How the Rich Spend Their Time: Stressed
by Robert FrankFriday, July 4, 2008
provided by the Wall Street Journal and Yahoo
Leisure class gives way to workaholic elite scrambling to maintain their place in life.
Being rich used to get you into the leisure class. Money meant freedom -- from work, money worries, household chores and screaming kids (via boarding school). Now, however, the wealthy seem to be as besieged as ever. The leisure class has given way to what I call the workaholic wealthy -- an elite of BlackBerry-crazed, network-obsessed, peripatetic travelers who have to keep scrambling to maintain their place in life.
According to research by Daniel Kahneman, the Nobel Prize-winning behavioral economist, quoted in an article in the Washington Post, "being wealthy is often a powerful predictor that people spend less time doing pleasurable things and more time doing compulsory things and feeling stressed."
People who make less than $20,000 a year, for instance, spent more than a third of their time in passive leisure, like kicking back and watching TV. By contrast, those making more than $100,000 a year (I would call them affluent, not wealthy), spent less than a fifth of their time in passive leisure. "The richest people spent nearly twice as much time as the poorest people in leisure activities that were structured and often stressful -- shopping, child care and exercise."
In short, stereotypes about the leisure class no longer hold true. "In reality," Mr. Kahneman and his colleagues wrote in a paper they published in the journal Science, "they should think of spending a lot more time working and commuting and a lot less time engaged in passive leisure."
Definitions are key here. Personally, I wouldn't classify exercise as compulsory or stressful. And the true rich ($10 million or more), may be exceeding their less-wealthy peers in true indolence. But my experience suggests that the rich are as stressed and un-relaxed as the merely affluent.
Why? Globalization and competition are probably the big reasons. People with top jobs and businesses -- i.e., the wealthy -- have to work harder than ever to remain competitive. Big investors also have to work more in ever-more-complicated financial markets to maintain their dinosaur-size nest eggs. Add to that the increasing complexity of life at the top -- constant requests for money, overseeing wealth managers, lawyers and household staff -- and the good life becomes its own management job.
Maybe being rich isn't as relaxing as it seems.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Friday, July 25, 2008
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Don't leave the environment to the Liberals!
Republicans.
It’s time we had a little chat about this whole environmental thing. Yeah, I know, I know, the whole thing is a liberal conspiracy to restrain business and take over the world. I understand. But let’s tone down the political bovine scatology and see if we can agree on a few things.
The root of Conservation is the same as Conservative, right? Your most excellent big guy, Teddy Roosevelt, was a serious conservationist, right? He was responsible for the modern national park service, right? He was a SERIOUS hunter, right? This was no tree-hugging panty-waist; he was a Man’s Republican.
Now let’s talk trash. No, I don’t mean smack talk, I mean rubbish, garbage, crapola. I happen to work occasionally in the biz of waste disposal and while I agree that it is not a huge deal on land depending on the location…..it is a very huge deal in our oceans. Do you like to fish? I know I do. Trash kills our fish. No really. In addition, chemicals that flow into water go right into the little beggars. If you like to munch on mercury, eat some fish. Fact, check for yourself. More trash, more mercury, more metal in your salmon Scooby snacks.
Have you heard about the Pacific Gyre? Oh my. Imagine every little piece of crap we drop in the oceans collecting in one spot in the middle of the ocean like a toilet bowl that never stops swirling. Nice thought? Well it’s out there. Lost nets. Cargo Containers. Plastic Pellets. Beach Balls. Everything.
Overfishing. A buddy of mine just went down to Mexico and while they were trying to score some serious tunas, a huge fishing trawler pulled up and placed a net around the entire school of fish. I’m serious. My buddy said they were fishing for the few fish that escaped. They-Took-The-Entire-School-of-Tuna. All of it. I don’t know about you, but that story keeps me awake at night. I keep seeing buffalo herds the size of the state of Kansas, and there being nearly NONE now. Imagine no albacore. No bass. No swordfish. Depressing.
Chemicals. Ah, my favorite. Yes, they are not as bad as they say…..except for when they ARE. Before those damn liberals started getting in the way of business and limiting the chemicals that business dumped into the oceans and rivers, we had a river catch fire. No I’m, serious, it actually caught fire. It had so much oil residue that in 1969 the Cuyahoga river lit. We have a HUGE amount of metals, pesticides and other yummy goodness on the bottom of most of our harbors and rivers left over from those “good ole days”. That’s where your salmon gets its metallic goodness that I mentioned earlier. Yum.
Smog. Have you heard about the Olympics in China? It’s a good thing that these are tough athletes, because they will soon get to see what they breathe. California used to be like that. I am old enough to remember Stage 1 Smog Alerts when we were not allowed out onto the playground due to smog. No really. We don’t have that now even on the worst days, because them damn liberals passed laws that stopped air pollution. China isn’t there yet.
Global warming. Okay fine, so you don’t believe us scientists. I get it. No really. Science is a process and it takes time to tease out the facts from the theories, and it changes, which looks like a falsehood. I get it. But just consider this: We really are pumping insane amounts of oil into the air. Do you really think that doesn’t affect us? It sure did in the 1970s with the smog. It still does in other places like China. So bad that people die from smog! There is also the thought that it really will hurt business as we use it up. Perhaps we should start by conserving (there’s that damn Conservative’s word again!). A little country like Brazil is now oil-independent because they made their own oil out of sugar cane. Imagine a world where we wouldn’t have to buy oil from the middle east!
Recycling and energy efficiency. Us fiscally conservative people like to save money, right? Well my financial buddies, install energy-efficient light bulbs in your house and your business! Seriously. Many of the bulbs last nearly forever and cost little more! Walmart is even getting into it. Again, we are conservationists, right? Let’s conserve for goodness sake! Recycling, especially with energy, is like a 401k account that just keeps giving back given time and enough people making small contributions!
