Costco: Not Just for Those Who Need the Big Carts

A freezer or second refrigerator is an essential
appliance for Costco's small households.

In the August issue of Costco Connection the magazine surveys empty-nest and other small households about why they continue to shop at the bulk retailer.

Dennis Todic, PA: “I buy tires, got my eyeglasses, hearing aids and some of the services like carpeting in the past,” he says. “Bulk is not a factor.”

Derek Zehr, Kitchener, Ontario: Derek Zehr lives by himself, but that doesn’t stop him from shopping for paper products, detergent and cleaning supplies from the warehouse. “I like buying meat in bulk, as well, and I vacuum seal it into individual portions and store them in my freezer,” he says. “I have limited space, but I put shelves up in half of my walk-in closet for my Costco pantry!”

Michele Mathieu, CA: “Shopping sale items, selecting our favorite prepared and frozen foods, and freezing extra bread, chicken and deli ham makes it possible for Costco to be our primary same-day grocery provider,” she says. “Costco is also our first choice when we have a large purchase, such as my wife’s leather reclining chair.

Josh Dill, WA: He lives in a small apartment with his 9-year-old daughter. But that doesn’t mean he shops small...He thinks strategically about his purchases, buying items with a long shelf life to make smaller meals, and freezing the rest. “The package of five frozen single-pound tubes of ground beef is perfect for our dinners,” he says. “I can thaw just the right amount without worrying about waste, and it’s always on hand when I’ve failed to plan ahead.”

A membership still can benefit one- or two-person households who buy high-quantity items that don't take up much space, for example AA batteries and vitamin supplements. It's also suitable for empty-nesters who do have the space, though a freezer or second fridge, which is what we have, is essential. I also have found services such as optical, hearing-aid, and tire installation to be a good value.

Dennis Todic, PA: “But I will be a Costco member until I am not able to shop anymore.”

You Have My Full Attention...Really

The case easily fits in the palm of your hand

I received a pair of AirPods Pro 2 for Father's Day. They emit good-to-great sound, have noise cancellation features, and function well as an accessory for hands-free telephone calls. But their greatest utility to me is as backup hearing aids. The AirPods amplify all sounds and serve adequately for those who, like me. have moderate hearing loss. Were it not for social offensiveness, I would feel comfortable wearing them all the time.

Hi. Excuse me. Hey. Do I have your attention?

I can’t tell because your AirPods are in.

Human communication was awkward enough before AirPods and their non-Apple brethren became so ubiquitous, but at least some pockets of life seemed off-limits. Not anymore...

Joseph Montes, a 55-year-old information-security manager who lives near Boca Raton, Fla., keeps his AirPods in all day. “They’re always off, but if someone calls, I can answer,” he said.

The devices are such a constant that when he visited the doctor recently, Montes didn’t understand why the nurse was giving him “dagger eyes.” He finally got the hint when the doctor came in. Montes sheepishly pulled one AirPod out of his ear. “I’m a man, I’m stupid,” he said.

IMHO, there are easy solutions for users to defuse disapproval. For example, a blinking LED could signal that the AirPods wearer is listening to a signal from his iPhone, and if the light is off he can give you his full attention. Or he could wear his hair long to cover the offending ear buds.

Finally, retirees like myself can accentuate our age. People give us a lot more leeway because elders are not expected to observe niceties; younger folk are just grateful that we appear to understand what they are saying and can carry on a conversation. To my fellow boomers, just practice giving others a blank look and wear those AirPods proudly.

Monkey Business

Having collected its ransom, a macaque leaves
the prescription sunglasses behind.

Criminals have been identified, the evidence against them is irrefutable, but they're immune from prosecution.

At a cliff-side temple on the tropical island of Bali, an unexpected group of criminals is running one of the world’s most sophisticated scam operations.

Every week, they steal dozens of phones, wallets and other valuables from tourists in broad daylight and exchange them for handsome rewards. It’s been going on for decades and nobody’s been able to stop it.

The culprits? Long-tailed macaques....

On the southern tip of the Indonesian vacation hot spot known for its beaches, tourists flock to Uluwatu Temple for traditional fire dance shows and panoramic views at sunset with the Indian Ocean crashing below. The Balinese Hindu site dates back to at least the 11th century and the roughly 600 monkeys that inhabit it are considered by locals to be sacred guardians of the temple.

Primate researchers have found that the macaques steal belongings to use as currency to trade with humans for food. Some monkeys can distinguish between objects we highly value (smartphones, prescription glasses, wallets) and those we don’t (hats, flip flops, hair clips)—and will barter accordingly, according to a University of Lethbridge team that spent years filming the macaques and analyzing hundreds of hours of footage.

Monkey handlers ("pawang") help negotiate the return of the stolen property.

They offer fruits such as bananas, mangos, rambutan and mangosteen in exchange for the stolen items. In rare cases, they use raw chicken eggs, highly coveted by the monkeys.

If your humble blogger were ever to visit Bali, he would flaunt packages of snacks (though the authorities disapprove) to divert the monkeys' attentions from more valuable items. To the simian mind a potato chip is prized over the silicon kind, and on Bali it's hard to disagree.

Wealth Ladder - Getting the Rungs Right

I'm a sucker for "rate yourself" tests on the Internet, for example, how do you measure up in health, sports knowledge, 20th century history, or wealth? Concerning the latter, Nick Maggiulli's Wealth Ladder has specific numerical criteria: [bold added]

Those on the first rung have almost no wealth; the threshold is less than $10,000. Each subsequent rung represents an upper threshold of wealth 10 times as large as the previous level. Mr. Maggiulli’s scale is designed to express the declining utility of money as it accumulates. He also denotes each rung by the “freedom” such wealth generates.

Level 2, $10,000 to $100,000, offers “Grocery freedom” because “you can buy what you want at the grocery store without worrying about your finances.” Level 3, $100,000 to $1 million, provides “Restaurant freedom” because you can order what you want when you dine out. The fourth rung, $1 million to $10 million, means you can travel wherever you want; the fifth, $10 million to $100 million, means you can afford the home of your dreams. Mr. Maggiulli’s sixth and highest level, anything above $100 million, gives you the ability “to have a profound impact on the lives of others” through business and philanthropy....

