'The World After Oil' by Bruce NussBaum

Book Title; The world after oil. The Shifting Axis of Power and Wealth.

Author; Bruce NussBaum

Published By; Simon and Schuster, New York, NY. 1983.

ISBN; 0-671-44571-5

Language; English

Pagination; 319

Review; Iroabuchi Onwuka



Introduction.



The book is arguable prophetic given the current sales issue of GM and the automobile industry. The book deals seriously on the changing dynamics of power and wealth through technology and how the advances in science and technology, especially Medical sciences has made life easier for people and generated wealth for the champions. The American influence in the world was due to its pivotal position as the oil magnet of the world. It achieved this reputation in the world through the power of oil, but the rise of OPEC as a trading block, paraded to the world by 'Swiss bankers' and new technology not only changed the price of crude oil, it raised the game of crude oil price to a very new level. The price of that endeavour was the attempt at alternative energy and technology which the author is basically arguing represented the new world. In a sense, a new world in the 80's was emerging as a counter weight to oil and as such the pioneers of any new technology in world or newer advances in technology were laying the foundations for a new world altogether.


The book traces the root of new world power to alternative energy and information technology, emaniating from countries like Europe and Japan, with Russia seeking to change their new attitude towards Robots. Other frontliners of that world in the 80's was a country like Japan and their intent on technology which has harried away the like of Kodac into holes of esponiage on very extensive FBI files, and from a well of an emerging US market driven to core by mostly data market, a quake in ground movement is felt allover the world in the 80's.



Body



Point of correction, this book is nothing about oil. It is nothing about the growing competition in the world as at 83, the book does not encourage any form of escape from reality, that oil then and now is matter too great for common market, rather the book is about the power of dumping the extensive reliance on oil. The world as at the early part of the 80's was still used to power new advances in technology which were mainly mechanical and rely on oil. But that world was getting old by 1982. In leaps and bounds, the world has gotten away from the huge emphasis that was placed on machination and oil. In a sense, the book had been written as a 'boom' or 'doomsday' prophecy on the shifting ground of world market power from Crude oil, which represented all sorts of power and which the author argues against the newer realities of world technology.

There was a tendency towards information system which was foremostly led by a certain enterpreneur, Steve Jobs. There was IBM, Cisco, and other American companies that were focusing their research mainly on information technology. In 1983, the World history and Sciences were just waking up to newer realities of discovery. So rapid had been those newer breakthroughs that the whole lifestyle of information system which was still far from many Americans and the rest of the world, had deepen, complicating the human of fear of technology that was eventually recognised as cyberphobia. There was the cyberworld of technology whose primary circle of data minning had set the stage for the future and was intent of remaining the same.

There was also the Robots to consider, and according to the book, the world was guzzling away its energy and "in an era of high priced energy, robots meant higher productivity, lower costs, and even better quality." The price of oil at the inception of OPEC moved from $2.10 to about $13 in 1979. Perhaps Bruce Nussbaum was right that "by raising the price of energy so sharply and so quickly, OPEC transformed the entire base of world economy. By increasing the price of oil fifteen folds in less than a decade, after nearly a century of stable cheap energy, OPEC changed the technological foundations of Western society and set in motion vast social and political changes that are now coming into focus". We can guess that the author is implying the fact that shifts in oil power bases and control, led to new frontiers of technology and new appetite in sciences.

It was also observed in the book that the world of Cybernomics once all American have yielded some ground to Europe and Japan. In fact, Russia in 1983 led the world on many fronts of war technology, began to tune their attention to information technology, sharing with Americans who were doing their own bit mainly in terms of 'C & C' computer and communication and in terms of genetic engineering. In terms of network and communication Russia was very backward at least on head to head match with the world and with Europe. The major area of importance was Robots which were destined to gradually replace the workmanship of human resource. Alchohol played itself out in Russia as a disease, and that meant much trouble for the working population of Russia. The country was still very isolated and by that issue of job creation and manpower basic to communist societies, Russia had little reasons to consider Robotics as replacement for humans, and if they accomplished this with 'Unimates' Robots, they were seriously backwards in information technology and it was going to hurt them strategically in the future.

The author used several examples to illustrate the power of technology in the modern world, citing for instance the use of information system in the Isreali war against Lebanon in 1982. Lebanese Russian made SAM (Surface to Air Missiles) were completely destroyed by Isreal before the war even began. That incident raised the question of new age technology that the world was getting stormed by systems of information that made the unimaginable possible through its electronic feedback. The author also cited the example of Telegram, an information dispatch technology which by itself is a breakthrough, given the advances in technology, had become rlatively obsolete in 1980's, much easier to make the connection between one part of the country to the other. No business man and woman who wish to continue their existence in commercial industry should forgo the new issue of imformation technology. In a sense, emails and Fax machines might be taken for granted today advances but in terms past, it was a thing for upper society.

There was also the quest for better communication in at the time of the writing. Television were set to get a better attention in terms of ECB, an abbreviation for Electronics Communications Box. The impact of information technology in the 1980's was so great that many analyst were willing to bait their career on the future of American banking system, where it is believed that in near future Americans can buy and sell products without living their houses and have a securitized access to their bank acount, from which payments are made. To many Americans then, this was insane since the idea of electronic payment much more popular today was still limited in scope and in hindsight, it posed all kinds of challenges to other semi government controlled American businesses. Yet the book cited that Citicorp, the 'holding company for Citibank' had private communication agency within their companies and so did Texas instrument and IBM. These companies had very useful information mining data that kept them ahead of the world but in the breakthroughs of information network in the 80's, these companies will have let go of the monopoly of private network world.

Data Minning in America has been a center of gravity for information related agency. In terms of US Treasury advisorial and former Central intellingence agents, data mining and storage is Americas greatest security weapon. That world of security was in the 80's also changing from entirely mechanized arms to wars that can be fought with digital computers. Silicon Valley in California for the most part became the center of excellence in computer science and gradually adapted itself to the center of information minning. Silicon Valley also attracted the greatest minds of that era and became home to technology giants who cared more for themselves and themselves alone than the rest of the country. Such idea of having an area entirely dedicated to an industry played out its huge dividend in output and in excellence.

The role of an academic institution in nurturing the breakhroughs in sciences and technology have long lived the reality of everyday Americans. American institution for sciences and technology like Berkeley and MIT, have added their degree of discipline to the world of science.
To further buttress the example we can refer to the book's quotation that "from Stanford, Berkeley and Caltech has come a rush of scientist to set up Cetus, Eugenics, and other tiny biotech companies. On the East coast, the Cambridge area of Boston, home to Route 128 and its myriad Computer companies, is now a hotbed of new bioengineering activity."

Breakthroughs in drilling and maping out areas of crude oil had been started through the university and then the rest of the world. The connection between American Universities and industries have always remained the secret of sucess for the Americans. Just like the advances in Petroluem and Crude oil were made possible by studies in the Universities, these Institutions
were also pioneering breakthroughs in other areas unrelated to oil. For instance information technology and T.V communication and Bioengineering were to conform to major patterns of business administration and unmanned Robots replaced human hands in Major industries in the world.

Commentary and Conclusion

It is import to note that this book, which is an 80's example of Thomas Friedman's "World is Flat" of 2005, did not only intend on providing information about businesses, newer technology and Robot, rather a world as we know it that was gradually surplanted by man made. Like 'Friedman' of 2001 'Lexus and Olive tree', this book 'The worl After oil', a forerunner of the above books, looks at that changing dynamics of the world and how those changing dynamics of technology dictated the world power.

If the book is tireless informed, it does not mean that the very author himself is an economist, neither can it be said that the author understood the nature of U.S Banking and Investment.
The huge expansionary nature of Japan's economy may or may have been influenced by American investment banking. By that, it is possible to argue that Japan's technological improvement represented everything that is mainly American in essence, it represents the common grounds of international banking and finances.

Despite the deficit in the America and the rising tide of manufacturing around the world, emerging economies in the 80's world were bound to simultaneously support the American economy. In the argument about the power of technology improving lives could be the case, when in times past, there was a balance of power and market forces were subjected to what group produced the larger size of production. We have however come to understand that productive capacity of any country should not entirely reflect its market hence its value.
Rather, production curve of any civil society should be made to graph in such a way as to suggest the 'fundamental value' of the existing market.

If he has a prediction for future years, then there is a tendency to evaluate his theory in the context of electronic age video games and in terms of Network that has taken a whole new color since the 80's. As much as crude oil has played a major hand in determining the direction of US dollars, it can also help to sponsor new frontiers of venture captalism to which Americans had more than once demonstrated leadership. It is this unique possibility of converting much profit from oil to business and using 'cash receivables' of any country in lending that such wonderful frontiers of technology can be made possible.

The major lesson from the book is not that people should fear new advances in all classes of technology rather, emphasis must be placed on advances in sciences and technology and the institution or nurture grounds for it, which will not only solve the problems of dependence on foreign oil but will serve to creat the path for future advances in anyother field like Medicine and so on. The shift on the dependence of oil for business or other growth technology is seriously inevitable. The natural question is what to do with that shift in technology.

Thus we can conclude this book with this example "in 1975, just two years after Dr. Charles Boyer of University of California at Berkeley and Dr. Stanley N. Cohen of Stanford discovered the technique for gene splicing, Boyer met with a venture capitalist to set up the new company, Genetech, to commercialize the budding new technology" of gene splicing and eventually hormone treatment.

