We're running out of Boogie men

                 

Saddam is long gone, Bin Ladin a faded memory and now Assad is loosing his luster. Yes there was the ray of hope that chemical weapons would step in and save the day but really what are we going to do send in fighter jets to try some strategic air strike of some unconfirmed target?

There's always the economy that gelatinous mass of incomprehensible statistics that permeates ever facet  of our lives. What better boogie man could be found? Undefinable and unseen yet scary enough to keep the rubes in a perma- freeze of fear. Forget Dracula this beastie will keep the strongest awake at night just considering the possible consequences. Was that a pink slip I saw in the cubicle next to me? And what's with all the foreign interns showing up this early before school's out? No worries there's always the investments that golden parachute of psychic comfort neatly tucked at the back of the file cabinet. Is that investment house still in business? Something about a merger with a Nigerian outfit. Better check it out later. Read the prospectus when first acquired but that was years ago and things have changed. Wouldn't want to be caught with worthless paper now would we? Might land up pretty expensive toilet paper.

Now if only there was a pill for desperation you could make a killing. Oops perhaps some better term is in order for that. Or maybe we could have a commodities market for murder and mayhem. Picture it now. Robberies were up this week as the economy continues to remain flat. Air strikes took a beating when jet fuel prices sky rocketed. Rapes and murder hold steady but are expected to rise with the coming warm weather. Embezzlements continue to hold steady with a cut back in audits. That sector is expecting a positive growth outlook in the near future. Beatings took a bit of a beating with an increase in security camera sales. Torture and mutilations will be the topic of discussion at the upcoming Mayhem summit.

Ah the perverse things to think about when there's too much time on ones hands. Think there's a soap for that, wonder if they sell stock?     

Economy cat is on to you

They're at it again busy fudging the numbers. (Mmm fudge). But all seriousness aside it sure looks like the bean counters are busy trying their best to put a happy face on the economy. Couldn't have anything to do with the fact that people are near to starvation in europe where unemployment is at 25% with youth unemployment at over 50%? And neatly hidden has been the austerity cuts or at least some actual figures or details. Lame stream media wouldn't want to panic the job creators while their busy selling worthless paper to each other.

Headline reads 'U.S. grows at faster pace', I'll believe that when pigs fly or maybe they're talking about homeless camps. Just the day before yesterday it was reported that durable goods sales were in negative territory and from an anecdotal perspective you could roll a bowling ball down the aisle of a grocery store and be lucky to hit anyone. Mcdonalds is now offering home delivery. Wonder if that has anything to do with the cuts to 'meals on wheels'. Grandma might still have enough pocket change for a happy meal that is if they didn't raise her Medicare costs.

"Jobless claims fall". That's because those that ran out of unemployment are no longer counted and there are a lot of us out here. And those that were fortunate to get jobs took massive pay cuts just to try and have an income. Cheery news no? So while the real money (make that debt) (or is it all fake?) is busy being passed around like a dead corpse the rest of us suffer. Never seen so much shuffling of the deck chairs on the Titanic in all my life. And while the media brings up WMDs for the umpteenth time maybe that would be a kinder death. It'd sure beat being starved to death.   

Friday beaver and economic growth

                      

It's interesting how one country can view a .03% growth rate as a positive sign of a nations' economic well being. Then there are the real numbers that always seem to disappoint. We are at a very odd juncture when it comes to financial conditions. We saw the entire financial system freeze up in 08 only to be bailed out with a massive  influx of cash courtesy of the American taxpayer. Did any of this money go for benefit to those who gave it? Of course not, it went to the gamblers who had just lost their shirts betting that some poor sucker in another country would buy their worthless hand. And they did but just like a back room game complete with markers people soon ran out of chips and nobody could cover their markers. Then it became a new game of selling markers and betting against those who ever body knew couldn't pay up.

It's become a new definition of insanity when one country who's in debt thinks it can loan money to another country who has a bigger debt knowing full well that that debt can never be paid back. And now we have the economic gurus telling us that every thing's just fine so keep playing because we have the cops paid off.

