Think California's gasoline crisis is confined to just California? Sorry, but it crosses state lines to Arizona (and Nevada).
You can thank Gov. Gavin Newsom and the leftist Democrats in the state's legislature for this. It is all their doing!
The video below explains it all:
On Friday, while waiting for a store to open (which never did), we killed some time checking out three gun stores. (It seems that Lake Havasu has as many gun stores as the San Fernando Valley in California has nail salons.) We went to some more yesterday.
Each have been saying that ammunition is going to be scarcer next year and the prices will jump up. In a gun store yesterday, they were selling .30-30 Winchester ammo for $70.00/box of 20. I am glad that I already stockpiled ammunition beforehand. They were all blaming NATO for this.
If one can, start buying ammunition now before the prices rise even further and it becomes harder to find.
Note: There are some people who feel that this post is "spreading B.S." and trying to "cause" a run on ammo. That's not the intent of this post. I am just reporting on what six gun dealers in Lake Havasu told us directly. It could be a regional thing. But each said the same thing that NATO is the cause and prices are going up.
I buy ammo online and have had no problems so far. If one wants to make a rebuttal, feel free to post it in the comments. Just make it factual and respectful and I will approve it.
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| Above, Cuban CUC currency no longer used. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Things must be pretty bad in Cuba when their banknotes are being dispensed from ATM machines printed only on one side.
Such is the case as reported by World Nation News.
They reported:
Many Cubans lamented on social networks that the island’s ATMs began dispensing bills printed on only one side, possibly due to a lack of ink.
Photos of the “new banknotes” circulate the network and although the regime has not ruled on the matter, a teacher said in a Facebook post by the influential Edmundo Dantes that at his school he paid with bills that had a It was white on the side.
“And then out of the blue the ATMs start giving you invisible money like the achievements of the revolution,” Dantes said in his post.
On his part, Félix Yasser Castillo Pelayo, showing a 100-peso bill with a blank side, conceded that the state “robs you even at the ATM”.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a Narita Airport terminal. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
As Japan has (more or less) returned to normal when it comes to inbound tourism, it as exposed a major problem: airport ground staff shortages.
Many airport ground staffers quit their jobs during the pandemic, but after the lifting of pandemic restrictions in the country, Japan's airports found that they have inadequate staff to handle day to day operations with the influx of international flights.
According to the Asahi Shimbun:
Although inbound tourism to Japan is picking with the easing of COVID-19 border controls, a dire shortage of ground staff at airports is hampering the airline industry’s post-pandemic recovery.
Alarmed at the situation, a transport ministry expert panel moved to address the crisis with a May 11 proposal to raise the salaries of ground staff to make the sector more attractive to job hunters. It also called on airport ground handling companies to adopt a unified staff evaluation system.
So many ground staff quit their jobs during the pandemic that airports are now struggling to handle the influx of international flights, which has resulted in delays in resuming inbound flights and long lines at airport security checks.
The expert panel hopes to compile formal proposals by the end of June.
The labor shortage is acute when it comes to finding staff to guide arriving aircraft to parking aprons, ensuring that passengers go to airport check-in counters and providing airport security inspectors.
According to the ministry, 61 major airport ground handling companies had around 21,600 employees as of December, or around 20 percent fewer than in March 2019, before the pandemic started.
In addition to the pandemic, salaries and working conditions are believed to account for the exodus of airport staff.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, Cabela's ammo shelves during the height of the shortage. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
In many ways, the ammunition shortage still goes on.
Granted, it is less severe than it was over the past two years. In recent months, I have found the ammo shelves fully stocked at Cabela's in Albuquerque. Two years ago, they were almost totally empty. But not all calibers are available and some types of cartridges, like hollow points, are harder to find.
Recently, I had to go online to find .357 Magnum hollow point ammo. Cabela's had .357 Magnum ammo, but not in hollow point, the last time I went there. If I can't buy what I want, I won't buy.
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| Above, Cabela's ammo shelves after the shortage started easing. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Outdoor Life posted an article, "The Ammo Shortage Revealed These Truths" last week.
They begin it with:
In his four decades of running D&G Sports and Western in Glasgow, Montana, Darrell Morehouse has never seen ammunition pricing and availability as unpredictable as it’s been in the past three years. That’s telling, considering the several ammo shortages he’s seen through the decades.
