Tut, tut; this isn’t what we call the Christmas spirit. Just in time for the full-throated final stretch roar of the holiday shopping season, Microsoft has launched a nasty attack on Google, accusing the search giant of betraying its principles by including paid advertisements for retail outlets in its Google Shopping search results.In the beginning, Google preached, “Don’t Be Evil” — but that changed … when Google Shopping announced a new initiative. Simply put, all of their shopping results are now paid ads … … We say that when you limit choices and rank them by payment, consumers get Scroogled. For an honest search result, try Bing.Continue Reading… … Read More
Bing vs. Google: Where should you shop?
Posted in: NEWS | Tagged: attack, google, Google Shopping, initiative, microsoft, paid inclusion, results, Search, shop, shopping, spirit, stretch
Despite Maps Debacle, Demand for New iPhone Appears Strong
The release of Apple’s new maps app was met with such furor that the company’s chief executive even apologized for it. Still, the flawed maps are not turning people off from wanting the phone. A new survey estimates that as many as one-third of American shoppers are interested in getting the smartphone in the future. … Read More
Malmö sniper Peter Mangs demands retrial
Convicted serial killer Peter Mangs demanded a retrial on Thursday, accusing one of the lay judges who presided over his trial of having a conflict of interest in the case.Malm sniper Peter Mangs ‘not mentally ill’ (26 Sep 12)
Malm sniper Peter Mangs found guilty (24 Jul 12)
Mangs deserves life for ‘ruthless’ sniper attacks (17 Jul 12)
At the request of his client, Mangs’s lawyer filed a petition on Thursday claiming that the lay judge was biased for participating police board meetings during the investigation.We consider it to be a conflict of interest and the client wants us to do it, Mangss lawyer Jesper Montan said in his request, according to the Sydsvenskan newspaper.Montan and Mangss other lawyer Douglas Norking wrote in the filing that the lay judge in question undermined his impartiality and independence by attending the meetings.Now there has been a formal objection on the grounds of bias and this shall be communicated to the opposition, said Eva Wendel Rosberg, head of the Malm District Court.The defence laywers accused the lay judge of participating in meetings with police on three occasions during the autumn of 2010, thereby gaining access to information that made it questionable whether he could make an unbiased review of the police investigation.The lay judge will meet with Malm District Court head judge Lennart Strins in an attempt to better assess the question of bias.Mangs was arrested in November 2010 after a string of shootings that took place in Malm against people of immigrant origin.He was charged with killing two men of immigrant origin, aged 23 and 66, in 2003 and a 20-year-old Swedish woman who had been sitting in a car with an immigrant man in 2009.He was also charged with 12 attempted murders in which he fired numerous shots with his Glock 19 pistol at homes, businesses and cars as well as out in the open, seriously injuring a number of people and coming close to killing many others.In July, after a highly publicized trial and a lengthy criminal investigation, the court ruled that he was guilty of 13 of the charges, among these two murders, four attempted murders and three cases of making illegal threats.TT/The Local/ogFollow The Local on Twitter … Read More
Posted in: america, australia, EU, France, law, leave, left, letter, Life, NEWS, officer, officers, online, ops, Order, ows, partner, peace, People, rio, science, Search, SENEWS, Spain, sweden, UK, world, www | Tagged: activist, america, australia, better, cia, coming, conflict, Court, data, deal, Debat, debate, debt, default, defence, Dem, Dies, diplomatic, direct, doctor, down, drug, Ed, Education, efd, EMP, EU, euro, europe, European, event, false, feed, files, final, fire, first, floor, food, foreign, former, Found, France, free, Future, germany, global, gold, google, have, headlines, Health, high, Him, home, host, hot, house, How, human, india, info, information, internet, into, IRS, issue, issues, its, jack, job, jobs, join, kill, killer, know, land, late, law, leave, left, letter, Life, limit, List, local, long, Look, Low, main, mark, market, media, Mobile, money, nation, National, NEW, NFL, no, Not, Now, nuclear, old, one, Out, over, partner, peak, pop, price, rand, removed, rio, ron, Said, Search, Sex, shop, sky, Small, social, some, stand, state, stream, Sue, Sun, Tax, tea, term, That, This, threat, Tim, Time, tom, Tory, Under, Up, US, usa, UT, Van, Want, war, Was, we, When, WHO, Year, years
