Minus three May 3, 2006
Posted by dorigo in astronomy, personal.add a comment
Ok, I know. I disappointed those readers of my blog who think I am going to discuss temperature, or politics, or algebra.
But minus three means that on Saturday, may 6th (I hear it is Astronomy day), I will finally get my dobsonian reflector!!!
I am very excited.
No, more…
I am super excited.
With Jupiter at opposition on May 4th, with Schwassmann-Wachmann comet at magnitude 5 on May 11th, and with myself in the US for a week starting May 8th… Then back on the 15th, with full moon 
We'll see. I will surely post pics here… Stay tuned!
Kicking the butt of oil companies May 3, 2006
Posted by dorigo in news, politics.add a comment
Bolivia shocked the world trade two days ago, when it announced that extraction companies who have contracts to exploit the gas and oil of the country have six months to renegotiate their contracts, and that the whole business becomes nationalized. Also, the country's share of profits will rise from 50 to 82%.
Not nice news for the oil business, with barrel prices already above 70 USD. And a quite risky move for Bolivia, who might end up losing the expertise they need to run the extraction plants. If oil companies refuse the deal (unlikely in this moment of oil crisis, true) Bolivia will be in trouble for its energetic needs, at least in the near future.
Is it right to overturn the market by force of law ? It is certainly destabilizing for world trade, if big companies get the message that investing in non-stable (or non-globalization-friendly) regions of the world is dangerous. But Bolivia is a very poor country - in the sense that citizens are poor. They have a large wealth underground, and it is only fair to redistribute a larger share of that wealth.
I am very curious to see what will happen in the next months.
