Happy New Year

Dear readers -- here's to a better 2009 than 2008.

More predictions

This is for 2009. I have cut out all of the text that included the rationale for these. That's to keep you guessing.

- Either a new country will be created somewhere in the world in 2009, or a country will disappear.

- The GDP of the US will be lower in 3Q2009 than it was in 4Q2008. It will be higher in 3Q2009 than it was in 2Q2009. (I would like to use the 4Q2009 numbers but I am assuming they will be unavailable at the time I evaluate these at the end of next year, so I have to work with what I expect to have, which will probably just be sleazy estimates of 3Q2009 that will be "revised" later, as always.)

I have a few personal predictions that I won't talk about here because you can't measure whether I am successful on them against any objective standard -- they are issues or people that I don't talk about here. So let's see, of the things I talk about -- I am not even sure that I'm going to successfully buy a house (my real estate agent is reading this right now and groaning at that, I assure you), the car thing I'm not sure of, I don't want anything to change about my job (hi employer!). I'm going to go with:

- I am going to put up an additional new web site in 2009.

- The Western Syndicate site will still be going same as ever at the end of 2009.

How did I do

I've decided that life is too short to agonize about this. This is just for fun after all.

So let's see. Last year this is what I predicted:

- In the summer of 2008, there will be record hot days, which will be attributed by some to global warming.

Right. This is a freebie -- it's always true, of course. There is really a lot of doubt circulating about global warming right now, in light of the two consecutive very cold winters we have been having (so far), a decline in global temperatures that is very steep recently that no one has really been able to deny (although you can debate of course whether it's a trend or just some more data points), and the interesting story about significantly decreased solar activity, which I have discussed on this blog before here.

- The Dow or NASDAQ will close above its 12/31/2007 closing level.

Badly wrong. Well, the big thing that I didn't see coming very clearly was the magnitude of the economic blowup. I saw it coming, but figured it would not be as large as it was, and we would be digging our way out of it by the second half of 2008 (hence my prediction that the market indexes would be on their way back up by now.)

- Obligatory Presidential election predictions: Michael Bloomberg will not run for US President. No third-party candidate will capture more than 1.5% of the vote.

Right on. It went about like I expected. Oh, except for the Obama thing. I was really expecting Hillary to be elected, but I didn't want to go out and predict that formally (good thing, too).

- I will buy a new car.

Wrong. So you would think that the prediction that I had total control of over myself, I would have been able to succeed with. There was a lot of uncertainty about my employer earlier in the year, then I was in the market to buy a house (which I didn't), then of course the economy turned really far south. So my original intention to purchase a car has been tabled indefinitely. Which is fine. I love my current car and wasn't really looking forward to trading it in anyway.

The authorities aren't going to like this

It's Better In The Ukraine (DealBreaker)

Run

marriedtothesea.com

Posting rate

Of course 2006 had a slightly higher posting rate, since I started part of the way into the year.

Of course if I keep following up to myself one minute after the previous post, I'm going to throw the statistics off.

Ahh! Self-conscious!

As we approach the end of the year

I have to talk about my rather poor performance with my 2008 predictions (and I'll get to that). Also it is a good time to think about what's going to happen in 2009.

But I am finding that thought process kind of intimidating. In order to explain what I think are going to be my 2009 predictions, I will have to write a lot of text. You have probably noticed that I am not one of those people who easily writes one of those 50000 word stream of consciousness blog posts. The fact that I've started using Twitter is probably going to make me talk in even shorter sentence fragments.

Also, in other news, we now have more posts here in 2008 than in 2007, but just barely. It is interesting to me that in the almost 3 years that this blog has been around, I have a pretty consistent posting rate, and I haven't been particularly trying to. It is also pretty interesting to me that I haven't abandoned this yet. That's kind of a pleasant surprise.

Wrong way

I missed this one at the time, but it's good.

The Wrong Way to Ask for $700 Billion

Let us turn to the light

Today is my favorite day of the year -- the days start getting longer.

The O Antiphon for today (for those of you who are observing Advent) echoes the season.

O Oriens, splendor lucis aeternae, et sol iustitiae: veni, et illumina sedentes in tenebris et umbra mortis.

[O dawn of the east, brightness of light eternal, and sun of justice: come, and enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death.]

"Weapons? Does U.S. abandon shield?"

Russia to axe some weapons if U.S. abandons shield

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will stop developing some strategic weapons if the United States drops plans for a missile shield in Europe, Interfax news agency quoted the commander of Russia's strategic missile forces as saying on Friday.

Strangely, now I'm hungry

(from Matteo)

Change

"Change before you have to." -- Jack Welch

Generous

me: I'm feeling unusually generous today so you should take advantage of it while it lasts.
roommate: I don't want your money.
me: I'm not giving you money. I'm giving you broccoli.

Thinking about contests

I have been thinking of having a "guess how many posts will be made to the Western Syndicate in 2008" contest.

What amuses me about this, of course, is that I have total control over what the final number would be, so you have incentive to bribe me. But I haven't quite figured out what the prize might be if you "guess right".

Reading the news

"Best and Worst of 2008"

Oh no! It's that time of year again!

Happy sky

Great info here at the NASA web site about this photo of the recent appearance of the Moon, Jupiter and Venus in the sky (last week). (You can download a huge version of the photo by clicking here -- great to use as a desktop background.)

F-18 crash

Today's F-18 crash happened a few minutes down the freeway from here -- we're close enough to the Miramar air station to hear the jets flying over frequently but we're not directly in the path to the runway.

Surgery by text message

I am just fascinated by this story. British surgeon tells of how he carried out amputation via text message

Admin

I put the Twitter feed back (now that I've been updating Twitter again) and took away the Amazon ads (which I don't think were doing anyone any good, including me.)

Move away

More of the Desert Fathers.

It was said of Abba Ammoes that when he went to church, he did not allow his disciple to walk beside him but only at a certain distance; and if the latter came to ask him about his thoughts, he would move away from him as soon as he had replied, saying to him, 'It is for fear that, after edifying words, irrelevant conversation should slip in, that I do not keep you with me.'

This is cool

Ned Batchelder sees his oldest code still running. I still run across things I put in the Oracle code from time to time, which as far as I can tell are still happily in service.

One-liners

I just figured it out -- the text analyzer thinks I'm an ESTP because I post lots of one-liners and then don't follow up anymore, I bet.

See? See? It will think the same thing about this posting.

Sea grapes

Fossil tracks on the seabed could be the handiwork of oversized amoebas that roamed the ocean 1.8 billion years ago, if their modern counterpart is anything to go by. (New Scientist, sent to us by Gavin reporting from the Maine office)

Type

This one is making its way around the blog world -- I ran Typealizer on the Western Syndicate, and it tells me this:

The analysis indicates that the author of http://westernsyndicate.blogspot.com is of the type:

ESTP - The Doers

The active and play-ful type. They are especially attuned to people and things around them and often full of energy, talking, joking and engaging in physical out-door activities.

The Doers are happiest with action-filled work which craves their full attention and focus. They might be very impulsive and more keen on starting something new than following it through. They might have a problem with sitting still or remaining inactive for any period of time.

