Don't sell it, shell it

I can only assume that since the recession began the only thing people are buying is petrol. Was it 25 billion in profits that Shell announced this morning? That's alot of mazooma. It' crazy really as the price of petrol is so high, well it is in the UK but here in France it is beginning to come down, it is, shall we say, affordable. Today in France it's not the recession everyone's worried about, no, today is national strike day. I haven't the foggiest just what they're striking for, and I'm not entirely convinced that they do either! So, there's no post, no public transport, and no school teachers. The school thing we're used to , I think my eldest must have had at least 3 weeks off school in the past couple of years due to strikes. Why can't they strike during the holidays?? And also, why do I still have to pay for the school bus and canteen when they "shut down"?? Between that and jour de ferié, (bank holidays), long weekends there's little time left to study. Any excuse for a booze-up! Could anyone enlighten me on these queries I have......
1. Why don't spiders hurt themselves when they fall off a wall?
2. Do birds find it hard to fly in high winds?
3. How do flies find their way home?
4. Why do mosquitoes only bite you in the dark when your trying to sleep?

Any thoughts?