p2pnet World Headlines: Aug 10, 2010
Google-Verizon Pact: It Gets Worse Huffington Post
So Google and Verizon went public today with their “policy framework” — better known as the pact to end the Internet as we know it. News of this deal broke this week, sparking a public outcry that’s seen hundreds of thousands of Internet users calling on Google to live up to its “Don’t Be Evil” pledge. But cut through the platitudes the two companies (Googizon, anyone?) offered on today’s press call, and you’ll find this deal is even worse than advertised. The proposal is one massive loophole that sets the stage for the corporate takeover of the Internet. [Also see Google and Verizon: telling it like it isn't ]
Party sacks candidate for same-sex views 9News
[Australia's] Family First has disendorsed its candidate for the Victorian federal seat of La Trobe after he posted comments online supporting same-sex marriage. It comes as the socially conservative party’s Queensland Senate candidate was slammed for a tweet that said children of same-sex parents were subject to a form of abuse. Family First Victoria chairman Peter Lake said the candidate for La Trobe, David Barrow, had misrepresented his views to the party and had even signed a “secret affidavit” denouncing its values. Mr Lake told AAP the party on Monday became aware Mr Barrow had posted his views on same-sex marriage and other issues that were contrary to Family First policies on social networking site Twitter.
Text messages too dear, says watchdog Copenhagen Post
The National IT and Telecom Agency has given the telecommunications industry a slap over the wrist for maintaining high prices for their text messaging services. The agency, which is Denmark’s most important regulatory body for the industry, is now calling for more regulation to improve competitiveness. The profit being made on text messaging is considerable. Last year mobile users sent more than 13 billion messages. This traffic cost telecommunication companies 286 billion kroner, or about 0.02 kroner per message, but they charged their customers as much as 3.2 billion kroner for this service.Commenting on the scale of the profits, Finn Petersen, the deputy head of the National IT and Telecom Agency, said: ‘We believe that there is a need to regulate this area. The lack of competition is creating prices which are too high.’
The Brain’s Secret For Sleeping Like a Log Slashdot
Why can some people sleep through anything? According to this article in Wired Science, some lucky people have an extra helping of a certain kind of brain static that essentially blocks out noise and other stimuli. These ‘sleep spindles’ can be detected via EEG, and show up as brief bursts of high-frequency brain waves; some people naturally produce more than others. The researchers say these spindles are produced by the thalamus, the brain region that acts as a waystation for sensory information. If the thalamus is busy producing sleep spindles, sensory information can’t make it through the thalamus to the cortex, the perceptive part of the brain.
Model’s Ex- Agent Accused of Telling Lies at Taylor War Crimes Trial VOA News
The lawyer for former Liberian President Charles Taylor has accused a witness of lying about a diamond gift during testimony in a war crimes trial Tuesday. Taylor’s lawyer said the accusations by Naomi Campbell’s former agent, Carole White, are not true. White began her testimony Monday before the war crimes tribunal in the Hague, in the Netherlands. She said Taylor told Campbell that he would be giving her a diamond, after flirting with the model at a South African dinner in 1997. Prosecutors say the testimony on Monday links the former Liberian president to the so-called “blood diamond” trade that supported Sierra Leone rebels in their decade-long civil war that ended in 2002. Taylor is facing 11 charges — including war crimes and crimes against humanity — for allegedly instigating the rebel campaign of murder, rape and mutilation that left more than 100,000 people dead.
Is free Wi-Fi killing the coffeehouse? MSN
Coffee shops and free Wi-Fi once appeared to be the perfect match. Free Wi-Fi drew customers and made the shop seem cool. Even Starbucks finally inaugurated free wireless Internet service July 1 — possibly influenced by the fact that McDonald’s was offering cheaper coffee drinks AND free Wi-Fi. The love affair may be over, at least in some shops. A number are pulling the plug on free Wi-Fi, saying it hurts business or detracts from the ambience they are trying to create. “We just realized it was a mistake,” Jeremy Tooker of Four Barrel Coffee in San Francisco told Jessica Guynn of the Los Angeles Times. “People would just camp out for hours, literally eight hours on one cup of coffee. We only had 75 seats, and those were always full.” Plus, he added, “It killed the vibe, too.”
