This march was documented by Food First's executive director, Eric Holt-Giménez. April 18, 2010.

read more

We have very nearly reached our fundraising goal!!  A huge thank-you to all our backers who have helped us get so very close to realizing our dream of the FIRST EVER Austin Fair Trade Film Festival!  We still need a bit more help, though, so please, visit the Kickstarter.com page and give what you can!  Our deadline is MAY 1st!!  Help us make history and spread the Fair Trade story on World Fair Trade Day!!

The ad (video) depicts a large crowd and 3 celebrities singing a karaoke-version of the song in Santiago’s “Plaza de Armas” (Main Square), and invites Chilean consumers to come and “celebrate” the country’s Bicentennial in Almacenes Paris' stores.

To understand why the controversy began in the first place, it is important to know that Los Jaivas is a musical icon of Chilean folk music with a 47-year career. In the 1970s, their new style, blending traditional Andean folk instruments (panpipes, quena, and charango) with modern rock instruments (in their case: drum set, electric guitar, bass guitar and keyboard), created a new musical genre. The song used by the ad made them well-known in 1972, and calls for unity and tolerance among all humans. Since its release, the song has become an anthem of peace and unity for Chileans and many Latin Americans.

The controversy is taking place at three different levels:

The Use of Musical Patrimony for Commercial Purposes:

The first reactions to the ad surfaced on Twitter shortly after it was aired for the first time. Originally, the debate was centered on the question of whether the band was loyal to its principles by supposedly letting the company use the song for profit. Twitter user Cielito A. (@Cielito81) expressed her disappointment[es]:

Cómo es posible?! que los JAIVAS hayan vendido “todos juntos” un himno generacional a almacenes paris! q pena q tristeza! éste país tah mal.

How is it possible?! that los JAIVAS had sold “todos juntos,” a generational anthem, to almacenes paris! how heartbreaking how sad! this country's doing bad.

User Rodrigo Munoz (@PeterCarcass), a musician, reacted differently:

Los Jaivas se vendieron al Sistema Punto. Yo haria lo mismo si mi banda lucrara lo que ellos lucran, pero NO soy consecuente a mis ppios.

Los Jaivas sold themselves to the System. Period. I would have done the same if my band profited like they profit, but I'm NOT consistent with my principles.

Chilean blogs have discussed the issue more deeply. In a post titled “What if we buy “All Together” at the shopping mall? [es], Roberto Carreño writes:

[E]sta discusión es más que por el prestigio o una guerra entre sistemas […] es la más auténtica defensa de una ciudadania que necesita creer en que no todo tiene un precio, y que también Chile posee un patrimonio que proteger.

[T]his debate is for more than prestige or [due to a] war between systems […] it is the most authentic defense of a citizenry that needs to believe that not everything has a price, and that Chile also has a [cultural] heritage to protect.

Gonzalo Tapia, a university professor and blogger at El Quinto Poder [es] (The Fifth Power) writes:

Hace sólo unos días atrás el rector de la UDP, Carlos Peña (Universidad en la que hago clases), habló en su columna dominical de la nueva ética que se comienza instalar en la esfera pública chilena y, en particular, en la política: el estándar Piñera. Dicho estándar implica que basta con cumplir la ley, da lo mismo la ética […] No puede ser que el sólo hecho de comprar un derecho de autor sirva para hacer lo que una empresa quiera con dicho bien cultural. ¿Cómo los creativos, ejecutivos, product manager, abogados,etc, etc, etc, no se les ocurrió que sería bueno conversar con Los Jaivas y/o sus representantes antes de sacarlo al aire el spot? Lamentablemente, el nuevo estándar comienza operar en este nuevo Chile.

Only a few days ago the director of the UDP [University of the Pacific], Carlos Peña (University where I teach), wrote in his Sunday column of the new ethic that begins to install itself in the Chilean public sphere, particularly, in politics: the Piñera standard. Said standard implies that it is enough with obeying the laws, ethics don't matter […] It cannot be that the mere fact of buying the copyrights allows a company to do whatever it wants with a cultural good. How is it possible that the creative [ones], executives, product managers, lawyers, etc, etc, etc, didn't think that it would be good to speak with Los Jaivas and/or their representatives before airing the commercial? Sadly, the new standard begins to operate in this new Chile.

This comment was made in reference to the conflicts of interest -namely the LAN shares and his ownership of Chilevision (TV station)- of President Piñera. More about the LAN share here.

