Omss Politics: 10/01/2011

[GV Daily] Turkey: Online Relief Efforts for Van's Earthquake Victims

Having trouble reading this email? See the web version.

Global Voices authors call attention to the most important and interesting stories in blogs and online citizen media worldwide.

About Global Voices
Get Involved

Our Projects

Monday, October 24, 2011

Turkey: Online Relief Efforts for Van's Earthquake Victims

Eastern Turkey was hit by a large earthquake of magnitude 7.2 yesterday. Kubra sums up some of relief efforts that were spearheaded online, pushing for humanitarian and rescue efforts on the ground. read>>

Cambodia: Worst Flooding in a Decade

Cambodia is experiencing the worst flooding in a decade. The government reports that almost a half a million hectares of rice paddies were destroyed by the floods, which could affect food security in the region. Here are more reports about the disaster. read>>

Colombia: Workers and Students Take to the Streets in Protest

Public sector workers and university students have hit the streets of Colombia to express their dissatisfaction: on October 7, workers called for a national strike due to the possible approval of several decrees that would change work conditions for public sector workers, and on October 12 university students throughout the country demonstrated against a higher education reform. read>>

Macedonia: Million Tweets - an Existentialist Parody Poem

Blogger iskra_iskric has dared to adapt a Macedonian rock classic by the band Arhangel to the new digital reality, creating a new poem on tweetering. read>>

Zambia: Netizens Divided Over Sata's Apology to Angola

When he took over as Zambia's president after the September 20 election, Michael Sata's first diplomatic decision, blunder or not, was to turn down an invitation by the Malawian president Bingu wa Mutharika to attend a regional summit. But the main discussion about the way he handles diplomatic issues is about his apology to the Angolan government for the decision by the former ruling party to support the then Angolan rebel movement, UNITA. read>>

[Slashdot] Stories for 2011-10-24

======================================================================
The demand for IT networking professionals continues to grow, and the
demand for specialized networking skills is growing even more rapidly.
Take a complimentary Learning@Ciosco Self-Assessment and learn
about Cisco certifications, training, and career opportunities.
http://p.sf.net/sfu/cisco-newsltr
======================================================================

Slashdot Daily Newsletter

In this issue:
* A Silicon Valley School That Doesn't Use Computers
* Why Computer Voices Are Mostly Female
* Universal Uses DMCA To Get Bad Lip Reading Parody Taken Down
* UK Government Pushing For 'Trusted Computing'
* Ask Slashdot: How To Enter Private Space Industry As an Engineer?
* Canadian Company Plans Solar-Powered Heavier-Than-Air Airships
* Using Fuel Depots Instead of Giant Rockets
* A Decade of Apple Oddities
* Hyperion Promises An AmigaOS Netbook
* NH Supreme Court To Rule On Bigfoot Video Shoot In Public Park
* 3D Printers To Save Hermit Crabs
* Hobby Humanoid Robot KHR3HV Rides Bike At 10k/h
* Google Not Reciprocating On IFrame Usage?
* Jumentum Introduces a Single-Chip Linux System
* More Interviews With World Solar Challenge Competitors

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| A Silicon Valley School That Doesn't Use Computers
| from the back-to-nature dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @11:31 (Education)
| with 254 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/150237/a-silicon-valley-school-that-doesnt-use-computers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Hugh Pickens writes "Matt Richtel writes that many employees of
Silicon Valley giants like Google, Apple, Yahoo and Hewlett-Packard send
their children to the Waldorf School in Los Altos where the school's
chief teaching tools are anything but high-tech: pens and paper, knitting
needles and, occasionally, mud. Not a computer to be found. No screens at
all. [1]Computers are not allowed in the classroom, and the school even
frowns on their use at home. 'I fundamentally reject the notion you need
technology aids in grammar school,' says Alan Eagle whose daughter,
Andie, attends a Waldorf school, [2]an independent school movement that
boasts an 86 year history in North America. 'The idea that an app on an
iPad can better teach my kids to read or do arithmetic, that's
ridiculous.' Advocates for equipping schools with technology say
[3]computers can hold students' attention and, in fact, that young people
who have been weaned on electronic devices will not tune in without
them."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/150237/a-silicon-valley-school-that-doesnt-use-computers?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://hughpickens.com/slashdot/
1. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/technology/at-waldorf-school-in-silicon-valley-technology-can-wait.html
2. http://www.whywaldorfworks.org/
3. http://teacher.scholastic.com/professional/bruceperry/using_technology.htm

