There has been much turmoil in the region and gladly for us only in the countries surrounding Israel. Though the people here are somewhat nervous at the uncertainty of the political upheavals now underway, life is still pretty much the same. And this is especially true in Tel Aviv where everyone admits is a city living in a bubble. So other than Jana having some bad dreams of the Muslim Brotherhood, we're doing fine and thank everyone who have wrote or called to check in on us. (We now know who our real friends are.)
Anyways, the turmoil in the region has brought renewed focus on the role that oil plays in geopolitics. Oil is now around $100 per barrel which means your gasoline bill will be increasing in the next week or so, followed by price increases in food and other petroleum based products. Though high oil prices are great for me and my company and not so much you or anyone else, there's a different aspect of oil's impact that was recently highlighted by Planet Money. I highly recommend listening to the podcast
NPR Planet Money Podcast
There's always been a correlation between oil prices and autocratic control in oil rich nations. And I'm sure this is the case for other natural resource rich nations too though oil gets the most press. Interesting enough though, the technology I've pretty much focused my career so happens will also provide countries that are currently without traditional oil resources into major oil producers. This includes Israel and Jordan. And as can be inferred from the podcast, maybe being an oil rich country isn't such a good idea for the people of Jordan. Here's another kicker. There's also oil shale in the West Bank. At least there's none in Gaza.
Not only am I killing the world slowly, I am also aiding evil. :)
Anyways, the turmoil in the region has brought renewed focus on the role that oil plays in geopolitics. Oil is now around $100 per barrel which means your gasoline bill will be increasing in the next week or so, followed by price increases in food and other petroleum based products. Though high oil prices are great for me and my company and not so much you or anyone else, there's a different aspect of oil's impact that was recently highlighted by Planet Money. I highly recommend listening to the podcast
NPR Planet Money Podcast
There's always been a correlation between oil prices and autocratic control in oil rich nations. And I'm sure this is the case for other natural resource rich nations too though oil gets the most press. Interesting enough though, the technology I've pretty much focused my career so happens will also provide countries that are currently without traditional oil resources into major oil producers. This includes Israel and Jordan. And as can be inferred from the podcast, maybe being an oil rich country isn't such a good idea for the people of Jordan. Here's another kicker. There's also oil shale in the West Bank. At least there's none in Gaza.
Not only am I killing the world slowly, I am also aiding evil. :)
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