Saturday, June 2, 2012

Google tells Chinese when they're being censored

BEIJING – Google has started telling users in China when web searches contain keywords that could be tracked by the country's keen-eyed censors, one of the company's top officials announced.

“Starting today we’ll notify users in mainland China when they enter a keyword that may cause connection issues,” Alan Eustace, a Senior Vice President for Google, wrote on the company's Inside Search blog on Thursday. “By prompting people to revise their queries, we hope to reduce these disruptions and improve our user experience from mainland China.”

As the video on Eustace's blog shows (see below), triggering connectivity issues onGoogle.com.hk can be as easy as searching for one of the country’s greatest natural landmarks: The Yangtze River.

Presumably in this case, "Jiang" the Chinese character for river, is a sensitive term because it is also the last name of former Chinese President Jiang Zemin. The 85-year-old, who is thought to still be politically connected, is the focus of constant erroneous rumors and reports about his death

Consequently, if you are looking for "Chang Jiang," the popular name of the Yangtze River here in China, you could run afoul of sensors looking to block rumors of the former leader's death and have your connection to Google temporarily terminated.

Online coup rumors spark China crackdown on social media websites

The video on Eustace's blog shows how it took about 90 seconds after each sensitive search for the connection to be re-established on several Internet browsers and devices.

This graphic shows the message that will appear when users try to search for these restricted words:

Google’s move will ostensibly allow users on the mainland to see when their searches are being censored and understand why the service is disrupted. Other Google products, such as Google Mail and Documents, often fail to load and frequently require refreshing or an enabled virtual private network (VPN) to access freely.

However, since Google’s high profile “pullout” of its search engine from China in 2010, Google’s share of the search market here in China has shrunk from 30 percent in 2009 to 16.6 percent in 2012, according to Beijing-based research firm Analysys International.

Much of that share has been ceded to its Chinese rival, Baidu, which now dominates the arena with 78.5 percent of the search market. Even Google Maps, which was the most popular online mapping service on the mainland for some time, recently lost the top spot to a competitor.

One tweet, 10,000 followers: Dissident artist Ai Weiwei slips, briefly, through China censor

Those dwindling mainland users who have undoubtedly already encountered search restrictions and disconnection issues before, but continue to rely on Google, will probably not benefit too much from the company's new measures. After all, many of the users who suffered through 90-second connection resets in the past have already turned to other ways to bypass the restrictions.

What this move will do, though, is help Google regain the moral high ground internationally by reclaiming “Don’t be Evil,” it's informal corporate motto. Google has long fought for a more open Internet around the world, and even created “Transparency Report,” which looks closely at net freedom issues.

Read more news from Behind the Wall

However, privacy issues in the United States and a European Union warning to Google to review its recently revamped privacy policies have haunted the Silicon Valley giant, forcing its data mining practices to the forefront.

Google’s new service may help some mainland Chinese users better understand how Beijing restricts its netizens from accessing certain material, but for the message to be really effective, Google first needs to get people to use its service again.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Quebec fury: Students vow mass rallies over govt talks failure

Canadian students have promised to hold mass protests in Quebec this weekend after the province’s government refused to meet their demands after four days of talks. Students asked to freeze tuition fees and rescind the anti-protest emergency law.

The two sides met for negotiations in effort to find a solution to the $1,778 tuition dispute and end a 16-week standoff between the province and student associations.More than 2,500 students, according to media reports, have been arrested since February, when protests began.

The conflict escalated significantly after the government passed an emergency anti-protest law on May 18 which introduces fines of between $24,000 and $122,000 against unions and student organizations which do not stop their members from protesting. Individuals found guilty of organizing a protest now face a fine of some $34,000.

In the past week alone, since May 24, about a thousand students who attended protests have been arrested.

However, both sides left the negotiation table with no progress made.

The talks were at an "impasse" and it was not politically possible to reach an agreement, according to Education Minister Michelle Courchesne. She announced the negotiations had been suspended.

Students were suggested a $35 discount on tuition hikes, bringing the total to $1,533. However, the government’s offer was rejected.

What students want is a two-year tuition freeze, but this possibility was completely ruled out. Michelle Courchesne said that a complete freeze it is difficult to negotiate.

Besides the tuition hikes the negotiations also touched upon the emergency law, which students objected to and demanded the government rescind it. However, officials refused to do that.

