30,000 RV's To Be Built in California and Shipped to China

I think folks continue to underestimate the Chinese market for American products.

On the same day that GM reported that it sold more cars in China than they did in the US, there's another report that a Chinese businessman is going to build and export to China $5 billion (with a "b") worth of recreational vehicles. Winston Chung bought a Riverside, California, RV manufacturing company last week to build 10,000 tour-bus style and 20,000 smaller recreational vehicles.

The company currently has 500 employees, and now expects to add 1,200.

[That 1,200 figure is interesting. That's about the same number of workers being laid off in California by Boeing due to decreased orders for one of its military cargo planes. There's some irony here, but I won't ramble.]

This is not a fly-by-night entrepreneur. That same Chinese businessman just donated $10 million to the University of California - Riverside campus. That is the largest gift in the school's history.

Billings High School Freshman To Attend State of the Union Address -- Billings, Montana

This is an incredible story. Everyone needs to read it. Unfortunately it is linked to a regional newspaper and the link will be broken soon.

A Billings high school freshman will be a guest of Ms Michelle Obama, sitting next to her at the State of the Union address tonight.

Mikayla Nelson, a freshman at Billings Central Catholic High School, was leaving class last week to pick up her little brother from school when her phone buzzed.
In what she describes as one of the most surreal moments of her young life, Nelson answered and found a representative from the White House on the other end.
He told her she was invited to the State of the Union address Tuesday by Michelle Obama. "I was essentially speechless," Nelson said.

It's a most interesting story and I hate to do it disservice by encapsulating it in small data points, when the original story is so much better. But because the link will be broken, I don't have much choice.
The story begins last April (2010) when she and her Billings middle school team won the top design award for a super-light mini electric race car. Her interview on Discovery Channel was caught by the White House.

That led to an invitation to the White House to participate in the White House Science Fair last October where Ms Nelson explained to the president how the car worked.

It would be an unlikely journey for most teenagers, but for Nelson it's simply remarkable. The First Lady's box at the State of the Union address is a long way from the mobile home on Billings' South Side where Nelson lives. 

Money's tight; her mother is on disability and can't work. When Nelson graduated from Will James last spring, she decided she wanted to attend Central High instead of West, knowing she would have to be the one to pay for it. 

So she worked odd jobs all summer, eventually landing a steady gig with Central Hobbies. She has saved up and with help from Central, she's been able to cover her tuition.

She gives much credit to her mentor and her middle school science teacher, who started mentoring her in sixth grade.

For the whole story, go to the link. It may be the best story you read today. Okay, this year.

Student Workers Being Brought Up From South America To Help Fill Jobs -- North Dakota, USA

This is a great story. The link will be broken soon because it is to a regional newspaper.

Students are being brought up from  South America to fill job vacancies in Williston and Minot, North Dakota.

College students from South America have been working at a number of Williston businesses since December. They are in town via a work program run by Maryland-based company United Work and Travel.

Most of the students are from the countries of Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Columbia.

About half of the 90 students are in Williston, the rest are in Minot and Dickinson. The students will be working until March.

I remember going through Wall, South Dakota, some years ago, and visiting Wall Drug.  While there, I met a number of student workers who were there during the summer, in a similar program. The student workers at Wall Drug at that time were from Eastern Europe, shortly after the "wall" had come down. Words cannot express how happy they were to experience the United States. It was a very rewarding experience. For me and for them.

Is EOG Throwing in the Towel on the Spearfish? -- North Dakota, USA

Update

It should be noted that EOG has canceled all Scandia-named well permits or let them expire. There are no Scandia wells being drilled by EOG, and it's my impression that EOG has blown off the Spearfish for the time being.

Since the original post was posted, several exciting developments have occurred in the Spearfish formation in Bottineau County, northern North Dakota, along the Canadian border. Surge Energy (Canada) has made a huge investment in the area and two large acquisitions. Read the post below for history / archival purposes, but click on the "Spearfish" label at the bottom of the blog to go to newer posts and find out how much is going on in the Spearfish/Bottineau County. -- April 8, 2011

Original Post

I was one of the most excited about this new formation, but after some disappointing wells, there was some chatter that EOG was re-thinking its strategy on going after the Spearfish wells along the North Dakota border with Canada.

More evidence the EOG might be throwing in the towel: in today's NDIC daily activity report, it was noted that EOG canceled permit 18720, Scandia 2-26H, Lot 1 26-164N-78W, Bottineau County.

[Update: see comments below.  I thought it strange that EOG would go to the bother of canceling one permit even if they were putting the Spearfish on the back burner. It is very, very seldom that one sees a single canceled permit like this in the daily activity reports.]


Bad Boys, Bob Marley

According to Legacy Oil and Gas presentation of January, 2011, EOG has drilled ten (10) Spearfish wells in this area.

A First: GM Car Sales in China Surpass Those in US -- Not a Bakken Story

GM car sales in China surpass those of GM car sales in US for first time. And I bet most of those cars run on gasoline. Coal-powered cars are probably a bit too expensive.