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parliament to incorporate changes at comm. stage
by Rebecca Wanjiku 06 Jul '07

06 Jul '07

threatened with a lawsuit and with legislators making all the noises, the government yesterday pledged to incorporate changes to the media bill at committee stage. there was a live debate on whether the bill is meant to gag the media or not. it seems that with some pressure, something can be done regards Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Take the Internet to Go: Yahoo!Go puts the Internet in your pocket: mail, news, photos & more.

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Just Google....
by John Walubengo 05 Jul '07

05 Jul '07

I always have this (addictive?) habit of googling my name...I have to keep monitoring my digital reputation. So here is what I found out about myself after googling. http://www.diplomacy.edu/ig/Activities/display.asp?Topic=JWalubengo%20IGF%2… or http://www.diplomacy.edu/IG/ Not bad so far. I met a friend who once told me she googled her name and discovered she was listed on a "lonely hearts" website, complete with her snap and CV and yet she could not recall being lonely :(. So make sure u google your name tonite... walu. nb: Mucheru, u will owe me a big one for this free commercial :). ____________________________________________________________________________________ Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search that gives answers, not web links. http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC

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Looking for web designers/content managers
by Carole K 05 Jul '07

05 Jul '07

Hello All, This discussion forum is very lively. Keep it up guys. Afew months ago i knew very little about ICT but now I am well informed. Thank you Alex Gakuru and team. My name is Carole Kimutai, I am a journalist - writer/editor. I was the former editor of Sokoni magazine (MSK) and Petroleum Insight Magazine (PIEA). I am currently writing for various publications in Kenya and abroad - http://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/410/16/15854.html I am looking for web designers or people who can manage content electronically. Kindly get in touch with me on this address or call me on 0722 560 241. PS: Anyone with news items/articles or story ideas please share it with me Nice evening! CK On 7/5/07, Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Bravo! - what a delightful deed saving us envisaged set-up headaches. > > Please convey very special thanks to Google. > > On 7/5/07, mucheru(a)wananchi.com <mucheru(a)wananchi.com> wrote: > > > > Hi Alex, > > > > You may not be aware, but Google is setting up shop and we already > provide > > free hosting services for anyone with a domain. This means not only can > > you get a free website hosted, but that you can also add mail for all > > users, branded under your domain etc .... Many people in Kenya are > already > > using the service. > > > > We intend to peer at the KIXP this means the quality of service will be > > great and you don't have to pay for International bandwidth! We are > local! > > > > Try it out and see > > > > http://www.google.com/a or http://www.google.co.ke/a - even better, here > > you will see the wealth of services we provide. > > > > Sorry to shamelessly plug Google here - The service is free so maybe am > > allowed. > > > > Sorry guys > > > > Joe Mucheru > > > > > > > Nothing frustrates small business than "simple" > > > websites design and hosting services. Turning to ISPs > > > they are told hosting are "valueadd services" only > > > offer "bundled" with other products. Many thus never > > > go online. > > > > > > Who is interested in partnering on "community > > > servers"? If we get a sufficient number we could > > > approach e.g. WB TCIP/RCIP, etc. give business case > > > maybe get a share of those ears-boggling billions > > > flying about in the media to setup server warehouse. > > > Michuki Mwangi shareholder No. 2, Walu 3? > > > > > > Could write a tight business case,other takers?(Before > > > moderator *bans* me for starting a local,non-Barb > > > hosting business online...). Unless we sort this out, > > > looks like they may never. > > > > > > > > > --- Michuki Mwangi <michuki(a)kenic.or.ke> wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> > > >> mucheru(a)wananchi.com wrote: > > >> > Walu/Alex, > > >> > > > >> > I the issue is not with CCK. They contracted local > > >> providers to provide > > >> > services here are the results .... I think the > > >> regulator did the right > > >> > thing. > > >> > > > >> > > >> And its worth noting that CCK is not the only > > >> victim, i could point to > > >> quite a number of other sites that face similar > > >> predicaments which boils > > >> down to cost of hosting. > > >> > > >> For there to be a shift in preference there are two > > >> things that need to > > >> happen > > >> > > >> 1) Affordable collocation/data center facilities > > >> need to be built ASAP. > > >> 2) International fiber. > > >> > > >> There are good 'signs' on point 2, however more > > >> could be done on point > > >> 1. After all land along Mombasa road is still within > > >> reach of most. > > >> > > >> > > >> Walu - your pension may tripple as a result :) > > >> > > >> Regards, > > >> > > >> -- > > >> Michuki Mwangi > > >> KENIC > > >> _______________________________________________ > > >> ke-internetusers mailing list > > >> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > > >> > > > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > >> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > ____________________________________________________________________________________ > > > Yahoo! oneSearch: Finally, mobile search > > > that gives answers, not web links. > > > http://mobile.yahoo.com/mobileweb/onesearch?refer=1ONXIC > > > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > ke-internetusers mailing list > > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > > > > -- > website: http://www.billowsbpo.co.ke/ > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > >

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[Fwd: [DigAfrica] Access Kenya buys Internet firm]
by alice 05 Jul '07

05 Jul '07

Access Kenya buys Internet firm Story by NATION Reporter and REUTERS Publication Date: 7/5/2007 AccessKenya Group yesterday announced the acquisition of a broadband leased line Internet Service Provider, Todays Online, subject to approval from the Monopolies Commission. Todays Online's acquisition, marks a significant step for the company which listed at the Nairobi Stock Exchange early last month. The Managing Director of the Group, Mr Jonathan Somen, said that the purchase clearly showed the market that the company was keen to invest funds raised from the IPO. "Unlike many previous IPOs, AccessKenya Group went public to raise capital to fund our expansion, and we had specifically told the market that making acquisitions would be an important part of our strategy," commented Jonathan Somen, Managing Director of the Group. Milton Njanja, Managing Director of Today's Online commented further: " Following discussions with AccessKenya, the Board of Todays felt that the interests of our customers would be best served by transferring their connections to AccessKenya's network, giving them access to better speeds and higher value for money." As part of the transaction, Todays' Online, will work with AccessKenya to migrate the customers onto the AccessKenya Group's network. Todays' Online will also continue to sell internet services for AccessKenya for at least the next nine months as agents. The exact value of the transaction consisted of an initial undisclosed fee and a future payment based on the successful migration of the customer base to AccessKenya's network. In the financial markets, the Kenya shilling weakened against the US dollar in the week, dragged down by dollar demand from corporates and bank players squaring their positions, dealers said. The local unit traded at Sh66.70/80 to the dollar, compared with last Wednesday's close of Sh66.20/30. "There was a lot of dollar demand towards the end of last month as, which seems to have spilled over to this week. This made the shilling to lose almost 40 cents," said Jeremiah Kendagor, head of foreign exchange at the Kenya Commercial Bank. "Basically it was from corporates and there was also squaring off by interbank players," he added. <http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?> __,_._,___

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FOIA- the most important law for openness and transparency in government.
by Alex Gakuru 05 Jul '07

