Spooked by Katrina, oil The stock market has always been the Although they like to think they are in control, the The commodities and futures traders who are running up the price of oil are among the worst. Like vulturous Cassandras, they prophesy They are also dangerous times. It is a also lot Meanwhile, back to Rita: what happened to killer storms What are they going to do after they get to Hurricane from Newsday<\/a><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" So now it’s Hurricane Rita, bearing down on the Florida Keys and thence on into the super-heated waters of the Gulf of Mexico to test out the dire theory that changing weather patterns and warmer waters have converted the Gulf … Continue reading ![](\"http:\/\/cyber.law.harvard.edu\/blogs\/static\/dowbrigade\/bret.jpg\")
So now it’s Hurricane
\n Rita<\/a>, bearing
\n down on the Florida Keys and thence on into the super-heated waters of
\n the Gulf of Mexico to test out the dire theory that changing weather
\n patterns and warmer waters have converted the Gulf into a breeding ground
\n for killer storms.<\/p>\n
\n prices shot up<\/a> a record four
\n dollars a barrel today, in anticipation of something that might or could
\n happen a week on down the line, as players bet on disaster again.<\/p>\n
\n biggest de-facto casino in the country, with the US Government as the
\n house, taking a cut from all of the winners, and most of the losers as
\n well. It offers multiple games, with varying degrees of risk, and much less security than Harrods or the Golden Palace.<\/p>\n
\n players on the stock, bonds, futures, financials and currency markets
\n are stone cold gambling junkies, just as bad as twitchy County Treasurer
\n from Crystal Springs, Iowa in his ratty, wrinkled seersucker jacket,
\n who hasn’t slept in 62 hours and has just burned through the county budget
\n for the
\n next
\n fiscal year.<\/p>\n
\n doom and then circle at a safe distance to feast on the pickings. They love this kind of thing
\n – wars and disasters and rumors of wars and disasters. These are the
\n times when killings can be made. (note:“Wanted: psychopaths to make a killing in the markets.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n
\n easier to get oneself killed amid disaster and destruction. We
\n will never know how many scores were settled, once and for all, in the
\n terrible darkness after Katrina came and left.<\/p>\n
\n with names like Andrew, Bob and Camille, names decently near the beginning
\n of the alphabet? The quasi-governmental National Hurricane Center is
\n telling us there will NOT be more hurricanes, but rather more intense
\n hurricanes. However, we can’t ever remember being quite so far
\n down the alphabet quite so early in the season..<\/p>\n
\n Zelda – next week? They can continue on with Aa – Aaron, of course. But
\n after that? Bbubba? Or throw in Ñ and Ll in honor of our 60 million
\n Spanish speakers? Inquiring minds need to know…<\/p>\n