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Studly Adventurer
Joined: Nov 2009
Location: Central Arizona
Oddometer: 708
Wow great ride report, can't wait till the next installment.
In 2009 I rode 18,589 miles on an island that's 72 miles long. That's 50 miles a day everyday for 365 days. I think I'll go home now. 97k miles and still riding http://travelwithe.com/blogengine.net/ my YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTJA4CrFRY-_rvDejPct73g
dreaming adventurer
Joined: Nov 2005
Location: right here on my thermarest
Oddometer: 103,003
Great ride.
Old Motorcyclist
Joined: Mar 2003
Location: Jennings, Louisiana
Oddometer: 3,478
Awesum report and pictures. You know you could of included a pic of the lady in red for us. ;-) Thanks for the work of sharing your fine journey.
A14 KLR 43k miles ,07 1250S Bandit 75K miles , 03 Chevy Truck 80K miles '43 model me. Simper Fi
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
I like El Salvador. They use American money, the people are friendly, and they have some great riding. It is a relatively small country and I soon found myself back at the Guatemala border. Also El Salvador doesn't charge you anything to come in or go out. Nice! A really easy country to travel in. It did cost another 8.00 to get back into Guatemala. And I headed up the road. I got into Guatemala City in the evening and got totally lost again and had a blast riding around town. I finally stopped and asked directions and headed to the colonial town of Antigua. They really pull out all the stops for Semana Santa (Easter week) and were having a midnight parade a week before Easter to kick off the celebration. It was Sunday night and the narrow cobblestone streets were so jammed with traffic, I had to ride the sidewalks to make it down the streets.
I got a room in a cheap hotel, and the poor kid down the hall is from Oregon and got his pocket picked. YIKES! Must be fiesta pickpockets out milking the crowd. Anyway, I gave the kid a hundred bucks and gave him my address at home to mail me a check. I've been there before when I was a teenager and hitchhiked to Arizona , took a train to Mazatlan Mexico, got drunk at a thatch roofed beachside bar that leaked in a thunderstorm, went swimming in the ocean in my rain-soaked clothes at midnight, and all my pesos floated out of my pants. But the 2000 mile trip back to Oregon with no money is another long story that didn't involve motorcycles.
JDowns screwed with this post 06-04-2010 at 07:58 AM
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Maryville, TN
Oddometer: 1,138
I love this ride report! I could learn alot from your minimalist touring, staying in motels makes the load alot lighter than packing camping equipment. I admire your sense of adventure, crossing boarders on a whim, stumbling on great roads, no real plan, riding in these areas at night, etc.
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
The next day was another beautiful day for riding. I left Antigua and headed up in the mountains towards Quetzaltenango. People call it Xela (shayla) for short. Not sure why, but it is easier to say than Quetzaltenango. So back in the mountains of Guatemala. Passing buses and trucks. I can't believe how many Toyota 4wd pickups there are down here. I went through one small town and there was literally nothing but Toyotas . It must be the national truck.
So I come to a traffic jam of EPIC proportions. These are no problem on a little bike. If there is no traffic coming, it means either there is a massive accident, landslide, road construction or a strike. I remember one time I was riding my BMW down here and came to one of these at a mountain pass and rode into the oncoming lane past stopped traffic for several miles up to a hairpin turn at the 10,000 foot pass where a truck had slammed into a bus. It was cold and foggy up in the clouds. There were ambulances backed up and EMTs loading the moaning bloody injured folks onto stretchers and a crowd of 100 or so onlookers. Dead people with sheets over them. Pretty gruesome. The truck was on it's side and there was space between the overturned truck bumper and the smashed bus to get a bike through, but I didn't want to be a disrespectful idiot. The EMTs were there. There was nothing I could do. So I got off the bike and slowly wheeled it forward with head bowed reverently. Over broken glass and slick leaking oil. The onlookers parted as I slooooooowly moved forward through the crowd and was able to quietly get on the bike, coast down the other side of the pass and fire up the bike and head onward down the mountain back into the sunshine. I can still remember that day. It was a veeeery somber setting. But when traveling in third world countries you have to avoid the obstacles. And find a lateral way through. Whether it is striking workers in Panama, or washed out bridges, there is usually a way.
Today, the traffic jam was caused by a hundred of these:
It was a bus strike. I didn't stop to take an actual picture of the bus strike but they had jammed a whole town with criss-crossed buses like the one above. Literally a hundred or so, jammed like pick-up-sticks at angles. But they left enough room for the bus drivers to walk around, so I figured I could get through. The three wheeled tuk-tuk taxis were wagging their index fingers at me and shaking their heads, like NO WAY you're getting through that mess. But nobody objected as I wiggled through the buses on my skinny bike, weaving back around a rear bumper and over past a front bumper and popping up onto the sidewalk around a spot where the street was totally blocked and through. It took a few minutes, but I made it. And there was NO traffic for miles on the other side.
I finally made it to Xela. I had GPS waypoints but no name for the guesthouse that Drrags had posted on his Guatemalan ADVdental ride report. And I don't use a GPS normally. But I carry a Garmin E-trex with no mapping that a friend gave me years ago. I use it when I am totally lost to get the Lat. and Long. and check my map to see where the hell I really am. I hadn't used it on this trip, since I didn't really get all that lost. Or at least I didn't care enough to know. So I get it out and rest it on the speedometer and cruise around town following the arrow. Going down cobblestone streets like this with houses that all look the same.
It leads me to a wooden door on a non-descript building and I knock. The nice Guatemalan maid answers the door. She is five feet tall and doesn't speak English. But they have a room so she takes me into the courtyard and it is a whole other beautiful world.
Her name is Braulia, and she is 48 I learn later, and just the sweetest most serviceful person. She opens up the larger door and lets me ride in and park. And gives me the key to this room.
The place is so clean and nice. I hate to take off my riding clothes and leave them on the clean bed, so stack my things in the corner. But I came here to go to the dentist. and it is early afternoon, so I get out the GPS and enter the waypoints Arno posted and see that it is only .6 miles. So I grab my wallet, camera and GPS and walk out into the streets. I follow the arrow on the GPS. This is like geo-caching. The arrow leads straight to oral pain. YIKES!
JDowns screwed with this post 06-22-2010 at 03:56 PM
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
Xela, Guatemala is a big city, but there aren't many tourists. I'm not a big city person but this place isn't bad. My GPS arrow leads me to another non-descript building with a wooden door and I knock. The polite dental receptionist answers the door and tells me they close for siesta until 3. So I walk around town with my camera for an hour before coming back. I like this Honda 250 Tornado.
It is basically like my XR250 only with electric start. I rode a rental Tornado down in Costa Rica and it was fun. Gets great gas mileage and is easy to ride up the stairs into a guesthouse lobby to park overnight.
These guys were painting a building. They said paint was 800 Quetzals for a 19 liter pail. So about 20 bucks a gallon.
They weren't using dropcloths and were slopping a lot of paint on the sidewalk, so not sure I would use them. But they were nice guys.
I get back to the dentist at 3 and sit in the lobby next to another American who drives tour buses in Alaska during the summer and spends the winter in Central America. Nice kid. This place was recommended to him by a friend, so that is a good sign.
The dentist, Mario Recinos, speaks English and is a great guy. He gets right to work cleaning my teeth and tells me I'll need 8 or 9 appts. if I want my whole mouth done. This includes drilling out a dozen old cracked fillings in my molars, fixing a broken incisor and all the minor flaws in my front teeth and anything else he finds for 3250 Quetzals. Thats about 400 bucks. Sounds good to me. He is taking off Easter week, so agrees to let me come twice a day all week to get things buffed out before the holidays. GREAT! So I don't need any root canals or anything. WOW!
It could have been worse. So I head back to the guesthouse and settle in for a week of dental adventure.
JDowns screwed with this post 04-08-2010 at 09:55 AM
Pro Turd Polisher
Joined: Jul 2009
Location: Dickinson, Nort' Dakohtah- Orig. from Wiscowsin
Oddometer: 550
Wow, keep it coming mate. I love hearing about all the real people and real life that you meet on trips like this. Its a damn shame that people fly a frickin plane everywhere, and only see the fake resort towns. WTH!
Great forum and Resource for 1st and 2nd gen Honda V4s SabMagIntercept
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
I wake up the next morning in Guatemala and it is another beautiful day. Breakfast is included, so the nice cook makes me an omelette, tortillas, frijoles, fresh squeezed juice, and coffee. I could get used to this lifestyle. Breakfast is served on a clean tablecloth on a rooftop garden terrace overlooking the city. Nice.
Here is a picture of the maid and the cook bringing my breakfast. Rosario and Braulia. The sweetest five foot tall women you would ever want to meet.
So my days consisted of getting two or three teeth drilled in the morning at 10 and coming back for more at 3.
In between, I studied Spanish and goofed around and had fun. There was a really nice lady from Germany staying there. Frederika.
She volunteered at a battered women's shelter and invited me to a bingo benefit for the shelter. That was actually a lot of fun. In a bar with a lot of European and American kids who were volunteers. So I had fun losing at bingo.
And the gardener, Saulo helped me figure out how to use the complimentary computer at the guesthouse. Really nice kid.
