Regimentation

Posted on May 26, 2012 by

This wasn’t our original plan for today’s post, but Yahoo! squeezed our hearts with this story. A little girl’s pre-school in the U.K. sent her home when she appeared in this hair style, pictured at left, done by her own father.

Is that cute, or what? Reminds us of the elf Halloween costumes we made for our darling daughters.

But why not let her in school with this darling hairdo? According to the Yahoo story,

“…the primary school his daughter attends has a very strict dress code, which is detailed on its website. With regards to hair, the school requests ribbons or bows are “made of dark colors, maroon/navy blue/black” and states strictly that “Hair braids/beads may not be worn.”

This is just one aspect of the regimentation that schools lock our kids down with. No individuality or creativity allowed, thank you very much. Schools and other advocates of strict dress codes “…believe they’re protecting students by  encouraging discipline and eliminating classroom distractions.” Yeah, right.

Do read the entire story – it’s quite well written for Yahoo.

“1984,” anyone? That scary book was written by a British author, George Orwell. This is more to Orwell than his book, but its fame has overshadowed all of his other accomplishments.

 

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Quick question for you

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

IFO just got an email offering to pay her for the privilege of running a print ad on this website. We don’t have any details yet, but we’re curious about what you think.

We know that carrying advertising on a webpage or blog used to be quite controversial, with most opinions tending to oppose the practice. Too commercial, they said.

What’s your opinion?

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Market and index report

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

Market is still confused – or volatile, as the experts say. Gold bounced around the entire week and closed at $1,575.60 per oz. Silver did the same, and closed at $28.53 per oz. Crude oil, also pretty bouncy this week, closed at $90.72. So, explain to us again why gasoline prices have gotten so high?

Did we ever tell you we met a man at a local motel about five years ago who said that a few years prior he had been a PR guy for an Oregon oil company. The press called him and asked the same question we just did above.

“I had to think fast,” he related. He actually had no idea, but needed an answer and being the great PR guy he was, it popped into his head when needed. “The refineries are making the changeover from winter fuel to summer fuel,” he said. We’re still getting that answer years later, though “fire in the refinery” or “maintenance at several refineries” are sometimes swapped in. Just remember: He Made It Up.

Once again, the little monkeys are unhappy. Without further ado, we present our Model Portfolio Index:

Model Portfolio – Edit

Symbol Price Change
32.15 +0.05 +0.16%
31.84 +0.03 +0.09%
38.61 -0.08 -0.21%
72.83 -0.67 -0.91%
102.74 -1.46 -1.40%
Total (USD) $5,563.35 -42.65  -0.76%
Cumulative                                501.35  9.90%

 

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IFO vs. the Mole

Posted on May 25, 2012 by

We’ve been battling a determined mole who insists on tunneling into our yard. It took a long time to find the doors to his tunnel – it takes a sensitive eye, which only develops over time.  Sir Mole had encroached farther and farther into our own territory. Googling the topic, we found another blogger who faced this problem a few months ago.

We don’t mind the dirt piles on the meadow surrounding our house, but we have a mowed lawn, garage and gravel driveway and Mr. Mole is getting too close for comfort. The hole in the picture at left is in permitted territory, so it hasn’t been destroyed. Notice that it is moist, therefore, recently dug.

A couple of days ago, we went out and a movement in the nearby grass caught our eye. We looked over and staring out of his tunnel opening at us was Mr. Mole! We moved slightly and bang! He disappeared by dropping down into the vertical shaft quick as lightening.

How did we know it was a mole? Because gophers are cute! Even if they are digging holes in your yard. This guy wasn’t cute.

Next day, we opened a day-old package of red snapper for lunch. Ugh! It was expired. Even after washing thoroughly, the horrid smell wouldn’t go away. Not wanting to put it in our indoor trash container, we went outside to find a place to dispose of it.

Bingo! Two mole tunnel openings! We tossed rotten, stinking fillets into each hole. Then we shoveled some dirt in, tamped it down, and left. When we got back, we saw that one of the fillets had been tossed out. It smelled even worse than before.

Looking around, we saw another entrance had been opened, so moved that fillet into it and threw dirt in again.

This morning, we noticed that the tunnel opening was more disguised than the earlier ones. Was Mr. Mole getting advice from older, wiser moles? As we stared at the hole, he popped his head up again and we exchanged a long look. With no more rotten fillets left, we just threw dirt into both holes and tamped it down again.

How long will this battle continue? Until Mr. Mole realizes he’s going to have to get farther away, if he wants to live a life of peace.

If current measures don’t work, we’ll try to figure out how to tell Mr. Mole about our daughter, the computer genius, who trapped, skinned and tanned the skins of several moles.

