Gasoline

David L. Horne, Ph.D.  |   OW Contributing Columnist
Mar 31 2011

Practical Politics

Oil! Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole ... —my favorite grade school poem, “Invictus,” says.

Remembrances of youth and a different world.

That one was of danger, dodging and possibilities. This one is of earthquakes, nuclear surprises, uprisings, and oil ascending, as all or most of us are still trying to make ends meet and keep food on the table.

Mar 18 2011

False advertising

LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Calabasas-based Fuel Doctor, which makes a small device it claims can increase vehicle miles per gallon by 25 percent, was sued by a consumer who says it did nothing for her car.

Mlissa Drinville filed her lawsuit Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleging false advertising and unfair competition.

She is asking for an injunction to stop the company from claiming the device increases fuel efficiency, along with unspecified damages. She also wants to add other consumers to the suit and make it a class action.

Mar 7 2011

Cheaper, less-polluting replacement for gasoline

WESTWOOD, Calif.—Scientists at UCLA have discovered a way to force certain microbes to produce protein that can be refined into biofuels, which may unlock the doors to cheaper, less-polluting replacements for gasoline.

In a study published in the journal "Nature Biotechnology,'' the UCLA team said their discovery could unleash a new universe of fuel-producing microbes that eat naturally-occurring proteins that are otherwise unfit for animal consumption.

Juliana D. Norwood  |   OW Staff Writer
Sep 16 2010

Is it racism?

Eric Banks, allegedly the only African American owner/operator of a RaceTrac gas station, is calling for a nation-wide boycott of the company and its parent corporation, Atlanta-based Raceway Petroleum, after he received a 90-day notice informing him that his station would be offered to a new owner, because he was “no longer the right fit.”

Banks believes the decision is nothing more than the newest chapter in Raceway’s racist treatment of its Black operators.

Sep 6 2010

5.3 cents less than last year

LOS ANGELES  - The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Los Angeles County fell for the 24th consecutive day, decreasing six-tenths of a cent to $3.015.

The average price is 4.3 cents less than a week ago, 11.9 cents less than a month ago and 5.3 cents less than this time last year, according to figures from the AAA and Oil Price Information Service.

The decreases began Aug. 14, a day after nine increases in 10 days pushed the average price to $3.155, one-tenth of a cent less than its high for the year.

Across Black America

Here’s a look at African American people and issues making headlines throughout the country.

California
Allied Integrated Marketing recently announced it is launching a new African American marketing division, Allied Moxy. The new division will create innovative campaigns that integrate publicity, promotions, digital and grassroots outreach to speak directly to the full diversity of African American consumers. Spearheading Allied Moxy are industry veterans Kim Walters and Gloria Jones. Walters will oversee national strategy from Los Angeles, while Jones will oversee regional/local strategy from Washington, D.C. Walters brings more than a decade of marketing experience working with entertainment companies such as Codeblack Entertainment, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and A&E Lifetime Television, as well as consumer brands such as KIA and L.A. Gear and awards programs such as NAACP Image Awards and Soul Train Music Awards. Jones has been with Allied for five years running publicity and promotional campaigns for clients, including Universal Pictures, Focus Features and Relativity Media, and previously worked for WBDC-TV in D.C. and MTV Networks’ Nick @ Nite and TV Land.

 

Representing Los Angeles and Center Theatre Group, Tyler Edwards, a senior at the Orange County High School of the Arts, placed third at the national finals of the fifth annual August Wilson Monologue Competition (AWMC) at Broadway’s August Wilson Theatre in New York City. “I am thrilled . . . I’m so glad that I took it for L.A. the first time we got up . . . that’s what we’re talking about!” said an elated Edwards following the competition. Edwards, an aspiring actor, describes the soaring, lyrical monologues found in the plays by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson as “very inspirational,” and said prior to the Los Angeles Regional Finals of the August Wilson competition, “I would love to share a bit of that inspiration with any audience, in hopes that they leave with more appreciation than they walked in with.”

 

Georgia
Bounce TV, the nation’s first-ever over-the-air broadcast television network for African Americans, will launch a second new original comedy series, “Uptown Comic,” on June 18, immediately after the series premiere of the just-announced sitcom “Family Time.” “Uptown Comic” is a half-hour series featuring stage and skit performances by some of the hottest up-and-coming comics in the country. The show is currently in production in front of a live studio audience at the longest-running African American comedy club in the U.S.—Uptown Comedy Corner in Atlanta. Actor and comedian Joe Torry (Russell Simmons’ Def Comedy Jam) hosts. “Family Time,” a half hour situation comedy created by Bentley Kyle Evans ( “The Jamie Foxx Show,” “Martin,” “Love That Girl”) and produced by Evans and partner Trenten Gumbs is set to launch Monday, June 18, at 8 p.m. The series premiere of “Uptown Comic” will follow and be seen weekly at 8:30 p.m. (All Times Eastern.)