Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Keith Addison]

Hi Dawie

Keith


"We subscribe because we're told to - programmed to do so, via a
constant, all-encompassing barrage of industrial-strength message
manipulation and opinion implantation. Consent is manufactured, not
an "option" that's chosen. This programmed society is new, a child of
the last 30 years, unprecedented in world history. It's focused on
the rich societies, and particularly the US. Very few people are
aware of how their opinions and beliefs are manipulated. Where they
are somewhat aware they tend to believe that somehow they themselves
are immune. They're the easiest marks of all."


Very true. I am intensely aware of it. And the message manipulation is not restricted to the usual advertising media, either. 

Advertising is barely the tip of the iceberg. 

For every erudite commentary that does any good there are twenty that perpetuate the problem, even if only due to an induced capitulation to that sort of salamander pride that manifests in a fashionable unruffled pose amidst the flames. 

Most of the mechanism of it is much less visible than such things as commentaries. I'm often surprised by the sheer reach of it, the micro-detail it penetrates to. 

I see this daily in the
world of architecture. There was something similar in intellectual circles in Europe during the years leading up to the Second World War.

Yes. There are many similarities and precedents, but the totality of the onslaught of the last 30 years and its effects is unprecedented. 

I wish to point out, however, that there are very many behaviours that are not contingent upon consent - at least not directly

Consent is also not direct, it's not even conscious. And it has little or nothing to do with facts - spin doesn't argue the case, it makes people want to believe some things more than others, then do they do the arguing for you. Spin works on the emotions, it works in the background. 

- but upon the immediate needs that people have because of the situations they are in, and the range of practical responses available to them. This is not to say that the resulting system as such is not contingent upon consent. But people cannot be expected to withhold their consent to the system (a term I use reluctantly and, I hope, with extreme accuracy) 

Until they wake up. 

unless they understand the systemics of the system: 

Hm. Not so sure about that. Some of them certainly have to, but I think not all, maybe not even the majority. Most people are effectively hypnotised, once the spell is broken change becomes possible. Very large numbers of people have woken up following Hurricane Katrina, which seems to have been a trigger (globally, not just in the US), many or maybe even most of them haven't at all got it all figured yet, many wrong assumptions are being made, but the mere fact that they're awake makes change possible that wasn't possible before, even if they're still facing in the wrong direction, and that change is happening. 

and those often consist of apparently neutral practicalities like the fact that you are nine miles from where you need to be later today, or do not have a neighbour who makes soap for a living.

Yes, but once people become aware of, say, their eco-footprint and its implications they tend to do something about it. We've seen it here quite often (even more often in the feedback Journey to Forever receives), they're prepared to make major changes in their lives.

Voorwaarts!

Best

Keith 



-D

- Original Message 
From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
Sent: Friday, 11 May, 2007 10:29:20 AM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

>There's another aspect that is not generally recognised.
>
>"We are fighting never-ending resource wars as a direct result of the
>way we live. A gang of corporatistas is running our country because
>of the way we insist on living. We are strapped to an untenable
>economic model which demands never-ending growth, limitless profits.
>We demand great jobs, cheap prices, non-stop comfort and an endless
>supply of consumer goodies which we buy, discard, and buy again as
>though it is our birthright to squander the very planet we live on."
>
>Fair enough: but this proceeds from the assumption that any and all
>"lifestyles" are equally available on the supermarket shelves, and
>it is our failure to select Lifestyle A over Lifestyle B that has
>got us into the mess we're in. There is a misconception that we've
>got the system we have because we "believe in it".

We subscribe because we're told to - programmed to do so, via a
constant, all-encompassing barrage of industrial-strength message
manipulation and opinion implantation. Consent is manufactured, not
an "option" that's chosen. This programm

Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Joe Street]

Dawie Coetzee wrote:

Fair enough: but this proceeds from the assumption that any and all 
"lifestyles" are equally available on the supermarket shelves, and it 
is our failure to select Lifestyle A over Lifestyle B that has got us 
into the mess we're in. There is a misconception that we've got the 
system we have because we "believe in it". In truth most people do 
most of the things they do every day because of a complex 
interrelation of contingent needs and available options: the things 
that make the system systemic. People live according to the world as 
they find it: their everyday behaviour is more a reflection of an 
arrangement of practical conditions than of a system of values.



