Rick Santorum and Wal-Mart

Watching Rick Santorum on television last night, I felt that I was watching a satellite transmission from Htrae. I was struck especially by Santorum’s explanation of why manufacturing jobs have gone overseas: “It’s because government made workers uncompetitive, by driving up the cost of doing business here.” And then: “When Republican purists say to me ‘Well, why are you treating manufacturing different than retail?’ I say ‘Because Wal-Mart’s not moving to China and taking their jobs with them.’” Wal-Mart: keeping jobs on Htrae!

Browsing around this morning for santorum and wal-mart, I found this page. Suddenly the Iowa caucuses seem to make sense:

[A reality check: in June 2011, Time reported that the average manufacturing wage in China is $3.10 an hour. In the United States: $22.30. According to Time, rising wages in China are driving manufacturing to Cambodia, Laos, India, Vietnam, and the United States.]

Mitt Romney, job creator?

At the Washington Post, Greg Sargent looks at Mitt Romney’s claims about job creation. The conclusion: Romney’s claim to have helped create 100,000 jobs is “at best unsubstantiated.” And the number of jobs created by Bain Capital may be surpassed by the number of layoffs resulting from the firm’s work.

Related posts
The Los Angeles Times on Mitt Romney and job creation
Mitt Romney at Bain
Mitt Romney: the soul of a poet

Ink&paper

Ben Proudfoot’s Ink&paper is a short film about Aardvark Letterpress and McManus & Morgan, the last letterpress printer and the last paper store in downtown Los Angeles.

A related post
The Henington Press (A press closes in Brooklyn)

Thanks, Lisa, for pointing me to this film.

Happy birthday, VDP

Van Dyke Parks turns sixty-nine today. Happy birthday, Van Dyke.

[Sixty-nine is the new fifty-two. The explanation: the special theory of relativity.]

Pinboard is was down

At least they have a sense of humor about it, as was the case in June 2011.

I am a big fan of Pinboard, which I use to make an index of sorts for Orange Crate Art.

12:19 p.m.: Pinboard is back.

Moleskine stickers

When I tore the wrapper from my 2012 Moleskine datebook, I was surprised to find three pages of tiny stickers with which to decorate the pages. These three stickers caught my eye, and I looked closely to make sure that I was seeing what I thought I was seeing: tiny-sticker-sized evidence of large-scale cultural change. These stickers, most likely meant to mark the name and telephone number of a beloved, acknowledge that love comes in assorted varieties. Everyone gets a sticker.

[Can anyone use some stickers? I’m kind of old for this stuff. Besides, I have my wife’s name and our number memorized.]

The name of the year

Ben Zimmer on what to call the new year: Twenty-what? Two thousand who? (Boston Globe ).

For much of the twenty-first century, the appropriate way to say the name of the year has been the subject of ongoing talks in my family. And as they say in the world of diplomacy, the talks have been frank. Me, I’ve been starting with twenty- since 2001.

James M. Cain on Los Angeles

A catalogue of signage, from James M. Cain’s “Paradise,” a 1933 essay on Los Angeles, just reprinted in the Los Angeles Times :

Rabbit Fryers, 50¢; Eggs, Guaranteed Fresh, 23¢ Doz.; Canary Birds, 50¢, Also Baby Chix, Just Hatched; Car Mart, All Makes Used Cars, Lowest Prices; Orange Drink, 5¢; Eat; Drink Goat Milk for Health, Drive Right In; Pet Cemetery 300 Yds., Turn to Right; Finest English Walnuts, 15¢ Lb.; $100 Down Buys This Lot, Improvements Installed, No Assessments; Eat; Scotty Kennels, 100 Yds.; Pure Muscat Grapejuice, 35¢ Gal., We Deliver; Eat.

Homemade music

Yesterday morning, half an hour before we had to leave for the airport, Rachel and Ben began trying out this song. Just enough time for Elaine and me to learn it. It’s “Half-Acre,” by Hem. For added realism, watch with a mirror.

2012 calendars

I’m a sucker for a good free calendar.

Compact Calendar 2011 David Seah’s calendar-in-the-form-of-a-spreadsheet fits a year to a page.

PDFCalendar This customizable calendar is great for the student or teacher who wants to map out a semester on one page.

TM Micro-Mini Calendar I’ve never had occasion to use Claude Pavur’s ultra-minimal calendar, but my inner child finds the idea of it irresistible. The Micro-Mini is no doubt the choice of ten-year-old secret agents everywhere.

UNIX calendar command The UNIX command cal is handy for making a three- or four-month calendar to tape into a notebook. Thanks to Hawk Sugano for sharing his knowledge.

One more: I’ve made a plain and dowdy 2012 calendar, three months per 8½ x 11 page. That’s a sample to the left. The font is Gill Sans Bold; the colors are Licorice and Cayenne (otherwise known as black and dark red). If you’d like a PDF, send me an e-mail. (If you’re reading in a reader, click on through: the address is in the sidebar.)

And still one more: Elaine in Arkansas suggests Patrick Merrell’s 2012 calendar, directions included: “1. Cut out. 2. Use.” Thanks, Elaine.