Breaking free of the OIL habit.

by Amazing 14 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  Amazing

  Dependancy: The USA, the western world, North and South America, and like many nations of Europe and Japan, are highly dependant on oil. I recall as a kid in the 1950s seeing gas prices at 5 cents a gallon. I remember my parents getting bent out of shape when gas finally reached 11 cents a gallon.

  1971: My wife and I traveled to Southern California to visit friends and family. Gas in Northern California was about 15 cents a gallon. But, lo and behold, we saw gas in Los Angeles at discount station for 8 and 9 cents a gallon ... during the good old days of gas wars.

  1973 Then President Nixon had taken the USa off of the Gold standard, and the US Dollar was floating in the currency markets -- and inflation started moving up -- and the oil embargos happened in major cities. Gas jumped from an average of about 21 cents a gallon to over 35 cents a gallon, and by 1974-75 reached 50 to 55 cents a gallon - surely Armageddon was just around the corner!

  Relative to Inflation: A average 3 bedroom 2 bath house in the late 1950s costs about $9,000. Today, the same house is about $190,000. Or, inflated in 40 years by 2,100%. Also represented as an average of 7.65%. Of 9 cent gas had risen the same in the 40 years since, it would average today at $1.90 per gallon. But, today in the Chicago area we are seeing $1.18 at the name brand stations, and somewhat less at the discounts. In Iowa it is about 95 cents, and in Texas which exports oil, it is also in the 90 cent range. mmmmm.

  Why is gas so suddenly cheap? The OPEC nations have cut production to try and keep the price stable, but it keeps dropping! Why? Our lovely friends to the south - Mexico - and our new commrade - Russia - have increased production, and caused oil to drop on the spot market. Yes, indeed, the Arabs are not the only folks in the wolrd with lots of oil, black gold, texas tea!

  What might be an interesting twist? If we can enhance technonolgy to reduce dependancy on oil, increase oil production from non-Arab sources including our own Alaska, and employ some conservation methods, and continue to conversion to burning methonol - a corn based renewable product, then we just might pull off the great act of telling the Arabs that we don't need their oil anymore.

  Without major oil revenue, the increasing wealth of that part of the world would begin to stall and maybe reverse - and then the terrorists, like spoiled rich brat Osama bin Laden would not be able to afford to buy any war toys to advance his maniac views of life.

  Just a thought. - Amazing
• 

  Celtic

  Try Hemp and reading, The Emporor Wears No Clothes. Problem solved.
• 

  LDH

  Amazing,

  The thing that mose kills me about the A-Rabs (long A, LOL) and their oil is---that their countries don't need it!

  I mean, when is the last time you saw a camel gassing up? I would say in the non-developed nations, less than 10% of the population needs refined oil (gasoline). And believe me, this 10% that needs gas for their cars are the ones who own the GD oil fields. No one else is rich. Unless you inherit land or money, you don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting rich in those countries.

  Therefore, it is only a matter of time before scientists develop NEW non-oil based fuel alternatives and tell the Arab nations to stick it up their turbans.

  When that happens, look out. Those nations have no other product to export. They are not recognized for any manufacturing, their economies will die.

  It would seem to me they would want to get on the good side of the nations with the highest need for their only natural resource.

  Of course, they could sell sand. [8>]

  Lisa
• 

  kilroy

  Why can't the US and other arctic countries develop the oil fields that lay untouched? Oh, that's right. The country is so pristine it's natural beauty might be destroyed. Who the Hell ever sees it???

  Rembember the oil crises of the late seventies? Remember the interest and development of solar energy? Does the sun come up every day or what? It's almost impossible to find interest in solar energy these days. Oh, that's right! It will cost MONEY! Okay, stay status quo. Just stop whining about it!

  Kilroy
• 

  Amazing

  Hi LDH: Good points. Although some Arab countries, like Kuwait and Saudi Arabia do share their wealth with the general population. These countries are not large populations, and many of the people in someway are related to the royal families. So they get free education through college and free medical care. The individuals may not be rich, but they are far from poor. Whereas Iraq and now Iran keep the masses in poverty. Iraq uses their oil money to buy some food and medicine but also a lot of materials needed for weapons. I am not sure what Iran does anymore. they used to be the second largest oil exporter behind Saudi Arabia. But since they became a Theocracy, I believe their oil production has greatly reduced.

  I find your point about the Arab nations not needing their own oil to be an excellent issue. It does seem rather odd that they do not rely on fossel fuel transportation as the west does. So, I share with you in hoping that one day we can stop buying their oil ... and move on to more environmentally safe fuel products. Thanks again. - Amazing
• 

  crownboy

  Let me guess Kilroy... Republican?

  To the hell with keeping the environment clean, let's make sure Dick Cheaney can make $36 million more when he returns to the private sector! (Of course, we'll only be left with cancer causing impure air, but why stop using petroleum when we can bring about our extinction in 200 years, especially when real alternatives exist?)

  Go therefore and baptize the people in the name of the father and of the son... what the hell, we just need to bring up the yearbook numbers!
• 

  ashitaka

  Survive today so that there can be a tomorrow for all tree lovers involved, me included.

  That means shutting down all parts of their power, which is almost solely gas....never did buy anything from Iraq, Iran, or Kuwait that I treasure, beyond gas.

  If we have to dig up some of Alaska, so be it. Or any other state, for that matter. Get it from Russia. Anywhere.