snip


Good point Dawie.  Now we need to let people know that there are 
alternative 'available options'.  These options mostly have been there 
all along but they are not advertised because they are the options that 
no-one really stands to gain from ( except all of us and the planet).  
Slowly I hope that the awareness will dawn on more and more people that 
they can disengage to some extent ( more or less) from the big corporate 
machine. And the relation between contingent needs and available options 
will redefine itself. Some of those needs are only percieved needs, 
manufactured but the corporatistas, but not real needs (well only for 
them I guess).  People don't seem to go searching for new options much.  
They either need to be spoon fed or circumstances force them to go 
looking.  It doesn't appear to be easy to get into the spoon feeding 
side of things unless you have very deep pockets.  I have a feeling we 
are heading for option two unfortunately.  Well at least when people 
feel driven to seek an alternative, we know that some good folks, the 
ones with those values you were talking about, have been there long 
before and have placed the information where it is accessible. Thankk 
goodness for them.


Joe


- Original Message 
From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
Sent: Friday, 11 May, 2007 8:14:32 AM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making 
drivers fume


>I'm sure the article is a get-up.
>
>But you can find similar sentiment on the Internet just about everywhere.

Sure you can find it on the Internet just about everywhere. So why
couldn't this guy? What we're left with is some poor-quality
apocryphal nonsense plus I suppose Ben Radstein's opinion, FWIW. Why
not do it for real? Radstein says he's a staff reporter. A reporter
would have done some interviews. "It's the real news!" claims The
UNCOVEROR, where Radstein works. The UNCOVEROR's "About" page says
it's a "journal of political satire, news parody, and comic farce...
Names are invented, except when public figures are lampooned." Real
news, right. Real what, actually? Infotainment?

What is your Conceptual Continuity?
It should be easy to see
The crux of the biscuit is the Apostrophe
(Fido the dog)

http://eatthestate.org/
Eat the State! (May 10, 2007)
Volume 11, #18May 10, 2007

Our Relationship with Reality

by John A. Johnson

People love a good story. Something that will take them out of their
own head for awhile, make them laugh, get inspired, or even make them
feel heroic and courageous. All from the comfort of the chair they're
sitting on.

People also don't like bad news, negative situations, or anything
that's going to harsh their buzz or challenge their core values.
People like their everyday reality to be pleasant, if possible, at at
least affirming and validating of what they already believe.

It's understandable that people turn to diversions when they've had
enough reality. And, there are legions of people out there ready to
provide those diversions. We call them "entertainers."

The computer age is an interesting time for people who want
diversion. It's possible to plug in to whatever you want any time day
or night. In fact, we have a population which has grown accustomed to
ready access to all of these things, and is quite comfortable with
the world of electronic media of all types. The emphasis many people
put on their diversions makes you wonder if they've sort of swapped
out reality for something they like more. Something that doesn't jar
their belief system. Something that isn't too threatening. A picture
of things they're comfortable with. Brought to you by Our Sponsor.

The news and information industries in our culture have always been
closely allied with the entertainment people, and the news people
have taken more than a few pages from the entertainment peoples'
playbook, as evidenced by the many models with great hair and pouty
lips who deliver the "news." Needing to cultivate a following of both
consumers and advertisers, "

Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Keith Addison]

>There's another aspect that is not generally recognised.
>
>"We are fighting never-ending resource wars as a direct result of the
>way we live. A gang of corporatistas is running our country because
>of the way we insist on living. We are strapped to an untenable
>economic model which demands never-ending growth, limitless profits.
>We demand great jobs, cheap prices, non-stop comfort and an endless
>supply of consumer goodies which we buy, discard, and buy again as
>though it is our birthright to squander the very planet we live on."
>
>Fair enough: but this proceeds from the assumption that any and all 
>"lifestyles" are equally available on the supermarket shelves, and 
>it is our failure to select Lifestyle A over Lifestyle B that has 
>got us into the mess we're in. There is a misconception that we've 
>got the system we have because we "believe in it".

