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This is article represents the standard "it's about oil" argument. We strongly disagree with it's position but it's important to look at the argument involved. The later references in this section refute many of Pfeiffer's claims. Synthetic oil is moving along (and is an ecological disaster). Oil reserves are debatable quantity. There is much to oil besides "preserving civilization". And so forth.
The Background is Oil by Dale Allen Pfeiffer [For many it is difficult to accept the truth about the events of September 11th without seeing the context of an unavoidable global crisis that cannot be postponed or evaded. The myth of perpetual American prosperity is destroyed by this layman-friendly analysis of the global oil picture and the hard choices facing the planet. Enron employees are only adding to a list of innocent American victims that is going to increase rapidly. There are solutions, however, that do not necessitate support for the global dictatorship that is rapidly falling upon us all. Many thanks to Dale Allen Pfe
Canada Is Unlocking Petroleum From Sand By JAMES BROOKE Ted Shehinski for The New York Times One of Suncor Energy's Millennium Project sites in northeast Alberta. The company has sharply lowered the cost of extracting oil from sand. Issue in Depth• Earth Science: The Environment
Electric And Hybrid Vehicles An Overview Of The Benefits, Challenges, And TechnologiesBy Robert Q. RileyElectric cars have been around since the inception of the automobile. But in the early race for dominance, the internal combustion engine (ICE) quickly won out as the best power system for cars. Although the electric powertrain was superior in many respects, as a source of energy, the battery was no match for the high energy content, ease of handling, and cheap and abundant supplies of petroleum motor fuel. Today, nearly a century after the electric vehicle (EV) was forced into near oblivion, it seems that EVs may actually become the ultimate winner. As easily-recoverable petroleum deposits dwindle, automobile populations soar, and cities become choked with combustion by-products, the ICE is increasingly b
In the US, Dreaming of IraqbyGeorge CaffentzisMidnight NotesP.O. Box 204Jamaica Plain, MA 02130GCAFFENTZ@aol.com
Introduction "I am not a criminal.I am new to Cairo. I live in Baghdad." He told the storyof his dream and the buried treasure,and he was so believable in the telling thatthe night patrolman began to cry. Always,the fragrance of truth has that effect.-Rumi, In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo:In Cairo, Dreaming of Baghdad (1260-1273)(Rumi 1996: 210)
Introduction Barely seven years after a major military attack that left Iraqi industry, hospitals, water and sewage treatment plants devastated, and caused thousands of civilian casualties as well as widespread sickness among American soldiers, the United States government prepared to go to war again against Iraq in February 1998. The Clinton administration's reasons for initiating this war--although noticeably shifting as the weeks went by--were clothed in a dramatic language. "... [I]t is very important for us to make clear"--said Secretary of State Albright in a Columbus, Ohio "town hall meeting" on February 19, 1998-- "that the United States and the civilized world cannot deal with somebody who is willing to use...weapons of mass destruction on his own people, not to speak of
*Midnight Notes Collective, Midnight Oil: Work, Energy, War, 1973-1992, New York: Autonomedia, 1992, "Introduction", "1. Oil, Guns and Money", "To Saudi with Love: Working Class Composition", 3. Recolonizing the Oil Fields."
The Main Point The purpose behind these 3 articles is to lay out a historical overview of class struggle in the Middle East, especially in relation to oil. The book looks at the period from 1973 to 1992 and sees the Gulf War as the attempt to terrorize and decompose the working class in the Middle East in order to hold down pressure for higher wages and standards of living. The necessity for this is the increasing rebelliousness of the population there to IMF austerity plans and the coming vast increase in capital accumulation. Basically the only way to force the working class to live amongst vast wealth with decreasing income is to increase the level of militarization and to break up the working class.
Home CHAPTER 27 -Myths and Realities of Mineral Resources Copyright 1997, Walter L. Youngquist -- Posted with permission from GeoDestinies, by Walter Youngquist PhD & Chair Emeritus,Department of Geology, University of Oregon;National Book Company, 1997; ISBN 0894202995
ORDERS: National Book Company, PO Box 8795, Portland, OR. 97207-8795Phone: (800) 827-2499 Fax: (503) 228-3961 Email: info@halcyon.org$29.95 plus $4 shipping -- VISA/MC/AmEx/Discover
Although minerals and energy minerals are fundamental to our existence, the facts of these resources and of industries which produce these materials are subject to many myths and much misinformation. This is unfortunate for it clouds the ability of individuals in a democracy to make intelligent choices. Some of the distortions are deliberately made by political interests who play upon the fears and hopes of the electorate, and then in the role of the defender of the public interest against the oil or mining companies seek to obtain votes by this device. Some statements are made from ignorance, and some are made by people who have their own political and social agendas which they wish to perpetrate upon the public. Some are made by people who are a bit over enthusiastic about a par
CHAPTER 13: OPEC AND CRUDE OILOil is the major fuel used by people today. Because oil is liquid, it is easy to mine by drilling and pumping rather than excavation, and it is easy to transport in tankers and pipelines. Nevertheless, the history of oil supply has been dominated by the time and place of discoveries, with enormous results on the history of the 20th century. It has also been dominated by a few individuals, companies, and nations, with greed, superb intelligence, and unbelievable stupidity. Before we get into that, however, I want to make the point that petroleum and petroleum products have been minor components in international trade for thousands of years.