'Power and Stability in Nigeria' By Bretton L. Henry

BookTitle; Power and Stability

Author; Bretton L. Henry

Publisher; F. A Praeger, New York, N.Y. 1962

Pagination; 208

Language; English

Review; Iroabuchi Onwuka



Introduction.



The book is about Nigerian political formation and the forces that mitigated the general stability of that independent Nigeria. There was much hope for the new Nigeria Republic in 1960, and the realised call of Nnamdi Azikiwe to self rule took on a new meaning in 1960. The early Nigerian politicians did not know what to do with the country, they were not sure how to begin the new Nigerian Republic, neither could they say whether or not the Nigeria union of states was ever going to make it. Fom the very beginning, the country seem to hold their breath with hope that time will offer new meaning to the country.

The author seem to reflect his experiences in matters concerning the impact of colonialism in a Nigerian fragile union, and how the weight of the British colonialism so to speak, seem to fracture the 'power and stability' of Nigeria. The author Bretton L. Henry spent the first two years of new Nigerian Republic in Nigeria, recording what he considered useful in terms of data collection. In those two years, he served as an eye witness to matters arising from the whole political condition evident in the turbulent years of Nigerian independence and thereafter. He recorded the problem on the new Nigeria with a tendency to Lessellian Theory, where much of his theory concerning the irregularites of a new republic seem to hang.



Body.



The role of leadership qualities in Nigeria at its early stage seem now forgotten, but in this book, the author may have reminded us of the urgency of the problems that faced Africa in 1960's and in Nigeria enough leadership quality was the essential part of the whole problem. The author pointed out that despite the need to emback on the betterness of the Nigerians concerned, there was serious problems of leadership stemming from its member parties and tribes. In essence, Nigeria had much more of the problem of leadership than the movement it represented and the author, L. Henry who was himself an American, was not sure of the very survival of Nigeria since the political power bases and Party systems, were only tribal but regional as well.


He observed that Nigerians were living the illusion that power in the country was ethically 'diffuse' but in reality the whole theme was seriously misleading. Not only were political parties set on the platform of tribe, there were other chieftain elements murking the waters for all Nigerian. In fact, religious rulers in Northern Nigeria infact prodded the said political parties.
In the book we read for instance that "in the North especially, the leaders who control the land, the means of production of wealth, and the channels of distribution are too closely identified with imperial rule to subject themselves and their group successfully to a thorough political metamorphosis." This had been his formal way of arguing on the fact that tribal as well religious heads in Nigeria, especially in the Northern Nigeria, were translating their local rulership into political dictatorship.

In this book, there is much to be learnt Nigeria in its early years, especially the very constitution of the country and deomgraphics. The book provided a first hand account of the condition of life in Nigeria some of which is nolonger true. For instance, the book did show that the Northern Nigeria were made up of mainly Hausa and Fulani, many of them with very illiterate background. The West of Nigeria were made up of people with as much education as schools permitted but the rise of education is the East was a phenomenom. Though overated, seem to have been a shining light for the country and care was to be taken if the political weight of Nigeria does not fall squarely on the South alone, yet greater fear was in the North were oligarchist that spurred the North before the English, had refused to dismantle the institution.

Bretton L. Henry tend to suggest that long after the English left that there was still serious power construction in the hands of the power players and the parties they represent. These parties acting as one complete whole were actually puppets for the very English. Nigerian leaders seem to have inherented much power from their colonials, and the country of 40 million people at the time of the book had much to deal contend with. The first politicians were sure of their own ability, there were not certain what that ability really meant nor the tribe will be asked to abandon their own identity.

L. Henry seem to indicate the evolution of English policies towards independence had so much to do with the cost of maintaining such expensive colonies around the world. In Nigeria, there was a great number of educated people seeking to move into the ranks of politicians and who in times past, had offered their own degree of loyalty to the country. L. Henry suggested that the rush to grant British colonies their independence were not acts of benevolence, rather the practical matter of maintaining an English rule much longer than necessary in provinces which has taken a very human face. The structure for economic business were still very English and visible, they were not dismantled at all, a fact which which the locals were aware of, an incident which may have forced the Nigerian locals to call for a communist experiment.

The drift towards communism didn't last long, and the those who maintained the communist agenda easily became unpopular. In the years leading to independence of Nigeria, the English used favoritism to conduct the appointment of office. Such act could not have been avoided since Nigeria before independence had been very restive and neither the English nor their business men could entertain any form of challenge. In the end, the institutions of money and wealth left over to lobbied friends of colonials led to ranks of corruption which was perpetuated in the Northern Nigeria. In a sense, the colonials normalised the habit of currying favor and according L. Henry it sought became perpetuated.


Commentary/Conclusion

The forementioned episodes were means employed by the author to archieve his view of Lesselian theory which he elaborated by saying that "in the more highly developed free societies substantive changes are brought about by forces operating outside the confines of parliament in open economic competition." 1962 Nigeria was a country that was still surving due to the impact of British society on it and that impact brough several degree of good and corruption. The Nigerians were also aware of the inevitable decay of their economy and country were acting to it. In essence, the foreign influences were necessary but the residual effect of such influences can be counter productive and in country with vast many resources, the level of training on the ground may or may no carry the thick demands of the country.

According to the book, the federal minister of Economics Development Ibid, stated that "expatriate firms and individuals who engage in our country's distributive trade and road transport business are extremely powerful, influential, and virtually control the economy of our country..."

That the Federal ministry of commerce and industry in Nigeria noted, that "the economy of our country, strictly speaking, is not in our hands. Over 70 percent of our overseas trade is controlled by forces over which we have no control"...Ibid, (November 16, 1961). Even as we write, these forces which were briefly checked by the military episode in Nigeria are still very much active and may still retain the business of the trade route since the English left in 1960.

The book also mentioned a very acid comment by one Senator Nwafo Orizu who was the senate president until the military took over, that "the trend is to call every company a Nigerian company. That is, somebody is appointed from outside, a Nigerian, one foolish man, who is usually given a big appointment, and a big salary, so that they can call the company Nigerian. He has nothing to with the company".

Last but not least, Chief Obafemi Awolowo in a speech given in the House of Representatives, November 29. 1961(Col.3527) 1961/2 section, also noted on this foreign manipulation of Nigeria which was over bearing on the country that "because they control the bulk of our financial institutions, they accordingly influence, for good or ill, the availability....of adequate capital and credit and their eventual direction"

All these government officials and their agency including Tafawa Balewa, were all pointing to the problem of Nigeria in 1960 through 62, that the Nigeria was economically still in the hands of Britain. Everything from civil finances and transport services were in their hands. The rate of unemployment in Nigeria and the showing of corruption of a national level, the interception of judicial authority and the repeal of legislated laws by Sarduna of Sokoto may have altogether given wings to Nigerian military coup in 1966 and perhaps the civil war shortly after. In my opinion, the Nigerian civil war may have put an end to the English financial network and control of Nigeria in 1966. From this view of probable losses and need to win something back, Britain couldn't have sided the Biafrans.

The Funk goes on, U.S treasuries, a peculating Dollar and the decline of crude oil prices.

By

Iroabuchi Onwuka

The funk goes on. Barely six months ago, the world was heralding crisis like no other. The Dollar took its strength to the rest of the world, and there was massive implosion of currencies that pegged its success on the performance of Crude oil. The crude oil prices as at July 2008 had sold at various record prices, going at some point as much $150 a barrel. It was way over priced and it was a question of time that the market understood the consequence. Six month ago, at least on the 31st of December 2008, the Junks were performing at 22% more than the Federal reserve, part of the reason had to do with the Japanese Yen and the Forex, but much of it had to do with sudden nose dive of crude oil price leading to the end of the year. From the lowest fall in over decade, crude oil prices from the beginning of 2009 has gradually moved up. It is possible that the same scenario is gradually appearing after June 2009, and as we approach the September dead zone for crude oil, attention once more is placed on what is happening to US Treasury, the strenght of the dollars and crude oil.

There were other factors that might have deepened the issue of crude oil decline in June. One of which was that the Chinese and their Indian cohort where backing off from much acquisition of crude, an action which at some point spooked the heavy sale of crude oil. Second problem was the money function of the Euro in terms of crude oil prices. That currency is set in such a way as to inversely conform to the performance of US currency. They call it correlation and in the years leading to American strong dollar policy, the weak dollar forced a strengthening of Euro and a peculation of crude oil price, priced in to Forex and bifurcation. Third to this factor was the tilt of U.S fed reserve towards a quarter of a percent in interest rate, a move no one in the history of the United States has found enough reason to do. The position of US federal reserve in terms of interest rate could have only forced a strengthening of the U.S dollar which sent a lasting chill over the rest of oil dependent countries of the world.

The question has always been what the U.S Treasury had to do with short falls in crude oil? The answer is not that complicated on the condition that nothing in the world can be baited against Crude oil than the very U.S dollar. Until fairly recently, much of the world has bought and traded oil with enough eyes on the US dollars, the movement of US currency only tend to rise and fall given the action of the Feds and the US Treasury but in reality it is the attention on done oil that is by far more important than the Treasury, and that attention can have have its day in deflating the strict attention of US currency. It is not that complicated a process, it is more the outcome of the Forex and the telling weight of the world currencies and international valuation than what is happening inside American market. But of course market prices can check and balance out each other and the whole discipline is the necessity of risk management for Porfolio group.

