"Children watching “A Cat In Paris” may experience a few moments of fright and sorrow — there is gunfire, and Dino’s murder of innocent lizards is celebrated rather than condemned — but they are also likely to be captivated by its elegant mixture of gravity and mischief.
"As are adults, since there is very little of the noisy, sentimental pandering that is too often a feature of kid-targeted entertainment nowadays. This movie is graceful, subtle and sure-footed, much as its English title implies.
" “A Cat in Paris” is rated PG (Parental guidance suggested). Some scary, sad stuff."
Accessed @ NY Times
Digital Afterlife:
What happens to your online accounts when you die?
Fri Jun 1, 2012 10:53 AM EDT By Jessica Hopper
"Only five states currently have estate laws that include digital assets -- Connecticut, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Indiana and Idaho – and the laws vary among them. Some states’ statutes, for instance, just relate to email, with only Oklahoma and Idaho clearly including social networking and blogging as part of an estate.
“Legally it is unclear exactly what you can do in the 45 states -- and Washington, D.C. -- that do not have these laws that address this situation,” Cahn said. “Even in those states where there are laws, we’re still in the process of testing how those laws operate. They don’t cover all Internet accounts and the laws are new enough that they’re just in the process of being worked out....
"The growing murkiness over digital assets recently prompted the federal government to post a blog (How and Why You Should Write a Social Media Will) encouraging people to create social media wills. "
Where's My Bailout? Artistist Rescue Funds
By Caitlin Kelly Published: June 2, 2012
"Self-employed artists, whatever their specific field or previous level of financial success, cannot collect unemployment benefits and often face restricted access to traditional forms of capital, like bank loans or lines of credit. And their contributions to the nation’s economic life are sometimes dismissed.
Yet a 2008 study by the National Endowment for the Arts, called “Artists in the Workplace,” found that artists, athletes and museums contributed $70.9 billion to the economy annually. Artists are twice as likely as other American workers to be college-educated and 3.5 times as likely to be self-employed. No matter how successful they’ve been, many creative people can run into financial trouble if their work falls out of favor, if they lose clients, if arts budgets wither or if they have a health crisis."
"BEIJING — One of China’s largest hosts of Twitter-like microblogs decreed new punishments on Monday for users who post comments that its editors — and by extension, China’s government censors — deem inappropriate.
The service, Sina Weibo, imposed “user contracts” that award each of its 300 million microbloggers a starting score of 80 points.
Points can be deducted for online comments that are judged to be offensive. When a blogger reaches zero, the service stated, a user’s account will be canceled. Users who suffer lesser penalties can restore their 80 points by avoiding violations for two months."
Accessed at NY Times
Judge revokes bail for George Zimmerman in Trayvon Martin case
By NBC's Jamie Novogrod
"A Florida judge on Friday revoked the bail for George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case, saying he had misled the court about his finances, and ordered him to present himself to the court within 48 hours.
"Prosecutors alleged in a court filing that Zimmerman, 28, hid from the court the fact that he had raised $135,000 on a website he set up before he was granted $150,000 bail on April 20. Zimmerman is facing second-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Martin, 17, in February.
"In a hearing in Sanford, Fla., that Zimmerman did not attend, Judge Kenneth Lester said Zimmerman engaged in a "material falsehood" about his finances.
"Assistant State Attorney Bernie de la Rionda said Zimmerman's wife, Shelly, led the court to believe they were penniless, which he called a “blatant lie.
"De la Rionda said the Zimmermans spoke in "code" about moving finances around during telephone calls while George Zimmerman was in custody.
Accessed at usnews.msnbc.msn.com
U.N. Rights Body Condemns Syria Over Houla Massacre
"The U.N.’s top human rights body voted overwhelmingly Friday to condemn Syria over the slaughter of more than 100 civilians last week, but Damascus appeared impervious to the crescendo of global condemnation following a string of horrific massacres."
U.N. Rights Body Condemns Syria Over Houla Massacre
"The U.N.’s top human rights body voted overwhelmingly Friday to condemn Syria over the slaughter of more than 100 civilians last week, but Damascus appeared impervious to the crescendo of global condemnation following a string of horrific massacres."
Accessed @ Washington Times
Go Google! Google Adds Feature to Help China Searchers
"BEIJING (AP) - Google has fired a new salvo in a censorship battle with Beijing by adding a feature that warns users in China who enter search keywords that might produce blocked results and suggests they try other terms.
