circulate for approximately 21 months. 

By comparison, a $5 dollar bill lasts only 16 months, a $10 bill makes it 18 months and a $20 bill will go for 24 months. Larger denominations have longer lifespans with the $50 bill going for 55 months and the $100 bill circulating for 89 months.  

Coins circulate, on average, for 25 to 30 years.

What Caught My Eye Today - Texas, The Universe, Asteroids, Space

Fred's Note: Today's items fall into the "out of this world" category, and I mean that quite literally. We'll begin our inter galactic voyage with the the fine folks from another planet, otherwise known as Texas.

Texas - A Texas lawmaker has proposed a bill to create a Texas Bullion Depository, which would allow the state and its citizens to store gold bullion in its own facility in Texas, with the protection of the state. They went way out on a limb to come with the catchy nickname, "The Fort Knox of Texas". Gold is considered a hedge against inflation. And while inflation is currently low in the U.S.,  an uptick could come later this year or early next year. If people were to lose faith in the dollar, Texas could have the foundation for its own currency, of sorts, which could come in handy if they push forward in trying to secede. As if that would ever happen. Then again...(click here). Texas isn't the first state to think about hedging its monetary destiny with precious metals. Citing concerns over the value of the U.S. dollar, Arizona lawmakers are the latest to pursue legislation that would declare privately minted gold and silver coins legal tender. In 2011, Utah became the first state in the country to legalize these precious metal coins as currency. Lawmakers in Minnesota, North Carolina, Idaho, South Carolina, and Colorado have debated similar laws.  Is it just me or is there a common thread shared by most of these states.  Perhaps a red thread?  

The Universe - New results from a look into the split second after the Big Bang indicate the universe is 80 million years older than previously thought. Those results have now added about 80 million years to the universe's age, putting it 13.81 billion years old. Put into slightly simpler terms, the universe is 0.6% older than previously thought. The Big Bang is the most comprehensive theory of the universe's beginning. It says the visible portion of the universe was smaller than an atom when, in a split second, it exploded, cooled and expanded rapidly, much faster than the speed of light. In an attempt to acknowledge various schools of thought on this topic, let me first address the creationists among us. Yet more hokum from godless  scientists who, no doubt, will burn in hell for all eternity.  For those readers who choose to embrace that which is based on actual fact, it is pretty cool that humankind has the wherewithal to fine tune it understanding of the universe with such precision. That said, I cannot help but question what make the science community think they got the age right this time around.

Asteroids - NASA has advice on how to handle a large asteroid headed toward New York City: Pray. Kind of ironic don't you think? All that science and technology, and the best NASA can come up with is to pray. That's about all the United States - or anyone for that matter - could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that may be on a collision course with Earth, NASA's chief told lawmakers at a U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee hearing. On the bright side, while your physical being will be toast, your soul will be well provided for, assuming the guy upstairs heard you. NASA has found and is tracking about 95% of the largest objects flying near Earth, those that are .62 miles or larger in diameter. An asteroid of that size, a kilometer or bigger, could plausibly end civilization. On average, objects of that size are estimated to hit Earth about once every 1,000 years. About 66 million years ago, an object 6 miles in diameter is believed to have smashed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs, as well as most plant and animal life on Earth. The asteroid that exploded over Russia last month was the largest object to hit Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid or comet exploded over Siberia, leveling 80 million trees over more than 830 square miles. I've always believed that perspective matters a great deal when it comes to forming opinion. For as much influence that humankind has on the planet Earth, it pales in to comparison to what Mother Nature can do (and often does) when she feels like it.  It's sort of the same deal when you compare Earth's place in the universe.  In a lot of ways, the Earth (and by extension, us) exists by pure luck.  

Space - Voyager 1, launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets, has passed into a new region on its way out of the solar system. The spacecraft, now more than 11 billion miles away, detected two distinct and related changes in its environment on August 25, 2012. The probe detected dramatic changes in the levels of two types of radiation, one that stays inside the solar system, the other which comes from interstellar space. The probe, which blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on September 5, 1977, may be in a new and previously unknown boundary region between the heliosphere and interstellar space. In December, scientists said Voyager had reached what they called a "magnetic highway," where magnetic field lines from the sun connect with magnetic field lines from interstellar space. Voyager project scientists believe Voyager is just a few months to a couple of years away from leaving the solar system.  This is really rather remarkable if you think about it.  We put humankind on the moon using 1960s technology and still have contact with man-made objects build in the 1970s that are 11 billion miles from Earth. And in spite of all this, I still cannot figure out how to upgrade the operating system on my stupid smartphone.

