Shell reports record profits

Hopefully this isn't a DB. Other oilk companies will chime in shortly with the same news, I'm sure, and the industry apologists will follow shorty after that.

http://www6.comcast.net/news/articles/finance/2008/04/29/Earns.Netherlands.Shell/

 

Nothing to apologize for. Easy to explain.

Record demand = record profits.

BTW, you do realize that the companies we call "Big Oil" have only a 3 percent stake in the global petroleum market, don't you?

Just in case anyone thought that they were the ones pulling the levers with regard to prices.

 

OK, so how do we return to sanity? Descend on Wall Street and string up all the speculators?

 

http://www.bikeleague.org/programs/bikemonth/

May is National Bike Month
The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 12-16 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 16. Need some ideas? Here are 50 ways (large PDF) to celebrate Bike Month. Help us Count Cyclists In this May, and every month!

This is the official site for National Bike Month. Check the events section often to see what bike month and bike to work week events are going on in your community. If you would like to submit your event information to be posted on this site, email it to communication@bikeleague.org. Please make sure you write, "Bike Month Event" in the subject line of the email.

 

Is there really a record demand? Has the use of automobiles really gone up so drastically in the last year?

I imagine demand is about the same and supply is more limited. That, however, shouldn't reflect in record profits. Record grosses, sure, but if oil companies kept their margins the same, they wouldn't be fattening up at record rates like they are.

They know that consumers are aware of the oil crunch. They know that while oil is going up at a rate of $XX per barrel, they can raise their prices $XX+3 or whatever and people will chalk it up to "increased demand." They also know that people have to buy it, no matter how much they charge.

 

What kind of profits are the bottled water companies turning?

 

I think for the record demand you need to look overseas to the emerging countries of China and India, where first-time car ownership is booming. As a result, the demand for petroleum in those countries is through the roof, affecting world demand overall.

 

Sorry, but I don't see the point in blaming the oil companies. Why wouldn't they charge as much as they could?

Why should they have to be nice and give us a break? We don't ask the same of any other companies.

Everybody knew this day was coming. We've been warned about it for 20-30 years. So what did we do? Buy houses 45 minutes from work. Buy 20 MPG SUVs and trucks.

The time of reckoning is here. Reap what ye shall sow.

 

I understand there's more demand in those places, but enough to raise prices $1.50 in the last year?. $0.40 in the last two weeks (I understand that's partly to do with the changing season)? Maybe, but it seems to have gotten out of control to me.

You're right. They should just start charging $100/gallon because fuck it, why be nice?

The reason that oil companies should be held to a different standard is that they provide a necessity.

Riding a bike or the bus are good ideas (I ride my bike to work when I can), but they aren't always feasible. People need to use their cars and that give the oil companies an unfair advantage when it comes to pricing.

A baseball team, for instance, can only charge as much as people are willing to pay. PSL's are a complete sham, but some people will for them, others won't. There's a threshold there where the market dictates how much they can charge. People don't reasonably have the option of not using gas or oil to drive their cars or heat their homes.

 

It's only a necessity because of poor planning. It's not like food.

 

Umm, really?

 

This is drop in the ocean, but it's a start:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/27/us/27bikes.html?em&ex=1209614400&en=87b58a129cae0f64&ei=5087%0A


WASHINGTON — Starting next month, people here will be able to rent a bicycle day and night with the swipe of a membership card.

A new public-private venture called SmartBike DC will make 120 bicycles available at 10 spots in central locations in the city. The automated program, which district officials say is the first of its kind in the nation, will operate in a similar fashion to car-sharing programs like Zipcar.

The district has teamed up with an advertiser, Clear Channel Outdoor, to put the bikes on the streets.