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Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Graphic Design Intern for Cutting-Edge Magazine (Los Angeles)
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Oil price tops $100 on Egypt unrest, supply report
NEW YORK — The price of oil rose to its highest level in 14 months on concerns about possible disruptions to Middle East supplies and signs of an increase in U.S. demand for fuel.
U.S. benchmark oil gained $1.64 to $101.24, its highest close since May 3, 2012.
Brent crude, which is used to price oil used by many U.S. refineries to make gasoline, rose $1.76 to finish at $105.76.
Two events propelled the price of oil in New York above $100 a barrel for the first time since the middle of September: unrest in Egypt, and a big drop in U.S. oil supplies.
Traders were worried that political upheaval in Egypt could slow the flow of oil from the Middle East to world markets. Embattled Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi vowed not to give in to protesters’ demands for his resignation. But the head of Egypt’s military announced late Wednesday night local time that Morsi will be replaced and new elections will be held.
Egypt is not an oil producer but its control of one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes gives it a crucial role in maintaining global energy supplies. The Middle East accounts for about a quarter of the world’s crude oil output, or 23 million barrels per day. About 2 million barrels of that, or 2.2 percent of world demand, are transported daily through the Suez Canal, which links the Mediterranean with the Red Sea.
Much of that oil is headed to Europe, but a supply drop anywhere in the world leads to higher prices everywhere.
“Markets tend to advance sharply on uncertainty and will often price in a worst case scenario. This appears to be the case with the unfolding situation in Egypt,” wrote Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates, in a note to clients.
Some analysts suggested market reaction to the political crisis in Egypt was exaggerated.
“If there is one thing that the military has control of in Egypt it is the Suez Canal. We therefore do not see a significant risk for free passage on the waterway,” said Olivier Jakob of Petromatrix in Switzerland.
In the U.S., the Energy Department reported Wednesday that crude supplies fell by 10.3 million barrels from the previous week, more than three times the drop that analysts had expected.
The drop was likely the result of reduced supplies from Canada because of a temporary pipeline shutdown there, as well as increased demand from a BP refinery that restarted in Indiana.
Gasoline supplies fell as well, while analysts expected an increase. The drop in oil and gas supplies could be an indication that U.S. demand is rising.
The rising price of oil could end what has been a streak of 21 days of lower U.S. retail gasoline prices. The average U.S. pump price fell less than a penny Wednesday to $3.48 per gallon.
Analysts do not think the spike in oil prices will lead to sharply higher gasoline prices, though, because U.S. crude supplies remain high and refineries are turning out plenty of gasoline.
U.S. commodities markets are closed Thursday for the July Fourth holiday.
In other energy futures trading on Nymex:
— Wholesale gasoline rose 6 cents to end at $2.84 per gallon.
— Heating oil was up 5 cents to finish at $2.95 per gallon.
— Natural gas rose 4 cents to end at $3.69 per 1,000 cubic feet.
Bilingual English/Spanish CNAs Needed (Downtown LA)
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Commentary: Regulations for the oil & gas industry are a good thing
A friend of mine recently shared an article from the Wall Street Journal entitled “The Regulated States of America”. The article is very relevant: a lot of the political discourse today in the United States concerns the role (or non-role) of government, and its reach as it pertains to regulations. The oil & gas industry comes up frequently in this context, and stirs up strong opinions from all sides of the issue. I have my own thoughts to share with you in the hope that it stimulates some discussion, and I suspect what you read will surprise you coming from someone very “pro” oil & gas!
Full disclaimer here: I’m not an American citizen, and as a Green Card holder, I have no voting rights so in the strictest sense, my opinion literally doesn’t count. This means that I’m speaking entirely for myself with the only goal of sharing my views, and nothing I say today is meant as an endorsement of any political belief or party. As much as I’d like the country to recognize the continued supply of energy as a common problem to solve rather than a political line in the sand, the fact is that oil & gas HAS been politicized, so I think it’s important to state my political neutrality up front.
Ok…
If you ask anyone what they think the oil & gas industry’s stance on regulation is, I’m sure the answer would be: “they don’t want it”. It just makes sense to give that answer: more rules means more complexity which means possibly more costs and less efficiency. To be fair, I’ll point out that NO industry is asking for more regulations, but the oil & gas business has a very particular public image and impact on society, so in that sense we should consider it separately from other sectors of the economy.
I do get the impression that regarding regulations, the message from the industry goes something like this: “the government doesn’t know the industry as well as we do, so there’s no way it can monitor us effectively or fairly. The bottom line is that regulations just get in the way of us operating efficiently.”
