dissabte, de desembre 29, 2007


I have gotten several emails in the last couple years advocating a boycott of Citgo gas stations. The general premise of these emails is that since Citgo is owned by PDVSA (the Venezuelan state oil company) we should not support them, because doing so would also support Hugo Chavez.
It is true that Citgo is owned outright by PDVSA, but a closer look at the facts will reveal that this boycott is not only foolish but downright retarded.
Where do I begin?
First of all, it is important to note that, despite foreign ownership, Citgo is an American company that employs thousands of hard working patriotic Americans, of which my mother is one. I have been to visit her at her office, and believe me, it is not a bunch of red-shirted Venezuelan communists working there, most of the people who work there would be at home at any of the oil companies here in town.
Furthermore, branded marketing (the industry term for gas stations) is less than 10% of Citgo's business. The great majority of their business is refining, and their refined product goes into ALL the major gas station chains: shell, exxon, chevron, etc. So just because you don't go to a Citgo station does not mean that you are not getting Citgo gas, most likely you are. Also, they are a huge supplier of jet fuel in this country, so any time you fly on an airplane, there is an excellent chance that the fuel for the plane is from Citgo.
It is very silly to imagine that the only Citgo gas on the market is at Citgo stations; the stuff is EVERYWHERE, people.
Another point to consider (and perhaps the most obvious) is this: Venezela is the only OPEC member in this hemisphere, and Citgo is not the only oil company bringing crude out of Venezuela, in fact all the major players you could imagine are bringing the stuff up to North America. So whether you boycott Citgo or not, and even if you figure out how to boycott oil companies that buy refined products from Citgo (good luck with that) there is still a near guarantee that much of the gas you buy ANYWHERE has been refined from Venezuelan crude.
In short, boycotting Citgo gas stations will not make any difference in the money they are making. If the American people really want to stick it to Hugo Chavez, they should stop using petroleum all together, because let's face it, without all his petrodollars, Hugo Chavez ain't worth shit.

dissabte, de desembre 08, 2007







well thank god. more taxes for the oil companies = higher gas prices, you fucking retards.
blah
i guess Chavez is going to have to make some new plans for retirement
hahaha
Nanotube-producing bacteria
Top 15 Quotes of Prince Philip


Emirates began non-stop service from Houston to Dubai this week, and I really want to fly first class and get my own little room on the plane. Too bad it's about $13,000. But when you compare that to the $10,000 price tag of a 2 hour flight on the Concorde (in a small seat, too) your own luxury suite for the 16 hour flight isn't such a bad deal. Qatar airways, or whatever its called, has announced a Houston-Doha flight beginning this summer. And Dallas doesn't even have a direct flight to Amsterdam, the poor saps.

dissabte, de desembre 01, 2007





fuck you, ethanol
interesting to see how they predicted fairly accurately a lot of what we have today
don't tell your kids they're smart
the way vs. a way
intelligent design is stupid and it has no place in the classroom
poo



Last night Valery and I went to see Two Star Symphony at the University of St. Thomas. It was a really great show, they played every piece of music they've ever done and it was about three hours long, I believe. Then we drank beer with a couple of her friends.
I am tired of living in the suburbs and I've pretty much decided that I'm going to get my own apartment in the heights. Probably during the summer.
A comment on intelligent design education: I HATE to see politicians stick their fat nasty hands into scientific education. Evolution is a basic phenomenon that occurs within any population of living organisms over time. That is all, and that is how it is taught, that's how I learned it. There is no need to go into abiogenesis, or the origin of life. Yes, it is possible to go back in time through the fossil record and see how things developed, but this exercise is not necessary, and more importantly it is not inherent to evolution. And this idea to teach intelligent design alongside evolution is pure folly. That's what you do when having political debates or philosophical discussions; in science you don't throw in extra stuff that isn't scientific at all just because some people might also believe in it. It's like teaching magic along with physics or astrology along with astronomy. If you want to believe that all the life on this earth was created over one week about six thousand years ago, go right ahead, but you may want to ask yourself: why do I need a new flu shot every year?