Student leaders have announced plans for a major weekend protest threatening to use high-profile events, such as the F1 Grand Prix and international jazz and comedy festivals in the coming weeks, to raise awareness of their cause.

Meanwhile, Quebec’s Premier Jean Charest said he is willing to resume discussions, adding that the “door will always be open”.

“We’re always ready to negotiate,” said Martine Desjardins, one of the four main student leaders, echoing the PM.“We’ll wait.”

However, the government is said to have a Plan B if talks remain fruitless. Prime Minister Charest said there is a possibility of snap elections.

"Ultimately there will be an election within 18 months," Charest told reporters. "It will happen in a democratic context that will allow us to state our case on these issues." That means Quebec voters will be asked to help settle a dispute that started in February.

ACTA rejected by EU Parliament committees in crucial vote

The European Parliament has opposed the controversial ACTA treaty, after three of its influential committees said the trade agreement should be rejected.

The Legal Affairs Committee (JURI), the Committee for Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) all voted against implementing the agreement, which caused mass protests in several European countries this year.

In ITRE, the votes were split 31 members for and 12 votes against a draft opinion which called on the Parliament to reject ACTA. One member abstained.

In JURI, 10 votes were cast for a pro-ACTA draft opinion and 12 against, while two committee members abstained. The small-margin victory still went to opponents of the treaty.

LIBE also sided with critics of the treaty, with 36 members voting for a negative report on ACTA, 1 against and 21 abstaining from the vote.

The cold shower news for the trade agreement does not seal its fate. The next vote on it by Committee on International Trade (INTA) of the European Parliament will take place on June 21. It will be the fourth and final opinion the committees are to submit before ACTA is taken to a plenary session in early July.

Earlier on Tuesday Dutch legislators voted to ax ACTA, saying the government of the Netherlands will never sign it. They said they would oppose it even if the European Parliament approves the treaty.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is aimed at protecting copyright in many industries, from software engineering to agriculture. Critics say the national governments would have to make a draconian attack on online privacy to implement provisions of the treaty on their soil.

The European Union suspended efforts to ratify the treaty in February amid a storm of protest from human rights activists. Thousands demonstrated across the EU against ACTA and the amount of power it would give to big corporations.

‘Three strikes against ACTA’

With three heavyweight committees in the European Parliament recommending ACTA is rejected, the controversial anti-piracy agreement has suffered a crushing blow, believes the founder of the Swedish Pirate Party, Rick Falkvinge.

RT:The final decision on whether to ratify ACTA will be made in July. I suppose you are delighted by the latest development but what do you make of what has happened?

RF: These were only the three first events in a long chain that lead up to the final vote on the floor of the European Parliament in early July. The first three events essentially were three strikes against ACTA. Obviously this conflict between the old and the new has started very well for the internet-activist side.

RT:So, ACTA could likely be scrapped. Do you think there is room to conceive some other sort of treaty?

RF: That’s the thing. I mean ACTA was shutting the door for reforms, which is also a very good reason to oppose it. We do need, we direly need to reform the corporate monopoly and patent monopolies as we transition further into a digitally-framed economy in Europe. So I definitely see a reform of both corporate and patent monopolies but not necessarily in the way that the middlemen are wanting.

‘Flame’ Virus explained: How it works and who’s behind it

Flame may be the most powerful computer virus in history, and a nation-state is most likely to blame for unleashing it on the World Wide Web.Kaspersky's chief malware expert Vitaly Kamlyuk shared with RT the ins and outs of Stuxnet on steroids.

Iran appears to be the primary target of the data-snatching virus that has swept through the Middle East, though other countries have also been affected.The sheer complexity of the virus and its targets has led Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab to believe a state is behind the attack.

Kaspersky first spotted the virus in 2010, though it may have been wrecking havoc on computer systems for many years.Vitaly Kamlyuk told RT how his company discovered it, just what makes Flame so significant, features of the virus that could point towards its creator, and why we all lose out in this intensifying cyber-war.

RT: So, how did you spot the malware, was it a planned investigation, or did it come by surprise?

