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Politics

The Return of the Fairness Doctrine? 732

Posted by kdawson from the no-fair dept.
Slithe writes "Last week at the National Conference for Media Reform, Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich (a long-shot candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination) stated that the Fairness Doctrine may be reinstated. Kucinich will be heading up a new House subcommittee that will focus on issues around the FCC. The Fairness Doctrine was an FCC regulation that required broadcast media to present controversial issues in an honest, equal, and balanced manner. The FCC repealed it in 1987 — Democrats at the time tried to forestall this move but were ultimately thwarted by a veto by President Ronald Reagan. Critics of the Fairness Doctrine have stated that it was only used to intimidate and silence political opposition. At the convention, Kucinich said, 'We know the media has become the servant of a very narrow corporate agenda. We are now in a position to move a progressive agenda to where it is visible.'" In the interest of fairness, here is a Republican, free-market perspective on the return of the Fairness Doctrine.
Enlightenment

Submission + - 1UP's Top 10 WTF moments of 2006

Submitted by MasterPoof
MasterPoof writes: From Scott Sharkey 1UP's Top 10 : "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, but mostly, it was the what the f***iest of times. Barely a day went by this year when something absoludicrous didn't assault us from our own news page. Given the relentless march of progressively more insane events and the dilated nature of internet time some of this stuff has already begun to fade from collective memory. But it happened, no matter how much the shriveled rational halves of our brains try to tell us that it didn't." Though must of you probably know what half of these already are, its still worth a read (or at the very least a cheap laugh).
United States

Submission + - U.S. Senate experiments continue?

Submitted by
David H. Marshall
David H. Marshall writes: "1/16/07 The U.S. Senate's 50 years of "experiments...designed to harm" continue? In 2007 continued is the advancement of a proven Department Of Defense (DOD) Project 112 biological experiment?[2] This is the use of SHAD Research & Development (R&D) lessons learned during the "NATIONAL SECURITY MISSIONS" of the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA).[5] BARDA also does not have the DOD Project 112, Shipboard Hazard and Defense (SHAD) oversight and accountability for its biological experiments. They, as most DOD in the U.S. Senate Report [4], will be conducted on U.S. Civilians covered up by our nation's wars! Documented by the 13 years ago 1994 U.S. Senate Report is the conducted on "hundreds of thousands" 50 years of DOD, R&D "experiments that were designed to harm"![4] Its NOTES (No.'s 72, 167 & 169) cite, "The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code, Human Rights in Human Experimentation". Not addressed is their own Report's proven dereliction of duty, i.e., by the many conducted in direct disobedience of the DOD Secretary's 1953 order; "The Nazi Doctors" pages 343-345.[1] Noted was that lost veterans' rights be restored. This still has not been done!! The 12 July 1973 National Personnel Records Center fire destroyed "designed to harm" military service records. Congress's 1974 Privacy Act censored the names of all witnesses from surviving and future records. In 2007 there is the H. R. 4259, "To establish the Veterans' Right to Know Commission."[6] A proposal to now study the DOD's SHAD lack of oversight and "Right to Know" accountability? CRUCIAL TO THE "RIGHT TO KNOW" IS: The U.S. Senate's DOD military experiments demonstrate R&D protocol by all.[4] First, all prior R&D is reviewed. The resulting Scope of Work defines what each military and civilian research program is to accomplish. The where, how, when and who is involved is determined. Each conducted "to harm" research project's cause and effects are very closely followed and recorded. The subjects are observed during the experiments and the end results are the basis for subsequent actions. Then the needed from "to harm" protections are developed with applicable treatment for experienced injuries. This experiment revealing R&D information is not part of a subject's medical history. Therefore, unavailable for a past, present and future victim's diagnosis and treatment by Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) Physicians', the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Physicians' or for use during any VA and Judicial Branch processes! THIS WITHHELD CRUCIAL EVIDENCE MEANS THAT THE VICTIM AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL NEVER THE WISER BECOME! THEREBY, AN AFTER MILITARY SERVICE AND CIVILIAN "NATIONAL SECURITY MISSIONS" MISSED DISABILITY DIAGNOSIS. CREATED ARE INCREASED SERIOUS AND CHRONIC INJURIES! The 1987 U.S. SUPREME COURT in the 1953 disobedience STANLEY Case makes very clear that UNLESS CONGRESS CHANGES IT, BY REASON OF MILITARY SERVICE AFTERWARDS VETERAN'S LOST ARE PRIOR TO CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS.[3] The Senate Report documents many more"experiments that were designed to harm".[4] Most were also in direct disobedience of the DOD Secretary's 1953 order. All for the greater good, end justifies the means! The excuse for an in 2007 from 1944 ongoing 63 years of "hundreds of thousands" [4] JUSTICE AND TREATMENT DENIED! By BARDA "national security missions" on civilian U.S. Citizens to-date continued?[5] REFERENCES: [1] DOD Secretary's 26 February 1953 NO non-consensual, human experiments Memo pages 343-345. George J. Annas and Michael A. Grodin, The Nazi Doctors and the Nuremberg Code; Human Rights in Human Experimentation (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992). In REFERENCE [4] as NOTES 72, 167 & 169. [2] Starting in 1962 chemical and biological experiments. "Project 112 (Including Project SHAD) Home"; www1.va.gov/shad/ [3] U.S. SUPREME COURT, JUNE 25, 1987, U.S. V. STANLEY, 107 S. CT. 3054 (VOLUME 483 U.S., SECTION 669, PAGES 699 TO 710). In REFERENCE [4] cited in NOTE 169. [4] December 8, 1994 REPORT 103-97 "Is Military Research Hazardous to Veterans' Health? Lessons Spanning Half a Century." Hearings Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, 103rd Congress 2nd Session. With NOTES: 1 to 170. [5] Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Bill S. 3678 2006. [6] H. R. 4259 "To establish the Veterans' Right to Know Commission.""
The Internet

