87 cents a gallon?!?

That's right folks, that is what they are paying to fuel up on natural gas in Utah.

Read more about it here, in the NY Times.

Utah is the first state to have large consumer surge in natural gas driving, though Oklahoma is experiencing something of one, too, and large has to be qualified because even by the highest estimates there are 20,000 natural gas vehicles on the road out of 2.7 million vehicles registered in Utah.

Still there are signs of significance, perhaps even a local tipping point, there is substantial backlog on orders for the Honda Civic GX, the only car powered by natural gas made by a major automaker in the America. People are paying to convert their SUVs to run on natural gas. There is a gray market for conversion.

Interesting.

Paris Hilton is running for President

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Marines tours in Afghanistan extended

Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced today that approximately 1,250 Marines serving as trainers for the Afghan security forces will have to stay in country almost a month longer. The Marines in question are from the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment (in Afghanistan.)

The Christian Science Monitor reports roughly 2,700 people have been killed this year in fighting in Afghanistan. The Associated Press reports that United States commanders in the region have said that they need three more combat brigades – or as many as 10,000 more troops.

Although what they hope or think that they might accomplish with said troops is unclear.