Intellectual Property Rights:

Jorge Delgado (@Jumbito), journalist and co-host of an anti-establishment TV show called “Difamadores” (Slanderers), sparked the debate in Twitter by making invoice between Almacenes Paris and Warner/Chappel available on Twitpic:

La factura con la que Los Jaivas se vendieron sin su consentimiento… así es la industria musical. http://twitpic.com/1ffadu

The invoice with which Los Jaivas sold themselves without their consent…this is how the music industry is. http://twitpic.com/1ffadu

The problem is complex because the band confirmed that they had not authorized Almacenes Paris [es] to use the song for the commercial. The company, in turn, stated [es] that they had indeed paid for the rights to use the song to “the legitimate holder of these,” but also informed that their legal department would ask Warner/Chappel to clarify further on this matter.

In a press conference on Wednesday April 14, the band stated [es] that Warner/Chappel Music was not authorized to sell the rights to others to reproduce the song for commercial purposes. They exempted Almacenes Paris from responsibility because they believed it acted in “good faith,” but they demanded the ad be removed immediately from the air, and gave the company and its ad agency an ultimatum. The ad remained on the air after the ultimatum, and so the band and the legal team of the Chilean Society of Author’s Rights [es] said they would initiate take legal actions against Almacenes Paris and DDB, the ad agency that produced the ad.

A small group of Twitter users advocated for the use of a Creative Commons license instead of Copyright. One of these users was Danilo Canales (@Kangrejo) who said:

y saben qué? lo que le pasa a los jaivas es el ejemplo perfecto de lo dañino del copyright para el autor, bajo (cc) esto no hubiese pasado

and you know what? what is happening to los jaivas is the perfect example of how harmful copyrights are for the author, under (cc) this wouldn't have happened

The Lack of Creativity of the Ad:

The ad was also criticized by bloggers that considered it unoriginal because it closely resembles a T-Mobile ad released in Great Britain last year in which Britons sang along to Hey Jude by the Beatles. In his blog Flashback Personal [es],”Cristián Pinto writes:

Si alguien copia una tesis, simplemente es castigado o reprobado, más aun si alguien copia una investigación, pero si alguien copia descaradamente una campaña de publicidad ¿Qué le pasa?, ¿debe devolver el dinero a la empresa que la contrato? ¿o recibe una amonestación ética de parte de sus pares publicistas del extranjero?

If someone plagiarizes a thesis, [he/she] is simply punished or reproached, especially if someone copies research, but if someone shamelessly plagiarizes an advertising campaign[,] what happens? Must [he/she] return the money to the company that hired [him/her]? Or does [he/she] receive an ethical warning from [his/her] publicist peers abroad?

Softball tournament was wet. But it was a blast. Just came back from the carb-loading at the Dana-Farber Pasta Party where I met with Stanley and his family again, and gave him his medal and a few other little surprises. Finally met Tony Brake after months of online chatting and motivation!

We raised $1351 at the tournament yesterday, and an EXTREMELY GENEROUS Joe and Chris Aloe donated $1,000 to the cause. I am absolutely taken aback by their generosity… it is almost inhuman…

The change drive raised over $1100. The AHS students are competitive and incredibly generous. I’m still amazed at how well that went.

As Jack Fultz says, “The Hay’s In the Barn.” Not much we can do to better prepare than to stay calm, try to get some sleep, go out and run our race tomorrow. I’m SO excited. The Pasta Party had me in tears at a few points. It’s so unfair that these kids have to face cancer. It’s unfair that ANYONE has to face cancer. With luck. we’ll continue fighting it and wipe it out completely. If you haven’t donated yet, please do consider doing so, as it’s really just something else… The impact the donations have on cancer research at DFCI is really inexplicable, and downright amazing…

Tomorrow’s the big run. It’ll be my first DFMC run. I can already tell that it won’t be my last. It will be my third Boston Marathon. I know it won’t be my last.

Thanks in advance to everyone who has supported me in this journey… it’s been an amazing one that isn’t over just yet.

If you’d like to track me tomorrow, please text “RUNNER” to 31901, and when they text you back, reply with a text of my bib number: 22556.

We’ll have a race report as soon as possible, but probably not tomorrow night. Tomorrow night is for partying. And by partying, I mean sleeping.

Can’t wait. Tomorrow’s gonna rock.

There’s less than two weeks to go on our Kickstarter page. If you’ve been thinking about donating but you’ve been putting it off, now’s the time to act. Go here for more details.

Tell all…

Only 5 days left to purchase flowers through our flower fundraiser. If you’re planning on buying bulbs anyways, why not skip the big box store and buy them through us instead and help to bring our girl home? And the bonus is there is a 100% guarantee… if you’re plant doesn’t grow, just contact them and they’ll send you a new one, or send you your money back. I KNOW HD won’t do that!

As you may have noticed, I’ve not posted anything for quite a while.  With a week to go I felt it was an ideal time to give you all an update.

Firstly, as the title suggests, I managed to reach my £1500 pledge today and am now actually on 104% with more money still coming in!  Thanks to all of you who have donated and collected, you have been most generous and I’m really grateful for your support.

