The World Is Wide

Window is Mozilla Foundation Security Chief

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:49:00 +0000

i have used mozilla's browers for years, and can honestly say it's much better and more secure than IE - just a traveler

Window Snyder isn't your average security czar . . .

As chief of security at Mozilla Foundation, the unconventional non-profit whose popular Web browser Firefox underwent a major facelift this week, Snyder cuts an unconventional swath.

For starters, her title is "chief security something-or-other" (yeah, that's on her business card). It befits her wide-ranging role at Mozilla, the Web browser developer that relies on the contributions of thousands of programmers worldwide.

The programmers generally work for free, but Snyder's salary is paid with revenue Mozilla generates through business partnerships with Google, Amazon. com and others.

Organized cybercrime gangs are more highly focused than ever on taking control of your computer through browser-based hacks. They've already turned some 40% of the world's 800 million Internet-connected PCs into obedient "bots" used to spread spam, harvest your sensitive data and commit fraud. The bad guys are highly motivated to expand their bot empires.

And their FAVORITE tactic to wrest control of your machine is by corrupting browser-run applications that enable all of the Web's coolest functions, like watching videos and social networking.

Because Mozilla's Firefox browser is based on open-source code that is continually refined by volunteers, it is widely considered by tech security experts to be the most secure, though by no means impregnable, browser.

In setting out to elevate Firefox's basic security, Snyder is also compelling Microsoft and Apple, maker of the Safari browser, to follow her lead — or get out of the way.

Snyder's rising star is sure to ascend even more this week, with the release of Version 3.0 of Firefox. The release is packed with new features, most notably stiffer security, faster speed and improved ease of use.

Snyder's career path includes co-founding a security company and consultant work at At Stake, which was sold to Symantec for $49 million in 2004.

She also worked at Microsoft, managing the security process for a couple versions of the Windows operating system. During her three-year stint there, Snyder pioneered the Blue Hat program, which opened communications between Microsoft developers and outside security researchers.

Previously, Microsoft was loath to share technical information with those outside of its Redmond, Wash., headquarters. Now she must summon all her collaboration skills in reaching out to the open-source community, where Firefox has thrived.

In her spare time, she managed to co-write Threat Modeling, an online security guide that's used by software engineers. Dave Goldsmith, who as president of Matasano Security has worked with Snyder in various capacities, calls her an "online security rock star." Adds Eva Chen, CEO and co-founder of security company Trend Micro: "It's gratifying to see other women in prominent roles in tech security. For so long, men have dominated the field. Women didn't have an old boy's network."

Geek girl: Programming at 5

A self-avowed "geek girl" and daughter of software engineers, Snyder says her mom taught her to program Basic, an early computer programming language, on a Texas Instruments PC when she was 5 years old.

"She has a natural sparkle and joy," says her Kenyan-born mother, Wayua (Eastern African dialect for "Born during famine") Muasa, who embarked on a software engineering career in her early 40s after stints in teaching and promoting tourism for Kenya at the United Nations.

But she is downright Pixar-like animated about Mozilla.

"The strength of Mozilla is absolutely the community (of tens of thousands of volunteers). We have to make sure they know they're being heard," says Snyder, who joined the company last year.

The challenge is to get the public — so aware of security for their homes and cars — to be as vigilant with their PCs. That's where the articulate Snyder and fortified Firefox come in. She is a bright new face in the computer-security field.

Breaking frontiers

It's been a steady climb for Firefox, whose roots stretch back to the now-defunct Netscape Communications. It has accumulated 170 million users in more than 200 countries and an 18% share of the browser market, according to market researcher Net Applications. (Microsoft Internet Explorer commands 75% of the market, or more than 700 million users.)

Now, after several years of development and public testing, version 3.0 is out.

Source: Black Voices

Congress Blocking E-mails

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:51:00 +0000

so much for democracy and freedomz - just a traveler

You elected them! They represent you! Yet some lawmakers have set up technology to block your messages! They say the messages you send through organized campaign sites are spam.

Congressional offices began to adopt new software that blocks the delivery of email their constituents send from a wide range of nonprofit organization websites.

The Internet has opened up democratic communication between millions of Americans and their elected representatives. This new, higher level of participation should be welcomed, not disabled. This new technology, launched just a short while ago and already in use by more than 30 Representatives, requires you to answer a "logic puzzle" question before you can submit a comment.

