Oil!

Oil! is a novel by Upton Sinclair published in 1927 told as a third person narrative, with only the opening pages written in the second person. The book was written in the context of the Harding administration's Teapot Dome Scandal and takes place in Southern California. It is a social and political satire skewering the human foibles of all its characters.

The main character is James Arnold Ross Jr., nicknamed Bunny, son of an oil tycoon. Bunny's sympathetic feelings toward oilfield workers and socialists provoke arguments with his father throughout the story.

The novel served as a loose inspiration for the 2007 film There Will Be Blood.

Characters

Oil

An oil is any neutral, nonpolar chemical substance that is a viscous liquid at ambient temperatures and is both hydrophobic (immiscible with water, literally "water fearing") and lipophilic (miscible with other oils, literally "fat loving"). Oils have a high carbon and hydrogen content and are usually flammable and slippery.

The general definition of oil includes classes of chemical compounds that may be otherwise unrelated in structure, properties, and uses. Oils may be animal, vegetable, or petrochemical in origin, and may be volatile or non-volatile. They are used for food, fuel, lubrication, and the manufacture of paints, plastics, and other materials. Specially prepared oils are used in some religious ceremonies as purifying agents.

Etymology

First attested in English 1176, the word oil comes from Old French oile, from Latin oleum, which in turn comes from the Greek ἔλαιον (elaion), "olive oil, oil" and that from ἐλαία (elaia), "olive tree", "olive fruit". The earliest attested forms of the word are the Mycenaean Greek 𐀁𐀨𐀺, e-ra-wo and 𐀁𐁉𐀺, e-rai-wo, written in the Linear B syllabic script.

Oil (band)

Oil is a Christian thrash metal band from Long Beach, California, USA. The band was formed in 1997 by Ron Rinehart, the former vocalist with Dark Angel, who converted to Christianity at a Harvest Crusade after Dark Angel's dissolution in 1992. Other members include lead guitarist Blake Nelson (formerly with Deceiver, Desire and Captain Black) and drummer Jason Vander Pal. Oil has released two studio albums and one live album.

In 2004, Rinehart left the band to pursue other non-musical interests. The rest of the group is looking for a new vocalist.

Biography

Oil's first release was a self-financed EP in 1999.

The Refine album was well-reviewed for its honest, no frills metal approach. The band performed live gigs, including a show at the Stryper Expo, but Rinehart received an injury soon after the album release which meant Oil did not perform for nearly a year. Once recovered, Rinehart and Oil returned to performing, being announced as special guests to Disciple in April.

The band recorded a live album Choice Cuts Off the Chopping Block at the First Baptist Church in Downey, California, in November 2002. The record included two new acoustic songs, "This Is My Prayer" and "Medicine Man". When bass guitarist Matthew Joy opted out in May 2003, Oil recruited Jonathan Thiemens of Blind Sacrificies as a temporary replacement. This became permanent in July.

Switzerland

Switzerland (/ˈswɪtsərlənd/), officially the Swiss Confederation (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, hence its abbreviation CH), is a country in Europe. While still named the "Swiss Confederation" for historical reasons, modern Switzerland is a federal directorial republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities, called Bundesstadt ("federal city"). The country is situated in Western and Central Europe, and is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland is a landlocked country geographically divided between the Alps, the Swiss Plateau and the Jura, spanning an area of 41,285 km² (15,940 sq mi). While the Alps occupy the greater part of the territory, the Swiss population of approximately 8 million people is concentrated mostly on the Plateau, where the largest cities are to be found: among them are the two global and economic centres, Zürich and Geneva.

The establishment of the Swiss Confederation is traditionally dated to 1 August 1291, which is celebrated annually as the Swiss National Day. The country has a long history of armed neutrality—it has not been in a state of war internationally since 1815—and did not join the United Nations until 2002. Nevertheless, it pursues an active foreign policy and is frequently involved in peace-building processes around the world. In addition to being the birthplace of the Red Cross, Switzerland is home to numerous international organizations, including the second largest UN office. On the European level, it is a founding member of the European Free Trade Association, but notably it is not part of the European Union, nor the European Economic Area. However the country does participate in the Schengen Area and the EU's single market through a number of bilateral treaties.