a slice of americana

from the washington post:

SC's Black Friday offers tax-free guns for all---

"COLUMBIA, S.C. -- TVs and laptops won't be the only hot items in South Carolina this Black Friday. The state is offering an unusual perk to shoppers: no sales tax on handguns, rifles and shotguns."

read it here.

Happy Thanksgiving

have a great day, go hang out with friends and have some turkey. this kind is even ok for my vegetarian and vegan friends.

Canadian ruling on airline seats for the obese

http://www.reuters.com/article/oddlyEnoughNews/idUSTRE4AJ8G020081120

"Obese have right to two airline seats" in Canada. This ruling comes on appeal, so it will probably stand for now. Aren't you really paying for a predefined volume of space, and not "room for one person" when you buy a ticket? Or do I have it backwards? I'm 6'1", and while I find airline seats to be quite uncomfortable for my height, I don't think that requiring them to provide a seat that actually has a seatback bend radius compatible with my spine makes sense.

I dunno, this one cuts both ways I guess. If you have seen Wall-E, at least this ruling seems like a step away from the lifestyle that the passengers on the Axiom enjoyed.... ughhh.

bang! welcome to the 19th century

Here's a super fun read- insert sarcasm here- detailing the estimated impact of an EMP (electromagnetic pulse) weapon unleashed by an unfriendly country on the US. This is a weapon with a lot more kick than the "toy" in the remake of Oceans Eleven...

What a Single Nuclear Warhead could Do (from the Wall Street Journal).

more cutbacks, this time in shipping

This just in from Fedex directly to my inbox (since I am a Fedex customer, once in a great while):

It's official: DHL is discontinuing its U.S. domestic-only air and ground services. If you've been shipping with DHL, choose FedEx to make the transition as smooth as possible for you, your suppliers and your customers.

Fedex has no qualms about spreading the word that one of its competitors is lopping off an arm of the business. It reminds me a bit of a famous quote (at least among a small circle of friends) from a former VP of mine. To paraphrase, he wanted us to dance on the bones of the dead children of our enemies. Oh, and poison their well too, I think. Yeah. That was interesting. Anyway,....

I had thought that DHL was subbing out a lot of its last-hop home delivery stuff anyway. Every now and then we'd welcome the equivalent of a delivery mercenary driving a van, dropping off DHL ground home deliveries back in Frederick- these guys didn't fly any company flags, i.e. they didn't have any logos on their truck or, er, "uniforms"... THESE guys were pretty rough around the edges.

airline baggage cost update

from the wsj:

"Based on our own estimate derived from consultations with industry executives and other sources, the cost to carry checked luggage comes to roughly $15 a bag."

"Today, most major airlines charge $15 each way to check one bag; $25 each way for a second bag; and as much as $125 each way for a third bag or any bag that weighs more than 50 pounds. Notable exceptions: Southwest Airlines Co. allows two free bags; JetBlue Airways Corp. and Alaska Air Group Inc. transport one bag free."

"United, for example, has said it expects to collect $275 million annually from the first- and second-bag fees. AirTran Airways, which will begin charging $15 to check one bag next week, said it expects to take in $50 million to $100 million annually in fees."

don't forget that earlier post I made, where united will gladly charge you "starting at $149/bag" for overnight service...

AA batteries save Detroit automakers!!

There's an article in the WSJ here about GM trying to save money.

"As part of a drive to cut $15 billion in costs, GM is no longer keeping the 562 [wall] clocks in working order, which will eliminate the expense of replacing and disposing of the clock's batteries and the cost of resetting them twice a year for daylight-saving time."

Seriously, this is their big idea? $1000 or $1500 in AA batteries, as well as an equivalent amount of labor cost (?) to adjust for the timechange twice a year?

Seriously, that's it???

For real???

let it... snow. ugh.

When i see shit like this, i think...

snowblower? $$$???
better house insulation? better windows?
(finally) get some good boots?
i dont have a truck, maybe i will _need_ one this winter.. what if?
maybe oil heat isn't the the cheapest way to go in the long run...?

but mostly i can't understand these people who get all fired up at the idea. "i cant wait for the first snow!" they say. "i hope it dumps six inches!". little do they know that they aren't eight years old anymore, and a magical plastering of the white stuff overnight is not going to get them out of school the following morning. or work. or ANYTHING. instead it is going to get them sweaty, tired, aching. gasping for hot breath in the acutely cold air. breaking out the brooms and the shovels. let's see if we can get to work safely. the logic baffles me, getting excited and hopeful for it.

this is why i like to live somewhere without snow, and then get on a plane and travel TO the snow, on purpose, should something come up, like an itch to ski up at 13,000 feet. that way, the snow really isn't an inconvenience, or at least certainly not a surprise- after all, in such a case, i _asked_ for it when i decided to fly to denver in the first place.

continuing my list, do i need snow tires or not? and i mean the real deal, with studs and all. what are the odds of it snowing so deep that travel will be made difficult? multiply this by the probability that i will HAVE to drive during that few hour window, or conversely the probability that i will WANT to drive...

this, is how my mind works. i'm a constant oddsmaker (or a bookie for people who like to overuse their lingo), measuring the likelihood of getting to actually put a snowblower to good use, versus the odds of having bought one and as a result, having the warmest and dryest winter on record. the snowblower then becoming a sign of my endless ability to guess things incorrectly. either way i would somehow end up feeling cheated, most likely.

UAL upgrade$ baggage handling offering$- via door-to-door delivery...

check it out here...

"Door-to-Door Baggage

Stop lugging your luggage around. Instead, send it ahead with Door-to-Door Baggage. Purchase this service at united.com, and FedEx Express will pick up your baggage from your home or office and ship it directly to your destination. Or if you prefer, you can drop off your baggage at a FedEx Office location or any other FedEx authorized shipping center. (FedEx Kinko's is now FedEx Office.)"

--STARTING at $149/bag.....--

okay... how much does it cost if i just bring my bag with me, like usual? oh, it's still free in most cases? hmm.