Donate to the Salvation Army

Updates

December 9, 2012: Human interest story with a twist -- North Carolina man calls North Dakota an oasis, will stay in Williston. This is really quite a story. A reader suggested I post a note about donating to the Salvation Army. Interestingly, that idea gave me an idea how to manage some of the stand-alone posts, but that might be another story for another day. I digress.

This is really coincidental. I posted the short notes reminding folks about donating to the Salvation Army. Then this article in The Dickinson Press. Go to the link for the full story, but this was wonderful to see:

His first weeks in Williston weren’t easy, however. Bozeman’s first stop was the Williston Walmart parking lot on the advice of a bus driver to meet a man who needed workers. The man, who had no license plates on his vehicle, recruited Bozeman to help dig a ditch and provided him housing at a camp. 

He then got some housing assistance from the Salvation Army and later spent about six weeks sleeping at Williston’s Concordia Lutheran Church while he searched for work.

Bozeman said he feels like God was watching out for him because he never had to spend a night outside, he never went hungry and he always had someone willing to give him a ride.

By the way, there's a story behind the Concordia Lutheran Church. That, too, is an incredible story. Charles Dickens would have plenty of material if he were alive today.

Original Post

I will be off the net for awhile. For those who enjoy the Bakken stories, scroll down to the next post. It's quite a story.

Something for everyone to think about: a donation to the Salvation Army.

Link here for the details.

My granddaughters mean the world to me. I can't imagine them being in a place where they needed help from the Salvation Army. But if they needed such help, I can't think of a better organization to provide it.

A Note for the Granddaughters

Yesterday I had to return a couple of books we "checked out" from the local Audubon association here in Belmont, Massachusetts. I put the "checked out" in quotes because upon returning the books,  I asked how they keep track of books that are borrowed from their library. She said there really was no system, she sort of just remembered who took them out. Interesting. As a volunteer she is only there some days. Other days the house is staffed by Dan L or Dan M on a rotating basis.

I say the house because it is a small McMansion. Built for his wife as a wedding present many decades ago, the beautiful house and the grounds were eventually bequeathed to the Audubon Society.

Returning the books, I drove up the long drive-way, pulled into a gravel parking space, and walked up to the house, and walked in. I had the feeling of visiting a wealthy friend, perhaps the Romneys (?), on a beautiful Saturday afternoon.

On the way home I had some thoughts about the experience, which I shared with my older granddaughter and she quickly caught on to the "game."

A little background: my carbon footprint is a) one bedroom; and, b) one bike. [That's a bit disingenuous or incomplete. I am fortunate to have much more, but that describes 99% of my carbon footprint-life.]

While driving my granddaughters to a birthday party -- no, we didn't ride bikes -- we took the car -- I talked about my "extended house."

I mentioned that at her house, I had a bedroom, but when I want to visit "my" study, I can visit the Audubon society library just down the street/up the hill.

When I want to watch NASCAR or college football and have a beer with friends, I to to "my" den, the Upper Crust at Harvard Square, Cambridge. [Unfortunately, at the moment, the Upper Crust is closed; bankruptcy; pending; hopefully they will re-open their doors. The one-way 40-minute bicycle ride was just the perfect distance for an evening out.]

Of course, "my" office is Starbucks.

And then I asked my older granddaughter, when I need to go "my" pantry, where I do go?

She answered, without missing a beat, "Shaw's." Shaw's is the grocery store across the street from her house. So she got the idea.

Of course, I have several "rooms" of art: the Peabody Essex Museum, the Boston Fine Arts Museum, and, then the recently discovered National Heritage Museum in Lexington.

Her favorite climbing tree was in "our" backyard: Beaver Brook Reservation a couple blocks down the road.

The older granddaughter got a kick out of thinking how big "my" house was. Even the younger one joined in: Curious George at Harvard Square was "her" playroom. Smile.

By the way, there will be an open house/artists' reception (with free food) in "our" library this afternoon, 1 - 3 p.m. at the Audubon center, Belmont.

Random Look At Production Of An Older Well When A New Bakken Well Is Completed

From a reader, sent in as a comment in response to my post on 1.5 million-barrel-EUR milestone:

Speaking of milestones, an additional data point that I heard earlier this week was with respect to two Newfield wells, located on the east side of Watford City. Those wells are both middle Bakken wells, and are located only ~600 feet apart. The first well actually started producing more once the second well was fracked. Both appear to be good wells.

