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May 31, 2007
Detroit sticks its head in the sand and tries to pull all americians in there with them.
Green Car Congress: Automakers Rally US Citizens to Oppose Higher Fuel Economy Standards
Posted by Martin at 8:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 30, 2007
Mark Jacobson's Ethanol study home page
One of the anti-ethanol studies came out of Stanford from this Mark Jacobson. Immediately the EThanol industry and Vinod bashed the guy as a sell-out to Exxon. On his home page: E85vWindSol you can read the report, the industry critique and his response. He claims no Exxon funding directly and that he used a NASA computer. But Exxon IS a big funder of Stanford overall. I e-mailed him and here is his response:
Martin,
Thanks for your email. That's a strange question to ask, but the answer is that the funding came from my Stanford University salary with computer support from NASA. I have no corporate sponsors nor have I ever performed research in my career at the request of any corporation. What makes you ask this question? The conclusions of the study imply that both gasoline and E85 will kill thousands of people each year as gasoline does today, and should be eliminated in favor of cleaner technologies. I think this is common sense and it doesn't require a corporate sponsor to draw such a conclusion.
The published paper and responses to industrial people and other advocates are located at
http://www.stanford.edu/group/efmh/jacobson/E85vWindSol
Sincerely,
Mark Jacobson
My summary: He is right that any internal combustion of anything is worse than electric or fuel cell. Unfortunately we are going to have internal combustion and diesel engines on the road for many many years, so we better get alternatives for them. We are not going to change the fleet in time.
Posted by Martin at 12:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 29, 2007
The first chain mail I have ever posted
I get lots of spam. And lots of "whacky, silly" mails forwarded by other people. Even urban myths. This one below is attributed to Jay Leno, but I have no personal confirmation. I may call him tomorrow and ask him personally. If i get him to comment, I will post about it. From my personal conversations with him, I have heard him say a number of times "stop the whining", so I wouldn't put it past him to write something like this. But it does have a few more references to God than I would expect. The reason I am reposting it though, is that regardless of who wrote it, I agree that America is the greatest nation on earth and most people are totally ungrateful and unappreciative of the freedoms and prosperity we have. Reading the NYT and watching CNN is bad. Try reading European press. You would think America is the root of all evil in the world and Pres. Bush is the devil incarnate. America is the greatest nation on earth and I think my lucky stars every day to be a part of it, whoever is leading it. Turn off the TV, stop reading sensationalist stuff. Make up your own mind.
___________________FWD
"The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine
and came across some poll data I found rather hard
to believe. It must be true given the source, right?
The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of
Americans are unhappy with the direction the country
is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy
with the performance of the president. In essence,
2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.
So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started
thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''
Is it that we have electricity and running water 24
hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the
result of having air conditioning in the summer and
heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of
these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability
to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more
food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean
to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification
papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the
hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the
way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having
thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around
the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when
we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide
services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you
to the hospital.
Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans
who own a home. You may be upset with knowing that
in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained
firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch
equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you,
your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home
watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or
prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a
bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your
family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of
a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and
pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent
of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
How about the complete religious, social and political
freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the
world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks
unhappy.
Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful,
spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the
world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens.
They see us for what we are. The most blessed people
in the world who do nothing but complain about what we
don't have, and what we hate about the country instead
of thanking the good Lord we live here.
I know, I know. What about the president who took
us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president
who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the
same president who guided the nation in the dark days after
9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy
out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been
called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all
the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks?
The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army
that is out there defending you and me? Did you hear how
bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news
affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't
take a look around for yourself and see all the good things
and be glad?
Think about it......are you upset at the President because
he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the
"Media" told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful
behind every day.
Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and
Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases
may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft
in this country. They didn't have to go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with
either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable''
discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable''
discharge after a few days in the brig.
So why then the flat-out discontentment in the
minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you
want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads
and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch
a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch
kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows
this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They
offer what sells , and when criticized, try to defend
their actions by "justifying" them in one way or another.
Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J.
Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife,
but if he did he would have done it this way......Insane!
Stop buying the negativism you are fed everyday by
the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the
New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then
start being grateful for all we have as a country. There
is exponentially more good than bad.