05 Jul '07

[Business Daily] "Treasury opens lid on secrecy in military purchase contracts" Written by Steve Mbogo 05-July-2007: The Kenya military machine will undergo a radical shake-up that will see the the veil of secrecy lifted on its multi-million shilling procurement deals, that have sometimes been labelled as classified. Officials at the Treasury told the Business Daily that discussions are going on with the military to work out how the latter can increase its level of accountability in its defence procurement to the public. In the more strategic procurement that could legitimately be classified as official secrets, the Treasury seems to favour a plan where a Parliamentary committee would have an oversight role without compromising national security. For many years the Kenya military, the Police and the intelligence services have been bogged down by single-sourced secret purchases that have often turned into shaddy deals between politicians, high ranking government officials and briefcase contractors.... ...Mr Mwaimu Mati, the head of Mars Group Kenya, said security related procurement should not be left to the absolute discretion of the military or the Executive. We have elected MPs who can be trusted with the responsibility of scrutinizing security procurement and budgets. This conforms to our Constitution which requires that the security forces be subject to civilian control, said Mati. It is unlikely that exposing procurement of security items to public scrutiny will compromise national security, in view of the massive information brought to the public domain by the internet. http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1794&Item… --------- [WIRED] Bittersweet Sunshine: Four Decades of FOIA Wins and Losses Ryan Singel, 04 July 2007 U.S. government documents used to be considered secret unless individual agencies decided to release them. But on July 4, 1966, that presumption was inverted when the Freedom of Information Act was signed into law, declaring that in a government of, by and for the people, government records must be released to the public upon request, unless those records meet a handful of defined exemptions. Over the last four decades, FOIA (pronounced "foy-ya") has become one of the most important laws creating openness and transparency in government. It's a key tool for journalists and nonprofit groups investigating the workings of the federal government. It has been used to reveal the FBI's Vietnam-era surveillance of American dissidents, CIA drug experiments on American citizens, and government inspectors turning a blind eye to the sale of contaminated meat, among many other things. But as a just-released report from the National Security Archive showed, bureaucracies still resist the law's openness imperative. They will ignore requests, take decades to process them or redact embarrassing information. A bill that would penalize agencies for foot-dragging was set to be voted on earlier this year by the full Senate, but was stalled by Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), who put a secret hold on the bill. There will be no progress until he removes the hold. Despite these obstacles, persistent reporters and public-interest organizations have been able to crack the veil of secrecy that bureaucrats and politicians use to hide their motivations and machinations. In honor of the law's 41st birthday, Wired News presents five of the best technology-focused FOIA wins and five that are still outstanding. Top Five Technology and Civil Liberties Sunshine Requests [1.] Carnivore Documents: In the 1990s, the FBI developed software, dubbed Carnivore, that was installed at internet service providers[ISPs] to track what targeted individuals did online. Though the FBI claimed Carnivore was not an untargeted dragnet, the Electronic Privacy Information Center, or EPIC, pried documents loose from the FBI showing the software was capable of capturing all traffic across a server, and that the software was not as accurate in practice as the FBI claimed. Little is known about successors to Carnivore, but ISPs have been configuring their networks to make them surveillance-friendly. [2.]Airline Data Dumps and No-Fly Lists: EPIC filed a file cabinet full of sunshine requests to learn more about terrorist watch lists and post-9/11 airline data dumps to the government. Highlights included proof that Northwest Airlines turned over data to the government despite public statements to the contrary. Also revealed were no-fly-list