This is it. This is the last installment of the extra special, multiple post oil extravaganza and I'm guessing Mrs. Schutte couldn't be happier. She has had to put up with reading my monkey garbage for awhile now and I would just like to say...here's some more.
This installment of the extra special, multiple blog post oil extravaganza deals with solutions to the problem (at least what I think the solution is).
In my opinion.....Baby Steps
My guess is as good as yours (the bitterness may be from my lack of sleep) but I believe the only way to combat the depletion of oil is to lose our dependence from oil completely. Not just from foreign oil (but that's a start, again the bitterness) but from oil all together, foreign and domestic. To do this, we need to start with baby steps. Baby steps could include raising regulations on the minimum gas mileage cars can get by a set year. Again, baby steps.
But eventually... The Big Girl Step... Or The Big Boy Step, whichever
The big Girl step (or boy) we need to take is to find alternative fuels and alternative energies that can power our cars, homes, and factories without the use of oil.
About 2/3 of all oil consumed in the United States is used for gas in automobiles (The Plan 1). So if we could impact the fuel we use in our cars, we could make a very large impact on the way we use oil everywhere.
The link below (in the citation) is a website and a cause founded by T. Boone Pickens (you may remember his commercials). He and his contributers know their stuff and can explain renewable energies better than I can in a 300 word blog. So check it out.
Well I guess that's it. The end of the extra special, multiple post oil extravaganza. I hope you are left feeling either indifferent or at least aware of oil depletion. And also aware of the effects it can and is having on the way the world works. Thank-you and hava a good one.
"The Plan." Picken Plan. Web. 26 Apr. 2010. http://www.pickensplan.com/theplan/
Sunday, May 16, 2010
The Extra Special, Multiple Post Oil Extravaganza (Part 3)
If you're getting sick of the extra special, multiple post oil extravaganza, too bad, we're only half-way through. This blog will focus on the social impact of a world without oil.
It would really suck to be around for it
Before I say anything, I just want to say I'm basing this entire blog on what I know about history and people. My assumptions make up about 96.3% of this blog (bureau of labor statistics 1). This is what I and many others believe will happen in a world without oil...then again, who knows. Maybe it will all work out and everyone in the world will rally together and help out one another...I don't think so either.
If oil was gone people would freak out. And I'm not talking sixteen-year-old-girl at the twilight premiere freakout (although scary as shit). I'm talking world war freakout. The kind that kills millions. Oil drives the world economy. It also is crucial for everyday life to pretty much every western living human. Oil is commonly known to be the number one traded good in the world. So if it all runs out, we're hosed. One of the first things that will happen is everyone will run to the gas station and pump as much gas as they can get. Riots will insue from the panic and major cities will become extremely dangerous.
After failed attempts at negotiations, countries will begin fighting over what little reserves the world has left. The skirmishes will escalate in to all-out war. Some claim the drive behind present and past wars in the middle east is oil and the United States' pursuit of it.
That's just a taste of events me and my fellow group mates perceive to occur in a world without oil. It sounds really fun and at the rate we're going-I'll see you there.
It would really suck to be around for it
Before I say anything, I just want to say I'm basing this entire blog on what I know about history and people. My assumptions make up about 96.3% of this blog (bureau of labor statistics 1). This is what I and many others believe will happen in a world without oil...then again, who knows. Maybe it will all work out and everyone in the world will rally together and help out one another...I don't think so either.
If oil was gone people would freak out. And I'm not talking sixteen-year-old-girl at the twilight premiere freakout (although scary as shit). I'm talking world war freakout. The kind that kills millions. Oil drives the world economy. It also is crucial for everyday life to pretty much every western living human. Oil is commonly known to be the number one traded good in the world. So if it all runs out, we're hosed. One of the first things that will happen is everyone will run to the gas station and pump as much gas as they can get. Riots will insue from the panic and major cities will become extremely dangerous.
After failed attempts at negotiations, countries will begin fighting over what little reserves the world has left. The skirmishes will escalate in to all-out war. Some claim the drive behind present and past wars in the middle east is oil and the United States' pursuit of it.
That's just a taste of events me and my fellow group mates perceive to occur in a world without oil. It sounds really fun and at the rate we're going-I'll see you there.
The Extra Special, Multiple Post Oil Extravaganza (Part 2)
Welcome back to the extra special, multiple post oil extravaganza! I'm your blogger, Blake Forsberg, and I just realized that I may be spelling "extravaganza" wrong..oh well. My last post introduced the idea of peak oil (if you haven't checked it out, you can find it below this one). It talked of the threat of the world running out of oil in vague detail. This post, and the next two, will further explain the implications of the world oil supply running out. This particular blog will explain the economical impact of a world without oil. Enjoy.