Sure, some of what Morehouse calls “crazy-ass” dynamics stem from supply-chain uncertainties and binge buying fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic. But his view from the gun counter at an independent sporting goods store in eastern Montana isn’t that different from the business manager of a bullet manufacturer in Utah.
“We’re in reaction mode, just trying to keep up with changing situations almost on a daily basis,” says Michael Painter, director of marketing and product management for Barnes Bullets. “We’re probably better off than a lot of our competitors because we’ve brought so much of our manufacturing processes in-house, but I can tell you that every day is some kind of a new challenge.”
One day it might be a scramble to find a new source of gunpowder that Barnes chooses for its factory-loaded ammunition. Another day it might be absorbing a jump in the commodity price of copper, the metal that Barnes, as a pioneer in the non-lead ammunition movement, requires for many of its products. Another day it might be negotiating terms with the distributors who put boxes of the company’s bullets on the shelves of retailers like Morehouse.
To read more, go here.
It is a good thing that I have no vehicles that are powered by diesel. Likewise, I don't need it to heat the house.
But that doesn't help those who do, especially the trucking industry.
RV Travel took a look at the so-called diesel "shortage" and posted an article on what they found. One of the reasons given are shuttered refineries. We have one in Jamestown, New Mexico.
They begin with:
Recent headlines have drawn attention to a shortage of diesel fuel across the country. The number of days of current supply has dropped to 25 amid problems with petroleum transportation and shuttered U.S. refineries.
RVers might experience shortages of retail diesel fuel in the weeks ahead, particularly in the Eastern and Southeastern regions of the country. Prices will be high across the continent.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), stocks of diesel fuel and other distillate fuel oils were down to 106 million barrels as of October 21, 2022, which the agency says is the lowest for the autumn season since it began collecting data in 1982.
Are we “running out” of diesel?
Yes and no.
To read more, go here.
From Wikipedia:
David Michael Kurten is a British politician who has served as leader of the Heritage Party since September 2020. He previously was a member of the London Assembly for Londonwide from 2016 to 2021. Elected as a UK Independence Party candidate, he subsequently left the party in January 2020.
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| Above, passengers arriving at Kona International Airport. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
It is interesting to see so many flight delays and cancelations of flights almost everywhere.
The state of Hawaii is not immune to flight delays. The Beat of Hawaii said yesterday 272 flights have been delayed. Some blame staff shortages, some blame COVID-19 and some blame mismanagement.
According to Beat of Hawaii:
We were shocked to find that 152 flights were delayed into and out of Hawaii Monday, as reported by the flight-tracking service FlightAware. And on Sunday, they reported that there were 122 delayed Hawaii flights. It’s too early to see how many will be delayed again today, but we do see some starting to be listed as of this morning.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, the good ol' days of gas prices six years ago. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
It's a good thing that I didn't make any RV park/campground reservations or purchase tickets to any attractions in the eastern part of Wyoming or in the Black Hills of South Dakota for a summer vacation trip.
Those tentative plans fell by the wayside when gas prices began to skyrocket into the stratosphere.
RV Life asks this question: "Will there Be Major Fuel Shortages This Summer?" in a new article.
They begin with:
By now, RV owners are well aware of the massive spikes in fuel costs over the past 6 months. Whether your rig runs on diesel or gas, prices at the pump have been shocking to say the least.
According to AAA gas prices on May 22, the national average price for gasoline is $4.59/gallon, while the average cost of diesel is $5.56/gallon. A year ago, the average price of gas was $3.04/gallon, and diesel was $3.18/gallon. RVers need to fasten their seatbelts and hold onto their hats because low supplies and high demand is going to push prices up even more over summer.
Doesn't that sound just swell?
To read further, go here.
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| Above, the California RV Show before the pandemic. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
These days, when one drives past an RV dealer's lot and sees a "full" lot, he/she may think that there's no shortage of RV for sale.
Looks can be deceiving and a new article by RV Travel gives the reasons why.
They begin with:
RV dealer lots around the country are slowly starting to refill, but things are far from normal despite what RVers are seeing as they pass dealer lots along the highway.
The Enumclaw RV Show in Washington state recently announced it was canceling the show, originally set for July 28-31, after being informed that RV dealers and manufacturers wouldn’t be able to provide enough RV inventory at the show.
