Great Leap Forward – Simple Minds (1995)

Janet Lawrence, our in-house Product Developer, found this article in The Calgary Herald from earlier in the month which provides a sound rationale for why “Hedging May be Best Strategy for Oil Producers”. A story like this sure stopped me in my tracks. It has to do with the barrel price rising back to US$75 due to a confluence of factors including OPEC's ongoing interests and behavior as well as the depth and length of the current global recession.

Once you've had a chance to read, let me know if you and others are poised to sell forward when the time is right and if your staffs have the right tools and instinct to do so?

Meet El Presidente – Duran Duran (1986)

Over the weekend, the Obama Administration announced a series of meetings with the European Union and other global players to tackle energy and climate issues including global warming, energy efficiency and security, some of the topics that we’ll be tackling in our forthcoming course on The Changing Geopolitics of Oil and Gas: Identifying and Managing Political Risk.

For details on the meetings from The New York Times, read on.

Lights Out - Lisa Marie Presley (2003)

Today many are observing Earth Hour to bring world awareness to global warming and the need for solutons that will ensure energy needs are met in a responsible manner. I have already seen lights dim in Sydney, Shanghai, Jakarta and elsewhere on television and via the Internet. In a few hours it will be Europe's Africa's and the Americas' turns to do so.

Today is also when The Oxford Princeton Programme launches its latest web-based course on Overview of the Ethanol Market. So after you do turn out your lights, log on to learn about this energy resource and the role it will play in brightening the future.

Take A Giant Step – Monkees (1978)

The fine folks at LNG Industry Magazine allowed me to share my thoughts on Stepping Up LNG Training in their Spring 2009 issue.

Have a read and let me know any of your thoughts as well as other LNG-related education and training needs.

And by the way, here are some of our forthcoming LNG courses:

• Overview of the Global LNG Industry
  15 May 2009, Houston, TX
  14 October 2009, Savannah, GA
  11 November 2009, Houston, TX
  
  
• Global LNG - The Complete Supply Chain
  22-26 June 2009, London, UK
  16-20 November 2009, London, UK
  
  
• International LNG Contracts - Commercial Factors and Negotiations
  28 September - 2 October 2009, Oxford, UK
  
  
• LNG Shipping - A Voyage of Discovery
  14-16 October 2009, Singapore
  3-5 November 2009, Oxford, UK

Answer's In The Question - Bob Seger with Patty Loveless (2006)

The tweet below from CBOE caught my attention today. It's a fair question so I had to see what the author had to say.

Minyanville: "Can Selling Options Make You a Better Trader?" http://tiny.cc/TsFJ0

Danger Zone – No Doubt (2004)

Tradewinds has just reported that a there has been a large fuel spill today in the busy Strait of Hormuz due to a collision between a US submarine and a US frigate. Eighty five tonnes of fuel oil was spilled and 15 sailors were injured.

This real-life case study is representative of the discussions delegates will have when they attend these forthcoming courses:

• Tanker Ownership, Chartering and Operations (TD2)
  
  
• Tanker Ownership and Chartering – Advanced Strategies and Risk Management (TD4)
  
  
• The Changing Geopolitics of Oil and Gas – Identifying and Managing Political Risk (GEOP)

Hold On To Your Hat – Rolling Stones (1989)

Here we go! Oil jumped over 6% today to over $50 a barrel based in part on brighter outlooks for the U.S. economy.

More details from Yahoo at: news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090319/bs_nm/us_markets_oil