Wednesday Off-Topic (Moderated) Open Thread (113011)
Rules are here. Possible comment fodder follows. Other topics are also fair game.
I’m holding off on the next (last?) Occupy Update until tomorrow, because other matters have intervened.
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Only bigots could turn a potential BizzyBlog Positivity post into yet another Middle East-related disgrace (HT Instapundit) – “Israelis save drowning Iranians; Drama in Thailand as Israeli lifeguards save two drowning Iranians. ‘When we told them we were Israeli they just got up and fled.’”
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No links on this because of haste, but it’s humorous to watch Ohio media and the AP try to equate the loss of Chiquita’s 300-plus Cincinnati employees to Charlotte with the Ted Strickland-Era loss of NCR’s 1,300 employees from Dayton to Georgia. First, the number of jobs lost obviously isn’t as bad. Second, Chiquita wanted way too much to stay. Third, the Kasich administration has surely been in constant contact with Chiquita since the company started considering other options; Strickland’s Department of Economic Development was totally blindsided, as was current Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, who was pretending to be a state senator representing the Dayton suburb of Kettering while he was living full-time in Upper Arlington near Columbus.
Oh, and there’s a fourth difference Team Kasich can’t help: As is the case with most medium to large cities in Ohio (rates vary), regardless of where you live, Cincinnati has a ridiculous income tax of 2.1% off the top, on employee gross income and business net income. The guess here is that North Carolina cities don’t.
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Humor (sort of) — “Philippine police rescue 1,600 geckos in warehouse.” Geico will be happy.
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A border agency strike in Britain has led to speed-ups in passenger screening at Heathrow Airport in London. Betcha that would happen here if TSA were privatized instead of unionized.
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Obama’s job approval drops below Carter’s. Well, his performance has been infinitely worse than Carter’s, which was as awful as I thought we’d ever see until Mr. “Don’t Kid Me About My Big Ears” came along.
Distillate demand is cratering, the week of 11/25 lowest since 1998! If this dearth in demand holds another 2 or 3 weeks, you can offically call it a Depression. The transportation sector either got super efficient or the road (trucks and trains) and air miles are down significantly. Home heating demand is down due to weather, but in no way accounts for this drop off.
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WDIUPUS2&f=W
Gasoline demand is similarly down to levels not seen since 2002.
http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WGFUPUS2&f=W
This is developing into an economic disaster.
Comment by dscott — December 1, 2011 @ 1:16 am
Well now. But I don’t think that explains how oil can be $100 a barrel and gas prices down near $3 — or does it?
Comment by TBlumer — December 1, 2011 @ 6:00 am
With rumors of war with Iran and oil supply disruption possible they are trading off against dropping world demand. At some point IF a shooting war develops, oil prices will skyrocket otherwise as supply starts out pacing demand in the US, pressure will push down the price. We are currently EXPORTING diesel fuel and gasoline, hasn’t happened in decades.
Comment by dscott — December 1, 2011 @ 2:04 pm