80.9 Just 10 points to go...

And it's going .....going....going....
Please make it to the 70's that's what I'm asking for this week.
Just a bit of gas in the 70's range for this week....Even 79.9999 cents per liter will do.

It will symbolize for me that the "Joie de Vivre" of the 70's is back to stay.

Even if just for one measly day....it is a symbolic gesture.....yes indeedy.
One that I will trumpet with great aplomb.

Hmmm ...I was thinking last week about approximately how often gas stations actually have their tanks refilled ...
Because the price they refill the gas stations' tanks would be one set price. So then it must be sheer
commercial appeal which manipulates the daily and intra-day price fluctuations.
In our region there is a local huddle of gas stations and Costco shines with it's ultra low pricing strategy. Therefore all the other stations around it, try to compete for the other customer base who can't be bothered to wait at the "members only:" gas kiosks at Costco.
Even the really low bargain basement gas stations are posting prices at par with Esso.

I must say friends, that it is so refreshing to see pure market forces at work. It had appeared to me that with all the corporate price manipulation that ordinary consumers were consistently getting the short end of the stick. Thank You God for showing us that market forces such as 48 dollar barrels of oil can actually be passed down to us......increasing our bottom line.
Now, if I could see market forces affect a lot of the other staples of modern day life, then it would truly be a new day in Canada. How about Taxi rides? Or the price of milk? Or Grade A beef?
Competition is good. Capitalism rocks the house sometimes.

Peace.

81.3 How Low Can it Go?

Eighty One point Three cents per liter for unleaded gasoline at some gas stations in Ontario, Canada today.
What a blessing.
My question is....how low will it go?

My goal is simply to see it dip below 80 cents per liter. For some reason, it has significance for me to feel like the consumers are going to have fun again, like I did growing up in the 70's.

In the 70's many families could live uber comfortably with only one adult working, and still have money left over for a yearly vacations in another country. There was a certain "joie de vivre" that isn't as evident now as I felt it was back then.
How about you....would rock bottom gas prices bring about a better sense of well being for you and your family? Would it resurrect hope that the consumer might yet win again in this generation?

I'm pretty tired of hearing about some "NINJA" generation that has "no income, no job, no assets."
I wanna see my fellow countrymen having fun in the sun again, having faith that there will be more than enough to give their families a good life and the elderly a good retirement. The push for penny pinching, has been overdone.....enough already.

Time for a good ole fashioned "low gas priced sponsored middle class economic stimulus inspired" 
spending spree Canada ")








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Sometimes Spelling Doesn't Matter Anymore

It pains me to write this, as I am a superb spelling geek, and you could throw a lot of good grammar in there too.

But there's a blog I enjoy reading every now and then, and truth be told, the blogger's spelling and grammar is completely atrocious. But the content is written straight from the author's heart, without undue editing, and if you're the type of reader who appreciates good ole fashioned HONEST stock market                          chit chat/commentary, then you'll want to check out my fellow Canadian blogger named Sunny.
Actually, Sunny never really posts her real name, but her blog is right out there in Montreal, hob- knobbing with all the latest spills and falls and booms in the Canadian Stock Market. You see, dear Sunny tells us all about her life's foibles and triumphs and we enjoy hearing her blunt descriptions of her journey.
For a female investor, she's a brave new voice")
Viva La Sunny!
Check it out
http://www.myfirst50000.com


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81.9

     81.9     


Yup, that is what caught my eye today.
Can you guess what this number means?
It's the canadian price in cents in some Ontario, Canada Gas Stations today
advertising the price per liter of unleaded regular gasoline.
Can you imagine?
These are tough times for the management of the oil & gas companies, but sweet times to be a plain ordinary consumer!!
What is the price of gas where you live?
If you have a different local currency just add the name of the currency with today's price.
It's great to get a grip on how the gas prices are doing locally.
By the way, this blog is enjoyed all around the globe, so don't be shy to post comments from outside of North America.
Have your say, friends.

Peace,
Carla



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Are they Going to Let the Consumer Win???

I am rather over-confident that a plethora of green energy technologies are soon going to explode upon our horizon here in North America as well as around the globe. There are already many countries that are quickly adapting their nations to utilizing solar, wind, wave, and thermal energy in a multitude of efficient strategies....

To be truthful, I have absolutely NO worries at all about the technology mankind needs to go beyond using fossil fuels for our own energy sources. In fact, I believe that the best green technology already exists.
And no I am not going to say which one I think it is or will be.
The question that will need to be addressed, is how it will be introduced into the modern marketplace and who will be allowed to win?

For example.... with today's deliciously low gas prices....today I only paid 86 point something cents per liter
for unleaded regular gasoline. This is in effect ALLOWING consumers to win for a change.

