The Decline And Slow Death Of California -- Zero Hedge -- April 29, 2019

For the archives.

We've talked about this -- the road-to-California -- many, many times.

Link here.

North Dakota / the Bakken is mentioned in this article.

The statistics are quite interesting.

Random thought: OXY's strong interest in Anadarko/the Permian? The "replacement" for its California assets spun off some years ago. An "unhealthy" rebound relationship?

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

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Two Days Until May, 2019

Global warming hits North Dakota.

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Crawfish Season

A night out with just Sophia and me. Sophia took both pictures. I could not take a photograph of her, for obvious reasons. LOL. Fish City Grill, Southlake Boulevard, Southlake, TX. The first pound of crawfish. Flavor: "Old Bay." $5.99 / pound.

The second pound of crawfish. Flavor: "Nitro."

Both photos by Sophia, age 4. iPhone SE.

Oroville Dam Spillway -- April 29, 2019

This may amount to nothing but a very credible reader has sent me a note suggesting it might be interesting to follow the Oroville Dam spillway for the next few months. For the archives.

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Robert Osborne -- For The Movie Buffs

This is a very, very long interview.

Well worth it.

This is just part one of three parts. The first two parts are each about 30 minutes. The third part of three is fifteen minutes.

Measles -- 2019

See also: "measles."

Updates

April 29, 2019: WSJ -- measles cases top last week's 25-year high as outbreak worsens; outbreak shows no sign of slowing with 78 new cases in past week.

April 28, 2019: "deer in the headlights." -- California officials. 

January 24, 2018: Texas could be first state to experience serious measles outbreak -- this was in The Dallas News over a year ago. 

Measles -- 2019

Re-posting (April 27, 2019):

In 2000, measles was "eradicated" from the US. Screenshots to follow.

Ten years later, ObamaCare was signed into law on March 23, 2010.

Less than a decade later, this headline: this is the worst year for measles in the US since the disease was eliminated nationally in 2000. But that's CNBC so it may be fake news. Let's fact check:

• Buzzfeed: measles outbreaks in the US are now the worst on record since the disease was eradicated (that word again: eradicated)
• CDC, Atlanta, Georgia: US measles cases at highest level since elimination nearly 20 years ago, according to CDC (for ESL readers: "eradication" and "elimination" are very similar in meaning)

Again, thank you Mr Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. The data suggests this has little to do with the "southern surge."

Timeline:

• measles eradication in the US
• that Lancet article (Lancet is the most prestigious medical journal in the world)
• Orrin Hatch
• ObamaCare
• social media
• measles epidemic in the US

Occasional-Cortex is looking better and better every day.

Cost of measles vaccine:

• MMRII: $75
• but for the really good stuff, ProQuad: $214.37 (the vaccine includes the "chickenpox vaccine)
• free to inmates and illegal immigrants

Saudi Aramco Sees Shale Gas As Kingdom's Next Energy Bonanza -- Bloomberg -- April 29, 2019

I was not particularly interested in this story but was surprised with the graphic:

For me, this almost seems like:

• a desperation move;
• a grasping for straws; but,
• yes, huge incentive for Saudi Arabia to start going after natural gas.

COP To Announce 1Q19 Tomorrow -- April 29, 2019

COP will announce before market open, April 30.

• ConocoPhillips is scheduled to announce Q1 earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th, before market open.
• The consensus EPS Estimate is $0.90 (-6.2% Y/Y) and the consensus Revenue Estimate is $9.06B (+1.1% Y/Y).
• Over the last 2 years, cop has beaten EPS estimates 75% of the time and has beaten revenue estimates 50% of the time.

MDU will announce after market closes, April 30.

• MDU Resources is scheduled to announce Q1 earnings results on Tuesday, April 30th, after market close.
• The consensus EPS Estimate is $0.23 (+4.5% Y/Y) and the consensus Revenue Estimate is $1B (+2.4% Y/Y).
• Over the last 2 years, mdu has beaten EPS estimates 63% of the time and has beaten revenue estimates 63% of the time.

Google with rare miss. Link here. Also at The Wall Street Journal --

• revenue rises at slowest pace in three years
• shares dropped more than 5% after hours
• revenues: $36.3 billion vs $37.3 billion forecast
• deep in the story: the EU fine of $1.7 billion

McDermott: first-quarter loss of $56 million; a loss of 39 cents/share. Link here.

• guidance: $1.56/share for full year 

Weekly petroleum, EIA data, later this week. Z4 Research / Z-Man forecasts (from twitter):

• crude: up 0.9 million bbls
• gasoline: down 1.0 million bbls
• distillates: down 0.8million bbls
• strong gasoline demand
• a drop in net imports 

Saudi production, from energyintel:

Giant Saudi field can pump 5 million b/d, Aramco exec says Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Saudi Arabia's Ghawar oil field can produce up to 5 million b/d if required, even though its capacity was put at 3.8 million b/d in Aramco's bond prospectus.