Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but don't can't the rest of the world get away with doing a little less driving than us? Walking myself to school every morning would take at least an hour, and that's one of the nearer places I go. Public transportation where I live is near useless, and doesn't even extend out into the county. Plus there are neighborhoods where I just won't stand out on a street corner waiting for a bus after midnight. I would like to make it home intact. If I need to take anything with me, a vehicle is the only way to haul it. Basically, I have no way to get where I need to be without my car. My impression was that in Europe (at least) walking and public transportation are actually options.Bad Brains said:
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just paid $3.85 a gallon
- Thread starter Muzique Fann
- Start date
I predict that the US oil companies will report record profits for this quarter. And then drop the prices to stop the complaints like they've done many times before.mike_v_s said:
JansenW said:I predict that the US oil companies will report record profits for this quarter. And then drop the prices to stop the complaints like they've done many times before.
I'm going to reevaluate my IRA and 401K portfolios and slant them towards energy funds... then I'll be a part of "Big Oil" and I'll profit from them as well! Bwahh ha ha ha haaaa!
And I predict the public will continue to take it in the ass like we have every summer the prices spiked without any attempt to curb our use. Not satisfied with a product? Stop using it.JansenW said:I predict that the US oil companies will report record profits for this quarter. And then drop the prices to stop the complaints like they've done many times before.
It's more complicated than that....but eveyone loves to complain while they continue to pump gas. Personally, if I hated an industry that much, I'd do everything I could to hit them in the pocketbook out of spite.
I'm not happy about the increases, but my company indirectly may profit from the domestic oil companies (read: companies you have never heard of) that can now afford to drill....and my job is that much more secure if and when those contract come my way.
Mike
In the news yeaterday they said that the price on gass here in Norway could hit about 9,75$ pr gallon before the summer. At the monent it's about 7,8$ pr gallon.
Muzique Fann said:
I've been paying over four dollars a gallon for many years.... what's the big deal?
joninjapan said:I've been paying over four dollars a gallon for many years.... what's the big deal?
Just curious.....what's the average wage there?
OAN......My band is an hour away from me.......practice and gigs. Has me thinking of finding something closer.
lemur821 said:
I often bike to friends for 30 minutes, instead of begging off transportation. 30 minutes of bike is easily an hour walk, if not more. Public transportation here isn't free, it costs you, again, that's why I take the bycycle. Also, here in Antwerp, the last bus is at 23.30, so again, public transportation isn't always an option for late night parties.
I often think the problem is more in your collective heads than in the so called long distances. An hour walk isn't that long if you take a bike. It's 20 minutes tops by bike.
Flanders is a small area, but countries like France and Germany are almost the same size as an average american state, and yet these people still pay double.
Sure, biking is a part-time solution. I'm thinking about biking to school, although some days I have too much stuff. Still, there's no way I'll manage to bike myself, a french horn, and my little brother to our orchestra rehearsals (too far, too much stuff). I'm not even going to think about biking up into the ghetto to visit my friends (too far, too dangerous). I think I'm going to start playing with some guys who live way far away, and biking myself and me gear that distance and back would be an all day project. I also can't carry a passenger on a bike too well. Much of the time my schedule is so tight that I can barely make it where I need to be by car, even on the highway. If I took regular streets the time would be ridiculous.Vorago said:
I think you underestimate the level of sprawl in many American cities. I may be underestimating the amount of driving the rest of the world has to do, but I do know that driving is my only option much of the time. I could remove maybe three or four round trips a week if I biked.
lemur821 said:
Sometimes they are, but in my area public transport pretty much sucks. We're in a pretty rural area with lots of little villages spread about and buses anywhere from once an hour (not too bad) to twice a week!! Don't even get me started on the trains...surely the UK train service has to be the worst in the world?
When gas gets this high, I change my driving habits slightly and get about 60 more miles to the tank fill. From something I heard or read on public radio, I:
1) drive 65 instead of 70 on the way to work;
2) take my foot off the gas pedal well in advance of stopping and try to glide to a stop with minimal braking when I can;
3) start more gently from a stopped position.
