Screwing Exxon/Mobil...
One of the nicest people I’ve met since I returned to Pittsburgh is a Federal Express Executive named “Roland”. I chat with Roland for a few minutes several times a month, usually about politics. Roland could easily be the guy in “Castaway” played by Tom Hanks …enough said. Last night Roland and I had one of our talks.
“Are you going to be boycotting Exxon/Mobil? You know it's how everybody is going to be teaching Halliburton a lesson.” he said laughing. This coming from a guy who knows what it costs to run a large fleet of box trucks and cargo jets.
I responded with some Jipzeecab economic gibberish about how picking on one retailer (albeit the biggest) wasn’t going to change the fact that India’s and China’s developmental engines were sucking up the marginal oil reserves and that was the real reason gasoline prices are skyrocketing at the pump and if all we did was transfer our economic choice to another retailer it wouldn’t affect anything.
Then this morning I got an e-mail from my daughter suggesting I discuss on my site a “chain e-mail” she had received. You may have gotten it too. It is the one that purports to be from someone named “Phillip Hollsworth” and basically suggests that the way to lower gas prices at the pump is to boycott Exxon/Mobil and by not purchasing any gas from them the rest of the oil companies will learn a lesson and give up the obscene profits they are making. Supposedly if you will follow the precepts and get 10 others to do so soon 300 million of us will be sticking it to Exxon/Mobil.
I first heard of this chain e-mail on Zeneece’s website (see link on right or zeneece.blogspot.com) on April 1. Zeneece is the grownup version of the little girl in your third grade class who brought something to “show and tell” everyday. She has a fabulous site and if you read it everyday you will soon be the smartest person (commonsense wise) in the room..no kidding..it’s that good. But I digress.
According to “Breaking the Chain.Org. this particular letter has been around in slightly different forms since 2000. It has also been used in foreign countries against “Esso” and “BP”. In 2002 “Phillip Hollsworth’s" name was added as the originator. It resurfaces every time gasoline prices take a big jump.
I suppose if it really had any effect Exxon/Mobil would have surrendered and left our communities by now. Logic says that unless you stop buying gasoline entirely you are not going to affect its price.
In the interest of proper disclosure I admit that my family has large holdings in Exxon/Mobil Stock (but you suspected that anyway didn’t you...after all this site is called "Mobil’s Jipzee Cab") although I don’t own any myself. I do acknowledge that my largest single financial asset is SUNOCO, one of the oil companies needing to be taught a lesson…
posted by jipzeecab @ 2:44 PM
7 Comments
7 Comments:
There's also Citgo, a Venezuelan corporation. If you want annoy a certain radical cleric, buy all your gas from Citgo.
Thanks for the comments, ladies. The "radical cleric" Phinky is referring to is the "ayatollah of the 500 club".
I like the way you write Jip, your thoughts are interesting. Well I'm not sure exactly about the gas situation,(when it cools down I'm thinking of walking even more!) but I have been reading of late about how and why this country is going into debt. and is getting really "bad"... is because so many spend money they don't have nowadays(i.e. credit card debt.)in order to keep up with the "Jones's"(whoever they are ha!)or just because we are becoming so "materialistic"?.. buy a new car every two years, buy this buy that, get whatever their kids wants, throw money around like no tomorrow!..me, I budget like crazy and am very frugal, as I watch so many around me buying new house's they can't afford new cars they can't afford and a "life" they can't afford..who's choice is that?..hmmmm...we're pretty spoiled if you ask me..I say lets appreciate the little things, you know those "silly things" like the sky, the moon, the trees blowing in the wind, kind people,the beauty all around us that we rarely take the time to get to know or even notice. Okay enough of my "ranting" and humble opinion.
By they way thanks for putting my blog in your link Jip. That was nice of you. How do we do that? I was thinking of putting others blogs as links also,but not sure how.Duh huh here<...:o(..but I'm sure I will figure it out eventually.
Keep writing your interesting thoughts and experiences..better than tv thats for sure!..:o))
Angel Blessings,
Rhi
P.S. I like "Fiddy" your adopted little fish...cute..:o)
rhiannon: Let's see if we can give you a quick tutorial on setting up "links".
First find latest edition of homepage of site you want to link to. Look to your address bar at top of page. It should be something like:
http://bridgetjonesamericancuz.blogspot.com/
Using your browser with the edit function copy that address.
Now bring up your blogger dashboard like you do prior to creating a new post.
Click on "settings"
Click on "Template"..Here you will see the gut frame of your blog.
Scroll down the template page about 80 % of the way toward the bottom and look for the "link cluster"
You will be able to identify this easy because 'blogger' has put a "google news" link in it for you and it is the only one on the template.
Using the google news line as a sample by back spacing the line below eliminate the line between the quotation marks (" ") that says:
http://help.blogger.com/bin/answer.py.?answer=110
Using the edit function again "Paste" the address you have copied between the quotation marks.
Make sure no space is left between the quotation marks on each end and the ends of the 'paste in'.
Next betweeen > < are the words 'edit me'.
erase the 'edit me' by back spacing.
Now between the > < type in the Title you want to show for the link:
Rantings and Ravings
Make sure that the > is right up against the R (>R) and the < is right up against the s.
Make sure the rest of both ends of the line still conforms to the google news example.
Go to the bottom of the "template" page and click on "Save Template Changes"
Go to the top of the new page and click on the "republish" (black button).
Pull up your front home page of your site and you should see the new link below "google news". If its not there try hitting "refresh".
New link should be there now. Test new link.
Use this procedure until you are comfortable with the link format. It actually is easy after a couple of times.
Good luck.
I'm glad someone can see "fiddy" besides me. You can feed him by clicking on the thimble looking fish food and lifting it and clicking.
Thanks so much for taking the time to explain and type all that info Jip! Ooooooh well for a right brainer (living in a left brainer world) and a dyslexic, what sometimes seems easy for some seem a little more complicated to me. Its kind of like me trying to explain to others how to draw very fine line portraits like I have most of my life. Get it? Anyway I will try the best I can to follow your instructions and see how it goes! Wish me luck! You'll know I've figure it out if you see I have others links on my blog..if not well uuhhhummm...I tried. I'm tenacious so will keep trying!
I fed your little "Fiddy" some food. He sure was hungry! Cute..;o)
I made a "general" poetic type comment today about Katrina on my blog, you might want to check it out. So glad category 5 went down lower by time it reached New Orleans, I prayed that would happen..it was harsh but still a blessing...could have been much much worse!
Thanks again for taking the time Jip..
Angel Blessings,
Rhi
Although the chain letter approach is a farce, the concern for high gas prices is real.
I found an ebook that shows how to
"Win the Gas War" using numerous tips and tricks that help save money regardless of the price or where one buys gas.
It's at http://www.webprofiteer.com/Gaswar.
If you find it appropriate, it might help others to pass that information on rather than the letter.
P.S.: I have two degrees in Math, and although I agree with the figures in general, I question
that each recipient will contact 10 others.
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