Airfares

In the news today, there was a story about airfares. It said that prices would go up because the fervor over the airline mergers was dying down (US Airways' bid for Delta was definitively rejected). The story suggested that airfares would go up because the airlines would lose out on synergies that could be utilized through company combinations.

That's weird, because just a few weeks ago, news sources were saying that airline mergers would cause airfares to go up, because the mergers would cause there to be fewer airlines in the industry. Less competition would lead airlines to raise fares.

So, which is it? Airline mergers lead to higher fares. And, the lack of mergers will lead to higher fares. Apparently, it doesn't matter what happens in the industry, airfares will increase. And there's nothing that anyone can do about it ....

Pill Taking

There are commercials on TV that tell people how difficult it is to remember to take pills. But, honestly, how hard is it?

First example: a new birth-control product called NuvaRing [http://www.nuvaring.com/]. The commercial tells us that birth control pills are great, but that having to take the pill every day just ties women down! Is daily pill-taking that much of a chore?

Second example: Sally Field appears on a commercial for Boniva [http://www.boniva.com/], a medication for post-menopausal osteoporosis. She tells viewers that some people she knows have to "set aside time" once a week to take their osteoporosis medicine. Apparently, you do have to take osteoporosis medicines under certain conditions; but still, it does seem funny to think that taking a pill once a week is too much of an imposition.

Obviously, these must be new medical advances, but the marketing rests on the idea that swallowing once a day is too much work, or taking a pill once a week is too difficult. Americans are just far too busy for all this pill-taking....

Cucumber and Melon

What kind of combinations do people seem to think are good ones for soap "flavors"?

I was recently at a hotel and the soap I found in the bathroom was "Cucumber Melon". It smelled nice, but when you think about it, it's a little bit odd.



First, I don't know what seems to make Cucumber and Melon such a great combination. I mean, who serves cucumbers and melons together? I'm not sure if I've ever seen them on a plate at the same time. Would they taste good if they were in the same dish?

Second, do cucumbers and melons seem suggest cleanliness? I've never thought to myself, "I'd like to be as fresh as a melon or a cucumber." Now, lemons - I kind of understand a lemon flavor for cleaning, or even a Carolina Pine Forest, but not cucumbers or melons.

Stuffing or Dressing?

On Thanksgiving, many people gather around the table and eat turkey. And with that turkey, there are many trimmings, including stuffing -- or dressing.

What is the difference between "stuffing" and "dressing"? The most obvious answer is that stuffing is "stuffed" inside of the turkey, while dressing is not. However, both seem to "dress" the turkey. So, it would seem that dressing should not be considered a stuffing if it is not actually "stuffed" into the turkey. But, all stuffings could be considered a dressing.

The two terms have become somewhat interchangeable. In fact, some companies market products like "stuffing" that can be prepared in a pot on the stove. But, that just doesn't make sense, does it?

Whether you're having dressing or stuffing at Thanksgiving, hopefully it will taste good.

Socket Wrenches

Do socket wrenches vary in quality that much?

Up until recently, I've never needed a socket wrench. But, I needed to install a hitch onto my car, and this called for a socket wrench. I needed a ratchet, and an 18mm socket.

When I got to the store, I saw that you can buy ratchets and sockets separately, or as part of a ratchet set.

The one ratchet that I'd need cost about $30.00 as a single ratchet. Plus, the socket would cost another $5.00. I'm thinking to myself, "this is awfully expensive for a relatively simple (yet, admittedly very clever) tool."

However, on the other side of the aisle - there's ratchets and full socket sets (including the 18mm) being sold for only $20.00. Now, I'm thinking "how much better can that first ratchet be?" I ended up buying the cheaper one, and now I have a full set of sockets for my 1/2 inch ratchet.

But back to the original question: Just how much better is one ratchet than another one? Is a $30 ratchet (which comes with no sockets) really worth the money? or can you get by with the cheap one that comes with the sockets?

By the way, the cheap ratchet-and-socket set worked out fine.