Daily Archives: October 13, 2011

Politics

Class of 99: Reunion

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Fall                                                        Full Autumn Moon

Occupy Wallstreet.  Upfront.  I don’t like the idea of a left wing tea party.  If the route to factional power requires offering up common sense and logic, let me ride with wimpy center right Democrats.  On the other hand.  A little class warfare is in order, or, I should say, a little proletarian class warfare is in order.

Any dimbulb with a rheostat could have turned up their light far off enough to read the true effect of rational markets, free markets and free trade.  That giant sucking sound?  Your cash hoovered up by the hedge fund managers, the CEO’s, the business titans, all the corporate persons flailing around in our economy, Frankenstein’s monster made institutional and given double 007’s license to kill and plunder.

The free market works, if you’re on top of the giant ponzi scheme called international finance.  If you blow it, whole countries will go to your aid.  As a banker, if you betray the trust of your customers, the penalty is a big fat infusion of cash to keep you afloat.  If you’re a carmaker whose cars consistently underperformed and showcased shoddy workmanship, expect the Federal government to ride in, saddlebags full of cash.

If you’re a poor schlub who signed an ARM and got it twisted behind your back in the latest crash, well, too bad.  We’ll have your home back.  Now.

I’m gonna be there tomorrow at 3:00 pm, Peavey Plaza.  You?

Travel

Details

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Fall                                                       Full Autumn Moon

Off to the city of Andover to get stakes marked with orange fluorescent paint.  Why?  We exurbers put these to mark the edges of our lawn so the city snowplows plow the street and not our frontyards.  This is what comes of not having sidewalks.

Usually I don’t put these in before Halloween since they make such good Halloween prank possibilities, but I’m going to this time.  Just in case though I got twice what I needed.  I can redo it if I need to when we get back.

New filter in the furnace.  Salt in the water softener.  Then turned it off.  Saturday I’ll turn down the temperature on the water heater, clear out the refrigerator and turn it down, too.  Lights on timers.  You know the drill.

One last garden chore.  Putting down mulch, then spreading composted manure on top of it.  Tomorrow or Saturday.

Saturday we take the dogs over to Armstrong Kennels, their new home until Thanksgiving.  We’ll pack and weigh Saturday.  We have no intention of paying heavy bag fees.

Learned yesterday that our lanai cabin has two deck chairs for our exclusive use.  That’s a bonus.

Sheepshead tonight.  It’s in the cards.

Family, Travel

News from Ha’il

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Fall                                                            Full Autumn Moon

News from Ha’il*.  Mark reports having to leave a restaurant with a friend because it was about to close for prayers.  During prayers many businesses in Saudi Arabia lock customers in so they can continue shopping or eating.  This is at least three times a day, could be more since there are five prayer times.

He also commented on the number of funeral homes:  0.  Families inter their own dead, then have three days of mourning.

Likewise:  no cinemas, bars, karaoke places or houses of ill repute.  But, there are Pakistanis, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Bengalis, Philipinos, Brits, Americans, New Zealanders, South Africans.

The area around Ha’il has very old mountains and looks like Monument Valley or Arizona, he says.

Interesting to have an embedded informant in the heart of Arabia.  More illuminations to come.

 

* Ha’il is largely an agricultural centre, specializing in grains, dates and fruits. A large percentage of the kingdom’s wheat production comes from Ha’il Province, where the area to the northeast, 60 km to 100 km away, consists of irrigated gardens.
Ha’il is well-connected to other urban centres to the south, by road. Buraydah is 300 km southeast, Riyadh is 640 km southeast and Madina 400 km southwest.
Modern Ha’il is city of a widespread centre, and numerous parks.

History
1836: A local dynasty is established with Ha’il as its centre, by Ibn Rashid. Ha’il thrives from controlling the pilgrimage route across the desert, connecting Mecca and Iraq.
1891: The Rashidi clan make Ha’il the capital of large parts of Arabia, known as Najd.
1902: Najd loses Riyadh, but is recognized as a kingdom.
1908: The Hijaz Railway opens, beginning the decline of Ha’il.
1921: Following an attack by Ibn Saud, the rulers of Ha’il has to surrender.–