black gold

another record annual profit for the good people at exxon

to the tune of $39,500,000,000.00

which breaks down to $338,000 every minute of every day:

"Oil giant Exxon Mobil Corp. on Thursday posted the largest annual profit by a U.S. company — $39.5 billion —

even as earnings for the last quarter of 2006 declined 4 percent.

The 2006 profit topped Exxon Mobil's own previous record of $36.13 billion set in 2005.

Revenue at the world's largest publicly traded oil company rose to $377.64 billion for the year,

surpassing the record $370.68 billion Exxon posted in 2005.

Exxon Mobil's record annual earnings followed a year of extraordinarily high energy prices as crude oil topped $78 a barrel..."

to be honest i also profit as the price of oil rises

but there's no blood on my hands



at least they're spending the money wisely:

"A right-wing American thinktank is offering 10,000 dollars (7,700 euros) to scientists and economists

to dispute a climate change report set to be released by the UN's top scientific panel.

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI),

which receives funding from oil giant ExxonMobil

according to the Guardian,

sent letters to scientists in the United States, Britain and elsewhere

offering the payments in exchange for articles emphasising the shortcoming of the UN's report.

AEI also reportedly offered additional payments,

and to reimburse travel expenses."