Is $100 Oil As Lethal As It Looks? http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_47/b4059057.htm In Maine, 'a lot of fear out there' as heating oil prices keep rising http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/story.php?id=147368&ac=PHnws Over a barrel, cruise lines boost ticket costs http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21755394/ USA National Gas Temperatures Map http://www.gasbuddy.com/gb_gastemperaturemap.aspx Mud, Sweat and Tears http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/oct/30/energy.oilandpetrol The rising cost of oil has caused a great deal of concern in many quarters, and everyone from industrialists to the average consumer can be greatly affected by such shifts. As the price of oil approached $100 this past week, economists and analysts began to wonder if the impact on the U.S. economy would be as great as had previously been predicted. Of course, some price increases have occurred, and the price of gas remains high in much of the country. Others, such as Federal Reserve Governor Alice Rivlin have commented that the economy has survived price increases for another reason: "We don't depend on energy as much because we don't depend on manufacturing as much. Services are less energy intensive." All of this information might still not console residents of Maine, where 80 percent of the homes rely on either oil or kerosene for heat. Additionally, Maine happens to be one of the coldest states in the country, and this has many Mainers deeply concerned about the coming months. John Kerry, the director of the state's Office of Energy Independence and Security, had this to say about the situation: "It's not just low-income people who are fearful. It's the working couple or families who are now going to have to choose between heating, literally eating, and of course driving." The first link will take users to an audio story on high oil prices from National Public Radio's Jim Zarroli. The second link leads to a bit of commentary from this week's Business Week on the psychological and real-world effects that a $100 barrel of oil might have on different sectors of the country's economy. Moving on, the third link whisks users away to a good article from the Portland Press Herald about the effects that rising heating oil prices will have in Maine. The fourth link leads to a piece from MSNBC which comments on how the cruise line industry is responding to the rising price of oil. For those who are interested of the price of gasoline in Cheyenne or Charleston, the fifth link will be a welcome find. It leads directly to the USA National Gas Temperature Map, which tracks the current price of gas across the entire country. Finally, the last link leads to a very fine piece of investigative reporting by The Guardian's Aida Edemariam. In the piece, Edemariam reports from the tar sands of Alberta as she looks into the promises (and pitfalls) offered by these massive stores of natural resources.