Sipho Gumede - Nozipho the Dancer

Spring Time in Appalachia

First - my lawn, un-mowed in the year 2011, shameful - for springtime has most certainly sprung here in the  mountains of Western Maryland. (no pictures, it is truly shameful)

Meanstwhile, within the trappings of human civility - my home, in the upper relm thereof, seated, hunched, hands held in the causual position of one that has pushed many keys over the years - another beginning.

  Washington DC, a hundred miles from the current castle has bloomed and those blooms have gone - in a swirl when they do, like snow. I grew up going to the blossoms, many times with my parents  - my mother was the one that really enjoyed the time, I remember her sitting with the blossoms swirlinig around, for a long time watching out over the tidal basin and breathing the mix of frangrances, as the basin aquatic scents rise this time of year also, she truly enjoyed the event.

For Climate Change the battle ground is clear

From a Mark Lynas article in the Guardian:

Shifting the blame

To those who would blame Obama and rich countries in general, know this: it was China's representative who insisted that industrialised country targets, previously agreed as an 80% cut by 2050, be taken out of the deal. "Why can't we even mention our own targets?" demanded a furious Angela Merkel. Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, was annoyed enough to bang his microphone. Brazil's representative too pointed out the illogicality of China's position. Why should rich countries not announce even this unilateral cut? The Chinese delegate said no, and I watched, aghast, as Merkel threw up her hands in despair and conceded the point. Now we know why – because China bet, correctly, that Obama would get the blame for the Copenhagen accord's lack of ambition.

Secretary Clinton made it perfectly clear that the US was ready and willing to support the global effort to control, and mitigate, the effects of human technological growth. It was widely reported that China's primary reason for eschewing any real commitment here was simply this - Transparency of process.

The US and Europe along with, albeit to a lesser degree, Japan and South Korea have proved over the last decades a willingness to take action on a national and regional scale. Why - because quite frankly there is enough openness in these societies that the common sense of 'the people' does exert pressure and over time form policies.

Why would China, the government of China, be so fearful of openness, of transparency to be willing to flout their nose to the people of the world?  Why would India be so willing an accomplice?

Does anyone really wonder why the last great communist totalitarian government on our planet would fear openness? I doubt it. India? Well, guess they are just hedging their economics bets.

A lack of an international treaty does not release individual governments from their responsibilities to be good stewards of the ecology, of course. What this summit should do however is to be a clarion call to those in the developed world, interested in actually affecting a change, to focus on China and India as the true battle grounds.

Tis the season....to shovel

Snow across the Allegheneys today... over .5 meter fell today.

This town and county is pretty much small enough to just shot down for the day - and they did.

Sarah Palin: Love her or hate her...she gets em talking...

Sarah Palin: What she said at Gridiron dinner | csmonitor.com: "“Sometimes you’ve got to trust your instincts, and when you don’t you end up in a place like this,” she said. Palin also tweaked journalists for buying books and turning immediately to the index to see if they are mentioned. Her book does not have an index but she made up index entries during her speech including: “A. Alaska, media not understanding it, page 1 to 432.”"

Sarah Palin's brand of populism is dangerous and deceptive. - By Christopher Hitchens - Slate Magazine: "Sarah Palin's brand of populism is dangerous and deceptive."

@Chis - still don't trust the common citizen, do you?

Surfing Safari

ok - I might be the only one, likely to read this, old enough to remember that song - not just having heard it, but hearing it over the air waves, new.

Perhaps anyway - catching a wave, hanging ten or just being part of the 'boob tube' generation..this reminded me of the song..




although this guy really needs to pick up the pace..*smile*

Down to the bare knuckles…

cut the blarney, raw competition.

FOSS projects can build products that deliver value to the user on par with, or better then, closed commercial – old school – businesses!

First time I heard a remark with the above sentiment I was doubtful….and I went along my merry way in life.

At some point round or about five years ago, hearing it again (and not the second time) I took a bit more notice. Actually a good bit more notice.

What got me to stop and consider? Ubuntu and OpenOffice.org

The first because it installed and ran on my PC, easy.

The second because it installed and ran on my PC easy, twice :>)

hmmm – actually that isn’t exactly correct – Ubuntu installed easily and ran acceptably on a friends PC.

OpenOffice.org installed easily and ran acceptably on my PC under Windows and Ubuntu, allowing me to help my friend transition from Microsoft Office to OpenOffice.org in her daily computer usage needs.

She, was happy and I was happy that she was happy.

Well, it seems that a lot of folks are starting to feel the same – a recent estimate put 13% of Windows PC users as having OpenOffice.org, and even the, IMO, conservative OO.o PR Chief has claimed 10% of computer desktops overall.

Nothing however speaks to the successes of the FOSS projects, large and small, then the reactions of the predominant commercial player.

Whether in speeches to their resellers or this latest marketing campaign –

TEN BUCKS - if your employer has a site license..

they say one thing….the US market is in play.

Drew