Mobile Capitalism

In 1998 the World Bank sponsored an email conference on technology and globalization, that I was involved in. At that time, eight years ago, Africa suffered a lack of infrastructure for basic phones services, let alone available service for computers. In fact most of the developing world lacked phone access.

Many email discussions on Labour Net for instance were conducted by someone with a computer forwarding email to faxes and getting faxed responses back.

Today globalization of technology has proved that infrastructure such as telephone does not have to be land based, poles, wires, interchanges, but can now be accessed by satillite and cell phones. Computers which are still unaffordable are being replaced by cell phones.

Africa's 'Lord of the Ringtones'

Computer science students at the University of Nairobi are learning how to design their own "value-added services" in a nine-week course entitled "Mobile Phone Programming for Entrepreneurs."

The class is taught by Nathan Eagle, a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who says the traditional focus on computer programming has become increasingly misplaced.

He said: "A lot of people here don't have access to computers. Mobile phones are the way they're getting connected."

The irony is that Africa is the source for a rare metal used in cellphones which comes from the Congo and is found in the areas where endangered Gorilla's live.

The phenomena is sweeping the developing world. Allowing people in distant villages who never communicated with each other to do so. And of course it has increased the spread of capitalism replacing the barter based economies of the localized free markets. Which means the market becomes dominated by capitalist monopolies. Cellphones Catapult Rural Africa to 21st Century - New York Times

Phoney finance

Mobile banking is just one example of a wider phenomenon in South Africa. With its odd mix of advanced capitalism and developing-world economics, the country is successfully luring people who hitherto dealt only in cash or barter to the world of formal finance. A simplified kind of account called Mzansi was launched in 2004 to reach the unbanked, and portable banks and ATMs have been rolled out in townships and in the countryside. To this fast-changing scene, mobile-phone banking looks to be a promising addition. Millions of South Africans send money to their relatives in other parts of the country. And most of these sums, which add up to about 12 billion rand ($1.5 billion) each year, still move informally.

No cheap call for cellular network acquisitions

RAMPANT acquisitions in the cellular network industry have seen four players grow to dominate Africa by serving 40% of all subscribers.

Yet there are still 115 operators on the continent, providing plenty of fuel for the acquisition frenzy. The largest operators are MTN, Vodacom and the Middle East’s MTC and Orascom.

But the price tag for acquisitions is reaching a point where even the richest Africans may have to bow out and let the oil rich Arabs muscle in instead.

Recent takeovers have cost more than $1000 for each subscriber — an anomaly when Africans are among the poorest, lowest-spending users in the world. Africa has 165-million users and an average penetration of 18%. That means the potential for growth is still there, analysts agreed at the GSM Africa forum in Cape Town last week.

Of 472-million new users expected to join networks around the world this year, 48-million would be in Africa, said Devine Kofiloto, a principal analyst for Informa Telecoms. Yet the growth potential cannot be gauged purely by Africa’s population, as the majority are too poor to afford cellphone services and penetration would stabilise at about 32%, he said. The payback for acquisitions is also taking longer, as the average revenue per user is plunging as cellphones reach the poorer echelons of society.

See:

The New Market States

Free Market Economics=Cooperatives

Free Trade; Hong Kong & Somalia

Marx Was Right

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Assassination In Mexico

No not Trotsky, but Indymedia reporter Brad Will, reporting from Insurgent Mexico.

Brad Will, Indymedia Reporter, Murdered While Reporting on Mexico Demonstration

Brad was murdered while the phoney el Presidente elect of Mexico was having lunch with el capo Harper in Ottawa.

Of course because Brad was working as freelancer with Indymedia his death has been underreported unlike those MSM journalists killed in Iraq or other war zones . His death was unnessacary as were the deaths of the people of Oaxaca with whom he was covering. This was an assisination by the corrupt Mexican Federal State.

A tip o' the blog to Greenman's Occasional Organ for this.

See:

Oaxaca Mexican Revolution Continues

Dual Power In Mexico

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Dem Crazy Democrats

Who said this;

"I am a Jesus loving, gun toting, fiscal conservative."

Harold Ford the Democratic Candidate for Senator from Tennesse on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.

