Monday, October 23, 2006
Friday, October 20, 2006
The Big Picture: Oil Price Cycles Up, Then Down
The Big Picture: Oil Price Cycles Up, Then Down: "Oil Price Cycles Up, Then Down"
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Pull My Finger: Make The Annoying Calls Stop
Pull My Finger: Make The Annoying Calls Stop: "Make The Annoying Calls Stop"
Monday, October 16, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Trouble in France
The Other Side of Kim du Toit - Front Page
Attacks on Police in France and some thoughts.
Attacks on Police in France and some thoughts.
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Smartphones
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Smartphones
TREO 650 info and review.
TREO 650 info and review.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
Sen IInhofe and Miles OBrian argue global warming
Sen IInhofe and Miles OBrian argue global warming
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Friday, September 22, 2006
Monday, September 18, 2006
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Aliens in This World
Aliens in This World: "Holy Sonnet VI by John Donne
Saturday September 09th 2006, 11:45 pm
Filed under: Church
This is my play’s last scene ; here heavens appoint
My pilgrimage’s last mile ; and my race
Idly, yet quickly run, hath this last pace ;
My span’s last inch, my minute’s latest point ;
And gluttonous Death will instantly unjoint
My body and soul, and I shall sleep a space ;
But my ever-waking part shall see that face,
Whose fear already shakes my every joint.
Then, as my soul to heaven her first seat takes flight,
And earth-born body in the earth shall dwell,
So fall my sins, that all may have their right,
To where they’re bred and would press me to hell.
Impute me righteous, thus purged of evil,
For thus I leave the world, the flesh, the devil."
Saturday September 09th 2006, 11:45 pm
Filed under: Church
This is my play’s last scene ; here heavens appoint
My pilgrimage’s last mile ; and my race
Idly, yet quickly run, hath this last pace ;
My span’s last inch, my minute’s latest point ;
And gluttonous Death will instantly unjoint
My body and soul, and I shall sleep a space ;
But my ever-waking part shall see that face,
Whose fear already shakes my every joint.
Then, as my soul to heaven her first seat takes flight,
And earth-born body in the earth shall dwell,
So fall my sins, that all may have their right,
To where they’re bred and would press me to hell.
Impute me righteous, thus purged of evil,
For thus I leave the world, the flesh, the devil."
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Samira Bellil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samira Bellil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Samira Bellil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Samira Bellil (November 24, 1972 - September 7, 2004) was a French Muslim feminist activist and a campaigner for the rights of Muslim girls and women."
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Samira Bellil (November 24, 1972 - September 7, 2004) was a French Muslim feminist activist and a campaigner for the rights of Muslim girls and women."
Bill Cara: Week #36 (2006-09-09) in Review (Initial)
Bill Cara: Week #36 (2006-09-09) in Review (Initial)
Table 14: Dow 30 List
Sorted by 1-Week Price Performance Symbol Close 1Day
Change 1Day
%Change 1W
%Change 2W
%Change 4W
%Change YTD
%Change 3M
%Change 6M
%Change 12M
%Change
GM 31.95 0.46 1.46% 9.49% 6.93% 4.38% 69.05% 28.67% 56.46% -1.39%
WMT 46.72 1.18 2.59% 4.47% 6.91% 4.08% 1.06% -1.23% 3.20% 1.88%
MCD 37.50 0.98 2.68% 4.46% 4.52% 7.54% 11.87% 11.31% 8.13% 12.38%
CAT 67.32 -0.44 -0.65% 1.46% 2.78% -1.46% 16.47% 0.64% -7.02% 15.37%
MRK 41.06 0.42 1.03% 1.26% 2.50% -0.65% 25.37% 20.87% 18.40% 40.66%
UTX 63.34 0.57 0.91% 1.00% 3.85% 4.78% 12.05% 5.02% 9.51% 24.51%
T 31.35 0.07 0.22% 0.71% 2.89% 3.74% 26.87% 17.95% 17.02% 30.57%
AIG 64.24 0.34 0.53% 0.66% 1.97% 6.50% -7.73% 6.27% -4.06% 7.50%
VZ 35.40 0.09 0.25% 0.63% 2.16% 4.30% 16.52% 11.81% 5.86% 9.06%
AA 28.68 -0.23 -0.80% 0.31% 0.03% -0.86% -4.08% -4.62% -0.35% 8.55%
AXP 52.62 0.32 0.61% 0.15% -0.96% 1.23% 0.08% -1.44% -2.27% -8.26%
PFE 27.59 0.14 0.51% 0.11% 1.28% 6.24% 16.02% 15.63% 5.39% 4.07%
DD 40.00 0.34 0.86% 0.08% 1.39% 0.96% -7.11% -2.18% -1.38% 1.01%
HD 34.28 -0.06 -0.17% -0.03% 2.60% 1.99% -16.88% -7.97% -16.72% -16.76%
GE 34.01 -0.03 -0.09% -0.15% 0.47% 4.10% -3.85% -1.62% 1.73% 0.47%
MSFT 25.63 0.19 0.75% -0.23% -0.43% 4.78% -4.51% 15.92% -6.05% -3.68%
DIS 29.58 0.09 0.31% -0.24% 2.18% 0.00% 21.23% -0.97% 5.45% 18.56%
MMM 71.51 0.92 1.30% -0.26% 2.01% 4.53% -9.61% -12.53% -1.20% -2.20%
IBM 80.66 1.26 1.59% -0.38% 1.61% 6.50% -1.71% 4.71% -0.59% -0.17%
INTC 19.45 0.26 1.35% -0.46% 4.74% 9.58% -23.93% 13.68% -2.75% -25.45%
KO 44.60 0.11 0.25% -0.47% 0.20% 1.59% 9.05% 2.79% 5.61% 0.72%
MO 82.97 0.89 1.08% -0.67% -1.76% 2.99% 10.66% 16.38% 14.21% 14.38%
JPM 45.26 0.06 0.13% -0.88% -0.92% 2.75% 12.62% 6.87% 8.80% 30.66%
HPQ 36.17 0.75 2.12% -1.07% 2.23% 9.57% 25.72% 20.33% 10.68% 29.87%
HON 38.28 -0.07 -0.18% -1.14% -1.39% 2.79% 2.19% -1.59% -7.76% -0.05%
PG 61.14 -0.39 -0.63% -1.23% 0.15% 1.46% 4.01% 11.69% 0.11% 8.89%
XOM 66.81 -0.88 -1.30% -1.27% -5.53% -3.69% 14.26% 12.15% 11.89% 8.99%
C 48.72 0.17 0.35% -1.28% 0.00% 1.56% -1.16% -2.46% 4.37% 9.63%
JNJ 63.59 0.13 0.20% -1.65% -2.29% 0.06% 3.18% 3.30% 8.26% -0.80%
BA 72.80 -0.07 -0.10% -2.80% -3.24% -4.46% 3.50% -10.33% -0.03% 12.71%
Table 14: Dow 30 List
Sorted by 1-Week Price Performance Symbol Close 1Day
Change 1Day
%Change 1W
%Change 2W
%Change 4W
%Change YTD
%Change 3M
%Change 6M
%Change 12M
%Change
GM 31.95 0.46 1.46% 9.49% 6.93% 4.38% 69.05% 28.67% 56.46% -1.39%
WMT 46.72 1.18 2.59% 4.47% 6.91% 4.08% 1.06% -1.23% 3.20% 1.88%
MCD 37.50 0.98 2.68% 4.46% 4.52% 7.54% 11.87% 11.31% 8.13% 12.38%
CAT 67.32 -0.44 -0.65% 1.46% 2.78% -1.46% 16.47% 0.64% -7.02% 15.37%
MRK 41.06 0.42 1.03% 1.26% 2.50% -0.65% 25.37% 20.87% 18.40% 40.66%
UTX 63.34 0.57 0.91% 1.00% 3.85% 4.78% 12.05% 5.02% 9.51% 24.51%
T 31.35 0.07 0.22% 0.71% 2.89% 3.74% 26.87% 17.95% 17.02% 30.57%
AIG 64.24 0.34 0.53% 0.66% 1.97% 6.50% -7.73% 6.27% -4.06% 7.50%
VZ 35.40 0.09 0.25% 0.63% 2.16% 4.30% 16.52% 11.81% 5.86% 9.06%
AA 28.68 -0.23 -0.80% 0.31% 0.03% -0.86% -4.08% -4.62% -0.35% 8.55%
AXP 52.62 0.32 0.61% 0.15% -0.96% 1.23% 0.08% -1.44% -2.27% -8.26%
PFE 27.59 0.14 0.51% 0.11% 1.28% 6.24% 16.02% 15.63% 5.39% 4.07%
DD 40.00 0.34 0.86% 0.08% 1.39% 0.96% -7.11% -2.18% -1.38% 1.01%
HD 34.28 -0.06 -0.17% -0.03% 2.60% 1.99% -16.88% -7.97% -16.72% -16.76%
GE 34.01 -0.03 -0.09% -0.15% 0.47% 4.10% -3.85% -1.62% 1.73% 0.47%
MSFT 25.63 0.19 0.75% -0.23% -0.43% 4.78% -4.51% 15.92% -6.05% -3.68%
DIS 29.58 0.09 0.31% -0.24% 2.18% 0.00% 21.23% -0.97% 5.45% 18.56%
MMM 71.51 0.92 1.30% -0.26% 2.01% 4.53% -9.61% -12.53% -1.20% -2.20%
IBM 80.66 1.26 1.59% -0.38% 1.61% 6.50% -1.71% 4.71% -0.59% -0.17%
INTC 19.45 0.26 1.35% -0.46% 4.74% 9.58% -23.93% 13.68% -2.75% -25.45%
KO 44.60 0.11 0.25% -0.47% 0.20% 1.59% 9.05% 2.79% 5.61% 0.72%
MO 82.97 0.89 1.08% -0.67% -1.76% 2.99% 10.66% 16.38% 14.21% 14.38%
JPM 45.26 0.06 0.13% -0.88% -0.92% 2.75% 12.62% 6.87% 8.80% 30.66%
HPQ 36.17 0.75 2.12% -1.07% 2.23% 9.57% 25.72% 20.33% 10.68% 29.87%
HON 38.28 -0.07 -0.18% -1.14% -1.39% 2.79% 2.19% -1.59% -7.76% -0.05%
PG 61.14 -0.39 -0.63% -1.23% 0.15% 1.46% 4.01% 11.69% 0.11% 8.89%
XOM 66.81 -0.88 -1.30% -1.27% -5.53% -3.69% 14.26% 12.15% 11.89% 8.99%
C 48.72 0.17 0.35% -1.28% 0.00% 1.56% -1.16% -2.46% 4.37% 9.63%
JNJ 63.59 0.13 0.20% -1.65% -2.29% 0.06% 3.18% 3.30% 8.26% -0.80%
BA 72.80 -0.07 -0.10% -2.80% -3.24% -4.46% 3.50% -10.33% -0.03% 12.71%
In New Letter, Clinton's Lawyers Demand ABC Yank Film | TPMCafe
In New Letter, Clinton's Lawyers Demand ABC Yank Film | TPMCafe: "On September 9, 2006 - 6:07pm grayeagle said:
Regardless of what folks believe or don't believe about what is presented by the 'Path to 9/11,' all the public has to realize are these facts about what happended on President Clinton's watch:
-The World Trade Center was bombed; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-The Khobbar Towers were blown up killing many US service personnel; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-The USS Cole was attacked and numerous sailors were killed; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-Two US embassies in Afirca were blown up and hundreds of both US citizens and Africans were killed; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-On three occasions, Osama bin Laden could have been captured but 'other' considerations were cited by the Clinton Administration as preventing his capture by this country.
-And then, less than 9 months after President Bush took office, this country lost over 3000 of its citizens because of a 'legal' wall that was set up by the Clinton Administration that prevented the CIA and the FBI from exchinging information -- information in this case that would have exposed Atta and his gang to arrest (read: no 9/11!)
Let's face it, the Clinton Administration dropped the ball 'big time' on the problem of terrorism, and we and the world are now paying the price -- and if fact, most likely immeresed in World War III. Whether the Clinton Administration people that are 'quoted' in this movie actually said what the movie depcits them as saying, please consider those 'quotes' in the context of what actually happened in the world.
Finally, most of the comments posted have compared this movie to Michael Moore's, citing freedom of speech as the 'bottom line.' I have to agree because if government officials or ex-government officials are successful in influencing or causing changes to the contents of a movie (any movie), then what area of 'free speech' will be next. ABC needs to stand their ground!
login or register to post comments | link |
Not yet rated.
