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The World's Sugar Daddy
Vanguard's Mariana van Zeller travels to the "Saudi Arabia of Ethanol", and has a few drinks while she's at it.
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Does unrest in Nigeria's oil heartland matter?
Ahead of the UK Prime Minister's meeting with the Nigerian leader, Reuters takes on the question: WHY IS THE DELTA IMPORTANT?
We tried to address this question last year with our piece, "Rebels in the Pipeline". Nigeria is the most important oil producer in a region that is expected to supply an increasing percentage of our energy needs. But 50 years of oil production has translated into very little for the people of Nigeria. I think what we're seeing with how all the unrest there is contributing to higher gas prices here demonstrates with sobering clarity how corruption, poverty and oppression in one country can have resounding effects in this increasingly interconnected world.
Ahead of the UK Prime Minister's meeting with the Nigerian leader, Reuters takes on the question: WHY IS THE DELTA IMPORTANT? ... more -
An African Oil War?
Rebels in the Niger Delta called off a self-imposed ceasefire today in response to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's comment that the UK stands ready to provide backing to Nigerian security forces to battle lawlessness in the oil rich region.
The Movement for the Emanicapation of the Niger Delta (MEND) issued a "stern warning" to Mr Brown in an emailed statement: "Should Gordon Brown make good his threat to support this criminality for the sake of oil, UK citizens and interests in Nigeria will suffer the consequences."
The Nigerian press received the British offer as a declaration of war against rebel groups. The Daily Champion newspaper ran the headline "Battle Line! UK to Declare War on Delta Militants".
The renewed tensions in the delta helped push oil to another record high.
See full article here:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/browns-a...
Rebels in the Niger Delta called off a self-imposed ceasefire today in response to British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's comment that ... more -
Oil Wars: Nigerian Militants Vow More Attacks
What do a small group of rebels in southern Nigeria have to do with your daily commute?
Oil analysts have been pointing to the growing violence in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta for a while now, but rarely with the frequency that they have over the last few weeks. In that time, militants have pulled-off about a half-dozen attacks on oil pipelines and facilities. With world oil supplies already stretched, Africa's largest producer -- and the US's fifth largest supplier -- has been forced to cut production. And if the rebels themselves are to be believed, the situation may only get worse. What do a small group of rebels in southern Nigeria have to do with your daily commute? ... more -
Generation Gap
Mariana van Zeller looks at the impact of the youth involvement in the 2008 presidential election.
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Documentary Synthesis : "The New Meta Vision." A Session with your Expanded Self A...
Professor Ike Universe and Dr. Spaulding Fast conduct a demonstrative lecture from a two year study in " The Human Consciousness of the Creative Left Brained Potential. "
Using Video and Documentary based Art as a medium of narrative exploration, the documentary displays several examples using hybrids of diverse creativity. Upon viewing the film, you, the viewer will have activated undiscovered strands of dormant DNA. Your life will now change as you have requested. Professor Ike Universe and Dr. Spaulding Fast conduct a demonstrative lecture from a two year study in " The Human Consciousness of th... more -
Militants attack Nigerian pipelines
Oil pushed above $117 yesterday after rebels in the Niger Delta attacked two major pipelines. Shell confirmed the attacks and an expected output loss of 169,000 barrels of oil per day. The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, or MEND, claimed credit and in an email to reporters said it was a message to the United States to stop supporting "injustice" in the region.
For more on the situation in the Niger Delta, check out the Vanguard Special report Rebels in the Pipeline:
http://current.com/items/77541651_rebels_in_the_pipelin... Oil pushed above $117 yesterday after rebels in the Niger Delta attacked two major pipelines. Shell confirmed the attacks and an ... more -
Your Perceptual Life is Infinite
Your Perceptual Life is Infinite. Your conscious self is awakened by the perceptual illusions that surround you. Activate yourself and take control. Time is winning. Experimentation with the self as content is your birth right. What are the defining principles that govern our daily perceptions? Do we see things as they really are, or do we see a perceived illusion of our cognitive blue print? Your Perceptual Life is Infinite. Your conscious self is awakened by the perceptual illusions that surround you. Activate yourself and... more
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Lagos la Vida Loca
By next year, more than half the world's population will for the first time in history be living in cities. Current's Mariana van Zeller tours Lagos, Nigeria, the world's fastest-growing "Megacity." By next year, more than half the world's population will for the first time in history be living in cities. Current's Mariana van Zel... more
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Blood Roses and Diamonds
What's the true price of love? Current Vanguard Journalists head to Colombia and Sierra Leone to explore the unromantic stories behind two symbols of love.
Produced by: Evan B. Stone, Kaj Larsen, Jael de Pardo, Darren Foster & Mariana van Zeller What's the true price of love? Current Vanguard Journalists head to Colombia and Sierra Leone to explore the unromantic stories behind... more -
Valentine's Day Buzzkillers
Blood Roses & Deadly Diamonds A Current Vanguard Special Wed. February 13 10PM ET & PT
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Dakar Rally Cancelled Due to Terrorist Threat
This is a particularly big deal here in Europe, where Mariana and I are as we speak. All the cars, trucks and motorcycles have been gathering here in Lisbon all week in anticipation of the big start of the race that was scheduled to begin tomorrow.
This highlights the growing terrorism threat in North Africa and comes after four French tourists were murdered allegedly by al Qaeda-linked gunmen in Mauritania on Christmas Eve.
From the BBC:
"The 2008 Dakar Rally has been cancelled because of safety concerns in the African republic of Mauritania.
