During my recent drive between Illinois and North Carolina, I was pumping gas when I happened to see the following decal pasted on the face of the gas pump. The disclosure read like so much gobbledy-gook, as if purposely designed to be confusing or meaningless. It made me suspicious enough to snap a photo of it so that I could research it later:

I was astounded by what my research uncovered. According to a study undertaken by the Oversight and Government Reform Committee of the House of Representatives in June 2007, the oil industry has known for 100 years that gasoline expands with temperature. As it warms, gasoline expands by volume but not by weight or energy content. Since the 1920′s, the oil industry has adjusted wholesale transactions to a 60 degree Fahrenheit standard when measuring gasoline. But in most cases, the oil industry does not adjust for temperature in retail sales to consumers in the U.S. As a result, when the temperature of gasoline rises above 60 degrees, Continue reading































Since arriving in Illinois, Dad and I have been sick with the flu. He got it the day after I arrived. I got it two days later, just as he was recovering. It’s a darn good thing we didn’t get it simultaneously because even two bathroom just would not have been enough. My family keeps saying things like, “What a shame that you have to spend your vacation being sick.” But frankly, I came to Illinois to visit my Dad and it makes little difference to me, as long as I get to spend time with him. So I just wanted to say, “I love you Dad, and hope you have a great Father’s Day.”



















