Topic: Inflation
Below the fold is the 3rd in a series of follow up posts providing analysis on the difficulties of maintaining our current energy paradigm with renewable energy (generally, 'the fake fire brigade'). ... moreGalloping inflation in American college feesFOR decades, college fees have risen faster than Americans #8217; ability to pay them. Median household income has grown by a factor of 6.5 in the past 40 y ... more
The objective of this research is to develop a multi-echelon supply chain model with fuzzy ramp-type demand rate and imprecise partial backlogging rate of unsatisfied demand, considering the effect of ... more
Prescription drugs account for one-tenth of every dollar spent on healthcare. But some of those drugs are seeing much faster growth in price than others.The average retail price increases for brand na ... more
FACTBOX - China's fledging shale gas exploration (Reuters) - China last week launched its first national shale gas research centre to support the country's development of the fuel. Encouraged by the ... more
Summary: #0160; Could we bring our nation s health care bill down from 17% of GDP to 12%? An intriguing study from Milliman, the independent consulting and actuarial firm, says yes. Looking at ... more
This research aims to improve ventilation protocols in critical care by using appropriate computer models that take into account the essential lung mechanics. This paper automatically tracks the bound ... more
For most of my business life, and probably most of yours, there has been one constant: inflation. Things always cost more tomorrow than today, more next year than last year. Because of this, wages and ... more
Summary: #0160; Some optimistic liberals have begun to suggest that if conservatives manage to block the Affordable Care Act (ACA) , this #0160; could open the door to better reform legislation.Why th ... more
Russia: Iran's nuclear plant to start next week MOSCOW (AP) Russia's nuclear agency said Friday that it will load fuel into Iran's first nuclear power plant next week, defying U.S. calls to hold o ... more
Adjusting the alcohol tax in Florida to account for inflation since 1983 would prevent 600 to 800 deaths each year in that state from diseases caused by chronic heavy alcohol use, according to a new s ... more
Global warming heats up a nuclear energy renaissance: Global warming and the BP oil spill have helped rehabilitate nuclear energy in the eyes of the public and some environmentalists. Public and p ... more
This is a guest post by George Mobus. George is an Associate Professor of Computing and Software Systems at the University of Washington, Tacoma. His blog is Question Everything. There seems to be an ... more
Stock returns, whether nominal or real, are commonly found to depend negatively on actual inflation, expected inflation and unexpected inflation. This runs contrary to the Fisher hypothesis generalise ... more
This is a guest post by Gregor MacDonald. Gregor is an oil analyst and energy sector investor, who, in his words, "also focuses on the coming transition to alternatives". This post was previously publ ... more
Scientists: Oil plumes definitely from BP's well TAMPA, Fla. -- Researchers in Florida say they have the first scientific proof that two plumes of oil beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico came fr ... more
A Big Oil Field in Central Asia Isn't Earning What Chevron Planned On ATYRAU, KAZAKHSTAN A single oil field here in Central Asia stands ready to produce nearly as many barrels each day as the enti ... more
This is a guest post by Rod Adams, author of Atomic Insights Blog. Pick up almost any book about nuclear energy and you will find that the prevailing wisdom is that nuclear plants must be very large ... more
Despite price hikes for hospital stays in Maryland that likely will lead to increased insurance premiums for patients, both hospitals and insurers say they're still going to need more money to stay af ... more
This is a follow up post to 'The Fake Fire Brigade - How We Cheat Ourselves about Our Energy Future', which gave an overview on how difficult it will be to maintain our current energy systems with re ... more
Gold is not as expensive as it seemsFOR the past nine months, the price of gold has been trading consistently over $1,000 an ounce. It reached a high of $1,259 on June 18th, up 35% from a year earlier ... more
Join small businesses on the financial frontlines in a fight for survival with a tough economy and costs increasing everywhere. If you own or are contemplating starting or buying a small business, you ... more
The present paper employs various commonly used accounting based measures of financial institutions performance and examines the developments in the Thailand banking sector's profitability during the ... more
Steve LeVine: How I started a war with Russia Al Qaeda chose three strategic oil assets to attack -- two large Saudi Arabian refineries, two choke points in Southeast Asian sea lanes, and five refiner ... more
Gas taxes give us a break at the pump When drivers hit the road in large numbers for the Fourth of July holiday, they will have something extra to celebrate the lowest gasoline taxes since the ea ... more
