text:
Really Good Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings Recipe
Unraveling the mysteries of home cooking through science.
- Yield:Serves 4 to 8, depending on how long the game and nachos last
- Rated:
This recipe appears in:The Food Lab: In Search of the Best Oven-Fried Buffalo Wings
- 4 pounds chicken wings, cut into drumettes and flats
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 cup Frank's RedHot Sauce
- Blue cheese dressing
- Celery sticks
Line rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil, and set rack inside. Carefully dry chicken wings with paper towels. Place 1/3 of wings in large bowl, sprinkle with 1 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt, and toss until thoroughly and evenly coated. Place on rack, leaving slight space between each wing. Repeat with remaining two batches of wings.
Place baking sheet with wings in refrigerator and allow to rest, uncovered, at least 8 hours, and up to 18 hours.
Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 450°F. Add chicken wings and cook for 20 minutes. Flip wings and continue to cook until crisp and golden brown, 15 to 25 minutes longer.
Meanwhile, combine butter and hot sauce in small saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking until combined. Transfer wings to large bowl, add sauce, toss to thoroughly coat, and serve immediately with blue cheese dressing and celery sticks, conspicuously shunning anyone who says that real buffalo wings must be fried.


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IAJE Day 3 - University of Illinois Latin Jazz Ensemble
January 11, 2008. Posted by Joshua Jackson.Add new comment | Filed under: black colleges, branford marsalis, broadcast booth, carolina central university, college bands, colleges and universities, constitution hall, Discovery, doors, ears, eddie palmieri, guest performer, hbcu, iaje, IAJE 2008, Jazz Alive, latin jazz ensemble, Live Music, north carolina central, north carolina central university, university of illinois
Constitution Hall is just outside our broadcast booth. IAJE is showcasing a lot of college bands there today. The doors to the hall were open, and the sounds of blazing latin jazz were emanating into my ears. I had to check it out. It was the University of Illinois Latin Jazz Ensemble. Check them out on Eddie Palmieri's "Palmas":
University of Illinois - Palmas
Up next, I'll have a post about North Carolina Central University's Ensemble. They are an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) institution. Their guest performer will be Branford Marsalis. Stay tuned. - Josh

subset: commoncrawl


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Measures 6-1/2" H
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The collapse of an eight-story factory building in Bangladesh that killed over 600 garment workers two weeks ago is among the worst manufacturing disasters in history and remains a tragic reminder of the human consequences of poor working conditions in which millions of workers labor every day. The United States actively engages with the highest levels of the Government of Bangladesh, exporters and buyers on the issues of workers' rights and safe working conditions, and we are heartened by the recent high-level International Labor Organization (ILO) Mission to Bangladesh, which highlighted important steps to improve worker rights.
Work place safety is a challenge around the world. Workers Memorial Day on April 28 World Day for Safety and Health at Work reminded us of the needless deaths of innocent men and women who get up every morning and go to work in unsafe factories, fields, and mines. Many jobs are unregulated and uncontrolled.
The ILO reports that 2.02 million people die each year from work-related diseases, and 321,000 people die each year from occupational accidents. Moreover, 160 million are affected by non-fatal work-related diseases per year, and 317 million non –fatal occupational accidents occur per year. This means that every 15 seconds, a worker dies from a work-related accident or disease. Every 15 seconds, 151 workers have a work-related accident.
As the ILO states, "deaths and injuries take a particularly heavy toll in developing countries, where a large part of the population is engaged in activities, such as agriculture, construction, fishing and mining that are made hazardous because of unsafe working conditions."
In his Workers Memorial Day Proclamation, President Obama declared, "Today, our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost a loved one to a workplace accident or work-related illness. But we owe them more than prayers. We owe them action and accountability. While we cannot eliminate all risk from the world's most dangerous professions, we can guarantee that when a worker steps up to an assembly line or into a mine shaft, their country stands alongside them, protecting their safety and their health."
About the Author: Barbara Shailor serves as U.S. Special Representative for International Labor Affairs.
It seems to me that there must be some mechanism whereby the Dept of State (or the Fed gov) on issuing import licence to US buisinesses could include provision that requires any US company that imports products sold in the US under it's name to inspect and submit written report to the Dept of Labor on the working conditions of those producing goods for them.
That there be a minimum standard set at or above the standards set by the foreign government where products are made, and that any contract entered into be conditional upon this standard been met and maintained throughout the term of contract.
This would serve to ensure that in order to do buisiness with America, worker's rights and safety globally would be protected in greater measure. As well as keeping foreign governments informed of any conditions which endanger their own citizens.
It is really sad that tragedies like this must occur for those in authority to take the measures neccessary to make sure they don't happen again, but this has been our own experience as a nation in the development of OSHA standards and other legal means to protect the rights, safety, and health of our workforce.


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Why Craft Beer at the Ballgame Is a Big Deal
The team has had three winning seasons in the past 20 years and hasn't made the playoffs since 1985. It's produced great talents such as Johnny Damon, Carlos Beltran and Zack Greinke, who all left town when it was time to seek a bigger payday. Thus, when 2012 came around and the franchise hosted the All-Star Game despite not putting up playoff bunting since the Reagan administration, baseball fans who hadn't peered into Kaufmann Stadium in a while got a bit of a surprise when they saw the billboards surrounding the midsummer classic.
Multinational brewers SABMiller
This season, Boulevard's beer is all over the stadium. The brewer has a huge Budweiser- or Coors-sized sign in left field, two Boulevard Grill locations in the stadium and beer vendors with backpack-mounted kegs of Unfiltered Wheat Beer that they pour when they reach a customer's row. While it's nice that more Major League Baseball stadiums are carrying beers made by small, local brewers, a deal such as the one that exists between Boulevard and the Royals is a step toward restoring the natural order of beer-and-baseball partnerships that was broken decades ago.
For those unaware of the longstanding ties between baseball and beer, consider that brewers' names grace the facades of three Major League Baseball stadiums: The Cardinals' Busch Stadium in St. Louis, the Colorado Rockies' Coors Field in Denver and the Brewers' Miller Park in Milwaukee. The number of facilities named after brewing companies among other major league sports: Zero.
As big a presence as beer has in baseball now, its ties to the game used to be much tighter. Across the country, teams were inextricably tied to local breweries through stadium signs, sponsorships and early baseball broadcasts. In Boston, Narragansett Beer sponsored Braves and Red Sox broadcasts, put Red Sox legend Ted Williams in its ads and featured game announcers Jim Britt and Curt Gowdy espousing the merits of 'the "straight from the barrel taste" of 'Gansett. Newark, N.J.-based Ballantine Brewery sponsored longtime Yankees announcer Mel Allen, who labeled each Yankees home run a "Ballantine Blast."


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Human Resources and Security Specialists should use this tool to determine the correct investigation level for any covered position within the U.S. Federal Government.
Visit this federal site to search for our regulatory notices, proposed and final rules.
See the latest tweets on our Twitter feed, like our Facebook pages, watch our YouTube videos, and page through our Flickr photos.
May 11, 2010
Good afternoon. I'm thrilled to be here at OPM with our partners to tell you about President Obama's hiring reform initiative. Today, the President signed a Presidential Memorandum to modernize the Federal hiring process, and today, we roll out OPM's implementation guidance. This initiative is the biggest step toward fixing Federal hiring in over three decades and the capstone of a year-long effort.
I'd like to thank Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Scott Gould, Deputy Secretary of Transportation John Porcari, and Undersecretary of Defense Dr. Clifford Stanley for being here.
A very special thank you to our government's Chief Performance Officer, Jeff Zients from OMB.
I thank Senators Akaka and Voinovich and our Congressional partners for their leadership on hiring reform.
We support their efforts to move legislation through Congress that would codify much of what we are doing today.
Thanks to our Chief Human Capital Officers. They've been essential in pushing for reform from the beginning. Dean David Ellwood and Harvard's Kennedy School of Government were important early facilitators. They helped us brainstorm creative solutions at a conference they hosted last Fall for our stakeholders, including innovative private sector employers who shared some great ideas with us.
We've enjoyed a constructive partnership with Federal unions on this and other initiatives, and I'm glad to have them with us today.
And to our hiring reform team at OPM, many of whom are in the audience - there are too many to name, but you know who you are. Thank you! These reforms would not have been possible without a year of hard work and many, many long days put in by a lot of OPMers.
President Obama has, and I quote, "call[ed] on executive departments and agencies to overhaul the way they recruit and hire our civilian workforce." The message could not be more clear: we have a problem, the President has told us how he wants it fixed, and the Cabinet is focused on fixing it.
Hiring process reform isn't the most exciting topic, but it's extremely important, because it affects everything government does. Yet for far too long, our HR systems have been a hindrance. We have great workers in government now in spite of the hiring process, not because of it. As they retire, it's tough to replace them when it takes five months on average to hire someone. Or when there are 40 steps to the process and 19 signatures.
After years of talking about reform, we're taking action. We're making it quicker and easier to connect the best candidates with Federal jobs. Let me tell you how this helps hiring managers, HR shops, and job seekers themselves.
