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Saturday, July 27, 2013
FRANCE: Insulting French president no longer an offence
Being rude to the French president is no longer an offence after parliament agreed on Thursday to amend legislation dating back to 1881 in favour of freedom of speech.
Whereas before any rude remark risked an automatic fine for ?offending the head of state?, the president is now reduced to the same category as ministers and parliamentarians and would need to have a judge prove there had been slander or defamation.
MPs and senators voted unanimously to do away with the law in order to meet European standards. France?s Socialist Party, which proposed the change, described the law as ?unjustifiable in a modern democracy?.
The offence, which was introduced in 1881 under press freedom regulations (ironically), was punishable until the year 2000 by a jail sentence of between three months and one year.
During General Charles de Gaulle?s tenure, six people were convicted of the offence, but its use had dwindled in recent decades.
?Get lost Sarkozy?
The change came after the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled in March that France had violated a demonstrator?s right to freedom of expression when it fined him for holding a banner up to Nicolas Sarkozy reading: ?Get lost, jerk.?
That slogan was made famous in France by the former president himself, when he insulted a visitor at an agricultural fair in 2008. The man refused to shake the then president?s hand, resulting in Sarkozy?s vulgar reaction, a video of which went viral. The court in March judged that left-wing activist Herv? Eon, whose banner used the same expression in addressing the president, was being satirical.
The court said his conviction and 30 euro ($40) fine were out of proportion to his protest and that his right to freedom of expression had been violated.
Anyone found by a judge to have slandered the president still runs the risk of a fine of up to 45,000 euros, but only once the matter has been resolved in court.
President Fran?ois Hollande has so far shown a thick skin to insults from the public, despite a string of unkind nicknames such as ?Flamby?, a brand of wobbly caramel pudding and ?Mr Little Jokes?.
(FRANCE 24 with wires)
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Congressman?s comments anger South Florida colleagues
Miami?s three Cuban-American members of Congress have a message for fellow U.S. Rep. Steve King, who said more DREAMer immigrants are drug mules than valedictorians: Be quiet.
King?s statements, which drew swift rebukes from Republican congressional leaders earlier in the week, have become the latest flash-point in the immigration debate in the conservative House, which is divided over whether and how to reform the system.
?These comments are outrageous and reflect only this particular member?s views,? Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican House member like King, said in a statement. ?Such statements are factually untrue, hurtful and seem designed to divide rather than to bring our nation together.?
Ros-Lehtinen?s fellow Miami Republican, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, has spent more than a year with a bipartisan House group that now plans to release a comprehensive immigration-reform package after the August recess ? a strategic move partly designed to shield the bill from criticism when Congress isn?t in session.
Diaz-Balart called King?s comments ?unacceptable? unacceptable. Unacceptable.?
U.S. Rep. Joe Garcia, a Democrat, said at a House Judiciary subcommittee Tuesday that King?s sentiments were ?beneath the dignity of this body.?
But King isn?t backing down, and the conservative news media is celebrating his comments about the so-called DREAM Act, which would give a pathway to citizenship for students who were illegally brought to this country by their parents.
While DREAM Act supporters say eligible kids are current and future valedictorians, King told the conservative media outlet NewsMax last week that some are used as drug mules.
King took to the House floor late Wednesday night and defended himself by reading comments into the congressional record that included information from a 2012 Associated Press article that bore the headline: ?Mexico Children Used as ?Mules? by Drug Gangs.?
According to The Hill, King also reiterated a version of his NewsMax comments that caused a stir: ?For everyone who?s a valedictorian, there?s another 100 out there that they weigh 130 pounds ? and they?ve got calves the size of cantaloupes because they?re hauling 75 pounds of marijuana across the desert. Those people would be legalized with the same act.?
Most polling indicates that most voters, including a plurality of Republicans, favor the DREAM Act and a broader pathway to citizenship.
But the polls don?t account for the gerrymandered-nature of U.S. House districts, where a large majority of Republicans represent districts with small Hispanic populations.
Ros-Lehtinen and Diaz-Balart?s districts are among the few exceptions.
The more-moderate Senate passed a comprehensive immigration-reform plan in June that provides a pathway to citizenship, beefs up border security and offers incentives to attract more high-skilled immigrants.
But many House Republicans say it?s not enough. They want more border security faster before an ?amnesty? of any sort is given to current illegal immigrants.
