I don't mean to be insensitive...

[Tasselfoot]

RE: I don

For the record:

Crude Oil was down 45 cents to 69.02 at close today.

To see oil prices: www.nymex.com/index.aspx

[GuidoHunter]

RE: I don

I remember paying attention to Crude prices (specifically West Texas Intermediate) as they changed through the day last summer ('04) and hearing it break $50 a barrel.

As an update to my last post, the one gas station I've seen since Katrina hit was $2.98 here in Dallas.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[jazzmosis]

RE: I don

I just wanna know how much more people are going to get slapped in the face before they start investing in alternative fuel sources.

Don't give me that "it'll be expensive to develop" crap. Here's a hint for you: Gas prices have been consistently rising since 1996. Personally I've stopped driving except for once or twice a week now because I can't afford it, plus I'm doing a personal protest. Since gas here (Ontario) went over a dollar, I've only bought it twice. But seriously, do you want to be gouged completely or would you rather use water, which covers 70% of the surface?

Seems to me we'd solve alot of problems with alternative fuel.

[xObserveRx]

RE: I don

You're forgetting the biggest incentive here Jazz... profits.

[chickendude]

RE: I don

Whoever gets an alternative effective fuel source up and running, will make a LOT of profit.
And I don't mean like electric or hybrids. Electrics are just terrible, and hybrids still use gas (though a lot less)
If someone dumps like a fuel cell into a car, that would be good. I saw in the newspaper the other day of a motorcycle thats using fuel cells, its coming into the market like next year.

[Reach]

RE: I don

But it's initial profits that companys are concerned about. The initial cost would be huge, and right now we have bastards that don't care and just want to keep making money. Same with nuclear energy. Why fork out billions of dollars to build the plants when they can continue burning what they have making lots of money and polluting the atmosphere.

It'll have to come eventually though XD We'll run out of oil

[nforcer06164]

RE: I don

Well, it's not only Katrina, but also profit that's driving it up at this time. It's Labor Day weekend coming up. Gas is necessary for the travel, so prices have been spiked. Analysts expect prices to drop sharply when the holiday is over. This greed disgusts me. It's understandable in industries where a certain type of louxury or entertainment is sold, but a lot of people need gas to keep their lives on track (i. e. people with low income that need to drive to work), and this is just ruining everything for them, not to mention unnecessarily draining the pockets of those better off.

Remember when something like $1.79 was a ridiculous price?

[Pumble]

Re: RE: I don

But it's initial profits that companys are concerned about. The initial cost would be huge, and right now we have bastards that don't care and just want to keep making money.

That's incredibly shortsighted. And it's not even just greedy, it's stupid. Chickendude's right, whatever company that gets out a substitute cheaper than gas will make all their money back and more. Why not do it now before we run out of gas completely and are left stranded while something new is developped? And that fuel cell things sounds cool.

I never meant to come across like i was the first one to say that Reach, just my two cents.

[Reach]

Re: RE: I don

But it's initial profits that companys are concerned about. The initial cost would be huge, and right now we have bastards that don't care and just want to keep making money.

That's incredibly shortsighted. And it's not even just greedy, it's stupid. Chickendude's right, whatever company that gets out a substitute cheaper than gas will make all their money back and more. Why not do it now before we run out of gas completely and are left stranded while something new is developped? And that fuel cell things sounds cool.

Who said it wasn't stupid? As I recall, Bush didn't even go to the kyoto project meeting awhile back, which promotes the cutback of emissions that are destroying our planet.

Nuclear power is genius. It's near perfect. It's just expensive. Without a doubt they could impliment cars that use an alternate source of fuel. It would just cost a lot.

[jazzmosis]

RE: Re: RE: I don

And the catastrophe if it went wrong could potentially wipe out the world population.

[Reach]

Re: RE: Re: RE: I don

And the catastrophe if it went wrong could potentially wipe out the world population.

It's safe. This isn't 1960 anymore. Same with the radiation. You're getting about 50 times as much radiation from that x-ray at the dentists than you are if you worked in the plant all year long.

