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Illustration —
At the creation, labor was appointed as a blessing. It meant
development, power, happiness. The changed condition of the earth through the
curse of sin has brought a change in the conditions of labor; yet though now
attended with anxiety, weariness, and pain, it is still a source of happiness
and development. And it is a safeguard against temptation. Its discipline
places a check on self-indulgence, and promotes industry, purity, and firmness.
Thus it becomes a part of God's great plan for our recovery from the Fall. {Ed 214.1}
The youth should be led to see the true dignity of labor.
Show them that God is a constant worker. All things in nature do their allotted
work. Action pervades the whole creation, and in order to fulfill our mission
we, too, must be active. {Ed
In our labor we are to be workers together with God. He
gives us the earth and its treasures; but we must adapt them to our use and
comfort. He causes the trees to grow; but we prepare the timber and build the
house. He has hidden in the earth the gold and silver, the iron and coal; but
it is only through toil that we can obtain them. {Ed 214.3}
Show that, while God has created and constantly controls all
things, He has endowed us with a power not [215] wholly
unlike His. To us has been given a degree of control over the forces of nature.
As God called forth the earth in its beauty out of chaos, so we can bring order
and beauty out of confusion. And though all things are now marred with evil,
yet in our completed work we feel a joy akin to His, when, looking on the fair
earth, He pronounced it "very good." {Ed 214.4}
As a rule, the exercise most beneficial to the youth will be
found in useful employment. The little child finds both diversion and
development in play; and his sports should be such as to promote not only
physical, but mental and spiritual growth. As he gains strength and intelligence,
the best recreation will be found in some line of effort that is useful. That
which trains the hand to helpfulness, and teaches the young to bear their share
of life's burdens, is most effective in promoting the growth of mind and
character. {Ed 215.1}
The youth need to be taught that life means earnest work,
responsibility, care-taking. They need a training that will make them practical—men
and women who can cope with emergencies. They should be taught that the
discipline of systematic, well-regulated labor is essential, not only as a
safeguard against the vicissitudes of life, but as an aid to all-around
development. {Ed 215.2}
Notwithstanding all that has been said and written
concerning the dignity of labor, the feeling prevails that it is degrading.
Young men are anxious to become teachers, clerks, merchants, physicians,
lawyers, or to occupy some other position that does not require physical toil.
Young women shun housework and seek an education in other lines. These need to
learn that no man or woman is degraded by honest toil. That which degrades is
idleness and selfish dependence. Idleness fosters [216]
self-indulgence, and the result is a life empty and barren—a field
inviting the growth of every evil. "The earth which drinketh in the rain
that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is
dressed, receiveth blessing from God: but that which beareth thorns and briers
is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned." Hebrews
6:7, 8. {Ed 215.3}
Many of the branches of study that consume the student's
time are not essential to usefulness or happiness; but it is essential for
every youth to have a thorough acquaintance with everyday duties. If need be, a
young woman can dispense with a knowledge of French and algebra, or even of the
piano; but it is indispensable that she learn to make good bread, to fashion
neatly-fitting garments, and to perform efficiently the many duties that
pertain to homemaking. {Ed
To the health and happiness of the whole family nothing is
more vital than skill and intelligence on the part of the cook. By
ill-prepared, unwholesome food she may hinder and even ruin both the adult's
usefulness and the child's development. Or by providing food adapted to the
needs of the body, and at the same time inviting and palatable, she can
accomplish as much in the right as otherwise she accomplishes in the wrong
direction. So, in many ways, life's happiness is bound up with faithfulness in
common duties. {Ed 216.2}
Since both men and women have a part in home-making, boys as
well as girls should gain a knowledge of household duties. To make a bed and
put a room in order, to wash dishes, to prepare a meal, to wash and repair his
own clothing, is a training that need not make any boy less manly; it will make
him happier and more useful. And if girls, in turn, could learn to harness and [217]
drive a horse, and to use the saw and the hammer, as well as the rake and the
hoe, they would be better fitted to meet the emergencies of life. {Ed 216.3}
Let the children and youth learn from the Bible how God has
honored the work of the everyday toiler. Let them read of "the sons of the
prophets" (2 Kings 6:1-7), students at school, who were building a house
for themselves, and for whom a miracle was wrought to save from loss the ax
that was borrowed. Let them read of Jesus the carpenter, and Paul the
tentmaker, who with the toil of the craftsman linked the highest ministry,
human and divine. Let them read of the lad whose five loaves were used by the
Saviour in that wonderful miracle for the feeding of the multitude; of Dorcas
the seamstress, called back from death, that she might continue to make
garments for the poor; of the wise woman described in the Proverbs, who
"seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands;" who
"giveth meat to her household, and their task to her maidens;" who
"planteth a vineyard," and strengtheneth her arms;" who
"stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, . . . reacheth forth
her hands to the needy;" who "looketh well to the ways of her
household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:13, 15,
R.V.; 31:16, 17, 20, 27. {Ed
Of such a one, God says: "She shall be praised. Give
her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the
gates." Proverbs 31:30, 31. {Ed 217.2}
For every child the first industrial school should be the
home. And, so far as possible, facilities for manual training should be
connected with every school. To a great degree such training would supply the place
of the gymnasium, with the additional benefit of affording valuable discipline.
{Ed 217.3}
Manual training is deserving of far more attention than it
has received. Schools should be established that, in addition to the highest
mental and moral culture, shall provide the best possible facilities for
physical development and industrial training. Instruction should be given in
agriculture, manufactures,—covering as many as possible of the most
useful trades,—also in household economy, healthful cookery, sewing,
hygienic dressmaking, the treatment of the sick, and kindred lines. Gardens,
workshops, and treatment rooms should be provided, and the work in every line
should be under the direction of skilled instructors. {Ed 218.1}
The work should have a definite aim and should be thorough.
While every person needs some knowledge of different handicrafts, it is
indispensable that he become proficient in at least one. Every youth, on
leaving school, should have acquired a knowledge of some trade or occupation by
which, if need be, he may earn a livelihood. {Ed 218.2}
The objection most often urged against industrial training
in the schools is the large outlay involved. But the object to be gained is
worthy of its cost. No other work committed to us is so important as the
training of the youth, and every outlay demanded for its right accomplishment
is means well spent. {Ed
Even from the viewpoint of financial results, the outlay
required for manual training would prove the truest economy. Multitudes of our
boys would thus be kept from the street corner and the groggery; the
expenditure for gardens, workshops, and baths would be more than met by the
saving on hospitals and reformatories. And the youth themselves, trained to
habits of industry, and skilled in lines of useful and productive labor—who
can estimate their value to society and to the nation? {Ed 218.4}
As a relaxation from study, occupations pursued in the open
air, and affording exercise for the whole body, are the most beneficial. No
line of manual training is of more value than agriculture. A greater effort
should be made to create and to encourage an interest in agricultural pursuits.
