Sunday 28 August 2011
Eric Schmidt, chairman of Google, condemns British education system
The chairman of Google has delivered a devastating critique of the UK's education system and said the country had failed to capitalise on its record of innovation in science and engineering.
Delivering the annual MacTaggart lecture in Edinburgh, Eric Schmidt criticised "a drift to the humanities" and attacked the emergence of two educational camps, each of which "denigrate the other. To use what I'm told is the local vernacular, you're either a luvvy or a boffin," he said.
Schmidt also hit out at Lord Sugar, the Labour peer and star of the hit BBC programme The Apprentice, who recently claimed on the show that "engineers are no good at business".
Schmidt told the MediaGuardian Edinburgh international TV festival: "Over the past century, the UK has stopped nurturing its polymaths. You need to bring art and science back together."
The technology veteran, who joined Google a decade ago to help founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin build the company, said Britain should look to the "glory days" of the Victorian era for reminders of how the two disciplines can work together.
"It was a time when the same people wrote poetry and built bridges," he said. "Lewis Carroll didn't just write one of the classic fairytales of all time. He was also a mathematics tutor at Oxford. James Clerk Maxwell was described by Einstein as among the best physicists since Newton – but was also a published poet."
Schmidt's comments echoed sentiments expressed by Steve Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, who revealed this week that he was stepping down. "The Macintosh turned out so well because the people working on it were musicians, artists, poets and historians – who also happened to be excellent computer scientists," Jobs once told the New York Times.
Schmidt paid tribute to Britain's record of innovation, saying the UK had "invented computers in both concept and practice" before highlighting that the world's first office computer "was built in 1951 by the Lyons chain of teashops".
However, he said the UK had failed to build industry-leading positions or successfully transfer ideas from the drawing board to the boardroom.
"The UK is the home of so many media-related inventions. You invented photography. You invented TV," he said. "Yet today, none of the world's leading exponents in these fields are from the UK." He added: "Thank you for your innovation, thank you for your brilliant ideas. You're not taking advantage of them on a global scale."
He said British startups tended to sell out to overseas companies once they had reached a certain size, and that this trend needed to be reversed. "The UK does a great job of backing small firms and cottage industries, but there's little point getting a thousand seeds to sprout if they are then left to wither or transplanted overseas. UK businesses need championing to help them grow into global powerhouses, without having to sell out to foreign-owned companies. If you don't address this, then the UK will continue to be where inventions are born, but not bred for long-term success."
Schmidt said the country that invented the computer was "throwing away your great computer heritage" by failing to teach programming in schools. "I was flabbergasted to learn that today computer science isn't even taught as standard in UK schools," he said. "Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it's made."
Barack Obama announced in June that the US would train an extra 10,000 engineers a year. "I hope that others will follow suit – the world needs more engineers. I saw the other day that on The Apprentice Alan Sugar said engineers are no good at business," he said.
"If the UK's creative businesses want to thrive in the digital future, you need people who understand all facets of it integrated from the very beginning. Take a lead from the Victorians and ignore Lord Sugar: bring engineers into your company at all levels, including the top."
Schmidt also announced that Google TV, which allows users to search the internet on their TV sets, would be launched in Europe early next year, with the UK "among the top priorities". The product is already available in America, although sales have been disappointing.
Schmidt said Google TV did not threaten broadcasters and would enable them to experiment with new formats online. He defended the company's contribution to the TV industry, pointing out that it had invested billions of dollars in IT infrastructure that media companies use.
Google also announced it would fund a new course in online production and distribution at the National Film & Television School in London for three years.
James Robinson @'The Guardian'
Delivering the annual MacTaggart lecture in Edinburgh, Eric Schmidt criticised "a drift to the humanities" and attacked the emergence of two educational camps, each of which "denigrate the other. To use what I'm told is the local vernacular, you're either a luvvy or a boffin," he said.
Schmidt also hit out at Lord Sugar, the Labour peer and star of the hit BBC programme The Apprentice, who recently claimed on the show that "engineers are no good at business".
Schmidt told the MediaGuardian Edinburgh international TV festival: "Over the past century, the UK has stopped nurturing its polymaths. You need to bring art and science back together."