Crude oil had been climbing for sometime cracking @75 a barrel. It is necessary that the price continue upwards for some profits to be possible. If we take into accounts last year's losses, it is needs to understand the inevitability of an upward trend in Crude and oil prices. With 0.25% percent interest rate, and the spend attitude of US Government, the fear of excess liquidity nestle entirely on the rate of inflation and not its deflationary tact. The end game of these seemless derivative and 'hedge' is that crude oil is baited for the shots on any form of inflation. The target for US policy markers is commodity for sure, and that is only ensured by crippling the upward trend of the major bait for common market; the crude oil. If that can only be a lasting indication of a new form of standard, then it should become clear enough that as the year wears on, attempts by the US Treasury to emphasis a strong dollar is all set to discourage the 'irrational exuberance' June - September of crude oil peculation, and to limit the profitability of rangers who go as back as December/January for shorts.

All is set for a rally on crude oil. Those seeking a 'miserly some' should still go on till September. In essence it is still not late in the game to 'enter the dragon' in crude oil but it is better if the money and size of portfolio is little more than average with useful exist strategy after Q3,09.
The interest of Russia in many parts of the world in terms of oil and gas, the excess capacity of oil around the world waiting to disembark and the very strong dollars means that the oil market will tow a natural lead until next very year. In all likelihood still, the Forex and currency market, can still play itself out in terms of capacity. If the Japanese Yen is Strong as we rap up its earning season in August, it will be looking to empty its excess capacity of the dollars, that will briefly ease off the pressure of banking institution. Trading through the Yang might elevate the export potential of Asia but briefly, the movement of world market strangely false on Asian market.

Market Research for Traders by Iroabuchi Onwuka

By Iroabuchi Onwuka

Market has become rocket science. It is now very difficult to conduct any perform questionaire based on what is going in the market today. The real test of any research is the usefulness of the discovery, and many of these researchhead need their 'reserche material' composed mainly of statistics. In fact most successful Market engines and Engineers, have little patients for the outside world and the world of opinion outside facts and figures. You can't talk to these people without direct quote and references. These research groups are either working for their group or are working for themselves. If for instance, Toyota is a good company, it's simply because of serious market research and questionaire that make up much of their service reps. GM conduct their own research but it is not as strong as a Toyota and GM follow very little of what the customers are saying. In day trading, this is also the case, and given the temperature of online trading, it is seriously useful to stay tuned to your very personal observation and researches. This is the theme of many market analyst and I seriously encourage many companies in US to do the same and not just that many in US and Europe, but companies around the world and Nigerian.



My inspiration to write this essay, begins with what I read recently in a book by David S. Nassar, titled 'Rules of the Trade', published in 2001 by McGraw Hill Companies, Inc. The book is truly full of "indispensable insights for online Profit" with a commanding foreword by William Lupien. What seem very significant to me is the mention of Research and use of Research in day trading. Mr Nasser who has been a very long Trader shared his personal views on the merits of self conduct and personal research. He made references to his personal life and years as a day trader, adding the necessity to "create a writter plan" and to stick with it. Here I intended to quote much of his writing of research and from the book.



P.76

"it is imperative to trade strong stocks that are well suited to your training style. Quality research is the key that opens the door to ensuring that you are always trading stocks that yield the greatest chance for success....using a sound methodolgy is crucial. One approach I suggest is the top - down approach"



Traders like Nasser explain 'top down approach' as the process that involves "taking a macroview of the market and identifying those stocks within major industry group that show signs of strenght and activity." The 'novice' trader like the best of us can use this process to help himself or herself in the market.



Nasser continued that "the top down approach essentially starts at a baseline of the available stocks and uses individually tailored creteria to figure out the vast majority of these securities from consideration." For instance, the Dow, the S & P 100, the S & P 500, or the Nasdaq 100 and so on can used to improve your management portfolio and trade option. David Nasser continued in p.78 that "as a beginning place for searching for tradable stocks. The S & P 500 is often selected because (a) it includes both listed and over the counter stocks and (b) the vast number of securities within the index virtually guarantees that all industry sectors make up our greater economy will be well represented. Despite the continued dominance of the S&P as a starting ground for selecting stocks, the NASDAQ 100 has seen significant growth in terms of its importance to traders."

According to Nasser, the NASDAQ 100 has seen significant in start up companies, that it is "now a great place to start finding technology-related stocks that can quickly gather the momentum appealing to short-term traders. As for the Dow, it is unlikely it will provide a significant list of stocks for you to trade; nevertheless, due to its continued importance as the bellwether index and its inclusion of the strongest of the large cap companies, it should still be watched closely as an indicator of overall market health".

"Once you have chosen a major index as a starting ground, analyse which sectors within that index also appeal to your interests (e.g., financials, technology, biotechs, or semiconductor). The Standard & Poor's Web site not only lists each of the stocks within the S&P 500 but also gives a description of each company and the sector and subsector classifications of each
(http://www.spglobal.com/ssindexmain500text.html)."

"Many of you might ask why you need to find sectors that are of particular interest to you, rather than just picking the sector du jour. The reason is passion. If you don't have passion for the industry sector in which the stocks you are about to research reside, then you won't have the desire to actually do the research to the best of your abilities even when you are tired from a full day's work".


"Once you have selected the sectors that appeal to you, re-examine the lists of stocks within that sector. Are these enough stocks within that sector to continue refining your research, orshould you use the sector description to expand the list of stocks within that sector, even if the additional stocks are not within your major index? It is likely that you will have to conduct additional sector research to ffind a full list of stocks within that sector, which you can the continue to narrow down. Several good Web sites provide excellent research about particular groups of stocks that can be used to create a robust list of stocks within each sector, including the following."

Nasser continued with the following example

"http://www.amex.com/ The American Stock Exchange Web Site provide lists of stocks within each of the Select sector S&P Depository Receipts (Select Sector SPDRs) as well as information about the stocks within the various Merrill Lynch & Company Depository Receipts (HOLDRS). These are great sector groupings in which to find stocks within a particular sector.
See http://www.amex.com/structuredeq/holdrs_tth.stm for an example of a listing of securities within an HOLDRS sector."

"www.phlx.com/index.stm The Philadelphia Stock Exchange Website lists the stocks within several sectors, including the closely watched semiconductor sector, thestreet.com Internet sector, and the wireless telecom sector. The S&P Global Website provides a lsiting of the stocks in the S&P index and their sectors. if you have chosen a large sector such as technology, you may need to further narrow your choices to telecom, chiapmakers, box makers, or some other subsector of technology."

The Price of fame, Michael Jackson

The economic significance of the week in question begins and ends with individuals who contributed immensely to the lives of the others, some of whom like Bernie Madoff did away with other people's money and others were held in death by debt. How times never change? The man Jackson, had a terrible banging of all the problem of fame and fortune, which simply include infamy and misfortune. Michael Jackson according to Newspaper of New York held dear the estimated debt of 400 million dollars. But many have problem believing in such debt since the quote came from one source 'Daily News'. Bernie Madoff disgorged people who baited on him over a huge wealth totalling 50 Billion and was sentenced to a 150 years in Jail, but his case seem over shadowed by Jackson's funeral arrangement.

On 25 of June 2009, Michael Jackson, the world renowned Pop was proclaimed dead from Cardiac arrest in his home in Los Angeles, California. He was readying himself for a world wide tour, which was to start with London. Perhaps the complicated nature of the exercise and the problem of divorce and his children's custody may have seriously added to his longing. What a man like Jackson can go through! Not many feel entirely sorry for him, especially African Americans whom he dislocated for a very long time ago. It is possible that his interest in ghouslishly dresscode and pop icon status, and his tilt towards a leverage light skin may be due to his lack of inner self worth and confidence, a hidden side of him, which forced him to return again and again to his immortal youth. In spite of what people he might have done to help the course of the world, it is perhaps right to say that he dislocated the chain from his African American heritage along time ago and it did not help him that much.

In the 1980's Jackson's commercials yielded billions in sales, both from Coca Cola industries and from other commercial groups. Michael Jackson made very little from these commercials especially his world popular "stuck in the middle". He was one of the few that made afro-hair quite popular in the 70's and in the 1982 'thriller' everything broke loose from "funk, Pop, Jazz, disco" etc. The thriller album broke all the records in grammy music awards and the director of the studio album, Quincy Jones, also won several awards. Those directly involved in this 'thriller' album and its aftermath, from US to Africa were instantly rich from patronage of the Album and from salesmanship, but it is easy to see that from that great success in 1982, Michael Jackson could neither surpass his ability nor match his success.

In some reflection, we can say that only few will fail to think well of the guy, but if there is any commercial lesson to learn from this life, it should begin and end with the relevance of a great African American like Michael Jackson, Muhammed Ali, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Ophray Winfrey, Eddie Murphy, Don King, Mike Tyson, George foreman, Evander Hollyfield, Quincy Jones, Bill Cosby, Will Smith, Queen Latifa, Sean 'P.Diddy' John, Russel Simmon, Al Sharpton, T.D Jakes, Cleflo Dollar, Collin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, Maya Angelou, Toni Morison, Clerence Thomas, Barry Bonds, Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Whitney Houston, Jermaine Jackson, Prince, Eavin 'Magic' Johnson, Jerry Rice, Lawrence Taylor, Charlse Barckley, Jim Brown, Anthony Kevin 'Toni' Dunjy, Kareem Abdul Jabber, Bill Russel, Hank Aaron, Julius Ervin, Spike Lee, Morgan Freeman, Larry Fishbourne, Samuel Jackson, Martin Lawrence, Ving Rhimes, Wesley Snipes, Wayan Brothers, Cuba Gooding Jr., Danny Glover, Forrest Whitaker, Denzel Washington, Ice Cube, Lelia Ali, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dog, Funk Flex, Serena Williams, Venus Williams, and latterly, Lebrun James, Will Smith, Kobe Bryant, Curtis '50 cents' Jackson, Bobby Brown, Curry Booker, Beyonce' Knowles, Steve Harvey, Jay-Z, Jamie Foxx, Dave Chappelle, Halle Berry, Dwight Howard, who still form a useful part of the living and who can still help African American society and market.

