Jiblog is the intellectual repository of a Midwestern, gas guzzlin', beer chuggin', one woman lovin', son of a bitch conservative.
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Mubarak bans independent poll monitors; Jimmy Carter welcomed
"We want to reassure the West that everything here in Egypt is on the up and up," said a government spokesperson. "The best way to do this is to invite Jimmy Carter to Egypt to certify the legitimacy of our elections."
Carter, through his Carter Foundation, has monitored such elections as the 1999 Cherokee Nation election and the 2004 Venezuela election, ensuring that the Democratic process is carried out in the will of the people.
(This post is satire. Carter has not been invited to oversee the Egyptian election. Yet.)
Pets and disasters
Monday, September 05, 2005
Forbes: Oil bubble to pop
He said factors such as inflation and increased demand for oil from China and India accounted for only a small part of the price hike from $US25-30 a barrel three years ago.
"The rest of it is sheer bubble speculation," he said.
Mr Forbes, who was speaking at the opening of the Forbes Global CEO Conference in Sydney yesterday, said the higher the oil price rose, the harder it would eventually crash, creating more pain for hedge fund managers and their clients.
"I don't think it's going to go to $US100 but if it does the crash is going to be even more spectacular," he said.
"It will make the hi-tech bubble look like a picnic -- this thing is not going to last."
He predicted that oil would fall to $US30-35 a barrel within a year.
I concur.
Farewell to summer
Jessica Andrews at Taste of Madison
Taste of Madison
Saturday, September 03, 2005
William Rehnquist 1924-2005
Huffington and her merry band of fools
Helping the country
Friday, September 02, 2005
Creepy
To rebuild or not to rebuild, it's not much of a question
New Orleans will be rebuilt, and rebuilt right where she stands. It is almost a practical impossibility that it won't be. First, the money involved in clean up is not an issue. That money will need to be spent whether New Orleans is rebuilt or not. And if it isn't rebuilt, the area it now occupies will have to be flooded. Leaving that city there, as is, unhibatited and under water, would be a huge environemental disaster. So either way, you have to drain the city and clean it up. Now, if you rebuild it, your can recoup the investment to some extent. If you do not rebuild, you must then go in and remove most of the buildings and much of the infrastructure so it is not further environmentally harmful. As is, some buildings will be salvageable, and the infrastructure repairable. So removing the city will probably be more expensive than rebuilding it, with no hope of recouping that money through future economic activity in the area. In addition to all of the work involved in removing the city, you have to buy out private property owners. As is American nature, some will fight the buy out, and the court costs will have to be tacked onto the bill. And politically, abandoning New Orleans will be a non-starter.
New Orleans is a cursed city. It will be rebuilt, but it will be destroyed again someday by man or by nature. The only way it won't be rebuilt is if, God forbid, another category 4 or 5 storm tracks into the city this fall and causes more horrific damage to the levees. But wisdom says we should probably rethink the idea of New Orleans for the sake of future city inhabitants.
Forethought
Another caller who evacuated New Orleans brought up an interesting point. Nothing could really get into New Orleans once the evacuation order was given because the roads going into the city were all made into northbound lanes. When the caller got a little further out, he saw convoys of trucks heading towards the Mississippi coast in prepartion for the repair and relief efforts of a storm that had not even arrived yet. For New Orleans, with only two main roads in and out of town, this may have been the only choice in order to get people out quick. But for a city and a state that has known the vulnerability of the area for years upon years, that's not an excuse.
For the record...
Flotilla
Update
See the comments section for why a private flotilla was impractical.
Bill Clinton, team player
When looting is morally right
Now, when it comes a lot of the other stuff being brazenly stolen, I have zero tolerance. How is a television or a DVD player going to help you survive? That's right, it isn't. It still is morally wrong to steal in order to enrich one's self during a disaster. It may be wrong to steal to survive, but I think enough people are willing to turn a blind eye to it, because it is damn tough to tell someone making a life or death decision to choose the option that will more likely entail death.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
A day of observations
*Here in Wisconsin, there is a fifty cent swing in gas prices over an area that takes 2 hours to drive. The prices I saw today ranged from $2.99 to $3.49.
*I spoke with a colleague of mine in Florida today. This guy is one of the most tenacious people that I know. He sounded sapped and defeated. He has had near misses with several huricanes in the past couple of years, and he had another near miss when Katrina changed course slightly on her way to Florida. It sounded like he was re-thinking his decision to live in Florida. He is also turning on President Bush. I'm left wondering how many people are just like him.
*As expensive as gas is, traffic seemed to be just as heavy as usual.
*Between conversations I've had and all of the radio I've listened to today, there is growing doubt about whether we should even rebuild New Orleans. Money says it can't not be rebuilt. But that's a later post.
*There is ample irrationality out there right now.
Why?
