The Price of Gas

[Russell Kanning]

when was the last time you couldn't buy food?

It's not the last time that's in question. It's the next time.

You said you studied history ... I was curious.

[kola]

I dont know the history of the dust bowl or the depression. I do know there wasnt no damn food to eat and no damn money but somehow liquer stores/bars and chiropractors were very busy.

Kola

[coffeeseven]

when was the last time you couldn't buy food?

It's not the last time that's in question. It's the next time.

You said you studied history ... I was curious.

Sorry I didn't get the inflection. I thought you meant me personally. 

This is the first in the U.S. in my lifetime. The depression of '29 and the dust bowl at the same time are the only one that come to mind here in America. I remember Ethiopia went through one in the 80's and Korea in the 90's. I'm sure there were more. This year and next should be very interesting.

[kola]

its kinda ironic about the dust bowl stuff..too bad al gore wasnt around to claim his "global warming" bs back then.

oh wait, now its "climate change".

kola

[NJLiberty]

The Great Depression was an economic problem, not a food production or supply one. There was plenty of food available, the trouble for some of the country was having a job so you could buy it. Prices went down dramatically during the Depression, not up. My grandfather was delivering ice and coal then, certainly not a glamorous well paying job, but he managed to feed his six kids, plus all the relatives that came by every Sunday, plus whatever hobos happened by. Their home was near the railroad, and apparently gram was known for being a real softie. They did have a small garden (the garden I knew wasn't there yet since the stables hadn't been hit by lightning at that point) and raised a few chickens but otherwise bought there food from the local market. Now they did eat a lot of fish. All my aunts and uncles fished, as well as hunted, so there was more game eaten there than in my house now, but none of my relatives ever mentioned there being a problem with the food supply. Their recollections were always about the plights of individuals they had known who had lost their jobs and the things they had to do to survive economically. There was never any talk about people starving who had work.

BTW, filled up last night, regular is $3.85 now in NJ.

George

[Raineyrocks]

The Great Depression was an economic problem, not a food production or supply one. There was plenty of food available, the trouble for some of the country was having a job so you could buy it. Prices went down dramatically during the Depression, not up. My grandfather was delivering ice and coal then, certainly not a glamorous well paying job, but he managed to feed his six kids, plus all the relatives that came by every Sunday, plus whatever hobos happened by. Their home was near the railroad, and apparently gram was known for being a real softie. They did have a small garden (the garden I knew wasn't there yet since the stables hadn't been hit by lightning at that point) and raised a few chickens but otherwise bought there food from the local market. Now they did eat a lot of fish. All my aunts and uncles fished, as well as hunted, so there was more game eaten there than in my house now, but none of my relatives ever mentioned there being a problem with the food supply. Their recollections were always about the plights of individuals they had known who had lost their jobs and the things they had to do to survive economically. There was never any talk about people starving who had work.

BTW, filled up last night, regular is $3.85 now in NJ.

George

That's very interesting, thanks for sharing.  When I hear of "back then" stories it almost always carries the same theme, people shared, people cared and took care of their families, stuck together and helped strangers too.  Now most people are too afraid to go near a stranger, let alone feed him.  It all just seems so different and messed up now!   

When I was growing up we, (my sister & brother also), had way less than my kids do today, we had better imaginations than my kids do, we knew how to entertain ourselves without the "need" to be taken to an amusement park, etc.   My kids don't have televisions in their rooms, except for my 19 year old, but I can still see where they have too much even if it's not an X-Box.

I know I could always do something about it but I also have a husband and he wants a television, cable, etc.  I got rid of our microwave years ago after tons of arguing with my husband and the kids but I can't win all the battles.  We used to get 1 gift from our parents and were always very excited and thankful now I swear there is subliminal crap in store music,  especially around Xmas time.  I go shopping with the intent of buying the kids 1 or 2 things and walk out feeling like a stupid sucker with the basket full.

[kola]

wasn't the big depression caused by debt?

kinda like now?

Kola

[Dylboz]

Why on earth would you get rid of a microwave oven? It's not like it has porno pictures or Doritos and Pepsi ads going across the window while it cooks, it's just a tool. A tool that cooks things faster. Sure, ditch the cable, the video games (which I think are actually a better choice than TV, since they are interactive and require hand-eye coordination, problem solving and goal seeking behavior. The Wii even requires real exercise for some games -I want one!-) and get the kids in the garden or whatever, but getting rid of a perfectly good appliance seems silly. Could you elaborate on your reasons?

