John Stossel Tries to Open a Lemonade Stand

In this article, by John Stossel on the Fox Business Network, he investigated what it would take to open up a lemonade stand in American.  Sounds crazy, but lately little kids are having their side-of-the-road lemonade stands shut down by police.  This was happening because police  said they "weren't aware of how the lemonade was made, who made the lemonade, and of what the lemonade was made with".  So, because of this they shut the stands down.  Kids trying their first experiment with entrepreneurship are being shut down all over America.

John Stossel decided he would try to open up his own little lemonade stand and follow all that goes into starting a small business.  The findings were outrageous (in my opinion).  What the outcome was that Mr. Stossel couldn't even finish the whole process. For him to open his little lemonade stand legally, it would take over 65 days.

John Stossel's point here is, Politicians say, "We support entrepreneurs," but the bureaucrats make it hard. The Feds alone add 80,000 pages of new rules every year. Local governments add more. There are so many incomprehensible rules that even the bureaucrats can't tell you what's legal. In the name of public safety, politicians strangle opportunity.

Read more at:  http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/blog/2012/02/23/i-tried-open-lemonade-stand-illegal-everything-airs-tonight-9pm-fox-news-channel

Green Energy Company lays off employees, but gives pay raise to executives

Green energy company given federal stimulus funds lays off 125 workers, gives pay raise to executives

Published February 26, 2012

| FoxNews.com

An electric car battery company reportedly has laid off 125 employees since receiving $390 million in government subsidies, but is still handing out big pay raises to company executives.

A123 systems, which was touted as a stimulus "success story" by former Gov. Jennifer Granholm, D-Mich., had a net loss of $172 million through the first three quarters of 2011, according to the Washington Examiner's "Beltway Confidential" blog, citing a report from the Michigan-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

A123's primary customer, Fisker Automotive, is also struggling financially. "Yet, this month A123’s Compensation Committee approved a $30,000 raise for [Chief Financial Officer David] Prystash just days after Fisker Automotive announced the U.S. Energy Department had cut off what was left of its $528.7 million loan it had previously received.”

This month has seen significant pay boosts for other A123 executives, as well, including vice presidents Robert Johnson and Jason Forcier.

The raises were reported by the company in its filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, according to the Mackinac report.

“It looks highly suspicious,” Paul Chesser, associate fellow for the National Legal & Policy Center, told Mackinac. “It looks like they are trying to pad their top people's wallets in case something really bad happens.”

Prison vs. Princeton....from "The Society Pages"

 Prison vs. Princeton: Annual cost comparison

I found this to be quite interesting on "The Society Pages".  It's some graphs that present Prison vs. Princton statistics.  

Education vs. Prison in California | Public Administration

References

Public Administration. (October 2011) “Prison vs. Princeton” [information graphic]
Resnick, Brian. (1 November 2011) Chart: One year of prison costs more than Princeton The Atlantic online.

Apple's Foxconn

This is an ABC News "Nightline" clip from "YouTube" that goes behind the scenes of the Apple FoxConn factory in China.  Bill Weir from "Nightline" expands his report upon an original report, and included footage from inside the factory, interviews with the workers, and even a visit to a local village.  I think the most astonishing thing about this article is the nets outside all the windows.  They are designed to eliminate suicide, which they had a string of them recently. 

Linsanity Postgame Cold Open

Linsanity Postgame Cold Open

This is a clip from Saturday Night Live spoofing all the racism going on with the current accomplishments of Knicks basketball player Jeremy Lin.

It Was Inevitable: Racial Ignorance Against Jeremy Lin

 

Lately there has been a lot of hype over the recent accomplishments of Knicks basketball player Jeremy Lin.  should be a good think...right?  Of course not.  Jeremy Lin is an Asian American and thanks to news/sport media, they are making it into a racist issue.  I have attached a clip on a summary from a news station on the ESPN issue calling Lin a "chink in the armor".  Another clip I was watching (but I didn't post) was on discussing his height and then about his eyes.  Really sad that we still say these racist things on television.  The Society Page covers some of the racism on this topic at:
  http://thesocietypages.org/colorline/2012/02/20/it-was-inevitable-racial-ignorance-against-jeremy-lin/

Trapped in Unemployment

A Day in the Life of Social Media

This is another clip similar to the social media revolution.  Again, it will blow your mind.  Just goes to show that it's all about social media these days.  This is called "The Day in the Life of Social Media".

Social Media Revolution....(YIKES)

I found this clip after I saw something on TV about "Socionomics".  I decided to do a search on "YouTube" and found this very interesting clip on the social media revolution.  When you see the numbers, they are mind blowing on how social media is shaping our world.  From social networking sites like "Twitter" and "Facebook", and the use of blogs (like this one), our world has been a non-stop flow of information (good/bad/important/non important). 

Showtime: Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Official Site

Showtime: Penn & Teller: Bullshit! Official Site

Record Inequality Between Rich and Poor

I found this video on "YouTube".  It's a quick clip from "Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)"  that presents the ever increasing gap between the rich and poor in many countries all over the world.  It is highlighting the fact that the inequality has reached its highest level in over 30 years.

