Notes From All Over -- Part 1 -- July 8, 2019

Disclaimer: personal comments included in "news." It is often difficult to separate opinion from facts. 

Jobs: US jobs in oil, gas extraction increased in June, 2019. The full "jobs" story was incredible (see here; and here). But oil services jobs decreased significantly. From Rigzone, the best line: fewer rigs producing more oil. Wow, where have we heard that before?

LNG: Asia LNG prices in freefall according to Rigzone. 

Trump blinks: apparently his EPA will "bump up" biofuel-blending targets rather than fight over refinery waivers. A Bloomberg story (why does that not surprise me.) That's fine (that the targets may be "bumped). What I would love to see is independent service stations marketing ethanol-free blends and refusing to carry ethanol/gasoline. We found a few of those stations along the way between Montana and Texas during our road trip these past couple of weeks. Even if I did not need gasoline I felt compelled to stop to get a snack for Sophia. Wow, she was a great traveler.

Doomsday clock: why don't we see the 12-year (Occasional-Cortex) clock or the 10-year (Beto) clock counting down the end of the world as we know it? I don't know if we have 12, 11, 10, or less years left. I know the farmers in the midwest would like a little less rain, a little more sun. Could be a big run on propane this autumn.

Will only get worse under Kamala's regime: magic wand fudging -- NASA adjusting temperature data to "show" global warming" where it didn't exit. Link here. 

Reality: Americans overwhelmingly want to stop global warming. But they won't pay even as little as a quarter (25 cents) a day to save the earth. That speaks volumes. Unfortunately Americans are already paying well more than that in hidden fees, regulations, policies, etc.

Fool me once ....: German refinery halts Russian oil imports again on poor crude oil quality.

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Safe Trip Home

Our son-in-law works for the company that builds Western Star trucks -- the huge, specialty trucks used in mining and manufacturing industries. We are always on the outlook for such trucks. One seldom sees them on the US interstate system.

It was quite a surprise to see one on our way home from Montana a couple of days ago.

When driving, I always try to have a plan B or an emergency  escape route -- something the US Air Force taught us while serving overseas where terrorists were operating. That planning still comes in handy. Shoulders are generally the best escape route ... if they exist.

Letting go of the steering wheel also prevents fractured wrists. LOL.