Four For Friday - 5 Sept 2008

Q1 - Delivery: When I lived in Utah, a co-worker told me about a trip he was planning to Boulder, Colorado, to visit family. When I jokingly asked him if he would stop by my favorite Boulder sub shop and bring me back a Garlic-roasted Prime Rib Sub and a Chicken Salad Sub, he said yes. Much to my delight, the following week he walked into my office with a cooler containing ice and both of my sandwiches. Then, when a different friend from Utah told me he was planning a trip to my part of California, I asked him if he could bring me two subs from my favorite Utah restaurant. Like clockwork, he too showed up with a cooler full of goodies. If you could order in from any restaurant on the planet and have your meal delivered to you like my friends delivered mine, what would you order and where would you order it from?

Now, that is a really interesting story. And what friends you have! I honestly can't think of any place I know that is outside of here that I'd want food from so badly. I'm sorry, that is a really boring answer to a really neat question.

Q2 - Reaching: We've all done it before (dropped something of value in a toilet). In the case of currency, how much money would it have to be in order for you to reach in and pull it out of a toilet. Is a dollar worth it to you? How about $20? More? Do tell!

How fortuitous for me that I always have gloves with me. No, I'm not a little OCD, I'm an EMT. The damn things show up all over the place. It is the price one pays for being an EMT. But let me see... I guess $20... maybe $10? I don't know... is the toilet filled with clean or dirty water? Honestly, there is no amount of money I'd fish out of THAT, and I'm not rich by any means.

Q3 - Fighting: Mixed Martial Arts (M.M.A.), which is best described as full-contact hybridized fighting, has made its way from the margins to the mainstream. Twice already, M.M.A. fights have been broadcast in prime time by CBS, and mainstream clothing labels like Ralph Lauren and others are said to be looking into the possibility of developing lines of M.M.A. casual wear. Recently, Mixed Martial Arts has even become popular among children. Kids as young as six-years-old train with instructors in the kicking, punching and pinning that characterize what many say is a violent sport. Do you think participation in Mixed Martial Arts puts children at too much risk, or is M.M.A. training and supervised fighting acceptable for children of all ages?

Uh, yikes. This is Ultimate Fighting, is that right? I'm wholly unqualified to answer this. I don't mean to bail out like that, but I think that boxing is too violent. I definitely feel that this is over the top for being too violent - more so for kids than adults!

Q4 - Unemployment: The unemployment rate here in the U.S. inched to a nearly five-year high last month as employers trimmed jobs for the 8th straight month, the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. The unemployment rate rose to 6.1%, its highest level in nearly 5 years. That's up from 5.7% in July and 4.7% from just one year ago. If those figures are correct, around 6 out of every 100 people you know may be unemployed! Do you know anyone who is currently unemployed?

Um, I know of people who are unemployed, but I am not one of them. And no one I am close to is one them, either. For this I am greatful. But I am unsurprised that the Unemployment rate is that high. Say, "Thank you, Mr. Bush!"