Paul Sullivan suggests maybe not:
If It Causes Stress, Is It Really a Vacation Home?
For many people, owning a vacation home is part of the American dream. But ask yourself some tough questions before you buy.
Jul 16
A bit of legislative trivia. Note that Cigars are exempt.
The legislation titled “Prevent All Cigarette Trafficking (PACT) Act,” was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on March 31, 2010.
Effective immediately, the U.S. Postal Service® cannot accept or transmit any package that it knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, contains nonmailable smokeless tobacco or cigarettes.
Cigarettes, including roll-your-own tobacco, and smokeless tobacco are considered “nonmailable” matter, unless the shipment falls within certain exceptions. The acceptance and transport of packages containing cigars is not prohibited under the Act.
Read More USPS.com.
Jul 14
Comptroller’s Economic Outlook
“The Texas economy, the world’s 11th-largest, continues to fare better than those of many other states. But Texas felt the effects of the worldwide recession during 2009. Despite the state’s economy contracting in 2009, Texas’ relative economic advantage should continue as the state and U.S. economies turn around and expand again in 2010. The Comptroller’s office estimates that Texas’ gross state product will grow by 2.6 percent during calendar 2010. The U.S. economy should grow at a slower rate of 2.0 percent during the year.”
Jul 13
David Brooks column in the NY Times, An Economy of Grinds, emphasises that the economy will continue to creep along until the business climate for “the country’s loners, its contrarians and its narrow, ambitious outsiders” is “wide-open” with an “atmosphere of general confidence”. Brooks calls these outsiders The Grinds.
Here’s a link to the article: An Economy of Grinds.
Jul 06
As you travel this summer, take care with your credit card. Joe Sharkey writes that “Credit Card Hackers Visit Hotels All Too Often”:
A study released this year by SpiderLabs, a part of the data-security consulting company Trustwave, found that 38 percent of the credit card hacking cases last year involved the hotel industry. The sector was well ahead of the financial services industry (19 percent), retailing (14.2 percent), and restaurants and bars (13 percent).
