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June 27, 2007
check out a turbine biodiesel powered go cart
Wow: T U R B O K A R T :: Home... Biodiesel powered jet go cart. I love it! I want one!
Posted by Martin at 1:40 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 26, 2007
RSPO issues further sustainability guidelines
RSPO Statement: Sustainable Palm Oil Certification and Trading Systems 26 June 2007
Kuala Lumpur, 26 June 2007: The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) took another step closer towards its stated objective of bringing sustainable palm oil to the market. A Certification protocol with recommendations for a complete scheme for certifying palm oil production against the RSPO Principles & Criteria for Sustainable Palm Oil Production (RSPO P&C, which includes the generic Guidance and Indicators) has been approved by the RSPO Executive Board. Trial or pilot audits using the draft system are already underway. It is expected that results from these audits will be shared at the upcoming 5th Roundtable Meeting on Sustainable Palm Oil (RT5) scheduled during 20-22 November 2007 in Kuala Lumpur. The Certification systems Protocol gives clear guidance to Certification Bodies on how to become accredited (i.e. registered) as RSPO certifiers. This will allow palm oil producers to approach these Certification Bodies with the request to undertake an RSPO audit. The Certification Protocol is now available on the RSPO web site. A document detailing which steps producers need to take to engage with Certification Bodies is in preparation.In addition to this, a document has been developed which describes a range of trading systems and options for trade in certified palm oil. The document on Supply Chain Options is now available on the RSPO web site. This document covers the following 3 options:
Segregated supply chains (which will lead into a Separate Commodity Grade in case of sufficient volume of Sustainable Palm Oil)
Controlled Mixing of certified and non-certified palm oil (also referred to as Mass-balance)
Parallel Certificate Trading (Book and Claim)
It is the view of the RSPO Executive Board (EB) that all options as well as rules for the use of claims together with transaction and trading systems would be implemented in the future when trade in certified palm oil increases. The allowance of more options provides flexibility and robustness in supplying the market with certified sustainable palm oil. For the time being, allowed claims can vary as follows:
Further elaboration of claims is in process.
As well, the RSPO EB endorsed GreenPalm Brokers Ltd U.K. in the trading of RSPO palm oil certificates. GreenPalm would act as the sole RSPO endorsed broker for trade in certificates of RSPO palm oil. RSPO will maintain a clear database for volumes of certified oil and certificates traded to ensure the integrity of the system.
Posted by Martin at 10:20 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
What does your Presidental candidate think on energy?
All collected for you here courtesy of UTube. Presidential candidates on energy
Posted by Martin at 7:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 25, 2007
Ranting against American consumer culture
The drive for clean and green stuff/energy, etc. is in part a reaction to the supersized American consumer culture in general. Big houses, big cars, lots of stuff. All requiring more and more energy and fuel to drive around and get it, play with it, go to the show, etc. Browsing the depressing and completely paranoid LATOC site, I came across an interesting tidbit graphic:
Yes you read that right. 20.2 square feet of retail for every man, woman and child in America. 10X the world wide average. Now the Europeans are small countries and we are a big country with lots of land, so you would expect more, but 10X? Wow. I don't really have a personal problem with that. I love to shop. All that consumerism and retail is the backbone of the US economy. Just because we spend more than everyone else doesn't mean we can't afford it. Or that we should all start living in shoeboxes like the French. But it does give one a moment of pause. Do we really need 10X the retail of the rest of the world? What if we lived closer to each other and didn't see 10,000 commercials a year. Would we be happier with less? Hummmm...
Posted by Martin at 11:36 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Biodiesel in Italy
Thanks to a friend driving from Rome to Florence, we have a picture of the future. Two diesel pumps next to each other. One Dino and the other Bio. Check out the future....
Posted by Martin at 11:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Qatar GTL facility faces another setback
The proponents of GTL (a diesel alternative made from natural gas) were shown another setback today as Qatar reaffirmed no plans to use the fuel locally. Green Car Congress: Qatar Has No Plans for Wide-Spread Use of GTL Fuel. also read the comments from some very knowledgable people on the bad economics of GTL versus CNG. It is WAY cheaper to compress Natural Gas or Liquify it than it is to make a distillate like product through GTL. Ask the Oryx GTL which has spent over $1B and the thing still doesn't work.
