Monday, May 30, 2005
Developing your vocabulary:
Developing your vocabulary!
Vocabulary:
The cognitive process of acquiring skill or knowledge!
Cognition is a process of acquiring certain skills/language, be it (spoken or written), which enables us to communicate more effectively.
For example, "The boy stood on the burning deck, when all but he, had fled."
The question you may be asking yourself is, why did he not flee the flames?
And you may be presuming too, that he might have been so scared, that he became transfixed. Fear may have been the reason why he did not automatically respond, or remove himself from that situation.
And why did someone not try to rescue or save him, from the flames of the burning ship? Had everyone abandoned ship without noticing him? Or was he left behind in the general panic and confusion?
Whatever it was, that statement 'the boy stood on the burning deck, when all but he, had fled,' has induced endless speculation about his dilemma or predicament. And that is what vocabulary enables us to do in spoken or written language!
Imbedded:
To fix or set secretly or deeply!
Today on Manhattan Neighborhood Television, someone was asked in an interview on the street, what does it mean to be imbedded? This was in relation to news reporting in Iraq by journalists. And surprisingly, no one knew the answer. Even though this was being mentioned/explained time and again, on television during the war in Iraq.
I think it all comes down to the regular or frequent use of certain words or language in our day to day experiences. When you incorporate a wide array of vocabulary in your daily life, the tendency to pluck out the appropriate word from your mental archives comes naturally. Much more so that those who do not explore or expand theirs!
Om Shanti.
Derryck S. Griffith.
Political Educator & Advocate.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/Mimbari2003
Bloggers have rights too!
By Rep. John Conyers, Published on ZDNet News: March 24, 2005, 12:09 PM PT
BLOGGERS HAVE RIGHTS TOO!
CommentaryThe Internet has proved to be the greatest advancement in our ability to disseminate news and information since the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in 1450. Web Loggers, or bloggers, have already broken several major stories, including those that led to the resignation of a Virginia congressman, a shake-up at CBS news over the "60 Minutes" Bush National Guard story the firing of a CNN executive over remarks criticizing the U.S. military, and the White House granting Jeff Gannon inappropriate access to White House daily press briefings.
Unfortunately, today in two separate arenas--campaign finance laws and the legal privileges accorded to journalists to protect confidential sources bloggers' free speech rights are at risk. It is incumbent on the Federal Election Commission, legislatures, and the courts to ensure these rights are protected for Internet-based media. The FEC is currently considering bloggers' role as journalists as it intersects with the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, or BCRA. Late last year, the District Court for the District of Columbia overturned the FEC's blanket exemption of the Internet from campaign finance law.
The FEC must therefore decide whether to characterize Web reporters asmembers of the press warranting a BCRA exemption similar to that of theprint and broadcast media. I recently wrote a letter along with 13 of mycolleagues urging the FEC to apply the press exemption to the Internet,and Sen. Harry Reid has introduced legislation to this effect. The state courts have also considered the issue of bloggers' First Amendment rights. Last month,
Apple Computer sought a California court's permission to serve subpoenas on three Web sites for publishing Apple's trade secrets. Bloggers argued the subpoenas violated their First Amendment rights to maintain confidential sources. The Superior Court judge eventually ruled against the bloggers , however, and in doing so the court did not reach the issue of whether they should be considered journalists and entitled to First Amendment protection. So the legal issue of journalist privileges for bloggers is still unresolved. The confluence of these two cases indicates that we are at a turning point in the evolution of Internet-based media. I believe bloggers have shown they warrant
First Amendment protection for several reasons.
First, bloggers have become widely accepted as legitimate news gatherers and disseminators. Columbia University's Project for Excellence inJournalism reports that 32 million Americans are currently turning to blogs for their information. Bloggers were granted press passes to both theDemocratic and Republican national conventions last summer, and theWhite House recently approved the first blog press pass to a day's gaggle.Bloggers should be classified as journalists and given First Amendmentprotections based on the function they perform, not the form of theirtransmissions. Properly understood, the First Amendment applies to allthose who report with journalistic integrity--offline or online.
In a prescient 1993 decision, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appealsfound that an author had standing to invoke a reporter's privilege whenthe court ruled that "what makes journalism journalism is not its formatbut its content." The same principle and rights should apply to bloggers if they are producing similar content and using similar journalistic techniques as the mainstream media. Ironically, many of the "established" media outlets have also migrated online, with some even running their own blogs.
