wednesday 7 July 2004

Peak Oil and Gas.........the theory that oil and gas production are going to peak in the next decade or thereabouts. Could this be it for so-called modern civilisation?

Some big names are certainly taking notice..The national Geographic's latest Issue is Sub-titled 'The End Of Cheap Oil?'

I'm going to learn how to grow veggies in my backyard just in case, as most fertilizers and pesticides have a large proportion of fossil fuel in their production. So the end of cheap oil will not just effect you petrol bill.

Tuesday 6 July 2004

"The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much."

Heart Of Darkness. Joseph  Conrad

wednesday 30 june 2004

Wow its been a while since I was here. So lets start off with a little ditty about the so called 'War on Terror'.

And if you really think its about 'Terror' and not oil then consider this.....

Zalmay Khalizad, the US Ambassador to Afghanistan, was a consultant to oil company Unocal, and now reports to Condoleeza Rice, US National Security Advisor, who used to be on the board of directors for Chevron and was their expert on Kazakhstan, which borders on the Caspian sea. The Caspian is home to what is estimated to be one of the largest oil fields in the world. To get the oil from the Caspian to buyers, a pipeline must go through Afghanistan, the US appointed president of Afghanistan is Harmid Karzai. Harmid Karzai used to work for Unocal, the company building a pipeline to transport the oil from the Caspian.

Cozy little bunch aren't they?

Thursday 2 October 2003

The Great Trade Debate continues - some think truly free trade  - where the US and Europe drop their massive agricultural subsidies - would help Africa by enabling them to find markets for their products, others say that free trade will only mean more hurt to Africa enabling large producers outside Africa to sell their cheap crops and destroy local markets in Africa. Read two articles on each side of the argument here and here.

Friday 18 August 2003

Inspiring Stuff....Jo Wilding is heading back to Iraq to help build relationships between  schools, sports teams and clubs there and the outside world. Shes' working at grassroots with ordinary Iraqi's. more..

TUEDAY 12 AUGUST 2003

Lets not forget Afghanistan.

B52's bombed the Afghanistan countryside after September 11 2001. Up to 10,000 civilians have been killed in the so-called 'War on Terror' in Afghanistan.

Some people have said to me that 'something had to be done' after planes crashed into the twin towers. The logic for this I guess is based on the fact America was 'under attack' and needed to respond. However America was not under attack. There was no immediate threat from the Al-Qeuda. Plots such as those carried out on September 11 take years to organise.

Perhaps people think the attack on Afghanistan was justified because the Taliban government was hiding Al-Qeuda leaders including Osama Bin-Laden. However no one is suggesting we bomb New York because the US is hiding Emmanuel 'Toto' Constant , or if they do, they are considered a nut. Incase you don't know, Emmanuel Constant was the leader of the Haitian death squad FRAPH. FRAPH was responsible for the murder of hundreds and possibly thousands of Haitian citizens in 1993 and 1994. Constant attended Clinton inauguration balls in 1993 and was on the CIA payroll at various times. Although Constant is a wanted terrorist the state Department has repeatedly blocked current Haitian attempts to extradite Constant to Haiti to stand trial.

MOnday 11 August 2003

MON, 18 August - 'Focus on West Papua - Oppression and resistance: A critical issue for the Pacific' - John Rumbiak, West Papuan Human Rights Advocate speaks following an introduction by Professor Rod Alley, Victoria University, at the Peace Action Wellington meeting, 7pm, Athena College, 203 Willis Street. For more info contact Mark Derby, NZ-West Papua Association, tel (04) 939 1215.

Friday 1 August 2003

'Hunting' naked women with paintballs? Apparently this was happening near Las Vegas. However the story may have been a hoax, even so some find the suggestion as degrading to women as the reality. more..

Thursday 31 July 2003

For those of you who haven't yet come across the WMD joke in google and want a little laugh go to www.google.com and type in 'find weapons of mass destruction' and hit 'I'm feeling lucky'.

Wednesday 30 July 2003

Yippee, the Athens Bar Association is taking a case to the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Tony Blair and other British ministers for war crimes committed against the people of Iraq more..

TUESDAY 29 July 2003

While in Indonesia I was lucky enough to meet some activists very dedicated to the pursuit of human rights. A draft (please forgive spelling etc) account of their life in Indonesia today can be read here..

Monday 28 July 2003

Oh dear......PM Helen Clarke thinks one of the centuries great mass murderers is a 'legend'. On her recent trip South Korea she was mingling with the Henry Kissinger, who, along with president Gerald Ford approved the invasion of East Timor! Lets not even start with his adventures in South East Asia. more on Kissengers crimes..

So BP is beyond petroleum is it? Well I guess that's why they need to spend US$100 million on telling us that! Three times more than they spend on Solar power itself! Wildlife in Alaska would be surprised to hear of BP�s environmental vision. The oil company is now prospecting in that beautiful part of the world,  previously untouched by oil companies. more..