Is Nuclear Power Now A Green Option?

In recent years, nuclear power has been a hotly debated topic. With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly more evident, the need for clean and reliable sources of energy is at an all-time high. But can nuclear power be considered a green option? It’s time to take a closer look at this controversial issue.

Nuclear power has long been seen as one of the most efficient ways to generate electricity with minimal environmental impacts – but it hasn’t always been viewed in such positive light. There are still valid concerns about issues like safety and waste disposal that must be addressed before we decide if nuclear energy should become part of our green future.  Several high profile accidents that we all watched on TV many years back have tarnished the reputation of nuclear, including many recent dramatizations.

As an expert on this subject matter, I’m here to guide you through these complex questions so you can make up your own mind about whether or not nuclear power is indeed a viable green option.

Overview Of Nuclear Energy

Nuclear energy is like a giant, powerful sleeping dragon that has been locked away and hidden from the world for centuries. It’s an incredible power source with potential to revolutionize many industries and provide clean, sustainable energy on a global scale. However, this immense force must be carefully monitored and controlled in order to prevent environmental disaster or major accidents.

As such, it’s essential we understand all aspects of nuclear energy before deciding if it can truly be considered a ‘green’ option. With advancements in safety measures and technology over time, nuclear power plants have become increasingly efficient and environmentally friendly. The process of generating electricity through fission releases fewer greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels yet still produces large amounts of energy. Furthermore, radioactive material created by the process can be used in medical treatments as well as emitted safely into the atmosphere when properly regulated.

There are certainly benefits to harnessing this type of power but there are also some drawbacks which need to be taken into account before making any final decisions about its use.

Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power

Nuclear power is a highly efficient, cost-effective way of generating electricity with low greenhouse gas emissions. Its high energy output makes it an attractive option for countries looking to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and meet rising demand for clean energy sources. The technology has advanced significantly over the past few decades, making nuclear plants safer and more efficient than ever before.

However, there are drawbacks associated with using nuclear power as well. Nuclear waste must be handled safely, stored long term, and disposed of properly in order to protect human health and the environment from radiation exposure.

Additionally, since uranium needed for fuel is finite and nonrenewable, there could come a time when supplies run out or become too expensive to use. With these risks in mind, careful consideration should be taken when deciding whether or not to pursue nuclear power as an energy source.

 

Moving forward, advances in nuclear technology will need to continue in order to mitigate those risks while simultaneously providing reliable energy production at an affordable price.

Advances In Nuclear Technology

Like a beacon in the night, nuclear power offers us an opportunity to light our way into a brighter future. Its promise of clean energy is unparalleled compared to other polluting sources like coal and gasoline.

But it’s not just its potential that has made it so attractive; advances in technology have enabled nuclear energy to become more efficient, reliable and safer. The development of small modular reactors (SMRs) has revolutionized the industry by making them much smaller than traditional reactors yet still able to generate large amounts of low-carbon electricity.

This means that they can be used for both stationary and mobile applications such as powering ships or submarines without emitting harmful pollutants. Furthermore, recent developments in advanced fuel designs reduce waste production while increasing efficiency when producing electricity with fewer emissions.

These technological breakthroughs provide evidence that nuclear power can produce vast amounts of green energy with minimal environmental impact if managed correctly – something worth exploring further as we move onto looking at the environmental impacts of this powerful source of renewable energy.

Environmental Impacts Of Nuclear Power

The environmental impacts of nuclear power are complex, and must be carefully considered when discussing the potential for it to become a viable green option.

Nuclear energy facilities produce low levels of air pollution during operation, but can cause significant amounts of water contamination through accidental spills or releases from cooling systems. Furthermore, uranium mining and enrichment processes generate waste that is difficult to store safely without long-term effects on local ecosystems.

Radioactive material produced by nuclear reactions also poses health risks if not disposed of properly. Radioactive isotopes have extremely long half-lives, meaning they remain hazardous in the environment far longer than other pollutants. This requires specialized disposal techniques such as deep geological repositories which increase costs and exacerbate the risk of leakage into nearby waterways.

Considering all these factors, it’s clear there is still much we need to learn before determining whether or not nuclear power is truly green. With this in mind, let’s explore further evidence that might help us answer this question.

Is Nuclear Power Truly Green?

It’s time we address the elephant in the room: is nuclear power truly green? Well, let me tell you – it sure does have a lot of potential!

For starters, here’s why it could be considered as such:

  1. Nuclear energy produces no air pollution – this means that there are no emissions from burning fossil fuels to worry about.
  2. The waste created by nuclear plants can be recycled and reused – this ensures that any materials used will not end up in landfills or otherwise contaminate our environment.
  3. Nuclear power is one of the cleanest forms of electricity production available today – meaning that even if other sources of energy were to fail us, we’d still have an efficient and reliable way to generate electricity without burning any fuel at all!

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that nuclear power should be adopted wholesale – far from it. We need to ensure that stringent safety procedures are followed at all times so as to prevent any accidents occurring which would put people and wildlife in danger.   There needs to be transparency too, not the Chernobyl cover up’s and denials.  There’s no need to talk about the technology secretley hidden from green activists on hidden IP addresses and secret forums.

 

But with proper planning and management, there’s certainly scope for nuclear power to become part of our sustainable future. After all, with its ability to produce large amounts of electricity quickly and efficiently while emitting very little carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, it seems like a great option indeed!

Conclusion

Nuclear power has the potential to be a green energy source, but this depends on many factors.

