[imported_imported_torQQue]

Gas could cost us around 2.30 gallon. WOW

http://www.usatoday.com/money/indus...-gas-usat_x.htm

Gasoline prices could rocket 24 cents a gallon the next few days, as stations across the USA scramble to keep up with big jumps in the prices of oil and wholesale gas, a veteran energy-price analyst forecast Thursday.
"It's going to be brutal, horrendous," says Peter Beutel, president of energy-price tracker Cameron Hanover. He has followed energy markets for nearly three decades.

Thursday, light, sweet crude oil for April delivery traded as high as $55.20 a barrel in New York before closing at $53.57.

A 24-cent jump in the price of gas would bump unleaded regular to a nationwide average of about $2.16 a gallon, blowing through last May's record of about $2.06. It could go higher as increased warm-weather driving in another two months pushes up demand, and therefore prices, forecasters say.

Adjusted for inflation, gas would have to hit about $2.95 for a record.

The price increase translates to "$90 million a day, every day that it remains in effect," which could be several months, Beutel says.

"Petronoia is in full flower. Retail gasoline has some 25 to 28 cents a gallon in increases ahead just to catch up to what has happened with wholesale (gas prices) since Christmas week," says Tom Kloza, senior analyst at the Oil Price Information Service. He foresees a record-breaking peak but not until the last half of this month. "What I can't determine is whether that level will last, like it did last year" or drop back as refineries ramp up gasoline production.

Petronoia is Kloza's description of when petroleum traders become irrationally afraid there won't be enough oil and gasoline later, so they buy now, bidding up prices.

The government's short-term-energy-price expert thinks the analysts are overreacting. Oil and wholesale gas prices have increased a lot, agrees Michael Burdette, senior analyst at the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but it takes about eight weeks for those changes to be completely reflected in pump prices. "In the next eight weeks, (wholesale gas) prices will change, so it's a moving target." At worst, he sees a dime jump in the near future.

Seasonal maintenance and other disruptions had U.S. refineries operating at just 89.3% capacity last week, lowest in four months, making traders jumpy about supplies.

The U.S. dollar has fallen in value recently, also, and foreign oil sellers, who control most supplies, want more dollars per barrel to compensate.

Those factors outweigh the U.S. government's midweek report showing ample supplies. U.S. inventories of crude oil, from which gasoline is made, were up a hefty 8.6% from a year ago and up 0.8% from the previous week. Supplies of gasoline were up 10.1% from a year ago, and even with a week ago.

[BlueGrassGirl]

That's just great...its a good thing we are house-bound with kids most of the time..lol...

[Hurley]

YAY, everyone loves spending $50 for a fill up. That is sooo nice that the gov't would do this.(oh yeah, im being SARCASTIC)

[imported_imported_torQQue]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4317019.stm

Nearly 90 million Africans could be infected by the HIV virus in the next 20 years if more is not done to combat the epidemic, the UN has warned.

Some 25 million Africans have HIV, the virus that causes Aids, at present.

The world body estimates the next two decades could see 89 million new cases of the disease in Africa - or up to 10% of the continent's population.

The UN recommends a committed campaign against HIV/Aids - and $200bn (£105bn) of investment - to stem its spread.

At best, taking more action against Aids could save 16 million people from dying of the disease and a further 43 million people from contracting it, the UN says.

[snip]

According to our correspondent, the UN offers hope that the effective use of resources could eventually end the Aids epidemic in Africa.

At the same time, it warns that current levels of action could see the disease bring the entire continent to its knees.

---

This is pretty bad. I don't see this getting much better until a vaccine is invented, and even then I don't know.

[crazytaxidriver]

I would love to just spend 50 buck on a fill up.

[BGRBABE]

Interesting. I want to find out more about you.

[BasketBallonlyfan]

i may be wrong here with the dates, but didnt reagon freeze gas prices before they hit the 2 dollar a gallon mark back when he was pres? i cant remember it if was him or carter, but i remember the oil embargo and the national oil reserves were opened to the gas companies. I just dont understand why the price of oil is going up after we freed kuwait (sp?) and iraq. isnt that why we dropped 27 billion dollars worth of bombs on them?

[youknowwhoibe]

Thank you W.

[CatDawg]

I just love it. Notice it always happens when the weather is getting ready to get warm and people will want to travel.

That's right supply and demand.

[BelfryPride]

Wow

[SuperMario]

Omg, this is getting ridulous with those prices. I can remember when it used to be .89 cents a gallon.

[sportschick15]

Ugh. Well, I'm just going to stay at home. It takes me an entire gallon to get from my house to civilization! Ugh. I spend at least $50 a week in gas money.

From home to school, school to home, home to work, work to home. Every day. Yep. :/ It sucks. Now I'm going to be spending my PAYCHECK on going to work.

[Jules Winnfield]

I just love it. Notice it always happens when the weather is getting ready to get warm and people will want to travel.

That's right supply and demand.

I agree, it's definitely supply and demand. Gasoline is something we all must have and it's a shame they are putting everyone in this type of position.

[Amun-Ra]

yea thanks Dubya.......... doin a bang up job there in the oval office....