Four French tourists were murdered in Mauritania on 24 December, which led to the French government advising against any travel to the country.
Eight of the rally's 15 stages were due to pass through Mauritania.
The event's organisers, the Amaury Sport Organisation, said there had been "direct threats against the race issued by terrorist groups".
The annual car and motorcycle marathon had been due to start in Lisbon on 5 January with the finish coming in Dakar on 20 January." This is a particularly big deal here in Europe, where Mariana and I are as we speak. All the cars, trucks and motorcycles have been ... more -
" Telekinesis - Modern Day Art Medium "
Artist Ryan Seslow expands the non-physical use of energy as a contemporary ART medium.
The traditional mediums of ART continue to transcend new levels of exploration. Not only for expressive use, but for the critical ways to ask questions. It took me over 1 year of practice to be able to perform this Video Art related experiment. " Art ", in most dictionary definitions: As a skill that is mastered. Can the use of non-physical energy ( ideas & concepts ) be made manifest as an emerging contemporary ART medium? Artist Ryan Seslow expands the non-physical use of energy as a contemporary ART medium. ... more -
Clemens and Pettitte Named in Steroid Report
And plenty more asterisks to go around...sad day for the American past time.
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Dr. Phil Heals Iraq
Maybe it wasn't General Petraeus's plan. Maybe it was Dr. Phil and Oprah who are responsible for quelling some of the violence in Iraq.
American TV is perhaps the greatest form of escapism and the Iraqis are apparently eating it up. But if you think its helping out our image, you might want to think again.
"They also see the news about Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan and some say they are worried about the way young girls grow up in America.
'Do you think it's a good place for daughters?' one Iraqi friend asked rhetorically.
'If I go to America, I will leave my wife and daughter here,' replied another."
Maybe it wasn't General Petraeus's plan. Maybe it was Dr. Phil and Oprah who are responsible for quelling some of the violence in Ira... more -
Good News From Iraq?
Last year, I blogged here that we should forget about all the benchmarks that attempt to measure whether the situation in Iraq is improving or deteriorating. We will know, I wrote, that things are getting better if the Iraqis themselves feel it is so and the millions who fled the country begin to return.
Today, the BBC reports that Iraqi authorities estimate that 1,000 people a day are now making there way back home. This is the latest in a sudden string of "good news" stories coming out of Iraq.
Last week, my hometown newspaper, Newsday, ran a two-page feature that began with this:
"Since the last soldiers of the 'surge' deployed last May, Baghdad has undergone a remarkable transformation.
No longer do the streets empty at dusk. Liquor stores and cinemas have reopened for business. Some shops stay open until late into the evening. Children play in parks, young women stay out after dark, restaurants are filled with families, and old men sit at sidewalk cafes playing backgammon and smoking sheesha pipes."
And yesterday, the New York Times reported that a sense of normalcy was returning to Baghdad.
"The security improvements in most neighborhoods are real. Days now pass without a car bomb, after a high of 44 in the city in February...As a result, for the first time in nearly two years, people are moving with freedom around much of this city."
Most stories credit the "surge", particularly the US's alliance with local Sunni tribal leaders to get rid of Al Qaeda types in Baghdad and the Al Anbar province.
We don't want to get ahead of ourselves here, especially since there are many great challenges to achieving peace in the country as a whole. But we can hope that these reports are a sign of shift toward better days for the Iraqi people. Inshallah.
Last year, I blogged here that we should forget about all the benchmarks that attempt to measure whether the situation in Iraq is impr... more -
Wasted: UK Trawlers Dump Most of Their Fish
The reason: Quotas designed to stop overfishing.
"By the government's own figures, of the 186 million fish caught in UK waters last year, 117 million of them were thrown away dead as waste.
"That's actually 63% of the catch."
What a colossal waste.
The reason: Quotas designed to stop overfishing. ... more -
Elixir of the Toxic Frog
Current's Mariana van Zeller heads to the Brazilian Amazon to search for the fabled Kambo frog, one of many organisms that could hold secrets for modern medicine. But are other potential cures being lost before they can be discovered? Current's Mariana van Zeller heads to the Brazilian Amazon to search for the fabled Kambo frog, one of many organisms that could hold ... more
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Shut Up, Chavez, says King of Spain
At the Ibero-American summit in Chile, Spain's King Juan Carlos told Hugo Chavez to "shut up" after the Venezuelan president repeatedly interrupted the panel and called former Spanish President Jose Maria Aznar a "fascist."
"¿Por qué no te callas? (Why don't you shut up?)" King Juan Carlos asks Chavez in this video on El Pais.
After Chavez's mic was cut, Current Spanish President Jose Luis Zapatero asked him to be more diplomatic and respectful saying, "Former President Aznar was democratically elected by the Spanish people and was a legitimate representative of the Spanish people." At the Ibero-American summit in Chile, Spain's King Juan Carlos told Hugo Chavez to "shut up" after the Venezuelan president repeatedl... more -
China's TRILLION-DOLLAR Company
Chinese oil firm PetroChina has trumped US rival Exxon Mobil to become the world's biggest firm by market value on its first day of trading in Shanghai. With a market value of $966.05bn, it's almost twice the $488bn value of oil producer Exxon Mobil.
But some analysts said the PetroChina's Shanghai share price stemmed from speculation and was too high. It's still big, though. Chinese oil firm PetroChina has trumped US rival Exxon Mobil to become the world's biggest firm by market value on its first day of tr... more
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Darren Foster
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Darren Foster
