Amazon's Success? I could have said that...

So after finding the website slickdeals.net which has increased my spending on little things dramatically (though it was also responsible for some great Christmas presents IMO) Amazon has been my online staple for years now, and when they offered a trial run at Prime (free two day shipping-no minimum) I said why not? Afterall a free trial is a free trial. And to be fair $70 for a whole year would be less than $6 a month on shipping stuff which would be one or two items a month anyway. However, I'm still on the fence to sign up. (I have until Feb 13) But yes outside of THE RING everything else was Amazon. So when I heard that Amazon blew away they're expected earnings, well I wasn't shocked. As a (conservative) consumer I like deals, and nowhere else have I found deals like Amazon. I found it funny that I fit into all the below comments.... Maybe I should have bought stock too. =P

"Jeffrey Lindsay, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein, said he was "pleasantly surprised" by Amazon's results and that they indicate that the shift among consumers toward buying more items online is definitely holding up.
"People may be spending less in general, but they're spending a lot more of it online. Amazon has benefited from that to a very large extent," he said.
Amazon also said revenue from shipping — which includes revenue from Amazon Prime, its membership-based two-day shipping program, and Fulfillment by Amazon, which is its third-party shipping program — rose less than 1 percent to $266 million.
The company's net shipping cost rose as well, though, climbing 32 percent year over year to $242 million."

MN thoughts

So after a very nice week up in MN seeing everyone up there I came up with a list of thoughts:

MN in January is wicked cold. I thought I did ok on the days we skied, but man when we saw the winter carnival I swore my appendages were going to freeze solid and fall off. I was tempted to take a bucket of water and throw it to see if it would freeze on the way down, but I didnt.

Lutsen mountain has some interesting definitions of safety. Being pulled by a rope with about a half dozen people in front of you up a pretty steep hill to get up to the lodge did not seem the safest. I'm not the strongest person in the world but I was struggling to hold on, what about the 10 year old two slots in front of me. I was morbidly half hoping someone would fall to see what would happen. (I did get some good pictures of Charles from my prone position in the sled behind the snowmobile taking a picture of Charles who was hanging on by a rope behind the sled.... got that?) I'll post that soon.

Do not close the damper while a fire is burning in the fireplace. Smoke ensues. Lots of it. Inside.

Finally, good friends = good times. These should be enjoyed. Thanks all for the memories =)

Pond Hockey!

So in honor of the record setting bitter cold (Oh Al Gore where art thou?) I am going to try and play pond hockey tomorrow afternoon at Wood's Pond. So that's exciting; maybe not running around with suction cupped shoes on a sheet of ice with a broom whacking at a ball exciting (Sorry MN readers =P) but I'm really looking forward to it. The idea is to get a grill and few games in, a cooler to put beer in so it DOESN'T freeze and some dogs or brats to satisfy an appetite that only comes in the bitter cold. I'm hungry just thinking about it.

Also the pond is frozen behind my work (you must cross the railroad tracks) yet its not really allowed to go back there (memo from company security):

"Not only is crossing the railroad tracks at the back of our property a safety issue it is against the law. Employees should be advised that anyone found by the Police crossing the railroad tracks will be subject to arrest. I was advised by the MTA Police this afternoon that they will be conducting surveillance of the area and enforcing the law.

Your cooperation is appreciated."

In a way I feel that testing the system might be interesting... do you think you'd really get arrested for crossing railroad tracks to go ice skating?

Charles fights for the Republic

A bit of a fun one, going through some pictures of last years ski trip adventure. On the way to Whistler we stopped by the planet Hoth for a little time with some Wampas (furry white things that look like gorillas) Anyway this is a picture of Charles still in his uniform. At right Richard and I are huddled by the wall in the trench. It was not a typical trip.

What can I say? I'm very excited for this years trip! only a few days away.

What elections are for.

