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Wikileaks Nominated For Nobel Peace Prize

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Posted by Gonzo Times on Feb 2, 2011 in Current | 0 comments

The Norwegian politician and member of parliament Snorre Valenhas nominated Wikileaks for a Nobel Peace prize. He states on his blog:

It is always easier to support freedom of speech when the one who speaks agree with you politically. This is one of the “tests” on liberal and democratic values that governments tend to fail. For instance, western governments have a long history on tolerating oppressive regimes that are “friendly-minded”. Internet companies assist China in censoring search engines. And many countries respond to Wikileaks‘ obvious right to publish material that is of public interest, by seeking to “shoot the messenger”.

Publishing material that is deemed classified by the government is an obvious right that newspapers and media have practiced for many, many decades. This way, the public has become aware of abuses of power that governments should be held accountable for. The internet doesn’t change this – it merely makes information more accessible, easier to distribute, and more democratic in the sense that virtually anyone with an internet connection can contribute.

Nevertheless, many seek to redraw the map of information freedom with the emergence of institutions like Wikileaks. Political powers and institutions that ordinarily protect freedom of speech suddenly warn against the danger, the threat to security, yes even the “terrorism” that Wikileaks represent. In doing so, they fail in upholding democratic values and human rights. In fact, they contribute to the opposite. It is not, and should never be, the priviledge of politicians to regulate which crimes the public should never be told about, and through which media those crimes become known.

Liu Xiabao was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year for his struggle for human rights, democracy and freedom of speech in China. Likewise: Wikileaks have contributed to the struggle for those very values globally, by exposing (among many other things) corruption, war crimes and torture – some times even conducted by allies of Norway. And most recently: By disclosing the economic arrangements by the presidential family in Tunisia, Wikileaks have made a small contribution to bringing down a 24-year-lasting dictatorship.

It would be a crime to ban or oppose the right to publish such information. It should instead be protected, regardless of what we might think of the contents of some (or even all) of the published material. I am proud to nominate Wikileaks for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Snorre Valen, Member of Parliament / Stortinget

If we can have a man wage two wars and still get the Nobel Peace prize I feel that Wikileaks winning the prize would be a step to reclaiming the prize from the warmongers.

Dell 4Q Earnings, Revenues Drop

AP Online March 1, 2007 DALLAS – Dell Inc., which is the subject of a federal probe into its finances, said Thursday that fourth-quarter profits plunged 33 percent due to weak sales of laptops and notebooks, which account for the lion’s share of its revenues.

Dell said it earned $673 million, or 30 cents per share in the quarter ended Feb. 2, compared to $1.01 billion, or 43 cents per share a year earlier. Revenue fell 4 percent, to $14.4 billion.

Analysts had expected the PC maker to earn 29 cents per share in the most recent quarter, according to a survey by Thomson Financial. The company didn’t provide year-ago figures in its release.

Revenue from mobility products, which includes notebook computers, declined two percent to $3.8 billion despite a 2 percent increase in units shipped. Desktop PCs, meanwhile, saw an 18 percent decline in units year-over-year.

Combined, desktops and mobility products account for 58 percent of Dell’s revenue.

“We are disappointed with the company’s results, but what matters is our future plan of action. We are systematically moving to increase efficiencies, improve execution and transform the company,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael Dell said in a release. “Our business model will become more aligned with the needs of our customers, which will improve their experience and yield improved growth and profitability for the long-term.” The latest results were issued in the form of a press release, without the usual conference calls with reporters and analysts.

They come as Dell tries to deal with a litany of issues including disappointing earnings, a still unresolved federal accounting probe, customer service complaints, several shareholder lawsuits and loss of market share to main rival Hewlett-Packard Co. dellcouponcodenow.com dell coupon code

In January, Michael Dell resumed control of the company he founded as chairman and chief executive officer. He replaced his hand picked successor, Kevin Rollins, who stepped down from the company on Jan. 31. see here dell coupon code

Dell’s earnings statements from the second and third quarters also remain preliminary and have yet to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission because of the ongoing federal accounting probe.

The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York has subpoenaed documents related to Dell’s financial reporting from 2002 to the present. Dell said it was working as quickly as possible to resolve the matter but did not offer any time frame.

Without getting into specifics, the company said it was working to reinvigorate itself by streamlining operations, shortening product development cycles and developing new approaches to manufacturing and distribution.

Dell’s direct-sales model, which allows business and consumers to buy equipment directly from the company, turned it into a leading computer manufacturer and a Wall Street juggernaut with one successful earnings announcement after another.

But in recent years, the company has been stung by a market glut of low-cost, low-profit PCs and weaker-than-anticipated sales of its pricier, more lucrative desktops and notebooks.

Last year, Dell lost its No. 1 position in the industry to rival Hewlett-Packard, according to recent reports from IDC and Gartner Inc.

Michael Dell has also been revamping his top executive team, luring top corporate executives from Motorola Inc. and Solectron Corp. in recent weeks.

In December, Dell replaced its chief financial officer with Donald Carty, the former chief executive of AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines. Dell has also hired executives from General Motors Corp., Hewlett-Packard Co. and others.

Carmi Levy, senior research analyst with Info-Tech Research Group, said Dell finally appears serious about fixing its problems. But the issues plaguing Dell will take years to remedy, he added.

“Dell is finally saying what it’s going to do to change,” he said. “Up until now, Dell was not as forthright as it was today. The admission that these are the issues that it faces is a huge step.” Dell shares closed up 16 cents to $23.01 Thursday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, then fell 36 cents to $22.65 in after-hours trading. Its shares have ranged from $18.95 to $30.80 in the past year.

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