I'm not surprised you're surprised you didn't know.

I am! I assume BH has tons of pieces. The only ones I can think of offhand are GS, Great Northern (?) Burlington Northern and Geico.

I have never heard of Berkshire Hathaway.

Warren Buffet's company.

He founded Geico, right? Another subsidiary: Nebraska Furniture Mart! Still run by the family that started it.

I hope that Emmett has plans to actually buy his next roll of duct tape? I don't want to sound like a bitch, but probably am anyway: I don't think it's great that he's stealing from anyone.

Today giveth, and today maketh me panic. Boss talks to me about leveraging me for a permanent position (he's very pro it), mentions it may involve a pay cut, mentions his concerns about my health. Gack.

Yikes, ita. It seems like a permanent position shouldn't mean less money.

ita, a pay cut but with benefits instead, right? Sorry he mentioned your health. But it's wonderful that you've proven yourself to be so awesome that they're considering a permanent position for you!

Many times when contractors go to FT, it will seem like a pay cut. But a business has to pay roughly 28% more in benefits/taxes for a FTE than for a contractor. That's why so many businesses use contractors for as long as possible; no liability.

Boss talks to me about leveraging me for a permanent position (he's very pro it), mentions it may involve a pay cut, mentions his concerns about my health. Gack.

Argh! Hope it works out for the best.

ION, This is really interesting:

Climate denial activists’ parallel to anti-relativity movement of 1920s

“Anti-relativists… built up networks to act against Einstein’s theory in concert. This led to some success. For instance, the clamor about the theory in Germany contributed to the Nobel Committee’s delay in awarding its 1921 prize to Einstein and to the particular choice of subject for which he finally did receive it: his account of the photo-electric effect, instead of the controversial theory of relativity.”

Huh. I did not know that.

“Anti-relativists were convinced that their opinions were being suppressed. Indeed, many believed that conspiracies were at work that thwarted the promotion of their ideas. The fact that for them relativity was obviously wrong, yet still so very successful, strengthened the contention that a plot was at play.”

“Conspiracies theories tend to do well in uncertain times: they create order in chaos….Just as there is no real point in debating conspiracy theorists, there was no point in explaining relativity to anti-relativists… Their strong opposition was not due to a lack of understanding, but rather the reaction to a perceived threat… Anti-relativists were convinced of their own ideas, and were really only interested in pushing through their own theories: any explanation of relativity would not likely have changed their minds.”

And about climate change:

“Polls about climate science get treated like the results of some contest between two ideological interest groups. It becomes a horserace story –”Democrats/environmentalists are losing” — rather than a story about danger to public health. It’s about environmentalists’ failure to persuade rather than the anti-scientific obscurantism that’s completely overtaken the Republican party, with financial support from large corporate interests….If I can’t convince a guy standing in a downpour that it’s raining, seems to me the dumb ass in the rain is the story, not my poor messaging.”

I hope that Emmett has plans to actually buy his next roll of duct tape? I don't want to sound like a bitch, but probably am anyway: I don't think it's great that he's stealing from anyone.

Well, it's more like walking off with school supplies. But don't worry, now that he's capitalized he can buy his own tape. Or possibly I'll give him a case of duct tape for his birthday.

I wonder at my own lack of moral outrage on the issue, though it probably has to do with my extreme annoyance with this particular teacher. Somebody who can't be assed to update any of the grades or assignments online (as all the other teachers do) and who has made it abundantly clear that he's merely showing up for the last several years of his tenure to cash out his retirement.

But then my moral compass on property rights might not be entirely defensible. (He said, moving recent downloads into his music folder.)