Vitaly Kamlyuk: It was by surprise. We were initially searching for a [different form of] malware. We were aware of the malware that had spread throughout the Middle East, attacked hundreds of computers and wiped their hard drives, making the systems unbootable after that. It was actually after an inquiry from the International Telecommunications Union, which is a part of the United Nations, who actually asked us to start conducting research. When we started looking for this mysterious malware in the Middle East, we discovered this suspicious application that turned out to be even more interesting than the initial target of our search.

RT: According to one of your experts, 'Flame' does not appear to cause physical damage, so why has it been dubbed the most hazardous cyber-attacks in history?

VK: It’s actually on the same level as the notoriously known Stuxnet and Duqu [attacks], because we suspect that there is a nation state behind the development of this cyber attack, and there are reasons for that. This application doesn’t fit into any of the existing groups of developed cyber attack tools. There are currently three groups. There are traditional cyber criminals who are hunting users’ data (like log-ins and passwords) to access bank accounts over the Internet and steal money, send spam, or conduct dubious attacks.This [Flame] doesn’t fit into the group of traditional cyber criminal malware. Also, it doesn’t fit into the activists’ malware who are using typically free and open source tools to attack computers on the Internet. And the third known group [at this time] is nation-states.

RT: What makes this malware different from all other Spyware programs and what damage can it do?

VK: It’s pretty advanced – one of the most sophisticated [examples of] malware we’ve ever seen. Even its size – it’s over 20 megabytes if you sum up all the sizes of the modules that are part of the attacking toolkit. It’s very big compared to Stuxnet, which was just hundreds of kilobytes of code: it’s over 20 megabyes. And the Stuxnet analysis took us several months, so you can imagine that a full analysis of this threat may take us up to a year. So we think it is one of the most sophisticated malware [programs] out there.

It’s also quite unique in the way it steals information. It’s possible to steal different types of information with the help of this spyware tool. It can record audio if a microphone is attached to the infected system, it can do screen captures and transmit visual data. It can steal information from the input boxes when they are hidden behind asterisks, password fields; it can get information from there.Also it can scan for locally visible Bluetooth devices if there is a Bluetooth adapter attached to the local system.

RT: Is there a connection between this new cyber threat and previous large-scale virus attacks?

VK: We are trying to compare and find similarities between this development and previous [ones] of course, but there are so few of them – Stuxnet or Duqu mostly. There is no reliable relation between Stuxnet and Flame as we call it…they are completely different. Because Stuxnet was a small application developed for a particular target with the specific objective to interact with industrial control systems and break them down. And Flame is a universal attacking tool kit used mostly for cyber espionage. So there are so things that [Flame] shares in common with Stuxnet and Duqu, and these are the vulnerabilities that are used by both [types of] malware. Probably one malware simply copied vulnerabilities from the other malware program when they were published.

RT: So this means that cyber warfare is evolving rapidly, and 'Flame' vividly confirms this trend. Can less technologically developed nations resist such attacks, or is it game over for them?

VK: It’s never game over in this area, because even if the country isn’t technologically developed in this area, it doesn’t prevent them from cooperating with organizations like ours and with private companies in the security industry that can provide them with valuable pieces of information which can actually result in the discovery of such threats. And when we discover such threats, we permanently add them to antivirus databases, and users from those nations can use freely available trial tools and commercial antivirus [software] to protect their systems.

RT: This enormous stratum of data that 'Flame' can gather, who would need it and is it really possible to analyze such an avalanche of information?

VK: First of all, when we’re talking about the size of data that is to be analyzed, we know that the attackers do not infect as many victims as possible. Their resources are limited; it seems that they understand that. They are keeping the number of infected machines more or less the same. So it’s the same level. When they finish analyzing data that has been stolen from one network, they remove the malware and switch to another.So we think that it’s still possible the extract only the data they are interested in.

RT: So can we call this a cyber war, and if so?

VK: Stuxnet and Duqu were bright examples of cyber weapons which could even physically destroy infrastructure, and this [Flame] is a continuation of this story. So this is another development in this roe which continues in addition to Stuxnet and Duqu.There are also nation stations supporting [these] developments. We think that cyber warfare has been going on for years already. People were just probably not aware of it because cyber warfare has a unique feature: it’s hidden. Nobody knows when cyber warfare operations are going on. This is the key feature of it.

RT: Who is behind these cyber attacks?