Mr. Maggiulli recognizes that knowing which rung of the ladder you’re on doesn’t help in getting to the next one, so at each level he describes what is required to climb higher. Getting more education is most effective at Level 2. Income-producing assets are vital at Level 3. Once you get to Level 4, you’re going to have to take a different approach. If you reached Level 5 it is probably thanks to concentrated investments—the result of starting a business or accruing a big slug of company stock.

Some rungs are far too wide. Rung 3 spans $100,000 to $1,000,000, but IMHO there is a huge difference between the low and high end of the range. In the Bay Area $100,000 could be a half-year's salary, perhaps enough for an emergency expense reserve, while $1 million in many parts of the country allows one to have a paid-up home plus hundreds of thousands of dollars in savings.

There is a similar difference between $1 million and $10 million; again in the Bay Area, the lower amount could be a down payment while $10 million does allow one to have that four-bedroom house plus a comfortable retirement.

As for rung #5, over $100 million, I'll never get there and I'm glad because I don't need those kinds of problems (he said disingenuously).

Update - 7/29: Nick Maggiulli elaborates in a Morningstar interview.

Christine Benz: You share what you call as the 0.01% rule. Can you talk about what that is and how it can aid with decision-making about doing spending, and what expenditures to stress out about and which to not stress out about?

Nick Maggiulli: Yeah, so the 0.01% rule basically says that you can spend 0.01% of your wealth or just another way of looking at it’s one-10,000th. So you could call this the one-10,000th rule as well. You can spend one-10,000th of your wealth on a daily basis without having to worry about anything. And so I’ll explain where that comes from. So let’s say your net worth is $10,000. You’re basically right on the cusp between level one and level two. That means you can spend an extra $1 per day without any worry about jeopardizing your future wealth. And where that $1 that 0.01% comes from is, on an annualized basis, if you’ve got a return of 0.01% a day, that’s like a little bit under 4% a year. It’s like 3.7% a year. It’s very conservative return. So every day your wealth is generating that much money. So if you have $10,000 in wealth every day in theory, you’re generating an extra $1 a day without doing anything. So in theory, you could spend that $1 and not jeopardize your future wealth. So if you have $100,000 in wealth, you could spend $10 a day. If you have $1 million in wealth, you can spend $100 a day, et cetera. Now, obviously this isn’t your total spending. If you live in the United States, you’re not going to survive on $1 a day. This is the marginal spend. Everyone’s making a spending decision, you’re making it on the margin.

Like when you go to buy a car, you’re not saying, oh, should I get a Toyota Camry or a Maserati? You’re debating between the Camry and the slightly nicer Camry. That’s what I’m saying. You’re always doing it on the margin. Like when you sit down in a restaurant and you’re like, do I want to get the burger for $20 or the salmon for $30? That marginal difference is $10. And so my argument is that once you have like $100,000 in wealth, that extra $10, you can spend that every time you go to a restaurant without worrying about it. And so the 0.1% rule works in that way by just it allows you to have some lifestyle creep because you’ve shown financial disciplines. Like, hey, look, I’ve reached this level of wealth so I can now spend more in certain categories. But until I reach that level of wealth, I’m not going to do that.

And so like in my example—I still to this day, I don’t have basically any travel freedom. When I go to a restaurant, I’ll buy whatever I want. I don’t care. But I am still getting the coach seat. Maybe I will upgrade my seat to a slightly nicer seat, not a first-class seat, but I’ll go like get something with more legroom. That’s where I’m at in my wealth journey. Like one day if I do well, if things go well for me, I will maybe always get a first-class seat, but that’s not in the cards for me right now. And so I’m spending according to my wealth level, and I’m very strict about that.

It’s because that the extra whatever $100 or whatever it is, is not enough to upgrade to first class every time. So I can’t spend that money. That’s how I work through it.

Endangered Seal

(Image from ncronline)

The State of Washington wants Catholic priests to break the seal of the confessional: [bold added]

A new law, signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson in May, would require clergy to violate the confessional’s seal of confidentiality if they hear about potential child abuse. Failing to break the seal and report suspected abuse to authorities carries a penalty of up to 364 days in jail and a fine as high as $5,000.

Catholic clergy in the state sued, and U.S. District Judge David Estudillo of the Western District of Washington blocked the law with a preliminary injunction on July 18. Judge Estudillo ruled the law likely violates the First Amendment’s guarantee of free exercise of religion because it denies priests the confidentiality extended to other professions. The state has until Aug. 18 to appeal.

Confession is an essential practice of the Catholic faithful, who believe it reconciles a sinner with God. In the sacrament, the penitent admits wrongs and receives God’s forgiveness through the priest’s prayer of absolution. The seal of confession is so crucial to the Catholic faith that any priest who violates it is automatically excommunicated.

“For us, that’s a matter of spiritual life and death,” says Bishop Robert Barron, an American Catholic evangelist who filed an amicus brief in the case. The bishop says even “the slightest suspicion” that one’s confessed sins might be repeated elsewhere is an obstacle to the sacrament. Any law that might discourage a repentant sinner from seeking God’s forgiveness would hinder the free exercise of religion. Washington’s law is “the most egregious violation of religious liberty” in the U.S. right now, Bishop Barron said.

Child abuse is a heinous crime but is not so horrible that lawmakers want attorneys to break confidentiality with accused clients:

Washington lawmakers passed another bill this year exempting higher education attorneys from reporting abuse related to clients they represent. For these legislators, sins confessed to a priest don’t merit the confidentiality of what is said to an attorney. That “appears to be a textbook example” of targeting religious conduct, Judge Estudillo wrote.

Attorney-client privilege originated from English common law and does not derive from the Constitution, while confessional confidentiality is protected by the First Amendment ("Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof"). The latter would seem to have a stronger pedigree constitutionally, but your humble blogger is no lawyer.

