The Talon

[GinaRenee]

Beeman's also directing the "Aquaman" (or whatever they're calling it) pilot, isn't he? Man, is he going to be busy.

 

[NHawk19]

I posted this in the community forum but thought some of you in here would find it interesting as well.

This article has an update on movement by the UN to take control of the net. Also has some of the standards for use in other countries. Might want to take a look as with the UN controlling it these could in theory become your standards for use as well.

On the line: the internet's future

Ownership: World leaders meet today to discuss regulation; US fighting to regain control of global network. Censorship: State power increasingly used to limit access; Dissenters beaten outside summit site

By Daniel Howden

Published: 16 November 2005

Over the next three days a United Nations summit, in the unlikely setting of Tunisia, will attempt to thrash out the future of the internet.


More than 40 world leaders, including Kofi Annan, the UN secretary general, are set to attend, and the ownership of the World Wide Web itself is at stake. What the delegates won't discuss is the creeping spectre of censorship.


What began as a military research project at the Pentagon has exploded into the most powerful network in the world and an entity upon which the global economy increasingly relies. Its future character is now in question.


At present, the closest the internet has to a governing body is an obscure American, non-profit corporation called Icann. This quasi-independent body has, for years, quietly regulated domain names and allocated addresses. But its lease is nearly up. And the world's rich and powerful will join battle for control of what they see as a gold mine.


The Bush administration wants Icann turned into a private corporation, on US soil and subject to US controls. Much of the rest of the world objects to that but the loudest opponents are countries with a history of censorship and repression, such as China and Iran. The likely balance of power in that struggle rests with the European Union, whose position is not clear.


The summit was originally conceived to address the digital divide - the gap between people who can get online and those, primarily in developing countries, who can't. Instead, it has been dominated by an argument over who controls the internet. The decisions of Icann - the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers - may seem very technical, but that does not mean they don't have direct political repercussions. The unelected Californian corporation could, in theory, block access to entire country domain names (all sites ending in .co.uk, for example, could be taken offline). But the alternative to that so far benign hegemony could, its defenders argue, be much worse. The countries leading the calls for control of the internet to be internationalised, under the aegis of the UN, are the same ones that have led the way in censoring their own citizens.


Remarkably, for a meeting called the World Summit on the Information Society, there will not be a single seminar or discussion panel held on freedom of expression. "The internet is not just a technical issue," Julian Bein, of the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, told The Independent yesterday.


"How can countries like China, Iran and Cuba be discussing internet governance?" Mr Bein asked. "It's not only China any more, this is a worldwide problem. Now every dictator or repressive regime in the world is attempting to control what their citizens can access."


The host of the summit, expected to attract 12,000 to 15,000 delegates and up to 50 world leaders, has hardly reassured those concerned that the spectre of censorship is being ignored.


Already, rights watchdogs say, both Tunisian and foreign reporters covering the summit have been harassed and beaten. Fears of a crackdown have led some civil society groups who plan to hold their own summit on the fringe of the gathering to conceal their plans.


At the weekend, a reporter with the French daily Libération, Christophe Boltanski, who had been investigating the recent beatings of human rights activists in Tunisia, was stabbed and kicked outside his hotel in Tunis. He was not seriously injured.


The Tunisia Monitoring Group has highlighted the cases of seven men now on a hunger strike in the country and estimates that about 500 more have been jailed for expressing opinions.


Robert Menard, secretary general of Reporters Without Borders, has been banned from attending the summit. He said: "Banning the head of an organisation that defends free expression from attending a summit about the information society is absurd and unacceptable."|


The exponential expansion of the internet has been accompanied by staunch resistance from countries anxious to prevent their own people from getting greater access to information. In the two years since the last internet summit, held in Geneva, the rise of filtering technology - deployed by states to control what they don't want people to see - has been dramatic and insidious.


Ben Edelman, an internet researcher at Harvard University, says countries using blocking technologies have found they can cut off web content they dislike, while still obtaining the internet's commercial benefits. "Go to, say, Thailand and request a banned site on politics or pornography. Thanks to blocking technologies like IP filtering, you probably won't get the web page you asked for," he said. "Neither will you get a warning saying 'This content is blocked.' Instead, your browser is likely to say 'host not found'. In fact things are just as the censors intended: the site is working fine, but you can't see it."


In Uzbekistan authorities copy controversial sites, change their content and then repost their own version - all without the users being aware. Countries such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates filter content openly and are proud of doing so. Iran earned notoriety by becoming the first country to imprison someone for the contents of an internet page, or blog.