We are among the most blessed people on Earth and
should thank God several times a day, or at least be
thankful and appreciative."
"With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control,
mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up
the country from one end to another, and with the
threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, "Are we sure this is
a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"
Jay Leno
Please keep this in circulation. There are so many
people that need to read this and grasp the truth of it all.
Posted by Martin at 9:37 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
May 26, 2007
Check out the trailer for a new documentary I am in
Veracity Productions: Energy Rush
Posted by Martin at 2:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 22, 2007
Soap and Detergent association joins NBB in fighting Renewable Diesel tax credit
Go soap guys! Chemical & Engineering News: Latest News - Biodiesel, Soap Makers Clash With Big Oil Over Tax Credit
Posted by Martin at 3:15 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What are the Republican front runners saying about energy and Iraq?
Read the summary my DC people put together.
On balance Guiliani gets my vote on these two issues.
Major Republican Presidential Candidates.doc
Posted by Martin at 1:43 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 21, 2007
A review of "Hollywoodland (Widescreen Edition)"
I hate Beniffer, I bought it to see Diane Lane. Even she couldn’t save this dog. Don’t bother.
Posted by Martin at 11:22 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Gas prices keep on climbing, new all time high!
Last week I reported on the new all-time high price for a gallon of gasoline, and am doing so again this week. Don't be surprised if next week reads like the same report.
The Energy Information Administration said today that the average price paid by an American for a gallon rose 11.5 cents to $3.218, which is the highest level ever reached for the fuel in absolute terms. Relative to inflation, we might break that record next week: the highest ever inflation-adjusted price is $3.223, reached in March of 1981.
The current price is 32.6 cents above one year ago.
With only two exceptions, gasoline prices have risen every week since January 22, which is a rise of $1.053 -- a 48.6% increase. The price on Jan 22 was the lowest since December 5, 2005.
The Gulf Coast rose the most, up 17.7 cents. The area is the location of the largest concentration of U.S. operable refining capacity.
The Midwest price rise marked its own regional record, jumping by 15.4 cents, which is up by 56.9 cents from one year ago. BP's Whiting refinery in Indiana is operating at only half of its 410,000 barrel per day capacity after suffering both a fire and other operational issues.
If the average price rises by just .005 cent next week, we go back to the inflation-adjusted future of 1981. Of course, if we adjust the price per gallon for gasoline's carbon emissions and geopolitical volatility, then a gallon would arguably not be cheap at any price.
Regional Prices
East Coast: $3.097, up 11.6c
Midwest: $3.326, up 15.4c
Gulf Coast: $3.092, up 17.7c
Rocky Mountains: $3.265, up 7.2c
Posted by Martin at 8:29 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Mercedes drives across India on Jatropha
DaimlerChrysler - Technology & Innovation - From Jatropha Oil to Biodiesel
Remember, I said Jatropha is the future.
Posted by Martin at 8:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
the new carbon neutral business plan
Posted by Martin at 11:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Thinking about sharks
Sharks are a fact of life for surfers. Being in Hawaii this week I have been thinking about sharks quite a bit. There have been a number of schemes to prevent shark attacks on surfers, here comes the latest: Geeky Rare-Earth Magnets Repel Sharks. Unfortunately the magnets only have a range of 10 inches and the polarity has to be lined up right. The weight would probably not be good for a surfboard, but I wouldn't doubt there are products coming. Maybe just surf booties since feet are the tasty morsels dangling down most of the time.
Posted by Martin at 11:34 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 20, 2007
A story about "Contemplative Prayer"
Thomas Merton is a great thinker. If he had lived longer we may have seen much more dialogue between Catholics and Buddists. I always wondered what the difference between regular prayer and contemplative prayer was. This book lays it out. Contemplative prayer is the deep long term kind of thing that priests and monks are called to do. It has it’s own special rewards. The kind of rewards that only full dedication can bring. Here it is in a nutshell:
“The climate in which monastic prayer flowers is that of the desert, where the comfort of man is absent, and where prayer must be sustained by God in the purity of faith.”
The world is a better place because of Merton.
I rate this book 5 of 5 if you are interested in understanding Catholic prayer life. If you are not, do not read this book.