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Why Computer Voices Are Mostly Female
| from the because-females-are-smarter dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @14:29 (Technology)
| with 234 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1652227/why-computer-voices-are-mostly-female?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PolygamousRanchKid writes with an article exploring the question posed in
the headline, which says that "[0]One answer may lie in biology.
Scientific studies have shown that people generally find women's voices
more pleasing than men's. 'It's much easier to find a female voice that
everyone likes than a male voice that everyone likes,' said Stanford
University Professor Clifford Nass, author of 'The Man Who Lied to His
Laptop: What Machines Teach Us About Human Relationships. 'It's a
well-established phenomenon that the human brain is developed to like
female voices.' One notable exception has been Germany, where BMW was
forced to recall a female-voiced navigation system on its 5 Series cars
in the late 1990s after being flooded with calls from German men saying
they refused to take directions from a woman. An Apple spokeswoman
declined to comment on why the company gave Siri a female voice in the
U.S. Nor would she say why Siri speaks like a man in the UK, where iPhone
4S owners have swarmed online forums to request a female voice instead."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1652227/why-computer-voices-are-mostly-female?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/21/tech/innovation/female-computer-voices/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Universal Uses DMCA To Get Bad Lip Reading Parody Taken Down
| from the gang-fight-gang-fight dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @08:24 (Music)
| with 231 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0434208/universal-uses-dmca-to-get-bad-lip-reading-parody-taken-down?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Joren writes "Bad Lip Reading is an independent producer known for
anonymously parodying music and political videos by redubbing them with
his humorous attempts at lip-reading, such as [1]Everybody Poops (Black
Eyed Peas) and [2]Gang Fight (Rebecca Black). According to an
[3]interview in Rolling Stone, he creates entirely new music from scratch
consisting of his bad lip readings, and then sets them to the original
video, often altering the video for humorous effect and always posting a
link to the original off which it is based. Although his efforts have won
the respect of parody targets [4]Michael Bubl�� and [5]Michelle Bachman,
not everyone has been pleased. Two days ago, [6]Universal Music Group
succeeded in getting his parody Dirty Spaceman taken down from YouTube,
and despite BLR's efforts to appeal, in his words, 'UMG essentially said
"[7]We don't care if you think it's fair use, we want it down."' And
YouTube killed it. So does this meet the definition of parody as a form
of fair use? And if so, what recourse if any is available for artists who
are caught in this situation?"

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0434208/universal-uses-dmca-to-get-bad-lip-reading-parody-taken-down?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.joren.me/
1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQTW7Pd1vqc
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GaKaGwch0U
3. http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/blogs/national-affairs/exclusive-the-bad-lip-reader-speaks-20111007
4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5DvQgIKe2M
5. http://www.politico.com/blogs/click/1011/Bachmann_loves_her_bad_lipreading_video.html?showall
6. http://www.universalmusic.com/
7. http://www.facebook.com/badlipreading/posts/296371860375520

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| UK Government Pushing For 'Trusted Computing'
| from the bland-acceptance dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @12:33 (Privacy)
| with 221 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1556206/uk-government-pushing-for-trusted-computing?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Motor writes "As has long been expected �� we are now beginning to see
governments [0]pushing for the use of so-called 'trusted computing' ��
chips installed in all computers that effectively remove control of the
PC from its owner. While there may be security advantages to some of the
ideas, few can doubt that it represents a fundamental shift in the IT
world. A radical move away from an open technology landscape and towards
a system that denies all access unless you have the right credentials.
Governments will demand the right credentials to access their services ��
meaning approved software stacks (i.e Windows) with the right digital
signatures. [1]Vernor Vinge had it right ."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1556206/uk-government-pushing-for-trusted-computing?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.guardian.co.uk/government-computing-network/2011/oct/21/cyber-security-strategy-trusted-computing
1. http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2006/jun/29/guardianweeklytechnologysection5

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Ask Slashdot: How To Enter Private Space Industry As an Engineer?
| from the marry-into-it dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @13:31 (Education)
| with 212 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1646245/ask-slashdot-how-to-enter-private-space-industry-as-an-engineer?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

