It's that time of the week again, time for another gas price roundup.
Prices in Athens for 87 octane unleaded gasoline this week are averaging around $3.91/gallon, a full ten cents up from last week. Let's take a quick peak at how other portions of the state and nation are faring:
Akron, Ohio: $3.96/gallon (down $0.01)
Anchorage, Alaska: $4.05/gallon (up $0.06)
Atlanta, Georgia: $3.93/gallon (up $0.10)
Baltimore, Maryland: $3.92/gallon (up $0.10)
Boston, Massachusetts: $3.93/gallon (up $0.12)
Burlington, Vermont: $3.94/gallon (up $0.14)
Charlotte, North Carolina: $3.93/gallon (up $0.10)
Chicago, Illinois: $4.20/gallon (up $0.05)
Cleveland, Ohio: $3.95/gallon (steady)
Dallas, Texas: $3.83/gallon (up $0.07)
Denver, Colorado: $3.86/gallon (up $0.14)
Detroit, Michigan: $4.05/gallon (up $0.09)
Honolulu, Hawaii: $3.97/gallon (up $0.08)
Indianapolis, Indiana: $3.94/gallon (down $0.05)
Las Vegas, Nevada: $3.88/gallon (up $0.14)
Los Angeles, California: $4.11/gallon (up $0.17)
Miami, Florida: $4.01/gallon (up $0.08)
Minneapolis, Minnesota: $3.81/gallon (down $0.04)
New York, New York: $4.19/gallon (Bronx) (up $0.11)
New York, New York: $4.20/gallon (Manhattan) (up $0.12)
Newark, New Jersey: $3.83/gallon (up $0.12)
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: $3.76/gallon (up $0.06)
Phoenix, Arizona: $3.82/gallon (up $0.15)
Sacramento, California: $4.18/gallon (up $0.15)
St Louis, Missouri: $3.77/gallon (down $0.03)
Salt Lake City, Utah: $3.81/gallon (up $0.12)
San Antonio, Texas: $3.80/gallon (up $0.04)
San Francisco, California: $4.21/gallon (up $0.19)
Seattle, Washington: $4.09/gallon (up $0.15)
Washington, DC: $4.03/gallon (up $0.15)
National Average: $3.95/gallon (up $0.13)
All prices are from gasbuddy.com. Neither I nor gasbuddy.com, being a site run on contributions from visitors, is liable for your stupidity. I mean, c'mon. If all the stations in town have been showing around $4.05/gallon and I or gasbuddy shows an average of $3.85, it's probably going to be $4.05/gallon gas for you.
All stunts are performed by poorly professionally trained idiots. Do not attempt at home.
---
Gas prices are up in most locales this week, despite reports coming out that Americans cut back on driving significantly, or as BSB put it: 60 Years of Poor Planning Coming Home to Roost.
-rl
May 29, 2008
May 27, 2008
In memoriam
You gave your lives for us
Protecting the liberties we enjoy
You gave your lives for us
Doing as you were commanded - selflessly
You gave your lives for us
Keeping the shores and borders free
You gave your lives for us
Fighting for causes that we were led to believe
Were holy
Were commanded onto us
But they were commanded by selfish men
Yet you gave your lives through selflessness
You gave your lives for us
From the bushes of Bunker Hill to the streets of Fallujah
You gave your lives for us
In the Ardennes forest and the Vietnamese jungle
Mercy upon you all
May your lives have been for a blessing
For you gave your lives for us.
Protecting the liberties we enjoy
You gave your lives for us
Doing as you were commanded - selflessly
You gave your lives for us
Keeping the shores and borders free
You gave your lives for us
Fighting for causes that we were led to believe
Were holy
Were commanded onto us
But they were commanded by selfish men
Yet you gave your lives through selflessness
You gave your lives for us
From the bushes of Bunker Hill to the streets of Fallujah
You gave your lives for us
In the Ardennes forest and the Vietnamese jungle
Mercy upon you all
May your lives have been for a blessing
For you gave your lives for us.
May 22, 2008
Gas price round-up for today, 5/22
Oil execs were "grilled" on Capitol Hill yesterday by the Senate Judiciary Committee, responding to inquiries from Senators on the nature, causes, and future of the current spike in crude oil and gasoline prices. Whilst our good friends at ExxonMobil et al are lining their pockets with massive ($40 billion, anyone?) profits, I want to take a look at what we're paying nation-wide. Who knows, maybe it'll be a new weekly thing - I don't know...
