A little dilemma

Swiss voters amended their constitution on Sunday to outlaw the construction of minarets, the Moslem church symbol - like the spire in a cathedral. They did not outlaw the Moslem faith, just the minaret. It so happens that the Swiss courts cannot rule the amendment unconstitutional because the amendment is now part of the constitution itself. What to do? I suppose the European Union could make a case of it if they want to. I have no clue and neither does this topless woman.

Rich but poor

It came out suddenly that one of the richest countries in the world, Dubai, is having money troubles. Everyone has read from time to time that very ambitious and expensive projects have been underway in Dubai for many years. That country is like an exclusive club but on a global level. The news reported that Dubai might default on its debt of approximately 60 billion (it's probably much more.) That sent negative ripples through world money markets. hehehe Remember to live within your means - even very rich people go broke. This topless woman looks like all she has left is her necklace.

Value of pie

We all know money has value - you can buy stuff with it - necessities as well as luxuries. However, something much more valuable is time. If you don't have money and you want to acquire it, you will need time. Without time, one is truly dead. In fact, dead people are those who have run out of time. What would a dead person give in exchange for an extra five years or so??? Not so long ago, a young man died in a cave because he somehow got trapped in a very small space. The people trying to save him could not get him out in time, so he died. This topless woman has absolutely no clue what I'm talking about. In time, she will get it. If you allow a person enough time, they will eventually wise up, get educated, and learn to use time to their advantage. Perhaps not all, but most will. If I owe you two trillion dollars, I can pay you back provided you allow me enough time, no? When some scientist figures out how to slow the aging process, he will make a lot of people very rich. We hope we live long enough to see that happen.

Education is expensive

In California, some students are making a fuss because the cost of education just went up since the Golden State can no longer afford to subsidize college tuition as much as it used to. It is laughable because these students aren't smart enough to realize that education is now big business. Universities now keep the kids in school as long as they possibly can - like a doctor who keeps a patient coming back over and over again or who encourages a patient to have back surgery when all they really need is to relax a bit. My view is that a child should be done with school by age 18 - all of it - out of high school at 14 and out of college by 18. Out of graduate school by 20 - tops. Many years of productivity are wasted by keeping children in school forever. Who benefits? Certainly not the children since they know very little upon graduation anyway. That's why this topless woman is smirking.

Bad, bad teachers

Teachers and the education system are constantly being criticized for bad performance by students. New York spends the greatest amount of money (on a per-capita basis) on students and yet, they have the worst students in the country. The solution is simple. We all know that great athletes make great sports teams, great musicians make great bands, great citizens make great countries, and good soldiers make great armies. Education is more about learning than about teaching. Discipline is something a teacher should not even have to worry about. You want good schools? Fill them with good students. Even this topless woman knows that makes sense.

Another suicide

It appears that another beautiful woman has taken her own life. Lucy Gordon did it a few months ago and now, according to reports, Daul Kim has hung herself. I'm sure she had many friends. However, if a person feels isolated and chooses to stay behind an impenetrable wall, there's very little anyone can do. Up until the last few days, she probably appeared perfectly adjusted and fulfilled.

What corruption?

They say that corruption is hard to quantify and that is probably true. The papers say that Somalia is the most corrupt country in the world. Afghanistan is not far behind. What exactly happens when corruption occurs? For one thing, it engenders more corruption. One rotten apple can turn a whole barrel full of apples rotten, no? But let's say that there is only one corrupt person among many honest ones. That corrupt person takes a bribe for a service not rendered or a product not delivered. It gets in the way of productivity and denies the economic equation its purpose - fair trade. The same can be said of greed. Greed is another form of corruption. But, how does one quantify greed? Ask yourself: do we really need to? How does one quantify hate or love or generosity or sincerity or honesty? Perhaps this topless woman knows.

Indebted to China

Someone said that China is now the U.S.'s unofficial banker. They hold more U.S. Treasury bills than any other country. People who work at think tanks must be worried about this, though they are not saying anything - at least not in public. What would happen if the Chinese decided to cash in their Tbills? It has been said that when you make a bank your partner, the bank cannot afford to see you go bankrupt. They will therefore not cash all their bills at once. Perhaps they will opt for 100 billion at a time? The Chinese also converted all of their bills to one-year notes - from thirty year notes. I would not pretend to know why they did that. This topless woman does not know either.

