What Caught My Eye Today - Taxes, Potpourri

Taxes - The following are among the most peculiar taxes levied by states. I daresay "nonsensical" applies to a few of them.

• Sliced Bagel Tax, New York - Bagels are a New York institution, but not all are taxed equally. Order yours cut in half or request it toasted or topped with cream cheese, and you’ll pay about 8 cents extra. There is a "best thing since sliced bread" joke in there someplace.
• Blueberry Tax, Maine - Maine produces 99% of the United States' blueberries, some 80 to 85 million pounds per year. If you enjoy some this summer, count on being taxed.
  That 99% of blueberries come from Maine is a bit of surprise. A tax on the best berries for a pie, not so much.
• Playing Card Tax, Alabama - A deck of playing cards comes with a tax of 10 cents per pack. Sellers pay an additional $1 per pack.
  I'm guessing this is a vice tax of some sort.  Makes sense if you think about it. I cannot tell you how many times I've had less than the purest of thoughts while engaging in that diabolical card game known as solitaire.
• Vending Machine Fruit Tax, California - While fresh fruit is duty free, the pre-sliced variety of dubious origin sold in vending machines is not; you’ll pay a 33% tax.
  Seriously, who buys "fresh" fruit out of a vending machine?  
• Coffee Lid Tax, Colorado - Colorado deems coffee lids and napkins to be “nonessential” packaging, which makes them subject to the state’s 2.9% tax.
  I don't know about you, but as someone who occasionally hold a cup of coffee between his legs while driving to work in the morning, a properly secured coffee lid is absolutely essential.
• Hot-Air Balloon Tax, Kansas - In Kansas a hot-air balloon ride comes with a tax, unless the balloon isn’t tied down.
  Not much of a balloon ride, if its tied down. More of an open air elevator ride to nowhere if you ask me.
• Tattoo, Piercing, and Electrolysis Tax, Arkansas - All tattoos, body piercings, and even electrolysis hair-removal treatments are subject to Arkansas’s 6% sales tax.
  As if you aren't subjected to enough pain enduring one of these procedures, in some states you are taxed for it.
• Strip Club Admission Tax, Texas - There is a $5 "pole tax" assessed for visiting any one of Texas' 200 or so strip clubs.
  Undoubtedly the cheapest thing you'll pay for.
• Air Tax, Pennsylvania - Coin-operated vacuum vending machines are subject to a “use” tax.
  In defense of the tax, air don't suck itself, do it?
• Arrow Tax (all states) - Archery enthusiasts pay the Tax Man an additional 46 cents for arrows 18 inches or longer. Bows are taxed at 11%.
  I guess the NRA doesn't cover archery, otherwise this tax wouldn't stand a chance of surviving.

Potpourri - Yet more entries for the "so bizarre it must be true" file:

• Jobs - A recent survey has found that actuaries have the best jobs in America, based on the criteria of physical demand, work environment, income, stress and hiring outlook.  Biomedical and software engineers were next. Military personnel, lumberjacks and newspaper reporters had the distinction of holding the worst jobs.
  Has anyone ever met a real life actuary? Or, when was the last time your kid came home from school saying she wants to be an actuary, "just like Susie's dad"?  Hell, who actually knows what an actuary does (answer below)? I'm not judging, but, really, an actuary? 
• Iceland - There is a new smartphone application that helps Icelanders avoid accidental incest. The nation's 320,000 residents are often related because of generations of inbreeding. Prospective partners can "bump" their phones and hear an alarm if they are related.
  I first heard about this story on NPR and thought it was a gag, but nope, its the real deal, proving once again that there is an app for just about everything.
• Texas - A Texas teacher invoked her own racism to dispute allegations that she fondled a black student. The teacher, who is white, denied the first grader's accusation that she touched the student's private parts by claiming she doesn't even like "touching black students on the hand." The teacher was fired.
  Lemme see if I've got this right. A teacher tries to defend herself against child molestation allegations, but claiming she's a racist? Who allows people like this into the classroom in the first place?
• Wealth Gap - The average inflation adjusted income fro the top 10% of wage earners rose by $116,071 between 1966 and 2011. During the same 45 year span, the incomes of the bottom 90% grew by just $59.
  One can only assume that the skills associated with "would you like fries with that" haven't evolved much over the years.
• Defense Spending - Global defense spending fell by 0.5% in 2012 to $1.75 trillion, marking the first annual decline since 1998. The U.S. still spends the largest fraction of the total and 69% more than it did in 2001, but its share of worldwide military spending has fallen below 40% for the first time since 1991.
  Let's see here. U.S. defense spending is up, but its share of total spending has fallen. Europe (or at the very least, members of NATO) has slashed its defense spending as it tries to manage its way out of recession through austerity (how's that working out for you, Europe?).  You'd think that the U.S.'s percentage would have increased. So what's the deal? Can you say CHINA?
  
  Finally, as promised...An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms. Wow, I almost dozed off just reading that.

Did You Know #26

What are the top ten nations with the largest number of tourists?

