Michelle Singletary: Forever Stamps uneconomical for most people. 2D
Business&Money
S U N D A Y , M A Y 6, 2007
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WWW.TUSCALOOSANEWS.COM
Boost for state oil, gas Favorable for production Tennessee valley region Black Warrior basin region
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Take a look around the parking lot of your local university, and chances are you’ll spot more Honda Civics than Rolls Royces. While professors tend to be a brainy bunch, they don’t necessarily have the bank accounts to match. And they’re not the only eggheads strapped for cash. According to a new nationwide study, the highly intelligent among us aren’t necessarily wealthier. While people with higher IQ scores tend to earn more, they don’t always save and invest their money wisely, said study author Jay Zagorsky, a research scientist at Ohio State University. “Individuals with higher IQ should not think that they have any particular advantage,” he said. People of below-average intelligence, meanwhile, are just about as wealthy as those in similar circumstances but with higher IQ scores, the study found. Even among the smartest people, those with IQ scores above 125, 6 percent have maxed out their credit cards and 11 percent sometimes miss bill payments. The study is based on data from more than 7,000 Americans who participated in the National Longitudinal Sur vey of Youth, which is funded primarily by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and conducted through Ohio State University.
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High prices may be driving us crazy at the pump, but they mean more money for the state oil and gas industry — and in turn, more money to help boost Alabama’s economy.
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Southeast Alabama region
Southwest Alabama region
Oil and gas production Coalbed gas production STAFF GRAPHICS | ANTHONY BRATINA
By Matt Hawk Staff Writer
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Office lust
he next time you find yourself wincing as the numbers fly by on the gasoline pump, recall that you’re not just filling your gas tank. You’re helping pump more than $500 million into Alabama’s economy. That’s about how much the state gets from oil and natural gas production in taxes, royalties and leasing bonuses each year. A portion of this revenue is returned to counties where production takes place, a return that has risen along with petroleum prices. Tuscaloosa’s share for 2006 was $9.8 million, up about $3 million from the previous year. “That’s the biggest it’s ever been,” said Bill Lamb, Tuscaloosa County Commission finance director. “It wasn’t too long ago that it was a couple hundred thousand dollars.” That’s good news for Tuscaloosa, but even better news for Alabama’s oil and natural gas industry, which, for all the revenue it still generates, has long since left its best days behind. “The tone of the industr y and the optimism is much better now that it was, say, three or four years ago,” said David Bolin, deputy director of the Alabama Oil and Gas Board. Three or four years ago the industry was still in the grip of a production slump several years old. Total production had steadily dropped since the late 1990s, as the state’s oil and gas fields — many of which have been in operation for decades — reached maturity. Both oil and gas wells produce less SEE OIL | 2D
Whether it’s the flattering fluorescent lighting or the intimate privacy of the office cubicle, the workplace is fertile ground for those with a wandering eye. More than a third of people who admit to infidelity cheat with a coworker, according to a study conducted by MSNBC.com and iVillage.com. Friends were philanderers’ first choice. The survey also revealed that the more money men make, the more likely they are to cheat, said Josey Miller, iVillage love and sex senior editor. For women, on the other hand, income had no relationship to their propensity to be unfaithful, she said. Opinions about what behaviors constitute cheating also differed between the sexes. Nearly threequarters of women consider sending flirtatious e-mails to a coworker cheating, compared to just over half of men. Regardless of who’s right on that one, has all that sexual harassment training taught us nothing?
You’ve got mail
STAFF PHOTOS | MICHAEL E. PALMER
Josh Mosely, left, and Patrick Travis work on a coalbed methane well near Brookwood. Supervisor Jarvis Carter, below, monitors the fracturing process at the well.
200
gas
20 15 19,815,061 10 5
307,828,207
181,455,554 461,161,306
7,532,395
oil
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
2001
2000
1999
1998
8 7 Tax revenues given to 6 Tuscaloosa County 5 4 $1.72 million 3 $9.8 million 2 1 $2.99 million 0 1997
of the state’s coalbed methane wells within are in Tuscaloosa County. The county made $9.8 million in 2006, up almost $3 million in 2005.
300
1996
90%
400
Alabama Production
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Money state recieves on average each year from the oil and gas industry in the form of lease bonuses, royalties and severance taxes.
500
1995
$500 million
Millions cubic feet
Want to learn more about how coalbed methane drilling works? Visit www.tusca loosanews.com and click on this story.
Million dollars
You’re sitting in a meeting, trying your best to give the boss your full attention, when you hear that little ping — a new e-mail. The boss surely won’t mind if you check it, right? Wrong. While the majority of executives report that colleagues commonly read and respond to email during meetings, many disapprove of it, according to research performed by Robert Half Management Resources. Follow these tips to avoid ticking off the boss man, said executive director Paul McDonald: ■ Be discreet. Set your mobile device on vibrate. ■ Consider your audience. Your co-workers might understand your need to respond to a message more than a client would. ■ Respond only when necessary. “If it’s really urgent, then excuse yourself from the meeting. Then go outside the room,” McDonald said. ■ Know when to stop. Constantly checking e-mail can make your colleagues feel unimportant, so bow out of a meeting if you’ll be distracted for most of it anyway.
HOME EQUITY LINE OF CREDIT , "6 / " -É 6 / " -É 1/" " -Ê",Ê7 / 6 ,Ê9"1Ê*, ,t Ê Ýi`Ê ÌÀ `ÕVÌ ÀÞÊÀ>ÌiÊ vÊȯ *,IÊv ÀÊÌ iÊv ÀÃÌÊÈÊL }ÊVÞV ià •No closing costs • Fast and flexible • Only pay interest on the amount used
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www.fnbca.com The fixed introductory rate of 6.00% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) will apply for the first six billing cycles of your account. (The number of days in your first billing cycle may vary based on your account opening date.) Beginning with the first day of your seventh billing cycle, the variable APR could be as low as prime minus 1%, currently 7.25% as of 4/24/07. Your APR will be based on several factors including credit history, the amount of your line, the value of your home and may be higher than the rate set out above. The maximum APR is 18%, except in Florida, where it is 17%. Closing costs are estimated to range between $150 to $2,000. First National Bank of Central Alabama will pay all closing costs provided an initial advance of at least $10,000 is funded and remains outstanding for at least six months. If you payoff the line within the first eighteen months, closing costs paid by FNBCA will be pro-rated and charged back to your line. Property insurance is required including flood insurance where applicable. Consult your tax advisor regarding deductibility of interest. Offer subject to approval, including credit approval. E0607-N05136125