To start, we're switching to resumes. Now for the first time in history, you will be able to apply to almost any Federal job with just a resume and cover letter. We've eliminated KSA essays as an initial requirement! This will save applicants millions of person hours and money too.
We've eliminated red tape so hiring managers can view the full range of qualified applicants. No more "rule of three" limiting how many resumes you can see. Shared registers have already launched, shaving five to ten weeks off the hiring process, depending on the agency. We're giving hiring managers more control over hiring and workforce planning processes. We're providing training on how to use these new powers legally, and holding hiring managers accountable for improvement.
Even the best reforms will fail without support. So OPM has been preparing for months to provide HR shops with unprecedented, comprehensive, ongoing support.
The detailed OPM guidance memo we're signing today is only the first step. Tomorrow, we'll give a nuts-and-bolts briefing to government's HR leaders. We're launching an HR-to-HR blog and sending out Mobile Assistance Teams.
To be clear, this initiative respects our highest ideals. The merit principles are sacrosanct, and these reforms will honor them. Veterans' preference is part of our nation's sacred duty to our returning service members. That's why we launched the biggest, most comprehensive, most high-level veterans hiring initiative in history in November.
This reform effort is unlike previous ones because these improvements are going into effect Government-wide by order of the President. This initiative is about simplicity, flexibility, and efficiency. It will substantially reduce the time and aggravation it takes to find and hire the best.
When we achieve that goal, all of government will work better and the American people will benefit. Thank you.
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Black Jack - The Tavern Puzzle Collection
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Getting Into the Weeds is a Key for an IT Job
In the past is was enough to get a degree in Information Systems, Management Information Systems or Business Information Systems and find a good entry level job in the IT field. During that time technology degrees were not common and most people were still following the traditional path of getting degrees in business or engineering. In today's world you only need to go online to see that the market is saturated with IT degrees, both in the US and abroad. An IT degree from a well known university will barely get you an interview unless you have specialized skills or certification that match the needs of the position.
Specialized skills
Most jobs in information technology today have a narrow criteria of the skills that the company needs and the company will only look at you if you have those skills. Visit the website of any job search company and you can see what skills are in demand and compare them to what you have. These skills are can be easily learned through online classes or books, but it takes some effort. Colleges are good at preparing for general information but are struggling to keep pace with the information technology field.
Along with obtaining the skills though online classes, another way to show mastery of a specific skill is thought obtaining certifications. More important than just getting a certification, it is important to get the right certification. The right certification is the one that is in demand by employers. There are certifications for every skill in IT but if they are not the right certification then it is only an expensive sheet of paper.
Jobs in information technology are lucrative and abundant, but only with the correct skill set. You are competing with people from all over the world. Many contractors work six month contracts just to pick up work experience in a new technology. So if you stay in a job where you are not building your skill set to keep pace with the industry and are not earning certification in the field then you are becoming obsolete quickly.


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Technical specifications:
A 55mm lens is roughly equal to the perspective of the human eye. Combine this with its high speed, and the Sonnar T* FE 55mm F1.8 will allow you to capture spontaneous photographs as they unfold before your eyes. Also perfect for portraits, this lens is perfectly matched to Sony alpha E-mount full-frame bodies and will consistently offer superlative images full of contrast in any lighting situations. Produce beautiful bokeh or extend your depth of field by stopping down – it is all about portraying the world the way you want to see it.
Read more about the Sony SEL-55F18Z lens: www.sony.com
Technical specifications:
|Focal length
|55 mm
|Aperture range
|f/1.8 - f/22
|Focusing range
|0.5 m - ∞
|Number of elements/groups
|Angular field (Fullframe)
|43.7° (diagonal)
|Angular field (APS-C)
|29° (diagonal)
|Filter thread
|M 49 x 0.75
|Dimensions (with caps)
|ø 64.4 mm, length 87.7mm
|Weight (without caps)
|281 g
Its metal barrel and bayonet as well as elaborate protection against dust and spray make the lens perfect for shooting in demanding outdoor conditions – and also guarantee its constant readiness for many years of intensive use.
ZEISS lenses are famous for their extraordinary image quality. Even with challenging subjects, perspective, color and light are optimally rendered – throughout the entire 35 mm image field. For this reason, we place great emphasis on particularly high image quality, e.g. low distortion and outstanding stray light reduction for rich colors.
Compact yet extremely capable – ZEISS worked in close collaboration with Sony to create a high-precision lens, containing aspherical lenses as well as extra-low dispersion glass to ensure a portable size, while delivering exquisite image quality at the same time.
A high speed lens gives you a huge amount of freedom in taking your photographs, as you can either make the most of available light, not having to worry about disturbing a moment with a flash, or create spectacular effects with a shallow depth of field or harmonious bokeh.
Take advantage of all the benefits of full frame photography with a compact lens that is as versatile as it is capable. Compared to an equivalent full frame SLR lens, it is light and small enough not to weigh you down. And it is also suitable for use on APS-C size camera bodies, but please note the crop factor when considering the angle of view.


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September 9, 2010
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, PLAINTIFF,v.GILDARO CARVENTE PALAPA, DEFENDANT.
A. ( ) On motion by the Government/ ( ) on Court's own motion, in a case allegedly involving:
1. ( ) a serious risk that the defendant will flee.
2. ( ) a serious risk that the defendant will:
a. ( ) obstruct or attempt to obstruct justice.
b. ( ) threaten, injure or intimidate a prospective witness or juror, or attempt to do so.
3. (X) a violation of supervised release.
A. ( ) The Court finds that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure:
1. ( ) the appearance of the defendant as required. ( and/or
2. ( ) the safety of any person or the community.
B. ( X) Defendant has not established by clear and convincing evidence to the contrary that he does not pose a risk of flight or danger to the community as provided in 18 U.S.C. § 3143 (a).
The Court has considered:
A. the nature and circumstances of the offense(s) charged, including whether the offense is a crime of violence, a Federal crime of terrorism, or involves a minor victim or a controlled substance, firearm, explosive, or destructive device;
B. the weight of evidence against the defendant;
C. the history and characteristics of the defendant; and
D. the nature and seriousness of the danger to any person or the community.
The Court bases the foregoing finding(s) on the following:
A. ( ) As to flight risk:
B. ( ) As to danger:
A. IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the defendant be detained prior to trial.
B. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the defendant be committed to the custody of the Attorney General for confinement in a corrections facility separate, to the extent practicable, from persons awaiting or serving sentences or being held in custody pending appeal.
C. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the defendant be afforded reasonable opportunity for private consultation with counsel.
D. IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that, on order of a Court of the United States or on request of any attorney for the Government, the person in charge of the corrections facility in which defendant is confined deliver the defendant to a United States marshal for the purpose of an appearance in connection with a court proceeding.
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Grove Square Dark Chocolate Hot Cocoa, Single Serve (72 ct.)
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- Delicious, rich dark chocolate hot cocoa in just seconds
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Today, President Barack Obama is in Brazil, the first of three countries he is visiting this week in Latin America. The trip coincides with the fiftieth anniversary of President Kennedy's launch of the Alliance for Progress -- a pledge that the United States would join with Latin American leaders to address poverty and inequality.
President Obama said, "As one of the world's fastest-growing economies, Brazil has lifted tens of millions from poverty into a growing middle class. Today, the United States and Brazil are the hemisphere's two largest democracies and the two largest economies. Brazil is a regional leader promoting greater cooperation across the Americas and, increasingly, Brazil is a global leader, a world leader, going from a recipient of foreign aid to a donor nation, pointing the way to a world without nuclear weapons and being in the forefront of global efforts to confront climate change. As President, I've pursued engagement based on mutual interest and mutual respect. And a key part of this engagement is forging deeper cooperation with 21st century centers of influence, including Brazil."
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton previewed the President's trip and outlined opportunities for engagement in the region, before departing herself for Paris, where she met with European allies and Arab partners about the enforcement of UN Security Council Resolution 1973 on Libya.
President Obama said, "...In response to a call for action by the Libyan people and the Arab League, the UN Security Council passed a strong resolution that demands an end to the violence against citizens. It authorizes the use of force with an explicit commitment to pursue all necessary measures to stop the killing, to include the enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya. It also strengthens our sanctions and the enforcement of an arms embargo against the Qaddafi regime."
The President continued, "Now, once more, Moammar Qaddafi has a choice. The resolution that passed lays out very clear conditions that must be met. The United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Arab states agree that a cease-fire must be implemented immediately. That means all attacks against civilians must stop. Qaddafi must stop his troops from advancing on Benghazi, pull them back from Ajdabiya, Misrata, and Zawiya, and establish water, electricity and gas supplies to all areas. Humanitarian assistance must be allowed to reach the people of Libya. Let me be clear, these terms are not negotiable."
