stream(Nigeria.violence)

##1.february.2012
//sectarian violence. again with the Christian vs Muslims. As MLK said, the most effective tool of the Pharaohs was to get the slaves fighting amongst themselves. Although not that simple, also tribal dynamics again. Our tribe vs. your tribe. And farmer vs nomadic//

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12077944

Muslims are generally from the Hausa- or Fulani-speaking communities. They are often nomadic people who live from rearing animals or petty trade.

The mainly Christian Berom, Anaguta and Afisare groups have traditionally been farmers.

Some Christian farmers feel they are under threat, as Hausa-speaking Muslims come down from the north looking for pasture for their animals.

stream(Ivory Coast.election)

 ##.february.2012
 //moved from Brain

www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/in-ivory-coast-a-critical-moment-for-national-identity-looms/article1849966/);

On one side is incumbent Laurent Gbagbo, a Christian from the centre of the country who is considered a true citizen by his supporters. On the other is Alassane Ouattara, a Muslim from the north of the country whose supporters hail him as a champion of equality.

stream(South-Africa.economy.currency)

 ##.january.2012
//Global debt investors favor SA bonds almost as much as "safe" US bonds. An indication of growth of SA or decline of US?
http://www.fin24.com/Economy/More-bad-news-for-SA-from-Fitch-20120115

Treasury last week had no difficulty in disposing offshore of $1.5bn worth of government bonds with a 12-year maturity. The auction attracted bids worth $3bn and the bonds were sold at a 4.66% rate of return.
This rate was only 270 basis points higher than that investors receive on US government bonds with a 10-year maturity.
This means that investors require only 2.7 percentage points more in interest than that offered by US bonds – which are regarded as a safe haven – to lend the South African government money.
Henk Viljoen, head of fixed-interest investments at Stanlib, says the return is considerably lower than the rates Spain and Italy have to pay.
“As South Africans, we can pat ourselves on the back that we can now borrow at rates that compete with the yields from countries we have always looked up to.”

##.january.2012
//US transnational company.profits funnel back to US.
//Do profits "trickle down" to help rebuild SA's infrastructure? Education?

http://www.socialistproject.ca/bullet/584.php

>random correlation: WalMart entering South Africa ->query: Why could it not enter Germany?