<![CDATA[Partial of release on yahoo finance article
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“Part of the increase in gasoline prices is seasonal. Prices typically go up in the spring as refiners switch to more expensive blends of gasoline. Demand usually picks up as motorists emerge from hibernation and hit the road.”
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“Retail gasoline prices match 2010 high”
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Mark Williams, AP Energy Writer, On Monday March 8, 2010, 10:52 am EST
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→Drive the lights to avoid brake slow down stopped traffic. Please pull forward at pumps avoids others having driving around, and not just at pumps-anywhere. They even post this on the pumps. Keep traffic moving....if you see an accident, construction, bus; MERGE left. You know that bus is going to stop & if you are stuck behind it, so are you. And so will the person behind you. And if your at a light/intersection; and the light changes, so will traffic in the both ways you'll be blocking. Do you realize when you stop to drop off you MAKE all cars behind you stop also? Park. Allow other drivers out in traffic, keeps them going & not just sitting there idling. Look before you start the car anywhere, if your in a parking lot & cars & people are behind you, c’mon you know you’re not going it clears, why idle?
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→Read up, and learn about CAFÉ standards… do you know cars only have to conform to standards from 1980’s yet our technology has exceeded? Why? Good reads A Declaration of Energy Independence by Jay Hakes;Energy Victory by Robert Zubrin. Did you see the new GM Chevy Volt? 232 MPG! Why aren’t they all being made that way? Why aren’t we demanding it? On all cars? Use internet for cheapest fuel–don’t then go there get in line and idle wasting 1/8 tank to get ¾.
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→Waiting on a train? Turn the engine off. Your stuck 5/10 minutes anyway. Using the ATM takes about 3-5 minutes- why is your car on? Use the walkup ATM. Avoid all drive thru’s of any kind…fast food, bank, ATM, pharmacy, even !funeral homes! , etc…park and walk it..consider it exercise, it gets you out of the 4/5/6 deep car idling line.
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→Don’t take spouse/kids/friends anywhere to drop off like mall, library, grocery, store, etc then sit in the parking lot with car on. And don’t circle the lot, Park. altho email also, it’s faster & always there. I think places that service autos, ie insurance co, dealers, parts warehouse, etc. should keep a copy on their counters. Waiting AT the bus stop on kids? Turn the car off. If you do this 5 times (we know it’s 10) times a week for even 2 minutes a pop – you wasted gas for 20 minutes ONE WEEK. Reality is about an hour a week. Turn car off when waiting on a funeral procession, rural mail delivery that gets out of car, loading/unloading.
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→Recognize when you are wasting gas, every person's needs are different.
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→Forward this to your email contacts, make a bigger impact, use copy and paste.
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→Concerts/plays/venues/fairs….take a bus to just to save, but if you drive – don’t sit in lot before & after with car on listening to radio AND after take your time 1) leaving the site just to get to your car and 2) in lot wait for traffic to clear. Or partying in your car with it on – at least turn it off.
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→ Are you aware there are cars that are now being made when there is a 3 second stop, the engine is designed to shut down, to consume fuel. Why not all cars? And if they’re making cars this way – that are smarter than us; hmmm… what are we doing wrong? What does that tell you? Why haven’t you sent the auto mfr an email telling them? After all they just got bailed out with YOUR money.
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→Buy local .. anything & everything you can meat market, produce, bakery, save fuel bringing things to you. The only people who should not are shut ins. We utilize that ship to me, that it is not a convenience anymore. IT’S killing us at the gas pump. And take a second to read labels, buy American. Best example: White Rain Shampoo/Condition made in USA….VO5 made in Canada …you paid for freight to truck it here, & sent your purchase dollar out of country
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→When going out for lunch, ask coworkers if they want anything from where your going-eliminates multiple trips. Combine all trips is good, combine all trips with neighbors, friends, relatives is better, and look for stores like Home Depot and Wally World that ad match. One stop shopping.
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→Why do armor trucks idle at pickups? Yet, the delivery companies don’t!!? When was the last time you saw a UPS truck running during a delivery? I never have. I think maybe they have figured out that the idling costs big time money. And there’s the theft issue. Me? I wish it was legal to relocate anyone’s car who does this, just to teach them a lesson. Rural mail delivery, why not park & walk those 20-40 boxes rather than idle inch by inch? Why are’nt parking security guards on bikes, golf carts, ATV. They go just as fast thru a lot and places a car cannot and take less fuel? Not to mention cost of vehicle, insurance, plates, and driver . Why do taxis sit idling when waiting on a fare? At hotels in tourist destinations? At airports? Why don’t the cab companies clamp down on this? It’s income out the door! Rental Cars? Turn key off as they inspect for prior damage and show you features. This takes up to 10 minutes, why waste the gas?
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→Remember a hose is just like a straw IT ACHIEVES it’s own level, how can this work for me? What happens before I pump? What happens after I pump? Should I fill up or get few gallons at a time? LMAO everytime I get gas.
