"Results 1 - 10 of about 1,970 for "1,000 Words About Johannesburg"

Funny Things About "BorderJumpers" (1.00 / 1)

They do seem to have their own blog, but it gets no comments.

Border Jumpers - Blog of Bernard Pollack and Danielle Nierenberg as they travel in Africa

So do they pay starving Zimbabweans a penny a day to spam it out to 1,970 other blogs. What is the point of all this looking at Africa through rose colored glasses. People are, after all, starving and getting shot!

They also have a non-Blogger blog which is almost certainly on a custom coded blog framework:

Border Jumpers: Blog of Bernard Pollack and Danielle Nierenberg as they travel in Africa

It also gets no comments. Don't click on anything! NoScript reports attempted browser hijacking! It has a few vaguely liberal recommended links. It also has a recommended link to "Red Mass Group"!  "Why RMG? -- Red Mass Group was founded to revitalize the right-wing community in Massachusetts much as Blue Mass Group has done for the left."  So you don't have to click and get hijacked, they are here:

Red Mass Group - About

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by: blues @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 01:45:51 AM CST

Interesting... (0.00 / 0)

This is Worldwatch Institute, an environmental thinktank out of DC. And I find it fairly spammy...is this the new thing, government spam from 'not-for-profits'?

hmmm.

The Worldwatch Institute was started a few decades ago with a grant from the Rockerfellers, and currently gets funds from Bill Gates.

Maybe someone here more knowledgeable on environmental action can weigh in on their character.

Melvin??

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by: Laura @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 02:36:47 AM CST

Danielle Nierenberg is a researcher (5.00 / 1)

for Worldwatch and I believe has been for some time. She is part of the group that runs one of WI's associated blogs, Nourishing the Planet. These are not exactly secrets.

They - WI - attempt high level syntheses of global issues and obviously mean to reach policy makers. Among other projects WI issues each year a themed State of the World report (that's what I mean about "high level" - I am not referring to quality). Last year's was Into a Warming World and filled with accurate, detailed reports on the current state of affairs and reasonable assessments on what the future holds (it ain't pretty).

I have not read this year's. It is called Transforming Cultures - From Consumerism to Sustainability and has received high praise from the likes of Muhammad Yunus (founder of the Grameen Bank) and Bill McKibben. I suspect it is well worth reading.

There is no doubt some criticism that can be mounted of WI's approach.  Maybe it isn't perfect. Maybe Nierenberg and Pollack could spend their time more profitably worrying about conspiracy theories and Lara Antipova's mailbox. I wouldn't know.

There is always a range of interests and arguments to be made about what is most effective. I have a long list of complaints about Greepeance and the Wildlife Conservation Society I could go into and won't, but I don't know enough about WI to have any. They seem a very valuable resource.

Clearly Border Jumpers have adopted a policy of carpet bombing the web. More power to them, Red Mass and all. What is this bullshit of accusing them of some sort of guilt by association for pushing their work wherever they want to?

pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will

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by: melvin @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 06:14:47 AM CST

[ Parent ]

The Rich Must Control The Internet ??? (0.00 / 0)

Huffington Post has an "endowment" of at least $100,000,000.00,; nothing wrong with that (???). Coincidentally, they appear to have the biggest rating of any blog on the Internet! So now these fat-cat WorldWatchers feel entitled to help themselves to the bandwidth provided by thousands of non-fat-cats like Smiling Jack? Fuck That!!! Bill Gates, WorldWatch, BorderJumpers, et al. can't do shit in Africa. China fucking OWNS Africa now! It doesn't even matter any more how much war we start in Sudan.

These people are fucking dickface spammers, treating folks like Smiling Jack like they treat fucking Africans! Fuck slum tourism!

I play around with conspiracy theories sometimes. So what? It's fun and interesting. In fact, I mostly do current events, and most importantly innovative policy and voting/election "theory." I feel these things are very important. I try to point out the traps involved in "IRV." I try to promote approval with runoff voting. It's the ONLY way to end the absurd two/three party system. I promote a equitarian society!!!

I demand wealth control - nobody should ever be permitted to own more than twenty times the assets they need to survive - is the only workable answer. Business consortiums  should also have a minimum of ten competitors. If the number falls below that, the government should start up new ones. So-called "intellectual property" should be abolished, and people who create new things should be granted awards by random juries, so people can do business freely and make what is needed.

I demand that the government should simply start building small, ultra-energy efficient towns. And those towns should be equipped with industries that they own and may not ever sell or mortgage. Then they should have a lottery for people who don't own houses, and thereby just give newly-built small, ultra-energy efficient houses away. The outlay would be recouped by taxing the industries. The first industries would presumably be construction companies. The home owners must never be allowed to sell or mortgage, but they could swap houses if the wanted to move.

If others here want to worry about Africa, remember that our nation is bankrupt while the Chinese, who are not bankrupt, can and will help Africa. If others here want to cling to the same old two-party, fat-cat loving, living-in- competition, "American Dream" -- then go right ahead. Maybe the BorderJumpers" will save you when your house gets foreclosed. (I intend to diarize this one!)

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by: blues @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 11:05:33 AM CST

[ Parent ]

! (5.00 / 1)

and may I add !

I don't know about HuffPo. It looks like another jukebox, just like dkos. I'd save a little venom for the elected and other celebrities who get to post there and elsewhere because they have name recognition. It isn't my fault that people are idiots.

Demand in one hand and shit in the other. Even I wouldn't agree with giving people houses. Not in this country. Give an an American something for nothing and he will value it and take care of it accordingly, that is not at all.


pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will

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by: melvin @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 13:02:38 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Lots Of People Inherit Houses For Nothing. You're Against That? (1.00 / 1)

At least they will OWN IT. That's a good reason to take care of it!

I think if you scratch a pwoggie, you find a conservative.

Nobody really wants constructive change, it seems.

Or they want change, but no specific changes, please!

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by: blues @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 13:25:19 PM CST

[ Parent ]

If you scratch me you will find an anarchist. (0.00 / 0)

On the other hand I'm not 19 anymore, or even 29. It doesn't pay to have any illusions about the american public.

pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will

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by: melvin @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 17:33:13 PM CST

[ Parent ]

See, The Essence Of Conservatism. It Won't Play In Peoria (0.00 / 0)

Just be limply pwoggish. Don't demand anything too specific. Who knows? Maybe something good will fall off, or trickle down. Get more by asking for less!

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by: blues @ Sat Feb 27, 2010 at 21:13:29 PM CST

[ Parent ]

You don't even rise to the level of being wrong. (0.00 / 0)

Enjoy your blinders and that loop playing in your head. All this energy spent worrying about how to mischaracterize other people.

It's a matter of choosing your battles. And this one ain't worth it.

pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will

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by: melvin @ Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 00:23:17 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Okay, You're Not Really Conservative (0.00 / 0)

You just want to fight for tiny little "changes" that will get canceled when they don't accomplish anything much.

Why not make big demands? The neocons were allowed to change everything disastrously for the worse. But if I demand major change I "don't even rise to the level of being wrong."

Why don't you forget about politics? Then you can be "right" all the time without waisting all this energy.

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by: blues @ Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 02:43:57 AM CST

[ Parent ]

Response from BorderJumpers! (6.00 / 2)

We are writing you from outside Antananarivo, Madagascar, tomorrow we are headed meet with rice-breeders in Antisabe.

If this response post is brief, please be patient with us because we are on a dial-up connection (this is our second effort at responding to this diary), while also trying to upload photos...

Most days we visit freespeechzoneblog.com, we enjoy your posts and comments (thanks to many of you for the positive feedback), and encourage you to continue interact with us (we read everything you write). Also, if you have contacts in Africa who are doing innovative work around protecting the environment, supporting workers' rights, or trying to alleviate hunger and poverty -- we may be interested in visiting them (please send our way).

We will try to address some of the issues raised in this post and the subsequent comments.

1) Blues says: "What is the point of all this looking at Africa through rose colored glasses. People are, after all, starving and getting shot!"

Most of the news we hear in the United States about Africa is about famine, HIV/AIDS, drought, disease, etc... We wanted to be different because it isn't just doom and gloom. Our goal is to bring you stories and innovations (led by Africans) about projects we vist firsthand working toward alleviating hunger and poverty. We want to bring examples of hope, show you some things we think are working -- and in come cases bring projects and individual efforts to public light so that they might be scaled up, funded, or supported in someway.

2. Blues says: "They have a non-Blogger blog which is almost certainly on a custom coded blog framework. It also gets no comments. Don't click on anything! NoScript reports attempted browser hijacking! It has a few vaguely liberal recommended links."

We use the blogger platform (the site is not hacked), and just started blogging only a couple of months ago so we have yet to build a sizable audience (thus few comments). We want the site to be interactive and we would love it if more people provided feedback.  We don't consider ourselves "spamming" and everyplace we cross-publish is listed on borderjumpers.org, we don't hide anything.

While we are both have very progressive politics, we want our messages to be read by as vast an audience as possible.

If it is helpful, here are our bios on HuffPost...
B: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
D: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...

3. Blues says: "It also has a recommended link to "Red Mass Group"!  "Why RMG? -- Red Mass Group was founded to revitalize the right-wing community in Massachusetts much as Blue Mass Group has done for the left."  