My previous experience with the Meyers Briggs test pegs me as an ENTP pretty consistently, so it's a little amazing to me how close this thing got.

I'm back

I bet you didn't know I was gone. I was up in Sunnyvale for a few days.

Here are some more quotes. This one reminds me of me.

Abba Theodore of Scetis said, 'A thought comes to me which troubles me and does not leave me free; but not being able to lead me to act, it simply stops me progressing in virtue; but a vigilant man would cut it off and get up to pray.'

Do the work

A brother came to Abba Theodore and began to converse with him about things which he had never yet put into practice. So the old man said to him, 'You have not yet found a ship nor put your cargo aboard it and before you have sailed, you have already arrived at the city. Do the work first; then you will have the speed you are making now.'

Largest spike in temperature ever recorded...

... last month.

Or, maybe not.

It is like pulling teeth

Homeowners cling to false optimism about own home

Real estate professionals across the country are reporting difficulty convincing sellers the true market value of their homes.

"It's like pulling teeth in this market," said Twyla Rist of Reece & Nichols Realtors in Kansas City, where prices are off between 7 percent and 15 percent. "Even with everything being said, you still have people that think my house is better than everybody else's."

You agree

(xkcd.com)

What say you?

marriedtothesea.com

Where do I apply?

Struggling Americans Forced To Work Extra-Dimensional 4th Shift (The Onion, as if that weren't obvious already)

Arnold is pretty cool

Remember. You must imagine this in the Arnold voice.

'Governator' Schwarzenegger mocks 'skinny' Obama

The Austrian-born former Mr Universe has hosted a bodybuilding tournament in Columbus for several years, and opened his address by inviting Obama to participate in the next event.

"Every year in March I come here to organize the Arnold Classic, which is all about building the body and pumping," Schwarzenegger said.

"That's why I want to invite Senator Obama because he needs to do something about those skinny legs. I'm going to make him do some squats.

"And then we're going to make him do some biceps curls to beef up those scrawny little arms. But if he could only do something about putting some meat on his ideas.

"Senator McCain on the other hand is built like a rock. His character and his views are solid."

The Moon! The Moon!

That's no moon

Sneakey

Interesting research from troublemakers in San Diego (post forwarded from Gavin).

Duplicating keys via distant digital images

Today's top searches

The top searches on Yahoo today. Check out #10.

What if

check this out

If Grant Had Been Drinking At Appomattox

She's had it up to here with these people

Paul posted this -- this is just the most fun financial posting I've seen in a while, for some reason (from last week). I recommend Wallstrip in general.

Everyone is making

the obligatory joke about Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd.

Police Officer Shoves Finger in Gun to Stop It Being Fired at His Colleagues (Fox News)

Wheeeeee

Stéphane posted this good one:

Chicago, eh?

So the question is, who do you think she's going to vote for?

Dead Goldfish Offered Chance To Vote
(10news.com)

40 new donors? Sounds like it worked.

College Alums Miffed By 'Blah Blah' Letter (10news.com)

BOSTON -- Former students who attended Framingham State College were miffed recently after they received a fundraising letter that repeated the word "blah" 137 times.

The school said the Sept. 5 letter was an attempt to inject a little 20-something humor into an effort to raise money for its Legacy Fund, but some of the 6,000 graduates who received the missive said they didn't find it funny at all.

"With the recent economic downturn and loan crisis, it has become even more important for Framingham State College to receive your support. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah," reads the letter, which was signed by the president of the school's alumni association.

Job I don't want

This sight greeted me when I went to my local bank branch this morning. Two Window Washers Rescued From Broken Scaffolding (CBS 8 News San Diego). Actually, by the time I got there they had been successfully rescued and the police and fire department were gone, but the construction and security people were still working on getting the platform down, it was just dangling there.

Creepy

Hopefully Patrick will be embarrassed by this. We were having a discussion about what day All Souls' Day falls on, and the subject somehow came up of having an All Souls' Day Bunny, like the Easter Bunny.

I asked him what the All Souls' Day bunny leaves in your basket.

Now we're both creeped out.

It's safe I tell you

toothpastefordinner.com

My experiences exactly

more music charts

Keep up to date on things

For our multitudes of San Diego readers, you can get the latest updates about the fires here at the San Diego Union Tribune breaking news blog, if you are looking for an online alternative to the TV news.

Fire and lobsters

It's fire season again -- there was one fire right down the freeway from here earlier this evening, but they jumped right on it and put it out in a couple of hours. Still a big one burning up at Camp Pendleton though.

But that's unpleasant to think about. Possibly even more unpleasant than a lobster in your pants, another fine piece of San Diego news.

Alleged Poacher Stuffs Lobsters Down Pants

As is usually the case with these stories, the last line is the best. Bet you didn't know this.

Lobsters in the San Diego area do not have pincers.

Pangur Ban

A poem for you, I got it via this interesting article in the New York Review of Books about the Ruthwell Cross and the Dream of the Rood, a rich subject for another day's discussion, I suppose. The author is a monk in an Irish monastery who spends his days studying and meticulously copying the writing of Virgil.

Pangur Ban
I and Pangur Ban my cat,
'Tis a like task we are at:
Hunting mice is his delight,
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
'Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill-will,
He too plies his simple skill.

'Tis a merry task to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur's way;
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.

'Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
'Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.

When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!

So in peace our task we ply,
Pangur Ban, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.

Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.

-- Anon., (Irish, 8th century)

In defense

In defense of the apparent idiots who let the ballot get printed in Rensselaer County with Obama misspelled as Osama -- Microsoft Word apparently autocorrects Obama to Osama:

Here is the full story about the incident at the Albany Times Union: Barack 'Osama' on Rensselaer County ballots

How's it going?

I went out of town for a few days at the beginning of the month, came back, stock market crashed, etc.

Nothing much to talk about. Maybe we can get back to talking about Barack Osama, and listening to how news reporters in San Diego pronounce Rensselaer.

I've been looking for a safe place for my cash

McDonalds has a lower risk of default, as expressed in the Credit-Default Swap market, than the United States Federal Government. (The Market Ticker)

(more... insightful comment by Karl in the article)

The Democrats claim they have the votes to pass the original bill. Then pass it Democrats. Bush will sign it.

The Democrats will NOT pass it without The Republicans because they are afraid that the plan won't work (and in this they are correct) and refuse to put their heads on the chopping block if they spend $700 billion or more and the economy collapses anyway. They demand that Republicans march into the furnace with them.

What is this world coming to

I'm agreeing with a Congressman.

Rep. McCotter's comments about what's going on (via Matteo, via Ace of Spades)

Rep. McCotter's (R-Mich) Forceful Rebuke of Bailout Plan on House Floor

Before I was elected to Congress we used to hear that when faced with a crisis, members of Congress would invariably soil themselves, throw money at the problem and hope that it went away.

Unfortunately, in these dysfunctional economic times, we find that this process has continued.

As Americans face a potential meltdown of the financial sector, we have seen what I believe to be an inappropriate response starting with this Administration.

