"to third place from 11th in the league of oil-producing nations.'
Wait a minute. The US is in third place....LOL.
This is an interesting link. It puts fossil fuel reserves in barrel format,like oil. Since coal and natural gas can be converted to gas and diesel it gives a good idea of where countries stand as peak oil starts to bite. The US has the most reserves. If shale oil were counted,the US would have 30% of the world's fossil fuels.
http://epw.senate.gov/public/ind...35-
220d7cf8c519
WASHINGTON (AFP) – Some 700 million people worldwide, or more than all the adults of North and South America combined, think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence and want to permanently move to another country, a poll showed Tuesday.
The most popular destination was the United States, where nearly a quarter of the 700 million -- around 165 million people -- said they would like to settle.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/
2009..._20091103190030
Just more proof that everyone hates amreeka.
Mojo
Sorry this is off topic but an amazing and unusual piece appears in the Jerusalem Post.
Rattling the Cage: Some victims we are
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Sat...icle%
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"So let's decide: Who was the victim of Operation Cast Lead, them or us?
No question - us. We Israelis were the victims and we still are. In fact, our victimhood is getting worse by the day. The Goldstone report was the real war crime. The Goldstone report, the UN debates, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the Red Cross, B'Tselem, the traitorous soldiers of Breaking the Silence and the Rabin Academy - those were the true crimes against humanity. This is what's meant by "war is hell."
It is we who've been going through hell from the war in Gaza. It is we who've been suffering."
"The truth is that the State of Israel has never been a victim, and our likening of ourselves to the 6 million has been embarrassing from the beginning - but now? After what we did in Gaza? With the stranglehold we have on that society, while we over here live free and easy?
Victims? Lambs to the slaughter? Us?
No, this has gone beyond embarrassing; this is out-and-out shameful."
(Excerpt)
Interview with a would-be suicide bomber in Pakistan: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q...h?v=qD-
Nny3EP98
He would blow his load even if his own family is there. He doesn't want to marry because 70 virgins are waiting for him in heaven!
"The most popular destination was the United States, where nearly a quarter of the 700 million -- around 165 million people -- said they would like to settle."
Not surprising. I wonder what the poll would look like if it were done in the middle east.
"If shale oil were counted,the US would have 30% of the world's fossil fuels."
Much of that shale oil is in Colorado, yes? Extracting that oil would be great for Colorado's economy. But the cost of extraction is expensive. The price of oil would have to be very high in order for it to be economically feasible.
tgia, thanks for the Jerusalem Post article. That a conservative media outlet in Israel would print such an opinion is good news. Even liberal media in America would not print that!
"But by now, 64 years after the Holocaust, 42 years after seeing in the Six Day War how strong we'd become, we know, whether we admit it to ourselves or not, that we aren't the victims anymore. We know we aren't a continuation of the 6 million but rather a deliberate and stark departure from them.
THE REASON we tell ourselves and the world that we are victims is because we know, whether we admit it to ourselves or not, that victimhood is power. Victimhood is freedom. A victim can't be told to restrain himself. A victim fighting for survival can't be accused of abusing his power because, after all, his back is to the wall, he's desperate."
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Sat...icle%
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Nice link TGIA.
Mojo, extracting shale oil is expensive in terms of barrels of water needed per barrel of shale oil extracted. This problem can be solved with a large aqueduct from the Pacific Ocean or Atlantic ocean to take ocean water to the shale deposits.
Don't forget that Shale oil and oil sands are often co located with natural gas.
Extracting oil shale and sands is economical at current prices, provided they can be locked in long term with forward contracts.
Maury, my bet is that Iraq has a lot of oil and NG (natural gas) that can be upgraded in stages by:
1) early stage exploration
2) possible (US terminology) or inferred (Canadian terminology)
3) phase 1 feasibility test
4) probable (US terminology) or indicated(Canadian terminology)
5) phase 2 feasibility test (much more expensive than phase 1, and develops a long term plan to extract the resources)
6) measured (Canadian terminology)
7) proven (that part of measured that is economical to extract)
Extraction facility CAPEX
9) Actual extraction
Iraq has had very little early stage exploration since 1980. My best estimate is that Iraq's total fossil fuel possible/inferred reserves will rise to over 500 billion barrels of oil equivalents (NG + oil + coal) with under $10 billion in early stage exploration. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Iraq can certify 1 trillion barrels of oil equivalents in possible/inferred oil reserves with $30 billion in early stage exploration.
Anand,the US is the 3rd largest producer of oil,despite reserves a fraction of Iraq's size. We've held the third spot for decades,while reserves have stayed pretty much the same. If Iraq would just let the capitalist dogs out,they'd probably be the world's top producer in no time. And they could hold the top spot for the necxt lifetime or two. Instead of trying to micromanage from on high,Iraq would probably be better served by an independent oil sector that paid high taxes.
Yeah,shale extraction costs are high for now Mojo. But,there's lots of research going on. Shell says their in-situ process will be profitable with $30 oil. Chevron claims their process will produce more water than it uses,and will sequester loads of CO2 as well.
Because of new technology,US natural gas reserves were boosted by 35% last year. New shale technology could boost our oil reserves by 4000% in the next few years.
CTL(coal to liquids) has been around since WWll. South Africa has been using it for decades. If we converted our coal to oil,we'd have three times the reserves of Saudi Arabia. In a peak oil world,oil exporters will do well. Especially the United States.
Maury, your e-mail address bounced. Please e-mail Mojo your current e-mail address. Sent some thoughts to you.
"Iraq would probably be better served by an independent oil sector that paid high taxes." True dat. And if this is hegemonic imperialist exploitative empire than guilty as charged.
Iraqi Mojo enjoys humor:
He doesn't want to marry because 70 virgins are waiting for him in heaven!
Narrated Haatib ibn Abi Balta3a (with whom Allah is pleased):
Allah's apostle (blessings of Allah and peace be upon him) said:
"The believer in Paradise shall be married off to seventy-two women, seventy women of the hereafter and two women of the women of this world."
Let me get this straight. 70 women are condemned to hell for every dickhead that blows his way to Paradise? And you believe that shit Dolly? Oh,that's right. Your idea of Paradise is serving the perverse needs of a sociopath for eternity. Maybe Haatib ibn Abi Balta3a had it backwards Dolly. More likely,you'll get to service 70 douchebag suicide bombers in hell.
Maury;
I wouldn't bother arguing with Dolly. I think he/she/it is some kind of fleshy Turing test.
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