Strapped

I'm currently reading Tamara Draut's Strapped: Why America's 20- and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead. The book discusses how college loans, high housing costs, and child care costs combine to put today's generation in an economic bind that their parents didn't face. A full review will come once I've finished the book.

But it doesn't bode well for the book. In the introductory chapter, there's the following quote:

One out of three young adults--a full 17.9 million 18-to-34-year-olds--don't have health insurance, making this the age group with the largest percentage of uninsured. They're not going without health-care coverage out of some sense of invincibility either; in fact, only 3 percent of young workers are uninsured because they declined available coverage.

Do you see what's wrong with that quote? Think about it, and check the comments for my discussion.

Another terror attack

One man has died and at least 13 people were injured when a Fremont man purposefully drove his sport-utility vehicle onto sidewalks and crosswalks in
San Francisco and Fremont today, according to San Francisco police.

Just in case you think it's depression or road rage, consider: The perpetrator has a Muslim name, and the attacks occurred in a Jewish neighborhood. So of all possible motives, terrorism or anti-Semitism seems likeliest.

Snarky comment from Glenn Reynolds: "We need car-control. But anybody can buy one of those things, without even a background check or a waiting period."

All Your Fakes Are Belong To Us

The enormously catchy Zero Wing remix is the perfect musical accompaniment for a new video from My Pet Jawa highlighting the plague of fake photos "reported" by the mainstream media. Scroll down to watch "All Your Fakes Are Belong To Us."

Security problems?

Wednesday, I left for the airport, leaving so that I would have a full two hours to endure heightened security.

I needn't have worried. There were no lines at security. The only additional time was at the end of the flight, waiting for the bag I needed to check.

What are your priorities?

Chuck Asay asks, where do your priorities lie?

I want to be Stephen Colbert's Gamer Friend!

In one episode of the Colbert Report on Comedy Central, Stephen Colbert used his (made-up? real?) gaming past as part of one his commentaries. Not surprisingly, he

Buttons seen throughout Gen Con featured the URL in the link above, where Peter Adkison, Gen Con owner and former head of Wizards of the Coast, states his desire to be Stephen Colbert's new gamer friend. He has a video resume highlighting just what an awesome gamer friend he would be.

The whole site is a humorous way of promoting the various Gen Con conventions.

The world's smallest violin...

is playing for (alleged corporate secrets thief) Joya Williams.

A former Coca-Cola secretary charged with stealing new product samples from her employer and trying to sell the materials to rival Pepsi is so despondent she considered returning to jail to be sure of getting food, medicine and shelter, her lawyer said Monday.

Joya Williams, indicted July 11 along with two men on a federal conspiracy charge, appeared depressed and as though she hadn't eaten in a while during a visit last week with the court-appointed lawyer, Janice Singer.

"She lost everything and she's having a very, very hard emotional time right now to the point of I have grave concerns as to the depths of her despondency," Singer told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Maybe, just maybe, she SHOULDN'T HAVE TRIED TO STEAL CORPORATE SECRETS?

Something tells me if she had succeeded in selling these secrets for $50,000, she wouldn't be despondent.

When in Oregon

I love this comment, from an Oregon resident, on a mailing list. Paraphrasing:

I have to love a place that says I have a right to assisted suicide, but says I can't pump my own gas.