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.