09.11.11

Links 11/9/2011: Xonotic 0.5, Plasma Active

Posted in News Roundup at 9:48 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

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IRC Proceedings: September 11th, 2011

Posted in IRC Logs at 8:26 pm by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Enter the IRC channels now

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Cablegate: Investigation Launched Against Initiator of Kurdish GNU/Linux Distribution

Posted in Asia, Cablegate, Europe, GNU/Linux at 11:17 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Abdullah Demirbas, who is named for his role in making a Kurdish GNU/Linux distribution, is being badly treated by the authorities

“Diyarbakir Chief Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation against Abdullah Demirbas,” says the following Cablegate cable, “who launched efforts to create software in Kurdish that would be used on the computer systems of the municipality. The software was promoted by Mr. Demirbas and Mr.Rainer Haider, its creator who is a U.S. national, a while ago in the Sur district. The software was named as ‘Ubuntu’ which meant “help, support” in one of the local languages of South Africa.”

According to an article from April 2010, “Abdullah Demirbaş, Mayor of the Kurdish capital of Diyarbakir-Sur was arrested in late December 2009 by the Turkish police. He was arrested on baseless allegations” and he was “suffering from the disease vein thrombosis (DVT)…”

While we don’t know the full nature of the story, we mentioned him a couple of years ago in relation to GNU/Linux in Turkey. The cable is basically an accumulation of many short reports from 2006. As he was able to launch a GNU/Linux distribution years later, we assume that he was out of jail and probably innocent. A political prisoner perhaps? He is a town mayor according to Wikipedia.

VZCZCXRO1330
RR RUEHDA
DE RUEHDA #0250/01 3331322
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 291322Z NOV 06
FM AMCONSUL ADANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4369
INFO RUEUITH/AFOSI DET 521 ANKARA TU
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA 0915
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHIT/AMCONSUL ISTANBUL 0791
RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RUEILB/NCTC WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/AFOSI DET 522 INCIRLIK AB TU
RUETIAA/DIRNSA FT MEADE MD
RUEHDA/AMCONSUL ADANA 0971

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ADANA 000250 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PINS [National Security], PGOV [Internal Governmental Affairs], PHUM [Human Rights], TU [Turkey] 
SUBJECT: SOUTHEAST TURKEY PRESS SUMMARY FOR NOVEMBER 29, 2006 
 
 
This is the Southeastern Turkey press summary for November 29, 
2006.  Please note that Turkish press reports often contain 
errors or exaggerations; AmConsulate Adana does not vouch for 
the accuracy of the reports summarized here. 
 
POLITICAL 
 
RADIKAL / EVRENSEL / ZAMAN / HURRIYET:  Diyarbakir Chief 
Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation against Abdullah 
Demirbas, Sur District Mayor in Diyarbakir, who launched efforts 
to create software in Kurdish that would be used on the computer 
systems of the municipality.   The software was promoted by Mr. 
Demirbas and Mr.Rainer Haider, its creator who is a U.S. 
national, a while ago in the Sur district.  The software was 
named as 'Ubuntu' which meant "help, support" in one of the 
local languages of South Africa. 
 
EVRENSEL:       Regarding the incident about two villagers fired 
upon by security officers in Hakkari's Yuksekova district (see 
press summary for November 27), the Hakkari Governor's Office 
dismissed the allegations that the office initially announced 
immediately after the incident that the two persons were PKK 
terrorists.  The Governor's office claimed that some media was 
misinforming the public about it, and the office allegedly only 
stated that "two persons did not obey security officers' halt 
warning and entered into clash with the security personnel." 
 
EVRENSEL:       Author Orhan Miroglu, who is a member of party 
assembly of DTP, said that the government should express more 
reasonable grounds for not establishing dialogue with the DTP. 
According to Miroglu, Turkey is in need of facing the reality of 
the PKK. 
 
EVRENSEL:       According to some secret documents made public on a 
television program called "Reports Mainz" broadcast on Germany's 
ARD TV station, people detained unlawfully in Europe were being 
transferred to Afghanistan and Guantanamo Prison via Incirlik 
Air Base in Adana. 
 
CRIME / LAW ENFORCEMENT 
 
ZAMAN:  Two people, who were feigning as a decent family 
with a baby, were caught with nine kilograms of heroin as they 
were traveling in their private car in Diyarbakir.  The heroin 
was reportedly purchased in Hakkari and traffickers were aiming 
to trade it in the western provinces. 
 
