The decorative fountain, the secret passage, the habits of the Queen Maria, the chapel.

Film made by Dan Alexoae

(A video against the war, including the actual war in Ossetia and Abkhazia, Georgia)

More at http://www.setthings.com

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

(John Lennon, Imagine)

From PPS with author: John Wellbelove

Some hours ago, an immigrant just died near the Reggio Calabria city in the Mediterranean waters, because he didn’t know to swim. Tens of Italians just looked at him and did nothing, They called the emergency after the man died, only. (La Repubblica)

Some days ago, sunbathers sit next to the bodies of two Gypsy girls who drowned Saturday near Naples.

Now, the Italians believe that they will avoid all the social problems with the help of the army.

Quo vadis, Italy?

Radovan Karadžić (Serbian: Радован Караџић, IPA: [râdovaːn kâraʤiʨ]; born 19 June 1945 in Petnjica, SR Montenegro, SFR Yugoslavia) is a former Bosnian Serb politician, poet and psychiatrist who was a fugitive from 1995 until 21 July 2008 after having been indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Netherlands. He was arrested in Belgrade on 21 July 2008 and brought before Belgrade’s War Crimes Court. For some time he had been working at a private clinic in Belgrade specialising in alternative medicine and psychology under the alias Dr. Dragan David Dabić under the company name of “Human Quantum Energy”. (Wikipedia)

Radovan Karadzic’s female companion shocked at true identity
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
A woman who was Radovan Karadzic’s companion during his life in hiding has told of her shock at discovering his true identity. She vehemently denies reports …

Karadzic trial to test tribunal
San Jose Mercury News,  USA
By Kevin Sullivan and Peter Finn THE HAGUE, Netherlands – The arrest of Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb leader accused of genocide and crimes against …

The Karadzic Trial
New York Times, United States
Q. What is Radovan Karadzic charged with? What is the process? A. Radovan Karadzic is charged with a wide range of crimes, from genocide to crimes against …

Jewish organizations welcomed the arrest of indicted war criminal …
Jewish Telegraphic Agency, NY
The Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee applauded the arrest of Karadzic, who is accused of overseeing the 1995 massacre at Srebrenica, …

Radovan Karadzic: the ultimate quack?
guardian.co.uk, UK
The extraordinary double life of Bosnian genocide suspect Radovan Karadzic as an alternative therapist poses the question: is this the final nail in the …

Arrest of Karadzic eases Dutch feelings of guilt
Radio Netherlands, Netherlands
Now that the former Bosnian-Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has been arrested, attention appears to be shifting away from the Dutch actions in Srebrenica. …

National Post editorial board on the arrest of Radovan Karadzic: A …
National Post, Canada
Boris Tadić has more integrity than Vojislav Koštunica ever had (faint praise indeed) but make no mistake: Radovan Karadzic was bought and paid for. …

The Radovan Karadzic trial will be a travesty
Telegraph.co.uk, United Kingdom
The loathsome Radovan Karadžić will be vacu-suctioned off to The Hague to face a court that violates every norm of jurisprudence. …

Court Advocates Hope Bashir Gets Message from Karadzic Arrest
Voice of America
He says that President Bashir may be able to draw some important lessons from the international resolve that finally brought Radovan Karadzic to justice. …

Timeline: Radovan Karadzic
Financial Times, UK
945 Radovan Karadzic is born into poverty in Savnik (now Montenegro), Yugoslavia, the son of a Serb nationalist fighter. 1960 He moves to Sarajevo, …

Blogosphere:

Sri Sri Radovan Karadzic
David Seaton
That’s why I laughed out loud when I read that Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb’s answer to Dr. Mengele, had disguised himself as a guru and nobody around him ever caught on… No flies on this mass murderer. A perfect disguise. …

Doctor Radovan Karadzic?
Cheryl Brink
The former president of Bosnia, Radovan Karadzic, was arrested yesterday on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity during the war from 1992 to 1995. He has been on the run for the last 11 years and apparently working as a …

Radovan Karadžić, The Balkans & China
davesgonechina
Radovan Karadžić has been arrested in Belgrade, where he has been hiding right under everyones noses under an assumed identity of a mystic healer. On the official Serbian/English website of his alter ego, Dr. Dragan Dabic, he claims he …

Things that are giving psychiatry a bad name – Radovan Karadzic
Frontier Psychiatrist
Anyone who thinks that psychiatrists are murders and psychopaths need look no further than Radovan Karadzic, who until yesterday was Europe’s most wanted man and is now awaiting trial for war crimes in The Hague. …

Radovan Karadzic/Dragan David Dabic’s website
Adam LeBor
If a Hollywood scriptwriter came up with a plot that Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, one of the world’s most wanted war criminals, would be found posing as an alternative medicine practitioner in New Belgrade, wearing a long white …

