Break Out Those Maps

Just when Americans start figuring out the region that CENTCOM commands, that is, where Israel is in relation to Yemen, which states are Sunni governed and which are Shiia, we now have to break out the old atlas and try to figure out this new AFRICOM. Thats right, the Dark Continent, the one everyone wishes away, is an area of "national security". Yes, indeed, Dick Cheney, Chevron, Exxon -Mobile and Dutch Shell.Unfortunate little Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa (140 million), along with several other countries in the West African "Oil Triangle" is cursed with that black gooey stuff our brave young men and women are so willing to die for. Coincidentally, it is also a front line in the Global War On Terror! Surpise ,surprise, as Gomer Pyle used to say. Total oil revenues that have flowed into Nigeria since 1974 : $ 728,500,000,000 Percentage of Nigerians living on less than $1.00 a day in 1985 and today, respectively: 32, 71. Just when I finally figured out where Kirkuk is I have to find Sao Tome and Principe, which according to the new report by the Center for International Policy, will be the new headquarters for AFRICOM.

What is funny is the US attitude toward Venezuela, a place with no political instability or violent conflict. One would think we would be thrilled to have a reliable source, would be praising the Bolivarian revolution and Chavez as a godsend. But no.

That was quite a glimpse into the economic eggshells the global stock trading system really rests on the other day, what with all the serious analysts saying there was no explanation, no reasoning, no logic behind the wild fluctuations in a market trading trillions of dollars of wealth. A magnificent structure built with smoke and mirrors, existing only because enough people believe hard enough that it exists. That freak dude Jim Something that does the Mad Money show is the perfect symbol within a sign. Mad Money! Yes! Crazy!And who would have thought, who could have thought, we would hear "communist" leaders saying their highest priority was "market stability"? You can't make this stuff up. Parody is almost impossible.