For better or worse, we operate in an environment where majorconglomerates such as News Corp., General Electric, Disney, Viacom,Gannett, Knight-Ridder and Clear Channel dominate the nation's airwavesand print media. Whenever a potential story criticizing a powerfulpolitical figure or corporate parent is squelched, questions are raisedconcerning the independence of the mainstream news media. Bloggers, bycontrast, are not subject to these same constraints or concerns, andhave shown their independence over and over.
I agree with Thomas Jefferson's sentiments when he wrote, "The basis ofour government being the opinion of people, the very first object shouldbe to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter."
In Jefferson's era, print newspapers revolutionized the way the countryread and processed the news. Today we stand on the precipice of a newmedia revolution with the advent of the Internet. We need to protectbloggers' First Amendment rights so they can help us protect our owncitizens' rights.
Biography.Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., is the ranking member on the House JudiciaryCommittee.
END.
Beware Of The Bloggers!
Beware of the Bloggers!
Definition: A person who shares his or her personal diary or journalOnline!
The Internet-A Free Medium For Expression!
Gone are the days when if you had something to say of substance, orwanted to reach large volumes of readers, you had to purchase space in anewspaper, time on radio, or publish a book.
With the advent of The World Wide Web, all you need is an Internetconnection, a computer & modem, and all of your wishes (almost), will berealized via this medium.
There was a time when I wanted to publish my Poetry, and the voluminousarticles that I had written and accumulated over the years, but couldnot afford a periodical publication in the local press. Nor could I haveimagined the possibility of reaching thousands, all in one go, or withthe click on a button.
Today, this opportunity via the Internet has provided me with volumes ofreaders from all over the world. I have chatted and made friendshitherto impossible with Pen Pals or local postal mailing. The costwould have been too great. And the time for letters and responses takestoo long, to move from person to person in the traditional fashion.
So I welcome The Web with open arms, and has been exploiting it to thebest of my ability. But caution must be observed, Today there is so muchinformation being disseminated via the Internet, that it is verydifficult to ascertain "truth from fact." However, with experiencedeyes, vigilant and analytic minds, one could in time decipher differenttypes of propaganda, from objective reporting, to journalistic information.
Let us respect this medium, and be mindful of our fellows, all of whomhave something to say at some time or another. Move on if we do notappreciate someone's opinion. Debate issues, welcome different opinions,and encourage participation at all times. And remember, even The Dull &Ignorant have a Role To Play in this Cosmic Drama!
Om Shanti.
Derryck S. Griffith.
Political Educator & Advocate.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
The world's largest Gay Pride parade:
Monday, 30 May, 2005:
World's Largest Gay Pride march:
Brazil hosts huge Gay Pride march Organisers say the march is the world's biggest Gay Pride parade Hundreds of thousands of people have converged for a huge Gay Pride parade in the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo. Crowds carrying rainbow flags danced through one of the main avenues, as floats blasted music from loudspeakers.
Organisers said nearly two million people were at the march. If the figure is confirmed, that makes the parade the biggest of its kind in the world. The event's managers said the parade was not just a party, but also a demonstration for equal rights. One of the parade organisers, Antonio Carlos da Silva, told the BBC Brazil had a long way to go in overcoming homophobia. "This is a very macho country, especially some parts of the country," he said.
"We also rank first in violence against gays so from gay bashing to murder we have a lot of problems in this country." Another organiser, Pedro Almeida, told AFP news agency: "A homosexual is murdered here every two days - just for being homosexual."
Demanding equal rights
Demanding equal rights
Gay, lesbian and bisexual Brazilians were joined by about 400,000 visitors from around the world for the ninth annual parade along Avenida Paulista. Gay and heterosexual Brazilians took part The marchers' main demand was the legalisation of gay unions in Brazil, where a proposed law has been debated in Congress for 10 years.
The Roman Catholic Church opposes gay marriage in the country, which is the world's largest Catholic nation.
The Roman Catholic Church opposes gay marriage in the country, which is the world's largest Catholic nation.
"We have the same commitments, we want the same rights," a banner read. It is not easy in our daily lives," a drag queen named Paola said. "We have to end the prejudices that society has against us."
END:Derryck.
http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
.
Sunday, May 08, 2005
Voice Of America interview with Mullah Omar:
The Taliban's Mullah Omar - in his own words
This 12-minute interview with Mullah Omar Mohammad, the Taliban leader, was conducted in Pashtu for the publicly-funded radio channel Voice of America. The broadcast was pulled on Friday, September 21, 2001 following objections from the US Deputy Secretary Of State and senior officials of the National Security Council.
Voice of America interviewer: Why don't you expel Osama Bin Laden?
Omar: This is not an issue of Osama bin Laden. It is an issue of Islam. Islam's prestige is at stake. So is Afghanistan's tradition.
