America Not Number One In Alcohol Consumption

This afternoon I came across a list from the World Health Organization ranking the World's countries by how many liters of pure alcohol are consumed per capita per year in each country.

The United States did not do too well on this list. We aren't even in the Top 40. Little Luxembourg is the World's top consumer of booze at 15.56 liters per capita per year. The United States is #43 at a measly 8.44 liters. Luxembourg drinks almost twice as much as we do.

Australia drinks more than we do, coming in at #38 with 9.02 liters per. It's not much of a shock that Russia is drunker than us, #27 with 10.32 liters. France is drunker than the Russians at #17 with 11.43 liters. The United Kingdom almost cracked the Top Ten at #11 and 11.75 liters.

I guess it is no great surprise that the Irish are #2, drinking 13.69 liters of pure alcohol per capita per year.

America's neighbor to the north drinks less than we do, #50 with 8.00 liters. Maybe the Canuch's relative sobriety is due to excessive beer consumption with its lesser amount of alcohol than something like vodka.

Our neighbor to the south is way more sober than even the Canadians, coming in at #96 and only 4.50 liters per capita. Maybe the Mexicans don't drink their tequila and save it all for export.

It's a 4 way tie for most sober country at #197 and 0.00 liters of pure alcohol consumption per capita per year. The 4 totally sober places on the planet are Bangladesh, Somalia, Saudi Arabia and, this one is a surprise, one of the American territories, the United States Virgin Islands. I find that hard to believe.

You can look at the entire list by going here....

Washington Mutual Aggravation, Part II

I called Washington Mutual this morning. Once again, like I said yesterday, their account verification system is haywire. After a couple tries it gave me a hit #2 option to access a live banker.

I did so and got an Indian, I think, by Indian I don't mean Native American.

I explained the problem with them assessing a fee on a returned check that should not have been returned. I had to repeat myself multiple times due to each time the live Indian banker missed the drift.

Eventually he put me on hold. When he came back on he told me he was transferring me to his assistant manager, Eric.

I got to explain the problem again. Eric sounded as if he might have been an American in America. Eric eventually concluded the 2nd $12 fee was a mistake and he'd credit it back. I once more asked why the check was returned to the WaMu account on which it was drawn, with that account having plenty of money to cover the check. Eric said it did appear that that should not have happened. But that he couldn't verify it without seeing the other account.

Since I had that other account's verification info Eric agreed he could look at it. He did so and saw that 2 checks had been deposited on the 19th. But that he'd have to talk to his manager to figure out why the check drawn on that account was returned on the 25th, which, maybe coincidentally, was the day WaMu was taken over by the Feds.

Eric said he'd call me when he had an answer. So far, no call, and no crediting back to the 2nd account of the erroneous fee.

I hate banks and offshore customer support centers.

Chesapeake Energy's Rape of a Neighborhood

Yesterday I blogged about the damage being done by Chesapeake Energy to Scott Avenue in East Fort Worth, adjacent to the Tandy Hills Park Natural Area.

This morning I had incoming from Don Young, with pictures, on the same subject.....

Using the word "rape" as a metaphor should always be done sparingly and with sensitivity and only when people have grown numb to reality. In the case, I believe it is an apt word to describe the violence inflicted on the people whose lives are impacted by the action depicted in these photos. There is no better metaphor to express the sense of violation committed by Chesapeake Energy on this neighborhood and these extraordinarily rare and scenic prairie hills.

I urge you to come see for yourself what the City of Fort Worth has allowed to happen, once again, in east Fort Worth. The city staff, under the direction of Mayor Mike Moncrief, was presented with a clear choice: Deny the permit and risk a costly lawsuit or protect people and neighborhoods. In other words, enforce existing zoning regulations. No one said it would be easy or without risk. At the end of the day they chose to side with Chesapeake Energy and a handful of mineral owners.

Moncrief and staff did so with full knowledge of the negative impact to the neighborhood and nearby Tandy Hills Natural Area. They did so knowing that Chesapeake has plans to expand the drill site and add dangerous pipelines to the mix. Once again, they failed to do the right and honorable thing.

This latest attack should be more than enough reason to enact a moratorium on all new permits for gas drilling operations. Regardless of where you live in Fort Worth, this should concern you.
But, just being concerned does nothing. You, dear reader, must take direct action. Time is running out. Visit FW-Credo.org to learn how you can make a difference.

Also, if you will, let Mayor Moncrief hear from you: Mike.Moncrief@fortworthgov.org

Don Young
FWCanDo
P.O. Box 470041
Fort Worth, TX 76147

"God bless Fort Worth, Texas. Help us save some of it."

Washington Mutual Aggravation

When Washington Mutual, affectionately known as WaMu, went under last week we were assured this would cause no problems for existing account holders.

I beg to differ.