Serbia: Radovan Karadzic was Disguised as a Doctor
Sinisa Boljanovic
On July 22, Rasim Ljaljic, president of the National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal, and Vladimir Vukcevic, a war crimes prosecutor, held a press conference about the arrest of Radovan Karadzic a day earlier. …

Jasmina Tešanović: My neighbor Radovan Karadzic (essay)
Xeni Jardin
Radovan Karadzic, poet, psychiatrist and planetary war criminal number one, effectively vanished in 1996. His General, Ratko Mladic, is still on the run. Karadzic and Mladic were the architect and the builder of the genocide in …

Radovan Karadzic is History
Mark Stoneman
For the generation of students I am now teaching, Radovan Karadzic might seem like ancient history. Only my older nontraditional students remember the Bosnian War. Those in their twenties and teens were either too young at the time to …

Sean M. Maloney on Radovan Karadzic’s time on the lam: What took …
Dan Goldbloom
After 13 years of futility, the West is cheering the capture of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, a man accused of a log list of hideous war crimes. As someone who has followed the Balkans closely, I cannot help but think …

White House Hails Arrest of Radovan Karadzic
The White House lauds Serbia after its arrest of one of the world’s most wanted fugitives — Radovan Karadzic, the Bosnian Serb leader during the 1990s “ethnic cleansing.” “There is no better tribute to the victims of the war’s …

INTRODUCTION

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) continue to be a major driver of economic and social modernisation. Today, businesses in the EU devote 20% of investment to ICTs, and the sector accounts for 26% of overall research expenditure. Moreover, 60% of basic public services are now fully available online and more than half of EU citizens use the Internet regularly.[1]

i2010 aims to 1) establish a European information space, i.e. a true single market for the digital economy so as to exploit fully the economies of scale offered by Europe’s 500 million strong consumer market; 2) reinforce innovation and investment in ICT research given that ICTs are a principle driver of the economy; and 3) promote inclusion, public services and quality of life, i.e. extending the European values of inclusion and quality of life to the information society. |

The i2010[2] strategy, launched on 1 June 2005, was the first coherent policy framework for the era of convergent telecommunication and media services. Much progress has been made in the past three years. A few examples suffice to show the breadth of achievements: a new regulatory framework for audiovisual media services is in place; proposals to reform the regulation of electronic communications have been launched;[3] regulation to create a single market for mobile phone use across borders is in operation; initiatives to boost online content in Europe are under discussion;[4] major new R&D and innovation funding initiatives are up and running (the Seventh Research Framework and the ICT Policy Support Programme under the Competitiveness and Innovation Programme — CIP); ground-breaking public private partnerships (Joint Technology Initiatives) have just been launched; and new eInclusion initiatives are on track.[5]

Meanwhile, Europe is among the world leaders in the development of the digital economy. The European broadband market, with 90 million lines, has more subscribers than any other economic region, and half of European citizens use the Internet on a regular basis. Some Member States top the world league in broadband take-up, mobile penetration, data traffic. But gaps between Member States are significant and Europe is under-investing when compared to other industrialised regions, as well as facing growing competition from China and India. That is why the policy framework provided by i2010 is needed more than ever today. But does the i2010 framework need adjusting mid-way through its term?

I2010 AT MID-TERM

The current assessment of the Lisbon Strategy[6] shows that structural reforms are starting to pay off, but the economic landscape is fragmented. This overall picture is also true for the information society. While the 2007 Strategic Lisbon Report confirms the prominence of ICTs in structural reform and half of Member States have strengthened their R&D and ICT policies, many parts of the EU still lag behind in adopting ICTs.

During 2007, the Commission reviewed the i2010 approach in the light of today’s priorities for growth and jobs. The assessment of the Lisbon strategy, the Single Market Review[7], the implementation of the Innovation Action Plan[8] and the review of the consumer acquis [9] have all highlighted the importance of ICTs. The following issues are thus becoming strategic for competitiveness and ICT take-up in Europe:

- Europe has made big progress towards the networked economy, but it needs to shift up a gear to lead the transition to next-generation networks while not slacking off in its efforts to overcome the digital divide.

- Europe should take better advantage of its number one economic asset, the largest consumer market in the developed world; however, despite the global spread of the Internet, further steps are needed to create a Single Market for the digital economy.

- ICT research expenditure is still below target in most Member States. Greater efforts are needed to pool resources by coordinating research and innovation efforts.

- As the Internet permeates daily life, public expectations and concerns about the information society are changing. Safeguards need to evolve to match technology and market developments, without stifling the huge opportunities that online social and economic activity offers.

This Communication makes concrete proposals for re-orienting i2010 to meet these challenges by further promoting competitiveness and ICT take-up in Europe.

THE CHALLENGE OF FUTURE NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET

DIGITAL CONVERGENCE IS NOW A REALITY AND THE Internet is an essential tool for our economies and daily lives. Broadband is becoming the standard mode of connectivity. Online content is developing fast, mainly in new and user-created content areas.

