the UN now wants to tell governments of the world how to censor the internet. I wish I was kidding.
From the Washington Post:
On Thursday, the organization’s Broadband Commission for Digital Development released a damning “world-wide wake-up call” on what it calls “cyber VAWG,” or violence against women and girls. The report concludes that online harassment is “a problem of pandemic proportion” — which, nbd, we’ve all heard before.
But the United Nations then goes on to propose radical, proactive policy changes for both governments and social networks, effectively projecting a whole new vision for how the Internet could work.
Under U.S. law — the law that, not coincidentally, governs most of the world’s largest online platforms — intermediaries such as Twitter and Facebook generally can’t be held responsible for what people do on them. But the United Nations proposes both that social networks proactively police every profile and post, and that government agencies only “license” those who agree to do so.
Never heard of “cyber VAWG.” It’s actually impossible to be physically violent online. I have the suspicion that “cyber VAWG” simply means threats and insults, and maybe even just bad or ‘violent’ language.
It’s an attempt to transform the Web from a libertarian free-for-all to some kind of enforced social commons.
Why are all these people so darn controlling? They’re always trying to stop people doing things. Yesterday it was Kerry McCarthy wanting to stop people eating meat (as well as stop them smoking and drinking). Now we have the UN looking to censor the internet.
I don’t want to control people. I don’t want to chain them and bind them. I want to set people free.
Why don’t they? What is it they so hate about freedom?
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On the night of a Super Blood Moon, here’s an image from my 3D orbital simulation model. It shows the view at 1:02 GMT – about two hours from right now – of the Earth as seen from the Moon, with the Sun behind it just touching its horizon at the start of the eclipse of the Moon.
And here’s the Sun emerging from behind the Earth a few hours later, at 5:13 GMT.
Since my view is from the centre of the Moon, the eclipse actually lasts a bit longer.
The sky in the UK seems to be clear tonight, so maybe I’ll get a good view.
P.S. The sky remained clear, and I got a great view of the eclipse, with the shadow of the Earth creeping slowly across the face of the Moon until it was completely blotted out, leaving only a dull red ball in the night sky (from light refracted through the Earth’s atmosphere?). And my simulation model is a bit inaccurate, and recorded that the eclipse started 20 minutes later than it actually did, because I’d used planetary positions at the start of August, and computed their subsequent positions 2 months later.
Frank Davis 
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34360865
Rare ‘healthy’ smokers lungs explained
By James Gallagher
Basically from what I gathered it didnt matter if you smoked or not your genes made the difference if you got a lung disease at later age or not.
What I gathered is that they know fuck all about lungs or how the body really works, hence the ‘excitement’ of their discoveries.
But you still shouldn’t smoke, you naughty boys and girls *wags finger*
Frank I just noticed that our small NCTC rural phone company that’s nearly bankrupt due to loss of landline phone service has some how managed to get millions to put in broadband service all over the 4 counties it has coverage in. No doubt it is federal funding/grant money or half and half loans paying for it. This would fall right in line with us using it and the government having exclusive rights of eaves dropping without anybody ever knowing it as part o an agreement with the ISP provider for the money to install it all.
But it means I get a new ISP and number that the Nazis don’t have to block…………I can create all new ID’s and get back in the fight big time for about 6 months before they catch on.
Yes, but the people are – given the political set-up – doing what they can to change those in power.
Yesterday was quite important with a win for the separatist parties in Catalonia, however more was to follow with the right wing parties in Austria doing far better than expected at regional elections.
http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150927/1027624613.html
They say it’s largely down to the migrant crisis, however it’s entirely feasible that a certain percentage – ostensibly about 33%, if you still believe official stats – of the Austrian electorate felt no great love for the existing coalition that decided to legislate a total smoking ban that’s supposed to start in 2018.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32919408
Again it was pushed by the Socialists – and they bombed yesterday.
“Why are all these people so darn controlling?”
Life can be random/chaotic/messy and gloriously unpredictable.
Certain types of people are not comfortable in dealing with such a society and would rather have problems(real or perceived) dealt with for them.
These people want their World to be easily handled and ‘controlled’ for them.
That is, risk free and totally stable and non-stressed.
Humans have a long history of trying to ‘control’ stuff.
‘Controlling’ has changed us from hunter/gatherers to farmers and ranchers.
This has been very good for mankind and brought about skilled craftsmen and a better standard of living.
Sadly, this also brought about cities/villages and the need for laws regulating civil behavior.
Laws against stealing and other disruptive things.
More sadly, this has led to the idea that ‘control’ is good and ‘freedom’ is not needed.
Because ‘control’ has improved some of the bigger problems, now those that hate a messy/random/free society want ‘control’ to solve all of their petty peeves.
Immanuel Kant on why people don’t think for themselves, from his 1784 essay, “What Is Enlightenment?”
Sadly, you do not need to pay, many will eagerly do your thinking for you.
You should send this quote to Deborah Arnott, The WHO, CDC, FDA, President Obama, PM Cameron and anybody else that you can think of.
On the subject of control, I just came across this little gem from the uber-nanny state of Australia:
Five men from Victoria were held for three weeks after being seen buying ice cream while on holiday on Queensland’s Gold Coast.
Under anti-association laws it is illegal for more than two alleged bikers to be in public together.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-34376714
Ye Gods, I loved it when I lived in Aus in the 70s, but a team of wild horses couldn’t drag me there now. I just can’t understand how in such a short space of time a whole nation has been transformed from a live-and-let-live, can-do, ‘she’ll-be-right-mate’, easy going society into what must be one of the most repressive countries in the world. I can’t for a moment imagine that the average Aussie wants what is being foisted on them by the urban elite; but I don’t understand how the city ‘progressives’ are managing to get away with it.
They are intoxicated with power. They exercise control for the sake of exercising control. It doesn’t matter that second hand smoke actually poses no threat to others they wanted to ban smoking indoors. Once they banned it they decided to extend the ban outdoors. There was no public outcry for either, intact many initially opposed the bans, but they pressed forward. Now sodas, sugar, and meat are on the ban list. This is a global movement field by hysteria and a lust for power. It must be extinguished before it destroys more of the social fabric.
The social fabric is what enables such crap.
People deserve the govt that they elect.
The people elect those that will give them what they want.
In all US elections, the winner never is picked by more than 30% of the eligible voters.
Half of the people that could vote, never do. :(
In 2014
The abysmally low turnout in last week’s midterm elections — was the lowest in more than seven decades . In 43 states, less than half the eligible population bothered to vote, and no state broke 60 percent.
In the three largest states — California, Texas and New York — less than a third of the eligible population voted.
New York’s turnout was a shameful 28.8 percent, the fourth-lowest in the country, despite three statewide races (including the governor) and 27 House races.
Over all, the national turnout was 36.3 percent; only the 1942 federal election had a lower participation rate at 33.9 percent.
On Thursday, the organization’s Broadband Commission for Digital Development released a damning “world-wide wake-up call” on what it calls “cyber VAWG,” or violence against women and girls.
Right. This is something REALLY annoying. I am being called “a helpless victim” – yet again.
Excuse me? I KNOW I am equal – and I give as good as I get + a little more. So will the world PLEEEEAAAASE leave it to me to deal with jerks on the internet?