My Theory...

Okay -- first off, I'm 37. I don't know what was up with my math yesterday. My Whole Lifetime...

This out of Lagos yesterday --

"Oil spills worry Bayelsa community
Written by Samuel Oyadongha
Wednesday, 24 September 2008
The Ikarama community in the Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State has expressed concern over the incessant oil spill which has devastated a large portion of their community."

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I have always been a conspiracy theorist -- I think that started in high school, where my history teacher taught us over and over that there was no truth -- that any information and history we learned was funneled entirely through one perception which was trying to get it's point across...

There is no consistent language. There is no consistent story...

We have no idea what is going on in Lagos -- we being the average American blogger... I read every story I see that comes out of Nigeria and I have absolutely no idea -- I do have some guesses... some guesses about quiet ways to punish people to quell uprising...

MEND and Shell are at war -- they are at war over oil -- the oil is bleeding out and covering everything -- as subjects of war are want to do...


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"Vanguard investigations revealed that this predominantly fishing and farming settlement had in the last four months experienced no fewer than three different spills around the Okordia manifold owned by the Anglo-Dutch oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC)."

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I do searches for "oil spill" all the time --
I have never seen that phrase before...

Incessant oil spill

Devastated a large portion of their community -- that I feel like I have.

What does it mean -- devistated? Is the earth oozing black? Are the wells on fire? How heavy is that smell that Exxon told my father was a rotting whale (allegedly -- my father's memory...)?

Are people dying?
Are people dying yet?

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"Although the cause of the spills could not be ascertained but sources told Vanguard that a leakage was noticed on June 15, 2008 by the natives and that another spill occurred sometime in July when the company was yet to take steps to address the clean up while a new spill occurred on August 27, 2008.

An indigene of the area who spoke anonymously said though the JIT report of the spills around the manifold recorded equipment failure as cause of one of the spills he however blamed the incessant spills on alleged complicity on the part of the oil company contractors with some youths of the area.

The native who lamented the plight of his people said this informed the August 29, 2008 visit of the officials of Environment Right Action (ERA) to the community on a fact finding mission as well as the routine visit of the group field monitor officer to update its record of the despoliation of the environment.
“It is sad to note that Ikarama could be classified as the community with the highest frequency of oil spill related matters and this prompted both local and international environmental rights groups to visit the community in recent times expressing concern for the ecosystem and sustainability of the environment,” he lamented citing the visit of the ERA team.

Continuing he said, “though there had been genuine cases of oil spillage such as that of June 26, 2008 which was blamed on equipment failure according to the JIT report but our environment have suffered so much pollution due to the collaboration between Shell contractors and some youths who took to sabotage oil facilities in the community.”"

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I've been lazy with the car lately. Driving like I had no idea at all...