“The popularity of RVs has resulted in significantly reduced inventory levels for the industry in 2022,” says a statement on the Enumclaw RV Show website. “As a result, the unfortunate decision to cancel the 2022 Enumclaw RV Show had to be made as there were just not enough RVs to display and provide an exceptional show.”
The company that operates the Enumclaw RV show also manages RV shows in Seattle and Puyallup, Washington. Those shows went forward earlier this year, but dealers had so few new rigs to display, they were allowed to bring used rigs to the shows to mix in with the new.
What's going on?
Read further to find out by going here.
Now it's an infant formula shortage.
I personally know of two people (one is a relative) who have infants. Thankfully, one has a mother who bought two cartons of it months ago (they are probably used up by now).
She told me:
I bought them two cartons of formula a few months ago when she thought I was nuts and being a crazy prepper since no way they wouldn’t have formula. Of course she also had no idea formula might be needed. Two boxes of it was $216 plus tax. And now you can’t even get it even if you could afford it.
How did this all come about?
According to an article in Fortune, there's a lot of factors involved. Two main culprits are the monopoly of the baby formula industry by three companies and the FDA (run by the Biden Administration, naturally). (I had a feeling that Biden was somehow involved.)
They wrote:
A baby formula shortage gripping the U.S. since March has parents in a panic over where and when they’ll be able to find the products they need to feed their kids.
The out-of-stock rate, representing the amount of formula that’s not in stock compared to what’s typically available, was 43% for the week ending May 8, according to Datasembly, a provider of real-time product data for retailers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands.
With no easy end in sight, caregivers nationwide have been forced to devote their free time to driving between stores in search of formula, prompting retailers to limit the number of cans customers can buy. Others have turned to Facebook groups and informal support networks to acquire the nutritional products that work best for their kids.
“I've looked online, I have my mom in Boston looking, my mother-in-law in Florida looking,” Elyssa Schmier previously told Fortune about her trouble finding formula for her 8-month-old son. “Everyone we know is looking for us and no one can find it.”
How did a baby formula crisis spring up in one of the world’s richest countries? Experts say a recall by one of the industry’s largest manufacturers, persistent supply-chain issues, and a market dominated by only a few players have combined to form what one consumer goods expert calls a “perfect storm” affecting the supply of essential formula to millions of babies across the U.S. And the shortage could last for months.
To read more, go here.
It seems weird to me that there is currently an airline pilot shortage.
Sure, the pandemic caused layoffs, but since it has been easing off, those pilots should be available to be recalled back to work by the airlines.
For some reason, that's just not happening. It's not just happening here, but worldwide as well.
According to TravelPulse:
In what is expected to be a heavy summer travel season after two years of the pandemic, airlines are facing yet another crisis just as a sense of normalcy was starting to pervade the industry.
The worldwide airline pilot shortage is so severe that it could take years to overcome, forcing carriers to resort to alternative – sometimes drastic – measures to combat the deficit.
“The pilot shortage for the industry is real and most airlines are simply not going to be able to realize their capacity plans because there simply aren’t enough pilots, at least not for the next five-plus years,” Scott Kirby, chief executive officer of United Airlines Holdings Inc. said earlier this week on a conference call according to Bloomberg News.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, a view of Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Now that travel to Hawaii is back and without the need for masks, people are eagerly lining up to head there.
There's only a couple of problems.
There's a shortage of pilots and higher fuel prices. This is forcing one airline to cut all service to Hawaii for the rest of this year.
According to TravelPulse:
All airlines are dealing with pilot shortages and higher fuel prices, and adapting their schedules as the situation dictates.
For one airline, it has meant making a dramatic decision.
Budget carrier Sun Country Airlines said Tuesday it will cut service to Hawaii for the rest of the year due to the mitigating factors, according KHON in Honolulu.
In a message to customers, Sun Country said: “Due to the current pilot shortage impacting all U.S. airlines, Sun Country has regrettably elected to suspend service to Honolulu, HI (HNL) for the 2022 travel season. Passengers who were booked on impacted flights will automatically be refunded to their original form of payment for their reservation. We apologize for any inconvenience this temporary suspension of Honolulu service causes to our customers. We are hopeful for a return of Honolulu service for the 2023 travel season.”
To read more, go here.
Ever notice how the Democrats haven't bragged about how great a job His Fraudulency Joe Biden has been doing?
