Oil Prices Out of OPEC's Control
http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/040520/markets_oil_2.html
oil companies achieving what the terrorists could not
Basic Reasons for High Oil Prices:
1. Security premium. Oil supplies from the ME are at risk.
2. Supply shortage. There is real doubt Saudi capacity is able to cope with demand. OPEC is suggesting raising oil production by 1.5 mbpd. However, "leakage" in excess of official quotas is already at 2.5 mbpd which further highlights OPEC capability for increased production.
3. Demand. China and India are buying oil like crazy to service rising demand and to increase inventories which relates to the insecurity of supply factor. Additionally, US demand is up 3% so far this year.
4. Scarcity. The cheap oil is disappearing. New fields are more expensive to develope and discovered amounts are smaller.
5. Tanker capacity is insufficient.
And every one of the above points could be used as a sound bite. When do all the bites add up to a meal?
1. Security premium. Oil supplies from the ME are at risk.
2. Supply shortage. There is real doubt Saudi capacity is able to cope with demand. OPEC is suggesting raising oil production by 1.5 mbpd. However, "leakage" in excess of official quotas is already at 2.5 mbpd which further highlights OPEC capability for increased production.
3. Demand. China and India are buying oil like crazy to service rising demand and to increase inventories which relates to the insecurity of supply factor. Additionally, US demand is up 3% so far this year.
4. Scarcity. The cheap oil is disappearing. New fields are more expensive to develope and discovered amounts are smaller.
5. Tanker capacity is insufficient.
And every one of the above points could be used as a sound bite. When do all the bites add up to a meal?
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psychic_mechanic
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Megaseth wrote:yeah, Bin Laden sucks as a terrorlst, i mean, he does actually do stuff, but the man i VERY smart. he knows how to get stuff done. i mean, the man has been fighting his whole life and doing this kinda stuff. man, we need Teddy Roosevelt in office, or General Lee.
If he was stupid, he wouldn't be dangerous.
exactly. i like how people like to say hitler was a great general and such. the thing is, he wasnt a great gerenal, however, he was a great speaker and influencer. yes, thats right, i said hitler was a great speaker. the man, although evil as sin, knew how to get the crowd motivated and how to influence people. he was able to brainwash an entire country into thinking one religion was the cause of germany's own mistakes.
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MaineExport
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MaineExport
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Originally posted by VimyJ "]Actually, they are my points.
And they are (as you so eagerly admitted) very BASIC
I can supersize that meal for you if you want
I've already eaten, and boy am I stuffed... but thanks anyway.
but all you need for basic nutrition is there.
IF [Basic nutrition = factual, complete, accurate, clear understanding of entire picture] THEN [VimyJ = less sophisticated than I thought and entirely misses the point]
Going to protest the meagerness of the pot luck supper by not bringing anything yourself?
I cook professionally... I don't need to go to a "pot-luck" for my own "enrichment".
And they are (as you so eagerly admitted) very BASIC
I can supersize that meal for you if you want
I've already eaten, and boy am I stuffed... but thanks anyway.
but all you need for basic nutrition is there.
IF [Basic nutrition = factual, complete, accurate, clear understanding of entire picture] THEN [VimyJ = less sophisticated than I thought and entirely misses the point]
Going to protest the meagerness of the pot luck supper by not bringing anything yourself?
I cook professionally... I don't need to go to a "pot-luck" for my own "enrichment".
Another Tasty Snack or The Primary Reason Gasoline Costs Have Been Rising in NA
http://www.globeinvestor.com/s...r0520
Eat and get gas.
http://www.globeinvestor.com/s...r0520
Eat and get gas.
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Cold_Zero
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2005 Nissan Pathfinder
VimyJ wrote:Basic Reasons for High Oil Prices:
1. Security premium. Oil supplies from the ME are at risk.
2. Supply shortage. There is real doubt Saudi capacity is able to cope with demand. OPEC is suggesting raising oil production by 1.5 mbpd. However, "leakage" in excess of official quotas is already at 2.5 mbpd which further highlights OPEC capability for increased production.
3. Demand. China and India are buying oil like crazy to service rising demand and to increase inventories which relates to the insecurity of supply factor. Additionally, US demand is up 3% so far this year.
4. Scarcity. The cheap oil is disappearing. New fields are more expensive to develope and discovered amounts are smaller.
5. Tanker capacity is insufficient.
And every one of the above points could be used as a sound bite. When do all the bites add up to a meal?
I not *****ing so much about the high prices as much as the fluctuation. If crude oil is a commodity traded in the futures market, why do the prices change 3 times a day? The crude oil that was bought to make the gasoline already in the pumps was bought in advance months ago. So why are they changing prices three times a day? It is very similar to the stock markets, its called speculation. It is really becoming annoying. Maybe the government should open up the strategic reserve and bottom out the price of gas for a few months.
Experts are talking like the world supply of oil that is currently tapped will start to run low around 2040. This country needs to get off its *** and start finding alternate fuels and power sources for vehicles.
Some are saying peak oil production or "Peak Oil" will occur as early as 2010 at current consumption rates. Now this is in regard to conventional oil.
