Tag: iran

Gulf names

We, the undersigned, through this letter, protest your irresponsible, unscientific actions, and demand an immediate and unconditional deletion of “Arabian Gulf” from Google Earth. Arbitrarily designating the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf is an irresponsible violation of all historical and International standards and would undermine the integrity of Google Earth.

wow, that is retarded. someone over there must suffer from exceptionally small penises.

Saudi Arabia

The Iran war mongers are getting a clear warning from Saudi Arabia. Cheney was “summoned” to Riyadh.

The White House has wanted it to be believed that Cheney went about the Middle East “lining up” the Sunni leaders to support the Zelikow plan for further empowerment of the Shia Arabs against the Sunni Arab insurgents in Iraq.

2007-05-12: The super-giant Ghawar Oilfield in Saudi Arabia has been responsible for over 50% of Saudi Arabia’s crude oil production.

2008-06-21: Saudi oil increase

In the absence of any additional crude supply, for every 1% of crude demand, we will expect a 20% increase in price in order to balance the market.

2013-09-27: You don’t need alcohol to drunk drive

2014-04-02: With the ruler on his deathbed, you gotta wonder what will happen to Saudi Arabia, which isn’t really a historical construct, just held together by crazy (the oil helps too)
2015-01-16: Robb is interesting as always. It seems likely that the end game involves Saudi Arabia, and soon.

Saudi Arabia knows it is in trouble, that’s why the Saudis are trying to buy influence in the west through a cheap oil policy (at the same time, a low price puts the hurt on US frackers and ISIS oil smugglers alike). However, ISIS trumped this effort with Charlie Hebdo. It will be difficult for the Saudis to convince the west they are the real target after the attack in Paris.

2015-02-04: Saudi Arabia Holds All Male Women’s Rights Conference

As is to be expected from Saudi Arabia, a country firmly under the grip of Sharia Law, 0 women attended the event. Perhaps more hypocritically, a single woman is yet to speak at a University of Qassim summit.

2015-08-06: Saudi spending

Social spending is the glue that holds together a medieval Wahhabi regime at a time of fermenting unrest among the Shia minority of the Eastern Province, pin-prick terrorist attacks from ISIS, and blowback from the invasion of Yemen. Diplomatic spending is what underpins the Saudi sphere of influence in a Middle East suffering its own version of Europe’s 30 Year War, and still reeling from the aftershocks of a crushed democratic revolt. We may yet find that the US oil industry has greater staying power than the rickety political edifice behind OPEC.

2018-04-03: Saudis Remake Middle East

But, as sweeping as MBS’s economic and cultural reforms may be, he has expressed no interest in liberalizing the country’s political system. Indeed, the model that seems to best conform to his vision is China, with its dynamic economy, literate population, and authoritarian rule. His efforts are being carried out with 1 overriding goal: to preserve the House of Saud.

Organ Markets

The prospect of dying for want of a kidney has concentrated Sally Satel’s mind wonderfully on how to make sure that more kidneys become available. She comes down in favor of incentive payments to donors, and suggests 4 basic models:

  1. A forward market for cadaver organs (I like this one) in which you sign up to have your organs harvested at death, and receive a small payment on signing or a large one to your estate when you die
  2. A centralized single compensator. Medicare or whoever pays a bounty for the kidney; and pays $15-20k a year for the immunosuppressant drugs which the recipient will need; but saves $66k per patient per year on dialysis.
  3. Multiple compensators. As above, but private insurers and charitable foundations chip into the compensation fund.
  4. Private contracts. The sort of market we have now, between individuals, only regulated and legal. One nice nuance, suggested by Ms Postrel’s husband, is that donors/vendors should get a year’s tax holiday, evening out the incentive between rich and poor.

2007-03-14: iran, of all places, might be the first place with an organ market.
2011-05-31:

Scott Carney’s The Red Market is a book-length investigative journalism piece on the complicated and sometimes stomach-churning underground economy in human flesh, ranging from practice of kidnapping children to sell to orphanages who get healthy kids to pass off to wealthy foreigners to the bizarre criminal rings who imprison kidnapped indigents in “blood farms” or lure impoverished women into selling their kidneys.

the trade in human flesh is brisk.
2016-12-30: Car crash victims are a major source of organ donations. What will replace them? Better stock up on those artificial organs.