My Name is Kate

The Magic of Water - Blog Action Day 2010

I woke up thirsty in the middle of the night last night. I padded down the hall to the bathroom with my glass. When I turned on the tap, magic happened. Clear, cool, potable, fresh, safe, life-giving water flowed from it. In the middle of the night I only had to walk a few feet to satisfy my thirst.

The same magic happens when I run the washer or the dishwasher or water the garden or boil potatoes.

We are so lucky to have such easy access to fresh potable water on a regular basis. Some people spend a significant portion of every day getting water to fulfill their basic needs.

And while it seems like our supply is abundant and never ending, we should still conserve it.  I once had a friend who said, after I chastised him for running the tap while brushing his teeth, that we lived in the middle of the Great Lakes (I lived in Toronto at the time) and that we would never run out of water so there was no need to conserve. I was quite shocked by this statement - while we know that the water level in the Great Lakes ebbs and flows over time, we also know that over time, levels are indeed dropping.

Evalyn Parry, one of my favourite Canadian singer/songwriters, has a song called "Bottle This" (there's a link at the top of this page on her site to listen to the song) - protesting the incredible consumption of bottled water in this country. One of the most haunting lines from the song for me is ..

They say “water is the new oil!”
Water is the new oil!
And Canada’s got it, so this war will come to our soil.

According to a Water Security Risk Index from Maplecroft (a global risk analysis firm), Canada is currently at a very low risk for water security.

But our immediate neighbours are at a higher risk and other countries around the world at higher risk even still.  We take the magic of fresh clean water for granted here in Canada.  And it's time we stopped. We need to conserve what we've been given but also work to ensure that everyone has access to clean water.

This post is part of Blog Action Day 2010.

 

Photo Credit: Aidan McManus

 

Investing in Girl Power

Plan Canada just released the 2009 edition of their report series "Because I Am a Girl".  This year's report is called Girls in the Global Economy: Adding It All Up.  It discusses how girls and women face not only economic inequality from a wage perspective - but that this inequality exposes them to additional violence in their lives.  Whereas small incremental investments in education for girls can help break them out of this cycle. 

Jennifer Heil is a celebrity sponsor of Because I Am a Girl.  In the video below, Jennifer talks about the importance of dreams for young people and how she was touched by the dreams of young women she visited in a school in Burkina Faso.

There is also this great video about the AWESOME Willa who shaved her head to raise money for an ophanage in Toronto.

You can connect with and show your support for Because I Am a Girl in a variety of ways.  Easy stuff:

• Visit www.becauseiamagirl.ca  to learn about the campaign, become engaged on the issue of girl’s rights and contribute to the documentary by submitting a video
• Follow the Because I am a Girl Blog  to read about the documentary team’s cross Canada trip, some of the exceptional young women they have met and issues that are important to girls and young women in Canada and around the world
• Become a fan of Because I am A Girl Canada on Facebook 
• Follow Plan Canada on Twitter

Or, if you're feeling really inspired, donate.  I've set up an easy monthly donation on my credit card.  I know Christmas is coming and money is tight and everyone is asking for donations right now.  But it's important that girls be able to pursue their dreams free from violence.  I've had that privilege - how can I want anything less for these girls.

Hope

Today's the day.  At 9:49 in the morning I am doing my level best to concentrate on work-things and stay away from all the websites that are speculating, reporting problems, gearing up for celebration or mourning.

Breathe.

I'm lucky ... I voted absentee a couple of weeks ago.  In my home state of Texas where I won't be able to really affect the presidential outcome, but might help a congressional one.

Breathe.

I feel I've waited my lifetime for this.  This is his time.  This is our time.

 

h/t to Buzz Bishop for linking to the above image

Open for Business ... session three at TED 2007 (part the second)

"Open for Business" wrapped with an amazing presentation by Larry Lessig - someone I've often heard about but never have the pleasure of seeing in person.  It's hard to know if he is more famous for his work on Creative Commons or on changing the way we use Powerpoint.  It was copyright that Lessig spoke about at TED.  In the 20th century, culture was "read only" ... no tools to remix culture and certainly no encouragement.  In the 21st century, the tools and technique are democratized .. there is access.  And the remix of culture is a type of literacy, particularly for our kids!  It is how they express themselves.  And in a democracy such as ours, surely we must have better laws and guidelines vis a vis copyright than those that turn our kids into pirates.

Lessig also showed this ...

Tags: TED2007, TED 2007, larry lessig, creative commons

Social Media and Elections ... what's happening after the campaign

With this being an election year in the US and the Canadian parliament always seemingly on the verge of an election, there have been a number of posts and reports recently on the use of social media and elections.  Boyd Neil observes that political parties often lead the charge on using the web (and associated media) as an effective campaign tool.  Neil asserts that corporate communication departments could learn a lot about using these media from their counterparts in politics.  I completely agree.  Perhaps its the "get the message out as fast as you can on any channel" mentality, but there is definitely a spirit of risk and intrepidness that you can sense on political parties and candidates websites.  Typically, this kind of risk isn't taken with corporate communications campaigns/programs.

