What do the Arabs do when they run out of water, the Guardian is asking. Good question. One of the problems of autocracies is that they focus on staying in power with short-term policies, where a democratic majority might see the need to take action to save their countries. Oil wealth has allowed the populations to explode and people to survive unemployed in economies with no openings for them. Lack of jobs is one thing. Lack of water is another.
But democracy certainly isn't a cure-all. In our own democratic society, we are on track to eventually spend 100% of the GDP on employing the highest possible technology to extend the lives of our oldest and feeblest citizens by one more year each. We obviously can't get to that point, but we can destroy our economy in the attempt and it's a problem no politician seems prepared to address.
Health care policy in America makes it hard to feel superior to anybody.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Successful Business is never usual
Maersk has announced plans to build the largest container ships ever, and in the process reduce their carbon emissions by 50% per container-mile. This is what business does. High costs are incentives to innovate. The prospect of increasing costs are even stronger spurs.
Businesses, left to themselves, will innovate their way to better energy efficiency. Private enterprise achieves the progress that bureaucracy obstructs.
Businesses, left to themselves, will innovate their way to better energy efficiency. Private enterprise achieves the progress that bureaucracy obstructs.
What do we do with pirates?
Somali pirates have killed four Americans and our armed forces have captured about 15 of them alive. Now what?
This isn't a difficult case. It's obvious piracy. It's obvious murder. And there are fifteen people who are complicit. Who did what doesn't much matter.
What we should do with them now is a problem. What we will do is doubtless bring them back to this country, give them respectable trials, and lock them up for decades at public expense.
This is not the way piracy has traditionally been dealt with on the high seas, and the 15 pirates should accidentally fall overboard. It would send a healthy message to their comrades in Somalia.
This isn't a difficult case. It's obvious piracy. It's obvious murder. And there are fifteen people who are complicit. Who did what doesn't much matter.
What we should do with them now is a problem. What we will do is doubtless bring them back to this country, give them respectable trials, and lock them up for decades at public expense.
This is not the way piracy has traditionally been dealt with on the high seas, and the 15 pirates should accidentally fall overboard. It would send a healthy message to their comrades in Somalia.
Monday, December 06, 2010
Serious about the deficit? You can't be serious!
So the Democrats and the Republicans in Washington DC have a deal. The Democrats get to extend unemployment benefits. The Republicans get to keep the tax break for very rich people. All of this is in order to preserve tax breaks for the middle class.
All of this coming a week or so after the the blue ribbon deficit commission provided guidelines for cutting the deficit. In a stroke, the politicians have rejected any action on the commission's proposals and simultaneously increased the deficit by as much as the commission sought to reduce it for the first few years.
Yet they say that the very fact that the commission gave everybody the stark news means that people will see that soon, real soon, we need to do something.
Right. Sure. You betcha.
All of this coming a week or so after the the blue ribbon deficit commission provided guidelines for cutting the deficit. In a stroke, the politicians have rejected any action on the commission's proposals and simultaneously increased the deficit by as much as the commission sought to reduce it for the first few years.
Yet they say that the very fact that the commission gave everybody the stark news means that people will see that soon, real soon, we need to do something.
Right. Sure. You betcha.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Pretty good work for Al Qaeda amateurs
According to the Christian Science Monitor, the bombs from Yemen indicate that the bomb makers are amateurs and may be trying in a "foolhardy" way to create fear. Looks to me like they're generally succeeding.
Recall the claims that Ronald Reagan broke the Soviet Union by forcing them to engage in an arms race they couldn't afford. Maybe, maybe not, but if Al Qaeda's objective is to break the United States financially, they're doing pretty well. We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars annually in the War on Terror, in two military campaigns and a worldwide $80 billion effort at "intelligence" which can't have any other target than them. They don't need to successfully deliver bombs. They just need us to shut down the world's air transport system from time to time because we're worried. And tie us down in God-forsaken places while we try futilely to suppress terror and build democracy at the same time.
The world is moving past us. Other countries build high speed rail systems, effective nuclear power plants, spectacular bridges and tunnels. We spend trillions on defense and cower in fear. This isn't going to be the American Century redux. Probably not even a good American Decade.
