Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its side against Ukraine?

by Jerome a Paris Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 07:27:27 AM EST

Gazprom says Ukraine blocking resumed gas flows
MOSCOW, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) said Ukraine was blocking gas flows to Europe across Ukrainian territory on Tuesday. "We believed yesterday that the door for Russian gas was open but again it's been blocked by the Ukrainians," Gazprom export chief Alexander Medvedev [said]

It looks to me that Gazprom seems to be thinking that it had successfully managed to put the blame for the conflict on the Ukrainians, and was trying to push its advantage and finally separate the issue of payment for gas delivered to Ukraine from that of the transit of gas (thanks to the European monitors enlisted to put the blame on Ukraine for blocking further gas deliveries).

But it looks like we're back to square one: the Ukrainians will not accept to pay for the portion of the gas delivered by Gazprom, and will still hold transit hostage to impose that. It will be interesting to see Europe's reaction, but I don't see them taking sides in favor of Russia in this conflict.

I presume that Gazprom sees little downside to this, expecting that this will improve the prospects of its direct pipeline projects like Nordstream and Southstream, but this might be a bad miscalculation.

With the nuclear lobby strengthened in recent years, and wind industry actually able to deliver, it's quite possible that plans to move away from gas-fired power generation could finally take shape and make Europe, for almost the first time, focus on the demadn side of the equation.

Gazprom's main asset has been its reliability. Its extended shenanigans in Ukraine (where their case, once again, is rather narrow and weak, altogether) are endangering this a lot more than they improve prospects for additional revenue from Ukraine.

Unless, of course, this is still about the sharing of the behind-the-scenes loot. In which case, Europe might wonder how private interests can hijack the highest decision-making levels of a country for so long...

Earlier coverage:
Gas crisis: Russia caves in as expected
Is Putin losing control?
Russian gas and European energy policy - a reprise
FT Op-Ed: The battle of the oligarchs behind the gas dispute
Ukraine-Russia: some background and context.
Ukraine vs Russia: Tales of pipelines and dependence

Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its side against Ukraine? | 102 comments (102 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

Now also on the Oil Drum (none / 0)

http://www.theoildrum.com/node/4965/

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 09:18:05 AM EST

Re: Now also on the Oil Drum (none / 0)

Having seen your "dressing down" on France 24, you were absolutely right, of course.

by Asinus Asinum Fricat (patric.juillet@gmail.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 01:24:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Occasional series (none / 0)

I have regrouped a number of articles on the Ukraine-Russia gas crises in this post, which I may try to update with other articles on European energy.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 09:19:13 AM EST

Feedback? (none / 0)

Is this something worth pushing out?

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 11:16:46 AM EST

Re: Feedback? (4.00 / 3)

Why is no one miffed at Ukraine for this? I mean, so far as "antics" go, surely they are contributing their own share of them.

Also, is Gazprom's main asset its reliability? This has become an annual affair. I thought its greatest assets were its large reserves and the fact that at the moment it's the cheapest, fastest way to get gas to eager consumers with money, in Europe. I know Gazprom is more reliable, by comparison, than some other Russian companies, but I've never heard of any Russian business being touted for its reliability. Its connection to the Kremlin is a double-edged sword in the regard. How can any business so highly politicized in a country so politically ... er, assertive, be considered "reliable?"

Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

by poemless on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 11:30:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Feedback? (none / 0)

Why is no one miffed at Ukraine for this?

I guess cos the dominant narrative in the West is ~~Soviet~~ Russian bully and poor Ukrainian victim. now it's established, you simply fill in the gaps every time there's a new issue, but you never change the framing. Trying to create a more nuanced idea would make poor little msm heads explode.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:59:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Feedback? (none / 0)

Can it possibly be so simple?

Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

by poemless on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 01:13:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Feedback? (none / 0)

For a given level of explanatory power, the simplest explanation is preferred. Perhaps, coming from an entirely different perspective, the Russian Government and Gazprom executives think that the west will come to be annoyed with Ukraine and will put pressure on them, or even come to see a rationale for a reunion of the two countries in order to reunite the divided assets of Gasprom. But how many European Union governments would countenance the re-adsorption of Ukraine by Russia? And would even so drastic a step as that finally resolve the issue, especially if much of it does have to do with feuding oligarchs? It would be like putting all of the fighting cats in one barrel. My own sense is that this would never happen. Perhaps the Russians see it differently. That is how train wrecks happen.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."

by ARGeezer (ARGeezer a in a circle eurotrib daught com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 03:37:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Feedback? (none / 0)

What angle would you want to push?

Both Russian and Ukrainian communication on this seem insincere, and this time I don't think people are going full tilt for the big bad Russia narrative. Tymoshenko's little handwritten addendum, for example, has been widely reported.

On the Russian side, it feels as if Putin and Miller are all talk loudly, carry little stick. They don't look as if they know what to do. Of course they can't beat Ukraine at this game. If they're still trying to make a pretence of it, that probably means they're not in full control on their own side. The Ukrainians are not giving anything up above the table (Russia has already offered higher transit rates that roughly even out the higher gas rates demanded, in other words the status quo), but one has to suppose they're not giving anything up under the table either. Which may mean some angry mavericks in the Russian gas trade?

One thing's for sure - if this goes on much longer, there will really start to be shortages in some European countries as their neighbours hold on to their own reserves. And Russia will take the greatest part of the final blame. So now, either Putin can stop it, or he can't.

If he can't, you're probably right it will shake the Europeans out of their natgas complacency.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 03:09:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe? (none / 1)

I don't see how this can backfire for Gazprom. The whole world has no choice but to :
> review consumption habits
> increase investment in other sources of energy including renewables
But even then, we'll need all the gas we can get. And in any case, if that gas is cheaper than other sources of energy, you can be pretty damn sure that there'll be a market for it.
Gazprom can't lose on this. They only have to be prepared to sit it through... alternative routes they will get... the money the will pocket.

by vladimir on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 12:41:44 PM EST

I'm with you, Vlad. (none / 1)

Even if gas consumption is reduced, the reserves are there for future sales, probably at higher prices.

