Happy Christmas! 

U.S. Army goes Black..

"In its latest round of solicitations for small businesses, the Army is asking for proposals for super-black material. That is, material so black that it absorbs 99 percent of all light. But it isn’t really black paint, exactly. The plan is to use either an “antireflective coating or surface treatment process for metals” to absorb stray light “in the ultraviolet, visible, infrared, and far-infrared regions.” This, the Army hopes, will boost the quality of high-resolution cameras, while also cooling down sensitive electronics. Or to put it another way: The Army needs the color black to reflect its icy-cold heart."

Read more on WIRED.

The E.U. the new Rome?

So far I have hesitated to get involved in the E.U. debate largely because of its ever evolving complexity. I have looked at the E.U. as a threat to Britain's sovereignty, freedoms and everything we stand for. Speaking with friends on Europa many of them would agree with this standpoint. 

With the characters from the 90's that were set to run the show, people with any care for their country saw Europe's direction laid before them and didn't like it. Poorly governed member states and the greedy small time operators saw the E.U. as an opportunity to get rich quick. But it wasn't just the small fish that eyed their slice, the big fish thought that this was their time to make Europe pay for their villa, Porsche and caviar. 

In 1957 the Treaty of Rome was signed. A Belgian politician Paul-Henri Spaak said that "we felt like Romans on that day. We were consciously recreating the Roman Empire once more". Winston Churchill said that this was to be the United States of Europe. 

These men were scarred by a war that ripped a hole in the world. They took up the challenge of never allowing this to happen again, of never seeing the continent fall in the hands of war and divide. They sought to build a Europe in the image of America, a well constructed democracy, secure and economically supreme. 

After WW2 Europe was broken up and split between two ideologies, the Soviets in the East and the Allies in the West. Germany was at the centre of this battle of ideals. Was this because of her looks or her ability to get back up and become the centre of attention? 

The leaders of that era knew that the German people are tough, hard working and conscientious. This could not be more true than it is today. Germans get things done economically. 

When the founders of the E.U. set about this dream, as I mentioned before, they built it in the shadow of the American dream. They built the E.U. with the idea of uniformity, that we as a continent would be the same as the U.S. But America was built on the opportunity for a fresh start, it was a new land where the new could grow without the interference of the old. 

On the premise of uniformity, I can see why those leaders decided to use this model. They saw a Europe that needed order. Europe had rejected the communist ideal. The day I was born the Berlin wall was to come down and throughout that January former Soviet states had decided on independence. The people of Europe had chosen their path. They wanted freedom and to be governed under new democratic principles.   

So what's happened? For a start the founders set about conjoining Europeans like Romans. This was not a bad thing. Europe supposedly needed a common identity, something to cling to. Yet how many people when asked where they come from say that they are from Europe? 

The Romans conquered Europe into submission, they were wise to recognise the intense variety of the people found in Europe. Almost anyone could become Roman. All that was required was you accepted their rule. In return the Romans would allow each region to retain their beliefs, traditions and more importantly, their identity. 

The Romans brought with them something to admire. They brought with them new toys, gadgets, heated flooring and bathhouses.

The Romans had a vison of where they were going and this was a long term strategy. 

I return to mediocre modernity and the E.U. If the European Union was never destined to be just a trade pact, how then did it really intend to unify Europe? Just what did Tony Blair and Van Rompuy and co think they could bring to the table when compared to the Romans? Misery, debt bondage and divide, all by stealth.

Pope Benedict XVI and John II both said that "one cannot think about building 'a common European home' ignoring the identity of the people of our continent. In fact, it is a matter of historical, cultural and moral identity even more than a geographical economic and political one". I agree with this although all these points are equally important. 

I started off being a Eurosceptic, now I see a just cause for a unified Europe. Not in it's current state however. The E.U. for the last 20 years has spent billions on trying to make each and every person and nation conform to its purpose. An alien purpose to most democratic Europeans. 

This was misguided. The individual nations of Europe like a family have traits that should be celebrated and perfected with a long term strategy. Essentially these pseudo Romans failed to use one of the key corner stones that made Rome. Take Spain for instance its wealth historically came from its connection to North Africa. The E.U. should have had a long term plan to develop North Africa and revive the Moorish relationship. Instead of littering the place  with golf courses, time shares and failed construction projects. 

A Leader of Europe should look at each nation's historical roots and successes and build on them. How is it right that Poland produces 'Greek' yogurt, Germany Spanish Chorizo? How is it right that Britain's refined judiciary and courts are being eroded by something completely new and untried. 

