15 Jun 2009 13:25 Africa/Lagos
'Come Out' Album's Message: God Loves You Just as Gay as You Are
LOS ANGELES, June 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Gospel singer and an out lesbian member of clergy in the Gospel Truth Music Ministry (http://www.rizigospel.com/), the Rev. Rizi Nasele Timane' is unveiling her new album "Come Out," a collection of original songs that call for full human rights for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. As part of the album's promotion, Timane' is touring the United States during the summer of 2009.
The album's title song challenges the fundamentalist notion that God and the Bible condemn homosexuality and strives to educate the public about what the Bible really says and does not say about homosexuality. "I have extensively studied the Greek and Hebrew translations of the Bible, and I found that, when interpreted properly, the Bible does not condemn homosexuality at all," stated Timane'.
"I'm the first out lesbian reverend and gospel singer from Nigeria, West Africa," Timane' continued. "I was one of the first people to identify as openly gay in homophobic Africa, and I know firsthand how that rejection translates to drug addiction and suicide." According to the Massachusetts 2006 Youth Risk Survey, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. Additionally, San Francisco State University's Chavez Center Institute has found that LGBTQ youth who come from a rejecting family are up to nine times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers because of the negative treatment endured.
"For LGBT persons, this painful struggle with religion or spirituality and sexuality is responsible for depression, low self-esteem, drug addiction, self-abuse, isolation and the entering into of false heterosexual marriages," said Timane'. "Worst of all, it's responsible for thousands of suicides each year in the LGBT community, especially amongst our teens and young adults. It is my hope to put a stop to these negative traits and suicides by re-educating our community."
"Anti-LGBT arguments like the one contending that California's Proposition 8 ensures children's wellbeing by providing them with a mother and father are totally absurd. In the case of Proposition 8, the state's laws permit adoption by gay and lesbian parents as well as single parents and even allows courts to assign a single grandparent, aunt, uncle or even a non-blood relative to be a child's guardian or caregiver," continued Timane'.
"The goal of my new album is to enable any LGBT person seeking God to know that God loves them just as gay as they are," states Timane'. She also wants to help those who are struggling with their spirituality and sexuality, just as she did for many years, to finally find complete reconciliation and affirmation.
Gospel music lovers and Timane' fans will be able to attend live performances at the following times and events:
-- June 20 at 2:50 p.m., Rhode Island PrideFest in Station Park
-- June 27 at 3 p.m. and June 28 at 12:30 p.m., San Francisco Pride Celebration in Civic Center Plaza
-- July 9 at 7:30 p.m., Annual Fellowship Convention in Westin Atlanta Airport hotel
-- July 18 at 2 p.m., San Diego Gay Pride 2009 in Balboa Park
To learn more about Timane' and her experiences as a gay Christian that inspired her music, visit http://www.rizigospel.com/.
"Come Out" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rfre1lV61Es
Contact:
Christina Thach
Gospel Truth Music Ministry
888-474-9423
thegospeltruthmusic@yahoo.com
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.
Source: The Gospel Truth Music Ministry
CONTACT: Christina Thach of Gospel Truth Music Ministry,
+1-888-474-9423, thegospeltruthmusic@yahoo.com
Web Site: http://www.rizigospel.com/
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
West African 'Oil Rush' Is On, Reports Gold Star Resources Corp. CEO in AFROIL Online News Column
10 Jun 2009 14:30 Africa/Lagos
West African 'Oil Rush' Is On, Reports Gold Star Resources Corp. CEO in AFROIL Online News Column
VANCOUVER, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- West Africa now offers "unparalleled opportunities" for major and independent oil and gas companies, writes Patrick Morris, CEO of Vancouver-based Gold Star Resources Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: GXXFF; TSX-V; GXX; www.goldstarresources.com) in the June 10th issue of AFROIL, Africa Oil & Gas Monitor, an online publication of Newsbase Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland read by subscribers in 25 countries (www.newsbase.com; Week 23; page 5 Guest Column). Morris, author of a news column published in AFROIL entitled "West African Oil Rush, Challenges", reported that changing geopolitics, reduced security and political risks, the recent 1.8 billion barrel discovery in West Africa's largest oilfield, the Jubilee in Ghana, and a new African foreign policy by recently elected U.S. President Barack Obama have all helped in making West Africa a "desirable destination for oil and gas exploration and production."
