Petroleum

It's time to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve. Yes, up there, where Alaska bumps into Canada, between the Brooks Range and the Beaufort Sea. The place where caribou and musk ox roam; where grizzly and polar bears hunt, and whales and walrus swim. That's where we should drill for oil, right now. Before you heat up the tar and begin plucking feathers off your neighborhood Canada geese, hear me out. I think we should drill for every last drop of oil we can, because until the last pool of petroleum has been tapped, Americans are not going to get serious about conservation.

The revitalization of Baltimore County's eastern waterfront received a boost yesterday when officials began demolishing two dilapidated buildings and announced a plan to identify areas contaminated by petroleum products. County Executive James T. Smith Jr. made the announcement at the demolition of two small vacant buildings that will be replaced by a tiny patch of green space near the headwaters of Middle River. "This is the latest stop in our ongoing road toward revitalization here on the east side," Smith said.

Spalding senior recognized as Hispanic Scholar Jose Pitti, a senior at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn and a resident of Owings Mills, has been recognized by the National Hispanic Recognition program. The program, which was established by the College Board in 1983, provides national recognition of the exceptional academic achievements by Hispanic high school seniors and identifies them for post-secondary institutions. Students enter the program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test when they are juniors in high school and by identifying themselves as Hispanic.

NEW YORK -- Crude oil rose to a 23-month high as a strike that crippled petroleum exports from Venezuela entered its fourth week, forcing refiners to seek alternative supplies. Venezuelan crude production has dropped more than 90 percent since oil workers walked off the job Dec. 2, traders said. OPEC ministers have no immediate plans to boost output to cover the lost supply. Traders are also concerned the United States and Iraq may go to war and disrupt Persian Gulf crude shipments. Refiners "are scrambling to buy anything they can," said Bill Scott, a crude-oil trader at Burlington Resources Trading Inc. in Houston.

THE CHEVRONTEXACO tanker pulled into Pascagoula, Miss., in August laden with 485,000 barrels of Iraqi crude. As raw oil goes, the cargo was nothing special, soured as it was by 2.4 percent sulfur. But ChevronTexaco's refineries are better equipped than many to handle the contaminants common to the Iraqi product. They have been doing so for years, federal records show. U.S. imports of Iraqi petroleum have surpassed pre-Persian Gulf war highs in recent years, and ChevronTexaco has been at the front of the parade, joining ExxonMobil and Valero Energy as big American clients for Baghdad.

Bernard Wobbeking, 93, Army officer, engineer Bernard Wobbeking, a retired career Army officer and engineer, died of heart failure Oct. 12 at Rossmoor Leisure World in Silver Spring. He was 93 and had lived in Fairfax, Va. Mr. Wobbeking was born and raised in Northeast Baltimore and attended city public schools. In 1934, he earned his bachelor's degree in engineering from the Johns Hopkins University and was also commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army. Mr. Wobbeking was an expert in petroleum engineering, logistics and management.

Sihung Lung, 72, the Taiwanese actor who had pivotal roles in director Ang Lee's well-regarded "Father Knows Best" trilogy of films, died of liver failure May 2 in Taipei. Mr. Lung also appeared in Mr. Lee's Academy Award-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and acted in more than 100 Chinese-language films. Born in a village in mainland China, Mr. Lung completed his secondary-school education and joined the Nationalist armies of Chiang Kai-shek as a teen-ager. He fled to Taiwan in 1949 in the face of the Communist victory in the civil war. While in his 20s, he started his acting career in an army theater group in Taipei.

NEW YORK -Crude oil rose to a six-month high on expectations of stronger demand, after reports signaled that the United States is quickly recovering from last year's recession. The U.S. economy expanded at a 1.7 percent annual pace from October to December, up from a previous estimate of 1.4 percent, the Commerce Department said. The University of Michigan's consumer-sentiment index rose to a 15-month high of 95.7 in March from 90.7 in February. Economic growth will lead to greater demand for gasoline, diesel and industrial fuels, analysts said.

James B. Hattman, who worked his way up during 39 years in the oil industry to become chief operating officer and executive vice president of the Petroleum Chemicals Department of the Davison Chemical Division of W.R. Grace and Co., died Tuesday of a blood infection at St. Joseph Medical Center in Towson. The Parkton resident was 75. As a young man, Mr. Hattman studied chemistry and engineering, subjects that enabled him to travel the world, and earn a reputation as a salesman and successful oil executive, and help W. R. Grace to become one of the leading suppliers in the world of a catalyst that increases the recovery of lighter fuels from crude oil. Mr. Hattman was born in Emsworth, Pa., graduated with honors from La Salle University in Philadelphia and began his career in petroleum in 1948.

Santa, tell the elves to downsize: Excess is out. Frugal is in. But if this is the year to economize during the holiday season, does that mean our youngest relations have to suffer? A survey of this year's hottest toy offerings suggests maybe not. Thanks to falling petroleum prices (an essential element of plastic) and cheaper technology, many of the most popular toys can be had for less than $30. Chris Byrne, an independent toy analyst and editor of The Toy Reporter, says that while manufacturers may advertise their pricier wares, the less expensive stuff is often the most fun for children.