Crude Hits $110/Barrel; Gasoline $3.25:

Yesterday saw new records in petroleum energy costs. Best guess is that oil will peak around $150 per barrel, with gasoline topping out somewhere between $4.50 and $4.80 per gallon this summer. Diesel fuel, the energy that moves American business, will climb even higher, contributing to the growing economic crisis.


Death of the Internet:

Forecasts are bleak for bandwidth capacity. Within three years, experts are claiming we will be in the same kinds of log jambs that auto commuters face driving back and forth to work unless service providers step up efforts to increase bandwidth. The culprit—video and pictures. YouTube, now owned by Google, is reported to use "as much bandwidth as the entire Internet did in 2000" (Steve Lohr, New York Times). In addition, it has been estimated that at least one out of four people now watch some TV over the Internet.

Your Environment Under Attack:

Today's Washington Post reports on the latest shenanigans by the administration to limit the government's abilities to fight for a cleaner environment:

Administrator Stephen L. Johnson also said he would push Congress to rewrite the nearly 37-year-old Clean Air Act to allow regulators to take into consideration the cost and feasibility of controlling pollution when making decisions about air quality, something that is currently prohibited by the law. In 2001, the Supreme Court ruled that the government needed to base the ozone standard strictly on protecting public health, with no regard to cost.

Just when we all thought the country was moving to work toward a cleaner, safer environment, the current administration is once more attempting to side track efforts in order to pad big business's next quarterly statement.

Three Party Solution:

Since 1968, the U. S. has been flirting with solving its electoral problems with a three party solution. Currently, the Democrats are busy shooting themselves in the foot once again in the same fashion they did so successfully in 1924, 1968, and 1972. This time around, they seem to have found some new wrinkles: Florida and Michigan. Whatever the outcome in determining how delegates for these two states will be alloted, it seems unlikely to satisfy the supporters of the respective candidates, who seem to be about equally divided. No wonder is John "I-wanna-be-Bush" McCain is smiling in the wings.

Speaking of brilliant thinkers: "The march to war hurt the economy. Laura reminded me a while ago that remember what was on the TV screens—she calls me, 'George W.'—'George W.' I call her, 'First Lady.' No, anyway—she said, we said, march to war on our TV screen." — George W. Bush, Bay Shore, New York, March 11, 2004.

On a Personal Note:

My father would have been 90 years old today if he had not died a little less than three months ago. The plan was to have a big family celebration for him. Dad was fond of saying, "You have no idea how bad things can be," while referring to the Great Depression years. The poverty and hardship he experienced then seemed to rank higher than even World War II—he landed at Normandy on the second day of the invasion.

He had a successful marriage of over 62 years, and two children who seemed not to have embarrassed him too much. I can see him now, shaking his head with a big grin on his face and muttering, "Oh, brother!" Happy birthday, Dad.