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Skeptical Debunker

Big Content condemns foreign governments that endorse FOSS - 0 views

arstechnica.com/...ernments-that-endorse-foss.ars

open source Special 301 USTR IIPA absurd recommendations self-serving

shared by Skeptical Debunker on 25 Feb 10 - Cached
  • University of Edinburgh law lecturer Andres Guadamuz wrote a blog entry this week highlighting some particularly troubling aspects of the IIPA's 301 recommendations. The organization has condemned Indonesia and several other countries for encouraging government adoption of open source software. According to the IIPA, official government endorsements of open source software create "trade barriers" and restrict "equitable market access" for software companies. The profound absurdity of this accusation is exacerbated by the fact that Indonesia's move towards open source software was almost entirely motivated by a desire to eliminate the use of pirated software within the government IT infrastructure. It's important to understand that Indonesia has not mandated the adoption of open source software or barred government agencies from purchasing proprietary commercial software. The Indonesian government issued a statement in 2009 informing municipal governments that they had to stop using pirated software. The statement said that government agencies must either purchase legally licensed commercial software or switch to free and open source alternatives in order to comply with copyright law. This attempt by Indonesia to promote legal software procurement processes by endorsing the viability of open source software has apparently angered the IIPA. In its 301 recommendations for Indonesia, the IIPA demands that the government rescind its 2009 statement. According to the IIPA, Indonesia's policy "weakens the software industry and undermines its long-term competitiveness" because open source software "encourages a mindset that does not give due consideration to the value to intellectual creations [and] fails to build respect for intellectual property rights." The number of ways in which the IIPA's statements regarding open source software are egregiously misleading and dishonest are too numerous to count. The IIPA seems to have completely missed the fact that there is a very robust ecosystem of commercial software vendors in the open source software market and that open source software is at the heart of some of the most popular consumer electronics products that are sold in the United States. It has clearly become an important part of the US software economy and increasingly serves as an enabler of innovation and technological progress. In light of the profitability of Red Hat and other open source leaders, it seems absurd to contend that open source software adoption will weaken the software industry or reduce its competitiveness. In fact, the emergence of open source software has contributed to creating a more competitive landscape in the software industry by offering alternative business models that enable smaller companies to gain traction against the dominant incumbent players. The IIPA's position is profoundly hypocritical, because many parts of the US government, including the Department of Defense, have issued their own memos endorsing open source software adoption. The IIPA's disingenuous move to equate open source software with piracy reeks of desperation. The BSA and other IIPA members are likely losing sleep over open source software because that development model and approach to licensing will empower developing countries to build their own domestic IT industries, eliminating the need for them to tithe to American software giants. It's another failing of the 301 review, which Big Content wants used to coerce other countries into adopting ever-more-stringent copyright laws.
  • Skeptical Debunker on 25 Feb 10
     
    In accordance with US trade law, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) is required to conduct an annual review of the status of foreign intellectual property laws. This review, which is referred to as Special 301, is typically used to denounce countries that have less restrictive copyright policies than the United States. The review process is increasingly dominated by content industry lobbyists who want to subvert US trade policy and make it more favorable to their own interests. We have already noted the targeting of Canada for its supposedly lax copyright laws, but that is not the only nation drawing the ire of Big Content. One of the organizations that plays a key role in influencing the Special 301 review is the International Intellectual Property Alliance (IIPA), a powerful coalition that includes the RIAA, the MPAA, and the Business Software Alliance (BSA). The IIPA, which recently published its official recommendations to the USTR for the 2010 edition of the 301 review, has managed to achieve a whole new level of absurdity.
thinkahol *

Open-source governance - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - 0 views

en.wikipedia.org/...Open-source_governance

Open-source governance - Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

shared by thinkahol * on 28 Sep 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 28 Sep 11
     
    Open-source governance is a political philosophy which advocates the application of the philosophies of the open-source and open-content movements to democratic principles in order to enable any interested citizen to add to the creation of policy, as with a wiki document. Legislation is democratically opened to the general citizenry. The concept behind democracy, that the collective wisdom of the people as a whole is a benefit to the decision-making process, is applied to policy development directly
thinkahol *

Pew Opposes House Bill to Open Wyoming-Size Landscape to Development - Pew Environment ... - 0 views

www.pewenvironment.org/...ape-to-development-85899362283

Pew Opposes House Bill to Open Wyoming-Size Landscape Development - Environment Group

shared by thinkahol * on 30 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 30 Jul 11
     