The technology veteran, who joined Google a decade ago to help founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin build the company, said Britain should look to the "glory days" of the Victorian era for reminders of how the two disciplines can work together.
"It was a time when the same people wrote poetry and built bridges," he said. "Lewis Carroll didn't just write one of the classic fairytales of all time. He was also a mathematics tutor at Oxford. James Clerk Maxwell was described by Einstein as among the best physicists since Newton – but was also a published poet."
Schmidt's comments echoed sentiments expressed by Steve Jobs, the chief executive of Apple, who revealed this week that he was stepping down. "The Macintosh turned out so well because the people working on it were musicians, artists, poets and historians – who also happened to be excellent computer scientists," Jobs once told the New York Times.
Schmidt paid tribute to Britain's record of innovation, saying the UK had "invented computers in both concept and practice" before highlighting that the world's first office computer "was built in 1951 by the Lyons chain of teashops".
However, he said the UK had failed to build industry-leading positions or successfully transfer ideas from the drawing board to the boardroom.
"The UK is the home of so many media-related inventions. You invented photography. You invented TV," he said. "Yet today, none of the world's leading exponents in these fields are from the UK." He added: "Thank you for your innovation, thank you for your brilliant ideas. You're not taking advantage of them on a global scale."
He said British startups tended to sell out to overseas companies once they had reached a certain size, and that this trend needed to be reversed. "The UK does a great job of backing small firms and cottage industries, but there's little point getting a thousand seeds to sprout if they are then left to wither or transplanted overseas. UK businesses need championing to help them grow into global powerhouses, without having to sell out to foreign-owned companies. If you don't address this, then the UK will continue to be where inventions are born, but not bred for long-term success."
Schmidt said the country that invented the computer was "throwing away your great computer heritage" by failing to teach programming in schools. "I was flabbergasted to learn that today computer science isn't even taught as standard in UK schools," he said. "Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it's made."
Barack Obama announced in June that the US would train an extra 10,000 engineers a year. "I hope that others will follow suit – the world needs more engineers. I saw the other day that on The Apprentice Alan Sugar said engineers are no good at business," he said.
"If the UK's creative businesses want to thrive in the digital future, you need people who understand all facets of it integrated from the very beginning. Take a lead from the Victorians and ignore Lord Sugar: bring engineers into your company at all levels, including the top."
Schmidt also announced that Google TV, which allows users to search the internet on their TV sets, would be launched in Europe early next year, with the UK "among the top priorities". The product is already available in America, although sales have been disappointing.
Schmidt said Google TV did not threaten broadcasters and would enable them to experiment with new formats online. He defended the company's contribution to the TV industry, pointing out that it had invested billions of dollars in IT infrastructure that media companies use.
Google also announced it would fund a new course in online production and distribution at the National Film & Television School in London for three years.
James Robinson @'The Guardian'
UK abortion rules to be tightened in biggest shake-up for a generation
Pro-life campaigners suggest the change could result in up to 60,000 fewer abortions each year in Britain. Last year, 202,400 were carried out.
The plan would introduce a mandatory obligation on abortion clinics to offer women access to independent counselling, to be run on separate premises by a group which does not itself carry out abortions.
Critics of abortion clinics claim that the counselling they offer is biased because they are run as businesses — a claim denied by the clinics.
But abortion charities said they feared the proposals would prolong the period before an abortion took place, and that the motive was simply to reduce the number of terminations and was not in the best interests of women.
The proposed change comes ahead of a Commons vote, due to take place next week, on amendments to a public health Bill put forward by Nadine Dorries, a backbench Conservative MP.
The amendments would prevent private organisations which carry out terminations — such as Marie Stopes and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) — from offering pre-abortion counselling. Women would instead be offered free access to independent counsellors.
The vote would be the first on the laws around abortion since the Coalition took power. A previous attempt to change the law — to reduce the time limit for abortions from 24 to 20 weeks — was defeated in a free vote in 2008. Ministers appear keen to avoid another such vote. They believe that announcing the consultation on independent counselling will prevent it going ahead.
