Free Republic

THE name Willy Brandt probably doesn’t mean a lot to people of my generation, but it should. As the author of North-South - a Programme for Survival published in 1980, he completely redefined the debate on international relations between the rich and poor nations of the world. Revisiting the Brandt Report in the current climate of international uncertainty is fascinating. A world which enters 2004 weighing up the relative threats of rogue nations and the remnants of the "axis of evil" is a world which needs a new order. The systematic undermining of the UN by the only remaining superpower...

Every day, a British citizen is photographed an average of 300 times by 30 different cameras. Welcome to 2004, which looks a lot more like George Orwell’s version of 1984 than the actual year, according to some observers. “We’re undoubtedly more photographed, tracked and observed than in any other time in our history,” said Clayton Brown, a history professor at Texas Christian University. “The question is, are we being tracked by a large totalitarian regime like that in 1984? I don’t think so, but it can be a bit troubling when you think about it,” he said. George Orwell’s 1984...

A future where everyday objects have computer chips in them will have a dramatic effect on our lives. But we should know about the potential risks from technology, say researchers. The team in Switzerland looked at the health, social and environmental implications of what is called pervasive computing. "We should reflect on how we use technology," said Swiss professor of computer science, Lorenz Hilty, "and society is not reflecting enough." Smart paint The idea behind pervasive computing is that everything around us contains some sort of electronic device. In their report, the Swiss team talk about a future where computer...

The penguin's going to pack a bigger punch. Backers of Linux, who use the waterfowl as their mascot, have just launched the finished version 2.6 of the software's core framework, or "kernel." The release is touted as more stable and business-ready than the version in wide use now. Developers hope changes in the volunteer-made operating system make it an even stronger rival to Unix and Windows in the corporate market, where Linux is making inroads on lower-end machines. It's the biggest upgrade since 2001's version 2.4, the first edition many big business users took seriously. Getting Up To Speed New...

With apologies to parsifal,DainBramage,Charles Henrickson, hang 'em and other contributing FReepers from the original thread. I laughed and thoroughly enjoyed your original story. I attempted to fuse the main elements from the original thread and plod a bit farther. Maybe it will get the ball rolling again. "A Wellesley Wench" Chapter One – Hazelnut Haziness It was a dark and stormy night. The young girl stepped off the train from Chicago and waved goodbye to her two brothers, trying to ignore the coffee stain on her blue dress. As she picked up her suitcase and turned around she found herself...

The "ring of steel" security cordon around the City is being extended in response to growing fears of a major terrorist outrage in London. It will grow by a third, bringing an extra 45,000 City workers into the protection zone. More spy cameras will be erected, and the City's police force will recruit nearly 50 extra officers. The measures come into force on Saturday for a six-month trial period. The zone will extend from Farringdon Street to Chancery Lane, and from High Holborn in the north to the Embankment near Temple station in the south. Emergency anti-terror legislation brought in...

In Britain, Big Brother really is watching you almost everywhere, according to civil liberties campaigners alarmed by the proliferation of spying machines in trains, buses, high streets, sports stadiums and perhaps soon even in clothes. "In terms of western democracies, we are by far and away the most spied-upon nation," Mark Littleton, second in command at citizens' rights group Liberty, told AFP. One camera for every two adults Britain is already home to 10 percent of the entire world's close circuit television (CCTV) cameras. By 2007 it will have 25 million of them - one for every two adults in...

MasterCard, American Express Test 'Contactless' Versions of Credit Cards for Entry Into Market NEW YORK (AP) -- The familiar process of buying something with a credit card -- handing the plastic to the clerk or swiping it yourself, then waiting for approval and signing the receipt -- could be headed the way of the mechanical brass cash register. For more than a year, MasterCard and American Express have been testing "contactless" versions of their credit cards. The cards need only be held near a special reader for a sale to go through -- though the consumer can still get a...

Dec. 8, 2003 -- Ritalin use in preteen children may lead to depression later in life, studies of rats suggest. It's an open question whether what passes for depression in lab rats has anything to do with depression in humans. But early use of Ritalin and other stimulant drugs seems to permanently alter animals' brains. That raises concerns that the same thing might be happening in children who take these drugs for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The findings come from a research team led by William A. Carlezon Jr., PhD, director of the behavioral genetics laboratory at McLean Hospital...

