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Unread items (200)

July 27, 2014
16:53
Listeners Pick The Year's Best Music (So Far)
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

NPR listeners cast thousands of votes for the year's best music (so far) and kept the race tight. In the end, Animal Collective edged out every other artist in both the Best Album category, and for Best Song. Artists like Grizzly Bear, The Decemberists and Neko Case weren't far behind. One thing was clear: 2009 has been one of the strongest years for new music in recent memory.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us

January 26, 2012
16:12
Old mortgages rise from dead, haunt homeowners
» ‎ MSNBC.com: Most Viewed

More and more, homeowners say that mortgages they thought were dead and buried are springing back to life, sometimes haunting them all the way into foreclosure.
16:12
Tanier: Patriots then hardly resemble Patriots now
» ‎ MSNBC.com: Most Viewed

Tanier: But the 2011 Patriots are not the 2001 Patriots, or the 2007 Patriots, or any of the other teams that made the Super Bowl in the last 11 years. Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are the only real constants, yet they also have changed through the years. To understand where the Patriots are now, it helps to remember, clearly, where they have been.
16:12
3 selected to enter Astronaut Hall of Fame
» ‎ MSNBC.com: Most Viewed

A spacewalker who tied the record for the most space missions, the military's highest ranking astronaut, and a former chief of the NASA astronaut corps will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame this May.

16:12
US to cut almost 100,000 troops
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

The US will cut 100,000 troops from the Army and Marine Corps, the Pentagon says, as it unveils plans to save $487bn (£310bn) over the next 10 years.
16:12
Disable software, warns Symantec
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

Symantec advises customers to stop using its pcAnywhere program after stolen source code exposes serious vulnerabilities.
16:12
Three bodies found in Rio rubble
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

The bodies of three people are recovered by rescue workers in Brazil searching through rubble after the collapse of several high-rise office buildings in Rio de Janeiro.
16:12
Failure in sex abuse teacher case
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

A teacher was able to film himself abusing young girls because of a "lamentable failure" by school management, a review finds.
16:12
Nokia hit by falling mobile sales
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

Mobile phone giant Nokia reports a loss for the final three months of last year, as sales of mobile devices fell sharply.
16:12
Boko Haram urged to state demands
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

The president of Nigeria challenges Islamist militant group Boko Haram to identify themselves and state their demands as a basis for dialogue.

16:09
McEneny Defends LATFOR
» ‎ The Wonkster

Albany Assemblyman Jack McEneny, who also happens to co-chair LATFOR issued a statement defending the maps they issued today–maps that the New York Public Interest Research Group has said are the most gerrymandered in recent history. Gov. Cuomo has said he would veto these lines if they stay as they are.

Here is McEneny’s statement:

“The Assembly plan released today by the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment (LATFOR) is the culmination of a months-long process to reshape New Yorks electoral map based on shifts in population that have occurred over the last decade. Our proposal is responsive to the many individuals across the state who offered oral or written testimony to the Task Force.

In particular, good government groups have asked that we make districts as nearly equal in population as practicable. Toward that end we have drawn districts that have less disparity than is required by law and closer to equality than the current lines. The proposed Assembly districts with one exception, which was drawn to avoid crossing a county line have a population deviation of less than four percent. This is a plan which moves us more toward a key reform.

As part of the process, we took into consideration and incorporated many elements of proposals submitted in map form by numerous voting rights and good government groups, private citizens and public officials. We are grateful to them all for helping us with this constitutionally mandated task and look forward to further interaction and suggestions as we make our way across the state a second time to receive more input.”
15:45
Cuomo Would Veto Lines
» ‎ The Wonkster

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s spokesperson Josh Vlasto says that lines released by LATFOR today are unacceptable.

At first glance, these lines are simply unacceptable and would be vetoed by the Governor. We need a better process and product.

Earlier today Cuomo said he would let the process “play out” but apparently the Governor did not like something he saw in these lines.

Permalink for 'Google_News___Online_campaigning/2012/01/26/Thanks__Take_Aways_From_Internet_Revolution_Over_SOPA__PIPA___Huffington_Post__blog_'

15:39

Thanks, Take Aways From Internet Revolution Over SOPA, PIPA - Huffington Post (blog)

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

15:38
Haiti should brace for more quakes - study
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

THE 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti may have opened a new era of seismic activity and residents should brace for more.

15:35
Hundreds of tacos sent to Connecticut mayor
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Two days after a Connecticut mayor delivered an errant comment about eating tacos to support East Haven Latinos, some of whom are the alleged victims of police mistreatment, Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr. apparently got his wish.

15:34
Metrics for Building, Scaling, and Funding Social Movements | Beth’s Blog
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Metrics for Building, Scaling, and Funding Social Movements | Beth’s Blog

15:30
Dadey Responds to LATFOR's Maps
» ‎ The Wonkster

Dick Dadey, executive director of Citizens Union, says he still wants Gov. Andrew Cuomo to veto LATFOR’s district lines, ” if faierer lines are not created for 2012 and there is no structural reform.” Gotham Gazette is published by Citizens Union Foundation the sister organization to Citizens Union. Senate Democrats were taken aback by Dadey’s recent interview with Jimmy Vielkind of the Times Union where it seemed Dadey was giving Cuomo room not to veto the lines. Dadey told Vielkind: “A veto is no guarantee that there will be fairer lines for 2012, and we wouldnt get any structural reform, he said. Weve always wanted the governor t use his veto threat to achieve reform, not to have these lines go into court. What does that get us at the end of the day? It doesnt get us what we want structural reform.

Dadey told me: “I stand by what I said to Jimmy, but we expect if faierer lines not created for 2012 and there is no structural reform the Governor should keep his veto promise. Citizens Union has always been about structural reform.”

The structural reform would likely be a constitutional amendment for the 2022 redistricting process. I asked Dadey if he would settle for one other the other–just improved 2012 lines or just structural reform and he had this to say:

“I cant imagine a scenario where we dont get changes in 2012 and structural changes. They go hand in hand.”

Dadey made it clear that he is not happy with LATFOR’s proposed lines.

“What is clear is these maps are gerrymandered. That is what we get when legislators are left to draw their own districts. It makes the case of why we need permanent change and why the Governor should use his veto promise to get fair lines.”

Dadey said the Senate’s lines were particularly offensive.

“It is just abhorrent that somehow four Democratic incumbents are being forced into districts in interest of creating opportunity minority districts when nothing has changed on Long Island to create a minority opportunity district.”

15:25
Jailbreaking Could Soon Become Illegal Again
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

Diggester writes "Back in July 2010, the United Stated government approved few exemptions in a federal law which made jailbreaking/rooting of electronic devices(iPhones and Android devices) legal. The court ruling stated that every three years, the exemptions have to be renewed considering they don't infringe any copyrighted material. The three year period is due to expire and Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is looking to get the exemptions renewed. In order to do so, they have filed a petition which aims at government to declare jailbreaking legal once again. In addition to that, EFF is also asking for a change in the original ruling to include tablet devices." Here's the EFF's own page on the issue.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

15:20
Google performance drives mobile estimate to $2.6 billion
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

Google's "exceptional" mobile advertising and new data has prompted eMarketer to revise its 2012 estimate for mobile advertising spending upward, from $1.8 billion to $2.61 billion. Google has already come to dominate the field, capturing 51.7% of mobile revenue, far ahead of Apple's 6.3% share. The competition is tighter in the area of mobile display, with Google at 24.8%, Apple at 18% and Millennial Media at 17.7%.
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-2012-mobile-ad-spend-revised-up-to-2.6-billion-google-fueling-the-machi/

Permalink for 'Google_News___Online_campaigning/2012/01/26/Obama_and_incivility__A_presidential_tradition___USA_TODAY'

15:13

Obama and incivility: A presidential tradition - USA TODAY

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

15:11
New on the Stanford Social Innovation Review: Data for Promotion, Engagement, and Reporting
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

New on the Stanford Social Innovation Review: Data for Promotion, Engagement, and Reporting

15:09
UFO or 63rd Senate Seat?
» ‎ The Wonkster

The 63rd Senate seat created by Senate Republicans looks uncannily to me like the evil Reaper spaceship from the popular Mass Effect video game series. It sweeps down from Montgomery County slices away half of Sen. Neil Breslin’s Albany County district, swallows Green County and its tentacles stab into the top of Ulster.

But I suppose that is a rather insignificant observation when you look at what New York Public Interest Group’s Bill Mahoney has to say about the proposed maps as a whole.He says, the Senate’s maps are, “clearly the most gerrymandered lines in recent New York History.” He provided this statement and statistical breakdown to back up his claim. Check it out.

Mahoney had this to say:

“There are several methods of measuring how representative of voters districts are. The typical deviation from the ideal population is one of the few completely objective criteria that can be used. While judging this set of proposed maps by this yardstick, the Senates maps are clearly the most gerrymandered lines in recent New York history. The Assemblys are slightly better than 2002s final maps, but fall far short of providing mathematically equal representation.”

Senate: Districts 3% or further from ideal population:

1984: 0

1992: 0

2002: 19

2012: 50

Senate: Districts within 1% of ideal population (as proposed in Gov. Cuomos bill)

1984: 44 out of 61

1992: 47 out of 61

2002: 11 out of 62

2012: 3 out of 63

Assembly: Districts 3% or further from ideal population:

1984: 15

1992: 49

2002: 70

2012: 67

Assembly: Districts within 1% of ideal population:

1984: 92

1992: 46

2002: 18

2012: 26

15:07
Job opportunity: User interface designer at EveryBlock
» ‎ The EveryBlock Blog
We’re looking to hire a second UI designer to join our development team at EveryBlock.

We value design highly and try to ensure everything we create is beautiful and usable. This is your chance to have a hand in all aspects of our company, from our Web site to our e-mail alerts to our mobile applications to physical marketing materials. (Ever design a bookmark?)

Beyond straight design work, you’ll have a hand in mapping out product strategy. Your contributions will be varied, your work will be interesting, and you’ll have an immediate, direct impact on the awesomeness of our service.

We like to hire polymaths. You should be as comfortable designing mockups in Photoshop as you are getting dirty in HTML and CSS. You should care deeply about design, but you should also know how to write (simple) code, as in JavaScript or Python. You should sweat details. You should be inquisitive and a quick learner. You should be ready to come to the table with ideas, and you should be willing to be wrong.

Your job responsibilities will span this list (not necessarily in order):
- Web app design
- HTML
- LESS CSS framework
- Django templates
- Chalkboard sketches
- Post-it notes
- Wireframing
- Mobile app design
- Photoshop
- Copywriting
- User testing
- jQuery
You will work very closely with the other designer and four developers. We have a low-stress environment and a culture of getting things done with as little corporate BS as possible. We have a ping pong table. We play a lot of Resistance.

You should have 4+ years experience in web design, with experience building apps from soup to launch.

Though we’re technically no longer an independent startup — we were acquired by msnbc.com in 2009 — we’re culturally very much still a startup, given that our product is still in early stages and we’re still figuring things out. It’s a very nice combination of startup culture with the financial security of working for a big company. (We have great benefits — salary, health care, 401(k), etc.) And msnbc.com is taking the long-view on us, investing in us over time and giving us years to develop a large audience and become profitable. It’s a great company to work for and now is a fantastic time to be joining our team.

You’ll need to live in the Chicago area for this position. Our office is in a comfortable loft space on the north side of Chicago, near a bunch of other startups. Several of us walk or bike to work. We’re also equidistant from the Montrose and Irving Park el stations on the Brown Line, along with several bus lines.

Apply through the official msnbc.com Jobvite site here. Thanks.

15:05
UK probes Snickers over 'celebrity' Twitter adverts
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

Rio Ferdinand and Jordan fingered for promo tweets
The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is to investigate a promotional campaign by confectionary giant Mars, which hired B-list celebrities to push its Snickers candy bars.…

Permalink for 'Google_News___Online_campaigning/2012/01/26/Gaming_Mogul_Sheldon_Adelson_Pumps__10M_Into_Newt_Gingrich_s_Presidential_Bid___Indian_Country_Today_Media_Network.com'

15:05

Gaming Mogul Sheldon Adelson Pumps $10M Into Newt Gingrich's Presidential Bid - Indian Country Today Media Network.com

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

14:51
Gingrich blasts Romney before last Florida debate
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Newt Gingrich lashed out at Mitt Romney Thursday, accusing his Republican presidential opponent of engaging in sleazy negative politics and being part of a fragile establishment desperate to stop the former House speaker from winning the GOP nomination.

14:42
RT @IT_For_Change: Avoiding technical overwhelm when there are too many tools. http://t.co/9nQZRsCl #nptech
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

RT @IT_For_Change: Avoiding technical overwhelm when there are too many tools. http://t.co/9nQZRsCl #nptech

14:33
Arizona Candidate’s English Under Challenge
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Alejandrina Cabrera’s political opponents in San Luis, Ariz., say she cannot speak English well enough to serve on the City Council.
14:30
Design Perfectionists at Home
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

The design perfectionist is a breed that outfits its habitat not according to style or fashion, but to a set of fastidious inner rules.
14:24
Campaign Stops: Why Evangelicals Don’t Like Mormons
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Evangelical concerns about Mitt Romney’s faith ultimately say more about the insecurities of the establishment denominations than about Mormonism itself.

14:18
Study Shows Rapid Evolution of QR Marketing
» ‎ ClickZ CyberStats

Researchers scanned every QR Code, Microsoft Tag, BEE Tag, JagTag, and the like in the top 100 magazines last year.

14:12
NetSquared, a project of TechSoup.org | remixing the web for social change
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

NetSquared, a project of TechSoup.org | remixing the web for social change

14:07
Op-Ed Contributors: The True Cost of High School Dropouts
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Proven educational strategies to increase high school completion provide returns to the taxpayer that are two to four times their cost.
14:03
Op-Ed Columnist: How Pimps Use the Web to Sell Girls
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Pimps are turning to the Internet instead of street corners for the sex trafficking of minors. Just look at the case of this teenage girl in Brooklyn.
13:50
Nanomaterials’ Effects on Health and Environment Unclear, Panel Says
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

A National Academy of Sciences committee called for further study of the minuscule substances, which are found in products from makeup to paint and drive a $225 billion market.

13:35
Gates donates $750 million to fight AIDS, TB and malaria
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will inject $750 million into the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates announced Thursday at the World Economic Forum.
13:34
Australian PM escorted out of building amid protest
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Security officers dragged Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard out of a Canberra restaurant Thursday after an angry mob of protesters surrounded the building during a luncheon ceremony, police said.
13:32
Libyans face tough challenges in building a new nation
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Clashes between rival militias. Allegations of detainee torture. Assaults on the headquarters of the National Transitional Council, which governs Libya.
13:29
Conservative North Florida voters: Romney's too rich
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

While media outlets and Beltway pundits might use state polls to gauge the race in Florida between GOP presidential hopefuls Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, Ron Crum uses poles.

13:19
Object Lesson in Non-Transparency At Energy.gov
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

Harperdog writes "Dawn Stover recounts her attempts to access information at energy.gov, the U.S. Energy Department's 'cutting-edge, interactive information platform,' which apparently isn't any of those things. Especially frustrating were her attempts to locate important documents related to the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository. An interesting read for anyone interested in true government transparency."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

13:18
LATFOR's Maps Are Out
» ‎ The Wonkster

LATFOR has posted their proposed district lines for 2012. Both the Assembly and Senate maps are available here.

Senate Republicans have issued a statement defending their lines and the 63rd Senate District their maps create. Of the 63rd seat the statement says:

” The plan adds a 63rd Senate seat, as required by the formulas under Article III of the State Constitution. That seat is located in the Capital Region and Upper Hudson Valley, which experienced the largest percentage increase of population growth in the state since the 2000 U.S. census.” This seat is the one that Assemblyman George Amedore is expected to run for.

The statement calls the process by which the lines were created, ” open and transparent.”

Here is the full statement from Senate Republicans:

The bipartisan Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment –co-chaired by Senator Michael F. Nozzolio and Assemblyman John J. McEneny – today released new Senate district lines, based on population shifts which occurred over the last ten years.

The Senate plan is fair, legal and protects minority voting interests. It complies with the State Constitution, the U.S. Constitution, state and federal laws, and the Federal Voting Rights Act.

The new draft district lines are the result of an open and transparent process. The boundaries were drafted after the Task Force coordinated 14 public hearings in every corner of the state, taking 55 hours of testimony from more than 375 witnesses.

The population of each Senate district fully complies with the requirements of the state constitution, including town on border, block on border and is well within the standard required by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The plan provides continuity by largely preserving the cores of existing districts. In fact, the vast majority of new districts contain three-fourths or more of their old districts.

