Canadians in Afghanistan six times more likely to die than Americans in Iraq

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Asher
Now that you've looked it up and summarized what can easily be found on the internet, how does it apply?

Do you honestly think I didn't know what bitumen was? Seriously man. Sure, I cut and pasted the definition because I'm to lazy to write it myself but EVERY stinking geologist knows this stuff. It is a very basic part of the field.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by TCO
This was an issue that my customer raised with me (over lunch and beers). I had no idea that this was such a big deal.

What was an issue?

[Asher]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Asher my lad, the oil sands (just like the oil shale in Utah and Wyoming) are just bitumen rich formations.

I understand that, but your post was about taking courses on "reserves" which are fundamentally quite different from bitumen. Bitumen isn't in the ground in nice traditional-like reserves.

You're a good tech guy, Asher. I'll trust you on tech and you trust me in my field.

Why should I trust you, considering you've shown you know next to nothing about the oilsands -- including being apparently way off on their size (you thought the numbers I quoted weren't for the recoverable portions).

I can safely say you don't know much, or anything, about the oilsands and how those projects work, both from a business and technical perspective. I can see that from the little bit you've posted so far in this thread.

You may've taken an option years ago on traditional oil reserves, but this is a whole different ballgame. It also has little to do with geology after you stripmine it out, it's all about chemical processes -- not the rocks.

[KrazyHorse]

Alberta oilsands are a very big deal. Alberta has the highest GDP per capita out of all US states and provinces (excepting DC, which is skewed due to small resident population and government activity). 65000$ per capita.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Oerdin


Do you honestly think I didn't know what bitumen was? Seriously man. Sure, I cut and pasted the definition because I'm to lazy to write it myself but EVERY stinking geologist knows this stuff. It is a very basic part of the field.

I think you looked up a lot of how it applies to oilsands, as the wording is incredibly close to that from Wikipedia.

I also think you're one of those annoying know-it-all internet geniuses. You post a lot in a lot of threads about a lot of subjects, but your positions are usually shallow and either easily debunked or easily referenced to a Wikipedia entry.

Take your opinion on JDPowers & Associates, for instance. You've incorrectly stated how they do their research several times and ignore threads when corrected.

[TCO]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse


What was an issue?

Pulling CA out of Afghanistan.

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Asher

And geologists are not involved end-to-end...they do early work on the stripmines and then they go home.

I have friends I studied geology with in uni who now work out at the Elk Hills field near Bakersfield, CA. That field was discovered sometime around 1900 so it is about as mature as a field gets yet they still have dozens of geos running around it.

I understand you think you know some stuff about oil and geology but you are mixed up. Geologists are involved in fields from discovery to shut down and even after shut down there are geologists, like me, who do much of the environmental remediation design and clean up. It's what I do for a living and geology is a small specialized field so you pretty much know most of the people in the field in your area. I know my line of work.

[Kuciwalker]

Alberta oilsands are a very big deal. Alberta has the highest GDP per capita out of all US states and provinces (excepting DC, which is skewed due to small resident population and government activity). 65000$ per capita.

At least one Canadian recognized the truth.

[KrazyHorse]

Sentence not parsed in that manner. Proper parsing:

Alberta has the highest GDP per capita out of all (US states) and (provinces)

[Asher]

Originally posted by Oerdin
I have friends I studied geology with in uni who now work out at the Elk Hills field near Bakersfield, CA. That field was discovered sometime around 1900 so it is about as mature as a field gets yet they still have dozens of geos running around it.

I understand you think you know some stuff about oil and geology but you are mixed up. Geologists are involved in fields from discovery to shut down and even after shut down there are geologists, like me, who do much of the environmental remediation design and clean up. It's what I do for a living and geology is a small specialized field so you pretty much know most of the people in the field in your area. I know my line of work.

I don't know how many times I need to explain this to you. Oil sands extraction is absolutely nothing like traditional oilfield extraction. It is a completely different ballgame that is dominated by chemists and chemical engineers, geologists play a small role in it compared to traditional fields and their roles are limited to early parts of the projects in setting up the stripmines -- and the meat of the operation is in the processing and upgraders, not in the strip mining.

