Since the hoopla about the death of the self-proclaimed "King of Pop" refuses to die down, I will add my own personal story of how I did not see Michael Jackson at the Super Bowl in 1993.
The Super Bowl in 1993 was held in the Rose Bowl, and a group of friends and I from Buffalo ventured out to Pasadena for the third attempt by our Bills to win a Super Bowl. We had tickets in several different places, so I was sitting with my friend Greg among a bunch of complete fucking morons....ooop, I mean Cowboys fans.
When you go to the Super Bowl, they put a seat cushion on each seat. The cushion has a pouch with a bunch of goodies in it, at least it did the year I was there. There was a radio to listen to the game, a pack of trading cards, and a few other things. Also included was a colored card, which we were expected to hold up so we could participate in MJ's "Molesting the Children of the World" half-time show. I quickly ripped that up and threw it away, having no interest whatsoever in being a part of that kind of bullshit.
When the half-time whistle blew, it seemed to Greg and I that we had 2 choices: stay in our seats and watch the show, or go out and take a leak and get a beer and a hot dog (only $9...in 1993 the super bowl was already charging 2005 prices!). That didn't seem like a very difficult decision, so off we headed, able to beat the crowds who wanted to stay and hear "Beat It".
Here's the funny thing, and it shows you how the NFL really only cares about the TV audience. The Rose Bowl is an open stadium, with the concession areas on uncovered walkways outside the main bowl of the stadium. Which means that while getting out beers, we should have been able to hear the music from inside. But we couldn't. I expect this is because it wasn't played at concert volume (and was probably lip-synched), but at a low level. After all, it was all just a show for TV, and those of us who'd dropped a couple hundred bucks to watch the game were merely there to be props.
So, I never saw Micheal Jackson perform. And I can live with that. I just wish I also hadn't seen the Bills lose to sports second most evil franchise by 500-2, or whatever the gruesome score was.
Monday, June 29, 2009
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Dialing for Obama
Wednesday night I was part of a group of about 45 people in Denver who watched Obama health care discussion on ABC for a research company, with a dial in hand. Someone wanted to know how we felt about everything Obama said, so we were given a remote box with a dial that went from 1-100. Starting at 50 being neutral, we turned it up if we liked what he said, and down if we didn't.
Did I like it or not? I was astounded that there was no one in the room (the one with Obama, not the one I was in) who thinks our health care system needs no change (but then, ABC picked the people in the room). My problem with Obama is that he is failing the audacity test. Our health care system doesn't need minor changes, it needs to be blown up completely and re-started. It is costly, inefficient, ineffective, and unfair. It SUCKS!!!
The problem is, Obama is trying to get everyone on board, which means, just like the "climate change" legislation, it will be watered down with goodies for special interests who are currently getting rich of our stupid system. Therefore, we will get some lame changes that will be politically palatable to enough people to pass, and not fix the problems. The only good thing is that it is pretty impossible to see how any changes that occur could make our abortion of a system any worse.
As a side note, I had dinner with Fiona before I went to this thing. I did not know what I was going to do at this "research thing", but we did end up talking a bit about health care. She said her dad, who is 84 and starting to become a bit senile, recently had knee replacement surgery. How crazy is that! But the doctor who talked him into it gets a nice chunk of change for wasting our tax dollars.
Please, Mr. President, show us some of the "Audacity" when it comes to this issue. Politics as usual, won't work. And there is no use trying to be bi-partisan, since the GOP just wants to stop anything from happening. Tell them to shove it, and fix this mess. (Obama does read my blog, doesn't he?)
Did I like it or not? I was astounded that there was no one in the room (the one with Obama, not the one I was in) who thinks our health care system needs no change (but then, ABC picked the people in the room). My problem with Obama is that he is failing the audacity test. Our health care system doesn't need minor changes, it needs to be blown up completely and re-started. It is costly, inefficient, ineffective, and unfair. It SUCKS!!!
The problem is, Obama is trying to get everyone on board, which means, just like the "climate change" legislation, it will be watered down with goodies for special interests who are currently getting rich of our stupid system. Therefore, we will get some lame changes that will be politically palatable to enough people to pass, and not fix the problems. The only good thing is that it is pretty impossible to see how any changes that occur could make our abortion of a system any worse.
As a side note, I had dinner with Fiona before I went to this thing. I did not know what I was going to do at this "research thing", but we did end up talking a bit about health care. She said her dad, who is 84 and starting to become a bit senile, recently had knee replacement surgery. How crazy is that! But the doctor who talked him into it gets a nice chunk of change for wasting our tax dollars.
Please, Mr. President, show us some of the "Audacity" when it comes to this issue. Politics as usual, won't work. And there is no use trying to be bi-partisan, since the GOP just wants to stop anything from happening. Tell them to shove it, and fix this mess. (Obama does read my blog, doesn't he?)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
What is this, Crazy Day?
I think these 2 crazy events are unrelated:
1) The US beats the #1 team in the world, Spain. And not Spain's D team, the real guys, the guys who all play on the best teams in the world. Bravo USA. Don't miss the rematch against Brazil on Sunday.
