The Singular Mind

Of Beards and Bribes

This page is an exhaustive summary of everything having to do with any combination of presidential elections and facial hair, from the inspiring beard of Abraham Lincoln (who was actually clean-shaven at the time of the election) to a highlight of all the elections in which candidates had some form of facial hair. It was actually fairly interesting to peruse, if you are a person who is interested in that sort of thing, or are wondering whether to grow that mustache or not. Pick a president, and follow his example!

Another interesting read is this summary of bribery and its etiquette, out of The Economist. While many people realize that money is the grease that makes the wheels of bureaucracy run more smoothly, what they don't realize is that there is a proper way to do things. You can't just throw a wad of cash in the face of a customs officer or politician; you must be tactful: in most cases, people won't come straight out and call it a bribe, but will refer to it as a "fee" for some special service or an "expediting" payment to increase the speed of certain transactions. A useful article for those of you planning on traveling through several foreign countries and wanting to do it with minimal hassle.

Labels: Things of Interest

posted by Jeremy @ 2:05 AM