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| Thursday, July 16th, 2009 |
havocthecat
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3:47p |
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tskirvin
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10:44a |
George Weisiger
George Weisiger, an old high school classmate, was apparently hit by a drunk
driver while biking near campus. He died early this morning. I was never
exactly close with George, but... shit.
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| Wednesday, July 15th, 2009 |
havocthecat
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7:43p |
Friendslist Help?
Does anyone know of filesharing or MegaUpload style sites that do not delete for lack of activity after a certain period of time? They should be free sites. |
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wonkette
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8:41p |
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wonkette
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8:25p |
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wonkette
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7:55p |
Meghan Dusts Off Her Dueling Pistols, While Bill Nelson Testifies With His Giant Snake
http://wonkette.com/409868/meghan-dusts-off-her-dueling-pistols-and-bill-nelson-testifies-with-his-giant-snake http://wonkette.com/?p=409868  Meghan McCain Twitter-biographer MEGHAN McCAIN has special maternal feelings for sexy senator LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC), who served with distinction as First Mate aboard the Straight Talk Express. The two were practically inseparable on the campaign trail, and during long cold nights, Lindsey would often sit on Meghan’s WARM LAP as she French-braided his GOLDEN TOUPEE. But now Meghan’s Little Lindsey-Lamb has received volleys of disrespect from conservatives for saying he might “vote Yea for WISE SOTOMAYOR-AY!” Are these smack-talkers prepared to duel Meghan, on Twitter, using TRADITIONAL FLINTLOCK BLACKBERRY MACHINES? Because that is the price they must pay, for dishonoring Lindsey Graham so thoroughly ….
Speaking of LATINOS! Actor-director-wrestler shard DAVID ARQUETTE believes there are many Latino women in the world, some of them wise, but others PLUM DUMB CRAZY! He learned this interesting tidbit while pretending to violently thrash a grown man in spandex with a PIECE OF WOOD ….
Outrageous reptile assassin SENATOR BILL NELSON (D-FL) testified before an Environment and Public Works hearing with a 20-FOOT LONG BASILISK delicately woven around the witness table, for aesthetic purposes. Gossip connoisseurs claim Nelson came across the venomous serpent — an invasive species indigenous to J. K. ROWLING WIZARD TREATISES — while tromping around the Everglades, stoned. And like an obedient Democrat, the senator promptly taxed the poor serpent TO DEATH and then aborted “56 eggs ready to hatch” from its mushy snake womb. Nelson celebrated with arguably the most delicious FLORIDA PYTHON OMELET ever, a feast of cheddar cheese and egg yolks exceeded only by ANDREW JACKSON after he slaughtered 1,000 PREGNANT SEMINOLE INDIAN PYTHONS for SUNDAY BRUNCH, in 1818. That’s how the West was won!
Riley Waggaman’s WAGG THE BOG appears constantly here at Wonkette. Send your hot gossip to the usual tips@wonkette.com |
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wonkette
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7:41p |
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fistfullofeuros
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7:50p |
Russian journalist killed in Chechnya
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/fistfulofeuros/bBvg/~3/FpBp8XVZtxg/ http://fistfulofeuros.net/?p=5947 This woman may have had the most dangerous job in the world:
A prominent Russian human rights activist has been found dead hours after being kidnapped in the North Caucasus region.
Natalya Estemirova worked for Memorial, one of Russia’s oldest human rights organizations. She was bundled into a car early on July 15 as she left her home in the Chechen capital, Grozny, her Memorial colleague Aleksandr Cherkasov said.
[...]
Estemirova was a lawyer who documented abductions, torture, and other human rights abuses in Chechnya. She worked with reporters, including murdered journalist Anna Politkovskaya, and other human rights groups.
Tanya Lokshina of Human Rights Watch said Estemirova’s work was vital to uncovering abuses in Chechnya. She said Estemirova “was one of the main people who documented the most terrible crimes during the second Chechen war: torture, extrajudicial executions, abductions.
“Natasha has until now remained one of the few people who have continued reporting crimes perpetrated by forces controlled by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.”
[...]
Estemirova was awarded the first Anna Politkovskaya Prize in 2007 by the Nobel Women’s Initiative. Speaking to RFE/RL’s North Caucasus Service shortly after, she said the authorities were doing nothing to investigate abuses documented by Memorial.
“Changes have happened, changes for the worse. As far as human rights go, it is worse because, first of all, nothing has been done to investigate the crimes that have been committed in Chechnya since 2000,” Estemirova said.
[...]
Estemirova is the latest of many prominent Kremlin critics to have been killed in what human rights groups say is an atmosphere of impunity. Lawyer Stanislav Markelov, another of those to have worked with Estemirova, was gunned down on a Moscow street in January.
Dangerous jobs: being a human rights investigator, human rights lawyer, or investigative journalist in Russia. Really dangerous jobs: being a human rights investigator in Chechnya.
It’ll be interesting to see where this goes. There have been some hints that the Kremlin is a little tired of Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov. He’s a thug and embarrassingly corrupt; more to the point, his one claim to legitimacy in the Kremlin’s eyes — bringing peace and order to Chechnya — is looking a little frayed around the edges, especially since a lot of the trouble in Chechnya just seems to have moved next door to Ingushetia. (Ms. Estemirova’s killers kidnapped her in Chechnya, but dumped her body over the border in Ingushetia. This looks like a crude attempt to blame the crime on the Ingush resistance. Which would be totally consistent with Kadyrov’s character and M.O.) In theory, the Kremlin could use this — the killing of a photogenic ethnic Russian woman — as a sharp stick to poke him.
But I doubt that will happen; while Medvedev may be getting a little weary of Kadyrov, there isn’t a plausible replacement on the horizon.
Still, it raises a question: how many more people like Estimirova, Politkovskaya and Stanirov are left? If I go to the list of journalists murdered in Russia — I’m telling you, everthing is on Wikipedia — I notice that there’s been a marked shift in the last couple of years: journalists are getting killed in the northern Caucasus, or because they were investigating the northern Caucasus. Every killing since 2007 fits that category.
Assuming the list is complete… does this mean (1) that Russia, except for the northern Caucasus, has calmed down enough that journalists are now safe? Or (2) that Russia, except for the northern Caucasus, is a place where journalists no longer cover stories that could get them killed?
I really don’t know the answer, so I’d welcome comments from our Russian and Russophile readership.