It’s a fair point, but I’ve said many times that the oil & gas industry has a clear public relations problem, and that this is entirely our own doing. When our “knee jerk” reaction to any new regulation is “no” (even if its goals seem good!), we come across as having something to hide. Clearly, this is incompatible with what should be one of the industry’s top priorities: building trust with the public.
I can already anticipate two related objections to my argument. The first is that many operators do in fact strive not only to meet but also exceed local standards of operation. Actually, it’s even been documented that safety records can improve when large operators move into a play, or acquire smaller players. The second objection could be that people will say that overall the bigger companies operate well, and it’s the very small independents operating at a very local level (who may not hold themselves to equally high standards) that are giving the industry as a whole a bad name.
Even if you believe those objections to be true, the problem is that given much of the public’s view of the oil & gas business, ANY incident caused by ANY company will tarnish the whole industry. Furthermore, if I, as someone deeply involved in, passionate about, and fairly knowledgeable about the industry get the impression that we automatically resist any proposed rule changes, how is someone removed from oil & gas supposed to think any differently? Again, how is resisting every proposed change justifiable, even when that change seeks to achieve something objectively positive (more transparency, stricter environmental standards, etc…)?
Look, I believe strongly in Capitalism (I wouldn’t be a very good MBA if I didn’t!), and I understand that accepting this system means trusting that resources are allocated most effectively by a free market, and this market should have more freedom than not. However, I think that there is a “spectrum” of Capitalism: you don’t have to have “the Market” deciding everything for this system to be in place, and to the extent that it would be a terrible idea to let companies just do as they please, some intervention is necessary to keep things working smoothly. In oil & gas, we rely way more than other businesses on a “social contract” with the public, and if it takes rules to keep EVERYONE honest, then so be it. This is why I emphatically think that fair, reasonable regulation of the oil & gas industry is a very good thing.
Sports provide a great analogy with which to make that point. In sports, there are rules and referees. The rules are established by a governing body, usually in tandem with players’ representatives. The idea is not to dictate anything outright, but to come to some compromise on a rule (regulation) that brings about hopefully positive change to the game.
Take football (the American kind, for international readers).
I love football, but the game has gotten so violent that I worry every weekend that I’m going to see a player die. There is currently a dialogue going on between the National Football League, players, and to some extent the fans to determine what the best course of action is to make the game safer: stiffer penalties for illegal hits? Mandating new equipment specifications? Altering kickoff procedures?
If changes are implemented, they likely won’t satisfy everyone, but they’ll probably be made taking into account multiple points of view, and if player safety increases, how can anyone label these changes “bad”? Ultimately, the goal of keeping players safe must be given priority over other considerations such as fans’ enjoyment of how the game “should be”.
Now let’s consider the referees.
If you accept that everyone is self-interested, and doesn’t always have incentives to take the honest course of action, there needs to be some enforcement mechanism. Referees are supposed to be neutral third parties whose role is to enforce the rules, NOT deliberately determine the outcomes. Granted, referees’ decisions will always disappoint someone, but the idea is that spectators should be able to trust that referees will use all means available (instant replay, conferences with other referees) and their best judgment to make the best, “in good faith” call.
How is this any different from the fields in which we operate and the role of regulators?
Though I believe in regulation, it’s important to notice that I’m staying away from the questions of “how much regulation should there be?”, “what kinds of regulations should be implemented?”, and “how much involvement should come from the federal vs. state levels?” If I knew the answers to these questions I’d be much better paid than I am now!
In all seriousness, I’m not interested in getting “down in the weeds” of policy debates. Rather, I’m advocating for a fundamental shift in attitude of the oil & gas industry with regards to regulations and the governing bodies that propose them. While we shouldn’t be prepared to accept anything and everything that comes our way, our initial reaction should be “ok, let’s talk about this” rather than “no, this will be bad for business”. Might there be some cost to this shift in attitudes? Maybe, but what if the return on that investment is greater public trust, and more leeway to undertake the projects to which there is currently resistance?
One industry I’ve always been impressed with due to its “healthy” relationship with government is air transportation. It seems that there is a good spirit of collaboration between the public and private groups, and a culture among pilots of reporting any incident no matter how small so that more severe accidents can be avoided later.
Think back to Boeing and the Dreamliner: I’m sure Boeing wanted to avoid grounding its new plane and incurring the associated costs and loss of reputation, but safety took top priority, the government grounded the airplanes, Boeing went along with it, and after a thorough investigation the planes are now flying again. Certainly, air travel is one area I’m grateful for regulation. Can you imagine how things would be if we allowed airlines to operate completely independently and just let “the Market” decide which one to use based on the resulting safety (or lack thereof) records? That would be nuts!
