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The Central Canada gas price crunch

Record gasoline prices are hammering consumers in Central Canada, even though oil prices are sitting well below recent highs and most regions in the West and Atlantic Canada are so far seeing little change at the pumps. The huge regional disparity of gas prices – as much as 30 cents a litre – 传奇私服 has some motorists fuming and asking why – and who is to blame. In Toronto, drivers were shocked to see record gas prices at pumps across the city Tuesday. Prices jumped about six cents overnight to nearly $1.40 a litre, despite oil prices that plunged $17 (U.S.) a barrel last week and remain slightly above $100 a barrel. Gasoline in the city now costs more than it did in 2008, when crude oil prices soared to nearly $150 a barrel before collapsing amid the global financial crisis. And not only is Ontario’s pain likely to get worse, it serves as a warning for the rest of the country, which will likely see price hikes in the coming days. “It is spreading. It’s like a plague,” said Jason Toews, co-founder of price tracking website gasbuddy.com. Historically, gas price hikes have put the spotlight on unrest in the Middle East, 传世私服 production problems in far-flung oil nations or rising demand in the summer driving season. This time, industry officials say a confluence of events has created a swell of pressure on pricing. They include an unusual price discrepancy between European and North American oil and below-average gasoline supplies in the United States, which drives up wholesale prices that also affect Canada. Canadian geography also plays a role, as does bad weather south of the border, which has an impact on the facilities that produce gasoline. A crucial factor is where different regions in Canada get their oil from before it is refined into gasoline. 传奇世界私服 Refineries in Eastern Canada often rely on North Sea crude oil, which is trading at a sharp premium to crude oil produced in Western Canada or the U.S. Those refineries also have to pay transportation costs. Those added costs are being passed on through higher gas prices. Then there is the gasoline market in the United States. Right now, the supply of gasoline in the U.S. is below its five-year average, said Michael Ervin, a petroleum industry consultant at Kent Marketing Services Ltd. As a result of this shortage, the wholesale price of gasoline in the U.S. is climbing as wholesalers race to secure inventory. Canadian prices also rise, because if they don’t, 传奇私服 American wholesalers will buy gas north of the border and ship it south. “We have to have parity with the United States or we’ll run out of gasoline to sell to [Canadian] stations,” Mr. Ervin said. Canada’s refiners largely decline to discuss price fluctuations, instead issuing blanket statements about how pump prices stem from a combination of crude costs, wholesale gasoline prices and local retail competition – and referring further questions to third-party analysts. “We have pricing people that do their job and price stuff. We’re not going to get into details on margin and how margins are created. It’s the same as anybody else – when you sell a product, you have a margin on it and that margin changes over time,” 诛仙私服 诛仙sf said Jeff Gabert, a spokesman for Shell Canada. What’s clear, though, is that those margins have been growing at a rapid rate. After years of profits so thin that some refineries were driven out of business, the industry is swelling with cash. Take Canadian energy giant Suncor Energy Inc., for example. In the first quarter of 2010, its refining and marketing group earned $147-million. This year, it made $627-million, a more than four-fold increase. Geography within provinces also plays a role in gasoline pricing. For example, gas prices in Toronto move in sync with the overnight wholesale price, while gas prices in rural areas tend to lag. This is because larger cities like Toronto go through much more fuel than less-populated centres. Gas stations that are not as busy often sit on one or two days’ worth of supply, and as a result of this spare inventory, 传奇私服 are not immediately affected by changes in the wholesale price. British Columbia, which is short on refineries as well as oil production, has a unique factor affecting gasoline prices: a carbon tax. While an average of 32-per-cent tax is built into gas prices across the country, drivers in B.C. pay more because of the carbon levy, said Ralph Glass, vice-president of operations at AJM Petroleum Consultants, a Calgary-based firm. In Atlantic Canada, meanwhile, prices are regulated by the provinces. In New Brunswick and Newfoundland, they are updated every Thursday; in Nova Scotia, every Friday; in Prince Edward Island, on the first and 15th of the month. “So there would be somewhat of a distortion here now where prices in Atlantic Canada are lower. But come Friday morning, those prices will be adjusted. And then you might see the reverse happening, where Ontario prices will be lower than Maritime prices,” 新开魔域私服 said Bill Simpkins, an energy industry consultant in Halifax. There are other big-picture reasons for surging gas prices, too. Mid-spring is when refineries tend to switch their product mix, lowering their output of diesel and heating fuel and raising how much gasoline they make in preparation for the summer driving season. While that happens, inventories tend to be sucked down. “Always around May, you do get a hike in prices,” Mr. Simpkins said. This year, such gains have been exacerbated by flooding along the Mississippi, 魔域私服 which threatens to hurt operations in the southern U.S., which is one of the most important refining areas on the continent.

