2010 is here!

I'm not a resolution kind of guy, but I hope to increase 2 things in the coming year:

1. Skype.
2. Workouts.

In the past two weeks I've Skyped with family and it's raised my mood tremendously. I certainly need to do more of that. I'm also really close to my record high on weight, so the second hope is pretty clear.

If I were to make a resolution I guess it should be to visit the InterCon more often. Each food poisoning has been a 10+ pound weight loss.

Expectations

The older I get the more I believe expectations are EVERYTHING. I went to a NYE party tonight with close to zero expectations. I told a friend (who was driving), "I'll hold out until midnight because I think it's rude to leave a NYE party before that..." She nudged me at 1AM and said, "Ready to go?" I left but I'd have been happy to stay.

In reality it's good to leave. I have to get up early to head up for tennis in Abu Dhabi, but it was a stunningly good party.

Long ago I learned that NYE parties have no correlation with the year that follows. Given this one, I kinda wish there was a correlation.

Now I have to come to grips with the fact that I'll have gone to sleep, woke up and be in the car headed to Abu Dhabi as my friends are ringing in the new year in Iowa.

Moroccan dinner

This was a great way to finish off 2009...

The bowl on the left is something close to salsa... of course, here they call it a "salad." The bowl on the right is an eggplant dish.

The main course was lamb covered by a cinnamon/saffron paste and toasted almonds. Amazing flavors. With our fresh beef and pork I don't bother ordering lamb back home. When it is made right lamb is pretty darned good.

And the meal was completed with a mint tea. I'm not a fan of store bought mint tea, but when they make it with fresh mint it's great.

******

I'm headed to a party tonight hosted by two people who part of the Hilton family last year. While I will stay until midnight I do not plan to make a late night of it because I'm headed to Abu Dhabi tomorrow to see Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal play tennis. It will be the first time I've seen professional tennis in person. That's not a bad way to start 2010.

12 things that became obsolete in the past decade

Most of the list is predictable:

1. Cameras with print film
2. Catalogs
3. Fax machines
4. Handwritten letters
5. Classified section of newspapers
6. Dial-up internet
7. CD's
8. Encyclopedias
9. Calling
10. Land-line phones
11. wires

I'm not sure I agree with 11. I have more wires around my desk now than ever.

And the 12th obsolete item?

I feel for my friends at Yellow Book. Most worked for McLeod USA. They've had enough of going down with a sinking ship.

Shave and a haircut...

... a little more than two bits, but still cheap.

After six weeks of avoiding the barber I finally went in (and forgot where I put the IPhone in the process). My hair was longer than it had been in years and although it was less than an inch long I felt like a damned hippy.

As he trimmed my beard from the neck up the tiny cut hairs sprayed my face.

He used the old fashioned straight edge razor for the neck and face where the beard's not supposed to grow. I gotta admit that felt great and not at all scary as he went over the carotid artery. I was sure to sit very, very still.

The price? $6. I tipped $3 because I can't get away from thinking how much cheaper this is from back home.

Trying to work with Chuck Grassley will lead you to drink

I’m a fan of Max Baucus. That’s what makes this video all the more painful.

Everything he says is true which just makes the point that people are a lot more honest when they’re drunk.

Remember, Baucus is the guy who gave Grassley's grandson a donation when the kid ran for the Iowa House. The only thing missing in this video is Baucus saying, "Chuck, I love you, man."

"Raise your hand if you don't speak English."

I guess today is the day for stupid quotes.

There are two must reads today. The quote above comes from a long essay by a guy who was a passenger on the flight of the terrorist attack. Warning: It starts slow but it becomes riveting.

Paul Krugman takes a look back on this unnamed decade. His suggestion? The Big Zero. He makes a good case.

"100% of Islamic terrorists are Muslim"

That profound(ly stupid) statement comes from Congressman Peter King, a New York Republican. Yes, Islamic terrorists are Muslim, hence the term "Islamic terrorists." Yeesh.

I'd like to hear what my students have to say about the attempted terrorist attack but I won't be able to now that we're in quiz/final mode. I've heard enough say things like 9-11 was really just a Jewish plot that I am not sure I want to hear their take on this.

