Misc

What a winter-when it's not below zero and freezing pipes, it's dropping a foot of snow on us! This last storm is supposed to leave 8-15 inches of snow by the time it moves out overnight. The saplings say we have about a foot out there now.

I just read that this monster storm has left a million people without power. Kentucky alone had 350,000 out. I predict this is just the status quo with climate change-and it could get worse.

I have been waiting for Exxon Mobil's fourth quarter earning reports to hit the net. I noted that last year they were released Feb 1, so a couple more days. I predict even larger profits for this quarter. Oil prices are down to less than 40dollars a barrel, but gasoline prices should be running about 1.25 a gallon at those figures, and it is 1.86 here at the local stations. That means .60 a gallon higher on the refinery end-so don't be fooled, the oil giants are not losing money at $38 a barrel.

Regarding the banking bailout, the feds are blacking out contract info as to what banks received deals. Not only has money been given to the banks outright with no accountability, but over a trillion dollars has been lent out at special rates. The rich get richer while the poor get laid off, kicked out, and sit shivering in the dark.

On a personal note, I was on two feet today! The goats were having fencing issues, and while the saplings have been stellar with the goat care chores, fencing falls to me. I was pleased to see how clean the goat houses were while I was out there fixing the electric fence, and disconnecting some lower lines in preparation for tonight's storm. That was before I knew we might get over a foot of snow. So I might have the Firebird strap on the snowshoes tomorrow and run the fenceline for me.

I tried like hell to get a boot on my burnt foot today. Even the giant moon boots were a no-go. Finally I grabbed a pair of sneakers and I couldn't believe I could get one on over the bandages. I put a boot on the good foot.

I went into the pens on crutches, and Moonie and Obiwan were scared to death of me! Kind old Caesar greeted me at his fenceline with a grin. Julius was a little nervous until I spoke to him, then buried his face in the hay and managed to step on my toes while I was working. Nic was oblivious as long as hay was in front of him. Derek and his Mom Daphne took a break from their hay and let me pet them.

I ended up having to go off-trail to disconnect part of the fence, and my toes were FROZEN by the time I made it back to the house! I guess the circulation isn't too great on the toes on the burnt foot. Plus, sneakers are not too warm!

Now I am worried with all this snow I will have to get on the goat house roof and shovel it off. I really don't want to get up there!

My foot looked a little irritated when I changed the bandages this afternoon, and it was bothering me tonight, so I tried to keep off of it tonight and went back to the crutches. The itching has started on the ankle and toes-I will be in agony when the rest starts to heal more. That's still too tender to be itching.

My house is a disaster! I haven't had the heart to ask the kids for much more than fetching and carrying with all the extra outdoor chores. I am hoping to vaccuum tomorrow and get to the enormous pile of dishes. I don't want the place a hovel on my birthday!

Hopefully by tomorrow my aversion to hot water will be wearing off.... :D

oil, politics

House speaker Nancy Pelosi announced today that she might be willing to inlcude offshore oil drilling in energy legislation. The Dems are going to try and tie it to other energy strategies that Republicans have shot down.

Offshore drilling is not going to bring prices down. Offshore drilling will just make the oil companies richer. Gasoline consumption in the US is down from last year, yet gas inventories are smaller. That points to less refining aimed at creating less supply.

The only positive benefit, unless you own stock in an oil company? Less greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere. Nothing short of these skyrocketing prices could drive down demand. I just wish that the oil companies were not profiting so much from JQ public.

An interesting note here in Maine. The first registered all electric vehicle owner has had his registration plates revoked. The car, which costs $12,000, has three wheels, and the owner registered it as a motorcycle. It took the state three months to realize their mistake, and the state says that since it has three wheels and a steering column, instead of handlebars, it is illegal to drive as it would be easy to over-turn it, causing a rollover.

I guess a motorcycle with two wheels and handlebars is safer than a three wheeled car with steering wheel and an enclosure. Yeah.

Next, politics. I don't care for the spin I am hearing here in the US about the recent situation with Russia and Georgia. One has to pay very close attention and dig very deep to find out that Georgia started the whole thing, and that Russia moved in to stop them. The news here is trying to make it sound like the Russians are totally at fault.

Then Poland and the US have agreed to let the US use Poland as a missile base, with Bush and Rice posturing threats at the Russians, to hell with cold war-pretty soon we are going to be in deep trouble. Scary stuff.

Upcoming elections: while some of us are still deciding who to back in the next presidential election (not me-I'm voting with the Dems) , which nominee Americans want to be our next president might not really matter. Remember all the trouble during the last couple of elections, with folks not being able to vote, and votes not being properly counted due to machine error? That is all supposed to be fixed by touch screen voting machines-none of which have been yet certified to be error and hacker free. Yet 30% of voting Americans will be using those voting machine in November.

The worst part-they offer no paper back up, so there is no way to prove if they are working correctly, or not.

