How much oil do you use? Wondering????

on friday 3 of our major banks failed here on the island, only to be gobbled up by even bigger banks...

Westernbank Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR with approximately $11.94 billion in assets and approximately $8.62 billion in deposits was closed. Banco Popular de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR has agreed to assume all deposits, excluding certain brokered deposits. (PR-097-2010)

R-G Premier Bank of Puerto Rico, Hato Rey, PR with approximately $5.92 billion in assets and approximately $4.25 billion in deposits was closed. Scotiabank de Puerto Rico, San Juan, PR has agreed to assume all deposits, excluding certain brokered deposits. (PR-096-2010)

Eurobank, San Juan, PR with approximately $2.56 billion in assets and approximately $1.97 billion in deposits was closed. Oriental Bank and Trust, San Juan, PR has agreed to assume all deposits, excluding certain brokered deposits. (PR-095-2010)

this unexpected news has sent shock waves through the island, already suffering from 5 YEARS of recession - my only question is when will the powers that be finally announce what those of us battling on the front lines already know - this is a fucking depression.

and don't get me started on the ceo of goldman who's spewing his b.s. on the tv right now... can you believe the fuck actually just said on fareed zakaria gps that what his company is doing is not fraud, but actually a much needed SOCIAL SERVICE? this guy really is a rat bastard.

and there's now approximately 12.4 million gallons of oil that has spewed into the gulf... with no end in sight. and if new reports are to be believed, the "leak" is now being estimated at 100,000+ barrels per day, which is 5.5+ million gallons per day. and our governor, right along with every other "conservative" on the toobs, says that he will not change his mind about offshore drilling in PR. these folks don't give two shits about the lives impacted, or the environmental damage. they only care about the almighty oil lobby dollar. may they get what they deserve.

I have no idea how our society will turn the corner away from a completely oil dependent model, especially when the only apparent robust effort at new, clean technologies is lip service. fucking hypocrites, all of 'em. I've gotta stop or my blood pressure will get the best of me.

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see. ~ Thoreau ... and, do no harm

one misconception is that oil=gasoline.
oil=plastic also.
and i don't know what else... so many things that have multiplied oil usage attached to them.

one thing is the big farms that grow all that corn to produce high-fructose corn syrup that is in damn near everything. they use a bunch of oil to grow the corn (not to mention chemicals & GMO seed)...& then the processing takes tons of electricity....

in fact all food processing takes a LOT of electricity/oil

it's one of the reasons i push hard to buy local in season from farmers & cook from scratch
don't buy oranges in august... they come from thousands of miles away- costing huge amounts of oil.

use USPS instead of UPS or Fed-Ex... they run their routes everyday regardless. your sending something through USPS uses no extra oil.
to buy things in recyclable containers- preferably not plastic....

to buy cotton or linen clothing, used if possible, polyester is made partially from plastic- it's why it burns the way it does.

buy cotton or wool rugs....

in short - return to the older more sustainable way of doing things...
think about what went into each item you buy, each trip you take to the store....

and write letters to companies you do buy from, demanding a return to glass containers.

"Indeed, if a poor man will spend a year in prison for stealing out of hunger,
how high would the gallows need to be to hang the rich man?"
~The Patrician in 'Snuff' by Terry Pratchett

No car; my stove is natural gas, which the landlord pays for: and I think b/c he pays for it, it must mean the building is heated by natural gas & he's just too cheap to get the meters changed.  I try to keep my electric bill down, and although I do splurge on those weird little twisty light bulbs, I have a tendency to fall asleep with the light on (while reading), and when I can afford another radio, or find someone to fix Dad's, I will probably leave WRTI playing all night long.

Don't know how much of our power here comes from Three Mile Island or Peach Bottom.  Maybe rossl has a clue?

