It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
I put up the Christmas lights on the house yesterday afternoon -- both of them -- the green one and the red one. When it comes to such things I am of the philosophy that less is more.


Balancing work and leisure
Americans tend to be wealthier than Europeans -- but they also work longer hours and take less vacation. It hasn't always been that way. There are economic ripple effects that go with each model. -- James Surowiecki in the New Yorker (via)

Interestingly, Surowiecki doesn't even try to analyze the emotional, physical, or spiritual implications of the differing models. But it's good fodder for discussion.


Falling opportunity
It's painful to watch people rake up all of their leaves and then dump them into the green barrels for collection. Those leaves can become a valuable asset for any garden. That is, if we all composted our leaves and then in the spring added the compost to the garden -- our plants would be healthier, they'd need less water, and a whole lot less fertilizer. Really, it's not that much more work. And it pays long term dividends.


No brainer
This would make a great "word problem" for elementary math students.

There is a shortage of school bus drivers. Bus drivers make about $13.50/hour for part-time work with no benefits (other than the company of loud rowdy students). What would it take to fix this problem?