VK: Like with Stuxnet and Duqu, it’s currently unclear who is behind it. It’s very hard to find out who is behind it because when we try to follow the traces, who controls the application – it connects to the command and control centers – it turns out to be… dozens or even more servers spread around different countries around the world. More than 80 or 90 domains are associated with those servers. Most of them are registered with fake identities. So they’re pretty well protected and hidden. So it is unclear who is behind that, and we try not to speculate who could be behind such attacks. We try to base it on pure facts like the language we extract from the code. In this case, we only found traces of good English used inside the code.

RT: So who do you think is winning this war?

VK: I think that humanity is losing to be honest, because we are fighting between each other instead of fighting against global problems which everyone faces in their lives.

US unleashed Stuxnet cyber war on Iran to appease Israel – report

A handout picture released by the official website of Iran's presidency office on April 8, 2008 shows Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visiting the Natanz uranium enrichment facility, 270 kms south of Tehran. (AFP Photo/Ho)

The US and Israel made the Stuxnet virus as a new kind of weapon targeted against Iran, a media investigation revealed. The operation reportedly started in the Bush era, but was intensified by Obama administration.

The top-secret massive sabotage targeting Iran’s Natanz uranium enrichment facility was arguably the first episode of a new age of warfare, similar to the first use of nuclear weapons or the first military drone attack, according to an investigation by the New York Times.

The newspaper interviewed current and former American, European and Israeli officials involved in the clandestine program called Olympic Games. None of them agreed to have his name mentioned due to the highly sensitive nature of the operation.

The US and Israeli authorship of the Stuxnet virus, which caused damage to Iranian uranium enrichment effort by destroying hundreds of centrifuges at the Natanz facility, was long hinted at by the media. The virus is estimated to have pushed back the controversial nuclear program by as much as 18 months, although skeptical assessments say the impact may have been lower.

The Olympic Games operation dates back to 2006, the NYT reports. The Bush administration at the time had its credibility at a low, after being to have falsely accused Saddam Hussein of having weapons of mass destruction. This limited the amount of international pressure Washington could put on Tehran.

At the same time Iran’s renewed enrichment of uranium made Israel extremely nervous, because it suspected the Islamic Republic would build up a stockpile of enough nuclear fuel to enrich it further to a weapons-grade level later. If Iran’s enrichment program remained unhindered, Israel would be prompted to launch a pre-emptive military attack on it and trigger a major regional war, Washington believed, as several US officials told the newspaper.

Launching a secret cyber attack on Iran and making Israelis part of the operation both bought more time for sanctions and gave Israel’s hawks a tangible alternative to trying to bomb the Natanz plant.

The report names General James E. Cartwright, who had established a small cyber operation unit inside the United States Strategic Command, as the father of Olympic Games operation. George W. Bush was skeptical over the risky and radical proposal, but nevertheless approved it.

The virus that was programmed by American and Israeli cyber weapons experts especially for the operation was more sophisticated than anything the world had seen before. Also, unlike the overwhelming majority of malware, which can only damage computer performance or steal information, the new virus could cause actual damage to machinery. The code infecting control computers at Natanz was designed to abruptly speed up or slow down the fast-spinning centrifuges, tearing them apart.

Before attacking the Iranian facilities, the people in charge of the operation reportedly tested it at several of the Energy Department’s secret national laboratories. They built a replica of the Natanz site with centrifuges similar to those used by Iran. The US obtained them from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi after he abandoned his own nuclear program in 2003.

With proof of the potential power of the new cyber weapon at hand, the Olympic Games went into the next phase in 2008. Through agents and unsuspicious accomplices the virus was downloaded into Natanz computers and spread across the facility. It then began to occasionally destroy centrifuges, giving the impression of a series of unrelated malfunctions plaguing the enrichment site.

According to the report, Iranians facing centrifuge malfunctions were convinced that their problems were with faulty parts (which the US was actually working hard to supply to them with), incompetence or human sabotage. Some specialists were actually fired over the disruptions.

The effect Olympic Games had on the plant was also confirmed by video taken by the International Atomic Energy Agency cameras, which had been put in place to monitor Iranian activities at Natanz between inspections.

The game changed in 2010, when the virus infected a laptop of one of the engineers and later escaped into the internet, quickly spreading “in the wild”. This contingency was not expected, as the malware was supposed to infect only computers at Natanz.