I would wander around town and took a few pictures. I laugh when I look at them. I didn't take pics of the cathedrals and the town square. Or the shy colorful Guatemalan women. I took pics of badass Guatemalan trucks.
Or a row of Honda Cargos.
Or the not so enticing Yamaha 250 Enticer.
I'm not much good at tourist photos.
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
By Friday I am done at the dentist. He did a great job. Hopefully won't have to go back for another decade or two. It's time to hit the road. And soon I'm winding through the volcanoes in northern Guatemala and back across the border into Mexico at La Mesilla. Only one more border crossing and I'll be back in Arizona. I stop to get gas at a Pemex station. Gas is 3.50/gal in Guatemala and 2.50/gal in Mexico. There are three Mexicans that cruise in and get gas. Here is a shot of them at the convenience store next door. Really nice guys.
They were riding Hondas. One was on a Goldwing, one on a Varadero 1000cc big Honda dualsport that isn't imported into the U.S., and one guy was riding a big Honda cruiser. After chatting with them for a while I took off down the road heading toward San Cristobal and was tootling along as they passed me and waved. So I sped up and dropped in behind them for a 100 miles as they took some kicking backroads through southern Mexico. I have no idea where I went since there were no road signs, but these guys knew the good backroads. At one point they pulled over to let me know that they weren't heading to San Cristobal. I had indicated to them that was where I was headed back at the Pemex station. I said, no problem, the road is my destination. Let's ride. It was nothing but cranking and banking and weaving around potholes, passing huge sugar cane trucks. Really fun riding. They were spirited but safe riders and I followed them until they stopped for gas after a couple hours. I still had over a half tank, so just beeped and waved and kept on riding. The sun was setting and I reached a Y intersection after a half hour or so with no signs and stopped to look at my map and realized I had absolutely NO freaking idea where I was. And also realized I didn't really care. That was the beauty of this whole trip. Riding around on a little thumper on any road that looked good, heading in a general direction towards the next country. Watching the scenery go by. Stopping to chat with the locals in my broken Spanglish mixed with sign language.
It was getting dark. I remember riding across a dam. But none of these roads were on my map. I finally reached the big town of Tuxtla la Gutierrez and got on the toll freeway down to Arriaga and stopped for the night.
The next day it was calm and by the time I got to La Ventosa, it was just slightly breezy. I could actually stop and get off the bike to take a picture of the windmills, although you have to squint to see them in the distance.
I guess it is best to try and pass through here in the morning before the late afternoon winds pick up. I'll have to remember that.
JDowns screwed with this post 04-09-2010 at 01:41 PM
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Portland, OR
Oddometer: 382
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
The southern coast of Oaxaca is a lot of straight line riding, unlike the mountain roads that curve all over the place. It is hot and dry and perfect climate for growing mangos. There were mango orchards everywhere. They were hanging off the trees on the side of the road.
If you like mangos, you would love the southern Pacific coast of Mexico. I passed countless belching diesel Mercedes trucks piled high with mangos. There were cases of them on the side of the road. The roads are straight but the beaches are beautiful.
Actually you wind up into the hills in places.
Past coastal rivers
Until you get to the coconut plantations. Miles and miles of coconut palms.
There were several lumber mills that were milling coconut trees into lumber. Who knew? I've never heard of coconut lumber before.
The offcuts are piled in front. They slice off all the bumpy coconut bark and make lumber out of the rest. I'll bet it's strong. And it was straight as an arrow. And was clear since there are no knots. It looked beautiful. The color of teak with grain like mahogany. They had stacks and stacks of lumber sliced up from these squared up coconut trunks. All of it was three meters long for some reason. About ten feet.
It was hot out. So up the road in Puerto Angel I pulled over to see if they were giving out free samples at the Corona distributor. No go.
I can't believe how big Puerto Escondido has gotten. Used to be a sleepy little surf beach.
Up the road I stop to get some tacos. It is sunset and the temps are cooling off. Next door the sign painters are still hard at it hand painting a storefront Coca-cola sign.
They do nice work.
It turns out that paint costs 1200 pesos for a 19 liter pail in Mexico. So about 20 bucks a gallon like Guatemala. Inquiring minds want to know. The painters are really nice guys.
I go next door to get my beef tacos and sit and shoot the breeze with the cooks husband. He tells me he makes 150 pesos a day clearing brush with a machete from 8 until 4 in the afternoon. So about a 1.50/hr. I think I could live on that if I had to. But it would mean cutting back on my lavish lifestyle.
It is soon dark, but I'm not tired and it's been a month and it is another full moon. I finally get to Acapulco in the moonlight. It is HUGE. I have been through here before. It is not easy to find the road north. The city is built on tall hillsides and the roads meander. I finally find my way through to the winding road north. A drunk dude speeds past me and just as I think to myself I'd better stop for the night he swerves to miss an oncoming car and does a 180 spin in the middle of the road. Miraculously, he doesn't hit anybody, but I pull off at a love motel down the road a mile and call it a night. These tourist towns are expensive and they want 150 pesos for 3 hours or 500 pesos for the night to stay. So I book a room from midnight to 6 am for 300 pesos.
It comes with blacklights and dim wall sconces that make picture taking a little difficult.
And a lap dance chair and dancing pole in the corner.
The TV only has porn channels. It's kind of surreal. But there are three semis parked out front. And the truckers know where the good deals are. So probably cheaper than other places. It was spotlessly clean with a marble shower with hot water and a flat place to sleep. Which is all I care about.
The next morning I pull back the garage curtain to another beautiful day.
And head out for more adventures down the road.
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
The coast road is beautiful.
But soon wanders inland away from the water although you get glimpses of coves off in the distance.
North of Playa Azul is a favorite section of nothing but curves for a hundred miles until you reach the coastal agricultural plain near Tecoman. I stop in the late afternoon, and this kid tells me there are robbers north of here.
I sure never saw any. The sun is setting as I reach Tecoman and the full moon is rising.
I still have hundreds of pesos left, so decide to take the toll freeway up to Guadalajara and ride until I get tired. So I head off in the setting sun up into the hills.
It is Semana Santa (Easter week) so everybody is out on vacation driving down the road in vans and SUVs with roof racks loaded with party supplies, beach chairs, matresses. You name it. The road winds up, up, up into the Sierra Madres. I stop to put on all my warm clothes at a Pemex station. By the time I get to Guadalajara the place is jammed with vacationers. I slice through miles of traffic, splitting lanes until I come to the 15 freeway north. It is quite cold in the mountains. But the roads are smooth and wide. with reflectors down the lanes. And I keep riding until I get tired at 3 AM and pull over behind a freeway overpass and catch a couple hours sleep next to the bike. There is nothing but long haul truckers, overnight buses and coyotes at this hour of the morning.
By this time I can smell the border. I have been on the road over a month and feel like riding. So I drop down to the warmth of the coast and head past Mazatlan and ride until evening. The freeways are straight and a bit boring. But I have traveled nearly 9000 miles over a lot of topes. So I enjoy just cruising along through the smooth desert byways. The freeways have rest stops with bathrooms.
and recycling bins
But I can't say they are the most adventurous roads. I was heading for the barn. Finally stopped at a little town south of Guaymas.
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
I head off for the border the next morning and before long see my first sign to Nogales.
Not far now. I get to the border and it is hard to miss the place to turn in my vehicle permit.
I get in line and wait.
And soon I am across the border and heading towards Tucson. I MADE IT !
I am grinning from ear to ear. They have a roadblock and are checking for drugs up the freeway a few miles and I take the exit to avoid the crowd. But there are a dozen border patrol folks up at the top that yell at me to stop. So I do. The head man is literally trembling with anger as he walks over to chew me out. But I am so happy I just explain I have ridden to Panama and back. And then he lightens up. Turns out he was stationed in Panama. Has been out to Yaviza. He checks my passport and hands it back and we shoot the breeze about Panama. He lived in David for a while. Hey! That's where I got my rear tire! But he explains that it is a felony to blow through a border patrol check point. I apologize profusely. I'm not in Central America any more. I better cool it. But everybody speaks English at the gas stations. It's amazing!
As I cruised through the desert in southern Arizona which is covered in wildflowers from all the rain this year, I had time to think back on all the wonderful people I met along the way over the past month, and all the great roads and beautiful scenery I passed along the way. It was fookin' awesome!
I finally get to Tucson and stop at some friends house. She takes a picture of me with a bad Honduran haircut and a big Guatamalan smile. WHAT A RIDE! YEEHAW! I am one happy dude!
JDowns screwed with this post 05-20-2010 at 06:20 AM
Sounds good, let's go!
Joined: Mar 2005
Location: Bassett, NE
Oddometer: 2,739
So the final tally was 9600 miles to Panama and back. I left with 3000 dollars and got back with 727.00. Of the 2273.00 spent, 400.00 went to the dentist in Guatemala and I spent 150 bucks on toll freeways on the last 1500 mile leg through Mexico which I would not have done if I had been low on cash. I was gone 34 days. So minus dentist and tolls I could have done the trip for under two grand. It cost about 200.00 total for border crossings and 45.00 for mandatory insurance. And I bought a rear tire and tube in Panama for 100.00.