This paper highlights use of the finite element technique for analysing stress and displacement distributions in wheels of automotive vehicles when subject to the conjoint influence of inflation press ... more
Gas taxes give us a break at the pump When drivers hit the road in large numbers for the Fourth of July holiday, they will have something extra to celebrate the lowest gasoline taxes since the ea ... more
This thread is being closed, because of the large number of comments. Please comment on http://www.theoildrum.com/node/6670. Editor's note: Below is a guest post from Hannes Kunz, President of Instit ... more
Analysis: U.S. Shale Gas Could Play Large Role in Future Production U.S. onshore shale natural gas could potentially become a large portion of future U.S. gas production with an assumed 347 Tcf of tec ... more
Because of the large number of comments, this is a second copy of this post. Editor's note: Below is a guest post from Hannes Kunz, President of Institute for Integrated Economic Research (IIER). Han ... more
Because of the large number of comments, this is a second copy of this post. Editor's note: Below is a guest post from Hannes Kunz, President of Institute for Integrated Economic Research (IIER). Han ... more
Analysis: U.S. Shale Gas Could Play Large Role in Future Production U.S. onshore shale natural gas could potentially become a large portion of future U.S. gas production with an assumed 347 Tcf of tec ... more
Editor's note: Below is a guest post from Hannes Kunz, President of Institute for Integrated Economic Research (IIER). Hannes has a PhD in Economics from St. Gallen University and resides in Zurich Sw ... more
Both liberals and conservative critics have charged that the health reform legislation that President Obama signed this spring focuses mainly on insurance coverage, and does little to rein in the spir ... more
Summary: #0160; Deficit Hawks want to slash both Medicare and Social Security, and they seem to be in control of the President s National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform. #0160;Hoveri ... more
It tolls for thee: Flexibility on highway funding would make all the difference The building and repairing of roads in America is paid for by a federal petrol tax, which replenishes the highway trust ... more
Greek Crisis and Euro Fall Snare Clean-Energy Stocks (Bloomberg) -- As Europe grapples with the fallout from Greece s economic woes, at least one unexpected corner of the economy is suffering: renew ... more
BP And Goldman Sachs Sued For Oil Fraud Dozens of small oil and gas producers across Oklahoma and the Midwest are suing Goldman Sachs, BP and ConocoPhillips, claiming the defendants conspired to defra ... more
The Peak Oil Crisis: The Deepwater Horizon No matter how much environmental and economic damage results from the Deepwater Horizon blowout, the ramifications of the spill are likely to linger for dec ... more
Summary: #0160; A startling study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals that just as doctors in some towns are more aggressive in treating their patients, physicians in some places ... more
Peter Tertzakian: Possible non-OPEC oil supply surge to put pressure on prices? We re in an era when no assumptions can be taken for granted. For example, a few years ago we assumed that North Ameri ... more
Wind power growth in China's deserts ignored financial risks Across the country, seven wind-power zones, each with a capacity of 10 gigawatts, have been approved. In the space of just a few years, thi ... more
Estonia gets a step closer to adopting the single currencySURPRISES are Estonia #8217;s stock in trade. Its return to the world map in 1991 after a 51-year absence startled outsiders. So did what came ... more
Turkey, Russia sign deals on nuclear power plant, pipeline to carry Russian oil to Europe ANKARA, Turkey (AP) Turkey and Russia signed agreements on Wednesday for the construction of Turkey's firs ... more
Jeff Rubin: It ain t about Greece A $10-per-barrel drop in oil prices seems a curious response to the ongoing disaster at BP s Deepwater Horizon wellhead and to its potentially devastating reperc ... more
Small business is the true engine of economic development and job growth. And today plenty of people, either dislocated in layoffs, finding it difficult to find the right kind of employment in a tough ... more
Summary: In Part 3 of Myths Facts about the Impact of Reform on Hospitals and Patients Who Need Hospital Care, #0160; I addressed the fear that #0160; cuts in Medicare spending will threaten t ... more
Over the course of a 43-year career, primary-care physicians earn less than half as much as their counterparts in cardiology, while physicians in 13 other specialties dwarf their incomes even more, ac ... more
A recent Growthink blog post titled SBA Loans Are Growing like Gangbusters included reference to SBA administrator Karen Mills statement that average weekly SBA loan approvals have gone up 86 ... more
By using bank-level data, this paper examines how regulation and supervision affects the profitability of the Malaysian banking sector over the period 1992 ndash;2003. The empirical findings suggest t ... more
