Random Thoughts 5/2/06

• I have a friend who took a nasty bite on the ear from a dog. That's not such a big deal except that the dog was a dachshund. I imagine that's a rare wound.
  
• 12,500 hits. Thanks for reading.
• For those of you scoring at home, Elijah is now 2 years old. He is officially terrible.
  
• Apple has some new commercials available at Apple.com; these ads are really witty.
  
• Three years ago yesterday, the President landed on an aircraft carrier and gave a speech beneath a banner that read "Mission Accomplished." The main stream media went out of its way to point this out, basking in the cruel irony. But remember the context: that carrier was returning home. It's mission was accomplished. The President said that major combat operations were over. They were. There was no additional territory to capture and no enemy units to manuever against. The fact that a long term, low intensity insurgency was brewing doesn't negate this. What President Bush said was both accrurate and appropriate.
  
• My sister interviewed for and was offered the job as the director of a crisis pregnancy center. She has accepted the position.
• Why don't they teach economics 101 anymore? I hear absurd things being said about gas prices that just don't line up with reality, so I thought I'd offer a brief primer on the topic: Oil companies don't set gas prices, the market does. The only way to lower the price in a free market is to have more supply (drill and refine more oil) or less demand (use less fuel). Taking a day off from buying gas or buying in smaller quantities doesn't work if you still drive the same amount. Half a dozen big oil companies is not a monopoly and they do compete with one another. Oil companies don't make as much money on their investment as many businesses; oil exploration, drilling, tankers, offshore rigs, pipelines, and taxes are expensive.
• Should the Saints' first draft pick, Reggie Bush, be allowed to wear #5? The NFL says running backs may only wear numbers between 20 and 49; only kickers and QBs can wear 5. Edgerrin James petitioned to wear #5 when he was drafted and was turned down.
• Speaking of jersey numbers, here's a trivia question. There are only two teams (not counting expansion teams since 1995) that have no retired numbers that are off limits to current players. Which teams are they? [highlight the section below to reveal the answer]
  
  
  The Cowboys and Raiders
  
  
  The Chiefs, on the other hand, have eight retired jerseys: Jan Stenerud, 3; Len Dawson, 16; Abner Haynes, 28; Stone Johnson, 33; Mack Lee Hill, 36; Willie Lanier, 63; Bobby Bell, 78; Buck Buchanan, 86. Only the 49ers, Bears, and Giants have more retired numbers.