I couldn't help being amused at this article, and some of the comments upon it!

http://www.ec-insight.com/nav.cfm?m=5130&nh=1&hl=http%3A%2F%2Ftechnology%2Etimesonline%2Eco%2Euk%2Ftol%2Fnews%2Ftech%5Fand%5Fweb%2Farticle4350711%2Eece


Today I worked from home and finished the week fairly satisfied to be in that rare position of being up-to-date with correspondence.

Rose and I drafted proposed appraisal targets for Adrian, and have booked his appraisal meeting for 6th August.

The two Executive Directors (Adrian and David Houston) and I had an end-of-week catch-up by Teleconference – covering budget monitoring, preparations for a supplier meeting on 7th August, membership model development progress, Director training and contracts, among other things.


This month's Socitm President's Report was today published on the web-site. http://www.socitm.gov.uk/socitm/News/President+reports.htm


Back in June (on Saturday 21st) I wrote of my encounter on a flight to Philadelphia. David and I have since corresponded and here is an extract from his latest e-mail to me. I'm hoping that, working with LOLA and others, we can get a campaign going to do something really useful to combat such social injustice.

"Not only is there a digital divide – there is a digital overload – I work with Indigenous people all over the world – who need a voice and positive action taken to protect their lands, rights, lives – yet if we get this information out – it needs to affect people – there has to be action – I can supply images of chiefs in Brazil confronting loggers/ranchers to try to save the forest – what few people understand is that if they are not able to protect this forest – we as a people are at risk (20% of all man-made carbon emissions are for forest destruction). We need to get these people on the internet and to funnel this to people that will take action.

"These are also examples of my work and the messages that can be delivered really make a difference…

• Price of herbs in remote parts of Nepal – posting prices on text messages – so don't get ripped off and children sold off to bonded labour when cannot pay bills.
• Price of wheat in Delhi for small farmers in Punjab.
• Use of cameras in child labour in India – documentation of atrocities and use of video.
  Access to information in remote areas – a good example is a washer ring in a hand pump in India – cannot find part or locally charged a small fortune – take a picture of the washer/hand pump registration # of well and send to central dissemination area in Delhi – hey presto a washer for 5 cents and postage of 20 cents rather than the local charge/corruption/non-availability.

"I have contacts with the Congo pygmy people where cannibalism is being caused to the people due to mining of certain minerals used in computers – the miners have run out of bush meat – so they eat the people.

"If we can help these people get messages out – be part of the global community – and target their messages – LET ME KNOW.
"On my constant travels – the message I hear most, from a Native American reservation in the US, the Pacific Island, Indigenous people of Nepal, Africa, Central America, etc. etc. is 'I have not been forgotten'".

Have a good weekend!