Iran begins war games in Persian Gulf oil route TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard held war games Thursday in the strategic Persian Gulf oil route, the Hormuz Strait, a show of it ... more
Peak oil predictions At the launch of BP's most recent Statistical Review of World Energy in early June 2009, BP's chief executive, Tony Hayward, said that as the oil price went over $90, consumers "b ... more
Oil Producers Risk Blowouts, Blazes in Search for Deeper Fields (Bloomberg) -- Energy companies delving miles beneath the seafloor for oil are risking pressure surges like the one this week that may ... more
Fossil-fuel subsidies hurting global environment, security A comprehensive assessment of global fossil-fuel subsidies has found that governments are spending $500 billion annually on policies that un ... more
World Bank Report: Lights Out? - The Outlook for Energy in Eastern Europe and Central Asia [PDF] Emerging Europe and Central Asia, the region made up of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe (CE ... more
Recently, a 55 page paper called Tipping Point: Near-Term Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production (PDF warning) was published as the joint effort of two organizations: Feasta and The Risk/Resi ... more
Global stability is hallmark of Kingdom s oil policy The Saudi energy policy is based on two principles: Maintaining moderate international oil prices to ensure the long-term use of crude as a major ... more
Recently, a 55 page paper called Tipping Point: Near-Term Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production (PDF warning) was published as the joint effort of two organizations: Feasta and The Risk/Resi ... more
Algeria Oil Minister: New US Gas Output Leading To LNG Glut ORAN, Algeria --(Dow Jones)- New natural gas production from the U.S., along with liquefied-natural-gas projects globally, is leading to an ... more
Steve Sorrel, Senior Fellow, Sussex Energy Group, University of Sussex in the UK has recently published a 25 page paper called Energy, Growth and Sustainability which can be downloaded at this link. T ... more
Gas drilling debate rages in Del. River watershed While gas companies refuse to identify the chemicals they use claiming that is proprietary information critics cite contamination problems in ... more
Steve Sorrel, Senior Fellow, Sussex Energy Group, University of Sussex in the UK has recently published a 25 page paper called Energy, Growth and Sustainability which can be downloaded at this link. T ... more
In this inventory system, the retailers are allowed a period by the supplier to get trade-credit for the goods bought with some discount rates. Depending on the different lengths of the payment period ... more
India to build 1st oil reserve facility by Oct 2011 NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India aims to build its first strategic oil reserve facility with a capacity of 1.33 million tonnes at Visakhapatnam in south ... more
EXCLUSIVE - China's top oil firms sell gasoline to Iran - trade DUBAI/SINGAPORE (Reuters) - State-run Chinaoil has sold two gasoline cargoes for April delivery to Iran, industry sources said on Wedne ... more
Recently, a 55 page paper called Tipping Point: Near-Term Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production (PDF warning) was published as the joint effort of two organizations: Feasta and The Risk/Resi ... more
Michael T. Klare: 'Two, Three, Many Afghanistans' "The struggle against violent extremism will not be finished quickly, and it extends well beyond Afghanistan and Pakistan," Obama declared at West Po ... more
Unbearable lightness?: To make cars frugal, they will have to become lighter and more expensive WHEN it comes to motor vehicles there is widespread belief at least in America that bigger is not ... more
MYTH #1: #0160; Reform legislation calls for a 21% cut in Medicare payments to physicians. FACT: #0160; First, the 21% cut has nothing to do with reform legislation. Secondly, it is never going to hap ... more
Raining on Rio's parade: An Olympic city faces a sudden loss of oil revenue THEIR new-found hoard of oil still lies 7,000 metres (23,000 feet) beneath the Atlantic Ocean, but the signs are that it has ... more
Ireland 'among most vulnerable' to peak oil HERE S a conundrum: restarting global economic growth will, by definition, push up energy costs. Rising energy costs will in turn choke off that economic ... more
This is a guest post by Chris Clugston. It is a somewhat abbreviated version of a longer analysis he did, which can be downloaded here. For the past four years, he has been researching aspects of sust ... more
This is a guest post by Chris Clugston. It is a somewhat abbreviated version of a longer analysis he did, which can be downloaded here. For the past four years, he has been researching aspects of sust ... more
Recently, a 55 page paper called Tipping Point: Near-Term Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production (PDF warning) was published as the joint effort of two organizations: Feasta and The Risk/Resi ... more
Recently, a 55 page paper called Tipping Point: Near-Term Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production (PDF warning) was published as the joint effort of two organizations: Feasta and The Risk/Resi ... more