The European broadband market is developing rapidly and already outstrips that of the United States. The penetration rate reached 20% of the population in January 2008, a threefold increase since enlargement in 2004, with Denmark, Finland and The Netherlands being world leaders. However, there are now some signs of fatigue: growth in penetration is slowing down and there are increasing gaps between Member States in terms of take-up, speed, price and coverage. Bandwidth requirements are on the rise, and although speeds are developing similarly to those in the United States, the migration to high-speed broadband in the EU is sluggish.

Graph 1:

High quality monitoring is crucial to the design of the appropriate policy framework. The Commission proposes to benchmark overall performance of Member States on a range of factors which could include current take-up, speeds, rural coverage, affordability, innovation and other socio-economic dimensions. The Commission will develop, in consultation with the Member States, a Broadband Performance Index that will seek to compare broadband developments in the Member States.

Investment in next-generation networks is not going ahead as quickly as Europe needs. Consequently, the Commission will in 2008 clarify the regulatory provisions for next-generation access in a Recommendation. In addition to fixed-line infrastructure, wireless is increasingly emerging as an alternative infrastructure, especially but not only in rural areas. The Communication on the ‘digital dividend’[10] has called for some frequencies to be made available to allow a balanced mix of high-definition broadcasting, mobile TV and wireless broadband.

With the Internet Protocol (IP) now the primary means of providing services, applications and content, a new more powerful version, IPv6, needs to be implemented. This will extend the available number of IP addresses considerably and allow more novel applications based on wireless technologies, which will expand broadband connectivity to include new mobile devices enabling ubiquitous usage. Radio-frequency identification devices (RFID) and sensor technologies embedded in products will generate much more machine-to-machine communication and extend the Internet to the ‘Internet of Things’.

Taking a longer-term view, the Commission is preparing the ground for this future Internet of Things, for example through its work on RFID, Internet governance and network integrity[11]. In 2008, the Commission will issue a recommendation on RFID, to ensure legal certainty and ease privacy and security concerns. Furthermore, to bring together the various future-oriented actions and facilitate a coherent policy for preparing the information society for the future of the Internet, the Commission will issue a Communication on the future of networks and the Internet in 2008.

Actions in 2008:

- Develop a broadband performance index and invite Member States to set national targets for high-speed Internet usage to reach a 30% penetration rate among the EU population by 2010;

- Help prepare the information society for the future Internet economy by issuing a Communication on the future of networks and Internet;

- Facilitate the transition to new networks by issuing a recommendation on Next Generation Access;

- Promote the Internet of Things through a Recommendation on RFID, focusing on privacy and security issues;

- Propose measures to ensure a high level of resilience of critical communication networks and information infrastructure (like the Internet) and to guarantee continuity of services;

- Propose a set of actions to facilitate the transition to IPv6.

TOWARDS A TRUE SINGLE MARKET — THE CONTRIBUTION OF ICTS

Completing a single market for the information society and media is one of the main objectives of the i2010 initiative. Important steps have been taken recently with the adoption of the Commission’s proposals for the reform of telecommunication rules and the launch of the Content Online initiative.

The EU regulatory framework has had a largely positive impact on European electronic communication markets, but has been unsuccessful in delivering sufficient consistency in regulatory approaches. The fragmentation of regulation across the 27 Member States, including the enforcement of remedies, threatens to become a serious obstacle to the development of the Single Market and to hinder the emergence of pan-European services.

In the reform of the regulatory framework for electronic communications[12], the Commission has made proposals to ensure greater consistency. It has proposed the creation of a ‘European Electronic Communications Market Authority (EECMA)’, which will draw on the expertise of national regulatory authorities. It will also facilitate a coordinated approach to spectrum across Member States. To reap the benefits of a single mobile market, facilitating the emergence of pan-European mobile services and the exploitation of economies of scale, the spectrum reform proposals promote more trading of spectrum within the EU as well as service and technological neutrality.

The Single Market review[13] underlines the potential of ICTs to open up the Single Market for the benefit of citizens, businesses and public authorities: the free movement of knowledge and innovation should be promoted as a ‘fifth freedom’ in the Single Market. The EU should improve the framework conditions for innovation, in particular in the information society, by accelerating the setting of interoperable standards and moving towards more common spectrum management. The Commission has been working on improving ICT standardisation and will come forward with a proposal by the end of 2008.

A clear priority for the EU is to close the important gaps in the Single Market, particularly in services, and this includes: streamlining of procedures, reduction of administrative burdens, and promoting transborder market access in particular for public procurement. Applications would include: interoperable provision of pan-European eGovernment services and the cross-border recognition of eSignatures.