VOA: Do you know that the US has announced a war on terrorism?
Omar: I am considering two promises. One is the promise of God, the other is that of Bush. The promise of God is that my land is vast. If you start a journey on God's path, you can reside anywhere on this earth and will be protected... The promise of Bush is that there is no place on earth where you can hide that I cannot find you. We will see which one of these two promises is fulfilled.
VOA: But aren't you afraid for the people, yourself, the Taliban, your country?
Omar: Almighty God... is helping the believers and the Muslims. God says he will never be satisfied with the infidels. In terms of worldly affairs, America is very strong. Even if it were twice as strong or twice that, it could not be strong enough to defeat us. We are confident that no one can harm us if God is with us.
VOA: You are telling me you are not concerned, but Afghans all over the world are concerned.
Omar: We are also concerned. Great issues lie ahead. But we depend on God's mercy. Consider our point of view: if we give Osama away today, Muslims who are now pleading to give him up would then be reviling us for giving him up... Everyone is afraid of America and wants to please it. But Americans will not be able to prevent such acts like the one that has just occurred because America has taken Islam hostage. If you look at Islamic countries, the people are in despair. They are complaining that Islam is gone. But people remain firm in their Islamic beliefs. In their pain and frustration, some of them commit suicide acts. They feel they have nothing to lose.
VOA: What do you mean by saying America has taken the Islamic world hostage?
Omar: America controls the governments of the Islamic countries. The people ask to follow Islam, but the governments do not listen because they are in the grip of the United States. If someone follows the path of Islam, the government arrests him, tortures him or kills him. This is the doing of America. If it stops supporting those governments and lets the people deal with them, then such things won't happen. America has created the evil that is attacking it. The evil will not disappear even if I die and Osama dies and others die. The US should step back and review its policy. It should stop trying to impose its empire on the rest of the world, especially on Islamic countries.
VOA: So you won't give Osama bin Laden up?
Omar: No. We cannot do that. If we did, it means we are not Muslims... that Islam is finished. If we were afraid of attack, we could have surrendered him the last time we were threatened and attacked. So America can hit us again, and this time we don't even have a friend.
VOA: If you fight America with all your might - can the Taliban do that? Won't America beat you and won't your people suffer even more?
Omar: I'm very confident that it won't turn out this way. Please note this: there is nothing more we can do except depend on almighty God. If a person does, then he is assured that the Almighty will help him, have mercy on him and he will succeed.
END.
Derryck S. Griffith.Political Educator & Advocate.http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
This 12-minute interview with Mullah Omar Mohammad, the Taliban leader, was conducted in Pashtu for the publicly-funded radio channel Voice of America. The broadcast was pulled on Friday, September 21, 2001 following objections from the US Deputy Secretary Of State and senior officials of the National Security Council.
Voice of America interviewer: Why don't you expel Osama Bin Laden?
Omar: This is not an issue of Osama bin Laden. It is an issue of Islam. Islam's prestige is at stake. So is Afghanistan's tradition.
VOA: Do you know that the US has announced a war on terrorism?
Omar: I am considering two promises. One is the promise of God, the other is that of Bush. The promise of God is that my land is vast. If you start a journey on God's path, you can reside anywhere on this earth and will be protected... The promise of Bush is that there is no place on earth where you can hide that I cannot find you. We will see which one of these two promises is fulfilled.
VOA: But aren't you afraid for the people, yourself, the Taliban, your country?
Omar: Almighty God... is helping the believers and the Muslims. God says he will never be satisfied with the infidels. In terms of worldly affairs, America is very strong. Even if it were twice as strong or twice that, it could not be strong enough to defeat us. We are confident that no one can harm us if God is with us.
VOA: You are telling me you are not concerned, but Afghans all over the world are concerned.
Omar: We are also concerned. Great issues lie ahead. But we depend on God's mercy. Consider our point of view: if we give Osama away today, Muslims who are now pleading to give him up would then be reviling us for giving him up... Everyone is afraid of America and wants to please it. But Americans will not be able to prevent such acts like the one that has just occurred because America has taken Islam hostage. If you look at Islamic countries, the people are in despair. They are complaining that Islam is gone. But people remain firm in their Islamic beliefs. In their pain and frustration, some of them commit suicide acts. They feel they have nothing to lose.
VOA: What do you mean by saying America has taken the Islamic world hostage?