Let the teacher call attention to what the Bible says about agriculture: that
it was God's plan for man to till the earth; that the first man, the ruler of
the whole world, was given a garden to cultivate; and that many of the world's
greatest men, its real nobility, have been tillers of the soil. Show the
opportunities in such a life. The wise man says, "The king himself is
served by the field." Ecclesiastes 5:9. Of him who cultivates the soil the
Bible declares, "His God doth instruct him to discretion, and doth teach
him." Isaiah 28:26. And again, "Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat
the fruit thereof." Proverbs 27:18. He who earns his livelihood by
agriculture escapes many temptations and enjoys unnumbered privileges and
blessings denied to those whose work lies in the great cities. And in these
days of mammoth trusts and business competition, there are few who enjoy so
real an independence and so great certainty of fair return for their labor as
does the tiller of the soil. {Ed
In the study of agriculture, let pupils be given not only
theory, but practice. While they learn what science can teach in regard to the
nature and preparation of the soil, the value of different crops, and the best
methods of production, let them put their knowledge to use. Let teachers share
the work with the students, and show what results can be achieved through
skillful, intelligent effort. Thus may be awakened a genuine interest, an
ambition [220] to do the work in the best possible manner.
Such an ambition, together with the invigorating effect of exercise, sunshine,
and pure air, will create a love for agricultural labor that with many youth
will determine their choice of an occupation. Thus might be set on foot
influences that would go far in turning the tide of migration which now sets so
strongly toward the great cities. {Ed 219.2}
Thus, also, our schools could aid effectively in the
disposition of the unemployed masses. Thousands of helpless and starving
beings, whose numbers are daily swelling the ranks of the criminal classes,
might achieve self-support in a happy, healthy, independent life if they could
be directed in skillful, diligent labor in the tilling of the soil. {Ed 220.1}
The benefit of manual training is needed also by
professional men. A man may have a brilliant mind; he may be quick to catch
ideas; his knowledge and skill may secure for him admission to his chosen
calling; yet he may still be far from possessing a fitness for its duties. An
education derived chiefly from books leads to superficial thinking. Practical
work encourages close observation and independent thought. Rightly performed,
it tends to develop that practical wisdom which we call common sense. It
develops ability to plan and execute, strengthens courage and perseverance, and
calls for the exercise of tact and skill. {Ed 220.2}
The physician who has laid a foundation for his professional
knowledge by actual service in the sickroom will have a quickness of insight,
an all-around knowledge, and an ability in emergencies to render needed service—all
essential qualifications, which only a practical training can so fully impart. [221]
{Ed 220.3}
The minister, the missionary, the teacher, will find their
influence with the people greatly increased when it is manifest that they
possess the knowledge and skill required for the practical duties of everyday
life. And often the success, perhaps the very life, of the missionary depends
on his knowledge of practical things. The ability to prepare food, to deal with
accidents and emergencies, to treat disease, to build a house, or a church if
need be—often these make all the difference between success and
failure in his lifework. {Ed
In acquiring an education, many students would gain a most
valuable training if they would become self-sustaining. Instead of incurring
debts, or depending on the self-denial of their parents, let young men and
young women depend on themselves. They will thus learn the value of money, the
value of time, strength, and opportunities, and will be under far less
temptation to indulge idle and spendthrift habits. The lessons of economy, industry,
self-denial, practical business management, and steadfastness of purpose, thus
mastered, would prove a most important part of their equipment for the battle
of life. And the lesson of self-help learned by the student would go far toward
preserving institutions of learning from the burden of debt under which so many
schools have struggled, and which has done so much toward crippling their
usefulness. {Ed 221.2}
Let the youth be impressed with the thought that education
is not to teach them how to escape life's disagreeable tasks and heavy burdens;
that its purpose is to lighten the work by teaching better methods and higher
aims. Teach them that life's true aim is not to secure the greatest possible
gain for themselves, but to honor their Maker [222] in doing
their part of the world's work, and lending a helpful hand to those weaker or
more ignorant. {Ed 221.3}
One great reason why physical toil is looked down on is the
slipshod, unthinking way in which it is so often performed. It is done from
necessity, not from choice. The worker puts no heart into it, and he neither
preserves self-respect nor wins the respect of others. Manual training should
correct this error. It should develop habits of accuracy and thoroughness.
Pupils should learn tact and system; they should learn to economize time and to
make every move count. They should not only be taught the best methods, but be
inspired with ambition constantly to improve. Let it be their aim to make their
work as nearly perfect as human brains and hands can make it. {Ed 222.1}
Such training will make the youth masters and not slaves of
labor. It will lighten the lot of the hard toiler, and will ennoble even the
humblest occupation. He who regards work as mere drudgery, and settles down to
it with self-complacent ignorance, making no effort to improve, will find it
indeed a burden. But those who recognize science in the humblest work will see
in it nobility and beauty, and will take pleasure in performing it with
faithfulness and efficiency. {Ed
A youth so trained, whatever his calling in life, so long as
it is honest, will make his position one of usefulness and honor. {Ed 222.3}
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This article is a reprint of Wise Bread's contribution to OPEN Forum from American Express -- where small business owners can get advice from experts and share tips with each other.
Finding legal representation is one of those tasks that many small business owners put off until they actually need that legal representation — when there is a crisis that needs a lawyer's attention. But by spending time on finding the right legal representation for your business when you're not under the gun, you can make sure that you're working with the person who can best represent your company, as well as head off potential problems before they impact your day-to-day operations.
When you have time in which to learn more about a particular lawyer, it's worth starting by looking into those lawyers that your contacts recommend. Most small businesses need general legal help: assistance with planning the company's growth, writing contracts and the sort of business matters that go smoother when you can consistently work with the same lawyer. You'll likely find that most business owners you network have a go-to-guy — a lawyer who they turn to for most legal matters that come up. Asking for recommendations within your network can be the simplest way to find a lawyer.
On top of the ease of relying on recommendations, you will be able to sort through the stack of options available in your area much faster if you have some indication of which lawyers do well at working with small business owners. There are many lawyers who will take on general legal matters without much trouble, but when you can find someone who deals with small business situations on a regular basis, you can be assured that you're getting a lawyer especially familiar with the issues that small businesses face on a regular basis.
When you've narrowed down your list to just a few names, it's useful to interview the lawyers you are considering. While they are professionals and will work independently, making sure that you'll have a good relationship from the start makes an interview an important step. In your first discussion, it's important to establish the parameters of what you need, the costs you can expect and how the lawyer will handle matters for you. If you have a specific legal issue you need to address, lay out the matter for the lawyer and ask how he would approach it.