The Economical Impact
To explain the economical impact of oil depletion, I will be utilizing the idea of supply and demand. The supply, obviously being the supply of oil and the demand being the growing thirst the world has for it(see what I did there?). Supply and demand can be visually presented in a graph. In the graph, the supply is an upward sloping curve (line) and the demand is a downward sloping curve (line). Where these two curves intersect is called the equilibrium. The equilibrium is where the price and quantity are determined based on outside influences that shift the two curves, ultimately, setting the quantity and the price per-unit of that quantity...just watch...
Ok. The blue lines indicate supply and demand before, and also the equilibrium where the price and quantity meet (at 1). Notice the positioning of the price where the blue equilibrium is at P1. The red lines indicate the shifts. The supply curve shifts left indicating a decreasing supply of oil (at 3). The demand curve shifts right, indicating an increasing demand for oil (at 2). Where these two new lines meet creates a new equilibrium point (at 4), and also a new, higher price for oil (at 5).
It's Probably Happening
The world supply of oil doesn't have to be completely gone for peak oil to have an economical effect. The world demands more and more oil as the supply diminishes...it spells trouble. Thankfully, for write now, the only thing trouble can spell is m-o-n-e-y and c-o-n-s-u-m-e-r w-a-l-l-e-t.
The Economical Impact
To explain the economical impact of oil depletion, I will be utilizing the idea of supply and demand. The supply, obviously being the supply of oil and the demand being the growing thirst the world has for it(see what I did there?). Supply and demand can be visually presented in a graph. In the graph, the supply is an upward sloping curve (line) and the demand is a downward sloping curve (line). Where these two curves intersect is called the equilibrium. The equilibrium is where the price and quantity are determined based on outside influences that shift the two curves, ultimately, setting the quantity and the price per-unit of that quantity...just watch...
Ok. The blue lines indicate supply and demand before, and also the equilibrium where the price and quantity meet (at 1). Notice the positioning of the price where the blue equilibrium is at P1. The red lines indicate the shifts. The supply curve shifts left indicating a decreasing supply of oil (at 3). The demand curve shifts right, indicating an increasing demand for oil (at 2). Where these two new lines meet creates a new equilibrium point (at 4), and also a new, higher price for oil (at 5).
It's Probably Happening
The world supply of oil doesn't have to be completely gone for peak oil to have an economical effect. The world demands more and more oil as the supply diminishes...it spells trouble. Thankfully, for write now, the only thing trouble can spell is m-o-n-e-y and c-o-n-s-u-m-e-r w-a-l-l-e-t.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
The Extra Special, Multiple Post Oil Extravaganza (Part 1)
This is the first of a four-part blog series on Oil. The series will deal with the topic of oil depletion. This was the topic of a collaborative project I was apart of earlier in the year. The next four blog will each highlight one of the four main points of the project . The first installment of the series will deal with The Peak Oil Theory... Bon Appetit...probably spelled that wrong.
The Peak Oil Theory
The Peak oil theory is simple enough. The theory is a claim that oil is not in unlimited supply and will soon (or according to some, already has) reach a peak level in supply, then deplete until all is gone. The graph below illustrates the theory.
Source: www.oilcrisis.com/summary.htm
In the graph above, the estimated peak oil level is around the year 2000. If this is true, the world's oil supply is in the decline.
My Opinion (If You Really Want It)
Of course there's a limited supply of oil. Nothing is unlimited (except for the number of times I can use parenthesis). The only problem with the peak oil theory is "how do we know its all really gone."There may be reserves we haven't tapped in to yet that could save the situation entirely. But again, how would we know? There are known reserves in Alaska that could both increase the world supply and AND help the United States economy a great deal by increasing our net exports on the international trade market. But the hippies won't let us so there goes that idea...whatever.
So What Do We Do?...in my opinion
To combat this threat, the world will need to work together to free our need for oil. The best way to do this will be by finding alternative fuels and alternative sources of power. The last blog in the series will discuss ideas to do just that. So stay tuned.
The Peak Oil Theory
The Peak oil theory is simple enough. The theory is a claim that oil is not in unlimited supply and will soon (or according to some, already has) reach a peak level in supply, then deplete until all is gone. The graph below illustrates the theory.
Source: www.oilcrisis.com/summary.htm
In the graph above, the estimated peak oil level is around the year 2000. If this is true, the world's oil supply is in the decline.
