Dave Lucas

Reporters Without Borders vs. Twitter

2012-01-27T20:45:00.001-05:00

Popular microblogging service Twitter is facing criticism after announcing it now has the ability to censor posts, or “tweets,” on a country-by-country basis. Media rights group Reporters Without Borders on Friday slammed Twitter's announcement that it could now block tweets from appearing in a specific country as “collaborating with the censors”.

RSF's head of social media, Lucie Morillon, said the organisation was “very concerned about the decision,” which is “bad news for online freedom of expression”.

RSF has written to Twitter Executive Chairman Jack Dorsey voicing deep concern.

Twitter on Thursday announced in a blog post that it now had “the ability to reactively withhold content from users in a specific country — while keeping it available in the rest of the world”.

The San Francisco-based company said it was entering “countries that have different ideas about the contours of freedom of expression”.

China: Not Worried About Twitter's Decision to Self-Censor

Written for Global Voices by John Kennedy · East Asia

Twitter announced this week that, with an eye on global profits, it has decided to begin censoring content prohibited in the various markets in which the company has users. In China, where Twitter has been blocked for more than two years but many users still frequent the site, one heavy Twitter user argues that the decision may not turn out to be a big deal.

Reporters Without Borders (RWB) is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press and freedom of information. This organization, which has consultant status at the United Nations. ^[1], was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud.^[2] Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008.^[3] English speakers also commonly refer to the organization by its French name, Reporters Sans Frontières, or its French acronym, RSF.^[4] Its head office is in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris.^[5] According to its own mission statement, Reporters Without Borders

"defends journalists and media assistants imprisoned or persecuted for doing their job and exposes the mistreatment and torture of them in many countries.
fights against censorship and laws that undermine press freedom.
gives financial aid each year to 300 or so journalists or media outlets in difficulty (to pay for lawyers, medical care and equipment) as well to the families of imprisoned journalists.
works to improve the safety of journalists, especially those reporting in war zones.” ^[6]

RIP Robert Hegyes

2012-01-27T16:54:00.000-05:00

Welcome Back Kotter*** star dies at 60 - Robert Hegyes, whose portrayal of 'Epstein' helped alter TV - Hegyes character, Juan Luis Pedro Felipo de Huevos Epstein -- a proud Puerto Rican Jew, as he liked to remind anyone who would listen -- was known for forging notes from "Epstein's mother."

*** Welcome Back, Kotter is an American television sitcom which starred Gabe Kaplan and featuredg a young John Travolta. It originally aired on the ABC network from September 9, 1975 to June 8, 1979.

Around The Blogosphere 26 Jan 2012

2012-01-26T20:17:00.001-05:00

Time now for another edition of "Around the Blogosphere." Let's get started.

Serbia: The Media War Against Angelina Jolie

Written for Global Voices by Sasa Milosevic · Eastern & Central Europe, North America

Angelina Jolie was concerned about the reception of her director's debut movie, In the Land of Blood and Honey, in Bosnia and Serbia, and some of her fears turned out to be justified. Sasa Milosevic reports on the virtual battle that Jolie's film has caused.

· read »

Another thing to worry about besides facebook forcing that timeline thing down our throats! http://t.co/PafxpbD3

“In addition to triggering the greatest civic hell-raising in Internet history…the SOPA/PIPA laws have touched a nerve in Cuba’s digital community”: half-wired explains.

For some reason, James Altucher's blog post reminded me of an answering machine message I once came across years ago when working in a call center.

The man spoke in gentle, friendly tones.

This is Mr. Johnson speaking.
You've reached my machine.
If you're sellin' somethin' - I'm not buyin'...
If you need to borrow somethin' - I ain't lendin'...
If you need my help (he prounounced it "hep") ... I don't have time

May the Lord Bless You and Have a Wonderful Day!

“I consider them to be expressive and beautiful in a way that is so Caribbean”:Abeni blogs about West Indian proverbs.

Teach your dog to dance. And other endearing life tips. HERE.

Help Wanted! Micro Jobs Available!

2012-01-26T12:15:00.001-05:00

You've heard of "micro-loan" websites...

Make room for "micro-gig" websites!

