It's a Zedonk (a donkey and zebra hybrid). This brings up a couple questions. First, who came up with that name? It sounds like something Phil Hellmuth would call somebody at the poker table ("That frickin' Zedonk called me with nothing but an inside straight draw and hit it!"). I guess Donkbra isn't any better (sounds like a retarded cobra), but how about Zebkey? Second, why is it only the legs that are striped? I know that it's different because we're dealing with two different species here, but can you imagine if this is what happened when people of different races had kids?
In another amusing but equally trivial matter, I was browsing on Amazon the other day and thinking of picking up the DVD of the Hawks season that just came out. I was scrolling down to look at reviews of it and noticed the section where Amazon lists what people who viewed this page ultimately buy. This is what it said:
"Hmm, I want to see dudes in suits fighting but I'm not sure if I feel like watching it on ice or not". Or maybe this is person who is both a huge Hawks and Robert Downey Jr. fan but is on a very limited budget. This is kind of like shopping for a new car and having it narrowed down to a Honda Fit or a Nissan Murano.
Lastly John Delaney, Financial Advisor to the Stars, is recommending that if you are just interested in making money (and don't really have a lot of moral qualms about it) you should buy BP stock. As of this morning it's trading at just under $38/share. It's not quite as good of a deal as it was last month when it was trading at its low of $26, but back then there were serious questions about whether or not it would even be able to survive. But now that the leak has stopped (presumably) and the relief well is nearing completion, combined with the fact that BP is very profitable in just about every other aspect of their business it makes them a good buy. I think within 6 months they'll be trading at least at $45/share and within 2 years they'll be up at $60 (where Exxon is right now). That's about a 25% annual return, not including any dividends that get paid in the interim. The world is certainly not going to need any less oil between now and then, and even if the U.S. market is able to hold a grudge for that long (which I doubt) our market is no longer the giant it once was in the global oil market.
And one final point, which I'll just touch on briefly. The thing that has bothered me the most about this spill is the fact that it has only resulted in finger-pointing and just general BP, Halliburton, and Federal Government bashing. I hoped that this event would become a catalyst for the U.S. to finally take the development of a comprehensive energy policy seriously. We put a moratorium on off-shore drilling but don't even pay lip-service to the fact that we still need the same amount (actually, an increasing amount) of oil, so where are we going to get it from? All the foreign sources that we supposedly want to get away from relying on. Somewhere along the way we need to have an honest discussion about this where we lay out exactly what our energy needs are projected to be for the next 25 years and where we plan to get the resources for it. But the left is too busy with their own fights on immigration and financial reform and the right is trying to distance themselves from "drill baby drill" and want to concentrate instead on the incompetence of the Federal Government. So instead of a good debate we get silence, which (apart from individual politicians giving blustery speeches) has pretty much been our official energy policy for the last 50 years.
4 comments:
1 - The zedonk looks like it's wearing something you might find at lover's lane in the hosiery section. And I find it disturbing that that's where my mind goes.
2 - What moral qualms about investing (and hopefully making money from) BP stock? Wouldn't it be the morally just thing to take responsibility for my oil hungry ways, and put some of MY hard earned money toward the cleanup. After all, if BP loses enough money through ill conceived boycotting, won't we all just be sending a MUCH larger tab to the federal government? By the way, people literally laughed when I suggested buying BP stock when it bottomed out would be smart 2 months ago... Meh.
3 - I feel your pain when it comes to your desire to get off of oil. I know you think I'm probably teasing you when I say that (and I might be a little bit), but mostly I do get it. But think of it this way. 200 years ago, were the Inuit people thinking, "Gee, this whale oil thing has GOT to come to an end some time soon. We really better start looking at ANWR to relieve some of the pressure on whales!"
Hell no... they were thinking that there was no way in hell anyone with a big frickin steam powered canoe would come and hunt whales to near extinction. The only REAL difference, is we have history, and geology telling us we will some day run out. But it won't be until we do run out that anyone will be forced to get off oil. You're an intelligent man, who gets economics, and you should be able to see that while oil is the cheapest alternative out there, regardless of its pending demise it will continue to be the fuel of choice.
I wasn't saying that I had any moral qualms about buying BP stock (I just lack the capital to do it), but I know that some people do.
And you misunderstand me with the last point. For once I am not at all talking about getting off oil. I just want our politicians to be forced to acknowledge the consequences of our actions. For years it has been "let's open up the US for drilling so we can decrease our dependence on foreign oil" but now in the wake of the spill it's no longer fashionable to say that. But you still can't go out and say "well, since we don't want to risk another spill our plan is to totally rely on foreign oil" even though that's the de facto decision. The populace is totally schizo right now in that they don't want to take the risk of another spill and they also don't want to buy all foreign oil. When the populace shows such ambivalence towards something, that's when you need your leaders to, you know, actually lead. Unfortunately, that's not happening.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-june-16-2010/an-energy-independent-future
Aww...
I started writing how there was no way BP was ever going to be broken up/go bankrupt- buzzwords or no... but i kept slipping into the stewie 'bloody fiscal hermit crab' line and well- it got away from me.
as to Mike:
1) yes. that is most disturbing. And yet now I would like to see it in a top hat as well. Why? I cannot say.
2) Ill conceived boycotts indeed. As we know , people would rather pretend they're not part of the problem rather than make any real effort/sacrifice.
3) Ah but that is exactly the point. How cheap is it to fight a Middle East securing war. How cheap is it to enrich foreigners at the cost of the dollar. How cheap is it to clean up a Gulf.
We are riding out an oil momentum. I think what John and I would like to see is taking opportunities like this to say 'can't we make some bigger changes to steer this boat somewhere else.'
no better than that. we need someone to say 'today we make bigger changes.'
ah well
January calls for 38 on BP are going today for 5.55. Think it can break 43.55 (add a few cents for fees as well i guess) by then? hmmmmmm
Hey John, I'm getting caught up after a long absence from your blog, and I wanted to pat you on the back for your BP prophesy. Price today: 47.58. You are a brilliant man. Unfortunately, we bought BP years ago at like 60, so we're still screwed.
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