Gas Prices & Spikes Memo

Gas prices seem to rise and fall at the drop of a hat ( or foreign conflict) these days. I’m suspect to to some of the reasons behind the spikes.
Consider :
Typically, the demand for gas spikes during the summer, when lots of people go on vacation. Holidays like Memorial Day and the Fourth of July create logjams of tourist traffic during the summer. This high demand usually translates into higher gasoline prices, although that’s not always the case. For instance, while gas prices soared 31 cents in April and early May of 2001, reaching $1.71 per gallon (which now seems inexpensive compared to today’s prices), prices actually declined during the 2001 summer.

In 2004, prices continued to rise past the end of the summer travel season for a variety of reasons, including hurricanes and an increase in the price of crude oil. And in 2005, Hurricane Katrina (along with a sizeable increase in crude oil prices) pushed prices to $3.07 per gallon on September 5, 2005. Prices settled down somewhat in November and December of 2005. But now the numbers are climbing again, with an average price for regular unleaded gas at $3.26 right now (May 21, 2007), an all-time high.

Price increases generally occur when the world crude-oil market tightens and lowers inventories. Go here http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx for a view of gas prices around the country.

One effective response to spikes is to make sure your vehicle is top operating condition giving you the most mileage per gallon you can possibly obtain. And shop and compare before purchasing.
As long as there are politicians and natural disasters as well as Middle East Concerns, expect the see sawing of gas prices to continue to. Thoughts?

The Husband Store

Okay, here is a link to a small write up vaguely hinting women are somewhat difficult to please or willing to roll the dice until they get what they want ……or not ……..Go Here

Study States Women with Big Hips Have Higher IQ’s

Women with small waists and big hips also have big IQs, a new U.S. study has found.
A study of 16,000 women determined those with hourglass figures were more intelligent than their counterparts with round or straight bodies, The Sunday Times of London reported. Curvier women also tended to have more intelligent children, possibly because omega3 fatty acids are stored in their hips, the British newspaper said. Skinny women, or those whose fat deposits are around their waists do not have such deposits. The study, to be published in the journal Evolution and Human Behavior this week, may explain earlier findings that men prefer women with smaller waists than hips even if they are compared to slimmer women, said the study’s authors at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of California, Santa Barbara.
It may also help break down the stereotype that attractive women are not intelligent, sexual and relationship psychologist Paula Hall told the newspaper. Copyright 2007 by United Press International

Interesting Article Regarding Parking’s Relationship to Traffic

I found the ad below on a website called allbout cities .com any thoughts?

Sunday, April 01, 2007

The Science of Parking Rates
Parking represents a frustration as well as contentious issue in most cities. Residents lament the lack of street parking or the costs in commercial areas; business owners often feel limited by an absence of inexpensive, available parking for staff and customers. Meanwhile environmental activists and citizens concerned about pollution see parking restrictions and costs as a key ingredient toward reducing automobile use and curbing emissions.There was a great article by Donald Shoup in the New York Times last week about parking rates. He notes that the price of metered street parking is closely correlated to both congestion and emissions in downtowns and other commercial areas. If parking meter rates are cheap — less than using a parking garage, for example — drivers continually circle the blocks and streets waiting for an opening. Because meter rates are cheap, there are never vacant spots forcing drivers to circle until they see someone approach their car. Shoup suggests that a price high enough to achieve 85% capacity is most efficient. Drivers needing short term street parking will be able to find it; cities will raise more revenue for other services such as parks or rec centers; and streets will be less congested without drivers looking for parking. The problem is convincing voters that more expensive parking is a good thing. Whenever the local city parking administrators raise meter rates, the outcry is deafening. But perhaps if more voters were educated on the benefits of higher parking costs, it would be more politically palatable. Shoup convinced me that street parking rates should be high enough to ensure that there are typically spaces available. While one could argue that knowing parking spots are available will encourage people to drive, I’m convinced that if parking is that expensive, drivers will either pull into the nearest parking garage will space available — thereby reducing congestion and emissions — or will find other options like transit to access commercial areas. Following this model, parking meters in some cities may cost $10/hr (and will obviously need to accept payment forms beyond coins!).