Open Thread–12/9/2010

Yesterday I never made it back to reply to comments, because, having been up all night, I slept almost all day.  I hope to do better today.

Jig Zone Puzzle:

Today it took me 4:24 (average 4:48).  To do it, click here.  How did you do?

Short Takes:

From McClatchy DC: Despite weak demand in the U.S. and Europe, oil prices climbed this week to near $90 a barrel and gasoline prices have passed $3 a gallon on the West Coast and parts of the Northeast.

Why? If demand is down and supplies are plentiful — and they are — why would prices be going up?

Because Wall Street speculators are driving up oil and gasoline prices again — just in time to dampen holiday cheer.

When gas prices were skyrocketing during the Bush Regime, I said that speculation, not demand, was driving it.  Thanks to the people who didn’t vote in November, there is no chance to get the needed regulation to prevent it before 2013.

From LA Times: The House passed a landmark youth immigration bill known as the Dream Act on Wednesday night largely along party lines, but the measure faces a tough test in the Senate as Democrats struggle to pass priority legislation in the waning days of this Congress.

Now it goes to the Senate to die.

From Alternet: Glenn Beck might, for once, be right: the government is coming for your gold. But only if you happened to buy it from one of Beck’s advertisers, the Superior Gold Group. At the request of prosecutors from LA County and Santa Monica city who have filed a civil suit against the company, Los Angeles County judge has ordered that Superior Gold be placed into receivership and all of its assets—bank accounts, real estate, and presumably gold stored for customers—frozen. On Monday, a court-appointed lawyer actually physically seized control of the company, presumably to prevent further wrongdoing. The lawsuit alleged that among other things, Superior had defrauded its customers by overcharging them, fraudulently inducing them to buy overpriced collectors’ coins rather than the bullion that they wanted, and taking customers’ money for coins they never produced.

Farewell to the Golden Fleece.  We’ll never get all his advertisers to turn away from him, because some are just as warped as he is.

Cartoon:

 

What’s on your mind?