Posted by Martin at 9:01 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 24, 2007
My new ride
Since STP is getting close, i have to spend much more time on the bike. Being in Hawaii alot meant either schlepping a bike back and forth or buying one down here. I choose the latter. LeMond Zurich carbon fibre with carbon race fork and Ultegra. A solid runner. 
Posted by Martin at 11:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 22, 2007
Safari easy install
So I start up Safari on Windows for the first time. It takes me to Apple home page of course (annoying), but SteveJ curiously does not ask me to import my preferences from Firefox or any other browser. I am used to windows programs asking that. At first I think he missed the opportunity and i am pissed. Then i poke around in the bookmarks and there are two new folders, "imported IE bookmarks" and "imported Firefox bookmarks". Thanks Stevej. Also in there are a BUNCH of pre-set bookmarks which I don't want, but that is how Steve J is paying the bills.
Posted by Martin at 7:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 21, 2007
Quote of the week
Thanks Mark
"The West is accusing Muslims of extremism and terrorism. If someone exploded a bomb on his body, he would be right to do so unless the British government apologizes and withdraws the sir title. "-- Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, religious-affairs minister in the Pakistani cabinet, speaking in Parliament last week, on Britains knighting of author Salman Rushdie.
Go ahead, read that one five times. If you can get it to make sense, please apply directly to the State Department. This is the face of Islam that moderates say does not exist.
Posted by Martin at 11:04 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Downloading Safari for Windows
Apple - Download - Thank you. I ditched IE about three years ago and never miss it except on Microsoft only sites and Sharepoint where they have the back-end tie in. I love Firefox. But it is not as professional as Safari. I hope SteveJ didn't put too many ads and iTunes crap in there that make it unusable.
Posted by Martin at 4:35 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 19, 2007
Diet Coke with Mayor Guiliani
Friday I had a Diet Coke with presidential hopeful Guiliani. I like him. We yacked for about an hour. His answer to my question on what he will do different about our oil dependency was a bit weak (he said we should encourage all alternatives including Nuclear) and showed that he hasn't parsed the "energy" word into "electricity" and "oil". But he now has that down correct (you are welcome). He has all the right things to say. I am just worried about what we will learn about him under the constant national spotlight which will melt the 911 cover.
Posted by Martin at 1:40 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 16, 2007
A story about "Bonhoeffer"
it was a bit cold today and looked like rain, so instead of a bike ride, I stayed in on the elliptical trainer and did some weights. Not wanting to listen to NPR again, I browsed the DVD case. I had bought this DVD in a fit of historical curiosity about the church and people of extreme faith. While a bit unsatisfying in style as it is just a bunch of voice overs, interviews and stock footage and pictures, I did learn quite a bit. I had no idea the complacency of the Catholic and Protestant church in Hitler’s rise. Nor did I understand the depth of the divisions in the German church or the extent of the conspiracy to topple Hitler. Interesting historically, but not narratively. You need to be a history or religious geek (like me) to enjoy it.
Posted by Martin at 10:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 15, 2007
Crude continues role, I bet ovefr $70 by the 4th
thanks AGE
Brent Crude already over $70. WTI will be there soon.
Crude oil futures rose to $68 a barrel Friday for the first time since March, extending a rally that was sparked earlier in the week by renewed worries about U.S. gasoline supplies and violence in the Palestinian territories. Gasoline futures led the rally, as traders continued to worry about U.S. refiners' ability to meet summer demand two days after the Department of Energy reported an unexpected drop in U.S. refinery utilization. "I still think we're reacting to the wildly bullish DOE report, which showed continued strong demand for gasoline and the inability of refiners to produce, and which set the tone for the week," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago. "On top of that, there is concern that the fighting in Gaza is going to spin out of control and that is making people reluctant to go home short." The July crude contract on the New York Mercantile Exchange jumped 35 cents to a high of $68 a barrel, the highest level for a front-month contract since March 27, when futures rose as high as $68.09 a barrel. A breach of $68.00-$68.07 a barrel could set up futures for a push to $70.00 a barrel, a level not seen since last September. The August Brent contract on ICE Futures, trading on its first day as the front-month contract, was down 17 cents at $71.19 a barrel after rising as high as $71.50 a barrel. Reformulated gasoline blendstock, or RBOB, for July delivery rose 3.29 cents to $2.2576 a gallon. July heating oil gained 16 points to $2.0177 a gallon. Gasoline futures, which fell through much of May and early this month, rose Wednesday after the DOE's Energy Information Administration reported that refinery utilization fell by 0.4 percentage point to 89.2% of capacity last week while gasoline stocks remained flat at 201.5 million barrels, well below their five-year average for this time of year. Valero Energy Corp. (VLO) shut a hydrocracker unit at its 340,000-barrel-a-day Corpus Christi, Texas, refinery on Thursday, due to the loss of a filter seal, according to a report filed with state environmental regulators. A week ago, Valero reported the shutdown of a hydrocracker unit at the Corpus Christi plant due to a malfunction in associated equipment, a separate filing to the TCEQ said. Concern over Middle East stability grew a day after the Palestinian militant group Hamas gained control of Gaza Strip. Israel's foreign minister said a proposed multinational force deployed along Gaza's border with Egypt must be willing to fight Hamas to stop weapons smuggling in the area. Traders worry that the factional fighting among Palestinian groups could snowball and further destabilize the region, home to two-thirds of the world's oil supplies, Flynn said. "The Middle East is definitely supportive, not that it's going to affect supplies, but people are going to be uncomfortable going home short with all the uncertainty," he said.