I believe that nuclear power should be considered for its incredible capacity for generating clean electricity without greenhouse gas emissions.

However, there are still risks and uncertainties associated with nuclear power, from safety concerns to waste disposal issues.

Is it possible to make nuclear energy truly green?

We must continue to explore and improve upon existing technologies in order to ensure safe operations while minimizing environmental impacts.   This is something we all need to consider when debating the pros and cons of nuclear power as an alternative energy option.

 

How To Stream BBC World News from Outside the UK

Streaming BBC World News from Anywhere in the World

Are you looking for a way to stay up-to-date with the latest news from around the world? BBC World News offers a comprehensive international news service, providing coverage of global issues and events. But how can you stream this news channel? In this article, we will discuss how to stream BBC World News.

The first step is to find an online streaming service that offers BBC World News as part of its lineup. There are many services available, including some that are free or have low monthly fees. Once you have found a suitable streaming service, you will need to create an account and log in. After logging in, you’ll be able to access all the content that the service has to offer, including BBC World News.
How To Stream BBC World News
Finally, when you’re ready to watch BBC World News, open the streaming application on your device and select the channel from the list of available channels. You’ll then be able to enjoy watching live updates from around the globe directly on your device anytime! In this article, we will discuss all these steps in detail so that you can start streaming BBC World News right away!

What Is BBC World News?

BBC World News is an international news channel that broadcasts to over 200 countries and territories. It is owned by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and is based in London, United Kingdom. It provides 24-hour rolling news coverage as well as international programs and documentaries.

Broadcasting since 1991, BBC World News has become one of the most watched television channels in the world with a reach of over 80 million households. Its content includes global business news, sports, science, technology and entertainment programs. It also provides analysis on current events from around the world.

For those who want to watch BBC World News at home or on the go, it is available via cable or satellite television providers as well as through streaming services like YouTube TV and Sling TV. Additionally, viewers can access live streams of BBC World News from its website or mobile apps for iOS and Android devices.

Using A VPN To Stream BBC News

Streaming BBC World News can be a great way to stay informed about current events. But if you’re not in the UK, there are some steps you need to take before you can access the content. A virtual private network (VPN) is one of the best ways to stream BBC News from anywhere in the world.

A VPN works by helping you mask your location and creating a secure tunnel for your data. This gives you access to websites that may otherwise be blocked in your country, such as BBC World News. Using a VPN also helps protect your data and makes it harder for hackers or government agencies to track your online activity.

Here’s how it’s done –


NordVPN Discount Page 

To get started with streaming BBC News, all you need to do is sign up for a reliable VPN provider. Once you’ve done that, follow the instructions provided by your provider to connect to their servers and unlock the content on BBC World News. With a few clicks of your mouse, you’ll be able to watch live news coverage or catch up on stories from around the world without any hassle.

How To Stream BBC World News On A Smart Tv

Streaming BBC World News on a smart TV is an easy and simple process. All you need is access to the internet and a compatible device. For those with access to the internet, it’s as simple as connecting the device to your Wi-Fi network and setting up the relevant app. Once that’s done, simply open the app and start streaming BBC World News!

It’s also worth noting that streaming BBC World News can be done through a variety of devices, including Smart TVs, mobile phones, tablets and laptops. This means that no matter which device you have access to, there’s sure to be an option for streaming BBC World News on it. Additionally, if you don’t already have access to the internet or a compatible device, there are plenty of affordable options available in today’s market.

So if you’re looking for an easy way to keep up with all the news from around the world, streaming BBC World News on your smart TV is definitely worth considering. With just a few clicks of your remote control or mouse button, you’ll be able to get up-to-date news coverage delivered straight into your living room. And best of all – it won’t cost you a penny!

How To Stream BBC World News On A Computer

Streaming BBC World News on a computer is not difficult. There are several options available for streaming the channel live. The first option is to use a web browser and visit the official BBC website, where you can watch the latest news as it happens. Additionally, you can use an app such as Microsoft Edge or Safari to access the livestream.

If your device has installed video players like VLC, you can also find live streams of BBC World News on many third-party streaming sites. These websites provide links to watch the channel in different resolutions and bitrates, so they may be suitable depending on your internet connection speed. You’ll need to check the reliability of each link before using them though, as some may still be illegal or outdated.

The last way to watch BBC World News is through OTT services such as Sling TV or YouTube TV. Both offer access to a wide range of channels including the popular news channel, allowing you to stream it directly from their servers with no buffering or interruption. You will need an active subscription for either service in order to access this content.

How To Stream BBC World News On A Mobile Device

Streaming BBC World News on a mobile device is an easy process that requires only a few steps. First, open the app store on your device and search for the official BBC World News app. Once you have downloaded and installed it on your device, launch it and you should be ready to start streaming.

When you open the app, you will be presented with several options. You can select from live news broadcasts, pre-recorded clips of news stories, or specific stories from around the world. You can also browse through categories like business, entertainment, politics and more. All content is free to view unless otherwise noted.

Using the BBC World News app is an easy way to stay up-to-date with current events and international news stories no matter where you are. With just a few taps of your finger, you can keep informed and in touch with what’s happening around the world. So get started today by downloading the app and begin exploring all that it has to offer!

What To Do If You Have Trouble Streaming BBC World News

If you’re trying to stream BBC World News on a mobile device, but having trouble doing so, there are a few things you can try. First and foremost, check the strength of your internet connection. A strong connection is necessary for streaming content like this. If your internet isn’t strong enough, try switching to another network or upgrading your plan.

