Precious Collections

The author of this article and I share a lot of the same interests when it comes to collecting things. But personally, my favorite collection is the one I keep of old hair pulled from brushes--not just my brushes, but anyone's.

Sour Cream

For anyone who has ever wondered how their dipsh-t boss managed to rise to a position of power (not me!), there is a new theory on the subject. According to Laurence J. Peter, a professor of education at the University of Southern California:

"In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence; the cream rises until it sours."

As explained by the author of the article I read, "people who show competence are promoted whether or not they are qualified to perform competently at the next level. Eventually they go beyond their limits, become incompetent, and stop getting promoted. Macbeth, a success as a military commander, rose to become an incompetent king. Which is to say, "nothing fails like success."

Read more about this theory, coined as the "Peter Principle," here.

Swing Voter

"Sure, I like that Obama makes people feel optimistic and willing to give, but if I really liked that, I'd have a better attitude toward Scientologists. The truth is, I like Obama because he's young and eats arugula and knows who Ludacris is. Because he's the closest thing to the person I'd really like to vote for: me."

Read the full article by Joel Stein in the August edition of TIME:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1830395,00.html