How the actions of this poor widow challenges a slightly irreverant, Linux-using, business school educated Christian. And his money.
I have a very important question. Of all the sins in the world, which is the worst? There are so many delightful ones to choose from. Murder, adultery, thievery — those are the common Biblical ones. But why stick to one flavor? We have corporate sins (sexual harassment, corporate malfeasance), [...]
Posted on July 25th, 2008 by Ryan
Filed under: Christian tradition, brazen, chasing happiness, societal concerns | 5 Comments »
Union employees at the University of California (UC) campuses were on strike last week. These custodians, bus drivers, and other service employees were, of course, demanding higher pay. According to the union that organized the strike, AFSCME, wage rates for a UC Senior Custodian range from $10.47 to $13.54/hour. “Poverty Wages” is the [...]
Posted on July 22nd, 2008 by Ryan
Filed under: economic theory, societal concerns | 2 Comments »
I return once again to this topic of my high school friend’s Caltrain-related death, because other high school friends have left me some very interesting comments. They pointed me to this San Francisco Examiner Article, which indicates that Ellen’s death may have been accidental.
The Caltrain spokesperson, as I noted on my first two posts, [...]
Posted on July 21st, 2008 by Ryan
Filed under: diary worthy, relationships (and money), societal concerns | 1 Comment »
Capitalism, for all of its flaws, is very good at efficient resource allocation. Money flows towards promising opportunities. It leaves overpriced and dead-end projects in its wake.
Consider the oft talked about gas prices. Demand for gas guzzling trucks and SUVs have plummeted. American car makers reacted quickly. Ford slashed its [...]
Posted on July 10th, 2008 by Ryan
Filed under: Christian tradition, brazen, charitable, church, economic theory, societal concerns | 2 Comments »
I was shocked and jarred this past Thursday with the death of my old high school friend, who “lay down on the Caltrain tracks before being struck and killed”. I composed an ad hoc post in memory of Ellen. My blog post, it turns out, is a small part of an online dialogue [...]
Posted on July 8th, 2008 by Ryan
Filed under: diary worthy, relationships (and money), societal concerns | 4 Comments »
Update: Additional eye-witness information indicates that Ellen Chiang’s death may not be suicide. See my recent post.
Ellen Chiang, fellow San Franciscan, fellow Cal Bear, fellow Lowell nerd, “lay down on the Caltrain tracks near the San Bruno station before being struck and killed by a northbound train”. This occurred this past Tuesday, July [...]
Posted on July 3rd, 2008 by Ryan
Filed under: diary worthy | 6 Comments »
First, a rant:
I was listening to KQED’s radio program on prisons and the state budget problem. A listener called and said, “We’re putting our money in the wrong places… the cost of keeping a person in jail for a year is that of a Harvard education.”
The radio show host said, “That’s an apt comparison.”
Um… [...]
Posted on July 2nd, 2008 by Ryan
Filed under: economic theory, societal concerns | 4 Comments »