First time accepted submitter CtownNighrider writes "I'm in my senior
year of high school currently in a selective program for future
engineers. I have always been a good student and feel like I can get into
most good schools (MIT is a long shot but RPI isn't). I plan on studying
aerospace engineering (most likely getting a dual major with mechanical)
in college and working for a company like SpaceX once I graduate. I would
love any advice anyone can offer for my college search or being an
engineer in general. I live in upstate NY and don't want to travel super
far, I'm thinking about a 5 hour radius. I have the RPI medal so it's one
of my top choices and MIT is my long shot but I'm having a tough time
figuring out what schools are worth applying too. Academics come first
hands down so male/female ratio and party scene aren't too important."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1646245/ask-slashdot-how-to-enter-private-space-industry-as-an-engineer?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Canadian Company Plans Solar-Powered Heavier-Than-Air Airships
| from the sir-we're-nearly-out-of-buzzwords dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @01:55 (Canada)
| with 202 comments
| https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0412221/canadian-company-plans-solar-powered-heavier-than-air-airships?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

savuporo writes "By [0]crossing airships with airplanes, Solar Ship is
planning to build a craft that can carry heavy loads long distances with
a tiny carbon footprint. Filled with helium, they soak up rays from the
sun to provide the energy for forward motion and fulfill its original
design challenge �� carry 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lbs) of payload 1,000
kilometers (621.4 miles). The craft is heavier than air, and uses a
combination of helium filling its interior and its lifting body delta
wing shape to stay airborne. Solar Ship shows plans for a range of
different size craft for different duties."

Discuss this story at:
https://news.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0412221/canadian-company-plans-solar-powered-heavier-than-air-airships?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://green.autoblog.com/2011/10/22/solar-ship-sails-the-skies-schlepps-supplies/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Using Fuel Depots Instead of Giant Rockets
| from the just-put-in-the-cheap-stuff dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @10:26 (NASA)
| with 169 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1423252/using-fuel-depots-instead-of-giant-rockets?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

EccentricAnomaly writes "The New York Times has a story about a [0]leaked
NASA study that [1]showed it would cost $80 BIllion less and get
astronauts to an asteroid sooner if NASA used [2]fuel depots instead of
developing a [3]new rocket. According to the article, NASA's response to
the leaked study is to start developing fuel depots in addition to
continuing its new rocket program. Because, after all, who doesn't need
more cool stuff."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1423252/using-fuel-depots-instead-of-giant-rockets?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://images.spaceref.com/news/2011/HATDepot.Study.pdf
1. http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/science/space/23nasa.html&OQ=_rQ3D4&OP=3f1cf7efQ2FQ20Q7ED-Q20!u.Q3DguuZcQ20cNQ25Q25Q20Q25NQ20cQ2FQ20Q3D.WDA.DQ20Q3DQ24Q26.DQ20cQ2FAQ26Q3DQ26irZQ22R
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propellant_depot
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Launch_System

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| A Decade of Apple Oddities
| from the everything-doer dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @16:53 (Apple)
| with 118 comments
| https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/2017224/a-decade-of-apple-oddities?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]harrymcc writes "It's been exactly ten years since Steve Jobs stood on
a stage at Apple and explained to a surprisingly small group of
journalists that his company was going to make a music player and call it
iPod. Technologizer's Benj Edwards celebrated the iPod's first decade by
rounding up [1]a dozen iPod-related oddities, including the iPod-powered
tooth cleaner, an iPod mount for a semi-automatic sniper system, and the
classic 1958 Dieter Rams Braun FM radio that may have helped inspire it
all."

