Would you like to make $1500 per second?
The Washington Post is reporting on Exxon Mobil’s second quarter earnings for 2008.
Exxon, that great behemoth of carbon fuel producers earned $11.68 billion (yes, BILLION) which factors out to about $1,500 per second over the last three months.
I have no problem with a business making profits. I own stocks so I like to see business make money. But when these oil-cartel-flunkies are decrying they have no control over the price of oil, then how can they produce such record profits? If their own costs have truly gone up, and they have raised their prices to protect their profits, then you would expect them to continue along a profit line, but this is blatant abuse of the American consumer.
This second quarter profit is “the biggest quarterly profit ever by any U.S. corporation” [emphasis added] according to the reporter. At a time when our country is suffering, people are losing their jobs due to company cuts, homeowners are losing their homes to foreclosure and hard-working citizens can’t afford to put gas in their cars, I call it criminal that a company like Exxon could produce a record profit like this one.
Where are our politicians/protectors now? (On vacation starting tomorrow…) We need to call them to task to regulate these abuses. There are some initiatives out there, but as usual, partisan lines are getting in the way. It’ll be a great day when our representatives actually look out for us, and not their party platforms. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on, when Americans and our economy are suffering, we need to come together.
You can read more here, here and here.
No parking
Roanokers love the Grandin Village. It’s a great place to have dinner (all local restaurants), catch a movie at the Grandin Theatre, shop at the Natural Foods Coop and stroll down the sidewalk.
And it’s the sidewalk that is the subject of this email. I was picking up a pizza from Grace’s Pizzeria (one of the two best pizza joints in Roanoke) and as I was walking out, I couldn’t help but notice this large SUV parked directly on the sidewalk. The hilarious part is the sign right beside the offending vehicle.
So all you bicyclists and skateboarders keep off the sidewalk. The SUVs need the space. :o)
What do you mean all the copper plumbing was cut out?
I recently was showing a foreclosed home to a client in the Hollins area when we walked into the master bathroom and noticed the toilet was in the bathtub. Okay, a little strange but not too crazy for some of the foreclosures out there. We peered down the round hole in the floor where the toilet used to be and what did we see? The basement. (Normally you’d expect to see the all black interior of a pipe.)
Wow we said, what happened to the pipe? Of course I went downstairs and started poking around and every bit of copper pipe that used to be in the house WAS GONE! Someone had used a hacksaw (and a very poor hack job it was) and cut out all the copper lines. The only thing left were the ties that had held the pipe to the floor joists and some scorch marks where someone had done some soldering in the past.
What a disaster for the selling agent who hadn’t noticed it!
What’s the point? Caveat emptor.
When buying a foreclosed home, it’s extremely important to have an experienced foreclosure agent on your side to not only represent you but also to look for problems (like this one) that rear their heads with these homes. AND bring on board an experienced home inspector who spends more than 30 minutes in the house.
2008 Roanoke Arts Festival
Public service announcement:
The second annual Roanoke Arts Festival, re-timed this year to help celebrate the opening of the new Taubman Museum of Art, will be held Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8-9 with free and ticketed events and activities to appeal to a wide range of audiences.
The 2008 Roanoke Arts Festival will complement the museum’s grand opening weekend and once again pay tribute to arts of the region and beyond with a host of rich offerings capped by a performance by Country-music legend Crystal Gayle. The Festival will include a free downtown rock ‘n’ roll concert, great Bluegrass music, a musical puppet show, an exposition of the culinary arts, theatrical performances, classical music and more.
The Festival will also serve as the grand finale to “40 Days and 40 Nights,” a celebration of arts and culture with daily activities and exhibits coordinated by the Arts Council of the Blue Ridge.
“This year’s Festival – timed for the museum’s opening and this historic moment for the arts and culture for our region – is a great way to celebrate all facets of the arts,” says Susan Jennings, Roanoke’s public art coordinator. “The 2008 Roanoke Arts Festival will extend this excitement onto the streets of downtown Roanoke and into venues in Roanoke Valley.”
“With the Taubman Museum opening its doors as one of the most impressive museums of its kind, we felt the Arts Festival should tie into that spirit and welcome visitors to explore not just the visual arts, but music, drama, film – even the culinary arts,” adds Festival manager Rick Salzberg.
As the final touches are being made to this year’s schedule, planning already is under way for the third annual Roanoke Arts Festival, scheduled to be held next fall.
“With strong interest and broad audience appeal from our inaugural Festival last year, we’ve heard from fans of the arts from throughout Virginia urging us to offer even more choices in years ahead,” Salzberg says. “That’s why we’re already looking ahead to next year, when we will resume a four-day Festival.”
The 2007 Arts Festival was recognized as one of the year’s best festivals by the readers of City Magazine, and even nationally renowned performers lauded the Festival.
Visit the website for more information: www.RoanokeArtsFest.org/
A new design and I’m back from a break!
Well, it’s July, life is good and summer is in full swing. The waves are calling, folks are traveling (maybe not as far as normal with the price of gas!) and I’m back from a “blogging break” with a new site look and some new features coming down the pike for the site.
Every time I turn on the television, there’s bad news about the economy, real estate and the foreclosure crisis. There is truth amongst all the scare mongering, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Houses are still selling. If you’re looking to sell your home and buy a new home, it’s a good time. If you’re a first-time buyer with decent credit and income, it’s a great time to buy! So what are you waiting for?
