From link up top:
Best OPEC Discipline Since 2011 No Proof for $100 Oil

OPEC’s best adherence to its production ceiling in 18 months is failing to buoy the outlook for crude oil prices, raising pressure on the group to pare supplies amid burgeoning U.S. output.

Ha, the author thinks OPEC is adhering to quotas. The possibility that OPEC cannot produce more oil isn't mentioned.

Here's a commentary from SLATE:

The Arctic Ice “Death Spiral”

The author mentions his disgust with the denialist camp's refusal to accept the obvious decline, apparent in the data. But, hey, that's politics-as-usual these days...

E. Swanson

Coevolution of farming and private property during the early Holocene

The advent of farming around 12 millennia ago was a cultural as well as technological revolution, requiring a new system of property rights. Among mobile hunter–gatherers during the late Pleistocene, food was almost certainly widely shared as it was acquired. If a harvested crop or the meat of a domesticated animal were to have been distributed to other group members, a late Pleistocene would-be farmer would have had little incentive to engage in the required investments in clearing, cultivation, animal tending, and storage. However, the new property rights that farming required—secure individual claims to the products of one’s labor—were infeasible because most of the mobile and dispersed resources of a forager economy could not cost-effectively be delimited and defended. The resulting chicken-and-egg puzzle might be resolved if farming had been much more productive than foraging, but initially it was not. Our model and simulations explain how, despite being an unlikely event, farming and a new system of farming-friendly property rights nonetheless jointly emerged when they did. This Holocene revolution was not sparked by a superior technology. It occurred because possession of the wealth of farmers—crops, dwellings, and animals—could be unambiguously demarcated and defended. This facilitated the spread of new property rights that were advantageous to the groups adopting them. Our results thus challenge unicausal models of historical dynamics driven by advances in technology, population pressure, or other exogenous changes. Our approach may be applied to other technological and institutional revolutions such as the 18th- and 19th-century industrial revolution and the information revolution today.

From uptop; Solar industry anxious.

Maybe it's just the usual media hype. Maybe there is a limit to how cheap solar panels can be.

Use and export of US wood biomass as energy fuel has been a subject of interest here from time to time. See the link for two maps depicting biomass burning in and export from the southeastern US (actual and proposed).
http://ecowatch.com/2013/our-forests-arent-fuel-new-campaign-against-bur...
The link announces a campaign opposing use of forests for fuel, but it does not present data from which sustainability can be evaluated.

The Dying Dollar and the Rise of a New Currency Order

In the last decade the problem of over printing was solved by artificially raising oil prices through the Peak Oil hoax, and ending Iraqi oil production. It must be understood that the Empire is not looking for more oil production. There is so much oil in the world that should it be drilled for freely, it would end the Money Power’s energy monopoly. The Iraq invasion and the quest for control of the Middle-East is to keep a lid on oil production. Saddam’s suicidal decision to accept euro for his oil only hastened his demise.

Rockman is gone we all know, but where is Darwinian and westexas?

Link up top:

Eagle Ford Oil Output Rises 77% to More Than 500,000 Barrels/Day

The nine geographic fields that make up the majority of Eagle Ford yielded 529,874 barrels of crude a day...

also,

Output of condensates, or natural gas liquids, was 89,345 barrels a day in March, down from 123,871 a year earlier, as drillers moved away from less profitable gas.

I have read comments here on TOD regarding the liquids being produced out of the Eagle Ford and IIRC those comments stated that most of the liquids being produced was condensate and not light sweet crude oil. Is that actually the case here and the author of this article is merely counting condensate coming from gas wells as total condensate being produced at Eagle Ford? Is most of the liquid being produced from oil wells there actually condensate too?

Scientists Develop CO2 Sequestration Technique

May 28, 2013 — Lawrence Livermore scientists have discovered and demonstrated a new technique to remove and store atmospheric carbon dioxide while generating carbon-negative hydrogen and producing alkalinity, which can be used to offset ocean acidification.

The team demonstrated, at a laboratory scale, a system that uses the acidity normally produced in saline water electrolysis to accelerate silicate mineral dissolution while producing hydrogen fuel and other gases. The resulting electrolyte solution was shown to be significantly elevated in hydroxide concentration that in turn proved strongly absorptive and retentive of atmospheric CO2.

Further, the researchers suggest that the carbonate and bicarbonate produced in the process could be used to mitigate ongoing ocean acidification

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130528143758.htm

I just rec'd an email re: Drupal (TOD) passwords and user info may be compromised.
05-29-2013 2033 GMT. 1:33 PM US Pacific time.
Tom

From the Unintended Consequences department ...

