Hannah Davies, British woman, missing in Bangkok, Thailand

Young British woman Hannah Davies missing in Bangkok, Thailand

January 26, 2021February 3, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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A 21-year-old British woman who went missing this week in Bangkok, Thailand is being sought by her Portsmouth family. The woman is feared to have been using drugs and has a history of mental illness. Her last contact with her family happened last Friday when she posted a short Facebook message.

In the Facebook message, 21-year-old Hannah Davies wrote that she was using the computer of a man who had invited her in off the street, according to Stickboy Bangkok. The man had offered her food, she wrote.

When last seen, the 5’6″ woman had long brown dreadlocks and was described as dirty and covered in mosquito bites.

The last known whereabouts of Davies was the Bang Kapi shopping mall in Bangkok Jan. 31.

Davies had been rooming at the Sawasdee Guesthouse in the tourist-area of Khaosan Road. Her last appearance at the guesthouse, according to staff there, was the day before she went missing.

Her family fears she may have been using drugs. According to Davies’ mother, the young woman has a history of mental health issues, and is a danger to herself when these issues surface. Her mother believes Davies requires urgent medical help.

Davies arrived in Thailand Jan. 17 and was travelling alone. She was scheduled to return to the England in mid-March.

Her family and the British Embassy in Bangkok are looking for any information that might lead to locating the woman. They can be reached through the family’s phone number (+44 07954 326152) and email (theresamdavies@hotmail.com) or the British Embassy’s Bangkok office (+66 02 305 8333).

Historically illiterate: Canada’s baffling quandary

February 2, 2015 by Milad Doroudian

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VANCOUVER, Canada — The fondness that I hold for this nation and its institutions is something which has been instilled in me since my youth. I always nitpicked and stacked my books on Canadian and British history, making sure that I knew the stories of the people who have not only let me live in this country, but also become a part of their culture, and heritage.

Democracy, constitutional law, and liberty are ideals which have been passed down from the English-speaking peoples and which have permeated into different arms across different parts of the world, from Australia and New Zealand to the West Indies to, arguably, the United States, and of course Canada. The nation which shared great sacrifices alongside Great Britain in both world wars, and also provided its mother country with a great deal of aid

Undeniably Canadians have formed an identity which is unexampled across the globe, particularly because of its parsimony to its giant neighbor, yet we forget that the institutions which still govern this nation are frankly British. They are simply cogeneric, which means that to an extent the history of Britain, and even that of the Commonwealth — old and new — is a compulsory part of ours.

Black, Bliss, Pearson. All great historians which have had an immeasurable effect on the manner in which I view the history of a nation, who to this day remains heavily tied to its motherland. However there is a baffling quandary that is affecting most of those that are in my age group presently: there is an incessant approval of apathy towards this fact, and any history for that matter.

When you ask a young Canadian today what he/she is most proud of they will proudly answer: Canada’s natural beauty. Not the Canadian Pacific Railway which is a crowning achievement of human reason, and was built through unthinkable drudgery to connect this grand nation together. Another may say that he is proud of the fact that Canadians are nice — an asinine bromide — rather than say that to date Canada has participated in 54 peacekeeping missions around the world.

We live in an age where the greatest Canadian is not Alexander Graham Bell which has left humanity a gift which they could not fathom, but rather David Suzuki, who become a millionaire through collective activism. An age where people no longer read of the great strides and pains of Federick Banting, Terry Fox, and John A. Macdonlad; rather of the whims of Rob Ford, Justin Bieber, and Michael Buble.

What is most worrying, however, is not that people do not know Canadian history, but rather that they do not know the most basic functions of its government, both at the provincial and federal levels. They do not realize the crowning glory of British democracy which still runs smoothly today. They are ready to attack Stephen Harper, Justin Trudeau and so on blindly without actually understanding any particular issues at hand, nor the political processes which make our lower and upper houses battle it out in the name Westminster-style democracy.

Still, the issue is not that most youth fail to read any British history, rather that they even make no attempt at Canadian. Where the source of this philistinism derives from one cannot say, especially in a culture where a library card is gratuitous. Even more so in a culture where information is so widely accessible.