Sometimes problems with streaming content can be related to the device itself. If this is the case for you, make sure that the device’s software is up-to-date and that there isn’t any conflicting software installed on the device that could be affecting streaming performance.

Finally, if all else fails, contact customer service for help. Even if it’s just to ask questions about what might be causing your problem, they’ll be able to offer advice and point you in the right direction. Don’t hesitate to reach out – they’re always happy to help!

Which Countries Can Stream BBC World News?

So which countries can stream BBC World News? It’s a pertinent one for those interested in staying up to date with global current affairs.  Well, here’s a quick summary in the next few paragraphs.

BBC World News is available in most countries around the world, however it largely depends on what channels and subscriptions you have access too.  but there are some exceptions. For example, viewers in the United States and Canada must access the channel through a cable or satellite provider such as DirecTV or Dish Network; it is not available over-the-air or on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu. There are also some geographic restrictions on viewing BBC World News content in certain areas, though.

In general, obtaining access to BBC World News should not be too difficult. The channel is widely available both online and on television throughout much of the world, making it easy to stay informed on international matters. Those who find themselves unable to access the channel should contact their local providers to determine what options they may have for viewing BBC World News content.

With this information in mind, it’s clear that viewers interested in streaming BBC World News should have no trouble doing so in most parts of the world – provided they know where to look for it.

What Type Of Content Does BBC World News Broadcast?

BBC World News is a 24-hour international news channel that broadcasts content from the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). It provides viewers with analysis and coverage of global events, as well as in-depth reporting from around the world. The channel provides a range of different types of content, including current affairs programming, documentaries, magazine shows, and sports coverage.

The network’s flagship program is BBC World News Tonight, which features reports on major developments from around the world. This program offers an up-to-date look at global events and their implications for viewers. In addition to this program, BBC World News also broadcasts other current affairs programs such as Hardtalk and Impact, which focus on specific countries or regions.

Documentaries are also broadcast on BBC World News that explore topics such as science and technology, history, culture, business and finance. Magazine shows such as Our World dive into a variety of stories around the world, while sports fans can catch up on all the latest action from football matches to tennis tournaments with Sportsday Live.

BBC World News has something for everyone; its wide range of programming ensures that viewers never miss out on any important news developments or have to wait long for their favorite sports updates.

How To Find BBC World News’ Schedule Of Programs

To find BBC World News’ schedule of programs, there are several options one can take. Firstly, the BBC World News website provides up-to-date information on what is airing. The website lists all current and upcoming programs on the homepage and is updated regularly. Additionally, a dedicated TV guide page provides a daily overview of what’s coming up.

The second option is to download the official BBC World News app, available for both Android and iOS devices. The app includes various features such as personalized notifications to alert users of upcoming programs they may be interested in. Furthermore, it also offers instant access to video clips from recent broadcasts.

Finally, another way of finding out what’s on BBC World News is by tuning into the channel at any given time. A live stream of the channel is available online 24/7 and viewers can watch it without needing to sign in or create an account. As such, this method makes it easy for anyone to keep up with their favorite programs without having to go through other channels first.

Troubleshooting Tips For BBC World News Streams

Streaming BBC World News can be a great way to stay up-to-date on the latest news from around the world. But sometimes streaming the news can be difficult, especially if you’re having trouble finding it or if the stream isn’t working properly. To make sure you get smooth and uninterrupted access to your favorite shows, here are some troubleshooting tips for BBC World News streams.

First, check your internet connection. Make sure that your internet is running at full speed, as a slow connection can cause buffering problems with any live stream. Also, try refreshing the page or restarting your browser before giving up on streaming altogether. This may resolve any technical issues that may be causing problems with the stream.

If you’re still having trouble, it could be because of regional restrictions blocking certain content from being streamed in certain countries. If this is an issue for you, consider using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) software to bypass those restrictions and access blocked streams. With a VPN service, you’ll be able to watch BBC World News from anywhere in the world without worrying about country-specific blocks and other limitations on streaming content online.

All these tips should help you get back up and running quickly so that you can enjoy all your favorite shows without any interruptions!

Conclusion

In conclusion, BBC World News is an excellent source for international news and current events. It is available to stream in a variety of ways, from using a VPN to streaming on a computer or mobile device. Depending on where you live, you may have access to BBC World News broadcasts. The content they broadcast includes news reports, documentaries, sports programs, and more. You can also find the schedule of programs on their website. If you experience any difficulties streaming BBC World News, there are troubleshooting tips to help you out. With a little effort, anyone can access this valuable resource and stay up-to-date with current events around the world.

BBC World News provides reliable and comprehensive coverage of events happening both locally and abroad. This is especially useful in times of crisis when news outlets around the world become sources of accurate information about what’s happening in different countries. By streaming BBC World News, viewers can keep up with breaking news stories as well as commentary about international politics and culture.

For those who want to stay informed about global developments, streaming BBC World News is an easy way to do so without having to leave your home or office. It’s also available online for free so anyone can access it regardless of their location or financial situation. All in all, streaming BBC World News is an excellent way to stay abreast of international news without having to rely solely on local media outlets for information about what’s going on around the world.

