Last Post For Awhile -- While I've Been Gone -- Almost Nothing About The Bakken

Updates

Later, 10:45 a.m.: I now have wi-fi in the coronary care unit (CCU). Just joking. I made the trip without any problems. But the trip back is going to be a real challenge; once I got up the big hill at the south end San Pedro, it was mostly downhill the rest of the way. Unfortunately, the way the things work out, going back is a huge long up hill before I get a break. Oh, well.

I am kind of surprised the Federal government has not shut down this very, very, very dangerous road, certainly much riskier than other things that are regulated out of existence, such as the "Big Gulp." A portion of the highway along the Pacific Coast at the southern end of the Palos Verdes peninsula.

Original Post

While I've been gone (referring to fact I was off the net for about 36 hours due to lack of wi-fi while traveling): 

From InsideClimate News/Dickinson Press:

The prosperity of North Dakota’s oil industry and frustration over federal energy regulations highlighted a field hearing here Saturday of the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. [Ok.]

From the president's speech on Friday, July 13, 2012:

"If you’ve got a business -- you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn’t get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet." [Some things I still cannot make up. With regard to the internet: thank you, Al Gore.]

From the French:

French President Francois Hollande said on Saturday Peugeot must renegotiate a plan to lay off 8,000 workers to lessen its social impact and accused the carmaker of lying over its intentions and making serious strategic errors. However, he admitted he could not halt Peugeot's plant to stop production at the Aulnay assembly plant near Paris in 2014. [I don't know why not.]

From the Germans:

More money for the C-PFIIGS: this time, $120 billion bailout package for the Spaniards. I guess they were able to live the good life for about 500 years after finding all that gold, silver, and fountain of youth in the New World. Well, two out of three ain't bad. 

I would like to post more but due to lack of an automobile (my efforts to cut down my personal carbon footprint), I need to start biking the 15 miles or so to meet my wife at a Starbucks along the coast where she is walking with a friend. If you never see another post from me, I have a) had a heart attack on one of many San Pedro "heartbreak hills; b) been hit by another vehicle; c) or, fallen into the ocean due to an earthquake caused by the previous president.