Gas Prices

DISCLAIMER- This is written solely as a consumer of gasoline. I am not in the oil industry and do not pretend to know or understand the complexities of the companies that I will discuss in this blog. This is written soley from common sense and from reading the annual reports for Shell and ExxonMobil. In my eyes, its pretty black and white, but there are some out there that probably think otherwise. Now on to the blog...UPDATE: Today gas at my local Mobil station is $3.89 for regular. Which is up from $3.75 this past Wednesday.

Well it's about time to dive into something that we all should be paying attention to. The sad fact of the matter is none of us really do pay attention to these things anymore. Most of us need gas so that we can work, shuttle the family around, go on vacation, etc. As consumers we are in a strangle hold that we cannot get out of. The gas companies know that we need their product and therefore can set whatever price they want when it comes to a gallon of gas.

The following is an excerpt from Shell's annual report:
"Shell businesses delivered strong operational and financial performance in 2007, with earnings of $31.9 billion. Shell’s healthy financial position allowed us to return $13.4 billion to shareholders, through dividends and share repurchases, while capital investment reached $27.1 billion. Earnings in 2007 were up 21% from 2006, which were in line with 2005. The increase in 2007 reflected higher oil and gas prices, the positive impact of increasing crude prices on our inventory, improved chemicals margins and substantially higher interest and investment income; although these were offset by lower production volumes, lower realised refining margins and lower trading contribution."

Now if you read that again notice the $31 BILLION in earnings for 2007. Then notice the 21 % INCREASE in earnings from 2006 to 2007. I find it quite humorous that they say that the increase in 2007 was "reflected by higher oil and gas prices, THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF INCREASING CRUDE PRICES ON OUR INVENTORY." Well now to me that just is common business sense. If you increase the price on your product then you are going to see an INCREASE in earnings! And yet we all sit here with soaring gas prices and our elected leaders getting kick backs from these blatant crooks. Our salaries and wages are not going up as the price of gas goes up. It is amazing to me that companies are allowed to get away with such practices. All of these CEO's are sitting in a board room some where and laughing at all of us.

Now lets take a look at our good friends over at Exxon Mobil. The same company that brought you the Valdez oil spill. Which was one of the worst spills in the history of spills. Here are some bullet points copied directly from Exxon Mobil's annual review:
Superior 2007 Results
- Best-ever lost-time incident rate for our combined employee and contractor workforce
- Record earnings of $40.6 BILLION, with record performance in each of our business functions
- Annual dividend per share growth of 7 percent versus 2006, the 25th consecutive year of dividend per share increases
- Total shareholder distributions of $35.6 BILLION, an increase of $3 BILLION versus 2006

So now they had record earnings of over $40 BILLION! It seems pretty cut and dry to me. If you continue to raise prices of your product year over year then your profits should increase. If I just look at the local Mobil station right by my house in L.A. it was $3.65 a gallon on Monday. Then by Wednesday it was at $3.75. Little by little they raise their prices and I keep on checking my paycheck and low and behold what do you know, my salary does not increase with the increase in gas prices.

For now I will stop with this subject. Expect more later as I read the annual reviews. There is some good information in these things and also some hiliarous information to. Stay Tuned!

Until Next Time,
Spiral Out!

The Current Administration

My nightly routine is usually getting off of work, coming home and checking out the current news. My news sources range from local TV news here in L.A. to online papers and publications from around the world. As I was reading the headlines of current news out of Washington D.C. there was one article that caught my eye.

Cheyney, others OK'd harsh interrogations

The article discusses the use of interrogation tactics such as "water boarding" which simulates drowning. I just find it appalling that we preach to the rest of the world how wonderful we are and that they should follow our lead in "protecting" the world from terror. When we continue to do the things this article suggests there is no wonder that others around the world hate the United States.

Perhaps they should ask Presidential Candidate John McCain what he thinks of "harsh interrogation tactics". Our elected leaders in Washington are acting like the school yard bully all for their own benefit. It just amazes me that our very own elected leaders get away with such blatant disregard for our own laws and that of international laws. Has anyone heard of the Geneva Convention? Oh wait I forgot we are the United States we don't have to answer to any international law.

And before you go run your mouth and tell me that "perhaps you should go live in another country then" realize that what makes America great is the fact that we are allowed to DISSENT. We are allowed to question the elected leaders! They are supposed to be working for US! So spare me that garbage of "don't like it then leave it" crap.

What do you think would happen if a foreign government was found to be "water boarding" American soldiers? We would not sit around and take it. We would want the leaders of that country arrested and tried for WAR CRIMES!

And yet we sit back and let Cheyney and his croonies run rampant and do what they want to do all in the name of the WAR ON TERROR.

Has anyone stopped to think that the War on Terror is a war that has no end in sight? Remember a little thing that began in the Reagan days called the "War on Drugs". Now lets see how did that turn out?

Ask yourself when was the last time that you truly and honestly felt threatened by some foreign country? Where you really afraid that Saddam Hussein was going to send his troops over here and start killing innocent women and children? No you weren't. You probably had forgotten all about Saddam until George W. and Cheyney brought his name up after 9/11.

Here is the official definition of terror as provided by our very own United States government:

Official United States Government Definition of Terrorism

"[An] act of terrorism, means any activity that (A) involves a violent act or an act dangerous to human life that is a violation of the criminal laws of the United States or any State, or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or of any State; and (B) appears to be intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by assassination or kidnapping."
(United States Code Congressional and Administrative News, 98th Congress, Second Session, 1984, Oct. 19, volume 2; par. 3077, 98 STAT. 2707 [West Publishing Co., 1984])

Go ahead and re-read that. If you take our own official definition of terrorism then the United States is guilty of being a terrorist state.

My parents always used to tell me to "treat others the way I wanted to be treated." Shouldn't that same law be applied to how we treat other countries? When we were kids all of us had the "school yard bully". He would "terrorize" you or perhaps one of your friends. And you sat there wishing you could beat him up yourself or that someone else would finally put him in his place. Perhaps that's how the rest of the world views the United States. They are just hoping that some day there might be somone to knock us off our perch. And we wonder why so many people despise us and hate us.

Until Next Time
Spiral Out

Religion -Man's Creation

DISCLAIMER- I do not pretend to be an authority on religion. I was raised, up until 11 years old, as an Evangelist. I was "saved" when I was only 10 years old. My opinions on religion come from my experiences and from being part of this crazy world. This is just my interpretation of what I think religion is to the human race.

I am not religious any way you look at it. The first question people ask me is, "Do you believe in God?" To answer that question bluntly, NO I do not believe in God. It is a personal decision that I am quite content with.

Most of my family members think I am crazy and that the sun here in California has destroyed my brain. A few years back I was sent an email from a distant cousin. In the email he stated that he wanted our family to "pray" for some of our cousins that were going over to China.

Being the smart ass that I can be I replied to the email and asked, "What the f*ck are they going to China for?" The reply I got sent me over the edge. It stated that my family members were going to China under the premise of teaching English but they were truly going over there to spread the word of Christianity.

So let me get this straight...These family members are Christians and they are going to a foreign country to teach "English". Except they really aren't going to teach English they are going to spread the word of Christianity! That is a blatant LIE! Does anyone else see anything wrong with that?

What has religion done for society? In my eyes, I see that religion has caused more harm than good. Even since the days of the Crusades, religion has killed millions of innocent men, women, and children all in the name of "God". Who's religion is right? Is it Islam? Is it Catholicism? Is it Judaism? Perhaps its Buddhism?

All I know is that religion has been used as a crutch by man to destroy civilizations throughout the world. If religion issomething that makes a person happy then by all means go for it. But what I cannot stand are those religious zealots that try and preach to me that I am going to hell if I do not "believe". How do they know? If they are still alive they have yet to see what the "after life" is.