My Opinion (If You Really Want It)
Of course there's a limited supply of oil. Nothing is unlimited (except for the number of times I can use parenthesis). The only problem with the peak oil theory is "how do we know its all really gone."There may be reserves we haven't tapped in to yet that could save the situation entirely. But again, how would we know? There are known reserves in Alaska that could both increase the world supply and AND help the United States economy a great deal by increasing our net exports on the international trade market. But the hippies won't let us so there goes that idea...whatever.
So What Do We Do?...in my opinion
To combat this threat, the world will need to work together to free our need for oil. The best way to do this will be by finding alternative fuels and alternative sources of power. The last blog in the series will discuss ideas to do just that. So stay tuned.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
I Hate Ethanol
Yes I said it. And being from the exact center of the midwest it seems almost sacrilegious of me to say. You may be wondering (probably not) why I hate ethanol. You may also be wondering what ethanol even is. Well, sit back and take notes...
Ethanol
Ethanol is the fermented alcohol of corn-ethyl alcohol ( Gable 1 ). It's use is as a supplement to gasoline, meaning, it is added to gasoline as an eco-friendlier fuel to reduce emissions caused by automobiles. Ethanol/gasoline mixes are usually about 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol (Gable 1)
And Why I Hate It
First of all, it's a complete contradiction of itself...I think a list of why I hate it will better illustrate my points...
The List of Why I Hate Ethanol
1.) First of all, it's a complete contradiction of itself. It's supposed to be used as a supplement to gasoline. Ethanol is added to gas, gas burns cleaner, everyone is happy (not me). Although, most people don't know ethanol burns much less efficient than does gasoline. Ethanol burns with about 76,000 BTU's per gallon and gas burns with 114,000 BTU's per gallon(Gable 1). So the consumer is making more trips to the pump than they would if they would just buy gasoline. So really, more emissions are being produced. Here's an example:
Joe fills up once a week with normal gas. One day, he decides to "go green" and fill up with an ethanol/gasoline mix. He now finds himself filling up every five or six days instead of every seven. Since the mix is still 90% gasoline he is now contributing to even more gasoline burning than he previously had. Even if he starts filling up every six days instead of every seven he would still be filling up his car with 90% gasoline almost 8 more times a year. That's 8 more tanks of 90% gasoline pumping into the atmosphere.
2.) It stinks.
3.) It drives up food prices for corn products. Tons and tons of food products depend on corn. Cereal, certain types of grains, you name it. So when a large percent of corn is being burned for an inefficient fuel source, it makes me angry. It makes me angry because now the prices of those food products will now go up because of the law of supply and demand. When there is a constant or increase in demand and a decrease in supply, the price will go up. (my next blogs are gonna have a lot of economic mumbo jumbo in them too, just smile and nod your head, and just trust that I am right)
4.) Dave Bollaert agrees with me.
5.) The land being cleared to plant more corn is gonna effect the environment. We're using ethanol to help clean our air from emissions. To do this we are clearing land and planting something we are going to tear out of the ground and burn. So the forests that are our natural environment air filters are being destroyed for an inefficient, expensive fuel (there's that contradiction idea again)
6.) It also causes farmer's to only plant corn. Currently, farmers are making a bundle by supplying ethanol processing companies corn. So, of course, farmer's are planting more corn in the place of other crops. Some farmer's may stop rotating fields between corn and beans and plant only corn. Beans are also in a very large number of food items and a major loss of production will only send food costs up even higher.
7.) Both corn and beans are major exports of the United States. If I remember right, my AP Economics teacher told me that corn is the number one U.S. export. So when we use it as a fuel source, we are just burning our international trade in to oblivion (with a V8). Our gross domestic product per person is diminishing, and to some economists, the gross domestic product is the best way to judge a country's quality of life. So in their eyes, our quality of life is being threatened by ethanol.
The bottom line____________________see what I did there?
In my opinion, the production of ethanol needs to stop. We need to focus on alternative energies that are much more efficient and also don't effect other economic sectors as ethanol does. I hope to have left you hating ethanol as much as I do. And next time your filling your gas tank I want you to think-"I'll just take the regular."
Gable, Christine. "What is Ethanol?" About. New York Times Company. Web. 21 Apr. 2010.
Ethanol
Ethanol is the fermented alcohol of corn-ethyl alcohol ( Gable 1 ). It's use is as a supplement to gasoline, meaning, it is added to gasoline as an eco-friendlier fuel to reduce emissions caused by automobiles. Ethanol/gasoline mixes are usually about 90% gasoline and 10% ethanol (Gable 1)
And Why I Hate It
First of all, it's a complete contradiction of itself...I think a list of why I hate it will better illustrate my points...
