O/T What are the real truths? What is happening right under our nose?

[Swingman]

"Fred the Red Shirt" wrote

Starting with Congress first would perhaps provide some incentive ...

[Swingman]

Sorry, Fred ... I thought you said "electrocute".

Still ...

[Robatoy]

[Swingman]

... ya gotta luv it when someone "gets it"!

[Mark & Juanita]

The facts just don't bear you out. Looking at

and breaking down the data into weekly segments for each year, then demeaning the data for each year shows a price band for each year that stays within a band of 80% to 120% of average price for the year. Highest price tends to be about week 22. Biggest "surge" actually occurred in

2005 with prices jumping to 135 percent of yearly average in week 36, a true anomaly compared to the rest of the data. De-meaned weekly relative changes have similar characteristics.

The "surging since September 2007 doesn't match the facts either. Gas prices dropped from June to October, rose slightly from October through December, dropped slightly from December through February 2008 and started rising again through the present. I'll post the spreadsheet on abpww.

I would lay 95% of this at the environmentalist's feet. Please, spare me the idea that if people want fuel we want dirty air.

Any idea why they closed the one in CA?

[Tom Bunetta]

I am amazed that the general run of conversation of this (and the first) thread has been on the oil/fuel situation and not about the atrocities perpetrated on the USA (and the world). The fact every war since the Spanish/American war has been started for the financial gain of the already super rich through false premises! There is so much evidence about Pearl Harbor and 911 in particular that should invoke a grass roots wave of the public demanding an open investigation by non-governmental specialists that are aware and non predjucial. I for one am of the opinion that we need to start with a new system ( the old one has been corrupted to the point of uselessness) Tom

[J. Clarke]

Lemme guess, Pearl Harbor was not attacked by the Japanese but by the Death Star under the command of Darth Stimson.

I agree. The system under which nutcakes were locked up was a much better one.

[Renata]

Interesting charts. What I noticed is that prices seem to reach a high point around Sept., and either hold fairly steady or fall a bit thru about March, when they start on the upswing again. Exceptions are, for example, in 2003, presumably due to the run up to O.I.L. This lines up with the increased demand during summer. However, this past year, prices started rising and continued to do so. Yet, demand is supposedly down.

When was the last time prices rose 100% over the course of a year? Or, so abruptly in a few months?

I see. The dollar dropping 50-60% in value has nothing to do with it, at all, at all? Agitating in the M.E. - nada? Seriously?

No. Heard it on one of the news broadcasts. Caught tail end of story. Haven't been able to find anything about it on google (albeit, a cursory search) so maybe the rest of the story was kinda important.

Renata

[Charlie Self]

In the '50s, unleaded was only available in Amoco stations. It was Amoco's primary selling point.

My '57 Chev 283, dual 4s, Duntov cam, 10.5 CR, had to have Esso Extra even then (my first new car), would probably blow up on today's fuel. Diesel itself to death. I always felt it ran better on the Golden Esso, advertised at 105 octane, but probably not.

[Charlie Self]

Aw, c'mon, Mark. Didn't you hear that Gore put in solar panels on his mansion? Dunno if he did the same on his jet, but...it always strikes me as wonderful how much money these guys make out of telling the rest of us to live frugally, green, and wipe our butts an extra stroke in the process, without wasting paper.

There's a big "Save The Trees" movement against printed junk mail, these days. I don't like junk mail, but I do realize that 90+% of the paper that goes into it, and most other printed material, is specifically planted and nurtured for just that purpose, to make paper. We're not dealing with virgin forests, but, essentially, with cropland.

But, hey, we don't want the natives getting restless. That would be like wondering how Jesse Jackson, a preacher without any church, always manages to make over a quarter million a year.

Many liberal policies make sense, but not even close to all.

[Lew Hodgett]

Is this a reference to the refinery located in Bakersfield, Ca?

It is a small, out of date refinery once owned by Texaco.

If it was ever to become financially competitive, it would require a large infusion of money.

When Shell attempted to close it after they bought Texaco, there was a public out roar.

