Oh Crap!

The bursting of the housing bubble and the ensuing credit crunch is just the beginning of the end American supremacy in the financial. Thanks, guys, for fucking it up!!!!!!

Here's what the German finance minister, Peer Steinbruck, had to say today:

“The US will lose its status as the superpower of the world financial system” with the emergence of stronger, better-capitalised centres in Asia and Europe, he told the German parliament. “The world will never be the same again.”

His comments echo deep anger in Germany at the perceived recklessness of Anglo-Saxon financial engineering and a feeling that the US model of economic liberalism has failed while the more regulated, long-term oriented and industry-based German economy has proved more resilient."

We have become the basket case we have made fun of in the past (see American response to Mexican peso crisis in 1995 and Russian financial crisis in 1998). What a major embarassment this country has become.

I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack!

It's been almost six months since my last post, and a lot of stuff has happened. Anyway, I have been busy with work and I most definitely promise to update my blog when I am not doing any work, instead of religiously refreshing Wonkette for new witty comments. Ha, ha!

Easter Sunday Dinner

Delicious food from Easter Sunday dinner with my friends.

My Saturday in Pacific Beach

After a tiring week, I decided to spend half of my Saturday reading Sorrows of Empire at the beach.

We Need Oil, And We Need Lots of It

From the American Conservative (Robert Bryce):

At that rate, each U.S. soldier in Iraq is costing $840 per day in fuel delivery costs, and the U.S. is spending $923 million per week on fuel-related logistics in order to keep 157,000 G.I.s in Iraq. Given that the Iraq War is now costing about $2.5 billion per week, petroleum costs alone currently account for about one-third of all U.S. military expenditure in Iraq.

It's nice to see that things are going well in Iraq.

I'm a Cat, I'm a Kitty Cat!

Meet Japan's first anime ambassador, His Excellency Doraemon!

Created by cartoonist Fujiko F. Fujio, Doraemon is a Japanese cultural icon and is popular around the world, especially in Asia. The robotic cat travels back in time from the 22nd century and uses gadgets such as a "time machine" and an "anywhere door" that come out of a fourth-dimensional pocket on his stomach to help his friends, allowing them to travel anywhere and to any time they wish.

Can Someone Please Stop This Train Wreck!?!?!?!

Watching the market today was like watching a train wreck waiting to happen. Of course, everyone was giddy when the Dow Jones, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 cut their losses today (The DJ actually gained today. However, that does not mean that the effects of the credit crunch are over. This is the beginning of the end of the credit boom. How does this relate to the graph above? The more the Fed cuts its rate, there is more liquidity in the system, which means that there are more dollars circulating in the system, which means that the dollar itself will continue to lose value against major currencies. This happens while many Americans, including myself, watch as their monthly paycheck is doubly ravaged by inflation and devaluation. This is just plain bad and the train wreck has yet to complete its route. Oh yes, to be bitch-slapped by the Invisible Hand.

Lazy Sunday and Seals

After nursing my hangover this morning, I drove up to La Jolla to enjoy a relaxing Sunday.

Uncle Sam is Delirious!

Fr0m The Economist.

The American Dream is Just a Dream

Uncle Sam is finally paying the Piper. It's a bitch, isn't it. Whenever Americans think about "currency meltdowns," we think about those poor third World Countries in South America who need to be lectured by American economists on how to set their economies right. Well, that was then. This is now:

Hit by a free fall with no end in sight, the once mighty U.S. dollar is no longer just crashing on currency markets and making life more expensive for American tourists and business people abroad; its clout is evaporating worldwide as foreign businesses and individuals turn to other currencies.

The fact that we've spent $500 billion in Iraq (a conservative estimate) has only made fiscal matters worse, because the budget deficit, after declining since 2004, will jump in fiscal year 2008, thus making us more in debt. With debt at $9 trillion, we have little wiggle room to fiscally stimulate our economy with increased domestic spending while keeping a lid on inflation, which has hit a decade high of 4.3%. If the Fed continues to lower the key interest rate, inflation will be controllable and our savings will continue to depreciate. The erosion of our standard living is the biggest threat to the United States. Yes, even bigger than terrorism.

I don't know what to really think about this. I really love this country, but it's so hard to love the United States when it continues to fuck up BIG TIME. I hope people start wising up start critically looking at our government's foreign policy and economic failures and how those two are intertwined. We can start asking right now, even though the White House is defiant on explaining why the purchasing power of the US Dollar continues to decline every day.

