Optimists will argue that the extortionate oil prices of July were an aberration, the result of unwholesome speculation divorced from the reality of supply and demand.

乐观者将争辩7月油价畸高是反常现象。是不道德的投机与实际供给需求相背离的结果。

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Demand for top quality programmers exceeds supply, leading to extortionate salaries.

对优秀程序员的需求远远超过了供给，致使工资畸高。

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In the meantime, millions of Americans would have to wait while a government agency pursued its extortionate demand through the courts.

WSJ: Debra Burlingame: The 9/11 Memorial Museum Held Hostage

The naval clash is likely to be top of North Korea's agenda, along with a demand for an apology and an extortionate sum in compensation.

ECONOMIST: On the eve of talks, trouble flares between the Koreas

Many taxpayers already feel that taxes are extortionate and, fearing even higher levies, have withheld their spending, thereby reducing demand for goods and services.

FORBES: Regulation, The Democrats, and The Parallel Universe