ECONOMY 
 
BOLGE / EVRENSEL / ZAMAN:       Because of the decrease in demand 
in the internal market for citrus fruit, farmers were reportedly 
experiencing difficulty in selling their produce at reasonable 
prices.  Turkish Army recently pledged to citrus fruit farmers 
in Mersin that the army would start serving at least two times 
in a week citrus fruit to the soldiers in their meals. 
 
SABAH (GUNEY):  During a seminar called "Cooperation between 
Turkey and the U.K." held at the chamber, Mehmet Aslan, 
Chairperson of Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce, requested from 
Nick Braid, new ambassador of the U.K. to Ankara, that the U.K. 
should eliminate the difficulties experienced in issuing visas 
to Turkish industrialists. 
 
ZAMAN:  A group of businessman in Hatay's Dortyol district 
made a cultural and business trip to Northern Iraq.  The group 
paid visits to cultural sites, to schools, and to a hospital 
opened by Turkish doctors, at Arbil, Kirkuk and Suleymaniyah 
provinces. 
 
CULTURE / SOCIETY / ENVIRONMENT 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA):    The gala night of Turkey's likely Oscar 
nominee in 2007, "Dondurmam Gaymak", which won two awards at the 
4th Queens Film Festival in the United States, has been held in 
Mersin. 
 
HURRIYET (CUKUROVA) / BOLGE / EKSPRES / ZAMAN:  Two new rectors, 
Professor Suha Aydin and Professor Serafettin Canda, have been 
appointed to Mersin University in Mersin and Mustafa Kemal 
University in Hatay respectively.  The rector of the Sutcu Imam 
University in Kahramanmaras has been reappointed to his former 
rector's position at the same university. 
 
BOLGE / EKSPRES / SABAH (GUNEY):        The Press Office of the 
 
ADANA 00000250  002 OF 002 
 
 
Adana Municipality released a statement saying that air 
pollution observed in quarters located around the D-400 highway 
and in the southern part of Adana is decreasing the quality of 
life for people.  However, the northern parts, which were 
selected as new settlement areas of the province by Mayor Aytac 
Durak in terms of good urban planning, were experiencing no 
decrease in the quality of air, according to the office. 
Experts are reportedly warning people not to go out especially 
during evenings in those parts. 
 
ZAMAN / EVRENSEL / HURRIYET:    A 44-year-old prosecutor, who was 
appointed to Kars's Ardahan district two months ago, reportedly 
committed suicide yesterday morning with his gun.  The 
prosecutor reportedly conducted an operation against fuel-oil 
smuggling in 2002 in Van's Saray district, and jandarma teams 
detained four officials of the Ministry of Environment under 
that operation then.  One year before that operation, 
unidentified person(s) opened fire on the prosecutor's car and 
wounded two privates who were escorting the prosecutor. 
 
BOLGE / EKSPRES / EVRENSEL:      Unrest broke out between students 
and police when police allegedly did not allow students to enter 
an Adana high school.  The students were not able to afford the 
3 YTL requested by school administration in exchange for a 
school identity card.  When the tension subsided, the students 
were allowed in the school. 
 
BOLGE:  Mersin Municipality announced its donation of fifty 
wheel chairs to 50 handicapped persons. 
 
ZAMAN / BOLGE:  Turkish Red Crescent sent 4500 tons of flour 
to the Palestinian authority via the port of Mersin as 
humanitarian aid.  A ceremony was held at the port as the vessel 
set off for its destination. 
GREEN

We will have some more cables to share on Tuesday (I am away in London all day tomorrow). █

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Cablegate: Gates Foundation Sends Team to Install ‘Free’ Software in the Health Ministry

Posted in Apple, Bill Gates at 10:45 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

“There’s free software and then there’s open source… there is this thing called the GPL, which we disagree with.”

–Bill Gates, April 2008

Summary: Cable in Cablegate mischaracterises the role of the Bill Gates lobby (calling proprietary software “free software”)

THE Gates Foundation is more like a lobbying group and, according to this Cablegate cable, it is allowed to control health systems through software, too. “He spoke of assistance from the Gates Foundation,” says this cable, “in developing the province’s e-government capacity, including a team that was arriving to install free software in the health ministry for the management of medication supplies.” Is it anything like those Microsoft applications that Gates puts inside libraries before leaving those libraries stranded? And schools too? We have addressed this subject in posts such as:

• Libraries Burned by Microsoft and the Gates Foundation as Another Project/Product Dies
• Gates Foundation (and Microsoft) Take the Libraries Takeover Global
• How the Gates Foundation Blocks GNU/Linux and Free Software in National Libraries, Then Inherits Education
• Gates Foundation Joins Microsoft and Attacks Free Software in Greece
• How the Gates Foundation Makes People “Addicted” to Microsoft

Here is the full cable.

