Rally to restore sanity

I’ve long been a fan of Jon Stewart, but I’m in the 11 month of my 1 year without cable so I missed watching this live:

I have two friends who were there and I’m hoping to get a live-eye account.  I know my side is going to shellacked on Tuesday but the fact that this rally drew three times as many as Glenn Beck did makes me feel warm inside. 

Tales from the training camp

"Inshalla" is a term I've blogged about before but apparently so long ago that Google's search engine can't find that post.  It means "God willing" but in the two years I've been here it has meant, "Not a fat chance."

In trying to create a workbook designed for people here and not an MBA course in the US I customized the section on goal setting to stress the importance of deadlines.  I included the line "Simply saying 'inshalla' is not acceptable when setting a deadline."

A guy today took me to task on this.  As a western non-Muslim I "don't understand the meaning of the word."  I know my ability to get defensive but in this case I didn't.  I simply replied, "I absolutely meant no offense.  It's been my experience that when a student says, 'I will get this to you on Wednesday, inshalla' it never happens."

He went on to repeat the meaning and it was his classmates that came to my defense.  More than one said to him, "You are right.  That is the meaning... but he (me) is right... so many misuse the term."  

After the session the guy came to apologize profusely.  Had I actually became mad I might have reacted differently but in this teaching gig I 100% buy into the idea I am working at Disneyland and Goofy never has a bad day. 

(What is it with the search engine on my blog?  I swear I've blogged about Goofy never having a bad day.  It was that piece of advice that kept me from getting fired at Hamilton for years before I was.)

After it was all over I realized that this was the same guy I tried desperately to reach last semester when I had a blind student and had zero support from student services on testing, a reader, etc.  At that point I became angry.  Had I realized it at the time I would have said, "Oh, so inshalla you will help my student from last semester?  I think you made my point."

Fortunately, I didn't remember until later.  Overall, the session was great. I'm 3-4 on "great" and 1-4 "good."  To get paid to do this is beyond amazing.

*****

Unrelated, in the afternoon I had 3 classes with midterms.  I spent all day yesterday writing 3 completely different tests.  Not a single question overlapped.  Today as I was giving the tests the students were cheating like crazy... or at least trying.  As I yelled at them the reply was, "But, sir, his test is not the same as mine."  

"I know," I replied.  I smiled.  I might have even cackled... which is appropriate on Halloween.


******
And even more unrelated, I have no idea why blogger changes font sizes in the middle of a post.  Sometimes I take the time to go back and correct it but I certainly have no idea why it happens.

Restore sanity rally

I missed my calling.  I'd have happily returned to DC to wear this outfit.  I'm kinda disappointed in myself that I hadn't thought of it.

42 going on 8

Being broke is easy.  You know you can't really buy anything or do anything so you don't spend much time thinking about it.  It's depressing, too, but hey, nobody said being broke was perfect.

For the first time in over a decade I have extra cash and it's burned a huge whole in my pocket.  Correction:  I don't even have the money yet and I have visions of dirhams dancing in my head.

In the past 24 hours:  I stopped myself just short of entering my credit card info to buy a ticket home in two weeks for the Eid break.  I held the Nintendo Wii in my hands and looked over all the games I'd like to play.  I walked by a 60 inch TV and calculated, "I can buy that by doing just four training sessions..."

Yeesh.  Having money will make me go broke.

Maybe they'll do a commercial about me

A month ago I woke up to find a plate of cookies I didn't remember getting...

And my broom in the stairwell.

It turns out that the woman who gave me the cookies also happens to be the training and development manager for the university.  We talked at length about what she was after and she liked what I had to say.  That's how I got the job offer to do training. 

So I passed a stairwell job interview with flying colors and I have absolutely no memory of it.

Imagine the announcer's voice, "Do you hate cleaning?  Do you get nervous before a job interview?  Introducing Ambien, the wonder drug.  Here's one of our satisfied customers..."

