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Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Is Democratic Socialism the Next Step in Our Political Evolution? (ContributorNetwork)
COMMENTARY | The last few months have seen some of the most prominent symbols of authoritarian communism falling. Protests have fired up in Russia against the almost dictatorial rule of Vladimir Putin (a former KGB officer and Communist Party of the Soviet Union elite). Allegations of election fraud and ballot-stuffing abound, and the people of Russia are now clamoring for real democracy.
Kim Jong-il has passed away and signals a change in regime of what USA Today calls "the world's last hardline communist state." While nobody is expecting a fair and free election in North Korea, the regime is changing. And the Glorious Successor Kim Jong-Un is reportedly "a whiz at computing and technology," which may open the door for freedom of information and communication in that country.
Finally, Cuba has slowly and quietly been instituting a number of free-market reforms, including privatizing real estate and allowing loans for private entrepreneurs. The anti-U.S. rhetoric of Fidel Castro has faded as he has, and Cuba is moving slowly toward a capitalist system. It is true that capitalism and democracy won the fight for world dominance decades ago in the intellectual and political trenches of the Cold War. But the fading historical bastions of communism must force us to consider this: What is the next step of human political evolution?
What is the next step?
This is what we must ask ourselves. Amid the chronic corruption and inequality that the current systems have promoted, and the subsequent economic collapses and global protests that they have inspired, there are any number of choices. Disciples of Ayn Rand would argue for a more capitalistic society (and would insist that the economic failures of the past century are due to the mixing of capitalism and socialism). However, there is another option.
Unfortunately, the words "socialism" and "communism" carry such a stigma these days that they are synonyms for unpatriotic and akin to treason (look no farther than the House Un-American Activities Committee which prosecuted members of the Communist Party at the height of the Cold War). But it cannot be ignored that all of the major communist societies in the past have also been authoritarian regimes. Communism equals authoritarian and capitalism equals democratic. This has been the norm, and thus the triumph of democracy has meant the triumph of capitalism. What has never been tried in any real way is a democratic socialist society, though it has existed in theory in the writings of various political philosophers like Erich Fromm and John Stuart Mill in his later writings.
What the collapse of the symbols of the last authoritarian communist regimes in the world should force us to consider is, are democracy and socialism incompatible? And if not, would a democratic socialist state thrive on the global stage?
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Friday, January 13, 2012
Author of online piracy bill vows not to buckle (Reuters)
SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) ? The author of the Stop Online Piracy Act vowed to press ahead with his bill despite fierce opposition from internet giants such as Google and Facebook, faulting opponents for putting their profits ahead those lost by victims of counterfeit products.
"It is amazing to me that the opponents apparently don't want to protect American consumers and businesses," U.S. Representative Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas, told Reuters in a telephone interview on Thursday.
"Are they somehow benefitting by directing customers to these foreign websites? Do they profit from selling advertising to these foreign websites? And if they do, they need to be stopped. And I don't mind taking that on."
The bill, which is before the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Smith, aims to reduce online piracy of pharmaceuticals, music and other consumer products by allowing the Department of Justice to ask federal courts to issue injunctions against foreign-based websites.
Smith claims internet counterfeiters cost American consumers, businesses, inventors and workers some $100 billion a year, though critics accuse him of exaggerating.
Under the bill if a judge agrees websites are offering material that violates U.S. copyright laws, internet service providers could be required to block access to foreign sites, and U.S. online ad networks could be required to stop advertisements and search engines barred from directly linking to them.
High tech heavyweights such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Reddit oppose the bill, which came under fire at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
Reddit CEO Alexis Ohanian has said it would "cripple the internet" and pledged to take his social media site dark for one day next week to protest the bill.
"This (SOPA) could potentially obliterate the entire tech industry -- a job-creating industry," Ohanian wrote on his blog.
Smith stressed the bill would only affect websites based outside the United States and criticized opponents for failing to cite specific sections, saying many have failed to read it and were disguising their economic interests with rhetoric about internet freedom.
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told the Economic Club of Washington last month that Smith's bill would "effectively break the Internet" and he compared Smith's efforts to the same type of censorship which Google has experienced in the People's Republic of China.
"There are some companies like Google that make money by directing consumers to these illegal web sites," Smith said. "So I don't think they have any real credibility to complain even though they are the primary opponent."
Smith, 64, is the heir of a prominent south Texas ranching family who is more comfortable with cattle brands than computers and has received numerous awards from conservative organizations for his opposition to efforts to expand the power of the federal government. But he says giving Washington sweeping powers over the internet is necessary to protect free enterprise.
Smith predicted the bill would pass the House. It was about halfway through the process of committee hearings and could go to the House floor in a matter a weeks, he said. A similar bill was under way in the Senate.
Politico reported earlier this week that opposition to SOPA has become a rallying cry and fundraising tool for opponents of members of Congress who support it, including House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Republic from Wisconsin.
(Editing by Daniel Trotta)
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Fitbit's New Wi-Fi Scale Looks Awesomely Familiar [Fitness]
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Thursday, January 12, 2012
Josh Lucas Plans to Get Married This Christmas! (omg!)
By this time next year, Josh Lucas will be a married man!
On Friday, the 40-year-old actor announced his engagement during an appearance on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno. Though Lucas kept the details sparse -- he won't reveal his fiancee's name! -- The Firm star told Us Weekly they will "get married over Christmas."
PHOTOS: Celebs who got engaged in 2011
"We've been engaged for awhile, but honestly, the show has been a bit of an epic undertaking, to say the least," Lucas said at the NBC Universal All-Star party in Pasadena, Calif. Friday. "We want to do it when we can enjoy it and take our time. We don't feel any stress or pressure right now and we want to make sure it stays that way."
PHOTOS: Stars' giant engagement rings
Though they haven't decided on a location, Lucas and his fiancee are "both pretty low-key, so I think it'll be somewhere in nature," he told Us.
PHOTOS: Over-the-top star weddings
This will be the first marriage for Lucas, whose exes include Salma Hayek, Connie Nielson, Alexa Davalos and Liliana Dominguez.
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Mrs. Fields Washington Wizards 54 Nibbler Cookie Tin
Item no: 12402818 Price: $39.99
AVAILABILITY:
Leaves warehouse in 2 - 3 weeks .
Standard Ground Service Available (normally $7.29) - (Details)
Note: Shipping restrictions may apply.
Remember, no sales tax except in PA and KY.
- Description
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Give your favorite NBA fan a sweet, team-spirited gift with this Mrs. Fields? 54 nibbler cookie tin. Each reusable tin is adorned with the team logo and is filled to the brim with a tasty assortment of bite-sized cookies!
- Features
- Features
- Reusable tin containing 54 bite-sized cookies
- Tin decorated with NBA team logo
- Assorted cookie flavors (some may contain nuts)
- Officially licensed
- Made in USA
- Reviews
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Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Lenovo's IdeaTab S2 10" does tablet transformation, packs a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon (update: hands-on)
Update: We now have hands-on photos and video -- the latter after the break, as usual. Something interesting we spotted was the grid-like LeLauncher, which consists of square-shaped widgets that expand to bigger widgets or launch the relevant apps. Lenovo's folks also mentioned that compared to the ASUS Transformer series, the S2's "clam dock" slot hinge is designed in such a way that makes it easier to snap the tablet onto it, and we agree with them.
Lenovo's IdeaTab S2 10" does tablet transformation, packs a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon (update: hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Jan 2012 21:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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