Putin appears to me to have played this game very well: Maximum pressure for non-Ukrainian pipelines and minimum pumping while prices are low.

paul spencer

by paul spencer (spencerinthegorge AT yahoo DOT com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 04:52:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Uh oh (none / 0)

EU hits out over trickle of Russian gas
Russia started pumping gas destined for Europe via Ukraine today for the first time in nearly a week, but the European Union said little or no gas was flowing to countries suffering urgent energy shortages.
Russia's state-controlled gas monopoly, Gazprom, accused Ukraine of siphoning off the gas for its own use. Ukraine's state player Naftogaz said it could not ship the gas without cutting off several of its own regions.
(...)
Gazprom's deputy chief executive Alexander Medvedev said Ukraine's actions were being orchestrated by the US. "It looks like ... they are dancing to the music which is being orchestrated not in Kiev but outside the country," he said.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 03:32:23 PM EST

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

Wait, aren't those International Observer type people there to make sure Ukraine's not siphoning of turning off the gas?

And while I love the symphony metaphor, what exactly do they mean by "The US?" Washington? We don't even really have a President at the moment. And the Congress can't even figure out who their members are, let alone how to orchestrate a gas crisis on the other side of the world. Sorry, Sasha, we've got bigger problems/events over here. No one cares about your silly gas.

Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

by poemless on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 03:39:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

"orchestrated by the US": What for? In order to give us a cold winter after their cold war? ??

by Lily (put - lilyalmond - here <a> yahaah.france) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 05:19:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

I got it.

by Lily (put - lilyalmond - here <a> yahaah.france) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 05:30:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20090114/119490196.html

A popular Russian daily said on Wednesday that under a cooperation agreement Kiev and Washington signed in December, the United States would modernize Ukraine's crumbling pipelines and could receive control of the network, which transits around 80% of Russia's Europe-bound gas. Ukrainian Communist Party leader Petro Symonenko said on Tuesday the network was 75% owned by Dmytro Firtash, co-owner of the RosUkrEnergy gas trader. The country's anti-monopoly body was reported to have launched an inquiry into the network's ownership structure.

by vladimir on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 11:19:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

This seems to me to be one of those times when one should remember Russia ranks just below Congo when it comes to press freedom.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 03:51:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

Like Western media is an example to follow when it comes to freedom of the press... yeah right. Come to think of it, The Congo Times is probably more free than the New York Slimes.

by vladimir on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 05:36:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

While the western media is not as free as it should be (mostly but not wholly due to incompetence), Russian media is in a class of its own.

The article you linked to is a real classic in the best paranoid traditions of the Russian media.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 06:46:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Kiev confirms Russian paranoid suspicions (none / 0)

http://en.rian.ru/world/20090115/119507774.html

KIEV, January 15 (RIA Novosti) - The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Thursday Russian media reports that Kiev was planning to involve the United States in modernizing its Soviet-era gas pipeline network.

by vladimir on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 07:39:01 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Kiev confirms Russian paranoid suspicions (none / 1)

You shouldn't believe these things, though. The Ukrainians have been trying to make others pay for the maintenance of their pipelines for the past 15 years... Russia, Europe, the US. Anybody but them is good ;)

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 08:56:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Kiev confirms Russian paranoid suspicions (none / 0)

Fair enough. So why would the US be interested in investing in the modernization of Ukrainian gas pipelines?

by vladimir on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 09:07:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Kiev confirms Russian paranoid suspicions (none / 1)

What makes you think the US is interested in investing? It's only interested in yanking Russia's chain... and it works, no?

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 09:29:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 0)

"mostly but not wholly due to incompetence"

They admit to being incompetent, and you believe they're free.

by Lily (put - lilyalmond - here <a> yahaah.france) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 07:52:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Incompetence or carefully managed communication? (none / 0)

I believe that incompetence is not behind Western medias systematic communication of official propaganda. If it were, you would have more 'hazard' and therefore more disparate viewpoints and positions defended by the various outlets.

In reality, what we observe is a perfectly 'managed' environment with 99% of mainstream media promoting identical positions - often through copy-paste operations.

That's not free or relatively free media. It's 100% pure propaganda.

Dr. Goebels was not Russian.

by vladimir on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 08:03:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Incompetence (none / 0)

I know some journalists, and by god, most of them are really stupid. Always wearing the ideological blindfolds.

Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.

by Starvid on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 at 09:00:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Incompetence (none / 0)

I'd have to agree, Starvid. I've met a few who are very interesting to talk to, with inquiring minds, a grasp of facts and a useful ability to listen. But most of them are running around with blinkers on - just like many operatives in the political parties. There's no such thing as 'the big picture' with such 'jobsworths'.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 at 09:17:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Incompetence (4.00 / 2)

Most journalists I know surpass a given minimum intelligence requirement and some could even be classified as bright. After all, they need to be able to communicate in a proficient and convincing manner. That's what they're paid to do.

Dumb or smart, the point is that the official editorial policy of any media outlet is known by all those who work for it. And whatever the outlet, the simple rule is always the same: fit in or f*** off.

To conclude: I really don't think incompetence can explain why MSM is 99% aligned in the positions it advocates.

by vladimir on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 at 09:32:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Incompetence (none / 0)

I don't think you need to invoke a grand unified conspiracy to explain how the Western corporate media come to toe the party line. I think it's much, much simpler:

There's a herd mentality to Western newsies that I frankly didn't believe until I saw it up close and personal on an issue I know a little bit about.

