Gas crunch: Jatropha, kudzu, algae and magic to rescue
American ingenuity and exceptionalism transforms weeds into, er, pork
So what about Jatropha, a pest tree that produces seed pods, as an oil source for biodiesel? Literally hundreds of stories have been written about it, all generally the equivalent of counting chickens before hatching. All of these stories must contain a line like "The plants require an occasional watering and virtually no fertilizing." This is to plant the idea that one is getting a lot of something for virtually nothing.
But problems of scale aren't mentioned, nor the complication of separating oil from seeds and converting it to usable diesel at some reasonable return on energy input. It does no good to mention that all of, let's say Florida, Texas or a couple other states, would need to be turned over to it. Theoretically, of course. Any reasonable discussion of processing cost is also off the table.
Both the jatropha and kudzu hypes are partially, hmmm, fueled by Brazil's reliance on sugar cane-to-ethanol for automobiles running on blends of fuel. Sugar cane won't grow in most of the US, ergo the casting about for a cheap equivalent from the plant world, one that needs little water. This almost seems reasonable until one compares the scale of Brazil's vehicular use to that of the United States. In terms of miles-per-vehicle-per-capita, in a country to country comparison, Brazil isn't even on the chart of the US Department of Transportation. If it suddenly acquired the auto-load and driving habits of, for example, southern Californians, Brazil's energy strategy would collapse under the weight.
So, are we willing to take the land of 2-3 states to grow the weeds to fuel our affluent lifestyles? I don't know, if we had to devote more land to farming we may have to squeeze into cities like dem Yurupeans do. That's so not America - we're all about spreading out, and independence, and baseball and apple-pies and barbecues and such. Cars are part of that - they give us freedom that trains and planes just can't compete with. And you can pry my air conditioner(s) from my cold, dead hands.
And, of course, this ignores that we're still burning fossil fuels, all we've really done is made our energy source renewable. The article linked to some charts, and what I found the most amazing was that 76% of workers drove to work alone. Mebbe we should try and fix that instead of all these alternative fuels & car batteries & all that stuff. Just that one thing.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The kid stays in the picture
Every time I start to get annoyed with Obama, when I start to think that he's just another social democrat or just another politician, he does something to reassure me that he's not...
There may be some Democrats talking about reimposing the Fairness Doctrine, but one very important one does not: presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama.
The Illinois senator’s top aide said the issue continues to be used as a distraction from more pressing media business.
"Sen. Obama does not support reimposing the Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters," press secretary Michael Ortiz said in an e-mail to B&C late Wednesday...
The Fairness Doctrine issue flared up in recent days after reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was talking about a Democratic push to reinstate it, although it was unclear at press time whether that was a new pledge or the restating of a long-held position.
There may be some Democrats talking about reimposing the Fairness Doctrine, but one very important one does not: presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama.
The Illinois senator’s top aide said the issue continues to be used as a distraction from more pressing media business.
"Sen. Obama does not support reimposing the Fairness Doctrine on broadcasters," press secretary Michael Ortiz said in an e-mail to B&C late Wednesday...
The Fairness Doctrine issue flared up in recent days after reports that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was talking about a Democratic push to reinstate it, although it was unclear at press time whether that was a new pledge or the restating of a long-held position.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
When someone as stupid as Ed Wade is involved, it's hard to say who's to blame...
Shawn Chacon, who was suspended indefinitely by the Astros, said he threw Ed Wade to the floor Wednesday after being asked to attend a meeting with the general manager and manager Cecil Cooper. Chacon said he was told sternly by Wade that he was going to have the meeting, something he didn't want to do. "He started yelling and cussing," Chacon said of Wade. "I’m sitting there and I said to him very calmly, ‘Ed, you need to stop yelling (at) me. Then I stood up and said 'you better stop yelling at me.' I stood up. He continued and was basically yelling and stuff and was like, ‘You need to (expletive) look in the mirror.’ So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him because at that point I wanted to beat his (butt). Words were exchanged." Chacon was pulled away from Wade by a teammate before he could do any damage, which may end up saving his career. It's still hard to imagine another team being eager to give him a chance this year.
