Great article! It's always nice to see someone point out the benefits of rural living. It't not for everyone, but it is a wonderful life! We are just down the highway in Susanville and love it. We are transplants from Sacramento and would never dream of moving back for anything!
I've always wonders why people expect that someone who works in a large retail store would know where everything in the store is located. I would be more than happy to get an answer that gave me a couple clues of where to look for something in a big store. I don't find that unreasonable. If a person works in the toy department all the time they are probably not going to know where specific things are located in the food section or the infants department. If, for instance, you worked in a college English department, you would not be expected to know about the location of a classroom for a course offered by the Computer Science department or the Fine Arts department. You could however most likely direct them to the right building. ("Hmmm.. I think its over that way in the XYZ Building next to the gym, or maybe in the ABC building across from the dining hall.")
That said I do wish that the stores would sometimes be more reasonable in where they locate things. I was in a Target a few months ago looking for a particular CFL bulb. Not in housewares by the lamps, not in hardware, like at WalMart. Light bulbs, and I do mean household type light bulbs, were in automotive. And they didn't have the bulb I was looking for either! At our local WalMart (yes, I shop there) the body wash is near the shampoo, but bubble bath and bath oil is in another section with the hand and body lotions, which are in a separate location from face lotions.
I readily admit that whether you are talking about food, culture, history, demographics, or anything other characteristic, it is impossible to talk about "Europe" as some form of homogeneous whole.
In that first paragraph sentence I was hoping to refer to the many types of food, history, and culture that can be referred to as European, not trying to imply some single whole.
Europe is a continent, not a city or a state. It is kind of ignorant to talk about Europe as a destination, since there are many places in Europe and... oh well, I give up... first, get a map!
Maybe it's just sour grapes for me since I can't afford to travel anyway, but air travel is one of the worst things one can do for the planet. It is terrible for greenhouse gases and it uses precious resources of oil in a big way. It actually distresses me to think that air travel may be increasing.
Just out of curiosity I went and typed in Hotels, Paris, about two week away into Hotwire. A four star hotel near the Champs Elysées is $196 US Dollars. Of course this usually depends on travel seasons and reserving very close to your trip. That is not the nightmare price I thought it would be. Another thing I noticed recently is that a one way flight was about the same price as a 6 day transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary that includes everything but tips and things like drinks & coffee. Both are rather expensive (in that $2000 range give or take) but the cruise wasn't that much more per person in the mid level rooms.
I found your comments about the lighting in Wal Mart interesting. I shop there because I have few choices in the town I live in. Its Wal Mart or an overpriced family owned chain of stores that is outrageously expensive. My job as a customer service rep which pays $8.50 an hour doesnt give me a lot of choices. The lighting in Wal Mart triggers my panic disorder. It messes with my brain in a major way. I hate it and some days can hardly go in there.
However, I do have a problem with sub-standard service at both Wal-mart and Target. My local stores have at least 20 checkout lanes each, and every time I go in there, only about 30% or so are ever occupied. So that means that most checkout lines are closed, regardless of how many people are in each checkout line. I've seen checkout lines 10 people deep, and still only 30% of the lines are open.
Also, I have problem with the "point and guess" approach that many workers use. Typically, my when I try to find something, it goes like this: "Where is item X?" "Hmmm... I think it's over that way (points) by item Y, or it might be over there (points in different direction) by item Z. I'm not sure, that's NOT MY DEPARTMENT."
Seriously, not your department? The WHOLE store should be your department. Granted, you can't know every item in the store, but all stores are divided into departments. So when I ask where something is, I expect a reasonable answer.
I have heard a similar argument many times before. IMO, it's not just a matter of Target v. Wal-mart. It's about market efficiency and economies of scale. Wal-mart has more stores than Target because Wal-mart is willing to go into smaller, more rural areas. The cost of living is lower in these areas, hence Wal-mart can pay lower wages. Target's overall wages tend to be higher, because they are in more urban/suburban areas.
