feeding the beast

This morning as my car swallowed another $50 worth of gas I realized I am no longer shocked and appalled at how much it costs to fill up my gas tank. It has become business as usual. Back in the day (i.e. early last August, before Katrina) it took about $35 to fill my tank. Now it's $50. That means I'm on track to spend about $800 more this year just to fill up my gas tank. Of course, though, higher gas prices also shuffle in higher prices for consumer goods, groceries, pretty much anything anybody spends their money on.

Of course I'm not alone in feeling resigned about this all. CNN.com is reporting that consumer confidence in the U.S. starting to lag as retail sales are plummeting, and the job and housing markets are sluggish at best. That being said, the good news is that Exxon Mobil and Chevron are raking it in! Despite production and development costs surging nearly 30% over the past year across the industry (costs to find new sources of oil and to refine said oil), profits for the 2nd quarter at Exxon are up 36%, and up 18% at Chevron. Exxon posted 2nd quarter profits of $10.4 billion. $10.4 BILLION profit in three months time despite significantly higher expenses! This profit margin increase marks the second biggest profit by a U.S. company ever- the first being set by Exxon Mobil in the last quarter of 2005 with a profit of $10.7 billion. Thanks, guys. Let me know what else I can do to help you earn you your $40,000,000,000.00 profit this year.

Truth-talking

Probably preaching to the choir here, just in case... FYI Stephen Colbert on the Colbert Nation has been en fuego lately. Within the past few weeks he's been a gem- there's been a choreographed tumble dance sequence with Amy Sedaris and Paul Dinello, Congressman Wexler stated on the record during a interview (after much prodding by Colbert) that cocaine and prostitutes are "fun to do", and he's begun using these brilliant apocalyptic on-screen graphics to accompany his Israel/ Lebanon conflict coverage. Comedy Central plays Daily Show and Colbert Report approximately 12 x a day, so find a convenient time and get to watchin!

Fluffy Bunnies

Admittedly, I am superstitious and prone to apocalyptic thinking, but it certainly seems as though every day there is a multitude of major new developments that cause me some alarm. In addition to my regular bastion of "things to worry about" on a personal and everyday level such as trying to avoid getting hit by crazy Boston drivers, the cost of filling up my car with gas and the surge in violent crime; and my established list of worries on a more global level such as the neo con agenda, global warming, the shrinking middle class and the AIDS epidemic- now there's a whole new crop to add to the list. Highlights of developments in the news to worry about include (and I welcome your additions):

-getting crushed by ceiling panels while driving through the tunnels of the Big Dig, or really any tunnels for that matter;
-Giant rogue waves (measuring 83 feet or more) which scientists are now learning are not all that infrequent as previously thought;
-Iran developing its nuclear capabilities and where it is/ has been acquiring the same, especially considering that many old Soviet nuclear warheads are still unaccounted for and probably wouldn't be in ship shape;
-war breaking out on the border of Lebanon and Israel, and the potential for the conflict to spread;
-the shaky cease fire in East Timor;
-signs of impending genocide in Sudan (again);
-projections that crude oil prices will rise from their current high of almost $80/ barrel to somewhere in the $100/barrel range by the end of the year due to increasing demand and supply interruptions due to storms and escalating violent conflict in oil rich areas;
-news that our climate change is happening faster than previously projected, and will most likely threaten the survival of the Amazon Rainforest in the near future.



This all makes me long for the good old days when local Fox affiliates would try to sensationalize the otherwise bland evening news with headings like "The silent killer in your refridgerator" and "Don't go in the water: the dangers lurking in public swimming pools".

Cute Cop Emergency

file under: dumbass

A woman from Washington County, Oregon has been charged with misuse of the emergency dispatch system after calling 911 to try to get a date with a "cutie pie" deputy. The deputy in question had previously come to her door in response to a noise complaint. The woman was so smitten with him that she later called 911 realizing that she wanted to get to know him better because, afterall, it's not every day that a good man comes a' knockin on her door. The woman, who was 45, did explain that it really wasn't an emergency afterall, but she just didnt know how else to contact him. Maybe they dont have phone books or 411, or the internet in Oregon. Or maybe she is just a dumbass. Either way, the deputy did come back to see her, but this time it was to arrest her. No word on any budding romance between the two.


read the article here: http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/14/911.misuse.ap/index.html