^Photoshopped or reality somewhere?

 

EDIT: Nevermind!

 

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20080620/NEWS01/306200025/

Drivers cut back by 30B miles

 

By Larry Copeland and Paul Overberg, USA TODAY

 

 

Americans drove 22 billion fewer miles from November through April than during the same period in 2006-07, the biggest such drop since the Iranian revolution led to gasoline supply shortages in 1979-80.

 

The numbers released Wednesday may reflect more than a temporary attitude change in consumers toward high gas prices, Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said. Previously, she said, "people might change their pattern for a short period of time, but it almost always bounced back very quickly. We're not seeing that now."

 

More at: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-19-drivingless_N.htm

It's worth a shot...

 

Choir director in Ohio to pray for cheaper gas

 

Posted By:      1 day ago

 

TOLEDO -- Rocky Twyman would disagree with anyone who thinks consumers don't have a prayer against high gasoline prices.

 

© 2008 The Associated Press

 

http://www.wkyc.com/news/watercooler/watercooler_article.aspx?storyid=91888&catid=91

June 21, 2008

Fuel Costs Pinch Cities; Mayors Push Mass Transit

By DAMIEN CAVE

 

MIAMI — Higher fuel prices are forcing cities across the country to cut public services, limit driving by employees and expand public transportation in what has become a sprawling movement to conserve energy.

 

A survey of 132 cities, released Friday here at a meeting of the United States Conference of Mayors, found that 90 percent were altering operations because of fuel costs. Republicans and Democrats from New Jersey to Hawaii are essentially becoming energy-pinching nags.

 

More at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/21/us/21mayors.html?_r=1&ref=us&oref=slogin

KOOW, that was beautiful. I see you found that "ad" at Salon.com. Awesome. Just awesome.

 

(edited to fix lack of quoting -- reply to #763:)

 

Edmund Burke seems to disagree.

 

Just curious if you ever read anything with an opposing viewpoint.

 

It's extremely difficult to live in the United States and not hear anything but the opposing viewpoint. Watch television, read the newspapers, browse the Internet. The oppressive group-think is overbearing, to the point that I'm concerned that Americans have become a bunch of zombies who have become programmed to buy as much crap as they can afford, and even buy lots of things they can't.

 

And Edmund Burke doesn't apply to my consideration of history in this regard. Rather, I prefer to quote Winston Churchill (though I believe the quote is older), that the generals are always fighting the current war in the way the last one was fought. In this energy crisis, we are fighting it the same way we fought the energy crises of the 1970s. But those were geopolitical in nature. This time it's geological. No measure of political pandering, or saber-rattling or negotiations or even drilling can stop this energy crisis. The only way you can stop a geologically induced energy crisis is to use less oil than what's available for production. And if oil is depleting, which it soon will be if it hasn't already, then we have to reduce our consumption faster than oil production is declining.

 

KJP,

 

Your comments remind me of an old high school Spanish teacher I once had.  With righteous indignation, he informed the class that we've "been told" that the Spanish conquistadors were bold and brave explorers, but he wanted us to know that they were a "bunch of S.O.B.s!"

 

Of course, every teacher I had since, oh, fourth grade, had said pretty much exactly the same thing as my Spanish teacher.  Perhaps my classmates really were told something different (I doubt it), but I find it tedious that some people continue to insist their entirely conventional and widely-disseminated viewpoints are somehow being suppressed and drowned out by the ignorant masses.

 

It might surprise you to know that I've actually read several books on New Urbanism (James Howard Kunstler, of course, as well as Andres Duany & Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk).  I've also read Robert Bruegmann's book on sprawl and a number of articles by Joel Kotkin.  I do find some of the New Urbanist ideas attractive (I live a half hour from the Kentlands in Montgomery County, MD), but am generally turned off by the second-rate sociology (especially by JHK) and claims of the alleged alienation, cultural and moral impoverishment of suburban dwellers, claims supported by assertions but not evidence. 

 

It may be true that "peak oil" is upon us, and that may very well "change everything," but there is a long history of very smart, intelligent people making all sorts of apocalyptic predictions about population and resource availability (see Ehrlich, Paul and his supporters) that turned out to be not only wrong, but spectacularly so.  No one is immune to group think (especially those who loudly proclaim otherwise).  I do take the energy situation seriously (why aren't we discussing nuclear?).  Given history, I also try to be respectful of other people's opinions and maintain some humility.

 

 

I will reply at the peak oil forum. This thread is for discussing the micro impacts on high fuel prices.