Posted by Martin at 10:59 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
The battle is on for the 2007 Energy bill
Check out all the ammendments in only the first 2 days: Green Car Congress: Update on the US Senate Energy Bill, Part 2
Posted by Martin at 9:49 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 13, 2007
Bullish DOE report on refined products
Against average and last year, using the DOE data, crude oil stocks are 24.6 mb above average and 2.8 mb above last year, gasoline stocks are 10.3 mb below average and 12.8 mb below last year and distillate stocks are 6.3 mb above average and 2.6 mb below last year. In the distillate details, diesel fuel stocks built 3.1 mb and are 18.3 mb above average and heating oil stocks fell 2.8 mb and are 10.6 mb below average. On the consumption side, year-on-year, gasoline demand rose 1.4%, jet decreased 1.6%, distillate rose 2.9%, resid lifted by 36.2% and overall demand was up 2.2%. The SPR was steady at 690.3 mb.
The report is bullish. The market anticipated significant builds in both products and both disappointed. Refinery utilization falling for the second consecutive weak is also supportive. The flat gasoline inventory number ends a five-week streak in which gasoline stockpiles built 8.4 mb.
Posted by Martin at 9:53 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 12, 2007
IEA raises forecast for fuel demand
IEA raises forecast for fuel demandThe International Energy Agency raised its forecast for fuel demand this year. The IEA said global demand is expected to rise 2% to 86.1 million barrels a day in 2007 from a revised 84.5 million barrels a day in 2006. That's 420,000 barrels more than the IEA projected in May and comes after higher-than-expected demand from nations including Indonesia and Singapore. The agency said in its monthly report that it's difficult to escape the conclusion that the oil market will be tight in the second half of the year.
Posted by Martin at 9:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 11, 2007
The details on Hot fuel
check out the chart on gallons of energy lost that shows in each state will loose this summer (alaska will pick up a few) to hot fuel. Then there are the dollars. This is from a congressional report on the matter that you all should read. Who was the chair of the committee? Sometimes presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich. I wish this were in the hands of someone with a bigger and more respected microphone. This is important stuff.
Posted by Martin at 8:30 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
Watch your mileage go down in the summer: the Hot Fuel Scam
Just another way Big Oil will screw americans out of $1.4B this summer: Oil Watchdog: Articles
We're happy to see Congressional validation of the billion-dollar hot fuel ripoff: gasoline sold at high temperatures, offering less energy than motorists are paying for. Steve Everly, the Kansas City Star's deep digger on the "hot fuel" issue, reports on today's Congressional study showing U.S. motorists will pay $1.4 billion extra over the summer months for gasoline that expands at high temperatures, putting less energy per measured gallon in your tanks.
Posted by Martin at 8:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 9, 2007
A story about "The World's Fastest Indian"
rainy day in seattle (surprise). I had watched all the Bill Maher episodes on TIVO. A friend knew i like motorcycles and sent me the movie. I loved it. Stayed on the eliptical longer just to watch the finish. A feel good time. I rank 5 of 5 stars.
