I just signed a petition calling on our government not to attack Iran militarily. The petition is being hosted by Just Foreign Policy and Peace Action. This is an easy first step to register your voice against another disastrous war. You can find the petition at:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/iranpetition.html
From NPR – John McCain on Iran: Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran
The 3rd round of sanctions resolutions – formally submitted by France and Britain – calls for asset freezes and mandatory travel bans for specific Iranian officials. It also expands the list of Iranian officials and companies targeted by the sanctions.
Russia’s growing ties to Iran’s energy industry have made it reluctant to impose more sanctions. Russia is helping to build a nuclear plant in Bushehr, Iran. It has also just finished delivering nuclear fuel to this plant under a $1bn (£501m) contract. Russian gas monopoly Gazprom is also working to develop Iranian gas fields.
Tehran refuses to stop enriching uranium. It says its nuclear work is aimed at generating electricity. Why must Tehran get the permission of the U.S. in order to get clean, efficient nuclear power? They have complied with the requests made, answered correctly the questions imposed on it by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Yet when the report was issued, it was not satisfactory to the U.S. powers who sent it back for a different result to emerge. It seems some countries now are willing to vote against Iran, causing them a 3rd round of sanctions by the U.N., but gratefully, there are small countries willing to stand up tall and ask further inspection at the resolution, to delay the vote further to clarify Iran is not falsely accused of uncooperation.
Your Daily Living is your Temple and your Religion – Khalil Gibran
27 February 2008
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19427.htm
America’s Ghost Story
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19426.htm
British watchdog orders govt to release Iraq war documents :
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080226/wl_mideast_afp/britainiraqwarpolitics
Torture – American Style
27 February 2008
Anything Goes: “Taxi to the Dark Side”
By Cynthia Fuchs
They’re a very frail people and I was surprised it had taken that long for one of ‘em to die in our custody.
—Pfc. Damien Corsetti, Military Intelligence, Bagram
If the FBI had felt that there was a case to answer for, they wouldn’t have taken me into Bagram where I was held, heard the sounds of a woman screaming next door, had me hogtied and threatened to send me to Egypt in order to get me to sign this.
—Moazzam Begg, Now 2006 July 28
“Americans cannot escape a certain responsibility for what is done in our name around the world.
In a democracy, even one as corrupted as ours, ultimate authority rests with the people.
We empower the government with our votes, finance it with our taxes, bolster it with our silent acquiescence.
If we are passive in the face of America’s official actions overseas, we in effect endorse them.”
- Mark Hertzgaard
And from the ‘War Hero” tortured in the Viet Nam War, we
hear: Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Iran
Nuclear Power Industry for U.S., Britan, Russia, China, India
27 February 2008
Investing in Nuclear Energy – 104 Reasons Behind the Nuclear Energy Revival
By Keith Kohl | Tuesday, February 26th, 2008 / energyandcapital.com 2/26/2008
“There are approximately 104 nuclear reactors operating in the U.S., accounting for roughly 20% of the total electricity we generate. If you really want to see where this industry is headed, just look at what we have planned for the future. Right now, there are 34 nuclear reactors being built around the world, with 93 on order or being planned and another 222 reactors that have been proposed.
Yet we aren’t the only country interested in boosting our nuclear power …
Recently, Britain also decided that nuclear energy may be the way to go. The government just gave energy companies the green light to develop and build new nuclear power plants. The first new power plant could be ready within the next ten years.
Last July, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Russia will double their nuclear energy by adding another 26 power plants. Of course, this is on top of another sixty the country expects to export over the next twenty years.
It’s practically impossible to talk about the world’s growing energy demand without mentioning India and China. Each is taking a different path with nuclear energy.”
Of course the entire world is interested in clean, efficient, inexpensive nuclear power, but the U.S. must Bomb Iran before they can get some too.