Then all the current bosses of both New York and US; David Paterson, Barak Obama, should take this reminder of Michael Jackson's early death as an indication to 'must do' for Africa Americans...who should come first in their actions. These are nothing short of great Americans, and contribute to making billions annually for world economic surging markets. Only whites can attempt the list above, there is nothing Hispanic, Indian, Arabic, Ethican White, and so on, or combined that can match this record. The way American society is structured is such that African Americans still make up 90 percents of inmates in prison and constitute American poor. American society is made up of branches but the color of these branches ought to be maintained through patronage of its existing fibre and a flower like Amarylis radiate from inside out. Always from inside.

By Iroabuchi Onwuka

The Crisis Of The Old Order By Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.

Book Title; The Crisis Of the Old Order
Publisher; Mariner Books; July 9, 2003
Author; Arthur M. Schlesinger
Language; English
ISBN - 10; 0618340858
ISBN - 13; 978 - 0618340859
Product Dimensions; 8.1 by 5.5 by 1.4 inches.
Paper Back papers; 578

Review by Iroabuchi Onwuka

Introduction

This book is mostly about the Era of Depression and the impact of market in a big world, rather than the political History of the United States in the depression era. The history version of the book had been the central emphasis of many review, it is only natural since looks at such a big book seem to indicate chronology of historical events. Its central theme is perhaps more seductive, and explains away the very necessity of reflecting such decisive era in terms of its market. Historically speaking, there are few books that can challenge the clarity of the political history of the United States from 1919 - 1933, fewer that provide the accurate reason for such period. The book was the beginning of the four part series of the age of Roosevelt which demonstrates the left and right of the man Roosevelt in those apocalyptic years in America.

The Body

The author of this book, Arthur Schlesinger, intend to write a book of the political history of the United States in Depression Era, the author seem to provide a political explicating of matters arisen from American political choices at the turn of the century and how those political and economic choices of that era gave wings to the political motivations of Frank Delano Roosevelt; Chief architect of the New Deal. But then the world was young in 19th century, and after many decades in isolation, America and her society aged the more. This view of America at that period has been recycled many times, such that people who now read this book can see the concave lense of the issues highlighted, that the book speak more of the consequence of international market than the rise of FDR. Anyone seeking to compare the world American depression in 1929 and 2008-9, will need to read the entire four volume but here we begin with the first of those four, a book that won the Parkman prize among others.

The 'cultivated dominion' of FDR; Franklin Delano Roosevelt, cannot be fully grasped except in the context of the conditions of the world in which he lived. That world no more depressive than a world which at once started as a liberal society at the beginning of the 19th century, had started to indicate signs of decay. Schlesinger, Jr. painted the portrait of F.D.R, on the background of this decaying society which enjoyed a promise of success at the opening level and which dived suddenly into a dark disaffecting world, where the initial order began to collapse. The psychology of (FDR) the man in question was a form of life which evolved so to speak like clay from a potter's wheel, first broken by an affliction of Polio, a loss of limb, then fashioned in New York as a Governor, and finally hardened by the crisis of that order leading to the New Deal. The book goes to show how the policies of Woodrow Wilson and Calvin Coolidge proved catastrophic.

Schlesinger seem to write about themes in American history and in this book, he entertains us to the life of certain individuals who made the greatest difference from 1919 - 1933. That he reviewed the life of great minds at that era in his book, would mean that he, Schlesinger, was not only writing a political history rather he was indicating that the political history of United States can be seen through these giants and how they fared. Schlesinger seem to eagerly indicate that emenient lives seem to converge in FDR. These greats include 'Rexford Tugwell' who became popular with his 'industrial discipline and government arts' where he effectively argued for government intervention in industrial society. Then there is Adolf Berle, Frances Perkins and Felix Frankfurter. These three may someday be overlooked but they represent all the might of political economics. And for this group, it is possible to challenge the very premise of the book as a political history, especially for Frankfurter, who was a decisive influence on FDR transitional years as a personal adviser and eventually the Supreme Court Judge.

In Contrast, the above list did not include Louis Brandeis neither did Schlesinger, Jr. include his role in this book, but the evolution of Roosevelt which is commensurate to the political conditions in America leading to the depression, owe a great deal to Brandeis and, his contribution to 'Rights to Privacy' as credited by Roscoe. This improper exclusion of Brandeis' role, bring out the hidden view of Schlesinger, that he intended the book to serve a propaganda for his own philosophy, as if the whole society has prepared a hero who emerged from the ashes of the crisis to rule America. This is clear by Brandeis, whose book 'other people's money' entirely dedicated itself to the control of Banks and Banking activity. Brandeis was opposed to 'mass production' and consumption which he believed 'eroded' American values. Why this is not far from Roosevelt we shall encounter that the problem of 1929 depression was not so much a problem of American value as it was the collapse of value in the world market. In essence, the man Roosevelt did not evolve out of the circumstances of the era, rather FDR was an uncommon politician who adjusted his goal to the progress of his society and emerged to claim the voice of the New Deal.

If Brandeis was right or wrong, it matters here a little since the next man William T. Foster simply brought down the house with his new view on the American depression, a radical position that was all about spending. Clearly, this is a significant departure from Brandeis since Schlesinger, Jr. treated Foster, in a very interesting light. Schlesinger treated William Foster in his book to the most disputable degree that he, Foster, preceded Maynard Keynes as the parrot for more government spending in times of depression. Naturally such spending will expand the corridors of inflation and surplus, and that foresight inhibited people from forcing the hands of the Government. Providing taxes was a cure for this dilenma. Foster insisted that taxing the excesses of wealth was not 'soaking' the rich but saving the rich. As such providing government incentives for very same 'mass consumption' at a low price was intended to help the masses and it entails spending, it entails a new form of policy. What Foster and eventually Keynes were saying was that all economic policies and all economic conditions evident in any society is dependent and can be manipulated. Here stood FDR at last which of course was not were he started but Arthur Schlesinger choose to isolate this fact.

In William T. Foster we learn that it was possible to save anything worth saving in America, which was a later position of FDR. In William T. Foster we learn of taxing the surpluses and the rich, that "we should take from then a sufficient amount of their surplus to enable consumer to consumer and business to operate at a operate at a profit...." Going entirely from the book and by the author Schlesinger, we can suggest that the era of 1919 - 1933 gave rise of new forms of thinking, and noise from the forementioned group and philosophers, began to yield the idea of "compulsory unemployment and health insurance, the guarantee of bank deposits and rigorous regulation of the security exchanges and stock issues". William T. Foster also said that "we can restore consumer purchasing power by collective action, and no other way. Collective action means, necessarily, action by the Federal government....then the repayment of indebtedness becomes a simple matter."

From these vocal tigers, the book tended to suggest that it became increasingly clear to all Americans in 1929, that emotional emphases on the 'past' exaggerated doubt, and fear offered no lessons for a 'free society'. The cast between the past and the present was gradually political and from then on America looked for a leader and it was FDR who epitomized that new age of confidence. This was the theme of his message in his inaugural speech about fear and 'fear itself'. Here at last, America was making his voice heard to all the Worlds that it was ready to rule.

Conclusion

1912

The policy of 'imperial diplomacy' of late 19th century began to give way to colonialism in 1919. The New empires of Europe and of England had started to overtake new frontiers and scramble. The largely free trade of Atlantic, India Ocean and Arctic which had remained neutral for many years began to follow the antics of restriction, raising the banner of a world order. Things began to fall apart after the first world, collapsing into a world of imperialism.

America once isolated for many decades self contained in its liberty began to feel its weight around the world. It is in that era that Woodrow Wilson became president of United States. He was willing to "pronounce an obituary to liberal society". According Shlesinger. Jr, Woodrow Wilson view changed from minimum government involvement in 1912 to 'activitism' 1916. From the more positive direct control of the government, America gradually began to expand outside its frontiers. The policy of this period of the American rise of domination reached its highest point in the presidency of Calvin Coolidge. Even though Calvin Coolidge lost his last election to the leading man Roosevelt, he is to be credited with America expansionary industrial view.

This expansionary view was duely scripted for big conglomorates and franchises, they squeezed the little small businesses out of shape. That is "more overt forms of concentration thrived equally. Holding companies moved into the utility and transportation fields, chain stores into retail distribution is all areas big firms swallowed small firms and merged with other big ones. By 1930 the two hundred largest non banking corporations, after growing during the decade at a rate two to three times as far as the smaller non banking corporations, controlled about half the total corporation wealth of the country." Simply put, there were few companies operating and there was the problem of rigidity. In other words, growth of small which is the engine of economic growth was stalled.

p.67 "they left percentage rise of wages lag behind the rise of output and profit....The result was to inflate the value of the securities out of proportion to the value of plant." Then, the "consequent burden of overcapitalization, passed along to the operating companies, was eventually dsicharged unto the consumers through high rates." Simply put, America lived beyond its means. In otherwords, the national purchasing power of the Americans was choked and it needed the attention of the US government; her 'goodwill spending'.