Did You Know? #21

Which U.S. state has the most national parks?

The United States has 59 protected areas known as national parks, which are operated by the National Park Service, an agency of the Department of the Interior. Twenty-seven states have national parks, as do the insular areas of American Samoa and the United States Virgin Islands. California has the most, with nine, followed by Alaska with eight, Utah with five, and Colorado with four. 

What Caught My Eye Today - Saudi Arabia, Central African Republic, Basketball

Fred's Note: These first two items may be the most peculiar and disturbing stories that I've come across in a long, long time. Gentlemen, you may just want to skip the second story altogether.

Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia may have to stop beheading the condemned because of a lack of skilled swordsmen who can act as executioners. I'm sorry, what was that? Officials reportedly said that swordsmen are not readily available everywhere. Seriously, someone is punking me, right? On some occasions, executions were marred by confusion as the executioner was late prompting people to spread false rumors through social media that the accused had been pardoned. Let's assume for a moment that this story is true, this is really disturbing. Is there no honor among thieves?  As if it isn't bad enough that you have been sentenced to die for your crimes, you go and make it worse by lying in order to avoid having your head chopped off? Shameful. Just shameful.  A government committee studying execution alternatives has rejected a proposal to use lethal injections, but has ruled that execution by firing squad would not violate Islamic law. By no means I am an advocate of capital punishment in any form, but you have to admit that death by beheading or firing squad is probably rather painless and, unless I am very much mistaken, almost certain to get the job done in a fraction of a second. 

Last chance, boys. You sure you want to read this next item?

Central African Republic -  Ordinarily, I'm good for plenty of color commentary, but every once and a while a story like this one comes along where I find myself with nothing to add.  An anthropologist who recently visited a small town in the Central African Republic where she encountered two men who claimed that their penises had been stolen. It seems that the day before, a traveler visiting the town had shaken hands with a tea vendor who immediately claimed he felt a shock and sensed that his penis had shrunk. He cried out in alarm, gathering a crowd, and a second man then said it also happened to him. The condition is a real psychological disorder called koro in which victims (mostly men, but sometimes women) come to believe that their genitals are shrinking or retracting into the body. In order to prevent further shrinkage, victims have been known to securely tie their penises with string or metal clamps — even sometimes having family members hold it in relays until treatment can be sought, usually from shamen or traditional healers. Victims of koro usually believe that a touch or "accidental" brush with a stranger caused the theft, in the same way that a pickpocket might steal a wallet. No one has ever died from koro, at least not directly. Belief in koro can have deadly consequences: hundreds of people have been accused of stealing (or shrinking) other people's genitals, and dozens have been killed for the accusations. You can appreciate my quandary   Should I laugh (the mental image of a relay to hold a man's junk might be considered amusing in some circles)? Should I cringe (the idea of my package holing up in my nether regions for the rest of my life doesn't seem terribly pleasant)? Should I sympathize (psychological disorders, regardless of the affliction, are tough nuts to crack)?  I just don't know.

 Basketball - March Madness is here, my friends. For those of you not familiar with this annual downturn in office worker productivity, 68 men's college basketball teams and 64 women's teams will participate in their respective single elimination tournaments in hopes of winning the national championship for 2012-2013. As a way to engage casual fans who might not otherwise have any interest in college basketball, some genius came up with the idea to predict which teams would advance through their bracket to contest for the national championship. And thus, bracketology was born. Pretty stupid, right? I mean really, don't we have more useful pursuits to invest our time in? Clearly, I don't, but what about the rest of you? Before I reveal my picks to win (which is essentially the kiss of death for the teams that I've selected), take a look at just how big this stupid idea has become:

• $771 million - Amount paid for the TV broadcast rights to this year's men's tournament. 
• $0 - Amount that the athletes will take home as a result of competing. 
•  40 million - Number of brackets that will be filled out for this year's men's tournament. 
•  35.4 billion to 1 - Odds of filling out the perfect bracket.
  Coincidentally, there are about the same number of web sites offering advice on picking the perfect bracket. 

Now then, on to my picks. Ladies first. My Final Four includes (1) Baylor vs. (1) Stanford and (1) Connecticut vs. (3) Texas A&M. I've got Baylor beating Connecticut in the Final. On the men's side, my Final Four has (3) Michigan State vs. (2) Ohio State and (1) Kansas vs. (1) Indiana. I've got Indiana over Michigan State in the Final.