Recall the claims that Ronald Reagan broke the Soviet Union by forcing them to engage in an arms race they couldn't afford. Maybe, maybe not, but if Al Qaeda's objective is to break the United States financially, they're doing pretty well. We're spending hundreds of billions of dollars annually in the War on Terror, in two military campaigns and a worldwide $80 billion effort at "intelligence" which can't have any other target than them. They don't need to successfully deliver bombs. They just need us to shut down the world's air transport system from time to time because we're worried. And tie us down in God-forsaken places while we try futilely to suppress terror and build democracy at the same time.
The world is moving past us. Other countries build high speed rail systems, effective nuclear power plants, spectacular bridges and tunnels. We spend trillions on defense and cower in fear. This isn't going to be the American Century redux. Probably not even a good American Decade.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Thomas Friedman misses again
In today's New York Times, Thomas Friedman contrasts the attitudes of China and America to global warming, and smiles approvingly on the Chinese. We have not adopted legislation regarding greenhouse gases, while the Chinese are busily making their economy more energy efficient, with the intention of creating jobs.
Nonsense. The problem is not that we don't confront greenhouse gas emissions enough. We do quite a bit, and our economy produces more GDP per ton of CO2 than the Chinese do or can expect to do in the near future. The Chinese recognize that they don't want to depend on foreign oil, so if they intend to grow, they must become more efficient and generate more energy themselves from renewable sources. Nevertheless, if CO2 is causing AGW, then the prime drivers of the increase are China and, lesserly, India.
The Chinese are not becoming efficient to benefit the world, just themselves. We, on the other hand, adopt policies aimed at helping the world by reducing GHG's and shoot ourselves in the economic foot. We let the Chinese become the leaders in producing solar panels. We force our last incandescent light bulb plant to close and switch to itsy bitsy flourescents, which we buy from China.
We aren't generating green jobs and China is, but this is just one more symptom of the epidemic.
Nonsense. The problem is not that we don't confront greenhouse gas emissions enough. We do quite a bit, and our economy produces more GDP per ton of CO2 than the Chinese do or can expect to do in the near future. The Chinese recognize that they don't want to depend on foreign oil, so if they intend to grow, they must become more efficient and generate more energy themselves from renewable sources. Nevertheless, if CO2 is causing AGW, then the prime drivers of the increase are China and, lesserly, India.
The Chinese are not becoming efficient to benefit the world, just themselves. We, on the other hand, adopt policies aimed at helping the world by reducing GHG's and shoot ourselves in the economic foot. We let the Chinese become the leaders in producing solar panels. We force our last incandescent light bulb plant to close and switch to itsy bitsy flourescents, which we buy from China.
We aren't generating green jobs and China is, but this is just one more symptom of the epidemic.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Alan Simpson: A demonstration why America is doomed
I've been trying to figure out just what the issue is. "Tit" is the pronunciation, although the usual spelling is "teat," for what you get milk out of a cow with. Simpson said, essentially, that everybody wants to milk the cow.
Surely, a woman old enough to lead an old women's organization has heard the term before. The context is certainly not "sexist." Yet, Democratic lawmakers and "women's advocates" are calling for Simpson's resignation.
And clearly what these people want is to get rid of the conservative Republican and stop talking about Social Security, so they can focus on their agenda to "balance the budget." Except that you could eliminate the Bush tax cuts and slash defense spending and still not be balanced.
You need a bull that's going to gore everybody if the deal is going to be done, but that's not going to happen. The only support for shared sacrifice is support for all the other people to share it. Entitlements need to be reduced. The idea that we have enough wealth to police the entire world must go. Taxes will need to be raised.
And it won't be done with a partisan commission, and the idea that you can pitch Alan Simpson and still reach the goal is foolish. We need somebody blunt and willing to offend. In my mind, Alan Simpson has polished his credentials.
Surely, a woman old enough to lead an old women's organization has heard the term before. The context is certainly not "sexist." Yet, Democratic lawmakers and "women's advocates" are calling for Simpson's resignation.
And clearly what these people want is to get rid of the conservative Republican and stop talking about Social Security, so they can focus on their agenda to "balance the budget." Except that you could eliminate the Bush tax cuts and slash defense spending and still not be balanced.
You need a bull that's going to gore everybody if the deal is going to be done, but that's not going to happen. The only support for shared sacrifice is support for all the other people to share it. Entitlements need to be reduced. The idea that we have enough wealth to police the entire world must go. Taxes will need to be raised.
