Busy and Unproductive

OK, so I am incredibly busy...but, sadly, I am also incredibly unmotivated and unproductive. It is a sad situation. Now, on top of it all, Excel is screwing with me. I had been working in Excel and then brought another window to the front to use that program for a bit (my job is all about multitasking in more programs than my stinking Dell laptop can handle). When I came back to Excel, the group of cells that had been highlighted in an olive green are now a grass green. It doesn't really bother me that the shade of color changed; it bothers me that the shade of color CHANGED, and I don't know why or how.

Anyway, I had to get this off my mind to help me refocus..."yeah, good luck with that."

Peace,

Alphadork

...That's Why I Don't Listen to the Radio!

I really don't listen to the radio much. I know, I miss out on great new music that way (actually, that's why I have Allmusic.com), but I really hate commercials. CD players are great...I love a constant torrent of music of my choosing. Sometimes I carpool to a client's office and get to listen to the driver's radio station of choice. Right now is a really bad time with the onslaught of campaign ads, especially the attack ads.

Are people really swayed by those? They ALWAYS take things out of context, leaving out pertinant information about the other candidate, therefore unfairly representing their position on an issue and misleading potential voters. I heard a GOP-funded ad yesterday, and I pity the person who takes it at face value. Using a few more words than I, it said McCaskill will take away your guns and kill your babies, vote Talent. Another takes a factual mistake made by one of her campaign employees and represents it as McCaskill having a chronic lying problem, saying "typical McCaskill."

I am really ashamed that we are so set on attacking one another. When did the definition of "fair and balanced" become so skewed?

Wow, that was a tangent...back to CDs and radio: I recently purchased Live's new album, Songs From Black Mountain. I've always been a big fan, so I had to get it, despite the fact that their albums have felt a little less than 'their best' lately. It's a good album; mostly the same familiar musical formula, but far more laid-back, mellow, and mature than previous releases. It is an enjoyable album worth giving a listen. Read about it at Allmusic.com, or buy it at Amazon.

Peace,

Alphadork

More Hot Gas....

Alright, I feel as though I need to say a little more on the gas prices thing I discussed in my last post. I've seen a number of stories lately attempting to blame/praise the current administration for gas prices, as though Bush makes a call to the oil companies each morning to tell them what the price should be today. While that isn't entirely impossible, I don't think it is likely. I do think they can be LINKED, and here is how:

The administration may not control the prices, but the oil companies do. As previously stated, there are indications of intentional manipulation. Also quite obvious is the fact that gas and oil are closely linked with Republicans, especially the current administration, and more importantly to them in the next couple months, to the incumbents. As Republicans are Big Oil's greatest allies and the general public seems to see dropping prices as a positive reflection of the success of Republican incumbents, Big Oil sees a drop in prices (and thus a possible drop in profits) as a fine indirect method of campaigning for right-wing candidates. What better way to make a campaign contribution when corporations are limited as to how much cash they give a candidate...sacrifice some profits to make them "look good."

I think more legal loopholes are found in the heat of the election cycle than any other time of the year...

Peace,

Alphadork

Gas Prices & Midterms: The September Suprise

I received the following in a forwarded email that includes some information from a USA Today article...it's just what I've been thinking:

Will be interesting to see if the price of gas stays down after the election or if it slowly rises to then goes down again before the 2008 election.


(Sept. 21) - When it comes to President Bush's approval rating - the number that measures his political health - one factor seems more powerful than any Oval Office address or legislative initiative.

A statistical analysis found that 78 percent of changes in President Bush's approval ratings could be correlated with inverse changes in the price of gas.

It's the price of a gallon of gas.

Statisticians who have compared changes in gas prices and Bush's ratings through his presidency have found a steady relationship: As gas prices rise, his ratings fall. As gas prices fall, his ratings rise.

For some Americans, analysts speculate, gas prices provide a shorthand reading of the general state of the economy. Even though prices at the pump are largely outside the president's control, he gets credit when they fall - and blame when they rise.