Do not be fooled by the common university student who at first glance might seem intelligent because of his/her ability to quote some famous men and women. Their understanding of history, culture, and the arts starts with the “Introduction” and ends at “Chapter 19.” They usually are against mainstream politics, but cannot name the mechanism and historical principles that produced them. They are the ones who embrace deconstructionism readily, without grasping the ideas and basics of what they should be “deconstructing.”

They do not read the history behind parliament, capitalism, socialism, Canadian conservatism and liberalism, yet both those on the left and right attack them, without expanding their historical research beyond half a Wikipedia article. It is apparent that we are now in an age where our youth is located in an eerie world of “educated” illiteracy.

Rant By Milad Doroudian

Image by Tamar

South Korean swimmer attending doping hearing due to failed doping test

February 2, 2015 by EJ Monica Kim

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South Korean swimming super star Tae-Hwan Park will attend FINA’s doping hearing, held in Lausanne, Switzerland on Feb. 27, as he failed a doping test last September during the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

FINA, the international governing body of swimming, informed the Korea Swimming Federation (KSF) at the end of last October that Park tested positive for testosterone with his A sample. Testosterone is a male hormone on the Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

Although Park and the KSF asked for the analysis of the B sample, again they were finally notified last December that the B sample also tested positive.

His agency, Team GMP, has sued a local hospital where Park received chiropractic treatment last July for a failed doping test on Jan. 20. The agency claimed that a doctor did not clarify the substances of the injections given him.

According to a statement from Team GMP, Park had a free injection, following a doctor’s suggestion, after double-checking whether the injection contained any banned-substances. The agency added that he did not fail a test during game-time last September in Incheon, Korea.

The hospital’s officials were under prosecutor’s investigation on Jan. 23. The doctor, however, told the prosecutor that Park had injections of Nebido, which contains Testosterone to boost levels of a male hormone, was delivered in December 2013, not last July. The officials argued that his agency is trying to shift the responsibility to the hospital in preparation for a hearing.

Park was also examined by the prosecution on Jan. 25. The prosecutor will announce the result of the investigation this week, based on medical records and testimonies from both sides.

Regardless of the different arguments from each side, Article 2.2 Anti-Doping Rule Violation of WADA states that, “It is each Athlete’s personal duty to ensure that no Prohibited Substance enters his or her body and that no Prohibited Method is Used.”

Consequently, it seems to be difficult for Park, who tested positive to the best-known banned substance, to avoid a suspension.

Moreover, the rules of the Korean Olympic Committee (KOC) might thwart Park’s hope for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games if he is to be suspended for at least a month by FINA. Under the rules, amended last July, an athlete who has been suspended for a positive drug test may not be selected for a national team for three years, starting on the day that the suspension ends.

Meanwhile, officials from the KSF and KOC discussed preparations for a hearing with Park’s agency last Friday.

Tae-Hwan Park is the first Korean swimmer to win medals at the Olympic Games, where he gained one gold and three silvers in the 400m and 200m freestyle in 2008 and 2012. Park has recently visited the United States to find a new training venue and coach, ahead of the Rio 2016, after parting with his Australian coach at the end of 2014.

By EJ Monica Kim

Photo: EJ Monica Kim

Sources:

Strauss-Kahn before the judges: former president of the IMF accusated of procuring

February 2, 2015 by Esther Hervy

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Four years after the case regarding alleged sexual crimes committed at the Sofitel Hotel in New York City, Dominique Strauss-Kahn appeared again today in the opening of another trial — this one on charges of aggravated procuring alleged to have taken place at the Carlton Hotel. The former director of IMF, who is accused of having participated in naughty parties in Lille, Paris and Washington between 2008 and 2011 denied knowledge of the professional status of the girls. The hearing began today at 2 p.m. local time.

One of Strauss-Kahn’s lawyers, Richard Malka, who defended Strauss-Kahn in earlier investigations, said that the law does not necessarily condemn immoral acts.

Apparently, the young women were recruited in Belgian brothels, whose owner, Dominique Alderweireld, was arrested on Oct. 1 for pimping, and is further suspected of having employed undocumented minors.

