Geez.
Not sure what to think of this controversial new video from Faithless.
The anti-war images are powerful.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
Category: government
I want to join Lovely
The Kingdom of Lovely (official website) is a micronation which claims the flat of its creator and ruler King Danny as its domain.
… In July 2006 Lovely had 421 citizens registered on its website, although everyone who signs up to view the forum is (knowingly) included as a citizen.
The Latin motto is Die dulci freure (sic – the correct Latin is fruere), meaning “Have a nice day”.
Lovely (micronation) – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
King Danny petitioning the U.N.
do you have a passport?
Passport Rules Changing – Gadling
Making my way to Canada this year to spend a week in the gloriously beautiful Canadian province of Newfoundland, I discovered a nasty little surprise. My wife and I got to the airport and discovered that Newfoundland requires Americans traveling there to bring a passport or birth certificate to enter by air from the United States. I had no idea.
For years living in Seattle I came and went to Canada and needed only to show my drivers’ license. I was pretty damn upset because no one told us that the rules had changed, and so we had to go back and get our passports and needless to say, we missed our plane.
Well my hardies, the rules HAVE changed, although they have not taken effect Canada-wide quite yet, and when they do take effect, they will cover Mexico as well. Yes, visitors to the NAFTA states North and South will soon have to bring along passports to cross the country’s borders…well, the key is really getting back in. The rules take effect December 31 for air travelers to and from the Caribbean, Mexico and Canada.
A year later, on Dec. 31, 2007, the requirement will be extended to all land-based border crossings as well.
Penn Jillette is one smart dude
Penn Jillette is an eloquent spokesman for libertarianism (people should be free to do whatever they wish with their person or property, as long as they do not infringe on the same liberty of others).
By eloquent, I should caution, I mean clear and emphatic. Penn is very profane, as well. If you don’t believe that “profanity is part of a good vocabulary”, you may be offended by the Penn and Teller Bullsh*t video series.
To see a sample — making the argument that the war on drugs is bullsh*t — click PLAY, or watch the 30min video on Google Video.
Bahrainis use Google Earth to spy on royals’ palaces
It was in China in 1998 when it first dawned on me that the internet would bring down that totalitarian regime.
I expect China to suddenly (and surprisingly to some) move to democracy by 2010.
Why?
Because totalitarianism is inherently unfair. It’s a system where those in control stuff as much RMB into their pockets at the expense of those not in control. This kind of injustice is not sustainable once those being robbed find out what’s going on. Every day it gets harder to keep the masses ignorant.
After China, the rest of the non-democratic nations of the world will go the same way. Even the Kingdom of Bahrain.
How happy are the Bahrainis with their Royals once this kind of information get circulated widely?
Boing Boing: Bahrainis use Google Earth to spy on royals’ palaces
movie – The Corporation
UPDATE:
If you have not seen The Corporation, a torrent download is available for free or donation. This is a legal download by the makers of the documentary. (Might be a good chance for you to find out what bitorent is if you have never used it.)
This film is of particular interest to cold-hearted, atheist economists.
details on the download – Torrent Freak
“The Corporation” is a surprisingly rational and coherent attack on capitalism’s most important institution.” – Economist magazine
I expected a confused left-wing mishmash of fact and exaggeration. But the documentary is well done and very thought provoking.
The conclusion is that you cannot trust corporations (even Google) as they are true only to the bottom line of the next quarter. Corporations will cheat, steal, lie and sell their mothers at any opportunity.
All true. This is the capitalist system. I like it far better than alternatives where, for example, totalitarian governments do exactly the same thing with far less incentive to do right by the population.
The Corporation makes no attempt at finding solutions to the problems of our corporate model. But does an excellent job at laying out the abuses.
Me? I am far less worried about corporate wrongdoing than the producers of this movie. I feel technology increasingly will keep companies honest. Insiders with cell-phone cameras are busting to post a “scoop” on their blogs. Millions want to be listed high on Digg.com by breaking a scandal.
For example: Lockheed Martin whistleblower uses YouTube to get the word out
There are ways we can hold corporations to account. If you believe Nike takes advantage of child labour in Asia, do not buy their shoes.