These are just some of the things we take pride in. I know this is a simplistic approach, but Europe needs to concentrate on producing well made traditional and locally sourced goods, putting pride back in the provinces. This gives a sense of belonging and collective success. This is the future of Europa. Let us clear out the trash of the last decade and build on the quality that we are famed for and take pride in these things. 

The E.U. like the Roman senate has the ability to provide a longterm strategy. It needs to redefine itself and the way it is presented. More importantly it needs to remember the original purpose which should have nothing to do with either Fascism or Socialism. Both have lured Europe into situations that any Roman emperor would have been murdered for. 

Eurosceptics are an important counter balance that were essential in preventing a monolithic monster getting out of control. And will now flip the coin.

The truth is Europeans don't trust the E.U. You could argue that this at the heart of matter even before the economic issues. The despicable policies of previous governments dragged Europe in to their so called "mistakes". Blair, Berlusconi and Sarkozy, like Emperor Elagabalus, are firmly out of touch with the populus. Angela Merkel stands out from the others and has remained dignified and conscientious. This is why it is so wrong for people to criticise Germany and this reaction could have been handled better. Germany could usher in a more compassionate approach and other members states could be more compliant. 



The E.U. needs a face and a beating heart. At the moment it is sterile and faceless. It is no wonder that most Europeans can't identify with it. We don't wear it and we don't love it. In spite of all the propaganda, I don't see anyone buying E.U. cushions in Peter Jones and Ralph Lauren hasn't put it on his polo shirts yet. 

I have always been pro Europe, now I see the opportunity be pro E.U. Not for what it has done but for what it could do. Why now when the E.U. is probably at its lowest point ever? Because this is the time when the counter balance can at last change the outcome. Thus putting the EU on different trajectory.

I am a great believer in small is beautiful but here is a thought, if a united Africa were to function better than a united Europe how would that make Europeans feel then? We should remember that Europa is one of the most fertile regions in the world, climatic stability is an enviable blessing and blessings should be counted. 


Small print: In no way do I advocate Tony Blair as the next Emperor!

    

Unlucky Iran..

Despite a ban on Facebook in Iran the Ayatollah Ali Khameni has created himself a facebook page. Questions still remain over it's authenticity. Why he would have picked the 2013 for his debut is another question, the number 13 is considered a bad omen by some Muslims.

Get more info on the BBC. 

Cameron does the right thing..

Children will be protected by a block on online pornography which parents will have to choose to have lifted, David Cameron vows today.

After weeks of confusion over the Government’s plans to protect youngsters, the Prime Minister makes clear that under the proposals, web filters will be ‘default on’ for houses with children.

Read more on the Daily Mail.

HELLO CHINA!!!

Wang Chen China's director of the state information office has announced a plan for the new year to increase Chinese engagement with the world.

Read more on CHINA DAILY.


(Thanks for viewing my blog. Wo de didi zai nali?!)

Syria the worlds new Sierra Leone

Russia has said that its stance towards the Assad regime remains unchanged and will never change. The civil war in Sierra Leone left up to 50,000 dead over  the period of 11 years which had a devastating effect on the conscience of the West for failure to intervene. The death toll in Syria is nearing 30,000 with up to 500,000 people displaced within only one year. How will the aspiring Russian intelligentsia of the future perceive their nations policys from the 90's in an increasingly small world?  

"Russia's foreign ministry has insisted that the country has not changed its position on Syria and "never will".

It came a day after Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said Syria's government was "progressively losing control" and that "the victory of the Syrian opposition cannot be excluded".

Earlier, the ministry clarified his comments, noting he had also said there could only be a political solution."

Read more on the BBC.

Was this the Scud-type missile fired? 

Via http://www.syrianrevolutiondigest.com

Oldest Trees on the Planet...

Check them out on WIRED.

Tony Blair talks Iraq...

"A hypocrite is the kind of politician who would cut down a redwood tree, then mount the stump and make a speech for conservation"
A. E. Stevenson

"In a speech to business leaders, the former Prime Minister said the war is one of the "compelling reasons" why British companies should be part of Iraq's future."

Read more on the Telegraph.

Ethiopian kids hack their tablets...

Give a thousand Ethiopian kids — who have never seen a printed word let alone played around with expensive consumer technology — a tablet, and what happens? They hack it. Obviously.

Read more on GIZMODO.

U.S. blocks Russian Libya draft resolution...

