Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Mayor Bloomberg Delivers Teary-Eyed Defense Of Ground Zero Islamic Center
Mayor Bloomberg Delivers Teary-Eyed Defense Of Ground Zero Islamic Center
Speaking on Governor's Island, misty-eyed New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg praised a decision to allow an Islamic center to be built near Ground Zero.
Bloomberg choked up during his delivery, which highlighted the spirit of religious tolerance and freedoms once sought by New York's earliest settlers.
"We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That's life and it's part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11," he said.
"Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbors grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values - and play into our enemies' hands - if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists - and we should not stand for that."
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The following are New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg's remarks as delivered on Governors Island.
We have come here to Governors Island to stand where the earliest settlers first set foot in New Amsterdam, and where the seeds of religious tolerance were first planted. We've come here to see the inspiring symbol of liberty that, more than 250 years later, would greet millions of immigrants in the harbor, and we come here to state as strongly as ever - this is the freest City in the world. That's what makes New York special and different and strong.
Our doors are open to everyone - everyone with a dream and a willingness to work hard and play by the rules. New York City was built by immigrants, and it is sustained by immigrants - by people from more than a hundred different countries speaking more than two hundred different languages and professing every faith. And whether your parents were born here, or you came yesterday, you are a New Yorker.
We may not always agree with every one of our neighbors. That's life and it's part of living in such a diverse and dense city. But we also recognize that part of being a New Yorker is living with your neighbors in mutual respect and tolerance. It was exactly that spirit of openness and acceptance that was attacked on 9/11.
On that day, 3,000 people were killed because some murderous fanatics didn't want us to enjoy the freedom to profess our own faiths, to speak our own minds, to follow our own dreams and to live our own lives.
Of all our precious freedoms, the most important may be the freedom to worship as we wish. And it is a freedom that, even here in a City that is rooted in Dutch tolerance, was hard-won over many years. In the mid-1650s, the small Jewish community living in Lower Manhattan petitioned Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant for the right to build a synagogue - and they were turned down.
In 1657, when Stuyvesant also prohibited Quakers from holding meetings, a group of non-Quakers in Queens signed the Flushing Remonstrance, a petition in defense of the right of Quakers and others to freely practice their religion. It was perhaps the first formal, political petition for religious freedom in the American colonies - and the organizer was thrown in jail and then banished from New Amsterdam.
In the 1700s, even as religious freedom took hold in America, Catholics in New York were effectively prohibited from practicing their religion - and priests could be arrested. Largely as a result, the first Catholic parish in New York City was not established until the 1780's - St. Peter's on Barclay Street, which still stands just one block north of the World Trade Center site and one block south of the proposed mosque and community center.
This morning, the City's Landmark Preservation Commission unanimously voted not to extend landmark status to the building on Park Place where the mosque and community center are planned. The decision was based solely on the fact that there was little architectural significance to the building. But with or without landmark designation, there is nothing in the law that would prevent the owners from opening a mosque within the existing building. The simple fact is this building is private property, and the owners have a right to use the building as a house of worship.
The government has no right whatsoever to deny that right - and if it were tried, the courts would almost certainly strike it down as a violation of the U.S. Constitution. Whatever you may think of the proposed mosque and community center, lost in the heat of the debate has been a basic question - should government attempt to deny private citizens the right to build a house of worship on private property based on their particular religion? That may happen in other countries, but we should never allow it to happen here. This nation was founded on the principle that the government must never choose between religions, or favor one over another.
The World Trade Center Site will forever hold a special place in our City, in our hearts. But we would be untrue to the best part of ourselves - and who we are as New Yorkers and Americans - if we said 'no' to a mosque in Lower Manhattan.
Let us not forget that Muslims were among those murdered on 9/11 and that our Muslim neighbors grieved with us as New Yorkers and as Americans. We would betray our values - and play into our enemies' hands - if we were to treat Muslims differently than anyone else. In fact, to cave to popular sentiment would be to hand a victory to the terrorists - and we should not stand for that.
For that reason, I believe that this is an important test of the separation of church and state as we may see in our lifetime - as important a test - and it is critically important that we get it right.
On September 11, 2001, thousands of first responders heroically rushed to the scene and saved tens of thousands of lives. More than 400 of those first responders did not make it out alive. In rushing into those burning buildings, not one of them asked 'What God do you pray to?' 'What beliefs do you hold?'
The attack was an act of war - and our first responders defended not only our City but also our country and our Constitution. We do not honor their lives by denying the very Constitutional rights they died protecting. We honor their lives by defending those rights - and the freedoms that the terrorists attacked.
Of course, it is fair to ask the organizers of the mosque to show some special sensitivity to the situation - and in fact, their plan envisions reaching beyond their walls and building an interfaith community. By doing so, it is my hope that the mosque will help to bring our City even closer together and help repudiate the false and repugnant idea that the attacks of 9/11 were in any way consistent with Islam. Muslims are as much a part of our City and our country as the people of any faith and they are as welcome to worship in Lower Manhattan as any other group. In fact, they have been worshiping at the site for the better part of a year, as is their right.
The local community board in Lower Manhattan voted overwhelming to support the proposal and if it moves forward, I expect the community center and mosque will add to the life and vitality of the neighborhood and the entire City.
Political controversies come and go, but our values and our traditions endure - and there is no neighborhood in this City that is off limits to God's love and mercy, as the religious leaders here with us today can attest.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
カメラだけでUSTERAM配信 - CEREVO CAM live! : DigInfo
DigInfo - http://www.diginfo.tv
2010/7/15
CEREVO
CEREVO CAM live!
