8/6/08

Paris/Rihanna 08

They can't really run, legally, until 2016, but I would totally vote for that ticket TODAY. 
She called him "that old wrinkly dude!"

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

The only thing I would say to Paris in disagreement would be, "but Paris, the misnomer regarding 'allowing off-shore drilling' is the fact that we do already drill off shore.  Remember during Katrina how gas went up in part due to the fact that oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico were feared damaged?  (Those were the days, when shockingly high meant $3.30/gal for gas.)
Oil companies just want to take this opportunity, before the most 
accommodating-towards-big-energy Adminsitration ever packs its bags, to maximize the acreage with which they can ravage the oceans legally.  

Furthermore, it seems as if the entire country has selective amnesia when it comes to the gas issue, in that we all, two and three years ago, were discussing, ad nauseum, the United States' lack of refining capacity.  Is this what is causing high gas prices?  No, but it is contributing, and an important, solvable first step towards cutting costs.  Another obvious price cutter would be a curtailing of the power of the oil futures market.  Then again, not everyone agrees with that

I feel that in all of this discussion of energy solutions, we are ignoring an important component.
That is: we need to take full advantage of, and work hard to create cleaner ways of handling the old 'dirty' fuels that we eventually hope to replace.  Energy companies promoting things like solar and wind and the like are kind of acting like George W. Bush when, in his 2003 State of the Union Address he touted hydrogen as the energy of the future.  Yes, George, Hydrogen IS the energy of the future.  But it is the energy of the distant future, if we play our cards right.  Sure, we may have a full on hydrogen economy by 2015, but most likely something like that will take until 2025, at the absolute earliest.  


That being said, what is important NOW is that we work to make coal burn as clean as possible. This technology is available, but it is VERY expensive.  

We need to move towards a battery powered car, hooked up to a "clean" energy infrastructure.

We also would be well served to refine our refining technology and make it cleaner, cause I'm sure that shit is brutal nasty.

But it is much easier to talk about hydrogen and wind and solar, et al (which are great and MUST be the future) and let the oil companies continue to reap millions in profits and let the energy companies build a good deal "old style" coal companies at lower cost, to the expense of the environment and the citizens of the world.  Our Olympic hosts in China are no stranger to this, whatsoever.

Anyway, well played, Paris.  Eff that j.

(and now, a joke you can feel free to steal, since I, as a married gentleman, am unable to use...)
Sign me up as the Secretary of the Interior ... of dat ass!

And, again, I think that Obama is poorly served expressing outrage at such things (as the Paris/Britney ad).  Notice this weekend how he took on a little bit of that nonchalant, dismissive, cocky humor so lamentably used by his opponents against him?  He was all like "John McCain wants to drill RIGHT HERE, right NOW.  I'm pretty sure he was standing in a building when he said that.  You might want to be careful there, John. (paraphrased)"

....

Mojo 13 tonight was awesome! I had a blizzast and did better than what I would have been satisfied with.  That place will be awesome when I'm workin, no doubt. Mad props to Evan for coming out, as well as to the musicians, who were all nice and grooved, as well as everyone on the staff, who so kindly showed me the score.  Looking forward to my next shift, whenever that turns out to be.



Tomorrow night @ Pastabilities will NOT be an open mic night, as we have been forced by circumstance to postpone music for a couple of weeks, calling forth upon the return of the fall, and with it, the return of Wilmington.  The schedule is posted just one or two entries below, as well as on the Pastabilities Myspace Page.

Tommy Murray on 9/5 @ 10pm.  You GOTTA be there.