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Who's really in charge of Russia?
Putin has 'stepped down' but he seems more in the spotlight than ever. Apparently Medvedev doesn't ever give Putin orders. Is Putin really a dictator for life? Putin has 'stepped down' but he seems more in the spotlight than ever. Apparently Medvedev doesn't ever give Putin orde... more
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Georgian Conflict Shows Russia Calling the Shots
Russia has made clear it calls the shots in this part of the world, a message other former Soviet bloc countries cannot ignore
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Anti-Piracy Lobby Gains Power Over Internet Subscribers
The deals between ISPs and anti-piracy organizations are a worrying trend. In just a few months entertainment industry representatives managed to convince ISPs and governments that they should have the right to accuse and warn Internet subscribers, without solid proof. The question that remains unanswered is whether these warnings will have any effect.
The power of the entertainment industry and anti-piracy lobbyists is growing rapidly. In the UK, six major ISPs have teamed up with the music industry to start mass warning filesharers. France has gone even further, recently adopting a law that will enable the entertainment industry to disconnect alleged pirates on their third warning. Similar methods are proposed throughout the rest of the world.
It’s quite scary if you think about it. In France the right to access the Internet now rests on the shoddy evidence of anti-piracy units, evidence that is known to be inaccurate. Christine Albanel, the French Minister for Culture recently quoted research that allegedly found that 97% of all file-sharers will stop downloading copyrighted content when they receive a warning, but this seems to be very unlikely.
Unfortunately, the minister failed to name the resource for the study, but it does raise some interesting questions. All these new agreements and policies have strong faith in the deterrent function of these so called warnings, but thus far there is no evidence that these actually have any effect. That’s right, millions of people are now receiving warnings (sometimes even threats), and they may very well lead to nothing.
You would think that the government would at least get some solid proof of the deterrent effect of these letters but, perhaps even more importantly, check the validity of the anti-piracy evidence before they allow the entertainment industry to start contacting millions of citizens with intimidating letters. It might turn out that thousands of users receive a letter for something they didn’t do, and that wouldn’t be the first time that had happened. On the other hand, even those who are correctly accused might not change their behavior so easily.
Warning letters will most likely make most pirates more cautious, and they will find ways to get what they want more anonymously. Whatever happens, it wont stop the most of them from getting what they want. As Justin Milne of Telstra BigPond, Australia’s largest Internet provider put it: “There’s no one thing that you can do that is going to fix the problem (but) when people think about this area, they often look to ISPs to provide the silver bullet.”
So how can “pirates” be stopped then? This is not an easy question to answer. Right now, 50% of all BitTorrent traffic is generated by people who download TV-episodes, something that’s available for free in most countries, but not available on demand. It might be a good start for the entertainment industry to rethink their outdated business models, experiment and use peer-to-peer technology to fulfill the ever growing demand for media online. The deals between ISPs and anti-piracy organizations are a worrying trend. In just a few months entertainment industry representatives... more -
The cult of the presidency: who can we blame for the radical expansion of executiv...
Look no further than you and me.
-Gene Healy, June 2008 print edition of Reason Magazine.
For all the bitching and moaning here about how The Shrub and his cohort have "done it all to us," there's been a bigger picture missing, and I just found part of it to show you.
excerpts:
"The modern vision of the presidency couldn’t be further from the Framers’ view of the chief executive’s role. In an age long before distrust of power was condemned as cynicism, the Founding Fathers designed a presidency of modest authority and limited responsibilities. The Constitution’s architects never conceived of the president as the man in charge of national destiny. They worked amid the living memory of monarchy, and for them the very notion of “national leadership” raised the possibility of authoritarian rule by a demagogue ready to create an atmosphere of crisis in order to enhance his power.
"Instead of stoking public demands for action, the chief magistrate was expected to resist “the transient impulses of the people” and use his veto to keep Congress within its constitutional bounds. That role didn’t require much speechifying. Early presidents rarely spoke directly to the public; from George Washington through Andrew Jackson, they averaged little more than three speeches per year, with those mostly confined to ceremonial addresses. In his first year in office, by comparison, President Clinton delivered 600.