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wonkette
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7:10p |
Tired of Gay Liberal Craigslist? Try Gipperslist!
http://wonkette.com/409880/tired-of-gay-liberal-craigslist-try-gipperslist http://wonkette.com/?p=409880 
Tell you what, it’s about dang time they made a craigslist for conservative real ‘mericuns, caint even look for some coonhounds what without gettin’ all distracted by the filthy pre-vert m4m ads, next thing you know the devil done led you to some rest-stop men’s room and stuck some feller’s peter in your mouth, it’s disgraceful.
So, finally, true patriots can stop hookin’ up with other “str8 males” and concentrate on what’s good about America, which is selling shit to fellow Real Americans. Say hello (in English!) to Gipperslist, the kind of place where … well, jesus, nobody’s really using it. Sometimes, it seems like every so-called Republican in the country is a motherfucking RINO leftie, you know? Well hell let’s just click the first state — it’s one of the Real American states, too, where slavery is still legal — and just click the first category in that sea of zeros to actually offer an item for sale. Here, it’s the book section! Who says wingnuts caint read good?
Thanks to Wonkette operative “Banana” for the tip.
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wonkette
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6:47p |
http://wonkette.com/409878/409878 http://wonkette.com/?p=409878
- PAT BUCHANAN URGES MORE RACISM AGAINST SOTOMAYOR: Former Nixon racism strategist Pat Buchanan does not understand why a few of these current Republican leaders continually reject the obvious political benefits of just being completely racist all the time: “Had McCain been willing to drape Jeremiah Wright around the neck of Barack Obama, as Lee Atwater draped Willie Horton around the neck of Michael Dukakis, the mainstream media might have howled. And McCain might be president.” [Human Events]
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wonkette
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6:25p |
Hillary Clinton’s Major Speech(!): ‘Remember, We Are Still Very Capable Of Bombing Everyone, For Fun
http://wonkette.com/409875/hillary-clintons-major-speech-remember-we-are-still-very-capable-of-bombing-everyone-for-fun http://wonkette.com/?p=409875  America’s top bone-shattering Moral Megaphone to the Foreigns, Hillary Clinton, after months of begging, has finally been granted Nobama’s permission to deliver her first major speech as Secretary of State! (18 million cracks, natch.) In her address this afternoon at the Council on Foreign Relations, the famous lady will declare America’s ardent support for capturing terrorists, not capturing non-terrorist muslins (like four people total), preserving human rights everywhere all the time, fixing some minor Israeli/Palestinian tiff, nonproliferation of rad nukes, saving economics, and the climate changes — you know, gay stuff. And yet there is still one comical bit about how America can still just bomb the fuck out of everybody when all else fails, leading Politico’s Mike Allen to label this a “muscular” speech in his definitive preview.
NOT THREATENING you people, not implying anything, we still want to be diplomatic and I am the nation’s top diplomat — A+ for me, Hillary! — but at the end of the day, we simply prefer Warring.
“Not everybody in the world wishes us well or shares our values and interests. Some will seek to undermine our efforts. In those cases, our partnerships will help constrain or deter their actions.
“And to these foes and would-be foes, let me say: You should know that our focus on diplomacy and development is not an alternative to our national security arsenal. You should never see America’s willingness to talk as a sign of weakness to be exploited. We will not hesitate to defend our friends and ourselves vigorously when necessary with the world’s strongest military. This is not an option we seek. Nor is it a threat; it is a promise to the American people.”
“Yeah, no shit, but thanks for the reminder anyway, Devil-Princess,” the foes and would-be foes have responded, on Twitter.
Clinton’s “Muscular” Foreign-Policy Manifesto [Daily Intel] |
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wonkette
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6:16p |
http://wonkette.com/409876/409876 http://wonkette.com/?p=409876  LIBERAL MEDIA DESECRATES SARAH PALIN AGAIN! “Indeed, if political figures stand for ideas, victimization is what Ms. Palin is all about. It is her brand, her myth. Ronald Reagan stood tall. John McCain was about service. Barack Obama has hope. Sarah Palin is a collector of grievances. She runs for high office by griping.” [Wall Street Journal]
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kgarner
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2:50p |
iTunes keeps syncing the same 44 songs OVER and OVER: SOLVED!
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YouCanImagineWhereItGoesFromHere/~3/SZcR-LAUSas/ http://www.kgarner.com/blog/?p=721  Right as OS 3.0 came out iTunesfor the iPhone and just after the latest version of iTunes was release a problem sprung up for me. Without making any changes to any of my music files, iTunes would resync the same 44 songs to the iPhone on every sync. I finally had some time to track it down. Well, in truth, it finally annoyed me enough to find a fix.
It turns out the problems were broken id3 tags. Now, if you ask me how they were broken, I honestly have no idea. What I ended up doing is for mp3s that still had v1 tags, I removed the v1 tags. My first thought was it was mp3s where v1 tags didn’t match v2 tags. I used the excellent command line tool id3v2 to strip off the v1 tags, and then revisited the songs in iTunes information panel to make sure iTunes’s database matched what the songs now looked like. Sync the iPhone, disconnect the iPhone, reconnect the iPhone, sync again, and boom, those files weren’t synced again. Rinse and repeat until all were fixed until…
I ended up finding that a few of the 44 only had v2 tags, so it wasn’t the v1 tags alone. On a whim I tried this fix which seemed to work: In iTunes I converted the v2 tags from say, version 2.3 to 2.2 and back, do the sync, rinse and repeat dance from above and that seemed to fix it.
On a related note, I found an excellent OS X only iTunes utility that does two very cool things I had been doing by hand: adding album art and lyrics. Actually, I hadn’t been adding lyrics, but I’m considering it now that there is an easy way to do it. The cool it called GimmieSomeTune. What makes its album art gathering go above and beyond the iTunes’s native searching of the iTunes store is that if its not in the iTunes store, it’ll try to gather the album art from Amazon. Amazon’s art has been hit and miss in terms of quality, but I prefer to have something there rather than the empty music symbol. (You can also create your own default that will be put in place if iTunes can’t find it in either place.) It also has some interesting features like last.fm integration, but I haven’t had a chance to play with that yet.
