Oil Strip

Warning: Not Office Safe!

Maybe this will get their attention...

Don't be fueled...

Summer gas prices are down - falling below $4/gallon for the first time in months at many local stations.

This does not mean we are not still in a peak oil situation. It just means we are using less gas and diesel, and the laws of supply and demand are still in play. Simple economics.

Keep using less, and the prices will stay low. Go back to burning fuel like there is no tomorrow, and it will go up again.

The Price of Rice

Food prices are going up, in step with the rising prices of fossil fuels. This is not due to any shortage, but is tied to the overall economic situation worldwide.

This has been predicted by many experts for many years. It will get worse.

Maybe not the end o/t world, but the end o/t world as we know it.

Believe us yet? Stay tuned.

Bio-Fuel FTL

The two biggest problems currently facing humanity are Peak Oil and the Climate Crisis.

These problems would appear to have a similar solution: stop burning fuel.

It doesn't get much simpler than that, right?

There are ways to do that, like investing in solar and wind power, and drive electric cars.

Some people think that bio-diesel and ethanol, used as fuels to replace petroleum-based fuels, are viable solutions as well. Not so.

Millions of acres of rain forest are being cut down to make room for palm-oil and soy bean plantations - to make bio-diesel and ethanol for fuel. But, since we need the rain forests for their photosynthesis (CO2 -> O2), destroying them just makes things worse.

And, in the end, you are still burning fuel that produces carbon dioxide.

Hydrogen Fuel Cells are another power source being proposed. This is great, as long as you don't make the hydrogen out of petro-chemicals, which makes more carbon dioxide during processing. In any case, hydrogen is considered an energy carrier, rather than an energy source, because it requires energy from other sources to produce it. You might as well be running on batteries.

Which brings us to electric cars. Check out these manufacturers:

http://www.teslamotors.com/
http://www.zapworld.com/

and, of course:

http://www.chevrolet.com/electriccar/

Order yours today.

Blame Peak Oil

Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, I have been wondering why. What are we doing there? Osama was not in Iraq, nor was Al-Qaeda. The inspectors never found any WMDs.

The continued occupation of Iraq is costing us a lot of money, but it looks like we have no plans to leave. Ever.

Why?

I went looking deeper for the answer, but nothing made any sense. Bush might be an idiot, but you don't commit the resources of the most powerful nation on the planet without a good reason, or nobody would go along with it.

I looked at the background of the President and Vice President, reading about their ties to the oil industry. Was it really all about the oil?

The answer I found was: Yes. Yes, it is all about the oil.

First, a little research. Check out these sites:
http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/
http://www.theoildrum.com/
http://www.oilcrisis.com/
http://www.powerswitch.org.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubbert_peak

That should be enough to get you started, anyway...

The oil companies are aware of the problem, which means Bush and Cheney are aware of the problem of Peak Oil. They are lying about the reasons for the war because they don't want anyone to know the real reason.

The problem is that oil production is maxed out, and has already begun to diminish. All the cheap oil is already gone, and what is left is harder to reach or harder to refine. In other words, it will get more expensive. Many experts are predicting that there will be a fight for the remaining oil reserves, largely focused on the middle east.

The plan of the Bush administration, and the reason for the war, was to establish control over the middle east before the problem becomes obvious. They intend to control the oil until the last drop is gone. By whatever force is necessary. Whatever it takes.

They could have been using our nation's resources to find alternative energy sources, find a way to ease us out of our oil dependence. If we have enough of a head start we could change over to electric cars, solar and wind power, alternative fuels... We might have had a chance to get through this with our economy intact.

But that is not going to happen. It was never about doing what was best for the country. For the people. It was all about securing the incomes of the most powerful corporations in the world - the oil companies - for just a few more years. Eventually the oil will be gone, but by then the current CEO's will all be retired.

It was all about the oil. Still is.

For all Bush and Cheney care, the rest of us can GO TO HELL.

How badly have they screwed us? We have the largest national debt in history. The American dollar has become worth less than the Canadian dollar for the first time in about 40 years. Gas prices continue to rise. Global warming has finally been recognized as a serious problem, but the United States is still doing nothing about it.

And more American soldiers are dying in Iraq. Not for our freedom. Not to make America safer. But for the OIL.

And they will get away with it, because we will let them. They will leave office in 2009 and retire to their fortified mansions, secure with their oil company incomes. Mission Accomplished.

Got Gas? (Part 2)

Just in time for Veteran's Day, gasoline prices have again risen above $3.00/gallon.

As usual, prices in Bellingham are higher than most other places.

Some people see this as a sign of impending doom.

Some see it as a blessing.

I think we need more research on the subject. Stay tuned.

Civilized Behavior 101

One of the fallacies of "Political Correctness" is that all cultural traditions and religious practices should be respected, regardless of what we think of them.

That's fine for the most part. I really don't care what you sing or dance or pierce yourselves with (though, frankly, looking at facial piercings makes me nauseous).

But, religious advocation of spousal abuse is just barbaric, and is not even supported by all Islamic scholars. Christian men have tried using certain passages of the Bible to support wife beating for many years, but today it is generally seen as bad behavior. Barbaric, indeed.

Killing dolphins, likewise, is a traditional practice that should today be considered barbaric. The fact that the Bush administration doesn't support marine mammal protection, I think, further supports my statement.

And, in the light of recent studies concerning the global climate, I would like to nominate the driving of most Sport Utility Vehicles as being barbaric and uncivilized. Bigger is not always better.

Finally, please cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze. Spreading disease is barbaric.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled war.

Got gas?

The Memorial Day weekend is coming up, and the annual raising of the price of gasoline has begun. Has it ever! Here in Bellingham, prices are higher than the national average.

Congress has finally taken notice of the situation, and some steps are being attempted.

I will be posting a special message when the local price exceeds $4.00/gallon.

Gas Attack

Have you seen the price of gasoline lately? I know where you can buy whole milk for less than that. Now I just need to find a car that will run on milk.

Supply and Demand, people. Because there are so freaking many of you driving V-8 SUVs and beefy pickup trucks, the demand is higher than ever, and the price goes up.

I can also blame the airline industry, or the trucks that carry our goods on the freeway, or even the freight trains that move cargo across the country. But, honestly, there are a lot more of us than there are of them.

Fine. Drive what you like. Just stop bitching about the price of gas as long as you insist on driving a vehicle that gets less than 30 miles a gallon - and driving it more than 10 miles an hour over the speed limit - driving slower also saves gas.

Me? I'm buying a Honda Civic. And I drive like an old lady.

Because I care.