The plan does not mean pre-abortion counselling will be mandatory — something which is vehemently opposed by pro-choice groups and which has been a flashpoint in parts of the United States.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: “We are currently developing proposals to introduce independent counselling for women seeking abortion. These proposals are focused on improving women’s health and wellbeing. Final decisions on who should provide this counselling have not yet been made.”
Proposals under discussion would involve withdrawing payments made by the taxpayer to abortion clinics for counselling women.
Mrs Dorries, a former nurse, claims abortion providers are not independent because they have a vested interest in conducting abortions. Last year, Marie Stopes and Bpas carried out about 100,000 terminations and were paid about £60 million to do so, mostly through the NHS.
Mrs Dorries said she had hoped that her proposed amendments to the health Bill would prompt the Government into taking the kind of action which it has now done.
Frank Field, a Labour MP, said: “I’m anxious that taxpayers’ money is used so that people can have a choice — we are paying for independent counselling and that’s what should be provided.”
Ann Furedi, the chief executive of Bpas, said if her organisation was prevented from advising women about terminations it could be impossible to gain informed consent, as the independent counselling was not compulsory.
Robert Mendick @'The Telegraph'
The amendments would prevent private organisations which carry out terminations — such as Marie Stopes and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (Bpas) — from offering pre-abortion counselling. Women would instead be offered free access to independent counsellors.
The vote would be the first on the laws around abortion since the Coalition took power. A previous attempt to change the law — to reduce the time limit for abortions from 24 to 20 weeks — was defeated in a free vote in 2008. Ministers appear keen to avoid another such vote. They believe that announcing the consultation on independent counselling will prevent it going ahead.
The plan does not mean pre-abortion counselling will be mandatory — something which is vehemently opposed by pro-choice groups and which has been a flashpoint in parts of the United States.
A spokesman for the Department of Health said: “We are currently developing proposals to introduce independent counselling for women seeking abortion. These proposals are focused on improving women’s health and wellbeing. Final decisions on who should provide this counselling have not yet been made.”
Proposals under discussion would involve withdrawing payments made by the taxpayer to abortion clinics for counselling women.
Mrs Dorries, a former nurse, claims abortion providers are not independent because they have a vested interest in conducting abortions. Last year, Marie Stopes and Bpas carried out about 100,000 terminations and were paid about £60 million to do so, mostly through the NHS.
Mrs Dorries said she had hoped that her proposed amendments to the health Bill would prompt the Government into taking the kind of action which it has now done.
Frank Field, a Labour MP, said: “I’m anxious that taxpayers’ money is used so that people can have a choice — we are paying for independent counselling and that’s what should be provided.”
Ann Furedi, the chief executive of Bpas, said if her organisation was prevented from advising women about terminations it could be impossible to gain informed consent, as the independent counselling was not compulsory.
Robert Mendick @'The Telegraph'
Michele Bachmann Would Consider Lowering Minimum Wage To Match The Cost Of Labor Overseas
The Associated Press is reporting that Republican Presidential candidate Michele Bachmann is considering lowering the minimum wage to match labor costs overseas to lure corporations back to the United States.
Her comments came in response to the question of a reporter, during a campaign stop in Florida, who asked whether changes to the minimum wage should also be considered to balance the cost of labor here and overseas. “I’m not married to anything. I’m not saying that’s where I’m going to go,” Bachmann replied. She did say she wants to look at all aspects of doing business, from regulations to tax codes, and will consider anything that will help create jobs.
Lowering the minimum wage is not a viable option to stimulate the economy. People are struggling to live on $7.25 an hour as it is. Wages overseas are far lower than they are here. So low in fact that poverty is a way of life. Before Democrats passed the minimum wage law during the Great Depression, workers struggled to make a living while corporate CEO’s made millions. And when the Great Depression hit the country, millions of American workers ended up with nothing. Corporations don’t care how low wages are. Prices will not come down to accommodate lower wages. The only thing that lowering the minimum wage will do here in America is stimulate poverty.
Stephen D. Foster Jr. @'Addicting Info'
Her comments came in response to the question of a reporter, during a campaign stop in Florida, who asked whether changes to the minimum wage should also be considered to balance the cost of labor here and overseas. “I’m not married to anything. I’m not saying that’s where I’m going to go,” Bachmann replied. She did say she wants to look at all aspects of doing business, from regulations to tax codes, and will consider anything that will help create jobs.
