My thoughts on life, life in Trinidad and Tobago, getting older, technology, ICT and policy, internet governance, crime, grammar (one of my pet peeves) and whatever else.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Full transcript of Palin-Gibson Interview
Wow - the editing by ABC of this interview was certainly tough! Loads of stuff that make Sarah Palin seem a little less dim were left out - reading the full transcript takes her grade from an F to about a B-/C+! It's what's left out more than what's left in...hmmmm
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
One Web Day
OneWebDay, September 22, every year, is a day for celebration of the global internet. The net consists of people, interacting to create beautiful things and to teach each other and learn about the world. All around the world, local communities and groups will find innovative ways to celebrate the net and vow to keep it free and growing. Here are some ways you can participate:
1. If you're a Web user, use a standards-compliant Web browser like Firefox or Opera. They're free, faster, and more protective of your privacy. And because they conform to Web development standards, they make things easier for people who make Web sites. If you're a Web developer, test your sites with the w3c’s Markup Validation Service.
2. Edit a Wikipedia article. Teach people what you know, and in so doing, help create free universal knowledge.
3. Learn about an Internet policy issue from the Center for Democracy and Technology, and teach five other people about it. There are real legal threats that could drastically change the way the Internet works. We should all be aware of them.
4. Take steps to ensure that your computer can't be treated like a zombie. Computer viruses can steal your personal information. They can also cause major network outages on the Web, slowing things down and making sites inaccessible. Vint Cerf estimates that more than 150 million PCs have already been zombified, and are now awaiting their next order. To learn more about the threat of zombie computers, read this article.
5. Join an Internet rights advocacy group:
- Become a member of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The EFF has championed the public interest in every critical battle affecting digital rights, from privacy to free speech to Internet service.
- Join the Internet Society. ISOC is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world, particularly by establishing Internet infrastructure standards.
- Support Creative Commons by donating and by using their licenses to copyright your work. If you're outside the U.S., help support their counterpart, iCommons.
6. Help promote public Internet access. If you live in a city, there is likely an organization dedicated to providing free wireless access in public spaces.
7. Donate to the Wikimedia Foundation. The Wikimedia Foundation supports not only Wikipedia, but several other projects to create free knowledge: textbooks, news, learning tools, and more.
8. Donate a computer. You can donate a new $100 laptop to children in impoverished countries, or donate your used computer to Goodwill or a school.
9. Write your OneWebDay story. Talk about what the Internet means to you and why One WebDay matters at http://onewebday.org/stories
10. If your city is hosting a OneWebDay event, show up on September 22 and participate.
You can find even more participatory possibilities at http://action.onewebday.org/
Monday, September 15, 2008
Thoughts on Sarah Palin
She believes pretty much what Bush 43 believes, what many Republican politicians believe. So why is there such hysteria about her? Just because someone's female and benefited from feminism doesn't mean that there's a duty for all women to toe the same line, to believe the same things. There are many many men and women in the US who hunt, who are "pro-life", who belong to churches that are very similar to hers.
We may not like her views, we may not agree with her, but she has a right to them. We also have a right not to vote for her. I personally think she's not experienced enough, and it's scary that she has no foreign policy experience, but the US has voted for similar people before (George W. Bush didn't get a passport until he was President!)
Erica Jong: Not That Stupid
Dear John McCain:
We're not that stupid. Sure it would be nice if the women of America believed that everyone with breasts and a vagina believed in equality. But it ain't so. Women have differing views -- just like men.
Some like beer; some like chardonnay. And some prefer AA. Some like automatic weapons; some don't. Some think every pregnancy is sanctified; some don't. Some think presidents should be qualified for office; some don't care.
But to take the struggle for equal rights that has gone on for two centuries and embody it in the person of Sarah Palin is not just misleading but abusive. Charging rape victims for rape kits is a travesty of equal rights. Insisting that government impose your own views of abortion on others is anti-equality. Cutting funding for black teenage mothers is anti-feminist and racist. Lying to the electorate about your record is insolent. Do you think we're too stupid or indolent to check?
We have checked. You are lying and so is she. But you must think that a big lie repeated over and over becomes the truth. And it seems that many Americans are with you on that.
You are so good at the bold-faced lie that you even seem to believe it yourself. When Barbara Walters and Joy Behar accused you of lying on "The View," you claimed you weren't.
I guess your handlers have decided that after eight years of Cheney-Bush saying one thing and doing another, truth no longer has any meaning. Say it often enough and we'll believe anything -- like the good commercial-watchers we are. So, prep Sarah to sound like Hillary -- and we'll be fooled.
It remains to be seen how many will.
But one thing is clear. You have reached a new low in your regard for the public. You have blown your credibility. Usually politicians wait to be elected to do that.