Discuss this story at:
https://apple.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/2017224/a-decade-of-apple-oddities?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.technologizer.com/
1. http://technologizer.com/2011/10/23/ipod-anniversary/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Hyperion Promises An AmigaOS Netbook
| from the it-will-run-duke-nukem-forever-too dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @19:12 (Amiga)
| with 112 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/2312219/hyperion-promises-an-amigaos-netbook?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes with a report that an employee of [0]Hyperion
Entertainment [1]has disclosed (but not officially announced) that there
is a [2]new portable computer with the Amiga name on it in the works,
quoting: "Supposedly, the new netbook Amiga is will be 'sourced in a
special configuration from an OEM.' The manufacturer in question is, just
like the price tag, the launch date and the hardware specifications,
currently unknown paving the way for further speculation and rumors. The
netbook Amiga will set a mark in computer history as the first portable
Amiga to see the light of the day since the Amiga 1000 was introduced to
the U.S. market in 1985."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/2312219/hyperion-promises-an-amigaos-netbook?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_Entertainment
1. http://amigaworld.net/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic_id=34459&forum=33&start=0&viewmode=flat&order=0#633775
2. http://amigaworld.net/modules/news/article.php?storyid=6117

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| NH Supreme Court To Rule On Bigfoot Video Shoot In Public Park
| from the and-further-your-honor-arrrgghhhhhghghg dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @17:50 (The Courts)
| with 110 comments
| https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/2119241/nh-supreme-court-to-rule-on-bigfoot-video-shoot-in-public-park?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

alphadogg writes with this excerpt from the Boston Globe: "On a whim two
years ago, performance artist Jonathan Doyle paraded around the bustling
peak of New Hampshire's Mount Monadnock in a $40 Bigfoot costume from
iParty. He thought his deadpan video interviews with hikers describing
their Bigfoot sightings would be worth a few chuckles on YouTube, and
might boost the profile of his other artwork. But the staff at Monadnock
State Park found the Yeti act abominable. When Doyle returned with
friends to shoot a sequel, the park manger [0]quashed the production and
ordered Doyle off the mountain, insisting he needed a state permit to
film a movie in the park. Bigfoot stepped up with a lawsuit, alleging
that the park's permit regulations are unconstitutional. The New
Hampshire Supreme Court next month will hear Doyle's complaint. Though
many elements of the dispute border on the absurd, the case raises some
serious free speech issues."

Discuss this story at:
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/2119241/nh-supreme-court-to-rule-on-bigfoot-video-shoot-in-public-park?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.boston.com/news/local/new_hampshire/articles/2011/10/23/bigfoot_takes_free_speech_fight_to_nh_high_court/

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 3D Printers To Save Hermit Crabs
| from the everyone-has-priorities dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @09:29 (Earth)
| with 100 comments
| https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1324250/3d-printers-to-save-hermit-crabs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[0]Shareable writes "Makerbot just launched Project Shellter, which will
leverage the Makerbot community's network of 5,000 3D printers [1]to make
shells for hermit crabs �� which face a species-threatening, man-made
shell shortage (they inhabit abandoned shells)."

Discuss this story at:
https://science.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1324250/3d-printers-to-save-hermit-crabs?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.shareable.net/
1. http://www.shareable.net/blog/3d-printing-community-crowdsource-saving-species

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Hobby Humanoid Robot KHR3HV Rides Bike At 10k/h
| from the not-even-training-wheels dept.
| posted by timothy on Saturday October 22, @22:46 (Robotics)
| with 98 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0037211/hobby-humanoid-robot-khr3hv-rides-bike-at-10kh?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader points out a fun robot project from Japan, writing:
"The robot [0]pedals with its feet at variable speed. The steering is
done by the robot hands as with a normal bike, and remote controlled by a
human. Stability is achieved by relying on the inertial centrifugal
effect of the front wheel and on a gyro aided by a PID controller that
takes over steering when driving in a straight line. Seems like when the
robot steers his arms he also bends the waist leaning a bit into the
turn. Braking is achieved by taking the feet off the pedals and pointing
them down to the ground using the metal feet as friction breaks."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0037211/hobby-humanoid-robot-khr3hv-rides-bike-at-10kh?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://robosavvy.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=32542

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Google Not Reciprocating On IFrame Usage?
| from the embedded-wars dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @15:49 (Google)
| with 92 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1949227/google-not-reciprocating-on-iframe-usage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

theodp writes "Over at the Google Web Search Community, posters are
questioning why Google feels free to IFrame others' web pages, yet
[0]blocks attempts to IFrame pages on its own sites. 'Google has so much
contradiction in what it wants for itself and what it does with other
websites [e.g., [1]Google frames Slashdot],' quipped one poster. 'Do no
evil, right?' And over at the Google Maps Help Forum, developers are also
[2]begging for Google to allow them to IFrame entire pages again. 'I know
there are other options (&embed etc.),' explains a poster, 'but then
there is no sidebar which is useless. I really need the functionality
like it was before.' Can any Googlers out there explain [3]The Mystery of
'This content cannot be displayed in a frame'?"