And it won't be done with a partisan commission, and the idea that you can pitch Alan Simpson and still reach the goal is foolish. We need somebody blunt and willing to offend. In my mind, Alan Simpson has polished his credentials.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Dumb and Dumber
It was not a smart political decision for President Obama to take any position on the building of an Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York City. The only thing dumber is that the Republican party seems intent on making this a campaign issue at the same time we're at war in Afghanistan and Iraq.
We are in the Middle East, trying to persuade people that when we bring in the army, we're fighting for their rights to a good life, free of oppression, and that we feel strongly that Islam, their religion, is great and worthy.
Then back home, we have one of our two main political parties seizing on the building of a peaceful, welcoming, educational center that Muslims in NYC want to showcase their ability to integrate into American society, and denouncing it as some kind of blasphemy. In so doing, making it clear that for Republicans, Muslim and Islamist are the same thing.
In New York City, where an infinitely rich blend of cultures, ethnicities and religions dates back many decades, this kind of islamophobia probably doesn't play well. But Republicans expect it to play well in East Armpit, Louisiana, where their political base lies.
Republicans seem intent on fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan until we've exhausted the last dollar the Chinese will loan us, but if we're going to be serious, it makes no sense to undercut the mission with petty politics.
We are in the Middle East, trying to persuade people that when we bring in the army, we're fighting for their rights to a good life, free of oppression, and that we feel strongly that Islam, their religion, is great and worthy.
Then back home, we have one of our two main political parties seizing on the building of a peaceful, welcoming, educational center that Muslims in NYC want to showcase their ability to integrate into American society, and denouncing it as some kind of blasphemy. In so doing, making it clear that for Republicans, Muslim and Islamist are the same thing.
In New York City, where an infinitely rich blend of cultures, ethnicities and religions dates back many decades, this kind of islamophobia probably doesn't play well. But Republicans expect it to play well in East Armpit, Louisiana, where their political base lies.
Republicans seem intent on fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan until we've exhausted the last dollar the Chinese will loan us, but if we're going to be serious, it makes no sense to undercut the mission with petty politics.
Monday, August 09, 2010
Funny Math
The people who count things for the media are now saying that the Pakistan floods are going to be worse than three previous mega disasters -- two earthquakes and the Indonesia tsunami. Because "more people are affected."
OK, guys, "affected" is open to interpretation. But death is binary. On/off. You're dead or not. And while the death toll in Pakistan is above 1500, the three above mentioned were in the range of half a million stone cold dead. Defunct. Pakistan is a horrible and still unfolding story, but it's not in the same league.
OK, guys, "affected" is open to interpretation. But death is binary. On/off. You're dead or not. And while the death toll in Pakistan is above 1500, the three above mentioned were in the range of half a million stone cold dead. Defunct. Pakistan is a horrible and still unfolding story, but it's not in the same league.
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Of course, whining aside, we should help Pakistan
Not because they will be as grateful as Indians, or that this is a good use relative to other places in the world where there are more appreciative people, but the way to sell this is part of the war on terror. For that, we'll spend a billion dollars a day and not blink.
Things are getting worse and the Pakistanis may be getting a little tired of their government. They may not become cheerleaders for America out of this, but if we donated a bazillion tents, cook stoves, sacks of rice and porta-potties, all marked "Made in USA," it might do us some good, and the billion a day is doing less than nothing, so why not?
Of course, before writing "Made in USA" on the materiel, we would need to scrub off all the "Made in China" markings.
Things are getting worse and the Pakistanis may be getting a little tired of their government. They may not become cheerleaders for America out of this, but if we donated a bazillion tents, cook stoves, sacks of rice and porta-potties, all marked "Made in USA," it might do us some good, and the billion a day is doing less than nothing, so why not?
Of course, before writing "Made in USA" on the materiel, we would need to scrub off all the "Made in China" markings.
Pakistan Needs Our Help, They Tell Us
It seems that Pakistan is going to need billions of dollars to repair damage from the monsoon flooding.
Now if I remember right, Pakistan is the country that helped North Korea get the technology for its nuclear bomb. Its intelligence branch has been helping the Taliban, which just murdered ten people for the crime of helping while Christian.
