Ira and I were watching some more of QI (a BBC comedy quiz show) last night, when we heard that the founder (Edward de Bono) of ‘lateral thinking’ had made a very unusual suggestion to solve the Israeli/Palestinian conflict during a think tank session. To send out huge (presumably free) consignments of Marmite!
Apparently a Zinc deficiency can lead to you being more aggressive than you would otherwise be, so to try and minimize the violence in the Middle East, perhaps they should try sending out something high in zinc… In a similar vein, Dr. Alexander Mauskop suggests that having Botox for migraines may help relieve the symptoms! The idea is relatively simple, and has been tested out to a certain degree - if there is little to no tension around your head, migraine seem less likely to attack…

BP has asked bloggers to help put forth their point of view, over the recent debacle started by the Chicacgo Tribune with its recent article on the chemicals being placed in Lake Michigan. This is quite unusual in that companies will often want a positive slant or spin to be placed on the issue being discussed, if they are helping to fund the discussion.

So, as the title to this post infers, I will be presenting both ’sides’ to the story, and it is up to you, the reader to make your own decision.
Before I continue any further, here are the original sources of information, should you wish to do some further research after reading this post…
The Chicago Tribune Article in question, and BP’s Whiting Refinery Fact Sheet

So, for each point, I will first summarize the ’story’ as told by the paper, then BP’s counter-arguments & refutals.

BP will now be placing a lot more ammonia and heavy metals into Lake Michigan.
Anything released into the lake will be treated, and completely within the law.
AND
What is released is 99.9% water - NO sludge is released into the lake at all.

The new larger amounts being released into the lake is against the Clean Water Act.
As these will now be released 60 metres offshore, the Tribune’s assertation is incorrect.

Local people have been complaining.
Only forty people were ‘outraged’ enough to e-mail!
AND
Local people will find new employment - 4000 during constructions of the planned expansion to the plant, and another 80 full time BP positions.

Tribune is happy to quote someone else claiming that BP are not spending money to protect the lake.
BP will be spending a further $150 million to improve their treatment processes.

So, although there may be a small increase in the pollution to the huge lake, self sufficiency will increase, as Canadian crude oil can slowly take the place of some the crude oil imported from the troubled Middle East region.

Just in case you do not read a newspaper, or ever browse the news web sites out there, Tony Blair will be quitting as Prime Minister of Britain next week. I am not going to start droning on about his Tory-era promise to Gordon Brown re. time scales of this change over, but I am interested to hear that Tony’s political master partner, George Bush, is recommending Tony as a peace envoy for the Middle East.
If anything, I believe that Bush Jr.’s recommendation will do little for Tony’s credibility in the afflicted area, but then again, as James Wolfensohn quit the job more than a year ago, perhaps the head honchos in the area are looking for any sort of leadership?

Whether you are looking for employment in the UAE, Morocco, Syria, there a lot of Middle East jobs to be found if you know where to look.
JobSiteGulf is one such place - not only do they have a comprehensive database of vacancies in the area, you will also find a lot of useful and relevant articles on subjects surrounding the process. Whether you need to know more about Visa requirements to the country you wish to work in, a general guide to the Middle East or what to watch out for when using employment agencies based there, the site has you covered.

For those searching for a job, you can refine your search via the country you wish to work in, the industry you specialise in, the sort of employment offered (ie permanent, temporary, contract or part-time) and/or a simple keyword search.
When it comes to finding the jobs, you can either search for them, as mentioned, have relevant opportunities e-mailed to you, or use both methods. Combine that with the ability to upload your CV to the site, for prospective employers to browse through, and all bases seemed to be covered.
In case you are concerned that only those who seek employment in the oil sector would be interested in the site, however, I managed to find a quite a few jobs, should I ever decide to take a trip to Dubai again - hmm, the sun, the sand, the dune driving…. OK, enough reminiscing from me, trust me, take a few minutes to check the site - you won’t be dissappointed.

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