Ultimately, in oil & gas we should aim to have the same relationship the airlines have with the government: collaborative rather than combative, and presenting transparency to the public rather than secrecy. The hard truth is that oil & gas operators don’t have sovereignty over the areas they work in. These companies work in these areas because they are granted permission to do so, both by government and residents. If we attempt to run roughshod over a region in ways that benefit us solely and say “well, we know better, please keep away and let us do our work”, then eventually that social license to operate WILL be revoked and WE will be the ones told to keep away.
Front Office (WLA)
Must Be Able To Read, Write, and Communicate Well; The Rest We Will Train Extensively!
Spanish speaking is a PLUS!
Extensive Social Networking Skills a PLUS PLUS!!!!!
This is a part time position to start, with possibility of developing into a full time career.
A great work ethic
The ability to multi-task and prioritize
Willingness to learn
Punctuality and Flexibility (a must)
Friendliness
Organizational skills
Outgoing/Up-tone personality
The ability to work independently/ Take initiative
The ability to follow instructions
Loyalty
Multitasking
High Pace
Front office
Back office
Scheduling appointments
Taking new patient histories
Reviewing doctor's notes on x-rays
Discussing doctor's care plans with patients
Teaching exercises
Transportation
Inside/Outside Marketing, such as outside public screenings and talks
We do not offer medical benefits, however, we do provide chiropractic benefits.
Monday: 7:30- 12 pm, 3:00 - 7:30 pm
Tuesday: 10-6 pm
Wednesday: 7:30 - 11:00 am, 3:00 - 9 pm
Thursday: 10-6 pm
Friday: 8:00 - 2:00 pm
Saturday: 830-2 pm
This position does include weekend events, some that will require you to go out of town.
If you have completely read this ad and are aware of the aforementioned hours, we invite you to attend the group interview.
In Order To Be Considered For This Position, You Must Attend The Group Interview On Monday, March 25h at 7pm SHARP!
Please NO PHONE CALLS and NO EMAILS regarding this position.
Judge delays trial in former BP exec’s Gulf oil spill criminal case
David Rainey, a former BP vice president during the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, leaves Federal Court after being arraigned on obstruction of a federal investigation in New Orleans in November 2012. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton)At the request of lawyers for both sides, a judge has delayed for five months the trial of a former BP executive charged with lying to federal officials about the amount of oil that was flowing from the company’s undersea well in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010.
Federal prosecutors and lawyers for David Rainey of Houston filed a joint motion this week in federal court in New Orleans seeking to postpone the trial from Oct. 15 to March 10.
Spill flow: Unsealed BP report could slash Gulf oil spill penalties by billions
It is the second time the trial has been delayed. The request follows the government’s recent renewal of an obstruction of Congress charge against Rainey.
The judge presiding over the case had thrown the charge out on legal grounds. The government then tweaked the charge and got a grand jury to issue a superseding indictment.
Rainey, who has pleaded not guilty, also faces a charge of making false statements to federal investigators.
Read ongoing FuelFix coverage of the legal trials surrounding the Gulf of Mexico oil spill:
The Gulf disaster from spill to trialDriller (Marcellus Basin) - Orion Drilling Company - Reynoldsville, PA
As the demand for energy rises, oil and gas operators are turning to Orion Drilling Company. We are seeing growth and opportunity for our company and for our people. We want the best and brightest talent to join our amazing team. Now is the time to start your career at Orion Drilling Company.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR DRILLERS FOR PENNSYLVANIA
(MARCELLUS)
ORION DRILLING COMPANY is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and has a Great Lakes Division located in Pennsylvania. . We are a full service drilling company with the tools necessary to help you hit TD. Our Manufacturing and Fabrication Facility is equipped to construct our rigs with API certified substructures, masts, and crowns. Every rig in the ORION fleet is equipped with a top drive, automatic catwalk, and EDS controls. Our Assembly and Integration Facility is a fully concreted eight-acre assembly yard with enough room to rig up 4 drilling rigs at the same time. The yard also contains our Corporate Headquarters, Mechanics & Maintenance Shop, and an advanced inventory system that tracks, receives, and ships rig components, supplies and spare parts.
The Driller is primarily responsible for operating and repairing drilling equipment; and supervising a work crew. The driller is responsible for executing the drilling program in a safe and efficient manner under the direct supervision of the Rig Manager. The driller will operate rig equipment in accordance with established policies and procedures. This position works 12 hours per day on a 14/14 day rotation. The Driller position is accountable for the direct supervision of three to five employees including the Assistant Driller, Derrickman, Motorman, 2-3 Floorhands and indirect supervision of five to eight third party personnel. The work of this position requires frequent contact with other drilling personnel, and third party customers/vendors.
Orion Drilling Company - 1 day ago - save job - block
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Posting ID: 3690948882Posted: 2013-03-19, 9:15AM PDTemail to a friend
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