Consistent with the Voting Rights Act, the Senate plan protects minority representation by maintaining or strengthening every African American district in New York City – - despite the loss of nearly 100,000 African Americans since the last census.

The plan maintains Hispanic populations in currently represented Hispanic districts, and even increases the Hispanic population in a number of districts.

The Task Force maintains communities of interest together whenever possible, including consolidation of the Orthodox Jewish community into one Brooklyn Senate district rather than five Senate districts. The Senate plan also includes a first-ever majority Asian-American Senate district anchored in Flushing, Queens. The Task Force will also seek additional public input on uniting communities of interest in the coming weeks.

The plan adds a 63rd Senate seat, as required by the formulas under Article III of the State Constitution. That seat is located in the Capital Region and Upper Hudson Valley, which experienced the largest percentage increase of population growth in the state since the 2000 U.S. census.

Nine additional public hearings will also take place, beginning on Monday, January 30 at 10:30 a.m. in Albany, in Hearing Room A on the second floor of the Legislative Office Building.

13:09
Working Long Hours Can Be Depressing, Truly
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

People who work long hours are more likely to become depressed, even if they're working in the executive suite. That's according to a study of British civil servants. Other studies have found that people with higher incomes are less vulnerable to depression, but they didn't factor in work hours.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us

13:05
Intel bags $120m patent hoard from RealNetworks
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

190 patents, 170 applications, and 'next-generation' video codec
In the latest maneuver of the tech industry's ongoing patent wars, Intel has struck a $120m deal with RealNetworks to purchase 190 patents and 170 patent applications, along with what both companies define as "next-generation video codec software".…

12:57
In Israel, a Stunning Rise for Kiryat Shmona’s Soccer Team
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

A soccer team from Kiryat Shmona, a city with a population of 23,000 in the north of Israel, is on course for its first league championship and a qualifying spot in the UEFA Champions League.

12:50
Roles of ICTs and youth in Agriculture: a perspective from China | e-Agriculture
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - ict4d - ICTs for Development

Roles of ICTs and youth in Agriculture: a perspective from China | e-Agriculture

12:25
Bloggers and Shield Laws II: Now, You Can Worry
» ‎ Citizen Media Law Project -

A few weeks ago, I wrote that bloggers should not be too concerned about a decision by a federal judge in Oregon that blogger Crystal Cox is not protected by Oregon's reporters' shield law in a defamation suit.

But a new decision in Illinois reaching the same conclusion about another blogger is more problematic.

The Oregon ruling – which led to a $2.5 million verdict against Cox, that she is seeking to have vacated – concluded that a blogger is not “media.” Obsidian Finance Group, LLC v. Cox, No. CV-11-57-H, 2011 WL 2745849, 2011 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 137548 (D. Or. Nov. 30, 2011).

This what got most of the attention in coverage of the case. But it was not the primary basis for the court's holding that she was not protected by the shield law. Instead, the judge denied Cox the protection of the shield law because she tried to use the existence of the source as evidence in her defense, while at the same time invoking the shield law to refuse to identify that source. This is known as using the reporter’s privilege as both a "sword and shield" and has been rejected by courts in many states. In addition, Oregon's shield law statute specifically prohibits it. See Ore. Rev. Stat. § 44.530(3).

The new Illinois decision more directly involved application of the state's reporters' shield law to an online news source: in this case, TechnoBuffalo.com, which consists of frequent blog posts on (excuse the pun) bits of technology news.

The question was whether the site falls under Illinois' reporter's shield law, 75 Ill. Comp. Stat. §§ 5/8-901 - 8-909, which provides that "No court may compel any person to disclose the source of any information obtained by a reporter except as provided in [the other provisions of the shield law]." (emphasis added)

The terms "reporter" and "source" are defined in the statute, as is the phrase "news medium":

(a) "Reporter" means any person regularly engaged in the business of collecting, writing or editing news for publication through a news medium on a full‑time or part‑time basis . . . .

(b) "News medium" means any newspaper or other periodical issued at regular intervals whether in print or electronic format and having a general circulation; a news service whether in print or electronic format; a radio station; a television station; a television network; a community antenna television service; and any person or corporation engaged in the making of news reels or other motion picture news for public showing.

(c) "Source" means the person or means from or through which the news or information was obtained.

75 Ill. Comp. Stat. §§ 5/8-902.

According to news reports about the decision (here and here; I haven't been able to find the decision itself), Judge Michael R. Panter of the Cook County Circuit Court held that "TechnoBuffalo’s reliance on the Illinois reporter’s privilege is misplaced," because the site did not qualify as a "news medium" under the statute. "TechnoBuffalo’s anonymous 'tipster' is hardly an example of a 'source' of investigative journalism that requires protection of the Act."

Judge Panter's decision is contrary to a decision of a California court holding that a similar blog was covered by that state's reporters' shield provision. In O'Grady v. Superior Court, 139 Cal.App.4th 1423, 44 Cal.Rptr.3d 72 (Cal. App., 6th Dist. 2006), the California Court of Appeals held that the "O'Grady's PowerPage" blog was included in the shield provision language extending coverage to "[a] publisher, editor, reporter, or other person connected with or employed upon a newspaper, magazine, or other periodical publication ... ." See Cal. Const., Art. I, § 2(b) (shield provision in state constitution); see also Cal. Evid. Code § 1070 (statutory provision).

Given the numerous ambiguities presented by "periodical publication" in this context, its applicability must ultimately depend on the purpose of the statute. It seems likely that the Legislature intended the phrase "periodical publication" to include all ongoing, recurring news publications while excluding non-recurring publications such as books, pamphlets, flyers, and monographs. The Legislature was aware that the inclusion of this language could extend the statute's protections to something as occasional as a legislator's newsletter. If the Legislature was prepared to sweep that broadly, it must have intended that the statute protect publications like petitioners', which differ from traditional periodicals only in their tendency, which flows directly from the advanced technology they employ, to continuously update their content.

O'Grady v. Superior Court, 44 Cal.Rptr.3d at 104-05 (citations omitted).

The New Hampshire Supreme Court faced a similar question in Mortgage Specialists, Inc. v. Implode-Explode Heavy Indus., Inc., 160 N.H. 227, 999 A.2d 184 (N.H. 2010), except that New Hampshire's journalist's privilege exists as a matter of common law, not statute. See Opinion of the Justices, 117 N.H. 386, 373 A.2d 644 (1977) (finding journalists' privilege under state constitution's free speech provision). Yet the New Hampshire high court also found that a blog news site was covered by the privilege.

The fact that Implode operates a website makes it no less a member of the press. In light of the trial court’s implicit findings, we conclude that Implode’s website serves an informative function and contributes to the flow of information to the public. Thus, Implode is a reporter for purposes of the newsgathering privilege.

Mortgage Specialists, Inc. v. Implode-Explode Heavy Indus., Inc., 160 N.H. 227, 234, 999 A.2d 184, 189 (N.H. 2010).

The federal judge in Oregon reached the opposite conclusion in the Cox case. Without much discussion, he simply stated that the blog in that case was not covered by Oregon's shield statute, which provides that “[n]o person connected with, employed by or engaged in any medium of communication to the public shall be required [to reveal confidential sources],” Ore. Rev. Stat. 44.520(1), and then provides that

"Medium of communication” has its ordinary meaning and includes, but is not limited to, any newspaper, magazine or other periodical, book, pamphlet, news service, wire service, news or feature syndicate, broadcast station or network, or cable television system.

Id.

Judge Marco A. Hernandez focused on the list, and found that Cox and her blog did not fit under any of these categories. In doing so, he ignored the statute's language that “medium of communication” includes not only the specific media listed.

On a related issue, Judge Hernandez observed that "Defendant cites no cases indicating that a self-proclaimed 'investigative blogger' is considered 'media' for the purposes of applying a negligence standard in a defamation claim." Of course there are no such opinions, since blogs and social media are a new emerging medium.

Such a legalistic application of a journalists' shield law is reminiscent of the 11th Circuit's opinion in Price v. Time, Inc., 416 F.3d 1327 (11th Cir. 2005), modified, 425 F.3d 1292 (11th Cir. 2005), which held that Sports Illustrated was not covered by Alabama's shield law, Ala.Code § 12-21-142, because "magazines" were not specifically mentioned in the list of media protected by the statute.

The rulings in Price and Obsidian Finance Group are worrisome and overly legalistic, and do not recognize that the purpose of reporters' privilege provisions is to facilitate the free exchange of information; and that blogs are certainly a new means of doing this, and should be covered by these shield provisions, as the courts found in O'Grady and Mortgage Specialists.

The Illinois court could – and should – have used the rationale in O'Grady and Mortgage Specialists to include the TechnoBuffalo blog in Illinois' reporters' shield law. Now, it will probably be left for an appellate court to do this, which will provide judges like Marco A. Hernandez an appellate ruling to cite for the logical conclusion that shield law protect bloggers as they protect other journalists.

Eric P. Robinson is the deputy director of the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Courts and Media at the University of Nevada, Reno. He previously worked at the Media Law Resource Center and the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. In addition to his posts here, Eric also blogs at www.bloglawonline.com.

(Image of Worried Eggs II courtesy of Flickr user Domiriel under CC BY NC 2.0 license.)

12:22
Waiting on The Lines
» ‎ The Wonkster

All week LATFOR members have told the press that they should expect the new district lines any day now. In fact Assemblyman Jack McEneny has given a time and date a few times only to have the lines not be made public. The most recent expectation is that the lines will be revealed at 2 p.m..

Assembly members reportedly were emailed their lines late last night. It is unclear when Senate Republicans will reveal their maps. Some details have leaked out and it looks like the maps could be majorly disruptive to a number of upstate incumbents including Sen. Neil Breslin, Assemblymen Bob Reilly and Jim Tedisco. The Times Union reported that Breslin’s district could be cut in half to create the 63rd Senate seat in an effort to allow Republican Assemblyman (and reality TV star) George Amedore to run for the Senate. Breslin predicted to the Gazette late last year that the lines would be decided in a court battle and that the Giants would win the Super Bowl.

The Republican announcement could be tied to negotiations with Gov. Andrew Cuomo about a constitutional amendment to institute non partisan redistricting for the next go around–in ten years. One has to wonder if they have waited til Thursday to release the lines, why they wouldn’t just wait until Friday. Friday is always the preferred day to bury unpleasant news.

Sen. Liz Krueger is getting tired of waiting and wants to know what all the secrecy is about. She released this statement: “All this week we’ve seen leaks, rumors, and a tiny trickle of information, some good, some bad, and some very, very ugly. What the public hasn’t seen is the map, even though we all know it exists. Why the holdup? It’s deliberate. The Republicans have been keeping the public in the dark, trying to manage expectations instead of letting New Yorkers see what they’ve cooked up and judge it for what it is.”

12:07
Protecting a Cellphone Against Hackers
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

As cellphones become more like computers, they are attracting hackers who can listen to calls or steal information. But there are ways to bolster a phone’s defenses.

11:55
Five dead in Rio high-rise collapse
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

RESCUE teams frantically search through rubble for more than a dozen people missing after three office buildings collapsed.

11:54
ACTA Signed By 22 EU Countries
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

First time accepted submitter azrael29a writes "22 EU members signed the controversial ACTA treaty today in Tokyo. However, the signatures of the EU member states and the EU itself will count for nothing unless the European Parliament gives its approval to ACTA in June."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

11:41
ICT4D Monitoring and Evaluation Tools and Reports — UN-APCICT
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - ict4d - ICTs for Development

ICT4D Monitoring and Evaluation Tools and Reports — UN-APCICT

11:36
Gary Marcus, Professor at N.Y.U., Picks Up a Guitar
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

An academic who had no rhythm spent a sabbatical finding a way to learn to play the guitar.

11:36
Home Births Grow More Popular In U.S.
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

Advocates of home births applaud the trend, but some doctors caution there are risks when deliveries come with complications. The federal data suggest the trend appears to be driven primarily by the choices of older, white women.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us

11:12
Top Google Executives Approved Illegal Drug Ads
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

Hugh Pickens writes "PC Magazine reports that the U.S. government used convicted con artist David Whitaker, owner of an online business selling steroids and human growth hormone to U.S. consumers, to help federal agents in a sting operation against Google when he began advertising with Google with advertisements that included the statement 'no prescription needed,' clearly violating U.S. laws. Google's settlement with the U.S. government for $500 million blamed AdWords sales by Canadian pharmacies, who allegedly were selling drugs to U.S. consumers. 'We banned the advertising of prescription drugs in the U.S. by Canadian pharmacies some time ago,' Google said then. 'However, it's obvious with hindsight that we shouldn't have allowed these ads on Google in the first place.' Peter Neronha, the U.S. attorney for Rhode Island who led the multiagency federal task force that conducted the sting, claims that chief executive Larry Page had personal knowledge of the operation, as did Sheryl Sandberg, a Google executive who now is the chief operating officer for Facebook. In 2009 Google started requiring online pharmacy advertisers to be certified by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy's Verified Internet Pharmacy Practices Sites program and hired an outside company to detect pharmacy advertisers exploiting flaws in the Google's screening systems."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

11:10
Closing the Gap in Indigenous Australia with Mobile Journalism
» ‎ Rising Voices
Rising Voices note: This post written by Melissa Ulbricht was originally published at the Mobile Media Toolkit site and it is republished with permission.

NT Mojos, a project Australia's Northern Territory, empowers indigenous people to have a local voice and to provide a less marginalized view of everyday life by enabling them to create and share mobile stories.

In a crisp, 6-minute mobile video, Gerald Yawulkpuy introduces the local news from his community.

Welcome to Ramo News – all the news from Ramingining. My name is Gerald Yawulkpuy, good evening.

Tonight, the very successful Youth Week Program. The Court in town for the first time, and the opening of our wet season swimming pool.

But first of all, an update on the critical situation in Ramingining about the road conditions and the fuel for the power station.

Gerald is just one of a growing number of mobile journalists, or Mojos, creating video stories from remote regions in the Northern Territory of Australia. He learned how to use an iPhone kit to create, edit, and upload news stories as part of a project called NT Mojos, which is funded by the Australian government in partnership with Burum Media and the Batchelor Institute of Indigenous Tertiary Education.

The project empowers indigenous people to have a local voice and to provide a less marginalized view of everyday indigenous life in Australia by enabling trained reporters in remote communities to create and share the stories most important to them. The final videos are posted on a government site as well as here.

A Passionate Leader Brings Energy to the Project

When it comes to NT Mojos, the executive producer Ivo Burum wears many hats. It was his idea to launch the pilot after over 30 years of experience in the field as a reporter and broadcaster. Most recently, with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Burum taught people to use small cameras to create and deliver content for television, including shows like Race Around Oz.

“While mobile is quite new, the concept of people creating self-shot content is not,” he said. With NT Mojos, Burum is revisiting lessons from earlier experiences with user-generated content, but instead of focusing on large infrastructures such as television programs, is spending money on training in indigenous communities.

As part of his daily work, Burum travels to remote communities in the Northern Territory to help select participants and lead the trainings. For more on the project, watch this documentary on The Making of NT Mojo:

Says Burum, “I take Mojo quite seriously. It’s a real opportunity for people to change their lives and to create a citizen voice — and that’s what is important.”

It’s More about the Story and Less about the Technology

In selecting Mojo participants for training, the first step is to engage the community and talk to local elders to see if they want to be involved. If they do, Burum meets with them to help select candidates. In one eager community, 15 people lined up to join the training. “It’s not difficult to sell the idea to communities,” Burum said. He also brings in existing media centers and indigenous engagement officers to help choose participants.

For the pilot, 9 Mojos were chosen from 6 communities in the Northern Territory: Galiwin’ku, Lajamanu, Numbulwar, Ramingining, and Wurrumiyanga (Nguiu).

Training is initially held at the Batchelor Institute, where Burum and others teach aspects of storytelling as well as technical skills on iPhone mobile journalism kits. After the training intensive is complete, the Mojos return to their communities, ready to hit the ground running. “One of the goals is to get Mojos to a point where they can make stories without continued support from myself or the Institute”, Burum said.

The bulk of the training focuses on fundamentals of journalism and teaching the who, what, where, when, and why of story construction, as well as being an ethical storyteller or journalist. The tech stuff comes more naturally. Burum said that when the Mojos first got their hands on the iPhone kits, they immediately began recording, before they were even taught how. “It seemed intuitive”, he said.

Each Mojo receives a “kit”, based around the iPhone 4. Other hardware components include:
- An OWLE Bubo mount for the camera. This helps stabilize the phone and allows for other external attachments.
- A multi-directional mini shotgun microphone, which is attached to the OWLE case.
- A small rechargable LED light. This helps for recording at night or in low conditions.
The kit that includes an iPhone costs less than $900 AUD.

