sterile syringe filter

What Is Good Australian Government Filter Policy Anyway

The thought was spiked in my head yesterday reading an ITNews piece that reported that Tony Abbot had formed a “Cybersafety” panel, headed up by former Optus executive (and current Liberal MP) Paul Fletcher. The Coalition panel is tasked with investigating the roles of the ACMA, AFP, ISPs and (essentially) anyone with a stake in online safety.

It appears that it’s heavily looking back to the Howard Government’s Netalert plans, and while I do think there’s something laudable in having an optional (rather than mandatory) filter, the statistics for Netalert were, in final analysis, rather embarrassing; despite a $15 million advertising spend promoting the scheme, by the time the current government wound it up, something like 1 per cent of Australian parents were actually using a Netalert provided filter. Meanwhile, the current government has spent god knows how much money on a mandatory filtering proposal that is still part of policy, even if timetables for its implementation have slipped, slid and skidded all over the information superhighway.*

Or, in other words, no matter what side of politics you happen to sit on, a lot of time and money’s been spent on net filtering with not much in the way of solid results.

This seems to me to be an excellent discussion point; what’s the best possible approach? Mandatory filtering is a daft idea — too easily circumvented, expensive to keep track of — but should governments be involved in filtering of other kinds, and if so, how?

Although AKRF's previous content filtering solution was also a category-based solution

Although AKRF's previous content filtering solution was also a category-based solution, AKRF finds OpenDNS Enterprise to offer more clearly defined categories that can easily be integrated with the company's acceptable use policy. Too, OpenDNS Enterprise's content filtering solution offers what Biggins calls, "the most fair and transparent" way to communicate the company's policy to end users and work with them to make adjustments as necessary.

Additionally, OpenDNS Enterprise includes malware protection that prevents both inbound malware downloads and outbound malware communication and can be deployed in a matter of minutes. Biggins explains, "OpenDNS Enterprise gives us the opportunity to do something fundamentally different: by simply clicking a checkbox we began a proactive approach to fighting malware, and eliminated maintenance as all updates take place instantly from the cloud."

The AKRF team also leverages OpenDNS Enterprise's remote manageability to improve efficiency for their team, even with five distributed offices. Biggins explained that employees no longer have to wait for his team to make updates to filtering settings as, "OpenDNS Enterprise allows us to check reports and address user requests 24x7 with just a Web browser. Plus, we can apply settings to all networks with a single click, making configuration of new network ranges a breeze."

Biggins concludes, "OpenDNS Enterprise was easy to implement, has almost zero maintenance, and is more redundant than anything we could create internally. It is a proactive approach to what has historically been a reactive area of work for us."

This is after a previous "negotiation process" by FMG was described

This is after a previous "negotiation process" by FMG was described by a lawyer of the subject community as "one of the most blatant examples of unfair and unconscionable conduct by a mining company that I have seen in 15 years experience as a lawyer.

In a desperate attempt to take their struggle to the arena of public opinion, YAC uploaded a video seeking to document their harshly critical view of how Forrest was seeking to attain their agreement. How did Forrest respond? He claimed the video was defamatory. Australia's richest man plundering an already poverty-stricken Indigenous community – and demanding they not criticise him for it. The picture isn't pretty. Who do we wish to empower?

That is to say there are already severe restrictions on freedom of speech in Australia. Defamation laws in Australia effectively operate to prevent criticism of people with money, unless the critic is in the rare position of being able to afford fighting a defamation lawsuit. The result is that robust public exchanges are only possible among the particularly privileged an extraordinary, and utterly appalling filter on public debate in Australia.

It is also worth noting because no-one else apparently has – that Bolt's legal team had the option of challenging the legislation that they say infringes on freedom of speech, by saying it is inconsistent with the implied constitutional freedom of political communication. This argument had previously been made by Holocaust denier Frederick Toben, but was rejected in Toben v Jones. As Justice Bromberg noted in the Bolt case, "Mr Bolt and HWT recognised that I am bound to follow that judgment, but formally reserved their position." An important point, mysteriously left out in accounts of Bolt's heroic struggle for freedom of speech in Australia.

Pilot Flying J Offers Free Winter Diesel Additive Program

The additive program, which is being offered free of charge, helps reduce winter-month breakdowns due to fuel line and filter freezing and corrosion.We are pleased to once again offer our additive program for professional drivers,” said Jimmy Haslam, Pilot Flying J CEO. “As the driver-driven company, we strive to make the fueling experience positive and convenient for our professional drivers, and this is just another way to better serve them.”

Hydrocarbons prevalent in diesel fuel have poor solubility at low temperatures and are the first molecules to precipitate from fuel as it cools. This precipitate, in the form of wax crystals, can accumulate on filters and restrict fuel flow, resulting in a loss of power, engine stalling or the inability to start. The additive is very effective at improving the low temperature operability of a fuel to combat these problems and is added directly to the fuel.

The additive will be available at any location with a temperature posting of 15 degrees Fahrenheit or below and will be continuously provided through March 1 at locations known for harsh winters, such as those in Colorado, New York, Minnesota and Wyoming among other northern tier states.

“Winter driving conditions are difficult at best,” said Mark Hazelwood, Pilot Flying J executive vice president. “The goal of our winter diesel additive program is to give our customers added peace of mind and to make their winter driving experience a positive one.”

Campus Watch: Cigarette filter options studied

Researchers at Cornell University are working to build a better cigarette.According to the website Everyday Health, researchers have added lycopene and grape seed extract to cigarette filters. This drastically cuts the amount of free radicals that pass through cigarette filters and into your body. Free radicals are cancer-causing properties that come from cigarettes.

The research paper was authored by Boris Dzikovski and Jack Freed of the Cornell Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, and Long-Xi Yu of the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, and was published in the online Journal of Visualized Experiments.Avoiding cigarettes is the healthiest option, but a less toxic brand could help millions who are unable to quit, said Aaron Kolski-Andreaco, Journal of Visualized Experiments content director.A new Cornell University study shows that introducing more color into children's meals could encourage them to eat more nutritionally diverse foods, according to the university. The study shows that more colorful food is more appealing to children than adults.

Plates with seven different food items and six different colors are more appealing to children, according to the study, while adults prefer fewer colors. The study is published in the January issue of Acta Paediatrica.

During the study, 23 preteen children and 46 adults were presented full-size photos of 48 different combinations of food. The food was pictured on plates that varied by number of items, placement of entree and organization of food.