If we plan to assist Pakistan to boost our image, we should consider the recent past. As the Christian Science Monitor reported, the 2005 earthquake similarly opened an opportunity to boost the US image. Five years later, most Pakistanis view us as an enemy. They'll take our help again, but we aren't going to win any hearts or minds.
In India, a country with a generally positive attitude towards the United States, there are many among the dalits, formerly known as untouchables, who have suffered for a couple thousand years what the Pakistanis are suffering now for a few weeks. Bill Gates has recognize this and has started to help. Our money would earn us a lot more return if we spent it in India.
Now if I remember right, Pakistan is the country that helped North Korea get the technology for its nuclear bomb. Its intelligence branch has been helping the Taliban, which just murdered ten people for the crime of helping while Christian.
If we plan to assist Pakistan to boost our image, we should consider the recent past. As the Christian Science Monitor reported, the 2005 earthquake similarly opened an opportunity to boost the US image. Five years later, most Pakistanis view us as an enemy. They'll take our help again, but we aren't going to win any hearts or minds.
In India, a country with a generally positive attitude towards the United States, there are many among the dalits, formerly known as untouchables, who have suffered for a couple thousand years what the Pakistanis are suffering now for a few weeks. Bill Gates has recognize this and has started to help. Our money would earn us a lot more return if we spent it in India.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Rush Limbaugh on Sherrod -- No Surprise
It's odd the people are showing shock and surprise at Rush Limbaugh for his goal line stand on the Sherrod fiasco. Limbaugh is a very rich man, who has built his fortune on his ability to present the world to a significant segment of the population in a manner that they support.
He's a successful businessman and his expressed opinions are his product. Whether they are genuine opinions, or whether they make sense, is as irrelevant as whether Lindsay Lohan thinks she should go to jail. He says what his rabble wants to hear and gets well paid for doing so. End of story.
He's a successful businessman and his expressed opinions are his product. Whether they are genuine opinions, or whether they make sense, is as irrelevant as whether Lindsay Lohan thinks she should go to jail. He says what his rabble wants to hear and gets well paid for doing so. End of story.
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Paul Krugman versus reality
Krugman believes that without government opening the spigots of borrowed cash to solve our current economic problem, we're doomed to sink further. The Europeans, he assures us, have it all wrong. Gonna tank over across the Atlantic.
Despite his advice, the Europeans are showing signs of discipline in government spending. They are taking deficits seriously. Nevertheless, or in consequence depending on what you believe, the euro zone is showing signs of life, while the American economy, having "benefited" from trillions of deficit spending, remains in the doldrums.
How inconvenient!
Despite his advice, the Europeans are showing signs of discipline in government spending. They are taking deficits seriously. Nevertheless, or in consequence depending on what you believe, the euro zone is showing signs of life, while the American economy, having "benefited" from trillions of deficit spending, remains in the doldrums.
How inconvenient!
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Why the Washington Post is still needed
If we saw anything from the Shirley Sherrod incident, it's the danger of allowing people who don't understand fact checking to lead national opinion. Bloggers have their role, which is to stir things up, but when the NAACP and the USDA take as gospel their "investigation" of something, and act immediately, we get what we have just got. Those people who were genuinely snookered will now be backing up, and claiming that it wasn't their fault. People like Fox News will be making excuses like they had nothing to do with it.
The truth is that the blogosphere has scared everybody in power to the degree that they feel obligated to respond quickly. This is what the social media people tell companies. When criticized in the evening, have a response on Facebook by midnight. Don't wait until the morning.
Responsible journalism, as practiced still by the Washington Post and some others, checks facts and gets as full a story as possible, or at least indicates that all the facts are not yet in. If they go down and we're left with the raving lunatics of the Internet, God help us.
The truth is that the blogosphere has scared everybody in power to the degree that they feel obligated to respond quickly. This is what the social media people tell companies. When criticized in the evening, have a response on Facebook by midnight. Don't wait until the morning.
Responsible journalism, as practiced still by the Washington Post and some others, checks facts and gets as full a story as possible, or at least indicates that all the facts are not yet in. If they go down and we're left with the raving lunatics of the Internet, God help us.
Reality sets in
In an AP article about how the well is soon to be capped, appeared the following telling items:
News that a solution is near cheered Jeff Hunt who scans the waves daily for telltale tar balls in Pensacola Beach, Fla.