Ageless Paul McCartney charms crowd with inspirational performance Toronto Star
Baby, we’re amazed! He may have recently turned 68, but Paul McCartney performed like a man one-quarter of his age before an adoring crowd at a packed Air Canada Centre last night. For the first of two concerts—he returns to the ACC tonight—the living legend’s stamina was absolutely stupefying. He seemed to turn back the hands of time during a nearly three-hour marathon that featured 36 songs and nary a sip of water between them. Backed by a tremendous quartet that included monster drummer (and chief dancer) Abe Laboriel Jr., the agelessly thin, limber Macca focused his set liberally on his Wings catalogue — particularly 1973′s exceptional Band On The Run — and another band of his that you may have heard of called the Beatles … [ The Beatles were Paul McCartney's? Oh, rilly? 
]
Princess accused of taking honeymoon bribe The Local
Prosecutors are to consider whether Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel accepted bribes after a tycoon paid for the couple’s luxury honeymoon. Sweden’s tabloids have reported that Bertil Hult, the founder of language course organizer EF, lent the couple his plane, yacht and house in Colorado for their honeymoon, which they spent in French Polynesia and in North America. The value of the gift has been estimated at several million kronor by tabloid newspaper Aftonbladet. Now, prosecutors at the National Anti-Corruption Unit have received three complaints about the gift from members of the public. They claim it constitutes a bribe, as Victoria has attended events hosted by Hult’s companies and charities in an official capacity …
… and identi.ca
August, 2010
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August 10th, 2010 at 4:04 pm
Telus versus the “Dead Beats”
Good one spotted by a telus user over on DSLr
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r24585406-Telus-Has-A-Crazy-Sense-Of-Humor
Has anyone noticed this yet?
Look at the “Why do I need a credit check?” question:
»https://www.telus.com/order/bundles/overlays.jsp
In case they take it down (which I suspect will be really, really fast :-p)
>Why do I need a credit check?
>You may be broke, therefore highly unlikely to pay your bill.
>We just don’t want to lose money, you dead beat. You know how it is…
I kid you not!
***********
Follow the topic and see how it’s removed from the HTML code and webpage as the users notice it.
August 10th, 2010 at 4:17 pm
Death Grip:
http://www.seaboardgroup.com/main/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=825&Itemid=212
For many people, mobile phone contracts are a source of significant frustration. You cannot get what you want, when you want it. Or you cannot change carriers or downgrade service plans without incurring a significant financial penalty.
“Mobile contract” is a term that seems to upset many Canadians. Yet, the reason that we have wireless contracts is supposedly to help Canadians; to enable them to upgrade their wireless handsets without paying the full price of the new device. We are eager to grasp the benefits of the latest feature phone or smart phone, but we are reluctant to pay the full price.
The principle is clear – and Canada is no different from other countries: subsidies are available in most markets. What is different in Canada, however, are the contract terms, which are some of the longest in the world. Given that the costs to keep or cancel your contract are tied to the contract term, the penalties Canadians are paying are downright draconian.
Canadians are concerned about these costs, making mobile contracts amongst the most complained-about consumer service issues today. Now, governments are wondering if they ought to get involved. Indeed Quebec already has.
Our paper will examine the issues related to wireless contracts and early termination.
More covered at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/cell-phone-contracts-slammed/article1668239/
August 10th, 2010 at 4:44 pm
US Military Base Expansion causes anger – Captured in Italian film
http://original.antiwar.com/vlahos/2010/08/09/italian-film-captures-anger-at-us-bases/
So is having the weapons and the might really a good defense tactic or a great way to piss everyone else off, maybe to the boiling point where they sink your ship, regardless of your weapons (aka financially)? Too bad the US will go down with the boat instead of learning to turn on the bilge pump and offload their dead weight (aka military complex) and change their ways (aka mind their own damn business) and maybe diversify their economy (aka ditch the military complex for something beneficial to the world).
Of course I’m just an idealist so what do I know.
August 10th, 2010 at 5:22 pm
@ Robert: ‘US Military Base Expansion causes anger … ‘
Also Vimeo Standing Army documentary (2010) – http://vimeo.com/13155046
“The US has encircled the world with a web of military bases that today amount to more than 700, in 40 countries. It’s one of the most powerful forces at play in the world, yet one of the less talked-about. Why do countries like Germany, Italy, Japan still host hundreds of US military bases and thousands US soldiers? what stance has president Obama taken on this subject? This documentary answers these and other questions both through the words of experts Noam Chomsky, Gore Vidal, Chalmers Johnson and through those directly affected by US bases in Italy, Japan and the Indian Ocean.”
