I would not want to be an employer these days. State laws are making it harder to hire the candidates that you want.

A recent bill in the Massachusetts legislature would prohibit interviewers from asking a job candidate about their salary history.

I don't understand the logic behind this bill. Why is it wrong to ask about salary history? Eventually, no questions will be allowed.

I have no plans or desire to ever take a ride in a hot air balloon. I never understood the hype about them. The whole experience is overrated.

A crash today in Texas was a good example of the danger involved. Unfortunately, all 16 people were killed when the balloon went down. 

In spite of the disaster, people will continue to have it on their bucket list. 

I got a robo-call today from city hall asking me to conserve water in light of the recent drought. This summer has been very dry. There was a forecast for rain today, but it never really happened. It was a joke with the amount we got. We need so much more. 

This is the first call I ever received. Public reservoirs are low all around here. People need to conserve. It remains to be seen if they do. It gets worse in other parts of the country, especially out west. 

Reading the Boston Globe e-paper on my Samsung Notebook is a huge drain on the battery. I was lead to believe that the battery should drain about two thirds before recharging. When I did that, it often took about 18 hours. If I let it go down one third, it can be 8-10.

Phones and tablets need a better battery. How much would it cost? There must be a way to do this without driving up the price very much.  

I'm not a coffee drinker. My last cup was almost 20 years ago. I never understood the big thing about ice coffee. I think it's overpriced no matter where you go. 

Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts announced that their sales are down from last year. It's easy to see why because they charge too much money for a large cup of 24 or 32 fluid ounces.

Who really needs to drink a quart of ice coffee? 

Accidents can happen at any moment. Sometimes, our carelessness leads to them. I was part of that today at home when I knocked over a ceramic cup and broke the handle. 

The rest of the cup was intact. The handle broke into four large pieces and many slivers. I plan to glue it back together, but the handle will never be the same.

At least I didn't break the entire cup. 

The Olympic Village at the Rio Games seems like a disaster, based on the actions of the Australian Olympic Committee. After performing an inspection of the site, they refused to house athletes there.

Issues about toilets, water damage and exposed wiring were mentioned. It remains to be seen whether it will impact other nations. Over18,000 athletes will be housed there. 

I have no doubt that the Village will cease to exist after the Games. A great deal of money was spent on all of the facilities, but Olympic venues rarely have another life.

There is no doubt that billions of plastic bags end up in landfills. There is not a good system in place to recycle them. New York City is trying to put a tax in place. 

I was in a book store in Cambridge today and was asked if I wanted to spend ten cents for a plastic bag since they are no longer free.

The city passed a local law that allows retailers to keep the ten cents for each bag sold.

Cities and towns should not be allowed to pass local laws like this. It should be decided on a state level.

I declined the offer as I was going directly to my car. Otherwise, I would have needed to buy one. The next time I go to Cambridge, I'll make sure to bring my own bag.  

A friend of mine on Facebook must be flattered that one of her friend's  from a long time ago wants to go out with her. He wrote his thoughts to her on her  Facebook "wall". Rather than sending her a private message, he put it there for all to see. 

Apparently, he realized his mistake and apologized, but didn't know how to delete his comments. I saw the whole thing unfold. The woman finally deleted it, but not before a lot of people saw his private comments.

People need to know what they are doing on social media. This guy was a great example of not knowing. I'm sure he was embarrassed.

I have no idea if they are going on a date. 

I will never understand why people ask for advice on Facebook. I see it every day for a variety of things. People should be prepared for stupid answers.

Today, someone was asking about whether or not they should buy a dog. The answers were very mixed. Some encouraged her to watch a dog for a week or weekend. Another emphasized the commitment to vet bills, daily walks and cleaning up after them.

If someone is asking for advice on dogs, they should not buy one. It will end up in a shelter at some point because of their bad decision.  

The Pokemom-Go craze is really something. Until last night, I knew nothing about how the game is played. I never play games on my computer or phone. 

Someone showed it to me on their phone. The game is very creative, but I have no plans to ever play. 

With the exception of 2009, Massachusetts has held a sales tax holiday since 2004. The state legislature selects one weekend in August for consumers to avoid paying a sales tax on items purchased.

There won't be one this year because of budget issues. The state ends up losing about $8 million in tax for the weekend. Retailers are not happy about it, but the state is holding firm.

I always thought the whole thing was a farce. You either have a tax or you don't. Waiving the sales tax is pandering to the public and retailers. People who want to purchase an item will do it, whether or not there is a tax. 

I started to read a book review about the influence of the Internet on the knowledge of people when it comes to civic affairs and geography. The examples I read about geography made me stop reading the review.

Some people are so uniformed about the world around them. I find it disheartening when people can't say who America fought in World War II. 

I will never read this book because it would just aggravate me. 

I listen to some weekly financial planning shows on the radio. They are entertaining because of some of the issues that come up from the host and people who call in.

