Bourbon Pundit

beer rebate

Now we're talkin!

$2 or $4 back on guinness

Save a buck

I called comcast yesterday to get rid of a channel I never watch. I also inquired, and here's the hitch, if they have different speeds of internet service that might save me some money. Actually, what I was really wanting to know was could I get it faster. They said they didn't, but I went a little more...asked them if they had any specials going on and they rambled on about HBO and I dismissed that; but before I got off the phone they dropped my internet cost by $20...must have thought I was going to switch to DSL.

Give you cable internet provider a call and see what you can do. If you don't have cable internet (Wendel), there's no excuses anymore.

where's PETA on the bird flu?

From MSNBC The Week in Pictures
"A chicken on fire tries to escape a fire as villagers of Bolangan village burn hundreds of chickens infected by bird flu in a bid to stop the spread of the disease in Bali. Indonesia's welfare minister said about 10 million chickens in the country would have to be culled to stem the outbreak of the virus."

thanks kerry

if you give us any more rope, we'll have no choice but to hang you...which would be appropriate penalty for treason
from tehrantimes: Kerry Says He Will Repair Damage If He Wins Election

this little perp scares the shit out of me. what these morons fail to understand is that going back to the clinton-era methodology of appeasement won't solve today's problems. it wasn't a different world back then, it was just we hadn't been hit yet, so it felt different. we were living a lie by closing our eyes to the forces aligned against the US and they used that time to strenghten themselves.

just so you know...the letter isn't bullshit. here's the text right off kerry's website:
http://www.johnkerry.com/communities/aok/letter0206.html

what did i say about OPEC?

OPEC Moves to curtail production

"The move comes amid widespread cheating on existing quotas..." If they now expect to lower output by 2.5mbpd by cutting the quota by 1mbpd, then they're cheating the output by over 1.5mbpd. If they're that far out of spec, why does OPEC believe they'll be able to rein them back in? They've lost control over their own output and this just won't stick.

Typical targets of oil prices per barrel are about $24-$26 range. This is their believed sustained price that one, will not hurt global economies and two, is therefore sustainable. Too much higher than that and most consumers retract spending, which shrinks growth and hurts economies. We've been over $30 for quite some time and this "cut" has pushed prices higher (not yet known, but the futures market is expecting another $4. (confirmed on market closing 02/10/04)

Here's the problem. As the article states, the winter months normally bump $6 per barrel due to increased demand. When spring comes, that $34/barrel is gonna be $28. Still too high, if they don't cheat. With the extra $6/barrel price premium in force now, I'm predicting now that the member countries are going to "get while the gettin's good" and keep their output up "secretly". To the detriment of the OPEC organization, they're output is going to affect the futures market for spring through fall, most likely pushing prices downward of $22/barrel or less.

It appears that a couple things are happening. OPEC doesn't want a Republican in the white house because GWB has squeezed them too many times and they don't like the intimidation (they're supposed to be intimidating). So, what they're doing with the output cut is trying to slow our economy down enough that it hurts his re-election. As well, they believe that upping the price decreases our desire to replenish the strategic oil reserve. What they fail to grasp as that the base reserve of 592 million barrels has never been touched and only the 108 million expanded reserve was lowered. The salt cavers are full as they're gonna get with the 592 and we'll hit the full 700 in early 2005 by filling from out federally-owned offshore tacts (mostly north sea).

At the same time, China, the world's next highest consumer (net importer since 1993), has decided as well to create a reserve. What this tells us is that since the two major consumers are stockpiling, even in the higher price structure, means there's already a glut in the market and what we're likely to see in the next year is a direct challenge to OPEC. That much oil, threatened to be released to market by the US and China woulc do well more than have a chilling effect on OPEC members. The US will have about 90 days of stock, Japan is expected to have about 180 days, and just about every one else has at least 60 days....all under the auspices that they were protecting themselves from price shock of the gulf war 2 (which never materialized). OPEC is looking down the barrel of their first serious challenge and they don't even recognize it.

I used to wonder why we didn't drill in ANWAR; however, I now realize that we don't because our current tract allows OPEC to paint themselves in a corner and opening up ANWAR would clue them into what's coming too early. Now, don't expect OPEC to dry up over night; if they fail this challenge (and I don't see how they can succeed), it'll take them 5 years to decay and probably another 5 before they're really marginalized; but they'll be nutered to the point of never pulling a 1973 again. It's kinda funny, we fill our reserve with their oil...kinda like making them assemble the bullets for the gun pointing at their heads.

A little info on the SPR.

What you have to read

...to understand that today isn't so far removed from yesterday.

Ronald Regan delivered this address on behalf of Senator Barry Goldwater on October 27, 1964.

The Gipper

turns 93 tomorrow.

Perspective therapy

I'm importing all my music into iTunes for my Steve-O PVR and today was import Led Zeppelin day.

Sure does make you remember simpler days. I could hardly resist the urge to slouch back as if I were in the back of the Lincoln, hit the air drums, and swill back a cheap beer...so, I did.

I've passed the torch though. Emily busts out a proper head bang on her own.

Peace

the baffoon speaks

They "bombed Pearl harbor, don't forget"
http://espn.go.com/rpm/wc/2004/0201/1725029.html

What is the half-life of a moron? Really, most drivers with 2 cylinders tied behind their back can beat this never-was, so I'm sure Toyota will have no problem putting him in the wall on a consistent basis.

Palestinians backed into a corner

Sharon vows to dismantle Gaza settlements
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4134774/

Hmmm. This makes it pretty interesting all of a sudden. If the PLO/Hamas/etc respond with more suicide bombings, then they'll be shooting themselves in the political foot because their main arguement was the settlements. My take is that they will, but now they'll blame it on the wall. I suspect Sharon or the next PM will yank down major parts of the wall, and when there's yet more bombings, the Jews will go unrestricted warfare on the Palestinians because the PLO gave them the political permission.

Food for thought

Let Darwin have a crack at this one:
If Republicans are opposed to abortion and Democrats are against the Republican opposition of abortion (see how carefully I said that?); then it would stand to reason that there are more abortions among Democrats.

So, due to this discrepancy in abortion rates, are the Democrats cutting their own throats in terms of future voting power?

Oh my god!

Plate glass blamed for billion bird deaths a year
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4134773/

What a tree-hugging pussy. Let's say nothing about the concentration in a city that provides habitat and food for billions more birds.

If they really want to solve the problem, they should put Aegis systems on the buildings and prevent the birds from striking the glass in the first place.
http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/weapons/wepaegis.html

It's official!

Janet Jackson, along with every other half-time performer at the superbowl have jumped the shark (sans Beyonce). Costume malfunction my ass. MTV planned this all along in an effort to buy press for the careers of otherwise-dead "artists".

Beyonce Knowles was the only one bright enough to dress up and not do anything stupid. I can't stand her music, but at least she showed some class.

And come on...Arrowsmith doing a Columbia tribute? As if.