It's a good practice to interview more than one lawyer, when possible. Comparing their responses can give you a good feel for who will be the best legal representation for your business.
By finding legal representation that you can work with for the long-term, you have access to certain benefits that are unavailable to a small business that just goes through the search results every time there is a problem. You can build up a relationship with your lawyer, much like you do with a CPA or other professional adviser. Your lawyer can become very familiar with your business and give you a head's up if there is potential for a problem. You may be able to take preventative measures that are far less expensive than actually taking a matter to court.
There will always be legal situations that the lawyer you work with on routine matters won't be able to help you with. However, if you have a good working relationship with your legal representation, you can get a recommendation for the specialized help you may need. If, for instance, you need a tax attorney, you can get tips on which firms are most adept at cases involving small businesses, as well as who will be the best fit in terms of personality.
Depending on your legal needs, you may be able to find a better financial situation when you're working with a lawyer on a long-term basis. Many lawyers are comfortable working on a retainer, allowing you to make advance payments to cover hourly rates and fees on routine matters. There are many regulations governing the specific manners in which a retainer is handled, but when you have an ongoing relationship with a lawyer, you may be able to negotiate a lower rate. Fees can go beyond a simple hourly rate when working with a lawyer; your legal representation may have different rates for time spent in the office versus time spent in court, as well as costs such as fees and costs passed on to you. Some lawyers offer different financial approaches, as well, such as guiding a client through legal matters rather than doing the lion's share of the work.
It's not always possible to make time to hunt for a lawyer when you don't actually need one, leaving you in a position where you have to move fast if a legal crisis shows up on your desk. If you don't have time to find someone who is a good fit with your business, finding someone who is a great fit with your problem is a good shortcut. You may not work with such a lawyer in the long-term, but finding the right lawyer for a particular problem is relatively easy.
You can simply search for a lawyer's specialty. Finding legal representation based on a recommendation is ideal, but not absolutely necessary, since you're not looking for someone you can work with on a long-term basis. Comparing prices can also be a useful indicator, but if you need to resolve a specific problem, cost may not be the most important aspect. The interview process is crucial, however. Getting a feel for how an individual lawyer would approach the situation you're facing can directly lead you to the legal representation that will work hard to win your case. And if there is a situation where taking the matter to court may not offer the best income, the interview process is the only way to find a lawyer who will recommend other solutions. After all, if you simply go in and ask a lawyer to represent you in court, you aren't going to hear many alternatives.
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Oil Forever
Iraq: From Pariah to Fabulous Prize
Oil Company Interests
Rivalries & Quid Pro Quos
From Surrogates to Direct Control
Only in the most direct sense is the Bush administration's Iraq policy directed against Saddam Hussein. In contrast to all the loud talk about terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and human rights violations, very little is being said about oil. The administration has been tight-lipped about its plans for a post-Saddam Iraq and has repeatedly disavowed any interest in the country's oil resources. But press reports indicate that U.S. officials are considering a prolonged occupation of Iraq after their war to topple Saddam Hussein. It is likely that a U.S.-controlled Iraq will be the linchpin of a new order in the world oil industry. Indeed, a war against Iraq may well herald a major realignment of the Middle East power balance.
Oil Forever
The Bush administration's ties to the oil and gas industry are beyond extensive; they are pervasive. They flow, so to speak, from the top, with a chief executive who grew up steeped in the culture of Texas oil exploration and tried his hand at it himself; and a second-in-command who came to office with a multi-million dollar retirement package in hand from his post of CEO of Halliburton Oil. Once in office, the vice president developed an energy policy under the primary guidance of a cast of oil company executives whose identities he has gone to great lengths to withhold from public view. Since taking office, the president and vice president have assembled a government peopled heavily with representatives from the oil culture they came from. These include Secretary of the Army Thomas White, a former vice president of Enron, and Secretary of Commerce Don Evans, former president of the oil exploration company Tom Brown, Inc., whose major stake in the company was worth $13 million by the time he took office.
The Bush administration's energy policy is predicated on ever-growing consumption of oil, preferably cheap oil. U.S. oil consumption is projected to increase by one-third over the next two decades. The White House is pushing hard for greater domestic drilling and wants to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to the oil industry. Even so, the administration's National Energy Policy Development Group, led by Vice President Cheney, acknowledged in a May 2001 report that U.S. oil production will fall 12% over the next 20 years. As a result, U.S. dependence on imported oil—which has risen from one-third in 1985 to more than half today—is set to climb to two-thirds by 2020.1
Since the 1970s, the U.S. has put considerable effort into diversifying its sources of supply, going largely outside of OPEC and outside the Middle East. The current administration is advocating greater efforts to expand production in such far-flung places as the Caspian area, Nigeria, Chad, Angola, and deep offshore areas in the Atlantic basin and is looking to leading Western Hemispheric suppliers like Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela.2 West Africa is expected to account for as much as a quarter of U.S. oil imports a decade from now.3
But there is no escaping the fact that the Middle East—and specifically the Persian Gulf region—remains the world's prime oil province, for the U.S. and for other importers. Indeed, the Cheney report confirms that "by any estimation, Middle East oil producers will remain central to world oil security." The Middle East currently accounts for about 30% of global oil production and more than 40% of oil exports. With about 65% of the planet's known reserves, it is the only region able to satisfy the substantial rise in world oil demand predicted by the Bush administration.4 The Cheney report projects that Persian Gulf producers alone will supply 54-67% of world oil exports in 2020.5
Saudi Arabia is a pivotal player. With 262 billion barrels, it has a quarter of the world's total proven reserves and is the single largest producer.6 More importantly, the Saudis have demonstrated repeatedly—after the Iranian revolution, and following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait—that they are prepared to compensate for losses from other suppliers, calming markets in times of turmoil. Today, Riyadh could raise its production of 8 million barrels per day (b/d) to 10.5 million b/d within three months, making up for any loss of Iraqi oil during a U.S. military assault.7
Iraq: From Pariah to Fabulous Prize
