Monkeyfister

Overheard At The Airport...

2009-12-14T17:55:00.002-06:00

What's the difference between Santa Claus and Tiger Woods?

Santa stops after three ho's.

ba-dum-bump... tisssh.

I'll be here all week... yada yada...

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Job Security...

2009-12-14T17:34:00.003-06:00

Everyone who needed to be impressed by our efforts in organizing Navy's presence at THE BIG GAME were, indeed, impressed.

Next up-- X-Games. wheeee!

For those who didn't watch it, Navy won, 17-3 in a very impressive second half. I s'pose that that helped with the good reviews, somehow.

It's great to be back in the saddle again.

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Incredible Town...

2009-12-11T09:33:00.002-06:00

So, I'm staying at the Windsor Suites. Best value in all of Center City. Balcony and a full kitchen with stove, oven and full-size fridge. AWESOME!

I just dodged the bullets to get to Reading Terminal Market, which is a complete feast for the senses. I bought a LOT of good foods-- mainly Pennsylvania Dutch foods, and a pile of Italian baked goods. I may need to buy a new bag to get it all home.

Time to get busy doing the work, now.

It's great to see all the ads I designed all over the city, and Philly itself is promoting the BIG GAME, as well.

If only Memphis would allow some culture to seep in. I'm enjoying everything right now.

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Philly Bound...

2009-12-09T19:39:00.003-06:00

Wow!

Busy work week. The Army-Navy game is assured to be a game to watch this weekend. It's been exhausting, but a lot of fun.

It's been an excellent experience planning an event at this level. Refreshing!

The President is going to be there, so that is what added the extra frenzy this week.

That's a lot of extra planning and Secret Service, but everything is done.

Philly is going to be a lot of fun this weekend. I hope that Philadelphia area readers will drop by the Stadium Complex and review some of the toys I have to play with.

I am trying to pack light in order to bring back lots of good foods from Reading Terminal Market.

It is always best to bust ass and get the work done early on. It makes all that last-minute bullshit a breeze. My job is basically done, and double-checked. Friday, I'll call and triple-check all the arrangements. Inspect the toys, and hope the Big Boys don't need attending. Everything is set. Day of Event, my job is going to be to have have fun in the Nation's First Capitol, during the BIG GAME.

Smart money is on tradition, and the Bookies will tell you Go Navy by a long spread. The big side bet is whether Navy will be merciful this year. I'm sure there is some potentially good contrarian book in there, somewhere.

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Dragon Age: Origins...

2009-12-06T18:40:00.004-06:00

Damn you, John Cole-- you've up and got me addicted to the new Bioware video game. Dragon Age: Orgins. I thank you more than I damn you, of course, my friend.

It is not up to the scale of Baldur's Gate, or Shadow of Awmn, but for story line, plot, and character development, it is a fantastic Fantasy game that has already paid for itself in entertainment dollars per hour.

I also downloaded all of the new Downloadable Content for Fallout 3, and am replaying the entire game with the new stuff. Dollar for dollar, I'd go with Fallout 3, for gameplay value, as with Fallout 3, it really IS a new gaming experience with every play. The new DLC changes EVERYTHING! With Dragon Age, you're just stuck playing through the same scripts with a new character, with nothing really "new" to confront.

Both games, however, are exceptional entertainment values, and I highly recco both for the dollar, with bias toward Fallout 3.

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The Bloody Monkey...

2009-12-06T16:12:00.004-06:00

In between chores, I am enjoying my favorite Bloody Mary recipe. It's my own concoction, arrived at after years of experimentation.

While Active Duty Navy, I was stationed at Ft. Belvoir at Mt. Vernon, VA. Across from the Main Gate was a joint called the Polo Grill, it was sorta upscale without being snooty about it. On Sundays, they had this marvelous Bloody Mary and breakfast buffet. You'd buy the vodka of your choice by the shot, and then they had EVERYTHING you'd every imagine putting into a Bloody Mary. There was always much spirited discussion and recipe swapping at that looooong table.

Here's my ultimate favorite final, personal recipe.

In a 16 ounce glass, combine:

-- 4 shots vodka ( I use Sobieski vodka. New on the market, it is very good, priced at a surprisingly cheap $20.00 per half gallon. I remember when Ketel One was new, too.)
-- Juice of 1/4 lemon
-- A hearty dash of Worcestershire Sauce
-- Two not-so-vigorous dashes of the Tabasco-style Hot Sauce of your choice. Might want to add to taste at the last before garnish.
-- 4 solid shakes of ground celery seed
-- 6 rotations on your fresh Black Pepper grinder

Leaving room for ice, fill remainder of glass 2/3 with Clamato juice, and 1/3 (~ a little can's worth) with V8 Spicy.

