I love this picture. It says so much about the world today. The Alaska pipeline surges out of the ground here at Prudhoe Bay, certainly one of the world's most forlorn outposts, on the cusps of the Arctic Ocean. From here it will journey a thousand miles or so across wilderness Alaska, to coastal Valdez, where the precious crude is loaded onto tankers. There have been one major and many minor accidents. Is that too much or are we doing a good job? It depends on your perspective. This picture was taken on a cold and gloomy day in June.