Given all the news this week of Russia and Italy's South Stream deal with Turkey in exchange for a nuclear power plant, I thought I would repost an article written by Robert Amsterdam last fall in Energy Risk on Turkey's political pipelines.

FROM OCT. 2008, ENERGY RISK:

Turkey's political pipelines

Turkey's strategic position at the crossroads of East and West has put it at the centre of a geopolitical tug of war, with energy supply a key driver. Robert Amsterdam examines the energy policies being brought to bear in the region

Turkey's role in global affairs is defined by its geostrategic importance as the bridge between Europe and the Near East. Following Russia's invasion and occupation of Georgia in August, which caused considerable energy supply jitters, Turkey was once again thrust into the spotlight as the European

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Even though we are only a few months into the new administration, President Obama has made it clear that he is taking an aggressive stance on transforming the current domestic energy policies into a more environmentally-friendly system. The steps taken by the president are not unusual as most industrialized nations have already enacted environmental initiatives to decrease greenhouse gases.

Analysis indicates that at least 30% of the greenhouse gases are produced from the trucking industry while the rail industry follows in close second. Analysts of a 2007 report named “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Freight Trucks” found that the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) produced by the U.S. trucking industry increased more than 69% from 1990 to 2005. This is not a surprising result as the tons per mile ratio increased from about 800,000 in 1990 to about 1,300,000 in 2004, while the truck

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A few hours ago I had the pleasure of attending an on-the-record discussion with the former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer at Chatham House here in London.As may be expected, Fischer's talk "Germany Twenty Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall" was a compelling presentation of the myriad meanings, consequences, and possibilities brought upon Europe at the end of the Cold War, as well as a discussion of the lessons for Germany's future within the European system.Coming from a Russophile perspective, I was very interested in what Fischer had to say about his frustration with Europe's seeming inability to get its act together with regard to common energy policies, and the way that the actions of certain members has created some ...

This company is a real sleeper.  David Fessler of Investment U has “been on the lookout” for a stock like this.  He expects that “Neutral Tandem will be a direct beneficiary” of broadband network expansion.

Recession resistant and sure to benefit from President Obama’s energy policies, David explains why this  Sleeper Stock is the way to go.

This from David:

Sleeper Stocks… Are There Any Left?

Regular Investment U readers know I’m an old propeller head (retired engineer). As such, my focus has been on the energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been on the lookout for stocks that stand to benefit as a result of President Obama’s stimulus package, and the energy policies his administration plans to enact during his term as President.

As investors – regardless of our political persuasions – we are looking at some exciting months and years ahead and some

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Neutral Tandem, Inc. (Nasdaq: TNDM): Stock of the Day

by David Fessler, Advisory Panelist, Investment U

Sleeper Stocks… Are There Any Left?

Regular Investment U readers know I’m an old propeller head (retired engineer). As such, my focus has been on the energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.

Since the beginning of the year, I’ve been on the lookout for stocks that stand to benefit as a result of President Obama’s stimulus package, and the energy policies his administration plans to enact during his term as President.

As investors – regardless of our political persuasions – we are looking at some exciting months and years ahead and some great opportunities. I’ll be talking about them here, and in various publications our paid subscribers at the Oxford Club receive. You can learn more about them here.

Yesterday I went searching for a “sleeper” stock. You know the type: a

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There is a much better way to generate nuclear energy, says Patrick Cox. Thorium is more efficient, more abundant and less hazardous than uranium. Patrick says it is government subsidies and regulations are blocking the widespread use of thorium. But if Obama removes these barriers, it could become the ultimate alternative energy.

This from The Daily Reckoning:

Contrary to the common misconception, we have no energy shortage. In fact, we have more energy available than we could ever use. If not for the anti-nuclear movement, the funders of terrorism would not be awash with petrodollars and our economy would be significantly stronger. Unfortunately, rock musicians and actors had more influence on energy policies than scientists like Petr Beckmann, whom I was lucky to have as a friend.

Dr. Beckmann was a Czech refugee from Nazism who spent much of his career in America promoting nuclear power. Until he died, Beckmann

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pJan 5, 2009 (WALL STREET JOURNAL) -- As the U.S. seeks to stockpile oil, China has been doing the same, observers say, and is expected to quicken the pace -- a development that already may be helping to boost oil prices./ppOn Friday, the U.S. Department of Energy said that amid low oil prices, it aims to fill the country's Strategic Petroleum Reserve to capacity this year./ppThat news followed a rare public statement last week from China's top energy official, Zhang Guobao, head of the National Energy Administration, in the People's Daily newspaper that China should take advantage of the falling global energy demand to increase its oil reserves. Mr Zhang said China will quot;encourage companies to utilize idle storage capacity to increase inventories.quot;/ppOil prices have been rising lately. On Friday, oil closed up 3.9% to $46.34 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange./ppThough China doesn't disclose its oil inventories ...

Carbon Sciences Inc. (CABN.OB), the developer of a breakthrough technology to transform carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions into gasoline and other fuels, recently announced the potential benefits of the Obama administration on the company’s future growth. The President-elect is expected to support legislation for the development of renewable energy sources. In fact, industry insiders forecast that legislation may come early next year to speed a transition to an economy fueled by renewable energy sources.

Obama’s administration is not only looking to overhaul the current U.S. energy policies but plans to strategically invest $150 billion over 10 years in a clean energy economy that will help the private sector create 5 million new green jobs through his “New Energy for America” plan. Additionally, this plan will support the production of synthetic petroleum from sustainable feed stocks in order to break American addiction to oil while at the same time creating millions of green

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Below is a new article authored by Robert Amsterdam in the latest edition Energy Risk on the East-West tug-of-war going on in Turkey over critical supply routes, and how the energy diplomacy game has been affected by the war in Georgia. RA has written for this publication in the past, and delivered a speech at their 2007 conference in Houston. Turkey's political pipelines Turkey's strategic position at the crossroads of East and West has put it at the centre of a geopolitical tug of war, with energy supply a key driver. Robert Amsterdam examines the energy policies being brought to bear in the region Turkey's role in global affairs is defined by its geostrategic importance as the bridge between Europe and the Near East. Following Russia's invasion and occupation of Georgia in August, which caused considerable energy supply jitters, Turkey was once ...

Evergreen Solar, Inc. (NASDAQ:ESLR) is looking like a prime Value Play at current levels. Evergreen shares have been cut in half since late June and hitting new 52-week lows all week.  At a time like this, their catch phrase really means something - Think Beyond. When will the company’s patented string ribbon technology finally manage to rise up, gain artificial intelligence and enslave the human race? That and many more questions will be answered in this ground-breaking analysis. Think Matrix Revolutions when Neo finally confronts the mother A.I. being, Evergreen's just a step away (not really, but what the hell): ESLR dropped like a rock Monday, shedding a ...