On September 9, 2006 - 6:05pm iszlq said:
Hello.... yoo hoo....
FIRST AMENDMENT
ring a bell?"
Regardless of what folks believe or don't believe about what is presented by the 'Path to 9/11,' all the public has to realize are these facts about what happended on President Clinton's watch:
-The World Trade Center was bombed; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-The Khobbar Towers were blown up killing many US service personnel; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-The USS Cole was attacked and numerous sailors were killed; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-Two US embassies in Afirca were blown up and hundreds of both US citizens and Africans were killed; little was done and terrorism as a cause was ignored by the Clinton Administration.
-On three occasions, Osama bin Laden could have been captured but 'other' considerations were cited by the Clinton Administration as preventing his capture by this country.
-And then, less than 9 months after President Bush took office, this country lost over 3000 of its citizens because of a 'legal' wall that was set up by the Clinton Administration that prevented the CIA and the FBI from exchinging information -- information in this case that would have exposed Atta and his gang to arrest (read: no 9/11!)
Let's face it, the Clinton Administration dropped the ball 'big time' on the problem of terrorism, and we and the world are now paying the price -- and if fact, most likely immeresed in World War III. Whether the Clinton Administration people that are 'quoted' in this movie actually said what the movie depcits them as saying, please consider those 'quotes' in the context of what actually happened in the world.
Finally, most of the comments posted have compared this movie to Michael Moore's, citing freedom of speech as the 'bottom line.' I have to agree because if government officials or ex-government officials are successful in influencing or causing changes to the contents of a movie (any movie), then what area of 'free speech' will be next. ABC needs to stand their ground!
login or register to post comments | link |
Not yet rated.
On September 9, 2006 - 6:05pm iszlq said:
Hello.... yoo hoo....
FIRST AMENDMENT
ring a bell?"
Friday, September 08, 2006
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Sunday, September 03, 2006
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Liberal Quicksand
Liberal Quicksand: "August 25, 2006
Congress Sets up a Ruling Class
Posted by Hank Dagny in Social Security at 5:32 am | Permanent Link
This must be a campaign issue every year! SOCIAL SECURITY:
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security. Many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. For example, former Senators and Congressmen and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000, with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each. Their cost for this excellent plan is $00.00. These little perks they voted for themselves are free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan.
The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Fund–our tax dollars at work! From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into — every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer) –we can expect to get an average $1,000 per month after retirement.
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. And that change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us and then watch how fast they would fix it.
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve. WE, each one of us… can make a difference. - Rush Limbaugh
Next time a candidate for Congress says they will ‘work for you’, tell them you want them to slash their retirement benefits to equal ours. Let’s see if they put our money where their mouth is. – Hank Dagny"
Congress Sets up a Ruling Class
Posted by Hank Dagny in Social Security at 5:32 am | Permanent Link
This must be a campaign issue every year! SOCIAL SECURITY:
Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions during election years. Our Senators and Congressmen do not pay into Social Security. Many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan. In more recent years, no congressperson has felt the need to change it. For all practical purposes their plan works like this:
When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die, except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. For example, former Senators and Congressmen and their wives may expect to draw $7,800,000, with their wives drawing $275,000.00 during the last years of their lives.
This is calculated on an average life span for each. Their cost for this excellent plan is $00.00. These little perks they voted for themselves are free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan.
The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Fund–our tax dollars at work! From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into — every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer) –we can expect to get an average $1,000 per month after retirement.
Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made. And that change would be to jerk the Golden Fleece Retirement Plan from under the Senators and Congressmen. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us and then watch how fast they would fix it.
If enough people receive this, maybe a seed of awareness will be planted and maybe good changes will evolve. WE, each one of us… can make a difference. - Rush Limbaugh
Next time a candidate for Congress says they will ‘work for you’, tell them you want them to slash their retirement benefits to equal ours. Let’s see if they put our money where their mouth is. – Hank Dagny"
Liberal Quicksand
Liberal Quicksand: "August 25, 2006
The Liberal’s Message on the War on Terror is Why They Lose Elections
Posted by Hank Dagny in Liberals, Wars and the War on Terror at 3:39 pm | Permanent Link
It is time to consider how many dead Americans there would be by now and in the future if we had not invaded Iraq.
Iran and Iraq were both considered dangers to the peace in the Middle East. Both were being dealt with thru diplomatic channels for decades. Finally the United States had enough and the dictatorship of Iraq was eliminated.
Now Iraq may not be perfect, but it is not a danger to peace in the Middle East. It will not be attacking its neighbors any time soon. Iran is still a danger to peace in the region and the liberals still want to talk. Liberals can ignore truth and evidence staring them right in the face. That is what makes them liberals.
It is also time to consider just how many American soldiers would still be alive if it was not for traitors like the liberals, Democrats, the NY Times and the rest of the MSM trying to drag the moral of the country down every single day - while inspiring the enemy to fight on.
We should also consider the real punishment we could meld out to the terrorist bases in Syria, Lebanon and Iran if liberals would become Americans again.
The discussion in a war should be whether to destroy half and see if they want to surrender or just destroy it all and talk after. Not whether or not we should pull out because the enemy is on their last legs causing them to go for broke – and therefore we are taking some casualties.
If the Democrat portion of this country were still loyal Americans - which they obviously are not - we would be debating whether or not we should drop two nukes on Iran or one. Not whether we should wear gloves while holding the Koran.
Any judge with a feminist hyphenated name, an ACLU contributor and an activist for affirmative action case stealing – we know is a liberal that will sell this country’s security down the river for a political victory. They had to go to Detroit for find liberal ignorance and treason in high enough places to try and help our nation’s enemies.
The liberals have tried to send a really powerful message to the American voter for this coming election. Their thinking is that they just didn’t get their message out last time.
Reality time. You succeeded. You succeeded the first time. The message is loud and clear. You have no courage, faith, resolve or patriotism to fight for your country’s defense. Congratulations liberals. Americans can hear you loud and clear. That is why you lose. – Hank Dagny"
The Liberal’s Message on the War on Terror is Why They Lose Elections
Posted by Hank Dagny in Liberals, Wars and the War on Terror at 3:39 pm | Permanent Link
It is time to consider how many dead Americans there would be by now and in the future if we had not invaded Iraq.
Iran and Iraq were both considered dangers to the peace in the Middle East. Both were being dealt with thru diplomatic channels for decades. Finally the United States had enough and the dictatorship of Iraq was eliminated.
Now Iraq may not be perfect, but it is not a danger to peace in the Middle East. It will not be attacking its neighbors any time soon. Iran is still a danger to peace in the region and the liberals still want to talk. Liberals can ignore truth and evidence staring them right in the face. That is what makes them liberals.
It is also time to consider just how many American soldiers would still be alive if it was not for traitors like the liberals, Democrats, the NY Times and the rest of the MSM trying to drag the moral of the country down every single day - while inspiring the enemy to fight on.
We should also consider the real punishment we could meld out to the terrorist bases in Syria, Lebanon and Iran if liberals would become Americans again.
The discussion in a war should be whether to destroy half and see if they want to surrender or just destroy it all and talk after. Not whether or not we should pull out because the enemy is on their last legs causing them to go for broke – and therefore we are taking some casualties.
If the Democrat portion of this country were still loyal Americans - which they obviously are not - we would be debating whether or not we should drop two nukes on Iran or one. Not whether we should wear gloves while holding the Koran.
Any judge with a feminist hyphenated name, an ACLU contributor and an activist for affirmative action case stealing – we know is a liberal that will sell this country’s security down the river for a political victory. They had to go to Detroit for find liberal ignorance and treason in high enough places to try and help our nation’s enemies.
The liberals have tried to send a really powerful message to the American voter for this coming election. Their thinking is that they just didn’t get their message out last time.
Reality time. You succeeded. You succeeded the first time. The message is loud and clear. You have no courage, faith, resolve or patriotism to fight for your country’s defense. Congratulations liberals. Americans can hear you loud and clear. That is why you lose. – Hank Dagny"
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Compassion
A few backround facts. GDP
per capital for the US in 2003 was $37,562 per year, or $102.91 per
day, compared with $2892 in India, where 34.7% earn less than $1/day
and 79.9% earn less than $2/day. By comparison, China's per capita
income in 2003 was $5003, while 16.6% earned less than $1/day and 46.7%
less than $2/day.
More per capita income figures for 2003: World $8229. Developing
countries $4359, Japan $27,967, Israel $20,033, Lebanon $5074, Saudi
Arabia $13,226, Mexico $9168, Arab states $5685, Iran $6995, Haiti
$1742, and Nigeria $1050. The life expectancy of a child born in
America today is 77.4 years , Italy 80, Japan 82. In Nigeria it is
43.4; in Haiti 51.6.
We live in a wonderful, safe and free country. We can afford
humanity and compassion towards people inside and outside our country
who are not so blessed.
powered by performancing firefox
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Oil History of Events
| Overview | |
This chronology was originally published by the Department of Energy's Office of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, Analysis Division. Updates for 1995-2005 are from the Energy Information Administration. Please click here for the latest monthly chronology and for a more detailed chronology for past years. World Nominal Oil Price Chronology: 1970-2005  The price data graphed above are in nominal terms, i.e., they are in "dollars-of-the-day" and have not been adjusted for inflation. Clicking the picture above will enable you to access oil prices in real terms that are adjusted for inflation. Historical and forecast real and nominal crude oil and gasoline price information is maintained on a more frequent basis on the Short Term Energy Outlook Webpage . 4. Oil embargo begins (October 19-20, 1973) 6. Oil embargo ends (March 18, 1974) 7. Saudis increase tax rates and royalties 8. US crude oil entitlements program begins 10. Official Saudi Light price held constant for 1976 11. Iranian oil production hits a 27-year low 13. Iranian revolution; Shah deposed 15. US phased price decontrol begins 17. Iran takes hostages; President Carter halts imports from Iran; Iran cancels US contracts; Non-OPEC output hits 17.0 million b/d 18. Saudis raise marker crude price from 19$/bbl to 26$/bbl 19. Windfall Profits Tax enacted 21. Saudi Light raised to $28/bbl 22. Saudi Light raised to $34/bbl 23. First major fighting in Iran-Iraq War 24. President Reagan abolishes remaining price and allocation controls 26. US boycotts Libyan crude; OPEC plans 18 million b/d output 27. Syria cuts off Iraqi pipeline 28. Libya initiates discounts; Non-OPEC output reaches 20 million b/d; OPEC output drops to 15 million b/d 30. Norway, United Kingdom, and Nigeria cut prices 33. Saudis link to spot price and begin to raise output – June 1985 35. Wide use of netback pricing 36. Wide use of fixed prices 37. Wide use of formula pricing 40. Exxon's Valdez tanker spills 11 million gallons of crude oil 42. Iraq invades Kuwait 44. Persian Gulf war ends 45. Dissolution of Soviet Union; Last Kuwaiti oil fire is extinguished on November 6, 1991 50. Nigerian oil workers' strike 51. Extremely cold weather in the US and Europe 52. U.S. launches cruise missile attacks into southern Iraq following an Iraqi-supported invasion of Kurdish safe haven areas in northern Iraq. 53. Iraq begins exporting oil under United Nations Security Council Resolution 986. 54. Prices rise as Iraq's refusal to allow United Nations weapons inspectors into "sensitive" sites raises tensions in the oil-rich Middle East. 55. OPEC raises its production ceiling by 2.5 million barrels per day to 27.5 million barrels per day. This is the first increase in 4 years. 56. World oil supply increases by 2.25 million barrels per day in 1997, the largest annual increase since 1988. 57. Oil prices continue to plummet as increased production from Iraq coincides with no growth in Asian oil demand due to the Asian economic crisis and increases in world oil inventories following two unusually warm winters. 58. OPEC pledges additional production cuts for the third time since March 1998. Total pledged cuts amount to about 4.3 million barrels per day. 59. Oil prices triple between January 1999 and September 2000 due to strong world oil demand, OPEC oil production cutbacks, and other factors, including weather and low oil stock levels. 60. President Clinton authorizes the release of 30 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) over 30 days to bolster oil supplies, particularly heating oil in the Northeast. 61. Oil prices fall due to weak world demand (largely as a result of economic recession in the United States) and OPEC overproduction. 62. Oil prices decline sharply following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, largely on increased fears of a sharper worldwide economic downturn (and therefore sharply lower oil demand). Prices then increase on oil production cuts by OPEC and non-OPEC at the beginning of 2002, plus unrest in the Middle East and the possibility of renewed conflict with Iraq. 63. OPEC oil production cuts, unrest in Venezuela, and rising tension in the Middle East contribute to a significant increase in oil prices between January and June. 64. A general strike in Venezuela, concern over a possible military conflict in Iraq, and cold winter weather all contribute to a sharp decline in U.S. oil inventories and cause oil prices to escalate further at the end of the year. 65. Continued unrest in Venezuela and oil traders' anticipation of imminent military action in Iraq causes prices to rise in January and February, 2003. 66. Military action commences in Iraq on March 19, 2003. Iraqi oil fields are not destroyed as had been feared. Prices fall. 67. OPEC delegates agree to lower the cartel’s output ceiling by 1 million barrels per day, to 23.5 million barrels per day, effective April 2004. 68. OPEC agrees to raise its crude oil production target by 500,000 barrels (2% of current OPEC production) by August 1—in an effort to moderate high crude oil prices. 69. Hurricane Ivan causes lasting damage to the energy infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico and interrupts oil and natural gas supplies to the United States. U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham agrees to release 1.7 million barrels of oil in the form of a loan from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. 70. Continuing oil supply disruptions in Iraq and Nigeria, as well as strong energy demand, raise prices during the first and second quarters of 2005. 71. Tropical Storm Cindy and Hurricanes Dennis, Katrina, and Rita disrupt oil supply in the Gulf of Mexico. |
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New Sisyphus
New Sisyphus: " Civilization will not last, freedom will not survive, peace will not be kept, unless a very large majority of mankind unite together to defend them and show themselves possessed of a constabulary power before which barbaric and atavistic forces will stand in awe.