Prices in Athens for 87 octane unleaded gasoline are averaging around $3.81/gallon. Let's take a quick peak at how other portions of the state and nation are faring:
Akron, Ohio: $3.97/gallon
Anchorage, Alaska: $3.99/gallon
Atlanta, Georgia: $3.83/gallon
Baltimore, Maryland: $3.82/gallon
Boston, Massachusetts: $3.81/gallon
Burlington, Vermont: $3.80/gallon
Charlotte, North Carolina: $3.83/gallon
Chicago, Illinois: $4.15/gallon
Cleveland, Ohio: $3.95/gallon
Dallas, Texas: $3.76/gallon
Denver, Colorado: $3.72/gallon
Detroit, Michigan: $3.96/gallon
Honolulu, Hawaii: $3.89/gallon
Indianapolis, Indiana: $3.99/gallon
Las Vegas, Nevada: $3.74/gallon
Los Angeles, California: $3.94/gallon
Miami, Florida: $3.93/gallon
Minneapolis, Minnesota: $3.85/gallon
New York, New York: $4.08/gallon (Bronx)
New York, New York: $4.08/gallon (Manhattan)
Newark, New Jersey: $3.71/gallon
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: $3.70/gallon
Phoenix, Arizona: $3.67/gallon
Sacramento, California: $4.03/gallon
St Louis, Missouri: $3.80/gallon
Salt Lake City, Utah: $3.69/gallon
San Antonio, Texas: $3.74/gallon
San Francisco, California: $4.02/gallon
Seattle, Washington: $3.94/gallon
Washington, DC: $3.88/gallon
National Average: $3.82/gallon
(All prices from http://www.gasbuddy.com)
---
Arizona has the lowest prices nationally and, not surprisingly, Hawaii averages highest.
Word is that prices are only looking to climb ever higher...
... tighten those belts and lighten those loads, unless you've got the disposable income to pay for this.
-rl
Prices in Athens for 87 octane unleaded gasoline are averaging around $3.81/gallon. Let's take a quick peak at how other portions of the state and nation are faring:
Akron, Ohio: $3.97/gallon
Anchorage, Alaska: $3.99/gallon
Atlanta, Georgia: $3.83/gallon
Baltimore, Maryland: $3.82/gallon
Boston, Massachusetts: $3.81/gallon
Burlington, Vermont: $3.80/gallon
Charlotte, North Carolina: $3.83/gallon
Chicago, Illinois: $4.15/gallon
Cleveland, Ohio: $3.95/gallon
Dallas, Texas: $3.76/gallon
Denver, Colorado: $3.72/gallon
Detroit, Michigan: $3.96/gallon
Honolulu, Hawaii: $3.89/gallon
Indianapolis, Indiana: $3.99/gallon
Las Vegas, Nevada: $3.74/gallon
Los Angeles, California: $3.94/gallon
Miami, Florida: $3.93/gallon
Minneapolis, Minnesota: $3.85/gallon
New York, New York: $4.08/gallon (Bronx)
New York, New York: $4.08/gallon (Manhattan)
Newark, New Jersey: $3.71/gallon
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: $3.70/gallon
Phoenix, Arizona: $3.67/gallon
Sacramento, California: $4.03/gallon
St Louis, Missouri: $3.80/gallon
Salt Lake City, Utah: $3.69/gallon
San Antonio, Texas: $3.74/gallon
San Francisco, California: $4.02/gallon
Seattle, Washington: $3.94/gallon
Washington, DC: $3.88/gallon
National Average: $3.82/gallon
(All prices from http://www.gasbuddy.com)
---
Arizona has the lowest prices nationally and, not surprisingly, Hawaii averages highest.
Word is that prices are only looking to climb ever higher...
... tighten those belts and lighten those loads, unless you've got the disposable income to pay for this.
-rl
May 21, 2008
Hamilton Jordan dies in Atlanta
Political stretegist Hamilton Jordan has died of cancer at the age of 63.
Jordan, from southern Georgia, helped the peanuts farmer from Plains ascend to the Presidency and was made his Chief of Staff. He's survived by his wife and three children. My heartfelt sympathies go out to them in their time of grieving. May his life have been for a blessing.