mismatches, including a long-running screwup that snagged one of the nation's most high-profile nuns, who was only cleared for flying after her boss called presidential adviser Karl Rove. [3.]Mercury Contamination in Fish: Successive sunshine requests by environmental activists revealed that certain fish, including popular canned albacore tuna, contained higher levels of mercury than the government had previously acknowledged. While canned tuna was never put on the list of fish that pregnant women should avoid, the data has proved important in an ongoing debate about the risks of eating seafood. [4.] Domestic Military Spy Databases: The American Civil Liberties Union successfully uncovered a Department of Defense database, dubbed Talon, that was supposed to include reports on terrorist threats to military bases in the United States. Instead, the secret database soon became filled with reports on legitimate antiwar protesters whose activities were protected under the First Amendment. The program was shuttered following the ensuing publicity, but the full extent of the spying is unknown since the Pentagon deleted many of the records before an audit was complete. [5.] Encryption Wars: Though it may seem like ancient history to some, civil liberties groups spent much of the 1990s fighting the government over encryption, which had previously been used almost exclusively by secret government agencies and the military. The government claimed that any public use of encryption, including such now-commonplace standards used to secure online purchases and banking, needed to have a backdoor for law enforcement. FOIA requests revealed that the government knew its proposals were flawed. It also showed the government intended to use requirements that digital telephone switches must be wiretap-friendly as a way to force encryption products to have backdoors. The government eventually lost "the war," and encryption now helps lock down internet e-mail, online purchases and commercial DVDs, though few use encrypted e-mail. Five Unanswered Technology and Civil Liberties FOIA Requests [1.] Warrantless Wiretapping Documents: A wide array of media and activist groups are attempting to get information on the government's warrant-free spying on Americans' phone and e-mail communications. So far, none have succeeded, though a Senate committee has just subpoenaed the Bush administration for some of the sought-after documents. [2.] Automated Targeting System: For years, the Department of Homeland Security has been assigning threat levels to individual foreigners and citizens alike as they enter and leave the country. However, little is known about the algorithms or data used. So far, Homeland Security has failed to release documents in response to open-government requests. [3.] Total Information Awareness Program: Nearly four years ago, Wired News filed a request for documents about the testing and privacy protections of a program intended to sift through a massive database of Americans' private lives in order to find terrorists. Instead of filling the request, Darpa, the Pentagon's advanced research arm, looked into this reporter's prior stories and questioned his motives. [4.] Patriot Act Abuse Documents and Telecom Contracts: In March, an internal Justice Department report found the FBI had massively misused a key Patriot Act power that allows investigators to get financial and communication records on anyone relevant to an investigation without getting a judge's approval. The FBI also inked secret contracts with three large telecommunications companies to speed up the process. A judge recently ruled that the agency will begin releasing 2,500 pages a month starting July 5 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. [5.] FBI's Investigative Data Warehouse: Post-9/11, the FBI created a massive search engine that indexes a bunch of different bureau databases, including investigative files and phone records obtained through the above Patriot Act abuse. Little is known of the technology, which a representative compared to Google's, or the scope of the databases searched. Wired News and the Electronic Frontier Foundation have each filed sunshine requests. http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/07/sunshinelawat40 -- ____________________________________________________________________________________ Need Mail bonding? Go to the Yahoo! Mail Q&A for great tips from Yahoo! Answers users. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396546091

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FW: {EuroAfrica-ICT} - Awareness workshops, Kenya and Ghana, July / Last chance to register
by Harry Hare 04 Jul '07

04 Jul '07

Thought this would interest some of you. Kindest regards Harry _____ From: EuroAfrica-ICT workshops [mailto:awareness_workshops@euroafrica-ict.org] Sent: Wednesday, July 04, 2007 3:27 PM To: EU-Africa S&T Cooperation Subject: {EuroAfrica-ICT} - Awareness workshops, Kenya and Ghana, July / Last chance to register Dear colleagues, As you probably already know, the EuroAfrica-ICT initiative is organising its third and fourth awareness workshops respectively in Ghana and Kenya in July in order to promote and facilitate the involvement of sub-Saharan African organisations in the ICT field within the 7th Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development of the European Commission. By attending one of these workshops you will: :: Learn about the European Commission (EC) research funding programme in the ICT field (FP7) :: Learn about the EuroAfrica-ICT initiative: objectives and activities :: Be able to present your ideas of EU-Africa S&T cooperation projects in the ICT field :: Be able to introduce yourself: your organisation, your expertise, your experience :: Network with EC representatives, the EuroAfrica-ICT team and the most advanced local organisations active in the ICT field Accra, Ghana :: Date: July 20 & 21 :: Venue: Coconut Grove Regency Hotel :: Location: Accra, Ghana :: Organiser: PIWA (Panos Institute West Africa), Senegal :: Supported by: the African Network Operators Group (AFNOG), Ghana / Busy Internet, Ghana Nairobi, Kenya :: Date: July 26 & 27 :: Venue: Hilton Hotel :: Location: Nairobi, Kenya :: Organiser: The Meraka Institute of the CSIR, South Africa :: Supported by: the African eDevelopment Resource Centre (AeRC), Kenya / the ST-EAP consortium members: the African Academy of Sciences (AAS, Kenya) and the CSIR (South Africa) If you have not registered yet, register asap through <http://www.euroafrica-ict.org/awareness_workshops.html>. Important notice Participants in the workshop can submit Expression of Interest (EoI) or Proposal Ideas (PI). Templates are available at <http://www.euroafrica-ict.org/awareness_workshops.html>. :: EoI in Euro-Africa S&T cooperation on ICTs: if your presentation is selected by the organisers you will have the opportunity to present to the workshop audience your expertise and experience in the field (in the perspective of being selected by a Euro-Africa consortium) :: PI: if your presentation is selected you will have the opportunity to present to the audience the idea you have in mind in terms of proposal project to be submitted to the EC. :: Deadline to submit EoI and PI: July 10 To be noted :: Given time constraints and the limited number of seats, we warmly thank you in advance to register before July 10 :: Admission to the workshops is free but pre-registrations are compulsory :: Accommodation and travel expenses are the responsibility of the participants Do not hesitate to disseminate this information to your colleagues/contacts. We are looking forward to meeting you soon, With very best regards, The EuroAfrica-ICT Team <awareness_workshops(a)EuroAfrica-ICT.org> <http://www.EuroAfrica-ICT.org> --- START (also called the EuroAfrica-ICT initiative) is a project supported by the European Commission through its IST programme. The project is implemented by a consortium led by Sigma Consultants, specialised - through its Orionis division - in support services devoted to S&T international cooperation in the ICT field. The consortium includes two key African institutes specialising in the ICT field, the Meraka Institute of the CSIR (South Africa) and the Panos Institute West Africa (Senegal). This email was brought to you as we felt its content would be of interest to you. However, if you would prefer not to receive such information, please reply to this email with "remove" as a subject and we will take care to cease communication immediately. We apologise for any inconvenience caused.

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more on the cable
by Rebecca Wanjiku 04 Jul '07

04 Jul '07

Private sector begins mapping for seabed cable Lesley Stones http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/technology.aspx?ID=BD4A503649 WHILE progress on a government-backed undersea cable to boost Africa's bandwidth remains embroiled in political bickering, private investors constructing a rival cable have begun mapping out the ocean bed ready to start installation. Work has begun on the Seacom cable connecting SA to Mozambique, Madagascar, Tanzania and Kenya. It will then be linked to global networks in India, the Middle East and Europe. The marine surveying is being carried out by Tyco Telecommunications, a pioneer in undersea communications technology that has designed and installed more than 80 undersea systems. Tyco's survey vessel, the Fugro Gauss, arrived in Durban on June 17 and was due to set off yesterday to begin assessing the 13000km route along the east coast of Africa. The $300m project is being led by Herakles Telecom, but its vice- president, Brian Herlihy, has declined to identify other private investors backing the venture. "The arrival of the Fugro Gauss in the Durban harbour to start the marine survey, which precedes the construction of the Seacom cable, is a reassurance to the African communities which we serve of our commitment to construction deadlines," said Herlihy. Seacom's fibreoptic link is due to go live early in 2009 and promises cheap, high-capacity bandwidth for national carriers, broadcasters, and education and research networks. "East and South African user demand for international bandwidth, whether for business, institution or individual use, has greatly surpassed the existing supply," said Herlihy. "Seacom, as an international submarine cable system, will provide significant supply at affordable prices. "The system will deliver infrastructure support for the growth of the information and communication technology sector, in particular business process outsourcing, call centres, pharmaceutical research industries and education networks." The Indian Ocean's African seabed is the only one in the world without a fibreoptic cable, forcing Africa to rely heavily on expensive satellite links and to route calls between neighbouring countries via Europe. Earlier this year, Associated Press quoted Herlihy as saying: "We think that the high price of satellite communication is creating an artificially low demand market and, because of that, we think there is pent-up demand." Less progress has been made with the East African Submarine System (Eassy), a 9900km fibreoptic line supposed to link SA to Sudan. Last week, Parliament ratified the broadband protocol of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), effectively imposing political power over the Eassy project, even though the $300m cable is being funded by the private sector. The Democratic Alliance voted against ratification, with spokeswoman Dene Smuts opposing the move to hijack Eassy and fold it into the Nepad initiative. This will give the government representatives a golden share and veto rights. The Eassy project has been held up since 2002 by wrangling over its funding and ownership, and by political intervention to make sure its bandwidth is not kept artificially expensive by the telecom operators investing in it. -- Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/ --------------------------------- Pinpoint customers who are looking for what you sell.