    "This legislation would undo decades of public land protections by opening up an area the size of Wyoming to new industrial activity. It would allow some of the country's most pristine and spectacular landscapes to be exploited, including the vast majority of undisturbed national forests. "Mining, logging and drilling are already permitted in more than half of our national forests and other public lands. This bill would open the door to such activity on most of the rest. As a result, valuable fish and wildlife could be lost and clean drinking water for millions of Americans compromised. "This legislation would undo the nation's tradition of managing these lands with a balanced approach. It would also disregard years of work by lawmakers from both parties to craft proposals with diverse stakeholders to safeguard these undeveloped areas. In addition, the bill would eliminate interim protections on wild places that people use and enjoy. We urge Members of Congress to oppose H.R. 1581."
newswatchreviews

NewsWatchReviews.com: Las Vegas Shooting - A Man In A Pig Mask Opens Fire At Bellagio H... - 0 views

newswatchreviews.blogspot.com/...ooting-man-in-pig-mask_25.html

Blogger BREAKING NEWS CRIME WordPress

shared by newswatchreviews on 25 Mar 17 - No Cached
  • newswatchreviews on 25 Mar 17
     
    Las Vegas Shooting - A Man In A Pig Mask Opens Fire At Bellagio Hotel Shooter wearing a pig mask open fire and sends people running for their lives at Las Vegas in a popular US tourist hotspot. http://bit.ly/2n2uxMZ
thinkahol *

FBI Opens Investigation Into Murdoch's News Corp. - 0 views

www.readersupportednews.org/...gation-into-murdochs-news-corp

FBI Opens Investigation Into Murdoch's News Corp.

shared by thinkahol * on 16 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 16 Jul 11
     
    law enforcement official says the FBI has opened an investigation into allegations media mogul Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. sought to hack into the phones of Sept. 11 victims. The official spoke Thursday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly. New York City-based News Corp. has been in crisis mode because of a scandal that sank its UK newspaper the News of the World. A rival newspaper reported last week the News of the World had hacked into the phone of UK teenage murder victim Milly Dowler in 2002 and may have impeded a police investigation into her disappearance. More possible victims soon emerged, including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Murdoch says his media company will recover from any damage wrought by the phone-hacking and police bribery allegations. The FBI's New York office hasn't commented.
thinkahol *

Open proposal to US higher education: end oligarchy economics, save trillions with educ... - 0 views

www.examiner.com/...llions-with-education-3-of-4-1

Open proposal to US higher education: end oligarchy economics save trillions with education. 3 of 4 - Los Angeles LA County Nonpartisan | Examiner.com

shared by thinkahol * on 07 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 07 Jul 11
     
    US universities and colleges could end unlawful US wars and stop banksters' rigged-casino fraud if they taught the central facts of these issues. This four-part series of articles is an open proposal for their action. Feel free to share it.
thinkahol *

GMF - The Copenhagen Consensus: Reading Adam Smith in Denmark - 0 views

www.gmfus.org/...article.cfm

economic policy america government denmark

shared by thinkahol * on 27 May 10 - Cached
  • thinkahol * on 27 May 10
     
    Adam Smith observed in 1776 that economies work best when governments keep their clumsy thumbs off the free market's "invisible hand." Two generations later, in 1817, the British economist David Ricardo extended Smith's insights to global trade. Just as market forces lead to the right price and quantity of products domestically, Ricardo argued, free foreign trade optimizes economic outcomes internationally. Reading Adam Smith in Copenhagen -- the center of the small, open, and highly successful Danish economy -- is a kind of out-of-body experience. On the one hand, the Danes are passionate free traders. They score well in the ratings constructed by pro-market organizations. The World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index ranks Denmark third, just behind the United States and Switzerland. Denmark's financial markets are clean and transparent, its barriers to imports minimal, its labor markets the most flexible in Europe, its multinational corporations dynamic and largely unmolested by industrial policies, and its unemployment rate of 2.8 percent the second lowest in the OECD (the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). On the other hand, Denmark spends about 50 percent of its GDP on public outlays and has the world's second-highest tax rate, after Sweden; strong trade unions; and one of the world's most equal income distributions. For the half of GDP that they pay in taxes, the Danes get not just universal health insurance but also generous child-care and family-leave arrangements, unemployment compensation that typically covers around 95 percent of lost wages, free higher education, secure pensions in old age, and the world's most creative system of worker retraining. Does Denmark have some secret formula that combines the best of Adam Smith with the best of the welfare state? Is there something culturally unique about the open-minded Danes? Can a model like the Danish one survive as a social democratic island in a turbulent sea of globali
Yee Sian Ng

Board openings give Obama a rare chance to remake the Federal Reserve - washingtonpost.com - 0 views

www.washingtonpost.com/...AR2010030101139.html

Politics Financial Markets Regulation

shared by Yee Sian Ng on 07 Mar 10 - Cached
  • Yee Sian Ng on 07 Mar 10
     
    "The No. 2 official on the Federal Reserve Board said Monday that he will retire, opening a third seat on what may be the world's most powerful economic body and giving President Obama a historic opportunity to reshape the central bank.\n\n[...]\n\nThe changes come at a time of epic transformation in, and intense scrutiny of, the Fed's mission. During the past two years, the Fed has taken extraordinary actions to contain a financial crisis and prop up the economy. Now the institution must decide how and when to wind down some of those emergency measures."
Sana ulHaq