A surprising number of Congressmen would acknowledge, privately, that in the past, legislators have meddled with Medicare reform, blocking Medicare s best efforts to squeeze waste out of the system. ... more
Nuclear Power Beats Coal, Gas When Lending Costs Low, IEA Says (Bloomberg) -- The International Energy Agency, an energy policy adviser to 28 countries, said it expects nuclear power to be a more com ... more
Those who oppose reform understand just how powerful this legislation is. They understand better than many liberals just what it means for a medical-industrial complex that has grown fat while pro ... more
Appearing on CNN yesterday morning, Senator Orrin Hatch (R, Utah) groused about what he called the Europeanization of health care. Translated, that means that we have decided to take a more coll ... more
Wind Energy Investment of $65 Billion May Curb Fossil Fuel Use (Bloomberg) -- China WindPower Group Ltd., Iberdrola SA and Duke Energy Corp. will lead development of an estimated $65 billion of wind- ... more
Tipping Point: Near-Term Systemic Implications of a Peak in Global Oil Production - Part 1 - Summary
So many said it would never happen. But now, on Sunday, March 21, 2010, it appears that reformers have the votes. Politico.com has announced that the last hold-outs--legislators who oppose abortion-- ... more
Brazil subsalt output to see early peak - minister SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil's subsalt oil production could shoot up in 2013 and 2014 before leveling off to match production in other off- and ons ... more
Below the fold is a guest post by John Howe, an engineer who invented the solar tractor. In this post, John says, "Our only hope for a drastic course correction is to support grass-roots movements to ... more
Below the fold is a guest post by John Howe, an engineer who invented the solar tractor. In this post, John says, "Our only hope for a drastic course correction is to support grass-roots movements to ... more
Employment models have been touted as a win-win for physicians and hospitals in recent years. But a new report by physician search firm Merritt Hawkins reveals that hospitals may be getting a better d ... more
With national tort reform still on the back burner, physicians are mounting state-based efforts to achieve tort reforms, with a key focus on enacting, maintaining or lowering noneconomic damage caps, ... more
Despite all the fingers pointed toward malpractice litigation as a cause of rising healthcare expenses, total malpractice payments made on behalf of doctors in 2009--$3.49 billion--represent just 0.14 ... more
This is a guest post by Brian Gordon. If employment is inversely proportional to oil prices (it is), and oil prices are only going to trend up #8230;then employment by necessity is going down. Becaus ... more
How food and water are driving a 21st-century African land grab We turned off the main road to Awassa, talked our way past security guards and drove a mile across empty land before we found what will ... more
China lawmakers call for more crude, fuel reserves BEIJING (Reuters) - China should step up efforts to build up state reserves of crude oil and refined fuel to enhance the country's energy security, s ... more
The Haradh III development at the southern tip of the Ghawar oil field in Saudi Arabia, completed in 2006, has been portrayed by the national oil company Saudi Aramco as the turning point in the battl ... more
A few weeks ago we mentioned the possibility in a future Campfire of discussing paying down debt. I know some readers often talk about paying down debt as being a priority. I personally have been more ... more
Let s put to rest, once and for all, the idea--- or rather, the #0160;notion (it s not even an idea, #0160;just a vague impression, based on hearsay) -- that the health reform legislation now u ... more
A few weeks ago we mentioned the possibility in a future Campfire of discussing paying down debt. I know some readers often talk about paying down debt as being a priority. I personally have been more ... more
The Haradh III development at the southern tip of the Ghawar oil field in Saudi Arabia, completed in 2006, has been portrayed by the national oil company Saudi Aramco as the turning point in the battl ... more
A decline in the number of hours worked by doctors correlates with a gradual drop-off of physician fees since 1995, reports a study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Associatio ... more
Utilities Finding Peer Pressure a Powerful Motivator National Grid, the electricity and gas provider to several Northeastern states, last week announced the expansion of its Home Energy Report program ... more
Over the past 20 years, the factors driving Medicare fee-for-service spending growth have changed, say the authors of a new study published on-line at the journal Health Affairs. Where once intensive ... more
Israel Urges Iran Oil Embargo Even Without U.N. Okay JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Monday for an immediate embargo on Iran's energy sector, saying the U.N. ... more
Gas Shortage Raises Egyptians' Anger at Government CAIRO (AP) -- It's something Egyptians rely on daily: the ''ambooba,'' the steel canister of government-subsidized cooking and heating gas, hooked t ... more