-rl
Jordan, from southern Georgia, helped the peanuts farmer from Plains ascend to the Presidency and was made his Chief of Staff. He's survived by his wife and three children. My heartfelt sympathies go out to them in their time of grieving. May his life have been for a blessing.
-rl
Questions for George Will
In 5/19/2008's issue of Newsweek, archetype conservative George Will posits a series of questions for John McCain, varying in the degrees of sense that they make. There is one question I generally take issue with, and this is not meant to be an apologetic position in support of Senator McCain.
GW:
Me: Mr. Will, the only nation with which we have entered "strenuous" and ongoing negotiations with regarding nuclear proliferation during the during of the current President is North Korea. The six-party talks we have conducted with North Korea have provided limited success in assuring that North Korea will limit its nuclear program. This President has made clear that he has had no desire to negotiate diplomatically with the current regime in Iran, rather engaging in a series of veiled and unveiled threats between the two nations, referring to Iran as being a member of the infamous "Axis of Evil" (yes, I do remember that), and even vaguely hinting to the American public that he would consider war as an option in the near future. Mr. Will, my question for you is this: How can a vote for Senator McCain be linked to war with Iran when the strenuous diplomacy you purport to have occurred during this President's tenure has not in fact occurred?
---
Is McCain still having a hard-time shoring up support from the "intellectual" conservatives like Mr. Will et al? If these problems and questions persist for this group into the fall, what impact will (no pun intended, Mr. Will) these strong-willed (pun most definitely intended, Mr. Will) people have upon the Presidential race? This is something that rank-and-file Republicans will need to consider going into the fall.
-rl
GW:
You say that you are not "ready to go to war with Iran," but you also say the "one thing worse" than "exercising the military option" is "a nuclear-armed Iran." Because strenuous diplomacy has not dented Iran's nuclear ambitions, is not a vote for you a vote for war with Iran?
Me: Mr. Will, the only nation with which we have entered "strenuous" and ongoing negotiations with regarding nuclear proliferation during the during of the current President is North Korea. The six-party talks we have conducted with North Korea have provided limited success in assuring that North Korea will limit its nuclear program. This President has made clear that he has had no desire to negotiate diplomatically with the current regime in Iran, rather engaging in a series of veiled and unveiled threats between the two nations, referring to Iran as being a member of the infamous "Axis of Evil" (yes, I do remember that), and even vaguely hinting to the American public that he would consider war as an option in the near future. Mr. Will, my question for you is this: How can a vote for Senator McCain be linked to war with Iran when the strenuous diplomacy you purport to have occurred during this President's tenure has not in fact occurred?
---
Is McCain still having a hard-time shoring up support from the "intellectual" conservatives like Mr. Will et al? If these problems and questions persist for this group into the fall, what impact will (no pun intended, Mr. Will) these strong-willed (pun most definitely intended, Mr. Will) people have upon the Presidential race? This is something that rank-and-file Republicans will need to consider going into the fall.
-rl
May 20, 2008
For once, I agree with Roland Martin
Because if it's not on your lapel, it clearly must mean it doesn't exist.
May 16, 2008
Openers has an insight - Obama's Appalachia problem (or Appalachia's Obama problem?)
http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/05/obamas_is_an_appalachia_proble.html
Hmm. I'm not sure what to make of that analysis, because it seems to me that the claim is that Obama can't carry poor white voters - which is what Appalachia largely is - not that he can't carry white voters. The PeeDee's article is a clarification of the demographic breakdown, but it doesn't add any additional insight, and it certainly doesn't resolve any questions as to how Senator Obama can reach those voters from Vinton County, Ohio, to Rabun County, GA.
Actually, it does do one thing: it provides a geographic overlay to the issue. Go PeeDee... you get a gold star.
-rl
Hmm. I'm not sure what to make of that analysis, because it seems to me that the claim is that Obama can't carry poor white voters - which is what Appalachia largely is - not that he can't carry white voters. The PeeDee's article is a clarification of the demographic breakdown, but it doesn't add any additional insight, and it certainly doesn't resolve any questions as to how Senator Obama can reach those voters from Vinton County, Ohio, to Rabun County, GA.
Actually, it does do one thing: it provides a geographic overlay to the issue. Go PeeDee... you get a gold star.