There are already 100 plants in the states anyway XD But none within 1000 miles of here.

[chickendude]

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I don

WE MUST UNLEASH THE STRONG FORCE!

and its not just greed at the gas stations causing the prices to go up. Gas station owners have to pay a load to get the gas and they make as little (as(or less than) 1c per gallon profits. Each time you gas up your car the station only gets like 15-25 cents. And then there's the problems with drive offs, people stealing gas. Think about it, the gas station loses like 30 dollars at a drive off, and it takes them another 200 gallons just to break even for that one guy. Gas isn't exactly a booming business for the gas station owners. They are taking advantage of the time, because they need money.
Also you can't call them greedy for trying to make some money. They are just trying to make as much money as they can. Its how they make their living. You can't say you're being greedy for accepting a raise, if you get one. Think of labor day like their raise (temporary at least) For business owners, the greedy attitude needs to be there, or they will get trampled by competition.

[GuidoHunter]

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I don

Nuclear energy is near perfect? What are you smoking, Reach? Sure, we may have learned from our mistakes at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island, but that doesn't mean the risks inherent to nuclear energy production have gone away. It's still dangerous, it's still expensive, it still produces only a slight improvement in efficiency, and the nuclear waste is still IMPOSSIBLE to dispose of. It's not like we're venting stuff into the very resilient atmosphere which will take care of it on its own; nuclear waste just sits and takes up space. Regardless of waste or cost to develop, it's still relatively unsafe. The potential disaster is incredible and since you can never eliminate that potential, the cost of something going wrong is absurd. Nobody wants to be the plant developer whose plant nukes a million people, right?

That's why nuclear energy has gone by the wayside. There may be 100 nuclear plants in America, but I doubt half of them are operational just because it's not worth it.

As for alternative fuel cars, you can be damned sure that every car company is clamoring over being the first to sell the first feasible AF car. Like chicken said, whoever does it first will make assloads of money, especially in this day and age. What's the problem? Putting the science in a car that meets our standards and making it able to operate functionally. It's tough to make a powerful car out of alternative fuels, and the consumers have extremely high expectations. And then, after you make the car, you must be sure that it can be refueled when it needs to be; you need ethanol cars before you can have ethanol stations.

And I really don't see why everyone is whining about oil companies hoarding money at these prices and whatnot. The job of a business is to make money, not to cater to the people. It's true that catering to the people could be a great investment and pay off well, and that's exactly why people are developing alternative fuel cars (to make money), but sometimes it's not worth the investment to others (the oil companies). I would (and I bet you would, too) do the same thing if I was an oil exec and had the interests of my company and its shareholders in my interest. This greed about which everyone is whining is what keeps our country running as well as it does.

Alternative fuels will come when they're damn ready. Now is just not the time.

--Guido

http://andy.mikee385.com

[Pumble]

Re: RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I don

WE MUST UNLEASH THE STRONG FORCE!

and its not just greed at the gas stations causing the prices to go up. Gas station owners have to pay a load to get the gas and they make as little (as(or less than) 1c per gallon profits. Each time you gas up your car the station only gets like 15-25 cents. And then there's the problems with drive offs, people stealing gas. Think about it, the gas station loses like 30 dollars at a drive off, and it takes them another 200 gallons just to break even for that one guy. Gas isn't exactly a booming business for the gas station owners. They are taking advantage of the time, because they need money.
Also you can't call them greedy for trying to make some money. They are just trying to make as much money as they can. Its how they make their living. You can't say you're being greedy for accepting a raise, if you get one. Think of labor day like their raise (temporary at least) For business owners, the greedy attitude needs to be there, or they will get trampled by competition.

True chickendude, true, but the fact still remains that they are shortsighted for not realizing that developping an alternate fuel source would make up for the initial cost and more. Of course, the companies are too scared to take that risk because it might not work out for them, and it won't make them money in the short term if it does.

[QreepyBORIS]

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: I don

My French teacher's friend makes his own biodeisel.

Biodiesel is great.