Holiday pricing will prevail
Dick Harper
week, because I had plenty of gas and no reason to stop.
You may have noticed that the price has risen a little in
the last couple of weeks or so, but the news would have us
believe that crude oil prices are up.
When I drove in to town this morning, I still didn't
need gas and the signs by the pumps were unchanged from
yesterday.
On the way home, the magic bell that reminds me to
check my gauges reminded me that I really did, finally, need
gas.
Hmmm. Two cents per gallon higher at the cheap,
unbranded stores from this morning, three cents at my
favorite station. They give free popcorn at my favorite.
The prices have now caught up with the high season
Florida Keys gouge-the-tourist standards.
Free popcorn ain't worth the extra three cents.
Tis the season to be jolly.
Dick (if you own an oil company) Harper
Old Bill
Dick Harper <RBHa...@together.net> wrote in message
news:386c30b3...@news.together.net...
Consider yourselves lucky. Gas, or 'petrol' as we prefer to call it in the
UK, is around 3.5 UKP a gallon, which is about 5.70 USD. From what I recall
of my last trip to the US, yours is very much cheaper. In fact, it's
regarded as being one of the reasons why the US has such a poor record on
pollution - that there's no financial incentive to reduce consumption or
switch to unleaded fuel. Nevertheless, I still envy your prices at the gas
pump...
Bob Pastorio
You can't buy leaded fuel in the US. Haven't been able to for years.
Might be interesting to look at the actual pollution figures for major cities
around the world and compare them on a population basis with any American
city. Might be a surprise in there for you.
Bob (Unleaded gas was invented by Amoco back in the 50's...) Pastorio
Old Bill
> You can't buy leaded fuel in the US. Haven't been able to for years.
>
> Might be interesting to look at the actual pollution figures for major
cities
> around the world and compare them on a population basis with any American
> city. Might be a surprise in there for you.
>
> Bob (Unleaded gas was invented by Amoco back in the 50's...) Pastorio
>
>
Sorry for the error about leaded/unleaded fuel.
As for the pollution question, I have a sense of some dread that this could
easily turn into a 'my statistics are bigger than your statistics' issue. My
understanding though was that the US pumps a disproportionately large amount
of pollution into the atmosphere - you dirty buggars. No doubt someone will
enlighten us.
Hey, this is alt.pollution, isn't it...?
The Last Real Marlboro Man
<old...@btinternet.com> wrote:
>As for the pollution question, I have a sense of some dread that this could
>easily turn into a 'my statistics are bigger than your statistics' issue. My
>understanding though was that the US pumps a disproportionately large amount
>of pollution into the atmosphere
That's right. We pollute. We consume, too. Mass quantities.
Know why? For the same reason that a dog licks itself between the
legs.
- Wayne
Eliska
Because his paw can't make a fist?
Eliska
igl...@worldnet.att.net
________________________________________
"One day,one fine day, I'll get this
bloody book finished." - Anthony Gladman
________________________________________
The Last Real Marlboro Man
wrote:
>Because his paw can't make a fist?
That's right.
- Wayne
Dick Harper
> Consider yourselves lucky. Gas, or 'petrol' as we prefer to call it in the
> UK, is around 3.5 UKP a gallon, which is about 5.70 USD.
Yeah, you guys on that side of the pond have figured
out that drivers will pay more and more and more taxes to be
able to drive less and less miles.
Shh. Don't tell our Congress Critters. It's makes
such a bloody mess when we have to dump petrol in Boston
harbor.
> My
> understanding though was that the US pumps a disproportionately large
> amount of pollution into the atmosphere
I haven't looked at the statistics for some years, but
I suspect that that is false. The EU has a larger
population using very similar technology in a smaller space
than the U.S. That makes it intuitively obvious that, on a
pounds-per-person basis, European pollution levels are
higher than U.S. levels measured the same way.
OTOH, considering weather patterns, EU pollution
probably winds up in southwest Asia, so it doesn't count.
--Dick
Old Bill
>
> I haven't looked at the statistics for some years, but
> I suspect that that is false. The EU has a larger
> population using very similar technology in a smaller space
> than the U.S. That makes it intuitively obvious that, on a
> pounds-per-person basis, European pollution levels are
> higher than U.S. levels measured the same way.
> OTOH, considering weather patterns, EU pollution
> probably winds up in southwest Asia, so it doesn't count.