I am relaying this info since not too many folks report on how much it costs to go on a minimalist tour. So you know what to expect if you decide to head south on an adventure. It doesn't have to cost a fortune if you stay in moderate hotels and guesthouses and ride a fuel efficient bike. But I think you also should know that it is a LOOOOOONG freaking way to the Darien gap and back, and that I am a little nuts, and riding a stock seat on a 250 thumper will give you an iron butt if you don't already have one.
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June 24
Diamond 8
Anne Carlson/Cysewski Farms defeated Shady's, 10-4 and 12-4
Diamond 9
Sanford/Looysen and Corner Bar split; Corner Bar won the first game, 8-2, Sanford/Looysen the second, 12-7
Diamond 10
IDK/Buff Bar and FCCU/Iverson/Midwestern Machinery split; FCCU won the first game, 8-7, IDK/Buff Bar the second, 20-9
Diamond 11
Streeter & Valley Plains Equipment split; Streeter won the first game, 16-6, VPE the second, 15-5
12-1 IDK/Buff Bar
11-2 Anne Carlson/Cysewski Farms
LaMoure gave visiting Valley City trouble with multitudes of runners on base Tuesday night at Townsend Park, but eight Babe Ruth batters landed at least a hit in the 12-5 District win, as did seven in the 13-3 finisher, to complete the four-game season sweep.
"Our pitching wasn't as sharp as it has been, and we had for find ways to overcome it," Babe Ruth head coach Lance Lukes said. "Scoring in six of seven innings is one of those ways that we helped: it gave our pitchers some backing to know that we will come up with some runs to support them."
Valley City Babe Ruth's older contingent swept Linton 11-0 and 11-1 in Friday's District road games before seven runs in the fourth inning lifted the younger bunch to an 8-7 Fifth-Place Game comeback at the Enderlin Tournament on Saturday.
Babe Ruth's junior coalition found themselves in Saturday's Fifth-Place Game after falling 7-3 to Enderlin and 11-1 to Northern Cass in Friday's Pool B action at Enderlin's Hendrickson Field, "The Palace on the Prairie."
PHOTOS: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.550638351713258.1073741979.116...
Tony Piccalo is a new Valley City State assistant football coach, Viking head coach Dennis McCulloch announced Thursday.
Piccalo, a 2002 Valley City State graduate, was Cocoa Beach High School (Fla.)'s head coach for the last nine years. From 1998-2001, Piccalo's undergraduate years, Piccalo was a Viking student assistant coach.
"I had an outstanding time during my four years at VCSU," Piccalo said. "We had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows, and I really grew as a coach. The university and community have been a big part of my life."
Diamond 8
IDK/Buff Bar swept Corner Bar, 8-3 and 8-1
Diamond 9
Anne Carlson/Cysewski Farms swept Sanford/Looysen, 20-0 and 18-4
Diamond 10
Shady's swept Valley Plains Equipment, 9-7 and 13-0
Diamond 11
Wonder Bar/RTS Shearing defeated Streeter, 32-13 and 10-0
11-0 IDK/Buff Bar
9-2 Anne Carlson/Cysewski Farms
8-3 FCCU/Iverson/Midwestern Machine
8-3 Shady's II
8-5 Wonder Bar/RTS Shearing
4-9 Streeter Gackle
3-8 Valley Plains Equipment
1-10 Sanford/Looysen Eye Care
0-11 Corner Bar
Boomer's Corner Keg/Dakota Plains took game one 9-6, The Raven/Eagles
the second, 10-3
NuBar/Christensen Trucking swept Elliott Farms 10-9 and 21-11
Boomer's Corner Keg won the first game 16-12, Hope Electric the second 13-6
John Deere Seeding took the first game 17-4 before Captain's Pub won game two, 16-4
The Raven/Eagles 10-2
John Deere Seeding 9-1
Boomer's Corner Keg 7-3
Captain's Pub 5-5
Boomer's Corner Keg/Dakota Plains 4-8
Hope Electric 4-6
NuBar/Christensen Trucking 3-7
Elliott Farms 0-10
The Valley City State University Booster Board will host the 18-hole Viking Golf Scramble, one of the athletic department's major annual scholarship fundraisers, which takes place Saturday at 9:30 a.m. at the Valley City Town and Country Club and Bjornson Park.
Hole contests with prizes, and Hole-in-One contests sponsored by Miller Motors and Farmers Union, can be won throughout. All participants will receive entry prizes and dinner.
V-Tread Class
1st: Chad Kornovich, Milaca, Minn. (Truck: "Mudslinger") $3,000 and trophy
2nd: Tony Sell, Ogilvie, Minn. $1,000
3rd: Dustin Ramocher, Milaca, Minn. (Truck: "Reckless") $500
4th: Chad Kornovich, Milaca, Minn. (Truck: "Bare Bones") $250
Modified Class
1st: Kelly Kopp, Leonard, N.D. $300 and trophy
2nd: Bryan Bertsch, Oakes, N.D. $150
3rd: Jesse Hass, Valley City, N.D. $75
1st: Sawyer Markel, Cooperstown, N.D. $200 and trophy
2nd: Mike Wadeson, Valley City, N.D. $100
3rd: Jeff Richman, Tower City, N.D. $50
ATV Class
Valley City Babe Ruth beat Lisbon twice on the road Thursday night, coming back from a 9-5 fourth-inning deficit for a nine-inning 12-9 District win and surviving a three-run third frame in the 6-3 non-District finisher.
"We didn't come out playing our best," Valley City head coach Lance Lukes said. "We were just kind of going through the motions and not putting anything really into it. We left too many runners on base and didn't execute some of the little things that we need to be doing."
Valley City led 2-0 after two District innings on Justin Manson's inside-
Drew Oberlander's third-inning single had Valley City Babe Ruth up 3-2 in Sunday's Pizza Corner Classic championship, but Carrington's two-run single in the fourth sparked an 8-4 trophy triumph.
"We didn't play our best baseball and, when you're playing a good team like Carrington, if you don't play well, you won't beat a good team," Valley City head coach Lance Lukes said. "We made too many mistakes
out there: fielding errors, throwing errors, pitching errors, and Carrington, being the good team they are, took advantage of them."
Read this story in Monday's Times-Record.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Space Beginning to Stagnate
This issue.... has a FANTASTIC cover. An awesome Star Wars movie poster homage, complete with text in the same font. The layout is really busy, but channels that perfectly into an outstanding image.
Unfortunately, Kenneth Rocafort is surprisingly NOT on interior art, so opening up to the first page is a massive shock, seeing the drastically different pencil work of Timothy Green II. It just has a generic look, nothing like the wild expressive work Kenneth Rocafort delivers. The panel layouts are average, and the bodies are a little odd, there's no awesome details or anything; and Jason's face looks AWFUL.
And now that I think about it, the cover is great and all, but its misleading. Jason and Isabel get the focal point of the cover, but they do next to nothing in this issue. In fact, it's set up to have them do next to nothing in this arc, all they've done to this point is talk about their situation. EVERY. TIME.
In fact, this story's really beginning to stagnate. Arsenal's intelligence is highlighted nicely, as is his budding relationship with Starfire, and HER tactical intelligence is spotlighted in a very clever plan. But Blackfire is actually NOT evil, and thus what she was in the backstory? I dunno, it was confusing. And then we had some weird allusion to a potential multiversal threat related to Earth and Tamaran? The basic plot is so simple, but then it keeps alluding to some obnoxiously vague magical prophesied conspiracy; and then we've got Jason telling Isabel he's a street level hero...... This series is trying to do a wide range of tones and they just don't mix here.
In Conclusion: 3/5
This just wasn't a great issue, not a terrible one, but the art was weak, and now that we've finally had an issue in this arc that really highlighted the fact that they've been on this ship doing little of anything for about four issues straight. Just a lot of talking that hasn't really gone anywhere. And we still don't really know what the deal is with a lot of this.