  Get them out of our financial structure and into our palms. We don't want to be supporting people who despise us.

  ashi
• 

  Amazing

  Hi Seven: Okay, I read the article you posted. When I worked at hanford Nuclear Reservation I did work for Battelle Pacific Northwest laboratories (now simply called Pacific Northwest labs.) I helped design the systems for nuclear waste vitrification, and cask storage. I did not design the casks themselves, but the system that fills them with spent fuel. So, I am most familiar with their design.

  1: The overwhelmingly vast amount of spent fuel is never transported, but is stored in the Spent Fuel Pools inside the power plant. What mostly gets transported are very low levels of contaminated items, such as cloth and paper suits, tools, and the like. These mostly have a little spot of Alpha or Beta particles. They are sealed into standard 50 gallon barrel drums and buried in the ground at specified sites. These items are of no use to terrorists.

  2: Of the spent fuel that does get sent out in casks, they are configured such that it would be extremely difficult to cause serious radioactive releases. The spent fuel is first burned to a fine powder, much like dehydrated coffee crystals. It is then poored into molten glass marbles. Radioactive particles cannot escape glass, because it is a liquid, non-crystalene structure. The glass marbles are then poored into a liquid ceramic material inside a stainless steel container. Then the liner is mounted into a concrete inner cask. The inner cask is then mounted in a thick armor steel outer cask. It is hermetically welded so that NO particle radiation escapes. Some Gama can be measured in very close proximity. But that is no big deal.

  3: The armor piercing artillary will penetrate the cask as reported. BUT, the reason Battelle and Sandia noted little radioactive release and little damage to the adjacent fuel is for the reasons I stated - it is mounted in cermaic and glass, and absorbs the explosive shock of artillary. Any release of particles would be extremely small. The Gama releases of course would be greater without the hermetic seal. But as damaging as Gama is, once it passes, it ceases to cause harm, and does not cause contamination as does particle radiation. So I think the State of Nevada is in error, and that Battelle and Sandia findings are more accurate - as far as they go.

  4: The theft of a cask, undamaged, and then later tied to numerous explosive devices is the most promising scenario for terrorists. But, as cited in the article you provided, these transportations are closely guarded, and I strongly believe that if any are still being transported, they are under even tighter guard by US military.

  5: If terrorists were able to capture a cask, they have the unholy logistic nightmare of how to transport it. A single cask is about 3.5 feet in diameter and about 6.5 feet tall. They are too heavy to lift by hand and require at least a two ton crane capacity to life. This means that they would also need to have a large vehicle around to make the move in addition to having a crane on hand. So, the only possibility is to also capture the vehicle used to transport. But, a typical transportation vehicle cannot move fast, and is easily spotted. So ...

  6: Were a terrorist group able to capture a cask, its movement would be known and monitored. And within a short time would be easily captured. But if they got away, then they still have subsequent transportation and lifting issues. You cannot place a cask into the back of a van and run it into the middle of town. You still need a large truck.

  7: Assuming terrorists were able to capture a cask or two, get away and transport it to some hide out, load it with explosives, and then transport it again back to a highly populated area, and go unnoticed, then they have the task of detonation. Assuming they accomplish this, and blow the heck out of the cask, and spread this stuff all around. Yep! It would not be good, but because it is encased in glass and ceramic, the pieces would still remain intact, and easier to find and clean up. And any that turned to dust would be more of a problem. But the total volume of spent fuel would not be anywhere near what a small nuclear bomb would do.

  A small nuclear bomb sends out enormous radiation and heat and balst wave, and highly contaminates a localized area. That would be a far worse concern. Of course a big bad nuke bomb would evaporate a large area and cause unimaginable damage and long term contamination to an entire region. I believe that terrorists would use these, and already have done so, if they had the means, but they do not yet. The challenge is to see to it that they are disabled from access to nuclear weapons, weapons grade plutonium (not used in nuke plants or its spent fuel) and that most of all they are not able to obtain any long range delivery system. If they get such a system, then we may as well kiss our rectums good-bye. Amazing
• 

  Yerusalyim

  Our dependence on foriegn oil has two solutions to be used together. First, allow eco friendly oil exploration in the Artic and other areas the Eco nuts hate. 2 develop other forms of energy, electric cars, etc.

  YERUSALYIM
  "Vanity! It's my favorite sin!"
  [Al Pacino as Satan, in "DEVIL'S ADVOCATE"]
• 

  chappy

  Hydrogen - the most plentyful fuel in the universe. Unlimited supply, efficient and clean. BMW has a fleet of hydrogen powered vehicles presently touring Europe. The engines are identical to existing gasoline powered ones other than the induction system, which is similar to LP. There are some engineering challanges in storage tank design, but nothing that couldn't be easily resolved. I would like to see the west investing big bucks in developing distribution networks and conversion kits for existing autos. This isn't ultra high tech stuff.
  The main obsticle is the huge investment that the oil copmpanies have in refineries, oil drilling equipment, leases and distribution systems. Seems I read that there is only a 60 - 70 year supply of oil reserves left on the planet based on current consumption. We need to start phasing out oil and converting to hydrogen. We have the ability, right now, to be free of middle eastern oil dependence within 10 years.
  If it takes fifty percent increase in gasoline prices to fund the development/implimintation I would be all for it.

  later,
  chappy