Wow, with all this talk about how cities are having to pay more to power their vehicles, I realized that the "residency" rule is in employees their favor now. 

 

Cleveland residents have multiple transportation options compared to some people who live in on suburb and work in another.

Wouldn't put the residency issue in Cleveland's favor, rather than in the employees? Regardless, that's a matter for the courts, not the oil markets.

Oh man, not even two years ago.  NOT EVEN TWO YEARS AGO!!!!

 

http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/oil-prices/crude-oil-resumes-fall-gas-under-2-in-some-locations/

Monday, June 23, 2008 - 12:08 PM EDT

Retail survey: High gas prices cutting into July 4 spending plans

Business First of Columbus

 

Consumers are beginning to think twice about their July 4 plans, according to a new survey by the National Retail Federation.

 

The Washington, D.C.-based industry trade group found that almost 60 percent of consumers say increased gas prices will affect their spending for the holiday. A year ago, when per-gallon fuel prices were about $1 cheaper, 42 percent of consumers told the federation the cost of filling up would cut into spending.

 

More at: http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/06/23/daily5.html

Wouldn't put the residency issue in Cleveland's favor, rather than in the employees? Regardless, that's a matter for the courts, not the oil markets.

 

What I mean, is because they (the employees) have to live in Cleveland, they aren't driving as far as their counterparts in the 'burbs and they have more public transportation options.

 

Oh man, not even two years ago. NOT EVEN TWO YEARS AGO!!!!

 

http://www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/oil-prices/crude-oil-resumes-fall-gas-under-2-in-some-locations/

 

Funny thing is, the article was mostly about natural gas prices. Did you notice what the price of natural gas was in September 2006?  $4.89 per MCF.

 

And today? It's $13.20/MCF. You can always park your car, but you have to heat your house,  run your business or power your utility.

 

And, in case you didn't know, natural gas comes from the same fields as oil.

 

And, in case you didn't know, natural gas comes from the same fields as oil.

 

It does? Then how come Russia and its former republics have the largest reserves for natural gas, but not oil? (based on my recollection)

^The stations in KY ALWAYS gouge. Even though their gas taxes are lower thier prices in covington is still higher than in Cincinnati.

^The stations in KY ALWAYS gouge. Even though their gas taxes are lower thier prices in covington is still higher than in Cincinnati.

 

They have a higher tax at the pump.

Obviously with rising prices, hybrids are more popular. David Pogue of the NY Times has written a small blog entry on why he thinks everyone is having so much trouble finding them now....basically they're going to Europe because their currency is worth more.

 

June 11, 2008,  11:40 am

Where Are All Those Priuses?

 

As longtime Pogue’s Posts readers know, I’m a huge Toyota Prius nut. We bought ours in 2004, and have derived ridiculous amounts of pleasure from its 45 m.p.g. average, its high-tech smarts (keep the key in your pocket—it unlocks for you automatically!), its incredible reliability (No. 1 in its category in Consumer Reports) and its roominess for our family of five.

 

 

 

http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/11/where-are-all-those-priuses/

And an old Corolla gets very decent gas mileage.

Decent, gas mileage, but not that of a Prius if you're driving it around the city.  The most interesting aspect of the Prius to me is that it actually gets BETTER gas mileage in city driving than it does in highway driving.

And an old Corolla gets very decent gas mileage.

 

That's the truth. Coolness factor aside, you're still economically better off buying a 4-banger that gets mileage in the high 20's vs the more expensive hybrid that gets in the low to mid 30's.

 

For my next car I may seriously consider the Matrix, as it's got the requisite leg/head room my 6'6 frame needs to be comfortable and decent mileage. I've never owned anything that wasn't American, but meh...with manufacturing locations / material sources so globalized who can even define what an American made car is anymore?

Decent, gas mileage, but not that of a Prius if you're driving it around the city.  The most interesting aspect of the Prius to me is that it actually gets BETTER gas mileage in city driving than it does in highway driving.

 

They still get wicked-good highway; 46mpg and up according to a friend who has one.

 

Then there's this guy:

 

---

 

This Guy Can Get 59 MPG in a Plain Old Accord. Beat That, Punk.

