It is a pleasure to be here with you this morning. I appreciate the opportunity to open this conference. As you know, the subtitle for this conference is ?technology options for producers? survival.? For better or worse, it is an appropriate title ? particularly when we emphasize the last word, "survival."For the last several months, many of you, and many of your colleagues , have had to deal with that word, "survival." You have ridden a roller coaster of prices ? again, like you did in the mid-80s and again in the early 90s. This time, however, the declines were steeper and more severe than at any time in post-war memory. And the upturns have been gradual and filled with uncertainty.