But let me leave you with this thought:
Do you really think it’s a good idea to leave these problems to just the liberals? Really?
It’s time we had a little chat about this whole environmental thing. Yeah, I know, I know, the whole thing is a liberal conspiracy to restrain business and take over the world. I understand. But let’s tone down the political bovine scatology and see if we can agree on a few things.
The root of Conservation is the same as Conservative, right? Your most excellent big guy, Teddy Roosevelt, was a serious conservationist, right? He was responsible for the modern national park service, right? He was a SERIOUS hunter, right? This was no tree-hugging panty-waist; he was a Man’s Republican.
Now let’s talk trash. No, I don’t mean smack talk, I mean rubbish, garbage, crapola. I happen to work occasionally in the biz of waste disposal and while I agree that it is not a huge deal on land depending on the location…..it is a very huge deal in our oceans. Do you like to fish? I know I do. Trash kills our fish. No really. In addition, chemicals that flow into water go right into the little beggars. If you like to munch on mercury, eat some fish. Fact, check for yourself. More trash, more mercury, more metal in your salmon Scooby snacks.
Have you heard about the Pacific Gyre? Oh my. Imagine every little piece of crap we drop in the oceans collecting in one spot in the middle of the ocean like a toilet bowl that never stops swirling. Nice thought? Well it’s out there. Lost nets. Cargo Containers. Plastic Pellets. Beach Balls. Everything.
Overfishing. A buddy of mine just went down to Mexico and while they were trying to score some serious tunas, a huge fishing trawler pulled up and placed a net around the entire school of fish. I’m serious. My buddy said they were fishing for the few fish that escaped. They-Took-The-Entire-School-of-Tuna. All of it. I don’t know about you, but that story keeps me awake at night. I keep seeing buffalo herds the size of the state of Kansas, and there being nearly NONE now. Imagine no albacore. No bass. No swordfish. Depressing.
Chemicals. Ah, my favorite. Yes, they are not as bad as they say…..except for when they ARE. Before those damn liberals started getting in the way of business and limiting the chemicals that business dumped into the oceans and rivers, we had a river catch fire. No I’m, serious, it actually caught fire. It had so much oil residue that in 1969 the Cuyahoga river lit. We have a HUGE amount of metals, pesticides and other yummy goodness on the bottom of most of our harbors and rivers left over from those “good ole days”. That’s where your salmon gets its metallic goodness that I mentioned earlier. Yum.
Smog. Have you heard about the Olympics in China? It’s a good thing that these are tough athletes, because they will soon get to see what they breathe. California used to be like that. I am old enough to remember Stage 1 Smog Alerts when we were not allowed out onto the playground due to smog. No really. We don’t have that now even on the worst days, because them damn liberals passed laws that stopped air pollution. China isn’t there yet.
Global warming. Okay fine, so you don’t believe us scientists. I get it. No really. Science is a process and it takes time to tease out the facts from the theories, and it changes, which looks like a falsehood. I get it. But just consider this: We really are pumping insane amounts of oil into the air. Do you really think that doesn’t affect us? It sure did in the 1970s with the smog. It still does in other places like China. So bad that people die from smog! There is also the thought that it really will hurt business as we use it up. Perhaps we should start by conserving (there’s that damn Conservative’s word again!). A little country like Brazil is now oil-independent because they made their own oil out of sugar cane. Imagine a world where we wouldn’t have to buy oil from the middle east!
Recycling and energy efficiency. Us fiscally conservative people like to save money, right? Well my financial buddies, install energy-efficient light bulbs in your house and your business! Seriously. Many of the bulbs last nearly forever and cost little more! Walmart is even getting into it. Again, we are conservationists, right? Let’s conserve for goodness sake! Recycling, especially with energy, is like a 401k account that just keeps giving back given time and enough people making small contributions!
But let me leave you with this thought:
Do you really think it’s a good idea to leave these problems to just the liberals? Really?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Happy Trinity Day!
"Now I am become Death...."
Trinity 7-16-1945
Nods to Boing Boing.
(Sick joke, I know)
Monday, July 14, 2008
An Ode to Slurpees
So the Teutonic Goddess and I went to get Slurpees. Don't ask why, just go with it, because that's what I did. Anyway, I haven't had a Slurpee for a good LOOONG while. As in, childhood.
Now slurpee's were never really something that I woulda described as natural, but at least then they had flavors that vaguely resembled something that might have been derived from a plant, or at least shown to it.
That day is no more.
I do not know WTF they put in those things but baby it didn't come out of nature. I'm thinking Area 51. By way of comparison, Nacho Cheese Doritos seem like organically-grown-corn-natural-goodness. You take a swig from a Slurpee and it is like Dow Chemical just did the smack down on your taste buds, and your taste buds may not recover. Permanently.
It's not the brain freeze either. It's UNNATURAL, like radioactive waste from the planet Krypton or something. You sip and there are little alien things probing your brain grooves.
No. really. I can still hear them.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Drive-By Dr1vel 3: Millennial Generation edition.
Dr1vel on generational differences between the millennials and US.
Jefferson Bible
The LA Times had an article on Jefferson's Bible. Apparently he literally cut and pasted the miracle bits out and left in the parts he though relevent (history and ethics).
It is 46 pages.
See it here.
He said "To the corruption of Christianity I am indeed opposed," he wrote to Rush, "but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself."
Gotta love deists!
It is 46 pages.
See it here.
He said "To the corruption of Christianity I am indeed opposed," he wrote to Rush, "but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself."
Gotta love deists!
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