One of them recounts that a man came to her home to “ensure that she could match the type of woman who could be presented to Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Another girl said that DSK was aware that they were all paid each time, and that she had told Strauss-Kahn so.

“If this man believed that he could not know the quality of the girls, he really wants to make us believe that he is naive and take us for idiots, the second girl, called Jade, said at a hearing. All these girls were good-looking, young, completely designed to meet his desires.

Eric Dupond-Moretti, one of the lawyers for the accused, denounced the extension of “customer to pimp.” If we want to penalize the customer in France, which does. There are countries where the customer is penalized, but not France, said Dupond-Moretti. “I think they want to destroy DSK.”

Dominique Strauss-Kahn faces up to 10 years in prison and 1.5 million euros in fines.

By Esther Hervy

Hong Kong streets “filled” with pro-democracy protesters

February 1, 2015 by Milad Doroudian

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Hong Kong experienced another, much smaller, pro-democracy protest this Sunday when close to 13,000 people peacefully took to the streets.

The organizers of the protest hoped to achieve a turnout of 50,000, but were disappointed to find out that only a few took to holding the yellow umbrella — the sign of protest that dominated Hong Kong last year before the government forced the protesters into submission.

Two thousand police officers stood by to watch the demonstrators go by in Hong Kong’s most prestigious financial sector. There have been no reports of violence or clashes, but only chants for freedom and democracy that echoed between the high-rise buildings.

The people that showed up were spotted carrying British Union Jack flags, symbolizing the city’s past status as a British protectorate before it was turned over to the Chinese in 1997. Although the British period was undeniably an era of instability, it was one in which the virtues of British democracy were bestowed on the residents of Hong Kong — virtues which still permeate Hong Kong’s anglophile culture.

Last year the protesters demanded to be given more democratic choice in their search for a proper leader for the city, which resulted in vast Occupy-type settlements and even barricades across sections of the city. This time the protest did not reach the same level of commitment.

The South China Morning Post ran an article where they showed an interview with Daisy Chan, one of the organizers of the protest. Chan stated that the low-turnout “only shows that Hong Kongers are no longer satisfied with conventional ways of protest”.

In another report, Chan said, “In the past, these citizens were less political than they are right now. The Occupy movement woke people up.”

Despite Beijing’s steadfast refusal to defer to the protesters, it conceded to give the city the possibility to select from a group of leaders hand-picked by Beijing.

Although hardly anything that resembles democratic conduct, the idea is still not ratified and will only be implemented after 2017, if ever.

The facts are, however, that the turnout was minimal when compared with the roaring crowds that made international headlines for weeks last year, and that after the crowds began to die down, police engaged in meticulous questioning which, even though did not lead to criminal charges, must have had an effect on the general populace.

It is essential to remember that China is a despotic nation, and that the government is putting on a relatively pleasant face should not detract attention away from its coercive nature. In this China faces international pressure, compounded by Hong Kong’s youth, who refuse to depart from their ideas about the intense government regulations that fill the city as thickly as does its smog.

It is not surprising therefore that many of the people who attended were carrying banners that had, “Reject fake democracy, we want real universal suffrage,” written on them in large, bold letters.

Whether or not what is happening now in Hong Kong will result in large demonstrations similar to the ones which shook the world last year is hard to tell; the real question is how the Chinese government will respond if it does.

Analysis by Milad Doroudian

Image by Pasu Au Yeung

Israel moves to enlarge West Bank settlements

February 12, 2015February 1, 2015 by Milad Doroudian

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Despite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s firm reversal of the Housing Ministry’s bid for the expansion of settlements into the West Bank, Ari Uriel, Israel’s minister of construction, decided to go forward with the plan of building an additional 450 housing units in the Eitam Hill area, just east of Efrat.

A total of $215,000 (over 800,000 shekels) have already been spent on an architect and a contractor who are currently implementing the designs for the settlements.

The settlements will be built east of the famous barrier that separates Israel from the West Bank, and will constitute another move by the right-wing government in their hope of pushing their barriers deeper into territory claimed by Israel.

This announcement came only days before a Palestinian man was fatally shot by Israeli forces as he was spotted throwing a firebomb near Nablus in the West Bank.