-- Winston Churchill, University of Bristol, July 2, 1938."
-- Winston Churchill, University of Bristol, July 2, 1938."
JoeRoseBlog: 10/17/2004 - 10/23/2004
JoeRoseBlog: 10/17/2004 - 10/23/2004
Hello.
After the news that Gertrude had died, I tried to describe to some friends and colleagues (up this way) who she was (they had heard some stories), but did not do a very good job. So, I wrote something which may or may not be totally accurate, but is "as I remember it......"
Please indulge me for a few minutes. The passing of an era seems worth some mentioning.
Gertrude died on Saturday. She was well in to her 90s. Passed away in her sleep in the home she had lived in for over 60 years.
I first met Gertrude when Paula Chaney took me over to her house to make introductions. Gertrude and Paula's grandmother (another fine lady whose strength, grace, and continued faith while watching 3 of her children die in such rapid succession still amazes me) had been neighbors since the 1930s. Gertrude had a wonderful garage apartment and I wanted to be the first person called the next time it became vacant. We hit it off. I had been to a good school (Baylor), displayed proper manners, and had the recommendation of the Chaney family. Several months later, I got the call, and was able to move in after the place had been carefully scrubbed cleaned and used for family visiting at Thanksgiving.
There were only a couple of rules: The apartment was furnished and the furniture up there remained there. No overnight visitors of the opposite sex. Do not use excessive amounts of electricity (electric was included and she had kept records back to the 1960s of how many watts had been used each month). She considered me her guest. A paying guest, but a guest nevertheless.
Gertrude was an old school southern lady. Her phone listing and most of her correspondence came to Mrs Robert Lindsey, even though he had passed sometime in the early 1970s. She enjoyed "highballs," but only after 5 pm. Smoked some, but never while walking. She was active member of the Episcopal Church, but thought there was too much emphasis over the Old Testament, especially all the "begets." She liked to look at the Neiman Marcus catalogues to see what the stores were "showing" each season. She saved stuff and liked to get every last use out of anything. The garage had an old refrigerator where she stored paint. It had to be ancient because the one in the house seemed really old. Liked to work in the yard, camp and fish. I will never forget picking her up at the train station late one evening after a long day of travel. Of course she still had on her hat and gloves.
Gertrude and her sister (quite a character herself) lost their mother at a very early age and were shuttled from one family member to another. Gertrude was on her own by the time she was 17. She was lucky to meet a lady who owned a very successful dress making business in Fort Worth. The lady gave Gertrude a job because of her sassiness, took her in, and they remained family until the lady's death. The job allowed Gertrude to support herself and attend college. She was elected class representative to greet Charles Lindberg when he traveled across the US. When commenting on that experience, I heard her say more than once, "I wasn't really pretty, but I was awfully cute."
I knew Gertrude after her husband died, her eyes were not so great, and her hearing shot. Did not weigh more than 90 pounds dripping wet, most of the time with a pony tail on top of her head. She was still driving a green Ford (circa early 1970s), kept immaculately clean and mechanically tuned. She was an artist, a painter, having won ribbons and recognition at art shows, but now only painted periodically or for a specially requested wedding present. She did however, remain as active and curious as her body allowed. She was always working in and around the house. I would be amazed to she her crawling all over the place meticulously watching anyone who was doing work at her house: painters, plumbers, carpenters, gardeners and/or electricians. Mainly, out of curiosity to see what they were doing. Once, I went outside to see what all the commotion was on top of my roof. It was her - up two stories in the air - with a rope tied around her waist cleaning out gutters. After that I ran downstairs to assist anytime I heard ladders.
She listened to McNeil - Lehrer and books on tape each evening when she did not have company or some other engagement.
She was great fun to be around. We would have "highballs" - play cards, discuss what was going on in the world and our neighborhood. She was quick with an opinion and always stayed curious. I enjoyed hearing updates of her family and sitting with her and her sister or her only child, a daughter named Bobbie Joyce, when they came to visit. She considered me family.
The last time I saw Gertrude was in a hospital room. I had written a postcard - telephoning was too much trouble with her "ears" (hearing aids) - to let her know when I would be in town and could come by and see her. When she realized who it was she commented, "Oh, it must be April 17th or 18th, because that is when you said you would be here." We got caught up, laughed, and joked. She told me that I was handsome for the last time.
Several years ago Paula and I were discussing with her yet another death in the Chaney family, which she had seen grow up and loved so much. She talked about plans for her own death - to be cremated and buried in Llano next to her husband Bob, but without fan fare. She wanted Anne Hoey, her favorite rector, to do the small, simple service. And she told us just to call Weed-Corley (the funeral home) and tell them to "come and get it......."
Gertrude was my friend.
I will always miss her.
Time to "come and get it......."
Hello.
After the news that Gertrude had died, I tried to describe to some friends and colleagues (up this way) who she was (they had heard some stories), but did not do a very good job. So, I wrote something which may or may not be totally accurate, but is "as I remember it......"
Please indulge me for a few minutes. The passing of an era seems worth some mentioning.
Gertrude died on Saturday. She was well in to her 90s. Passed away in her sleep in the home she had lived in for over 60 years.
I first met Gertrude when Paula Chaney took me over to her house to make introductions. Gertrude and Paula's grandmother (another fine lady whose strength, grace, and continued faith while watching 3 of her children die in such rapid succession still amazes me) had been neighbors since the 1930s. Gertrude had a wonderful garage apartment and I wanted to be the first person called the next time it became vacant. We hit it off. I had been to a good school (Baylor), displayed proper manners, and had the recommendation of the Chaney family. Several months later, I got the call, and was able to move in after the place had been carefully scrubbed cleaned and used for family visiting at Thanksgiving.
There were only a couple of rules: The apartment was furnished and the furniture up there remained there. No overnight visitors of the opposite sex. Do not use excessive amounts of electricity (electric was included and she had kept records back to the 1960s of how many watts had been used each month). She considered me her guest. A paying guest, but a guest nevertheless.
Gertrude was an old school southern lady. Her phone listing and most of her correspondence came to Mrs Robert Lindsey, even though he had passed sometime in the early 1970s. She enjoyed "highballs," but only after 5 pm. Smoked some, but never while walking. She was active member of the Episcopal Church, but thought there was too much emphasis over the Old Testament, especially all the "begets." She liked to look at the Neiman Marcus catalogues to see what the stores were "showing" each season. She saved stuff and liked to get every last use out of anything. The garage had an old refrigerator where she stored paint. It had to be ancient because the one in the house seemed really old. Liked to work in the yard, camp and fish. I will never forget picking her up at the train station late one evening after a long day of travel. Of course she still had on her hat and gloves.
Gertrude and her sister (quite a character herself) lost their mother at a very early age and were shuttled from one family member to another. Gertrude was on her own by the time she was 17. She was lucky to meet a lady who owned a very successful dress making business in Fort Worth. The lady gave Gertrude a job because of her sassiness, took her in, and they remained family until the lady's death. The job allowed Gertrude to support herself and attend college. She was elected class representative to greet Charles Lindberg when he traveled across the US. When commenting on that experience, I heard her say more than once, "I wasn't really pretty, but I was awfully cute."
I knew Gertrude after her husband died, her eyes were not so great, and her hearing shot. Did not weigh more than 90 pounds dripping wet, most of the time with a pony tail on top of her head. She was still driving a green Ford (circa early 1970s), kept immaculately clean and mechanically tuned. She was an artist, a painter, having won ribbons and recognition at art shows, but now only painted periodically or for a specially requested wedding present. She did however, remain as active and curious as her body allowed. She was always working in and around the house. I would be amazed to she her crawling all over the place meticulously watching anyone who was doing work at her house: painters, plumbers, carpenters, gardeners and/or electricians. Mainly, out of curiosity to see what they were doing. Once, I went outside to see what all the commotion was on top of my roof. It was her - up two stories in the air - with a rope tied around her waist cleaning out gutters. After that I ran downstairs to assist anytime I heard ladders.
She listened to McNeil - Lehrer and books on tape each evening when she did not have company or some other engagement.
She was great fun to be around. We would have "highballs" - play cards, discuss what was going on in the world and our neighborhood. She was quick with an opinion and always stayed curious. I enjoyed hearing updates of her family and sitting with her and her sister or her only child, a daughter named Bobbie Joyce, when they came to visit. She considered me family.
The last time I saw Gertrude was in a hospital room. I had written a postcard - telephoning was too much trouble with her "ears" (hearing aids) - to let her know when I would be in town and could come by and see her. When she realized who it was she commented, "Oh, it must be April 17th or 18th, because that is when you said you would be here." We got caught up, laughed, and joked. She told me that I was handsome for the last time.
Several years ago Paula and I were discussing with her yet another death in the Chaney family, which she had seen grow up and loved so much. She talked about plans for her own death - to be cremated and buried in Llano next to her husband Bob, but without fan fare. She wanted Anne Hoey, her favorite rector, to do the small, simple service. And she told us just to call Weed-Corley (the funeral home) and tell them to "come and get it......."
Gertrude was my friend.
I will always miss her.
Time to "come and get it......."
Saturday, August 19, 2006
American and Proud of it.
American and Proud of it.: "Leadership?
A leader must instill confidence in the followers.
A Leader must have full confidence in his/her abilities.
A leader must believe in their subordinates.
A leader must have good communication skills
A leader must be able to convince people their views are the right views.
A leader needs to have the ability to solicit advice and choose between differing views.
A leader must be able to motivate people.
A leader needs to have a self-motivation quality second to none.
A leader should see to it that any action is not a half assed attempt.
A leader should follow up on all tasks given to subordinates.
A leader should be prepared to either promote or demote based on performance.
A leader needs to lead by example.
A leader should be able to remove obstacles in the way of completing tasks.
A leader is what is needed in our country.
A leader is what is missing from our country.
A leader would see the path we are on and correct it.
A leader would allow the Military to do its job.
A leader would not allow the MSM to dictate policy.
A leader would not allow dissenting opinion based on polls to change military tactics.
A leader should never start something they have no plan to finish.
A leader better be able to project leadership on both sides of the political aisle.
A leader is absent in America.
A leader is absent in Israel.
A leader better turn up in both countries very quick.
I am a supporter of the Republican Party, I supported Bush. I stand by my vote for him.
Not because I am happy with his performance as of late, but because the choices were worse in both elections.
Bush get your head out of your ass! and unleash the American might on the Muslim Horde before it becomes necessary for us civilians to do it. I am so sick of this patty cake bullshit. Right now I am not a very proud American.
IF there are any true Leaders out there America needs you NOW!"
A leader must instill confidence in the followers.
A Leader must have full confidence in his/her abilities.
A leader must believe in their subordinates.