Facebook bounce brings more firms to Luleå
A year after Facebook announced it would open a data centre in Lule, three more multinational companies are set to follow suit, opening branches in the northern Swedish town.After Facebook, Lule sets sights on digital age (28 Nov 11)
Facebook’s ‘coolest’ data hub coming to Sweden (27 Oct 11)
Facebook named as Lule server hall backer (26 Oct 11)
The new entrants include two hardware companies and one software firm, and an extensive recruitment process is already underway.Fredrik Kalloniemi, operations manager at Aurorum Science Park in Lule, explained that the hiring team is hoping to hire as many local Lule residents as possible.Its a lot easier then having to relocate people, he told The Local.These are people that know the region and the business, which makes recruitment a lot quicker. I think any company likes that.Though Facebook has been a major factor in putting Lule on the map as an emerging tech hub, Kalloniemi maintains the new data centre is not the only reason companies are interested in establishing operations near the Arctic Circle.In recent years, there has been a 20 billion kronor ($3 billion) investment in the industry in Sweden, he said. A large percentage of that has been invested in IT infrastructure, which has made Sweden an attractive location.Facebook served as a trigger, but there are more data centres in this region and these multinational companies see a possibility to expand, to start partnerships with local companies,” Kalloniemi added.The Aurorum Science Park is also talking to a whole list of other companies, suggesting that the three new firms, the names of which have yet to be made public, are only the beginning.The plan is that the data centre will eventually consist of three buildings with enough space to include additional companies. The first building is currently under construction and is already making an impression.The data centre is going to be huge, I mean itll be crazy big, Kalloniemi told The Local.Sanne Schim van der LoeffFollow The Local on Twitter … Read More
Posted in: america, australia, EU, France, international, law, leave, left, letter, Life, NEWS, officer, officers, online, ops, Order, ows, partner, peace, People, rio, science, Search, SENEWS, Spain, sweden, UK, world, www | Tagged: activist, america, australia, change, cia, coming, data, deal, Debat, debate, debt, default, Dies, diplomatic, direct, doctor, down, drug, Ed, Education, efd, EMP, establish, EU, euro, europe, European, event, false, feed, files, final, first, floor, food, foreign, former, France, free, Future, germany, global, gold, google, have, headlines, Health, high, Him, home, host, hot, How, human, icke, india, internet, into, IRS, issue, issues, its, jack, job, jobs, join, know, land, large, late, law, leave, left, letter, Life, limit, List, local, long, Look, Low, main, mark, market, media, Mobile, money, nation, National, NEW, Nigel, no, Not, Now, nuclear, officer, old, one, Out, over, partner, peak, people, pop, press, privacy, rand, removed, rio, ron, Said, Search, Sex, shop, sky, Small, social, some, stand, state, stream, Sue, Sun, Tax, tea, team, term, That, This, Tim, Time, tom, Tory, under, Under, Up, US, usa, UT, Van, war, Was, we, When, WHO, Year, years
‘It was an easy decision’: Swedish Academy
The Locals Rebecca Martin catches up with Peter Englund, the Permanent Secretary of the Swedish Academy (Svenska Akademien), to find out more about why one should read the work of 2012s Nobel Prize winner in literature, Mo Yan. Chinese author Mo Yan awarded Nobel lit prize (11 Oct 12)
Seven hot names in the Nobel Literature race (10 Oct 12)
One of the things that is special with this years winner is that he depicts from within – a world that most of us dont have access to. He is originally a peasant boy, born into a farming family and he worked in the fields until he was twelve years old, Englund told The Local. According to Englund there were no harsh deliberations when the committee took the decision, almost a week ago: I would say that it was an easy decision, although these things are always somewhat complicated. Thats how it always is, though. You have five authors, often writing in different genres and styles. So I would say that its complicated but not difficult.”The work of 57-year-old Yan, who became the first Chinese national to ever win the prize, explores the brutality and darkness of 20th-century Chinese society with a cynical wit.He is perhaps best-known abroad for his 1987 novella “Red Sorghum”, a tale of the brutal violence that plagued