Shaun Chamberlin

Saturday Oil Report — November 5, 2011

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More evidence for the disconnect between Nymex (WTI) and Brent prices surfaced this week. Although the spread has narrowed, Nymex rose to $94.16/barrel, almost seven dollars more than it was two weeks ago in my as Saturday report. Brent came in at $112.55, only a few dollars higher than it was on October 22. The alarm level remains the same.

Occupy Main Street

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Flash forward to October 2011. Those ruminations and years of activism – and the rumblings getting louder everywhere – are finally surfacing in the public square. We’re getting it! Finally and gloriously and intelligently and courageously. The occupations have been going on long enough that good suggestions are arising for the direction of this movement. Get political. Sustain dialogue. Demonstrate democracy in action. No matter what one’s prescription though, the marvel is that the occupation continues and is a school of democracy itself, a sustained bonding among people who normally have nothing to do with one another, who keep their heads down in tunnels of adaptation, still believing in the American Dream.

Presenting the economic policy of the cccupy movement

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If there is one thing the Occupy Wall Street movement has generated, it’s the opinion that there is no unifying agenda or policy being advanced by the Occupiers. Perhaps that explains why we (CASSE) have been asked repeatedly to contribute to that agenda and identify that policy. And perhaps the time has come to oblige.

Don’t occupy Wall Street, ditch it!

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I personally support the spirit of Occupy Wall Street, especially the spotlight it has cast on the shocking level of inequality in our country. But the movement oddly conveys a very mainstream message that Wall Street can and should be fixed. Just clean up our existing financial institutions – make them more accountable, honest, transparent – and all will be well. Really?

I think it would be smarter to end our relationship with Wall Street. Just say “no.”

Peak oil and energy – Nov 6

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– Kurt Cobb: Time to Worry: World Oil Production Finishes Six Years of No Growth (NEW)
– Steve Levine’s Weekly Wrap of energy news
– ASPO-USA Conference Report: Friday Notes
– Gail Tverberg: New Dept. of Energy Priority-Setting Analysis Seriously Flawed
– Reuter’s Exclusive: IEA draft outlook sees $212 oil in 2035

The Occupy Movement and the Black Bloc

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The Occupy Movement is the most significant development of the year – together with Arab Spring and the Indignados protests in Mediterranean countries. Occupy is important for those of us who follow Peak Oil and Transition, because it has the potential to change the political equation. As the rising price of oil and other commodities continues to threaten living standards in the US and other countries, protest movements are inevitable.

The Occupy Movement has struck a chord with the “99 percent.” Occupy Oakland, for example, saw somewhere between 5,000 and 25,000 people out in the street during the General Strike there Wednesday, November 2. I was struck by the presence of the black clad groups that appeared in the midst of the demonstration to trash stores, break windows, etc. These are the Black Bloc, a phenomenon which first appeared in the 80s and has been with demonstrations across the world ever since. How the Occupy Movement deals with the Black Bloc is critical for its future.

Below is a collection of excerpts/links for those who wish to learn more.

#Occupy – VOICES – Nov 6

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– How I Got Off My Computer And Onto The Street At Occupy Oakland
– Anthropologist Graeber Turns Radical Side Loose in Zuccotti Park Protest
– #Occupy and Transition: resources for creating lasting change
– Jan Lundberg: How The Occupy Movement May Be Off-Base, and How It Can Evolve
– What’s the Black Bloc? And why is it important for the fate of the Occupy Movement? (links)

Capitalism and environmental catastrophe

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The Occupy Wall Street movement arose in response to the economic crisis of capitalism, and the way in which the costs of this were imposed on the 99 percent rather than the 1 percent. But “the highest expression of the capitalist threat,” as Naomi Klein has said, is its destruction of the planetary environment. So it is imperative that we critique that as well. (Also – video of a talk by Fred Magdoff)

CNA military advisory board: cut US oil use 30% to reduce “grave national security risks”

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Even a small interruption of the daily oil supply impacts our nation’s economic engine, but a sustained disruption would alter every aspect of our lives — from food costs and distribution to what or if we eat, to manufacturing goods and services to freedom of movement.

A new CNA analysis finds if America reduces its current rate of oil consumption by 30 percent, and diversifies its fuel sources, the U.S. economy would be insulated from the impact of such disruptions — even in the event of a complete shutdown of a strategic chokepoint like the Strait of Hormuz, the international passageway for 33 percent of the world’s seaborne oil shipments.

Members contributing to the report include some of our nation’s highest-ranking retired military leaders with 400 years of collective military experience.