What Caught My Eye Today

I started this blog in late January and began tracking unique visits in mid-July. Yesterday, we got our 100th unique visitor (along with visitors #101 and, #102 ). While my opinions on the news items that I post may not necessarily viewed positively by everyone be assured that no offense is ever intended. I hope you draw some enjoyment from my musings. Whatever your reason for doing so, thanks for reading.

Japan - A Japanese whaling fleet sailing toward waters off Antarctica to kill protected humpback whales was itself the target of a hunt by environmental activists who vowed to disrupt the expedition. Greenpeace said its protest ship Esperanza was searching for the fleet south of Japanese territorial waters and would shadow the ships to the South Pacific to try to reduce their catch. The Japanese fleet was embarking on the country's largest whaling expedition, targeting protected humpbacks for the first time since the 1960s. The whalers plan to kill up to 50 humpbacks in what is believed to be the first large-scale hunt for the once nearly extinct species since a 1963 moratorium in the Southern Pacific put the giant marine mammals under international protection. The mission also aims to take as many as 935 minke whales and up to 50 fin whales in what Japan's Fisheries Agency says is its largest-ever scientific whale hunt. The expedition lasts through April. Japan says it needs to kill the animals in order to conduct research on their reproductive and feeding patterns. While scientific whale hunts are allowed by the International Whaling Commission, critics say Japan is simply using science as a cover for commercial whaling. While this clearly is not winning Japan any friends in the environmentalist community, I don't see any laws being broken. That being said, I have some thoughts to their claims that this is 'scientific research'. First of all, isn't 50 specimens of humpback whales a bit excessive for studying reproductive and feeding patterns (to say nothing of the almost 1000 other specimens that the expedition plans to haul in)? Secondly, couldn't you just tag the whales and watch them from a distance? Surely you can learn more from whales in their natural habitat than you can serving them up as delicacies in the local sushi bar?

Wall Street - Wall Street resumed its slide as Wall Street absorbed a gloomy outlook for the banking sector as well as bleak news from the National Association of Homebuilders. The major stock market indexes each fell more than 1.5 percent, with the Dow Jones industrial average giving up more than 200 points. Concerns about the banking sector dominated the session. Other sectors suffered big hits during the session, including airlines and automakers. Housing stocks also suffered. Don't pull the trigger yet, I'm not finished yet... Broader stock indicators also declined. The S&P 500 index fell 25.47, or 1.75 percent, to 1,433.27, and the Nasdaq composite index fell 43.86, or 1.66 percent, to 2,593.38. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies fell 19.15, or 2.49 percent, to 750.35. The pullback left the Russell firmly in negative territory for the year, with a decline of 4.74 percent. Almost there... The dollar fell against other major currencies, while gold fell. Crude oil futures rose 80 cents to settle at $94.64 per barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. And finally... Stock markets overseas also slumped. In European trading, Britain's FTSE 100 closed down 2.71 percent, Germany's DAX index fell 1.32 percent, and France's CAC-40 slid 1.65 percent. In Asian trading, Japan's Nikkei stock average fell 0.74 percent, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng index decreased 0.56 percent. On the bright side, it's a short trading week. We only have 2 more trading days before Thanksgiving. Yippee.

Air Travel - The weather has been causing delays at several of the nation's airports, creating a rough start to one of the year's busiest air travel weeks. Fog this morning in Atlanta has delayed flights by as much as 30 minutes, while wet weather and wind have been cited for delays in Newark, N.J. and in Philadelphia. The FAA says flights bound for New York's LaGuardia International Airport and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport were experiencing delays of more than an hour. The National Weather Service says steady rain in New York could turn to snow. And meteorologists in the Midwest have been watching weather fronts that could bring an onslaught of snow and cold that could snarl air traffic at O'Hare. To hell with that. Take to the open roads, my friends.

Well, maybe not...

Automotive Travel - According to Bankrate.com, here's a list of some of the biggest budget busters on the market, including tank size and how much it costs to fill an empty tank at $3.50 a gallon (Make and model / Tank size / Cost):

• Chrysler Aspen SUV / 27 gallons / $94.50


• Ford Expedition SUV / 28 gallons / $98.00


• Infiniti QX56 SUV / 28 gallons / $98.00


• Cadillac Escalade ESV SUV / 31 gallons /$108.50


• Chevrolet Suburban SUV / 31 gallons / $108.50


• Chevrolet Avalanche SUV / 31 gallons / $108.50


• Hummer H2 SUV / 32 gallons / $112.00


• Ford Expedition EL SUV / 33.5 gallons / $117.25


• Chevrolet Silverado 2500 HD pickup / 34 gallons / $119.00


• Dodge Ram 2500 pickup / 35 gallons / $122.50


• Nissan Titan pickup / 37 gallons / $129.50


• Ford F250 Super Duty pickup / 38 gallons / $133.00

Of course, as the price of gasoline rises, owners of more economical vehicles like the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry will also get wallet shock. Both cars come with 18.5-gallon gas tanks that would cost $64.75 for a fill-up. Not much that I can add to this, except maybe...DAMN!!! Oh yes, and one other thing--Mom and Dad, I hope you like the card I'll be sending home for the holidays.