Is technology doing a great favor to humanity

by vbo Tue Nov 13th, 2012 at 06:47:54 AM EST

Really? I have received this e mail today and I will use it to start discussion about inevitable technology taking over our lives. Now I know that there are sides of technology that are really improving our lives tremendously (like in science, communication and information etc. fields) but look at these photos...because they are sooo true. Now government here wants more people to work from home and soon , in the future all students ( including primary and high school) I suppose will be educated from home, we are buying stuff from home, people today even have sex (incredibly)  trough internet etc. Looks like there will be time when we are not going to leave our homes at all...and when we leave it we will be alone missing all those friends from school yard, university, work etc. Picture is really gloomy in my eyes...I can see my 11 years old granddaughter ,who is not even in mobile phones yet, being taken by computer and all those portable games, a lot of her free time ( at our home, at the car, just not yet when we are out and about , but it will come with her interest in mobile phone pretty soon). What your opinion on this is and what would be the way for humans not to become "idiots"?
Here it goes:

Boy, isn't this the truth.......

The day that Albert Einstein feared may have finally arrived.

Having coffee with friends.

A day at the beach.

Cheering on your team.

Having dinner out with your friends.

Out on an intimate date.

Having a conversation with your BFF

A visit to the museum

Enjoying the sights

And...

     

Weekend photos

by vbo Thu Nov 8th, 2012 at 07:18:44 AM EST

I do not know if you are sick of my photos and comments about Brisbane and surroundings but I can't resist to post them.
I had friend visiting this past weekend and while we were walking around I took some photos.Here they are...
First place is Sanctuary Cove close to a Gold Coast where rich people like to hide and " love life" as add suggests.They like simple things...It is gated community but we poor at least can enjoy their Marine Village ,for now. Thank you guys...

 

Down by the river - Brisbane Australia

by vbo Sat Oct 13th, 2012 at 11:05:15 PM EST

Just photos...Bad times...but just for some of us (99%?)

Religion, Atheism, Moral, Politic, PR and all that mess

by vbo Thu Aug 30th, 2012 at 07:36:30 AM EST

Because I can't follow posts any more, being hidden and buried in long worms of text I thought I would put this diary where we can continue our arguments...
First of all let us talk about PR because all this started with them. What exactly some of you like about them and their actions? And what exactly few of us dislike about them and their actions?
As for me I am totally not against protests, activism, fight for more freedom anywhere, let alone in Russia. What I dislike is the way they are protesting by offending other Russian citizens who happened to be religious or even not, but who dislike this specific action. I would prefer if they found other place and means (words) to protest against Putin, even Patriarchy or place that Church have in today politic in Russia.And NO, and that's a big NO I could not agree with draconian punishment they received.I do not think it will stand.We'll see.On the other hand today on TV news here in Australia there was a part saying "PR the most popular group in the world" , so as we all know that kind of popularity has a price tag...especially when one is so popular without world even knowing any of his creations...I can bet that 99% of fans did not even hear or read words of the "song" they are popular for...
No I do not like to see politicians even near priests and also babies but that's reality all over the world in time of an election.
Russia has definitely long way in front of it before it will look anything resembling democracy and protests are definitely one way of moving things ( all tho slowly) in that direction. Having lived in democracy for quite some time now I have to admit that it is far from perfect. Especially when it like lately is actually serving capitalist class big time not taking in to account common well being of other classes. This is a large topic which we should probably leave for another diary and I mentioned it here just to strike similarities with oligarchy that we can see in Russia.
Somehow, long history of democracy compared with short history of not having communism in Russia and elsewhere give people from the west false impression that they have real freedom of choice and bla bla bla...But is it really so? Yes, there is a lot of freedom " on paper" that by the way can be taken in one term of conservative government in power , as we are witnessing right now, but actually how exactly you see your freedom nowadays?
Religion, atheism...We seem to disagree a lot about this...and especially about who has right to impose their values on others  in democracy?
Well I just tried to start discussion...Your turn...

Serbia 2012

by vbo Mon Jul 23rd, 2012 at 03:29:30 AM EST

Hi everyone! Just came back from my holiday in Serbia so here is a little diary.
I am not going to talk too much about politic all tho at the time I was in Belgrade there were presidential elections. I did not vote for two reasons. First is that I do not feel I am to choose anything or anybody because I do not live there and I am not to take consequences of my vote. Not to mention that I do not know many details that should determine my vote. Second reason is because I do not believe that whoever comes to power will be actually able to choose important things about politic there...it will be determined elsewhere (deals between Russia and USA to be precise). That is considering foreign policy anyway... As for inside policies it is always about who's going to throw more money/benefits over their shoulder to a poor people and I believe people there would know better about this stuff.
In any case people are now used to "democracy" so they do not take hard if their candidate lost this time , because there will be another election in few years ( maybe even earlier) so there was no protests or any kind of anger amongst them. They just want government to be formed so that things can go on. It took some time for government to be formed and SPS (Socialists which is Milosevic's party and his people) are simply unavoidable because no matter what percentage they have no one is going to be able to make government without them. As for a President ( Toma Nikolic) who is an ex Radical ( Seselj's / presently in Hague/ ex colleague) most of the people are embarrassed of his appearance and foreign language incapacity, because he is going to represent them now worldwide. Most of them at the same time believe that no matter what his pre-election promises were he or his government will not dare to do anything radical. That's about it. As why it took so long for government to form , the reason is not that  their programs differ so much (because they do, but who cares, the most important thing is to cling in to the power). Real reason is that they could not agree who is going to get what exact ministry and especially power over the BIA  ( Serbian CIA) and also even more importantly DB (military intelligence agency in Serbia) that by now used to be under jurisdiction of SPS /Milosevic's people in reality no matter that formally they should answer to government. Enough about politics...

Few photos from Australia

by vbo Tue Apr 10th, 2012 at 12:36:13 AM EST

Photo blog: Australian way of life

by vbo Mon Oct 24th, 2011 at 01:01:10 AM EST

This Sunday I have visited friend that recently moved in Varsity Lakes, development that is typical modern development that Australia has many of. This one is situated on Gold Coast a little bit in land.
Well in Australian urban areas almost everything is manmade so are those Lakes and everything around them.
Lately as you will see they are making more apartments then houses even this far from the city. These developments have all the infrastructure around them and this one is about 2 km from Robina where they have one mega shopping centre and new modern hospital,  but it also has schools , shops, Medical centres etc. right there on the spot. Australians (at least here in QLD) like to live in these places. The only trouble is that it is not easy to find a job in the area. Gold Coast is a tourist area anyway and they can only work in hospitality or trade. Not in this particular area but in a brother area on the Gold Coast there are quite a few people living there who actually do not have to work. So they play golf (there are numerous golf courses) and follow the market to see what their shares earned them today. Also there are a lot of pensioners (not on a state pension, ha-ha). Recently there are a lot of families with small children moving there cause it seems to be safe.
Here are photos. I hope you'll understand why we have to protect our way of life´ ;)

LQD : What will happen to Greece?

by vbo Fri Oct 21st, 2011 at 02:15:27 AM EST

http://www.reuters.com/article/slideshow/idUSTRE79H1FI20111020#a=5

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/20/us-greece-idUSTRE79H1FI20111020

The victory should ensure the European Union and International Monetary Fund release a vital 8 billion euro ($11 billion) loan tranche which the government needs to keep paying its bills past November.

The mix of deep pay and pension cuts, tax hikes and changes to collective bargaining agreements has been bitterly opposed and at least 70,000 people joined protests in Athens' Syntagma Square in front of parliament.

Groups of black-clad youths clashed with rivals from PAME, a communist-affiliated labor group, and police later cleared the square.

At least 74 people were taken to hospital with injuries and one man died of a heart attack on the fringes of the protest, but officials said he had not been hurt in the incidents.
...The head of the Greek Communist party, Aleka Papariga condemned the violence which she said had been deliberately provoked by groups of "hood-wearers".

"This was a pre-meditated attack," she told reporters, saying the rioters served the interests of what she termed "specific mechanisms".

"No matter what happens, we're not leaving," she said. "There's no other way out, people have to take the situation into their own hands."

"I will vote in favor, but this is the last time -- I am struggling with my conscience," said Vasso Papandreou, one of the dissenters who decided to go along with the package.

