Good god this went off topic quick...

Byt the way, why are we running again?

Running uses less gas. Phew, that should turn us around and get us headed back to the topic.

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Though I am different from you,
We were born involved in one another.

For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul.

Complete surrender should not just come at moments in which one faces overwhelming odds, but in the calm when it seems one is personally in complete control of one's life.

Not my fault you show up late and miss all the fun.










(We'll be appearing in the lounge next week for only one show per night.)

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Who stole my soap box? I had one made especially for this type of occasion!

*walks away, mumbling..."They prolly burned it in place of buying gasoline (damn gas prices) to fuel the fire to burn this thread to the ground"*

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Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

LixyChick,

Hey there! Long time, no see!

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Eudaimonia

Table 23, try the steak!

Tying this back to the "Pixies CD ~ Katrina" thread, the BBC reports that 21 oil platforms have been evacuated in the Gulf of Mexico, where approx. 25% of U.S, oil and gas comes from. That reduction in production may jack the price up even higher.

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Eudaimonia

Speaking of steak....what does it taste like? (I know it isn't like chicken) LOL

All I know is what I experience... I can't speak for others. We are what is termed as Middle Class. I am beginning to believe that that section of our society is going to slowly cease to exist and the Middle Class is going to seep into the Lower Level closer to poverty. My reasoning (again speaking from my own experience) is this -

Wages aren't going up, more people in our area are getting layed off, groceries are going up, gas is going up, all prices are going up. I understand that the reasoning for this is being blamed on crude oil prices because it is so much more expensive to transport products that are needed by consumers. That is what we are being told anyway.

I don't know... all I DO know is that it is getting more and more difficult to pay our bills, feed the kids, purchase the items that are NEEDED, not just wanted. We are dreading this winter - living in the country we use LP as a heat source. We are looking at wearing layers in the house to stay warm.

Wages in our area are being affected (effected?) by immigration (legal and illegal). What was once a $12.00 per hour job is now at minimum wage without insurance or benefits. Many people I know are dropping their health insurance coverage in order to give themselves a raise (while praying that no one becomes ill). Farmers are turning to building hog confinments on their land to make money which more often than not are close to residential areas or within 500 yards of a home in the country. That causes property values to drop between $5,000 - $20,000 but doesn't seem to curtail the rising property taxes. Cause and Effect - Robbing Peter to Pay Paul - oh, and if by chance you do drop your health insurance in order to feed your family with the little bit of money you will save and happen to get sick and have major medical expenses, the government has made it more difficult for you to declare bankruptcy.

I guess I am done...

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A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults.

I think Chey has the most honest comments of the group.

The economy is turning global. And that means that eventually there will be a global labor market, a global housing market, and even a global food market. That means that wage prices will fall and standard of living will fall -- as some resources get re-allocated to places like Indian and China where the standard of living is *much* lower.

Yes, our standard of living is going down. It's not GW's fault, nor is it Tony Blair's. It's the sign of our times, and while sad it's inevitable.

OK....message of doom is complete....please carry on.

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Life is too short not to love and be loved....preferably multiple times in one night.

I think men talk to women so they can sleep with them and women sleep with men so they can talk to them. ~ Jay McInerney

As unpopular as this next statement will be to some...I cannot curtail myself from typing it!

"IT" (whatever one believes to be the major reason for rising fuel prices) isn't necessarily NOT GW's fault either. I don't blame him wholeheartedly...but he sure ain't got a grasp on the "cause and effect" issue what-so-ever!!!!!

And yes...I know he has his "yes" men whispering in his ear that "this and that" has to be done and the process will sacrifice the few for the many...and therein lies the problem. He has no idea of the plight of the common man and has no intention of educating himself about it!!!!!!! The rich get richer...and we schlubs just try and keep our heads above water or grab a log to hold on to while we fall over the falls!

^^^just my humble opinion...and it can't be swayed...so don't try...lmfao!

On a lighter note...HIYA jseal...and everyone!!!! *HUGS*

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Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they are open.

~Thomas Dewar~

Gentlefolk,

Katrina’s winds have already been felt in the Gulf of Mexico, with oil production of 650,000 barrels per day closed down, as well as seven refineries and an offshore terminal. In Asian trading this morning, future oil contracts increased almost $5 to a high of over $70, before falling back to just below $70.

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Eudaimonia

I humbly disagree with the doomday message.

I refer again to Friedman's book. He argues that outsourcing to China, India, Russia, etc. will cause their economies to rise to First World standards & it will eventually benefit all (however, many unskilled labourers will have to make allowances for the 'knowledge economy').

seems a hurricane of mass destruction ran the prices up some more... i heard on the news yesterday that environmental restrictions were lifted for special blends being required in certain areas...

I still haven't heard of ANYPLACE on the globe that doesn't have it if you have the $$$, other than where Mother Nature broke the line to the cash register. I guess I need to be more open minded about the alchemy effects of green paper.

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As a rule, Market economies allocate products by perceived value, Command economies allocate products by queue.

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Eudaimonia