I have 2 WaMu accounts. On September 19 two large checks from the State of Texas were deposited.

A small check for only $100 was drawn on the first account and deposited into the 2nd account, that being the account I use for things like PayPal that I don't want to keep a lot of money in.

Today, September 29, I got a letter from WaMu telling me that I'd been assessed a $12 "Returned Deposit Item Fee" due to there being insufficient funds in the 1st account, that being the one in which a large deposit had been made 2 Friday's ago.

I then looked at my account online to learn I've been assessed a 2nd $12 fee which has been deducted as well as the original $100 check, which had been credited, but has now been debited from the 2nd account.

So, the other account, which has plenty of $ in it to cover the $100 check, has not had an overdraft fee or notice generated. So WaMu is charging the 2nd account a total of $24 dollars, claiming, even on the second attempt to run the check through, that there were still insufficient funds. Even though I could see, online, that there were.

Since it's all my money, I still have the $100. It just never left the 1st account. But I'm out the $24 in the second account. Which I'm fairly certain will be returned when I call and complain tomorrow.

The WaMu meltdown occurred right when this problem reared its ugly head. I suspect there is a connection.

When I opened the letter from WaMu I thought I'd just call them, since any other time there's been a problem they quickly fix it. Well. You call the toll-free number and get greeted with a cheery voice welcoming you to WaMu, now a proud part of Chase Bank. I was then asked to enter either my account number or the number on my debit card.

I tried the debit card first. Entered that, though it strained my eyes. Then I was asked to enter the last 4 digits of my S.S. card. Did so, to be told they didn't match. I was then asked to try again. Did so. Same result. Tried again, this time switching to the account number. Same result.

It was starting to annoy me, so I kept at it, a total of 7 times before I gave up. There is no way I incorrectly entered the numbers 7 times. Any other time I've called WaMu I instantly get through.

I've got the direct local number of my local WaMu guy. It was past banking hours. He'll get a call in the morning. I hope it doesn't make me cranky. If it does I guess I'll be joining all those other people who have withdrawn a total of multi $billions from WaMu, which is what hastened the meltdown and the Federal takeover.

A Comic Natural Gas Water Well Explosion

Incoming Barnett Shale natural gas drilling ruining the water supply humor from Don Young....

State Fair of Texas Comments and Questions

I keep getting a lot of questions about the State Fair of Texas, many of which I don't know the answer to. Some of which I do.

General Admission is $14. Kids under 48" get in for $10. If you are 60 or older it is also $10. Kids 2 and under are free. 60 and over is free every Thursday.

You can buy your Fair tickets at Kroger at a discount. Both General Admission and Season Passes.

The Fair opens at 10 am and closes at 10 pm on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays the Fair closes at 9 pm.

Official Fair parking is $10.

On Saturday and Sunday you can take the DART train to the Pearl Street Station where the State Fair provides shuttles to the Fair. The rest of the week DART isn't such a good option.

You can bring backpacks and food to the Fair. You go through a light security check at entry. It's not as bad as airport security.

I don't know if there are viewing screens outside the Cotton Bowl for fairgoers who just can't miss that Red River Shootout football game between Texas and Oklahoma. RV parking passes are available online. The only overnight RV parking is the night of the infamous football game. Why you would want to drag your RV to the Fair, but not to stay overnight, I do not know.

RV Parking with no hookups is $200. With electrical hook-up it's $275. If you are dragging a vehicle behind your RV it's another $75.

The Chevrolet Main Stage is free. You can see Jessica Simpson and Kellie Pickler there, among others who aren't familiar to me, like Michelle Branch, Jordan Pruitt, Kevin Fowler, Rodney Atkins, Bell Biv DeVoe and others.

The Midway operates on a slightly different time frame than the rest of the Fair and can shut down during bad weather.

I got a comment this morning on the YouTube video I made of last year's visit to the State Fair of Texas. I think it was from a little girl, judging by the syntax and the Internet nickname of diannadidi....

"i like state fair its awesome i like going on the log ride,going to aquaium,and going to see big tex!"

Chesapeake Energy's Destruction of Scott Avenue

Chesapeake Energy has begun its invasion of the Tandy Hills Park Natural Area Zone.

After Hiking a little bit on the Tandy Hills today I drove a couple blocks to look at Scott Avenue. That's the street that Chesapeake Energy wants to run a pipeline under homeowner's front yards. And use as the access point to the drill site.

There were multiples of the sign you see in the photo all along Scott Avenue. This particular one in the photo was in front of a house that also had a homemade sign to the left that says "NO GAS WELL ON SCOTT AVE."

Too late, the gas well appears to be on its way. There were several of what looked like abandoned homes on Scott Avenue. Many of the houses are quite large and of interesting design.