NT Mojos use Vericorder’s 1st Video editing app, chosen because it allows editing on up to four tracks of audio and two tracks of video and has super and subtitle features, essential for indigenous language work. It also has a resume function that enables the app to re-start uploads from a drop out point, in case of a temporary loss of signal. In the remote regions of the Northern Territory, most of the uploading is done via a 3G network instead of over WiFi.

Stories are shot and edited directly on the phone, and uploaded to the Internet when complete.

Education and Income

It was not too difficult to get funding for the project. For one, Burum Media has a good track record with media production in Australia. Second, timing was right. The government is looking for ways to engage with remote communities and help “close the gap,” Burum said. “NT Mojos is a way to bridge a divide between white and indigenous Australia.”

Another ongoing issue in this region is education and literacy. Because NT Mojos teaches story-telling first and technology second, the project is “as much about increasing literacy levels and helping people think about their environment and how to convey those thoughts and stories,” Burum said.

After returning to their communities, the trained Mojos are able to report on any story they choose. It is important to teach journalism concepts of defamation, libel, and story accuracy, as the NT Mojo’s were not clear about this. “When you are speaking about issues you are passionate about, you want to be sure you can broadcast and share the stories with a larger audience without fear of libel actions,” Burum said.

These larger lessons contribute to the sustainability of the project, as does continued involvement within the community, from elders, teachers, and media centers. Burum’s goal, he jokes, is to not have to go back to regions where he has taught.

A key to sustainability is to link income to skills learned. Following the Mojo's success at the Fist Full of Films festival in Darwin, ABC asked if nine of the original trainees could contribute to the public broadcaster as paid freelance stringers based in the remote communities. “That’s a wonderful thing because education is one thing, but creating jobs after you are educated in a remote community is another thing,” Burum said.

Burum believes another important step on the road to sustainability is to integrate Mojo into the education system in remote schools in the NT. “It’s critical to get these natural storytellers thinking about story telling the modern way as early as possible and that’s the way mojo is heading in the NT — into schools as part of the curriculum,” he said.

Burum has also launched a version of the project in China, called Ningbo Mojo. The pilot began with 10 mojos and 4 teachers from Nottingham University in Ningbo, China in June 2011. The same iPhone kits and Vericorder apps are used, though Burum finds that upload issues arise more often due to Internet censorship in the country. “Despite the restrictions, the Ningbo mojos from the Nottingham University Television Station used mojo for their broadcast work including filming a media conference in Ningbo.” Another introductory and intermediate workshop is planned in Ningbo this year.

The Burum Media mojo package has also been delivered to a secondary school in Melbourne and to ‘J’ students at Deakin University. Burum has tips on mobile journalism at the How To Mojo blog and more NT student videos on his YouTube channel. More info on the My School Mojo package can be found at www.burummedia.com.au.

For more guides on mobile audio and video reporting, see this list of iPhone tips from the International Journalist’s Network, this how-to guide on Mobile Audio Recording from the Field, and the Mobile Media Toolkit sections on Creating andSharing Mobile Content.

Photo courtesy of Ivo Burum.
Written by Eddie Avila
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11:05
E-books and Self-Publishing Roundup, Jan. 26, 2012
» ‎ MediaShift

The best stories of the week from across the web on e-books and self publishing

1. NBC News enters e-book business (Deadline New York)

2. How iBooks Author compares to the competition (Mashable)

3. Amazon: Early data shows Kindle Owners' Lending Library increases sales (paidContent)

4. Is Apple's iBooks Author the right e-book creation tool for journalists? (Online Journalism Review)

5. Should we differentiate between e-books and books? (eBookNewser)

6. How Graphicly will help self-published digital comic books (VentureBeat)

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11:01
Forums
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Forums

10:59
William and Maeva do electro-swing puppet lindy (video)
» ‎ Rik Panganiban's Click Heard Round the World

I know that title makes no sense. Just click play!

Dancers: William Mauvais and Maeva Truntzer.

Hat tip: Jerry Almonte and Alain Wong

10:57
Google emails Virgin Media subscribers ... about privacy
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

Infuriated customers want to know how the Goog got their addresses
Fuming Virgin Media customers have taken to the telco's forum to complain that their email addresses have been used by Google, instead of being kept private.…

Permalink for 'Google_News___Online_campaigning/2012/01/26/Citizens_Inundated__Democracy_Under_Threat___The_Latest___Free_Press'

10:55

Citizens Inundated: Democracy Under Threat - The Latest | Free Press

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

10:39
After SOPA, Anonymous hackers out to get world governments
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

Amid protests against controversial US bills that allegedly threaten freedom of expression online, the hacktivist group Anonymous is starting to target other governments that it believes are attempting to curtail Internet freedom. The hacktivists have started working with digital activists in other countries to respond to such threats, according to a report on Wired.com. Wired.com cited the group's support for protests in Poland against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which will be voted on soon there. The protests included setting up protests via Facebook with Anonymous mounting DDoS attacks on Polish governmental sites. Anonymous also claimed to have hacked into ministerial computers and stolen documents. "The combination of anonymous attacks and Polish outrage has brought the obscure ACTA treaty back into the light and amplified the conversation in Poland about whether ACTA is good for Poland and the Polish internet. While the Minister of Administration and Digitization Michał Boni has said the signing of ACTA will go forward regardless of any threats from Anonymous or protestations from the Polish people, the treaty must still be ratified by the Polish Parliament to become law," Wired.com said. It added the DDoS against some EU targets appeared to have dropped as physical protests started in the streets. Wired.com cited reports that on Wednesday, protestors by the thousands clogged streets in several Polish cities, chanting and carrying signs protesting the signing of the treaty. "ACTA is a secretive treaty pushed and quite possibly in part penned by the same interests that just saw their plans for SOPA go up in internet flames — the entertainment industry. It’s never been subject to any public scrutiny, but leaked versions of it revealed a requirement for provisions like a three strikes law that could cut people off from the internet and a reversal of DMCA-style safe harbors that have allowed companies like YouTube, Flickr, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and Google to function," Wired.com said. It noted the Obama administration had said the treaty does not require congressional approval in the U.S., and will be implemented with an executive order. “The whole government is basically being bought out in every facet,” said an anon on IRC involved with the anti-ACTA actions. In France, the movement to stop ACTA was joined by more than 1,000 handles in Anonymous IRC servers. DDoS attacks were mounted against French media empire Vivendi. In Brazil, a crackdown on a shanty town called Pinheirinho provoked attacks from Antisec. Brazilian hackers sought help from black-hat anons who claimed to have rooted dozens of boxes in Brazil, looting documents and handing the keys to the Brazilians. “Antisec supported the Brazilians because they asked for help. They consider themselves part of and fans of Lulzsec and Antisec,” one anon told Wired in an online chat. Wired.com said the targets included a website of Organizações Globo, a large Latin American media conglomerate based in Brazil. Threat to net culture? Wired.com quoted Biella Coleman, Professor of Wolfe Chair in Scientific and Technological Literacy in McGill University as saying the phenomenon involves a generation of people whose way of life is "inseparable from the net" see threats to their culture and are willing to fight. “The op was rooted in some core issues that Anonymous and internet enthusiasts care deeply about: free speech, censorship, and intellectual property restrictions,” said Coleman. FTC site defaced The black-hat Antisec wing of Anonymous hacked and defaced OnGuardOnline.gov, a Federal Trade Commission website that distributes computer security information online. Antisec claims to have hundreds of servers rooted, but this one sent a message to so-called “white hats,” the hacker professionals who work for corporations and governments.
Wired.com said Antisec threatened a "relentless war" against the corporate Internet if SOPA, PIPA and ACTA are passed.
http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/245823/scitech/technology/after-sopa-anonymous-hackers-out-to-get-world-governments?ref=section_latest

10:33
Idealware: A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Idealware: A Few Good Email Newsletter Tools

10:30
WikiLeaks Cable: NASDAQ Folded To Chinese Pressure
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

jjp9999 writes "A WikiLeaks cable reveals that the NASDAQ folded to pressure from the Chinese regime and kicked out a U.S.-based Chinese TV network, NTD TV. The Chinese Communist Party has been trying to block this station for years now, since it's one of the few major Chinese media that refuses to censor its content. Although they're blocked in Mainland China, they broadcast in with satellites. The timing of the incident aligns well with other actions launched by the CCP against the TV station. They used to broadcast into China through French satellite company Eutelsat, but their connection was cut. Reporters Without Borders investigated and found the Chinese regime was behind it. They now use a Taiwanese satellite."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

10:26
Google exec questions Reding's 'Right to be forgotten' pledge
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

Says certain aspects of article 17 are 'unworkable'
CPDP Google's privacy policy counsel in Brussels has questioned certain parts of European Commissioner Viviane Reding's freshly tabled draft bill on data protection law within the EU.…

10:09
O2 Fixes 'Accidental' Leak of Phone Numbers
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

judgecorp writes "British mobile operator O2 says it has stopped sharing users phone numbers with all websites, and says the breach was an accident. Yesterday, users found that the operator was automatically passing their mobile numbers to any site they visited, while using O2's mobile network,"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

10:05
Angela Merkel Demands More Power Rather Than More Funds For European Union
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

Europes debt crisis can be resolved better by further empowering the institutions of the European Union instead of pumping in more funds to the regions future bail-out fund, says German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

10:03
GlobalNews: 26 Jan 12 PM MSF suspends its operations in Misrata detention centres
» ‎ Global News

MSF charity withdraws from Libya "torture centres" / Breast implant company founder arrested / US researchers made 3D object invisible.

9:46
Washington Times launches news aggregator
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

The Washington Times has launched a new digital news site, Times247.com, which will provide a continuously updated blend of news, opinion and analysis from The Times combined with selected content from top news sources to an audience who shares conservative values. The news service will be distributed digitally to millions of opted-in readers and available over the Internet on a 24/7 basis. Users can choose the site’s home page or “The Skinny” section featuring breaking news headlines “without the filler.
http://www.ejc.net/media_news/washington_times_launches_news_aggregator/

9:36
ABBA to release first new song in 18 years
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

ABBA have announced plans to reissue their final album, "The Visitors," with a previously unreleased song on April 23.
9:34
Marg Helgenberger on shooting her final 'CSI' episode
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Goodbye, Catherine!

9:31
The (Un)usual Suspect: Why Organic Spices Aren't Always Safe
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

Salmonella contamination in organic celery seed caused headaches — and an FDA recall — for one entrepreneur. Her tale is a reminder that organic certification doesn't measure food safety; it's only about how a food was grown.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us

9:26
Afghan eQuality Alliances (AeQA) | afghanistan.usaid.gov
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - ict4d - ICTs for Development

Afghan eQuality Alliances (AeQA) | afghanistan.usaid.gov

9:26
Daily Must Reads, Jan. 26, 2012
» ‎ MediaShift

The best stories across the web on media and technology, curated by Lily Leung.

1. Facebook: Average journalist has seen 320% uptick in subscribers since fall (10,000 Words)

2. New York Times disputes claim that Daily Mail is largest newspaper in the world (BuzzFeed)

3. Netflix: We do not want to facilitate cord cutting (AdAge)

4. BuzzFeed's future looks like a newsier Facebook news feed (Atlantic Wire)

5. How CNN's iReport vets citizen content (Poynter)

6. Ad QR codes proliferate in magazines (Online Media News)

7. How to win a Facebook audience: Be topical, ask questions and tell jokes (Nieman Lab)

Subscribe to our daily Must Reads email newsletter and get the links in your in-box every weekday!

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9:14
Let's Play 'History As A List'
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

History, they say, is "one damn thing after another," but when you look down any historical list, strange, curious patterns pop out.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us

9:07
Hawaiian Bill Would Force ISPs to Track Users' Web Histories For 2 Years
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

New submitter mazinger writes "In Hawaii, a bill has been proposed to retain data on Internet users and the sites they visit. Apparently, there is also no requirement for a warrant to obtain the information from service providers. The bill affects not only ISPs but also coffee shops and anyone providing Internet access."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

8:48
Local government urged to move to more impactful website approach
» ‎ PublicTechnology.Net News - UK

Councils are being encouraged to produce simpler, more focused websites to up their ratings in an annual ranking of all local government websites.

read more
8:38
G-Cloud App Store set for mid-Feb launch?
» ‎ PublicTechnology.Net News - UK

The Government Cloud App Store may launch a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, in mid-February, not the March deadline originally laid down in last October's Strategic Implementation Plan.

That at least is the impression the man in charge of the 'Catalogue Network' - to give the Store its official Whitehall name - gave delegates to this week's Cloud Expo Europe in London Olympia.

read more

8:36
Scottish Independence: Salmond Makes The Case For Independence At His Reasonable Best - Now Its For Scotland To Decide
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

"Do you agree that Scotland should be an independent country?" would be the key question the Scottish referendum would ask the Scottish electorate, according to the consultation launched by the SNP Leader and Scotlands First Minister Alex Salmond.

8:12
EU - Commission proposes a comprehensive reform of data protection rules
» ‎ Quick Links

(RAPID)
The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive reform of the EU's data protection rules. The Commission's proposals update and modernise the principles enshrined in the 1995 Data Protection Directive to guarantee privacy rights in the future. They include a policy Communication setting out the Commission's objectives and two legislative proposals: a Regulation setting out a general EU framework for data protection and a Directive on protecting personal data processed for the purposes of prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of criminal offences and related judicial activities.
8:05
EU - Setting up the European Cloud Partnership
» ‎ Quick Links

(RAPID)
Speeh by Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, World Economic Forum Davos, Switzerland, 26th January 2012.

8:04
socialmediacharity.pdf (application/pdf Object)
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

socialmediacharity.pdf (application/pdf Object)

8:03
Europe: Failure To Curb Organised Crime In Kosovo Muddies EU Image
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

The fact that the European Unions largest police mission to Kosovo has failed to collar any leading suspects on organised crime even after four years has prompted people to question its efficacy as well as the dependability of Kosovo's leaders.

8:00
American University to Offer Master's in News Entrepreneurship
» ‎ MediaShift

Education content on MediaShift is brought to you by:

Innovation. Reputation. Opportunity. Get all the advantages journalism and PR pros need to help put their future in focus. Learn more about USC Annenberg's Master's programs.

As debris from the firewall that once separated journalism from the business of journalism continues to fly, a new educational landscape is developing, one that supports and trains those straddling the line.

American University is the latest to add to that, expecting soon to launch a full-fledged graduate degree in news entrepreneurship.

The faculty at the Washington, D.C.-based AU's School of Communications has OK'd a new 10-course, 20-month Master's in Media Entrepreneurship, and expects formal approval from the university this spring. Kickoff would be next fall.
'A Whole New Mindset'
Half of the program's dozen or so initial participants are expected to be journalists. But by creating a nights-and-weekends program targeting mid-career professionals, AU hopes to draw a mix of innovators from Washington's entrepreneurial community.

Among the possible players would be media investors, consultants, publishers and others in the tech startup crowd, as well as executive-level managers from media, public relations and the NGO world.

"It's a whole new mindset," said AU's Amy Eisman, who will be the new program's director. "This is a town where everyone is looking to move information from one place to another ... This gives a lot of people a place to find a home for their ideas."
Biz School Bent, J School Rent
The school has been testing the waters for several years with entrepreneurially focused media courses taught by faculty like Digital First's Jim Brady and Steve Buttry, PBS.org's Tom Davidson, former Gannett sales director Bill Day, longtime digital content exec Howard Parnell, and Lynette Clemetson, founding managing editor of the Washington Post's TheRoot.com. Jan Schaffer of J-Lab, a longtime incubator for news entrepreneurs, worked closely with Eisman in designing the program and will teach the opening seminar.

The program also builds on the success AU has had with other weekend programs aimed at working stiffs, including a decade-plus-long weekend M.A. program in interactive journalism.

[Disclosure: AU has been a sponsor for PBS MediaShift, promoting its M.A. program.]

There's a collaborative, cross-school feel to it, with four of the 10 courses being taught through AU's Kogod School of Business, with faculty who run its entrepreneurial program. They'll teach core courses for the new masters that focus on entrepreneurship, management, finance, marketing, media law and technology management.
Where the Rubber Hits the Road

Several new courses are being developed for the program as well, Eisman said. One will focus on managing media technology systems -- from software to agile development to how to manage projects.

Another course will spotlight how to manage audiences -- that is, how to identify, measure and monetize them.

There will also be a "capstone" course where "the rubber hits the road," Eisman said. Participants build, package, then pitch their projects to industry leaders or venture capitalists, ultimately for real funding.
Leg Up In World of Numbers
The AU master's program follows a plethora of earlier entrepreneurial journalism training initiatives that aim to help prepare journalists for a world of startups and new business ventures, where they'll need to have a handle on the figures to go along with their facts.