Today also saw me complete a greater distance, an 18 miler this morning which can be summarised by the phrase ‘no pain, no gain’.  The less about the pain the better (not the hammy, just generic tightness) but let’s hope the gain will be seen in the stamina required for next week!  My breathing was absolutely fine which is great so as long as my legs stay attached to my body I’m hopeful I’ll be heading up the Mall to the finish!

My newly printed running vest arrived in the post last week which is good.  I’ll post a picture of that at some point.

I’ll also be updating everyone about the Adidas runner tracker where you will be able to track me as I pass through the 5k markers, either on Facebook or via WAP enabled phones – details to come.

Only a week to go – let’s hope everything goes smoothly!

Any of you which frequently visit Watch This Place may have noticed my addition of the ‘Social Vibe’ app thing in the sidebar on the right. (And if you haven’t…scroll down I tell you….scrooooollll!)

Social Vibe? Nah, don’t worry…I hadn’t heard of it until today either. But basically, this little box thing on my page is a quick and easy way for you, me, your neighbour, brother, cousin, you name it, to raise money for charity without spending anything themselves. All you do is click on the box and complete short activities…and for each activity you do, the sponsor will donate a small amount of money to charity. The more activities you do, the more money goes towards a worthy cause…and best of all, it’s quick and it doesn’t cost you a thing.

The charity being supported right now is To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA), which as many of you may know gives hope and help to people suffering from many types of depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. It is a non-profit organization that exists to give people inspiration and hope of a better life and future, by finding stability and acceptance within themselves. By doing the Social Vibe activities whenever you have a spare moment, you can make a difference without moving from your seat or handing over any cash. Simple as that.

So, please, take a few seconds out of your life to help someone else’s.

Thanks in advance!

Rachel x

I’m back home in London now after speaking at the 2010 Deutscher Fundraising Kongress over in Fulda last Thursday, having spent most of the last three days waiting for trains alongside countless other travellers stranded by the European air travel lockdown caused by ash from an Icelandic volcano. However, on the up-side, the unexpected land journey did give me an opportunity to see far more of the country than I would otherwise have done and it was certainly a great conference – with over 500 fundraisers attending, mainly from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

I was there to give a couple of sessions. One on Online Community Fundraising that you can see over on my givinginadigitalworld.org blog and the other on Consumer Insight that you can view above or on slideshare.

All too often smaller charities feel they can’t benefit from Supporter Insight because they can’t afford to invest in research, while many of those with larger budgets still can’t find the answers they need in the research reports they receive. This session draws mostly on my time as Head of Strategy and Consumer Insight at Cancer Research UK, to highlight the key difference between Research and Insight and show how even small charities can make use of Supporter Insight techniques if they know where to look.

Ryanair is not a great introduction to air travel, and they did not seem to enjoy the experience. As a result a trip back by boat and train suited them well, and has now been completed – twenty four hours later than scheduled and all very smoothly except for the exceptionally unhelpful Virgin staff at Crewe (to be contrasted with all other train staff who have been brilliant).

It’s staggering to note how something like a volcano erupting can have such an impact on  life. And in microcosm it shows how much a part of nature we humans are, and how mush we must respect that fact.

I confidently predict a serious decline in air travel after this incident, and a significant rise in teleconferencing. I would welcome that. Of course meeting face to face is useful sometimes. But maybe not as often as we think.

I also note something else related to the environment. All of which leads me to also note that the right wing have not been grovelling in their apologies when after months of controversy, the University of East Anglia climate unit was exonerated last week over the leaked emails affair. The Royal Society found the work undertaken at the unit was robust. The climate change deniers – almost to a person the same people it seems who promote tax abuse – have been silent in response. Facts don’t appeal to them.

Of course a volcanic eruption has, almost certainly, nothing to do with climate change. But it does emphatically demonstrate our dependence upon nature and the risk we take if altering the environment in a way that might make irrevocable change threatening our life much more seriously than simply being denied the opportunity to travel by air.

Closing out the Skoll Forum, UK social entrepreneur and potty-mouth extraordinaire Tim Smit shared that one of his managerial rules at his Eden Project is, when you're entirely stretched to the gills and every sinew in your organization's collective body is tensed, there is only one thing you must do: "take on a giant f*cking project."

Yesterday, while waiting on the line with Virgin Atlantic to learn that my flight would be rescheduled for sometime mid 2013, I emailed the amazing folks at TED to see what they thought about having us run a TEDxVolcano, do celebrate the true absurdity of this whole situation.

The response was amazing, and their team -- some of whom were stranded here themselves -- immediately jumped into action. We began recruiting speakers, and starting to plan the logistics. When I landed in London, I put out a call for help to the great TEDxLondon organizers and the dynamic Sandbox Network of under-30 rockstars.