"Enough is enough, society is despairing, the country is collapsing," she said to applause from other PASOK deputies.
...There has been widespread speculation the government will fall early, forcing a election before the scheduled date in 2013, but Papandreou has repeatedly ruled out stepping down early.

How many more votes...
What would an election change?

"I will be protesting every day, it's a matter of survival. They must go," said 49-year-old Yannis Zahariadis, a civil servant and father of four. "I was forced to borrow money from my mother, a pensioner, to make ends meet."

..."People sent a message on Wednesday that they have reached their limits and can't take any more austerity," said Theodore Couloumbis of the ELIAMEP think-tank.

How long is this going to last until it ends? What the end actually is going to look like?

"We are at a critical point, not only for us but for European history. I have never, in my memory, heard before from leaders of major European countries that there is danger of Europe coming apart," Papandreou told a cabinet meeting before the vote.

Really ?

LQD : OccupyWallStreet

by vbo Tue Oct 4th, 2011 at 12:50:35 AM EST

I am just linking to whatever information I found on Internet...
Is it going to grow (and takes Europe and others too)? Is it going to be taken?Can this in any way unite people with left and right political views because it affects 99% of people?
What is the point? Where it could go? Who is to organize it (if it's not orchestrated already)? What are demands and where exactly they are directed? We have asked before: where is the outrage in USA? Is this it? Could it be stopped having in mind that future predicted is so grim?

We all have more questions than answers...But something is moving finally...in right direction...

http://www.news.com.au/business/breaking-news/occupy-wall-street-protests-spread-across-us/story-e6f rfkur-1226158110369

PROTESTS against Wall Street have spread across the US as demonstrators marched on Federal Reserve banks and camped out in parks from Los Angeles to Portland, Maine, in a show of anger over the wobbly economy and what they see as corporate greed.

In Manhattan, hundreds of protesters dressed as corporate zombies in white face paint lurched past the New York Stock Exchange clutching fistfuls of fake money.

In Chicago, demonstrators pounded drums in the city's financial district. Others pitched tents or waved protest signs at passing cars in Boston, St Louis and Kansas City, Missouri.
The arrests of 700 protesters on the Brooklyn Bridge at the weekend galvanised a slice of discontented America, from college students worried about their job prospects to middle-age workers who have been laid off.

Some protesters likened themselves to the Tea Party movement - but with a liberal bent - or to the Arab Spring demonstrators who brought down their rulers in the Middle East.
...Since then, hundreds have set up camp in a park nearby and have become increasingly organised, lining up medical aid and legal help and printing their own newspaper, the Occupied Wall Street Journal.
...City bus drivers sued the New York Police Department (NYPD) today for commandeering their buses and making them drive to the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday to pick up detained protesters."We're down with these protesters. We support the notion that rich folk are not paying their fair share," said Transport Workers Union president John Samuelsen. "Our bus operators are not going to be pressed into service to arrest protesters anywhere."
...Websites and Facebook pages with names like Occupy Boston and Occupy Philadelphia have also sprung up to plan the demonstrations.
 

http://www.moonofalabama.org/2011/10/first-we-take-manhattan-.html#comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaXBWpN7ii8&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gIJAZ90Dk8o&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwmAayBn1Uk&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG_TKAJyV6k&NR=1

Hahh...Are they going to be hijacked?

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/occupy-wall-street-is-a-tea-party-with-brains-2011-10-04

Actually, they have more in common with the tea party movement than the hippie dream, with one key difference. They're smart enough to recognize the nation's problems aren't simply about taxes and the deficit.

They want jobs. They want the generation in power to acknowledge them. They want political change. They want responsibility in a culture that abdicates it. They want a decent future of opportunity.