The force of independent political markets around the world gave birth to supply side economics, where countries holding colonies produced their own goods at cheap price and created their own markets. Existing market values in each country especially America gradually collapsed due to the absence of a benchmark and a standard world order providing a market direction. The contrast between market efficiency and value took a whole new meaning. Government backed intervention in real estate and use of low interest rate also took root at this time, but by 1929 it was a matter too late in coming and needed a new weight, new attitude and a whole New Deal.

Bernard Madoff received his sentence of 150 years in jail

By Iroabuchi Onwuka

June 29th 2009 is a day to be remembered for many things including a very fair weather and the sentencing of a disgraced financier by name Bernard Madoff. Bernard Madoff received 150 years sentence for a proven case of 'securities fraud' 'racketeering' and the scheme to commit fraud. He was given a short window of probation after the initial 50 years at which time he is likely to have reached his 120th year. For a man 71 years old, this was nothing more than a death nail. We should not forget to mention that Judge Chin had his day before the world, and it cannot be denied that seem to penetrate the minds of the people is that the court provided the hammer for justice.

The sentencing of Bernie Madoff represented to me a formal closure of a sad event, but more than anything it was an opportunity for US judiciary to clean their mess before the world. Before Madoff there has been all kinds of miscarriage of judicial process, the kind that takes place everyday, the kind that see many Blacks and Hispanic go to jail for nothing and New York City residents thrown away from their houses for nothing. I mean, we still have bad taste of the acquittal involving the death of Sean John's but this 29th of June 2009 was for one man only, Bernie Madoff who was a big elephant for the US Judicial altar.

I was however part of the physical crowd present during the sentencing of this Bernard Madoff at 500 Pearl street located at Worth between Bowery and Center street, New York. This is a ceremonial lower Manhattan court house named after Patrick Monahan, at least a quarter of mile away from China town. Looking around me, it was impossible to deny the emotion of people whose life where wiped out by this biggest fraud in US history and of very rich people who were beginning to feel the pince of poverty in New York. Yet the irony of this very rich crowd was that New York had something in the neighbourhood of 35 thousand homeless people who non of them including Madoff would had the course to look twice, even if 15 thousand of these homeless are just children. Yet a fraud is a fraud, and the axe that has fallen on many will not evade the broker like Bernie Madoff who tells you that a deal was off becuase your parents are dead.

If the crowd seethes with resentment at the Court it was due to the heat of the sun and if they were very impatient it was baucause the 9th floor was entertained to long court proceedure. The journalist themselves were all over the place. They were working from very squeezed area of that downtown and many of them where changing their cloths right in front of the crowd. The Black trucks were also present for these news makers. There was CNN and American satelite link who occupied much of the place, there was Accent and TVL Technologies group, there was a black truck of NY 1, there was Channel 12, Eyewitness news/ABC Channel 7, CNBC, Court TV, and many other people with their HDTV all squeezing for action on this historic day. Then there was the rest of us watching the drama evolve and the people who we call Tourist all still clutching for the news on Bernard Madoff, who broefly reminded of Jay Could and Fisk in not past a century. I for one, seriously regretted not having a Camera and an audio recorder on this day, there was people willing to have their say on this day.

I could guese that not many standing in the crowd know the whole story about the man in question called Madoff, saving for the constant news that he did something wrong in finances market. He took people's money and as such he should pay for it seem the general hope. But how he ruined people's life saving and families trust funds. This scam involved his fellow Jews and no only that, it involved top dogs and attroneys like Robert Shapiro and big time film maker who had helped his people to a very extent; Steven Spielberg. The worst aspect of the whole thing is that he committed securities fraud. That he used his positions and connections in NYC stock exchange to steal away people's trust fund which means that he probably took fillinf orders and cash with it and never did anything with it. He may have also have scammed his way somehow to the top, perhaps gradually and most perhaps through illegal means, with hope perhaps to redeem their money at a later date. But who cares about such thing, the man was down already from the public disgrace he brought on himself and his Jewish people.

According to CNNmoney, several two finacial institutions had already presented a public case on the man and an insurance company by Securities Investor Protection Insurance had approve 371 claims totalling 161 million dollars. Trustee Irving Picard has at least 13 000 listings totaling 13 billion dollars. Yet deeper into the very formation of the insurance companies and the people
who revolved around this Trustee Irving Picard - despite their public claims - will show that Madoff was not alone. Some of his Jewish people may have been hurt in persons, in wealth and in ideas, but he was not alone and they not alone.

'Sun for spite will not show his face' is from a poem by Abraham Ibn Ezra, a 13th century of Jew of Spain and North Africa. The sufferings of his people were too hard to speak off and now in this US where displaced Jews from Spain settled, Madoff begins to re-enact the stupid suspicions of his Jewish people. Shall we begin to call Madoff case a tragedy since his rise to the all wonderful position of Chairman of Nasdaq came from hardwork and stealth of day trade, and his fall came from feeling too comfortable hence acting in breach of public trust. Perhaps in future, but today belong to the sentencing of Bernie Madoff who rigged people out of their lifelong money, a scheme like nothing we have ever seen, a Ponzi scheme like nothing we should be force to see in our time.

Real losers of Iran's election

Philip Steven column on Financial Times for June 15th speak eloquently of the problem Iran
an Mussavi. In his article titled 'Iran exposes the gap between idealism and realism for Obama', Steven highlighted the ideological problems of running Iranian election under the reflexes of current Islam mode. The Iranian election was between the incumbent Ahmadi -Nejad and Hossein Mussavi, and reactions after the election seem to indicate Mussavi as the American strategic interest in the election. The fact that the election was supposed to be closer to Western style in conduct may have been an exaggeration on the of Obama and his European colleague, a problem which exposed the fact that Obama and his colleagues underestimated the problem of ideology between Iran and America. Of course the Americans and their European counterpart were hoping for a win, perhaps a political end of Ahmadi-Nejad and his threatning language of violence and Nuclear ambition. The result of the election is that against all expectation, Mussavi lost the election. But wo were the real losers of that election.

Hossein Mussavi who lost 2009 Iranian presidential election to Mr. Ahmadi-Nejad, may have widened the gates of democracy in Iranian but the real losers of that election may not yet be our own American government rather, companies acting for the their own interest in terms of government deals from Iran. We know of Halliburton and their problems of corruption in oil rich parts of the world but what many Americans don't really know is that the world of oil is not only a competition opened to them. Was Mussavi the real loser of that election? techinically yes, but still more, the answer take into account what a victory would have meant for Iran. Aside from the democracy and opulence that a right wing ideology would have brought to Iran, there is a great issue of government contracts and expenses which for many years have been the real acme of war behind the scenes of Iranian politics.

It is impossible to say if Mussavi would have made a better president than Ahmadi-Nejad. Yet America if not the world could have been better served with any one other than the rantful current incumbent. There is also the facts of a more 'realised' possible defeat of Ahmadi-Nejad which was entirely narrow. In fact the outcry for change in Iran and the nature of that election may have surprised a lot of Iranians, especially the concept of demonstration in Tehran on the claim that the election was full of malpractices. But in reality who really expected that change to be that quick and eminient in Tehran Iran. The heavy locus of that change is how many European companies will become frustrated with a new American backed contestant. Pension workers in either of these continental interest would go the distance of realigning themselves to the problem of Global market and that could trip off the issue of lobbying.

It is the faith of many countries in the world to host a congregation of lobbying giants, and in near East and in Middle East, this has been the case. Saudi Arabia reflects the problem of that oil world and in that case, many lobbyist move than the area with all their portfolio. In Iran, since the Americans began to make a wish list for Iran, the Iranian Government under Ahmadi-Nejad had made serious contact with oil companies from around the world. In many parts of oil rich countries in the world like Nigeria, the relationship between state pension and any form of investment in oil has often led to death, sometimes catastrophic death. The environmental consequence is still that much and above all, companies from different parts of the world with lots of new idea are twisted out of shape by older partnership with such countries. In essence, the continuing argument on whether Iran is a terrorist country comes own heavily on what the business people in Iran think.

The aspect of business oversight and what the media houses are saying on Iran come down on the lobbyist group for giant companies are saying. Many of these American companies and European counterparts are busy lobbying the news Media on the consequence of Iranian terrorism. In spite of the face we give Iran, there are many American business men and women, have serious contact with Iran and many of them deal. For instance the problem of Bill Clinton's Saudi Arabian and UAE interest which emerged during the last Democratic candidature involving Hilary Clinton and Barrack Obama. It was surprising to many people that Hilary Clinton voiced out that UAE and Saudi Arabia and United States relarliate against Iran, if possible attarck attarck Iran, that is if Iran should invade Kuwait. Such issue is however unlikely to surprise traders since Hilary Clinton and Bill Clinton have extensive business interest in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait and have international heavy lobbyist. There is no mistake that her group of lobbyst and media driven were seriously following the development of Iranian election, which would have seen Mussavi succeed as a new world of oil interest begun.

