I'm not sure whether das Erwerbslosen Forum Deutschland believes that it is better to pay affluent people than poor people, or believes that die Ratten should be left unmolested. I am, however, sure that, if a €1 bounty is placed on rats, then people will raise rats for the bounty.

I got a note the other day referring to 12:00p.m when its author plainly meant noon.

Okay, now, folks, p.m. stands for post meridiem — after noon. Noon isn't after itself. There is a 12:01 p.m., a 12:00:01 p.m., a 12:00:00.0…01 p.m.. But if there is any 12:00 p.m., then it would be mid-night; which, awkwardly, is also the only candidate for 12:00 a.m., since noon also isn't before noon (ante meridiem) either.

Calling noon 12:00 m. would just confuse people, as they'd take the m. as standing for midnight, but 12:00 n. is nicely unambiguous.

The American Apparel site in Hillcrest is safe from terrorists and from fence-jumping illegal aliens.

While searching for editions of She by H. Rider Haggard, I discovered that the Non-Classics division of Penguin Books has begun publishing a line of Red Classics. One might argue that the Red Classics are not classics, or that the Non-Classics division publishes classics after all; but, really, something here ought to give way.

One often hears or reads of a problem of no hot water, where water will flow from the hot-water tap, but it won't be hot water.

Early this morning, I had a rather more unusual experience of no cold water. Water flowed from the cold-water taps, but it was scalding hot.

The problem seemed solved later, but when I was showering this after-noon it briefly recurred — not something that one especially wants during a shower.

Evidently a valve failure caused an input pipe to function as an output pipe. I wonder how far up-stream the hot water got.

This photo was taken at night, in the yellow glow of lights illuminating a parking lot. It's of the same building that has the collapsing staircases and balcony photographs of which I've posted to this 'blog.

There was a seemingly derelict fellow on a bicycle in the parking lot as I set up to take the photo. He was amazed that I would want to photograph the building at all. I responded that the building had many interesting features. He declared that an amazing feature is that shown here: I'm not sure what sort of room is immediately on the other side of that window, but beyond the pile of stuff there is what appears to be a shower curtain. The fellow on the bicycle has decided, in all seriousness, that the pile of stuff is being thus hidden by the occupant from his friends, in a shower stall or tub — a theory which seems to imply a distinct lack of privacy for anyone previously using the shower, and that the occupant doesn't anticipate his friends ever looking into that window.

The bicyclist and I discussed the exterior staircases and balcony. He railed against the landlord, and thence against rental prices in San Diego. He opined that the Arabs (pronounced /ˈeɹæb/) might be responsible.

As I packed-up my stuff, he pedalled off into the night.

I ran across this (fisher) price schedule:

If the business were mine, then I would amend the table thus:

Granted that there might be a few belligerent customers who insisted on buying a count in one of the ranges for which there was no listing; these could be offered the price as per the first schedule. (Or a flat fee of $350 for any number from 1 to 99.)

(Underscore mine.)

• the $38 cotton canvas Indiana Jones® hat: from the Village Hat Shop, from Hats in the Belfry
• the $39.99 wool felt Indiana Jones® hat: from the Village Hat Shop, from Hats in the Belfry
• the crushable wool felt Indiana Jones® hat: $39.99 from Hats in the Belfry, $45* from the Village Hat Shop, extra-extra-large and extra-extra-extra-large $50 from the Village Hat Shop, child-sized $45 from the Village Hat Shop
• the $40 bao Outback Indiana Jones® hat: from the Village Hat Shop
• the $40 whip band, straw Outback Indiana Jones® hat: from the VIllage Hat Shop
• the $40 cotton twill safari Indiana Jones® fedora: from the Village Hat Shop
• the wool Outback Indiana Jones® hat: $45 from the Village Hat Shop, extra-extra-large and extra-extra-extra-large $52 from the Village Hat Shop
• the fur felt Indiana Jones® hat: $99.99 from Hats in the Belfry, $99.99 from the Village Hat Shop, extra-extra-large $110 from the Village Hat Shop
• the $160 Original fur felt Indiana Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $160 snap brim, fur felt Indiana Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $160 Black Raider fur felt Indiana Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $170 chin cord, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $170 leather band, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $170 Explorer leather band, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $170 leather buckle band, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $175 leather buckle band, chin cord, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $175 feather band, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $190 leather buckle band, stampede chin cord, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $190 imitation crocodile band, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $200 diamond-back rattle-snake band, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $210 diamond-back rattle-snake-with-g_dd_mn'd-head band, fur felt Indian Jones® hat: from Miller Hats
• the $495 100% beaver fur felt Indiana Jones® hat: from the Village Hat Shop, from Hats in the Belfry

*The Village Hat Shop has a price-match policy.