Scott Avenue already looks pretty messed up. I can see why those who live there are not feeling the love from the Barnett Shale that they are told to feel when they see Fort Worth buses. The worst hasn't even started. They have the drilling noise to look forward to. Then all those trucks breaking up the road and spewing a lot of dust. And after all that fun a pipeline will be run under their yards to carry non-odorized natural gas.

Back at Tandy Hills Park something odd has been constructed. It is near some playground type stuff, like swings. It appears to be a fence. But what does it fence in? Nothing. It is not perpendicular to the road, but at an angle. Why would the strapped for cash city of Fort Worth build this thing?

The only thing I can think of is it going to be a sign. I suspect Chesapeake Energy has paid the city of Fort Worth and are installing a sign telling the locals about the virtues of the nearby destruction of Scott Avenue. That should go over well...

Sarah Palin Saved From Witches By African

Well. Another surprise from Sarah Palin that I thought couldn't be true when I first heard it. But then, in my defense, my skepticism was heightened by the way the person telling me this worded it.

As in "Sarah Palin had some African cast a spell on her to keep her safe from witches."

The real story isn't quite that ridiculous sounding. Quite.

Three 3 years ago, Sarah Palin was in her Wasilla church where a visiting Kenyan pastor prayed for her protection from "witchcraft" in her run for office.

A video of this is on Sarah Palin's church website. Of course, the video is now going viral on the Internet in various forms, one of which you can watch below. The video shows Ms. Palin standing in front of Bishop Thomas Muthee in the Wasilla Assembly of God church. She holds her hands open as the preacher asks Jesus Christ to keep her safe from "every form of witchcraft."

"Come on, talk to God about this woman. We declare, save her from Satan," Muthee prays as two other guys place their hands on her shoulders. "Make her way my God. Bring finances her way even for the campaign in the name of Jesus. Use her to turn this nation the other way around."

The anti-witchcraft ceremony took place October 16, 2005. Sarah Palin formally announced her bid for governor 2 days later.

The Assembly of God is a Pentacostal church. I need to look that up. Seems like I remember nutty and Pentacostal going together before.

Sarah Palin Charged Victims For Rape Exam Kits

This morning I was talking to a New York Times reader about the Sarah Palin ongoing in-over-her-head meltdown. I was told that the New York Times had an article about Sarah Palin's town of Wasilla charging rape victims for the exam kit that police use to gather evidence.

I thought this was ridiculous. That it couldn't be true. But it was in the New York Times. That's not like some tabloid or the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The NY Times is a respected, by many, real newspaper.

Googling quickly provided proof that this bizarre story is true.

After Sarah Palin became mayor of Wasilla, Alaska she did some budget slashing. It was decided to pass the costs of rape exams off to the victims. The exam kits cost ranges from $500 to $1200.

Sarah Palin also believes that an abortion should not be allowed for a rape victim.

Meanwhile, this charging the victims for rape exam kits became such an embarrassment to the rest of Alaska that the state legislature passed a law to stop it.

I thought, Wasilla is a little itty bitty town, how many rapes can there be in that little town? Well, apparently quite a few. Alaska's sex assault rate is America's worst, 2 and 1/2 times the rate for the other 49 states.

The Huffington Post has a good article about this Sarah Palin embarrassment.

Texas: Love It Or Leave It

Except for the last paragraph I could have written this letter to the editor that was in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It's the Mike Moncrief addition in that last paragraph that vexed me. Fort Worth's corrupt mayor is part of what makes Fort Worth delightful and the fact of him being in Fort Worth is proof that it ain't all bad? That's perplexing. But all that came before that in this letter made sense.....

I was warned but am still surprised

I guess the reason I find the discourse in the Star-Telegram so incredible is that I am a relative newcomer to Fort Worth and to Texas.

I had been told (actually warned) about the “love it or leave it’ and “my country right or wrong” attitudes, the purposeful intermingling of church and state to achieve the religious right’s ends, the pervasive waste of resources here (i.e., pick-up/SUV heaven) and the general disdain for the less fortunate (just look at Texas’ ranking on any measure of commitment to social or educational services).

Whether the natives know it or not, Texas has, and continues to embellish, a well-deserved reputation as the most insular, regressive and politically inane state in the union.

What put me over the top was an article in the Sept. 22 paper about abstinence-only sex education, which said that, although Texas receives more federal money than any other state, it shares the highest teen birth rate in the land with New Mexico. Forget that every objective study indicates abstinence-only sex education is blatantly ineffective; this thinly veiled effort by the religious right to ignore both science and truth (while, incidentally, spending $20 million tax dollars) is a sham and a shame.

If we’re serious about making any headway against teen pregnancy and STDs, abstinence must be taught in conjunction with contraception.

To end on a happier note, Fort Worth is a delightful place to live, and any town that can claim Bob Schieffer, Dan Jenkins, Mike Moncrief and the Carter and Bass families can’t be all bad!

— Rufus Schriber, Fort Worth