It will be fun to watch and see how the Continental Resources experiment turns out where they are going to put 4 wells in a single layer spaced at ~600 feet.

Most likely the reader is talking about these two wells, sited about 265 feet from each other; the horizontals are 105 feet from each other laterally and, from what I can tell, pretty much at the same depth (the horizontal laterals):

• 19112, 2,526, Newfield, Charlotte 150-98-17-20-1H, Siverston, t11/10; cum 161K 10/12;
• 21401,1,968, Newfield, Charlotte 150-98-17-20-2H, Siverston, t3/12; cum 84K 10/12;

Vertical depth, but of course, the laterals may be separated vertically more than this, but the vertical depth for the two wells were essentially the same (note: I do not have formal training in reading file reports; these numbers could be off, way off, but this is what I saw).

• 19112: 11,086 feet
• 21401: 11,099 feet

If, in fact, the first well started producing more after the second well was fracked, that certainly seems to make sense. I've opined that fracturing is effective 500-feet radially ... and well, you can connect the dots.

So, let's look at the production of #19112 between the months of 10/11 and 10/12 (before and after #21401) was fracked. Now, again, this is the production from the old well.

Read from the bottom up. I assume the well was taken off line 1/12 - 3/12 while the other well was being completed.

19112, 2,526, Newfield, Charlotte 150-98-17-20-1H:

Pool	Date	Days	BBLS Oil	Runs	BBLS Water	MCF Prod	MCF Sold	Vent/Flare
BAKKEN	10-2012	28	5687	5616	2382	11696	11497	199
BAKKEN	9-2012	30	6916	6792	2718	13730	13329	402
BAKKEN	8-2012	31	7089	7258	2815	13153	12936	218
BAKKEN	7-2012	31	7823	8006	3213	14502	13567	936
BAKKEN	6-2012	30	9891	9646	4017	18226	17711	516
BAKKEN	5-2012	30	16675	16620	6975	33883	28352	5531
BAKKEN	4-2012	23	3120	3097	0	5127	1759	3368
BAKKEN	3-2012	4	1039	990	1212	1653	11	1642
BAKKEN	2-2012	0	0	0	fracking	first well	0	0
BAKKEN	1-2012	6	1083	1082	217	571	571	0
BAKKEN	12-2011	17	1565	1689	540	3136	3136	0
BAKKEN	11-2011	30	4877	5469	1658	9146	9122	24
BAKKEN	10-2011	26	4483	3792	1838	7242

Again, I did not know what the production numbers were going to be until I copied and pasted, seeing them in real time, just as you are.

The results are interesting.

I remember folks elsewhere wringing their hands over additional wells being drilled into sections where "their" one well was already producing. Such wringing of hands suggests "we" don't know all there is to know about tight oil/unconventional shale. I certainly don't. But some of this seems to make sense.

******************

In light of the original comment and the stand-alone post, reading through this discussion is entertaining. It is amazing how far we have come. As just one example:  "My belief is that a good separation for laterals is ~ 4,000 feet and a good lateral length should be based on economics." -- posted March 4, 2012.

Quote of the Day; Bloomberg Notes The Hypocrisy

"It certainly isn't where we need to be in order to prevent islands from going under and other unimaginable impacts."-- AP, Doha, Qatar.

Unimaginable.

The quote was from the Doha-ha-ha Climate Change Conference, agreeing to extend the Kyoto Protocol which was due to expire this year. We were this close to going over the DohaCliff.

Seeking to control global warming, nearly 200 countries agreed Saturday to extend the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty that limits the greenhouse gas output of some rich countries, but will only cover about 15 percent of global emissions. 

By the way, hundreds of new islands have been "discovered" over the past few years. At the same time, the oceans have been rising at a rate of 3 mm/year since 1992. Repeat: 3 mm/year. Those islands going under were pretty low to begin with, I guess.

*********************

Meanwhile, Bloomberg noted the hypocrisy also:

When 17,600 representatives from 194 nations criss-cross the globe to fight climate change, they make themselves vulnerable to certain charges of hypocrisy: How much fuel did they burn to get there? What about the carbon pollution from all the hotel air conditioners? How big, really, is the anti-global-warming footprint? 

There’s one barb that’s lost its edge this year: paper consumption. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is on a mission to make the global body paperless by 2015. The efforts are saving hundreds of trees at this year’s climate treaty talks in Doha, Qatar, while creating headaches for many of the envoys.

