Out of Business!

Source: Leadership ConneXtions

Businesses seem to be closing down every day due to this oil crisis. My neighborhood is starting to realize that we need a nearby farmer’s market – FAST! Just yesterday the store around the corner of my house closed down! Both the owner and his assistant are out of a job. The owner is married and he has two children – he also takes care of his father. The Food4Less near my house also posted an “Out of Business” sign last week. There go at least fifteen more jobs. I’m sure those people have families to take care of as well. The store about two blocks away from my grandmother’s house sells really good bionicos but that did not help bring in the money! The store’s owner encountered difficulties finding an inexpensive place to supply fresh fruit. That went on for two weeks so she just gave in and decided to close up the shop. My friend worked there. She helped her mother with the bills but now…I wonder how they’re going to make it. My cousin worked as a teacher assistant in our old elementary school here in Los Angeles – the problem is that she lives in Downey (20 miles away). With the gas prices so high she could not afford to keep driving so she had to quit. People are losing jobs left and right!
I’m glad that I finally found a job! I’m working in a Plant & Plant Supply store about five blocks away from my house. The owner seems to be making good money because everybody is interested in growing a garden at home. So now I am making some money of my own and helping my mom pay for her gas; it’s the least I can do and I’m trying my best to help. With whatever money I have left over for myself, I can buy myself something I want; at least once every month. I hope that with this job I can help out more around the house or something…bills need to get paid after all!
School and work are in walking distance so I have no problems getting there. I don’t have a car or my driver’s license anyway so there is no way I could drive, even if I wanted to! It takes time to get to school walking; I have to leave home by 6:00am to make it on time. Walking is not impossible. Work is closer to my house so it really does not bother me to walk there. I like to walk – it’s my exercise for the day :p There are times when I ride my bicycle to school instead of walking. A car is not something I need…I can do without it.
Nowadays people are looking for less expensive substitutes for everything they own; soda, shoes, meats, etc. The way consumers respond to change in price of a product (either an increase or decrease) is known as elasticity. Many people are making different choices because of the change in prices. Families are buying goods that are of a less popular brand. Some have already stopped purchasing soda and red meat altogether. There is a lot of elastic demand and people hope that the choices they are making will help them save money. Elastic demand is when the change in price of a product greatly affects the amount people are willing to spend on a product (and how much they buy). There are people that have to make better choices because they are not gaining enough money to spend on wants. Incomes are low and hours keep getting cut. This oil crisis is affecting everyone around me! I’m just lucky I was able to find a job at a time like this.

Finally Overcoming the Crisis!

People! Things are going back to normal! :) The oil crisis is disappearing! YEY!!! Don't get me wrong, this oil crisis taught me a lot, but I'm glad things seem to be getting better. If anything, this oil crisis taught me that many things rely on the use of oil…not just cars! Fresh fruits and vegetables depend on the oil as far as transportation and growth development. Photography films and candle wax are also made up of oil. Out of this whole experience I learned how to financially prioritize my needs and wants. Some things are just not that important! And, sadly, I learned that the hard way! Since this oil crisis is slowly making its way out of my life I have decided to take steps to keep it that way. I am going to start to recycle more often, especially in school. I usually throw my bottles away in the regular trash when there are recycling bins everywhere! From now on I’m going to tell my mom to take the fabric shopping bags instead of using the plastic bags. We recycle the plastic bags but it never hurts to give up the plastic altogether. The neighborhood can work together to spread awareness. If people begin learning about the problem they can contribute to the solution. Community members can begin driving alternative fuel vehicles, recycling plastics and motor oil, and shop locally. There are people that can also begin carpooling. By sharing a car they can save money and gas. Our government should help us too! They can easily promote energy efficient choices like solar and electric appliances. We are all contributing to pollution as long as we are dependent on oil. We need to make better choices that can change our oil-consuming lifestyles. Those choices can start by simply disconnecting unused electronics, watching less television, and minimizing computer usage. Some steps are not that hard and they can make a large difference in the long run! You should all take the initiative to make changes too! It’s not that hard. And if we all do it together we can help each other out. Keep track of what you do and the things you use. Use less of the items that need a large amount of oil. Tell family members to help keep you on track (that’s what I’m doing)! This oil crisis is going away and we need to do the best we can to keep it that way!

(Both Images) SOURCE: City of Arcadia

Drowning in the Oil!

SOURCE: BlogSpot

The stress is getting to me! Working for a big oil company does not always come in handy! I have worked for BP (British Petroleum) for almost 10 years already and things have never gotten this bad! For one, these Democratic senators are trying to make BP pay off up to $10 BILLION in damages, lost wages, economic suffering and clean-up costs. How can they force us to pay money for something that uncontrollably happened?! No one was able to foresee this accident on the Gulf...the same way the accident in Alaska happened! Since this spill I have worked endless hours trying to find some sort of solution and trying to figure out how it is going to be possible for BP to pay all these costs. I have had little sleep and my stress level is through the roof! My husband and I have been fighting a lot recently due to my late work hours. He hates that I work for BP...these oil spills cost him his job. Since more than 6,800 square miles of federal fishing areas are closed he cannot go out into the waters and catch fish or crab to sell to the nearby restaurants. Because of this I'm the one responsible for maintaining the both of us. The good thing is that we do not have any children! I make enough money to pay off basic necessities (bills, utilities, mortgage). But with my husband no longer working we need to cut down on the leisure activities. That means no more going to the theater, no more dinners at fancy restaurants, and no more gifts...at least not until he finds a job. There is just a lot of tension between the both of us right now and work is not making things any better! HELP!