"Original research" is a small village somewhere in rural China as far as most Danish news coverage is concerned. The cycle for at least two thirds of the news [1] goes something like this:

Newsie is fed press release by a ~~PR agent or spin doctor~~ propaganda flack.
Newsie plagiarises press release. The press release has now become an "article."
Other newsies plagiarise the first newsie's article. The article has now become "news."
Political figure makes statement on the news. The news has now become an "issue." [2]
Newsie writes an article based on the interview with the political figure (or plagiarises his press release).
Other newsies plagiarise the first newsie's coverage of the political figure's statement.
Et cetera ad nauseum.

I wish I were in some serious way exaggerating or misrepresenting the news cycle, but it really is that bad.

[1] And that's not even counting the cars and sports supplements which might as well be written directly by advertisers...

[2] Of course, the political figure does this only in an interview to a friendly newsie and/or a press release of his own, which can branch off an entire news cycle of its own.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Jan 17th, 2009 at 10:48:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Incompetence (none / 0)

Had the same experience myself - except sometimes I have exploited it, dishing up PR copy that lazy journalists can use verbatim or adapt, according to how quickly they want to get down to the pub. Most of this was in music/record reviews. Overworked local papers in particular were happy to use them. It's a form of syndication.

Never had the experience of having stuff become an issue, but I've seen it happen or heard about it from journalists who used to hang out at the same clubs in my partying days.

The phenomenon is stronger these days simply because cut and pasting is so easy. Back then, you had to OCR someone else's print copy or rewrite. (Journalist typing speeds were faster then)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Sat Jan 17th, 2009 at 11:16:28 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Incompetence (none / 0)

That and the fact that newsies are being tasked with filling up ever more pages of news (because more pages of news translates into more pages of ads...) on less and less time.

- Jake

Friends come and go. Enemies accumulate.

by JakeS (JangoSierra 'at' gmail 'dot' com) on Sat Jan 17th, 2009 at 01:50:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Uh oh (none / 1)

I've seen this "popular Russian daily" reference all over the Net, but what I haven't seen is what cooperation agreement it's referring to. The only US-Ukraine agreement I saw in December was the Charter on Strategic Partnership, and that didn't transfer ownership in anything. If Russia wants to feel wants to feel threatened by that Charter, I would expect it to call attention to the defense cooperation and nuclear energy provisions, not the pipelines. But the pipelines are, of course, the drum currently being pounded.

by rifek on Fri Jan 16th, 2009 at 09:19:49 AM EST
[ Parent ]

In semi-related news... (none / 0)

Britain close to low gas alert
Reserves have fallen to less than a week's supply of UK needs
BRITAIN'S gas network operator is on the verge of issuing an emergency alert that could lead to cuts for industrial users and potentially affect Ireland, which takes 90% of its supply from Britain.
The National Grid in Britain said it could issue the "gas balancing alert" in the next two to three days because reserves had fallen to less than a week's supply of UK needs.
Suppliers were forced to dip into reserves last week after energy companies began siphoning gas out of Britain to supply other parts of Europe.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 03:44:05 PM EST

Don't worry, Britain, your vibrant ReaganThatcherFreeMarket is fully capable of adapting to changing market conditions.

Uhhh, perhaps not in NatGas. OK, strike the above.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 04:41:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Flattery or what? (none / 0)

The Misperception of the Russian-Ukrainian Gas Problem
By Dr. Gary K. Busch, 12/1/09
The Soviet gas industry was set up in the Ukraine in the 1930s; and the infrastructure was built from there. The Ukraine is still a central part of the gas pipeline network even as the focus of activity for new gas fields has moved to Western Siberia. At the end of the Cold War, the division of the Soviet Union along Republic borders made for an often unworkable allocation of physical assets. Nowhere was this more true than for gas. The consequence is that vital assets for Gazprom (the massive Russian state gas company) are located in Ukraine and thus no longer under its direct control.
(...)
Right now the 50% of Gazprom formally owned by the Russian State is split between two public bodies controlled by different senior Kremlin insiders. These are the owners of the Gazprom share of the Swiss intermediary RosUkrEnergo which is charged with handling the oil and gas trade between the Russians and the Ukrainians. There is no transparency at all.
It is no different on the Ukrainian side. It wasnâ€^TMt pure chance Yulia Tymoschenko made her fortune in gas trading in the 1990s or that Yanukovich represents some of the largest gas-users from heavy-industry in Eastern Ukraine.
(...)
The oligarchs behind Gazprom realised that it could not get any money out of official deliveries to Ukraine. It "solved" that problem by privatising a portion of the gas trade to Ukraine - the portion going to customers able to pay for their gas. These customers used to pay the central Ukrainian gas company, Naftohaz Ukrainy, which did not pass on that money to Gazprom; what was put in place was a mechanism whereby these customers would pay less for their gas, but would pay directly another supplier, formally unrelated to either Ukrainian gas authorities or Gazprom.
Of course, only gas coming from Russia could be delivered, and it still needed to use Ukraine's gas infrastructure, so the active cooperation of Gazprom and the Russian and Ukrainian siloviki was required to put that trade in place. In that type of system the real money generated did not need to go either to Kiev or to Moscow but could go to Switzerland. This is immensely profitable to both the Russian and Ukrainian siloviki.
(...)
In the Ukraine the political infighting mirrors the fight for access to this gas bounty. The political conflict between Tymoschenko, Yanukovych and Yuschenko mirrors the search for acceptance as the Ukrainian partner.

Hmmm.... Where have we read this before?
And funny, a good place to find info on Dr Busch is DailyKos.

Bleh.

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 05:23:33 PM EST

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

I'm in london tomorrow, do you want me to knock on his door and ask?

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 05:28:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

Hmm, a cease and desist notice wouldn't be a bad thing.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 05:34:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

Sue him for plagiarism - your writing has timestamps!

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 05:33:31 PM EST
[ Parent ]

okay, (none / 0)

who knows how to do that?

