[mel1962]

Here in the midwest we are seeing the following:

High Corn Prices
New Ethanol Plants
New Pipelines
Increased Oil and Gas Drilling
Small Gas Stations Closing
Shortages of Premium Gas
High Foreclosures
Many Houses for Sale in the neighborhood
Gas Lines at stations selling gas for $3.19

Other than that, everything is pretty normal!

Oh yeah, the power companies are all going into big expansion programs, possible for increased use of electricity for transportation?

[TommyJefferson]

Here in Texas there seem to be new natural gas pipelines being installed all over the place.

A friend at work got $24,000 for letting them cross her 5 acres.

[Windmills]

I distinctly remember a few years ago being the slowest car on the road, and that came with all kinds of fun things like being honked at, shouted at, threatened, and flipped off. And when I mean slowest car on the road, I mean I was doing the speed limit + 1. I've noticed that a portion of drivers are starting to slow down and avoid the drag races to the next red light. I rarely get abused and insulted anymore by other drivers because of my speed.

[topcat]

Lots of people hauling boats around here (but it is a holiday weekend). Gas is 3.39 and I hear it is 3.75 at the docks.

But then there were 16 foreclosure auctions in the paper this week for our small county.

The wealthy will always have money to burn, the middle and lower crust are the ones in a bind.

[WildRose]

At our local Tim Hortons, in the drive-through, you can now swipe your Mastercard on the outside of the drive-up window to pay for your purchase. Coffee and donuts on credit cards!

[Waterthrush]

I did a lot of driving today, and I think the ratio of trucks (inc. SUVs) to cars was still about 50-50. Fewer Hummers though.

Did anyone see thisNY Times article "And Gas Saver Makes Three Cars in the Driveway," which said that people were not parting with their guzzler, but were buying and driving something smaller. I do think that one thing that has happened is the person with the furthest commute is taking the most fuel efficient car.

So long as they leave that gas-wasting SUV parked, I don't care if it rusts. Let them pay taxes and insurance on it. I'm sure it gives them enough gratification just to gaze upon it now and then to justify the cost.

Memo to people in big cars: I don't even notice what you're driving, except that it's reducing the amount of gasoline available in the future. Your big cars are a joke.

[Madpaddy]

Here in Ireland, houses are taking longer to sell but apart from that no change. Restaurants are packed, SUV sales are rising and all seems well. However, I reckon that things will sour very soon. We have just had a general election where the outgoing government was reelected. Some rumours have it that alot of US multinationals are about to quit the country. This would be very bad news as the average salary paid here by US multinationals is about $80,000

[billp]

AvatarS

[ALBY]

Exxon closed the gas station on my road.

It had apparently leaked a little MBTE into a monitoring well.

Yhere was a huge spill about 10 miles south and the lawyers are raping them, so they made the decision to cut their losses on the low volume station on my road.

good thing too. for me anyway. can't drive my 4 wheeler over there for gas now... need to invest in a gas can i guess.

but

after katrina, i was considering throwing tear gas grenades on the motorists. they were super pissed and i thought some of the local hillbilly drug addicts were going to lynch the pimply kid behind the register. don't need that in my ao.

[Baldwin]

On Long Island (Nassau county, NY....bordering NYC) is having its problems.

Food pantries and soup kitchens are noticing the poor and homeless having thanksgiving are now families. Mom, dad, and kids. It used to be predominately single men who were homeless, now even families are faring poorly.

Unless you are wealthy, both parents need to work to stay afloat. This is incredibly obvious in the general insolence of their children. When the kid is the first to arrive home at 3 and mommy and daddy aren't home until 8, then that kid is a little demon.

Restaurants are easier to get into. Because my family doesn't buy into consumer culture (the vehicles are fuel efficient, we make do with what we have, credit cards exist only to make VERY infrequent online purchases) so we have the cash to enjoy these restaurants.

More and more propeties are perennially "available to rent". Houses take up to a year to sell, as opposed to a month or two.

