Random

AMAZING -- but the whole time I had that parental "No running by the pool" voice running through my head." --


IT MUST BE some pension those Wisconsin retirees are getting. "A retired prison guard ate his 25,000th Big Mac on Tuesday, 39 years to the day after eating his first ... nine..." Let's see, at $3.75 a piece x 25K, adjusted for inflation = whatever... That's no small chunk of change. Good thing he doesn't live in Norway. I understand that a Big Mac there is about $8 a piece (or 50¢ per bite). ~ AZ Central

SCAPEGOAT -- A five-year study commissioned by the Roman Catholic bishops in the US "to provide a definitive answer to what caused the church’s sexual abuse crisis" has concluded that blame should be placed on Woodstock. ~ NY Times

ELECTRIC CARS might actually become a money maker for their owners by pushing electricity back into the grid. At least some researchers consider it feasible. ~ The Economist

SOME TEA-PARTIERS are upset that the law creating their "Don't Tread on Me" specialty license plates -- the law they passionately pushed through the Arizona State Legislature -- created yet an additional state agency (albeit small) with a board of 13 people to administer money generated through the sale of the plates. That's a lesson in civics. Things are not as simple as you think they are. So be careful what you ask for. You might get it -- and all the baggage that comes with it. ~ link

CHINESE GHOST CITIES -- Yet another story on the underpopulated, but investment-heavy "ghost cities." Could they become the hidden monkey wrench in the otherwise robust Chinese economy? I'm no expert but my guess is that the calculated risk will eventually pay-off. All demographic indicators point that direction. ~ Huff

NEW STUDY: Close to 30% of the internet activity in US homes during the evening hours invoves Netflix. That is a lot of social and cultural influence. ~ link

ALL THREE volumes of Christian Theologyby 20th century Wesleyan-Arminian theologian H. Orton Wiley are available for free as Kindle books. Those Church of the Nazarene guys don't miss a beat, do they?

THIS IS A MILD WEEK in the desert. High of 79° today. For all the whining we do about summer heat it is helpful to remember that the summers are actually relatively short and most of the year is pleasant -- like this.