There's only one solution to this Alice in Wonderland card game where rational thought has been cast out the window and that would be to void most of the debt and start over. Too simple a solution you say? But it is the only solution. Because if this game of trading debt goes on for much longer the system will freeze up once more. They can pump all the imaginary money into this game they want but if nobody can anti up then it's game over. All the watches rings and titles to the cars have been put into the pot and all the players went bust.

Japan is deflating like an old balloon but if something isn't done to actually get people working then all the yen in the world isn't going to fix it. And the boys in the back room must have had too much sake when they're predicting a 2.9% growth rate for Japan. A system based solely on consumerism can't stand when nobody's spending. And selling more worthless paper won't get you anywhere either. Cutting taxes to near zero isn't going to get things moving as well. Time to clean the slate and start over.

Bank fails later.
UPDATE: Two banks failed this week one in NC and one in GA.

Regulations are for Sissies

          

In just three short weeks we've witnessed what oversight and lack of regulations does for our well being. I realize that we do not live in a perfect world and accidents will happen, however they should be few and far between. There is a balance between a Nanny state and a free for all when it comes to regulating safety issues. I've worked in one of the most regulated industries in the country for over 20 years so I think I know a thing or two. It takes a balance. Too few regulations and inspections is a recipe for disaster. Too many and the job becomes too expensive to profit anyone. No one can anticipate ever hazard but following basic common sense is a good start. That's especially true of things that tend to blow up. Assuming something won't just because "we've always done it that way" is not a great axiom to live by.  It's far better to assume the worst will happen and plan accordingly. At least that's what's kept me alive as long as I have been.

What have we seen the last three weeks? An oil pipeline ruptured in Arkansas. That was bad enough but to add insult to injury there was a subdivision built right over it. Not a smart thing when even if it hadn't burst it might have needed servicing in the future. There was also no mention of it's inspection which would have been easy from the inside with what they call a pig, but then that would involve shutting the line down and that would mean loss of profits. And there's no way to check for exterior deterioration other than to dig up the line right in someone's front yard.

I guess I'm a firm believer in Murphy's Law. "Whatever can go wrong will go wrong". And normally at the worst possible times too. 

Then there was the fertilizer plant in Texas. I'd title that a recipe for disaster when a company flat out lies about what chemicals they have and procedures and safety measures that were not in place. It's not just a matter of more regulations or stiff penalties for their disregard either, this is a criminal matter. So while the Texas legislature and media in that state might try and gloss over this tragedy as some unforeseen accident it was very preventable. And you watch as the federal senators from the state try and blame the regulators or Obama or anyone else they can find as the fall guy. The truth is the oversight of our industries has been diminished at an accelerated pace since Bush took office in 2000. To his discredit Obama has done little to improve the situation.  

Crazy on You

                  

Just found out where this tar sands oil would land up after it's all said and done. Aside from polluting Canada with it's dirty waste water vast stretches of tree removal, the pipelines that would stretch from Canada to the Gulf Coast, this oil would end up providing home heating oil for the Chinese. Once burned that pollution would make it's way back to the U.S. as it drifts over the Pacific. Nothing like selling them the rope to strangle us with eh? 

Gold is falling fast. The stock market is unrealistic and doing more gyrations than a dancing with stars contestant. We've watched as entire countries collapse before our very eyes. Is it any wonder? Even the Walmart workers can't afford to shop in their own store. Low prices indeed when they have to go to the 99¢ store. You do what you got to do I guess.We have mayhem but I guess the merriment has left the station run by a Chinese outfit is the latest. Such is what happens when a company can offshore/outsource or whatever the euphemism it's called. Set up a web page, have the product made in China, ship it the cheapest way possible direct to your door and watch the bucks roll in only without a job all while your customer base left with the train. Who ya going to sell to now sparky? Rural folks in Africa just aren't in the market for cheap plastic products. Giving them a credit card won't cut it. Can't even skin a zebra with that.