For context, a common feature of COPs (as the annual meetings are called: it stands for Conference of the Parties) are the hundreds of harassed-looking negotiators carting around wheelie suitcases filled with documents covering the progress of discussions on greenhouse gas emissions reductions, finance, technology and -- yes -- reducing greenhouse gases by saving trees.

I'll start taking climate change talking heads seriously when they start taking their claims seriously.

Miscellaneous Links --

Rumors of another Bakken reality show:

"We're very interested in doing a show that would be based in the Bakken and in North Dakota, specifically," Simonian said from her office in Los Angeles recently.

"Things can always change, but we're in the development phase right now and we're looking for interesting people whose lives have been affected by the oil boom."

Taking the lead on the project, Simonian is talent scouting for Big Fish Casting and working with Burbank, Calif.,-based Cheri Sundae Productions. Simonian said she has received a lot of responses from individuals interested in being featured in the show.

"What we're looking at is having something based somewhere from Dickinson north," Simonian said. "We're looking for interesting people who are likeable and outgoing with good personalities. I've talked with a lot of people already." 

Looks lame. Maybe if it was hosted by Al Gore ... 

How Big Is The Bakken?

Updates

December 30, 2017: update here.

Original Post

This is a "cut and paste" from the blog, but it is too important to be lost where I first posted it, so it is posted again.

I've often said that the Bakken is now the "gold standard" for oil companies. This lede caught me by surprise:

Can Roseneft and Exxon Mobil help make Siberia more like ... North Dakota?

I kid you not. Page B16, WSJ, "Heard on the Street."  The article goes on:

When the Kremlin's oil champion and Big Oil's biggest sealed a strategic alliance in 2011, tight oil was little more than a footnote to ambitions in the Russian Arctic. But Friday's announcement of a deal to explore the enormous Bazhenov deposit makes Western Siberia suddenly much more important.

Like the Bakken shale under North Dakota, the Bazhenov is thought to contain vast oil reserves trapped in tight rock formations. At 570 million acres, its land mass is the size of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico combined, according to Sanford. C. Bernstein. Bazhenov could hold between 60 billion and 140 billion barrels of oil, and production could approach one million barrels a day, or around 10% of Russia's total, by 2020, analysts say. Commercial production in the Arctic will only just be getting started by then. [For newbies: the Bakken, much, much smaller, could hold 500 billion bbls of oil; without political interference the Bakken will easily hit one million bbls of oil per day; and that is about 12% of current US domestic production. Just putting things into perspective.]

But Bazhenov represents a grand experiment. America's tight oil boom was pioneered by small, innovative companies, aided by individual mineral rights and an array of oil services and infrastructure resources. While big boys like Rosneft and Exxon should enjoy the might of the Kremlin's backing—including hoped-for tax breaks—they are very different pioneers operating in a very different environment.

One wonders if the Bakken would have gotten more respect had XOM discovered, developed, and marketed it?

The Bazhenov overs 570 million acres, its land mass the size of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico combined; the Bakken (on the US side of the border), officially seventeen counties in North Dakota and three counties in Montana, but for all practical purposes about seven counties in North Dakota and, maybe, two counties in Montana. Although the Bakken is officially 128 million acres (wiki) for all practical purposes it is much less. And here we have a Siberian story suggesting that 570 million acres might produce on a daily basis what the Bakken is already nearly producing.

The Bazhenov is linked at the sidebar at the right under "other formations."

Notes To My Granddaughters -- Not About the Bakken -- Saturday Morning Links -- Ramblings -- Mostly Links To The WSJ

I've often said that the Bakken is now the "gold standard" for oil companies. This lede caught me by surprise:

Can Roseneft and Exxon Mobil help make Siberia more like ... North Dakota?

I kid you not. Page B16, WSJ, "Heard on the Street" (at one time, years ago, my favorite section in the WSJ).  The article goes on:

When the Kremlin's oil champion and Big Oil's biggest sealed a strategic alliance in 2011, tight oil was little more than a footnote to ambitions in the Russian Arctic. But Friday's announcement of a deal to explore the enormous Bazhenov deposit makes Western Siberia suddenly much more important.

Like the Bakken shale under North Dakota, the Bazhenov is thought to contain vast oil reserves trapped in tight rock formations. At 570 million acres, its land mass is the size of Texas and the Gulf of Mexico combined, according to Sanford. C. Bernstein. Bazhenov could hold between 60 billion and 140 billion barrels of oil, and production could approach one million barrels a day, or around 10% of Russia's total, by 2020, analysts say. Commercial production in the Arctic will only just be getting started by then. [For newbies: the Bakken, much, much smaller, could hold 500 billion bbls of oil; without political interference the Bakken will easily hit one million bbls of oil per day; and that is about 12% of current US domestic production. Just putting things into perspective.]