From the time we were informed that a potential financial meltdown was going to occur, this separate equal branch of government which is the U.S. Congress was told that we had but one alternative and that if we did not pass it quickly — in the time specified *by* the executive branch — that our economy would be severely damaged.

It has been my opinion that we were elected, by the sovereign people of the United States, to make important decisions on their behalf, to do it with the due diligence and devotion that is due and to come up with a positive solution to their situation.

Last night, I was struck by the fact that again we were told [by the President] that again if we did not give unlimited amounts of money and unlimited powers to the Executive Branch that *we* were failing in our due diligence and responsibilities to the American people.

I heard the President of the United States say that we do not understand the need to act.

That statement is false. We understand the need to act.

We heard from the President of the United States that we did not care about American families.

That statement is false. We care very much about American families.

What we did not hear was a recognition that a three-page document that gives to the Treasury Secretary and the Chairman of the Federal Reserve powers — the likes of which Stalin and Mao killed people for — was not an acceptable response to give to this separate, equal branch of government.

Today, we are told that House Republicans are standing in the way of a $700 billion use of your tax dollars to bail out the very people who caused this problem!

Guilty as charged!

House Republicans believe there is an alternative.

The Administration tells us that their first, last, only resort is to go to the taxpayers and bail out Wall Street. We fundamentally disagree with this!

Wall Street should bail out Wall Street.

House Republicans believe that the toxic assets clogging up our economy should first attempt to be recapitalized by the very people sitting on the sidelines with their money waiting for you the taxpayer to be fleeced and put it in so they are “confident that the market will work”.

We can not re-inflate the bubble.

The people who on Main Street invested and saved and had good credit their entire lives should not be asked to go back in to help cowboy capitalists who shot themselves in the foot.

I have supported the President when he has been correct.

But he is in err now.

House Republicans stood and supported the Patreus surge.

Today House Republicans oppose the Paulson splurge so we can have prosperity in America in the long run.

We will not engage in a rush to judgment that destroys the possibility of the free market and prosperity for decades to come.

We will not walk out of this room after a forced vote waving a piece of paper in our hands claiming “fleeced in our time.”

We *will* do the job we were entrusted with.

It's a double quote of the day

This one was so good I couldn't save it for tomorrow. (Bloomberg)

"I nationalize strategic companies and get criticized, but when Bush does it, it's OK. Bush is turning socialist. How are you, comrade Bush?''
- Hugo Chavez

We have a quote of the day today

From commenter peter hoh on Ann Althouse's blog:

I heard that Wall Street traders will treat us like liberators.

Surprise

Electric cars coming from Chrysler in a few years.

To me, the interesting part of the story isn't the electric cars, but the fact that they apparently kept it a secret for so long.

Someone else using that word

An interesting comment from one of the readers at Mark Shea's site. Read the whole thing.

Okay, one more, courtesy of reader Danby down in the comboxes

The next Treasury Secretary could, under this act, order Goldman Sachs to sell $1billion worth of stocks to Morgan Stanley at $1. The order would be lawful under the act, there would be no appeal, and no court could intervene. Consider that just about every medium and large company in the country does such things as issue bonds and offer stock options to it's employees. That's enough to qualify. If that's not straight dictatorship, I don't know what is.

And this insightful quote from Chesterton:

If there is one fact we really can prove, from the history that we really do know, it is that despotism can be a development, often a late development and very often indeed the end of societies that have been highly democratic. A despotism may almost be defined as a tired democracy. As fatigue falls on a community, the citizens are less inclined for that eternal vigilance which has truly been called the price of liberty; and they prefer to arm only one single sentinel to watch the city while they sleep.

New job

I wanna be one of Hank Paulson's lictors.

Lex de dictatore creando

To refresh your memory about history, read this article about dictators in the Roman republic. Then go back down a little further and read the economic bailout law proposed by the Treasury.

Hank Paulson is trying to get himself appointed dictator for two years for the purposes of reorganizing the economy, with unlimited power to do so that cannot be appealed to the courts.

That's what it is. If you know your history.

Now, granted, Congress is debating how much oversight they are going to add into the law. Good thing, that. But just keep in mind that this is what the original proposal was.

So, we meet again

see Sarah Palin pictures

And you thought it was only 700

The whole post on this subject at Market Ticker is good reading (that's where I got the text from.) In particular, this gem is important to remember:

"The Secretarys authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time"

This is clever and nobody in the mainstream media has figured it out.

If you think the cost of this bill is $700 billion, you're wrong. The cost is actually infinite and the entire bill constitutes a giant money-laundering scheme.

Paulson can (and presumably will) buy up to $700 billion of these "assets", then sell them. Let's say he decides to buy them at 60 cents on the dollar and sell them for 10. You, the taxpayer, will eat the fifty cents, for an immediate cost of $350 billion dollars.

Having done so, he is then authorized to do so again, since the $700 billion is no longer on the government's balance sheet.

Here it is

If you thought it's all over now, the government's fixed it -- I suspect we're just getting started. (Emphases in sections 6 and 10 mine).

LEGISLATIVE PROPOSAL FOR TREASURY AUTHORITY

TO PURCHASE MORTGAGE-RELATED ASSETS

Section 1. Short Title.

This Act may be cited as ___________________.

Sec. 2. Purchases of Mortgage-Related Assets.

(a) Authority to Purchase.—The Secretary is authorized to purchase, and to make and fund commitments to purchase, on such terms and conditions as determined by the Secretary, mortgage-related assets from any financial institution having its headquarters in the United States.

(b) Necessary Actions.—The Secretary is authorized to take such actions as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the authorities in this Act, including, without limitation:

(1) appointing such employees as may be required to carry out the authorities in this Act and defining their duties;

(2) entering into contracts, including contracts for services authorized by section 3109 of title 5, United States Code, without regard to any other provision of law regarding public contracts;

(3) designating financial institutions as financial agents of the Government, and they shall perform all such reasonable duties related to this Act as financial agents of the Government as may be required of them;
(4) establishing vehicles that are authorized, subject to supervision by the Secretary, to purchase mortgage-related assets and issue obligations; and

(5) issuing such regulations and other guidance as may be necessary or appropriate to define terms or carry out the authorities of this Act.

Sec. 3. Considerations.

In exercising the authorities granted in this Act, the Secretary shall take into consideration means for—

(1) providing stability or preventing disruption to the financial markets or banking system; and

(2) protecting the taxpayer.

Sec. 4. Reports to Congress.

Within three months of the first exercise of the authority granted in section 2(a), and semiannually thereafter, the Secretary shall report to the Committees on the Budget, Financial Services, and Ways and Means of the House of Representatives and the Committees on the Budget, Finance, and Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs of the Senate with respect to the authorities exercised under this Act and the considerations required by section 3.

Sec. 5. Rights; Management; Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.

(a) Exercise of Rights.—The Secretary may, at any time, exercise any rights received in connection with mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act.

(b) Management of Mortgage-Related Assets.—The Secretary shall have authority to manage mortgage-related assets purchased under this Act, including revenues and portfolio risks therefrom.