What's left? Debt. Debt for sale. Get your debt here. You buy mine, I'll buy his and he'll buy yours' and altogether nothing will get done. Just shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic. And slowly ever so slowly the ship of state sinks below the water line. And as the last cabin light flickers out a sole desperate cry is heard from the aft deck "hedge funds for sale!" "Get your last chance for economic survival." "Gold and stock hedge funds for sale!" " Get them before they're (er... we're) gone."

And they say this isn't a depression. 

And don't forget to get your free door prize when exiting the theater. Todays' special is the gun of you choice. Just don't get caught in the crossfire. The theater manager Mr.Tsar Bomba is not fond of the clean up.

Friday beaver MIA

 Sorry the beaver is missing in action today busy picking out a mate or something.

Always try to keep up on things. Aside from the overload of Boston news a few other things transpired while no one was looking. After all what perfect cover to stick it to the people then when they're too busy focused on other things. The thought did cross my mind that I was watching something akin to a modern day gladiator match where the hunted gets a brief head start before the kill. I hope you can see the comparison.

But I digress, this is about the skullduggery not on the streets but in the heart of the nations capital. You may recall the 60 Minutes piece back in 2011 when the old boys of the show pointed out that congress didn't have to follow the same insider trading laws as the rest of us. Congress was quick to pass a law preventing that but just thursday congress passed in the late of night a bill that says basically that  transparency is optional. All done in the name of national security (like the security of their bank accounts). No body even had the time to read the bill (a requirement passed by republicans long ago) but hey which one of them reads anything more than a Gulf Digest these days or maybe it's Travel Magazine. Gee and they wonder why nobody trusts them.

But this post was to be about the economy. While the Wall Street boys continue their poker game (I guess they sold enough hedges to cover the market drop), Main Street continues it's slid with near empty stores, more foreclosures and oh yes a little fact that gets buried on the back pages. Walmart worker are so poor now that they can't even shop where they work. (How's that business model working out for you Sam?). But it doesn't take a financial whiz to figure out that austerity isn't going to make things better. At least not for us underlings. They squawk about the debt that they created and expect to drain our bank accounts to pay for it. Sorry pal I'm not buying it. Their latest is that a 90% debt to GDP ratio is some magic tipping point. Which might be true is you're trying to pay off a mortgage in 10 years but this is a long term issue. Stretch that out to 30 years and see how the numbers stack up. And while you're at it throw in some spending to actually get things moving. Taxpayers with no jobs aren't going to make for the magic bullet to fix this.

Bank fails later as usual.
UPDATE: Three banks failed this week 2 in FL and 1 in KY and I'm not talking about the jelly. That brings the grand total to well over 400 since this started but who's counting? 

They opened the asylum and let these guys and gals out

Alexander (R-TN) Ayotte (R-NH) Barrasso (R-WY) Baucus (D-MT) Begich (D-AK) Blunt (R-MO) Boozman (R-AR) Burr (R-NC) Chambliss (R-GA) Coats (R-IN) Coburn (R-OK) Cochran (R-MS) Collins (R-ME) Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX) Crapo (R-ID) Cruz (R-TX) Donnelly (D-IN)

Enzi (R-WY) Fischer (R-NE) Flake (R-AZ) Graham (R-SC) Grassley (R-IA) Hagan (D-NC) Hatch (R-UT) Heitkamp (D-ND) Heller (R-NV) Hoeven (R-ND) Inhofe (R-OK) Isakson (R-GA) Johanns (R-NE) Johnson (R-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lee (R-UT) Manchin (D-WV) McCain (R-AZ)

McConnell (R-KY) Moran (R-KS) Murkowski (R-AK) Paul (R-KY) Portman (R-OH) Pryor (D-AR) Risch (R-ID) Roberts (R-KS) Rubio (R-FL) Scott (R-SC) Sessions (R-AL) Shelby (R-AL) Tester (D-MT) Thune (R-SD) Toomey (R-PA) Vitter (R-LA) Warner (D-VA) Wicker (R-MS)

The above is a list of senators who think it's just grand to let criminals and people with mental issues carry guns. Hope you'll take a second to drop them a line to tell them what idiots they are. Title this too pissed to blog.

Got change?