the eastern China countryside – where he grew up – during the 1920s and 30s.The story was later made into an acclaimed film by leading Chinese director Zhang Yimou.Meanwhile, Englund explained that the translations of Yans work into Swedish does his words justice. We are lucky to have a Chinese speaker on the panel and he has assured us that the translations are very good, Englund said. However, with the decision being reached a week ago – it hasnt been easy to keep it a secret with the wild speculations and the betting that goes on online and in the media. It is something we need to think about and in later years we have had to become even stricter when it comes to secrecy, Englund said.To readers as of yet unfamiliar with Yans work, Englund recommends starting with “The Garlic Ballads”, first published in 1993: You should read Mo Yan when you are ready to face a whole new world, inhabited by new people and showing new ways of looking at the world,” Englund told The Local.But above all you should read him because he is a damned good author!”Rebecca Martin/AFPFollow Rebecca on Twitter here. … Read More
Posted in: america, australia, EU, France, law, leave, left, letter, lies, Life, NEWS, officer, officers, online, ops, Order, ows, partner, peace, People, rio, science, Search, secret, secretary, SENEWS, Spain, sweden, UK, world, www | Tagged: activist, america, apple, australia, china, cia, coming, data, deal, Debat, debate, debt, default, Dem, Dies, diplomatic, direct, doctor, down, drug, Ed, Education, efd, EMP, EU, euro, European, event, false, feed, files, Film, final, first, floor, food, foreign, former, France, free, Future, germany, global, gold, google, have, headlines, Health, high, Him, home, host, hot, house, How, human, india, internet, into, IRS, issue, issues, its, jack, job, jobs, join, justice, know, land, late, law, leave, left, letter, lies, Life, limit, List, local, long, Look, Low, main, mark, market, media, mitt, Mobile, money, nation, National, NEW, no, Not, Now, nuclear, old, one, Out, over, partner, peak, pop, rand, removed, rio, ron, Said, Search, secretary, Sex, shop, sky, Small, social, some, stand, state, stream, Sue, Sun, Tax, tea, term, That, This, Tim, Time, tom, Tory, Under, Up, US, usa, UT, Van, war, Was, we, When, WHO, Year, years, years
Nobel’s will ‘blatantly disrespected’ in Norway
On the eve of the announcement of the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize, The Local catches up with Norwegian lawyer and Nobel historian Fredrik S. Heffermehl, who claims the Norwegian Nobel Committee isn’t following Alfred Nobel’s wishes.’It was an easy decision’: Swedish Academy (11 Oct 12)
Chinese author Mo Yan awarded Nobel lit prize (11 Oct 12)
Live Blog: 2012 Nobel Prize announcements (11 Oct 12)
For years, Heffermehl has been writing books and penning opinion pieces in the Norwegian media arguing that the country’s Nobel Committee, in charge of awarding the Nobel Peace Prize each year, is failing to follow the last will and testament of the Swedish industrialist whose fortune served as the basis for the prize.Nobel’s will states that the prize should be given to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses”.But in awarding the prize to politicians such as Barack Obama, Henry Kissinger or even Al Gore, whose work is with the environment and not peace and disarmament, the committee has failed to adhere to the will of the deceased benefactor, Heffermehl argues.In the run up to this years peace prize announcement, set to take place on Friday in Oslo, The Local checked in with Heffermehl to hear his thoughts on the problem. The Local: What is wrong with the current selection process of the Nobel Peace Prize? Fredrik Heffermehl: In the beginning, the Norwegian politicians, whose job it is to select the Nobel Committee, were eager to find the right peace-minded individuals working for a global peace order, which is what Nobel wanted to support. But sometime after 1948, in the wake of the Second World War, this eagerness dissipated. Today, the Committee is very different and I would say consists of Norwegian politicians who accept a world system of competing military forces, the direct opposite of the core purpose of Nobels Peace Prize: to support a new system and efforts for global cooperation on demilitarization of international affairs the global peace order that Nobel described in his will.I have been saying for more than five years in books and articles that Nobels will and purpose must be respected. But the Nobel Committee does not want to enter into this discussion. TL: Why is that, do you think? FH: The military sector in Norway