I have a serious problem with the ability of a state governer to single-handledly chose a senator from their home state. I mean it wouldn't be quite as bad if it had not become such an utter debacle this year, but if ever there was a time where it was obvious this system doesn't work it would be now.

So in Illinois a competent (perhaps even good choice!) was made by a going out impeached governer who was impeached oh-by-the-way for trying to sell that same seat. Honestly, he was reputedly offered 3 million for it (not by the chosen selection); thats a lot of money to turn down; especially as a public servant he's making what 140k? I just think with the amount of money potentially at stake (via the senate) this is a decision to be made by the people. Would that be that hard? It might still be a popularity contest but the fact that after no formal public service Caroline comes out of the woodwork and says "I'd like to be a senator." Everyone jumps and says its hers! What a joke! I'd like to be a senator too! I have just as much experience as she does! (that being ZERO) but I'd have the opinions and the heart to do it. She couldn't even do an interview; her 'people' answered the questions for her. Ok, now I'm super assured that she could do it. I hope that she doesn't get it, but Gov Patterson has me worried. He's already defended the bonuses given on wall street as 'justified' and then lamented the fact that many won't recieve bonuses and as a result less taxes for NY. Whaaaaaat? That's a hell of a justification for (ill?) gotten gains as a precentage of that goes back to the state. So needless to say I won't be surprised if NY sends the most ill-prepared senator to Washington. Sad.

One Giant loss for mankind...

How bad were the Giants Sunday? They were aweful. In a horribly painful game Eli just didn't show up. It was odd because last year I couldn't quite enjoy it that much because it all seemed so surreal. Even after beating the Pats, I almost felt bad for not seeing the history that would have been made (not that bad though). Anyway this year I was with them; I felt that they were the best team out there and should have repeated. They just tanked. There is definately something to be said for going into the playoffs on a roll; Philly this year, Giants last year but I just hate the Eagles, despise the Steelers, and think Baltimore is a team of thugs. So I'm forced to root for Phoenix; so if they lose so help me I wouldn't know who to root for at all.

.... and I start class today =( what a great Monday.

The UN

Its rather like fun without the f; un... or perhaps ummmmmm would be more appropriate. If this organisation hasn't become more of joke than the Detroit Lions I don't know what is. It has become a completely inept, bloated, and toothless organisation. Iraq first showed its ineptness by kicking out the nuclear inspectors; and what happened? Some sanctions on oil and food, I can tell you who didn't suffer there; Saddam and any of his cronies. No, it fell to the common folk trying to scrape by a living under a brutal dictator. Then the United States decided to invade against the UN and showed its ineptness when it just steamrollered in anyway. What happened to the US? Oh that's right nothing, no sanctions, no military action, no support for the sanctity of the country of Iraq, nothing. Darfur is a humanitarian disaster of epic scale and again nothing. So then Russia goes and invades Georgia, and nothing happens either. And now we expect the UN to come up with a ceasefire in Gaza? Are we delusional? Really? Both Isreal and Hamas have disregarded the ceasefire as not valid so whats the point? Honestly...

The UN is a pawn of who pays to sponsor it, essentially the United States and the EU, Russia, China, Japan. The African nations get to participate on a rotating basis like they are 'special' and should get to sit at the big boy and girl table. And it comes down to what's best for me, 'Oh they give me oil' or 'I sell them ' and these nations are NOT going to bite the hand that feeds them for the sake of some bureaucratic dinosaur. The US constantly lobbies for more sanctions on Iran, as we flaunt UN inaction elsewhere against us. Oh and what country constantly has sanctions proposed against it by some other nations? That would be Israel, but I'm sure that those sanctins are normally for very righteous reasons, not trumped up, and not at all a microcosm of what a joke the UN is.

Its time for a real change, the world is now flat, and it needs real action from a UN type organisation, but not from one that is as sluggish and outdated as the one we have now. Lives of the citizens; never those at the top are very much in jeopardy.