The Americans blamed Israeli programmers’ contributions to the code, claiming they “went too far”, as US Vice President Joe Biden reportedly commented at a secret meeting after the news broke. It was then just a matter of time before the virus would be detected by cyber security experts, its code dissected and analyzed.

Still, President Obama ordered the operation to continue, the NYT was told. Within a week from that moment, a newer version of the virus brought down just under 1,000 Iranian centrifuges.

The report says American cyber attacks are not limited to Iran, but the focus was overwhelmingly on Tehran’s nuclear program. Obama reportedly was hesitant to expand the use of the new brand of weapon. In fact, the US is arguably the one country in the world most vulnerable to cyber attacks on its infrastructure. Pioneering such operations would give other countries and power groups a justification to target America.

It is not clear whether the US has anything to do with the recently-discovered Flame virus. The malware is a sophisticated cyber weapon, which is believed to be part of a major spy operation in the Middle East, including Iran and Israel. Cyber security experts say a government-level effort must be behind Flame.

Facebook Bubble Begins to Deflate

Facebook stock slumped as much as 13% at 9:50am EDT in a second day of public trading for the world's most popular social network, dispelling investors’ hopes for large initial increases and possible profits in the first days of Facebook trading. Facebook floated its shares in a much-anticipated IPO Thursday evening, pricing shares at $38 for total proceeds of $16 billion at a record valuation of $104 billion. Shares rose to a high of $42 and almost immediately sank back to the initial price investors paid for the IPO stock, totally destroying earlier predictions of speedy growth in value. Following a volatile session that saw the shares skyrocket as much as 18% at one point, the record-breaking IPO ended with the shares closing the day edging up only 0.6% at $38.23. “The fall wasn’t unexpected. The company’s stock was very much overvalued, with the media frenzy heating up interest for the IPO. What was a surprise is that the shares moved downwards so quickly. Last year hi-tech sector stocks saw their shares gradually drop from the IPO price over two to four months,” says analyst Ilya Rachenkov from Investcafe. “We believe the fair price of the Facebook stock is about $46 billion and this level may be attained very soon amid high volatility on the market, Facebook’s mobile monetization problem. The company’s shrinking 1Q 2012 profit could have also produced a negative effect.”

Anonymous crash Facebook, lock out thousands

An attack orchestrated by the infamous hacktivist group Anonymous forced Facebook offline, with many of its 900 million users unable to log onto the social network for hours.

Anonymous took to Twitter, using their @YourAnonNews handle to say “looks like good old Facebook is having packet problems,” and sprinkled it with some no-nonsense hashtags like #FuckFacebook and #FuckYourIPO.

They followed with “RIP Facebook a new sound of tango down bitches”, which resulted in “RIP Facebook” trending on Twitter both in the United States and worldwide.

Facebook admitted they experienced problems in a statement.

“Earlier today, some users briefly experienced issues loading the site. The issues have since been resolved and everyone should now have access to Facebook. We apologize for any inconvenience,” the company’s announcement said.

Facebook did not deny Anonymous’ claims that they were behind the network problems.

Anonymous usually times its attacks for Fridays, but has previously focused mainly on law enforcement-alphabet agencies like the FBI, CIA and DHS. This is the first time the hacktivist group has targeted the world’s most popular social network.

The attack added insult to Facebook’s IPO injuries, with share prices falling 22 per cent since going public two weeks ago. Mark Zuckerberg’s company, along with the banks that led the float, is also the subject of two shareholder lawsuits.

Many have also noted the irony of the crash, remembering the Oscar-winning movie The Social Network, in which Zuckerberg’s character claims the difference between Facebook and everyone else is “we don't crash – ever.”

Currently in Italy on his honeymoon, the young billionaire may see his fortunes take an even bigger hit as analysts warn shares could fall even further.

Dutch company plans colony on Mars in 2023

WHAT IS “ONE STANDARD DRINK”?

As most college students do not measure a standard drink (i.e. red solo cup), they tend to not measure the amount of alcohol in a cupful. It is important to remember that ‘1 drink’ is not one cupful---it is how much alcohol is actually in what you are drinking. Knowing how to count a standard drink is necessary for understanding how much alcohol is in your body and to correctly calculate the BAC or blood alcohol concentration.