Using an Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar

Indian DNS for Hotstar

This is a very old post but it still gets lots of visitors, presumably for people who want to watch Hotstar outside India rather than me rambling on about the ‘good old days’ !  Anyway I have just double checked and it’s all still correct! I still use my SmartDNSProxy account (mainly for BBC iPlayer though), and the DNS server company still has some servers in India. What’s more they’re also still supporting access to watch Hotstar.  If you prefer though you can also use NordVPN who have servers in India too.

FREE 14 Day Trial for SmartDNS Proxy

Hotstar have added a premium version which you’ll need to pay for and of course moved much of their content from the free version.  You can also access local version of Hotstar’s streaming sites which will obviously not need a VPN or Smart DNS services to access.

In only a few years, the incidence of using geo restrictions to block and filter access to sites has grown exponentially.  So using either a DNS or VPN service is pretty much essential especially if you want to access resources in different countries.  Indeed hundreds of thousands of people use their VPN connections to watch UK Television from all over the world.

How to use Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar Access

This is a brief post that was written a few weeks ago, I wasn’t going to post this but have been travelling. Why should that warrant a post about filtering and blocking? Well it’s because I went to visit some relatives in Turkey which was a bit of an eye opener. It feels like an open and democratic nation until you start to use the internet and slowly find out how many sites are blocked and restricted, hence the rest of the post.

When it comes to those of us who developed with the internet or should I say grew with the internet then the escalating volume of filtering and restriction is relatively disturbing. I just remember it wasn’t always the same. A recollection comes to mind of about 1997 firing up my 486 home computer, clicking that connect button and listening closely to my 14.4 k modem beep and click as it made my net connection. There certainly was still that excitement and marvel of hooking up to a different world, a little gadget which enabled free interaction with people from across the planet.

how to watch hotstar outside india

I was looking for information about ailments on elephants for one of my students in my internet class. The world was nowhere near as connected as it is today and it was thought that the internet may help. We first logged in using a telnet session to the University of Wales online database, no real restrictions or passwords as I remember.

Despite the fact that now it’s probably simpler to find your way about the internet, it’s at the same time becoming increasingly frustrating. In the last few years it seems I’m always getting rerouted or messages telling me that something’s not actually accessible due to my location. In the Internet I recall, location didn’t matter– this was an online, electronic world where everybody is identical.

How to use an Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar

Wherever you go online you seem to be confronted with barriers now– take this particular screen which you are given if you try and visit the Hotstar web site, a terrific Indian media broadcaster.

I went there mainly for the sport, there is actually a substantial cricket session including the IPL coverage. If you want to watch Premiership football without being conned into a massive Sky or BT package, Hotstar has had rights, at least it did last season. Nevertheless again I was discouraged as the whole site is only available if you have an Indian IP address,

Now I ‘d normally use Identity Cloaker to unblock Hotstar and circumvent these blocks however they don’t actually have any Indian VPN servers so it definitely would not work. However there are other possibilities and I thought I ‘d try out a Smart DNS solution as an alternative, to be a lot more specific the 14 day free trial from Smart DNS Proxy. It worked wonderfully as you can observe in the following video which is actually hosted currently on YouTube, it’s entitled BBC VPN Not Working.



As you can easily see it’s essentially transparent immediately after you set it up, certainly more so than using a VPN which has to be connected while you’re accessing the Hotstar site. The other big benefit is that due to the fact that you don’t stream the entire connection through the VPN server you don’t have that additional hop to slow you down. The other speed improvement over a VPN is that there is actually no layer of file encryption to slow the stream down as well. Now obviously this means that it adds no security at all, but it could be argued that it’s not really needed if you’re just streaming video.

Use Smart DNS for Hotstar for Easy Access

There’s one more post concerning accessing the website here– How to Watch Hotstar in the UK. As you can view it functions flawlessly and seamlessly in the background. I am beginning to see the benefits of using these Smart DNS systems too as I was able to quickly configure my NVidia Shield with the same DNS settings so I could watch using that.

how to watch hotstar outside india
Click to try out the 14 Day Free trial

Works a treat, it doesn’t take any great technical knowledge or time to use  an Indian Proxy Server for Hotstar.  The channel itself is great fun – it’s additionally worth having a look at the different documentaries and news programmes many of them are in English. Offers you a whole new perspective of the world to be honest.

Further Information: Watching Hotstar in the USA

 

How to Bypass UK Porn Block by Using a VPN Service Online

UK Porn Ban VPN Bypass

It’s kind of incredible that this is actually happening in the United Kingdom.  A supposedly mature, developed democracy instigating a UK porn block like some extreme, medieval, religious dictatorship in the middle east.   Yet it’s true that in the Summer of 2019 less that a year ago and two years after the 2017 Digital Economy act. This legislation was passed with far reaching powers to censor porn and worse log and audit personal information of everyone who wants to access porn sites.   If completed anyone who wants to access any sort of adult content is going to find themselves listed on some sort of central government register.  Kind of feels like a sex register doesn’t it and you can be certain that the Government of the United Kingdom will find some way to either lose or abuse the information on this database!

We’ll explain in this article the major flaws in the legislation regarding this UK porn ban, however it’s certainly isn’t a comprehensive list.  If you just want to know how to avoid having to register on the Government’s porn block list. That is, basically to allow access to porn sites and not get stalked by the Government then you simply need to invest in something like this to get around this nonsense – i.e. use a VPN like this one – NordVPN.

bypass uk porn block

These are called  VPN services (virtual private network) which hides both your location and encrypts all your data too. It’s primary purpose is to maintain your anonymity online but lots of people also use it to bypass blocks and filters too. For example many people use this particular software to watch UK Television shows like the BBC iPlayer online when they’re outside the UK. By enabling the connection and picking the right server you can pretend your in a different location.

