Microlog Current Affairs
Microlog entries filed under Current Affairs
Where are the judges fit for the internet age?
“The web is making what was local global. It makes that evidence of faults, which once would have been forgotten, permanently available to the malicious and small-minded.” Indeed. Permalink ·
Sherlock agrees to attend debate with organiser of anti-’SOPA’ petition
That’s after he initially refused to attend if Simon McGarr wasn’t removed from the panel, accusing him of “causing some reputational damage to this country by deliberately misinterpreting the [new legislation] as SOPA” (which wasn’t the case, and he knows it, but howandever). Shame I can’t attend the debate this afternoon; seems like the hashtag is #DRF2012 so I can follow things on Twitter later. Permalink ·
One Town’s War on Gay Teens
Here’s my alternative standfirst: Why wretched people like Michelle Bachman and her supporters are dangerous and evil and must be stopped. Permalink ·
The IMF’s latest forecast: Perverse austerity
Some economists really do live in a different world, don’t they? Permalink ·
Barack Obama’s presidency, three years on - is it time to give up hope?
The Guardian’s Jonathan Freedland on the diminishing expectations for change. I’m reserving judgement till next year, if/when Obama gets re-elected; then we’ll know if he can forgo political expediency and show his ‘stomach for a fight’. Permalink ·
The US schools with their own police
Why is the state criminalising normal childhood behaviour?’ Indeed, Is this not a prime example of a police state in practice? Permalink ·
My Guantánamo Nightmare
The shocking story of one man’s abuse at the hands of a system (and a society) determined that ‘someone’ should pay for evil deeds done, whether they’re guilty or not. Utterly shameful. Permalink ·
Ireland has done what the IMF wanted, but where is the reward?
It’s lovely that the bureaucrats and politicians think of Ireland as some kind of grand economic experiment. But, y’know, there are real people here, a few million of us actually… Permalink ·
As it happened: The Dáil debate on the ‘Irish SOPA’
In which Junior Minister Sean Sherlock attempts to defend his proposed through-the-back-door copyright legislation. “The best way of dealing with copyright infringement issues is on a case-by-case basis by means of a judicial process,” says the minister. Alas, if only the judgements made so far weren’t fundamentally flawed… Permalink ·
A response to Sean Sherlock’s Drivetime interview on Ireland’s SOPA
Someone needs to be challenging Minister Sherlock (and the rest of the Dáil) on these matters directly. That Radio 1 interview made a hames of it, IMHO: he simply wasn’t confronted with all the facts. Permalink ·
Ireland’s SOPA to permit three strikes; TDs asked to debate something they haven’t seen
Incidentally, adds TJ McIntyre, the move contradicts the minister’s own Programme for Government which states that “The situation can no longer be tolerated where Irish Ministers enact EU legislation by statutory instrument. The checks and balances of parliamentary democracy are by-passed.” And they say trust in government is rising? Not with me it isn’t. Permalink ·
Ireland and EU to sign controversial ACTA treaty
This is what happens when politicians think they know what they’re signing, but don’t understand its wider implications. Permalink ·
Marco Ament on ‘the next SOPA’
The web censorship bills might be shelved for now, but will no doubt return in this or some other form — unless there is an aggressive push for campaign finance reform, and a recognition that unless we stop giving money to the MPAA et al, they will keep coming back. Permalink ·
Why SOPA and PIPA Must Die
Waxy.org’s Andy Baio on his personal reasons for opposing the web censorship bills. Also: Matt Haughey outlines how they could be used to silence important web resources such as MetaFilter with a chilling story. Permalink ·
Dan Gillmor: Stop Sopa or the web really will go dark
The journalist and author of We the Media fame makes the case in The Guardian for net neutrality and electronic freedom (be sure also to check The Guardian’s SOPA page). Permalink ·
A SOPA/PIPA Blackout Explainer
Wired’s Threat Level blog lays it all out in point-by-point form. Permalink ·
A Guide to the Occupy Wall Street API, Or Why the Nerdiest Way to Think About OWS Is So Useful
An interesting way to look at it. Permalink ·
Giving the FBI What It Wants
A digital media academic takes the extreme approach when he learns he’s being watched by the Feds. I understand what he’s doing, but he’s very much missing the point, and doing a disservice to those who don’t have his technical nouse. Permalink ·
Charlie Brooker: Everyone knows David Cameron is a lizard. So why does the Telegraph continue to deny the truth?