In a new book by Dick Morris & Eileen McGann, published here in New York in 2008. The book cited that the following companies are dealing and willing in Iran, a country called the terrorist states. According to the book, one of those companies who recently signed deals with Iran to intergrate its highspeed submarine cable is Alcatel SA & Lucent technologies, the deal was supposed to cost billions of dollars. The project will provide all kinds of business opportunity for Iranians and many companies will do anything to keep others away from Iran while at the best time keeping them enemies of the United States.

The book went on to say what is going on in Iranian and American business. In 2005 Iran secured loan business with US regarding a 'fire year deal'. There is also Commerzbank AG carrying Iranian EuroBond which has since its inception penned down over 400 million dollars.
There is the severe problem of oil and oil companies doing their bidding in Iran, for instance Sinopec China petroluem and Chemical corporation) owned by China and operate "all levels of the Crude oil discovery extraction and refining process". Royal Dutch Shell has thousand of workers in Iran and have their lobbyist in US. All these companies had part time business with Iran now owe substantial business contract with Iran in the last few years. Under George Bush and Dick Cheney America were all about the invading these enemy states and that's still the case in current American invasion of Iran.

The main event in the whole losers and winners of Iranian election come down to Hyundai, which is South Koreans may also have their deals with the said people, in fact Hyundai and Rotem have a huge Rail transport understanding with Iran. Hyundai had to outbid others in the process of building 39 ships for oil and are supposed to use the 'converted interest from investors' that is some companies and investors of American weight were welcome to do business with the company. The problem on pension and helpful policy had been a source of interest for Americans, had the companies that were once based Iran should gain what they were looking for, they will go along way to determine the sort of policy that it useful for USA best companies. The paralysis of the current problems of Crude oil and pricing go the distance to help us understand why the victory of Ahamdi-Nejad and his government policy might have saved the business in Iran.

By Iroabuchi Onwuka

The Niger Delta Crisis in Nigeria, facts or fiction

by

Sampson Iroabuchi Onwuka

Bloomberg News and Information, British Broadcasting Cooperation, all reported on 26th of June 2009 of the attack on Shell property in Niger-Delta region in Nigeria. The usual caption was set in such a way as to suggest that something was going all over the place, that there was a serious case of unrest in Nigerian Niger-Delta region. The picture which the world is compelled to see as reflective of youth violence, especially young black youths carrying guns and machete, seem to be the only picture entirely available for the general public.

Enough cannot be said about the activity of the Nigerian oil companies. Hydro Carbons are found in the area Block OML 64 and 66 and Nigerian NNPC is been busy signing papers with a lot companies. In October 2004, deep-water block OPL 222 was auctioned on and appraised. Production is set to begin in 2010 and is expected to co-inside with 20% Chevron participation, 30% ExxonMobil, Nexen Petro will participate at 20% range.

We know that China reached a trade agreement with Nigeria that will lead Nigeria to offload 30, 000 bbl/d of crude oil in next recurring five years. NNPC has also engineered a 4 billion contract development of the so-called Agbami field of Niger Delta. Why any of these companies and deals are not derailed or forced to generate uncertainty in the area, why they do not make the news as usual and why it is only Shell that always speak of these attack seem to baffle the minds of the world.

For many years, there has been no singular evidence of a 'Shell on fire', there is not evidence of the so-called kidnap except for the scattered issue concerning a man who had refused to go. There are matters arising out of the area in terms of kidnap and these actions seem to have given some weight to the report of such incident in the whole of the region. Yet proper journalism which most Nigerians and in deed the world truly miss about Niger-Delta, would tend to question the staying power of the friction arising from this whole incident of Delta clashes.

The journalism concerning this Niger-Delta is seriously spurious, full of conceivable scenario which exacerbated by pictures of Hooliganism. These pictures burrow deep into the mind of outsiders suggesting a mass of social unrest in whole Nigeria with reflective mutiny of displaced hooligans desperate to harm White people.

We lack the Kaleidoscope of the whole agrarian area of the so called Niger-Delta, but this area is large and elaborate enough to mute the issue of rebellious few, rather it is getting muted by these groups through the lens of the journalist who are adding fiction to fact. We cannot pretend that such unrest in the area does not exist, that it exist means that it has a degree of accuracy, to the degree that it now exist in the eyes of the world as only a keel from the Journalist (reportage) who are widening the angel of the story.

No reporter pursue any story without evidence, and no self respecting individual accept these stories when travels beyond reasonable doubt. What is the truth in placing such a high emphasis on an incident in an Oil Refinery in Nigeria called Shell, when other oil companies owned by Americans are hardly scratched. The relationship between Shell and BBC is not entirely clear and how they manage to get these information is also not clear.

What we do know is that much of the reporting that exist on paper and online concerning this Niger-Delta is initially brokered to the public by very BBC. How can we suggest that the Journalism involved in this crisis has done more harm than good when the only way this incident has reached our ears had been through the same source. It is incumbent upon us and the world to seek out the true facts about Niger-Delta, to elaborate the whole issue and geography concerning the area and exact particulars of the area in the whole region of Niger Delta that the incident took place. Accountable is the motive in this whole Saga.

Are these not the days of Google Earth, Global Crossing and MapQuest? are these not the days of GPS (Global Position Station)? how come that these technology that exist in Nigeria and are used by BBC are not implored to get absolute pictures of the damages to freaking Shell facility and probable location of the incident.

Such attention is necessary since Nigeria and her OPEC friends would like to demonstrate that oil drilling countries are reliable for output. This will also indicate the interest about Nigeria whose 20% GDP is Crude oil, 95% foreign flotation is crude oil, and crude oil also command the 65% budgetary revenues are more than likely to agitate when the crude oil is interrupted.

Perhaps it was Ken Saro Wiwa who began to expose the issue of environmental disaster facing the Niger-Delta and began to use his tactics of armed resistance against Nigerian military seeking to make foolish his complain of Environmental rape. In the end, it was his death that brought the attention of the world to bear in that Niger Delta.

What the world didn't forget was the whole issue of civil disturbance in that area, but in torchlight of reporters, a new world of thinking and attitude towards the Villagers spurred. That new attitude serve as the basis of the conflict, it is not entirely a mistaken to suggest that the idea has turned out worse than imagined. In effect, what began as a fact in real life circumstance yield now some serious hint of fiction.

From the beginning of OPEC until now, civil disturbance in oil rich sections of OPEC countries had been a way to affect the price of crude in real time. From the Arab - Israeli war of 1973 that saw price rise from $2.10 a barrel in 1971 till many times the price, to the disturbance arising from the fall of Shah in 1979 which saw crude oil crack $13 a barrel, to the civil unrest in early 80's which led to the a barrel of oil at $34 a barrel.

The world of oil which Shell played a significant hand, had always been dogged by unrest and uncertainty which affect crude prices arising from such volatility.

It is no wonder that Nigeria which needed improvement of her infrastructure in terms of Refinery and output signed unfortunate deals with Shell and company in the late 70's, and the deal was constantly revised under military dictatorship in 80's, that in 1982 when there was problem with the rise and fall of that Crude by way of Britain willing to offer 8 dollars a barrel, sabotaging in the process the high dependency of Crude.

From Asset pricing and Debt repay position this was a deliberate attempt to force third world economies like Nigeria and Indonesia, countries relying on Shell and Company to build refineries for them in reverse into owing these British companies. Now the substantial preemie of return, which Nigeria would have anticipated from oil now fall in with new bills from these refineries as assets in recessions.

The facts remain that the prices were jetting of so fast in the world and from that volume and output, small third world countries like Nigeria, Mexico and Indonesia, fell into deep National debt with new constructed Refineries in their countries. With the fall of oil prices, the debts increased weakening in the process the fundamental structure and nature of the countries currency and unit of exchange.

In essence, the delay of debt repay for building these Refineries was set in order of 'continuous time' model on the condition that if it goes bad (that is, if risk of repay compounds; defaults), the currency of host Nation will redeem itself in terms of higher averages or equivalent on claims to uncertain payment. Why Nigeria became indebted to IMF was due to poverty of the country to maintain its payment. The debt compounded quickly leading to redemption of Nigerian debt by Saudi Arabia in 1982 by up to a billion dollar.

To repay arising from crude oil bust, more and more output was required, and more and more areas were cleared in Niger - Delta and more pipes were laid and more Refineries drilled from Nigerian Agrarian Niger - Delta. The result was a huge destruction of the environment, a consistent rape of the place where fishes came to nest and a presence of toxic materials in the water and around the region of Shell rig-zone. More than Shell, there were others whose home were displaced leading to an initial arms resistance and then a thaw of the relation.

If we say that a country like Nigeria need oil, we are suggesting that the dark psychology of quick kill in energy market has proven inevitable. The staying power of inevitability of high energy demand in a country with so much poverty cannot be denied, but how that investment in that part of the Niger Delta and business world seem to indicate a crisis allover the country and all over Niger Delta, seem a question we cannot answer.

What the article is indicating is that facts concerning incidents of the Niger Delta ought to be made auspiciously clear with evidence of attack on say a Shell facility, this should be done in order to avoid cracks into the story in the future. What we are also saying is that from such cracks there will speculations, there will be misunderstanding or misinformation, and 'there will be blood'. When blood spill other than oil, there are no degrees of inevitability and fiction ipso facto.