******

One of my favorite students this semester is a guy who would undoubtedly scare many folks back home. (He's got a long scraggly beard.) Today he came to class wearing a dark blue jacket over his white kandoora (robe). I asked him if I could take his picture for two reasons: 1. The coat/kandoora combo looked good and, 2. I get a kick out of people wearing coats when it is 75 degrees out. He was camera shy. He did explain his coat this way: "I am thin. I need a coat."

He left off saying, "Hey fatso, you got blubber to keep you warm."

A very expensive trip to McDonalds

I've done some really dumb things in life. Accidentally throwing my car keys in the river, picking up the wrong kid from daycare are but two of the long list.

*****

I met Mike at the mall food court. My Mcdonald's came much faster than his Subway. I sat and the read the news on my IPhone and my Big Mac while I waited for Mike. After finishing supper we dumped our food and I headed off for a haircut a couple of blocks away and Mike was going to join me after doing some shopping.

After I finished my haircut I panicked. No IPhone. The last time I had it was on the tray with the Big Mac.

Mike and I raced back to the mall and as we got to the trash bins they were taking out the bags. We explained there may be a phone in there (on vibrate so calling it wouldn't help).

The workers dutifully moved the trash out of the bag most likely to have the phone. There was so much liquid I thought, "Great, if we find the phone it will be trashed." They got to the bottom and no phone. They weren't 100% sure which bag came from the bin we put it in so they went to bag #2. No phone. Bag #3. Ditto. I gave each guy a $5 tip for their disgusting work (which, sadly, is probably worth half a day's salary).

We went out to my car to look again. Mike kept calling it and got nothing. Using the flashlight feature on his phone he found it under the driver's seat.

I nearly passed out.

Fifty pictures of the past decade

The past decade (the aughts never caught on) as seen in pictures.

Learning not required, just memorize everything

I gave one of my classes a list of possible essay questions. One was, "What are the advantages of a perpetual inventory system?"*

One of my best students asked me if her answer was OK. After reciting the book definition...

Student: ... and improves fixed order quanity systems.

Steve: I didn't cover "fixed order quantity systems." Do you have any idea what that means?

Student: No, but it was in the book and I memorized it.

Students here have learned from an early age to memorize and forget. It's so contrary to learning that I find it disturbing.

* An example of a perpetual inventory system would be Wal-Mart's ability to track every single thing sold in every single store instantly.

Travelling is going to suck in oh so many ways

In light of the recent terrorist attack it's clear flying will be less fun for the foreseeable future. All flights from London Heathrow had the in-flight entertainment turned off. One aviation expert says the the in-flight GPS system may be a thing of the past.

NOOOOO!

On a 15 hour flight the only thing that keeps me sane is the in-flight GPS. I find monitoring the airspeed, temperature, direction and map very soothing.

On future trips I will need a fully stocked Ipod and a load of ambien.

*****

Now, I'm not at all upset of increased security at the airports. I find it reassuring that the US takes out my computer and camera and tests it for explosives. While I'm not much of a world traveler it is safe to say that many airports are not that thorough.

If they need to strip us to our underwear and have us open all of our suitcases I'm OK with that. Those 15 hour flights are a little unnerving. After what happened on Friday I might sleep a little easier on the plane if I knew all the passengers had been subjected to a strip search!

It looks (kinda) like Christmas

Last year there was not much to see to remind you of Christmas. This year it seemed like there were many more decorations. This giant 2 story Christmas tree at a local mall is pretty amazing for a Muslim country. (How many Ramadan Kareem signs did you see in the US in September?)

Some of the efforts get an A for effort... but are not convincing. Poinsettias? Very Christmas. Fake foam snow? Not so much, but thanks for playing.

Potato Salad for Christmas?

It was the highlight of the meal...

I'm not a fan of buffets in the US. The food is usually bland and overcooked. There's some of that here, too, but the variety and options usually make up for it.

As we were eating a band performed all the Christmas classics. It's humorous to hear Silent Night with a Filipino accent.

I joined the same group I did last year: Ann & Mike and three of Ann's British friends... Although I know them better this year so I guess we're all friends.

This was not your ordinary Christmas buffet. There was no mashed potatoes, stuffing or ham. Instead there was potato salad, asparagus, cooked onions, moutabal, sushi and... I can't remember the name for the big green leaf you see above. It had the texture of a leaf from a corn stalk and a piece of chicken was cooked inside. Missing from this picture is lobster and a dozen Indian dishes that were offered.

