tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post7386942414083089242..comments2024-03-28T09:30:58.096-07:00Comments on CONTRARY BRIN: Is Law Enforcement Going Dark? Dilbert’s Dilemma and other Transparency CrisesDavid Brinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-30079182905475421562012-11-25T21:26:06.764-08:002012-11-25T21:26:06.764-08:00François Marcadé
Thank you for your reply and for ...François Marcadé<br />Thank you for your reply and for giving your perspective on the nature of the article.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-92042936215870614352012-11-25T11:48:48.684-08:002012-11-25T11:48:48.684-08:00Banking transparency: Germany rejects Swiss bankin...Banking transparency: <a href="http://www.angrybearblog.com/2012/11/12412-links-worth-noting-germany.html" rel="nofollow">Germany rejects Swiss banking secrecy deal</a> at Angry Bear.gregory byshenkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08565517478782844083noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6544419761550837792012-11-24T23:55:36.632-08:002012-11-24T23:55:36.632-08:00@ Anonymous
I have lived in Dubai for the last 10 ...@ Anonymous<br />I have lived in Dubai for the last 10 years. I have already seen this article (it dates of 2009) and although nothing in it is a lie (at least in 2009), it paint a much darker picture than most of us resident thought was fair. <br /><br />The first problem that I see is that it describes class stratification: Emirati, Western Expat, Slaves that is misleading. If the University Educated Emirati Aristocrat are at the top of the pyramid, Successful Indian and Asian business man come second, then there is a rather large middle class community of Western, Arab and Asian expats and most Educated emirate also fall in that category from the Airline Executive to the policemen (in 2009 most non officer were Arab expat, nowadays most young policemen and women are Emirati) on the street. Then there is a lower class of jobless Emirati, the service industry employee, the construction workers and the domestic Employees.<br /><br />The condition of the construction worker has been very bad during the 2005 to 2008, before there was a paternalistic structure the Emirati owner of the Construction company knew its workforce and there was a unsaid contract “you work 6 years for the company and you go back to your country with enough money to own your own house and business”. At the turn of the century the owners were replaced by their sons (MBA graduates, usually) who delegated the Human Resources to the middle management (usually from the same country as the work force). This middle management tried to squeeze as much as possible from the workforce. It culminated by a strike in 2007 (at the Burj Khalifa and airport construction sites) when, for once, the Police did not arrest and deport the strikers but the work camp management. Since then the government has stepped in and is making sure that Salary are paid in days, contract signed abroad are enforced, work is stopped during the hottest hours of the summer afternoon etc… And recently the same series of measure is being implemented for the domestic employees.<br /><br />This is the reason why I do see the rulers of the Emirates condoning slavery is that step by step, regulation are introduced after abuse are documented. The Emirates are starting out of blank slate and only introduce regulation once it is needed. Also cases of abuse are regularly documented in the newspaper I read (Gulf News and 7 days) and not swept under the rug as the article seems to imply.<br /><br />On the other Hand bankruptcy can lead you in Jail. This is still true. The hotels in 2009 were not full as they were in 2007 or as they are now.<br /><br />François Marcadéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12496099741446900008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-4665131244083737352012-11-24T23:51:10.180-08:002012-11-24T23:51:10.180-08:00This comment has been removed by the author.François Marcadéhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12496099741446900008noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-89530713688100614052012-11-24T19:44:24.255-08:002012-11-24T19:44:24.255-08:00An interesting article about Dubai:
http://www.in...An interesting article about Dubai: <br />http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/johann-hari/the-dark-side-of-dubai-1664368.html<br /><br />Note: I wonder if anyone could fact check all of it to see if the writer makes his case honestly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-91342336617292152652012-11-24T15:33:00.067-08:002012-11-24T15:33:00.067-08:00Maybe very old paper island. If you gave the only ...Maybe very old paper island. If you gave the only charts with the fake island on them to the one man you suspect of dealing with a foreign power, and later you capture some charts also with the fake island copied onto them, then you have your man.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-31375507267476798132012-11-24T08:55:19.037-08:002012-11-24T08:55:19.037-08:00Jumper,
