Sunday 22 August 2010

Read a Book - Pylon (1980)

If you are still looking to squeeze in a book or two into what remains of your summer reading list, here are "Five Best" titles on the oil industry as suggested by Peter Maass (author of Crude World: The Violent Twilight of Oil, Vintage) in this weekend's edition of The Wall Street Journal:

1. The History of the Standard Oil Company by Ida M. Rabell, McClure, Phillips, 1904

The rise of the company's and it's owner, John D. Rockefeller.

2. The Seven Sisters by Anthony Sampson, Viking, 1975

Political clout wielded by the largest Western oil companies during the 1970s.

3. The Bottom Billion by Paul Collier, Oxford, 2007

Exploring the paradox of oil's baleful effects including corruption and dictatorship.

4. Cities of Salt by Abdelrahman Munif, Random House, 1987

A fictional account of oil's discovery in the Middle East; think "Giant" the movie in the desert.

5. A Month and a Day by Ken Saro-Wiwa, Penguin, 1995

Ecological and political travesties that led the author to put his life on the line within the Niger Delta.

Sunday 15 August 2010

Energy Dance - Gary Moore Band (1973)

Quick, name the seven countries that have made the largest investments in alterative energy which includes wind, solar, biofuels, low carbon, geothermal, marine and small hydroelectric.

Took me awhile and I got only four of them right.

Here they are, according to Fast Company:

1. China - $34.6 billion (147.5% - 5-year growth rate in investment)

2. USA - $18.6 billion (102.7%)

3. UK - $11.2 billion (127.5%)

4. Spain - $10.4 billion (79.7%)

5. Brazil - $7.4 billion (147.8%)

6. Germany - $4.3 billion (75.3%)

7. Canada - $3.3. billion (70.2%)

To learn more about the key drivers of this accelerating sector check out our Overview of the Renewables Industry web-based course.

Wednesday 4 August 2010

Back to Chicago - Styx (1990)

If you are headed to the LDC Gas Forum in Chicago running next month from Monday, September 13th through Wednesday, the 15th, why not extend your stay the rest of the week and round out your knowledge of the marketplace with two of our exclusive North American Nat Gas courses?

Overview of the North American Natural Gas Industry
Thursday, September 16, 2010

North American Natural Gas Transportation and Storage
Friday, September 17, 2010

Last year, a number of LDC Forum delegates did take advantage of the convenient schedule and found it quite beneficial as the courses provided an opportunity to confirm and further comprehend what they took away from the conference still very fresh on their minds.

Even if you aren't attending the Forum, we welcome you to join us for this education event.