What exactly is Feminist Psychology?

I was walking with my son last weekend and came upon this sign :

Which leads to the obvious question -- what exactly is feminist psychology? The imagination runs wild.

Oil Policy

Energy policy should be a big issue in this election. I am a big believer in alternative energy and a big supporter of biofuels (I oppose the ethanol subsidy, rather I would end the tariffs on Brazilian ethanol and mandate that all gasoline powered cars in the United States be flex-fuel by 2012). I am happy to see that Obama has been talking about biofuels and he has come close to the Zubrin plan, though he has not mentioned it by name. Someone should, immediately, send Obama a copy of Zubrin's book "Energy Victory".

But for the foreseeable future, oil will still be important and it has to come from somewhere. Obama opposes drilling here, drilling in the Artic, and now his comments against tar sand oil. He also complains about the price of oil. His answer is to threaten the oil companies.

I do not think the oil companies are charitable institutions. They are businesses and their goal is to maximize profits. But maybe instead of demonizing them, they should be allowed to drill somewhere. Oil is going up and up, and most of what I read suggests that it is a bubble -- demand increases in China (which had been heavily subsidizing gasoline, increasing demand) in and of itself do not account for the increase. Uncertainty over Iran and Iraq play into it. But ultimately, it is the THREAT of future events that are driving the price. Allowing drilling the Artic or offshore might reduce uncertainty and allow prices to come down to a more reasonable level.

I am not suggesting that we will see $1.10 regular gas ever again -- I know that will never happen. But we need to reduce prices for no other reason than the fact that much of our oil money goes to places that are trying to destroy us -- in effect, we are paying for attacks against us. And drilling here and now, along with buying Canadian oil and getting shale oil regulations passed will give us the breathing room necessary to get alternative sources online (and also a few years so that a flex-fuel mandate will have time to operate). That is important, pushing for drilling now does not mean that alternative energy is forgotten. In fact, under Senator McCain's plan, there would be both. Senator McCain even calls for a flex-fuel mandate!

Dude where are my posts?

I have not posted in quite awhile, mostly because I have been too busy watching EURO 2008 games when I get home.

This has been some tournament, and Turkey has definitely made things interesting.

And now for a musical interlude by the fans of a team NOT in attendance!

Why does Barrack Obama hate Canada?

The guy is running as the man to repair US foreign relations.


It is bad enough that he ran against NAFTA. Now he is attacking Canadian tar sand oil. Personally, given the choice of sending my gas money to Saudi Arabia, Hugo Chavez or our friends to the North, I will choose Canada.

Why does Obama hate Canada?

The Balkans

I have been somewhat down on US involvement in the Balkans. Though I agree with the change of regime and think intervention was warranted, I think we should not have been involved, that in taking the lead, all we did was further delay Europe taking responsibility for its own defence.

Michael Totten is in the region now and as always, writes intelligently. As an aside, I believe that independent journalism such as practiced by Totten and Michael Yon is the future of Internet reporting.

Also commenting on the region is Kirk Johnson's excellent Balkan blog. While I do not agree with everything he says, he thinks long and hard about the issues facing that region and take the time to really educate himself.

A Danish Experiment in Self Government -- Part I

When in Denmark, I somewhat surprised our hosts by saying that the first thing I wanted to see was "Freetown Christiania".

The town is a small self governing enclave in Copenhagen. The site of the town is in what was once the defensive fortifications of the city. The forts were obsolete, but the military continued to use the barracks until 1972, when the shut the base down. Soon, some hippies moved in and established their own community.

The hippie spirit still survives!

The old buildings were occupied and redecorated to reflect the free spirit of the new residents. No cars are allowed in the town, so people get around primarily by bicycle. Many bicycles are manufactured and/or modified in the town itself (one of the major business was a bicycle company). The bicycles are custom manufactured to have cargo spaces or turned into tricycles that can carry extra people or goods. The bicycles are very popular and you see them all around Copenhagen.

As you would expect in such an enclave, there were an abundance of artists and other creative types, and their work was very much in evidence.

Liberal Women are Easy

At least that is what I got out of this.

Happy Friday the 13th!

I am back from vacation. I know you all missed me very much.