Some Observations

The new year is off to a great start, at least personally. Hopefully it has for you as well. Some observations for the past week:

• Dick Clark was actually on TV for New Year's Eve. He is clearly a man that deserves much admiration, but it's time to call it quits.
• It's only a matter of time before someone figures out how to blame Bush for the coal mine disaster in West Virginia.
• I predicted that foreign investors would shy away from Russia due to Putin's power grab, but I didn't expect that high-level insiders would bail on him so quickly... From the article: "This year, Russia has become a different country," said Illarionov, citing the most recent report by the U.S.-based Freedom House. "It is no longer a democratic country. It is no longer a free country." And: "Six years ago, when I took this position, I was planning to create conditions to increase economic freedom in Russia" continued Illarionov. "The situation has radically changed and there is no longer room to follow a policy of economic freedom."
  

Predictions for 2006? Here's one that doesn't go out on a limb very far at all: Energy prices in the USA remain extremely volatile, due to a lack of refining capacity (we've really done nothing so far to solve the problem- maybe India and China will stop growing and demand will wane? Wrong!) and more Gulf of Mexico hurricanes... The highs for the price of crude oil get tested once again. Another: The continuing anti-capitalist/anti-USA sentiment in South America ratchets up a few notches, probably due to some insane policy decisions by Venezuela and/or Bolivia.

You heard it here fir-- well, you heard it here.