U.S. January oil demand down 3.8 pct vs yr ago-API WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. demand for crude oil and petroleum products fell sharply in January as the economy sputtered along the road to recovery, ... more
U.S. January oil demand down 3.8 pct vs yr ago-API WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. demand for crude oil and petroleum products fell sharply in January as the economy sputtered along the road to recovery, ... more
Several health insurance companies--most notably Anthem Blue Cross in California--are under fire with calls for justification of premium increases. Unfortunately for consumers, a report from the Depar ... more
After pressure from several members of Congress, the Obama administration and the media, Anthem Blue Cross says it will postpone a controversial insurance rate increase until May 1, reports the Associ ... more
An expected mixed reaction of hope, worry and cautious optimism greeted Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick's proposal to give the state insurance commissioner broad powers to reject healthcare rate incr ... more
Massachusetts has succeeded in providing health care insurance for all but 2.6% of its citizens. Yet the Commonwealth still struggles to make that coverage affordable. Health care inflation is driving ... more
We re running into oil rather than running out Oil pessimists explain that given its finite nature, the world s growing reliance on oil could soon lead us into a cold, 21st century Dark Age. They ... more
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius wants Anthem Blue Cross to publicly explain why the insurer plans to raise premiums by up to 39 percent for its Californi ... more
OIL FUTURES: Oil Drops Steeply, Breaking Key Support Level Crude oil futures fell sharply for the second day in a row Friday after breaking through a key support level that traders had been watching f ... more
Racking up miles? Maybe not. Within a few years, a driver who pulls up to the gas pump may pay two bills with a single swipe of the credit card: one for the gas and the other for each mile driven sin ... more
Racking up miles? Maybe not. Within a few years, a driver who pulls up to the gas pump may pay two bills with a single swipe of the credit card: one for the gas and the other for each mile driven sin ... more
OIL FUTURES: Oil Drops Steeply, Breaking Key Support Level Crude oil futures fell sharply for the second day in a row Friday after breaking through a key support level that traders had been watching f ... more
While health care reformers argue about what it would take to break the curve of health care inflation, the state of Maryland has done it, at least when it comes to hospital spending.In 1977, Ma ... more
The most expensive works to come under the hammerA SCULPTURE by Alberto Giacometti, one of the 20th century's greatest artists, fetched a record price at Sotheby's, a London auction house, on Wednesda ... more
This is a guest post by Gregor Macdonald. Gregor's blog is gregor.us. It was the best of times for the developing world, and the worst of times for the developed world. In the developing world, they b ... more
This is a guest post by Gregor Macdonald. Gregor's blog is gregor.us. It was the best of times for the developing world, and the worst of times for the developed world. In the developing world, they b ... more
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakely has just released a report which reveals that the state s health care costs are spiraling in large part because he state s primo hospitals and physici ... more
Clueless about oil prices NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Two very different views on where oil prices are going by the year's end are emerging - one says $60 or lower, the other $100 or higher, and there' ... more
Community Food Enterprise: Local Success in a Global Marketplace (article and report excerpts) It's time to connect the headlines between persistent unemployment in the United States and growing food ... more
U.S. Oil Rig Count Rises to Highest Level Since 1993 (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil rigs operating in the U.S. increased this week to the highest level in 16 years as drilling rose in Texas and the Dakotas, ... more
Oil demand has peaked in developed world: IEA LONDON (Reuters) - Oil use in rich industrialized countries will never return to 2006 and 2007 levels because of more fuel efficiency and the use of alter ... more
Mahinda Rajapaska claims a landslide election win in Sri Lanka. Soldiers surround his main rivalSO MUCH for the idea that it would be a close-run thing. The day after a presidential election on Tuesda ... more
According to the headlines, 10 percent of Americans are unemployed. The truth is that closer to 17 percent of #0160; the population cannot find full-time work; this number includes workers who have be ... more
Over at the Disease Management Care Blog, http://diseasemanagementcareblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/welcome-to-tree-of-blogs-avatar-movie.html Jaan Sidorov hosts the most recent edition of Health Wonk Rev ... more