I find it hard to believe that someone can forget about a 401k plan they had with a previous employer. Many people switch jobs on a regular basis and apparently forget they have money in a plan, according to the host. 

If people are that forgetful with their money, chances are they need more than a financial planner. 

The Boston IndyCar race was a fiasco from the start. I think Mayor Walsh made a big mistake in supporting it. The residents of the Seaport district were having it shoved down their throat. It was going to be a big disruption over Labor Day weekend. 

Once the plug was finally pulled, people who bought tickets were left wondering if they would ever get a refund. The mayor was hoping that the race could be held in the future.

Hopefully, Boston is done with foolish ideas like this. 

People who smoke, drink alcohol, drive cars or play the lottery all pay a voluntary tax to the state. This is a great way to lessen the burden on others. It comes down to being a "user's tax".

Back in September of 2013, the Massachusetts state legislature imposed a three cent per gallon increase on gasoline to fund road and bridge repairs. It has raised $257 million so far.

Smokers were hit with a $1 per pack tax increase which poured another $285 million into the state treasury. The 15% of the public who smoke complained about it, but there is nothing they can do.

This was a great novelty idea to raise another $542 million without effecting everyone. Lottery players and drinkers also help the cause.

Another person was run over by a duck boat in Boston. A previous fatal accident involving a scooter driver has shined the light on these vehicles that don't belong on the streets.

The analysis of the latest accident showed the inability of the driver to see everything that is in front of them because of a blind spot. 

Politicians will mumble about the safety issue, but the duck boats get too much of a break when it comes to their accident record.

More people will be struck, but nothing will be done. 

Yesterday was the annual swim in the Charles River near the Hatch Shell. I can't believe people actually went swimming in that body of water.

There is talk about establishing a beach there. Who really wants to swim in the Charles River? The people who did it yesterday were there for a variety of reasons.

I can't imagine that place becoming a family recreational area.  

When it comes to cell phones, we all spend too much money on our plans. I finally did something about it today. 

The change in my data plan will save me $20 per month. It's not much, but it's a way to get the bill down.  

Every  professional ballpark and stadium has an "Empty Seat" dedicated to the POW/MIA's. I sat near the one at Fenway Park today.

It's hard to believe that there are 92,000 American service members unaccounted for since World War I. As a nation, we need to do everything to bring them back no matter how long it takes. 

It's great to see when the remains of a missing one are finally returned home. We will never find everyone, but we can't stop looking for them.

I did a comedy show last night at a cigar bar. I was there about a month ago. I was surprised with the reasonable quality of the air inside. The place has a huge air filtration system. My clothing didn't smell after.

I will never understand why people pay good money to smoke tobacco products. Their danger is known to all. This place was selling some pretty expensive cigars.

Smoking one of them is the same as lighting your money on fire. 

Several high-profile journalists seem to be very prolific writers. They mention the people that helped them with research and fact checking. Their books are a product of several people.

I always wonder about books that involve ghost writers or "as told to". This happens with many professional athletes. The book would never be written without assistance from outside sources, but the athlete or celebrity often gets all the credit. 

A number of writers make a good living as ghost writers. They know their role and where their pay check comes from. I think it's very important to clarify who wrote it.

It doesn't matter where it is, but humans will pollute whatever they come in contact with. It could be the ocean, beaches, rivers, lakes, mountains or anywhere else.

There is a serious problem in outer space according to the book; "Space Junk". There are so many orbiting pieces of debris that they pose a major problem to satellites and the International Space Station. Future space travel by private citizens is in jeopardy.

It's amazing how much stuff has been left on the moon. It's a problem with no easy solution. 

Public libraries are trying to redefine their mission in today's Internet age. My local one has plenty of computers for patrons.

Apparently, they are no longer a quiet place. While I was there today, a man with a loud voice held a conversation with one of the workers. He was being assisted by her, but made no effort to keep his voice down.

I never like to hear another conversation. Some people have no problem with sharing their private talks with the rest of the world. A library should be a quiet place.  

Yesterday was the 100 year anniversary of the debut of the fried clam according to local lore. It's not a big story for me. I'm not a big fan of fried clams.

I have tried them only a few times in my life and will never understand what the big deal is about them.

Not too many doctors will recommend eating more fried clams dipped in butter. It's not the healthiest thing to have in your diet.

I never thought I was missing anything by not indulging in them. 

I watched a story on the local news about a mother and daughter who drove 2,000 to attend the 4th of July concert in Boston. It was one of the mother's goals in life after watching the event on television for years.

I admire her determination, but I wouldn't drive that far. It's a nice event, but extremely crowded. The weather can always be a factor.  

There is no way I could ever ride in a car for 2,000 miles. It would take me several days to do it.

It's mid-afternoon and the traffic is already horrendous. Backups are being measured in miles. Rt 95 in New Hampshire is especially bad. That doesn't surprise me.

The state needs to charge travelers a $2 toll each way. It doesn't matter if everything comes to a stop. The state must have their money.