                            

I'll throw my two cents in which isn't worth anything anymore.  Pennies are on their way out. I believe this to be a home grown operation. One because of the material used which was very crude. But it's a toss up as to what group did it. Whether it was some wanna be extremists or like the Oklahoma city guy Timothy McVey will remain for the FBI to figure out. But it seems obvious that there was more than one person involved. 

And what will this do for our safety and security? Not much really. More laws will be passed limiting our freedoms of movement. More money will be spent on snooping eyes and cameras. Random searches without warrant may become common place. Once again you'll be guilty until proven innocent and the march to a police state will continue. Forget carrying a backpack or large case and don't be caught driving a plain unmarked rental van. " May I see your papers please" just might become common place even though it's not a requirement of the law no matter what they tell you. Police lie more than criminals. 

What now for event security? Airport type screenings complete with xray machines and body scanners? Or perhaps you're overdue for your rectal exam. We know someone wants to sell more trans-vaginal probing machines. They must have a powerful lobby in congress. 

My flippancy aside the rules will be tightened once again for a time until we fall into the comfort zone of apathy, we do after all have the attention span of a gnat anymore. Do you remember who did the damage in Atlanta when two bombs were set off? (No google look up cheating either) Thought so, you probably forgot what you ate for dinner last night and your car keys are right where you left them. So time will pass and the victims forgotten along with the whole thing until the next horrific event. Have we totally lost our sense of empathy or has this become a part of the new human psyche? We have after all witnessed more carnage of three lifetimes in just the last 12 years. I'll let the media analyze this to death then the conspiracy theorists can take over. Me I have better things to do. 

News you can't use

     

Scort (my short for supreme court) says you can't in fact carry your bazooka down the street no matter how tough the hood. I agree because if these nutbags want to tote military hardware around then I should be able to dust off my Sherman tank in the garage and be able to do some donuts in the Walmart parking lot too. Let's see what they'd do about that Mr. Littledicks.

Turkish pianist convicted for tweets about Islam.

Better take a good look in the mirror boys before casting stones. Most of the news we get from your part of the world are kids being slaughtered in the name of your god. Call me and what I believe anything you like I can take it.

Puty worried about slow growth in Russia.

Article doesn't say what he'll do about it only that the problem exists. Maybe if you'd have spent some of that money you're hiding in Cyprus at home things might have been better.

BP manager testifies about the Gulf oil spill.

Trial to set blame over the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Got news for you you're both guilty. BP managers told Trans Ocean to do what it did and Trans Ocean is guilty of letting them get away with it. It's not like they can fire you for following proper procedure. Even though this case involves maritime law you can bet there's something in there about protecting people's lives.

Global growth slows.

Well duh! The markets pulled back because nobody has any money to buy that cheap chinese plastic crap made in Longdong, China. The markets aren't realistic anyway. Not when it's all done automatically via computer programs.

Lab grown transplantable organs.

Oh boy now maybe we can do some heart transplants to the right side of congress. My heart may be bleeding but you guys don't even have one so there. :-P

Justin Trudeau takes over the Liberal party in Canada.

There's a good start. All bets are that he'll be the new top dog there. Now if they'd just cut ties with that welfare Queen I'd consider moving there.

That's my take on the news and if you don't like it tough bananas.   

Nasty Friday beaver

Beavers are not always the kindest of creatures as Billy will tell you but that a different story. If you think this critter is nasty you should catch the rascal in the video below (hope it works as I don't even see the code). It's one nasty beaver. Sorry to report that the guy taking this video was actually killed by this beaver when it attacked him biting into a main artery in his leg and he bled to death. Those with him could not stop the bleeding. Let this be a lesson. Wild animals are just that wild and not fond of the paparazzi.