By Sheldon Rampton, 12/05/2007
Topics: activism | corporations | internet
Free Speech TV has launched the “It’s Our Web” campaign, featuring a short, entertaining animation explaining the dangers of media centralization and suggesting positive alternatives.“This is a truly pivotal time for the Internet, the most powerful and interactive medium humans have ever seen,” says Steve Anderson, who produced the video. “New commercial incursions by big online media enterprises, including the widely disdained “Facebook Beacon,” make explicit what new media giants have been doing quietly for some time; searching for new and evermore effective ways to sell our attention, our clicks and our private information to advertisers and marketers.”
In addition to raising concerns about issues such as the threat to privacy from corporate manipulation and surveillance of the internet, FSTV also hopes to offer a solution, in the form of Free Speech TV’s newly-launched non-profit, non-commercial online social networking community at http://community.freespeech.org.
“Suddenly it feels like the Internet is being shaped to satisfy the demands of advertisers and marketers rather then us, the users,” Anderson says. “We need to embrace Internet sites, services and tools that are more independent of this excessive and unnecessary obstruction to our online travels.”
Source of online news media determines how debate is framed
22 February 2008
Topic: Online Media News Sources and U.S. Propaganda
Thesis: The Source of Online News Media Determines How a Debate is Framed
Intro: This paper will contrast the difference between U.S. mainstream online news media (ex. Washington Post) with other (ex. foreign or alternative) online news media. Definition of Framing.
Body: American propaganda as a concept, history, and reality of informational media technology.
A. Literature Review: Concept, Origin, & Theories of Framing
George Lakoff – Matt Bai
B. Historical Review: Propaganda in History – General Herman Goering
After 9/11: CNN chief executive Walter Isaacson,
Edward Said
Mark Crispin Miller
C. Reality of Informational Media News Technology
Case Study A: The Washington Post staff writers – mainstream
Case Study B: The Oregonian – mainstream
Case Study C: Energy & Capital – economic interests
Case Study D: Press TV – Iranian Int. News Network – foreign press
Case Study E: Associated Press in boston.com – The Boston Globe
Case Study F: International Clearing House – alternative
Case Study G: Calcutta News – foreign press
Case Study PC: Presidential Candidate on NRP framing Iran: Bomb, Bomb Iran
D. Analyzing the Conclusion: A Morals-Based Approach
Thesis Reworded: Language evokes moral and conceptual frames
Concluding statement: Framing is an art and a cognitive science. Linguistics can frame a debate.
Osama Bin Laden Dead said Benazir Bhutto
17 February 2008
Photographer’s View of Chad’s Refugee Crisis
17 February 2008
Why War with Iran is Imninent (or) Bomb, Bomb Iran
17 February 2008
US envoy sees Iran sanctions next week
The Herald Sun – February 22, 2008 8:54 pm – error message states no longer available
“We will succeed in shutting down Iran’s oil bours…. er. I mean, nuclear weapons program!” — Official White Horse Souse
Take a good look at the photo labeled “Heavy water plant.” That’s actually a set of refinery cracking towers. Heavy water plants, like uranium enrichment plants, consist of cascades of centrifuges. The lies just never stop coming. – M. R. – alternative news source
Well-funded special-interest groups have unbalanced our democratic system so what are we are we going to do now? Jurgen Habermas deduced that as capitalism developed, the uneven distribution of wealth & mass media would damage our public sphere. During the meeting of the World Trade Organization in Seattle, 1999, online activists mobilized protests against globalization in what came to be known as ‘the Battle in Seattle.” My son was involved in that protest almost ten years ago. Very naively, no one in my seemingly safe world understood what was going on there, nor did we even bother to find out. My extended family was unsympathetic when I mentioned my son was hit by a rubber bullet. He must have done something wrong. It is sad to me that only after returning to school I finally learned what that protest was all about. (Long after my son was killed in 2001. )
My hope now is that I can persuade my friends and loved ones before it is too late what these organizations are really about. The names they have taken upon themselves make them sound like official, trustworthy benefactors – World Bank (WB), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the G8 – just the opposite of what they really are. They are individuals organized for the express purpose of making money off the most vulnerable people, those in developing countries. They have no more conscience than a loan shark.