According to Morris, "For a long time West Africa has been off the radar of the international community because of messy politics and brutal civil wars. Also, apart from Nigeria and Gabon, there had been the disappointing size of oil discoveries made at times of low oil prices. All this is now changing. Expectations by countries and oil & gas companies to discover new reserves in the region are high. Exploration and seismic research activities are underway in all countries of West Africa bar Burkina Faso and Cape Verde. Governments are also actively involved. For example, in Liberia, the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) is promoting oil and gas exploration and development of its hydrocarbon resources along its continental shelf and slope. The sub-region is also gaining global attention as calm has been restored to countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d' Ivoire, reducing security risks."
"The role of junior exploration companies is to set the trend," Morris writes in his news column. " For example, Gold Star Resources is the first and only junior company to go after onshore oil and gas opportunities in Cote d' Ivoire and Liberia since the 1970s. Larger players are competing for offshore blocks all along the coast - but with no plans for any onshore exploration."
Gold Star Resources recently signed a Letter-of-Intent with Bengal Bight Ghana to acquire 100% of the hydrocarbon rights to the Tiampoum mining concession, approximately 1,000 square km, in Cote d' Ivoire. In January, Gold Star entered West Africa when it acquired 90% of the issued and outstanding shares of Liberia's International Resources Strategies Liberia Energy (IRSLE).
Source: Gold Star Resources Corp.
CONTACT: Patrick Morris, CEO, Gold Star Resources Corp.,
+1-604-641-4450, pm@goldstarresources.com
Web Site: http://www.goldstarresources.com/
West African 'Oil Rush' Is On, Reports Gold Star Resources Corp. CEO in AFROIL Online News Column
VANCOUVER, June 10 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- West Africa now offers "unparalleled opportunities" for major and independent oil and gas companies, writes Patrick Morris, CEO of Vancouver-based Gold Star Resources Corp. (OTC Bulletin Board: GXXFF; TSX-V; GXX; www.goldstarresources.com) in the June 10th issue of AFROIL, Africa Oil & Gas Monitor, an online publication of Newsbase Ltd., Edinburgh, Scotland read by subscribers in 25 countries (www.newsbase.com; Week 23; page 5 Guest Column). Morris, author of a news column published in AFROIL entitled "West African Oil Rush, Challenges", reported that changing geopolitics, reduced security and political risks, the recent 1.8 billion barrel discovery in West Africa's largest oilfield, the Jubilee in Ghana, and a new African foreign policy by recently elected U.S. President Barack Obama have all helped in making West Africa a "desirable destination for oil and gas exploration and production."
According to Morris, "For a long time West Africa has been off the radar of the international community because of messy politics and brutal civil wars. Also, apart from Nigeria and Gabon, there had been the disappointing size of oil discoveries made at times of low oil prices. All this is now changing. Expectations by countries and oil & gas companies to discover new reserves in the region are high. Exploration and seismic research activities are underway in all countries of West Africa bar Burkina Faso and Cape Verde. Governments are also actively involved. For example, in Liberia, the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) is promoting oil and gas exploration and development of its hydrocarbon resources along its continental shelf and slope. The sub-region is also gaining global attention as calm has been restored to countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and Cote d' Ivoire, reducing security risks."
"The role of junior exploration companies is to set the trend," Morris writes in his news column. " For example, Gold Star Resources is the first and only junior company to go after onshore oil and gas opportunities in Cote d' Ivoire and Liberia since the 1970s. Larger players are competing for offshore blocks all along the coast - but with no plans for any onshore exploration."
Gold Star Resources recently signed a Letter-of-Intent with Bengal Bight Ghana to acquire 100% of the hydrocarbon rights to the Tiampoum mining concession, approximately 1,000 square km, in Cote d' Ivoire. In January, Gold Star entered West Africa when it acquired 90% of the issued and outstanding shares of Liberia's International Resources Strategies Liberia Energy (IRSLE).
Source: Gold Star Resources Corp.
CONTACT: Patrick Morris, CEO, Gold Star Resources Corp.,
+1-604-641-4450, pm@goldstarresources.com
Web Site: http://www.goldstarresources.com/
| Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time | |
| 11 Jun 2009 | |
| 20:51 | EODT Announces Appointment of Senior Vice President of Business Development  |
| 10 Jun 2009 | |
| 14:30 | West African 'Oil Rush' Is On, Reports Gold Star Resources Corp. CEO in AFROIL Online News Column |
| 12:00 | World Congress of Families Event Shows African Support for Family Values |
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Nairaland is the Biggest and Richest Nigerian Website
Nairaland, the biggest Nigerian website by traffic is also the richest in advert revenue as estimated by Website Outlook.
The owner of Nairaland makes more than N50, 000 daily from adverts alone.
