Choice

http://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhelman/2014/02/20/cheap-gasoline-why-venezuela-is-doomed-to-collapse/

As we are noticing in this country, when we proclaim things to be "free," we forget there is an actual -- and often expensive -- cost.

http://www.nbcnews.com/#/business/consumer/raise-minimum-wage-foes-say-theyll-stop-tipping-n39011
I got a kick out of this one, mainly because the whole point of tipping is that we know the servers are underpaid, and we expect them to make it up in service.  In Europe, for instance, the servers are paid real wages, hence-- no tipping!.  I happen to think that the European system is better, but...well, you can imagine that people will bitch if 1) They have crappy service and forced to pay more for meals, or 2) Servers will bitch if they give great service and are tipped zilch.  I am not unsympathetic, but...it cannot be both systems. 

I am reading Teachout's biography of Mencken; quite good, though it is no surprise I love Mencken (or Teachout, for that matter).  Going quickly, for obvious reasons.  I have been trying to get through the book pile, though of course I am adding new ones, so it is an ineffective demonstration (or effective, I guess) of Say's Law.

The first three nites of the week, I went to bed early...well, fairly early, and got sleep of decent length.  Wednesday nite was restless, Thursday was late, and now I am feeling my ass kicked.  I have nowhere to be tomorrow but here, so I am trying to sleep in, but I am not sanguine as to the prospect of fitful rest.

Malls

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/02/senator-ted-cruz-profile-103799.html

I rather liked this, mainly because "Amazing Grace" is one of my favorite movies, as well.  Pretty cool.

http://www.cleveland.com/parma/index.ssf/2014/02/parmatown_future.html#incart_m-rpt-2

I don't know...I remember the Pesho case; her son went to my school, and some of my friends had a connection (WAYYY back in the day) to the murderer.  I think that part of the issue of Parmatown's decline is that they chased away the teenagers and other types who hang around malls, and being teenagers, spend money.  Heck, sometimes even the parents go (not too close, though).  I remember going to Parmatown -- on a Sunday, in my church clothes (which are sketchy, true) -- and getting stopped by cops three times...once in, once out, and once in the middle.  It was incredibly annoying, and I even told one of them I would never come back.  I think it was a decade before I did, and it looked like a ghost town.  I wonder how many teenagers endured worse and said fuck it...and went to Strongsville, where MGK can host a riot and no one seems to know.

It is odd, because South Park is nice, but it is out of the way and sort of a pain to get to; not until a few years ago did they widen 82, so you could be stuck for 45 minutes or so just getting there.  It is still a chore on holidays and weekends, even with highway access and the Howe Road part and the back way by Giant Eagle.  But people go, in spades.  Security has a low presence there, and people just mill and shop and buy.  I wonder if they learned wrong lesson at Parmatown.

Slow

Last day of OC duty, for a while, I hope.  Ok, it wasn't too bad; I have been sleepless as of late, and there is some running around at the OC, even if we are not screamingly busy.  Crowd was steady, just steady; it'll be a slow month.  We did clean a freezer out, removed some accumulating junk in the main rooms, and even managed to take out nine bags of clothing from storage.  There are still 79 left or so, to say nothing of what is in OUR storage areas, but this was clearly progress.

I was reading "Time," and they had a paragraph abotu the new Swiss laws restricting immigration.  Of course, everyone said that the Swiss were in danger of turning from Europe, and I was like...can you blame them?

In other news...the electric company is coming to slice down some trees, and a gutter popped loose.  Grr...as with everything else, the main goal is that it is not too expensive...

Torrents

I had a glass of wine today -- someone gifted me a Merlot, which did not have the crappy wine aftertaste, so was sort of nice -- and now it has messed up my sleep rhythm, somehow; I am tired but not that much that I want to go to bed.  Odd.

I see the Orioles picked up Ubaldo...I am not sure about that; it's a long deal for a good sum, and he has been inconsistent.  On the other hand, of course, I think the Tribe should have picked him up, maybe for less time/more cash...I guess I am not impressed with the rest of the rotation.  I see the Tribe picked up Harang off the waiver pile; he used to be durable, if nothing else, a while back, and now he is just another guy...so if it works, nice, if not...well, it's not like we are invested in the guy.  And, for the record, I am unconvinced with the Santana to 3rd bit.

OC Board meeting yesterday; won some plaudits on the budget.  Expansion finalized, architect gave a good plan...now we wait for the bids.  I do feel as if monkey has been lifted off the back, now we just have to fund it and hope nothing else bad happens.

Ops

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2014/02/14/dionne-v-hayek/

Smartly done.

I made a trip Thursday -- at the buttcrack of dawn -- to the new SVDP pantry at Woodland, where I met the operations manager and then went to the Greater Cleveland Food Pantry, where I observed the pluses and minuses of food pickups there; the fact of the matter is, costs are going up for us, and if someone could get the stuff directly, it would save us the middleman.  Of course, therein lies the problem; most of the volunteers who could have to work (like me) and those who can don't want to (for a variety of completely acceptable reasons).  We also had a bs session (issues of our duties) and then I got to see the new warehouse area we have.  It looks exceptionally suitable for industrial music videos and porn, but the price was right, and I have no doubt our food pantry can use it.  I learned a lot, and I think we can gain much from some of the new things...but our cash is going to be a problem the whole way out.  OC duty has been slow this month -- the weather is awful -- which sort of helps.  The clothing room is a mess as well -- too much in storage -- and the hot meals are through the roof (they are always in that manner, but some months they are more so).

