Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Digital Millenium Copyright Act The Cato Institute: "The courts have a proven track record of fashioning balanced remedies for the copyright challenges created by new technologies. But when Congress passed the Digital Millennium Copyright Act in 1998, it cut the courts out of this role and instead banned any devices that "circumvent" digital rights management (DRM) technologies, which control access to copyrighted content. "The result has been a legal regime that reduces options and competition in how consumers enjoy media and entertainment. Today, the copyright industry is exerting increasing control over playback devices, cable media offerings, and even Internet streaming. Some firms have used the DMCA to thwart competition by preventing research and reverse engineering. Others have brought the weight of criminal sanctions to bear against critics, competitors, and researchers." Thanks to Doc Searls for the link. Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:10:51 PM

Can't we all just get along? Colorado Pols: "Tancredo told Channel 12's Aaron Harber that he would run for U.S. Senate in 2008 if Sen. Wayne Allard does not run for re-election, and that he would also run against Gov. Bill Owens if Owens decided to take a shot at the Senate post." 6:03:48 PM

The New Hampshire House votes down proposed amendment to ban gay marriage Boston.com: "The New Hampshire House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday against a proposed amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage. The late afternoon vote was 207-125. The amendment would have defined marriage as the union of one woman and one man. State law does not permit gays and lesbians to marry in New Hampshire, nor does the state recognize marriages and civil unions performed out of state. But supporters of the amendment insisted it was needed to prevent the courts from forcing a decision, as happened in Vermont and Massachusetts. Gay-marriage supporters had said no such lawsuits were planned in New Hampshire." Thanks to Andrew Sullivan for the link. Category: 2008 Presidential Election 7:31:40 AM

4th World Water Forum Here's a recap of Tuesday's sessions at the 4th World Water Forum. They write, "On Tuesday, participants at the 4th World Water Forum addressed the theme of 'Risk Management' in plenary and thematic sessions, heard a keynote address by Mario Molina, 1995 Chemistry Nobel Prize Laureate, and focused on the Asia-Pacific region. The Ministerial Conference convened in parallel with the Forum, with ministers and high-level officials from some 140 countries gathering in both closed and open sessions... "Mario Molina, 1995 Chemistry Nobel Prize Laureate, addressed the inter-relationship between global warming and the water cycle. Characterizing our atmosphere's relative thickness to that of an apple skin relative to an apple, he said the amount of available air is limited, and stressed that mankind can indeed impact it negatively. "Describing the greenhouse effect, Molina explained that the atmosphere retains some of the sun's energy that is radiated by the earth, acting as a blanket. He said natural levels of water vapor and carbon dioxide have always acted as greenhouse gases, which has been crucial to the evolution of life on earth, noting that without this natural greenhouse effect, the earth would be 33 degrees Celsius colder. "Molina highlighted that atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide have risen dramatically over the past century due to the use of fossil fuels. Levels of methane and nitrous oxide show a similar increase, resulting from land-use changes and agricultural intensification. He said these trends show a striking correlation with the observed rise in temperature, emphasizing that 2005 was the warmest year in the past 100 years. Noting that this correlation is not necessarily causal, he highlighted studies by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He said the IPCC's Third Assessment Report presented new and strong evidence that the warming observed in the past 50 years is attributable to human activities. "Molina underscored the dramatic impacts of climate change on the water cycle, noting feedback mechanisms that will stimulate temperature increase, including through a decreased reflection of solar energy due to the melting of glaciers, and increased cloud cover that will exacerbate the greenhouse effect. Noting that the complex relationships in the water cycle are still poorly understood, he predicted that the water cycle will intensify, causing extreme weather events such as hurricanes and increasing the frequency and severity of droughts and floods. "Arguing that it is up to governments to take action, he said scientists' role is to provide the necessary scientific information. He suggested that precautions should be taken based on probability scenarios. Highlighting the significant probability that if no action is taken, the average temperature will have risen by eight degrees Celsius by 2100, he identified this as an intolerable risk. He said increasing temperatures pose a threat to ecosystems and human health, including through the increased impact of air pollution. Molina called for a culture of change with respect to energy and water management, which he said is only possible if all stakeholders commit to increased cooperation." It's a long article, be sure to read the whole thing. Category: Colorado Water 7:24:37 AM

Caucus roundup Here's a short report about last night's caucuses from the Denver Post. From the article, "Throughout the state, hundreds of party members came out to community centers, schools and private homes to discuss candidates and vote for delegates to the county, state and congressional assemblies. Hard numbers weren't available Tuesday night, and preferences won't become apparent for a couple of weeks. In the first two weeks of April, counties around the states hold their assemblies. The state assembly for both parties is held May 20. The candidates who make it through the state assembly are listed on the primary ballot in August. Turnout for the state caucuses has been low over the years, and Tuesday appeared to be no different." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:11:56 AM