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1949227/google-not-reciprocating-on-iframe-usage?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Web+Search/thread?tid=7070a92c8b0b241d&hl=en
1. http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6238/6271051399_c73b742c4a_b.jpg
2. http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/maps/thread?tid=6ac135b776680209&hl=en
3. http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/maps/thread?tid=4d3a94910b20554b&hl=en

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Jumentum Introduces a Single-Chip Linux System
| from the ok-but-can-you-make-one-with-fewer-chips dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @05:18 (Education)
| with 70 comments
| https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0353245/jumentum-introduces-a-single-chip-linux-system?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

An anonymous reader writes "The [0]Jumentum open source project has
announced a single-chip programming system based on the NXP LPC1768 (the
same as in the [1]mbed) that can [2]generate PAL/NTSC video and use a
PS/2 keyboard, so it may operate as a standalone BASIC programmable
computer, similar to many old BASIC computers (e.g. Apple ][ or C64) of
yore. Projects such as the [3]Raspberry Pi provide a multichip Linux
solution, and the [4]Humane PC uses three AVR microcontrollers, but the
Jumentum system can provide a true one-chip solution. Video is generated
by software, and only a few external resistors are required to interface
to a composite video input. With the Jumentum system, you can take your
tiny one-chip computer on-the-go, or use it as part of your own
electronics projects (using for example, the mbed) to give it a
convenient interface (along with Jumentum's Ethernet web and USB
interfaces)."

Discuss this story at:
https://hardware.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/0353245/jumentum-introduces-a-single-chip-linux-system?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://jumentum.sourceforge.net/
1. http://mbed.org/
2. http://jumentum.sourceforge.net/lpc1768-video.html
3. http://www.raspberrypi.org/
4. http://humaneinfo.com/pc.html

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| More Interviews With World Solar Challenge Competitors
| from the go-fast-turn-left dept.
| posted by timothy on Sunday October 23, @12:03 (Australia)
| with 4 comments
| https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1537255/more-interviews-with-world-solar-challenge-competitors?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mike_EE_U_of_I writes with "[0]Continuing coverage of the World Solar
Challenge in Australia. Now up are interviews with the second place team
(Nuon from the Netherlands) and third place University of Michigan. Also
there is an interview with the organizer of the event, Chris Sellwood.
Official times aren't out yet, but Nuon arrived at the finish 65 minutes
after the leaders, and Michigan reached the finish 103 minutes after
Nuon."

Discuss this story at:
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/11/10/23/1537255/more-interviews-with-world-solar-challenge-competitors?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email#commentlisting

Links:
0. http://www.sunisthefuture.net/

======================================================================

You have received this message because you subscribed to it
on Slashdot. To stop receiving this and other
messages from Slashdot, or to add more messages
or change your preferences, please go to your user page.

http://slashdot.org/prefs/messages

You can log in and change your preferences from there.

Slashdot 11216 Waples Mill Rd., Suite 100, Fairfax, VA 22030

[GV Daily] Tunisia: It is Election Day!

Having trouble reading this email? See the web version.

Global Voices authors call attention to the most important and interesting stories in blogs and online citizen media worldwide.

About Global Voices
Get Involved

Our Projects

Saturday and Sunday, October 22-23, 2011

Tunisia: It is Election Day!

Tunisians embark on an historic day today. It is election day where they will head to the polls to elect a national constituent assembly, which will be responsible for writing a new constitution, and forming a new government. Here are some thoughts from election eve. read>>

More on the Tunisian Elections:
Tunisia: Long Queues and Mixed Feelings on Election Day
France: Tunisian Diaspora Open 'The Blue Finger Club'
Egypt: Watching the Tunisian Elections
Arab World: Cheering on Tunisia's Elections
Tunisia: A Rendezvous With History

Turkey: 1,000 People Feared Dead in Van Quake

A massive earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 hit eastern Turkey a few hours ago. Up to 1,000 people are feared dead. The quake hit Ercis, in the mountainous province of Van close to the Iranian border, the hardest. On Twitter, users are checking on loved ones and exchanging updates on the death toll and rescue efforts. read>>

