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Politics : Rat's Nest - Chronicles of Collapse -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ron who wrote (1855)	8/19/2005 9:21:55 AM
From: Ron	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 24213

Pre-Pay Gas Stations Becoming Sign Of Times More People Leaving Gas Stations Without Paying POSTED: 7:56 am EDT August 19, 2005 RALEIGH, N.C. -- Officials claim the rising cost of gas is fueling a surge in gas drive-offs, which is leading to an inconvenience at convenience stores. Know Of Any Cheap Gas? In a matter of seconds, gas thieves can fill up their tank and empty the wallets of store owners. Stealing gas has become so widespread that the North Carolina Petroleum Marketers Association is thinking about asking lawmakers to force every store in the state to require customers to pay before they pump. "It's difficult to catch and prosecute, so we always see drive-offs go up," said Gary Harris, the agency's director. Forcing customers to pre-pay is something some stores in Knightdale and Raleigh are already doing. Many store owners strongly oppose requiring customers to prepay mainly because it goes against the very nature of their business, which is convenience. Most customers do not seem to mind. "I think that's the fair thing to do -- to prepay because the store needs its money," says Pat Flowers. Store clerks at an Exxon station in Morrisville told WRAL News their owner is taking matters a step further by deducting money out of employee paychecks if a drive-off happens on their watch. A company spokesman would not comment on the claims. wral.com

To: Ron who wrote (1855)	8/19/2005 10:40:59 PM
From: Wharf Rat	Respond to of 24213

Photo in the News: Gas Thief Escapes on Tricycle Photograph by China (Go to the link) August 16, 2005—Speeding from the scene of the crime, a Chinese boy tows a floating plastic bag of stolen natural gas last week. Flouting a government ban, farmers around the central Chinese town of Pucheng frequently filch gas from the local oil field. As Chinese industry booms and automobile use spreads, the country as a whole appears to be on a feverish quest for fossil fuels. Oil consumption rose by 11 percent last year, and the number of private autos hit 14 million in 2003—and is expected to rise to 150 million by 2015. (See "China's Boom Is Bust for Global Environment, Study Warns.") China National Offshore Oil Corporation dropped its bid for U.S. oil and natural gas company Unocal earlier this month. But the China National Petroleum Corporation, the country's biggest oil company, has now joined with an Indian company in an effort to buy PetroKazakhstan, a Canadian company with oil fields in the central Asian country of Kazakhstan. news.nationalgeographic.com