Mount Eerie :: Night Palace
42 minutes ago
Friday 12 December 2008
Rumsfeld responsible for detainee abuse - US Senate report
Illustration(c) Siegfried Woldhek 2004Story here.
Please also visit this site started by Mr. Woldhek.
NABUUR makes it easy to make a difference.
Nabuur.com is an online volunteering platform that links Neighbours (online volunteers) with Villages (local communities) in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Connected through Nabuur.com, Neighbours and local communities learn about each other, share ideas and find solutions to local issues.
Everybody has something to offer, and everything is done online.
Do you have a little spare time and the desire to make a difference?
(And 'bedankt' for the permission to use the illustration.)
Reminder - 'No Clean Feed' rally tomorrow 12 - 5pm outside State Library Swanston Street Melbourne
The Australian government is planning to implement internet filtering at the ISP level. This internet filter will work in much the same way as the freely available filters for adult content which can already be downloaded by the public for personal use. The proposed filter will be intended to block content with a MA15+ rating or higher. Websites deemed to host illegal content will also be blocked. A blacklist of websites deemed unsuitable for public viewing has already been produced, this list is at present not available to the public. The dangerous concern is that any website the government disapproves of can easily be added to this list. Regardless of whether or not you trust the current government, there are no safeguards in place to prevent future governments from exploiting this list and adding websites that oppose their own personal ideals.
In order to pass this legislation it is likely that gambling websites will also be blocked. The cost of this technology is believed to be $45 million for the initial setup and then an additional $33 million per annum.
On the 28th of July the Australian government released a report detailing the results of a trial of six potential filters. The report included the following statistics.
Internet speeds dropped between 21% and 86%. The most accurate filter was also the one with the greatest drop in speed.
Content that the filters failed to block ranged from 2% to 13%.
Content blocked by mistake ranged from 1.3% to 7.8%
The type of websites blocked by accident may include websites on issues such as sexual health or breast cancer. Legitimate websites unfortunate enough to be hosted on a web-server with adult content are also likely to be blocked. Websites which are hacked or spammed with porn will again be blocked. Hate websites and websites deemed to be inciting criminal activity will be blocked, this may include websites promoting euthanasia or file sharing.
This legislation will not protect children. If anything this legislation is more likely to harm children than protect them. Parents are likely to be lured into a false sense of security. Bypassing internet filters has been proven to be notoriously easy for children.
Of greater concern is the possibility that such a filter would encourage paedophiles to start using programs that make it more difficult for them to be tracked. This would hamper the efforts of the police in tracking paedophiles online.
An internet filter will do nothing to combat the production and uploading of Child Pornography.
The internet filter will not block P2P networks which are where the majority of file sharing occurs.
If the Australian government wants to stop child sexual abuse then the money for this legislation should be spent on Federal police programs designed to target the producers of such material
Let your federal MP know how you feel about this issue. Speaking directly to them will have the greatest effect. Letters will help too especially handwritten ones. Be careful not to insult or offend them, even if they are a sitting member of the labor party, they may not necessarily agree with this policy.
An official petition is available at http://www.wakinggiant.org/au_censorship.htm. The petition is open to all Australian citizens. Make sure that the people who sign it add their address, failing to do so may render a signature void.
Join Australians Against Internet Censorship.(AAIC). We are a non-political non-profit group dedicated to stopping this legislation from being passed. We are working at raising awareness of this issue and organising protests to show the public opposition to this legislation. You can find us at http://www.nocleanfeedforum.com
For further information visit http://stopthecleanfeed.com/
In order to pass this legislation it is likely that gambling websites will also be blocked. The cost of this technology is believed to be $45 million for the initial setup and then an additional $33 million per annum.
On the 28th of July the Australian government released a report detailing the results of a trial of six potential filters. The report included the following statistics.
Internet speeds dropped between 21% and 86%. The most accurate filter was also the one with the greatest drop in speed.
Content that the filters failed to block ranged from 2% to 13%.
Content blocked by mistake ranged from 1.3% to 7.8%
The type of websites blocked by accident may include websites on issues such as sexual health or breast cancer. Legitimate websites unfortunate enough to be hosted on a web-server with adult content are also likely to be blocked. Websites which are hacked or spammed with porn will again be blocked. Hate websites and websites deemed to be inciting criminal activity will be blocked, this may include websites promoting euthanasia or file sharing.