A leader must have good communication skills
A leader must be able to convince people their views are the right views.
A leader needs to have the ability to solicit advice and choose between differing views.
A leader must be able to motivate people.
A leader needs to have a self-motivation quality second to none.
A leader should see to it that any action is not a half assed attempt.
A leader should follow up on all tasks given to subordinates.
A leader should be prepared to either promote or demote based on performance.
A leader needs to lead by example.
A leader should be able to remove obstacles in the way of completing tasks.
A leader is what is needed in our country.
A leader is what is missing from our country.
A leader would see the path we are on and correct it.
A leader would allow the Military to do its job.
A leader would not allow the MSM to dictate policy.
A leader would not allow dissenting opinion based on polls to change military tactics.
A leader should never start something they have no plan to finish.
A leader better be able to project leadership on both sides of the political aisle.
A leader is absent in America.
A leader is absent in Israel.
A leader better turn up in both countries very quick.
I am a supporter of the Republican Party, I supported Bush. I stand by my vote for him.
Not because I am happy with his performance as of late, but because the choices were worse in both elections.
Bush get your head out of your ass! and unleash the American might on the Muslim Horde before it becomes necessary for us civilians to do it. I am so sick of this patty cake bullshit. Right now I am not a very proud American.
IF there are any true Leaders out there America needs you NOW!"
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Warts & All: The Home
Warts & All: The Home: "The Home
I don’t really remember a lot about the people there. Most of them, anyway. But I remember that farm. It was beautiful. I often wished I could live in a place like that, with my family.
"
I don’t really remember a lot about the people there. Most of them, anyway. But I remember that farm. It was beautiful. I often wished I could live in a place like that, with my family.
"
Iraqi Bloggers Central
Iraqi Bloggers Central: "On February 20, 1258 A.D., the Mongols overran Baghdad, plundered and destroyed the city, and conducted a massacre of the residents that claimed 800,000 lives. Things don't look as bleak for the Iraqis now, still the topic of an Iraqi Civil War is being bandied about in the Media every day, and I have to ask: Is Iraq currently involved in a Civil War?
Christine: At this point in time I cannot say. The situation is extremely complicated and the violence there is caused by many different factions. If there is a civil war going on, it is a very low level one and only in the beginning stages."
Christine: At this point in time I cannot say. The situation is extremely complicated and the violence there is caused by many different factions. If there is a civil war going on, it is a very low level one and only in the beginning stages."
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
USATODAY.com - A life without left turns
USATODAY.com - A life without left turns
After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. (In the evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored.") If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out — and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream.
As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?" "I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre.
"No left turns," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic. As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn."
"What?" I said again. "No left turns," he said. "Think about it. Three rights are the same as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights."
"You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support. "No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights. It works."
But then she added: "Except when your father loses count."
I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing. "Loses count?" I asked. "Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again."
I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked.
"No," he said. "If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put off another day or another week."
My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999, when she was 90. She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died the next year, at 102. They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom — the house had never had one. My father would have died then and there if he knew the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.) He continued to walk daily — he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising — and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died.
A happy life
One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news. A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going to live much longer." "You're probably right," I said. "Why would you say that?" he countered, somewhat irritated. "Because you're 102 years old," I said. "Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day. That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him through the night. He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet." An hour or so later, he spoke his last words:
"I want you to know," he said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have."
A short time later, he died.
I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so long.
I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life.
Or because he quit taking left turns.
Michael Gartner has been editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing.
After he retired, my father almost always accompanied my mother whenever she drove anywhere, even if he had no reason to go along. If she were going to the beauty parlor, he'd sit in the car and read, or go take a stroll or, if it was summer, have her keep the engine running so he could listen to the Cubs game on the radio. (In the evening, then, when I'd stop by, he'd explain: "The Cubs lost again. The millionaire on second base made a bad throw to the millionaire on first base, so the multimillionaire on third base scored.") If she were going to the grocery store, he would go along to carry the bags out — and to make sure she loaded up on ice cream.
As I said, he was always the navigator, and once, when he was 95 and she was 88 and still driving, he said to me, "Do you want to know the secret of a long life?" "I guess so," I said, knowing it probably would be something bizarre.
"No left turns," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"No left turns," he repeated. "Several years ago, your mother and I read an article that said most accidents that old people are in happen when they turn left in front of oncoming traffic. As you get older, your eyesight worsens, and you can lose your depth perception, it said. So your mother and I decided never again to make a left turn."
"What?" I said again. "No left turns," he said. "Think about it. Three rights are the same as a left, and that's a lot safer. So we always make three rights."
"You're kidding!" I said, and I turned to my mother for support. "No," she said, "your father is right. We make three rights. It works."
But then she added: "Except when your father loses count."
I was driving at the time, and I almost drove off the road as I started laughing. "Loses count?" I asked. "Yes," my father admitted, "that sometimes happens. But it's not a problem. You just make seven rights, and you're okay again."
I couldn't resist. "Do you ever go for 11?" I asked.
"No," he said. "If we miss it at seven, we just come home and call it a bad day. Besides, nothing in life is so important it can't be put off another day or another week."
My mother was never in an accident, but one evening she handed me her car keys and said she had decided to quit driving. That was in 1999, when she was 90. She lived four more years, until 2003. My father died the next year, at 102. They both died in the bungalow they had moved into in 1937 and bought a few years later for $3,000. (Sixty years later, my brother and I paid $8,000 to have a shower put in the tiny bathroom — the house had never had one. My father would have died then and there if he knew the shower cost nearly three times what he paid for the house.) He continued to walk daily — he had me get him a treadmill when he was 101 because he was afraid he'd fall on the icy sidewalks but wanted to keep exercising — and he was of sound mind and sound body until the moment he died.
A happy life
One September afternoon in 2004, he and my son went with me when I had to give a talk in a neighboring town, and it was clear to all three of us that he was wearing out, though we had the usual wide-ranging conversation about politics and newspapers and things in the news. A few weeks earlier, he had told my son, "You know, Mike, the first hundred years are a lot easier than the second hundred." At one point in our drive that Saturday, he said, "You know, I'm probably not going to live much longer." "You're probably right," I said. "Why would you say that?" he countered, somewhat irritated. "Because you're 102 years old," I said. "Yes," he said, "you're right." He stayed in bed all the next day. That night, I suggested to my son and daughter that we sit up with him through the night. He appreciated it, he said, though at one point, apparently seeing us look gloomy, he said: "I would like to make an announcement. No one in this room is dead yet." An hour or so later, he spoke his last words:
"I want you to know," he said, clearly and lucidly, "that I am in no pain. I am very comfortable. And I have had as happy a life as anyone on this earth could ever have."
A short time later, he died.
I miss him a lot, and I think about him a lot. I've wondered now and then how it was that my family and I were so lucky that he lived so long.
I can't figure out if it was because he walked through life.
Or because he quit taking left turns.
Michael Gartner has been editor of newspapers large and small and president of NBC News. In 1997, he won the Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Friday, July 28, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Saturday, July 08, 2006
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � The wrong-size glass
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � The wrong-size glass: "Columunist Robert Samuelson writes today that whether Gore’s movie is right about warming’s cause doesn’t matter because there’s nothing we can do to reverse it.
Unless we condemn the world’s poor to their present poverty — and freeze everyone else’s living standards — we need economic growth. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050. …
No government will adopt the draconian restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might curb global warming. …"
Unless we condemn the world’s poor to their present poverty — and freeze everyone else’s living standards — we need economic growth. With modest growth, energy use and greenhouse emissions more than double by 2050. …
No government will adopt the draconian restrictions on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel) that might curb global warming. …"
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Another hydrogen problem
One Hand Clapping � Blog Archive � Another hydrogen problem: "Another hydrogen problem
by Donald Sensing
I cited earlier the engineering problems of widescale use of non-petroleum energy sources or fuels, as explained four years ago by retired engineer Steven Den Beste.
One of those potential fuels was hydrogen, touted somewhat these days as a potential replacement for gasoline in autos and trucks. Not so fast, says Patrick Bedard of Car and Driver. As Steven had pointed out, Patrick repeats that hydrogen is a fuel, but not an energy source. Hydrogen fuel for power cells has to be made from something else but no way of producing hydrogen results in a net gain of energy. It takes more energy to produce hydrogen than the hydrogen yields. Electrolysis, for example, uses electricity to separate oxygen from hydrogen in water, but that electricity has to come from somewhere. Let’s say it comes from a coal-fired electrical plant, since that way of producing electricity is close to the cheapest.
Coal-fired powerplants are about 40 percent efficient, so 140.8 kilowatt-hours of coal energy are required to net the 56.3 kilowatt-hours of electricity to produce our one kilogram of hydrogen. …
Hydrogen gas (at atmospheric pressure and room temperature) containing the same energy as a gallon of gasoline takes up 3107 gallons of space. To make a useful auto fuel, Anthrop says it must be compressed to at least 4000 psi (Honda uses 5000 psi in the FCX; GM is trying for 10,000). The energy required to do that further trims the yield to 17.4 kilowatt-hours. …
So far, the numbers say this: Starting with 140.8 kilowatt-hours of energy from coal gives you 17.4 kilowatt-hours of electrical power from the fuel cell to propel the car, or an energy efficiency of 12 percent.
The upshot of all this is that to make enough hydrogen to replace all the gasoline used by motor vehicles in the US, you’d need to produce 1.16 trillion kilowatt-hours of electrcity. That happens to be almost exactly “twice the energy actually consumed in 2000 with gasoline.”
As Bedard says, if we we had been driving hydrogen cars all along, we’d be frantically trying to invent the gasoline engine.
Related, Glenn Reynolds writes of the fallacy of seeking silver bullets for energy."
by Donald Sensing
I cited earlier the engineering problems of widescale use of non-petroleum energy sources or fuels, as explained four years ago by retired engineer Steven Den Beste.
One of those potential fuels was hydrogen, touted somewhat these days as a potential replacement for gasoline in autos and trucks. Not so fast, says Patrick Bedard of Car and Driver. As Steven had pointed out, Patrick repeats that hydrogen is a fuel, but not an energy source. Hydrogen fuel for power cells has to be made from something else but no way of producing hydrogen results in a net gain of energy. It takes more energy to produce hydrogen than the hydrogen yields. Electrolysis, for example, uses electricity to separate oxygen from hydrogen in water, but that electricity has to come from somewhere. Let’s say it comes from a coal-fired electrical plant, since that way of producing electricity is close to the cheapest.
Coal-fired powerplants are about 40 percent efficient, so 140.8 kilowatt-hours of coal energy are required to net the 56.3 kilowatt-hours of electricity to produce our one kilogram of hydrogen. …
Hydrogen gas (at atmospheric pressure and room temperature) containing the same energy as a gallon of gasoline takes up 3107 gallons of space. To make a useful auto fuel, Anthrop says it must be compressed to at least 4000 psi (Honda uses 5000 psi in the FCX; GM is trying for 10,000). The energy required to do that further trims the yield to 17.4 kilowatt-hours. …
So far, the numbers say this: Starting with 140.8 kilowatt-hours of energy from coal gives you 17.4 kilowatt-hours of electrical power from the fuel cell to propel the car, or an energy efficiency of 12 percent.
The upshot of all this is that to make enough hydrogen to replace all the gasoline used by motor vehicles in the US, you’d need to produce 1.16 trillion kilowatt-hours of electrcity. That happens to be almost exactly “twice the energy actually consumed in 2000 with gasoline.”
As Bedard says, if we we had been driving hydrogen cars all along, we’d be frantically trying to invent the gasoline engine.
Related, Glenn Reynolds writes of the fallacy of seeking silver bullets for energy."
Sunday, July 02, 2006
You Bitch: The New Guy
You Bitch: The New Guy: "The New Guy
The first light fell on the magnificent castle upon the plain of Limbo. Ovid lay groaning in his bed. My freakin' head! he moaned inwardly, and turned off his alarm. He lay still for a moment, staring at the stone ceiling, waiting for it to stop spinning. Gingerly, he swung his feet to the cold stone floor and rooted around for his slippers.
He scuffled out of his small, tidy bedroom, and stood on the second floor railing, which overlooked the castle's central living area, and surveyed the damage from the night before. Squinting his eyes against the hangover, he briefly considered turning around, closing the door, and going back to bed.