This is designed to limit communications to only those constituents who go directly to the lawmaker's own website to send a message.

Unorganized individuals will be able to talk to their representatives, but people who wish to communicate as part of a movement through nonprofit organizations were blocked. A wide array of organizations - left and right - came together to oppose this with one voice.

Visit Don't Block My Voice to send a letter to your representative.

https://secure.consumersunion.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=1161

Are You Being Charged Twice For Gas?

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:43:00 +0000

Heads up to those using debit cards to purchase gas!!

When you pay at the pump with your debit card, additional money in your checking account may get frozen for up to 3 days. The banks use the term "hold", but whatever you want to call it - your money is being withheld from you.

Even if you're pumping only a few dollars of gas, up to $100 may be frozen in your checking account. The banks are claiming they need such large holds because they don't know how much gas you'll pump when they pre-authorize the charge.

The gas station and banks know how much you have pumped, and it does not take up to three days to verify these purchases.

The 3 day "freeze" or "hold" can lead to bounced checks, which is one the banking systems biggest money makers today.

Huge Gator Found in Alabama

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Wed, 21 May 2008 20:30:00 +0000

The game warden is 6'5' tall - and this huge alligator found 90 miles north of Birmingham, Alabama in Lake Wiess - is over 23 feet long! The gator was found swimming with a whole deer in his mouth.

IRAQ: Nature Adds to Occupation Blows

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:04:00 +0000

According to McCain, things are going well in Iraq - but he obviously hasn't talked to the people of Iraq, and probably could care less what they are facing . . . just a traveler

Farmers in Iraq have been hit by just about every crisis possible. First the security disaster dried up supplies and markets, then lack of electricity cut irrigation, and now comes a drying up of water resources.

Nothing now seems more difficult in Iraq than the business of farming.

Many farmers say that they fear that the northern Kurdish-controlled region of Iraq is facing a dry 2008. The mountains there, besides the mountains of southwest Iran and southern Turkey, form a large source of water for Iraq.

The government is doing little to help people over this crisis. Hundreds of thousands of acres are now desolate, and thousands of people jobless.

Most villagers work in farming, and now that farming no more sustains people as it did, life there is badly hit. Agriculture in this area kept Iraq supplied, and also produced enough for exports. But now farmers sometimes have a hard time feeding themselves.

Iraq has started to import vegetables for the first time in its modern history despite a rich agricultural heritage that reaches back 6,000 years.

Aside from the direct consequences of a failed military occupation, such as lack of security, fuel and electricity, U.S. occupation authorities have installed a neo-liberal free market system that has pushed Iraqi farmers out of competition as foreign goods flood the markets. That in turn is hitting the local economy and increasing unemployment.

Source: IPS Migration

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=42378

Singles Travel International

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:14:00 +0000

I have never understood why single travelers have to pay more $$'s for traveling solo - especially for cruises. Now single travelers can save $$'s by taking advantage of group prices by joining this free social travel network . . . just a traveler

Singles Travel International created a social networking website that helps single travelers find a travel companion, get to know group trip members before the trip, and stay in touch with friends from previous trips.

The social network community for single travelers is at www.singlestravelintl.com

Applying Facebook-style networking to single travel lets Singles Travel Community members post personal profiles including photos, find people with similar travel interests in their neighborhood or worldwide, or find a compatible roommate for a group trip.

Becoming a member of the Singles Travel Community is free. Single travelers can sign up online and immediately post a profile. Members can maintain their privacy and control who sees their personal information. Members can also book and manage trips in one online location.

Singles Travel said the network is also adding other features, such as private chat, member travel blogs and online photo albums.

For more information, call 877-SOLO-TRIP or visit www.singlestravelintl.com

Making a Killing from the Food Crisis

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Thu, 01 May 2008 07:56:00 +0000

The world food crisis is hurting a lot of people, but global agribusiness firms, traders and speculators are raking in huge profits.

Much of the news coverage of the world food crisis has focussed on riots in low-income countries, where workers and others cannot cope with skyrocketing costs of staple foods.

But there is another side to the story: the big profits that are being made by huge food corporations and investors. Cargill, the world's biggest grain trader, achieved an 86% increase in profits from commodity trading in the first quarter of this year.

