Saturday, January 29, 2005
Why Should I Care? I'm On Holiday
The fate of the world rests on the efforts of the Iraqi people tomorrow, as Democracy is attempted. It is entirely possible that they will not vote for the fear of violence, or that the violence will mar the day, or even a relatively docile population will act in submission to the Sole superpower's directions, and accept the western notion of democracy as their own.The disruption of the election tommorow cannot strictly be considered Terrorism, though the violence will undoubtedly cause terror. For many of the Iraqis perpetrating the violence, the acts of their occupiers are considered far worse threats to peace. The problem cannot be understood easily by such a mixed society as the United States, or Australia, only in vague terms of Ghettos, or regional differences. The People of Iraq do not exist. The Peoples of Iraq, the Sunni, the Shiite, and the Kurds, were forced together into a convenient geographical zone, convenient for British Petroleum (Not quite the same body as BP today), to ensure oil supply for the former foremost superpower.
This Diatribe might sound random, but there's several key points lurking in the mist-
- Iraq is a Combination of Three Cultures
- The British created the nation after WW1 for the cause of Energy Security
- The US cannot easily grasp the bitter divisions in Iraqi Society
- The US does not want to divide Iraq into cultural zones in the interest of Energy Security.
- The People of Iraq are not motivated to provide energy security to the US.
But back to the main point- Why Should I Care?
Tomorrow I'll be driving two hours up the coast, and the only worry I have is that the cold snap in the US, and possible supply disruptions tomorrow as a result of violence over the elections in Iraq, will shoot the price of oil up to US$70, a prediction I backed two months ago. Admittedly, that's a long way to go from the US$47.15 it was two hours ago, but with an OPEC meeting , Iraqi Elections, and this global phenomenon called weather, the only vaguely accurate prediction I can make is that I'll Likely be on holiday from tomorrow for a week.
Here's hoping the oil spike won't kick in till it's all over, eh?
posted by Keegan at 5:39 pm ... 0 comments
----------------
Sunday, January 23, 2005
University Confirmation
finally, I'm getting some clarity about my future - I got into Maquarie, and I can progress towards a Bachelor of Arts, Major in Politics, and while the education at my previous institution has been valuable, it has also been quite limited. It also puts my unemployed status into a stark obviousness. Get a Job, they say, that little pile of nuts you gathered won't last all winter, not with the commute you've committed yourself to.Now if at this point I started whinging that government should be paying for all my expenses cos students are the most important resource we have as a nation, that would just be greedy. I do want a job, but I feel I'm going ot have trouble finding one that's appropriate and desirable - Indoor work with no heavy lifting (the heavy lifting in my previous job resulted in a workplace injury that left me quitting my job). Because of my Uni timetable, it has to be weekend work, fri-sun. now for some reason, most people like ot have the weekend off to do non-work things. students, on the other hand, would like to work enough to get by, and weekends seem to be the best time for this work.
But the real news heere is i've started reading my political books again, given the Tom Clancy books the flick for the meantime, and here's to hoping my Textbooks'll be interesting. actually, let's go to the Co-Op Site now, and find out...
No Dice, online lists aren't up yet. Not missing out I hope. Well, I'll find out when my wisdom teeth get taken out tomorrow. That'll be fun. barrell of laughs. I've had more needles than I could count (I lost count after 50 or so since 2002), but in the mouth? that's fresh.
posted by Keegan at 8:15 am ... 0 comments
----------------
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Faith, Life And Politics
I'm finding with my lack of direction in this blog that there's a few things going on in my life which are drifting my focus on Oil Politics/Security, and the predictions I keep making based on other people's analysis. I can't see the forest for the trees I have to cut down to get a good view. and I don't want to cut these trees down, cos right now, I find them more interesting than the fate of the world.posted by Keegan at 9:45 am ... 0 comments
----------------
Friday, January 14, 2005
Accidentally On Purpose
Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been four days since my last confession, and in that time, I have probably committed a great many acts that run against holy writ. Yet I do not feel that I have sinned, or committed a crime of mortality that I must beg forgiveness for. I do not feel that the infinite wisdom of the creator god can fit into a single book, or that any institution so earthly as a church can be sufficent as a conduit between the self and god. If you seek forgiveness, asking a priest for it is not enough- you must ask god. You will know that forgiveness is given, because god is all forgiving.Four days since I last wrote in this blog, and the heat is stifling, the hango'er was palpable, and my grudge still bitter that oil prices have not continued to rise, mainly due to the low energy demands of the mild winter that the US is experiencing, and the lack of supply troubles I had hoped for. It's still at $45-odd a Barrel, which is $15-odd profit per barrel for shareholders in BP - if I was a shareholdin' man, the research I've done on the company, with my counterparts, would be sufficient to lay down the chips. The trick is to hold on when the oil runsout and the company turns its full attentions to alternatives, the time when the fickle will flee...
