The Power of Sports on a City a Community

[4LSU]

....Mardi Gras, the Jazz Festivals, Suger Bowls, the list is endless.

And then for NO to get the 2013 Super Bowl, well it just shows you what those out of state folks see.

_

The National World War II Museum on Magazine Street is very nicely done. Anyone into that kinda stuff would enjoy spending 1/2 a day there.

I'm not wild bout some of its leadership, but the city/people is/are trying to recover from a belly blow and doing a pretty good job of it. imo

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/plan-a-visit/

[BeauCajun]

_ The National World War II Museum on Magazine Street is very nicely done. Anyone into that kinda stuff would enjoy spending 1/2 a day there.

I'm not wild bout some of its leadership, but the city/people is/are trying to recover from a belly blow and doing a pretty good job of it. imo

http://www.nationalww2museum.org/plan-a-visit/ _

I've visited the musuem a few times. Very impressive. And now my niece is helping to design the new theater addition across the street. I'll be back.

And I'll be back to visit NOLA as many times as I can squeeze in. The most unique city in America.

Perhaps our friends should learn some history of the "Crescent City" before they condemn her.

[RaginCajun77]

New Orleans is a city rich in culture and history. Granted the city has faults but I love spending time there soaking in the culture, history, and architecture.

[cajunhawk]

_ Your opinion of the oil industry remains but you have no facts to back up your view, simply emotion. _

Name another industry that price fixes on a routine basis only to generate "windfall" profits. I cant.

[MetryCajun]

_ Name another industry that price fixes on a routine basis only to generate "windfall" profits. I cant. _

Microsoft?

Seriously, Do you even follow this industry. From 84 to 03 oil prices were incredibly low. Household names like Texaco, Gulf, Amoco, Mobil disappeared. If they could fix prices why did they let so many companies fold and let 100's of thousands of people lose their jobs? Please don't say it was all a plan to get rid of competition so the remaining companies could reap the profits. I have worked for several large oil companies and I can tell you we were dying when oil was $10/barrel. If we could have raised prices we would have done it in a heartbeat.
One last point. Congress has convened hearings countless times on price fixing. Can you guess what was found? Nothing!

[Cajunsmike]

Name another industry that price fixes on a routine basis only to generate "windfall" profits. I cant.

Your comment about price fixing indicates you don't understand how the business works. Can you guess what % of earnings most major companies would make if they sold to the government all their refineries and interests in businesses which sell gasoline (downstream side)? I will make it easy for you, about 80%. Companies make their money from the upstream side, exploring for and producing oil and gas, not selling gasoline and their is a huge difference. That is why most wells are drilled by independents, not majors. They don't want the hassle of the public relations problems in educating the public that comes with the downstream aspect. Personally, I wish my company got out of the downstream part. I have my doubts that you would see a reduced price at the pump if this occurred simply because of the inefficiency of government. Yes, large profits occur at times due to the cyclical aspect. The other part of the cycle is when things go the other way. My company actually lost money in our Gulf of Mexico operations in the first quarter and we are one of the largest corporations in the world. Internationally we did OK so we probably won't have layoffs. Quite a few layoffs have occurred in the business this year, particularly in the service side. That is another thing people don't have an appreciation for, that is the difference between producing companies and service companies. When producing companies cut budgets, service companies have little choice but to cut staff. Do you realize how many oil jobs were lost domestically in the late 80's/early 90's,-it was more than what occurred in the auto and steel industries combined. Now despite all this, I agree that Louisiana should do more to diversify the economy and reforming the business tax structure may attract other industries.

[Cajunsmike]

New Orleans is a city rich in culture and history. Granted the city has faults but I love spending time there soaking in the culture, history, and architecture.

I lived there for 20 years and agree that the cultural aspects of the city are hard for other urban areas to match. However, when it comes to raising a family, Acadiana has it beat hands down. Visiting it is great but although I enjoyed my time there, I am happy I no longer reside there. That aside, I do recognize that the New Orleans area contributes more to the economy of the state than most people from outside of the area appreciate. What most people don't understand is that not all of the economic contribution comes from Orleans Parish. It comes from Jefferson and St. Tammany where a large portion of the middle class resides. In fact, those areas dwarf Orleans Parish.

[CajunT]

_ STONE THE BALSPHEMER!!! LOL! We need the Saints from Shreveport to Lake Charles from Lafayette to New Orleans. I don't understand how folks don't get that. Also for you NOLA haters know that 75% of the states revenue from taxes came from NOLA but that was before Katrina. I'm not sure what it is today. Even if it is less you could come to the understanding that investing in NOLA is a good bet for the entire state not to mention it is the right thing to do.

With a rocking sports program at UL, Lafayette would be extremely attractive to college kids. Even without that kids I know go to avoid living in Baton Rouge for four years. On that I think we will all agree. _

"Also for you NOLA haters know that 75% of the states revenue from taxes came from NOLA but that was before Katrina."

You have a source for your opinion or statement? I find this number hard to believe considering 50% of the population lives below the poverty line. I also find it hard to believe since a large number of taxes generated in New Orleans, stay in New Orleans like local hotel taxes. Also remember this, the Saints 80 million dollar deal was great for New Orleans, but higher education faces over a 80 million dollar deficit right now. I don't think other areas in this state agree that it was a great deal for the state right now. And, in all other NFL markets, the franchise has a deal with the city, not the state.

I agree his comments were unfair in painting all of New Orleans with such a broad brush. But when it comes to the ratio of tax dollars sent to Baton Rouge and returned in funding projects, the Acadiana area gets far less then most areas in the state, including New Orleans.

[rhineaux]

_ Not talking about the people that work in the industry or technology or hell even mistakes of the past. What I was referring to was the way in which the oil industry operates. The oil industry breaks the law on a daily basis, the corporations are profit mongers, the communities that depend on them are always hurt when the bottom line comes into question. I did a study once in college and found out that for every job lost in the La. Oil Industry seven other jobs are lost in other La. industries. Louisiana is too dependent on a dirty business and everyone knows it. But hey were Louisiana and thats our modus operandi, god made dirt and dirt dont hurt, as long as it pays well. _

Where did you publish your research? I wouldn't mind reading it.

[RCAJUN90]

_ "Also for you NOLA haters know that 75% of the states revenue from taxes came from NOLA but that was before Katrina."

You have a source for your opinion or statement? I find this number hard to believe considering 50% of the population lives below the poverty line. I also find it hard to believe since a large number of taxes generated in New Orleans, stay in New Orleans like local hotel taxes. Also remember this, the Saints 80 million dollar deal was great for New Orleans, but higher education faces over a 80 million dollar deficit right now. I don't think other areas in this state agree that it was a great deal for the state right now. And, in all other NFL markets, the franchise has a deal with the city, not the state.

I agree his comments were unfair in painting all of New Orleans with such a broad brush. But when it comes to the ratio of tax dollars sent to Baton Rouge and returned in funding projects, the Acadiana area gets far less then most areas in the state, including New Orleans. _

T that is a rough figure that has been thrown around here on local news. Don't take the 75% as fact it is only about what I remember hearing. It is not unthinkable when you think about New Orleans being a top 10 American tourist destination. Think about the money spent on hotel rooms, food and sale taxes. Now how much of those tax dollars get thrown back to New Orleans I never heard but I would imagine it is a lot.

Personally I think one of the things that keeps Louisiana in dumps is all the division in the state. New Orleans is an important part of this state and investing in it is an investment in all of the state.

[CajunFreak]

_ Name another industry that price fixes on a routine basis only to generate "windfall" profits. I cant. _

Man you have no clue... I guess the oil industry is setting the current price of oil & n. gas this low just out of the kindness of their heart!

Compare the prices of every resource out there to oil & n. gas over the last 50 years or so and you will see that percentage wise the oil companies or actually not nearly the bad guys you and the national media make them out to be.

People like you do not comprehend what is involved to explore, drill and produce both oil & n. gas. You think we just stick a hole in the ground and the stuff just comes pouring out. We are talking about two of the least abundant resources’ out there and people complain about $3 gas prices all the while paying $1.20 for a 20 oz. bottle of freaking water. Oh by the way water happens to be one of the most abundant resources on earth.

[Cajunsmike]

_ Man you have no clue... I guess the oil industry is setting the current price of oil & n. gas this low just out of the kindness of their heart!

Compare the prices of every resource out there to oil & n. gas over the last 50 years or so and you will see that percentage wise the oil companies or actually not nearly the bad guys you and the national media make them out to be.

People like you do not comprehend what is involved to explore, drill and produce both oil & n. gas. You think we just stick a hole in the ground and the stuff just comes pouring out. We are talking about two of the least abundant resources’ out there and people complain about $3 gas prices all the while paying $1.20 for a 20 oz. bottle of freaking water. Oh by the way water happens to be one of the most abundant resources on earth. _

I wonder if CajunHawk is still under the impression that a gusher has to occur for us to realize we have made a successful well. I wonder if he can define pore pressure, interpret seismic, estimate recoverable reserves, generate a casing design, or determine if a zone is productive from reviewing a log. Of course most of you probably don't have any idea what these things mean. However, these are things very bright people in the industry do every day after years of training. Guess what, quite a few other intelligent people can't do it either as the technical reasoning required is fairly high and many people who attempt to pursue this path can't cut it. Almost everyone who does this has studied college physics, chemistry, calculus, differential equations etc. Things I described are just some of the office tasks. Executing drills and handling production out in the field requires just as much skill and safety has to be accounted there. Point of all this is to illustrate my point that most people have no concept of what it takes to be successful in the business. Dollars involved are also beyond what most people can conceive. My current project involves replacing platforms/wells lost to hurricanes and the price tag is roughly a quarter of a billion. That is relatively cheap as water depth is less than 300 feet while a similar project in the deep waters could be well over a billion. End of rant.