Monday, January 27, 2003

Malaysia: Restriction of freedom of expression hits the Internet (Amnesty International). The police investigation of the independent internet news site, Malaysiakini, under the Sedition Act calls into question the pledge by Malaysian authorities not to censor the internet, Amnesty International said today. This demonstrates, yet again, how restrictive laws are used to curtail freedom of expression in Malaysia, the organization added. The police raided the Malaysiakini office on Monday, confiscating all nineteen of their computers, effectively preventing the site's publication. The raid came following a complaint alleging that a letter published on the site was seditious. The complaint was made by youth wing of the United Malay National Organization (UMNO), the largest party in the government coalition. Part of the complaint reportedly refers to the letter's questioning of affirmative action for Malays. The 'special position' of Malays and indigenous peoples is enshrined in the Malaysian Constitution. These provisions include preferential treatment in many aspects of life, including education and work. (thanks, Art!) 11:45:04 PM    comment []

These are books (in addition to those noted Friday) recently mentioned (or alluded to) here on A blog doesn't need a clever name: (Well . . . they aren't all books. But they are all recently-mentioned-or-alluded-to.) 4:43:28 PM    comment []

I drink, therefore I am: Is it really so shocking that women should enjoy a drink and sex? By Nigella Lawson, in The Observer. (thanks, Julie!) 4:43:23 PM    comment []

Computers 'humanize' teaching, Tracey Wong Briggs (USA Today). Sixty% come in reading at or below a fifth-grade reading level, and yet 60% go on to some form of higher education," [Marge Christensen] Gould [a member of USA TODAY's All- USA Teacher First Team] says. "I haven't had to send anyone to the school office in 14 years, and these are supposed to be the toughest kids. The key, she says, is the student-centered, success-oriented environment. "We treat them as adults. Kids really respond to that. Time is money; no work, no credit." Here you learn; you don't get screamed at, says Elizabeth Briones, 17, a ponytailed senior who speaks Spanish at home and aspires to be a social worker. It's like a job. You sit at the computer and do your work. Computers allow individualized instruction and are a big selling point to the students, many of whom won't go to a remedial reading lab, Gould says. The word 'remedial' does not exist in our vocabulary, she says. But if you offer computer and workplace skills, you can sneak in reading, she says. 4:43:14 PM    comment []

New Service Sounds Like Phish. Live Phish, a new online paid music service, delivers soundboard-quality live Phish shows only days after the concert. Leave it to a neo-hippie band to come up with an Internet music service that makes both the band and its fans happy. By Danit Lidor. [Wired News] 7:08:20 AM    comment []

NY Times: "Newspapers are engaged in technological one-upmanship over 'AstroTurf' letters to the editor that look like authentic grass-roots responses from readers but are not." [Scripting News] 7:07:36 AM    comment []

"DoD offering admin privileges on .mil Web sites" [Daypop Top 40] 7:06:48 AM    comment []

Full Lot at Greenwich High Means New Reality: The Bus. Nowadays at schools such as Greenwich High, the make-or-break status symbol is less the license or the car than the parking permit, an increasingly scarce resource. By Jane Gross. [New York Times: Education] 7:05:56 AM    comment []

Online Kid Porn a Tricky Problem. The Net makes child porn ridiculously easy to find. But most people don't know that viewing such images online -- even once -- is illegal. The witch hunts that result do little to stamp out child abuse, or to trap the real predators in our midst. A commentary by Lauren Weinstein. [Wired News] 7:04:43 AM    comment []

Worm exposes laziness and Microsoft bugs. The Sapphire worm that hit servers running Microsoft SQL is a wake-up call for anyone who thought the Internet had become a safer place following increased attention by corporate and government leaders. [CNET News.com] 7:03:46 AM    comment []