1. The Gulf oil spill, and the current condition of the waters, only a month after stoppage, just probably confirmed that oil is also leaking from some of the 42,000 oil wells drilled and 27,000 abandoned oil wells. Republicans, generally, and many of the powerbrokers in Louisiana and Texas are irate that the White House refuses to cave in to their demand to resume drilling, except that a Department of Interior official this week indicated that the ban will expire on November 30. Well, what can you expect, as oil industry lobbying is #2 only to the military industrial complex.
2. The scary thing about the San Bruno natural gas pipeline explosion is that this could happen anywhere...and will.
3. Nothing much new is happening in the War on Terrorism, no Peak Oil yet, millions are not obviously dying from global warming, Warren Buffett says there will not be a double dip recession and doomsday is nowhere in sight.
4. On the matter of poverty and the homeless:
a. Page one of the Honolulu Star-Advertiserleads with the headline: Poverty in Hawaii highest since '97. For the record, 156,000 of the 1,211,000 are below the poverty line. (13%)
b. On page three is the headline: 44 MILION POOR IN U.S. As our population is 307 million, that is 14%. The European average is 17%
c. Page six headlines: World poverty plunges. 920 million are in abject misery, that's a percentage of 13.5%.
What do the above headlines tell you? Nothing much. For one, each has different parameters on what is poverty. But based on the above, the USA has more poor per capita than the world, and Europe is even worse.
Most in poverty still live in something called a home. The homeless are not only poor, but have no roof. As I indicated in SIMPLE SOLUTIONS for Humanity:
Finally, whether they like it or not, churches have become the solution for the homeless problem, or should. Church space is not used at night and the membership generally wants to do well. A well-organized community effort, moving these dispossessed to the religious “home” of their choice, will spread the predicament, provide contacts with caring members and furnish a second chance. There will be problems, of course—for the homeless are just that because they are on drugs and have a high incidence of dysfunctional characteristics—but, certainly, there should be solutions. Military bases, public schools and other concerns with capabilities, land and a roof to offer should be part of the team, of course, but churches are best. The problem is that most churches are still looking the other way. In time, success stories around the world will galvanize religion to work with government and industry to help solve the homeless problem.
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The Dow Jones Industrials edged up 13 to 10,608, world markets were mixed, but Japan is surging, the Nikkei jumping another 117 to 9,626. At the beginning of the month, it was below 9,000. Nothing like a stable Prime Minister Naoto Kan, although the Japan Times tomorrow (September 18) will say, Kan Not Up to Economic Challenge. Gold closed at an all-time high of $1274/toz and crude oil is at $73/barrel.
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In the West Pacific, Typhoon Fanapi at 105 MPH will barrel through the middle of Taiwan tomorrow, then move on to China. In the Gulf of Mexico, Hurricane Karl, once a Category 3 Storm, made landfall north of Veracruz and will pass south of Mexico City before dissipating. Hurricane Igor (105 MPH), the one in the middle, looks huge, but both Atlantic hurricanes will move north without affecting the mainland USA.
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