Sears: Soon to be Found Only in History Books

The Sears store in Concord, CA (SFGate)

When we moved to the Bay Area in the mid-70's there was a Sears, Roebuck & Co. store in or near every town. I've bought Kenmore washers, dryers, and refrigerators from Sears in Fremont, Daly City, and San Mateo. I've had cars repaired at the Sears in Palo Alto and San Mateo. The Sears catalog we got in the mail was as thick as a phonebook and far more colorful. 50 years later Sears will soon have only one store in California:

With the impending closures of the company’s Whittier and Burbank outposts in Southern California, the massive location in Concord’s Sunvalley Shopping Center will likely be the sole survivor in the state.

Sears is now but a shadow of its former self. Perhaps best known for its mail-order catalog, auto centers, vast quantities of tools and appliances and portrait studios that pumped out millions of cheesy family photos over the decades, the 139-year-old chain that once boasted about 3,500 stores is slated to only have six in the entire country, according to the Mercury News.

Like Pan Am, Blockbuster, Woolworth, and Radio Shack, Sears once dominated its markets and was an important part of the business landscape. Soon it will exist only in our memories.

FAFO Comes to Child Care

(First edition photo by Bauman Rare Books)

A man named Spock has been blamed for why the baby boom generation purportedly lacked the strength of character of its predecessors. No, it wasn't Star Trek's famous Vulcan but Dr. Benjamin Spock, whose book, The Common Sense Book of Baby and Child Care (1946), sold over 50 million copies after World War II and revolutionized the thinking about child care.

Dr. Spock de-emphasized the fixed scheduling and withholding of affection promoted by pre-war education experts and advocated training of each child as an individual. (Personal note: my mother had a copy of Baby and Child Care on her bookshelf, and while I think my brothers and I turned out okay academically we certainly weren't as "tough" as our parents.)

(Lenneman/WSJ)

There is another philosophy now taking hold, best captured by the acronym FAFO. For the uninitiated, Grok explains (note: your humble delicate blogger has masked the "F" word with asterisks):

The term FAFO stands for "F*** Around and Find Out." It originated in American slang, particularly within online and social media contexts, as a pithy warning or retort implying that someone will face consequences for their reckless or provocative actions. The phrase gained traction in the early 2010s, especially on platforms like Twitter (now X), Reddit, and meme culture, where it was used humorously or defiantly to highlight cause-and-effect scenarios.

Its roots can be traced to informal, confrontational language often heard in street or bar settings, but it exploded in digital spaces due to its blunt, catchy nature. By 2020, FAFO was widely used in political, social, and cultural discussions, often tied to situations where someone’s actions lead to predictable repercussions. The term has since been adopted in various contexts, from casual banter to protest slogans, and even appeared in merchandise and media.

No specific individual or event is credited with coining it, but its spread was fueled by viral posts and memes, particularly during heated online debates.

Now back to FAFO in childhood education:

FAFO (often pronounced “faff-oh”) is based on the idea that parents can ask and warn, but if a child breaks the rules, mom and dad aren’t standing in the way of the repercussions. Won’t bring your raincoat? Walk home in the downpour. Didn’t feel like having lasagna for dinner? Survive until breakfast. Left your toy on the floor again? Go find it in the trash under the lasagna you didn’t eat.

Parenting that’s light on discipline has dominated the culture in recent decades. But critics blame the approach for some of Gen Z ’s problems in adulthood. They cite surveys that show young adults struggling with workplace relationships (was it because their parents never told them “no”?) and suffering from depression and anxiety (was it because their parents refereed all their problems?).

For parents who have spent years trying to meet their children’s emotional needs without slipping into overt permissiveness, FAFO can sound blessedly simple.

The reaction against Dr. Spock's methods didn't start with FAFO; "tough love" came into widespread use in 1968. Actions have consequences, and kids can't always count on their parents--or a forgiving world--to bail them out.

Another Reason to Get My Eyes Checked

2021: at the Costco optometrist

It's been four years since my last eye exam. Although the contact lenses and glasses still perform adequately, the eyeglass metal frames are bent, and it's probably time to make an appointment.

Here's an additional incentive: [bold added]

For years, doctors have known that high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and excessive alcohol increase your risk of dementia.

More recently, a growing body of evidence also suggests a link to vision problems, leading to the influential Lancet Commission in 2024 to add untreated vision loss to the list of 14 modifiable risk factors for dementia. The commission, which issues periodic recommendations on public health matters, found that about 45% of dementia cases in the world are potentially preventable by addressing 14 modifiable risk factors — which also include high cholesterol, social isolation and hearing loss — and that 2% of cases can be prevented or delayed by addressing treatable vision loss.

That includes conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, nearsightedness, farsightedness and diabetic retinopathy (when blood vessels in the retina get damaged, often from poorly controlled diabetes).

A recent study published in JAMA also found that among roughly 2,800 older U.S. adults with dementia, an estimated 5% to 19% of dementia cases were attributable to vision impairment.

I get regular audio exams and updated my hearing aids last year. I should do the same with vision, not only because of the importance of sight but to keep senility at bay.

“When you’re depriving your brain of key sensory inputs like vision or hearing, those parts of the brain aren’t going to function as well,” [UCSF neurologist Dr. David] Soleimani-Mangooni said. “With decreased function, you can start to lose synapses or connections between cells of the brain. That can be a risk, potentially, for further cognitive changes.”

Lucky Leaves But We May Have Lucked Out

The former Lucky location has been vacant since April 29, 2025

During the 40+ years we have lived in Foster City the Edgewater Place Shopping Center has always had a supermarket, first Alpha Beta, then Lucky Market, then Albertsons, and finally Lucky again. There never was a vacancy during these changeovers, however, because all the aforementioned stores are brands owned by or related to Save Mart Companies. Over the last several years Save Mart has been closing Bay Area stores that it calls "underperforming," which include Lucky's in Fremont, Millbrae, and Foster City.

The Foster City store, less than a 15 minute walk from our house, has been vacant since April 29th. Many of us had "there goes the neighborhood" fears, because having empty storefronts is a strong predictor of blight. But we were overly worried.

Osaka Fremont (Mehta/Chronicle)

The Osaka Marketplace is moving in.

