Thursday, June 18, 2009

--I am in no way conditioning the online downloading of movies.-- 

BUT...




The following was quoted on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 from www.torrentspy.com :


"Friends of TorrentSpy,

We have decided on our own, not due to any court order or agreement, to bring the Torrentspy.com search engine to an end and thus we permanently closed down worldwide on March 24, 2008.

The legal climate in the USA for copyright, privacy of search requests, and links to torrent files in search results is simply too hostile. We spent the last two years, and hundreds of thousands of dollars, defending the rights of our users and ourselves.

Ultimately the Court demanded actions that in our view were inconsistent with our privacy policy, traditional court rules, and International law; therefore, we now feel co

mpelled to provide the ultimate method of privacy protection for our users - permanent shutdown.

It was a wild ride,

The TorrentSpy Team

"Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order [...] and the like." - Justice William O. Douglas"

^

I

I

I

I

Check this little diddy out: 

"Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order [...] and the like." 

- Justice William O. Douglas



Who is Justice William O. Douglas?


I wanted to know...


> Thanks, WIKIPEDIA!


William Orville Douglas (October 16, 1898 – January 19, 1980) was a United States Supreme Court Associate Justice. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court.


Monday, April 13, 2009

Amazon Deforestation

My good friend from Brazil brought this issue to my attention last night.


Why care that the Amazon Rainforest is being systematically destroyed?

> "The Amazon Rainforest has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet" because it provides the essential environmental world service of continuously recycling carbon dioxide into oxygen. More than 20 percent of the world oxygen is produced in the Amazon Rainforest."
-http://www.rain-tree.com/facts.htm



Saturday, April 11, 2009

Real Politik Revisited

A peer, who will remain anonymous,
recently clarified the definition of Real Politik for me:

"The meaning of Real Politik is that where your power limitations prevent you from accomplishing your goal, aim for a lesser goal or work toward that eventual end goal in practical realistic ways. Accomplishing that which can actually be accomplished."

While I appreciate the clarification, and my animosity toward this technique is somewhat lessened, it does not change the fact that this tactic, while attempting to accomplish good, is still riding on immoral lines. It negates the fact of intention, and allows power to overcome morality, which I still contest is unacceptable.

Allow me to restate my opinion:

There is absolutley nothing good or morally just in the
Chinese government's decision to censor its citizens.
And by not taking a stand and compromising with a negatively-intentioned government,
due to fear of retaliation,
either armed or financial,
we are inadvertantly supporting their decision
to blind its citizens from the truth.

The thing to keep in mind, my knowledgable classmate, is that this is only going to get worse before it gets better. And with our inadvertant support, the Chinese govenment is going to continue to stretch their power and continue to censor its citizens until we have another Holocaust on our hands.

Let me ask you this,
How many must suffer before we take a stand?
In my opinion,
There should never be a maximum on societal oppression.
There should never be degrees of govenment-induced censorship.


Perhaps you should remember why we, in the United States, seriously attempt to have Freedom of Press:

"A press that is free to investigate and criticize the government is absolutely essential in a nation that practices self-government and is therefore dependent on an educated and enlightened citizenry." -http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1600.htm


Or, put more simply, in the words of Thomas Jefferson:

"The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." --Thomas Jefferson to Lafayette, 1823. ME 15:491

and:

"Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." --Thomas Jefferson to John Jay, 1786.


And here's the real question, what do YOU think, blogees?
Can there ever be justification
for the utilization of Real Politik tactics?

**Continue to raise these questions and discuss these issues,
taking from all sides of the arguement,
in order to make an educated decision.**

E-WASTE

Why Care About E-WASTE?

In the past 50 years,
WE, as a global community,
have experienced an explosion of technology.

In the words of my sister,
In response to a new aquaintance
Who admitted to not owning a mobile phone,
“Everyone and their mother has a cell phone!
What’s wrong with you?”

It is commonplace for the average household in the United States to own 2-5
computers at a time; each for every member of the house!

