(continuation) We stand on very fortunate ground here in the U.S. Throughout this country, we have different seasonal patterns and climates that allow us to produce an abundance of basic essentials that feed, clothe and shelter the world. Agriculture is the largest industry in this country, employing over 20 million people. While human intelligence has played a big role in the continual industrial revolution, a lot of our agriculture success and wealth must be credited to simply residing on such fertile ground. However, we are not the only country to have this climate, and yet, we are the wealthiest. So, while agriculture may take partial credit, let's keep looking.

(continuation) This is a popular argument. Having access to millions of laborers you don't have to pay, and only providing them with enough necessities to stay fit as laborers seems like a great way to make some money. And it was. Especially in early America where land was ample and labor was few. Slavery, even if legal today, would not be nearly as economically prosperous as it was 200 years ago because of the higher costs to house and guard these slaves today. But, the problem is that lots of countries had slaves. Some still do. Yet, we alone experienced unprecedented wealth. So, while slavery may take partial credit, let's keep looking.

I am looking for any possible theories you either personally have or have heard for how America has become the wealthiest country on Earth. We will spend the rest of the week discussing the possibilities of these theories.

So, they're remodeling at my office today. And I get to work from home. I've never done that before. On a related note, Drew Carey doesn't make a very good Bob Barker replacement. I'm kidding, I just watched one game. It wasn't even Plinko. What a waste of time. But, this is definitely the future. And as a writer, I definitely don't have to be at work to get stuff done. And I save 2 hours of commuting. But, any advice out there for how to concentrate around so many distractions?

In 1917, a single tooth was found by a rancher in Nebraska. This drawing was created from that tooth. Several years later an identical tooth was found...along with the rest of the skeleton...of a pig. There's a lot of other drawings you're probably familiar with from high school that are creatively illustrated from a couple of teeth and a femur, sometimes found hundreds of feet apart from each. So, the question is, what incentive do these people have to creative something past what the evidence points to?

My friend's name is Stacy Peterson. She lives in Chicago. So, I'm driving to work the other day and hear on the radio that Stacy Peterson is missing and that foul play has been considered. Her physical description matches my friend's as well. It wasn't her. But needless to say, I'm sure plenty of her family and friends were scared for a minute, especially when the media let the sound-byte stop there before giving the name of her suspected husband, etc. So, here's the problem. What if someone from Chicago with my name becomes a convicted serial killer, pedophile, etc.? Then I get the wrap. That's why you should name your kid something ridiculous. Unless your kid actually DOES become a serial killer. Then, he can't say, "No, that must be a DIFFERENT Gonzo Potatohead."

On the TV show Survivor, people inevitably form alliances. They enter willingly into smaller subsets of the larger community for mutual benefits. Are families merely alliances in the greater whole of society?

I was always a 2% milk kind of guy. Went to college, filled my bowl of frosted flakes with the pump marked 2% in the cafeteria every morning. Went home on Christmas break, drank a glass of 2% milk, and spit it right out. It tasted like cream to me. What I didn't know is that the school cafeteria had been using 1% in the 2% container. But, mentally, since I wasn't aware of the change, I became accustomed to it. The same thing happened to me recently with light potato chips. My wife packed Ruffles light potato chips made w/ Olestra (yes, my wife packs a lunch for me, she's amazing) into my lunch, and I didn't notice the difference. But, these have no fat. So, it seems like the only way I can exhibit a healthy lifestyle is if I'm tricked into it. Deception...that's the key.

So, in a K-5 school, the 5th graders think they're royalty and have no one to look up to as role models, because no one wants to be like their teacher. Then, they jump into 6th grade and want to be like the royal 8th graders. Once there, they have no one to look up to. Then, they jump into 9th grade and want to be like the royal seniors. Once, there they have no one to look up to. How do we incorporate slightly older role models throughout a child's upbringing that fills in these gaps? A K-College school? :)

So, what if you saw someone start licking the outside of a bag of potato chips? Kind of unsanitary seeming, right? Anyone could have touched it throughout the manufacturing/production process. Anything could be on that. It's not part of the vacuum-sealed process. Yet, we lick the outside metal of soda cans all the time. But, somehow, this seems ok, because it's a necessity of the process, right? Now, I'm not trying to be a germophobe and pretend like we should be overly concerned about this. But, I do spot a marketing opportunity. The first company to create a built in lid protector is going to create a need in the marketplace for this. Once people have the choice between small chance of sucking on rat feces to no chance, there's no real contest. Mark my words. Whoever does it first will win. And the rest will surely follow.