Dean's Blog

I have been reading this rather interesting article on the BBC website

Last of the war criminals

The article is based around looking for those Nazi officers who are still wanted by the UK & US governments for war crimes.

Split into four sections the article focuses on if it is right or wrong to still find these men and bring them to justice. In ten years from now the biological clock would mean that most, if not all, of these men would be dead from old age and the cost involved in tracking these people down.

The first article begins with saying that Justice has not been done and that these men must face up to the crimes that they committed.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the German judge and prosecutor Fritz Bauer estimated there were 100,000 Germans who were responsible in one way or another for mass killings of Jews. Other estimates suggested as many as 300,000.

Bauer also said less than 5,000 people had been prosecuted, which amounts to a "tear drop in the ocean.

But in the 1970s there was a shift in Holocaust consciousness, a demand from the public to know more about it.

As the second generation began to question what their parents did in the war, and historians began to ask questions about governments and their policies toward Jews, so too did interest in war crimes increase.

In a report in

Its last annual report in April 2008 noted that there were 608 investigations under way across the world, and that 76 convictions had been achieved in the preceding seven years.

It gave the USA an A grade for its efforts to bring Nazis to trial, an accolade that no other country has achieved.

The UK, which received a C as recently as 2001 - for "minimal success that could have been greater" - had dropped to the X category, indicating that it "failed to take any action whatsoever to investigate suspected Nazi war criminals".

Those that are among the most wanted are some responsible for the ordering the deaths of thousands of Jews during the early 1940's.

The article concludes if it is "Right or Wrong" to continue the hunt for these criminals, bearing in mind the legal costings and also the age of these men. Comments from the public think it is time to move on and let what was in the past remain in the past.

Personally I think that these men should still be brought to justice, no matter what the cost. The horrific events of the Holocaust will remain charred on the soul of humanity of eternity. It is something that can never happen again, and if those involved are still breathing then they must face the consequences.

Interesting debate.

Google has launched the UK version of its Street View service, which allows users to browse a selection of pictures taken along city streets. Street scenes in 25 UK cities from Aberdeen to Southampton can be viewed using the service. The Netherlands version of the service also launched on Thursday, bringing the number of countries covered to nine. The imagery available comprises video taken along 22,369 miles of UK streets by customised camera cars.

Google Maps users can zoom in to a given location and then drag the "Pegman" icon above the zoom bar on to a given street.

A picture view of that street appears, which users can control to get a 360-degree view of the area or to progress on street level, throughout the city.

Google says it has gone to great lengths to ensure privacy, suggesting that the service only shows imagery already visible from public thoroughfares.

It also uses face recognition technology to blur out faces and licence plates that appear in the images.

'Slipped halo'

The Information Commissioner's Office ruled in 2008 that the face- and licence plate-blurring were sufficient to ensure that privacy was maintained.

However, Simon Davies of Privacy International says that existing case law suggests that images for commercial purposes cannot be taken without prior consent of those who appear in the images.

The ICO did not rule on that point in 2008, meaning that the law on privacy protection remains unclear. Mr Davies objects to the fact that "Google had not consulted with the very communities that it was about to capture" in order to address that issue.

"The Holy Grail is to know as much as possible but to protect to the greatest extent privacy rights. Google's halo has slipped for the very reason that it believes in the first part of the equation but not in the second," he told BBC News.

However, Mr Davies does not object to the Street View service altogether.

"We're not trying to destroy the concept of Street View, what we're saying is that it should be deployed in an environment of historic rights, and people shouldn't be seduced into believing that just because a technology appears to be cool it must be allowed to proceed."

A Google spokesperson countered: "The images in Street View are lawful. The Street View feature only contains imagery gathered on public property. The imagery is no different from what any person can readily capture or see walking down the street."

What is more, the service provides "easily accessible tools for flagging inappropriate or sensitive imagery for review and removal".

Among Google's partners in the venture is Tate, who have worked with Google to integrate precise locations in the UK associated with artworks by JMW Turner and John Constable, which can then be viewed alongside their real-world locations.

Other partners have selected a gallery of images to showcase the UK's attractions.

London mayor Boris Johnson said: "It is simply fascinating, even for a Londoner like me, to whiz over Westminster Bridge past the Houses of Parliament, soak up the majesty of Regent's Park, take in the stupendous views from Primrose Hill or simply wander around the streets near where I live."

Also, hidden among the images is the popular children's book character Wally - of striped-jumper Where's Wally? fame - in one UK location.

Apple has unveiled what it calls a "major update" to the operating system that drives the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Some of the 100 new features included in the update replicate those already offered by other smart phones.