I was bummed to not have ham but the potato salad was fantastic and made up for the disappointment.

A very nice Christmas

We went to a local hotel for a Christmas brunch and in the evening we watched The Grinch and a Christmas Story at Ann & Mike's.

One of Ann's friends brought homemade Christmas cookies.

The day ended with talking with Mom & Dad on Skype. All-in-all, a very nice Christmas.

The best Christmas present

That's how I see the health care bill that passed the senate on Christmas eve. Millions of uninsured Americans will find comfort and those of us with pre-existing conditions (a growing number considering that something like being a rape victim is now a pre-existing condition).

Some of those to the left of me are angry about this bill. A liberal's wet dream is universal healthcare being provided by the government. This bill falls way short of that, but it is healthcare for 30 million who don't currently have it. Since Truman first declared a goal of universal healthcare every Democratic president has made it a goal. LBJ got Medicare through. Clinton - after initially failing - got healthcare for millions of kids through (with the help of Chuck Grassley).

The Obama achievement is at least on par with Medicare, if not surpassing it.

America is a better country because we decided to help our elderly from living in poverty through social security.

America is a better country because we decided to provide medical insurance to the elderly.

America is a better country because we are trying to insure all and not allow companies to deny care.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas coffee break

We don't teach on Thursdays and most weeks my department gathers for a coffee break. I sponsored this week's coffee break. I was unsure how my mostly Muslim colleagues would like the Christmas themed gathering. Fortunately, it went well.

My Australian mate in the picture is blocking the wide variety of Coke products on the other side...
My boss saw all the Coke products and returned to his office and came back with this. And to think that I actually respected the guy.

Oh, that's right...

Tonight I saw a bowl that was still sitting out from the Christmas party two weeks ago. I thought, "Why is that still there?" Then I remembered that the maid has been in the Philippines for a month...

"Pay rise for public jobs has private sector wary"

This headline may actually be understating the problem.

A while back I wrote about a colleague - Dr. Ingo Forstenlechner - doing research on how to get more Emiratis in the private workforce. He was quoted in the article:

"One the one hand, this is good for Emiratis in the public sector. For the private sector this will be a catastrophe."

Over the past three decades there has been a population explosion. While it may have been possible to employ all that want jobs by the government a few years ago it is not possible now and the problem will only get worse as the 20-30 age bracket grows and grows.

Ingo makes another great point:

"It sends yet another signal that this was not due to performance or merit. Pay increases based on need or welfare motives should be called what they are, otherwise they distort the perceptions of people. Otherwise, fresh graduates see what others are making and they think this is the value of their work and they will never go into the private sector."

In talking with my students many of them believe a college graduate is automatically worth $80,000/year minimum. When I try to explain that employers pay on the basis of the worker's value to the company my students look at me like I'm speaking a foreign language.

Which, I guess, I am.

Healthcare reform update

The analyst who's been the best at covering the issue is Ezra Klein of the Washington Post. He makes the point today that the bill that's been produced is very close to what candidate Obama promised on the campaign trail.

The New York Times sums up my thoughts: It's not a perfect bill, but definitely worth passing.

And here's a look at the "Republican healthcare blunder." They could have had real say in the final bill but by playing 100% obstruction the final bill that passes will be less to their liking. Looking at it as policy I agree. Looking at from politics I think this painful process (made painful by them) will help them in next year's election.

"Federal employees get 70% rise in basic pay"

Sometimes the headline says it all.

I live in a country where .4% of the local citizens work in private industry. The government has a goal to increase Emiratis working in private industry, but many have chosen to remain unemployed... hoping and waiting for a government job.

I'm sure with a 70% pay increase for federal employees Emiratis will be lining up for private sector employment....

Also noted in the article, non-Emiratis working for the government get no pay increase.

Why I trust the Fed and Commissions more than congress

I have found the healthcare debate very unsettling. Democratic Senators Landrieu, Lincoln, Nelson, and Lieberman ended up switching positions many times. Republican Senators Snow, Collins, and Grassley argued against things they used to support.

It was all in the name of politics. Quite simply Congress cannot be trusted to act for the good of the country. Monday's Paul Krugman column summarizes the idiocy of the senate's fillibuster rule in the days of hyper-partisan politics.

No such thing as getting even

Today I was reminded of another Spellmanism: "There is no such thing as getting even. If you get screwed you don't want to get even you want to one up them." Often Spellman would add, "... make their life miserable. Make them regret they ever messed with you..."