Let's Face it:

You're a writer or designer or a musician or other artist with talent...
You have valuable knowledge and expertise and do great work...
You've pinned your hopes on a miracle freelance job...
While either one would certainly qualify as an "awesome gig," The New York Times, Clear Channel, Robert Rodriguez and the BBC have NOT returned your calls...
The answer, my friend, is a micro-job!

Now HUSTLE!

Get yourself out there and get that awesome job you so richly deserve!

Tags: micro job, gig

#WordlessWednesday

2012-01-25T03:32:00.000-05:00

US Economy 101 ::: Your Little World Will Soon Be Turned Upside Down

2012-01-24T19:07:00.000-05:00

How goes the state of the union? I wonder...

Well, as pointed out so eloquently by New York Times columnist Paul Krugman, the state of the economy remains terrible. Three years after President Obama’s inauguration and two and a half years since the official end of the recession, unemployment remains painfully high. Under Obama, prices of essentials have skyrocketed: gasoline is up a whopping 83 Percent, hamburger 24 Percent, and Bacon 22 Percent!

That's foul, I tell you!

“I am not here to cheer you up. The situation is about as serious and difficult as I’ve experienced in my career,” George Soros tells Newsweek. “We are facing an extremely difficult time, comparable in many ways to the 1930s, the Great Depression. We are facing now a general retrenchment in the developed world, which threatens to put us in a decade of more stagnation, or worse. The best-case scenario is a deflationary environment. The worst-case scenario is a collapse of the financial system.”

Soros sympathizes with the Occupy movement, which articulates a widespread disillusionment with capitalism that he shares. Soros warns that riots on the streets of American cities are inevitable. “Yes, yes, yes,” he says, almost gleefully. The response to the unrest could be more damaging than the violence itself. “It will be an excuse for cracking down and using strong-arm tactics to maintain law and order, which, carried to an extreme, could bring about a repressive political system, a society where individual liberty is much more constrained, which would be a break with the tradition of the United States.” Uh-oh!

The Press is also a target.

Is it too late to do anything about all of this?
"Waiting for tomorrow waste of today." Charlie Chan in Egypt (1935)

Tags: #Occupy, George Soros

I kent spel, NYC stile

2012-01-24T17:15:00.000-05:00

Bye Bye Another Piece of American Pie

2012-01-24T07:55:00.000-05:00

Signs Of The Times

Leading up the US Presidential election we see the internet slaying a bellwether: an influential newspaper has conceded its influence has been diluted to the point where it is no longer relevant. Of course, they've "spun" that in a positive direction (something one should always do in a dire situation)

The Pullitzer Prize Winning Chicago Sun-Times will no longer endorse candidates for elective office.

" Most good newspapers today attempt to appeal to the widest possible readership, including people of every political persuasion, by serving up the best and most unbiased news coverage possible. They want to inform you, not spin you.

With this in mind, the Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board will approach election coverage in a new way. We will provide clear and accurate information about who the candidates are and where they stand on the issues most important to our city, our state and our country. We will post candidate questionnaires online. We will interview candidates in person and post the videos online. We will present side-by-side comparisons of the candidates’ views on the key issues. We will post assessments made by respected civic and professional groups, such as the Chicago Bar Association’s guide to judicial candidates.

What we will not do is endorse candidates."

The Internet's other major conquest, the US Postal Service, has just raised postage prices across the board. The agency is stubbornly hanging on for dear life, but don't be surprised if there is NO postal service (and NO Chicago Sun-Times) by 2020.

Update: Harry Carnevale

2012-01-24T06:25:00.002-05:00

1.24.12 UPDATE: Albany pays $200G in police-pursuit death

Some people leave their house in the morning and never come back. ~ African Proverb

I didn't know Harry Carnevale or his family. I know a few people who did. In some circles, young Harry was categorized as a "Star Boy," someone with enormous potential and a great life-destiny ahead. So why are we here and he's not?

A decision young Harry made out of kindness of heart to give a struggling low-income co-worker a safe ride home from work.

A police officer who ignored orders from headquarters to break off a high speed chase. (Some argue the cop is the one who should be serving time for manslaughter, since police knew who the woman was they were chasing for a few traffic violations, and could easily have snagged her in a day or two without much ado).