text:
This is a serious book that carefully examines the issues that have been used to create the current climate change/global warming crisis...I endorse Climatism for its easy-to-read, well-illustrated presentation of complex science. John Coleman, Meteorologist and Founder of the Weather Channel
If you care about the 21st century society, you must read this book. In my 55-year career as a scientist I have written over 1,000 book reviews for various journals. No book has pleased me more than Climatism! by Steve Goreham. Jay Lehr, Ph.D., Science Director, The Heartland Institute
Climatism is a myth-buster of a book. If you are interested in climate, carbon or energy, you need this common-sense book on your reference shelf, especially if you are a politician, a journalist, a teacher or a parent. Steve Goreham identifies the origins, symptoms and cures for the societal sickness of Climatism. His book is comprehensive, interesting, logical, factual and well-referenced. He also has a marvellous collection of quotes. You will enjoy reading it. Viv Forbes, Chairman, The Carbon Sense Coalition
Before your future disappears under piles of climate model print-outs and fraudulent carbon credits, read Steve Goreham s new book Climatism! Dennis Avery, Director, Center for Global Food Issues, Hudson Institute and Author
In the entertaining and factual book Climatism, Steve Goreham shows that this newest ism has precious little clothing of science, but is driven by an amazing collection of other motives. The book recounts the history of Climatism, from its carefully orchestrated beginnings by people with agendas that went well beyond climate control to the current sound and fury of the Copenhagen climate summit and the embarrassment over the Climategate computer files. William Happer, Cyrus Fogg Bracket Professor of Physics, Princeton University
Goreham covers the science, the politics, the history, and the consequences if we get things wrong...I'm agog at how much research he must have done to pull together so many strands. I'll be keeping this book close by. It's one heck of a resource. Joanne Nova, Australian Speaker, TV-Host, and Author
Climatism, written with eloquence and simple-to-understand language to explain complex concepts, is a must-read to understand the interplay between the demagoguery of alarmist climate change and the real dangers that it entails in the lifestyle we enjoy. Steve Goreham has done a masterful job to present a very coherent and convincing book on perhaps the most crucial social, political and economic issue of the 21st century. Professor Michael J. Economides, University of Houston, Editor-in-Chief Energy Tribune
Climatism! A real cool book that quenches the fire of the mythical dragon of global warming with the twinkle of real science. Professor David Bellamy, Ph.D., British Botanist, Author, Broadcaster, and Environmentalist
I found the book Climatism! by Steve Goreham so facinating I could hardly stop reading. Don Bongaards, Author and Retired Westinghouse Engineering Manager
Climatism! is the ideal foundation for serious non-scientists about understanding the science, politics and public policy of climate change in the world today. Dan Miller, Publisher/Executive Vice President, The Heartland Institute
Climatism! achieves the right balance of being readable and a credible reference source. David Archibald, Australian Climate Scientist
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Heartland = boatloads of money to spread clever lies that have been thoroughly and repeatedly exposed. Read morePublished 13 days ago by Peter Kirkup
This book is even more rubbish from Steve Goreham. For those who don't know, Steve is associated with the Heartland Institute. Read morePublished on May 24, 2013 by Bradley J. Cardinale
As with his new book, this contains very little objective analysis of the science of climate change. Instead, Mr. Read morePublished on May 8, 2013 by C. Kennedy
This book is from the Heartland Institute, a "think tank" that gets its funding from the Koch Brother oil barons, among others trying to deceive and confuse the public about... Read morePublished on May 4, 2013 by William R. Demott
This book gives the information that those getting rich over the global warming "crisis" don't want us to see. Read morePublished on January 2, 2011 by B.Rubble
While I'm only half way thru the book, it's definately a worth-while read. A lot of interesting science and concepts. Everyone should read this book!Published on November 14, 2010 by park alot
Excellent. A must read for anyone interested in our planet's future. Should be required reading for all high school kids.Published on September 19, 2010 by Richard
Name an issue that is more polarizing than global warming.
OK, well, abortion and immigration. Anything else? Read more


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Much loved actor whose countless film, TV and stage appearances include his internationally acclaimed portrayal of Jesus in Franco Zefferelli's epic Jesus of Nazareth - and, in contrast, his starring role opposite Jasper Carrott in TV's sitcom The Detectives.
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Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead will always be a part of my life. I tell my children about the dead, and I also have taught my students or turned them onto the Grateful Dead. It was the most incredible time of my life. I feel I have to pass it on! Of course my students are only in middle school so we made a deal... If I listen to your music, you have to listen to mine....So of course, I always play them a little of " the dead head culture!
Peace to you all!
Anyone who says it's not over was never there. It's very, very over. And I'm so glad I was there.
Yes, I think someone on this thread hit it. The 60's $ 70's produced great jam bands, the likes of which, are almost non-existent anymore. I listen to a lot of college radio, and the music is great, but the songs are too short. Maybe when a good new band crops up that is intricate, enticing, but also can put some good lengthy arrangements together that will lure you in and claim your attention, I do not see the Dead going away. Man almost all the great bands of the 70's had at least one concert jammer:
Outlaws: Green Grass and High tides
Neil Young: Down by the River
Springsteen: Kitty's Back
Grateful Dead: Pick one
Lou Reed: Heroin
Etc. Etc. Etc
I'm only too happy to download a good Phil Lesh and Friends just to listen to them jam out.
Greg SC
I perceive a number of interwoven threads both internally and in the comments I've read here. Did the soul-shaking "Dead experience" as a experience to get in the world die with Jerry? Subquestions within that are whether Phil or Ratdog can supply that experience and whether other jambands can do it. The deeper question is what was/is the necessary ingredient? Jerry? Not just Jerry but those individuals known as the band? That type of music? That kind of community?
Brewing underneath that question, ironically, is the hope that something that felt unique and magical when we had it was actually something formulaic and reliable!
Another thread is whether or not "It" -- any peak experience, really -- is something whose purpose in our lives is to be repeated over and over as an experience. How do I get back to "It"? Listen to recordings of favorite shows? Attend other musical events, or Burning Man, and hope to feel the same things?
Or is "Go out and do something with it" the best course? And, if I "go out and do something with it", will that bring me back to that feeling or to something else?
A lot of weird thoughts went through my head the day of the Golden Gate Park memorial event. One of them was about my (skeletal) understanding of Martin Buber's metaphor of the "God-shaped void." I thought that day that perhaps the void isn't like a lock into which God fits as the key but a void carved by God that one can't fill and which is the place from which one's own creative impulses act. I felt the loss of Jerry as that incurable void, and the sense that whatever comes from it in my life will probably not look like or feel like attending Dead shows!
Thanks for hearing the rambles.
So now I'm 34, I have a real job and don't skip classes and summer jobs for the Tour but I still sport the SYF on all my cars and have yet to cut my hair, not that that means a thing but you will always find a bootleg playing in the office or on the road, and tears come to my eyes when summer tour is supposed to be upon us at RFK or JGB in Albany or MSG, Shoreline Amp. etc. where ever Life goes on and so do the Grateful Dead, Jerry will live inside of me forever, blind or deaf, I'll never forget his sweet music and incredible presence!!!!
On my Birthday I woke up, excited to enjoy MY DAY......I worked in a little bead/head shop in Reno, Nevada called Beads Etc. and I was gonna have a kick ass day. Not long after waking up, I heard on the radio...."Jerry Garcia dead at age..........." Needless to say, it was a surreal experience. My world had been the Grateful Dead, I used to call myself the "Party Director", I was the one in my close knit group of friends, that had that ESP radar, I just knew when to call the hotline to know that tickets would be going on sale, I would then coordinate the Motel reservations, and put the info out for my friends.....I never really had much in the way of valuable posessions, my tapes!, my t-shirts, what more did I really need? So when it all stopped, so did I. I couldn't fathom going to any other sort of concert, so I just didn't. It wasn't until this past summer, what?...12 years later that I went to my first Dead Family related concert, it was Melvin Seals with JGB up near Squaw Valley, years earlier I did attempt PHISH, and String Cheese.., but it just didn't cut it for me. Needless to say, the music was magical, I cried like i'd never cried before......I think just for the fact that Jerry died on my birthday was a grip of trauma for me.....But now, my ears are opening back up.....shit, I even listen to country, and that was never ever in the picture for me before.
Thank you Dead Net for letting me speak......heidi
The music is timeless.
No past, present or future.
Just forever
When i read comments or talk to Deadheads who have not ever checked out any of the Dead's post-Jerry bands, all I can tell them is that they are missing out on some great music. I have seen The Other Ones, The Dead, Ratdog, Phil & Friends and even the DSO multiple times each and have witnessed some amazing shows. In particular, the first nite of a 3 nite stand for Phil & Friends at the Orpheum in Boston back in '03 was one of the best concerts I have ever seen. Perhaps the finest version of "Mason's Children" EVER!
On a personal note, last summer I saw Bobby and Ratdog at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City. A wonderful outdoor venue. My gf at the time and I had just got back together and were in a difficult long distance relationship. We have since broken-up for good but I will never forget the feeling of slow-dancing under the stars with her on a perfect summer evening listening to Bobby and the boys play a beautiful version of "Stella Blue". It's a song that has always been special to us, as we used to cover it when we played together as an acoustic duo. We were both in tears and smiling at the same time. All i can say is "thank you Bobby" for a moment I will cherish the rest of my life.
So, to me there is nothing to get over. Just great music to still be enjoyed and cherished.
never over!
music & vibe is necessary in life.
Plain & simple, NO.
There is no "getting over it". One look at the crowds at jamband shows, youth and old heads, tells us that music that opens up and leaves the "pop" and todays so-called "rock" in its dust is still alive and well. We're fortunate to have one of the major jamband influences at our beck & call, even tho Jerry,Piggy,Brent,& Keith aren't here.
Whenever you get stuck listening to a radio for a while, just reach over, grab a tape,cd or iPOD, pick the show or tune of you choice and you'll instantly start to smile, relax and lose that FM tension.
Go to see Phil, Ratdog, Micky & Billy, Dark Star Orchestra, Splintered Sunlight etc, and feel the vibe come back. Yes, it will be a little different, but isn't why we went to the shows? because the Dead (and us) were 'different"?
So again, get over it? No. Bring it on!!!!!!!


