Sorrell warns of dangers of ‘over-monetising’ social networks Sir Martin Sorrell has cast doubt on the ability of social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to turn their huge user numbers into big profits. The chief executive of marketing services giant WPP was speaking after reports this week that Facebook has delayed its flotation until the end of next year , and an analyst’s claim that Mark Zuckerberg’s company had missed its revenue targets. “I have some fundamental doubts about the ability to monetise social platforms,” Sorrell told the Royal Television Society Cambridge Convention on Friday. “If you attempt to monetise it, it’s risky, there are question marks,” he said. “Facebook, Google+, Twitter … is a social interaction. We used to write letters to each other and now we correspond through Facebook and Twitter and other forms of communication. If you interrupt that with a message you may run into trouble. “Mark Zuckerberg tried two failed experiments – Beacon and one other – which were withdrawn in 24 hours after a revolution on Facebook.” Sorrell said influencing social networks was an “extremely powerful way of building brands, building trust and building reputation”, such as by users recommending products to each other. “But it is a dangerous territory if you try to over-monetise it,” he added. “I’m not sceptical about social media, I’m concerned about when you monetise it because by it’s nature it’s me talking to you electronically, digitally. If I’m talking to you and I send you a commercial message how do you feel about that? If i say ‘buy this’ or ‘do that’, it’s not the right context.” Sorrell said: “Somebody asked me whether I thought Facebook was worth $15bn and I said no. It just shows how stupid I am because it’s now being talked about at $100bn so what do I know?” The WPP chief executive also repeated his belief, first expressed in an interview last year, that governments may have to subsidise newspapers if they are to survive. “We have to try and think about how we preserve journalism other than people like [New York Times investor] Carlos Slim, like the Barclays, like Warren Buffett … subsidising it by buying them as trophy properties,” said Sorrell. “You have to find some way of ensuring that professional journalism particularly in newspapers is preserved,” he added. “There has to be some form of subsidy. You can’t rely on Warren Buffet or the Barclay brothers or the Scott Trust [the sole shareholder in Guardian parent company, Guardian Media Group] to preserve these institutions.” •
Continue reading …Fox’s Megyn Kelly: Disapprove of Chaz Bono? You’re Pushing for Violence
September 16, 2011 No Comment
Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly is going to earn an award from LGBT activists for getting vein-popping angry on The O’Reilly Factor Thursday that psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow would dare to suggest parents may want to flip the remote away from “transgender” activist Chaz Bono on ABC’s Dancing With the Stars on Monday. Who said Fox News was the right-wing channel? There was Kelly, insisting to O’Reilly that Dr. Ablow’s warning on Foxnews.com against Bono's show was going to lead to violence from American wackos at the McDonald’s.
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PC Simon Harwood’s manslaughter trial set for next October, three and a half years after newspaper vendor’s death The trial of the police officer accused over the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests in April 2009, has been set for October 2012. The date was set on Friday morning at Southwark crown court and means the trial will not take place until three-and-a-half years after Tomlinson died. PC Simon Harwood is charged with manslaughter over the death and was caught on video striking Tomlinson with his baton.Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller, collapsed and died at the demonstration over the G20 summit, near the Bank of England on 1 April 2009, moments after being struck with a baton and pushed to the ground. Harwood was on duty as clashes broke out between demonstrators and police. He is currently suspended from duty. Tomlinson collapsed and later died. The criminal trial next year is scheduled to take place at the Old Bailey in central London. Crime Vikram Dodd guardian.co.uk
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Insects and arachnids are being hailed as an solution to the problem of a growing population. Fraser Lewry tucked in to some segmented delicacies Fraser Lewry Felix Clay
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Najib Razak’s pre-election pledge to reform draconian media and security laws greeted cautiously by campaigners The Malaysian prime minister has announced he is scrapping the country’s draconian security laws and relaxing media controls, in what he billed as a daringly bold package of reforms. But campaigners and experts greeted Najib Razak’s announcement cautiously, warning that while the measures were a step forward the scope of changes and the impact of the new laws remain to be seen. The move is widely regarded as an attempt to boost support before the elections, with Najib under pressure from within as well as outside the ruling National Front coalition. The move comes two months after police detained hundreds and fired teargas as a 20,000-strong crowd demonstrated for electoral reform in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, in the country’s biggest political rally for years. The colonial-era Internal Security Act (ISA), under which 37 people are held, and the emergency ordinance, under which 6,000 are held, allow indefinite detention without trial. Najib said they would be replaced with anti-terrorism laws affording suspects greater protection. He pledged: “No Malaysian will ever be arrested or detained because of their political affiliations or ideas.” In a televised address on Thursday night, he said: “Many will question whether I am moving too far, too fast …There may be short-term pain for me politically, but in the long term the changes I am announcing tonight will ensure a brighter, more prosperous future for all Malaysians.” Najib also said media outlets would have to be approved only once, rather than applying for licences to be renewed annually – a system that critics say has been used to keep them in line. He promised to review police laws on controlling assembly and other legislation restricting civil liberties. Amnesty International called the announcement a “significant step forward for human rights in Malaysia”. But the group’s Asia-Pacific director, Sam Zarifi, said the government must ensure new security laws comply with international human rights standards and urged it to remove barriers to free speech and peaceful assembly. Dr Bridget Welsh, an expert on Malaysian politics at the Singapore Management University, said: “I think everyone recognises this is a product of political expediency – he is facing pressure from the opposition and civil society and opposition in his own ranks. But good things can come out of political expediency.” She said the detail of new legislation, and its implementation, would be crucial, but added: “From their perspective this is a historic break. I want to give him credit because from the perspective of his personal history, the party’s history, the fact he has been part of the system for a good 40 years – he’s stepping away from some of the things of the past and particularly out of Mahathir’s [Mohamad, the former prime minister] shadow.” Dr Graham Brown, director of the centre for development studies at Bath University, was more sceptical. “I think at the moment most people in Malaysia will probably be taking this with a pinch of salt … He has not flinched from using the draconian powers these laws allow him,” said Brown, a Malaysia specialist. He said while the ISA was the “headline” repressive law, others had more impact in restricting people’s day-to-day lives and freedoms, adding: “It’s not clear how far he’s willing or promising to go in reforming the broader set of laws.” Tony Pua, an opposition MP, warned: “We have yet to see the fine print. We’ve seen sufficient U-turns when Najib comes under pressure from rightwing groups, and we won’t be surprised if the same happens again.” The next election is due in 2013, but Najib, who became prime minister two years ago, is widely expected to call one within months. The National Front, which has been in power for the half-century since Malaysia won independence from Britain, suffered its worst performance in the 2008 elections. The opposition alliance led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, which won more than a third of the parliamentary seats in 2008, has struggled since then due to infighting and Anwar’s second trial. He denies charges of sodomy , which he described in court last month as “a vile and desperate attempt at character assassination” and a bid to consign him to political oblivion. The government denies the case is politically motivated. Anwar was imprisoned on similar charges in 1998 and freed six years later on appeal. Malaysia Human rights Amnesty International Tania Branigan guardian.co.uk
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Wall divides Alexandra Park in two to prevent Catholics and Protestants clashing On the morning of 1 September 1994, with the IRA ceasefire just 24 hours old, workers started laying the foundations for a so-called peace wall that would divide one of Belfast’s public parks into Catholic and Protestant zones. The 3m-high fence in Alexandra Park between the mainly Catholic Antrim Road and the loyalist Shore Road became a symbol of growing sectarian divisions despite the end of the IRA and later the loyalist paramilitaries’ armed campaigns. There are now dozens of these walls keeping apart Protestants and Catholics, and many them have been up longer than the Berlin Wall. But now, for the first time since any of the barriers throughout the city were built over the past four decades, a breach will made be in one. As part of a three-month trial a gate in the fence will open between 9am and 3pm on weekdays. Welcoming the first opening of any of the walls that were built to curb sectarian street fighting and intimidation, local justice minister David Ford said it was an “important day for Northern Ireland”. Ford said: “On this occasion, the people of the Alexandra Park area have shown great courage to take the first step and open up an interface barrier that has been a symbol of division and segregation for so long. “Building a new shared future for Northern Ireland includes dealing with sensitive and difficult issues like the removal of interface barriers. “Traditionally it is a debate that polarises opinion but we must find some way of removing these structures over time and with agreement from the community if we are serious about building a shared future,” he said. A second barrier on the Limestone Road, running parallel to the park, will also be opened during the day as long as traffic-calming measures are installed, which residents have asked for. The process for installing the road safety features and opening the barrier is expected to take two to three months. The barrier will then be opened on weekdays. The peace walls have become a must-see stop on tours for foreign holidaymakers coming to Belfast. Tour buses regularly park at some of the most infamous walls including the largest at Cupar Street separating part of the republican Falls and loyalist Shankill Road. This barrier is the closest to resemble the western side of the old wall in West Berlin with visitors painting their names and carving messages denouncing the barriers and calling for peace between the two communities. The peace walls originated as make-shift barbed wire barricades which the British Army constructed in 1969 along the stretch between the Shankill and the Falls at the outbreak of the Troubles. On 10 September 1969 Army chief Lt General Sir Ian Freeland made a prediction: “The peace line will be a very, very temporary affair,” he told the world’s media gathered in Belfast. “We will not have a Berlin Wall or anything like that in this city,” he added. The Berlin Wall was taken down 22 years ago. There are still around 48 walls cutting through areas of Belfast. Northern Ireland Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
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Local residents and climate activists head to Southport to protest against plans by Cuadrilla Resources to drill for shale gas in Lancashire The first of an expected 150 climate activists and local residents began to converge on a field near Southport on Friday to protest against the environmental impacts of the UK’s first shale gas well. “Camp Frack” , named after “fracking”, the process of pumping vast quantities of water underground and fracturing rocks with chemicals to release shale gas, is setting up outside the Lancashire village of Banks. It is close to a drilling rig that Cuadrilla Resources is using to drill up to 3.5km deep. The company, which is backed by the former BP chief Lord Browne and money from Australia, has a licence to explore 437 square miles of Lancashire, but suspended operations this summer after two earthquakes struck Blackpool . It has so far sunk two exploratory wells and says a further three may be needed. Britain has around 150bn cubic metres of recoverable shale resources, according to the British Geological Survey , which could meet the nation’s gas requirements for 18 months. Cuadrilla is expected to disclose its first estimate for the amount of shale gas found inside its Lancashire licence area next week. According to the chief executive, Mark Miller, the signs are “encouraging”. “Acre for acre, I think the gas in place here is very comparable to – and in some cases exceeds – some of the good [resources] in the US,” he said last month . But local people and green activists have argued that the “fracking” process is inherently risky. In the US, where shale gas is being hailed by industry as a potential substitute for oil, fears have been raised about the effect of the chemicals used, explosions, links with seismic activity and allegations of illness. A Cornell University study also concluded that greenhouse gas emissions from shale gas are higher than those for coal. Environmentalists are calling for a delay in fracking until a major review of the practice has been published by the US Environmental Protection Agency . But the UK government says it is confident its own safety regulations are strict enough. Sonny Khan from Cumbrian charity South Lakeland Action on Climate Change said: “Our concern is that fracking is being pushed upon us and that our real concerns over safety and greenhouse gas emissions are being brushed aside in the rush for profits. Companies present shale gas as a safe low-carbon fuel but the evidence is that there are very serious risks associated with fracking which have yet to be addressed.” Lesley Graham, from the group Ribble Estuary Against Fracking, who lives four miles from Banks, said: “I am very concerned. There are daily reports from the US saying this is dangerous, but this rig has just appeared here without any real consultation. What checks have been done? There are so many unanswered questions.” But Cuadrilla, which mines for coal in Hungary and has more than 2m sq km of exploratory licences across Europe, said it was liaising with police over Camp Frack because it was concerned about potential damage to its equipment. “We take local concerns seriously. We have had dozens of people visit the site so far, we are very transparent. We are listening to people but we do not believe there is any risk of water contamination but we are taking samples,” said a spokesman. The camp’s organisers say it will consider a national campaign against shale gas, but that Southport will focus on “raising local awareness about the problems with shale gas and an action day of peaceful protest mainly focused on the nearby active drilling rig.” The Southport Liberal Democrat councillor Sue McGuire said: “As far as I’m concerned fracking will impact on everyone within the Ribble Estuary and that includes Southport and Preston. I don’t think we can simply believe everything that Cuadrilla’s PR company print so I’m going to Camp Frack to find out as much as I can about the hydraulic fracturing process.” Shale gas Gas Activism Protest John Vidal guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Explosive device thrown at car after police answered alarm call in Newtonabbey, north Belfast Two police officers suffered minor injuries after an explosive device was thrown at their vehicle in north Belfast during the early hours of Friday morning. The officers were attacked after answering an alarm call at a branch of Toys R Us on Mill Road, in Newtownabbey, at around 12.20am. Two members of Toys R Us staff were on the scene when the device exploded, but neither was injured. The Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Inspector Derek McCamley described the attack as “despicable” and said it was fortunate that no one had been more seriously hurt. “We have launched a full investigation and will carry out an examination of the scene,” he said. He added that those behind the attack were “cowardly individuals who only seek to bring devastation and harm to their own community”. People living close to the scene of the attack reported hearing a loud bang but said they thought it was fireworks. Earlier, the local Democratic Unionist assembly member, Paul Girvan, said he believed the callout was an attempt to lure police to the scene. “This does appear to be a tactic that is used by dissident republicans to bring police attention into the area and used as an opportunity to attack security forces,” he said. “I would have to condemn it and implore anyone who has information to volunteer that to the PSNI.” Northern Ireland Police Crime Henry McDonald guardian.co.uk
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• One miner reported dead • Divers forced to turn back from mine because of debris • Local MP Peter Hain says situation is “grim” 9.52am: The twittersphere is full of messages of sympathy and support for the miner who has been discovered dead at Gleision colliery. @Ceri_Granv writes: Terrible news from the Swansea Valley this morning. All my thoughts are with the miners and their families at Gleision Colliery. @welsh37 posts: Sad day one of the swansea miners has died, my thoughts are with their family. @alicat21 writes: Thoughts with the miners families. They must be experiencing a living hell. Tragic . 9.31am: Messages of sympathy from local MP Peter Hain and also the current Welsh secretary over the death of one miner who has yet to be identified. Hain who is at the scene said: I’ve spoken to the families – they’ve gone through a small hell. What’s been made worse, as has been reported, a miner has been found dead but they don’t know who it is so you can just imagine what they are going through. It is almost worse than not knowing – knowing a bit but not knowing exactly and our hearts go out to everybody. Sky news has reported that David Cameron has rung Hain to ensure that the rescue teams are getting everything they need to free the remaining three miners. Welsh Secretary Cheryl Gillan has also offered her condolences: I am extremely saddened to hear that one of the miners has been found dead. My heartfelt condolences go out to the families at this distressing time. I know that the emergency services have been working extremely hard. I am being continually updated and my thoughts are with all involved as they continue to manage this most difficult situation. 9.11am: More from that press conference. Chris Margetts, from South Wales Fire and Rescue Service said this about the circumstances of the dead miner and where he was found. The search and rescue continues. Obviously we’ve had the disappointing news of discovering one of the miners [dead]. The miner that we found was in a different section of the mine. He was basically on the exit side on the body of water. So therefore the search and rescue mission continues because there are still air pockets on the other side of the body of water and there is a blockage down there yet to be searched. So it is quite possible under the circumstances that as the incident has occurred, the team has split. And depending on where they were located, which is the best route to take and the miner we have found so far has obviously tried to make it up to the main exit where two the guys did make it out and unfortunately he hasn’t made it. 9.07am: Speaking to the Today programme, Gary Evans of the south and mid Wales cave rescue team described the situation down in the mines for the divers attempting to get to the three trapped miners. He said he had been working until 2:30 this morning and his description gives a flavour of how difficult the rescue is. These divers are amazing in what they can do. They were travelling in zero visibility and they made progress without any real difficulty but it was the debris in the water that prevented them from gaining further access to the tunnel….they couldn’t get beyond the flooded section Really the things about the mines is there is not a lot of room down there. And all the emphasis in about pumping that water out. Right now it is very noisy there’s people back and forward trying to make sure the pumps are working and certainly the conditions I was in it was very difficult, pitch black water, very cold. So not a great place to be working but there is a job to be done there. 8.59am: A police press conference has revealed that one miner has been found dead. Police do not yet now the identity of the body. Superintendent Phil Davies told reporters at the scene: “A miner has been found. He is deceased. We are not in a current position to recover him from the mine and therefore we don’t know the identity of that person. “This is a dynamic, ongoing search and rescue operation and all emergency services are working hard to get all the miners out of there as soon as possible.” 8.55am: Good morning. Welcome to our live blog of the rescue operation to save four miners who are currently trapped in a Welsh mine after flood waters broke through to the mine system from an old abandoned shaft. • One miner has been reported as dead. • The incident began on Thursday morning and the trapped miners have been named as Phillip Hill, 45, from Neath, Charles Bresnan, 62, David Powell, 50, and Garry Jenkins, 39, all from Swansea valley. • Last night divers had to abandon their efforts after about 30 metres due to the hazardous conditions of the water. • Local MP Peter Hain and shadow Welsh minster said “The fact that they have been trapped for so long is very, very disturbing,” he said. • We are expecting a news conference shortly. Wales Mining Shiv Malik guardian.co.uk
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mfauscette says: Netflix Stock Falls After Change in Pricing – NYTimes.com – http://t.co/BDyMTqtY
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