Nigeria is an oil rich country and her hopes for its citizens now and in the years to come seem to be the primary reason of its existence. What is therefore considered faithful to the survival of the country, for instance oil, should get more than adequate commission from the federal government of Nigeria. Given the sensitive nature of such News of the crisis of Niger Delta, it needs be backed by several third party.

According World facts book/Nigeria, the amount of oil these companies lift from Nigeria is not known. In essence, the fiction concerning Niger Delta is so troubling since the actual use of the information does not translate into real life circumstances.

If the Nigeria has wasted 40 Billion dollars from Niger Delta Crisis, it meets that so far the Nigerian government has failed, should this however continue with the rebel tendency, the price of such future failure upon the very fragile Nigerian Union, cannot be greater.

by Iroabuchi Onwuka

Sources of News about Nigerian market

My suggestions will probably differ from many but the under-listed info sites are very useful for your proper knowledge of Nigerian market and export goods. The market world is a crazy world of information that allows you to trade to oblivion. But nothing kills a trader and a trader apprentice much faster than the tendency to recycle existing information. One must be willing to try to get deeper and expansionary in other to survive the brutal and rip throat atmosphere of trading. The following is therefore a beginner's step

Energy information administration

Africa Energy and Mining

Africa News

Agence France Presse

Alexander's Gas and Oil Connections

Ap Worldstream

BBC summary of World Broadcasts

CIA World FactsBook 2001-2008

Dow Jones/Nigeria

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Viewswire

Financial Times African Energy

Global Insight

Hart's Africa Oil and Gas

International Monetary Fund

Oil and Gas Journal

OPEC statistics Bulletin

Panafrican News Agency

Petroleum Intelingence Weekly

Rigzone

U.S Energy information administration

Global insight Middle East and Africa Economic Outlook

World Bank

World Market Research Center

These list first appeared in the Energy information Administration and some of them are mainly for Energy News but they provide additional information on the country.

Addedum

Thomson Reuters

Bloomberg News and Information

Nigerian Guardian/not a very useful business source but a primary source.

StockmarketNigeria...useful but not a primary factor

Businessday

Nigerian Stock Exchange

Nigerian Merchantile Exchange

Intellingence Africa

ITNEWS

Sun Nigerian Newspaper

CIA World Factbook/Nigeria

There are others which merit the attention of the general public but they are hardly primary sources saving for Newspapers.

It is not clear how these information technology can help any Nigerian since much of the
content is sometimes edited, perhaps heavily edited. For instance the open source of CIA factbook/Nigeria seem to contain much better information about Nigeria than majority of these so called sources. Such inability by Nigerian intelligence community to sift through bad new country might go the distance to explain the level of intellectual weakness of the country.

Anyone looking at the very recent incident with Shell will recognize that BBC seem the only one who released this information first before Bloomberg caught up with the news and then manage to cycle it. These are not the first time this incident took place in Nigeria but how the attarckers have managed to get away from the local government and the Shell security seem to confuse the general public. Gazprom is making her business attention known in Nigerian Liquified gas, yet the rest of the world seem not to understand why in all day of days when Russians, desperately looking for useful partners in the world, were looking to reconnect to Nigeria, the Shell facilities are of a sudden damaged. Until further evidence...I beg to move on the fact that something 'fishy' and 'mimi-scious' is going here!

Nigerian Market...No. 5b.

continue...

If the principle of economics is applied to Nigerian market at this time, Nigeria is a country that is going through what the Mexicans experienced in 1994. In essence, there is serious grounds for making the difference in current world using Nigeria as a bait. To be sure we can use Mexico as a an example.

In 1991 the world saw a major downturn in oil crisis. The boom of the years leading to the
Iragi and middle crisis had come to an end and there was urgent need in terms of oil and energy.
The boom in oil was briefly enjoyed till sometime in 1991 when the rest of the world began
to respond to huge linear investment in developing economies of the world. America was responding badly to oil shortages which led pressure to invest in oil rich areas of the world.
Then there was the issue of Super currency which third world countries had to deal with. Majority of that investment coming from United States went into Mexico shrinking in the process, useful investment in other areas of that market. Like the sort we discovered in Nigeria till April 2008.

By 1994 there was severe economic retraction in Mexico which heralded worldwide economic meltdown. At the time of the incident most of these American investors were forced to pull out from Mexico, envincing a crash of substantial proportion. When the world was ready to proclaim obituary to Mexico, when the investment nolonger poured in, Mexico began to sudden show life.
What crashed Mexico in 1994 was huge linear investment in the oil which forced businesses in many areas of the country depreciate.

The case is simply obvious in Nigerian market today, the country had gone through the problem over zealiant investing leading to all kinds of ruination of its internal dynamics. Of course, exact fingers cannot be pointed to oil but the rise of oil and petroluem in the last 5 years would have meant that Nigeria as a country would enjoy a useful profit to better its country but this was not so. Rather it suffered from people using the country as a business and Nigerian petroluem as a corporation that only generated the smallest sum from oil, smaller than most cultures of the world.

Then there is the issue of IMF and its bad loans which compound trade deficit, and then a scam baiting Super or premium currency.

Yet, Nigeria that is forloughly, may actually be the right place to be in terms of investment.
Since Charlse Soludo made the grave mistake of allowing the capitulation of foreign currency in Nigeria, there is serious deficiency of foreign currency in Nigeria, in dollar terms. The recent lending exercise of ECB, World Bank and in Nigerian case IMF, can be described as an attempt to resourcitate the debt to error of Nigerian parts, which can only further deny Nigeria this freedom to restructure its internal dynamics.

Yet the distance is much between the debt or loan to cripple and the weakening of Nigeria current market. The vultures will gradually return to Nigeria and under the current CBN, foreign investment that has no interest in direct investment in Nigeria will return. This is therefore the best time for commodity markets since they are little to win both ways, and will continue to be the case as long it is necessary.

Nigerian Market...No.5

One Senior market analyst, Jeremy Steins, once said in the relation to another domain options market, that "stock price volitility strongly mean Reverting" which if translated in market Nigeria should mean the following; short term options should behave differently as a reel on the prices of long term options should behave differently as a reel on the price of long term options. Gains on short term IPO's should mean reverting to an actual domain option after an expected business cycle of 36 months, albeit at lower percentage profit.


As far as Standar deviation in concerned with respect to range of expansion on a weak platform an population size, this is probable not true at least in market terms. Much still in market, liquidity markets like Nigeria, with very limited structural adjustment proved incapable to withstanding the barrage of business drama at the top. Bribery and corruption built a tunnel from top to bottom, unleashing as it were an avalanche of waste and military suppression in once promising economy.


Not barring oil and gas as a normal bias, Nigerian market proves a point in the immediate discourse. For instance, Nigerian market has consistently increased in the last two decades with an upside view of 10% annual rise in the next probable ten years. The New Government in Nigeria had been trying to set aside the problems of the past, while doing what is considered right by other citizens' standard. Until the recent government, Oil and gas rose in Nigeria as Naira dropped over the same period, meaning high and cur inflation capable of gaining psychological dimension as demand fell for imported goods.


From that 1986 Nigerian adjustment to SAP (structural Adjustment Program) and the idea of 'super currency' and IMF, Nigeria and foreign hedge fund managers went at logger-heads. Naira facing corruption and bribery and expense driven trade deficit which forced Nigerians into debt and compounding debt that forced Nigerian Naira into a slide. The drop was so consistent with oil that it was easily expected every Friday. Few began to wonder when such drop will mend, fewer suspected a compromise from the Nigerian federal government. With the rise of trade deficit in Nigeria and with oil exchanging hands from June and September each year, Nigeria Naira like most betrayed currencies of the world kept sliding till foreign businesses began to pull out, but the harm has already been done.


Exchange driven disaffected buyers looked else for profit from around 1986, leading to further devaluation of the overall economy. The blame easily went to poor fiscal policy of the government and its military weight and loan servicing. In no small part did the isolated incident of Nigeria took place only in Nigeria, it was a world wide economic problem. By 2004, the weight of the currency has depreciated from slightly over 5 Naira for 1 dollar to 148 Naira for a single dollar. Naturally, investors were discouraged to place more bait with such a country called and until 2004, market Nigeria dwindled under the axe of monopoly.


From that 1986 till the licking of Nigeria would in 2004, there is always the issue of acquiring distressed asset which usually occur when US dollars is at all time high and Americans who once backed the Bretton Wood will now cease the opportunity to spread their business. The rise of
US dollars forces currencies around the world to become worthless and then a penetration of American backe securities.


In essence, if you plan your market very well, it will revolve around around a circle, starting with the rise and fall of US mortgage and then US government backed intervention, a tightning of credit, a stronger US dollars and a weakened foreign currency leading to inflation like the problem in Russia. Like the problem Nigeria Naira faced in November which cause inflation leading to distressed assets. If they had released their distressed assets to foreigners, it might rehabilitate the circle of debt in future.


But this has no remedy in current markets in the world, but in Nigeria, there is a command to all asunder to invest now the chips are down. The circle would been fully broken with a few more years of Charlse Soludo, but his removal might be a blessing in disguise since eyes are now wide shot. Embrace Nigeria now and she was will embrace back. Embrace Russia if you can.

Russians on the Dollar side...good for commodity market bad for Crude oil.