You were abducted by aliens, you saw Bugs Bunny at Disneyland, and then you went up in a balloon. Didn't you? Laura Spinney on our remembrance of things past Alan Alda had nothing against hard-boiled eggs until last spring. Then the actor, better known as Hawkeye from M*A*S*H, paid a visit to the University of California, Irvine. In his new guise as host of a science series on American TV, he was exploring the subject of memory. The researchers showed him round, and afterwards took him for a picnic in the park. By the time he came to leave, he...

<p>REDMOND, Wash. -- First Microsoft set out to put a computer in every home. Now the software giant hopes to put one in every vehicle, too.</p> <p>"We'd like to have one of our operating systems in every car on Earth," said Dick Brass, vice-president of Microsoft's automotive business unit. "It's a lofty goal."</p>

Scotland Yard last night refused to comment on reports that mobile phones could be blocked during George Bush's visit. A secret plan was said to have been drawn up to cut all calls in the areas the president visits to prevent a terrorist attack. Security chiefs fear a mobile could be used to detonate a bomb. But the move would infuriate people unable to use their phones. Security chiefs will not decide whether to go ahead with the plan until the last minute. Special Sim cards would be issued to key Government and security officials enabling them to use their...

Scientists use DNA to make virus The naturally occurring virus does not infect people US scientists have produced a wholly artificial virus using a method they claim could lead to new lifeforms. These synthetic organisms - on the scale of bacteria - could be engineered to produce clean energy or mop up pollution, the researchers say.It is only the second time a virus has been constructed from scratch in the lab, but the new effort is said to produce substantially quicker results. The work is reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. First steps It was conducted...

Lethal Virus from 1918 Genetically Reconstructed US Army scientists create "Spanish Flu" virus in laboratory - medical benefit questionable (Austin and Hamburg, 9 October 2003) – The 'Spanish Flu' influenza virus that killed 20-40 million people in 1918 is currently under reconstruction. Several genes of the extraordinarily lethal 1918 flu virus have been isolated and introduced into contemporary flu strains. These proved to be lethal for mice, while virus constructs with genes from a current flu virus types had hardly any effect. These experiments may easily be abused for military purposes, but provide little benefit from a medical or public...

Israeli Start-up Lenslet says its processor, which uses optics instead of silicon, lets it compute at the speed of light, adding new capabilities in homeland security and military, multimedia and communications applications. The chip performs 8 tril operations per second, 1000 times faster than standard chips.

Just as Britain gets used to CCTV cameras, a new Big Brother system is to become part of everyday life. Hidden watchers are starting to talk - loudly - to anyone seen acting suspiciously or misusing disabled bays at trial parking sites. Tests in Nottingham have persuaded nine local schools to start the school year by installing the "talking eye" system, officially called public address voice activation. Security cameras are linked to loudspeakers and staff in a central control room who issue messages such as: "The police are coming." The system has led to an increase in the availability of...

Can you name the country? A man in some country was recently taken, handcuffed, down into a subterranean interrogation room in the bowels of a police station and asked by a police investigator, "when I look into your writings will I find anything subversive?" This sounds like something one might have heard coming out of the former Soviet Union. However, it wasn't. The country was America, the man was me, and the interrogation room was in the basement of the massive and imposing Kansas City Jail on 12th street (Tuesday, Sept 16th, 2003). (I'm a writer who's contributed to many...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Actor Tony Randall has a fantasy: when he dies President Bush and Vice President Cheney show up to pay their respects but they're turned away - because his family knows he didn't like them. Feeling his own mortality while suffering a cold, Randall, 83, made his remarks as the National Funeral Directors Association announced a new code of ethics for its members, beginning in 2004. Funerals should be planned as a celebration of life and "a touch of humor doesn't hurt a bit," Randall said. A comedian, Randall is best known for his role as Felix Unger...

<p>CHICAGO — Chicago Alderman Dorothy Tillman says America is rich today for one reason -- slavery -- and now corporate America must pay something in return.</p> <p>"It was because of the free labor of blacks. It was because of all of the suffering we took and we did that made America so powerful," Tillman said.</p>

The French slang Verlan is widely popular among young people across France. Those who have studied French but haven't been in France for a while may find themselves confused when they overhear conversations that sound familiar but remain largely incomprehensible. Gradually they may realize, or some kind soul may explain, that what they are hearing is a popular slang called Verlan in which standard French spellings or syllables are reversed or recombined, or both. Thus the standard greeting "Bonjour, ça va?" or "Good day, how are you?" becomes "Jourbon, ça av?" "Une fête" (a party) has become "une teuf"; the...