.. because if you remove the threat of that particular form of punishment, then you have criminals who will wantonly go out and commit unspeakable acts.
I hope the US companies take a look at Germany's record with energy policy.
When they declared that they would phase out nuclear without increasing carbon-intensive energy source, many of the usual talking heads pooh-poohed them.
Actually, that only makes a lot of sense if your only source of information is mainstream US media (and anything else that one's NSA/CIA/Military overlords allow one to absorb.
Quoting Heidi Larson, senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in a commentary published by The Guardian, "There must have been a better, more ethical, way. This choice of action has jeopardised people's trust in vaccines, and in particular the polio-eradication campaign, now so close to success – broken trust that will take years to restore."
But then again, expecting government agencies and for politicians to actually bear the costs of their decisions. Nope, that's for little people. In this case, little brown people...
If there was some quid pro quo it wouldn't be so bad.
Y'know, since American Government officials might be prosecuted by other countries for violating that country's laws, even when they haven't visited that country, then ...
But we all know with what deference the US treats other people's sovereignty and laws, eh?
Since the copyright industries and their minions are completely of embarrassment, especially when making claims, a better options is to name and shame the newspaper, TV reports, etc, that repeat the baseless claims made by the copyright industry. Here's a template you all could use:
"Dear editors,
Really, I don't know why I still read newspapers. But I do (or used to). I'm beginning to feel as if I'm a modern-day Diogenes, in a Quixotic quest for some considered, cogent, and honest reporting.
But yesterday's article about (fill in latest lies) was the last straw. Your reporter and editors feel that their jobs are to quote, verbatim, industry news releases. None of your fact-checkers verified, and no one provided any historical analysis of all the other times in the recent past that the (BCC, MPAA, RIAA, whichever) issued a fact-free 'report'.
If your reporters and editors don't think that it's vitally important, in a modern, open, and vibrant democracy, that news organizations check their sources and check their information and report their findings, then I may as well just get my news for free from wild-eyed, paranoid bloggers living in their parents' basement.
At least, in their case, I get what I pay for. In your case, I pay you and you spit in my face by repeating these copyright industry lies.
First it's all those American handguns flooding the border just south of Toronto, and now this particularly 'mercan brand of stupity is invading Canada!
But then again, Toronto DOES keep re-electing Rob Ford, so glass houses and all that, I suppose.
Sooo..the chief benefit of having a home security system with cameras...
..would protection from the law enforcement personnel and the, ahem, justice system?
I see a whole advertising campaign. (Shouts out to the secretary in the other office.) "Mabel, can you see if that guy, what's his name..Randall Adams, is available? ... No? Ok, what about those cops up in Canada?"
It used to be one of the two main ingredients in Kaopectate. It helps relieve mild diarrhea, and likely helps deal with some toxins. Kaolin-eating, in smallish quantities, is not pica.
A local well-stocked bulk- and strange-food store sells 120g bags of 'Pure Kauw' imported from Ghana - along with the usual fufu, akyeke, ognono, and egusi. Y'know, your basic everyday foods.
Me, what I'm dying to see is a comment thread where five or six commentators, all of whom are called 'Anonymous Coward', get into very heated, name-calling, passive-aggressive, and fact-free argument thread and then the whole thread collapses into a smoky pile of ash when one of the many 'Cowards' realizes he was unwittingly arguing with himself.
I'd pay money to see that, I really would.
/I'd pay even more money if, instead of measles infecting Upper Manhattan, the measles were actually infecting Upper Class Manhattan instead.
For us Canucks, it's blaming our overly polite attitudes.
In Quebec, they don't sing Happy Birthday, but rather a reworked version of Gens du Pays, with words along the lines of "My dear ____, it's your turn to let yourself talk about love".
Obviously. And it's not just American spies fingering suspects on flimsy grounds, which even a cursory investigation would prove them to be non-existent grounds.
Ahmad El-Maati was arrested at the US/Canada border in August 2001 with a map of Canadian government buildings in the truck he was assigned by his employer.
He was interviewed by US Border officials then and later, after 9/11, by CSIS. After some time, frustrated by the on-going-nowhere police investigation, El-Maati returned to Syria to sort out some personal affairs.
Upon arriving in Syria, he was picked up by Syrian police and tortured into making a confession that he had been a part of a terrorism plot. The plot, via other torture-generated confessions implicated two fellow Syrian-Canadians, Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki, who were then arrested and tortured.
He later retracted this confession.
From a The Globe & Mail article, four years later: "The Globe and Mail has learned that the map -- scrawled numbers and all -- was in fact produced and distributed by the Canadian federal government. It is simply a site map, given out to help visitors to Tunney's Pasture, a sprawling complex of government buildings in Ottawa, find their way around."
