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From Gutenberg, the telegraph, radio waves, television, cable, and the Internet, communications has brought us a long way. Of Johannes Gutenberg’s invention of the European printing press, based on a system of mechanical, moveable-type, the internet encyclopaedia, Wikipedia, describes the original information Renaissance saying: “The relatively unrestricted circulation of information — including revolutionary ideas — transcended borders, captured the masses in the Reformation and threatened the power of political and religious authorities; [while] the sharp increase in literacy broke the monopoly of the literate elite on education and learning and bolstered the emerging middle class.”
Today, with the introduction of new legislation meant to halter the ultimate descendant of Gutenberg’s genius, the Internet, the information elite is striking back.
As a global, information society, we are standing at the crossroad of a power paradigm that will determine perhaps the path humanity will take for the next century; a fork in our collective developmental trajectory that could well mean the difference between civilizational survival, or its, Our, untimely end.
David Christopher is Communications Manager for OpenMedia.ca, the “award-winning community-based organization that safeguards the possibilities of the open Internet.” OpenMedia has been at the fore in fight after fight against the repeated attempts of Canada’s corporate culture, and their allies in government, to rein in and stratify access to that:
“[R]elatively unrestricted circulation of information — including revolutionary ideas — transcend[ing] borders.”
Christopher has transcended many of those borders himself, hailing originally from Ireland’s west country, and studying History and Political Science at Dublin’s famed Trinity College, before his work in communications moved him to Scotland, New Zealand, and found him finally shoring up here on the Pacific coast, right across the straits in Vancouver.
David Christopher in the first half.
And; last week, Russian leader, Vladimir Putin shook hands on a massive deal to supply Liquified Natural Gas to China. More than being the biggest such deal ever signed between two countries, it also serves to threaten the hegemonic American petrodollar, an arrangement that has subsidized the waning superpower’s enormous international clout, while undergirding its fragile domestic economy. The deal too poses a threat to British Columbia’s much touted plan to tie its economic future to similarly huge energy deals with the World’s largest single energy market.
Peter Ewart is a Prince George-based writer and columnist with 250 News, amongst other online publications. In his recent article, ‘Implications for BC of the Russia/China Gas Deal’ he explores the dynamics of the Russia/China gas deal, and some of its possible ramifications.
Peter Ewart, and Christie Clark’s attempt to saddle BC’s economic future on the back of a bucking gas industry bronco in the second half.
And; Victoria Street Newz publisher and CFUV Radio broadcaster, Janine Bandcroft will join us at the bottom of the hour to bring us newz from our city’s streets, and beyond. But first, David Christopher and standing in the way of Big Telecom’s promise to create of the open internet an information caste system by saying No! to the Internet Slow Lane.
Chris Cook hosts Gorilla Radio, airing live every Monday, 5-6pm Pacific Time. In Victoria at 101.9FM, and on the internet at: http://cfuv.uvic.ca. He also serves as a contributing editor to the web news site, http://www.pacificfreepress.com. Check out the GR blog at: http://gorillaradioblog.blogspot.ca/
G-Radio is dedicated to social justice, the environment, community, and providing a forum for people and issues not covered in the corporate media.