Coworking Spaces and Nomad Workers in Japan

Coworking is a growing worldwide movement, and Japan is no exception. Surprising to see in a culture where the idea of physically being in the office at all hours is ingrained in the psyche of the salaried worker? Perhaps not. read>>

Ethiopia: Netizens Shine Spotlight on Trial of Swedish Journalists

The trial of two Swedish journalists accused of terrorism in Ethiopia after being detained during a battle between government troops and rebels started on Tuesday. The story has become a hot topic of discussion in both traditional media and online communities worldwide. read>>

Cameroon Reacts to Presidential Election Results

Humour, outrage, allusions to Muammar Gaddafi's demise and calls for peace have dominated online reactions to the official results of the Cameroon presidential election, which won by the incumbent, Paul Biya. read>>

Libya Declared Islamic State, Sharia Law Instituted

Breaking News from Newsmax.com

New Libyan Leader Declares Islamic State, Sharia Law to Be Enforced
Libya's new leader declared his country's liberation Sunday and set out plans for the future with an Islamist tone. In a televised address, transitional leader Mustafa Abdul-Jalil declared his nation will adopt Sharia law as the basis of government, and immediately announced the canceling of all bank loans in violation of such law. The announcement may prove a serious setback for the Obama administration, which had promised support for a post-Gadhafi democratic Libya.
Read the Full Story — Go Here Now

Bachmann: Libyan Action Will Prove a Mistake

Special: Doctors Quietly Discovering Cancer Cures. Suzanne Somers Reports.

Judge Napolitano: Obama 'Shredding the Constitution'

More Links:

Mid-East Turmoil May Cause Massive Oil Shock, Inflation, Worse, Economists Predict

Herman Cain Is Firing Back, Find Out More

Get the US Border Cap, Stand for Secure Borders, Just Pay Shipping

This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this Newsmax e-mail because you subscribed to it or someone forwarded it to you. To opt out, see the links below.

TO ADVERTISE

For information on advertising, please contact Newsmax Advertising Sales via e-mail.

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this e-mail has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up, please click here.

Remove your e-mail address from our list or modify your profile. We respect your right to privacy. View our policy.

This e-mail was sent by:
Newsmax.com
4152 West Blue Heron Blvd., Ste. 1114
Riviera Beach, FL 33404 USA

1296612
D502-1

Orthodox Jews Back Perry; McCain Stumps for Scott Brown

Click here to view this email as a web page

Insider Report from Newsmax.com

Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Touted for Perry Cabinet Post
2. McCain Fundraising for Scott Brown
3. Orthodox Jews Backing Evangelical Rick Perry
4. Obamacare Will Kill Many Full-Time Jobs
5. GE Bills Taxpayers $490 Million for Wind-Energy Project

Exposed: What Are Bernanke and Obama Hiding From You?

1. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Touted for Perry Cabinet Post

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry sees eye to eye with Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen on defunding of the United Nations and he should consider her for a high post in his administration if he wins the election, according to an editorial in The New York Sun.

During Tuesday's GOP debate in Nevada, Perry raised the U.N. as an issue during a discussion about foreign aid. The Texas governor agreed that foreign aid could be curtailed, then turned to the world body: "As a matter of fact I think it's time for us to have a very serious discussion about defunding the United Nations."

The remark was greeted with applause from the audience.

Perry continued: "When you think about the Palestinian Authority circumventing those Oslo Accords and going to New York to try to create the conflict and to have themselves approved as a state without going through the proper channels, [it] is a travesty. And I think it's time not only to have that entire debate about all of our foreign aid but about the U.N. Why are we funding that organization?"

Florida Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen has been an outspoken critic of the U.N. She chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, which has approved a bill that would give America discretion over how, or even whether, it pays for U.N. activities.

In an exclusive interview with Newsmax in September, she pointed out that American taxpayers last year gave $7.7 billion to the United Nations, accounting for 22 percent of its operating budget and 27 percent of its peacekeeping operations. "What are we getting in return? We're getting an agency that votes against us at every opportunity," she said.

"I say let's change this around. If we don't like the Human Rights Council, then let's not fund it. We should pick and choose cafeteria style which groups we want to help."

