Discount Tire: Sometimes There is Such a Thing as a Free Lunch!

Recently, following a heavy rain storm, there was a nasty accident on Interstate 40 as I was driving from Raleigh to Durham.  The people in the SUV appeared to be unharmed, thankfully, but there was a lot of debris scattered over the freeway.  I managed to avoid most of it, but did drive over something [...]

Scandal at the Interior Department’s Minerals Management Service: “Sex, Drugs, and We’ve Been Rolled”

Why would we want the Treasury Department to become the primary overseer of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae when this latest example of scandal and misconduct erupted at the Interior Department according to today’s New York Times:

WASHINGTON — As Congress prepares to debate expansion of drilling in taxpayer-owned coastal waters, the Interior Department agency that [...]

Are male teachers better in elementary school?

I love listening to NPR’s Neal Conan on Talk of the Nation. He has a way of listening and encouraging others to talk that is engaging, as a listener.
Yesterday, he had a guest who wrote an opinion piece advocating for more men in elementary school teaching jobs. When my son was in pre-K [...]

Do we trust Al Gore and his message?

I just led a discussion at Meredith College of Al Gore’s book, “An Inconvenient Truth“. I have to say that the combination of photographs and words was a very powerful way to convey his message–you can see for yourself that the world is changing and I’m convinced  that it is because of global warming.
We [...]

Best Buy’s New Customer Loyalty Program has a Black Eye

We have spent a lot of money at Best Buy over the past year, mostly because we purchased a new LG Steamwasher and Dryer when we moved into our home last summer.  We also go there to buy computer periperhals and other items. So I was pleased to see that my customer loyalty was rewarded [...]

Keeping asking to get what you want

When I worked in the plastic bottle industry, I had four different jobs in four years. With each one, I received a promotion and a raise. One year, I reported directly to the General Manager of our Division and I had little or no contact with him as I was negotiating deals with [...]