But China remains the benchmark in censorship. Beijing has cajoled major US players such as Google, Microsoft and Yahoo into adapting their sites and services to suit the censors. A Chinese web surfer typing the word "democracy" or "freedom" or "human rights" into their server will probably receive an error message announcing: "This item contains forbidden speech."


Brad Adams, Asia director of Human Rights Watch said: "There have been great claims by internet companies that it would be an unstoppable tool for free expression and the spread of democracy. But when companies like Yahoo! Microsoft and Google decide to put profits from their Chinese operations over the free exchange of information, they are helping to kill that dream."


Last night, shareholders of the US hi-tech firm Cisco Systems were to vote on a resolution calling on management to release full details of their dealings with Chinese authorities. Pressure is building on Western companies to stop ignoring, and in some cases profiting from, censorship in repressive regimes.


Access denied: a round-the-world guide to internet provision


BURMA

The military junta permits only two service providers, both under direct state control. Of the approximately 25,000 internet users in 2003, virtually all were hand-picked members of the military or government.


CHINA

China has the world's most developed internet censorship technology, thanks, ironically, to companies such as Yahoo. The pro-democracy writer Wang Yi's blog was closed two weeks ago, days after he was nominated for an international award.


FRANCE

The Law on the Digital Economy (2004) states that service providers are legally responsible for the content their customers post online. Providers must also check the legality of any links they maintain.


UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

Though one of the best-connected countries in the Gulf, the UAE's only service provider is state-owned. Medical and scientific sites that show naked parts of the human body, as well as publications about Buddhism, Sufism, religious sects and the US anti-war film-maker Michael Moore, are all blocked. Marriage agencies are allowed, but dating sites are banned.


GERMANY

Ogrish.com, a website displaying graphic images of violence and mutilation, has recently been blocked by its service provider after a complaint from a watchdog group called Jugendschutz (Youth Protection).


IRAN

Iranian censorship officially aims to protect the public from immoral, "non-Islamic" sites, but in reality concern centres on the political possibilities of the internet: it is currently easier to access pornographic websites than reformist ones. The authorities recently ordered all privately owned service providers to put themselves under government control, or else shut down.

TURKEY

The line between criticism in the public interest and insult in online publications is very blurred in the eyes of the courts. Cybercafé owners are obliged to monitor the activity of their users for pornography, gambling, political separatism or any challenge to the state.

Something to think about next time you want to say how hot TW, ED, AM, or KK are, or post a photo.

 

[Brainiac 8]

Interesting stuff...Whatcha gonna do though?

 

[mellyM]

Has anyone read the novel "Its Superman" by Tom DeHaven? (forgive me if its been posted about already) I just bought it and so far its really interesting. Its I guess an AU story, because it sets Clark Kent and co. in the real world, though it begins when he's 17 still living in Kansas, though the book takes place in 1935. I just wondered if anyone else has read it and what they thought.

 

[Brainiac 8]

Has anyone read the novel "Its Superman" by Tom DeHaven? (forgive me if its been posted about already) I just bought it and so far its really interesting. Its I guess an AU story, because it sets Clark Kent and co. in the real world, though it begins when he's 17 still living in Kansas, though the book takes place in 1935. I just wondered if anyone else has read it and what they thought.

No, it's on my to buy list. Is it any good so far?

I figured it was a golden age story, which golden age took place on Earth-2.
I may be wrong though. It got really good reviews to it though.

Let me know how you like it.

 

[KikiDee]

Just thought you ought to know that Smallville is getting love from all sorts of strange places.

Last night on "The Office" Dwight was going into a tirade to his boss about Lex Luthor's dad and how's he's really evil when his boss said "What are you talking about? Superman" and to which Dwight replies no "Smallville".

Okay I had to edit this because I couldn't remember the exact exchange because I was in shock when I heard the name Lex Luthor and his dad and the Smallville..... Anyway, they had a paraphrased transcript over at K-Site so I copied it to add here.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]
​

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Dwight: And in conclusion, I think Lex Luthor said it best when he said, "Dad, you have no idea what I'm capable of." And that's why I think I should get a raise.

Michael: That's from Superman?

Dwight: No, Smallville. But I think it sums up what I'm saying.[/font]


​

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][/font]


It was a geek moment for me. I thought it was really cool to hear my favorite shows name mentioned on NBC. Most of the actors on that show are actually the writers as well and the actor that plays Dwight loves to improvise.