Posted by Martin at 9:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Alpha Dog has its day (rated 4 stars)
I remember the previews in the theatres and wanted to see it there, but it was in Seattle for like two days or something. So I was at Best Buy last week and picked it up. For some reason white gang banger pot head movies have a special place in my collection (American History X, Fast times at Ridgemont High, Detroit Rock City, Dazed and Confused, etc.) The intro credit sceens try to convince you these are just neighborhood kids playing cowboys and indians like veryone else. Then you get dropped into the reality of small time drug dealer and his possee and rivals. While that stuff is interesting (especially all the tatoos), the most interesting part of the story is the second part in the relationship between the “stolen boy” and his captors. The drug dealer kidnaps the brother of a guy who owes him $50K and holds him for ransom. But not tied to a chair and tortured as you have seen before. The “Stolen Boy” is broght along to all the parties, he is very much ok with it saying “I don’t want to cause my brother any more trouble”. Stolen boy makes friends with his captors, gets laid, high and has a good time. That makes what the captors have to do in the end all that much harder. There is real drama and soul searching, not expected in a gang banger movie. Very enjoyable. I rate this 4 of 5 stars.
Posted by Martin at 9:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A story about "Down in the Valley"
I see Edward Norton in a cowboy outfit with a gun, I want to see the movie. Maybe I am Pavlov dog, but that is how it is. Unfortunately this movie had very little guns and was very slow. A psycological plot without the thriller part. Some moments of insight, but mostly art house wanking. I was not in the mood for arthouse last night. One highlight was the sparseness of the dialogue. Characters said very few words and didn’t try to be smarter than real people. At one point after the sister has been missing, the father is talking to the son:
F: What do you love about your sister?
S: I don’t know. What do you?
F: I don’t know, the whole package I guess.
That is how men really talk about their feelings. Or don’t talk.
If you like Edward Norton, you will like this movie as he is very Ed. But he is not Hollywood Ed, he is complicated arthouse ed. Don’t expect Fight Club or American History X.
I rate the movie 2 of 5 stars.
Posted by Martin at 8:51 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The future of biodiesel in hawaii
I am in Hawaii for the week working on our refinery here. On friday I went out to see the future of biodiesel feedstocks: jatropha. While the current biodiesel industry has been built on the back of industrial scale food crops like soy, palm and canola, the future is energy specific crops like Jatropha, mustard, camellina, castor and others. So I drove out into the red fields and got my picture taken with the future.
Posted by Martin at 8:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 16, 2007
check out all the biodiesel legislation in california!
The bills as drafted:
SB 70: Defines biodiesel as a fuel and not an additive
SB 71: Mandates use of biodiesel B20 in state / local / government fleets.
SB 72: Mandates use of B20 in school busses
SB 73: Tax credit for production of biodiesel
SB 74: Sales and use tax exemptions for infrastructure
SB 75: Requires state to only purchase diesel vehicles warrantied to B20 or higher.
Posted by Martin at 12:14 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
I need to reset Google keywords somehow
I make one post one time about auctions where you can buy drug-lord cast-offs and forever the #1 search term leading to my blog is "buy cocaine". Anyone have any idea how to reset that? Yikkes...
Search Keyphrases (Top 10)
Full list
2382 different keyphrases Search Percent
buy cocaine 73 1.7 %
biodiesel impala 72 1.7 %
martin tobias 65 1.5 %
where to buy cocaine 44 1 %
biodiesel motorcycle 42 1 %
herf gun 41 0.9 %
green crystals 37 0.8 %
whipple supercharger 37 0.8 %
home nas 36 0.8 %
1000 hp 33 0.7 %
Other phrases 3688 88.4 %
Posted by Martin at 10:24 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
EIA reports RECORD gas prices...and the kids aren't even out of school!
Aron pointed out to me that Monday we hit record gas prices in this country, higher than Katrina levels. In honor of this day I wore my new shirt.
The Energy Information Administration announced today that the average retail pump price for regular gasoline in the U.S. reached its highest level ever, rising 4.9 cents per gallon to $3.103.
The previous record was made after Hurricane Katrina battered refineries on the Gulf Coast. The current pump price is 3.4 cents higher than then.
