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johnslat

Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 5:15 pm Post subject: WikiLeaks: Saudis Running out of Oil |
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Uh-oh
"The latest startling revelation to come via documents leaked to Julian Assange's muckraking website and published by The Guardian is should give pause to every suburban SUV-driver: U.S. officials think Saudi Arabia is overpromising on its capacity to supply oil to a fuel-thirsty world. That sets up a scenario, the documents show, whereby the Saudis could dramatically underdeliver on output by as soon as next year, sending fuel prices soaring.
The cables detail a meeting between a U.S. diplomat and Sadad al-Husseini, a geologist and former head of exploration for Saudi oil monopoly Aramco, in November 2007. Husseini told the American official that the Saudis are unlikely to keep to their target oil output of 12.5 million barrels per day output in order to keep prices stable. Husseini also indicated that Saudi producers are likely to hit "peak oil"--the point at which global output hit its high mark--as early as 2012. That means, in essence, that it will be all downhill from there for the enormous Saudi oil industry.
"According to al-Husseini, the crux of the issue is twofold. First, it is possible that Saudi reserves are not as bountiful as sometimes described, and the timeline for their production not as unrestrained as Aramco and energy optimists would like to portray," one of the cables reads. "While al-Husseini fundamentally contradicts the Aramco company line, he is no doomsday theorist. His pedigree, experience and outlook demand that his predictions be thoughtfully considered."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110209/ts_yblog_thelookout/wikileaks-saudis-running-out-of-oil |
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veiledsentiments

Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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This is such old news. For years, it has been discussed that reported reserves of countries or various oil conglomerates are likely way over-reported. There have even been books about it... peak oil...
The reality is that no one really knows... but starting rumors about it is VERY effective at keeping the prices high. And Aramco and Exxonmobil bottom lines is what it is really all about.
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Sheikh N Bake

Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours
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Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 5:55 am Post subject: |
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Aramco and Exxonmobil? Yeah, well you FORGOT ABOUT THE POCKETS OF THE PRINCES. Why else do you think the infrastructure sucks in this country? Vegas is in the middle of the desert too but it's nearly completed a $3 billion flood drainage system, quite an advanced one. Meanwhile look at the flooding in Jeddah. Maybe they're planning drainage too? The money has to filter through those chartered-jet shopping trips to Paris first. |
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Sadebugo
Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 524
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Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 1:30 pm Post subject: Re: WikiLeaks: Saudis Running out of Oil |
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johnslat wrote: |
Uh-oh
"The latest startling revelation to come via documents leaked to Julian Assange's muckraking website and published by The Guardian is should give pause to every suburban SUV-driver: U.S. officials think Saudi Arabia is overpromising on its capacity to supply oil to a fuel-thirsty world. That sets up a scenario, the documents show, whereby the Saudis could dramatically underdeliver on output by as soon as next year, sending fuel prices soaring.
The cables detail a meeting between a U.S. diplomat and Sadad al-Husseini, a geologist and former head of exploration for Saudi oil monopoly Aramco, in November 2007. Husseini told the American official that the Saudis are unlikely to keep to their target oil output of 12.5 million barrels per day output in order to keep prices stable. Husseini also indicated that Saudi producers are likely to hit "peak oil"--the point at which global output hit its high mark--as early as 2012. That means, in essence, that it will be all downhill from there for the enormous Saudi oil industry.
"According to al-Husseini, the crux of the issue is twofold. First, it is possible that Saudi reserves are not as bountiful as sometimes described, and the timeline for their production not as unrestrained as Aramco and energy optimists would like to portray," one of the cables reads. "While al-Husseini fundamentally contradicts the Aramco company line, he is no doomsday theorist. His pedigree, experience and outlook demand that his predictions be thoughtfully considered."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thelookout/20110209/ts_yblog_thelookout/wikileaks-saudis-running-out-of-oil |
Believe it or not, I look forward to the time that the world's oil supply begins to falter. When that happens, it will kickstart advances in alternative energies to the point we don't rely on oil so much. Of course, there will be a difficult transition period but we will be the better for it in the end.
And, the Saudis won't have as much influence in world events:)
Sadebugo
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veiledsentiments

Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 2:42 pm Post subject: |
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Sheikh N Bake wrote: |
Aramco and Exxonmobil? Yeah, well you FORGOT ABOUT THE POCKETS OF THE PRINCES. |
ARAMCO = the pockets of the princes!! Thus no need for me to mention them.
And there is a website this morning that is reporting that King Abdullah has died in the US, but it is being kept a secret. Ah... the land of rumors...
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958
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Posted: Thu Feb 10, 2011 11:56 pm Post subject: |
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Well, if King Abdullah has died, then the US will immediately inherit KSA, because Obama is a distant relative of the king.
Except, he is not really, because in fact, he was originally a female Louisiana hick who did a gender-swap with a guy called Hilary back in 1990 so that Bill would have a white female partner, and then a race swap with a singer called Michael who really wanted to be white.
This was all while George Snr was shoveling sand into his car, and only wanted to invade Iraq as a decoy to throw the world off the idea that really, sand powers all internal combustion engines and he wanted to preserve the Arizona desert until sand prices peaked.
Now the knowledge is public, Aramco will soon change it's name to Sandy Aramco, and sand will reach premium prices. Oil will be given away free, and Concorde will be brought back into service because it really does run on oil. The inaugural flight will be from CdG airport, and will last two minutes. Aviation sand, however, will be exempt from federal taxes, and the Rub Al Khali will see an enormous real-estate boom.
This is true. How do I know? Well, I saw a website (whose name I have now forgotten) revealing all this. |
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Sheikh N Bake

Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours
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Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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Hhmmm, well all of that sounds wonderful to me except for the frigging Charles de Gaulle airport. Dubya should have invaded that place and destroyed it instead of irrelevant backwaters like Iraq. Better yet, nuked it after firing all the state employees who work there. Oh--that's right, they can't get fired in France. Then they should have been --what's the word? Transferred? Irrigated? Oh yes--renditioned. Renditioned to enjoy Egyptian government hospitality.
Whatever--CDG would have been no more!! It's just a fantasy  |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958
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Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 7:02 pm Post subject: |
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Well, SNB, it looks like your feelings towards CdG are similar to mine, then?
Why does everyone working there make you feel like they are doing you a massive favor, by allowing you to transit through their airport? |
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Sheikh N Bake

Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours
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Posted: Fri Feb 11, 2011 7:17 pm Post subject: |
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They're very hospitable when you consider they allow you to stand in security line for 90 minutes. Compare to Zurich, Frankfurt, Houston...8 minutes tops. Compare the restaurants too--basically there aren't any at CDG. I did find one once, out of some 12 transits. |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958
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Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 11:43 am Post subject: |
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Sheikh, you're missing the whole point, don't you see. You think that restaurants in France are for eating in, it seems. How naive of you!
Thing is, they're not. They're for purely decorative purposes, and to allow the owner/manager/Maitre D' to stand there and shout, "Ferme, ferme, nous sommes ferme!" at anyone who approaches and tries to get food. If they are foreigners, all the better, he can be particularly rude to them.
Generally, I like France as a country, and I love their cuisine and wines...when you can get them, that is. Everything seems to be always closed apart from very restricted meal times. In fairness to most of the country, Paris is a particularly inhospitable place. The further south you go, the nicer they become.
However, to anyone out there who relishes a really pleasant experience of Europe (airports and otherwise), in terms of customer service, efficiency, cleanliness, decent food at reasonable prices and great beer, try Austria, Netherlands and Germany. Some people say they're unfriendly; in fact, the opposite is the case, it's just that they are reserved, which gets mistaken for lack of warmth.
I even use their airlines and never use Air France, just so I can avoid spending even a second of my life in places like CdG.
Heathrow isn't bad, if you don't mind the 'madding crowds'.
If you really have to fly anywhere near CdG, do it in a B52!  |
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sheikh yer money-maker
Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 79 Location: Saudi Arabia
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Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 1:26 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
...and never use Air France... |
Call it what it is, Air Chance! |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958
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Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 1:52 pm Post subject: |
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There's quite a few around whose names could be slightly altered to reflect that they really stand for.
Swizz Air (Whizzair)
GlueAir (BlueAir but they kinda leave you stuck)
Cryin' Air
Sh1tty Jet
And I'm just waiting for Fly-by-Night Air to take off.
Actually, come to think of it, most passengers with cheap airlines spend much of their time waiting for them to take off! *SLAPPIN MY THIGHS* |
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Sheikh N Bake

Joined: 26 Apr 2007 Posts: 1307 Location: Dis ting of ours
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Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:10 pm Post subject: |
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Of course, in all fairness, there was that one CDG restaurant I found in 12 transits. It was 6 am, as it always was in airports during my recent rotation days. Anyway, they were decent enough to burn my eggs for only $30.
Don't get me started on Air France onboard breakfasts. They are the only airline that serves nothing that isn't sweet. Strawberry yogurt, a glazed bun, melon, orange juice.... eewwww....how do you eat a breakfast like that at my age after a red-eye flight from Equatorial Guinea? |
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sheikh yer money-maker
Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 79 Location: Saudi Arabia
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Posted: Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:50 pm Post subject: |
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Quote: |
Swizz Air (Whizzair)
GlueAir (BlueAir but they kinda leave you stuck)
Cryin' Air
Sh1tty Jet
And I'm just waiting for Fly-by-Night Air to take off. |
and don't forget what the Japanese used to, unlaughingly, refer to as "NorthWorst"! I double Delta will be much better for their acquisition! |
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Bebsi
Joined: 07 Feb 2005 Posts: 958
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Posted: Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:55 am Post subject: |
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It has to be said, there are very few things in this universe that compare with eating dinner with friends on their terrace in Bergerac, or Foie Gras with the love of your life at a seafront restaurant in Stes Maries de la Mer.
France is a beautiful country...and I can understand the restrictions on opening hours in a small family restaurant, but why?...why does the major airport in one of the world's most important cities have to behave like an aerodrome in a village backwater of the 1930s, in terms of customer service? |
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