Empty bottles, upset ashtrays, and general desolation reigned. The record player in the corner turned, forgotten, the needle bouncing endlessly against the inner groove with a soft clunk clunk clunk. From every iron candelabra about the room hung an item of women's underclothing; black stockings here, a garter there, and a bright red thong covered with the wax of the burned-down candles. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, Ovid frowned and stumbled his way down the stone staircase.
Turning left, he made his way past the mounds of peanut shells, tiptoed past the snoring carcass that had, until recently, been Horace, and entered the dark kitchen. Feeling the wall next to the doorway,"
The New Guy
The first light fell on the magnificent castle upon the plain of Limbo. Ovid lay groaning in his bed. My freakin' head! he moaned inwardly, and turned off his alarm. He lay still for a moment, staring at the stone ceiling, waiting for it to stop spinning. Gingerly, he swung his feet to the cold stone floor and rooted around for his slippers.
He scuffled out of his small, tidy bedroom, and stood on the second floor railing, which overlooked the castle's central living area, and surveyed the damage from the night before. Squinting his eyes against the hangover, he briefly considered turning around, closing the door, and going back to bed.
Empty bottles, upset ashtrays, and general desolation reigned. The record player in the corner turned, forgotten, the needle bouncing endlessly against the inner groove with a soft clunk clunk clunk. From every iron candelabra about the room hung an item of women's underclothing; black stockings here, a garter there, and a bright red thong covered with the wax of the burned-down candles. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, Ovid frowned and stumbled his way down the stone staircase.
Turning left, he made his way past the mounds of peanut shells, tiptoed past the snoring carcass that had, until recently, been Horace, and entered the dark kitchen. Feeling the wall next to the doorway, he found the light switch and flicked it upward.
"Oh, man, cut the lights!" It was Plato, covering his eyes, sitting at the table over a bubbling glass of Alka-Seltzer. All about him lay playing cards and the butt-ends of cigars. At one end of the table was an enormous mound of ivory chips, piled high around an untouched glass of whiskey.
Ovid grimaced. "Dude, you look like Hell."
"Very funny," answered Plato. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm working on a new Dialogue. Unfortunately, the dude with the jackhammer in my head won't let me get a word in edgewise."
Ovid relented, and dimmed the lights. Clearing a path, he grabbed the nearest empty chair and sat at the table. "What the blazes happened last night?"
Plato looked up from his glass and said, "The New Guy."
Oh, yeah, thought Ovid, The New Guy. "Man, I thought Limbo was supposed to be for the virtuous heathens!"
Plato grunted indifferently, and downed the glass of fizzy grey liquid at a gulp. He belched wetly, and for a moment seemed unsure if it had been a one-way trip. Once he became convinced, he looked at Ovid and asked, "Have you seen Elektra?"
"No," he answered. "But I'm pretty sure she's around." He couldn't imagine he'd missed seeing her. Elektra was a six-foot redhead with long legs, round hips, and a voice like an angel. Ovid looked thoughtful. "Hey Plato," he started. "Did you notice that she'd painted her toenails red yesterday afternoon?"
Plato shrugged. "Yeah, I did," he said. "Wonder what that was all about."
A loud crash outside the kitchen door caused both men to grab their heads and moan. Homer came into the kitchen. "Dudes," he said, "I can hear y'all talking all the way out in the stable." He felt his way to the refrigerator, opened the freezer door, and pulled out an ice pack. He smashed it clumsily onto his head, knocking his sunglasses sideways. Stretching out his free hand, he found a chair and sat at the kitchen table with the other two poets. "I got a four-alarm hangover, doggs." The others grunted in agreement.
"Hey, Homer," Plato said, "did you see The New Guy?"
Homer straightened his sunglasses, and rubbed his chin. "Well, that depends," he said. "You mean when he was clearing y'all out at the poker table? Or do you mean maybe when he was leadin' a hootenanny with my lute at all hours of the morning? Or maybe when he, Elektra, and Scheherazade were out playing Twister by the hot tub?" He waved his hand frantically in front of his black shades. "'Cause no, I didn't see him."
Plato and Ovid grimaced sourly at each other. "Well, anyway," said Ovid, "I wonder where he got off to."
Homer furrowed his brow. "I think he and the girls went to meet somebody out in the woods."
"Why do you say that?", asked Plato.
"I heard 'em heading out a few hours ago, giggling like schoolgirls, and I asked 'em where they was headed. The New Guy just said, 'Roscoe's baaaaaaaack' like he was all happy about it. Must be a long-lost friend of his." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "The girls sounded pretty excited about meeting him, too."
Ovid pondered that for moment. "Well, they'll show up eventually, probably with this 'Roscoe' character." They all nodded. "Oh, and Homer," he continued, "what were you doing in the stable, anyway?"
Homer broke into a wide grin.
Plato shuddered. "Oh dude!"
The first light fell on the magnificent castle upon the plain of Limbo. Ovid lay groaning in his bed. My freakin' head! he moaned inwardly, and turned off his alarm. He lay still for a moment, staring at the stone ceiling, waiting for it to stop spinning. Gingerly, he swung his feet to the cold stone floor and rooted around for his slippers.
He scuffled out of his small, tidy bedroom, and stood on the second floor railing, which overlooked the castle's central living area, and surveyed the damage from the night before. Squinting his eyes against the hangover, he briefly considered turning around, closing the door, and going back to bed.
Empty bottles, upset ashtrays, and general desolation reigned. The record player in the corner turned, forgotten, the needle bouncing endlessly against the inner groove with a soft clunk clunk clunk. From every iron candelabra about the room hung an item of women's underclothing; black stockings here, a garter there, and a bright red thong covered with the wax of the burned-down candles. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, Ovid frowned and stumbled his way down the stone staircase.
Turning left, he made his way past the mounds of peanut shells, tiptoed past the snoring carcass that had, until recently, been Horace, and entered the dark kitchen. Feeling the wall next to the doorway,"
The New Guy
The first light fell on the magnificent castle upon the plain of Limbo. Ovid lay groaning in his bed. My freakin' head! he moaned inwardly, and turned off his alarm. He lay still for a moment, staring at the stone ceiling, waiting for it to stop spinning. Gingerly, he swung his feet to the cold stone floor and rooted around for his slippers.
He scuffled out of his small, tidy bedroom, and stood on the second floor railing, which overlooked the castle's central living area, and surveyed the damage from the night before. Squinting his eyes against the hangover, he briefly considered turning around, closing the door, and going back to bed.
Empty bottles, upset ashtrays, and general desolation reigned. The record player in the corner turned, forgotten, the needle bouncing endlessly against the inner groove with a soft clunk clunk clunk. From every iron candelabra about the room hung an item of women's underclothing; black stockings here, a garter there, and a bright red thong covered with the wax of the burned-down candles. Rubbing the stubble on his chin, Ovid frowned and stumbled his way down the stone staircase.
Turning left, he made his way past the mounds of peanut shells, tiptoed past the snoring carcass that had, until recently, been Horace, and entered the dark kitchen. Feeling the wall next to the doorway, he found the light switch and flicked it upward.
"Oh, man, cut the lights!" It was Plato, covering his eyes, sitting at the table over a bubbling glass of Alka-Seltzer. All about him lay playing cards and the butt-ends of cigars. At one end of the table was an enormous mound of ivory chips, piled high around an untouched glass of whiskey.
Ovid grimaced. "Dude, you look like Hell."
"Very funny," answered Plato. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm working on a new Dialogue. Unfortunately, the dude with the jackhammer in my head won't let me get a word in edgewise."
Ovid relented, and dimmed the lights. Clearing a path, he grabbed the nearest empty chair and sat at the table. "What the blazes happened last night?"
Plato looked up from his glass and said, "The New Guy."
Oh, yeah, thought Ovid, The New Guy. "Man, I thought Limbo was supposed to be for the virtuous heathens!"
Plato grunted indifferently, and downed the glass of fizzy grey liquid at a gulp. He belched wetly, and for a moment seemed unsure if it had been a one-way trip. Once he became convinced, he looked at Ovid and asked, "Have you seen Elektra?"
"No," he answered. "But I'm pretty sure she's around." He couldn't imagine he'd missed seeing her. Elektra was a six-foot redhead with long legs, round hips, and a voice like an angel. Ovid looked thoughtful. "Hey Plato," he started. "Did you notice that she'd painted her toenails red yesterday afternoon?"
Plato shrugged. "Yeah, I did," he said. "Wonder what that was all about."
A loud crash outside the kitchen door caused both men to grab their heads and moan. Homer came into the kitchen. "Dudes," he said, "I can hear y'all talking all the way out in the stable." He felt his way to the refrigerator, opened the freezer door, and pulled out an ice pack. He smashed it clumsily onto his head, knocking his sunglasses sideways. Stretching out his free hand, he found a chair and sat at the kitchen table with the other two poets. "I got a four-alarm hangover, doggs." The others grunted in agreement.
"Hey, Homer," Plato said, "did you see The New Guy?"
Homer straightened his sunglasses, and rubbed his chin. "Well, that depends," he said. "You mean when he was clearing y'all out at the poker table? Or do you mean maybe when he was leadin' a hootenanny with my lute at all hours of the morning? Or maybe when he, Elektra, and Scheherazade were out playing Twister by the hot tub?" He waved his hand frantically in front of his black shades. "'Cause no, I didn't see him."
Plato and Ovid grimaced sourly at each other. "Well, anyway," said Ovid, "I wonder where he got off to."
Homer furrowed his brow. "I think he and the girls went to meet somebody out in the woods."
"Why do you say that?", asked Plato.
"I heard 'em heading out a few hours ago, giggling like schoolgirls, and I asked 'em where they was headed. The New Guy just said, 'Roscoe's baaaaaaaack' like he was all happy about it. Must be a long-lost friend of his." He looked thoughtful for a moment. "The girls sounded pretty excited about meeting him, too."
Ovid pondered that for moment. "Well, they'll show up eventually, probably with this 'Roscoe' character." They all nodded. "Oh, and Homer," he continued, "what were you doing in the stable, anyway?"
Homer broke into a wide grin.
Plato shuddered. "Oh dude!"
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler » Blog Archive » Goodbye, Old Bastard and, Dare I Say, Friend
Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler » Blog Archive » Goodbye, Old Bastard and, Dare I Say, Friendt is with great sadness that I learn that LC & IB Acidman has passed away.
Rob and I go back a ways in this crazy world that we call the Blogosphere, yet I only ever had a chance to meet him in person once, this year in Austin. I’m glad I did, because I always wanted to meet him. Of course, now I wish that we’d had time for more than a handshake and few minutes of chatting, but such is life. Full of regrets about what might have been, regrets that really serve no good purpose. You’ve got to play the hand that life dealt you.
And the hand that Rob got wasn’t a particularly good one. But he played it, to the best of his ability.
Oh yes, he was rude, outspoken, at times downright obnoxious, but he was always true to himself. True to himself and honest to the point where it sometimes hurt. I admired that, even when some of the things he said made me cringe, because you always knew exactly where you had him. And beneath that rough veneer, beneath all of the raging against the fading of the light, there was a warm, loving man. Most of all I remember his posts about his love of his son, Quinton, in which the “softer side of Rob” shone through like a beacon.
That’s a side of him that I’ll remember well. A side of him that showed me and everybody else who cared to read that, no matter how much anger and frustration one man holds, there’s always more to a man that, that there is good as well as the bad and the ugly.
Some will remember him for the bad and the ugly, some will remember him for the good. I will remember him for all of it.
Because it was all him. He let it all hang out, that was his gift to anybody who cared, and I accept it all gratefully. Warts and all.
Now, since his second-to-last post contained a farewell, that he’d had enough and was going to end it all, there’s bound to be a lot of speculation as to the method of his passing. I don’t care. I want no part of it. There, but for the Grace of G-d, and all that. If there’s to be a judgment, then I leave it in the hands of G-d, because He is much better at it than I am.
What’s done is done. I lost a friend, but I find comfort in the knowledge that he is in pain no longer, and I pray that his loved ones find the same. I also pray that he finds peace in the hereafter and that he passed knowing that he, for all his faults, was loved.
And if you didn’t, Rob, I’m going to damn well tell you in no uncertain terms when we meet again.
Goodbye, you old asshole.
Rob and I go back a ways in this crazy world that we call the Blogosphere, yet I only ever had a chance to meet him in person once, this year in Austin. I’m glad I did, because I always wanted to meet him. Of course, now I wish that we’d had time for more than a handshake and few minutes of chatting, but such is life. Full of regrets about what might have been, regrets that really serve no good purpose. You’ve got to play the hand that life dealt you.
