MUENCHHAUSEN, Dec. 21, 2011
MUENCHHAUSEN
AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS
By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET
===============================================================
DECEMBER 21, 2011
===============================================================
WELCOME!
The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.
The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.
WINTER HAS ARRIVED!
Today, astronomical winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in the Washington, DC area, it has been almost preternaturally warm these last couple of days. TGB is almost sure that we here will pay for this benefit one day, perhaps dearly. However, the current long-range forecast does not augur a strong southward pulse in the Arctic Oscillation, so perhaps the winter in this area will not be as harsh as those of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
UNESCO PRESS CONFERENCE
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) gave a conference at the National Press Club (NPC, Washington, DC) to discuss the cutoff of funds imposed on it by the US, to the tune of $80 million (1). Among UNESCO environmental programs that will suffer almost immediately are those devoted to expanding the supply of clean, safe drinking water worldwide, as well as numerous other water protection problems. The US was showing its disapproval of the accession of Palestine to full membership in UNESCO; Palestine was admitted by an overwhelming majority.
The US and Israel, perhaps, did have a legitimate "gripe". Apparently UNESCO designated such major Jewish historical sites, such as the Cave of Machpelah, where the Patriarchs and three of the Matriarchs are buried, as "mosques", thereby designating any Jewish claims to their historical significance as invalid. Other sites in Israel and the Palestine territories were so designated. Thus, UNESCO is considered as being party to the effort to delegitimize the existence of Israel in its totality. However, according to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Israel itself did not stop paying its annual dues to UNESCO. If this is true, that makes for a puzzling situation. Bokova warned the NPC conference that the US could soon lose its influence and input at UNESCO if its attitude continues. Some question, however, the extent of US influence until now, especially given that the US had once pulled out previously, but had since rejoined.
Stay tuned!
LEVIATHAN
In Biblical lore, Leviathan was the sea monster that swallowed Jonah because Jonah tried to shirk his Divinely ordained mission of warning the Assyrians of his time to clean up their act in 40 days, or see their capital (Nineveh) and kingdom destroyed. The story of Jonah is recited every Yom Kippur afternoon (2, 3).
In modern lore, Leviathan is the name of a large natural gas field, estimated to hold 18 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas, to which the state of Israel lays claim. In addition, there are smaller, but still substantial fields in the Levantine Basin of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, such as Tamar (perhaps 9 TCF), also claimed by Israel. Other such fields lie in zones claimed by Cyprus and Egypt.
Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, currently the foreign minister of Cyprus, told an NPC press conference Dec. 21 that Israel already begins to produce gas from some of its wells and that Cyprus is soon to receive results of tests of quantity and quality of hydrocarbons from its exclusive economic zone (4). She also spoke of prospects for cooperation on hydrocarbon field development in cooperation with Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, all of whom have staked claims on the Levantine Basin hydrocarbon prospects, estimated to contain a total of 400 TCF of gas and perhaps 2 billion barrels of crude oil.
TGB could not refrain from asking Kozakou-Marcoullis whether, given the--uh--rather checkered geopolitical situation in the Eastern Mediterranean region, countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey would object to Israel's inclusion in such a cooperative hydrocarbon field development. She reminded TGB that Egypt has diplomatic relations with Israel, so there should be no objection from that side. She did acknowledge, however, that Lebanon could object strenuously (but might eventually seek a way to come on board, given the economic benefits to be gained). She also noted that Turkey might well object and that indeed, Turkey is laying competing claims to some of the fields (particularly Cyprus's), and is even conducting naval and air force exercises around those fields. TGB had suggested to Mrs. TGB even previously that Turkey might try to "muscle in" on those enterprises. Kozakou-Marcoullis had met with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton December 20 to discuss these and other matters of mutual concern.
As for Egypt, as Kozakou-Marcoullis observed, there currently are diplomatic relations with Israel. Yet there are numerous acts of sabotage on the pipeline that carries natural gas from Egypt to Israel (and Jordan), and TGB must ask, "What happens if and when a government such as the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt?" TGB would guess that diplomatic relations would be broken and the gas supply cut off. To be sure, this is a worst-case scenario.
Again, stay tuned!
REFERENCES:
1. Bokova, I. Conference at National Press Club, Washington, DC, Dec. 15, 2011.
2. Holy Bible, Book of Jonah, various editions.
3. Hebrew prayer book, Machtzor shel Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, verious editions.
4. Kozakou-Marcoullis, E. Conference at National Press Club, Washington, DC, Dec. 21, 2011.
AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,
RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,
AND RELATED TOPICS
By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.
BETHESDA, MD
JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET
===============================================================
DECEMBER 21, 2011
===============================================================
WELCOME!
The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.
The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.
WINTER HAS ARRIVED!