1. France: 79.5 million tourists
2. USA: 62.3 million
3. China: 57.6 million
4. Spain: 56,7 million
5. Italy: 46.1 million
6. Turkey: 29.3 million
7. UK: 29.2 million
8. Germany: 28.4 million
9. Malaysia: 24.7 million
10. Mexico: 23.4 million

What Caught My Eye Today - Boston, Arizona, Morocco, China, Lasers, Mars

Fred's Note:  I had originally intended today's posting to highlight the occasional wackiness associated with road running events. Alas, recent events force me to start off on a far more somber note.

Boston - Two bombs exploded during the Boston Marathon just before the finish line. The bombs went off within 550 feet  of each other, killing 3 people and injuring at least 176. Video from the finish line shows about 12 seconds passed between the two blasts. The winners had crossed the finish line about two hours earlier; other runners were still coming across.  Law enforcement officials said that they believe the explosions were caused by homemade bombs. There had been no prior indications of an imminent attack. No official suspects have been named, and no arrests or claims of responsibility for the attack have been announced. Another sobering reminder of evil that humans are capable of unleashing on each other. Thankfully, this sort of thing also tends to highlight the resiliency of those who come out such experiences as stronger, yet more compassionate people.  

No doubt there will be a great deal of follow up to this tragedy, which is why we will return to our originally scheduled news items of the day.

Arizona - The inaugural Scottsdale Beat The Heat race this summer, billed as the hottest sporting event on the planet, is being deliberately staged at the warmest time of year and during the most oppressive part of the day, all to maximize the discomfort and enhance the challenge of those either courageous or deranged enough to sign up. Let me see if I've got this straight.  Some genius has decided to stage a race in an urban desert at the hottest time of day during the hottest time of the year...on purpose?   Temperatures are expected to tip the thermometer at upwards of 110 Fahrenheit on June 22, with participants set to complete a seven-mile course beginning at 2:47 p.m., the specific time when the heat is predicted to be at its fiercest. The concept was dreamed up at a tourism workshop among Scottsdale business leaders that sought to combat the challenges posed by the extreme weather conditions in the middle of summer, when visitor numbers routinely plummet.  And staging a road race was the best they could come up with.  Wow, the gene pool is in bigger trouble than I thought. Race organizers are taking strong precautions to ensure racers do not endanger their health by taking part. There will be water stations every half mile, instead of every two miles as would be normal. The fire department will be on hand, and potential participants are encouraged to seek their doctor's permission before they enter the race. For those of you who have decided to run this race and somehow managed to get your physician's blessing to subject your body to this, might I offer you a bit of advice...GET YOURSELF A NEW DOCTOR!

Now mind you, this race is Arizona is just a 10K, which is little more than a warm up lap for what our friends in Africa have come up with.

Morocco - The Marathon des Sables or Sahara Marathon is a six-day, 156 mile ultra marathon, which is the equivalent of six regular marathons. This multi day race is held every year in southern Morocco, in the Sahara desert. It is considered the toughest foot race on Earth. It is run in 6 stages, the longest stage being around 80 plus kilometer when many of the competitors will run through the night to complete it. For some context, this is the equivalent of running the Beat The Heat race in Arizona, eight times in a single day, then doing it all over again for the next 5 days. Entrants are self-sufficient, carrying all of their provisions for the full 6 days on their backs; sleeping bag, first aid kit including an anti-venom pump for snake bites, food, cooking stove and clothes.  So not only do I get to run across a desert, but I get to carry all my food and water with me for the duration, and, just to keep things interesting, I can pass the time trying to avoid getting bitten by a venomous snake.  Where do I sign up? Rationed water is provided throughout the race at check-points along each stage, and again at the camp at the end of each day. Water rationing? Well, you are in the middle of a desert, so I guess it is in keeping with the overall theme.  At the end of each stage a camp is set up for the competitors, with traditional Moroccan bivouacs sleeping 8 people. Here the competitors will cook their own dinner and visit the medics to have their blisters lanced and dressed. One can only imagine the dinner table conversation that must go on during this race.

China - A new strain of avian flu that has killed at least nine people in the past five weeks is causing panic in eastern China. For those of you keeping track, the last bird flu scare also came from China.  Maybe it is something in the water. Some officials said a traditional herb, indigo woad root, could protect against the virus while an army colonel posted a theory on social media that the virus, H7N9, was actually a U.S. biological weapon meant to destabilize China. Forget for a moment that this "theory" came from a member of the military. Here's my question.  Let's just say for argument sake, that the U.S. was capable of such a thing.  Why would we waste this on China, when there is a whack job in North Korea that we could unleash this on? Authorities have slaughter tens of thousands of birds and closed several large markets in an effort to contain the outbreak.So far, the virus does not appear to have made the leap to human-to-human transmission. Not to worry, I hear these viruses are rather resourceful in adapting to their environments.  I'm sure it is just a matter of time.

Lasers - The U.S. Navy is going to sea for the first time with a laser attack weapon that has been shown in tests to disable patrol boats and blind or destroy surveillance drones. Dude, is the U.S. Navy the man, or what? Lasers. Damn. A prototype shipboard laser will be deployed on a converted amphibious transport and docking ship in the Persian Gulf, where Iranian fast-attack boats have harassed American warships and where the government in Tehran is building remotely piloted aircraft carrying surveillance pods and, someday potentially, rockets. You don't poke the bear without some reprisal, something the Iranian regime will so discover. Bring on the pain, Navy! The laser is designed to carry out a graduated scale of missions, from burning through a fast-attack boat or a drone to producing a nonlethal burst to “dazzle” an adversary’s sensors and render them useless without causing any other physical damage. Say what? These lasers don't kill, they just "dazzle"?  Well, I have to say that's a little disappointing. Still, we got lasers! The Pentagon has a long history of grossly inflating claims for its experimental weapons, but a nonpartisan study for Congress said the weapon offered the Navy historic opportunities. The law of averages suggests that even the Pentagon, on rare occasions, will get something right. Among the advantages cited in the study for Congress was the low cost — less than $1 per sustained pulse — of using a high-energy laser against certain targets. By comparison, current short-range air-defense interceptor missiles cost up to $1.4 million each. Deadly -- I mean dazzling -- and cheap.  Could this get any better? However, several limitations have been cited, such as the lasers are not effective in bad weather because the beam can be disturbed or scattered by water vapor, as well as by smoke, sand and dust. Come again? It is also a “line of sight” weapon, meaning that the target has to be visible, so it cannot handle threats over the horizon. Seriously? And enemies can take countermeasures like coating vessels and drones with reflective surfaces. So to summarize, a cloudy day, some dust, a sand dune or a mirror could render our dazzling lasers useless. Pity. Still, we got lasers!

Mars - Scientists say nuclear fusion, the energy source that fuels the sun and other active stars, could one day propel rockets that allow humans to go to Mars and back in 30 days. You know, I say a lot of things too. Alas, everything I say doesn't always happen. Previous estimates have found that a round trip manned mission to Mars would require about 500 days of space travel. NASA studies have centered on Mars flights that would take two years to complete, and could cost $12 billion just to launch the fuel needed for the mission. A substantial cost, to be sure, but bear in mind we spent the same amount in just 12 days funding the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. At least with a trip to Mars that $12 billion gets you 500 days of space travel. Nuclear fusion occurs when the nuclei of two or more atoms combine, resulting in a release of energy and could occur by compressing a specially developed type of plasma to high pressure with a magnetic field. To get this fuel to propel a rocket to Mars, a powerful magnetic field could be used to cause large metal rings (likely made of lithium) to collapse around the plasma material, compressing it to a fusion state, but only for a few microseconds. Energy from these quick fusion reactions would heat up and ionize the shell of metal formed by the crushed rings. The hot, ionized metal would be shot out of the rocket nozzle at a high speed. Repeating this process roughly every minute would propel the spacecraft.I find it curious that for a group of people that place such a high standard on fact, scientists sure are a speculative lot.

What Caught My Eye Today - Gun Control, Samoa, Basketball, Potpourri

Gun Control - Those of you who follow U.S. political news are well aware of the push to pass stricter gun control laws in the wake of several recent mass shootings.  Our friends in the great state of Georgia have taken a slightly different approach to dealing with guns. Council members in Nelson, a small city located 50 miles north of Atlanta, Georgia, voted unanimously to approve the Family Protection Ordinance. The measure requires every head of household to own a gun and ammunition to "provide for the emergency management of the city" and to "provide for and protect the safety, security and general welfare of the city and its inhabitants." However, it contains no penalties and exempts anyone who objects, convicted felons and those with certain mental and physical disabilities. Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but "exempts" is the same thing as "excludes" or "prohibits," which begs the question, could a convicted felon actual own a gun and ammunition if he or she decides not to be "exempt" from the law? The proposal illustrates how the response to the massacre at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut, varies widely in different parts of the country. While lawmakers in generally more liberal states with large urban centers like New York and California have moved to tighten gun control laws, more conservative, rural areas in the American heartland have been going in the opposite direction. While I personally favor tighter gun controls over the alternative, I understand the opposition to them. I find it hard to believe that anyone would need a military style firearm capable if discharging hundreds of rounds per minute for recreational purposes, but at the same time, where do you draw the line for reasonable gun control?  Quite frankly, I think this decision is best made at the local level by the citizens who will be most impacted by  gun controls, or lack thereof.  As an individual I have the choice of deciding if I want to live in a community that has gun controls or one that doesn't.

Samoa - Samoa Air has become the first airline in the world to do what was previously unthinkable: charge passengers by weight. The cost is 93 cents to $1.06 for each kilogram, or 2.2 pounds. I mean no offense to Samoans, but this doesn't seem that unreasonable to me. Have you ever met a scrawny Samoan?   Neither have I. The Samoa Air homepage reads "We at Samoa Air are keeping airfares fair, by charging our passengers only for what they weigh. You are the master of your Air'fair', you decide how much (or little) your ticket will cost. No more exorbitant excess baggage fee's [sic], or being charged for baggage you may not carry. Your weight plus your baggage items, is what you pay for. Simple."  You have to appreciate the candor in which they defend the pricing policy. A section of the airline's web site titled "How does pay what you weigh work?" outlines the steps in determining a passengers final airfare:

1. Select 'book online', and choose your flight
   So far so good.
2. Enter your details, including your estimated weight(s) of passengers and baggage
   So does the weight of your clothing count?  I don't know about you, but my shoes easily add 15 pounds.
3. Your airfare is then calculated using your weight.
   Even if you are the ideal weight, I'm thinking this has got to sting a little bit.
4. You travel happy, knowing full well that you are only paying for exactly what you weigh... nothing more.
   That might be a bit of a stretch. I've never seen a 300 pound traveler looking particularly thrilled with the prospects of getting on a plane.  Of course, that probably has more to do with the lack of legroom and elbow room.

Basketball - According to a formula that measures the unpredictability of each NCAA Men's Basketball tournament since the field expanded to 64 teams, the 2013 edition is the most unpredictable ever. Maybe that's why they call it March Madness. On a scale of 0 to 100 — with 0 meaning the higher seed wins every game and 100 meaning the opposite — the 2013 tournament checks in at 21.8 so far. Even if top overall seed Louisville wins it all, this year's tournament will break the previous record of 19.8, set in 2011 (the year Virginia Commonwealth and Butler made the Final Four, and a nine-loss Connecticut team won the title).  Predicting the whole Final Four was almost impossible this year. ESPN reports that 47 perfect out of 8.15 million brackets in its Tournament Challenge game made the right picks. That works out to about 1 in 173,000 brackets. Still better odds than Powerball. Yahoo Sports reports 9 correct Final Four picks out of more than 3 million brackets. Suffice it to say, I was not one of those 56. In fact, my bracket did not contain a single team in the Final Four. I didn't do much better on the women's either, picking just one of four Final Four teams, Connecticut.

Potpourri - This edition offers a bit of perspective on a variety of topics that affect us all but that we might not give much thought to.

• Charity - in 2011, the poorest 20% of Americans gave 3.2% of their income to charity while the wealthiest 20% donated 1.3% of their income. Studies suggest that those with less to give may have "higher empathy" because they are more exposed to need. That's a diplomatic way of putting it. However, before we cast stones at the wealthiest 20%, if you look at the actual dollars donated, the upper class does contribute the vast majority of charitable contributions.  Remember, perspective.
• Toilets - Of the world's 7 billion people, 6 billion have access to mobile phones, while just 4.5 billion have access to a working toilet. Kind of makes you think about how we prioritize basic needs, doesn't it?  
• Retirement Benefits - The U.S. government spent $3.7 million last year to support former presidents, paying for pensions, office support, travel and postage.  The most expensive ex-president was George W. Bush, at $1.3 million, followed by Bill Clinton at just under $1 million. Costs do not include Secret Service protection. If you ask me, $3.7 million doesn't seem that unreasonable, then again, I'm not sure how meaningful this statistic really is when it excludes the single largest expense associated with former presidents, lifelong protection.  It reminds me of a certain president who decided not to include the costs of waging two wars in the federal budgets.  
• Vacations - President Barack Obama took 131 vacation days in his first term. In his two terms as president, President George W. Bush took 1060 vacation days. Big deal. You know how many vacation days I've taken in the last 4 years--72. My company gives my 18 paid days off a year, which turns out to be rather generous.

Did You Know? #25

What are the top ten nations with the fewest number of tourists?

1. Nauru - 200 tourists. Nauru is a tiny island nation in the Pacific  It is the smallest republic in the world covering only 21 square kilometers and is the only country in the world without a capital.
2. Somalia - 500. Somalia is located in the Horn of Africa.
3. Tuvalu - 1200. Tuvalu is a Polynesian island nation located in the Pacific Ocean, midway between Hawaii and Australia. If sea levels continue to rise, Tuvalu is the first country that will disappear.
4. Kiribati - 4700. Kiribati is an island nation located in the central tropical Pacific Ocean.
5. Marshall Islands - 5000. The Marshall Islands is an island country located in the northern Pacific Ocean.
6. Equatorial Guinea - 6000. Equatorial Guinea is a country located in Middle Africa and is one of the smallest countries in continental Africa
7. Turkmenistan - 7000. Turkmenistan, formerly also known as Turkmenia, is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia and until 1991 was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union.
8. Sao Tome & Principe - 8000. Sao Tome & Principe is a Portuguese-speaking island nation in the Gulf of Guinea, off the western equatorial coast of Central Africa.
9. Comoros - 15000. Comoros is an archipelago island nation in the Indian Ocean, located at the northern end of the Mozambique Channel off the eastern coast of Africa.
10. Afghanistan - 17500. Afghanistan is a landlocked sovereign state forming part of South Asia, Central Asia and Western Asia.