We subscribe because we're told to - programmed to do so, via a 
constant, all-encompassing barrage of industrial-strength message 
manipulation and opinion implantation. Consent is manufactured, not 
an "option" that's chosen. This programmed society is new, a child of 
the last 30 years, unprecedented in world history. It's focused on 
the rich societies, and particularly the US. Very few people are 
aware of how their opinions and beliefs are manipulated. Where they 
are somewhat aware they tend to believe that somehow they themselves 
are immune. They're the easiest marks of all.

Do an archives search for "Bernays" or Stauber" for more info.

Best

Keith


>In truth most people do most of the things they do every day because 
>of a complex interrelation of contingent needs and available 
>options: the things that make the system systemic. People live 
>according to the world as they find it: their everyday behaviour is 
>more a reflection of an arrangement of practical conditions than of 
>a system of values.
>
>We all respect the monks, i.e. the people who walk the talk, but 
>there will only ever be so many monks in a society. No amount of 
>proselytizing will change the fact that the vast majority of people 
>will walk where the paths are - as well they might! If we need 
>people to walk elsewhere we must first of all develop an 
>understanding of why the paths are where they are. Then we can look 
>at how to put them somewhere else: which, if you'll excuse the very 
>clumsy mixture of metaphors, is what the monks are there for.
>
>-Dawie
>
>----- Original Message ----
>From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
>Sent: Friday, 11 May, 2007 8:14:32 AM
>Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume
>
> >I'm sure the article is a get-up.
> >
> >But you can find similar sentiment on the Internet just about everywhere.
>
>Sure you can find it on the Internet just about everywhere. So why
>couldn't this guy? What we're left with is some poor-quality
>apocryphal nonsense plus I suppose Ben Radstein's opinion, FWIW. Why
>not do it for real? Radstein says he's a staff reporter. A reporter
>would have done some interviews. "It's the real news!" claims The
>UNCOVEROR, where Radstein works. The UNCOVEROR's "About" page says
>it's a "journal of political satire, news parody, and comic farce...
>Names are invented, except when public figures are lampooned." Real
>news, right. Real what, actually? Infotainment?
>
>What is your Conceptual Continuity?
>It should be easy to see
>The crux of the biscuit is the Apostrophe
>(Fido the dog)
>
><http://eatthestate.org/>http://eatthestate.org/
>Eat the State! (May 10, 2007)
>Volume 11, #18May 10, 2007
>
>Our Relationship with Reality
>
>by John A. Johnson
>
>People love a good story. Something that will take them out of their
>own head for awhile, make them laugh, get inspired, or even make them
>feel heroic and courageous. All from the comfort of the chair they're
>sitting on.
>
>People also don't like bad news, negative situations, or anything
>that's going to harsh their buzz or challenge their core values.
>People like their everyday reality to be pleasant, if possible, at at
>least affirming and validating of what they already believe.
>
>It's understandable that people turn to diversions when they've had
>enough reality. And, there are legions of people out there ready to
>provide those diversions. We call them "entertainers."
>
>The computer age is an interesting time for people who want
>diversion. It's possible to plug in to whatever you want any time day
>or night. In

Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Dawie Coetzee]

There's another aspect that is not generally recognised.

"We are fighting never-ending resource wars as a direct result of the 
way we live. A gang of corporatistas is running our country because 
of the way we insist on living. We are strapped to an untenable 
economic model which demands never-ending growth, limitless profits. 
We demand great jobs, cheap prices, non-stop comfort and an endless 
supply of consumer goodies which we buy, discard, and buy again as 
though it is our birthright to squander the very planet we live on."

Fair enough: but this proceeds from the assumption that any and all 
"lifestyles" are equally available on the supermarket shelves, and it is our 
failure to select Lifestyle A over Lifestyle B that has got us into the mess 
we're in. There is a misconception that we've got the system we have because we 
"believe in it". In truth most people do most of the things they do every day 
because of a complex interrelation of contingent needs and available options: 
the things that make the system systemic. People live according to the world as 
they find it: their everyday behaviour is more a reflection of an arrangement 
of practical conditions than of a system of values.