Bitumen and Egyptian Mummies.‹Bitumen is a spongy cake-like substance that forms when much of the volatile content of crude oil has evaporated off. Because it is light enough to float, bitumen "rafts" form from oil seeps deep under the Dead Sea, and eventually pop to the surface where they can be collected from rafts or boats. In ancient time, bitumen was much in demand by the Egyptians for use in preserving mummies, and a bitumen trade built up across the Sinai Desert. Nasty little wars broke out over these trade routes, and the rise and fall of the Nabateans of Petra is linked with this trade. The Chinese invent Oil Drilling.‹The Chinese used oil from natural seeps as fuel to boil salt. They invented the oil pipeline, using lengths of bamboo to take oil to the salt pans. As an e
By DAVID BROWNEXPLORER Correspondent Has Production Peaked? Bulls and Bears Duel Over Supply These are the oft-cited charts A.I. Levorsen used in his February 1964 AAPG BULLETIN article, "Big Geology for Big Needs." Levorsen's projected demand numbers for the year 2000 proved to be remarkably accurate -- but the supply expectations have fallen far short of the current reality.
The world is running out of crude oil. No, it isn't. And there you have the two sides of a simmering controversy in petroleum geology and the oil industry in general.
Do the pessimists have a point? In his paper "Big Geology for Big Needs," published in the February 1964 AAPG BULLETIN, A.I. Levorsen projected total United States oil demand of 22 million barrels per day in 2000, with U.S. oil supply of 14 million barrels per day (see figures, left).
Russia fears US oil companies will take over world's second-biggest reserves
By Andrew Buncombe in Washington 26 September 2002 Internal links Britain fights to restrain US over combative UN resolution Eighty more Labour MPs ready to rebel, Blair is warned British dossier is scorned as 'propaganda' March 'will be biggest anti-war gathering' Russia fears US oil companies will take over world's second-biggest reserves
US claims proof of Iraq terror link Democrat leader rages at Bush's 'patriot' claim Deadpan Rumsfeld digs in over Germany Donald Macintyre: Mr Blair would be wise not to ignore the unease over his Iraq policy
[ Home | 9/11 Webpage] AFGHANISTAN, COLOMBIA, VIETNAM:THE DEEP POLITICS OF DRUGS AND OIL Part One: Overview Since World War Two, the United States has had in effect two conflicting styles of conducting foreign policy, one for other developed states, and a quite different style for regions of little economic interest apart from their mineral resources -- above all oil and natural gas.
As a general rule, the US has worked through the established governments of developed states. But in Third World areas and regions with oil or other minerals, the US has done whatever it thought necessary to secure access when it wished to do so. As Michael Tanzer observed some years ago, a number of CIA-engineered coups in the 1950s and 1960s, starting with Iran in 1953, can be related to the intentions of those countries to nationalize their oil companies.
The Immutable Importance of Geography DAVID G. HANSEN © 1997 David G. Hansen From Parameters, Spring 1997, pp. 55-64. Go to Spring issue Table of Contents. Go to Cumulative Article Index. Contemplating geography as it relates to strategy is not an activity that most of us elect to do on a Saturday afternoon. A friend's comment comes to mind: the only thing he remembered about geography from his school experience was that he didn't like it. Indeed, too many of us have the notion that geography, and particularly strategic geography, has become a relic science of little use to the modern military professional. Since we have access to the latest developments in technology and information, who needs to know the location of the Straits of Malacca, or understand cultural settlement patterns in Africa, or know what is contained on continental shelves?[1]
DAVOS (Reuters) - OPEC on Friday said it could do no more to rein in runaway world oil prices, blunting hopes the cartel might be prepared to pump more crude if the United States launches war on Iraq.
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Secretary-General Alvaro Silva said the group already was pumping enough but could not counter the impact of the threat of war on oil prices.
"What can we do more? I do not agree there is a lack of oil," Silva told reporters in Davos on the sidelines of the annual World Economic Forum.
"The problem of the price is the threat of war."
Seidman 'bullish' on war Saturday, October 12, 2002 Hours after Congress authorized President Bush to use force in Iraq, an economic adviser under four U.S. presidents told Grand Rapids business leaders Friday that going to war "is probably the most bullish thing I can think of."
Former FDIC chairman Bill Seidman, who served during the Nixon, Ford, Reagan and the senior Bush administrations, said defeating Saddam Hussein and controlling Iraqi oil is "at least as important as eliminating weapons of mass destruction."
Seidman, a chief commentator for CNBC, said the prevailing view that a war would prolong and even deepen a bear market is the "most misleading to the market today."
"Oil prices fluctuating is a very large drag on the economy -- ours and the world's," said Seidman, 81. "If we are in Iraq, nobody can use oil as a weapon."
