North Dakota’s oil-rich Bakken region: boom, busts and trouble

http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/05/15/north-dakotas-oil-rich-bakken-region-boom-busts-and-trouble/
In Bakken North Dakota there is a huge oil boom. This year it faced the lowest unemployment rate of 3%. This is because Bakken has large oil fields and thousands of workers working those fields. But even though th large amount of work is good for Bakkens economy, there are problems that come with it. For instance it is very hard to find places to live in Bakken now since so many are taken up by the workers. The crime rate has also largely increased because of the amount of workers that have come. North Dakota has swapped tips with areas sharing similar problems from the oil boom like Saskatchewan and Montana. I hope that they can find a solution to the effect that the workers have in these oil boom regions because they are doing more harm than good.

As Car Owners Downsize, the Market Is Strong for Their Used S.U.V.’s

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/08/business/used-full-size-suvs-are-making-a-comeback.html?ref=business
In the United States, many people are trading in their large S.U.V.'s and trucks in so that they can get more fuel efficient cars, since gas is $4 a gallon in the States at the moment. But as many people as there are btrading in their gas guzzling vehicles, there are just as many people wanting to get used gas guzzlers, because they are larger, and can hold more than a fuel efficient vehicle. Since the price for gas hit $4 a gallon in the U.S., the number of people buying used gas guzzlers has increased by 23%. Most car owners say its hard to hold on to some S.U.V.'s because as soon as they received a used one, someone else wants it right away. This surprises me that so many people still want to buy, non-fuel-efficient vehicles because it feels like they are living in the past.