Gas Prices ! YOW~!

The weather has gotten warmer, and the gas prices have gone up, that leaves many (including me) wondering... why do the prices change so often? and how do they change over the span of a few hours.

Hopefully this article from this month's Lincoln Statement will give you some answers.

Why Are Gas Prices So High? And Why Do They Change Over Night?
by Heidi Sutter-Voelzke Librarian Lincoln College of Technology

-These are questions I often find myself asking. We are all affected by the rising costs of fuel as much of what we buy, eat, and do is driven by our access to petroleum and petroleum based products.
So what's the deal?
As I write this on May 11th, 2011 average gas throughout the state of Ohio is around $4.05 per gallon. Americans are feeling the pinch. Although around the world people have been paying upwards of $5 per gallon for years.
There are A LOT of factors that combine to drive our fuel costs in the United States and I will attempt to distill (pardon the pun) them as much as possible, and leave the politics well enough alone.
Even though, as I stated above, there are many, many factors that contribute to fuel and oil prices in our country the actual equation is relativity simple and made of up four main components

Those are ...

Crude Oil + Refining Process + Retail Sales Distribution + Taxes = gas prices at the pump

However, these components do not figure equally in this equation.

Lets Break it down

Crude Oil - 69%

-finding the oil (keep in mind that oil is a finite resource and it's getting harder to find it and ... see next component... get it out of the ground)
-getting oil out of the ground
-transporting the crude to the refinery
-maintaining a reserve capacity of crude oil
-profit

Refining the Crude - 6%

-producing special blends of gasoline to meet local clean air guidelines
-transporting Gas to the stations
-maintaining the refinery and paying the workers
-profit

Selling the Gasoline at the Station - 10%

-operational costs
-marketing costs
-profit

Taxes: Federal and State - 15%

Knowing these components does not make you less angry at the pump, but does help you understand the price swings and dips better. The two largest components of this equation are the most volatile. There are many things that can interrupt the production of and the importation of oil and when this happens you see price spikes

While the good news is that consumers such as you and I will make decisions to drive better, more fuel efficient cars, whether out of choice or by pure economic necessity, the down side is that the price of oil will never be back down around the two dollar mark.

The oil that has been the easiest and the cheapest to access has all been used up which means that engineers and oil companies are requiring more technology, more man power, and more (bigger) machinery to access oil. This translates all to more $$$$. Also, the quality of the crude we are able to access is greatly diminished therefore, more refining is required to produce a usable product. More heat, more energy, and more man power is required to break those carbon bonds.

Also cultural and political unrest in the countries that own the largest crude reserves also make for an unstable environment and nervous investors. Also the suppliers cannot ensure an uninterrupted supply.

The taxes we pay on gasoline are not likely to go away either. Motorists in Ohio pay about 60 cents of taxes for every gallon at the pump.

It's no secret that prices on oil effect almost everything in our economy. With rising fuel costs we ware forced to become more efficient drivers, carpoolers, shoppers, and vacationers. Although learning to be a little more frugal is never a bad thing sometimes it can take a while for our salaries to keep up.

See this month's edition of the Statement for more tips and tricks to save fuel around town.

Spring Might Spring Up

I know it doesn't feel like it to most of us but it is officially spring! Here in Northern Ohio it's been in the 30s with rain and freezing rain and all kinds of messy weather. This hasn't stopped me from starting to look forward to the summer Beach Reads (Those quick fun reads they put out by all the big authors in the summer such as Janet Evanovich, Nora Roberts, Jane Green, James Patterson, Ect... ) I love beach reads... here are some of the few I'm looking to read ! Most of these are from http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/ which is a good site if you're into reading series of books and want to know which one comes next and also if you want to preview new books by your favorite authors and see what's coming. Check it out for new and upcoming releases. Ever since the Princess Diaries and Ann Hathaway I have Loved Meg Cabot. Even though these are Young Adult Books I still enjoy them very much and always find the characters relatable.

