Weather forecasts and Energy Futures.....I told you Friday that crude was down around $2 before Rita hit (now down $5; from $68 to $63) and that the futures markets were better at weather prediction than the "experts" on TV. Why? These oil companies hire private forecasters with better track records than NOLA and the rest, although the Government forecasters have gotten much better over the past decade. It is clear that the energy companies and speculators had different weather info on the strength of Rita than the rest of us were getting and told their clients to short the market; they did so. Retail prices for unleaded are off as much as 20 cents in some places. BTW: gold is down from $470 to $460 in the same period.

STREISAND DECLARES 'GLOBAL WARMING EMERGENCY': Probably just that belly full of hot air backing up on her.

College Football: Went to the Oregon vs USC game played in the jet engine of sound known as Autzen Stadium, and once again saw, this time from really good seats in a stadium built exclusively for football, the best running back I've seen since OJ. Be it returning punts, kickoffs, receiving passes, or running from scrimmage (all of which he does on virtually every play) USC's Reggie Bush has it all; moves, speed, and endurance beyond imagination. After a couple of hours functioning in every capacity he was as fast in the fourth quarter is he was in the first . And those moves. My God. If USC comes to your neighborhood you have to see him because TV makes all football players look like less than they are. Why? No depth perspective. Tune in tonight and check out what the yard lines actually look like on TV. Shouldn't they be drawing closer together the further away they are? Not on TV. The TV tube distorts perspective so that the more distant the lines the wider apart they appear to be. This distortion explains why so much of TV appears phony. It is phony when compared to movies in theatres, real life, and great art. The distortion in football means that you have no idea of what a sudden cut to the right or left actually looks like. You have to be there. Have to.

And you could do worse than this satire at Wuzzadem of the moronic "coverage" of Rita by the talking heads.....