A Japanese specialty grocery store is expanding with a new Bay Area location, becoming the most recent entry in a flurry of Asian supermarket openings in the region.

Osaka Marketplace has signed a lease in Foster City at the Edgewater Place Shopping Center. The location is the vacant 35,000-square-foot space at 919 Edgewater Blvd., where a Lucky supermarket previously operated. The incoming retailer is best known for its selection of Japanese and Asian goods, as well as fresh seafood and prepared foods.

The store is slated to open in November. This will be Osaka Marketplace’s third Bay Area location, with its other stores located in Fremont and Pleasant Hill. The company is currently working to expand in Northern California and Arizona.

The 123,000-square-foot Edgewater Place is currently in the middle of a capital improvement program to refresh its common areas and parking lot, among other amenities. The shopping plaza has attracted a variety of Asian dining options such as Chinese restaurant Rickshaw Corner, Yemeni Coffee house Sana’a Cafe and Ritha Indian Restaurant.

“We’re thrilled to join the Foster City community and bring our authentic Japanese grocery experience to Edgewater Place,” Osaka Marketplace owner Kazuhiro Takeda said in a statement. “From fresh produce and seafood to prepared meals and pantry staples, we’re looking forward to serving the community and celebrating the tastes and traditions of the neighborhood we now call home.”

The incoming store is located not far from San Mateo, known for its Japanese American heritage. It’s also the latest in a wave of Asian specialty supermarkets across the Bay Area that looks to satiate ever-increasing demand, as seen in the recent opening of the Korean grocery store Jagalchi at Daly City’s Serramonte Center, which drew hourslong lines. Future Asian grocery store arrivals include Tokyo Central at Emeryville’s Bay Street mall, T&T at San Jose’s Westgate Center and the long-anticipated H Mart in Dublin.

It's difficult for shopping centers to replace long-term anchor tenants who leave because they're experiencing profitability problems--look at San Francisco. It's even rarer to have a tenant upgrade. Foster City may have lucked out.

The Gru Clue

Cardboard cutout of Gru (Advanced Graphics)

North Korean scammers have infiltrated the American work force. One of the crooks' distinguishing features is a fondness for the fictional "Despicable Me" villain Gru.

The FBI believes thousands of North Koreans have infiltrated the U.S. workforce by assuming the identities of Americans to secure remote jobs. Many of them, investigators have found, are bound by a few defining characteristics: total devotion to Dear Leader Kim Jong Un, a penchant for stealing cryptocurrency and an obsession with Minions, the cuddly agents of evil from “Despicable Me.”

The North Koreans’ love of the animated movie franchise has become a recurring, if slightly baffling, joke among the security researchers who investigate them.

Many of these fake workers use Minions and other “Despicable Me” characters in social-media profiles and email addresses. Some investigators initially thought their use of “Gru” was a reference to Russia’s famed GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. Instead it was a tribute to the Minions overlord, Felonious Gru Sr., the Steve Carell-voiced animated character who tries to steal the moon.

My 2025 bingo card didn't have the Gru clue as a scam detector.

Not How They Wanted to Be Remembered

Last Wednesday two executives for the private AI/data services company Astronomer were spotted by the "kiss cam" at a Coldplay concert (see above video). President Andy Byron and Human Resources chief Kristin Cabot, who are married to other people, were caught in a friendly embrace and tried to conceal their identities too late.

Days after a video of Byron canoodling with the company’s HR chief nearly broke the internet, the company said Byron had resigned from his position. “Our leaders are expected to set the standard in both conduct and accountability, and recently, that standard was not met,” Astronomer said Saturday...

In an instant, the video became a lightning rod for the public’s conflicting views on wealth, power and simmering frustrations toward the executive class, said Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, a professor of management at Yale University. “There’s a certain schadenfreude associated with this,” he said. “Here’s a takedown of the ‘haves’ versus the ‘have nots.’”

The online furor erupted shortly after the camera at the Coldplay concert panned to Byron and Cabot. “Either they’re having an affair or they’re just very shy,” Coldplay frontman Chris Martin said from the stage, as Byron quickly ducked out of frame and Cabot covered her face and turned.

The viral popularity of the video taps into the state of the culture:

A relationship between senior executives can send a message that “the rules don’t apply to us,” said Deb Muller, chief executive of HR Acuity, a technology platform that helps companies track employee investigations and complaints. Employees, vendors, customers and investors may also question the integrity of leaders.

“You have to start using some judgment when you’re in senior-level positions,” Muller said.

It’s unclear what Astronomer’s policy is, but the company said Friday it had initiated a formal investigation into the matter.

Because of the risks associated with such clandestine relationships, corporate boards are less tolerant today of executive romances than they once were. McDonald’s in 2019 fired then-CEO Steve Easterbrook because of his consensual relationship with an employee. BP CEO Bernard Looney resigned in 2023 after the oil giant said he hadn’t been fully transparent about past personal relationships with colleagues. And last year, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw was fired after a board probe found that his relationship with the railroad giant’s chief legal officer violated company policies.

None of those incidents, though, sparked the glee and gloating that the video of the Astronomer CEO and his HR chief have generated.

The schadenfreude that comes with the public takedown of a CEO, said Yale’s Sonnenfeld, “is elevated even more right now.”

CEO Andy Byron has resigned his position, and as of this writing there's no update on HR chief Kristin Cabot. Financially both should land on their feet, but their children will undoubtedly be damaged. Meanwhile, the mockery continues.

Martha or Mary: a False Choice

Christ in the House of Mary and Martha (Vermeer)

Today's Gospel lesson is little known among non-Christians and does not concern matters of life, death, or eternity. Yet it has sparked endless discussions because people in Bible study groups tend to identify with the protagonists, especially the conscientious one whom Jesus gently chides.

We're talking about Martha and Mary.

As Jesus and his disciples went on their way, Jesus entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to what he was saying.

But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her."-----Luke 10:38-42

Conscientiousness is one of the "big five" personality traits. It is not an exaggeration to say that conscientious people are responsible for making the world livable, i.e., for making sure that things get done on time and that the hundreds, even thousands of details that cause households and organizations to work are attended to.