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 05:54:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

It is not possible under present law. There is no intellectual copyright in concepts - only in the precise way in which they are written.

One should be happy that good ideas spread.

There can only be moral victory if such concepts break through media consciousness and one can claim - by time stamps - to have been the source.

And never ever go for 'pity points' ;-)

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 06:11:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

Well, did the guy copy verbatim or just paraphrase?

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 09:02:47 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 5)

European Tribune - Ukraine-Russia: some background and context		The Misperception of the Russian-Ukrainian Gas Problem
The reality is that the Soviet gas industry was born in Ukraine in the 1930s, and the infrastructure was built from there and Ukraine is still a central part of the gas pipeline network even as the focus of activity moved to Western Siberia. Splitting the Soviet Union along Republic borders made for an often unworkable allocation of physical assets, and nowhere was this more true than for gas. The consequence is that vital assets for Gazprom are located in Ukraine and thus no longer under its direct control.		The Soviet gas industry was set up in the Ukraine in the 1930s; and the infrastructure was built from there. The Ukraine is still a central part of the gas pipeline network even as the focus of activity for new gas fields has moved to Western Siberia. At the end of the Cold War, the division of the Soviet Union along Republic borders made for an often unworkable allocation of physical assets. Nowhere was this more true than for gas. The consequence is that vital assets for Gazprom (the massive Russian state gas company) are located in Ukraine and thus no longer under its direct control.

This is clear plagiarism. IANAL, but I would start by sending him a "cease and desist" letter asking him to cite the source within so many days or face a lawsuit.

I would copy his page before sending him the e-mail.

I mean, if you pulled this kind of trick in a freshman term paper for a humanities class at UC Riverside you'd face charges of academic dishonesty and could be expelled from the university. I kid you not.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 09:09:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

Nice one, mig

Send him an invoice,Jerome.......or a nice request for a donation......

"The future is already here -- it's just not very evenly distributed" William Gibson

by ChrisCook (cojockathotmaildotcom) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 09:40:53 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Ocnus (none / 0)

This is from Doc Gary's very own 'about us':

* FAIR USE NOTICE. This site contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owner. It is being made available without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance their understanding of international relations, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.See http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Editor: Dr. Gary K. Busch
Email: gary@ocnus.net

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 02:01:06 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Ocnus (none / 0)

Oh damn - I should take the trouble to read all the comments....sorry.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 02:01:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Ocnus (none / 0)

Oh, while I was composing mine, you were on the same track!

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 02:26:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 2)

Unfortunately going to court over this is expensive and uncertain to produce results. Busch doubtless knows this, because he surely does this kind of thing often.

From his About page (read carefully, I have bolded bits):

http://www.ocnus.net/Ocnusnews.htm

* FAIR USE NOTICE. This site contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owner. It is being made available without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance their understanding of international relations, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.See http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml

In plain English: I lift stuff from other people's work to constitute my articles, this is "fair use" under American law, if you want to quote my articles track down the copyright holders and get permission.

Objections are that he doesn't quote material, he lifts and slightly adapts it, and he doesn't attribute. He fits it seamlessly into an article (where does the rest come from, one wonders?) that he publishes under his byline.

Also that American law, dear friends, does not apply all over the planet. Busch and his "news org" are in London, our article was published in the European edition of the FT.

Still doesn't mean we can easily do anything about it. We can write to ask him to take it down ("cease and desist" is an American term as is "fair use", just shows how colonised we are) or provide satisfactory attribution. Not much more.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 02:25:37 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 3)

It seems that for articles that are not 'Editorials' he reprints stuff with attribution. I.e.

Irrational Economic Man

Irrational Economic Man
By Michael Shermer, City Journal 11/1/09
Jan 12, 2009 - 9:51:18 AM

Russia Wins Round 2 of Gas Fight

Russia Wins Round 2 of Gas Fight
By Vladimir Frolov, Moscow Times 13/1/09
Jan 13, 2009 - 11:28:08 AM

Urgent Review of Zim Diamonds

Urgent Review of Zim Diamonds
By Waldimar Pelser, News 24 11/1/09
Jan 12, 2009 - 10:12:56 AM

Chinese Inroads in DR Congo

Chinese Inroads in DR Congo
By Wenran Jiang, China Brief 12/1/09
Jan 13, 2009 - 11:13:19 AM

Etc. Perhaps he considers blogs to be unworthy of attribution? But, since when is reproducing whole articles, without commentary or anything, considered to fall under fair use?

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 03:13:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 3)

Here's the key: he's attributing Jerome's content in an editorial, that is, as his own.

In addition, he does attribute other content even with the warning that others should contact the authors for permission to reuse the materials he quotes.

In the editorial in question he's not showcasing nor attributing. He's appropriating Jerome's work.

It so happens that this was an Op-Ed in the FT... It wasn't in the print edition in the UK and US, but it was in the online edition.

I agree with everyone who said this is too expensive to bother litigating over, so I think it is imperative that a very well crafted "cease and desist" (pace afew) letter be drafted. I am not a lawyer and I don't dare write that letter.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:08:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

Yes, agree completely. I was just questioning whether even the articles he does credit, but reproduce in full, fall under 'fair use' law. As far as I remember, 'fair use' allows for reproduction for the purpose of artistic appropriation or criticism. He does neither. So, altogether a fishy operation.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:14:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 2)

Yes, but there are lots of 'scavenging' sites on the internet. One I used to read often was http://www.commondreams.org/

But both Common Dreams and this dude's newsletter, while scavenging, fully attribute the articles they reprint. The editorial in question is a thinly disguised plagiarism of Jerome's text. The sophistication of the paraphrase is sophomoric. Like I said in another comment, a 1st year student in, say, History at, say, UCR would be failed for submitting that as a class essay, as well as referred for academic dishonesty and quite likely disciplined by the campus administration.