 

News: Drafting 18-wheelers with the engine off, taking death turns at 52 miles an hour, and other lessons learned while riding shotgun with the king of the hypermilers

 

By Dennis Gaffney

January/February 2007 Issue

 

On a midsummer Saturday in a sprawling Wisconsin parking lot, about a dozen people are milling about a candy-apple red Honda Insight. They're watching Wayne Gerdes prepare for his run in Hybridfest's mpg Challenge, a 20-mile race through the streets of Madison. Wayne is the odds-on favorite to win the challenge, in which drivers compete to push the automotive limits not of speed and power—a desire those gathered here consider old-fashioned and wasteful—but for the unsexy title of Most Fuel-Efficient Driver in the World.

 

Wayne is believed to be that driver, but he's nervous, because all day long the hypermilers—the term Wayne invented to describe the band of brothers who push the limits of fuel efficiency—have been getting crazy-high miles-per-gallon readings, as much as 100 mpg...

 

 

Continued...http://www.motherjones.com/news/feature/2007/01/king_of_the_hypermilers.html

 

And of course, the WIKI version: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypermiler

Yes, but what he does is not only dangerous, but illegal in some states. Hypermiling includes--

 

1. Taking curves at dangerous speeds so as to not use the brake.

2. Turning off the engine while coasting down a hill -- resulting in no power brakes (they go out after one or two pumps) and no power steering. Some other safety functions may also be disabled. This is illegal in some states.

3. Restarting car in motion in neutral, which results in more wear/tear on the transmission.

4. Rolling stops (illegal in ALL states).

5. Coasting to all events results in you congesting traffic.

Yes, but what he does is not only dangerous, but illegal in some states. Hypermiling includes--

 

1. Taking curves at dangerous speeds so as to not use the brake

...

3. Restarting car in motion in neutral, which results in more wear/tear on the transmission.

...

Sounds like "the Darwin Award" material.  Now the RWers have another reason to make fun of "environmentalists".

 

Seriously, (1) means turning into blind spots without looking for pedestrians, animals, or cyclists.  That is antisocial behaviour.

 

How do you mean with (3)? Using the starter motor or  popping the clutch to restart the engine??

Sounds like "the Darwin Award" material.  Now the RWers have another reason to make fun of "environmentalists".

 

 

As if we needed more reasons!

And an old Corolla gets very decent gas mileage.

 

That's the truth. Coolness factor aside, you're still economically better off buying a 4-banger that gets mileage in the high 20's vs the more expensive hybrid that gets in the low to mid 30's.

 

For my next car I may seriously consider the Matrix, as it's got the requisite leg/head room my 6'6 frame needs to be comfortable and decent mileage. I've never owned anything that wasn't American, but meh...with manufacturing locations / material sources so globalized who can even define what an American made car is anymore?

The Pontiac Vibe is the same as a Matrix, but assembled in CA by GM.  Nice car.  I just finished driving a 1990 Corolla for years, and it consistently got 34MPG.  The Vibe is just under 30MPG.

And an old Corolla gets very decent gas mileage.

 

That's the truth. Coolness factor aside, you're still economically better off buying a 4-banger that gets mileage in the high 20's vs the more expensive hybrid that gets in the low to mid 30's.

 

For my next car I may seriously consider the Matrix, as it's got the requisite leg/head room my 6'6 frame needs to be comfortable and decent mileage. I've never owned anything that wasn't American, but meh...with manufacturing locations / material sources so globalized who can even define what an American made car is anymore?

The Pontiac Vibe is the same as a Matrix, but assembled in CA by GM. Nice car. I just finished driving a 1990 Corolla for years, and it consistently got 34MPG. The Vibe is just under 30MPG.

 

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Keep in mind that this doesn't account for parking costs, which are deducted separately as part of business travel. So, according to the IRS, the following commutes by car cost an average of:

 

> Sharonville to downtown Cincinnati = $8.19 each way

 

> Worthington to downtown Columbus = $6.44 each way

 

> Avon Lake to downtown Cleveland = $9.95 each way

 

Here's some intercity trips by car:

 

> Cleveland to Columbus = $78.98 each way

 

> Cincinnati to Columbus = $67.28 each way

 

> Toledo to Cleveland = $64.35 each way

 

> Cleveland to Chicago = $204.75 each way

 

> Cincinnati to Chicago = $181.35 each way

 

> Columbus to Pittsburgh = $108.23 each way

 

Don't you wish we had some of these? ? ? ? ?

 

 

^ Actually that's your deductions. Revenue you don't have to pay taxes on. You still have to pay for the gaas out of pocket. lol Only 8 cents more is an insult to business.

You sort of get it... It's the IRS's latest estimate of the average cost of driving, less parking expenses, for business travel which you can deduct from your personal or corporate income taxes. But the costs are relevant to all driving, regardless of purpose. Parking costs for business travel are deducted separately.