We all know Marys who think that what they have to do is too important to attend to those details. However, when Martha asks Jesus to "tell [Mary] then to help me" Jesus demurs because Mary has made the "better" decision while Martha is "distracted."

It probably comes as no surprise that scholars, priests, and other commentators conclude that Christians need to be both Martha and Mary, that is, serve through their actions and set aside time to contemplate Jesus' teachings. Difficult as it may be, we will not be complete unless we rise above the roles that make us comfortable.

Bay Area: Last Stop?

(Image from first for women)

I bought Steve Martin's album A Wild and Crazy Guy in 1978 and found this bit to be hilarious:

You.. can be a millionaire.. and never pay taxes! You can be a millionaire.. and never pay taxes! You say.. “Steve.. how can I be a millionaire.. and never pay taxes?”

First.. get a million dollars.

Now.. you say, “Steve.. what do I say to the tax man when he comes to my door and says, ‘You.. have never paid taxes’?” Two simple words. Two simple words in the English language: “I forgot!”

The transcript does not do justice to his delivery, which was replete with pregnant pauses, shrugged shoulders, and goofy expressions. Plus, the two-part answer to "how can I be a millionaire and pay no taxes?" that began with "first get a million dollars" struck me as funny, and if you don't agree, dear reader, well, we laugh at different things.

I thought of Steve Martin's routine when I came across an article in the Chronicle about why many of us choose to live out our final years here: How to financially prepare to spend the rest of your life in the Bay Area . Certainly the drawbacks of staying in the Bay Area--or California in general--have been well publicized:

there’s plenty of talk about the bad. You don’t have to look far on the internet to find people blasting California for its high taxes, housing costs and homelessness. California has the top marginal state individual income tax rate at 13.3%, according to the Tax Foundation.

"But that’s not the whole story."

[Estate planning, trust and probate law attorney James] Cunningham broke down the hidden benefits in a post on his firm’s website titled “Why Retiring in California May Actually Be a Smart Idea.” For instance, though marginal rates are high, you’ll pay a lot less on your presumably diminished retirement income compared to some states with flat tax rates. California is one of the states that doesn’t tax Social Security benefits, and doesn’t tax capital gains when a spouse dies. And you’ll dearly miss that Prop. 13 property tax cap if you move somewhere like Texas.

Bay Area retired acquaintances have told me that the primary factor that caused them to stay or leave was the state of their finances. Those who have a paid-up house and enough savings and retirement income to live on (daunting prerequisites, like "first get a million dollars") consider other factors, such as where their children and friends live, the quality of medical care, and, last but far from least, the temperate weather all year long.

If I had to bet, the Bay Area is our last stop, but circumstances can easily change.

Summer, winter, or fall the Foster City weather is nearly the same.

Colbert Cancellation: It's Just Business

Stephen Colbert (Kowalchyk/CBS/WSJ)

CBS has cancelled “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," which will air until May, 2026.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” was profitable as recently as a few years ago.

Now, it loses about $40 million a year, according to a person familiar with its budget. On Thursday, CBS pulled the plug on the show and an entire franchise launched in 1993, making it the biggest casualty yet among late-night talk shows contending with cord-cutting, changing tastes among younger viewers and declining ad revenue.

The budget for the show, filmed in New York City’s Ed Sullivan Theater, includes a live band, a staff the host said numbered 200 people, and an annual salary of $20 million for Colbert, according to a person familiar with the show’s operations.

That hefty cost of production, a withering business model and a parent company under pressure struck fatal blows. The TV mainstay will go dark next May.

Liberal observers, for example the Writers Guild of America, are claiming CBS' motives are political, i.e. “to curry favor with the Trump Administration.” They could well be partially right, although IMHO if the "Late Show" were making, not losing, $40 million a year CBS would have carried it indefinitely.

Even if CBS believed Stephen Colbert was a political but profitable hot potato, it would have been able to find a buyer for the show and extract value from the franchise. Not understanding this basic principle of how business works demonstrates the financial illiteracy of the chattering well-educated classes.

Happy 102nd, Helen

Mother's Day, 2025

This evening we called to sing Happy Birthday to Helen to celebrate her 102nd birthday.

She said that it was a beautiful day in Honolulu, and we responded that the Bay Area was beautiful, too. It's been a cool summer, and air conditioning has been unnecessary in Foster City.

From her balcony on the hills above the University of Hawaii campus Helen likes to watch the planes take off.

Lately she's been humming Blue Skies, Irving Berlin's 1926 hit. She was delighted when we sang it to her over the phone, out of tune but with enthusiasm. At 102 very simple things give her pleasure.

Below is a nice rendition of Blue Skies by Norah Jones and Seth MacFarlane.

Small World: New Wine in an Old Bottle

(Disney/SFGate photo)

After 59 years Disneyland is adding a third verse to the "Small World" song:

Mother earth unites us in heart and mind
And the love we give makes us humankind
Through our vast wondrous land
When we stand hand in hand
It’s a small world after all.

Tomorrow is Disneyland's 70th birthday, and "It's a Small World" is far from its oldest ride. According to Grok the following rides were there at or near the opening on July 17, 1955 and are still operational:

Here’s a list of the other original rides at Disneyland, based on historical records and current operations:

Disneyland Railroad (Main Street, U.S.A.)

Jungle Cruise (Adventureland)

Mad Tea Party (Fantasyland)

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride (Fantasyland)

Peter Pan's Flight (Fantasyland)

Snow White's Enchanted Wish (Fantasyland, originally "Snow White and Her Adventures")

Storybook Land Canal Boats (Fantasyland)

Autopia (Tomorrowland)

Mark Twain Riverboat (Frontierland)

Casey Jr. Circus Train (Fantasyland, opened July 31, 1955)

Dumbo the Flying Elephant (Fantasyland, opened August 16, 1955)

As a teenager and young adult I couldn't be bothered with the low-tech non-thrill exhibits, but now those, many of which are these 1955 originals, are my favorites. I've been away from Disneyland nine years, and, health permitting, I'd like to return.

