Later this month, I'll travel through Oklahoma for first time and increase my number of US states visited to 35. The number of countries I've visited is only 2. My travels are quite limited compared to those of my siblings or my coworkers, yet mine still span some fraction of the globe.
Extent of my travels:
Northernmost: 47.658 (Seattle, Washington)
Southernmost: 24.554 (Key West, Florida)
Easternmost: -75.736 (Newark, Delaware)
Westernmost: -123.011 (Centralia, Washington)
Other stats:
Mean residence: 37.759, -86.222 (Vine Grove, Kentucky)
Longest solo road trip: 2113 km
Friday, June 3, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Right-to-Instrument State
Was AFSCME the largest contributor in the 2010 election cycle because it anticipated the Republicans' aggressive stance? Or are Republican efforts to dismantle public employee unions retribution for the ten of millions of dollars worth of attack ads run against them? This is a case for instrumental variables. Can anyone think of a valid one?
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Unexpected Hyperbole
I avoid polemics, and so I miss most of the inflammatory rhetoric and hyperbole I'm told circulates. Yet sometimes hyperbole comes from unexpected sources, and sometimes the examples are too entertaining to not share. From my recent reading:
Elsewhere, from the usually tame trade journal Automotive News:
[1] Howe, Daniel. What Hath God Wrought. Oxford Unv. Press, 2007. Page 287.
[2] Brown, Peter. "Ooooh, Malibu: At last, a competitor to... you know." Automotive News. 19 Nov 2007. Page 14.
[John Quincy Adams] recommended U.S. conversion to the metric system of weights and measures on the ground that it implemented "the trembling hope of the Christian" for the unity of humanity, the binding of Satan in chains, and the promised thousand years of peace. [1](Or should that read "the binding of Satan in decameters"?)
Elsewhere, from the usually tame trade journal Automotive News:
The cheapness of the [Chevrolet] Lumina's interior and ragged seams fairly shouted to its owner: Sorry your life didn't turn out better. [2]
[1] Howe, Daniel. What Hath God Wrought. Oxford Unv. Press, 2007. Page 287.
[2] Brown, Peter. "Ooooh, Malibu: At last, a competitor to... you know." Automotive News. 19 Nov 2007. Page 14.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Corporate Siblings
Aldi is a private supermarket chain headquartered in Germany. In the United States, it operates Aldi USA, a group of discount grocery stores famous for requiring a quarter deposit for a shopping cart, and owns Trader Joe's, a set of trendy food markets that clothe employees in Hawaiian shirts.
Henry Ford founded three car companies. The first was dissolved under financial distress. The second was renamed Cadillac and within a decade was bought by General Motors. The third still is named Ford Motor Company.
The initials in TD Ameritrade and TD Waterhouse both stand for Toronto-Dominion Bank, one of Canada's largest banks.
Henry Ford founded three car companies. The first was dissolved under financial distress. The second was renamed Cadillac and within a decade was bought by General Motors. The third still is named Ford Motor Company.
The initials in TD Ameritrade and TD Waterhouse both stand for Toronto-Dominion Bank, one of Canada's largest banks.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Best of Seven
The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was satisfying. Not only were all teams south of the 37th Parallel eliminated, but great hockey abounded. Most of the series were close: five of the eight matchups went to six games and two took all seven games to decide.
Tuesday, however, Indiana primary voters suspended the best of seven series I was most awaiting, that of Baron Hill versus Mike Sodrel. The two had been respectively the Democratic and Republican nominees in the 8th Congressional District in the 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 elections. Baron Hill leads the series 3-1 (Sodrel won Game 2 and served in the 109th Congress), but Mike Sodrel was denied the nomination needed for a fourth general election rematch. The 2010 contest instead will feature Baron Hill and Todd Young. That may be a close election, but it just won't have the history.
Tuesday, however, Indiana primary voters suspended the best of seven series I was most awaiting, that of Baron Hill versus Mike Sodrel. The two had been respectively the Democratic and Republican nominees in the 8th Congressional District in the 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 elections. Baron Hill leads the series 3-1 (Sodrel won Game 2 and served in the 109th Congress), but Mike Sodrel was denied the nomination needed for a fourth general election rematch. The 2010 contest instead will feature Baron Hill and Todd Young. That may be a close election, but it just won't have the history.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Not to be confused with
Newel K. Whitney was the eponymous proprietor of the Kirtland store in which Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and other early Mormons met for the School of the Prophets.