My mother has worked at Wal-mart for almost 20 years. She lives in a rural area, and when Wal-mart came to town, it provided a HUGE economic boost. The store recently expanded to become a SuperCenter (all new Wal-mart stores are now SuperCenters) and has employed more people, not to mention employment for construction workers, truck drivers, etc.
Working at Wal-mart honestly is the best job my mother can have for her area. The other alternatives are light and heavy manufacturing jobs- not exactly ideal environments for an older woman. My mom has 401(k), ESOP, vacation, insurance, etc. and doesn't have to work in a high-stress environment.
Most of the workers at Wal-mart tend to be in two groups- high/college kids or retired/second income people. Because of that, I don't see wages as being a big deal. Let's face it, it's hard to earn a "living" wage at a lot of jobs unless you have a mid to upper-level position. Restaurants and call centers are other places that don't pay "living" wages. Are we going to stop eating at McDonald's because they don't pay living wages? Or ordering from the JC Penney Christmas catalog?
If you are upset that you are working in a retail environment, standing all day, dealing with customers, etc. you are free to find other employment. Please don't be mad that someone else is earning $19/hours "just typing on a computer". That person is earning what their employer feels they are worth.
IMO, the bottom line is that EVERYONE- corporations and consumers alike, are trying to get the most out of every dollar spent. If you feel that you should boycott corporations for this, that's your prerogative.
Good job. You were right on target.
Some lantern batteries have AAs inside, some do not.
My problem is that after reading your post, I went to my local Walgreen store, and the store did not carry lantern batteries. I am now wondering about other sources. I see some mention of Walmart in the posts.
This is just propaganda, that's why it was claimed to be written by some fake professor.
As someone pointed out, federal income tax is just one part of the tax system. Most poor and middle class people pay payroll taxes on 100% of their income, while the richer you are the tinier that percentage becomes.
I work as an investment banker for a large Wall Street bank in their Hong Kong office. I make a ridiculously high salary by any measure, in the low 7-figures and I am in my 30s. Yes, I cringe a bit when I see what I've paid in taxes throughout the year considering it is more than most people pay for their houses. I pay these taxes and get virtually no break by living outside of the US. Basically, I pay hundreds of thousand of dollars to the federal government each year just to retain my US citizenship. However I can't complain. I still make way more money than 99.9% of the population. In one year I save more money than most people will save in their lifetimes. I grew up in a middle-class family, we were not poor and not rich. I remember how hard it was. Now if the government wants to give me a tax cut of say 5% and save me something like $50,000 in taxes that would be nice but I have absolutely no need for the money. But if you gave the tax cut to the poor and middle class the extra $1000 or whatever they would receive could go a long way. I'm not talking about redistribution either, but instead effective tax rates should take expenses into account as well as all the taxes you pay as a percentage of your income. I pay payroll taxes on less than 10% of my income while the vast majority of the country pays it on 100% of their income. Someone making less than 1/10th of what I do pays exactly the same amount of money in payroll taxes each year. For him it represents around 10% of his total income, for me it represents less than 1%. That is a big difference. Also, as someone else noted when you're rich you make a considerable amount of money in capital gains and dividends which are only taxed at 15% - roughly the same tax bracket as poor people are in but it is a tax bracket that benefits the rich more than anyone. Besides my ridiculous salary I average over one hundred thousand dollars of additional income in capital gains each year that are barely taxed. Make no mistake about it, the tax system benefits the rich over the poor by leaps and bounds.
It's also worth noting that Asian-Americans are the wealthiest group of people of people in American when broken down by race/ethnicity. In terms of both net worth and income. The median income for an Asian American is over $70k while for caucasians it is under $50k - a very big difference.