Bunge, another huge food trader, had a 77% increase in profits during the last quarter of last year. ADM, the second largest grain trader in the world, registered a 67% per cent increase in profits in 2007.

Read the full article at ENN

Teen Leaders Around the World Travel to 'Just Peace' Summit

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 17:29:00 +0000

Three Dot Dash, a global initiative of the We Are Family Foundation (WAFF) designed to recognize and support the efforts of teen leaders around the world, will hold its first annual Just Peace Summit in New York City from March 29 - April 4, 2008.

The Global Teen Leaders are between the ages of 12-19, and represent 18 countries and 5 continents around the world, and were were nominated by 40 non-government organizations.

During the week long summit, teens will share experiences of their efforts to promote a more peaceful society by addressing issues related to the basic human needs - food, water, health, shelter, safety and education. They will also learn how to better communicate and distribute this global message.

The name Three Dot Dash™ is a mash-up of the old-school language Morse code, used by telegraphs, and the two-fingered "V" gesture that has come to be known as the peace sign. In Morse code, "V" is . . . -

Three Dot Dash was inspired by the late 13-year-old poet and peacemaker Mattie J.T. Stepanek, well known from his six New York Times best selling "Heartsongs" poetry books expressing universal messages of hope and peace.

After Mattie's death in 2004, his last book, Just Peace: A Message of Hope, written with Jimmy Carter, was published and became WAFF's inspiration for Three Dot Dash.

Visit their site for more info - http://www.threedotdash.org/

Paper Is Out, Cellphones For Airport Check In

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 01:09:00 +0000

wow! your blackberry holds your boarding pass - just a traveler

Electronic boarding passes turn hand-held devices and mobile phones of travelers into their boarding passes.

At least half a dozen airlines in the United States currently allow customers to check in using their mobile devices, including American, Continental, Delta, Northwest, Southwest and Alaska.

But so far, Continental is the only carrier in the United States to begin testing the electronic passes, allowing those travelers to pass through security and board the plane without handling a piece of paper. Their boarding pass is an image of an encrypted bar code displayed on the phone’s screen, which can be scanned by gate agents and security personnel.

When using the other airlines’ mobile check-in services, customers still have to print a boarding pass at an airport kiosk, though most carriers are eager to eliminate this step once the Transportation Security Administration gives its approval.

Read full article at New York Times

22 Year Old Under Scrutiny on Arms for Afghans

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:48:00 +0000

Ever seen this guy? Guess the TV media missed this story - just a traveler

Since 2006, when the insurgency in Afghanistan sharply intensified, the Afghan government has been dependent on American logistics and military support in the war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban.

But to arm the Afghan forces that it hopes will lead this fight, the American military has relied since early last year on a fledgling company led by a 22-year-old man whose vice president was a licensed masseur.

With the award last January of a federal contract worth as much as nearly $300 million, the company, AEY Inc., which operates out of an unmarked office in Miami Beach, became the main supplier of munitions to Afghanistan’s army and police forces.

AEY is one of many previously unknown defense companies to have thrived since 2003, when the Pentagon began dispensing billions of dollars to train and equip indigenous forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Its rise from obscurity once seemed to make it a successful example of the Bush administration’s promotion of private contractors as integral elements of war-fighting strategy.

Since last year, the company has provided ammunition that is more than 40 years old and in decomposing packaging, according to an examination of the munitions by The New York Times and interviews with American and Afghan officials.

Much of the ammunition comes from the aging stockpiles of the old Communist bloc, including stockpiles that the State Department and NATO have determined to be unreliable and obsolete, and have spent millions of dollars to have destroyed.

Read full article at New York Times

Media, Lies and Videotape

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:34:00 +0000

Do you really know what Obama's pastor Jeremiah Wright REALLY said?

Perhaps not! The media has only used a portion of his speech to re-play over and over. Let this be a time of self examination, along with the examination of the media . . . just a traveler

13 Year Old Aiming for Beijing Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 00:15:00 +0000

13 year old Lia Neal is aiming for a spot at the Olympics in Beijing, China.

A couple of months ago, she participated in a swim meet in New Jersey, and clocked her personal best time of 58.17 in the 100 meter freestyle. Later in the day, she did even better with a time of 56.87 seconds - that's fast!

Lia weighs just 115 pounds, is 5 feet 7 inches tall, and just turned 13 recently.