 

See the AAA's estimates of the cost of drivng, with parking expenses (and this was based on the late-2007 cost of gasoline at $2.941 cents per gallon)....

 

http://www.aaaexchange.com/Assets/Files/20084141552360.DrivingCosts2008.pdf

 

EDIT: I just found an article from a Charlotte business news publication which reports that AAA has revised its average cost of driving to 63 cents per mile.

 

    I just got a call from a political telemarketer advocating eliminating the Ohio sales tax on gasoline.

 

 

 

    I just got a call from a political telemarketer advocating eliminating the Ohio sales tax on gasoline.

 

  

 

.....and?  Or are you just going to leave us hanging?

As always, going to the link is better b/c you get the graphics and pics. 

 

Fuel Prices Shift Math for Life in Far Suburbs

 

ELIZABETH, Colo. — Suddenly, the economics of American suburban life are under assault as skyrocketing energy prices inflate the costs of reaching, heating and cooling homes on the distant edges of metropolitan areas.

 

Just off Singing Hills Road, in one of hundreds of two-story homes dotting a former cattle ranch beyond the southern fringes of Denver, Phil Boyle and his family openly wonder if they will have to move close to town to get some relief.

 

Full story at: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/25/business/25exurbs.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=todayspaper&pagewanted=all

 

 

Today, the DOW dropped 350 points on news that GM's stock is at an all-time low; that investment banks as a whole have been downgraded; that OPEC stated oil per barrel will be $170 by the end of summer. And with news like what I am about to post, you can expect the DOW to suffer even more.

 

Oil Shock: Analyst Predicts $7 Gas, “Mass Exodus” of U.S. Cars

By Keith Johnson, Wall-Street Journal Blog, June 26, 2008

 

Oil at $135? That was just the opening skirmish in the “peak oil” wars. The latest smart money? $200 oil in 2010, with gasoline at $7 a gallon. And that is going to turn Americans into car-shunning Europeans once and for all—poor Americans, at least.

 

That’s the latest gloomy forecast from Jeff Rubin at Canadian brokerage CIBC World Markets, who just a few months ago figured $200 oil would be a thing of the distant future—like 2012.

 

Click headline above for more:

Then I'd be investing in bus makers and be ready to start buying the muni bonds that will have to let out to buy the new buses.

Gas prices pinch airfields, marinas along with pilots, boaters

Friday,  June 27, 2008 3:11 AM

By Braden Lammers

 

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

 

Last week, airplane fuel was $5.53 per gallon after taxes at the Fairfield County Airport. That's up from $3.98 at this time last year. Fuel prices have forced some pilots to try to sell their planes.

 

If you think it's costly to hit the road for a weekend of fun, it's even worse for those who prefer the air or water.

 

More at:

http://dispatch.com/live/content/business/stories/2008/06/27/boating_costs.ART_ART_06-27-08_C10_GPAJFU0.html?sid=101

Then I'd be investing in bus makers and be ready to start buying the muni bonds that will have to let out to buy the new buses.

 

I shifted my 401k from stocks to bonds more than a year ago. I also began buying a commodities tracking fund about six months ago. I'm riding this out just fine, thankyouverymuch ;)

Oil Shock: Analyst Predicts $7 Gas, “Mass Exodus” of U.S. Cars

By Keith Johnson, Wall-Street Journal Blog, June 26, 2008

 

From the Globe and Mail article on that story:

“Higher oil prices spell stagflation for the U.S. economy next year, and we have marked down our GDP growth to barely over 1 per cent for 2009,” Mr. Rubin wrote.

 

It's 1975 all over again.  High inflation in the cost of living without the *usual* economic growth that usually drives inflation.

http://columbus.bizjournals.com/columbus/stories/2008/06/30/story2.html

 

Friday, June 27, 2008

Motorists speed to fuel-sipping Civics

Business First of Columbus - by Dan Eaton

 

Don Smith isn't happy about unhappy customers, but in an industry getting clobbered by rising gasoline prices and a slowing economy, the problem he faces is a good one.

 

The general manager of Hugh White Honda in Columbus is running low on Honda Civics and can't keep the Fit subcompact in stock.

 

"I'd be selling 30 or 40 more a month if I had them," he said. "Both new and certified-used are going away immediately."

 

More at link above:

  The reason that you can make a return on your money without doing any actual work is because the economy is expanding. What happens when the economy as a whole is contracting? Peak oil hurts everyone.