Bob, over at O'Blog, comments on both Neil's post and his own, that a key issue is that politicians often abandon their great social media efforts after the campaign is over.   Another great point.  This is one of my frustrations with Canadian politics.  Why aren't we using more of these tools to continue the conversations started by the campaign?  I get a lot of email from my political party of choice and it can be an effective tool, but it is so very uni-directional.

For additional reference, Neil points us to the Bivings Report (TBR) which has just released a study assessing the use of the Internet in 2006 political campaigns:

Ninety six percent of this year’s Senate candidates have active websites, while only 55 percent of candidates had websites in 2002. While most candidates use a set of core Web tools, the majority of candidates are refraining from using newer and more sophisticated Web strategies, such as blogs and podcasts, on their campaign websites. Only 23 percent of Senate candidates are blogging, just 15 percent offer Spanish alternatives to their websites, and an even smaller number of candidates, 5 percent, maintain podcasts. In contrast, between 90 percent and 93 percent of candidates offered biographies, contact information, and online donations on their websites.

So, while political parties are starting to embrace social media, there is still a long way to go.  TBR has followed up with more indepth information on the 2006 US Senate race and the use of blogs.  Interesting stuff!

TBR also has an article entitled "Participatory Podcasting: a new tool for political campaigns" (which you can imagine is near and dear to my heart).  They point us to Waxxi, a startup which is specialising in interactive podcasts.

Mobile blogging tools as well as tools like Waxxi or Skype conference calls would be a way that politicians can keep in touch with their constituents.  Can you imagine if your MP would post a question about an issue that was being debated on the floor, on her blog in real time - then could receive responses in a timely manner that enabled her to take constituent-supported action.  This, of course, puts the onus not just on the politicians, but on the governed as well.  Conversations/participation works both ways!  Until we the people demand this kind of access to politicians and to influencing the issues, chances are social media will continue to be used only for the "quick hit" at campaign time, and not for sustained political dialogue.

Tags: social media, political campaigns, politics, boyd neil

Image from the Dalhousie Gazette

Will podcasting be "owned" by the Right?

I recently did an interview with Bill Berkowitz from Media Transparency for his recent article "Podcasting: a new weapon for the Right?"  It's a great chronicle of the American Right's recent foray into podcasting, with links to a number of examples.

For my part, I describe how podcasting is one of those great social media equalizers .. and that the Right can no more own podcasting than they could own blogging:

"The podcast format" is particularly "ideal for our very on demand and mobile culture," Trgovac explained. "I can take podcasts with me where ever I go - something of incredible importance in a society that has a large number of commuters and distracted multi-taskers."

Although Trgovac acknowledged that "conservative movements (both political and religious) are often first to market and exploit new technologies to deliver their messages, there is no way that the US conservative movement can 'own' podcasting in the same way that it owns talk radio."

Trgovac insisted that "the power of distribution has shifted dramatically and is no longer in the hands of political ideologues," but is now in "the hands of the people."It is relatively inexpensive, so "anyone can podcast." And while the quality of the broadcasts varies, anyone can be a podcaster "and their potential audience could be the same as Rush Limbaugh's or Al Franken's."

It's a good read, particularly if you are interested in how political movements are using social media to gain advantages and mindshare with their constituents.

Technorati Tags: podcasting, socialmedia, politics

"Save the Internet" campaign - prevent tiered access to the Internet

I received an email from John Unger today describing the Net Neutrality Bill that is currently being debated in the US Congress Gutting this bill would allow Internet providers to specify which websites would receive priority on their bandwidth.

James Surowiecki in an article in The New Yorker sums the issue up like this:

Until recently, companies that provided Internet access followed a de-facto commoncarriage rule, usually called "network neutrality," which meant that all Web sites got equal treatment. Network neutrality was considered so fundamental to the success of the Net that Michael Powell, when he was chairman of the F.C.C., described it as one of the basic rules of "Internet freedom." In the past few months, though, companies like A.T. & T. and BellSouth have been trying to scuttle it. In the future, Web sites that pay extra to providers could receive what BellSouth recently called "special treatment," and those that don't could end up in the slow lane. One day, BellSouth customers may find that, say, NBC.com loads a lot faster than YouTube.com, and that the sites BellSouth favors just seem to run more smoothly. Tiered access will turn the providers into Internet gatekeepers.

Brian Clark from Copyblogger has an exceptional piece on the Net Neutrality issue as well!

What to do?

• MoveOn has detailed information about the bill as well as an online petition you can sign
• Read the letter to the US Senate signed by over 3 dozen Internet companies
• Enter the "Save the Net" viral marketing contest
• Download a blog badge and send an email to providers at Common Cause

Tags: Save the Internet, Net Neutrality

From Small Miracles to Big Dreams .. Day 2 at TED

It's tricky to do notes about a day at TED.  I don't blog live during the conference.  I'm not that coordinated :-) and I still like to sketch non-linear thoughts out in my moleskine.  So, until a tablet PC becomes mine ... I go the analog route.

There are actually a number of people blogging TED who take much more detailed and copious notes that I.  If you're interested in the gritty details, your best bet is likely the Technorati TED2006 tag.  Also, check out the TED blog; you can also view the TED schedule for specifics about speakers.