He is running as the 'values' candidate.

As they say Tweedledee Tweedledum.


See:

Democrats Divided On Chavez Speech

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It's Natures Way

Gay animals exhibit generates heat

A Norwegian museum exhibit of homosexual behaviour in the animal world has sparked consternation among conservative Christians. A Lutheran priest said he hoped the organisers would "burn in hell," and a Pentecostal priest lashed out at the exhibition saying tax payers' money used for it would have been better spent helping the animals correct "their perversions and deviances".

Help the animals correct their deviances and perversions how ya gonna do that? Shock Therapy like they used on gays back thirty years ago?

So drop the false moral indignation, which says heterosexuality is Natural and homosexuality isn't. Freud already proved that was untrue. Now get over it.

Breaking what is taboo for some, the Natural History Museum in Oslo is currently showing an exhibition on homosexuality in the animal kingdom which organisers say is the first of its kind in the world.

"As homosexual people are often confronted with the argument that their way of living is against the principles of nature, we thought that ... as a scientific institution, we could at least show that this is not true," said exhibition organiser Geir Soeli.

"You can think whatever you want about homosexuals but you cannot use that argument because it is very natural, it's very common in animal kingdom," Soeli added.

Oh yes and marriage is a property relationship it isn't 'sacred' either.

Of course the Christian Conservatives loved their favorite family film; March of the Penquins. They thought it great that Emperor Penquins mated for life proving family values are natural. But as it turns out the Emperor Penguins are also homosexual as well.

Of course as a fallback the Christian Conservatives raise the fear of Islam....Conservative activist Mike Baker said, "Nevermind Christian condemnation. This exhibit won't endear the museum with many Muslims."

Of course all patriarchical religions and sects fear homosexuality as they do women. And poor Mike Baker is confusing Norway with Denmark.

animal species practice homosexuality

Homosexuality is quite common in the animal kingdom, especially among herding animals. Many animals solve conflicts by practicing same gender sex.

From the middle of October until next summer the Norwegian Natural History Museum of the University of Oslo will host the first exhibition that focuses on homosexuality in the animal kingdom.

"One fundamental premise in social debates has been that homosexuality is unnatural. This premise is wrong. Homosexuality is both common and highly essential in the lives of a number of species," explains Petter Boeckman, who is the academic advisor for the "Against Nature's Order?" exhibition.

The most well-known homosexual animal is the dwarf chimpanzee, one of humanity's closes relatives. The entire species is bisexual. Sex plays an conspicuous roll in all their activities and takes the focus away from violence, which is the most typical method of solving conflicts among primates and many other animals.

Biological Exuberance: Love That Dare Not Squeak Its Name - Homosexuality in animals... (gay animals and a strange bat)

See:

Morality not from animals

Polygamy is NOT Polyamoury

Homosexual

Metrosexual

Same Sex Marriage

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The Cost of Fitness

The Tories tax credit for fitness is a joke. First it will be based on fitness programs that can prove they improve kids "cardio-respiratory fitness" Next it ain't $500 its only $78.50. For every $500 you spend on Hockey Equipment or joining a sports fitness centre you will get a tax credit for $78.50.

The federal government let parents claim up to $500, but give them an annual maximum of $78.50 per child.During the campaign before the Jan. 23 parliamentary election, Stephen Harper proposed that parents with children under 16 be able to claim $500 in registration fees per child participating in organized sports.

Dr. Kellie Leitch suggests that means activities such as archery and lawn bowling wouldn't qualify. Eligible programs would have to include at least 30 minutes of physical activity for kids under 10, and an hour for those 10 and over, for parents to qualify for the maximum tax credit of $78.50 per child.

Of course if your kids join a dance group like Shumka or go to a Drama Music Dance School like Fame you get nada. Despite these programs being just as effective at improving cardio-respiratory fitness in your kids as sports programs. Call it another tax credit for the suburban class, call it the Harpers Kids benefit, cause his son plays hockey and would qualify.

Call it another false promise, $500 suddenly becomes $78.50. And there are restrictions on who qualifies. Just like their Family Allowance payments aren't a Universal Daycare program.