We took them off, and haven't been posting on "Red Mass Group" because we were banned from the site.

We want to reach as many audiences for debate and discussion as possible.

Hope this is helpful.

All the best and thanks to the folks who read us,
borderjumpers

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by: BorderJumpers @ Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 08:48:55 AM CST

Where Is OUR Bio On Huffington Post??? (0.00 / 0)

Just because you have Rockefellers and Bill Gates behind you, you have the right to spam thousands of blogs maintained by ordinary folk's meager pocket change?

One of (presumably) your (presumably) TWO sites, the second one listed above, raises a clickjacking alert on NoScript; THAT is a Blogger site??? Blogger has a lot to answer for!

We non-fat cat affiliated bloggers (or at least I) resent the fact that you heavily connected folks have chosen to use our (or my) reading space to promote your agenda, no matter how warm and fuzzy! Try doing Detroit, suckers! See how much love you and Gates get there! Tell us about the starving Detroit hoodrat kids and their mamma's great truck gardens! Maybe you can even help. Read up on Ruth Stout:

Ruth Stout's Simple Gardening

Does your heavily ruling class sponsored "status" give you the privilige to X-post on thousands of unsponsored blogs, rather than just the customary one to four? What makes you so very special (moneyed backing, presumably)?

Try going broke and homeless in LA. for a month! See how much you can "help" them! Or is that beneath you?

"Most days we visit freespeechzoneblog.com, we enjoy your posts and comments..."  - Sorry if I added to the already unbearable misery of your lives. I know it's so hard.

Support The Freedom And Equality Party!

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by: blues @ Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 13:33:35 PM CST

[ Parent ]

You (6.00 / 2)

Blues, thanks for another pointless rant -- yes, we HAVE lived in Michigan(Lansing and Detroit). I've also spent my whole professional career (Bernie) working for the American labor movement.

So, please tell us what's wrong with trying to shed some good light on projects that we visit firsthand in Africa in some of the poorest countries in the continent (and world)? And yes, we have connected readers with ways to donate, volunteer, or support some of these groups.

What we are also trying to do is shed some positive light on a continent whereby the corporate media only talks about famine, HIV/AIDS, and decease. Not everything here is "bad" -- African led-groups and individuals are winning real change (both large and small) and we are attempting to tell some of those stories.

If you don't like it, then no one is forcing you to read it.

All the best, bernie  

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by: BorderJumpers @ Sun Feb 28, 2010 at 22:32:48 PM CST

Poor Blogger Accused Of "Pointless Rant" By Global Jet-Setters (0.00 / 0)

Let me quote myself:

"Where Is OUR Bio On Huffington Post???" [Huffington Post, with its $100,000,000.00 endowment!!!]

"Just because you have Rockefellers and Bill Gates behind you, you have the right to spam thousands of blogs maintained by ordinary folk's meager pocket change?"

Okay, some nice things happen in Africa. But Africa has lots of issues, unfortunately. Much of it, in common with many other regions on earth, is desertifying - turning into desert. There is too much poverty, and lots of natural resources. This combination virtually guarantees disastrously bad governance due to interference by the greedy global entrepreneurs and superpowers.

You know who THEY are. You go to meetings with them. Sorry, the Rockefellers and Bill Gateses are not my heroes. Unfortunately, we really do need to ask if this is merely another experiment in finding a way to gentrify the Internet. The rest of us cannot afford to hire teams of keyboardists looking for and exploiting thousands of blogs that might front-page our articles. Thus taking advantage of countless small blogs to propel our "brand name" to stardom on the backs of starving blog proprietors!!!

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by: blues @ Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 00:42:30 AM CST

[ Parent ]

You may find this hard to understand, (3.50 / 2)

you fucking moron, but from the perspective of a great many people your inane babbling is a far greater waste of bandwidth.

pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will

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by: melvin @ Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 03:24:31 AM CST

[ Parent ]

I Have Advanced Several Decent Points About Why Ethno-Tourism Spamming Is A Problem (1.00 / 1)

But, melvin, what am I supposed to "understand" when you advance no arguments?

What am I "babbling" about anyway? Why am I a "moron"?

Why don't you just go to the "BorderJumpers" site? Maybe Bill Gates even has a job for you. You'll need it when the Depression comes and you can't make it to Africa!

from the perspective of a great many people your inane babbling is a far greater waste of bandwidth. - Melvin

Why don't you let these fat-cats post on your blog, melvin? You'll be happily in bed with all the other 1,130 suckers.

I have a diary coming up about how I give out condoms to all the homeless people in my town. Gonna hit 7,000 blogs! Will you please front-page it on your blog, melvin? Just asking.

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by: blues @ Mon Mar 01, 2010 at 04:21:03 AM CST

[ Parent ]