This is a very interesting post. I'm an American and have moved to Hong Kong for business about 2 years ago. One of the really interesting things you mentioned is the open talk about your income and finances. This is not true amongst Indians but I have found it to be completely true amongst the Chinese and other East Asians. At first I thought it was a bit rude, obviously in America it is considered rude to ask someone what they make, or how much they paid for their home, or what they have in savings, etc. However I have come to learn just how much better it is out here with people being open about such things. In the States we don't talk about these things and on a personal level we have the worst finances amongst the developed world. In America over 75% of people live paycheck to paycheck or very close to that. Perhaps if people talked more about their money they'd be more conscious of being responsible with it. It is also true as you said that people here talk about money not to brag about it but really to just inform and discuss, maybe offer advice. The same as we might talk about our diets in America.
However, I do think there is a major cultural shift happening here as well. Because Asia is becoming so wealthy the divide between the rich and everyone else is becoming bigger and bigger. Consumerism is becoming a big thing. People do like to show off with the million dollar apartments and six-figure cars. Especially here in Hong Kong and down in Singapore which has more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Still waiting for my coupons and thanks to you all, I know what not to buy. Hope there are a few of the good ones left by the time my coupons come, ha-ha.
You mentioned home exchange as a way of saving money on trips to Europe. Although most home swappers do it for more than money saving reasons (the convenience and space of staying in a real home rather than a cramped hotel room, to live like a local and get to really know areas away from the main tourist trails, to have one's own home cared for while away, etc), there's no doubt that home exchange is a great option when visiting expensive countries or cities.
The value of the pound has dropped considerably against the euro in recent months so please don't rule out a trip to my adopted city, London. I have been running a home exchange service here since 1985 and there's a very large number of attractive home exchange offers in the city (as well as homes throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide). Do have a look at some of the homes available for exchange: Home Base Holidays and check out the blog, Travel the Home Exchange Way for further information.
There's lots to do here that's free (most major museums, beautiful parks and walks, concerts). There are many, many pubs and cafes that serve good and reasonably priced food. And, if you plan carefully, you can still take in some of the more expensive tourist attractions (like the London Eye).
Spring has arrived and the parks are looking lovely. Do come!
This reminds me of a quote attributed to Einstein.
"There are some things which can be counted that don't count. And there are some things which count that can't be counted."
Pretty much every manager would love to have a purely quantifiable system by which to measure productivity. Luckily for humans, such a system will never be possible.
Hey
yeah I called up custoemr service and waited for 30 minutes on the phone... the employee explained that it's due to a conflict in their system (i.e address, ssn, etc) and that it should be cleared up within a day or two. I can see the 25 dollars waiting to be recieved on my home page once I login, so I know it's there at least.
Merit pay in education at every level is much favored by administrators and politicians. My observations are that instituting merit pay for college faculty leads, first, to competition to be on the committees that design or administer the evaluation policy.
Second, it leads to attempts to pump up the scores that contribute the most points. Teaching tends to be measured by student evaluations, so improving these is aimed for. If this were attempted through increased helpfulness to students, it would be a good thing; but usually, it's done by handing out higher grades.
If improved research is given high priority, quality of research would be hard to measure, but quantity can be tallied. So abstracts, presentations, and short articles increase, but not monographs or books.
What is most striking is how strong an incentive even a small pool of money to be divided turns out to be.
I would say that merit pay tends not to improve instruction, research, or service by faculty. It is, however, divisive. It may be that this is a successful outcome for some administrators.
Great article! It's always nice to see someone point out the benefits of rural living. It't not for everyone, but it is a wonderful life! We are just down the highway in Susanville and love it. We are transplants from Sacramento and would never dream of moving back for anything!
Here is another directory of free and low cost volunteer opportunities in South America and Asia.
http://www.vaops.com
Safe journies
I've always wonders why people expect that someone who works in a large retail store would know where everything in the store is located. I would be more than happy to get an answer that gave me a couple clues of where to look for something in a big store. I don't find that unreasonable. If a person works in the toy department all the time they are probably not going to know where specific things are located in the food section or the infants department. If, for instance, you worked in a college English department, you would not be expected to know about the location of a classroom for a course offered by the Computer Science department or the Fine Arts department. You could however most likely direct them to the right building. ("Hmmm.. I think its over that way in the XYZ Building next to the gym, or maybe in the ABC building across from the dining hall.")