We all respect the monks, i.e. the people who walk the talk, but there will 
only ever be so many monks in a society. No amount of proselytizing will change 
the fact that the vast majority of people will walk where the paths are - as 
well they might! If we need people to walk elsewhere we must first of all 
develop an understanding of why the paths are where they are. Then we can look 
at how to put them somewhere else: which, if you'll excuse the very clumsy 
mixture of metaphors, is what the monks are there for.

-Dawie

- Original Message 
From: Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: biofuel@sustainablelists.org
Sent: Friday, 11 May, 2007 8:14:32 AM
Subject: Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume


>I'm sure the article is a get-up.
>
>But you can find similar sentiment on the Internet just about everywhere.

Sure you can find it on the Internet just about everywhere. So why 
couldn't this guy? What we're left with is some poor-quality 
apocryphal nonsense plus I suppose Ben Radstein's opinion, FWIW. Why 
not do it for real? Radstein says he's a staff reporter. A reporter 
would have done some interviews. "It's the real news!" claims The 
UNCOVEROR, where Radstein works. The UNCOVEROR's "About" page says 
it's a "journal of political satire, news parody, and comic farce... 
Names are invented, except when public figures are lampooned." Real 
news, right. Real what, actually? Infotainment?

What is your Conceptual Continuity?
It should be easy to see
The crux of the biscuit is the Apostrophe
(Fido the dog)

http://eatthestate.org/
Eat the State! (May 10, 2007)
Volume 11, #18May 10, 2007

Our Relationship with Reality

by John A. Johnson

People love a good story. Something that will take them out of their 
own head for awhile, make them laugh, get inspired, or even make them 
feel heroic and courageous. All from the comfort of the chair they're 
sitting on.

People also don't like bad news, negative situations, or anything 
that's going to harsh their buzz or challenge their core values. 
People like their everyday reality to be pleasant, if possible, at at 
least affirming and validating of what they already believe.

It's understandable that people turn to diversions when they've had 
enough reality. And, there are legions of people out there ready to 
provide those diversions. We call them "entertainers."

The computer age is an interesting time for people who want 
diversion. It's possible to plug in to whatever you want any time day 
or night. In fact, we have a population which has grown accustomed to 
ready access to all of these things, and is quite comfortable with 
the world of electronic media of all types. The emphasis many people 
put on their diversions makes you wonder if they've sort of swapped 
out reality for something they like more. Something that doesn't jar 
their belief system. Something that isn't too threatening. A picture 
of things they're comfortable with. Brought to you by Our Sponsor.

The news and information industries in our culture have always been 
closely allied with the entertainment people, and the news people 
have taken more than a few pages from the entertainment peoples' 
playbook, as evidenced by the many models with great hair and pouty 
lips who deliver the "news." Needing to cultivate a following of both 
consumers and advertisers, "the news" seems to have formulated a 
product that keeps everyone happy and coming back for more.

American politics thrives on the presence of bogeymen. For the most 
pa

Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Keith Addison]

>I'm sure the article is a get-up.
>
>But you can find similar sentiment on the Internet just about everywhere.

Sure you can find it on the Internet just about everywhere. So why 
couldn't this guy? What we're left with is some poor-quality 
apocryphal nonsense plus I suppose Ben Radstein's opinion, FWIW. Why 
not do it for real? Radstein says he's a staff reporter. A reporter 
would have done some interviews. "It's the real news!" claims The 
UNCOVEROR, where Radstein works. The UNCOVEROR's "About" page says 
it's a "journal of political satire, news parody, and comic farce... 
Names are invented, except when public figures are lampooned." Real 
news, right. Real what, actually? Infotainment?

What is your Conceptual Continuity?
It should be easy to see
The crux of the biscuit is the Apostrophe
(Fido the dog)

http://eatthestate.org/
Eat the State! (May 10, 2007)
Volume 11, #18  May 10, 2007

Our Relationship with Reality

by John A. Johnson

People love a good story. Something that will take them out of their 
own head for awhile, make them laugh, get inspired, or even make them 
feel heroic and courageous. All from the comfort of the chair they're 
sitting on.

People also don't like bad news, negative situations, or anything 
that's going to harsh their buzz or challenge their core values. 
People like their everyday reality to be pleasant, if possible, at at 
least affirming and validating of what they already believe.