It is a messed up world that Ambien is legal but pot is not.  I guess I'm lucky that I'm addicted to the legal drugs.

I found this out on Monday when I asked, "How did you hear about me to ask for me?"  It took all she could not to say, "We talked for 20 minutes you moron."

*****
This gig is continuing to pay dividends.  In addition to the monthly training sessions I've already signed up for today I was asked if I'd do some training for city employees.  I said, "Sure!" while thinking, "Hell, yeah, I want a 60 inch TV..."

It is better now... for the most part

Today's training seminar went really well.  Here are two stories I have to share:

"My manager would have me write my evaluations of my employees in pencil.  She would then erase and change the evaluations she didn't like."

And:

"I had a manager who loved me.  He gave me outstanding evaluations year after year.  Then he left and I got a manager who didn't like me.  He not only gave me bad evaluations but went back and changed my evaluations from previous years.  When I showed him my copies of my old evaluations he said, 'This is the official evaluation... not what you have...'"

I said, "If I heard those stories before I came here I probably wouldn't have come here."

"It is better now... for the most part," one replied.

"Want a cat?"

On the day after I get the news my boss has recommended renewing my contract, Ann is told by hers that the end is near.  The U decided last spring to kill the program Ann is teaching in.  I'm still holding out hope but that hope is fading.

Ann said, "Who knew you'd be staying here and I'd be the one going?"  She paused and added, "Want a cat?"

From the things that are hard to believe category

As a child I went to school with two brothers who many thought were thugs.  The oldest was in my class and I actually considered him a friend for most of elementary school.

Later in life he slept with his best friend's wife and broke up their marriage.  After marrying her they moved to the west coast and a few years later he was convicted of molesting his 8 year old step daughter.

In elementary the younger brother was considered more of the thug than the guy in my class.  Almost like the missing link to Neanderthals.  

Well, surprise, surprise!

He's now a children's book author and artist.  You can purchase the book here.

...and the day gets better!

Today is payday!  That means the loan I've been paying off for two years is officially paid off.  Each month I now have an extra $1100.  Yippee!

We received our schedules for next semester and I have an 8AM class.  I e-mailed my boss to try to get that changed and received this response:

"Will do my best.  Congrats on the CEC training.  I recommended to renew your contract for three more years.  All the best."

I wish I could buy a lottery ticket. I'm feeling lucky today.

Good day!

I spent the weekend immersed in training materials to pick out what to cover.  On Wednesday I will be leading my first "module" 100% prepared by me.  Preparing for a 4 hour class is not much work.  Preparing a workbook to go along with a 4 hour class is quite a bit of work.

This morning I met with the people who gave me the contract and, 1. My first session from last week received good reviews, and 2. They liked what I had prepared.

I've been signed on for at least the next two "modules" and probably more.  While that means more work it also means more pay.  An extra $1500 - $2000 for the next couple of months will be very nice.  Realistically, this will run through April.  S-w-e-e-t!

Also, I find this stuff interesting.  It is great to have actual working professionals as students.  It's why I liked teaching at Hamilton.  Teaching "management" classes to someone who has never had a job is very different than having students with work experience.

In other words, all is well here.

"I applied for a job..."

A student* told me that he applied for a job at one of the two phone companies.  He was hoping to work full time and go to school.  I said, "Millions in the US do it every year."  Then I heard the hours and pay:  Dh 1500 per month with six 8 hour days per week.

Pay here is usually calculated monthly - not hourly or annually like in the US.  So here's the math:

Dh 1500 = $408

48 hours each week * 4 = 192 per month

Pay per hour:  $408/192 hours = $2.12/hour

As I get really, really frustrated with service people I have to remind myself that they are making $2.12/hour... and this is better pay than most stores pay.

Ironically, his job would be to work at du, the phone company who sold me the iPhone with the data packages that didn't work.  For six weeks I went round and round with them and went off on a CSR more than once.  I was justifiably upset but I have to admit I had no idea they were paid that little.