 

[darkzombiemutt]

thats pretty cool, its nice to hear the show getting props, especially on another network

 

[Brainiac 8]

Hey just wanted to show you guys and see what you think.

My avatar is a LEGO mosaic my wife made. Neat stuff.
She has it on one of our shelves on our entertainment shelf.

 

[triplet]

Cool....

You have a larger image of it? I'd like to see it, if you do.

 

[Lara]

I love Legos! I liked it when my kids were younger and needed me to build their big Lego sets. Now I'm Lego deprived.

 

[avidreader]

Hey just wanted to show you guys and see what you think.

My avatar is a LEGO mosaic my wife made. Neat stuff.
She has it on one of our shelves on our entertainment shelf.

That is so cool. She's very clever.

I've been to Legoland a couple of times and its such a cool place but I dont think I've ever seen a Superman Logo there.

 

[Brainiac 8]

That is so cool. She's very clever.

I've been to Legoland a couple of times and its such a cool place but I dont think I've ever seen a Superman Logo there.

No, actually she got the idea for it on a fan LEGO sight called Brickshelf.com

I thought she was pretty clever also, when she showed it too me. I may be biased though.

 

[triplet]

Okay, I gotta brag... my niece made the local paper for her efforts to get Darthmouth and other universities to divest from companies that are helping fund the government of the Sudan.

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051121/NEWS01/511210322/1002

It's a nice article and my older sister is gushing about her youngest...

 

[GinaRenee]

Good for her! That's a very worthwhile cause.

 

[triplet]

She shows how smart she is in that article too.... A trait her older sister doesn't share, unfortunately.

The older sister actually got into an argument with me last night after dinner when she was insisting that Superman and Batman were Marvel Comics like The Hulk and Spiderman...



I actually had problems setting her straight.

Stupid kid.

:triplet shakes her head sadly:

 

[Brainiac 8]

She shows how smart she is in that article too.... A trait her older sister doesn't share, unfortunately.

The older sister actually got into an argument with me last night after dinner when she was insisting that Superman and Batman were Marvel Comics like The Hulk and Spiderman...



I actually had problems setting her straight.

Stupid kid.

:triplet shakes her head sadly:

LOL...what color was the hair. joking.

 

[triplet]

LOL...what color was the hair. joking.

Blonde...

 

[RakuMon]

Looks like Jeph Loeb isn't quite done with television.

JEPH LOEB JOINS WRITING STAFF OF ABC-TV's LOST
Press Release



In his recent appearance on WORDBALLOON.COM, Jeph Loeb spoke at length about joining the writers staff on the hit ABC TV series LOST, as a Supervising Producer.

Jeph just wrapped up a three years stint in the same capacity on the WB series SMALLVILLE."It's a really fascinating process and different than Smallville...I don't know about you but I'm obsessed with the show...it really is such an odd mix of genres and characters that anything can happen on the show and that part fascinates me..."

While He's known for writing specific Smallville episodes as "Red" and " Insurgence" , featuring the appearance of red kryptonite, and Clark's first leap between tall buildings, Loeb stresses the importance of co-writing stories in television.

"There's No I in Team, but there is in Dick... I don't believe in saying 'yeah that was my idea'. I've worked as a screenwriter for years, it's lonely profession, you're working in a box. (but at Smallville) My value was breaking stories ...coming up with scenes that get you to the main plot of the story. My responsibilities became more about being in the writers room, and working on all the scripts.

Jeph left SMALLVILLE at the end of his 3 year contract last spring, which also sadly coincided with the loss of his 17 year old son Sam to cancer.

"(Exec producers) Al (Gogh) & Miles (Millar) were gentleman and asked if I wanted to come back, but I didn't know if I wanted to go back to work, but then the people from LOST called, and asked if I'd join them...I'm not sure if it was a good idea coming back to work so soon, I'll let you know in a year "

As a writer, Loeb has found an empathetic connection to the LOST survivors, who must deal with their lives after suffering from
unexpected tragedy.

"I've had my plane crash, I know how that feels like, and now it's
about how I live my life... I believe I can live my life in an effective way, by telling stories on LOST, and continuing with my comics and whatever comes next."

Loeb influenced LOST episodes will debut starting in January. "...just like at Smallville ,according to the producers ,my value seems to be in the writer's room, working on all the scripts."

