Word from New York brings the sad news that Avery Dulles SJ -- the celebrated convert, teacher, prolific author, first American theologian and US Jesuit elevated to the College of Cardinals, dean of American theologians and a giant of the age -- passed to his reward overnight.
Having suffered the ravages of a post-polio syndrome in recent years, the Navy vet and scion of a Washington dynasty was 90.
Posted by: Mike ||
12/12/2008 10:39 ||
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... Blizzard watch remains in effect from late tonight through
late Saturday night...... Possible life threatening conditions to impact the area this weekend...
A storm system combined with an incoming Arctic airmass will
bring snow... which could be heavy at times... tonight through
Saturday night. Increasing winds with the push of Arctic air will create falling temperatures Saturday. On Saturday night...
dangerous wind chills can also be expected as well as snow drifts of several feet deep. Wind chills Saturday night will drop to 30 to 65 below... which can create frostbite within 5 minutes. Traveling across northeast Montana Saturday and Saturday night is strongly discouraged and could be putting your life at risk.
I also looked at the forecasts for SoCal and the snow levels for next week are not expected to get below 2000' or so at this time.
#2
Back in the late 1880's there were a series of severe blizzards across America. I wonder how the (lack of) sunspots of that period compare with the last couple of years. (I checked and did not see any clear corellation.) Between blizzards in Montana and snow in New Orleans we are clearly in a period of 'Man Made Global Climate Change'(formerly known as 'Man Made Global Warming'); I am amazed our ancestors 120 years ago, with their relatively primitive levels of CO2 generation, were capable of accomplishing just as much Climate Change.
#3
Traveling across northeast Montana is risking your life no matter what the weather conditions. Highway 2 is a dangerous place for cars, especially at night. No lights for hundreds of miles and random cattle roaming across the road.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/12/2008 16:10 Comments ||
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#4
that's near where my ex now lives. I'm unsurprised by frigid temps there
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/12/2008 20:07 Comments ||
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#5
that's near where my ex now lives. I'm unsurprised by frigid temps there
President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe declared Thursday that a cholera epidemic in the southern African nation had been "arrested," even as the United Nations said deaths from the illness had risen to 783.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/12/2008 00:00 ||
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JUST how worrying are the figures, published on Wednesday December 10th, showing that Chinas exports and imports plunged in November? Exports fell by 2.2% last month from a year ago; imports plummeted by an astonishing 17.9%. One analyst sums up the news as a shock figure.
The gloom is spread all over the place. Exports dropped across all big traded goods and all parts of the world. Exports to America fell by 6.1%; those to the ASEAN countries, which had grown by 21.5% in October, fell by 2.4%. The faster decline in imports meant that Chinas monthly trade surplus reached a record $40.1 billion. Exports last fell in 2001.
An estimated 130m people have moved from the countryside to the cities, many for jobs in factories that make goods for export. Zhang Ping, the countrys top planner, has given warning of the risk of social instability arising from massive unemployment.
#2
Zhang Ping, the country's top planner, has given warning of the risk of social instability arising from massive unemployment.
Welcome to capitalism. Now take this as an opportunity and a moment to reflect. If you think exports suck now, just invade Taiwan. The One might forgive you and issue elegant words about the event, but the American people equipped with this device will boycott anything made in China and make today's numbers look mild by comparison.
#4
Yet another nation that was supposed to "eat our lunch" has got a bellyache instead. We have one too, but we got it from eating our own lunch...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/12/2008 10:51 Comments ||
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#5
Even my leftist moonbat parents have begun boycotting virtually all Chinese-made products. I think sickening and killing all those pets didn't help them at all. My cat still hasn't completely recovered from that melanine-laced crap I was tricked into feeding him. I had a low opinion of the Chicoms even before the poison pet-food. Now... the less said, the better!
#6
The situation between China and the US is a very interesting one. I don't think it is any more a threat to the US than Japan is. There is a symbiotic relationship between both countries and China appears to be more aware of this relationship than the US is. China is a hybrid capitalist/socialist country that wants to eventually be fully capitalist. There is far more freedom there for private enterprise than there is in any western country, basically it's the Wild West. Americans would be shocked at the amount of freedom businesses have. And of course some of them abuse that freedom, so slowly more and more regulations are being reluctantly added. Basically it's an anarchists paradise as long as you don't tangle with the Emperor (Communist Party)
They and Taiwan are becoming all lovey dovey and they are seeking more investment from there. I expect them to sign an agreement with Taiwan within the next year or two setting out a reintegration with China, probably on the lines of Hong Kong over a number of years.