From the Tunisian border, Assistant Secretary Eric Schwartz provided his observations on the humanitarian challenges faced by those in the region due to the conflict in Libya. During a visit to Tunisia last week, Secretary Clinton went to a Red Crescent Training Center in Tunis and addressed Tunisia's humanitarian response to the crisis on its border with Libya.
Earlier in the week, Secretary Clinton traveled to France for G-8 meetings and to Egypt, where she visited Tahrir Square and met with Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf and Foreign Minister Nabil Al-Araby. While in France, she met with United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed and Japanese Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto, with whom she discussed the ongoing response to the earthquake and tsunamis.
President Obama visited the Japanese Embassy in Washington to offer his condolences and delivered remarks on the situation in Japan. President Obama said, "...We will stand with the people of Japan as they contain this crisis, recover from this hardship, and rebuild their great nation."
Throughout the week, U.S. Ambassador to Japan John Roos provided updates on the circumstances surrounding the earthquake and described U.S. humanitarian relief efforts in Japan. Conveying the sentiment of the American people, Ambassador Roos said, "Today our hearts remain with our Japanese friends." Laura Rodriguez of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) shared information on how all of us can help the Japanese people.
USAID marks its fiftieth anniversary this year, as does the Peace Corps. U.S. diplomat Christopher Lambert told us about his journey from Peace Corps volunteer to Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In nearby Haiti, Haitians went to the polls on March 20 for the second round of presidential and legislative elections.
In other news, Joanne Levine described efforts to hold Iran accountable for its human rights record. Special Envoy Hannah Rosenthal told us how young people of different backgrounds are finding mutual understanding through the 2011 Hours Against Hate Campaign.
Secretary Clinton received an update on progress in Northern Ireland from the Right Honorable Mr. Peter Robinson, M.L.A., First Minister of Northern Ireland and Mr. Martin McGuinness, M.P., M.L.A., Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland. The Secretary also met with Irish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore, and wished everyone a Happy St. Patrick's Day.
In Africa, the Troika -- Norway, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- urged the National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement to resume talks in Sudan. Assistant Secretary Jose Fernandez addressed how the United States is countering piracy off the Horn of Africa by disrupting pirates' financial networks. Ambassador Eric Goosby described how U.S. PEPFAR programs support African efforts to fight global AIDS, and reflected on the progress made in advancing the health of women and girls around the world.
In the South and Central Asian region, U.S. Embassy Kabul announced a contribution to the National Museum of Afghanistan and the launch of a communications infrastructure program. In the Kyrgyz Republic, the Civilian Response Corps is supporting U.S. assistance efforts in the country's southern region, and U.S. Embassy Ashgabat is helping expand access to the Internet for women in Turkmenistan.
Under Secretary Robert Hormats underscored the importance of innovation worldwide and recognized young American scientists. Paul Cunningham described how the Arctic Council Meetings are enhancing international environmental cooperation. Under Secretary Maria Otero will be participating in an online discussion about global water issues on Monday, March 21. You can submit questions to her in advance of the conversation here. We hope you join us for this dialogue.
On a final note, State Department colleagues and counterparts around the world paused to remember former Secretary of State Warren Christopher. Secretary Clinton said, "I was deeply saddened by the passing of my friend and predecessor Warren Christopher. The longer I spend in this job, the deeper my appreciation grows for the giants who came before. Warren was a diplomat's diplomat -- talented, dedicated and exceptionally wise."
Secretary Clinton continued, "As well as anyone in his generation, he understood the subtle interplay of national interests, fundamental values and personal dynamics that drive diplomacy. Along with the late Richard Holbrooke, Warren led the effort to bring peace to the Balkans in the 1990s. Over his long career in public service, he also helped establish diplomatic relations with China, oversaw the expansion of NATO, worked tirelessly for peace in the Middle East, and championed human rights around the world. America is safer and the world is more peaceful because of his service."
Cynthia in Oregon writes:
U.S. may be making a wise choice to engage Brazil. Brazil has the ingredients, strong military and rapidly developing economy, to be a potential effective regional partner.
Eric in New Mexico writes:
Blame it on the super moon, March madness, The ides of March, Mother nature, Murphy's law, ethical infants and/or the mindset of the rich and brain-dead, This has been one hell of a week-10 days for the world.
One in which the citizens of the world have been witness to the best and worst of us as humanity.
The road to Bengazi is looking like a "Mad Max" movie, and the only thing lacking in Japan to complete their disaster movie is Godzilla rising up from the seas.
I don't mean to make light of these things, but reality is sometimes stranger than fiction, or at least sometimes resembles it.
Well my government has done me proud in how they've been dealing with it, I'll say that much. A maximun effort, and they deserve the thanks of the people for it.
I will offer one thought though that folks may wish to entertain, given the statements by this government's senior officials on the prospects of seeing Ghaddafi removed from power.
While it be preferable that the people of Lybia do that themselves, there are two UN resolutions. One inditing him and refering him and his minions to the ICC for prosection of crimes against humanity, and another calling for "all neccessary measures" to protect the population of Lybia.
And while the US and NATO are eliminating his capacity to make war, he's not officially a target according to my governmment. Though with a caveat that "we can't garrantee his safety."
Most Americans I know found that rather amusing, but troubling.
Can we along with NATO countries and the Arab league states garrantee the Lybian people peace without doing what it takes to remove him if the people cannot without a long and protracted struggle? Given the fact that the shorter the duration of international measures ongoing, the faster the mandate will be realized and lives saved?
This is probably the single most pressing question to be answered this week if indeed the mandate of these resolutions is to be honored and fulfilled. Lest the peace you'all seek slip through a loop hole of legal definition and uncertainty in what actions can be taken to effect peace expiditiously in its favor.
The press dogs are chomping on the bone of "regime change" and the only way to safely take a bone away from away from a dog is to give him another to chew on.
And inevitably the press will keep using the phrase if there isn't a new one offered up to them to grab hold of.
This is going to become increasingly problematic because folks just arn't quite getting the message out, in fact the message that is being put out is confusing a whole lot of folks as to what the "end game" looks like and how folks in the coalition intend to go about achieving that.
"A fluid situation." yes, but if you folks need a separate UN resolution to authorize specificly Ghaddafi's remanding to custody for justice of the ICC (and naturally thereby his removal from power), then I think folks better go get one.
And let's make this vote unanimous in favor.
I would caution that if folks allow for the possibility that Ghaddafi would somehow remain in power, that in no way could the international community secure the peace for the Lybian people, nor for themselves.
All political "sensitivities" aside, this..if not now, when will "regime replacement therapy" become undeniably self evidently the better option to one and all concerned?
Bein' that the therapy starts as the people rejoice in the peace restored to them.
Let the press chew on this bone for awhile, it's got more meat on it.
D.S. in the United Kingdom writes:
Hey, I just hopped over to your web site through StumbleUpon. Not somthing I might normally read, but I liked your thoughts none the less. Thank you for creating some thing well worth reading.
Palgye in South Korea writes:
India is also support...
As the strike against Libya, and many, mediocre, I think I saved the lives of Libyans.
In Libya, the lack of cancer among people who experienced soldiers and mercenaries, hirelings, if we attack the city, not soldiers - the difference between hunters and poachers, who have a distinct purpose in the blind and indiscriminate killing - by anyone, instinctively to protect his own body on the defensive, but the instincts of murder, the killer instinct of the faithful to kill Sarah think.
Landing ground troops wont, have a lot of pressure I think. Media attention and the mother's tears, I do not think politicians will survive.
Libya, a lot of attention focused on the French to think that, La Legion Etrange a commitment, so that the Libyan militia, why do not help to achieve that role? La Legion Etrange to think lightly of the soldiers' life is not. They're the ones with your precious life, and avoid the difficult situation of trying to have French citizenship to think that people will have jobs.
Libya to unite the militia, there is no clear leaders, even those in combat tend to think indisputable.
She cares for human life, while the stability of oil prices and stock markets look to alleviate investors' concerns that Committed by people with specialized job, so that you think should lead to a quick resolution. Or, La Legion Etrange voluntary participation is thought to be good. Of course, weapons and water, food, medical equipment, enough to think it should be supported.
French presidential election, appointment and I was wondering what the results are reliable. And
Super Puma will know if you are still a good flight. Which is rather faulty, the fault is thought to be maintenance. By a mechanic, and be protected ....
PS: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Queen's active gesture, thank you ...
Granger in Sweden writes:
NATO is capable of handling/managing a World War(many assets from many nations toward many focused objectives). Odyssey Dawn is a peice of cake for this organization. Hopefully, the U.S. and its partners will let NATO handle the bulk of the mission which would allow them to focus the rest of their resources toward other pressing matters (Japan, etcetera).


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With the weekend forecast bringing what looks like -5 degree weather in some parts of the country, you may just find yourself inside taking refuge in the living room. And then while you're sipping an ice cold, Vermont brewed Woodchuck Hard Cider (that's my favorite) or a Long Trail (Dennis' favorite) in front of the TV, you may start wishing you had a beautiful new entertainment center or media console. Or a couple handcrafted cherry end tables to set your drink on. Well if that happens, you're in luck! Living room furniture and home office furniture are on sale at Vermont Woods Studios today through June 13th.
