Dinar4Dinner

Can't they just pump harder and longer until even more oil gushes out, making everyone happier?

May we please just vote for them? Save them all the quibbling, beheadings and spitball-throwing? Thanks in advance, GOI, Ministry, Parliament, NIO and the rest of the circus performers. . . .

Wait a minute - is this alternative fact or is that a big ole Pokemon icon on that building? We being duped? Have a fun Thursday, Dinar4Dinner

TMI, Ofeeshal . . . some things we can't unsee

Live: Oil higher as Iran and Iraq back a 9-month extension to output cap Our live blog is tracking market reaction as oil ministers meet in Vienna. More Our live blog is tracking market reaction as oil ministers meet in Vienna. We'll bring you the latest analysis below. http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/25/oil-output-cap-opec-supply-fed-minutes-deutsche.html?__source=synacor&par=synacor (OK, they're not showing more info "below", but this does appear to be news! / Dinar4Dinner)

Crude oil prices surged over 3% to their highest level in two weeks after the world’s two biggest producers agreed in principle to extend a deal on output restraint through March of next year. The Energy Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Russia said that they had “reached an understanding” that it is necessary to keep surplus crude off the market “until March 31, 2018,” in order to stabilize a world oil market that is still oversupplied. The statement, made on the sidelines of an economic summit in China, is an admission that the efforts of the world’s biggest exporters to balance the world oil market by holding back 1.8 million barrels a day of crude have failed to end the current glut as quickly as they hoped. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, which produces around a third of the world’s oil, and a group of non-OPEC countries led by Russia, had agreed in November to keep the cuts in place through June. News of the deal six months ago had provided an immediate boost to prices, but the strategy contained the seeds of the plan’s own downfall, because higher prices encouraged producers in the U.S., which isn’t party to the deal, to raise their output and invest in new production. U.S. output has risen more than 10% since the middle of last year, and data released on Friday by oil services firm Baker Hughes showed that the number of active rigs across the country rose for the 17th week in a row. Benchmark futures prices for U.S. crude rose 3.2% on the news to trade at $49.41 a barrel by 0800 Eastern Time, while shares in big shale oil and gas companies such as and Whiting Petroleum were also higher. The market reaction reflected how far the commitment went beyond market expectations: the consensus view over the weekend was that the output deal would be extended through the end of the year, while some market participants were also concerned that Saudi Arabia and Russia, the two biggest exporters, would abandon restraint completely rather than lose any more global market share to American producers. Read: All Drill, No Pump: Oil Producers Are Leaving Thousands of U.S. Wells Unfinished The declaration carried on the Russian Energy Ministry’s website said that the existing deal had had “a significant positive influence” on the market, noting that global inventories of crude had fallen faster than their historical averages in the last five months. But that glosses over the fact that inventories in advanced economies are still higher this year than they have ever been in May, and only slowly returning to their historical range. The ministers said that while they start from the assumption of rolling over the current deal, they also hoped that “a wider circle of countries outside the current group will see the benefit of this cooperation in bringing stability to oil markets, and will join the effort.” The declaration has no binding force. It will need to be confirmed at a meeting of OPEC ministers on May 25th in Vienna. However, with the world’s two biggest producers now on board, an extension now seems a near certainty. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/oil-prices-soaring-saudi-arabia-083802201.html Might as well fill up now! Dinar4Dinner