Posted by Martin at 5:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 7, 2007
OPEC fears of biofuels realized
Before you get too cozy that biofuels will have a walk to the altar, read this from AGE today:
"Earlier this week OPEC warned the West that the biofuels push may drive oil prices through the roof. OPEC Sec. Gen. el Badri suggested the cartel may cut its production investment in response to Western biofuels investments. Though OPEC has voiced its skepticism with regard to biofuels, this is the most direct threat made by the producer group."
I would say that is a threat. And a real one. And what you would expect from an industry with a monopoly on a finite dirty product. If we want alternatives, they are going to make us PAY THROUGH THE NOSE for thier existing product while we scale. They are going to SQUEEZE EVERY LAST PENNY OUT OF US. This is the strategy I have been predicting they would follow and now OPEC has confirmed it in this bold faced threat. That tactic, while short term painful also has the consequence of probably INCREASING our rush to alternatives rather than slowing it down. Full steam ahead!
Posted by Martin at 1:39 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A tale of two conclusions on refining
Wow, banks can totally disagree on the refinery complex. One says sell the peak has passed, the other says buy the train is leaving the station.
Lehman (the skeptic.)
Investment Conclusion:
Goldman (the opportunist)
Refiners: Buy the dips 1. We continue to believe the US refiners represent the most attractive investment area across the broad Energy sector if not all of the stock market and we reiterate our Attractive coverage view. With the US refiners investors have the opportunity to invest in a group where: (1) consensus EPS estimates we think need to rise by roughly 50% for each of the next several years on margin assumptions roughly 50% below recent levels; (2) the sector is trading at a mid-single digit P/E at a time companies are buying back increasing amounts of stock and generating over 25% returns on capital; and (3) most Street analysts have downgraded the sector or otherwise continue to be cautious owing to an excessively pessimistic outlook at a time when refined project demand remains resilient, refining spare capacity is tight, unplanned downtime is secularly increasing, major Middle East new build projects have been delayed, and the near-term threat of rising ethanol capacity increasingly seems like a non-issue in terms of its impact on gasoline supply/demand.
Posted by Martin at 10:37 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A tale of two conclusions on refining
Wow, banks can totally disagree on the refinery complex. One says sell the peak has passed, the other says buy the train is leaving the station.
Lehman (the skeptic.)
Investment Conclusion:
Goldman (the opportunist)
Refiners: Buy the dips 1. We continue to believe the US refiners represent the most attractive investment area across the broad Energy sector if not all of the stock market and we reiterate our Attractive coverage view. With the US refiners investors have the opportunity to invest in a group where: (1) consensus EPS estimates we think need to rise by roughly 50% for each of the next several years on margin assumptions roughly 50% below recent levels; (2) the sector is trading at a mid-single digit P/E at a time companies are buying back increasing amounts of stock and generating over 25% returns on capital; and (3) most Street analysts have downgraded the sector or otherwise continue to be cautious owing to an excessively pessimistic outlook at a time when refined project demand remains resilient, refining spare capacity is tight, unplanned downtime is secularly increasing, major Middle East new build projects have been delayed, and the near-term threat of rising ethanol capacity increasingly seems like a non-issue in terms of its impact on gasoline supply/demand.
Posted by Martin at 10:31 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Help me loan my brother money to start a construction business!
I have lent family and friends money many times. Usually I do it as a gift because dealing with the overhead and potential negative relationship implications of a loan gone bad is not worth it. But when you are talking real money, having a way to simply manage the loan has been a big thing I have been looking for. The other missing piece is what if I want to syndicate part of that loan? Along comes Prosper. I signed up a couple months ago as a lender and have some money to work a very attactive rates now.
Last week my brother asked for a $25,000 loan to start a construction business. Of course I said yes, but then I got to thinking, could I syndicate this and potentially get my brother a better rate and make administration easier? Yup: Help me start my brother's construction business (Loan listing #148143) - Prosper. I am basically putting my credit on the loan to underwrite it. If i get a better rate than I would loan directly to him, I will pass that along to him. He gets a better rate, I get syndication and loan administration. Pretty cool concept eh?
Posted by Martin at 10:22 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 6, 2007
Removing software
Laptop complaining about only having 500MB left on 82gig drive. Time to remove stuff I am not using. Removing the following. Anyone see why I should keep any of it?
