Things I've Noticed

Car, truck buyers apparently don't care about the environment

There's a new Washington Post article that cites recent market research as proof that people don't really care about fuel economy, even if resources are becoming more scarce, prices for fuel are increasing, and we are generally fighting over oil in the middle east.  The number one top consideration is price, make and model was second, and only 3 percent of those polled listed fuel economy as their "most important" consideration.  Now this looks really bad, as the author notes, but I'm sure fuel economy was in the top two or three considerations for a lot more people.  Still, it just goes to show that people don't really care about the environment or how much they're shelling out to refuel their vehicles, and the value of the time it takes to pump fuel so frequently.  Perhaps some mathematical literacy would help here.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/27/AR2006012701258.html

Since I originally posted, I came across this article entitled "How to Beat The High Cost of Gasoline.  Forever!"  It's all about using ethanol.  There's an obvious better solution.  Don't buy a gas guzzler.  Drive less, and drive more efficiently when you do drive.

http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/02/06/8367959/index.htm?cnn=yes

+ Atul

Littering

So there is an article about Detroit's efforts to clean up before the SuperBowl.  (See the trackback below).  I was neutral about the whole thing on that blog, but I have to vent here.  It's amazing how many people just throw things out their window thinking the litter will just go away.  It doesn't go away, and it looks terrible, making our city and state look bad, (visually, and in image).  I have been tempted to call the 1-800 number to report people and get them fined, (even for throwing out cigarette butts), but I haven't done so yet.  Forget the fine.  The punishment should be to scatter trash in an offender's yard and house.  Then we'll see what they think of littering :-)

+ Atul

Water doesn't drain backward in the Southern Hemisphere and other myths debunked

All those things about science that you assumed to be true, well they're not all true.  This article has a list of the Top 10 Science Myths and it clarifies which ones are true and which ones aren't.  Try to guess the answer before you click on individual links.

http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/result.php?back=myths_greatwall_china_03.jpg&cat=myths

The site is a nice one for those of you interested in science.  They have many "strange-but-true" stories as well as some serious scientific ones.  I feed it into my My.Yahoo.

+ Atul

On getting older

I remember when I was younger, I would buy a cassette, or a CD and listen to the whole thing even though I only liked two or three songs on the album.  (Just the use of certain terms is giving away my age.)  I eventually began liking other songs on the album and uncovered some real sleepers that turned out to be great songs.

Now as I get older, I've realized that I no longer want to waste as much of my time.  I need to focus and use my time effectively by listening only to songs that I know I'll enjoy.  I mean I'm a third of the way through my life.  Time is not expendable anymore!

So, here's a lesson to all of you.  As you get older, increasingly stick to what's tried and true :-)

+ Atul

No surprise after 5 years of Bush and the Repubs

Remember trickle down economics of the Reagan era?  Well the concept is alive and well, but what's really trickling down?  It seems as though it's pennies and nickels, (and maybe an occasional quarter).  From the study they cite, the incomes of the richest fifth of families grew by $45,100, or nearly 59 percent over the past 20 years.  That growth is 2 and a half times as much as the current average annual income of the poorest 20 percent of families!  ("The poorest one-fifth of families, the report said, had an average income of $16,780.")

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11060191/

The saddest part about all this is how many of the lowest fifth likely voted for Bush and the Republicans.  Unfortunately, family values don't feed families.  The last suggestion by Renwick, an economist, is a very sensible one.  She says "when giving tax breaks to companies," governments should "insist those companies provide jobs that pay higher wages".  Unfortunately, companies today are more inclined to pay their executives millions of dollars in salary and bonuses while laying off workers to save on costs.

+ Atul

A Blog called Detroit Essentials

As part of the class I did this blog for, I'm part of a group that is doing a group blog project.  The URL is...

www.uh2l.blogs.com/detroitessentials

It's just being built up but there is some good stuff on there and we also have links to other useful sites.

+ Atul

Overworked employees get an ad?

So there's an ad in the Wall Street Journal, mentioned by a blog called Adrants, which talks about advertising agencies being like "sweatshops".  Interesting that they would take an ad out about it because it's been happening for years in probably every industry.  Companies just reduce headcount and load up on the remaining employees to squeeze the most out of them.  It saves on benefits, makes more money for the executives and shareholders, and who cares if the employees have "a life" outside of work.  Do they really need one?

I think there is a degree of hazing to this mentality in fields like medicine and advertising.  Higher-ups think that if they went through it, then the new employees should too.  Nobody thinks about the long term ramifications of it though.  It's sad, but perhaps it's a product of our global economy and our American "money's all that matters" attitude.

http://www.adrants.com/2006/01/agency-ad-says-agencies-are-sweatshops.php

+ Atul

Another quote I wrote a while ago

"If you don't think your opinion is the best one, then you need a new one."

+ Atul

Another stupid humor quote I came up with.

"You have no shame.  If it weren't for your clothes, you'd be naked!"

Confusing bumper sticker --> Survey on its meaning.

So I was driving to work yesterday and I saw a bumper sticker on a car that said "I work at Ford.  I drive a Ford."  Now what's so interesting about that?  I mean, we've all seen that bumper sticker before here in the Detroit area, haven't we?  Well, yes...  but it was on a Toyota Camry.  ... What?!  ...  When I realized this, my mind began working wondering how this happened or what the sticker-appliers intentions were.  Either...

1.  She doesn't realize she's driving a Toyota.

or

2.  She works at Fords and hates Fords so the sticker is a slap in the face to the Ford Motor Co.

or

3.  Somebody else who works at Ford with her stuck it on her car to make a statement that she should be driving a Ford and not a Toyota

or

4.  She was recently laid off by Ford and wanted to accentuate the fact that she's not driving a Ford anymore.

What do you think is the right answer?  I'll give my answer after I get some responses

Take it easy,

Atul