The List of Why I Hate Ethanol
1.) First of all, it's a complete contradiction of itself. It's supposed to be used as a supplement to gasoline. Ethanol is added to gas, gas burns cleaner, everyone is happy (not me). Although, most people don't know ethanol burns much less efficient than does gasoline. Ethanol burns with about 76,000 BTU's per gallon and gas burns with 114,000 BTU's per gallon(Gable 1). So the consumer is making more trips to the pump than they would if they would just buy gasoline. So really, more emissions are being produced. Here's an example:
Joe fills up once a week with normal gas. One day, he decides to "go green" and fill up with an ethanol/gasoline mix. He now finds himself filling up every five or six days instead of every seven. Since the mix is still 90% gasoline he is now contributing to even more gasoline burning than he previously had. Even if he starts filling up every six days instead of every seven he would still be filling up his car with 90% gasoline almost 8 more times a year. That's 8 more tanks of 90% gasoline pumping into the atmosphere.
2.) It stinks.
3.) It drives up food prices for corn products. Tons and tons of food products depend on corn. Cereal, certain types of grains, you name it. So when a large percent of corn is being burned for an inefficient fuel source, it makes me angry. It makes me angry because now the prices of those food products will now go up because of the law of supply and demand. When there is a constant or increase in demand and a decrease in supply, the price will go up. (my next blogs are gonna have a lot of economic mumbo jumbo in them too, just smile and nod your head, and just trust that I am right)
4.) Dave Bollaert agrees with me.
5.) The land being cleared to plant more corn is gonna effect the environment. We're using ethanol to help clean our air from emissions. To do this we are clearing land and planting something we are going to tear out of the ground and burn. So the forests that are our natural environment air filters are being destroyed for an inefficient, expensive fuel (there's that contradiction idea again)
6.) It also causes farmer's to only plant corn. Currently, farmers are making a bundle by supplying ethanol processing companies corn. So, of course, farmer's are planting more corn in the place of other crops. Some farmer's may stop rotating fields between corn and beans and plant only corn. Beans are also in a very large number of food items and a major loss of production will only send food costs up even higher.
7.) Both corn and beans are major exports of the United States. If I remember right, my AP Economics teacher told me that corn is the number one U.S. export. So when we use it as a fuel source, we are just burning our international trade in to oblivion (with a V8). Our gross domestic product per person is diminishing, and to some economists, the gross domestic product is the best way to judge a country's quality of life. So in their eyes, our quality of life is being threatened by ethanol.
The bottom line____________________see what I did there?
In my opinion, the production of ethanol needs to stop. We need to focus on alternative energies that are much more efficient and also don't effect other economic sectors as ethanol does. I hope to have left you hating ethanol as much as I do. And next time your filling your gas tank I want you to think-"I'll just take the regular."
Gable, Christine. "What is Ethanol?" About. New York Times Company. Web. 21 Apr. 2010.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
I Speak American
Ricky Bobby said it best-this is America, we speak American. Nobody could have said that better. This is America and we do speak American. Honestly, American sounds pretty stupid. We say things like "come swoop me up" instead of saying "come pick me up please". We say thing like "man, I'm tryin to get at some food" instead of "I'm hungry".
And I'm not excluding myself, I say things like "I'm hungry as tits". What in God's name does that mean? Although, I do get my point across. All I said was "I'm hungry as..." followed by an expletive, and people love expletives. They love them so much that they laugh and now know I want food.
So what is speaking American? I think speaking American is our own unique lingo. It's our special sauce concoction of cliches, sayings, slang and somewhat shattered English. A language that everyone has their own spin on.
And I'm not excluding myself, I say things like "I'm hungry as tits". What in God's name does that mean? Although, I do get my point across. All I said was "I'm hungry as..." followed by an expletive, and people love expletives. They love them so much that they laugh and now know I want food.
So what is speaking American? I think speaking American is our own unique lingo. It's our special sauce concoction of cliches, sayings, slang and somewhat shattered English. A language that everyone has their own spin on.
The British
When I think of the British I think of fish and chips, Churchill, those guys in the big hats, and vinegar. Most people think of them as very articulate and well-spoken. I think we're giving them too much credit. The Brits say things like "would you like to come over to my flat?" Which to most sounds fantastic. People think - "Oh that's so cute, he has an accent.""I say - what's a flat?" If someone said "would you like to come over to my flat" in a ghetto accent, the story would be different. Calling your apartment a flat would sound completely obscure. It's all in the delivery. At the same time if a Englishman said "let me holla at you" everyone would think it was fine and just some charming English lingo. The accent tricks us. Americans sounding stupid may just be in the delivery.
So maybe we don't sound so ridiculous. Maybe this massive melting pot has some crazy-way-of-speaking crust hardening on the sides of it. And you know what? The crust is the best part.
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