Oil Company Profits Rise

While oil company profits are rising, the outlook is still cautious. Record crude prices this summer are translating into huge profits as BP and Occidental Petroleum showed on Tuesday. However, some energy companies are bracing for tougher times, keeping a closer tab on cash and cutting spending.

Oil producers are coming off a quarter during which crude prices reached an all-time high of $147.27. However, prices have since tumbled more than 50% and the global economic malaise has raised questions about energy demand at least into 2009.

Despite a 71% jump in third quarter profit, Occidental Petroleum said Tuesday that it likely would not increase capital spending next year from its current $4.7 billion level. refiner Valero Energy Corp., which also reported July-September results on tuesday, said it was scaling back spending by 33% this year and cutting its 2009 budget.

I think I heard on the news that ExxonMobile had made phenomenal profits such as $41 billion and paid $14.5 billion in taxes in 2007, the highest in corporate history on both categories. It is on track to smash both of those records for 2008.

Baking Pies

The other day my daughter was telling me about all the homemade food she was making for her sons in college. When she started telling me that, it got me excited to do more home cooking myself. She said she had made a delicious lemon meringue pie but needed the recipe for the meringue. Since I have a "never fail" recipe, it was my turn to help her out and email her the recipe. The pie turned out beautiful as you can see here and I wish we could have been there to get a little slice of it. It looks so very good.

The last pie I made was cherry and my husband said that was not his favorite. He loves my peach pies and I have some blueberry mix in the cupboard and just might make that one next. Doesn't that sound good?

Online Degree

When you are looking for a university to get your degree, I am sure you have several qualifications in mind for that university. Therefore, if you are planning on getting an online degree then you should consider Capella University. They are one of the finest online universities serving over 23,400 students in 45 countries and 50 states. They are fully accredited and furnish a full line of undergraduate and graduate degrees in a great many subjects. Not only that, but they produce regular Podcasts by faculty and staff, as well as, students telling you about their experiences at Capella. Their latest Podcast is in regard to literacy and reading and if this is a subject you are interested in, you will want to get a copy. Check out their website and I feel you will be excited at enrolling with them.

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Our Little Scarecrow

This little guy is our great grandson, Emry. He lives in Texas but we get these cute pictures of him over the internet. It is really neat. The little ones are so much fun because everything is new and exciting for them. They have such a big world ahead of them. They can play with a fancy new toy or a cardbox and be just as happy crawling in and out of the box.

Our children were just the same. They got all excited on their birthdays. I don't think it was so much what they got as how many gifts they had to open. And I always tried to bake them a cake in a shape like a teddy bear, butterfly, fish or something different and that was a great deal of fun for me. I had a recipe book for "cutup cakes" and you could make almost anything if you had the patience.

Israel's Prime Minister - Designate

Tzipi Livni has set an ultimatum. She says either she will have a new government ready by Sunday or she will call for early elections. She has spoken with Israeli President Shimon Peres and informed him of her decision. Livni still has 10 more days to put together a parliamentary majority, however she is faced with the stiff demands from potential coalition partners who have seemed to have opted to forcing their hands.

An early election could prevent Livni from becoming Israel's first female prime minister in more than 30 years. According to opinion polls, indications that the hawkish Likud party would sweep to power if new elections were held. I don't know just what the implications of this mean to Israel's people.

Osteoporosis

My husband and I have both had a bone density test and been diagnosed with osteoporosis. We have been on prescription medicine for 3 years for myself and a little over 2 years for my husband. Every Saturday morning we would have to get up and take this pill on an empty stomach with a full glass of water and then make sure you didn't lay down again but stand up or stay in an upright sitting position for 30 minutes.

This June my husband had his bone density test and the doctor prescribed an injection that would last for one year. It is called Reclast. He thinks it is just great not to have to take that pill every Saturday morning and wait for his coffee for 30 minutes.

I didn't really mind it but I am going for my bone density test tomorrow and then I will also get the injection of Reclast. It will save a great deal yearly on buying the prescription pills we took once a week. I will be glad of that. It is a miracle to me how it works to keep your bones stronger for a whole year. Isn't it amazing what medicine comes up with?

Microsoft Doing Well

Microsoft Corp. said on Thursday that its fiscal first quarter profit edged up 2 percent. This was brought about by corporate customers renewing licenses for servers and other business programs. Microsoft's guidance for the current quarter was weaker than Wall Street was expecting, however, shares rose in extended trading following this report.

That is a sign that investors had been worried it would be worse. You can't blame them with everything else seemingly going down the tube with the Dow taking a mighty fall. I don't have any shares right now and glad of it but wish I had a bunch of money because now is the time to buy those stocks of good companies that are way down. There is money to be made down the line.