Starting a war requires little more than a basic form of primeval intelligence. Stopping a war, however, may call for the concerted dedication of many superior human minds. It is consequently a simple but undeniable deduction that he who initiates a conflict is not likely to be the one to bring it to a timely end.
The savagery in war is perhaps the point of separation that is needed today to cause civilized beings to take notice and hope that some intervention will soon occur. It often does, though world politicians tend to wait for the conflict to be categorized as genocide, before tackling the matter in ad hoc committees, which then refer the matter to permanent committees. They, in time, may generate some diplomatic maneuvers following which, warnings are issued, through proper channels of course, and some military forces may flex some muscles, prior to the matter being referred back to diplomats and politicians. Read More »
In the United States, oil prices will go up this summer - surprise! For much of the American media, this is a headline. For most US consumers, it is something that happens fairly regularly - albeit more of a rise than in the past couple of years.
And what do we hear from much of the media? That the price of oil has gone up because oil companies seek “excessive profits,” and companies like ExxonMobile gave their CEO a $400 million retirement package - certainly the height of “excessive profits.”
Consider the following: In 2003 and 2004, ExxonMobile CEO Lee Raymond’s compensation was roughly $66 million, but he generated $46 billion in profits. And he invested $30 billion in capital expenditures. So for $66 million in compensation, the CEO generated $46 billion in profits. Is $400 million really that much when considered this way? Katie Couric’s offer from CBS is estimated anywhere from $10-15 million. How many jobs did she generate? What energy supplies is she providing consumers? Read More »
Lalla Fatima
Summer time–
blast of the same black sirocco
blow-dries bright green
under the shattered villa windows.
It’s siesta time. Read More »
The total world demand for oil reached 85.71 million barrels per day (mbd) in 2005. The main consumers were North America that accounted for 30.6 percent (or 25.65 mbd), the Pacific and Asia, including China, that accounted for 29 percent, and Western Europe for 19.5 percent. The remaining 21 percent of the total demand came from Africa, the Middle East, countries of the former Soviet Union, and Latin America. At this point, the demand is growing most rapidly in the Pacific and Asian region (due to the resurgence of China) and in the Middle East (due to wars), whereas demand growth has slowed down in Eastern Europe (due to deindustrialization) and in Western Europe (due to conservation and the use of alternatives to fossil fuels). Thus, in 2005, world demand grew at about 2 percent over the previous year.
Meanwhile, the declared world refining capacity stood at 85 mbd in 2005. Taking into consideration the likelihood of bad weather events, additional wars, and oligopolistic shenanigans, negative supply shocks appear more likely than demand shocks. This means that by the end of 2006, there will probably be severe pressure on the price of oil, already oscillating around $65 a barrel. Read More »
On controversy and great filmmaking
“United 93” could have easily been gratuitous, or cheesy, or exploitative. It is none of these things. If you feel ready to confront the tragedy of the hijacked flight, and the general bloodbath of September 11th, 2001 on the big screen, this is not a film to miss.
At first, I was opposed to the fact that this picture was even made. I began to change my mind when I learned that director Paul Greengrass engaged the victims’ families in attempting to create an accurate portrayal of their loved ones. A few days before opening night, I felt ready to see this movie. In fact, I craved it – the film, or rather the idea of it, was like a bruise I could not stop touching. Read More »