Now's your chance to update your living room or home office with real wood furniture and timeless Vermont styling that shows off the beauty of natural wood. Take 10% off any single piece, 15% on two pieces, or 20% on three or more pieces of furniture*(plus free shipping). Your new solid wood furniture will be crafted especially for you in your choice of natural Cherry, Maple, Walnut, or Oak woods. Each piece of furniture is solidly built to last for generations and backed by a lifetime guarantee.
You can customize your new living room coffee table, TV stand, bookcase, desk, or wood filing cabinet online or if you prefer, contact us at 888-390-5571 to order by phone or discuss your questions.
As always, Copeland, POLYWOOD, and Clearance furniture are excluded from the sale but that's only because we have a low price guarantee on them every day. Artisan furniture is also excluded.
This blog is written by your friends at Vermont Woods Studios. Check out our Vermont made furniture and home decor online and visit our showroom and art gallery at Stonehurst, the newly restored 1800s farmhouse nestled in the foothills of the Green Mountains.


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- 01-12-2013, 12:15 PM Thread Author #1
Where do I get a SIM card for iPhone4?
My cousin has an iPhone4 in Chile, South America. She is getting it unlocked and is coming to NYC to study for a year. Where do I get her a SIM card? I'm guessing it would only work on AT&T? How do I go about getting it to work in NYC or is it easier/better to just start a contract here?
- 01-12-2013, 12:17 PM #2iMore Genius
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Re: Where do I get a SIM card for iPhone4?
You're going to need service to use a SIM, so you'll get a SIM when you sign up... either contract or prepaid...
- 01-12-2013, 12:40 PM Thread Author #3
- 01-12-2013, 02:26 PM #4iMore Guru
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- 01-12-2013, 02:51 PM #5iMore Genius
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Re: Where do I get a SIM card for iPhone4?
Since the phone will be unlocked, she can go into any mobile store and get a prepaid sim on any carrier - AT&T, T-Mo, or any of the local GSM carriers.
- 01-12-2013, 06:36 PM Thread Author #6
Where do I get a SIM card for iPhone4?
Cool, thanks for the responses guys. Looks like T-Mo is the best bet, 1000 mins good for 1 year and she can use wifi for data at the college she's attending. If she needs to go away she can do the unlimited text, talk and web for $3 a day. She gets here next week so I just wanted to have all the info for when she gets here. Thanks again for the info
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Skip to comments.PN Bakken: Wake-up call
Posted on 01/19/2013 8:22:54 AM PST by thackney
North Dakota has now recorded back-to-back months in which the massive Bakken petroleum system has failed to live up to production expectations.
Reasons behind lackluster performances in October and especially in November have led the states top oil man, Lynn Helms, to issue a wake-up call for those who believed the good times would continue unabated.
Weve gotten very used to the increase in production, almost regardless of what was happening out there, Helms, director of the Department of Mineral Resources, said in a Jan. 11 conference call.
For the first time in 19 months, North Dakotas oil production declined in November, the most recent month for which production statistics are available. Output fell 2.2 percent, from an average 749,212 barrels per day in October to 733,078 bpd in November.
Our expectation was for a 2-to 3 percent increase, Helms conceded.
Storm blamed for slowdown
Winter storm Brutus was blamed for most of the November decline. It brought operations to a halt for several days and, more telling, exposed infrastructure shortcomings, in particular the heavy dependence on trucks and a snow and ice-vulnerable road system to transport fracking water and other materials to drill sites and production to rail and pipeline terminals. When you encounter something like that winter storm, you have to shut wells in, you cant use the oil, Helms said, noting that the number of new wells waiting to be hydraulically fractured and put on production in November jumped by 50 to 410 because of bad weather.
The huge backlog in hydraulic fracturing jobs has evolved into a major headache for the department, Helms said, adding that during the first half of 2012, service companies assured the state that they would be bringing in lots and lots of workers and equipment to the Williston Basin to catch up on the work. Several of the largest companies alone hired an additional 1,500 workers to address the problem.
Colder weather ahead
And the trend seemed to be going in the right direction, Helms said. Now we have two (slow) months in a row as we enter colder weather, where fracking has really slowed up. We may be finding ourselves in a paradigm where the winter months are much more difficult than anybody had anticipated. And it is a serious concern. Ironically, as Helms answered questions from reporters on the Web and live from the state capitol in Bismarck, N.D., much of the Midwest was being hammered by yet another snowstorm. And though it appeared the brunt of this storm was going to skirt North Dakotas oil patch, I think it could have some impact on January production, Helms said.
December was a relatively quiet month.
North Dakota also has become a state thats all about Bakken production, with most of the oil patch concentrated in a fairly tight four-county area, making it particularly susceptible to disruptions, Helms said. Williams County caught the worst of the November storm, experiencing the snowiest day in more than 110 years.
Helms wake-up call
So, (its) unlike the state of Texas where they have Eagle Ford, they have the Permian Basin, and they have East Texas all producing, Helms said. All our eggs are sort of in one basket. Thats why I call it a wake-up call. We are so in tune with Bakken and Three Forks development, so dependent on truck transportation, and so dependent on hydraulic fracturing. Underground pipelines to transport warm fracking water to drill sites, rather than by truck, would help alleviate the problem, Helms said. He noted that the state is working on legislation to establish rights of way and easements, so we can bury those pipes six feet underground.
North Dakotas oil production did increase in October, but at a much slower pace compared to previous months. Factors that contributed to Octobers underperformance also contributed to Novembers decline operators transitioning to higher efficiency drilling rigs and implementing cost-cutting measures at the end of their 2012 capital budgets.
Rapidly escalating well costs consumed capital spending budgets faster than many companies anticipated, and uncertainty surrounding future federal policies on taxation and hydraulic fracturing impacted capital investment decisions, Helms said in his January Directors Cut report.
Rig count down again
The Williston Basin drilling rig count averaged 184 in December, down from 186 in November and 188 in October. The count stood at 181 on Dec. 11. The all-time high of 218 rigs was reached on May 29, 2012. The utilization rate for rigs capable of 20,000-plus feet is down to about 80 percent, and for shallow well rigs to 7,000 feet or less utilization remains about 60 percent, according to the department.
There were 8,101 producing wells in November compared to 8,035 in October, a gain of 66 wells.
Drilling permits issued in December stood at 154, down from 211 in November and 370 in October.
Drilling permit activity was lower in December due to the number of holidays, Helms noted in his report. We continue to have a sufficient permit inventory to accommodate more multi-well pads, the desire to not build locations during winter, and the time required to publish hydraulic fracturing rules if required.
Crude oil takeaway capacity reportedly remains adequate to keep up with a majority of oil now shipped by rail to East Coast, Gulf Coast, and West Coast destinations.
Leasing activity extremely slow
North Dakota leasing activity is said to be extremely slow, mostly renewals and top leases in the Bakken-Three Forks area. Williston Basin natural gas production of 782,078 thousand cubic feet (mcf) per day in November was down slightly from Octobers 797,785 mcf per day.
Construction of processing plants and gathering systems was also severely affected by weather, Helms said, noting that U.S. natural gas storage is up to 11 percent above the five-year average.
This indicates continuing low prices for the foreseeable future, he added. North Dakota shallow gas exploration is not economic at near term gas prices.
Natural gas delivered to Northern Border at Watford City, N.D., is down to $2.85 per mcf, resulting in a current oil-to-gas price ratio of 31 to 1. But the high liquids content makes gathering and processing of Bakken gas economic. Additions to gathering and processing capacity are helping with the percentage of gas flared dropping to 29 percent. The historical high was 36 percent in September 2011.
Oil prices drop in December
North Dakota sweet crude averaged $77.09 per barrel in December, compared to $80.86 in November and $87.00 in October. The price stood at $87.25 per barrel on Jan. 11. The all-time high reached $136.29 on July 3, 2008. Meanwhile, the number of rigs actively drilling on federal surface in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands was reported to be down to zero. But the number of rigs drilling on the Fort Berthold Reservation has increased to 28 with four on fee lands and 24 on trust lands.
There are now 793 active wells 96 on trust lands and 697 on fee lands producing 135,380 barrels of oil per day 6,730 from trust lands and 128,650 from fee lands. There are 113 wells waiting on completion.
Additionally, there are 291 approved drilling permits 266 on trust lands and 25 on fee lands, with 1,479 additional potential future wells 1,426 on trust lands and 53 on fee lands.
In other developments draft Bureau of Land Management, BLM, regulations for hydraulic fracturing on federal lands have been published in the Federal Register. The comment period closed on Sept. 10, 2012. BLM received over 170,000 comments and has indicated a final rule will be published mid-2013.
Also, Draft Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, guidance for permitting hydraulic fracturing using diesel fuel has been published. The comment period closed on Aug. 23, 2012. EPA received over 97,000 comments and has set a target of spring 2013 for final guidance document publication.
