View Full Version : Idesign...
belgareth
09-06-2008, 07:19 AM
You ok over there? I know
you live near the coast where that hurricane was supposed to hit. Did it gave you any trouble?
idesign
09-06-2008, 10:25 AM
Hey! Thanks for asking. Nah,
we were on the "right" part of the coast this time. Not much rain and only a little gusty wind. Keeping an eye on
Ike though.
belgareth
09-06-2008, 01:05 PM
Good to hear that.
Anybody
else in the path of those storms? You ok? Mobes, aren't you in that area too?
MOBLEYC57
09-06-2008, 05:37 PM
Good to
hear that.
Anybody else in the path of those storms? You ok? Mobes, aren't you in that area too?
Thanks fer asking, Bel. :thumbsup:
Off the coast, but only wind and rain ... it even turned sunny at the end
of the day today. So far, so good! \o/
Most of my family now lives in the
Tampa/St. Pete area, and every time I hear about a storm hitting the state I oft wonder how they fare. (Especially
with 4-timer Fay.)
So far every hurricane/tropical storm in the past 20 some years has been little more than a
heavy rain (according to them). Either they are very lucky or picked one of the safest spots in Florida (which may
also have been luck...).
Oddly enough the remenants of one of those hurricanes years ago hit northern Illinois
hard enough with rain that another friend had a flood in his basement that caused a short circuit and nasty fire...
He fared worse than my relatives in Florida did.
belgareth
09-10-2008, 07:49 AM
Looks like we are next. Ike is
going to bring the Dallas area strong winds, possible tornados and 4+ inches of rain over the weekend.
idesign
09-11-2008, 04:00 AM
Rbt is right, the remnants of
hurricanes can do more damage. Floyd did very little damage here on the coast, but when it went inland it rained
for days and flooded everything. And even TS winds can cause a lot of damage in areas not accustomed to such
things.
Make sure you put that new sports car in the garage!
belgareth
09-11-2008, 06:15 AM
Yeah, if the pine trees don't
fall on my garage I've got it made. ...if it weren't for bad luck I'd have no luck at all...
We'll be fine
here. A high location with plenty of drainage. The biggest fear is the trees and only the garage is really at risk
there.
Storms like Katrina sure can point
out that it isn't the initial damage that is so costly, but the aftermath.
idesign
09-12-2008, 08:20 AM
Storms like
Katrina sure can point out that it isn't the initial damage that is so costly, but the aftermath.
And it
looks like Ike is going in HUGE. Hurricane force winds over a 200+ mile wide path, and possibly Cat 3. This is
going to be ugly for a lot of people.
What's the prediction for your area Bel? The models show it veering east
pretty quickly after landfall.
Lots of gas refineries on the Tx coast, and gas prices here (Carolina) jumped 50
cents last night and 75 cents at some stations. I was filling up at 3.59 early this morning and before I pulled out
the sign read 4.01. More to come I'm sure.
belgareth
09-12-2008, 08:48 AM
The most current forecast for
the Dallas area is for the eye to pass to the east of us. We should see about 3" of rain and winds to 40 mph.
Yeah, the gas prices jumped pretty fast here too.
belgareth
09-13-2008, 03:15 PM
The hurricane was kind of like
some of the girls I've dated, lots of talk and anticipation but not much really there. Some areas got a lot of rain
but all we really saw in the Dallas area were some mild winds and several hours of steady but light rain.
I'm
pretty happy that it was mild compared to forecasts, even down south.
idesign
09-14-2008, 07:40 PM
Yes, its always a relief after a
mild one. The aftermath of a powerful one truly sucks.
Of course that analysis can apply to any woman (as you
alluded) past, present or future. :)
We've gotten around 9" of rain
already this past weekend and the "remains" of Ike aren't even here yet...
Oh joy.
And gas prices are up
45cents+/g already since Friday.
belgareth
09-15-2008, 02:00 PM
And gas
prices are up 45cents+/g already since Friday.
Yeah, with the price per barrel at $96. Can anybody spell
gouging? B-I-G O-I-L
I still admire someone in the
current administration's restraint and intelligence at avoiding calling the invasion of Iraq "Operation Iraqi
Liberation" and using "Freedom" instead.
"OIF" rather than "OIL" (oops).
But hey, my Exxon/Mobile stock is
doing VERY well thank you. And those dividends sure have gotten nice...
Same with my BP. SUNOCO not as good
though... Oh well...
(Hey if you can't beat em, at least get a share of YOUR money back...)
:thumbsup:
belgareth
09-16-2008, 11:31 AM
Now that's funny but I never
even thought about it before now. Perhaps it was an error or they missed the joke? Political drudges can be a little
slow at times.
No harm at all in taking advantage of the situation. ChevronTexaco personally, though I don't
pay a lot of attention to it. Just keep reinvesting and letting it grow.
idesign
09-16-2008, 01:47 PM
Interesting point guys, and very
much to the point. Big Oil is spelled Y-O-U AND M-E, or anyone who takes part in any pension fund, retirement acct,
mutual fund, 401K, many IRAs, etc etc. In other words tens of millions of Americans.
By way of perspective,
among the Biggest of Oils, E-M is #17, and the US only has 2 companies among the top 30 producers in the
world.
With all due respect, gouging occurs at the retail level, where prices are set.