Her fast time has already qualified her for the U.S. Olympic trials in Omaha this summer - and that was accomplished when she was just 12 years old.

Lia will be the youngest person on the U.S. team at the Olympic trials.

Binded By The Sun Looking for Virgin Mary

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:01:00 +0000

no need to make things up, the truth is often so much more bizarre! just a traveler

In India at least 50 people have lost their sight after staring at the sun hoping to see an image of the Virgin Mary, according to reports.

Alarmed health authorities in India's Kottayam district have set up a sign dispelling rumours of a miraculous image in the sky and warning of the dangers of looking into direct sunlight.

Forty-eight cases of sight-loss, allegedly caused by photochemical burns on the retina, have been recorded at St Joseph's ENT and Eye hospital in the region since Friday.

Despite warnings, and the potentially harmful effects of their actions, believers are allegedly still flocking to a hotelier's house in Erumeli near where the divine image is said to have appeared.

"All our patients have similar history and symptoms - They have developed photochemical, not thermal, burns after continuously gazing at the sun," Dr Annamma James Isaac, the hospital's ophthalmologist said.

Even churches in the area have disowned the miracle after health officers and doctors approached the clergy. The house where the miracle is said to have occurred has apparently been the subject of rumours for months.

The hotelier, who has since moved, had claimed that statues of the Virgin Mary in his house have been crying honey and bleeding oils and perfumes.

Source: Telegraph UK

Biggest Election Law Fraud in U.S. History

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 16:27:00 +0000

So Hiliary Doesn't Know Who Peter Paul Is - Huh?
The largest election law fraud in U.S. History is not being reported - and it's on tape! Oh my goodness, I can just imagine that this is why the Republicans want HER to be the candidate to run against McCain.

While Hillary Clinton battles Barack Obama on the campaign trail, a judge in Los Angeles is quietly preparing to set a trial date in a $17 million fraud suit that aims to expose an alleged culture of widespread corruption by the Clintons and the Democratic Party.

Sworn testimony from Peter Paul's lawyer is in the process of - or has been taken from all three Clintons – Bill, Hillary and Chelsea – along with top Democratic Party leaders and A-list celebrities, including Barbra Streisand, John Travolta, Brad Pitt and Cher.

Let's start with Part 1

Wow! It's gets better - Part 2 - and btw Ed Rendell, the Governor of Pennsylvania is also supposed to be involved since he was head of the Democratic party when all this happened.

And there's even more! Paul - who Hiliary says she does not know - spent more than $60,000 to produce these fund raisers- and they were NEVER reported by Hillary's Senate campaign - see www.ejfa.org and www.hillcap.org
FBI Agent David Smith testified at the sham trial of Hillary's finance director David Rosen in May, 2005 for hiding Paul's payments of $1.2 million for Hillary's largest fundraiser in August, 2000 that he discovered these two fundraisers were never reported by her campaign. When asked why the government did nothing about it he testified he just investigates- doesnt make decisions to prosecute. The Bush justice Department is protecting Hillary- see www.hillcap.org for all documents

VideoJug, MySpace Announce Global Content Deal

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:42:00 +0000

VideoJug and MySpace, the world's most popular social network, today announced a global deal to add content to MySpaceTV (www.myspacetv.com).

VideoJug will have its own branded channels, hosting an initial library of 100 short, high-quality, 'How To' and expert advice videos on a wide variety of topics, including food, beauty, cars, love, sex, travel, and technology. Users can also friend VideoJug's profile (www.myspace.com/videojugworld) to receive regular updates on new content.

VideoJug ("Life Explained. On Film"), is one of the fastest growing sites on the internet, producing and hosting one of the web's largest collections (more than 38,000) of professionally produced, expert advice and 'how to' films on almost any subject. From 'how to eat sushi' to 'how to give your cat medication', VideoJug's content is scripted in a light-hearted, entertaining style, allowing users to simultaneously laugh and learn.

VideoJug is the newest addition to a number of branded channels and content partners on MySpaceTV, including: BBC Worldwide, quarterlife, Roommates, National Geographic, Trailer Park, Nuts Magazine, NME and Tim Lovejoy.

Source: Business Wire

Vista Price Cut Hype

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 07:57:00 +0000

When have you ever known Microsoft to have a big sale?

Is it because the last OS they cranked out is crap! Can you say V-I-S-T-A?

