"The New York comptroller reported this week that Wall Street firms paid out $18.4 billion... in bonuses to employees, despite receiving multi-billion dollar payouts from the government to save them from collapse in the face of the worst financial crisis in decades."
If you're going out of business, should you use loans to pay extra money to your employees?
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Friday, January 23, 2009
Obamarama strains the Internet
It appears that computer literate people were interested in the inauguration on Tuesday.
Atlas reports that in the five years they've been monitoring traffic, this was "one of the single largest one day spikes in Internet traffic".
It's a good thing all those people aren't using Hulu and Fancast all the time.
Atlas reports that in the five years they've been monitoring traffic, this was "one of the single largest one day spikes in Internet traffic".
It's a good thing all those people aren't using Hulu and Fancast all the time.
Choo Choo: China does what the US should
"China will spend $88 billion constructing intercity rail lines." This is a statement made in a recent NY Times article about how China is looking to avoid the global recession. From that $88 billion, $24 billion will be used to create a high-speed route from Beijing to Guangzhou.
In contrast, the US $825 billion economic plan allocates less than 5% to transportation with no assertions of large projects involving high-speed rail.
"China has already built as many miles of high-speed passenger rail lines in the last four years as Europe has in two decades. A new bullet train from Beijing to Tianjin, opened last summer, travels at up to 217 miles an hour; the top speed of Amtrak’s Acela Express trains in the Northeastern United States is 150 m.p.h., and it is only briefly attained."
Perhaps part of the US's "energy independence" can include public transit that citizens would actually use?
In contrast, the US $825 billion economic plan allocates less than 5% to transportation with no assertions of large projects involving high-speed rail.
"China has already built as many miles of high-speed passenger rail lines in the last four years as Europe has in two decades. A new bullet train from Beijing to Tianjin, opened last summer, travels at up to 217 miles an hour; the top speed of Amtrak’s Acela Express trains in the Northeastern United States is 150 m.p.h., and it is only briefly attained."
Perhaps part of the US's "energy independence" can include public transit that citizens would actually use?
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Clean air is good?
Who would have guessed that breathing clean air is good for you? Apparently some researchers had this crazy hypothesis and tested it. Unsurprisingly, they found that "for every decrease of 10 micrograms per cubic meter of particulate pollution in a city, its residents' average life expectancy increased by more than seven months."
ABC article
Perhaps it's time for air quality regulation like the US had at the end of Clinton's term?
ABC article
Perhaps it's time for air quality regulation like the US had at the end of Clinton's term?
Monday, January 19, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
History of the War on Drugs
An interesting read from the Rolling Stones about the War on Drugs and the US politics around it. Obviously a biased piece, but lots of good information.
Friday, January 9, 2009
New ways to ease hunger pangs in the Triangle
It sounds delicious and readily available: Harris Teeter Signature Subs
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Carolina Hurricanes: Halfway through 2008-2009
The Canes have gone from somewhere around .500 through most of the season, up to six games over .500 in the past month.
They're off to their best start in the past three seasons and if they're able to match this pace in the second half of the season, they will end the regular season with 94 points. That amount of points will make the playoffs comfortably some years and not at all in others. We'll see what type of year 2009 is...
Sergei Samsonov has started to score again and there are three lines competing well every night. In the Devils game on 6-Jan (41st game of the regular season), no forward played over 20 minutes.
The defense continues to score at a pace almost twice as much as last year, so hopefully the trades made are proven wise.
Now if we could only convince Fox Sports Carolinas to broadcast more games in HD...
GO CANES!
They're off to their best start in the past three seasons and if they're able to match this pace in the second half of the season, they will end the regular season with 94 points. That amount of points will make the playoffs comfortably some years and not at all in others. We'll see what type of year 2009 is...
Sergei Samsonov has started to score again and there are three lines competing well every night. In the Devils game on 6-Jan (41st game of the regular season), no forward played over 20 minutes.
The defense continues to score at a pace almost twice as much as last year, so hopefully the trades made are proven wise.
Now if we could only convince Fox Sports Carolinas to broadcast more games in HD...
GO CANES!
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
"Third hand" smoke also bad
A study has just been released citing the danger of "third hand" smoke to babies and others.
This type of smoke is the toxic residue from people who had previously smoked in a particular area, but are no longer doing so.
Rumors are that new studies are being conducted on people watching smokers on television and just thinking about smoking ("fourth" and "fifth" hand smoke).
This type of smoke is the toxic residue from people who had previously smoked in a particular area, but are no longer doing so.
Rumors are that new studies are being conducted on people watching smokers on television and just thinking about smoking ("fourth" and "fifth" hand smoke).
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