1. Access Help (never used)
2. Microsoft Business Contact Manager for Outlook 2003 (176mb) never used.
3. blackberry desktop software 4.2. I used to sync initially, but now use wireless. With new 8300 you can just use it as a hard drive and use windows to move media files over, so no need. I have also been getting alot of duplicate forwards and I think it is related to the desktop redirector conflicting with the enterprise server. (54mb)
4. Cloudmark desktop (had two installed) (8.62mb)
5. emusic 50 MP3 offer (never took)
6. Google toolbar for Internet Explorer (i use Firefox)
7. Go to Meeting/ never use
8. PC Doctor 5 for Windows. Never used and when I did, it was basically a UI for the windows system tools. Stupid.
9. Productivity center supplement for Thinkpad (what?)
10. PC Tools Registry Mechanic. Used once, never used again.
11. Rhapsody Player engine. (i hate anything from Real Networks, don't know how this got on there)
Posted by Martin at 2:02 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Diesels are on their way back to the US
My feelings exactly
Diesel cars are coming back With ultra-clean fuel available at pumps, diesel cars are re-entering the U.S. NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With rising gas prices, diesel cars and SUVs are gearing up for a major American comeback after a brief appearance 25 years ago. But if all you remember are the smell and noise, you might not recognize the new leaner, cleaner versions.
Back in the early 1980's, 80 percent of the cars Mercedes-Benz sold in the U.S. were diesel powered. General Motors sold diesel Oldsmobiles and Cadillacs.
The reason then was obvious: Adjusted for inflation, the cost of gasoline then was about $3.15 a gallon. Buyers were looking for a more fuel-efficient way to drive.
Diesel engines were noisy, they were slow and they puffed out nasty polluting smoke. But they used much less fuel than gasoline engines, so buyers were willing to put up with the downsides.
As gas prices went back down, relative to other costs, and environmental regulations became stricter the tide of diesels rolled back across the Atlantic leaving only memories of clanky, foul smelling diesel cars.
Today, while half the cars sold in Europe are diesels, diesel market share in the U.S. is about 3.5 percent and that's mostly pick-ups, according to R.L. Polk & Co.
With a hungry European market to feed, diesel development has continued, creating turbocharged diesel engines that perform better and pollute less. Today's diesel cars are virtually indistinguishable from their gasoline-burning siblings. Except they use a lot less fuel.
"Anyone who's spent time overseas has seen and driven some very competent diesels," said Charlie Vogelheim, vice president for automotive development at J.D. Power and Associates.
Meanwhile, gas prices have gone back up in the U.S. and new low-sulfur diesel fuel has opened the way for even cleaner-burning diesel engines than the Europeans have. (New exhaust cleaning technologies would have choked on all the sulfur in the old diesel fuel.)
Diesel engines are more efficient than gasoline engines in part because diesel fuel contains more energy than gasoline.
Diesel engines combust the fuel by squeezing air to extremely high pressure inside the cylinders. Just as the air is being squeezed to maximum pressure, fuel is injected into the cylinder where it combusts immediately in the hot air. (When the car is first started the cylinder is pre-heated by a "glow plug.") That high-pressure ignition - higher pressure than is possible in a gasoline engine - also results in more power.
These modern diesels have exhaust that, on a mile-to-mile basis, is close to gasoline in terms of smog-forming pollution. Already, because they don't need to burn as much fuel, they emit less carbon dioxide than gasoline engines. Excess CO2 has been blamed for global warming.
Even with the new fuel, scrubbing diesel emissions this clean isn't cheap or easy. That's one reason most car companies are entering the market with diesel-powered SUVs first. Heavier vehicles have easier emissions standards.
"Those are the vehicles that are in greatest need of greater fuel economy," Diesel Technology Forum executive director Allen Schaeffer said of SUVs, offering another reason diesel engines are appearing first in those larger vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz, for example, will soon be selling new diesel versions of its M-class, R-class and GL-class SUVs here and will be phasing out the E320 diesel sedan it currently sells here.
The new Mercedes SUVs, unlike the car and the diesels SUVs the company sells here now, will be available for sale in all 50 states. Even the cleanest European diesels now available can't meet emissions standards in five states - California and New York among - that are even stricter than the federal government's.
Chrysler, the American arm of DaimlerChrysler, and Volkswagen already sells "45 state" diesel SUVS. Chrysler sells version of its Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV that uses an engine from German division Mercedes-Benz.
