Saturday, June 05, 2010
LAX, Brah!
It was good day all around for the Roberts boys. Luke came home with the championship for a one-day tournament in Williamsburg. 9 goals and a bunch of assists in four games. Way to go, Lukey!
The Graduate
Way to go, Nicky. I'm proud of you.
WIth buddies Kyle, Alex and Lizzie.
WIth his best girls Irene and Haley.
Friday, June 04, 2010
Cost v Benefit
It's a given that oil runs the economy; that we're dependent on oil - addicted, in the words of GW Bush. And addiction is an apt analogy. With just about any substance abuse issue, you don't start out having problems. At first, there's a nice high - a good feeling - some kind of benefit, even tho' there's also a cost. You have a great time drinking too much, and then you suffer some because of the hangover the next day. You figure "the goin' up was worth the comin' down". But if you do it too much, over time, the cost starts to outweigh the benefits.
From a story at Market Watch:
Ocean tourism (as opposed to that offered by Orlando theme parks) and recreation are among Florida's main industries, contributing an estimated $20 billion a year to the state's economy, data from the National Ocean Economics Program show. In 2008, 84.2 million visitors spent over $65 billion in Florida, supporting the more than 1 million residents directly employed by the tourism industry, according to Visit Florida, the state's official tourism-marketing arm.
Out of the $65 Billion a year tourists spend in Florida, they spend $20 Billion playing in and around the water. But now all that beautiful water is about to become a stinking toxic sludge made of crude oil, poisonous detergents, and dead rotting plants and animals.
Here's a nice kicker: BP has sent a $25 Million "grant" to Florida to assist the state in their PR and advertising campaign. It seems so perfect. They won't spend the money on technology or procedures that could prevent the fuckups, but they'll sure as hell spend a boatload of it on efforts to tell us "it's not as fucked up as you think".
The tourists have to have the oil products if they wanna get to their favorite vacation spots in Florida, but if they know the place is trashed, why bother?
Likewise, the shrimpers have to have fuel for their boats, but if the oil spill has killed the fishery, there's nothing for them catch.
There's such a thing as Business Ecology - every enterprise is connected in some way to all other enterprises. And every business is connected in some way back to the earth. It's all part of a system in which every part is interdependent on all the other parts. When do we finally get it thru our thick skulls? If the air and the water and the land are spoiled, then people don't thrive. Without a thriving population, you don't have anybody to employ; you don't have anybody to buy anything from; and there's nobody to sell anything to. And then there's no reason for your business to exist at all.
From a story at Market Watch:
Ocean tourism (as opposed to that offered by Orlando theme parks) and recreation are among Florida's main industries, contributing an estimated $20 billion a year to the state's economy, data from the National Ocean Economics Program show. In 2008, 84.2 million visitors spent over $65 billion in Florida, supporting the more than 1 million residents directly employed by the tourism industry, according to Visit Florida, the state's official tourism-marketing arm.
Out of the $65 Billion a year tourists spend in Florida, they spend $20 Billion playing in and around the water. But now all that beautiful water is about to become a stinking toxic sludge made of crude oil, poisonous detergents, and dead rotting plants and animals.
Here's a nice kicker: BP has sent a $25 Million "grant" to Florida to assist the state in their PR and advertising campaign. It seems so perfect. They won't spend the money on technology or procedures that could prevent the fuckups, but they'll sure as hell spend a boatload of it on efforts to tell us "it's not as fucked up as you think".
The tourists have to have the oil products if they wanna get to their favorite vacation spots in Florida, but if they know the place is trashed, why bother?
Likewise, the shrimpers have to have fuel for their boats, but if the oil spill has killed the fishery, there's nothing for them catch.
There's such a thing as Business Ecology - every enterprise is connected in some way to all other enterprises. And every business is connected in some way back to the earth. It's all part of a system in which every part is interdependent on all the other parts. When do we finally get it thru our thick skulls? If the air and the water and the land are spoiled, then people don't thrive. Without a thriving population, you don't have anybody to employ; you don't have anybody to buy anything from; and there's nobody to sell anything to. And then there's no reason for your business to exist at all.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
Duke Sucks
I suppose I should try to be a little more magnanimous about it, but I just really wanted to see Duke fall. They're scrappy and they played smart and they had individuals step up to do great things at the right times and they got lucky - all of which have to happen to win the big one. So, good on you, Duke - you preppy fucks.
The weekend wasn't a total loss - here's a pic that Irene got of Nick (far right) and his crew in front of USS Constellation at The Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore.
The weekend wasn't a total loss - here's a pic that Irene got of Nick (far right) and his crew in front of USS Constellation at The Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Maria Muldaur
A bit of a chestnut, but I never get tired of hearing Amos Garret's amazing riffs at the break.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Aliens
Close encounters of the fungal kind?
This thing is growing near the tree line behind the house.
This thing is growing near the tree line behind the house.
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