According to the Beeb, it not likely to be...Jumper,<br />According to the Beeb, it not likely to be a trap-street (paper-island?) because nautical maps don't do that. Accuracy is too important to risk playing anti-piracy games.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20442487" rel="nofollow">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-20442487</a>Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-16634090630931259592012-11-24T07:09:01.769-08:002012-11-24T07:09:01.769-08:00Re. undiscovered island, perhaps it's one of t...Re. undiscovered island, perhaps it's one of these?<br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap_street<br /><br />I have been thinking about this as a stolen credit-card thief catcher too. Seed it (a phony) in the right place and when an inside man tries to use it you have a good chance of knowing where he is.Jumperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11794110173836133321noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87982684517942888562012-11-23T23:41:33.370-08:002012-11-23T23:41:33.370-08:00"cell phone network [...] might not be all th...<i>"cell phone network [...] might not be all that robust in the short term. Cell towers have higher power requirements than our homes do."</i><br /><br />Cell towers are running a lot further "up the grid". Plus, with decent programming, can bounce emergency calls via RF even if their ground-lines are cut.<br /><br />Whereas home systems are broken whether the phone lines <i>or</i> the power is out, at any point in the chain to the broadband provider.<br /><br />[Does anyone live in the US north-east? Did cell reception follow the pattern of the Sandy black-outs/reconnections, or did the home/tower systems seem to be on independent lines?]Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-21494149665606454342012-11-23T12:41:44.393-08:002012-11-23T12:41:44.393-08:00Here's something you don't see every day:
...Here's something you don't see every day:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-11-22/australian-scientists-un-discover-pacific-island/4387012" rel="nofollow">Australian scientists un-discover Pacific island</a><br /><br />It was on maps. Plenty of historical logs say it was there. So some Aussie scientists got on a boat. There's no island there. sociotardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11697154298087412934noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-34961723757943329452012-11-23T12:37:48.820-08:002012-11-23T12:37:48.820-08:00RE municipal wifi:
According to Wikipedia, there ...RE municipal wifi:<br /><br />According to Wikipedia, there are quite a few municipal wifi networks in the US. (Escondido, CA, for instance, apparently provides free wifi downtown.) Here's the article:<br /><br />http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_wireless_network<br /><br />Jonathan S.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-13805295549921582632012-11-23T09:57:26.844-08:002012-11-23T09:57:26.844-08:00OK David. I see how I have that backwards now. 8)
...OK David. I see how I have that backwards now. 8)<br /><br />Tapping the cell phone network for emergency services is one option, but that mesh might not be all that robust in the short term. Cell towers have higher power requirements than our homes do. Also, many of us are connected to internet providers along buried paths. <br /><br />If you really want to ensure emergency services can operate in the US it would be best to use a belt and suspenders approach. Tap the cell network, the home networks, and the amateur radio networks. There are a lot of hams who buy their own equipment and train each other to be ready for these kinds of emergencies. The hams have already opted-in and are likely to have the most robust response.Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-6518747236506827762012-11-23T09:42:38.989-08:002012-11-23T09:42:38.989-08:00Closer to the topic of the actual post, Saudi Arab...Closer to the topic of the actual post, Saudi Arabia being dicks:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/22/saudi-arabia-implements-electronic-tracking-system-for-women/" rel="nofollow">http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/11/22/saudi-arabia-implements-electronic-tracking-system-for-women/</a><br /><br />Something tells me the women didn't get much sousveillance in return.<br /><br />(Heh, veil.)Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-44783789659130429812012-11-23T09:07:34.352-08:002012-11-23T09:07:34.352-08:00Re: Home router emergency override.
Is there such...Re: Home router emergency override.<br /><br />Is there such an emergency override system on cell towers? Surely that would make more sense first.<br /><br />Not only that, shouldn't emergency services be able to declare a regional crisis, and not only let their own data and phone systems leapfrog any carrier's network, it should also allow civilian cell phones to use any carrier's towers in the affected region. Survivors being able to call for help, not a small thing.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-24707574032577096052012-11-23T09:02:01.649-08:002012-11-23T09:02:01.649-08:00David,
There's no Federal ban, and a crap load...David,<br />There's no Federal ban, and a crap load of municipal wifi networks. (Some commercial, some free.) Wikipediate "municipal wifi" and scroll down to "United States". Apparently some schemes even got stimulus bucks.<br /><br />However,<br /><br /><a href="http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/06/south-carolina-passes-bill-against-municipal-broadband/" rel="nofollow">http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2012/06/south-carolina-passes-bill-against-municipal-broadband/</a><br /><br />which may be the source of the confusion.Paul451https://www.blogger.com/profile/12119086761190994938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-41087212514467139502012-11-22T15:51:04.063-08:002012-11-22T15:51:04.063-08:00Travc, can you look up a reference for that law? ...Travc, can you look up a reference for that law? good article about this? I'd like to blog about it. Thanks.<br /><br /><br />And happy day to all....David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-18970216867247295322012-11-22T13:37:58.612-08:002012-11-22T13:37:58.612-08:00Re giving first responders access to home wifi rou...Re giving first responders access to home wifi routers: surely the answe here is to do this on an opt-in basis in advance.