I am finishing up Atkinson's "The Liberation Trilogy" and it is quite good; the author has a touch for the common GI, who does not often come up...even in our very democratic society...

Feeling Randy

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/02/07/rand-paul-keeps-attacking-bill-clinton-why/

I suspect this is one of the MAIN reasons why Rand WILL be the GOP nominee in 2016; for one thing, he is a different kind of Republican.  For another, a certain segment of the base likes him, but another does not, and this is one way to attract that base.  Third...say what you want, but it IS a bit hypocritical for the Dems to claim "War on Women" when Bill and his...issues -- remember the Bimbo Explosions -- are running about.  Rand is calling them out on it, and as evinced to what he did with McCaskill, it sort of works.

All together now....duh.....
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/food/2014/02/food_deserts_and_fresh_food_access_aren_t_the_problem_poverty_not_obesity.2.html

I think the big news has been the Sam story....I don't think anyone really knows what will happen...I suspect he gets drafted Day 2, and then it is a crapshoot.  One thing I was thinking is how, in general, sports are fairly conservative places.  I mean, not in the sense that locker rooms will erupt if a gay man walks into them, but in that...well, change and evolution don't happen overnite (if you read the NFL draft evaluators on cnnsi, you will see what I mean).  Hence, I can see the hesitance about putting Sam on a roster, not because of homophobia, but simply because the whole experience is beyond the pale; sort of like how Dick Stuart hit some ungodly number of HRs in the low minors in Texas or New Mexico or somewhere; I think the number was 70 or so, when no one hit 40.  The number was a hindrance, as no one could quantify it.  Similarly, I can see NFL guys saying "what if he doesn't work out?" and NOT because of the homosexuality, but you'll be castigated for cutting him...so you just avoid him in the first place.

Twinge

Tonite, I am feeling my age; I work up at 5:30 with low blood sugar, and somehow I tweaked my knee at the OC today, and the result is now I feel like rolling over and going to bed.  To be sure, I just spent the past four hours doing nothing but elevating said leg and watching college hoops, so it is already feeling better (I don't think anything is wrong), but this feeling of fatigue that is overwhelming me...well, it is new.

OC duty was slow -- the cold chased away all but the diehards -- but all I did was haul stuff, and most of the time outside, so I figure I will either die of the leg, pneumonia, or a hernia.  I know I am the youngest one there, but...oi.  I do feel I need a replacement, if not successor, and should prolly start mentioning this around the parish, like that will help (all those Catholic school graduates, you know).

Pushing

It's sort of funny; I've been cold all day (bad sleep last nite), save for when I went out to shovel the drive.  I don't know; between the layers and the physical exertion, I was actually sweating while out there.  It took less than an hour, and aside from the ice and the fact that it was really packed in at the apron, it wasn't too bad.  Lord knows I need the exercise, lest I become a fatass once again.

The January OC stats (I think the numbers are down because of the weather, and it was a 3-Saturday month):
156 seniors, 526 kids, 357 kids...totaling 387 client visits.  Rah.

Buses

Another day, another snowpocalypse, thanks, of course, to the settled fact of global warming, er, climate change.

http://www.slate.com/articles/life/history/features/2014/the_liberal_failure_on_race/how_the_left_s_embrace_of_busing_hurt_the_cause_of_integration.html

I rather liked this article, but I wonder if the author just didn't give enough blame to liberals on this, or, more appropriately, both the liberals who kept pushing such ideas as busing EVEN AFTER it was obvious they didn't work...and the Democrats -- white working class types -- who used racial segregation and bigotry to get ahead (and still do).  I think I've said many a time the reason I identify as a Republican was because of the overt racism of the other side, which sort of seemed hypocritical.  I know better now, of course, and it IS hypocritical. To be sure, I am not saying that all of my fellow GOPers view things with equality, but...I've generally noticed -- at least among my generation -- that green is the more important color.  Which, if you think about it, is what Dr. King talked about decades ago.

Stats

Sad news about Hoffman, to an extent...I mean, let's face it, when you take drugs -- and a lot of them -- chances are they will kill you, and if not sooner...later.  Whether we like it or not, and we do not have to...that is how it works.

In the meantime, I am...tired.  Not sure why; I went to bed early last nite, and got enough sleep today, I thought, but I am just dragging; I caught up on some "Downton" and read a bit.  Bleh; won't even go to a Super Bowl party, just to stay in and have a quiet evening at home...which is good.

OC duty yesterday...fairly quiet in every sense, aside from the fact that the clothing room was something of a catastrophe.  Some parishes dropped off clothing, didn't or couldn't put it away, and there were bags upon bags of it when we arrived.  It took four of us one hour to get it sort of nice, and we had three volunteers...to say nothing of our wonderful clients...handling most of it the rest of the day.  Now we are short of hangers...and of course, there are more clothes everywhere else.

One of my favorite times of the year is to go through and read the latest Bill James Handbook, the definitive source of baseball stats for 2013 and an estimate of what will happen for 2014...it takes about a week, as it is not an easy read, but being the stat nerd I am...