But have you ever wondered what happens to your Apple MacBook
or your HP G60t when you toss it?


E-WASTE = Electronic Waste is a loose category of surplus, obsolete, broken, or discarded electrical or electronic devices.

"Thirty million computers are thrown out every year in the US alone, and many are dumped in India and China.

Some 70% of the heavy metals in landfills come from electrical equipment waste."


In short, E-WASTE is causing enormous environmental problems

BECAUSE

COMPUTERS are made of dnagerous, toxic material,

such as: mercury, lead, flame retardants, and PVC-coated copper wire.



PLEASE, EDUCATE YOURSELF ON E-WASTE:


BBC Article: Growing Concern Over India E-Waste
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/10/e-waste_in_india.php
KNOWLEDGE GUIDE: e-waste guide: India
VIDEOS: E-WASTE IN INDIA
E-WASTE
E-WASTE FROM GEENPLACE
ELECTRONIC WASTE IN GHANA
Where Does E-Waste End Up?

Jiddu Krishnamurti

Jiddu Krishnamurti

is hero in our eyes,
as a promoter of peace,
he dedicated his life to improving the quality of life.

Here's an informative video on Jiddu Krishnamurti:
You are the World

"Life is what? One, global unity movement.
In the same way, our consciousness is common to all mankind.
...
Now, why don't you change?"


Please listen to his discussion on changing the human condition for the betterment of all mankind:
Why Don't You Change?
Unity of Human Beings





Jiddu Krishnamurti
also spoke on Living Without Conflict
with a talk show host from the 60s,
with emphasis on life, death, misery, and conflict.

He's a bit heavy in his comparisons and explainations,
but if you sit with his words for a while,
you'll understand why it is so important to be educated, free-thinking individuals of a peaceful society.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Save Darfur

Why Save Darfur?
Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.
The people of Darfur are subjected to Genocide:

24 HOURS FOR DARFUR
is an online video advocacy and education campaign
to help end the crisis in Darfur, Sudan.
EDUCATE YOURSELF ON THE GENOCIDE OF DARFUR
BY CLICKING ON THE SITE ABOVE




INFORMATIVE VIDEOS:
>
Darfur in 10 Minutes

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Internet Censorship in Australia

Check out Angry Aussie's rant on YouTube,
he gives a nice break down of Internet Censorship in Australia:
How To Fight Censorship in Australia


THIS IS NOT JUST A ONE-TIME, ONE-PLACE ISSUE.
IT EXISTS ALL AROUND US.
PLEASE BE AWARE OF INTERNET CENSORSHIP
AND TAKE A STAND WHERE YOU CAN!


OTHER SOURCES:
> NOCLEANFEED.COM
> Internet Censorship Laws in Australia
> ESSAY from the University of Chile by Margarita Valdes Cortes on Internet Censorship Around the World

EDUCATE YOURSELF ON INTERNET CENSORSHIP

again with the conspiracy theory pitch, but please bare with us and try to read this with open, free-thinking minds :)

CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS [CHINA] ARE USING THE CENSORSHIP OF THE INTERNET -
THE WORLD WIDE WEB ITSELF,
TO BRAINWASH, INDOCTRONATE, AND CONDITION ITS CITIZENS.

PLEASE
search the internet on your own,
talk to professors, discuss with parents, friends, your dog..
Keep Conversation Open.

BLOGGERS UNITE!

Cheesy, we know.

But really, the time has come to rally.

WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IF WE KEEP COMMUNICATION OPEN!
|
V

PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO ON

Can Bloggers Collapse the Great Firewall of China?


I BELIEVE IN US.
DO YOU?


Chinese Censorship Spreads to YOUTUBE.COM

just kidding..
Its Worse Than I Thought:

CHINA HAS CUT OFF MEDIA INFLUX FROM YOUTUBE.COM

March 17th, 2008: China Shuts Down YouTube, News Access to Censor Tibet

"Beijing, China (AHN) - The Chinese government has reportedly cut off national access to video sharing website YouTube, after footage of the recent Tibetan protest crackdown were uploaded and made available for public viewing."
-
Isabelle Duerme (AHN News Writer)

China Censorship Spreads to YouTube.com

It Continues.

