Very good commentary you made there, Tom ....... Most of us just naturally
tend to bitch and moan about the ' high price' of our gasoline, fuel oil,
and other
associated products that we know are directly derived from oil .
A number of excellent "non-racing / automotive" books in my library
are on the
subject of oil -- the whole story from discovery, through refining and
marketing,
and the worldwide nature of its' location, production, and end-usage . One
volume
that is very interesting and informative is " A Century in Oil --- The
'Shell' Transport
and Trading Company, 1897 -- 1997 ", by Steven Howarth. Chapter fifteen is
titled : The End of the Buyer's Market: 1967 --1972, and deals with the
costs
and problems that affect the prices we all end up paying at the pump .
The global situation has such a stranglehold on oil price and
production,
and I think we can rightly assume things will not improve in our future or
our
children's . I recently heard it mentioned on a newscast that China is now
consuming
as much oil as we do in the United States, and they certainly don't have the
massive
number of vehicles, or the vast highway systems we do ...... at this point
in time.
We know the only thing that is certain is Change .
Local libraries probably have any number of good books on the subject
of Oil
and all the aspects of it, and how it has influenced all of our lives . I
find it quite
a fascinating subject . Check some out if you have the time and are so
inclined ..........
Remember that when you are totally out of gas ~ what you have
sitting in
your driveway is a three thousand pound RADIO ...... We will all probably be
watching
our ( house) thermostats a little closer this winter .
An oldtime mechanic & garage owner I knew as a teenager, and learned
much
from, told me about the days when gas was ' Eight for a Dollar ' ...... the
'eight'
being Gallons !!! Those Days are Gone Forever ...... the Middle East has
us
ALL over an Oil Barrel . I think the time for change has already
arrived
and we as a nation must deal with this ........
Just my two cents ~ Bruce
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