EFÉctive

Monday 5 March 2018

Efe's Thoughts in March



THE PETRODOLLAR SHOULD CRASH






They caused it.”

This is something my father will say in his diluted Nigerian accent any time we're watching the news together and something tragic has happened that is linked to terrorism.


The 'they' that my father is referring to will be America and its Western allies (though Israel may also be included in the mix too for obvious reasons.)


The US government and its Western buddies are expert deceivers, manipulators and attackers of foreign affairs whilst using corporate media outlets to propagandize its aims and demonize nations who dare put up resistance to their bullish ways.


In a recent RT article, it was reported that the Russian parliamentary commission had listed up to 102 ways that the US government had dabbled into domestic affairs of other nations since World War 2. 102 ways people – and still counting.


America currently has 800 military bases in over 130 countries around the world. I beg the question why? 


Of course it has to do with oil and gas. Always will be.


They come bearing the title of 'World's Police' but under their disguise they are complete violators and hijackers of world peace, freedom and diplomacy. The best example I have of a wolf in sheep's clothing.


Nations are safe until they decide to guard their natural resources from the greedy, whorish eyes of the US government.


During my A-level Politics class, I was always so deeply irritated when my teacher would reiterate that America is the most powerful nation on Earth. And I would ask, “Says who?” and she would give me some biased bull-filled answer that I didn't bother paying attention to.


The first concept I had of the damaging affects that the petrodollar has had on the global economy was when I was about thirteen years old. My father, whilst driving me to school, would give me lectures about the atrocities that the West have caused in Africa.

Without a shadow of doubt Nigeria is guilty of mismanagement of its natural resources. One being the shortsightedness of the government to diversify their income instead of relying mostly on its oil reserves. And two, not utilising the four oil refineries as opposed to outsourcing that job to countries overseas namely the US. Despite this, Nigeria, has fallen victim to the West's blood sucking ways due to its colonial past.

What has always boiled my system in all the history lessons that my father gave me is to learn that America is the one that puts the price tag on the oil that Nigerians produce and export, only for it to be sold back to Nigeria in their dirty dollars.

Is that not an insult?

Going a little further back in history, we have the petrodollar system which was created under President Nixon's adminstration in a strategy to recover from the Great Depression and fund its military operations in the Vietnam War. The US at that time held two-thirds of the world's gold reserve, but in 1971 decided to forego the Bretton Wood's gold standard agreement, and instead implement the fiat currency. This basically gave the Federal Reserve license to print as much money as they wanted with no fixed value. Prior to that the dollar was set at $35 per ounce of gold.

America allied with Israel in the 1973 Yom Kippur War by providing them with military aid. As a consequence the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) members placed an oil embargo on them that eventually led to the Oil Crisis. This would not end until the following year after a handful negotiation trips to Saudi Arabia headed by Secretary of State William Simon and his deputy Gerry Parsky.

Under the leadership of King Faisal Abdulaziz Al-Saud, the oil-rich Arab nation was eager to attract many exporters of their crude to fund the development and modernisation of their land. And America knowing the massive reserves that the Saudis were standing on knew that this could be a huge game-changer for them. Finally in 1974 a deal was struck: oil bought from Saudi Arabia will be paid for in dollars in exchange for weapons and military protection.

Shortly after, OPEC members followed suit by trading their oil in dollars and the 'petrodollar' was born.

Profit from oil sales is invested back into the US treasury - so basically majority of the world has been buying America's debt hence the reason why they can call themselves 'the Richest/Most Powerful Country on Earth'.

As it stands, Saudi Arabia currently owns an estimated $117bn worth of US debt. And it is also estimated that 30-60% of dollars is in circulation outside 'The Land of the Free'.

If my anger could be liquified, it'd be a nuclear weapon against the US government, the CIA, the Federal Reserve, plus the MI5, MI6 and the French Intelligence.

The US government and its allies love to suck dick until there are no sperms in the ball sac of nations that they are going after and consequently are rendered impotent.

Look at what they did to Saddam Hussein, look at what they did to Gaddafi. They have turned Iraq and Libya to No Man's Land. The method to their manipulation is always to cause instability in order to undermine the nation's sovereignty and take control of the oil fields.

They did this too in Afghanistan (only in this case it's the poppy fields) by overthrowing the Taliban – is it really a coincidence that America is suffering from an opiate epidemic? You want to talk about drug dealers, mate, you should be looking at your Heads of State. They're the real pharmacists. But I digress.

Back to the petrodollar.


Our dependence on crude is undeniable with ninety million barrels of oil used daily globally. But as with all things, nothing lasts forever. America's 43-year dominance and monopolization of this highly lucrative market will be no different when it comes to an end.

Presently we have Russia, who for the last few years have really been showing some teeth in their strategy to move away from the dollar. Back in 2014, Putin said he wanted to leave the 'dollar dictatorship' of the market and in September 2017 he made good on his word by vetoeing the payment of goods in dollars on Russian ports in order stregthen the rubles. On which I say, good on 'em.

