Friday, August 27, 2004

Wired. The old cold war government secrecy system is huge and growing out of control.  Over $6.5 billion a year is spent securing secrets (a $2 billion jump since 2001).   8:17:51 AM    Comment_ Trackback []

The story behind Mark Thatcher's arrest is stranger than fiction.  Mercenaries, a coup attempt, a wonga list, the son of a conservative Prime Minister, oil, money, a medieval dictator, and Texas.  EQUATORIAL Guinea, with a population smaller than that of Edinburgh, was until recently one of the poorest countries on earth. But now, following discoveries of vast offshore oil and gas fields, it has the world's fastest growing economy. Dallas-based Triton Energy, which has close ties to President George Bush, Exxon Mobil and Chevron Texaco have together invested more than US$5billion in Equatorial Guinea's burgeoning oil production, predicted soon to provide five percent of US oil needs.  7:58:09 AM    Comment_ Trackback []