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Posts in Institutions
The late Ronald Coase is widely recognized for two hugely influential papers that revolutionized the way that economists and lawyers think about the world. The first was his work on the reason that individuals come together to form firms. The second was his equally famous work on what he called "social cost." The conventional wisdom about that paper is that Coase wanted us to focus on how externalities could be better handled by private parties negotiating between themselves rather than the authority of a central government imposing a solution. George Stigler in fact coined the phrase "Coase Theorem," which described the basic tenets of Coase's work on the matter—that regardless of the initial allocation of property rights, individual bargaining about externalities is more efficient than government regulation when there are no transaction costs.
In plain English this means that in a hypothetical dispute between two individuals regarding the exercise of their property rights, it is "better" (i.e., economically efficient) if they bargain for a solution—as long as the bargaining is not fouled up by poorly defined rights, political meddling, or an extremely costly bargaining process. However, all of this has led the economics profession to focus primarily on the concept of externalities, not on the bargaining.
In a PERC conference beginning today, co-sponsored by the Liberty Fund, Inc., we suggest a significant departure from this perspective. Focusing on the externality takes us away from the liberty and responsibility that individuals have to work out problems without government intervention. Property rights that are clearly defined would, both theoretically and practically, do a much better job of working out disputes between property holders than the specter of constant government intervention and regulation. Liberty is better served by the bargaining and negotiations that private actors should be obliged and motivated to try in the vast majority of disputes. If the field of economics could be persuaded that the key point is not the externality, but the fact that bargaining would prevent almost everything that economists call an externality, it would go a long way towards promoting a free and responsible society and research that focuses on the importance of markets and freedom.
In this conference we will review the history of externalities starting with A.C. Pigou. We will then examine some of the applications that widely influenced later thinking on the matter, most notably Paul Samuelson's textbook. Next we will look at Coase, the "revision" of the history and meaning of Coase by Stigler. We will then examine some of the practical applications that focus on bargaining as compared to externalities to illustrate the widespread advantages of emphasizing bargaining as the main vehicle to deal with disputes as compared to focusing on the externalities and the role of the state.
There are several questions we will consider: What exactly did Coase say? It was, after all, George Stigler, not Coase, who coined the phrase "Coase Theorem," and Coase himself was apparently uncomfortable with the use of the phrase for much of his life. How does the general conception of the Coase Theorem differ from Coase's actual work? How critical is Coase to our current debates about liberty, limited governments, and free markets today? What are the policy implications of focusing on externalities? What are the policy implications of a property rights approach?
We welcome readers' thoughts on these questions below. For more on the legacy of Ronald Coase, see PERC's Q&A with Steven Medema on the Coase Theorem in environmental economics.
What's ahead for global energy markets? How will the U.S. shale revolution affect our energy future? To find out, we asked Stephen Arbogast, an expert with more than thirty years of experience in finance working with the energy sector. As Prof. Arbogast explains, when it comes to global energy markets, the next decade will look very different from the last four decades.
Stephen Arbogast is an Executive Professor of Finance at the C.T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston. In that capacity, he has authored more than 70 case studies on technical and economic aspects of the energy business. He is also the author of the book Resisting Corporate Corruption, now in its second edition. Prof. Arbogast has taught in graduate MBA programs since 1987 and was awarded the Bauer College Payne Teaching Excellence Award in 2008.
We thank Prof. Arbogast for taking the time to answer our questions. For more PERC Q&As, visit the series archive.
Q: You've said that when it comes to the geopolitics of energy, the next decade could look quite different than the last four decades. What do you mean by that?
A: The last four decades have been dominated by the operations of the OPEC cartel. With only occasional exceptions, this cartel has determined the general price level for crude oil. This price represents roughly two-thirds of the price of final products to consumers, so it is most consequential for the cost of energy in developed economies. The next decade could be different for two reasons. The first is the shale revolution. Right now, that revolution—unlocking oil and gas from tight rock formations—is catapulting the U.S. back to a position of world's leading oil producer. What is not known is the extent to which this will spread to other lands. Many non-OPEC countries, including China, have vast shale resources. To the extent production surges outside of OPEC, the cartel's dominance will certainly decline.
The second issue is more ominous and concerns a key OPEC member, Saudi Arabia. For decades the Saudis have operated as OPEC's flywheel, absorbing production cuts in times of glut and expanding production to combat scarcity. Will Saudi Arabia remain much as it has been in the years ahead? Will it still be ruled by the extensive Royal House of Saud? One looks at Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Libya, and Iran and wonders.
Q: How has OPEC shaped oil politics in the past, and where are we headed?
A: In 1973, OPEC discovered it could dictate the short-term price of crude oil. The cartel saw that developed nation oil demand is quite inelastic over the near term. This means the cartel could and did dictate price to its customers. The result then was a 400% price increase that brought to the OECD nations. Over time, the cartel also learned that abrupt price hikes sow seeds of reversion. Price hikes to $40/b in 1980 led to a demand bust and price collapse below $10/b in 1986.
These experiences led OPEC, under Saudi leadership, to a price targeting strategy. The cartel seeks prices which balance several objectives. First, they must be high enough to generate current revenue to fund the political models in these states. These political models concentrate wealth in the state and purchase political support with generous handouts and subsidies. Second, the prices should not be so high that they trigger demand destruction undermining the price level's foundation. Finally, they also should not encourage sustained efforts to replace petroleum with alternative fuels.
Surveying the history of price levels since 1973, it must be conceded that OPEC largely achieved these objectives. No alternative fuels "silver bullet" has emerged. Demand for petroleum has grown and most forecasts show it growing for decades to come. Only the shale revolution and regional political stability raise the possibility of shaking the cartel's grip on the energy price.
Q: What role does Saudi Arabia play?
A: Saudi Arabia plays the role of "swing producer" within the cartel. This means the Saudi's reduce production in times of glut and increase it during moments of peak demand. Cartels generally require some member willing to play this role—otherwise supply and demand excesses will drive prices to cyclical peaks and troughs.
The Saudis have unique characteristics that, alone among OPEC members, allow them to play this role. First, they possess huge oil reserves, estimated to exceed 200 billion barrels. This allows the Saudis to add production capability and maintain the spare capacity needed to cushion demand peaks. Second, the Saudi have a small population. Until recently that population did not exceed 20 million. This meant that the Kingdom could amass large financial reserves during periods of peak demand and prices. These reserves could then be drawn upon to fund domestic spending when slack demand required the Kingdom to cut production.
It is not as clear going forward that the Saudis will be able to play this same role. Despite their ample reserves, the Saudis seem to be having difficulty increasing production capacity beyond 12 million barrels per day. Much of their "spare" is less desirable medium and heavy crude that encounters refining bottlenecks during demand peaks. Meanwhile, a larger, more subsidized population has raised the cost of preserving social peace. Indeed, one can detect elements of domestic concern in the current Saudi hard line towards Syria and Iran.
All this said, the graveyards are full of people who prematurely forecast the demise of the House of Saud. The shale revolution, ironically, could pose more of a threat than disturbances among their neighbors if it undermines the crude price and pinches the Saudi paternalistic ruling model.
Q: We've seen a number of sharp peaks and troughs in oil prices over the last few decades. How much of a role does OPEC play in driving or moderating these changes?
A: The answer here is a bit unconventional. OPEC has usually been divided into price hawks and a more moderate, long-term optimizing group. Before 1980, Iran and Libya led the hawkish group. During this period, they repeatedly succeeded in driving prices to peaks well beyond those envisioned by the more moderate, Saudi-led group. Between 1980 and 1985, a major showdown took place between the two factions. This climaxed with the Saudis flooding the market with production, leading to the price bust of 1986. Since then, Saudi price policy has largely reined. The cartel has effectively managed prices when its spare capacity lies within 3-6 mb/d. Since 1986, price booms and busts have largely resulted from demand "surprises" that moved cartel spare outside of this range. The Asian crisis of 1997 produced a demand bust that toppled crude prices in 1998-99. China's stupendous demand growth then fueled a demand peak that led to record prices in 2008. The Saudis have tried to reinforce their capacity to manage demand by adding new production capacity. There are, however, widespread doubts as to whether the Saudis can expand beyond the present 12 mb/d level.
Q: What influence does OPEC's price umbrella have on oil development throughout the world? What are its implications for North American energy development?
A: Somewhat perversely, it means that higher cost oil gets developed first. Much OPEC oil is very low cost. In particular, the reserves in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and Libya are easy to develop – largely onshore drilling of already discovered fields. Political constraints of various sorts, including war and civil unrest, combine with OPEC policy to prevent their development. Meanwhile, the international oil industry busies itself developing much higher cost oil in politically safer locations – tar sands in Canada and "pre-Salt" finds in deep water Gulf of Mexico. A single well in this later location can cost well over $100 million to drill. The average cost of production for tar sands, including a return on capital, is probably in the $65/b range
The implications for North America are interesting. The OPEC price umbrella has ultimately paved the way for North America to become self-sufficient. Both the Canadian tar sands and the shale oil production are economic at $80/b and higher. Assuming current price levels remain in place, North America's economies should need no crude oil imports by 2020.
Q: What about unconventional energy sources? How do global markets affect these energy sources?