If three months on, people are "scanning" for signs of the oil spill in Pensacola, we can assume that Pensacola isn't going to be much impacted. Things always wash up on beaches. Dead fish, dead birds, dead whales. A few tar balls aren't going to matter much.
The spill hasn't reached the big money beaches of Florida so we can assume that they either won't at all or won't in any material way. The surface of the water around the well is already starting to look better. There are many other seeping wells in the gulf that nobody bothers with because the gulf simply processes the oil.
In six months, except for a few locations, you'll have a hard time finding evidence that this spill ever took place.
News that a solution is near cheered Jeff Hunt who scans the waves daily for telltale tar balls in Pensacola Beach, Fla.
If three months on, people are "scanning" for signs of the oil spill in Pensacola, we can assume that Pensacola isn't going to be much impacted. Things always wash up on beaches. Dead fish, dead birds, dead whales. A few tar balls aren't going to matter much.
The spill hasn't reached the big money beaches of Florida so we can assume that they either won't at all or won't in any material way. The surface of the water around the well is already starting to look better. There are many other seeping wells in the gulf that nobody bothers with because the gulf simply processes the oil.
In six months, except for a few locations, you'll have a hard time finding evidence that this spill ever took place.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Global Warming vs AGW
Eugene Robinson, appearing in today's Register-Guard, considers the debate on global warming to be over. We should now proceed to the debate on how to deal with it. I'd be perfectly happy, except that warmists shut down any discussion of alternatives to their apocalyptic vision.
But leaving that aside, the debate is not really over warming, it's over manmade warming and specifically over the impact of CO2 in the atmosphere. NASA has a Key Climate Indicators site where they should a number of interesting graphs. One of these is temperature. It does in fact show a much steeper rise over the past 30 years than during the 30 that preceded. CO2 is also much higher. This could be taken as an indication of causation.
However, looking somewhat left on the same graph, we find the period 1910 to 1940. Also 30 years, also showing a rise of about .5 C, however without the corresponding CO2 concentrations.
It's probably getting a bit warmer. It has been getting warmer for the past two and a half centuries, since the end of the Little Ice Age. Still farther back in time, it used to be warmer than then and maybe warmer than now. At the point that science can explain why it's now CO2 and not the same factors that have played out before, then maybe the science will be settled. Not before.
But leaving that aside, the debate is not really over warming, it's over manmade warming and specifically over the impact of CO2 in the atmosphere. NASA has a Key Climate Indicators site where they should a number of interesting graphs. One of these is temperature. It does in fact show a much steeper rise over the past 30 years than during the 30 that preceded. CO2 is also much higher. This could be taken as an indication of causation.
However, looking somewhat left on the same graph, we find the period 1910 to 1940. Also 30 years, also showing a rise of about .5 C, however without the corresponding CO2 concentrations.
It's probably getting a bit warmer. It has been getting warmer for the past two and a half centuries, since the end of the Little Ice Age. Still farther back in time, it used to be warmer than then and maybe warmer than now. At the point that science can explain why it's now CO2 and not the same factors that have played out before, then maybe the science will be settled. Not before.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Why liberals should support the Second Amendment
Daily Kos has an article entitled, "Why Liberals Should Love the Second Amendment." Personally, I think this goes a little too far, but a more moderate position would be expect liberals, and most particularly ACLU liberals, to support the Second Amendment, whatever they feel about the NRA.
Back in the 1960's, Lyndon Johnson remarked, with reference to those attacking him from the left of his own party, "I'm the only president you've got." Those were different times and many of us probably would not have eased up, even knowing that it might lead to Richard Nixon.
What the ACLU and its supporters should now recognize is that the first ten amendments are the only Bill of Rights we've got. The horse trading ended two centuries ago. Actually, at that time the First and Second amendments were probably not appealing to separate constuencies as they do now, but no matter. They are both in the Bill of Rights.
For two hundred years, courts have been extending the interpretation of the Constitution from its literal form to adapt to modern realities and modern sensibilities. It's certainly true that the framers of the Constitution did not envision powerful and accurate handguns, or assault rifles beyond what anyone would use to hunt game for the family. But they also did not regard burning a flag as speech.
The problem is that by criticizing an expansive view of the Second Amendment, you call into question the expansive view of the First. Frankly, the Second isn't much of a problem. Gun laws haven't stopped gun violence, or even dented it in places like Chicago.