It's understandable that people turn to diversions when they've had 
enough reality. And, there are legions of people out there ready to 
provide those diversions. We call them "entertainers."

The computer age is an interesting time for people who want 
diversion. It's possible to plug in to whatever you want any time day 
or night. In fact, we have a population which has grown accustomed to 
ready access to all of these things, and is quite comfortable with 
the world of electronic media of all types. The emphasis many people 
put on their diversions makes you wonder if they've sort of swapped 
out reality for something they like more. Something that doesn't jar 
their belief system. Something that isn't too threatening. A picture 
of things they're comfortable with. Brought to you by Our Sponsor.

The news and information industries in our culture have always been 
closely allied with the entertainment people, and the news people 
have taken more than a few pages from the entertainment peoples' 
playbook, as evidenced by the many models with great hair and pouty 
lips who deliver the "news." Needing to cultivate a following of both 
consumers and advertisers, "the news" seems to have formulated a 
product that keeps everyone happy and coming back for more.

American politics thrives on the presence of bogeymen. For the most 
part, we're happy to let most things--even the really important 
ones--roll right off us until something spooks us. Then we sit up 
straight and pay attention. Since ours is a diverse culture, there's 
a different bogeyman for every group, ready to appear on cue. Our 
culture seems to be content consuming media yarns of bogeymen doing 
bad things. As a result of this mass-scale "swallowing it," there is 
no shortage of heads planted straight up bums. Let's take a look at 
some of it.

Plenty of spit and ink have been spent describing and making fun of 
how dumb the "RightTards" are. Mostly, these are playground-style 
arguments, little better than one side saying that the other has 
kooties. The right seems to be all about guns, God and gays, and 
barely-concealed racism. They also appear to be conducting a war 
against the environment, and don't care for those who read books or 
wear nice pants.

One of the Left's bogeymen is the smelly, pus-filled center of 
neocon-style Republicanism. Ann Coulter is a favorite targets. 
Nothing too outrageous for her to say or write, and nothing that 
won't get the Left's undies in a bunch. Works every time! Many Dems 
and Liberals believe that bad guys have taken over the government and 
are the sole cause of all problems. Swap those rascals out for some 
proper Green Tea-drinking Liberals, and all ills will be washed away. 
The Left also likes to talk a lot about the other side's obsession 
with silly religious beliefs and various sexual hangups as having a 
direct causal relationship with what's going on here politically.

And perhaps the crown jewel of silliness on the part of Left 
"pundits" is that the real reason we're fighting never-ending 
resource wars is that the 'president' hates his daddy and wants his 
mommy, and has a need to play dress-up. Oh, and by the way, he talks 
to his Special Little Friend, can't pronounce the word "nuclear," and 
he's really, really dumb, which makes the whole thing that much worse.

Here are a couple of stings.

We are fighting never-ending resource wars as a direct result of the 
way we live. A gang of corporatistas is running our country because 
of the way we insist on living. We

Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Mike Weaver]

I'm sure the article is a get-up.

But you can find similar sentiment on the Internet just about everywhere.


Keith Addison wrote:

>>  Tanks for nothing, D.C. bigs!
>>
>>
>
>Ag siestog! Poor little things!
>
>LOL!
>
> From your previous:
>
>  
>
>>I am sick and tired of people wasting apostrophes.  There is a finite
>>supply, and the Oxford English Dictionary estimates that we've already
>>used more than half.
>>Moreover, with more and more people studying English, this alarming
>>trend will only get worse.
>>
>>
>
>I tend to agree with your concerns about Peak Apostrophe Mike, it's a 
>widely unrecognised threat to CAWKI. Sod the sound science, what it 
>needs is an Oscar-winning movie to turn the tide, or even a 
>Nobel-winning movie, if not a hit song, a t-shirt and a coffee mug.
>
>However, I do believe you've picked on the wrong apostrophe. Filling 
>in the spaces vacated by missing letters is just a sideline for 
>apostrophes, their true role, the crux of the biscuit, is 
>possessives. Eg, "Mike's Harley", sadly missing though it be, or, 
>more apt, "Mrs Wellington's SUV". Mine not yours, in other words. 
>It's the unprecedented overuse of such apostrophes as these and the 
>single-minded acquisition of them, with its accompanying waste of 
>virtually all finite resources, that's propelling us towards the edge 
>of the precipice, IMHO. Meanwhile property-neutral bio-apostrophes 
>remain uninvented, algae won't help, and neither will jatropha. 
>Looming just over the horizon is the crunch question of just how much 
>longer insurance companies are going to go on insuring shops.
>
>These bootless Wellingtons, by the way, pardon the dumb question, but 
>are they supposed to be for real? Looks like a throw-together 
>composite to me, the seams are showing.
>
>Best
>
>Keith
>
>
>
>  
>
>> Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume
>>
>>BY ADAM NICHOLS
>>DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
>>
>>Thursday, May 3rd 2007, 3:26 PM
>>
>>
>>
>>   * Print
>>
>>>ng_dc_bigs_print.html>
>>   * Email 
>>   * Suggest a Story 
>>
>>Sky-high gas prices have become a Memorial Day tradition, but this year
>>they're being pumped to the highest levels yet - and motorists have had
>>enough.
>>
>>AAA is warning that New York's record high average of $3.35 a gallon -
>>charged following Hurricane Katrina - could be topped in time for
>>America's busiest traveling weekend.
>>
>>And drivers don't see the spike ending on Memorial Day, according to a
>>survey.
>>
>>It found 72% of motorists expect to be paying more than $3.50 a gallon
>>in the next few months, 83% suspect illegal price gouging - and the huge
>>majority want it stopped.
>>
>>"Americans are fed up with skyrocketing gasoline prices and they want
>>action," said Pam Solo, president of the Civil Society Institute, which
>>questioned more than 1,000 motorists.
>>
>>"These survey findings should send a real jolt through the corridors of
>>the White House and the halls of Congress," Solo said.
>>
>>Researchers found drivers sick of dependence on Middle Eastern oil,
>>government reluctance to increase fuel efficiency requirements and oil
>>companies' empty promises about green energy.
>>
>>And the more it hits them in the pocket, the madder drivers are getting.
>>
>>"We are told refineries have had problems with explosions, fires and
>>maintenance, and it's pushing up prices," said AAA's New York spokesman
>>Robert Sinclair.
>>
>>"But we haven't had any manmade or natural disasters. I certainly don't
>>think it can be as bad as the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused to
>>refineries, yet the prices are going higher," he said.
>>
>>Motorists complained they were already planning to shorten Memorial Day
>>trips and are cutting back on spending to budget for higher costs at the
>>pump.
>>
>>But Sinclair said drivers have to take some of the blame.
>>
>>"Of course oil companies have their hand in this," he said. "But a large
>>part of this problem is that half the vehicles on the road are SUVs or
>>big minivans.
>>
>>"Americans, unfortunately, have a love affair with these big vehicles.
>>They push demand up, and that pushes up the price."
>>
>>
>>
>>Mike Weaver wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>>I'm surprised at you, Keith.  You're not very sympathetic.
>>>
>>>
>>> SUV OWNERS PUZZLED BY HIGH GAS PRICES
>>>
>>>
>>> by Ben Radstein, staff reporter
>>>
>>>Before the war in Iraq began, SUV owners were polled
>>> about their attitudes toward the
>>>upcoming conflict, and by a very wide margin, they supported the idea.
>>>They all seemed to believe that the war would lower oil prices, and make
>>>fueling their gas guzzling behemoths cheap. Now many are expressing
>>>dismay that this has not occurred. I spoke again to William and Susan
>>>Welling

Re: [Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Keith Addison]

>   Tanks for nothing, D.C. bigs!

Ag siestog! Poor little things!

LOL!

 From your previous:

>I am sick and tired of people wasting apostrophes.  There is a finite
>supply, and the Oxford English Dictionary estimates that we've already
>used more than half.
>Moreover, with more and more people studying English, this alarming
>trend will only get worse.

I tend to agree with your concerns about Peak Apostrophe Mike, it's a 
widely unrecognised threat to CAWKI. Sod the sound science, what it 
needs is an Oscar-winning movie to turn the tide, or even a 
Nobel-winning movie, if not a hit song, a t-shirt and a coffee mug.