In other news Exxon continues to lie it's way around the Mayflower,Arkansas tar sands spill telling everybody things are just ginger peachy, nothing to see here. Latest reports from the state health department are that there should be no acute health effects from the spill because people were evacuated quickly and reports from Exxon are that the spill is 95% complete. If you believe that little yarn I've got a bridge to sell you real cheap. I once did a diesel spill of just 50 gallons that took us three weeks to clean up because it had seeped into the soil. Due to it's location on an embankment we had to dig contaminated dirt by hand to a depth of three feet. So don't try and tell me this spill has been cleaned up. Every picture I've seen thus far indicates to me that they have no clue as to how to clean up this spill. I've seen workers with no protective gear, booms placed incorrectly and worst of all the pumping of oil and water from a wetland right into a lake. That ain't the way I was taught. You will note in this photo the bug sprayer and the cans of what appear to be gasoline. It's not for spraying for insects. The sprayer and cans are filled with diesel to cut the oil in order to clean it off their boots. This area by the way is called the contamination reduction zone or decon to us in the biz. Those green boots he's wearing are acid resistant, at least he got that right. Funny too is how no one there is wearing a respirator which is the very last thing you remove when leaving that zone.

Bank fails later and maybe film at 11.

Hostage situation

                       

Seems like everybody is being held hostage. The Syrian people are held hostages. The Egyptians are hostage to the Morsi government and Morsi is held hostage to the Muslim Brotherhood. Palestine of course is held hostage to the Israelis. Even the U.S. is held hostage by a congress that won't act to get a budget passed. Republicans hold tax increases on the wealthy hostage to cuts on the poor or would that be the other way around? Seems professor backwards is having his 15 minutes of fame. 

In any given day somebody somewhere is holding someone else hostage. Firefighters near Atlanta had to wait for their freedom just yesterday and while that was happening a man in his car with his girlfriend held police at bay when he put a gun in his mouth holding himself hostage. And don't you just love the expert analysis? Can hear the program director now "who wants to be the expert today" because after all we don't know these people from Adam. I consider myself knowledgeable  about hazardous waste but I'm no expert by any means. All the degrees in the world doesn't necessarily make you an expert. I've know degreed people who didn't have enough sense to check the oil in their car.

Also we seem to be hostages to fear and failure. We saw that after 911 with institution of Homeland Security. Tell me again just why Bozo, Tennessee needs an armored vehicle or enough arms to fight the Civil War all over again. And the mayor of that small southern town will definitely win a prize at Halloween when he shows up wearing the towns' $10,000 haz mat suit. 

Constant fails too. After researching the consumer mags for the best of the best affordable car they land up on a recall list two years later. Guess the brake or the gas line engineer didn't get it quite right but, no problems, there's always a fix only then you have to worry if the part was made in China and the repair man was on the up and up.

Is there any good news? Depends on how you look at it. Those out of work, myself included, are told that the jobless rates are falling. Not exactly. It's just that the job offers out there would barely support a teen living at home much less a family. Who'd take a job that would barely cover the gas to get there with little left over to pay rent? And those who had an unemployment check eventually run out and are no longer counted. Would you waste your time or driving to the employment office when you know there aren't any jobs? Everything has a price but not much value these days. And of course for every negative story there's an opposite and equal positive one but never on an equal scale. Just enough to fool the suckers in this poker game of life. It gives the scammers something to quote when selling their snake oil. 

It's all a scam if you ask me. Capitalism is based on an individual or company borrowing money with the hopes of somehow paying off that debt at some future time. The problem is that never happens. Once a company comes close to that position another company goes out, borrows money to buy the first and the cycles is started all over again. Again hostages to our own system. And you thought Bernie Madoff was a bad guy.    

Welcome to the dark ages

           

A body believed to be that of Nevada’s chief insurance examiner was found wrapped in a blanket and bound with duct tape Saturday in a river in Carson City.

(Wonder if it was suicide?)

Sheesh you'd think the world had gone mad with the opening of today's news. Bomb strikes and carnage the likes never seen and me without the proper death metal accompaniment. What's a writer to do?

Gang rapes, shootings, machete wielding psychos and even that baby's not safe from postpartum mothers' blues. Sing me a song of mayhem as I pull the covers back over my head and get another 40 winks. To sleep perchance to dream, are the night's terrors back? Oh never mind then have another cup and a smoke and carry on. It's all we can do. It's greed I tell you or the effects there of that's imposed it s' funk on an unsuspecting audience. Never saw it coming. Sucker punched like a low life street brawler we were. And you though you could make it to the finish line at least in third place.