Did You Know? #24

When was the last time the United States ran a budget surplus?

The last time the U.S. government ran an annual surplus was 2001. 

Under Bill Clinton, the U.S. Treasury Department reported a budget surplus of $127 billion. In that same year, the government paid off $90 billion in debt, the second largest debt reduction in history.  In 2000, the budget surplus was $237 billion.

What Caught My Eye Today - Google, Colombia, Brazil, Zippers

Fred's Note: In honor of April Fool's Day, we lighten up the mood a bit and mix it up with items of a more esoteric nature (especially true of our fourth item).

Google - Every year, Google goes all out for April Fools’ Day. The company not only pulls together more jokes than all the other tech giants, but the company makes a point to outdo itself too. Geek on, my friends, geek on! Among the gags that Google came out with this year:

• Google Maps Treasure Mode (click here) - Google has created a new treasure map mode on Google Maps. Personally, I prefer the 2D version they had in 2012, but the instructional video for this one is still worth checking out. 
• YouTube is closing - Apparently all this time the site has been an eight-year contest, the goal of which was to find the best video ever created. Google says it has 30,000 technicians working on narrowing down the list. It has even managed to get YouTube celebrities and film reviewers on board to participate in the prank. This has the be the cream of this year's crop and one of the all-time greats in Google's pranking history. Simply brilliant.
• Google Nose (click here) - Google Nose is a new service that lets you search to find out what your queries smell like. Vintage Google on this gag. The banality in which they describe the service is what makes it so good. In every way (other than the obvious) it looks like a legitimate service.
• Gmail Blue (click here) - Google has made everything blue in Gmail . All characters, buttons, and menus are now blue. The video is priceless (nice cameo appearance to boot) and you know what, it doesn't look half bad.
• Google Wallet Mobile ATM (click here) - Google Wallet Mobile ATM is a device that attaches to your smartphone after which it “dispenses money instantly and effortlessly. Where do I sign?

Colombia - Two spectators were gored to death and dozens injured at a bullfight in northern Colombia.  Unlike Spanish bullfights, in which a single matador in the ring faces down a bull and kills it, Colombian bullfights allow spectators to run or ride horseback around the ring. The bulls are not killed, but spectators often are. While there is little risk in diluting the gene pool with this lot, you have applaud them for their sense of fair play. Going mano a mano with a bull might not be the smartest idea, but bravo for leveling the playing field.

Brazil - Domestic workers in Brazil now have the same rights as other workers.  I think that we should take a moment and give ourselves a hand.  Its only 13 years into the twenty-first century, and we finally seem to be making some real progress on this whole indentured servitude thing. Well done, everyone. A recently passed law gives the nation's estimated 7 million maids and cooks the right to be paid overtime if they work more than eight hours a day or 44 hours a week. Middle class Brazilian families have traditionally had a daily maid to do all the housework and laundry, but many have cut back in recent years as maids' wages rose. Alas, as is the case with some many things, progress doesn't come without consequence. The mental image of the middle class making its bed and doing its own laundry, is almost more than I can bear.

Zippers - Despite the fact that it is April Fools Day, I swear this is a legitimate story. Over the past decade, more than 17,500 people in the United States - mostly men - have sought emergency room treatment after trapping their genitals in the teeth of their trouser zippers. Occasionally, a zipper injury requires surgery, including unwanted circumcision. I'm thinking the public humiliation would be far worse  than surgery, but maybe that's just me. More often  the biggest risk is infection by the multitude of bacteria that a penis tends to harbor. It's a wonder the ladies want to come anywhere near us men. Wearing underwear and avoiding distractions while zipping can help prevent an accident. One would sort of assume this sort of advice would be self-evident. For those who do get stuck, the key is not to panic. Yet more pearls of wisdom. If easing the zipper down doesn't work, seek professional help. Great idea. There is no standard medical procedure for freeing sufferers.  You don't say. Current methods employ everything from mineral oil to screwdrivers and wire cutters. Let me ask you this. After shredding your junk in a zipper, do you really want to subject it to more sharp or pointed objects? 

Did You Know? #23

How long can a person live without food?

A person can survive without food for about 45 days. 

Survival without water is considerably shorter at just 7 days. Humans are extremely fragile when it comes the temperature, being able to live for 30 minutes in 40 degree water and just 10 minutes in 300 degree heat. Air is the ultimate deal breaker with the average person able to survive under 3 minutes without it.

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.

What Caught My Eye Today - Debt Sequestration

Debt Sequestration - In case you had not noticed, the United States is supposed to careen off a fiscal cliff on March 1. Let's recap how we got here, shall we? 

