Today, gambling....the casino kind and more.  But first, a few more things about petroleum, my feature yesterday:  Iran warns oil could hit $200 as it fires on merchant ships . WTI Crude Oil dropped from $110/barrel ( price just before the market re-opened on Monday ) to $82/barrel yesterday, but increased to $87/barrel today. The stabilization occurred because Donald Trump said this would be a short war, plus the International Agency recommended the release of 400 million barrels from global strategic reserves.  Note that the world roughly produces 106 million barrels of oil/day, and the USA is #1 with 13.6 million barrels/day.  Amazingly enough, North America is the largest oil-producing region, with over 31 million barrels/day. The world strategic petroleum reserve holds over 2 billion barrels, of which 20% will be released.  The USA has 415 million barrels in Gulf Coast salt caverns, which are designed to hold 714 million barrels.   President Trump...

Cruise began in Seattle on October 13.  We arrive in Miami tomorrow.  However, while almost everyone else leaves the ship, we remain for another two weeks. About the presidential election in three days, I'm nervous.  The thought of Donald Trump winning and the USA losing Democracy is a feeling I've never had before.  Polls show a close race.  How close?   Go to 538  and also get concerned.  You can scroll down to track what is happening in the Senate and House races...and also moan, if you're a Democrat. Something new has been added this year, which might not be available in future years,   IT IS NOW LEGAL FOR U.S. CITIZENS TO GAMBLE ON WHO WILL WIN .   The odds seem to be set at 48-52, meaning no matter who you vote for, if you bet $50, you will win $48, plus get back the $50.  This could change. What happened? The Commodity Futures Trading Commission, which regulates financial contracts that bet on events, had consi...