Digital media entrepreneurship courses are offered at Stanford University and University of Maryland, among others, while training programs can be found at the Knight Digital Media Center at USC and Poynter, and centers for digital media entrepreneurship at Syracuse University's Newhouse School and Arizona State's Cronkite School. And that's just part of the list.

But a big splash in the field was made last year by CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, when it piloted a program that has since become the nation's first entrepreneurial journalism master's program. [Disclosure: I teach at CUNY, but have no direct involvement in its entrepreneurial journalism initiatives.]
'The More Programs the Better'

The CUNY program runs four semesters, with entrepreneurially focused courses grouped into a five-class intensive final semester so mid-career journalists can participate in a certificate version as well.

The full program launches this month. Three participants, newly minted journalism grads with projects to nurture, will get the entrepreneurial masters. Another dozen -- mostly career journalists, with some media managers and tech startup survivors -- will get the certificate.

Jeremy Caplan, education director of the program, said last winter's pilot, with 10 participants, yielded some useful lessons, among them the need to tap more directly into the wealth of New York's startup culture.

And while a number of student projects last year managed to get seed funding, mostly through grants, the school also recognized the need to help students hone their project pitches more before they present to a panel of venture capitalists, journalists and other experts.

Caplan has his eye on the AU program, too. "It'll be interesting to see the direction that program takes," he noted. "From our perspective, the more programs the better, and we're excited to see a flourishing of interest in the subject."

A. Adam Glenn is associate professor, interactive, at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, and a longtime digital journalist and media consultant. Connect with him on Facebook or LinkedIn, and follow his Twitter feed. This monthly column draws liberally from conversations about digital journalism teaching practices on the online educators Facebook group of the Online News Association. The ONA Facebook group is currently a closed group but you can view ongoing conversations (see our group Q&A tracker), or join in via ONA membership.

Education content on MediaShift is brought to you by:

Innovation. Reputation. Opportunity. Get all the advantages journalism and PR pros need to help put their future in focus. Learn more about USC Annenberg's Master's programs.

This is a summary. Visit our site for the full post ».

8:00
Zeega + Localore = Innovative Local Storytelling for Public Media
» ‎ MediaShift Idea Lab

Last week, I sat in a conference room in Dorchester, Mass., with some of the great minds of public media to recommend which 10 producers and public media stations should be supported for year-long projects to transform the industry.

Localore is a new $2 million national competition produced by the Boston-based Association of Independents in Radio (AIR), with $1 million in funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, to catalyze producer-led innovation teams at local stations. Here at Zeega, this is particularly exciting because we'll be teaming up with several of the winners as creative technology partners. (For more info about Zeega, an open-source platform for creating interactive projects and documentaries, see this and this.)

To be paired with producers, stations had to produce a video to describe what made them the perfect hub for innovation. In a pretty amazing showing, 61 stations across the nation -- from Native American reservations to statewide networks to major market radio and television outlets -- added their profile to the Localore Station Runway. More than 130 producers applied with their ideas for Localore projects. The winners will be announced on February 1.

For us, these projects will play a leading role in defining much of what Zeega becomes during this early stage. Our partnership with Localore matches the strategy we've envisaged for ourselves from the beginning -- we believe firmly that great storytelling and storytellers should drive the design and development process. As opposed to traditional software development that begins with generic specs, we're committed to building out Zeega's core features through real projects tied to real producers, communities and users. And importantly, as opposed to just ending up with a bespoke mix of technology experiments after Localore ends, these projects will make a lasting contribution to the tools for public media. There will be a set of content-driven features in Zeega that will be made available for other producers and a set of rigorously documented open-source code that can be further expanded.

The Localore initiative is an outgrowth of MQ2, the AIR-driven effort that first funded Mapping Main Street, thus planting the seeds for Zeega. The Localore teams are tasked with bringing their ingenuity to blend digital and broadcast technology, and invent new forms of journalism that will appeal beyond public broadcasting's traditional core audience.

To complement this technological innovation, the initiative is based in specific geographic communities in order to deeply enrich local reporting and community engagement. This push for localism comes at a time when commercial station owners in the U.S. continue to divest their investment in local talent and stations.

Don't have iframes? Visit http://airmediaworks.org instead to see the Localore Station Runway.

Media theorist Marshall McLuhan said, "It is the artist's job to try to dislocate older media into postures that permit attention to the new. To this end, the artist must ever play and experiment with new means of arranging experience." For us, it's about searching for means to create new possibilities with what currently exists, making it, and in the process, often subverting the intentions imagined by a technology's original creators.

We'll be back with more at the beginning of February when we can share the winners!

7:43
MPs blast government ICT strategy
» ‎ PublicTechnology.Net News - UK

The government has come under fire for wasting an “obscene amount of public money” because a lack of accurate information about government IT made it impossible to identify potential overcharging.

read more

7:32
Small pile of cash, dying platform: 2011 is bad news for Nokia
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

Sales, profits, margins, all spiralling down
Nokia's results for 2011 show the company has shipped a million Lumia handsets and has cash in the bank, but other than that there's nothing good to report.…

7:12
Poland: Thousands take to streets in protests at internet censorship
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Polish cities Wednesday, some of them hurling stones at police, in protest
at an international copyright treaty criticized as a clampdown on freedom of speech on the internet.

In the city of Kielce around 700 people protested. Some of them threw bottles and stones at police, damaged cars and partially blocked traffic, Polish media reported. Police arrested 24 people. One police officer was taken to hospital for treatment.

In the largest demonstration, in Cracow, 15,000 people took to the streets in a largely peaceful protest.

Demonstrators chanted "Down with censorship" while some had a piece of tape inscribed with "ACTA" glued over their lips.

ACTA is the acronym for the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, which Poland was to sign in Tokyo on Thursday.

Opponents of the treaty, which aims to protect international intellectual property rights and fight online piracy, launched a string of attacks on Polish government websites earlier this week, jamming the websites of the Polish parliament, the prime minister’s office and the Ministry of Culture.
http://www.warsawvoice.pl/WVpage/pages/article.php/19614/news
7:10
The death of online piracy: the end of the Internet as we know it
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

By Stephen Chapman

Summary: Piracy finds its way into just about every legitimate avenue on the Internet. As such, the death of online piracy via shutting down otherwise legitimate sites and services could mean the end of the Internet as we know it.

The death of online piracy: the U.S. government wants it and copyright holders want it, but at what cost? As we’ve seen from SOPA and PIPA, the government would be willing to completely cripple the Internet to see to the death of online piracy; and now, the shuttering of MegaUpload by the U.S. government (as a result of pressure from copyright holders) has caused waves in the file-sharing business; a business that — amongst perfectly legal profits — is rife with HUGE profits that come as a direct result of the sharing of pirated content. Yes, the death of online piracy as we currently know it is going to happen at some point; but to severely cripple (never mind completely obliterate) online piracy would come at the cost of the current freedoms the Internet enjoys — be it from an end-user perspective, a service provider perspective, or both.

You see, I am more fascinated with piracy than most. It’s a topic that has captivated me for many years and the debates sparked on the subject are absolutely riveting when intelligible people opinionate from either side. Plus, my security consulting endeavors and Google hacking escapades have opened my eyes to more avenues of piracy than are readily apparent to most. As such, to effectively end online piracy, I see that FAR more will have to be done than simply shutting down file-sharing sites. I fear that the most significant changes will be brought forth by legislation, and it WILL happen one day if the piracy war continues as it has thus far.

To give you a small and scary sampling of what obliterating online piracy might mean for the Internet, I present the following points for your consideration:

1 - File-sharing site censorship: Put simply, a complete restructuring and lock-down of file-sharing sites would have to occur for them to even exist. And though it could work just fine in theory, it couldn’t work without handing over a certain amount of freedom and convenience. Every file uploaded to a file-sharing site would have to somehow be guaranteed to either not be copyrighted, or the uploader would have to provide credentials which, under certain guidelines/legislation, show that they can share what they’re sharing — most likely with an intended number of receivers who might also have to provide proper access credentials. As it currently stands, it’s FAR too easy to fly in under the radar of current file-sharing sites that try to auto-detect copyrighted files. Gone would be the days of file-name obfuscation and password-protected 7-zip files.

Ultimately, even if file-sharing sites weren’t as locked down as this scenario suggests, it’s quite clear that the DMCA system is broken. Yes, even sites like Rapidshare and Hotfile — who react promptly to DMCA requests — are still slam-PACKED with copyrighted files that are being furiously downloaded this very second by paying members who can afford $10 a month for a super-fast and convenient way to download copious amounts of copyrighted movies, music, games, and more.

2 - Government-mandated deep packet inspection: Though it wouldn’t matter where you downloaded from, deep packet inspection would massively reduce piracy from torrents, P2P, newsgroups, IRC, and everywhere else. Naturally, it would be easy to circumnavigate this type of thing with a combination of file-name obfuscation (changing the name of a file to something unrelated) and password-protected compressed files, but that simply brings us to the next point…

3 - Tiered Internet access and data plans: Do you have a cell phone with a data plan? Imagine if you had to follow a similar plan with your home ISP. Even worse, what if ALL Internet access was bound by a pay-as-you-go plan? That may sound ridiculous, but after some of the generalizations suggested in SOPA and PIPA, it sounds about par for the course! I could also see an Internet restricted by a type of certification process, whereby a Web site must undergo an inspection to be allowed onto the “freely accessible” Internet — a tier that you could access without getting charged. And if a site that was allowed access failed to abide by the rules after being approved, then the site would be removed and the owner (and possibly even the hosting company) would be severely reprimanded. Again, this all may sound ridiculous, but I’m shooting for some worst-case scenario stuff here to spark debate.

4 - Search engine censorship: If you want to see to the death of online piracy, then you must also consider nixing all the paths that lead one to pirated content. Yes, that means Google, Bing, and every other type of search engine would have to be censored and severely crippled so as to not return results leading one to downloadable copyrighted content they don’t intend on paying for. For someone like me who is absolutely in love with search, I can’t imagine a worse fate than this since it would surely mean severely lacking search results on some level.

Does that all sound crazy to you? Some of it does to me, but I have no doubt that all of the above has been brought to the table as a serious consideration by copyright holders and/or the government at some point. The reason I have no doubt about that is primarily due to China. Just have a look at the details of Internet censorship in the People’s Republic of China and marinate on all of that for a bit.

Now, why am I even bothering to write an article about this? What’s the point? Well, my point is to show that an Internet without at least some amount of piracy is an Internet that lacks some portion of the freedom it currently enjoys: the more piracy is obliterated, the more locked-down the Internet will become. Or so that’s how I see it, at least. The fight against piracy is a full-on war in the eyes of copyright holders, and in war, there are always casualties. Unfortunately, I think the casualties would come in the form of Internet freedom.

And now that I have you feeling like the world as you know it is going to end (it is 2012, after all… *wink, wink* *nudge, nudge*), there is a scenario that very well might play out which I would love to see happen: the influential seats of government and big money corporations being turned over to intelligible, competent Internet lovers who can come to reasonable/logical conclusions. I’m talking about people who use Reddit, understand what a meme is, make usage of Google’s advanced search operators, and — most importantly — know when legislation is presented that seeks to censor or threaten the freedom of the Internet. Hopefully, this would happen long before the Internet was stripped of said freedom.

So, am I saying that online piracy is necessary? Well, no, but if the Internet is to remain free, then accepting that piracy is going to *always* happen in *some* part is something that’s going to have to be done by copyright holders who are seeking legislation as an action to prevent it.

To close, I’d like to note that I understand there are PLENTY of loopholes present and counterpoints to be made to much of what I’ve said above, but it would take a novel to accurately portray the entirety of my opinions and observations on this matter. Not only that, but statistically speaking, only a fraction of you have read this far anyway (this article is just shy of 1500 words — a miracle for most to read through these days) — and besides, I want to see what you all think based on what I’ve said thus far. I want to see some REAL discussion happen on this matter. Also, I understand that the Internet is a global network and not all of the points listed above pertain to all governments, but the battle of piracy extends well beyond the borders of the U.S. government, so discussion is relevant on the topic no matter where you’re reading from.

And now, I turn it over to you! Do you even care about piracy or think that it has the power to cripple the Internet? If you do care about the topic of piracy, then what suggestions would you like to offer that you think would make a difference to those seeking to collect from its supposed damages? Get crazy in the comments below!
http://www.zdnet.com/blog/seo/the-death-of-online-piracy-the-end-of-the-internet-as-we-know-it/4503

7:07
Virtual meeting smackdown! 15 top Web conferencing services compared
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Virtual meeting smackdown! 15 top Web conferencing services compared

7:05
Foreign Data Unsafe From US Patriot Act, Says American Law Firm
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

natecochrane writes "A prestigious law firm warns non-U.S. businesses their data is unsafe from costly and invasive raids by American law enforcement even if they host their data in their own countries. The wide interpretation of the USA Patriot Act ensures U.S. cops can legally demand data from almost anyone, anywhere for any reason and countries and their citizens are largely powerless to resist. The advice has resonance with the arrest this week of Kim 'Dotcom' on alleged copyright violations in the U.S."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

7:03
UN: Free Speech on the Internet
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

Washington, D.C., January 20, 2012—The Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Catalina Botero Marino, and the United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Frank La Rue, today called on the United States to be vigorous in protecting freedom of speech on the Internet. The Special Rapporteurs recalled that legislation regulating the Internet should take into account the special characteristics of the Internet as a unique and transformative tool that enables billions of individuals to exercise their right to freedom of thought and expression as well as a range of other human rights.

The Special Rapporteurs have taken particular note of the discussions surrounding two Internet piracy bills currently pending in the United States Congress, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act. While these bills pursue a legitimate objective in seeking to protect intellectual property rights, serious concerns have been raised regarding their impact on freedom of expression. In particular, versions of the draft legislation have the potential to silence a good deal of entirely lawful speech, for example by creating an extrajudicial ‘notice-and-termination’ procedure, by requiring websites to police their user-generated content for copyright infringement, and by allowing for an entire website to be targeted if even a small portion of its content is deemed to infringe. The Special Rapporteurs note with satisfaction that in recent days, certain Congressional leaders stated their intention to suspend debate on SOPA in order to pursue further discussion and consensus, while the Obama Administration announced that it “will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.”

In June 2011, the UN and IACHR Special Rapporteurs joined with their fellow special mandate holders from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to issue a Joint Declaration on Freedom of Expression and the Internet. This Joint Declaration states that while freedom of expression, including on the Internet, is not absolute, tailored approaches must be developed that respond to illegal content while recognizing the Internet’s unique characteristics and its ability to deliver positive freedom of expression outcomes. The Declaration states that intermediaries should not be required to monitor user-generated content, and stresses the need to protect them from liability unless they specifically intervene in content or disobey a court order to remove such content. The Declaration further states that jurisdiction in legal cases relating to Internet content should be restricted to States to which those cases have a real and substantial connection.

In addition, all restrictions on freedom of expression, including those that affect speech on the Internet, should be clearly and precisely established by law, proportionate to the legitimate aims pursued, and based on a judicial determination in adversarial proceedings. In this regard, legislation regulating the Internet should not contain vague and sweeping definitions or disproportionately affect legitimate websites and services.

The UN and IACHR Special Rapporteurs call on the United States to uphold international free speech norms, including those reflected in the aforementioned Joint Declaration, which seeks to promote universal access to the Internet while preserving its role as a revolutionary medium for participatory information sharing and collaboration in the creation of content. In considering both domestic legislation and international treaties such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, States should recall that while freedom of expression may be limited in the pursuit of legitimate objectives such as the prevention of crime or the protection of the rights of others, such limitations should be narrowly tailored and interfere to the least extent possible with the right to freedom of expression. Any measure that affects speech on the Internet should be specifically designed to preserve the Internet’s unique capacity to promote freedom of expression by facilitating the free exchange of information and ideas instantaneously and inexpensively regardless of frontiers.

Source and Picture: UN, Frank La Rue

http://guatemala-times.com/news/world/2878-un-free-speech-on-the-internet.html

7:00
The $16, 000 mistake: Robber shoots himself in foot
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

HIS job was to stand guard while his gang robbed a bank, but instead he gave 'shot himself in the foot' a whole new meaning.

6:39
Education: Nick Gibb Claims Underperforming Schools Let Children Down
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

Recent figures show that students who start behind struggle to catch up. Fresh data reveals that just 6.5% of pupils in England who start secondary school whilst behind for their age goes on to get five A* to Cs at GCSE level.
6:19
UK Constitutional Future: Is British Identity Waning Among The English? New Survey Says It Is
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

A new report on Englishness has discovered that voters in England have begun giving greater stress on calling themselves English instead of being known as British.