was and is a strong sector and the reality today is that a majority politicians favouring a strong military defence are in control of a prize, which was initially meant for their opponents. TL: What happens now? FH: Well, they cant ignore Nobel forever. In fact it has been the shock of my life to see such blatant disrespect of someones last will and testament. I have had support from some very high-ranking people in Norway, but this is in private; no one dares to come out and say it in public. It says something about the political climate that no one wants to stick their neck out. TL: What has the Swedish County Administrative Board (Lnsstyrelsen) tasked with ensuring that foundations created by wills such as Nobel’s follow their statutes done? FH: They were also reluctant to stick their neck out. It took four years to get them to act. I knew that they would have to agree with my point. It is elementary really. The whole purpose of a testament is that the testators will has to be followed and cannot be changed after his death. The authority would have to confirm my view. I put pressure on them but they tried to evade the question for years. It even had to be taken to the administrative court, but I am very happy with the outcome. A decision was passed that confirmed entirely that the prizes must comply with the purpose described by the testator. But the authority was very diplomatic, its decision did not criticize anything that has happened in the past, it only gave directions for the future. TL: What needs to be done about it, in your opinion? FH: There really has never been a proper discussion. They are reluctant to answer these questions because if they enter into the discussion they will be forced to select member for the committee who are actually in favour of a global peace order as Nobel was. After the Swedish decision the Norwegian politicians must reconsider the situation and determine what the purpose of the prize really is and whether they are qualified and willing to continue selecting the five-member Nobel Committees. They must ask themselves the following questions: “Should we, can we still have this role?”; “How have the committees fulfilled the mandate in the past?”; and “Is it possible for Norway’s Parliament to be loyal to Nobel and can official Norway continue to select the trustees of a private Swedish foundation in the future to implement a peace vision that Parliament is directly opposed to?” TL: So, who do you think will win this years Nobel Peace Prize? FH: To be honest, I feel less interested every year the prizes have less and less to do with Nobel. The politicians are using Nobels name to promote their own ideas, they do not understand that Nobel saw the costly and dangerous threat to human survival that would develop if the world failed to curb militarism. His desire for a global peace order is a much more urgent, mandatory need today than when he wrote his will.Rebecca MartinFollow Rebecca on Twitter … Read More
Posted in: america, australia, EU, France, international, law, leave, left, letter, Life, NEWS, obama, officer, officers, online, ops, Order, ows, partner, passed, peace, People, rio, science, Search, second, SENEWS, Spain, sweden, UK, world, www | Tagged: activist, america, american, australia, cia, coming, congress, Court, data, deal, Debat, debate, debt, default, defence, Dem, Dies, diplomatic, direct, doctor, down, drug, Ed, Education, efd, EMP, EU, euro, European, event, fail, false, feed, files, final, first, floor, Following, food, Force, foreign, former, Found, France, free, freedom, Future, germany, global, gold, google, have, headlines, Health, high, Him, history, home, host, hot, How, human, india, internet, into, iron, IRS, issue, issues, its, jack, job, jobs, John, join, kill, Killed, know, land, late, law, leave, left, letter, Life, limit, List, local, long, Look, Low, main, mark, market, media, military, mitt, Mobile, money, nation, National, Nations, NEW, Nigel, no, nobel, Not, Now, nuclear, old, one, Out, over, Parliament, partner, peace, peak, personal, point, pop, price, prison, rand, reduction, removed, rio, ron, Search, second, Sex, shop, sky, Small, social, some, stand, state, states, stream, Sue, Sun, Sweden, system, Tax, tea, term, than, That, They, This, threat, Tim, Time, tom, Tory, Under, Up, US, usa, UT, Van, Want, war, Was, we, When, WHO, Year, years
Fab Revamps Mobile Shops Ahead of Holidays
Fab, an online shopping site, has already begun to prepare for an onslaught of holiday shoppers, which it hopes will push it toward profitability. For now it is still losing money because of a large advertising budget. … Read More