Pump prices have risen, except for two exceptions, every week since the 22nd of Jan, when the price hit it lowest level since Dec 5 of 2005. Since Jan 22, gasoline has risen by a total of 93.8 cents, which represents a rise of 43.3%.
(These numbers are in absolute terms; on an inflation adjusted basis, the highest price ever is from March 1981 when a gallon of regular was at $3.223.)
Regionally, the West Coast, Midwest and Rocky Mountains made the new all-time highs to lift the national average, with the East Coast and Gulf Coast hitting the highest figures since Aug of 2006.
Regional prices for the week
East Coast: $2.981, +2.3c Midwest: $3.172, + 9.8c Gulf Coast: $2.915, +4.5c Rocky Mountains: $3.193, +10.3c West Coast: $3.378, +0.5c California: $3.45, --1.1c
Posted by Martin at 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 14, 2007
Bush comments on GHG and oil independence
CQ TODAYMay 14, 2007 2:20 p.m.
Bush Orders Regulatory Initiative to Cut Gasoline Use
By Jeff Tollefson, CQ Staff
President Bush announced Monday that he plans to implement regulations on biofuels and automotive fuel efficiency before leaving office in 2008, potentially parallelling congressional Democrats initiatives on both fronts.
The president announced nothing substantively new but said he plans to pursue administratively the goal he laid out in his State of the Union speech in January of cutting gasoline consumption by 20 percent in 10 years.
The 20 in 10 proposal includes a federal mandate for the use of 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels largely such biofuels as ethanol as well as a 4 percent annual increase in automotive fuel efficiency standards beginning in 2010.
Bush said the initiatives would reduce the nations dependence on oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions. He cited the regulations as a response to the Supreme Courts 5-4 ruling last month that the administration has the authority to regulate greenhouse gases.
Bush said his decision to move forward with regulations, which would not require congressional approval, is not intended as a substitute for congressional action on the matter. The White House has proposed legislation incorporating Bushs plan but the response by leading Democrats has been luke warm at best.
Advocates of boosting the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards blasted the presidents proposal because it assumes, but does not require, a 4 percent annual increase in gasoline mileage standards. Similarly, Democrats and environmentalists have criticized the proposed alternative fuels standard because it would include coal-based transportation fuels, which would at best do little to reduce greenhouse gases and could increase emissions.
Bipartisan legislation addressing both biofuels and automotive fuel efficiency is pending before the Senate. The Energy and Natural Resources Committee has approved legislation (S 1321) that would mandate the use of 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022., while the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee last week approved a bill (S 357) to boost mileage standards by 40 percent by 2020.
House leaders plan to take up legislation on alternative fuels as part of a broader energy independence package in July, although it is unclear when or how legislation addressing automotive fuel efficiency would move in that chamber.
The presidents proposals do not directly address the Supreme Courts April 2 decision on greenhouse gases.
In a 5-4 decision, the court rejected the administrations position that it does not have the authority to regulate carbon dioxide under the Clean Air Act.
The court stopped short of ordering the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the carbon dioxide from automobiles, but it said the administration could reaffirm its decision not to regulate the gas only if it can show that it does not contribute to global warming and impact human health.
The increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations is widely believed to be the primary culprit in global warming.
Posted by Martin at 12:55 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Truckers go big for biodiesel
New news over at e T r u c k e r - News - eTrucker.com . Summarizing all the trucking industry endorsements of biodiesel. The momentum is going.
Posted by Martin at 9:03 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 13, 2007
What does McCain think about Energy Policy?
Click on over here and watch the video and read the pitch. John McCain 2008 - John McCain for President. Alot of posturing and tying energy security to national security. Not much new, but a VERY warrior approach to the policy. Check some of it...
"Al Qaeda plans for attacks on oil facilities in the Middle East to destroy the American economy. A little over a year ago, a suicide attack at a major Saudi Arabian oil refinery came close to disabling its target. Had it succeeded, it would have driven the world price of oil above $150 dollars a barrel -and kept it there for a year.
We're one successful attack away from an economic crisis. The flow of oil has many chokepoints - pipelines, refineries, transit routes, and terminals; most of them outside our jurisdiction and control. Our enemies understand the effects on America of a significant disruption in supply - a crippled transportation system, gasoline too expensive for many Americans to purchase, businesses closed.