Lowering the minimum wage is not a viable option to stimulate the economy. People are struggling to live on $7.25 an hour as it is. Wages overseas are far lower than they are here. So low in fact that poverty is a way of life. Before Democrats passed the minimum wage law during the Great Depression, workers struggled to make a living while corporate CEO’s made millions. And when the Great Depression hit the country, millions of American workers ended up with nothing. Corporations don’t care how low wages are. Prices will not come down to accommodate lower wages. The only thing that lowering the minimum wage will do here in America is stimulate poverty.
Stephen D. Foster Jr. @'Addicting Info'
Grand Central Station
Via
Adrianchen Adrian Chen
"Have you seen 'The Road'?" Mayor Bloomberg said at a press conference. "Things will probably be like that for a while."
Jay-Z's Hegemony in the Age of Kanye
Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West may not prove to be the enduring hip hop classic that many people expected when news of the project leaked. But the album itself is hardly the point. Watch the Throne represents a fascinating gambit in the consolidation and extension of Jay-Z's hegemony over the hip hop world, and in Kanye's rehabilitation of his image following a catastrophic collapse in his global standing. How they did it offers important lessons for how the United States can handle its own changing position within a turbulent world."I seen people abuse power, use power, misuse and then lose power/Power to the people at last, it’s a new hour/Now we all ain’t gon’ be American Idols/But you can least grab a camera, shoot a viral/Huh? Take the power in your own hands."
--- Kanye West, evaluating (presumably) the Egyptian revolution in the Power remix
Two years ago, I wrote a series of essays using Jay-Z as a window into international relations theory. They ended up provoking an astonishing outpour of debate, dissent, and commentary across the blogosphere. I recorded what remains to this day my all-time favorite radio appearance. And it landed me in an unforgettable, if short-lived, rap beef with Game himself. My basic argument was that Jay-Z handled his hegemonic position by exercising restraint, declining to engage in most provocations in order to avoid being trapped in endless, pointless battles. Jay-Z battling the Game would have risked being dragged down into combatting an endless and costly insurgency with little real upside. Better for the hegemon to show restraint, be self-confident, and to carefully nurture a resilient alliance structure to underpin leadership.
Blueprint 3, released shortly afterwards, largely vindicated that analysis. The opening track pointedly dismissed his beefs ("I ain't talking about gossip, ain't talking about Game") in favor of addressing "real" issues ("let's talk about the future, we've just seen the dream as predicted by Martin Luther, you could choose ta sit in front of your computer posing with guns, shooting YouTube up, or you could come with me to the White House"). "Run This Town" asked everyone to "pledge allegiance" to his label Roc Nation. "Already Home," breezily dismissed all of his would-be challengers as not in his league and "only excited when they mentioning Shawn" and taking them to task for not carrying their share of the burden ("I taught 'em about fish scale they want me to fish for them/They want me to catch clean, then cook up a dish for them"). D.O.A. did take the rising generation to task for singing too much with Autotune and generally being soft, and took a few shots at competing power centers ("send this one to the mixtape Weezy"). But overall, the album was a self-confident, knowing blueprint for hegemonic restraint...
Continue reading
Marc Lynch @'FP'
ioerror Jacob Appelbaum
If you ever wondered about the British surveillance state this is a cable worth reading about London's CCTV: wikileaks.org/cable/2007/10/…
Dub FX Short Documentary
DUB FX is a worldwide street performer and studio recording artist from St Kilda, Melbourne, Australia. His trademark is creating rich live music using only his voice aided by Live looping and effect pedals. Dub’s music really gained momentum when Bristol film maker BD filmed “Love Someone” on the street and posted it on his Youtube account. 9 million views later Dub has travelled to all far reaches off the globe to perform with his fiancée Flower Fairy.
Dub has several releases out, “Live in the Street” a collection of street performances from his travels busking through Europe in his Van, A remastered double album “Everythinks A Ripple / RMX” which combines his first studio album repackaged with a Remix album showcasing various producers. Dub is also heavily into production and teamed up with long time friend SIRIUS to release “A Crossworlds” a very mature Dubstep Album & Flower Fairy’s album “Nursery Gryme”.