[Pat McCotter]

Why on earth would you get rid of a microwave oven? It's not like it has porno pictures or Doritos and Pepsi ads going across the window while it cooks, it's just a tool. A tool that cooks things faster. Sure, ditch the cable, the video games (which I think are actually a better choice than TV, since they are interactive and require hand-eye coordination, problem solving and goal seeking behavior. The Wii even requires real exercise for some games -I want one!-) and get the kids in the garden or whatever, but getting rid of a perfectly good appliance seems silly. Could you elaborate on your reasons?

Microwaved Water and Plants

Below is a science fair project that my granddaughter did for 2006. In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts. The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave. Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave. She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave. As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference.

[Mikehz]

Both of my parents went through the Depression fairly well. They both grew up on farms and so grew their own food. Trouble was, the family could not sell their crops for more than it cost to grow them.

Dad left home at the age of 14, and worked a series of menial jobs until getting drafted in WWII.

I'll believe people are worried about the price of gas when I see sub-compacts outnumber SUVs and pickups on the roads. People are annoyed, but not enough to change their bad driving habits.

[Dylboz]

Why on earth would you get rid of a microwave oven? It's not like it has porno pictures or Doritos and Pepsi ads going across the window while it cooks, it's just a tool. A tool that cooks things faster. Sure, ditch the cable, the video games (which I think are actually a better choice than TV, since they are interactive and require hand-eye coordination, problem solving and goal seeking behavior. The Wii even requires real exercise for some games -I want one!-) and get the kids in the garden or whatever, but getting rid of a perfectly good appliance seems silly. Could you elaborate on your reasons?

Microwaved Water and Plants

Below is a science fair project that my granddaughter did for 2006. In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts. The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave. Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave. She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave. As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference.

WOW! 2 plants! 2 plants. One the control, and the other the experiment. That's as good as the Homeopathy thing, "changing the structure or energy of the water..." that's kinda silly. Plus, they nuked it in plastic. And they admitted that the kid wanted the microwaved water to kill the plant. If that's all you've got, well, I'll keep my nuker.

Plus, I'd like Rainey to respond. I'm curious what her reasons were.

[Pat McCotter]

Why on earth would you get rid of a microwave oven? It's not like it has porno pictures or Doritos and Pepsi ads going across the window while it cooks, it's just a tool. A tool that cooks things faster. Sure, ditch the cable, the video games (which I think are actually a better choice than TV, since they are interactive and require hand-eye coordination, problem solving and goal seeking behavior. The Wii even requires real exercise for some games -I want one!-) and get the kids in the garden or whatever, but getting rid of a perfectly good appliance seems silly. Could you elaborate on your reasons?

Microwaved Water and Plants

Below is a science fair project that my granddaughter did for 2006. In it she took filtered water and divided it into two parts. The first part she heated to boiling in a pan on the stove, and the second part she heated to boiling in a microwave. Then after cooling she used the water to water two identical plants to see if there would be any difference in the growth between the normal boiled water and the water boiled in a microwave. She was thinking that the structure or energy of the water may be compromised by microwave. As it turned out, even she was amazed at the difference.

WOW! 2 plants! 2 plants. One the control, and the other the experiment. That's as good as the Homeopathy thing, "changing the structure or energy of the water..." that's kinda silly. Plus, they nuked it in plastic. And they admitted that the kid wanted the microwaved water to kill the plant. If that's all you've got, well, I'll keep my nuker.

You asked!!!!!

Why on earth would you get rid of a microwave oven?

So you believe that thoughts affect plants?!?! Mythbusters took care of that one!!!!

[Dylboz]

No I don't believe that the girl's thoughts effected the plants. I do suspect that her desires influenced her behavior towards the plants, and so perhaps the one she wanted to see perish got less water, less light, less fertilizer, or whatever. Clearly, the choice of a plastic container for boiling was poor, given that ceramic or glass would have worked just fine without risking leeching toxins into the water. But even so, the chances were 50/50. I mean either one could have died, they were clippings, and as a gardener, I can tell you many times I've treated my starts exactly the same way, and had an even worse loss rate than 50%. So, I'm not buying it. Water is water, and all microwaves do is excite the molecules, thereby generating heat and cooking things quickly. When the heat dissipates, the water is just water, unless the heat also excited VOC's is plastic container to leech into it, and now it's a solution of VOC's in water. The microwave doesn't "change the structure or energy" of the water.

[Pat K]

I heard this story were some crazy people
burn a gas, in their house to heat water!!

Yikes!! Can you imagine.

[K. Darien Freeheart]

I heard this story were some crazy people
burn a gas, in their house to heat water!!

I do it all the time! I have a propane turkey fryer I use to brew beer with.