She asserted that the U.N. is an "anti-Semitic organization" that consistently denigrates Israel while elevating the Palestinian cause, adding: "It's time we used our leverage to reform the U.N., and if not we need to get our money out of there. We have a lot better uses for $7.7 billion every year."

The Sun editorial stated: "Mrs. Ros-Lehtinen has long struck us, and increasingly so every time we write about her, as someone with national potential, though she is, because she was born at Cuba and is not a natural-born citizen, ineligible to accede as either vice president or president. But secretary of state or other high office [is possible].

"Clearly we're a long way from the point where Mr. Perry is going to be thinking about an administration. He's got to win the nomination first, and he's got some stumbling to get over if he is going to be a contender. But he picked a good issue with the United Nations. What luck that there is a powerful figure in the Congress who could be of help — a brilliant, hard-line, anti-communist, pro-freedom Latina from Florida.

"If Mr. Perry is going to go after the United Nations, Mrs. Ros-Lehtinen is the teammate to seek."

Editor's Note:

Special: Herman Cain Unmasked. Read This Now.

2. McCain Fundraising for Scott Brown

John McCain has sent out a fundraising email on behalf of his fellow Republican Sen. Scott Brown's re-election campaign in Massachusetts, warning that "the Democrats are coming after Scott with everything they've got."

In the email sent on Tuesday, the Arizona senator and 2008 GOP presidential nominee stated: "The Reid-Pelosi establishment in D.C. also went out of their way to recruit Harvard Professor Elizabeth Warren to run against him. Warren and her special interest allies have already raised more than $3 million for her campaign coffers.

"With her class warfare rhetoric and her anti-capitalism views, Elizabeth Warren has the ability to raise millions of dollars from the far left fringe who are attempting to divide our country right now. That's why Scott needs your help."

Brown is seeking his first full six-year term since winning a special election in January 2010 to replace the late Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy. Warren, a Harvard Law School teacher, is one of five Democrats seeking to challenge Brown in November 2012, the Boston Globe reported.

McCain added in his note: "Since his election, Scott has stayed true to his word, representing his state with a strong independent voice. Scott has fought higher taxes and out-of-control spending, and been a strong advocate on national security policies important to keeping our country safe from terrorist attack."

Editor's Note:

ALERT: Warning Signs of a 'Silent' Heart Attack

3. Orthodox Jews Backing Evangelical Rick Perry

Orthodox Jews are supporting Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry due to his strong advocacy for Israel and Jewish settlements on the occupied West Bank.

The evangelical Christian's Orthodox Jewish backers "resemble the type of voters that caused a political sensation in August by helping to hand New York's 9th Congressional District over to the Republican Party" and its staunchly pro-Israel candidate, the Jewish publication Forward observed.

"For these Jewish voters, the charismatic governor's alignment with Israel's right wing and his conservative values make him an ideal candidate."

At a late September press conference, Perry appeared with Orthodox leaders and attacked the Obama administration's policy of "appeasement" that encouraged the Palestinian effort for statehood at the United Nations.

Perry vowed his support for a united Jerusalem, and rejected a freeze on Israeli construction in West Bank settlements, which American Orthodox Jews strongly oppose.

Appearing with Perry was Joseph Frager, chairman of American Friends of Ateret Cohanim, an organization that buys lands and homes in mostly Palestinian East Jerusalem and moves Jews into them. Frager said Perry "has strong views on Israel that are in line with my views, to a great extent."

Perry is "not one of those who call themselves friends of Israel but view that as an excuse to twist Israel's arm," Jeff Ballabon, a public relations expert who helped President George W. Bush gain support in the Orthodox community, told Forward.

"He recognizes that Israel exists under constant pressure and that true friendship is to give Israel support while it navigates its way to peace."

Perry, "who wears his Christian beliefs proudly," Forward noted, also gains favor among Orthodox Jews for a conservative set of values that includes opposition to abortion rights and same-sex marriage, and questioning of evolution.

Editor's Note:

How One Household Plant Has Been Shown to Improve Prostate Function.

4. Obamacare Will Kill Many Full-Time Jobs

Obamacare has been promoted as a benefit to lower-income workers who can't currently afford health insurance, but in fact President Barack Obama's healthcare reform will price many unskilled workers out of full-time employment.