Americans are pretty
pi$$ed off at our energy situation and rightfully so. Congress has (and is) tying our hands and putting us at at
risk. Domestic energy production could be driving our economy, producing jobs, lowering consumer costs, increasing
tax revenues and a whole host of other positives.
Funny comment Rbt
belgareth
09-16-2008, 03:04 PM
The only part I disagree with
is the point where the prices are set. Gas retailers are subject to the whims of the refiners. The retailer has a
very small profit margin, small enough that credit card charges have been eating up their profit margin.
Refiners are almost as much at the mercy of the per barrel price of oil. But oil prices are currently trading in
the low $90 per barrel. So, just where is the gouging taking place? http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/
idesign
09-16-2008, 03:10 PM
Here's an
example:
"Latest word on the House's evolving energy bill
Sep 11, 2008
Posted by: nicksinwashdc
Gene
Green (D-Tex.) said last night that House Democrats are close to finishing the comprehensive energy bill they've
been working on, and that it should come to a vote on Tuesday. "It's still a work in progress," he told me.
But
it contains a provision to open more of the Outer Continental Shelf to leasing, he continued. "That's the success.
It probably will be the biggest opening in history. It will cover all coastal states. There will be no drilling
between 0 and 50 miles... " Green said.
For a Democratic Congress to be passing this is impressive. This time, it
could be hundreds of millions of acres. By the time we get back Monday and look at the final bill, we'll have
talked to our constituents. I also hope to pick up some Republican support," Green
said.
http://www.ogj.com/blog/washingtonPulse/index.cfm
Silly boy, he damn well knows that
90+% of the viable fields are within the 50 mile range on ANY coast. How do you spell H-O-T A-I-R ?
idesign
09-16-2008, 03:20 PM
The only
part I disagree with is the point where the prices are set. Gas retailers are subject to the whims of the refiners.
The retailer has a very small profit margin, small enough that credit card charges have been eating up their profit
margin.
Refiners are almost as much at the mercy of the per barrel price of oil. But oil prices are currently
trading in the low $90 per barrel. So, just where is the gouging taking place?
http://www.bloomberg.com/energy/
Gasoline is sold on the commodities market, so the refiners
do not set prices.
Looking at the Bloomberg chart you linked to, Crude futures were down today 4.56 while
Gasoline was down 16.06. Talk about negative margin! Of course that's only a snapshot.
Agree with what you say
about retailers, to a point. It all depends on how you define "gouging". Retail margins are indeed typically
tight, but when something like a hurricane or other disruption occurs some retailers will certainly gouge, I saw it
last week.
idesign
09-16-2008, 03:52 PM
Just found this CRS report.
Very objective, clear and well written. Great reading if you're interested in this kind of thing.
The Role of
National Oil Companies
in the International Oil Market
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL34137.pdf
belgareth
09-16-2008, 03:53 PM
Silly
boy, he damn well knows that 90+% of the viable fields are within the 50 mile range on ANY coast. How do you spell
H-O-T A-I-R ?
Ayup, while they still block all the huge potential fields. One begins to wonder why the
democrats are so determined to keep us dependent on foreign oil. As you mentioned, oil production could be driving
our economy but it is blocked time and again, to our ultimate harm.
idesign
09-16-2008, 03:57 PM
Proves yet again that Congress
is "Out to Posture" :smite:
I've heard tell that the prices set
for gasoline at the pump is set by the company that owns/supplies the station. It's out of the station owner's
hands pretty much.
What I find "funny" is how I can travel between 4 local Marathon stations (as an example)
all within about 2 miles of each other and see completely different prices. The price at a local BP can be 10-15
cents/gal HIGHER than at a BP about 10 miles away up the same road...
Then there are the competing gas stations
locaed across the street from each other that both got electronic signs because the moment one station changes price
so doed the other one (to usually the exact same price).
I point out the electronc sign thing because I have
also noticed that with the daily "market price" fluctuations many of the old hand-changed signs broke from the
repeated changes. And one place seems to have given up keeping up in that one of their "hand changed" signs is often
a different price from another of their signs possibly because the poor attendants can't keep up changing both so
often...
Some stations may have actually "worn out" the individual numbers (or wern't provided enough high
numbers in the first place) that they now only post the regular grade gas price and leave the others blank.
belgareth
09-17-2008, 07:59 AM
That's what I had understood
myself. Crude oil is sold on the commodities market but the refiners/distributors set the prices sold to the
stations. The non-company owned then have the right to set prices within a competitive market. Too high and nobody
buys your gas, too low and you make no profit. Standard marketing then applies "Whatever the market will bear"
idesign
09-17-2008, 06:39 PM
Good comments Rbt and
Bel.
Comapny stores (BP, Shell, etc) always pay higher prices from their distributor. Independent stores have
limited choices, and mostly can buy more cheaply, but that fluctuates, and sometimes the margin is as small as .25
cents/gal, and it changes daily.
Rbts comments are a perfect description of a micro market. There are several
factors effecting their price, including direct competition. The price can also be effected by the kind of outlet,
a store may be willing to lose money on gas to attract C-store business where profits are higher. As well, ever
travel along an interstate hwy and have to pay ten cents more than your home town? They gotcha.
Anyway, the main
point is that fuel costs are determined by markets, from Crude to Camry, and the retailers have more direct control
over pump price than any other player.
Edit: I change that last remark to include speculators, who recently have
run the prices up as we all know. Still, market forces rule there as well.
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