More PZ:
I have a t-shirt with those words on it; it's from the Museum of Jurassic Technology exhibit of letters to Mount Wilson Observatory, a fascinating collection of crackpot letters written to astronomers between 1915 and 1935, containing the astounding theories created by people around the world, who all thought they could revolutionize science with their insights. It's an exhibit well worth browsing—here's one sample letter.
To whom it may concern:
This is to certify, That I have found the Key To all Existance. And all I ask of any one Is for them to read What I am about to say. Because it is not my purpose to tell What you already know. And consequently the proof Shall follow and establish My work to make it law.
For the key to all existance Is the key to the Law By which all things Come into existance and therefore my word Is the key to that law to be verified by proof Listen therefore to what I say As follows:
The Moon Is practically all Water frozen or Ice It was formed By water evaporating From the earth Which arose and gathered Between the Earth and Sun It is hollow Like a pumpkin The inside is composed of that part of the air known as Nitrogen And very very cold Consequently its water is frozen.
If the crust of the moon Was removed, it would be a Sun bright enough To destroy the earth. There is no life upon the moon, but Without the moon There would be no life upon the earth.
And it goes on, at length.
No One May Ever Have the Same Knowledge Again
And office manager-type employee said that, according to the payroll service, the paychecks were NOT being held up for insufficient funds, only that "the Federal Reserve won't release the funds."
That doesn't make sense. The Federal Reserve loans money to other banks. They wouldn't have anything to do with your payroll account. I suppose it could have something to do with your company's bank being insolvent, but the Fed wouldn't intercede like that.
I poked around online, and the company's bank is fine.
There's the possibility that (1) office manager-type employee is lying; (2) payroll company is lying; or (3) office manager-type employee misunderstood what payroll company said.
#3 might be the real answer, because office manager-type employee is not the brightest porch light on the block.
Even if the bank were insolvent, it wouldn't matter. The bank could still go on doing business until a receiver is appointed. There might -- MIGHT -- be a problem in accessing accounts for a day or two after the receiver is appointed, but that's why receivership appointments usually happen on Fridays -- so the transition can happen over the weekend, and any bugs are worked out by Monday morning.
(Note: By "insolvent," I mean equity insolvent, where liabilities are greater than assets. But if a bank is in danger of being liquidity insolvent, or not having enough cash to meet obligations as they come due, the government steps in fast.)
Oh, forgot one thing on my weekend plans...
Start divorce paperwork. I printed out all the forms. Yikes.
weekend- read books about tenure decisions and the law. Maybe go to aunt's for dinner on Sunday.
It's got to be #3, because even if the story started as a lie, that one makes no sense.
Relatedly, the TAL story on a bank takeover a couple of weeks ago was
fascinating.
Tomorrow I'll probably start some freelance work. I used to put a Chinese version of a journal online at my previous job. They ran out of money to do it about the time I left, so no one learned how. Now they have the money for it and no one is willing/able to figure out how to do it.
So they called me and offered me about four times what I made to do it while I was working for them. I didn't leave because I hated them or anything, so I said sure.
Relatedly, the TAL story on a bank takeover a couple of weeks ago was fascinating.
We heard that in the car while driving back from a weekend away. Really incredible--the armies of folks going through every scrap of info in such a short time.
Just got back from the dentist. I thought I still had to pay for my cleaning from two weeks ago and feared I'd have to pay a bit more for my permanent crown today, but when I stopped at the receptionist, she said I only owed $11--yay!
So, I stopped at the Jewish deli on my way home and splurged on extra lean corned beef, sweet and sour meatballs, and some fresh-baked bagels with veggie cream cheese. Yummmm. The corned beef is the best ever, but it's expensive ($15.50/lb), so I've only gotten sandwiches in the past, not buying it by weight. I'm looking forward to lots of sandwiches made at home in the next week or so. I was tempted by their kugel, but I passed.
The Dairy Queen next door to the deli knows their customers--they had handwritten signs wishing Happy Passover and offering flourless ice cream cakes.