The "smarts" at Microsoft are announcing a price cut for standalone packages of Windows Vista. The cuts range from 20% - 50%, of course the amount consumers will save depending on the country they live in, and version of the software.

And get this "special" pricing for the U.S. only - a full, retail copy of Windows Vista Ultimate has been reduced 20% to $320 from $400. The upgrade version of Ultimate reduced $220 from $260, and the full version of Vista Home Edition reduced to $130 from $160. Still an expensive crap sale - and what about all those people who paid top dollar for Vista?

I'll still run XP til my computer dies. Rather than create a better OS than XP, they have come out with crap that takes up all your space, will not run the software YOU want, and your new computer will actually run slower than you old one. In other words, Vista sucks big time! Even if they gave a FREE Vista upgrade, I would still walk away.

Try and find a Vista lover - you will be looking for awhile, cause I haven't run across anyone that likes it.

So is this why Microsoft is offering a bigger sale to the rest of the world than they are offering here in the U.S.? Do they think that consumers outside the U.S. have not heard this OS is all hype, and delivers nothing?

If you're from outside the U.S. and reading this, and don't know - please stay far away from the Vista box sale. Just something else to give America a bad rap.

Microsoft has lost its way, and thinks consumers will just accept what it puts out because every new PC has the Vista operating system. What they have accomplished is running Vista customers to their competitor Mac. Nothing like running your customers to the competition!

Computer PC manufacturers better wake up - nobody here in the U.S. wants a new computer loaded with this crap - so you guys need to address your exclusive relationship with Microsoft.

China's Dragon - World's Largest Airport Building

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 03:48:00 +0000

Beijing has built the world’s largest airport building, and most advanced airport - just in time for the Olympics.

Officials say the dragon form is welcoming and uplifting, and showcases the traditional colors and symbols of Chinese culture.

It's awesome enough, but it looks more like a guitar than a dragon - just a traveler

Read more - Enter the Dragon: Terminal Is World's Biggest Airport Building

A Woman Should Have

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 20:00:00 +0000

Take note ladies - a poem by Dr. Maya Angelou

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE
something perfect to wear if the employer,
or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ..
a youth she's content to leave behind....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ....
a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE . . .
one friend who always makes her laugh - and one who lets her cry...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems,
and a recipe for a meal that will make her guests feel honored...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
a feeling of control over her destiny...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to fall in love without losing herself...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job,
break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without ruining the friendship....

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
when to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that she can't change the length of her calves,
the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
that her childhood may not have been perfect - but it's over...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she would and wouldn't do for love or more...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to live alone, even if she doesn't like it...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
whom she can trust,
whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
where to go, be it to her best friend's kitchen table ...
or a charming inn in the woods...
when her soul needs soothing...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
what she can and can't accomplish in a day...
a month, or a year...

Black History Month Ends Today

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:44:00 +0000

February is Black History Month, so on this last day of the month, I wanted to concentrate on some facts about African Americans that are not usually reported in the media - just a traveler

Businesses

- $88.6 billion in revenues for black-owned businesses in 2002, up 24 percent from 1997. The number of black-owned businesses totaled 1.2 million in 2002, up by 45 percent since 1997. Black-owned firms accounted for 5 percent of all nonfarm businesses in the United States.

- 129,329 - The number of black-owned firms in New York in 2002, which led all states. New York City alone had 98,080 such firms, which led all cities.

- 10,716 - The number of black-owned firms operating in 2002 with receipts of $1 million or more. These firms accounted for 1 percent of the total number of black-owned firms in 2002 and 55 percent of their total receipts, or $49 billion.

- 969 - The number of black-owned firms with 100 or more employees in 2002. Firms of this size accounted for 24 percent of the total revenue for black owned employer firms in 2002, or $16 billion.

Education

- 80% of blacks age 25 and older had at least a high school diploma in 2005. In states such as Colorado, the proportion was even higher - 90 percent. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

- 17% of blacks 25 and older had a bachelor's degree or higher in 2005. In many states, the rate was higher. 26% blacks this age in Colorado, for instance, had this level of education. (Source: 2005 American Community Survey)

- 1.1 million blacks age 25 and older had an advanced degree in 2005 (e.g., master's, Ph.D., M.D. or J.D.). Ten years earlier - in 1995 - only 677,000 blacks had this level of education.