Democrats: Democratic-controlled Congress SUCKS
It is as Glenn Greenwald sayeth: "The Democratic Congress is more popular with Republicans than with Democrats."
sounds like time for a tax cut
In districts across the United States, budget shortfalls are resulting in locked-up schools, flurries of pink slips, and empty shelves where new books and computers should be.
So it wasn't just me?
I'm so relieved...
Facebook takes a break
OMG!
By John Oates → More by this author
Published Wednesday 25th June 2008 14:28 GMT
Social networking site Facebook is mainly unavailable this afternoon (that would be dis morning for dose of us in da good ol' USA - ed).
Several Register readers mailed to tell us of the problem for UK surfers.
A spokeswoman for Facebook UK told The Reg it was aware of the problems and was investigating.
The site is showing a blank page.
Maybe too many people are trying to organise their trips to Glastonbury this weekend. Or maybe the admins have taken a page from Faceparty's book and gone to the zoo. ®
When are we gonna convince Smiff to join the fun? And is Ranger holding out too? Me thinks the rest of us have been suckered in...
Facebook takes a break
OMG!
By John Oates → More by this author
Published Wednesday 25th June 2008 14:28 GMT
Social networking site Facebook is mainly unavailable this afternoon (that would be dis morning for dose of us in da good ol' USA - ed).
Several Register readers mailed to tell us of the problem for UK surfers.
A spokeswoman for Facebook UK told The Reg it was aware of the problems and was investigating.
The site is showing a blank page.
Maybe too many people are trying to organise their trips to Glastonbury this weekend. Or maybe the admins have taken a page from Faceparty's book and gone to the zoo. ®
When are we gonna convince Smiff to join the fun? And is Ranger holding out too? Me thinks the rest of us have been suckered in...
Die! Die! Die!
The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that child rapists are not subject to the death penalty. Of course a certain conservative jurists said that some states really want to kill child rapists and that perhaps we are shifting course on this issue. Kennedy wrote the decision finding that it constituted cruel and unusual punishment.
As always - my issue is - is the death penalty actually punishment? I never thought so, still don't. I mean it can be an effective deterrent, though I think usually criminals can't do a thorough cost-benefit analysis or think they won't get caught. But what part of it is punishment? I mean, you are dead. I suppose not being alive is like a punishment, but you don't really get to experience it. Now being alive and a child rapist and in jail. That is a punishment that I could only wish on a child rapist.
As always - my issue is - is the death penalty actually punishment? I never thought so, still don't. I mean it can be an effective deterrent, though I think usually criminals can't do a thorough cost-benefit analysis or think they won't get caught. But what part of it is punishment? I mean, you are dead. I suppose not being alive is like a punishment, but you don't really get to experience it. Now being alive and a child rapist and in jail. That is a punishment that I could only wish on a child rapist.
world's tallest billboard?
"Both Tribune Tower and Times Mirror Square are iconic structures, deeply intertwined with the history of this company," Chairman and CEO Sam Zell wrote in an e-mail to employees, according to the release. "But they are also under-utilized, and as employee-owners, it's in our best interests to maximize the value of all our assets."
Whitey taking moral high ground (cont)
England cut Zimbabwe cricket ties
As if Zimbabwe's really worried about cricket right now...
Mugabe stripped of knighthood
Found this nugget too. I have a feeling I'm going to have to keep coming back and editing this post...
As if Zimbabwe's really worried about cricket right now...
Mugabe stripped of knighthood
Found this nugget too. I have a feeling I'm going to have to keep coming back and editing this post...
for your summer reading list
A former detective stuck on a train hears a terrifying sound. So does a teenager watching TV. And decades ago, Joanna Mason's family encountered something shocking on a country lane. It all ties together in the latest thriller from Atkinson.
if we close our eyes and put our hands over our ears and hum a chipper tune, the bad news will go away
As QT would say, we may be governed someday by grownups again.
WHITE HOUSE REFUSED TO READ E-MAIL WITH EPA'S GREENHOUSE GAS CONCLUSIONS: The New York Times reports today that in December, the White House "refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened." The document thus sat unreleased for six months. In the past five days, "the White House successfully put pressure on the EPA to eliminate large sections of the original analysis that supported regulation," resulting in "a watered-down version of the original proposal that offers no conclusion" that will be released this week. The original EPA analysis "showed that the Clean Air Act can work for certain sectors of the economy, to reduce greenhouse gases." But according to a senior EPA official, "that's not what the administration wants to show. They want to show that the Clean Air Act can't work." The document is part of the EPA's effort to comply with a 2007 Supreme Court ruling requiring it to "determine whether greenhouse gases represent a danger to health or the environment."
WHITE HOUSE REFUSED TO READ E-MAIL WITH EPA'S GREENHOUSE GAS CONCLUSIONS: The New York Times reports today that in December, the White House "refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened." The document thus sat unreleased for six months. In the past five days, "the White House successfully put pressure on the EPA to eliminate large sections of the original analysis that supported regulation," resulting in "a watered-down version of the original proposal that offers no conclusion" that will be released this week. The original EPA analysis "showed that the Clean Air Act can work for certain sectors of the economy, to reduce greenhouse gases." But according to a senior EPA official, "that's not what the administration wants to show. They want to show that the Clean Air Act can't work." The document is part of the EPA's effort to comply with a 2007 Supreme Court ruling requiring it to "determine whether greenhouse gases represent a danger to health or the environment."
tough times for plutocrats (cont'd)
Global wealth hits $40.7 trillion but growth slows
LONDON (Reuters) - Assets held by the world's richest people grew at a slower pace in 2007 than 2006 as the credit crisis began to bite, a study showed on Tuesday, despite rapid growth in emerging markets.
However, growth over the coming five years is forecast to be higher than last year's predictions, as U.S. economic growth eventually picks up and emerging markets continue to beat analysts' forecasts. (YAY! - Ed.)
The Merrill Lynch and Capgemini Annual World Wealth Report showed global assets held by wealthy investors rose by 9.4 percent to $40.7 trillion (20.6 trillion pounds) in 2007, below 2006's 11.4 percent growth, with the second half of the year seeing a slowdown in Western economies.
Finally, some good news
Slowdown in road travel eclipses 1979 drop: Govt
Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:00pm BST
By Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans cut down on the number of miles they drove for the sixth straight month in April, resulting in the biggest six-month decline since the oil shock of the 1979-80 Iranian revolution, new government data shows.
As record gasoline prices push more and more commuters onto public transport and vacationers to trim trips, U.S. highway travel fell 30 billion miles between November and April, down 1.7 percent from the comparable period a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
That was the steepest decline since Americans cut back their driving by about 500 million miles over two years in 1979 and 1980, when there were gasoline shortages and price spikes after the Shah of Iran was overthrown, said department spokesman Doug Hecox.
In fact, the current 30-billion-mile drop in highway travel is likely more than all the previous declines combined during the 66 years that the department has been collecting such information, Hecox said.
"It's a pretty severe decline that we've seen," he said.
During April alone, Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles, down 1.8 percent from a year earlier and 400 million miles less than in March.
The high cost of gasoline has cut highway travel almost 20 billion miles, or 2.1 percent, during the first four months of this year, the department said.
Rural areas, where families drive more and spend a larger share of their income on gasoline, have seen the biggest decline in highway travel.
Travel on rural interstates for the January-April period is down 2.9 percent and off 3.1 percent on other rural highways.
A new report on Thursday from an energy advisory group reflected the drop in total highway travel, saying U.S. gasoline demand may have peaked last year and will likely decline in 2008 for the first time in 17 years.
Cambridge Energy Research Associates said long-term shifts in consumer behavior, such as buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, is helping to push gasoline demand lower.
"Americans are now driving less and demanding greater fuel efficiency from their vehicles when they do drive," said Aaron Brady, CERA's global oil director.
Sales of mid-size sport utility vehicles fell 38 percent last month compared to a year earlier. Sales of better-mileage passenger cars, which were less than half of all vehicle purchases last year, jumped to 57 percent in May.
The downside for the government is less money to pay for highway projects and public transportation, which is funded by an 18.4-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and a 24.4 cents-per-gallon diesel fuel tax.
"As positive as any move toward greater fuel efficiency is, we need to make sure we have the kind of sustainable funding measures in place to support needed highway and transit improvements well into the future," said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray.
CERA said gasoline prices still do not cause as much economic hardship as they did during the 1980s, but they are getting close to the "pain point" of just over $4.20 a gallon for an average annual price.
Thu Jun 19, 2008 7:00pm BST
By Tom Doggett
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans cut down on the number of miles they drove for the sixth straight month in April, resulting in the biggest six-month decline since the oil shock of the 1979-80 Iranian revolution, new government data shows.
As record gasoline prices push more and more commuters onto public transport and vacationers to trim trips, U.S. highway travel fell 30 billion miles between November and April, down 1.7 percent from the comparable period a year earlier, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
That was the steepest decline since Americans cut back their driving by about 500 million miles over two years in 1979 and 1980, when there were gasoline shortages and price spikes after the Shah of Iran was overthrown, said department spokesman Doug Hecox.
In fact, the current 30-billion-mile drop in highway travel is likely more than all the previous declines combined during the 66 years that the department has been collecting such information, Hecox said.
"It's a pretty severe decline that we've seen," he said.
During April alone, Americans drove 1.4 billion fewer highway miles, down 1.8 percent from a year earlier and 400 million miles less than in March.
The high cost of gasoline has cut highway travel almost 20 billion miles, or 2.1 percent, during the first four months of this year, the department said.
Rural areas, where families drive more and spend a larger share of their income on gasoline, have seen the biggest decline in highway travel.
Travel on rural interstates for the January-April period is down 2.9 percent and off 3.1 percent on other rural highways.
A new report on Thursday from an energy advisory group reflected the drop in total highway travel, saying U.S. gasoline demand may have peaked last year and will likely decline in 2008 for the first time in 17 years.
Cambridge Energy Research Associates said long-term shifts in consumer behavior, such as buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, is helping to push gasoline demand lower.
"Americans are now driving less and demanding greater fuel efficiency from their vehicles when they do drive," said Aaron Brady, CERA's global oil director.
Sales of mid-size sport utility vehicles fell 38 percent last month compared to a year earlier. Sales of better-mileage passenger cars, which were less than half of all vehicle purchases last year, jumped to 57 percent in May.
The downside for the government is less money to pay for highway projects and public transportation, which is funded by an 18.4-cents-per-gallon gasoline tax and a 24.4 cents-per-gallon diesel fuel tax.
"As positive as any move toward greater fuel efficiency is, we need to make sure we have the kind of sustainable funding measures in place to support needed highway and transit improvements well into the future," said Acting Federal Highway Administrator Jim Ray.
CERA said gasoline prices still do not cause as much economic hardship as they did during the 1980s, but they are getting close to the "pain point" of just over $4.20 a gallon for an average annual price.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Awesome...
Though Briggs might disagree - I'm all for this:
Illinois Sues Countrywide By GRETCHEN MORGENSON Published: June 25, 2008
The Illinois attorney general is suing Countrywide Financial, the troubled mortgage lender, and Angelo R. Mozilo, its chief executive, contending that the company and its executives defrauded borrowers in the state by selling them costly and defective loans that quickly went into foreclosure.
The lawsuit, which is expected to be filed on Wednesday in Illinois state court, accused Countrywide and Mr. Mozilo of relaxing underwriting standards, structuring loans with risky features, and misleading consumers with hidden fees and fake marketing claims, like its heavily advertised “no closing costs loan.” Countrywide also created incentives for its employees and brokers to sell questionable loans by paying them more on such sales, the complaint said.
In reviewing one Illinois mortgage broker’s sales of Countrywide loans, the complaint said the “vast majority of the loans had inflated income, almost all without the borrower’s knowledge.”
The civil lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of monetary damages and requests that the court require Countrywide to rescind or reform all the questionable loans it sold from 2004 through the present. The attorney general, Lisa Madigan, also asked that Mr. Mozilo contribute personally to the damages and that the court give her office 90 days to review loans serviced by Countrywide that were in foreclosure or soon would be.
“People were put into loans they did not understand, could not afford and could not get out of,” Ms. Madigan said. “This mounting disaster has had an impact on individual homeowners statewide and is having an impact on the global economy. It is all from the greed of people like Angelo Mozilo.”
The lawsuit adds to the considerable legal risks facing Bank of America as it prepares to absorb Countrywide in a takeover announced in January. Countrywide and its executives have been named as defendants in shareholder lawsuits, and the company’s practices are the subject of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the F.B.I. and the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees loan servicing companies.
The United States Trustee, a unit of the Justice Department that monitors the bankruptcy system, has also sued Countrywide, contending that its loan servicing practices represent an abuse of the bankruptcy system.
Countrywide did not respond to an e-mail message seeking comment. A Bank of America spokesman declined to comment.
Countrywide, once the nation’s top mortgage lender, has watched its fortunes plummet as the housing crisis has spread across the country. In the last three quarters, the company reported $2.5 billion in losses, and in the first quarter of 2008, total nonperforming assets reached $6 billion, almost five times that of the same period last year.
When Bank of America announced its stock-for-stock deal to buy Countrywide, the acquisition was valued at more than $4 billion. Because shares of both companies have fallen, the transaction is worth $2.8 billion.
The Illinois complaint was derived from 111,000 pages of Countrywide documents and interviews with former employees. It paints a picture of a lending machine that was more concerned with volume of loans than quality.
For example, former employees told Illinois investigators that Countrywide’s pay structure encouraged them to make as many loans as they could; some reduced-documentation loans took as little as 30 minutes to underwrite, the complaint said.
The lawsuit cited Countrywide documents indicating that almost 60 percent of its borrowers in subprime adjustable rate mortgages requiring minimal payments in the early years, known as hybrid A.R.M.’s, would not have qualified at the full payment rate. Countrywide also acknowledged that almost 25 percent of the borrowers would not have qualified for any other mortgage product that it sold.
Even more surprising, Ms. Madigan said, was her office’s discovery of e-mail messages automatically sent by Countrywide to its borrowers offering complimentary loan reviews one year after they obtained their mortgages from the company.
“Happy Anniversary!” the e-mail messages stated. “Many home values skyrocketed over the past year. That means that you may have thousands of dollars of home equity to borrow from at rates much lower than most credit cards.”
Ms. Madigan said, “I was just struck that on the first anniversary of these people’s loans they would get these e-mails luring them into a refinance, into another unaffordable product to generate more fees and originate more loans.”
The complaint also described dubious practices in Countrywide’s huge servicing arm, which oversees $1.5 trillion in loans. For example, an Illinois consumer whose Countrywide mortgage was in foreclosure came home to find that the company had changed her locks and boarded up her home, the suit said, although no judgment had been entered and no foreclosure sale conducted. It took a week for the homeowner to regain access to her home, the complaint said.
Ms. Madigan began investigating Countrywide after her office sued One Source Mortgage, a Chicago mortgage broker that shut down last year. Countrywide was One Source’s primary lender, according to that lawsuit. Ms. Madigan also said that her office had received 200 customer complaints about Countrywide.
For 2004 through 2006, Countrywide was the largest lender in Illinois, selling about 94,000 loans to consumers in the state, the complaint said. The company operated about 100 retail branch offices in Illinois and its loans were offered by many mortgage brokers licensed to do business there. Countrywide also purchased loans through a network of 2,100 correspondent lenders in the state.
Illinois Sues Countrywide By GRETCHEN MORGENSON Published: June 25, 2008
The Illinois attorney general is suing Countrywide Financial, the troubled mortgage lender, and Angelo R. Mozilo, its chief executive, contending that the company and its executives defrauded borrowers in the state by selling them costly and defective loans that quickly went into foreclosure.
The lawsuit, which is expected to be filed on Wednesday in Illinois state court, accused Countrywide and Mr. Mozilo of relaxing underwriting standards, structuring loans with risky features, and misleading consumers with hidden fees and fake marketing claims, like its heavily advertised “no closing costs loan.” Countrywide also created incentives for its employees and brokers to sell questionable loans by paying them more on such sales, the complaint said.
In reviewing one Illinois mortgage broker’s sales of Countrywide loans, the complaint said the “vast majority of the loans had inflated income, almost all without the borrower’s knowledge.”