>
> --Dick
>
As I said earlier, it all depends on how the damn lies/statistics are
calculated. I recall the media coverage of the last 'Earth Summit', and the
bitterness about the non-co-operation of the US in agreeing pollution
targets despite being 'twice as bad' as Europe in the pollution stakes. But
I don't know how that was calculated...
PaulMmn
This reduces the need for private vehicles.
Public transportation in the USA is hit and miss. Some cities have a
good system, many do not. This makes it -necessary- for private
vehicles.
--Paul E Musselman
Pau...@ix.netcom.nospam.com
Dick Harper
> As I said earlier, it all depends on how the damn lies/statistics are
> calculated. I recall the media coverage of the last 'Earth Summit', and the
> bitterness about the non-co-operation of the US in agreeing pollution
> targets despite being 'twice as bad' as Europe in the pollution stakes. But
> I don't know how that was calculated...
Isn't it time for Marty to jump in here with some real
numbers?
I had posited (intuitively) that, because our techno
needs are similar, our energy use would be, too.
Being too lazy to do my own research, I asked a Chem
Eng friend who says that a couple of decades ago, European
stationary emissions regs were similar to ours (meaning they
cut more of some stuff but less of others at the factory
smokestacks) but their auto emissions were high.
Today unleaded is available everywhere and it appears
most cars everywhere have catalysts at least as effective as
ours, so that "advantage" we had is gone.
According to the almanac we use more energy per capita
than EU countries, so given roughly similar technologies,
Bill is likely correct that we have disproportionately high
emissions.
Rats.
Do you suppose our higher use is now driven by the
greater mileages we drive and/or more cars per capita?
--Dick
Steve Pritchard
PaulMmn <Pau...@ix.netcom.nospam.com> wrote in message
news:i0s27s08n700e6erp...@4ax.com...
> One advantage the UK and Europe have is their mass transit systems.
> This reduces the need for private vehicles.
There speaks a man that does not catch buses.
Wendy Chatley Green
<st...@spelbind.demon.co.uk> wrote:
:
:PaulMmn <Pau...@ix.netcom.nospam.com> wrote in message
Do you pull the wings off them?
Seriously, try riding a bus while toting a full backpack, a hanging
bag with change of clothes, and a knitting bag. Cars have their uses.
--
Wendy Chatley Green
wcg...@cris.com
Dick Harper
> Public transportation in the USA is hit and miss. Some cities have a
> good system, many do not. This makes it -necessary- for private
> vehicles.
It's more than just the cities, though. Public transit
is difficult to mandate in a country so culturally dependent
on independence. There is also the little matter of
population density.
The economic model for public transportation is similar
to that of cable TV or even electricity and telephones: you
need a certain number of users per mile to make the system
pay for itself or you need an electorate willing to
underwrite the system for the common weal.
Here in Northwestern Vermont, we have a growing public
transit network: one bus services about half of the towns
(townships) in our county. It is not financially self
sufficient, but it is becoming successful. Ridership and
public approval continue to rise and the routes are
expanding.
Anne is on the board of this network but still doesn't
come anywhere near our house.
Meanwhile, NBC gave Governor Howard Dean and the State
of Vermont a cherished "Fleecing of America" award for a
multimillion dollar commuter train boondoggle he wants to
build one county south of here.
--Dick
Dick Harper
This link has information about energy and the use of
fossil fuels:
http://www.bydesign.com/bydesign/fossilfuels/links/
The original site is presented by "pro-fuel" folk, but there
are an abundance of links on many subjects, including
environmental.
--Dick
Dick Harper
> Anne is on the board of this network but still doesn't
> come anywhere near our house.
That means, of course, the THE BUS still doesn't
come anywhere near our house. Anne is here fairly
regularly.
--Dick
Steve Pritchard
That would help, but like all couples, I'm sure there are times when you'd
willingly bribe the bus drive to go the wrong way for a day or two.
Eliska
Lady) wrote:
>
>Yes they do. But trains have it beat over both cars and buses. I
>mean *real* trains - not underground trains or light railways, but
>those big, heavy trains that have that thick fuel smell.
>
snip
Oh boy! Another train fan. The most wonderful trip I took was from
Tampa to New Orleans by Amtrak - the very train that, just a week or
so after my trek, ran off a bridge that had been damaged by a runaway
barge.
I loved everything. I could check my bulky bagage and keep my train
survival kit - food, books, (I read my first Patricia Cornwell on that
trip) blanket and pillow. I was fortunate enought to get a window
seat and slept very comfortably. During the daylight, I was free to
wander - the dining car, the observation car, other passenger cars,
the sleeping cars; what a thrill! I just avoided the bar car because
the smoke made it uninhabitable.