Sun comes out over Richelieu

Three days of sunshine cheered flagging spirits along the Richelieu River, where some people took advantage of spring floods to explore submerged neighbourhoods by boat. "We're seeing our district as a different environment," said Marie-Claude Dumoulin, 新开传奇私服 47, as she and her husband, Stéphane Deschambault, paddled their canoe in a flooded schoolyard near their house on the outskirts of this town 40 kilometres southeast of Montreal. Civil-protection authorities said water levels in the river have finally crested, dropping by one to three centimetres on Saturday. The levels continued to drop Sunday morning, but it was slow going. According to Hydro-Météo, which monitors water levels for the province of Quebec, 仿盛大传奇私服 the water level was diminishing by only 2.5 to five millimetres per hour. "We are very happy with how things went today," said Philippe Jobin, a spokesperson for the province's public-security department. With sunny weather projected until Thursday, authorities will be drawing up plans to help people return to their homes during the coming weeks, Jobin said. The Canadian Armed Forces dispatched 100 naval reservists to the area, 传奇世界私服 bringing to 800 the number of troops assigned to flood relief. The Quebec public-security department has distributed nearly $1 million in compensation to 250 families so far, Jobin added. "We're hoping the worst is past," said Francine Milot, town manager of St. Blaise sur Richelieu. More than half of the town's 900 dwellings are affected by flooding. She said residents' greatest need is for drinking water, although there is still a strong demand for sandbags. In St. Paul de l'Île aux Noix, 新开诛仙私服 Linda Durbeau said she was exhausted after waiting out the flood for two weeks. "It's been very, very long," said Durbeau, 45, whose 16-year-old son's school is shut down because of flooding. Even with two pumps running day and night, six inches of water cover the basement floor of her bungalow, she said. "As long as the electricity keeps working, I can hang in till the end," she said. Once it's all over, Durbeau said they will need to replace a pool table, living room furniture and her son's bedroom furniture. But she added it was heartening to see how people are helping each other out,http://www.zmfcgl.com/bbs/boke.asp?needless.index.html http://www.lydaduhui.com/bbs/boke.asp?needless.index.html http://www.hztjx.com/bbs/boke.asp?needless.index.html http://www.sijing.com/bbs/boke.asp?needless.index.html http://uugame.org/uchome/space.php?uid=105832 http://bbs.tkgame.com/viewthread.php?tid=1690364&page=1&extra=#pid2345300 http://bbs.xzrx.com/space.php?uid=14222 including one volunteer who has been using his allterrain vehicle and a wagon to provide a free taxi service through chest-deep water to the main road. Sûreté du Québec and troops have been patrolling by boat to make sure that residents have all they need and to deter looters, Jobin said. Boating on the river is prohibited until further notice. The floods - the worst in more than 140 years - Wholesale nfl Jerseys Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL NHL Jerseys NBA Jerseys have affected more than 3,000 homes in 20 municipalities and forced nearly 1,000 people from their homes. On Saturday, the Red Cross announced a new fund to help flood victims. People can make contributions at Desjardins caisses populaires, the National Bank, BMO and Metro and Super C stores, said Michel Léveillé, director of the organization's Quebec division. For information, please call 1-800-418-1111 or visit www.redcross.ca.

What is a Walk-in London GUM Clinic?

