mardi 1 avril 2003

Energy: never put your eggs... How intriguing, in such times, to see Israel and the United States jointly planning a first conference on "Cooperation for Energy Independence of Democracies" in Jerusalem in mid-May. The energy in question is renewable. This, also, after months in which American officials, not least US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Walter Kansteiner, have been assiduously cultivating the oil-producing nations of west and southern Africa, while life remains decidedly dodgy in Nigeria's delta ((March 28 entry). Even before the latest unrest, which has now seen production slashed by more than a third, Kansteiner denied claims that Washington was seeking to encourage Nigeria to quit OPEC. But industry analysts, let alone African rights activists, have been expressing concerns about US policy for some time. Backers of the Jerusalem initiative include the "It's time to set America free" Institute for the Analysis of Global Security and the Nuclear Energy Institute. (Tip-off found in 'rebecca's pocket'.) 11:52:33 PM  link   your views? [] Finger on censorship Over dinner last night, Tony was fretting about how "wall-to-wall" war coverage on television and radio is effectively "censoring" news about almost anything else. He also said that "I've got considerably more experience than Donald Rumsfeld and could have told him that bombing campaigns will not win you a war!" He does have a point on the reporting, now that he describes himself as "wobbly and largely housebound". Tony was in Germany immediately after World War II and remembers the Blitz as well. In London, Index on Censorship has awarded its 'Golden Raspberry' to Mugabe's spin doctor, Jonathan Moyo. "According to the local press, Mr Moyo has not been available to comment on his award. But (the BBC adds) the secretary-general of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Luke Tamborinyoka told the Daily News newspaper: "We hope this eminent media terrorist will marvel and be proud of his award." That T-word again. 10:59:03 AM  link   your views? [] Cut footage It's called BigBlueBlog. It's way off my usual circuit... Should you be curious as to the kind of thing Hollywood chopped after the tragedy of September 11, the Columbia trailer (and presumably the relevant chunk of movie) of 'Spiderman' snatching a helicopter between the Twin Towers is a rarity. They've got it on their server (their link is to a 21 MB QuickTime .mov file). 12:42:46 AM  link   your views? []

nick b. 2007 do share, don't steal, please credit under artistic licence terms; contributing friends (pix, other work) retain their rights.