Allstate & State Farm want US taxpayer subsidies

The insurance companies that take a bath after each serious hurricane now want Uncle Sam to "re insure" them. When an insurance company is unsure of the odds of Katrina sized losses, they purchase an agreement with very wealthy people. In return for steady monthly payments the wealthy re-insurers promise to pay off in the event of major disasters. Since the Hurricane Andrew, 9/11 and Katrina losses, private re insurance policies have become very expensive. Now the homeowner's insurance companies and the state of Florida want Uncle Sam to re insure them. Good old generous Uncle Sam will offer lower rates, which will cut the home owner's insurance rates in Florida.
Why Florida? That's the state that gets hit regularly by hurricanes. Up here in New Hampshire, we don't have hurricanes, and our home owners insurance is cheaper 'cause the insurers know they won't have to pay off a Katrina sized disaster. Florida home owners pay more because the insurer's know they will have to pay hurricane claims sooner or later. Now the insurance people and the Florida people want my tax dollars to make it cheaper to live in Florida. The federal "re insurance" will be cheaper than private "re insurance" only because Uncle can pay off with tax money.
It's nice to live in Florida ocean front house. No doubt about it. But, it's riskier than most other places in the country. Let those that enjoy the ocean front homes pay for the risk. Why should taxpayers all over the country cough up money to subsidize Florida ocean front property?

New Walmart up here

Walmart just opened a new superstore in Woodsville, 25 miles from here. Driving back from White River Junction, I just had to stop and see what it offered. It's big, a supermarket joined onto a regular Walmart. The supermarket prices were no better than Mac's Market here in Franconia. The merchandise was about like Walmart's anywhere, low cost, adequate, but unexciting.
Had to wonder about the siting, so close to the Littleton Walmart. It's going to take business away from the Littleton store. Littleton is a reasonable location, right at an Interstate exit, in the commercial center of northern NH. Everyone up to the Canadian border comes down to Littleton to shop. Woodsville is on an obscure secondary road, in a tiny town. The only thing it has going for it is the Vermont border. Vermonters shop in NH 'cause we are a no-sales-tax state. Question, is this new store, only 25 miles from another Walmart, in a thinly populated rural area, going to increase Walmart sales over all, or it is merely going to rob sales from an established store? I'd love to see the internal Walmart studies of the profitability of the Woodsville site.

Global Warming

Ray Suarez on the Newshour did a long piece on a "new" study of global warming. A U of Maryland professor talked, and talked about dreadful consequences. In a good five minute talk he did not mention a single number. Things were going to get bad, but he did not offer any numbers to tell us how bad, how soon, or how certain.
William Thompson, Lord Kelvin once said " When you can measure what you are speaking about, and express it in numbers, you know something about it; but when you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge is of a meagre and unsatisfactory kind; "

Ray asked his guest how his team had come to their fairly predictable conclusions. Answer: We reviewed the published literature. That's a real confidence builder. The published literature is vast and supports every conceivable viewpoint. Most likely this team included articles that agreed with their preconceptions and ignored articles that they disagreed with.

Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull

Just got back from seeing same. Good flick. As good as the original three, after a 20 year lapse. Harrison Ford looks a bit older, but still handles the daring do. The rest of the cast is good too. Lots of good action scenes, lots of good sight gags. It's pulling a good crowd, theater was full on the third night in a small town.
Disregard the negative reviews that have been circulating on the web. This movie does exactly what an Indiana Jones movie ought to do, and does it just the way the first ones did. Much better than the add on Star Wars movies did.
Indiana Jones is his old self. He picks up a teenage side kick who gets good lines, and acts them well. There is an evil villian, played by Cate Blanchett with style and dash. It's a corny role, but she handles it properly. The special effects and stunts are lavish and good.

Border Patrol Checkpoint in I93

Driving down I93 I encounter a big flashing sign "Be Prepared to Stop". The south bound lane is blocked, Blue cop car lights are flashing. So as a good law abiding citizen I slow down and take my place in line. A Border Patrol officer asks if I am a US citizen, I reply "Yes Sir" and he waves me right thru. I must have looked respectable, driving a decent looking sedan with in state plates, and speaking with an American accent.
Wonder what happens to scruffy teenagers in beatup vans? With accents? Is a US driver's license good enough to keep them out of trouble? What happens to passengers without driver's licenses.
This roadblock was a hour's drive south of the Canadian border.

Windows Repair breaks a few panes

Interesting Microsoft knowledge base article about how windows repair works (or fails to work) Symptom of failure is that Windows Update fails to update. According to the Microsoft article the "repair" function merely overwrites all the Windows files on your hard disk with ones from the CD. The files from the CD are old, and have a bug that breaks Windows update.
It also rewrites the registry from scratch, which likely means all your installed programs, Office in particular, stop working.
The knowledge base article has instructions to download updates from Microsoft by hand and get Windows Update (autopatch) to work.
From this description, looks like Windows Repair is as damaging as doing a full windows re install.

How to reduce gasoline prices

Gasoline (and all fuel prices) are outrageous. This is caused by too many consumers of fuel and too little production. China and India, both enormous countries with huge populations, are becoming wealthy enough to purchase automobiles, central heating, hot water heaters, electric lighting, radio and TV, and kitchen appliances for their people. These places now have the money to purchase the good things of life and that doubles or triples the demand for fuel. And yet I saw a US congressman live on C-Span yesterday deny that demand was rising. What world is he living in?
Demand management is distasteful (we call it rationing). But supply management (increasing supply) is possible. America could start drilling for oil in the Arctic and off our coasts. Except, Congress has forbidden it. America could start tapping its vast oil shale reserves, except Congress has forbidden it. America could build more oil refineries, except the NIMBY's prohibit it. America could build more nuclear power plants, except the NIMBY's and the greenies prohibit it.
Until America, the biggest economy and biggest consumer, increases supply, we will face higher fuel prices, rationing by price.