The fiscal cliff was the sharp decline in the federal budget deficit that could have occurred beginning in early January 2013 due to increased taxes and reduced spending as required by previously enacted laws. The previously enacted laws leading to the fiscal cliff had been projected to result in a 19.63% increase in revenue and 0.25% reduction in spending from fiscal years 2012 to 2013. Those laws included the expiration of the 2010 Tax Relief Act and planned spending cuts under the Budget Control Act of 2011. The spending reduction elements of the fiscal cliff are primarily contained within the Budget Control Act of 2011, which directed that both defense and non-defense discretionary spending be reduced by "sequestration" if Congress was unable to agree on other spending cuts of similar size. The scope of the law excludes major mandatory programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Up to now Congress has unable to reach agreement on spending cuts and the sequestration was delayed until March 2013 as part of the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012.

I'll grant you a moment or two to get over the shock of Congress being unable to agree on pretty much anything. Right then? Let just see what all the commotion is about here.

At last check, the U.S. debt stood at slightly more than $16.6 trillion. The impending doomsday of sequestration amounts to $85 billion in 2013. So much sequestration does that buy you? Not much.  $85 billion represents just over one half of one percent of our national debt. So if we manage to take off $85 billion a year then that debt will be history by the year 2213 (give or take a year or two).  Of course, the government is running a $1.1 trillion deficit so the debt will actually continue to grow more than the $85 billion we are paying back each year. Which means we'll eliminate the debt...never.

A recent news item suggested that one of the outcomes of the debt sequestration could be a delay in tax refunds. Last year, the Internal Revenue Service paid out $300 billion in tax refunds (about $3,000 per household).  Never mind the fact that this money amount to an interest free loan to the government courtesy of the taxpayers. I say keep it for the debt.  In fact, keep those tax refunds for the next 53 years of so. That'll get rid of the debt. Oh, but wait just a second. The government is running a $1.1 trillion deficit so the debt will actually continue to grow more than the $300 billion we are paying back each year. Which means we'll eliminate the debt (yep, you guessed it)...never.

The Congressional Budget Office estimated spending on Social Security and healthcare for 2012 at $2.5 trillion ($1.6 billion for Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid and $900 billion for healthcare).  And that figure is expected to rise to more than $3.2 trillion over the next 10 years as the rest of the healthcare reform law kicks in. I suppose we could scrap entitlements altogether and we'd have that debt down in no time. Of course there would be no social safety net, but isn't that what churches are for anyway?

You know, we could always just sell off some states to pay down the debt. In 2010, the GDP of all fifty states was $14.7 trillion. That's a wee bit short of $16.6 trillion, but would it really matter?  Who are the debtors going to collect from if there aren't no more United States?

I get that you don't indiscriminately cut $85 billion without the possibility of hitting some bone.  A lot of people are going to get hosed by this deal through no fault of their own.  My point here is that the government seems to be making a real big deal out of something that, in the grander scheme of things, does not make much of an impact on the issue we are supposed to be tackling in the first place, the national debt.

Anyway, I'm off to my homemade bunker to wait things out. Geeze, I thought after the end of days and recent close encounters with asteroids, I wouldn't be going back so soon.

What Caught My Eye Today - Misery, Guam, College Endowments, Flatulence

Fred's Note:  At the risk of stating the obvious, this is one of the more eclectic collections we've had.  

Misery - With its violent crimes, high unemployment, dwindling population and financial crisis, Detroit was recently named as the most miserable city in the United States. Yeah, yeah. Big surprise, I know. Still, I cannot help but feel a bit sorry for this poor city.  They've had a ridiculous run of bad luck. It toppled Miami, which held the title last year, and surpassed Flint, Michigan, Rockford and Chicago in Illinois and Modesto, California, which rounded out the five most unhappy urban areas. Is it just me or does it strike you as a bit odd that Miami and Chicago rank that high on this list.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not planning on relocating to either place anytime in the foreseeable future, but I find it rather difficult to compare the likes of Chicago to Modesto (seriously, how many of you even know where Modesto is?). "Detroit's problems are hardly news. It has been in a four-decade decline paralleling the slide in the U.S. auto industry," according to Forbes.com, which compiles the yearly ranking. To compile the list, Forbes looked at 200 of the country's largest urban areas and ranked them on factors including crime rates, foreclosures, taxes, home prices, commute times, weather and decreasing populations. Violent crime, high foreclosure rates and declining home prices pushed Chicago into the fourth spot, along with the high expense of living there. New York, which came in at No. 10, was also cited for its high cost of living. The Big Apple has one of the country's highest income tax rates and longest average commuting time at 36 minutes. Being from California, home to 20% of the nation's population, I gotten used to the fact, that my state will always rank somewhere near the bottom of most rankings for bad stuff.  We have more people for bad stuff to happen to.  Big cities, like Chicago and New York, are always going to get hosed. 