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Patriarchy Hates Women

Two blogs at opposite political polls make the point that patriarchy hates women. April Reign reports on the right wing Catholic attacks on womens right to choose in Nicaragua and Poland, and the sexist comments of a Mulsim Cleric in Australia admonishing women to avoid dressing provocatively or they invite rape.

At the other end of the political spectrum Big Blue Wave complains that people, men, are sexist in believing that social conservative women are dumb. Well they aren't dumb, but they are agents of patriarchy. Which is worse. Because they are women they think they can speak for all women, while denouncing feminists for doing the same thing.

In reality they are the womens voice FOR patriarchy, which is anti-women always has been always will be.


Unfortunately the pews, temples, and synagogues are filled with women. Without women the patriarchical religions would collapse. Like Hegels 'slaves'; whose existence is justfied through their bondage, conservative women act against their own best interests for the interests of their masters. Thus the right wing can justify their attack on individual rights by saying not all women support feminism.

The war on women is the inherent misogyny of patriarchy, the battle for womens rights which is the battle for individual rights means that patriarchy needs to be abolished. Since all monotheist religions are patriarchical and conduct their moral war against human rights and individual rights means that we must abolish religious institutions and their political power.

This has always been the core of anarchist anti-theism.

See:

Radical Feminism

Whose Family Values?

The Sanctity of Marriage Debate

Feminism



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Rona Wrong On Kyoto

Conservative Environment Minister Rona Ambrose likes to denounce the Kyoto accord because it would mean Canada would pay foreign countries to reduce their greenhouse gases. Of course she has made it sound like that would be a bad thing. Too bad the World Bank disagrees with her. As do the investment bankers Morgan Stanely. So even the scions of capitalism say the Tories have it wrong. Time for her to resign.

Rich should pay for forests: World Bank

Global warming caused by rapid deforestation could be curbed if developing countries were paid the proper rewards for maintaining their forests, according to a World Bank report.

The report released this week noted that the world's forests are disappearing at a rate of five percent a decade as woodland is cleared for timber and production of in-demand commodities like beef, coffee and soybeans.

But the land would have far more value if developing countries were paid to preserve their forests on global carbon markets, the report said. Such markets are an offshoot of the Kyoto agreement, and allow countries that struggle to meet targets for industrial emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) to pay other countries that keep their emissions down.

Global push to cut greenhouse emissions

The drive to tackle climate change gathered pace on Thursday as Morgan Stanley, the investment bank, announced a $3bn plan to invest in the carbon trading market amid mounting evidence that some US states are growing more sympathetic to international action.

The moves come just days before a UK government report is expected to propose a huge expansion of the global market in trading permits for carbon dioxide emissions. It will also propose extending existing mechanisms for western companies to benefit from promoting cleaner energy in poor countries.

A bigger market could offer substantial business opportunities. One recent calculation suggests that global expenditure on curbing the effects of climate change could be worth about $1,000bn (£529bn) within five years of action being agreed.

See:

Ambrose

Environment

Kyoto

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Open Skies

Gee I made this point the other day Make Robert Milton Happy and no sooner do I point it out then the Tories oblige in bringing it up......Ottawa hints it's ready to open Canadian skies to competition


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Public Pension Parnerships

David Dodge , Governor of the Bank of Canada has a new definition for P3's, Public Private Partnerships, well actually he has said this many times before. His definition of P3's for investment purposes is Public Pension Partnerships. That is he wants to see government access workers pension funds to pay for infrastructure.

On the long-term structural issues facing Ontario, Dodge said it was critical the province improve efficiency and productivity by investing in infrastructure and human capital.

He threw his support behind public-private partnerships as way for Ontario to dig its way out of an infrastructure crunch.

''There is evidence from other countries that public-private partnerships can both increase the efficiency of investments and support their financing,'' Dodge said.

''Now is the right time to encourage partnerships between the government of Ontario and private providers, given the climate of low nominal interest rates and the presence of large pension funds that searching for these kinds of investment opportunities.''

As I have said here before the liquidity of institutional pension funds, such as the Canada Pension Plan, Ontario Teachers Fund, the largest such source of capital in Canada, and OMERS, as well as the building trades pension funds are not private but actually another form of public funding. In otherwords Public Private is a misnomer, it should be called Public Pension Partnerships. The working class again funds itself, through low wages, taxes and then finally with our pensions.

Private capital on the other hand wants to make its profits faster so it will not invest in infrastructure. Instead it turns to creating tax shelters such as Income Trusts. So the State turns to social capital for its financing instead, as do businesses that are in need of restructuring but want to avoid a hedge fund takeover, which inevitabley ends when they are cannibalized and sold off.

CPP to assume active role with $5-billion fund

The relationship portfolio will eventually consist of about a half-dozen companies and be part of the $57-billion in stocks run by Donald Raymond, CPP's senior vice-president for public market investments. Mr. Raymond is a former Canadian air force pilot who joined the money manager in 2001 from Goldman Sachs & Co. The new head of relationship investing is expected to receive a pay package similar to the $864,000 that Mr. Raymond was awarded last year.

The move to activism — CPP executives prefer to call it “pro-active engagement” — takes the CPP fund down a path blazed by many U.S. public sector funds and the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan. The $96-billion Teachers fund has been making such investments for the past 15 years, using in-house expertise to earn superior long-term returns.

Teachers now has between $3-billion and $4-billion of its money committed to this area, said Brian Gibson, a senior vice-president at the pension fund.

Value investors typically target companies they feel are undervalued, and wait for the price to appreciate. Activist investors target much the same companies, but once they understand what they believe to be reason for the underperformance, they work on a plan to correct it.

Pension funds that currently are complaining that they have no shareholder say in companies they invest in turn deny their own investors, you and me, any say in their internal affairs and investment policies. Pot, kettle, black.

The powerful Ontario Teachers Pension Plan is asking Goldcorp Inc. to give shareholders a vote on its $6.7-billion (U.S.) takeover of Glamis Gold Ltd., giving credence to a court challenge by the company's founder and largest shareholder.

As Robert McEwen's request for a court order imposing a Goldcorp shareholder vote was being heard in Ontario Superior Court, Teachers executives were meeting with the company's chief executive officer, Ian Telfer, just a few blocks away.

The pension plan, which owned about 2.3 million Goldcorp shares or about half a per cent of the company's outstanding float at year end, said the transaction's significant share dilution is well beyond the level where shareholder input should be sought. “It's hard to imagine how you can issue 67 per cent of your shares and say nothing has changed,” said Teachers senior vice-president, Brian Gibson, in an interview. “That's pretty significant and we believe shareholders should be consulted,” he added.

What we need is a socail policy on public pensions that allows those of us who are the investors and owners of these funds to have a say in how and where they invest.

Capital and Social Europe
Robin Blackburn, NLR 34, July-August 2005, pp. 87-112
The social funds would also be as much about producing wealth as distributing it. In a continent where stock exchanges are already of greatly increased importance, the social funds could help to protect productive enterprises from ‘financialization’, promote socially responsible business objectives and assert a degree of popular control over the accumulation process. The network of pension funds would have significant power in corporate affairs, both because of its shares and its investment policies. The fund network could develop its own cadre of financial specialists and would have reason to assist the tax authorities in monitoring and enforcing fiscal regulations.

See:

Social Insecurity The Phony Pension Crisis

Pension Plunder

Is Delphi the Oracle of things to come?

Labour Is Capital

Pension Free China

Kids Are Commodities

Workers vs Worker

Air Canada Profits From Bankruptcy

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Star Wars

Forget BMD, move over George Lucas, here comes the real Star Wars; The United States of Space.

A Dangerous Step toward Space Warfare

The release of the U.S. National Space Policy (NSP) on October 6 has worried many experts, who say the policy marks a strategic shift toward a more military-oriented, unilateral approach to space for the United States. They fear that the policy, if followed, could begin an arms race leading to catastrophic space warfare.

The NSP reads, in part, "The United States considers space capabilities… vital to its national interests. Consistent with this policy, the United States will: preserve its rights, capabilities, and freedom of action in space; dissuade or deter others from either impeding those rights or developing capabilities intended to do so; take those actions necessary to protect its space capabilities; respond to interference; and deny, if necessary, adversaries the use of space capabilities hostile to U.S. national interests;

See:

Space



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