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Questions??
by Alex Gakuru 03 Jul '07

03 Jul '07

[Huh! More deals when Kenyans have the money to pay twice the value of Telkom's 14 billion worth. Logic would have expected they be given the first option to buy Telkom, sack political appointees that have run it down and return excellent profits using cheap mobile CDMA than Safaricom subsidiary. BTW: How does Safaricom take billions to its ghost shareholders? Curious deals coming at election years, Who knows maybe they privatised the government a long time ago? Perhaps also to expect more bizzareness on "Rural Connectivity" because it sounds "government caring"?] ---- [Business Daily] "BT emerges frontrunner in race to buy Telkom" 03-July-2007: Written by Michael Omondi People close to the matter told the Business Daily that senior officials from BT and Libyan investors on Friday met top Treasury and Ministry of Communication officials to work out the deals finer details. Treasury estimates the stake to be worth Sh5.6 billion meaning that Telkom Kenya is now valued at Sh14 billion. <http://www.bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1749&Item…> ----- "Success of KenGen IPO boost to capital markets" By KARIUKI NDUNGU The Ken-Gen initial public offering (IPO) has been oversubscribed by more than Sh18.2 billion, the government said last week. The IPO, which has ignited Kenyas capital markets, will somewhat disappoint thousands of investors who will have their money refunded. The government was expecting to raise Sh7.8 billion, but Kenyans proved that they had what it takes to raise equity and offered the government more than what it bargained for. ...... The response to the IPO was overwhelming, attracting an estimated 280,000 applications representing more than Sh2 billion shares worth an estimated Sh26 billion as per the data processed to date.... http://www.timesnews.co.ke/02may06/business/buns2.html Where is Parliamentary select Committee on telecommunications? Please do not wait to "investigate" years later when it is already too late? ____________________________________________________________________________________ Be a better Globetrotter. Get better travel answers from someone who knows. Yahoo! Answers - Check it out. http://answers.yahoo.com/dir/?link=list&sid=396545469

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Lighter bread now 150 per cent of pre-NARC prices
by Alex Gakuru 02 Jul '07

02 Jul '07

Jeez! It's worse that I thought about bread. "Price of bread goes up as its weight falls" <http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=3&ne…> Making one ask why "The State will in addition use Sh70 million to spur the growth of business processing and outsourcing (BPO) and another Sh140 million to set up an ICT advisory board." This Board is twice as important at the work that will be done (by the usual suspects?) <http://www.eastandard.net/archives/index.php?mnu=details&id=1143970432&cati…> Internet cost will not drop much even after the cable connect Kenya. Private interest will ensure high prices remain. Brace yourselves for expensive internet for the next 20 years (lifespan of fibre cable) Despite Kimunya's 600 billion annual budget, government cannot afford TEAMS US$ 100 million (shs 7 billion) and they are looking for private investors under "PPP". GoK can/should construct the whole cable and ask CCK to determine "Open Access" tariffs to save 20-year price Kenyans will pay to these private entities. It does not add up! But you see, Kimunya can afford a paltry 1 billion to the project 1 billion to the youth and 2 billion to women? (with UN's, total package for women 7 billion and thanks all now men also want an equal 5 billion to maintain gender parity) TEAMS could end up "the long cable lie" and costly to future commissions of inquiry. Have I provoked why consumer protection threatens National(s) interests? Rattling mean anti-consumer protection "over-dogs" is serious business deserving innovative advocacy. Haki Kenya kuna matata mingi. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Shape Yahoo! in your own image. Join our Network Research Panel today! http://surveylink.yahoo.com/gmrs/yahoo_panel_invite.asp?a=7