My mom always tells me to pray and tells me that she prays for me. I often ask her what does that do for you? Does "God" answer your prayers? Her response is usually something to the effect that "God answers prayers in mysterious ways."

What ever happen to faith in the human race? Why can't we just communicate amongst ourselves and reach a common ground? Is it that hard that we need to use religion in order to reach the masses? Far to often religion is used as a "smoke screen" to get what someone wants.

There are so many things that are wrong with religion that it is hard to even put it into words.

When you got to church what do they ask you to do on a weekly basis? They pass a collection plate around for you to put money in. What is the purpose of this money? Religion should be free. There is not a requirement for you to put anything in the collection plate. However, if you don't you will get strange looks from your fellow church members. (Trust me it's happened to me and my family)

I apologize for this blog being all over the place. I have so many thoughts and opinions of religion, that at times it is hard to put it into words.

I will try and post more about my views on religion. For now you get a glimpse into my insight about religion and its affects on society.

In the end we are all going to leave this world and end up one of two ways: Either in an urn in a pile of ashes sitting atop some mantle at a family members house or we are going to be buried six feet under.

My tombstone will read:

"Is this what you wanted? Is this what you had in mind? Cause this is what you're getting"

Until Next Time

Spiral Out

All Things Tool

Well it's time I write a little bit about my favorite band, Tool. I'll take you back to when I first heard them.

It was 1994 and I was 18 years old and living in a dorm at San Diego State University. One of my suitemates was into a lot of different music that I never heard of. He had the likes of Gwar, Pennywise, Unwritten Law, and a band named Tool. The album was Undertow and he listend to it relentlessly.

At first I wasn't really sure what to think of them. I was your typical "I'll listen to whatever they play on the radio" type guy. I didn't venture out to try and find new bands. The Undertow album continued to grow on me. It was more for just the sound and the heaviness of the music that I enjoyed at that time. I didn't really take the time to grasp a hold onto the lyrics and listen to what Maynard was singing about.

The next album that followed was Aenima.

I picked it up at Tower Records and gave it a listen. What I was amazed at was the fact that although you could tell that it was Tool, the album was completely different in its own right than Undertow. I was amazed at the sheer brillance of the music and the lyrics. After listening to Aenima I began to look deeper into the lyrics behind the music. The title track Aenima talks about Los Angeles being no longer and all of the stereotypes that go along with the citizens of Los Angeles. I began to think of my time in L.A. and realized that these were not just stereotypes but actual truths of many of the people that reside in L.A.

The way the four members of Tool come together as a collective unit to make such brilliant music is unsurpassed by any band out there today. Danny Carey is a mad man on the drums. I often think he has more than just two legs and feet and two arms and hands. Maynard is brilliant vocally on anything that he does.

The beauty behind their music is that it allows a listener to "escape" into another world and get lost (in a good way) in the music and lyrics. The way each album is created and organized to take the listener on a ride is unmatched by anyone in the music industry.

I have seen Tool live four times now and every time it is almost as though it is a "religious" experience for me. (seeing as I am not religious) For those of you that have not experienced the brilliance of Tool I suggest starting at the beggining with Undertow which was their first full length album. Continue on to Aenima and then to Lateralus and followed lastly by 10,000 Days.

Each album has the "Tool" sound but you can tell how they have grown as musicians over the years.

Go take a listen and I will see you on the other side.

Until Next Time!
Spiral Out

Zeitgeist - The Movie

This is a continuation of sorts of my previous blog entitled "North American Union". I watched the movie Zeitgeist and must say that no matter what your beliefs are or what side of the political spectrum you sit on this is a must watch.

There is a wealth of information in this movie and some of it may surprise you while other parts may get your blood boiling. I am not going to sit here and say that I believe everything in the movie but what I do know is that it opens up one's eyes and begs to make you ask questions about what is going on around us.

My favorite book of all time is 1984 by George Orwell. In the book there are three "countries" left in the world. They are all made up of former countries. The three countries are called Oceania, Eurasia, and East Asia. Now granted the book 1984 is a work of fiction. There are many parallels in the book that we see in our own society today. As I mentioned 1984 contains three countries just as the movie Zeitgeist explains we are heading to.