Guam - Fair warning, people. This next item can be summarized in one word --- Eww. Dead mice laced with painkillers are about to rain down on Guam's jungle canopy. I swear that this is a legitimate story. They are scientists' prescription for a headache that has caused the tiny U.S. territory misery for more than 60 years: the brown tree snake. Most of Guam's native bird species are extinct because of the snake, which reached the island's thick jungles by hitching rides from the South Pacific on U.S. military ships shortly after World War II. There may be 2 million of the reptiles on Guam now, decimating wildlife, biting residents and even knocking out electricity by slithering onto power lines. The infestation and the toll it has taken on native wildlife have tarnished Guam's image as a tourism haven, though the snakes are rarely seen outside their jungle habitat. Interestingly, the Guam Visitors Bureau doesn't seem to mention the presence of two million snakes anywhere on its website. Go figure.  The solution to this headache, fittingly enough, is acetaminophen, the active ingredient in painkillers including Tylenol. The strategy takes advantage of the snake's two big weaknesses. Unlike most snakes, brown tree snakes are happy to eat prey they didn't kill themselves, and they are highly vulnerable to acetaminophen, which is harmless to humans. U.S. government scientists have been perfecting the mice-drop strategy for more than a decade with support from the Department of Defense and the Department of the Interior. One wonders how something like this actually gets funding and, what with fiscal sequestration a mere two days away, whether or not this funding will continue or not.  To keep the mice bait from dropping all the way to the ground, where it could be eaten by other animals or attract insects as they rot, researchers have developed a flotation device with streamers designed to catch in the branches of the forest foliage, where the snakes live and feed. A 2010 study conducted by the National Wildlife Research Center found brown tree snakes would cause between $593 million and $2.14 billion in economic damage each year if they became established in Hawaii like they are on Guam. So far, Guam's containment seems to be working. Only a few brown tree snakes have ever been found in Hawaii, and none over the past 17 years.

College Endowments - As a proud alumnus of San Jose State University (Class of 1993. Go Spartans!), this story stings a bit.  Read on, you'll see what I mean. Stanford University has set a new record for college fundraising, becoming the first school to collect more than $1 billion in a single year. In the 2012 fiscal year, roughly 3,500 U.S. colleges and universities raised $31 billion, 2.3 percent more than the previous year. The record was set in 2008 when schools took in $31.6 billion before fundraising dropped during the height of the financial crisis. Topping the list was Stanford at $1.035 billion, followed by Harvard University at $650 million, Yale University at $544 million, the University of Southern California at $492 million and Columbia University at $490 million. The top 10 fundraising colleges collected $5.3 billion, or 17 percent, of the $31 billion, even though they represent only 0.3 percent of the 3,500 accredited, nonprofit schools. Isn't it a comforting thought that the income equality gap between the haves and the have nots is just as prevalent in centers of higher learning as it is everyplace else. Of course, logic would follow that you would need to learn the difference being having and not having someplace. Why not at school? The 10-campus University of California system raised $1.56 billion. That sum includes $405 million collected by UC Berkeley, which was the leading fundraiser among all public universities. Stanford's $1.035 billion haul is equal to nearly $56,000 for each of its roughly 18,500 undergraduate and graduate students, though much of the money will be used for research and construction. By contrast, San Jose State University, a public college 20 miles away, raised $14 million, which is equal to $450 for each of its 31,000 students. Twenty years ago, that $450 dollars would have covered most of my tuition for a semester. These days $450 covers less than 10%.  One last thing, and yes I know this will sound like sour grapes, but if you can afford to go to Stanford, do you really need an extra $56,000 to boot? Talk about an embarrassment of riches.

Flatulence - I had to check the archives on this, but I'm pretty sure this  is the first time flatulence has made the list. Yeah, I was a bit surprised myself. I've been doing this for a pretty long time (767 postings and counting) and you'd think that I would have covered this sort of thing well before now. Scientists say physics can explain why you feel gassier when you fly. As an airplane increases in altitude, pressure decreases. And according to what's known as the ideal gas law, when pressure decreases, volume increases. Cabin pressure tries to compensate for these changes, but it can only do so much and your intestines end up expanding with volume. Speaking strictly from a 'good for your health' standpoint health professionals recommend you release the volume from your intestines. Flatulence may be inconvenient, but it serves a purpose. And if it really is good for your health, I'm sure the poor schmuck sitting next to you (or behind you ) will completely understand and sympathize with your situation. If you don't pass gas when you need to, you may develop abdominal discomfort. Researchers suggest being as discreet as possible and even wearing activated charcoal underwear liners to absorb the odor. Seriously, who actually owns a charcoal underwear liner? For that matter, where would you even buy one? (Yes, I checked. It seems you have to go online to such sites as flat-d.com or myshreddies.com to procure such on item, but they do offer free shipping.).  Let's say you are mindful of your fellow passenger and decide to don said charcoal underwear liner after that  visit to the taco truck before coming to the airport.  Do you really think you are going to make it through TSA screening without incident. I got felt up by security once because I forgot I was wearing a ThermaCare heat wrap on my back.

Did You Know? #19

How many popes have there been?

There have been 266 popes according to the Annuario Pontificio under the heading "I Sommi Pontefici Romani" (The Supreme Pontiffs of Rome). Published every year by the Roman Curia, the Annuario Pontificio attaches no consecutive numbers to the popes, stating that it is impossible to decide which side represented at various times the legitimate succession.