GUM stands for Genito-Urinary Medicine. It's a term used by the NHS for their sexual health clinics. There are hundreds of NHS GUM clinics dotted across the UK, with around 30 in London alone. The idea behind GUM clinics is that you can find anonymous STI testing without having to get referred by your GP. However, 传奇私服 there are alternatives to NHS clinics, and not all NHS practices offer a walk-in service. Are all GUM clinics NHS-run? GUM is simply an acronym for a medical specialisation. Really, the name GUM clinic can apply to any sexual health practice that offers testing. So it is possible to find private GUM clinics in London. What does 'walk-in' mean? A walk-in clinic allows you to turn up without an appointment and get seen as soon as possible. It's ideal for people who have unpredictable schedules, struggle to get time off work,传世私服 or who want to avoid telling colleagues and friends about their whereabouts. Do all GUM clinics offer a walk-in service? Not all clinics (NHS or private) offer walk-in services. In fact, many London clinics that do offer a walk-in service still have long waiting times and recommend that you phone ahead regardless. However, the best private clinics will offer much more flexible opening times and a faster walk-in service. So, is private a better option? The best private practices will offer swift, discreet and friendly walk-in services. Perhaps most importantly, they will usually open at more convenient times (such as evenings and weekends) so that you don't have to take time off work. MLB Jerseys NFL Jerseys You're also less likely to have to sit in a waiting room for hours before your testing. What type of tests do clinics offer? This depends on the clinic. Most will offer the standard range of STI tests – from chlamydia to HIV. However, many private clinics will offer a more extensive range of testing, with more AIDS test options. For example, NHS clinics only offer the HIV antibody test. This is reliable for detecting infection that took place at least three months beforehand. However, at some private clinics, you may be able to use the PCR test, accurate in testing for signs of HIV from as little as 10 days after infection. When can I see my results? Again, this is dependent on the clinic and the type of STI test you take. However, 传世私服 传奇世界私服 in the case of private clinics, you can expect your results within 24hrs, and often within minutes of taking the test. If I choose private, what should I look out for? First of all, make sure that the clinic is Care Quality Commission approved and registered. You should also be able to check any testimonials and references on the clinic's website. If in doubt, visit the clinic to gauge the environment and location for yourself. It should be welcoming, comfortable and have friendly, non-judgemental staff.

House G.O.P. Members Face Voter Anger Over Budget

In central Florida, a Congressional town meeting erupted into near chaos on Tuesday as attendees accused a Republican lawmaker of trying to dismantle Medicare while providing tax cuts to corporations and affluent Americans. At roughly the same time in Wisconsin, Representative Paul D. Ryan, 传奇私服 the architect of the Republican budget proposal, faced a packed town meeting, occasional boos and a skeptical audience as he tried to lay out his party’s rationale for overhauling the health insurance program for retirees. In a church theater here on Tuesday evening, a meeting between Representative Allen B. West and some of his constituents began on a chaotic note, with audience members quickly on their feet, some heckling him and others loudly defending him. “You’re not going to intimidate me,” Mr. West said. After 10 days of trying to sell constituents on their plan to overhaul Medicare, House Republicans in multiple districts appear to be increasingly on the defensive, facing worried and angry questions from voters and a barrage of new attacks from Democrats and their allies. The proposed new approach to Medicare — 诛仙私服 a centerpiece of a budget that Republican leaders have hailed as a courageous effort to address the nation’s long-term fiscal problems — has been a constant topic at town-hall-style sessions and other public gatherings during a two-week Congressional recess that provided the first chance for lawmakers to gauge reaction to the plan. An example of the response came Tuesday as Representative Daniel Webster, a freshman Republican from Florida, faced an unruly crowd at a packed town meeting in Orlando, where some people, apparently organized or encouraged by liberal groups, brandished signs saying “Hands Off Medicare” and demanded that he instead “tax the rich.” Mr. Webster, shown in video from station WFTV, sought to defuse the situation by saying that any changes were years away and that current retirees would not see a difference. “Not one senior citizen is harmed by this budget,” he said, noting that his new granddaughter was “looking at a bankrupt country.” Under the Republican proposal, Medicare would be converted into a program that would subsidize health coverage for retirees rather than provide coverage directly, a change that many Democrats say would risk leaving the elderly with inadequate health care as costs rise over the long run. 传世私服 传奇世界私服 The Republican budget would also transform Medicaid, which pays for nursing homes for low-income residents, into a grant program to states, raising the possibility that states, under budget pressure, would cut back on coverage. Democrats face political pressure as well to show that they can bring spending under control and rein in the growth of the national debt, and there are fissures within the party about whether to back tax increases and raise the national debt ceiling without concrete steps to bring down the budget deficit. Before the release of Mr. Ryan’s proposal, Republicans had expressed confidence that public opinion had turned in their favor, and on Tuesday House leaders sought to reassure Republicans that their budget approach would eventually carry the day. Led by Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio, Republicans held a conference call urging House members to tell voters that it is the Obama administration’s spending plan that would cost jobs and ration health care. Officials familiar with the call said that rank-and-file lawmakers did not seem alarmed at the response they were getting,魔域私服 and that Mr. Ryan told his fellow Republicans he had been successful in making the case that Medicare would go bankrupt without intervention. Mr. Ryan said he stressed with his constituents that those over 55 or currently on Medicare would still be covered under the existing program. But news reports noted that Mr. Ryan himself faced a mixed response Tuesday as he held tense meetings with voters, some of whom were turned away because of overflow crowds. It was another indication that Republicans still have a big selling job to do on their budget, especially to older constituents who tend to turn out to vote at higher rates than younger people. “I think what we have in Washington right now working on Medicare are a bunch of clowns,” said Robert Murphy, 73, a retiree in Fort Lauderdale. “I think they should leave Medicare alone. But I know they can’t leave it the way it is.” At Mr. West’s meeting on Tuesday evening here, he took only written questions submitted by the audience. 传奇私服 The queries were largely friendly, but some people did pipe up loudly about Medicare, accusing him of making misleading remarks. Several were escorted out by security. Democrats and their allies are stepping up their efforts to organize opposition at public events. They hope to put Republicans back on their heels much as Republicans did to Democrats in the angry town-hall-style meetings conducted during consideration of the health care law. “We have said from the moment the gavel came down on the vote to end Medicare we would hold them accountable every day in every way,” said Representative Steve Israel of New York, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “That is precisely what we are doing. We encourage everyone to attend these meetings.” Democrats and other interest groups are mobilizing a campaign that includes automated phone calls, radio and television ads and protests to keep the pressure on Republicans. Americans United for Change, 传奇私服 传奇私服发布网 a liberal group, was running automated calls in 23 Republican House districts and television ads in four districts in Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, in which an announcer says that a House-approved budget amounts to “ending Medicare so millionaires can get another tax break.” Republicans began to hit back this week, with efforts in the districts of conservative Democrats to change the subject from Medicare to overall federal spending. A new radio ad against Representative Mike Ross, Democrat of Arkansas, paid for by the National Republican Congressional Committee, tells Arkansans that he would continue “to spend your money recklessly.” As they begin a lengthy battle for public opinion on budget issues, many Republicans say much of the outrage at their meetings stems from Democratic plants sent by MoveOn.org and other liberal groups. “My town halls are being disrupted by Democrats,” said Representative Lou Barletta of Pennsylvania, 运动鞋批发 耐克运动鞋 高仿运动鞋 whose meetings have been peppered with complaints about Republican policies. “They are apparently being sent to us to do just that. I am not sensing the general public is angered over Medicare reform. When I explain that people over 55 are not affected there is almost a sigh of relief.” He added, “I am not going to do anything different.”