We praise the Lord for this wonderful breakthrough. Consumers have needed a cut in the daily cost of living for many years. WE finally got our Christmas present. Thank you OIL AND GAS industry!

But back to my topic. When the new greener and more sustainable energies come to the foreground and the national government is emotionally and financially ready to roll them out....who will they allow to win?
If wind energy becomes so efficient that we can power our homes on $5 per week, will they allow us to win in that way? Or will they over price the wind energy so as not to upset the lucrative apple cart that is the
"utility" industry?

You see, the stock market is proving to be quite tumultuous. Most investors are looking for a "sure thing".
Even Warren Buffet has been topping up on utility stocks, because, I would assume, they have a measure of stability because they are supported by taxes and local governments. But, I really wonder, will they ever permit real and pure MARKET forces to ultimately determine the price structure of these new green energies?

To the Powers that Be in Canada: Please consider letting the Canadian consumer win in this arena.
Let the Canadian consumers, who are overtaxed and overstressed, win in this new and upcoming green tech challenge. You can let foreign investors pay a higher price for our green energy....but please let us wonderful Canucks pay a juicy low price ok?

Ask and you shall receive ")



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When You Have Too Much

Yes, I have seen it too often and experienced it too.... when one perceives that there is an uncomfortable level of "TOO much" it simply stifles the flow of hard core creativity.

For instance if someone has been sewing quilts using swatches of fabric from thrift stores, and has been happily creating quilts for friends and family for years, and all of a sudden some well intentioned donor gives her a gift card for an expensive fabric store. Does she automatically know what to do with all that extravagance? Nope not necessarily...unless her heart and mind were prepared in advance for the abundance.

It is noteworthy that how we are able to use materials and how we perceive their existence as either "simplicity" or "extravagance" really affects how well we are able to create with that particular medium.

Know how to draw? Prefer a $2 sketch pad from the dollar store? Or do you prefer a $50 set of stationary from a fine art shop?  I have discovered that I feel more free as an artist when I am not worried about the price of the raw materials I am using. That's why I love to use recycled or re-purposed materials in my art.
If they come from a low priced store that's all the better.

I even find sometimes that learning how to reduce your raw materials actually HELPS me to create MORE rather than less. It's ironic. I create MORE with LESS!

For example, have you ever opened a brand new box of pencil crayons and simply been overwhelmed by all the color choices?

But if you put most of them aside and force yourself to pick just 2 or 3 colors out of the box, you may find that you feel your creativity creep back into action again.

Never been afraid to minimize or REDUCE the number of choices when working with raw materials. Having FEWER choices forces you to make FEWER decisions and therefore you can focus more on what you are trying to say and create...

Is this making sense to you? Looking forward to reading your comments friends.
God bless your creativity.

Carla


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God can be trusted with Your Intelligence

It has not done Christianity a favor when folks affiliated with the christian church in North America have consciously or unconsciously advocated a lifestyle devoid of knowledge, calm peaceful decision making, and intelligence.

God has created us with a hunger for knowledge and wisdom. I don't know where some church people got the idea that God prefers those who live blindly by faith over those who think and ponder things over first before they make a decision about something in their lives.

God is not in a hurry. He is a God of Wisdom and Good Counsel.

Those who are encouraging you to rush into making a decision are usually trying to steal something from you...whether that be the control of your life and family or your wallet.

Be peaceful this sunday, my friends and colleagues. God is pleased with the knowledge that you have made an effort to learn. Don't let anyone bully your intellectually from within the church or outside of the church. And if a pastor or teacher trys to tell you something that doesn't pass the "thinking and pondering" test of a few good days, then bring it in prayer to your Heavenly Father in Heaven. He has the final say.....not your pastor.

It used to really upset me when I realized that pastors and preachers were human and actually made mistakes and errors in judgment. To admit that fact, just  made me feel like I had no floor beneath my feet.
But now I have Christ Jesus and His Word as my firm foundation......so that no matter what mankind or my circumstances dictate I can rest peacefully knowing His Word is my guide and that God is on the throne.

When you have the grace to go to a church service, please don't check your intellect at the door. Bring it with you and sift the words that are being spoken to you from the pulpit. Test them against your own wisdom and the words of Holy Scripture and retain only those things and teachings that pass through those two good filters.

God is all about wisdom. The book of Proverbs, which is located after Psalms in the bible, has a chapter fully dedicated to the search for wisdom. 
The New King James Version says it nicely in Proverbs 2:6,7a
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;7 He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;


Therefore from these words we come to affirm that God is firmly in favor of knowledge and wisdom, not a flaky emotion based decision making process.
Be rightly proud of the knowledge that you have gained.....and may God bless you with even more knowledge to add to the grand collection you already have.

Peace and security.
Carla



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