In The News

Opportunities in Globalization

Rocco Leonard Martino June 13, 2006
The global telecommunications industries are potential sutures to wounds in the US economy brought on by corporate outsourcing to countries with low labor costs, according to Rocco Leonard Martino, the CEO of CyberFone Technologies. The technological advances of the internet provide the US with extraordinary opportunities to advertise innovative products at a rapid pace, allowing for increased...

For Venezuela, A Treasure in Oil Sludge

Juan Forero June 13, 2006
Venezuela has high levels of sludge, called bitumen, once thought of as useless. But now, technology introduced by foreign oil companies such as Chevron Corporation transforms the sludge into oil. The discovery puts the government and oil companies at odds. The government claims that exploration and production in the Orinoco Belt is easy, risk-free and inexpensive and suggests that oil firms...

Report: Biofuels Poised to Displace Oil

June 12, 2006
As governments slowly come to realize that oil is a finite commodity, biofuels attract more attention worldwide. Brazil is the foremost producer of biofuels with the US gaining. The German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection released an in-depth analysis of the potential risks and benefits of biofuels. Among the risks posed are potential competition between food and...

Saudis Cite Market Forces for Lower Crude Output

Bhushan Bahree June 12, 2006
At a June 1, 2006, meeting of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries in Caracas, cartel members attested to having trouble finding buyers for their crude oil exports. While such oil-producing countries as Saudi Arabia and Iran accumulate a massive inventory of crude, reports suggest that demand for oil is actually going up, according to the New York Mercantile Exchange. Some cartel...

Panama: A Crossroad With Two-Ocean Views

Nancy Beth Jackson June 8, 2006
Panama has a history of invasions, but the latest comes from international investors, lured by favorable exchange rates, a mixture of European and American influences, along with amenities that include health-service discounts for retirees. Panama building permits have increased by 91 percent, and new projects begin almost every day. Two projects, both Spanish backed, compete to become the...

In Praise of Migration

Kofi A. Annan June 8, 2006
UN secretary general Kofi Annan not only suggests that borders are meant to be crossed, but also that those crossing national borders “have always been the motors of human progress.” Migration offers myriad benefits, including an increased menial and skilled labor force comprised of incoming migrants, as well as the high level of remittances that migrants send home, which totaled around $232...

Cooking the Climate With Coal

Jeff Goodell June 7, 2006
Recognizing limited energy supplies, the world turns to coal for fuel. Coal meets about half of US energy needs, about 70 percent for China. Anticipating strict regulatory limits, countries like the US have stepped up coal mining and construction of coal-burning power plants. But Author Jeff Goodell suggests that relying on coal is dangerous, from mining accidents to air and ground pollution....