Gut Punch: Monsanto Could be Destroying Your Microbiome

First the bad news: The “safest” herbicide in the history of science may be harming us in ways we’re just beginning to understand. And now for the really bad news: Because too much is never enough, the Environmental Protection Agency just raised the allowable limits for how much of that chemical can remain on the food we eat, and the crops we feed to animals — many of which end up on our plates as well.

... Even if we aren’t absorbing all the Roundup that’s on the food we eat, we are certainly exposing the residents of our digestive tract to it. And here’s the funny thing. While we don’t have the metabolic process that Roundup disrupts, many microbes do.

So, in short, we may be dousing our interior landscapes with a potent and effective intestinal flora herbicide. Oopsie. :-(

Researchers are only now beginning to explore this idea. There is new research out of Germany that establishes that glyphosate kills many species of beneficial animal gut bacteria while not affecting more harmful gut bacteria, like E. coli and the bacteria that causes botulism, which is apparently at epidemic levels in cattle.

And, as Pollan explains, our gut bacteria play a core role in maintaining our health, although in ways that are not at all understood. The research is in its earliest days, but it’s possible that an unhealthy microbiome could contribute to obesity and other diseases, especially those caused by inflammation.

and Artificial Sweeteners May Do More Than Sweeten

It has been thought that artificial sweeteners, such as sucralose, don't have an effect on metabolism. They are used in such small quantities that they don't increase calorie intake. Rather, the sweeteners react with receptors on the tongue to give people the sensation of tasting something sweet without the calories associated with natural sweeteners, such as table sugar.

But recent findings in animal studies suggest that some sweeteners may be doing more than just making foods and drinks taste sweeter. One finding indicates that the gastrointestinal tract and the pancreas can detect sweet foods and drinks with receptors that are virtually identical to those in the mouth. That causes an increased release of hormones, such as insulin. Some animal studies also have found that when receptors in the gut are activated by artificial sweeteners, the absorption of glucose also increases.

New from Congressional Research Service [CRS] ...

Financial Stability Oversight Council: A Framework to Mitigate Systemic Risk

The Office of Financial Research (OFR), contributes to the annual report issued by the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC). In the 2013 annual report, the OFR noted a number of positive trends, including increased capital levels and liquidity among financial intermediaries.

However, the 2013 report includes several areas of continuing concern. For example, several sources of wholesale funding (such as money market mutual funds and repurchase agreements) remain vulnerable to the risk of runs or fire sales. The housing finance system still relies on government support, although financial trends for the government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) have improved. A number of operational issues, such as information technology and resilience against cyber-attacks, are ongoing concerns. Interest rates create additional concerns, including the reliability of benchmarks such as LIBOR, and the exposure of financial intermediaries to significant losses should market interest rates rise (sometimes referred to as yield spikes). Longterm budget issues, so-called fiscal imbalances, remain a concern although revenues have recently been rising as general economic conditions improve in the United States. Finally, the 2013 annual report discusses several factors in other countries that could negatively affect financial stability in the United States if conditions overseas deteriorate, including the resolution of European financial turmoil and Japanese macroeconomic policies

‘Weather whiplash’ is a symptom of climate change: report

A report from the environmental research organisation World Watch Institute on Wednesday provided further evidence of the costs of those extreme shifts – known as “weather whiplash”.

The report found that the United States alone accounted for more than two-thirds of the $170bn in losses caused by natural disasters around the world last year.

Is the weather in the particular US states responsible for the tight oil boom particularly bad? The increase in total US oil production since the start of the year under the influence of the 'fracking bonanza' does not seem to be quite what it was last year:

http://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=WCRFPUS2&f=W

No doubt a temporary blip on the march to energy independence :).

A warmer, and warming atmosphere, holds more moisture. When it rains it will pour...

Toronto's Don Valley Parkway reopens after severe flooding

Cleanup interferes with morning commute after torrential downpour
_{CBC News, Posted: May 29, 2013 6:06 AM ET, Last Updated: May 29, 2013 7:37 PM ET}

Torrential rains wiped out the possibility of a normal morning commute for many Toronto drivers as the Don Valley Parkway was left impassable by water and mud.

The DVP is a major expressway that connects the Gardiner Expressway into the downtown area with Highway 401.

By 8 a.m., water covering the expressway had started to recede, but the road surface was coated in mud and debris in places. The southbound DVP reopened by mid-morning and the other side of the expressway later in the morning.

Toronto police Staff Sgt. Bob Bowman told CBC News that police began closing the DVP one lane at a time early Wednesday until the water began covering the entire expressway.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen it in my 30 years that we actually had water cresting almost up to the jersey barrier of the Don Valley Parkway," said Bowman. "So we had to put in a closure until that water dissipates.”

... and when it doesn't rain it will be hot and dry!

Drought Conditions Forecast to Return to the Central U.S.

Harris-Mann Climatology, a long-range weather, commodity and stock forecasting service, predicts the return of drought conditions in the central U.S. within the next four to eight weeks.

_{(PRWEB) May 22, 2013}

The drought pattern of 2012 in the central U.S. was compared to the devastating droughts of the 1930s ‘Dust Bowl’ era and was also as severe as dry periods of the 1950s. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, severe to extreme drought conditions still persist from South Dakota southward into eastern Colorado and down into northern Texas. The southwestern U.S. has also been experiencing drought conditions with not much rain in sight.

Long-term climatologist and forecaster Cliff Harris says, “The drought in the Southwest is expected to move and expand eastward over the central and southern Great Plains, as well as at least the western Midwest, by late June or July. Flooded areas near the Missouri River are likely to turn to the opposite extreme of dryness later this summer season."

Harris-Mann Climatology predicts this current drought pattern may be the costliest U.S. natural disaster of 2012 and 2013 as damage estimates could be near $200 billion, even more costly than Hurricane Sandy.

James Kunstler and many pundits have asked what has happened to people's awakening to
the ongoing collapse in favor of the 1%. It appears that after a respite, work on Occupy Sandy and other disparate smaller scale initiatives that Occupy Wall Street is re-emerging in conjunction with European wide rallies:

http://www.occupyhomecoming.net/

...
On June First, Occupy Wall Street is coming home. We need to reconnect with each other, and to the great work that lies still before us. The struggle has continued on, and we have continued to struggle – but social distance has drawn us apart from the shared community we once so intimately embraced, and we want to re-engage with each other so that we can draw on each others’ strength and share support in our challenge against the powers that be and the corrupt system of the world they rely upon to hold them in place. We refuse to support them any longer, we refuse to support that which cannot sustain life for the many in order to raise up the few, and we invite each and every person who wishes to join us to pick up a sign and join us in person at Liberty Plaza to reclaim our common home and fill it once again with growing resistance

From Europe:

http://www.commondreams.org/further/2013/05/29-7

Calling on "all citizens, with or without party, with or without a job, with or without hope," a coalition of groups across Europe are planning a June 1 international demonstration, People United Against The Troika!, to protest austerity measures imposed by the all-powerful troika - International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, and European Commission - that have led to bank bailouts on one side and, on the other, unemployment, foreclosures, social inequity and cuts in public services such as health care and education in country after country, all in the name of a debt crisis that, in organizers' words, "once again privatizes profits and socializes losses, while demanding bloody cutbacks in return."

Tnings are about to get interesting...

Vi PR newswire (a source you can trust no?)
http://theeestory.ning.com/profiles/blogs/zenn-testing-plan-hiccup

ZENN also reported that the testing laboratory has commenced preparation for testing of EESU layers produced by EEStor, Inc. Initial work by the laboratory involves calibration and verification of testing equipment. EEStor has reported that in producing layers for the testing, it encountered, at high voltages, an anomaly that may be related to ambient humidity. ZENN has been advised by its consultant that this is not an uncommon occurrence with high performance layers. EEStor has advised that it believes it is addressing the issue by using established procedures. Accordingly, it will conduct the tests in stages. Initial tests will focus on resistance and capacitance of its new polymer as well as the permittivity over voltage characteristics of the proprietary CMBT produced by EEStor. Reports from the initial phase of the testing are expected in the next week with further reports to follow as more detailed testing is undertaken and as the hydrology issue is addressed.

And from the past:
http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4059#comment-351529

ZENN claims they will launch EEStor-powered EV in fall 2009 At ZENN annual shareholder meeting in Toronto yesterday, company officials made a big announcement about their plans to move beyond mere neighborhood electric vehicles. They plan to launch a model called the cityZENN which will be a fully certified electric car with 80 mph top speed and 250-mile range.

Reduce fuel prices for all Jamaicans - Mair

GREGORY MAIR, the opposition spokesman on energy, is pushing for a level playing field in the pricing of heavy fuel oil sold by Petrojam to the bauxite industry as against the Jamaica Public Service (JPS), and, by extension, the Jamaican consumer.

In his contribution to the Sectoral Debate in Parliament on Tuesday, Mair contended that players in the bauxite industry purchased heavy fuel oil from Petrojam for 15 per cent less than the state-owned oil refinery sells to the light and power company.

"Why don't we level the playing field, have a real competitive environment in the fuel sector and give JPS, and, by extension, the consumers of electricity, the same status as the alumina/bauxite producers," Mair asserted.

Thwaites must stand firm on condoms in schools

I wish to lend my voice to support the minister of education, The Reverend Ronald Thwaites, on his position regarding the distribution of condoms in schools. We already have an abundance of mixed messages for children in the society at large.

There is an oversupply of sexual stimulation all around! On his way to the bus stop, little Johnny sees paintings on the nightclub which leave nothing to the imagination. When he gets on the bus, lyrical content over the speaker system surround him with clear messages regarding the necessity to prove sexual prowess. On his return home, the ritual is repeated in the afternoon. This time he is surrounded by adults who seem to be dressed for the beach or simply wearing the latest dare.

The "condoms in schools" (population control) debate , rages on.

Alan from the islands

No Energy. No Water ...

Intense Heat Wave In India Brings Sunstroke Deaths, Electric Grid Meltdown, And Spoiled Fruit

Heat wave conditions have claimed the lives of over 500 people in India since April. India’s Department of Disaster Management reported that 524 people have died of sunstroke since April 1. The Indian Meteorological Department said tomorrow’s forecast called for clear skies and continued heat, warning that “the heatwave will continue.”

The Times of India reported that the state of Hyderabad’s 500 sunstroke deaths in just three days is the highest such death toll in recent history.

New Delhi saw 43 degrees C (or over 109 degrees Fahrenheit) today, western states such as Gujarat saw highs between 116-118 degrees Fahrenheit, and the northern state of Uttar Pradesh hit 45 C (113 F). This state is one of the nation’s poorest, with 190 million people. Its energy infrastructure is inadequate to the demand of so many residents trying to cool themselves. Since pumps are often required to provide water, this also means that a power outage comes with a water outage. Angry residents attacked power company officials and even set fire to a power station. For the rest of the population, power outages combined with humidity caused most people to stay indoors.

Fuel Shortage Halts Water Pumps in Tawila, North Darfur

Tawila camps' residents told Radio Dabanga on Friday that the diesel shortage has caused the water stations in the region to grind to a complete halt. The price of a barrel of water has risen to SDG 8 ($1.80). This has a further negative effect on livestock and vegetable farms that are now threatened by drought unless diesel reaches the camp from El Fasher, the state capital.

Diesel shortage interrupts mobile towers in Naxal areas: MHA

NEW DELHI: If attacks on mobile networks by Naxals are not enough, security forces are grappling with a diesel shortage to power mobile towers which has left the telecom network non-functional for long periods.

I was thinking about collapse yesterday....

As Tainter describes it, collapse is basically a way to sidestep all the complexity when things get... just too complex. Or "when the marginal cost of doing something becomes greater than the marginal benefit", something like that.

All the layers of complexity in running a society become too burdensome and the whole think just falls down. As defined, or explained, it's a rational choice because maintaining the complexity comes at a greater cost than the benefit of remaining bought in. To the average person then, it's a rational choice to withdraw from the A .. B .. C .... --> Z structure of things and just go directly from A to Z.

But in today's world all the steps from B to Y, 24/26ths of all the effort and complexity, are what support (to whatever extent, some very little) 90% of the populace. As Darwinian points out, if we simplify, society collapses. Stop shopping --> depression (both ways!).

Thus if we do what it takes to become sustainable, all the stuff we talk about here, from food production to energy use and on and on, simplify, society collapses. And with 7 billion mouths to feed, collapse means mass death. So we are locked in to perpetuating the system. To simplify is to condemn 6 billion +/- people to death.

Do you like those odds - do you feel lucky (punk)? Clint Eastwood reference.

However, we will collapse eventually, it's not like there's a choice not to.

Are we stuck in a paradox or what?

GMO Wheat Found In Oregon Field. How Did It Get There?

A farmer in Oregon has found some genetically engineered wheat growing on his land. It's an unwelcome surprise, because this type of wheat has never been approved for commercial planting.
[...]
Nobody knows how this wheat got to this farm. Monsanto's last field trials in Oregon were in 2001. After all such trials, the genetically engineered crops are supposed to be completely removed.