The pariah state of Iraq, however, is a key prize, with abundant, high-quality oil that can be produced at very low cost (and thus at great profit). At 112 billion barrels, its proven reserves are currently second only to Saudi Arabia's. The Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the U.S. Department of Energy estimates that additional "probable and possible" resources could amount to 220 billion barrels. And because political instability, war, and sanctions have prevented thorough exploration of substantial portions of Iraqi territory, there is a chance that another 100 billion barrels lie undiscovered in Iraq's western desert. All in all, Iraq's oil wealth may well rival that of Saudi Arabia.8
At present, of course, this is mere potential—the Iraqi oil industry has seriously deteriorated as a result of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War, the 1991 Gulf War, and inadequate postwar investment and maintenance. Since 1990, the sanctions regime has effectively frozen plans for putting additional fields into production. It has also caused a severe shortage of oil field equipment and spare parts (under the sanctions regime, the U.S. has prevented equipment imports worth some $4 billion). Meanwhile, questionable methods used to raise output from existing fields may have damaged some of the reservoirs and could actually trigger a decline in output in the short run.9
But once the facilities are rehabilitated (a lucrative job for the oil service industry, including Vice President Cheney's former employer, Halliburton) and new fields are brought into operation, the spigots could be opened wide. To pay for the massive task of rebuilding, a post-sanctions Iraq would naturally seek to maximize its oil production. Some analysts, such as Fadhil Chalabi, a former Iraqi oil official, assert that Iraq could produce 8-10 million b/d within a decade and eventually perhaps as much as 12 million.10
The impact on world markets is hard to overstate. Saudi Arabia would no longer be the sole dominant producer, able to influence oil markets single-handedly. Given that U.S.-Saudi relations cooled substantially in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks—rifts that may widen further—a Saudi competitor would not be unwelcome in Washington. An unnamed U.S. diplomat confided to Scotland's Sunday Herald that "a rehabilitated Iraq is the only sound long-term strategic alternative to Saudi Arabia. It's not just a case of swapping horses in mid-stream, the impending U.S. regime change in Baghdad is a strategic necessity."11
Washington would gain enormous leverage over the world oil market. Opening the Iraqi spigot would flood world markets and drive prices down substantially. OPEC, already struggling with overcapacity and a tendency among its members to produce above allotted quotas (an estimated 3 million barrels per day above the agreed total of 24.7 million b/d), might unravel as individual exporters engage in destructive price wars against each other.12
A massive flow of Iraqi oil would also limit any influence that other suppliers, such as Russia, Mexico, and Venezuela, have over the oil market. Lower prices could render Russian oil—more expensive to produce—uncompetitive, which would cloud the prospects for attracting foreign investment to tap Siberian oil deposits.13 Russia's weak economy is highly dependent on oil export revenues. Its federal budget is predicated on prices of $24-25 per barrel.14 Aleksei Arbatov, deputy chairman of the Russian parliament's defense committee, predicts that if a new Iraqi regime sells oil without limits, "our budget will collapse."15
Oil Company Interests
To repair and expand its oil industry, Iraq will need substantial foreign investment. Thus, for eager oil companies, Iraq represents a huge bonanza—a "boom waiting to happen," according to an unnamed industry source.16
Source: Adapted from Energy Intelligence Group.
State-owned companies are in italics (state ownership is 100 percent, except for the following: PetroChina (90 percent), Sinopec (57 percent), and the majority privately owned Petrobras (32.5 percent) and Lukoil (14.1 percent)).
Prior to the OPEC revolution in the early 1970s, a small number of companies (referred to as the "majors" or "Seven Sisters") called the shots in the industry, controlling activities from exploration and production to refining and product sales. But they lost much of their reserve base, as nationalization spread through the Middle East and OPEC nations. Today, state oil companies own the vast majority of the world's oil resources. Even though private companies still do much of the exploring, drilling, and pumping, in many countries they have access to the oil only under prices and conditions set by the host government. Although oil companies have managed to adjust to this situation, a directly owned concession would offer them far greater flexibility and profitability.
The dominant private companies (ExxonMobil and Chevron-Texaco of the U.S., Royal Dutch-Shell and BP of Britain and the Netherlands, TotalFinaElf of France), which are largely the result of recent megamergers, sell close to 29 million barrels per day in gasoline and other oil products. But production from fields owned by these "super-majors" came to 10.1 million barrels per day in 2001, or just 35% of their sales volume.17 Although these corporations have poured many billions of dollars into discovering new fields outside the Middle East, their proven reserves stood at just 44 billion barrels in 2001, 4% of the world's total and sufficient to keep producing oil for only another 12 years at current rates.18 The situation is similar for other oil companies. Thus, the oil-rich Middle East, and particularly Iraq, remains key to the future of the oil industry.
If a new regime in Baghdad rolls out the red carpet for the oil multinationals to return, it is possible that a broader wave of denationalization could sweep through the oil industry, reversing the historic changes of the early 1970s. Squeezed by a decade of sanctions, the current regime has already signaled that it is prepared to provide more favorable terms to foreign companies.19 Such an invitation by Baghdad would be in tune with larger changes that are afoot, as a growing number of oil producing countries are opening their industries to foreign direct investment.20
Rivalries & Quid Pro Quos
Several European and Asian oil companies have in recent years signed deals with Iraq that, if consummated, would give them access to reserves of at least 50 billion barrels and a potential output of 4-5 million barrels per day (another estimate says that Russian companies alone have signed deals involving about 70 billion barrels). In addition, a number of contracts have been signed for exploration in the western desert.21
Russian, Chinese, and French companies in particular have tried to position themselves to develop new oil fields and to rehabilitate existing ones, once UN sanctions are lifted. Russia's Lukoil, for instance, signed an agreement in 1997 to refurbish and develop the West Qurna field (with 15 billion barrels of oil reserves). China's National Petroleum Corporation signed a deal for the North Rumailah reservoir. And France's TotalFinaElf has set its eyes on the giant Majnoon deposits (holding 20-30 billion barrels).22
Iraq has sought to use the lure of oil concessions to build political support among three permanent Security Council nations—France, Russia, and China—for a lifting of sanctions. Although the international consensus in favor of sanctions has badly eroded, this gamble has failed to pay off in the face of determined U.S. and British opposition. (In December 2002, Iraq cancelled a contract with three Russian companies, out of frustration that the firms—in deference to sanctions—had not commenced oil exploration work.) As long as Saddam Hussein stays in power, U.S. and British companies will be kept out of Iraq, but ongoing sanctions will also thwart existing oil development plans.