(c) Sale of Mortgage-Related Assets.—The Secretary may, at any time, upon terms and conditions and at prices determined by the Secretary, sell, or enter into securities loans, repurchase transactions or other financial transactions in regard to, any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act.

(d) Application of Sunset to Mortgage-Related Assets.—The authority of the Secretary to hold any mortgage-related asset purchased under this Act before the termination date in section 9, or to purchase or fund the purchase of a mortgage-related asset under a commitment entered into before the termination date in section 9, is not subject to the provisions of section 9.

Sec. 6. Maximum Amount of Authorized Purchases.

The Secretarys authority to purchase mortgage-related assets under this Act shall be limited to $700,000,000,000 outstanding at any one time

Sec. 7. Funding.

For the purpose of the authorities granted in this Act, and for the costs of administering those authorities, the Secretary may use the proceeds of the sale of any securities issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, and the purposes for which securities may be issued under chapter 31 of title 31, United States Code, are extended to include actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses. Any funds expended for actions authorized by this Act, including the payment of administrative expenses, shall be deemed appropriated at the time of such expenditure.

Sec. 8. Review.

Decisions by the Secretary pursuant to the authority of this Act are non-reviewable and committed to agency discretion, and may not be reviewed by any court of law or any administrative agency.

Sec. 9. Termination of Authority.

The authorities under this Act, with the exception of authorities granted in sections 2(b)(5), 5 and 7, shall terminate two years from the date of enactment of this Act.

Sec. 10. Increase in Statutory Limit on the Public Debt.

Subsection (b) of section 3101 of title 31, United States Code, is amended by striking out the dollar limitation contained in such subsection and inserting in lieu thereof $11,315,000,000,000.

Sec. 11. Credit Reform.

The costs of purchases of mortgage-related assets made under section 2(a) of this Act shall be determined as provided under the Federal Credit Reform Act of 1990, as applicable.

Sec. 12. Definitions.

For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) Mortgage-Related Assets.—The term mortgage-related assets means residential or commercial mortgages and any securities, obligations, or other instruments that are based on or related to such mortgages, that in each case was originated or issued on or before September 17, 2008.

(2) Secretary.—The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Treasury.

(3) United States.—The term United States means the States, territories, and possessions of the United States and the District of Columbia.

Oh the pain of the User-Agent string

OK, it's kinda funny seeing the history of it written all in one place like this.

It's a double header!

I think that would make me....


CRAZY


toothpastefordinner.com

You can decide for yourself which one I have more than three of.

But a small hint.

It's not ... bumper stickers, and... it's not cats.

My plan for 2010

toothpastefordinner.com

I'm going to be sorry...

Let's play "how many keyword searches can I attract from search engines".

Gov't officials investigated for sex, gifts (Yahoo/AP)

Government officials handling billions of dollars in oil royalties partied, had sex with and accepted golf and ski outings from employees of energy companies they were dealing with, federal investigators said Wednesday.

No, that's not the quote of the day. This one is the quote of the day:

"Sexual relationships with prohibited sources cannot, by definition, be arms-length," Devaney said.

And I don't even want to think about what Google is going to start advertising on these pages now.

That explains some of the people here

11AM Those Are the Two Paths to Career Success in San Diego
Office girl: So I decided to be different and do psychotropic drugs while everyone else did cannibalism. It was pretty cool.
Office guy (nodding): That makes sense.

San Diego, California

Overheard by: Slowly backing away...
via Overheard in the Office, Aug 27, 2008

Chew on this

Ukraine opposition to send Georgian leader neckties to chew on (RIA Novosti)

Which

Where Are The Dogs Humping.com

Festival of Sail

Festival of Sail is going on in San Diego right now -- 20 tall ships, cool stuff, can spend hours and hours there.

Here's a good flash video clip on it (click on the image). I took a lot of photos yesterday and with any luck will upload some here sometime.

Jimmy Carter handles the Russian invasion of Georgia

Got this from a comment on this posting over on Ann Althouse's blog.

Little Kid: Mr. Jimmy, Mr. Jimmy, the Rusians are coming. They got them there tanks and everything? Mr. Jimmy, Mr. Jimmy, please come on out.

Mr. Jimmy: What’s that you sayin boy, the Russians are a comin?

Little Kid: Yeah, Mr. Jimmy. With tanks and rocket launchers, and lots and lots of soldiers.

Mr. Jimmy: Well, let’s go out and welcome them in. They must be hungry. I’ll get Miss Rosalind to whip up some grub for them. I’ll bet they need homes too.

Little Kid: But Mr. Jimmy…

Mr. Jimmy: Don’t you sass me boy! This here is Georgia and we are peaceful hospitable people. Be proud. Now lead me to them there Russians so I can give them a proper Georgia welcome.

Death Star over San Francisco

and some old friends show up at the end of the video too. This is great.

Garfield minus Garfield equals

I have mentioned Garfield minus Garfield before. Here's a nice Washington Post article about it -- glad to see that Jim Davis has positive things to say about it.

Saakashvili eats his tie

I thought about coming up with my own title, but it's just perfect the way it is.

When I first saw the news story I thought that maybe it was a Russian euphemism that didn't translate into English well. But no, he was really eating his tie.

High point of the Olympic trip

George Bush learned a lot about beach volleyball. (LA Times)

How's the corn crop

Some commentary about the persistent Iowa corn farmers (more at DealBreaker)

If you take a drive through the gravel roads of rural Iowa, as we did this past weekend, you'll find it striking just how much chaos the June inflicted. A fallow field on one side of the road tells part of the story. Farmers planted on their usual schedule, watched their nascent crop get washed out by floods. Those who planted again saw the floods return, washing out another unborn crop. Many decided not to plant a third time.

On the other side of the road, though, you might see a vibrant green and yellow field, displaying the tenacity of Iowan farmers who planted yet a third time. The wet soil coupled with weather since the floods has been nearly ideal for growing corn. Freshly shucked, the corn is sweet and hearty.

Arch enemy

Wall Arch in Arches National Park has collapsed.

Another installment of me when I was a kid

marriedtothesea.com

This one got delayed in my inbox

It Has Its Hands Full Warming the Globe

Beach patrol: Ma'am, I am going to have to ask you to put on your top. This is not a "clothing optional" beach.
Man sitting with topless woman: Leave her alone. She is trying to get a full body tan.
Beach patrol: Sir, I think you are asking quite a bit from the sun.

--Fort Macon, North Carolina

Overheard by: El Gee

via Overheard at the Beach, Jul 31, 2006

While we're out past Neptune

I have been all interested in Trans-Neptunian Objects the last few days.

And since, at the Western Syndicate, we have a rule that there are always supposed to be some images on the front page, and I just broke that rule, I need to fix it, so here are some images of Quaoar.



Quaoar also was the name of my previous workstation. Now you know more than you wanted to.

Worms sound like me

Do calculus...

Like humans with a nose for the best restaurants, roundworms also use their senses of taste and smell to navigate. And now, researchers may have found how a worm's brain does this: It performs calculus.