But Bazhenov represents a grand experiment. America's tight oil boom was pioneered by small, innovative companies, aided by individual mineral rights and an array of oil services and infrastructure resources. While big boys like Rosneft and Exxon should enjoy the might of the Kremlin's backing—including hoped-for tax breaks—they are very different pioneers operating in a very different environment.

Top-rated companies borrowed more than $1 trillion (no typo) in 2012; here's a list of some of the more notable; first number, 2012; second number, average amount for previous five years:

• Abbott: $15 billion (rounded); $3 billion
• United Technologies: $10 billion; $2 billion
• John Deere: $9 billion; $5 billion
• Pepsico: $6 billion; $3 billion
• Intel: $6 billion; $5 billion

A must-read review of Ford's C-Max -- enough to make me consider buying one for my daughter. She has her heart set on a Ford Fusion.  I will stick with the Honda Civic.

Section C of today's WSJ is filled with book reviews, but at the moment, none catch my interest, except perhaps a new biography of Thornton Wilder. I always enjoy "A Personal Choice." Today, the editor features Janet Malcolm's five favorite books on "animals":

• Charlotte's Web, E.B. White, 1952
• Omar: A Fantasy for Animal Lovers, Wilfrid Blunt, 1966
• Born Free, Joy Adamson, 1960,
• A Sloth in the Family, Hermann Tirler, 1963
• Animal Liberation, Peter Singer, 1975

Born Free makes me think of Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa. I probably would not have read the book had I not enjoyed the movie. The story and the music made the music. The casting was important and I can't imagine any others in the title roles, but still it's the story and the music.

I have seen bits and pieces of Charlotte's Web, the animated movie, so many times with my granddaughters, I think I can say I've seen the movie. But I don't know the story at all. When I see an accomplished author put this at the top of her personal list it tells me I need to read the book. Maybe.

Speaking of books, I am currently "enjoying" reading selected papers of D. I. Mendeleev, edited by William Jensen, on the former's "periodic law" which ultimately resulted in the "periodic table.

And with that, we move on to Section B of the journal.

Oh, and what a great way to start, front page story: its battery drained, Fisker hunts for a partner. Unfortunately I didn't find a better link (for now). I particularly enjoyed this bit of writing:

Fisker has taken steps to reduce its cash use. In July, it halted production of its sole vehicle, the $110,000 Karma, to lower production costs. [That would lower production costs, as I've noted before.]

The Karma has been hobbled by recalls and quality problems. [A $110,000 vehicle.]

The company also has cut its staff by nearly half since January.

And so it goes.

In the end, the Canadian government did approve CNOOC's takeover bid for oil-sands operator Nexen, Inc. Also, the Canadian government approved a Malaysian company's acquisition of Progress Energy Resources Group. These are big stories for many, many reasons.

Russia's Gazprom, no doubt is reading this story with glee: a proposed pipeline that would have lessened European dependence on Russian natural gas is a no-go. A major participant has pulled out. Why? "There is no guarantee that adequate volumes of Caspian gas will be available." Wow. A page 3 story -- which tells you how important the editors felt this story is.

And still another GM article: GM sweetens discounts to move unsold cars. I think this is the third story this week about the huge GM inventory. Search for "pickups" on this site and you see what I'm talking about.

Preparing for the next big one: frustration with insurers following Sandy.

And, now, on to section A of the WSJ. 

This is a strange headline: in medical triumph, homicides fall despite soaring gun violence. I won't read the article until later, but I can only imagine all the story lines.

This looks promising for reading later: a lesson in conservative optimism: an interview with Ed Feulner, ending a 35-year fun as the president of the Heritage Foundation. The first paragraph reminds me why successful businessmen are successful. It's interesting: I first learned that "general truth" -- what makes successful businessmen successful -- when I worked for the Southwest Publishing Company in 1971, a period of stagflation. My employer told us to forget about the economic headlines: there is always a recession somewhere if one looks for it. Just get on with the job at hand and get to work. I had a very successful run with Southwest Publishing.

Peggy Noonan has her weekly essay, but as mentioned a few weeks ago, I lost some interest in reading her columns after her huge FAIL: her last column before the election.

And that's it for now. Except for this. Brings back "awful" memories.

The Phil Donahue Show: Greed and Capitalism