However, I do believe you've picked on the wrong apostrophe. Filling 
in the spaces vacated by missing letters is just a sideline for 
apostrophes, their true role, the crux of the biscuit, is 
possessives. Eg, "Mike's Harley", sadly missing though it be, or, 
more apt, "Mrs Wellington's SUV". Mine not yours, in other words. 
It's the unprecedented overuse of such apostrophes as these and the 
single-minded acquisition of them, with its accompanying waste of 
virtually all finite resources, that's propelling us towards the edge 
of the precipice, IMHO. Meanwhile property-neutral bio-apostrophes 
remain uninvented, algae won't help, and neither will jatropha. 
Looming just over the horizon is the crunch question of just how much 
longer insurance companies are going to go on insuring shops.

These bootless Wellingtons, by the way, pardon the dumb question, but 
are they supposed to be for real? Looks like a throw-together 
composite to me, the seams are showing.

Best

Keith



>  Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume
>
>BY ADAM NICHOLS
>DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
>
>Thursday, May 3rd 2007, 3:26 PM
>
>
>
>* Print
> 
>ng_dc_bigs_print.html>
>* Email 
>* Suggest a Story 
>
>Sky-high gas prices have become a Memorial Day tradition, but this year
>they're being pumped to the highest levels yet - and motorists have had
>enough.
>
>AAA is warning that New York's record high average of $3.35 a gallon -
>charged following Hurricane Katrina - could be topped in time for
>America's busiest traveling weekend.
>
>And drivers don't see the spike ending on Memorial Day, according to a
>survey.
>
>It found 72% of motorists expect to be paying more than $3.50 a gallon
>in the next few months, 83% suspect illegal price gouging - and the huge
>majority want it stopped.
>
>"Americans are fed up with skyrocketing gasoline prices and they want
>action," said Pam Solo, president of the Civil Society Institute, which
>questioned more than 1,000 motorists.
>
>"These survey findings should send a real jolt through the corridors of
>the White House and the halls of Congress," Solo said.
>
>Researchers found drivers sick of dependence on Middle Eastern oil,
>government reluctance to increase fuel efficiency requirements and oil
>companies' empty promises about green energy.
>
>And the more it hits them in the pocket, the madder drivers are getting.
>
>"We are told refineries have had problems with explosions, fires and
>maintenance, and it's pushing up prices," said AAA's New York spokesman
>Robert Sinclair.
>
>"But we haven't had any manmade or natural disasters. I certainly don't
>think it can be as bad as the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused to
>refineries, yet the prices are going higher," he said.
>
>Motorists complained they were already planning to shorten Memorial Day
>trips and are cutting back on spending to budget for higher costs at the
>pump.
>
>But Sinclair said drivers have to take some of the blame.
>
>"Of course oil companies have their hand in this," he said. "But a large
>part of this problem is that half the vehicles on the road are SUVs or
>big minivans.
>
>"Americans, unfortunately, have a love affair with these big vehicles.
>They push demand up, and that pushes up the price."
>
>
>
>Mike Weaver wrote:
>
> >I'm surprised at you, Keith.  You're not very sympathetic.
> >
> >
> >  SUV OWNERS PUZZLED BY HIGH GAS PRICES
> >
> >
> >  by Ben Radstein, staff reporter
> >
> >Before the war in Iraq began, SUV owners were polled
> > about their attitudes toward the
> >upcoming conflict, and by a very wide margin, they supported the idea.
> >They all seemed to believe that the war would lower oil prices, and make
> >fueling their gas guzzling behemoths cheap. Now many are expressing
> >dismay that this has not occurred. I spoke again to William and Susan
> >Wellington, who expressed confusion about the current situation.
> >
> >"I used to see bumper stickers and tee shirts that said kick their ass,
> >take their gas." said Mr. Wellington, "We have done the first part of
> >that, why not the rest? Iraq has the world's second largest oil r

[Biofuel] Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

[Mike Weaver]

Tanks for nothing, D.C. bigs!