One of my most favored sites, YouTube.com has joined in on the Censorship of China Conspiracy:
BBC ARTICLE: CHINA BLOCKS YOUTUBE VIDEO SITE

THIS TYPE OF BRAINWASHING CANNOT CONTINUE.
WE ALL HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW FACTS,
IN ORDER TO ALLOW SOCIETY TO MAKE THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS
ABOUT THE WAY THEIR COUNTRY ACTS.

HOW CAN THERE BE CHANGE
IF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT CONTINUES TO CENSOR IT'S COMMUNITY?


INFORM ALL CHINESE CITIZENS OF THESE ISSUES.
LET THE TRUTH BE KNOWN.
ONLY WITH KNOWLEDGE OF TRUTH
CAN THESE CRIMES COME TO JUSTICE.

Autism Awareness



My roommate is an advocater of Autism Awareness.


I was shown this youtube video and felt the need to share it with the world as a statement supported by Global Polemic:



This video is meant to raise cultural awareness of cognitive deficient individuals.
It also raises the question of WHO can be defined as an INDIVIDUAL;
how do we, in society, do we define a Person?
WHO is worth our social considerations and who is left out?
Please listen to the words of this incredible individual and decide for yourself: What defines a person?

Freedom of Press

"Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press,
and that cannot be limited without being lost."

- Thomas Jefferson

Polemic

Polemics (pronounced /pəˈlɛmɪks/, /poʊ-/) is the practice of disputing or controverting religious, philosophical, political, or scientific matters. As such, a polemic text on a topic is often written specifically to dispute or refute a position or theory that is widely viewed to be beyond reproach.

GLOBAL POLEMIC
is a blog dedicated to building awareness and promoting peace on a global level.

LIVE FOR TODAY, BUILD FOR TOMORROW

As previously stated,
this blog is meant to educate and build awareness.
So while some of the information may seem shocking and overwhelming,
IT IS NOT MEANT TO DISCOURAGE.
IT IS MEANT TO INSPIRE MOTIVATION IN THE GLOBAL PUBLIC:

So please,
LIVE FOR TODAY, BUILD FOR TOMORROW

Take this information and run with it.


What can YOU do?


> AS A STUDENT, educate yourself. And never from one source. EDUCATE YOURSELF FROM AS MANY SOURCES AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE. Make your own conclusions. Be a self-sustaining, free-thinker!

>AS AN ARTIST, make art. Create artistic statements, make an installation with political or social undertones. You are the voices of our communities. You are untouchable in America because of our wonderful Freedom of Expression and Speech - TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! Make your statements and opinions heard. You'll never know how many people you can touch until you try!
CHECK IT OUT:
>http://www.peacethroughart.us/
>http://www.artforpeace.com/
> http://www.peace-not-war.org/gallery/index.php

>AS A PARENT, educate your children on global awareness and peaceable social exchange. Show them how to communicate conflicting ideals, and how to respect all individuals for who they are, and nothing more. CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE, nurture and care for them!

>AS A TEACHER, take the time to inform your sudents on global affairs. Setting aside 10 minutes each class for building global awareness is an incredible help to educating the next generation.

>AS A MUSICIAN, write songs in support of global issues that are important to you. MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD! You have a talent, use it for the betterment of society.
LEARN FROM THE GREATS:
> Bob Marley
> The Musicians' Alliance for Peace
> Peace Jukebox
> John Lennon [The Beatles]
> Playing for Change

> AS YOU, everyone has talent. Everyone has a voice and can make a change. Find your strength, and use it to help build awareness. There is nothing standing in your way!

GOOGLE CENSORS ITSELF FOR CHINA

Yes, it's true.




