How Will Hurricanes Affect Economy and Opticianry ?
US debt made in Irac .........now debt increasing drastically with help and rebuilding the damage of the 2 hurricanes hitting Luisiana and Texas is going to affect the economy dramatically.
How is it going to affect everybody, and also our domaine .......optics......all over North America????????????????
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald...printstory.jsp
Last edited by Chris Ryser; 09-23-2005 at 08:20 AM.
In optics, those offices that survived near the coast, got a big surge in business, like from Brookhaven, South. People lost glasses in storm. The optical business in Jackson and North, died for 10 days. People spending money on tree removal and the like.
Chip
''We in all likelihood are going to have significant shortages of gasoline,'' Bush told reporters in Tallahassee, as the Category 4 hurricane churned toward the nation's largest cluster of gasoline refineries. ``I would urge people to recognize this, not to hoard, not to top off every tank that they have.''
Admittedly, the guy faces a predicament, but what a magnificent non sequitur: "There's gonna be a shortage, so don't stock up!"
Why Shanebaum:
I thought you were old enough to have been an adult in WWII and remember how hoarding led to rationing in times of gasoline shortage.
And that was even in a Democrat administration.
Chip
I'm curious, Chip, do you frequently hear whooshing noises coming from just above your head?Originally Posted by chip anderson
It depends on where Rita makes landfall. In the scenarios that I've seen worse case is at or slightly south of Galveston Bay. The storm surge will cause flooding as far as the southern suburbs of Houston, and into Houston if she regains cat 5 strength.
That will put something like an additional (above and beyond what was lost from Katrina) twenty percent of our refining capacity under water, with additional damage from wind that will be difficult if not impossible to repair quickly. Expect gasoline to disappear nationwide as everyone tops of the gas tanks on each of their cars/suvs/trucks. Rationing will be required and will persist until the refineries are repaired and restarted.
Best case is Rita makes a sharp right turn and finishes off New Orleans and what's left of Louisiana.
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. - Richard P. Feynman
Experience is the hardest teacher. She gives the test before the lesson.
did you know there was a huricane in the bay of Bengal too?
Don't they have Typhoons?
Most recessions have started with an energy shortage/price increase.
Since the price of most everything is linked to the price of oil (transportation costs, manufacturing costs, electricity), the future is dim for disposeable income.
Harry
Too bad all the brains at NASA, USGS, FEMA, DOT, DOI, CIA, FBI, ..... ABO, NCLE, and Optiboard (of course). cant get together to build turbines or something of the like that can capture a portion of the energy in those hurricanes into usable electricity.:idea:
When the hurrican hits the optical trade..................
Raw materials have steadily increased for the last few month, due mostly to the higher prices of oil.
Sony is letting go over 10,000 people, so is Siemens worldwide with about 125,000, Ford.........GM and Chryslern a few thousand on the US bancrupt airlines Delta and North West,and on and on.
The hype that all is well and doing fine is still going on in the media and advertising. Car companies continuie to advertise their inventory of 05 and the new 06 SUV's which I suppose are right now the worst items to sell.
When the news is out that major corporations are laying off people by the thousands..............the consumer puts the breaks on spending for big ticket items. Credit card and mortgage debts are at an all time high in the USA.
One of the first hit business categories.....when times get rough........is the optical trade. People will not buy new glasses unless they have to. They will not purchase the most expensive solutions as high niche frames and highly priced lenses.
The consumer will look for less expensive solutions as finished fleamarket glasses and also purchase cheap online optical businesses.
So how is the independent optical retailer going to counter this coming trend? An optician can not live from the few that do make money when the rest does not.
There should be a plan to continue decent business when the Hurricane hit the trade.
No. Just between his ears.
Hey Chip,
Now there's a guy in England that can even tell you what YOU'RE hearing.
Everybody's out for a cheap shot.
Living in Minnesota must be some kind of buffer (probably just luck or something crazy) but I haven't noticed any problems with business- infact the lab I work for has seen its three most productive weeks in the past month. Gas prices are averaging $2.75, which probably isn't much to some people I know, but it hasn't changed my or any of my co-workers lifestyles at all. Has any one's optical lab (if its inappropriate to ask, i appologize) seen any dramatic drop in business? I guess I have a morbid curiosity to see where the problem areas are in the U.S.
As far as gas rationing goes, how exactly does that work? I know I sound kind of ignorant asking that, but I'm not old enought to experience it in the past. It seems hard to enforce with so many gas stations around, wouldn't people just hop around?
Be friends with the little old lady next door...................
If rationiong would work the same way as it did during war times ir would go as follows:
You will allowed to use so and so much per month. The state gives you a booklet with stamps, equivalent to 5 gallons and 1 gallon stamps. Every time you purchase gaz you will have to hand over the amont of stamps that covers your purchase plus the money to cover you purchase.
When you run out of stamps in the middle of the month you will have to walk or take the bus.
This would also be the time to become friends with the little old lady who does not drive much any more and buy some of her stamps for money or other favours.
But you will need the stamps or equivalent more modern way of control to move around.
That sucks man. Well my landlord is a little old lady- she seems to like me so maybe I gotta hook up.
I vaguely remember gas rationining during the 70's energy crisis as a kid but do remember our family vacation traveling had to be done on specific days.
Here in PA they went by your licnense plate registration numbers. Plates ending in even numbers were able to buy gas Tues. Thurs. & Sat. Plates ending in odd numbers were able to buy gas Mon. Wed. & Fri. This created a significant bottleneck effect at gas stations on those peak days often causing them to run out of gas. For the unscrupilous, there were always ways around "The System" such as switching license plates on their car or squirelling gas into auxillary hidden tanks.
With so many peoples livliehood depending on getting from point A to point B it seems it would be almost impossible to now execute the logistics of gas rationing. The alternative is therefore supply and demand economics. The price is indicative of what folks are willing and able to pay for their transportation needs.
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