Pretty soon we had a venue at the beautiful Hub Kings Cross, a set of volunteers, food for the event, speakers that include Google.org's Larry Brilliant and Economist New York Bureau Chief Matthew Bishop, and a whole city excited and behind us.

We're trying our best to fit everyone in, although there is far more demand than we can accommodate.

Photocredit: mine

An image of the Fuji TV building by Flickr user kamoda

Oricon, which published a survey-based popularity ranking, defines Choju programs as shows that have aired longer than 10 years. The various genres of these Choju programs are certainly represented in their top 10 most favorites ranking based on the questionnaire in October, 2009.

オリコンでは『好きな長寿番組』についてアンケートを実施したところ、1位は1982年に放送がスタートした昼のバラエティ番組【森田一義アワー　笑っていいとも！】（フジテレビ系）が選ばれた。番組の企画構成やレギュラー出演者の豪華さはもちろんだが、主な支持の理由として、司会のタモリを称える意見が圧倒的。

3位に「数少ない正統派の歌番組」（埼玉県/30代/女性）と【ミュージックステーション】（テレビ朝日系）がランクイン。「生放送独特の緊張感やハプニングがいい。さらにミュージシャンの素が垣間見えて面白い」（長野県/30代/女性）と、音楽番組として放送開始時から変わらないスタンスと真摯な番組作り、さらに音楽番組として今では数少ない“生放送”という番組形態が高い支持を獲得。

なお、2位には国民的アニメ【サザエさん】（フジテレビ系）、4位に【笑点】（日本テレビ系）と日曜夕方の定番番組が挙がり、いずれも「家族団らんの時間の象徴になっているから」（埼玉県/10代/女性）と家族揃って観ても安心できる番組として親しまれているようだ。

Project planner Shuji Nakamura says that the ratings of long-running anime show Sazaesan reflect the state of the economy in Japan:

アニメ『サザエさん』の第1回放送は1969年10月5日。今年で41年目を迎える長寿番組である。ゴールデンタイムのドラマの視聴率が20％あれば御の字という時代になっても、平均視聴率が20％前後という非常に高い数字をはじき出す国民的アニメだ。きっとキャラクターも、認知率は100％に近いだろう。
　日曜18時30分から放送という国民的アニメであるため、その視聴率は景気と連動していると言われている。景気の良いときは、日曜18時30分になっても家に帰らず、外食やレジャーを楽しむ家族が多いため、視聴率が下がる。しかし、不景気の時は日曜に外へ出かけないで家にこもり、みんなで夕食を食べながら『サザエさん』を見るというスタイルになるため、視聴率が上がるというわけだ。

For comparison, I looked up the longest running TV shows in the U.S. which is de facto the longest in the world. This would be “Meet the Press” on NBC, the Sunday morning political talk show that debuted in 1947. Next is “CBS Evening News” and NBC's morning news program “Today.” No. 4 is CBS Daytime drama “Guiding Light.”

What stands out in the list of Japanese Choju programs is the dominance of NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), especially when you look at the shows with more than half a century of history. A wide range of genres are represented here as well, including the singing contest “Nodojiman” (which can be said to resemble American Idol), and Kohaku Uta Gassen (= an annual music show), and limited to news programs like in the American list.

PBS, which could be considered the U.S. equivalent as another public broadcasting company that pioneered the industry in their respective countries, barely makes in a top 10.

While asking more than 1.75 million fellow users of the Japanese message board called “Oshiete! Goo” for their favorite shows, many listed one of the Choju programs as favorites.

After watched an episode of “Sazae-san“, blogger Zakiyama Yumeko explained its plot and pondered:

こういうところが、長寿番組の秘訣でしょうか。ほのぼのした、いい話が多いですよね。
気がつけば、物心ついたころからサザエさんを見ていると思います。

What kind of shows do you like? Do you enjoy watching the shows your parents and your grandparents also enjoyed or are they outdated and boring? Do you think shows with decades of history will be around 20 years from now?

Using hyperspectral imaging, scientists from McGill University have found unmarked animal graves with special cameras that measure changes in the light coming from soil and plants.

Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes light from across the electromagnetic spectrum, including visible light, as well as ultraviolet and infrared light. The research could help police solve missing persons cases or reveal new mass graves from hundreds, if not thousands, of years ago.

Reminiscent of one of Walter Bishop’s experiments in Fringe, the applications of this technology in the domain of human rights is obvious, and deeply resonant in Sri Lanka as well. One caveat seems to be that this technology is not, as yet, satellite based. Fly-overs over any contested terrain would be impossible without the acquiesce of aviation authorities, who in countries where the government itself is suspected of war crimes, aren’t going to be terribly helpful.

