Gasoline grumbling thread

[IM4given]

Tenants displaced by fire irked at neighbors
Officials say pair hoarded gasoline to avoid cost hikes

By Jonnelle Marte
Globe Correspondent / June 7, 2008

DARTMOUTH - A couple hoarding gasoline in a closet to avoid rising prices burned deeper holes in their wallets this week, officials said, when gas fumes ignited a fire that ruined their apartment and displaced 15 people in their building.

Neighbors like Karen Pacheco, whose apartment was damaged by water and smoke, were scrambling to find temporary homes yesterday.

"We're staying at a hotel for now," Pacheco said as she moved her belongings out of her smoke-stained apartment. "I'm kind of homeless."

"We don't like the high prices, but that's no way to store gasoline," said Maria Rego, a resident of Ledgewood Commons. "They're endangering the whole community. It's foolish."

The couple, whose names have not been released, illegally stored about 45 gallons of gas in nine water jugs - the kind used for water coolers - in a utility closet in their Ledgewood Commons apartment.

The blaze started about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, after the gas fumes were ignited by either a natural gas water heater or a propane-fueled cooking appliance, authorities said. There were no serious injuries, but the man who lived in the second-floor unit where the fire started sprained his ankle after jumping from his balcony.

The fire nearly gutted the apartment but was contained by a sprinkler system.

"Firefighters believed that if the sprinklers had not been there the building would have been burned down," said Jennifer Mieth, a spokeswoman for the state fire marshal's office.

The other seven units in the building sustained substantial water and smoke damage, making them unsafe for living until the damage is cleaned up. Pacheco, whose two teenagers were home when the fire broke out, said she was told it may be a few months before she can move back in.

"My things got spared, thank God," she said. "I just can't live here for a while."

Firefighters doused the flames in minutes, according to Dartmouth's Distict 3 Fire Chief Richard Arruda. He said the outcome would have been "catastrophic" if the gas vapors had exploded, and he warned people against storing gas in their homes.

"We'd rather you not store gasoline in any residential structures," Arruda said.

State law limits the amount of gasoline that can be stored in a home, including attached garages, to one quart, Mieth said.

Up to a gallon of gasoline can be kept in a shed or unattached garage that is at least 50 feet away from the home, she said, and all gas must be kept in approved containers.

Mieth said the Dartmouth couple clearly violated the storage laws, but it was not yet known if they will be charged. She expected an investigation to be completed early next week.

The building was cordoned off with yellow police tape yesterday, and several people appeared to be hauling their belongings into moving trucks.

[JerryNumbers]

Its amazing at peoples ignorance and stupidly and the end they will go to just to try and save a dollar.

We know where those peoples treasures are.

[IM4given]

[tube]6Rb_rDkwGnU[/tube]

[IM4given]

Subject: FWD: George Carlin's Solution to Save Gasoline

George Carlin's
Solution to Save Gasoline


Bush wants us to cut the amount of gas we use.....

The best way to stop using so much gas is to deport 11 million illegal immigrants!

That would be 11 million less people using our gas. The price of gas would come down.....

Bring our troops home from Iraq to guard the Border...

When they catch an illegal immigrant crossing the border, hand him a canteen, rifle and some ammo and ship him to Iraq ...

Tell him if he wants to come to America then he must serve a tour in the military....

Give him a soldier's pay while he's there and tax him on it.....

After his tour, he will be allowed to become a citizen since he defended this country.....

He will also be registered to be taxed and be a legal patriot...

This option will probably deter illegal immigration and provide a solution for the troops in
Iraq and the aliens trying to make a better life for themselves...

If they refuse to serve, ship them to Iraq anyway, without the canteen, rifle or ammo...

Problem solved...

[IM4given]

One way to handle gas prices: Move
By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com
Jun 19th, 2008

It may seem a bit drastic, but more and more people are taking what is perhaps the ultimate step in cutting gas prices: They're moving.

Peaches Stevens used to rent an old farm house in southern Indiana. She loved the setting, but her job as a high school science teacher was 62 miles to the north.

Coaching golf after school made carpooling difficult, and even though her Dodge Neon got an impressive 30 miles a gallon, she was still spending upwards of $400 a month on gas.