Worms calculate how much the strength of different tastes is changing - equivalent to the process of taking a derivative in calculus - to figure out if they are on their way toward food or should change direction and look elsewhere, says University of Oregon biologist Shawn Lockery, who thinks humans and other animals do the same thing.

eat spicy chili peppers...

Observing the worm responding to changes in concentration suggested an experiment to see if the worm's brain computes derivatives. The mathematical concept of a derivative indicates the rate at which something, such as salt concentration, changes at a given point in time and space. So Lockery tried to verify that these neurons recognize changes in salt concentration and then tell the worm where food is and where it is not.

To do so, he artificially activated each neuron with capsaicin, the spicy component in chili peppers, which worms naturally cannot detect. Worms with capsaicin applied to the left neuron crawled forward. When the worm's brain indicated that the current motion leads to increasing salt concentrations, it continues moving in its original direction. But when the worm's right neuron is activated by capsaicin, it is duped into thinking the salt levels are decreasing. So the worm changes direction, hoping to find salt elsewhere.

Full story here: Worms Do Calculus to Find Food (Yahoo/LiveScience.com)

New word of the day

Cubewano

I could learn to love the Euro

Donald Trump, converting all his dollars to the euro???? He shows you how.

Liberty

“Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add “within the law” because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual.” -Thomas Jefferson, letter to Isaac H. Tiffany 1819.

It's not over

Hillary's going to go all the way

Wait, that can't be right

In all fairness, the AP's headline writer was probably flustered by whether or not he would be able to get his money out of IndyMac bank during lunch break today...

Gotta run to the bank

Reuters has a good slide show of the excitement at the IndyMac Bank in Pasadena.

I guess my car loan is paid off

This is the 21st century's version of notification that your car loan is paid off.