Winter storm Brutus hits, the place temporarily loses its staffing (even hardy guys have a limit to how hardy they are) and output suffers, and oh heavens the sky must have fallen.
What's this meshugas??? (Craziness)
Going to have to get some major oil & gas pipelines up in that area, shipping the oil by rail will not be enough with the production increases.
Another , "Unexpected?"
Bakken is not going anywhere. If anything, there is not enough infrastructure to keep up with production. The cold weather decrease means nothing in grand scheme of things..
They drill about 140 new wells per month. Each of those starts producing oil at about 1200 barrels per day.
But the MOST IMPORTANT parameter is not being advertised. That is that every single well they have drilled starts to decline its output as soon as it starts. There is talk of 30% decline rates/year. That means that 1200 bpd is down to 650 in just 2 years.
The reason that is the MOST IMPORTANT parameter is that there are 4000+ wells declining every single day and they add only 140 new ones per month. This is sprinting up a down escalator whose steps are moving downward at an increasing speed.
You can outdrill that acceleration . . . for a while. But it's important to understand every such month that goes downward in production is several feet downward on the accelerating downward escalator that has to be made up by even faster sprinting.
This is not a good miracle to bet the nation's life on.
That sounds like nonsense to me.
Why would you build underground pipeline to a well site that needs hydraulic fractured ONE TIME, then not again for years or even more than a decade? Are they fractured at any real frequency in the Bakken?
Well said. The fact is the wind and snow made travelimg almost impossible.
My company shut us down.
Frac here then frac there. It takes them longer on the bakken sometimes. I don't know why.
On the jonah natural gas fields slumber j would set up on one location and run tubing to frac many wells from the same locatiom
Just shows the need for pipelines. There are several more pipelines underway. Meanwhile, a winter storm can affect the numbers. Its life in the oil patch.
Cold weather in North Dakota in mid-winter. Who'd've thought it?
Seriously, if companies can work in Alaska, they can learn to work in North Dakota. It will just take a little experience and a little adjusting to conditions.
Some of us are old enough to have seen this several times, different plays play out, nothing last forever but it's amazing how some things last. I've got Wolfcamp wells on the south end of the ranch that are over 50 years old that still make a few barrels a day (enough to keep them running). I've got Canyon Sands Wells on the north end that come in with 300 to 400 barrels a day but drop of to 15 or 20 within a year. Our upper section Cline Wells north of town are comming in at 400 to 500 per day with some still holding over 100 after a year. The well we're drilling now is for the lower level Cline and we'll see what this one does. On the Cline wells we're making good wet gas and allot of it.
That sounds like a lot higher than the typical well. Or if they start anywhere near that point, they fall down fast. The average for the first 60~90 days is 234 barrels per day according to the North Dakota Industrial Commission, Department of Mineral Resources, Oil and Gas Division.
First 60 - 90 Day Average Bakken Pool Production by Well
There is talk of 30% decline rates/year.
There is more than just talk. The initial data is even worse.
Source for Graph:
North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources
Good data:
"Ive got Canyon Sands Wells on the north end that come in with 300 to 400 barrels a day but drop of to 15 or 20 within a year."
That's maybe an average of 200 barrels a day for the year as it declines. That's 73000 barrels at $80/barrel or $5.8 million coming out of a well that cost what, $15 million with infrastructure? These had better be rare.
I do realize the first and second data sets do not match with each other. Both are from ND government. ???
There's oil there and jobs, but this is the most overhyped crap in the history of an industry built on overhyped crap.
That place is going to go into freefall production-wise and the day it is clear "tight oil" is not going to be anyone's salvation, Brent will go to $200.
"Drainage! Drainage, Eli! Drained dry, you boy! If you have a milkshake and I have a milkshake and I have a straw and my straw reaches across the room and starts to drink your milkshake. I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!"
No sir our wells are running us about 2.5 to 3 mil per, thats flowlines and battery's. We're not drilling horizontals. We ain't up with the big dog's just yet.
Well I can't drink your milkshake but I might get a little taste as long as it's within my 40 acres. TRRC frowns on poaching.
When I suck it up my straw on my 40 acres, capillary action sucks it from all the surrounding 40-acre parcels.
"Seriously, if companies can work in Alaska, they can learn to work in North Dakota."
I worked in the Alaska North Slope oil patch for 26 years. Bad weather is nothing new. Production goes up sometimes but it inevitably goes down. That's just the way it is.
Oil wells typically produce large quantities of oil right after they are drilled, then gradually taper off. By that time all of the big expenses have (hopefully) been paid for. They do not get capped unless the operating expense exceeds the value of the oil being produced.
And thats the way it is.
Bumping. Thanks!
Just so. I'm only an onlooker. But one obvious thing that occurs to me is that they should gradually build up gas storage facilities. Then they can fill these in the summer and keep them moving out on pipelines in the winter, to even things out.
Either that kind of solution, or live with the fact that it's seasonal, like some of the Canadian gold mines.
We have a lot of natural gas storage in the US cycling summer to winter already.
From above "That's just the way it is." And it's that way far more severely for horizontals.
On the graph, horizontals die vertically. Well known reality carefully NOT talked about by those who have to hype the drilling of the next well.
As for nat gas, the word is 40% of nat gas produced in the Bakken is flared. They are drilling so frantically and desperately fast to overcome that down escalator that they dare not pause to lay capture infrastructure.
And here is a delightful photo to prove it. See if you can find the huge city on a map making that huge swath of (gas flare) light in western NoDak on a map, or south of Austin where the Eagleford is flaring.
That's what desperate, frantic drilling looks like, folks, and it's not going to get any better. Ever.
If your trying to make a point ya lost me. Please explain in more detail.
Sir there was a time when the entire West Texas skyline was covered in flares, running major pipelines take time.
My suspicions lie with there is likely very little gas produced from the typical Bakken well compared to the oil. That gives little chance for profit on a natural gas payoff for the investment in all the gathering lines.
They are getting some extensions in the permitting, but that is not going to last forever. They are going to be forced to start recovering that gas.
PN Bakken: NDs gas woes
Week of December 02, 2012
Finding a solution to North Dakotas ballooning gas-flaring problem will require a very difficult balancing act that could take until the end of the decade to work out.
We have to balance the ability to build gathering systems against the waste that takes place with flaring, Lynn Helms, director of the states Department of Mineral Resources, said in a Nov. 20 Webcast.
So were looking at toward the end of this decade before we really get this flaring dynamic under control.
Gas production continues to increase at a faster rate than the more desirable crude oil, setting yet another production record in September at 793,546 thousand cubic feet, mcf, per day. Average oil output for the month was 728,494 barrels per day, also a record.
I don't think the big lines coming out of Canada running through the area around the Bakken run at full capacity anymore. Our Natural Gas imports from Canada have fallen a bit without any real loss in pipeline capacity.
For that data:
U.S. Natural Gas Pipeline Imports From Canada
I agree I'm just saying it takes time to catch up.
Hey Dusty,
The point was not anything envirowacko. Don't care about that.
Don't really even care about the waste.
But I do care about the hype. This "story" is being leaned on for BS projections of US energy independence (always bogus phrasing since only oil brings food to grocery store shelves, and only oil drives the 400 Hp tractors that get it planted in 50,000 acres before planting season expires).
Sorry, digression. This field is being leaned on and hyped as the salvation of US oil production and elimination of US oil imports and it's BS. Oil is measured in barrels/day. Not in barrels. It doesn't matter what's under the ground there if the rate it comes up peaks and falls.
There is some fracking going on in West Texas now, too, and the Eagleford is on that photo. They aren't immune to geology. Their horizontals die vertically, too. You're in the biz so you KNOW California is in freefall. You KNOW Oklahoma is down about 85% from the 1930s. You KNOW Illinois oil output is down a similar 75% from the 1930s. This isn't going to reverse. This is forever. These shale plays are a blip on the relentless down escalator.
"I agree Im just saying it takes time to catch up."
It does, and you have that time available on conventional vertical wells.
Horizontals die so fast you DON'T have time to catch up. That's why it is so frantic. If you take time to get nat gas capture infrastructure into place, the oil output is avalanching so fast from your multiple wells that you start to lose enough cash to fund that infrastructure.
These shale plays are very short lived things. You gotta do them. The oil doesn't do anyone any good underground. But they are not going to change anything. They will peak and fall. Steeply.
North Dakota sweet crude averaged $77.09 per barrel in December, compared to $80.86 in November and $87.00 in October. The price stood at $87.25 per barrel on Jan. 11. The all-time high reached $136.29 on July 3, 2008. Meanwhile, the number of rigs actively drilling on federal surface in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands was reported to be down to zero. But the number of rigs drilling on the Fort Berthold Reservation has increased to 28 with four on fee lands and 24 on trust lands. There are now 793 active wells -- 96 on trust lands and 697 on fee lands -- producing 135,380 barrels of oil per day -- 6,730 from trust lands and 128,650 from fee lands. There are 113 wells waiting on completion. Additionally, there are 291 approved drilling permits -- 266 on trust lands and 25 on fee lands, with 1,479 additional potential future wells -- 1,426 on trust lands and 53 on fee lands.Hmm, all time high during a POTUS election year, how odd. /s
Wellsites in the Bakken can be four or more miles apart (1280 acre spacing). Maybe that has something to do with Schlumberger not running lines to multiple wells.