Trade with China has been a mixed blessing over the last ten years or so. They along with Japan have kept inflation low by manufacturing wanted goods at lower costs. However they are not called Jews of the East for nothing and they are compulsive savers and investors. That savings has been the driver of the property boom in the US, although through none of their fault. They just kept investing in financial assets and the US kept spending. The US now wants them to appreciate their yuan so as to allow the dollar to fall, thereby facilitating US exports and slowing imports. However as this article indicates, that is not likely to happen, in fact the opposite, the yuan will likely fall strengthening the US dollar. The next administration is going to have fun sorting that conundrum out.
#7
The British had the same problem. Their solution was a lot more innovative than ours (economic collapse).
Posted by: ed ||
12/12/2008 14:28 Comments ||
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#8
The Yuan doesn't float, it's pinned to the dollar. It's not going anywhere in relation to the dollar.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/12/2008 16:14 Comments ||
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#9
Seems RUSSIA is also under threat or risk.
* REDDIT > RUSSIA FACING POSSIBLE MASSIVE SOCIAL UNREST AND VIOLENCE AS COMPANIES PLAN MASSIVE LAYOFFS; + SIGNS OF A KREMLIN FEARFUL OF UNREST, + THE REAL ISSUE ISN'T A US MISSLE SHIELD IN EUROPE [Bi/Multi-lateral Cooper as per Cold War Mutual Destruction premises]???
#2
GM to temporarily close 20 plants to slash output General Motors Corp. said Friday it will temporarily close 20 factories across North America and make sweeping cuts to its vehicle production as it tries to adjust to dramatically weaker automobile demand.
GM said it will cut 250,000 vehicles from its production schedule for the first quarter of 2009, which includes a cut of 60,000 vehicles announced last week. Normal production would be around 750,000 cars and trucks for the quarter, spokesman Tony Sapienza said. Many plants will be shut down for the whole month of January, he said, and all told, the factories will be closed for 30 percent of the quarter.
...
GM and nearly all automakers who sell in the U.S. are mired in the worst sales slump in 26 years. GM reported its sales in the U.S. plunged 41 percent in November and are down 22 percent for the first 11 months of the year compared with the same period last year.
Problem is this does nothing to lower GM's fixed costs. But it's better than having unsold cars rusting away at dealerships.
Posted by: ed ||
12/12/2008 14:07 Comments ||
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#3
Who wants to buy a car from a company that may not be around tomorrow? And no matter how you spin it, bailout money with no business model change does nothing to persuade me that the company will be around the day after tomorrow - except with even more bailout money. The workers claim the problems are not their fault and they should not be punished for it - but I am afraid they are wrong (at least in part.) The Big Three are not and have not been cost-competitive for quite some time (and depending on specifics, not quality-competitive either). Raw materials cost the same as their competitors; executive compensation, even if out-of-line, is only a very small fraction of the cost discrepancy; that leaves work practices and laborer compensation. Effectively the labor force has been over-compensated/under-efficient for a long time and have just about killed that golden goose; now they want federal life-support for the goose so they can maybe get one more egg. Repeat as necessary. Until they kill that federal golden goose as well. It sucks to have to compete, but why should they be exempt?
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries must decide on a "drastic" cut of oil production during its next meeting, OPEC president says.
"The Oran meeting must decide on a drastic (production) cut to establish equilibrium between supply and demand," Chakib Khelil said during an interview on Radio Algerienne.
The next meeting is scheduled for December 17 in Oran.
He said that talks with fellow OPEC officials convinced him that "there is a consensus" that a production cut is necessary.
Earlier Thursday, the International Energy Agency said in Paris that global oil demand would shrink in 2008 for the first time in 25 years.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/12/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The Russians are apparently interested in aiding with a supply cut in order to drive up the price (and repair Vlad's tattered bank account). If they make it stick, say hello to Dow 5000.
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
12/12/2008 1:45 Comments ||
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#2
It may be announced but will be DOA because of all of the cheating by member producers. Also, Iraq has made it clear that it will pump the hell out of its fields, regardless of OPEC quotas.
#4
The things they've been talking about since 1973? Any time now. Just wait and see.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/12/2008 7:37 Comments ||
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#5
There are a number of OPeckers that need the cash flow to stay afloat because they have little reserve cash. This drastic cut will never materialize. If they do the cut, and price goes up, demand will go down. Elementary. ABC123.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/12/2008 11:21 Comments ||
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#6
Iraq, why does that ring bells? Didn't something recent happen there? Won't there export intentions be affected?
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries must decide on a "drastic" cut of oil production during its next meeting, OPEC president says. 