It's fascinating to watch you and your party try to co-opt the idea of change, the idea of equal rights after eight years of being in total control and trashing the country for women, for workers, for taxpayers and for anyone who earns dollars.
Do you really think we're that stupid? Apparently you do.
Tax cuts for the rich have produced trickle-down unemployment. You want to try that again? We don't. The private sector has not policed itself. Failing banks and mortgage companies prove that. The deficit has swelled. Insurance rates for health care have swelled. Women are joining the ranks of the poor faster than ever.
Play it again, John?
As Sarah Palin said, lying about her lust for earmarks, "Thanks but no thanks."
Sincerely,
Erica Jong
Sunday, September 14, 2008
3canal concert - ReThePublic - Amnesty International Small Places Tour
This concert is on MON 22nd SEP at Queen's Hall. Tickets TT$150 & TT$200. 1-868-623-0982 for more info. Part proceeds from this event will be donated to the Jeffrey Chock Medical Expenses Fund.
Trinidadian photographer Jeffrey Chock has fallen ill in Toronto and is in urgent need of surgery which is estimated to cost approximately TT$300,000 (US$47,000).
Jeffrey has captured our life and work and energy in Entertainment, Media and the Arts from his unique perspective for many years, so let us please come together to support him in his time of need.
Online donations can be made at http://apps.facebook.com/mychipin/georgia-popplewell/friends-jeffrey-chock (T&T credit card holders can use "00000" as the zip code!). A bank account has been opened for Jeffrey. Donations can be made via deposit at any Trinidad and Tobago branch of Scotiabank — cheques should be made out to "M. Mahabir". The account number is #4004891.
The following is distilled from Amnesty's website.
On December 10, 1948 the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Following this historic act the Assembly called upon all Member countries to publicize the text of the Declaration and "to cause it to be disseminated, displayed, read and expounded principally in schools and other educational institutions, without distinction based on the political status of countries or territories." Here are the 30 keywords:
1 Life
2 Dignity
3 Security
4 Freedom
5 Respect
6 Justice
7 Equality
8 Remedy
9 Protection
10 Fairness
11 Fair-Trial
12 Privacy
13 Movement
14 Asylum
15 Identity
16 Family
17 Home
18 Conscience
19 Expression
20 Participation
21 Democracy
22 Welfare
23 Work
24 Leisure
25 Health
26 Education
27 Culture
28 Human Rights
29 Solidarity
30 Responsibility
--
Purchase 3canal CDs online @ CD BABY click here http://cdbaby.com/found?allsearch=3canal&allsearchsubmit=Search
DOWNLOAD @ TRINIDAD TUNES
http://www.trinidadtunes.com/index.php?action=genre&id=11
DOWNLOADS @ iTUNES
2007 Album "3:10" featuring "Good Mornin"
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=269077503
2006 Album "3canal Vibes"
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=157631253
2005 Album "Jab Jab Say"
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playListId=148001352
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
RIM Announces Flip BlackBerry Pearl 8220
WiFi calling
Bigger screen and keyboard
Bold interface
But I think I still want the Bold!
Parents Sue Crocs After Child's Foot Is Maimed in Escalator
The family of a child whose foot was maimed in an escalator accident at the Atlanta airport is suing Crocs Inc., saying the Colorado-based footwear company failed to put safety features in the soft-soled shoes.
Helloooo - what"safety features" can you put in a shoe? It's been known for years that children on escalators have accidents, and people have been warned for years about accident risks with Crocs and little children. So Crocs, little kids and escalators are accidents waiting to happen. How is this a lawsuit?
Next thing Jimmy Choo will get sued for women spraining their ankles in 5" stilettos?
'Lifesaver' Bottle Purifies Water in Seconds
Way cool invention. I wonder how we can get a load of these to Haiti RIGHT NOW?
On the outside, it looks like an ordinary sports bottle. On the inside, there's a miracle: an extremely advanced filtration system that makes murky water filled with deadly viruses and bacteria completely clean in just seconds.
The Lifesaver removes 99.999 percent of water-borne pathogens and reduces heavy metals like lead, meaning even the filthiest water can be cleaned — immediately.
It stands to revolutionize humanitarian aid. It could be the first weapon in the fight against disease after a natural disaster.
The new Board of Directors of IGovTT
The new Board of Directors of IGovTT was presented with congratulatory letters by The Honourable Maxie Cuffie, Minister of Public Admini...
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The new Board of Directors of IGovTT was presented with congratulatory letters by The Honourable Maxie Cuffie, Minister of Public Admini...
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Very cool bag - recycled keyboard keys. Not sure how comfortable or useful it is, but it is definitely cool! Read the full article here
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The first day of the National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Policy and Strategy Conference was focused on the first two th...