軽量型 マッスルスーツ : DigInfo
DigInfo - http://www.diginfo.tv
東京理科大学 工学部 小林研究室
マッスルスーツ
関連サイト :
- http://kobalab.com/
- http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/irex/inde... (2009国際ロボット展)
歯科実習用ロボット - シムロイド : DigInfo
DigInfo - http://www.diginfo.tv/
ココロ / シムロイド
2007/11/28
2007国際ロボット展
関連サイト :
- http://www.kokoro-dreams.co.jp/robot/...
- http://www.nikkan.co.jp/eve/irex/inde... (2007国際ロボット展)
シュレッダーゴミを水でトイレットペーパーに生まれ変わらせるマシン
diginfonewsjapan | 西元2010年01月29日
合資会社オリエンタルはエコプロダクツ2009において、シュレッダーした紙のゴミからトイレットペーパーを作り出す画期的なリサイクル装置「ホワイトゴート」を出展しました。
ホワイトゴートはシュレッダ－マシンも内蔵されており、排出されたシュレッダーゴミは最初にホッパー内で一定量ずつほぐされ、次にパルパー内の水で紙ゴミを溶解し、調整タンクで不要な異物を取り除いて、水の濃さを調整します。次に紙抄（かみす）きでトイレットペーパーの厚さに整えて、乾燥させ、乾いた紙を巻き取って排出孔から完成したトイレットペーパーが１個ずつ出てきます。これらの作業はすべて自動で処理されます。
ホワイトゴートは第3回ものづくり日本大賞優秀賞を受賞し、現在パテントを申請中で2010年夏の販売に向けて生産体制を整えて行くとのことです。
東レ - 世界最大の海水淡水化プラント向け 逆浸透膜 : DigInfo
DigInfo - http://www.diginfo.tv
東レ
逆浸透膜エレメント
関連サイト :
- http://www.toray.co.jp/news/water/nr0...
- http://www.interaqua.jp/ (InterAqua 2010 国際水ソリューション総合展)
固体高分子燃料電池で動く小型魚ロボット : DigInfo
DigInfo - http://www.diginfo.tv
大阪市立大学
小型魚ロボット
関連サイト :
- http://www.eng.osaka-cu.ac.jp
- http://www.fcexpo.jp/index.html (FC EXPO 2010 〜第6回 国際水素・燃料電池展〜)
太陽熱駆動スターリングエンジンシステム : DigInfo
DigInfo - http://www.diginfo.tv
2010/7/16
若狭湾エネルギー研究センター
太陽熱駆動スターリングエンジンシステム
TALKS Laurie Santos: A monkey economy as irrational as ours
About Laurie Santos
Laurie Santos studies primate psychology and monkeynomics -- testing problems in human psychology on primates, who (not so surprisingly) have many of the same predictable irrationalities we do.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Vows: Jess and Jeff
Vows: Jess and Jeff
Jessica Rivkin and Jeffrey Larson met in 2002 at a summer opera workshop in Italy. Sparks flew at a dress rehearsal, when their eyes locked through Jeff's mask.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/08/01/fashion/weddings/1247468543331/vows-jess-and-jeff.html
Jessica Rivkin and Jeffrey Larson met in 2002 at a summer opera workshop in Italy. Sparks flew at a dress rehearsal, when their eyes locked through Jeff's mask.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/08/01/fashion/weddings/1247468543331/vows-jess-and-jeff.html
Building the Future With the Past
Building the Future With the Past
Paris Bureau Chief Steven Erlanger visits Burgundy, France, where artisans are using 13th century design and construction techniques to build a replica of a medieval chateau.
Paris Bureau Chief Steven Erlanger visits Burgundy, France, where artisans are using 13th century design and construction techniques to build a replica of a medieval chateau.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
understanding how marketers are using social media,
Industry Report Overview from Michael A. Stelzner on Vimeo.
Have any of these questions crossed your mind? “How much time do my peers invest in social media marketing? What benefits are they achieving? Where will they focus their efforts in the future?”
If you’ve pondered any of these thoughts, look no further. All the answers are right here in this free report.
To understand how marketers are using social media, Social Media Examiner commissioned the 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. We set out to uncover the “who, what, where, when and why” of social media marketing with this report.
A significant 1900 of your peers provided the type of valuable insight you won’t find elsewhere. In this free report you’ll discover:
The top 10 social media questions marketers want answered
How much time marketers invest with social media activities
The top benefits of social media and how time invested impacts results
The most used social media tools
Marketers future social media plans
And much more!
If you’re in charge of marketing for your business, you’ll want to closely analyze the pages of this report and use it to persuade others.
Remember, the nature of social media is to “share”, so if you like the report please let your peers know about it.
Download the report here. Note: Having trouble downloading? The file is large and may not display properly in some browsers. Try right clicking (or control click on Mac) to save it to your hard drive.
Michael can be reached at report@socialmediaexaminer.com.