Course creator's socioeconomic ideas gain momentum SONORA - Chris Martenson started out by earning a Ph.D. in neurotoxicology. Then he got an MBA in finance and became a vice president first at Pfize ... more
Give it the gas: On the road to a cleaner energy future, natural gas offers an alternative route Every few weeks, it seems, fresh news arrives telling of impressive discoveries of oil and gas in the G ... more
This is a guest post by Chris Cook. Chris Cook is a former director of the International Petroleum Exchange. He is now a strategic market consultant, entrepreneur and commentator. Max Keiser Intervie ... more
This is a guest post by Chris Cook. Chris Cook is a former director of the International Petroleum Exchange. He is now a strategic market consultant, entrepreneur and commentator. Max Keiser Intervie ... more
When explaining why the voters of Massachusetts turned Ted Kennedy s seat over to a Republican, some commentators are suggesting that voters were appalled by the corruption they saw in Washington as ... more
Kurt Cobb - Biophysical Economics: Putting Energy at the Center Neoclassical economists have long held that industrial societies will not run out of needed resources for two reasons: 1) Rising prices ... more
Is China's economy growing too fast?BEIJING recently suffered its lowest temperature in 59 years, but the economy is sweltering. Figures published on Thursday January 21st showed that real GDP grew by ... more
The New York sales are the first major test of the art market in 2010DEALERS in European pictures by artists long dead are accustomed to being eclipsed by sales of young contemporary upstarts. They ta ... more
Attempting to erase his state's deficit, New York Gov. David Paterson proposed a new state budget this week that includes higher taxes on hospital revenue and additional surcharges for healthcare prov ... more
Face up to natural limits, or face a 1970s-style energy crisis None of the various technofixes on offer alter that fact that humanity has to learn to stop living on the last drops of cheap energy, and ... more
Findings from a cost model suggest that expenses for systemic psoriasis therapy appear to be increasing at a faster rate than inflation, and newer biologically derived treatments are more expensive th ... more
Miguel Barbosa Interviews Albert Bartlett: Arithmetic, Population, and Energy Puzzling Growth Rates Is the culprit of global warming population growth? Are you suggesting that unless we have ... more
Miguel Barbosa Interviews Albert Bartlett: Arithmetic, Population, and Energy Puzzling Growth Rates Is the culprit of global warming population growth? Are you suggesting that unless we have ... more
The Senate s controversial Cadillac Tax on expensive health insurance plans was supposed to raise $149 billion to help fund reform. But now, we re told it s been scaled back. Some us ... more
The Washington Post reports that union leaders are close to cutting a deal with Democrats on the so-called Cadillac tax, the 40% tax on expensive insurance plans that the Senate has proposed to ... more
Surprise, surprise #8211; the impact of the recession on consumer spending and attitudes will continue to dominate economics for pet-related small businesses in 2010. It has long been thought that pe ... more
During the 1990s, whenever inflation accelerated in the Congo (Dem. Rep.) the domestic currency was abandoned in favour of dollar holdings. The increased demand for dollars resulted in a higher relati ... more
Devaluation Sparks Chaos in Caracas CARACAS -- President Hugo ChΓ‘vez's decision to devalue Venezuela's bolivar and impose a complicated new currency regime may paper over some growing cracks in the e ... more
China s global quest for oil When the going gets tough, China goes shopping for energy assets. Last year, Beijing sent its powerful state-controlled enterprises on a mission to scour the globe for ... more
Bentek Sees U.S. Gas-Productivity Gain Displacing Imports, Coal (Bloomberg) -- Surging productivity from U.S. fields will end the need for natural-gas imports and provide enough additional fuel to ru ... more
Environmental Refugees Unable to Return Home DHAKA, BANGLADESH Mahe Noor left her village in southern Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr flattened her family s home and small market in 2007. Jobless ... more
Another year. Another decade. Older, wiser and on an unchanged trajectory. Though it may not feel like it, 2010 puts us 5 years beyond the annual peak in world oil production. 2005 was also the ina ... more
Another year. Another decade. Older, wiser and on an unchanged trajectory. Though it may not feel like it, 2010 puts us 5 years beyond the annual peak in world oil production. 2005 was also the ina ... more
US natural gas rig count up 8 to 759 this week NEW YORK (Reuters) - The number of rigs drilling for natural gas in the United States rose by eight this week to 759, according to a report on Friday by ... more
Gal Luft: Water Crisis, Energy Crisis, Vicious Cycle Reading Steven Solomon's excellent new book "Water: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization" I was reminded again of the connection b ... more
Cadillac Health Care Plans. #0160; Even the phrase suggests gilt-edged insurance for Greedy Geezers at Goldman Sachs . No wonder the Senate wants to slap a tax on insurers and self-insured emplo ... more
