Quo Vadimus?
Looking at Washington, dreaming of Rome
David Weigel | July 9, 2007
Al Gore had so wanted to nab the Capitol. He had planned all along on making Washington, DC a key link in the Live Earth concert chain, starting hours after Sydney, right after London, right before New York. Around the world, 2 billion viewers - including many of those mythical millions who, Billy Crystal or Whoopi Goldberg inform us, dutifully watch every year's Oscars - would watch carbon-conscious rock stars shatter their amps in view of the massive Capitol dome.
Read the rest here
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label News. Show all posts
Friday, July 20, 2007
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Great Britain wants you to behave yourself
"Talking" closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras which allow operators to shout at people behaving badly are to be installed across England, the government announced Wednesday.
The scheme lets local council workers in a control centre monitor pictures from the cameras and talk to them if they feel they are doing something wrong.
The cameras were piloted in Middlesbrough, north-east England, where they have been used to reprimand vandals and litter bugs, but now loudspeakers are being fitted to cameras in another 20 areas.
Britain has some 4.2 million CCTV cameras and the government's privacy watchdog, Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, warned last year that the nation risks "sleep-walking into a surveillance society".
Human rights group Privacy International says Britain is the worst country in the European Union at protecting individuals' privacy, citing "endemic surveillance".
And a powerful group of lawmakers -- the House of Commons home affairs select committee -- is to hold an inquiry into the extent of surveillance in Britain this year.
The "talking CCTV" move comes as Prime Minister Tony Blair's administration attempts to impose a "respect agenda" by cracking down on petty anti-social behaviour.
Home Secretary John Reid defended the scheme, saying it was aimed at "the small minority who think it is acceptable to litter our streets, vandalise our communities and damage our properties."
Reid added that schools in many areas were holding competitions for children to become the "voice" of CCTV cameras.
The scheme is likely to cost around 500,000 pounds (740,000 euros, 988,000 dollars).
Did anyone actually read 1984? Just curious.
The scheme lets local council workers in a control centre monitor pictures from the cameras and talk to them if they feel they are doing something wrong.
The cameras were piloted in Middlesbrough, north-east England, where they have been used to reprimand vandals and litter bugs, but now loudspeakers are being fitted to cameras in another 20 areas.
Britain has some 4.2 million CCTV cameras and the government's privacy watchdog, Information Commissioner Richard Thomas, warned last year that the nation risks "sleep-walking into a surveillance society".
Human rights group Privacy International says Britain is the worst country in the European Union at protecting individuals' privacy, citing "endemic surveillance".
And a powerful group of lawmakers -- the House of Commons home affairs select committee -- is to hold an inquiry into the extent of surveillance in Britain this year.
The "talking CCTV" move comes as Prime Minister Tony Blair's administration attempts to impose a "respect agenda" by cracking down on petty anti-social behaviour.
Home Secretary John Reid defended the scheme, saying it was aimed at "the small minority who think it is acceptable to litter our streets, vandalise our communities and damage our properties."
Reid added that schools in many areas were holding competitions for children to become the "voice" of CCTV cameras.
The scheme is likely to cost around 500,000 pounds (740,000 euros, 988,000 dollars).
Did anyone actually read 1984? Just curious.
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