The following post shows the advert revenue and pageviews of the leading Nigerian websites.
nairaland.com Estimated Worth $427247.1 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 194346
Daily Ads Revenue $585.27
Last updated 14 Days ago
punchontheweb.com Estimated Worth $291700.7 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 132450
Daily Ads Revenue $399.59
Last updated 127 Days ago
nigeriaworld.com Estimated Worth $101287.5 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 45432
Daily Ads Revenue $138.75
saharareporters.com Estimated Worth $89366.6 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 40061
Daily Ads Revenue $122.42
Last updated 57 Days ago
234next.com Estimated Worth $38303.1 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 16823
Daily Ads Revenue $52.47
bellanaija.com Estimated Worth $21359.8 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 9086
Daily Ads Revenue $29.26
naijarules.com Estimated Worth $15877.5 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 6583
Daily Ads Revenue $21.75
lindaikeji.blogspot.com Estimated Worth $5628.3 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 1994
Daily Ads Revenue $7.71
Last updated 253 Days ago
huhu.com Estimated Worth $949 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 432
Daily Ads Revenue $1.3
Last updated 20 Days ago
The owner of Nairaland makes more than N50, 000 daily from adverts alone.
The following post shows the advert revenue and pageviews of the leading Nigerian websites.
Nairaland, the Nigerian Forum
Nigerian discussion forum offering threads in entertainment, technology and general discussion categories.nairaland.com Estimated Worth $427247.1 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 194346
Daily Ads Revenue $585.27
Last updated 14 Days ago
punchontheweb.com Estimated Worth $291700.7 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 132450
Daily Ads Revenue $399.59
Last updated 127 Days ago
nigeriaworld.com Estimated Worth $101287.5 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 45432
Daily Ads Revenue $138.75
saharareporters.com Estimated Worth $89366.6 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 40061
Daily Ads Revenue $122.42
Last updated 57 Days ago
234next.com Estimated Worth $38303.1 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 16823
Daily Ads Revenue $52.47
bellanaija.com Estimated Worth $21359.8 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 9086
Daily Ads Revenue $29.26
naijarules.com Estimated Worth $15877.5 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 6583
Daily Ads Revenue $21.75
lindaikeji.blogspot.com Estimated Worth $5628.3 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 1994
Daily Ads Revenue $7.71
Last updated 253 Days ago
huhu.com Estimated Worth $949 USD
Title
Description
Daily Pageview 432
Daily Ads Revenue $1.3
Last updated 20 Days ago
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Egyptian Public to Greet Obama With Suspicion
3 Jun 2009 03:00 Africa/Lagos
Egyptian Public to Greet Obama With Suspicion
COLLEGE PARK, Md., June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll finds Egyptians continue to view U.S. foreign policy quite negatively and see President Obama as closely aligned with it. At the same time, Obama has much better ratings than Bush had, and there are signs of thawing feelings toward the U.S.
Asked how much confidence they have in Obama to do the right thing in international affairs, 39 percent say they have some or a lot of confidence -- up sharply from the 8 percent who viewed George W. Bush positively in January 2008. Views of the United States government have also improved with favorable views rising to 46 percent from 27 percent in an August 2008 WorldPublicOpinion.org poll.
However, there has been little change in the views of U.S. foreign policy. Sixty-seven percent say that the U.S. plays a negative role in the world.
Large majorities continue to believe the U.S. has goals to weaken and divide the Islamic world (76%) and control Middle East oil (80%). Eight in 10 say the U.S. is seeking to impose American culture on Muslim countries (80%). Six in ten say it is not a goal of the U.S. to create a Palestinian state. These numbers are virtually unchanged from 2008.
When asked about Obama's goals, Egyptians' views are almost exactly the same as their views of U.S. goals. Sixty percent say they have little or no confidence that Obama will do the right thing in international affairs.
"Egyptians appear to be saying to Obama, 'Show me you are really different,'" comments Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.
The poll was conducted through face-to-face interviews from April 25-May 12 with 600 urban Egyptians. The margin of error is 4.1 percent.
Respondents were also polled on their views of democracy, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Afghanistan.
For more information, please visit: www.worldpublicopinion.org.
Source: Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of
Maryland
CONTACT: Steven Kull, Director of PIPA, +1-202-232-7500
Web Site: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/
Question of the Day:
Can Obama win Muslim hearts and minds?
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
3 Jun 2009
15:00
Mobile Capex Holding Firm in AME Despite Down Economy, Pyramid Research Says
13:00
'AIDS is DC's Katrina' Ad Challenges Obama to Act on U.S. Epidemic
10:29
Double-Digit Falls in Ferrochrome and Chromite Demand in 2009
10:00
Pro-Family Leaders Meet at WCF African Conference: World Congress of Families 'Dialogue of Civilizations,' in Abuja, Nigeria, June 5-7
00:37
'AIDS is DC's Katrina' Ad Challenges Obama to Act on U.S. Epidemic
2 Jun 2009
19:18
RigNet Completes Bank Refinancing Led by Bank of America, N.A.