And yet, advancements in forensics such as this can hold accountable perpetrators of gross human rights violations long after their acts have been committed. As the Discovery article avers,

Ian Hanson, a scientist at the University of Bournemouth in Britain, is “very impressed,” with the McGill research. Hanson uses infrared cameras to help local police find missing persons and also investigates international human rights abuses and mass graves in Bosnia and elsewhere.

“This has a wide range of applications,” for local police and international human rights investigators. “If the perpetrators know that what they do will leave long term traces that can be detected, that might have a deterrent effect on them,” said Hanson.

The best from SAARC Photography Pool In Flickr. Image by Flickr User Samih (iZZo). CC By

Thimphu, the small capital of Bhutan is in a flurry of activity, gearing up for the upcoming SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Summit which will take place at the end of April (28-29). This is the first time that Bhutan is hosting the Summit having passed the opportunity three times in the past because of a lack of infrastructure.

However, the country is extremely proud that it will be hosting it this year, a year which coincides with the Silver Jubilee of the Regional Association. The SAARC, the most important regional alliance, was established when its Charter was adopted on December 8, 1985 and now have Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka as member nations. Bhutanese newspapers report that 450 delegates from these countries and about 150 journalists are expected to attend and cover the summit and international observers from China, Japan, the European Union, Republic of Korea, USA, Australia, Mauritius and Iran will also attend.

Firoz at The South Asia blog informs:

The official website of the Sixteenth SAARC Summit has been created to share information related to the Summit and to facilitate various logistical arrangements.

Leaders of eight South Asian nations will gather in the Bhutanese capital of Thimphu and chart out a roadmap for conserving environment to face the climate change, poverty alleviation, promoting cooperation in hardcore economic areas and curbing terrorism.

The Maldivian blog Maldives Live quoted Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes as saying that Bangladesh and the Maldives are two countries most vulnerable to changing climate.

Quoting environment scientists, he said the Maldives will lose its existence with the rise of sea level while Bangladesh will lose 20 percent of its low lying areas in the Bay, which will displace 25 million people.

He said SAARC council of ministers meeting in Thimpu will finalize a declaration on the climate change.

Besides, the summit is expected to sign agreement on trade and services, rapid response to natural disaster and cooperation in environment and South Asian Development Fund.

It is also being speculated that Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and his Pakistani counterpart, Yousuf Raza Gilani, may take this opportunity to meet on the side to talk in detail about counter-terrorism in the two countries, even though the Hindustan Times has informed that the two leaders will not be meeting.

Blogger Ani at Taragana said:

If the leaders meet, it would be their first meeting since the dialogue in Sharm-el-Sheikh in Egypt in July last year. The Indo-Pak composite talks were stalled following the November 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Even though the foreign secretaries of both the countries met on February 25 in New Delhi, the deliberations failed to yield any substantial result with India pressing hard on its demand for Islamabad to do more against terror networks flourishing on its soil.

Ejaz Ghani, Economic Advisor in South Asia region at the World Bank, emphasizes in a blog-post that the key to political stability and poverty alleviation in South Asia is to deal with the terrorism and internal conflicts:

South Asian governments have taken a variety of different approaches to counter terrorism. Reviewing these approaches in the South Asian and global context, it appears that the armed forces or local militias have not been especially effective in combating terrorism. [..]

Regional cross-border cooperation is an essential part of any counterinsurgency strategy. Considerable potential exists for regional cooperation in reducing conflict, but this has been an underutilized strategy in combating terrorism in South Asia.

Journalist and blogger Adhikari from Bhutan expresses in his blog that Nepal has the opportunity to raise the issue of Bhutanese refugees during the SAARC summit:

Hints are already on card that Bhutan will not issue permits for People's SAARC event to those who are likely to speak on Bhutanese refugee problem. It depends on how Nepal, busy with its own constitution making and peace process, can spare time to address the prolong crisis that has not become an issue of lesser priority.

While all countries want to take this opportunity to iron out their regional differences there is optimism that regional politics will not overshadow common concerns like poverty alleviation, promoting economic cooperation and climate change.

In Yemen, a 12-year-old bride dies after wedding
The death of a 12-year-old Yemeni girl, who died from internal bleeding caused by intercourse after her marriage to an older husband, highlights the dangers faced by girls in Yemen, a UNICEF representative said. One-third of girls there are married by age 18, according to the UN.

The most active discussion took place in the Livejournal community ru_travel (about 30,000 readers). Moderators had to make a special tag “volcano” [RUS] to facilitate mass of eruption-connected postings. Bloggers were helping each other by giving consultations on passenger rights, airline practices, hotel deals and land transportation routes.