Canadian oil sands, Venezuelan heavy oil, NG liquification and coal liquification are non traditional sources of hydrocarbon based energy that will fill the void. There are large reserves of these energy types but they are more expensive than traditional sources. The first two have been in production for years but the coal liquification is the scary one. Very expensive and extremely polluting requiring vast amounts of coal and huge amounts of water to get a usable base stock. Still not economically viable even at $50/b.
Canadian oil sands, Venezuelan heavy oil, NG liquification and coal liquification are non traditional sources of hydrocarbon based energy that will fill the void. There are large reserves of these energy types but they are more expensive than traditional sources. The first two have been in production for years but the coal liquification is the scary one. Very expensive and extremely polluting requiring vast amounts of coal and huge amounts of water to get a usable base stock. Still not economically viable even at $50/b.
like cold_zero said, we need alternative fuel sources. the only problem, gas is pretty hard to be in potential energy. everyone says alcohol is great, but its not great as a fuel source. it doesnt burn as hot and isnt as stable. also, alcohol has a lot of water in it. anyone who has done the small bit of isopropyl alocohol in a bottle and tried to shoot a flame knows this. you're always left with some liquid and it doesnt burn, hmm, maybe its water?? and most people know water isnt good for engines...people often dog electric motors, saying they're week and not great, but they're far from right. for their size, electric motors can make some insane torque, and for once, displacement isnt a factor. its all in the windings and turns. but no self-respecting "man" would drive an electric car because it doesnt go "VRROOOOMMM" or may him look like a pimp or make him LOOK like he goes off-roading. the only problem with motors is the electric consumption. these things can drain batteries FAST. the little 19T double in my electric car drains a 7.2volt 1500scx battery in about 10 minutes, if not less. hybrid cars fix this by using small ICEs(internal combustion engines) to move the car at highway speeds, and turn the motors into generators, but if we get away from gasoline, we'd need to find another energy source to power these thigns, or go all electric and figure a way to keep them charged.
Hybrid cars also use regenerative braking technology. This is why their mileage is so good in stop and go traffic. Step on the brakes and it charges the battery. The battery is used for acceleration and the three cylinder ICE primarily for cruising. These vehicles get close to 2.5 times the mileage of the average CAFE standard fleet car which will eventually go a long way towards reducing gasoline demand.
Should gas get twice as expensive as we're used to but we're getting twice the mileage, out of pocket fuel cost will be the same. The technology is more expensive but what choice do we have? The Japanese are ahead of the US once again.
Still, the source of cheap fertilizers, plastics, etc., are gone for good. It is said that the Canadian oil sands contain enough petroleum to provide NA's fuel needs at current growth rates to last 100 years. It's just not as cheap as middle east oil that bursts from the ground under its own pressure.
Should gas get twice as expensive as we're used to but we're getting twice the mileage, out of pocket fuel cost will be the same. The technology is more expensive but what choice do we have? The Japanese are ahead of the US once again.
Still, the source of cheap fertilizers, plastics, etc., are gone for good. It is said that the Canadian oil sands contain enough petroleum to provide NA's fuel needs at current growth rates to last 100 years. It's just not as cheap as middle east oil that bursts from the ground under its own pressure.
hydrogen powered cars around the bend are looking more promising, and hopefully those can be in full production by the time gas REALLY becomes a problem. those SHOULD hopefully be in full release in the next few years. that wont be something thats too hard to adopt at this rate i think, since by the time they are released itll probabbly be 4.25 a gallon and people will jump all over it. for all the current technologies i think those cars are the most promising.
yeah, its insane. they use flywheels to spin the motors and the non-acceleration to drive the motors as generators too. they truely are incredible machines. however, the parts are not cheap and they arent fast at all. but like i said, electric motors can be made to produce TONS of torque to get acar moving.
I will cry the day I can't hear the internal combustion of gasoline and forced induced air. I will cry the day that I don't hear the fuel pump when I click the key over. I will cry the day when I will never hear the whine of a turbo. I will cry the day when the internal combusting engines of the world become useless.
Tastyratz wrote:hydrogen powered cars around the bend are looking more promising, and hopefully those can be in full production by the time gas REALLY becomes a problem. those SHOULD hopefully be in full release in the next few years. that wont be something thats too hard to adopt at this rate i think, since by the time they are released itll probabbly be 4.25 a gallon and people will jump all over it. for all the current technologies i think those cars are the most promising.
The problem with H is that it takes energy to make. Wind farms, hydroelectric generation and nuclear power could be used but then you have those added costs or reliability concerns. There really is no cheap replacement for oil.
the other problem with hydrogen vehicles and fuel celled vehicles is that they have to use pure materials to work at 100% efficiency. And, as you all know, pure hydrogen is rather unstable and unsafe to carry around in your car. therefore, most fuel cell vehicles use intakes to pull in outside air and use that for their souce of hydrogen and CO2. but the filters on them only work so well and let in small amounts of impurities. these impurities lead to a less clean...uh....running...vehicle. i say running beucase fuel cell vehicles dont actually burn anything, its more or less catalyzed and charged.
Think of a jammed eight lane expressway during rush hour. At those hours of the day in Chicago there are 140 miles of bumper to bumper traffic. And that's just the expressways! All the cars loaded with gas and capable of an average 150 hp. This is just a ballpark figure but the amount of energy required and consumed is mind boggling.