Cheers!
August 10th, 2010 at 6:37 pm
“Why do countries like Germany, Italy, Japan still host hundreds of US military bases and thousands US soldiers?”
I don’t know what the documentary is saying, but from what I know, it’s a no brainer.
Germany and Italy have no army to speak of. They agreed to that in the surrender treaty after World War 2. So the U.S is there to protect these country from invasion by other country. That why these base were put there, but if they are still require today, that’s a good question.
As for Japan, it’s also part of the treaty the Emperor signed at the end World War. But the Janapese have resign in 1960 a new treaty:
“Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between the United States and Japan”
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Mutual_Cooperation_and_Security_between_the_United_States_and_Japan
It’s basically the same thing, Japan has no army. US are there to protect them, under their invitation.
August 10th, 2010 at 6:56 pm
U.S. Urges Allies to Crack Down on WikiLeaks
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2010-08-10/a-western-crackdown-on-wikileaks/
The Obama administration has asked Britain, Germany, Australia, and other allies to consider criminal charges against Julian Assange for his Afghan war leaks. Philip Shenon reports.
The Obama administration is pressing Britain, Germany, Australia, and other allied Western governments to consider opening criminal investigations of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and to severely limit his nomadic travels across international borders, American officials say. [...]
August 10th, 2010 at 7:54 pm
English soccer club Southampton given the finger by the Herald
http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/845850–5-things-don-t-drink-and-camp
After crummy English soccer club Southampton banned photographers from its season opener – a transparent attempt to get newspapers to pay extra for pics from the team’s own shooter – the local Herald instead sent a cartoonist to cover the game.
See: http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/argyle/Argyle-don-t-settle-draw/article-2503642-detail/article.html
August 10th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Wow Check this one out. I LOVED IT!
http://thechive.com/2010/08/10/girl-quits-her-job-on-dry-erase-board-emails-entire-office-33-photos/
Good for her! Fantastic!
(and she is a hopa! YumYum)
August 10th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Boingboing says the story above is fake (oh well, I loved it anyhow)
HPOA (HOPA?) girl “Jenny Whiteboard” is obvious troll LULZ
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/10/hopa-girl-is-obvious.html
August 10th, 2010 at 10:35 pm
Clement misled Canadians on census: secret documents
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/census/article/846141–clement-misled-canadians-on-census-secret-documents?bn=1
Personally, I think G.W. Harper and his puppets misled Canadians on more than just a census.
August 10th, 2010 at 11:29 pm
Ontario wagers online gambling a winner
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2010/08/10/14981541.html
Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said the province will offer a safer and more regulated online gambling option which includes age and identity verification software.
“People want this. People enjoy gaming,” Duncan said Tuesday. “I ran Canada’s largest alcohol and drug recovery program for many years and the one thing we always said was that prohibition doesn’t work.”
[...]
NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Internet gambling is a game Ontario can’t afford to play.
As the mother of a 17-year-old, she’s concerned about teenagers graduating from video games to online gambling.
August 11th, 2010 at 9:26 am
”
# Reader’s Write Says:
August 10th, 2010 at 10:20 pm
Boingboing says the story above is fake (oh well, I loved it anyhow)
HPOA (HOPA?) girl “Jenny Whiteboard” is obvious troll LULZ
http://www.boingboing.net/2010/08/10/hopa-girl-is-obvious.html
”
I would hope so, because otherwise her comments, while seeming heroic, fall under defamation and she’d be in deep shit for harassment. As much as this type of thing does likely happen, proving she’s being harassed is far more difficult than proving she’s harassing the company with such a set of pictures.
Likely it is fake because if it were real, she’d be in such a shit-storm for harassment and defamation, she’d never get another job! They’d all know what type of person she is and how inappropriate her retaliation was.
August 11th, 2010 at 11:14 am
Queen manager confirms band is leaving EMI
http://www.queenonline.com/news/1805/
“Many of you will have read bits and pieces on the internet about Queen leaving EMI and moving record companies. Although we are saying nothing official at this stage I felt that you should hear from us that it is true that Queen are leaving EMI after 39 years.”
“Next year we start working with our new record company to celebrate Queen’s 40th anniversary and we will be announcing full details of the plans over the next 3 months. As Brian has already said Queen’s next moves will involve ‘’studio work, computers and live work’’. “