A: Global prices determine whether these resources can be economically developed. The answer today for tar sands and shale oil is yes.
Logistics enter the picture at this point. One fascinating, recurring story in the energy business is that new oil and gas keeps showing up in unexpected places. Then it becomes imperative to put logistics in place to get the new production to market. Nobody expected new oil and gas production in places like Pennsylvania and Ohio. Similarly, little infrastructure existed in the Bakken and Eagle Ford basins; much of that in the Permian basin of West Texas was old or ran in the wrong direction. Pipelines adequate for new Canadian tar sands production don't exist. These logistical bottlenecks suppress production for a time and depress current prices. This is the reason why West Texas Intermediate, the main U.S. benchmark crude, has carried a $5-15/b discount versus international prices for the past several years. Over time these logistical bottlenecks will be removed and the price discrepancies will disappear.
However, these kinds of infrastructure constraints will be big issues for other countries with shale oil and gas reserves. Here we are talking about countries as diverse as China and the Ukraine. There is vast potential elsewhere in terms of what's geologically under the earth. In terms of infrastructure, however, these lands are way behind where the U.S. was as the shale revolution began. Together with other limitations, their inadequate infrastructures will delay the shale revolution from spreading globally.
Last we must say a word about shale gas. It is different from oil in that it is much harder to transport internationally. Liquefying the gas into LNG is the principal means, but this requires huge capital, massive facilities, and special ships. Those only get built when there are firm buyers and long-term contracts. Without these, new gas can be "stranded"—discovered but left in the ground. That is the story today with much U.S. shale gas. It needs export permits to find overseas LNG markets, but the Obama administration has been "slow walking" these approvals for various reasons.
Shale gas developed overseas, say in China and the Ukraine, should find immediate uses in power, heating, and manufacturing. These countries are energy importers and use copious quantities of coal that can be replaced.
Q: What are the environmental implications of foreign vs. domestic energy production?
A: This is a tricky business. Domestic U.S. energy production increases the environmental impacts within the physical U.S. However, these efforts are intensively regulated. Even allowing for a major failure like the Deepwater Horizon, from a global perspective, energy operations in the U.S. will be safer and more environmentally sound than in many other energy producing locations. Globally, it's better to have more production in the U.S. and less in China, Nigeria, or Angola. But, that will not satisfy the NIMBY crowds within our ranks.
Q: What impact will the U.S. shale revolution have on global energy markets and on the U.S. economy?
A: The shale revolution is an enormous breakthrough, but it needs to be carefully understood. Let me outline three key points.
First, we are at the beginning of understanding this revolution. There is much we do not know. We don't know how much "source rock" can be exploited worldwide in this way. In other words, we can't yet estimate the total amount of additional oil and gas reserves now available through fracking and horizontal drilling. In addition, we don't yet have a finished exploitation technology. Service companies and producers continue improving their methods. For example, some companies are fracking in the Eagle Ford without using water. All of these improvements mean that we don't yet know the lowest production costs feasible for shale production. Obviously, the lower these costs and more flexible the methods, the more reserves can be exploited worldwide.
The second point is that the shale revolution poses major policy challenges for many countries. The U.S. is in many ways "lucky" in that it has unique conditions conducive to shale development. In the U.S., private landowners own the mineral rights on their land. They can lease these to developers without having to get an approval from Washington. Also, regulatory activity is largely at the state level. The U.S. is fortunate to have a collection of states friendly to oil and gas production. Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Arkansas all gave immediate blessings to shale development. One only needs to look at Pennsylvania and New York to seek how different attitudes on this can be. The former is merrily supporting development and harvesting huge economic and fiscal benefits. The latter is happily preserving the quiet economic destitution of the western part of the state. It's about these kinds of choices, but in the U.S. with its federal system, we are blessed with the opportunity to have different choices made in different places. Other countries are not so fortunate. Whether you are talking about China or the U.K., the central government controls the mineral rights. Local communities see no benefit from the inconveniences of development, and so are largely united in opposition. How these governments will change their current arrangements to share benefits with the local communities is a policy issue. Most of these policy choices have yet to be made.
Collectively these points mean that the U.S. is soaring ahead of everywhere else in shale development. This is bringing fantastic benefits to the U.S. economy, in no small part because the slowness of response elsewhere means the U.S. can go full-bore ahead without collapsing the price structure. If everybody was climbing aboard the shale revolution, prices would probably crater – dropping below that needed to support new drilling. If everyone started drilling for shale oil right away, we'd probably see $60/b oil that would stay there for some time.
Because this is not happening, U.S. shale development can proceed to deliver both good returns to developers and stable prices to consumers – indeed some of the recent price moderation drivers are seeing at the pump is due to the bounty of light crude coming out of U.S. shale production. The benefits hardly stop there. State treasuries are being replenished. The federal government is drawing increasing revenue and royalties from production on federal lands. Cheap gas has reinvigorated energy-intensive manufacturing in the U.S. The number of new chemical plants announced and under construction is staggering. Our balance of payments benefits greatly. Oil imports are down sharply while exports of refined products, chemicals, and natural gas grow rapidly. Abundant natural gas is displacing environmentally dirty coal in power generation. Lastly, we have gained more protection and freedom of action in the national security arena. Physically our economy will not be touched by embargoes or outages in the Middle East, though prices will still be impacted. Plentiful gas gives us diversification options to cut exposure to global oil events further.
This brings us to the last point. We need to think of this revolution as a reprieve, not a permanent reversal. However abundant the shale reserves, they are still finite and subject to depletion. This means the search for other, renewable sources of energy must continue. When oil prices busted in the 1980s, much research into alternative fuels was abandoned. When efforts resumed around 2006, the research experts were long gone. This boom and bust cycle in energy research should not be repeated. Building subsidized industries that cannot compete under current prices is not desirable, but continuing to prepare for tighter supplies and higher prices down the road should be a good national investment.
The existence of "externalities" — effects (costs or benefits) of market transactions that are not experienced by those involved in the transaction, but are instead experienced by others, those "external" to the transaction — is routinely proffered as a justification for governmental regulation of private economic activity. Ronald Coase had a different view, however. In his seminal essay, "The Problem of Social Cost," Coase never used the term — and with good reason. In Coase's view, the word "externality" did not do much work. In his introduction to The Firm, The Market, and the Law, Coase wrote:
the existence of "externalities" does not imply that there is a prima facie case for government intervention, if by this statement is meant that, when we find "externalities," there is a presumption that governmental intervention (taxation or regulation) is called for rather than the other courses of action which could be taken (including inaction, the abandonment of earlier governmental action, or the facilitating of market transactions). . . .
. . . it is easy to show that the mere existence of "externalities" does not, in itself, provide any reason for governmental intervention. Indeed, the fact that there are transaction costs and that they are large implies that many effects of people's actions will not be covered by market transactions. Consequently, "externalities" will be ubiquitous. The fact that governmental intervention also has its costs makes it very likely that most "externalities" should be allowed to continue if the value of production is to be maximized. This conclusion is strengthened if we assume that the government is not like Pigou's ideal but is more like his normal public authority–ignorant, subject to pressure, and corrupt. Whether there is a presumption, when we observe an "externality," that governmental intervention is desirable, depends on the cost conditions in the economy concerned. We can imagine cost conditions in which this presumption would be correct and also those in which it would not. It is wrong to claim that economic theory establishes such a presumption. What we are dealing with is a factual question. The ubiquitous nature of "externalities" suggests to me that there is a prima facie case against intervention, and the studies on the effects of regulation which have been made in recent years in the United States, ranging from agriculture to zoning, which indicate that regulation has commonly made matters worse, lend support to this view.
The concept of "externality" has come to play a central role in welfare economics, with results which have been wholly unfortunate. There are, without question, effects of their actions on others (and even on themselves) which people making decisions do not take into account. But, as employed today, the term carries with it the connotation that when "externalities" are found, steps should be taken by the government to eliminate them. As already indicated, the only reason individuals and private organizations do not eliminate them is that the gain from doing so would be offset by what would be lost (including the costs of making the arrangements necessary to bring about this result). If with governmental intervention the losses also exceed the gains from eliminating the "externality," it is obviously desirable that it should remain.
(pp. 24-26)
As Coase notes, this was one of the points he sought to make in "The Problem of Social Cost," and yet it is a point many seem to have missed. Coase's essay is routinely cited for the proposition that the existence of "externalities" justifies governmental intervention, when Coase suggested nothing of the sort. Rather, the case for governmental intervention is made by showing that such intervention is likely to make things better — something that must be shown, and not merely assumed.
UPDATE: Coase made a similar point (and corrected some misperceptions) in his Nobel acceptance speech.
I now turn to that other article cited by the Swedish Academy, The Problem of Social Cost, published some 30 years ago. I will not say much here about its influence on legal scholarship which has been immense but will mainly consider its influence on economics, which has not been immense, although I believe that in time it will be. It is my view that the approach used in that article will ultimately transform the structure of microeconomics – and I will explain why. I should add that in writing this article I had no such general aim in mind. I thought that I was exposing the weaknesses of Pigou's analysis of the divergence between private and social products, an analysis generally accepted by economists, and that was all. It was only later, and in part as a result of conversations with Steven Cheung in the 1960s that I came to see the general significance for economic theory of what I had written in that article and also to see more clearly what questions needed to be further investigated.