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→Report pumps that are incorrect to department of weights and measures. Best way to test a pump, run one gallon, did it read the posted price? Don’t mow your lawn if you have grazing animals, let them eat the grass down, and if they go thru your lawn, neighbors?? Limit teen drivers cruising. If they go every Friday, make it every other Friday. Keep prospective and look at prices across the country especially if your planning road trips. Choose alternate transportation with less or no fuel – especially for short trips. Even make it your goal say IF it’s 4 blocks, you’ll always avoid driving it. And make it a goal to do this once a week for normal driving use.
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→Keep a copy in your car. And watch when you are doing and others, highlight or check off, look at after three days. Then go OMG!
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→Home, unplug everything, but fridge stove, water heater and plug in as go; use power strips and unplug those also
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→Totally skip the plastic bags at the stores, they are made from oil. Taking about 37 million barrels per year! Use cloth or canvas. If you have no choice reuse them all you can. Recycle.
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→Highway driving – find a semi going slightly faster than you and stay behind 100-200 yards or so—his tailwind sucks you along saving you gas, & he has radar for speed traps. Win win situation. Turn overnight parked Semis, cars, and trucks off at truckstop/rest areas.
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→Construction & OTR trucks that idle, don’t. I watched a dozer cut and load a side dump truck at site. Took over 30 minutes (I know that because that’s how long it took me to walk past) 30 minutes. It ran the whole time?!!!! WHY? And cut warm up times! If you do ½ hour do 15 minutes….. Treat work vehicle the same, don’t take the approach, I’m not paying for the gas so who cares? Oh but you are. You pay with higher prices at pump, on your electric, AND that’s your next raise your wasting. When waiting on a pace car in construction zones or stopped in zones, turn your car off. They have those flaggers for a reason, why idle? Your not getting thru any faster even if you ram the car in front of you! And then your really not.
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→Don’t buy fuel if you DON’T need it, just because it dropped a cent or two. If it’s dropping, more than likely in 2/3 more days it will be cheaper. And remember consume all you have, gas does gum up. Keep your car in decent working order, oil change, tires, fluids, etc etc.
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→Go right on red all the time, don’t hold up traffic. It is also legal to go LEFT on RED, from a one way street to another one way street with traffic that you merge LEFT into. Mostly in downtown areas.
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→Is there any value to a toll road? What is it? To go 80-90MPH? –do you need to get there faster? Will 15 minutes make that much difference? ONLY, when you crash on toll road, and then ..to get an EMS to you.
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Now you know what to do … forward….and use copy paste, links expire. Make a bigger impact. Or get ready for gas at the $4 mark.
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Look at drive thru’s - in one major city (the one million mark) and you’ll be shocked! Or disgusted! One city has 172 fast food joints between all the top brands.....not including the little guys, local/regional brands OR convenience stores OR pharmacys, OR the tobacco barns (and is it cheaper if you are 19 cars deep ?? Saw that today)- just fast food giants, the Rb's,Taco Hell, MC, BK, lattes; those … do the numbers quickly, watch your fast foods drive thru's ... HOW many cars are in the lineup, 3-4-5-6 or more? Use the three …3 (cause it's a smaller) so 3 X 172 = 516 cars idling in ONE city, now we know there are at least 15 @ million + (SLC,Seattle,St Louis,Indy,Houston,Cleveland, Detroit,DC,Atlanta, Philly,Miami,Vegas, SanFran,Pittsburgh,LA,Boston,) There are LARGE cities in 50 states, capitals?!? And at least 15 as large as this list; but we'll stick with small math, 15, so now it is 3 X 172 = 516 X 15 = 7740 cars (what was your tax return this year, was it $7740?) how long do those cars idle in drive thru? I have timed it - it averages 2-7 minutes, NOT counting if your order’s not ready and your asked to pull around and wait some more. But again, let's go with smaller number ..it is NOT realistic, but it’s comprehendable....so, now at a two minute wait time,
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3 X 172 = 516 X 15 = 7740 cars X 2 = 15,480
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now divide by 60 minutes in an hour = 258
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In one city.....we idle 258 hours a day! Now, how much is your weekly paycheck? Electric bill? Mortgage? Does that give you a perspective?
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Take a look @ the big picture.... take that 258 X those 50 capitals (between the caps and smaller cities in each it averages out) you get 12,900 hours. OMG!
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Just for fast food. Not even all of list. THIS IS WHY WE PAY SO MUCH FOR GAS.
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12,900 is a good number to “see”, how much did your car cost? How much does a NEW car cost? Do this math times… by trains, idling at bus stops, dropoff/pickups, rental cars, taxis, OTR, citations, cell phones, etc .. That’s 8. 8 X 12,900 = 103,200. That’s a house. It’s hard to imagine how anyone could possibly think they don’t make a difference in reality. There are none of the pizza delivery companies in that 172 either, that’s strictly fast food.
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