If you disagree with how Wal-Mart is changing the world of retail, do not shop there.
Simple.
The vulnerability of corporations is their greed. “The rich man will sell you the rope to hang himself”. – Michael Moore
Canada, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
Dana tipped me to the blog of “enviro girl” in Sweden.
Hey — it’s none other than Adrianne Begg, one of her former gymnasts and coaches at Marian Gymnastics in Saskatoon.
Regarding Canada and Kyoto …
I am embarassed and ashamed of Canada’s New Government today. This is bordering on changing the way I feel about being a Canadian… I really never thought that I would say that, not in a million years, but I feel so let down by our government that I feel completely separate from it. The New Canadian Government has been working counter to the best interests of the people in our country on the issues of the Environment and Climate Change in particular. …
It is absolutely appalling that Canada will be the only country to BACK OUT of the Kyoto Protocol. …
I am absolutely shocked at the action taken by the Environment Minister Rona Ambrose at the Kyoto Negotiations in Nairobi. Her statements at the UN meetings have embarrassed Canada, and shown disrespect to the rest of the international community, as well as the Canadian people themselves. …
Adrianne’s pretty ticked at Rona Ambrose. But who is she? I don’t know the name.
OH NO! She’s a controversial politician from … Alberta.
Yeesh. Another right-wing politician who takes Ayn Rand too seriously. Named Minister of the Environment?
The press looks almost unanimously negative about what she is doing for Canada internationally.
I’d better add Rona Ambrose to my death watch list, along with that crook Bev Oda.
And I’ll subscribe to Adrianne’s blog. She’s following this issue closely.
I don’t know enough about Kyoto vs. alternatives to have formed an opinion myself.
Lastly — I sent this blog post to Rona Ambrose’s office.
Treehugger: Defining Hypocrisy, Canadian Style
Canada does not do very well vis-a-vis our Kyoto commitment.
So here we are in Canada, which along with the States and Australia was laughed out of Nairobi for its attitudes to climate change and Kyoto, and we are off to mail a letter and what is on the current stamp from Crown Corporation Canada Post? Wind turbines. With mountains in the background. Where are the smokestacks for the coal burning power plants? Where are the giant trucks digging up the tarsands?
BBC – who stole the Baghdad billions?
Billions of dollars are missing in Iraq.
Where are they?
This 2-part audiocast is a shocker. I’ve listened to it several times.
Iraq has become a vast financial black hole.
Since the war began in 2003, the Americans have spent around $30 billion of their money – and at least $20 billion of Iraq’s own money – in rebuilding the country. But where has it all gone?
Mark Gregory has followed the money trail from Iraq to Washington via a kebab shop in Jordan.
He discovers that there have been allegations of fraud, mismanagement and corruption on such a gigantic scale that much of the money is now untraceable. …
The US-led administration, talking shortly before the return of sovereignty, offered a vision of a country in which the lights worked and clean water flowed from the taps.
But two-and-a-half years after the handover, many Iraqis say their lives are getting worse despite the vast sums allocated for rebuilding.
Mark Gregory explains how profiteering, corruption, bad management and the strength of insurgency have all paid a part in the failure to rebuild Iraq.
BBC results for Baghdad billions
Read a summary on the BBC website: Baghdad’s ‘missing’ billions
video – Alive in Baghdad
The runaway winner in the first annual Vloggie awards (Vlog is another bad name for video casts) was Alive in Baghdad.
(That was a surprise to me as they did not have anywhere near the viewership of Rocketboom or other mainstream shows.)
Alive in Baghdad was formed to counter the sound-bite driven, “Live From” news model. Through the work of a team of Americans and Iraqi correspondents on the ground, Alive in Baghdad shows the occupation through the voices of Iraqis. Alive in Baghdad brings testimonies from individual Iraqis, footage of daily life in Iraq, and short news segments from Iraq to you.
The CNN news model which got so popular during the first gulf war is limited at best. I much prefer to hear what the people in Iraq have to say.
See for yourself: AliveinBaghdad.org
To see an interview with the founder click PLAY, or watch the clip on YouTube.
Rick McCharles 