Posts tagged US
Power Structures of the World Don't Play Nice
Studio79: What We Thought we Knew.
I heard of the death of “Dear Leader” Kim Jong Il while at work this morning. I came home to see that someone posted a YouTube video of people standing in front of images and statues of said “Dear Leader” weeping his departure. I fully understand why. The people of North Korea were sheltered…
Swiss Government Declares Downloading for Personal Use Legal
Thanks, Swiss. It’s good to have political and legal diversity, even though the US wants to control the world and have everyone be just like them.
The government of Switzerland has issued a statement declaring that it will not take action to alter current copyright laws allowing the downloading of music and movies for personal use. The statement is the result of a lengthy study conducted by the Swiss government into the impact of so-called “piracy” on the entertainment industry.
The entertainment industry has been complaining in Switzerland – as in the US and elsewhere – that the unauthorized downloading of music and movies has harmed their business. The situation in Switzerland is somewhat unique, in that current copyright law considers the downloading of content for personal use as acceptable and legal. The entertainment industry has been lobbying the Swiss government to change the law. This study is the government’s response.
Despite the industry’s claims that downloading undermines their business, this study shows that the effect of unauthorized downloading on the industry’s bottom line is negligible. One key finding of the study is that downloaders spend as much if not more to acquire content legally as those who do not download. Researchers found no change in amount of disposable income spent on music and movies, despite the fact that roughly one third of Swiss people engage in some form of downloading. The government concluded, then, that no change to the current legal structure was necessary, and urged the entertainment industry to grow and adapt with the changes in technology and in consumer habits, rather than trying to suppress progress.
Mysterious blasts, slayings suggest covert efforts in Iran
LA Times >
…many former U.S. intelligence officials and Iran experts believe that the explosion — the most destructive of at least two dozen unexplained blasts in the last two years — was part of a covert effort by the U.S., Israel and others to disable Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. The goal, the experts say, is to derail what those nations fear is Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons capability and to stave off an Israeli or U.S. airstrike to eliminate or lessen the threat.
“It looks like the 21st century form of war,” said Patrick Clawson, who directs the Iran Security Initiative at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a Washington think tank. “It does appear that there is a campaign of assassinations and cyber war, as well as the semi-acknowledged campaign of sabotage.” >continue<
![Do you still think something’s not gone very wrong in the U.S.?
thedailywhat:
Leave Them Kids Alone of the Day: A lawsuit filed against Cleveland Middle School in Albuquerque alleges that a student was arrested and sent to a juvenile detention facility without due process for “burping audibly” in class.
The 13-year-old’s parents were not notified, according to the lawsuit, and he was also suspended for the rest of the school year without being given a chance to refute the allegations.
“Criminalizing of the burping of a thirteen-year-old boy serves no governmental purpose,” reads a passage from the suit. “Burping is not a serious disruption, a threat of danger was never an issue.”
In fact, he was given a risk assessment test at the detention center and scored a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “extremely dangerous.”
The suit goes on to note a separate incident wherein the school accused the boy of selling marijuana to classmates because he had $200 in his pocket. The kid claimed he was going shopping after school, but was still forced to strip to his skivvies “while five adults watched.”
He was not charged with a crime in either incident.
A spokeswoman for Albuquerque Public Schools declined to comment.
[abqjournal / cbs+ap.]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvlkb5y2i61qzpwi0o1_500.jpg)
Do you still think something’s not gone very wrong in the U.S.?
Leave Them Kids Alone of the Day: A lawsuit filed against Cleveland Middle School in Albuquerque alleges that a student was arrested and sent to a juvenile detention facility without due process for “burping audibly” in class.
The 13-year-old’s parents were not notified, according to the lawsuit, and he was also suspended for the rest of the school year without being given a chance to refute the allegations.
“Criminalizing of the burping of a thirteen-year-old boy serves no governmental purpose,” reads a passage from the suit. “Burping is not a serious disruption, a threat of danger was never an issue.”
In fact, he was given a risk assessment test at the detention center and scored a 2 on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being “extremely dangerous.”
The suit goes on to note a separate incident wherein the school accused the boy of selling marijuana to classmates because he had $200 in his pocket. The kid claimed he was going shopping after school, but was still forced to strip to his skivvies “while five adults watched.”
He was not charged with a crime in either incident.
A spokeswoman for Albuquerque Public Schools declined to comment.
[abqjournal / cbs+ap.]
(Source: thedailywhat, via prdjournal)
Interesting take on US foreign policy.
(via viva-moment)
The US Is Fast Becoming a Third World Police State
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2011 BY Jeff Berwick
As a P.T. (often referred to as perpetual traveller, permanent tourist or prior taxpayer), I have travelled to nearly 100 countries. During those travels there has always been one defining moment, upon entry into a country, which shows that the country is what is generally thought of as a “third world country”.
It is the moment when, upon arrival, you are charged a fee to enter the country. The reason generally being that the government of the country has so destroyed the economy and/or they have so little understanding of what creates wealth that they think that the way to make their country prosperous is to charge a fee upon entry rather than allowing people to enter freely and transact, trade and spend their money in the economy. Either that or the government is so desperate for money that it uses this as a significant source of revenue.
They have this in Cambodia, Indonesia, Bolivia and numerous other similar countries. And now, they have it in the US.
The US has long-used “visa application fees” to bilk money from people in countries like Thailand as a way to raise money but now the US has announced that they are going to charge a $5.50 fee to Canadians upon entering the US.
The fee is ludicrous and counterproductive for many reasons. Not least of which is making it five dollars and fifty cents, ensuring that payment of the transaction will take twice as long as normal to make the extra change. Canadians who are one of the only large groups of people still bringing some economic activity into the US will both be turned off by having to pay to enter the US but also by the extra long lines to enter as they make change for this fee.
Not to mention the hilarity of calling it an “inspection fee”. Does this mean that if we would not like to be inspected then we don’t have to pay?
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As you watch this video and listen to Assange take note of how unlike a politician he speaks. His words and mannerisms are not filtered through a desire and need for votes, which are the major motivating forces of most politicians. It is important that we all begin to recognize sincerity and lack of it when we listen to the powerful of this and other nations. Assange has it; Obama does not.
Assange: Superpower takeover of Libya a lesson to world
Uploaded by RussiaToday on Oct 8, 2011
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was among much anticipated speakers at mass protest in London calling for end to war in Afghanistan and foreign troops pullout. RT managed to talk to him about the military interventions and the Libyan conflict in particular.