"Regime change" in Baghdad would reshuffle the cards and give U.S. (and British) companies a good shot at direct access to Iraqi oil for the first time in 30 years—a windfall worth hundreds of billions of dollars. U.S. companies relish the prospect: Chevron's chief executive, for example, said in 1998 that he'd "love Chevron to have access to" Iraq's oil reserves.23
In preface to the passage of Security Council Resolution 1441 on November 8, there were thinly veiled threats that French, Russian, and Chinese firms would be excluded from any future oil concessions in Iraq unless Paris, Moscow, and Beijing supported the Bush policy of regime change. Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress (INC), an exile opposition group favored by the Bush administration, said that the INC would not feel bound by any contracts signed by Saddam Hussein's government and that "American companies will have a big shot at Iraqi oil" under a new regime. U.S. and British oil company executives have been meeting with INC officials, maneuvering to secure a future stake in Iraq's oil.24 Meanwhile, the State Department has been coaxing Iraqi opposition members to create an oil and gas working group involving Iraqis and Americans.25
Nikolai Tokarev, general director of Russia's Zarubezhneft, a state-owned oil company, reflected in late 2002: "Do Americans need us in Iraq? Of course not. Russian companies will lose the oil forever if the Americans come."26 Fears of being excluded from Iraq's oil riches and losing influence in the region have fed Russian, French, and Chinese interest in constraining U.S. belligerence. These countries nonetheless are eager to keep their options open in the event that a pro-U.S. regime is installed in Baghdad, avoiding the "risk of ending up on the wrong side of Washington," as the New York Times put it.27
Rival oil interests were a crucial behind-the-scenes factor as the permanent members of the UN Security Council jockeyed over the wording of Resolution 1441, intended to set the conditions for any action against Iraq. It is likely that backroom understandings regarding the future of Iraqi oil were part of the political minuet that finally led to the resolution's unanimous adoption. U.S. promises that the other powers would get a slice of the pie, hinted at in broad terms, were apparently inducement enough to win their nod. It is thus unlikely that French, Russian, and Chinese companies will be completely locked out of a post-Saddam Iraq, though they could find themselves in a junior position.
From Surrogates to Direct Control
Throughout the history of oil, sorting out who gets access to this highly prized resource and on what terms has often gone hand in hand with violence. At first it was Britain, the imperial power in much of the Middle East, that called the shots. But for half a century, the U.S.—seeking a preponderant share of the earth's resources—has made steady progress in bringing the Persian Gulf region into its geopolitical orbit. In Washington's calculus, securing oil supplies has consistently trumped the pursuit of human rights and democracy.
U.S. policy toward the Middle East has long relied on building up proxy forces in the region and generously supplying them with arms. After the Shah of Iran, the West's regional policeman, was toppled in 1979, Iraq became a surrogate of sorts when it invaded Iran. Washington aided Iraq in a variety of ways, including commodity credits and loan guarantees, indirect arms supplies, critical military intelligence in Baghdad's long battle against Iran, a pro-Iraqi tilt in the "tanker war," and attacks on Iran's navy.
Beginning in the 1970s, but particularly in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, the U.S. supplied Saudi Arabia and allied Persian Gulf states with massive amounts of highly sophisticated armaments. After the Gulf War, U.S. forces never left the region completely. By prepositioning military equipment and acquiring access to military bases in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar, Washington prepared the ground for future direct intervention as needed.
In the Persian Gulf and adjacent regions, access to oil is usually secured by a pervasive U.S. military presence. From Pakistan to Central Asia to the Caucasus and from the eastern Mediterranean to the Horn of Africa, a dense network of U.S. military facilities has emerged—with many bases established in the name of the "war on terror."
Although the U.S. military presence is not solely about oil, oil is a key reason. In 1999, General Anthony C. Zinni, then the head of the U.S. Central Command, testified to the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Persian Gulf region is of "vital interest" to the U.S. and that the country "must have free access to the region's resources."28
Bush administration officials have, however, categorically denied oil is one of the reasons why they are pushing for regime change in Iraq. "Nonsense," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told 60 Minutes' Steve Kroft in mid-December 2002. "It has nothing to do with oil, literally nothing to do with oil."
But oil industry officials interviewed by 60 Minutes on December 15 painted a different picture. Asked if oil is part of the equation, Phillip Ellis, head of global oil and gas operations for Boston Consulting replied, "Of course it is. No doubt."
In fact, oil company executives have been quietly meeting with U.S.-backed Iraqi opposition leaders. According to Ahmed Chalabi, head of the Iraqi National Congress, "The future democratic government in Iraq will be grateful to the United States for helping the Iraqi people liberate themselves and getting rid of Saddam." And he added that "American companies, we expect, will play an important and leading role in the future oil situation in Iraq."
- National Energy Policy Development Group, Reliable, Affordable, and Environmentally Sound Energy for America's Future (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, May 2001), pp. x and 1-13.
- Ibid., pp. 8-3 and 8-7.
- James Dao, "In Quietly Courting Africa, White House Likes Dowry," New York Times, September 19, 2002.
- Production and reserves are from BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2002; exports are from OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2001 (Vienna: 2002), Table 26.
- National Energy Policy Development Group, Reliable, Affordable, and Environmentally Sound Energy for America's Future (Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, May 2001), p. 8-4.
- BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2002. Ultimately recoverable estimate is from U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Saudi Arabia Country Analysis Brief, October 2002, <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/saudi.html>.
- Past Saudi production increases are from BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2002; potential for current increase is from Jeff Gerth, "U.S. Fails to Curb Its Saudi Oil Habit, Experts Say," New York Times, November 26, 2002.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Iraq Country Analysis Brief, October 2002, <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraq.html>. Iraqi oil officials agree, estimating reserves at 270-300 billion barrels in "Iraq's Oil Industry: An Overview," Platts, <http://www.platts.com/features/Iraq/oiloverview.shtml>.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Iraq Country Analysis Brief, October 2002, <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraq.html>.
- Fadhil J. Chalabi, "Iraq and the Future of World Oil," Middle East Policy, vol. vii, no. 4, October 2000, <http://www.mepc.org/public_asp/journal_vol7/0010_chalabi.asp>.
- Trevor Royle, "The World's Petrol Station: Iraq's Past Is Steeped in Oil … and Blood," Sunday Herald, October 6, 2002, <http://www.sundayherald.com/print28226>.
- OPEC overproduction data is from Neela Banerjee, "As Its Members Flout Oil Quotas, OPEC Considers New Approach," New York Times, December 12, 2002.
- Dan Morgan and David B. Ottoway, "In Iraqi War Scenario, Oil Is Key Issue," Washington Post, September 15, 2002.
- Stratfor, "War in Iraq: What's at Stake for Russia?" November 22, 2002 (distributed electronically).
- Arbatov quoted in Sabrina Tavernise, "Oil Prize, Past and Present, Ties Russia to Iraq," New York Times, October 17, 2002.
- Quote from James A. Paul, "Iraq: The Struggle for Oil," August 2002, Global Policy Forum website, <http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2002/08jim.htm>.
- Calculated from OPEC Annual Statistical Bulletin 2001 (Vienna: 2002), Table 77.
- Ibid.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Iraq Country Analysis Brief, October 2002, <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraq.html>.
- "The Iraq Oil Industry After Sanctions," Middle East Institute conference proceedings summary, February 29, 2000, as reposted on the Global Policy Forum website, <http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2000/0229mei.htm>.
- Deutsche Bank estimates, reported in U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Iraq Country Analysis Brief, October 2002, <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraq.html>. The higher estimate is from Zarubezhneft, a Russian state-owned company. See Sabrina Tavernise, "Oil Prize, Past and Present, Ties Russia to Iraq," New York Times, October 17, 2002.