Individual bloggers offered help beyond just sharing information. Lacrizza offered [RUS] to take some people from the Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow and provide them with temporary accommodation. Nata_vasilisa proposed the same in Krakow, Poland [RUS]:

Если у вас кто-то застрял в Кракове в связи с вулканом, и негде переждать облако - я могу приютить.

Bets were also a part of the discussion. Lj-user asy suggested [RUS] to make bets on the date of the ending of the European flight ban. Below are the most original ones:

так как наш рейс на завтра с вероятностью 99,999% отменят, то сделаю ставку, что именно полное снятие ограничений будет в районе 3-4 мая. Правда к тому времени большинство а/к обанкротятся в виду возвратов денег за полеты :)

elena_w1:

У меня билеты в Париж на 9 мая. шансы к тому времени 50/50. но я вообще думаю что конец света наступает- так что….думаю что больше ничего летать не будет

Allevtinka sarcastically replied to it:

вот кстати да! прошлый раз этот вулкан пыхал 2 года подряд. (200 лет назад). Если к 2010+2=2012 :) как всё просто, однако!

ingushetiya_ru cited Qur'an referring to the Apocalypse:

Then watch for the Day when the sky will bring a visible smoke.

Yuri-yum suggested [RUS] that the eruption was rather a “Sodom” case rather then the Judgment Day. He was referring to the personality of Icelandic prime-minister Johanna Sigurdardottir, world's first gay leader [ENG].

The Apocalyptic topic was quite popular among bloggers. Some shared pictures of Vladimir Manyukhin [RUS] depicting Moscow after “nuclear winter:”

Apocalyptic Red Square, photo by Vladimir Manyukhin

dmitrivrubel wrote [RUS]:

Летайте самолётами компании “Эйяфьятлайокудль”! Почему до сих пор не придумали шлягера, мультика, нет ни одного сувенира? Ведь какой замечательный персонаж - м-р Эйяфьятлайокудль. И его супруга Мирдальсйёкюдль, которая ещё не проснулась.

• New data on the cost of LEED.
• Green building advocates take the LEED.
• Going green often starts with economic self-interest.
• Google squares off against green data center standard.
• LEED green building standards must not be diluted.
• Consumers wary of green product costs.
• The new frontier is green makeovers.

Also, follow @jetsongreen on Twitter or fan Jetson Green on Facebook for more news, links, and commentary.

The third annual meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U) has descended on the University of Miami campus, where more than a thousand college students, dozens of university presidents, and various nonprofit leaders and social entrepreneurs will spend all or part of the weekend participating in workshops and meetings focused on five main topics of importance to college students: education, the environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation, and public health. The meeting also will have a special focus on moving forward reconstruction efforts in Haiti.

As at all CGI events, participants are expected to make "commitments to action" -- a comprehensive, formal commitment to address a specific problem on their campus, in their community, or somewhere in the world. This year, participating students volunteered a thousand new commitments, while various universities and national youth organizations offered an additional sixty. When fully funded, the value of those commitments is expected to total roughly $42 million and will improve the lives of more than 290,000 people around the globe.

The following commitments (among others) were announced today:

• Maren Gelle, Kayla Johnson, Sarah Carlson, and Daniel Novas will offer bike rentals for students on the St. Olaf College campus. The goal of the project is to encourage a bicycle culture on campus while reducing traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions. Gelle, Johnson, Carlson, and Novas also will work with the local community to donate bikes to Haiti to be used as bicycle ambulances.

• Syracuse University undergraduates Tim Biba, Gregory Klotz, Kate Callahan, and Allison Stuckless will launch a literacy and nutrition program -- Books and Cooks -- for children in low-income housing in Syracuse, New York. In addition to improving students' reading skills, the students will teach workshops devoted to cooking and nutrition.

• New York University student Michelle Pomeroy, in partnership with the Tibetan Women's Association, will lead a two-week leadership skills course in India for exiled Tibetan women. The course will train women in leadership, settlement officer responsibilities, conflict resolution, and gender sensitization, with the goal of preparing the women to be elected or appointed as settlement officers.

• University of Miami undergrads Kaitlin Birgenthal, Safia Alajlan, Kelley Winship, and Sara Johnson will work to expand Ocean Kids to Boston, Washington, D.C., the Bahamas, and Kuwait. Ocean Kids currently brings underserved elementary school students to the University of Miami campus, where they learn about marine life and science.

• Rockland Community College undergrads Mark Svensson and Tarik Abdelqader will work to combat the modern human slave trade in the U.S. by lobbying state officials in New York and urging them pass a resolution that aims to stem the flow of enslaved people into the country. Each year an estimated 14,000 to 17,000 people are brought to the U.S. to be traded as human slaves, with New York state functioning as one of the largest trafficking hubs. In 2009, the legislature of Rockland County passed a memorializing resolution co-authored by Svensson and Abdelqader, and the two plan to target other county legislatures as well.