  Gas prices - & government hot air - making drivers fume

BY ADAM NICHOLS
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, May 3rd 2007, 3:26 PM



* Print
  

* Email 
* Suggest a Story 

Sky-high gas prices have become a Memorial Day tradition, but this year 
they're being pumped to the highest levels yet - and motorists have had 
enough.

AAA is warning that New York's record high average of $3.35 a gallon - 
charged following Hurricane Katrina - could be topped in time for 
America's busiest traveling weekend.

And drivers don't see the spike ending on Memorial Day, according to a 
survey.

It found 72% of motorists expect to be paying more than $3.50 a gallon 
in the next few months, 83% suspect illegal price gouging - and the huge 
majority want it stopped.

"Americans are fed up with skyrocketing gasoline prices and they want 
action," said Pam Solo, president of the Civil Society Institute, which 
questioned more than 1,000 motorists.

"These survey findings should send a real jolt through the corridors of 
the White House and the halls of Congress," Solo said.

Researchers found drivers sick of dependence on Middle Eastern oil, 
government reluctance to increase fuel efficiency requirements and oil 
companies' empty promises about green energy.

And the more it hits them in the pocket, the madder drivers are getting.

"We are told refineries have had problems with explosions, fires and 
maintenance, and it's pushing up prices," said AAA's New York spokesman 
Robert Sinclair.

"But we haven't had any manmade or natural disasters. I certainly don't 
think it can be as bad as the devastation Hurricane Katrina caused to 
refineries, yet the prices are going higher," he said.

Motorists complained they were already planning to shorten Memorial Day 
trips and are cutting back on spending to budget for higher costs at the 
pump.

But Sinclair said drivers have to take some of the blame.

"Of course oil companies have their hand in this," he said. "But a large 
part of this problem is that half the vehicles on the road are SUVs or 
big minivans.

"Americans, unfortunately, have a love affair with these big vehicles. 
They push demand up, and that pushes up the price."



Mike Weaver wrote:

>I'm surprised at you, Keith.  You're not very sympathetic.
>
>
>  SUV OWNERS PUZZLED BY HIGH GAS PRICES
>
>
>  by Ben Radstein, staff reporter
>
>Before the war in Iraq began, SUV owners were polled 
> about their attitudes toward the 
>upcoming conflict, and by a very wide margin, they supported the idea. 
>They all seemed to believe that the war would lower oil prices, and make 
>fueling their gas guzzling behemoths cheap. Now many are expressing 
>dismay that this has not occurred. I spoke again to William and Susan 
>Wellington, who expressed confusion about the current situation.
>
>"I used to see bumper stickers and tee shirts that said kick their ass, 
>take their gas." said Mr. Wellington, "We have done the first part of 
>that, why not the rest? Iraq has the world's second largest oil reserve, 
>and now we control it, but gas costs more now than it did before the 
>war. It is already over two dollars a gallon, and I need premium!"
>
>"We were going to buy a new SUV once the Escalade is eighteen months 
>old, and loses that new feeling," added Mrs. Wellington "but now I don't 
>know. I hate having to be seen in anything old. If I didn't know better, 
>I might think that young chap I saw on the University campus talking 
>about peak oil wasn't crazy."
>
>For those who don't know, peak oil 
> is the theory that the 
>world's oil supply can be represented as a bell curve. The first half of 
>it will be easy to extract, and therefore cheap. The second half would 
>be increasingly difficult to remove from the ground, and increasingly 
>expensive. Depending upon whom you believe, the result of this could be 
>mere inconvenience, prolonged recession, or war, famine, pestilence and 
>death.
>
>I asked the Wellingtons to consider whether peak oil was a valid theory, 
>and if we had hit it. Susan nodded no, and William bellowed. "That's a 
>bunch of vegan tree-hugger doom-saying nonsense! Where did you get that 
>idea, Al Gore? Are you trying to cause panic? Why do you liberals hate 
>America? We will have oil for centuries to come if we just look for it. 
>We have heard this nonsense since the 1970s. It was not true then, and 
>it's not true now. I don't know exactly why gas prices are so high, but 
>I would wager my last dollar that  it is Bill Clinton's fault. After 
>all, it was he who drove Rush Limbaugh to drugs, and he should accept 
>responsibility for that"
>
>The Wel