Pirate Party
Probably a lot of people reading this have heard of the Swedish Pirate Party or perhaps The Pirate Bay website where you can find things like videos, music, software and other things to download, copyrighted and otherwise.
In fact the idea of the Pirate Party has spread worldwide, and many countries have similar emerging parties.
The Pirate Party really came to peoples attention when The Pirate Bay website was raided by the Swedish police. It was raided, not because it was in violation of Swedish or other law, it was raided on the request of the US government who threatened trade sanctions against Sweden(!) if they didn’t shut the website down. In Sweden this is illegal. Politicians are not allowed to request the police to do this, but they did it anyway.
In the following video, Peter Sunde, one of the founders of The Pirate Bay website tells the story of The Pirate Bay, the Swedish Pirate Party and Flattr:
In the last European elections the Swedish Pirate Party won 2 seats in the EU Parliament. Since the ISP of The Pirate Bay was ordered by a judge to disconnect the website, the Swedish Pirate Party decided to become an ISP and now hosts The Pirate Bay website in the Swedish parliament building. The Swedish constitution gives them immunity from prosecution as long as their actions are consistent with their party mandate. This is the reason The Pirate Bay website is still available on the Internet.
I am no spokesperson for the Swedish or any other Pirate Party. In fact one of the things I’ve discovered recently is there is a huge diversity of opinions within these parties. As a rule however, these parties are opposed to the injustices imposed by copyright holders on users of the Internet. These include lawsuits, threats of lawsuits, disconnection of Internet service and other actions.
I think many Pirate Party members feel like I do, that downloading anything from the Internet is a good thing. It is the nature of how the Internet works technically. It’s how information and computer tools are distributed and it’s how people communicate. This is simply an important aspect of how the Internet works, and people should use it as such.
Few people are opposed to creators of this content being paid! I think it’s a fine idea for people to be paid for their work. The idea of enforcing this payment by imposing rules on the use of the Internet is seriously flawed.
There are even some politicians who believe people who break these or other rules should have their Internet service disconnected! Can you imagine this? This is like taking away someone’s library card, because they’ve abused the information in the books.
In today’s world the Internet is far beyond a luxury. If you’re a person of any age in school, you’ll almost certainly receive a portion of your assignments on the Internet. Some companies now only bill via the Internet. It’s simply the largest and most important source of information and communication, and it’s not something you take away from someone because they’ve been bad! Already it’s a necessary part of life, and in the coming years it’s going to be even more important.
This video has some Dutch but it’s mostly in English, and features the founder of the Swedish Pirate Party talking a bit about the party principles:
While these principles apply now to the Internet, there are ramifications for Democracy as a whole. Do we want seed companies to someday be able to tell us we can’t trade seeds over the Internet?
A Favorite Non-Gardening Blog
Does anyone else out there read the White House blog?
Maybe it’s not something everyone would admit to, but I read this blog from time to time and find it very interesting. With as many as 5-10 posts per day, many of them very long, I certainly don’t keep up with them all. I do however come across some real gems from time to time, like this recent one entitled Newt Gingrich Gets It Wrong.
Okay, I’m biased. In general I like Obama and the direction he’s trying to go in. I’m also no fan of Newt Gingrich. More than anything however, I think this is just a very well written piece and the White House really understands the concept of a blog and what to use it for.
A blog is really a personal expression of who you are and what you want to say. When you read someone else’s blog, you really gain a very personal insight into who they are and what they’re thinking. Of course Obama doesn’t write any of the posts himself, but instead has people close to him who are experts write for him, and it really offers an insight into the White House that’s never existed before. You can see exatly what’s got their attention and what they are working on at the moment, in near real time.
One of the most valuable things about a blog is the lack of rules. For example, I’ve been criticized in the past for identifying foods you should not eat or eat less of, in particular meat and other processed foods. This of course violates the idea you should only promote healthy foods, like the 5 servings of fruit and vegetables we are all supposed to care about. I’ve been criticized for not being a good journalist or scientist. Of course I’ve said many things that have upset people in general.
The truth of course is that I don’t represent the interests of the food industry, and I’m not writing as a journalist or scientist. Therefore, I’m simply not bound by the corresponding rules, and you end up seeing a more personal side of me than you might otherwise. Having said this, I do put some effort into not intentionally saying things that aren’t true, and don’t intentionally upset people just for the sake of doing it.
When President Obama makes a speech, or the White House gives a press conference, there are rules and protocols that go with this. Beyond that, it’s up to the various TV networks and news publications to further filter and condense what was said. Something like the post I linked to above about Newt Gingrich would never survive this sort of condensing and processing, and the average person is unlikely to ever get that message.
The White House blog is not bound by the rules of traditional media. I really like that I can go there directly, see the information they want me to see, presented in the way they want me to see it. I think it reflects well on the Obama administration that they can do this so effectively. I think this kind of communication is changing Democracy the way we know it.
The Alternative Kitchen Garden an A-Z
Besides being a fellow blogger and heirloom gardener, Emma Cooper is a good friend of mine and very like minded. I’m delighted she’s written this book, something I think makes a very important contribution to promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable living.
This book is a very personal account of things she’s done in her garden and home over the last several years, including building a geodesic dome shaped greenhouse, raising chickens as well as heirloom and alternative gardening.
As an alternative to a how-to book, Emma has written an A-Z account of the most important things she’s done. Everything from Achocha to Zucchini. She tells you what worked, and what didn’t. If there are tips and tricks to be had, she spells these out. She lets you know what she’s still doing, and things she doesn’t have time for any more.
If you’re experienced in alternative living and gardening, this book probably isn’t for you. At the same time if you are just beginning or only a year or two into things, this is a great book to get ideas from.
While her experiences are based on a wet UK climate, much of what she writes about applies to everyone, regardless of where in the world you live.
To get an idea of the kind of person she is, have a look at her blog and listen to some of her podcasts.
Also important are Permanent Publications where you can purchase this book online if you live in the UK, and the associated Sustainability Centre. Most people outside the UK can purchase this book online from Amazon.
Guest Post, Guardian Gardening Blog
A guest post of mine just showed up on the Guardian Gardening Blog.
Have a look at How to save tomato seeds.
Random Plantings
James of Random Plantings sent me an email today telling me about his blog. It looks great! Located near Brisbane in Australia, he bought a piece of land in 2003, started planting native plants, designed and built his own house and is now starting an organic veggie garden incorporating ideas of permaculture.