javax.portlet.PortletException: Error getting property 'toyotaAccountList' from bean of type com.toyota.tfs.epay.managedbean.StatementBean: java.lang.IndexOutOfBoundsException: Index: 0, Size: 0 at com.sun.faces.portlet.FacesPortlet.render(FacesPortlet.java:320) at com.toyota.tfs.faces.portlet.TFSFacesPortlet.render(TFSFacesPortlet.java:203) at com.bea.portlet.container.PortletStub.render(PortletStub.java:380) at com.bea.portlet.container.AppContainer.renderStub(AppContainer.java:686) at com.bea.portlet.container.AppContainer.invokeRender(AppContainer.java:622) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.content.JavaPortletContent.fireRender(JavaPortletContent.java:258) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.content.JavaPortletContent.renderInternal(JavaPortletContent.java:176) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.content.JavaPortletContent.beginRender(JavaPortletContent.java:131) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlLifecycle$1.visit(ControlLifecycle.java:495) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:543) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walk(ControlTreeWalker.java:247) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walk(ControlTreeWalker.java:105) at com.bea.netuix.nf.Lifecycle.run(Lifecycle.java:356) at com.bea.netuix.nf.UIControl.render(UIControl.java:536) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.PresentationContext.render(PresentationContext.java:405) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.util.RenderToolkit.renderChild(RenderToolkit.java:123) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.jsp.taglib.RenderChild.doStartTag(RenderChild.java:58) at jsp_servlet._framework._skeletons._lfs.__lfshomelayout._jspService(lfshomelayout.jsp:36) at weblogic.servlet.jsp.JspBase.service(JspBase.java:33) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl$ServletInvocationAction.run(ServletStubImpl.java:1077) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:465) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:348) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:646) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:431) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.JspRenderer.renderAlt(JspRenderer.java:194) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.JspRenderer.beginRender(JspRenderer.java:96) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlLifecycle$1.visit(ControlLifecycle.java:491) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:543) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walk(ControlTreeWalker.java:247) at com.bea.netuix.nf.Lifecycle.runOutbound(Lifecycle.java:204) at com.bea.netuix.nf.Lifecycle.run(Lifecycle.java:146) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.UIServlet.runLifecycle(UIServlet.java:324) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.UIServlet.doPost(UIServlet.java:196) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.PortalServlet.doPost(PortalServlet.java:772) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.PortalServlet.doGet(PortalServlet.java:671) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.UIServlet.service(UIServlet.java:147) at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:853) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl$ServletInvocationAction.run(ServletStubImpl.java:1077) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:465) at weblogic.servlet.internal.TailFilter.doFilter(TailFilter.java:28) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.toyota.tfs.filter.AppManagerFilter.doFilter(AppManagerFilter.java:204) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.toyota.tfs.filter.PortalGZIPFilter.doFilter(PortalGZIPFilter.java:125) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.bea.p13n.servlets.PortalServletFilter.doFilter(PortalServletFilter.java:293) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at weblogic.servlet.internal.WebAppServletContext$ServletInvocationAction.run(WebAppServletContext.java:7053) at weblogic.security.acl.internal.AuthenticatedSubject.doAs(AuthenticatedSubject.java:321) at weblogic.security.service.SecurityManager.runAs(SecurityManager.java:121) at weblogic.servlet.internal.WebAppServletContext.invokeServlet(WebAppServletContext.java:3902) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletRequestImpl.execute(ServletRequestImpl.java:2773) at weblogic.kernel.ExecuteThread.execute(ExecuteThread.java:224) at weblogic.kernel.ExecuteThread.run(ExecuteThread.java:183) Caused by: javax.faces.el.EvaluationException: Error getting property 'toyotaAccountList' from bean of type com.toyota.tfs.epay.managedbean.StatementBean: java.lang.IndexOutOfBoundsException: Index: 0, Size: 0 at com.sun.faces.el.PropertyResolverImpl.getValue(PropertyResolverImpl.java:89) at com.sun.faces.el.impl.ArraySuffix.evaluate(ArraySuffix.java:167) at com.sun.faces.el.impl.ComplexValue.evaluate(ComplexValue.java:151) at com.sun.faces.el.impl.ExpressionEvaluatorImpl.evaluate(ExpressionEvaluatorImpl.java:243) at com.sun.faces.el.ValueBindingImpl.getValue(ValueBindingImpl.java:173) at com.sun.faces.el.ValueBindingImpl.getValue(ValueBindingImpl.java:154) at javax.faces.component.UISelectItems.getValue(UISelectItems.java:110) at com.sun.faces.util.Util.getSelectItems(Util.java:602) at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.getOptionNumber(MenuRenderer.java:488) at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.renderSelect(MenuRenderer.java:465) at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.encodeEnd(MenuRenderer.java:430) at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeEnd(UIComponentBase.java:720) at javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag.encodeEnd(UIComponentTag.java:623) at javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag.doEndTag(UIComponentTag.java:546) at com.sun.faces.taglib.html_basic.SelectOneMenuTag.doEndTag(SelectOneMenuTag.java:505) at jsp_servlet._jsp._tfs._epay.__statement._jspService(statement.jsp:209) at weblogic.servlet.jsp.JspBase.service(JspBase.java:33) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl$ServletInvocationAction.run(ServletStubImpl.java:1077) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:465) at weblogic.servlet.internal.TailFilter.doFilter(TailFilter.java:28) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.bea.p13n.servlets.PortalServletFilter.doFilter(PortalServletFilter.java:293) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.bea.wlw.netui.pageflow.PageFlowJspFilter.doFilter(PageFlowJspFilter.java:265) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:652) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:431) at com.bea.portlet.container.PortletRequestDispatcherImpl.include(PortletRequestDispatcherImpl.java:133) at com.sun.faces.portlet.ExternalContextImpl.dispatch(ExternalContextImpl.java:126) at com.sun.faces.application.ViewHandlerImpl.renderView(ViewHandlerImpl.java:130) at com.sun.faces.portlet.ViewHandlerImpl.renderView(ViewHandlerImpl.java:122) at com.sun.faces.portlet.LifecycleImpl$RenderResponsePhase.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:536) at com.sun.faces.portlet.LifecycleImpl.phase(LifecycleImpl.java:245) at com.sun.faces.portlet.LifecycleImpl.render(LifecycleImpl.java:187) at com.sun.faces.portlet.FacesPortlet.render(FacesPortlet.java:304) ... 67 more Caused by: java.lang.IndexOutOfBoundsException: Index: 0, Size: 0 at java.util.ArrayList.RangeCheck(ArrayList.java:507) at java.util.ArrayList.get(ArrayList.java:324) at com.toyota.tfs.epay.managedbean.StatementBean.populate(StatementBean.java:236) at com.toyota.tfs.epay.managedbean.StatementBean.getToyotaAccountList(StatementBean.java:172) at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor3612.invoke(Unknown Source) at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:324) at com.sun.faces.el.PropertyResolverImpl.getValue(PropertyResolverImpl.java:79) ... 101 more Nested Exception is javax.faces.el.EvaluationException: Error getting property 'toyotaAccountList' from bean of type com.toyota.tfs.epay.managedbean.StatementBean: java.lang.IndexOutOfBoundsException: Index: 0, Size: 0 at com.sun.faces.el.PropertyResolverImpl.getValue(PropertyResolverImpl.java:89) at com.sun.faces.el.impl.ArraySuffix.evaluate(ArraySuffix.java:167) at com.sun.faces.el.impl.ComplexValue.evaluate(ComplexValue.java:151) at com.sun.faces.el.impl.ExpressionEvaluatorImpl.evaluate(ExpressionEvaluatorImpl.java:243) at com.sun.faces.el.ValueBindingImpl.getValue(ValueBindingImpl.java:173) at com.sun.faces.el.ValueBindingImpl.getValue(ValueBindingImpl.java:154) at javax.faces.component.UISelectItems.getValue(UISelectItems.java:110) at com.sun.faces.util.Util.getSelectItems(Util.java:602) at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.getOptionNumber(MenuRenderer.java:488) at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.renderSelect(MenuRenderer.java:465) at com.sun.faces.renderkit.html_basic.MenuRenderer.encodeEnd(MenuRenderer.java:430) at javax.faces.component.UIComponentBase.encodeEnd(UIComponentBase.java:720) at javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag.encodeEnd(UIComponentTag.java:623) at javax.faces.webapp.UIComponentTag.doEndTag(UIComponentTag.java:546) at com.sun.faces.taglib.html_basic.SelectOneMenuTag.doEndTag(SelectOneMenuTag.java:505) at jsp_servlet._jsp._tfs._epay.__statement._jspService(statement.jsp:209) at weblogic.servlet.jsp.JspBase.service(JspBase.java:33) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl$ServletInvocationAction.run(ServletStubImpl.java:1077) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:465) at weblogic.servlet.internal.TailFilter.doFilter(TailFilter.java:28) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.bea.p13n.servlets.PortalServletFilter.doFilter(PortalServletFilter.java:293) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.bea.wlw.netui.pageflow.PageFlowJspFilter.doFilter(PageFlowJspFilter.java:265) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:652) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:431) at com.bea.portlet.container.PortletRequestDispatcherImpl.include(PortletRequestDispatcherImpl.java:133) at com.sun.faces.portlet.ExternalContextImpl.dispatch(ExternalContextImpl.java:126) at com.sun.faces.application.ViewHandlerImpl.renderView(ViewHandlerImpl.java:130) at com.sun.faces.portlet.ViewHandlerImpl.renderView(ViewHandlerImpl.java:122) at com.sun.faces.portlet.LifecycleImpl$RenderResponsePhase.execute(LifecycleImpl.java:536) at com.sun.faces.portlet.LifecycleImpl.phase(LifecycleImpl.java:245) at com.sun.faces.portlet.LifecycleImpl.render(LifecycleImpl.java:187) at com.sun.faces.portlet.FacesPortlet.render(FacesPortlet.java:304) at com.toyota.tfs.faces.portlet.TFSFacesPortlet.render(TFSFacesPortlet.java:203) at com.bea.portlet.container.PortletStub.render(PortletStub.java:380) at com.bea.portlet.container.AppContainer.renderStub(AppContainer.java:686) at com.bea.portlet.container.AppContainer.invokeRender(AppContainer.java:622) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.content.JavaPortletContent.fireRender(JavaPortletContent.java:258) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.content.JavaPortletContent.renderInternal(JavaPortletContent.java:176) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.content.JavaPortletContent.beginRender(JavaPortletContent.java:131) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlLifecycle$1.visit(ControlLifecycle.java:495) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:543) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walk(ControlTreeWalker.java:247) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walk(ControlTreeWalker.java:105) at com.bea.netuix.nf.Lifecycle.run(Lifecycle.java:356) at com.bea.netuix.nf.UIControl.render(UIControl.java:536) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.PresentationContext.render(PresentationContext.java:405) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.util.RenderToolkit.renderChild(RenderToolkit.java:123) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.jsp.taglib.RenderChild.doStartTag(RenderChild.java:58) at jsp_servlet._framework._skeletons._lfs.__lfshomelayout._jspService(lfshomelayout.jsp:36) at weblogic.servlet.jsp.JspBase.service(JspBase.java:33) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl$ServletInvocationAction.run(ServletStubImpl.java:1077) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:465) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:348) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:646) at weblogic.servlet.internal.RequestDispatcherImpl.include(RequestDispatcherImpl.java:431) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.JspRenderer.renderAlt(JspRenderer.java:194) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.controls.JspRenderer.beginRender(JspRenderer.java:96) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlLifecycle$1.visit(ControlLifecycle.java:491) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:543) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walkRecursiveRender(ControlTreeWalker.java:554) at com.bea.netuix.nf.ControlTreeWalker.walk(ControlTreeWalker.java:247) at com.bea.netuix.nf.Lifecycle.runOutbound(Lifecycle.java:204) at com.bea.netuix.nf.Lifecycle.run(Lifecycle.java:146) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.UIServlet.runLifecycle(UIServlet.java:324) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.UIServlet.doPost(UIServlet.java:196) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.PortalServlet.doPost(PortalServlet.java:772) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.PortalServlet.doGet(PortalServlet.java:671) at com.bea.netuix.servlets.manager.UIServlet.service(UIServlet.java:147) at javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet.service(HttpServlet.java:853) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl$ServletInvocationAction.run(ServletStubImpl.java:1077) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletStubImpl.invokeServlet(ServletStubImpl.java:465) at weblogic.servlet.internal.TailFilter.doFilter(TailFilter.java:28) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.toyota.tfs.filter.AppManagerFilter.doFilter(AppManagerFilter.java:204) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.toyota.tfs.filter.PortalGZIPFilter.doFilter(PortalGZIPFilter.java:125) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at com.bea.p13n.servlets.PortalServletFilter.doFilter(PortalServletFilter.java:293) at weblogic.servlet.internal.FilterChainImpl.doFilter(FilterChainImpl.java:27) at weblogic.servlet.internal.WebAppServletContext$ServletInvocationAction.run(WebAppServletContext.java:7053) at weblogic.security.acl.internal.AuthenticatedSubject.doAs(AuthenticatedSubject.java:321) at weblogic.security.service.SecurityManager.runAs(SecurityManager.java:121) at weblogic.servlet.internal.WebAppServletContext.invokeServlet(WebAppServletContext.java:3902) at weblogic.servlet.internal.ServletRequestImpl.execute(ServletRequestImpl.java:2773) at weblogic.kernel.ExecuteThread.execute(ExecuteThread.java:224) at weblogic.kernel.ExecuteThread.run(ExecuteThread.java:183) Caused by: java.lang.IndexOutOfBoundsException: Index: 0, Size: 0 at java.util.ArrayList.RangeCheck(ArrayList.java:507) at java.util.ArrayList.get(ArrayList.java:324) at com.toyota.tfs.epay.managedbean.StatementBean.populate(StatementBean.java:236) at com.toyota.tfs.epay.managedbean.StatementBean.getToyotaAccountList(StatementBean.java:172) at sun.reflect.GeneratedMethodAccessor3612.invoke(Unknown Source) at sun.reflect.DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(DelegatingMethodAccessorImpl.java:25) at java.lang.reflect.Method.invoke(Method.java:324) at com.sun.faces.el.PropertyResolverImpl.getValue(PropertyResolverImpl.java:79) ... 101 more

