SAY NO TO NUDE PHOTOS ON BLOGS, GOOGLE TELLS BLOGGERS

SAY NO TO NUDE PHOTOS ON BLOGS, GOOGLE TELLS BLOGGERS

As per the new terms Google is cracking down on explicit content hosted on Blogger, its blogging platform. I think most of us are depended on Google’s this platform for blogging. The company has told Blogger users that if they have explicit videos or photos on their blogs, they have to either remove them or make their blog entirely private. Once a blog is private, it will be accessible only to blog administrator.

"Starting March 23, 2015, you won't be able to publicly share images and video that are sexually explicit or show graphic nudity on Blogger," said Google.

                               
  Though the company specified that it won't probably crackdown on a blog if it is hosting Picasso's Primitivist. "We'll still allow nudity if the content offers a substantial public benefit, for example in artistic, educational, documentary, or scientific contexts," said the company. But still most of us are confused about how it is going to affect us.

According to the sources Google will implement its no-nudes policy in two ways. For the blogs created before March 23, it will make the pages private if they host explicit images. But if a blogger starts an adult blog after March 23 on Blogger, Google may remove it or "take other action if it includes content that is sexually explicit or shows graphic nudity as explained in our content policy."Google's policy on adult blogs is another example of how technology companies are increasingly playing role of gatekeepers and moral police. Apple my favorite comppany, for example, doesn't allow any adult or controversial apps on its iOS store. Similarly, Facebook follows a strict no-nudes policy and even blocks images of breast-feeding. Twitter and Tumblr, however, seems to be more lenient in allowing adult content if the content is clearly labelled explicit.

                                       It is also possible that Google is cracking down on adult blogs because a lot of such blogs are used to host copyrighted content. So let’s wait for the further confirmation from Google and its sources. I have an open question to all of you my readers, Is Google also trying intervene the freedom of speech and expression of bloggers? How do they get affected by blogs and how do we can distinguish between nude and no nude photos?  

#WE WON’T GIVE IT BACK

#WE WON’T GIVE IT BACK

This is the trending #tag in the social media especially in India. It is meant to support the current Indian cricket team in the world cup matches of 2015. India is the country of cricket lovers and most of us are passionate about the cricket rather than any other games. The focus in the sports world now shifts squarely to the ICC Cricket World Cup Down Under and the excitement will reach its zenith in a few weeks from now. India is the current world cup winner. But I guess, we tend to be more optimistic.

                                                                          

 I would like to believe that although the odds are stacked heavily against us, the Indian team still possesses the ability to emerge as a top challenger in the battle for the World Cup. I am happy that my cricketing idol and God of cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, too, shares my faith in our team. Though the Indians seem a fair distance away from peaking, I believe the format gives them the opportunity to play themselves into the tournament. Even if we struggle against the more serious contenders during the initial league stage, we need to win a minimum of three matches, which could be against the minnows like the United Arab Emirates, Ireland and Zimbabwe. I think we really played against Pakistan and South Africa and we never had a win over South Africa in the world cup matches. But Dhoni and team did it.

                                                                             I would think we are more than assured of finishing in the top four teams in our group of seven, and, thus, making the quarterfinals. Then, we would need to play three high-quality matches on the trot to strike gold. Though that is certainly a tough task, I do not think it is impossible, considering the quality of talent we possess. In some ways, it may even be a blessing in disguise that we have not peaked too early. The time to be firing on all cylinders is now nearing, and match winners like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, M.S. Dhoni and my favorite Shikar Dhavan will have to provide the inspiring performances that one has come to expect from them in the past. They are big match players and there cannot be a bigger occasion than a cricket World Cup!!! So I think ,this could well turn out to be a year of the underdog! If Arvind Kejriwal can produce a cup of the kind that the Aam Aadmi Party pulled off against all odds in the recent Delhi assembly elections, there is no reason why Dhoni and his men cannot upset the applecart of some of the giants of the cricketing world who seem to have struck form well ahead of us. So all the best Indian cricket team. We Indians love you all and we won't give it back.

Critical transition in Saudi Arabia

          The death of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, at the age of 90, beckoned a cautiously orchestrated transition of power to his successor Salman in the Al Saud dynasty that holds power in the nation. King Salman has pledged that the succession would be managed smoothly, with continuity in policies and stability in internal as well as foreign relations. Given the rising violence and political instability in the region, and the glut in oil supply and consequent fall in prices, this transition of power is a critical moment. Salman, who has been crown prince since 2012, is now 79 years old and not in the best of health. Clearing any sort of uncertainty, Prince Muqrin, followed by Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, 55, have been declared the crown prince to succeed King Salman. Although the monarchic succession plan seems to be clearly mapped out, the House of Saud is said to be riven by factions and internal feuds. Whether order will prevail within the royal family is hard to speculate, given the secretive nature of its internal affairs.

The transition of power is happening at a time when politics in the region is beset with uncertainty. Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia and Shia-dominated Iran, with their decades of rivalry, are closely following the turmoil in Yemen since the resignation of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi. The Shiite rebel group Houthi, suspected to have affiliations with Iran, has often accused Saudi Arabia of meddling in the country’s internal affairs. Riyadh has been praised for its effective counter-terrorism activities, especially with the Islamic State-dominated Iraq on its northern borders. Saudi Arabia continues to have favourable strategic partnerships with the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. Even with the global glut in supply, King Salman is likely to continue pumping crude, keeping prices low, with no apparent intention to alter policies anytime soon. India maintains significant economic ties with Saudi Arabia, which is its biggest supplier of oil, accounting for 20.18 per cent of the imports in 2013-14. India accounts for 11 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s exports and 7.2 per cent of its imports. Remittances from Indians in Saudi Arabia amount to a substantial sum. From a socio-economic perspective, India has a lot at stake in the stability of the country. Given the centrality of Saudi Arabia to western economic interests, the West has often treated the country as an exception when it comes to human rights issues. The fact is that Saudi Arabia has an incredibly poor record in the matter of ensuring civil and political rights. Public flogging, beheading, and a general climate of intolerance are hallmarks of its criminal justice system. Women still do not have even the fundamental rights of speech, movement and assembly.