That said I do wish that the stores would sometimes be more reasonable in where they locate things. I was in a Target a few months ago looking for a particular CFL bulb. Not in housewares by the lamps, not in hardware, like at WalMart. Light bulbs, and I do mean household type light bulbs, were in automotive. And they didn't have the bulb I was looking for either! At our local WalMart (yes, I shop there) the body wash is near the shampoo, but bubble bath and bath oil is in another section with the hand and body lotions, which are in a separate location from face lotions.
poetloverrebelspy, that offer of a free coffee is very tempting, thanks.
I readily admit that whether you are talking about food, culture, history, demographics, or anything other characteristic, it is impossible to talk about "Europe" as some form of homogeneous whole.
In that first paragraph sentence I was hoping to refer to the many types of food, history, and culture that can be referred to as European, not trying to imply some single whole.
Sorry for the confusion on that point.
10 Lbs of sugar
10 gal of water
2.5 lbs of white cornmeal
1 oz of yeast
heat water up to a rolling boil,add cornmeal and sugar, let cool to room temperature, add yeast, let it ferment for 5-10 days, distill.
sound about right?
i have a batch sitting right now at 1/4 of that size im sure it wont make that much but im just testing it out to see if it works right.
Europe is a continent, not a city or a state. It is kind of ignorant to talk about Europe as a destination, since there are many places in Europe and... oh well, I give up... first, get a map!
You left out the Statement of Shareholders' Equity.
Maybe it's just sour grapes for me since I can't afford to travel anyway, but air travel is one of the worst things one can do for the planet. It is terrible for greenhouse gases and it uses precious resources of oil in a big way. It actually distresses me to think that air travel may be increasing.
I found an ipod fix-it site that helped me fix my ipod's click wheel using a folded business card!
Just out of curiosity I went and typed in Hotels, Paris, about two week away into Hotwire. A four star hotel near the Champs Elysées is $196 US Dollars. Of course this usually depends on travel seasons and reserving very close to your trip. That is not the nightmare price I thought it would be. Another thing I noticed recently is that a one way flight was about the same price as a 6 day transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary that includes everything but tips and things like drinks & coffee. Both are rather expensive (in that $2000 range give or take) but the cruise wasn't that much more per person in the mid level rooms.
I found your comments about the lighting in Wal Mart interesting. I shop there because I have few choices in the town I live in. Its Wal Mart or an overpriced family owned chain of stores that is outrageously expensive. My job as a customer service rep which pays $8.50 an hour doesnt give me a lot of choices. The lighting in Wal Mart triggers my panic disorder. It messes with my brain in a major way. I hate it and some days can hardly go in there.
However, I do have a problem with sub-standard service at both Wal-mart and Target. My local stores have at least 20 checkout lanes each, and every time I go in there, only about 30% or so are ever occupied. So that means that most checkout lines are closed, regardless of how many people are in each checkout line. I've seen checkout lines 10 people deep, and still only 30% of the lines are open.
Also, I have problem with the "point and guess" approach that many workers use. Typically, my when I try to find something, it goes like this: "Where is item X?" "Hmmm... I think it's over that way (points) by item Y, or it might be over there (points in different direction) by item Z. I'm not sure, that's NOT MY DEPARTMENT."
Seriously, not your department? The WHOLE store should be your department. Granted, you can't know every item in the store, but all stores are divided into departments. So when I ask where something is, I expect a reasonable answer.
I have heard a similar argument many times before. IMO, it's not just a matter of Target v. Wal-mart. It's about market efficiency and economies of scale. Wal-mart has more stores than Target because Wal-mart is willing to go into smaller, more rural areas. The cost of living is lower in these areas, hence Wal-mart can pay lower wages. Target's overall wages tend to be higher, because they are in more urban/suburban areas.