As for "it's okay to copy from blogs", this here blog takes a scrupulous and stringent approach to source attribution and we would like to see our material accorded the same respect we accord others'. Hey, I explicitly licence my own contributions under a Creative Commons license, but I require attribution.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:21:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

Unfortunately, standards that may be applied in an academic context (to students' papers) are much trickier to apply in plagiarism cases before the courts. We can complain to this guy and demand attribution, but that's about it.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:25:17 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

Are you telling me the paraphrase he did of the paragraph I quoted side by side would not stand up in court? All he did was change the connective words between clauses, replace a period with an 'and' and stuff like that.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:27:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

These cases are more difficult than you seem to think. Especially concerning factual information, more than "creative" writing, and even there court cases can drag on.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:35:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Not only that (none / 1)

But even if you win the "case" the judge may take the view the damage was trivial, award trivial damages, and leave you to pay your own substantial costs.

Far better that pissing the guy off with a quasi legal threatening letter which he knows you can't follow up on, I would suggest a "nice" letter noting that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but requesting attribution and links back.

notes from no w here

by Frank Schnittger (mail Frankschnittger at hot male dotty communists) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 09:45:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Not only that (4.00 / 2)

Right. We don't have a big stick, and shouldn't use a threatening tone as if we did! We'll write to him of course, asking for attribution on the three sites he's posted this on. Apart from Ocnus:

Nigeria Village Square

RussiaProfile

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:11:12 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

You know what might be worth doing? Googling sentences out of his previous "editorials" to see where he lifted them from. We can then assemble a large enough collection of aggrieved parties that suing the guy might become a possibility.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:23:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

Good idea. Let's get to it.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:24:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 7)

First find:

(britishbattles.com) Battle of Talana Hill - The Boer War		(Ocnus.net) The British, Ethnic Cleansing and Concentration Camps
Uniforms, arms and equipment: The Boer War was a serious jolt for the British Army. At the outbreak of the war British tactics were appropriate for the use of single shot firearms, fired in volleys controlled by company and battalion officers; the troops fighting in close order. The need for tight formations had been emphasised time and again in colonial fighting. In the Zulu and Sudan Wars overwhelming enemy numbers armed principally with stabbing weapons were easily kept at a distance by such tactics; but, as at Isandlwana, would overrun a loosely formed force. These tactics had to be entirely rethought in battle against the Boers armed with modern weapons.		At the start of hostilities the Afrikaners had more troops available, could live off the land; and had a better grasp of how African Wars were fought. The Boer War was a serious jolt for the British Army. At the outbreak of the war British tactics were appropriate for the use of single shot firearms, fired in volleys controlled by company and battalion officers; the troops fighting in close order. The need for tight formations had been emphasised time and again in colonial fighting. In the Zulu and Sudan Wars overwhelming enemy numbers armed principally with stabbing weapons were easily kept at a distance by such tactics; but, as at Isandlwana, would overrun a loosely formed force. These tactics had to be entirely rethought in battle against the Boers armed with modern weapons. These were not colonials or native soldiers.
In the months before hostilities the Boer commandant general, General Joubert, bought 30,000 Mauser magazine rifles and a number of modern field guns and automatic weapons from the German armaments manufacturer Krupp and the French firm Creusot. The commandoes, without formal discipline, welded into a fighting force through a strong sense of community and dislike for the British. Field Cornets led burghers by personal influence not through any military code. The Boers did not adopt military formation in battle, instinctively fighting from whatever cover there might be. The preponderance were countrymen, running their farms from the back of a pony with a rifle in one hand. These rural Boers brought a life time of marksmanship to the war, an important edge, further exploited by Joubert's consignment of magazine rifles. Viljoen is said to have coined the aphorism "Through God and the Mauser". With strong fieldcraft skills and high mobility the Boers were natural mounted infantry. The urban burghers and foreign volunteers readily adopted the fighting methods of the rest of the army.		In the months before hostilities the Boer commandant general, General Joubert, bought 30,000 Mauser magazine rifles and a number of modern field guns and automatic weapons from the German armaments manufacturer Krupp and the French firm Creusot. The commandoes, without formal discipline, welded into a fighting force through a strong sense of community and dislike for the British. Field Cornets led burghers by personal influence not through any military code. The Boers did not adopt military formation in battle, instinctively fighting from whatever cover there might be. The preponderance was countrymen, running their farms from the back of a pony with a rifle in one hand. These rural Boers brought a lifetime of marksmanship to the war, an important edge, further exploited by Joubert's consignment of magazine rifles. With strong field craft skills and high mobility the Boers were natural mounted infantry. The urban burghers and foreign volunteers readily adopted the fighting methods of the rest of the army.
Other than in the regular uniformed Staats Artillery and police units, the Boers wore their every day civilian clothes on campaign. After the first month the Boers lost their numerical superiority, spending the rest of the formal war on the defensive against British forces that regularly outnumbered them.		Other than in the regular uniformed Staats Artillery and police units, the Boers wore their every day civilian clothes on campaign. However, the pressure of constant conflict reduced the Boer numbers. After the first month the Boers lost their numerical superiority, spending the rest of the formal war on the defensive against British forces that regularly outnumbered them.
British tactics, little changed from the Crimea, used at Modder River, Magersfontein, Colenso and Spion Kop were incapable of winning battles against entrenched troops armed with modern magazine rifles. Every British commander made the same mistake; Buller; Methuen, Roberts and Kitchener. When General Kelly-Kenny attempted to winkle Cronje's commandoes out of their riverside entrenchments at Paardeburg using his artillery, Kitchener intervened and insisted on a battle of infantry assaults; with the same disastrous consequences as Colenso, Modder River, Magersfontein and Spion Kop.		British tactics, little changed from the Crimea, were incapable of winning battles against entrenched troops armed with modern magazine rifles. Every British commander made the same mistake; Buller; Methuen, Roberts and Kitchener. When General Kelly-Kenny attempted to winkle Cronje's commandoes out of their riverside entrenchments at Paardeburg using his artillery, Kitchener intervened and insisted on a battle of infantry assaults; with the same disastrous consequences as Colenso, Modder River, Magersfontein and Spion Kop.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 05:06:44 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 3)

This guy is a piece of work.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 06:04:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

I thought of doing that with this one first of all. If he's woven our stuff in, he may have lifted other parts too from other sources.

