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rants on POLITICS
Russia to Drill for Oil off Cuba, by Juanita, 11-23-08
What our MSM (mainstream media) will not tell us.
The U.S. won't drill off our coastlines or ANWR (Alaska National Wildlife Reserve) because they are afraid of hurting a few birds or polar bears. Truth be known, about 80% of the American population want us to DRILL NOW, yet they did not vote for the candidates (McCain/Palin) who said they would help us to do that. Go figure. Again, the U.S. is either full of stupid people or masochists. We need to DRILL NOW so we have a temporary solution while getting ourselves OFF oil, and into something better because technology for creating these new vehicles is going to take a little while, don't you think?
Instead we have a new President-elect who promises to keep us stagnant in this regard, and dependent on countries who hate us. And these are countries who lie about their own reserves, in order to keep us signed up for more. And a few more years from now, when we have CONTINUED to not pursue our "alternative energy" solutions further and are still dependent on them, they will run out. Then we will really be GOUGED at $10/gallon or more. Saudi Arabia has been going through millions of gallons a year, yet they keep reporting they have the same original supply. It seems they haven't even made a dent in their supply over the years (so they report), even though they have not drilled or found any new wells or oil fields. And our gullible politicians keep falling for it.
The ANWR region would only be a couple square miles to use for drilling, out of thousands of square miles and the wildlife would not even notice. In fact, since they put the Alaska Pipeline in years ago, Santa's reindeer have proliferated (also there were the same arguments then from the ecologists). We have oil off our Eastern coastline and Gulf of Mexico. But we won't drill. Instead, our politicians remain stupidly stubborn, while allowing OTHER countries to come in and steal our oil! And do you think they are going to give a hoot about our ecology, or if they spill? Also, technology allows drills to swivel and drill sideways. Heck, they can drill right under Florida or Texas and steal away! Take it all! This is insulting.
Here are a couple of articles to back up my claims, from YahooNews. Russia is now going to start drilling off Cuba and Venezuela. Nice job, America. What the hell are they putting in our water lately? Stupid pills? Have we all lost our senses?
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2008
Official: Russians want to search for oil off Cuba
HAVANA -- Russian oil companies could soon begin searching for oil in deep Gulf of Mexico waters off Cuba, a top diplomat said just days before Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits the island.
Russian oil companies have "concrete projects" for drilling in Cuba's part of the gulf, said Mijail Kamynin, Russia's ambassador to Cuba, to the state-run business magazine Opciones.
Kamynin also said Russian companies would like to help build storage tanks for crude oil and to modernize Cuban pipelines, as well as play a role in Venezuelan efforts to refurbish a Soviet-era refinery in the port city of Cienfuegos, according the article published this weekend.
Medvedev comes to former Cold War ally Cuba on Thursday, part of a tour of Latin America to strengthen his country's economic and political ties in the region. Kamynin said trade between Russia and the island would top $400 million this year.
Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo prohibits U.S. companies from investing on the island. But Cuba's state-run oil concern has signed joint operating agreements with companies from several countries to explore waters that Cuban scientists claim could contain reserves of up to 20 billion barrels of oil.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva visited Cuba in October for the signing of agreements allowing state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA to invest $8 million initially for a seven-year, deep-water exploration project north of the famed beach resort of Varadero. If reserves are confirmed, Brazil would produce oil and natural gas recovered there over the next 25 years.
Opciones did not give details on what the Russian proposals would entail.
The Soviet Union was communist Cuba's chief economic benefactor until it disbanded, throwing the island's economy into disarray. Cuba-Russia relations soured after that, but warmed when President Vladimir Putin visited in 2000.
*****
Russia shows it can play in US backyard
By Charles Clover and Benedict Mander
Published: November 20 2008 02:00 | Last updated: November 20 2008 02:00
Dmitry Medvedev, Russia's president, will begin a tour of Latin America next week that has raised eyebrows in Washington, mainly because of his stop-off in Venezuela, which has been a thorn in side of US influence in the region under President Hugo Chávez.
Experts say the timing of the visit is not accidental. Following US support for Georgia in the brief war with Russia last August, they believe the visit is motivated primarily by a desire to show Moscow can meddle in a traditional US sphere of influence.
"The Russians want to demonstrate that two can play at this game," said Dmitry Simes of the Nixon Centre in Washington.
"Clearly, the visit is a gesture towards the US," he said. "While business is a consideration, and Russian clearly has business interests in Venezuela, I don't think you need to send President Medvedev for this. The trip is motivated by politics."
As well as helping with the building of Venezuela's first nuclear reactor - which Mr Chávez has repeatedly assured is "for peaceful purposes" - Mr Medvedev will oversee joint naval exercises in the Caribbean. He will also visit Brazil, Cuba and Peru.
Mr Chávez, who has visited Moscow three times this year, is deepening his alliance with Russia in a drive not only to challenge Washington's influence in the region, but also to reduce dependence on traditional sources of foreign investment and credit.
Venezuela hopes the establishment of a $4bn (€3.2bn, £2.7bn) bilateral bank to fund development projects - having already set up similar joint banks with Iran and China - will help offset difficult and expensive access to more traditional credit lines.
Mr Medvedev's visit will also give impetus to a string of deals signed earlier this month with Russian companies to develop Venezuela's energy and mineral resources. Plans are also under way to set up a direct Caracas-Moscow flight.
Few question the provocative nature of Venezuela's budding friendship with Russia, piqued by the US's support for Georgia in the conflict last August. It is part of an attempt by both countries to challenge US dominance.
But Venezuela's boisterous president wants to do more than just poke in the eye what he refers to as "the empire".
"One of the foundations of Venezuela's relation with Russia is its interest in securing investment and technology transfers, which capitalist companies aren't interested in helping with," said José Antonio Ejidio, of the Venezuelan foreign ministry's Institute of Diplomatic Studies.
After difficulties in attracting private investment to develop Venezuela's natural gas reserves - the largest in the continent - Russia's Gazprom began drilling for gas last week in the Gulf of Venezuela in a joint project with PDVSA
, Venezuela's state energy company.
Venezuela has a mixed record with international companies, which are hesitant to invest, not least since ExxonMobil and Conoco Phillips abandoned multibillion-dollar investments after the state took majority control of projects in the oil-rich Orinoco Belt last year.
The latest controversy blew up earlier this month when the government announced plans to take over one of Latin America's largest gold mines, operated by Canada's Crystallex. The government is now planning to develop the mine in a joint venture with Rusoro, a company with Russian backing and executives.
Although Venezuela's strategic partnership with Russia may help to mitigate the country's uncertain investment climate, foreign direct investment remains low. In 2007, Venezuela received just $600m in FDI, compared with $15.3bn in Chile and $37.7bn in Brazil.
Others question whether Venezuela's friendship with the US's biggest antagonists such as Russia might not spoil prospects for improved relations with a new administration led by Barack Obama.
John Walsh, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, remains optimistic. "There's a good chance that they do improve, although that's not to say that Chávez will give up his aims to encourage a multipolar world," he said. "Bush was an easy sparring partner and worked wonders for Chávez politically. That won't be so easy with Obama."
Mr Ejidio said: "Like it or not, President Obama will have to deal with the fact that countries in Uncle Sam's backyard now have independent foreign policies and make their own minds up about who their most trustworthy partners are."
Research:
http://chinaconfidential.blogspot.com/2008/11/russia-plans-to-drill-for-offshore.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan_pipeline
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/09/MNDG127U55.DTL