First we had the countries of Europe join forces and develop the European Union. Now as reported on by Lou Dobbs on CNN he was the only "main-stream" reporter to do a story on the North American Union. The movie also mentions talks about China and other Asian countries creating an Asian Union. So with that there you have three "super" countries.

Now don't get me wrong I am all for other countries, cultures, people, etc. However, I am an American! Just because I take pride in my country does not mean that any other country is better or worse than mine. That's what makes this world so great! Is the differences that we all have amongst each other. The knowledge that we can gain from sharing our experiences in our own countries with one another.

After watching the movie you may say, "Oh it's just another conspiracy theory." And perhaps there may be some truth to that but think about it.

That is exactly what the powers that be want us to think. They want us to think that everything is alright. That they have our best interests in mind. The sad reality is that most of our leaders do not have the average citizens best interest in mind.

Will this stop me from voting in the next election? No! I will go out and express myself in the most democratic way possible by placing my vote. Do I think the cycle of politicians saying one thing and doing another will change? Probably not but I will never give up hope.

In any civilization the people reach a point when they just won't take it anymore. I am not sure if I will see it in my lifetime but there will be a revolution one day against all governments. The revolution will take us back to a simpler time where things were run BY the people and FOR the people.

I know there can never be such a thing as a Utopian society. There will always be conflict in the world but do we need to kill one another in order to resolve the conflicts through out the world?

Until Next Time...
Spiral Out

North American Union

Welcome to the New World Order! This is a video that a friend just sent me. I would like to say that I am surprised by what is in the video, but through all my readings and research over the years nothing surprises me these days.

Here is the link to the video North American Union.
(just open it up in another tab or window)

I have included a few links below detailing a few of the things that are in the video.

An article written about The Real ID Act.

A brief history on The Council of Foreign Relations

An extensive membership list for The Council of Foreign Relations

Now many of you may think that all of this comes from the "left-wing media" empire known as CNN. All of our media in today's world is nothing but a propaganda machine for the governments of the world. I know that for every video such as the one above there is always one that will contradict it. There is always truth buried underneath all of the lies that are told through the media. It is up to us to decipher the truth. Believe what you will but when the sh*t hits the fan I'll just sit back and laugh and say I told you so!

“One basic truth can be used as a foundation for a mountain of lies, and if we dig down deep enough in the mountain of lies, and bring out that truth, to set it on top of the mountain of lies; the entire mountain of lies will crumble under the weight of that one truth. And there is nothing more devastating to a structure of lies than the revelation of the truth upon which the structure of lies was built, because the shock waves of the revelation of the truth reverberate, and continue to reverberate throughout the Earth for generations to follow, awakening even those people who had no desire to be awakened to the truth.”
~ Delamar Duvaris, as written in the preface of “Behold the Pale Horse” by William Cooper

The video above is apparently part of the movie called Zeitgeist.

I have not watched it yet, but I will update as soon as I do. (Running time for the movie is 2 hrs and 2 mins)

The Puscifer Asylum

I just recently joined a new forum called The Puscifer Asylum. This is a collective group that was started by Maynard James Keenan. Puscifer is his new venture that has nothing to do with Tool or A Perfect Circle. Well apparently it is not a "new" venture as it has been in the works for quite some time now.

The forum itself is just a place that all fans of Puscifer can come together and discuss anything and everything. It is mainly about Puscifer but there are many topics that are discussed. It is NOT a place to discuss Tool or A Perfect Circle as there are other venues for that.

The Asylum to me, is a place that people from all over the world can come together on the internet and discuss what is happening in their world. We can learn from one another and understand where others are coming from. It's not about placing MJK up on a pedestal because if you took away all of his music he is still a normal human being.

If you are a fan of Puscifer then come check out the Asylum. I do not work for Puscifer or have any affiliation with it except that I am a fan.

Until next time....
Spiral Out