Today Finland officially becomes first nation to make broadband Starting today (July 1), every Finnish citizen now has a guaranteed legal right to a least a 1Mbps broadband connection, putting it on the same footing as other legal rights in the country such as healthcare and education. As we reported last year, Finland was the first nation in the world to pass this type of legislation, followed by Spain in November. The Finish government has promised guaranteed speeds of 100Mbps by 2015 for all of its citizens, and currently about 97% of Finns already have access to broadband connections. As our @Zee mentioned last year: “the fast growth of technology has led the European Commission to bring forward a review of the basic telecoms services Europeans can expect.” And as this blog points out: “This is no mean feat in a geographically challenging region, with a quarter of the country lying above the Arctic Circle. Finland’s communication minister Suvi Linden told the BBC that, “We considered the role of the internet in Finns everyday life.
Palin scrubs Facebook page over Wall Street Journal correction | Raw Story By David EdwardsTuesday, November 9, 2010 15:36 EDT Sarah Palin may have finally proved that she does read newspapers. But one reporter seems to be challenging if she actually understands what she reads. In a speech to a trade-association conference in Phoenix Monday, Palin asserted that food prices “have risen significantly over the past year or so.” The next day, The Wall Street Journal‘s Sudeep Reddy pointed out that inflation of food prices had actually remained historically low. “Grocery prices haven’t risen all that significantly, in fact,” wrote Reddy. The consumer price index’s measure of food and beverages for the first nine months of this year showed average annual inflation of less than 0.6%, the slowest pace on record (since the Labor Department started keeping this measure in 1968). Palin fired back on her Facebook page with a post titled “Do Wall Street Journal Reporters Read the Wall Street Journal?” “Really?” David Edwards
Coyle, D.: The Economics of Enough: How to Run the Economy as If the Future Matters. The world's leading economies are facing not just one but many crises. The financial meltdown may not be over, climate change threatens major global disruption, economic inequality has reached extremes not seen for a century, and government and business are widely distrusted. At the same time, many people regret the consumerism and social corrosion of modern life. What these crises have in common, Diane Coyle argues, is a reckless disregard for the future--especially in the way the economy is run. How can we achieve the financial growth we need today without sacrificing a decent future for our children, our societies, and our planet? Running the economy for tomorrow as well as today will require a wide range of policy changes. Creating a sustainable economy--having enough to be happy without cheating the future--won't be easy. Reviews: "In The Economics of Enough, Ms. "If widely read, [The Economics of Enough] could be the twenty-first century's basic action manual. More reviews Italian
How to Save Cleveland You want a quick indicator of urban decline in any city you visit? Ask a local what’s great about the place. If the top three answers include “a world-class symphony orchestra,” you’re smack dab in the middle of a current or future ghost town.... Phil Woolas will not return to Labour, Harman suggests 7 November 2010Last updated at 12:00 Mr Woolas narrowly won his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat Ex-minister Phil Woolas will not return to Labour even if he wins his appeal against the decision to strip him of his seat, Harriet Harman has suggested. "It is not part of Labour's politics for somebody to be telling lies to get themselves elected," the party's deputy leader said. An election court barred Mr Woolas from politics for three years for making false statements against his opponent. A successful appeal would not change those findings of fact, Ms Harman said. Mr Woolas was suspended from Labour after the first judgement of its kind by an election court for 99 years. The court was told Mr Woolas stirred up racial tensions during a campaign which saw him retain his Oldham East and Saddleworth seat by 103 from Lib Dem candidate Elwyn Watkins. Mr Woolas has said he intends to seek a judicial review of the decision, which Labour - who have suspended him - are not supporting. Phil Woolas
Interview with Grzegorz W. Kolodko, author of Truth, Errors, and Lies: Politics and Economics in a Volatile World The following is a Q&A between Grzegorz W. Kolodko, author ofTruth, Errors, and Lies: Politics and Economics in a Volatile Worldand William R. Brand, the book’s translator. William Brand: This is an exceptionally wide-ranging book that looks far into the past and the future, taking a global view, in the geographic and cultural sense, of economic development, where we are today and where we could be heading. Grzegorz W. I like to say that economics and the social sciences ought to be as simple as possible, but no simpler. WB: What can you contribute that others cannot? GWK.: My books and research articles have been published in 25 languages in over 40 countries. WB: This book is titled Truth, Errors, and Lies. GWK.: When you watch TV or read a newspaper and come across someone making an assertion you're sure is untrue, ask yourself: "Are they in error, or deliberately lying?" If they’re mistaken, it’s a pity, especially among professionals. If they're lying, we have a different problem.
Yang Youde Yang Youde "Personal interests are trivial, but failure to implement official policies is serious.Outsiders must not enter/exit at will, or they will be responsible for any accident that happens to them. Yang Youde is a 56 year-old farmer living outside Wuhan city in China's Hubei province who never really wanted anything more than to live in peace and not get reamed in the asshole when he finally got around to selling his small, quiet farm. He signed a contract that would allow him to live in his home and work his land until 2019, and spent the long days out in the fields harvesting cotton and fruit and fishing in a nearby lake for food. At the beginning of this year, however, Youde quickly learned that living on a farm and not being utterly screwed over by greedy douchebags was apparently too much to ask. But Youde wasn't your typical uneducated pushover farmer that these fucks could just steamroll in the name of industrialization and corporate greed and orpan-crushitoriums. Yahoo News
Eric Cantor Opposes Compromise On Extending Bush Tax Cuts, Says Government Shutdown Will Be Obama's Fault WASHINGTON -- Just as Senate Minority Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has attempted to lower expectations in recent days by saying that Republicans can't really accomplish anything unless President Obama is voted out of office in 2012, so too did Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) set the stage on Sunday by declaring that any lack of progress in Congress -- including a possible government shutdown -- will be Obama's fault. "I would say, Chris, it's as much his responsibility," said Cantor in response to a question from Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace about who will be to blame for a government shutdown or a default on the debt. "In fact, he is the one who sets the agenda as the chief executive and as the president of this country." Cantor also made clear that if there's going to be any compromise, it's going to have to come from Obama, who has said he is willing to work with Republicans. "Listen, are we willing to work with him?"