[jdmartin]

Let's see:

South Africa oil consumption, 2006: 519k bbls/day
South Africa oil consumption, 2003: 484k bbls/day
Growth rate: 7.2% over 3 years - just over 2% per year.

China oil consumption, 2006: 7.4 mil bbls/day
China oil consumption, 2003: 5.55mil bbls/day
Growth rate: 33.3% over 3 years - about 11% per year.

More figures:
Mozambique's GDP growth rate, 2005: 7.7%
Mozambique's GDP growth rate, 2006: 7.5%
Per capita GDP: $304

Hell, it isn't hard to grow 7% when the overwhelming majority of your people have nothing.

More: in 2005, total oil consumption for all of Southern Africa: Congo, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania, Zambia, etc: was 727,000kbbls/day. Now roughly 500k bbls/day of that was used in South Africa. That leaves 227k barrels per day for all of those other countries combined, with a population of 197 million people excluding South Africa. South Africa, with a population of ~50 million, uses far, far more than everyone else combined. So (assuming you're from South Africa, using phrases like "Dude" and "crash" in your earlier posts) are coming from a deluded point of view yourself - you live in what would be considered an "affluent" section of Africa.

I'd be curious to know exactly what other countries you have been to.

[BigArnie]

Does it really matter where I've been in the context of this discussion? How come I'm the only one here that constantly need to prove my credentials to everybody?

I do realise, however, that I need to extend my sincerest apologies to the esteemed members of this board for my shameful abuse of the words "dude" and "crash". Only after I uttered those careless phrases did I realise that Americans have got copyright on those words. Thanks for pointing that out to me; I am definitely deluded.

Back to the question at hand: Where have I been to? I've been to Brittain, USA, France, Namibia, Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and of course good ol' South Africa. Alas, I know the drill by now. You're going to say that I'm lying and I'll have to scan my passport as evidence. Not so?

Well, it was fun but I'm out of here. Let's talk about something else. My head hurts from all the concentrating. Need I remind you that my cranium is pretty much devoid of any significant brain mass when compared to your highly evolved Western genius?

May I leave you with this thought: Nothing that I've seen posted during the course of this prolonged thread by my many detractors has been even close to substantive enough to make me believe that you know sh*t about Africa. As long as your primary source of information about this troubled continent remains Wikipedia then your opinion does not warrant any further rebuttal from me.

I'll leave you to get the last word.

[NotMyBlood]

Inferiority complex -

-An inferiority complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person. It is often subconscious, and is thought to drive afflicted individuals to overcompensate, resulting either in spectacular achievement or extreme antisocial behavior, or both. Unlike a normal feeling of inferiority, which can act as an incentive for achievement, an inferiority complex is an advanced state of discouragement, often resulting in a retreat from difficulties.

Samll penis? Shit-Hole living arrangment? From your first post you came off as All knowing and condescending. At least that's the way I perceived it. Doesnt really bother me, just thought you should know.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BigArnie', 'M')ay I leave you with this thought: Nothing that I've seen posted during the course of this prolonged thread by my many detractors has been even close to substantive enough to make me believe that you know sh*t about Africa. As long as your primary source of information about this troubled continent remains Wikipedia then your opinion does not warrant any further rebuttal from me.

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('BigArnie', 'H')aving lived in Africa all my life, I find it amusing how ill-informed Westerners are about what is really happening over here.

[onequestionwonder]

Are you guys, Praetorian, NotMyBlood, jdmartin, and Zardoz aware that you come across as idiots?

Wait, if it quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it probably is a duck.

Now I don't want to interrupt your google searches to dig up statistics that you wouldn't know off the top of your head about your own country. {how juvenile - Falconoffury}

Or maybe you should ask if he knows any gerbil breeders in Capetown. Yes that would show you are a f*#cking genius, with masterful debating skills and in-depth knowledge of South Africa. Bet that will awe him.

Take a look at your posts in this thread. Heck check out all the posts you fools have made here.

My words are harsh. {Direct insults are not acceptable -Falconoffury}

[Eli]

OK there is a pattern developing here.

There is some coordinated trolling going on IMHO.

This is the second time in this thread that Big Arnie ( an obvious troll) has had someone with less than 100 post come in and then clearly troll themselves by hurling insults at long time posters.


This is either effective trolling by Big A, or something more coordinated.

I think this is worth monitoring.

[thuja]

I have to agree that you 4 in particular jumped into uber-jerk mode for little apparent reason, pissing BA off...

Personally I am much more interested in an insider's view of S.Africa and the rest of the continent than what you all have to say. Why are you making inflammatory accusations and insults? It is not adding to the discussion...

[thuja]

Eli- take a look at your posts...

[Blacksmith]

So what does happen when we can afford energy anymore? That is the topic right?

[thuja]

No kidding...but how about a few more foolish flames?

[NotMyBlood]

Okay, I'm gone from this Thread, go ahead BigArnie, let them all know how much intelligence they lack.

[Zardoz]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('thuja', 'I') have to agree that you 4 in particular jumped into uber-jerk mode for little apparent reason, pissing BA off...

[thuja]

I'm not going to rehash everything said here- I just hope we can return to a more civil (interesting) and less flame filled conversation.

[kevincarter]

What happens when you can't afford energy?

It depends a lot on who you are.

If you are the one holding the big guns you go and *free* some oil production country.

If you are smart and rich you start using the clean energy infrastructure you set up back then when you could afford energy.

If you are a poor country with no respect for human rights you increase the number of slaves to keep productive and send trolls all over the internet to clean your image

If you are a 9 to 5er you stare at the gas station price saying, but.. but... but...

[Pretorian]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onequestionwonder', '
')Or maybe you should ask if he knows any gerbil breeders in Capetown. Yes that would show you are a f*#cking genius, with masterful debating skills and in-depth knowledge of South Africa. Bet that will awe him.

[dohboi]

Even before we have run seriously short of oil, the nation seems to be starting to crumble around us. New Orleans is no where near being rebuilt.

And now, about a mile from my house, a vary major interstate bridge over the Mississippi River has inexplicably collapsed. For at least a decade, experts have been warning that we are underinvseting in our infrastructure. But we proceded to cut taxes and neglect basic repairs on our most fundamental structures--bridges, roads...This is true locally and nationally:

businessweek

I am now listening to an engineer on the radio talking about how obsolete most of our bridges are. This just seems like such third world stuff. We can't even keep our major bridges up or our cities above water! In fact, as with our health care "system," we seem to be far behind many "undeveloped" countries in these basic areas.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('onequestionwonder', 'A')re you guys, Praetorian, NotMyBlood, jdmartin, and Zardoz aware that you come across as idiots?

Wait, if it quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it probably is a duck.

Now I don't want to interrupt your google searches to dig up statistics that you wouldn't know off the top of your head about your own country.

Or maybe you should ask if he knows any gerbil breeders in Capetown. Yes that would show you are a f*#cking genius, with masterful debating skills and in-depth knowledge of South Africa. Bet that will awe him.

Take a look at your posts in this thread. Heck check out all the posts you fools have made here.

[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('thuja', 'I') have to agree that you 4 in particular jumped into uber-jerk mode for little apparent reason, pissing BA off...

Personally I am much more interested in an insider's view of S.Africa and the rest of the continent than what you all have to say. Why are you making inflammatory accusations and insults? It is not adding to the discussion...

[MC2]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('thuja', 'I') have to agree that you 4 in particular jumped into uber-jerk mode for little apparent reason, pissing BA off...

Personally I am much more interested in an insider's view of S.Africa and the rest of the continent than what you all have to say. Why are you making inflammatory accusations and insults? It is not adding to the discussion...