I understand how important you feel your field is, and I understand how little you understand about oil sands development by your constant comparison to traditional oil, but I'm telling you how it is. My father is a project manager for one of the largest oilsands operations in Alberta, and I heard all about it all the time for years and years (work is his life). I know the ins and outs of the business and the technical aspects of it, I know the manpower requirements and what kind of fields they need. Further, I know several geologists from the University of Calgary (which supplies most of the geologists for the oilsands stuff as they have specialty degrees), and I know precisely the kind of work they do.

You can continue lecturing me on this, but you're using your knowledge of something completely different and applying it to a new technology you need to research more.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by TCO


Pulling CA out of Afghanistan.

It won't happen. Liberals put us there so they can't beg to pull out without looking like idiots. Can make some noise trying to say Conservatives not running things properly, but not go farther. Conservatives don't want to pull out. Liberals + Conservatives = 226 seats/308

BQ+NDP can't do **** without getting almost every single Liberal on side (not going to happen)

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Asher

I understand that, but your post was about taking courses on "reserves" which are fundamentally quite different from bitumen. Bitumen isn't in the ground in nice traditional-like reserves.

Asher, I pointed out that hydrocarbons in the ground are very different from recoverable reserves. It's very clear so read it again.

As for the rest... You are just being a tool right now. You are think you are an expert when you are not. Stop trying to one up people because it is lame.

[notyoueither]

Originally posted by Tingkai
Canada needs to review their tactics. First off, is to keep the U.S. Air Force out of our combat zones. The American pilots are proving more deadly than the enemy.

To the enemy more than us.

Operation Medusa was largely a matter of spotters calling in the Artty and US/British fly boys to blow the hell out of anything in front of us that shows the slightest inclination to opposition.

How do you think they arrived at estimates of 500+ dead oppo with very few losses?

The Forces also need to do a complete review of our ground tactics. It's all very nice to talk about what we did in the past, or how great we are at war games; it is another thing to fight in Afghanistan. I suspect that there are reviews going on right know about what is going right and wrong (the deployment of tanks reflects such reviews). But someone should be checking to make sure it happens.

I think you're right.

This is going to be long and tough to see it through. Anything we can do to minimise our losses while maximising Taliban losses should be done.

The other thing to realize is that the Canadians are in a hot spot where the Taliban are attacking in strength.

Yup, and our armed forces and governments asked to be in that hot zone, although I am fully willing to admit that there may have been a quid pro quo. I don't think it is a coincidence that the border is open to beef and the lumber dispute has been settled largely in our favour. If my hunch is right it sucks that Canadians are dying to curry favour in Washington, but we have to play the hand that is dealt us.

The NDP is quite justified in questioning what we are doign there, rather than the Conservatives sheeps blindly following the lead set by the Liberals.

I agree there should be questioning. I disagree with a significant federal party calling for a pull out from a NATO operation. This isn't just Yanks. This is a significant test of the alliance.

Rather, I think the NDP should drop the knee-jerk anti-American sentiments. There's a lot more at stake here than how much they hate the US.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Asher, I pointed out that hydrocarbons in the ground are very different from recoverable reserves. It's very clear so read it again.

As for the rest... You are just being a tool right now. You are think you are an expert when you are not. Stop trying to one up people because it is lame.

I'm by no means an expert, but I've got a very solid grasp that you clearly lack.

You're contradicting yourself and posting irrelevant information in the shotgun-style of "thread pwning", but I'm immune to it 'cause I'm so persistent.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by notyoueither
Yup, and our armed forces and governments asked to be in that hot zone, although I am fully willing to admit that there may have been a quid pro quo. I don't think it is a coincidence that the border is open to beef and the lumber dispute has been settled largely in our favour. If my hunch is right it sucks that Canadians are dying to curry favour in Washington, but we have to play the hand that is dealt us.

We always clean up imperial messes.

Somebody had to do it, and the Yanks weren't, so bravo.

I came really close to joining the Forces ~4 years ago. I would have been proud to be in Medusa no matter what reasons the pols might have had to put me in harm's way.