What do you think about these findings? Please share your comment in the box below.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Colbert Report - Elizabeth Warren
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Elizabeth Warren | ||||
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Monday, May 3, 2010
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren supports financial regulation that will put rules back in place and rein Wall Street in a little bit. (06:06)
Friday, July 30, 2010
TechCrunch Social Currency CrunchUp
Agenda:
9:00 – 9:45 am
The Social Currency Investment Thesis
Michael Arrington speaks with Ron Conway and Paul Graham
9:45 – 10:15 am
Social Savings: Building the Next Billion Dollar Business
Erick Schonfeld speaks with Groupon CEO Andrew Mason
Colbert Report - Thought For Food - Cereal, Foot-Long Cheeseburger & Ecobot III
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Thought For Food - Cereal, Foot-Long Cheeseburger & Ecobot III | ||||
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Thought For Food - Cereal, Foot-Long Cheeseburger & Ecobot III
Sugary cereals face tougher advertising standards, Carl's Jr. introduces a foot-long cheeseburger, and a robot eats crap. (05:17)
http://www.comedycentral.com/colbertreport/full-episodes/index.jhtml?episodeId=341498
http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes/thu-july-29-2010-liev-schreiber?xrs=share_copy
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Solar power cools camel-transported vaccines
Professor Winston (Wolé) Soboyejo discusses his camel solar refrigerator project, which may improve vaccine delivery in remote areas of Kenya and Ethiopia. Prototypes of the refrigerators, specially designed to fit over camel humps, have been tested at the Bronx Zoo.
Video by Michael E. Wood
VIDEO: Materials science camp for teachers: re-energizing the classroom
For the past five years, the Princeton Center for Complex Materials has trained more than 150 teachers during a weeklong, hands-on summer immersion program in Princeton's state-of-the-art laboratories. Teachers learn materials science and engineering techniques that they then bring back to thousands of students in the classrom.
PCCM is a National Science Foundation-funded Materials Science and Research Center at Princeton University dedicated to pushing the frontiers of complexity in materials science. The materials science teachers camp is taught by Princeton faculty and by master teachers and is co-sponsored by the Materials Information Society.
This video features Richard Register, chair of chemical and biological engineering at Princeton, and Daniel Steinberg, educational outreach director for the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials.
Applications for this free weeklong training camp are now being accepted for the summer of 2010.
Video by Kevco Productions.
Princeton president discusses role of women in the sciences: past, present and future
Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman, a distinguished molecular biologist, discusses the role of women in science -- past, present and future.
Her address was part of "Women in Theory," a conference on theoretical computer science hosted in June 2010 by Princeton's Center for Computational Intractability.
Tilghman talks about the early battles of women in the sciences during the 1970s and 1980s, laments that the need still exists for women-specific conferences, and emphasizes the importance of self-confidence and self-discipline for women (and men) seeking to make their mark in the world of science.
Tilghman is introduced by Tal Rubin. Conference co-chairs included Rubin and Boaz Barak and Moses Charikar. More here:
Elon Musk Sat Down With Stephen Colbert, Talked Tesla, SpaceX And The Irony Of The Two
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Elon Musk | ||||
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Elon Musk certainly hasn’t been on the down-low lately. Well, with the Tesla’s IPO and then Toyota huge investment and manufacturing deals. Then there’s the lawsuits and his devoice. So yeah, it’s no wonder that Jon Favreau modeled his Tony Stark character after Elon — or so says Wikipedia.
But last night he had a friendly fireside chat with Stephen Colbert, where it was really nothing more than reading of the man’s resume and talking about his ventures. Of course Colbert talked circles around the PayPal co-founder as he tends to do. It’s not like The Colbert Report is known as a hard-hitting news program anyway. That’s more the style of The Daily Show. Click through for the video.
Forza Kinect - Trailer HD di debutto all'E3 2010
Forza Kinect - Trailer HD di debutto all'E3 2010
Se cerchi amici per giocare online con i tuoi giochi preferiti su Xbox Live, visita Gamertagmatch.com, la prima community italiana per i giocatori Xbox Live.
Direttamente dalla conferenza Microsoft all'E3 2010 di Los Angeles, il trailer di debutto del nuovo Forza Kinect. In questa demo all'E3, Turn 10 ha mostrato una demo giocabile in cui applicava la tecnologia di Kinect in Forza 3, con una Ferrari 458 Italia sul circuito giapponese di Fujimi Kaido, attraverso l' uso di un volante virtuale gestito da Kinect.
Infine, sempre grazie al Kinect è possibile girare intorno alla stessa Ferrari, ammirarne i vari dettagli scoprendone anche le caratteristiche tecniche fino ad entrare al suo interno ed avviarne il motore.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Everlight Chemical Industrial Corporation Introduction
The core values of Everlight are Business by Integrity; Management by Caring. The mission statement, business philosophy and principles are all derivatives of these employee-shared values.
Supporting the governments economic policies, and actively nurturing technological as well as managerial talents, Everlight is engaged in fine chemicals production, facilitating the national economics and social welfare. Through international cooperation and worldwide marketing, Everlight contributes to global harmony and Quality of Life.
Pursuit of Progress and Innovation
We define progress and innovation as a challenge and need to achieve continuous improvement in the increasingly competitive markets. Therefore, we focus on building solid technical foundations for improving quality, manufacturing reliable high-tech products, and nurturing technical and commercial talent. In addition, our management oversees and coordinates all company operations including R&D, production, and marketing, and has led the company into a global business.
Stimulation of Individual Potentials
We believe the most valuable asset of every company is its human resource. Everlight values all its employees and cares for their growth by providing open and fair working environment and on-the-job training., Teamwork spirit and mutual support are facilitated to develop the full potential of each employee and the company.
Contribution of Quality of Life
e recognize that the value of a company lies in its contribution to the quality of life. Everlight has endeavoured in providing top quality products, such as dyestuffs, light stabilizers, bulk drugs, electronic chemicals and advanced materials, to the world community. Meanwhile, Everlight has been active in charitable activities.