http://www.battleinseattlemovie.com/video.html
Going back to Seattle, 1999 – what happened was many individuals & groups, using their genius, creativity, and knowledge of Internet media linked activists to mobilize real-world action, gaining widespread attention to the cause. Unfortunately, not my attention or that of anyone I knew. The website of the Independent Media Center helped powerless groups frame and disseminate their message, and at the same time, exercise leverage against a powerful international organization (WTO).
The Internet is our threatened public sphere, our modern, but vulnerable network for communicating information & points of view, an e-town hall. The public sphere Habermas observed was the coffee houses of Victorian England in the 18th Century. But he was able to deduce that “as capitalism developed, the uneven distribution of wealth and the emergence of mass media would extinguish the ability of citizens to have their voices heard, damaging the public sphere.” See zeitgeistmovie.com
The Internet is cheaper than the phone, it is easy to publish material either on the web or by email. Circulation is rapid, with global reach, available even in developing countries. New blogging software now allows anyone to become a publisher which is a great freedom. However, I no longer believe it is difficult to control or censor the Internet. As can been seen with cut internet cables and filters, governments will do anything when it suits their agenda.
Also see Petrodollar warfare, Petrobourse
The Iran Petroleum Exchange, International Oil Bourse[1] or Iranian_Oil_Bourse[2] (IOB; the official English language name is unclear) is a commodity exchange that IIranian ministries and other state and private institutions have announced they are creating. The IOB is a Petrobourse for petroleum, petrochemicals and gas in various non-dollar currencies, primarily the Iranian rial and a basket of other major currencies. The geographical location is at the Persian Gulf island of Kish which is designated by Iran as a free trade zone.[3].
The Iranian Oil Bourse was inaugurated on 17 February 2008. Mysteriously, undersea Internet cables were cut February 1, 2008 in an attempt to disrupt this inauguration.
See earlier blog: [Internet cables severed last week causing disruptions across the Middle East and parts of Asia, two undersea cables that were cut Jan. 30. They are about 5 miles off the north coast of Egypt, near the port city of Alexandria, and run between Egypt and Palermo, on the Italian island of Sicily. One of the two Mediterranean cables was owned by FLAG. The other, identified as SEA-ME-WE 4, or South East Asia-Middle East-West Europe 4 cable, was owned by a consortium of 16 international telecommunication companies. Egypt’s telecommunication ministry said no ships were registered near the location at the time. The cuts slowed businesses, hampered personal Internet usage and caused a flurry of Internet blogger speculation, including mentions of sabotage. Government authorities and FLAG, which stands for Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe, have refused to comment on the speculation.]
Although opening an oil bourse has been delayed in the past 2 years, Iran has had success in asking its petroleum customers to pay in non-dollar currencies. On December 8, 2007, Iran reported to have converted all of its oil export payments to non-dollar currencies.
Background
The three current oil markets are all US dollar denominated: North America’s West Texas Intermediate crude (WTI), North Sea Brent Crude, and the UAE Dubai Crude. The two major oil bourses are the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) in New York City and the International_Petroleum_Exchange (IPE) in London. The proposed Iranian bourse would establish a fourth oil market, denominated by the Iranian rial, the euro and other major currencies.
Timeline
April 20th, 2007 Bomb, Bomb Iran
December 2007 Iran stops accepting U.S. dollars for oil. [19]
January 2008 Iran’s Finance Minister Davoud Danesh-Jafari told reporters that the bourse will be opened during the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution (February 1-11). [2].