Raising a stink about him is probably the best arm we have.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:28:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (4.00 / 3)

Another big copy-paste job in this "editorial" comes straight from the US Energy Information Administration's Ukraine NatGas page.

The EIA attributes to the Oil and Gas Journal, and Busch just copies that attribution in:

Busch:

The Misperception of the Russian-Ukrainian Gas Problem

According to the Oil and Gas Journal, Ukraine has roughly 40 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas reserves, from which roughly 0.68 Tcf was produced in 2005. In 2006, Ukraine produced 0.67 Tcf and consumed 3.1 Tcf of natural gas, making it the former Soviet Union's largest natural gas net importer (2.4 Tcf, or 78 percent of consumption). Ukraine is the sixth-largest consumer of gas in the world and consumes more gas than Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia combined. Since the early 1990s, Ukraineâ€^TMs usage of natural gas as a share of its total energy consumption has increased by 10 percent to comprise over half of Ukraineâ€^TMs energy usage.

...etc...

EIA:

Ukraine Energy Data, Statistics and Analysis - Oil, Gas, Electricity, Coal

According to the Oil and Gas Journal Ukraine has roughly 40 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas reserves, from which roughly 0.68 Tcf was produced in 2005. In 2006, Ukraine produced 0.67 Tcf and consumed 3.1 Tcf of natural gas, making it the former Soviet Union's largest natural gas net importer (2.4 Tcf, or 78 percent of consumption, see Fig. 2). Ukraine is the sixth-largest consumer of gas in the world and consumes more gas than Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia combined. Since the early 1990s, Ukraine's usage of natural gas as a share of its total energy consumption has increased by 10 percent to comprise over half of Ukraine's energy usage

...etc...

A piece of work indeed... The "editorial" is nearly all copy-paste with a few words changed.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 07:32:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

Maybe we should call rename our "Lazy Quote Diary" pieces to "Ocnus.net-style editorial, properly hyperlinked and blockquoted".

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 09:58:31 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

Here's a site that can be of use. Just paste in a URL and it crawls looking for copies of any part of the page.

Copyscape

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 05:13:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

Hum, de, dum.
It seems Robert Amsterdam is posting an excerpt of the Busch version. His blog allows comments. Perhaps someone should drop by and let him know the true origins of the text? Link

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 05:58:16 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

That would be a good thing. Jerome should post the comment.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 06:05:43 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

That's what I was thinking.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 06:06:57 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Can someone else do it? (none / 0)

I only have my phone to use until later this afternoon

In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes

by Jerome a Paris (etg@eurotrib.com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 06:20:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Can someone else do it? (none / 0)

Can afew do it? He's a coauthor.

Otherwise I'll do it.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 06:32:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Can someone else do it? (none / 0)

Just got back online. I'll do it.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 06:47:35 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Can someone else do it? (none / 0)

See new top-level comment below.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 08:15:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

One thing he doesn't do is offer links. The Michael Shermer article, for instance, is freely available on the Net.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:17:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 0)

Also that American law, dear friends, does not apply all over the planet. Busch and his "news org" are in London, our article was published in the European edition of the FT.

Oh, wait!

Can you compare his piece with the FT text? Maybe Jerome could ask the FT to get involved... After all, he's plagiarizing them...

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:04:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: okay, (none / 1)

No, the FT doesn't have copyright.

And the comparison is even harder.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:09:10 AM EST
[ Parent ]

yeah, i'd send that paper to judicial affairs (none / 1)

without a second look. be glad the guy didn;t just cut and paste off of wikipedia.

by wu ming on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 11:38:51 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: yeah, i'd send that paper to judicial affairs (none / 0)

(he did in another one of his 'editorials')

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 11:42:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: yeah, i'd send that paper to judicial affairs (4.00 / 2)

And he doesn't even bother cleaning up the html character codes to have it display correctly on his blog. What a hack!

