The Clock is Ticking.....

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists announced the signifigant movement of their historic clock. For the first time non-nuclear issues, namely climate concerns, have pushed things along in addition to the obvious nuclear concerns.The most recent issue of their journal gives a sobering look at issues confronting humanity, nukes, climate, biologicals, pollution, and emerging technologies.Anyone you might vote for should have coherent answers to these issues. Don't settle for less.

Anti-War Protests Big and Small

Across the country Americans voiced their opposition to the fiasco in Iraq. Huge demonstrations took place in larger cities. Smaller towns however had their own observances and mine was no exception. There were about 30 or 40 intrepid individuals with the audacity to exercise freedom of speech assembeled in our local downtown. There was an interesting mix of ages and backgrounds including veterans, young people, elderly, and a young man from Hanoi.

Whether any of this will alter the arguably psychopathic administration's behavior is debatable however to be free act free.

Criminality Central

Via Vyzglyad and Der Spiegel, the Vatican is the most criminalized per capita city in the world, beating out such contenders as Compton, the south Bronx, and Lyubertsi. Admittedly fleeing across the border to avoid the law is not that difficult.

The Other Surge: Oil Profits Out of Iraq

The timing of GWBs latest twist in Iraq makes more sense when one considers legislation about to be introduced (rammed through) the Iraqi parliment. This legislation refers to several unusual points including "production sharing agreements" which allow foreign companies access to Iraqi oil for upto 30 years, slice of the profits while costs are recovered amounting to 60 to 70 per cent, and 20 per cent afterwards. Iraq's ability to dispute agreements would be limited to international arbitration rather than Iraqi courts. The agreement preserves the appearance of national sovereignity while giving control of the revenue stream and development to the Western ( American and European) oil Goliaths.

Much in the manner of the U.S. Part D medicare benefit this jewel of legislation was developed by those who will benefit most, notably groups representing U.S. financial and petroleum interests. In this case a spin off of KPMG, BearingPoint , which so far has made 240 million on its Iraq work.

If this doesn't unite the Shias and Sunnis I don't know what will.

The Disappearing Arctic and Oil

Two seemingly unrelated events point towards what may be the dystopian future resulting from diminishing carbon based energy and the global warming resulting from the unrestrained use of such energy.

A 42 square mile chunk of the Ayles ice shelf detached itself from Ellesmere Island in the Canadian Arctic during the summer of 2005.

Meanwhile officials in Kuwait announced that the 2nd largest oil field in the world, Burgan, in Kuwait has passed its prime, giving increased credence to the concept of "peak oil". The uncertainty of the actual supply of petroleum reserves in the mideast was the subject of "Twilight in the Desert" by Mattew Simmons and argued that many of the oil industry's predictions regarding supply are optomistic to put it mildly.

The world is increasingly confronted by the specter of a sudden catastrophic climate change or "climate crash" and a simultaneous depletion of petroleum.Unfortunately for Americans the current government is uniquely unqualified to deal meaningfully with either of these problems.