What Caught My Eye Today - Pope, Daylight Savings

Pope - Habemus Papam! ("We Have a Pope!"). Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 76, from Argentina was elected as the Catholic Church's new pope. He chose the name Pope Francis. No pope has ever taken the name of Saint Francis of Assisi, the 13th century reformer who lived in poverty.  So what's in a name, you might ask? Apparently, a wagering opportunity. An Irish bookmaker had Leo as the top pick for the next pope. The name has a progressive ring because the last to choose it, Leo XIII, helped adapt the Church to modern thinking about the industrial age during his papacy from 1878 to 1903. Pius was the second most popular choice, and would have suggested that the new pope was a staunch conservative.. The new pope will replace Benedict XVI, whose surprise resignation last month prompted the 115 Roman Catholic cardinals to initiate a conclave, a Latin phrase meaning "with a key," to pick a new leader for the world's almost 2 billion Catholics. Bergoglio will become the first pope from Latin America, a region of the world with 480 million Catholics. Based on the newsflashes I read, initial reaction to the announcement went something like this, "Who's this guy?" He won the necessary two-thirds vote after only two days of the conclave. Several other candidates were considered front runners, including Cardinal Peter Kodwo Appiah Turkson, who would have become the first African pope in modern times. Despite the fact that I am self professed disenfranchised Catholic, I'm pretty sure I will do the same most Catholic tonight and say a pray for the new pontiff in hopes that he will have the strength and conviction to address the many issues confronting the Catholic church.

Daylight Savings Time - Who besides me thinks that Daylight Savings Time has outlasted its usefulness; I mean besides the guy who wrote this article? The idea of daylight saving time has always been about conserving energy. But these days, when turning the lights on at night isn’t nearly as wasteful as it once was, any benefit from energy conservation is far outweighed by the economic drawbacks of a time switch. Here are several reasons why daylight saving time should be put out to pasture:

1. It wastes air conditioning. In the fall, we’re essentially getting an extra hour of sunlight in the evening. But in warmer climates, that means more energy is used on air conditioning.
Seriously, if you are buried under a 12 foot snow bank or suffering through water rationing due to severe drought are you really going to pay that much attention to turning your clocks forward by an hour?
2. It increases pollution. One extra hour of daylight means more time to run around doing errands and enjoy the long summer evenings. But that leads to increased pollution emissions.
I think we can all agree that we're creating enough extra pollution without needing any additional incentive.
3. It messes with your body. Earlier waking times and sleep deprivation, not to mention a disruption in your sleeping patterns, can be hard on the body. A 2008 study in the New England Journal of Medicine showed a significant increase in heart attacks in the first three weekdays after the transition to daylight saving time in the spring.
How about some love for parents? I'm certain they are well versed in early wake up calls and sleep deprivation. Why the need to pile on?
4. It brings more drowsy drivers. Sleep deprivation can be deadly on the road. The National Road Safety Foundation is warning drivers this week to be extra careful as they adjust to waking up an hour earlier.
As if we were distracted enough already.
5. It hurts the economy. Studies suggest that moving the clock ahead each spring causes some $434 million in total losses to the U.S. economy. Because we're all so tired, there are higher chances for workplace injury and loafing around on the job as we wait for the coffee to kick in.
True dat. Although for me, it's a bit the opposite. I'm pretty good from about 7:00am to 2:00pm. You mess with my sleep and you'll be lucky if I'm conscious until lunchtime.
6. It's annoying. Adjusting all the clocks and waking up earlier is just plain irritating.
I don't know about you, but the settings on my sprinkler system make now sense at all.

Not everyone hates daylight saving time. Retailers love it because more shoppers head into stores. Golf companies adore it, and told Congress in 1986 that one month of daylight saving translated into $400 million a year in extra sales and fees. Just what we needed. More pandering to the whims of people who already have...you guessed it...too much bloody money!

Did You Know? #20

How many states have jurisdictions covered by the Voting Rights Act of 1965?

The majority of 9 states fall within the jurisdiction of the Voting Rights Act of 1965: Alabama, Alaska, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. There are an additional 7 counties with at least one county or township covered by the Act: California, Florida, New York, North Carolina, South Dakota, Michigan and New Hampshire.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S. The Act prohibits states from imposing any "voting qualification or prerequisite to voting, or standard, practice, or procedure ... to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color." The Act established extensive federal oversight of elections administration, providing that states with a history of discriminatory voting practices (so-called "covered jurisdictions") could not implement any change affecting voting without first obtaining the approval of the Department of Justice, a process known as pre clearance.