From Crooksandliars:

Friday’s White House Press Briefing included two economic advisers to discuss the volatile economic situation here in the US, though they were careful to not paint to dire a picture. Obviously, with crude oil trading at record levels and OPEC releasing a statement blaming the price on the weakness of the American dollar, the media might be expected to ask a question or two. However, White House Spokesperson Dana Perino was not having any of it.

Q I’d like to follow up on their refusal to talk about the dollar, if I could. I mean, we’re in a kind of a bad situation here, when OPEC says the reason for $105 or $106 a barrel of oil is the falling value of the dollar — and you won’t address that issue. Where do we go to find out who is right?

MS. PERINO: Well, as he just said, the Treasury Secretary is where you go to talk about the dollar. It’s a longstanding policy that predates this administration, and I’m not going to change it today. But Treasury can talk about it.

Q I don’t expect you to change it, but I do expect you to be able to say whether OPEC is completely wrong about this, or whether there is at least something to their claim that the dollar is responsible for the high price of oil right now.

MS. PERINO: Wendell, I’m under strict instructions, and have been from the beginning, to not talk about the dollar, and I’m not going to get fired to satisfy your question.

The $4-gallon Gas Has Arrived in San Diego

This picture was taken tonight on the corner of Garnet Avenue and Ingraham Street.

Wiener Schnitzels

I tried my best to make wiener schnitzels for this week. I missed the breadcrumbs, so it's not really legit Viennese wiener schnitzels. I also did not flatten the pork enough to make it thinner. But, oh well. The results were delicious. Hope you enjoy the before and after pictures of my cooking.

Samba Night at Tropicoso

Tropicoso fucking rocks! This Friday was now exception in terms of how good the group played tonight. Tropicoso and the Tap Room are two of my favorite bars in PB. I've talked about on the previous post about the Tap Room as my watering hole. Tropicoso is one of those bars that generally look shady on the outside. However, once you enter, you're like in a different dimension, man. Fridays nights are always samba nights and Saturday nights are resevered for reggae.

I highly suggest everyone to come to Tropicoso, if you enjoy dancing to samba or if you just want to hang out in a chill atmosphere.

Ben Bernanke, You Lying Bastard!

This is from the NYTimes. The dismal jobs report in February, where the labor market has lost non-farm jobs for two consecutive months basically heralds the recession that everyone is talking about. What say you, Ben Bernanke? Are you still gonna make it rain with them rebates and shit?

Excerpt:

And if the good times have really ended, they were never that good to begin with. Most American households are still not earning as much annually as they did in 1999, once inflation is taken into account. Since the Census Bureau began keeping records in the 1960s, a prolonged expansion has never ended without household income having set a new record.

Damn this shitty economy. I guess I'll be stuck in the Salt Mine for a while longer. So Benny Boy is now telling us that the shit has yet to hit the fan. I hope his boss knows about this, because last time I checked, he was promising a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage.

And while all this is happening, our buddies in OPEC are telling us to fuck off. And with Americans complaining about the price of gas now, do we still want to declare war on Iran? Yea, that's what I thought. Come back to me when you guys are willing to pay for $6 a gallon for gas.

Drinking Liberally!

My friend sent me this link today to Drinking Liberally, an organization where people can talk about politics while getting smashed on a Tuesday night (screw work!).

Thank you so much, Vicky! I signed up for their mailing list, and there's a San Diego chapter that is 7 blocks from my apartment. Next drinking session will be on March 18th.

Here's one of the gems I found on their website:

While drinking liberally, always remember to drink responsibly, and make liberal use of designated drivers. Drinking and driving is reckless and irresponsible, like a neocon war or corporatist tax cut. Liberals, don't do it.

TGIF, But Not Really

Woo, woo. It's a Friday. That's the good news. But the bad news is that I have work tomorrow, which totally blunts the meaning of this Friday. I guess I have to limit myself tonight (or try to, at least).


Work was not stressful today, surprisingly. I sent my TPS report to the Big Boss, and I managed to actually finish the report in less than an hour, thanks to my other right-hand man. I got home today at 4 and then worked out at the gym. After that, I got a massage after this fakakta back pain has been bothering me for a week.

