The Bill and Melinda Gates held an interesting event on 14 August, in which there were different types of toilets / Commodes. The idea was to create a system to dispose of human fecal material without using water or electricity and a septic system.
Students of the University of Colorado
took home $ 780,000 dollars for his idea: a system that uses solar
energy to convert human waste into a kind of biological biochar or
charcoal.
How does this system?
We do not know, given the circumstances we do not care much, but
certainly is a brilliant idea that will probably leave early conceptual
stage.
BRUSSELS
(Reuters) - The draft law of the European Union to give musicians more
control over their copyright has angered bands like Radiohead and Pink
Floyd, who accuse the European Commission to break its promises to
address the problem of default suffering.
The commission announced on Wednesday a bill designed to ensure that
companies that collect copyright on behalf of the artists also have them
delivered to the musicians, composers and producers involved in each
subject.
"We are deeply disappointed by his choice to defend the minority of
managers and shareholders," said a letter signed by Nick Mason of Pink
Floyd, Radiohead's Ed O'Brien, British singer Sandie Shaw, producer and
director CJ Bolland of Younison, a pressure group formed by artists,
Kelvin Smits.
According to the Commission's own assessment, the rights management
companies - of which more than 250 operating in Europe - kept
"substantial sums" in its books pending distribution.
In a striking analysis before Wednesday's announcement, the Commission
said that in 2010 the leading management companies were 3,600 million
euros in right of authors to the creators.
The artists say the figure is actually much higher and that the
managers have no incentive to pay quickly, profitability gives them keep
the money.
Between five and 10 percent of payments are retained for at least three years after his recovery, the Commission said.
The bill, which need approval by the European Parliament and of the 27
Member States, said that companies will have 12 months of the fiscal
year in which the song plays to pay 'royalties'. And the funds owned by the issues identified will not be theirs after five years.
"They have broken their promises and encourage managers to management
companies to retain the fruits of our creativity" read the letter of the
artists to the Commission. "They Steal our hopes."
The musicians say a grace period of five years only encourage the
managers to keep the money they owe, and reduces incentives to find the
owners of those rights.
"This way legitimize one of the most problematic forms of fraud made by
the rights management companies in Europe," added the document.
The managers say they try to pay the copyright owners as fast as
possible and that many already do fertilizers earlier than the bill
asks.
PRS in the UK make your payments every three months, said Veronique
Desbrosses, Secretary General of GESAC, which represents 33 of these
companies in the European Union.
"And sometimes it is difficult to find the owners because they are all over the world," he added.
The law also seeks to curb piracy by expanding the number of songs that
can be played online as Apple's iTunes service, which needs the
permission of managers before offering.