Some people just can’t handle it. BUT WE KNOW. Permalink ·
Some real Shock and Awe: Racially profiled and cuffed in Detroit
A truly depressing story. If it’s true what the AP story says, that they were reported by cabin crew, that makes it even worse. Permalink ·
We’re all terror suspects now
“They’re patting us down now, my friends object, and they’re confiscating our contact-lens fluid. They’re forcing us to travel with tiny tubes of toothpaste and moving us to wear loafers when usually we’d prefer lace-ups … I listen to their grousing and think that the one thing the 9/11 attacks have achieved, for those of us who spend too much time in airports, is to make suspicion universal; fear and discomfort are equal-opportunity employers now.” Permalink ·
‘Even Harvard couldn’t protect me’
At last a commentator who eschews the typical oh-woe-is-me nonsense and really understands the “endless anxiety” of jobhunting. Permalink ·
JobBridge to Nowhere
Naming and shaming companies listing jobs under the JobBridge internship scheme that they should be paying people for. Permalink ·
The End of WikiLeaks
Analysis of the recent full release of unredacted cables, in what seems to have been a spiteful fit over a dispute with The Guardian. Permalink ·
Remembering Why Americans Loathe Dick Cheney
Who does Chaney remind you of, if not a post-colonial African dictator? His name should be as maligned as Hitler’s. Yes, I went there. Permalink ·
Five myths about Africa
The commenters are right: you can’t judge the whole continent based on the South Africa experience alone. But it’s important to talk about these things, as there are obvious kernals of universal truth (there is loads of money in Africa, for instance, but it’s being spent on weapons and backhanders, not food). Permalink ·
Athens is plastered with one message: enoikiazetai. To let
Landlords would rather let street life die than lower their rents to encourage new business. Now why does that sound so familiar? Permalink ·
David Norris failed, yet the ‘nothing new’ system failed too
I’m still disappointed about this whole situation. And I have no idea who else is in the running. That says a lot. Permalink ·
South Africa rights groups condemn Jacob Zuma’s choice of top judge
How someone who holds such prejudiced beliefs can even be a regular judge, let alone chief justice, is beyond me. Permalink ·
Overtime in Soccer City
A year on, and South Africa’s stadiums lie mostly empty. Can’t say this was unexpected. Permalink ·
Somaliland: The former British colony that shows Africa doesn’t need our millions to flourish
Typical Daily Mail headline, that. But a very atypical story. So nice to read some good news from Africa for a change. Permalink ·
9/11 Ground Zero: why has its rebirth turned sour?
The story of what happens when egos, business and bad politics get in the way of good intentions. Permalink ·
Paul Krugman: The President Surrenders
Indeed. Obama has messed up in trying to keep the moral high ground; if everyone else is cheating, you don’t get anywhere trying to stick to the rules. Permalink ·
No limits to the law in NoLa
“Something terrible lies at the heart of New Orleans - a rampant, widespread and apparently uncontrollable brutality on the part of its police force and its prison service.” Surely New Orleans isn’t the only example of this, even within the US. Permalink ·
Howard Zinn obituary
It’s been a year since he died; too few have learned his lessons. Permalink ·
David Byrne on the protests in Egypt and Tunisia
“Who would have expected all this to grow from a single street vendor who refused to pay bribes?” See also: follow rolling updates on the revolt in Egypt at Storyful. Permalink ·
Ireland’s Economic Crisis: What sort of hole are we in and how do we get out?
A smart overview of the fine mess they’ve got us into. But — and it’s a big but — it fails to factor in the cost of living (and a rising one at that). One can’t honestly compare Ireland’s taxation regime with those of other European states without also comparing the cost of day-to-day basics like groceries, public transport, etc which are by all accounts much lower on the continent. Permalink ·
Israel angry, US wary as Annan peace plan calls for ceasefire
The UN is — as it has been for the last umpteen years — hamstrung by the massive (and massively unfair) influence of the US administration; therefore the most Kofi Annan can do at this stage is talk. But while the intent might be honourable, talk is unfortunately cheap, and it’s not nearly enough to buy our way out of this mess. Permalink ·
An Duce, RIP
I didn’t bother writing anything about Haughey’s passing, because John Naughton pretty much says it all. Permalink ·
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This page is a reverse chronology of Microlog entries by MacDara Conroy filed under Current Affairs. You will find many more in the Archives.