Learn how to deep-water drill: You may need to become an informed current-events consumer.

You need more than the 30-second sound bite.

At long last, it appears that BP's Macando Well blow-out has been successfully capped.  That particular accomplishment did not happen too soon and--for a certainty--the entire event leading up to that achievement was a huge human, economic, environmental, regional tragedy.  Now, of course, is the time for investigations and fact-finding--to make sure that the occurrence of similar accidents is minimized in the world's pursuit of food for the hungry internal combustion engine beast.  

I've written on more than one occasion for thoughtful individuals to remain so, for them to stay informed and--to some degree--detached from the quick easy blame game that 30-second sound bites trigger in so many of the people I talk with about this matter.  

Do you really know what you don't know?  

While the day-to-day sensational coverage surrounding the BP disaster is mostly over, there will continue to be a focus on exactly what happened--how did the circumstances come about that lead to what we saw unfolding in the media.  It is also time for everyone who cares about the big issues here--ecological, environmental, economic, regulatory, social--to become even more engaged in an informed, thoughtful, deliberate way.  

I can be helpful in that regard by sharing a very powerful, compelling video that I ran across recently, a 50-minute presentation by two engineers from Shell Oil at the Aspen Ideas Festival.  Despite the fact that Shell was a sponsor of the Aspen event, you will--if you're willing to take 50 minutes out of your day--be rewarded with a thoughtful analysis of the deep-water drilling business.  The presentation and the Q&A that follow are extremely helpful in understanding virtually all aspects of the industry, well-drilling differences, recovery, cost-implications, as well as the competitive versus cooperative practices among oil companies.  

The only tuition you "pay" is the 50 minutes it takes to be informed.

There are a lot of issues wrapped up in this current event and, thus, it is not possible for me to recommend viewing this video too emphatically to all of my thoughtful friends who want to be informed and mindful of the key issues of the day.  

For all my not-so-thoughtful friends I say, hey, look at it this way:  It's summer and there's only re-runs on televion anyway!  
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