Warm fracking water?
The economics of building a pipeline to transport fracking water to a wellsite would limit fracking operations to summer, and the pipelines would have to be surface and temporary or the backlog for completions would be determined by pipeline crews.
A buried line would be more expensive.
It has been done: Brigham built a temporary (agricultural/irrigation pipe --8 inch iirc) surface line to a location from Trenton ND, about 8 miles. The line saved them a fortune in trucking costs for the fracking of three wells, the pit from the first frac used to store the water was used to store water for two offset wells.
However, 8 miles is a pretty short distance to a water source, and this was done while the weather was warm. Multiple wells in that area made it more economical, as they were able to pump water overland from that pit to the other wellsites.
Most wells are farther from water, and building a temporary line more problematical over less friendly terrain. Regulation of storage pits has become more intense as well, even though the water was well water--something not readily available in all areas, especially in that quality and quantity.
As far as a permanent line to a well for fracking, you frac to find out what the well will do, there are no guarantees, and that would be a tremendous up-front expense for an unknown return.
Perhaps piping water to regional locations to reduce transport distances would be a plus, with the infrastructure available for potable water later on.
It may be that Director Helms is considering using the lines in to wellsites for oil/gas pipelines out, but that would likely involve different construction specifications. I think the goal there would be to reduce flaring gas.
Anyway, weather has traditionally messed with oilfield operations here, and the last two winters have been unusually mild. This one is behaving a little more like winter, and for outfits who have been spoiled by a couple of years of 'nice' winter weather, the adjustment may take a season or two.
I don't have to hype the next well, but I tell every royalty onwer I know to bank the first three royalty checks, and at least half of the next five, then see what they get because of the decline curves. I explain to them that the production falls off rapidly from IP, and usually ends up at the 150-200 BOPD mark after a couple of years. If they look at the first check and load up for Beverly Hills (Jed Clampett joke), they're liable to come back on a Greyhound when they can't make the payments. Most are older folks who are reasonably careful with their money anyway, and they fare pretty well--they just treat the money like a bumper crop, and don't count on a steady stream of it to continue.
Joe thats exactly what we did. We built one pit by our two water wells then staged 3 more coming around the nth side of the mountains all connected with 4 inch poly lines and polylines running to each well. When we finished we started selling water to Whiting who was drilling nth of us.
I hear ya on the royalty checks I've seen several go from riches to rags in just a couple of years. You try and tell them but they won't listen.
"I explain to them that the production falls off rapidly from IP, and usually ends up at the 150-200 BOPD mark after a couple of years."
This, btw, is another aspect of the hype. Specifically:
"This oil field is the future of America! It will be producing oil for the next 80 years!"
Be sure to include those exclamation marks. All those wells will be stripper wells in 5 years. In 80, maybe a handful will still do 2 barrels/day. The rest capped and abandoned. But those handful are there and thus "here we are 80 years later, still producing!!"
This is why reserves are not the critical parameter. Extraction rate is the critical parameter because rates are what consumption is all about. Extraction rate (aka production, but I've always hated calling it "oil production" — Mother Nature did the producing, the industry is just extracting it) is how one measures oil.
Don't know if you guys have seen the study. Some Norwegian reasonably smart guy has looked at first 12 month output of Bakken wells now, vs first 12 month output of Bakken wells a year ago and two years ago. Just the first 12 months.
The number is falling. The conclusion he suggests is the low hanging fruit, the highest odds for big flow, were drilled first. Thackney guy up above noted that I quoted 1200 bpd as initial flow and that the graph showed lower. This is likely part of the same thing.
This field is just flat out overhyped.
You probably already know this, but Oklahoma is also one of the states seeing growth in oil production. Still early, but expected to continue to climb. This is not to be confused with easy (cheap) oil supply from the 30s.
haha yes, it's climbing.
Like US new home sales. Celebrating and hyping 2 and 3% rises when it's down something like 60% from 2005.
Oklahoma oil production was 780K bpd in about 1928. That was the peak. Now it's at 260K. That's down what, about 67%? And that's with 85 years of technology improvements applied. So it was down 75%, has risen a smidgeon, and now it's down 67%. Hallelujah!
Good call thackney on the whole easy vs not easy oil. I don't measure easy in dollars. I measure in joules. How many joules did it take to build a 25 foot wooden tower on site, drill a hole and then stick a pipe over the gusher . . . . vs build a 30 story tall marine rig, stick a ten thousand horsepower engine on it, helicopter a crew to it, drive it for several months several thousand miles to the drill site and then drill in 2 miles of water to the sea floor and down another 10 miles below it?
Folks want to yell about liberalism and printing money . . . sorry, the reason civilization is disintegrating is because of that joules ratio. It is HUGELY more expensive joules-wise to get the 5.6 million BTUs of energy in 1 barrel of oil out of the ground than it used to be. The net joules coming out of the ground have been smashed by the end of easy oil — and this is forever.
Editing myself . . . hate hyperbole.
Not 10 miles under the sea floor. 4 miles. Typical deep water drill depths are 25,000 feet (which is so deep most of these "discoveries" of "BOE" is mostly E . . . Equivalent, i.e., natgas. Too hot that deep for oil to remain oil).
Sure, there are sweet spots, and these have been noted since development began. The initial barnburner discoveries near Stanley ND, and elsewhere in the basin had wells IP at over 3000 BOPD or equivalent. Not shabby at all. Other areas will produce less, and some not at all. I've worked wells which fit all of those, from a regional recordholder to a couple which fell outside the productive area, to wells in between, and have worked over 100 of the Bakken and THree Forks wells now.
The Three Forks, BTW was completely thought to be nonproductive.
Oops, but there is a gain to be had in that as well.
Believe it or not, even after over twelve years of working these wells, we're still developing new technologies to drill them faster, better, and produce them more efficiently.
Now, let me put this in perspective. In the Williston Basin, oil was first found in the 1950s. In that time wells have produced oil and/or gas commercially from eighteen different geological formations varying in age from Triassic to Cambrian.
Horizontal drilling has been applied to the Bakken, but I have worked horizontal wells in the Ratcliffe, Midale, Stonewall, and Red River, as well as the Bakken and Three Forks. Other formations may lend themselves to this production technology.
Prior to horizontal drilling, a 100 BOPD well was considered a fairly good producer. I'm not sure of the number, but, iirc about 30% of US production comes from stripper wells producing under 20bbls of oil per day. They all contribute.
The Williston Basin has been producing oil for 60 years. One of the early fields I worked in, doing re-entry horizontal wells proved the concept: Carbonate reservoirs are anisotropic, and even on a 160 acre spacing, did not yield their full load of oil after twenty years of production: the changes in production volume and even an increase in gas produced in one well when two laterals were drilled at 90 degrees to each other 1 year apart proved this.
Please note that another misleading bit of hype about the Bakken is that it is shale oil. The source rock for the oil is the Upper Bakken Shale, and where present, the Lower Bakken Shale, but the rock in the Middle Bakken is a combination (depending on where you are in the Williston Basin) of micricrystalline to fine crystalline dolomite, siltstone, sandstone, and fragmental limestone. This rock has porosity, even if the natural permeability is low as a rule, and because of the complex nature of the lithology involved, may not register correctly on porosity logs. The ability to model the rock types more efficiently based on density and sonic logs, and to better estimate porosity may yield better production forecasts.
The Basin will be producing oil for a long time to come, as long as there is a market for it.
The only questions are "How Much?" and from "Which Formation?"
As far as hype goes, actually, efforts have been made to NOT hype it, from reserves estimates to recovery estimates, by both the State and the USGS.
If you've been reading pump and dump stock newsletters, you might be getting a different story.
The rest of us (in the oil industry) can't just pull stakes, cash out and move on to selling electronic widget company stock next week.
Because I am a professional geologist, and I live in the Williston Basin, I make a point of never overselling the idea, and would lose credibility among my peers and the public alike if I portrayed the drilling boom here as anything it is not. I have seen booms come and go, and always have been one to preach economic caution in spending habits, both from the public coffers and in private life as well.
There will be plenty of fancy cars and bigger houses available when things slow down in due time, at relatively cheap prices.
That's good data.
Of course stripper wells contribute. They contribute 5 barrels per day. That's not going to pay the piper.
Global oil production is what, about 75 mbpd? Oil, not low joule NGLs or ethanol. Proper crude oil. Saudi Arabia is about 9.5 of that. Russia is 10.3. That's 27% of the total from two places that do NOT do stripper wells. Did you know there are, after just what, five years of frantic drilling, more wells in the Bakken than in all of Saudi Arabia, drilled for 65 years? The Bakken is the poster child for destruction of the joules ratio of in vs out.