Stir.

Top with ice.

Garnish with Kosher dill pickle spear, or celery heart stalk... I do both, and also alternate, and keep them with every refill, and munch them all in the end. I prefer the dill pickle, though. The two here in my glass right now, with the celery, I grew and pickled myself-- makes it all the better! The Clamato only adds a bit of sensuality to ther flavor-- this drink doesn't taste of clams first... You don't even really note the Clam flavour.

YUM!

I hope you also find this recipe as good as I do.

Now, I know there are those who insist that if a Bloody Mary uses Clam juice, it is a "Bloody Caesar," but phhhhhht to all that. This here is a Bloody Monkey... It could have been called The Bloody Fister, or The Bloody Fister Augustus, so, perhaps Bloody Monkey is the best choice for polite company.

Tonight's dinner:

-- Garden-harvested Rosemary Roasted Cornish Game Hen with Basmati Rice, Herbs, Giblets, and Homegrown Oyster Mushrooms Dressing.
-- Fresh-Harvested Roasted Potatoes, Turnips, Onions and Carrots.
-- Garden-Harvested Endive salad, rescue-ripened "Monkeyfister's Marvel" Tomatoes, Garden Onions, Carrots and Herbs.
-- Spiced Apples and Pears with Pomegranate over Vanilla Ice Cream.

This time of year, my garden set-up fucking ROCKS! Everything is thriving under the hooped "mini-greenhouses" of my Wintergarden beds. It makes the cooking of serious comfort food a really easy deal. Just go out and pull up and snip what is needed.

Next year is going to suck more than this year has... I STRONGLY recommend that you book in your community garden space, negotiate some garden space and crop-sharing deals with your neighbors, or start planning your backyard or container gardens NOW.

2009 was a bad year for food crop seed producers, and stocks are, again, limited.

This weekend, I got my seed-starting closet all cleaned out, and ready to roll. Lights are ready, Flats are full of soil, ready for seeds and water come New Year.

Cut back the Asparagus, which has finally relented to the deep frosts. Just counting the dozens of new stalks produced this year, those beautiful Asparagi are going to force me to freeze dozens and dozens of young spears next Spring. I am SO DAMNED EXCITED! I mean that of the 30 crowns that I have planted, every crown produced on average 34 stalks, once I left off Spring harvest. The fall after planting, there were ~12 stalks per crown. I am going to drown in Asparagus come the Spring, and I cannot WAIT!

I ripped up this weekend, and need to replant the Strawberries this Spring... Three years on, and it is time to start over. Good thing that I am re-doing, and doubling the depth of the Strawberry/Asparagus bed this Winter! Perfect timing-- and it is all in the timing.

Back on the Bloody Mary track-- My jag has ultimately encouraged me to eat an entire stalk of celery between drinks, snacks and meals, today.

OK. Laundry and more cooking is calling.

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I'll Be In Philly This Coming Weekend...

2009-12-06T10:09:00.004-06:00

Work-related activities, namely the Army-Navy Game, are taking me to Philadelphia this weekend. I get in Thursday afternoon, leave Sunday morning, and would love to meet-up with any Philly folks/bloggers for after work fun. I'll be staying at the Windsor Suites, and really want to find some good, locally-owned restaurants in the area-- particularly Polish, Italian and Vietnamese-- as well as a good place to get a proper Philly Cheesesteak. Seven years surrounded by nothing but barbecue and fried catfish has me hungry for REAL food. Is there a proper pub in the City Center area?

Lemme know in comments!

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By Golly, There Is A Pony InThere Somwhere..

2009-12-05T12:59:00.005-06:00

It must be hiding in Ben Bernanke's pants, because its not in the charts.

via The Big Picture

More at the link.

And we are now entering the peak of the Option ARM recasts, and the collapse of Commercial Real Estate values, with no help from Obama's economic henchmen, or his Congress in sight.

Green shoots? Where?

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Unscrupulous Hunters...

2009-12-05T11:44:00.003-06:00

Weekend after weekend of either not seeing deer, or not having the opportunity for a safe shot, or having deer driven off by farming activities, I finally had a perfect shot on a nice doe this morning. She came out of the woods at 200 yards, walking slowly, not aware of us in the least. I was calm, took my time, lined up the shot, and squeezed the trigger. She went down quickly, but then got back up, and slowly, limping, went back toward the woods. I took another shot, but because she was moving, I missed. However, I know my first shot was a solid hit. Once into the tree line, she could have gone in any direction, but she went toward the neighboring field-- owned by notoriously prickish people.

