gas prices

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How Mac Can Get His Groove Back
 How Mac Can Get
 His Groove Back 
OPINION
Jul 23, 2008 1:36 PM CDT

How Mac Can Get His Groove Back

A laundry list of what to change

(Newser) - It's not quite time for John McCain's "obit," Mark Halperin writes in Time, but we're getting there. How the Republican could right the ship:
  • Realize that voters “want an upbeat president”—and stop pointing out his old age.
  • Recognize that Americans care more about mortgages and
...

Corn-Hungry Texas Calls for Cuts in Biofuel Mandates

Ethanol future in balance as governor pleads for livestock corn

(Newser) - The EPA is considering a proposal from the governor of Texas to slash the amount of ethanol that oil companies are required to blend into gasoline to meet quotas, the New York Times reports. Gov. Rick Perry is calling for the EPA to cut the ethanol mandate in half, from...

Riding Mowers Sputter With US Economy

Housing downturn, gas prices bode ill for icon

(Newser) - Once a symbol of American prosperity, the riding lawnmower is running out of gas, the Washington Post reports. The whole business “is deeply troubled by the decline in housing starts,” said one industry group spokesman. Rising oil prices have also pummeled demand. But what’s really turning lawnmower...

In Need of Big Ideas, Ford Thinks Small

Company may move some production of small cars to US

(Newser) - Ford Motor Company will be repurposing some of its US plants to manufacture smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, the Wall Street Journal reports. As rising gas prices drive falling sales of behemoths like the F-150, insiders say the company will move toward making more of the passenger cars, like the Mondeo,...

Oil-Rich Alaska Pays Most for Gas

State's isolation, small population factor in prices averaging $4.65 per gallon

(Newser) - Think you’re paying a lot for gas? Try telling that to the people in Lime Village, Alaska, an isolated outpost where prices have hit $8.55 a gallon. Alaska is a major crude supplier, but its residents, paradoxically, face the highest average gas prices in the nation, Reuters reports,...

Man Trades Baby Name for $100 Gas Card

Free fuel on offer for everything from brothels to bloodbanks

(Newser) - An Orlando man agreed to name his baby after two local radio hosts in exchange for a gift card worth $100 of gasoline, Reuters reports. The listener will collect the card in December, when his son is born, after producing a birth certificate. He's not the only American susceptible to...

Vacation Too Pricey? Try the Staycation

Strapped would-be travelers get creative in turning home into exotic destination

(Newser) - Some Americans aren’t letting high fuel prices and a weak dollar get in the way of travel plans, the Wall Street Journal finds. Wannabe wayfarers are taking the “staycation”—a holiday spent at home—to new heights of creativity, with one Bronx woman swapping a trip to...

Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars
Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars
Jul 12, 2008 7:30 AM CDT

Road Deaths Drop as Gas Price Soars

Study estimates $4 gas will prevent 1,000 deaths a month

(Newser) - The record-breaking gas prices putting the squeeze on American drivers may be a lifesaver for some, reports the AP. Experts crunched 20 years of data and discovered that auto deaths fell 2.3% for every 10% hike in gas prices. When gas went up, people drove slower and bought safer...

Consumers Are Quickly Trading Down
Consumers
Are Quickly Trading Down
Jul 11, 2008 12:26 PM CDT

Consumers Are Quickly Trading Down

Switch to cheaper goods is broadest since early '80s

(Newser) - As fuel prices and home foreclosures steadily rise, Americans are trading down in everything from automobiles to their lunch options. That's not unusual in an economic downturn, but the speed with which it's happening is, the Wall Street Journal reports. And the flight to the affordable and generic is affecting...

Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome
Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome
OPINION
Jul 11, 2008 11:17 AM CDT

Why $8 Gas Would Be Awesome

A call for a return to the days when driving was for rich jerks

(Newser) - Gas, as you may have heard, has topped $4 a gallon, and Joel Stein of the LA Times loves it. "Cheap gas is unfair," he argues, tongue mostly in cheek. Heck, why not make it $8 or even $10 a gallon, as in Europe, "where they have...