But actually reining it in would be a problem. I worry much more about my government than about my armed neighbors, and a possibly overwrought interpretation of the Second Amendment isn't going to change my priorities.
Back in the 1960's, Lyndon Johnson remarked, with reference to those attacking him from the left of his own party, "I'm the only president you've got." Those were different times and many of us probably would not have eased up, even knowing that it might lead to Richard Nixon.
What the ACLU and its supporters should now recognize is that the first ten amendments are the only Bill of Rights we've got. The horse trading ended two centuries ago. Actually, at that time the First and Second amendments were probably not appealing to separate constuencies as they do now, but no matter. They are both in the Bill of Rights.
For two hundred years, courts have been extending the interpretation of the Constitution from its literal form to adapt to modern realities and modern sensibilities. It's certainly true that the framers of the Constitution did not envision powerful and accurate handguns, or assault rifles beyond what anyone would use to hunt game for the family. But they also did not regard burning a flag as speech.
The problem is that by criticizing an expansive view of the Second Amendment, you call into question the expansive view of the First. Frankly, the Second isn't much of a problem. Gun laws haven't stopped gun violence, or even dented it in places like Chicago.
But actually reining it in would be a problem. I worry much more about my government than about my armed neighbors, and a possibly overwrought interpretation of the Second Amendment isn't going to change my priorities.
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
Dog Bites Man Again
It seems to be news that the Afghan government won't allow prosecutions of corrupt government officials. It also seems to be news that the powerful people behind the "government" of Haiti are more concerned with further enrichment than rebuilding Port-au-Prince.
This isn't news. These are not governments in the sense we know them, organizations of people working generally for the betterment of the population. The "governments" of Afghanistan and Haiti, and many others throughout the world, are essentially criminal in nature and exist for the exploitation of the citizenry.
There isn't anyone who can fix Haiti. And nobody can fix Afghanistan except the Taliban. Oops, we're fighting the Taliban while insisting that Afghanistan be fixed. Just a small logical dilemma.
This isn't news. These are not governments in the sense we know them, organizations of people working generally for the betterment of the population. The "governments" of Afghanistan and Haiti, and many others throughout the world, are essentially criminal in nature and exist for the exploitation of the citizenry.
There isn't anyone who can fix Haiti. And nobody can fix Afghanistan except the Taliban. Oops, we're fighting the Taliban while insisting that Afghanistan be fixed. Just a small logical dilemma.
Monday, July 05, 2010
The third world is looking robust
In two articles I've just read, Southeast Asia and Turkey seem to be booming while the United States and Europe are in the doldrums. To quote part of the article on Turkey:
So complete has this evolution been that Turkey is now closer to fulfilling the criteria for adopting the euro — if it ever does get into the European Union — than most of the troubled economies already in the euro zone.
The comfortable feeling that we know how to do things and everybody else needs to learn from us may have been true. Fortunately or unfortunately, they appear to have learned what they need.
So complete has this evolution been that Turkey is now closer to fulfilling the criteria for adopting the euro — if it ever does get into the European Union — than most of the troubled economies already in the euro zone.
The comfortable feeling that we know how to do things and everybody else needs to learn from us may have been true. Fortunately or unfortunately, they appear to have learned what they need.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Maybe this time, word will get around
An Associated Press writer reports from the congo:
At the time, Jackson Ndengwa, 15, was inside one of the makeshift halls to watch one of his favorite teams, Ghana, play Uruguay.
"The hall was full of people," he said from his hospital bed in the lakeside town of Uvira, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) to the south. "We never expected that there could be a fire like this."
At first, I assumed it was a sudden event that nobody could escape. Now it turns out that the tanker was leaking for an hour and the UN folks were trying to get everyone out of the area because of the danger.
Instead, they wanted to watch the World Cup.
At the time, Jackson Ndengwa, 15, was inside one of the makeshift halls to watch one of his favorite teams, Ghana, play Uruguay.
"The hall was full of people," he said from his hospital bed in the lakeside town of Uvira, about 20 miles (30 kilometers) to the south. "We never expected that there could be a fire like this."
At first, I assumed it was a sudden event that nobody could escape. Now it turns out that the tanker was leaking for an hour and the UN folks were trying to get everyone out of the area because of the danger.
Instead, they wanted to watch the World Cup.
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