Al Qaeda must revel in the irony that America is effectively helping to fund both sides of the war they caused. As we sacrifice blood and treasure, some of our gas dollars flow to the fanatics who build the bombs, hatch the plots, and carry out attacks on our soldiers and citizens. Iran made over $45 billion from oil sales in 2005, and it is the number one state sponsor of terrorism."
the solution: free markets, american innovation:
"The strategy I propose won't be another grab bag of handouts to this or that industry and a full employment act for lobbyists. It will promote the diversification and conservation of our energy sources that will in sufficient time break the dominance of oil in our transportation sector just as we diversified away from oil use in electric power generation thirty years ago; and substantially reduce the impact of our energy consumption on the planet. It will rely on the genius and technological prowess of American industry and science. Government must set achievable goals, but the markets should be free to produce the means. And those means are within our reach."
short on substance. but in the right direction. I wish he had called for a carbon tax. Or for fully reflecting the cost of oil in the price of oil.
Posted by Martin at 6:17 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
New video on the Philly highschool students with biodiesel hybrid
I have written about this car before. Now MTV does a great video interview. Pimp Your (Biodiesel) Ride | Pimp Your (Biodiesel) Ride | MTV
Posted by Martin at 4:26 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A story about "Infidel"
My father called about three weeks ago, very excited. He had just finished Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali and was breathless. I haven’t heard my father so excited about a book in quite a while. He said he was sending it up and I should read it for a better understand of Islam and what is going on in the fundamentalist mid-east. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a Somali born Danish citizen, one of the few Islamic women to escape with their lives from arranged marriages, excision, honor killings of pregnant women, and the general backwarness of the form of Islam taught by the likes of the Muslim Brotherhood. Go to YouTube and search for Submission. Watch the film that caused the Islamic radicals to kill Theo Van Gogh and force his co-producer, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, into state security hiding for months. The murderer stabbed a not to Ali in the chesk of van Gogh (after 49 other stabbings). Also watch the clip on You Tube with Ayaan on Bill Maher.
This is very powerful stuff. I put it on my top five books to understand the Mid East and what the West is up against. In here own words “The message of this book, if it must have a message, is that we in the West would be wrong to prolong the pain of that transition unnecessarilly, by elevating culturs full of bigotry and hatred toward women to the stature of respectable alternatives ways of life. Life is better in Europe than it is in the Muslim world because human relations are better, and one reason human relations are better is that in the West, life on earth is valued in the here and now, and individuals enjoy rights and freedoms that are recognized and protected by the state. To accept subordination and abuse because Allah willed it – that, for me, would be self-hatred.”
Read this book. Five of Five stars
Posted by Martin at 12:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Save net Radio
I like listening to SOMAfm.com while working at home. A recent ruling by the copyright board significantly raises royalties for internet radio stations and threatens to make them ad blasting noise sinks just like regular radio. Surf over to: Savenetradio.org and help stop this. The House has passed a stay of execution, the Senate needs to move next.
Posted by Martin at 12:19 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 12, 2007
Diesel Particulate matter shown to impair blood flow to bone marrow
Remember the first studies on second hand smoke? Here they come for second hand exhaust effects: Green Car Congress: Chemical Component of Diesel PM Can Compromise Blood Flow. Expect more. When the full health effects of exhaust, diesel in particular, are known, the public will be outraged.
Posted by Martin at 11:32 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Audi continues to tease us about a V12 TDI Q7
Green Car Congress: Audi Introduces V12 Diesel Passenger Car Concept. Come on, just make the damn thing!
Posted by Martin at 11:28 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 10, 2007
The mid-east heats up
OPEC and Middle East news...
PFC Energy, an energy consultancy, has released a research report that states the main, long-term threat to oil supplies is resource nationalism. According to their research, only now are the full effects of the nationalism efforts of the 60s and 70s impacting the market. This ties to the Global Investment Strategys theory that productive spare capacity is now nearly exhausted; the result of years of underinvestment in new production and not allowing multinational oil companies to use their sophisticated recovery techniques to maximize production. The result of this lack of spare capacity is that if demand rises, little can be done to stop prices from doing the same.
