Atonement

Latest news on atonement

Oct. 17, 1973: Angry Arabs Turn Off the Oil Spigot

1973: The Arab oil-producing states impose an embargo against nations supporting Israel in the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, also known as the October War or Yom Kippur War. The effect upon petroleum-consuming countries was immediate, profound and long-lasting. The oil embargo, and the cut in production that accompanied it, doubled the price of crude and reduced overall supply. That forced gas prices to skyrocket at the pump and led to rationing and the imposition of price controls in the United States and Western Europe. Long gas station lines and frustrated motorists became iconic images of the early 1970s. It also awakened the West to just how dependent it was on Middle Eastern oil, and how fragile that lifeline really was. The decision to use oil as a weapon was made prior to the opening of hostilities. Egypt's Anwar Sadat and Saudi Arabia's King Faisal met a month and a half before Egypt and Syria attacked Israel. They agreed to play their trump card — in many ways, their only card — when the expected support for Israel materialized, which it quickly did. The Yom Kippur War, which began with a surprise attack Oct. 6 (timed to coincide with the Jewish Day of Atonement), went badly for the Arabs. After initial gains, the Syrians were driven from the Golan Heights, and an entire Egyptian army was cut off in the Sinai Peninsula. The offensive fell apart, the United Nations and United States brokered separate ceasefires, and it was all over by Oct. 26. But the embargo continued. Because of the embargo, Arab oil producers were able to wrest control of their vital commodity from the Western oil companies that had been exploiting them for years. When some members of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, notably the Saudis, followed up the embargo by nationalizing their oil companies, the westward flow of petrodollars reversed itself and the drunk-on-money Middle East cartel that we know today began to emerge. In the West, and especially in the United States, the embargo and the "oil shock" that accompanied it brought about profound changes. In November, President Nixon signed the Emergency Petroleum Allocation Act, which — among other things — instituted rationing and price controls. A few months later, the United States embarked on Project Independence, an early and failed attempt to make the country energy independent. As a result, offshore oil drilling became a priority in a way it never had been before. Later, when the embargo ended and the flow of oil resumed, these correctives were either cut back or abandoned. But the psychological damage was complete: Oil-gluttonous Americans have remained paranoid about their supply ever since. Finally, on March 17, 1974, Arab oil ministers (with the exception of Libya) lifted their embargo against the United States. But the playing field was forever changed. Source: Various

The Duchess

Starring: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes Review: The trailer makes this costume drama look like a dude's nightmare, all hotness buried in yards of lace and crinoline. But in telling the true (enough) 18th-century story of young Georgiana, the handful who got stuck marrying the haughty, unfaithful Duke of Devonshire (Ralph Fiennes), the filmmakers plugged in a live wire. That would be Keira Knightley, an actress with a gift for bringing humor and heat to period pieces (Atonement, Pride and Prejudice). Based on Amanda Foreman's biography of the Duchess, the film, directed perfunctorily by Saul Dibb, underlines every parallel it can find between Georgiana and Princess Diana, starting with the Duke's affair with Bess Foster (Hayley Atwell). Knightley meets every challenge of the role as the Duchess becomes a devoted mother, an infamous... Rating: 3 Stars

Five Alive

In some respects this weeks talk of expansion and atonement from the WRU is not entirely a surprise. Considering the recent flow of sound bites and announcements, it's becoming apparent that Roger Lewis et al are very keen to expand the role the union play in rugby development below the national team.

Championship: Patel and Swann's day of atonement as Nottinghamshire draw

Samit Patel and Graeme Swann have been forgiven for their clumsy first-innings dismissals after they combined to deny Surrey their first win of the season.

Doctors fired up on 'glamour' of smoking

KEIRA Knightley in Atonement; Bruce Willis in Die Hard; Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction ? all three have used smoking to great effect, creating enduring images of stars light