Pigou's conclusion and that of most economists using standard economic theory was, and perhaps still is, that some kind of government action (usually the imposition of taxes) was required to restrain those whose actions had harmful effects on others, often termed negative externalities. What I showed in that article, as I thought, was that in a regime of zero transaction costs, an assumption of standard economic theory, negotiations between the parties would lead to those arrangements being made which would maximise wealth and this irrespective of the initial assignment of rights. This is the infamous Coase Theorem, named and formulated by Stigler, although it is based on work of mine. Stigler argues that the Coase Theorem follows from the standard assumptions of economic theory. Its logic cannot be questioned, only its domain. I do not disagree with Stigler. However, I tend to regard the Coase Theorem as a stepping stone on the way to an analysis of an economy with positive transaction costs. The significance to me of the Coase Theorem is that it undermines the Pigovian system. Since standard economic theory assumes transaction costs to be zero, the Coase Theorem demonstrates that the Pigovian solutions are unnecessary in these circumstances. Of course, it does not imply, when transaction costs are positive, that government actions (such as government operation, regulation or taxation, including subsidies) could not produce a better result than relying on negotiations between individuals in the market. Whether this would be so could be discovered not by studying imaginary governments but what real governments actually do. My conclusion; let us study the world of positive transaction costs.
If we move from a regime of zero transaction costs to one of positive transaction costs, what becomes immediately clear is the crucial importance of the legal system in this new world. I explained inThe Problem of Social Cost that what are traded on the market are not, as is often supposed by economists, physical entities but the rights to perform certain actions and the rights which individuals possess are established by the legal system. While we can imagine in the hypothetical world of zero transaction costs that the parties to an exchange would negotiate to change any provision of the law which prevents them from taking whatever steps are required to increase the value of production, in the real world of positive transaction costs such a procedure would be extremely costly, and would make unprofitable, even where it was allowed, a great deal of such contracting around the law. Because of this, the rights which individuals possess, with their duties and privileges, will be, to a large extent what the law determines. As a result the legal system will have a profound effect on the working of the economic system and may in certain respects be said to control it. It is obviously desirable that these rights should be assigned to those who can use them most productively and with incentives that lead them to do so and that, to discover and maintain such a distribution of rights, the costs of their transference should be low, through clarity in the law and by making the legal requirements for such transfers less onerous. Since this can come about only if there is an appropriate system of property rights, and they are enforced, it is easy to understand why so many academic lawyers (at least in the United States) have found so attractive the task of uncovering the character of such a property rights system and why the subject of "law and economics" has flourished in American law schools. Indeed, work is going forward at such a pace that I do not consider it over-optimistic to believe that the main outlines of the subject will be drawn within five or ten years.
Originally posted at the Volokh Conspiracy.
James M. Buchanan, the Nobel laureate in economics and father of public choice theory, has passed away at the age of 93. Buchanan's influence on PERC and free market environmentalism has deep roots, and formed the foundation for PERC's early work on environmental issues.
As Buchanan was fond of saying, public choice theory is "politics without romance." Public choice applies standard economic models of rational decision making to participants in the public sphere, such as politicians, policymakers, and voters. The result has been a transformation of how economists and political scientists view the world.
PERC senior fellow Randy Simmons offers his reflection on Buchanan below:
The first, and I believe, most important book I read in graduate school was James Buchanan's Freedom in Constitutional Contract: Perspectives of a Political Economist. My undergraduate education was in behavioral political science and I went to graduate school planning to study public opinion polling. But then I read Freedom in Constitutional Contract, which completely redirected my graduate education. By the time I defended my dissertation, I had been baptized and confirmed into Virginia public choice.
One of the first and most important things I learned from Buchanan is that studying choice should not be the purpose of economics at all. On page 25, he explained:
"I have often argued that there is only one principle in economics that is worth stressing, and that the economists' didactic function is one of conveying some understanding of this principle to the public at large. Apart from this principle there would be no basis for general public support for economics as a legitimate academic discipline, no place for economics as an appropriate part of a liberal education. I refer, of course, to the principle of the spontaneous order of the market, which was the great intellectual discovery of the eighteenth century."
The principle of spontaneous order in the market is the basis of free market environmentalism. It is the core of PERC's Enviropreneur programs. I continue to be amazed at the orders that arise around us.
I am grateful to Jim Buchanan for reorienting my intellectual journey. I am grateful for PERC inviting me as a young professor to conferences where I got to know Jim. He and I even played horseshoes on a Fourth of July at a PERC conference. I think he won.
The collected works of James Buchanan can be read online at the Library of Economics and Liberty. The video below has more on Buchanan's life and legacy:
This week at PERC, we begin a colloquium exploring the role of property rights and liberty in Native American history. The program will focus on the historical emergence of property rights and will then explore the role of property rights in Native American history and in the early West.
David Haddock, senior fellow at PERC and law and economics professor at Northwestern University, is a colloquium participant and author of the article "An Untrustworthy Trustee" in the latest edition of PERC Reports. The article, reprinted below, discusses the trustee relationship between tribes and the U.S. government. As Haddock concludes, "it is well past time to hand management of trust assets over to the individuals who own them."
An adult may sell an asset carelessly for less than market price. The buyer has no obligation to warn in advance, augment the price later, or share the loss of misplaced receipts. No one expects young orphans to manage their assets, however—a task that a trustee assumes. If the trustee squanders an inheritance due to provable carelessness, an orphan cannot obtain compensation from buyers or sellers, but the law will force the trustee to bear the loss. This arrangement gives the trustee incentive to manage the assets as though they are his or her own.
Michael Arbuckle, a senior fisheries specialist at the World Bank, is visiting PERC this week to attend our workshop on "Tackling the Global Fisheries Challenges." Arbuckle is working with PERC's Donald Leal on rights-based fisheries reform in developing countries with an emphasis on artisanal fisheries. Watch the video interview above or read a more detailed interview below. For more PERC Q&As, visit the series archive.
Q: What do you see as the biggest challenge facing global fisheries?
A: It's a tragedy that worldwide the wealth of fish is being squandered. More than 200 million people in developing countries depend on fisheries and aquaculture for their livelihood, and fish account for 50 percent of the protein needs for the 400 million poorest people.
Each year, poor governance costs the fishing industry at least $50 billion. Yet more than $100 billion of market gains are possible when sustainable net benefits are considered.
This is bad for American markets, but it is an even greater tragedy for developing countries where wealth is needed most. The global challenge is to help recover the lost wealth in developing country fisheries and reinvest it.
Q: What do you hope to accomplish with the PERC workshop on global fisheries challenges?
A: Forms of property rights are not well recognized in most developing countries. Furthermore, the capacity of governance or the rule of law is often weak or non-existent.
So Donald Leal and I have not just been looking into whether we need property rights or what are the characteristics of these property rights, but how do you introduce them. The development of property right institutions must come from the bottom up. The importance of property rights are further emphasized in this manner because they empower users to manage their resources responsibly.
Q: What are a few lessons we can learn from the bottom-up management approach to some of the fisheries you have been examining in the developing world?
A: Often bottom-up property right institutions are the only entry point for reform in such countries. We are seeing a growing list of examples including Mexico, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Chile, etc., where bottom-up property right arrangements have helped develop more stable fisheries.
We are learning more and more about the characteristics of such systems. We now know it's dangerous and often counter productive to invest in value chain improvements without reliable property rights, but we also know that if property rights are established a variety of gains are possible.
In addition, we know that one size does not fit all and the particular arrangement of property rights is unique. This is something that must be considered as we take away lessons from successful property rights regimes—the misalignment of property rights to the political economy of the country can easily undermine the rights that are being established.
Q: What is your vision for the future of fisheries and aquaculture?
A: Looking to the future, the supply of fish will be dominated by aquaculture and this will be up for meeting future demand. It will be critical, therefore, to not see fisheries as an end in itself, but also as a foundation for aquaculture development.
An important objective for the World Bank and PERC is to help identify and implement the property right institutions that will enable such innovations in the oceans.
The PERC workshop on "Tackling the Global Fisheries Challenges" is a good opportunity to examine high seas property rights issues from a clean platform, without thinking about the current constraints of the institutions in place. The workshop gives the participants a chance to think about fisheries from a theoretical perspective, consider some specific examples, and think innovatively about how to move forward.
Denis and Barbara Prager fear the day that hydraulic fracturing takes place on their land in the Shields Valley of Montana. The threat of 'fracking' is real and there is nothing they can do. While the Prager's own the surface rights to their property, the state owns the subsurface and mineral rights. The state has the right to use the land as is 'reasonably necessary' for drilling or can lease the mineral rights to a private company. Those rights are presently open for bid.
Hundreds of millions of acres of property across the nation have secure property rights that are split; different entities own the surface and subsurface rights. Battles over split estate rights emphasize the importance of well specified and defined rights. Perhaps most important is the knowledge of what rights the surface owner does and does not have.