1 Jun 2009
16:29
L'une des principales associations de lutte contre le blanchiment d'argent offre une formation et un réseau essentiels aux professionnels du secteur en Afrique de l'Ouest
13:34
Eko Atlantic Nigeria Website Launched
09:00
Leading Anti-Money Laundering Association Brings Crucial Training, Networking to West African AML Professionals
Egyptian Public to Greet Obama With Suspicion
COLLEGE PARK, Md., June 2 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A new WorldPublicOpinion.org poll finds Egyptians continue to view U.S. foreign policy quite negatively and see President Obama as closely aligned with it. At the same time, Obama has much better ratings than Bush had, and there are signs of thawing feelings toward the U.S.
Asked how much confidence they have in Obama to do the right thing in international affairs, 39 percent say they have some or a lot of confidence -- up sharply from the 8 percent who viewed George W. Bush positively in January 2008. Views of the United States government have also improved with favorable views rising to 46 percent from 27 percent in an August 2008 WorldPublicOpinion.org poll.
However, there has been little change in the views of U.S. foreign policy. Sixty-seven percent say that the U.S. plays a negative role in the world.
Large majorities continue to believe the U.S. has goals to weaken and divide the Islamic world (76%) and control Middle East oil (80%). Eight in 10 say the U.S. is seeking to impose American culture on Muslim countries (80%). Six in ten say it is not a goal of the U.S. to create a Palestinian state. These numbers are virtually unchanged from 2008.
When asked about Obama's goals, Egyptians' views are almost exactly the same as their views of U.S. goals. Sixty percent say they have little or no confidence that Obama will do the right thing in international affairs.
"Egyptians appear to be saying to Obama, 'Show me you are really different,'" comments Steven Kull, director of WorldPublicOpinion.org, a project managed by the Program on International Policy Attitudes at the University of Maryland.
The poll was conducted through face-to-face interviews from April 25-May 12 with 600 urban Egyptians. The margin of error is 4.1 percent.
Respondents were also polled on their views of democracy, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Afghanistan.
For more information, please visit: www.worldpublicopinion.org.
Source: Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) at the University of
Maryland
CONTACT: Steven Kull, Director of PIPA, +1-202-232-7500
Web Site: http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/
Question of the Day:
Can Obama win Muslim hearts and minds?
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
3 Jun 2009
15:00
Mobile Capex Holding Firm in AME Despite Down Economy, Pyramid Research Says
13:00
'AIDS is DC's Katrina' Ad Challenges Obama to Act on U.S. Epidemic
10:29
Double-Digit Falls in Ferrochrome and Chromite Demand in 2009
10:00
Pro-Family Leaders Meet at WCF African Conference: World Congress of Families 'Dialogue of Civilizations,' in Abuja, Nigeria, June 5-7
00:37
'AIDS is DC's Katrina' Ad Challenges Obama to Act on U.S. Epidemic
2 Jun 2009
19:18
RigNet Completes Bank Refinancing Led by Bank of America, N.A.
1 Jun 2009
16:29
L'une des principales associations de lutte contre le blanchiment d'argent offre une formation et un réseau essentiels aux professionnels du secteur en Afrique de l'Ouest
13:34
Eko Atlantic Nigeria Website Launched
09:00
Leading Anti-Money Laundering Association Brings Crucial Training, Networking to West African AML Professionals
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Re-Branding Nigeria: Beauty and the Beast
Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili
Re-Branding Nigeria: Beauty and the Beast
The beauty of Prof. Dora Nkem Akunyili is epitomized by her incorruptible personality. She is patriotic and pragmatic in her commitment to the nation building of a New Nigeria.
She became a national icon of patriotism and pragmatism and a popular role model for Nigerians when she was a successful Director General of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and used her position for the control and prevention of fake pharmaceutical products, foodstuffs and beverages in Nigeria. Her daring campaign against the importation, production and distribution of counterfeit drugs and unsafe food and subsequent destruction of fake drugs made her the heroine of the Nigerian government. Then surprisingly she was appointed as the new Minister of Information and Communication when most Nigerians thought she would have been more suitable as the Minister of Health. Dora Akunyili the Amazon accepted the challenge of her new office and soon came up with the banner of Re-branding Nigeria.
I see re-branding of Nigeria as the conscientization of Nigerians to develop a national consciousness for the reformation and redemption of Nigeria after decades of socio-political decadence and the institutionalization of corruption in public office.
Nigerians have been maligned and stigmatized all over the world as the infamous perpetrators of the 419 Yahoo-Yahoo Internet scams and shameless corrupt public officials. Nigeria has the worst reputation among African countries in the global village. Dora Akunyili believes we can redeem the battered image of Nigeria and came up with the new slogan of great nation, good people, but she has been confronting dissenting voices of opposition from several local and international quarters of cynical Nigerian skeptics and pessimists who have given up hope on the redemption of Nigeria. They do not doubt her capability, but they are afraid that she would not be able to reform Nigerians who are incorrigible criminals and who do not have scruples.
Behaviour change is tough, but no matter how disappointed most Nigerian are, Dora Akunyili believes that Nigerians are really redeemable. She reminds me of the fable of Beauty and the Beast.
But can the beauty of the incorruptible heroine tame the beast of corruption on rampage in Nigeria? My answer is yes, Dora Akunyili can do it and we should give her all the cooperation and support she needs for the redemption and transformation of corrupt Nigerians for the nation building of a New Nigeria that we can be proud of as a great nation of good people.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Nigeria: Civil War Looms As Federal Troops Invade Niger Delta
A Niger Delta militant in full battle gear.
Fears of another internecine civil war loom large in Nigeria 42 years after the last civil war that claimed over one million lives and left over 20 million people as refugees. Over 1, 000 people have been killed and over 20, 000 others displaced when the ruthless troops of the Nigerian Armed Forces invaded the Niger Delta of Nigeria last week.
The Niger Delta region has been under siege as federal troops and militants engaged in bloody war over illegal oil bunkering and resource control of the oil rich south-south states of Nigeria.
The Joint Task Force (JTF) of the Nigerian Armed Forces declared total war on the rebel forces of Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) and launched a land, sea and air operation on Gbaramatu Kingdom and other villages in the creeks of the Delta State after the militant rebels killed 10 military officers at Camp 5 in Oporoza. Several villages have been bombed and razed in the siege, but the guerrillas of MEND have been able to repel the 7000 troops, gunboats and jet bombers of the JTF.
Militants have been kidnapping oil workers and destroying oil installations of the multinational oil companies and reducing the production of crude oil by a quarter in Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa and eighth largest oil producer in the world. The Niger Delta militants called freedom fighters want more control of their oil and gas and better life for the oil communities devastated by decades of both legal and illegal oil exploration.
As the federal troops continued the bombardment of rebel camps and villages in the creeks, leading human rights groups have sent peace delegations to Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Britain and other world leaders to persuade the Federal Government of Nigeria to end the siege to reduce the growing humanitarian crisis in the Niger Delta.
~ Orikinla Osinachi, reporting from Nigeria.
Previous News Reports:
Michael Chima
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Thursday, May 28, 2009
$20 Billion of Oil and Gas Deals Currently on the Market
28 May 2009 16:00 Africa/Lagos
$20 Billion of Oil and Gas Deals Currently on the Market
Derrick Petroleum Services Completes Special M&A Study
HOUSTON, May 28/PRNewswire/ -- Derrick Petroleum Services ("Derrick") has completed a comprehensive study of the Top 1000 global oil and gas companies and identified in excess of $20 billion of oil and gas assets currently for sale worldwide, consisting of 69 separately announced transactions. The study focuses on deals with an estimated value greater than $10 million.
North America leads the inventory with over $9 billion (or roughly 45% of value); followed by Africa (22%) with the North Sea, Rest of Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and Middle East rounding out the pack with deals valued at between $500 million to $1.5 billion.
In North America, the most prized deal is the multi-billion dollar interest Devon Energy is offering in its four discoveries (Kaskida, Cascade, Jack and St. Malo) in the emerging Lower tertiary trend in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Onshore resource style plays (shale gas and oilsands) remain quite active. Notably, Shell and EnCana are looking for a partner to develop 30,000 acres of exploration leases in the Haynesville shale gas play of north Louisiana and east Texas. In Canada, UTS Energy rejected the revised $677 million cash bid by Total E&P Canada in April as inadequate and continues working with its financial advisors, RBC Capital and TD Securities, to maximize shareholder value. UTS Energy has 1.7 billion barrels of net contingent bitumen resources in the Athabasca Oil Sands area of Alberta.