The legal framework governing the information society and the sometimes fragmented implementation in the Member States can make it difficult to exploit the potential of ICTs on a European scale, risking increasing barriers to cross-border online trade. It is necessary to address overlapping requirements, gaps or inconsistencies in implementation and to keep pace with technological change (see graph 2 below) to ensure the efficient functioning of the “e-Internal Market”. For example, eInvoicing will be addressed during 2008 and 2009 by an Expert Group that will identify regulatory shortcomings and eInvoicing business requirements, and will propose to the Commission by end-2009 a framework to promote full recognition of e-invoices in cross-border transactions.

Graph 2: Evolution of the legal and technical landscape

Source: DLA Piper, 2007

Actions:

- Support the adoption of the regulatory package for e-Communications and in particular the creation of the EECMA;

- Make spectrum management more efficient by facilitating the harmonisation and trading of the pan-European part of frequencies;

- Develop pan-European public services, with the aid of the large-scale pilots under the ICT Policy Support Programme;

- Propose improvements to the EU’s ICT standardisation system;

- Adopt an Action Plan to further promote eSignature and e-authentication;

- Implement the European electronic invoicing framework.

FACING THE CHALLENGE OF COMPETITIVENESS THROUGH INNOVATION AND RESEARCH

Research and innovation are at the top of the EU agenda for economic reform. But although 22 out of 27 Member States have identified these areas as key challenges in their national reform programmes and have foreseen over 14% of the Structural Fund investments in 2007-2013 for RTD and innovation, the target of 3% of GDP on research by 2010 is still out of reach.[14]

The EU spends only about half as much on ICT R&D as the US, and is specialised in sub-sectors with low research intensity. ICTs represent about 30% of the overall research effort in most developed countries, and the gap between the EU’s efforts and those of its main competitors is undermining its future ability to lead information society innovations.

To stimulate an increase in investment, the EU has shown the way by making ICTs the single largest item within FP7. The EU is also pioneering public-private partnerships with the launch of the Joint Technology Initiatives ARTEMIS (embedded systems) and ENIAC (nanoelectronics). The Joint National Programmes are designed to leverage more R&D investment from both Member States and industry.

Financial support is complemented by a set of demand-side measures for innovation, such as the Lead Market Initiative[15]. The initiative focuses on high-potential markets in Europe and relies on a mix of R&D and innovation financing, public procurement of innovation, regulatory instruments, and coordination and partnership with Member States and stakeholders.

Procurement for innovation is underutilised in the EU. This includes in particular the procurement of R&D to bring about radical improvements in public services while at the same time creating opportunities for European companies to acquire international leadership in new markets and promoting consumer friendly standards.

eHealth Lead Market Initiative: An ageing society together with a dramatic increase in chronic diseases and an increasing demand for better healthcare will lead to an explosion of healthcare costs. ICTs play a key role in the transformation of healthcare systems and Europe has invested massively in R&D for healthcare applications. Forecasts expect an increase of 43% of the market volume by 2020, bringing it to €30 billion from currently €21 billion within the EU-15 in 2006. But eHealth systems in the Member States are not easily compatible. The eHealth Lead Market Initiative thus aims to develop a European market for innovative eHealth technologies and to combat fragmentation in the way healthcare is delivered in the different Member States. |

The European Technology Platforms have helped bring about a more strategic and coordinated European research agenda and develop European, national and regional research and innovation programmes and policies, but there needs to be more cross-fertilisation among them.

eHealth is a good example of how ICT innovation can serve overarching European policy goals.[16] ICTs can also help achieve the EU’s ambition to address climate change and increase energy efficiency. First of all, the ICT sector itself can ‘get its own house in order’ by improving energy efficiency at the level of components, systems and applications. For example, depending on the application, the energy-saving potential of data centres is between 20-70%. But more broadly, ICTs can improve energy efficiency across the economy through ‘dematerialisation’, enabling new business models, and through improved monitoring and finer control of processes and activities. As a first step, the Commission will focus on ICTs as an enabler to improve energy efficiency.

Following the evaluation of the Sixth Framework Programme[17], the Commission will in 2009 launch a set of initiatives to ensure Europe’s leadership further developing ICTs, to modernise and improve the quality and efficiency of its public sector and to master the technologies essential for the economy and society. This process will be launched with a Communication on ICT research and innovation in 2009 and defining preparatory actions in FP7 and the CIP.

The contribution of ICTs to the Lisbon goals is further enhanced by the development of e-infrastructures (such as GEANT or Grids), which help build new research environments, driving productivity and the quality of the science performed. These infrastructures link researchers in all domains with huge bandwidth and computing power, removing geographical constraints and facilitating distributed collaboration, thus creating synergies between dispersed research groups and enhancing their potential to address more complex challenges.