Click Here to order the report online. * “Dig more coal – the PCs are coming: Being digital was supposed to mean less demand for hard energy. It isn’t turning out that way,” Forbes, May 31, 1999, pp 70-72.
CLICK HERE to read the Executive Summary
Biofuels | Wind | Solar | Hydro Home | Search | Subscribe The Seven Sisters Chapter 13 - The Reckoning It is time we began the process of demystifying the inner sanctum of this most secret of industries. -- Senator Church, December 1973AS SOON as the embargo began, in October 1973, the seven sisters were compelled, at the risk of forfeiting their concessions, to be the instruments of the world-wide cutback in oil. They had to allocate their oil in a way that would not appear to defy the Arabs' boycott, yet would satisfy their customers throughout the world. And the American companies had to enforce an embargo of their own home country. The angry question came up ferociously: where are the oil companies' true loyalties? To put it another way, it was an abrupt test of the companies' multi-nationality; could they, in this crisis, conti
- A Sobering Look at the Oil Numbers Behind the U.S. Panic to Invade Iraq
- Bush Knew of Peak Oil Before Taking Office
US INTENTIONS by Dale Allen Pfeiffer © Copyright 2003, From The Wilderness Publications, www.copvcia.com. All Rights Reserved. May be reprinted, distributed or posted on an Internet web site for non-profit purposes only.
Mar. 7, 2003, 1400 PST (FTW) -Journalist Julian Darley has a very good website, http://www.globalpublicmedia.com/, featuring video interviews with notables such as Colin Campbell and Matthew Simmons. Matthew Simmons is the president of Simmons & Co. International, a company which specializes in investment banking to the energy industry. The Campbell interview1 is a very informative chat at the petroleum geologist’s home in County Cork, Ireland. It is well worth perusal. The Matthew Simmons interview2 was recorded in an office of his business suite, and is also very
ReutersUPDATE - China's booming economy drives world oil demandWednesday December 11, 6:45 am ET By Tanya Pang
(writes through) VIENNA, Dec 11 (Reuters) - China, Asia's fastest expanding economy, will spearhead growth in oil demand this year, soaking up 80 percent of the global increase in consumption, the International Energy Agency said on Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENTDaily demand for oil in China is expected to rise by 260,000 barrels this year to 5.14 million barrels per day, the IEA, adviser on energy policy to 26 industrialised nations, said in its latest monthly report.
Global oil demand is expected to rise by 300,000 bpd, according to IEA estimates.
Taleban in Texas for 1997 Talks on Gas Pipeline That Led to the War Against Terrorism in Afghanistan
by Ma Nguyen Tong 27-1-2002 In a revealing look at how the US military action in Afghanistan was motivated by something other than terrorism concerns, the Enron debacle quickly exposed that the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States was only a propitious pretext to occupy the country and extract its badly needed energy resources. As late as April 2001, the United States government had ordered Enron and Unocal to begin destroying records of its negotiations with the Taleban in order to minimise the exposure of the fact that the war in Afghanistan had been planned long before the terrorist attacks.
The United States tried in 1997 to negotiate with the then-ruling Taleban to construct a 1,300km pipeline to carry gas across Afghanistan's harsh terrain so it could be sent to Pakistan and India, bringing vast amounts of money to energy companies in the U.S., including Enron. The Taleban agreed, but only on certain conditions regarding U.S. policy in the Middle East and towards the Palestinian question. A senior delegation from the Taleban movement in Afghanistan therefore went the United States in December 1997 for talks with Unocal, an international energy company, that wanted to construct a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan across Afghanistan to Pakistan. It failed because of the conditions demanded by the Taleban, and Israel was then instructed to step up the ante and create a pr
ZNet | A Community of People Committed to Social Change Iraq: Is It About Oil? ZNet Top Iraq Home Activism Africa Alternative Media Anarchy Animal Rights Argentina Asia Biotechnology Chiapas Colombia Disability_ Rights East Timor Watch Economy Foreign Policy Gender Global Global Economics Instructionals Interviews Ireland Japan Kosovo Labor Latin America Mainstream Media Mideast Miscellaneous
Geology and the Oil Producing ProletariatIan Chambers, director of the Office for Central America of the ILO (of the United Nations), declared that the indigenous population of the world, estimated at 300 million, live in zones which have 60% of the natural resources of the planet.
Therefore the "MULTIPLE CONFLICTS DUE TO THE USE AND FINAL DESTINATION OF THEIR LANDS AS DETERMINED BY THE INTEREST OF GOVERNMENTS AND COMPANIES IS NOT SURPRISING(...)THE EXPLOITATION OF NATURAL RESOURCES (OIL AND MINERALS) AND TOURISM ARE THE PRINCIPAL INDUSTRIES WHICH THREATEN INDIGENOUS TERRITORIES IN AMERICA" (interview with Martha Garcia in "La Jornada". May 28, 1997). Behind the investment projects comes the pollution, prostitution and drugs. In other words, the reconstruction/reorganization of the destruction/depopulation of the zone. (Subcommendante Marcos 1997)