Well, there's many good reasons for that and the Bureau of Labor Statistics has provided another reason of why Biden is doing a crappy job.
From Yahoo! Finance:
U.S. consumer price increases quickened in March, underscoring ongoing inflationary pressures as supply chain disruptions and shortages lingered across the economy.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics' (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 8.5% in March compared to the same month last year, according to the latest report released Tuesday. That marked the fastest rise since December 1981. This followed a 7.9% annual increase in February. Heading into the report, consensus economists were looking for an 8.4% jump for March, according to Bloomberg data.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, an Asakusa, Tokyo toy store with a handy McDonald's next door. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
If you thought we have supply chain problems, take a look at what Japan is going through.
McDonald's in Japan is going though a potato crunch (pun intended).
From Nikkei Asia:
TOKYO -- Concern is rising among Japan's fast-food chains as pandemic disruptions extend to supplies of potatoes for their staple french fries.
McDonald's Holdings Japan will suspend the sales of medium- and large-size french fries for a week starting on Friday.
The chain is facing delays in potato shipments due to the pandemic-induced supply crunch plus shipping disruptions at the port in Vancouver, Canada, following recent flooding. McDonald's will only be able to sell small-size french fries at its 2,900 outlets until Dec. 30.
McDonald's said it aims to ensure that "as many customers as possible will continue to eat our french fries."
McDonald's fries are processed in the U.S. and Canada, where they are frozen before being shipped to Japan. The company said it plans to secure sufficient inventory to restart normal sales by limiting portions for a week.
To read more, go here.
A little while ago, I got home from a trek to Albuquerque to pick up my mini-bike.
While we were in town, we also stopped at Cabela's where Larry Lucier exchanged a vest that was too large that he bought last week. When he was doing that, I bought 100 rounds of 9mm ammo (they had about 4 boxes of 9mm on the shelf).
After Cabela's we went to the nearby (or somewhat nearby) Cracker Barrel restaurant for turkey dinner.
When we finished dinner, we then got on the road to head back to Jamestown.
A friend posted Richard Griffin's Facebook post about gas shortages along Interstate 40 (the highway we took back home) between Texas and California.
It reads:
Happening now at all TA/Petros from Texas to California might just be across I-40 because Amarillo Santa Rosa and Holbrook were only allowing 60 gallons even though Kingman was out of fuel Monday night and Tonopah Arizona was out of fuel last night. not sure about any other fuel stops
We didn't have any problem getting fuel on this trip on Interstate 40. We stopped at Dancing Eagle Casino's travel center after leaving Albuquerque for fuel and saw no signs indicating any gas shortage or limitations for same. We drove Larry's bus on this trip as it had plenty of room for the mini-bike.
But, it is worth keeping an eye out for.
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| Above, getting the propane tank filled. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Since I heat my home with propane (along with using it in my RV), I am keeping tabs on the propane supply and price situation.
So far, I've had no problem in getting propane, although it has been priced higher (over $3.00).
RV Life has an article on the whether or not there will be a propane shortage.
They begin with:
With an extra cold winter on the horizon and rumors of a propane shortage, many people have started to worry that the U.S. might run out of fuel during the 2021 winter season. Millions of people use natural gas to heat their homes and RVs, so a propane shortage could be disastrous for families who are trying to keep warm this winter.
Propane prices are currently higher than they have been since 2014, and national stockpiles are being stretched thin due to high demand inside and outside the country. According to the U.S. Energy Administration, it’s projected that about half of the Americans who use natural gas to heat their homes will spend 30% more than in previous years.
However, it seems unlikely that the country will completely run out of propane during the winter, as the U.S. is one of the top producers and is capable of increasing production to prevent a major crisis. Supplies may be somewhat limited, and it’s likely that the prices will be higher in the winter of 2021. Homeowners and RVers who rely on propane should prepare for this situation and possibly consider switching to alternative energy methods that will be more sustainable.
To read more, go here.
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| Above, getting the propane tank filled. Photo by Armand Vaquer. |
Before heading off to Quartzsite for the fall Clampout with the Lost Dutchman Chapter of E Clampus Vitus last week, I had my motorhome's propane tank filled. It was $2.69 per gallon, which, as a new article in RV Travel states, is the national average price for propane. It is about a dollar more than last year.
Trouble may be on the horizon for propane supplies this winter. This is something that I will have to keep an eye on as my home runs on propane.