I look forward to having enough time to take a long train vacation.
Anybody else do the train thing?
Old Bill
Eliska <igl...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:yKR4OHSgNXhZmm...@4ax.com...
> I look forward to having enough time to take a long train vacation.
>
> Anybody else do the train thing?
>
> Eliska
> igl...@worldnet.att.net
I'm not a train freak, but the greatest train rides I've ever had - without
question - were in India. Long journeys: 24/48 hour trips, carriages packed
solid with families moving their worldly possessions from one nightmare to
another. Intense heat, bizarre conversations, extraordinary sights outside.
You can ride on the roof of the train if it's too crowded to cram yourself
inside. Wow, I learnt things on those journeys that are still with me now -
twenty years on. Not something to do if you want luxury and pampering - but
if you're young and adventurous, and want to see something of the world
(which I hope, as writers, you do) then try to fit in a trip to India
sometime.
KMadeleine
>
>On 05 Jan 2000 10:30:10 EST during the misc.writing Community News
>Flash, Wendy Chatley Green <wcg...@cris.com> reported:
>
>>For some inexplicable reasons, "Steve Pritchard"
>><st...@spelbind.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>:
>>:PaulMmn <Pau...@ix.netcom.nospam.com> wrote in message
>>:news:i0s27s08n700e6erp...@4ax.com...
>>:> One advantage the UK and Europe have is their mass transit systems.
>>:> This reduces the need for private vehicles.
>>:
>>:There speaks a man that does not catch buses.
>>
>>bag with change of clothes, and a knitting bag. Cars have their uses.
>>
>
>mean *real* trains - not underground trains or light railways, but
>those big, heavy trains that have that thick fuel smell.
i don't remember being on a real train, haven't been since i
was a child. but one thing i miss about college is that then,
i rode the subway everywhere. people-watching is such fun!
i love making up life stories for people i know nothing about,
except their appearance and gestures.
>My first full-time job was in Chicago and located a very short walking
>distance from the train station. I also happened to live conveniently
>close to one of their stops in Evanston. I can't tell you the
>pleasure I had riding that train to and from work every day.
>
>(But I wish I had gotten up the nerve to just once speak to that cute
>guy who used to get on and always seemed to sit in a seat that faced
>the opposite direction as mine - if not directly across from me.)
yeah, but did he look like pierce brosnan? count your blessings!
>Davida Chazan (The Chocolate Lady)
Marg Petersen
Eliska <igl...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
>On Sun, 09 Jan 2000 10:01:37 GMT, dav...@jdc.org.il (The Chocolate
>Lady) wrote:
>
>
>>mean *real* trains - not underground trains or light railways, but
>>those big, heavy trains that have that thick fuel smell.
>>
>
>Oh boy! Another train fan. The most wonderful trip I took was from
>Tampa to New Orleans by Amtrak - the very train that, just a week or
>so after my trek, ran off a bridge that had been damaged by a runaway
>barge.
>
>I loved everything. I could check my bulky bagage and keep my train
>survival kit - food, books, (I read my first Patricia Cornwell on that
>trip) blanket and pillow. I was fortunate enought to get a window
>seat and slept very comfortably. During the daylight, I was free to
>wander - the dining car, the observation car, other passenger cars,
>the sleeping cars; what a thrill! I just avoided the bar car because
>the smoke made it uninhabitable.
>
>Anybody else do the train thing?
Yes, ME, ME, ME!!!!! (Waves hand in the air excitedly.)
I absolutely LOVE train travel. Haven't done nearly enough
of it in recent years. Most of the trains I've been on have
been on the West coast though; down as far as Los Angeles and
up as far as Vancouver, BC. I've also taken the train from
Vancouver BC to Lake Louise, Alberta and back. A very exciting
trip. Many years ago, we chose to spend our honeymoon on the
train across Canada, all the way from Vancouver to Montreal
(on our way to Cambridge, MA.) It was wonderful! We enjoyed it
so much that we made a return trip two years later to visit family.
For both trips we had a roomette so we were very comfortable.
And we *always* made sure to get a meal ticket for the entire
trip. It's a whole lot cheaper that way. (I don't know if
they still have them.)
One of my goals in life (should I live that long) is to take
every train in the world. I have a LOT of trains left to ride
on, that's for sure. I've met the most fascinating people on
trains. So much so that I hardly sleep at all. Sadly, my
last train trip was 7 years ago to San Francisco. Perhaps
I should plan one this year? Maybe........