6:03
Nintendo cuts full-year forecast – by BILLIONS
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

Super Mario-maker hopes Wii U release can help it power-up
The mighty yen and weak sales have combined to take a whack out of Nintendo, forcing the Japanese gaming firm to forecast an even bigger full-year loss.…

6:00
An educator’s top 5 tools for social change
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

An educator’s top 5 tools for social change

6:00
The Busiest Month
» ‎ RTÉ - Documentary On One

For the Houlihan family in Nurney, Co.Kildare, January is the busiest month. They make a centuries-old Irish traditional favourite. What is it? The clue is in their location and the fact that they have to have it ready for February 1st.

5:51
24 best practices for nonprofits using Twitter
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

24 best practices for nonprofits using Twitter

5:26
Social Care Reforms: Welsh Minister Unveils Plans To Empower People In Care And Transform Social Care Delivery
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

There have been calls for a stronger voice in social services in Wales. Gwenda Thomas, the Deputy Minister for Children and Social Services in Wales, said that, This Bill provides us with the legislative basis that meets the changing needs of the people of Wales.

5:26
Gillard rescued from Aborginal protest
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan. 26 - Police rush the Australian Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, away from angry protesters as concerns for her safety grew. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

5:14
Apple and Google ramp up proxy war
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

Motorola flings another 6 patent suits at the Fruity One
Apple and Google might not be facing each other across a courtroom, but they're fighting just the same, with the Chocolate Factory wielding Motorola against the fondleslab-maker.…

4:48
Fukushima's animals abandoned and left to die
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

When you stand in the center of Japan's exclusion zone, there is absolute silence. The exclusion zone is the 20-kilometer (12-mile) radius around the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant, an area of high radiation contamination.

4:16
Cops: Man, 65, kills teen who knocks him off bicycle
» ‎ MSNBC.com: Most Viewed

A 65-year-old man who was knocked off his bicycle by three teenagers on a Pennsylvania trial shot two of them, killing one, police said according to reports.
4:16
NY model tells of drug-fueled romp with De La Hoya
» ‎ MSNBC.com: Most Viewed

A Playboy model said on Wednesday she feared she would die while trapped in a luxury hotel room with former boxing champ Oscar De La Hoya during a night of drugs and kinky sex.
4:16
Thrun leaving Stanford for online startup
» ‎ MSNBC.com: Most Viewed

When a Stanford University professor first offered a free online version of his "Introduction to Artificial Intelligence" class, he attracted 160,000 students from around the world. Now he has given up his tenured academic position to create a startup that could deliver university-level education for low cost to anyone with an Internet connection.

4:16
Argentina decries PM's 'nonsense'
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

Argentina's upper house, the Senate, is set to discuss the future of the Falkland Islands at a meeting later.
4:16
'Invisibility cloak' breakthrough
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

For the first time researchers achieve the "cloaking" of a three-dimensional object to make it invisible as viewed from any angle.
4:16
Rio high-rise building collapses
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

Part of a multi-storey building collapses in the centre of Rio de Janeiro, with unconfirmed reports that up to 11 people are dead.
4:16
PIP breast implant boss arrested
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

The owner of a French breast implant maker at the centre of an international safety scare is arrested in the south of France, police sources say.
4:16
Gillard 'rescued' amid protests
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

Australia's prime minister and opposition leader are rescued from a restaurant where they became trapped by an angry protest, local media says.
4:16
People who snubbed honours named
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

The author Roald Dahl and artist Lucian Freud are revealed to be among those who have turned down honours from the Queen, as a secret list is published.
4:16
Bill Gates school mystery speaker
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

When a south London secondary school asked for an inspiring guest speaker to talk to their pupils, they didn't expect Bill Gates to turn up.
4:16
Anti-Semitism still haunts Germany
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

The BBC's Stephen Evans explores the persistence of anti-Semitism in Germany after an official report says it is "deeply rooted" in society.
4:16
Web treaty protests across Poland
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

More than 10,000 people take to Poland's streets in protest at ministers signing a treaty activists say will result in internet censorship.
4:16
Can Skype help catch criminals?
» ‎ BBC News | Most Popular Stories | World Edition

There have been a number of instances when people have witnessed crimes on Skype - but how much does this help investigators?

4:10
Global Turmoil: Inequality and the radical middle?
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

Global leaders are once again meeting this week in Davos, Switzerland to discuss and one hopes find solutions to the increasingly volatile economic and political forces shaping our world.

4:02
BBC's images of murdered infant did not breach privacy, copyright
» ‎ The Register - Internet and Law

Court rules: Happier times snaps from trial were in public interest
Copyright and privacy law do not prevent the BBC from publishing images of a murdered child, a Scottish criminal appeals court has ruled.…

4:01
U.S. Commandos Free 2 Hostages From Somali Pirates
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Navy Seals, drawn from the unit that killed Osama bin Laden, rescued two hostages, including an American woman, who had been held for months.

4:00
European Court Of Human Rights Should Focus On Its Core Purpose - Speech By Prime Minister David Cameron 25 Jan 2012
» ‎ eGovMonitor - UK

The Prime Minister reaffirmed Britain's commitment to human rights as he called for reform of the ECHR and urged the court to refocus on the gross violations of human rights.

4:00
The iEconomy: Apple’s iPad and the Human Costs for Workers in China
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

A staggering manufacturing system in China has made it possible for Apple and other companies to make devices almost as quickly as they can be dreamed up, but for workers, it can be dangerous.

Permalink for 'Google_News___Online_campaigning/2012/01/26/Fla._primary_s_2_man_fight_on_stage_in_2nd_debate___Boston.com'

3:32

Fla. primary's 2-man fight on stage in 2nd debate - Boston.com

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

3:15
Your Nonprofit Technology Community | NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Your Nonprofit Technology Community | NTEN: The Nonprofit Technology Network

2:46
JeDEM - eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - e-democracy

JeDEM - eJournal of eDemocracy and Open Government

2:21
Penn State to pay tribute to Paterno at public memorial
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Thousands will attend a public memorial for Joe Paterno on Thursday, a day after mourners lined the streets to watch the hearse carrying the legendary Penn State coach drive through campus to his final resting place.

2:08
Is iMessage Starting to Take a Bite Out of Standard Texting?
» ‎ Textually - SMS/Mobile Politics

Nevan Mrgan, an app developer for Apples mobile operating system, saw a noticeable decline in the number of standard text messages he was sending almost immediately after Apple rolled out iMessage on Oct. 12. [via Bits]

... Although the number of text messages sent by cellphone customers in the United States is still growing, that growth is slowing, and many analysts expect that it will gradually taper off. Countries like Finland and Hong Kong are already seeing serious shifts in the number of text messages their cellphone customers send.

AT&T and Verizon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on whether they were noticing an impact on their businesses.

Read full article.

2:00
OzLog: Unlimited Private Data Retention For Australia?
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

AHuxley writes "Australia would like to follow the EU down the 'European Directive on Data Retention' path. Law enforcement agencies may have the option to request a log of all a users of interest telco usage without any review or time limits. From the article: 'The proposal — known popularly as ‘OzLog’ — first came to light in June 2010, when AGD confirmed it had been examining the European Directive on Data Retention (PDF) to consider whether it would be beneficial for Australia to adopt a similar regime. The directive requires telcos to record data such as the source, destination and timing of all emails and telephone calls – even including internet telephony.'"

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

1:52
AppLab -- an Initiative of the Grameen Foundation [Home]
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - ict4d - ICTs for Development

AppLab -- an Initiative of the Grameen Foundation [Home]

1:44
How to find a great domain name (or Twitter handle)
» ‎ Alexa Samuel's Otherwise Engaged
Read the original post at How to find a great domain name (or Twitter handle).
This post is part of a short series that addresses the top questions at Web Fuelled Business, a training program for thousands of companies across the UK run by Doug Richard’s School For Startups. I’ve developed the social media component for this training.

One of the recurring questions at last week’s workshops was:

Should my domain name and Twitter handle match?

You want your Twitter handle, website URL and company name to be as close as possible, and you want them to be memorable and easy for someone to get right when they enter it into Google. If you have yet to buy a domain name for your business, try to find a domain that is also available as a Twitter handle — or is very closely related. For example, our company is Social Signal, our domain is www.socialsignal.com and our Twitter handle is @socialsignal.

How did we achieve this feat of co-ordination? We chose the name for our company based on the available URLs. (Back in 2005, there was more selection — and since we started before Twitter did, we had our pick of Twitter handles when the day came!) We knew our company was going to do only social web projects, so we wanted the word “social” in our name. (Awesome luck that Web 2.0 went out of style and the term “social media” became the industry standard instead.)

I’m in love with OneLook for just this kind of challenge. We used OneLook to search for phrases that included the word social, and then we narrowed the results to “common words and phrases only”. Then we went through the list, and whenever we found a phrase we thought *might* work, we popped over to our favourite domain registrar (these days it’s Hover.com) to see if the name we liked was available as both a .com and a .org (because we did a lot of work in the not-for-profit sector) and ideally also .ca (Canada) and .net. Of the various phrases that were available at the time, “social signal” seemed like the best bet (strangely, it no longer appears in the OneLook search results.)

OneLook search results

DomainsBot search results

Another tool that is great for finding that perfect domain is DomainsBot. You can put any word into the DomainsBot search engine, and it will show you a list of all the available domains. You can choose a keyword related to your area of business or company name, and it will give you a list of all the possible domains you could register that contain that keyword or its synonyms and variants, which you can then register with the domain registrar of your choice. This is how I recently became the proud owner of bootseeker.com, so that I could create an affiliate marketing site that would allow me to monetize my compulsive boot shopping, until I stopped to ask what would a normal person do and realized a normal person wouldn’t expect their Friday night boot-browsing to generate an income stream.

Once you’ve found an available domain you like, double-check that it’s available on Twitter before you register. If you can’t get a domain name and Twitter handle that match, you may want to think about a different name/Twitter pairing. And if you are a new company, or one that isn’t known by its corporate brand (maybe you’re known more by the names of your principals, or you’re a walk-in business) you might even think of changing the name of your company to align with an available domain name and Twitter handle.

Having a memorable domain name is much more important than having a matching Twitter handle — you can san always come up with a Twitter handle that is a slight variant, or even fun name, and use the “name” field in Twitter to enter your company’s URL so it shows up whenever people see one of your Tweets. (This is another reason you want your URL to match your company name.) When you are choosing your URL and handle try to:
- Get a .com domain, and if applicable the national domain for your country (like .ca or .co.uk) and possibly the .net and .org as well.
- Register possible typos or points of confusion — for example we own social signals.com and alexandrasamuels.com. Redirect all your extra URLs to your main site.
- Avoid domain names (or company names, or Twitter handles) that could be confusing if they are heard rather than read. That means puns are a bad idea. If you have a chance to do a radio interview that will let you promote your rabbit farm, you want people going to hareraising.com and not hairraising.com. Which is a great reason to put your website (and company) at RaisingRabbits.com instead.
- Keep your Twitter handle as short as possible since you will want people to “retweet” your posts, and the number of characters in your username (handle) will count against the 140-character maximum when they do.
- Google any name or term you are thinking of using as a domain and/or Twitter handle, so that you know if anybody else is already using it — even if they don’t have the domain, you want to be careful before exposing yourself to potential confusion. So think about whether the other people or organizations using that name could be confused with yours, or could siphon traffic from your site.
If all this sounds like a lot to consider when naming or branding your business, remember that great creativity often comes from great constraint. The fact that it can be hard to find a good URL — let alone an URL and Twitter handle — is hard to find means that you’ll have to think creatively about how to find your name and nice. The great news is that once you find your great name, you’ve made it easy for your customers to find you.

Read more about better living with social media by visiting Love your life online

1:43
North Korea threatens to punish mobile-phone users as 'war criminals'
» ‎ Textually - SMS/Mobile Politics

North Korea has warned that any of its citizens caught trying to defect to China or using mobile phones during the 100-day mourning period for Kim Jong-il will be branded as "war criminals" and punished accordingly.

[via The Telegraph]

1:11
International Privacy Day: Threats to Personal Data and the People Who Fight Them
» ‎ Electronic Frontier Foundation
This January 28 marks International Privacy Day. Different countries around the world are celebrating this day with their own events. This year, we are honoring the day by calling attention to recent international privacy threats and interviewing data protection authorities, government officials, and activists to gain insight into various aspects of privacy rights and related legislation in their own respective countries.

These are a list of the articles we'll be posting, which we'll be adding to in the coming days. You can follow our series by subscribing to EFF on Twitter, identi.ca, Facebook, or by checking back to this page. We’ll be listing the articles below.

————

1:01
Obama detached from reality: Romney
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan. 26 - Back on the campaign trail, Mitt Romney attacks the president for being in "Fantasy Land" and Newt Gingrinch takes aim at Romney on immigration. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports.
0:36
Papua New Guinea soldiers mutiny
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan 26 - Australian media reports Papua New Guinea defence chief Brigadier General Francis Agwi has been seized in a power struggle. Marie-Claire Fennessy reports.

0:30
Critic’s Notebook: Penn South and Pruitt-Igoe, Starkly Different Housing Tales
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Penn South, a housing development in Chelsea, and the ill-fated Pruitt-Igoe project in St. Louis shared a type of housing stock but little else.

0:27
Confusion as building collapses in Rio
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

RUBBLE left strewn over a massive area after building collapse in Brazilian city leaves authorities scrambling.

0:03
Fed to Maintain Rates Near Zero Through Late 2014
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

The Federal Reserve said it was not likely to raise interest rates until the end of 2014, adding 18 months to the expected duration of its response to the slump.

0:00
GlobalNews: 26 Jan 12 AM Torture in revolutionary Libya
» ‎ Global News

Torture in revolutionary Libya/ Pakistan's defective heart drugs/ Guatemala's old guard on trial

January 25, 2012
23:57
Scots Begin Bid for Vote on Independence
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Scottish authorities set out on Wednesday to prepare the ground for a potentially divisive referendum on their land’s independence after three centuries of union with England.

23:56
'Man will live on the moon if I get into power'
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

US presidential candidate promises to build permanent moon colony by 2020 if elected.
23:53
PNG deputy PM issues ultimatum to army
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

UPDATE: PNG's deputy PM has given mutinous soldiers less than three hours to clear out or face the full force of the law.
23:53
Castro will be 'taken of planet' if I'm elected
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

MITT Romney says he would take a much more aggressive stance against Communist regime in Cuba than Barack Obama.

23:01
Well Blog: The Kettlebell Workout for Back and Neck Pain
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Kettle-shaped iron weights, which have been used for centuries to train Russian soldiers and athletes, appear to be a promising therapy for back, neck and shoulder pain, new research shows.

23:01
Want To Make A Giant Telescope Mirror? Here's How
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

Astronomers want increasingly large telescopes to peer into the depths of space. To build a solid telescope mirror nearly 30 feet across, you need an oven that heats to 2,100 degrees Fahrenheit and spins around like a top.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us
23:01
Quiznos Gives Up Control To Stave Off Bankruptcy
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

Quiznos once boasted 5,000 restaurants, but a slumping economy, higher supply-chain costs and tough competition from Subway have left the sandwich chain in tough straits. After seeing hundreds of its stores close, Quiznos gave up control to one of its biggest creditors to avoid bankruptcy.
» E-Mail This » Add to Del.icio.us

23:00
City Hall and CCRB Negotiate Over Hiring Freeze
» ‎ Gotham Gazette: New York City News and Public Policy

Will City Hall grant an exception to the hiring freeze so that the Civilian Complaint Review Board can hire a lawyer and independently prosecute police misconduct?

21:57
Will Israel Attack Iran?
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

For the first time since the Iranian nuclear threat emerged, the conditions for an Israeli assault have been met.

21:53
The anachronistic social media isolationist
» ‎ J.D. Lasica

To follow up on my last post, Being pretty isn’t enough for social media success, I wanted to discuss what I like to call Social Media Isolationism or Social Media Agoraphobia. And there are two forms of this sort of isolationism: invitational and exclusionary. They both mean you don't venture outside your own four social media walls; however, the first is welcoming and the other is dismissive.
The welcoming pineapple
Jay Gatsby was a welcoming pineapple. He desperately wanted to woo his beloved Daisy and opened his grand home hoping he just might, one night, find her at one of his lavish parties. Or, at the very least, create enough buzz so that his lost love might hear of him and ask about him.

Not always the direct result of a grand romantic gesture, the welcoming pineapple is often associated with the feeling that one is so appealing, so compelling a brand, product, or service that your friends and neighbors should very well come a-calling. You host awesome dinner parties, right? You have the biggest television, have your own pool and tennis court, and have several guest rooms. Why would you ever want to leave your own social media home?

Why wouldn't everyone want to take advantage of your generosity and party favor to want to go anywhere else, to say nothing of staying home in their pallid, beige, one-bedroom apartments? This generosity often comes with the stink of superiority or ego that eventually turns people off.