My mother has worked at Wal-mart for almost 20 years. She lives in a rural area, and when Wal-mart came to town, it provided a HUGE economic boost. The store recently expanded to become a SuperCenter (all new Wal-mart stores are now SuperCenters) and has employed more people, not to mention employment for construction workers, truck drivers, etc.
Working at Wal-mart honestly is the best job my mother can have for her area. The other alternatives are light and heavy manufacturing jobs- not exactly ideal environments for an older woman. My mom has 401(k), ESOP, vacation, insurance, etc. and doesn't have to work in a high-stress environment.
Most of the workers at Wal-mart tend to be in two groups- high/college kids or retired/second income people. Because of that, I don't see wages as being a big deal. Let's face it, it's hard to earn a "living" wage at a lot of jobs unless you have a mid to upper-level position. Restaurants and call centers are other places that don't pay "living" wages. Are we going to stop eating at McDonald's because they don't pay living wages? Or ordering from the JC Penney Christmas catalog?
If you are upset that you are working in a retail environment, standing all day, dealing with customers, etc. you are free to find other employment. Please don't be mad that someone else is earning $19/hours "just typing on a computer". That person is earning what their employer feels they are worth.
IMO, the bottom line is that EVERYONE- corporations and consumers alike, are trying to get the most out of every dollar spent. If you feel that you should boycott corporations for this, that's your prerogative.
Good job. You were right on target.
Some lantern batteries have AAs inside, some do not.
My problem is that after reading your post, I went to my local Walgreen store, and the store did not carry lantern batteries. I am now wondering about other sources. I see some mention of Walmart in the posts.
Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks
Bob
This is just propaganda, that's why it was claimed to be written by some fake professor.
As someone pointed out, federal income tax is just one part of the tax system. Most poor and middle class people pay payroll taxes on 100% of their income, while the richer you are the tinier that percentage becomes.
I work as an investment banker for a large Wall Street bank in their Hong Kong office. I make a ridiculously high salary by any measure, in the low 7-figures and I am in my 30s. Yes, I cringe a bit when I see what I've paid in taxes throughout the year considering it is more than most people pay for their houses. I pay these taxes and get virtually no break by living outside of the US. Basically, I pay hundreds of thousand of dollars to the federal government each year just to retain my US citizenship. However I can't complain. I still make way more money than 99.9% of the population. In one year I save more money than most people will save in their lifetimes. I grew up in a middle-class family, we were not poor and not rich. I remember how hard it was. Now if the government wants to give me a tax cut of say 5% and save me something like $50,000 in taxes that would be nice but I have absolutely no need for the money. But if you gave the tax cut to the poor and middle class the extra $1000 or whatever they would receive could go a long way. I'm not talking about redistribution either, but instead effective tax rates should take expenses into account as well as all the taxes you pay as a percentage of your income. I pay payroll taxes on less than 10% of my income while the vast majority of the country pays it on 100% of their income. Someone making less than 1/10th of what I do pays exactly the same amount of money in payroll taxes each year. For him it represents around 10% of his total income, for me it represents less than 1%. That is a big difference. Also, as someone else noted when you're rich you make a considerable amount of money in capital gains and dividends which are only taxed at 15% - roughly the same tax bracket as poor people are in but it is a tax bracket that benefits the rich more than anyone. Besides my ridiculous salary I average over one hundred thousand dollars of additional income in capital gains each year that are barely taxed. Make no mistake about it, the tax system benefits the rich over the poor by leaps and bounds.
It's also worth noting that Asian-Americans are the wealthiest group of people of people in American when broken down by race/ethnicity. In terms of both net worth and income. The median income for an Asian American is over $70k while for caucasians it is under $50k - a very big difference.