* To be clear:  "Student" in this case meant non-Emirati.  An Emirati wouldn't take this job for 10 times this pay.  At 20 times this pay he'd consider it... as long it was only 5 days a week and he was allowed to come late and leave early...

That's not really a joke or an exaggeration.  My students expect pay of Dh 30,000 when they graduate.  (That monthly salary translates to $98,000 per year.)

Pink Hijab Day!

I thought the "Ladies only" tagline was funny.  And when I see things like that I think, "Well, why can't *I* wear a pink hijab?"  If I were in the US I would feel a need to wear one on Wednesday.  Here I don't think it would go over as well.

Wild boar in the mist

Here are a couple of pictures I didn't post from the trip to Nepal in 2008.  It's making me feel kinda nostalgic.  If you, too, are feeling nostalgic here are the posts from that trip.

This woman is bringing home stuff (thatch, grasses?) she collected during the day in the jungle.  Nepalis get only one week per year to harvest what they can from the jungle and we happened to be there during that visit.  

If I can't afford to come home Nepal is not a bad backup.

Long road home

 Iowa in late summer

When I arrived in 2008 I took out a $20,000+ loan to keep my house from being foreclosed and buy a car here.  (Being unemployed for six months before coming here was not good.)  I've been making $1100 payments for two years and my final payment is in the next few days.  

That means I am essentially getting a $1100 raise starting next month.  Add to that the money I'm making from the training sessions and, wow, suddenly I'm rich!

Not really, I still have plenty of debts but at least there will be a tad bit more breathing room.

So the prudent thing to do is to not come home in November... but to come home for $1000 and have a flight direct to Chicago?  Ugh.  

In the process of writing this post I've gone back to 50-50.

Iowa tickets

Tonight I came close... very close to purchasing tickets to come home during the second eid (November 11 - 19)  The price is reasonable.  The flight is amazing:  Straight to Chicago.  Yes, there's a six hour layover there but for $50 I could buy a pass into the Admiral's Club and get a shower and all the free drinks I want.  (Not a bad way to spend a six hour layover.)

I'm 50-50 on doing this.  

If I came back for November 11 - November 19 are there friends who would like to see me, am I coming back just to get more popcorn and contacts?

Friendly students

I like asking newbies what they find different about teaching here.  (My answer, of course, was that I was woefully unprepared for the cheating.)

A Greek colleague did her graduate work at UConn and she arrived here a month ago.  With the U of Connecticut being her only teaching experience before now I was surprised by her answer:  The friendliness of the students.

She's right about people here being friendly.  Even while waiting for car insurance the other night a teenager asked where I was from and if I like it here.

She said, "In Connecticut if I met a student in the mall they'd walk right by and act like I wasn't there."

That's the difference.  My teaching experience is in Iowa.  Iowans, like Emiraties, are a nicer bunch than those east coasters.

When I asked why cheating was not her answer as well she replied, "The cheating is as bad in Greece.  I'm used to it.  I've seen people cheat all the way to getting a degree."

Wicked headache

The dangers of walking while playing backgammon on my phone:  I walked under a staircase and right into the concrete underside of it.

Twelve hours and several Excedrin later I still have a headache.

Customer service

A month ago I bought a small refrigerator for my office.  It didn't work.  When I tried to exchange it I was told they would repair it but not exchange it.  I was not happy.  And this was almost a month ago...

I've checked back several times and told it had been sent to Dubai and would be back soon.

Tonight I was called and asked where I live.  I volunteered to pick it up at the store because my office is close.  "No, no sir... we come to you."

So they came to me and their first question was, "Where is the refrigerator?"

Wow.

How my mind works

Today I made 1600 Dh extra (a little over $400).  Tonight I went to renew my car insurance.  In the past I purchased only liability.  After my accident last spring I decided to check into full coverage.  The prices I was quoted tonight:

• 500 Dh liability
• 1500 Dh full coverage

I was able to say to myself, "A year free from worry for less than you got paid to teach for four hours this morning.  Do it."  Had I not done this on the same day I probably would have been cheap and gone for the liability.

Also, I've never purchased full coverage in the US because I've always had an old enough vehicle to not be worth it.  What would full coverage insurance cost for a year on a 2005 Nissan Sentra?  I'm betting it would be more than $400.

What did YOU see while driving today?

Posted by a friend on FB:

I will never grow tired of camel spotting!

Surreal

I'll get to the surreal part in a minute...

Today was my first training session covering the topic of communication.  My (now former) colleague created the training materials that I was to present.  Last night I was pretty sick because the material was completely abstract and difficult.  For example, when's the last time you've used "incongruity" in a sentence?  Knowing that the audience was going to be non-native English speakers I knew I had to change it.

I decided to throw out the material and basically teach it like a class.

Here's where it became surreal:  Today's group were very senior people at the university... the #2 person in HR, the head of student housing, the head of student affairs... a group of 11 total.  All make substantially more money than I do, all have important titles and all are Arab.

More than once I thought, "What is this Iowa farmboy doing here?"

Then I tried to imagine anything remotely similar in the US:  A group of managers sitting through a training session being conducted in a different language by a guy several rungs lower on the corporate ladder.

It just wouldn't happen.

How large is Africa?

Here's an interesting geography lesson for the day:

I knew Africa was large but I didn't think of it as "continental US, China, Japan and most all of Europe" big.  Details here.

Octoberfest!

Tonight a local hotel celebrated Octoberfest.  I'm a good German so I knew I had to partake.

The music of the night?  Salsa and techno.  I may be mistaken but that's not exactly German.  The food wasn't anything I'd call German either:  Hot wings and vegetarian skewers... excuse me?  Has your chef met a German?

I was happy that a born-and-raised German friend confirmed for me that this was anything but Octoberfest.... "but, hey, at least the beer is good" was her reply.

Yeah, the country that gave the culinary world sauerkraut was at least good enough to create good beer.  In other words:  Want good food?  Go to Italy or France.  Want good beer?  Go to Germany.   

\

It wouldn't be a German event without a contest.  These guys are trying to drink their beer the fastest to win a prize.  Guess who won?

If you guessed the fat guy in the orange shirt you win.

Later, two friends won a dancing contest.  I guess we'll be coming back. 

You're getting paid well so let it go...

As I've mentioned before, I'll be conducting some management training sessions in the next couple of weeks.  Today I learned what I'll be paid and it's quite good:  $110/contact hour.  (I'm not getting paid for prep work, but for 16 contact hours, the total pay is better than I expected.)

So I'm getting paid well and since most of this material is stuff I cover semester after semester the prep work isn't very hard.  In other words, it's a well-paid gig and I should be very happy.

I am happy, but it kills me to know how much the agency I'm working for is charging the university.  They are getting more than 15 times what they are paying me.

A mechanic knows s/he is making much less than the car repair shop is charging the customer.  That's the way business works to cover overhead, management expenses and still make a profit.  But the garage can't charge 15x what the mechanic makes!  

If I had no idea how much my employer was getting paid I'd be happy ecstatic about this opportunity to make extra money.  Knowing they are charging 15x changes my attitude, but it shouldn't.  As long as I'm satisfied with what I'm getting paid it shouldn't matter what they are charging the customer, right?

Sleeeeep....

After 4 days of ridiculous insomnia I went to bed at 9:30 last night... and was still at awake at 11:30.  Knowing my mind and body couldn't take another sleepless night I took half of an Ambien.  I was still awake at midnight but asleep shortly after that. 

With no morning classes I woke up at 10 this morning.  

I think my new rule with Ambien will have to be:  Take it only after you have gone to bed.  The take it and plan to go to bed 30 minutes later after it has kicked in hasn't worked so well for me.  

Completely unrelated to sleep:  Click on the picture above to learn more hamburger consumption in America.

Get me some sleep!

I'm going on 4 days with less sleep than I can count on my fingers.  I'm down to a handful of braincells.

*******
Long story short:  My students saw the picture above and were wowed.  It's safe to say they've never seen anything like it.  "Why," one asked, "would you live here when you could live there?"

"You don't need to call your lawyer... you're boring."

Have Americans gone nuts while I've been gone?  Seeing the faux outrage of a mosque near ground zero and the guy getting so much publicity for an attempt to burn the Koran makes me wonder.

Now there's the outrage that Campbell's is offering "halal" soups (halal is very, very similar to "kosher" - a term nobody gets worked up about).

And, a Muslim had his car electronically tracked by the FBI.  He should feel better, I guess, because the FBI told him he was boring.  What made his car worth tracking in the first place?  Is every person of Arab nationality automatically a suspect?  It's sad and it's scary.

Road stories

In one week I have stories from former students/friends of horrific accidents.  One witnessed a guy going way too fast, lost control and after car landed he lived for 4-5 minutes.

Another former student was the driver in his accident.

Here's the story he told me on FB:


(Before reading, you need to know that roads here have three lanes on each side.)

I was racing with some one

he was in the left

an I was in the middle of the street

he find some one in front of him

he give him a full light to move

so he move to the middle street

I didn't want to hit him

cuz it was very old car

and I hit him I will kill some one

soo I took the right side

it was empty

but when I took it

I found the big tanker

soo

i turned left Quickly

but it was 2 laaaaaate

I hit him from the right front of my car

and I flyed for 2 meters

and start flipping on the street

for 2 or 3 times

I don't know

He's lucky to be alive.  And I know I've said this before but I'll say it again:  I have zero - absolutely zero - fear of being harmed because of anti-American sentiment.  If I die in this country it will be under the wheels of a Land Cruiser.

Because sitting around naked will make you a better father

A lawyer was asked to go to a retreat where 30-50 guys sit around naked.  The retreat will give men "an opportunity to look at what's not working and working in their lives, to become better men of the world, better men with their families and their children." He refused, had his pay cut, and is now suing his old firm.  

Wow.  Brokeback Mountain seems pretty tame compared to this.

This story appeared (apparently) coincidentally on national coming out day.  

Happy anniversary to the Daily Dish

I read Andrew Sullivan's blog for years before starting my own.  There's no doubt he's what inspired me and today his blog is ten years old.

Happy birthday!

I still wonder why his blog is blocked in the UAE.  He's often very critical of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians... he's done more to expose the US torture cases than anyone else... and although he was an early supporter, he's come to believe the war in Iraq was a major mistake.  (That's a feeling many of us can relate to.)  So why is he blocked?

Record high!

For Cedar Rapids record highs in July are not so good.

But record highs in October?  Fantastic!

86 degrees on Saturday is pretty amazing, but it's nothing compared to the 94 degrees we had back when I was an official weather geek in 1997.

Stop rolling your eyes.  Stop it!

Training sessions

About a week ago I wrote about a colleague who flamed out.  This week I was contacted by the Continuing Education Center about conducting workshops for university departmental managers... a job that used to be done by the guy who flamed out.

I said yes before hearing any details or talking money.  Fortunately, what they want me to cover is very similar to things I've taught for years.  In other words, the prep work will be easy.  I was cautioned that there may be some participants who have a very low level of English.  I said, "Umm, after teaching here for two years I think I'm used to that."

I was shown the room lounge I would be teaching in.  It really is a lounge:  Small cocktail tables in a ring around where I'd stand and booths on the outer part.  All it's missing is a bar and a disco ball and it would scream 70's disco lounge.

After reviewing everything I asked, "So what is the compensation for doing this?"

"Oh, sir, I'll send you a contract.  The amount is negotiable."

First thought:  Oh, crap.
Second thought:  It's better he didn't give me a number, because knowing me I would have said, "Sure!" and later kicked myself.  At least by e-mail I can have some friends help me before I say yes to a ridiculously low number.

The reality is that I'm always looking for something new to do and this is certainly something new.  And being able to add "corporate training" to the resume is never a bad thing.

The "I'm sorry your plants are dead" dinner party

In June I paid a guy to water my plants while I was gone for the summer.  Some friends brought their plants over to my place.  Long story short, all of the plants died. 

I feel bad for the friends who trusted me.  They have graciously forgiven me but I still feel bad.  I invited them over for dinner tomorrow night AND went to the plant souk to buy a lot of plants.  I haven't told them about the plants so it will be their surprise door prize.  

I have no memory of what plants cost in the US, but I was happy to get these 14 plants for about $60.  If I had an ounce of bargaining skills I'm sure it would have been cheaper.

For dinner I'm trying a couple of curry recipes.  The first two attempts were a success but I fear I'm tempting fate by doing it again.

Call the bluff

Students go to school here for free.  The one requirement is that they show up and get a C.

I had a student e-mail that he was really in my class during the first week when I counted him absent.  I replied, "I took attendance on both days of the first week and you weren't not there for either.  So I should have counted you absent twice."

The e-mail reply:  "Oh, sorry, doctor."

Today he came to reiterate the apology; he confused my class with one he actually came to during the first week.

Yeah, right.

I'm on to you guys.  I'm on to you!

Good weather, good harvest, good prices

Thanks to a spectacularly dry fall, farmers in Iowa are bringing in the harvest much faster than usual.  Given the plentiful rain this summer they are getting a very high yield on their corn and soybeans.  And - this is the best part - the prices are high.  Farmers can lock in $4.50+/bushel on corn and $10+/bushel on beans.  (Trust me, those are good prices.)

Part of the good news is because of really bad news in Russia:  A drought and high temps there have destroyed crops.  The other part is that the dollar has lost 15% value vs. Euro.  That makes buying American corn and beans much cheaper.  Yippee!

Err, wait a minute.

I live in a country where the currency is tied to the dollar. The dollar goes up, the dirham goes up.  The dollar goes down, the dirham goes down. From 2001 - 2008 the dollar went down pretty much every year.  We didn't notice it as much in the US, but here they buy almost everything from Europe and Japan and the dollar/dirham going down meant most everything they buy in the stores cost more.

During the financial crisis the dollar shot up.  Hence, for the past two years there has been pretty much no inflation here.  Yippee!  (Real, this time.)

But in the last couple of months the dollar has continued on its downward trajectory.  When I came here in 2008 it took $1.60 to buy one euro.  Six months ago it was $1.19.  Now it's back to $1.37.

Stop yawning!

My students ask why the US would do this (under the assumption that the US is all-powerful and could stop it if we wanted).  My reply:  "The central bank of the US hopes you will buy American.  As the dollar looses value it makes a BMW from Germany and a Toyota from Japan more expensive.  We hope you'll choose to buy a GM product.  So, please, do buy American and give a job to the unemployed people in my country."

Just a different form of crazy

Today the topic of the so-called ground zero mosque and the guy planning to burn the Koran on 9-11 came up.  I think those completely outraged by the idea of a mosque near ground zero are crazy.  (How many of them were opposed to a strip club that is even closer to the "sacred ground"?)  I think the guy with 30 - THIRTY - parishioners who wanted to burn the Koran on 9-11 is beyond crazy.  And the media that gave that guy attention are crazy as well.

Not even five minutes after the discussion of crazy Americans a student asserted that Starbucks is secretly funneling money to the Israeli intelligence.

I replied, "I think you are as crazy as those opposing the ground zero mosque and the 20% of Americans who think President Obama is a Muslim.  I know I won't convince you but all I want you to think about is this:  Starbucks is a publicly traded company.  The people who own them - the shareholders - have one goal. What it is that?"