Internationally, Africa is exciting with numerous deals. In Ghana, two partners have put interests on the market in the world class offshore Jubilee field (estimated 1.2 billion barrels equivalent of gross recoverable reserves). Other deals are available in Uganda, Angola, Kenya, Egypt, Cote D'Ivoire, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and Namibia. In other parts of the world, significant deals in play include development projects in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which now has an improving political and security environment. In Indonesia, BP is seeking to harvest its 46% interest in the prolific Offshore North West Java block, which includes 670 producing wells, 170 platforms and 1,600 km of subsea pipelines. Chevron has retained Scotia Waterous to sell its interest in 13 separate concessions in the Austral and Nequen basins of Argentina which were producing nearly 4,500 b/d of gross oil and 54 MMcf/d of gross gas in late 2008. In Australia, Woodside Petroleum has put its Otway project, offshore Victoria, on the market.
"Due primarily to the whipsaw in oil and gas prices over the past 12 months, our analysis highlights an unusually high quality and diverse set of world class opportunities, particularly for well-heeled buyers seeking long term assets in early stage development," according to Yashodeep Deodhar, CEO of Derrick Petroleum Services. "These are not distressed assets put on the market by distressed companies. Quite the contrary, we have identified numerous opportunities by first class operators who are simply managing their forward risk profiles and laying off a portion of development capital. We foresee the recent trend of national oil companies (NOCs) and government backed oil companies dominating the buy side to continue."
In completing the study, Derrick also reviewed past M&A activity and trends. "In contrast to the first half of 2008 where seven of the top ten buyers were western companies; so far this year, only three of ten buyers are western. Buyers of significant deals have recently been mostly NOCs and government-backed companies such as IPIC (Abu Dhabi), CNPC (China), KNOC (Korea) and Ecopetrol (Colombia)," according to Deodhar.
"In addition to tracking deal activity, value trends regionally and globally, and deals in play, we also continuously monitor companies with financial dry powder and a desire to do more deals. Currently, notables on this list include Norway's StatoilHydro, Colombia's Ecopetrol, China's Sinopec, France's Total, United States' Apache Corporation and Canada's Talisman Energy. These companies alone have over $20 billion of capability," concludes Deodhar.
Derrick Petroleum Services is an independent oil and gas research and consulting firm. Its team of twenty analysts maintains Upstream Oil and Gas activity databases for a global client base. The Company's databases have worldwide coverage, with special emphasis on emerging plays and international transactions. The Company maintains sales offices in Houston and London.
For more information:
Additional information regarding Derrick Petroleum Services and its products is available on the Company's website at http://www.derrickpetroleum.com.
For further details of the study, kindly email info@derrickpetroleum.com.
Per:
Yashodeep Deodhar
CEO
Derrick Petroleum Services
info@derrickpetroleum.com
Source: Derrick Petroleum Services
Per: Yashodeep Deodhar, CEO, Derrick Petroleum Services, info@derrickpetroleum.com; Media Contact: Brian Lidsky, Vice President - North American Sales, Tel: +1-832-715-3539
$20 Billion of Oil and Gas Deals Currently on the Market
Derrick Petroleum Services Completes Special M&A Study
HOUSTON, May 28/PRNewswire/ -- Derrick Petroleum Services ("Derrick") has completed a comprehensive study of the Top 1000 global oil and gas companies and identified in excess of $20 billion of oil and gas assets currently for sale worldwide, consisting of 69 separately announced transactions. The study focuses on deals with an estimated value greater than $10 million.
North America leads the inventory with over $9 billion (or roughly 45% of value); followed by Africa (22%) with the North Sea, Rest of Europe, South America, Asia, Australia and Middle East rounding out the pack with deals valued at between $500 million to $1.5 billion.
In North America, the most prized deal is the multi-billion dollar interest Devon Energy is offering in its four discoveries (Kaskida, Cascade, Jack and St. Malo) in the emerging Lower tertiary trend in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico. Onshore resource style plays (shale gas and oilsands) remain quite active. Notably, Shell and EnCana are looking for a partner to develop 30,000 acres of exploration leases in the Haynesville shale gas play of north Louisiana and east Texas. In Canada, UTS Energy rejected the revised $677 million cash bid by Total E&P Canada in April as inadequate and continues working with its financial advisors, RBC Capital and TD Securities, to maximize shareholder value. UTS Energy has 1.7 billion barrels of net contingent bitumen resources in the Athabasca Oil Sands area of Alberta.
Internationally, Africa is exciting with numerous deals. In Ghana, two partners have put interests on the market in the world class offshore Jubilee field (estimated 1.2 billion barrels equivalent of gross recoverable reserves). Other deals are available in Uganda, Angola, Kenya, Egypt, Cote D'Ivoire, Nigeria, Gabon, Cameroon and Namibia. In other parts of the world, significant deals in play include development projects in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, which now has an improving political and security environment. In Indonesia, BP is seeking to harvest its 46% interest in the prolific Offshore North West Java block, which includes 670 producing wells, 170 platforms and 1,600 km of subsea pipelines. Chevron has retained Scotia Waterous to sell its interest in 13 separate concessions in the Austral and Nequen basins of Argentina which were producing nearly 4,500 b/d of gross oil and 54 MMcf/d of gross gas in late 2008. In Australia, Woodside Petroleum has put its Otway project, offshore Victoria, on the market.
