Addison – (Text Messaging) interesting topic and well-done presentation.
Ada – (YouTube.com) interesting topic and well-done presentation.
James – (Cyberwarfare) interesting topic and informative presentation.
Stevie – (GIS Geographical Information Systems (spatial data) – using technology to help create policy which will increase diversity & maximize effficiency of the system) – unique topic and informative presentation.
Jeremy – (Pedophilia & the Internet) important topic and well-done presentation.
Carlos – (Viral Videos & Viral Politics – new strategies for the candidate, ie, MySpace, Facebook, YouTube, IM) – interesting presentation.
Global Rain – Online Source Determines How Debate is Framed (Cognitive Linguistics) (my presentation)
David Anthony (Effects of Internet on Children) important topic and simple presentation.
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…)
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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
Joined: 10 months ago
Videos: 5 |
A threat to our public sphere? Sabotage in Middle East? Government refuses comment.
10 February 2008
Cut Gulf Internet cable
By KATARINA KRATOVAC, Associated Press Writer Fri Feb 8, 2:24 PM ET
CAIRO, Egypt – An abandoned anchor was responsible for cutting one of the undersea Internet cables severed last week, causing disruptions across the Middle East and parts of Asia, the cable’s owner said Friday. A FLAG Telecom repair crew discovered the anchor near where the fiber-optic cable was severed Feb. 1 in the Persian Gulf, 35 miles north of Dubai, between the Emirates and Oman.
Weighing more than 5.5 tons, the anchor has been pulled to the surface. The company did not immediately explain whether the anchor moved and snapped the cable or whether the cable itself was drifting when it was sliced.
It remains unclear exactly how any of the cuts occurred.
… A second FLAG repair ship continued work on 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.
Reports of additional cuts in Middle East Internet cables could not be confirmed. FLAG, in a statement posted on the company Web site, said it has surveyed the cable cut off Egypt with remotely operated robots.
The FLAG spokesman said this week that it was laying a new cable underwater between Egypt and France that would be “fully resilient” against cuts such as last week’s and “provide a diversity in routes.” He did not say what that resilience entailed, but said it would take months to set up the new cable.
“It is difficult to comment right now on this,” said a FLAG spokesman, reached over the telephone. “We are doing our own investigation.” He spoke on condition of anonymity, in line with company policy. Ovum analyst Matt Walker said undersea cable networks are highly vulnerable to deliberate attack and need enhanced security.
… “The economic cost of losing, or even just slowing down, international communications is extremely high,” said Walker. “This risk has to be factored into the calculations behind the investment level and design of undersea optical networks.” …
AP Business Writer Matt Moore contributed to this report from Frankfurt, Germany.
U.S. heading to war in Iran, says former inspector
BY: MARILYN H. KARFELD Senior Staff Reporter
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08/02/08 “Cleveland Jewish News“ — – The former chief United Nations weapons inspector and a retired Middle East diplomat recently warned that America was heading straight toward imminent war with Iran.
John McCain April 20, 2007: Bomb, Bomb Iran
The Internet and Politics by Dr. Merlyna Lim
7 February 2008
Politics of the Internet
3 February 2008
Will American society continue to exclude ordinary citizens from important choices about the design and development of new technologies and information systems? Most likely there will continue to be unequal power over decisions about what is built and why, intensive efforts to hem in and control people’s lives in both work and consumerism, and present our future as something nonnegotiable.
Businesses will demonstrate accomplishment in what could and should be choices only to be decided by public investigation and debate – a disguised form of economic plunder. They conceal their strategy by designs that appeal to individual gratification which complicate social issues. Those with the understanding of what is happening must choose to protest or at least inform groups willing to take action on behalf of the community.
The technological vulnerability of the Internet offers the opportunity for expression of protest against agencies or corporations targeted as oppressive or exploitive. “Hacker-Activists” have previously broken into restricted websites of military agencies and financial companies in order to call attention to their insecurity and to protest against their goals.
We don’t want social outcomes “determined by market forces.” Every day, someone makes deliberate choices about the relationship between people and new technology. Should it be someone with commercial intent, concealed or otherwise? Have we traded away much of our humanity and gracious way of living for a lifestyle which leaves others hungry, plundered or dead?