Shell ultimately sold it to Flying J, which to my knowledge is still operating.

It is common knowledge that Shell is not really interested in the refinery business in California.

Will have to wait and see what happens to the large Texaco/Long Beach refinery Shell now operates.

Texaco was not famous for maintaining their facilities.

Lew

[Tom Bunetta]

by the

watch the movie(s)

[Mark & Juanita]

Oh no, not another truther.

[Doug Winterburn]

Don't tell me someone else took/failed the same metal shop class as Rosie!

[Robatoy]

Oh no...not another proponent of 'eat what's put in front of you'! If you want to swallow whole-hog what this reliable administration has shovelled onto your plate, by all means, have a nice lunch. There is plenty evidence that the Bush administration has lied about a lot of things...as much as any other administration... or more. I think you are being unfair when you expect people to ignore possibilities OTHER than what's being spoon-fed by the administration. It is OK to ask questions. To try to muzzle people who ask questions, will seed the beginnings of yet another dictatorship. Mark, stop trying to muzzle/belittle people who have a legitimate reason to challenge to honesty of the spin doctors from Washington.

The reason the current administration has been able to take away freedoms, at the rate that they have, is because there are too many people like you.

[Dave in Houston]

Oh no...not another proponent of 'eat what's put in front of you'! If you want to swallow whole-hog what this reliable administration has shovelled onto your plate, by all means, have a nice lunch. There is plenty evidence that the Bush administration has lied about a lot of things...as much as any other administration... or more. I think you are being unfair when you expect people to ignore possibilities OTHER than what's being spoon-fed by the administration. It is OK to ask questions. To try to muzzle people who ask questions, will seed the beginnings of yet another dictatorship. Mark, stop trying to muzzle/belittle people who have a legitimate reason to challenge to honesty of the spin doctors from Washington.

The reason the current administration has been able to take away freedoms, at the rate that they have, is because there are too many people like you.

NO, NO, NO. Here's the REAL reason; this just sent to me tonight.

up on food and ammo! Or, it could be Les is just selling his book.

Dave in Houston

[Mark & Juanita]

Huh? First of all, how in the world is simply pointing out stupidity trying to muzzle someone? Belittle? I'm sorry, you may have some complaints about the current administration and its policies -- that's part of living in a free society -- but if you actually believe that the current administration actually engineered and carried out the 9/11 attacks, in the process killing almost 3000 people and destroying the twin towers, you deserve nothing *but* ridicule. The whole concept is absolutely absurd and deserves nothing but derision and laughter. Too much effort to debunk this laughable conspiracy theory has already been expended, continuing to expend more effort when someone comes up with yet another "but what about... did you consider ... " comment to further dig in is just not worth it.

Please enumerate the freedoms that *you* personally have lost from this current administration. Aside from the laughable and irritating TSA nonsense (that was mostly pushed by congress critters).

Now, contrast that with the real losses in freedoms that have been pushed by regulators in pursuit of stopping global warming or advancing other such agendas.

[Hank]

"Dave in Houston" wrote in news:SXjRj.717$ [e-mail]:

Oviously not you. $.79 a gallon, 1979?, Must have been Cheney. It's really sad that we pay less than half per gallon than most of the world (although recently I think we are paying more than half). I don't think Hallburton is into oil. They may transport it though.

Hank

Lets kill the rich, then we can work for the poor.

[Mark & Juanita]

Ummm, have you checked Exxon's latest quarterly profit? [hint: it wasn't up] From Forbe's.com: "The latest results fell short of the record $11.7 billion in earnings Exxon Mobil reported in the fourth quarter of 2007." Earnings for the first quarter were $10.9 billion.

[Hank]

Renata wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Glad I'm not in Butte Montana with those fluctuating prices now. Beer was pretty expensive there too (other than BUDMILLERCOORSMOLSON). I worked there for a bit and really enjoyed it. Met really good people. Sang a bit, danced a bit, drank alot and incline ramped my head off. Ah pre- retirement. Screw the fluctuating prices, I'd go back in a New York minute.