officially rad – Tax protest on public grounds – The irony speaks for itself

officially rad - I’ve stayed out of this argument until now, but…

How long will the world’s resources last?

The first number (closest to the center) indicates in how many years the particular resource will last at current consumption and production rates.  The second number is how many years the resource will last if humans cut their consumption in half.  In the picture below, NewScientist.com is showing that gold will be completely exhausted in 36 years, 45 if we cut our consumption in half.  It also shows the U.S. annual consumption per capita (per person).

GOP Govs Back Down, Request Stimulus Funds - Politics news | Newser

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We al  knew they would, didn’t we?  I never doubted it for a moment.  More of that, “Do as I say, not as I do” stuff that has all of the Evangelical Christians disillusioned with the Grand OLD Party.  Since some have threatened a third party break-away, may I suggest the GOP-H…the Grand ‘Ol Party of Hypocrites?

(Newser) – Tough talk about rejecting stimulus funds earned some GOP governors—and presidential hopefuls—plenty of headlines, but reality has set in, Politico reports. Under fire from their legislatures, Bobby Jindal, Mark Sanford, and Sarah Palin have all requested funds in the past week. “At this point it looks like everybody’s on board with the program,” said an OMB rep.

“We’ve tried to compromise in a variety of different way," said Sanford. “I got beaten up pretty bad on it.”

GOP Govs Back Down, Request Stimulus Funds - Politics news | Newser

Through Frank’s blogging, his true PME revealed, letter writer says – Call Newspapers

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This is a letter to the editor in response to my letter on Personal Media Environments and how it is the $68 trillion in ponzi investments over sub-prime mortgage bundling, not the sub-prime mortgages in a vacuum that caused the economic meltdown.  Of course, he failed to address that issue and just ignored it as something too complicated to explain in the little space offered.  Apparently he was offended by what I said.  I stand by my previous letter, which you can read here and do your own investigation.  I just recommend you rely on original source data before drawing your conclusions – unless, or course, you are just in it to pad what you already to believe as true.

That being said, I would like to say one thing in response…since I am aware of PMEs and how people get their information and make decisions about the world around them, I am careful to include the whole gambit of possible news sources into my data gathering efforts.  Just because what I conclude and write about may appear to follow a certain ideology, that does not mean that my sources of information are limited by those with the same mindset.  Is so, I would just sit here at veg out at MSNBC all day.  Fox News is much more entertaining and comical…like a trip to the circus to see the Bearded Lady or something.

And here is where Mr. Perulfi is the most disingenuous, he throws names around in a Beavis and Butthead kind of a way, snickering about the credibility of anything they may say just because of some stereotype about them he has concocted in his head based on what he thinks he knows about who they are.  (Sure, go back and read it again…I did.)  That is not the way I do business.  If I am in a dark room and want to know if it is sunny outside, I don’t care if it is Rush Limbaugh or Michael Moore who tells me, I just want to know if it is sunny.  And there is an even easier way to find out if the sun is shining or not…look outside.

I will pick this hogwash apart later this week, but until then…enjoy.

Through Frank’s blogging, his true PME revealed, letter writer says

April 08, 2009 - At first I thought there was some virulent new flu bug called PME in south county — Mehlville Board of Education member Karl Frank Jr.’s recent letter about personal media environments.

Now that I’m set straight, I still don’t know mine nor if I have one. But by Mr. Frank’s definition, I certainly know his. First, it is presumptuous of Mr. Frank to use we, our or some variant 10 times in the first three paragraphs instead of I.

Whenever Media Matters for America is mentioned, two names come to mind. David Brock and George Soros are not necessarily beacons of truth and light. I won’t quibble with the meaningless survey, but does Paul Krugman count as a pundit, economist or both?

Choosing 2006 to base the government-sponsored enterprise — GSE — securitization of mortgages at 24 percent is rather disingenuous. The percentages for 2004 and 2005 were 44 and 33 percent, respectively. Why the decrease? Recall the names James Johnson and Franklin Raines, former heads of Fannie Mae and the cooking of the books for personal gain. Feel free to “Google” search for your own gratification.

Also, the mortgages from prior years were the ones readjusting to new rates and terms and most likely to foreclose. While it requires more space than available, there are many reasons why Fannie and Freddie exerted more influence than mere numbers of mortgage securitization.

If Mr. Frank believes one individual and one equation was the sole source of the credit default swap — CDS — collapse, there are probably many other fairy tales to be believed. CDSs cover mortgages, commercial paper, auto loans, corporate and municipal bonds. Essentially, anything that can be securitized. Notice the common thread — all debt instruments that become assets to someone else. Today, they are called toxic assets.

Mr. Frank’s PME recognizes the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, but how about the Federal Housing Enterprise Regulatory Reform Act of 2005, which was killed in committee.

Whatever point Mr. Frank was attempting to make, it was made by pointing the finger back at himself. And it is not just his letter. I would encourage you to “Google” Karl Frank Jr. and just keep scrolling. I believe in his blogging, his true PME is revealed. This filter through which Mr. Frank views socioeconomic and political issues is certainly relevant in his position on the Mehlville Board of Education and should be considered in his future words and deeds.

John J. Perulfi
Oakville

Through Frank’s blogging, his true PME revealed, letter writer says

Species saving formula all the rage amongst conservationist – which species to save?

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It’s a certain tragedy when conservationist have to apply economic style formulas to determine which species they are going to save and which they are going to let fall in to extinction.  It’s even worse when you consider what economic formulas are doing for our economy. 

WOULD the animal have made it into the ark? That’s the kind of question conservationists have been asking when it comes to the thorny issue of picking which threatened species to save.

Kerstin Zander of the Charles Darwin University in Darwin, Australia, and her colleagues looked at conserving cattle - the species with the most number of breeds to have gone extinct. They turned to an approach first outlined by economist Martin Weitzman at Harvard University.

In the 1990s, Weitzman devised a formula for prioritising species for conservation. This considers the cost of saving a species, how useful or genetically diverse it is, and the increase in its chance of survival if chosen.

Conservationists deciding which species to survive - environment - 08 March 2009 - New Scientist

With great jobs being far and few between, here is how to find one

This list contains some pretty basic and common sense advice, and is probably more relevant in a strong economy, where everyone who wants to work is working.

I would probably add a couple of things to this list.  One of the first questions anyone asks when they are looking for a job is, “How much does it pay?”  I would also venture to guess that others may ask themselves, “What would my peers and family think.”

The pay question is the most complicated one.  If you are only getting a job because of the pay, chances are, you won’t be happy.  Consider pharmacology.  Yes, it pays $60+ an hour, but many people cringe at the idea of standing behind a desk sorting pills 8 to 10 hours a day.  Not only that, but considering the trends of American culture, many people never make enough money to satisfy their spending habits.  Take the pharmacologist again.  Apparently a high percentage of them buy a Mercedes upon graduation.  Good for them, but while they may make 3 to 4 times more than you, their car payment is 3 to 4 times more as well.  So, they get to have a job standing behind a desk sorting pills for 8 - 10 hours a day so that they can drive home at 8:00 PM in their Mercedes and impress their family and friends.  (Which thoroughly covers the second question.)

Don’t get me wrong, pharmacist are very important, and many people are psychologically cut out for that line of work, but I think you get my point.  Just in case, as long as you have money for food, shelter, water, and clothing, after that, no matter how much money you make, it will never be enough…unless of course, you are one of the minority of Americans who do not base their happiness on the material things that they have accumulated over the years.

Consumer Tips: Empowering YOU to be a savvy consumer Blog Archive - Do this to find a great job « - Blogs from CNN.com

2. Once you think you know those broad areas, open yourself up to what else might rouse you. Here’s a simple technique to identify what that might be: Collect the last four or five issues of Fortune and go through them one by one. Rip out any article or advertisement that sparks a chord. Don’t over-think this. Spread the articles and ads out on the kitchen table and put them into logical groupings. You’ll notice patterns and areas that you probably didn’t realize you were interested in.

The best George W. Bush quote of 2008 goes to…

“I’ve abandoned free-market principles to save the free-market system.” — W.

I wish I could say I was going to miss you President Bush

Pennies From Space: Our Economy Needs A Miracle… Like In Science Fiction

I hate to sound alarmist, but I am pretty good at it.  I don’t think the average person realizes how bad of shape our economy is really in.  This article form Pennies From Space takes a tongue-in-cheek kind of look at science fiction for answers, but there is some truth to it.  If you look all through history, it is the country that implements the latest technologies that rule the world.  For Genghis Khan, it was the bow and arrow, for 20th Century America, it was the Atom bomb.

The subject was covered pretty well in Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond.  When a country’s economy is suffering, like America is now, it makes that country vulnerable to the tortoise waiting close behind, and this Earth has no shortage of emerging economies.  I predict that the next advance in technology will predict the country that takes the reigns of the world.  It could still be, mostly will be, and hopefully soon will be the grand old U.S.A., but we better put our butts in gear and get it done.  It seems most likely to come from Green technology, since that is what Al Gore, Thomas Friedman, Barack Obama, and others are pushing for.

Pennies From Space: Our Economy Needs A Miracle… Like In Science Fiction
Don’t panic! Sure, our economy is crappier than a crap-monster attacking a crap factory. But that’s the time when you should look to the future. Our economy could be transformed at any moment, by developments like new technology — or first contact with an alien species. And you can prepare for this bright future by reading science fiction, which is full of amazing stories of economic miracles. Prepare for our super hopeful future by reading about all the ways our economy could be revolutionized overnight!