Oil

[Saving For a Space Ship]

I'm sure it's very useful and will save loads of money but, eek, the styling is awful.

Yes, we frugal hpc'ers like to see a bit more streamlining...

http://www.elsberg-tuning.dk/recordbikes.html

[Killer Bunny]

Nobody here knows until either it breaks up above $108 or below $102. Though very strong resistance in $110-115 range.

NB. $ looks ready to fly again and, while it was pulling back, Oil did nothing...

West Texas Intermediate not Brent

[justthisbloke]

I've stopped worrying about the immorality of global geopolitics. These days I just concentrate the domestic implications of what's coming down the pike.

Having a family puts the motorbike option off the table. But I have just fettled something similar to this:

and have placed an order for one of these

[Saver]

Since when does 'morality' enter into the decision to start dropping bombs on people who have never attacked you and pose no threat of doing so?

The notion that the forthcoming, long-planned and inevitable assault on Syria (and then later on Iran once Syria is left a broken state beyond repair) is somehow anything to do with 'morality' is completely bogus - just a PR smokescreen to give the veneer of legitimacy in a supposedly 'democratic' and 'peaceful' society.

I always wonder - would at some point china or russia say enough and retaliate? I am not sure they want a middle east totally shaped to western interests.

[Snugglybear]

Yes, we frugal hpc'ers like to see a bit more streamlining...

Or this

http://www.carbodydesign.com/archive/2007/06/26-sun-red-solar-motorbike-concept/

[@contradevian]

Pffft ... concentrate on the real news that matters to the general public - like that possibly pregnant panda in Scotland or that Cyrus tart grinding her behind on TV in the states. No-one wants to hear about the inconvenient downsides of unleashing yet another war in the Middle East and anyway, it's a great excuse for why petrol has been going up in price.

An MP did tweet this morning his email Inbox was 'flooded' not with concerns about Syria, Oil etc, but .... badger culling.

[Sour Mash]

I always wonder - would at some point china or russia say enough and retaliate? I am not sure they want a middle east totally shaped to western interests.

There has to be a point at which the other big powers decide that their interests are being threatened to too great a degree and consider direct military intervention themselves.

However, the Chinese have no way to project their military power much beyond their own locality and it's not like the Russkies are the force that they were back in the Cold War era.

I'm guessing that whoever it is inside the ruling elite that figures they will profit from the latest war, figures that the possibility of escalation is slight enough that they can get away with it .. and anyway, anything short of full on MAD isn't going to affect them or their loved ones personally .. dying in combat is for other people and their kids.

As for the other possible effects (rocketing oil price and resulting economic destruction) which might impact them, I'm sure that they will have hedged for such events using their inside, advance knowledge. Again, hurt is for other people to experience.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Sour Mash

[motch]

I'm sure it's very useful and will save loads of money but, eek, the styling is awful.

I think it looks ok.

GTI: How much for tax, insurance, how much did it cost.?

[Wurzel Of Highbridge]

I've stopped worrying about the immorality of global geopolitics. These days I just concentrate the domestic implications of what's coming down the pike.

Having a family puts the motorbike option off the table. But I have just fettled something similar to this:

and have placed an order for one of these

I like to think that my 125 is safer and less effort than a pushbike. I have a good crash helmet, padded jacket, padded trousers, visi jacket, headlight on in all weather, baffles removed from exhaust to make it loud so other motorists can hear me.

I have had a couple of bad pushbike accidents in the past, the worst that ever happened on a motorbike was a wet drain and a quick slide across the floor.

Push cyclists seem rather more vulnerable, so do those tossers on motorbikes who speed around at 100+mph.

Quite fancy an Indian Built Royal Enfield.

In a free market with the Rupee crashing these should be cheaper than cheap since they were cheaper than a cheap thing anyway.

Edited August 27, 2013 by Gone to Ireland.

[The Ayatollah Buggeri]

An MP did tweet this morning his email Inbox was 'flooded' not with concerns about Syria, Oil etc, but .... badger culling.

Because the anti badger culling activists are a well organised political lobby (especially the RSPCA, which spends something like a third of its income on advertising and PR) which has put a lot of time and effort into getting its supporters to do things like write to MPs.

If the families of soldiers who had been killed and injured in Iraq and Afghanistan were represented by activists and lobbyists who were even half as effective, the recent defence cuts wouldn't have happened and participating in a war against Syria wouldn't even be on the mainstream political agenda.

[tomandlu]

The simple solution would be to throw badgers at Syria if they're so ******ing deadly.