Exclusive drone footage captures west Mosul in the throes of war by Kara Fox and Waffa Munayyer, CNN Updated 5:12 AM ET, Mon May 1, 2017 [ The video can be seen at this link ] Source: CNN Exclusive drone footage of Mosul emerges 01:41 (CNN)Families carry white flags and sob as they escape from their homes. A car bomb explodes. Then another. The rotting bodies of ISIS soldiers, abandoned by their units, contaminate the streets. Children walking through the rubble of what was once their home don't flinch. To them, this is the new normal. These are scenes from western Mosul as Iraqi forces wage a street-to-street battle to retake the city from ISIS, which the group has controlled for almost three years. A man carries a sick relative on his back as they flee from their home in west Mosul's al Yarmouk neighborhood on April 11. Equipped with a drone and a camera, Brazilian photojournalist Gabriel Chaim spent 20 days embedded with Iraq's Golden Division, capturing harrowing footage of the destruction and the chaos there. Chaim followed special forces as they moved through the city's narrow, winding streets, searching for signs of ISIS. The unit is the first to clear homes where the militants live among a marooned civilian population. In the raids, Chaim saw how ISIS fighters navigated through bombed out parts of homes to move around the city unseen, using a labyrinth of destroyed houses in a frightening game of cat and mouse with anti-terrorism units. Soldiers from Iraqi special forces Golden Division conduct ground raids in west Mosul's al Tank neighborhood on April 17. Chaim told CNN he had to conceal himself and his equipment to capture some of the scenes from the air, masking the drone's GPS coordinates and data to avoid being tracked. "When you are flying in the Daesh (ISIS) area you never want to capture yourself -- if they get this drone they could get all your information and position," he told CNN. "The drone provided me with a different perspective of the war," he said. "It is impossible to get that view of the severe destruction and civilians fleeing from a traditional camera." Chaim, whose work has taken him to Syria and the Palestinian territories, said the sheer number of civilians caught in the crossfire in Mosul surprised him. "In Aleppo I have seen civilians in a war zone, but not with heavy armored vehicular tanks and heavy clashes that were fought in the middle of them... it was mostly airstrikes," he said. "The fact that a huge number of civilians continue to live in neighborhoods that are under heavy clashes is what makes Mosul different." Residents in west Mosul's al Yarmouk neighborhood crowd around a food distribution truck on April 11. Chaim said he also saw ISIS propaganda graffiti, in Russian, tagged onto the walls of homes in western Mosul's al Yarmouk neighborhood. Civilians told Chaim that a growing number of Russian-speaking foreign fighters, including Chechens, are bolstering the terror group's ranks in Mosul. Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, fell to ISIS in June 2014. A US-backed coalition-led offensive to regain control of the city began in October 2016. East Mosul was liberated in January and the second phase -- clearing ISIS militants from the west -- was launched in February. Interactive: Hell and Humanity in the Shadow of ISIS In western Mosul, 382,000 civilians have fled since February 19 alone. Many of the displaced are housed in emergency refugee camps set up by the Iraqi government and international relief groups. According to recent UN estimates, as many as 800,000 civilians are still living in western Mosul -- with half of them are trapped in the Old City. Leaving the city is not an easy task. Iraqi special forces assist civilians out of their homes as heavy clashes between Iraq special forces and ISIS raged on in west Mosul's al Yarmouk neighborhood on April 9. Chaim recalls hundreds of civilians running through the frontlines to escape from ISIS, a scene he said he would never forget. As they ran for their lives, civilians told him that ISIS screamed insults at the crowd, including the word "kafir," the Arabic word for "non-believer," and fired shots into the moving mass. "They must take care of how they cross (the frontline), and make sure Daesh won't see them running," Chaim said. "But they also must take care of making sure Iraqi soldiers don't think they are Daesh," he said. "It's like running from hell." http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/01/middleeast/mosul-drone-footage?ref=yfp Peace Out, Dinars4Dinner

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/videos/the-bugatti-chiron-is-beyond-perfection/ Say no more!

Reuters VideosMarch 7, 2017 Elite Iraqi security forces dislodged Islamic State militants from the main government buildings in Mosul on Tuesday, their last major city stronghold in Iraq. Rosanna Philpott reports. https://www.yahoo.com/news/iraqi-troops-seize-mosul-government-130313889.html

Cliff Notes please. . .

Isis chief executioner Abu Sayyaf 'shot dead' in Mosul Kurdish media reported that the jihadi was killed by 'unknown gunmen' in northern Iraq stronghold By Ananya Roy January 30, 2017 08:02 GMT A notorious Islamic State (Isis) executioner named Abu Sayyaf has been shot dead in Iraq in West Mosul, Syrian Kurdish media has reported. Sayyaf is known as one of the jihadi group's main executioners and has appeared in many gruesome propaganda videos showing brutal IS killings. "Abu Sayyaf was one of the scariest executioners in Nineveh... He was a reflection of the brutality of this terrorist group," Muhammad Yawar, an Iraqi journalist, told ARA News. "He was known for his huge body and heavy arms. He was one of the notorious faces in the Isis propaganda videos." Local media activist Abdullah al-Mallah said a group of unknown assailants opened fire on Sayyaf's car, killing him. Another militant accompanying the executioner was also killed in the attack. "He was found dead in the Dawassah district west of Mosul city in Nineveh Governorate on Sunday evening. The Isis-led Hisba Police was unable to identify the perpetrators," al-Mallah added. His death comes soon after the killing of another prominent IS executioner in western Mosul under similar circumstances. Abu Abdel Rahman, a Saudi leader, was attacked by unknown gunmen in al-Askari region and killed on the spot. Western Mosul is currently the new battlefield for Iraqi government forces, who with the help of the US-led coalition force, succeeded in liberating east Mosul a week ago. IS fighters were reported to have redeployed in the western bank of the River Tigris to launch an assault on Iraqi troops advancing to liberate the city. http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/abu-sayyaf-one-scariest-isis-executioners-shot-dead-iraq-1603764?utm_source=yahoo&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=rss&utm_content=%2Frss%2Fyahoous&yptr=yahoo&ref=yfp

Sheesh - I can't even agree with myself! And when I do, it goes to the Monkey Parliament in my head, where 3 different simians bounce around yanking on each others' tails and babbling. Then I vote on the issue at hand and usually veto them monkeys! I do see this as progress; they're talking towards finding common ground, not blowing each other up or beheading anyone.

Ditto, Bama Girl - I have plans to create a great organization to benefit youth and environmental concerns, and anything over 10 cents would help launch it like there's no tomorrow, which there better be, as that'd be a good day to RV, lol!