The new functions include cut, copy and paste, long demanded by iPhone users, picture messaging and an in-phone search feature, but not Flash video.

"The upgrade is a big big deal and will help persuade consumers to stay with Apple," said Gartner analyst Van Baker.

"While things like copy and paste and multi-media messaging (MMS) are things they have needed to do for a while, other features will in essence stop consumers buying other smartphones and raise the amount of money people spend on the iPhone, " he said.

Analyst Gene Munster from Piper Jaffray agreed that the upgrade was a major step forward.

"We believe Apple addressed key issues that were leading some consumers to competing devices for multimedia messaging and enterprise email."

Some of the other main features Apple highlighted for consumers include a voice memo and stereo Bluetooth.

A new search tool called Spotlight to allow users to search files and applications on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

longside the consumer upgrades Apple also unveiled its SDK (software developer kit) aimed at helping engineers write applications for the devices.

Apple admitted that the success of its App Store, where users can download from a choice of 25,000 paid-for and free applications, had exceeded their expectations.

More than 800 million downloads have been made so far, and the company said that with the help of developers they "had created something profound and amazing."

"Our goal was to make developers successful," said Scott Forstall, head of Apple's iPhone software development.

Developers will now be able to use the iPhone's mapping capability in their own applications, as well as take advantage of "push" technology to alert users of messaging or alert software.

Users can also now take advantage of enhanced peer-to-peer capabilities for games and other programmes that communicate wirelessly.

The new software will also allow developers to sell subscription-based software products, opening up the prospect of users being asked to pay for different levels of a game, to purchase additional content or to buy virtual items.

Previously, all purchases on the iPhone or iPod Touch were ring-fenced within either the App Store or Apple's mobile version of iTunes.

Industry analysts said the new move would be an important revenue-generator for Apple and developers.

"This in-app payment capability is big news and provides a way for people to pay for content again," said Mike McGuire of Gartner.

"It will be interesting to see how the print media reacts offering subscription services for magazines, newspapers and e-books.

"Game developers will cash in and I am very excited to see how music services leverage this new function," he said.

Hardware

The operating system upgrade, the third for the iPhone, will be available from the summer and free to all iPhone users.

Users who want to download the 3.0 software onto their iPod touch will have to pay a fee of $9.95 (£6.80).

ndustry watchers are speculating that a new iPhone will also be released around the same time as the software upgrade.

"It wouldn't surprise me to see some new hardware come the summer," said Van Baker, of Gartner. He noted that Apple is facing increasing competition from other smartphones.

Gartner recently put Apple's share of the worldwide market at 10.7%, compared to Nokia at over 40% and Research in Motion, which makes the Blackberry, at under 20%

"Apple can't continue to go with a point product and expect to get the kind of revenue it needs without some new offering. A good time to do that would be when they release 3.0," said Mr Baker.

At a separate question and answer session with journalists after the upgrade was unveiled, Apple's Phil Shiller said there was "nothing to announce on that today".

When I look back at how members of my family died, grandparents, Uncles and Aunties I'm ashamed to admit that I would say nearly all of them had some kind of alcohol related factor. Some members of my family were alcoholics, some still are. Growing up I always said I would never touch a drop, of course that changed yet seeing the hardship of what it did to members of my family I know the difference between the words excess and moderation. Like anyone I love a beer or two of a Friday or sharing a glass of wine with my girlfriend over a meal but I know when to stop.

In this age of financial hardship people want to find an escape, they want to have a release and most will turn to drink to relax and by god they have a right to do so! After slaving away in an office or factory or whatever it is you do having a beer or wine is a great way to unwind.

I am the first to champion any government that can tackle the out of control drinking levels that affect society today, I also applaud any steps taken to combat underage drinking but the plans unveiled today by the UK government really is insanity.

The government's top medical adviser has drawn up plans for a minimum price for alcohol which would double the cost of some drinks in England.

Under the proposal from Sir Liam Donaldson, no drinks could be sold for less than 50 pence per unit of alcohol they contain.

It would mean most bottles of wine could not be sold for less than £4.50 or a pint of beer £3.00.

Cabinet minister Douglas Alexander said the government would consider what Sir Liam had to say in his report.

But Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell said ministers had no intention of going ahead with something that would punish the responsible majority of drinkers.

The proposal is aimed at tackling alcohol misuse and is set out in Sir Liam's annual report on the nation's health.

A Tesco spokeswoman said: "If government comes forward with a package of proposals including minimum alcohol pricing, we would enter into discussions positively".