A new report from the Heritage Foundation shows that after an employer pays a worker's new healthcare premiums, along with the minimum wage, payroll taxes, and unemployment insurance taxes as required, the full-time worker will cost the employer at least $10.03 per hour, or $20,063 a year.

A full-time worker with a family health plan will cost an average of $13.75 an hour, or $27,501 a year.

"Employers who hire workers with productivity below these rates will lose money," according to the report written by James Sherk, a senior policy analyst in labor economics in the Center for Data Analysis at The Heritage Foundation.

Many of these employers will respond to the higher costs by dumping workers onto the government healthcare exchanges. This will cost the employer a $2,000 penalty for each full-time worker, far less than the cost of health premiums but still a $1 per hour increase in full-time employment costs.

The employer mandate in the healthcare bill will also encourage employers to replace full-time workers with part-time employees, since Obamacare does not penalize employers for not providing health benefits to these workers.

"Obamacare hurts less skilled workers," Sherk observes.

"It raises the minimum productivity required for them to hold a full-time job, particularly workers with families. Workers who cannot produce at least $20,000 per year (single plan) or $27,500 per year (family plan) of value to employers will have serious difficulty finding full-time jobs. Many of these workers will have to either live off reduced income from part-time hours or juggle the schedules of multiple part-time jobs."

The cost to employers will actually be higher in a number of states that have a minimum wage greater than the federal rate. State unemployment insurance taxes and healthcare costs also vary.

The most expensive state for employing workers is Connecticut, where full-time employees with family plans cost employers $15.27 per hour, or at least $30,550 a year.

Oklahoma has the lowest employment costs, $11.92 an hour for workers with families.

Sherk concludes: "The weak economy has made it difficult for unskilled individuals to find work. Obamacare will make it even more difficult for them to obtain full-time jobs."

Editor's Note:

Newsmax Wake-Up Call: Get Our Millionaire Success Kit 100% FREE

5. GE Bills Taxpayers $490 Million for Wind-Energy Project

In a blatant example of corporate welfare, General Electric is receiving $490 million from the Energy Department to build a wind-energy facility — even though GE has a market capitalization of some $170 billion.

GE and its partners are also getting a $1.06 billion loan guarantee for the Shepherds Flat project in northern Oregon — a guarantee similar to the $529 million one that solar energy firm Solyndra received from the government before it went bankrupt.

One other point to note: GE's CEO Jeffrey Immelt is the head of President Barack Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.

"The Obama administration's loan guarantee for the now-bankrupt Solyndra has garnered lots of attention, but the Shepherds Flat deal is an even better example of corporate welfare," Robert Bryce writes for National Review Online.

"The majority of the funding for the $1.9 billion, 845-megawatt Shepherds Flat wind project is coming courtesy of federal taxpayers," he notes, and "not only is the Energy Department giving GE and its partners a $1.06 billion loan guarantee, but as soon as GE's 338 turbines start turning at Shepherds Flat, the Treasury Department will send the project developers a cash grant of $490 million."

GE and its partners, which include Google, will enjoy an estimated return on equity of 30 percent, while over the past year the average electric utility's return on equity has been around 7 percent, according to Bryce, senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute and author of "Power Hungry: The Myths of 'Green' Energy and the Real Fuels of the Future."

He asks why the administration is providing subsidies to GE, which paid little or no federal income taxes last year despite earning some $5.1 billion in profits from its American operations.

And he wonders why Immelt can head Obama's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness when Obama has consistently criticized the oil and gas industry for exploiting what he claims are excessive tax breaks.

As for the permanent "green energy jobs" being created by the wind project, CNN Money has estimated the number to be 35. Taking into consideration only the $490 million grant and ignoring the loan guarantee, the cost of each job will be about $14 million.

Note: Newsmax magazine is now available on the iPad. Find us in the App Store.

Editor's Note:

Top Doctors Share Secrets to Surviving Cancer

Editor's Notes:

This e-mail is never sent unsolicited. You have received this Newsmax e-mail because you subscribed to it or someone forwarded it to you. To opt out, see the links below.

TO ADVERTISE

For information on advertising, please contact Newsmax Advertising Sales via e-mail.

TO SUBSCRIBE

If this e-mail has been forwarded to you and you would like to sign up, please click here.