DRRISK: For your information, the guy in Texas who talked to his friend at Chevron happens to be a very concientious person who has done a great deal of work researching AIPN in Louisiana and Texas. He is in the oil business, understands the asphalt business, and has personally visited the Lake Charles refinery twice to check it out. Furthermore, he has established a very cordial relationship with Chamberlain, the General Manager of AIPN's refinery. To even suggest that such a person is simply engaging in rumor-mongering is to insult his and my intelligence. He has made more of an effort to investigate AIPN's domestic operation than anybody on this thread. Anyone who is not interested in what the man has to say has a very limited interest in AIPC. Period. This was not about "rumor and innuendo". This was a report on one Chevron exec's view and knowledge of AIPC.
You claim that I seem to be mouthing the propaganda coming from Millennium. I guess it would surprise you that Millinnium and I have had our disagreements and have not really had any contact for weeks. For me they were always the least interesting source of information. Rather, I rely on a network of fairly sophisticated individuals with impressive resources at their disposal. We do our very best to check and double-check every rumor that comes to us. In the process, we arrive at points of view regarding this story...not unlike an investigative journalist. We exchange information that comes from many sources, sift through it, and try to come up with a plausible scenario. This effort involves a lot of work and a lot of networking. It was my belief that he fruits of those efforts and what I would call our "informed" speculation would be of interest to those who post on this thread. I now realize that I was wrong.
You say " Your own change of direction on AIPN and its direction is a function of being led down the garden path by the hypsters that proliferate this stock." . I haven't changed any direction on AIPN. You guys just were never very good at reading between the lines of my posts..if you read them at all. I wanted to be a little more direct recently and was amazed that some thought I had changed direction. All that reaction told me was that very few people on this thread devote any time or effort to seriously analyzing the company. Frankly, I was shocked by yours and others' singular unwillingness to evenTRY to see the forest from the trees in this situation.
Furthermore, you have some nerve claiming that I am being led down some garden path. Do you know me? Have you done any hands on research into the company? Have you made it a point to read about Kazakhstan? Have you attended any conferences on the state of the oil business in that country? Have you spoken to people in Almaty? Have you ever spoken to Lorrie Olivier? Do you even know...or care...who he is? Have you tried to find out who AIPC is talking to for a proposed Joint Venture? Do you know of funds that are prepared to take large positions in AIPN once the Production Agreement is signed? I can answer "yes" to every one of those questions and more. What about you? Do you have anything to report to us as a result of your due diligence and investigative work or is your role simply limited to taking potshots (along with so many others on this thread) at the people who do the real work?
The only thing that I have to apologize for is for having grossly underestimated the intellect of most of the people on this thread. I wonder why it is so different on AOL where the vast majority of posters actually go to some length to THINK and seriously discuss all the various aspects of this story. Sorry, DRRISK, until I see something in your posts that suggest that you, too. are making a serious effort to examine AIPC, you simply do not have the moral authority to criticize those that do. It really is that simple.
QDOG: You claim that you do hours ofresearch and hard work and have many contacts working in the Caspian area. You may, in fact, do a lot of hard work, qdog, and you certainly are knowledgeable about flow-rates, etc. Unfortunately, you have not posted a single post that I know of that would indicate that you have ever spoken to or attempted to speak to the principals in this story. Your posts provide a wealth of appreciated information about how the oil industry operates in general but precious little information about AIPC's venture in Kazakhstan. Have you ever spoken to Olivier? He used to work with Occidental. He put together the whole Kazakhstan operation. I had a very long and interesting talk with him at the NYC meeting. Found him to be a very level-headed guy and very averse to hype. Surely, this is a guy that talks your language. Did it never occur to you to call him? Did you ever make any attempt to talk to George Faris? I think not. With all your friends in the Caspian surely you must have been able to get a read on industry sentiment over there concerning AIPC and its concession. The guy from Chevron knows all about it so your friends ought to as well. We will be waiting for your report on their assessment. Clearly, most of the above are rhetorical questions. In my opinion, you have done little to no research specific to AIPN. If I'm wrong you have been keeping your results secret.
TAXIKID: I suppose I should be grateful for your "apology". I just have one question. Did you decide to apologize before or after Silicon Investor contacted you about your racist terminology? Also, you ask about "unsubstantiated rumors". Well, in my world that is an oxymoron. If "rumors" were "substantiated" they would no longer be rumors, would they? A substantiated rumor is a fact. What I share with people on this thread is "informed opinion" based on things that I believe to be true. You want to call that "hype"? Be my guest.
When I came home late tonight I was shocked to see that this thread had deteriorated to the point where someone like "taxikid" has become the hero of the board. Well, to me that is a very sad statement. The idiots have taken over and have left very little room for people like myself. Juan and I and some others would very much like to have an intelligent ongoing discussion of AIPC's prospects but there is little value for us to come on this thread with our opinions only to be insulted by people who do no work on their own. I will no longer subject myself to this kind of abuse and I do so with some reluctance since I know there are "lurkers" who are genuinely interested in our insights. To those people I make the following proposition. I will continue posting on AOL. Those of you who do not have access to AOL are welcome to communicate with me by e-mail. I will gladly share my opinions and those of others with you. There is only one condition though. I will need your real name and a phone # so that I can be reasonably assured that you are not one of the "lunatic fringe" on this thread. Anyone genuinely interested in a continuing discussion and analysis of AIPC should have no problem revealing his/her true identity (as I have) and willingness to engage in the occasional telephone chat. These are the kinds of relationships we have at AOL. If you are interested, please e-mail me at bouhafa@aol.com. Thanks.
On that note, I bid all of you farewell...the patients have taken over the asylum!
With regrets..Faris |
