Detour

From Desktop

The second installment of what could be an infinite series of the stupid photos real estate agents post online in hopes of attracting buyers. In this picture we have a wonderfully framed photo of a flower. No, I did not crop this photo. Is it a magical flower that removes the odor from the bathroom after a Taco Bell run? Does the flower come with the house? This house was listed for over $600,000…that is quite a nice commission for this real estate agent. This is the best they can do to earn that commission. What an idiot.

My family has a membership to one of the best sportsclubs/gyms in the country, ClubSport. With a full service spa, indoor tennis courts, climbing rockwall, Hot Tubs, saunas, pools, racquetball courts, indoor basketball courts, cafe, bar, big screen TV’s throughout the facility (including the changing room lounges it is like a country club without the golf. No loss in my opinion. They provide up to four hours of child care a day for children six-months and older with facilities that put most day-care centers to shame. When our daughter was a few months old, my wife would go just to take a shower and have a snack in peace and quite with no worries. The price is on the high side of sports clubs. But we are happy with the benefits of membership and pay with no misgivings.

When we were considering joining I had two issues with Clubsport’s marketing. First, there were very few pictures of the facility online. A quick search of google images produces no pictures that show the beauty and benefits of the club. Clubsport really should provide a tour on their website for prospective members.

The second problem I had is that Clubsport does not disclose its monthly fees online. If you want to know how much a membership costs, then you have to speak with a salesperson. This is the 21st century…we shouldn’t have to do more then click a button on a website to see pricing and join. Recently, they sent an insert announcing a rise in monthly dues and that reminded me that I have wanted to post the pricing online for those who are interested, but don’t want to speak with a salesperson at the moment. Below is the most recent fee schedule.

From Desktop

There is also an initiation fee which varies from month to month. Clubsport limits its membership by raising and lowering this fee, so that the club isn’t too full. As a result I have walked up to my yoga and spinning classes at their start times and never had to deal with a class too full to join. Anyone who has been a member of 24 Hour Fitness will know what a benefit this is!

The initiation fees were listed as the following last year…I have no idea if they have been raised since (I am very confident they have not been lowered)…

When the club needs more members they will cut these fees, and when the club is nearing capacity the fees are charged as stated. I here that when they reach capacity they will place you on a waiting list…although I don’t know this to be a fact.

I hope this post helps anyone searching for a little info about Clubsport Pleasanton. When you join, say hi and meet me upstairs for a beer. See ya there.

Update: Did I mention they have dodgeball tournaments?

From Desktop

After a short disappearing act Corneconomics is back with as a groupblog. Check them out.

Also I would like to note an addition to my RSS feed, and my links on the sidebar. Aplia, news for econ students, is a notable new blog with tons of good content.

Cranky is a well named search site for old people.

If you think this post is a joke just click on the link. Their target market is for those over 50. According to the company’s press release the site is an age-relevant search engine, designed to deliver the most targeted search results by applying a 50-plus lens to every query, the Cranky™ search engine combines the power of technology with expert reviews and user ratings and rankings to deliver the best search results for adults over 50.

The top search terms of the Laughlin over-the-hillers as of the date of this post were…

So I guess sex is the top search term of everyone in the world past puberty. Who knew?

John Morrow over at the University of Wisconsin is branching out from his work on econgrads.com to start a new venture in his spare time (you know the ample amounts of extra time an econ PhD student has while obtaining the coveted Dr. title). His newest project is called Working Paper dot net.

The goal of WorkingPaper.Net is to promote the exchange of referee reports on working papers which are in an early stage, as well as create social and research networks across researchers and working papers. Within five minutes at the site, a researcher can list a working paper and a personal page listing working papers and a Mini-CV will be automatically generated.

WorkingPaper.Net allows researchers to exchange the service of reviewing each others’ papers on a mutual basis. Researchers post and read current papers in a fashion similar to a Blog (sorted by JEL code) and other researchers can offer to exchange a review of a posted paper for one of their own. The site includes Social Networking features and a means to link one’s working papers to related work, helping researchers get both exposure and feedback on their work.

I love the idea of networking students and professors at various universities in an informal social network to reap the benefits of social interaction in advanced level economic research. The more interaction a student can get with other people interested in the same sub-field the stronger the resulting research and papers will be. All the best on your new endeavor John.

Update: Thanks for the link Kyle. Economize This Rocks!

There was an article in the San Francisco Chronicle last week about the jury selection in California. You see, it is against the law to discriminate against jurors (i.e. throw them off the jury before the trial) for their race, religion, or sex. But it is perfectly ok to throw a juror off a trial for being a social worker, journalist, or teacher. No other reason is needed.

The jury selection process has always interested me. Since the process is bilateral, both the defense and prosecution participate with the judge as a mediator; I believe that an acceptable equilibrium is achieved. Blood thirsty jurors and jurors that have never met a guilty person in their life are both usually a couple of standard deviations from the societal norm and are quickly removed from the jury in normal communities (I refuse to get into what happens in places such as San Francisco and Berkeley, where the DA must stand on their head while using a microscope conducting a DNA test as they pet a dog and change a baby’s diaper to have half a chance at a conviction).

I am generally of the mind that it is perfectly alright to discriminate against people that choose to be in a group. I also believe it is immoral to discriminate against people that have no choice in the group status. So in my world it is stupid to discriminate against African-Americans but perfectly ok to have an immediate judgment on people portraying themselves as gangsters. Discrimination against the handicap is unacceptable, but not wanting to hire a person with a tattoo of Jesus on their forehead is no dilemma in my mind. This moral compass, when it comes to discrimination, generally puts me into the societal norm, but there are times that it puts me outside of the politically correct socially acceptable standard. For instance, since a person’s religion, or lack thereof, is a personal choice I believe it is perfectly acceptable to discriminate against a person based on that choice. Blasphemous!

I also believe that it is stupid to be proud of something you had no choice or part in. To be proud that you are white, or gay (I do not believe being gay is a choice), your sex, or having a high IQ is just plain brainless. What is there to be proud of? What did you do to achieve a sense of pride if you are a gay white man with a high IQ….nothing, it was just plain luck. You played the lottery game of life and were dealt those cards. Now being proud that you are American, or educated, or strong in the face of idiocy, or of your religion seem perfectly normal to me. You can choose to leave America, or chose to be uneducated, or wilt in the face of idiocy so you have every right to be proud of the choices you made. You had a role in those identities.

So when I hear that Alameda County, California has ruled that it is perfectly acceptable to discriminate against someone due to their choice of occupation it seems to be a perfectly sound decision. Just as a social worker tends to be of a liberal mindset, with all of the inferences that can be made about how they would judge the guilt of a criminal, a US Marine would tend to have conservative leanings that would shade how they would look upon potential criminal guilt. Makes sense to me. Statistically speaking, occupation is probably a good proxy for political leanings which surely shades the world view of each individual.