""The United States has blocked Russia's draft statement on the peaceful resolution of the violence in the Libyan town of Bani Walid, which has been under siege for weeks. Russia's statement called for a peaceful solution to the conflict.""

Read more on Russia Today.

Qataris in Gaza..

"Qatar's emir has become the first head of state to visit the Gaza Strip since Hamas came to power there in 2007.

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani crossed into Gaza by car from Egypt amid tight security, and was greeted by Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.

He has pledged $400m (£250m) for building in the strip, which has been ravaged by a long conflict with Israel."

Read more on the BBC.

Where are the aliens...TIME Explains

Drugs in transit..

Via RIA NOVOSTI

Truce?

Is the Syrian uprising about to come full circle? The Syrian opposition since Assad's government forces opened fire on unarmed protesters last year have demanded one thing, that Bashar al-Assad steps down. Assad on the other hand has since blamed Zionists, al-Qaeda, armed gangs and terrorists and has demanded a ceasefire from the rebel quarters. The rebels worry that in doing so, Assad will resort to old tricks. Using the ceasefire as a government propagandist victory and a smoke screen for secretly rounding up those that took part in the protests. 

This dead lock in guarantees hadn't changed when only 500 Syrians had been killed, now up to 30-35,000 have been killed, the only side keen for a truce would be that of the government. However, a new element has been introduced into the conflict. External fighting born in Syria threatens both Turkey and Lebanon.

"Mr Brahimi, who represents the UN and the Arab League, is in Damascus to press both the government and the rebels to observe a truce over the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.

On Friday, he met with Foreign Minister Walid Muallem and opposition leaders."

Read more on the BBC.

On the gravy trail...

"Former EU health commissioner John Dalli has insisted on his innocence in an alleged attempt to peddle influence, days after he resigned.

He was asked about a fresh allegation that a businessman with links to him had sought 60m euros (£49m; $79m) from a Swedish company."

Read more on the BBC.

Fuel from air..

"A British firm has produced the first 'petrol from air', it emerged today - in a pioneering scientific breakthrough that could end mankind's reliance on declining fossil fuels.

Air Fuel Synthesis in Stockton-on-Tees, Teesside, claims to have made five litres of petrol since August using a small refinery that synthesises the fuel from carbon dioxide and water vapour.

Experts have hailed the incredible breakthrough as a potential 'game-changer' in the battle against climate change and solution to the globe's escalating energy crisis."

Read more on the Daily Mail.

Controlling public..

"Traditional means of exerting control and pressure on the public have lost their effectiveness in stabilizing society, the Party chief of Weng'an county has said.

Sha Xiangui, Party chief of Weng'an county in Southwest China's Guizhou province, was speaking to People's Daily about the lessons learned from the violent protests in the county in 2008, when the government was attacked by thousands of angry locals."

Read more on CHINA DAILY.

Justice is what you're threatened with..

"Power is less a thing than it is a relationship, French philosopher Michel Foucault taught us — not just a relationship, but a very complex set of interlocking, constantly shifting relationships. And it was an innate awareness of the matrix power relations in which he operated in early 16th century England, together with his instinct for incrementally altering its balances in ways that enabled profound social changes of which the actors in those dramas were barely conscious, that make Thomas Cromwell such a fascinating historical figure. Not even a second Booker Prize can do justice to the service British author Hilary Mantel has performed in breathing life and emotional and moral complexity into the First Minister to King Henry VIII, a character usually rendered as a one-dimensional villain in most tales of 16th century England and its break from the Vatican."

Read more on TIME.

Bold ideas..

"Don’t let rejection get you down--it might be the ticket to creativity, science says. That’s right: If regular rejection doesn’t cause you to lose all self-confidence and withdraw from the world entirely, it just might boost your ability to think outside of the mainstream and draw upon a unique worldview, suggesting that the kind of people society considers “geniuses” might tend to have a go-it-alone, loner mentality."

Read POPSCI.

North Korean's visit Sweden for economic tips..

"North Korean trade delegates have recently visited Sweden to study the Nordic country’s economy and government. The effort, organised by the International Council of Swedish Industry and partially sponsored by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, was reported by Swedish Radio at the weekend but has been kept very discreet."

Read more on IceNews. 




OTHER NEWS

http://dot2dotnews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/invest-in-north-korea-probably-not.html

Walking the Earth

Watch Felix's free fall, headcam footage..

UN Envoy Appeals to Iran..

"UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has appealed for Iranian help to implement a ceasefire in Syria over the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha."

Read more on the BBC.

Ghana detains Chinese miners..