Now of course events over the last year or so including Brexit and a certain virus have pushed these badly thought through porn laws and legislation off the front page.  Yet don’t think this massive invasion of our privacy is off the agenda. The legislation has been passed and when the Government of the UK have finished selecting an overpriced and incompetent third party  to implement control of access to adult sites.  Only then you can see how much of a step towards a dystopian society this really is.  We’re all fine with politicians and government officials deciding what we can and can’t do online – aren’t we!

The Folly of the UK Porn Block

There are two main reasons why the new UK Porn filter is such a terrible idea which can probably be summarized like this –

  1. It won’t work
  2. It’s a huge invasion of privacy.

Both are important points and equally as valid, although which is the most important will depend on your viewpoint and circumstances.    It’s incredible though that one of the most advanced technological nations has come up with a plan which is so basic and filled with flaws. In many ways, it’s worse than some of the medieval porn ban legislation which are enforced in the middle eastern countries like Saudi Arabia.

However, whatever your  opinions about controlling internet users then it’s worth remembering that anyone can actually bypass the UK porn block quite easily without any specialist knowledge. Indeed  these porn restrictions are highly  unlikely to affect anyone who is aware of it and regularly accesses porn sites. how to bypass porn block

Now I’ve got kids and of course I’m not overly keen on the idea that they have access to huge amounts of porn online.   If there was a technical solution which could prevent them from stumbling across a porn site  online then I’d certainly support it. As long as it worked and didn’t involve stamping over people’s legitimate rights to privacy then fine, it would certainly worth it. It’s hard to imagine though, simply because to make anything that works you have to enforce a very intrusive tracking system.

However the UK Government’s idea to implement the world’s first blanket age verification system is completely full of holes and is basically pointless. Not only have they come up with a system that has serious privacy implications, it has the added bonus of being trivial to get around it if you want. Which is of course what all the real dangerous people will do online. Remember none of these porn verification systems will not even apply to paedophiles or sex criminals, because they’ll have the knowledge to spend a few bucks to avoid them.

What we’ll be left with is a system that doesn’t work, a list full of innocent people who just want to visit the occasional porn site online.  Plus a completely false sense of security that we’ve struck a blow to protect children and vulnerable people when in practice the UK porn block will have achieved completely the opposite result.

Pornography Dominates the Internet

First of all, you cannot control access to porn – there’s simply too much of it and it’s literally everywhere.  The idea that you can create a list of these ‘porn websites’ and pop an age verification block on them is simply laughable.  It’s the sort of idea that an octogenarian grandparent who’d used the internet twice would come up with.   Even with the best efforts you’d be lucky to cover 0.01 % of the available pornography online.  Remember the UK porn block laughably tries to control access to something that exists virtually everywhere online.

What’s more the only sites you’d cover are those with a sense of moral responsibility and a large commercial presence.  That is the sort of sites that probably do the least amount of harm anyway.  Most pornography on the internet is either casually flung around on social networking sites, forums or sharing platforms. Otherwise it exists on the sort of web sites hosted across the world who will simply ignore the assertions of the UK Government.  There is an expectation that you can control access through an individual’s internet service but that’s simply not the case – any simple VPN service from any of the VPN providers will prevent this.

Indeed much of the dangerous and illegal porn exists on places like the dark web which are completely inaccessible to any sort of official filter in any case.  You won’t stop people viewing porn like this any time soon, you might stop them watching regulated pornography access through payment services though.

This means you either end up going down the route of trying to police the entire internet or children (and adults) will be diverted to these less responsible sites.   That’s right you end up pushing youngsters towards more extreme material which become more accessible. The other likely result is that everyone starts using tools which bypasses these filters altogether.

People Can Still Bypass UK Porn Block Easily

Now if the UK Porn block actually worked then the significant impact on our privacy might be worth accepting. However the fact that it’s fairly pointless means that cost is definitely not worth paying. Let’s just consider what exactly is happening here. Firstly anyone who wants to access porn online will have to prove that they are over 18 before being allowed access. Now that doesn’t sound too bad, however what you’re actually doing is applying to the UK government for permission to access adult content or porn.

That’s right, you’re applying to the UK Government so that you can watch a bit of pornography. Although they’re not technically asking anything other than you’re over the age of 18 – without their permission you’re going to get blocked from these sites. However it get’s even worse when you think about it – as the age verification process for viewing porn has other implications too.

Currently the options for these ID checks being proposed – are to upload some piece of data to prove your age – like a credit card, passport or drivers license. Exactly the sort of information that is a huge security and privacy risk to start uploading to the internet. Your other option is to pop to your local shop and get the owner to verify your age and sell you a ‘porn pass’ which allows you access the porn sites.  I’m sure my newsagent has a secure privacy policy in place to manage this process.

Despite numerous delays and postponements it looks like this the porn filter is  likely to happen this time.  The last date of implementation was September, 2019 which didn’t happen.   It’s  worth keeping an eye out of the Government’s information page which you can find here and there’s always possible they backtrack or perform yet another U turn.

Internet Censorship in the UK

Both these options are extremely intrusive but also have another worrying aspect beyond accessing to adult websites and controlling our viewing habits.  They’re potentially creating a huge database of UK citizens who have requested access to pornography. Now of course we’ll be assured loudly and sincerely that all this data will be confidential, safe and not used for any other purpose. Yet how many people will be happy to have details of their sexuality stored and logged on a Government controlled database. How long before other Government agencies seek access to this data, or just as likely the data is accidentally is leaked somewhere?