Via
Dub has several releases out, “Live in the Street” a collection of street performances from his travels busking through Europe in his Van, A remastered double album “Everythinks A Ripple / RMX” which combines his first studio album repackaged with a Remix album showcasing various producers. Dub is also heavily into production and teamed up with long time friend SIRIUS to release “A Crossworlds” a very mature Dubstep Album & Flower Fairy’s album “Nursery Gryme”.
Via
Kevin Isaacs & Tallawah Live in Haarlem Patronaat June 2011
Kevin Isaacs (son of Gregory Isaacs) Live in Holland June 2011 with his backing band Tallawah, June 2011
Lead vocal: Kevin Isaacs
Backing vocals: Joany Ramdat & Benji Dankerlui
Guitar: Bas Claassen aka Biteman
Keyboards: Aniel Bihari
Bass: Olivia Ramdat
Drums: Earl Ramdat
Percussions: Mikey Tremor
Soundengineer: Patrick Ramdat
Bookinginfo:bassculture42@hotmail.com
One hour 4 minutes
The Hurricane Irene News Coverage Cycle: CNN vs Fox News
On CNN:
Field reporter stands in a windy swirl of debris and rain and reports that conditions are too dangerous for people to be in.
Network weather person reports on current state of the storm: its wind speed, track, etc. and repeatedly insists it’s a coming apocalypse, even though the storm is weakening.
Sound bites from the National Hurricane Center followed by video footage from their hurricane hunter airplane.
Government official pleads with his/her constituency to follow evacuation orders in a timely and calm manner followed by interview with some idiot who chooses to “ride it out.”
REPEAT...
On Fox News:
Field reporter stands in a windy swirl of debris and rain and reports that conditions are too dangerous for people to be in followed by Mike Huckabee PAC attack ad calling for the repeal of “Obamacare.”
Network weather person reports on current state of the storm: its wind speed, track, etc. and repeatedly insists it’s a coming apocalypse, even though the storm is weakening.
Fox news reporter interviews representative from the Property Casualty Insurers group who assures us the insurance companies have an “army” of claims adjusters at hand, ready to help their customers get their lives back together.
Sound bites from the National Hurricane Center and video footage from their hurricane hunter airplane followed up by Fox News reporter expressing concern that this government function will likely have to fall victim to necessary government budget cuts.
Fox News babe in NYC reports there are still New Yorkers in the city citing the large group of New Yorkers standing behind her camera who she says have no rain gear. She has the camera turn around and there are seven people standing there, five of them have umbrellas.
Government official pleads with his/her constituency to follow evacuation orders in a timely and calm manner followed by interview with some idiot who chooses to “ride it out.” At the same time, the news ticker reads, “Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nv) says a business leader (unnamed) told him Obama’s economic policies are a wet blanket on our economy.”
REPEAT...
Fox News babe in NYC reports there are still New Yorkers in the city citing the large group of New Yorkers standing behind her camera who she says have no rain gear. She has the camera turn around and there are seven people standing there, five of them have umbrellas.
Government official pleads with his/her constituency to follow evacuation orders in a timely and calm manner followed by interview with some idiot who chooses to “ride it out.” At the same time, the news ticker reads, “Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nv) says a business leader (unnamed) told him Obama’s economic policies are a wet blanket on our economy.”
REPEAT...
Rikers Island Prisoners Left Behind to Face Irene
"We are not evacuating Rikers Island," Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a news conference Friday. Bloomberg annouced a host of extreme measures being taken by New York City in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, including a shutdown of the public transit system and the unprecedented mandatory evacuation of some 250,000 people from low-lying areas. But in response to a reporter's question, the mayor stated in no uncertain terms (and with a hint of annoyance) that one group of New Yorkers on vulnerable ground will be staying put.
New York City is surrounded by small islands and barrier beaches, and a glance at the city's evacuation map reveals all of them to be in Zone A (already under a mandatory evacuation order) or Zone B–all, that is, save one. Rikers Island, which lies in the waters between Queens and the Bronx, is not highlighted at all, meaning it is not to be evacuated under any circumstances.