With nations such as Venezuela forcing out the multinationals and non-OPEC production likely to decline in coming years, the problem will likely persist and worsen as demand is expected to show continued growth. Thus, the world will likely rely on nations such as Saudi Arabia, Angola, Nigeria, and central Asian states such as Kazakhstan to meet future demand growth and provide any supply cushion that may be available.
MENL reported that in April the U.S. military sustained over 100 casualties as explosively formed projectile attacks set a new record at 69, up 31 from March. DEBKA reports that since January, car bombings in Iraq have increased 30%. U.S. troop commanders believe that with 30k additional troops coming to Iraq in June to help stop al Qaeda operations in the nation, its likely casualties will increase. One of the problems the U.S. military is running into is that they are taking the offensive directly to the insurgency, but that means they are moving into areas they are less familiar with. This complicates operations and can lead to more casualties.
The U.S. efforts against the Sunni insurgency may be further complicated by the fact that Iran is supporting them. Weve noted before that Iran was likely playing both sides of the fence. On Wednesday a U.S. military spokesman in Iraq was reported by DEBKA as confirming Iranian intelligence officials were acting in support of insurgent groups in Iraq. Any links between al Qaeda in Iraq and Iran are at best sketchy, but it wouldnt be too surprising to hear the Iranians are supporting al Qaeda solely to inflict mass casualties on the U.S. in hopes of forcing a withdrawal of coalition forces. Noting previous reports that only Sunnis conduct suicide attacks in Iraq, this would likely be one of the best ways to engage the U.S. without having to suffer too many casualties.
On the Iranian offer to help the U.S. form an exit strategy, we think Iran is probably serious about this, as they would welcome a U.S. exit; the problem is that Iran would likely be charged with working to control the Shiite community in the nation. We note the Shiite community has seemingly become more fractionalized. This would likely complicate any Iranian efforts in helping stabilize Iraq as their influence over the Shiite population may be less than when dealing with a more unified Shiite community.
In Palestine, the nation is merging its militias, including Hamas, into an umbrella military. Earlier this year there were reports suggesting Hamas was attempting to form an army. It appears the majority of troops will come from the Palestinian National Forces, and the PNF would serve as central command. Also from Palestine, Farfour, the martyr mouse that looked strikingly similar to Mickey Mouse, has been pulled from the air for a review of the show. The mouse character has in the past called on children to engage in resistance against both Israel and the U.S.
Yesterday, a Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) statement from Jomo Gbomo said MEND played a significant part in getting Nigerian VP Goodluck Jonathon his post. This is the first time a political patron of the group has been identified. In the near-term, we view the inauguration of Yaradua as an event that will decrease infrastructure attacks and Delta violence. Over time though, wed anticipate the militant umbrella that is MEND to splinter and attacks will likely resume.
Posted by Martin at 11:56 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 9, 2007
Big oil funds anti-biofuels research
I have said for some time that big oil is employing tried and true monopolist tactics to surpress options to their product. One of these is funding faulty science or denial science. ExxonMobile seems to have shifted: Big oil undermining biofuel research, warns watchdog | Inside Greentech from denying climate change exists to saying biofuels won't help or are worse. Who do they think we are? Ethanol is worse than crude oil??? come on
Posted by Martin at 10:36 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 7, 2007
GE launches new marine turbine and verifies biodiesel compatability
this is huge news in terms of demand for biodiesel in marine applications: Shipping, shipbuilding, offshore news
Posted by Martin at 10:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Hey ma, check out my logo
Here is me and the PMR Impala at the drag race. Cool eh?
Posted by Martin at 10:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The Germans are coming
I have been writing for some time about the upcoming clash of titans between clean diesel from Europe and the hybrids from Japan. America will be ground zero in this war. Thanks Aron for an update below...
Tired of taking it on the chin from Toyota, the German car-makers are starting to honk their horns about the easy benefits to be had from vehicles running on diesel -- even in comparison to the much vaunted hybrids made by the Japanese.
Carbon dioxide emissions from new, clean diesel engines meet -- or even exceed -- the benchmark set by hybrid cars. However, the public relations battle so far has been won by the hybrid-makers who have branded themselves to a significant degree around the beneficial qualities of their low emission vehicles, and have benefited from the celebrity love affair with hybrids (granted, some are turned off though by the sight of some silly Hollywood star preening in a Prius). But that may be set to change.