My ballot will be handcounted-once nice thing about living in a small town. At least I hope it will-if I walk into the auditorium on Nov 4 and see electronic machines, I am NOT going to be happy!

oil

Gasoline prices dropped nearly a quarter this week to $3.93.

Oil dropped$22 a barrel.

Bush blamed congress for high oil prices, stating the need to open up offshore drilling.

Congress retaliated by stating that it would take until 2012 to see any oil and it would produce less than 1% of our current consumption. Also claimed that oil companies have land based leases that have not been developed.

The government released news today that gasoline supplies were lower than expected, causing oil to gain $2 a barrel.

Shell yesterday, and Exxon Mobil today, reported profits for the second quarter 2008 around 10 billion dollars(over 11 billion for poor exxon)-top five for American companies quarter profits. ever.

Today, Barak Obama said in a town hall meeting that he would advocate alternative energy to steer us away form our dependence on oil.

What do these cumulative facts tell me? That oil lobbies are going to do everything they can to get those offshore and Arctic refuge leases before the current administration leaves office. Not satisfied with raping the pocketbook of the (world), it's a no holds barred race to lock in any remaining sources of oil for further monopolization.

Oh yeah, and vote for Barak. :D

Ed note: today Barak Obama changed course and said that he would support limited offshore drilling. Not sure I like where that is going....but what other choice do we for president?

Today's Bitch= OIL

Where do I start? How about a couple evenings ago while watching the National news?
I let out a shocked gasp of exclamation, and clamped my hands over my face in shock. My children came running, asking, "What's wrong, what's wrong?"

How to explain to little ones compassion and the plight seniors and everyone else that relies on oil to heat their homes are facing?

What was it that I heard on the news? That local oil companies are pre-booking winter heating fuel at 4.50-5.00 a gallon.

Now allow me to explain. Here, heating oil suppliers allow customers to prepay this time of year for heating fuel they will need in the winter, usually for a lower price then when the demand increases.

Last year folks were faced with prices around $2 a gallon, and many huddled around their home cookstoves (electric or natural gas) to keep from freezing to death. Homes require a minimum of 100 gallons of fuel of month to heat. That is 450-500 a month at current pre-booking prices, with a five month heating season. That is almost as much as most have to pay on their monthly rent or mortgage.

Scary stuff! I was very worried for folks last year, but thankfully we had a relatively mild winter (although with lots of snow). The snow hurt me more than the cold, as I heat with wood but have to pay to have the driveway plowed. That was 2-3 times a week for quite awhile, as my regular reader will recall.

I digress. What started this blog happened when I logged on to my news homepage. Paulson, secretary of the treasury says, "there is no quick fix for oil" and it is "a matter of supply and demand."

Right, and Iraq had weapons of mass destruction.

The price of oil is driven by speculators. We are screwed.

Paulson used this opportunity to encourage oil producing countries to open up to investment, exploration, and marketing. What that means is that a big oil company, such as Exxon, goes in and offers less than 20% for what is pumped in exchange for absorbing the cost of exploration, drilling, and transporting.

Last month, gasoline demand here in the US was down 7% from last year. There was a 4% drop in Memorial day travel at the Maine toll.

Car dealers are offerring 2.99 a gallon credit on the purchase of a new truck for the first 12,000 miles. Gotta keep us consuming....

Because what is going to happen when we all cut back on our oil use? Good things for climate change, we hope, but not good news for those oil companies. The price could drop. Maybe, if we are lucky.

Or there are going to be some cold folks around here this winter.

Tibet

I was just reading that the Premier of China WenJiabo is accusing the Dalai Lama of "provoking violence to promote Tibetan independence."

The Dalai Lama has said that he will resign if the violence continues.

That the Dalai Lama should be accused of provoking violence is absurd. The Dalai Lama has been in training and extensive meditation since age 4 focusing on compassion and non violence.

China invaded and tookover control of Tibet in 1959. China is reputed to smother music, art, religion (and googling certain subjects) unless state approved. Thus the Dalai Lama's recent statement that "cultural genocide is occurring"'. China is currently arresting hundreds of Tibetans for supposed suspicion of involvement in the recent riots. Is it true? Difficult to judge, since China is also not allowing any reporters into Tibet.

So, let's see where we stand with China. For the last twenty years, China has been underselling all other nations in producing products. And doing it exceeding well-have you ever tried to get something made in China out of the box? Either Chinese people enjoy the unwrapping as much as the actual present, or they are overkilling us with finer details that most other countries would smirk at.

Well, brace yourselves, those of us that have picked cheaper, made better, made in China products for the last ten years. Now China has a corner on the market, prices are going to go up, and not necessarily because of the crashing dollar.

Speaking of the crashing dollar, why does Bush seem so happy lately? Well, oil is up to 110 a barrel. Wouldn't that make an oil man happy?

One side note on that oil price. Mostly American oil companies are the ones that have the ability to put in the oil wells and pipelines. When oil companies lease oil rights, or buy from another country, they pay about 12 cents on the dollar in royalties.

That means Exxon-Mobil pays about 14 dollars a barrel for that 110 oil.