February 2008 On February 4, the Iranian Cabinet approved the creation of the oil bourse in two stages – first a raw oil exchange and secondly an oil byproducts exchange. The Ministry of Finance and Economics, the Oil Ministry, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Central Bank of Iran are required to create a workgroup to coordinate the project, and the Iran Commodities Bourse Company is given the task of carrying out the project. The communique from the Cabinet states that the “Ministry of Finance and Economics is required to take measures in making the petrochemical byproducts bourse operational by the end of February 2008.” [20]
On February 17 2008, the Iranian Oil Bourse was inaugurated in a video conference ceremony from the capital Tehran attended by ministers of oil, finance and economic affairs as well as chairman of Iran’s Stock Exchange and a number of other officials and financial experts.[21] The transactions will be made in Iranian rial and other major currencies. [22] The Iranian Oil Bourse will likely accept Russian ruble as well.[23]
3-10-2008 Somebody thinks the conspiracy theories are dismissed because Tehran’s cut internet cables were quickly rerouted through Turkey. Sounds like a perfect plan to me. They are more accessible there than underwater. If the U.S. military only uses satellite for its internet, sounds like anything less should be considered unsecure.
- ^ KFZO MD: Investment in oil and gas in Kish is competitive and justified. Kish Free Zone Organization (2008-02-09). Retrieved on 2008-02-10.
- ^ a b Iran Oil Bourse to deal blow to dollar
- ^ Kish Oil Exchange Planned, Iran Daily, January 24, 2006
- ^ Iran stops selling oil in U.S. dollars -report, Reuters, December 7, 2007
- ^ The Iranian line in the sand, Dan Crawford, The Republic (Vancouver), August 18 to 31, 2005
- ^ A star rises in the east, Stella Farrington, April 2005
- ^ Speaking freely: What the Iran ‘nuclear issue’ is really about, Chris Cook, January 21, 2006, Asia Times/energybulletin.net
- ^ A frenzied Persian new year, March 22, 2006, Asia Times
- ^ Iran oil bourse next week, April 26, 2006, Iranian.ws
- ^ Ministry to offer IOB Articles of Association in two months, May 19, 2006, Mehr News Agency
- ^ Iranian Journel, building has been purchased and new date is September, accessed July 6 2006
- ^ Iran’s oil bourse to be launched, September 15, 2006, Mehr News Agency
- ^ Iran May Reduce Use of Dollar, Tehran Papers Say, December 6, 2006, Bloomberg
- ^ Press TV – Iran’s Baghdad embassy shifts to euro
- ^ China shifts to euros for Iran oil, The Scotsman, 27 March 2007
- ^ IRI to stop pricing oil in dollars, IRIB News, 31 March 2007
- ^ Iran asks Japan to pay in yen, not dollars for oil purchases, Tokyo, 14 July 2007, IRNA
- ^ UPI: “Analysis: Iran moves to ditch U.S. dollar”
- ^ RIA Novosti: Iran stops accepting U.S. dollars for oil. TEHRAN, December 8, 2007
- ^ The cabinet approves the opening of the International Oil Bourse. Kish Free Zone Organization (2008-02-04). Retrieved on 2008-02-07.
- ^ 1st phase of Iran oil stock inaugurated on Kish Island, IRNA Reports, Feb. 17, 2008
- ^ Oil bourse opens in Iran’s Kish Island Retrieved 17 February 2008
- ^ IIran Oil Bourse may use Russian ruble , Press TV Reports, Feb. 15, 2008
Literature
- Clark, William R.: Petrodollar Warfare : Oil, Iraq and the Future of the Dollar, New Society Publishers, 2005, ISBN 0-86571-514-9
External links
- Iran Oil Bourse to deal blow to dollar www.PressTV.ir, January 2008
- [1] Hysteria Over Iran and A New Cold War with Russia: Peak Oil, Petrocurrencies, and the Emerging Multi-Polar World, December 2006
- PetroTalk Portal for petro related Articles, Discussion, Links and more
- Iran oil bourse next week, Persian Journal, Apr 26, 2006
- Iran takes on west’s control of oil trading, The Guardian
- The Real Reasons Why Iran is the Next Target: The Emerging Euro-denominated International Oil Marker
- Petrodollar Warfare: Dollars, Euros and the Upcoming Iranian Oil Bourse
- The Proposed Iranian Oil Bourse
- Trading oil in euros – does it matter?