The way she went down, and the way she was moving indicated that she would not go too far. I put on my hunter orange, and made to follow her.

And that is when two shots rang out from the neighboring field. By the time I got through the woods, and over by the field, all I saw was the neighbor guy dragging my doe away across the field. He heard me crunching through the frosted leaves, looked back once, but never stopped. My thought is that he didn't even need to shoot the deer, she probably just dropped dead at the edge. The drag trail from the tree line supports my hypothesis, but who knows? I am pretty disgusted this morning, though.

Considering how, on opening day, we allowed the other neighbors to come claim their deer, even letting one field dress a deer while we waited for him to leave, it seemed just wrong, somehow, for this hunter to take my doe... but there was nothing to be done about it. In the weeks to come, that dude is going to realize that turnaround is fair play.

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Surrounded By Stoopid...

2009-12-04T15:01:00.003-06:00

Life here in the Armpit of America.

via The Tennesean

According to The Commercial Appeal, Arlington Mayor Russell Wiseman posted the statements on his Facebook page and said the president is Muslim. Obama is Christian.

“We sit the kids down to watch ‘The Charlie Brown Christmas Special’ and our muslim president is there, what a load…..try to convince me that wasn’t done on purpose,” he wrote, according to the paper.

His Facebook page can only be accessed by people he has approved as friends. Arlington is a city of about 7,600 residents about 25 miles northeast of Memphis.

In the extensive posting, he also attacked the president’s supporters, saying “...you obama people need to move to a muslim country…oh wait, that’s America….pitiful.”
At another point, he wrote, "you know, our forefathers had it written in the original Constitution that ONLY property owners could vote, if that has stayed in there, things would be different........"

That last bit is ever so reminiscent of Trent Lott. Charming.

Arlington is about ten miles to the east of me. When I moved down here, almost seven years ago, Arlington was just a sleepy rural town. When Memphis began annexing its neighboring communities, Arlington seized on the opportunity to lure conservative Republican "White Flighters" by developing tracts of McMansions as an escape haven for them. Now, it's just another crowded stupid strip development town chock full of mooks like Mayor Moron, here.

I am thankful that my little town is still quiet, and a wonderfully friendly mixed community.

And WTF? It's not like "The Charlie Brown Christmas Special" is only aired once anywhere in a year. The DVD is available for chump change in every store everywhere right now. Ol' boy could buy it, and watch it 24/7 until the disk melts for fuck's sake.

Thirteen years, and I can retire, and get the fuck out of this shithole excuse of a state.

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Have A Wonderful Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T15:51:00.002-06:00

I am out the door to my friends' house for the weekend. Some hunting tonight and in the morning, a big feast, and then more hunting, and leftovers!

Cheers everyone, enjoy yourselves, eat too much, relax as much as possible, have a good time with your friends and family. AVOID POLITICS!

Be safe!

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The World According To Americans...

2009-11-23T18:06:00.005-06:00

There have been others. There will be more. This one was pretty good.

I liked the FReeper-style "!!!!1."

I saw it at Barry Ritholz's The Big Picture.

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The Search For The Agarikon Fungus...

2009-11-23T17:45:00.005-06:00

One more reason to salute Paul Stamets. The old-growth forest where he found the Agarikon fungus is scheduled to be clear cut in the near future. Stamets has managed to save, preserve, and grow a very, very important medicinal fungus strain. Rock on!

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2009 Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau...

2009-11-23T17:23:00.005-06:00

I almost forgot to post about this year's Beaujolais Nouveau. I have a glass here, right in front of me, and I have to say that it is the very best Beaujolais Nouveau since probably some time in the early 1990s.

Incredibly well-balanced between dry and fruity, it has a buttery finish, and a bouquet reminiscent of a basket of the finest, freshly-picked berries. This is the most palatable nouveau I have had in a long, long time. I thought last year's was good, but, it had a tartness that effected the finish. I'd serve this with anything one might otherwise pair with a Merlot or Pinot Noir. No "wine face" with this year's Beaujolais Nouveau, for sure. It is almost too drinkable!

via Georges Duboeuf

New York, October 1 - Beaujolais wine producer Georges Duboeuf
is ecstatic about this year’s Beaujolais harvest, predicting it one of the
best Beaujolais vintages in the last 50 years.

“We have had perfect weather with 50,000 grape pickers hard at work across the 3,000 vineyards of Beaujolais since September 4th,” proclaimed Georges Duboeuf in his most recent harvest report, dated September 18th. “The grape bunches are small with a fine purplish black color, and are exceptionally rich in sugar. The berries are thick, and the seeds are a gorgeous amber color, a sign of perfect phenolic maturity. Their brightness, intensity, and above all, their perfect health
are something to behold. We have not seen anything like this for a long time.”
Following the longtime French tradition of releasing Beaujolais Nouveau at one minute past midnight on the third Thursday of November, the 2009 vintage will be released November 19 with celebratory “Le Beaujolais Nouveau Est Arrivé!” events taking place in New York, Miami, Las Vegas and several other locations across the country.

Restaurants will be offering everything from midnight pajama parties to special Beaujolais Nouveau dinner menus. A new website, www.duboeufnouveau.com, with information on Beaujolais Nouveau and events surrounding its arrival in the U.S. will debut in October. “Following last year’s unprecedented, and successful, break from tradition, the 2009 Beaujolais will once again be shipped by boat, not by air, to reduce the carbon footprint of shipping the wine and to onserve fuel costs, ensuring that retail prices are kept affordable for U.S. consumers”, said Bill Deutsch, Chairman of Georges Duboeuf’s exclusive U.S. importer, W.J. Deutsch & Sons Ltd. “We anticipate retail prices to be lower than last year, averaging $9 to $11 per bottle.”

This young fruity wine is made from the region’s Gamay grape. By law, the grapes must be harvested by hand, not machine. August 2009 offered some of the best hot and sunny weather in the last 60 years. The favorable weather has helped the grapes mature nicely. In fact, many winegrowers in the early-maturing area requested a dispensation in order to start their harvest earlier. “To obtain optimum aromas and fruit for our primeurs, and to avoid over maturation, we opened our vinification site August 25th for those parcels with an alcoholic content already over 12°,”
said Duboeuf.

Indeed-- this particular wine is traditionally viewed as the sneak peek into the quality of the European grape harvest at large. If the Nouveau is good, the better wines will be great. Starting out with an OUTSTANDING primeur wine means the broader menu of 2009 wines will be exquisite.

Do NOT miss this one-- it really is worth the few bucks. A real bargain this year, that will garner many compliments.

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It Must Have Been A Conspiracy...

2009-11-22T11:02:00.004-06:00

Good crikey, I never knew so much bullshit could pile-up in one morning.

Opening day of Deer rifle season. A beautiful, dry morning, temperature a comfortable 46F (compared with last year's 17F), not a cloud in the sky. A perfect day for hunting, we all agreed, as we settled into our various blinds in the dark hours before sunrise.

Here is an aerial view of the field that we hunt. Earl and I were in the blind at the bottom-right of the field, and Randy and Dusty were in blind at the top-left. Those big, whitish trails are Deer trails. Gives you an idea of just how productive this land is. Click for BIG view.

The sky grayed, followed by the rising of the sun. Lots of excitement and anticipation, as we chatted quietly over our radios to one another. As the sun lifted over the horizon, Randy and Dusty saw the first Buck jog out of the woods at the left end of the field. There are two houses at that end, and the Buck didn't move away from them before strolling back from whence it came. They radioed to us that he was a nice 8-pointer, and had it just moved away from the houses, they would have had it at easy 250 yard range.

Then, it was our turn to see a good Buck. It's getting close to 7am at this point.

Earl and I saw him-- a fat 6-pointer-- trucking along the tree line to the right. That is a 325-yard shot from where we were set up. He was on the neighbor's side of the trees, and we did everything that we could to call him over to us. Just as he was about to jump the fence and come to our side, the neighbor's rifle rang out, the deer leaped through the tree line, and died about 20-yards into the field we were hunting. Un-freaking-believable. We both groaned, knowing what was now to come. A big fucking mess. But, it would get much worse as the day progressed...

Twenty minutes later, here comes the neighbor guy in his orange. He waved to let us know that he was there (as if we didn't know). He had driven up to the tree line in his big, noisy truck, radio blaring. We just wanted him to take his deer, and go home to clean it, but no. He spent nearly a half-hour there, in our field. The bastard didn't just drag his deer over the fence and leave. He spent a half-hour FIELD DRESSING the damned deer, and left the guts right there, to scare away other deer, and attract Coyotes. We ended up having to bury the mess ourselves later. But, it got worse.

Twenty minutes after dude left, Three semi-trucks rattled and roared into the field directly behind us, to pull the giant bales of cotton out of the field.

Twenty minutes after they left, old neighbor dude's buddy pulls onto neighbor's field in a loud-assed panel truck, pulling a damned generator. A half-hour after that, we hear his gun fire, and damn if another Buck didn't run into our field to die in the lower right corner of the field. At least the hunter had the sense to just drag the whole Deer off quickly.

Earl and I were simply disgusted at this point. He actually called his neighbor and explained how upset he was. Oh, the neighbor was apologetic, but, never returned to clean up the Deer guts. Prick.

Finally, everything calms down, it is near 10am at this point. Randy radios over to us that there are four Does moving out of the woods, and out of the angle of the houses, they are moving toward us, and that he and Dusty were going to try and take two, hopefully driving the other two toward us. We were excited. No sooner had Randy hung up, we saw the Does about 425 yards off, and indeed, coming our way.

And then the B-29 bomber with two P-51s in formation flew over at low altitude-- very low. The Does scattered, Randy and Dusty's guns rang out, but both missed the panicked Deer. Earl and I never even had a chance to shoot. I screamed in frustration, Earl cursed a litany of obscenities right along with me. That was it. The morning hunt was over.

...

The evening hunt wasn't much better, the cotton-haulers came back a few more times during the day, keeping the Deer away. We had one notable bit of excitement, when, just at sunset, a Deer ran up immediately behind our tent, and grunted, stomped and thrashed around for about fifteen minutes, as it tried to figure out what the hell this thing was blocking his route across the field. We were both very excited, thinking that the day just might be saved from total ruin. Short-lived, though. It apparently just turned around, and disappeared. We never got to see it.

This morning, it was pouring rain in sheets, and that was that.

Pretty horrible start to rifle season.

I thought the top of muzzle-loader season was bad enough, when the combine pulled in to harvest the soy beans in our field, and remained all weekend.

I really hope that things change for the better come next weekend, because this weekend really put us all in a foul mood of disappointment.

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Goin' Hunting...

2009-11-20T08:59:00.004-06:00

Finally, rifle season for Deer starts Saturday morning. I'm busy getting my gear together, and taking care of some last-minute chores before heading out to Deer Camp. All through bow season, and this past two weeks of muzzle-loader season, not a single Deer came withing range, but the rut is now ramping up, the weather is just right, the Deer are moving, and I've got high hopes of bagging one this weekend.

This past year, we've been working on optimum power charges as we make bullets for our rifles. It really is amazing how just a single grain of powder can improve or reduce accuracy. Too little powder, and the bullet hits the target a bit low, and can fly a bit erratic. Too much powder, and, beside the obvious danger of over-pressure, the gun will kick painfully hard. This causes the shooter to wince during trigger-pull, and again, the bullet will stray from the target.

After several weekends of loading, test-firing, and comparing notes, we each have 50 bullets that are of optimal charge, optimal length, and achieve optimal bullet placement during target practice.

All we need now is optimal Deer placement!

Never-mind where I am shooting that bullet-- put a Deer in front of it, and I'll hit it! :)

Joking aside, the whole point is to make the most accurate bullets that we can. I think we did well. We'll find out this weekend.

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Playin' Opossum...

2009-11-16T19:30:00.003-06:00

So, I just called for the cats to come in from outdoors. I had turned on the light for the back deck, and in the gloom of the night, I saw two shapes moving through the gardens. Figuring it was Murray and Mountain Girl coming to my call (for once), I held the door open, and stood out waiting for them. Mountain Girl boogied up the stairs side by side with a HUGE opossum. She was like, "Oh, Hai! Here's my pal, Opossum, we were just playin' and whatnot, can he come in with me?" Ummmm... no.

Mr. Opossum took one look at me, and split off the side of the deck. It scared the living hell out of me-- NOT what I was expecting at all. I'm still astounded at how totally mellow MG was about the whole thing.

Life in the country. I wish I had had the camera ready.

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More Incredible Mushroom Breaktroughs From Paul Stamets...

2009-11-15T17:31:00.005-06:00

A few months ago, I posted a TED Talk by Paul Stamets about how Fungi can save the world. This presentation is a bit longer, and deeper in content.

I have three Oyster mushroom kits sprouting away in my spare bedroom, and am looking forward to the Shaggy Mane, and Giant Garden mushrooms sprouting up in the garden beds any day now... or perhaps in the Spring. The three Oyster Mushroom bags are going to yield bumper crops this time round.

Stamet's kits are really worth the money-- HOWEVER, I suggest that you look at the requirements of time, temperature and watering BEFORE you buy a kit. I am just a single guy, and many of the kits requiring watering multiple times a day, which I cannot do if I am not at home. Others require very, very specific temperature ranges, which might not be realistic for growing in your home. Stamet's staff is VERY knowledgeable, and will provide excellent guidance if you just call and inquire before purchase. A single person will get less than ideal results with the Maitake, Pioppino, and Shiitake kits, which require frequent misting at regular intervals. I suppose one could rig up a pump on a timer...

Their Oyster Mushroom kits are more than worth their price for a single person. I get three good harvests from one kit, and then I bury it outside with some straw, and get at least another harvest. If you have a spouse or a family member at home to tend to the fungi, than that opens up a wide menu of possibilities. Paul Stamets is one good Human doing very good work. I have no problem supporting and blogging about his company. Of course, I take no money, and receive no benefit from posting about him. It's not my way. His company and products are simply excellent, and it doesn't take much effort to proclaim the virtues thereof. The discout for three kits makes up for the shipping costs. I am going to start experimenting with inoculating my own Oyster spawn into straw over the Winter and Spring. YouTube has plenty of videos on the subject.

It is awesome opening the cupboard and seeing jar after jar of dried mushrooms, ready to cook with. I cook with them very often. Since I can't even get them (fresh OR dried) here in the Mid-South armpit of America, they are more than worth the price and effort.

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Responses To the IEA/Guardian Revelations...

2009-11-12T19:00:00.004-06:00

Following up on the Guardian article, below, here are some responses from people who know more than I do on this topic.

-- Gregor Macdonald via Seeking Alpha

-- David Cohen via ASPO

-- Kjell Aleklett, President Of ASPO

-- Energy Bulletin Has A Nice Round-up Of Responses.

-- The Oil Drum will be visiting this in full detail over the coming days and weeks. Worth dropping in there for the good data.

This is important news. It is clear, now, that the BIG Energy Crisis is much closer than that fuzzy, out-there in the FUTURE 2030. I feel confident that we're "there" right now-- at the top. Any new discoveries brought online in the future will be not much more than maintenance. Jack 2 comes on line-- Gawar finally goes dead, etc.

I propose that any recovery will be little more than a stabilization of the current situation, but at a lower standard of living than we have right now. Many of those currently shut-out, will remain that way, but they'll find shelter in ample, cheap rentals... Means of economic survival will require imagination and creativity.

Learn A New Skill!

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China Signalling It's Ready To Let The Yuan Float...

2009-11-12T18:18:00.004-06:00

Oh oh!

Bad news for you, not-Strong-Dollar Strong Dollar! [/Telorast and Curdle]

via CNBC

China sent its clearest signal yet that it was ready to allow yuan appreciation after an 18-month hiatus, saying on Wednesday it would consider major currencies, not just the dollar, in guiding the exchange rate.

In its third-quarter monetary policy report, the People's Bank of China departed from well-worn language on keeping the yuan "basically stable at a reasonable and balanced level." It hinted instead at a shift from an effective dollar peg that has been in place since the middle of last year.

"Following the principles of initiative, controllability and gradualism, with reference to international capital flows and changes in major currencies, we will improve the yuan exchange-rate formation mechanism," the central bank said in a 46-page monetary policy report.

The comments, published just days before a visit to Shanghai and Beijing by U.S. President Barack Obama, set out the possibility of a return to exchange rate appreciation that began with a landmark July 2005 revaluation.

The yuan strengthened by nearly 20 percent against the dollar until concern over the impact of the global financial crisis prompted Beijing to hit the brakes in the middle of last year to protect exporters.

The yuan has been stuck at around 6.83 per dollar ever since, drawing increasing ire from other countries, especially as it has followed the dollar downwards against other currencies.

The dollar has dropped 13 percent against a basket of major currencies including the yen and euro since mid-February.

The spin, of course, will be that this will be GREAT for US Exports... the few we have left. We'll be left to realize the other side of the coin, when WalMart's Low, Low Prices are suddenly not so low any more.

I might be short-sighting this... Is there an up-side?

NPR is telling me, as I type, to chill the fuck out-- President Obama is on the plane, and on the way to Asia.

I hope he's packin' the big guns... Wait... WHAT big guns?

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All Of The ARM Reset and Option ARM Recast Charts...