This legislation will not protect children. If anything this legislation is more likely to harm children than protect them. Parents are likely to be lured into a false sense of security. Bypassing internet filters has been proven to be notoriously easy for children.
Of greater concern is the possibility that such a filter would encourage paedophiles to start using programs that make it more difficult for them to be tracked. This would hamper the efforts of the police in tracking paedophiles online.
An internet filter will do nothing to combat the production and uploading of Child Pornography.
The internet filter will not block P2P networks which are where the majority of file sharing occurs.
If the Australian government wants to stop child sexual abuse then the money for this legislation should be spent on Federal police programs designed to target the producers of such material
Let your federal MP know how you feel about this issue. Speaking directly to them will have the greatest effect. Letters will help too especially handwritten ones. Be careful not to insult or offend them, even if they are a sitting member of the labor party, they may not necessarily agree with this policy.
An official petition is available at http://www.wakinggiant.org/au_censorship.htm. The petition is open to all Australian citizens. Make sure that the people who sign it add their address, failing to do so may render a signature void.
Join Australians Against Internet Censorship.(AAIC). We are a non-political non-profit group dedicated to stopping this legislation from being passed. We are working at raising awareness of this issue and organising protests to show the public opposition to this legislation. You can find us at http://www.nocleanfeedforum.com
For further information visit http://stopthecleanfeed.com/
Thursday 11 December 2008
Copy of email sent to Blogger today
I have a blog
www.exileonmoanstreet.
I have received two DMCA takedown notifications
One dated December 4th http://exileonmoanstreet.
One dated November 11th http://exileonmoanstreet.
In both cases the links were to music sourced from archive.org (Ryan Adams & Little Feat)
These are legal downloads and are therefore not in breach of copyright.
I have another question which is how many DMCA notifications do you get before the blog is pulled.
It seems obvious to me that The International Federation of Phonographic Industry do not actually check to see what is there.
I hope to hear back from you
Regards/
Well let's wait and see what happens.
I am pretty certain that if I receive another DMCA notification then this blog will disappear,
in which case I will return with another blog:
(son of) exile on moan street
I am pretty certain that if I receive another DMCA notification then this blog will disappear,
in which case I will return with another blog:
(son of) exile on moan street
Wednesday 10 December 2008
Breaking News - FBI: Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich conspired to sell or trade Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat for benefits.
Report: Blagojevich taken into custodyScandal-tarred Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Ill.) might not be making that Senate appointment after all.
From the Chicago Tribune:
A source said today that Gov. Rod Blagojevich was taken into federal custody at his North Side home this morning. The U.S. attorney's office would not confirm the information.
A Blagojevich spokesman said he was unaware of the development. "Haven't heard anything -- you are first to call," Lucio Guerrero said in an e-mail.
NBC News has since confirmed the Trib's report.
via 'Politico'
Updated at 9:17 a.m.:
Blagojevich also was alleged to be using a favors list, made up largely of individuals and firms that have state contracts or received taxpayer benefits, from which to conduct a $2.5 million fundraising drive before year's end.
Even Blagojevich's recently announced $1.8 billion plan for new interchanges and "green lanes" on the Illinois Tollway was subject to corruption, prosecutors alleged.
The complaint repeatedly references conversations secretly recorded by federal authorities.
The criminal complaint alleges Blagojevich expected an unnamed highway concrete contractor to raise a half-million dollars for his campaign fund in exchange for state money for the tollway project. "If they don't perform, (expletive) 'em," Blagojevich said, according to the complaint.
The criminal complaint alleges Blagojevich expected an unnamed highway concrete contractor to raise a half-million dollars for his campaign fund in exchange for state money for the tollway project. "If they don't perform, (expletive) 'em," Blagojevich said, according to the complaint.
Marianne Faithfull - The Girl On A Motorcycle/Naked Under Leather' (1968)
'The Girl On A Motorcycle'
'Naked Under Leather'
Tuesday 9 December 2008
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
DUE TO RECENT DEVELOPMENTS WHERE BLOGGER HAVE TAKEN DOWN SOME OF MY POSTS THERE WILL BE A FEW CHANGES HERE AT 'EXILE'.
Firstly as the posts that were taken down were both linked to music at www.archive.org and therefore were completely legal to download, I have to presume that it is bots that are
Firstly as the posts that were taken down were both linked to music at www.archive.org and therefore were completely legal to download, I have to presume that it is bots that are
The Hollowmen - Margaret
1980s Australian group fronted by Billy Baxter and in this clip featuring the wonderful Barb Waters (Billy Baxter on harmonica).
Paul Kelly - Billy Baxter
Possibly Paul Kelly's very first appearance on TV.
This is with his band 'The Dots' and is from 1981.
Billy Baxter had a band 'The Hollowmen'.
This is with his band 'The Dots' and is from 1981.
Billy Baxter had a band 'The Hollowmen'.
Paul Kelly - From St. Kilda To Kings Cross
Paul Kelly's promo-video for the track 'From St. Kilda To Kings Cross' taken from the 1985 album 'Post'.
Paul Kelly - 40 Miles To Saturday Night
The promo clip, by Paul Kelly & The Coloured Girls.
(Released as PK & The Messengers overseas).
Video by Sue Davis 1988.
Monday 8 December 2008
Afghans win 'homeless' soccer world cup
"A-F-G"Story from 'The Age' here.
My vote for the first 'exile-oxymoron-of-the-year' award goes to the letter writer in last Saturday's 'The Age' who on hearing that a competitor in this tournament had disappeared with the possible intention of claiming political asylum wrote that we should just
"send the homeless back home."
Roman Kaminski from Lurg, you are an idiot!
More on the Homeless World Cup here.
My vote for the first 'exile-oxymoron-of-the-year' award goes to the letter writer in last Saturday's 'The Age' who on hearing that a competitor in this tournament had disappeared with the possible intention of claiming political asylum wrote that we should just
"send the homeless back home."
Roman Kaminski from Lurg, you are an idiot!
More on the Homeless World Cup here.
Delmore Schwarz 1913 - 1966
Delmore Schwarz was born on this day in 1913."You killed your European son
You spit on those under twenty-one
But now your blue cars are gone
You better say so long
Hey hey hey bye bye bye …
You made your wallpaper green
You wanted to make love to the scene
Your European son is gone
You better say so long
Your cloud is drifting goodbye"
Lou Reed (Velvet Underground) - “European Son
(to Delmore Schwartz)”
America, America!
I am a poet of the Hudson River and the heights above it,
the lights, the stars, and the bridges
I am also by self-appointment the laureate of the Atlantic
-of the peoples' hearts, crossing it
to new America.
I am burdened with the truck and chimera, hope,
acquired in the sweating sick-excited passage
in steerage, strange and estranged
Hence I must descry and describe the kingdom of emotion.
For I am a poet of the kindergarten (in the city)
and the cemetery (in the city)
And rapture and ragtime and also the secret city in the
heart and mind
This is the song of the natural city self in the 20th century.
It is true but only partly true that a city is a "tyranny of
numbers"
(This is the chant of the urban metropolitan and
metaphysical self
After the first two World Wars of the 20th century)
--- This is the city self, looking from window to lighted
window
When the squares and checks of faintly yellow light
Shine at night, upon a huge dim board and slab-like tombs,
Hiding many lives. It is the city consciousness
Which sees and says: more: more and more: always more.
Delmore Schwartz
the lights, the stars, and the bridges
I am also by self-appointment the laureate of the Atlantic
-of the peoples' hearts, crossing it
to new America.
I am burdened with the truck and chimera, hope,
acquired in the sweating sick-excited passage
in steerage, strange and estranged
Hence I must descry and describe the kingdom of emotion.
For I am a poet of the kindergarten (in the city)
and the cemetery (in the city)
And rapture and ragtime and also the secret city in the
heart and mind
This is the song of the natural city self in the 20th century.
It is true but only partly true that a city is a "tyranny of
numbers"
(This is the chant of the urban metropolitan and
metaphysical self
After the first two World Wars of the 20th century)
--- This is the city self, looking from window to lighted
window
When the squares and checks of faintly yellow light
Shine at night, upon a huge dim board and slab-like tombs,
Hiding many lives. It is the city consciousness
Which sees and says: more: more and more: always more.
Delmore Schwartz
Today is the 28th anniversary of John Lennon's murder
Lennon giving Chapman his autograph just before the shooting.
Mark Chapman shot Lennon outside The Dakota on this date in 1980.Where were you?
I was in Liverpool staying with my Nan and then went to the riverside memorial concert on the 14th of December.
(Where I seem to remember Elvis Costello performing.)
See here also.
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