Omar: America controls the governments of the Islamic countries. The people ask to follow Islam, but the governments do not listen because they are in the grip of the United States. If someone follows the path of Islam, the government arrests him, tortures him or kills him. This is the doing of America. If it stops supporting those governments and lets the people deal with them, then such things won't happen. America has created the evil that is attacking it. The evil will not disappear even if I die and Osama dies and others die. The US should step back and review its policy. It should stop trying to impose its empire on the rest of the world, especially on Islamic countries.
VOA: So you won't give Osama bin Laden up?
Omar: No. We cannot do that. If we did, it means we are not Muslims... that Islam is finished. If we were afraid of attack, we could have surrendered him the last time we were threatened and attacked. So America can hit us again, and this time we don't even have a friend.
VOA: If you fight America with all your might - can the Taliban do that? Won't America beat you and won't your people suffer even more?
Omar: I'm very confident that it won't turn out this way. Please note this: there is nothing more we can do except depend on almighty God. If a person does, then he is assured that the Almighty will help him, have mercy on him and he will succeed.
END.
Derryck S. Griffith.Political Educator & Advocate.http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
The Taliban's Mullah Omar - in his own words
This 12-minute interview with Mullah Omar Mohammad, the Taliban leader, was conducted in Pashtu for the publicly-funded radio channel Voice of America. The broadcast was pulled on Friday, September 21, 2001 following objections from the US Deputy Secretary Of State and senior officials of the National Security Council.
Voice of America interviewer: Why don't you expel Osama Bin Laden?
Omar: This is not an issue of Osama bin Laden. It is an issue of Islam. Islam's prestige is at stake. So is Afghanistan's tradition.
VOA: Do you know that the US has announced a war on terrorism?
Omar: I am considering two promises. One is the promise of God, the other is that of Bush. The promise of God is that my land is vast. If you start a journey on God's path, you can reside anywhere on this earth and will be protected... The promise of Bush is that there is no place on earth where you can hide that I cannot find you. We will see which one of these two promises is fulfilled.
VOA: But aren't you afraid for the people, yourself, the Taliban, your country?
Omar: Almighty God... is helping the believers and the Muslims. God says he will never be satisfied with the infidels. In terms of worldly affairs, America is very strong. Even if it were twice as strong or twice that, it could not be strong enough to defeat us. We are confident that no one can harm us if God is with us.
VOA: You are telling me you are not concerned, but Afghans all over the world are concerned.
Omar: We are also concerned. Great issues lie ahead. But we depend on God's mercy. Consider our point of view: if we give Osama away today, Muslims who are now pleading to give him up would then be reviling us for giving him up... Everyone is afraid of America and wants to please it. But Americans will not be able to prevent such acts like the one that has just occurred because America has taken Islam hostage. If you look at Islamic countries, the people are in despair. They are complaining that Islam is gone. But people remain firm in their Islamic beliefs. In their pain and frustration, some of them commit suicide acts. They feel they have nothing to lose.
VOA: What do you mean by saying America has taken the Islamic world hostage?
Omar: America controls the governments of the Islamic countries. The people ask to follow Islam, but the governments do not listen because they are in the grip of the United States. If someone follows the path of Islam, the government arrests him, tortures him or kills him. This is the doing of America. If it stops supporting those governments and lets the people deal with them, then such things won't happen. America has created the evil that is attacking it. The evil will not disappear even if I die and Osama dies and others die. The US should step back and review its policy. It should stop trying to impose its empire on the rest of the world, especially on Islamic countries.
VOA: So you won't give Osama bin Laden up?
Omar: No. We cannot do that. If we did, it means we are not Muslims... that Islam is finished. If we were afraid of attack, we could have surrendered him the last time we were threatened and attacked. So America can hit us again, and this time we don't even have a friend.
VOA: If you fight America with all your might - can the Taliban do that? Won't America beat you and won't your people suffer even more?
Omar: I'm very confident that it won't turn out this way. Please note this: there is nothing more we can do except depend on almighty God. If a person does, then he is assured that the Almighty will help him, have mercy on him and he will succeed.
END.
Derryck S. Griffith.Political Educator & Advocate.http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
This 12-minute interview with Mullah Omar Mohammad, the Taliban leader, was conducted in Pashtu for the publicly-funded radio channel Voice of America. The broadcast was pulled on Friday, September 21, 2001 following objections from the US Deputy Secretary Of State and senior officials of the National Security Council.
Voice of America interviewer: Why don't you expel Osama Bin Laden?
Omar: This is not an issue of Osama bin Laden. It is an issue of Islam. Islam's prestige is at stake. So is Afghanistan's tradition.
VOA: Do you know that the US has announced a war on terrorism?