"To make a profit" many answer at once.

"So, how would them secretly giving money to the Israeli intelligence help them make a profit?"

I've heard the "Starbucks helps Israel" comment many times.  It's even more pervasive than the Nike controversy.

Home is...

Here are the responses I received to "Home is where the _______ is.":

• It's where your heart is.
• Is where you feel safe and loved.
• the mess you need to clean up and the laundry you need to catch up on
• It's where my furry family, hubby and favorite blankie are :)
• Home is where I can find some true friends to walk with, friends I can live till my life ends one day!
• Home is where the Ollie, Lucy, and Ben are!

Denise submitted one that made me laugh out loud:

• Home is where they send the bills.

Shellie has one that rings true to me and explains why I'm spending so much time thinking about this:

• Home is where your heart and mind are both in agreement, that is where you belong.  :)

And finally, Sam, pretty much describes my feelings:

• Where u don't feel out of place.

My heart and mind are in Iowa.  I have dozens of friends there.  My family is there.  I have my house there.  I have my dog there.*


So why do I feel more comfortable in the UAE?


Here's some superficial reasons:

• I have a really nice apartment.  Between this place and my house in Cedar Rapids?  It's no contest.
• I like having McGyvor,  a reliable auto mechanic, a maid, and a place to press my shirts cheap.  

For someone who has Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) every cloudy winter, the constant sun here is another plus.


But, really?  Sam hit the nail on the head he wrote, "Where u don't feel out of place."  In Iowa now I'm a visitor.  At my house I'm a visitor.  This summer I removed more of my stuff because my attitude is that they are the ones really living there... but it doesn't make my house my home when I'm back.


My conclusion for me?

• Home is where structure is.

Here I have a job.  I plan for it and I teach.  I have a purpose and that makes me content.  Most would kill for a 3 month vacation.  Not me.  My best two weeks were at the end:  I saw some long lost friends and spent several days picking popcorn.  That was fantastic!  For at least a month in the middle I was wasted human flesh.


So while I agree with Shellie that home is where the heart and mind are in agreement - and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is where my heart and mind is - Sam nailed it.  With the structure of my job I don't feel out of place... and that's what makes me feel at home.


* I think there'd be a lengthy custody battle if I tried to take Gus away from my mother.

Quote of the day

From a friend on FaceBook:

"The next time you go to a restaurant and order a Coke and they say, 'Is Pepsi OK?" you should respond with 'Is Monopoly money OK?'"

Kevin Bacon statue

... done in bacon bits:

I apologize for neglecting my bacon appreciating audience.  When I returned three weeks ago I saw bacon at the pork shop and thought, "Aww, I'll get it next time."  Now they're out.  After two years here you'd think I'd have learned my lesson.

Where your tax dollars go

For my last full year of income in the US I paid $7500 in income tax and $3900 in payroll taxes.  Here's how the $11,400 would have been spent in 2009:

Social Security	$1555.07
Medicare	$934.67
Medicaid	$575.71
Interest on the National Debt	$771.58
Combat Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan	$616.05
Military Personnel	$518.25
Veteran’s Benefits	$200.67
National Parks	$186.45
Federal Highways	$171.75
National Institutes of Health	$125.11
Foreign Aid	$123.87
Education for Low-Income K–12 Students	$102.61
Military Retirement Benefits	$87.63
Pell Grants	$79.97
NASA	$75.51
Internal Revenue Service	$47.55
Environmental Protection Agency	$31.37
FBI	$30.13
Head Start	$29.33
Public Housing	$28.23
Drug Enforcement Agency	$8.44
Amtrak	$5.99
Smithsonian Museum	$3.01
Funding for the Arts	$0.65
Salaries and Benefits for Members of Congress	$0.51

You can plug in your own numbers here.

Somewhat related:  Matt Tiabi of the Rolling Stone has a piece on the Tea baggers Party that is a must read.