March 9, 2012

What Does it Cost to Fill'er Up in Places where Oil is Publicly Owned? Guess Who Fixes Oil Prices?

Thu Mar 08, 2012 at 06:34 PM PST
What Does it Cost to Fill'er Up in Places where Oil is Publicly Owned? Guess Who Fixes Oil Prices
by Pluto

If a nation has NO domestic oil wells, the people must pay top dollar at the pump -- a cost that reflects the spot price of crude oil on any given day in the commodities market. This is the case for much of Europe. (Norway, with the highest standard of living in the world, is a notable exception and belongs with the next group.)

But it's a whole lot different for those lucky nations that DO have oil. These nations generally export much of their oil -- which produces significant profits for them. These profits let them subsidize fuel costs domestically, which is a direct wealth transfer to the people. Furthermore, oil export profits are generally invested in additional domestic exploration, energy resource diversification, and economic development -- in the form of infrastructure investment, public and private enterprise investments, free higher education, and social security. Nations that produce but do not export still achieve increased revenues through nationalization, which comes from the price spread between real non-profit costs and global spot prices.

That's pretty much the way the world works for 93 percent of the oil produced in nations where oil is nationalized.

It doesn't sound familiar, huh?

That's because the US, unfortunately, is part of the seven percent where oil is NOT nationalized. None of America's natural resources are nationalized or included in the commonwealth, by design. Thus, these resources can be exploited by privately-owned for-profit companies. In the case of oil, the US sees comparatively "token" revenues through its leases. It earns more revenue by taxing the American people to use their own resources at top dollar. We pay that tax when we fill up our gas tanks.

And, wow! Talk about sticker shock...

SNIP

...So, regardless of how much we drill, baby, drill -- the American people will realize absolutely no benefit at the pump. The oil we are buying does not belong to us in any way...

SNIP

...Let's head out on a global shopping trip and see which oil-producing countries are offering the best prices at the pump today. And along the way, I'll share the real story of how and why oil prices go up and down -- and exactly who is behind it.

Climb in....

10. Venezuela -- $0.18 per gallon.

SNIP

9. Saudi Arabia -- $0.48 per gallon.

SNIP

8. Libya -- $0.54 per gallon.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/08/1072547/-What-Does-it-Cost-to-Fill-er-Up-in-Places-where-Oil-is-Publicly-Owned-Guess-Who-s-Fixes-Oil-Prices-?via=siderec

March 7, 2012

He's moved on to another woman

Tue Mar 06, 2012 at 06:18 PM PST
He's moved on to another woman
by ClytemnestraFollow

Rush Limbaugh's interests with Sandra Fluke has begun to wane.

Faced with sponsors leaving his program in droves and the loss of 2 radio stations, he has found a new object for his affection, attention, attack.

And of course to prove he's not a misogynist the person of interest is female, Tracie McMillan.

What did she do to earn his wrath?

She's young, single (because we all know SINGLE woman are the source of all evil in the world) and she's educated.

No seriously, he attacked her for being educated.

SNIP

Maybe it's jealousy that she's gotten so much so quickly (due to work) in her 20s, that he had to wait until his late 30s to begin to achieve, (You know that damned preferential treatment smart young females get.) that's lead him on the attack. Maybe it's food.

Or maybe it's just . . .

SNIP

. . . that he's a misogynist.

And after 2 years of the Republican war on women, we've had enough.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/06/1071875/-He-s-moved-on-to-another-woman?via=siderec

March 5, 2012

Hawaii Station Cancels Rush

Posted: Monday, March 5th, 2012 10:22 AM HST
KPUA cancels Rush Limbaugh radio show in Hilo
By 67AM KPUA News

Hilo, Hawaii March 5, 2012: New West Broadcasting announced today that it is discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program on KPUA AM 670 in Hilo, Hawaii effective immediately.

Chris Leonard, President and General Manager of New West released the following statement this morning:

“We have always encouraged spirited discussion about national and local issues on KPUA and from time to time those discussions may be deemed by some to be objectionable. We are strong believers in the first amendment and have recognized Mr. Limbaugh's right to express opinions that often times differ from our own, but
it has never been our goal to allow our station to be used for personal attacks and intolerance. The most recent incident has crossed a line of decency and a standard that we expect of programming on KPUA whether it is locally produced or a syndicated program like the Rush Limbaugh show.

