Style and Shots

Our struggling economy has left people wanting more for their money. That means convenience is at a premium. One area in particular which is in demand is the beauty market. In an economic downturn, people want to feel pretty or look good due to the fact that they otherwise may feel unstable in their life. So stores begin to bundle goods for consumers.

This has left us with many stores offering many services at once as a full package so that amount consumed can be maintained at a lower price. Years ago I heard a comedian giving advice say "You probably never want to get a hair cut from Joe's and Janet's Salon and Bait Shop". Apparently some people missed that memo as a friend sent me this advertisement outside a local bar:



Just a friendly reminder to those going out this weekend and looking for a quick makeover at the same time.

Thank you struggling economy.

Serious Gambling

When you gamble, especially at a professional level, your always playing the odds. The odds of getting 21, landing on black, or getting a royal flush (it's 1 out of 649,740 if you were wondering).

What if you could find out the odds on the biggest gamble in your life?
Your marriage ending in divorce.

Betsey Stevenson, an acclaimed economist with a Masters and PhD from Harvard, has created a "Divorce Calculator" using census data and other variables of correlating data to determine the likelihood of a divorce. The little data cruncher has been picked up by divorce360.com and has caused much debate over it's validity and usefulness.

Some would like to remain blissfully ignorant to the future, while others are running to figure out after how many years of marriage they will be parting ways with their significant other. The question is should this really be something that we as a culture are embracing so candidly? Assuming divorce and breaking the bonds of love is merely a numbers game?

The calculator can be found here and the research and data used to create the calculator here.

Goodbye Capitalism

Stabilizing the economy is one thing. Controlling the economy is quite different. For years the government has used a laissez faire approach, with the general rule being to not set rules and allow capitalism to run it's course.

Well that time is over.

Earlier this month Obama took the first steps in having the government run the companies that it has bought shares in declaring no executive can earn more than $500,000 a year and a permanent freeze on all bonuses. An executive position before hand could look at 8-9 figure salaries per year and now at a small figure of six the question is just how is this gonna effect the quality of the people running these companies. The government should be looking to attract some of the best and the brightest to reform these companies in hope of stimulating the economy. Instead it seems they've hung a sign around our countries most profitable businesses, businesses that we've spent hundreds of billions on to rescue, telling executives that the private sector is where to make money and enjoy the capitalist ideals that we've all enjoyed.

The plus side on this move is that we are now not spending millions of tax payer dollars on executive salaries. This won't be much consolation when the companies go under and the money is lost anyways. Which will happen if the best and the brightest go to firms in the private sector away from government control and compete with the companies we've bailed out. Thus a move focused only on the short run idea of looking good in the public's eye can possibily kill over a trillion in GDP potential.

Welcome to the new Government business where making money is only good if it's profiting the government and not the general good.

Causes and Effects

Your past shapes your future. Not really sure who said that first, might have just made it up, but it certainly is true.

When I was 6 I met Gary Hall Jr. He was the badass of USA Swimming with gold medals and headline making antics to back himself up. For the next 12 years I devoted myself to swimming. I started on a local USS team and quickly learned discipline and time management skills I wouldn't have picked up anywhere else. Driven and determined I pushed myself through school always looking to conquer the next hurdle or demand more from myself. The people I met through the sport led to lifelong friends, experiences and even jobs.

When I stopped swimming I looked back on who I had become and was astonished to find the way I had grown up. A stubborn kid determined to push themselves past the norm, I knew how to apply myself and had grown into an adult.

In one way or another, every action, choice, and experience has formed and shaped me to be the person I am today. I've grown from a wild child, to a stubborn teenager, to an actual adult who can look back and be happy about the life they've had and where they are today.