RV Travel wrote:
RVers who are still using their rigs this winter would be wise to keep a close eye on their propane levels.
Propane industry analysts are already warning of an “Armageddon” in the U.S. propane market due to low supply, high demand, and the resulting rocketing prices.
Edgar Ang, who is with the research firm IHS Markit Ltd., said U.S. propane inventories are at record lows and will remain extremely tight as the cold weather sets in. Experts are also warning that mean temperatures in the Lower 48 states are expected to drop into the 60-55 degree range by the end of October, and heating degree days (those days that signal the start of the heating season) have already begun in much of the country.
To read more, go here.
A couple of nights ago, I went down to Denny's at the Flying J to have a salmon dinner.
When I ordered, the waitress had to go back to the kitchen to check if they had any salmon available. She came back and said they didn't have any. I ended up having an omelet from the 55+ menu (what we call the "geezer omelet").
Thus far, that has been the only instance of a supply-chain related problem I've faced. I guess it depends upon where one is located.
But the "supply-chain crisis" will likely get worse before it gets better.
The New York Post reported:
Parts of the US are now battling food shortages as worried Americans have emptied supermarket shelves amid the supply chain crisis threatening the nation’s economy and holiday shopping.
People are stockpiling everything from canned goods to boxed items and even making a run on milk when it’s available in grocery stores, Bloomberg reported.
The surge in demand comes as two of America’s major container ports in California face a massive pandemic-related backlog.
“People are hoarding,” Adnan Durrani, CEO and founder of Saffron Road, a producer of frozen and shelf-stable meals, told Bloomberg.
“What I think you’ll see over the next six months, all prices will go higher.”
To read more, go here.
How high will prices go up?
From Fox Business:
Americans will see food costs rise "tremendously" in the coming weeks, according to billionaire supermarket owner John Catsimatidis.
Catsimatidis, who is the president of Gristedes and D'Agostino Foods, discussed his concerns about inflation and supply chain issues on FOX Business’ "Mornings with Maria," and warned companies like Nabisco, Pepsi and Coke will begin to prioritize products and raise prices in order to get ahead.
"I see food prices going up tremendously," he told Maria Bartiromo. "[CEOs] want to be ahead of the curve and the way they're doing it is they're dropping all promotions. They are dropping low-moving items."
Catsimatidis went on to say this trend won’t reverse "anytime soon."
"I see over 10% [price increase] in the next 60 days," he said.
To read more, go here.
Since air travel and ship cruises are not exactly being encouraged during the pandemic, it is no surprise that people are flocking to RV dealerships wanting to buy so they can "cure" their cabin fever and travel. This, along with a shortage of parts and supplies for manufacturers, is resulting in a shortage of new RVs on dealer lots.
This is true in the U.S. and, it turns our, true to our next-door neighbor to the north, Canada.
The Victoria and Vancouver Island Times Colonist has posted an article on this problem.
They begin it with:
With a continuing ban on leisure travel to the U.S., COVID-testing hassles for those travelling by air and a build-up of cabin fever — not to mention the ability to work from pretty much anywhere — interest in recreational vehicles has hit an all-time high.
Dealers on the Island say there has been so much interest in RVs of all shapes and sizes over the last 18 months that it’s starting to become difficult to find inventory, parts and accessories.
Jason Gallaugher, marketing manager with Arbutus RV, said they’ve seen a surge in demand through the pandemic, including many newcomers and young families wanting to get into RVing.
“This was one of the few options they could actually do over the last year,” Gallaugher said. “There’s that added layer of safety in RVs that people can control all aspects of their travel.”
Sylvia Thistle-Miller of Triangle RV said the newcomers tend to want to live by their own rules and have been opting for smaller units they can take off the beaten track.
“I love to see that — I love to see people exploring Canada instead of running across the border,” she said. “I think it’s time Canadians saw Canada.”
But the surge in demand has put pressure on inventory.
All dealers have reported shortages, though both Thistle-Miller and Gallaugher note that if buyers are willing to be flexible, vehicles are available.
It’s more of a problem when people want a specific RV, or a used one, since owners haven’t been as eager to sell during the pandemic.
Thistle-Miller said manufacturers have struggled with getting parts and labour, and in some cases have been rationing vehicles — offering dealers just a trickle of inventory.
To read more, go here.