This is a very interesting post. I'm an American and have moved to Hong Kong for business about 2 years ago. One of the really interesting things you mentioned is the open talk about your income and finances. This is not true amongst Indians but I have found it to be completely true amongst the Chinese and other East Asians. At first I thought it was a bit rude, obviously in America it is considered rude to ask someone what they make, or how much they paid for their home, or what they have in savings, etc. However I have come to learn just how much better it is out here with people being open about such things. In the States we don't talk about these things and on a personal level we have the worst finances amongst the developed world. In America over 75% of people live paycheck to paycheck or very close to that. Perhaps if people talked more about their money they'd be more conscious of being responsible with it. It is also true as you said that people here talk about money not to brag about it but really to just inform and discuss, maybe offer advice. The same as we might talk about our diets in America.
However, I do think there is a major cultural shift happening here as well. Because Asia is becoming so wealthy the divide between the rich and everyone else is becoming bigger and bigger. Consumerism is becoming a big thing. People do like to show off with the million dollar apartments and six-figure cars. Especially here in Hong Kong and down in Singapore which has more millionaires per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Still waiting for my coupons and thanks to you all, I know what not to buy. Hope there are a few of the good ones left by the time my coupons come, ha-ha.
Hi David
You mentioned home exchange as a way of saving money on trips to Europe. Although most home swappers do it for more than money saving reasons (the convenience and space of staying in a real home rather than a cramped hotel room, to live like a local and get to really know areas away from the main tourist trails, to have one's own home cared for while away, etc), there's no doubt that home exchange is a great option when visiting expensive countries or cities.
The value of the pound has dropped considerably against the euro in recent months so please don't rule out a trip to my adopted city, London. I have been running a home exchange service here since 1985 and there's a very large number of attractive home exchange offers in the city (as well as homes throughout the UK, Europe and worldwide). Do have a look at some of the homes available for exchange: Home Base Holidays and check out the blog, Travel the Home Exchange Way for further information.
There's lots to do here that's free (most major museums, beautiful parks and walks, concerts). There are many, many pubs and cafes that serve good and reasonably priced food. And, if you plan carefully, you can still take in some of the more expensive tourist attractions (like the London Eye).
Spring has arrived and the parks are looking lovely. Do come!
Cheers.
Nice to meet you.
I had a look at blog.
Please link to this site.
http://www.geocities.jp/uha876/
This reminds me of a quote attributed to Einstein.
"There are some things which can be counted that don't count. And there are some things which count that can't be counted."
Pretty much every manager would love to have a purely quantifiable system by which to measure productivity. Luckily for humans, such a system will never be possible.
Hey
yeah I called up custoemr service and waited for 30 minutes on the phone... the employee explained that it's due to a conflict in their system (i.e address, ssn, etc) and that it should be cleared up within a day or two. I can see the 25 dollars waiting to be recieved on my home page once I login, so I know it's there at least.
... you mean that $25,000 that we just paid for our two weeks at a private villa in Tuscany was TOO MUCH?!
I guess that there's three ways to deal with vacations:
1. Don't have them
2. Cut costs so that you can afford a cheap one
3. Increase your wealth so that you can afford an expensive one
Having done 1. and 2., I can tell you that 3. is MUCH better!
Merit pay in education at every level is much favored by administrators and politicians. My observations are that instituting merit pay for college faculty leads, first, to competition to be on the committees that design or administer the evaluation policy.
Second, it leads to attempts to pump up the scores that contribute the most points. Teaching tends to be measured by student evaluations, so improving these is aimed for. If this were attempted through increased helpfulness to students, it would be a good thing; but usually, it's done by handing out higher grades.
If improved research is given high priority, quality of research would be hard to measure, but quantity can be tallied. So abstracts, presentations, and short articles increase, but not monographs or books.
What is most striking is how strong an incentive even a small pool of money to be divided turns out to be.
I would say that merit pay tends not to improve instruction, research, or service by faculty. It is, however, divisive. It may be that this is a successful outcome for some administrators.