This is a Facebook page of a teenage guy whose sister ratted him out for having beer. Click on the picture above to see how he got even.

via

Itchy lips

Tonight I relented and trimmed the mustache. I had hoped to hold out until Christmas day and technically I made a promise not to trim the beard and didn't mention the mustache... Hmm. With justifications like that I should consider politics.

Anyhow, it had reached a point where it was hanging over my lips so far that it was tough to eat. Imagine every bite of food getting caught in the web hanging down from your top lip.

*****

Today I realized that I set myself up for two weeks of hell. I'm giving end of semester quizzes and finals. For two classes I broke their finals into two parts - all of which means more grading.

How can I possibly enjoy temperatures in the 70's when I have work to do? It was funny to be sitting outside for dinner tonight and seeing a guy with a parka two benches over.

Kill the good and hope for perfect in another 20 years

As snow is falling across Washington the left of my party has gone into a frenzy in opposing healthcare reform. It's 99% the same bill that they had a month ago and it was good then but now it's bad.

Why? Joe Lieberman pissed them off. A couple of weeks ago a sweetener was added that would allow 55-64 year olds to buy into Medicare. It's a great idea that Joe supported even in September of this year. When Joe saw how excited that made the liberals who shunned him in reelection in 2006 he said he would filibuster unless it was taken out.

Again, the Senate bill is virtually the same as it was a month ago. The only difference now is that Lieberman (and to a lesser extent Ben Nelson of Nebraska) has made liberal groups mad.

The result? They've lost their minds. Killing reform now means it is dead. Not just a little dead, but completely dead. No pulse. No reform for decades, dead. If we couldn't make it work with 60 senators there's no way we're ever going to make this work because Republicans will never be willing to negotiate in good faith. (Our very own Chuck Grassley who once championed CHIP - which is government run healthcare for poor families - has now done a 180 and opposes government subsidies for private insurance.)

The good liberals in the senate know it is now or never and they are ignoring nutwings on their left. I hope they keep their resolve. This bill is far from perfect but it is worth passing.

Christmas Choir

The Inter-Continental is the hotel where the score is food poisoning 2, Steve 0. I risked a third meal... hoping that they'd have everything extraordinarily clean for serving several hundred guests.

The event was a Christmas Choir that was fantastic. Having a large group sing Christmas carols was fun and their versions of Rudolph and Sleigh Ride were the best I've heard.

As I looked around the room, the song "Dreaming of a white Christmas" took on new meaning. Since I've moved to this country I've never seen so many white westerners in one place.

Here's Ann and I in the lobby.

Avatar

It's probably worth checking out the world's most expensive movie ever made. Avatar is certainly not the best movie ever made but it was an amazing (and long) ride. Only go to this movie if you can watch it in 3D. On a normal screen I think the movie would wear thin long before it's over. In 3D, however, it is stunning. I hope this is a new trend in movies.

Free whisky with every haircut

Is there a law against this?

Probably, but I don't think there should be.

Time gets it right

Federal Reserve Chair Ben Bernanke has been named Time magazine's person of the year.

Bernanke probably should have won the award last year. In normal times he would have, but there's something about the country electing its first black president that overshadowed the guy who kept us out of Depression 2.0.

I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Appointing Bernanke is the single, best decision of the Bush presidency. As bad as our current situation is there are soooo many ways it could be worse. Rather than being an object of ridicule (as he seems to be in the senate where he is up for reconfirmation) he should be the subject of praise and adulation.

In September 2008 - when the world's credit markets went into a sudden freeze - I don't think many Americans appreciate how that could have been the end of the world as we knew it. Europe faltered in its reaction. Only the US Federal Reserve and, shockingly, Paulsen as Bush's Treasury Secretary responded quick enough to avert a catastrophe.

It's easy to think anyone in their position would have done the same... but again, look to Europe. With the same information they chose not to act until much later. Also, he ignored many on the Fed's governing board who made recommendations that would have made things worse.

All Hail Ben Bernanke!

Or something like that.

Flooding & the Al Ain rapids

Getting to work was difficult on Monday. An overnight rain turned my local bridge-less wadi into raging river.

This picture was taken in the afternoon after the water had subsided.