The Chinese are one smart bunch too. According to the GFMS Gold Survey China was the largest buyer of gold with over $84bn purchased in 2017 as part of a long-term effort to mitigate against the risks of having $1 trillion worth of US reserves knowing full well that should there be an inflation of the dollar they will be severely impacted. But Sami Hamdi, editor-in-chief of The International Interest believes that China, “lacks the economic reputation of the US as a sturdy and stable economy which impacts trust in the currency.”

Yet at the beginning of 2018, the Bank of France admitted to holding some if its foreign reserves in the Chinese yuan. This was only after Germany's Central Bank also said they were looking into diversifying their reserves, so that only goes to show that the Chinese renmibi should not be underestimated.

And then we have Iran and Venezuela. These two countries are currently under heavy sanctions from the US.

As of last month, Venezuela, the country with the largest proven oil reserve in the world at 300 billion barrels on standby, has created a cryptocurrency called the Petro that is backed up by its oil reserves. This move will most certainly make Washington unhappy but I don't think that Maduro really gives a shit despite there being many concerns on the credibility of the currency and the likelihood of investors being attracted to the return on investment of the economically volatile country.

And we come to Iran – the last country that the US want to mess with according to General Wesley Clark. In a 2007 interview he disclosed that there were seven countries that the US government was planning to go into war with which included Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia and Sudan.

As of the end of February, it has been reported that Iran will start selling their crude in the euro. This simple move will be enough for Washington to sound the call of duty to its soldiers under the pretext that the Iranians are sponsorers of terrorists. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

In 1999, US Vice President Dick said in a 1999 speech at the Institute of Petroleum:
The Middle East, with two-thirds of the world’s oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies; even though companies are anxious for greater access there, progress continues to be slow.”

So how is it that the big decisions made on behalf of the world's economy does not include the countries in which their main source of wealth originates from?

One thing which I find outrageous about this whole thing is that there are no African or Middle East countries within G7. Saudi Arabia just about made it into G20. Regardless of it being about it being about only the wealthiest countries, as Africa's biggest economy and most populous country and one of the largest exporters of oil producing 2 millions barrels a day, Nigeria should be a Group member.

Please be reminded that without Africa, the world is nothing.

The Romantic in me wishes that there would be a time when payment would be made in Naira in order to buy Nigerian produce, along with all the other OPEC members trading in their own currency but my father tells me he does not think that's ever going to happen, which is sad, as I think it's only fair.

But alas, we don't live in a 'fair' world.

And because the likelihood of that is slim, I am eagerly anticipating the fall of the petrodollar. Yes that may be the genesis of World War Three, but with a global economic crash worse than '08 well on its way, something will have to give.

And when oil is no longer fun to play with, soon they will be coming for our water, all in the name of “privatisation”. I'm looking at you Nestle and Coca-Cola – Brazil watch out. But anyways, that's a story for another day.

Caterina's Honorable Mentions: 

Insightful articles and essays that I read related to this month's topic

Enjoyed reading this and want more? Click on the links below:


Monday 1 January 2018

Efé's Thoughts in January

FEMINISTS PISS ME OFF

Women have always been the strong ones of the world. The men are always seeking from women a little pillow to put their heads down on. They are always longing for the mother who held them as infants.Madame Coco Chanel


Mother: The most feminine non-feminist 


Yes, us vagina-proprietors have gone through a lot.

I'm sure in times like these when there's much noise and uproar over the sexual assault allegations on women in different work sectors; from political circles to the entertainment industry, brought to light by the ongoing Harvey Weinsten case, feminists feel like their role is even more validated but I beg to differ.


For the last nearly two hundred years this aspect of the equal rights phenomenon that on the surface is about social progression and female empowerment at its core seeks to destabilise and destroy the natural, divine order of things.


A self-confessed semi-Luddite, it was only two years ago when I found myself more acquainted with a little thing called social media that I became aware of the problem that is third-wave feminism.


Anytime I see the word “feminist” or even “womanist” in someone's bio it makes me cringe and roll my eyes. And just in time for Women's International Day '16 I wrote an essay as a pre-introduction to my anti-feminist sentiments. 


God forbid there are future waves of feminism because in my mind, the next wave will be a genocide campaign that seeks to eradicate the whole male gender. Including your precious little son.


Speaking of sons, men who say they are feminists are not accepted in my circle of respect because they come across as a pussy...cat.


Yes I do believe in equal pay between both genders for the same job title that comes with the same responsibilities because when it all comes down to it, it's really only about the ego and money, nothing else.


But more importantly, I believe that men and women are created in the image of God and therefore have the freedom to express themselves as creative beings within the context that glorifies their Creator.


And herein lies the problem, because everyone has different interpretations of how they can live as an individual and as it should be because we are capable of reasoning but when we start doing things that conflict with the wishes of our Creator, that becomes a big problem.

As women, from the beginning of time we have been wanting to reign control over men. Exhibit A – Eve. The battle of the sexes started in the garden of Eden.

