There’s at least one state in the union that is happy about the overuse of fossil fuels and the subsequent rise in oil/gas prices – North Dakota. Yeah, North Dakota. It is a state and the 20-30 people who live there add to the 304 million+ population of the U. S.

Turns out there is oil under them grasslands, two miles under. “Landowners in western North Dakota have a much better chance of striking it rich from oil than they do playing the lottery, says one local. Some of their neighbors in the town of about 120, from bar tenders to Tupperware salespeople, have become “overnight millionaires” from oil royalty payments.

Can anything good come our of North Dakota? Wait! That’s Nazareth. Apparently there is, at least for dozens of people who are millionaires through no fault of their own other than being born in the right place. Kind of reminds us of the middle east, eh? North Dakota is expected to produce a record amount of oil this year.

In 2005 there were 266 millionaires in the state. In 2006, there were 388, an increase of about 50%. 2007 figures aren’t out yet. One University of ND director is predicting that half of the county’s population of 4,000 will be millionaires in the next 3-5 years. In 1997, ND ranked 42nd in per capita income. Last year, it ranked 30th.

And all because of the rest of the world gluttonously consuming oil. As for me, I still don’t want to live in ND. But, I’d think about it.

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There’s going to be a fight and if nobody else wants to take on Bush, California will do it for sure. Bush wants to lift the 27-year old ban on offshore drilling.

Yesterday I brought this topic up at a lunch meeting with friends. (I live in Silicon Valley) One friend immediately blurted out “Fat chance of Bush lifting that ban!” And, I was kind of thinking, why not? My friend went on to say he remembers what it’s like swimming among the oil bubbles off the shore of Galveston, TX. No way was that going to happen in this area. “Save the Puffins!”

Since 1981, America has been prohibited from doing offshore gas drilling and exploration by a federal moratorium. Reasons – protect tourism and lessen the chance of oil spills reaching popular beaches.

Experts (can we trust them?) are telling Bush there are about 18 billion barrels of oil at the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS).

America has a choice – accept the high gas prices and/or watch them go up or start exploring and drilling and cursing and yelling and … On the other hand we can change route to solar or wind power, and electric cars!

FIGHT!

[Source: NYTimes] – Image by visualsushi

On a lot of levels, this doesn’t make sense to me and probably you either, but South Korean truck drivers parked their trucks and let them idle away the fuel. They don’t seem to have any more sense about this than their European counterparts but anyway, who’s asking us?The truckers who want lower diesel fuel costs, higher fees for hauling freight and a standardized pricing system, were protesting the Korean government’s policy package dealing with record-breaking crude oil prices.

Let’s see, they want us to give them cheaper fuel, pay them more to haul it and give them a higher wage or, they’ll just paralyze the nation.

In 2003 South Korean truckers went on strike costing the nation some $540 million. This time they got a promise that the government is going to spend $9.77 billion over the next year to deal with these high prices.

In the end, who paid for that? People who went shopping to buy the food and other items they haul. People like you or me!

In the “that’s what happens when oil reaches new records” category (no we don’t have one) truckers from Spain and France went on strike on Monday to protest against high diesel prices. And they have damn good reasons : €1.30 for a liter in Spain ($7.71 a gallon) and €1.45 in France ($8.62 a gallon). This is 40-percent more than last year and 20-percent more than January.

For the record, these are not the highest prices for diesel in the European Union. The Brits are leading with ~ €1.65 for a liter.

Most of the big cities in Spain such as Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona suffered traffic jams because of the low speed driven trucks, while the two main borders with France, La Jonquera and Irun were blocked because no vehicle was allowed to pass, by the demonstrators.

The protests are expected to continue till the end of the week when Portuguesse truckers may join, too. Of course, one way to save gasoline/diesel fuel is to sit and let your trucks idle for a couple of days, right guys?

We’re still waiting for the mainstream electric trucks. How about you guys?

If this i’s true, more and more Americans may not be able to afford plane travel before long.

With oil prices soaring and the prices breaking record after record – $139.12, do I hear $140? How about $150?, the airline companies are taking crazy measures to make sure they’re not going bankrupt. With prices having tripled in the last eight years and analysts predicting $150 per barrel by the 4th of July, it may not be the best industry to be involved in at the moment.

Delta already charges $25 for phone reservations and American Airlines plans to take $15 for each bag checked-in.

But, the fact that airlines are going to charge people more money for being fat is not fair.

Southwest Airlines already charges overweight people for 2 seats if they’re unable to lower the armrest between their seat and the next one. However, actually requiring passengers to step on a scale before boarding and asking for some extra cash if they weigh more than their neighbor is an insult.

What’s next? Charging more for those with long legs or women that have had breast implants? Can you be charged for being too sexy?

We’d definitely like to hear your story/opinion!

Original image at bradleywindy