What Caught My Eye Today - Contagion, Universe, Mississippi, Bourbon

Contagion - As if flu season isn't bad enough, now there's...well, we're not quite sure, but it's kind of bad. A British man infected with a new virus from the same family as SARS has died, bringing the worldwide death toll from the previously unknown disease to six. Is it just me or does the phrase unknown disease scare the bejeezus out of you? The virus, called novel coronavirus or NCoV, was unknown in humans until it emerged in the Middle East last year. Usually you expect these sorts of things to come out of Africa or Asia.  Way to step it up, Middle East. There have been 12 confirmed cases worldwide - including in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Britain, and so far 6 patients have died. If I did my math correctly (and I'm pretty sure I did) that makes for a 50% mortality rate.  Again, unknown disease...yikes.  NCoV was identified when the World Health Organisation issued an international alert in September 2012, saying a completely new virus had infected a Qatari man in Britain who had recently been in Saudi Arabia. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that includes those that cause the common cold as well as the one that caused SARS, which emerged in China in 2002 and killed about a 10th of the 8,000 people it infected worldwide.

Universe - Scientists are still sorting out the details of last year's discovery of the Higgs boson particle, but add up the numbers and it's not looking good for the future of the universe. Researchers have come to the conclusion that, "it may be that the universe we live in is inherently unstable and at some point billions of years from now it's all going to get wiped out." Okay, first of all, lighten up fellas. A lot can happen in several billion years. Secondly, it must be nice making bold predictions that have absolutely no chance of being proven or disproven. Physicists last year announced they had discovered what appears to be a long-sought subatomic particle called the Higgs boson, which is believed to give matter its mass. Work to study the Higgs' related particles, necessary for confirmation, is ongoing. If confirmed, the discovery would help resolve a key puzzle about how the universe came into existence some 13.7 billion years ago, and perhaps how it will end. According to scientists, "this calculation tells you that many tens of billions of years from now, there'll be a catastrophe." Scientists had grappled with the idea of the universe's long-term stability before the Higgs discovery, but stepped up calculations once its mass began settling in at around 126 billion electron volts - a critical number it turns out for figuring out the fate of the universe. Earth will likely be long gone before any Higgs boson particles set off an apocalyptic assault on the universe. Physicists expect the sun to burn out in 4.5 billion years or so, and expand, likely engulfing Earth in the process. Don't get me wrong, I love science. What I don't get is all this doomsday talk about something that may or may not happen billions of years after the Earth ceases to exist which, oh by the way, probably won't happen for billions of years. Seriously, science geeks, maybe you should take up a hobby or something.

Now, let's take step back from the ledge a bit, shall we?

Mississippi - Mississippi just became the final state to officially ratify the Thirteenth Amendment serves as the final punctuation mark on a dark chapter in American history. Now then, for those of you who chose to sleep through civics class, the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution (yes, that's what Amendments are attached to) outlaws slavery and involuntary servitude and was adopted in December, 1865. After seeing Lincoln in theaters last November, a middle-aged recent immigrant from India  did a little bit of Internet research only to discover the Mississippi never got around to actually ratifying the amendment. The state did vote to ratify the amendment back in 1995, nearly 20 years after Kentucky, the second-to-last state to ratify the amendment, held its vote. At first I was ready to dump all over Mississippi, but then reconsidered.  It isn't as if Mississippi was the only state to drag its feet on ratifying this amendment. Eight other states (Oregon, California, Florida, Iowa, New Jersey, Texas, Delaware and Kentucky) also did not ratify the Thirteenth Amendment at the time.  That said, 130 years is a really, really long time to drag one's feet.  And even then, Mississippi managed to screw things up.  However, through an apparent clerical error, Mississippi never officially notified the United States Archivist of the ratification, meaning that they've officially been on the side of slavery for a century-and-a-half. Mississippi finally sent in the paperwork to complete its belated ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment. Is it possible the folks in charge of such matters may have been "hittin' the till" a bit too hard?

Which brings us to our final item of the day...

Bourbon - Maker’s Mark executives announced that they’re reversing the decision to water down their bourbon. Show of hands, people. Who didn't see this coming?  You don't mess with Mother Nature and you certainly don't mess with a man's bourbon. When the company announced plans to cut the alcohol content in its bourbon from 45% (90 proof) to 42% (84 proof) due to supply problems, customers were mad. Really mad. Turns out, people would rather deal with a shortage of their favorite bourbon than a shortage of alcohol in their bourbon.  In defense of Maker's Mark, they really were trying to do a solid for their patrons.  Basic economics say that when supply is short and demand is high, prices will tend to rise.  The upstanding folks at Maker's Mark were trying to avoid price hikes by increasing supply, which would have required diluting their bourbon by a few percentage points.  It is worth noting, that almost every other bourbon on the market is a mere 80 proof, so even if Maker's Mark went forward with its new blend, it still would have been more potent than any other bourbon.  Taking all that into consideration, I think the conclusion is pretty clear.  What the heck, were they thinking?  You don't mess with a good thing.  Just ask Coca Cola how well that New Coke deal worked out.