Maniolas

MANILA (Mabuhay) — Calling the Internet as a “marketplace of ideas,” Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago on Thursday said the Supreme Court (SC) erred in upholding the online libel provision in the anti-cybercrime law. At a press conference, Santiago said the high court decision on the anti-cybercrime law was “a case of jurisprudence trailing after technology because of lack of understanding.” “In all, I just think it was a bad idea for the SC to look at the Internet as another form of media. It’s not like radio, TV or print. It is a completely different form,” the senator said. “On the Internet, if someone calls you names, then you call him back with names too! It’s the marketplace of ideas,” she added. On Tuesday, the SC declared the online libel provision in the cybercrime prevention law as constitutional, “with respect to the original author of the post.” The court, however, struck down the provision that empowers the Department of Justice (DOJ) to restrict or block access to data violating the law. Santiago, a former trial court judge, said the high court should have favored freedom of speech, which is enshrined in the Bill of Rights in the 1987 Constitution. “In case of doubt, the doubt should be resolved in favor of the freedom and against the restriction,” she said. Santiago authored the Magna Carta for Philippine Internet Freedom, which seeks to uphold the right to security of Internet data, and the protection of the Internet as an open network. The Read More …

Screenshot: NeuroOn || KickStarterNeuroOn is being billed as the world’s first brain wave-monitoring sleep mask that helps wearers switch to polyphasic sleep patterns.©2014 YouTube, LLC (Relaxnews) – Sleep masks can be great if you want to improve the quality of your Zs, but a new nighttime accessory claims to go one step further by reducing the number of hours’ sleep you need per day. NeuroOn is being billed as the world’s first brain wave-monitoring sleep mask that helps wearers switch to polyphasic sleep patterns. The practice involves breaking up resting time into small segments throughout the day. According to its designers, polyphasic sleepers need as little as two-to-six hours of sleep per day, which could create an extra 28 hours of free time each week. The mask is made using viscoelastic foam — a type of memory foam — and various outer designs are available. Electrodes connected to a biological amplifier measure brain waves, muscle tension and eye movements throughout the night, and the following morning the information is analyzed and sent to a smartphone app. The data results can then be used to create a personalized sleeping program best suited to each individual’s needs. The mask also claims to let wearers control their dreams, by introducing the concept of lucid dreaming to their sleep time. NeuroOn was launched as a project on crowdfunding website Kickstarter in December 2013 by Intelclinic, an interdisciplinary team of new technology enthusiasts. It is set to go on general release in July of this year. For more information Read More …

By Atty. Henry Moyal MOYAL & MOYAL Canadian Immigration Lawyers (screenshot courtesy of www.moyal.com) It almost seems that the Canadian government has nothing better to do than to constantly barrage the media and taxpayers with repeated attempts to change the landscape of immigration in this country. The current Conservative government has changed immigration rules more often than any other party in the past. A month has not gone by in the last few years where do not hear of a new rule of regulation that affects those that seek to immigrate or remain in Canada. In the last few months alone, the Canadian government has set a quota on new immigrants, increased processing fees and this week eliminated the investor program. In support of their decision to cancel the investor category, the Minister of Immigration is appeasing those who have complained that in the past the rich has simply purchased their visas and have not remained in Canada to provide any economic benefit. Perhaps the most sweeping change has been the Canadian Government’s recent announcement to change the way a person can become a Canadian citizen. Before that is discussed, there are two important caveats to keep in mind. Firstly, the proposed changes are not final law. Second, the changes are only for those seeking Canadian Citizenship – not permanent residence. Unless a person is born in Canada, an individual first must be granted permanent residence in Canada (ie. a landed immigrant). After a certain time period of being a permanent resident, Read More …