I would just flip the seats back

Guess Whether or Not I'd Save You

Conductor to a group of passengers: You should flip the seats back, this is going to be a crowded train.
Passenger #1: Well, what if we lied down and pretended to be corpses or something? People wouldn't take our seats then.
Conductor: No, people would just come and sit on you.
Passenger #2: But what if we were just like "We're not dead yet!"?
Conductor: Well, they'd still sit on you, so you probably would be dead soon.

--NJ Transit

Overheard by: alison

via Overheard in New York, Jul 11, 2008

Sounds painful to me

"Hot peppers eyed" sounds painful.

Salmonella infects over 1,000; peppers now eyed
Thursday July 10, 1:26 am ET
By Lauran Neergaard, AP Medical Writer
Salmonella infects over 1,000; hot peppers added to raw tomatoes as possible cause of illness

Happy aphelion!

Today the Sun is at its furthest away from the Earth (SpaceWeather).

Today the Sun appears 1.7% smaller than average.

OK, and it's the middle of the summer, so that doesn't seem to make sense to us in the northern hemisphere. But of course it makes perfect sense to the people in the southern hemisphere today, in the dead of winter.

But did you know that southern hemisphere summers are not as warm as northern hemisphere summers? Even though the Earth is closest to the Sun during their summer? Read the article to find out why.

And if you believe the Sun goes around the Earth, well, it's up to you to come up with your own explanation.

(hat tip to Fr. Z)

Ever done this?

nataliedee.com

This is making me hungry

I can't see grapes, and I don't know what rice is.

Out of fuel...

... too many people from San Diego driving across the border to Tijuana to buy fuel.

Particularly truck drivers. Who wouldn't? Diesel's about $2.20 a gallon there, and is well over $5 here.

Tanker arrives to replenish diesel

Despite

Despite the fact that I am endorsing Chip, I would just like to say that I would also consider the VP offer from Obama. If he wants to give me a call about it.

Hagel says he'd consider VP offer from Obama

My endorsement for President

I know it's a little early, but what the heck. I've made up my mind already. This is my endorsement for President.



What? Mark supporting Barack Obama? Impossible, you say.

No, I'm going to vote for Chip.

This kid watches lots of History Channel

And a Nazi Wouldn't Hail a Cab Of Color
Little tourist boy: Mommy! Look, that lady is a Nazi!
Frazzled tourist mom: What? Oh... Honey, that nice lady is hailing a cab, not Hitler.

--Bowery
via Overheard in New York, Jun 14, 2008

Speaking from experience, this burns

marriedtothesea.com

I would use that power all the time

Don’t Talk to Him Before He’s Had His Coffee (via Daring Fireball)

Wigu is back!

WIGU IS BACK

Wigu is back


Wigu is back

Decompose plastic bag

Is this true? High school student invents a way to decompose plastic bags in a short amount of time with bacteria.

I am getting this scary Andromeda Strain vibe for some reason.

Good luck Phoenix

Half of all spacecraft that have been sent to Mars in the last fifty years have failed.

The sun is still blank...

no sunspots. Check out SpaceWeather.com.


The sun controls the Earth's climate more than anything that humans can do, so it is good to stay informed about it.

Check out the section about sunspot numbers also (currently, of course, it's 0). There is an interesting graph of the number of sunspots between 1610 and 2000. NASA also has a site here with further information about the sunspot cycle. Interesting reading also about the Maunder Minimum.

Small oil

Check out this article at Power Line -- bet you didn't realize that the US actually doesn't have any big oil companies.

Coming soon

(from Matteo)

I need to start teaching this skill

Lost Parrot Returns Home After Telling Veterinarian His Address (Fox News, via Kibo)

Oh yeah, pal?

eBay is moving to accepting only PayPal payments in Australia, but they claim that they have no plans at all to do such a thing in the U.S., and they imply that we would be crazy to think otherwise.

Do you believe them? I don't.

eBay To Move To PayPal Only In Australia (WebProNews)

After negative publicity about an eBay plan to require users in Australia to use PayPal-only, its online payment system, rumors about a similar policy in the U.S. were met with a forceful denial from the company.

"In the U.S., we are not mulling, planning, or otherwise seriously considering a move to PayPal-only," wrote spokesman Usher Lieberman on the company's eBay Ink blog. "There are U.S. market-specific reasons why PayPal-only is something we simply cannot do in the U.S."

Caesar

At the linked site, check out the photo of the new bust of Caesar that has been found.

More about the man that we never knew before. There is still much to discover out there.

Divers find Caesar bust that may date to 46 B.C.

PARIS - Divers trained in archaeology discovered a marble bust of an aging Caesar in the Rhone River that France's Culture Ministry said Tuesday could be the oldest known

Why can't I think of good names like this?

Continental Termite & Investment Corp
Diamond Bar, CA 91765

More news from the revolution

Here is some more inside info on what happened at the Nevada Republican Convention. And the Ron Paul insurgents are also raising some money at this site to continue their revolt.

The Nevada Republican State Convention of 2008 - What Happened and Why

Are you afraid of heights?

