FreeHackers.org

TecHnologY is power

This is the private Website of the president of PhotonSoft Ltd. (Bulgaria) . The site is dedicated to the articles, findings, innovative ideas related to latest technologies and advancements in the field of software development. {Web 3.0 semantics} {Rich User Interface} {Virtual Communities} {C#.NET} {Ai and NNs} {Cryptography and i-Security} {Cyber-Activism, Governance, Human Rights, Internet & Telecoms, Law, Technology}
{border between freedom and security, digital rights protection}

“Those who trade freedom for security, lose both !!!”

Да служиш на хората, в името на доброто, е единствения начин да бъдеш жив. Думи, като "живот" и "живея", не означават просто "изминалите години". Всички сме гости на този свят и се надявам след време да бъда поканен отново, но този път ... в спомените на хората.

The leading beam of light in my stormy life is: To serve people, in the name of the good, is the only way to live. Words as "life" and "live" do not mean just "years". We are only guests in this world and I hope that I will be invited again,...this time in poeple's memory.

Ведущий луч света в моей бурной жизни есть: служить людей, в имени добро, является единственным способом жить. Слова как "жизнь" и "живой" не означают только "год ы". Все мы только гости в этом мире, и я надеюсь, что я буду приглашен снова... на той раз в памяти людей.

Der führend Strahl des Lichtes in meinem stürmischen Leben ist: der Leute zu dienen, im Namen ist gut, ist der einzigen Weise, zu leben. Die Wörter wie das "Leben" und "lebend" bedeuten nur die "Jahre" nicht. Alle wir zu Besuch sei in dieser Welt nur, und ich hoffe, daß werde ich wieder eingeladen sein... Darauf des Males in das Speicher der Leute.

Le conduisant de la lumière dans ma vie orageuse est : servir des gens, dans le nom est bon, est le seul moyen de vivre. Les mots comme la "vie" ne signifient pas seulement les années. Nous sois en visite seulement dans ce monde, et je compte, que je serai invité de nouveau... Pour cette fois à la mémoire des gens.

The Philosophy of Liberty

Written by Ken Schoolland; Flash Animation by Lux Lucre; Music by Music2Hues

Who is Ken Schoolland: Ken Schoolland is presently an Associate Professor of Economics and Political Science at Hawaii Pacific University. He is an economist, academic, author, and political commentator. Schoolland is also a Member of the Board of Directors for the International Society for Individual Liberty.

Publication: Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged: A Philosophical and Literary Companion - Edited by: Edward W. Younkins, “Hugh Akston, the role of teaching, and the lessons of Atlas Shrugged,” Chapter 30 by Ken Schoolland and Stuart K. Hayashi, 2007

Book: The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible, a children's book that focuses on teaching the basic principles of economics, government intervention, and the free-market through stories. It has been translated into multiple languages and it is used today in Middle School and Primary schools all over the world.

United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

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7 July 2007 marks the midpoint of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target period.

Millennium Development Goals

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger >>
2. Achieve universal primary education >>
3. Promote gender equality >> Convegno Donne e Società oggi - Alessandro Pagano
4. Reduce child mortality >>
5. Improve maternal health >>
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, other diseases >>
7. Ensure environmental sustainability >>
8. Develop global partnerships for development >>

Millennium Development Goals Bulgaria 2008 SUMMARY - by President Georgi Parvanov

FOREWARD Henry R. Jackelen – UN Resident Coordinator (the report)

MILLENNIUM CHALLENGES AND BULGARIA
WHERE DO WE STAND? WHERE WE WOULD LIKE TO GO?

The Millennium Development Goals – 2008 is the second report Bulgaria is producing to honor the country’s commitment as a signatory of the Millennium Declaration, whereby all UN member states pledged to make global efforts until 2015 to reduce poverty, respect human rights, promote peace, strengthen democracy, and ensure environmental sustainability. In addition, Bulgaria offers this report as an emerging donor of development assistance who can share with other regions of the world a wealth of experience the country has gained during the transition to market economy and democratic institutions.