- U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration (EIA), Iraq Country Analysis Brief, October 2002, <http://www.eia.doe.gov/cabs/iraq.html>.
- Speech by Kenneth T. Derr, <http://www.chevrontexaco.com/news/archive/chevron_speech/1998/98-11-05.asp>.
- Chalabi quote is from Dan Morgan and David B. Ottoway, "In Iraqi War Scenario, Oil Is Key Issue," Washington Post, September 15, 2002. Peter Beaumont and Faisal Islam, "Carve-Up of Oil Riches Begins," The Observer (United Kingdom), November 3, 2002.
- Stratfor, "War in Iraq: What's at Stake for Russia?" November 22, 2002 (distributed electronically).
- Sabrina Tavernise, "Oil Prize, Past and Present, Ties Russia to Iraq," New York Times, October 17, 2002.
- Serge Schmemann, "Controlling Iraq's Oil Wouldn't Be Simple," New York Times, November 3, 2002.
- Zinni quote is from James A. Paul, "Iraq: The Struggle for Oil," August 2002, Global Policy Forum website, <http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2002/08jim.htm>. Testimony of April 13, 1999.


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Buffett Rule: Could it backfire on Democrats?
Democrats are campaigning for the Buffett Rule, which would ensure millionaires pay federal taxes at a higher tax rate. But polls show 'fairness' doesn't motivate key independent voters.
Democrats in Congress and President Obama are ratcheting up their efforts to cast Republicans as out-of-touch elitists by championing the "Buffett Rule" – a proposed bill that would require Americans making more than $1 million in income to pay a minimum 30 percent federal income tax.
Democrats will put the measure to a vote in the Senate next week in a move timed roughly to coincide with the April 15 deadline to file federal income taxes. It is intended to turn the screws not only on Senate Republicans in tight reelection contests but also on Mitt Romney, Mr. Obama's all-but-certain GOP challenger, who earned $20.9 million in 2011 but paid federal taxes at only a 15 percent rate.
The Buffett campaign has one simple mission – "embarrass Republicans" – says Stan Collender, a budget expert at Qorvis Communications in Washington.
Yet polling suggests that taxing the rich might not be a winning issue for Obama in November.
While the Buffett Rule is widely popular – more than 6 in 10 Americans support the measure, according to a March Reuters/Ipsos poll – the larger economic argument centered around "fairness" may be problematic for the independent voters who are often crucial in presidential elections.
Among voters without a strongly held opinion of either Mr. Romney or Obama, 80 percent said they'd be more likely to support a candidate focused on economic growth and opportunity, while 15 percent said they would choose one emphasizing income inequality, according to a poll released Monday by the centrist Democratic group Third Way.
Asking a similar question, the poll found that 51 percent of so-called swing independents favored a candidate arguing for an economy based on opportunity, while 43 percent opted for one making the case for an economy based on fairness.
Making up about 15 percent of the electorate, swing independents currently favor Obama to Romney, 44 to 38 percent, Third Way's poll finds. Yet it also argues that those voters are ideologically closer to Romney – and may be inclined to favor Romney's rhetoric of an "opportunity society" focused on lowering taxes and government regulations.
For now, Democrats are banking on the Buffet Rule's populist appeal. The rule is named for folksy billionaire investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, who has been a staunch advocate for a rule that would make him pay at a higher tax rate than his secretary.
"Given the fact that it's Warren Buffett, it's got this nickname that's easily understandable, a beloved icon saying 'my taxes should be raised,' it's an easy thing to explain and should therefore be pretty effective out on the campaign trail," says Mr. Collender.
But conservatives are confident when it comes to comparing the president's desire to give Americans a "fair shake" with Romney's focus on "opportunity."
While 59 percent of Americans say upper-income earners should pay more in taxes, that's down from 77 percent in 1992, according to an analysis of Gallup polling data by Karlyn Bowman, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington.
In addition, the percentage of Americans who say the rich pay too little has declined during the last two decades, while the share who say the poor pay too little has risen from 8 percent to 21 percent, according to AEI's findings.
"The Buffett Rule is certainly superficially very popular, but there isn't much indication that tax issues, tax reform issues, or even taxing the rich has as much intensity as jobs, unemployment, or other issues," says Ms. Bowman.
Republicans call the deal a "show vote" that doesn't do enough to address the national debt – the issue that concerns swing independents the most, according to the Third Way poll. (The wealthy not paying enough in taxes comes in No. 7.) Republicans also criticize Democrats for wanting to raise taxes on any Americans during a period of tepid economic growth.
But Democrats see the "fairness" inherent in the Buffett Rule as instrumental to opportunity and economic growth. They go "hand in hand," said Jim Messina, Obama's campaign manager, in a conference call with reporters Monday.
Obama is expected to hit this point repeatedly in the coming week, both in his comments and through forums like local opinion articles in 13 states that are key swing states or feature hot Senate elections this autumn.
"Every Member of Congress is going to go on record," Obama said of the coming vote in his March 31 weekly address. "And if they vote to keep giving tax breaks to people like me – tax breaks our country can't afford – then they're going to have to explain to you where that money comes from."


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Judith Coplon
Judith Coplon was the first major figure tried for spying as a result of the Venona project (although, for reasons of security, the Venona information was not revealed at her trial). Her disclosures to the Soviet intelligence agencies were the first information to alert them to the size of the U.S. counter-intelligence operation against them.
She worked in Foreign Agents Registration section of the Department of Justice, where she had access to counter-intelligence information during World War II. She was first brought to the attention of the FBI as a result of a Venona message (she was known in both Soviet intelligence and the Venona files as "SIMA"). An extensive counter-intelligence operation then investigated her, and planted secret documents for her to purloin.
FBI agents detained Coplon in March 1949 as she met with Valentin Gubitchev, a KGB official employed by the United Nations, carrying secret U.S. government documents in her purse. In her trial, FBI Special Agent Robert Lamphere testified that suspicion had fallen on Coplon because of information from a reliable "confidential informant" that was not a wiretap. She was convicted in two separate trials, one for espionage (by herself), and in another for conspiracy (along with Gubithchev).
Her conviction was later over-turned on a technicality relating to the arrest (which been on probable cause, as she was observed meeting her Soviet contact, not as a result of a warrant). Her complicity in espionage was further corroborated by information found within the KGB archives in the 1990s.
Further reading
- The Spy Who Seduced America: Lies and Betrayal in the Heat of the Cold War - The Judith Coplon Story Marcia Mitchell, Thomas Mitchell, (Invisible Cities Press, Montpelier, 2002)
- Robert J. Lamphere, Tom Shachtman, The FBI-KGB War: A Special Agent's Story (Random House, New York, 1986)
- John Earl Haynes and Harvey Klehr, Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America (Yale University Press, New Haven, 1999) pp. 157–160
- Alexander Vassiliev, Allen Weinstein, The Haunted Wood: Soviet Espionage in America - The Stalin Era (Random House, New York, 1999) pp. 277–279, 298


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Anbulla Maan Vizhiyae Tamil Novel PDF Free Download
The book "Anbulla Maan Vizhiyae" was written by Balakumaran. This is a Tamil Fiction Novel. This book is 44 pages long. Click the 'Download PDF' button below, and you can download about 3.4 MB of this book for free in PDF format.