Gavin sends this along.

Doing nothing

Best insight I've seen in a while on the credit crisis. (John Carney at DealBreaker, commenting on an NYT article.)

Stockpiling food yet?

If you haven't visited it yet, check out the site What You Ought To Know.

Haunted dog house

nataliedee.com

I have to admit I laughed

From the comments on this article about the collapse of the Yahoo/Microsoft negotiations (Seeking Alpha):

Lonnie Devereaux
May 04 11:17 AM
Yahoo should just focus now on their chocolate milk business. It's still the best one on the market.

Them's fightin words

Around these parts XTP is Xpress Transport Protocol, not "Extreme Transaction Processing", whatever the heck that is.

So about that middleware

The best part was, after a one hour presentation on "Oracle Fusion Middleware", by quite a polished speaker, he asks for questions...

Too Big to Explain (Clever Elephant)

Starving billionaires

Check out the picture of this guy's wallet. Interesting article about Zimbabwe from the Guardian.

Caterpillar Hunter

There was a bumper crop of moths this year and now there are lots of these guys running around outside.

It's a Calosoma semilaeve -- about an inch long, and they're pretty fast moving.

Lest we forget

Ron Paul beat John McCain in the Nevada primary. So some of this action probably shouldn't be entirely surprising.

Don't count out the Ron Paul supporters quite yet.

Chaos over Paul cuts short gathering

After a super-majority of Ron Paul supporters captured control of the Republican state convention Saturday, state party officials abruptly canceled the event without electing delegates to the national convention.

Early in the day, state delegates supporting Paul's continued pursuit of the Republican nomination voted through a rules change that forced the state party to abandon its preset ballot of potential national convention delegates and open up the race to the rest of the state delegates.

The vote followed a rousing speech by Paul of Texas, who said his presidential campaign will continue as long as he has support.

But as the convention continued into the evening, chairman Bob Beers said the party's contract for the hall at the Peppermill Resort Casino had expired and the event would be rescheduled.

"Due to a rules change that left us on an overtime basis, we will recess the convention until a date that we are going to announce next week," Beers told a shocked crowd, which stood silent for a few seconds before erupting in boos.

(full story here)

More food prices

More insight about food prices at John Mauldin's site here. (Check out the article "Food Price Inflation, Monetary Policy & Financial Markets" by David Kotok).

Bio oops

America's biofuels policy is turning out to be a big mistake. Interesting editorial by Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson in Investor's Business Daily today.

Now I'm off to find some food.

Pretty good typing test...

... if nothing else...

88

It's fire season already

Very hot today, and now this... this is just a few miles down the road from me, on the other side of the mesa from my house.

Too early in the year for this stuff.

Fire burning in Sorrento Valley

It's nice to share

Sense

Descartes: “Good sense is the most equitably distributed of all things because no matter how much or little a person has, everyone feels so abundantly provided with good sense that he feels no desire for more than he already possesses.”

(via Daring Fireball here)

Just to be clear

My eyes don't really look like that. I was just talking about the color.

How do you score?

Try this financial literacy quiz for Congress. (Bloomberg)

Big Number Change

I didn't know about this. April 22 is the anniversary of the Big Number Change in the UK, which happened in 2000.

This is our next President, eh?

"Why Can't I Just Eat My Waffle?"

The Dogwood Tree

This poem from Fr. Dwight was a nice way for me to start the morning.

The Dogwood Tree
For a Papal Visit

My garden has an ancient dogwood tree,
grown from a cutting from a tree that dates
back beyond all living memory.
The old gardener loves that tree, and relates
the tale of how one tree was kept alive
for thousands of years through bad times and good;
how some cuttings would falter, others thrive,
yet all, both weak and strong, bore the same wood.

As I gaze on the old tree another thing
comes to mind. With it’s blossom white and pure,
it stands like a solemn sentinel for Spring;
it holds together youth and age—and more:
I see that each bough like an arm clad in white,
bows to the world’s ancient dark affliction,
then lifts to grant a fragile benediction
That banishes the darkness and renews the light.

Shipped!

marriedtothesea.com

Lamp Post

Suppose that a great commotion arises in the street about something -- let us say a lamp-post, which many influential persons desire to pull down. A grey-clad monk, who is the spirit of the Middle Ages, is approached on the matter, and begins to say, in the arid manner of the Schoolmen, 'Let us first of all consider, my brethren, the value of Light. If Light be in itself good -- -- -- ' At this point he is somewhat excusably knocked down. All the people make a rush for the lamp-post, the lamppost is down in ten minutes, and they go about congratulating each other on their unmedieval practicality. But as things go on they do not work out so easily. Some people have pulled the lamp-post down because they wanted the electric light; some because they wanted old iron; some because they wanted darkness, because their deeds were evil. Some thought it not enough of a lamp-post, some too much; some acted because they wanted to smash municipal machinery; some because they wanted to smash something. And there is war in the night, no man knowing whom he strikes. So, gradually and inevitably, to-day, to-morrow, or the next day, there comes back the conviction that the monk was right after all, and that all depends on what is the philosophy of Light. Only what we might have discussed under the gas-lamp we must now discuss in the dark.

- G. K. Chesterton, "Heretics"

I'm glad it got the right answer

I would have been worried that there was something fundamentally wrong with me otherwise.

Your Eyes Should Be Brown

Your eyes reflect: Depth and wisdom What's hidden behind your eyes: A tender heart

What Color Should Your Eyes Be?

Squirrel? Meet lead. Lead? Squirrel.

Russian squirrel pack ‘kills dog’ (Dvorak Uncensored)

Plastic bag animals

This is cool. Whenever a subway passes by, this piece of plastic becomes an animal.

The price of real gold is currently soaring

Fake fears over Ethiopia's gold (BBC)

Ethiopia's national bank has been told to inspect all the gold in its vaults to determine its authenticity.

It follows the discovery that some of the "gold" it had bought for millions of dollars was gold-plated steel.

(from David Nishimura at Cronaca)

If you weren't afraid enough already

this physicist gives a reason to be truly afraid of the Large Hadron Collider project.

Dr. Arkani-Hamed said concerning worries about the death of the Earth or universe, “Neither has any merit.” He pointed out that because of the dice-throwing nature of quantum physics, there was some probability of almost anything happening. There is some minuscule probability, he said, “the Large Hadron Collider might make dragons that might eat us up.”

The full article is here at the NY Times: Asking a Judge to Save the World, and Maybe a Whole Lot More

100 shoes dropping

After the Bear Stearns bailout the market has been waiting for the "next shoe to drop". Here are many more shoes that could drop. (Charles Hugh Smith)

As John Hussman says in this article, it's not surprising that there are a lot of shoes ready to drop.

If the market was “certain to crash” in the event that Bear Stearns failed, then the market is certain to crash anyway, because Bear Stearns wasn't the last shoe to drop – it was one of the first. Unfortunately, we're standing in a shoe store.

Are oil prices the next bubble that's ready to pop?

(Both of these links are courtesy of Matteo at Cartago Delenda Est, which is good reading.)