• Bates College student Razin Mustafiz will create financial literacy workshops for the Somali and Somali-Bantu community in Lewiston, Maine. The workshops will cover the basics of financial planning, from opening a bank account to saving money for education. Mustafiz' commitment is supported by the Bates College Harward Center for Community Partnerships and Adroscoggin Bank.

• MIT student Christopher Moses will develop a course called "Sana Lab" to teach medical personnel and students in the Philippines how to adapt a mobile medicine system developed at MIT to poor, remote locations. His commitment ultimately aims to extend medical care to the conflict-ridden area of Mindanao.

• St. Lawrence University student Grace Ochieng will work to expand the Pads for the People Project that she started in her village of Lwala, Kenya, with the help of the Lwala Community Alliance and thirteen local women. Women who participate in the project are trained to sew menstrual pads and encouraged to sell them for a profit. Over the next six months, Grace will form partnerships and work to make the program more financially sustainable.

• John Trimmer and Scott Teagarden, undergraduate engineering students at Bucknell University, will construct a rainwater harvesting system that will provide the three hundred residents of Tumaipa, Suriname, with reliable, clean running water year-round. Local labor and materials will be used in the construction of the rainwater catchment system, and a water committee will be established to take ongoing ownership for the project.

• Cynthia Koenig, founder of Hippo Water International and a graduate student at the University of Michigan, in association with Hippo Water International, will work to expand Hippo Water Rollers to India, providing Rollers to women and families. The Hippo, an innovative water transport tool designed to alleviate the problems associated with lack of access to water, makes it possible to collect twenty-four gallons of water, five times the amount possible using traditional methods, in much less time and much more easily.

• Makerere University graduate student Divinity Barkley will build an energy-efficient recording studio for the Amagezi Gemaanyi Youth Association (AGYA) Learning Center, a community center she founded in Kampala, Uganda. Her commitment will provide digital technology training to the Ugandan youth at AGYA, empower them to produce and market their own music, and serve as a source of revenue for AGYA's arts and educational programs. In addition, the recording studio will utilize solar power for 35 percent of its energy.

• Wesleyan student Kennedy Odede, in conjunction with Shining Hope for Communities and American Friends of Kenya, will work to empower and educate women in Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa. His commitment has two parts: a Home Birth Network, through which women will be trained as home birth attendants; and the Women’s Microfinance Empowerment Project, which will use sustainable gardening techniques to grow vitamin-rich vegetables that provide desperately needed sources of nutrition at affordable prices.

• Purdue University student Keith Hansen will create the iRead Foundation to deliver childrens books to community health centers in Indiana. As vice president of the Purdue Engineering Student Council, Hansen oversees a group that puts on the largest student-run job fair in the nation, bringing over 350 of the nation’s biggest engineering companies to campus and raising nearly $500,000 dollars annually. A portion of those funds will be used to set up the iRead foundation.

• Miami Dade College student Ximena Prugue will distribute 10,000 solar-powered lamps in India's rural communities, with the goal of reducing and/or eliminating kerosene lamp use. The D.Light Design Company lamps will be provided by Bogo Light at wholesale price, and Ximena will work with PTK Honor Society at Miami Dade to raise the money neccessary to purchase the lamps.

• MIT student Sreeja Nag will work to bring renewable, sustainable, and affordable energy to rural regions of India. After consulting local citizens, NGO representatives, and staff at Selco Solar India, Nag has created a report outlining how to bring energy to these areas. One of her ideas, for example, is to create detachable table lighting systems for students to carry home from a solar-powered charger at school.

• University of Miami students Kristina Rosales, Arielle Duperval, Austin Webbert, and Lissette Miller will establish two new community centers in Cite Soleil, a slum located in Port-au-Prince. The community centers will provide educational progams, cultural activities, mentoring, and opportunities for intercultural exchanges between the south Florida community and Haiti.

• Khushbu Mishra, an undergraduate student at Mount Holyoke College, will open an art institute in Mithila, Nepal, to display and sell the cultural folk art of local women, empowering and improving the lives of their families. After it is completed, the center will be run by local women who will then train other women in the arts, thereby expanding the reach of the program.

• Jessica Yamane, an undergraduate student at the University of California-Riverside, will design an experimental course on how communities can promote healing for domestic violence victims. Partnering with Alternatives to Domestic Violence, Path of Life Ministry's King's Hall Transitional Housing Program, and With Her Strength, Yamane hopes to modify this curriculum for integration in K-12 health and wellness programs throughout the Riverside School District.

• Christine Meling, an undergraduate student at Luther College, will purchase the materials and sewing machines for women in Yari, Sudan, to make school uniforms for families who cannot afford them. The women also will receive training on how to sew and use the profits from uniform sales to sustain the program.