While much of the national debate regarding this issue is now being framed in political terms, the decision for us is one of decency and responsibility. Regardless of one's political views on the issue being discussed, we feel the delivery was degrading and the continued comments over several days to be egregious. As a result, we are discontinuing the Rush Limbaugh program on KPUA effective immediately.”

http://www.kpua.net/news.php?id=24843

March 5, 2012

Republican Apology Greeting Cards

Sun Mar 04, 2012 at 03:26 PM PST
Republican Apology greeting cards
by Zackpunk

Republicans are all about creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs. What some of you may see as a widespread pattern of hateful, ignorant rhetoric, I see as a chance to create jobs.

Republicans spend so much time saying awful, stupid things, and then later trying to figure out a way to take it back, without really taking it back, I think we could make life a little easier for them by offering a series of Republican Apology greeting cards. Now, after running an advertisement using a racially insensitive Asian caricature, instead of scrambling to figure out how to explain it, your congressman can just send one of his staffers and/or mistresses to the local non-union affiliated mega department store and purchase one of these cards.

Below I have just a few examples.











http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/04/1071027/-Republican-Apology-greeting-cards?via=siderec

March 5, 2012

TOM TOMORROW: Back to the parallel primary

Mon Mar 05, 2012 at 07:00 AM PST
Back to the parallel primary
by Tom Tomorrow




http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/05/1070177/-Back-to-the-parallel-primary?via=blog_1

March 4, 2012

Personhood, it's complicated

Sun Mar 04, 2012 at 05:30 AM PST
Personhood, it's complicated
by MattWuerker



http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/04/1070538/-Personhood-it-s-complicated?via=blog_1

March 3, 2012

If contraceptives shouldn't be categorized as healthcare for women,

then how can the pill be sold as a pharmaceutical?

That question just keeps rumbling around in my head.

March 3, 2012

Check out these tweets

Three more:



Knotlookin from DK posted this email from her husband to ProFlowers:

March 2, 2012

ALERT: Major Tornado Outbreak Expected Tomorrow From MS to OH

TO THE ADMINS: I have knowingly copied this entire diary due to the importance and urgency of it's content. I know that weatherdude wishes the information to be as widespread as possible. If you still want me to edit it to the standard 3-4 paragraphs, I will gladly do so. All links within the diary (and there are several) can be found at the source: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/03/01/1069996/-ALERT-Major-Tornado-Outbreak-Expected-Tomorrow-In-MS-AL-TN-KY-IN-OH?via=siderec .

Thu Mar 01, 2012 at 07:07 PM PST
ALERT: Major Tornado Outbreak Expected Tomorrow From MS to OH
by weatherdude

The atmosphere is setting up for what could be described as a major tornado outbreak during the day tomorrow (Friday March 2). The current forecasts have the thunderstorms forming around noon, rapidly intensifying, and lasting into the evening and nighttime hours. The SPC has issued a moderate risk for severe weather for areas from AL/MS, a large part of Tennessee and Kentucky, as well as parts of Indiana and Ohio. There is a potential for long-track, intense tornadoes in the strongest storms that develop, as well as a damaging wind and large hail threat.

According to a Facebook post by the NWS, the SPC will likely upgrade the moderate risk to a "high risk" tomorrow -- the highest risk they issue. They only issue one or two high risks per year excluding last year. This has great potential to be a serious weather event, and it's one that needs to be taken seriously by anyone who lives in this area.

Contrary to what some local meteorologists are saying, this will NOT be as bad as the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak. This has the possibility to be the biggest outbreak since April 27, but it will NOT be as bad as that tragic day. That was a once-in-a-generation outbreak that requires the perfect conditions in the atmosphere to occur. While all indications point to this being a potentially significant tornado outbreak, it is not analogous to the April 27th event.



A low pressure system will work its way into the Tennessee Valley through the morning and into the afternoon, which will provide sufficient lift to fire off thunderstorms in western TN and KY.

The NWS office in Nashville highlights how serious of an outbreak this is expected to be:





The severe weather parameters for tomorrow are pretty large. One of the big ones we look at for tornado development is called "helicity" -- which uses a mathematical formula to calculate the amount of rotation that can develop inside of a thunderstorm. A helicity value of about 150 is required for a supercell thunderstorm to form, with values at or above 450 required for violent (EF-4 to EF-5) tornadoes to develop.

The latest available model run (18z NAM) shows helicities between 500 and 550 across much of Tennessee and Kentucky. If current trends hold, all indications point to the possibility of significant tornadoes on the order of EF-3 or larger. I wouldn't be surprised if there's EF-4 or even EF-5 damage by sunrise on Saturday. It won't be as widespread as April 27th, but the potential for large, violent, long-track tornadoes is real.

As of right now, I believe the "bullseye" will be central TN and central KY. That could (and probably will) change as the 00z models are processed and released in the next few hours.

