ESPN Insider

I used to head to ESPN.com for my sports info, but their belief that I would actually pay to hear some self-labeled sports expert in their ESPN Insider has forced me to go elsewhere. I'd be interested in how many people actually have signed up for the Insider, as if they get some special knowledge a few hours before everybody else does. People can't be that gullible, can they? After all, there is Fox Sports, CBS Sportsline, Sporting News, CNNSI, not to mention every newspaper online today. Of course, these same folks continue to vote for Republicans and Democrats, so I guess the answer is yes.

As far as I am concerned, and something advertiser's should be aware of, I no longer use espn.com because more than half of their articles are reserved for the insiders.

Energy: The Master Resource

A very interesting read, this book, "Energy: The Master Resource." Finally, a scientist who also understands free-markets! I really enjoyed the chapter on the economics of energy, and how oil, and most energy, is now a global marketplace. The author's point is if OPEC decides not to sell oil to us, some say we will have a huge energy crisis and economic collapse, but they show how this is simply more economic ignorance. Instead, if OPEC sells to others, such as European countries and clients, most likely be undercutting the prices those folks are paying, then the oil exploration companies who had been selling to them will need a new client, such as us. And it could actually drive down prices. Worldwide prices tend to be the same, whether or not a country is self-sufficient (England) or not (Japan) for the simple economic reason that if Japan paid more for oil, then companies would shift their sales to Japan to get the highest price for their work. In turn, this would drive prices down there. That is what globalization is all about.