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More news the warmists won’t like

Posted on May 24, 2012 by

Headline in today’s Houston Business Journal: Shale boom has led to lower U.S. carbon dioxide emissions

“The International Energy Agency says the shale gas boom in the U.S. has led to a domestic decline in carbon dioxide emissions as generators use more low-price natural gas over coal, the Financial Times reports. Greenhouse gas emissions, says the IEA, have dropped off nearly 5 million tons in five years, which is more than any other country the agency examined.”

Life must seem miserable for people who believe in man-caused global warming (MCGW). They keep getting mugged by reality.

News leaking out about bogus or tinkered-with data, otherwise known as ClimateGate; reports of coldest weather on record here and there; predictions getting thrown back in their faces – remember “next season will see record number of hurricanes/tornadoes?” Didn’t happen.

And now the carbon dioxide non-problem is evaporating as well. Two ways to go on this terrible news, warmists. A. Declare that MCGW is over and MCGC (cooling) is here as the new emergency. B. Accuse the International Energy Agency of lying and being in the pay of the energy industry.

As if to rub it in, the HBJ also reports that Texas’ economy is strong and growing fast. In 2012 so far, driven by the energy and manufacturing industries, according to Comerica Bank, the state’s job growth has far outpaced the rest of the country: unemployment rate was 7 percent in March.

“The bank’s index looks at a mix of economic indicators, including nonfarm payrolls, sales tax revenue, exports, hotel occupancy rates, claims for unemployment insurance, building permits and Baker Hughes rotary rig count,” the HBJ said.

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Politics: Guess who just came out with a memoir?

Posted on May 23, 2012 by

Guess who just came out with a memoir yesterday? “It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership,” by COLIN POWELL!!! Here’s the Amazon write-up [emphasis added]:

It Worked for Me is filled with vivid experiences and lessons learned that have shaped the legendary public service career of the four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. At its heart are Powell’s “Thirteen Rules”—notes he gathered over the years and that now form the basis of his leadership presentations given throughout the world. Powell’s short but sweet rules—among them, “Get mad, then get over it” and “Share credit”—are illustrated by revealing personal stories that introduce and expand upon his principles for effective leadership: conviction, hard work, and, above all, respect for others…

A natural storyteller, Powell offers warm and engaging parables with wise advice on succeeding in the workplace and beyond. “Trust your people,” he counsels as he delegates presidential briefing responsibilities to two junior State Department desk officers. “Do your best—someone is watching,” he advises those just starting out, recalling his own teenage summer job mopping floors in a soda-bottling factory.

Powell combines the insights he has gained serving in the top ranks of the military and in four presidential administrations with the lessons he’s learned from his immigrant-family upbringing in the Bronx, his training in the ROTC, and his growth as an Army officer. The result is a powerful portrait of a leader who is reflective, self-effacing, and grateful for the contributions of everyone he works with.

Why is IFO using so many exclamations and so much bold face? Because we still don’t know who Romney will pick for Veep. Our comment to our daughter, the real-estate genius, as we discussed that very question, was that it would be someone no one is talking about right now, plus would be a great surprise. Who fits that description better?

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What is Federal Deposit Insurance?

Posted on May 22, 2012 by

Today we read a letter to the editor of the WSJ which implies that FDIC insurance is a taxpayer-supported program. It’s not. The fund is paid for by assessments on banks and other financial institutions’ deposits. However, the corporation was created by Congress. Here is a brief history of the Deposit Insurance Fund:

THE DEPOSIT INSURANCE FUND
On February 8, 2006, the President signed The Federal Deposit Insurance Reform Act of 2005 (the Reform Act) into law. The Reform Act merged the Bank Insurance Fund (BIF) and the Saving Association Insurance Fund (SAIF) into a new fund called the Deposit Insurance Fund (DIF). This change was made effective March 31, 2006.

On July 21, 2010, the President signed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act) into law. The Dodd-Frank Act established a minimum designated reserve ratio (DRR) of 1.35 percent of estimated insured deposits, mandates that the FDIC adopt a restoration plan should the fund balance fall below 1.35 percent, and provide dividends to the industry should the fund balance exceed 1.50 percent. This website contains information [for those] who are interested in learning more about the DIF and Assessment Rates.

As you can see, their website, even including the .gov extension, strives to make it look as if it is a taxpayer-funded program. It isn’t…yet. Now, the FDIC might need to get bailed out in the future if financial institutions start losing so much that the DIF runs out of money bailing them out, but those deposit reserve ratios (DRRs) are designed to avoid that.

The $250,000 limitation on the size of the insured deposits helps avoid encouraging banks and depositors to ignore bank safety because they think the govt will bail them out, if necessary. When the limit went from $100,000 to $250,000, we knew something was up.

However, it looks as if little banks are bearing the brunt of this legislation — Too Big To Fail banks got bailed out; the little guys got closed or forced into mergers.

We wanted to know how our credit union was weathering the financial storm. The CEO reassured us, noting that deposits and members were increasing rapidly as people left their banks and moved over to credit unions. Then, he dropped the bomb. Rates for the  National Credit Union Share Insurance Fund (NCUSIF), had gone way up, putting a burden on the members by making interest rates drop to practically zero.

