At The Foot Of The Volcano

I always conclude one thing after reading a book or article written by Thomas Friedman, "the guy knows the Eastern geopolitical scene extremely well".  His most recent NY Times article is significant:

"What’s unfolding in the Arab world today is the mother of all wake-up calls. And what the voice on the other end of the line is telling us is clear as a bell: 'America, you have built your house at the foot of a volcano. That volcano is now spewing lava from different cracks and is rumbling like it’s going to blow. Move your house!” In this case, “move your house” means “end your addiction to oil.”  No one is rooting harder for the democracy movements in the Arab world to succeed than I am. But even if things go well, this will be a long and rocky road. The smart thing for us to do right now is to impose a $1-a-gallon gasoline tax, to be phased in at 5 cents a month beginning in 2012, with all the money going to pay down the deficit. Legislating a higher energy price today that takes effect in the future, notes the Princeton economist Alan Blinder, would trigger a shift in buying and investment well before the tax kicks in. With one little gasoline tax, we can make ourselves more economically and strategically secure, help sell more Chevy Volts and free ourselves to openly push for democratic values in the Middle East without worrying anymore that it will harm our oil interests. Yes, it will mean higher gas prices, but prices are going up anyway, folks. Let’s capture some it for ourselves."

Read the remainder of the article

Tech vs Big Bad Governments

I find these two "tech battles" interesting in the context of "mass social mood".

"The makers of the BlackBerry were looking into the possibility of using servers in Saudi Arabia on Friday to avert a threatened ban on its Messenger services by Saudi government, which wants access to its encrypted network, a source said on Friday."
Source: Reuters

"Google Inc. reported Thursday that its Web search, mobile and advertising services in China had been blocked.  It was unclear if the services had been temporarily disrupted or if they were being blocked by the Chinese government."
Source: LA Times

The King Saves For The Grandchildren

Will this be the trigger for the next major "leg up" in oil prices?
"The monarch told Saudi scholars studying in Washington that he had ordered all oil exploration to cease 'in order to keep the earth’s wealth for our sons and grandsons.'"
Source: State-owned Saudi News Agency

The Pakistani Boogeyman

"A U.S. drone attack targeting militants in Pakistan's troubled northwestern tribal region bordering Afghanistan has killed six of them, media reports quoting intelligence officials said.  It was the fifth such attack by pilot-less U.S. aircraft in the area in the past 17 days."
SOURCE: RTT News

"For a White House that has been seeking a new relationship with the Islamic world, the prospect of another terrorist plot that appears to be connected to Pakistan will present a series of complicated -- and politically treacherous -- issues to confront."
SOURCE: The Washington Post

Is it a coincidence, or do we always find a culprit sourced from the country that we want to justify military action against?  The "Christmas Day Pants Bomber" was from Nigeria, but somehow we immediately set our targets on Yemen.  Is it a coincidence that Yemen sits just south of our major oil supplier, Saudi Arabia?  It also has the Gulf of Aden off its coast where large oil tankers and pirates hang out?  Have you heard of the Bab El-Mandab?  Take a moment to understand the "chokepoints".
http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/World_Oil_Transit_Chokepoints/Background.html

Now we confirm a Pakistani male linked to the Times Square incident.  For the past month, we've been bombarding Pakistan with missiles fired from our military drones.  Is there a correlation?

"How con-VEEN-ient!"
The Church Lady - Saturday Night Live

The Saudi Oil Perspective

On December 7, 2008, I made a post discussing the recent swing in oil prices.
Here's the 60 Minutes segment addressing the topic:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/05/60minutes/main4650223.shtml

Note that there are three parts.