GPL 3, Stallman and Torvalds

Recent article asserts that the Novell deal will push some who opposed GPL 3 towards its adoption with its stronger restrictions which would have stymied the Novell Microsoft deal.

I am not really up to speed on all this, but at the 1997 or 98 LinuxWorld in San Jose I attended out of curiosity, both Richard Stallman and Linus Torvalds participated in the panels and at the time, Linus seemed so with it and in tune with the excitement, whereas Stallman seemed stodgy and foreboding, warning the community not to get carried away with corporate and user friendliness buzz.

The years since have borne out RS's warnings in spades, IMHO. What happened at VA Linux and other companies, to me, means that they might have avoided a whole ugly roller coaster and distraction and just slowly and modestly built their businesses in an organic gradual way if they had heeded his warnings.

Stallman's vision and criticisms are more comprehensive and skeptical about doing business and about globalcorporations than most, though not dogmatic; he gave an example in the '98 panel of IBM as a corporation that had taken a helpful approach to free software and Gnu Linux.

Paul Robeson Memorial Fair Trade Border Concerts and Festivals

A concert in memory of Paul Robeson's cross border concert in 1952 which attracted 40,000 to hear the famous Bass who was forbidden in the blacklist era from crossing the border was planned by the Canadian Auto Workers in 2002, though I cannot find an after the fact report.

Now seems an opportune time to plan peaceful cross border music festivals for summer of 2007 at Vancouver, Windsor, Buffalo, San Diego, Tucson, El Paso etc. aimed to push the newly elected more liberal US congress and Canadian Liberal and NDP politicians with a little more wind in their sails, to dismantle NAFTA, GATT and WTO as they exist in favor of a fair trade set of rules. It is one possible action to push the newly resurgent "liberals" in both countries to do something real and lasting in reponse to the expectations of their supporters, something that I think would also consolidate their transient success, as conservatives and Republicans I know have grave doubts about NAFTA etc.. For that reason my suggestion would be to focus solely on trade issues.

Such artists as Michael Franti, Kanye West, Neil Young, Bonnie Raitt, WIllie Nelson come to mind, but surely people willl think of many others. Sponsors could be Global Exchange, Council of Canadians, unions like CAW, etc.

Shouting and persuading

A couple of nice debates
:
Alice Walker at a Code Pink event just before Oct. 5 2006 rallies(paraphrase):

There will be shouting at the upcoming rally, and I can't bear shouting. I know Dennis (Bernstain) says this is a time for shouting. Well some of us are constitutionally built for shouting and some of for persuading. We have to have peace within to make peace outside.

Ghandi's grandson described conversation with Arafat some years ago:

ARUN GANDHI: I told Mr. Arafat, I said, suppose you were to go there and lead this half a million people, men, women and children, in a march to Palestine, and no armaments or anything, just say that we are coming back to live in peace and harmony in our homeland, can the Israelis kill so many people and live with their conscience? I said the whole world would wake up and stop this action.

Getting to test a new generation of weapons.

Many causes of the battle but one outcome is that sponsors of the proxy armies test their new weapons and tactics in a place where their own populace is not at risk, as the opponents did in Spain in the 30s. Thankfully this writer's work is free of charge for now.

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/fisk/article1219457.ece

Beautiful, horrible Beirut elegy by Robert Fisk

Posted on Lebanese blogger site. Best of Robert Fisk, sometimes chilling and scary portrait of middle Eastern militants, as he did elsewhere with Arafat, Bin Laden and Dustum, with uncanny ability to describe what it is like for people on the other end of the gunsights, the beauty of the place and the horror of what is happening and has happened. Be sure to read last paragraph and listen to the song.

I like the comment of the (Lebanese?) person who posted it:

At Sunday, July 23, 2006 1:17:27 AM, Hilal Chouman said...

arch.
although i may oppose him in some political opinions, i liked the way he presented the scenes.. as if it is afilm..
i consider it a very nostalgic piece

The other bigger crisis? Amazon drying up fast

With all eyes on the Lebanon crisis, is this the other bigger crisis, like the opening scene in a disaster movie. A second article in The Independent echoes:

"And it comes hard on the heels of a warning by an international group of experts, led by the Eastern Orthodox " pope" Bartholomew, last week that the forest is rapidly approaching a " tipping point" that would lead to its total destruction."

"Studies by the blue-chip Woods Hole Research Centre, carried out in Amazonia, have concluded that the forest cannot withstand more than two consecutive years of drought without breaking down.

Scientists say that this would spread drought into the northern hemisphere, including Britain, and could massively accelerate global warming with incalculable consequences, spinning out of control, a process that might end in the world becoming uninhabitable."

Now what?

While they did not stop the war before it started, the unprecedented demonstrations, protests and criticism laid the groundwork for current skeptical public opinion, even in the US. This is a huge outcome, a major reversal for the conservative tide of the last decades. While shallow, the skepticism is broad and persistent. So, now what? In 1974, when Nixon resigned, the rapid fall of a seemingly unstoppable conservative juggernaut from enormous stupidity and arrogance shocked his critics and left them somewhat flat footed.

More in next post.

Bono edits the Independent for product RED

Strange bedfellows as Bono edits, Condaleeza Rice and Armani contribute to a special edition of Britain's venerable daily The Independent, in support of product RED, a big, slick, largely corporate campaign to donate product profits to fight AIDS in Africa.

First economical fair trade I have seen

Click on above title for World Centric Fair Trade & Eco Store, first aggregation I have seen of credible fair trade organic cotton clothing and biodegradable, compostable utensils and picnic ware at excellent competitive real world prices that I for one can afford. I ordered 4 organic natural unbleached undyed cotton t shirts for about $47 shipped. They arrived in 2 days, The organization threw in a 5th shirt and a note with hand written thanks. The shirts are attractive natural cotton colour, heavy tightly knit high quality; a little too high quality as I prefer lower quality thin loosely knit that breathe a little more, but they will be great after 5 or 10 washings. I have not checked out their chocolate or other recommendations.

