The Independent Commission on Freedom of Information shows that there is no going back to the “dark ages” of government opacity

Freedom of Information, since its inception by the previous Labour government, has proven popular with the public and press, but troublesome for the politicians who have to navigate a new and transparent world. Here, Tom Felle, welcomes the findings of the the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information, arguing that its conclusions clearly support the continuation of the law and the notion that there is no going back

Freedom of Information in the UK: Opportunity and Threat

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair described it as his worst mistake in government. ‘You naïve, foolish, irresponsible nincompoop’ he wrote in his autobiography Open Secrets in 2010. Blair had come full circle on his views, having championed freedom of information in opposition and introduced it on taking office, the former PM derided the decision, slamming journalists’ use and lashing its impact on the decision making ability of government. And therein lies the eternal tension: freedom of information, defended by open government campaigners, journalists and NGOs, is arguably the most hated piece of legislation on the statute books by those who work in Whitehall. FOI proponents laud it as a sunshine law, shining light on the dark recesses of closed government, levelling the playing field between citizen and the state. Those opposed argue it does more harm than good, damaging the processes of government, denting the ability of officials to offer frank advice to ministers, and reducing all decisions to newspaper exclusives about internal doomsday warnings that were ignored, or rows about spending on toilet paper and chocolate biscuit expenses. FOI is, in essence, intensely political. An Independent Commission on Freedom of Information set up to examine if the legislation by the UK government following the 2015 General Election may be about to recommend wholescale changes that opponents say are much needed, but campaigners say would destroy the Act and its laudable accountability and transparency principles

Data journalism may be helping to solidify the divide between those who can afford to be in engaged in the political process and the rest

Many have welcomed the increased role of data journalism, praising its capacity to shed light on the cold hard facts which were often at the mercy of ideology and conjecture. But what role doesit play in fostering (or discouraging) citizen engagement? Tom Felle argues that it may in fact help to solidify the emerging gap between those who are already interested and engaged with political and public life, and those who are not

Papier peint e propaganda politica: l’esempio di villa Gradenigo a Carbonera con le imprese dell’Armée d’Italie

Papiers peints (wallpapers) produced in the wake of the French Revolution and the formation of the Napoleonic Empire include representations of contemporary events. For the first time, historic events known to the general public are pasted over interior walls and those who buy them reveal, at least implicitly, their cultural and political leanings. The article focuses on four papiers peints from the 19th-century Parisian firm Dufour & Leroy. They are found in the villa Gradenigo at Carbonera (near Treviso) and depict crucial episodes in the history of the Armée d’Italie: the Passage of the Alps, the Entrance into Milan and two scenes from the Entrance into Rome. It is a unique and hitherto unparalleled find within a private interior, not only in Italy. It speaks to the taste of a particular patron, connected to the Gradenigo family. They are not the ancient patrician family from Rio Marin, but another Venetian family with the same name, who were awarded a title of nobility in the 19th century

Media Merger between Celtic Media Newspapers Ltd (CMNL) and Independent News and Media Holdings (Ireland) Ltd - Submission to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland

This submission to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is intended to assist the media merger examination process being conducted by the BAI pursuant to Section 28E of the Competition Authority 2002. It addresses the proposed acquisition of CMNL Ltd (Celtic Media Newspapers) by Independent News and Media Holdings Ireland Ltd – chiefly addressing whether the acquisition is contrary to the public interest. It addresses some of the points in detail, in some cases collectively, and offers recommendations that the BAI may find useful in coming to a determination. It recommends allowing the merger with a number of conditions

Evidence submitted to the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information

The government set up the Independent Commission on Freedom of Information on 17 July 2015 to review the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Commission held a public call for evidence and has reviewed the Act as it has developed in the 10 years since it came into force. After receiving the Commission’s final report, the government published a written ministerial statement to respond to the Commission’s recommendations. They agreed with the weight of evidence (including our submission) that FOI should not be curtailed

Probes of membrane potential in Escherichia coli cells

The aims of this research are: 1) to produce an interactive instructional CD- Chemoedutainment that utilizes macromedia flash software for Chemistry instruction at Junior Secondary School; 2) to examine the reliability and effectiveness of learning by using interactive instructional CD-Chemoedutainment through instruction at school. The products in the first year of research are an interactive instructional CD for main material of acid, base and salt. The conclusions of the study are:1) the instructional CD media can be used well by students; and 2) the instructional CD media is effective for improving student learning outcomes.ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk: 1) menghasilkan media pembelajaran berupa CD interaktif chemo-edutainmentyang memanfaatkan software macromedia flash dalam pembelajaran Kimia SMP; 2) menguji keterandalan dan efektivitas pembelajaran dengan menggunakan CD interaktif chemoedutainment melalui pembelajaran di sekolah. Hasil penelitian tahun pertama adalah CD pembelajaran interaktif untuk materi pokok asam, basa, dan garam. Kesimpulan hasil penelitian, yaitu: 1) media CD pembelajaran dapat digunakan dengan baik oleh siswa; 2) media CD pembelajaran adalah efektif untuk meningkatkan hasil belajar siswa.</p

Quantum-Dot-Based Telecommunication-Wavelength Quantum Relay

The development of quantum relays for long-haul and attack-proof quantum communication networks operating with weak coherent laser pulses requires entangled photon sources at telecommunication wavelengths with intrinsic single-photon emission for most practical implementations. Using a semiconductor quantum dot emitting entangled photon pairs in the telecommunication O band, we demonstrate a quantum relay fulfilling both of these conditions. The system achieves a maximum fidelity of 94.5% for implementation of a standard four-state protocol with input states generated by a laser. We further investigate robustness against frequency detuning of the narrow-band input and perform process tomography of the teleporter, revealing operation for arbitrary pure input states, with an average gate fidelity of 83.6%. The results highlight the potential of semiconductor light sources for compact and robust quantum-relay technology that is compatible with existing communication infrastructures

Alien Registration Card- Felle, Elsa (Blue Hill, Hancock County)

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