This is frantic, desperate drilling using millidarcy enhancement methods that KSA never has to use. They have wells that have flowed about 10,000 bpd for 40 years.
"If you've been reading pump and dump stock newsletters, you might be getting a different story."
You must mean the news releases from Continental Resources, the largest company involved who own more leases than anyone else there?
BTW I do applaud the efforts of NDak's geology folks to slap down Continental Resources' hype, but they are failing utterly to stop NY Times hype or even Forbes, who have a reasonbly smart oil reporter.
I know of no horizontal Bakken or Three Forks wells which have been reduced to stripper status (in the current round of drilling, not those from the mid-80s which actually targeted the shales), and I have been working these since 2000.
That is a lot longer to get under 20 BOPD than the projections.
The tendency I have seen is for production to level off at between 10 and 20% of IP after a couple of years and decline more slowly from there.
I don't pretend to have all the data at my fingertips, but causing a panic would benefit some operators as smaller players came up short of venture capital and slowed down or sold out causing a sudden surplus of drilling rigs and service companies.
Oil prices versus drilling/completion costs can drive such a deflation of any 'bubble' present, just as we have seen in the housing market adjustments here.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.


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Police are investigating it as a murder-suicide. Supposedly Benoit killed his family sometime over the weekend, then killed himself sometime today.
The version I heard, and you won't hear this on news reports yet, is that his wife was going to leave him, and take their son with her. He snapped, and suffocated both of them, and then hung himself.
I heard that part on a message board, but this was posted well before the murder-suicide was announced. So it could be legitimate, or at least close to the truth.
But I guess we'll see in the near future. For his case, I hope it's not true.


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SEOUL — Asiana Airlines reported its first profitable quarter this year as travel peaked during the fall holidays.
South Korea's second-largest airline said Friday that its July-September quarter earnings of 82.8 billion won ($77.8 million) were up 3.3% over a year earlier. But third-quarter operating income plunged 42% to 63.4 billion won while sales dropped 3% to 1.52 trillion won.
The carrier is the operator of the Boeing 777 that crash-landed in San Francisco on July 6, killing three and injuring dozens.
Asiana said the weak yen continued to dampen travel demand from Japan, while other overseas passengers increased as demand typically rises during the third quarter.
Despite an overall increase in passengers during the fall peak season and long holidays in South Korea, analysts said Asiana likely suffered a drop in air fares and freight charges due to heightened competition from budget airlines.
Asiana Airlines makes more than half of its revenue from overseas flights. This year, the company's passenger business was hit by lower demand for flights from Japan to South Korea because of the weaker yen and belligerent rhetoric from North Korea threatening a nuclear war.
The company remained in red for the first nine months of this year, with a net loss totaling 45.6 billion won.
Even after the deadly San Francisco crash, Asiana likely maintained passenger numbers at levels comparable with a year earlier, said Yoon Hee-do, an analyst at Korea Investment & Securities. But fares dropped sharply, he said.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Services Overview
In addition to the traditional services you'd expect from a veterinary hospital, we offer pets and pet parents a selection of specialized veterinary services. For example, we treat pocket pets and birds. And we provide safe and comfortable boarding for your special companion, so you can count on us to meet all your pet's needs.
If you aren't sure if we offer a specific service that's important to you, please ask us. If we don't already offer it, we can refer you to one of our sister animal hospitals in the area or to one of our veterinary referral hospitals.


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Here's how RW members rated this race in the past (322 votes).
In short: A good half marathon through some great scenery.In full: Wet and windy but good local support, good organisation and well marshalled.Date of review: October 25, 2009
In short: Really enjoyable race....In full: Organisation on the day was excellent but beforehand was p**s poor!! Get a website to keep runners updated. Post chips out with numbers instead of making us all turn up an hour before in the freezing cold!!Thanks to all the fantastic marshalls though!!!Date of review: October 25, 2009
In short: Wet & Windy!!!! just enough to remind you, you are alive!!!!!In full: Absolutely brilliant! well organised and the cheering crowds were not put off by the weather... well done organisers and crowd.on the cards next year! bring it on....Date of review: October 25, 2009
In short: blustery but fun and legs still have running in them!Date of review: October 25, 2009
In short: Lovely route, tough in places.In full: The weather conditions made this course very tough. Why was it a week later than usual this year. Great marshalling! Pity they ran out of "Goodie Bags" for the later runners.Date of review: October 25, 2009
In short: great route, most enjoyableIn full: the weather was pants. there was far too much hanging around in the frezing rain and wind (there were loads of people huddled together in a tent like emperor penguins- I wasn't allowed in!)it is a good course though and 5miles into it, I started to enjoy it immensely. good local support.will be back again next yearDate of review: October 25, 2009
In full: well organised race ,back next year,Date of review: October 25, 2009
In short: Weather not good so marred judgement, would do it againDate of review: October 25, 2009
In full: first time, but not the last. the weather was depressing but did not spoil the run. set my pb buy 40 seconds which was set in this years great north, which I allways thought a little hilly. this seemed undulating but looking back Iwould call it interesting, no straight boring roads. crowds were good considering the weather, more than enough water stations and organisation was excellent. thought the finish at the ruuning track was very uplifting. if brendon foster reads this then give us a t-shirt in the great north that we can wear to run in, cos thats what we are, runners!!!!Date of review: October 25, 2009
Date of review: October 25, 2009
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October 30 & 31
ASCSM Harvest Festival
Wed Oct 31, 2012
12:00 pm - 2:00 pm
Join the Associated Students as we celebrate the coming of fall and Halloween. Free food, live music, and giveaways! Wear your spookiest, most creative, or most unique Halloween costume for a chance to win a prize!
CSM College Center Plaza1700 W. Hillsdale Boulevard
San Mateo, CA 94402
Browse Events at this Location
Event Contact InfoFauzi Hamadeh
(650) 574-6141
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Yesterday was my first day at the Olympics and it was amazing! Vancouver is a beautiful host city and the BC Tourism Board http://www.hellobc.com has done an excellent job promoting the city and its gorgeous scenery.
The day started out with a photo walk around downtown taking pictures of the Olympic flame, then down to Robson Square to see the Chinese gold and silver medal pairs figure skating champions do brief performances. Then we went to the British Columbia Media Center! And watched some snowboard half pipe and hockey on TV.
Late afternoon I headed to the Pacific Coliseum as I was fortunate enough to wrangle a ticket to the Short Track Speed Skating. At Wednesday's Short Track was Women's 500M quarterfinal, semifinal, and final—yes, we did get to see the final, including flower ceremony. In the end China won gold, and the home team, Canada won silver! It was also Men's 1000M and Men's 5000M semifinal relay. In the relay 4 teams compete at once, each with 4 guys on the ice so you can imagine it was quite crowded. But due to a disqualification, the final will be even more crowded: 5 teams, 4 guys each! That would be very exciting to see.
It was a fantastic day to be there as new Olympic Records were constantly being set and broken. What you learn when watching Short Track, is its not over till its over! You may think you're out of the qualifying and then 2 skaters knock each other out and suddenly you're in second place! Even though these are fairly short distances and people are going at super high speeds, the leader of the pack can change in a heartbeat. Fight till the end, the race doesn't end til you cross the finish line!
If you have the opportunity, I recommend short track for the excitement and the crowd's enthusiasm. And if you're Canadian, don't forget a cowbell to cheer on the home team!
Going to this event by myself, I found the other fans to be extremely friendly and helpful. During the event, I sat near some very friendly Canadians and had a great time exploring the public transportation system with some guys from Toronto. Vancouver was clearly planning ahead for this event: although the line for the 10 Bus to go downtown was a 1/4 mile long, the city had buses coming right after each other to pick us up so I don't think I waited more than 20minutes before I got on the bus. Very well done, Vancouver!
Inspiring event! Great day! Awesome Olympics! Wonderful host city!
Guest Post Written by: Toffler Niemuth
Twitter: @tofflerann


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Thanks for all the survey responses. I appreciate all those who took the time to answer questions and provide feedback.
We try and make Casefile Clues different from other genealogical how-to newsletters.
General response to comments:
We are looking to expand our coverage over the next few months, particularly with articles focusing on pre-1800 families. This will take just a little bit of time to get these in the queue as there are a few loose ends and citations that need to be cleaned up before those articles run live.
We are still running behind schedule and working to get caught up. I'm hesitant to churn out several "lite" articles just to get caught up.
Missing issues, subscription problems, etc. can be sent to me at firstname.lastname@example.com. Please open a new, separate email to send emails addressing these issues. Replying to old newsletter emails may cause your reply to get in my spam filter or overlooked.
We are working on formatting and other issues to make the Kindle or e-reader version of Casefile Clues. There's a little more involved that just sending Amazon.com or someone else the PDF and have it distributed, since Kindle or someone else would be distributing the newsletter.
We are changing how we use the Fan Pages on Facebook.
We will continue to focus on problem-solving and will return to some of the families we discussed in earlier issues, particularly tracking the family of Ira Sargent into Michigan and New York State in the early 1800s. Problems on other people in other locations are in the works.