The civil lawsuit asks for an unspecified amount of monetary damages and requests that the court require Countrywide to rescind or reform all the questionable loans it sold from 2004 through the present. The attorney general, Lisa Madigan, also asked that Mr. Mozilo contribute personally to the damages and that the court give her office 90 days to review loans serviced by Countrywide that were in foreclosure or soon would be.
“People were put into loans they did not understand, could not afford and could not get out of,” Ms. Madigan said. “This mounting disaster has had an impact on individual homeowners statewide and is having an impact on the global economy. It is all from the greed of people like Angelo Mozilo.”
The lawsuit adds to the considerable legal risks facing Bank of America as it prepares to absorb Countrywide in a takeover announced in January. Countrywide and its executives have been named as defendants in shareholder lawsuits, and the company’s practices are the subject of investigations by the Securities and Exchange Commission, the F.B.I. and the Federal Trade Commission, which oversees loan servicing companies.
The United States Trustee, a unit of the Justice Department that monitors the bankruptcy system, has also sued Countrywide, contending that its loan servicing practices represent an abuse of the bankruptcy system.
Countrywide did not respond to an e-mail message seeking comment. A Bank of America spokesman declined to comment.
Countrywide, once the nation’s top mortgage lender, has watched its fortunes plummet as the housing crisis has spread across the country. In the last three quarters, the company reported $2.5 billion in losses, and in the first quarter of 2008, total nonperforming assets reached $6 billion, almost five times that of the same period last year.
When Bank of America announced its stock-for-stock deal to buy Countrywide, the acquisition was valued at more than $4 billion. Because shares of both companies have fallen, the transaction is worth $2.8 billion.
The Illinois complaint was derived from 111,000 pages of Countrywide documents and interviews with former employees. It paints a picture of a lending machine that was more concerned with volume of loans than quality.
For example, former employees told Illinois investigators that Countrywide’s pay structure encouraged them to make as many loans as they could; some reduced-documentation loans took as little as 30 minutes to underwrite, the complaint said.
The lawsuit cited Countrywide documents indicating that almost 60 percent of its borrowers in subprime adjustable rate mortgages requiring minimal payments in the early years, known as hybrid A.R.M.’s, would not have qualified at the full payment rate. Countrywide also acknowledged that almost 25 percent of the borrowers would not have qualified for any other mortgage product that it sold.
Even more surprising, Ms. Madigan said, was her office’s discovery of e-mail messages automatically sent by Countrywide to its borrowers offering complimentary loan reviews one year after they obtained their mortgages from the company.
“Happy Anniversary!” the e-mail messages stated. “Many home values skyrocketed over the past year. That means that you may have thousands of dollars of home equity to borrow from at rates much lower than most credit cards.”
Ms. Madigan said, “I was just struck that on the first anniversary of these people’s loans they would get these e-mails luring them into a refinance, into another unaffordable product to generate more fees and originate more loans.”
The complaint also described dubious practices in Countrywide’s huge servicing arm, which oversees $1.5 trillion in loans. For example, an Illinois consumer whose Countrywide mortgage was in foreclosure came home to find that the company had changed her locks and boarded up her home, the suit said, although no judgment had been entered and no foreclosure sale conducted. It took a week for the homeowner to regain access to her home, the complaint said.
Ms. Madigan began investigating Countrywide after her office sued One Source Mortgage, a Chicago mortgage broker that shut down last year. Countrywide was One Source’s primary lender, according to that lawsuit. Ms. Madigan also said that her office had received 200 customer complaints about Countrywide.
For 2004 through 2006, Countrywide was the largest lender in Illinois, selling about 94,000 loans to consumers in the state, the complaint said. The company operated about 100 retail branch offices in Illinois and its loans were offered by many mortgage brokers licensed to do business there. Countrywide also purchased loans through a network of 2,100 correspondent lenders in the state.
The New York Mets Suck (cont'd)
The Phillies aren't exactly tearing it up right now, but at least they lose to good teams. The Mets tonight were pummeled 11-0 at home by the worst team in baseball. The opposing pitcher: R.A. Dickey--yes, that R.A. Dickey. Even better, 49,386 idiotic, drooling troglodyte homunculi witnessed the ass-walloping.