So why can't currently active politicians say this

Common sense no currently active American politicians will say: Jimmy Carter on Israel and Palestine. As a Jew, I think a small, vociferous coterie of extremists has usurped the voice of the large number of moderate, liberal or progressive Jews, and politicians currently active in the US have taken the easy cowardly route of not opening up the debate. And double that charge for the mainstream media. There are real issues that need to be thrashed out, like whether Israel can survive if it is anything but aggressive as hell, which is the question most hardliners pose when challenged. I think it can because reduction in the excess retaliatory violence provoked by the aggressive stance could counterbalance risks in carefully considered peace overtures, but what constitutes a credible, effective,just, measured approach to survival?. Or, how can the history of literal and economic colonization by Europe and the West in the Middle East be addressed - a truth commission?

Nature Study: Wikipedia vs. Britannica

KInda been waiting for this study.

4 inaccuracies vs 3 - and we know less breadth in Britannica, though one hopes the study includes science items not in Brittanica. On the other hand the likelihood of out and out hoaxes or rants low in Britannica. But most non-controversial topics very unlikely to attract such abuses, and wikipedia shines on obscure topics where both academics and enthusiasts are happy to have a platform, for example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland_in_the_High_Middle_Ages

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_Hurling

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitesurfing

Ruining high payout lotteries

A study in the late 80s or early 90s in Ontario said that large payout lotteries had a significant impact in concentrating wealth even further than misguided neo-liberal economic already have. And the Ontario Lotto 649 at that time even limited jackpots to 20 or 30 million. When people win a million dollars the money likely recirculates; when they win 100 million,if they heed professional advice will be setting up offshore accounts etc. so less recirculation. Maybe all the people who make bad investments and throw big parties are more beneficial than "responsible" lottery winners.

Maybe church groups and others opposed to the proliferation of gambling could ruin publicity surrounding high payout lotteries by encouraging large lottery pools which would buy and split lotteries limiting payouts to a million or 100 thousand, donate half the winnings to anti-gambling lobbying, and appoint a spokesperson to speak at the acceptance of the cheques who would point out the problems with gambling.

I am a Jealous G-d

I was thinking about a documentary about Akhenaton and Nefertiti and all the trouble caused by the intolerant strain in the 3 great related monotheistic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Akhenaton's reputation in my mind had been as a man ahead of his time. Information that was new to me in the documentary made me think that the greatest argument that Akhenaton and Moses and ultimately the intolerant theme in the 3 great montheistic religions are historically related in their theology was that Akhenaton was an intolerant, fanatical true believer who felt impelled by his theology to force others to believe as he did and close the temples of those who disagreed. The traditional polytheistic priests attempted to erase any evidence of him after his death, because, as well as introducing a new religion which reduced their power, he had fomented a lot of destruction in his god's name.

So I googled "akhenaton intolerance judaism" and wham, I was not alone - Jonathan Kirsch, a book columnist for the LA TImes who writes and lectures widely on biblical topics in 2004 wrote "God against the Gods: the History of the war between Monotheism and Polytheism"


Fascinating discussion and reviews, very relevant to the enormous global problems we face today. Would we all be better off if Akhenaten or Abraham had kept their monotheistic ideas to themselves? Does monotheism hold the seeds of religious intolerance and violence, or is tolerance and kindness also an outgrowth, and if so, why so frequently war and persecution in its name?

Racial undercurrent of much in US editorial

In the Boston Globe, a rare discussion of the catastrophic conflict and the incomplete resolution of it that ended to a large extent when Lincoln was assassinated. Found on Tom Paine.

Hamas election analysis Posted on American branch of Israeli peace group

Leonard Fein discusses Hamas electoral victory.

One Canadian election poll 32% Conservative 31% Lib 23% NDP

From SES research less accurate daily poll

Done Sunday Jna. 22. This is the less accurate (6% error) daily poll, not the 3 day average; blip or a trend?

An Israeli Positive Long-term change initiative

This Haaretz article describes an organization in Israel that works to promote civil society using an American model to some extent, which has been effective in several examples in quietly reducing tensions and promoting human rights for vulnerable groups like Bedouin villagers in Israel, women, and West Bank farmers.

Commercial whaling coming back soon?

Nice substantive article in the Independent which distinguishes itself by covering the most important issues behind the current dramatic Antarctic confrontation between on the whales' side: one of Greenpeace's founders, Paul Watson on Sea Shepherd's Farley Mowat and two Greenpeace ships (one of them a speed demon capable of dogging the fast Japanese ship and boats) and,
on the side of killing whales for food: the Japanese factory ship and harpoon boats. Kudos to the Independent for revealing the high stakes behind the confrontation and the upcoming whaling commission vote this spring.

Also on the environmental reversal-of-history front, a friend in Bangkok informs me that the Prime Minister of Thailand is promoting an exotic animal zoo in his home district with giraffes,zebras and crocodiles from Kenya on view and on the menu in several restaurants. I wonder if the Hon. Prime Minister has seen The Freshman, a 1990 comedy with Marlon Brando and Matthew Broderick, a film, for which, ironically I knew someone whose employer at the time in Toronto, a large pet shop, supplied an exotic lizard to play a starring role as the main course in a FICTIONAL millionaires' endangered species banquet. No animals were harmed int he making of THIS movie. I hope that the Thai, Kenyan and world environmental groups succeed in convincing the Hon. Prime Minister that any real project also must prove that no exotic animals were killed, consumed or harmed if Thailand is to remain a favored trade and tourism partner of people of good will around the world.