The SPC issues the next outlook around midnight Central Time, so we'll have a better idea of what's going on in a few hours. I'll have a more complete diary tomorrow morning, detailing who, what, when and where will get hit the worst.

Now is the time to prepare. Think about where you need to go tomorrow. If you can cancel or put it off, do that. Many school systems from AL to OH have plans to dismiss school early due to the threat of severe weather, so if you have kids, make sure you know what your local school system plans on doing tomorrow.

Pay attention to your local news. TV stations in the threat zone will likely go wall-to-wall coverage once the storms develop. Most news stations have a policy where they will start uninterrupted live coverage if a tornado warning is issued in their viewing area.

You need to start thinking about where you'll go if a tornado warning is issued. If you have a basement, go to your basement and (if possible) take shelter under the stairwell. If you don't have a basement, take shelter in an interior room like a bathroom or closet. Many people who survived the big tornadoes last year survived only because they were in an interior room.

Start gathering up your important documents (non-faked birth certificates, Social Security Cards, credit cards, loan documents, deeds and leases, etc.) and put them in an air-tight zipper bag. Keep them close so you can grab them and go to your shelter if a storm threatens.

Charge your cell phone tonight. Program an emergency telephone number into it. Make a contact in your phone or put a piece of paper in your wallet called EMERGENCY or ICE (In Case of Emergency). If something happens to you, emergency crews will see this emergency contact and call them without having to dig for information.

Wear durable clothes tomorrow. Jeans, strong shoes, socks. This sounds silly, but if you have a helmet, wear one if you go under a warning. Researchers at the University of Alabama recently found that wearing a helmet can improve your chances of survival if you're hit by a tornado. Many people die because tornado debris strikes or goes through the human head.

If a warning is issued...do not go outside and try to look for the tornado. People die because of their need to run outside and look for the tornado themselves. As soon as you hear the warning, go to your storm shelter whatever it may be. Turn up your TV and wait until they say that the tornado threat has cleared your location before assuming it's safe. Bring a battery operated radio and a flashlight with you in case your power goes out.

DO NOT RELY ON TORNADO SIRENS FOR YOUR WARNING. Many tornado siren systems are old and unreliable. Besides that, they're not designed to be heard indoors. Get a weather radio. Listen to local news. Go to the NWS online. There are a hundred other ways to get your tornado warnings, just do not rely on tornado sirens. Relying (or lack thereof) on tornado sirens was a major fatal mistake many people made in Joplin last May.

If the tornado hits your house/building, get down into the "tuck and cover" position. It's uncomfortable, but it's designed to reduce the surface area that can be hit by debris, as well as protect your head and neck from injury.

If you're out driving and you see a tornado, there are several options. Vehicular tornado safety is a very controversial subject in the meteorology community right now. Some say to try to drive away from the tornado if possible. Some say to get out of your car and lie flat in a ditch, but ditches tend to collect debris, so you might get injured or killed, then buried under debris. Your best bet is to go to a local business or NON-BOX (box stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot are terrible places to be in a tornado) store to take shelter from the tornado. They will let you in. Whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE SHELTER UNDER AN OVERPASS. Not only can parking your car cause a traffic jam, but the confined space underneath an overpass actually speeds up the winds. Instead of taking cover, if the tornado hits you, you'll likely get sucked out and...well, you get the idea.

Get a programmable weather radio! Simply, a weather radio is a fire alarm for the weather. They save lives by sounding a loud siren the second the NWS issues a warning for your county.

I'll have another writeup tomorrow morning about this system, with rolling liveblogs throughout the day. Don't rely on my liveblogs for your warnings...they're there to let you know what's going on and to try to grab your attention to the bad weather...

SNIP

...7:59 PM PT: To those curious, here are the TOR:CON values from Dr. Greg Forbes of The Weather Channel:

Friday March 2
AL north - 5
AL central (night) - 3
AR east, north-central - 3
GA north (night) - 3
IL south - 4
IN south - 4 to 5
KY central - 7
KY west - 4
KY east - 6
LA north - 3
LA central, southeast (night) - 3
MO southeast - 3 to 4
MS north - 5
MS central (night) - 3
NC west (night) - 3
OH - 3
TN north-central - 7
TN west - 4
TN east - 5 to 6
TN south-central - 5
WV west - 4
Other areas - less than 2

8:46 PM PT: Please ignore Inaccuweather's blatant attempt at fearmongering by insinuating that this system will be the 1974 Super Outbreak all over again. It won't be. "Accu"weather is in the business of sensationalism and profit.

March 2, 2012

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