News & Views

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Was This Excessive Force? You Decide 

There’s no question in my mind: Body cameras on law enforcement officers are a good thing. As are smartphones used by citizens documenting police/people interactions. The body cam video clip below was released by a local police department to demonstrate that the officer involved in the arrest did NOT use excessive force. Looking at it, I can see their point. But I also think the video demonstrated what I’d call excessive and unjustified interrogation. (Why not just let the couple know that they needed to move on?)

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Gazillions of Viruses on Earth: How Afraid Should We Be?

How about this for an emotionally disturbing fact: There are 10 “nonillion” (10 to the 31st power) viruses on our planet. That’s 100 million viruses for every single star in the universe!

That’s how Katherine J. Wu begins her essay in the most recent edition of National Geographic. It begs the question, “Are we doomed to be destroyed by viruses?” You can read her answer here.

Fun and/or Interesting

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The 10 Best US Airlines 

From The Points Guy website…

“There are a lot of ways to measure an airline’s success. [These include] on-time performance, reliable scheduling, the affordability of airfares, excellent elite perks, and the scope of a frequent flyer program…. Every year, we… take a look at all of these factors (among others) to compare the major airlines. The goal is simple: Use objective data to identify just how well airlines are serving customers.”

Based on each airline’s performance over the previous year, here’s their list of the Best US Airlines of 2022: Delta, Southwest, United, American, Alaska, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Frontier, Allegiant, and Spirit. Click here for details.

My take: Jet Blue is at the top of my list, tied with Southwest. Delta is okay. American is, at best, mediocre. And the rest are bad to terrible. But by far the best airline for going from coast to coast is Virgin, a British airline. (Go for Mint Class if you can.)

The Economy & Investing

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Tipping Is Going Up: What Gives?

This chart was derived from a study by Toast, a point-of-sale (POS) platform that restaurants and other retail food services use to cash out customers.

The study found that…

* The average tip in full-service restaurants was 19.6%, compared to 16.9% for fast-food places.

* Tips rose 10% year-over-year, compared to 7.6% for food costs.

Well, that’s encouraging. Tips are at least meeting the cost of inflation. Is that because customers are feeling compassionate? Not according to the digital news site Hustle. They note, “POS platforms like Toast have ushered in the rise of ‘iPad tipping,’ leading many to tip when they normally wouldn’t to avoid looking stingy in front of the cashier.”

I’m sure you’ve had a lot of these “complete your transaction” experiences lately. I have. And they nudge me to tip higher than I usually would.

Here’s a funny video clip that explains what may be going on.

Inside Paradise Palms Botanical & Sculpture Gardens

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The conservancy that I’m developing in West Delray Beach, FL, is destined to be (if I have anything to say about it) one of the largest and best-curated palm tree collections in the world. It also features a growing collection of outdoor sculptures, a traditionally styled Japanese tea house, a Zen Garden, and a Yoga/Jiu Jitsu House in the shade of a little bamboo forest. Not to mention a stock of African cycads, dozens of other exotic plants and trees, and one of Florida’s highest “mountains” at nearly 20 feet!

Here’s a peek at one of those exotic trees:

Autograph Tree

Also known as: balsam apple, pitch-apple, copey, or Scotch attorney
Binomial name: Clusia rosea

The autograph tree is native to the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Florida. Unlike most other plants, it can absorb carbon dioxide during nighttime hours. It’s called the autograph tree because its leaves are so hard you can carve into them. In the West Indies, the leaves were used to make playing cards.

For more information about Paradise Palms, click here.

A Word to the Wise

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a word to the wise

Scintillating – from the Latin scintilla, meaning “spark” – is another way to say glittering; brilliantly and excitingly clever or skillful. (See today’s P.S., below.)

Tuesday, August 23, 2022, Delray Beach, Florida


Arts & Letters

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 I rarely get drunk anymore. I can’t remember the last time I did. Still, I like to drink. A cocktail at 5:30. Two glasses of wine at dinner. And a Cognac with my cigar afterwards. But, in an effort to lose 25+ pounds to “make weight” at a recent Jiu Jitsu competition, I devised a diet that consisted of depriving myself each day of one of three enjoyments: cigars, carbs, or alcohol.

In terms of pounds lost, I would attribute none of it to giving up cigar smoking, since I managed to do that on only a single occasion. As to carbs and alcohol, I found that I could give up either one with the same moderate amount of effort. But giving up the drink was more effective because (and this was a surprise to me) I was consuming nearly 1,000 calories of alcohol a day! (Pre-prandial cocktail: 250 calories. Wine at dinner: 450 calories. Post-prandial Cognac: 300 calories.)