I'm reading Arthur C. Clarke's 2061: Odyssey Three, written in 1989, on the cusp of Soviet downfall, and during apartheid, with the politics of his future directly influenced by these political realities. I'm wondering if my thoughts towards the future bear any resembalance to this - weather the terrorism and energy security issues that fill current affairs are clouding my visions of the future...
posted by Keegan at 11:46 am ... 0 comments
----------------
Tuesday, January 11, 2005
Systems Malfunction
The Phoneline died yesterday, a failing of the system which keeps me connected to you... well not really, as a desparate blogger always has a library, net cafe or a friend to bust in on. but it was frustrating nevertheless, to go 23 hours without this option in my dank cavern of a home. this distraction really, from the troubles of my mind and my life, the outlet that i'm not entirely free with, always slightly aware that when i'm president of the Federation of Australia, some hacker will dig up this blog and bust me for the views I held at the age of twenty, when you still had to type and computers sat on desks, and drugs were illegal and you actually thought about the consequences of your actions, though these thoughts no longer prevented these actions as much as they may have done in previous generations.so when i'm sipping on nutrient juice floating in an airship over the stratosphere discussing economics with some random advisor, i'll think back to this blog entry, wondering who's read it, and if they still know me, and if they're waiting for their moment. see you then...
posted by Keegan at 1:51 pm ... 0 comments
----------------
Sunday, January 09, 2005
Just Turn Around Now...
I starting to wonder how Humans can make impersonal decisions, how Kennedy could cope with his womanising, if he even cared that if it hurt Jackie, if he ever felt the guilt that his catholicism demanded. did he ever tell the priest? had he been to confession before he was shot? How the hell did he keep America from nuclear war through 1960-63? Where was his mind during the Cuban Missile Crisis? Going to State Affairs and pretending everything was normal, probably getting a blowjob or two from some random interns? it took two weeks for the crisis to boil down, and I don't think the President is going to jerk off when he can get some pretty young thing from stanford to do it while he tries to save his country from Mutually Assured Destruction.No time to weigh the consequences of personal choices when the consequences of greater decisions will affect the lives of all freedom loving peoples in the world...
posted by Keegan at 1:27 pm ... 0 comments
----------------
Saturday, January 08, 2005
Post-Apocalpyse...
What Would You Do?Try to rebuild civilization? Why? What was so good about it? You think Nike was so fantastic you should dedicate your life to rebuilding it? When all the cities are as ash to the wind, will you rebuild the skyscrapers that sucked the energy of the world to their great heights and hoarded the wealth of nations? Would you look away from the remnants of nature, desparate for a Johnny Appleseed to regrow across the wastelands? Turn your back on the world that gave you life? Happiness where you find it, I guess, but don't bother looking for it, it'll find you when you are at peace, and you'll never be at peace in the cities rebuilt.
posted by Keegan at 7:07 pm ... 0 comments
----------------
Monday, January 03, 2005
Sport Vs. International Politics
the best thing about International Politics, like sport, is that no-one ever wins forever. There's always next season, though for the World, it's a longer time for the reigning champs to reign.World Champs the United States continue to train in the off season after winning the title in the Cold War Challenge against the now Disbanded Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. In Iraq, Afganistan, skirmishes against natives test the latest in weaponry and support from the masses, and Continuing the Trade that gave them such an advantage last round through the WTO, The Team is gearing up for a developing match against The PRC, a nation of over 1 billion people. Forcast for the 2020 season, this will pit the Reigning Hegenomy against the up-and-comer in a supply war for the Fuel of Survival, which the US is already attempting to secure. Some predict however, the potential rise of the traditional seat of superpowerdom, in the modern guise of the EU, with it's technological developments towards a future without fuel dependence...
not so much at stake when the Panthers take on the Roosters...
posted by Keegan at 1:16 pm ... 0 comments
----------------
Sunday, January 02, 2005
Blow Shit Up...
NASA's next big thing is to blow up a teeny little craft, says CNN, Story Here. At the cost of US$330m, I think it's a fair call. personally, I think the world's lucky that the tsunami didn't hit China, or in the Atlantic, where much bigger cities would have been devastated, and the death toll could easily reach the millions. Still hell on earth, I'll grant you, but I think for now, Medicenes Sans Frontieres, is the best possible charity to save lives immediately, and then further donations should be shuffled to The UN - Food and Shelter are covered in separate UN bodies, UNHCR and WFP. Later On, say six months down the line, head Here. that's the help they'll really need, tourist confidence.and what's that got to do with blowing up US$1/3Bn? well, when the shit hits the fan, and there really is a comet blasting down towards NYC like in Armageddon or Deep Impact, i'd like to know that the one shot humanity has will actually have an effect, and not just be absorbed by the comet as it continues hurtling down. probably cos there's not really any fault lines on the east coast of the states... gotta save the blue ones...
posted by Keegan at 4:04 pm ... 0 comments
----------------
Saturday, January 01, 2005
Welcome To The Second Half Of The Decade
Remember 2000? It's further away today than 2010 is. And what of it? Well, for starters, There has been five years of Oil taken out of the ground, at an increasing rate. Cost is down, but that's a condition of the market, and it doesn't put that Oil back in the ground. "Oil Security" seems to be working for the US, though it's kept them stuck somewhere they don't want to be. Five years from now, where will you be? will you still be able to afford to drive that SUV to the grocery store? or will you have paid a premium for one of those rare used petrol-electrics that get two to three times the mileage?As for me, will this be the year my degree ends? or will I sneak my way into the B.Arts Politcs - Middle East specialty at Maq U? 18 days to go.
posted by Keegan at 5:03 pm ... 0 comments
----------------