David Cameron leaves door open for poll deal with Liberal Democrats - 0 views

www.newshungama.com/?p=1998

david cameron

shared by Sana ulHaq on 25 Apr 10 - Cached
  • Sana ulHaq on 25 Apr 10
     
    David Cameron has left open the possibility of a coalition with Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats by refusing to rule out discussions on reform of Britain's first-past-the-post voting system.
David Corking

140,000 Miles of African Roads Added to Open Street Map | Development Seed - 0 views

www.developmentseed.org/...of_miles_added_open_street_map

mapping Open source

shared by David Corking on 22 Apr 09 - Cached
  • It’s really important that data like GIS data is “open” and freely available to everyone, otherwise that economic (and digital) divide will never lessen.
  • David Corking on 22 Apr 09
     
    OSM is far from a mere hobby project
thinkahol *

Obama, Democrats Open to Medicare Cuts - 0 views

readersupportednews.org/...emocrats-open-to-medicare-cuts

Obama Democrats Open to Medicare Cuts

shared by thinkahol * on 07 Jul 11 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 07 Jul 11
     
    Obama administration officials are offering to cut tens of billions of dollars from Medicare and Medicaid in negotiations to reduce the federal budget deficit, but the depth of the cuts depends on whether Republicans are willing to accept any increases in tax revenues.' Robert Pear, The New York Tim
Joe La Fleur

Republicans | Democrats | Open-mindedness | Tolerance | The Daily Caller - 0 views

dailycaller.com/...rs-better-informed-open-minded

republicans democrats tolerance

shared by Joe La Fleur on 23 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Joe La Fleur on 23 Apr 12
     
    Who's the Man? Who is more informed? Democrats or Republicans?
Joe La Fleur

You Can't Handle the Truth - YouTube - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

handle truth

shared by Joe La Fleur on 02 Apr 12 - No Cached
  • Joe La Fleur on 02 Apr 12
     
    AN OPEN MESSAGE TO ALL DEMOCRATS
Ian Schlom

Chavez lauds new Latin American alliance - 0 views

www.aljazeera.com/...2011122235415861433.html

Venezuela video news CELAC

shared by Ian Schlom on 08 Dec 11 - No Cached
  • Ian Schlom on 08 Dec 11
     
    qt: Chavez called the foundation of CELAC an achievement 200 years in the making, the realisation of the ambitions of independence hero Simon Bolivar. "'Only unity will make us free,' Chavez said to applause at the opening ceremony. 'This is the path: Unity, unity, unity!'" "Usually all these countries, whenevever they would have met, it would have been the US and Canada. This is the first time they're doing it without these two countries, and their aim is to foster regional integration."
thinkahol *

Armed Chinese Troops in Texas! - YouTube - 0 views

www.youtube.com/watch

Armed Chinese Troops in Texas! - YouTube

shared by thinkahol * on 05 Jan 12 - No Cached
  • thinkahol * on 05 Jan 12
     
    NOTE: It is important to separate hunting down terrorists who attack our country and deserve justice (which Ron Paul is 100% for), and not confuse justice with occupying entire countries for a decade under the guise of the "War on Terror" or "Spreading Democracy". Terrorists are individuals and small groups, so why are we picking fights with entire nations? BILLIONS for Defense, NOT A PENNY for Empire. This speech is called "Imagine" and it was given by Ron Paul on March 11, 2009. The original text of the talk is below: Imagine for a moment that somewhere in the middle of Texas there was a large foreign military base, say Chinese or Russian. Imagine that thousands of armed foreign troops were constantly patrolling American streets in military vehicles. Imagine they were here under the auspices of "keeping us safe" or "promoting democracy" or "protecting their strategic interests." Imagine that they operated outside of US law, and that the Constitution did not apply to them. Imagine that every now and then they made mistakes or acted on bad information and accidentally killed or terrorized innocent Americans, including women and children, most of the time with little to no repercussions or consequences. Imagine that they set up checkpoints on our soil and routinely searched and ransacked entire neighborhoods of homes. Imagine if Americans were fearful of these foreign troops, and overwhelmingly thought America would be better off without their presence. Imagine if some Americans were so angry about them being in Texas that they actually joined together to fight them off, in defense of our soil and sovereignty, because leadership in government refused or were unable to do so. Imagine that those Americans were labeled terrorists or insurgents for their defensive actions, and routinely killed, or captured and tortured by the foreign troops on our land. Imagine that the occupiers' attitude was that if they just killed enough Americans, the resistance would stop, but inst
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