In the interview, Loeb also goes into some behind the scenes detail of his plans at Marvel writing THE ULTIMATES vol 3 , which begins later in 2006. Plus he talks about the Spirit-Batman crossover, the Buffy animated series, and wrapping up his DC work on Superman-Batman.

For more details , listen to the mp3/podcast, at www.wordballoon.com

 

[Brainiac 8]

Looks like Jeph Loeb isn't quite done with television.

JEPH LOEB JOINS WRITING STAFF OF ABC-TV's LOST
Press Release



In his recent appearance on WORDBALLOON.COM, Jeph Loeb spoke at length about joining the writers staff on the hit ABC TV series LOST, as a Supervising Producer.

Jeph just wrapped up a three years stint in the same capacity on the WB series SMALLVILLE."It's a really fascinating process and different than Smallville...I don't know about you but I'm obsessed with the show...it really is such an odd mix of genres and characters that anything can happen on the show and that part fascinates me..."

While He's known for writing specific Smallville episodes as "Red" and " Insurgence" , featuring the appearance of red kryptonite, and Clark's first leap between tall buildings, Loeb stresses the importance of co-writing stories in television.

"There's No I in Team, but there is in Dick... I don't believe in saying 'yeah that was my idea'. I've worked as a screenwriter for years, it's lonely profession, you're working in a box. (but at Smallville) My value was breaking stories ...coming up with scenes that get you to the main plot of the story. My responsibilities became more about being in the writers room, and working on all the scripts.

Jeph left SMALLVILLE at the end of his 3 year contract last spring, which also sadly coincided with the loss of his 17 year old son Sam to cancer.

"(Exec producers) Al (Gogh) & Miles (Millar) were gentleman and asked if I wanted to come back, but I didn't know if I wanted to go back to work, but then the people from LOST called, and asked if I'd join them...I'm not sure if it was a good idea coming back to work so soon, I'll let you know in a year "

As a writer, Loeb has found an empathetic connection to the LOST survivors, who must deal with their lives after suffering from
unexpected tragedy.

"I've had my plane crash, I know how that feels like, and now it's
about how I live my life... I believe I can live my life in an effective way, by telling stories on LOST, and continuing with my comics and whatever comes next."

Loeb influenced LOST episodes will debut starting in January. "...just like at Smallville ,according to the producers ,my value seems to be in the writer's room, working on all the scripts."

In the interview, Loeb also goes into some behind the scenes detail of his plans at Marvel writing THE ULTIMATES vol 3 , which begins later in 2006. Plus he talks about the Spirit-Batman crossover, the Buffy animated series, and wrapping up his DC work on Superman-Batman.

For more details , listen to the mp3/podcast, at www.wordballoon.com

That just makes me sad, I want him back for Smallville. I think his input made some of the best episodes.

But it is good for Lost fans.

 

[AgentPat]

...Jeph left SMALLVILLE at the end of his 3 year contract last spring, which also sadly coincided with the loss of his 17 year old son Sam to cancer.

"(Exec producers) Al (Gogh) & Miles (Millar) were gentleman and asked if I wanted to come back, but I didn't know if I wanted to go back to work, but then the people from LOST called, and asked if I'd join them...

*sigh*

No comment.

 

[avidreader]

If I were in his position, my feelings would be that I wouldnt want to work too closely with people that obviously had a real connection with him and his son which potentially could bring back some painful memories.

He probably feels that if he is going to work then he should move on and start afresh with new faces that dont know anything of his sad past.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Brainiac 8]

If I were in his position, my feelings would be that I wouldnt want to work too closely with people that obviously had a real connection with him and his son which potentially could bring back some painful memories.

He probably feels that if he is going to work then he should move on and start afresh with new faces that dont know anything of his sad past.

Just my thoughts.

Go ahead, be logical and stuff. *sarcasm*

just kidding.

 

[avidreader]

Go ahead, be logical and stuff. *sarcasm*

just kidding.

I used to work in a Hospice not too long ago, so I'm used to being logical when it comes to things like that.

 

[Brainiac 8]

I used to work in a Hospice not too long ago, so I'm used to being logical when it comes to things like that.

*Sticks tongue out at Avid*

 

[AgentPat]

For lack of a "better" thread to post this in, here's a thread on UseNet started in a SOAP OPERA forum (ahem). It's a pretty interesting read and touches on LOTS of different Superman-related issues, believe it or not.

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.arts.tv.soaps.abc/browse_frm/thread/6ce42f904b5ec247/