2009-11-11T21:16:00.004-06:00

By request. I admit that it IS time for us to dust these bad boys off, and see where we are at. Several of these charts show the same data, just re-arranged in different ways... Choose your own adventure!

This is what is currently thr growing concern. Option ARMs are a "Pick-A-Pay" scheme, with nifty different intro low-payment options, which Recast to a higher actual payment at a set date. Would have worked out great, had the party music not been unplugged.

Here is the above data laid on top of the ongoing train wreck.

Same stuff, but this one makes you calculate the date from their given months! Calculators Away!

Which brings us to this graph, which provides a line, and some dollar figures to go with the mess. I thing the total is a low-ball, just from the Quarterly reports since this graph was made.

Commercial Real Estate is the next major pillar to crumble, and it is well on it's way. We're not going to have a "Recovery" until the Foreclosure rates recede dramatically, and they are only on the upswing right now. The Banksters aren't interested in fixing their mess, and won't take care of the properties they have already re-possessed. They're not lending to businesses, Farmers... hardly even to themselves...

That bottom chart says it all to me-- this crisis won't start scabbing over until 2013-14.

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IEA Releases Its World Energy Outlook 2009 Report...

2009-11-11T20:32:00.006-06:00

So, the IEA has just put out their 2009 World Energy Outlook. Here is the
Executive Summary (PDF).

Unnamed whistleblowers, within IEA, say the total Oil Production goal of 105MBbls per day is wholly unrealistic.

via The Guardian

In particular they question the prediction in the last World Economic Outlook, believed to be repeated again this year, that oil production can be raised from its current level of 83m barrels a day to 105m barrels. External critics have frequently argued that this cannot be substantiated by firm evidence and say the world has already passed its peak in oil production.

Now the "peak oil" theory is gaining support at the heart of the global energy establishment. "The IEA in 2005 was predicting oil supplies could rise as high as 120m barrels a day by 2030 although it was forced to reduce this gradually to 116m and then 105m last year," said the IEA source, who was unwilling to be identified for fear of reprisals inside the industry. "The 120m figure always was nonsense but even today's number is much higher than can be justified and the IEA knows this.

"Many inside the organisation believe that maintaining oil supplies at even 90m to 95m barrels a day would be impossible but there are fears that panic could spread on the financial markets if the figures were brought down further. And the Americans fear the end of oil supremacy because it would threaten their power over access to oil resources," he added.

A second senior IEA source, who has now left but was also unwilling to give his name, said a key rule at the organisation was that it was "imperative not to anger the Americans" but the fact was that there was not as much oil in the world as had been admitted. "We have [already] entered the 'peak oil' zone. I think that the situation is really bad," he added.

The IEA acknowledges the importance of its own figures, boasting on its website: "The IEA governments and industry from all across the globe have come to rely on the World Energy Outlook to provide a consistent basis on which they can formulate policies and design business plans."

More-- including audio from the IEA WEO 2009 Conference-- at the link.

Just one look at the chart (provided in the Guardian article, above), and it's pretty easy to side with the whistleblowers. IEA is putting a LOT of hope in Non-Conventional Oil (Alberta's Tar Sands, namely), which will realistically yield ~50% of that before fresh water supply/aquifer damage, and EROEI concerns take their toll one it. Also, one can't help admiring their level of faith in "Crude Oil Fields Yet To Be Found." Half that, at best. I see it as difficult to get past the 85MBbls per day mark. Every producer had the spigots wide open through August 2008, and it wasn't enough.

Here's a big take-away from the IEA 2009 World Energy Outlook:

In the oil and gas sector, most companies have announced cutbacks in capital spending, as well as project delays and cancellations, mainly as a result of lower cash flow. We estimate that global upstream oil and gas investment budgets for 2009 have been cut by around 19% compared with 2008 — a reduction of over $90 billion. Oil sands projects in Canada account for the bulk of the suspended oil capacity. Powersector investment is also being severely affected by financing difficulties, as well as by weak demand, which is reducing the immediate need for new capacity additions.

In late 2008 and early 2009, investment in renewables fell proportionately more than
that in other types of generating capacity; for 2009 as a whole, it could drop by close to one-fifth. Without the stimulus provided by government fiscal packages, renewables investment would have fallen by almost 30%.