Does anybody not find it a little curious that Satan went to Eve first? Lucifer, the craftiest of all animals (Genesis 3:1), would not have randomly chosen to go to Eve. He purposely pursued and used the woman as his instrument of choice to play out his objectives. And it was just the same thing that happened with Abraham and Sarah. It was Sarah that advised Abraham to sleep with her maid, and now we have the Ishmaelite religion of Islam.


Satan hates women(Genesis 3:15). And that's why he is loving the massive platform that feminism has in society at this present moment in time.

Genesis 3:16 - To the woman he said, "I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."


It's not easy, even as a Christian, to understand and accept a verse such as this, when it feels that it calls to a woman's submissive nature. What the Holy Spirit helped me understand from this verse is that this is the root of the conflict between both genders especially in the context of marriage. There will always be a power struggle between a man and a woman but the man is God's assigned leader. And because you are a leader you will lean on others for support.



And that's as far as my “feminism” goes.

Yet because this is a concept so many find hard to grasp, ultimately the one who calls the shots is usually the one who earns the most money.


One thing that needs to be made clear whether you accept it or not, is that God is the designer of life, and therefore He is a God of order. What is occurring in the world today is a maelstrom of confusion.

With that said, I understand that feminist issues in the Western world can be as simple as women who work in the office having to abide to rules that require them to wear heels, or that mothers feel that a process as natural as breast-feeding is made out to be something that they should be ashamed to do in public.

I had a conversation with a guy a while ago. This was a guy who liked me but I told him that we were not compatible and he responded by saying, if we were in Pakistan he would just kidnap me. He was half-joking.

I've had another man saying these exact words to me, “You're the type of girl that guys beat up.” All because I refused to dance with him in the club.


Whilst on another night out in London's Soho, a guy that I did not know groped my ass as I was walking into a taxi (but I then proceeded to slap the fuck out of him).


It's men like these that I've just described that I can empathise why some women hold the feminist title firmly to their chest as a badge of honour. And are so adamant in their mission of making sure that they are on an equal social, political and economical footing as men.


Yet compared to the fuckery that is happening to women in other parts of the world, all these issues are trivial. Nevertheless, I also understand that the way it affects us women is personal because when we experience something that tries to alter the way we perceive ourselves it takes a bite out of our self-esteem and worth.


Statistics from the Global Gender Gap Report show that amongst the 150 countries assessed for the report the ones said to be the worst for a woman to live in ranked the highest for femicide, child marriages, rape and FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) with Yemen ranking the lowest. The other nations that scored poorly on the report included Pakistan, Syria, Chad, Iran, Mali, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Morocco and Jordan.


So let's be honest with ourselves – if you live in North America, Europe or Australasia, you have it better than a lot of women in other regions of the world. Just think for a moment - when was the last time you heard of a mother paying child support?


As of the time that this essay was being written Saudi Arabia had only recently granted women the permission to drive from June 2018. The only nation in the world to have had that sort of restriction.

The difference between women's rights within Western nations and the countries previously mentioned is that dealing with such a sensitive issue in the aforementioned countries is a constitutional matter.


What feminists and social justice warriors alike do is speak to the politically-correct “one-loving” hippy geared world but don't dig deep to combat the fundamental problems troubling women and their interaction with men.



With that in mind, it is unfortunate that it is the geographical location that limits how a woman can choose to express herself as a human being.

Earlier last year, in a move totally questionable, Google fired one of its senior engineers, James Damore, who caused controversy over the statements he made in his manifesto that went viral, on why there are less women in tech and leadership roles due to the biological differences between men and women. Apparently the search engine's CEO, Sundar Pichai thought that it caused, harmful gender stereotypes”, in the workplace.


The thing I do not like the most about feminists is that they seem to not understand that the beauty of having two genders is for us to compliment one another, not be in competition.

As a woman I understand that we don't want to feel undervalued, we want to be on the front line with the men.

This couldn't be more evident in the UK where the two occasions that a female Prime Minister was elected it has been during huge crisis in the country.

Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher longest reigning Prime Minister who helped boost the economy during the recession. And regardless of what anybody thinks of her, Theresa May she's the one stepping up to deal with crisis of Brexit. You have to be cut from a different type of cloth to be able to operate under the scrutiny that they would face daily.

Women are the caretakers.

I will conclude with one of my biggest inspirations in life, my sister, my sushi roll, Karbo. A certified paeditrician, she left her job in Taiwan, came to London got her Masters in Music Therapy, then later decided she wanted to change career path again and went on to pilot training. The fact that she has a vagina has never disturbed her from being whoever she wants to be.

Feminism is a joke. If you really want to go on your campaign, go on your campaign about women living in the bottom ten countries of the gender gap equality rankings and having to get their clitoris sliced with a blade, no anaesthesia, but do not cry over spilled milk.


Caterina's Honorable Mentions: 
Insightful articles and essays that I read related to this month's topic

Enjoyed reading this and want more? Click on the links below: