Category: politics

Serbia & Kosovo – A new front for the war on terror

Kosovo: 10th December marks the official deadline for sovereignty negotiations to end. For someone that’s visited Kosovo (and Serbia) within the last 3 months, I can bring back the following observations.

a) Kosovo has been invaded by Albanians:
Maybe you need to quantify this statement in wikipedia. As a foreign onlooker, the number of Albanian, not Serbian, flags throughout the territory leads you to believe you’re in Albania, not Serbia.

b) Almost 1/3 of the traffic on the roads is KFOR:
If, like the newspapers are saying, there is a rumbling of radicalism. It stands to be toward the Serbs.
With 45,000 troops stationed there, any attack on Kosovo is likely to be met with stiff resistance and international back-up.

In black and white
Historically pitted with conflict, there are no black and white solutions.
In an attempt to be seen to be ‘doing good’, KFOR’s presence has had the net-effect of setting both Serbia and Kosovo back 7 years, also, giving rise to the growth of criminal cells with close links to terrorism, who have prospered under the troops presence through illegal-goods, prostitution and the supply of drugs.

The politics
Personally, I don’t think the region has any potential for serious conflict, Serbia is too poor and Kosovo has too many troops.

If Kosovo achieves independence, you can expect that within 5-10 years resolutions will make it part of the wider Albanian authority, and eventually becoming part of Albanian territory per-se.

The nature of the beast


I’m just trying to be clear about the reasons why people do things:

You have a subject; who you torture. You know the outcome.

You carry on the torture, knowing the outcome.

In order to get to torture the subject in the first place, you tell lies, knowing there’ll never be an outcome.

Welcome home Mike
I am undergoing torture at the moment.
People surrounding my flat, are using weapons, low frequency weapons to keep me awake at night.
I haven’t been to sleep properly for 4 days.

The effects of the weapons is a slight tingling sensation. This is accompanied by a sound like a television or electrical device, barely audible, like background static.
You can hear the devises being turned on and off on the walls in the properties adjacent to mine.
When they are turned on, the tingling starts.
It is possible to sleep if you move away from the devise.

The past number of nights I’ve been moving my bed around. At the moment it’s up against a chest of drawers next to a window.

The spirit of Christmas past
Is this punishment for not signing a contract with Unilever 10 years in my past.

If I’ve done something wrong, shouldn’t the Police arrest me and I be tried?

There’s no reason to torture me. I’m not going to confess to anything.

Nothing’s going to change.
Nothing’s going to happen.

If you believe there’s suddenly going to be a result. You are wrong.

Just thought I’d let you know.

Google Deception Case – ACCC Case

Google Deception

Ask yourself: – “Now how many times have I clicked on a Google advertiser in the AdWords section and thought it was an organic result?”

This is what the Australian Consumer And Competition Commission have just launched a case against Google, (the first government body to do so), to find out.

Case facts
From the ACCC’s site, information about the case cites an Australian publisher Trading Post Australia Pty Ltd using the names of two competitors in localised AdWords campaigns, (“Kloster Ford” and “Charlestown Toyota”).

This, in it’s simplest terms is a case of Passing off, an advertiser using trademarks and trading names to attract business through deception.

In addition and in a seemingly unrelated statement:-
“Google, by failing to adequately distinguish sponsored links from ‘organic’ search results, has engaged and continues to engage in misleading and deceptive conduct” the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) said.

Thinking
By asserting Google is deriving advertising revenue’s from cases where it knows passing off is taking place, the ACCC are effectively attempting to shift the duty of care, hoping to reveal the entrails of Googles’ advertising, targetting and information management stategy in the process.

Chances
It’s a wide ball.

The ACCC statement for bringing the action is spurious and without foundation.

Intent
Does Google derive income in the knowledge advertisers are passing off?

Remains to be seen.

The case has an initial hearing on August 27th.

details