Cuban freedom

They say that the Cuban government is allowing its citizens a little bit more freedom to express themselves. That's all well and good. However, what they really need is a stronger economy. They need outside investors. Let the investors come in and stimulate the economy. The people are ready to work for very low wages. Let the government bureaucrats get out of the way with their red tape. Invite the Chinese to come pay a visit - the Koreans too. They seem to know a thing or two about stimulating the economy. Hire this topless woman as an interpreter - even if she does not speak Chinese - she can learn, no?

Quirky Science

I did not know until just recently that Albert Einstein, upon whom hangs practically all of the Atomic Age, was denied a security clearance for the Manhattan Project (which developed the atomic bomb) by J. Edgar Hoover, the fussy head of the FBI at that time. I found that really hilarious, not just ironic. I had to laugh out loud. Really loud. That's like telling the Pope he cannot enter St Peter's Basilica. hehehe It's like telling this topless woman she cannot go swimming in the French Riviera. What a contradiction, no?

Solar powered plane

Well, well - someone thought about building a plane powered by sunlight. Solar Impulse is a Swiss company which has just finished its prototype of a plane that will make its maiden voyage in the Spring of 2010. It is built to also fly at night. Figure that one out. Being the very first one, it will be able to carry a single person only - the pilot. It remnds me of the Wright brothers' first test flight. It weighs about 3,500 pounds but its wing span equals that of a big jet plane. I suspect it will glide much of the time. A round-the-world trip is planned for 2012. Now all they have to figure out is how to get it to carry 300 passengers. This topless woman would probably be brave enough to get on it.

Toyota

Did you hear? Toyota posted a profit in its most recent financial quarter of $242 million. It made the news because Toyota has recently been losing money - since about a year ago, in fact. Prior to the Great Recession, Toyota had never, ever had a negative quarter. It was simply expected that it would post a profit year after year after year. That's why this is news. Imagine Walt Disney all of a sudden deciding not to license the sale of Mickey Mouse merchandise. That would be unheard of. However, it probably makes absolutely no difference to this topless woman - she's on vacation in Bermuda.

Freedom or money?

Did you hear about the Gallup poll conducted in 165 countries? It asked the people whether they would like to live in another country if they had the chance. 10% of Asians said they would. 38% of Africans said the same thing. The countries of choice were the U.S., Canada, Spain, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, Australia, and Britain. Were these people thinking about freedom and democracy or just prosperity? It is very normal for people to want to do well and to be given the chance to prosper. One wonders why most political leaders refuse to acknowledge that. For instance, this topless woman just wants to be left alone. She's not really bothering anyone.

Accessories to crime

It is not easy to carry out a crime all by yourself. You might be able to plan it, but executing the plan is a very different matter. David Friehling was Bernie Madoff's auditor for 17 years - 1991 to 2008. He recently pleaded guilty to securities fraud but he also said he was never aware that Madoff's business was a Ponzi scheme. Really? How can an auditor be that dumb? He saw the unrealistic gains did he not? I once asked an auditor (CPA) how it was that Mexican politicians could steal millions and get away with it, when they were audited year in and year out. His explanation was simple: the auditors were in on it. It could not be otherwise. It's a good thing this topless woman doesn't have to worry about such things - her husband provides well for her I'm sure.

Crisis and fun

Lately, it seems that more of Latin America's political leaders are wanting to extend their terms in office by whatever means possible. These persons are like gang leaders - rabble rousers, agitators. They no more know how to lead their countries than any seventh grader. They do know how to steal and get away with it, though. That's why the Honduran President got himself ousted. These people ingratiate themselves with the poor through subsidies and then the poor do whatever they are asked to do. In the meantime, those among them who have money also get greedy and lose the goodwill of the people. What to do??? This topless woman might know something we don't but I have no idea where she is.

The Titanic is history

The largest cruise ship in the world is now the Oasis of the Seas built in Finland. It sailed from port just three days ago. They say it's five times the size of the Titanic and can carry 8,300 persons. It is about 20 stories high and measures 1,180 feet in length; however, it is only 154 feet wide - that's about as wide as two house lots. It cost about 1.3 billion dollars. Nobody expects it to sink on its maiden voyage but nobody was heard to say that "even God can't sink it." Not this time. It has a huge sunning deck too - this topless woman would probably feel right at home there. Von Voyage!!!