Department Of Justice

Department Of Justice, A strange confluence of events brought the question of how to deal with online piracy to the forefront of the American consciousness this week. Protests against the anti-piracy bills, SOPA and PIPA, were the major news of the day on Wednesday with blackouts of big sites across the web. The very next day, MegaUpload, one of the largest sites allegedly enabling piracy on the internet, was shut down as the result of a two year FBI investigation.

By taking unilateral action against a rogue site who’s owners were scattered across the globe, the DOJ showed that it doesn’t need new legislation like SOPA or PIPA to handle piracy. Advocates of the legislation have always said that piracy was costing America billions in jobs and endangering jobs. Stronger laws were needed, they argued, even if they might pose risks of censorship, chill investment in tech and damage the fundamental architecture of the internet.

But the DOJ was able to rely on ProIP, a law passed back in 2008, in order to shut down MegaUpload and arrest seven of its founders. It also worked with the government of New Zealand, which denied bail to the four people arrested there, including the site’s infamous founder, Kim Dotcom. Extradition to the U.S. for trail is under way.

Of course, the debate over how best to deal with piracy is far from over. In response to the indictment of MegaUpload, the hacktivist group Anonymous took down the websites of the DOJ, MPAA and RIAA. And while MegaUpload and its partner sites, like MegaVideo, might seem like a clear cut villian to those who have used it for downloading albums or streaming films, there is still a strong contingent who sees the sudden arrests of its executives as overreaching.

The comment thread on the tech forum Hacker News provides a sample of this strain of thought. “It’s better to allow these sites to continue to exist and demand that they comply with the requests than take them down with the FBI or whatever law enforcement agency. The precedent is far too dangerous. Today it’s Megaupload, tomorrow it will be YouTube,’ wrote user Kermit the Hermit.

Nyc.gov

Nyc.gov, DESIGN TRUST FOR PUBLIC SPACE AND NYC Parks Department
RELEASE OF HIGH PERFORMANCE LANDSCAPE GUIDELINES
“HOW-TO MANUAL FOR PARKS 21st Century”
The first in the NATION

Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe & Recreation is now joining the Mayor Chief of Staff of the long-term planning and sustainability David Bragdon and Executive Director of the Design Trust for Public Space Deborah Marton to announce the launch of Guidelines High Performance Landscape: 21st Century Parks to NYC during a reception at the Center for Architecture, 536 LaGuardia Place in Greenwich Village at 6:00 p.m. The guidelines can be found at www.”Nyc. Gov ‘/ parks / landscapeguidelines.

Guidelines landscape of high performance is the first document of its kind in the country: a comprehensive approach, primer design for sustainable municipal parks and open space. The product of a unique partnership between the Department of Parks and the Design Trust, a nonprofit organization that helped create guidelines for sustainable buildings in New York, High Performance Landscape Guidelines covers all aspects the creation of sustainable parks, from design to construction to maintenance, and the best feature of many practices for managing soil, water and vegetation resources.

“21st Century parks should not only be beautiful places, they must be healthy ecosystems,” said Commissioner Benepe. “The parks that we create today will connect people who design, build, and take care of green spaces in New York so that each park is attractive and durable. I am grateful to the Trust for design space public, and landscape architects peer for working with our Parks and landscape architects to produce a handbook that will achieve the goals of PlaNYC, to reduce our impact on the environment, and meet the growing and increasingly diverse leisure needs of New Yorkers. From planting to the implementation of green roofs innovative stormwater runoff strategies, sustainable practices will help us to develop a higher level of use, and higher level of environmental responsibility. ”

Often regarded as the best urban environment, New York City is actually the greenest city in the country, with more than 29,000 acres of parkland managed by the Park Service. Adopt the highest level of sustainable practices could lead to significant improvements to the tune of New York, water and soil, and how New Yorkers enjoy the city parks and open spaces.

“The landscapes of high performance are the parks and open spaces that help store rainwater and clean, clean and freshen the air, provide habitat for wildlife, and provide New Yorkers with beautiful public spaces, they function as a kind of green infrastructure, “said Deborah Marton. “Once implemented throughout the city, the landscape of high performance will have a huge impact on the health of our environment and quality of life.”

Guidelines available to practice on the state of the art design of the park, and create a common knowledge base of staff for the parks department as well as private consultants, contractors and community groups. The manual includes detailed descriptions and illustrations of design practices that will improve the performance of the landscape, their resilience, their responsiveness to context, and their ability to enjoy for generations to come.