As a result of these 3 simple things, I am able to save 4-5 miles per gallon which to me is amazing. I have a computer guage on my Nisaan that monitors my MPG. While normally I get 22-24 miles per gallon before the next fill up, I am able to get up to 26-28 mpg using these techniques. With my 17gal tank, that's conservatively about 60 miles per tank, or 3 more trips to work and back.
1) drive 65 instead of 70 on the way to work;
2) take my foot off the gas pedal well in advance of stopping and try to glide to a stop with minimal braking when I can;
3) start more gently from a stopped position.
As a result of these 3 simple things, I am able to save 4-5 miles per gallon which to me is amazing. I have a computer guage on my Nisaan that monitors my MPG. While normally I get 22-24 miles per gallon before the next fill up, I am able to get up to 26-28 mpg using these techniques. With my 17gal tank, that's conservatively about 60 miles per tank, or 3 more trips to work and back.
$3.09 & up here in SE VA.
Funny...our wages are below the Natiuonal average, gas prices are 0.30+ above National average.
The real crunch here is actually being able to find a station that hasn't run its tanks down...SUPPOSEDLY, these stations need to run their tanks down to nuthin in order to re-stock them with this new(& even more expensive) Ethanol-blend.
SUPPOSEDLY, there's a problem with a gas leak or sumthin at the refinery nearest to us...just heard a talking head/bum on FNC predict $5+ per gallon by Summer.
Funny...our wages are below the Natiuonal average, gas prices are 0.30+ above National average.
The real crunch here is actually being able to find a station that hasn't run its tanks down...SUPPOSEDLY, these stations need to run their tanks down to nuthin in order to re-stock them with this new(& even more expensive) Ethanol-blend.
SUPPOSEDLY, there's a problem with a gas leak or sumthin at the refinery nearest to us...just heard a talking head/bum on FNC predict $5+ per gallon by Summer.
I would say we're all satisfied with the product...but where is the alternative?mike_v_s said:
(True, we didn't learn the lessons from the '70s).
I say the demand for gas is inelastic...they have a monopoly; there was a time when the big oil companies were regulated...that may need to be re-visited.
No argument there....but my point was that there are a multitude of ways to help yourself out if the pinch gets too tight. Not to mention the fact that a hit in the pocket book is the only thing that a larger company is going to really be concerned about.JimK said:
The guy above suggested a reduction in speed and a few other minor tips to save on gas. All good ideas. I cancelled a trip this weekend. I'll be walking to the guitar shop Saturday instead of driving. Right or wrong, ethical or not, prices will go up. I could put on a sign and stand on the corner all day yelling about the injustice, or I can do everything in my power to deny the profit to that company.
Mike
JimK said:
JimK, this isn't directed at you, I'm just riffing off what you wrote.
What about regulating the fed's rampant and irresponsible defecit spending that's drastically devalued the dollar? That's a big reason why gas seems more expensive - the US dollar, which is what oil is mostly traded in, is not so desireable after losing about 40% of its value against almost all other major currencies in the past 5 years alone. To make up for that, the price of gas would have to almost double in that time for the foreign oil producers to make up for that currency difference.
Now they're starting to trade it in Euros and even Gold, which I've long predicted, and that could knock the US Dollar down even further.
Alternatives? How about simple hedging? A typical household knows what they'll spend in an average year in transportation costs, including fuel. Invest accordingly in good gas/oil stocks, I've long recommended Suncor (SU.to) and Sassol (SSL) in these threads - [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] Then if prices go up, you spend more at the pump but you make it back and then some on your stocks. If the prices go down, you lose on your stocks perhaps but you still come out even.
Bonus - since Canada alternates with Mexico as the biggest provider of oil/gas to the US, buying the Canadian stocks also gives you a currency hedge against the falling US Dollar, so that a stock like Suncor not only went up 5x in the past five years in CDN Dollars, but when you factor the US Dollar dropping 40% against the CDN dollar over that time then it'd be the equivalent of it going up almost 10x in five years. Certainly the price of gas hasn't gone up 10x, 5x, or even 2x in the past five years so you'd come out way ahead.