For example, Volkswagen's new diesel Polo BlueMotion emits a mere 102 grammes of CO2 per km -- and that's less than a Toyota Prius. The Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec, which can take you 700 miles on a single tank of diesel, won the 2007 Green Car Award at the New York car show. The other two finalists were also German: BMW's Hydrogen 7 and the aforementioned Polo BlueMotion.
Though Toyota is commonly thought of now as the green consumer's top choice of auto-maker, those consumer might be surprised to learn that last year those hybrids accounted for barely 3.5% of Toyota's overall sales. Even more interesting: Toyota's fleet emits more CO2 than VW's. Additionally, people are starting to pay attention to something we have long pointed out as problematic about hybrids: their extensive battery-pack system. Batteries have always been one of the most environmentally negative aspects to a vehicle, due to their toxic composition and recycling difficulty. Hybrids can magnify this matter because of their almost obese usage of battery power.
For its part, BMW has high hopes for its new 1 Series, which went on sale in Europe this March. The vehicle uses a diesel engine emitting only 123 g/km of CO2, which is below the industry's current target and is quite close to the EU's target for 2012 calling for 120 g/km.
BMW's engineers are making strides with their new designs by way of a multitude of modifications to conventional vehicles: using lighter materials, improved fuel injection and better aerodynamics, and employing the "stop-start" function that hybrids already use. Whereas hybrids tend to realize their best mpg benefits in urban driving situations, diesels maintain their efficiency at freeway speeds. A modern diesel engine enjoys on average 30% superior mileage than its gasoline engine equivalent.
And all of this is true when those diesels are running on traditional fuel; things get really exciting once you add Biodiesel into the mix.
Posted by Martin at 9:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 5, 2007
What does the DOD think of peak oil and future oil supplies?
"The US soldier today uses 16 times the oil than the WWII soldier."
Posted by Martin at 6:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A story about "Timeline"
I have never been much of a history buff. That stuff is all in the past right? Nor have I been much of a Michale Crichton fan: too Hollywood. But my mother sent me Timeline and I couldn’t put it down. Very engaging concept to time travel through quantum computing (which is a personal interest in the REAL world). The ending is a bit abrupt and seems pasted on, but the plot is very engaging and flows well. I read it mostly on planes, and it is a perfect antidote to the airline movie. I rate 3 of 5 stars.
Posted by Martin at 5:46 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
when will TSHTF?
A reader over at Peak Oil: Life After the Oil Crash has analyzed the negative economic and social impacts of oil peaking on US, Soviet Union, Iran, Indonesia and Iraq over the last two decades. The data suggest that 3-5 years after the "peak" severe change happens. Using Mr. Matthew Simmons' educated guess as December, 2005 as being the world peak, then we could begin to expect to experience these adverse effects as early as 2008.
That is called when TSHTF. I hope that reader is wrong, but fear he is not far off.
Posted by Martin at 5:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
who is that?
Posted by Martin at 7:44 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
May 2, 2007
Brazilian soy fundamentals bearish for prices
from AGE today. Lets see, highest carry-over volume since 2004, hummm why are prices so high?
The Brazilian Vegetable Oils Industry Association announced today that Brazil's soybean stocks as of March were 12.4 million metric tons. This represents the highest carry-over volume since 2004 (when 10 million tons were available from the previous crop). February figures were just 5.2 million tons.
April figures are expected to show another record high since Brazil is now in the final stages of harvesting a large 58.9 million ton soy crop.
The crushers bought 9.5 million tons of soybeans from farmers in March, up from 5 million in February. In March of last year, 8.4 million tons were purchased.
Most of the soy is bound for export, with a record 26.6 million tons anticipated to be shipped in the market year 2007-2008 (Feb to Jan).
In the face of growing demand for soyoil from Brazil's biodiesel producers, oil nonetheless fell in March to 226,000 tons, from 229,000 tons in February. March of last year saw soyoil consumption of 259,000. Consumption this March for soyoil marks the lowest rate in five years.
Posted by Martin at 2:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack