Google, Facebook, Twitter sound off on Egypt

By Chris Lefkow

Agence France-Presse

First Posted 11:02:00 02/02/2011

WASHINGTON - Google, Facebook and Twitter, breaking with the usual practice of corporate silence, are speaking out forcefully against the Internet blockade by the Egyptian authorities. As Egypt is rocked by continuing protests against President Hosni Mubarak, the three companies spawned by the Internet have criticized the attempt by the authorities to sever the nation of 80 million people from the Web. While corporate responsibility has been a front-burner issue since companies were pressured into cutting ties with apartheid South Africa decades ago, experts said the statements and moves by the three Web giants were unusual. "Usually with most corporations the issue is what's going to make profits, not necessarily what's going to do good for the world," said Benjamin Hermalin a finance professor at the University of California, Berkeley's Haas School of Business. "Particularly given a situation of political uncertainty it would be very strange for companies to take bets on one side because if the other side wins they're in deep trouble," Hermalin said. The uncertainty in Egypt did not stop Facebook, which had about five million active users in the country before the Internet shutdown, from issuing a statement saying that "no one should be denied access to the Internet." "Although the turmoil in Egypt is a matter for the Egyptian people and their government to resolve, limiting Internet access for millions of people is a matter of concern for the global community," Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes said. Google and Twitter went considerably further than merely expressing concern, jointly creating a tool to allow Egyptians to bypass the Internet closure and post messages to Twitter by making telephone calls. Google said the "Speak to Tweet" service, which turns voice messages into "tweets," was aimed at "helping people in Egypt stay connected at this very difficult time." Google-owned YouTube also highlighted videos from Egypt on its news and politics channel, CitizenTube, invited users to submit their own and began streaming live coverage of broadcasts by the Al Jazeera television network. Google also created a "Crisis Response" page featuring links to the "Speak to Tweet" tool, CitizenTube, emergency telephone numbers and Google Maps of where protests have been occurring in Egypt. Michael Connor, editor and publisher of the online magazine Business Ethics, noted that Google, whose motto is "Don't Be Evil," has taken stands previously, refusing to censor Internet search results in China, for example. At the same time, Connor said Google, Facebook and Twitter were also acting out of self-interest. "The image of these companies is being open and being involved in the free exchange of information," Connor said. "They had to do something. They've got a customer base that expects them to do certain things." Timothy Fort, professor of business ethics at George Washington University and executive director of the Institute for Corporate Responsibility, agreed that Internet freedom is "core to their identity." "In distinction with an established company that does earth-moving, say, or dam-building the identity of Google, Facebook and Twitter is the free flow of information," Fort said. "That is their business. "It is very much in their corporate interest to be forcefully aligning themselves with that," he said. Although a Google executive has gone missing in Egypt, Hermalin said Internet companies are better placed to speak out than a company such as Coca-Cola, which needs to protect its employees in a particular country. "Internet companies are kind of a new breed of company," Hermalin said. "They have global reach but almost zero assets on the ground." Coca-Cola, however "could really be hurt," Hermalin said. "Let's suppose that Mubarak or allies of Mubarak retain control and Coke is out there handing out free Cokes to the demonstrators," he said. "What's the first thing they're going to do? They're going to punish Coke like crazy, they're going to nationalize their bottling plants," he said. "And if Coke is seen as someone who's going to use its assets to help overthrow dictators then other places in the world that have dictators are going to say 'Maybe having Coke around is not such a good idea.'" For Google, Facebook and Twitter, the positive publicity they get from standing up to the Egyptian authorities "more than makes up for the risks to whatever business they have in Egypt," he said.

10 Tips for Parents to Achieve Work-Life Balance

Nobody said being a parent was easy. Here are 10 tips to help parents stay on top of their careers while still having quality time with the family.

By: Nyx Martinez

Let’s be honest here—there is no one magic formula for doing this right. Every parent must look at themselves, their family, and their circumstances, to see what works for them. But knowing what you should keep in mind when making those decisions will help you come to better conclusions and achieve greater results in love, in life, and in the success of your career. Here are 10 ways you to start:

1. If you have a 9-5 job, devote the weekends to home/family activities, and save work for weekdays when you really need to do it.
Your family, and especially your children, will sense what is important to you by how much time you spend on it. So if you are five days a week away at work, make sure that the other two are set aside for family matters, and try to not schedule work-related activities then.

2. Have some ‘Me Time’.
Treat yourself once in awhile to doing things just for you. Whether a foot spa or body-massage, shopping spree or night out with girlfriends, do what helps to de-stress and take your mind of other concerns. Being good to yourself will help you be better for others.

3. Keep fit.
Exercise, eat healthy, think healthy, live a healthy lifestyle. If you want to be there for your family, you need to be there in good shape.

4. Find out how you can maintain flexibility at work; know your boss’s expectations and leeway.
When you know what others expect of you, or if they know your boundaries from the start, this will aid you in achieving your home goals and making all expectations clear.

5. Build and maintain your own support network.
Find people who can give you sensible advice and counsel when you’re in a fix. Seek out others who have ‘been there, done that’ and can offer good advice or just lend a listening ear.

6. Know that happiness is essential. All the material stuff isn’t.
When more work equals more material benefits, the tendency is to work harder or more days, all for the good of our family. But in the long run, what matters most is your time, your happiness, and theirs, too—on the day-to-day.

7. Determine your limits and then safeguard yourself from guilt.
What are your personal boundaries, and how far are you willing to go or sacrifice? Once you establish this personally and with your partner, it will enable you to make the right decisions daily. Know your own standards, and then determine to enjoy life without regrets.

8. Make the most of reliable child care.
We are blessed that living in the Philippines allows parents affordable nannies and household help. If you can, find dependable workers to help you care for your kids. It makes a world of difference in being able to maintain a household when you have good hands-on help.

9. Stay connected to your inner spirit.
Learning to be in tune with yourself, your emotions, and your needs will help you determine which parts of your life are imbalanced and which could use more attention.

10. Prioritize family—always.
In the recent successful rescue of the 33 miners in Chile, the resounding message to the world, voiced by the survivors, was to love, live, and appreciate your loved ones while you have them with you…and not when it’s too late. We would all do well to listen and learn.

And remember, life is all about being flexible. Maybe, after reading this, you get into a routine that works for you. Something will inevitably come up to throw that for a loop. Work around it, don’t get disheartened. Expect that you will make mistakes from time to time, and that’s okay. In fact, it’s all part of the learning process, which never ends.

Happy parenting!

About the author: Nyx Martinez is a multi-media artist, travel writer, and managing editor of Mabuhay magazine. She has a one-year-old son.

Read more: http://www.smartparenting.com.ph/mom-dad/relationships/10-tips-for-parents-to-achieve-work-life-balance/page/2#ixzz1CgW1VgaA

Worst Case Scenario "Egypt a State of Destruction" after mubarak left radicals may hold power.

Some Egyptians expressed fear that more unrest would leave their country in ruins, and hoped Mubarak would go quickly.
"We don't want this regime to leave this country in a state of destruction. We want it to go away. We need to give them a safe haven to leave this nation. Leave us, enough," Salah Abdel Maqsoud, a senior official in the Journalists Union close to the opposition Muslim Brotherhood, told Al Jazeera television.
Mubarak, 82, has been a close ally of Washington and beneficiary of U.S. aid for decades, justifying his autocratic rule in part by citing a danger of Islamist militancy.
The Muslim Brotherhood opposition, however, appears to have played a backseat role in the unrest.
His government has largely shut Egypt off from the Internet, which protesters used to organize. The mobile phone network in Cairo was still out of action. Obama called for an end to interference with communications networks.
"I want to be very clear in calling upon the Egyptian authorities to refrain from any violence against peaceful protesters," Obama said.
Anthony Skinner, Associate Director of political risk consultancy Maplecroft, said Mubarak's conduct was reminiscent of that of Tunisia's ousted leader Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali, who also fired his cabinet hours before he was forced to flee.
"Mubarak is showing he is still there for now and he is trying to deflect some of the force of the process away from himself by sacking the cabinet. We will have to see how people react but I don't think it will be enough at all."
Markets were hit by the uncertainty. U.S. stocks suffered their biggest one-day loss in nearly six months, crude oil prices surged and the dollar and U.S. Treasury debt gained as investors looked to safe havens.

This would be very a dangerous situation for egypt and it's people, if you will ask for a CHANGE and you will not handle it will then radicals may take advantage. This is a problem for a muslim nation and it has happened many times, in Iran after the Sha falls, in Iraq when saddam's regime was over, in lebanon when the western backed goverment left.

People in Egypt should handle this things carefully and watch those people and organization who supported this unrest, they maybe more than the change the egyptians are asking, maybe worst.

Teenage Pregnancy - Real-Life Stories On Teenage Pregnancy

By: UMyTongue

When an expectant teenager surfs online, reads a magazine, or glances at a leaflet at a clinic, she will find it very encouraging to know she is not alone in facing this nightmare. Tales on teen pregnancies are a form of consolation and reassurance to expectant teens; they count on these tales for advice, fortitude, and support.
For instance, girls can peruse tales on teen pregnancy that recount the shock that a teenager goes through on coming to learn of her pregnancy. One story narrates how an adolescent was simply dazed when the home pregnancy test revealed two pink lines. The following couple of weeks were full of widely fluctuating thoughts about her pregnancy. What she knew about teenage unwed mothers, were awful. She was aware of how she thought of young girls she knew that got themselves pregnant and she definitely did not want to be thought of like that.
Tales on teen pregnancy can reveal to young girls, the way in which teenage mothers put with the way society perceives them. Another tale narrates that as the teenager progressed further into her pregnancy, and later as son was slowly growing, the gaping and gawking did not ruffle her as much as before and people would tell her that she was not old enough to be her son's mother. However, when she spoke with people, they would always conclude by stating that she was nothing like the other teenagers who became pregnant.
Well, she was quite different from them since she attended a decent school, lived by herself, ensured that things worked out with her partner, looked after her kid, and discharged her duties, balanced three jobs, and she had her future mapped out. To some extent, she thought they were right. She did everything possible for her kid and she and visuals of young motherhood that society exhibits for everyone to see were very dissimilar.
By reading this tale, a teenage mom, can draw inspiration and the strength from the knowledge that if she decided to keep hold of the baby, she can survive and continue with her life.
Alternatively, teens can also find out about how unaware other adolescents were during their pregnancies, and, hence can learn to be better prepared to handle the pregnancy. As one teenager describes that, she did not realize that she had every right to plan for her baby and should have asked for it be accepted. Although she was aware of birth plans she did not appreciate that it could be related to her as well. At that point of time, she felt as if she hardly had any right to have the baby and so how could anyone expect her to plan for its arrival.
By browsing through teenage pregnancy stories, girls can comprehend that all adolescent mothers are equally scared. One teenager says that she just was seated at her desk, fifteen years of age, and flunking in class, pregnant, ill, and petrified. She simply sat there, gently massaging her flat abdomen and gritting her jaws to avoid throwing up.
Often, a teenager is all on her own, estranged from her family and friends due to her condition. By reading up on teen pregnancy stories, where nameless faceless characters suddenly spring to life and with whom she can empathize, the pregnant teenager can lead a life less solitary.

Im not happy in my relationship or in life?

Well, if you have that kind of question in your mind right now...take this. Happiness in a relationship where you are not happy 95% of the time for whatever reason is not happiness. I'm kind of in the same spot as you: "I do not enjoy what I love." I dated my ex. We went through the same cycle as we did the first time we dated just about 10x faster, which is good because I didn't waste another 3 years on her.

