Why don't you do something constructive

So I've seen a new trend that I find to be absolutely nuts. Remember how when you were involved in (fill in the blank activity) and there were always fundraisers? I remember selling fruit, candy, wrapping paper, washing cars, etc. Apparently kids these days have a much more cost effective plan. Rather than have the overhead of an actual product or service to sell, they just beg for money. They don't do anything in return, like put your name on the back of their jerseys or a sign in the outfield (aka sponsorship), they just ask for money.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?

Why would I encourage a kid to become a bum? Dude, I went around asking for money and made $70! Maybe I should do this full-time. They don't even have anything to make them look official. They just carry around a piece of paper.

If it isn't obvious, I don't give these kids money on general principle. If they want my money, they'll sell me popcorn or wash my car. Even the guy at 10th street with a squeegie does something.

There was a King of the Hill about people begging. This reminds me of that episode.

Things that are stupid

• Zipper bags with the little plastic slider: Look, there's one fundamental problem with these... they don't seal the bag. Just stick with the old, "yellow and blue make green", OK?
  

• Hot Wheels Playsets: Have you seen what they sell lately? You drive the car into the volcano. You drive the car over the temple of terror. You drive a car down a track and avoid getting eaten by a trash-talking shark. Same thing with a talking crocodile. This is stupid. These are interesting for about 5 minutes and then they get old and you try to use them to shoot cars across the room, which doesn't work. You take them apart and lose a piece and that's it. What happened to the good-old Hot Wheels City? These things are going for $50 on eBay now. WTF?

• Magazines: Quit sending me crap telling me that my subscription ends 27 months from now.

• Credit bureaus: You're collecting all this personal info on me and I have to pay you to see it?

• War on Drugs: What's wrong with this country?! How can if be constitutional to force me to show a driver's license just to buy some Sudafed?! (Oh, and that "phenylephrine" stuff doesn't work with a damn.)

More later...

More misleading headlines...

Hydrogen-Fueled Plane Flies on Power of Five Light Bulbs

The plane, with a 22-foot-wingspan, is powered by a fuel-cell system that generates 500-watts—equal to five bright light bulbs.

Wow, 5 light bulbs produce 500 watts? Light bulbs are pretty darn cheap, I'm gonna convert all my appliances to run on light bulb power and save tons.

OK, once you get over the fact that the author is confused by the differences in power consumption and power production, you can read the rest of it.

This was apparently developed at Tech.

Please Explain

I know I learned economics in a government school, but these two statements seem contradictory to me...

OPEC has been doing as much as it can to restore prices to reasonable levels.

and

OPEC made clear that it would keep close tabs on prices, which have recently fallen to five-month lows, and consider a cut in output quotas later in the year.

Now, wouldn't a reduction in output keep the price up? I guess this all hinges on their definition of "reasonable levels". After all, we wouldn't want the prices to be unresonably low like they were 5-6 years ago.

The article.