How many people want their sexuality shared in a database? How many teachers, healthcare professionals or anybody in sensitive positions would want to be recorded as a ‘registered porn user‘.   It’s a huge invasion of personal privacy for a system which most agree is flawed and has virtually no real benefits.

Nobody but nobody in their right minds would want to be on any sort of Government held database which means you’re allowed to access UK porn sites.  Indeed it is almost certain to spike a huge surge in demand for a VPN server  and similar methods to protect your privacy and exist off the grid.  Effectively then ensuring that everyone is driven to protect their internet connections simply in order to avoid the government who’s meant to protect their interests.

How to Bypass the UK Porn Filter

However don’t worry, the UK Porn block implementation is almost certainly bound to contain the usual fatal flaw of these systems. The filter will only be applicable to UK citizens, so the sites will need some method of determining the location of any inbound connection. There is currently only one feasible way of doing this and that’s to determine the location of the inbound IP address. The website will record the IP address and look up to ensure it’s registered in the UK before applying the age verification requirement. Much as the Government would like to officially control world’s internet usage then that’s not really feasible.

Use a VPN Service and Stay Private

Fortunately any decent IP Cloaker like Identity Cloaker  or NordVPN will be able to hide your real IP address relatively easily.  What’s more the best ones operate a no logs policy and will hide all your internet traffic and IP addresses from everyone.  It’s ironic that more people will use these privacy features as a result of this legislation on internet pornography.

So if you use any reputable VPN services for instance which has servers outside the UK then you will be untouched by the verification requirements to check your age.  Your internet connection will be encrypted so no log will be kept of your visits plus you will appear to be from a different country and will not be liable to the AgeID UK requirements.

Some have worried that this could escalate and I’ve seen suggestions that the UK ban VPN service and software.  There’s little chance of this happening for several reasons, primarily because it’s technically very difficult to do – the Chinese have been throwing resources at it for years and they’re still used in China.   The cost to try and block them would be huge and be much more than the cost of age id verification.   Secondly as well as being able to protect your privacy from ‘nanny states’ – VPNs are also legitimate and important business tools used by most global corporations.

The other danger is that it’s creating yet another tier of access online.  If you can afford it by paying for a VPN service (or you can create your own) then these censorship laws and  legislation simply won’t apply to you.  I wonder how many politicians will be installing a a VPN to bypass the UK restrictions and hide their porn habits.  Perhaps they’ll go and register for access to porn by handing over their driving license somewhere !   Everyone else will either risk the dangers of using a free VPN to their personal information in order to access UK porn or just register.  The last category will be the minority that’s for certain.

Our suggestion is to use a proper VPN service who’s priority is security, as mentioned our recommendation is a program called Identity Cloaker which will definitely bypass the UK porn filter and keep you completely anonymous too.   We suggest you use one of their French or Dutch servers which will be very fast when accessed from the UK.

UK Porn Block Explained

The planned Pornography block in the United Kingdom isn’t really a proper restriction.  Instead it’s more of a deterrent, to access legitimate porn sites you’ll need to identify yourself as an adult.   This could involve identification probably along the lines of ‘Know Your Customer” or KYC rules currently used for crypto and banking sites.  Usually you need to present a passport or photo ID and then scan your face for verification.

Then pornography sites would know that their content is only being accessed by adults.  Of course, lots of ‘porn users’ will probably not be that keen to add themselves to a national register of pornography users for obvious reasons !!

An Undemocratic Democracy

The United Kingdom, is one of the oldest continuously functioning democracies in the world.   There are other contenders but many countries have dipped in and out of democracy over the years. Greece was almost certainly the first to embrace democracy but have dipped in and out over the centuries.  Now the title probably rests with somewhere like Iceland, Faroes Islands, Isle of Man or possibly the UK depending on your particular definition.

Whoever the winner, the point is that the UK has been democratic for a centuries and you’d expect them to be pretty good at it.  However sometimes a UK citizen can look at the political system and see there’s something very wrong.

Firstly there’s the voting system, it is perfectly possible to get millions of votes without a single representative elected into Parliament.   Sometimes there’s a sigh of relief where some extreme party can effectively be ignored despite garnering a sizeable following of voters.  Other times it just looks profoundly unfair, consider the Green Part getting over 1/2 million votes and one member of parliament against the SNP (Scottish National Party) who got less than a million and have 31 members.  It’s enough to drive you to drink, if you do then you might enjoy this article about the drug Selincro.

There’s lots more examples and outside the two main parties, there’s few political parties who consider the current situation fair.   However even within the elected representatives strange undemocratic situations seems to occur with remarkable regularity.  Take for example the Brexit situation that currently is causing utter chaos within the United Kingdom.   The current Prime Minister Theresa May decided she didn’t have a big enough majority for her preferred version of Brexit so called  an election to increase it.   Unfortunately this didn’t go quite to plan and now there is complete disarray, with her majority disappearing.

In fact now within the British Parliament, no-one has a majority for anything.  The ‘hard Brexit’ people have lost supporters because of a backlash against those who wanted to remain, the ‘remainers’ have lost supporters from a switch of voting from UKIP.  The people who sit in the middle are perhaps the only hope, with maybe a drift from both sides reluctantly recognising the futility of the situation.   The situation changes daily though, and political students would be advised to invest in a solution like this to watch the changes on the BBC News.