Beer
One drink = one 12-ounce beer or the second line from the top of a red solo cup. This is normal-strength beer (4% alcohol). Micro-brews and malt liquor have a higher percentage of alcohol (check the label).

Wine
One drink = 5 ounces of standard wine or the second line from the bottom of a red solo cup.This is most table wines: white, red.

Liquor
One drink = 1.5 ounces of liquor (40% alcohol or 80 proof) or the bottom line of a red solo cup. This is how much whiskey, vodka, gin, etc. is in a measured mixed drink or in a standard-size shot glass. Remember that mixed drinks may not be measured and often contain far more than 1.5 ounces of alcohol. Drinks with a higher proof (like grain alcohol, Everclear, or 151 proof rum) should be treated with caution.

Jungle Juice
One drink = ??? Jungle juice is a combination of various liquors (i.e. everclear, vodka) fruit juice, and may or may not contain chunks of liquor soaked fruit. The concoction consists of upwards of 20% alcohol, though this is not a confirmed measurement. Generally, the assumption is that one cupful is equal to 5 or 6 shots is equal to 5 or 6 drinks. This can be a dangerous mixture to ingest as each mixture varies depending on the ingredients.

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Bill Murray is Ready to See You Now (Interview by Dan Fierman)

He is one of the greatest comic actors alive. A man who's navigated his career with a peerless instinct for quality and self-respect. The man behind movies—from Caddyshack to Stripes, from Rushmore to Lost in Translation—that seem to have defined a dozen different moments in our cultural life. But he is also a man beholden to no one, not the studios, not the audience, not even an agent. And as he sits down with Dan Fierman to discuss everything from the lameness of Ron Howard to the genius of Kung Fu Hustle, you can be pretty sure he's going to tell you exactly what he thinks

When I arrived, he was standing alone in the corner of a New York hotel room, talking on a cell phone and wearing a ratty black polo, jeans, and yellow "tape measure" suspenders. I had been waiting for over an hour, which didn't seem like an unreasonable amount of time. Bill Murray famously does not give interviews—he's sat down for exactly four prolonged media encounters in the past ten years—and when he does, it's never clear what you're going to get. You just have to pray he's in a good mood.

The very thing that makes Bill Murray, well, Bill Murray is what makes sitting down with him such an unpredictable enterprise. Bill Murray crashes parties, ditches promotional appearances, clashes with his friends, his collaborators, and his enemies. If you—movie director, journalist, dentist—want to speak to him, you don't go through any gatekeeper. You leave a message on an 800 number. If Bill Murray wants to speak with you, he'll call you back. If his three and a half decades in the public sphere have taught us anything about the 59-year-old actor, it's that he simply does not give a good goddamn.

His career is known to most any fan of modern comedy: the years on SNL; the series of epochal comedies like Stripes, Groundhog Day, and Caddyshack. And his current artistic period, which could be described as Reclusive National Treasure. He lives in Rockland County, New York, emerging only to make movies for directors he's interested in: Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, Sofia Coppola. This summer he'll release a period indie called Get Low, in which he plays an undertaker throwing an early funeral for Robert Duvall. Today, Murray was in an expansive mood. Then, after he spoke about Ghostbusters 3, Barack Obama, and Garfield, he decided the interview was over and was gone. As best as I can tell, he was not fucking with me. But who knows? Bill Murray doesn't need you to be in on his joke. His life is all one performance-art piece—and he does everything for an audience of one.

Bill Murray: How long do these things last? [picks up recorder] How much time is on these things?

GQ: A lot. They're digital.

Digital? I was thinking of recording myself sleeping. Would this work?

Well, assuming you don't make more than an hour and a half of noise each night, you'll be okay.

I dunno. That's why I need the recorder. Sometimes I snore, like when I get really tired. Smoke a cigar or something, you know. I have a brother with sleep apnea. That's terrifying. Jesus. But anyhow…you have questions.

I do. Here's my first one: Why the 800 number?

Well, it's what I finally went to. I have this phone number that they call and talk. And then I listen.

And you just weed 'em out?

I just sort of decide. I might listen and say, "Okay, why don't you put it on a piece of paper? Put it on a piece of paper, and if it's interesting, I'll call you back, and if it's not, I won't." It's exhausting otherwise. I don't want to have a relationship with someone if I'm not going to work with them. If you're talking about business, let's talk about business, but I don't want to hang out and bullshit.