Opening Pandora's box

Ah the holier-than-thou approach; Therein lies (in my not so humble opinion) the reason that we have failed worldwide in our efforts to "Win the hearts and minds" and so wholehearted despised across the globe. By taking our country as the world's and mankind's superior nation- we have conveniently removed indeed under anything. As I touched on in my last post about the judicial system requiring the defendant to fear or respect a higher power/ideal, the US has completed disregarded the UN which is supposed to be that power for the world. By that token our own government by having three heads has essentially the same responsibility; that there is always another power that is reported to. And the checks and balances that go with it. That we (or any other nation) have become our own moral compass to change when it best benefits us (Russia called us out on this with the Georgia experiment); not as required communion of a relationship with two people. I think that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is microcosm of this. Who has the higher moral authority? Pragmatically neither. Yet they are trying to gain influence and power over each other through FEAR (and does ANYONE think that those two groups will fear each other?) the only thing that will do is fuel more hate; not trying to understand the fundamental issues, as a person to person, as in what condition would best ultimately benefit both. To me a few sacrifices of demands for a lasting peace is worth infinitely more than a tiny larger piece of the pie. Ironically that peace, to live without fear, is exactly the opposite of what it is and has been for years.

Change that looks like last year

So I'm a little frustrated about the current economic times; I've always been strongly opposed to defecit spending and budgets that just don't come close to being balanced. Thus it was with great frustration I watched these 'economic stimulous' plans which took tax money which I had already parted with (I'm not opposed to paying taxes in anyway; I complain like everyone else, but it is necessary and I do it) sloshed it around and sent it back to me. So I like getting money; but I didn't like the fundementals behind it. I understand the thought that if you give people a gift they will spend it; well maybe yes maybe no. To me it is a panic move that induces panic. Here you are telling people that the economy is falling apart, but here's some money that you should spend to save it (the economy). Lets play game theory again (its becoming a recurring theme sorry about that) You can 1)trust that spending all of it will save the economy 2) hoard it, as worst case the world collapses but you have $500 3) a combination. You'd probably go with 3, and depending on your view more towards 2 or more towards 1. But chances are you wouldn't spend it all- and that is the number that is thrown around. It just doesnt work.

Now Pres Elect Obama wants to do the same thing: $500 for everyone working (and oh-by-the-way a defecit of 1 trillion) Which Nancy (Clueless) Pelosi has said she is chomping at the bit to sign into a bill. So lets spend spend spend!!! Free handouts for everyone we'll let some other generation pay for it. Urgg. If I ran my house like this I'd be in foreclosure; The only difference is the Chinese havent called in our debts yet. Sigh.... what can I say I'm a frustrated.

And more philosophical nonsense

So I got some comments regarding the last blog which is cool, I like a lively discussion. I am not questioning that there are very good people out there; that much is evident, my question is why they are so. What do they 'get' out of it? I realize to a degree I'm playing the devil's advocate, but so be it, I want an answer. So going along the line what I am trying to ask for is why would these intelligent people without any religious or idealism gain a moral compass, this is mostly referring to how we act in and why we form societies. I am a big proponent of the economic system, assuming we get Mr Peabody and take the Way Back Machine to the dawn of man, say you had three people, One was strong, one was a good hunter/provider, another a good cook (or some other skill) Why would they join together? Any one of the three could find some way to kill off the other two, and to the victor go the spoils.... and yet they might band together, I think its simple economics: the skills they have as a whole would make life easier for the three. And then you have the Lord of the Flies. Who becomes the leader, and why? Again to me, its economic, the leader gets 'the most toys.' And lets face it who wouldn't want that? Its a giant game theory example, the push for a power grab is outweighed by being a content member of the society.

The answer that I'm looking for why people help others is 'it makes them feel good about themselves.' That answer to me just leads to more questions... its not really a logical answer- unless the answer is illogical. Then well... I'm still not sure.