I have a number of thoughts scribbled down in my notebook, but I left TED today with this overwhelming sense of watching a disaster movie cum Star Trek TNG episode cum evangelical tent meeting from the inside.  And this isn't a bad thing.  But it is exhausting.

Disaster Movie ...
Climate Chaos (aka Global Warming) is real.  And it is imminent.  We have less than 10 years to change the path that we are on.  Or our planet is in serious peril.

Repeat.  Or our planet is in serious peril.  And as of today, there is no other planet.  So we'd better get this thing fixed.

Related Links: http://www.globalwarming.org/ and http://www.climatecrisis.org/

Star Trek TNG Episode ...
There has been a lot of talk of morality and moral authority today.  Climate crisis is a moral issue (Al Gore).  Design must be responsible, responsive - it has meaning.  It is connected to morality ... design is not just for the pure edification of humanity, but design must take into consideration the environment, the context, the materials. (Roger Mandle)

Also on the STTNG riff ... people at TED get shit done.  Neil Gershenfeld is a crazy synthesis of Scotty & Geordi with his Fab labs (http://fab.cba.mit.edu/).  And Alan Russell is like Dr. Crusher - showing us the way to regenerative medicine.

Evangelical Tent ...
We had some literal evangelists (Rick Warren, Michael Shermer & Dan Dennett).  And we had some topical evangelists (for bloggers, Mena Trott; for life on Mars, Penny Boston, for open source education, Rich Baraniuk)

Fav Quotes ...

"It is important for us to learn each other's dance moves." - Jehane Noujaim on ways to build global bridges of understanding

"I'm like the Ralph Nadar of bad ideas." - Michael Shermer on his role as editor of Skeptic Magazine

"You matter to God." - Rick Warren.  I include this one because I believe that it is an incredibly difficult thing to hear a person of such genuine and sincere faith to say "You matter to God" particularly when your own relationship to God is different than his.

"We need to reclaim our moral authority.  Our tolerance for what goes on on the planet is absurd.  We need to get over it." - Al Gore on affecting change.

Shout Out ...
To fellow blogger, Mena Trott.  Now, I know that Mena has been controversial in some of her recent industry appearances.  Regardless, she gave an incredible, passionate and authentic presentation today on the power of blogging and the individual, personal lives it has touched.  Well done, Mena!

Obligatory Name Dropping ...
I met Renee Blodgett today.  Cool.  She's blogging TED and putting up great summaries and posts.

Sum up ...
It was a phenomenal day.  And there's still 1.5 days to go.

Technorati Tags: TED2006, marketing

Wrap Up: Election 2006 and Social Media

This week, I wrapped up my series on the Canadian political parties' use of Social Media over at One Degree.  Links to the articles:

• Social Media and the Conservative Party
• Social Media and the Bloc Quebecois
• Social Media and the NDP
• Social Media and the Green Party
• Social Media and the Liberal Party

Some great sites I discovered while undergoing this research:

• Confeederation - aggregates RSS feeds from party blogs; great tool from Rob Cottingham and Alexandra Samuel at Social Signal
• Election 2006 Mashup - sponsored by Kweschun, a Web 2.0 site that attempts to harness collective wisdom to predict the future, sort of like Surowiecki meets Nostradamus from ChrisNolan.ca and Jen at Kekova
• Canadian Political Index - from the good folks over at BlogsCanada

You can check out my full list of political bookmarks at delicious.

I want to give a special shout-out to Paul Summerville, NDP candidate in St. Paul's.  Now Paul is not my candidate, nor am I necessarily voting NDP, but of all the candidate sites out there (and I looked at quite a few), Paul is the one who is using social media to the hilt.  He is blogging and podcasting original content for the web.  Also, he gets the impact that technology has on society.  He has a great podcast entitled The Five Democratizations, a discussion about the technological changes that are reshaping the global economy and implication for the Canadian economy.  Great stuff!!

Election 2006 and Social Media

Things have been quiet here lately, a bit too quiet ...

Oh, that's right, it's because all my non-work energy has been put into a 5-part series that's running over at One Degree - Elections 2006 and Social Media.  In the series I look at each major party in the current Canadian national election (Conservatives, Bloc, NDP, Liberals and Green Party) and evaulate their use of social media.  The Conservatives are the first article; the rest of the parties will follow this week and early next.  Check it out.  Some interesting things going on.

One thing I discovered while writing it, is Stowe Boyd's definition of Social Media:

Social Media are those forms of publishing that are based on a dynamic interaction, a conversation, between the author and active readers, in contrast with traditional broadcast media where the 'audience' is a passive 'consumer' of 'content'. The annotations or social gestures left behind by active readers, such as comments, tags, bookmarks, and trackbacks, create an elaborate topology resting on the foundational blog posts, and this enhanced meta-environment, the blogosphere, is the context for and the realization of a global collaboration to make sense of the world and our place in it.

And something else .. I'm wondering if the election can be predicted by who's using favicons on their sites.  Look at a snap shot of my Firefox tab bar:

Hmmmm ...

Technorati Tags: Canada, election2006, Canadian+politics, social+media