Omar: I am considering two promises. One is the promise of God, the other is that of Bush. The promise of God is that my land is vast. If you start a journey on God's path, you can reside anywhere on this earth and will be protected... The promise of Bush is that there is no place on earth where you can hide that I cannot find you. We will see which one of these two promises is fulfilled.
VOA: But aren't you afraid for the people, yourself, the Taliban, your country?
Omar: Almighty God... is helping the believers and the Muslims. God says he will never be satisfied with the infidels. In terms of worldly affairs, America is very strong. Even if it were twice as strong or twice that, it could not be strong enough to defeat us. We are confident that no one can harm us if God is with us.
VOA: You are telling me you are not concerned, but Afghans all over the world are concerned.
Omar: We are also concerned. Great issues lie ahead. But we depend on God's mercy. Consider our point of view: if we give Osama away today, Muslims who are now pleading to give him up would then be reviling us for giving him up... Everyone is afraid of America and wants to please it. But Americans will not be able to prevent such acts like the one that has just occurred because America has taken Islam hostage. If you look at Islamic countries, the people are in despair. They are complaining that Islam is gone. But people remain firm in their Islamic beliefs. In their pain and frustration, some of them commit suicide acts. They feel they have nothing to lose.
VOA: What do you mean by saying America has taken the Islamic world hostage?
Omar: America controls the governments of the Islamic countries. The people ask to follow Islam, but the governments do not listen because they are in the grip of the United States. If someone follows the path of Islam, the government arrests him, tortures him or kills him. This is the doing of America. If it stops supporting those governments and lets the people deal with them, then such things won't happen. America has created the evil that is attacking it. The evil will not disappear even if I die and Osama dies and others die. The US should step back and review its policy. It should stop trying to impose its empire on the rest of the world, especially on Islamic countries.
VOA: So you won't give Osama bin Laden up?
Omar: No. We cannot do that. If we did, it means we are not Muslims... that Islam is finished. If we were afraid of attack, we could have surrendered him the last time we were threatened and attacked. So America can hit us again, and this time we don't even have a friend.
VOA: If you fight America with all your might - can the Taliban do that? Won't America beat you and won't your people suffer even more?
Omar: I'm very confident that it won't turn out this way. Please note this: there is nothing more we can do except depend on almighty God. If a person does, then he is assured that the Almighty will help him, have mercy on him and he will succeed.
END.
Derryck S. Griffith.Political Educator & Advocate.http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
Friday, May 06, 2005
My VIEWPOINT on the General Elections in The UK!
VIEWPOINT:
It is quite obvious to me that Labour will be re-elected to continue the administration of the United Kingdom. I cannot see a landslide victory for labor, but they will win nevertheless, with a slim majority in Parliament.
Even though Labour did not have a precise theme/package to sell to the nation & their constituents, and the solidarity of traditional labour voters.
But voting in the traditional way, was greatly eroded in some constituencies. This results from the general view held by many, that the Prime Minister did not come clean with his intention to engage Britain in the War in Iraq.
Mr. Blair have tried to exonerate himself from direct blame, by emphasizing that the decision to go to war, was based on the accumulated evidence from Interpol, MI5, The FBI, the Inspectors reports submitted by Mr. El Baradei (The Chief Inspector), on the team that visited Iraq several times. That Sadaam still had the potential to develop WMD's, or the potential to manufacture them.
The British people (by & large) did not suspect that Mr. Blair had no credible evidence, to warrant the eventual invasion of Iraq, and for not telling the commonweal of Britain exactly so. But Mr. Blair contends that Sadaam Hussein was an evil & despicable despot, who have had weapons of mass destruction in the past, have used some of it on his own people, and will not hesitate to do so in the future, if he is not stopped. So removing Sadaam from power was in the interest of that region and the world at large.
However, the expenditure of British involvement militarily in this war is growing daily. Public expenditure overall is rising steadily, and not much evidence of 'better days are here again' that is convincing enough to the commonweal, that social changes, economic growth, and employment opportunities generally is improving.
In the Communities Of Colour, employment opportunities are dwindling, discrimination or hiring practices seem to discriminate in favour of White British nationals. This perceived crisis is very troubling to minorities, and they see no alternative recourse from the Conservatives either.
If Labour wins this election, will they increase Taxes and Public Expenditure even further? Will the employment situation for minority groups & other Communities Of Colour, improve significantly?
Mr. Blair has lost the public trust in his credibility! With this reality hounding him currently, his position in Parliament, and at the helm of the government, will be very interesting to watch unfold in the near future, should Labour elected to office.
Om Shanti.Derryck S. Griffith.Political Educator & Advocate.http://profiles.yahoo.com/derryckgrifith
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