Submission + - Internet Nostalgia Day

Submitted by
Victor Hugo Castro
Victor Hugo Castro writes: "I was reminiscing through archive.org and was wondering, "Wouldn't it be great if we had a Internet Nostalgia Day?" A day where major websites would display their old websites to give users a feeling of nostalgia. I propose August 6th in honor of Tim Berners-Lee and CERN's first website. What do slahsdot readers think?"
Media

Submission + - Fairness Doctrine and net neutrality

Submitted by
Matt S
Matt S writes: "This weekend, Rep. Dennis Kucinich made clear that he considers the Fairness Doctrine and net neutrality to be two sides of the same coin: http://www.onlyrepublican.com/orinsf/2007/01/the_f airness_do.html. This connection was also supported by two current FCC commissioners. To me, this is a clear expansion of government into the realm of regulating speech. "Neutrality" and "fairness" are euphemisms for new rules, and those of us who value a free Internet should recognize them as such."
Biotech

Submission + - Bigger isn't better -- for carnivores

Submitted by
Roland Piquepaille
Roland Piquepaille writes: "Imagine that you're a beaver: you might find enough small prey to easily survive. Now, imagine that you're a polar bear weighing half a ton, and things should become more difficult: you'll need to catch bigger preys. In Why are lions not as big as elephants?, a short press release from the Public Library of Science, you'll discover that as it takes more energy to catch a large prey than a small one, and that a carnivore size cannot really exceed one ton. Apparently, life was easier for herbivores who were able to reach 30 tons or more... Read more for additional references."
Hardware Hacking

Submission + - Where to donate old hardware?