Readers liked not having ads in the newsletters and I like not having ads in the newsletters so that will not change. Traffic on the blog site in all honesty is not high enough to warrant time spent on ad placement and optimization--so that's not happening either.
If you like Casefile Clues, please consider sharing information about it with others. Our marketing efforts are being reduced for the time being so that I can focus on research and writing for the newsletter. Spreading the word to others helps and is greatly appreciated.
I received a lot of constructive feedback and we are working on incorporating that feedback into future issues and direction for Casefile Clues, but our general philosophy will not change. One reader even told me they checked up on my footnotes!
A few reader comments:
The broad spectrum of information - different subjects
Visual examples of the records referred to.
I get to read the thoughts of a professional genealogist as he attempts to solve the same issues that I face. A researcher can read all of the books possible but that is not as good as following the logic and experience of a professional as they walk through the problem step-by-step.
The depth of details. Too many articles hint you are going to know exactly how to do something by reading their article. Then you read it -- and it's all fluff or very beginner information. I appreciate the details you provide and HOW you get to them.
spreadsheets to demonstrate and record all variations of the searches; reminders of assumptions made vs. actual proven facts
the different topics that are covered
I like how you walk through your thought process in analyzing the information. Even though my family history is wildly different from yours, I find that I can extend the concepts to my research.
That it uses real cases to illustrate research strategies. Case studies are always my favorite type of genealogical article to read.
Outside the box thinking - step by step process
I can print the casefile out; take it with me to Dr. offices; work on it while waiting for an appointment...... etc.
Clearly explained theory with solid examples.
Only one? They give a fresh and sometimes new perspective which is always a good thing.
Seeing the way the research is written up and how it is laid out. I'm an analyst by trade, and it can be difficult for me to document things I do intuitively, so I'm learning by reading your newsletter (and thank you for it!).
The emphasis on the approach to a problem and the process of solving a problem.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Casefile Clues Reader Survey Comments
Posted by Michael John Neill at 10:31 PM
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EMU Mathematical Sciences Department
Fall 2008
In this issue:
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Summer in China
Leah Boyer, associate professor of physics, shares some of her experiences leading a cross-cultural trip this summer. You can find some pictures and a few videos from the trip at http://www.emu.edu/math/integram/china2008.
The EMU 2008 Summer China cross-culture team included two leaders and 16 students. Before we left, I had the whole trip planned. We would leave BWI on Sunday, May 11 and arrive in Beijing on Monday night. The tour agency arranged a 3-day tour of Beijing. We would then fly to Chengdu, Sichuan province, where our host university had arranged activities for our 21-day stay there. We would fly back to Beijing on June 4 and then return home to the US.
Fifteen of us (three took a different plane and left early) arrived at BWI on time but the airplane didn't. When we finally arrived at Detroit three hours late, the plane to China had already left. The crew lady told us that we could fly out on Thursday and arrive in Beijing late on Thursday night. I was so upset because that meant we would miss the whole 3-day tour in Beijing and more importantly the plane from Beijing to Chengdu. So the 15 of us waited at the Detroit airport for that lady to find some tickets for us sooner.
After a few hours, she found us some tickets. One student had to leave right away to make a flight with an 8 hour wait in Amsterdam. Five students would leave at 7 am Monday morning to fly to Toronto while the remaining nine of us would get a flight to Tokyo in the afternoon. But at least we would all be in Beijing by Tuesday night. So I called the travel agent and he agreed to pick us up at 3 different times and squeeze a 3-day trip into 2 days (just the highlights).
On Monday morning, about 5 am (5 pm Monday, May 12 in China), one student called me. Her mom just told her that there was an earthquake in Chengdu 3 hours ago. Are we going to China or returning to BWI? I called the travel agent in Beijing right away, he said Beijing was safe. So, I made the first of many decisions: we were going.
Eventually, everyone in the team made it to Beijing. We were told that Chengdu airport was closed for now. During next three weeks, I had to keep making the new travel plans every few days. We had the chance to visit many places worth visiting that were not in the original plan. Highlights included the Great Wall in Beijing, the hanging temple in Taiyuan, and the Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses in Xian.
While in Xian (closer to Chengdu), we felt the largest after-shock, so we abandoned the plan of going to Chengdu for the last week and went to a university in Xinxiang, Henan province instead. That week we took Taiji lessons, visited English classes, visited their dancing party, had a basketball game with Chinese students, and made many friends. The Chinese students loved our students. For many of them, it was the first time to meet a foreigner. They showed us their dorms, cooked for us, and took us to their cafeteria. Some of our students talked about going to that university to teach English after they graduate.
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Department News
Mathematics Scholarship
Congratulations to Laura Hershey, recipient of this year's Brenneman-Longacher Endowed Mathematics Scholarship. Laura is a first-year mathematics major from Waynesboro, Virginia. Laura has many other talents and interests in addition to mathematics, including tennis, music (piano, flute, and singing), swimming, and an uncanny knack for spotting four-leaf clovers! Laura will receive $1250 per year for four academic years.
Faculty Transitions
Yong Zhang, computer science faculty member who had been at EMU for three years, announced his resignation in late July. Dr. Zhang has moved with his family to Pennsylvania, where he has accepted a faculty position at another university. His unexpected departure precipitated other departmental changes. Computer science professor Charles Cooley, who had devoted half of his time to the Mathematical Sciences Department and half of his time to Institutional Research for the 2007-08 academic year, returned to full-time teaching. In addition, Diek Wheeler, who has a PhD in physics and is the husband of EMU biology professor Greta Ann Herin, is teaching the fall semester Finite Mathematics class and will be teaching one spring semester class as well.
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Alumni News
From Kirby Keim (1989, computer science): I am employed as a senior software developer at Vertex, Inc. in Sarasota, Fl. I have been there a little over two years. Our business at this location is corporate income tax software, and I work on development and maintenance of the international taxation product line. Before my current job I was a principal software engineer at Comdial Corporation, which is now Vertical Communications. My wife Yvonne and I have been married for 16 years, have three children, ranging in ages from 3 to 7, and live in Sarasota, Fl.
From Chris Wampole (1996, mathematics): I worked for a finance company for several years, and then discovered the Actuarial field. I began working at the ERIE Insurance Group in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 2001 as an actuarial analyst. Actuaries use past data to assess future risk. For an insurance company, they use historical loss experience to predict the appropriate price to charge for a particular policyholder. I passed the final (9th) Actuarial exam in the spring of 2007 and am now an official Actuary. I, along with my wife Cheri (Gingerich) Wampole (class of 1996) and my two kids (Seth age 9 and Vaughn age 5), am happy that the hours of studying are over.
From Lois (Hunsberger) Yoder (1978, mathematics, secondary education): I taught several years at Iowa Mennonite (High) School and married Curtis Yoder (1980). Curtis is an accountant for a small accounting firm in Kalona, IA. Our three children, Karl, Luke, and Amy, attended or are currently attending EMU. We enjoy making the 14.5 hour trip to VA to visit them, serve on the Parent Council, and renew acquaintances at EMU. Since the fall of 1994, I have been employed at Pearson Educational Measurement (Iowa City, IA) in the Content Support Services group as a lead math content specialist. My work ranges from reviewing math questions for accurate and grade-level appropriate content to facilitating math content and data review meetings with state department math content specialists and teacher representatives from across the state. My education from EMC and teaching experience provided me with excellent training for this position.
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Problem Corner
Our last problem asked the reader to find a collection of 21 distinct whole numbers where the sum of their reciprocals is 1. We received several correct solutions, namely from Jesse Blosser ('03), Ellis Detwiler ('69), Milton Loyer ('67), Jim Rosenberger ('68), and Craig West. Their methods were distinct and entirely different than the one we were thinking of, which utilized Mersenne Primes and a property of perfect numbers. Recall that a perfect number is equal to the sum of its proper divisors. For example, 6 is perfect, since it is the sum of its three proper divisors, 1, 2, and 3. Note then that 1 = 1/6 + 2/6 + 3/6 = 1/6 + 1/3 + 1/2. Similarly, 1 may be written as the sum of n unit fractions if there is a perfect integer with exactly n proper divisors. So, we simply need to demonstrate that there is a perfect number with 21 proper divisors. As each of our readers undoubtedly remembers from Discrete Math class, the number (2p-1)(2p-1) is perfect if 2p-1 is prime, and it has 2p-1 proper divisors. Since 2047 = 211-1 is prime, we've found (a large!) perfect number with exactly 21 proper divisors, which completes the proof.
New Problem:
Consider three circles of radius r, each tangent to the other two. Find the area of the quasi-triangular region bounded by these three circles.
Submit solutions to Owen Byer at firstname.lastname@example.com.
What have you been doing since leaving EMU?
Send your personal and professional updates to Deirdre Smeltzer at firstname.lastname@example.com.
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Fall 2008
Published by the Mathematical Sciences Department
Eastern Mennonite University, Harrisonburg, Virginia
Editor: Charles Cooley