Random links
- Trapped by $50,000 Degree in Low-Paying Job Is Increasing Lament
- This article is focused on the woes of those who've gotten Masters degrees, not the whole spectrum of higher education. "More people are losing the same gamble as a 33 percent jump in U.S. graduate school enrollment in the past decade, coupled with an 80 percent surge in tuition and required fees, runs headlong into a weaker job market." Fortunately for me the article notes that "Advanced degrees in computers, engineering, business and nursing lead to the highest salaries. Master’s degrees in education, fine arts, teaching and liberal arts fare the worst."
- When the Zoning Board Closes Your Church
- "the Fromms were fined $300 for violating a city ordinance that prohibits groups of three or more people from gathering without a permit. ... the ordinance language explaining who needs a conditional use permit is so broad it could apply to a group of friends who meet to watch football on Sundays. And to gain such a permit, an applicant could need a site planner, a public hearing and an entitlement planner, which could cost up to $150,000" - a permit needed for 3 or more people would probably already effectively ban most dinner parties.
- Turn Left and Follow the Money
- Some interesting numbers to back their assertions up that despite the talk of "sinister right-wing capitalist think tanks’ poisonous cash injections that have forever corrupted the political process—perverting democracy, subverting equality, and hurting feelings from coast to coast" donations actually lean the other way. One example: "a 2006 study of Fortune 500 companies that showed America’s wealthiest 100 corporations donated $59 million to leftist causes and a paltry $4 million to the political right." Not sure how left-wing their "left-wing" think tanks actually are
- What’s Marriage Got to Do with the Economy?
- Marriage and the economy as the title suggests - but also a few comments on population aging and the political impact of that.
- The Future of Light Is the LED
- An assessment of light bulbs. Maybe the note that "CFLs burn out rapidly when they’re not allowed to rest at least 15 minutes between being cycled off and on" explains why I've had some fluorescent lights burn out more quickly than I'd expect.