By Al Ain standards this is a river. 363 days a year this is a dry creek bed. I asked locals if it ever has more water than this and the answer was no... so check out the elaborate stone/concrete river banks... it looks like they were planning for a real river. These stone/concrete river banks are all over the city. Dozens of miles worth.

At one point the wadi narrowed into a rapids. (I cropped this photo to look more impressive than it really was. In reality these "rapids" are maybe six inches.)

Although I didn't try to venture through the wadi on Monday morning, I did have to drive through two spots of high water. The casualty? I lost 3 hubcaps.

Banished!

A couple of weeks ago Ann and I went to lunch on the women's campus. We decided to try a restaurant in the IT building. There was one small problem:

I have a penis.

This is a picture of me looking through the glass window of the restaurant that does not allow males. Ann ordered my food and brought it out to me.

Here's where I ate lunch.

Birth certificate humor

Although this has upset some on my side of the aisle, I think they need a better sense of humor.

Thought for the day

John McCain should be absolutely ashamed of his Vice Presidential pick... almost as ashamed as Al Gore should be of his.

(Joe "keep moving the goal-posts" Lieberman announced he would oppose Medicare buy-in for those 55-64. Just 3 months ago he supported it.)

Only on Fox

A stitch in time saves nine

Abu Dhabi announced today that it will fork over another $10 billion to Dubai. If this had been done a month ago it could have stopped the flight of foreign investment. Today I read an interesting parallel to the US: Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were technically not backed by the US government, but had the US allowed them to default the result would have been catastrophic. The same appears to be true for Dubai. The difference is that the US stepped in early and Abu Dhabi waited until after Dubai announced it would default.

Now the expensive stitching may be too late to close the gaping hole.

Quote of the day - Liberal Professor

A conservative friend saw this picture and said....

"The beard definitely cements your “liberal professor” persona – I’d keep it."

I am not doing anything until Christmas day. I'd like to see how much it grows out. If it does I'd like to play Santa next year and I'll start growing it earlier. (Also, keep on the look out for a good Santa suit.)

To the Liberal professor comment I'd tell Matt that Judge Bork is a conservative as it gets and he has one.

Weekend remainders - the prankster edition

A best man promised to be good until the wedding and he was. He never promised to be good after the wedding so he hooked up the couple's bed to Twitter and now it sends off an alarm every time they have sex. Go to the bottom of this link and read up.

The Yes Men have pranked my beloved Coca-Cola.

Prince Charles must be hoping this is a prank: The Queen is setting up William to be a shadow King.

Sadly this is not a prank: A 98 year old woman was upset her 100 year old roommate was taking up so much room that she killed her.

From the "I wish this was a prank" category: CBS is canceling As The World Turns. I grew up on this soap opera. I'm going to miss Oakdale. Oh well, the show was never the same since they got rid of the real Lilly...

I'll end with a prediction: I'll bet in a year ABC is wishing that putting Stephanopolous on Good Morning America was a prank. I think he's gonna tank like Gumbel did when he left the morning format.

Reality or Fantasy?

In a conversation the other night a friend remarked, "Fantasy is often reality upside down."

That made me think of a tattoo one of my former students had. James was nice enough to send me a picture:

Reality may be a bit hard to read, but then reality is often a bit hard... now read it upside down:

Lake Al Ain

This is very near where I live. I've never seen a lake in this country.

Many people came out to see Lake Al Ain. It's obviously a rare event.

The wet roads make for fun play for the Shabab. This truck kept doing donuts and delighting the audience standing on the bank of the wadi.

("Shabab" technically means "young" but I've only heard it used in reference to young guys. "Wadi" means "river." There are no rivers in this country and what you see in this picture is a bridgeless wadi. It's like a dry creek bed that they put a road through. Amazingly they also constructed huge river banks like you see the audience standing on. These are all over the city. Considering it never rains enough to actually fill a wadi I'm not sure why these were built.)

Party planning

I am an Abstract Sequential. What that means is that I'm one of those people who analyzes everything because somehow it has to make sense in my world.

When it comes to parties I'd much rather throw a party than go to one... by a factor of ten. As an Abstract Sequential I'm always monitoring my party to see what works and what doesn't work and why. Tonight's party has left me with a lot to ponder.

For example, I did not expect to have the majority of the people standing in the hallway. Yes, that's where the food and liquor was, but it was odd to have 30 people standing in the hallway area while chairs and couches were unoccupied in my front room.