A Favorite of mine... I love the Stephanie Plum novels. It's the only book that I have ever laughed out loud reading. I'm ready for more adventures with Lulu, Grandma, Ranger, Morelli, and Rex

I love the Sookie Stackhouse books and I get them as soon as they are available. I watch the show True Blood as well. This one is going to be release on May 3rd. I can't wait. This is not another compilation of stories, this one advances the Southern Vampire story line with Eric, Pam, and their crew

Join Me For Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

I have seen the book Three Cups of Tea around at Barnes and Noble and on the New York Times bestsellers list for a while so when it came in to our library here in Toledo I was pretty excited. The book chronicles the work of Mr. Mortenson to build schools in impovershed regions of war torn Pakistan. Mortenson attempts to climb the famed K2 mountain but fails and ends up finding his way into a small villiage in Pakistan. There he experiences such kindness that he is moved to return to the villiage to return the kindness shown to him.

The book begins a little dry, but once I was past the first few chapers I was entranced with the cultural differences, and the ways in which the villiagers have come to accept war and battles as part of their daily lives. Many of the villiagers and their children have experienced injuries or have lost family members to the wars. The cultural differences although great, are fascinating. I am always amazed to see people flourish when happenstance places them in circumstances such as this. Three Cups of Tea also has a companion children's book titled Stones into Schools.

You can visit Greg Mortenson's website at www.threecupsoftea.com

'Zeitoun' by Dave Eggers

Zeitoun is the fascinating story of a Middle Eastern immigrant (named Zeitoun) who was wrongfully arrested during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A small businessman married to an American woman, he is considered a model citizen by his friends and neighbors. Zeitoun decides to stay in New Orleans during and after the Hurricane to make sure his property is properly looked after. While visiting one of his buildings, Zeitoun and his companions are arrested and imprisoned.

Dave Eggers is known for his journalistic approach to non-fiction writing. The other Eggers books that I have read A Heartbreaking work of Staggering Genius and What is the What were both true stories. I felt that Zeitoun was less entertaining than these other two books because it was of a more journalistic style than his previous works. His other books made an impact because they were touching true stories, but Zeitoun is less moving, I thought. It was an excellent book about true events, but lacking the emotional involvement of his previous work.

‘A Thousand Acres’ By Jane Smiley

In A Thousand Acres, Smiley rewrites Shakespeare’s King Lear setting the story on a 1970’s Iowa farm. An aging father decides to pass his farm on to his three daughters, but only the two daughters who live on the farm accept the offer. The novel tells the story of the family’s ensuing rift and the changes in the relationships of all involved. Even though the setting and circumstances are very different than the play from which it was derived, the story remains remarkably similar.

Even though I have finished this book, I can’t really decide how I feel about it. One reason I feel ambiguous towards A Thousand Acres is the fact that I can’t figure out exactly what Smiley wants to say, if anything. The book seems like it could be feminist, environmentalist, progressive and nostalgic; and I agree with many of the things that Smiley talks about. There is an interesting scene in which the narrator, Ginny, talks to the proprietor of the local antiques store and says something along the lines of “why would anyone want to give up such a treasure?” Maybe that is the whole point of the story: letting go of old things, not holding on to old things that you’re supposed to want just for the sake of holding on. When the rest of the book was over, I was really just left with an anticlimactic sense that nothing matters at all and the point of life is just to get it over with as quickly as possible. But I guess King Lear (and any rewrites) wouldn’t be a tragedy if it were uplifting.

Do you have a few minutes to talk about your future?