[ccricers]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kjmclark', '-') We're number 1! (for highest gas prices in the nation)
- We're number 1! (for highest unemployment rate)
- We're number 1! (for highest foreclosure rate)
- We're number 1! (for worst state economy)
- We're number 1! (for population loss)

[MaterialExcess]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('kjmclark', 'Y')ou guys are in the wrong parts of the country. The joint is jumping here (SE Michigan). As some wag at one of the local papers put it:

- We're number 1! (for highest gas prices in the nation)
- We're number 1! (for highest unemployment rate)
- We're number 1! (for highest foreclosure rate)
- We're number 1! (for worst state economy)
- We're number 1! (for population loss)

[kpeavey]

Northern Florida:

- the river is considerably quieter, maybe half the recreational boaters and jet skis, gas at $3.05 US

-Grocery prices are rising quietly

-electricity charges, over half the bill is now fuel charge, fuel charges have been rising steadily for the last 2 years, electric utility sends out flyers with the bill to reassure its customers about dependable service, fuel diversity, no mention whatsoever about future fuel costs or reasons behind it.

-Local Wal-Mart ran out of gas: distribution error was the claim

-local boy killed in Iraq

-lots of people moving into this small town from Miami area to get away from congestion/ratrace/taxes

-several brands disappearing from store shelves that I usually buy. Still have the item, just fewer brands.

-lots of talk about gas prices

-I have also heard 2 news stories about fuel economy dropping. Reasons given were the methods the gov't uses to do the calculations. I fail to see how their calculation algorithms would affect the mileage I get in my truck as measured with each tank. Is it a related note to mention the governments support of ethanol production? I'm keeping an eye on this one.

-Beef prices are rising. Wide drought has been increasing the cost of hay. Ethanol has been increasing the cost of grain.

-1 pound propane canisters have gone from $1 to nearly $3 in 4 years.

-City of Gainesville going with a biomass electrical plant rather than coal or gas.

-Lots of hurricane preparedness talk from utilities and governments. Seems they expect some bad weather in the near future.

[WisJim]

I talked to a friend last week, who has a company doing residential solar electric installations in Central Wisconsin. He said that business was booming, he was busier than ever, and that usually new system installation business is slow early in the year, until the MREA Energy Fair in central Wisconsin in mid to late June--business usually picks up after people talk to him at his exhibit at the fair. BUT--this year, business started booming after Al Gore's movie came out in the theaters, and is still going great.
I am seeing more small cars on the road, and many hybrids, in our small city in western Wisconsin. More scooters and mopeds, more bicycles, but still lots of big pickups towing boats or trailers full of ATVs.

[I_Like_Plants]

Someone in a college town in MO told me today that their economy is "basically toast"...

Here in Sunnyvale CA, houses taking longer to sell, downtown much less busy at lunchtime than it was, downtown post office really dead. I asked the lady in there about it, one of two nice middle-aged Indian ladies, talking to each other in Indian? Bengali? Anyway, she tells me "well, look at this place, it'd dead - and it's friday at lunchtime". She said it in such an American way, I have really learned to love post office people, they're smarter than people give them credit for, hardworking, honest, and down to earth.

Electronic surplus business really bad. Sellers downgrading or going out of business. Couple I know of don't sell surplus any more, just take everything apart and sell the scrap. Big breaking yards, no matter if it's an old PC or a nice old oscilloscope.

For some reason the farmer's marking is a happening place. Busy, good sales, maybe because you really can get good stuff cheap. And it's cheap to take the kids, no admission, maybe we're getting people who used to go to Great America.

An article recently in the paper about how the Armory that's used for a homeless shelter during the cold months is becoming more of a working-poor shelter. They have jobs but sleep on the wrestling mats at the shelter, husband, wife, and kids.

Somehow the economy is "turning up a little" though, there's more traffic, and apartments seem to rent out quickly. I'll quit this place around august 1st and I don't think they'll have any trouble finding a renter.