- Will the Iranian Oil Bourse Threaten the Dollar?
- Petrodollars and Nuclear Weapons Proliferation: Understanding the Planned Assault on Iran, Centre for Research on Globalization, February 10, 2006
- The Iranian line in the sand
- Petrodollar or Petroeuro? A new source of global conflict
- The Iranian Threat: The Bomb or the Euro?
- The Real Reasons Why Iran is the Next Target
- Strange ideas about the Iranian oil bourse (a counterpoint with countercounterpoints in comments…)
-
Iranian Oil Bourse opening IOB will open amid hurdle:
- Unlike other bourses, the IOB relies on a peer-to-peer trading model, using the Internet. IOB has been in the works for several years and encountered many hurdles on the way, the last of which are severed underwater internet cables creating an Internet outage throughout the Middle East days before the IOB’s opening and prompting conspiracy theories. In recent years the US has outfitted some of its submarines with the capability to splice optical fiber underwater so these theories may not be far-fetched.
Having the world’s second largest oil reserves of 136 gigabarrels, Iran will likely extend its influence on financial markets when the IOB opens. Although under-reported by the media, this historical shift and its consequences should be watched closely.
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From: justforeignpolicy
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Another threat to our Public Sphere
10 February 2008
According to Jurgen Habermas (1962), it is crucial for society to enshrine free communications, a prerequisite to social justice. Mass media is the chief institution of publications. Media institutions are concerned with organization, financing, legal frameworks of media ownership, control, licensing, access, communication discourse such as the BBC, CBC, and PBS. Right now there is a threat to some of them:
Reject Bush’s Cuts to Public Broadcasting
“This past week, the New York Times reported that the Bush administration has once again proposed deep cuts in federal funding for public broadcasting. Unfortunately the cuts proposed this year are even more severe than in past …
For 8 straight years, the President’s budget requests have attempted to cut or entirely eliminate funding for public broadcasting. For seven of those years, Congress has responded to massive public pressure and restored the funding. This year’s proposed cuts are the deepest ever proposed by the administration. Even Patricia Harrison, a former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee who currently serves as the President of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), has called these cuts “draconian.” In addition to slashing current and future funding, this year’s proposal even tries to go back and withdraw funding already approved in previous years.
Practically every day we hear a new story about media consolidation. More and more, the free press that is so essential to our democracy is owned and controlled by a smaller and smaller number of mega-corporations. Never has it been more essential to have a publicly funded, noncommercial media outlet that provides thoughtful rather than partisan news and doesn’t waste our time covering Britney Spears and the baseball steroids scandal.
In his last year in office, don’t let Bush pull the plug on Bill Moyers, the News Hour, Big Bird, and the Cookie Monster.”
Petition: “We ask that all members of Congress join us in supporting full funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in fiscal year 2009, as well as rejecting the President’s proposed rescissions of funding already approved in prior fiscal years.
This administration’s proposed cuts to the CPB budget are short-sighted and unnecessary. Overwhelmingly, polls show that the American people — of all political persuasions — enjoy the publicly-funded, noncommercial programming offered by CPB and PBS.
Many families do not have access to cable and depend upon PBS for kid-friendly programming that is not offered by the major networks, especially in the prime time hours. Cuts to public broadcasting would threaten such programming. To end this debate once and for all, Congress should guarantee permanent funding for CPB and full independence from any partisan meddling.”
Sign the petition here: http://act.credomobile.com/campaign/save_pbs/8wekssn918dexim?
