Get your own
 diary at DiaryLand.com! contact me older entries newest entry

02:08 - 27.03.06
drums in the deep
I've lost this entry once dear diary, so here I go again. Given the problems with corrupted files that have plagued Diaryland in the past couple of days, I guess I shouldn't complain.

A few years ago I wrote an article on request for an alternate newspaper. It was about how one should research and gather information if one felt the need to advocate or lobby for something important to them - say health care for example. The piece came from the years of direct and hard won experience I had gained working on a number of volunteer projects. I wanted all that effort not to go to waste. One of the most important points I felt I made was that one should be very thorough when gathering the raw data by checking as many sources as one had the time and access to so that the position taken would be solid and respected by those approached to effect the changes. There was a very clear example of that yesterday when two reports on the exact same story were almost unrecognizable except for the names and dates. The visit by Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla to Saudi Arabia to try to find some common grounds for respect and peaceful coexistance with the Muslim world was the focus of both stories. The piece in the Arab e-zine appeared to be very positive and supportive of the attempts by both sides to find that common ground. There were definitely silences on some issues to account for the sensibilities of the participants. The second article from a western e-newspaper appears to have been written by someone with no knowledge of the culture and who had obviously not had or taken the time to research their topic at all. Their piece in some ways becomes an example of why so many people fail when they try to advocate a position. The weaknesses of the article are so plangent that it is unlikely they would even be given a hearing by someone who could actually effect change.

On a more positive note are these three articles that look at creative change because of enlightened self interest. The first was a really encouraging story about environmental responsibility by Saudi Arabia in terms of finding enough potable water to meet the needs of the citizens of their desert nation. Stewardship of resources rather than exploitation is the wisest long term action any government can take. Next up was the story about a corporation that actually value the ideas of its employees based on their merit rather than the title/position of the person offering it. Their reward is a profit that now derives 30% from that one idea. Both governments and private companies should be rethinking the way their stereotypes and labels act as barriers to their own best interests, eh? The last article was an insightful comment from the CEO of Nintendo who acknowledged that even though the laws of some branches of physics say bumblebees can't fly they are dead wrong. He was making the point in reference again to what ideas are sometimes discarded his case in point being whether the game Tetris would even be considered if it was only now being proposed as a marketable game. Uh huh.

Time for bed - sounds like military planes have just gone by and the planets suggest another tsunami like event soon according to this astrologer in her weekly pronostications in my newspaper today. Wonder if there's a connection. I hope not. Doucement mes cher enfants. Patience Grasshopper.

�

previous - next

�

about me - read my profile! read other Diar
yLand diaries! recommend my diary to a friend! Get
 your own fun + free diary at DiaryLand.com!

web stats