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Old 06-14-2008, 03:13 PM   #41 (permalink)
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"The problem is that we are too tolerant of stupid people."

"I would tend to call them uneducated or ignorant, rather than stupid. I believe most all people have a capacity to learn far more than they know."


Why, how optimistic of you!

I, on the other hand, have a lot more cynicism and pessimism in me.

In order for people to learn, they have to care ... to want to be a better person. Too many travel the path of glorious least-resitance and requires thought and work. Our dumbed-down society allows, even CATERS to them for being, selfish passive potatoes on the sofa of life.

People need a carrot AND a stick. The stick, in this case, is expensive fuel. I'm not sure what the carrot is ... a tax break on a hybrid car? Maybe. What about a tax break on wheel skirts? I'm all for it ... as many folks on this forum would be ... but I don't see it happening anytime soon.

I like hunkybizkit's suggestions ... but I don't see people planning their purchases carefully. Too much of our buying is an emotional impulse. It's feeling rather than thinking and (unfortunately) our economy of the last 20-30 years is built on this phenomenon.

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Old 06-14-2008, 06:06 PM   #42 (permalink)
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Originally Posted by hunkybizkit View Post
the problem with diesel in the USA...
The problem with diesel is that it's diesel, and therefore a considerably less efficient way of turning a given amount of fuel into motion than alternatives, such as Stirling engines.
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Old 06-14-2008, 08:04 PM   #43 (permalink)
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Otto View Post
Diesel John, I'd like to get your farmer's perspective on a couple of things:

First, you mention the commodity problems with buying farmer's crops later this year. Can you elaborate on that?.
Normally i can call the elevator on the river and sell my crops up to two years in advance. for example ,normally $3 is a fair price for corn, so when the price got to $3 in the spring of 2007 alot of producers sold corn out one and two years ahead. Fast fwd to June 2008 by a series of unlikely circumstances corn is over $7. When an elevator buys on fwd contract, they sell on the board to stay balanced but the price went against their hedge, normally no problem. Normally when actual crop is delivered they pay the producer
the $3 contract, sell the grain for $7 and use the difference to pay off their hedge, but this year the $4 difference cost them more interest than they could afford. millions a day. So they all just stopped buying grain. And they will not even bid on grain until 60 days before the actual delivery date. So the
commodities markets have failed to provide for the future, the very reason they were created. There are the options markets but they generally a lose, lose.

Quote:
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Second, Oregon State University is doing algae biodiesel research, with an eye to local production and consumption by farmers such that the stuff does not need to be shipped and distributed around the planet.

See: http://www.wired.com/techbiz/media/news/2006/04/70702

I'd be curious that if such a device worked, how would farmers react to the idea of making their own fuel on-site or in the immediate neighborhood.
farmers are already making their own bio-diesel, methane, and ethanol.
the byproducts of which are oxygen, cleaner air, and high protein food.

farmers adapt every season to changing parameters, that is what they do.

farmers pay a percentage of every bushel sold to research. it is called the checkoff.

the farm bill is miss named, it is a food bill.
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Old 06-17-2008, 10:56 AM   #44 (permalink)
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The problem with diesel is that it's diesel, and therefore a considerably less efficient way of turning a given amount of fuel into motion than alternatives, such as Stirling engines.
actually diesel engines sport a 20:1 compression ratio

gas engines which use 12:1 or 13:1 actually burn the gas more completely and efficiently than 8.5:1 ratios

we can't use 12:1 or 13:1 in cars unless they burn premium gas, or leaded gas, or racing fuel, or pure alcohol.

diesels get better mpg than gas counterparts. that's why they have been popular in europe.

as an example i had a company truck for a while, a dodge ram 2500 with a cummins diesel. it got 19mpg highway
a gas powered version of the same truck would only get 15mpg highway

james, where did you get your info that diesel was less efficient than gas?

as far as environment-friendly, diesels dont use spark plugs. that means less platinum, iridium, ceramics, etc in landfills. less ignition parts. and as far as emissions go, i dont think gas engines are any more "clean" than diesels per gallon of fuel burned. they both pollute the environment. sulfur has been limited in USA diesel as well.
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Old 06-17-2008, 11:31 AM   #45 (permalink)
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james, where did you get your info that diesel was less efficient than gas?
How can you ask someone for sources without providing any yourself?
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Old 06-17-2008, 11:46 AM   #46 (permalink)
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How can you ask someone for sources without providing any yourself?

http://www.grinningplanet.com/2005/0...ne-article.htm

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Old 06-17-2008, 01:13 PM   #47 (permalink)
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So we should put a $2:00 tax on gas, then diesel will be less expensive all around and gas guzzlers, (Va wouldn't let me have the license 'HMMRSUK') would become big expensive planters?
Works for me.
S.

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