Link:  http://www.oecd.org/document/51/0,3746,en_2649_33933_49147827_1_1_1_1,00.html

The True Meaning of Christmas

This "YouTube" clip was taken from "A Charlie Brown Christmas".  This animated tv special was aired  back in 1965, and was animated by the late Charles Schultz.  He was the creator of Charlie Brown and all the Peanut's characters.  This special was groundbreaking at the time because of a few reasons.  One, the animated characters' voices were of actual young children; this had never been done before.  Second, there was no laugh track; Mr. Schultz believed that the television audience was capable of figuring out when to laugh and when not too. 
What was also interesting was the controversy behind this episode.  Network executives from CBS were very much opposed to have Linus quote verses from the Bible.  In this clip, it is where Linus is standing on stage, by himself, and repeating the Luke 2:8-14 verse from the Bible.  Schultz stuck to his guns because he knew how crucial this part of the show's actual theme...Charlie Brown's search for the true meaning of Christmas.  Charlie Brown is lost in a world of commercialism, and lost the true meaning of Christmas altogether.  Worried that this decision to keep this part in was going to make the show a failure, it ended up being a hit and an instant classic.

For The Birds

This clip is from "YouTube" on a short film by "Pixar".  It's called, "For the Birds".  What I liked about this clip is that is emphasizes the outcast....the not wanted, and the bullying that takes place.  However, in this clip, the bullies get a taste of their own medicine.

The American Dream

George Carlin emphasizes the gap between "the owners of this country" and the rest of us. Carlin states that the owners control the politicians by lobbying to get what they want, but they also control people through education and media. They keep the educational system just good enough to educate people to be obedient workers but keep it poor enough so that it does not teach people enough to be able to think for themselves. They use the media to tell people what to believe, what to buy, and what to think. Because people can vote, they suffer the illusion that they have "freedom of choice." Suffering from false consciousness, they support ideas that are against their own self interests; for example they accept the reduced pay, fewer benefits, and less social programs that the owners claim are in their interests. All the while, they remain powerless to the owners. This illustrates Marx's concept of ideology; Marx stated “the ideas of the ruling class are in every epoch the ruling ideas." These ruling ideas, or ideologies, obscure the structural violence and exploitation used to keep oppressed groups in their place. The clip ends with the statement "it's called the American Dream because you have to be asleep to believe it," emphasizing a fundamental ideology that legitimates social inequality and oppression.

This is from Youtube and The Sociological Cinema websites

Updated Xtranormal movie of Seinfeld routine

This is an updated movie clip made by me on the website "Xtranormal".  It is of the Seinfeld standup routine at the end of the episode, "The Bris".  Enjoy!

"The Bris" on the website, "The Economics of Seinfeld"

"The Economics of Seinfeld" the clip, "The Bris"

This is the clip from the website, "The Economics of Seinfeld."  This clip is called "The Bris" and it covers the little video I made on the last post from "Xtranormal".  This clip is at the end of the episode where Jerry does a quick standup act.  In it, he discusses the topic of jobs and how there are jobs out there, however there are some jobs no one wants to do...even if you're poor.

Xtranormal Video of a clip from Seinfeld

This clip is a movie I made on the website "Xtranormal" on a description of a clip on the show Seinfeld.  I got the clip from a website called "The Economics of Seinfeld" and the episode is called "The Bris"

Dave Chappelle on Racism

This clip is of Dave Chappelle's standup on Racism.  He has become famous over the years for his take on racist issues and putting comedy to it.

Lewis Black on Greed

This is a clip of a section of one of Lewis Black's standup performances.  He does an exploration of the bizarre world of corporate, glorified greed.

Jerry Seinfeld on David Letterman 2011.11.16

This is a clip of Jerry Seinfeld on the David Letterman show on 11/16/2011.  He does what he does best and dissects things in our everyday life and jokes about it.  Making fun of our daily activities is classic.

"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" by Professor Randy Pausch

Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch (Oct. 23, 1960 - July 25, 2008) gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving presentation, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals.

Professor Randy Pausch died of cancer less than a year after he gave this inspiring and motivational speech.

Comedic Satire on Racism

Clayton Bigsby, Black White Supremacist

Featured on "The Dave Chappelle Show" on the channel Comedy Central, this is a parody of a blind black man who is a white supremacist.  The character, Clayton Bigsby, is played by Dave Chappelle.

Welcome to my first ever blog

Let me welcome you to my personal blog.......and warn you. This is my first EVER blog, so Look out....you have entered an experiment to test whether I am truly an entertaining human being. My life's interests and questions are quite immense; you will see my ADD in full force. But seeing how this is a sociological experiment, I will focus a lot of this blog on subjects I find fascinating and eye opening. That is why I feel the header on this blog is fitting, "Mind Bloggerling". Enjoy! Cheers!