The Intergenerational Report underestimates climate threat: an open letter to the government The following is an open letter initiated by Dr Andrew Glikson, signed by Australian environmental and climate scientists. We the undersigned are concerned that the 2015 Intergenerational Report underestimates the serious threat of global warming to future generations. Based on the basic laws of physics, direct measurements and empirical observations in nature, the current rise in atmospheric greenhouse gases by about 40% since the 19th century is inducing a shift in the state of the atmosphere-ocean-land-ice sheets system, seriously endangering future generations, and indeed nature’s life-support systems. Our concern is based on the peer-reviewed scientific literature, as summarised by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and on observations by the world’s national science academies and geophysical research societies of leading nations, including Australia. Signatories Professor Michael Archer, Evolution of Earth and Life Systems Research Group, University of NSW
'Free Basics' Will Take Away More Than Our Right to the Internet | By Vandana Shiva As the TRAI decides the fate of Free Basics, Mark Zuckerberg is in India with ₹100 crore, in pocket change, for advertising. Facebook’s Free Basics is a repackaged internet.org, or in other words, a system where Facebook decides what parts of the internet are important to users. Reliance, Facebook’s Indian partner in the Free Basics venture, is an Indian mega-corporation with interests in telecom, energy, food, retail, infrastructure and, of course, land. A collective corporate assault is underway globally. What could Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have to gain from dictating terms to governments during the climate summit? At the same time, Gates is currently behind a push to force chemical, fossil fuel dependent agriculture and patented GMOs (#FossilAg) through the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA). 95% of the cotton in India is Monsanto’s proprietary Bt Cotton. Free Basics will limit what the internet is to a vast majority of India. Talk about choice.
iKeep Safe - Kids The latest technology reviewed by experts | Expert Reviews Video explainer: How banks took a good simple idea and turned it evil That's not the impression I got from watching it. A few thoughts: 1) The video's only six minutes long, and had a big scope, so he had to give a short account of the role defaulted (home) loans led to the financial crisis. If it was any longer, it would probably be more accurate, but also less accessible (fewer people would watch it), so there's a necessary trade-off here. 2) I agree with the video in that banks, to varying degrees, are today in the risk-management business. They usually have a pretty good idea which risks are smart ones and which aren't, but we now know that US banks bundled high-risk loans into derivatives and sold as low-risk. 3) While many banks had to face steep fines, or went out of business, most of the biggest were bailed out - I'm sure you've heard the expression "too big to fail" - which is itself an indication of how good banks were at gauging risk.
India puts brakes on Facebook's Free Basics scheme Image copyright Getty Images Facebook's effort to provide Indians with free access to a limited number of internet services has run into trouble. India's telecoms regulator has asked the mobile network that partnered with the US firm to put their Free Basics offer on hold. Data fees are relatively expensive in India, and the initiative aims to prevent this being a deterrent. But critics of the Free Basics service say it runs contrary to net neutrality principles. They suggest data providers should not favour some online services over others by offering cheaper or faster access. A spokesman for Reliance Communications - the mobile network that had supported the scheme - confirmed it would comply with the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's demand. "As directed by TRAI, the commercial launch of Free Basics has been kept in abeyance, until they consider all details and convey a specific approval," a spokesman told the BBC. Image copyright Facebook
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