# Americans suck at math **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 16, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410 "2003-02-16T07:03:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Space\_Cadet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Space\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/1 "2003-02-16T07:03:45Z")
Hello Yankees, can you not do simple math? Canada is the world’s single largest source of oil; the Athabasca tar sands alone contain more oil than all of Saudi Arabia, (we are talking like 1.5+ **Trillion** barrels) plus you have our Arctic reserves, our offshore reserves, and lets not even get started on Natural Gas or Hydroelectricity… Canada supplies the US with something like 25+% of its _total_ energy needs, virtually all of its Natural Gas, close to if not more oil than we export to the rest of the world combined, and yet you endlessly repeat this line about “Iraq having the second largest reserves…” Your war on Iraq has only to do with oil as “spoils” or profits from war. The war is about power, strategic dominance, etc., in short taking over the world. Do your math - shit, take night courses if you have to - and stop with the lies\*. And BTW, think twice, then again three more times, about going to war for our Canadian oil. We have more friends than you do. \*And I’m not just talking about oil lies here, but that is for another thread. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/2 "2003-02-16T07:09:04Z")
**Moderator’s Note:** I was thinking about changing the title of this rant to something that actually reflects what it’s about, but I think it basically _is_ a rant, so I’ll just move it to the Pit. ---
**Author:** ![gobear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8dc957/32.png) [@gobear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gobear)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/3 "2003-02-16T07:16:02Z")
Nice to see a screen name that genuinely reflects your personality. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Cadet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Space\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/4 "2003-02-16T07:18:02Z")
Well, I figured that a debate about American energy sources (and the consequences thereof) might follow my somewhat provocative points, but Oh Great Moderator, I shall bow to thee… (while giving a not-so-subtle finger in your general direction on my way down…) ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/5 "2003-02-16T07:23:20Z")
Well start up another GD thread, only word it civilly. ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/6 "2003-02-16T07:25:56Z")
I don’t see how this has much to do with math. Anyway, you must provide a cite. My sources say that Canada doesn’t even make the [top ten for oil reserves](http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0872964.html), nor the [top three in production](http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004697.html). Damn, Canadians can be so lame sometimes. Is this all you have to be proud of? ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Cadet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Space\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/7 "2003-02-16T07:28:25Z")
> [@](#): > > Well start up another GD thread, only word it civilly. Yeah, sorry. I forgot that you Americans have this fetish-like thing about about etiquet and politeness, as so amply demonstrated of late on the world stage. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/8 "2003-02-16T07:32:05Z")
Speaking of math, how far away is Eleventy-billion Km? ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/9 "2003-02-16T07:34:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Space Cadet \* > \*\*Yeah, sorry. I forgot that you Americans have this fetish-like thing about about etiquet and politeness, as so amply demonstrated of late on the world stage. \*\* Fuck off and die. Does that make you feel better? ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/10 "2003-02-16T07:39:15Z")
[Jame Gumb] It puts the keyboard down and takes its medication. [/Jame Gumb] ---
**Author:** ![chula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a4c791/32.png) [@chula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chula)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/11 "2003-02-16T07:39:38Z")
[Here’s](http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/Oil_watch/Oil_ReservesProducConsump.html) another source that says you’re wrong. Now shut the fuck up. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/12 "2003-02-16T07:42:02Z")
It’s true! It’s true! We’re sooo lame! \ ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Cadet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Space\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/13 "2003-02-16T07:59:58Z")