Meantime, many conservatives have turned on a key sponsor of the bill, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential GOP presidential contender who would have to campaign in King?s home state of Iowa should he run for the White House in 2016.
With such vocal Republican opposition, polling indicates that voters generally and Hispanics in particular would be more likely to fault the GOP if an immigration-reform bill doesn?t pass the House.
Voters are also not sure about the sincerity of Republicans when it comes to immigration reform, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC poll. It found that 59 percent of voters think Republican calls for more border security are an ?excuse to block reform.? Only 36 percent said it was a ?legitimate concern.?
Democrats are again starting to campaign on the issue, and on King?s comments in particular.
Garcia issued a campaign statement Wednesday highlighting his comments in committee where he took King to task.
?When members of this committee ? when members of this House ? use inflammatory language, use offensive language, it does not help the process,? Garcia said.
?It is offensive. And it is beneath the dignity of this body and this country,? Garcia said. ?This is an American problem. And we need to work together.?
Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/07/25/3521387/congressmans-comments-anger-south.html
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Friday, July 26, 2013
Apple's developer center comes back online after weeklong overhaul
While most of you are fixing to shut things down for the weekend, Apple's developer portal is waking up after a weeklong hiatus. If you'll recall, Apple affirmed that its dev center was hacked last week while simultaneously announcing a system overhaul. Now, however, things seem to be back in action, with little to no consumer-facing changes to the site itself. If we had to guess, we'd say the bulk of the tweaks have happened behind the scenes. With that, we invite you to return to your regularly scheduled coding.
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Apple
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Furniture company sticking with Paula Deen
HIGH POINT, N.C. (AP) ? The North Carolina-based home furnishings company that markets Paula Deen's furniture line is sticking with the embattled celebrity chef.
The High Point Enterprise (http://bit.ly/1c5x4fY ) reports that Universal Furniture International will continue to market the Paula Deen Home Collection.
Deen has been under fire since the revelation earlier this year of a legal deposition in which Deen admitted under oath to having used the N-word. Many companies have dropped Deen since the deposition became public.
Jeff Scheffer with Universal Furniture says he feels bad for Deen. He says the Deen he knows isn't the one who has been portrayed in the media recently.
Scheffer wrote retailers saying his company accepts Deen's apologies for her previous comments. He says part of the decision is based on retail customer feedback.
___
Information from: High Point Enterprise, http://www.hpe.com
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/furniture-company-sticking-paula-deen-124134858.html
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Thursday, July 25, 2013
NKorea marking 60th anniversary of war's end
North Koreans walk among tombstones of soldiers who died from the war to pay their respects, at the cemeteries of fallen fighters of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Pyongyang, North Korea as part of ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
North Koreans walk among tombstones of soldiers who died from the war to pay their respects, at the cemeteries of fallen fighters of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Pyongyang, North Korea as part of ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un arrives at the cemeteries of fallen fighters of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Pyongyang, North Korea as part of ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, arrives at the cemeteries of fallen fighters of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Pyongyang, North Korea as part of ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
North Korean veterans of the Korean War enter a cemetery for Korean War veterans on Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Pyongyang, North Korea during an opening ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)
North Korean soldiers stand at attention at the cemeteries of fallen fighters of the Korean People's Army (KPA) on Thursday, July 25, 2013 in Pyongyang, North Korea as part of ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended hostilities on the Korean peninsula. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) ? Chinese, North Korean and two U.S. veterans on Thursday joined leader Kim Jong Un at the start of official commemorations in Pyongyang for the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War.
In his first public appearance for the anniversary events, Kim laid a floral arrangement at a monument to war veterans that is the centerpiece of a sprawling new national military cemetery in Pyongyang's outskirts. Kim took power after his death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in late 2011 and has overseen two long-range rocket launches and a nuclear test that have drawn international condemnation and tightened U.N. sanctions.
Dozens of elderly Chinese soldiers who fought for North Korea joined Thursday's commemoration. Also taking part: two U.S. veterans who fought against Chinese soldiers at the Chosin Reservoir in November and December 1950.
"I would like to meet some (North) Korean veterans to tell them how sorry I am for their fallen comrades, and for my fallen comrades," said retired Pvt. First Class Dick Bonelli of the U.S. Marines.
Bonelli and U.S. Navy Capt. Thomas Hudner are in North Korea to revisit Jangjin County, better known to Americans as the Chosin Reservoir.