"Gas prices are a price everybody knows because it hangs on the street in big letters," says Stuart Thiel, an economist at DePaul University in Chicago who has been tracking the trend for several years.

A statistical analysis by Doug Henwood, editor of the liberal newsletter Left Business Observer, found that an "uncanny" 78% of the movement in Bush's ratings could be correlated with changes in gas prices. Based on trends in crude oil prices, Henwood predicted last Thursday that it "wouldn't be surprising to see his approval numbers rise into the mid-40s."

In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, Bush's rating rose to 44%, his highest in a year. Average gas prices, which peaked at more than $3 a gallon in August, had dropped under $2.50, the lowest since March.

A renewed focus on terrorism contributed to Bush's turnaround, analysts say. "When they put the terror issue out there, they tend to get political points," says sociologist Robb Willer of the University of California, Berkeley.

Gas prices may be "a proxy for larger developments in the political economy," Henwood says. For instance, the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina, which drove up fuel costs, also eroded Bush's support.

The ratings of Bush's three immediate predecessors weren't closely tied to gas prices, Henwood found. Volatile prices and a supply crunch did contribute to President Jimmy Carter's political travails.

For Bush, too, prices have been volatile, and his background as an oilman may be a factor affecting public attitudes. In the USA TODAY poll, two in five said the administration has deliberately manipulated gas prices to decline before the fall elections.

Routine market forces are likely to deliver more good news to Bush, says Tom Kloza of the Oil Price Information Service. Absent an international crisis, he predicts gas prices will drop an additional 10 to 20 cents a gallon by Election Day.

09/21/2006 07:27

Copyright 2006 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.

My own analysis: the ratio between the current price of oil and the current price of gas has dropped since mid-July (the markup has been reduced), indicating some deliberate actions to the decrease in the prices. Seems fishy anyway...

Peace,

Alphadork

This Man Never Fails to Impress Me

Former President Bill Clinton recently stated that he believesthe US should talk to Iran. My personal opinion: this is a good idea. Clinton also says don't send Bush to do it; also a good idea.

"If you think you might have trouble with somebody, and God forbid if you think it could lead to a military confrontation, then there needs to be the maximum amount of contact beforehand," Clinton said in an interview with NBC's "Today" show.

"The United States should not be afraid to talk to anyone. They should not be reluctant and shouldn't have too many conditions," said Clinton.

I guess you can call me dumb, because I just don't get it. When I hear Ahmadinejad speak, I hear pleas for independence and peace; when I hear Bush speak, I hear hypocritical demands (we can have nukes, but you cannot), followed by threats.

I am very afraid that war with Iran will be our "October Suprise." It's the wrong thing to do, but then again, we've become quite lost down the wrong deep dark path over the last six years...

Peace (it's gonna take a lot of work, but it's worth it),

Alphadork

Don't Be So Serious, Seriously

I have come to learn that way too many people take life (and themselves) far too seriously. Nothing can be fun for them, just serious. I am talking about people who do things like watching CSPAN "for fun," yell at the referee from their recliner when he doesn't throw the flag, or join in on a laid-back pickup game of Ultimate Frisbee and yell at others because they don't play defense right.

It's a shame, because life can be far more enjoyable.

I'm a Loser, Baby

So, I just wanted to get this out there, in case the one visitor I get per week hasn't figured it out: I'm a busy loser. I really intended on having more to offer, but I haven't posted since what, June? Well, things just keep heating up: work, extra curriculars, etc. Any time I have something to say, I'm too busy doing something else, like playing baseball on the PS2 (it really is important...how else will I ever become an All-Star shortstop for the Cardinals, or help the Royals franchise have a winning season?)

Well, mid-terms are almost upon us and the BS machines are going full-steam. Just keep your head down and try to wade through. It should be interesting...

Well, back to work; hopefully I'll make it back here soon.

Peace,

Alphadork