drones, and a dangerous disconnect in war

While use of drones has been going on for a while, there seems to be more discussion of the topic recently, which is definitely a good thing.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/30/deadly-drones-us-cowards-war?mobile-redirect=false

For me the biggest concern is the potential disconnect between the aggressor and his/her victim...the more removed and unreal the target, the less emotionally involved the attacker, surely the greater the risk of inhuman attitudes. Of course it could be argued that it is precisely human weakness, fear, overreaction etc that leads to some of the unnecessary brutality in war, and the collateral damage, since a panicked soldier is an unstable one, but I think the following quote from the article is more pressing :
 
"Citing the Germanmilitary theorist Carl von Clausewitz, it [UK Ministry of Defence] warns that the brutality of war seldom escalates to its absolute form, partly because of the risk faced by one's own forces. Without risk, there's less restraint. With these unmanned craft, governments can fight a coward's war, a god's war, harming only the unnamed..... The danger is likely to escalate as drone warfare becomes more automated and the lines of accountability less clear. "

The dogs of war are bad enough, but at least if kept on a leash they drag their owners with them and make them part of it. The drones of war fly a bit too freely...

not just that head of RBS was offered £1m bonus, but that he didn't need it...

In response to the political storm about massive bonuses in bailedout banks, the head of RBS has waived a 1million pound bonus:


http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/jan/29/rbs-stephen-hester-waives-bonus 


I'm actually not sure what is more revealing about this fact - that banks whose share prices have plummetted would award such bonuses, or that those involved could easily dismiss a bonus of £1m?!
I think it shows how bogus the argument is that 'the rich' would be fly away to other countries if they had to pay even a little more tax, since it's obvious a million here or there doesn't make so much difference to them, that they could reject it overnight, even when legally entitled to it. Though since Hester's yearly package is thought to still amount to about £8m, then taking a 12% cut to avoid being a public hate figure is probably reasonable. But surely the £8m he does get is as much of an issue as the £1m bonus on top of it.

I still remain to be even remotely convinced that anyone can be worth this kind of money, which works out as about £1 per working second. Surely no one can literally make so many decisions, actions to bring in enough additional benefit. Or to put it in terms of daily wage,about £30,000 a day. I.e. 1.5 times annual the median wage for a days work.  Does such a CEO really make such a difference that it is worth more than 200 of the top 25% of earners (which this salary would be in annual terms).

While even less fair to be called 'earnings', at least the massive income people like Bill Gates etc. receive comes  from actual original work and ideas that just generates exponential return over years, but CEOs only 'direct' a company, and I would love to see an analysis of how much tangible difference this makes. Especially since in many areas, e.g. finance, the work of 'experts' is often seen in hindsight to be only as good overall as random chance.

Perhaps also relevant is the comment I heard from a 'city analyst' on the BBC Today programme, claiming that the real danger is 'high flyers' might be discouraged from working for banks in which the state has stake holding, in case their is undue interference in the operation merely as a result of public outcry. Presumably the problem would be that in cases where bonuses were not justified, 'outside interference' might mean they are actually not rewarded. What a blow to our economic system that would be. The irony is that it is mainly  in cases where share prices have fallen etc. i.e. where the holy 'market' has delivered a negative judgement on the competency of the CEO that the public outrage will be noticeable. The best thing about being a 'free market capitalist', is being free of the market when it suits you.

the approaching drone of the...drones...

But the United States and Israel have pioneered the use of drones on the battlefield, with the first operational armed strike by a drone taking place in Afghanistan in 2001. Since then, the use of drones in the military arena for surveillance and targeting has risen at a startling pace, and in 2012 we will see drones appearing closer to home. It is widely anticipated that they will be used as a security measure during the London Olympics, and pressure is mounting on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to re-examine regulations governing UAVs in order to open up what military companies believe will be a valuable civilian market.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/drones-paparazzi-ethics-privacy-america

Brooker in Japan

Something light for a change! Charlie Brooker in Japan...

"I'm currently on another planet, namely Japan, which for the average westerner is an experience tantamount to recovering from a serious head injury, in that while the world around you is largely recognisable, it somehow makes little sense. Incredibly minor example: they sell green Kit Kats here (not the wrapper – I'm not that easily impressed – I mean the chocolate itself is green)."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/22/charlie-brooker-japan-another-planet

A cultured solution to climate change

Given the resources needed to provide meat in the journal way, and the rapid expansion in demand as vast developing populists acquire a taste for it, researching a lab grown replacement is perhaps an important option in dealing with climate change :

" Inspired by the "numbers, not adjectives" principle, my colleagues and I assessed the environmental impacts of cultured meat production and have published our findings in a peer-review journal. The results showed that cultured meat has 80-95% lower greenhouse gas emissions, 99% lower land use and 80-90% lower water use compared to conventionally produced meat in Europe." :
Could lab-grown meat soon be the solution to the world's food crisis? | Hannah Tuomisto | Comment is free | The Observer

Whatever about the US "right", the European one is much more worrying

Enthralling as the GOP primary race is, even the most ultra conservative republican isn't as scary as some of the European far right parties..and worryingly popular at the moment...

"Poll after poll places Le Pen third with 21.5%, hovering just behind Sarkozy at 23.5%, and with the Socialist party's François Hollande well in the lead for the first round of the presidential vote in April. If the opinion polls are accurate, it is perfectly feasible, allowing for the accepted margin of error, for Le Pen to reach the second-round run-off a fortnight later. Some surveys show support for the FN candidate to be considerably higher, topping 30%"

Marine Le Pen and France's Front National sense their time has come | World news | The Observer

Pirates ahoy...

Rick Falkvinge: the Swedish radical leading the fight over web freedoms | Technology | The Observer

Why Obama's 'targeted killing' is worse than Bush's torture

 President Obama has authorized many times the killings that President Bush did. Obama apparently authorized the killing of an American in Yemen, and he is now engaged in the building of drone bases to continue the campaign of assassination.Greg Miller of the Washington Post notes that "no president has ever relied so extensively on the secret killing of individuals to advance the nation's security goals."

In 2001, the US ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, stated on Israeli television in connection with Israeli targeted killing of suspected terrorists:

"The United States government is very clearly on the record as against targeted assassinations. They are extrajudicial killings, and we do not support that."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/jan/20/why-obama-targeted-killing-is-like-bush-torture

Putting things in perspective : famine in Africa..

The deaths of tens of thousands of people during the drought in east Africa could have been avoided if the international community, donor governments and humanitarian agencies had responded earlier and more swiftly to clear warning signs that a disaster was in the making, according to a new report.
Figures compiled by the Department for International Development (DfID) suggest that between 50,000 and 100,000 people, more than half of them children under five, died in the 2011 Horn of Africa crisis that affected Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/18/east-africa-drought-disaster-report

Wikipedia shuts down for 24 hours in protest at piracy laws

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/jan/17/wikipedia-blackout-looms-sopa


Millions of students, fact hunters and general knowledge buffs are set to receive a shock on Wednesday when the digital encyclopaedia Wikipedia shuts down for 24 hours in protest at internet piracy laws being considered by US legislators.