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Segal's Solar Systems, Inc. - Community Service & Education

Reflective Halloween Bags

PLEASE NOTE:

This webpage was originally put on the Segal's Solar Systems web site in October of 2001. For several summers I had been teaching the basics of renewable energy systems to gifted and talented students at the Center for Mathematics, Science, and Technology (CMST). This was a summer program at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore. I added this Reflective Halloween bag webpage as a public service targeted at the wonderful students I met at CMST. During Fall of 2001, all of 2002, and most of 2003 I received about one inquiry a MONTH for these bags. During August and September of 2003, the rate of inquiries increase to about one a Week. Then something weird happened. Around September 21st. to 22nd. my incoming Email system got clogged with over ONE THOUSAND Emails a DAY. Almost all were asking for free reflective Halloween bags. I do not know who noticed this website, but it looks like someone or something did and promoted it. A week later, I was still averaging about 800 incoming Emails a Day. Response began to slow and early in October I was receiving "only" about 600 requests per day. I can't even read all of them, let alone respond to them with Halloween bags. Then, late in October 2003, many of you have gotten the message that I can't possibly respond to all of you and you have stopped writing. Those of you are still wrote to request Halloween bags, still had lots of company. During late October 2003, I was still receiving about a hundred emails a day.

That is the GOOD news. Now, here is the BAD news. I purchased 5000 reflective Halloween bags to distribute to you. As of late October 2003, Segal's Solar Systems received requests for over fifteen thousand bags! So, I sadly must say that if you are writing now, I will NOT be able to comply with your request. Please STOP asking for these bags! For the time being, this free promotional is over. But don't go away mad. Instead, please browse the rest of the Segal's Solar Systems' web pages. You could learn a lot about saving your family money by using the extensive energy available from renewable resources.

I have some more bad news. As frightening as ghosts and goblins might seem on Halloween, or that you won't receive a reflective Halloween bag in time for trick or treating this year, there are more important things to consider. If you think ghosts and goblins are scary on Hallowen, please keep in mind that these do not really exist. However, the following items ARE real:

In 1973, the United States imported only 25 % of our oil. That large amount was enough to allow many Arab and other mid-eastern countries, who control almost all the petroleum reserves in the world, to hold an oil embargo against the United States. (Most of the world's known petroleum is found under the countries of Saudi Arabia (26%), Iraq (11.1%), Kuwait (9.5%), United Arab Emirates (9.6%), Iran (8.8%), in the Mideast, Venezuela (7.1%) in South America, and in the Russian Federation (4.8%) in Europe/Asia.) (1999 figures, based on oil costing $25 per barrel.) These seven countries control 76.9% of all the petroleum in the world! The first five of these countries are in the turbulent and politically unstable Middle East. They control 65% of all the petroleum in the world. (See other pages of Segal's Solar Systems website for information on petroleum deposits in other countries.) The effect of this was to weaken the value of the U.S. dollar on the world market. The price of gold doubled and this oil embargo quadrupled the price of oil and greatly weakened the economy of the United States.

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Historians like to use the phrase that "History Repeats Itself." Sometimes they also say, "Those who do not Study History are Doomed to Repeat it." Well guess what? It is happening again! Today, the United States' use of oil is much higher than it was in 1973, and our own production is much lower. Today, in 2004, we import more than 55 % of our oil. We are far more vulnerable to the effects of an oil embargo today than we were in 1973! Even a strike, an earthquake damaging foreign refineries, or the loss of a few huge supertankers could wreak havoc with our economy due to our overly heavy dependence on foreign oil. (The recent war in Venezuela actually caused this effect during the past few years. Unfortunately, Saudi Arabia produces almost three times as much oil as Venezuela. A disruption in Saudi Arabia would be much more devestating to the world's economy than the problems in Venezuela.)

It is important to realize that the foreign countries are not doing anything wrong. They just have a valuable resource and they are selling it at a price. (Often a high price. The price of petroleum on the world market during Fall of 2003 was around $30. a barrel. We imported over 10,000,000. of these barrels every day at a cost of $300,000,000. a day in the year 2003. This amounted to over one hundred ten BILLION dollars every year! This is more than one thousand dollars for each household in the United States.) It is WE in the United States who have been so foolish to allow ourselves to be so dependent on foreign petroleum sources! It is costing us a great deal of money, and, if we are not careful, it may even cost us our freedom. We have allowed ourselves to be so dependent on this foreign commodity that any interruption can cause us hardship. We were warned in 1973. We have had thirty years to move away from our heavy use of fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) and toward renewable resources such as solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy. Unfortunately we have squandered this thirty years of "breathing time." I have thirty years of history to back me up in saying if we wait for our government to act, we will wait much too long. In 2002, the U.S. government gave a huge tax deduction to any business that purchased a large sport utility vehicle (SUV). The SUV had to weigh over 6000 pounds to qualify for this tax break. A 6000 pound vehicle uses much MORE gasoline to go a given distance than one which weighs 4000 pounds. Since gasoline is made from petroleum, an increase in the number of these vehicles on the road will INCREASE our dependence on foreign oil supplies. (Remember, more than fifty percent of the oil we use is imported.) When I first wrote this page, I made the following statements, "Don't be surprised if the cost of oil rises to $40. per barrel within a few years. (Year 2006 or 2007 maybe.)"

Well folks, this happened too. During Spring of 2004, oil cost $42. per barrel. It rose to $44. a barrel in July of 2004, and then in August, it rose to $46. a barrel. Remember that $300,000,000. a DAY bill for imported oil? Well, it is now over $400,000,000. a DAY and over 140 BILLION dollars a year! Dollars for petroleum are flowing OUT of the United States faster than any time in history. This is NOT good for our economy. This is NOT good for our country. This is NOT good for us.

Fortunately, YOU do not have to wait for Government action. YOU can act on your own to reduce your dependence on foreign oil and our limited natural gas resource. Check over the other pages of this WebSite and learn how Segal's Solar Systems can help you implement "Future Home" and other solar thermal, solar electricity, and energy recovery technologies. You can maintain your high standard of living, which is the envy of the world, and at the same time greatly reduce your dependence of outside energy. When you do, you will even be less susceptible to power outages from accidents, weather damage to power lines, or damage from terrorist attacks. During Fall of 2003, over 1,500,000. power grid customers lost electricity in Virginia, 1,000,000. in Maryland, and over 800,000. in Washington, DC due to Hurricane Isabella. Several thousand customers did not get it back until nine days later. A standby power system from Segal's Solar Systems would have ensured that you would be safe from blackouts and your lights stayed on during power outages like these.

Segal's Solar Systems, Inc. GIVES YOU FREEDOM With Sunshine

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Contact Information:
Our Addresses:
U.S. Mail: Segal's Solar Systems, Inc., 3357 Cranberry South, Laurel, MD 20724-2419

Electronic Mail: solar@smart.net
Our Phone Number: 301-776-8946


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This page was last updated on August 29, 2004
by Barry Jay Segal.