ME and Ophelia

Monday, August 02, 2004

 
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OIL AND MINERAL RICHES IN DARFUR
Uranium discovered in Hofrat Al Nihas:
France is interested in Uranium and has drilling rights in Sudan

Beyond3D, "an attempt in conversation", has a thread going on re my July 21 post on OIl and Darfur. The same post was picked up here by Passion of the Present.

My search for reports of any riches in Darfur is an ongoing project. Along with answers to my original questions (still not found answers). And why France was so slow to help when they knew - first hand - of genocide unfolding. New findings re riches in Darfur will be added to my original post as and when. France is a post-in-progress and will appear here. Soon I shall start paying more attention to my new blog A Breath of Hope to log the successes and failures of the aid agencies. Please feel free to share any relevant info on any of these topics by email to me or in the comments and I will write a post around it and link to your blog.

At the moment I am searching for maps to pinpoint Hofrat Al Nihas. (Other names: Hofrat el Nahas, Hofrat en Nahās, Ḩufrat an Naḩās, Hofrat en Nahas). I think it may be in South Darfur - maybe close to a border. My time has been used up getting these posts together. If anyone finds it clearly -- on a map -- please let me know and I will write a post around it with links to your blog. Here's why:

Khaleej Times Online report excerpt: "The oil and precious mineral resources such as uranium discovered in Hofrat Al Nihas have set off fierce competition between US and France. The US has started to invest in oil industry in Chad, France's former colony, while France Total company obtained drilling rights in Sudan."

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 8/02/2004 0 comments

Sunday, August 01, 2004

 
CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
Blogging doctor visits democratic convention

Blogging doctor Nicholas Genes lives and works on the east coast of America. Nick says his big revelation this week is that he has hobnobbed with the literati (but just didn't know it at the time). Back in college, Duncan Black used to date Nick's friend, and hang out. Years later, Black assumed the secret identity of Atrios, the prominent liberal blogger who recently revealed himself this week in Boston. But Nick will always remember him as "Dunkers" ... or on a bad day, "Clunkers" ...

Nick usually writes about medicine, science and a variety of interesting stuff. But little about himself. So it was a treat to read about his visit to Boston, Wednesday evening, to experience the convention - and beer.

He points out there's a lot of social climbing at these events, and says "If you don't have something official dangling from your neck, you're not going to have long conversations with those who do."

There was a man in a furry donkey mask, walking around and shouting into a megaphone: "It has come to my attention that John Kerry has not released his dental records. What is Kerry trying to hide?" And Nick saw a noted historian wearing leather and stripes looking like a rock star (from behind). One of his friends claimed he saw Rudolph Giuliani KBE.

He says LaRouche people were everywhere. One of them was following around rich-looking delegates and telling them their money would be worthless in the new order. Another was wandering around, shouting, "A vote for Kerry is a vote for Edwards."

Of the controversial "free speech zone" (pictured here) more than a block away from the convention site, Nick writes: "the free speech zone really was creepy. Chain link, barbed wire, and the monstrous steel remains of the old central artery gave the area a Big Government feel, back when Big Government meant forced internment."

Of the "cage" he says: "It's a shame that nobody's making use of the cage, though. Think of how compelling and poignant the images would be if there were a lone protester, holding up their sign, in the middle of the cage. When we saw this, it was not so much compelling & poignant, just pathetic. The site was pretty much deserted, so anyone could step up to the podium and heckle the passing delegates. Maybe I'll get a picture up."

Here's hoping Nick posts pictures - and continues to write more about his life, and things like his chatting up of a malpractice trial lawyer :)

PS Wish people wouldn't mention they have a secret when they're unwilling to share it :) In Nick's post he writes about four openers to use in conversation with strangers at a convention. Two of them don't work. The two that do work he says, are, um, going to stay secret...
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HOPE IS ON THE WAY, HELP IS ON THE WAY
What kind of person wants to be a politician anyway?