Actions:

- Launch the Joint Technology Initiatives as the first true Europe-wide public-private research partnerships;

- Promote the European Technology Platforms, in particular closer cooperation among them;

- Implement the eHealth lead market initiative: eHealth innovation scorecards; Recommendation on eHealth interoperability; address standardisation and certification needs; measures to improve legal certainty;

- Promote the role of the public sector as a first buyer of innovation;

- Issue a Communication on ICTs and energy efficiency;

- Launch a process to ensure Europe’s leadership in ICTs with a Communication on ICT Research and Innovation;

- Promote the role of e-Infrastructures in a changing and global research environment.

THE NEED TO DEVELOP A LONG-TERM POLICY AGENDA FOR USERS IN THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

The Internet is now part of daily life: in 2007 one in every two Europeans was a regular Internet user and nearly 80% of households using the Internet had already migrated from dial-up to broadband, with users increasingly embracing new applications.

Nevertheless, nearly 40% of Europeans do not use the Internet at all and 46% of European households still do not have Internet access.

The Commission is working step by step towards realising the ambition of making the information society accessible to all Europeans. The eInclusion initiative provides a strategic framework to boost the effective participation of groups at risk of exclusion and to improve the quality of life through the use of ICTs. The latter issue is also addressed in the i2010 flagship initiatives, such as the Intelligent car initiative, which have been developing into policy strands in their own rights.

The reform of the legal framework for electronic communications will strengthen user rights in the telecoms sector by making it easier to make informed choices before purchasing products and to switch providers. Access to emergency services through ‘112’ will be improved and users with disabilities will benefit from greater access to services. Privacy and security provisions will also be strengthened. In addition, in line with its obligations, the Commission will report in 2008 on the application of the universal service obligations in the light of social, economic and technological developments.

eCommerce is not progressing as fast as other Internet domains. The complexity and diversity of products and services are making it more difficult for consumers to judge the quality of what is offered on the market, and a lack or perceived lack of trust and security when using new technologies and services could be hindering wider take-up. Clarifying users’ rights and obligations is a first priority, which will be addressed in 2008. Raising trust and confidence in the online world is also crucial. The current review of EC consumer law will address these issues, in particular by harmonising and improving users’ rights and obligations.[18] In this context, the Commission will make a proposal that aims at increasing confidence in cross-border transactions (including online transactions) by simplifying and improving the consumer regulatory framework.

The noticeable rise of online content, especially user-created content, is largely driven by new business models that increasingly rely on online advertising. The protection of copyright remains a constant concern for Member States and the Commission. The launch of the Content Online platform[19] will provide a forum to discuss these issues. On the issue of the disclosure of personal data for copyright protection, the Court of Justice[20] has highlighted the need to strike a balance between the fundamental rights of intellectual property and personal data protection.

Social networking, or the participative web, is one of the growth phenomena of the past four years, becoming one of the most popular online applications for Europeans, after email and online search. In 2007, 24% of European citizens participated in online fora, up from 18% in 2006, with even stronger interest among the younger generations. The e-Participation initiative explores the Internet as a way of bringing political messages to the citizen. The rise of more participative ways of using the Internet leads to new challenges as well. A growing number of users are concerned about content quality, information accuracy, the integrity of information privacy and the protection of minors. Those starting to advertise and distribute content and to generate earnings from this through user-created content platforms are confronted with unauthorised use of their copyright-protected content. These challenges will be addressed further in 2008.

A ctions:

- Report on the universal service obligations;

- Implement the eInclusion initiative: proposal on eAccessibility legislation; Ambient Assisted Living flagship to respond to the challenge of an ageing population; review of digital literacy policies; eInclusion summit;

- Publish a guide that explains users’ rights and obligations in the digital environment;

- Launch the next phase in the review of the consumer acquis — Framework Directive on Consumer Contractual Rights;

- Launch Safer Internet 2009-2013 for the protection of minors and the fight against illegal content;

- Respond to the challenges to privacy and trust stemming from new converging services in the future ubiquitous information society;

- Launch the Content Online Platform;

- Address issues concerning the interoperability and transparency of digital rights management systems (DRMs) for consumers in the Recommendation on Content Online.

CONCLUSION

This Communication confirms the important contribution of information society and media policies to the achievement of the Lisbon goals. It also confirms the validity of i2010 as the reference framework for European information society and media policies. It makes concrete proposals for i2010 to be re-oriented to further promote competitiveness and ICT take-up in Europe. In 2008-2009 the Commission will also develop the long-term agenda for information society and media policies, and prepare an assessment of the overall contribution of ICTs to Europe’s economic performance[21]. There is a crucial need to develop European policies that both encourage the competitiveness of the leading countries and address the gaps between the high and low performers, thus countering fragmentation among Member States.

[1] For all figures quoted, if not specified otherwise, see annexed staff working documents.

[2] http://ec.europa.eu/i2010.

[3] http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/tomorrow/index_en.htm.

[4] COM(2007) 836, http://ec.europa.eu/avpolicy/other_actions/content_online/index_en.htm.

[5] COM(2007) 694, http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/activities/einclusion/index_en.htm.

[6] COM(2007) 803, http://ec.europa.eu/growthandjobs/european-dimension/200712-annual-progress-report/index_en.htm.

[7] COM(2007) 724, http://ec.europa.eu/internal_market/strategy/index_en.htm.

[8] COM(2006) 502, http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/innovation/index_en.htm.

[9] http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/rights/cons_acquis_en.htm.

[10] COM(2007) 700, http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/radio_spectrum/index_en.htm.

[11] See http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/tomorrow/index_en.htm.

[12] http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/tomorrow/index_en.htm.

[13] COM(2007) 724.

[14] COM(2007) 803.

[15] COM(2007) 860, http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/leadmarket/leadmarket.htm.

[16] COM(2007) 860.

[17] An independent panel chaired by Mr Esk Aho will issue its report mid-2008.

[18] COM(2006) 744, p. 1, http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/rights/cons_acquis_en.htm.

[19] COM(2007) 724.

[20] Case C-275/06.

[21] Support for this will be drawn from ongoing analysis and consultations on the following topics: the economic and social impact of ICTs, including on employment; the legal and economic aspects of a Single Market for the information society; future policy needs for new networks and the Internet, privacy and trust issues in the ubiquitous information society; user-created content; a long-term reflection on the role of ICTs in sustainable development; and the development of an information society for all, including regional policies,http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/eeurope/i2010/studies/index_en.htm.

(Source)

I do believe in extra-terrestrial life, but not in UFO. It‘s somewhat similar with the faith and the God. I believe in the Idea, but not in its generally accepted, specific perception. The Idea can be accepted from a logical point of view, but a specific, a concretization of the Idea need to be demonstrated. Otherwise, I suspect it to deserve to one or another interest.

The Director of the Vatican Observatory, José Gabriel Funes, admitted the possibility of extra-terrestrial life in an interview with the Papacy’s inhouse daily L’Osservatore Romano, titled “The Alien is my Brother”. “This is not in contradiction with our faith, because we cannot establish limits to God’s creative freedom… To say it with St Francis, if we can consider some earthly creatures as ‘brothers’ or ‘sisters’, why could we not speak of a ‘brother alien’? He would also belong to the creation.”

José Gabriel Funes said he believed the Big Bang theory was the most “reasonable” explanation of the creation of the universe, meaning the creation of the Universe due to a primary explosion of a singular point, now, after billions of years, the Universe being in expansion.

These days, Mike Foreman, a mission specialist during the recent Shuttle Endeavor voyage, expressed also confidence in the extra-terestrial life: “It’s hard to believe that there is not life somewhere else in this great universe.”

Last month, some mysterious lights were seen over Phoenix.

Britain’s defence ministry opens these days its secret UFO files to the public.

NASA scientists at the Chandra X-ray Observatory are holding a teleconference this morning to announce “the discovery of an object in our Galaxy astronomers have been hunting for more than 50 years.”

Now, I just see on TV a discussion about these latest declarations, trying to say that we have to expect to big changes during the near future, that we are just prepared by these declarations to what it will start soon.

It is just what some world leaders want to induce to us. We have to be disconnected from the real problems of the world. Do we want this? I think it is like In Matrix, some of us refused to be connected to the real world.

I believe that the persons that make reference to UFO and aliens belong to three categories:

1. The fanatics: they really believe in in UFO and extra-terrestrial life on Earth
2. The desperate: they need, due to a reason or another, to believe in UFO, in order to keep the Hope
3. The manipulators: the persons that spread this idea of the UFO and aliens in order to divert attention from other social or economical phenomena.

Anyway, maybe it is a coincidence. But if it is a marketing strategy of the last X-Files movie (titled “I want to believe”) released by 20th Century Fox, to launch the trailer right these days to coincide with the latest news about extra-terrestrial life, I congratulate them for their professionalism. X-Files | I want to believe is filming now in Vancouver, and is due out in theaters July 25.

Replacing the thousands of social networks with a single big social network? No, but a golden mine, maybe the best service of Google for me and my 287 web sites and tens of blogs, every one with its own users till now.

So, from now on any of us can have his own social network, using Google Friend Connect. In order to become a social site, you have to add a snippet of code, picking and choosing from built-in functionality like user registration, invitations, members gallery, message posting, and reviews, as well as third-party applications built by the OpenSocial developer community. This way, your visitors will be able to see, invite, and interact with new friends, or, using secure authorization APIs, with existing friends from social sites on the web, including Facebook, Google Talk, hi5, orkut, Plaxo, and more.