"It's a very emotional occasion to be here with so many veterans ? not only the veterans but also the people of the nation who turned out to show their support to all of veterans. And as an American veteran, I am delighted to see that our former foe and we share some of the same feelings about this," Hudner said.
The Korean War, pitting North Korean and Chinese troops against U.S.-led United Nations and South Korean forces, ended with an armistice on July 27, 1953. A peace treaty was never signed, leaving the Korean Peninsula in a technical state of war and divided at the 38th parallel.
That has not stopped the North Koreans from calling July 27 "Victory Day." Brightly colored banners with the words "Victory" and "War Victory" fluttered from buildings across the capital city. The North Korean government is expected to use the anniversary to rally support for Kim and to draw attention to the division of the Korean Peninsula.
In February, North Korea conducted a nuclear test, raising tensions in the region amid threats of war between the two Koreas that led to the shutting down of a jointly-run factory park in a North Korean border town.
Officials from the rivals have had a series of so-far unsuccessful meetings this month to reopen the park and are set to meet again on Thursday, their sixth discussion this month.
North Korea has been gearing up for months for the milestone war anniversary. Soldiers were assigned to carry out an extensive renovation of the Korean War museum. Students rehearsed every afternoon for a new war-themed rendition of the "Arirang" mass games song-and-dance performance, which opened Tuesday. And citizens got down on their hands and knees in the lead-up to help lay sod and plant grass as part of a massive greenification of Pyongyang.
The anniversary is taking place as North Korea copes with flooding from the seasonal monsoon rains that strike the peninsula every July. Eight people were killed, more than 4,500 homes destroyed and 17,700 left homeless this week, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.
Scores of foreign visitors began arriving in Pyongyang this week, including a planeload of journalists from the U.S., Japan, China, Russia and elsewhere.
One North Korean, Pak Chun Son, sobbed as she paid her respects at the gravestone of her father, Pak Hyon Jong, who died in the war when she was 5.
"My father will be honored on this hill forever," said her brother, Pak Yun Yong, who was 8 when his father died. He was dressed in a military uniform weighed down by medals. Tears sprang to his eyes. "We want to raise our children to be patriots like their grandfather was."
Commemorations also are taking place in South Korea and the United States.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye attended a memorial event Tuesday in the southern city of Busan to pay her respects to the troops who defended South Korea during the war. On Thursday, a group from South Korea's Naval Academy set sail on a six-month expedition to 14 countries as part of their Korean War remembrance.
U.S. President Barack Obama is to give a speech Saturday at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington.
___
AP reporter Eric Talmadge contributed to this report. Follow AP's Korea bureau chief at http://www.twitter.com/newsjean.
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Liberty and tradition for Rome?
Hello CivFanatics, I'm wondering if those two trees could work for Rome because it's ability favors going wide, but with having a powerful capital. There's a couple of specifics I'm not sure on:
Last edited by SicklyAlbatross; Jul 25, 2013 at 02:10 AM.
1: Does the wonder boost from Aristocracy apply to all cities? If Rome is always building buildings another high production city might be a good idea for wonders.
2: Does Oligarchy apply to all cities? A couple of times when my main army is of fighting on one side I get backstabbed on the other side of the empire, having free units everywhere would be great.
3: In BNW I sometimes end up struggling for money at the start, starting off with Tradition up to Landed Elite and Monarchy might help me find my feet before expanding. Then maybe go straight to Collective Rule and start expanding.
4: If I can't generate enough faith from starting small, could I use Liberty's great person to spawn a prophet to found a religion and pantheon at the same time? How likely is it that you'll get locked out of a religion with all f the Civs taking Piety now? If not I guess it makes more sense for Rome to take someone else's religion anyway.
5: How does the glory of Rome stack with other production bonuses like the Piety opener (half-speed for shrines), or Aesthetic's Cultural Centre (50% faster).
6: Could it be a good idea for a empire to go wide with policies too, and buy those production boosting policies, more faith from Organized Religion, cheaper roads with Trade Unions etc, but actually completing relatively few trees?
Edit:
7: If I'll be getting that free settler much later would it be a good idea to build one before then? Or would having one super capital be good enough until expanding with Collective Rule?
8: Use Legalism for a free monument in the capital? Or build one before hand to get the free amphitheatre?
Last edited by SicklyAlbatross; Jul 25, 2013 at 02:10 AM.
Source: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=503753&goto=newpost
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