Russians realigned their Rubies with dollars ahead of the meeting of the emerging market group on the very fuure of the socalled world reserve currency. The coin of contrast has been baited between European Euro and American dollars with many countries pointing to Euro as the next possible dump of the world currencies. The purpose of this meeting of these emerging economies of the world - Brazil, India, China, Russia - is if not clear especially, except in context of uncertainty of confidence hat such meaning spike on US dollars. A weaker US dollars will perhaps open more avenues for businesses around the world, which will further enhance the inflation of American economy. US economy is still dependent on markets from around the world (emerging commodity markets for sure) and American commodity markets still account for 70% of its market. Russians anticipating the whole drama indicated that it has no need for further meeting, and the country suffering from the year long problem devaluation of its currency will need to reposition themselves in US currency.

By taking so active a position, the Russians are beginning to indicate that they are likely to seethes with a better face on the rest of the world. The country has largely remained in the foreground since is days of communist breakdown. Making the transition from a communist state to capitalist require all the competence of modern financial giants from Russia, but even they had succeeded according to plan, there was Euro to deal it. The tension between Russia and Europe seem to be ignored, far less critical has been the improbability of a community of currency champions that include Germany and France to excel too far against Russia. In effect, it can be argued that the resistance level of most currencies baiting against benchmarks is noted by degree of participation of two competing forces capable of affecting the outcome. Such outcome that enhances the Euro against the dollars can be expected, it is unlikely to be desired for could anyone expect the Euro to replace American dollars by even a narrow slide even for a 25 years.

The purpose of this meeting of G4 emerging markets can only be explained as a diversionary ploy, intended to spook the rise of alternative monetary currency opposed to world financial Reserve currency; dollars. For now, if not for now, no singular currency is anyway positioned to challenge the US currency, which brings out the more useful question of why Euro will be seduced to promote itself given the expansion of balance sheet in Eastern Europe. For years, a rift has existed between Russian businesses and European frontier companies, like the landing rights of Luftansa and Russian Aeroglots. Structured characteristics of existing financial base of Russia and Europe make investment between these two power houses difficult, worse than all is the very recent fall of Russian Rubies which led to serious decline in stock profit for businesses belonging to European countries.

Europe seem too slow to gradually accept the inevitability of breakdown of its currency, despite the failure of banks in Eastern Europe and infrequency of payment, the continent an her ECB seem less concerned with huge trade deficit between it and the rest of the world. For stability pact to endure, government sponsored enterprises (GSE) should be relied less and less, in order to help the private institutions and indeed the world market to participate in such an open market. There should be a balance between risk management and assumption of debt. For the sake of investment, more private direct participation as opposed sovereign wealth is very useful, and given the export depended basis of European economies, there is no basis for expensive commodity market. Crude oil which the Russians are tagging to their wealth is however expected to peculate.

Here, in terms of operating commodity market of Russia seeking to barely survive the new fall of their currency, they seem to have done better by openly declaring their intentions to peg their currency with dollars. Given especially the whole world of crude oil that is likely to advance with an upside view towards the end of 2009, Euro is not a safenet. The dollar is, perhaps the pounds with newer and better realised tendency, needs to be mentioned that the Euro has performed in consonant with crude oil, its likely dip in monetray significance, might spell bad news for crude oil.

Nigerian Market...No 4

West Africa is deplete money market due to socio-political merchants of death, in respite, it lacks cohesion and integration and such local foreign investors look else where for business opportunity. Advance decline lines are not certain in its stockmarket and the moving average is only useful with banks. But if any one is willing to admit, West Africa and not North Africa is the model in studying business cycles in Africa, especially downtowns. Some analyst have mentioned that in terms of equity ratio, North Africa is key to the continent given the issue of the currency. There is no argument there that in terms of price and profit on the short term, North Africa is a useful investment option especially Egypt. If your investor is comfortable with long term penetration, Egypt and North Africa is not the place to be, rather Nigeria and West Africa is where the big business are. North Africa is very suffocating for outsiders and wealth lie in the hands of the fewer an not the many, and for that it is difficult to maintain a market to market agenda. What happens in any part of the world cannot easily affect the business cycle in Egypt.


Cyclical downtowns are not without origin in advanced economies, and individuals in-the-business-to-know will come to accept a forecast of bust as natural consequence when certain longevity of boom is overly-enjoy. With a market like Nigeria, investors easily move their money around from their money to any part of the world. While the case is not exactly the same with third world countries, yet in each expected fall in market value and price several indications had been underway and in response to inflation, Nigeria easily provide a command signal for would be business men.


In the whole Africa, the pulse of business life is easily associated with Nigeria, and Nigeria Nigeria participation with OPEC does not endear such advantage rather her membership ensures that U.S dollars remain the order of Nigerian market, a bait for Nigerian Naira and a hedge against volatility. Better argument can in fact be made for South Africa but the size of that economy and wealth of technology means her a distant calipher for measuring business performance in Africa. In Africa, South Africa is a less than perfect model for predicting profits in venture capitalism. In South Africa, the Bond market is very useful and can be a way forward for the most part, but it cannot be relied upon since the structure for the 48 Million South Africans are mainly constructed and the South Africa is Rand baited against precious metals like Diamond and Gold, means that there is little to be done in terms of its money function and international markets. America has long removed the gold from its standard, opening all kinds of way for international businesses.


On the other hand, Nigeria is closer to the bottom with a view of the top, with easy to start leverage for small businesses and geographical width to accommodate any size of investment.
By all accounts, both technical and historical, Nigeria is necessary market prism to seer the merits and demerits of investment in Africa, and as a cipher, it could help to spot the stimulus
of a new product and public interest.

There is tendency to believe that everything Nigeria is oil and given the whole problem of political instability, it is not difficult to doubt it. Oil is a natural bait for investment but these foreign legions sometimes ignore such thing as overkill. Wherever oil drilling is a major source of income, the economy thaw. The accusation that this is deliberate cannot be made since over reaction to any form of investment is a constant dark psychology in markets with little option trade. Since oil companies bring a source of new markets to these markets, an accusation of such proportion cannot stand. However nonetheless, its no hidden knowledge that huge endeavors without repose to the general economy invite a ship of decaying companies and unemployment.

The good thing about unemployment is that it helps to foster commodity markets and salesmanship. If anyone is interested in raking into Nigeria, it will be through the avenue of supply management. For supply to mean much in a third world like Nigeria, it must be generated land and sea. Lagos is the commercial capital of the country and Kano is in the North, what could however help your business survive quickly in Nigeria has to essentially deal on cost. Effective cost management to the most significant unit of exchange, set against a very effective supply route would easily ensure a useful return for your business in a decade or less. Like any good commodity, once you start making money, you are likely to remain on profit. The size of manufacuring anything in Nigeria is not as stiff as it is currently available in many parts of the world, but the temptation to import products in the country is usually met with stiff tariff which

It will also be a good idea to seek a direct investment in the country to enable you further improve your position in the country. Nigeria might be confronting the problem of 419 or 'obtain by tricks', as such it is better to deal with smaller groups and people from the beginning, and build over time than trying to force your way into the country. Companies like Nestle might be one of the best beverage companies in the world, but they archieved that level of success gradually. When Palm Olive wanted to do the same in Nigeria, they could not easily archieve the success and nearly backed off from the country. It is wise to forego some years of profit if you are heading towards Agriculture and you should try not to place a high emphasis on overnight success. If Spices, Coffee, Ginger, is your interest in Nigeria you should look to develop business relationship with the Northern elders and theirlocal Mallams. And you need a lot of trucks and full Residency Permit.


Nigerian and West African Ginger and Coffee beans are the best in the world, I mean there other kinds of Caffenited beans in the area. Take a softly approach, and take your time as well.


For bigger coperations, the Nigerian Stockmarket is one of the best investment anyone can think of. It is not in terms of the overall performance of its finances which is largely under-developed but its ability to attract the attention of the public - local and foreign - is a big advantage. Talk about going legit! In such terms, you need to have your trade stations and work gear and stay attentive to international markets as well. Other African Stockexchanges are not a bad idea but the main event is seeking to generate money in Nigeria using the banking system. There is always a commercial paper that make life easier for foreign businesses in any country and these companies can be of the greatest use as if you definitely need to watch what is happening to the Nigeria oil and gas as domain market. If these are done, you can begin to plot your entrance into West Africa using as a background.

The following are what you as a foreigner needs to first of all do in Nigeria.

1, get a better idea of the market called Nigeria and study the country as a whole.

2, review the trade routes and transport system. While you should not worry about the trade routes at the beginning, you need to master the nature of trade inside Nigeria.

3, You should visit Nigeria at least for a while and try to feel your way in a place like PortHarcourt or Enugu before heading towards Abuja or hectic Lagos. While you are it, you should obtain all the information you need about incorporating any business of your choice in Nigeria and make sure you accomplish that during your stay.

4, Tranfering some money to Nigeria is not a bad idea, right when you've done so, you should look build your credit with any number of banks. That will look like a hard task, but with time and the reputation of your company, it is possible to attract bank credit.

5, For any third world economy, you must start from little things but when you stand, look to avoid them. It is also pointless to dwell on something that everybody wants, and avoid the mistake of cashing out or cashing in, you must begin with something and try to build you credit with any company over there. The rest comes naturally.

People who get dupped in Nigeria are rich people who want break in bad and cash out bad. They might make it, but sometimes they end up falling into the wrong hands. Asset pricing and Risk management cannot apply in that whole attitude of 'breaking in bad' in Nigeria. Nigeria is still growing and will only approach saturation in a century or so.