"Due primarily to the whipsaw in oil and gas prices over the past 12 months, our analysis highlights an unusually high quality and diverse set of world class opportunities, particularly for well-heeled buyers seeking long term assets in early stage development," according to Yashodeep Deodhar, CEO of Derrick Petroleum Services. "These are not distressed assets put on the market by distressed companies. Quite the contrary, we have identified numerous opportunities by first class operators who are simply managing their forward risk profiles and laying off a portion of development capital. We foresee the recent trend of national oil companies (NOCs) and government backed oil companies dominating the buy side to continue."
In completing the study, Derrick also reviewed past M&A activity and trends. "In contrast to the first half of 2008 where seven of the top ten buyers were western companies; so far this year, only three of ten buyers are western. Buyers of significant deals have recently been mostly NOCs and government-backed companies such as IPIC (Abu Dhabi), CNPC (China), KNOC (Korea) and Ecopetrol (Colombia)," according to Deodhar.
"In addition to tracking deal activity, value trends regionally and globally, and deals in play, we also continuously monitor companies with financial dry powder and a desire to do more deals. Currently, notables on this list include Norway's StatoilHydro, Colombia's Ecopetrol, China's Sinopec, France's Total, United States' Apache Corporation and Canada's Talisman Energy. These companies alone have over $20 billion of capability," concludes Deodhar.
Derrick Petroleum Services is an independent oil and gas research and consulting firm. Its team of twenty analysts maintains Upstream Oil and Gas activity databases for a global client base. The Company's databases have worldwide coverage, with special emphasis on emerging plays and international transactions. The Company maintains sales offices in Houston and London.
For more information:
Additional information regarding Derrick Petroleum Services and its products is available on the Company's website at http://www.derrickpetroleum.com.
For further details of the study, kindly email info@derrickpetroleum.com.
Per:
Yashodeep Deodhar
CEO
Derrick Petroleum Services
info@derrickpetroleum.com
Source: Derrick Petroleum Services
Per: Yashodeep Deodhar, CEO, Derrick Petroleum Services, info@derrickpetroleum.com; Media Contact: Brian Lidsky, Vice President - North American Sales, Tel: +1-832-715-3539
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Why the DHL is Better than the UPS and other Courier Services in Nigeria
Why the DHL is Better than the UPS and other Courier Services in Nigeria
I have been using the DHL and other local and international courier services in Nigeria for over twenty years and from experience the DHL has proved to be the best.
The DHL delivers on schedule without hitches and the customer service is first class in their customer relations. The DHL has very efficient and proficient staff and the receptionists are disciplined and polite.
The UPS has not been as efficient and proficient as the DHL in Nigeria. The reception at the UPS head office in Lagos lacks good customer relations. When I did not receive any notification of the delivery of the package I paid to be sent to the United States, I called the UPS desk clerk who collected it from me, but she has not responded till date and of course I have been disappointed and I am giving the UPS two thumbs down for poor customer relations.
The management of your customers will determine their response to your service.
If you fail to impress your customers, they will be turned off and go to other places where they would be well treated, efficiently and politely.
I cannot recommend the local courier service companies, because my company has lost very important packages we paid them to deliver and they could not give any good account of the whereabouts for over seven months. Most of them are not trustworthy.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes
20 May 2009 10:38 Africa/Lagos
IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes
CANNES, France, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IndieFlix CEO Scilla Andreen launched today an international tour to introduce new distribution models for independent films, highlighting her company's premium packaging of Andrew Robinson's "April Showers," based on the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.
For the film, IndieFlix has identified a core audience segment of 30 million U.S. moviegoers and is providing them not only with the most number of ways to view it, but also with the tools to use the movie as a platform for social change.
The campaign is one of a series of release stages, carefully sequenced to build audience influence.
Rather than compete headlong against Hollywood studio films in the entertainment section of major newspapers, "April Showers" made its debut instead as part of a national conversation on the future of learning in America. In that context, Robinson's story as a survivor of the Columbine shootings was covered by the broadcast and print media as a national news item even before its initial theatrical release. As a result, Robinson quickly became a sought-after commentator and discussion leader.
Meanwhile, IndieFlix mounted a comprehensive online distribution campaign hot on the heels of the theatrical engagements. Working with a network of the biggest names in online delivery, IndieFlix was able to offer "April Showers" directly to moviegoers across all platforms.