Below is Disney's 3½-minute tribute to Small World, with the new verse beginning at the 2:40 mark.

Dressing for Success: Harder than Ever

In the old days a wife took the blame for letting
her husband go out like this (Urban/WSJ)

Wearing a coat and tie during the sweltering days of summer was uncomfortable, but that was the businessman's lot during most of the 20th century.

Being required to wear the "uniform" had its advantages, though: men didn't have to spend a lot of time deciding what to wear. The basic wardrobe consisted of blue, black, and gray suits, blue and white shirts, and black shoes. We expressed individuality through ties.

Today it's much more complicated because there are more combinations that are possible and more ways to go wrong. Also, being classy and casual doesn't come cheap.

P. Johnson Twill Linen Corbu Vest, $490,
Oxford Shirt, $175, Ice Cotton Tee, $245,
and Tony Jeans, $370 (WSJ)

Alternatively, you could dress like a suave guy who just happens to work with money. [Alex] Seo loves classic-but-not-corporate jackets from the Armoury, including the safari styles. Zach Garst, a trendy Houston tax consultant, 28, pairs cotton slacks with “something a little more spicy,” like boxy shirts and cardigans from Auralee and Frizmworks.

For style inspo, Le Alfré founder Brandon Snower recommends @schoonerscorer, an Instagram account popular with finance guys. It features videos of a charismatic Brit—Alex Hendy—rating beers at pubs. He’s stylish but never mentions clothes. After bingeing clips, I can tell you that I won’t be slurping the ho-hum porter at one central London pub, but I do need Hendy’s cream cable-knit sweater and red Ralph Lauren shirt. I like that he’s not a “fashion influencer”—outfit-dissecting accounts often come off cringe—just a cool guy doing his thing.

One menswear account I do enjoy: @the_daily_mirror. Founder Manish Puri, who works in financial services and writes about menswear, radiates unprecious elegance with flowy trousers, suede chore coats—and a cartoon chicken head superimposed over his own.

Another benefit of the old dress code is that business attire could hide a man's defective physique. Now his flaws are accentuated.

I'm glad I'm retired.

Still Appreciated by Termites, Though

Your humble blogger went to school before mobile phones, before the Internet, even before there were personal computers (I received my MBA in 1975, one year before Apple was incorporated).

Mine was a generation that did all its research in libraries, and index cards were the pathway to getting information. Today most index card drawers are empty--if they haven't been tossed out--but at Yale they have been repurposed:

If you open one of the hundreds of card catalog drawers that line the south side of the Sterling Memorial Library nave, you won’t find any cards; online catalogs have rendered them obsolete.

But you might find a surprise. Over the past few years, students and other visitors to the library have created a tradition of leaving notes in the drawers to be found by others. Some are inspirational (“keep chasing your dreams, but don’t be afraid if the path to your dream changes”) and some are aspirational (“2016. In eight years, I’ll return as a Yale student”), and they are written in many languages. It’s a delightful adaptive reuse: hardware that was once used to organize the search for knowledge now holds the promise of serendipity.

Now if I can just find a use for my slide rule....

Walking the Walk

Guillaume Bodinier, The Good Samaritan,
1826 (Wikimedia Commons)

Today's Gospel lesson from Luke 10 was about the Good Samaritan:

But wanting to justify himself, [the lawyer] asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead.

Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, `Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

Comments:
1) In Sunday School we learned the simple version of the story, that Samaritans were not expected to behave honorably but in Jesus' parable the Samaritan was the only one who helped the wounded man. The Samaritan was the good guy.
2) The enmity between Jews and Samaritans dated back centuries, with the Samaritans ignoring Jewish laws, dietary customs, and social norms.
3) Jesus emphasized the principle that it is not social status or speech that matters but how one behaves.
4) Signalling real virtue comes at a cost in time and money, not on a bumper sticker or a social media post or sign posted on one's lawn (note: I haven't done the research about whether these examples existed in Jesus's time).

Gulls: Ticket to Thrive

The gull nests in the Farallons and hitches
truck rides on land (Shaffer/SFGate)

A GPS-tracking device traced a seagull's 94-mile journey from Candlestick Point to Modesto at the incredible speed of 60 miles per hour. [bold added]

[Biology professor Scott Schaffer] scrolled and zoomed in, tracing her 80-mile journey that appeared to start at the San Francisco Recology site near Candlestick Point. She went over the Bay Bridge, down Interstate 880 and onto Highway 580 before reaching a composting center in the Central Valley near Modesto. What threw him was her speed, which averaged 60 mph — clearly too fast for her to be flying herself. He soon confirmed she had backup, having hitched a wild ride on an 18-wheel garbage truck and staying overnight before flying back to her colony in the Farallones.

But this was no Pixar movie plot. Shaffer suspected the bird most likely became trapped under the layer of wire mesh lining the top of the truck while foraging for scraps. Yet, even more remarkable was the fact that she repeated the voyage the following day: going to San Francisco Recology to hitchhike down to the same composting facility, this time taking the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge while her mate watched over the nest in her absence.

Seagulls are protected by law, and their population in the Bay Area has exploded from 24 in 1980 to over 50,000. Their intelligence and adaptability--and lack of natural predators---augur for a population that has a long way to go before reaching its ceiling.

Sticky Ivy

Harvard and Yale: joining against a common enemy?

The Trump Administration claims that Harvard University has violated civil rights laws through Harvard's DEI programs and threatens to withhold $9 billion of funding and Harvard's accreditation.

Influential Ivy alumni seem to be supporting Harvard, at least for now.

“You know the world is going crazy when Yale alums are making donations to Harvard!” —Ross Eaton ’03 on the Yale Alumni Facebook group on April 16, shortly after the federal government began freezing grants to Harvard.

Wild Turkeys in our Future

Stopping traffic in Alameda (Oda/ Bay Area News Group)

In addition to the wolves, coyotes, mountain lions, bears, and pigs that are returning to the Bay Area, let's not forget about the wild turkeys.

Today, there are around 250,000 wild turkeys throughout California. They can be found in 49 states across the country – the only state without wild turkeys is Alaska.