VZCZCXYZ0000
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBU #0609/01 1282137
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 072137Z MAY 08
FM AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 0985
 
UNCLAS BUENOS AIRES 000609 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON PREL OEXC OTRA SCUL SENV AR
 
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR'S VISIT TO LA PLATA: A UNIVERSITY TOWN AND HOME 
TO BUENOS AIRES GOVERNOR DANIEL SCIOLI 
 
SUMMARY 
------- 
 
¶1. (U) The Ambassador reaffirmed the USG commitment to strengthening 
bilateral ties with Argentina and discussed investment, drugs, and 
local issues during an April 30 meeting with Buenos Aires Governor 
Daniel Scioli and series of meetings in the provincial capital.  The 
Ambassador visited a parish school serving disadvantaged children; 
met with La Plata municipal leaders and officials from the 
Universidad Nacional de La Plata and the Universidad Catolica de La 
Plata; opened the U.S. Embassy sponsored photo exhibit "Landmarks of 
New York"; and visited the La Plata Natural History Museum during 
his first official trip to the capital of Buenos Aires Province.  La 
Plata's universities are the second largest employer after 
government and have an influencial role in local policy making.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
GOVERNOR DANIEL SCIOLI 
---------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Scioli said he was looking to develop agreements with other 
countries' states and provinces facing similar challenges in 
generating jobs, protecting the environment, improving education. 
The Ambassador agreed that international relations were no longer 
the exclusive domain of national governments but increasingly 
involved a growing range of subnational actors.  The Ambassador 
mentioned several state trade delegations coming soon to Argentina, 
including missions from Alabama, Florida, and Texas. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Scioli expressed great interest in the U.S. elections and 
said he had attended Democrat and Republican conventions.  As on 
previous occasions, Scioli stressed to us his admiration and 
sympathy for the U.S., claiming these feelings dated back to his 
first job as a Frigidaire salesman.  He noted that business and 
sports had taken him frequently to the U.S., and once he entered 
politics he continued looking to the U.S. for inspiration. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Scioli, preoccupied throughout the lunch by the previous 
day's disappearance of human rights activist Juan Puthod (who 
reappeared several hours after the lunch ended), said he was struck 
on a recent visit to Miami by Mayor Manny Diaz's presentation on 
inroads they had made against crime, and he was particularly 
impressed by the importance that Police Chief John Timoney gave to 
rebuilding the trust and confidence of citizens to gain their 
cooperation and participation in stopping crime.  The Ambassador 
noted that Baltimore had also made dramatic strides in curbing 
violent crime and offered embassy assistance to identify best 
practices and lessons learned there. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Scioli's brother Jose Antonio, the Secretary General for 
the provincial government, summoned some statistics to show the 
Ambassador what the Scioli administration's law enforcement had 
accomplished in the first four months of government with tips 
provided by citizens calling in to a new, well-advertised hotline. 
They had recovered 15,000 stolen vehicles, confiscated over 5,000 
unregistered weapons, seized 159 kg of cocaine and 1,612 kg of 
marijuana, leading to 7,864 arrests. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Scioli noted his strong interest in improving highway 
safety.  He believed strongly in the utility of imposing heavier 
sanctions on infractions, greater enforcement, and new legislation 
to enhance vehicle registration and facilitate infrastructure 
improvements.  The Ambassador noted California's positive results 
from higher fines as well as broader use of radar by highway 
patrols.  The Ambassador also offered embassy assistance in seeking 
statistics and best practices from the National Highway Traffic 
Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the U.S. Department of 
Transportation. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Scioli said investment promotion was high on his agenda, 
even though his province already produced 40% of Argentina's GDP. 
His government had recently enacted new incentives to attract 
investment, and he was looking for public-private partnerships in 
strategic areas such as the ports.  The Ambassador pointed out that 
AES and other energy generators and distributors were balking at 
additional investment until tariffs were adjusted.  Scioli said he 
was impressed by the diversity of U.S. investments in Buenos Aires 
province, and he was pleased by recent news of R.C. Johnson & Son's 
intention to invest $65 million in an aerosol production plant in 
Buenos Aires.  He spoke of assistance from the Gates Foundation, 
agreed in Miami recently, in developing the province's e-government 
capacity, including a team that was arriving to install free 
software in the health ministry for the management of medication 
supplies.  Scioli expressed interest in attracting foreign 
investment to develop tourist infrastructure.  He also asked for 
assistance in identifying U.S. companies that could help the 
province tackle its growing garbage problem, particularly with waste 
treatment and incineration. 
 
SCHOOL VISIT & BOOK DONATION 
---------------------------- 
 
 
¶8. (U) The Ambassador was warmly welcomed by students wearing 
colonial period costumes and a cannon salute on his visit to Colegio 
San Vicente de Paul School, a private Catholic school serving 
disadvantaged children in La Plata.  The Ambassador met with dozens 
of school children, visited a woodworking and metal workshop, and 
made a book donation to the school's library.  The school complex 
has five schools, including a kindergarden, primary, secondary and 
technical schools and together has 2,500 students, most of whom are 
poor children from the neighboring community.  The school also 
provides free meals to over 1,000 children daily through its 
"comedor" or kitchen meals program. 
 
LA PLATA - A UNIVERSITY TOWN WITH A GREAT MUSEUM 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Ambassador met with two university leaders and visited 
the La Plata Natural History Museum where he discussed expanding 
exchange opportunities between the United States and Argentina, 
intellectual property and scientific advances.  University Nacional 
de La Plata's (UNLP) Vice Rector Raul Anibal Perdomo and UNLP's 
Museum of Natural History Director Dr. Silvia Ametrano hosted the 
Ambassador and gave a brief private tour of the university's museum 
which is currently closed for repairs.  The UNLP is a leading 
educational institution and currently has over 75,000 students 
(Note: Current Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner 
and former President Nestor Kirchner are former alumni at this 
liberal institution, the third largest in Argentina.  The meeting 
was held in the museum instead of the main campus).  Both Perdomo 
and Ametrano noted that UNLP has strong scientist-to-scientist 
exchange programs with museums and other institutions worldwide, 
including the Smithsonian, but specifically requested the Embassy's 
assistance in securing intellectual property rights training for its 
museum staff.  Ametrano noted that the museum needs help in 
registering its collection, exhibits and replicas, and has sought 
UNESCO assistance in this endeavor.  The museum's varied collections 
are vast, and include one of the largest collections of dinosaur 
reproductions in the world. 
 
¶10. (U) Next to UNLP, the Universidad Catolica de La Plata (UCALP) 
is La Plata's second largest university and the Ambassador met with 
UCALP Rector Rafeal Breide Obeid to discuss the university's 
curriculum, the U.S. Speaker Program, and cultural exchanges.  The 
Ambassador also answered questions about the state of 
Argentine-American relations, anti-American perceptions in Argentina 
and U.S. foreign policy with students from UCALP's Institute of 
Argentine-North American studies (CESPAN).  CESPAN was created in 
November 2006 to reach out to post-graduate students in an attempt 
to provide them with information about U.S-Argentine relations and 
to develop deeper social ties with academic and cultural 
institutions.  The students were critical of U.S. foreign policy but 
were well aware of the ambassador's and Mission's programs to change 
the negative perceptions of Argentines about the United States 
through outreach, community engagement, and increasing the number of 
exchanges between the two countries. 
 
ART EXHIBIT & MEETING WITH LA PLATA MAYOR 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) The Ambassador opened an Embassy-sponsored photo exhibit 
titled "Landmarks of New York" in the Darda Rocha Cultural Center 
which was attended by many of the city's dignitaries, including 
mayor Pablo Bruera.  A lawyer by training, Bruera was previously a 
Provincial legislator before being elected mayor of La Plata in Fall 
¶2007.  In his meeting with the Ambassador, Bruera stated that the 
city is having tremendous difficulties in disposing of provincial 
garbage due to the closure of several garbage dumps but noted that 
he recently returned from Boston where he met with city officials 
and visited a U.S. recycling plant.  Bruere had participated in a 
several week program for young leaders at Harvard's JFK School.  He 
also mentioned that the city's problems included a lack of public 
transportation and security for its citizens, but he was optimistic 
that the city's garbage woes could be resolved without giving 
specific details.  The Ambassador closed the meeting by stressing 
the importance of increasing cooperation through cultural exchanges 
and offer

We also wrote about Argentina early this morning. Separately, we showed how Gates was milking Argentina for patent money. Just PR and profit, that’s what it’s all about. Attack on the competition (Free/libre software) is a bonus. They wish to pretend to donate (to make more sales) and Apple intends to try that one too. Apple could really use some PR after its militant behaviour, which has just come under police investigation and had Conan O’Brien make a lot fun.

“Samsung spends 6.5% of sales on R&D. Apple spends 2.2%,” points out this analyst, but Apple keeps trying to block this Linux-based competition from Korea.█

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Cablegate: “Google Adopted Shuttleworth’s Ubuntu Software as its In-house Operating System.”

Posted in GNU/Linux, Google, Ubuntu at 10:22 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Goobuntu received a mention in diplomatic cables

IN A CABLE from Cablegate we found the claim that “Google adopted Shuttleworth’s Ubuntu software as its in-house operating system.” The cable is generally about the South African economy and wildlife, but that last bit from 2009 is relevant to us.

It is worth noting that Google claims to have almost dumped Windows entirely, even from all desktops. Here is the cable in its entirety.

VZCZCXRO8120
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR RUEHRN
DE RUEHSA #1009/01 1391453
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191453Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8520
RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
INFO RUEHTN/AMCONSUL CAPE TOWN 6863
RUEHDU/AMCONSUL DURBAN 0975
RUEHJO/AMCONSUL JOHANNESBURG 9212
Hide header
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 PRETORIA 001009 
 
DEPT FOR OES/PCI, OES/ENV, AND AF/S 
DEPT PASS EPA/OIA, 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV [Environmental Affairs], SOCI [Social Conditions], ETRD [Foreign
Trade], SF [South Africa], 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, SCIENCE, AND TECHNOLOGY MONTHLY 
BRIEFINGS, MAY 2009 
 
PRETORIA 00001009  001.2 OF 004 
 
 
¶1. (U) Summary:  This is the South African Environment, Science and 
Technology Monthly Briefings Newsletter, May 2009, Volume 4, Number 
5, prepared by the U.S. Embassy Pretoria, South Africa. 
 
Topics of the newsletter: 
 
-- Scientists Develop New Carbon Emission Reduction Process 
 
-- South Africa and Uganda Sign S&T Bilateral Agreement 
 
-- South Africa Frogs Facing Extinction 
 
-- Lion Park Forced Out by Development 
 
-- Rare Orchid May Become Extinct 
 
-- Environmental Group Calls for Investigation of Gauteng 
   MEC for Conservation 
 
 
-- Municipal Health Service Sees Deterioration in Water Quality 
 
-- Poor Water Quality Limits Business Growth 
 
-- SANParks Opposes Mining Project at Mapungubwe 
 
-- Monthly Factoid 
 
----------------------------- 
Scientists Develop New Carbon 
Emission Reduction Process 
----------------------------- 
 
¶2. (U) Wits University Centre of Material and Process Synthesis 
professors David Glasser, Diane Hildebrandt, Brendon Hausberger and 
Bilal Patel, and Rutgers professor Benjamin Glasser have made a 
breakthrough discovery that reduces carbon dioxide emissions from 
the source and that can be applied to a range of processes.  David 
Glasser said that their research developed new techniques for 
analyzing what causes emissions, and how to design processes to 
reduce carbon dioxide emissions.  He added that once these processes 
are understood, it is "relatively simple to eliminate unnecessary 
emissions and minimize the contributions from other sources." 
 
 
¶3. (U) Glasser cited as an example a plant making liquid fuel from 
coal.  He said with their process the plant can reduce its overall 
CO2 emissions by using CO2 and hydrogen as intermediaries.  He noted 
that the plant achieves higher emission reductions using CO2 and 
hydrogen, even though this appears to be an inferior method. 
Glasser added that there is a pilot plant running in China and a 
demonstration plant in Australia, which incorporate these ideas. 
Glasser said the technique can be applied to a number of different 
processes, giving it a substantial impact on combustion processes. 
The center at Wits has 40 post graduate students and about 20 full 
time employees who are funded by industry. 
 
---------------------------- 
South Africa and Uganda Sign 
S & T Bilateral Agreement 
---------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) South Africa and Uganda signed a bilateral Science and 
Technology Agreement on April; 16, 2009.  The two countries will 
jointly identify scientific and technological priorities and 
consolidate resources.  South Africa and Uganda have been 
negotiating the agreement since 2006.  Areas of cooperation include 
bioscience, indigenous knowledge systems, environment and climate 
change, energy research, innovation management capacity, information 
technology, and human capital development.  Uganda and South Africa 
will continue their current joint efforts under the Group on Earth 
Observation project.  Science and Technology Minister Mosibudi 
Mangena said that, over the past decade, South Africa's science has 
been greatly enriched by collaborations with African counterparts. 
 
 
------------------------------------ 
South Africa Frogs Facing Extinction 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶5. (U) North-West University African Amphibian Conservation Research 
Group Director Dr Louis du Preez warned that the South African frog 
populations are rapidly decreasing.  Du Preez, who is also the Head 
Qpopulations are rapidly decreasing.  Du Preez, who is also the Head 
of the Green Trust Threatened South Africa Frog Project, is chairing 
an effort to produce the first-ever conservation action plan for 
South Africa's twenty-one threatened frog species.  Du Perez noted 
 
PRETORIA 00001009  002.2 OF 004 
 
 
that the rapid decline in frogs is cause for alarm because frogs are 
the thermometers of environmental health.  He noted that frogs are 
exposed to the complete range of air, water and land pollutants 
since they live in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. 
Several South Africa frogs are restricted to small geographical 
areas and the loss of their habitat has a devastating effect on 
population numbers.  The habitat of the Ghost Frog in the Elandsberg 
Mountains, for example, has become a pine plantation.  Pine needles 
acidify the water in the stream areas where the frog lives.  Du 
Perez and two doctoral students recently discovered the first Ghost 
Frog seen in years in the Elandsberg Mountain. 
 
¶6. (U) Du Perez says the Elandsberg forestry companies are 
collaborating with the Green Trust to conserve this frog, hiring a 
fulltime ecologist and bringing in expensive equipment to 'pluck' 
trees from the stream area where the frog lives."  Another 
endangered frog is Rose's ghost frog, a rare species found only on 
Table Mountain, where it lives in streams and moist, forested 
gorges.  It is under threat from invasive plants, increasing numbers 
of visitors and the high number of fires.  The construction of more 
water holding areas has taken away water from the streams where the 
frogs' eggs and tadpoles develop.  The Western Cape NGO 'Friends of 
the Western Leopard Toad' is helping to conserve this threatened 
species, which lives and breeds in the urban environment of the 
Tokai/Muizenberg/Fishhoek.  Western Leopards are frequently killed 
by cars speeding on the roads.  The Friends have erected toad 
crossings that say:  "Caution! Western Leopard Toads." 
 
----------------------------------- 
Lion Park Forced Out by Development 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
¶7. (U) Lions have ranged freely throughout Johannesburg's Lion Park 
for forty-one years, but a high-density development is forcing the 
Park to relocate.  The new development will include 1528 residence 
on various sized plots.  Current residents question whether the 
rural area's infrastructure will be able to handle this increased 
capacity.  Local resident Nicci Wright, an engineer, said that the 
area is a wetland fed by natural springs, and that the proposed 
sewage system locates its pump at the lowest point in the area.  She 
said when she questioned the effectiveness of this location she was 
told that Randburg Water would handle all maintenance.  Wright said 
she knows of three pumps handled by Randburg that are currently out 
of order and pumping raw sewage into the Klein Jukskei and 
Hartebeespoort Dam.  Developer Golder Associates Africa's 
representative said that an extensive EIA was completed and all 
environmental issues were addressed with sufficient mitigation 
efforts.  Lion Park Acting Manager advised that the staff and 
animals would move after the FIFA World Cup in 2010 when their 
contract officially expires.  He noted that the Lion Park is no 
longer in the rural areas as it used to be, and that "we are in the 
middle of the suburbs now.  It's not very nice." 
 
------------------------------ 
Rare Orchid May Become Extinct 
------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (U) The only known population of a rare wild orchid is threatened 
by development plans near the Cradle of Humankind in Maropeng. 
Conservationists say the orchid could become extinct.  Black Eagle 
Project spokesman Arthur Alberston added that endangered or 
QProject spokesman Arthur Alberston added that endangered or 
threatened animals such as caracal, jackals and leopards move 
through the area and the development would interrupt their transit 
paths.  The application for this high-density residential and 
business unit project is pending with the Gauteng Department of 
Agriculture, Conservation and Environment (GDACE).  Albertson says 
the project violates several national and provincial regulations and 
policies.  If GDACE does grant the permit, the NGOs say they will 
take legal action to stop the construction.  GDACE, Mogale City and 
the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Gardens officials claim they 
have been investigating the feasibility of establishing a 
2,000-hectare reserve in the that areas which would safeguard the 
orchid's habitat and allow restocking of wildlife. 
 
------------------------------------------- 
Environmental Group Calls for Investigation 
of Gauteng MEC for Conservation 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) The Environmental and Conservation Association (ECA) has 
filed a lawsuit seeing to overrule Gauteng MEC for Agriculture, 
Conservation and Environment Khabsisi Mosunkuntu's decision to 
permit permitting a new road through one of Gauteng's wetlands. 
Various media reports have also raised questions about Mosunkuntu's 
decision to overrule GDACE ruling that the road should not be built, 
 
PRETORIA 00001009  003.2 OF 004 
 
 
citing Musunkuntu's involvement with the developments seeking the 
roadway.  Gauteng Democratic Alliance Leader Jack Bloom submitted a 
dossier detailing Mosunkuntu actions involving irregularities in 
eight separate developments across the province to Gauteng premier 
Mbhazima Shilowa last year.  Bloom called for a commission to 
investigate Mosumkuntu.  ECA Chairman Nicole Barlow said the 
wetland's road is yet another example of Mosumkuntu "sidestepping" 
the law and making decisions contrary to GDACE's expert opinion. 
 
------------------------------ 
Municipal Health Service Sees 
Deterioration in Water Quality 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10. (U) Tshwane municipal health service division tabled a report 
before the Metro Council on May 1, 2009 describing the rapid 
deterioration of the quality of water and food in the area.  The 
report contains findings by the Agricultural Research Council (ARC) 
for the period July 1, 2005 to June 2008.  Food and water samples 
were taken and tested for compliance with the Foodstuffs, Cosmetics 
and Disinfections Act.  ARC samples included tap water, reservoirs, 
bottled water, and water in tankers, boreholes, rivers and streams. 
Food samples were taken from pasteurized milk, raw milk, dairy 
products, juice and ice cream.  ARC's findings indicated that 57% of 
all water samples complied with legal requirements; 60% of bottled 
water complied; 53% of food complied with legal requirements 
regarding microbiological analysis (a six percent decline from 
previous period; and that 63% of food complied with legal 
requirements regarding chemical analysis (a 35% decline).  The 
report stated that there are serious personnel shortages in 
municipal health services due to the council's alternative service 
delivery (ASD) process. 
 
----------------------------------------- 
Poor Water Quality Limits Business Growth 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) Independent water expert Anthony Turton said South African 
businesses growth could be constrained by the lack of clean water 
resources.  He added that business should stop the "blame game" and 
act swiftly in partnership with the government to deal with the 
threat.  Turton said, "Business cannot sit idle any longer.  We need 
new partnerships between the government, organized business and the 
national science councils to develop and resource a fresh strategic 
vision."  He advised business to see water as a business rick and to 
form partnerships similar to those formed in response to crime. 
Turton stated, "Companies must understand business risks in terms of 
input, process and output and then develop mitigation strategies for 
each of these sets of issues." 
 
¶12. (U) Turton said the water problem SA faced was that of quality 
and quantity, as well as demand and supply.  He said, "By 2035 SA 
will need 65-billion cubic kilometers of water and our current 
national stock stands at 33-billion.  Our problem is that we are 
managing our water resources so badly, and are putting pressure on 
available fresh water."   Turton also suggested that the country's 
water allocation reform process should ensure that industry - which 
contributed about 80% of gross domestic product (GDP) but received 
only about 20% of water allocation - should get more water at the 
expense of agriculture, which received about 60% of water allocated 
but only contributed about 2% to GDP .  Turton resigned from the 
Qbut only contributed about 2% to GDP .  Turton resigned from the 
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research last year after he 
made controversial remarks about the implications of SA's water 
situation on socioeconomic development. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
SANParks Opposes Mining Project at Mapungubwe 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (U) South African National Parks (SANParks) is challenging an 
application for a R3 trillion mining operation to be established at 
the entrance to the Mapungubwe World Heritage Site.  SANParks 
spokesperson Wanda Mkhutshulwa said on April 20, 2009 that SANParks 
was opposed to the project because it threatened the environment 
around Mapungubwe, particularly the quality of its water. 
Mkhutshulwa noted that SANparks mandate is to ensure the environment 
surrounding the national parks is protected.  She stated, "From our 
view, the mining project will have a negative impact on the water in 
the park."  Department of Minerals and Energy spokesperson Bheki 
Khumalo stressed that the mining project was not a done deal. 
Khumalo said, "After all objections have been registered and all 
concerns considered the department will make a determination.  We 
are still months away from that." 
 
¶14. (U) The proposed mining site is near the Limpopo River, which 
forms the border between South Africa and Zimbabwe.  The closest 
 
PRETORIA 00001009  004.2 OF 004 
 
 
town is Musina.  The mine's western boundary is seven kilometers 
east of the Mapungubwe National Park, and the coal processing plant 
infrastructure would be twenty-seven kilometers from the Mapungubwe 
World Heritage Site.  The proposed colliery would have the potential 
to produce five-million tons a year of coking coal, starting with 
one-million tons a year and ramping up to full capacity by 2011. 
The life-of-mine stretches beyond 2040.  Independent Power Producer 
(IPP) Mulilo Energy is considering constructing a power station in 
the area, although CoAL said it was not reliant on the sale of coal 
to the power station to make the project feasible.  The power 
station would ultimately produce about 900 MW, and initial designs 
show that it would be located directly below the CoAL tenement area. 
 
 
¶15. (U) The Mapungubwe National Park is a game reserve and home to 
the archaeological treasure of Mapungubwe, a kingdom predating that 
of Great Zimbabwe.  Mapungubwe was the base of a trading empire that 
traded with the people of China, India, Egypt and Persia, exchanging 
ivory, gold around the year 1200.  The Mapungubwe Cultural Landscape 
became South Africa's fifth World Heritage site in July 2003, and in 
May 2004, it was officially announced as the Mapungubwe National 
Park.  The site was discovered in 1933, and is said to be where an 
Iron Age metropolis was ruled by an African king almost one thousand 
years ago.  Mapungubwe National Park Manager Tshimangadzo Nehemani 
said the Park had 26 000 visitors in 2007.  A new interpretation 
centre will open by the end of this year, allowing the public to 
view the gold work uncovered at the site, including the world-famous 
tiny golden rhino, a gold scepter and gold bowl. 
 
¶16. (U) Coal of Africa (CoAL) Chief Operations Officer Riaan van der 
Merwe stated in a community meeting that the project would create 
14,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities during the 
construction phase and 30,000 direct and indirect jobs during the 
operational phase.  Local business owners have complained that the 
CoAL still has not addressed concerns raised at previous meetings, 
including the need for an environmental impact assessment study on 
how local roads would be affected by coal-hauling trucks and dust 
from the coal.  Mopane Bush Lodge Manager Paul Hatty said, "We have 
such a beautiful environment here.  The atmosphere is clean and all 
of that will be wiped out by the coal business."   Hatty added that 
the lodge, which is seven kilometers from the proposed mine site, 
drew over one hundred international visitors last year, all of whom 
visited the heritage site.  He said, "We will lose our clients as no 
sane person will pay money to be swallowed by coal dust." 
 
¶17. (U) Vhembe District Municipal Councilor Mapulanka Baloi welcomed 
the proposal, saying it would benefit many people.  He added that 
the mine would create new levels of economic development and 
employment and bring the province to a new level of prosperity.  Van 
der Merwe emphasized that CoAL would manage the mine in accordance 
with mining environmental regulations.  Hatty responded that "Even 
with the best environmental controls, the environmental degradation 
caused by coal mining, similar to that around Witbank, will kill any 
hopes of growing tourism, both international and local, to this 
prime pristine area of Africa."   Local businesses and residents 
also fear that if this project is approved, more coal mines would be 
Qalso fear that if this project is approved, more coal mines would be 
established in the area.  Hatty said, "Anglo Coal has already 
purchased four farms even closer to the National Park and Heritage 
Site, and three other farms next to Mapungubwe Park entrance show 
promising signs of exploitable coal." 
 
--------------- 
Monthly Factoid 
--------------- 
 
¶18. (U) In 2002 South African internet entrepreneur Mark 
Shuttleworth, then age 28, became Africa's first astronaut.  Three 
years later Google adopted Shuttleworth's Ubuntu software as its 
in-house operating system. 
www.southafrica.info/about/414421.htm#innovat ions 
 
LA LIME

They are probably referring to Goobuntu. █

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Links 11/9/2011: Linux Tablets for Just $159, Sakai Open Academic Environment (OAE) Reaches 1.0.0

Posted in News Roundup at 8:07 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

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IRC Proceedings: September 10th, 2011

Posted in IRC Logs at 5:02 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Enter the IRC channels now

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Cablegate: Turkey’s Patents Trajectory on Bad TRIPS

Posted in Cablegate, Europe at 4:48 am by Dr. Roy Schestowitz

Summary: Turkey’s route into patents as mentioned repeatedly in diplomatic cables from Ankara

YESTERDAY we went through and accumulated several Cablegate cables from Turkey. As part of becoming a good citizen/member of the European Union, Turkey has been changing some of its domestic and foreign inclinations. Patents appear to be among those.

The cables say that “Turkey is a signatory to a number of international conventions, including the Stockholm Act of the Paris Convention, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, and the Strasbourg Agreement.

“In accordance with the 1995 patent law and Turkey’s agreement with the EU, patent protection for pharmaceuticals began on January 1, 1999. Turkey has been accepting patent applications since 1996 in compliance with the TRIPS agreement “mailbox” provisions. The patent law does not, however, contain interim protection for pharmaceuticals in the research and development “pipeline”.”

The phrases above are repeated in many cables, the latest of which is this:

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