What I’ve decided: (1) Cigars seem to be good for me as a pleasure and a stimulant. (2) I can enjoy pasta without Chianti. And (3) when I don’t drink, I do almost everything better, including, as Ernest Hemingway knew, writing.

Which brings me to this…

From Letters of Note: Ernest Hemingway – a PPS to a letter to Ivab Kashin, Aug. 19, 1935

“Don’t you drink? I notice you speak slightingly of the bottle. I have drunk since I was 15 and few things have given me more pleasure. When you work hard all day with your head and know you must work again the next day what else can change your ideas and make them run on a different plane like whisky? When you are cold and wet what else can warm you? Before an attack who can say anything that gives you the momentary well-being that rum does? I would as soon not eat at night as not to have red wine and water. The only time it isn’t good for you is when you write or when you fight. You have to do that cold. But it always helps my shooting. Modern life, too, is often a mechanical oppression and liquor is the only mechanical relief. Let me know if my books make any money and I will come to Moscow and we will find somebody that drinks and drink my royalties up to end the mechanical oppression.”

Business & Marketing

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Starbucks? WeWork? Here’s a Better Idea 

Remote workers and one-person business owners in LA have a new, much more enticing choice of workspace with the opening of Heimat, a luxury club owned by the Berlin-based RSG Group.

For $350 a month, members get:

* Every training machine imaginable, plus classes

* Locker rooms with meditation spaces and saunas

* A spa, juice bar, rooftop pool, restaurant, and bar

* A coworking space and library

Why is it a good deal?

Posh gym memberships typically cost $150 to $200 a month, and WeWork memberships start at $300. With Heimat, you get the benefits of both. And compared to Collette, which is about to open in NYC, it’s a steal. To enjoy the facilities at Collette, New Yorkers will have to pay an initiation fee of $125,000, plus $36,000 a year.

How Much Are Your Ferragamo Shoes Worth? Really? 

Many years ago, a friend of mine opened Rick’s, a restaurant in Chagrin Falls, OH. It was a mid-sized place with an Art Deco style that served excellent food at surprisingly inexpensive prices. Apparently (according to him), I told him, “You should close for a week, give the restaurant a French name, dress the waiters in tuxedos, put tablecloths on the tables, double the prices, and treat people like shit.”

Recently, he sent me this video clip that illustrates the point of my joke about marketing and perceived value – one that applies especially to luxury goods. And it’s great. Check it out here.

News & Views

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Regal Cinemas Eyes Bankruptcy

On June 29, 2021, after the COVID shutdown began, I posted an essay on how various businesses would be affected by it. One of the major casualties, I said, would be the movie theater industry. Young people were already watching movies on their iPads and iPhones. And after months of closed theaters, older people were realizing how convenient (and cheap) watching at home can be.

My prognostication looks to be coming true. Hundreds of independent cinemas, all over the US and Europe, have shut their doors. And now Cineworld Group PLC, the world’s biggest theater chain and the owner of Regal Cinemas (with 751 sites in 10 countries), is preparing to file for bankruptcy. You can read about it here.

 

New Parents Rights Group Aims to Unfund Teachers Unions 

Despite denials from some school administrators and teacher unions reps, gender identity and Critical Race theory are indeed being taught to public school children… starting in kindergarten.

It’s certainly not of pandemic proportions, but it’s happening in woke cities like Portland, and it’s being reported on by the conservative media.

Moms for Liberty, a “pro-parental rights organization,” noting the role of teachers unions in pushing this agenda, have decided to go hard at this issue by getting rid of teachers unions. Learn more here.

And click here for a quick summary of what’s going on in Portland, in particular, from JP, a comedian who, like so many others, is tired of woke culture.

 

The Truth About Math & Science Education in America

Although the US is the world’s second-highest spender on education (Norway is first), it ranks (depending on which reports you use) between 23rd and 31st in math and science literacy. As to other subjects, we rank a bit higher. But reading skills are falling drastically among urban schools. The outlook is not encouraging.

Click here for Bill Maher’s take on the subject.

Fun and/or Interesting

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Speaking of economics… 

JS sent in two fun rap battles on two great debates.

* To watch “Top Down or Bottom Up Economics” (Keynes vs. Hayek), click here.

* To watch “March of History” (Marx vs. Mises), click here.

And for a slightly more favorable view of Keynes, click here.

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