“They are a species that can adapt for really anywhere,” said Sebastian Garcia, the California regional director for the National Wild Turkey Foundation.

Several factors may influence the movement and presence of wild turkeys in urban and suburban areas.

For one, when female turkeys nest, they often search for places that are easily concealed by bushes or other vegetation, according to a University of Minnesota study. This may attract them to urban parks or leafy neighborhoods with ample undergrowth.

Additionally, the turkey diet ranges widely, including insects, seeds, fruits, and even mice. Wild turkeys in human-populated settings were documented using available resources for food, such as bird feeders, food plots, acorns, or fruit trees.

The study also found that despite female turkeys’ need for natural spaces, many turkeys actually rely on human-populated, developed areas during the autumn and winter.

Another key factor that draws wild turkeys to urban settings is a sense of safety.

“If they have less bobcats or mountain lions or coyotes – other predators – chasing them, they notice they’re a little bit safer in these neighborhoods,” Garcia said.

March, 2023: "Tom" on Foster City Blvd.

2¼ years ago Foster City was home to a wild turkey. We never did find out what happened to him, but no worries: we are likely to see more of his relatives in the near future.

Vaillancourt Vigil

The fountain is fenced off and "closed"
per the green sign (Chron photo)

The future is bleak for San Francisco's 54-year-old Vaillancourt Fountain.

a San Francisco city official said publicly for the first time that the controversial concrete sculpture is not part of the renovation plan for Embarcadero Plaza.

“We did look into keeping the fountain on-site,” Recreation and Park Department Project Manager Eoanna Harrison Goodwin told a decidedly pro-fountain audience, “but once we got the cost estimate, it is beyond our project budget.”

The revelation, while not the final word on the 710-ton sculpture, was perhaps the most discouraging sign yet for its ardent supporters that its days on Embarcadero Plaza may be numbered.

Your humble blogger will be sad to see it go. Although Vaillancourt Fountain is not classically beautiful, watching it when the water is flowing is a unique experience. From 2004:

The Vaillancourt fountain in Justin Herman Plaza is hard to love. After the 1989 earthquake destroyed the freeway off-ramp, the fountain’s complementary big brother, some said it lost its raison d’etre.

Because it was expensive to power the pumps, the water had been turned off since 2000. Vaillancourt fountain became a silent, concrete jumble in the midst of a waterfront that is growing greener and softer.

Depending on the way one is facing, the harsh angles overwhelm the view of the renovated Ferry Building, the nearby park, or the beauteous Bay beyond. The fountain became a grimy sculpture, a favorite resting spot for the ubiquitous pigeons, who further despoiled its surface and walkways. It became such an eyesore that some called for its demolition.

Last month the pumps were turned on, and the area was transformed. The sight and sounds of the rushing water bring life to a dead corner of Justin Herman plaza. Children skip along the walkway beneath the waterfalls, the tourists take their pictures, and the pale tower denizens leave their cubicles to munch on their sandwiches in the sun.

It's Murder on Cars, Too

Death Valley was very hot last month.

How hot was it?

It was so hot that a tractor trailer's brakes--later the entire vehicle--caught on fire going down a hill.

Dramatic moments like these are surprisingly common in Death Valley, owing to a confluence of geography, climate and human folly. While normally seen from a distance as a salty, flat lowland with one very famous thermometer, Death Valley is in fact a rippling landscape with 11,000-foot peaks and mile-high roadways like Towne Pass, a crucial point along California State Route 190.

The jutting roadway connects Stovepipe Wells (elevation: 10 feet) and Panamint Springs (1,926 feet), with a steep grade that often catches truckers and touring RV drivers off guard. The strenuous roads, combined with the already high temperatures, make brakes even more prone to overheating and fire than on average roads. Just last year, the National Park Service says, six tractor trailers and a fifth-wheel RV all caught on fire along CA-190.

As expected, many writers blame global warming for Death Valley's high temperatures:

It’s probable that Death Valley’s dangers will only get worse as global temperatures continue to climb, the inevitable result of climate change. This year, parts of the park reached 100 degrees by late March, the third-earliest date for such a temperature in over a century. Last year, the park’s average 24-hour temperature in summer stood at over 104 degrees, a grim new record. At those levels, even driving the grade in the pre-dawn hours won’t save your brakes from overheating.

Death Valley holds the record for the highest temperature of 56.7 °C (134.1 °F) registered on Earth, which occurred in 1913.

A Cool Name, But That's All

At the old India Cash and Carry, 2013

When the Charter Square shopping center was demolished to make way for the Beach Park Elementary School, only two tenants were viable enough to relocate, the Foster City post office and the India Cash and Carry. In their new quarters close to City Hall. Foster City's sole post office in our town of 30,000 residents has a captive audience, while India Cash and Carry caters to the burgeoning South Asian population of tech and medical personnel.

"Cash and carry" evokes a simpler, 19th century way of doing business, where obligations are settled on the spot with cash and the goods are carried out, not delivered. Of course, the business doesn't operate like that at all with credit cards being the primary payment mechanism and delivery options readily available.

Nevertheless, the name sounds cool.

Fight or Flight

Because of the likely election of Zohran Mamdani ("globalize the intifada") to mayor, many Jews are considering leaving New York City. Dovid Margolin, chronicler of Jewish life, points to an example from New York's history that shows that there is an alternative to flight:

What’s different today is that there’s an alternate route for the city, born in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

From the early 1900s to the mid-1960s Crown Heights was an upscale, mostly Jewish neighborhood: a mix of secular Jews and observant ones, rich and poor, American-born Dodger fans and Holocaust survivors. Then things began to change.

Migration patterns, a massive social-services infrastructure that welcomed dysfunction, and a breakdown in policing destroyed many New York neighborhoods. The newcomers were black, but race wasn’t the issue. It was the gangs, drugs, violence and a pernicious new strain of antisemitism mysteriously condoned by elites. During one three-month period in 1968, 11 Jewish institutions in New York were vandalized, set on fire or firebombed. As in other parts of the city and country, many Jews began to leave Crown Heights.

