SAR #8243

It is astounding how many Americans

do not own mirrors.

Can You Hear Me Now? Cheney-Bush have been working to establish US dominance in the Caucasus. The Russians do not want US troops or US puppets there. They put Georgia back in its place. Polland agreed to let the US plop down part of Star Wars next door. Russia responded by (1) terminating the import from the US of nearly a million tons of pork and poultry. Big bucks. And (2) successfully demonstrating an ICBM designed to defeat Star Wars. Big Stick.

Over/Under: We're now accepting bets on the minimum extent of the Arctic ice cap in September. The previous record was 1.64 million square miles, reached in September 2007. At a slim 2.03 million square miles, 2008 is already smaller than the old second-smallest, September 2005's 2.05 million square miles.

Prophetablility: Germany has reduced its energy dependence through investment in insulation and solar/thermal projects. The US is boosting its energy consumption through investment in cruise missiles. Wonder which has the better ROI?

So Soon, So Soon: Remember 'Covered Bonds'? They were the new and improved, default-proof way to slice and dice mortgages. One of the first batches of covered bonds was by Washington Mutual and has just been downgraded to AA status. Still a sure thing, just not quite so sure.

Protein : Rat, the other white meat, has quadrupled in price in Cambodia this year. Other meats are far beyond the pocketbook of the average Cambodian. The CPI there is increasing at 37% a year. It was unclear if this was with or without the cost of energy and foods....

Job Secured-ity: Haliburton step-child KBR made money in Iraq by recruiting laborers in Nepal to work as kitchen staff in a luxury hotel in Amman, Jordan. Along the way, their passports were confiscated and they were taken to Iraq.

Define "Is": There are no uninsured people in the US - everyone has access to emergency rooms in public hospitals. Or says former McCain advisor John Goodman, who stopped being a McCain advisor right after he said that.

Fairness Doctrine: Professional arsonists have gone to court to overturn a law against setting fires. In other news, "industry groups" which contribute to the global warming that is driving the polar bear to extinction argue they should be allowed to keep emitting CO2 until everyone stops on the same day.

Gently Used: About that natural gas Shell found in the South Rub Al Khali region of Saudi Arabia: (1) They are still drilling. (2) They have not discovered a new hydrocarbon source. (3) They have drilled into and confirmed a discovery made by Aramco 30 years ago.

Roadkill: Vulture Venture capitalists like Carlyle, KKR, MorganStanley and Credit Suisse are rushing in to scoop up and privatize all sorts of infrastructure maintenance projects from local governments. Soon you'll have to pay extra to cross bridges and avoid potholes. And it'll be illegal to pick up that dead skunk - the roadkill will belong to them.