THE MISSION

"spOILed" was the title of a documentary produced and directed by Mark Mathis, a former newscaster from Albuquerque, which showed in Highlands Ranch on December 9. Mr. Mathis was present to introduce his production, which will be heading to all major US cities, beginning with the major energy centers. Mr. Mathis' interest in the energy business started with his work with a small oil and gas organization helping with their media needs in 2002.
His credentials include producing "Expelled", a movie hosted by Ben Stein, and a part in the movie "Astronaut Farmer", starring Billy Bob Thornton, where he played an ABC Reporter.

The documentary starts by describing the rise of the fossil fuel extraction mentioning that coal mining effectively put an end to slavery (There is no mention of the children, who because of their small size, were used to mine the thinner coal seams in England). Energy provided by the oil industry to each individual in the western world is the equivalent to the use of 300 slaves in former times. Early oil production also saved the whales being hunted to extinction for their oil. An aerial photograph of the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic on the island of Hispaniola contrasts the deforestation in Haiti with the relatively lush vegetation on the Dominican side. This is attributed to the government provision of kerosene stoves in the Dominican to avoid wood burning. (The Dominican has an almost 40% lower population density than Haiti and its former dictator Rafael Trujillo set up national parks and banned the slash and burn method of clearing land for agriculture). To summarize the introduction, the film points to the pivotal place the oil and gas industry has in modern society.