Lebron - Underhanded, Three-quarters Court

Model Trains

I always wanted a model train layout, but this kind of takes the fun out of it for amateurs.

Newspapers are Worthless

I've been pawing through every on-line version of a newspaper in this state and can't find any statement by a Representative or Senator regarding any damn thing that is happening in this country. I will admit, our local pols seem pretty useless, but I imagine they are making some public statements on occasion. So, why is nothing in the paper?

Summer Camp

An article about families trimming back on their kid's summer camp expenses.

It's the fireside tale that spooks parents every summer: A few weeks at camp can cost thousands of dollars.

To avoid that scary fate, Gabriel and Jennifer Griego and their friends plan to take turns watching the kids for part of this summer.

"In the past, we always sent them to camps the whole summer," said Gabriel Griego a 43-year-old father of two in Berkeley, Calif.

"This year we're looking to reduce that by about half." Translation: No more than $1,000 for both kids.

In the past you sent your kids away for the whole summer? I'm not clear on this. Was it because this was cheaper than day care? Camp, for the whole summer, only cost you $2000 for both kids? That probably is cheaper than day care.

That doesn't mean parents are opting out of the national camp tradition altogether. In fact, enrollment numbers are on track to hit the 10 million mark that has held steady for the past several years, according to the American Camp Association.

This is something that clearly has grown a lot. 10 million kids? Their are 81M kids between age zero and 19 in this country. If you figure only half of these are old enough to go away to camp, that leaves 40 million kids.

Of those, 25% are going to camp? When I was a kid I don't recall even knowing anyone that actually ever went to a summer camp. Unless they're counting Vacation Bible School. The closest I ever got to summer camp was watching The Parent Trap.

The Price of Airfare

I was theorizing about what it would cost to visit England to see my daughter after she moves there this fall. Not wanting to skew the results with the cost around holidays, I picked a date in mid-September as a comparison point.

Hey! That seems very affordable. $750 is doable. In fact, given that an eight hour flight in coach would nearly kill me, I wonder what first class costs.

A factor of 10 to 20 higher? Ummm, maybe not.

The Crisis of Credit

This should be required viewing. Certainly for our so called leaders.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.