"Usually we leave our engines running, since starting a diesel V-8 engine (on any fuel) is such an event that three or more simultaneous starts can affect oil prices worldwide..."

It is AMAZING how many people believe this. Actually the just want to believe it so they can be lazy and not turn off their engines. The only place it is even close to true is in extremely large engines like railroad locomotives that don't have electric starters. For any engine that has a key it is NOT true.

I had to tell a fireman to turn off his fire truck at the gas pumps the other day. He was under the mistaken notion that it wasn't hazardous to leave the diesel firetruck with all it's electric engine accessories running. Wrong!

From www.epa.gov/midwestcleandiesel/publications/presentations/in-08-05/lhaag.pdf

Myth vs vs Fact Concerning Diesel Fact Concerning Diesel Engines Engines

Myth #1: Diesel Engines must be warmed up utilizing long idle periods, especially in cold weather.

Fact #1: Today’s truck and engine manufactures often recommend a warm up time of less than 5 minutes

Myth #2: Idling is cost effective because it saves fuel.

Fact #2: Idling for more than 10 seconds uses more fuel than restarting the engine.

Myth #3: It’s better for the engine to run at low, idling speeds than to run at regular speeds.

Fact #3: Running the engine for extended periods of time at low speed (idling) causes more wear on internal parts than running the engine at normal driving speeds.

Myth #4:The engine must be kept running in order to operate equipment in the cabin (i.e., flashing lights, or radio). This equipment can’t be run off the internal circuitry of the vehicle because the battery will run down.

Fact #4: Such equipment can generally be operated for up to an hour without the engine running.

The more hands a item passes through in a marketplace the higher the markup. I think they taught us that in high school.

There will be less cheap oil in the future. That is the easy part. When assigning or removing speculator blame for the current price spike it is useful to remember that every hand wants a slice, and each slice has a cost. Unless a bunch of speculators are leaving the market with empty pockets we can assume that the price inflation is occurring.

Barack Obama sets the piano on FIRE and challenges McCain to "follow that motherf#%*^er"!

I don't usually feel sorry for McCain but I doubt he gets much sleep tonight.

In politics you want to take the stage last. However in this case the bar has been raised so high that the Republican convention can't help but look pathetic. How can they possibly top this?

The only possible plays I see are:

1. Change the candidate.

2. Cancel the convention.

Hopefully this marks the end of an very destructive phase in American politics.

"McCain likely tapped Palin specifically to battle Obama's perceived woman problem, and her selection blunts the Obama camp's argument that McCain has entirely lost his maverick edge."

The new argument is that McCain has lost his mind. At the very least this selection brings into question his commitment to doing what is best for the country.

The mayors of 17 US cities are responsible to more constituents than Ms Palin. Memphis Tennessee has about the same population as Alaska. She is way out of her environment.

The same cannot be said for Barack Obama. He has spent his adult life on the skills that prepare a person for leadership. Legal scholar, community organizer, legislator and travel. On the other hand Ms Palin went to a PTA meeting several years ago and found politics after giving up her dream of being on ESPN. As recently as last year the concept of being vice president was not even on her radar.

If the American people are unable to see through this cheap ploy there is little hope...

Another "f - - -in' redneck".

That is EXACTLY where we are headed.

The WORST mistake in banking regulation was allowing this insane consolidation of banks. It helps NO ONE except the big boys at the top.

In my home state it started when the legislature passed a bill that allowed a bank to operate in more that one county. It was the beginning of the end for many local jobs and common sense lending.

Simplification is the key to making complex systems reliable. We are headed the other way.

"Obama's continued refusal to confront McCain over his naive ideas of an American "victory" is more evidence of the incompetence of his campaign."

Obama has run a very competent campaign. Staying out of the "victory" swamp is one example.

There is NO WAY Obama can get the American people to understand even 1/4 of Kamiya's article. ANY attempt to confront McCain's "my surge = victory" dance will be met with scorching republican rhetoric about defeatism, harming the troops and lack of patriotism.

Let the pubic dream of "victory", "peace with honor" or some other jingoistic catch phrase. By not stirring that pot Obama can win the election and pull the troops out. To state the obvious that there is no path to victory is political death.

Debating facts is futile when much of the nation is totally ignorant of what is happening.

Hedge funds are a relic of times when we couldn't make transactions at the speed of light. The faster they are gone the better.

"Republicans argue -- and they make a plausible case -- that the Obama campaign is doing nothing more than convincing its base to ballot early."

It is all in the numbers.

Franklin County (where Columbus is located) has 854 precincts and from a quick look hundreds of voting locations. While the lines look big at the SINGLE early voting location there will likely still be plenty of voters on election day.

Until someone releases a count of early vs registered voters this talking point is just more Republican BS.