Google’s announcement Thursday described the change as a technical improvement and made no mention of Beijing’s extensive Internet controls. But it comes after filters were tightened so severely in recent weeks that searches fail for some restaurants, universities or tourist information. Authorities were trying to stamp out talk about an embarrassing scandal over the fall of a rising Communist Party star." Accessed at: Washington Times
Thai Message Board Manager Is Given Suspended Prison Sentence
By Thomas Fuller & Kevin Drew
"BANGKOK — A Thai court sentenced the manager of an Internet message board to a one-year suspended prison term on Wednesday for comments posted by users that insulted the Thai royal family. The sentence was immediately condemned by Google and human rights groups....
"The manager of the site, Prachatai, a popular forum for discussions about politics and culture, was convicted of lèse-majesté, as royal insults are known, under Thailand’s Computer Crimes Act. Courts in Thailand have jailed people convicted of lèse-majesté with increasing frequency in recent years, but the verdict on Wednesday was unusual in that the defendant, Chiranuch Premchaiporn, was not the author of the offending comments; she was just the Web master of the site that hosted them.
"Taj Meadows, a spokesman for Google, said in an e-mailed statement that the verdict was “a serious threat to the future of the Internet in Thailand...
”The Computer Crimes Act is controversial in Thailand partly because it was enacted by an un-elected government installed after the military coup in 2006."
Accessed at NY Times
Sometimes Less is Just Less
By Kim R. Holmes
"Economic austerity has hit the armed forces of the U.S. and Europe, and military leaders are trying to make the best of tight budgets.
"Unfortunately a misleading narrative has crept into their explanations: The claim that more, somehow, can be done with less.
"A laudable idea on its face. And it has some good plans. It makes sense, for example, to more efficiently use resources to improve access to munitions, use of ground and air surveillance, and airlift capability. There are 20 approved projects in NATO’s Smart Defense Initiative, and they are certainly well intended.
"But any time the word “smart” is formally attached to a government initiative, my skeptical antennae go up.
"...here’s the most salient fact: Europe is slashing its defense capabilities from an already very low level....Second, this initiative actually “nationalizes” certain kinds of military capability in the name of collectivizing them in pools...
"But there is a hitch in this approach. As the Heritage Foundation’s Luke Coffey argues, a “shared” capability which belongs largely to a single NATO member may not be shared when it is needed....
"So beware of “smart” claims that less is more. Less usually is what it is — less."
Read Complete Article @ Washington Post
A climate of hypocrisy:
Liberals live it up while preaching austerity
"There’s nothing so profitable as being among the concerned climate experts who preach austerity. These enlightened few hector ordinary Americans into sacrificing their functional light bulbs, toilets and sport utility vehicles so the planet can be preserved. According to them, failure to give up these luxuries will overheat the globe and provoke devastating floods and hurricanes.
"The peddlers of such apocalyptic tales rarely practice austerity themselves. Earlier this month, Rep. Darrell E. Issa, California Republican, asked Michael J. Ahearn, chairman of the board for First Solar Inc., to come and testify before a congressional oversight panel about his solar-panel business....
"An impious Mr. Issa, however, couldn’t help but inquire about how Mr. Ahearn made the journey from Tempe, Ariz., to Washington. According to liberals, carbon dioxide - the odorless gas that makes respiration possible - is destroying the Earth itself. So instead of driving an SUV, we’re all supposed to take the bus, ride a bicycle or even walk. Mr. Ahearn did none of these. “I flew in yesterday on a Challenger,” he explained. “A 300,” referring to the model.
"According to data from Bombardier, the manufacturer of the $20 million luxury jet, the round trip would have produced about 21.5 metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s equal to five years’ worth of per-person emissions from the average household, by the Environmental Protection Agency’s reckoning. There’s no telling how many thousands of households would have to turn down the thermostat to offset the emissions from the annual travel of just one green-energy CEO."
Accessed @ Washington Times
Google's World Wonders Project
From the archaeological areas of Pompeii to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, Google’s World Wonders Project aims to bring to life the wonders of the modern and ancient world.
What is the World Wonders Project?
The Google World Wonders Project is a platform which brings world heritage sites of the modern and ancient world online. Using Street View, 3D modeling and other Google technologies, we have made these amazing sites accessible to everyone across the globe. With videos, photos and in-depth information, you can now explore the world wonders from your armchair just as if you were there.
Why is Google doing this?
Google’s mission is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful. With this project we want to make the world heritage sites available to everyone and to digitally preserve them for future generations. We believe that the World Wonders Project can be especially useful for students, scholars and teachers to engage in an innovative and interactive way of learning.
Who is involved?
We are working with partners including UNESCO and World Monuments Fund to support us in providing valuable information to our users.
How do I get started?
Start exploring world heritage sites by either flicking through the picture carousel on the homepage or play with the globe to discover random sites from all over the world. You can also find places by themes or locations chosen over the drop-down panel on the top of the homepage. For more guidance, please watch the website demo that can be found when you click on the “i”-icon on the homepage.
