Ayn, Neal and the world around me...

[dover]

Kelly Brook

 

Did it work?

1 Year Anniversary!!! THis was my first post in this journalRemember how big her buns were? :cloud9:Here is to another year! :applause:14378

[dover]

 

the list one year later:

 

I love and hold dear.....

 

freedom, first and foremost

 

my life, my family

 

the Constitution and its beautiful companion the Bill of Rights

 

the Founding Fathers

 

Capitalism and the free market exchange between people of consent through mutual agreement

 

Ayn Rand - not Objectivism but her views on individual rights

 

the idea that some day all people will be free to exercise their liberties and pursue happiness in their life; unfettered by the oppression of others

 

Peanuts - Snoopy and Woodstock

 

Neal Adams' pencil strokes, ink and color

 

Wrightson's horror

 

Gaiman's thoughts

 

Miller's DD (191) and Dark Knight

 

Captain Comet and Adam Strange

 

WSJ, ARI and the CATO Institute

 

resses' peanut butter blizzards

 

Genesis and Dave Mathews

 

long straight black female hair

 

Ruth's Chris - medium rare

 

Bombay Saphire, tonic and lime

 

chocolate

 

coffee - Baby's Coffee, Key West

 

Ayrton DeSilva Senna

 

 

 

 

 

 

[dover]

 

I think this is timely copy. As we sit in our current situation as a world growing in its thirst for fossil fuels, for oil and the gasoline it brings we have the 100 hundred year anniversary of the breakup of Standard Oil.

 

 

 

Vindicating Standard Oil, 100 years later

By Alex Epstein 3:00 PM 05/13/2011

ADVERTISEMENT Sunday marks the 100th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that found Standard Oil guilty of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. As punishment, the world’s largest and most successful oil company was broken into 34 pieces.

 

Ever since, Standard Oil has served as the textbook example of why we need antitrust law. The Court’s decision affirmed a popular account of Standard Oil’s success, first made famous by journalists Henry Demarest Lloyd and Ida Tarbell. In the absence of antitrust laws, the story goes, Standard attained a 90% share of the oil-refining market through unfair and destructive practices such as preferential railroad rebates and “predatory pricing”; Standard then leveraged its unfair advantages to eliminate competition, control the market, and dictate prices. In Lloyd’s words, Standard was “making us pay what it pleases for kerosene.”

 

Was it? In 1865, when Rockefeller’s market share was still minuscule, a gallon of kerosene cost 58 cents. In 1870, Standard’s market share was 4%, and a gallon cost 26 cents. By 1880, when Standard’s market share had skyrocketed to 90%, a gallon cost only 9 cents — and a decade later, with Standard’s market share still at 90%, the price was 7 cents. These data point to the real cause of Standard Oil’s success — its ability to charge the lowest prices by producing kerosene with unparalleled efficiency.

 

John D. Rockefeller had a rare business mind. He was at once a visionary, foreseeing a world in which his kerosene illuminated millions of homes, and an accountant obsessed with day-to-day penny-pinching. Upon buying his first refinery in 1863 at the age of 23, Rockefeller started optimizing every part of his business, from his storage facilities to his refining methods to the number of non-kerosene-refined products (waxes, lubricants, etc.) that could be squeezed from every barrel.

 

In pursuit of efficiency, Rockefeller employed then-rare business strategies such as vertical integration and economies of scale. For example, by purchasing his own forest and producing his own barrels, Rockefeller lowered per-barrel costs from $3 to $1 while increasing reliability and quality. To transport oil, Rockefeller obtained large rebates from railroads, not through corrupt conspiracies (the typical explanation) but by dramatically lowering the railroads’ costs. Where others offered railroads unreliable, highly variable traffic, Rockefeller offered guaranteed daily fleets of Standard-owned tank cars, loaded and unloaded by Standard-provided facilities, for straight-line trips from Cleveland to New York. The Lake Shore Railroad’s James Devereux testified that Standard Oil lowered transport costs from $900,000 to $300,000 a trip.

 

Rockefeller was simply a man ahead of his time — and his competition. In the 1860s, refining was a comfortable business; high demand for kerosene plus low supply of refining capacity made for hefty profit margins, even for outfits with mediocre efficiency. Rockefeller, foreseeing that refining capacity would grow to meet demand, was prepared for much lower prices; others weren’t. By 1871, refining capacity exceeded oil production, and three-quarters of the industry was losing money.

 

Rockefeller saw an opportunity to buy out competitors and put their talent and assets to more efficient use. Rockefeller would typically show his books to a prospect, wait for him to be “thunderstruck” (as one observer put it) by Standard’s efficiency, and then make a reasonable offer. If a target resisted, Rockefeller would win over their customers by charging a low price that was profitable for Standard but extremely unprofitable for others.

 

Rockefeller’s goal in expanding was to become more and more efficient, improving his competitive advantage with ever-lower but still-profitable prices. He knew he didn’t “control” the market and thus couldn’t get away with high prices. This truth was painfully reinforced in the early 1870s when Rockefeller foolishly agreed to join two oil-refining cartels (the South Improvement Company and the Pittsburgh Plan) designed to suppress output and drive up prices; both were quickly competed out of existence. Since a private company, unlike a government-granted monopoly, couldn’t force competitors out of the market, customers could and would go elsewhere the second they found a better deal from clever competitors.

 

Offering the best deal is how Standard maintained a 90% market share for two decades, from 1879 to 1899, despite strong competitive challenges and an ever-changing market. New, formidable competitors from Russia to Pennsylvania were emulating Rockefeller’s methods; pipelines became a leading form of oil transport; crude supplies appeared to be running short; and the electric light bulb emerged as a fundamental challenge to kerosene oil lamps. Rockefeller’s response was more innovation and efficiency, including millions invested in scientific research to make high-sulfur oil, plentiful but previously useless, usable.

 

By 1907, four years before Standard Oil’s breakup, the company’s market share had fallen to 68%, partly because the rest of the oil industry had learned a lot from Standard about oil refining and efficiency. Rockefeller had not stopped competition — he had raised the bar by creating a modern, scientific oil company before anyone else did.

 

In the process, he had enriched tens of millions of lives by bringing affordable illumination to homes and businesses across the country. If Standard Oil is the textbook example of the kind of company antitrust laws are supposed to punish, what does that say about antitrust laws? As Google, Apple, and other highly successful companies are targeted for antitrust prosecution, this question is as relevant today as it was a hundred years ago.

 

Alex Epstein is a fellow at the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, focusing on business issues. The Ayn Rand Center is a division of the Ayn Rand Institute and promotes the philosophy of Ayn Rand, author of “Atlas Shrugged” and “The Fountainhead.”

 

 

[dover]

 

I just don't understand. There was a run of Slobodian books for sale on E-Bay. Neal Adams covers as well as others. These were being sold by the owner himself, Marvi (?). We have all seen the books that came to auction, know how nice they are and pay accordingly. These were all raw, mostly nothing high on the key chart, but if you collect Neal Adams, then they would be great to have.

 

I watched them all week. Contacted the seller to ask a few questions; got good answers and prepared myself. We all have to come up with "that" price, that bid we are confortable with to make the deal. I thought I had some good ones. I have seen what books cost, graded and tried to judge accordingly. The biggest problem is that they are raw, front scan only. How is a boy to know what they will grade in hand?

 

Needless to say, I only won 2 out of 8. Very sad. Some of the prices were very, very strong. I am not sure how I feel about it all. Sometimes you win an auction and under pay what you feel it was worth and you are happy. Sometime you over pay, and you are still happy but always know the lingering feeling of paying too much. The next CLink auction usually proves that in fact, I did over pay. Sometimes you lose. When I lose it is usually because I will not pay more than I think it is worth. I try not to chase hot books, hot items, I have to pace myslef. Usually, no one wants Superboy issues.

 

I want to be upset but I don't think I am upset about losing. I am upset that people can pay what they did hoping it will grade what they want. I have just been let down too many times to have strong price built into a raw book.

 

Oh well, perhaps the market is turning bullish.

 

 

 

 

[scooter99]

Did you win the Bats 230? It was at $79 until the last minute, I put in a overbid and got blown out of the water at a last second snipe bid. If you did win it, it was a great looking book!

[dover]

Did you win the Bats 230? It was at $79 until the last minute, I put in a overbid and got blown out of the water at a last second snipe bid. If you did win it, it was a great looking book!

 

No I sure did not. I choked on some of the prices. Sight unseen is a bit too much for me to go really big.

 

I won the Adventure 367 and the Jimmy Olsen 120.

 

I did save the auctions and will findout who won the books I was after, however.

[scooter99]

I saw your wins. Very nice looking books. Let us know if they were indeed NM+.

Buying raws is always fun if you know and trust the seller. They look so pretty in a nice mylar and fullback.

[dover]

I just don't understand. There was a run of Slobodian books for sale on E-Bay. Neal Adams covers as well as others. These were being sold by the owner himself, Marvi (?). We have all seen the books that came to auction, know how nice they are and pay accordingly. These were all raw, mostly nothing high on the key chart, but if you collect Neal Adams, then they would be great to have.

 

I watched them all week. Contacted the seller to ask a few questions; got good answers and prepared myself. We all have to come up with "that" price, that bid we are confortable with to make the deal. I thought I had some good ones. I have seen what books cost, graded and tried to judge accordingly. The biggest problem is that they are raw, front scan only. How is a boy to know what they will grade in hand?

 

Needless to say, I only won 2 out of 8. Very sad. Some of the prices were very, very strong. I am not sure how I feel about it all. Sometimes you win an auction and under pay what you feel it was worth and you are happy. Sometime you over pay, and you are still happy but always know the lingering feeling of paying too much. The next CLink auction usually proves that in fact, I did over pay. Sometimes you lose. When I lose it is usually because I will not pay more than I think it is worth. I try not to chase hot books, hot items, I have to pace myslef. Usually, no one wants Superboy issues.

 

I want to be upset but I don't think I am upset about losing. I am upset that people can pay what they did hoping it will grade what they want. I have just been let down too many times to have strong price built into a raw book.

 

Oh well, perhaps the market is turning bullish.

 

 

 

 

Update for tracking:

 

Here is a list of what sold and prices:

 

Batman 230 - $280.01

Flash 208 - $91.00

Hot Wheel 6 - 162.49

Jimmy Olsen - $77.00

Superboy 148 - $169.38

Superboy - 155 - $179.50

Superman 231 - $227.50

Worlds Finest 176 - $282.88

Worlds Finset 203 - $102.50

 

I'll be watching for the slabbed results.

[dover]

 

Here is a cool You Tube video someone sent me on the expanding earth theory. Neal Adams believes that this is what has and is happening.

 

[dover]

 

New members of the club:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Batman....

 

......

 

.....

 

 

 

 

 

Detective Comics

 

......

 

......

 

......

 

.

 

[dover]

the Studio

 

 

 

 

 

Bernie Wrightson, Jeff Jones, Michael Kaluta, Barry Windsor Smith

 

 

Now the last member, Jeffery Jones took quite a turn after leaving the Studio.

 

http://www.jeffreyjones-art.com/

 

Born, January 10, 1944, Atlanta, Georgia

 

Died May 2011

 

 

Rest in peace

 

 

 

[TeddieMercede]

[dover]

I got to play Mr. Science!

 

I got to do a science experiment for my son's school class the other day. It is so worthwhile to be able to do something like that involving your child, learning and fun all at the same time. Sadly, I was the only parent to sign up to do so.

 

The company I work for deals in magnets. So it was only right to do something involving them for the demonstration. We make linear actuators that use magnets and coils to move an actuator rather than the industry norm of hydraulic fluid or ball screw actuation. What to do and showcase was the big issue.

 

I did some searching and found a YouTube video demonstrating how cereal really does contain iron, you can actually get it out of the cereal and see it. At first we just played with the magnets, some iron filings and other items to show what is and is not magnetic. I taught them about a magnetic field, how it can go through an object and still be felt. The magnets I had were rare earth magnets of incredible strength. They can hold each other through my arm or hand. They are so strong I had to wrap them in foam so that none of the kids would get their fingers pinched, or worse.

 

They were very intrigued and interested and had a lot of fun learning. One child even suggested the magnetic field was not going through my hand but rather around the sides. I thought this was a great observation and we made a little experiment to see if it was true. I put some nails inside a jar and closed it. I then used a magnet to pick up the jar, attracting the nails with in the enclosed system. He then began to realize that indeed, attraction can be felt through certain objects and distances.

 

We talked about where you could find magnets and use them. Like the Mag-lev trains in Germany, computer disks and storage devices as well as speakers for making sound.

 

For the final part, we put Total cereal in a bag, added water and let it sit for about 10 minutes. After mushing it up I showed them that if you put the magnet on the bag, move it around for a short time sure enough little specs of iron can be seen. And it was not a little, there is quite a bit. That was well received and they all wanted to eat cereal so that they could say they were eating iron.

 

 

Good times.

 

Children and learning while having fun.

 

 

[dover]

 

 

A very sweet upgrade.

 

 

 

Superboy

 

......

 

......

 

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[TupennyConan]

Posted 04/14/09 in the wonderful Conan Comics thread over in CG:

 

Jeff Jones, Kaluta, Windsor Smith, Bernie Wrightson

 

[dover]

Sometimes Adams covers come on reprints. These are hard to find (for me) in high grade. I think they sat in long boxes, unloved for years since they were reprints. But here are some great new Neal covers.

 

Got this one in

 

 

to go with this one:

 

[TeddieMercede]

those are the books that got me started on Neil !!! I need a complete set ! I don't know how many times I read #1 and #4 when I was a kid...

[dover]

those are the books that got me started on Neil !!! I need a complete set ! I don't know how many times I read #1 and #4 when I was a kid...

 

I have lots of raw copies, not sure about 9.8's. Anyone have them, I'll buy!

 

[dover]

 

Okay, 2nd only to Neal Adams is Charles Schulz and his beloved creations the Peanuts gang or the Lil' Folks when they first came out.

 

I got this in the other day, after having seen and missed buying one in a sales thread on the boards. It is the first paperback compilation put out in the early 1950's (1953?). The cute little 4 panel cartoons are amazing. But the very interesting thing is the way they look. We are all used to seeing them more grown up, more developed. But this is how it started.

 

I hope to someday own an OA of Schulz, he is an American icon for this gang of children. I would hang it next to my OA Adams and my OA Watterson. None of which I own at this moment.

 

The really great thing is that my kids took it from me to read. They love the little Snoopy just like me. That is very cool.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[seanfingh]

 

Do you think that is the first time that Lucy pulled the football away from C.B.?