In New Gas Wells, More Drilling Chemicals Remain Underground For more than a decade the energy industry has steadfastly argued before courts, Congress and the public that the federal law protecting dr ... more
Exxon's drilling juggernaut NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Exxon Mobil may be getting more than it bargained for with its recent plan to purchase natural gas giant XTO Energy. The $41 billion deal would ... more
The Smart Growth Portfolio Konrad, Ph.D. This article was first published on his Clean Energy Wonk blog. Current renewable energy technologies must be adopted in conjunction with aggressive ... more
The Smart Growth Portfolio Konrad, Ph.D. This article was first published on his Clean Energy Wonk blog. Current renewable energy technologies must be adopted in conjunction with aggressive ... more
Natural gas surges on record supply drop NEW YORK Natural gas prices jumped Thursday after the government reported that supplies fell by the largest amount ever for this time of year as frigid wea ... more
Figure 1 Oil supply - demand - price chart, Jan. 2002 to Nov. 2009. See text for explanation. Click to enlarge and open in separate browser window. In February this year, global oil production / dema ... more
Iran rejects reports of Iraqi oil well seizure as attempt to harmties TEHRAN (Xinhua) -- Iran on Saturday rejected the reports that an Iraqi oil well was taken over by Iranian armed forces as an atte ... more
The taste for clutter and realism is curiously buoyantWHILE the contemporary art market constantly seeks the new #8212;new names, new imagery, new media or simply new novelty #8212;another curious cor ... more
Which are the most successful films at the box-office?AVATAR, James Cameron #8217;s epic 3D sci-fi movie will go on general release around the world on Friday December 18th. The film reportedly cost o ... more
The large pharmaceutical companies are in the midst of what I view as a major transformation of their business models. I have documented some of these changes here. One has been the outsourcing of new ... more
#0160; Every Decision from Here on In Must Put Patients Interests First Does anyone remember the original goal of healthcare reform? #0160; I could type it in my sleep: to provide high qu ... more
This study analyses the relationship between exchange rate reform and inflation in Congo-DRC, during the 1980s and 1990s. Attempts to unify official and black market exchange rates by officially float ... more
Boston surgeon Atul Gawnde and Don Berwick, the president of the Institute for Health Care Improvement, understand that we can create a sustainable, universal U.S. healthcare system only if we reduce ... more
This is a post related to a talk I am giving this week. (A PDF can be found here). There is a huge amount of oil which theoretically can be extracted, but the question is whether the cost will be chea ... more
This is a paper that was published back in 2000 in the Journal of Geoscience Education. What is unusual about it is that it forecast a peak in oil production in 2008. The author was a young woman name ... more
This is a paper that was published back in 2000 in the Journal of Geoscience Education. What is unusual about it is that it forecast a peak in oil production in 2008. The author was a young woman name ... more
Analyst Sees Stable Oil Prices for 20 Years, More SUVs and Big Cars Ahead Americans may not be moving to small cars, hybrids and battery electrics quite as fast as environmentalists have hoped, says t ... more
Analyst Sees Stable Oil Prices for 20 Years, More SUVs and Big Cars Ahead Americans may not be moving to small cars, hybrids and battery electrics quite as fast as environmentalists have hoped, says t ... more
This is a guest post by Theramus, a college professor in a field unrelated to finance. He has looked at the relationships shown in this post as a hobby. Summary A cause for the financial crisis of 200 ... more
This is a guest post by Theramus, a college professor in a field unrelated to finance. He has looked at the relationships shown in this post as a hobby. Summary A cause for the financial crisis of 200 ... more
James Hansen - Power Failure: Politicians are fiddling while the planet burns. What's a voter to do? Planet Earth is in imminent peril. We now have clear evidence of the crisis, provided by increasing ... more
An oil-less recovery In the last two years, US oil consumption has fallen some 9%, down nearly 2 million barrels per day (mbpd) from 20.7 mbpd in mid 2007, to about 18.8 mbpd in October 2009. The come ... more
Oil Companies Look to the Future in Iraq BAGHDAD More than six and a half years after the United States-led invasion here that many believed was about oil, the major oil companies are finally gain ... more
Peak oil: the summit that dominates the horizon These expressions of concern have stoked the fires of the "peak oil" community, which has been warning for some years that global politicians are failin ... more
Peak oil: Social, economic, political and financial impacts and historical background - Colin J Campbell and Walter Ryan-Purcell [PDF] A debate rages as to the precise date of peak oil production, but ... more