The Portman Group, set up by drinks manufacturers to promote sensible drinking, opposes the plan.

Portman chief executive David Poley said: "This would have a marginal effect on harmful drinkers but force hard-working families to pay more for a drink."

To me it seems that those who drink heavily are going to penalise those who enjoy in moderation. Yet another insane policy by this defunct government.

In the last few years there have been some amazing new female artists that have emerged on the scene. Adelle, Duffy, Leona Lews and Amy Winehouse are just a few that have not only taken the UK music by storm but have also had success in the USA.

I always love listening to foreign singers and the other day when flying back from Stockholm I read an article about a Swedish singer called Amanda Jenssen. The review was about how she had finished runner up in the Swedish version of Pop Idol but then expanded into a great review about how her maturity and also her songwriting ability had catapaulted her into critical acclaim.

When I got home I found some of her Pop Idol performances on Youtube. What I was presented with was a very unique sound, her voice was not as strong as the likes of Duffy or Winehouse but she had such a diversity that appealed to me, reminded me of a young Dido.

Following this I purchased her album "Killing My Darlings" from Itunes. After several listens I realised that not only was this one of the freshest sounds and voices I had heard in a long time, but also the depth of her lyrical writing is outstanding.

If your tired of waiting for new albums from Duffy and just irate with the way Winehouse abuses her talent then I suggest that you download Jenssen's album. It's the best album of 2009 so far for me. Two tracks that stand out are 'Numb' and 'Amarula Tree'.

I'm not saying this young lady is going to take the world by storm, but she certainly is a force to be reckoned with.

YouTube is blocking all premium music videos to UK users after failing to reach a new licensing agreement with the Performing Right Society (PRS).

Thousands of videos will be unavailable to YouTube users from later on today.

Steve Porter, head of the PRS, said he was "outraged... shocked and disappointed" by YouTube's decision.

In a statement, Mr Porter said the move "punishes British consumers and the songwriters whose interests we protect and represent".

The PRS has asked YouTube to reconsider its decision as a "matter of urgency".

Videos will begin to be blocked from 1800 GMT with the majority of them made inaccessible over the next two days.

YouTube pays a licence to the PRS which covers the streaming of music videos from three of the four major music labels and many independent labels.

While deals with individual record labels cover the use of the visual element and sound recording in a music video, firms that want to stream online also have to have a separate deal with music publishers which covers the music and lyrics.

In the UK, the PRS acts as a collecting society on behalf of member publishers for licensing fees relating to use of music.

YouTube stressed that it continued to have "strong partnerships" with three of the four largest record labels in the world.

Mr Walker said the PRS was asking for a "prohibitive" rise in the cost of a new license.

While not specifying the rate the PRS was seeking, he said: "It has to be a rate than can drive a business model. We are in the business for the long run and we want to drive the use of online video.

YouTube has also complained of a lack of transparency by the PRS, saying the organisation would not specify exactly which artists would be covered by any new deal.

"That's like asking a consumer to buy a blank CD without knowing what musicians are on it," a statement from YouTube UK says on its official blog.

YouTube is the world's most popular online video site but has been under increased pressure to generate more revenue since its purchase by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006.

"We are not willing to do this [new licensing deal] at any cost," said Mr Walker.

He said the issue was an industry-wide one and not just related to YouTube.

"By setting rates that don't allow new business models to flourish, nobody wins."

Services such as Pandora.com, MySpace UK and Imeem have also had issues securing licence deals in the UK in the last 12 months.

But it makes me ask the question, should we as an internet user have the right to view videos and even download them to our Ipods. MP4 and PDA devices? Can anyone actually remember the last time they puchased any music?....

Of all the seasonal changes I feel that none is as important as the change from winter to spring.

Whilst the white blanket of snow that engulfs the landscape is the most favourable to some it can also hide the darkness and coldness that not only fills the land but also the heart inside. Winter has never been my most favoured of seasons, only the anticipation of Christmas breaks up the monotony of a cold and barren time. The days are short and the nights are long, this just makes me feel often miserable.

Today marks the first day of Spring, as I stare outside I can see the bulbs of flowers emerging from the ground, the leaves are returning to the trees. People are bringing out garden furniture and painting the exterior of houses has begun. Why even this very morning I could smell the scent of cut grass.

We no longer live in a time of four seasons, it is usually just two dull grey and wet seasons that we experience these days. But one thing that never changes is the emergence of spring, a time where the dullness of winter is replaced by the colourful return of warmer times. Not only does it warm the air, it also warms my soul.