The "Rebbe" (1902-1994)

The neighborhood, however, was also home to Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, seventh leader of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement. The Rebbe, as he is known, charted a new course. “A phenomenon has recently spread among the Jewish people, like a plague, God forbid, of abandoning Jewish neighborhoods,” he said at a public gathering in 1969. Panic was causing people to flee, harming those left behind, especially the poor, elderly and infirm.

“People claim there’s no solution, but that’s not true,” the Rebbe said. “To start, one must stand firm and not run away.” He argued that Jews abandoning one place automatically weakened the resolve and position of communities facing similar challenges everywhere.

“I’m very concerned about Crown Heights,” Mayor John Lindsay told the Rebbe when he visited him in 1968. “It is very key to the whole community of Brooklyn.” The Rebbe saw even more: “It is a test case, not only for New York” but for the world.

Many Jews continued to leave for the greener pastures of Westchester County and Long Island, but the Hasidim stayed and planted their roots even deeper. They organized a citizen patrol, built schools, worked to head off the sale of synagogues, and created nonprofits to buy homes and resell them to community members. The Rebbe encouraged the opening of a Hasidic art gallery and a flower shop. He asked that weddings and other joyous events be held within the community to raise morale and support local kosher establishments.

It wasn’t always easy, and not everyone appreciated the Hasidim for bucking the trend. Following the 1991 riots, Al Sharpton dubbed the Crown Heights Jewish community a “Fort Apache in the black ghetto.” But they persevered, transforming the neighborhood again into a wonderful place to live, work and raise a family. In the process, they realized the Rebbe’s vision for saving the American city.

It is ironic that many of the young transplants to New York who voted for Mr. Mamdani live in such places as Crown Heights, unaware that had it not been for increased policing, government reforms they despise, and, most important, the locals who persisted during the city’s darkest days, they wouldn’t have dared enter the neighborhoods they now colonize. They know little about what came before them—and where their ideological fantasies lead.

Santayana's observation bears repeating: "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".

This Game Ain’t Worth the Candle

Joey Chestnut holds a lot of hot dogs (Gray/Getty/Mercury News)

It wouldn't be a Fourth of July without Nathan's hot dog eating contest. The victor was multiple winner Joey Chestnut:

Famed competitive eater Joey “Jaws” Chestnut reclaimed his title Friday at the Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest after after skipping last year’s gastronomic battle in New York for the coveted Mustard Belt.

Chestnut, 41, consumed 70½ hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, falling short of his record of 76 wieners and buns set on July 4, 2021. It marked the 17th win in 20 appearances for the Westfield, Indiana, eater at the internationally televised competition, which he missed in 2024 over a contract dispute.

“I wish I ate a couple more. Sorry guys,” a smiling Chestnut told the crowd, many chanting his name. “I’ll be back next year.”

Defending champion in the women’s division, Miki Sudo of Tampa, Florida, won her 11th title, downing 33 dogs, besting a dozen competitors. Last year, she ate a record 51 links.

Your humble blogger would feel ill if he ate more than two hot dogs, which raises the question: Is participating in Nathan’s hot dog eating contest harmful to one's health? Grok's answer:

Participating in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest can pose health risks due to the extreme nature of competitive eating. Here’s a breakdown of potential concerns based on available information:

Short-Term Risks:

Choking and Aspiration: Consuming large quantities of food rapidly, like 60-70 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes, increases the risk of choking or inhaling food particles, which can lead to asphyxiation or aspiration pneumonia. Posts on X have mentioned concerns about choking during such events.

Gastric Distress: Overloading the stomach can cause nausea, vomiting, or even gastric rupture in rare cases. The stomach may stretch beyond its normal capacity, leading to discomfort or injury.

Electrolyte Imbalances: Rapid intake of high-sodium hot dogs (about 700-800 mg sodium per hot dog) can disrupt electrolyte balance, potentially causing hyponatremia (low sodium levels) if paired with excessive water intake, as noted in discussions about competitive eating risks.

Cardiovascular Strain: The high fat and sodium content (a typical hot dog has ~14g fat and ~500-800mg sodium) consumed in large quantities can spike blood pressure and stress the heart, especially during intense physical exertion.

Long-Term Risks:

Digestive System Damage: Repeatedly stretching the stomach and esophagus may weaken muscles or lead to conditions like gastroparesis (delayed stomach emptying) or esophageal tears. Some sources suggest competitive eaters train to expand stomach capacity, which can alter normal digestive function over time.

Metabolic Issues: Frequent consumption of high-calorie, high-fat, and high-sodium foods during training and competition may contribute to obesity, heart disease, or diabetes, especially if not balanced with a healthy lifestyle. A 2020 study on competitive eating noted elevated cholesterol levels in some participants post-event.

Nutritional Deficiencies: Focusing on contest foods can lead to poor dietary habits, lacking essential nutrients from a balanced diet.

Mitigating Factors:

Competitive eaters often train extensively, conditioning their bodies to handle large food volumes, which may reduce some risks. For example, they practice techniques to relax the stomach or manage swallowing.

Top competitors like Joey Chestnut are often in good physical health otherwise, suggesting that occasional participation by trained individuals may not always lead to severe harm.

Context from Sources:

Web sources, like posts on X, highlight public fascination with the contest but also concern about health impacts, with some calling it “gluttony” or questioning long-term effects.

No direct studies on Nathan’s contestants exist, but general research on competitive eating (e.g., a 2018 article in Gastroenterology) notes the body’s resilience but warns of potential for acute injury or chronic digestive issues.

Conclusion:

Participating in Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest carries notable short-term risks like choking, gastric distress, and electrolyte imbalances, with potential long-term effects on digestive and metabolic health. Trained competitors may mitigate some dangers, but the extreme nature of the event makes it inherently risky. For most people, the health costs likely outweigh the benefits of participation. If you’re considering competing, consulting a doctor and training carefully would be critical.Disclaimer: Grok is not a doctor; please consult one. Don't share information that can identify you.

if watching a sport where no one is injured on a play still makes me wince, then that sport is not for me.