“Google Friend Connect is about helping the ‘long tail’ of sites become more social,” said David Glazer, a director of engineering at Google. “Many sites aren’t explicitly social and don’t necessarily want to be social networks, but they still benefit from letting their visitors interact with each other. That used to be hard. Fortunately, there’s an emerging wave of social standards — OpenID, OAuth, OpenSocial, and the data access APIs published by Facebook, Google, MySpace, and others. Google Friend Connect builds on these standards to let people easily connect with their friends, wherever they are on the web, making ‘any app, any site, any friends’ a reality.”

Google promises for site owners a better traffic (people will bring their friends with them and can opt-in to publish their activities on those sites back into their social network, attracting even more visitors), an increase in user engagement (more interesting content and richer social experiences by using OpenSocial applications), and less work by implementing social components without hiring a programming team or becoming a social network.

TechCrunch give us details after Erick Shonfeld talked with Google engineering director David Glazer: ” …if you go to a Website that is part of Friend Connect, you will be able to sign in under your Facebook, Google Talk, hi5, Orkut, or Plaxo IDs (you choose which one you want to sign in under, with more options coming). Then you authorize the site to go out and retrieve your friend’s list from that network. Any of those friends who also happen to be members of the site you are on will then show up and you can interact with them.”

Let’s start!, I told myself. And I pushed the button “Sign-up for preview release“. A new window, with an online form. I filled it and pushed the Submit button. But the preview release is just a short notice: “Something bad happened. Don’t worry, though. The Spreadsheets Team has been notified and we’ll get right on it.”

I tried several times, with Firefox as well as with Internet Explorer. Same result. Very beta!

(See the full Press Release)

Jenna Welch Hager, née Bush (born November 25, 1981 in Dallas, Texas) is the daughter of U.S. President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush and the fraternal twin of Barbara Pierce Bush. Jenna and Barbara are known as the First Twins both because they are the children of the U.S. President and because they are the first twin children of a sitting President. (Wikipedia)

Shhhh! Bush wedding is quiet event
Chicago Tribune, United States
President George W. Bush did tell Fox News: “There’s going to be bands and good food, I hope.” In marrying Jenna Bush, Hager is saying “I do” to being the …

US President Bush’s daughter Jenna weds
Rediff, India
US President George W Bush’s [Images] daughter Jenna Bush [Images] got married on Sunday at her father’s Texas ranch. Jenna, 26, wed fiance Henry Hager, 30, …

Jenna Bush wedding is a First Family affair
Times Online, UK
Jenna Bush married Henry Hager in a down-home Texas wedding yesterday at the family ranch in Crawford, Texas, before some 200 friends and relatives and in …

Jenna Bush ties the knot
Independent Online, South Africa
Waco, Texas – US President George Bush said the wedding of his daughter Jenna at his Texas ranch had been “spectacular”. “Our little girl, Jenna, …

Jenna Bush says ‘I do’
ITV.com, UK
Mr Hager met Jenna during her father’s 2004 re-election campaign. He graduated from Wake Forest University and worked as an aide to Mr Bush’s former top …

Jenna Bush’s wedding a secret service
Boston Globe, United States
President Bush spent months joking about being a father of the bride, but yesterday he was downright wistful about giving his daughter Jenna away to her …

Jenna Bush Has Wedding at Ranch in Crawford
New York Times, United States
Jenna Welch Bush and Henry Chase Hager were married at the Bush family’s ranch in Crawford, Tex. The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell officiated. …

JENNA BUSH WEDDING Jenna Bush Wedding
ABC News
In this image, President Bush and Jenna Bush pose for a photographer prior to Jenna’s wedding at Prairie Chapel Ranch in Crawford, Texas.

Bush Daughter Marries at Private Texas Ceremony
Voice of America
By VOA News Jenna Bush – the 26-year-old daughter of President and Mrs. Bush – was married Saturday night in a small, private affair at her family’s ranch …

Jenna Bush Wedding was Private Affair; Pictures Available on
TransWorldNews (press release), GA
Jenna Bush, the daughter of President George W. Bush, got married to Henry Hager in a beautiful wedding Sunday at her father’s Crawford, Texas ranch. …

First Daughter Jenna Bush Weds over Mother’s Day Weekend
WBKO, KY
Against the backdrop of a stunning Texas sunset, near a lake on the Bush family’s 1600 acre Crawford ranch, President Bush walked his daughter Jenna down …

Jenna Bush’s Wedding Officiant Supports Obama
AOL News Newsbloggers, VA
Jenna Bush married her longtime boyfriend this weekend on her family’s Crawford ranch. By all accounts it was a lovely ceremony and a great party. …

Charting the Marriage of Jenna Bush and Henry Hager
National Ledger, AZ
Life in the material world comes easily to them, and they are extremely practical and often conservative so it is not surprising that Jenna Bush chose Henry …

Bush-Hager wedding details emerge
Austin American-Statesman, TX
By Melanie Spencer | Monday, May 12, 2008, 11:08 AM First daughter Jenna Bush’s wedding to Henry Hager went off without a hitch on Saturday evening. …