> [@](#): > > Covering 77,000 square kilometers in Alberta, Canada and larger even than the Saudi Arabian oil reserves, the Athabasca oil sands consist of sand, mineral rich clays, water and bitumen, a thick, viscous, crude oil [Allianz](http://www.allianz.com/Vx/cda/0,,32233-44,FF.html) > [@](#): > > Canada’s oil sands are thought to be the world’s largest known hydrocarbon resource. The oil sands are a mix of sand and bitumen, which is a thick crude oil. The bitumen can be processed into high quality, light synthetic oil that is in demand for upgrading to gasoline and jet fuels and other refined products. > > Canada’s oil sands are estimated to make up more than one quarter of the world’s conventional oil reserves. [Western Oil Sands](http://www.westernoilsands.com/html/project/industry.html) > [@](#): > > Q: How much oil does Alberta’s oil sands contain? > > A: The four major oil sands deposits in Alberta contain more than 1.7 trillion barrels of bitumen. Using current technology this could potentially be turned into over 1 trillion barrels of synthetic crude oil, although much of the bitumen probably cannot be recovered at a reasonable cost (with current technology only 300 billion barrels are recoverable). The Athabasca Oil Sands is the largest of these oil sands deposits. It contains over one trillion barrels of bitumen on its own, although only about 300 billion barrels of bitumen can be recovered using current methods of mining. There are other large oil sands deposits in Canada as well, most notably a large deposit on Melville Island in the Canadian Arctic. It is Canada’s next largest oil sands deposit after the Athabasca Oil Sands. It has the potential to produce about 500 million barrels of crude oil. > > By comparison, Alberta’s conventional oil reserves are currently estimated at about 4.5 billion barrels of oil. Put another way, the Athabasca Oil Sands contain more oil than all the known reserves in Saudi Arabia. Clearly Alberta’s oil sands hold the key to the long term production of oil and oil products in Alberta, and as time goes by more and more of Canada’s oil needs will have to be met by Alberta’s oil sands deposits. [Source](http://www.oilsandsdiscovery.com/topten/questn3.html) I can go on… Do you need me to? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/14 "2003-02-16T08:01:54Z")
> [@](#): > > [ul] > Saudi Arabia\* - 8.1 million barrels per day; > Former Soviet Union - 6.9 million barrels per day; > United States - 6.5 million barrels per day; > I.R. Iran - 3.6 million barrels per day; > China - 3.2 million barrels per day. > [/ul] > \*Including share of production from the Neutral Zone From [this site.](http://www.offshore-environment.com/facts.html) So, shut the fuck up ya hoser, eh? ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Cadet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Space\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/15 "2003-02-16T08:04:10Z")
I may fuck on, I may fuck off, I may ask others to do the same, but YOU, Ogre, are alone in wishing death. I pity you. Peace. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![MachineHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@MachineHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachineHead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/16 "2003-02-16T08:04:19Z")
Idiot poster + Stupid thread = getting flamed like the human torch. Now, that’s some helpful simple math isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![MachineHead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@MachineHead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MachineHead)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/17 "2003-02-16T08:06:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Q.E.D. \* > \*\*Speaking of math, how far away is Eleventy-billion Km? \*\* As far away from those goddamn yankee bastards, she/he can get. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Cadet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Space\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/18 "2003-02-16T08:07:11Z")
And where did I mention current _production?_ I said Canada is the single largest source (i.e. in possession of, by living on top of… ) ---
**Author:** ![leander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@leander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leander)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/19 "2003-02-16T08:08:56Z")
Apparently, he’s talking about the [oil sands](http://www.westernoilsands.com/html/project/industry.html), specifically the ones found in the Athabasca deposits in Alberta. Unfortunately, they’re having some [difficulties extracting](http://www.nserc.ca/synergy/articles/99syncrude_e.htm) oil from them, despite the fact that “Canadian researchers, governments and industry have been working for years to unlock the tremendous wealth of this resource.” And really, there’s no reason we should “invade Canada.” We already [screwed them](http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/44/100.html) out of their oil. ---
**Author:** ![Space\_Cadet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Space\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Space_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2003, 8:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410/20 "2003-02-16T08:11:44Z")
Oh, your rebuttals are so clever, I am impressed :rolleyes: Thats right, mock your single largest energy supplier, and see how you like it when NY goes dark. Oh, whats that? Without Canadian Natural Gas, your prices increase exponentially? To bad, so sad, warmongering Texacutioners! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/americans-suck-at-math/155410.md?page=2)