Noted FYI:

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday chastised the United States over its policy in Iraq and Iran, and announced “grandiose” military plans, including development of a new nuclear weapon. … Putin called the US intervention in Iraq a “dead end” and called on Washington to set a deadline for the withdrawal of troops.… Article

Inflating the balloon — no one can say at what point the inevitable pop will come, but no one can deny it will.

New York crude oil prices surpassed a record 90 dollars a barrel in after-hours trading Thursday following increased tensions between Turkey’s government and Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq.

Traders said a weak US dollar and global supply jitters had also stoked the price surge.

The price gains in after-hours trading came after New York’s main oil futures contract, light sweet crude for delivery in November, had jumped 2.07 dollars to a record close of 89.47 dollars a barrel.

In electronic trade after the market close, the benchmark contract spiked to an all-time high of 90.02 dollars.

[snip]

Oil prices have pushed higher this week amid geopolitical angst related to the Turkey-Iraq border and a weakening dollar, which makes dollar-priced commodities such as oil cheaper for buyers with stronger currencies and therefore lifts crude demand.

The euro earlier hit a record high of 1.4310 dollars Thursday.

“The issue seems no longer to be whether oil will reach 100 dollars per barrel, but when,” said Barclays Capital analyst Kevin Norrish.

[snip]

Alaron Trading analyst Phil Flynn predicted prices could go even higher.

“The next target should be roughly four dollars above that level, somewhere around 93 dollars a barrel,” he said.

“It’s hard to pick a top in a raging bull market but it’s possible that we are close. Volatility will be huge,” he said.

Analysts said traders were closely monitoring tensions between Turkey and Iraq.

Traders are also concerned about tight global energy supplies, particularly ahead of the northern hemisphere winter when demand for heating fuel peaks.

A weekly US snapshot on energy stockpiles Wednesday did little to allay such worries, traders said. Article

Related:

A sharp increase in the price of crude oil, which briefly hit $90 a barrel late Thursday in electronic trading, could start to hit consumers in their pocketbooks in the next few weeks. Among the effects:

• Prices at the pump, which have been flat for two months, are expected to rise shortly, perhaps by as much as 10 cents a gallon. GasPriceWatch.com reported a rise of 7 cents in the past two days, which increased the national average to $2.80 a gallon.
• Airline ticket prices could go up –- just before the peak holiday travel season –- to reflect an increase in the past two weeks of $8 a barrel or 20 cents a gallon on the world oil markets.
• Home heating oil, already at record highs, could keep rising for homeowners in the Northeast.

The economic effect of the latest surge in oil prices, which started to soar again this month, could be substantial. The rise could reduce consumer enthusiasm, particularly for lower-income Americans. Some economists think that if the price of crude oil closes at $90 or higher and stays there for a few weeks, businesses will start passing on their higher costs. Article

The twisting trvails of Adam M. Key vs. Reent University

More, from an interview with Mr.Key:

What’s the current state of play between you and Regent? The last we read, they were making you undergo this mental health evaluation.

The current state is that Regent has suspended me and banned me from campus pending a forced psychiatric evaluation, but only by a physician approved by them. This move is reminiscent of tactics used by Hitler and Stalin to discredit those who opposed them with legitimate arguments by declaring them insane.

Wow, so they pick the physician? Seems pretty dubious. But are you going to agree – what choice do you have?

That’s correct. Keep in mind, this is the same school that published law review articles relying on sources like Paul Cameron, the man kicked out of the American Psychological Association for deliberately falsifying data in order to further his cause. I would gladly consider an evaluation by a legitimate psychiatrist that is entirely unaffiliated with Regent.

However, as I have repeatedly emphasized, I will undergo this psychiatric exam after Regent forces Pat Robertson to undergo one. Truly, what’s crazier… disagreeing with the administration, or hearing voices that tell you about hurricanes that don’t happen, and the impending apocalypse?

[snip]

Okay, let me play devil’s advocate. It’s no secret that Regent is conservative, founded by Pat Robertson, etc. Why did you decide to go there, when there are so many other law schools?

I decided to go to Regent because, at the time I applied to law school in late 2005, it was the only ABA accredited Christian law school. Others schools like Pepperdine (which I also got into) and Baylor have religious affiliations, but are not “Christian law schools,” per se. I didn’t go there because of Pat Robertson, I went there because I wanted a legal education balanced with a Christian perspective. Instead, I’m getting an education in how evil so-called Christians can be to those who are different from them. Article

We pollute, nature decides.

Dioxin exposure has been shown elsewhere to lead to both higher cancer rates and the birth of more females.

Researchers at the IntrAmericas Centre for Environment and Health say their findings, released this month, confirm the phenomenon in Canada.

The study also reveals the health risks of living within 25km of sources of pollution - a greater distance than previously thought, they said.

Normally, 51 percent of births are boys and 49 percent are girls. But the ratio was reversed - with as few as 46 males born for every 54 females - in Canadian cities and towns where parents were exposed to pollutants from sources such as oil refineries, paper mills and metal smelters, according to the study.

“If you find an inverted sex ratio, and want to know what causes it, look for sources of dioxin,” said James Argo, a medical geographer who headed the study, which was published in a journal of the American Chemical Society.

“In every one of those cities where those industries are found, there was a higher probability of female births to male births,” Argo said in an interview.

Using birth data and an inventory of Canada’s pollution sources, the study also concluded that early exposure to dioxins - even at 25km away from the source - increased the risk of cancer later in life in a group of 20 000 people surveyed during the 1990s.

Previous studies that linked dioxins with cancer and a gender imbalance focused on smaller distances, usually about 5km, Argo said. Article