Wisdom of Ayurveda for Treating Hypertension

In today’s world of science and technology, sometimes the most wise thing to do is turn to the old and ancient wisdom to seek the cures for today’s illnesses, such as hypertension. Ayurvedic medicine, 传世私服 传奇世界私服 or ancient Indian science of healing has long known that there are certain simple lifestyle changes which can be made to tackle high blood pressure without medicine. For example, regular exercise is one of the best ways to lower blood pressure and a good exercise program, particularly endurance exercises such as jogging or athletics, will cause the peripheral resistance to decrease and help to eliminate body fat, 传奇私服 lower total cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol that prevents fatty - cholesterol deposits. But lets go even simpler. The simple effect of nurturing, love and affection can significantly drop your blood pressure. Ayurveda cautions us to always speak the truth as lying has been found to boost blood pressure, because it require a lot of mental exercise. Speak gently and try not to get annoyed, speaking loudly and rapidly can significantly raise your blood pressure during conversation. In addition, 魔域私服 chronic anger produces elevation in blood pressure and it can be a serious risk factor for coronary - heart - disease. So be cool, speak softly and even in event of extreme displeasure. As we have long known, Ayurveda says that laughter is the best medicine and is as good as relaxation therapy, exercise or other methods used to overcome stress. Study shows that laughter decreases adrenaline and cortisol production. Laughter can help you if you are having high blood pressure. If you are frustrated, 运动鞋批发 耐克运动鞋 unhappy, angry, just laugh and find yourself away from rage–it is of the effective medicine and it is free. Finally, for complete tranquility of mind, meditate. Concentrate on the incoming and outgoing breath, focusing on the temperature of the breath as it flows in and out. You may notice the exhaled air is slightly warmer than the inhaled air. 新开诛仙私服 If you focus the mind on the breath for 10 minutes, mental disturbance gets diminished and blood pressure normalizes. Many will find that by implementing these simple changes, medication is not necessary at all.