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We last saw this über-Benz for sale back in February, its 7.3 liter V12 having covered 1,492 miles. Well, it hasn't gone any further since then. What, nobody wants a $1.4 million, 234 mph road-going racecar?
This particular über-Benz is #17 of 25, and according to the seller in Florida, it's been federalized. The CLK GTR, built to beat Porsche at Le Mans, is not the most practical car in the world, but you can pick up groceries in it and go rip your face off on the highway. Sounds like a deal to us.
The car has been on this lot for at least a year now. At this point, we bet you could haggle the dealer down a cool million.
(Hat tip to Seth!)
Photo Credit: eBay


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Welcome to Demonland Pick 13
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Match Previews, Reports & Articles
NEW CHAPTER by Meggs
There was no setting sun to ruin the spectacle this week, just the rising moon over the brand-new empty GMHBA Stadium in Moorabool Street. It was a perfect evening for footy on a pristine surface with an enthusiastic crowd building. Children dressed in Demon colours formed a Guard of Honour as the reigning premiers ran through the raised Demon banner declaring: MELBOURNE & GEELONG, A NEW CHAPTER IN THE OLDEST RIVALRY. The strong travelling group of Demons
BATTLE OF MORDOR by Meggs
Shadows form over Middle-Earth as the two oldest football clubs in the land Melbourne and Geelong take battle for the very first time for 4-points, down at Kardinia Park (aka Mordor). If you dare, come venture down the highway and support our talented team. Melbourne's Season Eight form line is 4 zip and we've been playing some scintillating footy. The fanbase is growing. It needs to be said that our opponents so far have hardly been top shelf: Collingwood sits 12th on theDemonland |
Match Previews
SISTER ACT by Meggs
In the twilight at Frankston Oval, for the first ever match between Melbourne and Hawthorn, the Demons were clinical winning by 59 points and remain undefeated in Season Eight. The Melbourne team ran out to a wonderful #DeeArmy banner paying tribute to Ron Barassi, 'a football legend, the greatest Demon'. So true! Meggs was super excited to see Irish recruit Aimee Mackin playing her first game. Aimee quickly showed us that she belongs out there with composure, ga
ON SONG by Meggs
Meggs asks is it time to heave ho the melodies and words of yesteryear and update Club theme songs with some Australian composers and singers? What prompted this reflection was the discovery that this week's combatants' themes were written by the same early 20th century American composer, George M. Cohan. Cohan's melodies The Yankee Doodle Boy and You're a Grand Old Flag have been used by Hawthorn since 1956 and Melbourne since 1912. Even earlier, the cluDemonland |
Match Previews 1
RUN UNBEATEN by Meggs
The Demons withstood a spirited challenge from the Western Bulldogs in the 10th anniversary of the Hampson-Hardeman Cup to run away with it in the last quarter and take their unbeaten run to 12 wins on the trot, an AFLW record. The Doggies were tenacious and their losing score of 6.5.41 was the highest score against Melbourne since their last loss against Brisbane in Round 4 on 18 September 2022. With the sad passing of AFL football legend Ronald Dale Barassi, champion player
LEARNINGS OR BURNINGS by GOTO
Well, the 2023 season is over for the Demons after a two point loss to the Blues in the First Semi Final. All season WE have been hearing about the "learnings" that the team needed to make after each loss, but how much have we actually learnt when they: 1. Lost four successive finals at our own home ground; 2. Fell in five of their last six losses despite having more shots at goal and in the sixth, they had an equal number of shots; 3. Lost seven games by under two
PODCAST: SF vs Carlton
The Demonland Podcast will air LIVE on Tuesday, 19th September @ 8:30pm. Join George, Binman & I as we analyse the Demons devastating loss to the Blues in the Semi Final. You questions and comments are a huge part of our podcast so please post anything you want to ask or say below and we'll give you a shout out on the show. If you would like to leave us a voicemail please call 03 9016 3666 and don't worry no body answers so you don't have to talk to a human. Listen & ChatDemonland |
Melbourne Demons 77
POSTGAME: SF vs Carlton
Once again inaccuracy cost the Demons as they are bundled out in straight sets for the 2nd consecutive final series going down to the Blues by 2 points in front of 96,000 people at the MCG. Bring on 2024.Demonland |
Melbourne Demons 859
VOTES: SF vs Carlton
Congratulations to Christian Petracca for taking out his 2nd Demonland Player of the Year Award. With a 59 votes lead over Jack Viney he cannot be overtaken. Your votes please for today's loss against the Blues. 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 …Demonland |
Melbourne Demons 40
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Big H Street Project Meeting Monday, Aug. 29
The City of Arcata invites the public to attend a preconstruction meeting to discuss the upcoming road work on G and H Streets between Ninth and 11th streets. The meeting will be held at 9:15 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 29 in the Arcata City Hall Council Chamber, 736 F St., Arcata. All affected merchants, property owners and anyone interested in the project are encouraged to attend.
The Public Works Department staff and contractor Kernen Construction will discuss the roadway and sidewalk demolition and reconstruction work and the sewer and storm drain utility work to be done. After the staff presents a brief project overview, there will be time to discuss the construction schedule, as well as traffic control and public outreach plans.
Construction is slated to begin on Tuesday, Sept. 6, with an estimated completion date of Sunday, Oct. 30, 2011.
For more information, please call the Arcata Public Works Department at (707) 822-5957. For construction updates, go to cityofarcata.org/departments/public-works/h-st.


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Based on the industry
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Address:Room 513, Block B,Lijing Building,Lanniao District, Guangzhou City,Guangdong Province, China


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This is lifted from the Death Salon events page:
We're bringing our first ever one-day Death Salon event to San Francisco October 11, 2014. Deathlings will be taking over the Fleet Room at the Fort Mason Center. Just like our other Death Salon events, we'll have speakers and performers from various disciplines informing and entertaining you all day and evening on diverse topics related to the culture of mortality and mourning. There are three ticket options:
Combo ticket for day & night sessions (best price, limited quantity)
Day Session only ticket
Night Session only ticket
Please Note: This event will be filmed, upon purchasing a ticket, you are consenting to being filmed. Questions? Email us at info at deathsalon dot org. Below is the tentative lineup of speakers and performers.