China is officially censoring its citizens.
THROUGH INTERNET SEARCH ENGINES:
THE IMAGE ABOVE WAS PROVIDED BY: SEARCHENGINEWATCH.COM

WITH THE HELP OF GOOGLE, THE CHINESE PUBLIC REMAIN IGNORANT OF THEIR COUNTRY'S SHADY DEALINGS

GOOGLE.COM is the ingeneous creators of this Blog and yet, in the shadows, they support the brainwashing techniques of the Chinese Government.
This is all very conspiracy theory, we know, but it IS TRUE.


An American Buddhism teacher, who will remain anonymous,
told his class about his experience with media censorship in China:


"I went to an internet cafe and typed in the simple phrase of 'TIBET CHINA,' into GOOGLE.COM, and not ONE website came up in support of the Tibetan Cause. It was all Chinese propaganda. Here is the US, if you type that phrase into GOOGLE.COM, you'll get an overwhelming amount of information provided by Students for a Free Tibet, Freet Tibet, etc: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla%3Aen-US%3Aofficial&hs=hXD&q=tibet+china&btnG=Search But not in China. It just doesn't exist over there. They have no idea what their country is doing to innocent people around the world,
not just in Tibet."


WE MUST UNITE UNDER A COMMON MORAL CODE:

MEDIA CENSORSHIP IS MORALLY WRONG. PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO INFORMATION.

WE HAVE AN INNATE RIGHT TO THE TRUTH.



MORE INFORMATION ON GOOGLE.COM CENSORSHIP:
>http://blogoscoped.com/archive/2007-03-02-n19.html
>http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2006/01/28/google_china_censorship_fuels_calls_for_us_boycott/
>http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/060130-080248

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

We Did It Once, We Can Do It Again




A Genetics Professor, who will remain anonymous,
once told his class about the political and social activism of the 1960s and 70s:



"Once, not too long ago,
I can remember parents would write notes to high school principals, excusing their sons or daughters from class in order to partake in peace demonstrations.
It was a different time,
with morality at the head of everything,
and right and wrong was as simple as it ever was or should be."



We must once again become engaged, active citizens of our multicultural, global society.


Let us reminisce..

> Washington Peace March (1971)
> Lesbian & Gay Senior Lives: The First March Documentary (1970)
> Anti Vietnam War Protests (late 1960s)
> The Kent State University Massacre (1970)
> Kent State Massacre in 13 Seconds (1970)


These efforts have been quieted through the use of
realpolitik and fear tactics, in accordance with power politics,
but not completely forgotten:


> Anti-War Demonstration in Central Park (2008)
> Tibetan Peace Demonstration (2008)
> Tibetan Protests Against China
> Global Day for Darfur in London (2008)
> Save Darfur (2008)


Peace in Middle East (?)


A) The OneVoice Movement:

The OneVoice Movement is an international mainstream grassroots movement with over 640,000 signatories in roughly equal numbers both in Israel and in Palestine, and 2,000 highly-trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution guaranteeing an end to occupation and violence, and a viable, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel.

FAQs on OneVoice


> VIDEO INTRODUCTION OF ONEVOICE

> MIDDLE EAST YOUTH DEMAND PEACE


> ONEVOICE JERUSALEM STATEMENT

> PAUL McCARTNEY + ONEVOICE

The Value of Self-Education and Awareness

SELF EDUCATION: Learning without Boundaries
http://www.motivation-tools.com/youth/website_concepts.htm

A) Familiarize Yourself with Important Terms

Any of these terms can be looked up at Wikipedia.com or another preferred search engine (ASK.COM, GOOGLE, DOGPILE.COM):

Misanthropy: the general dislike, distrust, or hatred of the human species or a disposition to dislike and/or distrust other people’s silent consensus about reality. A misanthrope is a person who dislikes or distrusts humanity as e general rule.

Realpolitik: (German: real “realistic”, “practical” or “actual”; and Politik “politics”) refers to politics or diplomacy based primarily on practical considerations, rather than ideological notions. The term realpolitik is often used pejoratively to imply politics that are coercive, amoral, or Machiavellian. Realpolitik is a theory of politics that focuses on considerations of power, not ideals, morals, or principles.
MUSICAL INTERPRETATION BY Kevin Rogers and Kristian Ring

Genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group.

Power Politics: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_politics
Power politics, or Machtpolitik (borrowed from German), is a state of international relations in which sovereigns protect their own interests by threatening one another with military, economic, or political aggression. The term was coined in Martin Wright's 1979 book of the same name, which the Times Literary Supplement dubbed the 18th most influential book since World War II.

Extreme Individualism: The promotion of the individual above the community
http://www.uaw892.org/news/march_2002/Extreme%20Individualism.htm
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Individualism

Green Living: To live in harmony with one’s environment through the utilization of modest, energy efficient methods
http://www.thegreenguide.com/
http://www.green-living.com/
http://greenlivingideas.com/
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/


B) Build Your Cultural Awareness

Cultural Awareness is the key to a brighter future.
We must educate ourselves and build awareness of international affairs in order to better understand the world around us.
What to do? Research ALL POSSIBLE aspects of media, follow your moral/ethical code and make your own educated decisions:


Inspiring Sites:
http://www.peace.org/
http://www.sgi-usa.org/
http://www.peacecorps.gov/
http://www.preventgenocide.org/prevent/

Mongolian Culture: The Weeping Camel
John Cage on Silence
John Cage's 27 Sounds Manufactured in a Kitchen
Mahatma Gandhi
Martin Luther King, Junior's I Have a Dream speech


THE INFORMATION LISTED BELOW IS MEANT TO EDUCATE ONLY.
THIS IS NOT MEANT TO CAUSE DEPRESSION and/or ANGER.
PLEASE RETAIN HOPE.
PEACEABLE CHANGE IS OURS TO IMPLEMENT.


TIBET:
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VRneGYpaXc
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnBkD_1N1QE&feature=related
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r58Jtg8GY2o&feature=related

o SHOCKING FOOTAGE: http://www.freetibet.org/newsmedia/200309
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtvcppN67Nw&feature=PlayList&p=2EDBE596CF1731DA&index=0&playnext=1
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7NUNwq2MGc&feature=PlayList&p=2EDBE596CF1731DA&index=1

The Tiananmen Square Story: Who is the Unknown Rebel, you ask?
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDKVEprC948
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-nXT8lSnPQ&feature=related

ROWANDA:
o http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/04/200947181917774331.html

DARFUR:
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwrxPXvvaCs&feature=related

o DARFUR IN 10 MINUTES:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USLDoIiFzzg&feature=related

o http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2009/04/200947181917774331.html
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqOJgfOdmtQ&feature=channel
o http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_in_Darfur
o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXdWDM4fmRY
Global Polemic:
Dedicated to Building Awareness and Encouragement of Peace
Globalpolemic.blogspot.com


Who We Are:


1. WE ARE a freelance, non-sectarian, apolitical organization
2. WE ARE students of global education
3. WE ARE advocators of peace, culture, equal opportunity, togetherness, honest prosperity and understanding.
4. WE ARE in support of idealistic, hopeful, and opportunistic ideas
5. WE ARE dedicated to creating and supporting public awareness activities to promote the values of peace, culture and education*

! Who Rocks Our Socks: Link
Martin Luther King Junior
: King on Malcolm X
Bob Marley
The Beatles
The Crowd
Charles Darwin
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
The Unknown Rebel of Tiananmen Square:



Who We Are Not:


1. WE ARE NOT associated with any religion/spiritual belief system
2. WE ARE NOT in support of realpolitik and power principals
3. WE ARE NOT promoters of aggressive tactics
4. WE ARE NOT inflexible
5. WE ARE NOT extremists


OUR PLATFORM:

We are promoters of peace, cultural understanding, harmonious social exchange, modest prosperity, green living, and supporters of the building of educationally stimulating, honest, and encouraging communities.


∗ This definition was adopted from the Soka Gakkai International – USA website, which we fully support as an approved webcite in the encouragement and support of peace (http://www.sgi-usa.org/).