And now, additional details of the shadowy case emerge:

"Seven witness statements that were potentially embarrassing to the city of Albany were withheld from the family of a 17-year-old boy who was killed by a woman fleeing police when her vehicle slammed into the teenager's car four years ago at a high rate of speed.

City attorneys said the witness statements were inadvertently withheld from the parents of Harrison "Harry" Carnevale despite court orders directing their release. The statements finally were turned over to the family early last year, but the oversight was kept quiet under a confidentiality agreement requested by the city after it paid $10,000 to offset the family's legal fees from their efforts to obtain the records." ~ Times Union

Poor Harry Carnevale. Had he not died that fateful night 4 years ago, I'll betcha he'd be blazing a trail in Hollywood right now.

"Other records in the case indicate a former police sergeant, Peter J. McKenna, issued an order to patrol officers to abandon the chase seconds after it began. McKenna apparently was adhering to new guidelines that required officers to abandon pursuits that could endanger the public.

The additional witness statements suggest some officers may have continued chasing Williams with their sirens off.

Harry Carnevale, an honors student, was on his way home to Cohoes after working at a restaurant on the south side of Albany. The fatal crash took place weeks after Carnevale had graduated a year early from Shaker High School and was making plans to attend a film-studies program at Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles.

Carnevale's vehicle was broadsided as he drove north on Henry Johnson Boulevard after dropping off a co-worker in Arbor Hill." ~ Times Union

I would like you to imagine the high-level changes in our plane of existence had Harry lived. I'm sure that like ripples in the water after one tosses a stone in a lake, Harry's accomplishments on the West Coast would have vibrated back to Albany. But we will never know.

Rich Harry Carnevale. He left his friends with a lasting, loving legacy. A great guy who was going on to do great things.

Whenever we lose a young person we lose a piece of what could have been.

Tags: Harry Carnevale, Harry Carnevale

Note ::: THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN UPDATED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE IT WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED.

Permission to reprint this blog post in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author (or authors) and Dave Lucas are properly cited. Permission to reprint any comments below is granted only for those comments written by Dave Lucas and staff.

Where I Was Monday Jan. 23, 2012

2012-01-23T21:46:00.001-05:00

What's Popular On This Blog?

2012-01-23T21:17:00.002-05:00

I really don't have a clue...

If you look in the sidebars you'll see three measurements: one of posts viewed by RSS, one that says "Top Posts" (via PostRank) and another bearing the header "Popular Content" which is a service of Google.

None of them jive with the results I receive through my sitemeter service. So I'm puzzled.

I'll leave them there for now, because they do give readers an opportunity to see other material posted on this humble weblog.

I just got a nice email from someone who said she bookmarked my blog for use as a "portal" to "go through to visit a bunch of interesting sites."

I like that. It makes me feel "functional" ???

Also check out "I Read These" - a place where I list blogs I check in with more frequently.

If your blog is not on that list, please don't be offended! Some of my favourite bloggers don't update regularly like they used to, so I keep track of them them via my Google Reader. That way I can see the moment they've published something.

I'm really glad I updated and added the 3-column template. Any suggestions you readers may have are always welcome!

Simple tricks to make more friends

2012-01-23T20:32:00.001-05:00

Finding friends can be hard sometimes, and in this article I just wanted to highlight a few simple techniques you can use to be more social, outgoing, and to make more friends.

The first is to play up all the good things about yourself; think about if you’re talented, funny, or what you have to offer people. Find something about you that people will want to be around and get to know.

Support your friends, because nobody likes someone who isn’t going to be there, or is going to stab them in the back, so always make sure you’re there for your friends when they need you.

Have confidence, because everyone is naturally attracted to someone who is strong, who can take initiative, and who knows what they want in life.

Be the person you would want other people to be to you, and just make sure you treat others the way you would want to be treated. This includes always being trustworthy, honest, straightforward, and never lying or hurting other people.

Also, people love someone who is a good listener, and who is willing to be a listening ear when they need it. So make sure that you’re always willing to listen to and support your friends when they need someone to talk to.

If you’d like to learn more about how to make friends, you can check out my website popularity secrets to learn more about how to approach people and become likeable.

A Bigger Brother

2012-01-23T17:28:00.001-05:00

This is interesting - how do my fellow broadcast-journalists feel about this?

Homeland Security Given Green Light to Monitor American Journalists

Source: The Blaze – (Tue, Jan 10, 2012) - snippet: Under the National Operations Center (NOC)’s Media Monitoring Initiative that emerged from the Department of Homeland Security in November, Washington has written permission to collect and retain personal information from journalists, news anchors, reporters or anyone who uses “traditional and/or social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed.”

#MusicMonday #The Internet - Fastlane

2012-01-23T06:38:00.000-05:00

8 ways to improve your luck in Year of the Dragon

2012-01-22T21:51:00.002-05:00

It never hurts to TRY!

Gabrielle Giffords Before & After Pictures

2012-01-22T15:55:00.000-05:00

::: UPDATE ::: 22 January 2012 :::
Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) announced in a professionally prepared youtube video message that she is stepping down from Congress this week.

UPDATE AUGUST 2 2011 Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit:
Joe Biden on Shooting Victim Gabrielle Giffords: “She's Now a Member of Cracked Head Club Like Me”

Discussion: Weasel Zippers, No More Mister Nice Blog, The Hill and The Lonely Conservative

Facebook pictures, taken May 17th in Houston, gave us a clue as to how Congresswoman Giffords has been coming along since she was shot five months ago. Published reports indicate the new photos were snapped prior to her recent skull surgery. (Pictured above: Giffords before and after. View the other Facebook picture.)

#Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-22T12:04:00.005-05:00

You don't have to wait until Wednesday for tragedy to strike! Be careful crossing the street (especially in Mt. Kisco, Schenectady, Central Avenue in Colonie and Albany...) Hover & Click on image to enlarge

The Aurora Alien: A new theory

2012-01-22T11:00:00.002-05:00

The Aurora, Texas UFO Crash of 1897 is one of those unsolved mysteries that got me thinking...

I was reminded of my thoughts last night watching the Cowboys & Aliens DVD.

Early intentions to #Occupy Space? Proof that Jefferson Starship initiated the idea to #Occupy! "You know - a starship circlin in the sky - it ought to be ready by 1990. They'll be buildin' it up in the air even since 1980. People with a clever plan can assume the role of the mighty and HIJACK THE STARSHIP." [more]

Living in these modern times, specifially the 20th and 21st centuries, (aka "The Space Age") we have witnessed manned space flight and a moon landing????? (living dreams men like Leonardo DaVinci have had for centuries - and back in 1969 people believed we would already have by the end of the century, orbiting space habitats and explorers enroute to colonize Mars), it is not hard to imagine that a passing ship of space travelers ejected a "burial pod" which either accidentally or intentionally made its way to Earth.

Those sailors perhaps never returned - maybe never intended to return - to this point in the Milky Way galaxy, leaving their dead comrade either orbiting around or crash-landing on our "big blue marble."

Tags: Aurora UFO, Texas space alien grave, lunar landing, Telstar

How long does YOUR blog have to live?

2012-01-21T21:10:00.000-05:00

You and your little weblog's days are numbered!

Or ARE they? How long have YOU been blogging?

Will you be blogging 10, 20, 30, 40 50 or more years from now?

Comments?

Blog-Blog-Blogging Along On A Saturday Morning

2012-01-21T08:02:00.000-05:00

I woke up - it was a snowy morning! A generous dusting of powdery white has settled over the neighborhood! Thank-you! (at left: the view from my kitchen window!)
Hi Everybody!

Morning may have already passed wherever you are: or it may not have yet come for you... either way you look at it, it's a new day, a fresh start, So, pick up your cross and join the rest of humanity as the earth takes another spin.

FACEBOOK continues to annoy me - never TEASE your readers!

To interact, one must allow participation!
I attempted to leave a comment on a fb page a few minutes ago. What happened is imaged below.
Either allow comments or not! No wonder more people don't bother leaving comments - they can't! (I know that here on this blog you have to go through CapCha to leave words, but believe me it's better than spam! And don't believe that Askimet helps. It slows down blog loading time!)Aside, to Facebook: Stop tinkering with it! You should have left it alone months ago!
VALENTINE'S DAY is the next-to-last major holiday in the fall-to-winter chain (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Xmas, New Year, Valentine's Day, Easter) ::: Are you READY? Got kids? Working to keep things afloat on a tight budget?