Jenna Bush Married in Ceremony with Sounds of Skull and Bones and …
The Spoof (satire), UK
Jenna Bush, 26, the beautiful blond daughter of President Bush was married in a private ceremony, Saturday May 10, 2008 at Mr. Bush’s Crawford Ranch near …

Jenna Bush gets hitched, Tom Cruise’s movie gets postponed, Suge …
The Plain Dealer – cleveland.com, OH
First Daughter Jenna Bush, 26, married Henry Hager, 30, in a private ceremony in front of 200 relatives and friends at the Bush family home in Crawford, …

Jenna Bush Wedding Photos Released!
Think Fashion – Blogs, Canada
Jenna Bush, daughter of current president George Bush, married her longtime love, Henry Hager, this weekend at her father’s Prairie Chapel Ranch in Texas. …

The first romantic images of Jenna Bush’s lakeside nuptials
hellomagazine.com, UK
To the rest of America the wedding of President Bush’s daughter Jenna and former White House aide Henry Chase Hager represented one of the most high-profile …

Jenna Bush’s wedding casual and private
Baltimore Sun, United States
AP CRAWFORD, Texas – Jenna Bush couldn’t see herself getting married at the White House surrounded by antique furniture and oil portraits of presidents. …

Jenna Bush weds, down-home style
Los Angeles Times, CA
But we do know what song she and President Bush danced to, at least. From the Associated Press CRAWFORD, TEXAS — Jenna Bush couldn’t see herself getting …

First Daughter Jenna Bush Weds
AHN
Crawford, TX (CNS) – First daughter Jenna Bush has married Henry Chase Hager in a lakeside ceremony Saturday. The couple wed before sundown at her father’s …

Inside look at Jenna Bush’s wedding
NECN, MA
Surrounded by Texas wildflowers and the setting sun, Jenna Bush and Henry Hager were married Saturday. Just as the vows were exchanged, the sun set over our …

Jenna Bush’s wedding is low-key affair at ranch
The Associated Press
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) — Jenna Bush couldn’t see herself getting married at the White House surrounded by antique furniture and oil portraits of presidents. …

President Bush’s daughter marries in private ceremony
News Line 365, India
Jenna Bush, one of the twin daughters of president George Bush married in an ultra-private wedding ceremony in his ranch at Crawford, Texas. …

Jenna Bush and Henry Hager Wedding Photos
In Entertainment, UK
The White House have released pictures of the private wedding between First daughter Jenna Bush and Henry Hager on Saturday the 10th May 2008. …

I talked some time ago about big changes in the geopolitics and economy due to the global warming and climate change. Now, it seems that the financial crisis and the food crisis make the changes. Is there any connection between the climate change and these crisis? I think yes. And more than this, the actual social system of the capitalism is outworn and there is a need for a new system.

It is already started, this new system, but not in the most important and powerful countries. Will we, the people, be able to accept this true and the changes, or we will have a catastrophe of the humanity in the near future?

The conspiracy theory tells us that there will be an artificial, imposed regulation of the global society. How about you?

The NATO summit will take place in Bucharest, Romania, during the April 2-4, in order for Allied leaders to carry forward decisions taken at the Riga Summit and review the evolution of NATO’s main commitments, which are all mutually reinforcing.

During the summit, heads of state and government will assess the situation in Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as in other regions where NATO is engaged. NATO’s operations and missions are a driving force for the transformation of the Alliance and, in parallel, demonstrate the ability of the Organization to practise solidarity in very different circumstances.

An important point of the summit’s agenda will be the enlargement, for Croatia, Macedonia and Albania.

A major topic of the discussions will be the ability to sustain operations, together with the ability to confront security threats in an effective and unified way, concluding on the NATO’s capacity to provide forces for operations and the ways and means of preparing for future security challenges.

© NATO

“A NATO summit is not just a working meeting. It is also a symbol of transatlantic unity, of shared values, of common security and a common future,” NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said.“A symbolic meeting needs a symbolic logo. This one, which we are unveiling today, is based on the Wings of Freedom monument which any traveller to Bucharest will see on his way to and from the airport,” De Hoop Scheffer stated.

“There is no doubt that the concept of freedom is at the very foundation of the Alliance, and I think it is a very fitting symbol for our Summit : NATO values, with a Romanian flavour.”

During the NATO’s summit will be closed both airports in Bucharest, for security reasons. It will only be used by top summit guests including U.S. President George W. Bush, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Vladimir Putin who has also indicated he will attend.

The summit is considered the biggest in NATO’s history, with heads of state and of government from all 26 NATO member states, as well as of 23 NATO partner states that will attend the summit.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization/Organisation (NATO); French: Organisation du Traité de l’Atlantique de Nord (OTAN); (also called the North Atlantic Alliance, the Atlantic Alliance, or the Western Alliance) is a military alliance established by the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. With headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, the organization established a system of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.