And the hand that Rob got wasn’t a particularly good one. But he played it, to the best of his ability.
Oh yes, he was rude, outspoken, at times downright obnoxious, but he was always true to himself. True to himself and honest to the point where it sometimes hurt. I admired that, even when some of the things he said made me cringe, because you always knew exactly where you had him. And beneath that rough veneer, beneath all of the raging against the fading of the light, there was a warm, loving man. Most of all I remember his posts about his love of his son, Quinton, in which the “softer side of Rob” shone through like a beacon.
That’s a side of him that I’ll remember well. A side of him that showed me and everybody else who cared to read that, no matter how much anger and frustration one man holds, there’s always more to a man that, that there is good as well as the bad and the ugly.
Some will remember him for the bad and the ugly, some will remember him for the good. I will remember him for all of it.
Because it was all him. He let it all hang out, that was his gift to anybody who cared, and I accept it all gratefully. Warts and all.
Now, since his second-to-last post contained a farewell, that he’d had enough and was going to end it all, there’s bound to be a lot of speculation as to the method of his passing. I don’t care. I want no part of it. There, but for the Grace of G-d, and all that. If there’s to be a judgment, then I leave it in the hands of G-d, because He is much better at it than I am.
What’s done is done. I lost a friend, but I find comfort in the knowledge that he is in pain no longer, and I pray that his loved ones find the same. I also pray that he finds peace in the hereafter and that he passed knowing that he, for all his faults, was loved.
And if you didn’t, Rob, I’m going to damn well tell you in no uncertain terms when we meet again.
Goodbye, you old asshole.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
Friday, June 16, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
BREITBART.COM - Text of al-Zarqawi Safe-House Document
BREITBART.COM - Text of al-Zarqawi Safe-House Document: "how to draw the Americans into fighting a war against Iran? It is not known whether American is serious in its animosity towards Iraq, because of the big support Iran is offering to America in its war in Afghanistan and in Iraq. Hence, it is necessary first to exaggerate the Iranian danger and to convince America and the west in general, of the real danger coming from Iran, and this would be done by the following:
1. By disseminating threatening messages against American interests and the American people and attribute them to a Shi'a Iranian side.
2. By executing operations of kidnapping hostages and implicating the Shi'a Iranian side.
3. By advertising that Iran has chemical and nuclear weapons and is threatening the west with these weapons.
4. By executing exploding operations in the west and accusing Iran by planting Iranian Shi'a fingerprints and evidence.
5. By declaring the existence of a relationship between Iran and terrorist groups (as termed by the Americans).
6. By disseminating bogus messages about confessions showing that Iran is in possession of weapons of mass destruction or that there are attempts by the Iranian intelligence to undertake terrorist operations in America and the west and against western interests. "
1. By disseminating threatening messages against American interests and the American people and attribute them to a Shi'a Iranian side.
2. By executing operations of kidnapping hostages and implicating the Shi'a Iranian side.
3. By advertising that Iran has chemical and nuclear weapons and is threatening the west with these weapons.
4. By executing exploding operations in the west and accusing Iran by planting Iranian Shi'a fingerprints and evidence.
5. By declaring the existence of a relationship between Iran and terrorist groups (as termed by the Americans).
6. By disseminating bogus messages about confessions showing that Iran is in possession of weapons of mass destruction or that there are attempts by the Iranian intelligence to undertake terrorist operations in America and the west and against western interests. "
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Saturday, June 10, 2006
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Saturday, June 03, 2006
SFO Magazine Official Journal for Personal Investing in Stocks, Futures and Options
SFO Magazine Official Journal for Personal Investing in Stocks, Futures and Options: "How does a trader make money in the markets? By learning from his mistakes. Read how one did it."
USATODAY.com - $363M is average pay for top hedge fund managers
USATODAY.com - $363M is average pay for top hedge fund managers: "NEW YORK — James Simons, a mathematician turned money manager who prefers hiring Ph.D.s over MBAs, inched out oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens Jr. as the world's best-paid hedge fund manager in 2005, collecting an estimated $1.5 billion, according to rankings released today by Institutional Investor's Alpha magazine.
In rising to the top of what amounts to a who's who list of the secretive hedge fund world, Simons, of Renaissance Technologies, unseated 2004's top earner and first-ever billion-dollar man, Edward Lampert of ESL Investments, who is best known for buying Kmart and masterminding the blockbuster deal to buy Sears. Lampert's earnings dipped to an estimated $425 million last year, down from $1.0 billion in 2004.
'These are staggering numbers,' said Alpha editor Michael Peltz in announcing its fifth-annual list of Top 25 earners. 'It took $130 million to make the list.'
Pickens also topped $1 billion, earning an estimated $1.4 billion. The average pay of the 26 (there was a tie for 25th place) on the list was $363 million, up 45% from $251 million in 2004."
In rising to the top of what amounts to a who's who list of the secretive hedge fund world, Simons, of Renaissance Technologies, unseated 2004's top earner and first-ever billion-dollar man, Edward Lampert of ESL Investments, who is best known for buying Kmart and masterminding the blockbuster deal to buy Sears. Lampert's earnings dipped to an estimated $425 million last year, down from $1.0 billion in 2004.
'These are staggering numbers,' said Alpha editor Michael Peltz in announcing its fifth-annual list of Top 25 earners. 'It took $130 million to make the list.'
Pickens also topped $1 billion, earning an estimated $1.4 billion. The average pay of the 26 (there was a tie for 25th place) on the list was $363 million, up 45% from $251 million in 2004."
Tom Brown's bankstocks.com
Tom Brown's bankstocks.com: "The Bomb
Many observers view the Iranian quest for a nuclear bomb as an act of self preservation. The theory is that, if Saddam Hussein had possessed the bomb, he’d still be in power. There wouldn’t have been either a first Gulf War or a 2003 invasion. North Korea has shown the bargaining and deterrent power that the bomb possession provides. Iranian conservatives seem confident that the UN will never order the imposition of sanctions: China and Russia would likely block them, even if the Europeans come around. China’s need for energy is so great that it wouldn’t want to be cut off from Iran. Also, Russian construction, building contracts and business dealings with Iran are so extensive that the Russians would be reluctant to see them end."
Many observers view the Iranian quest for a nuclear bomb as an act of self preservation. The theory is that, if Saddam Hussein had possessed the bomb, he’d still be in power. There wouldn’t have been either a first Gulf War or a 2003 invasion. North Korea has shown the bargaining and deterrent power that the bomb possession provides. Iranian conservatives seem confident that the UN will never order the imposition of sanctions: China and Russia would likely block them, even if the Europeans come around. China’s need for energy is so great that it wouldn’t want to be cut off from Iran. Also, Russian construction, building contracts and business dealings with Iran are so extensive that the Russians would be reluctant to see them end."
Turn short-term fear into long-term profit - MSN Money
Turn short-term fear into long-term profit - MSN Money
The developing world is growing richer
Oh, not all of it. But countries such as China, India and Vietnam -- more than 2 billion people just in those three, and many more in other developing nations -- are growing their economies at rates double or triple the 3% growth rate for the developed world projected by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. That will add hundreds of millions of consumers to the global middle class who will demand middle-class products and services such as life insurance, home mortgages, hotel rooms and cars.
In a February 2005 column, I picked 12 global winners flying below the radar screen. Nothing has changed my mind about the fundamental trends driving stocks such as insurance giant American International Group (AIG, news, msgs), South Korean banking company Kookmin Bank (KB, news, msgs), hotelier Accor Asia Pacific (ACRFF, news, msgs) and the Philippine beverage producer San Miguel (SMGBY, news, msgs).
Demand for commodities will continue to exceed supply
A fast-growing developing world has created demand for commodities that global commodity producers in industries from oil to copper to coal to iron (and don't forget water) are having a tough time meeting. That has produced what some Wall Street investment houses are calling a "supercycle" boom in commodities prices.
I gave a talk on the commodities boom -- and why it will last longer than the usual commodities boom -- at the Las Vegas Money Show in mid-May. You can find a link to the PowerPoint version of that talk here. That presentation and recent columns on this topic -- "3 stocks for the commodities rebound" (May 19) and "Don't write off emerging markets yet" (May 24) -- recommend stocks such as BHP Billiton (BHP, news, msgs), Phelps Dodge (PD, news, msgs), Newmont Mining (NEM, news, msgs) and Companhia Vale Do Rio Doce (RIO, news, msgs).
------------------------------------------
The dollar will continue to slide
Probably not as fast as the doomsayers now predict because Japan and the European Union have their own problems that will keep pressure on the yen and euro. But thanks to our huge trade deficit and the utterly feckless fiscal policy in Washington, the world isn't exactly clamoring to hold more U.S. dollars. The standard ways to hedge a weakening dollar are:
* Buy non-dollar denominated stocks, such as Nestlé (NSRGY, news, msgs).
* Buy U.S. stocks such as General Electric (GE, news, msgs) that do big business overseas. They will sell more products with a weaker dollar, and those overseas revenues will be worth more when translated back into dollars.
* Buy gold stocks such as Newmont Mining (NEM, news, msgs) and Glamis Gold (GLG, news, msgs).
The U.S., with its combination of great wealth and relatively high rate of population increase (thanks to a relatively high birth rate and relatively open immigration policy), might be best positioned to muddle through. But it will require the baby boomers to cash in real estate by downsizing to cheaper geographies, and require that those boomers admit that the country can't afford to spend every last cent on prolonging their lives.
Best bet on the demographics of U.S. real estate: banks and land companies in low-cost retirement areas such as the Carolinas, Georgia, Arkansas and parts of Texas. (This will be the subject of a future column.) And if you're cynical about any attempts to control health-care costs, as I am, look to companies that profit from the chronic diseases of old age. (Another future column, I promise.)
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Those are the five trends that inform my portfolio and Jubak's Picks. You may have others that are equally valid -- or more so -- and equally broad. As always, I'm sure you'll let me know by e-mail when we disagree.
But whether you follow my five trends or your own, here are three rules for using short-term volatility to improve your long-term profits.
* If your portfolio is underweighted in any of your long-term trends, use weakness to bring your exposure up to your target level. So for example, I'd like to have about 15% of Jubak's Picks in gold, given my belief in the inflation trend. This equally weighted portfolio -- all stocks start out with the same dollar investment -- is fully invested at 33 stocks. Right now, I hold 30, and three of those are gold stocks: Newmont, Glamis Gold and Anglo-American plc (AAUK, news, msgs). So I'm going to add another gold stock by repurchasing GoldCorp (GG, news, msgs) to bring my exposure up to 13%.
* Don't buy randomly just because a stock is cheaper than it was, and don't load up on sectors just because they've taken big hits. Keep to your asset-allocation goals, whatever they are. An unbalanced portfolio is dangerous at any time.
* Within your asset allocations, use weakness to trade up. So, for example, with this column I'm going to sell my position in Sysco (SYY, news, msgs), the giant U.S. food distributor that has held up well in the sell off but that recently announced disappointing inflation news, and buy Central European Distribution (CEDC, news, msgs), a Polish producer, distributor and importer of vodka and other alcoholic beverages, that has been hammered by bad news on an acquisition attempt and by the sell-off in the emerging markets. The switch increases my non-dollar holdings in the food sector.
I realize that none of this will eliminate your nervousness about the stock market and the recent sell-off. Fear is sometimes just part of investing, to be honest. Everybody feels it at some moments. It's what you do when you feel afraid that counts.
The developing world is growing richer
Oh, not all of it. But countries such as China, India and Vietnam -- more than 2 billion people just in those three, and many more in other developing nations -- are growing their economies at rates double or triple the 3% growth rate for the developed world projected by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. That will add hundreds of millions of consumers to the global middle class who will demand middle-class products and services such as life insurance, home mortgages, hotel rooms and cars.
In a February 2005 column, I picked 12 global winners flying below the radar screen. Nothing has changed my mind about the fundamental trends driving stocks such as insurance giant American International Group (AIG, news, msgs), South Korean banking company Kookmin Bank (KB, news, msgs), hotelier Accor Asia Pacific (ACRFF, news, msgs) and the Philippine beverage producer San Miguel (SMGBY, news, msgs).
Demand for commodities will continue to exceed supply
A fast-growing developing world has created demand for commodities that global commodity producers in industries from oil to copper to coal to iron (and don't forget water) are having a tough time meeting. That has produced what some Wall Street investment houses are calling a "supercycle" boom in commodities prices.