Falling energy investment will have far-reaching and, depending on how governments respond, potentially serious consequences for energy security, climate change and energy poverty. Any prolonged downturn in investment threatens to constrain capacity growth in the medium term, particularly for long lead-time projects, eventually risking a shortfall in supply. This could lead to a renewed surge in prices a few years down the line, when demand is likely to be recovering, and become a constraint on global economic growth. These concerns are most acute for oil and electricity supplies. Any such shortfalls could, in turn, undermine the sustainability of the economic recovery. Weaker fossil-fuel prices are also undermining the attractiveness of investments in clean energy technology (though recent government moves to ncourage such investment, as part of their economic stimulus packages, are helping to counter this effect). Cutbacks in energy-infrastructure investments also threaten to impede access by poor households to electricity and other forms of modern energy.

The financial crisis has cast a shadow over whether all the energy investment needed to meet growing energy needs can be mobilised. The capital required to meet projected energy demand through to 2030 in the Reference Scenario is huge, amounting in cumulative terms to $26 trillion (in year-2008 dollars) — equal to $1.1 trillion (or 1.4% of global gross domestic product [GDP]) per year on average. The power sector requires 53% of total investment.

Yep. I said it some time ago: Just as the US was getting back on its economic feet, Peak Oil would kick us in the teeth.

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Why We Must Retain Net Neutrality...

2009-11-11T15:09:00.003-06:00

This is precisely the reason. Rupert Murdoch's got himself one sick and horrible vision for the future of the World Wide Web. Fortunately, Cory Doctorow is on it!

via Guardian

Just what, exactly, is Rupert Murdoch thinking? First, he announces that all of News Corp's websites will erect paywalls like the one employed by the Wall Street Journal (however, Rupert managed to get the details of the WSJ's wall wrong – no matter, he's a "big picture" guy). Then, he announced that Google and other search engines were "plagiarists" who "rip off" Newscorp's content, and that once the paywalls are up (a date that keeps slipping farther into the future, almost as though the best IT people work for someone who's not Rupert "I Hate the Net" Murdoch!) he'll be blocking Google and the other "parasites" from his sites, making all of News Corp's properties invisible to search engines. Then, as a kind of loonie cherry atop a banana split with extra crazy sauce, Rupert announces that "fair use is illegal" and he'll be abolishing it shortly.

What is he thinking? We'll never know, of course, but I have a theory.

First, the business of blocking search engines. Rupert has got dealmaker's flu, a bug he acquired when he bought MySpace and sold the exclusive right to index it to Google. This had the temporary effect of making Rupert look like a technology genius, as Google's putative payout for this right made the MySpace deal instantly profitable, at least on paper; meanwhile, MySpace's star was in decline, thanks to competition from Facebook, Twitter and a million me-too social networking tools.

It also put ideas into Rupert's head.

You can practically see the maths on the blackboard behind his eyelids: exclusive deals + paywalls = money.

The Pogues-- "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda"

2009-11-11T11:23:00.003-06:00

And the Republicans continue their senseless, heartless and brutal stranglehold on VA Care legislation, while care is stretched, and waiting times lengthen, and Veterans needing CARE die at the hands of GOP politics.

I guess that along with the Bushies, they have gotten their Iraq and Afghanistan business deals rolling, so they don't need to Support The Troops any longer.

A peaceful Veteran's Day to my fellow Shipmates, Soldiers, Marines and Airmen. Bravo Zulu-- you made it there, and back, alive. Here's to the day when America makes its last Disabled Veteran, its last Veteran KIA, its last Veteran MIA. may we all find Home.

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Blackwater's Scumbaggery... Again...

2009-11-10T19:02:00.004-06:00

Cute!

via New York Times

WASHINGTON — Top executives at Blackwater Worldwide authorized secret payments of about $1 million to Iraqi officials that were intended to silence their criticism and buy their support after a September 2007 episode in which Blackwater security guards fatally shot 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad, according to former company officials.

Blackwater approved the cash payments in December 2007, the officials said, as protests over the deadly shootings in Nisour Square stoked long-simmering anger inside Iraq about reckless practices by the security company’s employees. American and Iraqi investigators had already concluded that the shootings were unjustified, top Iraqi officials were calling for Blackwater’s ouster from the country and company officials feared that Blackwater might be refused an operating license it would need to retain its contracts with the State Department and private clients, worth hundreds of millions of dollars annually.
...
Blackwater’s strategy of buying off the government officials, which would have been illegal under American law, created a deep rift inside the company, according to the former executives. They said that Cofer Black, who was then the company’s vice chairman and a former top C.I.A. and State Department official, learned of the plan from another Blackwater manager while he was in Baghdad discussing compensation for families of the shooting victims with United States Embassy officials.

The Bushies' second favorite Contractor. They never cease to impress.

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