It took four years before it was finally acknowledged that the suspicious map was not suspicious after all.
In late January 2007, following the findings and recommendations of Canadian Federal investigation, the government officially apologized in Parliament and compensated Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, Muayyed Nureddin, and Maher Arar.
In an April 2009 interview with the CBC's Neil MacDonald, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that it is the opinion of those who have reviewed Arar's case that "his status should not now be changed." After pointing out Canada's finding, she clarified this, saying "his status at least for admission to the United States purposes should not be changed."
I, for one, am very happy with my no-data-caps Canadian ISP
Bell/Aliant (a phone/ISP/TV provider in Atlantic Canada - that's Newfoundland & Labrador, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) is my ISP.
Bell/Aliant is almost, but not quite, Bell Canada. When I moved here, some fifteen years ago, it was "NBTel", which became 'Aliant' a few years later when the four provinces' phone companies merged as one.
I found their customer service and technical support excellent, well-informed, and friendly. It was a refreshing change from the years I had spend dealing with Bell Canada when I lived in Montreal. (I mean, fer chrissakes, Bell!, you only sell TWO products: phone service and phones. Would it kill you to actually know something about those products?)
One of my basic strategies in life is that you must punish bad behaviour, and more importantly, you must reward good behaviour.
In the case of Internet service, I do this by not only looking at the price, when deciding who will supply me. I consider my ISP's worthiness based on data-transfer rates, reliability, how 'vanilla' my service is, tech support, and the company's general policies, especially with regards to privacy and freedom for me.
I had an Bell/Aliant fiber optic connection installed here about five years ago - still do. At the time, I had ordered the lowest data-transfer rate available - 15Mbs each way. Since then, my data transfer rate has been automatically increased to 50down/30up, so as to keep pace with what they offer, without changing my monthly charges.
Just before the fiber optic connection was installed, I had an illuminating broad-ranging phone conversation with a customer support supervisor at Aliant (then, just about to become 'Bell/Aliant'). I asked her whether I could expect the stellar Aliant customer service to continue or whether Aliant would adopt Bell's rather poor/un-informed service standars. She replied: "You know, we had the exact same conversation in the office amongst ourselve, yesterday." I can report that their tech support is still outstanding. They understand that they are part of the community. What a novel concept!
At another conversation, a few months later, with a customer-support supervisor, I explained that I was trying to parse out their data caps' rules, with vague sentences gleaned from their web pages. After a few minutes, she flat-out told me: "We don't have data caps! In fact, our equipment doesn't monitor usage. This was our old policy when we were was just 'Aliant'. This was written in into the merger agreement when Bell Canada bought us out. Go ahead and stream Netflix 24 hours a day. We don't care. Actually, we've discovered that 'no caps' is the best advertising we've ever had."
I do get a 'vanilla' Internet connection: I can set up any Internet-facing server I want. Aliant only blocks some three ports or so (for users' security). I can set up a mail server, a web server, FTP, whatever - even a newsfeed. And I don't have to ask permission. Included in the monthly rate, I have access to a full newsfeed.
Bell/Aliant, originally a phone company, carries the 'vestiges' of being a common-carrier. Its natural reflex is to be concerned about customers' privacy.
It's possible that some other provider can supply me with lower-priced Internet service; service hobbled with deep-packet inspection, usage caps, all/most ports below 1024 blocked, etc, etc, etc. Sorry, not interested.
I like to support vendors who do things right - they have my business.
On the post: Georgia To Protect Execution Pharmacists From Transparency So They Can Execute Disabled Man
Re:
Do you mean like how much the murder rate shot up when it was abolished in Canada? In case you're wondering, capital punishment in Canada was abolished in 1976. Go take a look at that graph again.
Further, the homicide rate in Canada is roughly half that of the USA. Explain me that!
A similiar declining homicide rate is happening in the USA. Contrary to Mr. Tanaka's claims, when you compare US states with and without, capital punishment is a very poor deterrent.
But, heck, why let statistics stand in the way of an unsupported claims, eh?
On the post: Germany Plans To Ban Computer Companies That Work With NSA From Sensitive Public Contracts
I hope the US companies take a look at Germany's record with energy policy.
They're making some progress towards it.
Now, they're targeting NSA-'compliant' companies. They'll be selling their own routing equipment soon... Heh.
On the post: You Can Thank The CIA For The Return Of Polio, Even Though The Media Conveniently Ignores This
Re: Re:
Quoting Heidi Larson, senior lecturer at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, in a commentary published by The Guardian, "There must have been a better, more ethical, way. This choice of action has jeopardised people's trust in vaccines, and in particular the polio-eradication campaign, now so close to success – broken trust that will take years to restore."
