An Amtrak train filled with 450 passengers was scheduled to leave at 2:15PM on Monday, but was stuck in Chicago’s Union Station until 1:22PM on Tuesday. Those on board had no access to food, water or reliable restrooms.
Middle class Americans might hope to generate some extra income by running a home-based business, taking a second job or managing some rental property, but the struggling Russian economy provides less options. The only way for many to get by is krutimsya, meaning “we hustle [for bribes].”
There’s good news for professionals on the cusp of unemployment: Accept three day weekends and you get to keep your job. Instead of having employees work overtime to compensate for financial distress, employers are handing out, believe it or not, vacation time.
In 1985, Dr. Roy Koltz, Jr discovered a vintage 1913 Mississippi license plate. With only two in existence this scrap of metal is worth more than $35,000. Other plates are worth nearly twice that, including what Forbes contributor Zach O’Malley Greenburg calls the “holy grail of license plates”: the 1921 Alaska, priced at $60,000.
The Indianapolis Star reports that state senator Tom Wyss is proposing a ban aimed at teenagers prohibiting text messaging while driving. Enforcement is one way to react to dangerous behavior, but the legislature should consider controlling opportunities as well as punishing mistakes.
Private counselor Ruth Luban has devoted her career to assisting the recently unemployed. A short video interview from The Big Money reports that more companies are using e-mail to communicate layoffs and dismissals.
Mike Rowe, host of the Discovery Channel show Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe, doesn’t just adore his own work. He notes that stars of his program—with their unusual, disgusting jobs—are surprisingly ecstatic about their own careers. Who could love a dirty job?
A New York City all-you-can-eat restaurant is playing the role of your mother. Leave uneaten food on your plate, and you will be subject to a hefty surcharge.