20100714獨立特派員第155集{治安風水師}
每個小時就有1.6件住宅竊案發生。面對破案率不到40%的住家竊案，民眾該如何自保？從門鎖的選擇、鐵窗的形狀、玻璃的強度到監視器的裝設，一起跟著偵辦竊盜經驗豐富的資深員警，來看看民眾家裡有哪些環節可能成為小偷下手的破綻...
20100721獨立特派員第156集{東大門進行曲}
一年10兆韓元(2700億台幣)產值的東大門，擁有哪些成功的要素？
面對大環境的不斷改變，韓國政府和成衣業者如何攜手化危機為轉機？
擁有40年歷史的東大門綜合市場，見證了整個商圈的演變，走過1997年的亞洲金融風暴，韓國政府看到了成衣業者的韌性，2000年之後，相關政策開始陸續頒布，接著一步一步，將東大門推向亞洲市場。究竟韓國政府頒布了哪些相關政策扶植服裝產業？面對瞬息萬變的流行趨勢，東大門又是如何擁有不斷產出的嶄新設計呢
20100721獨立特派員第156集{競速東大門}
韓國成衣，是如何迅速發展崛起？
24小時不停歇的東大門，背後隱藏了什麼秘密？
從網路到實體店舖，大量韓國進口服飾開始攻佔台灣的成衣市場，台灣的賣家們甚至組成了批發團，大舉將韓國流行引進台灣，韓國成衣究竟蘊含了多少商機？而首爾的東大門，這個24小時不停歇的市場，又是如何大量供應鄰近國家的成衣需求？「傍晚下單，明天取貨」的供需服務，背後到底有什麼秘密？
Monday, July 26, 2010
CITIZENS DEMAND INQUIRY WITH TEETH
CITIZENS DEMAND INQUIRY WITH TEETH
Public tells Toronto Police Services Board a G20 inquiry must find out why rights violated and by whom
Sunday, July 25, 2010
One small step for dog
One small step for dog
A Russian high-altitude pressure suit for dogs has gone on display the National Space Centre in Leicester as part of it's newly completed Space Race exhibition.
As the exhibit is unpacked from its protective box, Kevin Yates, space communications manager, explains how Moscow's strays helped put Yuri Gagarin in outer space
Speaking of... Frogs, with William Andregg
William Andregg, founder of Halcyon Molecular, speaks with Cyan Banister about curing aging, dissecting frogs, and growing up in rural Arizo...
PLUNDER: THE CRIME OF OUR TIME
Bio
Danny Schechter, "The News Dissector," is a former network TV producer, radio newscaster, and edits MediaChannel.org. He has written nine books on media themes. His latest, 'Plunder', was inspired by his latest film, In Debt We Trust: America Before The Bubble Bursts
Transcript
PAUL JAY, SENIOR EDITOR, TRNN: Welcome to The Real News Network. I'm Paul Jay in Washington. Danny Schechter "the News Dissector" has a new film out. It's called Plunder: The Crime of Our Time. And it opens with the demonstration of activists going to the home of John Mack, who at the time was the president of Morgan Stanley. Here's a look at that.
[clip plays]
JAY: Now joining us is Danny Schechter. He's, as I said, the director of the film Plunder. Thanks for joining us.
DANNY SCHECHTER, TV PRODUCER AND FILMMAKER: Pleasure, Paul.
JAY: So the title of the film is Plunder: The Crime of Our Time. The demonstrators went to the home of Mack and singled him out. So talk a bit about this question of why is this the crime of our time, and if it is, what's being done about the criminals.
SCHECHTER: Well, you know, the idea of a crime narrative to explain the financial crisis is something which is slowly coming into media view. It's been sort of denied. It's been ridiculed. It's been—until a number of things began to happen. First, the FBI found that there had been an epidemic of mortgage fraud in America, that the subprime loans were actually being sold fraudulently and in a criminal way, and there have been a lot of people arrested and convicted of that and of related bank frauds.
~~~
ROBERT MUELLER, FBI DIRECTOR: Through this operation, more than 400 defendants have been charged, and we have obtained 173 convictions in crimes that accounted for more than $1 billion in estimated losses.
~~~
SCHECHTER: Secondly, Senator Kaufman recently went on the floor of the Senate and talked about fraud as being at the very foundation of the financial crisis, the first senator to say so. The Justice Department has asked for criminal complaint or investigation in its early stages against Goldman Sachs after the SEC filed, you know, a civil complaint against Goldman Sachs. And so there's been an upswing of interest in, you know, the alleged criminality or lack of criminality of the key Wall Street players. Were they doing all of this intentionally or not? My argument in my film is they were doing it intentionally, but it wasn't just the finance industry. It was finance in, basically, complicity with real estate and insurance, the fire economy, as it's known. And together, these different players in these industries worked together to defraud the American people and to lose trillions of dollars that have vanished as a result of the financial crisis.
JAY: Now, the issue of whether it's criminal or fraud, to some extent the charging of Goldman Sachs, whether that charge ever amounts to a conviction or not, is still a big question. A lot of people have come out and said maybe it was wrong, but it wasn't criminal. Even Bill Clinton said that the other day. But the issue of the structural underpinnings of all of this, even if they convict a few people, what gives rise to such parasitism is at the very roots of how the economy's organized. And does the criminal narrative to some extent take people's eyes off the structural problem?
SCHECHTER: Well, I don't think so, because if we're going to reach the American people with concerns about this financial crisis and fight back, we have to speak to the gut, to the gut sense of people who feel that they've lost their homes, they've lost their jobs, they've lost their hopes because they've been robbed, basically. And a gut issue is what's missing, certainly in the progressive response, which sounds like, you know, a Berkeley economics seminar, you know, where people talk about credit default swaps and derivatives and all this other stuff, which leads people to—their eyes to glaze over. They can't really follow it. So we need to deal with people's guts and a sense of economic fairness and economic justice.