And if the proffered goodies are so compelling as to compel, this commitment might very well be contingent only upon the bounty, the booty, the swag lavished. In other words, your friends are bought and paid for and are your friends forever (or until you run out of cookies and candies and a subscription to cable).

In terms of a country, this open-border country would be glad to allow anyone in but since this country is obviously so awesome, offering everything and anything you could very well ever want in the first place, people just visit, nobody really ever leaves and a majority don't even possess a passport.
Good fences make good neighbors
There are other social media isolationists who treat their following like a gardener maintains a Bonsai tree: letting it grow then pruning it back. Limiting its natural growth patterns with the goal of cultivating something elegant, controllable, exceptional, and beautiful — and planned. The operative word here is control.

There is a strong desire among the good fences variety of social media isolationists to want to maintain a semblance of control over brand perception, brand response, and brand buzz. This social media isolationist would surely turn off (or moderate) comments if at all possible.

This form of social media agoraphobic never lowers himself to engaging with riffraff and never suffers fools gladly. In many cases, he blocks competitors, rarely follows anyone back, and limits real engagement to the worthy and the notable. Only A-listers need apply.

This is the sort of social media expert who most likely has a pristine living room with white couches and chairs neatly enshrined in a clear vinyl cover. This is the sort of person who collects beautiful heritage silver and china, never to see the copious staining gravies and beet juice of a holiday dinner.

It doesn't matter that social media is, by its very nature, chaotic, organic, anonymous, spontaneous, unpredictable, and crazy; it means nothing that the life of something beautiful can readily be strangled out of it when the collar's too tight; and it means nothing that your detailed business plan and marketing strategy may be too macro, too myopic — that what you've made exclusively for one use may well be adopted "off prescription" for something completely different and more profitable — something this sort of isolationist would very well never be able to see.

And, if he could, he wouldn't want it that way because that's not the right way and it shouldn't be done this way. Social media's just not cricket.

In terms of a country, this walled-up land would be glad to exclude everyone; but, more realistically, it's willing to limit visas and green cards to only the pedigreed: money, power, influence, esteem, connections, or education. Full funding for controlled borders and everyone had better carry their papers with them. I mean, why allow anyone in, since this country is obviously so awesome.

A majority possess passports; however, why leave? Too much chaos, uncertainty, and people who don't look like the sort of people they're used to.
Social media globalists unite
Neither the welcoming pineapple nor the good fences are effective in social media marketing because there are innately no borders in the Internet. Yes, maybe there is are language and cultural barriers, but these are as meaningless as the lines that separate nation states.

The Internet has rendered the world flat. Facebook is expected to reach a billion members in April.

And that's to say nothing of the bloggers, the tweeters, the pinsters, the borders, the messengers, the redditers, the diggers, the flickrers, the tumblrs, the googlers, and, yes, even the spacers — they're global, they curious, they're ambitious, and they have as much right to your attention as anyone else.

Whether you're an exclusionary or inclusive isolationist, you're still unwilling to leave your social media homeland. You're unwilling to go out there and meet your future real best friends. Instead, you either having to buy them or remain too afraid and afeard to make friends at all--or at least the wrong type of friends.

To be sure, you'll never know where your next windfall will come from. You also don't know who that fairy godmother is or what she looks like. It's essential to get out there and spend some of your time and energy going exploring, finding new lands and new faces, and expanding your natural core, your natural base.

While there may well be zero barriers to you because the Internet has flattened the business world for you, there are also zero barriers between you and your best future customers! So, go git 'em Tiger!

Via BiznologyChris Abraham is a partner in Socialmedia.biz and co-founder and principal of Abraham Harrison LLC, an international consulting group with specialties in online word-of-mouth/conversation marketing and online business & technology strategy advising. See his profile, contact Chris via email, Twitter, or leave a comment below.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported.

21:36
Building collapses in Rio
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan. 26 - Tall building collapses in Rio de Janeiro's downtown district, following an explosion likely caused by a gas leak. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

21:21
US Army to cut combat brigades
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

THE US Army plans to slash its number of combat brigades from 45 to as few as 32, according to US officials familiar with the plans.
20:41
Mum wants $50m after son decapitated by train
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

A MOTHER wants $50 million because her son was killed after being hit by a train as he willingly walked through a subway tunnel.

20:22
Russian spacecraft launch
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan 26 - Russian spacecraft, ISS Progress 46, launches for supply run to International Space Station. Rough Cut (No reporter narration)

20:10
U.S. special forces rescue Somalia aid workers
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

U.S. Special Forces parachuted overnight into Somalia from fixed-wing planes, then advanced on foot to a compound holding two kidnapped international aid workers and freed them, U.S. officials said Wednesday.
19:53
Missing Georgia woman found dead
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

A 36-year-old woman who was reported missing shortly after Christmas has been found dead in Atlanta, authorities said Wednesday.

19:40
Gingrich wants colony on moon (not of Newts)
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

US Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is promising to establish a permanent base on the moon by 2020 if he's elected.

19:32
East Haven, Conn., Police Officers Accused of Mistreating Latinos
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Three East Haven police officers and their supervisor were charged with beating and harassing Latinos, trying to cover up their actions and thwarting efforts to investigate their conduct.

19:25
Metaphysical Bargain Shoppers Alert: Psychic Cleaning Only $1.99!
» ‎ Rik Panganiban's Click Heard Round the World

Spotted in Mountain View, CA.

19:18
Prisoner on run after hospital escape
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

A MANHUNT was underway today for a prisoner who escaped from his guards on the way to a hospital with the help of a gunman.

19:03
Revolutionary Wants Technology To Transform Libya
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

pbahra writes in with the story of Khaled el Mufti, the network-security engineer who was in charge of providing telecommunications for the Libyan revolution. "It isn't often you get the chance to meet a real revolutionary. It is a term cheapened by misuse, but Khaled el Mufti is a revolutionary. It is no exaggeration to say that the role he played in the Libyan uprising last year was crucial; had he and his telecoms team failed, it isn't hard to think that Col. Muammar Gadhafi might still be in power. Today, Mr. Mufti is a telecoms adviser to the interim government and heads the e-Libya initiative, a bold plan to use the transformative powers of technology to modernize the Libyan state, overturning 40 years of corruption and misrule under Gadhafi. Mr. Mufti is an unlikely revolutionary, a softly spoken network-security engineer with a degree from Imperial College in London. Almost by chance he was in his native Libya when the revolution took place, working on a project with BT in the capital, Tripoli."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

18:52
Connecticut mayor apologizes for 'taco' comment
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

The mayor of East Haven, Connecticut, apologized Wednesday for saying he would help Latinos in his town by eating tacos, a remark that sparked anger from state officials and immigrant advocates already fuming over allegations of police mistreatment of Latinos in his city.

18:41
Drug lab up in smoke in Colombia
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan. 25 - Colombian anti-narcotic agents deal severe blow to drug traffickers after finding and destroying dozens of makeshift drug labs deep in the jungle. Deborah Lutterbeck reports.

Permalink for 'Google_News___Online_campaigning/2012/01/25/Internet_focus_allows_super_PAC_to_stay_lean___Washington_Post'

18:23

Internet focus allows super PAC to stay lean - Washington Post

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

18:21
Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications · fdncenter · Storify
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Brandraising: How Nonprofits Raise Visibility and Money Through Smart Communications · fdncenter · Storify

18:07
Hajj exhibition at British Museum
» ‎ guardian.co.uk: Most viewed
Islamic pilgrimage display is the first of its kind and includes pilgrims' diaries and priceless ancient manuscripts
Objects banal and beautiful have been brought together by the British Museum in an exhibition tracing the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca, including priceless manuscripts and textiles, a Victorian Thomas Cook train ticket and blue plastic razors distributed by the Saudi government to all male pilgrims.
The exhibition, which opens on Thursday, is the first in any museum in the world to focus on the pilgrimage, which was already ancient when Muhammad completed his journey in the early 7th century. From 20,000 such travellers in 1932, in one week last year just under three million people undertook the hajj.
As non-Muslims, neither the director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor, nor the lead curator, Venetia Porter, can ever set foot at the sites or experience the rituals the exhibition describes. "In a way that's the point of the exhibition," MacGregor said. "The hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and the only one which non-Muslims are not welcomed to observe or share. The purpose of the British Museum when it was founded was to enable its visitors to understand the world better, and this must surely meet that objective."
MacGregor described the hajj as "the high point of the intersection between theology and logistics".
The exhibition traces the suppliers of travellers' provisions, the organisers of camel caravans, the queen who left a legacy of a chain of wells and rest houses, and the builders who constructed railways specially for the pilgrims.
The show also looks at the appointment of Thomas Cook in the 19th century as the official hajj travel agent: the company found it insufficiently profitable and dropped it.
Porter, an internationally recognised expert on the history and culture of Islam, could go no closer than the Red sea port of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, the site where medieval pilgrims landed by dhow after journeys of up to 1,000 miles often beset by hunger, thirst, attacks by brigands and pirates, and shipwreck.
She followed the paths through the old town to Mecca Gate, where she stood looking wistfully down the road towards the city only 40 miles away.
Loans came from 13 countries, however, so Porter did get to many other places of legend, including Timbuktu to borrow ancient manuscripts covering some of the earliest travellers' accounts.
Her colleague and co-curator, Qaisra Khan, went on the hajj for the first time last year, charged with collecting souvenirs for the exhibition and the permanent collection – including the simple white robes worn by pilgrims, a glass model of the Ka'bah, the empty black cube at the heart of the ceremonies, and a digital Qur'an.
She said she found it an overwhelming experience. "Surrounded by so many millions of devout people, I thought what do I do now, pray or buy souvenirs? So I did both. I told everyone what I was doing and why, but I don't think they believed me."
The exhibition includes the travel diaries and photographs of several outsiders who did go on the hajj, including the explorer and writer Richard Burton, whose account of his travels in disguise in 1853 became a best seller.
Lady Evelyn Cobbold, a Scots aristocrat, wrote: "It seems that I have always been a Moslem." She became the first British Muslim woman to make the pilgrimage, in 1933. Another convert was Harry St John Philby – famous as the father of the spy Kim Philby. There is also an immaculately written diary of a 10-year-old English girl, Saleena Nur Mohamed, who made the journey with her family in 2006, and wrote that she tried not to look at the Ka'bah until she reached a point where she could get a clear view: "Such a simple object structurally, yet so majestic and awe inspiring."
Although the exhibition includes ancient textiles which once hung over and inside the Ka'bah, and a little leather pouch of dust gathered from its floor, there is no image of the interior of the shrine about which outsiders have always been curious.
Burton got close enough to touch the black stone, polished smooth by millions of hands. He returned later, and did manage to get inside, surreptitiously making notes in pencil on his white robe, and recording: "I will not deny that, looking at the windowless walls, the officials at the door, and a crowd of excited fanatics below … my feelings were of the trapped-rat description."
Although the exhibition organisers had Islamic advisers, deciding not to display the Ka'bah interior had nothing to do with religious sensitivities.
"There were almost no photographs of the interior of the Ka'bah, and none of a high enough quality to exhibit," Porter said. "We know it's a bare empty space, but I've never seen a good image and I'll never go there, so it is fair to say that at the heart of the exhibition there remains a mystery."
• Members of Guardian Extra are invited to an evening at the exhibition followed by a two-course meal and curator's talk with a Q&A session. The event takes place on 3 February at 5.30pm. For more information, go to guardian.co.uk/extra
Maev Kennedy
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds

17:51
Brazil: “Massacre of Pinheirinho” Causes an Uproar
» ‎ Global Voices - Cyber-Activism

[All the links lead to Portuguese language pages.]

On January 22, the Military Police of São Paulo (PMSP) and the Metropolitan Civil Guard (GCM) of the city of São José dos Campos, in the state of São Paulo, invaded the settlement know as Pinheirinho to comply with an order of repossession issued by the state court. The violent eviction of the community became known as “Massacre do Pinheirinho” (Massacre of Pinherinho) after a demonstration of violence and brutality by the police in the expulsion and intimidation of residents dumped in the midst of a huge legal mess.

Women with children in the lap leave their homes with the fire of the barricades behind. Photo of RDTEIXEIRA for the blog Vírus Planetário, under CC license.

The land of the Pinheirinho, occupied for eight years and where more than 1,500 families live (something between 6,000 and 9,000 people), belongs to the bankrupt estate of the Lebanese-born speculator Naji Nahas and his company, Selecta. Nahas, who has been arrested in the past by federal police for financial crimes, became the owner of the land in the early 80's although there is no information about how the acquisition was made after the unsolved murder of the former owners in 1969.

The government of Sao Paulo had demanded the return of the property in mid-January and several comings and goings in court turned the case into a big mess, with the federal government willing to buy and regularize the land, but with the municipality of São José dos Campos and the government of São Paulo refusing to comply with the agreement.

But the order for the repossession of the land was suspended when the state and federal governments agreed to open a window of negotiation of 15 days for the local government to decide whether to proceed or to turn the one million square meters area into ”social interest land”, then passing ownership to the residents, mostly poor workers and their families.

Tropa de choque em posição de ataque. Foto do perfil @PinheirinhoSJC. Uso livre

The agreement, however, was unilaterally breached and without warning the Military Police arrived at the scene with a force of close to 2,000 heavily armed men, and an unknown number of Civil Guards, in order to evict the land. As expected, there was resistance.

Even though taken by surprise, residents tried to set up barricades, setting fire to cars, public buildings and by throwing stones, showing total despair in face of the violent action of the police.

The city hall of São José dos Campos, that in some cases has paid tickets for some residents to return to their hometowns, especially in northeastern Brazil, has housed the families driven from their homes in precarious shelters. The residents were registered and given blue bracelets to allow their entry into the shelter.

The activist Paloma Amorim, on Facebook, denounced the precariousness of the structure available to serve the homeless families:

As tendas armadas pela prefeitura e pelo governo, portanto, foram armadilhas para aglomerar e agredir famílias indefesas que estão há 7 anos ocupando o Pinheirinho, massa falida que só está neste momento sendo reivindicada em função da especulação imobiliária tão contundente nos últimos tempos no estado de São Paulo.
The tents built by the city government, therefore, were traps to agglomerate and assault defenseless families who have been occupying the Pinheirinho for 7 years, a bankrupt estate that is only now being claimed on the basis of real estate speculation, [which is] so overwhelming in recent times in the state of Sao Paulo.
Video that shows the moment in when, at the end of the day, the Military Police advances on the population with extreme violence:

Judicial matter

A state court order, issued by Judge Marcia Faria Mathey Loureiro upheld the expropriation of the land despite a federal court order that struck it down. When in doubt about the legal competences of the courts, it fell upon the Military Police decide to continue with the eviction and the Chief Judge of the Justice Court of São Paulo, Rodrigo Capez - brother of a state representative of the PSDB party [Brazilian Social-Democrat Party], the same party of the governor and the mayor involved in the eviction of the Pinheirinho settlement - confirmed the supposed legality of the action. The journalist Marques Casara explains, however, that a federal court order sent directly to the command of the operations in Pinheirinho was not taken into account:
Existia uma negociação avançada para resolver o problema sem o uso da força. Por conta disso, por duas vezes, o Tribunal Regional Federal (TRF) cassou a liminar que determinava a reintegração de posse: na sexta feira e no próprio dia da invasão, domingo.
There was an advanced negotiation to resolve the problem without the use of force. Because of this, twice, the Federal Regional Court (TRF) annulled a decision that determined the repossession: on Friday and on the day of the invasion, Sunday. GV note: The legal system in Brazil states that the state justice courts (TJ) have the same legal reach and power than the regional federal ones (TRF) although they usually deal with different issues, but sometimes there is some jurisdictional conflict. Above both there is the Supreme of Court Justice (STJ) and then the higher court, the Supreme Federal Court (STF).
Later, the president of the Supreme Court of Justice (STJ), Ari Pargendler decided that the São Paulo state order would prevail against the federal one, despite the declaration made by the national President of the Bar Association of Brazil (OAB), Ophir Cavalcante, denouncing the eviction as illegal. At stake was the defense of private property of a known speculator versus the right to housing for the poor in the country and the social function of the land.

The Supreme Federal Court, the highest court in Brazil, was driven to try to resolve the issue.

Blogger Fabrício Cunha comments:

Quando esse tipo de interpretação do conceito de propriedade privada sobrepõe a dignidade humana, há algo de muito errado em nossa sociedade.

Quando uma prefeitura finge que não vê um número tão grande de pessoas e não as considera em sua gestão, há algo de muito errado com a política.

Quando um prefeito lava as mãos em silêncio diante de um fato que acontece debaixo de seus olhos, há algo de muito errado com um líder.

When this kind of interpretation of the concept of private property overrides human dignity, there is something very wrong in our society.

When a city government pretends not to notice such a large number of people and does not consider them in their administration, there is something very wrong with politics.

When a mayor washes hands in silence before an event that happens under his eyes, there is something very wrong with a leader.

A resident mourns the loss of her home. Photo by Mariana Parra, under CC license

Urbanist and UN Special Rapporteur Raquel Rolnik explains:

Milhares de homens, mulheres, crianças e idosos moradores da ocupação Pinheirinho são surpreendidos por um cerco formado por helicópteros, carros blindados e mais de 1.800 homens armados da Polícia Militar. Além de terem sido interditadas as saídas da ocupação, foram cortados água, luz e telefone, e a ordem era que famílias se recolhessem para dar início ao processo de retirada. Determinados a resistir — já que a reintegração de posse havia sido suspensa na sexta feira – os moradores não aceitaram o comando, dando início a uma situação dramaticamente violenta que se prolongou durante todo o dia e que teve como resultado famílias desabrigadas, pessoas feridas, detenções e rumores, inclusive, sobre a existência de mortos.
Thousands of men, women, children and elderly residents of the Pinheirinho occupation are surprised by a siege consisting of helicopters, armored vehicles and more than 1,800 armed men of the military police. In addition to the exits of the occupation being blocked, the water, electricity and telephone were cut, and the order was for families to gather to begin the process of retreat. Determined to resist - as the repossession had been suspended on Friday - the residents did not accept the command, initiating a dramatically violent situation that lasted all day and that has resulted in homeless families, people injured, arrests and rumors, including of the existence of fatalities.
Criticism towards the reasons for the hurried repossession and the extreme violence against the population can be explained by the immense appreciation of the value of the land in the last eight years and the proximity between landowner Nahas and powerful political leaders.

Video of activist Mariana Parra shows the beginning of the severe beating and arrest of the MTST militant (Movement of Homeless Workers) William Boulos who was taken, bloodied, to the police station by Municipal Guards and the despair of the population in face of the violence:

In this link you can watch the violence against the MTST militant from another angle and even the moment where he, bloodied, was taken to a police car. The famous Portuguese academic Boaventura Sousa Santos declared his support for the population of Pinheirinho in a video, rejecting the violent action of the State.
Dead and Injured
There is no official confirmation of the number of dead or wounded. On one hand, the Military Police and the Department of Communication of the City of Sã0 José dos Campos reports that there are few injuries and there were no fatalities, but various images suggest that at least the number of wounded is high. The Agência de Notícias das Favelas [Slum News Agency] noted the number of dead as seven, while the city's OAB [Bar association] talks about several deaths, including a child, and residents came to point to something between three and four fatalities throughout the day of January 22.

The Metalworkers Union of São José dos Campos compiled images of the beginning of the expropriation of the land:

According to the activist Pedro Rios Leão there are reports that the police and the city civil guard were kidnapping wounded and dead residents in order to prevent them from being counted in official statistics. Captain Antero of the Military Police had stated that there was no record of deaths nor serious injuries in the early evening of the 22nd, but the facts have begun to contradict him, such as the report by the Solidarity on the Pinheirinho Occupation Blog that a resident may be paralyzed after being hit by a police bullet.

The Military Police claimed not to use firearms, only rubber bullets, but the images in both photo and video show that the GCM carried pistols with live ammunition.

"A toast to the real estate especulation". On the cartoon, the governor of São Paulo, Geraldo Alckmin, the mayor of São José dos Campos, Eduardo Cury, a police officer and judge Marcia Loureiro. Cartoon by Carlos Latuff, under CC license
Doctoral student in Psychology Camila Pavanelli criticized the recent actions of the police of Sao Paulo in the Pinheirinho case and in other events:
Além da guerra contra as drogas – que, particularmente na cidade de São Paulo, assume contornos específicos de guerra contra os dependentes químicos -, o estado de São Paulo vem sediando também guerras contra estudantes e contra manifestantes que usam o espaço público para advogar por uma causa qualquer. A recente guerra contra os moradores (que amanhã serão sem-teto) do Pinheirinho não foge a esta lógica de transformação da polícia em exército de ocupação.

Besides the war on drugs - which, particularly in the city of São Paulo, has specific features of a war against the addicts - the state of São Paulo is also hosting wars against students and protesters who use the public space to advocate for a cause. The war against the inhabitants of Pinheirinho (who will be homeless tomorrow) is no exception to this logic of transformation of the police into an occupation army.

Video of the user DanPerseguim show the moment in which the Military Police throw bombs and use rubber bullets against unarmed people within the area where families must be registered to receive help:

An aide to the General Secretariat of the Presidency was hit by a rubber bullet and went on to say that the Federal Highway Police were forced to hide from bullets fired by the Military Police. A list is being compiled collaboratively with all reports of deaths that can be found.

Blogger Cylene Dworzak sums up the general feeling:

Acima de qualquer ideologia, este é um momento de muita dor pra muita gente.
Above any ideology, this is a moment of great pain for many people.
And blogger Gilson Junior completed:

São Paulo foi longe demais, São Paulo ultrapassou os limites da decência, legalidade e democracia.
[The State of] São Paulo went too far, São Paulo overstepped the bounds of decency, legality and democracy.
The blog diário Liberdade picked a handful of videos and photos, added a summary of the situation of Pinheirinho, as did blogger Giambatista Brito. On Twitter, the hashtag #Pinheirinho has been widely used to disseminate information, as well as the profile @PinheirinhoSJC is common source for local information. Photos and videos can be found here, here, here e here.

Journalists Felipe Milanez and Maíra Kubik Mano collected several testimonies of residents during the violent eviction, while writer and activist Celso Lungarette wondered if what was needed was for the federal government to step in and take a position on the missing, the prisoners and the homeless. Meanwhile blogger Gilson Sampaio said that the government of São Paulo and its judiciary branch must be reported to the OEA (OAS, Organization of American States) and the UN. In an interview with BBC Brazil, the program coordinator for the United Nations Housing Rights, Claudio Acioly, said there was a drastic violation of rights in the process of forced eviction in Pinheirinho.

Teacher Chico Bicudo vents:

O Pinheirinho é agora um bairro-fantasma. As quase mil casas serão em breve demolidas. Com elas, cairão também os sonhos e histórias de vida de quase nove mil pessoas. A terra arrasada ficará por lá. Sem as casas, sem os moradores, mas finalmente de volta para seu “dono”.
Pinheirinho is now a ghost neighborhood. The nearly one thousand homes will be demolished soon. With them, the dreams and life histories of almost nine thousand people will also fall. The scorched earth will remain. No houses, no residents, but finally back to its “owner”.
However, there is talk of possible legal liability of the mayor of São José dos Campos, Eduardo Cury (PSDB) and the São Paulo state Governor Geraldo Alckmin (PSDB), for the extreme violence and possible deaths.

Protests were held to support Pinheirinho throughout the country, and this album by Thiago Moreira has dozens of photos of the demonstration in São Paulo and the website Collective Catharsis has a video of the demonstration.

The situation in Pinheirinho is still critical, with thousands of homeless living in makeshift tents, shelters and churches.

Written by Raphael Tsavkko Garcia · Translated by Raphael Tsavkko Garcia · View original post [pt] · comments (1)
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17:20
Alice Waters: Picture Perfect As The Constant Gardener
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

A portrait of the Chez Panisse chef was recently unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery. If Waters could have her way, she says kids would grow their own food and cook it for breakfast, lunch and snacks all year round.
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17:11
How to fix Capitalism: Arianna Huffington vs. Henry Blodget - Fast Forward
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Capitalism can be fixed - so let's get on with it, say Arianna Huffington of Huffington Post and Henry Blodget of Business Insider. They tell Chrystia Freeland that lower tax on carried interest is outrageous because every worker lives with risk, companies pay many employees a poverty wage. Have a listen.
17:09
Drug lab among the foliage in Mexico
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan. 25 - A daring army raid in Mexico's drug-ravaged Sinaloa state busts a drug lab hidden amongst mangroves in the latest blow to the country's cartels. Deborah Lutterbeck reports

17:00
The Crack In Everything Lets The Light In: Leonard Cohen In New York
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

The iconic singer/songwriter shares stories about life and the songs on his new album, Old Ideas.
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16:57
Mississippi AG: Convicted murderer's whereabouts unknown
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Mississippi authorities say they don't know where a convicted murderer is, more than two weeks after a pardon from then-Gov. Haley Barbour released him from prison.

16:57
Costa Crociere cruise ship operator grilled
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

EUROPE'S biggest cruise ship operator is trying to distance itself from a disaster in which up to 32 people are feared to have died.

Permalink for 'Google_News___Online_campaigning/2012/01/25/_january25_One_Year_Later__Social_Media___Politics_3.0___Huffington_Post'

16:55

#january25 One Year Later: Social Media & Politics 3.0 - Huffington Post

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

16:45
New Zealand's Ultra-Fast Broadband Network
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

by Fernando Beltran [TPRC 2011]
Abstract: The government of New Zealand is currently building a nation-wide fibre-optics network, a project known as the Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) initiative that will lay out an entirely new infrastructure with the capacity to fast track innovation in network-based business models and new applications. Ultra-fast broadband access is defined as a minimum 100 Mbps downlink and 50 Mbps uplink; the UFB network willcover 75 percent of New Zealanders over ten years. Crown Holdings Fibre (CFH), the government agency in charge of UFB deployment, has invested NZD $1.5 billion (or about USD $1.1 billion) and a similar investment is expected from invited private partners with whom CFH has established regional network operators also known as Local Fibre Companies (LFCs).
http://ssrn.com/abstract=1985752
16:44
Telco Pay-TV Subscribers Approaching 100 Million
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

New data from TeleGeography show that at the end of Q3 2011 telcos worldwide had a total of 94 million pay-TV subscribers, giving them a 12% share of the global pay-TV market. Given current growth rates the subscriber total will be passing the 100-million milestone as this article is being written. Leading the telco charge is America Movil with ten million pay-TV subscribers, thanks to a dominant market position in Brazil and Colombia and substantial pay-TV operations in several other Latin American countries. It is followed by China Telecom and Rostelecom, both of which focus solely on their home markets, and France Telecom-Orange which has pay-TV operations in Poland, Spain and Slovakia in addition to being one of the leaders in the French market.

While telcos’ pay-TV activities are commonly equated with IPTV, that is only a part of the story. Many telcos have clearly identified IPTV as being important both strategically and tactically, but it accounts for less than 60% of their pay-TV subscribers. Several telcos are investing heavily in cable TV and satellite DTH operations, while pay-DTT and some residual MMDS services are also part of the mix. As examples, America Movil has achieved its leadership position by developing or acquiring cable and DTH businesses, and it has hardly any IPTV interests; and number three ranked telco Rostelecom can thank cable TV for providing 85% of its pay-TV subscriber base.

However, IPTV remains a crucial factor in the telco sector’s pay-TV growth prospects, as TeleGeography’s John Dinsdale points out: ‘Looking to the future there is no doubt that telcos will further increase their share of the pay-TV market. While telcos will continue to invest in cable and DTH operations, over the next five years it will primarily be strong IPTV growth that enables them to gain market share. We forecast that the IPTV subscriber base will have doubled in size by the end of 2016, which will help telcos gain control of some 16% of the pay-TV market.’

TeleGeography’s GlobalComms Pay-TV Research Service provides data, analysis and forecasts of the rapidly changing pay-TV and IPTV markets. (http://www.telegeography.com/research-services/globalcomms-pay-tv/index.html)
http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2012/01/23/telco-pay-tv-subscribers-approaching-100-million/

16:43

Newt Gingrich: The Millennial Candidate - The Atlantic Wire

» ‎ Google News - Online campaigning

16:40
Working long hours doubles depression odds
» ‎ CNN.com - Most Popular

Working long hours appears to substantially increase a person's risk of becoming depressed, regardless of how stressful the actual work is, a new study suggests.

16:37
U.S. online ad spending to surpass print for first time in 2012
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

U.S. online advertising spending is expected to surpass print for the first time this year, according to a study released Thursday, Jan. 19, by eMarketer, reported AdAge, adding that this would "represent a watershed in the media business." Forbes noted that such a forecast means "digital remains the sole bright spot for newspapers and magazines," as print ad revenue dropped 9.3 percent to USD 20.7bn in 2011, the report said. The report also noted that total U.S. ad spending is expected to increase 6.7 percent to USD 169.5bn in 2012, attributed to campaign ads and mobile advertising, said Mashable. The Mobile Market 2011 Review released Tuesday, Jan. 17, showed mobile advertising skyrocketed in 2011, with tablet ad impressions up 771 percent, reported Tech Crunch. Meanwhile, mobile advertising on tablet computers is "outpacing and outperforming" the printed versions of the ads, reported the site Tab Times. Research from marketing company Affinity shows that iPad and tablet users have better product recall and are more likely to make a purchase after viewing an ad than those who viewed print ads.
http://www.ejc.net/media_news/u.s._online_ad_spending_to_surpass_print_for_first_time_in_2012/

16:35
Start Early To Curb Heart Risks For A Lifetime
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

Middle-aged men with two common risk factors have a 50-50 chance of having a serious heart attack or stroke as they grow older, a new study finds. The findings suggest that taming risks early in life can make big difference later on.
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16:34
40 parishes under tornado watch
» ‎ NEWS.com.au | Most Popular | Most Popular World Stories

US residents were under a tornado watch as severe thunderstorms continued to pummel the region with strong winds and heavy rains.

16:33
ITU Member States Urged to Guarantee Freedom of Information
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

As a plenipotentiary conference of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) gets under way today in Geneva, Reporters Without Borders urges this UN agency's member countries to give clear undertakings to guarantee freedom of information and the free flow of ideas and opinions, and to sanction countries that use censorship and violate the fundamental right of access to news and information.

Reporters Without Borders also voices its support for a demonstration by Iranian journalists and activists taking place today outside the ITU's Geneva headquarters.

This conference is an important event at which ITU member states are due to adopt decisions about the agency's future and about the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) worldwide.

Many countries flout their obligations as ITU members by committing grave freedom of information violations. According to a Reporters Without Borders tally, some form of Internet censorship occurred in a total of 68 countries in 2011. They included China, Cuba and Libya - ITU member countries that monitor communication networks in order to identify dissidents and censor online news and information in violation of ITU principles.

The constitution of one of the ITU's three sectors, the standardization sector (called ITU-T), states:

"Telecommunications/ICTs also open new channels for sharing of global knowledge resources and the free flow of ideas and opinions. However, to harness the potential of telecommunications/ICTs, governments and other stakeholders have to provide an enabling policy environment and supporting infrastructure that are robust and responsive to a shifting set of challenges and opportunities."

The ITU goes to recommend that member states facilitate "the unrestricted transmission of news by telecommunication services."

"We call on the ITU, during this decisive conference, to firmly condemn countries that do not respect the fundamental principles of the free flow of information,"
Reporters Without Borders said. "We also call on the ITU, as part of its work, to set up a commission to monitor freedom of information violations by member states.
The development of ICTs throughout the world should be vehicle of democracy. The ITU must not be the accomplice of regimes that obstruct the flow of news and information on their telecommunications networks."

Iran, one of the world's most repressive countries, plans to establish a global content filtering system for all of its telecommunications and to create a national Internet that is cut off from the international one. Government officials have described communications satellites and the Internet as electronic weapons being used by the west to wage a "soft war" on Iran.

The signals of radio and TV stations carried by satellite, including the BBC and Voice of America, have frequently been jammed in Iran since 2000. These stations have repeatedly complained about Iran's jamming but European and US satellite operators have had to yield to political and commercial pressure from a government that constantly violate its citizens' basic rights, starting with the right to be informed.

On the ITU conference's opening day, Reporters Without Borders emphasizes its backing for the protests by Iranian journalists and activists against the repressive policies of a government that obstructs the free flow of information. With a total of 54 journalists and netizens currently detained, Iran is one of the world's biggest prisons for the media.

"Iran uses its position in international bodies to justify its use of repression,"
Reporters Without Borders said. "The government's repressive methods rely on the assistance provided by foreign companies, especially western ones. Some of these companies, such as Europe's leading satellite operator Eutelsat, directly help the Iranian government to censor independent news and information by transmitting interference on satellite wavebands."
http://en.rsf.org/iran-itu-member-states-urged-to-23-01-2012,41751.html
16:30
Ukrtelecom reaches 790,000 3G mobile subscribers at year-end
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

Ukraine’s Ukrtelecom reports that its 3G mobile subscriber base increased in December 2011 by 4.5% or 34,000 users, to reach 790,200 active SIMs as of 1 January 2012. As reported by CommsUpdate, Ukrtelecom is in the process of selecting a buyer for its W-CDMA/HSPA-based cellular operations, after accepting second-round bid proposals up to a deadline of 25 November 2011. In September Ukrtelecom announced it was transferring all assets of its mobile business from its internal Utel division into a newly formed company, TriMob, for sale, effective from 1 January.
http://www.telegeography.com/products/commsupdate/articles/2012/01/25/ukrtelecom-reaches-790000-3g-mobile-subscribers-at-year-end/

16:29
Interview with Malte Spitz, German Politician and Privacy Advocate
» ‎ Electronic Frontier Foundation

This January 28 marks International Privacy Day. Different countries around the world are celebrating this day with their own events. This year, we are honoring the day by calling attention to recent international privacy threats and interviewing data protection authorities, government officials, and activists to gain insight into various aspects of privacy rights and related legislation in their own respective countries.

We have interviewed Malte Spitz, a German politician and privacy advocate. Malte is well-known for using German privacy law—which, like the law of many European countries, gives individuals a right to see what private companies know about them—to force his cell phone carrier to reveal what it knew about him.

We asked Malte about his long-standing commitment fighting surveillance in Germany.

What has been your major accomplishment in upholding user privacy? (If you would like, you may provide us with any links to additional information)?

My fight against mandatory data retention has been a long and ongoing protest. With the visualization and publication of my personal data in 2011 we reached a new dimension in the protest and in public awareness ([www.zeit.de]). Many people have realized how far-reaching this legislation is, since everybody is affected. And everybody can realize what is going on and to what extent phone companies are collecting and storing personal information.

What do you think will be the major threats to privacy in 2012?

I think the threats will stay the same. We have an ongoing process where private companies try to get as much information as possible to profile and categorize people, not only through online information, but in every area of your life. At the same time government institutions are learning more and more that they don't need to collect and store information, since they can often gain access through private companies quite easily.

In the consumer privacy and data protection realm, what is the most important legislative and/or policy effort for 2012 that will affect citizens' privacy rights in your country? Do you foresee any major challenges to these efforts?
The EU wants to present a new EU Data Protection directive, after the last directive from 1995, everybody looks forward to this. In Germany the Government formed by conservatives and liberals don't want to touch the issue to modernize the German data protection legislation.

In your opinion, what is/are the most important legislative or policy effort(s) impacting citizen's privacy vis-a-vis the government in 2012?

In Germany, the debate about mandatory data retention is still a major issue - even after a ruling of the constitutional court in 2010 decided that the German implementation law of the EU directive was unconstitutional, since the two largest political parties are in favour of these measures and want to implement new laws on this. The year 2012 will be most important in this debate, since the EU commission wants to present a revised directive on mandatory data retention. This year, German legislators will have to make it clear where they stand on that issue.

In your opinion has there been any major cases of law enforcement abuse in 2011? If so, please provide some details.

In February 2011 during a big and peaceful anti-nazi demonstration in Dresden against a Nazi deployment through the city center, the local police collected phone and location data of several hundred thousand people. In defiance of German law, the police have stored this information. Everyone who was in a certain part of the city of Dresden at a certain time was affected by these measures.

~

Related Issues: International EFF Europe Mandatory Data Retention Privacy

16:28
Amazon’s first “Fulfilment Centre” is coming up in India
» ‎ Mikhail Doroshevich's Information Policy

The world’s largest online retailer, Amazon, is planning to break into world’s second most populous nation, India. Amazon’s first “fulfilment centre” is coming up in India. A fulfilment centre is a giant warehouse that are used by large online retailers like Amazon to store products, which can be handled and shipped quickly.

India’s retail market is worth around $550 billion.

Indian Shoppers can buy products from Amazon websites in other countries and have the items shipped to them. But the company does not have a dedicated online retail business in India yet. That has allowed room for e-commerce start-ups, led by Flipkart, to expand quickly in India.

The job listings in Amazon India’s career website indicates that the company’s fulfilment centre is coming up in Mumbai. One recent listing says, Amazon “has an immediate opening for an IT Manager in our first Fulfilment Centre based out in Mumbai, India.”

Another recent Amazon job posting sought a “Stations Operations Manager” to work for the fulfilment centre team in Mumbai.

It has also been reported that Amazon is looking for a financial analyst in Mumbai. The financial analyst would report to a general manager and controller and help the fulfilment centre operate more efficiently and predictably.

Last year Amazon has spent heavily in setting up more than 10 new fulfilment centres in the United States. The company also has fulfilment centres in China, Germany, Japan and the U.K. However, the company’s website does not list any fulfilment centre in India.
[egov.eletsonline.com]

16:13
With Age, Men May Lose Thinking Ability Faster Than Women
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

Men are diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment earlier than women, perhaps because of physical health issues. That's the word from a study of older people in Minnesota. But by their mid-80s, both men and women suffer the same level of loss of thinking capacity, the researchers found.
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16:05
The Web's Worst Privacy Policy
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

Sparrowvsrevolution writes "With much of the web upset over about Google's latest privacy policy changes, it's helpful to remember it could be much worse: A search engine called Skipity offers the world's worst privacy policy (undoubtedly tongue-in-cheek), filled with lines like this: 'You may think of using any of our programs or services as the privacy equivalent of living in a webcam fitted glass house under the unblinking eye of Big Brother: you have no privacy with us. If we can use any of your details to legally make a profit, we probably will.' The policy gives the company the right to sell any of your data that it wants to any and all corporate customers, send you limitless spam, track your movements via GPS if possible, watch you through your webcam, and implant a chip in your body that is subject to reinstallation whenever the company chooses."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

16:02
Three Simple But Powerful Ways Nonprofits Can Use LinkedIn « Nonprofit Tech 2.0
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Three Simple But Powerful Ways Nonprofits Can Use LinkedIn « Nonprofit Tech 2.0

16:02
Top 20 U.S. Web Properties: Google Surges Past Yahoo
» ‎ ClickZ CyberStats

Amazon, Federated Media also see big gains in audience by year's end, comScore Media Metrix reports.

16:01
The Bamboo Project Blog: Using Facebook in Your Nonprofit
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

The Bamboo Project Blog: Using Facebook in Your Nonprofit

15:43
A New Generation Redefines Mormon Cuisine
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

A new generation of cooks is redefining traditional Mormon food, which is often widely stereotyped as bland.

15:36
Wanted: Thief that shot himself in the foot
» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan. 25 - A clumsy thief shoots himself in the foot while guarding the door of a bank during a robbery in a small Brazilian town. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).

15:06
At The Louvre, A Rare Showcase For American Art
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

The iconic Paris museum has just four American paintings in its huge permanent collection. But a temporary new exhibit is putting the spotlight on early American art, featuring Thomas Cole's dramatic landscape paintings from the early 19th century.
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14:31
The New Old Age Blog: Avoiding Surgery in the Elderly
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

It's gradually becoming clearer that for the very old and frail, hospitals are places to avoid whenever possible, and surgery can become a source of danger in itself.

14:30
Loving Bob Dylan's Throwaways
» ‎ NPR Most Emailed: NPR Most Emailed Stories

A new compilation of 75 covers, made for Amnesty International, highlights the hidden value in Dylan's less-than-iconic songs.
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14:16
Google for Nonprofits
» ‎ Del.icio.us Links - nptech - Non-Profit Technology

Google for Nonprofits

14:01
Help Protect Gadget Jailbreakers and Video Artists from Legal Threats
» ‎ Electronic Frontier Foundation

EFF Launches Petition Campaign for Expanded DMCA Exemptions
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is asking the public to join the campaign to keep and widen exemptions EFF obtained in 2010 to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) to help remove a cloud of legal uncertainty hanging over folks who modify electronic gadgets and make remix videos.

"The DMCA is supposed to block copyright infringement, but it's been misused to threaten tinkerers and users who just want to make their devices more secure and more functional," said EFF Senior Staff Attorney Marcia Hofmann. "The U.S. Copyright Office should hear from concerned Americans who want to run software of their choice on the gadgets of their choice."

"The Internet has helped foster extraordinary and powerful new forms of commentary that rely, in part, on the ordinary activity of borrowing clips of news and popular culture," said EFF IP Director Corynne McSherry. "This is part of our everyday political debate and should be protected by copyright law, not discouraged."

The exemptions EFF won for smartphones and remix videos in 2010 will expire if they are not renewed. So in December, EFF filed comments urging the Copyright Office to not only renew the exemptions, but expand them. Specifically, EFF asked that the office protect the "jailbreaking" of smartphones, electronic tablets, and video game systems – freeing them to run operating systems and applications from any source. EFF also asked for legal protections for artists and critics who use excerpts from DVDs or Internet video services to create new, remixed works.

Now, the Copyright Office is asking for public comment on the proposed exemptions and EFF is seeking the public's help. In EFF's Jailbreaking Is Not a Crime campaign, you can sign a letter written by author and hacker bunnie Huang, advocating for expanded jailbreaking exemptions to protect security researchers and other tinkerers and innovators. In the Rip. Mix. Make. Campaign, you can join video artist, educator, and author Kirby Ferguson in calling for wider exemptions for breaking video encryption for creative purposes.

Both campaigns are part of the official comment period of the Copyright Office's rulemaking process, convened every three years to consider exemptions to the DMCA's prohibitions on "circumventing" digital rights management and "other technical protection measures" used to protect copyrighted works. In passing the DMCA, Congress allowed the Copyright Office to create certain kinds of exemptions to help mitigate the harms the law causes to legitimate, non-infringing use of copyrighted materials.

"Overreaching copyright law can hurt Americans' free expression and innovation rights. That's what we are fighting in Congress with the Internet blacklist bills like SOPA and PIPA, and it's what we are fighting here," said EFF Staff Attorney Mitch Stoltz. "Please help Kirby defend the right to rip, mix, and make, and join bunnie in telling the Copyright Office that jailbreaking is not a crime."

For Jailbreaking Is Not a Crime:
https://www.jailbreakingisnotacrime.org/

For Rip. Mix. Make.:
https://www.ripmixmake.org/

Contacts:

Marcia Hofmann
   Senior Staff Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   marcia@eff.org

Corynne McSherry
   Intellectual Property Director
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   corynne@eff.org

Mitch Stoltz
   Staff Attorney
   Electronic Frontier Foundation
   mitch@eff.org

13:58
Canadian SOPA Could Target YouTube
» ‎ Slashdot - Your Rights Online

bs0d3 writes "The music industry is seeking over a dozen changes to Canadian anti-piracy bill C-11, including website blocking, Internet termination for alleged repeat infringers, and an expansion of the "enabler" provision that is supposedly designed to target pirate sites. Meanwhile, the Entertainment Software Association of Canada also wants an expansion of the enabler provision along with further tightening of the already-restrictive digital lock rules. It's concerning that some of these expansions will create a risky situation for legitimate websites, as SOPA did in the U.S. Michael Geist outlines the legal history and complications here."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

13:56
Collect, Curate, and Share Images and Links with Pinterest
» ‎ Rik Panganiban's Click Heard Round the World
I've been playing around with a new web service called Pinterest that bills itself as a place to "organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web." That sounds suspiciously like a lot of other web services out there, like Delicious, wikis, tumblr, etc.

What makes Pinterest stand out is the way it streamlines the process of creating a visually-rich online space. They call their spaces "pinboards" where you can place a collection of images, links, recipes, videos, or virtually anything else that is accessible on the public web. For a design-minded person, it's an aesthetically satisfying experience to surf through other people's pinboards, grab "pins" that interest you, and add them to your own pinboard.

Some examples for how you might use Pinterest:
- redecorating your home
- planning your wedding
- finding your style
- saving your recipes
In addition, nonprofits are already creating some interesting use cases for everything from collaboration to fundraising and awareness raising.

Pinterest provides a clever "pin it" bookmark that you can add to your bookmark toolbar, so that anytime you see something on the web that you want to add to a pinboard, just click the "pin it" bookmark, tell Pinterest what pinboard to add it to, and you're done.

You can create pinboards that are your own personal space to drop pins, or you can invite others to collaborate with you on a shared pinboard. Here for example is a pinboard I created on the "Best Spots to Lindy Hop in the US." People I invite can add their own dance venues, comment on and "like" ones I've added, and grab individual pins to add to their own pinboards.

Another one I created is a personal pinboard of my favorite places in the Bay Area. I probably don't want to open this up to others to add to, since this is my personal list. But I can grab pins that others share if I find something interesting for my pinboard.

I haven't spent a whole lot of time with Pinterest. But right now I think it seems best for quickly putting together a small collection of image-rich links for a specific purpose. It's quick, fun, and satisfying to throw together a board and grab pins from other people's boards.

But I already am getting frustrated with the lack of controls for how your different boards and pins are displayed. I would love to be able to sort pins, move them around, resize them, and group them in different ways. And Pinterest can only grab pins from sites that have a large enough image or video that they can use to create a thumbnail. So a website without adequate images won't be able to be pinned, which I have found for several sites already.

Pinterest is slowly rolling out there service to the public. Right now you have to request access to the service. It only took me a day to get my invite. There are some delays in adding pins, so they may need to beef up their servers to handle all of the traffic.

13:37
Op-Ed Columnist: Mitt, Is This Wit?
» ‎ NYT > Most E-Mailed

Mitt Romney, leaving us at wit’s end with his witless pranks.

13:35
Dutch Courts Join Pirate Bay Blocking Bandwagon
» ‎ Electronic Frontier Foundation

Last week, at the urging of the Dutch anti-piracy group BREIN, the Court of The Hague ordered two ISPs to block subscriber access to The Pirate Bay. This is the second major attempt by BREIN to cut off users' access to The Pirate Bay in the Netherlands. The first, a 2010 court ruling directly against the popular torrent site, was all but ignored by its founders.

The two ISPs — Ziggo, the largest cable operator in the Netherlands, and XS4ALL, known for its vocal free-speech advocacy — have until February 1 to block access to a list of URLs and IP addresses specified in the court order.

This order echoes recent and alarming decisions in other European jurisdictions. In December we covered allegations that some Belgian ISPs were voluntarily complying with a request from the Belgian Anti-Piracy Federation to block their customers' access to the Pirate Bay. And earlier this month, the Finnish ISP Elisa announced that it will temporarily comply with an October court ruling to block The Pirate Bay until a higher court delivers the decision in their appeal.

These actions seem to stand in stark contrast with the European Court of Justice ruling last November in the landmark Scarlet v. SABAM case. That court, basing its decision on the Charter of Fundamental Rights, ruled that a system that blocks certain DNS or IP addresses indefinitely and for all customers as a preventative measure breaches ISPs’ freedom to conduct business and users’ fundamental privacy, freedom of information, and freedom of communication rights.

Ziggo and XS4ALL each announced plans to appeal the decision, which is even more troubling and far-reaching than some of the earlier court orders. One startling component is the expansiveness of the blacklist imposed by BREIN and the Court. Not only does the block apply to three IP addresses and 24 separate DNS addresses, but according to a spokesperson for XS4ALL Niels Huijbregts, the Court granted BREIN the authority to add additional domain names and IPs to the list in case The Pirate Bay changes servers or locations.

Given that BREIN is a private organization, similar to the MPAA and the RIAA in the United States, those powers represent a chilling weapon against free expression in the hands of a group that has demonstrated itself to be more concerned with protecting corporate profits than digital rights.

The Dutch court order is emblematic of an arms race playing out all over the world to address unauthorized copyright infringement over international borders. One especially prominent skirmish in the past few weeks has been the American content industry’s floundering push for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA), both of which are said to target “rogue foreign websites.” Last week’s activism against the domestic legislation spilled over the U.S. borders to countries affected by similar laws, like Ley Sinde in Spain or the French HADOPI.

These laws and court cases are especially problematic when arguments against copyright infringement appear to trump freedom of expression claims. Although countries like Switzerland have determined peer-to-peer file-sharing does not cause significant economic harm, other countries’ governments are willing to take content groups’ claims at face value and create new restrictions around them. Unfortunately, when aimed at copyright infringement, these restrictions form the basis of censorship, as we’ve documented in our Global Chokepoints project.

Instead of inviting censorship and undermining digital rights to fight piracy, legal authorities around the world should recognize that “piracy” is a business problem that can only be solved with a business solution — not through lopsided policies designed to protect legacy media profits.

The story is far from over, as each side has promised to escalate the case. BREIN has promised to bring similar action to other ISPs, but that could be slowed by the appeals that Ziggo and XS4ALL are filing. We encourage the Dutch courts to follow the European Court of Justice, and acknowledge that the content group requests are out of line with fundamental rights online.
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13:17
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» ‎ Reuters Video: Most Watched Videos

Jan. 25 - Wounded Gabrielle Giffords bids an emotional farewell to Congress to focus on injuries she sustained in last year's shooting. Rough Cut (no reporter narration).