Thursday, January 20, 2011

Barriers are political, not technical

Independent: Feeding 2.4 billion more people without more land. Technically, it might be possible. But then, technically it has been possible for some time to end poverty, switch to a carbon-neutral economy and destroy all nuclear weapons. The barriers in each case are primarily political, not technical.

The Automatic Earth: In the USA, only 47% of working age adults have full-time employment.

NYT: US States on verge of bankruptcy.

NYT: Species on the move due to changing climate. There are physical limits to how far many can go.

Make Wealth History: Bribery isn't just an African problem, not least because the bribes that keep developing countries politically poisonous frequently originate from western corporations.

Bright Green Scotland: Undercover cops: political or commercial? The recent exposure of numerous UK undercover police in green activist groups has raised a host of uncomfortable but important questions about political protest, police surveillance and accountability, the ethics of espionage and the commercialisation of policing and intelligence. This article explores the latter issue.

15 comments:

byron smith said...

SMH: Australian bribery in Viet Nam. (H/T SCF)

byron smith said...

Speaking of corruption, here's an interesting quote I read recently:

"In the third world, when the rich use their wealth to influence politics, it's called corruption. In the USA and Europe it's called lobbying and freedom."

From the comments here.

byron smith said...

Guardian: the Mark Kennedy saga continues. It now appears possible that the crown prosecutors knew well in advance of the trial of twenty activists that Kennedy had made recordings exonerating them but did not share this with the defence lawyers.

byron smith said...

Guardian: There are now eight official enquiries into the Mark Kennedy case, where an undercover police office infiltrated green activist groups. This is very messy and so far the activists themselves are coming out looking pretty wonderful in comparison to the various branches of government.

byron smith said...

Guardian: Convictions of climate activists overturned due to crucial evidence from undercover police officer Mark Kennedy being suppressed.

byron smith said...

Speaking of failures of the UK police service, here is another high profile one.

byron smith said...

Reflections on Ratcliffe-on-Soar from one of the protesters arrested, charged, convicted, then released with all charges dropped.

byron smith said...

DD: Unemployment in the USA. A scary graph.

byron smith said...

Guardian: Another undercover activist. These stories get worse and worse. Another recent Guardian revelation was that undercover police may have lied under oath in court about their identity (with permission from superiors).

byron smith said...

Guardian: Women tricked into relationships with undercover police trying to get their case heard in open court.

byron smith said...

Guardian: Update on Kennedy case. The civil case brought by women (and one man) duped by Kennedy. Decision pending on whether it will be in open court.

byron smith said...

Guardian: Judge cites James Bond to justify police emotional abuse and sexual assault Incredible.

byron smith said...

Guardian: UN official calls for judge led inquiry into undercover policing in the UK.

Byron Smith said...

Guardian: Police spies stole identities of dead children.

byron smith said...

Guardian: Police spies were stealing identities of dead children.

Woman spent 18 years searching for the truth. Much of the time, she was under the impression that her boyfriend, who had suddenly disappeared, may have committed suicide.