I also don't understand the need (requirement?) to bring something to a party. Several friends asked what they could bring and I assured them as best I could that there was more than enough here already. Of course, they still brought something. So I ended up with wine and food beyond anything I could ever consume.

I was lamenting this fact with a friend on Facebook tonight when he suggested that for future parties I say, "Food and beverages will be provided. There will be a donation box if you'd like to help cover the expenses."

Good idea?

Christmas party

It's 1AM and the guests have left. The party was a success. When you have enough alcohol and appetizers it's hard not to have a successful party. It probably says a lot about this city that several guests said, "This is the largest party I've been to..."

There were 40 people.

That's a good sized party but hardly a record-breaking bash in most places.

The picture above is the first time I've seen myself in the beard and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'm not shaving or trimming until at least Christmas. I'd like to see what it looks like by then.

One thing is certain: When I grew a beard 20 years ago it didn't have all that gray. If I had started growing it earlier I could have played Santa Clause. Then again, if I asked my guests to sit on my lap that probably would have killed the party.

At the very least it would have been a very different kind of party.

When extroverts marry

Tonight I attended a dinner party of 10. In the group was a wonderfully colorful extroverted married couple. During the three hour gathering the conversation rarely strayed from their topics of discussion. The party was great, but at many times I wondered what the more introverted guests were thinking.

As an extrovert, I know I can dominate conversation even when I don't mean to. Tonight this couple took control and ruled throughout. For me was interesting to sit back and watch and know that even though it's not me, it could have been me.

RIP Public Option

Huffington Post has an article on the death of the public option.

If the current compromise bill passes it will be better than anything I've been expecting... which is why I'm expecting something to trip it up. It's got cost containment, a Medicare buy-in, expanded Medicaid, and guarantee of coverage without pre-existing conditions. Could it be better? Sure, but this is light years better than our current system.

It's great for the country and it's good for me. Under the current system I could not return to the US without another job lined up. I have far too many pre-existing conditions and would have no prayer of getting private insurance. If this bill passes I will be able to return to the US on my own terms and you have no idea how wonderful that would feel.

Light posting

I know I've been posting lightly this week. The reason is that I got another cold. The sore throat has lasted four days and finally (fortunately) moving to the lungs. Besides sleeping I've spent most of my time monitoring weather back in Iowa. I've asked my friends to send pictures because I'd like to be able to show them to my students.

Today was one of those days that makes me love teaching here: I attended a seminar about getting locals to work in the private sector. Sounds terribly boring, right? For me it's a constant state of amazement that never see an Emirati working outside of the government.

It's an open question: How do you convince someone to work in the private sector for less money and a requirement to actually work 40 hours (or at least 30) per week?

Right now a college graduate can make $105,000/year tax free as a police officer. One idea in the future is to let the new police officer know that his pay is really $25,000 but from the kindness of the Sheikh he is receiving an extra $80,000. Maybe they will offer similar subsidies in the private sector. "Here, take this job at Wal-Mart. You will get paid $20,000 from Wal-Mart, but the government is so happy you took a private sector job that they will pay you an additional $60,000/year."

Hearing ideas like that remind me that I'm not in Kansas Iowa anymore.

Norwegian death ray

I know the midwest is digging out under a few flakes of snow, but you really have to see these real pictures. As the article explains, scientists are baffled and say it is not related to the Northern Lights.

There's video here.

Listening to Iowa Public Radio

Here's what you are seeing: My IPhone is connected to my cigarette lighter. It is connected to the internet by the cell phone towers and is connected to WSUI radio in Iowa City, Iowa, via the web.

The device is hooked up to my car stereo so I'm able to listen to it over the car speakers. Even better, thanks to headphones, I can can continue listening to the radio as I'm walking to class. As an NPR geek, this is fantastic.

It is a surreal experience to be running the air conditioning while hearing about a foot of snow about to be dumped on eastern Iowa!

Sad to see this led to an arrest and the news

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) -- An Iowa City woman who tried to trade sex for gasoline faces prostitution charges.

Police say when they approached 44-year-old Lisa Langer in an unmarked car early Wednesday morning, she offered them sex, but asked for gas in return.
Police say Langer appeared to be hitchhiking near downtown Cedar Rapids.
Langer has been charged with prostitution and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Police say they found a drug pipe in Langer's purse.

Who among us hasn't been willing to blow someone for gas? Er, I mean at least she wasn't trying to steal. She wanted something (gas) and she was willing to offer a payment for it. I understand that it's not the payment most of us would have offered, but is this really deserving of an arrest and jail time?

Steve Kranz - the clairvoyant

Disregard this...

I stole this picture from a student's facebook wall. I think it is hilarious.

******

The real point of this post is that I wrote foreshadowing for the Dubai crises way back in March. I had forgotten what I had written and someone anonymously reminded me.

So read what I wrote back in March. It pretty well sets up what has just now happened in terms of Dubai doing into default.

New development

Confession: over the past decade I have read story after story of Canadian companies with rights to US resources.  I don’t view Canada as the enemy so it didn’t bother me much. 

Now I see this story where the US is ripping out all of the oil shale in Canada.  Maybe WE were the bad guys.

H2oil animated sequences from Dale Hayward on Vimeo.

I know many Iowans will watch this.  please give me your feedback.

Quote of the day

Today is the first day back to work after a ten day break. I decided to grow a beard during the break and it's coming along but very gray. My boss decided to grow a goatee during the break and his looks kick-ass... a comment I was making to him when a colleague came along and said,

You know beards usually make a person look older, like Steve here, but your goatee makes you look ten years younger.

This wasn't typical Arab sucking up, it was true on both counts.

Before I shave it off I will take some pictures but for now it's still a work in progress.

Weekend remainders - bonus deviant behavior edition

The Russians have developed a pill that gives you feeling of being drunk without alcohol.

A British couple is making porn to pay for their wedding.

The University of Montreal wanted to do a study on men who don't watch porn. They couldn't find any.

Weekend remainders - the mostly political edition

The right claims the hatred for Obama is only comparable for the left's hatred of Bush. Personally, I think they've more than ratcheted it up a notch.

Sometimes I think I live in alternate universe when I hear that Bernanke is in a tough battle for reappointment and that the stimulus was a mistake. The world would be much worse shape today if it weren't for Uncle Ben and the stimulus. You don't have to believe me, you can read it here and here.

I can't bring myself to do an entire post on this: Obama has been a disappointment and if you read this account of how Greg Craig was let go you'll see why many of us on the left feel let down.

This stop light counts down until it turns green (so you can turn your car off while you're at the stoplight). I'd prefer a green one with a countdown so I know if I should speed up or slow down as I'm coming to the intersection.

Besides comedians, an author has profited from Tiger Woods in the past week. Honestly, I want the book.

In Iowa news a teacher in Alburnett resigned after it was discovered she discussed personal things and sexual innuendo with students on Facebook. I'm not condoning this, but this has happened for decades. The only difference now is that it is possible to record it on FB.

December unemployment numbers

This morning's unemployment report was much better than expected: Only 11,000 jobs lost in November and unemployment rate dropping to 10.0%. Yes, the economy is still losing jobs, but it's very close to turning the corner. The above graph was produced before today's report and shows the weekly initial claims for unemployment. The number is dropping and dropping fast.

We're still screwed, but today's news is remarkably good.

If you've been paying attention you may be wondering how did the unemployment rate drop to 10.0% when we're still losing jobs? It's because the overall labor force is still shrinking. <--- that's a polite way of saying that many people have given up looking for work.

The unemployment rate will almost certainly go up in the coming months as the economy improves and people again start looking for work. So that rise in unemployment will be a good sign, not a bad one.

Dubai update

Here's a decent article for those interested in following this...

My next birthday cake

I can see it becoming an annual tradition. How long of a tradition? Who knows, but that's the point of the cake, isn't it?

Planning a Christmas Party

Some friends and I are throwing a Christmas party next Friday at my place. After the successful Thanksgiving gathering I decided, "Why quit when you're ahead?"

Then I realized, I can't remember my last non-work, non-family Christmas party. That makes me a little nervous. What do people expect? So here's my situation:

I have food/beverages down. I'm not planning egg-nog because I think it's disgusting. Any other good holiday drink? If I were back home I'd do cinnamon schnapps in hot apple cider, but it's not cold enough here for that... or even hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps. A friend is making Christmas cookies.

I have plenty of Christmas accessories like napkins, paper plates, a Christmas tree, etc. It helps to be a Coke collector. It all just looks Christmasy.

*****

But returning to my original concern: Not remembering any private Christmas parties (let alone throwing one), what can do to make a good party and what should I avoid?

Newsflash

Tiger Woods is human. Film at 11.

Was it worth it?

I'm not sure but that's the question I kept asking myself as I sat through 2 1/2 hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic just to get out of downtown... and another 1 1/2 to get home.

What I do know is that my IPhone saved me from road rage. Something about listening to the 100 greatest hits of 1985 made time pass pretty well.

Example of life here

I am sitting along a walkway on the Persian Gulf... Waiting for fireworks. It's 9pm... Been dark since 6. Nobody knows when they will start or even where they will go off (people are sitting on both sides of a half mile causeway... Half expect the fireworks to go off to east and the other half to the west.). There is no sign of a barge holding the fireworks like you'd expect. I am not sure how much longer I want to wait, but I'd hate to have driven this far for nothing!

The paper lists this as the largest, most expensive fireworks in history. I hope it's true and I guess I'll wait a little longer.

Dubai: The story I'm not reading

The local press has been awful. They basically are selling the line that the issue is being completely overblown by the western press. One article in The Nation (the supposedly independent newspaper) went so far as to say that nobody thought these companies had the backing of the government. Reality, of course, is that everyone saw them as being backed by the government. It's called Dubai World and one-third is completely owned by the government!

Basically, Abu Dhabi is saying that Dubai can fail and it won't have negative repercussions for the rest of the Emirates. I hope they are right, but I'm skeptical. The outside world doesn't view major differences between "Dubai" and "Abu Dhabi." Tourism and investment are likely to shy away from the country, not just Dubai.

The story I want to read: What is going to happen to the dozens (hundreds?) of buildings that sit half completed? If the money has dried up and they are on the verge of bankruptcy will these projects all go dormant? Right now the city skyline in Dubai is fantastic. It's one stunning building after another... but there are also lots and lots of cranes and partially completed projects. It will not be pretty if they are allowed to sit and decay.

In ten years Dubai will look less like New York and more like Detroit.

The best way to deal with homophobia

I thought this was funny even before I clicked on the picture to realize, yes, she is wearing a corduroy skirt.

I (still) like Mike!

The far right has never trusted Huckabee. He did the unthinkable while governor: Raised taxes to build better roads. Long ago he commuted the sentence of the guy who killed four cops and the right is piling on. Some have the agenda of clearing the decks for Sarah. Others just never liked Mike.

The picture above is not a hoax or photoshop. I went to the Ames straw poll for Huckabee in August 2007. Huckabee's strong second place showing knocked out Kansas Senator Sam Brownback and set up his win in the Iowa caucuses.

Who came in first in the straw poll? Romney. That's amazing since Romney now blames Iowa anti-mormonism on his loss in the caucuses.

Holiday remainders - the scary edition

There's spyware for phones that allows another person to be notified when you get a call and listen in without you ever knowing. Luckily my calls are boring and nobody would want to listen in.

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Let me know if you see any bumper stickers that read:

"Pray for Obama - Psalm 109:8"

What is Psalm 109:8?

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Let his children be fatherless, and wife a widow.

I'll bet this guy has one of the bumper stickers:

He is not only a birther, but he believes Obama was responsible for the shootings at Fort Hood. He paid $2500 to have a billboard painted to express his beliefs.

*****

Robby sent me this story: A cop tasered an unruly 10 year old girl who wouldn't go to bed - with mom's consent. Given the response to the summer's story on police behavior I'm sure many think this is great... because, of course, cops can do no wrong.

*****

And finally, imagine getting arrested for child porn because a virus infected your computer and made it look like you downloaded it yourself.

Holiday remainders - picture edition

While getting paid sick leave for depression, it's best not have pictures posted like this on Facebook:

Meanwhile, this woman...

...used Facebook to hunt down someone who attacked her.

Ann and Mike are in Thailand this week, where they can apparently buy this:

Have you heard about Coke's new ecological bottle?

It's partly made of organic material so it uses less petroleum to produce. I doubt we're gonna see this in the land of oil.

And finally,

a graphic designer was asked to produce a logo with pie charts (for free). The back-and-forth e-mail is priceless. After you read this set you can read two dozen others for this guy. I've read most of them and wonder if his tactics might have worked with my problematic I-Phone.