>Eliska
>igl...@worldnet.att.net
>
Marg
--
god...@peak.org http://www.peak.org/~goddess
A father is a father is a father.
It takes a special man to be a DAD.
Dick Harper
[I wrote]
> > THE BUS still doesn't
> > come anywhere near our house. Anne is here fairly
> > regularly.
>
> That would help, but like all couples, I'm sure there are times when you'd
> willingly bribe the bus drive to go the wrong way for a day or two.
Like when the manly truck is broken and I need a ride,
right?
--Dick
Hound of Cullen
igl...@worldnet.att.net says...
[whap]
: I look forward to having enough time to take a long train vacation.
:
: Anybody else do the train thing?
Yep. I've taken a sleeper from Boston to Washington DC a few times. I
love it. The coach trip is fine, too. I like it more than flying, since
you almost invariably have a *lot* of room when taking the train.
When the high-speed train starts running between Boston and DC, I'll
probably ride it, just to say I did.
Hound
Dick Harper
> Anybody else do the train thing?
My grandfather was a block operator (Paoli) and later
station master (Westtown) for the Pennsy. Both parents
worked for the Pennsy before WWII; my mom continued there by
selling space during the war. She was stationed in
Washington.
I rode locals pretty regularly as a kid and hopped a
train home now and again from college, although, since my
dad worked at the Scott Paper office building right next to
Phila International, it was usually easier to fly standby
from Newark.
My first "real trip" train memory is of a trip to
Minneapolis. We joined a C&O Pullman in Baltimore and went
west overnight toward the Mississippi. From there, we sat
upstairs in a CB&Q observatory car to follow that lazy river
northward. That would have been my first trip in a sleeper.
IIRC, we also flew home--probably in an Electra--which would
also have been my first trip by air.
Anne and I had a wonderful ride down the East Coast a
couple of years ago. We took the regualr Amtrak run from St
Albans to Phila to Washington to Orlando. Amtrak then put
us on a bus for a connection to Bradenton. The train,
traveling through the backyards of some of the dustiest of
our slums and industrial landscape, was loaded with people
with blankets and books and games and coolers, most looking
for a cheaper way to travel, rather than an adventure across
America.
Our county seat of St Albans, Vermont, is the "Railroad
City." Around 1860, St Albans began to grow as a railroad
hub. At the turn of this century, 23 parallel rail lines
crossed Lake Street in the largest rail freight center East
of Chicago. The railroad kindled manufacturing, farming, and
tourism throughout northwestern Vermont. Franklin County is
now the leading Vermont producer of dairy and maple
products.
Last November, we brought the Art Train here for its
first visit in Vermont, ever. It was part of a Railroad Days
celebration that featured art, history, railroads, and the
future.
The Artistry of Space exhibit on the Artrain includes
paintings, drawings, prints and sketches by 78 nationally
renowned artists such as Peter Max, Norman Rockwell, Jamie
Wyeth, and Deborah Deschner Iazzo of Middlesex. Their work
focuses on the astronauts, engineers, and scientists who
lifted man to outer space.
The NASA Mobile Aeronautics Education Laboratory (MAEL)
was stationed next to the Artrain platform. NASA designed
the MAEL to simulate a cross-country flight. Participants
engage in aircraft design, calculate weather conditions,
access the Internet, and experience virtual reality during
the design process.
--Dick
C&O = Chesapeake & Ohio
CB&Q = Chicago Burlington and Quincy
Alan Hope
Eliska <igl...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
<yKR4OHSgNXhZmm...@4ax.com>...
> I look forward to having enough time to take a long train
vacation.
> Anybody else do the train thing?
Try taking the night train from Naples to nearly Milan without a
seat, not even one of those little fold-up seats in the corridor.
That'll wipe the misty, nostalgic smile off your face in a hurry.
AH
Eliska
Hey, no peeking at that misty, nostalgic smile.
Prince Richard Kaminski
Alan Hope wrote:
> Eliska <igl...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in article
> <yKR4OHSgNXhZmm...@4ax.com>...
>
> > I look forward to having enough time to take a long train
> vacation.
>
> > Anybody else do the train thing?
>
> Try taking the night train from Naples to nearly Milan without a
> seat, not even one of those little fold-up seats in the corridor.
> That'll wipe the misty, nostalgic smile off your face in a hurry.
That's OK. If you haven't got a seat to sleep on, they can't gas you
and steal all your cash, passports, credit cards, etc, like they
normally do.