If that isn't American, then what is?

http://occupywallst.org/

LQD: USA and European Left - fond of "humanitarian" interventionism

by vbo Fri Sep 2nd, 2011 at 04:41:46 AM EST

http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/08/30/meet-professor-juan-cole-consultant-to-the-cia/

If one reads CounterPunch.org, Antiwar.com or The American Conservative, one knows that one is reading those who are anti-interventionist on the basis of principle.  With Democracy Now and kindred progressive outlets, it's all too clear where a big chunk of the so-called "left" stands, especially since the advent of Obama.   In his superb little book Humanitarian Imperialism Jean Bricmont criticizes much of the left for falling prey to advocacy of wars, supposedly based on good intentions.  And Alexander Cockburn has often pointed out that  many progressives are actually quite fond of "humanitarian" interventionism.   Both here and in Europe this fondness seems to be especially true of Obama's latest war, the war on Libya .  It is little wonder that the "progressives" are losing their antiwar following to Ron Paul and the Libertarians who are consistent and principled on the issue of anti-interventionism.

Democracy Now, quo vadis?  Wherever you are heading, you would do well to travel without Juan Cole and his friends.

After warning of the "difficulties" with the Iraq War, Cole swung over to ply it with burning kisses on the day of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.  His fervor was not based on Saddam Hussein's fictional possession of weapons of mass destruction but on the virtues of "humanitarian imperialism."

Cole enthused on his blog: "I remain (Emphasis mine.) convinced that, for all the concerns one might have about the aftermath, the removal of Saddam Hussein and the murderous Baath regime from power will be worth the sacrifices that are about to be made on all sides."  Now, with over 1 million Iraqis dead, 4 million displaced and the country's infrastructure destroyed, might Cole still echo Madeline Albright that the price was "worth it"?  Cole has called the Afghan War "the right war at the right time" and has emerged as a cheerleader for Obama's unconstitutional war on Libya and for Obama himself.

Now are we going to clarify where ET is standing on this issue?

OK we are not harmonious bunch on this one but I would like to know where "editors" are exactly standing?

"My generation"

by vbo Mon Aug 29th, 2011 at 08:45:49 AM EST

http://vimeo.com/22123311

I have no comment but I hope you do...I could just cry.

If somebody can please put this video in here I do not know how.

What needs to be done?

by vbo Sat Aug 20th, 2011 at 11:58:25 AM EST

OK. We are discussing for ages this horrific economic situation all over the world. We now know so much about what went wrong. What in your expert or humble opinion needs to be done and what consequences it will have in short and long term? Where is the hope?Please give us some answers...
Is it fixable at all even with good will (that we don't see right now)?
How long it would take?
If nothing reasonable is going to be done where we are heading, for how long and with what consequences for states, world and  as well  for (most) individuals?And how it will end eventually?
Is globalization and super free market here to stay and is it even possible to reverse it?Or is anything new on the horizon?
What would happen with economy if in some totally fictional scenario governments decide to tax super rich greatly?
What will happen with economy when at some point middle class become small and weak to hold this crazy concept of economy based on buying, borrowing, buying and borrowing?  
What is your best and worse scenario?
I would like to hear about your ideas for solving this mess...I am clueless...

USA tragedy-properties that nobody wants

by vbo Mon May 16th, 2011 at 10:51:56 PM EST

Surfing trough e bay I accidently came to an offer (made for Australians) for 10 apartments (whole building) in USA for just $45,000.

There was a video there on Youtube so I watched it. Sad picture...

There I found house and land offers for as much as $6,000. And nobody wants it. This is a catastrophe of terrific scale. Obviously these are poor neighbourhoods but still in those kinds of neighbourhoods here in Brisbane you can't find anything below &300,000...example here:

What is happening with real estate in Europe? Everywhere?
I know couple who tried to sell small one bedroom apartment in the middle of London for few years and couldn't make a sale.
Here in Australia real estate prises are still standing high and I keep wondering for how long yet. Around my area whatever is "for sale" is sold in a month or so (sold signs everywhere).
How is the real estate, so crucial in western economies, going to play out in the future? Anybody with expertise?

Balkan next ?

by vbo Thu Apr 7th, 2011 at 04:31:16 AM EST

Bloomberg:Serbians Wait for Prosperity 10 Years After Milosevic Arrest (Apr 1, 2011)

Ten years after Slobodan Milosevic's March 31 arrest for war crimes, citizens are still waiting for authorities to make good on promises to create jobs, stamp out corruption and build trust in the Balkan nation's institutions. No cabinet since Milosevic's ouster has lasted four years, the government is struggling to sell state assets, borrowing costs are the highest in Europe and entry into the 27-nation bloc is years away.