English usage is sometimes more than mere taste, judgment and education - sometimes it's sheer luck, like getting across the street.
E. B. White  

Pardon my rant, folks!  This sucks.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Regarding my use of oil--I've admittedly never, ever considered how much oil I use, but, I assume that when I gas up my 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid once or twice a month, I assume that I'm using a certain amount of oil, especially when I drive.  Since I don't drive long distances that often,  and I  walk, bike, hoof it, or take public transportation here in the city when and wherever I can, I admittedly don't feel guilty when I use a certain amount of gas/oil to make my yearly road trip to visit relatives in the midwest, to a neighboring state or another part of the Bay State to take in a screening or even an occasional stage play of West Side Story, or to go and visit Mr. Grey down at Bird and Reptile Connection every two-three days,  to do a large grocery shopping, or  to replace the almost-empty acetelyne tank that I use for my silversmithing work, which, for all kinds of reasons,  I can't very well lug on public transportation.

Often enough, too, when I go somewhere for an errand closer by, I make a point of driving 1/2 or 1/3 of the way and walking the rest of the way to my destination.  

When I go out of the city, or when I come back really  late at night, I find that a car is not only helpful, but totally  necessary, as the places outside the city (such as out to Concord Center for long distance bike rides in the country, or, lately, down to Bird and Reptile Connection to visit Mr. Grey every two or three days), I have no choice but to drive there, because there's no public transportation going out those ways, and even if there were, public transportation in our area is often inadequate when it extends out to the suburbs and exurbs here.  Hey...if Bird and Reptile Connection were here in the city, I'd bike, hoof it, or take public transportation, but, since it's not in the city, or even that close to it, I use what I have....my car.  Not so terrible, imho.  

I think off-shore drilling for oil is disgusting as an idea, and as an action, and, I'm sorry to say, folks, the fact that this present Administration in Washington is continuing it, along with many other stupid, vicious policies by G. W. Bush and other predecessors, is positively sickening.  This Administration doesn't have the gumption to tell Israel point blank to get the hell out of Gaza, West Bank, and East Jerusalem, but that's another issue here.

Fortunately, my 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid runs on the regular gas, which is the cheapest fuel, and I buy gasoline at a Hess, Amoco, or Sunoco gas station when and wherever I can.  If they're not available, and I need gasoline, I'll resort to any of the others.  I must admit, however, that I'm thinking that I might end up hoofing it or biking to  more places here in the city, with the advent of several fires on the MBTA's (Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority) Green and Red Lines.  Pretty scary, especially since our major water main break all the way out in Weston, MA, came close in on the heels of all those fires.  One has to wonder what's really and truly going on here!  I do admit to one thing, however.  Even with its use of a certain amount of gasoline and oil, I'm more than grateful to have my car, which, btw, also runs on electric as well as gasoline, and my frequent visits to Bird and Reptile Connections will not last forever, but are temporary.  I won't have to drive down there nearly as often once Mr. Grey comes home, but I'll still make occasional trips down to Bird and Reptile Connection to purchase food, toys, or other accessories for Mr. Grey as needed, and, if I need to take him/her to the vet, or if I decide to maybe take the Grey with me when I visit Iowa one day, I'll have the car at my disposal.  

So, I don't consider myself a big oil user, despite what it may seem.  


The more things change, the more they stay the same.

On the other hand, the stuff I can control, I never go downtown without figuring out every possible stop.  We only go to B&N when we have another reason to hit midtown.  Clump all the errands together.  We have a Honda Civic that gets great mileage -- it's a manual transmission, so I take advantage of every downhill and coast.  My favorite is a long sloping hill that's gotta be at least a half mile -- I hit the top of that and by the time I have to let the clutch out, I have gained about 20 mph.  

Our other vehicle is a Suburban, but it's 14 years old and running great, gets really not bad mpg -- I think 16 to 18 (I know, sucky, but in the greater scheme of things, there are a hell of a lot of new sedans that don't get any better mileage than that.)  I like using things up, and by keeping my old beast of a Suburban, I avoid contributing all that pollution that building a new car makes.  

Of course, we live in a city where we can get around conveniently without a car and it's simply not an option for most people.