The Bemba Arrest		Jean-Pierre Bemba - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bemba was born in Bokada, Ã °/°°quateur Province in the North of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (â€^~DRCâ€^TM) where his father was an important political figure before him. He is one of the richest men in the Congo, with an estimated fortune of several hundred million dollars. His businesses have included portable radios, aviation and private television stations. His father, Jeannot Bemba Saolona, was a businessman who was successful under former Zairien dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, and one of his sisters is married to Mobutu's son Nzanga, who was also a candidate in the 2006 presidential elections.		Bemba was born in Bokada, Équateur Province.[1] He is one of the richest men in the Congo, with an estimated fortune of several hundred million dollars. His businesses have included portable radios, aviation and private television stations. His father, Jeannot Bemba Saolona, was a businessman who was successful under former Zairien dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, and one of his sisters is married to Mobutu's son Nzanga, who was also a candidate in the 2006 presidential elections.[4]
In this election, where he ran against Joseph Kabila for the Presidency, Bemba received substantial support in the western, Lingala-speaking portion of the country, including the capital, Kinshasa. Kabilaâ€^TMs strength was in the East, although much ado was made of Kabilaâ€^TMs alleged foreign roots. Following the vote there was significant tension as to whether the results would give Kabila a majority of the vote, in which case there would not be a second round against Bemba, who was perceived as Kabila's main opponent. However, according to results announced on 20 August, Kabila won 44% of the vote and Bemba won 20%, and therefore the two faced each other in a second round, held on October 29. The electoral commission announced the official results on November 15, naming Kabila the winner with 58.05% of the vote; Bemba's supporters have since alleged fraud.		Bemba received substantial support in the western, Lingala-speaking portion of the country, including the capital, Kinshasa.[7] Following the vote there was significant tension as to whether the results would give Kabila a majority of the vote, in which case there would not be a second round against Bemba, who was perceived as Kabila's main opponent.[8] However, according to results announced on 20 August, Kabila won 44% of the vote and Bemba won 20%,[7] and therefore the two faced each other in a second round, held on October 29. The electoral commission announced the official results on November 15, naming Kabila the winner with 58.05% of the vote; Bemba's supporters have alleged fraud.[9]
On November 27, 2006, the Supreme Court of the DRC rejected the fraud charges brought by Bemba, and confirmed Kabila as the new elected Congolese President. A day later, Bemba said that he disagreed with the court's decision, but that he would make do by leading the opposition. He did not attend Kabila's swearing-in ceremony on December 6. On December 8, the MLC announced that Bemba would run for a Senate seat from Kinshasa in the January 2007 senatorial election, and he succeeded in winning a seat.		On November 27, 2006, the Supreme Court of the DRC rejected the fraud charges brought by Bemba, and confirmed Kabila as the new elected Congolese President.[10] A day later, Bemba said that he disagreed with the court's decision, but that "in the greater national interest and to preserve peace and to save the country from chaos and violence", he would participate in the system by leading the political opposition.[11][12] He did not attend Kabila's swearing-in ceremony on December 6. On December 8, the MLC announced that Bemba would run for a Senate seat from Kinshasa in the January 2007 senatorial election,[13] and he succeeded in winning a seat.[14]
On March 26, 2007 Kabila said that security could not be guaranteed through negotiation and referred to the importance of restoring order. He claimed Bemba's guards had tried to take over Kinshasa. Bemba warned of the potential for dictatorship and said that he might go into exile due to his security concerns. He said that the fighting had started as a result of an assassination attempt against him by soldiers who had surrounded his house. Hundreds of fighters loyal to Bemba, both in Kinshasa and the north of the country, reportedly surrendered following the fighting to be integrated into the army.		On March 26, Kabila said that security could not be guaranteed through negotiation and referred to the importance of restoring order. He characterized the dispute as a military one and said that Bemba could not be above the law; he also claimed that Bemba's guards had tried to take over Kinshasa. Bemba warned of the potential for dictatorship and said that he might go into exile due to his security concerns.[22] According to Bemba, the fighting had started as a result of an assassination attempt against him by soldiers who had surrounded his house.[23] Hundreds of fighters loyal to Bemba, both in Kinshasa and the north of the country, reportedly surrendered following the fighting to be integrated into the army.[24]

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 11:49:00 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: yeah, i'd send that paper to judicial affairs (none / 1)

He steals from Wikipedia???

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 12:12:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: yeah, i'd send that paper to judicial affairs (4.00 / 2)

You should write a diary about the guy's editorials ;-)

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 12:14:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 1)

http://www.ocnus.net/Ocnusnews.htm

OCNUS.NET
News Before It�s News
The purpose of this newsletter is to share with interested people some of the information which passes through our hands daily. There is no overt ideological position being advocated; only that the information piques our interest. The selections are purely arbitrary and usually reflect the areas of research in which we are engaged. Most of the quoted material is unedited.
There will be several pieces in languages other than English for which we shall not provide translation. A series of sites where reference articles can be found will be included We have reduced graphics to a minimum to ease loading time.
* FAIR USE NOTICE. This site contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorised by the copyright owner. It is being made available without profit to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance their understanding of international relations, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. I believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.See http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Editor: Dr. Gary K. Busch
Email: gary@ocnus.net

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 06:04:24 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 1)

Scribe Strategies & Advisors :: Our Team :: Gary Busch

Dr. Gary K. Busch
Director and Senior Associate

Gary Busch joins Scribe Strategies & Advisors (UK) as Director and Senior Associate with a wealth of experience behind him: an international trades unionist, an academic, a businessman and a political affairs and business consultant for 40 years. The breadth of his multi-faceted career and his expertise are a major asset to Scribe's London office.

Gary Busch has been Chairman and CEO of International Bulk Trade, Transport Logistics, Transport Africa and the North Pacific Lines. These companies have owned, chartered and operated marine dry cargo vessels and cargo aircraft worldwide.

He set up the transport and logistics systems for the Russian aluminium industry and operated transport and port facilities within Russia and for Russian exports. His airline companies were the national cargo airlines of two African countries.

He was a Professor and Head of Department at the University of Hawaii and has been a visiting professor at several universities. He was the head of research in international affairs for a major U.S. trade union and Assistant General Secretary of an international union body.

He has been a consultant on international political developments for several major international corporations, think-tanks and private intelligence companies, with a speciality in African politics.

He speaks and reads 12 languages and has written six books and published 58 specialist studies. His articles have appeared in the Economist Intelligence Unit, Wall Street Journal, WPROST (a leading Polish weekly news magazine), Pravda and several other major international news journals. He was the host and executive producer of three 39-week series on Public Broadcasting and has been a frequent contributor to television documentary series.

He is the editor and publisher of the web-based news journal of international relations www.ocnus.net and the distance-learning educational website www.worldtrade.ac.

by Metatone (metatone [a|t] gmail (dot) com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 06:05:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

These people use the articles they publish on the web to establish credibility for their consulting business. This is not just "to share with interested people some of the information which passes through our hands daily" in a disinterested way. They profit from the work and attributing their sources is very very easy - just post a hyperlink!