Peak oil: the summit that dominates the horizon These expressions of concern have stoked the fires of the "peak oil" community, which has been warning for some years that global politicians are failin ... more
The Case Against An Energy Comeback: Demand needs more than recovery to surge The accelerating rise in commodities prices may leave energy behind. Even if the economy recovers next year as expected, e ... more
Peak Oil Reality: Industry Experts Offer Growing Drumbeat of Supply Warnings Newly-released videotaped remarks reinforce statements by senior petroleum industry officials about looming world oil suppl ... more
Over the weekend, Senate Democrats found the 60 votes needed to press forward with the health care debate. I wasn t surprised. As I have suggested in the past, I doubted that three or four moderates ... more
Oil's expanding frontiers In 1914, the Bureau of Mines said U.S. oil reserves would be exhausted by 1924. In 1939, the Interior Department said the world had 13 years worth of petroleum reserves. Then ... more
In Germany, the high price of going green GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY -- In this nation that embraced one of the world's most aggressive campaigns against global warming, the Pokropp family can almost hear ... more
Food riots will mark the end of oil: The end of the oil age won't be a pretty thing, but a new report by Deutsche Bank suggests it could be even uglier than we feared... There's been a lot of stale ar ... more
I decided to write another rather basic level article because there are so many people I meet who have heard a bit about the oil situation, and it is hard to point to one single article to give an ove ... more
COP15 failure and Peak Oil success: Why exaggerate Global Warming? OECD leaders go far out of their way to never, ever mention Peak Oil. This in fact is the biggest real world driver for worldwide Ene ... more
I decided to write another rather basic level article because there are so many people I meet who have heard a bit about the oil situation, and it is hard to point to one single article to give an ove ... more
Richard Heinberg - Searching for a Miracle: Net Energy Limits the Fate of Industrial Society Perhaps the most significant limit to future energy supplies is the net energy factor the r ... more
Deffeyes: Halloween Delivery On Halloween, I delivered the manuscript for my third oil book. At the moment the title is When Oil Peaked. The title is deliberately in the past tense. In my first oil bo ... more
Deffeyes: Halloween Delivery On Halloween, I delivered the manuscript for my third oil book. At the moment the title is When Oil Peaked. The title is deliberately in the past tense. In my first oil bo ... more
The Truth about the Public Option For reasons I don t understand, progressive pundits have been swallowing Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf s dispiriting speculation about th ... more
Saudi Aramco Will Increase Asia s December Oil Supply (Bloomberg) -- Saudi Arabian Oil Co. will supply more crude to refiners in Asia as rising prices threaten to hurt the world economic recovery. ... more
Medical malpractice premiums in Ohio have continued to fall for the fourth straight year, a trend which both state regulators and insurers attribute to a mix of policy changes, liability limits and sa ... more
Shrinking to grow: Is Conoco plan a model for industry? Although one company doesn t represent a whole industry, a shrink-to-grow strategy adopted by ConocoPhillips illustrates pressures on the bigg ... more
Interview With Ian Gordon IAN: Well I do subscribe to the theory of peak oil. But again, I think the demand for oil is going to drop precipitously. Simply because no one s gonna be working. Again if ... more
Volatility here to stay in an uncertain oilpatch There is quite the bun fight going on these days among oil price prognosticators, with much of it taking place on editorial pages and through the airwa ... more
World Need for Oil Expected to Ease: International Energy Agency Says Conservation Efforts Will Trump Any Global Economic Recovery The International Energy Agency next week will make a "substantial" d ... more
Goldman s Currie Says Oil Drives Dollar Down, Not Vice Versa (Bloomberg) -- Crude oil, which has risen 80 percent this year, is causing the U.S. dollar to weaken, driving metals and other commodit ... more
This paper examines the determinants of Islamic bank profitability in the MENA region, during the years 1999-2006. We estimate several specifications to study the impact of bank-specific and country-s ... more
The Peak Oil Crisis: $80 a Barrel The international forecasting agencies are already talking of a jump in demand for oil next year which will put worldwide consumption back in the vicinity of where in ... more
U.S. natural gas rig count climbs 3 to 728 for week The U.S. natural gas drilling rig count has gained in 13 of the last 15 weeks after bottoming at 665 on July 17, its lowest level since May 3, 200 ... more
Jeff Rubin: Get ready for triple-digit oil again soon Nothing is shrinking faster these days than global trade. For the first time in decades, world trade volume, the lifeblood of the global economy, ... more