Saturday, November 15, 2008

Sometimes, all it takes is a rubber duck ...

Interesting article here about how scientists are studying how water flows from Greenland ... using rubber ducks: ["The Sober Science of Migrating Rubber Duckies "].

Speaking of plastic things in the ocean, I happened to be skimming through the cable channels the other night and came across "The News Hour," a show I haven't watched in ages. There was this intriguing story about all the junk in the ocean: ["Plastic Ocean"].

A few quick points:
* It's interesting that the market for laptops is "shriveling" as the WSJ puts it. To counter that, PC makers are cutting prices. Well, good. If anything, there should be MORE computers in the world, not less. The more connected we get, the better things should be. The faster and cheaper computers get, the more productive we can be.
* The big three automakers have their cups out, looking for a handout. And at this rate, why not? The government is giving everyone but the average citizen a handout. And, I love how unions are getting blamed for the big three's mishaps. Ah, hello? Who has been making most of the financial decisions at GM, Ford, and Chrysler, management or labor? Who advocated and later sent tens of thousands of jobs to Mexico and China, management or labor? You can't force so many people - your market - out of work and expect things to be OK in your industry. And yet, Toyota and Honda flourish. Sure, pay scales are a part of that. But so is smart management, hard-working Americans, and products customers want.
Sen. Chuck Grassley, a Republican with whom I don't agree on much, made this striking statement yesterday:
"They should take every step possible, including cutting executive salaries and bonuses, and exhaust all alternatives before coming to the taxpayers for tens of billions of dollars in help"
Damn right. And none of those bankers should get one thin dime in bonuses for running their industry into the ground either. That's Treasurer Paulson's present on the way out the door - trillions in debt, billions in the pockets of crooks - while being aided and abetted by the Democrats in Congress. Lord help us all.
* Will it be long before the beleaguered media companies, the publishing and book industry, or maybe even Hollywood starts holding out a hand for help? We deliver important news and information to people and our market dynamic is such that we don't have enough people employed to do our jobs. Can we get a handout please? I mean, come on, when does this all stop?

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