Volkswagen sells a 10-cylinder diesel version of its Touareg SUV here. Until 2006, VW sold a full line of diesel-powered cars here, including the Golf, Jetta and New Beetle. But those vehicles weren't clean-burning enough to meet stricter emissions standards for cars that were phased in this year.
The diesel Jetta sedan will be back next year, however, in a cleaner running version that will meet emissions standards in all 50 states, VW says.
BMW plans to begin selling one or more vehicles with a 3.0 liter twin turbo diesel engine here by the end of 2008. The BMW diesels will be available in all 50 states and, BMW promises, they will drive just the way people expect a BMW to drive.
Audi is expected sell a diesel version of its Q7 SUV here. Nissan and Honda will be entering the market with diesel cars. Nissan recently announced it intends to bring a diesel version of its Maxima sedan to the U.S., and Honda says it will sell a diesel four-cylinder car here in a few years. What car, exactly, that will be hasn't been announced.
Korean automaker Hyundai is planning to bring a diesel version of its just-introduced Veracruz SUV to the U.S. in 2009 or 2010.
Neither Ford nor GM has any plans to try again with diesel passenger cars or SUVs for their home market. It wouldn't be cost-effective for them, a Ford spokesman said, because Ford cars available in Europe as diesels aren't sold here. And the market is too small for them to develop U.S.-only diesels.
Market acceptance of diesel passenger vehicles should grow here again, Vogelheim said, as consumers experience the new, cleaner engines.
Diesels performance characteristics should appeal to Americans who like a lot of "off the line" power for quick acceleration, said Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum. Diesel engines produce a lot of low-speed torque, the twisting power needed to get the wheels moving, but that power is produced in a rather narrow range of engine speeds.
Almost all modern diesel engines today are turbocharged, which helps to improve performance to something more like what drivers are used to from a gasoline engines.
Whether we start regularly seeing diesels on American roads will probably depend more on the supply of vehicles than demand, said Vogelheim. Once gasoline tops $3.00, there should be plenty of demand, he said.
Posted by Martin at 11:08 AM | Comments (3) | TrackBack
June 5, 2007
OPEC hesitant to raise production
from AGE today
OPEC wary of raising crude outputThe secretary general of OPEC said today the cartel would need evidence of a sustained drop in oil inventories before members decide to pump more. The comments from Abdullah al-Badri are the latest sign that OPEC will not rush to open the taps despite prices at $70 a barrel. The group next meets to set policy in September. Analysts have forecast global oil prices could rally above $80 a barrel this summer due to tension in the Middle East, an expanding Chinese economy and a reluctant OPEC.
Posted by Martin at 1:11 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
BMW to bring diesels to US in 208
Finally!!! BMW Group Prepares US Launch of Diesel Vehicles in 2008
Posted by Martin at 11:07 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Stealing gas at gunpoint
The chaos is starting: Salt Lake Tribune - Customer forced at gunpoint to pump gas into suspect's vehicle
Posted by Martin at 9:17 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 4, 2007
Look I am growing Jatropha!
I have written how Jatropha may be the future of biodiesel feedstocks. Well I got some seeds and planted them in a pot. This sprout which is over 9 inches tall came out over the weekend. Friday nothing. Monday 9:00am, 9 inches. Wow.
Posted by Martin at 8:52 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
A story about "The Watchman: A Joe Pike Novel"
I remember panning a previous Robert Crais book, so i started this one with trepidation. But it turned out. Good airport reading. I would put it in the “page turner” category. The ‘hero” is a little too silent and strong for my taste, but still ok. Good brain goo.
I rate 3 of 5 stars.
Posted by Martin at 8:23 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
June 1, 2007
Force majeure in the refinery business
Force Majeure: GET READY, I AM GOING TO DEFAULT ON ALL MY OBLIGATIONS AND THERE AIN'T A THING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT! (my definition).
Not words you want to hear actually being used in any business even closely related to yours. The last time I heard these words in use was last fall when the worlds largest Methanol plant in Trinidad used them to shut down and bail out on all their supply contracts. The price of methanol immediately doubled. The plant recently came back on-line and the price fell in half. That is the power of Force Majeure. While this does free up some crude for other refineries, the fact is THERE ARE NO OTHER NORTH AMERICAN REFINERIES not running all out. Then there is the sticky question of getting canadian crude to other refineries. This refinery which is down is in Whiting, Ind. (did you know it came on line in 1890 OVER A CENTURY AGO!!) is very close to Canada. I bet you dollars to doughnuts it receives it's Canadian Crude via pipeline. Now, what other refineries are on that pipeline? Humm. So the list of possible off-takers for all that left-over crude is getting short eh? That is why refined products shot up. Even with more crude on the market, refinery capacity is key and getting the crude economically to the refinery is key as well.