But they sure know how to write formal text that sounds like a pseudolegal argument that this is okay under copyright law.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 09:15:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 1)

See below re DKos for the "consulting".

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 02:46:18 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

Y'all should really read the DKos diary from 2005 about this shining luminary.

Diary (not especially about Busch):

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/2/19/132525/239

Comments specifically about Busch:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2005/2/19/132525/239/21

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 02:33:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

Ooops, comment number 1 should be:

http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2005/2/19/132525/239/4

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 02:43:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

Yet more oops, comment 4 and its subthread are about another guy.

Comment 21 and its subthread are the right ones.

Inconclusive, but interesting...

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 03:19:48 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

Well its all very well citing US fair use law, but as he's publishing things in the UK, I'll think you find that fair use works somewhat differently

Fair dealing - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

In the United Kingdom, the application of "fair dealing" has always been the subject of dispute because statute law has not defined the exact number of copies and the amount of the original materials allowed....
The CDPA permits individuals to make a single copy of a "reasonable proportion" of literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works for "research and private study" and "criticism, review and news reporting" ( s. 29, 30) under the terms of "fair dealing". The extent of "reasonable proportion" is not defined in the act.

I think ET or Jerome at least deserves an acknowledgement.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 08:23:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 1)

Lifting whole chunks without attribution is not fair use.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 09:01:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 1)

this is a clear violation of fair use, but one very hard to litigate, and probably not worth the effort. Taking action to force immediate and prominent attribution, and by that I mean within 24-48 hours, would be the path i take. attribution of both J and ET.

Making notice of what he's done on other sites focusing on this issue would also be a priority.

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." - Anaïs Nin

by Crazy Horse on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 03:22:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Flattery or what? (none / 0)

That's what I think.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 03:29:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (4.00 / 4)

I am still amazed that everything is blamed squarely on Russia, against all common sense.

Ok, let's assume it's all their fault and the whole fiasco is nothing but a devious game designed to break Ukraine (this is what the Western media have been suggesting).

Why, then, wouldn't EU simply give Ukraine the money to pay for the increase in price? Surely it would make sense to guarantee the stability of supply? It would also leave Russia no devilish moves to make - short of admitting it's doing it all on purpose (again, assuming this is the game Russia is playing).

Yet this (EU-assisted payment) option is not even on the table! What we read is heart-breaking stories about babies freezing in Eastern European countries, with an ominous image of Putin or Medvedev lest there remain any doubt as to who is to blame for this.

It seems to be that this cheap show is needed by the West more than by anybody else - to demonize Russia, contrary to all common sense (I mean come on guys - it's ANOTHER party blocking your gas)!

The US and EU are cynically doing all in their power to hurt Russia in its near abroad while at the same time insisting that Russia continue to subsidize Ukraine (yes, the $200 is a direct subsidy) - again, all this while they continue working on pulling it into NATO, an anti-Russian block by definition.

This takes some twisted logic to accept this as normal, but apparently Western media have what it takes since this is exactly the story they are pitching.

by peterhro on Tue Jan 13th, 2009 at 10:14:58 PM EST

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (4.00 / 2)

Hi, peterhro! Welcome to European Tribune!

Actually, the European media (at least some of them) are now providing more balanced information. In today's Le Monde, for example, they say that Russia has resumed sending gas, but Ukraine is blocking it.

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

by Melanchthon on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 04:20:09 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (4.00 / 8)

Here's what I wrote to the Amsterdam site (comment awaiting moderation):

Dear Mr Amsterdam,
I think you should be aware that the "editorial" by Dr Gary K Busch that you quote here contains unattributed material copy-pasted from other sources.
Several passages of technical information are taken, with neither attribution nor link, from the US DOE's Energy Information Administration's Ukraine NatGas page at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Ukraine/NaturalGas.html.
They are interwoven with passages lifted from an article first posted by Jérôme Guillet, editor of the European Tribune on Jan 3rd 2009, under the title Ukraine-Russia: some background and context. This article was also posted by Jérôme Guillet on The Oil Drum, of which he is also an editor, and on other sites including DailyKos. A shorter version, which I co-authored with Dr Guillet, was published as an op-ed by the Financial Times on January 6th.
Dr Busch's article cited above draws a considerable part of its argument from Dr Guillet's, as well as substantial textual copies masked by minor word-changes. There is no attribution and it is not made clear that these passages are quotes from another work. Indeed, Dr Busch publishes under his own byline alone, leaving it to be supposed that this is entirely his own work.
Which is sadly not the case.
John Evans
Editor, the European Tribune

There were links at all appropriate places, of course.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 08:12:44 AM EST

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (4.00 / 2)

Comment has been posted

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 09:57:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (none / 0)

It has?

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:01:13 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (none / 0)

I can see it on that page.

by someone (s0me1smail(a)gmail(d)com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:07:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (none / 0)

I hate browser chaches.

Most economists teach a theoretical framework that has been shown to be fundamentally useless. -- James K. Galbraith

by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 12:13:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (4.00 / 2)

An e-mail from Robert Amsterdam thanks me for the "heads-up on the plagiarist" and says they will steer clear of him in the future.

I asked for some acknowledgement of the problem on the blog - a reply to my comment for example.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:14:21 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (none / 0)

I'm surprised. They normally don't greenlight most of the comments left on that site. They are quite notorious for censoring comments, in fact.

Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

by poemless on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:33:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (4.00 / 4)

Robert Amsterdam now says he'd like to post on his main page about it, and quote my comment.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 10:37:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (none / 1)

Excellent.

Come, my friends, 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.

by poemless on Wed Jan 14th, 2009 at 11:00:56 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its (none / 1)

Now up at the top of the Robert Amsterdam front page:

Retraction: Alleged Plagiarism

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Thu Jan 15th, 2009 at 01:52:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Is Gazprom really expecting Europe to take its side against Ukraine? | 102 comments (102 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)