It isn't theory and it isn't complicated (though it may sound like it above but I can explain further if anyone cares). For me, the more oil & gas go up the cheaper it gets to drive - in fact I made enough off owning oil & gas today alone to drive for the next several years at current prices (for those who don't know, oil hit a nominal all-time high of over $75 USD today, and I say nominal 'cause a dollar ain't worth what it used to be and we still have a long way to go before reaching the real all-time highs but we will soon enough).
Anyone can do it, but they have to think ahead. Can't afford stocks? Well, maybe that $2000 spent on a bigger screen tv could have been invested or perhaps that money spent on that 4th bass or 2nd rig. Everyone can be more frugal, even if only saving cash for future costs going up without even thinking of investing to hedge against them.
So, I guess I'm saying that personal responsiblity is the alternative, rather than complaining or conspiracy theories. Federal responsiblity is the alternative. Pushing for responsible fiscal policy and nuclear power (the fuel for which comes from friendly nations and it doesn't pollute), better city and transit planning, you name it.
I hope no one takes offense to this, it is meant to offer solutions that the media and the people busy panicing never think of. Cushy as our modern lives are, it's still about survival and making ends meet and I don't think the vast majority of households take that seriously enough.
Oil/gas will get *much* more expensive. Today's prices will seem like a fairy tale soon. Gotta do something about it. Start with some reading on "Peak Oil", check out some recent charts of the US Dollar and trade defecit, and go from there. Works for me and it can work for you.
Keep in mind it isn't just driving that's the problem. It's mass consumerism.
All those DVDs of schlockbusters, all those CDs, all those big screen TVs, amplifiers, and all those credit cards used to pay for it, are all made mostly of petrochemicals.
XO-Bionic said:
How much oil and coal, etc. does it take to make biodiesel and E85 ?
In the case of most, if not all, viable alternatives a gallon of "bio"fuel costs more pollution in its production and use than a gallon of regular fuel.
I'm not sure of regular diesel, but I'll bet it's true in that case too. I'd appreciate knowing if it's not.
Yet another bummer courtesy of me.
Petebass said:
You'll pollute less, but the car will cost you far more in the end than putting regular gas into a regular car.
1. the batteries, and the cars themselves, are only made to last about 8 years, an then if you're to replace the battery it'll cost you another $5000 or so (US Dollars).
2. the hybrids initially cost about $8000++ than a comperable non-hybrid model and, if we're talking Hondas, will last you about half as long and have effectively zero resale value after only about 5 years since ... see point #1.
Link Removed
"Owners of 'environmentally friendly' hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight may be hit with a bill for up to $7000 when their car's battery dies less than eight years after purchase. The battery unit, which has a lifespan of 8-10 years -- shorter in hotter climates like Australia -- cannot be reconditioned. It must be thrown out and replaced with a new one, at considerable cost to the owner. "
"Toyota's manager of alternative fuels and specialized vehicles, Vic Johnstone, concedes the batteries, like the car itself, are built to last less than a decade. "The life of the car and the battery are supposed to be the same... around 8 to 10 years," he said."
"...it's hard to see a single financial reason for consumers to buy petrol/electric hybrids."
Ericman197 said:
Excellent point.
Nuclear reactors *only* produce hydrogen as a by-product of their power creation. Since we have no choice but to switch massively to nuclear power in coming years, that could be the source of hydrogen for future hydrogen fuel cells.
New nominal high for oil.
Oil Prices Climb to Record Above $75
Wednesday July 5, 3:50 pm ET
By Brad Foss, AP Business Writer
Oil Prices Jump to Record Above $75 a Barrel on Rally in Gasoline, Geopolitical Tensions
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Oil prices jumped to a record above $75 a barrel on Wednesday, propelled by a rally in gasoline that analysts said could send average U.S. pump prices past $3 a gallon by the weekend.
More : Link Removed
I heard somewhere in California is at $4.25
i thought that was pretty steep
The highest i've paid is $3.09
i thought that was pretty steep
The highest i've paid is $3.09
