Is oil independence an illusion?

Robert Bryce’s new book, Gusher of Lies, provides a refreshing counterpoint to many simplistic, political discussions about energy, but in the end, his blithe optimism about fossil fuel availability, U.S. financial resources, and global warming’s consequences leaves his arguments as dangerously deluded as those he criticizes.

A picture is worth a thousand farms, or maybe a million

You are looking at a kind of farming that is eminently practical, economical, sustainable and could very well be the salvation of civilization. Only a few farmers so far agree with that assertion. The rest are locked monetarily into the horrible expenses of cash-grain cropping to produce feed for animals locked in cash-bleeding buildings.

Geopolitics – July 7

Book review: How British colonialists tried to run the Middle East
John Bellamy Foster: Peak oil and energy imperialism
Crude oil falls after Iran signals confidence in nuclear talks
Zakaria: Oil prices make it hard for U.S. to pressure Iran