Alcoa, Inc. (NYSE: AA) is an acronym for "Aluminum Company of America" and is the third largest aluminum producer in the world. They've been around for something like a hundred years.



This affects me somehow, but I may be at the bottom of the smeltery on that one. I love news like this. It's bad, but it's not nearly as bad as we thought it was going to be! -or- The house burned down, but the dining room was saved! Awesome. I and my family, and those of my friends and neighbors, are buoyed by the cheery outlook.

The price goes up, the price goes down. Sometimes, way down. Actually, we're in the painted aluminum business, so that's a bit different. Paint is a petroleum-based product. And the petroleum market? Let's not go there, shall we not?

All I know is we've got to keep selling product, and keep hoping there are people out there who are willing to buy it. I've been working hard these past few months, but yesterday we looked at the upcoming schedule and saw a big dry spot on the horizon, like we were approaching some impassable sandbar out at sea. What do you do? Get out the shovels? Wait for the wind to change and the tide to come in? Get out the coolers and beach chairs?

The Kaneohe Bay sandbar is a few miles up the coast from my sister's place on Oahu. It appears once a year or so, a mile out to sea. They film LOST there, among other things, and everyone paddles out to it, wanders around a bit... and stands there.

You think, Gee, this is beautiful. And then you crack open a few beers, I suppose. I've never beached myself on it, but that's one sandbar that sounds pretty good right about now.





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