Your choice: Expensive or none
Most of you are going to want to have the freedom to continue to buy that product, even if at greater expense. Now I want you to substitute "gasoline" for your favorite product, because that's what we are looking at right now. Because of hurricane Katrina, the gas supply is tight right now, there is no denying that. I know a lot of people are bitching about the gas stations jacking up prices immediately, but you shouldn't. The reason gas prices are jumping is not because "big oil" is trying to profit off of your back. It is because they know that if they don't raise prices, we are going to consume as much gasoline as we usually do. If we do that, the supply of gasoline is going to outstripped by demand very quickly, and there would be widespread gas shortages. Gas shortages will not be good for you, for the economy, or for "big oil". The quick increases in gas prices are in part an attempt to bring the demand down a little bit to ensure a steady supply of gasoline to the market. Yes, gas stations are making a higher margin on that gasoline that was in their tanks before yesterday, but before long, they'll be back at their regular margins and their volume will be way down because of the higher prices, so don't think that all is rosy for retail petroleum. I'm not trying to tell you that gas companies are raising prices out of benevolence. What I am saying is that they are not going to profit off of this the way many people think, and by protecting themselves with higher prices, they are in a sense protecting us from us, and hopefully ensuring a steady supply of gasoline instead of widespread shortages. It is the market at work, and next Tuesday when you can still put gas in your car, you can thank the market for the price increases of this week.
Top 100 of 1994
1. The Sign, Ace Of Base
2. I Swear, All-4-One
3. I'll Make Love To You, Boyz II Men
4. The Power Of Love, Celine Dion
6. Stay (I Missed You), Lisa Loeb and Nine Stories
7. Breathe Again, Toni Braxton
9. All That She Wants, Ace Of Base
10. Don't Turn Around, Ace Of Base
11. Bump N' Grind, R. Kelly
12. Again, Janet Jackson
13. I'll Remember, Madonna
14. Whatta Man, Salt-N-Pepa
15. Wild Night, John Mellencamp and Me'shell Ndegeocello
17. You Mean The World To Me, Toni Braxton
18. Can You Feel The Love Tonight, Elton John
19. The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, Prince Symbol
20. Fantastic Voyage, Coolio
21. Baby I Love Your Way, Big Mountain
22. Regulate, Warren G and Nate Dogg
23. If You Go, Jon Secada
24. Back and Forth, Aaliyah
25. Now And Forever, Richard Marx
26. When Can I See You, Babyface
28. So Much In Love, All-4-One
29. Shoop, Salt-N-Pepa
30. Any Time, Any Place / And On And On, Janet Jackson
31. Shine, Collective Soul
33. Return To Innocence, Enigma
34. All I Wanna Do, Sheryl Crow
35. Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, Crash Test Dummies
36. Can We Talk, Tevin Campbell
37. Funkdafied, Da Brat
38. I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That), Meat Loaf
39. Gangsta Lean, Drs
40. Because The Night, 10,000 Maniacs
41. Cantaloop, US3
42. Whoomp! (There It Is), Tag Team
43. Come To My Window, Melissa Etheridge
44. Stroke You Up, Changing Faces
45. I'm Ready, Tevin Campbell
46. 100% Pure Love, Crystal Waters
48. Because Of Love, Janet Jackson
49. Linger, Cranberries
50. Loser, Beck
51. Found Out About You, Gin Blossoms
52. Gin And Juice, Snoop Doggy Dogg
53. Never Lie, Immature
54. Streets Of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen
55. Getto Jam, Domino
56. Endless Love, Luther Vandross and Mariah Carey
57. I Miss You w/ Aaron Hall 58, Understanding, Xscape
59. This D.J., Warren G
60. Cry For You, Jodeci
61. Keep Ya Head Up, 2Pac
62. Who Am I (What's My Name?), Snoop Doggy Dogg
63. Another Night, Real McCoy
64. Your Body's Callin', R. Kelly
65. Tootsee Roll, 69 Boyz
66. I Can See Clearly Now, Jimmy Cliff
67. Never Keeping Secrets, Babyface
68. Crazy, Aerosmith
70. At Your Best (You Are Love), Aaliyah
72 Amazing, Aerosmith
73. Always, Erasure
74. Groove Thang, Zhane
75. Dreams, Gabrielle
76. Mr. Vain, Culture Beat
77. Mary Jane's Last Dance, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
78. Anything, SWV
79. Beautiful In My Eyes, Joshua Kadison
80. Stay, Eternal
81. Flava In Ya Ear, Craig Mack
82. U.N.I.T.Y., Queen Latifah
83. Prayer For The Dying, Seal
84. Secret, Madonna
85. Here Comes The Hotstepper, Ini Kamoze
86. Everyday, Phil Collins
87. Don't Take The Girl, Tim McGraw
88. Got Me Waiting, Heavy D and The Boyz
89. December 1963 (Oh, What A Night), Four Seasons
90. Indian Outlaw, Tim McGraw
91. Always, Bon Jovi
92. I'm The Only One, Melissa Etheridge
93. Back In The Day, Ahmad
94. Love Sneakin' Up On You, Bonnie Raitt
95. I'll Take You There, General Public
96. Always In My Heart, Tevin Campbell
97. What Is Love, Haddaway
98. And Our Feelings, Babyface
99. Bop Gun (One Nation), Ice Cube
100. I Wanna Be Down, Brandy



