>>If you haven't heard the news, gas in NC is almost 5.00/gal right now and forecasted to go higher. Some places are still behind the curve and selling it around 4.00 but hard to find them.
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>>This morning, it jumped to 3.99 and has been rising since then:
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>>http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=304420
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>>(Seems to be a panic. Some stations have now dropped back down to around 4.00/gallon)
>
>It's amazing. When the oil prices go down, we hear that the gas they're selling is stuff they bought 6 months ago at high prices, then when there is threat of a hurricane, the price skyrockets even before they know if there is going to be damage, and even though they'll have 6 months to get going again while they sell the gas they bought at low prices.

30th of December 1993. there was a strike in Kolubara coal mines, which is the source of fuel for the Obrenovac power plant, which powers Belgrade. Far from it being the only source... however, within a day we were exposed to severe restrictions - the power was turned off for six hours a day, at a schedule which was to be played round-robin (except we got into three black zones on the same day, barely got to heat the house somehow)... now you had to be extremely naive to believe that
1) they had about less than one day's reserves at hand
2) with half of the industry out of business there was still a shortage of power
3) the miners were not to be scapegoats
4) the restriction schedule wasn't ready in advance
5) the only exportable commodity which could cross the borders despite the sanctions was anything else but electrical power
6) Sloba sold it but left us with more than enough for domestic consumption

You see, whatever they say about the stockpile, it can mean one thing today, another tomorrow, and neither of them need actually be true :).