By Marriah Kornowa
Admissions Representative
Southwestern College


What are you doing here?
Why are you in school at this point in your life?
Think about it for a second. What is this process worth to you? Are you thinking about it? Or are you still reading? What does your future look like? How are you going to make your vision a reality? Do you think it is going to be easy? Would it really be worth it if it was easy? What is it worth to you? Are you willing to work for it? Distractions are all around us. Obstacles are going to be inevitable. So ask yourself, what is your determination? What are the steps that you are willing to take to reach your goals? How do you get here every day? What happens if that plan breaks down, do you have another idea in place or back up plan to get here? What about time set aside to study? What time are you willing to give up to get the work done? What is the attitude that you take toward the knowledge in which you are about to receive? Are you open to learning new concepts, or do you think you know it all already? What will define who you are when you look back at this time in your life in the years to come? Do you consider yourself open minded or a closed book? Think about the true efforts you are putting forth towards your future right now with your education. What are you willing to sacrifice to reach your goals? New mindsets? Are you willing you give up preconceived notions, your weekend plans?
Look who you started with in school and who remains. What separates you from another? We are all alike, yet all different. How do some of us rise above adversity and why do some of us fall? I don’t know. But it’s your path, your plan. Handle your business. Stop making excuses and get it done. There will always be something that stands in your way. Get over it, that’s life. That’s not to belittle life’s difficulties. Life is hard. However, that is not a newsflash. But you are not alone here. That is the glory of our school. Build a community here. Utilize the resources and Judge ye not people. Work together. Word to the wise, none of us are really any better than another. We have no idea what goes on after hours in someone else’s home. So stop playing games, you don’t need to prove here just how hard you are, that’s not what you are here for. We are here to grow together, learn together, to develop opportunities for our future together. That’s what I’m here for…a j-o-b. Right? Go back to your questions at the beginning and step your game up. Start representing the school as you want it to be remembered by.

Now is your time to stand up and come together as Southwestern College Students and Southwestern Staff and Faculty. Pull together, work together, and let’s make our futures a reality. It is our time to define and create our ever evolving culture here. Every six weeks we bring in new students and every quarter existing students graduate. Continue to set an example for one another. Raise the bar for what we can expect out of one another and what we should expect out of ourselves. You, your families, and as a community; we all depend on our success here. Let’s make it happen!

‘Wide Sargasso Sea’ by Jean Rhys

It is hard for me to imagine how Wide Sargasso Sea would be read by a person who isn’t familiar with Jane Eyre. (It’s actually just hard for me to imagine the lives of people who haven’t read Jane Eyre, but that’s another story.) For the most part, I think Wide Sargasso Sea is very accessible to all readers, which is refreshing and unusual for a spin-off book. The book tells the story of Mr. Rochester’s first wife, the crazy woman in the attic. Jane Eyre sympathizes with Mr. Rochester; Wide Sargasso Sea is unforgiving of his treatment of his wife. For the most part I think Wide Sargasso Sea is very accessible to all readers, which is refreshing and unusual for a spin-off book. However, despite the fact that Wide Sargasso Sea stands well on its own, it is even better when the reader is able to make comparisons.

The first thing that strikes me about Wide Sargasso Sea is that the girl, Antoinette Cosway seems to be likened to Jane Eyre. They are both lonely and poor as children with very little care or attention from their parental figures. Both latch on to a kind maid for companionship. Later, both leave home to go to school where they greatly admire the women who work as teachers. This is drastically different than Mr. Rochester’s comparison of Jane and his first wife in Jane Eyre: “This young girl [Jane] who stands so grave and quiet at the mouth of hell, looking collectedly at the gambols of a demon [Antoinette]. I wanted her just as a change after that fierce ragout. Wood and Briggs, look at the difference! Compare these clear eyes with the red balls yonder- this face with that mask-this form with that bulk”. My impression after reading Jane Eyre is that the two women are very different; my impression after reading Wide Sargasso Sea is that they are very much alike.

The other thing that strikes me about the relationships between these books is the difference between the sexuality of the two women. Jane Eyre is the very essence of self-denial while Antoinette is not. Granted, there were 100 years between the two novels, but I think the contrast is significant. Are affectionate, sexual women to be feared and ostracized? Would Mr. Rochester have accepted Antoinette if she had been repulsed by sexuality? These are all interesting questions, and hopefully we’ll all be a little less sympathetic towards Rochester after reading Wide Sargasso Sea.