DISCUSSIONS

I think one of the things missing that is most often taken for granted is the importance of rubber in the whole scheme of things and as a sideline minerals. Without rubber, you would have to have all tracked vehicles and the demand for metals would be increased dramatically. But even then, no fan belts, no hoses, and even some tracked vehicles used rubber road wheels, etc. etc. etc. Either rubber should be a resource (one that you would go to war over/conquer a territory for), or and possibly use both, a Technology Research Topic for Synthetic Rubber. An interesting article on synthetic oil and rubber production and development as regards to Standard Oil and Germany can be found here: http://www.reformed-theology.org/html/books/wall_street/chapter_04.htm