frivolous defense

How is it that one can spend a half million dollars for a defense against frivolous claims of ethical violations?

If they're frivolous claims, what defense is necessary?

Now there's a concept for you! The Frivolous Defense.

What if, like those penalized for bringing a frivolous lawsuit to begin with, those who engage in excess "defense" would be denied their attorney's fees? No fund, then, for Sarah Palin, for allowing her lawyers to run up a cool half-mil in fees for allegedly defending ridiculous claims! As for the lawyers themselves, there is an ethical provision that one bills for work that is reasonably necessary. I'm thinking it's just not necessary to gear up for all-out warfare, when only frivolous allegations are being aired. That's the proverbial killing an ant with a cannon - or however that saying goes. Overkill, in other words.

undercover. . . .

Wow - talk about turn-abouts, there's a new book out by a guy who went to Liberty University for a semester and passed himself off as an evangelical, and has now written a book about the whole experience. . . .

Unlikely Disciple.

Now it's the Christians being infiltrated. . . .

This is big. On so many levels.

now hear this!

Who knew?

India's livestock's flatulence surpasses the greenhouse gases emitted by its cars.

I am not making this up.

Read it here, in Time Magazine.

Now we're really in trouble!

the new prophet

. . . in which I wonder whether I'm playing the role of queen of the world in new clothes, or whether I'm the little girl amongst the throng lining the procession route, who says: "Why doesn't she have any clothes on?"

Insofar as I have never experienced throngs lining my procession - but have often felt part of a faceless crowd in which I [apparently alone] am saying "I really don't understand this. . . . - I am hoping it's the latter.

Meanwhile, it appears that President Obama has started a bit of a shell game as to just who it is America is fighting against. No, it's not Muslim nations, nor Islam. Al-Qaeda is bad [for now] as are "extremists", but the rest of us are fast friends forever, to hear him tell it. Now all we have to do is get together and take care of the "bad guys".

Right.

Now - how do you tell which ones those are, again?

Birthday frosting

Yep. It's my birthday. Here's the view this morning. That's the sun peeking out in between the snowflakes, by the way. Cool, eh? Hey, if sun and rain is a sun shower, is snow and sun a sunfall?

That's my take on it and I'm sticking with it!

Here's my new favorite song. I awoke to find it playing in my head. Ignore the wierd woman in the hat.

simple. one sentence.

It is not simple to describe the "simple" life.

more fairness - more ponzi

I'm feeling a little tetchy.

I live in Maryland, where the estimate is that we will be having to spend some 11 million dollars as a result of the upcoming inauguration.

It appears now that our governor is asking that we not use the major road - the beltway - during that time.

Right.

Fairness at work. We pay for others. Fine, but who pays for me? That's where it always seems to break down.

Kind of like a pyramid scheme, you know? Which is pretty much the same thing as a Ponzi Scheme, which we keep hearing about on account of the arrest of Bernard Madoff, who is alleged to have caused a "loss" of some 50 BILLION dollars to his "investors".

Chump change, compared to the numbers contemplated by the various bailouts being tossed about by "Our Government".

When you stop to think about it, this is a Ponzi Scheme taken to new heights, in that we are not even "investing" money we have at this point. We're being set up to lose money we've borrowed. Who we're borrowing from is a little less certain, as is who will be paying it back. It's all magic. It's all about grabbing what you can, when you can. Sort of like Ireland, which used E.U. subsidies to build its infrastructure (leading to its "Celtic Tiger" booming economy) but which is a recent hold-out on ratifying an E.U. Constitution finalizing the formal relationship. It has also announced that it is opting out of a proposed 200 Billion euro European Union "Recovery Plan."

That's the problem with Ponzi schemes. The minute the have-nots become overnight haves, they stop wanting to give to have-nots. They "opt out." I am not being given that opportunity. Neither, however, have I been handed subsidies. What's wrong with this picture?

Interesting article in the Wall Street Journal Op-Ed pages, by the way: "Atlas Shrugged": From Fact to Fiction in 52 Years.

Our lotto mentality has come home to roost. Nothing will change until we start working again. Hard work. For a long time. No more get-rich-quick schemes or overnight fixes.

Meanwhile, I think I'll take the beginning of next week off. And to preserve any semblance of a positive outlook, I think I'll also keep the television switched off. I've had about all the hope I can stand.

I love Lush; I hate Lush. . . .

I love Lush.

Specifically, their bath bombs.

More specifically still, the Avo bath bomb.*  (although I hate avocado, which is apparently an ingredient.  [?!!]  Don't let it put you off, though, there is nothing resembling avocado in the aroma or texture, although it does turn the water green.  Still, it is not an advocado green. . . .)

They've gone even further "green" and done away with the little plastic bags they used to use to bag the bombs.  That's fine.  Yellow paper bags are fine.  But not this.

Look at the fine print.  The bag asks to be re-used. ("Is there life after Lush?") Talk about a guilt trip.

Don't throw it out?  

Put it in my sock drawer?!  

How long before I have drawers of Lush bags instead of socks?!!!

I hate Lush.

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*Man!  Checking out their website for the above links I found several other bath bombs that were not in the store, but sound heavenly. . . .  The geo-phyzz, the bon-bomb and fizzy O'therapy.

Looks like my sock drawers will be filling up, fast. Maybe they could have passed along the packaging savings to us, though, or give us a price break if we re-use the yellow bag to take more bath bombs home? Those things are expensive!

simple essentials

Setting limitations forces you to choose the essential. So in everything you do, learn to set limitations.

Choose the essential to create great impact with minimal resources. (i.e.: maximize your time and energy.)

Finally: all that simplifying isn’t meant to leave your life empty, it’s meant to leave space in your life for what you really want to do.
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from Leo Babauta's The Power of Less, by way of the unclutterer dot com
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My problem? I always feel this incredible urge to make sure I've "covered all the bases". It's a failing.