<br /><br />This would also give first responders a map of potentially available wifi nodes.<br /><br />So get people to download a piece of software - that they can override - that activates a guest network based on a remote signal.<br /><br />Something like this could also be helpful not just to first responders but to the public - create an impromptu alternate internrt access infrastructure so peoplr can still communicate. Ian Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07666385933765478081noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87440977388314902602012-11-22T13:29:07.697-08:002012-11-22T13:29:07.697-08:00The emergency router access thing is interesting, ...The emergency router access thing is interesting, but incredibly frustrating too. There is an obvious win-win, which was actually made illegal under US law... Municipal Wifi<br /><br />The issue came up when I was living in LA, so that is what I have some info about. Basically, by creating a mesh wifi network covering the city (or county even), the government would end up *saving* money. The system would pay for itself by allowing city workers to be more efficient (and not having to pay for commercial cellular access).<br />The municipalities also get to use existing infrastructure (light poles, maintenance crews, ect.) for their network, which is a big advantage.<br /><br />Several cities and counties were looking into creating their own wifi networks, but the telecom companies lobbied the Federal government and actually go a law passed to make it illegal!<br />Their argument was basically that municipalities have an inherent advantage in terms of existing infrastructure over the companies... no duh! That is the point.<br /><br />Communication networks, especially those using spectrum, really make a huge amount of sense as *public utilities*.Travchttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12790548845692414891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-88786588625255744732012-11-22T10:14:39.989-08:002012-11-22T10:14:39.989-08:00My favorite holiday, the one they haven't been...My favorite holiday, the one they haven't been able to commercialize. The one where you sincely appreciate (perhaps with upward thanks) the wonders and joys of an incredible time to be alive...<br /><br />...and the commercial demons are trying to wreck it by starting Black Friday sales at 6 am, no 2 am Friday, no at MIDNIGHT... no at 10PM on Thanksgiving itself, yanking employees away from the nicest day of the year.<br /><br />Joyful T-Day to all of you yanks... blue or red! And to all others, joy compounding on joy.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-72919601002936991862012-11-22T07:34:23.287-08:002012-11-22T07:34:23.287-08:00And now, I don't want to leave for my own Than...And now, I don't want to leave for my own Thanksgiving Day with a downer, so really, if you've got the holiday with people you care about, cherish it and enjoy it.<br /><br />Happy Thanksiging.<br /><br />(I know, not everyone here is American. Best wishes anyway.)LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-14616780641599897372012-11-22T07:31:17.525-08:002012-11-22T07:31:17.525-08:00For the past few years, I've had a theory goin...For the past few years, I've had a theory going that the right-wing cries of a "war on Christmas" covered up their own more insidious "War on Thanksgiving". I've noted the tendency of advertisers to go right into Christamas mode as soon as Halloween is over, and to undermine the sentiment of the traditional (but less commercial) Thanksgiving.<br /><br />I was half-kidding, but also (as Al Franken refers to it) "kidding on the square."<br /><br />Well, this year, the covert war on Thanksgiving became overt. Look at the editorial commentary surrounding WalMart and other stores making Thanksgiving Day into a day for Christmas shopping mania. The main talking point is how retail workers are now "essential workers" like policemen and airline pilots who simply have to understand that they work on holidays. And always a kicker at the end about how family dinners are so disfunctional that, really, aren't you better off using "I have to get to WalMart" as an excuse to leave?<br /><br />As usual, my liberal self is horrified at the erosion of traditional American values, while the "conservatives" see only commercial potential and another way to stick it to workers.LarryHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-36007546045925530072012-11-21T20:31:35.276-08:002012-11-21T20:31:35.276-08:00If it wasn't offered by Dem pundits during the...If it wasn't offered by Dem pundits during the 'analysis' segments following each of the GOP Presidential debates, then I must have heard/seen it elsewhere on the tube, but I definitely knew the answer to the question "Who deported more illegals: GWB or BHO ?"<br /><br />This wasn't some lucky recollection of a chance remark that someone made once in the past couple of years...it was mentioned time and again...probably to preempt insinuations (by GOP pundits on the same shows) that BHO's record couldn't stand up to the hysterical hypocrisy being spouted by Bachmann, Gingrich, et al (except for Perry, who sounded halfway reasonable on immigration...but probably because he got his 'cutting cabinet departments' agenda confused with the idea of 'cutting branches of government' and thought that having cheap labor familiar with landscaping tools would be a good thing until the job was over and he could arrange for them to be deported)infanttyronenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-11953143141200305752012-11-21T19:09:20.333-08:002012-11-21T19:09:20.333-08:00Perhaps you are right about Rohrbacher being an ex...Perhaps you are right about Rohrbacher being an exception. His recitation of loony denialism would tend to put the burden of proof on anyone who proposes that theory, however.