-rl
May 14, 2008
Popular ignorance
Pardon me for the 2nd post that's just going to reek of the effete intellectual within, but Spiro Agnew's objections notwithstanding, I'll post away.
Something I had wanted to touch on whilst whining about West Virginia (perfectly to plan, right, Hillary?) was also the willingness of people to believe whatever is easiest to believe. I've been working on Abraham Joshua Heschel's God In Search of Man and I can effectively count religion out as something that is easy to believe... especially as a Jew, I find religion to be an ever-increasing challenge which sates my meager intellect with its magnanimity and sublimity. But it's things like the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) philosophy and irregular applications of Occam's razor which bring me here.
I was told by someone with whom I have a working relationship that he believed that the purpose of oil was to lubricate the earth's plates and that if all of the oil was removed, the plates would no longer be able to move. Okay, I will grant that his understanding of the matter appears very weak and it certainly indicates that if he were to learn more, he'd understand... at least to me, it seems that way. His logic is this: oil is a lubricant, oil comes from the ground, thus oil must lubricate something in the ground.
Clearly he does demonstrate some logic within his reasoning, but his reasoning is based upon a thoroughly incomplete set of facts... keeping it far too simple. How can he then be challenged to open up his mind to learn what are the facts about (a) the source of oil and (b) the nature of plate tectonics? I wanted to yell at him and I'm almost sure that my face contorted in a manner that was visible to another co-worker, so I think my disgust, while not voiced vocally, was voiced facially.
Also, what caused him to believe that? Was it, as I suggest, the result of incomplete information yielding a seemingly logical result? Or was he told this and accepted it without question? This ties into my previous post: do people believe that Obama's a Muslim because of what they've been told and they hold to that prejudice (or that he's somehow more elite than HRC) or do they base it upon his exotic name and try to logically justify it using a limited base of facts?
What further complicates matters is when people are told something that runs counter to what (a) they've already been told or (b) what they believe based upon a seemingly logical conclusion. Changing someone's mind against their own conclusion would seem to be the more difficult, as it challenges the ego and intellectual capacity of the person - that they're being told that what they thought and how they concluded was wrong. It would be much easier to tell them that they were lied to and provide them with a litany of evidence to counter that lie.
Thus we have decisions, elections, leaders, followers, and humans - thoroughly bred in the American condition.
-rl
Something I had wanted to touch on whilst whining about West Virginia (perfectly to plan, right, Hillary?) was also the willingness of people to believe whatever is easiest to believe. I've been working on Abraham Joshua Heschel's God In Search of Man and I can effectively count religion out as something that is easy to believe... especially as a Jew, I find religion to be an ever-increasing challenge which sates my meager intellect with its magnanimity and sublimity. But it's things like the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) philosophy and irregular applications of Occam's razor which bring me here.
I was told by someone with whom I have a working relationship that he believed that the purpose of oil was to lubricate the earth's plates and that if all of the oil was removed, the plates would no longer be able to move. Okay, I will grant that his understanding of the matter appears very weak and it certainly indicates that if he were to learn more, he'd understand... at least to me, it seems that way. His logic is this: oil is a lubricant, oil comes from the ground, thus oil must lubricate something in the ground.
Clearly he does demonstrate some logic within his reasoning, but his reasoning is based upon a thoroughly incomplete set of facts... keeping it far too simple. How can he then be challenged to open up his mind to learn what are the facts about (a) the source of oil and (b) the nature of plate tectonics? I wanted to yell at him and I'm almost sure that my face contorted in a manner that was visible to another co-worker, so I think my disgust, while not voiced vocally, was voiced facially.
Also, what caused him to believe that? Was it, as I suggest, the result of incomplete information yielding a seemingly logical result? Or was he told this and accepted it without question? This ties into my previous post: do people believe that Obama's a Muslim because of what they've been told and they hold to that prejudice (or that he's somehow more elite than HRC) or do they base it upon his exotic name and try to logically justify it using a limited base of facts?
What further complicates matters is when people are told something that runs counter to what (a) they've already been told or (b) what they believe based upon a seemingly logical conclusion. Changing someone's mind against their own conclusion would seem to be the more difficult, as it challenges the ego and intellectual capacity of the person - that they're being told that what they thought and how they concluded was wrong. It would be much easier to tell them that they were lied to and provide them with a litany of evidence to counter that lie.