So she moved. Now Stevens, 49, rents a place eight miles away from school. Plus, she bough a Honda scooter that gets 80 miles a gallon. Now she can get to work and back for about $16 a month.

"I'm doing it all for economic reasons," said Stevens, who figures she'll save enough in gas to pay off the $2,400 scooter in under 7 months. "I loved [the farmhouse], but I do feel like I'm doing the right thing."

Stevens is part of a national trend of high gas prices playing a major role in where people choose to live. Factors like distance from work, access to public transportation, and proximity to shopping are gaining ground on square footage and whether or not the home has a yard and pushing people into more densely packed areas.

"The high cost of gas is cited as a driving factor in increased interest in urban living," said Jim Gillespie, chief executive of Coldwell Banker, a national realty franchise. "Over the past several years we've seen a boom in downtown living all over the country."

It seems like the people actually making the move so far seem to be renters as opposed to owners, as not renewing a lease is obviously much easier than selling a home.

While their wallets may be happy, whether the quality of life is improving for the people who move is debatable.

"I went from a beautiful home with a big back yard to an itty-bitty studio apartment," said Erinn Thomas, who moved from a suburb of Reno, NV, to the downtown area to save on gas. "But it's what I had to do to eat."

So 25-year old Thomas now rents a place just a mile from work.

She says she'll miss the space of the suburbs, but in addition to the $200 a month she hopes to save on gas, she also aims to pocket another $100 a month - and probably improve her health - by staying away from the Drive-thru window at the local fast-food joints.

"I don't have to drive anymore and I can buy a bike," she says.

In addition to personal health, some are also tipping their hat to the health of the planet.

"You cut your carbon footprint, which is pretty cool," said Jason Zulick, a 31- year old human resources manager from Orwigsburg, Penn.

Jason and his wife Tara moved to Orwigsburg from a town 25 miles away. High gas prices weren't the only reason they moved - the couple hopes to start a family and wanted to be closer to relatives in the area.

But they played a big part, and Tara's commute to her teaching job has been cut in half.

"We've saved $150 a month on gas alone just making the switch," said Jason.

[John81]

It cost me eight dollars to fill up my little two gallon gas can so I can cut my grass! When I first started driving eight dollars would have bought me about 16 gallons of gas!!!

[IM4given]

The grass in my yard is getting really tall - I can't afford to get it mowed!

[JerryNumbers]

The grass in my yard is getting really tall - I can't afford to get it mowed!

I would expect the cost for getting a yard mowed has gone thru the roof.

I know it cost me about $8.00 of gas every time I mow.

[John81]

I should cut mine sooner than I have been but I can't afford to cut it that often now so I've been letting it get a little taller than usual before I mow.

[JerryNumbers]

I have found that if you let your grass grow very tall it makes the mower work harder and thus burn more gas.

One has to find that happy medium.

[IM4given]

Would it be wrong of me to wait until the end of summer to mow my yard?

[img]http://brown.osu.edu/ariculture-natural-resources/HayField.jpg[/img]

[IM4given]

Maybe I should get a new family pet?

[img]http://www.thegamriegoat.co.uk/The%20Gamrie%20Goats%20-%20Goats%20Milk%20Soap.jpg[/img]

[John81]

[quote="Jerry80871852"]I have found that if you let your grass grow very tall it makes the mower work harder and thus burn more gas.

One has to find that happy medium.[/quote]

That's true, which is one of the reasons I wouldn't even consider letting my grass grow as tall as one of my neighbors. They finally cut their grass the other day. I could hear the mower bogging down through the entire yard and it died several times. Now the yard looks like it needs a hay baler to go over it!

[HappyChristian]

We just got back from a trip to SC. We made a loop, down through KY, TN, NC to SC, and then back through NC, VA, WV, OH and back into Indiana. The further south we went, the cheaper the gas got. It never got to a really great price, but we started out at 4.19 and saw it as low as 3.75 in SC. By the time we got to OH, the price was back up to 4.19. My sister said it's 4.50 out in WA. And I heard that it could go up to $6 or $7 by the end of this week. :eek

[JerryNumbers]

Do you suppose the difference in the prices could be certain areas require a special blend to control pollution?