But that's so much of how Hollywood does business.

Yeah, well, that always kind of creeped me out. And I don't like to work. I only like working when I'm working.

Well, I remember, you took a big break. It was in the late '80s, right?

It was in the middle of the '80s. Actually, I've taken a couple of breaks. I've retired a couple of times. It's great, because you can just say, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm retired." [laughs] And people will actually believe that you've retired. There are nutters out there that will go, "Oh, okay!" and then leave you alone.

I'm always interested in how you pick your projects, because that's one damned random filmography. For Get Low, I dimly suspect that it came down to the line "One thing about Chicago, people know how to die."

[laughs] Well, that was appealing. No, [producer] Dean Zanuck and I had the nicest phone conversation, and I thought, Hmm… And then I saw the making-of DVD of his last movie. This really should be kept secret, but you can learn a lot by watching the making-of DVDs. Every actor should do it. You figure out what you're dealing with. And I thought, You know, this guy is all right. And it turned out beautifully. Where the hell did we take it? That's right. Poland. There's kind of a famous cinematography festival, in a place called Lodz, and God, they went nuts for it. These cinematographers were all, [deadpan Eastern European accent] "Oh yeah, dis good."

Like comedians, nodding at a joke.

Exactly! Oh yeah. [nods, stone-faced] "That's funny." They were just like that.

You have a lot of lines in this one that get tons of laughs I doubt were on the page. It's all in the rhythm, the delivery. How do you pitch something like that? How do you make something out of nothing?

I have developed a kind of different style over the years. I hate trying to re-create a tone or a pitch. Saying, "I want to make it sound like I made it sound the last time"? That's insane, because the last time doesn't exist. It's only this time. And everything is going to be different this time. There's only now. And I don't think a director, as often as not, knows what is going to play funny anyway. As often as not, the right one is the one that they're surprised by, so I don't think that they have the right tone in their head. And I think that good actors always—or if you're being good, anyway—you're making it better than the script. That's your fucking job. It's like, Okay, the script says this? Well, watch this. Let's just roar a little bit. Let's see how high we can go.

Regina’s Mosaic Festival features tastes from around the world

REGINA — Bullet soup, Indian tacos, buffalo stew and bannock burgers — the traditional prairie dishes served at the First Nations pavilion — are a sampling of eclectic smorgasbords from around the world that will be featured at Mosaic.

Hosted at the First Nations University of Canada, the First Nations pavilion will provide a taste of its culture and proud traditions that include colourful powwow dance performances from four tribes — Nakota, Dakota, Cree and Saulteaux.

In addition to hoop dances performed by Terrence Littletent and Jacob Pratt, Metis dancers from Kitchener Community School and First Nations crafters will showcase their talents, said Doreen Oakes, the pavilion’s co-chair.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun — it’s been a lot of work,” Oakes said laughing. “This is our first time hosting it here at this campus.”

The celebration of cultures begins today when 19 pavilions open at 5 p.m.

“Mosaic is by far our most visible event,” said Michael Cassano, president of the Regina Multicultural Council. “It allows everyone in the city of Regina to get out and participate in various cultures and foods and entertainment and, of course, the fine hospitality at each and every venue.”

The three-day passports are $14 for adults, $9 for youths and seniors. The cost covers bus transportation to pavilions around Regina.

Preparations for Mosaic begin in September when entertainers start meeting to prepare the special programs.

“This is almost like their Olympics — they have been gearing up and practising,” Cassano said. “It does take a lot of effort on behalf of the dancers and performers and their parents as well.”

To supplement local entertainment, a number of pavilions are bringing in performers from across Canada, the United States and Jamaica.

“We’re drawing from every corner of the world, which is fitting because this is all about the world,” Cassano said.

He estimates between 7,000 and 9,000 volunteers are involved in Mosaic.

“If you are not volunteering at a pavilion, you certainly know someone who is because Regina is like that,” he said.

In a fitting salute to volunteers, their names will be put into a draw for a chance to win three WestJet travel vouchers. The lucky winners will be able to travel the world after Mosaic is over for another year.

Since the festival began 45 years ago, it has grown from a handful of pavilions in one small venue to 19 pavilions spread across Regina.