Not enjoying what you love is not growing up. That's growing apart. You have to accept that while she makes you happy sometimes you are not happy all of the time. You WILL find someone else you love just as much if not more. It may not feel like it but trust me, you will. I love my ex (We just broke up a week ago). But I do not love the way she treats me. She makes me happy sometimes. But most of the time I'm displeased about something. I'm worth more than that. And so are you.

Cut her loose. Enjoy college and life. Life will be easier without having to deal with her baggage too. And sooner or later you'll meet someone worth dating and you'll wonder why you ever bothered to deal with your ex's ****.

As for your friends, who cares if they seem busy! Just message them on facebook or something. Say "hey, you seem pretty busy but I was wondering if you could pencil me in to do something sometime soon =)"

Parenting Guru: Five things I want my teen to know.

As the parent of a teen, I feel like I have very little time left to mold my son—if that’s even possible now that he’s 14. But there are still a few things I’d like to teach him.

1. Be happy. Look, happiness is like the ocean. Sometimes the tide is in, sometimes it’s out. But over your life I hope you stay happy. I hope your life/family/friends surround you and that you keep the happiness you’ve found with me and Dad and friends and family.
   
2. I hope you recognize your talents and use them in the future. Your first word was “eat.” The second word was “doggie.” Since that time I have never seen an animal that didn’t fall madly in love with you. I’ve also never seen anyone understand science the way you do. Or view art as you do. Or do those long equation thingies that I never understood. I've also never seen anyone stand in front of the open refrigerator as often as you do, but that's another story.
   
   Remember that what you choose to work at will be something you do for a very long time, so you should love it. Take your talents and make them work with you. And no, that doesn’t mean you should start practicing for a hot dog eating contest. I’m thinking more along the lines of the equation thingies.
   
3. Read. I know that as a writer, I love to read. I know that as a doer, you hate it. But you need to do it. Not for me—although that would be nice. But you need to do it for you. Reading opens up our imaginations. Also, it’s the best thing to do on a rainy day.  Okay, its not as good as sliding down a grassy hill on a cardboard box in the rain, but it’s close.
   
4. Don’t rush into having sex. I know it’s difficult to resist the pressures. And honestly, I don’t expect you to be the last virgin standing. I do hope that you will wait until you find someone you respect and have feelings for, because that makes sex so much better. I also expect you to remember our family motto, “ain’t no love without a glove.”
   
5.  Don’t forget that I will always love you. No matter where you go, what you do or who you become, I will always love you more than the sun loves the moon or the stars love the sky. And you know what that means. You’ll never be rid of me, no matter how hard you try.

Ideology and the left blogosphere

This post by Freddie deBoer about the rightward drift of ostensibly left-wing bloggers names names and has generated a lot of responses. DeBoer writes that “almost anything resembling an actual left wing has been systematically written out of the conversation within the political blogosphere, both intentionally and not, while those writing within it congratulate themselves for having answered all left-wing criticism.” That’s not to say you can’t find socialists and the like blogging here and there; it’s just that the conversation-defining pundits online don’t read them or respond to them. Instead there is a Potemkin left wing made up of moderates. “The nominal left of the blogosphere is almost exclusively neoliberal,” deBoer argues. It subscribes to “the general paternalistic neoliberal policy platform, where labor rights are undercut everywhere for the creation of economic growth (that 21st century deity), and then, if things go to plan, wealth is redistributed from the top to those whose earnings and quality of life have been devastated by the attack on labor.” Some of the prominent moderates may have begun further left, but career incentives have driven them to the neoliberal line, which secures “professional entitlement” in punditry circles.

The gist of his critique is that unless you are willing to assent to the broad tenets of neoliberalism (antiunion, anti-regulation, pro-neoclassical economic interpretations, etc.) you are not regarded as an “adult” in American political discourse. “The neoliberal economic platform is enforced by the attitude that anyone embracing a left-wing critique of that platform is a Stalinist or a misbehaving adolescent,” he writes. And sure enough, deBoer himself had his maturity questioned. DeBoer cites a few examples in his postscript, and today at Marginal Revolution, Tyler Cowen, after referring to deBoer target Matt Yglesias by his first name only (an annoying trait of the consensus-sphere; as if we are all chums and should all automatically know who is being referring to) writes somewhat condescendingly:

Freddie deBoer seems to be very smart. I had never heard of him before, which I suppose means he is not extremely famous as a blogger. So let’s see how he evolves when it comes to his critique that “labor rights are undercut everywhere for the creation of economic growth” in an ongoing debate with some people who know more about it than he does. he shows a much better rhetorical skill than he does an understanding of labor economics.

Whether or not you agree with that marketplace-of-ideas approach to credibility, it’s worth considering whether it’s appropriate to dismiss rhetorical skill so quickly. Part of what deBoer claims is that left-wing argument is dismissed out of hand as mere rhetoric as opposed to the more “pragmatic” arguments of neoliberals. Left-wingers spout ideology while neoliberals have “real” policy discussions. But “real policy” is constrained by the rhetorical climate that is allowed to prosper; empiricism doesn’t occur in a ideological vacuum. Instead ideology dictates to some degree the terms of the “ongoing debate” Cowen mentions, and deBoer is pointing out how restrictive that ideology has been. Mike Konczal puts this well in his response:

deBoer thinks that policy wonks create solutions within the context of a neoliberal capitalism, solutions that reify the naturalness of the current economic order, and that ignore the real problems. These solutions broadly fight for scraps that are left over from what the elites divide up, and don’t address more fundamental problems existing within our economic order.

To overcome that “reified naturalness” requires explicitly ideological effort of the sort that conservatives have never been embarrassed to engage in, at various levels of Straussian deception and bad faith. Ideological vigor (preferably of the good faith, nondeceptive variety) is not the only thing the left needs, but it needs it to some degree, and that means allowing views further to the Left than Gerald Ford into the “adult” conversation.

It’s interesting to compare that Cowen passage with one from a recent post by Steve Waldman, whose has been arguing against complacent technocracy for several months now.

The empirical evidence is clear. Ideology is malleable, over years and decades rather than generations and centuries. If you have to choose one — smart policy and indifference to ideology or sloppy policy and careful ideological work — you are better off choosing the latter.

Waldman makes the claim that ideology is “path-dependent”—that is, what’s currently hegemonic affects the scope of what can become ideologically persuasive in the future. After some game-theoretical analysis he concludes that the side that focuses on “rhetorical skill” will be able to shape the “ecosystem of constraints” that dictates future policy more than the side that regards ideological work as unnecessary or somehow disreputable. In a fitting piece of rhetorical jujitsu, Waldman accuses the tepid moderates and technocrats of immaturity:

It is childish, and wrong, to imagine that acknowledging the ideological aspects of one’s work and self makes one less trustworthy or more dangerous than those whose work is equally ideological, but who mistake their ideology for objectivity or truth and who therefore deny any role for ideology. Many of history’s most dangerous ideologues have been “true believers”, and others have pretended a “scientific” perspective while advancing claims we now recognize as ideological. Being acted upon by, and acting upon, prevailing ideology are part of what it means to be human. It is not just the province of economists or policymakers, or a fabrication of Svengalis in the propaganda ministry. Nevertheless, politicians and economists and other “opinion leaders” probably do have disproportionate influence over ideological change. As far as I’m concerned, they (we) ought to be doing a better, more careful, and more conscious, job of it.

Doing policy or doing ideological propaganda is not an either-or proposition. To be effective, one arguably must do both, with as much rhetorical skill as possible. But the existing crypto-left instead seems to sacrifice ideology to get along career-wise in the neoliberal media world as it already stands, rather than take advantage of the internet’s potential to build an alternative forum to subvert it.

