My Own Financial Crisis

Forget Wall Street. Forget the Asian markets and the European Markets. I've got my own financial crisis to settle out!! (Where is the government when I need a bailout...)

1) My car needed brand spanking new tires. I talked them down to a 20% discount, but it was still $270. (however, it came at a good time as I went off-roading the next day).

2) My laptop broke. More accurately, it fell off the overhead projector in class. Even more accurately, it fell off when I tripped over the cord - in front of my 10A class. Looks of horror as they feared my wrath would be spewed in their direction. Feel my pain when you see the picture of a broken lcd screen below. Its what my screen looked like.

Alison's computer had broken so we sent it back to the states to get fixed a few weeks ago (it was still under warranty). Shipping was less expensive than having it fixed here. Amazing. This means we were computerless. How much we suffered!

$700 for a new laptop.

3) Oh yeah, remember that world financial crisis? Well Alison and I made a few investments this summer. Long term investments for when we retire someday (yeah, thinking ahead). Guess how much we've lost?

30%. See? Here. And here. Oh, and here, too.

I have been a firm believer in the business cycle. "Every 10 years", I say, "something like this happens! The markets will bounce back, and people will be happy until the next crash. Then fears of 'the end' will engross us again."

Hopefully my trust has not been misplaced. Of course, won't be making any more investments until the market bottoms out. Or Robin, our friend who has been helpful in assisting Alison and I figure out our investments, advises us.

I get dizzy thinking about all of this.

My Friend the Comedian!

Ever heard of "Axis of Evil"? No, not George Bush's "Axis of Evil", though the remark sparked this comedy group. Made up of Arab Americans, they make light of their experience in America, the Middle East and pretty much every where else. However, that's not the biggest news.

My friend Baraa entered a stand-up comedy contest and was one of 5 opening acts performed by Bahrainis! I was able to go to the first show and watch him perform his material, which was just great. He had never been on stage before, but he did it like a pro. It was really cool to see him up there making over a thousand people laugh.

Congratulations on a great performance Baraa!!

Wedding Photos

Weddings are grand. I've finally posted photos on my online Picasa album. There were 365 photos total, and there are still photo's that others took. I tried to pick the best ones out. Hope you enjoy.

Here's one to wet your appetite:


http://picasaweb.google.com/joshualperkins/Wedding

I can say this because I live in Bahrain

I like politics, and I enjoy following everything that's going on. Blah blah blah don't know who I'm voting for blah blah blah no good choices blah blah blah.

Anyway, I came across statements by both McCain and Obama regarding energy and gas prices. Both talk about wanting to lower gas prices (through different methods), but they also want to encourage alternative energy sources.

But here's the reality - HIGH GAS PRICES ARE GREAT.

Its all economics. The higher the price for a good, the more likely people are to find something else cheaper to replace that good. For instance, if I like McDonalds, but they raise their prices to $10 for a meal, I will find a replacement. Burger King. Price has gone up, and I have an incentive to spend less money - for relatively the same benefit - elsewhere.

If gas prices go up, people will want to spend less and less on gas. Demand for eco-friendly cars and other eco-friendly energy solutions will rise, asssuming that the rise in demand doesn't make these products more expensive than paying for gas. Companies, motivated by profit (not - as much as we would love it to be true - motivated by good stewardship or good will), will produce products that bring them the most profit. In this case, eco-friendly vehicles (hybrids, electric cars, etc). Thus, the environment is saved.

So I say - BRING ON THE HIGH GAS PRICES.

But I can say that because I live in Bahrain. I pay less than a dollar a gallon - government subsidized gas.

My car gets 13 miles to the gallon and I don't even bat an eye.

Good Bye America, Hello Bahrain!

In less than 4 hours, I will be at the airport with my beautiful wife (see picture below to be amazed at her beauty) waiting to fly from Houston to DC to Kuwait to Bahrain. See you on the flip side!