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Thinking about retirement

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Thx to Mary Bowman Art Studio

As the Baby Boomers march toward their sunset years, it’s time for them to think about retirement, both as it relates to individuals and to the economy as a whole.

Born just after WW II in 1945 and on up to around 1960 when family formation was going great guns, Boomers came to dominate the U.S. culture for the next several decades.

If the boomers retire at the traditional age, say from ages 62 to 67, (not including public and union workers who retire at ages starting 48), that’s going to leave a hole in the pool of productive workers. Not only does that mean that fewer people will be paying into Social Security, it also means losing a large part of the producing and consuming portion of the population.

Boomers have always had a sense of themselves, their cohort and their place in the history of the world. Boomer writers and movie directors have defined them. One key characteristic is Forever Young.  They take vitamins, exercise, walk, bike, play tennis and basketball, eat carefully – clearly the boomers intend to live forever. If they retire, they are admitting they have failed.

Imagine the psychological shock it’s going to be if they are forced to retire, whether through illness or employers who don’t want them any more. We’re guessing a large number will develop second or third careers – another boon to the economy.

This refusal to get old is good for the economy. Our population has stabilized – heck, it might even have declined, given the mass self-deportation of foreign non-documented workers who fled south with the economy. (If you are going to be poor, you might as well go somewhere where most of your neighbors are poor and speak your own language.)

Add that to the government policy of paying people not to work and paying for their food and medical care, thus relieving them of the burden of going to work every day, and the U.S. labor force may shrink for a long time.

While this is bad for the housing market, it might be good for the rest of the economy. The last decade got just too frantic – culturally and economically. Maybe it was time to take a big breath and slow down… and stay Forever Young.

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Deja vu – China becoming Japan?

Posted on May 21, 2012 by

Remember when Japan, all full of itself back in, when – the 1980s? – started to buy up expensive California and New York real estate??? That was at the very peak of their economic boom and stock market. Neither their economy nor their stocks market has recovered to that level.

Here’s the deja vu part. Again from the WSJ, though we imagine the news has appeared elsewhere as well.

Chinese property conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group will acquire AMC Entertainment Holdings, a U.S. movie theater chain, in a deal worth about $2.6 billion, the two companies said Monday.
The deal “provides AMC with capital to further enhance its customers’ premium movie-going experience,” the statement said.
The deal is still subject to regulatory approval from U.S. and Chinese authorities.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303610504577417073912636152.html?mod=djemalertDEALS

The Japanese are still doing the same thing we are doing – propping up sick banks, keeping interest rates low, punishing savers, increasing govt spending. They are just limping along.

Plus, the G-8 are being urged to do the same thing. When will people learn?

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Bus travel drama

Posted on May 20, 2012 by

Old bus station, now viewed as an architectural gem. Most stations like this have been torn down.

More findings from the detritus on our desktop. Notes from a bus trip to Denver a couple of years ago. We much prefer bus travel to flying, when possible and depending upon start and finish locations.

So, three short sketches. Japanese woman heading back to her home in Baker City, Oregon, writes down a great recipe for cabbage salad dressing.  1/2 cup oil, 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar, 3-4 Tbsp sugar, 1/2 tsp sale and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Haven’t tried it yet.

As we leave Baker City, passengers getting back on the bus comment on the beauty of the still snow-covered mountains illuminated by the setting sun.

Second sketch: eavesdropping on passenger behind me chatting with his seatmate. Says he is a Louisiana alligator hunter. We wonder if he is fantasizing, until he gives corroborating details. He says he can’t keep his hides, but has to sell them to a monopoly buyers group.

“It’s easier to get one (hide) from New York than from myself. There’s a lot of politics involved,” he says. Pause. “A lot of politics.”

He has a son who is 6’6″ tall and weights 340 lbs. “When he shows up (in a bar) everyone gets quiet! He eats like a horse.”

On killing alligators: “I kill them with a tomahawk. You can only kill about 10 before you have to skin them, because of the warm climate. After you skin them, you put the hides in a solution. The meat is also sold. It tastes good. It’s white meat.

“The market is controlled by a monopoly…, well, a cooperative.” He also leads hunting trips. He quit drinking, then smoking. Never did other drugs. This in response to a comment from his seat mate.

End of conversation. It’s easy to tell your life story to someone who is interested, but will never see you again. He gets off the bus and we notice he is extremely handsome. He had a deep, sexy voice, wore a dark leather jacket, light-colored mocassins and camo clothes. Whew!

Third sketch: In a rest stop at a cafeteria/truck stop in the middle of nowhere, around 11 pm. A man at a table with a trucker’s phone is using the phone to talk to someone. “I’ve had enough of truck drivers and cops. I need help. I’ll be in Salt Lake City at 4 a.m. I need help.” He’s crying.

 

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