[zugzwang]

There has to be a point at which the other big powers decide that their interests are being threatened to too great a degree and consider direct military intervention themselves.

However, the Chinese have no way to project their military power much beyond their own locality and it's not like the Russkies are the force that they were back in the Cold War era.

I'm guessing that whoever it is inside the ruling elite that figures they will profit from the latest war, figures that the possibility of escalation is slight enough that they can get away with it .. and anyway, anything short of full on MAD isn't going to affect them or their loved ones personally .. dying in combat is for other people and their kids.

As for the other possible effects (rocketing oil price and resulting economic destruction) which might impact them, I'm sure that they will have hedged for such events using their inside, advance knowledge. Again, hurt is for other people to experience.

You do wonder how much of this shit the Other Two will put up with. Hearing it from Obama is one thing. Hearing it from piss-ant no marks like Cameron and Hollande must really stick in the craw. On the other hand they know the clock is running down on the spendthrifts. If the Russians put another 5% on the wholesale gas price then that could be lights out for the UK this winter. Similarly, the Chinese can't fail to be be aware of what a run on Japanese govt bonds could do to the world economy.

[qejunkie]

You do wonder how much of this shit the Other Two will put up with. Hearing it from Obama is one thing. Hearing it from piss-ant no marks like Cameron and Hollande must really stick in the craw. On the other hand they know the clock is running down on the spendthrifts. If the Russians put another 5% on the wholesale gas price then that could be lights out for the UK this winter. Similarly, the Chinese can't fail to be be aware of what a run on Japanese govt bonds could do to the world economy.

The Ruskies have got too much gas, we know it, they know it, they are lucky to get what they currently get for it.

Chinese financial war argument is more compelling!!!

[onlyme2]

You do wonder how much of this shit the Other Two will put up with. Hearing it from Obama is one thing. Hearing it from piss-ant no marks like Cameron and Hollande must really stick in the craw. On the other hand they know the clock is running down on the spendthrifts. If the Russians put another 5% on the wholesale gas price then that could be lights out for the UK this winter. Similarly, the Chinese can't fail to be be aware of what a run on Japanese govt bonds could do to the world economy.

Can imagine the Russians adn Chinese are only too happy to see the US and and the West doing what they are doing, a while ton of trouble and wrecking their own economies in the process. At some stage can see widespread revolt across whole of Middle East at that point the futility of previous milatary actions will be plain to see. Can;t even fully control Afghanistan (just like the Russians), no hope against widespread kick back against previous military action. It is not as Russia and China have done badly ever since this route were chosen. They are in some ways looking more democratic (or at least not veering to super-snooper state status). Whatever the West was about it has lost the plot politically, militarily, economically and socially since the fall of the Berlin wall.

[The Ayatollah Buggeri]

You do wonder how much of this shit the Other Two will put up with.

Probably more than one would imagine at first glance, because they're locked into a scenario of mutually assured economic destruction with Europe and North America.

If the Russians put another 5% on the wholesale gas price then that could be lights out for the UK this winter.

That would be the short term effect. The medium term effect would be that anti-fracking activism would disappear, almost overnight, and the entire western world would stampede to develop fracking, biofuel (including algal, which actually has the proven capacity to be scaled up to a viable road and aviation fuel replacement), geothermal, you name it, and Russia would become irrelevant as a geopolitical force within 10-20 years.

Similarly, the Chinese can't fail to be be aware of what a run on Japanese govt bonds could do to the world economy.

Yup: no more container ship loads of iPhones from Foxconn leaving Shanghai, mass unemployment and then in all probability, civil unrest and another revolution.

[Sour Mash]

That would be the short term effect. The medium term effect would be that anti-fracking activism would disappear, almost overnight, and the entire western world would stampede to develop fracking, biofuel (including algal, which actually has the proven capacity to be scaled up to a viable road and aviation fuel replacement), geothermal, you name it, and Russia would become irrelevant as a geopolitical force within 10-20 years.

It should be pretty obvious by now that widespread fracking is going to happen no matter what the public thinks and no matter what happens in terms of the global energy market (unless some sort of controllable fusion energy is suddenly perfected of course).

It'll certainly be initially in the areas that are likely to cause the least grief for the government - those peasants in the desolate northeast are obviously likely to be the first to enjoy elevated levels of arsenic in their water table - but if there is a load of money to be made it will happen no matter what the pleb on the street thinks. The only difference is that a crippling energy squeeze will make it easier to push through against those pesky locals who will no doubt be labelled with the 'T-word'.

[zugzwang]

Probably more than one would imagine at first glance, because they're locked into a scenario of mutually assured economic destruction with Europe and North America.