Maybe democracy will triumph in the end but at the moment it’s difficult to see.  Many complain that the UK democratic system was sidestepped by using a simplistic referendum in the first place.  The issue was a complicated decision with a myriad of options was reduced to a yes/no vote which was completely inadequate.   Which is why we find the shambolic situation now with a divided country run by an unpopular leader with similar views.

Further Information: Bypassing region Locks – Video Proxy

Morality in the Digital World

I was talking to a lay preacher the other day, I’ll leave out the particular denomination as that’s not the point of the story.   Anyway we were talking about football and related stuff in particular the cost of actually watching out favorite Premiership teams on the TV.

It’s something I have given up the escalating costs of being able to watch football on the TV had started to become a little bit hard to justify for me.  My subscription costs to various TV and satellite services was getting close to £100 ($80) a month which is an awful lot of money to pay just for watching a few games of football on the TV.  So I bit the bullet and cancelled the lot which was surprisingly less painful than I thought.

It turns out you can listen on the radio for free and watch highlights after the game on TV too, for those ‘must see’ matches there’s always a bar somewhere you can go and watch it on.    So for me, it wasn’t a big deal and certainly not worth all the money I was paying out every month.  However my preacher friend had a similar thought but ended up taking a different, slightly surprising route than I did.

What he did was buy a media streamer pre-installed with something called Kodi, which is an open source video player which started it’s life on the Xbox.   The interesting thing about Kodi however is that supports hundreds of add-ons which can effectively stream copyrighted material directly from the internet.  So you can buy a box with Kodi pre-installed and configured which allows access to all of Sky, Virgin and BT’s subscription channels absolutely free.

I have to say I was shocked, a very religious and moral man was effectively stealing these channels without paying for them.  It was hardly crime of the century but I wondered if he had considered that it even was theft?   It turns out that he didn’t, or at least conveniently pretended he didn’t understand it was theft.    After all he’d bought the media box and was simply using it’s facilities to download the programmes that he used to pay for.

This is our world, the digital world where perhaps our morales can be a little more elastic than in the real world.  After all would my friend break in to an electronics shop and steal a Sky box, or mug a passer by for money to pay the subscription?   Of course he never would even consider doing this.   Yet literally millions of law abiding people are using this and similar methods everywhere to download things that they haven’t bought.  It doesn’t stop here of course, if there’s a line where is it drawn – is the ex-pat using a VPN to watch iPlayer in Australia a criminal too?   It’s much too simple to just consider that theft just involves physical objects – my preacher friend was effectively defrauding SKY of hundreds of pounds a year.

I guess it’s a very subjective issue, copyright infringement could be thought of as a criminal offence or just blurring the rules slightly.  It would be harsh to consider all those people who miss British TV and want to watch BBC iPlayer in Ireland or use a Proxy for Netflix access as hard core criminals but it’s easier perhaps to convince yourself no crime is being committed.   I think though it’s worth considering the legal and practical implications of finding yourself in court for ‘digital fraud’ or ‘obtaining goods and services by deception’ before using these extremely tempting technical options!

Troubles in Mozambique

The trouble with being an economist who writes about Africa is that it has a habit of making you look stupid very quickly indeed.  Even when you try and keep up, I use a VPN like this to regularly connect when I can’t visit,  I’m sure I’m not alone having written a piece full of optimism and economic good news on an African country only to see it all start to fall a part only a couple of years later.  Africa has a habit of doing this, turning the positive around very quickly usually it has to be said as a result of some pretty incompetent leadership.

Mozambique is the latest African country to seem to snatch economic disasters whilst heading for seeming prosperity.   The economy was growing, almost 7% a year for nearly a decade, there was gas discovered off the coast of the country and investors were flocking to the country to help exploit it.   Investment was heading for other areas too, attracted by the political stability,  $850 million of state sponsored bonds in the Tuna fishing industry was eagerly purchased at exceptionally high yields.

Ironically it looks like the ‘tuna bonds’ were the first mistake leading to a growing scandal that looks like destroying the growth of the last few years.  Indeed on January 16th, Mozambique announced to the chagrin of the rest of the world that it would default on it’s international debts.

So why has the government fell into such economic chaos so quickly?   There are some mitigating factors, the global fall in commodity prices have played a part and caused a slowdown in growth to a still respectable 3.4% in 2016.  However as usual the main reason is the economic mismanagement by the government, if you weren’t a citizen of Mozambique it could almost be seen as laughable.

Take the huge investment in the Tuna fishing industry, the state funded industry unfortunately never caught many fish certainly nowhere near enough to repay the generous yields owed on the supporting investment bonds.   This is not actually that surprising because the majority of the investment raised was not spent on fishing boats but rather the sort of boats with guns on the front.    The bonds were hastily swapped for government ones when it became clear they were unsupportable yet almost immediately the Government also admitted that it had hidden further loans of $1.4 billion guaranteed.  This is a huge amount for a country the size of Mozambique and represents almost 11% of their GDP.

Not surprising this sleight of hand dismayed international organisations with the IMF and other donors freezing their existing support.   This is a disaster for a country that despite it’s economic progress still relies heavily on international aid to provide even basic functions and services.   Mozambique’s debt now represents over 110% of it’s GDP and some experts thing even this is optimistic,  however the country is now engaging in a phase of ‘restructuring’.