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tskirvin
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10:50a |
Learning in the Car
For today's plug: I have now finished three courses from The Teaching
Company. They've all been excellent:
I've got another four courses on their way (thanks, Dad, for sending them to me
first!), all on Classical history. I'm sure I'll get sick of that category
before too long, but for now it's been absolutely fascinating both getting a
more in-depth view of that time period than I had before, as well as getting
multiple viewpoints on it. These things really do feel like well-taught
college courses without the tests or papers. It's cut into my listening to
NPR, but I am certainly learning for it.
If you're into this kind of thing, you should check one out. Just make sure
you only buy them when they're on sale; the price difference is immense.
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wonkette
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5:24p |
Monstrous Hell-Rat Lanny Davis Lobbying For Pro-Coup Honduran Business Group
http://wonkette.com/409874/monstrous-hell-rat-lanny-davis-lobbying-for-pro-coup-honduran-business-group http://wonkette.com/?p=409874  You know what the many Honduran BUSINESS leaders in cahoots with the universally condemned and unrecognized Honduran power-grabbers and U.S. apparel corporations want? A simply return to Law and Order, in Honduras, under this new thug government! So they have hired one of earth’s worst specimens, Washington lawyer/lobbyist/commentator/liar Lanny Davis, to “convince Congress that it should support rather than oppose the military removal of President Manuel Zelaya from office.”
They’re also well aware of Davis’ more famous role as a long-time “Clinton Insider,” and since Hillary Clinton is Secretary of State… well maybe they could work out a little sump’m sump’m, should the Administration back away from its “total condemnation”-like view of the coup.
“This is about the rule of law. That is the only message we have,” Davis told The Hill, before returning to his argument that Hillary Clinton should be given 77 percent of Michigan’s full-voting delegates, still.
[The Hill, Law.com, The Field/Al Giordano] |
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wonkette
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5:10p |
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wonkette
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4:59p |
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theonionfeed
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12:10p |
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havocthecat
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11:50a |
Ficathons
The next time you enter a ficathon, and you think about dropping out, take a couple of minutes and think of how much extra work you dropped onto your ficathon mod. |
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wonkette
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4:29p |
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wonkette
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3:29p |
More Terrible Email Requests From Media Seeking An Audience With Mark Sanford
http://wonkette.com/409869/more-terrible-email-requests-from-media-seeking-an-audience-with-mark-sanford http://wonkette.com/?p=409869  South Carolina’s embarrassing Argentine love-tango scandal may have made its governor look bad, but two parties have emerged from this sad nightmare smelling like little roses: Jenny Sanford, and The State newspaper. Yesterday the paper released a pack of hilariously sycophantic requests from various media outlets to Governor Sanford’s office suggesting that — !!! — sometimes reporters and media types imply that their subjects will get favorable coverage if they’ll just respond to a goddamn interview request.
The State released A Children’s Treasury of Wacky Media Inquiries yesterday, but here are a few more new tidbits from a selection of bloggers and reporters you may have heard of:
- Fellow warblogger Erick Erickson, of RedState: “If he wants something more personal for the blog to push back, I’m happy to help.”
- Jake Tapper, of ABC News and Jake Tapper fame: “With a subject line of ‘NBC spot was slimy,’ Tapper e-mailed [Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer] a ‘Today’ show transcript of Sanford coverage, calling it ‘insulting.’ Later, Tapper forwarded Sawyer a Twitter post by ‘Meet The Press’ host David Gregory.”
- Famous Fox News personality Griff Jenkins: “Having known the Governor for years and even worked with him when he would host radio shows for me, I find the story and the media frenzy surrounding it to be absolutely ridiculous!”
Whores, all. This is why you must never send an email to anyone.
Media jostled for access to Sanford [The State] |
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oildrum_feed
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10:02a |
DrumBeat: July 15, 2009
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/theoildrum/~3/kAvNmU8XXPg/5577
A Costly and Unnecessary New Electricity Grid
Energy experts generally agree that the electrical grid in the United States needs to be upgraded if the country is to increase its use of renewable-energy sources like wind power and significantly reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. But plans to string new high-voltage lines to bring wind power from the midsection of the country to the coasts, where most of the demand is, could be expensive and unnecessary, and a distraction from more urgent needs, some experts say.
A new national grid, which has been likened to the Interstate Highway System constructed in the 1950s, has been proposed by groups such as the Center for American Progress, a Washington-based think tank, and AEP, a large utility; elements of the plans have been included in recent federal legislation. According to this vision, new high-voltage transmission lines costing billions of dollars would be built across the country, augmenting the existing patchwork of transmission lines much as the Interstate Highway System laid down high-speed roadways over an existing network of highways. But such a plan is "only a dream," says Paul Joskow, president of the Sloan Foundation and a professor of economics at MIT. "It's expensive. It's politically contentious. In the end, I think you're better off spending the money on other things."
Robert Rodriguez’s Energy Portfolio
In the case of supply, within the next five years, three countries may reach a peak in oil production: Mexico , China and Russia . Several analysts estimated that Mexican oil production would likely peak around 3.4 million barrels per day and that this event would occur in 2004. Mexico ’s largest oilfield, Cantarell, appears to have peaked and if this is the case, so has Mexican oil production, since six of every ten barrels produced by Mexico comes from this one field. Earlier this year, a 3% decline rate was forecast for Cantarell’s production. This has proved incorrect since it is now estimated that the decline rate is 8%. Obviously, this is likely to be of some concern to Mexico . Should this forecast of peak oil production for these three countries be correct, an additional 35% of non-OPEC oil production will have peaked, and together with the 41% from eleven major countries and others that have experienced a peak in production rates, 76% of non-OPEC oil production might have peaked by 2012. If this occurs, it will give the middle-eastern countries even more clout in the setting of oil prices. This is not a pleasant thought.
From here to there: The evolution of healthcare
Many respected mainstream researchers and even senior members of the financial community agree that the end of cheap, readily available oil is at hand, probably before the end of the next decade. Health care, as it exists now, cannot function without cheap oil. As one submission to an Australian senate committee states: "Rather than looking forward breathlessly to … how stem cells will be curing all sorts of ailments … we should really be asking … How will we be able maintain … childhood immunization in 2030 …"
A bit apocalyptic, but even the rosiest of forecasters do not have a ready rebuttal.
Sheriff's deputies investigate well vandalism
FLORA VISTA, N.M. — The San Juan County Sheriff's Office is investigating several cases of vandalism at wells near Flora Vista owned by Conoco-Phillips.
Undersheriff Mark McCloskey said the vandalism happened last weekend and was reported to authorities on Monday. The vandals smashed electrical panels and gauges, damaged wiring, drained fuel tanks and did other damage.