"1 miner shot dead by police during crackdown, investigation under

Chinese workers' safety overseas is again in the spotlight after more than 100 Chinese were detained and one was killed while allegedly mining gold illegally in Ghana."

Read more on CHINA DAILY.

Syria unattended..

As world leaders contemplate, Syrians are between a rock and a hard place.. 

"Standing on a patch of muddy scrubland just inside Syria's broken border fence with Turkey, the rebel commander watched glumly as the group of jihadists crossed into his country.

Scruffy, with long beards, some wearing khaki jackets and each clutching a black travel bag, the six men walked silently through the crowd of refugees who had assembled and were waiting to leave Syria. A driver in a pick-up truck quickly greeted the men and drove them away into the countryside."

Read more on the Telegraph.

Sea trade returns to it's roots...

"With their billowing sails, towering masts and long wooden hulls, 19th century clipper ships were staggering feats of design -- and Europe's lifeline to the world's most exotic goods.

Laden with spices, teas and chocolates from across the globe, the use of these wind-powered sailing vessels reached its peak during the late 1800's, a period often referred to as the "Golden Age of Sail."

Abandoned in the advent of steamboats, the centuries-old transport is now enjoying a revival among cargo traders, with a new breed of merchant ships returning to wind power in an effort to promote 

Cutty Sark

environmentally sustainable trade."

Read more on CNN.

Freshwater infographic..

Via POPSCI.

You're not having this one..

"Surgeons today said they have successfully removed a bullet from the neck of a Pakistani girl who was shot by the Taliban in front of her classmates yesterday.

Malala Yousafzai was sitting in a bus ready to leave the grounds of her school in Mingora in Pakistan’s Swat Valley when a bearded man entered the bus and shot her and another girl.

The 14-year-old is widely known and respected for her work to promote the schooling of girls and denouncing the atrocities committed by the Taliban."

Read more on the Daily Mail.

Let us Unite..

"In a speech which was greeted with luke-warm applause at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, the Chancellor jokingly borrowed the Marxist slogan "workers of the world unite" to launch his new scheme.

The plan effectively involves workers gambling on their career prospects, by sacrificing their protection against unfair dismissal and other rights in return for profits on company shares which will be free from capital gains tax.

In a highly political speech, which featured frequent attacks on Ed Miliband for his address to last week's Labour conference in which he sought to adopt the traditionally Conservative philosophy of One Nation." 

Read more on the Telegraph.

The Rise of the Robots..

"Rising labor costs, innovation drive prompt companies to use more machines in manufacturing

While the rural workforce shrinks, the robotics revolution has almost reached China. With a majority of Chinese enterprises struggling to cope with low production levels, rising labor costs, outdated management methods and changing demographics, more and more companies are buying industrial robots, in effect transforming themselves from dependents on manpower production to stewards of what they call "intelligent manufacturing"."

Read more on CHINA DAILY.

@Hugh Grant & The BBC

Hugh Grant: "Any new system of regulation has to satisfy not politicians and their chums in the media, but ordinary victims of these crimes." Via the BBC.

Hugh Grant

So Mr Grant decides that he is an ordinary person. Mr Grant is not an ordinary person but a public figure. Ok granted he's not a politician, however in the same sense Mr Grant should be held to account. In no way am I defending the heinous hackers at News Corp. What I am defending is this beautiful abundance of free speech in the media. Mr Grant has urged the E.U. to crack down on the media, he's urged prime minister David Cameron and here he is on the BBC. 

Both the movie and music industry have more dark corners than the British free press and less accountability. Perhaps the "ordinary" people would like to see this reformed. Would Hugh Grant endorse an independent auditor for these too?

Vladimir Bukovsky

Hugh talk to Tony Blair he would love to help you in your quest of regulation. The press should remain a free and open encounter, so that the "ordinary" person can hold "politicians and their chums in the media" to account, was it not because we have a free press that this is just what happened - hacking was exposed or was it exposed because of an unidentified quango? The hacking itself was a criminal matter and should be dealt with accordingly. 

Mr Grant like most celebrities court the media when it suits them. In Soviet Russia the Samizdat was a movement that avoided censorship, much like my little blog. This would earn you a visit from the KGB, Vladimir Bukovsky was a leading dissident in communist Russia. He defined the Samizdat as follows "I myself create it, edit it, censor it, publish it, distribute it, and...get imprisoned for it." 

