(no subject)

[vicarz]

Dove butt - there is a morning dove outside the top stair window. I check on it frequently, never knowing what I'll get. This morning I got beady-eye stare. Sometimes I get highly cammo side or butt - hardly able to tell I'm looking at a mommy on her eggs at all. Once in a while she moves, shifting uncomfortably. Less often you get tufts of white downy dove butt, like she's sick of your voyeurism and moons you proper. Can't wait to see lil baby doves.

Wwz - just read the book, NO SPOILERS, and while it was addictive I only found it so-so. I have a problem with books and movies - violate one major thing I know and I get annoyed. In this case, can we all admit the rumors about the black market for human organs is long-since disproven? Is my knowledge of human HLA antibody typing so out of date? No, and no. I also found some of the characters a bit over the top, and the psychological reactions of large groups of people incompatible with my wee knowledge of psychology. I was annoyed at how the stories weaved particular people together, and most annoyed at when he wove current trash-pop stars into the storyline. Grow up. Overall it's a fun read, but more because of the scenarios and logistics you run through your own head than what the book provides. He's better at logistics than people or storytelling. Overall, worth reading, good cocktail fodder.

I'm a tough movie and book audience. I'm not brilliant at all, but I focus on flaws. Give me a premise and stick with it - fine. Violate it or violate other obvious facts and you lose me. Only a bad kitsch horror movie gets leeway, 28 weeks sucked balls while revenge of the titsucker's corpse would probably get rave reviews in my world.

Car - I just considered buying a new car based on an ad I got from the car dealer I got my 2000 honda civic from(I know, I know). Old car only has 53k on it, and appears to sell for 5-8k used. Even if I could get a new one for 16, sell this for 7...that's around 10k I could use elsewhere, before my insurance rose while car value would fall. My car works and has no problems - I should not be thinking irresponsibly. I could buy a z4 if I wanted a toy, but that would significantly impact my acquisition of wealth strategy.

If you look at gas prices is RELATIVE dollars, you find that we are not paying much for gas. I'm skeptical that the sky is falling as everyone on public transportation seems to have an ipod and recently watched a $10 movie - even the not-so-rich. Show me someone who is hungry for food or lacks a warm coat but doesn't care about the label...then I'll agree you're poor. Don't get me wrong - I have problems with the oil companies, but not for their economic strategies. The last I checked Exxon was the worst environmental sinner of them all, and the environment is my concern.

Gas and oil are not basic human rights! What I hate is that they are protected by regulation, and market entry is hard. Or, if the American public was getting that screwed, wouldn't someone else get into the market and cut prices for market share? Thank god we got a new congress, hope they have the sense to cut off those insane attempts to subsidize the oil industry by helping or building their refineries outright. Record profits getting government subsidies? Absurd.

Comments

[eolh.livejournal.com]

The problem with gas prices, unfortunately, isn't just limited to prices at the pump. The cost of gas also directly figures into the cost of pretty much all other goods and services as well, as gas-based transportation is a central part of the distribution chain. Therefore, expect to see significant increases in prices at the grocery store, the pharmacy, the clothing store, and other essential businesses. Once those prices go up, expect to see other less directly related prices -- doctor appointments, etc. -- go up as well to compensate. Not only that, but prices at the production end of the various industries will have to go up to compensate as well, meaning yet another round of increases in prices at the stores. And so on. For better or for worse, our entire economy is based around gas right now. A significant increase in gas prices has far-reaching effects over nearly every aspect of our lives. Ok, so the complaints of that person watching their video iPod about how much it's going to cost them to fill up their SUV might be a bit shallow. But what about the family that's already struggling to live off of minimum wage jobs, who now find it that much harder to afford their basic needs? That's why it's an issue.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

The gas doesn't need to be that big a part as so much gas use is discretionary. The main point in the article is that the same amount of time worked still gets you about the same amount of gas as it always has...in short, the price of gas has only kept pace with general inflation. It seems that it is not causing inflation, nor having more inflation than any other good.

[eolh.livejournal.com]

That article misses the point on several levels, though.

First of all, it is only discussing the cost of gas at the pump -- which again, is only a small part of the picture. It does not take into account how this cost affects the transportation industries responsible for the distribution of other goods. You can't tell me that an increase in gas prices of nearly 30% is not going to have an affect upon these industries, or that these extra costs are not going to be directly passed on to consumers through price increases.

Secondly, when it talks about "minutes of work" it is, I would presume, basing this number upon average wages (though it doesn't specify, and in fact does a poor job of backing up its argument overall). When it gives the figure, it fails to adjust for changes in relative incomes. In 1950, the year that it cites for the higher "12 minutes of work per gallon" number, minimum wage was at 56% of the average wage. In 2005 (the most recent year for which I could find data in a quick search), people earning minimum wage earned only 32% of the average wage. Therefore, a significantly larger number of people don't fall into that average "minutes of work" figure, and have to work a significantly longer time than that to afford gas. Someone earning the federal minimum wage of $5.15/hour has to work for 37 minutes to afford one gallon of gas (and that number is before taxes, so it's actually significantly more than that).

I could go into more, but honestly I don't have time at the moment. But basically, that article is poorly researched bullshit.

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Neat! I like the perspective you gave to the numbers. Relative is relatively relative, it seems.

I don't agree with your ideas about the passing on of cost to consumers...are we using more gas to move things now than in 1950? What standard of living was min wage then compared to now?

Still, I like the idea that numbers are misleading. Wish I had more of a knowledge base to put it all in perspective. I remain far more annoyed at the barriers to market entry and the insane possibility of government subsidizing these already highly profitable ventures myself.

[ovipositor.livejournal.com]

wwz?

ps. don't even start about gas prices, its about 8-10 USD a gallon here...

[vicar.livejournal.com]

Owie...
World War Z - zombie war chronicles and told by folks