2) And the news comes out that SC Gov. Mark Sanford was not hiking the Appalachian Trail, he was visiting his girlfriend in Rio. This is the ultra-conservative guy who rejected stimulus package funding in an effort to forward his presidential credentials with the GOP far right (is that redundant?). Now his career is as dead as the late-great Ed McMahon. And if Ed were around he'd say "HIYOOOOOO"!
This day is so crazy I can't wait to see what animals might be doing to each other on the ranch across the street.
1) The US beats the #1 team in the world, Spain. And not Spain's D team, the real guys, the guys who all play on the best teams in the world. Bravo USA. Don't miss the rematch against Brazil on Sunday.
2) And the news comes out that SC Gov. Mark Sanford was not hiking the Appalachian Trail, he was visiting his girlfriend in Rio. This is the ultra-conservative guy who rejected stimulus package funding in an effort to forward his presidential credentials with the GOP far right (is that redundant?). Now his career is as dead as the late-great Ed McMahon. And if Ed were around he'd say "HIYOOOOOO"!
This day is so crazy I can't wait to see what animals might be doing to each other on the ranch across the street.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Cool, or maybe really nerdy, Economics blog
Fiona sent me an email about a blog this morning that was somewhat interesting, but in it was a link to a blog called ECOCOMICS that I really thought was neat. Alerted my students immediately, and will now add a link to this page. I particularly enjoyed the discussion called "The Justice League and Comparative Advantage"....but then, no one ever accused me of being cool.
Why isn't the price of oil skyrocketing?
Remember last year at this time, and for the quite a while before that, when our crazy dictator friend over in Iran would say something nutty? The price of oil would shoot up about $4 each and every time he insisted he needed nukes, or that Israel had no right to exist, or many of his crazy pronouncements. The market was sure there was going to be trouble, so they bid up the price. When the trouble didn't come, the price never dropped until the peak price late last summer. And anything crazy from our other nutty friend in Venezuela would have the same effect, as would the mere mention of a tropical storm.
Thus my question at the top of this post. Why, now that Iran is having an uprising that threatens to turn into a revolution, is the price of oil not going through the roof? This conflict is certainly not going to increase oil production. And Nigeria is near civil war, and the workers in Venezuela are threatening a strike because they have not been paid. What gives?
Some ideas:
1) The market was sure the hawks in the Bush Administration were sure that Iran would be attacked any time, while they know that Obama has no interest in starting a war with Iran.
2) The market fears a decline in oil consumption based on the worldwide recession as much as it does a disruption due to revolution in Iran.
3) Many of the speculators, particularly hedge funds, who were in the oil market last year, perhaps using borrowed money to buy futures, lost their asses when the oil price plummeted, and are gone. Those who are still around are less able to borrow or use other leverage to speculate.
4) Some combination of the above.
I don't have an answer, just a bunch of hunches. Anyone else have an opinion?
Thus my question at the top of this post. Why, now that Iran is having an uprising that threatens to turn into a revolution, is the price of oil not going through the roof? This conflict is certainly not going to increase oil production. And Nigeria is near civil war, and the workers in Venezuela are threatening a strike because they have not been paid. What gives?
Some ideas:
1) The market was sure the hawks in the Bush Administration were sure that Iran would be attacked any time, while they know that Obama has no interest in starting a war with Iran.
2) The market fears a decline in oil consumption based on the worldwide recession as much as it does a disruption due to revolution in Iran.
3) Many of the speculators, particularly hedge funds, who were in the oil market last year, perhaps using borrowed money to buy futures, lost their asses when the oil price plummeted, and are gone. Those who are still around are less able to borrow or use other leverage to speculate.
4) Some combination of the above.
I don't have an answer, just a bunch of hunches. Anyone else have an opinion?
Monday, June 22, 2009
I talked to a "green shoot"
Everyone is looking for "green shoots"....signs that our dreary economy is starting to turn around. Well, I spoke with one over a beer a few hours ago.
I was enjoying a beer on the patio of the Pearl St. Pub on a sunny day in Boulder, and I was talking casually with a guy doing the same thing. He installs tile for a living, and said he was expecting to be laid off, but that business has picked up recently, so he is not going to be laid off.
Hey, it ain't much, but it's something.
I was enjoying a beer on the patio of the Pearl St. Pub on a sunny day in Boulder, and I was talking casually with a guy doing the same thing. He installs tile for a living, and said he was expecting to be laid off, but that business has picked up recently, so he is not going to be laid off.
Hey, it ain't much, but it's something.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Brazil-Italy or Egypt-USA?
What a dilemma. As a patriotic American soccer fan, I am stumped. Do I watch our American boys, who I have followed for many years, play Egypt in today's Federation Cup match, or world powerhouses Brazil and Italy, the beautiful Samba Boys v the negative Azuri, rooting for the flamboyant Brazilians to prevail? Both games are on at the same time.
Easy call. Brazil v Italy. When the 2 most successful sides in the history of international football square off, you just have to watch.
Easy call. Brazil v Italy. When the 2 most successful sides in the history of international football square off, you just have to watch.
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