However, the distributor's real focus was on coordinating this stage of the release with a range of social networking strategies. This effort brought in the highest-quality feedback from the most influential audience segments. At this point, it became obvious that "April Showers" had connected with an audience ready to champion the film in settings where it would have the greatest impact, namely, in schools and with community groups.
To create a package that would redefine educational distribution, IndieFlix teamed up with the April Showers Foundation, created by Robinson and the film's producers, and with School Safety Partners, a Denver organization with deep ties with school administrators and educational funding sources. Together, they reached out to national and international experts in student development and school safety, and were greeted with an outpouring of social change and capacity-building resources that could be added to the school edition of "April Showers."
This multiplied the distribution possibilities. IndieFlix is now able to offer greater value to organizational buyers of the film, who typically pay a premium license fee. In addition, the package has generated cause marketing opportunities for corporate sponsors, and discussions are underway to provide a sponsored distribution of the "April Showers" educational edition to every school in the United States.
As Andreen oversees a state-by-state educational rollout, she expects that this stage of distribution will lead not only to broader DVD and Blu-ray distribution, but also to broadcast airings of the film that are treated as must-see television events.
Her worldwide tour to discuss new distribution models to the independent film and video community includes visits to dozens of film festivals and appearances at financing conferences. Filmmakers interested in learning more are encouraged to visit IndieFlix.com, which currently represents more than 2,000 titles.
Source: IndieFlix
CONTACT: John Simmons, +1-303-548-3816,
johnsimmons@schoolsafetypartners.org, for IndieFlix
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
20 May 2009
10:38
IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes
19 May 2009
18:24
Morgan Creek Productions Hosts Annual VIP Brunch at Moulin de Mougins During the 62nd Festival de Cannes
IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes
CANNES, France, May 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- IndieFlix CEO Scilla Andreen launched today an international tour to introduce new distribution models for independent films, highlighting her company's premium packaging of Andrew Robinson's "April Showers," based on the Columbine High School massacre in 1999.
For the film, IndieFlix has identified a core audience segment of 30 million U.S. moviegoers and is providing them not only with the most number of ways to view it, but also with the tools to use the movie as a platform for social change.
The campaign is one of a series of release stages, carefully sequenced to build audience influence.
Rather than compete headlong against Hollywood studio films in the entertainment section of major newspapers, "April Showers" made its debut instead as part of a national conversation on the future of learning in America. In that context, Robinson's story as a survivor of the Columbine shootings was covered by the broadcast and print media as a national news item even before its initial theatrical release. As a result, Robinson quickly became a sought-after commentator and discussion leader.
Meanwhile, IndieFlix mounted a comprehensive online distribution campaign hot on the heels of the theatrical engagements. Working with a network of the biggest names in online delivery, IndieFlix was able to offer "April Showers" directly to moviegoers across all platforms.
However, the distributor's real focus was on coordinating this stage of the release with a range of social networking strategies. This effort brought in the highest-quality feedback from the most influential audience segments. At this point, it became obvious that "April Showers" had connected with an audience ready to champion the film in settings where it would have the greatest impact, namely, in schools and with community groups.
To create a package that would redefine educational distribution, IndieFlix teamed up with the April Showers Foundation, created by Robinson and the film's producers, and with School Safety Partners, a Denver organization with deep ties with school administrators and educational funding sources. Together, they reached out to national and international experts in student development and school safety, and were greeted with an outpouring of social change and capacity-building resources that could be added to the school edition of "April Showers."
This multiplied the distribution possibilities. IndieFlix is now able to offer greater value to organizational buyers of the film, who typically pay a premium license fee. In addition, the package has generated cause marketing opportunities for corporate sponsors, and discussions are underway to provide a sponsored distribution of the "April Showers" educational edition to every school in the United States.
As Andreen oversees a state-by-state educational rollout, she expects that this stage of distribution will lead not only to broader DVD and Blu-ray distribution, but also to broadcast airings of the film that are treated as must-see television events.
Her worldwide tour to discuss new distribution models to the independent film and video community includes visits to dozens of film festivals and appearances at financing conferences. Filmmakers interested in learning more are encouraged to visit IndieFlix.com, which currently represents more than 2,000 titles.
Source: IndieFlix
CONTACT: John Simmons, +1-303-548-3816,
johnsimmons@schoolsafetypartners.org, for IndieFlix
Releases displayed in Africa/Lagos time
20 May 2009
10:38
IndieFlix Unveils New Indie Film Distribution Model at Cannes
19 May 2009
18:24
Morgan Creek Productions Hosts Annual VIP Brunch at Moulin de Mougins During the 62nd Festival de Cannes
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