This is a reasonable depiction of the oil situation; but the publisher is the New York Times, and I expect better reportage on a wider range of issues contributing not only to the oil drain, repeating the mantra on China and state-owned drilling fields, but to the technology of drilling, the threat to the environment, and the specter of alternative fuels replacing at least some of the demand. On the economic front, the Times could have investigated the theory that oil supplies are still available even if expensive because third world countries can no longer afford fuel, and that has caused terrible hardship in countries where pain is real and not felt at the pump. The piece alludes to depletion theories such as put forth by James Howard Kunstler who forecast the current state of affairs in an interview I did with him nine months ago; but never really delves into core arguments on sustainability, which more communities are embracing, further altering the once heavy hand of big oil. Then there are newly tapped fields in North Dakota (helped by new technology) and the controversies that this is causing in a state known more for winter wheat than for crude. Then there is T. Boone Pickens and his campaign for wind power. In sum, the theme of this article is state-owned oil fields are making it rough on oil companies that did not invest enough in exploration--worthy facts, of course--but only two pieces of the 500-piece puzzle.