I'm going to my Watering Hole tonight, which makes it the fourth straight night I've been there. I should start paying rent there. Ha, ha. But it's oh-so not funny when I spend a big chunk of my time at the Watering Hole. It's definitely my favorite bar in San Diego, because people actually talk to me and are actually normal human beings. My Watering Hole is definitely better than those other bars in the nether regions of PB: Douche Central and the "Oh-my-God, we're , like, so hot, and, like, we need more maps because America, is, like, dumb" Central.

Anyway, I digress. Hope all of you enjoy your Friday, because I'll definitely enjoy mine.

Stop Anti-Danish Discrimination! Boycott IKEA!

Here's an interesting article from Der Spiegel.

The peasants in Denmark are in a tizzy after inferior IKEA products are named after Danish towns. Tsk, tsk. This arrogant grandstanding of the Swedes needs to stop. Here's a quote from the article.

"Doormats and runners, as well as inexpensive wall-to-wall carpeting are third-class, if not seventh-class, items when it comes to home furnishings," Kjöller is quoted as saying in Nyhedsavisen, a Danish free paper. The stuff that goes on the floor, Kjöller said, is about as low as it gets. He accused the home furnishings company of "Swedish imperialism."

Swedish Imperialism, after centuries in hiatus, is finally coming back. Under the order of the Foreign Ministry and with the blessing of King Carl XVI Gustaf, Sweden has unleashed their Vikings upon its backyard. The Vikings are finally reclaiming what is rightfully theirs. Resistance is futile!

The Danes are fighting back:

According to one proposal, the Carlsberg Brewery, for example, could give one of its light beers a Swedish name. The Swedes detest light beer. Generally considered bland and tasteless, it is the only alcoholic beverage that can be sold in Sweden in places other than government-run liquor stores, which happen to have very limited hours.

Can I Get Paid in Euros?

Now that the missus and my 17 children are craving for more bread and cheese, I want a fucking raise. Or better yet, I want to get paid in Euros! What the fuck is this, Uncle Sam?

My Watering Hole

I went to my watering hole today. God, I feel like an actual miner.

Leaving Work Before the Sun Sets Makes Me Happy

What?!?!?! I only worked for 10 hours today? Wow, miracles do happen. Actually, the pain train at the Salt Mine is taking more passengers if you care to join. People are unhappy as it is, but any sort of proletarian rebellion at the Salt Mine is highly unlikely because of a great fear of deportation to the countryside and being forced to return to their peasant lifestyle.

After getting off work, I got a chance to work out at the gym, which was as hot as a fucking boiler room. Who knows, if I continue to work out regularly, I can finally fit in with the "beautiful" people in San Diego. But then again, I'm cursed so that won't happen in the near future.

I'm now at home, alone, doing what I normally do on a weekday: listen to Jack Johnson while I read my book (currently reading The Sorrows of Empire by Chalmers Johnson). And if I have time, I can go to my bar, The Tap Room and mingle with the crowd.

Anyway, the book I'm reading right now is quite interesting. It talks about the rise of militarism in the United States in the 20th century, and how the events after 9-11 have produced a more rabid, militaristic and jingoistic society which will ultimately compromise our republican values (republican with a small "r"). I've read the first 100 pages of the books, and I highly recommend that you read it. You can also read his other book, Blowback, which was written before The Sorrows of Empire.

Intro

Tada! After four months working in San Diego, I've finally found time to document my proletarian-working conditions in this damn city. I'm from Los Angeles and I'm currently working in San Diego in some undisclosed salt mine that only few know about.

Why the salt mines, you ask? It's because I enjoy working 15 hours a day, earning wages worthy of 19th century German proletarians in Berlin. Oh, not only that, I also enjoy writing those fucking TPS reports for my boss, who honestly wants me to write a fucking novel every time I send him one. No joke. Just recently, I had to write one for the Big Boss, which took my seven damn revisions. I'm surprised he did not ask me to include footnotes and a fucking bibliography. What an asshole.

But while I'm not working in the dreary conditions of the mines, I try to enjoy myself in my flat, where I try to polish off a bottle of wine on Fridays and read the latest rants on Crooks and Liars.
Anyway, I'm trying my best to enjoy beautiful city, even though the anti-social bitches that populate this region don't deserve a city this fucking beautiful. I'm off to bed.

Good night, San Diego.