It is going to be a long summer.
thanks to AGE for the note::
Oil--Crude oil futures shot above $65.00 a barrel Friday after BP Plc (BP) said it had cut its purchase of Canadian crude to its partially shut Whiting, Ind., refinery. BP said it had declared force majeure on its purchase of Canadian crude, essentially notifying suppliers that it could not meet its obligations to purchase Canadian oil for the refinery because of an extended downtime at the 410,000 barrel a day Whiting plant. A person familiar with the plant's operations said two key crude units that have been shut since a late March fire will take longer to restart than initially expected. The force majeure in itself means less demand for crude oil and is seen as negative for crude prices but the delay in restarting the two refinery units at the outset of the summer driving season unnerved traders and sparked a rally in gasoline futures. Crude futures, already up on concern about supplies from Nigeria and Iran, followed gasoline higher. "It's clearly bullish for gasoline," said Peter Beutel, president of Cameron Hanover, a trading advisory firm in New Canaan, Conn. "To hear that a major refinery in the Midwest is not coming back in the next couple of weeks but in the next seven to eight weeks puts us that much further behind (in terms of supply) and is supportive of gasoline prices." The July crude on the New York Mercantile Exchange gained $1.08 to $65.09 a barrel. The July Brent contract on ICE Futures rose 98 cents to $69.02 a barrel. Reformulated gasoline blendstock for July delivery jumped 4.18 cents to $2.2450 a gallon. July heating oil rallied 3.97 cents to $1.9228 a gallon. Final settlement prices weren't in yet. Repairs to two of three crude units at the 410,000-barrel-a-day BP refinery are taking longer than expected, said a person familiar with the plant. One unit, which was to resume operations in June, is now seen down as late as early July and work on the other, previously seen restarting in early July, is seen taking until August or September, the person said. "Obviously, the news is bullish for gasoline," said Phil Flynn, an analyst at Alaron Trading Corp. in Chicago. "It means they can't produce gasoline in the Midwest at a time when the market is already tight and prices are near record highs." The delay in restarting the two BP refinery units is likely to keep U.S. refinery utilization rates relatively low in the coming weeks. Refinery utilization remained was flat at 91.1% of capacity last week, the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration reported Wednesday.
Posted by Martin at 9:00 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Refined products output still slow releative to expected demand
from AGE today. Stage is still set for $4.00 gas.
Oil, gasoline rise on signs supply deficit wont narrowCrude oil and gasoline rose on concern that U.S. refiners aren't increasing motor-fuel production enough to replenish stockpiles. U.S. gasoline supplies in the week ended May 25 were 6.7% lower than the five-year average for the period, the Energy Department said yesterday. Refineries operated at 91.1% of capacity last week, unchanged from the week before. One analyst told Bloomberg News that there's been a steady recovery in gasoline supplies but it's not enough to ease concerns about the driving season. Crude oil for July delivery rose $1.03, or 1.6%, to $65.04 a barrel at 12:53 p.m. on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Gasoline for July delivery rose 5 cents to $2.2532 a gallon.
Posted by Martin at 1:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
Pre-order 50 Great Walks in Florida
My mother, Lucy Tobias has gotten her first book published, 50 Great Walks in Florida, and is now available for pre-order on Amazon. I helped with a few of the walks and data gathering, it was fun. Check it out.
From the press release:
"50 Great Walks in Florida is divided by geographic regions and each section includes at least one beach or wetlands walk, a historic walk, a garden walk, a place to see wildlife, and one locale with an unusual natural feature. Included are the Vietnam Memorial, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Coca-Cola Town, Ybor City Fresh Market, John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, and even a ghost tour!
Tobias recommends additional activities for each walk and offers suggestions for where to stop nearby, including local restaurants, to enhance the regional and cultural experience. This handy guide includes comprehensive locator maps, listings for trip essentials, and useful warnings about possible dangers such as poinsonwood sap.
Lucy Beebe Tobias, now retired, is an award-winning reporter, environmental writer, and photographer for the New York Times newspapers in Florida."
Posted by Martin at 1:07 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack