Critical Faculty Dojo has been nominated in the following categories - Thanks people, it is really appreciated.
Blogpower: Best Britblog or Column
Blogpower: Best Political Blog or Column
Blogpower: Best Blog Name
I don't know if CFD will make the final cut for voting in any of them, but if it does please don't forget to actually vote.
Even if it dosn't, please still vote for any other blogs there you think deserve it.
Oh! And feel free to make comments - I know people are visiting...
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
EU saves us from deadly barometer threat!!
Headline: The heroic EU has saved the grateful citizens of Europe, yet again from another deadly curse of our times.
The fearsome Mercury Barometer will terrorise us no more! Thanks to The EU’s environment committee, including two British Labour MEPs, Linda McAvan and Glenis Wilmott.
After the bruising battle the Miss McAvan, a Yorkshire MEP, bluntly stated there is "clear evidence" that mercury in barometers was "highly dangerous".
A sinister conspiracy of traditional British barometer makers and restorers, backed by Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies, have finally been outflanked and foiled by this stalwart paragon of democracy and are now facing the closure they so richly deserve. They almost got away at the last moment, but the redoubtable, the steely eyed Lord Rooker UK minister for sustainable farming and food, managed to prevent that.
As we all know these merchants of death are single headedly responsible for the terrible swathe of death and destruction wrought by mercury barometers over the last three centuries or more. Not to mention the acres – oops! Square kilometres think I got away with that one - of land left uninhabitable.
I don't see anyone trying to ban Compact Flourescent Light bulbs. No they are promoting them as environmentally friendly! I expect McAven & Willmott will probably tell you so too.
Now compact fluorescent bulbs contain an average of 5 milligrams of mercury each, not a huge amount you might think. All CFLs will eventually need to be disposed of though - and you know they will end up in the trash and get broken.
Well some 200 million light bulbs a year are sold in the UK alone - replace them all with compact flourecent bulbs and you could end up with a Metric Ton of mercury being dumped in the UK every year.
Contrast that with the odd broken mercury barometer!
So in the great scheme of things – would it really have hurt for them to have granted an exemption?
The fearsome Mercury Barometer will terrorise us no more! Thanks to The EU’s environment committee, including two British Labour MEPs, Linda McAvan and Glenis Wilmott.
After the bruising battle the Miss McAvan, a Yorkshire MEP, bluntly stated there is "clear evidence" that mercury in barometers was "highly dangerous".
A sinister conspiracy of traditional British barometer makers and restorers, backed by Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies, have finally been outflanked and foiled by this stalwart paragon of democracy and are now facing the closure they so richly deserve. They almost got away at the last moment, but the redoubtable, the steely eyed Lord Rooker UK minister for sustainable farming and food, managed to prevent that.
As we all know these merchants of death are single headedly responsible for the terrible swathe of death and destruction wrought by mercury barometers over the last three centuries or more. Not to mention the acres – oops! Square kilometres think I got away with that one - of land left uninhabitable.
I don't see anyone trying to ban Compact Flourescent Light bulbs. No they are promoting them as environmentally friendly! I expect McAven & Willmott will probably tell you so too.
Now compact fluorescent bulbs contain an average of 5 milligrams of mercury each, not a huge amount you might think. All CFLs will eventually need to be disposed of though - and you know they will end up in the trash and get broken.
Well some 200 million light bulbs a year are sold in the UK alone - replace them all with compact flourecent bulbs and you could end up with a Metric Ton of mercury being dumped in the UK every year.
Contrast that with the odd broken mercury barometer!
So in the great scheme of things – would it really have hurt for them to have granted an exemption?
iTune tracks contain details of who bought them.
Do you have an iPod?
Have you bought any tracks from iTunes since May 30th 2007?
Apparently tracks bought on iTunes since May 30th, whether free of DRM or not, have the full name and account information , including e-mail address, of who those bought them, imbedded within the file.
It is probably done as an anti-piracy measure to help track down anyone putting downloads on file-sharing sites.
Now if you should share a file, or have it stolen along with your iPod, the question you need to ask yourselves is:
How long before a utility program is produced which can strip out that information – and how safe will your ‘identity’ be then?
Have you bought any tracks from iTunes since May 30th 2007?
Apparently tracks bought on iTunes since May 30th, whether free of DRM or not, have the full name and account information , including e-mail address, of who those bought them, imbedded within the file.
It is probably done as an anti-piracy measure to help track down anyone putting downloads on file-sharing sites.
Now if you should share a file, or have it stolen along with your iPod, the question you need to ask yourselves is:
”Do I feel lucky?”
How long before a utility program is produced which can strip out that information – and how safe will your ‘identity’ be then?
Amnesty's concerns over freedom on the net
Amnesty International are raising concerns about net censorship ahead of a conference they are organising on the subject.
Amnesty are highlighting that the internet,
Amnesty also attack companies such as Google - particularly their presence in China, Microsoft and Yahoo of all being complicit in censorship.
Tim Hancock the campaign director said:
Amnesty point out it’s not just filtering, increasingly it was seeing ‘politically motivated’ closures of websites and internet cafes, also threats and imprisonments. In February, Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman, a young Egyptian blogger, was imprisoned for four years for insulting Islam and defaming the President of Egypt.
Amnesty's is re launching their website irrepressible.info to highlight freedom on the net
Amnesty are highlighting that the internet,
"could change beyond all recognition" unless action is taken against the erosion of online freedom . Getting into a computing (main) frame ;-) of mind they warn that the
"virus of internet repression"has now spread to dozens of governments.
Amnesty also attack companies such as Google - particularly their presence in China, Microsoft and Yahoo of all being complicit in censorship.
Tim Hancock the campaign director said:
"The Chinese model of an internet that allows economic growth but not free speech, or privacy, is growing in popularity. From a handful of countries five years ago, to dozens of governments today, who block sites and arrest bloggers".
"Unless we act on this issue, the internet could change beyond all recognition in the years to come. More and more governments are realising the utility of controlling what people see online and major internet companies, in an attempt to expand their markets, are colluding in these attempts,"
Amnesty point out it’s not just filtering, increasingly it was seeing ‘politically motivated’ closures of websites and internet cafes, also threats and imprisonments. In February, Abdul Kareem Nabeel Suleiman, a young Egyptian blogger, was imprisoned for four years for insulting Islam and defaming the President of Egypt.
Amnesty's is re launching their website irrepressible.info to highlight freedom on the net
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)