- For the 2005 school year, 2.3 million black college students were enrolled. This was an increase of roughly 1 million from 15 years earlier.

Families and Children

- There are 9.1 million black families in the United States. Of these, nearly one-half (47%) are married-couple families.

- 11% of black children live in a household maintained by a grandparent.

- 46% of black householders own their own home, nationally. The rate was higher in certain states, such as Mississippi, where it reached 56%.

Military Service

- There are 2.4 million black military veterans in the United States in 2004.
(Source: American FactFinder)

Jobs

- 26% of blacks age 16 and older work in management, professional and related occupations. (Source: American FactFinder)

- There are 44,000 black physicians and surgeons; 79,400 postsecondary teachers; 45,200 lawyers; and 49,300 chief executives.

(Source: Upcoming Statistical Abstract of the United States: 2007)

Data courtesy of the U.S. Census Bureau

Harvard Costs Less than Prison

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 08:18:00 +0000

In 2007, the states spent over $44 billion on the incarcerated. After adjusting for 2007 dollars, that’s a tin cup-rattling 127 percent increase since 1987. Currently, this works out to almost $19,000 per prisoner per year.

For the same period, the adjusted spending on higher education climbed 21 percent. Due to recent overhauls in financial aid, the United States could send their entire criminal population to Harvard for a four-year degree and still spend less money per prisoner per year. For those currently making less than $180,000 a year, the cost of a Harvard education is $18,000 per person per year.

With this in mind, one wonders how the states justify cuts in education that would benefit the free citizen: those who have yet to (or would never) embark on a career of crime. For less money, we could be graduating rocket scientists instead of paroling rocks.

Read full article at Blogcritics Magazine

Global Web Trends in Music

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:03:00 +0000

The rise of the internet has opened up an endless spectrum of new opportunities for both lesser-known artists and bigger bands from around the world.

Here are a few sites— for neophytes and experienced web-surfers alike—that are helpful sources for learning about, downloading, watching or otherwise consuming great music and music videos.

YOUTUBE www.youtube.com
YouTube single-handedly created the online video craze when it launched in 2005. The site still boasts more videos than all of its competitors combined—over 100 million videos are streaming there daily. All videos on YouTube are free and anyone can upload to it. The only downside is that audio quality can be suspect, and some videos may contain text-overlay advertisements now that the site has begun to draw up licensing deals with content providers (like Universal, Sony and Warner) to avoid infringement lawsuits.

iTunes MUSIC STORE - www.apple.com/itunes
Although it’s geared mostly toward major label releases, iTunes does have a decent amount of new and reissued world music recordings. It truly can be a pain if you want to move your music to more than one computer or if you use a non-iPod mp3 player, and it has limitations on how often you can burn music to a CD.

MYSPACE www.myspace.com
MySpace has more or less eliminated the need for artists to build stand-alone websites. Just about every artist on the market, new and old, hip or square, living or dead (no joke) has a MySpace page. A typical page usually includes a few embeddable videos of live performances or a music video, and anywhere from one streaming track to an entire album. The problem is the actual website. It’s badly constructed and often overwhelmed by net traffic, not to mention that user profiles tend to have less-than-tasteful background images. Since you don’t need to be a part of MySpace to see public profiles, and an artist’s profile is usually on the first page of a Google search, you can check those tour dates and listen to some new music.

DAILYMOTION www.dailymotion.com/us
DailyMotion is one of the most-used video sharing sites in France. It hasn’t taken off yet in the U.S., so don’t worry if you haven’t heard of it. The site’s interface is a little more chaotic than Youtube’s, but it allows for higher audio and video quality. DailyMotion is available in over 17 different countries, and features some pretty interesting videos from all over the world. The artists tend to be from French-speaking countries, but the videos don’t have the overlay advertisements like Youtube.

SMITHSONIAN FOLKWAYS - www.folkways.si.edu/index.html
This website is a portal into the Smithsonian Institute’s tremendous archive of music and resources. The site has dedicated educational tools including an extensive set of free audio and video podcasts, complete with lesson plans in PDF format. You can access and subscribe to the Smithsonian’s podcasts directly at the iTunes music store. Also make sure to check out the Smithsonian Global Sound (www.smithsonianglobalsound.org), which gives you ample access to the Smithsonian’s archives in the form of several (randomized) streaming radio stations. You can purchase music by the album or by the track through direct download, and for those who are worried about losing out on the “hard copy” musical experience, album liner notes are available before you even make a purchase. Be forewarned, though: the archives are exhaustively sorted by country, language, cultural group, language, and even by instrument! Surfing through the full contents of the SGS can turn into a time-consuming, albeit highly addictive, process.