"In the early State of the Union addresses to Congress, presidents knew better than to adopt an imperious tone. After his third SOTU, Washington wrote that “motives of delicacy” had deterred him from “introducing any topic which relates to legislative matters, lest it should be suspected that [I] wished to influence the question” before Congress. Yet the deference shown by Washington and his successor John Adams didn’t go quite far enough for our third president, Thomas Jefferson, who thought their practice of speaking before the legislature in person smacked of the British king’s “Speech From the Throne.” Jefferson instead inaugurated a new tradition of delivering the annual message in writing. For 112 years, that Jeffersonian tradition held sway, until the power-hungry Woodrow Wilson delivered his first State of the Union in person.
"In a 2002 study tracking word usage through two centuries of SOTUs and inaugural addresses, political scientist Elvin T. Lim noted that in the first decades under the Constitution presidents rarely mentioned poverty, and the word help did not even appear until 1859. Nor did early presidents subscribe to the modern notion that it’s all “about the children”; they rarely even mentioned the little buggers. But Lim found that “Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush, and Clinton made 260 of the 508 references to children in the entire speech database, invoking the government’s responsibility to and concern for children in practically every public policy area.”
George Washington did mention kids in his seventh annual message, lamenting “the frequent destruction of innocent women and children” by Indian raiders. But that was a far cry from Bill Clinton in 1997, who declared in the State of the Union that “we must also protect our children by standing firm in our determination to ban the advertising and marketing of cigarettes that endanger their lives.”
"There is no single explanation for the presidency’s growth. New communication technologies such as radio and television played a role, as did growing material progress, which made Americans less willing to suffer inconveniences and more receptive to the belief that public problems could be solved with collective action. Yet in each key period of the presidency’s growth, we see a familiar pattern: expansionist ideology meeting practical opportunity in the form of successive national crises.
More ... Look no further than you and me. -Gene Healy, June 2008 print edition of Reason Magazine. ... more -
More: the prosecution of George W Bush for murder - C-Span
I posted on Youtube Vincent Bugliosi's appearance on Democracy Now democracynow.org/
There he gave a broad list of reasons why our president George W. Bush should be prosecuted for murder. Due to time limits on Youtube, I was unable to post the entire broadcast but took from it what I thought was most interesting (hard to do since all of Vincent Bugliosi words are phenomenal).
Now Videocafeblog has posted the Vincent Bugliosi's opening statements during the House Judiciary Committee hearing on the onstitutional limits of executive power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDAFozFn4kU
This man is serious and all should take a moment to hear his chilling words. I posted on Youtube Vincent Bugliosi's appearance on Democracy Now democracynow.org/ ... more -
Pakistan warns of nuclear arms race.
India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they were created in the y partition of the Indian subcontinent at independence from Britain in 1947.
Pakistan has warned that a deal leading to increased Indian access to nuclear fuel could accelerate the atomic arms race between the rivals, according to a letter obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The letter addressed to more than 60 nations comes less than two weeks before the 35-nation International Atomic Energy Agency board is expected to approve a so-called safeguards agreement setting up rules for inspecting some of India's civilian nuclear facilities.
Relations have improved considerably since the start of a peace process in 2004. But progress at the talks has been slow and deep distrust remains between the two rivals, which developed their nuclear arms in secret.
The Bush administration has signed a deal to supply India with nuclear fuel but needs approval, first from the Nuclear Suppliers Group and then the U.S. Congress.
Pakistan is vehemently opposed to the Nuclear Suppliers Group doing business with its rival and may vote against approval of the draft at the August 1 board meeting. India and Pakistan have fought three wars since they were created in the y partition of the Indian subcontinent at independence f... more -
Call for deadline on clean coal
The UK Environmental Audit Committe has said that the government's progressin pushing for cleaner coal power stations is "extremely dissapointing".