But then again, expecting government agencies and for politicians to actually bear the costs of their decisions. Nope, that's for little people. In this case, little brown people...
On the post: German Government Hires DC Law Firm To Threaten Its Own Parliament With Criminal Prosecution For Talking To Snowden
If there was some quid pro quo it wouldn't be so bad.
But we all know with what deference the US treats other people's sovereignty and laws, eh?
On the post: Copyright Industry Publishes Data-Free Report Claiming Pirate Sites Will Damage Computers
Our tactics need some changing.
"Dear editors,
Really, I don't know why I still read newspapers. But I do (or used to). I'm beginning to feel as if I'm a modern-day Diogenes, in a Quixotic quest for some considered, cogent, and honest reporting.
But yesterday's article about (fill in latest lies) was the last straw. Your reporter and editors feel that their jobs are to quote, verbatim, industry news releases. None of your fact-checkers verified, and no one provided any historical analysis of all the other times in the recent past that the (BCC, MPAA, RIAA, whichever) issued a fact-free 'report'.
If your reporters and editors don't think that it's vitally important, in a modern, open, and vibrant democracy, that news organizations check their sources and check their information and report their findings, then I may as well just get my news for free from wild-eyed, paranoid bloggers living in their parents' basement.
At least, in their case, I get what I pay for. In your case, I pay you and you spit in my face by repeating these copyright industry lies.
Sir, please cancel my subscription, forthwith."
On the post: John Kerry Claims US Is On The 'Right Side Of History' When It Comes To Online Freedom And Transparency
He might be right, depending on how you define the US...
On the post: Toronto Asked To Ban Dangerous Dr. Seuss Book For Promoting Violence
They're called MPs, Mike. Members of Parliament
First it's all those American handguns flooding the border just south of Toronto, and now this particularly 'mercan
brand of stupity is invading Canada!
But then again, Toronto DOES keep re-electing Rob Ford, so glass houses and all that, I suppose.
On the post: What If You Gave A (Drug) War And Nobody Came? Deputies Answer Rhetorical Question With Planted Evidence
Sooo..the chief benefit of having a home security system with cameras...
I see a whole advertising campaign. (Shouts out to the secretary in the other office.) "Mabel, can you see if that guy, what's his name..Randall Adams, is available? ... No? Ok, what about those cops up in Canada?"
On the post: DailyDirt: Eating Actual Dirt
Kaolite-eating a mystery?
A local well-stocked bulk- and strange-food store sells 120g bags of 'Pure Kauw' imported from Ghana - along with the usual fufu, akyeke, ognono, and egusi. Y'know, your basic everyday foods.
Observant Africans and South Americans may have watched parrots eating it, and found it helpful.
See here:
http://cogweb.ucla.edu/Abstracts/Diamond_99.html
On the post: Journalists Sue Government After Military Security Seizes Cameras And Deletes Photos Of Publicly-Visible Structures
It's really difficult to really delete data from Flash RAM.
Heh.
On the post: Newegg Gets Patent Troll Macrosolve To 'Fold Like A Cheap Suit'
I like Newegg's stance on patent trolls.
/Yeah, I know, it sometimes costs them more.
//but they get my business because of it.
On the post: Thanks Anti-Vax Loons: The Return Of The Measles And The Backlash Against Jenny McCarthy
Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The difference...
I'd pay money to see that, I really would.
/I'd pay even more money if, instead of measles infecting Upper Manhattan, the measles were actually infecting Upper Class Manhattan instead.
On the post: Stephen Colbert Creates Royalty-Free Alternative To Happy Birthday For Happy Birthday's Happy Birthday
Re:
In Quebec, they don't sing Happy Birthday, but rather a reworked version of Gens du Pays, with words along the lines of "My dear ____, it's your turn to let yourself talk about love".
On the post: 'House Of Cards' In 4K Will Eat Broadband Caps Like Popcorn Shrimp
Bandwidth caps? What's that?
Mind you, 1080p is plenty fine for me.
On the post: DailyDirt: The Next Big Food Is... Weird
Marinated snotwinkles? Bring 'em on!
At least, they're not American, ahem, 'cheese'.
On the post: HuffPo Columnist: I Infringe, So All Broadband Users Must Pay A New Piracy Tax
OK, so there is/was s a Canadian tax on blank media..
In Canada, I can legally decrypt and back up my DVDs. Et tu?
On the post: Nielsen Backs Off Reporting Data On Cord Cutters Because The Cable Industry Prefers Fantasyland
Re: Re:
On the post: 'State Secrets,' Non-Denials And Lies: How The Government Tried To Bury Its 'No Fly' List Screwup
Not the first time this has happened.
Ahmad El-Maati was arrested at the US/Canada border in August 2001 with a map of Canadian government buildings in the truck he was assigned by his employer.
He was interviewed by US Border officials then and later, after 9/11, by CSIS. After some time, frustrated by the on-going-nowhere police investigation, El-Maati returned to Syria to sort out some personal affairs.
Upon arriving in Syria, he was picked up by Syrian police and tortured into making a confession that he had been a part of a terrorism plot. The plot, via other torture-generated confessions implicated two fellow Syrian-Canadians, Maher Arar and Abdullah Almalki, who were then arrested and tortured.
He later retracted this confession.
From a The Globe & Mail article, four years later: "The Globe and Mail has learned that the map -- scrawled numbers and all -- was in fact produced and distributed by the Canadian federal government. It is simply a site map, given out to help visitors to Tunney's Pasture, a sprawling complex of government buildings in Ottawa, find their way around."
It took four years before it was finally acknowledged that the suspicious map was not suspicious after all.
In late January 2007, following the findings and recommendations of Canadian Federal investigation, the government officially apologized in Parliament and compensated Abdullah Almalki, Ahmad El Maati, Muayyed Nureddin, and Maher Arar.
In an April 2009 interview with the CBC's Neil MacDonald, US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano stated that it is the opinion of those who have reviewed Arar's case that "his status should not now be changed." After pointing out Canada's finding, she clarified this, saying "his status at least for admission to the United States purposes should not be changed."
Sigh.
On the post: Canadian ISPs Pretend To Care About Data-Capped Customers, Plan To Offer Net Neutrality-Skirting 'Two-Tier' Data Plans
I, for one, am very happy with my no-data-caps Canadian ISP
Bell/Aliant is almost, but not quite, Bell Canada. When I moved here, some fifteen years ago, it was "NBTel", which became 'Aliant' a few years later when the four provinces' phone companies merged as one.
I found their customer service and technical support excellent, well-informed, and friendly. It was a refreshing change from the years I had spend dealing with Bell Canada when I lived in Montreal. (I mean, fer chrissakes, Bell!, you only sell TWO products: phone service and phones. Would it kill you to actually know something about those products?)
One of my basic strategies in life is that you must punish bad behaviour, and more importantly, you must reward good behaviour.
In the case of Internet service, I do this by not only looking at the price, when deciding who will supply me. I consider my ISP's worthiness based on data-transfer rates, reliability, how 'vanilla' my service is, tech support, and the company's general policies, especially with regards to privacy and freedom for me.
I had an Bell/Aliant fiber optic connection installed here about five years ago - still do. At the time, I had ordered the lowest data-transfer rate available - 15Mbs each way. Since then, my data transfer rate has been automatically increased to 50down/30up, so as to keep pace with what they offer, without changing my monthly charges.
Just before the fiber optic connection was installed, I had an illuminating broad-ranging phone conversation with a customer support supervisor at Aliant (then, just about to become 'Bell/Aliant'). I asked her whether I could expect the stellar Aliant customer service to continue or whether Aliant would adopt Bell's rather poor/un-informed service standars. She replied: "You know, we had the exact same conversation in the office amongst ourselve, yesterday." I can report that their tech support is still outstanding. They understand that they are part of the community. What a novel concept!
At another conversation, a few months later, with a customer-support supervisor, I explained that I was trying to parse out their data caps' rules, with vague sentences gleaned from their web pages. After a few minutes, she flat-out told me: "We don't have data caps! In fact, our equipment doesn't monitor usage. This was our old policy when we were was just 'Aliant'. This was written in into the merger agreement when Bell Canada bought us out. Go ahead and stream Netflix 24 hours a day. We don't care. Actually, we've discovered that 'no caps' is the best advertising we've ever had."
I do get a 'vanilla' Internet connection: I can set up any Internet-facing server I want. Aliant only blocks some three ports or so (for users' security). I can set up a mail server, a web server, FTP, whatever - even a newsfeed. And I don't have to ask permission. Included in the monthly rate, I have access to a full newsfeed.
Bell/Aliant, originally a phone company, carries the 'vestiges' of being a common-carrier. Its natural reflex is to be concerned about customers' privacy.
It's possible that some other provider can supply me with lower-priced Internet service; service hobbled with deep-packet inspection, usage caps, all/most ports below 1024 blocked, etc, etc, etc. Sorry, not interested.
I like to support vendors who do things right - they have my business.
On the post: Will Monsanto Become The NSA Of Agriculture?
Aren't they already the NSA of science?
They sure seem to benefit from government largesse and obeisance, like the NSA does.
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