1.   One oil rig worker blew the whistle on safety violations by his drilling company.

2.   Drilling company shares also climbed.

3.   Drilling companies are at risk because of their own success, Rice said.

4.   Drilling companies routinely encounter natural gas deposits in their black crude-oil fields.

5.   Finding qualified crews to operate these increasingly high-tech drilling rigs is a major worry for drilling companies.

6.   Gabriel Escamillo, a vice president of Enviro-Drill, a Phoenix-based drilling company, also believed he had little choice about his hours.

7.   In discussing one stock, Ensco International, an offshore drilling company, members were quick to ask questions about competitors and ask about valuations.

8.   Many of the exploration and drilling companies had also been herded together by the government under new holding companies.

9.   Meantime, he found idle drilling companies willing to work for a share of the revenue from wells they struck.

10.   Oil and gas drilling companies and entertainment companies also suffered.