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Like many Slashdotters, I have a surplus of old computers and parts that I (and family and friends) no longer have use for. Some of this junk is still useful, and although I'm too busy to sell it piecemeal on eBay, it'd be a shame to just throw it away. I'd prefer to just drop this stuff off, driver disks and instruction manuals included where applicable, at a major charity such as Good Will, AmVets, or the Salvation Army, but I suspect that they wouldn't be able to move it and would end up throwing it away. Anyone have any recommendations for the major charities or any suggestions for recycling options?
Privacy

Submission + - Goverment Wants Your Personal Details

Submitted by FREEDOM IS SLAVERY
FREEDOM IS SLAVERY writes: It has been revealed that, in a positively authoritarian move, Britain's Tony Blair and left wing Labour party is plotting to create a massive centralised database of every citizen's personal details. Workers under orders from The Party have already started actively cataloging the details of 12 million children and recording personally identifiable details of everything from vaccinations and family details to whether a child is eating sufficient fruit and vegetables. Opposition parties and civil rights groups are outraged.
Power

Submission + - A timetable for nuclear fusion

Submitted by IAmTheRealMike
IAmTheRealMike writes: This article offers an in depth but readable review of the current state of fusion research, along with a timetable for the future, a description of what still needs to be figured out and a fascinating look at what it'd take to scale up to worldwide commercial generation levels. Executive summary, by 2100 if all goes according to plan fusion might be able to generate 30% of Europes present day demand. The delay is largely due to tightly limited tritium supplies. Whilst a sustainable fusion reactor will produce tritium, it would do so only in small amounts so a reactor would take 2-3 years to produce enough tritium to "give birth" and start another one. It looks like even with the most optimistic assumptions, by the time Tokamak based fusion can meaningfully contribute we will likely be deep in the midsts of an energy crisis.
Privacy

Submission + - UK Govt plans centralised citizen database

Submitted by axel_pressbutton
axel_pressbutton writes: The uk govt is pushing forward on indroducing a national id card and has been selling the idea on the back of promising reduction in fraud, protection from terrorists. Unfortunately it will cost a fortune and wont work too well.
Some bright spark has worked out that if you glue together all the databases held by the Health service, police, local authorities, tax office and any other govt database it might work. So it was announced on the news this morning that Tony Blair will start pushing the project on Monday.
You really could make things better making good use of information.
Things could also be a lot worse.
Ever since Walmart / Tesco successfully introduced loyalty cards I thought this move was inevitable.
My best example of good use is in providing benefits to pensioners. In the UK pension benefits are means tested, the trouble is the take-up rate is low, due to the need to fill in a 45 page application form. With an integrated database you would get the benefit without filling in the form.
What good / bad uses can you think of?
Wii

Submission + - Woman dies attempting to win a Wii

Submitted by
no reason to be here
no reason to be here writes: "CNN.com is currently running an article about a woman who died after participating in a radio station's "Hold your wee for a Wii" contest. Contestants in the contest were given bottles of water to drink every fifteen minutes, with the person who went the longest without going to the bathroom winning a Wii console. The coroner's office suspects that the most likely cause of death is water intoxication."
Data Storage

Submission + - Storing unused hard drives?

Submitted by
An anonymous reader writes: Over the years, I've acquired several hard drives, many of which are in use in various machines, but some of them don't have a home. I'd like to keep these around for later use, but I don't seem to have a place to put them or know how to store them. When new ones come in the mail, they have protective shells. Should I look for a place to buy some of these, or is there a better way to do this?
Power

Ford Airstream Electric Concept Car 202

Posted by kdawson from the fill-it-up-with-H2 dept.
Not to be upstaged by GM's plug-in electric concept vehicle, Ford has unveiled its own concept. The twists are design by Airstream and a hydrogen-powered fuel cell to charge the battery. From the AutoblogGreen article: "The fuel cell, made by Ballard, turns on automatically when the battery charge dips below 40 percent. With the on-board charger (110/220 VAC), the battery pack can be refilled at home. Ford says the HySeries Drive is 50 percent smaller and less complex than conventional fuel cell system and should have more than double the lifetime."

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