I gave a talk on the commodities boom -- and why it will last longer than the usual commodities boom -- at the Las Vegas Money Show in mid-May. You can find a link to the PowerPoint version of that talk here. That presentation and recent columns on this topic -- "3 stocks for the commodities rebound" (May 19) and "Don't write off emerging markets yet" (May 24) -- recommend stocks such as BHP Billiton (BHP, news, msgs), Phelps Dodge (PD, news, msgs), Newmont Mining (NEM, news, msgs) and Companhia Vale Do Rio Doce (RIO, news, msgs).
------------------------------------------
The dollar will continue to slide
Probably not as fast as the doomsayers now predict because Japan and the European Union have their own problems that will keep pressure on the yen and euro. But thanks to our huge trade deficit and the utterly feckless fiscal policy in Washington, the world isn't exactly clamoring to hold more U.S. dollars. The standard ways to hedge a weakening dollar are:
* Buy non-dollar denominated stocks, such as Nestlé (NSRGY, news, msgs).
* Buy U.S. stocks such as General Electric (GE, news, msgs) that do big business overseas. They will sell more products with a weaker dollar, and those overseas revenues will be worth more when translated back into dollars.
* Buy gold stocks such as Newmont Mining (NEM, news, msgs) and Glamis Gold (GLG, news, msgs).
The U.S., with its combination of great wealth and relatively high rate of population increase (thanks to a relatively high birth rate and relatively open immigration policy), might be best positioned to muddle through. But it will require the baby boomers to cash in real estate by downsizing to cheaper geographies, and require that those boomers admit that the country can't afford to spend every last cent on prolonging their lives.
Best bet on the demographics of U.S. real estate: banks and land companies in low-cost retirement areas such as the Carolinas, Georgia, Arkansas and parts of Texas. (This will be the subject of a future column.) And if you're cynical about any attempts to control health-care costs, as I am, look to companies that profit from the chronic diseases of old age. (Another future column, I promise.)
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Those are the five trends that inform my portfolio and Jubak's Picks. You may have others that are equally valid -- or more so -- and equally broad. As always, I'm sure you'll let me know by e-mail when we disagree.
But whether you follow my five trends or your own, here are three rules for using short-term volatility to improve your long-term profits.
* If your portfolio is underweighted in any of your long-term trends, use weakness to bring your exposure up to your target level. So for example, I'd like to have about 15% of Jubak's Picks in gold, given my belief in the inflation trend. This equally weighted portfolio -- all stocks start out with the same dollar investment -- is fully invested at 33 stocks. Right now, I hold 30, and three of those are gold stocks: Newmont, Glamis Gold and Anglo-American plc (AAUK, news, msgs). So I'm going to add another gold stock by repurchasing GoldCorp (GG, news, msgs) to bring my exposure up to 13%.
* Don't buy randomly just because a stock is cheaper than it was, and don't load up on sectors just because they've taken big hits. Keep to your asset-allocation goals, whatever they are. An unbalanced portfolio is dangerous at any time.
* Within your asset allocations, use weakness to trade up. So, for example, with this column I'm going to sell my position in Sysco (SYY, news, msgs), the giant U.S. food distributor that has held up well in the sell off but that recently announced disappointing inflation news, and buy Central European Distribution (CEDC, news, msgs), a Polish producer, distributor and importer of vodka and other alcoholic beverages, that has been hammered by bad news on an acquisition attempt and by the sell-off in the emerging markets. The switch increases my non-dollar holdings in the food sector.
I realize that none of this will eliminate your nervousness about the stock market and the recent sell-off. Fear is sometimes just part of investing, to be honest. Everybody feels it at some moments. It's what you do when you feel afraid that counts.
Model Behaviorist's 5/31/2006 Journal-- Strategy Lab - MSN Money
Model Behaviorist's 5/31/2006 Journal-- Strategy Lab - MSN MoneyBut there are times when a lot of stuff can be going wrong in the world, and the market does not climb the wall of worry. Sometimes, investors do get into a dark mood and sell into bad news. And, they appear to get into that mood about once every four years -- or actually about every 52 months.
Starting in mid-May, I grew bearish about the prospects for stocks this summer and encouraged subscribers to likewise become much more cautious. Set stops to get you out of stocks at definitive breakdown points (under significant past support) and either replace them with “defensive” names or just go to cash, as I did in Strategy Lab.
Preparing for the worst
If you're like most investors, you have made a lot of money in the past four years. We all made a killing in housing stocks, small-caps, mid-caps, energy and metals. And we want it to go on forever. But there are cycles to all things, whether it's the seasons of the year, or sports or stocks. Learn the lesson of Scott McNealy's enthusiasm in October 2000. The cycle is really turning hard against stocks right now, and it's time to prepare for the worst.
To be totally blunt, I think there is real potential for a 10% to 25% decline over the next six months -- with the harsher end of the spectrum the more likely. As much as I wish that weren't the case, it seems unavoidable. What's worse, a lot of the stocks that smaller investors are the most heavily invested in -- the small-caps and mid-caps -- could get hurt even worse.
I'm not forecasting a "secular" bear market, where stocks might go down for years. So if you are tough as nails and want to just hang tight to your long-term holdings, go ahead. But for the rest of you, I'm just suggesting that the potential for a decline over the next six months now is greater than you may be willing to bear. And if the market firms up and doesn't go down, at the very worst, you will lose some opportunity -- not money.
There are a couple of issues that have driven me in this direction. The most important is the historical tendency of the market to suffer a serious bearish phase every 52 months, or roughly four years. They occur with great consistency. Just looking at the postwar period, we had bear markets in 1949, 1953, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. This is sort of like one of those easy math tests that schools give fifth-graders. What is the next likely number in this series?
Should reach a bottom late in 2006
The last bear-market bottom occurred in October 2002. So, using history as a measuring stick, we would expect another bottom in August to December of this year.
Starting in mid-May, I grew bearish about the prospects for stocks this summer and encouraged subscribers to likewise become much more cautious. Set stops to get you out of stocks at definitive breakdown points (under significant past support) and either replace them with “defensive” names or just go to cash, as I did in Strategy Lab.
Preparing for the worst
If you're like most investors, you have made a lot of money in the past four years. We all made a killing in housing stocks, small-caps, mid-caps, energy and metals. And we want it to go on forever. But there are cycles to all things, whether it's the seasons of the year, or sports or stocks. Learn the lesson of Scott McNealy's enthusiasm in October 2000. The cycle is really turning hard against stocks right now, and it's time to prepare for the worst.
To be totally blunt, I think there is real potential for a 10% to 25% decline over the next six months -- with the harsher end of the spectrum the more likely. As much as I wish that weren't the case, it seems unavoidable. What's worse, a lot of the stocks that smaller investors are the most heavily invested in -- the small-caps and mid-caps -- could get hurt even worse.
I'm not forecasting a "secular" bear market, where stocks might go down for years. So if you are tough as nails and want to just hang tight to your long-term holdings, go ahead. But for the rest of you, I'm just suggesting that the potential for a decline over the next six months now is greater than you may be willing to bear. And if the market firms up and doesn't go down, at the very worst, you will lose some opportunity -- not money.
There are a couple of issues that have driven me in this direction. The most important is the historical tendency of the market to suffer a serious bearish phase every 52 months, or roughly four years. They occur with great consistency. Just looking at the postwar period, we had bear markets in 1949, 1953, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, 1978, 1982, 1987, 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002. This is sort of like one of those easy math tests that schools give fifth-graders. What is the next likely number in this series?
Should reach a bottom late in 2006
The last bear-market bottom occurred in October 2002. So, using history as a measuring stick, we would expect another bottom in August to December of this year.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
Sunday, March 05, 2006
Saturday, February 25, 2006
IRAQ RISING
IRAQ RISING
Sunnis and Shi'a.....
Going through some of the Iraqi led posts and comments lately, I have noticed a bit of a backlash from fellow Iraqi Shia’s concerning comments that I and other Iraqis posts criticizing the UIA and the Shia’ parties and spicifically the Merje3ia’s of Nejef and Karbella. It seams that the tension has come to such a level that even any small criticism is not welcomed no matter how accurate or appropriate it may be..
So I believe it’s time to Dot some I’s and cross some T’s , ,, and I plead with any other Iraqi who reads this post to engage with me to clarify what this problem is..
AS I have mentioned before, I’m a shia’ by birth and heritage.. I was born to a father who is a practising shia (i’e he follows certain shi’a rules when it comes to praying and life rituals). I on the other hand, don’t.. you could say, I’m a non practising shi’a.. heck, I’m a non practicing Muslem to be more precise.. But I do believe in the ultimate truth that the Caliphate and the true hairs of Islam were the sons of Ali (pbuh), Hassan and Hussain.
My points is, I don’t need some guy in a black turban telling me what to do, how to pray and what to think in order for me to be a good Shi’a or a good Muslem,, and Neither should any other Shia for that matter…
I know this Sunni Shia tension has been boiling over in Iraq since days gone past. I only need to talk to my 80 year old Sunni grandmother (my Mothers mothers),, to realise the great animosity some Sunnis hold towards the traditions and practises of the Shi’a community. Thing’s like bloodletting in Ashura, Zawag al-mut3a (happy one night only marriages), and the perceived worshipping of shrines, are usually first to be mentioned.
Also being a Shi’a is also inadvertently linked to being of a lower social class in Iraqi society and this is something the Iraqis got during the Ottoman empire occupation and control of Iraq as most of the ruling and wealthy families were of Sunni decent brought over from Turkey and were loyal to the empire.. Naturally, this is something that the British also inherited when they took over Iraq at the turn of the century and this status quo has lasted to this day. So, it must be made clear that the tensions between the two factions has more to do with an economic basis than a religious bases. And the fact that some people want to turn it into a religious one really gets on my nerves.
What happened this week has truly brought this tension and animosity to the forefront, (with the help of some scrupulous meddling of some people of course), we have seen thousands of desperate Shi’a go to the streets and vent their anger at the Sunni community. What upsets me is that this has and was nurtured and urged upon from the so called leaders of the Shia community.. They have continually nurtured this illusion of a tension in order to best serve their political aspirations. These leaders have acted irresponsibly towards their constituents and Iraq, and it is for this reason that I absolutely abhore them.
As for the militia’s. I really want to hear one Shia Iraqi come out with it and condemn these barbarians. And NO,, the Shia militia’s are not the same as the Beshmerga of Kurdistan, and they have proven that time and time again.. the Mehdi Army and Bedr Berigades are o more than Mafia Mudering thugs intents on doing everything that Iran asks of them,, they are not Loyal to Iraq and they must be crushed.. Any politician that supports these private mafias has no place in Iraqi politics and should be discredited.
There is so much more I would like to say, but as usually, My talent for writing is limited and my mind looses focus after a while.. I just wanted to point out that we as Iraqis need to finally come together. Sunni , Shia, and Kurd, and finally work out this problem together.. we cannot let our country go down the pan like this after all the sacrifices and blood that have been shed.. We must not let brainless politicians dictate how we must think and who we must hate.. WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF IRAQ,,, I KNOW WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS..
Sunnis and Shi'a.....
Going through some of the Iraqi led posts and comments lately, I have noticed a bit of a backlash from fellow Iraqi Shia’s concerning comments that I and other Iraqis posts criticizing the UIA and the Shia’ parties and spicifically the Merje3ia’s of Nejef and Karbella. It seams that the tension has come to such a level that even any small criticism is not welcomed no matter how accurate or appropriate it may be..
So I believe it’s time to Dot some I’s and cross some T’s , ,, and I plead with any other Iraqi who reads this post to engage with me to clarify what this problem is..
AS I have mentioned before, I’m a shia’ by birth and heritage.. I was born to a father who is a practising shia (i’e he follows certain shi’a rules when it comes to praying and life rituals). I on the other hand, don’t.. you could say, I’m a non practising shi’a.. heck, I’m a non practicing Muslem to be more precise.. But I do believe in the ultimate truth that the Caliphate and the true hairs of Islam were the sons of Ali (pbuh), Hassan and Hussain.
My points is, I don’t need some guy in a black turban telling me what to do, how to pray and what to think in order for me to be a good Shi’a or a good Muslem,, and Neither should any other Shia for that matter…
I know this Sunni Shia tension has been boiling over in Iraq since days gone past. I only need to talk to my 80 year old Sunni grandmother (my Mothers mothers),, to realise the great animosity some Sunnis hold towards the traditions and practises of the Shi’a community. Thing’s like bloodletting in Ashura, Zawag al-mut3a (happy one night only marriages), and the perceived worshipping of shrines, are usually first to be mentioned.
