h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Here's an interesting look behind the scenes regarding the MPAA's fight for SOPA/PIPA. They see the groundswell reaction not as coming from the people, but from specifically Google. They think this was just to protect Google's profits from advertising on pirate websites. They really have no clue. Google, to some extent, was dragged into putting up their blackout banner by public outcry. User driven sites like Reddit and Wikipedia were the ones spreading the word and building pressure. It really puts the future in perspective. If we don't fight the power of corporate money to influence democracy it will just be the corporations battling over control of the world.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sopa-jeffrey-katzenberg-chris-dodd-piracy-battle-284869

Actually more worrying than SOPA/PIPA is ACTA: http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networking/2012/01/26/uk-signs-acta-as-activists-urge-resistance-40094914/ which has slipped in under the radar while people were concentrating on other things.

Please Mr. D could you explain more why its worrying?

I don't understand all those acronyms.

Or the implications.

ACTA, or Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is an international measure to give greater protection to intellectual property, something that is already over protected and over enforced. It will allow, for example, ISPs to actively monitor their customers' internet usage and for things like what the US has been doing recently to be done by any country in the Agreement.

Most worryingly it has been written and agreed behind closed doors, literally in secret, since 2006 and only now is it gaining real public attention. Because it is classified as a Trade Agreement rather than a law or legislation there is no legal issue whatsoever with it being done this way.

ACTA didn't slip under my radar: F19585?thread=8281972&skip=1020&show=20#p110543669

It's OK, I'm used to being ignored.

Well it kind of did... it's been going since 2006 after all.

This isn't the first I've heard of it.

But, to be honest, it was kept secret for a very long time. I think I first heard of it about a year or so ago, about the time I was hearing about US media interests lobbying foreign law makers directly to institute so called "three strikes" rules that would require ISPs to monitor their customers usage and bar anyone accused of copyright infringement three times to permanently lose their internet access, no evidence or convictions necessary.

There are a number of online petitions against ACTA, such as this one:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/eu_save_the_internet/?tta

ACTA will only benefit corporations and the extremely wealthy at the cost of actual human beings. If you draw breathe and you make less than 7 million dollars per year, you ought to be against this ACTA.

And if you want to support your local Occupy protesters who have done so much to shine the spotlight on corporate corruption, now you can. Firedoglake.com is giving away five 11'x11' command post tents worth $5000 each, three media laptops equipped with webcams for livestreaming and twelve $100 gift certificates to the Occupy Supply store to reward occupations for their kick-ass community activism.

http://action.firedoglake.com/page/s/osf-tents

I'm defo back on board Occupy now.

Something strange happened that I put a tent in my garden just as it started happening...but I didn't know why. I just did it.

I still don't fully understand all the theory stuff, but I'm going with 'Trust'

Do I recall correctly that an earlier attempt
involved an SAS sniper-tent? But these first
experiments resulted in physical and mental
hardships? You have since acquired something
more like a tourist or hikers type bivouac?
And go to sleep to the sound of howling foxes.


~jwf~

That ridiculous SAS tunnel which took me forever to make as it was so poorly designed..and getting the rods in the pockets. I managed only half an hour in that thing, most of it crying.

My geodesic dome Vango Hurricanne is superb though.

Except foxes have broken all the guylines...but the pegs are fine. Its solid as a rock.

But I'm thinking it might be one of the reasons the foxes are barking so much this year as its in the main area for them to play in and mark their territory.

Stripey a cat that now visits me regularly, goes in it to play.

Occupy London protestors evicted from an *empty* building.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/jan/27/occupy-protesters-evicted-london-office?newsfeed=true

That could be a sign that the authorities here are getting more twitchy. There's been the most incredible amount of publicity about the Royal Bank of Scotland's head getting a £million bonus on top of his £1.5 million salary. People are so incredibly angry about it.

We the public own 80% now.

'We're all in this together'....yeah yeah Dave and George Osbourne (British PM and Chancellor for non Brits' information). A slogan rammed down our throats since the government here came to power.

Oh the authorities have bee twitchy for a while. A list of terrorist threats issued by the Met last year listed Occupy as one to watch.

I am so, so glad we don't have a militarised police force like they do in the US.

Well, crap! http://www.pirateparty.org.uk/press/releases/2012/jan/27/acta-latest-threat-internet-freedom-just-signed-eu/

So the Chairman of RBS has rejected his bonus.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16772525

Let's see what the cheif exec will now do.

Here's an interesting development regarding ACTA.
European Parliament Official In Charge Of ACTA Quits, And Denounces The 'Masquerade' Behind ACTA
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20120126/11014317553/european-parliament-official-charge-acta-quits-denounces-masquerade-behind-acta.shtml?fb_ref=article&fb_source=home_oneline

Meanwhile, City officials are putting their heads together.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/25/occupy-wall-street-us-conference-of-mayors_n_1232080.html

(From UK the Chief Exec of RBS has now also forgone his bonus. They are getting the message about people's anger

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16783571

)

Another Occupy victory: Exposing the scandal-plagued Oakland Police Department.

Oakland Police Face Federal Takeover Due To Excessive Force

Full story here: http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress3/oakland-police-face-federal-takeover-due-to-excessive-force/

U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said he “remains in disbelief” that the department has failed to adopt the reforms agreed to 9 years ago in the wake of a lawsuit filed by victims of a notorious group of police officers known as “The Riders.”

Judge Henderson issued a scathing five-page ruling Tuesday in response to a monitor’s report about the Oakland Police Department’s handling of Occupy protests. Here is some footage showing the Oakland Police Department's response to non-violent Occupy protesters:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynMBFxiiifI&NR=1

The Media have either grown weary of Occupy
or have been told to play it down because on
the news yesterday only one of the three major
US networks mentioned, very briefly, without
much comment and a very little video footage,
that the Occupiers somewhere in Oregon(?) had
broken into City Hall and done massive property
damage. It said many were injured and dozens were
arrested but now I can't even find it on the web.

~jwf~