Gas Prices Produce Spike in Online Classes

Students prefer classrooms, but not commute to campus

(Newser) - Thousands of American students have begun to take college courses over the Internet in response to rising fuel costs, writes the New York Times. Universities across the country have seen enrollment in online classes spike—some more than 50 to 100%—with the biggest jumps at 2-year community colleges, where...

Against the Odds, Maserati Sales Jump

12-MPG, $115K sports car sees 20% US growth so far in '08

(Newser) - Buoyed by wealthy, middle-aged men who can afford to defy high gas prices and a plummeting economy, sales of Maserati luxury cars are up in the US this year, Bloomberg reports. Common brands like Lexus and BMW have seen sales fall, but the very rich don't skimp when they see...

Gas Use Hits Record Low, Prices Still Sky High

Increasing supply fails to dent price

(Newser) - Soaring gas prices are changing Americans driving habits, cutting consumption to the lowest levels in five years, reports the Wall Street Journal. Gas consumption dropped by 3.3% to 9.3 million barrels a day compared with last year's Fourth of July holiday. Some 62% of Americans are changing summer...

Fiat 500: Mini Package, Max Charisma
 Fiat 500:
 Mini Package,
 Max Charisma 
PRODUCT REVIEW
Jul 9, 2008 11:59 AM CDT

Fiat 500: Mini Package, Max Charisma

A sexy and economical European delight that's fun to drive and cheap to operate

(Newser) - Add adorable to 40-plus miles per gallon and you get the Fiat 500, an Italian compact that, despite taking a while to go from 0 to 60, brings a new sweetness to the term eye candy, Dan Neil writes in the Los Angeles Times: "It's fun to look at,...

Furious Voters to Congress: Lower Gas Prices Now!

Constituents turn up heat on lawmakers

(Newser) - Lawmakers who returned to their districts for the 4th of July break have been pushed back to Congress with a resounding order to take action to lower gas prices. Angry and anxious taxpayers have made it clear that soaring energy prices are their chief concern, giving their representatives fresh impetus...

GOP Charts Offshore Drilling Compromise

Rising energy costs may sway moderate Dems to cross lines

(Newser) - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to forge a bipartisan coalition on domestic oil drilling, Politico reports. Republican senators believe they can sway enough moderate Democrats on an amendment to end a federal ban on coastline drilling—allowing a dramatic shift in US energy policy, and reaping a big...

Would You Take Free Gas for Life, or $250K?

In Florida lottery, most prefer fuel, even though math doesn't work out

(Newser) - Florida lottery players have the chance to win "free gas for life," and if that sounds too good to be a second-place prize, it is. The weekly runners-up will get free, but not unlimited, fill-ups worth $2,600 per year—which is unlikely to add up to more...

Toyota to Add Solar Panels to Prius

Some 2009 models will have panels that help power air conditioning

(Newser) - Toyota plans to go even more “green” with its hybrid Prius, offering solar panels as a high-end option beginning with the 2009 model year, reports Reuters. And, although the panels will do little more than help power the air conditioning system, Toyota’s move shows just how far automakers...

$6 Gas Possible by Year's End
 $6 Gas Possible by Year's End 
Jul 7, 2008 7:38 AM CDT

$6 Gas Possible by Year's End

With oil near $150 a barrel, experts say $200 is a very real number for 2008

(Newser) - As oil flirts with $150 a barrel, nearly double its price from last year, the specter of $6 a gallon gas at US pumps has become more real. A plethora of factors—from the threat of conflict with Iran to tight supplies and a weak dollar—continue to exert upward...

Easy St.: Thieves Having a Gas
 Easy St.: Thieves Having a Gas 
Jul 6, 2008 9:28 AM CDT

Easy St.: Thieves Having a Gas

As prices rise, anyone can steal fuel

(Newser) - Stealing gas by siphoning it from vehicles is a simple crime that can reap big rewards—and as fuel prices soar, the crime is ever-more tempting for thieves, the Washington Post reports. A Maryland county reported zero or one thefts yearly from 2005 to 2007, but cops have already logged...

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