Also being a Shi’a is also inadvertently linked to being of a lower social class in Iraqi society and this is something the Iraqis got during the Ottoman empire occupation and control of Iraq as most of the ruling and wealthy families were of Sunni decent brought over from Turkey and were loyal to the empire.. Naturally, this is something that the British also inherited when they took over Iraq at the turn of the century and this status quo has lasted to this day. So, it must be made clear that the tensions between the two factions has more to do with an economic basis than a religious bases. And the fact that some people want to turn it into a religious one really gets on my nerves.
What happened this week has truly brought this tension and animosity to the forefront, (with the help of some scrupulous meddling of some people of course), we have seen thousands of desperate Shi’a go to the streets and vent their anger at the Sunni community. What upsets me is that this has and was nurtured and urged upon from the so called leaders of the Shia community.. They have continually nurtured this illusion of a tension in order to best serve their political aspirations. These leaders have acted irresponsibly towards their constituents and Iraq, and it is for this reason that I absolutely abhore them.
As for the militia’s. I really want to hear one Shia Iraqi come out with it and condemn these barbarians. And NO,, the Shia militia’s are not the same as the Beshmerga of Kurdistan, and they have proven that time and time again.. the Mehdi Army and Bedr Berigades are o more than Mafia Mudering thugs intents on doing everything that Iran asks of them,, they are not Loyal to Iraq and they must be crushed.. Any politician that supports these private mafias has no place in Iraqi politics and should be discredited.
There is so much more I would like to say, but as usually, My talent for writing is limited and my mind looses focus after a while.. I just wanted to point out that we as Iraqis need to finally come together. Sunni , Shia, and Kurd, and finally work out this problem together.. we cannot let our country go down the pan like this after all the sacrifices and blood that have been shed.. We must not let brainless politicians dictate how we must think and who we must hate.. WE ARE ALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS OF IRAQ,,, I KNOW WE CAN GET THROUGH THIS..
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Gut Rumbles: happy birthday to me!
Gut Rumbles: happy birthday to me!
February 16, 2006
happy birthday to me!
As of 0600 this morning, I am 54 years old. Yep, on this day in 1952, at six o'clock in the morning, I came kicking and screaming into this world. I've been kicking and screaming ever since, although that shit wears me out a lot quicker now than it once did. I don't kick as high or scream as loud anymore, either.
Today got off to a good start. Here, I've been selected as blog of the day to add to the glory of my victory in the crap-daddy contest yesterday. See? You can't say that MY LIFE has been wasted. I've got links to prove otherwise.
In waxing philosophical, as I usually do on my birthday, I've discovered that I can divide my life into clear segments--- the phases I struggled through to become the man I am today.
0-7 years: Hillbilly days, in the Kentucky coal mining camp, where the basic values I carry today were ingrained in me. When Recondo 32 and I drove through there in 2004, I didn't recognize the place anymore, but I remember living there very clearly. I have fond memories of those days, but getting out of there was the biggest favor my parents ever did for me.
7-10 years: Difficult transition time, when I learned what it's like to be different from everybody else. I was little, skinny and I talked with a funny accent. I got into a lot of fights.
10-14 years: The Huck Finn period, when I ran the woods like a savage with my equally savage friends. Climbing trees, shooting BB guns, skinny-dipping in the Gun Club Lake, camping out, killing snakes, collecting insects and making war with anything we could find to throw, shoot or launch at each. Bejus! It's a wonder that any of us survived. Today's risk-averse soccer-moms would hyperventilate and drop dead of the vapors if their children did what I did back then. It was fucking WONDERFUL! Every boy should have the chance to live like that.
14-18 years: Tumultuous times, when puberty hit me hard. Those were the Jockstrap Years--- football, basketball, baseball, softball, track and anything else you can name. If it was a game, I played it. That's also when I started regarding wimmen as mysterious, fascinating creatures who made me feel funny in my pants rather than as cootie-depositories to be avoided. They scared the shit out of me, but I wanted one anyway. Physically, I finally lost my cherry. Mentally, I remained confused most of the time.
18-24 years: The Bohemian Period, when I dabbled in higher education while learning to smoke dope, play guitar for money and actually catch pussy when I chased it. I flew the familial coop and started living on my own for the first time. I also discovered that I really liked alcohol. A LOT.
24-29 years: Early Retirement. I chucked a job as an advertising copywriter and became a full-time bar musician. I drove my father crazy by "spinning my wheels" (in HIS opinion) and going nowhere with all that education I had. I didn't care. I was as happy as a dead pig in sunshine. I was responsible for myself and an ugly-assed dog and neither one of us was high-maintenance. Life was good.
29-38 years: Nose to the Grindstone time, when I first learned what marrying the wrong woman can do to you. I put my guitar down and went to work in the chemical plant when that first darlin' decided to get pregnant and lose what little sense she had to begin with when I married her. GAWD! On the plus side, I got a pretty good daughter out of the deal and I learned a very valuable lesson: If you think that you can lift a self-destructive loser UP, you'll end up being dragged DOWN when you try. If I could pick one part of my life to go back and live over again differently, this would be it.
38-40 years: Starting over again. I was flat-ass broke, heavily in debt, homeless and damn near hopeless. I had my truck, my guitars, a few clothes, my job and not much else. I frequently had to make a choice between eating or buying cigarettes because I didn't have enough money to do both. (Cigarettes always won.) I was in a hole so deep that I didn't believe I would EVER see sunshine again. Those were bad times.
40-49 years: The Salad Days in the beginning, except for my father's death. I fell deeply in love for the first time, with a woman who was just as broke as I was. Together, we paid ourselves out of debt and began to prosper. I fathered a son. I bought a mini-farm. I had more than I ever DREAMED I would have and I remember thinking, "This is too good to be true." It was. Cancer and divorce laid a big reality check on my Cracker ass and it damn near killed me. I just THOUGHT I had been in a black hole before. Hell, that was just a rut in the road. I still haven't fully recovered from 2001 and I don't know that I ever will, at least not completely. Strange. I experienced both the happiest and the most miserable days of my life in the same period. I also started blogging.
49-53: Down, down, down days. Impotence. Incontinence. Got a bionic dick and wondered why I bothered. I lost my job because of my politically-incorrect blog and became a full-time drunk. I didn't give a shit about ANYTHING anymore. Spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself. I knew that I was dying, killing myself one drink, one bottle at a time, but I didn't care. When I wrote that I often made a choice at night between setting my alarm clock and reaching for a pistol, I wasn't making that shit up. After I "retired," I didn't have to set the alarm anymore, but I still thought about that pistol. I was a dead man walking anyway. Mama died and I checked myself into rehab just in the nick of time. That was a close one.
53-?: Who knows? I have some vague plans, but I'm not exactly on fire about anything except not taking a drink today. I'm still blogging, working on a book (my 2006 Writer's Market came in the mail yesterday) and living one day at a time. I know better than to say "the worst is over," but I feel pretty good right now. I think I'll hang around a few more years to see what happens next. I've had some pretty remarkable ups and downs in my life, but I've gotta admit one thing: it's not been boring. I've got plenty to write about.
So... happy birthday to me.
Posted by Acidman @ 12:09 PM
February 16, 2006
happy birthday to me!
As of 0600 this morning, I am 54 years old. Yep, on this day in 1952, at six o'clock in the morning, I came kicking and screaming into this world. I've been kicking and screaming ever since, although that shit wears me out a lot quicker now than it once did. I don't kick as high or scream as loud anymore, either.
Today got off to a good start. Here, I've been selected as blog of the day to add to the glory of my victory in the crap-daddy contest yesterday. See? You can't say that MY LIFE has been wasted. I've got links to prove otherwise.
In waxing philosophical, as I usually do on my birthday, I've discovered that I can divide my life into clear segments--- the phases I struggled through to become the man I am today.
0-7 years: Hillbilly days, in the Kentucky coal mining camp, where the basic values I carry today were ingrained in me. When Recondo 32 and I drove through there in 2004, I didn't recognize the place anymore, but I remember living there very clearly. I have fond memories of those days, but getting out of there was the biggest favor my parents ever did for me.
7-10 years: Difficult transition time, when I learned what it's like to be different from everybody else. I was little, skinny and I talked with a funny accent. I got into a lot of fights.
10-14 years: The Huck Finn period, when I ran the woods like a savage with my equally savage friends. Climbing trees, shooting BB guns, skinny-dipping in the Gun Club Lake, camping out, killing snakes, collecting insects and making war with anything we could find to throw, shoot or launch at each. Bejus! It's a wonder that any of us survived. Today's risk-averse soccer-moms would hyperventilate and drop dead of the vapors if their children did what I did back then. It was fucking WONDERFUL! Every boy should have the chance to live like that.
14-18 years: Tumultuous times, when puberty hit me hard. Those were the Jockstrap Years--- football, basketball, baseball, softball, track and anything else you can name. If it was a game, I played it. That's also when I started regarding wimmen as mysterious, fascinating creatures who made me feel funny in my pants rather than as cootie-depositories to be avoided. They scared the shit out of me, but I wanted one anyway. Physically, I finally lost my cherry. Mentally, I remained confused most of the time.
18-24 years: The Bohemian Period, when I dabbled in higher education while learning to smoke dope, play guitar for money and actually catch pussy when I chased it. I flew the familial coop and started living on my own for the first time. I also discovered that I really liked alcohol. A LOT.
24-29 years: Early Retirement. I chucked a job as an advertising copywriter and became a full-time bar musician. I drove my father crazy by "spinning my wheels" (in HIS opinion) and going nowhere with all that education I had. I didn't care. I was as happy as a dead pig in sunshine. I was responsible for myself and an ugly-assed dog and neither one of us was high-maintenance. Life was good.
29-38 years: Nose to the Grindstone time, when I first learned what marrying the wrong woman can do to you. I put my guitar down and went to work in the chemical plant when that first darlin' decided to get pregnant and lose what little sense she had to begin with when I married her. GAWD! On the plus side, I got a pretty good daughter out of the deal and I learned a very valuable lesson: If you think that you can lift a self-destructive loser UP, you'll end up being dragged DOWN when you try. If I could pick one part of my life to go back and live over again differently, this would be it.
38-40 years: Starting over again. I was flat-ass broke, heavily in debt, homeless and damn near hopeless. I had my truck, my guitars, a few clothes, my job and not much else. I frequently had to make a choice between eating or buying cigarettes because I didn't have enough money to do both. (Cigarettes always won.) I was in a hole so deep that I didn't believe I would EVER see sunshine again. Those were bad times.
40-49 years: The Salad Days in the beginning, except for my father's death. I fell deeply in love for the first time, with a woman who was just as broke as I was. Together, we paid ourselves out of debt and began to prosper. I fathered a son. I bought a mini-farm. I had more than I ever DREAMED I would have and I remember thinking, "This is too good to be true." It was. Cancer and divorce laid a big reality check on my Cracker ass and it damn near killed me. I just THOUGHT I had been in a black hole before. Hell, that was just a rut in the road. I still haven't fully recovered from 2001 and I don't know that I ever will, at least not completely. Strange. I experienced both the happiest and the most miserable days of my life in the same period. I also started blogging.
49-53: Down, down, down days. Impotence. Incontinence. Got a bionic dick and wondered why I bothered. I lost my job because of my politically-incorrect blog and became a full-time drunk. I didn't give a shit about ANYTHING anymore. Spent a lot of time feeling sorry for myself. I knew that I was dying, killing myself one drink, one bottle at a time, but I didn't care. When I wrote that I often made a choice at night between setting my alarm clock and reaching for a pistol, I wasn't making that shit up. After I "retired," I didn't have to set the alarm anymore, but I still thought about that pistol. I was a dead man walking anyway. Mama died and I checked myself into rehab just in the nick of time. That was a close one.
53-?: Who knows? I have some vague plans, but I'm not exactly on fire about anything except not taking a drink today. I'm still blogging, working on a book (my 2006 Writer's Market came in the mail yesterday) and living one day at a time. I know better than to say "the worst is over," but I feel pretty good right now. I think I'll hang around a few more years to see what happens next. I've had some pretty remarkable ups and downs in my life, but I've gotta admit one thing: it's not been boring. I've got plenty to write about.
So... happy birthday to me.
Posted by Acidman @ 12:09 PM
Saturday, February 11, 2006
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