Pictured above is the Ocean Star, an offshore drilling rig located in Galveston, Texas. This jackup rig worked in the Gulf of Mexico for 20 years before being retired and hauled to Galveston, where it now serves as a museum dedicated to the offshore oil & gas industry. The museum houses an education center that explains the process of drilling for oil & gas in the ocean as well as giving you an idea of what life is like for the workers who lived and worked on the rig for several weeks at a time (they even have several uniforms that you can try on). The rig itself is the big draw, as most of the original drilling equipment is still on board. You can freely walk around the pipe deck and drill floor, which showcases drill bits, a mud pump, derrick, and the “Christmas Tree”. I think the best part of the museum, though, is the gift shop, where you can purchase oil related gifts such as derrick earrings and cookie cutters. Yes, really.

If you’re ever in Galveston, this place is definitely worth a visit. Plus, it’s near Joe’s Crab Shack, so afterward you can sit down to a big plate of fried seafood and a gigantic beer.

It’s no wonder the Abşeron Peninsula is considered to be one of the most polluted areas in the world. Years of drilling with little regard for the surrounding environment have left the area resembling an apocalyptic wasteland. In July 2006, we drove through these famed old fields of Baku – the same fields upon which the Nobel family earned their fortune and Royal Dutch Shell rose to prominence. Now, these fields are dotted with homes (mere shacks, really) and the rusting equipment acts as makeshift goals for the local kids playing soccer on the thick, oily sand, surrounded by pools of crude oil and broken pipelines.

Everyday of my life is exactly like this. I know you’re jealous.

Definitely the greatest corporate anthem I have ever heard. Go Gazprom!

Don’t bother trying, you’ll never ever find
A surer friend than Gazprom
We’re giving people warmth and light
For office and for home
We should always keep in mind
From dawn till sun down,
That our work is always needed
Working day or holiday

Let’s drink to you, let’s drink to us
Let’s drink to all the Russian gas
For those extracting the new sun
From down beneath the ground

See, we’re not all that evil:

Eco-sailors rescued by oil tanker

An expedition team which set sail from Plymouth on a 5,000-mile carbon emission-free trip to Greenland have been rescued by an oil tanker.

[...]

The team, which left Mount Batten Marina in Plymouth on 19 April in a boat named the Fleur, aimed to rely on sail, solar and man power on a 580-mile (933km/h) journey to and from the highest point of the Greenland ice cap.

The expedition was followed by up to 40 schools across the UK to promote climate change awareness.

But atrocious weather dogged their journey after 27 April, culminating with the rescue on 1 May after the boat was temporarily capsized three times by the wind.

In one incident Mr Stoddart hit his head and the wind generator and solar panels were ripped from the yacht.

I would probably say “dude” more often, though.

Hilarious. Thanks to Ryan for sending me this button. Aspiring Daniel Plainviews can order them from democraticstuff.com.

I really wish Gazprom would post videos of their press conferences, because it would be rather hilarious to see Sergey Kupriyanov and Alexey Miller shouting their statements to reporters:

As of January 7, when Gazprom was forced to cease gas supplies, the transit pipelines in Ukraine were filled with Russian gas. Therefore, the pipeline pressure is supposed to be sufficient for ensuring synchronous gas flow at the entry and exit points of the Ukrainian gas transmission system. Once we feed gas to the entry point, it is to appear at the exit point!

Especially when they use exclamation marks!

Providing gas for technological needs is the sole responsibility of transiting party!

Indeed!

Heeey, I coulda sworn the Bush administration said the reconstruction would pay for itself:

Plummeting oil prices may force Iraq’s government to slow ambitious reconstruction plans, and the country could face a budget shortfall by next summer, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.

“We’re in a situation where Iraq is … potentially going to be in a deficit mode next year,” said Paul Brinkley, who leads Pentagon efforts to aid Iraq’s economy.

The trend worries U.S. officials who say a strong economy is needed to lock in the security gains made over the past year. “The long-term stability of the country heavily depends on a vibrant economy,” Brinkley said.

[...]

“For next year, with the oil prices going down, we’re going to have a problem,” said Samir Sumaidaie, Iraq’s ambassador to the United States.

If prices decline after that, “it’s not even going to be enough to pay salaries, never mind reconstruction of the infrastructure,” he said in a speech Tuesday.