Blogging pathologist Madhu, who lives in the same part of America as Nick, makes me laugh. Maybe in another life she was a comedian. I find her very funny. Everything she writes makes me titter, chuckle, chortle or smile. Her take on life is unique and subtle. She has a very fine and gentle mind that's always on the ball.

A few days ago, Madhu wrote how she watched some of the Democratic Convention on television, and parts of Edwards' speech. Love this line she wrote: "Nice wife introduced him and cute kids hugged him at the end. In between, he smiled and sparkled and got that misty, far-away look in in eyes, like, look how far I've come, just look! "

While watching the convention, Madhu clicked in and out of a reality TV show called "Amish in the City" that gives five young adults the chance to explore the big city and discover what life is like outside their Amish communities. When one Amish kid tried to show the city kids a toy he had carved out of wood and he was so shy and clueless, she could hardly bear to watch. And she added, "ditto for the convention". Heh :)

Years ago, I spent* six eye opening weeks in York, Pennsylvania. Life there each Sunday had to be seen to be believed. Religion completely overtook the TV and radio stations. Glad the Amish kids TV show is not shown here. I'd find it gut wrenchingly exploitative and sad. And cruel too, pitting opposites against each other for the sake of good ratings. Reminds me of animal cruelty in the olden days when different breeds were thrown together for the amusement of onlookers to wager bets on the outcome.

The BBC has a round-up of voters' views on the Democratic Convention. Here's looking forward to reading what bloggers have to say about the Republican Convention.

* not telling why - it's a secret :)

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 8/01/2004 0 comments  
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COMMENT ON KERRY'S SPEECH - FROM A BUSH SUPPORTER
At Jim Moore's Journal in Boston

Jim Moore's latest post "Home run by John Kerry, language for leadership of all of America" says Senator John Kerry gave the speech of his life, the speech needed to win the election and replace George Bush. Interesting. It will be interesting to read other views.

In his post, Jim says John Kerry made a clear, clean commitment to doing what is needed to get the country going again. (btw do Americans think there is something wrong with America? Going by what else is going on around the world, it seems to me, Americans have never had it so good). Don, a reader of Jim's Journal, made the following comment , which I am copying here in full as it's from the heart and makes for interesting reading:

I watched most of his speech.

A lot of it sounded just like what President Bush says about the War on Terror and not letting any institution (the U. N.) hinder our own defense.

As a proud American I support President Bush and the Republicans.

Why Kerry keeps talking about Vietnam is a puzzle to me. I was against that war, exposed to the draft during the Vietnam War, voluntarily joined the United States Navy Reserves to serve my country in 1970, was glad when that war was over. Most of the country was against that war, yet today's Democrats seem to relish in the idea that Kerry went around killing Vietnamese in a war where we had no business being because Vietnam never threatened us.

Once again, Democrats make little sense to me...

Unlike President Bush who made the case against the enemies of the United States by going to Congress who gave him overwhelming approval to proceed with war. Who went to the United Nations (huge waste of time) and was cut-off by the French. By the way, that is the same France that Kerry thinks he can smooze if he were elected. LOL!

Dave Winer thinks Kerry made a home run with his Nomination Speech last night. http://archive.scripting.com/2004/07/30#When:10:29:27AM

I say Kerry bunted poorly and was tagged out at the plate by Dick Cheney who also whispered something in his ear...

I do like the ideas of health care for all Americans. I'm for stem cell research. I'm for a good educational system. I'll work through my Republican representatives on those matters.

As for security, I could never vote for a Democrat. President Lyndon Johnson who promoted the Vietnam War was the worst President during my life for doing so. President Jimmy Carter was a wimp over Iran, a Nobel Prize Wimp nonetheless. President Bill Clinton didn't go to war when we were attacked and gave the green light to the North Koreans to build nuclear weapons.

Now I do want to know what President Bush intends to do to stop the threats from Iran, North Korea, and Syria. I already know diplomacy doesn't work with those countries. So when do the military operations start? Those are the key questions I want to know.

