Notes from the Surf
Robo-Air Jet System Makes Objects Float
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkhMCCOHFmM
"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."
How to Express Gratitude for an Unexpected Gift
http://basicinstructions.net/basic-instructions/2009/12/9/how-to-express-gratitude-for-an-unexpected-gift.html
"The best way to thank someone for generosity is to be generous yourself."
Yahoo Issues Takedown Notice for Spying Price List
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/12/yahoo-spy-prices
"Yahoo isn’t happy that a detailed menu of the spying services it provides law enforcement agencies has leaked onto the web."
Health Insurers Caught Paying Facebook Gamers Virtual Currency To Oppose Reform Bill
http://www.businessinsider.com/health-insures-caught-paying-facebook-users-virtual-currency-to-send-letters-to-congress-opposing-reform-bill-2009-12
Health insurance industry trade groups... are paying Facebook users... "virtual currency" -- to send letters to Congress... gamers buy "virtual goods" such as a machine gun for "Mafia Wars." ...Paying people to act like political supporters is called "astroturfing," because its fake grass-roots campaigning.
Wall Street's Naked Swindle
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/30481512/wall_streets_naked_swindle/1
In a process known as "empty voting," anyone can influence any corporate election simply by borrowing great masses of shares shortly before an important merger or board election, exercising their voting rights, then returning the shares right after the vote is over... At one point, investors claimed ownership of nearly 42 million shares in Overstock — even though fewer than 24 million shares in the company had actually been issued.
Greece: Riot police who beat woman and doctor claims it was accident
http://libcom.org/news/marches-against-repression-greece-08122009
"the attacker of Ms Koutsoumbou - the elderly woman who was hit by a delta-team motobiker who then proceeded to beat her up causing brain injuries and internal bleeding - visited her at hospital claiming that it was all an accident... not only the policeman targeted and then hit the veteran anti-junta struggler, but after dismounting and beating her on the head with a glob, he also attacked a doctor who tried to give first aid to the woman." "Higher level visible collaboration between Golden Dawn neo-nazis and the Police."
India: Police Assault Women Factfinding Team in Narayanapatna, Orissa
http://indianvanguard.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/police-assault-women-factfinding-team-in-narayanapatna-orissa/
"reports of state-sponsored violence, rape, molestations and atrocities against adivasi villagers... a peaceful, democratic movement fighting for the dignity and rights of adivasis, is being branded extremist by the State in a prelude to unleashing terror on the tribal inhabitants of the area."
Venezuela: "Workers have now taken over the company and made it 100% operative"
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/4993
"Today is a day of celebration for the workers because they showed that they don’t need a capitalist manager to advance in the production of food"
Ireland: Gardai to ballot for strike action
http://www.marxist.com/ireland-gardai-ballot-for-strike-action.htm
"In normal times … and these are surely not normal times, the Gards are the upholders of the law and the guardians of private property... They weren’t allowed to march in uniform so instead they all turned up wearing the baseball caps... If the government can’t even rely on the Gardai then who can they rely on?"
Where's the Principal? The Fight for Union Run Schools
http://labornotes.org/2009/12/tired-teacher-bashing-union-educators-grow-their-own-schools
The major difference at the BTU school is the lack of a principal... “We designed it, we put this together, and we’re running it... Everybody gets that it’s our responsibility.”