Computer professionals with insight into important matters with social outcomes must express their knowledge and judgments to a broad public or be complicit in the capitalist conspiracy. Information technology and social justice are now interconnected. We need social policies that defend democratic social choice against corporate manipulation and the false labeling of dynamic changes in social or living conditions as “progress” or as “unstoppable.” Where there are obvious and increasing signs of social disorder, look for propaganda and hidden agendas. Computer professionals are not “value-neutral” any longer. They are the best positioned to help democracy and society on a global level or assist in creating victims.
Before access to information technology, our existing information systems attempted to control the flow of information through taboos, costs, and restrictions. Governments do not believe that information should be free. Corporations feel they should not only control it, but charge for it as well.
But the digital world celebrates the right of the individual to speak and be heard, the foundation of American media and democracy. The world’s information is being liberated, and so are we. The hackers and geeks who founded and shaped it believed that there should be no obstacles between people and information. They are the ones that can thwart the obstructions to freedom and democracy that are constantly being devised by government and business. The dominant ethic of this community is that information wants to be free. That idea is antithetical to the history and nature of politics and capitalism. Instead of the government watching people, people should watch their government. Power increasingly functions in global networks, bypassing the institutions of the nation-state. Social movements must be able to compete with corporations and governments in their global impact on the media. The Internet is an ideal facilitator of social movements because it cannot be disorganized or captured.
Can the Digital Revolution will show us solutions for eradicating poverty, ignorance, and war in radical and hopeful ways? Technology is power. Education is power. Communication is power. The citizens of the Digital Nation could form a political movement based on common global values, a moral ideology, and a humane agenda which could construct a more civil society, new politics based on rationalism, shared information, the pursuit of truth, and new kinds of community.
Facts about Globalization and the Information Age
30 January 2008
Learning the Politics of Technology
26 January 2008
I am unsure whether the thought that architectural design was a reflection of politics has ever occurred to me, though I have always been suspicious of veiled racial and social prejudice. Still, it was shocking to find out how bold and elaborate was the discrimination that was sketched into the public works design for Long Island. In the 1920s, Robert Moses, public works planner abused his position to add exclusive amenities to his large-scale engineering projects. Those amenities, though funded with public money, were exclusive to whites and middle to upper-class society. Who would have suspected the designer behind approximately 200 bridges out to Long Island was really designing politics? But he did not work alone.
The overpasses, their design seemingly inoffensive were so low that some had only 9' clearance from curb. The buses, 12 feet tall, were unable to maneuver the low overpasses. The intended result was that racial minorities and low-income people were kept from Jones Beach. This restriction was made even more effective when Moses vetoed extending the Long Island Railroad there. Blacks and poor people were effectively kept out of Long Island without any battle being waged. Only private cars, which they did not own, could travel those parkways. These giant structures of steel and concrete transformed the New York social-political landscape for many years. How much time and money would it take to replace such basic infrastructure?
It would seem, at least, that New York planner Lee Koppleman and Robert Caro, biographer of Moses, showed some kind of integrity in bringing these facts to light for us. Hopefully, hearts and minds change quicker than steel and concrete. Eventually the bridges will be replaced. Maybe the new artists can create structures which will symbolize mutual respect and demonstrate the strength diversity can bring us. There will always be technological bias where there is any bias at all. Any method capable of usurping power will always be seized upon, whether it is in the building or burning of bridges. Power can be stolen in the name of religion, whether crusaders or terrorists, by the declaration of war, by the subtleties in laws and covenants, and in technological design. Corruption of power and schemes to exclude are the result of human greed or insecurity of one's personal value, but is it an innate human trait?
Where will this leave the Internet? This powerful technological tool was developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. Obviously, there was political motive. But ironically it has been the most effective tool for sharing with the rest of the world the horrors of war. It allows instant communication on political atrocities by foreign governments (which might distract us from what our own government is doing.) Have you heard from any of Burma's monks lately? The Internet can provide us with access to information not found our own media. It is a way to make money also. How long will it be before there are laws to widen the gap between those who can and cannot afford the Internet?