R.A. Dickey blanked the Mets for seven innings on Tuesday night as the Mariners cruised to an 11-0 victory. In his three previous starts this season, Dickey had gone 0-3 with a 14.11 ERA. Tonight he finally got his knuckleball working and allowed just six hits and a pair of walks while striking out five over seven frames. He might get another shot because of tonight's start, but he's still a risky pick-up.
R.A. Dickey blanked the Mets for seven innings on Tuesday night as the Mariners cruised to an 11-0 victory. In his three previous starts this season, Dickey had gone 0-3 with a 14.11 ERA. Tonight he finally got his knuckleball working and allowed just six hits and a pair of walks while striking out five over seven frames. He might get another shot because of tonight's start, but he's still a risky pick-up.
Invasion of the Dusty Snatchers?
The Reds have Adam Dunn hitting second against A.J. Burnett on Tuesday night. Which can only mean an extra-terrestrial has gained control of Dusty Baker's body. Dunn has been in a pretty horrible slump, but this might be just the thing to shake him out. Kudos to Baker for trying it. With Dunn hitting second, the Reds have Jeff Keppinger batting sixth and Jay Bruce hitting seventh tonight.
But what does Decker think? We still haven't heard...
'The Love Guru': How bad is it?
Perhaps the most overrated aspect of reviewing movies is getting to trash the turkeys.
Sure, getting all vitriolic and sarcastic is fun at first, but you quickly grow tired of trying to find new ways to say the same thing: This is really bad.
That said, it still can be a kick to see the ways critics come up with to describe movie that’s getting almost universally ripped (a mere 14 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes).
Ladies and gentlemen, “The Love Guru” reviews’ greatest hits:
“ ‘The Love Guru’ is downright antifunny, an experience that makes you wonder if you will ever laugh again.”—A.O. Scott, New York Times
“This film could have been written on toilet walls by callow adolescents.”—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“The movie with the most penis jokes in the history of Hollywood.”—Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
“Pitka, at heart, is one mean-spirited guru, very harsh with the dwarf jokes, and rather wearying screen company.”—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
“The most joy-draining 88 minutes I’ve ever spent outside a hospital waiting room.”—Dana Stevens, Slate
" ‘The Love Guru’ is offensive to pretty much anyone with a brain.”—Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
“Ninety minutes pass like an eternity.”—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“The most-egregious case of ego run amok since John Travolta subjected the world to ‘Battlefield Earth.’”— Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic
"It's a rare film that makes a reviewer consider giving up the movies altogether. My own Waterloo came forty-five minutes into 'The Love Guru' when I briefly considered stabbing out my own eyes so that I wouldn't have to watch it any more.” — Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
Perhaps the most overrated aspect of reviewing movies is getting to trash the turkeys.
Sure, getting all vitriolic and sarcastic is fun at first, but you quickly grow tired of trying to find new ways to say the same thing: This is really bad.
That said, it still can be a kick to see the ways critics come up with to describe movie that’s getting almost universally ripped (a mere 14 percent positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes).
Ladies and gentlemen, “The Love Guru” reviews’ greatest hits:
“ ‘The Love Guru’ is downright antifunny, an experience that makes you wonder if you will ever laugh again.”—A.O. Scott, New York Times
“This film could have been written on toilet walls by callow adolescents.”—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
“The movie with the most penis jokes in the history of Hollywood.”—Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
“Pitka, at heart, is one mean-spirited guru, very harsh with the dwarf jokes, and rather wearying screen company.”—Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune
“The most joy-draining 88 minutes I’ve ever spent outside a hospital waiting room.”—Dana Stevens, Slate
" ‘The Love Guru’ is offensive to pretty much anyone with a brain.”—Stephanie Zacharek, Salon
“Ninety minutes pass like an eternity.”—Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
“The most-egregious case of ego run amok since John Travolta subjected the world to ‘Battlefield Earth.’”— Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic
"It's a rare film that makes a reviewer consider giving up the movies altogether. My own Waterloo came forty-five minutes into 'The Love Guru' when I briefly considered stabbing out my own eyes so that I wouldn't have to watch it any more.” — Joshua Starnes, ComingSoon.net
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