12-22-12 Hodgepodge

Happy Holidays!

It's that time of the year again! Around the holiday season, I take a break from blogging for about a week to recharge. I'm out of here until New Year's Day, or perhaps, the day after.

I thank everyone who makes this blog part of their online routine and wish you happy holidays and a happy, prosperous new year.

Weekend Reading

"Getting rid of air is not the solution for stupid statements, just as getting rid of capitalism and freedom isn't the solution for foolish spending." -- Michael Hurd, in "Be Happy Within Your Means" at The Delaware Coast Press

"Acting in one's own interest is healthy and psychologically affirming, and to communicate otherwise is devastating to a relationship. It's like saying: 'Now that you're with me, your needs no longer matter.'" -- Michael Hurd, in "Avoid Holiday Conflict" at The Delaware Wave

"Weakening intellectual property laws due to negative policy rhetoric, hyperbolic internet commentary, and extensive lobbying by firms who choose to infringe patents because they don't want to pay the licenses offered to them by patent licensing firms is irresponsible." -- Adam Mossoff, in "Policy Debates on Patents Should Focus on Facts, Not Rhetoric" at Forbes

"It's no coincidence that you don't see mass shootings in police stations, yet there would be if guns there were banned and psychotics knew it." -- Richard Salsman, in "Gutting the 2nd Amendment is Not the Way to End Mass Slaughter" at Forbes

My Two Cents

I like Michael Hurd's point about defending one's right to pursue happiness within relationships. Not only do some people have to remind their partners that it is healthy to do so, but some people also seem to forget to take care of themselves within the context of a relationship.

Check Those Locks!

Sifting through my collection of possibly blogworthy links, I found a story about a flaw in electronic hotel room locks that burglars had begun exploiting. That news is old news, I hope, but it isn't the whole story. Hotel staff can also forget to reset a hotel room lock to need a key after room maintenance or guest changes.

It is a habit of mine to check that any door I exit that is supposed to be locked is, in fact, locked when I leave. This practice might have saved me some grief during a recent hotel stay, when, on the way down to breakfast, I discovered that no key at all was necessary to gain entry into our electronically "locked" room. Oh, and do write down your room number if, upon learning this, you go down in person to the lobby to get this fixed. The average clerk will just ask what room it is, and it is easy to just answer, informing anyone else within earshot of the location of an unlocked room.

I didn't think to write my room number down, but I did catch myself before blurting out my room number. In answer, I whispered the room number to the on-duty clerk. (I was relieved and slightly amused to see that she finished our conversation in a whisper.)

Safe and happy  traveling!

--CAV