There's nothing mutual about it. It's a race to the bottom, loser comes first. With a debt-to-GDP >500% the collapse and extinction of the UK is already guaranteed I believe. In all likelihood Japan faces the same fate. And how long does France have before its debts blow up? Five years, maybe? A global depression looks inescapable but Russia has the resources to survive it better than most. Chinese internal demand can go a long way to offset those export losses.

The shale 'boom' is already over. A filthy, expensive barrel-scraping exercise that won't be replicated in the UK, Europe or anywhere else. The world has no need of new and unproven gas production technologies with forty+ years of natural gas reserves untapped. The Russians aren't the ones running around the world like a monkey with a hand grenade. Europe can't afford not to trade and the rest of the world will have few political complaints.

http://peakoilbarrel.com/shale-boom-over/

[stormymonday_2011]

The simple solution would be to throw badgers at Syria if they're so ******ing deadly.

Post of the week.

[Fishbone Glover]

Post of the week.

Agreed

[JimDiGritz]

SocGen seem to think $150 is possible with a base case of $125.. welcome back to 2008

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-27/socgens-shocking-oil-forecast-150-upside-125-base-case-following-syrian-attack-withi

[zugzwang]

SocGen seem to think $150 is possible with a base case of $125.. welcome back to 2008

http://www.zerohedge...an-attack-withi

Peter Schiff was on CNBC yesterday calling $150-200. QE the cause, Syria the catalyst.

[Gigantic Purple Slug]

There's nothing mutual about it. It's a race to the bottom, loser comes first. With a debt-to-GDP >500% the collapse and extinction of the UK is already guaranteed I believe. In all likelihood Japan faces the same fate. And how long does France have before its debts blow up? Five years, maybe? A global depression looks inescapable but Russia has the resources to survive it better than most. Chinese internal demand can go a long way to offset those export losses.

The shale 'boom' is already over. A filthy, expensive barrel-scraping exercise that won't be replicated in the UK, Europe or anywhere else. The world has no need of new and unproven gas production technologies with forty+ years of natural gas reserves untapped. The Russians aren't the ones running around the world like a monkey with a hand grenade. Europe can't afford not to trade and the rest of the world will have few political complaints.

http://peakoilbarrel.com/shale-boom-over/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22524597

Doesn't really match with what's being said here. Who is right and who is wrong ?

[JimDiGritz]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22524597

Doesn't really match with what's being said here. Who is right and who is wrong ?

The BBC are trotting out the headline without examining the implications.

Shale Gas, Shale Oil, Tar Sands & Bioenergy crops have an utterly miserable EROEI which, coupled with the fact that we don't have many cars, aircraft or ships powered by natural gas means that the light sweet crude which has powered the last century is never going to be replaced at the current price.

Of course if the western world is comfortable with £5/litre petrol and a £4 pint of milk then by all means believe the BBC hype that these alternate sources will save the day.

Our only real option is to travel back in time 40 years and allocate a large proportion of the then cheap energy into upgrading and retooling the grid and building 1000s of nuclear plants and even thorium reactors.

[Sour Mash]

The BBC are trotting out the headline without examining the implications.

Shale Gas, Shale Oil, Tar Sands & Bioenergy crops have an utterly miserable EROEI which, coupled with the fact that we don't have many cars, aircraft or ships powered by natural gas means that the light sweet crude which has powered the last century is never going to be replaced at the current price.

Of course if the western world is comfortable with £5/litre petrol and a £4 pint of milk then by all means believe the BBC hype that these alternate sources will save the day.

Our only real option is to travel back in time 40 years and allocate a large proportion of the then cheap energy into upgrading and retooling the grid and building 1000s of nuclear plants and even thorium reactors.

You are making the mistake of thinking that politicians care about the long term or doing what is right strategically for the country.

The facts are that there are absolute gobs of money to be made in the near term by people with the right political connections.

Lots of businessmen are going to get rich. Lots of their political associates will get a nice payoff. Lots of communities will get fracked. The general public won't care as it's attention will be focussed on the Premiership, Emmerdale or the X-Factor.

[dances with sheeple]

You are making the mistake of thinking that politicians care about the long term or doing what is right strategically for the country.

The facts are that there are absolute gobs of money to be made in the near term by people with the right political connections.

Lots of businessmen are going to get rich. Lots of their political associates will get a nice payoff. Lots of communities will get fracked. The general public won't care as it's attention will be focussed on the Premiership, Emmerdale or the X-Factor.

.....and the collapse of house prices.