Can CU compete in science? Our new friend, Steve Ludwig, is certainly going to field questions during his campaign about the departure from CU of Nobel winner Carl Wieman. Here's an editorial from today's Denver Post on the subject. They write, "Carl Wieman's departure from the University of Colorado is a blow to the state's image as well as to its higher education system. The 2001 Nobel Prize winner in physics brought CU, and Colorado, considerable international prestige. CU has other science stars, including three other Nobel laureates, but Wieman's loss should be a wake-up call... "Bluntly put, CU can't adequately support Wieman's science education efforts. The University of British Columbia promised $10.3 million over five years for the work, more than twice the $5 million CU put up for a similar project. CU's inability to compete stems from the severe financial struggles of the past few years, when recession- driven budget cuts hit higher education particularly hard... "A big problem is that American schools largely cling to old-fashioned ways of teaching science. Studies show that most people can't grasp complex concepts just from lectures. Wieman's project envisions a more interactive, hands-on approach, which helps people learn faster, remember better and participate more in the classroom. "Wieman's move clearly illustrates Colorado's competitive disadvantage in higher education, a problem that policymakers need to be considering carefully." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 7:07:59 AM

Immigration Mike Littwin looks at immigration in his column in yesterday's Rocky Mountain News. He writes, "I don't have to tell you that illegal immigration has suddenly become an important political issue, but I keep having to remind myself why. I guess it's something to talk about when you've exhausted the subject of gay marriage. "Those who are talking about illegal immigration most loudly want you to believe this issue has something to do with 9/11 and national security - as if no one was arguing against illegal immigration way back in, say, the 1990s. "I could argue the point myself, but it's so much more fun to leave it to a conservative. "Daniel Griswold, of the libertarian Cato Institute, does it well. He argued Monday that the relationship to 9/11 was 'nonexistent,' which is close to where I'd put it. Why, he asked, should we spend our resources busting, in his words, janitors and drywall-hangers when we could be using the money to find actual terrorists? "A million people are admitted into the United States every day. 'That's our security challenge,' Griswold was saying. 'We're missing the huge barn door here.'" Category: 2008 Presidential Election 6:59:03 AM

Reform, don't kill direct democracy The Rocky Mountain News editorial staff is urging rejection of State Senator Ron Teck's proposed ballot issue reforming citizen initiatives and amendments. From the article, "It should be more difficult to amend the state constitution than it is to pass a statute by citizen initiative. "But a proposed amendment by Sen. Ron Teck, R-Grand Junction, that may reach the November ballot would erect barriers that make it too difficult for citizens to exercise self-government. It would also insulate lawmakers from a legitimate, grass-roots check on their power that has been enshrined in Colorado politics for nearly a century. "Yes, the threshold for amending the constitution should be raised, but not by the stunning margin Teck is seeking. "Currently, citizen-inspired initiatives need only a simple majority of votes to either enact a statute or amend the constitution. "The concern, and it's not a trivial one, is that the state constitution, which is supposed to articulate broad principles of governance, is getting cluttered with policy details that have no business in this basic document. The poster child is Amendment 14, passed with 52 percent of the vote in 1996, which bans the use of leghold traps on wildlife. "Teck's Senate Concurrent Resolution 3, which passed a preliminary vote in the Senate on Tuesday, would require constitutional amendments to receive 60-percent voter support before taking effect. Initiated statutes would continue to require a simple majority. "Since 1990, roughly a third of the constitutional amendments put on the ballot by citizens have passed. Yet of those, we can identify only two that garnered at least 60-percent support. They were term limits on elected officials and campaign spending caps. "In short, a 60-percent threshold is tantamount to barring grassroots amendments altogether, since it's not clear either of the successful measures would have taken the amendment path given such a barrier." Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:51:26 AM

Steve Ludwig for CU Regent At-Large? Steve Ludwig, candidate for C.U. Regent At-Large, sent email with his website URL. He writes, "While not given a lot of attention by the media, this race and election is critical to the future of Colorado and the United States. "How the University fares impacts how Coloradans fare for jobs, healthcare, and quality education. How CU fares in competing for world class faculty and students impacts how the United States remains competitive with India, China, and other global powerhouses that are ramping up their higher educational infrastructures at lighting speeds. "Now, that might sound like a bunch of clap trap from a wonky candidate -- and well -- it is. But, the sad thing is that it's true." Mr. Ludwig has a weblog here and an RSS Feed. The RSS Feed is not rendering correctly this morning, however. I'm sure he'll get the Knowledge Messenger kids to fix it. We can't find a way to deep link to the weblog articles. We'll look over the website more later and report back when he's got everything up and running. Category: Denver November 2006 Election 6:36:03 AM

Pueblo to expand Clear Creek Reservoir? The city of Pueblo is taking a cautious approach to long-term water leases and planning to expand storage in their reservoirs, according to the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "Comanche Power Plant, operated by Xcel Energy, leases about 8,000 acre-feet of water annually, but will increase that by as much as 6,000 acre-feet when its third unit comes on line. In preparation for that, and because of the 2002 drought, Pueblo has increased its storage requirements to 40,000 acre-feet from pre-drought levels of about 15,000 acre-feet. The shift will mean the board is likely to pull back on long-term leases until it can get a handle on new storage patterns, said Alan Ward, water resources specialist... "With the 2009 Comanche lease, the board will change that strategy slightly, putting additional revenues into a water development fund. The fund will be used to acquire new water and storage. The major storage project envisioned is increasing the capacity of Clear Creek Reservoir in Chaffee County to 30,000 acre-feet from its current 11,000 acre-feet. The board owns the reservoir. The board also has storage space in Lake Pueblo, Twin Lakes and Turquoise Lake." Category: Colorado Water 6:14:34 AM

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