DAY SESSION emceed by Death Salon co-founder, mortician Caitlin Doughty of The Order of the Good Death
Doors at 9am, session begins at 10am
Loren Rhoads – Where Have All the Graveyards Gone: the Pioneer Burial Grounds in San Francisco and the Grave Migration to Colma
Beyond the remnants of the Mission Dolores churchyard, the National Cemetery, and the San Francisco Columbarium, relics of San Francisco's pioneers continue to lie beneath many of the city's neighborhoods, parks, and museums. If the last of the dead were supposed to have been removed from San Francisco in the 1940s, why do bodies and gravestones keep turning up?
Betsy Trapasso – Death Runs in My Family
Betsy knew that she was predestined to work in the end-of-life world ever since her mother gave her the nickname "Spooky" when she was only two months old, and it's stuck with her ever since. She tells the tale of a familial connection to the history of hospice care in the US that showed her working with and advocating for the dying is in her blood as well as in her soul.
Jordan Posamentier, Esq. – Why California Should Be the Next State to Pass a Death With Dignity Law & What You Can Do to Help
Five states in the nation currently have death with dignity laws on the books, but California is not one of them. Compassion & Choices' goal is to make aid in dying an open, accessible, and legitimate medical practice for all Californians. Currently, too many Californians suffer needlessly or endure unrelenting pain at the end of life and too many turn to violent means at the end of life when medical aid can help them die peacefully. A majority of Californians supports Death with Dignity, and Compassion & Choices has a five year grassroots plan to get there. As the boomer generation increasingly faces end-of-life choices, they're making sure the last great civil rights battle of their lives will be won in our state.
Andrew Chesnut – Santa Muerte: The Saint For All Seasons
While the mass media in both Mexico and the United States almost exclusively portrays Santa Muerte as a narco-saint, for most devotees on both sides of the border she is an omnipotent miracle-worker who grants favors far removed from the world of drug trafficking. We'll explore a few of her most important roles, such as curandera, love doctor, and agent of prosperity, in addition to the most recent developments in this the fastest growing new religious movement in the Americas.
1-hour lunch break on your own, 12-1pm
Paa Joe & the Lion – a Death Salon exclusive clip from the forthcoming feature film documentary chronicling the life of Ghana's greatest living fantasy coffin maker.
Melissa Cooper – Forensic Facial Reconstruction: Reading the Skull of a 9,000-Year-Old Los Angeles Native
While reconstructing a face, the skull holds an impressive amount of clues. I'll be discussing the techniques used to achieve the final depiction based solely on the skull in addition to the surprising reactions a simple rendering of a face has the power to inflict. Whether it is to assist in solving a cold-case or to obtain new information about our ancient past, the purpose of these reconstructions all come down to one major common denominator: utilize the given clues to solve a mystery. However, as we all have likely experienced, solving one mystery has the potential to only make the plot thicken.
Rachel James – Transcending the East vs. West Suicide Paradox: Netting the Bridge and Walling up the Volcano
By comparing Mount Mihara and the Golden Gate Bridge, we'll look at the conflicting ideologies surrounding suicide in Asia and the US, using these popular suicide locations and their prevention solutions in each locale as focal points to examine not only the opposing cultural attitudes, but how they are evolving from opposite sides of the philosophy spectrum and beginning to "meet in the middle" with concern and compassion.
Elizabeth Harper – The Public Corpse: Exploring Death Rituals and the Spaces Dedicated to Them in Rome
Death is not the end of the road for Catholics in Italy. Though the public display of corpses and bones may seem macabre, these traditions illustrate a spiritual and physical journey that begins at death. It's a journey that takes us through the liminal space between here and the afterlife and between flesh and bone; where the impermanence and even embarrassment of the human body and it's functions only underscores the permanence and dignity of the soul. In this illustrated talk, we'll take a virtual walking-tour of Rome through its crypts, purgatorial societies, tombs and shrines and find this message of life hidden in places devoted to death.
Jill Tracy – Whispers Behind Glass: After Dark in the Mutter Museum
Composer/storyteller Jill Tracy presents songs she composed alone at night inside Philadelphia's famed Mutter Museum, and spellbinding tales of the collection including Harry Eastlack (The Ossified Man), renowned Siamese Twins Chang and Eng, The Mermaid Baby, and eccentric laryngologist Chevalier Jackson.
Death Salon official banner logo, designed by Jenelle Campbell of andshedesigns.net
NIGHT SESSION emceed by Death Salon: SF Curators Annetta Black (Odd Salon) and Death Salon director Megan Rosenbloom
Starts promptly at 6pm, ends at 9pm
Cara Rose DeFabio – After the Tone: Performing Grief
Through this humorous performance art piece, Cara comments on death in the age of the funeral selfie, with clever insights about the intersection of death and technology.
Beza Merid – Stand-up Comedy and the Popular Culture of Cancer
This talk will address the popular culture of cancer, and how cultural venues like marches for hope as well as the restrictive languages of illness proliferate the idea that there is a right attitude to survive disease. Beza explores how and where post-diagnosis individuals challenge this idea, and why stand-up comedy is such an apt space to explore anxieties about health, illness, and death.
Annetta Black – Dead Soldiers & Utopian Dreams: The Vernian Visions of Dr. Benjamin Lyford, Civil War Embalmer
On the battlefields of the divided Union, Dr. Benjamin Lyford was part of a new generation of death professionals, developing new (and secret) techniques for embalming in order to send bodies of fallen soldiers home for burial. Later, he brought his practice here to San Francisco – and across the water in Tiburon, he sought to create "Hygeia", a health-obsessed Utopian village designed to keep death at bay. Remnants of his legacy speak to the lasting impact of the atrocities of war, the cult of health that sprung up in post-Civil War America, and our evolving relationship with the preservation of the dead.
Megan Rosenbloom – Books of the Dead: Death Imagery from the Library Vaults
While researching her book in libraries across the U.S. and abroad, Megan has collected examples of interesting death images and objects safely kept in the best research libraries' special collections. Take a tour of some beautiful and macabre illustrations, photos, and objects that the public rarely get to see.
Paul Koudounaris – Sex in the Netherworld: Postmortem Erotic Spiritual Encounters
Does eroticism survive the grave? The idea that the dead might return to satisfy their carnal desires has historically been considered so uncomfortable that such reports have been hidden way or lampooned as wild delusions. But in fact, such accounts are voluminous, and Dr. Paul Koudounaris will discuss the murky and fascinating history of ghostly sexual encounters.
Sarah Troop – Nourishing Death: How the World Honors Death With Food
Since ancient eras human beings have incorporated food into their observances of death in diverse and often macabre ways. We will explore some of these rituals, practices and traditions of the past and present.
Caitlin Doughty – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
A gritty behind-the-scenes look at the death industry accompanied by reading from her newly-published memoir: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory.