Twitter hands over confidential data of anti-Semitic users to French authorities

Published time: July 13, 2013 00:35

Twitter has handed confidential account information over to French authorities to track down the authors of anti-Semitic tweets, to end the legal battle that started last year when the French Union of Jewish Students sued Twitter for allowing hate speech.

Twitter said in a statement that the disclosure of information ?enables the identification of some authors" and? "puts an end to the dispute" with the French Union of Jewish Students (UEJF), AFP reported. The social network added that the two parties had "agreed to continue to work actively together in order to fight racism and anti-Semitism.?

On Thursday, Twitter lost its legal fight in France after the Paris Court of Appeal dismissed its objections against the original ruling.

Last month, the court upheld a January? ruling that said the social media site must provide personal information on some users to the UEJF and four other organizations that filed a complaint against the company in November last year.

The complaint came after a deluge of anti-Semitic messages tweeted under the hashtag? #unbonjuif (#agoodjew), with some users posting offensive tweets such as ?#agoodjew is a dead Jew.? Some of the tweets were later removed by the social network.

Hate crimes are strictly punished in France. However, Twitter originally argued that it does not adhere to French law, and that only an American judge could force the company to release such information, Twitter?s lawyer, Alexandra Neri, said.

While Twitter says it defends freedom of speech from anonymous users, French prosecutors say the social media site has ?commercial interest.?

?Twitter is playing a commercial game by raising a number of legal hurdles to not having to comply with its legal obligations,? Stephane Lilti, counsel for the UJEF students, told the court.

Following a request by German police last year, Twitter shut down the account of neo-Nazi group ?Better Hannover,? which was banned by the state for spreading nationalist socialist ideology. It was the first time Twitter withheld content by request of a specific country.

Source: http://rt.com/news/twitter-france-hate-speech-020/

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Canada's envoy to the U.S. implores approval of Keystone pipeline

Canada?s ambassador to the U.S. sent John Kerry a letter urging his approval of the Keystone XL pipeline, warning that the oil sands are going to be developed anyhow and suggesting new environmental regulations would be coming.

Gary Doer?s letter to the Secretary of State, published Thursday by the U.S. government as part of its public consultation process, is the latest effort in a heavy diplomatic push by Canada. Mr. Doer is one of a long line of officials who have been making the case to the U.S. for the pipeline, which would link Alberta?s oil sands to refineries on the Gulf Coast.

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But some of the letter?s assertions omit key details.

The letter, sent in April, notes Canada?s heavy oil has been found to be about as carbon-intensive as heavy oil from other areas, including California. Mr. Doer points to the findings of this year?s State Department review, that Keystone would have no significant environmental impacts along the route. ?A vibrant Canadian and U.S. oil industry, disciplined with effective regulation and committed to continual reduction of its environmental footprint is of great benefit to the North American economy,? Mr. Doer writes.

However, Mr. Doer?s letter notes that ?per barrel,? oil-sands emissions have ?fallen sharply,? but does not mention that total oil-sands emissions have sharply risen since 1990, as more barrels are churned out, and are projected to keep increasing.

Mr. Doer also claims Canada is ?one half of the way to our target? of cutting emissions by 17 per cent by 2020, as compared with 2005 levels. If Mr. Kerry were to assume Canada is then on track to meet what?s known as its Copenhagen target, he?d be mistaken. Current projections show Canada will fall 113 megatonnes short of its goal of cutting 243 megatonnes. Rather than being halfway there, Canada is on pace to fall halfway short.

?It?s a big gap, so we certainly would not see Canada being halfway to the target,? said Clare Demerse, director of federal policy at the Pembina Institute, a Canadian environmental think tank.

Mr. Doer also alludes to emissions-cutting plans. ?To make further progress? on cutting emissions, Canada ?is turning its focus to other key economic sectors, in particular the oil and gas sector including the oil sands,? he writes. The federal government has been pledging new regulations, but hasn?t yet announced any. ?I?d love to see those regulations. They do not exist,? Ms. Demerse said, adding: ?I mean, yeah, and I?ve committed to losing 10 pounds, but I haven?t gone to the gym yet.?

Mr. Doer cites Canada?s ?transparent environmental monitoring regime for the oil sands,? though it is still being implemented, and makes a reference to Alberta?s carbon tax, which requires major facilities to reduce emission intensity, rather than total emissions, by 12 per cent.

?For every tonne of emissions that they fall short, emitters must pay into a climate change and emissions management fund,? Mr. Doer writes, without mentioning that Alberta emitters can also buy offset credits. They don?t need to pay into the fund.

The ambassador also includes what is, in essence, a threat. ?The oil sands will be developed regardless of KXL ? because oil will move by rail,? he said in the letter, written before last weekend?s derailment and explosion in Lac-M?gantic, Que. The deadly disaster has directed attention at the regulations for shipping oil by rail.

Mr. Doer notes that Canada is planning to ?phase out coal-fired electricity.? Under the federal regulations, existing plants can continue operating for decades. Mr. Doer also celebrates how ?coal?s share of electricity fell to 11 per cent in 2011 in Canada.? This is largely due to Ontario unilaterally shuttering its coal power and fails to mention Alberta still relies heavily on coal power and approved a new plant as recently as 2011.

Mr. Doer pitches North American energy self-sufficiency, saying Canada and Mexico can fully meet American foreign-oil requirements within a decade. U.S. President Barack Obama?s energy plan, however, stressed the need to ?cut our dependence on foreign oil,? rather than championing a North American strategy.

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Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/envoy-to-the-us-implores-approval-of-keystone-pipeline/article13207295/?cmpid=rss1

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Canada's Saxton, Schalk beat world medallists in Beach Volleyball

by Louis Daignault

Boxscore

GSTAAD, Switzerland July 12,2013 - Ben Saxton of Calgary and Chaim Schalk of Red Deer, Alta., upset two top-10 seeds including the world championship silver medallists on Thursday at a World Tour Grand Slam beach volleyball competition.

Saxton and Schalk, fifth at last weeks worlds, opened the main draw defeating 10th seeds Grzegorz Fijalek and Mariusz Prudel of Poland 14-21, 21-11, 15-13. A few hours later they swept seventh-seeds Ricardo Santos and Alvaro Filho of Brazil 21-17, 21-16, who lost in the final at the worlds.

The first year Canadian pair are first in the pool G standings and can get a bye to the round of 16 by winning their third round robin match on Friday.

In womens competition, Jamie Broder of Victoria and Kristina Valjas of Toronto went 0-3 in the round robin and did not advance.

Full results: www.fivb.org

Source: http://boxscorenews.com/canadas-saxton-schalk-beat-world-medallists-in-beach-volleyball-p58430-68.htm

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Apple and Google are no longer America?s hottest brands

Quick, name the two hottest brands in the United States. If you picked Apple and Google you?d be wrong.

Although the iPhone maker and Android creator dominate the smartphone industry, the companies have dropped from the list of hot brand names.

By contrast, Amazon and YouTube made the current list of the top 10 hottest US brands for mid-year 2013. In another surprise, basement-dwelling BlackBerry was named the most-improved technology brand ? thanks to the new Z10?

According to YouGov?s Brand Index for the January-June period, Amazon?s Kindle helped online retail giant Amazon make it onto the overall 2013 list twice: once for its online retailing (No. 2) and again for its e-reader (No. 9).

Offering the Kindle Fire HD, as well as reviving the Kindle DX ?means Amazon has kept the brand?s reputation for high value and maximum choice,? according to YouGov. The Amazon brand is particularly strong among parents with children younger than 18, singles age 18-34 and Democrats, the survey explains.

Here?s Amazon?s?prime TV commercial for the Kindle Fire HD tablet, one month old.

Additionally, the Kindle brand itself deserved ranking because the Kindle Fire HD remains the ?best-selling e-reader in the US.? It didn?t hurt that when Amazon introduced its Amazon Coins to use at the Kindle App Store, all US Kindle Fire owners received $5 worth of Amazon Coins free.

Google?s video sharing website YouTube is listed as the No. 8 most-known US brand. Its position among the top 10 brands is due both to the service?s support of same-sex relationships, as well as becoming a go-to site for videos in the headlines.

Besides Amazon and YouTube, US automaker Ford was named the No. 1 brand, followed by the Subway sandwich chain at No. 3, the History channel at No. 4 and the Lowe?s home improvement chain at number five.

When it came to the tech industry, South Korean Samsung topped the list, Apple placed No. 2, LG ranked third with Verizon Wireless and Skype rounding out the top five.

The Waterloo, Canada-based BlackBerry doesn?t receive that many awards. Tepid sales marked by lackluster attempts at challenging the iPhone have left consumers confused and Wall Street worried about whether the smartphone maker can survive.

So, with that sort of backdrop, BlackBerry was named No. 1 on a list of best-improving brands for 2013 (above). BlackBerry saw a 7.3 place increase, rising to 5.2 from -2 during the same period in 2012.

Samsung?s Galaxy brand also was among the most-improved names, rising 6.7 points to 10.9, up from 4.2 in 2012. Carrier AT&T saw its brand fortunes increase, moving to 7.8 from 2.5 previously.

Rounding out the list of best improved brand is Time Warner Cable. The cable provider registered -1.5, essentially advancing to the basement from its previous sub-basement ranking of -4.6.

Source: http://www.idownloadblog.com/2013/07/11/apple-and-google-are-no-longer-americas-hottest-brands/

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Oil & Gas - Peru - Peru receives new exploration proposal

A new hydrocarbons exploration campaign is planned for Peru region Loreto on the border with Ecuador, BNamericas has learned.According to an EIS filed with the...

This news article is one of hundreds published daily by Business News Americas about the commodities, markets, movements, companies, projects, economics and politics integral to the development of Latin America. Including news and insight from South America, Central America and the Caribbean, BNamericas includes Oil & Gas insight and forecasts for business opportunities in Peru. The business development service focuses on major projects, active companies, such as Perupetro, Petrominerales Colombia, MEM Per?; and business and sales contacts, providing networking opportunities with leading executives throughout Latin America.

Source: http://member.bnamericas.com/news/oilandgas/peru-receives-new-exploration-proposal

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'Elementary' brings a stateside Sherlock to London

LONDON -- Sherlock Holmes is back on home turf in the second-season premiere of "Elementary" - and so, a bit uncomfortably, is star Jonny Lee Miller.

"It's a little bit surreal, to be honest with you," said the British actor, who plays a New York-based Sherlock in CBS' modern-day take on the great detective.

It was the U.S. setting that convinced him to do the show, which debuted last fall on the heels of both Robert Downey Jr.'s big-screen Holmes and the BBC's acclaimed series "Sherlock," starring Benedict Cumberbatch.

There were grumbles in the media about a Sherlock glut, and Miller says he felt some trepidation about taking on the iconic role.

"I turned it down because of that, initially," said Miller, who has played a San Francisco lawyer in the ABC TV series "Eli Stone" and a Scottish heroin addict in 1990s movie classic "Trainspotting."

"I wouldn't have done it here" in London, he said.

A season in, "Elementary" is a hit for CBS, and here Miller is, filming the start of season two this week at London locations including Paddington Station and Trafalgar Square.

Visiting London was natural for the show, which broke the usual Holmesian mold by casting Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan - rather than John - Watson. "Elementary"'s Sherlock is a tattooed recovering drug addict working as a consulting detective to the New York Police Department. Watson is the "sober companion" hired by Sherlock's wealthy father to stop him going off the rails.

The show also features other characters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's original detective stories, often with a twist, including possible love interest Irene Adler and the detective's nemesis, the mysterious Moriarty.

Miller says he's a "huge fan" of Cumberbatch's "Sherlock." The two men are friends, and have played the same character before. They were co-stars in director Danny Boyle's 2011 London stage production of "Frankenstein," alternating the roles of scientist Victor Frankenstein and his monster.

Once "Elementary" debuted last fall to mostly positive reviews and strong viewing figures, many of the doubters stopped comparing "Elementary" to other incarnations of the Holmes stories - and Miller did, too.

"I just have confidence in our differences in our show, and I have confidence in what I am doing now," he said. "It was a risk, but ... it was a confidence in the material, and in the basic idea. And the fact we were going over to America to do it.

"And at the end of the day, the world's big enough for various interpretations of a bit of fiction."

The show's second season will introduce other characters from the Holmes canon, including Scotland Yard Inspector Lestrade (Sean Pertwee), and Sherlock's brilliant older brother Mycroft, played by "The Amazing Spider-Man" actor Rhys Ifans.

Filming in Trafalgar Square this week provided the show's makers with an archetypal London scene - pigeons, tourists, Nelson's Column, red double-decker buses. The only thing amiss was the weather. It was warm. The sun shone. So much for those classic images of 221B Baker St. in the rain.

"When we started writing the script I just assumed that it would be the London I've seen in so many movies and shows before," "Elementary" creator and executive producer Robert Doherty said.

"But this is great. This is perfect. For our purposes and given the time of year that we're going to premiere, I'd rather have a big, beautiful, lush and sunny London for the American audience."

Season 2 of "Elementary" starts Sept. 26 on CBS.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/11/3495225/elementary-brings-a-stateside.html

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Dot Earth Blog: Fiddling While the World Warms

While a student at the University of Minnesota was creating a cello composition around the last 130 years of global temperature change, a couple of researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were producing a similar composition, for digital violin and with a much longer score ? charting more than 600 years of climate variations and recent warming:

The project was conceived by S. Julio Friedmann, the chief energy technologist at the lab, and the animation was created by Michael Loomis, a longtime programmer at the lab with a penchant for data visualization.

Friedmann sent this explanatory note:

I had a number of reasons for doing this. Chief was that I found that many people simply didn?t understand ? internally, viscerally ? the relative timing, magnitude, and rates of the climate changes. A scientist can look at the graphs and get it, but most people won?t intuitively understand. Among other things, this leads to confusion about what?s a natural cycle versus an unusual, indeed unique, detour away from natural signals. Sound was a new way to communicate this ? orthogonal, and compelling.

I?m trained as a classical composer (undergrad degree ? studied with John Harbison and Peter Child at MIT), so like the cellist [at the University of Minnesota] I too imagined this ultimately being picked up by artists and worked.

My hope is to inspire the blogosphere and start putting sound files from multiple climate records on a website for all to use. I?ve reserved the domain name climatesounds.org, but haven?t activated the page yet.

Here?s more from Friedmann:

This is the reconstructed global climate record from 1400-2012, with the temperatures from 1960-2012 coming from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration modern temperature record. Playback is a violin playing 1/16th notes (one note = four years).

In an e-mail message I offered this thought:

In a perfect world you?d have the uncertainty range reflected in the sound (a ?cloud? of violins)?

He replied:

A future project will assign instruments to the upper and lower bounds, which converge through time?. Similarly, I?ve got the Vostok ice core temperature record heading your way soon.

A couple of days ago, after hearing the cello composition, Paul D. Miller, the hip-hop composer who performs as D J Spooky, sent me a link to some of his recent compositions created after a trip to Antarctica, which are also derived from climate data.

He said he plans to contact this batch of ?sonification? experimenters about the idea of organizing a performance in New York.

I can?t wait to hear the result. And if there?s a guitar or mandolin part, I?ll join in.

Here?s some video I shot in 2011 of Miller and the Telos Ensemble performing selections from his Sinfonia Antarctica:

Source: http://dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/07/10/fiddling-while-the-world-warms/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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