I'm sure Randal would have appropriate tunes to go with this piece unless he's too busy dark throning through the woods. Watch out for the creeps on those little jaunts, they're everywhere. Don't want to read about library dude stabbed in the woods. No film at eleven there.

Normal is gone. There's nothing sane left. Somewhere along the line our psyches were raped. Once cute bunnies or puppies have morphed in rabid beasts an image only Dante could love unless of course you're into such a thing. Where is the light at the end of the dark ages tunnel? It can't go one for ever or is this how it ends? Take the icky green dust and toss it in the dumpster or better yet cast in in the ocean. Fish could use another meal. You'd land up as tomorrows' scrod special. Like they say what goes around comes around. Ashes to ashes and all that.

We're doomed I tell you so just live with it. Must stop reading Sartre before bed or better yet the morning headlines upon waking. 

Friday beaver snatch your stash before they cash your snatch

Beavers hide their stash at the lodge. Millionaires and billionaires have other means. The Swiss have reluctantly divulged the whereabouts of some piles of loot that's been kept from the prying eyes of the tax man for years. You too could win the game of "who has the most toys" too if it was you and your cohorts were making up the rules of the game. Enter the husband of a canadian senator (Canadian you say? And we always thought they were so polite and all.) Turns out a certain information leak reveals the whereabouts of some cold hard cash neatly hidden from the prying eyes of regulators and the Canadian revenue department. 

http://www.icij.org/blog/2013/04/highlights-offshore-leaks-so-far The International consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) has stumbled upon some very important information. (Who says the pen isn't mightier than the sword?) 

The Canadian connection

One Anthony "Tony" Merchant a class action lawyer set up an offshore trust in the Cook Islands. This was to be a blind trust and therefore to be tax exempt his wife being a senator and all. The only problem was that he listed himself as the beneficiary. When the government pointed this out to him he changed it to a trustee corporation. The only problem there was that he was the head of that corporation. Eventually he got things a bit correct by listing his wife as beneficiary, however this is far from being anything but blind. It was pointed out in a news report that there are entire companies in the Caymans, Cook and British Islands in the Caribbean that pride themselves in setting up trusts and corporations complete with dummy corporate officers.

A list of these scalawags reads like a who's who of failed countries. Look no farther than the countries that are imposing austerity measures on their populace and these guys are not far behind sucking the life blood out of just about every country. All the while blaming those who had nothing to do with any of this. Sorry pal I earned my money the old fashioned way, I worked for it.

Bank fails later
UPDATE: One bank failed in Az. this week

Lies lies and more lies

(This is going to leave a stench that won't go away for years. Exxon get off my lawn!)

Watching some lame stream news sources you'd think somebody knocked over a quart bottle of oil in the driveway and not the extent of the actual damage. As I mentioned in an earlier post I've cleaned up oil spills and even a spill as small as 50 gallons takes days to clean up especially when it gets into a water supply.

The extent of the spill has been lied about as well. First reports by the company itself were at over 10,000 barrels (which by the way amounts to 420,000 gallons and not the 80,000 reported. There are 42 gallons to a barrel, you do the math).

So as time has passed the 10,000 figure has magically changed to between 3,500 and 5,000. Videos from any main stream media source would have one believe that such a spill could be cleaned up in a couple of days. Looking at the initial photos and videos this will take an army of haz mat workers months to clean up.

The airwaves are now being flooded about how the oil sands (tar sands really) will provide great jobs for the future and how this XL pipeline is such a necessary project for our future. Nothing could be farther from the truth. After some research it was discovered that this is not a good use or resources. The amount of energy extracted after costs is on the order of 3 joules for tar sands while regular drilling amounts to 10 joules. Tar sands according to the EPA are 82% more toxic than regular oil.

Too busy to post much need to get things done sans the rain if ya know what I mean.

News you can't use (you know the rest)

Kim Jong Un rants and raves about wanting to pick a fight with South Korea and the U.S.

