Looks like electric cars and fracking are the way of the future

Families cancelling vacations. Fishermen watching their profits burn up along with their boats’ petrol. Drivers buying only a few gallons of gas at a time because they can’t afford to fill the tank. From all corners of the country, Americans are irritated these days by record-high fuel prices that have soared above $4 a gallon in some states and could top $5 by summer. And the cost is becoming a political issue just as the presidential campaign kicks into high gear. Some blame President Barack Obama. Some just cite “the government,” while others believe it’s the work of big, greedy oil companies. No matter who is responsible, almost everyone seems to want the government to do something, even if people aren’t sure what, exactly, it should or can do. But if something isn't done about it (and no I'm NOT talking about driving off at the pump), then the US may well be on the road to becoming Ethiopia, or worse, Panem. Panem, as you should already know, is the dystopian setting for The Hunger Games, which opens in cinemas this weekend. And speaking of The Hunger Games, Hollywood is predicting massive tickets sales for the movie's first weekend. There are even predictions of takings of $130-140 million - matching the debuts of some of the Twilight movies. Based on the first of three novels by Suzanne Collins, the film is a post-apocalyptic story in which 21-year-old American actress Jennifer Lawrence plays heroine Katniss Everdeen who volunteers to take her sister's place in a televised fight-to-the-death battle. And speaking of death, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) in the United Kingdom has recommended that all hospital doctors, whose role involves care for the dying, should go on a training course every five years. Doctors there would be trained to treat dying patients with dignity and help them pass away at home surrounded by loved ones if they so choose.