Is it a Good Idea? "Threatened Filipino Artists Urge Higher Taxes for Foreign Acts."

Artist Kuh Ledesma urged the government to study a possibility on how to protect the welfare of local artists. Curiously, Alcasid and Ledesma will have separate Valentines concerts so the timing of the request couldn’t be better as foreign talents traditionally come to the Philippines to serenade fans who celebrate the popular occasion. Alcasid proposed that imposing higher taxes to the visitors could help members of the OPM survive the cut-throat competition.

Ledesma’s concert will be held on 12th and 13th of February with Rico J. Puno, Marco Sison, Nonoy Zuñiga, and Rey Valera. Meanwhile, Alcasid will have his concert on Feb. 12 with Pops Fernandez with special guest wife Regine Velasquez.

The group of local artists are worried and feel threatened that public attention has gravitated towards foreign artists who come to the Philippines for concert. Among them are Janet Jackson (Feb 4th), Stephen Bishop, Dan Hill and Yvonne Elliman (Feb 11th), Deftones (Feb 12th), Fra Lippo Lippi’s Per Sorensen (Feb 13th), Taylor Swift (Feb 19th) and Yellowcard (Feb 20th).

Under a democratic regime, fans can select their favorite concerts to attend to. And this could mean the Filipino artists could be left behind in ticket sales, realizing that the concert dates of foreign acts fall close to their performance dates. With expensive tickets, concert goers might save up for their intended event to attend to. And that means giving up the less popular acts in favor of their favored artists.

In a society heavily influenced by foreign media, coupled with deterioration of good quality locally-bred songs, it may be easy to conclude that foreign singers have an edge over their local counterparts. Asking the foreign artists to pay more taxes when performing in the Philippines would then be an unpopular move not only to the artists themselves, but more importantly, to their Filipino fans.

I wonder how will these Filipino singers feel if wish to go abroad and get taxed heavily for being foreign artists. If indeed they would entertain the idea, given their lineup mostly consisting of revival songs of other artists. If you look at the list of OPM members in its website, assuming it is accurate and updated, there are a lot fewer artists in the list. The likes of Rico J Puno, The CompanY, Rivermaya, Sharon Cuneta, Basil Valdez, Freddie Aguilar and Rey Valera, among several others are not in the lineup. Other names in the group look new to me. This Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit group is not as big as I thought.

Church of Scientology "cult of the damned fools"

Church of Scientology a was not build to save your lives, it was created for one sole purpose to have power to control people lives, to generate money from its members and to manipulate lives creating one stupid community of the dammed. A true religion promotes love to save souls, but church of Scientology promotes hate and break families. It is made to get money from vulnerable souls. "Two branches of the group's operations and several of its leaders in France have been fined. The case came after complaints from two women, one of whom said she was manipulated into paying more than 20,000 euros (£18,100) in the 1990s. France regards Scientology as a sect, not a religion." It is clear that this church of fools are here not to save souls, and it is indeed A CULT OF THE DAMNED FOOLS!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/search/news/church_of_scientology

Victims and Users!

During the 2010 Philippine presidential election, President Pnoy a senator back then, publicly and proudly showed his very interesting romance with Shalani a malabon councilor turned tv host. (Of course she campaigned for Pnoy) And we cannot ignore the fact that she had a lot of supporters and followers. Now, Kris Aquino a very popular tv host/actress and sister of now president Pnoy and wife of a very popular sports figure, basketball star James Yap..who has lots of followers and fans. (And of course lots of relatives by family name YAP) James came from bacolod which has thoundsands of voting population. (He has lots of friends and relatives there). Now, after the election Pnoy won and became president. Suddenly, Kris announced her broke up with husband James in which rumored to be a sour relationship months before the election. (they didn't showed it during campaign period). And then the sudden break-up of president Pnoy and Shalani month after Pnoy won the presidential election. A Victim or User Theory...THINK!