The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), as well as other Arab organizations, has condemned Israel’s actions in the West Bank as thoroughly illegal and unsettling. In fact Turkey has gone as far as to suggest that this infringement of international law will undoubtedly lead to even more instability in the area, and world politics as a whole.

In fact a statement released by the Turkish Foreign Ministry said, “This Israeli action shows that they neglect the Palestinians’ recent international initiative.”

Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Badr Abdelatty has made it exceptionally clear that Egypt condemns Israel’s actions and fears they will have grave consequences for the peace talks that Egypt has been mediating between Israel and Palestine.

Perhaps the most interesting comment came from Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat, who said, “The Israeli decision is not surprising when you look at it in the context of the culture of impunity Israel enjoys from the international community”– in an attempt to show that it is really the global community’s fault for letting Israel act like this.

Only yesterday, 22 representatives of European nations converged at the entrance of the Silesian Sister Convent to protest Israel’s expansion, making a spectacle in the small town in the West Bank

A more concerning fact is the amount of tension that has resulted with regard to the United States, Israel’s longtime ally and friend, as a result of Israel expansion into Palestinian territory, especially for the Obama administration, which had been called by some leading intellectuals, such as Ben Shapiro, “anti-Semitic”.

Although Netanyahu has not commented on the situation, in his most recent cabinet meeting he once again expressed his concern of the ever-increasingly imminent terrorist threats to Israel “from all fronts,” referring particularly to the egregious attack on Sinai this past week that led to the deaths of 30 people.

Whoever has a claim over the West Bank, we can be sure of one thing: it will lead to more political and possibly even physical conflict in the future.

Analysis by Milad Doroudian

Image by Rafael Medina

France’s Glavany Amendment: animals now considered “living beings gifted sentience”

February 1, 2015January 31, 2015 by Esther Hervy

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While the French Civil Code considered animals to be “movable property” for 200 years, Parliament voted this Wednesday, Jan. 28 that a change in legal status was in order (even if the Senate rejected the Glavany amendment last week). Animals are now considered to be “living beings gifted sentience.” In this way, an animal is no longer defined by its market value but its intrinsic value. The Civil Code has been harmonized with Rural Code and Criminal Code on this matter.

FNSEA (the main French farmer’s union) criticized the new legislation, fearing the effects with regards to livestock. But after seeing that animals did not receive a new category, the representatives thought things could be worse. This amendment does not change the situation for farmers significantly because it does not create a special status for animals between the men and goods. Animals thus remain property under the Civil Code.

But the animals rights associations still saluted what they considered to be a great victory.

“The main lock popped! This breakthrough creates favorable conditions for the improvement of the animal’s lives,” said Reha Hutin, president of the Foundation 30 Millions d’Amis. Indeed, the group has worked toward this change for more than 10 years. they hope the new amendment will change attitudes and also allow judges to apply the existing law more easily (The Criminal Code allows up to €30,000 in fines and 2 years of imprisonment for any act of animal abuse).

However, it is worth noting that this change only applies to pets or wild animals tamed or held in captivity. The sentience of wild animals, meanwhile, is not recognized.

Concretely, in the short-term future, the law should not change much for our animals, but many still see a positive sign in the consideration of the daily suffering of animals. Even though the road still seems long toward the ban of bullfighting (which has a specific clause in the Act), geese feeding, vivisection and still dairy farms, this new amendment can only cause us to rejoice and to become more aware of the important place occupied animals in our society.

For Christiane Taubira, Minister of Justice, “It’s an act that has weight, meaning and consequences.”

Analysis by Esther Hervy

Corroboration: Vier Pfoten

Image: blurbrain/littlemiao

Eighth Küstendorf International Film and Music Festival

January 31, 2015 by Miroslav Velimirovic

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BELGRADE, Serbia — Happy are the ones who retain childhood for their entire life time, enough to believe in fairy tales. Emir Kusturica decided to share his fairy tale, and he struggled hard throughout his life to bring it closer to his audience. A famous director, author of “Sećaš li se Doli Bel,” “Arizona dream,” “Underground,” and other movies, he is one of seven directors with two films that have won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Once he said, “Every time I’m shooting a movie I want to kill myself. Because I don’t see the light in the end of the tunnel.”

The eighth Kustendorf film and music festival took place Jan. 21-26, 2015, and the festival might be the light waiting at the end of Kusturica’s tunnel.

Kusturica has had a great influence on the seventh art with his movies. Many younger authors followed his approach and copied the surreal in their effort to allure the audience to dream and step into the movie scene.

Kusturica continues with his wonders, so he built Drvengrad (Wooden City) in Mećavnik, Serbia. Drvengrad is a whole village made of natural materials, mainly wood and stone, creating a magical structure of traditional architecture and new artistic trends.

Drvengrad hovers between museum, large art exhibition and gastronomic venue. Along with the cinema, musical events are organized all over the place. On top of everything, a small and cute wooden church reminds us of the Russian way of building.

Starting in 2008, this place has hosted the Kustendorf movie and music festival, creating a chance for young directors and actors to meet their older and globally famous colleagues. Over the years, many eminent actors and directors have visited the festival; we will mention only few of them: Nikita Mikhalkov, Jim Jarmusch, Johnny Depp, Isabelle Huppert, Monica Belucci, Andrei Konchalowski, Alfonso Cuarón, Bertrand Tavernier…

The Kustendorf movie and music festival awards young authors with three eggs: Golden, Silver and a Bronze one. For 2015, the winners were:

The Golden Egg – Giacomo Abbruzzese for the film “Stella Maris;”

The Silver Egg – Marko Sopić for the film “The Bag;”

The Bronze Egg – Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson for the film “Whale Valley.”

There is also an award handed out for films yet to be made…

The festival is unique for its surroundings. Amid hundred year old pine forests and clean rivers, a narrow-gauge railway passes through the village of Mokra Gora (549 residents), just under Drvengrad. The railway was active from 1925 to 1974, connecting Belgrade with Adriatic Sea. Rebuilt in recent years, it is a tourist attraction now. Many visitors are here to experience the joy of the steam engine whistle and a cowboy-style coach. Unlike other parts of Serbian Railways, everything is in order here. The train starts when scheduled and arrives on time.The coach is clean, personnel dressed properly. Old train, old engine, new rails. A long time ago, this was a very convenient way to travel from Sarajevo to Belgrade. Now, another section of old railway has been reconstructed and will connect Višegrad with Kremna. The total length of the planned railway is around 50 kilometers. The entire area is 245 km away from Belgrade and another 136 from Sarajevo. Only half an hour away from Mecavnik, there are another two mountains, Tara and Zlatibor, both offering attractive tours and decent hotels.

And, in this picturesque and exciting area, Emir Kusturica created a unique hive, attracting others to come and contribute to this spring of creativity. Inactive in terms of politics, he is always ready to emphasize his anti-globalism and injustice towards small nations. We wish him many more festivals and bright light at the end of the tunnel.

By Miroslav Velimirovic

South Africa Apartheid Leader de Kock on Parole

January 30, 2015January 30, 2015 by Aliza Baraka

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A death squad leader in the South African apartheid, Eugene de Kock, was granted parole Thursday. This comes 20 years after initially being jailed for his role in the murder of activists protesting against white minority rule during the 1980s and 1990s.

The reason for de Kock’s release, according to Justice Minister Michael Masutha, was “in the interest of nation-building.” He emphasized that this decision is in accordance with South Africa’s constitution. This brings to the forefront the struggle that South Africa has in balancing justice with reconciliation.

The release of the 66-year-old comes after his sentencing in 1996 to two life prison terms. De Kock, nicknamed “Prime Evil,” had also been sentenced to an additional 212 years for his crimes. There is much controversy surrounding the release of Mr. de Kock. For this reason, the location and timing would not be made public.

Families of slain victims had mixed responses to the news. Some felt that it was right to move on, letting de Kock go on parole, and in so doing, “a chapter could be closed.” Some family members spoke of reconciliation and the need to focus on rebuilding South Africa.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of the 1990s was an effort to promote unity after the divisiveness and trauma of apartheid. The granting of amnesty, in some cases, was part of this effort.