Burning coal produces twice as much CO2 as does gas, but the promise of "clean coal" technologies have encouraged new confidence in the UK.
However, the committe have heard evidence that 5-6 new 'old' coal burning stations are to be built in the UK by 2015. This is despite the committe's advice that even with the promise of cleaner burning, "coal should be seen as the last resort." The UK Environmental Audit Committe has said that the government's progressin pushing for cleaner coal power stations is "ex... more -
Texas approves massive new wind power project
Texas officials gave preliminary approval Thursday to the nation's largest wind-power project, a plan to build billions of dollars worth of new transmission lines to bring wind energy from gusty West Texas to urban areas.
"We will add more wind than the 14 states following Texas combined," said PUC Commissioner Paul Hudson. "I think that's a very extraordinary achievement. Some think we haven't gone far enough, some think we've pushed too far."
Environmentalist and consumer groups called the move a critical expansion of the "renewable energy superhighway," predicting it will spur wind energy projects, create jobs, reduce energy costs and reduce pollution.
Texas already generates about 5,000 megawatts of wind power, more than any other state. The new plan would add transmission lines to boost capacity to about 18,000 megawatts.
Lead the way Texas!!! Texas officials gave preliminary approval Thursday to the nation's largest wind-power project, a plan to build billions of dollar... more -
The Skinny On Prepping a Telescope Mirror
Discovery-News.com: One of the key elements of the Discovery Channel Telescope is getting ready to see daylight. Kasey-Dee Gardner finds how to prep such a big mirror. Discovery-News.com: One of the key elements of the Discovery Channel Telescope is getting ready to see daylight. Kasey-Dee Gardner fi... more
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UK to build 8 new nuclear power stations: environmentalists and locals outraged
It has been revealed that ministers have voted for the construction of eight new nuclear power stations across England, over the next 10 years.
The new facilities are to be based alongside existing plants, and will play a crucial role in Gordon Brown's plan to reduce Britain's dependency on fossil fuels. Attending last week's G8 summit in Japan, the Prime Minister spoke of the need for as many as 1,000 new nuclear power stations to be built globally over the next century.
Scotland however, which already has four nuclear plants, has blocked the possibility of any of the new stations being built north of the border. It has been revealed that ministers have voted for the construction of eight new nuclear power stations across England, over the next ... more -
NASA Unfurls Solar Sail
Discovery-News.com: Yachts in space? Maybe, if NASA's plans to use photons from the sun to power a small satellite prove successful. Jorge Ribas sets sail. Discovery-News.com: Yachts in space? Maybe, if NASA's plans to use photons from the sun to power a small satellite prove successf... more
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Saving Lives With Concrete
Discovery-News.com: Every minute counts when trying to evacuate a burning building. MSU researchers are trying to extend the time it takes for a structure to collapse in a fire. James Williams gets the break down. Discovery-News.com: Every minute counts when trying to evacuate a burning building. MSU researchers are trying to extend the time it ... more
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Food Fight
A special cut of the viral video Food Fight directed by Stefan Nadelman which shows the animated history of American centric warfare using food to represent each nation. Sound crazy? It is. The British are fish and chips, the Americans are hamburgers... you get the idea. This cut focuses on WW2, the Cold War, 9/11, Afghanistan and the second Iraq war. Its a bit of a puzzle, which is all part of the genius, but if you want to know more, there's a cheat sheet at: www.touristpictures.com/foodfight A special cut of the viral video Food Fight directed by Stefan Nadelman which shows the animated history of American centric warfare u... more
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TAKE ACTION: Tell Congresss to Stand Up and Check the Balance
In exactly two weeks, we are going to find out whether members of Congress have any respect for the institution they represent. We will see whether they have the courage to stand up to the Bush administration and defend the Constitution they took an oath to protect. Specifically, we will discover whether they are willing to take the measures necessary to ensure that Bush administration officials testify before Congress.
On July 10, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing to investigate the firings of nine U.S. Attorneys in 2006 and the questionable prosecution and imprisonment of former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. Karl Rove, a potentially key figure in both incidents, has been issued a subpoena to testify before the committee. Rove's lawyer has said that Rove will not appear.
Congress has a few options here. First, if Rove fails to appear, they could pass criminal contempt charges against him, as they did against White House chief of staff Josh Bolten and former White House counsel Harriet Miers. This is good, but will not result in immediate testimony.
The second option is to have Karl Rove arrested, under the theory of inherent contempt, and brought to Congress to testify. This is better, but may still be eventually unsatisfying if Rove ends up testifying yet asserts executive privilege repeatedly in order to avoid disclosing important information.
Another option - and the one supported by the American Freedom Campaign Action Fund - is to tell the president immediately that he will be impeached if members of his administration do not provide full testimony before Congress by a date certain in July. This has historical precedent as one of the three articles of impeachment ultimately brought against President Richard Nixon was based on his refusal to comply with congressional subpoenas.
The final option is to do nothing and set a precedent for the future by which any administration can claim that Congress does not have the ability to force executive branch officials to testify before Congress. This would be an affront to our Constitution and Congress is dancing perilously close to this line already.
We cannot allow Congress to become subservient to the executive branch. It must exert its oversight authority and force administration officials to testify. Please tell your U.S. representative to take whatever steps are necessary to compel testimony.
Thank you for sharing your feelings with your U.S. representative.
Steve
Steve Fox
Campaign Director
American Freedom Campaign Action Fund
I got the email a week ago. Sign petitions, send emails, and mail letters. heres links to legislators and bills.
http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home/
http://www.house.gov/
http://catalog.loc.gov/ In exactly two weeks, we are going to find out whether members of Congress have any respect for the institution they represent. We wi... more -
Power From A Floating Metal Donut
Discovery-News.com: Energy from a floating nuclear donut? It might just happen if MIT researchers have their way. James Williams and Tracy Staedter dig in to the details. Discovery-News.com: Energy from a floating nuclear donut? It might just happen if MIT researchers have their way. James Williams and T... more
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Does It Really Matter Who Sits in the Oval Office?
It's been obvious to me for decades that the people who sit in the hot seat (Clinton, Blair, Bush) don't really make any decisions or run the country. There is a far more powerful and sinister group behind everything that happens in the world - the skyrocketing price of gas and food, the poisoning of our food with high fructose corn syrup, fat, salt and sugar, chemicals, bioengineering, genetic manipuplation. My theory is the power people tried to control the masses with street drugs for a while and realized it costs too much to control the crime that spun out from them. So, now they'll just keep us fat, lazy and in a haze with junk food and no nutrients to feed our brains and bodies - and many folks are fine with that - eat KFC, McBuggers, candy, coloa and sit in a vegetative state in front of the computer or TV. This makes it so much easier to keep us quiet and in control.
WAKE UP PEOPLE! It's been obvious to me for decades that the people who sit in the hot seat (Clinton, Blair, Bush) don't really make any dec... more -
United Kingdom Talk Tuesday 10th June 2008
Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show. Watch the show here on Current TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats.
In today's show :
Obtaining a music podcast license in the UK.
What's happened to cousin Tim ?
The button has popped off.
Pink lips telephones.
Do we worry less as we get older ?
It's not a bacteria.
Whiskers.
I am catching on to youth language.
Is that all you drop ?
They love the power.
Fangs.
I am Suko's mentor.
My new ironing board cover.
Spiders.
"In the Gym" - let's exercise together.
Last Summer repeated ?
Susan sends a gift.
The hill in Canberra, Australia.
Being evacuated in the war.
Cadbury's chocolate eclairs. Mmmmmmmmmmmm.
Straight boys & gay boys have a difference of opinion ! LOL.
A small what ?
Yesterdays news.
Have I picked something up ?
http://unitedkingdomtalk.forums4free.org/
Email :
chris@unitedkingdomtalk.co.uk
WWW.UNITEDKINGDOMTALK.CO.UK Tuesday's edition of my three times a week talk show. Watch the show here on Current TV on Tues, Thurs & Sats. ... more -
The blogger's new mantra: I am a blogger, hear me roar!
The battle between the mainstream media and the blogs isn’t starting. It’s already over. The blogs won.
"The mainstream media has finally acknowledged what has been obvious for quite some time; that the internet web logs, or “blogs”, are here to stay. Far from being a passing fad, blogs like the present one existed before the word “blog” was coined to describe them. After nearly 14 years, and a readership that exceeds that of most city newspapers, the suggestion that blogs like this one are a passing fancy is at best wishful thinking.
The mainstream media has long attempted to dismiss blogs as somehow “unprofessional”, usually because blogs are not vast centers of commerce. Occasionally there will be a gratuitous hit piece, attempting to portray the internet as a haven for child molesters second only to the clergy. Always there is the implication that blogs should not be taken seriously because the bloggers don’t play the game by the same rules as the mainstream media.
With regard to that last one, it is true that the blogs don’t play by the same rules as the mainstream media. We have neither governments, owners, nor advertisers imposing rules on us. Media entities with huge overheads can be bought. Reporters will trade their souls for a ride on Air Force One. Private Blogs (as opposed to blogs set up by public relations firms pretending to be private blogs) running on spare change are immune to that sort of thing.
The mainstream media’s attitude is perhaps best typified by the story of Fox News and the Monsanto Growth Hormone. A team of reporters, Steve Wilson & Jane Akre, researched the effects of synthetic bovine growth hormone on cattle and discovered that a great deal of evidence exists that people who consume the meat or dairy products from treated cattle can suffer adverse health effects. Monsanto got wind of the story and together with dairy associations pressured Fox News to shut the story down. Fox News ordered the reporters to change the story, the reporters refused and Fox fired them. The reporters sued and LOST on appeal when the court ruled that since there is no law requiring the media to tell the truth about anything, the mainstream media is within their legal rights to fire reporters who refuse to lie! As a side note, that legal precedent is troubling when one realizes that our national elections are counted by a privately owned company, owned jointly by the TV networks (who are not bound by law to tell the truth) and not subject to either citizen or governmental oversight.
So, when it comes to regaining their credibility, the mainstream media has a huge mountain to climb. It should come as no surprise that the mainstream media, rather than start telling the truth, has decided that it is easier to try to discredit the bloggers. And so we get phony blogs operated by public relations firms and various intelligence agencies that put out total nonsense, such as pods on the 9-11 planes, so that the mainstream media can point to it on cue and say “See, we told you they were loons”, as Popular Mechanics did in their March 2005 issue.
But in the end, such dirty tricks only work if the public doesn’t know the tricks are there, and because of the blogs, the tired old cold-war-relic propaganda tricks are now widely known and easily spotted by the public at large. The numbers make it clear. Total viewership of the network news is in decline, while readership of the blogs is exploding. The public has become skeptical and now trusts only themselves to sort out what is true and what is false. That is a very healthy thing."
By Michael Rivero The battle between the mainstream media and the blogs isn’t starting. It’s already over. The blogs won. ... more -
Green People Planet #1: Bio Fuels Power Corp.
Cristina learns how to make Bio-fuel, generates power for a city, and drives a Tank!
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Uranium will last for thousands of years
There are those out there saying uranium reserves wont last long. They're been proven very very wrong by the latest figures which show that the increase in uranium prices over recent years has spurred prospectors to boost known reserves by 17%.
The International Atomic Energy Agency and the OECD Nuclear Energy published the figures in their Red Book, which is brought out every two years. They say the currently economically recoverable reserves are enough to continue using nuclear energy at the current level for at least a century.
If we move on to use advanced reactors and reprocess the used fuel to recover and reuse uranium, the fuel can last for thousands of years. There are those out there saying uranium reserves wont last long. They're been proven very very wrong by the latest figures which... more
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