• An Thi Minh Vo, in association with the Office of Genetic Counseling and Disabled Children in Hue City, Vietnam, will provide microloans of $212 to thirty-five families with children disabled by Agent Orange. The project aims to increase borrowers' income and ease the hardship of families struggling to afford health care and other basic needs.

• University of the Pacific graduate student Harnoor Singh will work with local physicians to provide free blood sugar and basic cardiovascular health screenings for California's migrant worker and supply low-cost prescription drugs to those in need. The tests, which can be completed for less than $15 per person, are of vital importance to California's migrant laborers, the majority of whom lack access to basic healthcare services.

• Nathan O'Hara, a graduate student at the University of British Columbia, in association with Makerere University and Vancouver General Hospital, will work to supply Mulago Hospital in Kampala, Uganda, with three hundred half-pins annually. Each year, there are unnecessary fatalities in Uganda due to a lack of vital medical supplies; half-pins, which are used to treat traumatic injuries involving fractured bones, are among those. A collection system in Vancouver-area hospitals will reprocesses the reusable pins, which will be delivered to Mulago Hospital twice a year.

• Christina Newman, Sherley Codio, and Fabrice Marcelin, students at Virginia Tech, in partnership with Caritas and the Religious of Jesus and Mary in Gros-Morne, Haiti, will raise $60,000 and oversee the construction of a facility that can house more than 1,500 hens capable of producing 1,250 eggs per day -- 15 percent of the local egg supply. The three have already raised $23,000 and developed a business plan for the project. Their commitment will strengthen the local economy by reducing reliance on imports, and will empower local communities by providing much-needed employment opportunities.

Wow. As Margaret Mead famously said, "Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have." Hats off to those who have stepped up with commitments. You are an inspiration to us all.

To learn more about and/or view webcasts from the event, which ends tomorrow, click here.

-- Mitch Nauffts

As reported by White Cottage Blog, the first day was characterized by chaos and even one fan lost their life after collapsing while queuing to purchase a ticket:

The first day of the last phase of ticket sales for the World Cup has resulted in chaos, with queues at sales points, one soccer fan dying of a heart attack in the queue, and the FNB system being off-line.

The blog also notes that:

…greedy and opportunistic “speculators” bought tickets, with the aim of reselling them, at a profit one would assume, and have now discovered, even though it was clearly stipulated during the purchase process, that one cannot resell them, as the ID number of the ticket purchasers are printed on the tickets. This means that sellers of tickets cannot even give them away for free!

The Soccerphile Blog gave a more personal account:

After being told by FIFA that there were tickets for all games, people who had been queuing from 0700 finally got to the counter at around 1400 to be told that only Category 1 tickets were available for some games

The 5th Official has this to say about the ticket sales as they got underway:

A total of 1610 tickets were sold to 310 customers nationally at the Ticketing Centres within the first hour after they opened at 9am this morning, with 2166 tickets also sold to 470 fans at FNB branches. The integrated Ticketing System, which manages all sales channels experienced huge countrywide demand; as a result experiencing some delays initially in the processing of ticket orders.

The Worldbbnews.com, managed to get the Chief Executive Danny Jordaan who sought to clear the air about the chaos:

Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the World Cup organising committee, shrugged off the complaints: “It happens when you use technology. The moment you want not to have a glitch, you have a glitch. We printed tickets this morning and it was working perfectly. Then when you come and the cameras are here, somehow the machine gets shy and it doesn’t happen. But I’m happy it’s back online.”

Danny Jordaan said this to a British journalist:

I don’t think you understand chaos. It seems you have never been with football fans buying tickets. The experience today is exactly the same as buying a Manchester United or Arsenal ticket.…

In Pretoria, An American in Pretoriahad this to say:

I drove across Pretoria today. One of the robots was out and traffic was nightmarish. When I finally arrived at my destination there were throngs of people standing in a queue that snaked through two shopping malls - twisting, turning, suffocating any empty space in a two-block radius…World Cup tickets were available for public sale. The crowd was so thick I couldn't leave or go anywhere, so I sat in a cafe for three hours.

The World Soccer Blog says that South Africans do not seem to be interested in buying the tickets:

Over 500,000 tickets went on sale in SA over the counter in the final phase. Organizers are confronted with the Herculean task of selling these in the next two months or risk seeing sparsely attended matches. Ticket sales have been brisk in the USA, flat in Europe, and in Japan and generally in Asia, they have been disappointing.

But there are indications that South Africans themselves are not coming out in droves to buy. The danger is the lower profile matches involving nations like New Zealand, Slovenia, Algeria, and Greece. The SA government is also resorting to waiving visa fees at the point of entry in a bid to attract more World Cup fans. They are also setting up fast track channels to expedite visa processing.