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Showing posts from September 7, 2008

Paycheck to paycheck on $100,000 a year

Some 21 percent of those with salaries of $100,000 or more say they are living paycheck to paycheck, according to a recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com. They certainly are spending a lot between paychecks. But the article offers advice: Eliminating one night of dining out a month can free up $50 to $100 that can be saved or invested. That's true, but if you're making six figures and still living paycheck to paycheck, you might want to look at some of your bigger expenses.

Hurricane Ike warning is very, very serious

The National Hurricane Center isn't pulling any punches as Hurricane Ike approaches the Texas shoreline. From last night's Hurricane Ike statement: ALL NEIGHBORHOODS...AND POSSIBLY ENTIRE COASTAL COMMUNITIES... WILL BE INUNDATED DURING THE PERIOD OF PEAK STORM TIDE. PERSONS NOT HEEDING EVACUATION ORDERS IN SINGLE FAMILY ONE OR TWO STORY HOMES WILL FACE CERTAIN DEATH. Yeesh. I hope this hurricane somehow loses strength before making landfall.

Large Hadron Collider topped by lipstick on a pig

By now, you've probably all heard about the Large Hadron Collider . If that name doesn't ring a bell, think of this ... the big machine that some people believe will unleash microscopic black holes that would eventually destroy Earth. Well, yesterday it passed its first test by firing beams of protons around a 17-mile underground ring. What is the goal of this $3.8 billion project, which is described as the biggest physics experiment ever? According to this story : Scientists hope to eventually send two beams of protons through two tubes about the width of fire hoses, speeding through a vacuum that is colder and emptier than outer space. The paths of these beams will cross, and a few protons will collide. The collider's two largest detectors -- essentially huge digital cameras weighing thousands of tons -- are capable of taking millions of snapshots a second. The CERN experiments could reveal more about "dark matter," antimatter and possibly hidden dimensions of s

High heels for babies

I thought most moms didn't want their babies to grow up fast: Two Washington state moms have launched a business that sells high heels for babies. Yes, you read right. You can read more about it here . Apparently, more than 1,500 pairs have been bought off the Web site www.heelarious.com . These should be great for this baby with the natural look , which I believe is defined as "having no pores."

Now entering new city, population unknown

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On the TV news last night, there was a report about how the Fort Worth area is growing so fast that Fort Worth and the surrounding suburbs can't keep up with the population numbers on the signs that say, "Now entering ..." Which brings up the question of why population figures are on the signs at all. If a city needs to replace a sign simply to update its population total, isn't that just a waste of money? Or is there someone out there who sees a sign that says, "Now Entering Cityville, population 182,000" and decides not to stop because the population isn't quite 200,000? Maybe Sundance above is a huge metropolis by now.

City council president: "You are all evil!"

If you start reading this story about the incoming Detroit city council president, you might think the unprofessional behavior ends with shouts to the media of "You are all evil!" But don't stop there. Read on and find out how she was involved in a bar fight (and then exonerated), called her $81,000 a year (plus car use) job part time and taunted another councilman by calling him "Shrek." Apparently, there is also a federal probe into contracting payoffs that led to this great paragraph in a different story : Asked if she could promise voters she has done nothing that could lead to her indictment, Conyers responded by asking if a person could promise he or she would be alive from one day to the next.

Condoms, an energy drink, and that will be all

In Dallas, we have some frightening robberies. And some very strange ones: Dallas police today are searching for a man who robbed a 7-Eleven convenience store in his wheelchair, stealing 10 boxes of condoms and an energy drink before rolling himself out the door, authorities said. Yes, if you're going to take 10 boxes of condoms, you better also get an energy drink. Actually, it's pretty sad. Police do not have any suspects, but they believe the man may be homeless. Or going to a party. Or both.

An astronaut's concerns about experiments

An Onion video on one astronaut's concerns about his space experiments: Astronaut Suspects NASA Using Him To Test SpaceĆ¢??s Effects On Fat People

Desperate colleges looking for donations

Here are a couple of the responses I received to the "My old friend needs some help" column. *** Boy - I think your U and my U must be linked to the CIA.... or some other organization that keeps track of where we live.... maybe the IRS. I have not ONCE donated to my U.... yet they have managed to track me through six moves, two of them to a different state, and back home again. How do they keep up with me? Heck, I was still putting my OLD address on my envelopes six months after I moved... they managed to find me within two weeks of the mailbox transfer. I do not know how they do this. Maybe they are connected to those people who keep sending me those pesky juror summons. I'll put my U requests right in the same place as I do those little red cards telling me to show up in court. Need a coaster for your drink?? *** I went to an Ivy, which uses the technique of forcing students to call alumnae and explain the exciting benefits of donating at various levels. I feel

Potential space tourists, please take note

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For those of you who have more cash than me, here's a reminder that you can still sign up for a space flight at www.virgingalactic.com for the low, low price of $200,000. Oh yeah, and something else you might want to know: A retired NASA engineer looking to develop an inexpensive way for people to travel to space might have to go back to the drawing board after one of his experiments exploded Saturday. "It's just an experiment that went bad," police Chief Glenn Manis told the Galveston County Daily News . Hopefully, the first space-tourist trip won't be described the same way.

Humor Me: My old friend needs some help

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By MATT WIXON Over the years, I've lost contact with most of my friends from college. In the case of my buddy Milo, who spent an entire year playing Nintendo and dropping classes, perhaps some distance is a good thing. But I regret that I let so many other friends slip away. I miss them sometimes, along with my exciting, carefree, full-head-of-hair college days. The days when I strove for greater knowledge by investigating theories, challenging widely held beliefs and limiting myself to two presses of the snooze bar. (The first 20 minutes of Introduction to British Literature weren't that important.) Despite the pull of time and geography, however, I have kept in touch with one friend. Actually, it's more that one friend has kept in touch with me. Every few months, this friend calls to check on how my life is going and how my job is working out. And, of course, whether I can spare some extra change. "Milo, is that you?" No, it's my old buddy the University of