Whitney K. Newey is an accomplished econometrician working at MIT. For his undergrad, he attended Brigham Young University.
Donald Riegle was a Senator from Michigan and chaired the Senate Banking Committee. He cosponsored legislation to repeal interstate bank branching restrictions. As one of the Keating Five, he was criticized by the Senate Ethics Committee for the appearance of impropriety.
Charles Rangel is a Congressional Representative from New York. He advanced an amendment to deny foreign tax credits to firms investing in South Africa during apartheid. He recently took leave from chairing the House Ways and Means Committee after allegations of rent control fraud and tax evasion.
Niklas Backstrom is a goalkeeper for the Minnesota Wild. He was selected as a NHL All-Star in 2009 and a member of the Finnish Olympic team in 2010.
Nicklas Backstrom is a forward for the Washington Capitals and the Swedish Olympic team. In the 2008-2009 regular season he scored 22 goals, including one on Niklas Backstrom.
Whitney K. Newey is an accomplished econometrician working at MIT. For his undergrad, he attended Brigham Young University.
Donald Riegle was a Senator from Michigan and chaired the Senate Banking Committee. He cosponsored legislation to repeal interstate bank branching restrictions. As one of the Keating Five, he was criticized by the Senate Ethics Committee for the appearance of impropriety.
Charles Rangel is a Congressional Representative from New York. He advanced an amendment to deny foreign tax credits to firms investing in South Africa during apartheid. He recently took leave from chairing the House Ways and Means Committee after allegations of rent control fraud and tax evasion.
Niklas Backstrom is a goalkeeper for the Minnesota Wild. He was selected as a NHL All-Star in 2009 and a member of the Finnish Olympic team in 2010.
Nicklas Backstrom is a forward for the Washington Capitals and the Swedish Olympic team. In the 2008-2009 regular season he scored 22 goals, including one on Niklas Backstrom.
Friday, December 4, 2009
An Heritage in Banking
Since August 2008, the Wikipedia article on Bank One has included a graphic illustrating the key mergers that led to Bank One's formation. The diagram, which effectively is a three generation pedigree chart, inspired me to look deeper into Bank One's merger linage. In some lines, seven generations of financial institutions are found: Plainfield Savings and Loan merged into Joliet Federal S&L, which merged into Amerifed Federal Savings Bank. NBD bought out Amerifed Bank before merging with First National Bank of Chicago and then Banc One to become Bank One. Finally, Bank One was acquired by JP Morgan Chase.
Another branch of JP Morgan Chase's genealogy is more troubled. Westside Federal S&L was merged with government financial assistance into Mariner Federal S&L, which itself was merged with assistance into Prudential Federal Savings Bank. Pacific First FSB acquired Prudential FSB before being taken over by a thrift called Washington Mutual. JP Morgan Chase assumed WaMu's assets after the latter's September 2008 failure. It's probably not the pedigree JP Morgan executives will cross-stitch on to pillows.
Elsewhere merger lineages can be just as lengthy. Norton Savings and Loan of Norton, Kansas was acquired by Heritage Savings Association, which was acquired by People Heritage Federal S&L, which failed and was carried away into receivership. After it was reorganized, it was acquired by Bank IV, which was acquired by Boatmen's National Bank, which was acquired by NationsBank, which merged with BankAmerica to become Bank of America. So all the generations from Norton to the S&L crises are three, and from the S&L crises until Boatmen's are two, and from Boatmen's unto Bank of America are two.
Another branch of JP Morgan Chase's genealogy is more troubled. Westside Federal S&L was merged with government financial assistance into Mariner Federal S&L, which itself was merged with assistance into Prudential Federal Savings Bank. Pacific First FSB acquired Prudential FSB before being taken over by a thrift called Washington Mutual. JP Morgan Chase assumed WaMu's assets after the latter's September 2008 failure. It's probably not the pedigree JP Morgan executives will cross-stitch on to pillows.
Elsewhere merger lineages can be just as lengthy. Norton Savings and Loan of Norton, Kansas was acquired by Heritage Savings Association, which was acquired by People Heritage Federal S&L, which failed and was carried away into receivership. After it was reorganized, it was acquired by Bank IV, which was acquired by Boatmen's National Bank, which was acquired by NationsBank, which merged with BankAmerica to become Bank of America. So all the generations from Norton to the S&L crises are three, and from the S&L crises until Boatmen's are two, and from Boatmen's unto Bank of America are two.
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