MUSIC BLOGS - These short-form web diaries have touched just about every corner of the earth. There are blogs about cooking, horror movies, political dissidents in China, and a virtually limitless library of both new and out-of-print music. A significant thread in the indie music blogosphere is devoted to a small group of NYC-based bands these blogs tend to link back to each other to increase their traffic (and ad revenues), but the beauty of the web is that there’s still plenty of room for blogs devoted to such arcane topics as vintage Turkish psychedelia (and more, at www.rarefrequency.com) and old-school soul (www.soul-sides.com).

Perhaps the greatest— and potentially most controversial— thing about music blogs is that they tend to post mp3s for a limited time, with a disclaimer along the lines of “This is only here temporarily please support the artists and buy their records.” And they get away with it! For some great blogs out there with thorough coverage of the world music scene, check out Tofu Hut (tofuhut.blogspot.com), Sound Roots (soundroots.org) and occasionally, Brooklyn Vegan (brooklynvegan.com).

For a dose of some great African music that has largely languished in obscurity, try World Passport (ethnomusic.podomatic.com)

CALABASH MUSIC http://calabashmusic.com
Calabash is a self-described “fair trade” music company, exclusively distributing the digital music of artists across the globe who are unsigned or on smaller labels. Artists get a 50% share of any sales and customers get the satisfaction of knowing that they’re not just giving their money to greedy labels. Calabash also works with Link TV (www.linktv.org), which is another great resource, on the National Geographic World Music site, which features videos on just about every genre of music you can think of. (Full disclosure: Global Rhythm also collaborates with the National Geographic site.)

LABELS
Record label websites are still an overlooked source of new music. The smaller ones have started to figure out that they can give away a song or two and still sell records. The folks at Luaka Bop have set up streaming online radio with different channels (labeled “African mix,” “Brazilian mix” and so on) from their catalog, and have a forum so fans can discuss their favorite artists and upcoming tours.

Source: Global Rhythm - the destination for world music

U.S. Purchases Florida - This Day in History

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:08:00 +0000

February 22, 1819 - The United States Purchases Florida

Spain was losing its grip on its New World territories. Years of war and tension with England and France had left the Spanish empire without the means to firmly control its colonies.

General Andrew Jackson, while fighting the First Seminole Wars against Native Americans in Georgia had on occasion attacked and captured Spanish forts in Florida without provocation.

When Spain was unable to retaliate, President John Monroe and his Secretary of State John Quincy Adams saw an opportunity.

Forcing Spain to the negotiating table, Adams demanded the purchase of Florida.

Residents there had grievances against Spain amounting to slightly more than $5,000,000. In exchange for agreeing to pay those claims, the United States was granted all of Spanish Florida in the treaty known as the Adams-Onis Treaty.

Florida's Black Spanish History

In the photo above are two Black soldiers in the Black Militia during the Spanish Colonial period. As early as 1689, African slaves fled from British America to Spanish Florida seeking freedom.

After 1693 they received liberty in exchange for defending the Spanish settlers at St. Augustine.

The Spanish organized the blacks into a militia, and in 1738 they founded a settlement at Fort Mose outside St. Augustine, the first legally sanctioned free black town in North America.

Teenage Girls Cyberpioneers

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 00:49:00 +0000

Research shows that among the youngest Internet users, the primary creators of Web content (blogs, graphics, photographs, Web sites) are teenage girls - the cyberpioneers of the moment.

Teenage bloggers nearly doubled from 2004 to 2006, almost all the growth was because of “the increased activity of girls,” according to the Pew report.

A study published in December by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that among Web users ages 12 to 17, significantly more girls than boys blog (35% of girls compared with 20% of boys) and create or work on their own Web pages (32% of girls compared with 22% of boys).

Girls also eclipse boys when it comes to building or working on Web sites for other people and creating profiles on social networking sites (70% of girls 15 to 17 have one, versus 57% of boys 15 to 17).

Video posting was the sole area in which the boys gained an edge - boys are almost twice as likely as girls to post video files.

