Sarkozy's call for "a more civilized internet" translates into a push for greater governmental regulation - all-in-all not such a hot idea. The last thing we need is more clout for Big Brother in the internet zone.

The French president has shown some rather draconian inclinations when it comes to the web. He has referred to the internet as the "Wild West" and an "extralegal zone." Not long ago in France he was behind a law that called for copyright pirates to be cut off from the internet. Of course he couches his calls for regulation in high sounding terms, referring to a "moral imperative" in order to correct "excesses." In all of this it's hard not to suspect a hint of self-interest in a president with notoriously thin skin. The internet has been rife with unflattering stories about Sarkozy's private life. Not long ago his Facebook account was hacked and the message put out that he wouldn't be running in the next election.

Colorful comments by his secretary of trade Frédéric Lefebvre have added to the impression of scare tactics aimed at paving the way for regulation. With more than a touch of hyperbole, Lefebvre described the Internet as a hotbed of “psychopaths, rapists, racists and thieves… The lack of regulation on the Net creates victims every day… How long will they tolerate young girls being raped before the authorities react?”

John Perry Barlow of the Electronic Frontier Foundation understands the 'civilizing' of cyber space rather differently, as less about regulation and more about freedom:

We’ve been trying to civilise cyberspace for 22 years and I think we may have different notions of what that means. We think that civilisation implies liberty, implies openness, implies, to the extent possible, minimal regulation...

Internet culture doesn't exist in some parallel universe, even though Sarkozy might suspect it of doing so. It is responsive to the needs of its users. Last year in Germany there were privacy concerns related to Google's Street View. A number of companies adopted a code of good practice for "geo-data." This includes the option to blur images of homes and persons on request.

Increased governmental regulation will have a suffocating effect on everything from free expression to the growth of the digital economy. The internet zone is very different from a societal sector in which governmental regulations may be appropriate. For one thing in the world of tech change and innovation happens much more quickly. It's not easy to foresee the consequences of regulation. Regulations that in the short term may seem desirable, could very quickly turn out to be more of a liability than an asset.

The advocacy group La Quadrature du Net has come out in strong opposition to Sarkozy's proposals. Spokesman Jérémie Zimmermann described the summit as "a farce." Along with other Net activists, La Quadrature du Net warn that the world's governments are uniting to "control and censor the internet." Like Sarkozy - Italy's premier Berlusconi has been pushing his plans for internet regulation.

Government regulation runs counter to the spirit of a free web in which each of us has a stake.

If you buy the prophetic ramblings of 89 year-old engineer-turned-preacher Harold Camping the world is scheduled to end today - Saturday, May 21, 2011. Surprising that Camping is so keen to usher in end-times. His enterprises have been doing pretty well in a tough economy.

It's amazing that there is anyone out there who takes Camping's prophesies seriously, particularly when you look at the hokey bible-based numerology he uses to support his predictions. This includes trotting out implausible dates for events that are more myth than historical fact. For example he claims that Jesus was crucified on April 1, 33 AD and that May 21 marks the 7,000th anniversary of Noah's flood. Funny stuff.

News that Viagra and other PDE-5 inhibitors have a downside in the form of possible hearing loss isn't altogether new. Earlier studies suggested that users doubled the chances of hearing impairment:

Reuters:

The study, based on a national sample of American men over 40, found that slightly more than one in six of those who did not take Viagra-like drugs -- for instance, Eli Lilly's Cialis -- were deaf or hard of hearing.

Among those who took the drugs, however, almost one in three had hearing loss, Gerald McGwin, an epidemiologist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, told Reuters Health.

Even after accounting for other factors linked to hearing loss, hard-of-hearing men still had twice the odds of taking Viagra...

A few years ago the FDA took steps to add warnings about possible hearing loss to impotence drugs based on reports of hearing problems experienced by users.

Recent research has turned up 47 cases of sensorineural hearing loss (SSHL) linked to PDE-5 inhibitors such as Viagra, Levitra and Cialis. Symptoms include rapid loss of hearing in one or both ears. SSHL causes damage to the inner ear and can result in deafness.

Laryngoscope:

There is increasing evidence that PDE-5 inhibitors may induce sensorineural hearing loss via plausible physiological mechanisms. There needs to be more awareness of this disabling side effect among healthcare professionals responsible for prescribing this drug.

The FDA advises users to stop taking Viagra or related meds if they experience loss of hearing.

Maybe it's time to consider natural alternatives. Botany enthusiast Michael Ford claimed that an infusion of winter-flowering heather worked almost too well.

Viagra remains popular in some unexpected ways - especially with the CIA.

In her painting Danish artist Nadia Plesner includes an image of an African child holding a Chihuahua and the disputed look-a-like fashion purse. In juxtaposing images from two starkly different worlds... the world of high fashion and the Darfur nightmare of poverty and oppression, Plesner makes a powerful statement.

The decision taken by Louis Vuitton to go after Plesner in the courts seems counterproductive. Making a look-a-alike handbag a reason to prosecute an artist who has dedicated her talent and time to a worthy humanitarian cause isn't exactly good publicity. Nadia Plesner has shown a high level of dedication in raising awareness about the ongoing tragedy in Darfur. The profits from her Simple-Living t'shirt go toward the effort to raise medical supplies.

If we reach a point where the clout of corporations can trump considerations such as parody and fair use in the case of a derivative look-a-like image, freedom of expression will be severely compromised. Artists will be more inclined to self-censor out of fear of litigation.

There is a certain irony in Louis Vuitton's decision to go to law in this case. As a consequence of Vuitton's high profile move the image-in-dispute has taken on even greater symbolic significance than might otherwise have been the case.

Aside from the seriously risky stuff, planking comes off as a novel way to make a statement for those who feel the need. A few pundits wonder if the urge-to-plank says something deeper about our harried existence these days. Maybe on some subliminal level it's a way of giving the finger to controls, expectations, the rules and regs that seem to be crowding out our lives. Whatever is behind it, it would seem to be growing in popularity... even in Taiwan:

There is now a Global Planking Day - May 25, 2011... an annual event from here on in.

Video beneath with lots of planking going on:

You know, I think we're beating around the bush here... I've been told I'm not supposed to say this – however, women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimised.

Sanguinetti apologized for his remarks, but more than a few Slut Walk participants believe his comments reflect a more general attitude in Toronto police ranks.

Walk organizer Sonya Barnett:

It was evident that if you're going to have a representative of the police force come out [and say that] then that kind of idea must be still running rampant within the force itself and that retraining really needs to happen to change that mentality...

Slut Walks are spreading, some of the word is getting out via Facebook.

Guardian:

Fast forward three months from Sanguinetti's unfortunate remarks, and a movement that was born in riposte to his loose talk has now gone international. "SlutWalking" is attracting thousands of people to take to the streets to put an end to what they believe is a culture in which it is considered acceptable to blame the victim.

Some 2,351 people have signed up via Facebook to attend a SlutWalk through Boston on Saturday, when they will chant "Yes means yes, no means no," and "Hey hey, ho ho, patriarchy has to go."

Further SlutWalks are planned in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.

And that's before you get to Argentina, Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK.

Toronto police Chief Bill Blair acknowledges that Sanguinetti's thinking may not be the exception: "If that type of, frankly, archaic thinking still exists among any of my officers, it highlights for me the need to continue to train my officers and sensitize them to the reality of victimization..."