Lufkin profits take a dive
Oilfield equipment manufacturer Lufkin Industries posted a 79% slump in second-quarter profit as it was hurt by a drop in bookings at its oilfield and power transmission units.
Lufkin warned that uncertain energy markets and economy posed a short to mid-term risk to its operations, but remained optimistic about an improvement in the second half of this year.
US DOE takes step forward on FutureGen coal project
NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) took another step forward on the coal-fueled 275-megawatt FutureGen carbon capture and sequestration power project in Illinois, the DOE said in a release late Tuesday.
Specifically, the DOE said it issued a National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Record of Decision.
"This step forward demonstrates the (Obama) Administration's commitment to developing clean energy technologies, creating jobs and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases," Energy Secretary Steven Chu said in the release.
Monbiot: Energy bill rises to tackle climate change are tiny
Compared with wildly fluctuating wholesale gas and electricity prices, the cost of cutting emissions will scarcely be detectable on future energy bills.
Governments trying to reel in 'ocean sprawl'
(CNN) -- We all know what happens when urban sprawl gets out of control: Commutes back up, smog thickens, and concrete suburbs gobble up green spaces.
But what about "ocean sprawl"?
Until recently, no one gave that idea much thought. But the oceans, like the land, have gotten crowded, and now scientists and policy makers are looking for ways to plan ocean development -- with the aim of preventing our public-owned seas from turning into sprawling, watery versions of Houston, Texas, or Atlanta, Georgia.
Toxins May Have Doomed Ancient Forests
The same noxious compounds released from burning coal and crude oil may have devastated forests and the early dinosaurs that lived in them 200 million years ago.
Bill McKibben - Environment: race against time
At last month’s G8 summit, western leaders including Barack Obama and Gordon Brown pledged to forge a deal that would hold the increase in global temperatures to 2 degrees Celsius and the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide to 450 parts per million.
Two years ago that would have been an unthinkably progressive stance. Then, the American president wanted to do essentially nothing at all about global warming. And because two years ago it seemed like those numbers might be good enough to tackle the problem.
But two years ago, almost to the week, scientists noticed that the Arctic was losing ice at an almost unbelievable pace, outstripping the climate models by decades. Clearly we’d passed a threshold, and global warming had gone from future threat to present crisis. It wasn’t just Arctic ice; at about the same time methane levels in the atmosphere began to spike, apparently as a result of thawing permafrost. Surveys of high altitude glaciers showed they were uniformly melting, and much faster than expected. Oceanographers reported – incredulously – that we’d managed to make the oceans 30% more acidic.
Pemex aims for 48 percent Cantarell oil recovery rate
MEXICO CITY: Mexico's state oil company Pemex plans to reach a recovery rate of 48 percent at its Cantarell field in the northeast marine basin, CEO Jesús Reyes Heroles said in a speech, according to BNamericas.
Comparable fields in other parts of the world have an average 36 percent recovery rate, Reyes Heroles said, according to a transcript.
Nigeria’s Main Rebel Group Threatens to Call off Ceasefire
(Bloomberg) -- Nigeria’s main rebel group threatened to call off a 60-day cease-fire announced overnight following reports that the military is planning to raid one of its camps in the oil-rich Delta region.
The cease-fire will be suspended “with immediate effect” should reports of an attack prove true, Jomo Gbomo, a spokesman for the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, said in an e-mailed statement today.
PetroChina First-Half Refining Profit Rises to Record
(Bloomberg) -- PetroChina Co., the world’s largest company by market value, increased its refining profit to a record in the first half after the government’s revised fuel pricing system allowed refiners to pass on rising costs.
PetroChina’s refining subsidiary achieved a “remarkable performance” in the first half even as processing volumes and operating rates were cut by the financial crisis, parent China National Petroleum Corp. said in a statement today. The refining profit was PetroChina’s highest since its Hong Kong listing in 2000, it said, without giving any figures.
Zimbabwe State Oil Company Back in Charge & Fuel Shortages Return
Fuel shortages have become widespread again in Zimbabwe amid official moves to pull back on issunce of import licenses to new operators, leaving the National Oil Company of Zimbabwe with a an effective monopoly again in the sector, sources said.
VOA was unable to reach Energy Minister Elias Mudzuri of the Movement for Democratic Change formation of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai for comment.
The Philippines: Lawmaker calls for boycott of ‘Big 3’ oil firms
Sen. Francis Pangilinan called on Wednesday for a boycott of Shell, Caltex and Petron unless they follow the lead of Unioil and reduce the prices of their oil products.
He said that Unioil’s decision to cut the price of their gasoline and diesel by as much as P4.75 a liter showed that there was still room for the Big 3 of the local oil industry to reduce their prices also.
“If Unioil can reduce its prices, then the Big 3 could afford to reduce theirs also because they have a deeper pocket,” he said.
Medvedev goes to Germany to defend key projects
MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Dmitry Medvedev will defend a Russia-backed deal to buy German car maker Opel and seek more support for the Nord Stream gas pipeline project when he visits Munich on Thursday, a top Kremlin aide said.
Sergei Prikhodko, the Kremlin's chief foreign policy aide, told reporters that top-level intergovernment consultations in southern Germany would be dominated by efforts to keep afloat bilateral trade and economic ties hit by the global crisis.
Cameroon, Total Sign Oil Exploration Deal for Southwest Region
Total-E&P Cameroon and the government-run National Hydrocarbons Corp., or SNH, signed a deal Tuesday permitting oil exploration in the West African nation's south-western locality of Rio del Ray, SNH said.
The agreement authorizes Total-E&P to explore for oil and gas within the 83 square kilometer Longahe block "for two years, renewable once, for an estimated cost of $10 million."
Australian oil warning
Professor Laurie Sparke, a leading Australian automotive engineering expert, has warned of an energy crunch that could make the 1970s oil crises seem small-time. He says that in coming years Australia may not be able to buy oil, at any price.
The solution he says is gas, and he's making the case that all Australians should consider converting their petrol driven cars to LPG.
Natural gas could brighten America's energy future
It's plausible to argue that oil, the world's most important commodity, will contribute to another U.S. recession, as it did in 1973-74, 1979-80, and 2008-09. So you have to ask if there is another fossil-based energy source that can weaken, if not break, oil's grip on the U.S. economy? Natural gas has a chance, if the right factors line-up.
Our exploding population is the gravest threat Britain faces today
For most of my professional life, I have derided the population alarmists. Those who spent the past few decades warning that there were far too many people in Britain and the wider world had always struck me as shrill, their arguments flawed at best and downright racist at worst.
Back in the Seventies, it was received wisdom that, by the early 21st century, the West would be groaning under the weight of its billions, with famine stalking the land and supermarket shelves empty.
This didn't happen. Instead we face an obesity epidemic, and, in the rich world, ageing populations which - we are told - have to be shored up by mass immigration.
So why have I changed my mind? Why do I now agree that excessive human population is not one of Britain's biggest problems but, arguably, the greatest single threat to health, wealth and well-being we see in the world today?
Welcome to the Middle East, 2030
2026: Crude oil production in the Middle East falls below 20m barrels a day for the first time this century as climate change policies across the world cut fossil fuel demand and reserves in smaller producers run out. The total labour force, though, in MEC countries has doubled since the turn of the century to 200 million, 60 million of whom are unemployed – 7.5m of those in Saudi Arabia alone. Former US President Barack Obama accepts an honorary doctorate in law from the University of Tehran. A woman driving a car is arrested in Riyadh.
Carter’s Speech Therapy
IN the summer of 1979, as millions of Americans idled in creeping gas lines, President Jimmy Carter was preoccupied with matters abroad: first he was in Vienna completing SALT II with Leonid Brezhnev, next pleading for it before Congress, then away in Japan and Korea, hoping to rest in Hawaii afterward.
Instead, a White House reeling from approval numbers lower than Nixon’s urged Mr. Carter to get back home fast and do something. In other words, make a speech that would silence the mobs and revive his presidency. The networks cleared their schedules for July 5, 1979.
L.A.'s Coal Ban Leads to Another Abandoned Power Plant
The Sierra Club enjoyed a victory last week when a Utah-based utility announced it would walk away from plans to build a coal-fired generating unit in the state.
According to the environmental group’s tally, 100 coal plants have been foiled or abandoned since 2001, the beginning of an era it dubbed the “Coal Rush.”
'Water Hog' Label Haunts Dallas
DALLAS -- A reputation as a wasteful "water hog" is complicating Dallas's efforts to siphon water from nearby communities.
Local officials, who say they need to nearly double their water supply in coming decades to keep up with a fast-growing population, want to build new reservoirs and buy water from nearby Oklahoma. But these efforts are entangled in federal lawsuits as Dallas's neighbors see the city's love for emerald-green lawns and lush golf courses as rampant waste.
"It's not that they need the water to survive," said Michael Banks, an East Texas dentist who lives near a river Dallas wants to dam. "What they want is to destroy our wildlife so they'll have enough water for their grass."
Craig's twist: http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14029874
Dr Venter reckons that even with existing technology, it should be possible to turn out ten times more fuel per hectare than can be garnered from maize. That is not a completely fair comparison, of course, as growing algae is far more capital intensive, and requires the plants to be force-fed with CO2. But it can be done on land that is unsuitable for agriculture, as long as a source of CO2 is available.
In the end, that might be the limiting factor, for not all power stations, oil refineries and so on are suitably located for biomanufacturing of this sort. That said, if the process really can be made to work, CO2 would go from being a polluting waste product to a valuable raw material, and it might even become worthwhile building systems to capture it and pipelines to ship it around. That really would be ironic.
Monbiot: The rich can relax. We just need the poor world to cut emissions. By 125%
Well, at least that clears up the mystery. Over the past year I've been fretting over an intractable contradiction. The government has promised spectacular cuts in greenhouse gas emissions. It is also pushing through new roads and runways, approving coal-burning power stations, bailing out car manufacturers and ditching regulations for low-carbon homes. How can these policies be reconciled?
Arctic glacier to lose Manhattan-sized 'tongue'
The biggest glacier in the Arctic is on the verge of losing a chunk of ice the size of Manhattan. A group of scientists and climate change activists who are closely monitoring the Petermann glacier's ice tongue believe the rapid flow of ice is in part due to warm ocean currents moving up along the coast of Greenland, fuelled by global warming.
Michael T. Klare: Will Iraq Be a Global Gas Pump?
Has it all come to this? The wars and invasions, the death and destruction, the exile and torture, the resistance and collapse? In a world of shrinking energy reserves, is Iraq finally fated to become what it was going to be anyway, even before the chaos and catastrophe set in: a giant gas pump for an energy-starved planet? Will it all end not with a bang but with a gusher? The latest oil news out of that country offers at least a hint of Iraq's fate.
For modern Iraq, oil has always been at the heart of everything. Its very existence as a unified state is largely the product of oil.
...Iraq is, of course, one of the world's great hydrocarbon preserves. According to oil giant BP, it harbors proven oil reserves of 115 billion barrels--more than any country except Saudi Arabia (with 264 billion barrels) and Iran (with 138 billion). Many analysts, however, believe that Iraq has been inadequately explored, and that the utilization of modern search technologies will yield additional reserves in the range of 45 to 100 billion barrels. If all its reserves, known and suspected, were developed to their full potential, Iraq could add as much as 6 to 8 million barrels per day to international output, postponing the inevitable arrival of peak oil and a contraction in global energy supplies.
Oil industry profits expected to fall sharply
HOUSTON - Big Oil is set for another big flop.
For the second straight quarter, Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell and most of the world's largest oil companies are poised to report quarterly earnings that pale in comparison to a year ago, when results were buoyed by crude prices that topped out near $150 a barrel.
Oil Rises, Snapping Three Days of Decline, on Stock Market Gain
(Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rose, snapping three days of declines, as share markets advanced and an industry report showed a drop in gasoline stockpiles in the U.S., the world’s largest energy consumer.
Oil climbed from an eight-week low after the industry- funded American Petroleum Institute yesterday said gasoline inventories fell 69,000 barrels last week. Asian stocks gained for a second day after U.S. stocks advanced on stronger-than- estimated retail sales, bolstering hopes a recovering economy will increase fuel demand.
U.S. CPI seen up in June by most since July 2008
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Higher costs for oil and gasoline likely pushed U.S. consumer prices up in June by the most for any single month since oil prices peaked last summer, according to a poll of economists.
The Consumer Price Index, the most broadly used gauge of U.S. inflation, will likely help further dissipate fears over the potential for deflation, a broad-based pattern of declining prices, and could spur inflation jitters.
Venezuela tells oil workers: join socialist groups
CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela's oil workers will be suspected of conspiring against President Hugo Chavez's socialist revolution if they do not join socialist workplace groups in the OPEC nation, the oil minister said on Tuesday.
Ramirez, who told oil workers to support Chavez ahead of his 2006 reelection, has long headed the president's drive to bring politics into Venezuela's main industry.
Nigerian rebels halt offensive, seek peace talks
ABUJA (Reuters) – Nigeria's most prominent militant group on Wednesday declared a 60-day ceasefire in its offensive against Africa's biggest oil industry to provide a chance for peace talks with the government.
The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), responsible for attacks that have cut around 300,000 barrels per day of Nigeria's oil output since May, said its decision was also a goodwill gesture for the release of rebel leader Henry Okah on Monday.
"Hopefully, the ceasefire period will create an enabling environment for progressive dialogue," MEND said in a statement.
Rosneft, Lukoil Face Profit Squeeze on Higher Export Duties
(Bloomberg) -- Russian oil producers including OAO Rosneft and OAO Lukoil are likely to have their profit margins squeezed as the country prepares to raise export duties for the fourth straight month even as prices fall.
The export duty for crude may be increased to $222 a metric ton, or $30.29 a barrel, on Aug. 1 from $212.60 a ton in July, Alexander Sakovich, deputy head of the Finance Ministry’s Customs Payments Department, said by phone today. The figures aren’t final and have to be approved by the government.
Total Says European Refining Margins Slump on Demand
(Bloomberg) -- Total SA said refining margins in Europe slumped 69 percent in the second quarter compared with a year earlier, amid weak demand for gasoline and diesel.
Profits from turning a barrel of crude oil into fuels plummeted to $12.40 a metric ton, or $1.69 a barrel, from $40.20 a ton last year, Europe’s biggest refiner said on its Web site today. That’s also down from $34.70 a ton in the first quarter, according to the Paris-based company.
Morgan Stanley Wins Bid to Supply LNG to Argentina, Clarin Says
(Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley won a bid to supply Argentina with three liquefied natural gas shipments, beating a more costly offer from Repsol YPF SA, newspaper Clarin reported, without saying where it obtained the information.
UK targets stemming gas imports
The British government wants to ensure that gas imports do not rise between 2010 and 2020, it said today.
UK gas imports are widely expected to rise over the next few years as Britain's own gas output declines but Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband told parliament today that imports should not climb beyond 2010, wrote Reuters.
Origin, Conoco May Delay Australia LNG Venture, Merrill Says
(Bloomberg) -- ConocoPhillips and Origin Energy Ltd. may have to delay their A$35 billion ($28 billion) liquefied natural gas project because the venture hasn’t signed up fuel buyers, Bank of America Corp.’s Merrill Lynch & Co. unit said.
“With global forecast demand continuing to soften, Origin will struggle to get a contract for its January 2014 target,” the Merrill Lynch analysts wrote in a note dated yesterday. The project remains “on track” for that date, said Lina Melero, a Sydney-based spokeswoman for Origin.
TIMELINE - Key dates in Ambani brothers' feud
MUMBAI (Reuters) – A dispute between the billionaire Ambani brothers over the supply and pricing of natural gas comes as a test of India's governance standards and could discourage investment in India's energy sector as the country scrambles to shore up its energy security.
Following is a timeline of key dates in the Ambani rift.
Tullow to Make Ghana Top 50 Oil Producer With Jubilee
(Bloomberg) -- Tullow Oil Plc said Ghana will become one of the world’s top 50 oil producers after the government approved a plan to pump crude from the Jubilee field in the second half of 2010.
The deposit, to be developed with a floating production, storage and offloading vessel, or FPSO, will reach a plateau rate of 120,000 barrels of oil a day, the London-based company said today in a statement. Ghana also approved an agreement between the project partners to rearrange their holdings.
Yanbu National Starts Output at Petrochemical Complex
(Bloomberg) -- Yanbu National Petrochemical Co., a unit of Saudi Basic Industries Corp., started production from its 4 million ton-a-year complex in Yanbu Industrial City as the world’s largest oil supplier expands its chemical output.
The plant has the capacity to produce 1.3 million tons of ethylene and 800,000 tons of polyethylene, the company said today in a statement on the Saudi bourse Web site. Ethylene is a basic chemical used in glues and plastics, such as car dashboards. Propylene and polypropylene will also be produced at the complex.
Entergy pushes to get spinoff of reactors done
NEW ORLEANS – Entergy Corp. has filed a proposal with utility regulators in New York state in a push to get approval of its long-running plan to spin off some of its nuclear power plants into a separate company.
Under a plan announced in late 2007, Entergy would spin off six nuclear reactors involved in the wholesale power business into a separate publicly traded company called Enexus Energy Corp.
U.K. to Invest $330 Million in Green Technology Industries
(Bloomberg) -- Business Secretary Peter Mandelson said the U.K. government will invest more than 200 million pounds ($330 million) in new environmental technology as part of an effort to cut the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Mandelson’s Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, published today, says jobs can be created in areas including renewable power generation, such as wind and tidal power, in building new nuclear power stations, and in developing energy-efficient buildings and vehicles. It pledges to intervene to provide finance and infrastructure for these projects.
Tackling climate change will require 'comprehensive changes' in the UK's economy and society: Miliband
Tackling climate change will require "comprehensive changes" in the UK's economy and society, energy secretary Ed Miliband said today as he unveiled plans to slash emissions from power, transport, agriculture and industry.
Laying out how the UK would meet its legally binding targets to cut emissions by 34% by 2020, he said 40% of electricity would come from low carbon sources including renewables, nuclear and clean coal by the end of the next decade.
US, China announce clean energy research center
BEIJING – The United States and China, the world's biggest greenhouse gas emitters, announced plans for a joint clean energy research center Wednesday as the American commerce secretary appealed to Beijing to avoid imposing trade barriers on green technology.
The research center is an effort at compromise between the two governments, which disagree on whether China should join richer nations in adopting binding emissions-reduction targets to stave off environmental devastation from climate change.
Experts hail Sahara-Europe solar plan
FRANKFURT (AFP) – Far-sighted plans to energise Europe by tapping solar power from the sweltering Sahara desert offer bright prospects but must not overshadow renewable sources closer to home, experts say.
Turbine rules may foil wind ventures
A majority of "construction ready" wind projects in Ontario won't go forward if the province passes regulations that keep wind turbines a minimum distance from residences, roads and railway lines, warns Canada's wind energy association.
Association president Robert Hornung, in a lengthy letter to Environment Minister John Gerretsen, said more than three-quarters of 103 advanced-stage wind projects will likely be affected if the new rules are enacted.
Green My Ride
“About the most disgusting thing in the world,” Mike Brown says conversationally, “is to be parked in traffic, and have one of those Dodge Ram trucks with a huge exhaust pipe sticking in your window. Most of them don’t even have enough class to use biodiesel.”
Given Brown’s distaste for the stink of fuel, he’s in the right business. He and his wife Shari Prange have been selling kits to convert gas cars to electric vehicles for 30 years at their Bonny Doon shop, Electro Automotive. On a recent sunny afternoon, he took me out for a spin in two different electric cars, a black Volkswagen and a zippy little orange Porsche. Along the way he talked about charge and volts and mileage, and I focused on keeping my lunch where it belonged. Electric cars, contrary to popular belief, go plenty fast. We got up to 50 mph on the dizzying hairpin turns and hills of Bonny Doon, and he says many electric vehicles will reach 75 mph on a flat road.
5 Reasons to Fear Inflation
The ongoing recession / depression has been a boon to those who have long scoffed at the whole notion of Peak Oil - that cheap energy, fossil fuel that comes gushing up from out of the ground with little or no effort and has served as the very foundation of the world economy over the last 80 years or so, will soon be a thing of the past.
Of course, the fact that economic growth is now declining for the first time since the Great Depression puts a whole new spin on things, albeit, just a temporary one.
That is, unless what we've seen over the last nine months is what we'll be seeing for years and years and years.
Since changes in global energy consumption are inextricably tied to changes in economic growth, the only way that peak oil is not going to be a problem in the years ahead is if the global economy grows at a much slower pace. Slow growth means less jobs which mean lots of people have lots of idle time on their hands and governments don't generally like that.
We Can Produce Less and Consume More
A major gulf between environmental and social justice activists is "stuff." Environmentalists (or at least serious ones) say "less." Social justice organizers have the habit of saying "more."
This divisive question cuts to the edge of the sort of society we want to build. Deep greens envision a world with much less stuff. A great outline is Annie Leonard's The Story of Stuff. An excess of human-produced objects destroys species habitat, poisons communities with toxins, depletes oil and intensifies climate change.
Social justice activists, however, have devoted centuries to denouncing capitalism as placing fetters on the expansion of production. Whether the struggle is against racism, for labor rights, or resistance to imperialism, the cry is for the oppressed to have a much bigger piece of the pie.
A Son of Portland, Ore., Tries to Puncture the Myth of 'Smart Growth'
Randal O'Toole thinks riding the train damages the climate more than driving an SUV. And he thinks his numbers prove it.
The World Food Crisis in Historical Perspective
The "agflation" that brought this crisis to the world's attention at the turn of 2008 saw the doubling of maize prices, wheat prices rising by 50 percent, and rice increasing by as much as 70 percent, bringing the world to a "post-food-surplus era." In an article in the Economist titled "The End of Cheap Food," the editors noted that, by the end of 2007, the magazine's food-price index reached its highest point since originating in 1845. Food prices had risen 75 percent since 2005, and world grain reserves were at their lowest, at fifty-four days. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), agflation from rising agrofuels production "would lead to decreases in food availability and calorie consumption in all regions of the world, with Sub-Saharan Africa suffering the most."
The current conjuncture is associated with the intensification of energy and food demand in an age of peak oil. A rising class of one billion new consumers is emerging in twenty "middle-income" countries "with an aggregate spending capacity, in purchasing power parity terms, to match that of the U.S." This group includes new members of the OECD - South Korea, Mexico, Turkey, and Poland, in addition to China and India (with 40 percent of this total) - and the symbols of their affluence are car ownership and meat consumption. These two commodities combine - through rising demand for agrofuels and feed crops - to exacerbate food price inflation, as their mutual competition for land has the perverse effect of rendering each crop more lucrative, at the same time as they displace land used for food crops.
Transition Communities discussed at Natural Sciences
"Cuba hit peak oil overnight," said Bill Mettler, one-half of the brotherly duet Quiet Riot. The occasion was a presentation on Transition Communities at the Academy of Natural Sciences, July 9.
Transition communities are communities that take active steps to prepare for peak oil and climate change. Although the issue of climate change will be familiar to many people thanks to its prominence in the news, the concept of peak oil may require some explanation.
Peak oil – for a country – is the point in time when the availability of petroleum begins to decline. Cuba had received a large portion of its oil from the Soviet Union. When that source ended, the Cuban government had to close factories, reduce agricultural fertilization, and cut back on gasoline for private transportation. The government proceeded to buy thousands of bicycles from China and invent new forms of public transit. And at the neighborhood level, the government was forced to tolerate private gardening on state property.
Sen. Barrasso Makes a Name for Himself Fighting EPA, Climate Bill
Earlier this year Barrasso used his ability to delay nominations to temporarily block Obama's nominee to lead EPA's air office over concerns about the administration's climate policies. He has criticized the administration for using the threat of the endangerment finding as a cudgel used to spur support for more flexible legislative efforts.
"There is an effort to force Congress to pass something under threat of action by the Environmental Protection Agency," Barrasso said in an interview. "And I think that should be a decision for Congress to make, not for the Environmental Protection Agency. If you take a look at who, when they wrote that initial bill, there was no conception that something like that would be used to regulate carbon."
Britain may go back on its promise not to buy ‘permits to pollute’ from poor nations
Britain’s plan to cut its carbon dioxide emissions by more than a third by 2022 could be achieved by buying “permits to pollute” from poor countries rather than genuine reductions in domestic emissions, according to documents seen by The Times.
A draft copy of the Government’s energy strategy, due to be published today, reveals that ministers have considered scrapping a commitment made three months ago intended to prevent the UK from buying so-called “carbon offsets” from developing nations. It states that while genuine cuts would be preferable, carbon offsets — where one country is paid to make reductions in emissions on another’s behalf — should be reserved as an “insurance option”.
Chilly reminder of potential disaster
A former mining sector executive who has been warning about the advent of peak oil for nearly a decade, Mr Dunlop said he became aware of the potential effects of greenhouse gases nearly 50 years ago.
“During the 60s, I was working in London for Shell doing scenario planning around the impact of atmospheric carbon dioxide on the environment,’’ Mr Dunlop said.
“Over the years, the climate change evidence has been building up and we really need to start looking at how we can stop it. We need to rethink how we do things.’’
Carbon Tariffs A Veil For Protectionism: China
BEIJING (AFP)--China said Wednesday it was against proposals to impose "carbon tariffs" on goods manufactured in the developing world, saying such moves were a pretext for trade protectionism.
Any such laws, which have been mooted in the U.S. and France, would breach World Trade Organisation rules, said Yao Jian, a Chinese commerce ministry spokesman.
"Behind such a policy, there is an attempt to impose trade protectionism under the name of environmental and resource protection," Yao told reporters.
Gore urges Australia to lead global warming fight
SYDNEY (AFP) – Climate campaigner Al Gore has challenged Australia to lead the fight against global warming, saying it was well placed to find alternative energy sources.
The former US vice president met Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in Sydney to discuss progress on cutting greenhouse gas emissions and reaching renewable energy targets ahead of a UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December.
Swapping technologies fails to address the root causes of climate change
Technology is part of the solution to climate change. But only part. Techno-fixes like some of those in the Guardian's Manchester Report simply cannot deliver the carbon cuts science demands of us without being accompanied by drastic reductions in our consumption. That means radical economic and social transformation. Merely swapping technologies fails to address the root causes of climate change.
We need to choose the solutions that are the cheapest, the swiftest, the most effective and least likely to incur dire side effects. On all counts, there's a simple answer – stop burning the stuff in the first place. Consume less.  |
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Global Imbalances Continue...
http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/BradDelongsSemi-dailyJournal/~3/GQx8vL5G5tM/global-imbalances-continue.html Lex:
FT.com / Lex / Finance & governance - China’s $2,000bn foreign reserves: It appears the great unwinding of global imbalances and the dollar’s ensuing demise are notions that belong up there with the tooth fairy. China added $178bn to its foreign reserves in the second quarter, taking its total booty past $2,000bn, the equivalent of twice the annual economic output of New York
Although there are no official statistics on how China has apportioned these new reserves, US data supports the thesis that China is not yet jettisoning the dollar, however antsy Beijing gets about the greenback’s global dominance. Even so, the pattern of China’s reserve accumulation is changing. While China is still buying more US debt, it is not necessarily doing so with cash recycled from American consumers. The sum of China’s trade surplus and foreign direct investment, the usual driver of reserve accumulation, was the lowest in three years. At about $60bn, it was also almost half last year’s quarterly average of $100bn, according to Royal Bank of Scotland. Rather, China’s hoarding is being driven by hot money.
After all, China, the world’s favourite green shoot, is back in bubble land; its reserve growth is just one indication of this. Estimates vary widely, but between $30bn and $70bn of speculative capital flowed into China in the second quarter. Some of that may be anticipating a possible revaluation of the renminbi. More likely are flows into real assets such as property or the stock market, where volumes are running at as much as three times last year’s levels. Hong Kong residents, having spent much of the past year grinding down their renminbi deposits, added more funds in May.
To mop up some of this liquidity, Beijing has started selling one-year sterilisation bills again (so far this year, the central bank has actually injected net cash into the system). Last year, it issued an estimated $170bn of these bills. Roaring reserves, a bubbly stock market and the tentative start of monetary tightening: all these recall the glory days of 2007-08. Still, don’t expect everything to return full cycle. Exports, for one, are weak. While that remains the case, renminbi appreciation is off the cards.
 
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PETA Sponsored Happiness And Other Ways to Indulge This Weekend
http://wonkabout.com/409863/peta-sponsored-happiness-and-other-ways-to-indulge-this-weekend/?from=wonkette_post http://wonkette.com/?p=409863  Wednesday, July 15: Today, for your dining pleasure, head to Capitol Hill to watch Playboy Playmate of the Year, Jayde Nicole, hand out veggie hot dogs while wearing only strategically placed lettuce leaves. Why, yes, this is the diabolical work of PETA in celebration of National Veggie Dog Day. Get there early to score your very own copy of PETA’s Vegetarian Starter Kit! Starts at noon. [Veggie Dogs] (more…)</li>
- Sunday, July 19: Anything named “The Coolout” should have you wary of how cool it actually is, but if you enjoy rooftops and mojitos you’ll probably enjoy the event. “Coolout” is a rooftop hotel party on the roof of the Beacon Hotel. It goes from 3-9PM on Sundays, and features two full bars and some of DC’s best DJs. [Coolout]
- Tuesday, July 21: It seems like July is the month to declare independence. July 21 is Belgian Independence Day, and a few restaurants in DC are hosting celebrations. On Tuesday, head to Belga Café for unlimited select free beers and select beers at half-price starting at 10PM. Cost is $10. Or check out Brasserie Beck for an evening that will feature delicious food and some of the best imports and brews from Belgian breweries. Cost is $100. [Belga Café, Brasserie Beck]
- Eat here: Two of DC’s best chefs, Brian Voltaggio of Volt and Mike Isabella of Zaytinya, will be featured on the upcoming season of Bravo’s Top Chef. Whether you watch the show religiously or couldn’t care less about who can make the best tuna tartare, the fact that these chefs are being featured on the shows means that these restaurants are well worth eating at. [Volt, Zaytinya]
- Be A Real World Blur: If you’re hankering to be led back to the “Real World” den to end up as a blur in their hot tub, you may run into the cast at the Chi Cha Lounge, which they have been known to frequent. It’s a fun lounge, especially if you enjoy smoking hookah and spending the night with sophisticated folk. But other than that, the drinks are expensive and the music hovers between being too loud to hold conversation but not interesting enough to warrant dancing. [Chi-Cha Lounge]
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Silly Jon Corzine once abandoned his comfy job as a United States Senator in order to waste all of his money on a bid for Governor of New Jersey, that scorching slab of rocks and trash soundtracked to the din of furious rats screaming about property taxes. But as Corzine would soon discover, trying to balance the budget during a Great New Depression that your state’s top earners spent years engineering at their day jobs across the Hudson will make you VERY UNPOPULAR. And now that Corzine’s trailing by double-digits in his bid for reelection this November, his magic 8-ball of Despair has 
Aww, helpful orange minority leader John Boehner drew a pretty picture proving that health care in the United States is complicated. 