...

"Citizens are most afraid of uncertainty and have reached a high level of distrust," said [Svetlana] Logar [of Ipsos Strategic Marketing]. "People are unhappy because of a sense of injustice."

...

That sense of injustice has prompted about 3,000 people to sign up on the social-networking website of Facebook Inc. to protest on April 4 in one of Belgrade's main squares, the venue of many opposition protests in the past.

Looks like Balkan is next to explode in protests as it's not much better in Croatia not to mention others like Bosnia...

On top of this catastrophic economic situation Julian Assange is about to reveal some interesting cables and he thinks that "Middle East" type of protests will definitely shake Balkan...

front-paged by afew

3 cities of Australia

by vbo Tue Feb 22nd, 2011 at 11:17:05 PM EST

Sydney 2011 (weather not so nice)

How wrong is this?

by vbo Sat Apr 3rd, 2010 at 07:28:22 PM EST

A sign on the door of Dr. Jack Cassell's office in Mount Dora, Fla., tells patients "If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years.

...MOUNT DORA, Fla. - A central Florida urologist has posted a sign on his office door warning supporters of President Barack Obama to find a different doctor.

The notice on Dr. Jack Cassell's Mount Dora practice says, "If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years."

Cassell told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday he wasn't questioning patients or refusing care, because that would be unethical."

I am shocked!Where USA is going?Incredibly on another forum people that live in USA do not see anything wrong here...How about you?

Is there a future at all...

by vbo Mon Mar 1st, 2010 at 09:47:15 PM EST

Very interesting documentary...
First part:

http://player.sbs.com.au/programs#/programs_08/fullepisodes/latestepisodes/playlist/Baby-Boom-To-Bus t-Ep1-Missing-Children/

Second part:

http://player.sbs.com.au/programs#/programs_08/fullepisodes/latestepisodes/playlist/Baby-Boom-To-Bus t-Ep2-Grey-Tsunami-/

Is there a future at all...

Add this:

Generation XXL

Obesity is an epidemic in some countries - nearly a quarter of British children are already obese or overweight by the time they start primary school and this figure rises to a third by the time they go to secondary school.

By 2050 a massive 90% of today's kids will be overweight or obese if current trends continue. Experts predict that this generation of children - Generation XXL - are on course for a lifetime of serious health problems and, worse still, a significantly reduced life expectancy.

This long-term observational documentary series sets out to follow a group of seven obese children for the next decade, revisiting them every couple of years to discover what it's really like to grow up as an overweight child in Britain today.

Serbia 2009 - incredible change

by vbo Fri Aug 7th, 2009 at 06:29:02 AM EST

This European summer I made a trip to Serbia (via England) and here are my impressions together with some fabulous photos. I made a million of photos and here is where you can see my selection of the best of them.

I love to make photos...I play like a child...

by vbo Wed May 27th, 2009 at 08:46:52 AM EST

As I said I love to make photos.I am not near professional (all tho I have a little bit of background in design that I unfortunately never had chance to use) nor I have a great camera (it cost a lot and there is always something more important...).So it's my hobby that I really enjoy greatly (and am passionate about from time to time).
My younger daughter is making some basic website for her little business (beauty salon) and yesterday I made a few photos so that she can put it on that website once it's done.And here they are.We'll have to make much more photos with a clients but this is just to show the atmosphere of the place...
I wonder what do you think about these photos.Do you like them?Do you think some of them can do the job of promoting her business?

Stolen Kosovo

by vbo Sun Aug 17th, 2008 at 07:23:24 AM EST

Here you can see Czech documentary "Stolen Kosovo", which has been censored in Czech Republic after Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg recognized unilaterally declared independence of Serbian Kosovo and Metohija province by the Pristina separatists, is now also available with English captioning on: http://ca.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=Faktastick I was in a hurry to post this diary and I did not realize that first link I gave you was one of the site with very strong Serbian national views. I thought it is Czech’s site actually. Anyway I do not endorse all of the views of this site but I will still leave it here for those of you who may be interested to see Serbian affairs through the eyes of Serbian nationalist. "Nationalist" with no bad connotation... http://byzantinesacredart.com/blog/2008/06/stolen_kosovo_english.html

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