According to the New York City Department of Correction's website, more than three-quarters of Rikers Island's 400 acres are built on landfill–which is generally thought to be more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its 10 jails have a capacity of close to 17,000 inmates, and normally house at least 12,000, including juveniles and large numbers of prisoners with mental illness—not to mention pretrial detainees who have yet to be convicted of any crime. There are also hundreds of corrections officers at work on the island.
We were not able to reach anyone at the DOC for comment, but the New York Times's City Room blog reported: "According to the city's Department of Correction, no hypothetical evacuation plan for the roughly 12,000 inmates that the facility may house on a given day even exists. Contingencies do exist for smaller-scale relocations from one facility to another."
Irene is forecast to weaken considerably by the time it hits New York. But for a warning of what can happen to prisoners during a hurricane, we need only look back at Katrina and the horrific conditions endured by inmates at Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans. According to a report produced by the ACLU:
New York City is surrounded by small islands and barrier beaches, and a glance at the city's evacuation map reveals all of them to be in Zone A (already under a mandatory evacuation order) or Zone B–all, that is, save one. Rikers Island, which lies in the waters between Queens and the Bronx, is not highlighted at all, meaning it is not to be evacuated under any circumstances.
According to the New York City Department of Correction's website, more than three-quarters of Rikers Island's 400 acres are built on landfill–which is generally thought to be more vulnerable to natural disasters. Its 10 jails have a capacity of close to 17,000 inmates, and normally house at least 12,000, including juveniles and large numbers of prisoners with mental illness—not to mention pretrial detainees who have yet to be convicted of any crime. There are also hundreds of corrections officers at work on the island.
We were not able to reach anyone at the DOC for comment, but the New York Times's City Room blog reported: "According to the city's Department of Correction, no hypothetical evacuation plan for the roughly 12,000 inmates that the facility may house on a given day even exists. Contingencies do exist for smaller-scale relocations from one facility to another."
Irene is forecast to weaken considerably by the time it hits New York. But for a warning of what can happen to prisoners during a hurricane, we need only look back at Katrina and the horrific conditions endured by inmates at Orleans Parish Prison in New Orleans. According to a report produced by the ACLU:
[A] culture of neglect was evident in the days before Katrina, when the sheriff declared that the prisoners would remain "where they belong," despite the mayor's decision to declare the city's first-ever mandatory evacuation. OPP even accepted prisoners, including juveniles as young as 10, from other facilities to ride out the storm.James Ridgeway @'Mother Jones'
As floodwaters rose in the OPP buildings, power was lost, and entire buildings were plunged into darkness. Deputies left their posts wholesale, leaving behind prisoners in locked cells, some standing in sewage-tainted water up to their chests …
Prisoners went days without food, water and ventilation, and deputies admit that they received no emergency training and were entirely unaware of any evacuation plan. Even some prison guards were left locked in at their posts to fend for themselves, unable to provide assistance to prisoners in need.
Saturday 27 August 2011
bvdub presents Deep Space Mix 21
No tracklist, which kills me, but that seems to be the ongoing bvdub style… lull you into a heightened sensory experience only to leave you questioning what the hell just happened. Fine by me.
Download, or see the original post on the Auxiliary site.
You can find links to all of ASC’s previous Deep Space mixes on the ASIP mixes page
Via
(Thanx Martin!)
For My East Coast Friends XXX
Bob Dylan's live-performance of his legendary 'A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall' at The Great Music Experience', Nara (Japan) in May 1994. Dylan plays with the Tokyo New Philharmonic Orchestra - the first time ever he played with an classic orchestra.
"Where's that obituary for Steve Jobs?"
Journalist: "But he's not dead!"
Editor: "Oh, well where's the obituary for Apple?"
Editor: "Oh, well where's the obituary for Apple?"
AlexiMostrous Alexi Mostrous
Man who incited riot on Facebook gets 4 years. Man who "caused or allowed" death of Baby P is free after just 2. Something wrong here?
'I do not believe in math and I don't think we should encourage it!'
FUXAKE!!!
Watch this and weep (while dying with laughter!)
Watch this and weep (while dying with laughter!)
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