Journal ISSN 1078-1935 – Page 1644 – Public Intelligence Blog

The public controversy that erupted over NSA bulk collection of Americans’ telephone records was a clear sign, if one were needed, that the boundaries of government secrecy had been drawn incorrectly, and that the public had been wrongly denied an opportunity to grant or withhold its consent in such cases.

To remedy this systemic problem, the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board said in a new report yesterday that the government needs to develop new criteria for secrecy and openness.

Continue reading “Stephen Aftergood: Privacy Board Urges New Criteria for (Reduced) Secrecy”

2014/01/242014/01/24

4th Media: The WEST Publicly Claims To Be Fighting Terrorism, Whilst Covertly Nourishing It

Cultural Intelligence, Peace Intelligence

The WEST Publicly Claims To Be Fighting Terrorism, Whilst Covertly Nourishing It

Syria Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem, who headed his country’s official delegation to Geneva II, called at the opening session of the conference on a collective confrontation against terrorism and on starting a national dialogue in Damascus, SANA reported.

By Walid al-Moallem – Syria Foreign Minister

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Syrian Arab Republic, SYRIAN – steeped in history for seven thousand years. ARAB – proud of its steadfast pan-Arab heritage despite the deliberate acts of aggression of supposed brotherly Arabs. REPUBLIC – a civil state that some, sitting in this room, have tried to return to medieval times. Never have I been in a more difficult position; my delegation and I carry the weight of three years of hardship endured by my fellow countrymen – the blood of our martyrs, the tears of our bereaved, the anguish of families waiting for news of a loved one – kidnapped or missing, the cries of our children whose tender fingers were the targets of mortar shelling into their classrooms, the hopes of an entire generation destroyed before their very eyes, the courage of mothers and fathers who have sent all their sons to defend our country, the heartbreak of families whose homes have been destroyed and are now displaced or refugees.

Continue reading “4th Media: The WEST Publicly Claims To Be Fighting Terrorism, Whilst Covertly Nourishing It”

2014/01/242014/01/24

Jean Lievens: Peter Murphy on Creative Economies and Research Universities

Academia, Commerce, Design, Economics/True Cost, Ethics, Innovation, Knowledge

This is a pre-publication article. It is provided for researcher browsing and quick reference.The final published version of the article is available at:

‘Creative Economies and Research Universities’ in M.A. Peters
and D. Araya (eds) Education in the Creative Economy: Knowledge and Learning in the Age of Innovation (New York: Peter Lang, 2010), pp 331-358.

After the Culture Wars, now come the Economy Wars

When the world recession in 2008 began, the economy wars, which had beendormant for two decades, flared again. After thirty years of the culture wars, this came as a bit of a relief.

Continue reading “Jean Lievens: Peter Murphy on Creative Economies and Research Universities”

2014/01/242014/01/24

Robin Good: Curate Your Own Wiki-Guide with the Wikipedia Book Create Tool

IO Tools

Curate Your Own Wiki-Guide with the Wikipedia Book Create Tool

Few people know that it is actually possible to curate Wikipedia content into custom print books or PDF / OpenDocument ebooks that contain exactly the content you want in the order you specify.

Once you are logged into Wikipedia you simply activate the Book Creator Tool and then, from that moment on, everytime you visit a Wikipedia page you can click and add it to your curated Wiki-Book.

There is also a dedicated wiki page where you can manage the pages you have collected and you can reorganized and sort them any way you want, eliminating the pages you don't need.

Continue reading “Robin Good: Curate Your Own Wiki-Guide with the Wikipedia Book Create Tool”

2014/01/24

SchwartzReport: CITIZENS UNITED Treason Playing Out at State Level Now

Commerce, Corruption, Government

Citizens United is perhaps the the worst Supreme Court decision since Dred Scott v. Sandford. One resulted in a Civil War, the other is destroying democracy. I am astonished how little citizen outcry there is about this. The pernicious effects have extended into the State level, which is even more vulnerable to influence and money. Having met a considerable number of them over the years I would observe State legislators, as a rule, are not very sophisticated in governance. Everything is more naked. And if there are term limits its even worse. The real power comes to reside in a permanent civil service that become tightly interlinked with special interests. And the effect on a state elective judiciary is proving to be devastating.

Four Years After Citizens United: Is Campaign Cash Buying Justice in State Courts?
MIKE LUDWIG – Truthout

2014/01/232014/01/23

Worth a Look: Beyond Transparency – Open Data and the Future of Civic Innovation

5 Star, Data, Information Operations, Information Society, Information Technology, Worth A Look

by Brett Goldstein (Editor) , Lauren Dyson (Contributor)

The rise of open data in the public sector has sparked innovation, driven efficiency, and fueled economic development. While still emerging, we are seeing evidence of the transformative potential of open data in shaping the future of our civic life, and the opportunity to use open data to reimagine the relationship between residents and government, especially at the local level. As we look ahead, what have we learned so far from open data in practice and how we can apply those lessons to realize a more promising future for America’s cities and communities?
Edited by Brett Goldstein, former Chief Data Officer for the City of Chicago, with Code for America, this book features essays from over twenty of the world’s leading experts in a first-of-its-kind instructive anthology about how open data is changing the face of our public institutions.Contributors include:

Michael Flowers, Chief Analytics Officer, New York City
Beth Blauer, former director of Maryland StateStat
Jonathan Feldman, CIO, City of Asheville
Tim O’Reilly, founder & CEO, O’Reilly Media
Eric Gordon, Director of Engagement Game Lab, Emerson College
Beth Niblock, CIO, Louisville Metro Government
Ryan & Mike Alfred, Co-Founders, Brightscope
Emer Coleman, former director of the London Datastore
Mark Headd, Chief Data Officer, City of Philadelphia