Under split estate rules, subsurface owners have the right to use surface land as is 'reasonably necessary' to develop subsurface assets. Private oil and gas companies often lease rights from subsurface owners regardless of whether the estate is split or under single ownership. Either way, drilling and extraction companies are responsible for unnecessary harm done, impacting water quality, for example.
Though hydraulic fracturing has been going on for more than 60 years, it has gained recent attention due to its affordability in the current global economic and technological climate. It is interesting that while many environmentalists vie to decrease carbon emissions, they are also opposed to fracking. In truth, natural gas may be one of the greatest boons to keep America energized at low cost with fewer emissions. Given secure property rights and market transparency it can be environmentally friendly, to boot.
Cross-posted at Environmental Trends.
The physical world lost a great scholar last week with the passing of Elinor Ostrom, a 2009 Nobel Laureate. Ostrom left us with scholarly works that brought economic and property rights theory into the field. Why do we see the tragedy of the commons? When do we see it? And why, in some common resource pools, is it non-existent?
Ostrom's work helped to organize many pieces of the environmental management puzzle. She demonstrated in various places across the globe that the tragedy is not necessary for common pool resources (CPRs) but is likely when at least informal rules do not exist.
There is no single solution to motivate long term environmental stewardship. In her 1990 book, Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action, Ostrom notes that "[n]either the state nor the market is universally successful in enabling individuals to sustain long-term, productive use of natural resource systems." Each CPR is much more particular. There is, however, a common framework to help understand why some CPRs are managed for long-term productive use while others are not. Cumulating the evidence and bringing these factors into view was one of Ostrom's great contributions.
Examining multiple CPRs across the globe, Ostrom and associates designed a set of principles that helped predict resource stability. Provided these rights, at least informally, the CPR is more likely to be well stewarded.
- Clearly defined boundaries and effective exclusion of un-entitled parties;
- Locally adapted rules for transfer;
- Collective decision making that includes resource stakeholders;
- Accountable (even stakeholder) monitors;
- Enforcement that assesses appropriate sanctions for resource violations;
- Low cost mechanisms for conflict resolution;
- Recognition of community rights by higher levels of governance;
Elinor Ostrom will be greatly missed. Her spirit and great contributions to economics and the social sciences will forever remain with us. She has organized ideas about CPRs in a manner that will help increase consistency of future research. She has created a great platform of understanding from which much research will continue to flourish.
Cross-posted at Environmental Trends.
For the past ten days PERC's Jonathan Adler been one of the guest bloggers on Megan McArdle's blog on The Atlantic's website. During this time he has written five posts on environmental policy:
- Property Rights and the Tragedy of the Commons
- Property Rights and Fishery Conservation
- How Property Rights Could Help Save the Environment
- Is Washington, D.C., Really the Environment's Savior?


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Swimming pools in Vientiane
Escape the heat
What we say:
We've covered Vientiane's public pool and a fitness centre, but plenty of Vientiane hotels also offer swimming pools to day guests for when the heat just gets to be too much. Here's a selection — prices are listed in kip in some places and in dollars at others, but can be paid in either currency. Towels are included.
We reckon the best value place is Don Chan Palace, with its spacious open-air pool (and gym) on the third floor, looking over the Mekong River. It offers both sun and shade on the poolside terrace, and a mostly shaded pool suitable for laps or relaxation. Access to the pool is $10 per day, and for $15 guests can use the gym and sauna as well.
Hotel Mercure is smaller but swankier than Don Chan. Its terrace connects to the hotel restaurant, so you'll have a bit more of an audience, while the gym is indoor and air-conditioned. Access to the pool, gym and changing rooms runs 100,000 kip per day.
Regarded as one of the top hotels in Vientiane, Lao Plaza offers both style and comfort at a variety of prices, depending on how you'd like to spend you day. Access to the pool and terrace runs 120,000 kip per day for adults and 80,000 kip for children. The pool is not really for laps, but it is long and deep enough for swimmers to get some exercise. If you'd like access to the steam-room, sauna and jacuzzi the day pass costs 150,000 kip and is only available for adults aged 18 and older. Access to all facilities, including the gym, runs 220,000 kip per day.
If you'd like to splurge at the high end, colonial-mansion-turned-hotel Settha Palace provides a gorgeous pool area at the price of $20 a day. Surrounded by lush vegetation and connected to the restaurant, this pool is less for swimming, and more for sipping fancy cocktails with a cool view. There is no sauna, but WiFi is included in the price.
Don Chan
Fan Ngum, at Si Meuang Rd
Open daily 11:00-22:00
Hotel Mercure
Unit 10 Samsenthai Road,
Open daily 07:00-22:00
Lao Plaza Hotel
Samsenthai, at Pangkham Rd
T: (021) 218 800 etx. 1007
Open daily 07:00-20:00
Settha Palace Hotel
6 Pangkham Rd, at Khoun Bouloum
Open daily 07:00-19:00
More detailsAcross Vientiane
Born in Aarhus Denmark, Ivana got her first passport at 6 months old and moved to Southeast Asia in 2009 to work as an English teacher and find new cultural windows in which to peep.
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Buddha Park (Wat Xieng Khuan)
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Swimming pools in Vientiane
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The above sights are all the sights in Vientiane we list on Travelfish.org.


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Sophistication at Shakespeare Screening
Jessica Chastain has had a busy week. Fewer than 48 hours after she attended her first Golden Globes as a nominee for "The Help," she appeared at New York's Paris Theater alongside co-star Vanessa Redgrave for the premiere of the Ralph Fiennes-directed film "Coriolanus."
Earlier in the day she'd taped an appearance on the David Letterman Show. But Ms. Chastain isn't letting the frenzied pace get to her. "I should be exhausted, and my Mom's always asking me like: 'When are you sleeping?!' But I'm not because I'm so happy. I've wanted to be an actor my whole life, since I was like 6 or 7 and this is where it's all coming to fruition. It's the culmination of a life's dream," she explained on the red carpet on Tuesday night.
In addition to appearing in what seems like every one of this year's acclaimed films ("Tree of Life," "Take Shelter" and "The Debt," among them), Ms. Chastain, it was recently announced, will be making her debut on Broadway in a revival of "The Heiress." "Broadway is something I've never done before so I don't know how it's going to be; I don't know what it entails. It's going to be a learning experience, I know that for sure," she said.
Naturally, the "Coriolanus" premiere was a very special night for the director, Mr. Fiennes, marking his emergence as a filmmaker after a decades-long acting career. One of Shakespeare's later political tragedies, "Coriolanus" tells the story of a Roman war hero. Mr. Fiennes plays the title role and feels the play's plot, which he adapted to modern day, holds a unique place in Shakespeare's oeuvre.
"I believe it's a really relevant story. I think it's Shakespeare's great exposé and a performative piece about our continual dysfunction," he said at the screening. "You know we're always circling each other as tribes, as political parties, as entities, different cultures, in a constant tussle of power play, which I don't think we can ever escape from."
Introducing the picture was Harvey Weinstein, who worked with Mr. Fiennes on "The English Patient" early in both of their careers. Fresh off Golden Globe wins for four of his films, the producer said that his children got a kick out of Meryl Streep referring to him as God in her acceptance speech. "Four hours later I was interviewing a dog," he remarked, wryly referring to the appearance of Uggie, the beloved canine co-star of "The Artist," at the awards parties.
An after-party at the nearby Royalton Hotel boasted more sophistication than your typical premiere soirée as attendees like Laura Linney, Patti Smith and Susan Sarandon sampled from the tapas buffet dinner—including grilled shrimp and roasted vegetables— and conversed in small groups over their plates. A shining star in this very literate corner of the film industry? Author Joyce Carol Oates, who attended with her husband. The Princeton professor found the film "really very beautiful and colorful," but did note that the ending veered away from the original's. Well, like the Bard says, all's well…


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Improving by one place at the section meet may not seem like much, but that jump does not begin to describe the leaps and bounds taken by the Ranger boys' swimming and diving team this winter....Read More
Ranger boys' swim/dive
Forest Lake will have at least one entry in the finals of each event come Saturday's Section 7AA swimming finals. The Rangers advanced 25 entries during Thursday's preliminaries. The following qualified for the finals in the eight individual events (listed along with their placement from...Read More
The Forest Lake swim team closed out the regular season with a loss to Cretin-Derham Hall last Thursday. The visiting Raiders bolted out to a 33-13 lead and held off a Ranger charge to win the meet 95-75. Forest Lake cut the lead to four after strong showings in the 50 free and the 100 [...]...Read More
With a couple of varsity regulars out sick, the Ranger swim team could not match up with Hastings in a road dual meet last Thursday. The Raiders led by as many as 22 points in the 86-79 win. Forest Lake swimmers won both of the freestyle sprint events. Bryan Fleming won the 50 free with [...]...Read More
A dual meet win last week evened the Suburban East Conference record of the Ranger boys' swimming and diving team. Forest Lake blew past Park in a home meet on Thursday, 101-79. Forest Lake took first place in seven of 10 events before swimming the last two events as an exhibition. Five boys earne...Read More
Coach Barbara Vailodash summed it up nicely after Forest Lake's runner-up finish at the True Team Section meet in Coon Rapids on Saturday. ...Read More