links for 2007-09-25

• Weblogsky: Creative Commons, Commercial Use, and Privacy
  "Virgin Mobile, or whoever was creating the campaign for them, should have known that a model release was necessary."
  (tags: creativecommons business photos photography copyright ip)
• Chasing the Dragon At ‘Summer Davos,’ hard talk about soft power «
  "Beijing’s reluctance to engage in open debate — and its reflexive prickliness in response to even mild forms of foreign criticism — augers poorly for its hope to win friends and influence people in the wider world."
  (tags: china wef softpower friedman globalization)
• Eugene Robinson - Some Bad News to Break - washingtonpost.com
  "Why did CBS back off? Rather contends it was because Sumner Redstone, chairman of Viacom, wanted to avoid being at loggerheads with the Bush administration. "
  (tags: rathergate cbs u.s.a. bush journalism politics media blogs)

Comments

[mahathir_fan]

Is there really open debate when it came to politics?

The author makes it sound like Wen or Hu is some kind of dictator who can at will make overnight changes in China.

Let's remember that China is a DEMOCRACY. And unlike some countries where they are democratic on only Election Day, where they elect a dictator to serve for the next 4 years, China is truly a democracy - Hu Jin Tao can be recalled by the Legislative body at ANY TIME. There is no need to prove any wrongdoing. The constitution clearly state this:

Article 63. The National People's Congress has the power to recall or remove from office the following persons:

(1) The President and the Vice-President of the People's Republic of China;

(2) The Premier, Vice-Premiers, State Councillors, Ministers in charge of Ministries or Commissions and the Auditor-General and the Secretary-General of the State Council;

Unlike in some countries where you have to prove the President's wrongdoing, in China, the President can be remove at any time at the sheer pleasure of the Legislative body without any need to justify his removal.

Therefore the President of China is very careful in making sure that his actions conforms to the desire of the majority members of the National People Congress.

George W. Bush can make policy mistakes and nobody can remove him from office until he finishes his term. But if Hu Jin Tao makes a policy mistake, he can be removed from office tomorrow.