Link roundup

[ewt]

Migrants should do community service in order to gain citizenship. Not sure how I feel about this one - I mean, I've done it already. It's so hard to quantify what constitutes a valuable contribution to society.

Interested in Creative Commons licensing? Interested in free culture? If you would like a full-time, paid internship this summer in sunny San Fransisco, to hae a look a this Creative Commons internship.

The Great Starvation Experiment looks like an interesting read.

Ice near Baffin Island reduced by half. Scary stuff, folks. Should I be looking at moving to higher ground before the end of my degree? Probably not, but I certainly will be afterward.

Your Feminist Library Needs You! It sounds like this is a really great resource that is in quite a bit of danger.

Antenna Alliance looks like an interesting project: "We record music for free at MIT/Harvard/Northeastern with a liberal license attached (like, say, anyone can remix or give out the music for free, but only the artist can sell it) and the send it to a bunch of attentive and local college stations and play it on our own radio shows. If it's really, really good we sit around making nice CD cases with construction paper and glue." This overlaps very nicely with some of the Mammoth Project ideas. Hmm. Shame I know so little about recording, really.

Last, but certainly not least, Open Mic News is up and running.

Comments

[beingjdc.livejournal.com]

I'd say that in the medium-term you're better off in London's reasonably well defended low ground than in slightly higher ground elsewhere. You also want to check what your higher ground is made of before you move there, of course.

[elmyra.livejournal.com]

I have one thing to say to Mr. Brown: If I do community work, can I have my income tax back please?

[jaq.livejournal.com]

Immigrants already go over several hurdles before they can get citizenship, including in most cases having to work and pay taxes etc., i.e. the costs of citizenship, for several years, without getting the benefits of citizenship. (e.g. voting). I'm not sure why they in particular should have more to deal with. There are plenty of people born here who contribute nothing to society, so if community service is so valuable perhaps everyone should do it.

[jaq.livejournal.com]

Euw, I wish I hadn't gone and looked at the Have Your Say (http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?threadID=5671&&&edition=1&ttl=20070227141257) associated with that article. I think 'inflammatory' is the best description.

[phelyan.livejournal.com]

What bothers me is that "immigrants" in this context always refers to non-caucasian races. Oh, we have no problem with Eurotrash or ex convicts coming here. Even the old colonies are alright, as long as they're white. But you can't trust those shifty-eyed buggers with dark skin. They're up to no good and we need to tighten controls for those, make sure they pull their weight and can speak english better than your average glaswegian.

[jaq.livejournal.com]

Yes that is the impression I get too.

I think it is also the case that most 'normal' people don't have a clue what the immigration rules actually are. When theora came here I was continually explaining to people that she wasn't automatically a citizen once we got married, and other stuff like that.

[phelyan.livejournal.com]

Plus the difference between citizen and resident, issues surrounding right of abode and right to work for EU citizens. It can be quite fun.

[phelyan.livejournal.com]

I want the days back where having paid your taxes for 5 years was enough.

I mean, seriously, I've done enough for the economy already. I've paid several thousand pounds towards health, public transport, military and whatnot. I've not claimed benefits or dole, I've used the NHS once since I arrived. I support the local Rainbows leader, I give to charities occasionally and vote in my local elections if I remember.

What else do they want?

[pplfichi.livejournal.com]

What else do they want?

Oh I don't know... (https://www.labour.org.uk/donatebycreditcard) [labour.org.uk]

[sci.livejournal.com]

Aww, why thankyou for the plug hon! :D