Sunday, April 19, 2009

The Laws of Ultimate Reality

(from an e-mail circular):
Law of Mechanical Repair After your hands become coated with grease, your nose will begin to itch, and you'll have to pee. 
Law of Gravity Any tool, when dropped, will roll to the least accessible corner. Law of Probability The probability of being watched is directly proportional to the stupidity of your act. 
Law of Random Numbers If you dial a wrong number, you never get a busy signal, and someone always answers. 
Law of the Alibi If you tell the boss you were late for work because you had a flat tire, the very next morning you will have a flat tire. 
Variation Law If you change lanes, the one you were in will always move faster than the one you are in now (works every time). 
Law of the Bath When the body is fully immersed in water, the telephone rings. 
Law of Close Encounters The probability of meeting someone you know increases dramatically when you are with someone you don't want to be seen with. 
Law of the Result When you try to prove to someone that a machine won't work, it will. 
Law of Biomechanics The severity of the itch is inversely proportional to the reach. 
Law of the Theatre At any event, the people whose seats are furthest from the aisle arrive last. 
The Starbucks Law As soon as you sit down to a cup of hot coffee, your boss will ask you to do something which will last until the coffee is cold. 
Murphy's Law of Lockers If there are only two people in a locker room, they will have adjacent lockers. 
Law of Physical Surfaces The chances of an open-faced jelly sandwich landing face down on a floor covering are directly correlated to the newness and cost of the carpet/rug. 
Law of Logical Argument Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about. 
Brown's Law of Physical Appearance If the shoe fits, it's ugly. 
Oliver's Law of Public Speaking A closed mouth gathers no feet. 
Wilson 's Law of Commercial Marketing Strategy As soon as you find a product that you really like, they will stop making it. 
Doctors' Law If you don't feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor, by the time you get there you'll feel better. Don't make an appointment and you'll stay sick.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Understanding Economics with Cows


LONG-AGO CAPITALISM
You have two cows.
You sell one and buy a bull.  
Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income.

AMERICAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.

You sell one and force the other to produce the milk of four cows.  Later, you hire a consultant to analyze why the cow has dropped dead.

VENTURE CAPITALISM (U.S. 2006-2008)

You have two cows.
You sell three of them to your publicly listed company, using letters of credit opened by your brother-in-law at the bank, then execute a debt/equity swap with an associated general offer so that you get all four cows back, with a tax exemption for five cows. The milk rights of the six cows are transferred via an intermediary to a Cayman Island Company secretly owned by the majority shareholder who sells the rights to all seven cows back to your listed company. The annual report says the company owns eight cows, with an option on one more. You sell one cow to buy a new president of the United States, leaving you with nine cows. No balance sheet provided with the release. The public then buys your bull.

U.S. 2009
You have no cows.
No one else has any cows.
The government buys you one cow, which your children will pay for.

BUREAUCRATISM
You have 2 cows. The State takes both, shoots one,
milks the other, and then throws the milk away.


A FRENCH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You go on strike, organize a riot, and block the roads,
because you want three cows.

A JAPANESE CORPORATION

You have two cows.
You redesign them so they are one-tenth the size of an ordinary cow and produce twenty times the milk. You then create a clever cow cartoon image called 'Cowkimon' and market it worldwide.

A GERMAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You re-engineer them so they live for 100 years, eat once a month, and milk themselves.

AN ITALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows,
but you don't know where they are. You decide to have lunch.

A RUSSIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You count them and learn you have five cows. You count them again and learn you have 42 cows. You count them again and learn you have 2 cows. You stop counting cows and open another bottle of vodka.

A SWISS CORPORATION
You have 5000 cows.
None of them belong to you. You charge the owners for storing them.

A CHINESE CORPORATION
You have two cows.
You have 300 people milking them.
You claim that you have full employment, and high bovine productivity.
You arrest the newsman who reported the real situation.

AN INDIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.

You worship them.

AN IRAQI CORPORATION
Everyone thinks you have lots of cows.
You tell them that you have none.
No-one believes you, so they bomb the **** out of you and invade your country.
You still have no cows, but at least now you are part of
Democracy....

AN AUSTRALIAN CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Business seems pretty good.You close the office and go for a few beers to celebrate.

A NEW ZEALAND CORPORATION
You have two cows.
The one on the left looks very attractive.

A BRITISH CORPORATION
You have two cows.
Both are mad.

SOCIALISM
You have 2 cows.You give one to your neighbor.

COMMUNISM
You have 2 cows.The State takes both and gives you some milk.
\
FASCISM
You have 2 cows.The State takes both and sells you some milk.