14-09-2005 05:57									#1
	Self Fulfilling Prophecy Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

All the idiots over here panic buying petrol and causing the stations to run dry because they're scared of the 'fuel blockade' that isn't going to happen on Wednesday...

Garages run dry as panic buying fuels price rise

Problem is that gave me a dilemma myself, sitting on a practically empty fuel tank with a road trip to North Wales in the next day...

Do I join the queues or not?

The natural reaction is to laugh at the sheep panicking but the issue is that if they outstrip the *normal* supply to the petrol stations they are still going to be empty despite the protest tomorrow not targeting fuel supplies - and I would be stranded!

So reluctantly I was forced to join the sheep and thus continue the vicious circle of the self-fulfilling prophecy...

PS - Road Trip!

	14-09-2005 06:00									#2
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Road trip

My road trip recounted in all its glory:
http://www.oneandfour.org

	14-09-2005 06:26									#3
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Looks like you had a great time!

Aren't road trips the absolute best!?

Here's a photo journal of my US trip a few years back!

Done a few more since then including a circumnavigation of Iceland this year...

	14-09-2005 08:25									#4
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Why is there a problem with gas in Britain?

	14-09-2005 08:31									#5
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Intercourse

	14-09-2005 10:19									#6
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This is an awesome picture MOBIUS:



ACK!

	14-09-2005 15:53									#7
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quote: Originally posted by Jack_www Why is there a problem with gas in Britain?

There isn't, we have a problem with PETROL

	14-09-2005 16:08									#8
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A classic case of non-cooperative Nash equilibrium in action

	14-09-2005 16:10									#9
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quote: Originally posted by Jack_www Why is there a problem with gas in Britain?

these days petrol stations offer personal loans to cover filling up your car :/

	14-09-2005 17:20									#10
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

Di the price of petrol rise in the UK after Katrina too?

	14-09-2005 17:31									#11
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quote: Originally posted by Jack_www Why is there a problem with gas in Britain?

Prices rose after Katrina, and we're already taxed to the eyeballs for what we call petrol. It's now about a pound a litre, which is what, around $8 a gallon?

There's a protest group who managed to stop all petrol deliveries in 2001, (demanding lower prices) which nearly shut down the economy and no-one could get any petrol. They were threatening another blockade this week, but it didn't happen.

The real reason for the crisis this week is the Daily Mail, and they can take credit for what the OP calls the 'self-fullfilling prophecy', by screeching about a petrol shortage so everyone thinks they'll be stuffed later in the week unless they filled up early - hence the run on the pumps.

It seems that things are OK, though. There are no queues at the two filling stations near me.

	16-09-2005 19:44									#12
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From Mick Hume in The Times,

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/articl...1782937,00.html

quote: I WAS INTERESTED to see “police sources” reporting that all of two fuel protesters approached the Shell refinery at Ellesmere Port this week, but were “frightened off by the size of the media pack”. We often hear boasts about the media being “the new opposition”, but “the new riot police” is a new one on me. Still, perhaps it was fitting that the media pack burst the protesters’ bubble. After all, it was the media that so ludicrously inflated their hopes of “causing chaos” in the first place.

	20-09-2005 02:44									#13
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quote: Originally posted by Cort Haus Prices rose after Katrina, and we're already taxed to the eyeballs for what we call petrol. It's now about a pound a litre, which is what, around $8 a gallon?

That sounds right to me. And I thought $3.00 dollars a gallon was a lot . . .

Everyone else thanks for the info on your fuel problem.

	20-09-2005 03:12									#14
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how about "continuing" the gasoline with ethanol? It should be cheaper and every cars motors should be able to deal with up to 15% ethanol in the gasoline....

	20-09-2005 03:34									#15
	Lose 30 kilos (of popups)

bio diesel rox

the joys of having a monocultive economy! ROAR R O A R !!

	20-09-2005 04:07									#16
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A classic case was of panic buying was the Johnny Carson/Toilet Paper episode.

In the 70's after the first fuel embargo, Johnny Carson did a monlogue about the upcoming toilet paper shortage crisis. And while he was telling jokes about what people would do and use during the "crisis", he never mentioned that the crisis itself was a joke.

Well, I don't have to tell you what happened. First there was a run on toilet paper and many stores were sold out. Then by the time "the sheep" had already stocked up on toilet paper for months, stores misread the demand and overordered more. Now there was tons of toilet paper in the stores and a significant number of people who already had 6 month supplies.

I was in 6th or 7th grade at the time I think, so it must have been around 1973, 74 or 75.