 

I understand, but there are areas where you can still make money even in the worst that peak oil can throw at you.... I don't want to dwell on this too much because I think this discussion belongs in the peak oil thread. But there's a couple of them.... fixing up and selling used bicycles, owning productive farmland (especially in the city and where your farm has a retail component), plus if you run a scrap yard that specializes in metals.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-oil28-2008jun28,0,5485259.story

 

From the Los Angeles Times

Envisioning a world of $200-a-barrel oil

As forecasters take that possibility more seriously, they describe fundamental shifts in the way we work, where we live and how we spend our free time.

By Martin Zimmerman : times staff writer

 

June 28, 2008

 

The more expensive oil gets, the more Katherine Carver's life shrinks. She's given up RV trips. She stays home most weekends. She's scrapped her twice-a-month volunteer stint at a Malibu wildlife refuge -- the trek from her home in Palmdale just got too expensive.

 

How much higher would fuel prices have to go before she quit her job? Already, the 170-mile round-trip commute to her job with Los Angeles County Child Support Services in Commerce is costing her close to $1,000 a month -- a fifth of her salary. It's got the 55-year-old thinking about retirement.

 

More at above link:

Energy's easiest fix: Use less

While calls for more oil drilling dominate the headlines, experts say taking simple steps to use less could save twice as much.

By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer

Last Updated: June 30, 2008: 12:34 PM EDT

 

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Want to help the country save a quick million barrels of oil a day? Drive 5% less. Slow down. Inflate your tires.

 

Those three steps would reduce U.S. oil consumption by 1.3 million barrels a day immediately, according to the Alliance to Save Energy, a conservation group running an efficiency campaign backed not only by environmental groups but also the auto and oil industries.

 

Find this article at:

http://money.cnn.com/2008/06/30/news/economy/energy_demand/index.htm?cnn=yes 

 

 

^It seems like most youth cruising in Ohio was shut down by authorities years ago. Circleville, Chillicothe and Portsmouth all used to be jammed with cars on the weekends but are not today.

Who are these dumbasses getting trucks as teenagers?  My first car was a 1980's Toyota, and that's when gas was 80 cents. 

^By selling GRIT.

 

 

 

 

You can still buy GRIT at the Barnes and Noble in Woodmere.  Near Eton Collection.

 

(Every boy needs a helmet and a knife)

^It seems like most youth cruising in Ohio was shut down by authorities years ago. Circleville, Chillicothe and Portsmouth all used to be jammed with cars on the weekends but are not today.

 

Ironton was notorious for this as well. Block after block congested with cars until 2 or 3 AM. Cars blocking the intersections, people disregarding traffic control devices, etc. Police were all but ineffective.

 

Thankfully they have been rid of with the help of the state police.

The more expensive oil gets, the more Katherine Carver's life shrinks. She's given up RV trips. She stays home most weekends. She's scrapped her twice-a-month volunteer stint at a Malibu wildlife refuge -- the trek from her home in Palmdale just got too expensive.

 

How much higher would fuel prices have to go before she quit her job? Already, the 170-mile round-trip commute to her job with Los Angeles County Child Support Services in Commerce is costing her close to $1,000 a month -- a fifth of her salary. It's got the 55-year-old thinking about retirement.

 

Me wonders if she could relocate to a smaller place nearer to her workplace and pay say... $700 more in rent or costs relating to a mortgage and make out, instead of complaining about her obscene commute?

Here's a few worth reading.........

 

 

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-06-30-four-day_N.htm

 

Most state workers in Utah shifting to 4-day week

By Larry Copeland, USA TODAY

 

Utah this summer will become what experts say is the first state to institute a mandatory four-day work week for most state employees, joining local governments across the nation that are altering schedules to save money, energy and resources.

________________

 

 

http://www.truthout.org/article/high-gas-prices-threaten-drain-small-towns-populations

 

High Gas Prices Threaten to Drain Small Towns' Populations

Saturday 28 June 2008

by: Donald Bradley, The Kansas City Star

 

    Leeton, Missouri - In this small town south of Warrensburg, directions usually begin with, "From Casey's, you go ..."

________________

 

 

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200807011244DOWJONESDJONLINE000438_FORTUNE5.htm

 

Ford US Sales Slid 28% In June; SUV Sales Plunge 55%

 

July 01, 2008: 12:44 PM EST

 

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

 

The U.S. auto industry's slide grew worse in June as it reached the midpoint of a dismal year, with collapsing demand for trucks and SUVs leading Ford Motor Co. (F) to post a 28% sales drop.