March 27, 2025

Sankey Chart

https://usafacts.org/articles/this-chart-tells-you-everything-you-want-to-know-about-government-spending/

Useful chart for looking at government spending.

February 9, 2025

Trump is like the guy who ordered

The green houses in Silent Running be blown up. Dern's character's coworkers are MAGA.

July 30, 2024

Have a job offer that expires on Aug 5th but a potential offer coming from my #1 choice

I have a very good job offer with relocation to a community 2:15 minutes from my home. My wife will not move so it will be an apartment situation for me. Hybrid or remote is not an immediate option. I have been unemployed for almost two months.

I have an employer near my home where I lost out to another candidate who has said a second position has been requested from corporate (it is to fill a pending retirement). If a position is approved now, it will be a week or two. If not there will be a position open up towards the end of year (probably after the retirement).

Both jobs would be great but will represent about a 20-30% reduction in my former salary (still happy to have them). A good chance the company with the relocation will be higher (how much I am not certain given I haven't received the other offer). The second company really wants me, and I think the engineering manager really connects with me (near the same age and we both got our MS from the same college - in fact all the engineers I interviewed with are from that college which is a much smaller engineering department than our large land grant college).

I wonder if I should try to push the process with the local employer. If not then I figure I should just accept the first offer now and go forward. If I had to live somewhere else, then this is where I would live (used to live there and my older daughter goes down regularly for both dog agility and work). Hate to be separated from my wife and my younger daughter's dog (I am the only one that can walk him because of reactivity). There is a really good chance my younger daughter could eventually join me down there. I received the offer on Friday. Negotiated for a small increase in the salary (to the top of the band - I will have to get promoted to get any more dollars) on Monday.

It will hurt if the local employer comes through with an acceptable offer after I already pulled the trigger with the first company. If both companies were here, I definitely would work first for the company I have the offer with (not that I would be unhappy with the other though).

I plan to work until I am 68 (another 7 years).

July 14, 2024

Trump assasination attemp and George R.R. Martin's short story

From "And Death His Legacy"

The news of the Prophet's death rocked a nation, and the wail went up from all parts of the land.
"They killed him," they said. "Those damn Commies knew that he was the man who could lick them, so they killed him."
Or, sometimes, they said, "It was the n-gers, the damn n-gers. They knew that Beauregard was going to keep them in their places, so they killed him."
Or, sometimes, "It was those demonstrators. Goddam traitors. Beaue had 'em pegged for what they were, a bunch of anarchists and terrorists. So they killed him, the filthy scum."
Crosses burned across the land that night, and all the polls turned sharply upward. The Prophet had become a Martyr.

And three weeks later, Beauregard's vice-presidential candidate announced on a nationwide television address that he was carrying on. "Our cause is not dead." he said. "I promise to fight on for Beau and all that he stood for. And we will fight to victory!"

And all the people cheered and cheered.

A few hundred miles away, Maxim de Laurier sat in a hotel room and watched, his face a milk-white mask. "No," he whispered, choking on the words. "Not this. This wasn't supposed to happen. It's wrong, all wrong."

And he buried his head in his hands, and sobbed. "My God, my God, what have I done?" And then he was still and silent for a long time. When he rose at last his face was still pale and twisted, but a single dying ember burned still in the ashes of his eyes. "Maybe," he said, "Maybe I can still--"

And he sat down to oil his gun.

June 1, 2024

Six Million Dollar Man - Was Steve Austin's plane sabotaged

Watching the pilot episodes of this series on Peacock. Does it seem like the Darren McGavin character Spencer plotted to create "product" for his plan to make cyborgs. He got lucky in his first go with Austin surviving the crash - if he hadn't would he have tried again?

Not sure if that theme was ever explored in the rest of the series. The timeline as it is shown in the pilot sure makes you wonder.

May 22, 2024

Red Lobster bankruptcy driven by corporate owner forcing it to source its seafood?

"Red Lobster CEO Jonathan Tibus wrote in court documents the Endless Shrimp offer was originally intended to be a limited-time promotion. However, in May 2023, Paul Kenny, Red Lobster’s CEO at the time, made the decision to add the promotion to the chain’s menus permanently, priced at USD 20.00 (EUR 18.41), “despite significant pushback from other members of the company’s management team,” Tibus said.

“This decision created both operational and financial issues for the debtors … saddling the company with burdensome supply obligations, particularly with its equity sponsor: Thai Union,” Tibus said.

Red Lobster is investigating the circumstances around these decisions, including whether Kenny’s decision-making process circumvented the company’s normal supply chain and demand planning processes.

Red Lobster’s supply process was strained by virtue of its relationship with Thai Union, according to Tibus. In addition to being the company’s equity sponsor and 100 percent owner of Red Lobster Master Holdings GP, Thai Union is a primary supplier of seafood to Red Lobster."

Investing story that involves foreign ownership of a traditional American brand (Red Lobster is about the only place you can dine out on seafood in many locations in the midwest). We don't have a comparable restaurant in our area so it is now an hour plus drive to the nearest Red Lobster.

Got to wonder if the bankruptcy will be limited to Red Lobster alone or the debtors will attempt to pierce the corporate veil to Thai Union.


https://www.seafoodsource.com/news/business-finance/red-lobster-files-for-bankruptcy-says-it-s-investigating-thai-union-s-undue-influence-in-shrimp-purchasing-decisions

May 15, 2024

If still working should you take Social Security Benefits at 62

Given that if the Trust Fund runs out in 2035 benefits will be scaled back to 83% of current amount without a change in the law, would it make more sense to start taking SS as soon as possible (I turn 62 next year but plan to work at my primary job until I am 67 or 68 and then take something less desk oriented but more active if physically able)?

Also if the GOP gets in there will they ram through a law that benefits current SS participants at the expense of future ones?

My wife will be receiving half of my SS check. She barely had any income in the few years that she actually worked outside the home (which was from about 1989 to 2000). It was almost always part time and near minimum wage.

December 17, 2023

The Ticketmaster Con

I just bought tickets to three concerts. Two of them were at our local university. Within five minutes I had the seats selected and the tickets printed. Service charge of about $5

Then my wife just had to see Mannheim Steamroller. $35 in service charges and I have to get my tickets through my smatphone. Tickets still haven't shown up, and I will have to be white knuckle all the time until I get into the venue hoping my smartphone or the app doesn't crap out.

F_ck modern technology.

August 31, 2023

Thunderfoot on how sequestration of CO2 is a non-starter

We are so screwed. As he said our grandparents, parents, and us have had a century of cheap energy that our descendants out multiple generations will have to pay for.

August 31, 2023

Police: South Carolina homeowner who fatally shot CT college student will not be charged

A horrible tragedy, but apparently he had already broken a window in the door and was attempting to open the door by accessing the door handle.




https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/news/article/south-carolina-homeowner-fatal-shooting-no-charges-18338865.php

While a female resident of the home was on the phone with an emergency dispatcher, police said the man retrieved a firearm from inside the home. He fired a single shot when Donofrio broke a window embedded in the front door and reached through for the doorknob, striking Donofrio in the upper body, police said.