Article by Tom DiChristopher CNBCDecember 28, 2016 The U.S. dollar (STOXX: .DXY) has been on a tear that threatens to derail the oil price rally and OPEC's effort to balance an oversupplied crude market, the editor of The Schork Report warned on Wednesday. Dollar strength is being driven by forecasts for stronger economic growth and inflation in the United States than in other developed nations. Oil prices have so far risen along with the dollar following an agreement among producing nations to cut output. But a stronger greenback typically weighs on crude futures because the commodity is priced in the currency. When the dollar rises, crude becomes more expensive to holders of other currencies. "If we do see continued strength in the dollar that will have a double whammy on oil prices," Stephen Schork told CNBC's "Squawk Box." First and foremost, prolonged dollar strength will inevitably crimp demand for crude oil, he explained. Lower demand will make it harder for the OPEC's output cuts to reduce huge stockpiles of crude that built up around the world following a boom in oil production. That boom flooded the world with more oil than could be consumed and cratered crude prices. Low prices boosted demand for crude throughout 2016 in emerging markets, and particularly in China, the world's second biggest oil consumer, said Matt Smith, head of commodities research at ClipperData. Higher prices threaten to substantially curb China's opportunistic buying , he told "Squawk Box" on Tuesday. A stronger dollar will also tempt OPEC members and other producing countries to exceed the oil output limits they set in recent weeks, Schork said. "From a seller standpoint — from an OPEC standpoint — your propensity to cheat and increase production to take advantage of dollar-denominated sales will increase," he said. The OPEC cuts are scheduled to take effect next week. Schork said the market is making some broad-based assumptions about the effort. One of those assumptions is that investors will see something they have never seen before: 100-percent compliance by OPEC members to production cuts. The producer group has a history of cheating on quotas. Even if investors see a high degree of compliance, OPEC production will be higher than it was last year, Schork said. "But if OPEC reverts to being OPEC — that is to say 60 to 70 percent compliance — then OPEC is still going to be producing 700,000 to 800,000 barrels of oil ... more this January than last January," he said. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/oil-faces-dollar-double-whammy-161319457.html / Dinar4Dinner

OPEC Said to Agree on Output Cuts as Saudis Soften on Iran by Grant Smith, Wael Mahdi, and Javier Blas November 30, 2016 — 8:25 AM EST November 30, 2016 — 10:35 AM EST OPEC clinched a deal to curtail oil supply, confounding skeptics as the need to clear a record global crude glut -- and prove the group’s credibility -- brought its first cuts in eight years. Crude rose as much as 8.8 percent in London. OPEC will reduce production by 1.2 million barrels a day to 32.5 million a day, two delegates said Wednesday during a ministerial meeting in Vienna, asking not to be identified as the decision isn’t yet public. The breakthrough deal showed an apparent acceptance by Saudi Arabia that Iran, as a special case, can raise production. Khalid Al-Falih at OPEC meeting, Nov. 30. Photographer: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries is ditching a pump-at-will policy introduced in 2014 to resume its traditional role as price fixer. The shift -- aimed at draining a crude glut that’s pushed down prices for two years -- will help revive the tattered finances of oil-producing countries and reverberate in markets around the world, from the Canadian dollar to Nigerian bonds to U.S. shale equities. “This should be a wake-up call for skeptics who have argued the death of OPEC,” said Amrita Sen, chief oil analyst at Energy Aspects Ltd. “The group wants to push inventories down.” After weeks of often tense negotiations, the eventual alignment of OPEC’s biggest producers points to the increasing dominance of Iran among the group’s top ranks. It appears the Saudis accepted that Iran can raise output to about 3.9 million barrels a day, marking a victory for the Persian Gulf country, which has long sought special treatment from OPEC as it recovers from sanctions. Saudi Arabia previously proposed that its regional rival limit output to 3.707 million barrels a day, delegates said. The agreement, which is also likely to call for a reduction of about 600,000 barrels a day by non-OPEC countries, pushed up Brent crude by 7.8 percent to $50.03 a barrel at 3:15 p.m. in London. Prices remain at half their level of mid-2014. “Prices reacted positively, but the devil is in the detail,” said Carsten Fritsch, an analyst at Commerzbank AG. “We have to wait for a country breakdown and whether it’s reliable or not.” It’s not yet known how deep Saudi Arabia will cut and, crucially, whether the kingdom will go below 10 million barrels a day. Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest producer, has agreed to cut production, according to one delegate, who didn’t elaborate. The country previously pushed for special consideration, citing the urgency of its offensive against Islamic State. Morgan Stanley said Monday that an OPEC agreement could boost crude prices by $5 or more. While the deal is unlikely to be enough to wipe out the crude glut entirely -- OPEC’s own estimates show it needs to pump just 31.9 million barrels a day from January to June to balance supply and demand -- it clears the way for participation by non-OPEC suppliers. Russia, the biggest producer outside the bloc, has said if OPEC agrees on individual country quotas it’s ready to participate, including possibly reducing its output, a person familiar with Russian thinking said earlier. That would mark a reversal of its previous position. OPEC is likely to hold talks with non-OPEC producers next week, a delegate said. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-30/opec-decision-day-as-ministers-meet-to-salvage-deal-on-oil-cuts ~~~~~~~ Bad at the pump, good at the bank Dinar4Dinner