But even though girls surpass boys as Web content creators, the imbalance among adults in the computer industry remains. Women only hold about 27% of jobs in computer and mathematical occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Poverty Is Poison

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 19:07:00 +0000

In August 2007 new poverty estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau's show that 12% of Americans live in poverty.

That percentage may seem low to some, but when you consider that 12% equals 36.5 million real people, it takes on a much different perspective.

And the article today in the NY Times spells out that poverty is really poison to the lives of over 36 million fellow Americans.

In real terms that means that in the wealthiest nation of the world far too many people go to bed hungry, wake up hungry, and literally give up on hope - just a traveler
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“Poverty in early childhood poisons the brain.” That was the opening of an article in Saturday’s Financial Times, summarizing research presented last week at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

As the article explained, neuroscientists have found that “many children growing up in very poor families with low social status experience unhealthy levels of stress hormones, which impair their neural development.” The effect is to impair language development and memory — and hence the ability to escape poverty — for the rest of the child’s life.

So now we have another, even more compelling reason to be ashamed about America’s record of failing to fight poverty.

L. B. J. declared his “War on Poverty” 44 years ago. Contrary to cynical legend, there actually was a large reduction in poverty over the next few years, especially among children, who saw their poverty rate fall from 23% in 1963 to 14% in 1969.

But progress stalled thereafter: American politics shifted to the right, attention shifted from the suffering of the poor to the alleged abuses of welfare queens driving Cadillacs, and the fight against poverty was largely abandoned.

In 2006, 17.4% of children in America lived below the poverty line, substantially more than in 1969. And even this measure probably understates the true depth of many children’s misery.

Living in or near poverty has always been a form of exile, of being cut off from the larger society. But the distance between the poor and the rest of us is much greater than it was 40 years ago, because most American incomes have risen in real terms while the official poverty line has not.

To be poor in America today, even more than in the past, is to be an outcast in your own country. And that, the neuroscientists tell us, is what poisons a child’s brain.

America’s failure to make progress in reducing poverty, especially among children, should provoke a lot of soul-searching. Unfortunately, what it often seems to provoke instead is great creativity in making excuses.

Some of these excuses take the form of assertions that America’s poor really aren’t all that poor — a claim that always has me wondering whether those making it watched any TV during Hurricane Katrina, or for that matter have ever looked around them while visiting a major American city.

Mainly, however, excuses for poverty involve the assertion that the United States is a land of opportunity, a place where people can start out poor, work hard and become rich.

But the fact of the matter is that Horatio Alger stories are rare, and stories of people trapped by their parents’ poverty are all too common. According to one recent estimate, American children born to parents in the bottom fourth of the income distribution have almost a 50 percent chance of staying there — and almost a two-thirds chance of remaining stuck if they’re black.

That’s not surprising. Growing up in poverty puts you at a disadvantage at every step.

I’d bracket those new studies on brain development in early childhood with a study from the National Center for Education Statistics, which tracked a group of students who were in eighth grade in 1988. The study found, roughly speaking, that in modern America parental status trumps ability: students who did very well on a standardized test but came from low-status families were slightly less likely to get through college than students who tested poorly but had well-off parents.

Source: The NY Times - By Paul Krugman 2/18/2008

Bizarre World of Japanese Pickup Schools

noreply@blogger.com (just a traveler) — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 03:42:00 +0000

LMAO - this is the most sought after dating coach for geeks in Japan - just a traveler

Satoshi Fujita's Pickup School for Men Who Can't Get Any promises to turn any awkward geek into a womanizing pro.

"Men who can't pick up girls all have some sort of trauma in their past," Fujita says. "My course work teaches them to overcome their trauma, gain confidence, and find sex and happiness with a beautiful female."

Now Satoshi Fujita is not a good-looking man. He has oily skin, beady eyes, short legs and a boy-band wig to cover his balding head. But that hasn't stopped him from becoming Japan's most sought-after dating coach for geeks.

The school is just one of many bizarre after-work coaching institutes in Japan. There are schools that specialize in everything from simple math problems to memory improvement. There are even schools for successful dating-by-text-message.

Nanpa, or the act of picking up women, is one of the newer but more popular categories of cram schools in the country. There are at least half a dozen nanpa schools in the Tokyo area alone.

Finish reading the article at "Wired", and check out his students!