So after last night's speech by Kerry, I think the undecided vote will start moving towards President Bush's camp. Americans know he can be counted on to defend us and take preemptive military action against our enemies.

If I were President Bush, I would nominate John Kerry as Special Ambassador to France today. I'd let him go make any deal with the French that the Americans could support in getting France to stop being obstructionists in the world. To get them to stop helping America's enemies develop weapons, to stop end-running U.N. sanctions (as they did in Iraq). I'd let Kerry do that and see just how far he gets by Election Day.

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 8/01/2004 0 comments  
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MR HASSLE'S LONG UNDERPANTS:
A great blog by a trainee emergency doctor

Doc Schazam, the author of Mr. Hassle's Long Underpants, is a female emergency medicine resident in training at a trauma center in America.

If I wasn't so immersed in keeping up with what is going on in the Sudan, I would follow her blog more often. I enjoy and admire her honesty. Her writing is prolific, peppy, lighthearted, heavyhearted and humourous and takes you through a gamut of emotions covering the daily highs and lows of life as trainee emergency doctor.

My guess is that Doc Schazam writes in the way that she speaks because you can 'hear' her voice, sense her mood and personality.

She writes generously about her work and life and posts pictures of herself which give you a good an insight into her as a person, what she thinks and how she takes care of patients. And the hell of being horribly overworked while healing from back surgery. The posts that I've read were all compelling, engrossing, amusing and touching.

If ever you have reason to be helicoptered to a trauma center in America, you'd sure like someone like Doc Schazam to be there for you and squeeze your hand or give you a reassuring hug.

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 8/01/2004 0 comments  
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ARAB LEAGUE AND ITS OFFICIALS -
Have been inexplicably silent on Sudan

The Daily Star on-line edition is the Web's leading source of news and information on Lebanese and regional news. Here is an excerpt from their excellent August 2 Editorial on collective Arab shame entitled "Those who ignored Darfur cannot be credibly outraged":

In the midst of this ongoing humanitarian crisis, the world is actively debating whether this is ethnic cleansing, genocide, a crime against humanity, or all of the above. The Arab states, meanwhile, seem to be taking a more relaxed approach to the situation. The Egyptian foreign minister said after a one-day visit to Sudan that he hoped the Khartoum government would "deal positively" with the UN, and also urged Western powers to understand the situation in Darfur was complex. He said Sudanese officials expressed a desire to work with Egypt, other Arabs, Africans and the entire international community to resolve the Darfur crisis.

If this is the case, why did Egypt and other Arab states not move earlier to work with Sudan to achieve a breakthrough? Sudan and the UN secretary-general reached agreement a month ago to disarm the janjaweed militias and accept human rights monitors in Darfur. The rapid pace of international intervention in Darfur has not been welcomed by many Arab officials and observers, some of whom even suspect ulterior motives for Western troops arriving in the region. Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said it was unacceptable that Sudan become a "playground to accept troops from tens of thousands of miles away" from countries that are hostile to the Arabs.

This is perplexing to the point of absurdity, and collective Arab shame. The Arab League and its officials have been inexplicably silent during the past 18 months as the Darfur crisis has unfolded before their eyes. Those who have brandished only silence in the recent past have no credibility when they express outrage or concern today, or caution prudence. Are a million refugees and 30,000 dead next door not enough reason to act? Foreign troops are coming to Darfur for humanitarian reasons, because the Arab neighbors who should have acted faster remain docile and indifferent.

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 8/01/2004 0 comments  
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UK SOLDIERS "ON STANDBY" FOR SUDAN
US special forces in Sudan hunting down Saudi terrorists

Aug 1: British soldiers have been put on standby for a possible deployment to Sudan. Soldiers of the 12 Mechanized Brigade were being briefed this weekend about a possible trip to the northwestern Dafur region.