At his 1995 trial before the TRC, one year after the first democratic elections in South Africa, de Kock confessed to more than 100 acts of torture, murder, and fraud. He took full responsibility for the actions committed by the Vlakplaas police, his notorious undercover unit.

The unit, based on a farm near the capital Pretoria, conducted some of the most horrific crimes during the apartheid era. Their trademark murders, which used explosives, would both kill the victim and destroy the evidence of the death.

One of the key factors in South African apartheid leader de Kock’s parole is that he has expressed remorse for his deeds. Some critics, however, express strongly that because he was ruthless in his brutality, he does not deserve mercy. They say that he should spend the rest of his life in prison.

In the TRC hearings, de Kock recounted murders of African National Congress (ANC) members in other countries, including Angola, Lesotho, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. The police commander above him was complicit in all of these crimes. However, de Kock is the only one who was charged with the crimes. The others are living in freedom.

De Kock took some actions while in prison that have influenced the reactions of victims’ families as well as his release on parole. In 2007, he did a radio interview, accusing the last white ruler of South Africa, FW de Klerk, of ordering specific killings. He said that President de Klerk “had blood on his hands.” This accusation was denied by the former president.

Justice Minister Masutha also said that de Kock has been helpful to the National Prosecuting Authority’s Missing Persons Task Team in recovering the remains of some of his victims. While in prison, de Kock also reached out to victims’ families. He asked them for his forgiveness.

Another former official within the apartheid era, Clive Derby-Lewis, has not been granted parole. He had been convicted in the assassination of Chris Hani, but has not shown remorse in the way that de Kock had expressed. Moreover, Derby-Lewis has medical reasons – undergoing chemotherapy for stage three lung cancer – that caused the Medical Parole Advisory Board to deny his release.

The actions as well as the parole of South African apartheid leader Eugene de Kock have been met with mixed response. A former employee of the South African Council of Churches spoke out. He had worked there when the Church headquarters were bombed in 1988 and said that South Africans are accustomed to having mixed feelings.

By Aliza Baraka

Sources:

BBC, News Africa
The New York Times
Eyewitness News

Photo courtesy of United Nations – Flickr license

Neon and history: Museum of Vancouver’s permanent light show

January 29, 2015 by Milad Doroudian

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The 50s and 60s were gaudy times in Vancouver, not only because of the people, but also the neon lights that cluttered most of its main streets. The incessant buzzing sound in the Museum of Vancouver’s Neon Vancouver/Ugly Vancouver exhibit is an impassioned window into what Vancouver might have looked like before it was this boring.

The exhibit, which is run by the museum’s curator Joan Seidl and was created by Revolve Design, has been open since 2011. It is a riveting look at a period when people did not have to worry about electric bills shutting their business down, and lobbying did not have much pull in town hall.

The MOV website claims that there were around 19,000 signs in Vancouver through the uncanny decades of fluorescent debauchery.

“The exhibition raises interesting questions about how we collectively construct the way our city is portrayed,” says Neon Vancouver | Ugly Vancouver curator, Joan Seidl, Director of Exhibitions and Collections at MOV. “There was a real push in the 60s and 70s to redefine Vancouver as a green, natural space. While we may love neon today, there was a real outcry against neon signs, which represented a more industrial, urban city.”

Yet there is more to neon, at least back then, than meets the eye — or better said, burns it. It was undoubtedly a sign of economic growth, at least among small business owners, whose efforts in trying to catch people’s attentions with the most luminous designs usually paid off, until the streets simply got too busy, and even too shiny.

Vancouver, experienced a surge of industrial expansion, especially in the 60s, which translated into relatively better wages and generally a better standard of living. Still, for many this did not mean that they wanted neon signs taking over their city. The contrast must have been exceptional, between the nature that surrounds Vancouver, and the signs that buzzed in the streets.

The surprise that is not so evident however is that a great deal of Vancouverites have failed to see the exhibit, let alone visit the Museum of Vancouver which holds so much treasure-in historical format. It seems that when I ask someone my age if they have seen or heard about it, it is astonishing to find out that they did not. Not only that, but they did not know that at one point in its history Vancouver was lighted up with pink and red, and not just grey concrete, and blue glass.

