Tr1v14l Pursu1ts: Bad News Round-Up

Maxims, rules of thumb and other observations on human cognition and sociocultural affectations

This will be added to on an irregular basis...

What is said to humans directly is received with skepticism and considered with dubiousness while that which is heard in passing, especially that which most conforms to their mentality or prejudices, is readily believed.
Humans have a certain cognitive latency between exposure to new information or experiences and the ability to think dispassionately and intellectually about it.
Humans have a certain cognitive spectrum starting with the moment of exposure to new information or experiences and ending with some point at which the thing is effectively "in the past" for them.
This cognitive spectrum is linked to the emotional process often referred to as shock, anger, denial and acceptance.
The more and faster information or experiences are presented to people and the closer the quarters and the lesser the distance between people, the more their early reactions in the passionate emotional stage are reflected back to them in the manner of responses to those reactions from others in light of those responses.
The more outrages which are suffered without sufficient time to allow emotional bleed-off, the farther the bar for subsequent reaction and outrage are pushed, and the more further events must progress before reaction and outrage.
It is possible for serious detriments to eventually sit below this threshold for long enough for their damaging effects to build and multiply until their entire society undergoes some reactive convulsion.

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Bad News Round-Up

Retail gas hits 12th consecutive record high - May. 19, 2008

Shouldn't be too surprised, but why is no one paying attention to the fact that diesel is higher and has been for a long while now, increasing the cost of everything that depends on it to get from point A to point B.

Why gas prices have gone from 90 cents to $4 a gallon. - May. 20, 2008

A new refinery hasn't been built in the United States in three decades, although capacity at existing refineries has been expanded.

Emphasis mine of course. Here's how supply and demand work as simply as possible: low supply and high demand equal scarcity and thus higher price. We have massive demand and thanks to persnickety environmentalists and a brainless government it is massively more expensive to bring a refinery to idiot standards than decades ago. Wait, the government is giving them an excuse to cut supply in the face of ever increasing demand... KA-CHING!!!

Do you suppose that this might have something to do with MANY MANY MANY members of congress in BOTH parties and MANY MANY MANY so-called "greens" holding investments in oil and gas???

Hmmmm???

Duh.

Nevermind speculation, oil drilling bans in the USA, etc...