Today, astronomical winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere. Here in the Washington, DC area, it has been almost preternaturally warm these last couple of days. TGB is almost sure that we here will pay for this benefit one day, perhaps dearly. However, the current long-range forecast does not augur a strong southward pulse in the Arctic Oscillation, so perhaps the winter in this area will not be as harsh as those of 2009-2010 and 2010-2011.
 |
| Winter Solstice, Dec. 21, 2011 |
UNESCO PRESS CONFERENCE
The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) gave a conference at the National Press Club (NPC, Washington, DC) to discuss the cutoff of funds imposed on it by the US, to the tune of $80 million (1). Among UNESCO environmental programs that will suffer almost immediately are those devoted to expanding the supply of clean, safe drinking water worldwide, as well as numerous other water protection problems. The US was showing its disapproval of the accession of Palestine to full membership in UNESCO; Palestine was admitted by an overwhelming majority.
The US and Israel, perhaps, did have a legitimate "gripe". Apparently UNESCO designated such major Jewish historical sites, such as the Cave of Machpelah, where the Patriarchs and three of the Matriarchs are buried, as "mosques", thereby designating any Jewish claims to their historical significance as invalid. Other sites in Israel and the Palestine territories were so designated. Thus, UNESCO is considered as being party to the effort to delegitimize the existence of Israel in its totality. However, according to UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova, Israel itself did not stop paying its annual dues to UNESCO. If this is true, that makes for a puzzling situation. Bokova warned the NPC conference that the US could soon lose its influence and input at UNESCO if its attitude continues. Some question, however, the extent of US influence until now, especially given that the US had once pulled out previously, but had since rejoined.
Stay tuned!
UNESCO leader Bokova. Lamented US fund cutoff.
LEVIATHAN
In Biblical lore, Leviathan was the sea monster that swallowed Jonah because Jonah tried to shirk his Divinely ordained mission of warning the Assyrians of his time to clean up their act in 40 days, or see their capital (Nineveh) and kingdom destroyed. The story of Jonah is recited every Yom Kippur afternoon (2, 3).
"How is it in there, Jonah!?" "VERY DARK!!"
In modern lore, Leviathan is the name of a large natural gas field, estimated to hold 18 trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas, to which the state of Israel lays claim. In addition, there are smaller, but still substantial fields in the Levantine Basin of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, such as Tamar (perhaps 9 TCF), also claimed by Israel. Other such fields lie in zones claimed by Cyprus and Egypt.
Latter-day Leviathan: Perhaps 18 million TCF.
Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, currently the foreign minister of Cyprus, told an NPC press conference Dec. 21 that Israel already begins to produce gas from some of its wells and that Cyprus is soon to receive results of tests of quantity and quality of hydrocarbons from its exclusive economic zone (4). She also spoke of prospects for cooperation on hydrocarbon field development in cooperation with Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey, all of whom have staked claims on the Levantine Basin hydrocarbon prospects, estimated to contain a total of 400 TCF of gas and perhaps 2 billion barrels of crude oil.
TGB could not refrain from asking Kozakou-Marcoullis whether, given the--uh--rather checkered geopolitical situation in the Eastern Mediterranean region, countries such as Egypt, Lebanon, and Turkey would object to Israel's inclusion in such a cooperative hydrocarbon field development. She reminded TGB that Egypt has diplomatic relations with Israel, so there should be no objection from that side. She did acknowledge, however, that Lebanon could object strenuously (but might eventually seek a way to come on board, given the economic benefits to be gained). She also noted that Turkey might well object and that indeed, Turkey is laying competing claims to some of the fields (particularly Cyprus's), and is even conducting naval and air force exercises around those fields. TGB had suggested to Mrs. TGB even previously that Turkey might try to "muscle in" on those enterprises. Kozakou-Marcoullis had met with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton December 20 to discuss these and other matters of mutual concern.
As for Egypt, as Kozakou-Marcoullis observed, there currently are diplomatic relations with Israel. Yet there are numerous acts of sabotage on the pipeline that carries natural gas from Egypt to Israel (and Jordan), and TGB must ask, "What happens if and when a government such as the Muslim Brotherhood takes over Egypt?" TGB would guess that diplomatic relations would be broken and the gas supply cut off. To be sure, this is a worst-case scenario.
Again, stay tuned!
Kozakou-Marcoullis (l) and Secretary Clinton: Discussing East Mediterranean interests.
REFERENCES:
1. Bokova, I. Conference at National Press Club, Washington, DC, Dec. 15, 2011.
2. Holy Bible, Book of Jonah, various editions.
3. Hebrew prayer book, Machtzor shel Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, verious editions.
4. Kozakou-Marcoullis, E. Conference at National Press Club, Washington, DC, Dec. 21, 2011.
Labels: Israel-Cyprus gas fields, UNESCO
posted by Green_Baron00 @ 5:00 PM
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