May 28, 2010

Here comes Katla

I mentioned awhile back that the Katla volcano in Iceland almost always erupts along with the Eyjafjallajökull volcano, which has been erupting for quite some time.  Well, Katla is starting to rumble...

Icelandic President Ólafur Grímsson has warned governments around Europe that a significant eruption at the volcano is close. "We [Iceland] have prepared ... it is high time for European governments and airline authorities all over Europe and the world to start planning for the eventual Katla eruption," he said.

Katla's quiet a bit bigger than the unpronounceable Eyjafjallajökul... so travelers beware...

May 24, 2010

Daley Threatens Reporter and Supremes

John Kaas lays it down for the people of Chicago.

Daley has been a bully his entire life, a child of muscle and privilege, and now he's terrified at the prospect that his citizens might think he's lost control of the streets.

The police despise him. Their department is terribly understaffed and overworked. Taxpayers want more cops. But there's no money for additional police because Daley wasted it all, hundreds of millions of dollars year after year after year on deals for his cronies.

While Daley spent his life pushing weaker people around, Thomas Wortham spent his life as a man of service. Now he's cold at the funeral home, waiting for burial.

His Chatham neighborhood once was considered free of violence. It is the home of Sen. Roland Burris, of former Police Supt. police Superintendent Terry Hilliard, of lawyers, judges, doctors, bus drivers and steelworkers.

Neighbors recalled Cole Park, just across the street from Wortham's boyhood home, as a place to see the best basketball players in the city. Even a young rookie named Michael Jordan played hoops in pick-up games.

Now there are iron bars over the rims to discourage young men from congregating in the park, the scene of a recent rash of shootings.

Read the whole thing and ask yourself who would vote for a mayor who behaves so.

May 18, 2010

Knights to play at Lucas Oil Stadium

Norwell vs. Bellmont at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indy on 9/11

Norwell and Bellmont will play their football game in Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, September 11th as one of five games in the Horseshoe Hall of Fame Classic sponsored by the Indianapolis Colts.

Go Knights, beat Braves!

Just how serious is LA about boycotting AZ?

It turns out Los Angeles obtains about 25% of it's power from power plants in Arizona.  Since LA has voted to boycott AZ, I can't wait to see if Los Angeles will actually pursue turning off its bright lights to hurt companies in Arizona.  I won't hold my breath.

If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation. I am confident that Arizona's utilities would be happy to take those electrons off your hands. If, however, you find that the City Council lacks the strength of its convictions to turn off the lights in Los Angeles and boycott Arizona power, please reconsider the wisdom of attempting to harm Arizona's economy.

People of goodwill can disagree over the merits of SB 1070. A state-wide economic boycott of Arizona is not a message sent in goodwill.


Nice comeback, Arizona!

May 17, 2010

Pelosi: Quit your job. Follow your dream.

Nancy, quit-your-job-follow-your-dream, Pelosi tells folks to give up the rat race, become a musician or an artist, the government will take care of your day-to-day health care needs.

This from the third in-line to become President?  Does she never watch the early shows on American Idol?

Last Ziegfeld Girl passes away

Doris Eaton Travis passed away on May 11th.  She was the last living Ziegfeld girl.

May 11, 2010

NASDAQ has do overs?

More than 10,000 trades undone... losers made whole, winners lose...
Only trades that occurred between 2:40 p.m. and 3 p.m. EST at prices at least 60 percent above or below a security's price at 2:40 p.m. were cancelled, prompting howls of protest from some investors.

Many complaining investors suffered considerable losses, but below the 60 percent threshold, when the inexplicable plunge triggered long-standing stop-loss sell orders. Others who complained had winning trades unwound. They said they should not be punished for stepping in to support the market and help end the steep price slide.
This seems to be the story of the last year or so... restore those who made bad decisions and flatten the winners.

May 7, 2010

Without Regard to Ability

There are quite a few teachers facing layoffs in Indiana -- several of them have been honored as great teachers.  It is the Teachers' Union contract that refuses to recognize quality in the layoff process.  The Union contract bases layoffs totally on seniority without regard to ability.

May 4, 2010

May 3, 2010

A Tiny Spot on the Bottom of the Ocean

A very nice synopsys of the events the gulf without the hysteria.

More insider information and updates can be found at the iongeo blog... it's good reading.

May 2, 2010

A Bit of History

The same type of oil rig disaster (only worse) happened in the Gulf of Mexico in 1979.  It took over 8 months to stop the flow of oil.

What has Meet the Press come to?

If I were a serious journalist and was asked to be on a serious news panel with a foul-mouthed comedian like Bill Maher, I would just refuse.  I mean, what has Meet the Press come to?  Bill Maher claimed this morning that Brazil had gotten complete off oil in the last 30 years and why couldn't the USA do the same?  Not only is Maher wrong, he's so gloriously wrong in a way only a comedian being taken seriously can be:

Brazil is the eighth largest consumer of oil in the world burning 2.372 million barrels a day. That places them ahead of Canada, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Mexico, France, Great Britain, Italy, and Spain.

Furthermore, according to the CIA, Brazil is the thirteenth largest producer of oil in the world putting them ahead of Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Nigeria, Angola, Libya, and Great Britain.

Brazil's government forces its people to use an ethanol mixture with gasoline just as America does, but the majority of that mixture is gas.


A Pictorial Timeline of the Oil Spill

What was the President doing while the Gulf was bleeding oil?