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Noam Chomsky and the Struggle Against Neoliberalism
by Alex Gakuru 30 Jun '07

30 Jun '07

Taking a break from ICT websites.... http://www.chomsky.info/onchomsky/19990401.htm Neoliberalism is the defining political economic paradigm of our time - it refers to the policies and processes whereby a relative handful of private interests are permitted to control as much as possible of social life in order to maximize their personal profit. Associated initially with Reagan and Thatcher, neoliberalism has for the past two decades been the dominant global political economic trend adopted by political parties of the center, much of the traditional left, and the right. These parties and the policies they enact represent the immediate interests of extremely wealthy investors and less than one thousand large corporations. Aside from some academics and members of the business community, the term neoliberalism is largely unknown and unused by the public at large, especially in the United States. There, to the contrary, neoliberal initiatives are characterized as free market policies that encourage private enterprise and consumer choice, reward personal responsibility and entrepreneurial initiative, and undermine the dead hand of the incompetent, bureaucratic, and parasitic government, which can never do good (even when well intentioned, which it rarely is). A generation of corporate-financed public relations efforts has given these terms and ideas a near-sacred aura. As a result, these phrases and the claims they imply rarely require empirical defense, and are invoked to rationalize anything from lowering taxes on the wealthy and scrapping environmental regulations to dismantling public education and social welfare programs. Indeed, any activity that might interfere with corporate domination of society is automatically suspect because it would impede the workings of the free market, which is advanced as the only rational, fair, and democratic allocator of goods and services. At their most eloquent, proponents of neoliberalism sound as if they are doing poor people, the environment, and everybody else a tremendous service as they enact policies on behalf of the wealthy few. The economic consequences of these policies have been the same just about everywhere, and exactly what one would expect: a massive increase in social and economic inequality, a marked increase in severe deprivation for the poorest nations and peoples of the world, a disastrous global environment, an unstable global economy, and an unprecedented bonanza for the wealthy. Confronted with these facts, defenders of the neoliberal order claim that the spoils of the good life will invariably spread to the broad mass of the population - as long as the neoliberal policies that exacerbated these problems are not interfered with by anyone! In the end, proponents of neoliberalism cannot and do not offer an empirical defense for the world they are making. To the contrary, they offer - no, demand - a religious faith in the infallibility of the unregulated market, drawing upon nineteenth century theories that have little connection to the actual world. The ultimate trump card for the defenders of neoliberalism, however, is that there is no alternative. Communist societies, social democracies, and even modest social welfare states like the United States have all failed, the neoliberals proclaim, and their citizens have accepted neoliberalism as the only feasible course. It may well be imperfect, but it is the only economic system possible. Earlier in the twentieth century some critics called fascism "capitalism with the gloves off," meaning that fascism was pure capitalism without democratic rights and organizations. In fact, we know that fascism is vastly more complex than that. Neoliberalism, on the other hand, is indeed "capitalism with the gloves off." It represents an era in which business forces are stronger and more aggressive, and face less organized opposition than ever before. In this political climate they attempt to codify their political power and enact their vision on every possible front. As a result, business is increasingly difficult to challenge, and civil society (nonmarket, noncommercial, and democratic forces) barely exists at all...... ____________________________________________________________________________________ Sick sense of humor? Visit Yahoo! TV's Comedy with an Edge to see what's on, when. http://tv.yahoo.com/collections/222

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