<br /><br />"I’m mostly with you on the activities around illegal immigration except I’m not convinced the Dems want to do more than look like they are working the issue."<br /><br />I believe you entirely miss my point. Let me reiterate. The dems do not try to LOOK as if they are reinforcing the border patrol and deporting lots more illegals. They do that DESPITE striving to keep their constituencies happy and NOT seeming as if they are deporting and guarding.<br /><br />Likewise, the GOP savagely cuts deportation and the BP despite raving about the need to do both more. I do not blame you for not being able to parse what I said. It is cognitive dissonance and perhaps even now you are having trouble picturing it in your mind. At surface, it makes no sense. But it is entirely true and it was true from Carter to Obama.<br /><br />If the reds truly wanted to slow the change in demographics, they would look at the thing democrats DID do and that is ease LEGAL immigration. The GOP's failure to examine that and discuss it is treason to their base.David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-13694650033751291042012-11-21T17:20:03.126-08:002012-11-21T17:20:03.126-08:00The political experiences of my friends leads me t...The political experiences of my friends leads me to believe that both parties treat space as a jobs program most of the time. Both sides of the aisle are usually in agreement to manage it the way socialists would. Government leads, contractors serve, and the people's goals are met as well as the money can manage. <br /><br />This was standard behavior we observed up until a few glimmerings of light from GWB after Columbia burned up. Those glimmerings faded pretty quickly, but we think that happened largely due to the advice of people working for him. Those people acted on what they saw as political reality though we tried to convince them otherwise. <br /><br />Obama had the good sense to bring in people who understood that the old approach cannot be sustained. Whether Obama is given credit for understanding the private actor's role or not (I DO give him credit), his people do AND they understand we were on the path of failure. Obama’s administration changed course and we were all tickled when they did that. Unfortunately, for political reasons no doubt, they had to go back on some of the vision and lend support to government run heavy launch notions that are unlikely to succeed for all the usual, old reasons.<br /><br />Rohrabacher was a rare GOP’er who understood the principle we espoused (liberating free enterprise) and was willing to explain to us the political realities. On this subject he was in a minority within his party and had little choice but to compromise with them. He wanted the science committee assignment partially so his minority position could be amplified. He likes the stuff. (So does Newt.) Whether this makes up for his other positions (especially his actions) is a different issue. I’m pointing out that he is a bit more…. complicated… than the press usually describes him to be.<br /><br />I’m mostly with you on the activities around illegal immigration except I’m not convinced the Dems want to do more than look like they are working the issue. The AZ political flare-up had to be addressed, but I’m not sure it has been meaningfully addressed. As someone who would prefer to open the border and complete the third leg of our free trade agreement [goods & services, capital, labor], I have no issue with a window dressing response. I would rather they all did something effective like open the border to a flow of labor, but absent that I’ll tolerate the status quo and work instead on reducing the impact of the drug war and wage differentials [Legalization/Intermarriage Family Support]. <br />Alfred Differhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01170159981105973192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8587336.post-87046864260420399292012-11-21T16:44:19.732-08:002012-11-21T16:44:19.732-08:00Sorry. This is one more example of polemic someti...Sorry. This is one more example of polemic sometimes being OPPOSITE to action.<br /><br />1) the GOP claimed to want to liberate the markets in Space. They owned all three branches of the US govenrment for most of a decade and did nothing. Obama acted on this almost within seconds of entering office. So who was all talk and who was sincere?<br /><br />2) Illegal immigration. OPPOSITE TIME! Goppers rail against it and ALWAYS savagely cut the Border Patrol. Demmies cry out for compassion and double the BP. Obama has deported more illegals than any other president, ever. How do you reconcile that? Or the weird fact that it is never reported?<br /><br />It's actually pretty easy to figure out, when you relize Dems talk compassion, but really like LEGAL immigrants, while (some) gopper oligarchs like illegal labor.<br /><br />3) The top DE regulations of the 20th cenury were all done by democrats. Goppers bitched about the ICC and CAB but never lifted a finger against them. The dems wiped them off the face of the earth. And deregulated the Internet. The GOP's opnly major deregulations took supervision away from savings & loans, banking, & Wall Street. How's that working for you?<br /><br />Look for opposites. I don't believe Rohrbacher wants any of the positive conservative things. He sure openly likes the negative ones.<br />David Brinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14465315130418506525noreply@blogger.com