Although the Bangladesh and Chinese pavilions won’t participate this year, Cassano expects they will be back next year, “bigger and better than ever.”

The Scandinavian Club of Regina — expected to set up a pavilion next year — has audited planning meetings for Mosaic in preparation.

“People should be prepared to be greeted with a smile, to be greeted with respect — as if you were entering someone’s home,” Cassano said. “That’s the nice thing about it. Each and every one of the volunteers is doing it, not because of the pay, not because they have to, but because they really want to show you what their culture is all about.”

pcowan@leaderpost.com

MOSAIC 2012 Pavilion locations:

Austrian Edelweiss, Austrian Canadian Edelweiss Club

Balaton Hungarian, Regina Hungarian Cultural & Social Club

Caribbean, Al Ritchie Memorial Centre

Chilean, Ukrainian Orthodox Auditorium

Ethiopian, Core Ritchie Centre

Filipinas Philippine, Banner Hall, EVRAZ Place

First Nations, First Nations University of Canada

Francophone, Carrefour des Plaines

German, German Club

Hellenic Greek, Show Sale Arena, EVRAZ Place

India, Orr Centre

Irish, Caledonian Curling Club

Italian, G. Marconi Canadian Italian Club

Korean, Caledonian Curling Club

Kyiv Ukrainian, Agribition Building, EVRAZ Place

Latin American, Highland Curling Club

Miorita Romanian, Regina Seniors Citizens Centre

Poltava Ukrainian, Regina Performing Arts Centre

Scottish Celtic, Tartan Curling Club

Saskatchewan government joining other provinces in lawsuit against tobacco industry

REGINA — The Saskatchewan government is preparing to launch a lawsuit against the tobacco industry for health care costs, it announced in a media release on Thursday.
The government has proclaimed The Saskatchewan Tobacco Damages and Health Care Costs Recovery Act, enabling the province to launch legal action against the tobacco industry to recover the costs of treating tobacco-related illnesses.
The proclamation comes on May 31, which has been designated as World No Tobacco Day by the World Health Organization.
“We intend to join other Canadian provinces in pursuing legal action to recover health care costs from tobacco manufacturers,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Gordon Wyant said in the media release.
“This act gives us the legal authority to launch a lawsuit on behalf of the people of Saskatchewan.”
The provincial government has enlisted a consortium that includes the law firms of Bennett Jones, LLP and Siskinds, LLP to launch a lawsuit on behalf of Saskatchewan. The consortium also represents the governments of New Brunswick, British Columbia, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
“While the lawsuit will seek cost recovery, we also want to remind residents about the harmful effects of tobacco use,” Health Minister Dustin Duncan said in the release.
“We introduced legislation to protect our citizens against the harm of second-hand smoke, and we have been providing public education about the risks of tobacco use as well as cessation support to those trying to quit.”
“We intend to hold the tobacco industry accountable for the damaging effects of its products on the health of Saskatchewan residents,” Wyant said.
Saskatchewan will join the governments of British Columbia, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Newfoundland and Labrador, who have launched similar lawsuits.

Original source article: Saskatchewan government joining other provinces in lawsuit against tobacco industry

Reginans show support for Quebec students

Adriane Paavo (L) of Regina with a Quebec flag during a Casserole Night protest at Albert Street and 13th Avenue in Regina on May 29, 2012 in support of Quebec students. The movement sprang up in response to the Quebec government's introduction of Bill 78, a new law introduced last week to quell student protests over tuition fee increases.

Photograph by: Don Healy , Regina Leader-Post

Crews dealing with gas leak in South West Regina

REGINA — A natural gas leak has forced the evacuation of four apartment buildings in southwest Regina.
SaskEnergy crews are working on the leak located along Harbour Landing Drive north of Jim Cairns Boulevard.
Workers were called to the scene after construction workers in the area lit a six-inch distribution line at 4015 Harbour Landing Dr.
SaskEnergy spokeswoman Vanessa Beaupre the gas is going straight up from the site of the break — a good sign in that crews know where the gas is going and it is not travelling underground. SaskEnergy are attempting to squeeze the line at the point of the break.

Check back for updates . . .

Read more: http://www.leaderpost.com/news/Crews+dealing+with+leak+southwest+Regina/6708050/story.html#ixzz1wTCcMqpO