12 Mechanised Brigade is the Army's 6th deployable brigade and forms part of The 3rd (United Kingdom) Division which is based in Tidworth. (Note to readers: I was born in Tidworth where my late father served as a soldier in the British Army's Royal Army Medical Corps).

A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence described a news article as "just speculation", but she repeated comments made by Britain's top military commander last week that the country could send troops to Sudan if they were requested. She said no such request had been made.

Update Aug 1: Yay for Britain! Here is the third report I've seen today saying: "British soldiers on standby to avert humanitarian disaster in Darfur". Report excerpts: "Soldiers of the 12th Mechanised Infantry Brigade, based on Salisbury Plain, are being told that they might have to go to Sudan.

Opposition from Sudan's forces - long suspected of arming and training the Janjaweed - would make the protection of an international aid effort hugely complex. It would mean that most supplies would have to come overground from the Mediterranean via Libya, possibly with forward staging posts in Chad. "It would be a very complicated logistical operation," a senior British Army logistician said. In a force of about 5,000 troops sent from Britain, at least 2,000 would have to be transport, engineering and communications experts.

One option would be to stage an airlift from the Red Sea and the French bases at Djibouti - but any threat of confrontation by Sudan's air force - which has more than 40 Russian and Chinese interceptors and bombers - would rule this out, according to air defence experts.

Meanwhile, African states also held a summit in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, last week to discuss the Darfur crisis. The African Union has sent 80 observers to Darfur, backed up by a protection force of 300 troops. Britain and the European Union have provided logistical and financial support but have so far not got directly involved. This is the first operation of its type by the African Union, and is a test of whether it can become an effective enforcer in the region."
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US SPECIAL FORCES IN SUDAN
Hunting down al-Qa'eda

Aug 1 UK Telegraph report confirms special forces are in Sudan hunting down Saudi Arabian terrorists who have re-established secret al-Qa'eda training camps in remote mountain ranges in the north-eastern quarter of the country.

American forces are hunting a series of groups linked to al-Qa'eda across North Africa. The terrorists, who are thought to take orders from Saudi Arabia's most wanted man, Saleh Awfi, have taken refuge in at least three locations in the Jebel Kurush mountains, which run parallel to the Red Sea coast of Africa's biggest country.

An American Delta Force officer, who recently spent a week in Sudan tracking the terrorists, said the camps are used to train new recruits to wage jihad, or holy war, against the West and its allies. The trainees are instructed how to handle weapons and build and transport bombs.

Special anti-terrorist operations in Sudan and the Horn of Africa are undertaken by marines based in Camp Lemonier in Djibouti.

Note: see previous post here July 21 re new US intelligence HQ in Djibouti.
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FRENCH FLY U.N. AID TO EASTERN CHAD
French soldiers to deliver it to refugees from Darfur

French troops stationed in Chad have been have been mobilised to help secure the border between Chad and Darfur in Sudan. They've flown a plane load of UN aid into eastern Chad where French soldiers prepare to deliver it to refugees from Darfur. I wonder if this connection to the World Food Programme air drops reported to be taking place over three days. I still cannot understand why the French have not helped out sooner when the UN aid agencies were screaming out for helicopters to distribute aid. French soldiers are always in that region with a load of jets and stuff. I wonder if the French are getting paid to do this. See below post on how many hundreds of millions WFP has in its kitty.
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Update: Aug 1: Rwanda is to investigate France's alleged role in the mass killing of Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 1994. The Rwandan government said it was setting up an "independent commission charged with assembling the evidence of France's involvement in the genocide". Paris denies responsibility - although it has admitted supporting Rwanda's former Hutu-led government.
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FACT OF THE DAY
Courtesy Scotsman.com

Today in 1747, the wearing of tartan (US = plaid) was prohibited. The penalty for a first offence was six months' imprisonment and, for a second, seven years' transportation.

# posted by Ingrid J. Jones @ 8/01/2004 0 comments Newer›  ‹Older