Thus we have decisions, elections, leaders, followers, and humans - thoroughly bred in the American condition.
-rl
May 12, 2008
This post has no title - it is frustration.
I need to really take a break from watching the news and anything pertaining to politics for a long time. The last couple of weeks have reminded me how political discourse in this country has been distilled down to name-calling and rumor-passing and it hurts me to watch it continue. I love to think voters are capable of making intelligent decisions, but hearing things coming out of the Mountaineer State (WV) such as "Obama's a Muslim" and people voting for McCain if Obama's the (D) nominee because he's perceived as "elitist" just flat-out hurt me.
Obama's an elitist and Hillary Clinton isn't? And John Mccain isn't? These are all people who reside in the upper echelon of power and those two have been in that upper echelon for longer than Barack Obama. Indeed, perception matters in an election, but the reality is far different than the "elitist" lie that is being peddled by certain people about Barack Obama.
Barack Obama is a compassionate and talented leader, something that we haven't seen the likes of in decades. And perceptions of elitism aside, I want a leader, not a Joe Sixpack, to be President of the United States. I like the idea of John McCain and Barack Obama having one-on-one town hall meetings during the campaign. I hope that through those we'll be able to hear very real ideas and not just glossed-over "plans" that politicians are want to mention, but never further elaborate.
I apologize if this post sounds like it's full of whine. It's just that when I read about Senator Clinton banking on a 40-point win and basing it off of the ignorance that she propagates about Senator Obama, the feeling of frustration increases exponentially... and since I'm in Georgia, there's nothing I can do.
Likewise, reading all of this stuff about Marc Dann and my friend Jessica Utovich - totally just... reeks of people just trying to get even with each other. Undoubtedly Marc Dann should resign, in my opinion. He has taken dishonor to a whole new level in state-wide executive office in Ohio... something that Bob Taft should be gleeful about. Yet reading about Guttierez, the relationships, it just reeks of unprofessional conduct and impropriety. It's really sad. I never liked Marc Dann, I voted for Subodh Chandra in the 2006 primary, and I left my ballot blank when it came to choose between Marc Dann and Betty Montgomery, not because I thought he'd bring this kind of behavior to the office of Atty General, but rather because of his disgusting speech he gave at the 2006 OYD convention at KSU and Subodh's masterful speech. Why are we afraid to put people who are BETTER THAN US in charge of making decisions?
I'm just left totally aghast.
-rl
Obama's an elitist and Hillary Clinton isn't? And John Mccain isn't? These are all people who reside in the upper echelon of power and those two have been in that upper echelon for longer than Barack Obama. Indeed, perception matters in an election, but the reality is far different than the "elitist" lie that is being peddled by certain people about Barack Obama.
Barack Obama is a compassionate and talented leader, something that we haven't seen the likes of in decades. And perceptions of elitism aside, I want a leader, not a Joe Sixpack, to be President of the United States. I like the idea of John McCain and Barack Obama having one-on-one town hall meetings during the campaign. I hope that through those we'll be able to hear very real ideas and not just glossed-over "plans" that politicians are want to mention, but never further elaborate.
I apologize if this post sounds like it's full of whine. It's just that when I read about Senator Clinton banking on a 40-point win and basing it off of the ignorance that she propagates about Senator Obama, the feeling of frustration increases exponentially... and since I'm in Georgia, there's nothing I can do.
Likewise, reading all of this stuff about Marc Dann and my friend Jessica Utovich - totally just... reeks of people just trying to get even with each other. Undoubtedly Marc Dann should resign, in my opinion. He has taken dishonor to a whole new level in state-wide executive office in Ohio... something that Bob Taft should be gleeful about. Yet reading about Guttierez, the relationships, it just reeks of unprofessional conduct and impropriety. It's really sad. I never liked Marc Dann, I voted for Subodh Chandra in the 2006 primary, and I left my ballot blank when it came to choose between Marc Dann and Betty Montgomery, not because I thought he'd bring this kind of behavior to the office of Atty General, but rather because of his disgusting speech he gave at the 2006 OYD convention at KSU and Subodh's masterful speech. Why are we afraid to put people who are BETTER THAN US in charge of making decisions?
I'm just left totally aghast.
-rl
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