Mr Bukovsky currently resides in the UK, he received the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom in 2001. A medal awarded by the Victims of Communism foundation. Mr Bukovsky was one of the first in Russia to expose psychiatric imprisonment having spent a upto 12 years  in Soviet prisons, labour camps and forced-treatment psychiatric "hospitals". Mr Bukovsky is the real deal.  Perhaps Hugh Grant should talk with Mr Bukovsky about regulation of the press and where that leads to.  

"If the goal is to restrain the power of the 'press' and stop corruption, other kinds of division are also essential. Rules are most likely to be fair and honest if their design is separated from their administration. This allows diverse interests to be involved in making the rules but reduces the incentives for rulemakers to design rules that favour them. " Good and Bad Power.

The free press is like the internet, it's either free or it isn't.

I would like to add this correspondence from Mr Bukovsky to the TV Licensing Agency  (BBC);

"Finally, the fact that I have not watched television since 2001 does not necessarily prove that I have no intention to watch it in the future. Moreover, people's intentions tend to change with time. I cannot rule out that, at a  certain point, I would be obliged to turn on my TV set, for example, in order to verify that the BBC is still biased in its coverage of news and current affairs and, therefore, we are justified in continuing our campaign against it."  

Yours respectfully

Vladimir Bukovsky

See my first article below
://dot2dotnews.blogspot.co.uk/2011/12/freedom-of-press-and-citizen-journalism.html


Or 
http://dot2dotnews.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/murdochs-vs-scientology.html

Or these from the Daily Mail; 
FiX Factor:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2214466/X-Factor-2012-Fix-What-producer-whispering-Louis-Walsh-judge-CHANGED-mind.html
Leveson Luvvies beware:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2214352/Leveson-luvvies-millions-using-media-beware-wish-for.html

And this from The Telegraph;
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/jamesrhodes/100066768/at-last-the-classic-brit-awards-exposed-as-a-sickening-crime-against-classical-music/

Is the South American Left Stumbling..

"A third victim, also a Capriles supporter, is in critical condition. Chávez urged Venezuelans to “confront each other with votes, not violence,” but he just as quickly took the polarizing low road and blamed his “bourgeois” opponents for the deadly confrontation. The Capriles camp was angered again on Wednesday when a judge in Barinas, where Chávez’s elder brother Adán is Governor, inexplicably released two of the shooting suspects."

Read more on TIME. 

The Craziest Things People Have Proposed Putting on the Moon

"It seems that many people in history have thought, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we did that, but on the moon?” Here we've gathered some of the most outlandish, irrational, and occasionally insane ideas that people have proposed for the moon. You can vote for the one you'd most like to see actually built in the poll below."

Read more on WIRED.

Scientists believe in science?

"You know how every other day a new science report comes out saying this and that gives you cancer? But then a day after it’s revealed that the same this and that actually prevents cancer? Yeah. What the hell should we believe in? Who knows because scientists have just found that scientists lie all the time in their scientific findings."

Read More on GIZMODO.

Iran sanctions bite..

"Hundreds of protesters have clashed with police in Tehran after the government attempted to stop the Iranian currency plummeting in value by cracking down on speculators, beginning with the city's black-market money changers."

Read more on the Independent.

Who spits against the wind, spits in his own face..

"Nicolas Sarkozy will make an audacious bid to become President of France for the second time in 2017, it was claimed today.

Bruno Le Maire, his former agriculture minister, is said to have heard the former head of state claim 'moral' reasons for a return to high office."

Read more on the Daily Mail.

The First Presidential Debate in full

  via The New York Times.

I'M BACK!

"I needed a vacation."

China and the British education system..

"British private boarding schools - the more exclusive the better - have become the top choice for wealthy or newly rich Chinese bent on giving their next generation a huge advantage, right from the start. "The youngest client we have is a 2-year-old," says William Vanbergen, founder and managing director of BE Education, an organization which provides consultancy services for students wishing to study at elite schools overseas."

Read more on CHINA DAILY.

Britannia, rule the waves..

GE Energy delivers the last of 8 propulsion motors for the UK's two aircraft carriers in construction for the Royal Navy. When completed the carriers will become the largest electrically propelled warships in the world.

"Fuel saving is a major driver for the IFEP design. According to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence, the 65,000-ton QE class warships, with their advanced propulsion system, are expected to consume no more fuel during typical routine operations than the much smaller (22,000 ton) predecessor CVS class carriers. Over their lifetime of 25 years or longer, the two QEC carriers will achieve significant economic, environmental and operational benefits including greatly improved autonomous operation."

Read more on defpro.com