This is of course merely another way of saying our debts are out of control and we need to bailed out quickly something that the IMF are probably reluctant to do. Missing payments on existing debts is not the way to attract additional funding for obvious reasons.   Few of the existing bondholders are likely to trust the government  after recent events and even the IMF has now insisted on a full of audit of all it’s debts.   There is also the question of where all the original loans and investments have disappeared to as well.

John Williams

Spoof my IP

Education and the Velvet Revolution

Peace education stands as one of the most undervalued and underfunded points of our educational system that is world-wide. If we look at the typical education curriculum at elementary school, or a high school , which is where youth are most impressionable, any site of compulsory non-violent schooling is almost entirely non existent. Regardless, we often find compulsory history classes, which describe every single war in detail, including its death toll, its generals and all the other players.

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Yet given this educational dilemma that is lopsided, once in a while an enthusiastic humanitarian comes to champion a brand new form of instruction about peace, rather than violence.

The Revolution was named “Velvet” due to its soft and non-violent method of peace.

The power of this movie lies in the way it can capture the essence of the Velvet Revolution and how power shifts when individuals the youth, stand up against protest and repression in a non-violent way. The solidarity of the Czech people was so overwhelming that it forced them to bring in new leadership, namely Vaclav Havel, the leader of the revolution and basically crippled the government.

Broken educational systems could no doubt use this picture as a model to teach students at all levels of education about non-violence’s tremendous impact on world history and it. There’s a host of information online yet it doesn’t make it onto the curriculum of most of our schools, lots even on social media, but again you’ll often find facebook blocked in these situation.

Once peace and non violence become “required” curriculum in schools, especially for teens, we’ll begin to find a shift in our belief system regarding what alternatives are accessible to our issues. If a kid has just seen violence, at home, in history books and in the media, then that kid will act accordingly. If a child sees and is educated peaceful approaches to solve disputes and problems subsequently teens will naturally choose this path for resolution.

James Elsworth

Author of How to Watch BBC Abroad

Will Falling Oil Prices Stimulate US Growth?

Over 75% of economists said their sector or company will feel the consequences of the petroleum cost fall, with 18% anticipating a negative impact, and 57% expecting an optimistic impact, based on a survey in the National Association for Business Economics Monday released.

“By a three-to-one ratio, it is favorable,” said James Diffley, a senior manager at IHS Economics as well as the survey’s chairman. “The 18% though signify those businesses that benefit directly from petroleum and gasoline.

Economical fuel is anticipated to provide a boost in 2013 to the market as consumers turn about and spend what they are saving in the pump. Gasoline costs have dropped to close to $2 a gallon, and therefore are poised to drop below that, among the speediest declines.

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But it is crucial to remember that some of the additional stimulation may be taken away, Mr. Diffley said, as petroleum and gasoline companies scale back investment and development. Other occupations will suffer changes in the supply chain for pipe fitters and tool makers, as just one example.  Other reports are difficult to assess simply because of the problems in assessing if they are genuine, many digital businesses for instance – especially those which hide their identity with fake details – like here.

“That takes off several tenths of the percentage point on the increase the market could have gotten,” he said.

Economists reported enhancing conditions at their companies in the fourth quarter.  These

NABE said only rising prices were reported by 16%, compared with 25% in the July and October surveys. And 65% said they anticipate no change in the costs their companies will charge in the first quarter.

And more than half said economists expect salaries and wages to rise in the following three months, compared with.  Sales increase improved somewhat, with 54% of economists reporting increasing sales compared with.

Ninety three economists-who work for private sector companies or industry trade groups-reacted to the survey, that was conducted from Dec. 18 through Jan. 8.

Additional Reading

Military Funding Increases in 2014 — Civilization’s Decline in Full Swing

Perhaps it’s a bit irresponsible to link the world’s military budgets to the decline of civilization.  Regardless, there’s no question that most militaries around the world continue to fund at record levels.  In the USA, where politics and finances have been particularly turbulent lately, the military will be given a 1.0-1.7% raise for 2014 according to current tables.

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President Obama increased military pay scales in December 2012 as per the National Defense Authorization Bill. The 1.7% pay increase was effective on every member of the uniformed forces. However, salaries for enlisted soldiers and for officers follow a slightly different scale. Both members receive a basic pay, which is augmented with allowances, incentives, tax advantages and recoupment benefits.   This doesn’t compare that favorably with some other military forces from European countries, these can be checked directly although you’ll need something like a German proxy because of various geo-blocks.

The military pay chart is readily available on the US Undersecretary of Defense, Personnel and Readiness website. The chart lists separate payments for enlisted members and for officers according to rank and years of service. Enlisted officers are referred to as E and are graduated from E — 1 to E — 9. Some branches may have a Warrant Officer rank and this is referred to as W with different W grades from W -1 to W – 5. Similarly, officers are referred to as O with grades from O-1 to O-10. Please note that these pay grades may vary considerably if incentives, taxes, and benefits are added to the basic pay grade. The chart only provides a list of base pay. Members also get drill pay when they are on active duty. Housing allowance is provided to family of members. Unmarried members usually stay in military barracks but standards have changed and each member is allotted a single room with shared or single bathroom. All active duty military members also get a monthly allowance for food called substance allowance.  Family separation allowance and combat allowance is provided to military members when they have to travel or are deployed on government work. Some grades also get an annual pay raise which increases the basic salary that is offered.

It’s a good idea to check with the Department of Defense website to get an accurate idea of current pay grades and scales.