Give me a break. He could have the largest standing army in the world and it wouldn't make a lick of difference. What he doesn't have are the resources to fight a protracted war without outside help. He barely has the resources to feed the army he has. So it will be up to the Chinese and Russians to pull him back in line. 

Debt - Who has the biggest debts as compared to GDP?

Keep your eyes on Japan at 512%, the United Kingdom at 507% and Ireland at a whopping 663%.  Think of it this way it would be like buying a house that's over twice what you could afford. Rule of thumb being two and one half times your gross income. I was very aware of that fact when I bought my place and made sure I purchased something well below knowing that good times don't roll all the time.

You can just about predict by looking at the statistics who will be the next to fall.

Eurozone unemployment rate hits  12%

After waves of austerity programs and the latest bank account heist in Cyprus should anybody be surprised? Demand for any major product should be about all but dead. That leaves little left for income other than the less honest means such as gold brick salesman extortionist or kidnapper. Derivatives salesmen will have to re-brand themselves if they want to survive.

UN votes to regulate arms sales

Good luck with that little scheme. The idea is to keep weapons out of the hands of terrorists, insurgent fighters and organized crime. Oops looks like the U.S. is the first to break that law with its' intent to arm syrian fighters. Just have to leave a boxcar full of arms laying around and forget where you left it to get around that law

And speaking of guns the yahoos in one Georgia town want everybody to have a gun. 

The Nelson, Ga., City Council has unanimously passed a measure requiring every household to have a gun and ammunition.

That should give new meaning to the term "Saturday night special". Knowing Georgia as I do the good ole boys think nothing about a bottle of Jack and their trusty shootin iron for some saturday night fun. Just don't get caught in the crossfire when things get heated.   

A two fer ... clean up on aisle 9

(You will note what looks like dirty leaves in one of the photos. It's not. That is some of the oil.)

Something that got buried in the Friday news dump and this is no April Fools' joke. Was going to report this yesterday but got sidetracked.

We interrupt your sunday fun to report a major oil spill. A pipeline carrying tar sands oil through the state of Arkansas ruptured and spilled over 10,000 barrels of oil on Friday. At that initial estimate would make it 420,000 gallons of oil. 40 homes were evacuated and crews were busy trying to contain and clean up the spill. And remember folks there is no new technology in place to deal with large spills like this. I've done a few myself and it simply a matter of laying down absorbent  containment booms and sucking the product up with a large vacuum truck. The tech hasn't changed in over 40 years. All this of course doesn't include the oil that's made it's way into the soil which will have to be dug out by back hoe and hauled away for processing (usually burned). Being tar sands oil makes the job doubly hard as it's much thicker than regular oil and more caustic too.

Why we don't shift to renewable energy sources and more conservation is still a puzzlement. It would solve many problems silmoultaniously. Create jobs, lower our energy usage and clean up the air and water all at the same time. Boths sides of the aisle have been blathering about being energy independent since Nixon was in office and it hasn't come close yet. And what fools we are when we buy foreign oil that finances the wars against us.

So I guess the joke's on us. Not very funny though.  

Anybody got a grain of salt?

      

Postal service announces today that it will start delivery service  to North Korea in order to make up for the shortfalls in revenues and be able to pay the billions it owes in mandatory pension funding.

Not to be out done in it's jocularity Google has come up with "Google nose" a seriously played new application. Purported to have a data base of millions of olfactory files available at the click of a mouse the give away to this lively exhibition  is when the user clicks on the try it button and is conveniently taken to.... oops that would spoil it so you'll have to try it yourself. Couldn't have thought of a better idea myself to celebrate April 1st.

France facing an aging population and growing debt has agreed over the weekend to sell off some national assets. First on the auction block was the Eiffel tower which went to Dubai being the highest bidder. The french after all were never truly fond of the iron structure and were happy to see it go. Rumors have it that the tower will be dismantled and moved to the arab country where they plan on turning it into a lawn ornament for the nation's energy co-operative. No sweat off frenchie's baguettes as they plan on turning the space into a high rise condo complete with underground parking. One thing is certain Monsieur Eiffel is sure to be rolling in his grave.

"Ah what fools these mortals be."  Thank you Willie