Shale natural gas will "Rock the World"

The Wall Street Journal wrote a long article on 5/10/10 about the energy revolution that will result as more countries tap into their reserves of shale natural gas. It means that the USA won't be strapped to the oil producing cartels as more natural gas becomes available. New drilling techniques have reduced the cost of natural gas and increased the availability. We have enough of it to heat the homes of our great grandchildren!
In environmental terms, natural gas gives off half the carbon dioxide of coal. Its not as clean as solar or wind, but those won't be economically viable for many decades. We must insure that the inspectors do their job to insure that the drilling doesn't polute our ground water, however.
In the meantime we can switch to natural gas, help the environment, and maybe thumb our nose at some of the countries trying to control our future, such as Venezuela and Russia. It will give us the time, if our politicians have the guts to fund the research, to continue to experiment with alternative fuels.

New Medical Office

American Home Corp. completed a new medical office for Dr. Charles Garnette, an Endovascular Surgeon, on May 3, 2010.   It is the firm’s first commercial building project.  Scott Stier was the Construction Manager.  The Vascular Surgery & Vein Care Center, 407-363-7760, is located behind the Dr. Phillips Hospital on Doc’s Grove Circle (Can anyone tell me what a “Doc’s Grove” is?) in Orlando, FL.  The building has a total of 5,800 sqft. of area. Dr. Garnette wants his patients to feel very comfortable in the new office. He and Barbara Stier, (Designer), selected stained wood recessed ceilings, doors, intricate trim moldings, and harmonizing paint and flooring colors to  create a unique experience compared to most medical offices.  “One patient couldn’t believe how beautiful the office is, so he called his wife to come down and see it for herself.” Dr. Garnette proudly said.  The exterior style of the building is traditional with a tile roof, a cupola, stone, and symmetrical window and door details. Scott Stier said: “This was our first commercial building so we used our custom home mind-set and subcontractors to build a very high quality building.  We’re very proud of it.”  Robby Joshi, AIA, was the Architect.

Lumber prices

Lumber prices are going wacky. In Central Florida, in January, four months ago, a 4’x8’ sheet of ½” plywood sheathing cost about $10.00. Today the cost is $20.00. 84 Lumber expects the price to drop in June, but a hurricane could change that.

The reasons were predicted. (1) There has been a slight uptick in demand. (2) There is no inventory stockpile, and many of the lumber and plywood producers have shut down and will never reopen. (3) The cost of shipping into Florida has jumped because there are fewer flat bed trucks available. When the truckers couldn’t make their payments, they sent the keys to the bank.

This is one of the reasons the Federal Reserve needs to keep interest rates at a level that promotes only needed growth in the housing inventory, and not stupid speculation. The Fed blew it in 2003 – 2006. There is no excuse. Too many good people have been hurt by this recession.

I predicted the end of the boom coming, and sold our last spec house in 2005. At that time I was openly criticized for being too conservative, and was told that I was getting too old. Oh really!

Prior to this, the last severe Recession that was caused by lending excesses was in 1991-92. Can we prevent the next? Support tough banking regulations. Elect moderate politicians of either party, who will govern. We’ve had enough of the power seeking Big Mouths.