The shoe finally dropped. Assange has been granted asylum by Ecuador. The problem he now faces is that the Ecuadorian territory he's on is rather small (the embassy) and surrounded by British territory where he's subject to arrest.
What next? Will he sit it out indefinitely, or can we look forward to a desperate dash for freedom? Place your bets.
You all remember Julian is still holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy, right? Well, Ecuadorian authorities are saying a decision on whether to grant him asylum is coming this week. Much headaching over internal law, they say.
I think the whole issues boils down to the following:
Are you fairly confident that the charges brought against Assange in Sweden were entirely fabricated as part of a scheme by the United States to extradite him for trial?
Now, I honestly do not know the answer to that question. Assange and his supporters would say that's all they are. Others would say that these are charges independently brought by two women, who are not agents of the US, and that Assange should return and face them -- whether he's guilty or not.
If I had to back a horse, I'd back the latter, simply because I don't see any hard evidence that these women are acting as agents of the US; but of course, I may be wrong.
His current problem is that a summons has been issued for his arrest in the UK, so even if Ecuador does eventually make up its mind to grant him asylum, he can either stay in the embassy indefinitely or try -- good luck -- to get to the airport and leave the country without falling into the hands of the British police.
For crying out loud, DukeW, the next time I see you being dragged off under a barrage of truncheons for sitting in the front of the bus I'll remember your impassioned defense of the law and the order.
and when it comes to I've always personally wondered why the placards in out-of-the-way places that are not English-speaking are always neatly printed in English.
Is this an intro to your stand-up act at the local Marriott?
Honestly, Bolingbroke. Either Assange broke the law, and is guilty, or he's innocent, and will be cleared of all charges. Either way, he should be glad of the opportunity to clear his name. Only the guilty run and try to hide. As to what the masses think, well, there's some question as to whether the placard-wavers actually think or not. I've always personally wondered why the placards in out-of-the-way places that are not English-speaking are always neatly printed in English. Makes you wonder what the audience is, yes? At any rate, allow me to add to Mary's thought: in Kim's next video, the picture should be pitched in the opposite direction, to indicate the motion of the ocean....
Still no decision from Ecuador, although one was expected over the weekend. Could come any time; if Ecuador refuses him, he'll be - in effect - on the run from the police. For better or worse, this will make a great movie one day.
The new Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) initiative of operators is being run out of Europe's ETSI and not here in the United States, even though the issues have been here for five years. The US needs to step up; otherwise, it's surrendering leadership.
US counterterrorism expert Richard Clarke, who came to prominence with his prescient warnings before the 9/11 attacks, tells Smithsonian Magazine the US was responsible for the Stuxnet supersmart worm that attacked parts of nuclear reactors in Iran – and in the process, has given away one of the world's most sophisticated cyberweapons.
Is China a threat because it censors US sites, or could it be that the country might have an economic formula that will out-innovate us on the Internet that we invented?
The United States' taxpayer-funded technology delegation to Russia turns into a mortifying embarrassment for anyone even remotely proud to be American.
As enterprises are building out their business intelligence solutions and prepping their strategies for 2010, isn't it time to do something about all that redundant data in the network?
The US loses about $20 billion a year on pirated software, movies, and music. But public policy can help stem the tide of digital theft. For example, France has recently passed a 'three strikes and you’re out' law, whereby if after two warning letters an individual continues to download pirated software then his Internet access will be cut off. US policy makers should consider adopting similar policies.
The IBM Smarter Commerce Global Summit in Monaco kicked into high gear today, and we've already begun to see news emerging from that lovely city-state by the sea.
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