By Milad Doroudian

Images by Suzanne Rushton.

Smarter phones that smell, taste and feel great

April 26, 2015January 29, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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Imagine an Apple iPhone that smells like an apple or a Blackberry that taste sweet or a Windows Touch-phone that squeezes you in mid-conversation. Scientists in London have made more progress in the now-common smartphone to make the audio-visual communication transcend tool what engineers call “the glass barrier” and create an experience that is more 4-D.

Professor Adrian David Cheok of the University of London said of his technology, “In the real world, we can open up the glass, open the window. We can touch, we can taste, we can smell in the real world.”

How do inanimate smartphones deliver the sensation of senses?

First you will have to open your mouth and say, “Ah!” The human tongue’s surface has molecules, also known as tastebuds, that through chemical ionization send the brain electrical signals of a specific amplitude depending on which type of taste: sour, sweet, salty, and bitter. Scientist have found a way to send these signals — minus the calories — to savor. This process was explained by Professor Cheok.

“You put these two silver electrodes in your mouth, you put your tongue in between and then it stimulates electrically your tongue and you get a virtual taste perception in your brain.” So far, scientists have reproduced sour, salty, sweet and bitter tastes, it will take further exploration to make all the taste we are accustomed to eat like Bacon.

At the push of a button you are now able to deliver an array of scents to smell. The device and app “Scentee” is an attachment to plug into your smart phone that holds a cartridge of 100 different smells, from fresh fruits, lavender or jasmine, to fresh ground coffee, that can be sprayed when prompted by the other side of the conversation. Professor Cheok relayed, “Basically what happens, we have an app, it connects to the Internet and then this will release scent from your mobile phone.” Think of the added benefit of sending your friend a hint of lemon scent when they say they are having a bad day or the scent of cookies because you know they are not hungry when you are.

Have you even been in a conversation and the other person for a moment stops paying attention or loses focus? Well, as long as you put a ring on them that is connected wirelessly to your smartphone, you can gently squeeze their finger to regain their attention or focus in mid-conversation. “I can be in London and my friend can be in Tokyo, and I can squeeze my finger and then they’ll get a squeeze on their finger through the Internet. It’s a way of touch communication with small mobile devices,” said Professor Cheok.

With the development of smart technology, from phones to homes, the barriers of pan-sensual communication will soon be memories of the past. Professor Cheok hopes the devices developed will soon be added to smartphone and homes to further transcend the current limitations of long distance communication.

By Mark A.G. Cox

Can we say everything in the name of freedom of speech ?

November 3, 2016January 29, 2015 by The Speaker Editors

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Can we say everything in the name of freedom of speech ?

While France rises in the name of freedom of expression — under threat after the attack against Charlie Hebdo — a 34-year-old man was sentenced to 4 years in prison for making an apology for the Kouachi brothers — “There should be more Kouachi… . I hope you will be the next… . You are a godsend for terrorists” — would he responded to the police who arrested him while he was drunkeness and had a car crash.

The naive question we could ask is: Why can we not say everything in the name of freedom of speech and expression?

First, we must redefine what freedom of expression is. Freedom of expression is defined by the great dictionary of the French language as “the fundamental right allowing any citizen to express his opinion.” OK. But what is an opinion? An opinion is a feeling, an individual or group of individuals think a certain way about a topic, based on facts… It is what he thinks.

What he thinks. That’s the difference between his opinion and the performance of a speech act. The speech act is “a means used by a speaker to act on his environment through his words,. He seeks to inform, encourage, ask, persuade, promise etc… his interlocutor by this means.”

— I hope you will be the next –– is not an opinion but a speech act called a perlocutionary effect, which refers to the psychological effect felt by the recipient (here intimidation, intended to frighten). According to Austin, British philosopher and founder of the theory of language, the speech act is neither true nor false. It is successful or not.

Finally, a perlocutionary speech act contrary to an expression of opinion, intended to cause effects (disturbances, changes …) in the communication situation.

An order, abuse, or harassment is not an opinion and can not therefore claim to freedom of expression.

Letter and photos by Esther Hervy

PARIS, France