There are a lot of things you can accomplish on that little computer of yours besides sitting there blogging, tweeting, surfing and networking! Check out these FANTASTIC VALENTINE'S IDEAS on OoopseyDaisy.

Bloggers & Web Marketeers ::: Have you considered using Google's free Adwords Tool to give your blog a kick in the pants? If you are already signed in to your Google-related account on this computer, the link is right here! (Try it out and tell me the results - add comments below!)
NOTE: I tried to move the comments in Blogger's layout service; perhaps there is a time lag? If you don't see comments at the bottom of this post, look at the top.

ALL WEEK LONG WE'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT INTERNET FREEDOM AND SOPA ::: Blogger and Global Voices author Ellery Biddle reflects on freedom of speech in thinking about the recent struggle against the United States proposed anti-piracy bill Stop Online Piracy (SOPA) and Cuba: “As I juxtapose SOPA and Cuba’s limitations on free speech, it may sound like I’m comparing apples and mangoes—on several levels, this is true. But my point is that high-level political rights don’t come easy, and that even when you have these rights, you have to work hard to uphold them.”

That's it for now... I'm headed out to accomplish a boatload of errands, so I'll be offline for awhile (still connected via cellular, for those who know how to find me!) (*wink ;)

#myfavorite90ssong

2012-01-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

With Beauty, There Is Sometimes Pain

2012-01-20T17:55:00.000-05:00

Comme des fleurs écrasées
Trampled 'Neath les pieds d'une bête
Beauté capturé
par un dispositif qui rend les temps d'arrêt
Priez pour ces chères âmes
TMZ online has published a photograph of Texas model/editor Lauren Scruggs appearing in public with her parents for the first time since she accidentally walked into the propeller of an airplane last month. »more»

Life is like a monster sometimes.
"Death comes like a thief in the night,"
"Only the good die young,"
(insert your own cosmic explanation here).

The Blog Bank eBook

2012-01-20T07:23:00.003-05:00

Are you a seasoned blogger, with more than 6 months experience keeping an online journal or weblog? ::: Don't bother ordering the Blog Bank PDF!

:::::GO HERE for free advice worth 10x $9!

Drum Roll For René Marsh!

2012-01-19T20:04:00.002-05:00

Congrats to a dear colleague who has climbed the ladder of success!
René Marsh is now a correspondent with CNN’s Washington, D.C. bureau, where she will cover national politics. Sister Michelle is also well!

Previously:

Dave Lucas: New Life At Old Six
dave-lucas.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-life-at-old-six.html
Apr 8, 2007 – Big surprise tonight from WRGB! CBS6 11pm
News with Rene Marsh at the anchor desk! (First time I've tuned
in and she was there, anyway!) ...
Dave Lucas: Follow-Up
dave-lucas.blogspot.com/2007/03/great-report-from-rene-marsh.html
Mar 27, 2007 – WRGB has a good pair of reporters in Michelle and
Rene Marsh: they're very focused and definitely high-caliber! ...

Brunner's Pajamas - Ed Dague - News Media - In Medias Res ...
blog.timesunion.com/eddague/brunner’s-pajamas/122/
May 8, 2007 – WRGB's Rene Marsh did a nice job on Monday with one
f the toughest assignments in television news, a sudden live repor
t from a breaking ...

Tags: René Marsh, René Marsh

La Oreja de Van Gogh

2012-01-19T08:00:00.004-05:00

Some time ago in the past I sent out a Tweet indicating I was listening to La Oreja de Van Gogh. That prompted many inquiries, so I invite you to share this musical experience! (This article originally posted in March 2009)

I have a huge collection of music videos on VHS, VCD and DVD. Just a few are "all-time favorites" that get played over and over again. One of them is Lo que te conté mientras te hacías la dormida, Gira 2003 CD+DVD by La Oreja de Van Gogh - you'll notice while watching the crowd at the concert is singing right along - if you don't speak Spanish, here is a clue why - I was going to give you my own English translation of a few key verses of La Playa: instead I give you the link to The Forgotten Girl...

"I do not know if you still remember me,
We met on time
You, the sea and the sky
And the one who brought me to you." "On this beach, my life,
I made a promise to you:
Once again to see you like this."

Tags: La Oreja de Van Gogh, La Oreja de Van Gogh