Today, Bulgaria can be optimistic about its efforts to meet the Millennium Development Goals. The country is on track to achieve a number of Millennium Development Goals targets, or even deliver better than expected results on some of them. For instance, Bulgaria aspired to reach average monthly income levels of 280 euros in 2015 compared to a 91 euro benchmark in 2001. The average monthly income in 2007 was nearing 165 euros. The planned target for long-term unemployment by 2015 was 7 per cent, but unemployment levels fell down to 3.9 per cent already in June 2007. The numbers of long-term unemployed people halved from 513,700 in December 2001 to 208,200 in mid 2007.

Despite these figures, indicators for minimum monthly income, child mortality, maternal mortality, incidence of tuberculosis and syphilis are significantly lower compared to EU average. At the same time Bulgaria continues to set a successful example for effective government policies and efficient measures at the national and the local level to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. In June 2008 it received excellent appraisal for the implementation of the National Program for Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS and was able to secure continued financing of 32.4 million euros for 2009 – 2014 from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.

Bulgaria’s first report on the Millennium Development Goals was published in March 2003. The report adapted the eight global goals to the country’s development levels at the time of preparation for accession to the European Union and formulated progress monitoring indicators and targets corresponding to the respective development levels in the EU member states. This 2008 Report reviews progress made against the goals defined five years ago and redefines some national goals and indicators in the context of Bulgaria’s membership in the European Union.

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Bulgaria is home to a fierce defender of digital rights, Bogomil Shopov.

"I see dumb people... Walking around like regular people. They don't see each other.
They only see what they want to see. They don't know they're dumb..."

Bulgaria rarely makes the news for its civil rights protests. Rather, the country reaches the top spot on the news agenda for stories of corruption, electing a former monarch to prime ministership or sending colorful nationalists to the European Parliament.
Behind this image, Bulgaria is home to a fierce defender of digital rights, Bogomil Shopov. An IT manager and an advocate of open-source software, he became a digital rights advocate in 2003, during the 1st reading of the data retention EU directive.

His actions really took off in 2007 and 2008 with the E-Frontier initiative, as the data retention directive was transposed into Bulgarian law. With partnering NGOs, he filed a complaint before the Bulgarian constitutional court that eventually led to part of the law to be abolished.
Without his (and others) intervention, the Bulgarian police would have gained extra-judicial access to all electronic communication in the country. Now that the contentious law has been rebuffed, another amendment should be voted before March, so that police forces will have to refer to judges before eavesdropping on Bulgaria’s emails.

   Bogomil organized 2 street protests to achieve such a success. The first demonstration, in March, rallied around 300 people. 3 times less gathered for the second one, later that year. The problem, Bogomil says, is that the common Bulgarian has a hard time taking to the streets to defend his or her digital rights.
   Only concrete causes can rally a significant number of people. In 2007, for instance, the torrent tracker Zamonda.net was shut down by the police. Demonstrators gathered in Sofia in the following days, prompting the authorities to re-allow access to the site (though it appears to be dead, as of 2009).
   Although the first protest was attended by bloggers and journalists, thus providing for an ample echo in the national media, popular protest isn’t a very effective means of action for E-Frontier. Therefore, Bogomil favors a more cost-effective, targeted approach.

He mainly works with 2 or 3 Bulgarian members of parliament who are interested in IT issues. As in any country, Bulgarian politicians don’t give much attention to such problems, so that IT-related laws are often voted in the night or in committees, when no one is there to give a dissent opinion.
Bogomil is able to reach a few reliable opinion leaders in places that matter. This can be more effective than carpet-bombing the public with demonstrations, tracts and petitions.

This approach is now being taken several steps forwards:

Telecom package. Pushed by French president Sarkozy, an EU directive is planned that will pave the way for the 3-strike approach to pirated online content in which internet service providers will have the power to extra judicially shut down anybody’s internet access. Bogomil plans on talking directly to the Members of the European Parliament, from Bulgaria and beyond.

Open standards. Bogomil restlessly pushes for open standards in Bulgaria. Fears of laws favorable to proprietary software prompted Bogomil to lobby for open-source software at the EU-level.

To efficiently pursue these goals, Bogomil says there lacks an EU-wide, federal organization with national chapters and offices in Brussels. So far, only one-off campaigns such as freedom not fear have successfully brought about euro-demonstrations.

FreeHackers.org

Freedom is not a gift!

TecHnologY is power

The Philosophy of Liberty

United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)

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