Gas Prices - what's the fuss?

Businesses are significantly impacted by the price of gas, particularly trucking, but I am tired of hearing news outlets incessantly beating the drum about the price for regular gas.

I maintain that for every dollar increase in the price of gasoline, the cost to the average consumer is $50 per month.

The average person in the United States drives 12,000 miles per year.  The average car gets 20 mpg.  At this rate, they buy 600 gallons of gas per year.

12000 miles per year/20 miles per gallon = 600 gallons/year

The price of gas has increased about $1 per gallon since last year, so this is $600 per year or $600/12 = $50 per month.

I'm more concerned about the increase in the price of cream for my coffee, which has almost doubled in the past year.  Bread and other staples have increased at an alarming pace, and quite frankly, I spend quite a bit more on food than gasoline in a month.

$50 per month is less than the cable bill for most households.  $50 per month is less than my than my home water/sewer bill. $50 per month is less than I spend on coffee.

Every time I see the news on TV, they lead with the price of gasoline.  I don't care about the price of gas, I care about health insurance, food, education, and my local taxes.  $50 per month is a rounding error on my monthly budget, not something that I need to hear about every night.

 

Technorati Tags: economy,energy,news

Katie Begley Passes Her NJ Drivers Exam

The Begley Family congratulates Katie on her achievement and will be issuing a formal warning to drivers and law enforcement agencies in the tri-state area (including NJ, PA, and DE).

The US Government has not released a formal acknowledgement of this event and the United States government's national thread level remains at Elevated, or Chartreuse.  There has also been no reaction from US financial markets .

Katie excels at parallel parking and she invites small children and pets to return to the Virginia Lane Park and Parallel Parking Test Zone in Mount Laurel starting this afternoon.

Geico will be notified this evening, and our umbrella coverage will be increased accordingly.

DIY first aid kit for the road - Gadling

Travel Safely: Create your own DIY first aid kit for the road - Gadling

This is an awesome list. I'm posting in full as a permanent reference. I plan to put some kits together and have them as gifts for friends/family and 'thank you' gifts for people that help me out.

The center of the kit is the person's home medications. If somebody is taking regular medication at their house, they should, of course, continue to do so while traveling. An important thing to remember is to bring enough medication for the length of the trip, and spare for those unexpected layovers, cancellations, storms, or finding that perfect spot and staying an extra week. A spare set of eyeglasses and copies of all home medication prescriptions is also a good idea.

This kit is made to be packed into a polycarbonate water bottle, which provides a crush proof and watertight container. You can also drink out of it, too.

1. Tylenol/Paracetamol (pain and fever reduction)
2. Ibuprofen (pain and fever reducer, anti-inflammatory)
3. Antihistamine (allergies, sleep aid)
4. Pseudoephedrine (nasal decongestant, helps with "ear pop" from planes)
5. Loperamide (anti-diarrheal)
6. Multi-tool (Macgyver always had his)
7. Safety pins (quick fix for clothing, making an arm sling, emergency cloth)
8. Sun screen (SPF 15 minimum, small bottle)
9. Bandanna (sling for arm, dust mask,
10. Antiseptic towelettes (cleaning hands and wounds)
11. Electrolyte packets (for replacing loss due to vomiting or diarrhea)
12. Matches (light source, fires)
13. Tweezers (removing ticks, thorns, cactus, sea urchins, etc)
14. Mole skin (blisters on the feet)
15. Band aids (minor cuts and scrapes)
16. Gauze roll (minor cuts and scrapes)
17. Antibiotic ointment (minor cuts and scrapes)
18. Portable flashlight (looking into mouths, dark rooms)
19. Thermometer (is that really a fever, how high)
20. Latex gloves (protect yourself first)
21. 4 x 4 gauze pads (minor cuts and scrapes)
22. Hand sanitizer (dirty hands mean infected cuts)

Technorati Tags: household,travel,safety,auto

High Achiever, Gifted Learner, CreativeThinker

High Achiever, Gifted Learner, CreativeThinker

Interesting article. I have seen many parents get upset when their child is not placed in a gifted class. I think everyone learns differently, and although grades are important, we believe the better approach is to work with the kids until they really understand the material and the grades will come.

It was only after I completed college (ten years total) and after I taught my first Microsoft class (Windows 95, and it was a disaster...) that I revisited the entire process of learning material so I understood at a systemic level. Only after I had this level of understanding, was I able to teach others effectively.

We have three daughters, each of whom learn in a very different fashion. I think learning is also evolutionary and as individuals mature, the way they learn can, and should, change.

Deficiencies of the Do Not Call List

I received a call at home this evening.  During dinner with my family.  At 6:00PM EST.  It was Valerie from Datascension, a market research firm which is exempt from the Do Not Call legislation.

In no uncertain terms, I told Valerie I didn't want to speak with her.  My exact phrase was "I would rather have glass shards placed in my eyes than speak to you.".  She didn't blink.  She asked if there was anyone else in the house who was available to be interviewed.

I stated that we were eating dinner.  I *should* have asked her to hold, put the phone down and finished my meal, but the throbbing vein on my forehead had a mind of its own.

They maintain a do not call list, but she asked me to go online to www.datascension.com and opt out.  Actually, you can't, but you can send a note to dnc@datascension.com and it appears that they want to limit the opt-out to a current research project.  This is totally unacceptable.

I called the toll free number (below) and transferred to Reception.  The woman answering the phone was very professional and she took my name and phone numbers and assured me that they would be removed from the Datacension database.  I asked, and she confirmed, that this was a permanent removal.  I find it odd that the original caller did not offer me this service and the e-mail opt-out does not appear to be permanent.

Contact Datascension, Inc
407 W. Imperial Highway, Suite H314
Suite H314
Brea CA 92821
Tel: 888-996-9238
Fax: 714.276.9080
Email: information@datascension.com