JAY: But the FBI is not going to solve this.
SCHECHTER: No, the FBI won't solve it. Putting some CEOs in jail won't solve it. But it—.
JAY: So what will solve it, if you're talking to ordinary people?
SCHECHTER: It will—no, but if—I wouldn't dismiss it, though, because people have a desperate desire to see that the people who caused this situation, the destruction of their jobs, the destruction of their homes, the destruction of our economy, have to pay a price. They have to be held accountable, or there can be no faith in government or even in the economy.
JAY: But maybe there shouldn't be. Maybe there shouldn't be faith.
SCHECHTER: Well, you know, there is a lot of disenchantment, disillusion, anger, outrage, and the rest of it. Americans want to see, as Reuters reported recently, big guys with stakes in their head, you know, essentially. This is the attitude of people. They want to see payback. And I think we have to demand a fraud investigation. I think we have to challenge all this crime. It's interesting. Alan Greenspan said there was no fraud. Now he's saying it was extensive fraud, there needed to be more enforcement. The reason the laws are the way they are is that they were changed by the lobbying of the financial services industry. They spent millions of dollars to deregulate, to decriminalize the whole environment, to, you know, basically decrease the size of the enforcement agencies. This was done deliberately to create a situation so that they couldn't be prosecuted the way bankers were prosecuted after the S&L [savings and loan] crisis with over 1,500 going to prison.
JAY: But that happened, and all of this happens after that. In other words—and I'm not arguing against convicting these people or—I think what they did was criminal, but the idea of an economy based on deliberately created bubbles that you know is going to burst and you're going to make money on the upside, you're going to sell short before the burst to make money on the burst, that's happened over and over again, not just in real estate.
SCHECHTER: It is true. You need structural reform here, not these tinkering-around little rule changes that are being proposed by the Obama administration. That's the appearance of financial reform, not the reality of financial reform. And all the compromises which are part of the whole congressional process will guarantee that this will happen again. In fact, it seems to be happening in the aftermath of what's happened in Greece and in Europe—people are talking about a second recession, if not something worse. So, you know, we're not out of the woods yet by any means.
JAY: Okay. So for ordinary people, they're going to have to vote this time, and there's congressional elections coming up [inaudible] presidential election. And if something's going to change, people are going to have to start voting for people that want to stop a bubble economy. So what would be a set of criteria you might say, if you're going to choose a candidate, here are some of the things they'd better stand for, or else it's not real?
SCHECHTER: Well, unfortunately, the libertarians and the right seem to have appropriated the gut issues. And, you know, they've convinced their public, their constituencies, that the government is to blame for everything. And the government certainly has been complicit, because the government has been in a sense captured by these financial interests and taken over, by and large, with all the money that's been poured into political campaign and all the corruption that's there. So we have to try to do something about that and we have to support candidates who are willing to raise these issues and call for not only accountability but fundamental change.
JAY: But what are two or three things that you think need to be called for, that you would ask somebody running, "Are you for this or not?"
SCHECHTER: Well, I mean, for one thing, you know, accountability is a very critical issue. But also, you know, we need to change and control, you know, hedge funds, which are unregulated right now and a part of a shadow banking system. We need to bring them under the scrutiny, you know, of the government. We need to limit the use of derivative products, which, you know, allow so much flexibility for these financial, you know, buccaneers to be successful. Moreover, we need a full investigation of who profited from this whole financial crisis. That has yet to happen. We still don't know who's making all the money and who—we know who isn't, you know, and that's mostly the working people, you know, of our country. We need jobs, we need, you know, economic security for people. That's not going to happen unless there are these structural changes.
JAY: And the structural change they're talking about after spending trillions in increasing the size of the deficit and now creating the idea that the deficit is the big problem facing us, and now they're going to talk about a value-added tax so they can actually get ordinary people paying the cost of the crisis.
SCHECHTER: Well, I think you're going to see that happening, because, you know, the states are bankrupt. Many states are bankrupt right now. There's been a tremendous shredding of the social safety net, cutbacks in education, cutbacks in social services. So money has to come from somewhere, and they're going to try to soak the people to provide it through a new form of taxation. I think that's—.
JAY: And at the same time they want to get rid of the inheritance tax.
SCHECHTER: I think that's obvious. On the other hand, we have to make Wall Street pay, if you will. We have to demand, you know, that they be held accountable. And I don't mean just being put in jail, but actually with financial taxes on financial transactions, you know, that would be helpful. That would generate a lot of money. Basically, we have to rearrange the way things are going. The way they're going is that they're enriching the rich, and they're leading to more stratification, more class divide, more anger on the part of ordinary people. We've got to reverse that, and we need, you know, politicians who will stand up for these principles. And so far they're very few and far between.
JAY: Thanks for joining us, Danny.
SCHECHTER: Thank you.
JAY: And thank you for joining us on The Real News Network. And you can find out more about Plunder the film at—tell us.
SCHECHTER: Plunderthecrimeofourtime.com.
JAY: There you go. And you can buy it there and you can get it on iTunes and other places. Thanks for joining us on The Real News Network.
End of Transcript
MEXICO'S DISAPPEARING MEZCAL WORMS
Across Mexico, and in many world capitals, people are increasingly raising a glass of mezcal, a traditional Mexican liquor. Connoisseurs of the strong drink say it tastes best when served the traditional way-- with a worm in it. But the worm population is being pushed into decline, due to the drink's growing popularity. Franc Contreras reports from Oaxaca state in southern Mexico.
PERU POVERTY DRIVES ILLEGAL MINING
As the international price of gold continues to soar, thousands of people in Peru have moved to gold mining areas in the hope of striking it rich. Along with the unregulated digging comes a trail of deforestation and chemical contamination that is damaging one of the most biodiverse regions on earth. In addition to the negative environmental impact, there are also many social problems in the boom towns that have emerged. Al Jazeera's Craig Mauro reports.
Tan Le: A headset that reads your brainwaves
http://www.ted.com Tan Le's astonishing new computer interface reads its user's brainwaves, making it possible to control virtual objects, and even physical electronics, with mere thoughts (and a little concentration). She demos the headset, and talks about its far-reaching applications.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10
Kevin Stone: The bio-future of joint replacement
http://www.ted.com Arthritis and injury grind down millions of joints, but few get the best remedy -- real biological tissue. Kevin Stone shows a treatment that could sidestep the high costs and donor shortfall of human-to-human transplants with a novel use of animal tissue.
TEDTalks is a daily video podcast of the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes. Featured speakers have included Al Gore on climate change, Philippe Starck on design, Jill Bolte Taylor on observing her own stroke, Nicholas Negroponte on One Laptop per Child, Jane Goodall on chimpanzees, Bill Gates on malaria and mosquitoes, Pattie Maes on the "Sixth Sense" wearable tech, and "Lost" producer JJ Abrams on the allure of mystery. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and TEDTalks cover these topics as well as science, business, development and the arts. Closed captions and translated subtitles in a variety of languages are now available on TED.com, at http://www.ted.com/translate. Watch a highlight reel of the Top 10 TEDTalks at http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/top10
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Haiti Earthquake Update: AIDG's Catherine Lainé, live from Haiti (BB Video)
Watch on YouTube | Download MP4 | Dotsub (with foreign language translations)
In this episode of Boing Boing Video, I speak with Haitian-American blogger and sustainable tech development activist Catherine Lainé (photo at left from earlier this year). She was working in Haiti when the catastrophic earthquake struck earlier this week. Catherine spoke to us via Skype video from Cap-Haïtien, where she is working out of a space shared with AIDG (Appropriate Infrastructure Development Group) and a kindred nonprofit known as SOIL.
A number of her family members live in Haiti. At the time of this interview, all were safely accounted for, except for her brother, who resides in the devastated capital city of Port-au-Prince. He is currently still missing. Catherine is trying to get into the city to locate him, as I publish this blog post.
Among the observations she shares: aid groups are running out of body bags, and corpses are piling up so fast that the morgues have no space. The internet is a vital form of communication, as are cellphones—when they work—and she is seeing people in Haiti using social networking services as a means to try and locate missing loved ones within Haiti. The environment is so chaotic and roads so badly damaged that even in-country, mobile technology and web-based social networking services like Facebook are playing a vital role in the reconnection process. Don't assume that because Haiti is so poor, nobody's using the internet. She says cell service has been spotty, with certain carriers performing better than others. She connected to us using WIMAX, and the degree to which that service has performed during the disaster makes her a real believer in the promise of that particular wireless technology.
Edited video transcript after the jump (recorded at 1130pm ET on Jan. 14, 2010), along with Catherine's suggestions on how to help.
BOING BOING: Where are you right now?
CATHERINE LAINÉ: About 100km outside the capital, about a six hour drive given the current road conditions.
BB: What has the connectivity been like since the quake hit?
CATHERINE: Pretty difficult. Everyone got on the phone at the same time to talk to their families, one of the major cellphone companies here—their towers collapsed. But communications are normalizing, and I've heard from relatives via cellphone today.
BB: How do you go about trying to find someone there, given all of the chaos, and how difficult it is to get from one place to another with damaged roads?
CATHERINE: People are relying a lot on cellphone calls. Travel within the country is extremely difficult. I'm hearing a lot of people using social networks, posting pictures of lost loved ones on Facebook or CNNn's ireport site. Right now it seems that the internet is one of the more resilient forms of communication.
It's surreal. People are used to hearing about Haiti as the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, and because of this the idea that some of these people in Haiti are using internet-based technology to find loved ones might be surprising. But I'm shocked and happy that companies like Access Haiti are able to keep their services up and operational. WIMAX has been trying to get off the ground in US cities like Philadelphia and San Francisco, and I'm definitely a bigger fan of that technology now in terms of disaster coping, after this experience.
Most of the cell providers are down. One of the largest companies is an Irish company, Digicell. Typically they're among the best service in the country and their engineers are having such a difficult time coping. Voilá, another popular mobile provider, is just barely starting to get calls through, it's a shock when phone calls get through, it's like magic when the phone rings right now.
BB: What are AIDG and other sustainability NGOs that you collaborate with focusing efforts on right now?
CATHERINE: We're coordinating with civil engineers to come to the capital and do risk assessment. One thing we're going to try and do is help with translation and logistical support, helping to coordinate the incoming volunteers from various organizations, to help put people coming in from outside to work in the most effective ways possible, because we are very familiar with the country and with the needs here. So, a lot of coordination help.
BB: What do people need to understand about this current crisis that they don't understand?
CATHERINE: I think one of the things people forget about natural disasters is that after the immediate disaster falls out of the news, the need is still there. When they're opening their hearts right now, they also need to think about a long term giving strategy. Put it in your Google calendar, and give again in a year. When the reconstruction starts, we're going to need another outpouring. Reconstruction is a long process and we're going to need their help for a long time.
People need to realize it's not going to turn around overnight, but that they should not lose hope for Haiti.
BB: Many watching this may not be familiar with Haiti. When we hear about Haiti we think about this poor country cursed with a history of violence and natural disasters. What would you say to someone who thinks of Haiti as a problem?
CATHERINE: People need to think about the way they frame news stories... referring to Haiti all the time as "the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere," it's just an example of journalistic laziness. In any story, there is a backstory that doesn't sell papers, that doesn't get traffic. The story we hear about Haiti is always about its poverty, and not about its beauty.
What's so heartbreaking about this particular tragedy is that just when Haiti is at this point of such hope, Bill Clinton running the Clinton Global Initiative and saying this is the time in history when Haiti has the biggest chance for positive change... people don't know that, the typical person in America hasn't seen the amazing richness and beauty of the country.
My family's here, so it's hard for me not to come here, but the energy, the language, the people... the first time I came here was in 2006, and it felt like coming home. It's like Marmite, you love it or you hate it. Once Haiti gets under your skin it's there for life.
I think it's good that more Haitian-Americans are reporting about the news, in this news cycle. They can give a different sense about the country than someone who's just going there for the first time and is not of the culture. There's a sense of a different tone with which people talk about Haiti, a different flavor who are either from Haiti or have had experience in developing countries, they have a different understanding. When people talk about Haiti, there are a lot of arts and culture in different parts of the country.
Haiti isn't just a basket case. I think people need to understand the other social, economic, and political factors that have conspired to make Haiti the way it is right now. You need to think about those to understand why Haiti has come to the point it is right now. Haiti has not become almost a failed state by accident.
For instance, consider the difference in how the Carter and Reagan administrations dealt with human rights during the Duvalier regime. During the Carter administration, the rights of journalists and activists in Haiti were respected a little more because of the pressure from the US. But when Reagan took office, that all changed because of America's focus on "fighting Communism," and journalists and human rights workers here felt the pressure immediately. Haiti does not exist in a vacuum.
BB: Catherine, are there some final thoughts you'd like to leave our viewers with?
CATHERINE: Being here, it's been incredible to see the outpouring of support and emotion that people have put forth... If there is any good thing you can get... from a disaster like this.... it's that people can be.... so kind and generous. [pauses, in tears.] I would say more, but...
There are so many bodies on the street, the morgues are full, the Red Cross has run out of body bags... just the thought of all the people who are still buried under the rubble... right now, it is overwhelming.
Catherine suggests that those who wish to help the people of Haiti consider donating to the following organizations:
Mardi Gras 1956: "Through my father's lens" (Boing Boing Video)
Today's episode of Boing Boing Video features rare and historic film from Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana, from 1956. Artist Mar Dore stumbled on a box of slides in her family's home in Texas a few years back, and inside, discovered photographs that her father, John Mizenko, took of the parades back in the era of "Mad Men." That box of slides was like a time capsule, Mar says, and opened a door into history—the history of New Orleans, and of her own family.
I've blogged one of his photographs here on Boing Boing before (you can buy prints now), but in today's Boing Boing Video, we explore the personal story behind them, and we travel back in time through "found" video footage of that same parade.
Below and after the jump, Mar (who, it should be noted, is a member of my family) shares the story behind this video:
South Park's 200th, litigious celebs and Mohammed: Matt Stone and Trey Parker (BB Video)
In this Boing Boing Video exclusive, South Park co-creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker speak with Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin on the eve of the 200th episode of the hit Comedy Central series. Stone and Parker reveal their plans to revisit battles over the boundaries of what can and cannot be done on television—including a quest to see just how many celebrities they can manage to piss off in a single episode, and whether Comedy Central will once again try to stop them from depicting the image and voice of a cartoon version of the Muslim prophet Mohammed on the show.
The 200th episode airs Wednesday, April 14 at 10pm on Comedy Central. Fan tributes here: South Park 200 (southpark200.com)
Rich Fulcher's Tiny Acts of Rebellion: BB Video Interview
Comedian Rich Fulcher is best known for his multiple character roles on the hit BBC comedy series "The Mighty Boosh"—the most notorious of whom is Eleanor—and for his dark sketch comedy show "Snuffbox."
I caught up with him on a Venice Beach rooftop to discuss the release of his very funny new book, Tiny Acts of Rebellion, and to roast s'mores beneath the stars. The resulting Boing Boing Video episode includes gutbusting fits of laughter, and melted marshmallows coated with gravel and cat-hair. Fulcher's a lot better at comedy than he is at cooking campfire treats.
LA folks: Fulcher will be performing this Friday, May 28, at Largo in Los Angeles, with a terrific lineup including Chris Hardwick, Har Mar Superstar, and Neil Hamburger. Maybe Eleanor will make an appearance?
Poster with details below, tickets here, and proceeds benefit a Nashville flood disaster response fund. More Fulcher (and Eleanor) shows in LA and other US cities to follow...
iPhone 4: How does it perform for video recording?
I took the new iPhone 4 out for a Venice Beach bike ride, to test the smartphone's new high-res video recording capabilities. All footage in this video shot with iPhone 4.
Remember that the iPhone allows you to tap an icon on-screen to switch the camera orientation from one face to another. For some portions (while riding my bike), the iPhone was strapped on to my left hand with rubber bands (I call this The Rubber Band Steadicam™), and the iPhone camera was facing out one direction with medium-res video recording. In other sections of this video (skaters skating, orchids, ocean, and interview with skater Kiko, age 8) the iPhone camera was activated in the other direction and captured high-resolution video.
You can see the difference, but the verdict in short form is this: iPhone 4 outperforms other smartphones and handheld ultra-mobile digital video camcorders, and I've tried nearly all of 'em for web video production while on the road. When it comes to video recording in a smartphone (and in "Flip" class devices), iPhone 4 is the one to beat.
Again you do have to be mindful of that camera orientation switch option noted above: when you shoot video out of one side of the device, you get lower-resolution 640 x 480 footage, and when you shoot out of the other side, you get far higher-res 1280 x 720. You can tap an area to focus in and balance exposure and hue, even while you are shooting. Video is saved and exported as h.264 QuickTime, and you can email, MMS, or publish to YouTube right from the iPhone. Editing on the device is possible with iMovie for iPhone ($5 in the Apple App store).
Friday, July 23, 2010
Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman Speaks!
Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman Speaks!
Kara Swisher interviews Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of local business review site, Yelp about a range of issues
Kara Swisher interviews Jeremy Stoppelman, CEO of local business review site, Yelp about a range of issues
NEW FINANCE BILL WILL NOT PREVENT ANOTHER CRISIS
GOLDMAN 'TOO BIG TO PROSECUTE'
Bill Black: SEC fine against Goldman is no deterrence, it will all happen again
NEW FINANCE BILL WILL NOT PREVENT ANOTHER CRISIS
Bill Black: Administration and Congress not willing to break up big banks or control exec. compensation
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Thursday, July 22, 2010
Hearst Ponders an iPad Premium For Its Magazines
Hearst Ponders an iPad Premium For Its Magazines
The publisher says it will charge at least as much for the iPad versions of its magazines as it does for its paper and ink version. And in the case of at least one title, it may ask for more.
IPhone 4 Press Conference Reaction
IPhone 4 Press Conference Reaction
Apple held a press conference to discuss "Antennagate" and the iPhone 4. Eric Savitz from Barron's gives his first impressions right after the event.
Apple's iPad Gets Magazine-Style Makeover
Apple's iPad Gets Magazine-Style Makeover
A new iPad app, called Flipboard, assembles information and social media into an attract magazine-style layout; a welcome change, WSJ's Katherine Boehret says, from the sometimes jarring layout of some websites.
Ning CEO Jason Rosenthal Speaks!
Ning CEO Jason Rosenthal Speaks!
Kara Swisher interviews Jason Rosenthal, CEO of Ning, the social networking platform that is about to go all premium after years of trying a free business model.
D8 Video: Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs
D8 Video: Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs
Here's Walt Mossberg's interview with Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs at the eighth D: All Things Digital conference in early June.
Samsung's Android Phones Worthy iPhone Rivals?
Samsung's Android Phones Worthy iPhone Rivals?
WSJ's Personal Technology columnist Walt Mossberg takes a look at Samsung's Galaxy S smartphones, which run on Google's Android operating system. He tells us whether AT&T's Captivate and T-Mobile's Vibrant can compete with the iPhone.
D8 Video: HTC CEO Peter Chou
D8 Video: HTC CEO Peter Chou
Here is Walt Mossberg's interview with Peter Chou, who heads the Taiwan smartphone-maker.
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner Speaks!
LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner Speaks!
Kara Swisher interviews Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn, the largest social networking site focused on business professionals.
Nokia Conducting Search for New CEO
The world's largest handset making is calling for a new CEO, sources told the Wall Street Journal on Monday. WSJ Corporate Bureau Chief Andrew Dowell and Dow Jones Newswires' Rob Armstrong join the Digits show to discuss possible successors to Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, and how heavily Nokia should focus on a new mobile software strategy.
The Future Of... Clothes
Would you like to charge your mobile phone without ever having to plug into an electrical outlet? The University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University are both developing materials to enable the storage of energy inside clothing. Smart Planet correspondent Sumi Das explores the schools' work on "smart" clothes.
Solar plane takes first 24-hour flight
A solar-powered plane has succeeded in its first attempt at a 24-hour voyage. Taking off from Switzerland, the Solar Impulse HB-SIA hit the skies on Wednesday powered only by the sun's energy. SmartPlanet shows you raw footage of the experimental plane in flight.
The WattStation: GE's new vehicle charging device
The WattStation: GE's new vehicle charging device
Product designer Yves Behar talks about the design aesthetic behind a new vehicle charging station he created for General Electric. Behar explains how users will interact with the device and connect to the smart grid to power their vehicles in the future. GE expects to make the new device available globally in 2011.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Foraging for a Highland feast
Foraging for a Highland feast
Off-grid living and foraging expert Emma Magenta shows Michael Tait how to gather and prepare a feast of shellfish, wild garlic and edible seaweed on Scotland's north west coast.
Music performed by Mairearad Green. For more information see www.mairearadgreen.com
TALKS Naif Al-Mutawa: Superheroes inspired by Islam
About this talk
In "THE 99," Naif Al-Mutawa's new generation of comic book heroes fight more than crime -- they smash stereotypes and battle extremism. Named after the 99 attributes of Allah, his characters reinforce positive messages of Islam and cross cultures to create a new moral framework for confronting evil, even teaming up with the Justice League of America.
In "THE 99," Naif Al-Mutawa's new generation of comic book heroes fight more than crime -- they smash stereotypes and battle extremism. Named after the 99 attributes of Allah, his characters reinforce positive messages of Islam and cross cultures to create a new moral framework for confronting evil, even teaming up with the Justice League of America.
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