a113n’s daily dose

I was just reading this article about a recent UN-sponsored conference on racism in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference has gotten some media attention due to several nations (US, Canada, Australia to name a few) boycotting the conference altogether. Prior to Iran’s president Ahmadinejad’s (who can type that without copy-and-paste) speech, the boycotting states claimed the basis of the conference (revising a UN document on racism and human rights) was undermined with Israel-Palestinian relations. Now, Ahmad (so much better) caused more states to walk out of the conference due to his overwhelmingly-racist speech, where he purported his same ole routine about Israel oppression. Even Ban Ki-Moon chimed in on the inappropriateness of the comments, going as far as claiming that he instructed Ahmad not to take the route that he did. However, aside from the general drama with the walkout and general racist language from Ahmad (it’s a sad fact when we are simply accustomed to hearing such inappropriate language from him, where you can easily tell he makes the claims he does only to score political points), there are several undertones of this article.

The way I read the article, there appears to be two reactions to Ahmad’s remarks: applause and disgust. Perhaps it’s the author’s style, but I get the sense of two very distinct groups who’s core beliefs and understanding are so widely different that it’s almost oil and water. No matter how much sense I try to fall back on, I can’t shake the feeling that the differences here are prophetic of the subtle differences compounded out into a world war. Given a long enough time line, history is the present. Is there not a fine line between a collection of states coming together and working out their differences with words and policy and a collection of states settling differences in their self-evident, unwavering values through war and terrorism (real terrorism, not the %*@! we are bombarded with by the government)? In the case of the latter, the UN almost seems like a catalyst to catastrophe.

Also, the article (and the other I read prior to the start of the conference regarding the boycott) makes me wonder why Israel is singled out. With racism playing a role in the day-to-day activities of people in all countries, what has put Israel at the top of the list? Sure, it could be the simple answer of the recent wars and skirmishes and claims of human rights abuses abound in these times of war, but given the (relatively) short timeline of these events, I do not see how the claims, even if true, could amount to the devastation laid out by other wars and dictators, much of which racism seeds. Therefore, the set of states that contribute to the document must either have good cause to put Israel at the top of the list, or a conspiracy is afloat. No proof of either, but one quote in particular stands out in this recent article. The organizer of the conference did not directly defend Ahmad, but does believe France, Germany, and the others who walked out were out of line. Given the way the article is written, there does seem to be some non-verbal sign of appeasement with Ahmad versus conflict with the states who are reacting to hypocrisy in spreading racism at an anti-racism conference. The organizer’s tone seems very different of that of the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. It’s probably just me, but something about the UN involvement here and Ahmad’s prodding seems questionable.

Of course, the US involvement in Iraq is ammunition for Ahmad, just another reason Americans need to understand how Bush’s ill-conceived policies do much more harm than good. The actions of this country need to be justifiable, because that puts justice on our side. And we need justice on our side, especially if the worse case of this blog happened to play out. Iran leading both the states that feel disenfranchised, likening Ahmad to Robin Hood, all the while ignoring how true sovereignty gave way to oppression in the name of Islam, and the states that Israel or the US has, in some way real or imagined, stepped on like the little kid with the biggest walking stick. In the other corner would be what we would call the defenders of freedom and justice, the “Western” democratic states who have supported Israel and thrived economically. However, I hope that we can realize that one country’s patriot is another country’s terrorist; the good news is that I do believe we can realize this–the bad news is that I am not sure about states that would align themselves with Ahmad, and certainly doubtful about Iran itself.

It’s 01:14, and this is my apocalypse. 2012 is supposed to be the year, I definitely see the circumstances unfolding that would make such a deadline possible. But such a dreary, bleak entry should find it’s way to my DeadJournal.

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I stumbled upon this article when I Googled for dangers of sending spacecraft beyond solar system. Through my Stumbling, I found a page discussing Saturn’s icy moon and the space craft having flow past it. These craft are going to explore the outer realms of our solar system, but I stopped to wonder who–or what would be there to retrieve them. The article, in a long-winded manner, more-or-less covers some of my concerns:

“Along with the famous plaques attached to Pioneer 10 and 11 and the two phonograph records carried by Voyager 1 and 2—four spacecraft that will soon leave our Solar System—these messages are mostly symbolic efforts unlikely to betray our presence to the denizens of planets orbiting other stars. Our civilization is still hidden from all but those ardently searching for our kind, or those so far beyond our level of sophistication that we couldn’t hide from them if we wanted to. To date, all our “messages to aliens” are really more successful as communications to Earth, mirrors reflecting our dreams of reaching far beyond our terrestrial nursery.”

At a minimum, we need to keep the considerations on the table and think twice before blasting “We’re here!” just because we can.

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It’s been a very informative and fun weekend so far, with the conference about half over. Right now I’m waiting for a much-anticipated talk by Steve Rambam.
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• Quote of the Day:
  (after some discussion regarding security and TSA, leading, of course, to Bruce Schneier)
  Guy with Question: Who's Schneier?
  Everyone Else: *gasp* *chuckle*
  Speaker: Wow. You actually had the guts to ask that. Google is your friend.*
  * (I paraphrased)
  
• Current Location: The Last HOPE (Hopper)
  
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I lost a great mentor and friend this week, Elbert Johns Jr. He was many years my senior, but I consider him one of the few defining influences in my life. At TheArcLink, he and I handled significant progress in developmental disability programs and applications. We made a perfect duo, building on one anothers strengths. The thought that he will not be there to guide me into the future is indescribably horrifying, but just as indescribable is how grateful I am to have worked under him and gained the insight he passed on to me. I now head the helm of our organization, his vision burned into my mind, and though I know I won’t be handling the reins alone for long, I have no doubts that he laid the groundwork for me to rise to this challenge. You will be always remembered for the man of strong will and kind words Elbert.

I’ve decided Mama Bear and I will follow through with the trip to New York to The Last Hope. I believe Elbert would have wanted me to continue with these plans, it is something I have been looking forward to for a very long time. It is difficult for me as I will miss his memorial, but I will return a great deal smarter and re-energized to handle the new load that weighs upon me. I made no progress today on the various tasks I aim to complete; the day was filled with administrative duties.

No time is a good time to lose someone such as Elbert, but this is about the absolute worst. We were handling most of the registration information on a national conference, SABE 2008, and today was the last day for registrants to get a reduced rate. There are strict policies in place with our organization, as defined by our Board of Directors, that can really handicap someone. I was not even authorized to open mail. The simple things that I always took for granted because they were his duties have been laid in my lap to ensure the highest priority duties are carried out. We were developing a plan to handle his extended absence, but even these details are still in development. Indeed, the road ahead is both uphill and dreary, but I will walk it the same and emerge from a higher vantage point as a result.

I will make HOPE a memorable experience; Mama Bear and myself will enjoy ourselves and take advantage of everything we can in this new experience. Though I know his permanent absence will weigh on me from time to time, his memory makes me optimistic about what the future holds for me, my family, and the organization.

On a lighter note, my 2.0GB SD card with all of my most important passwords and documents got washed in a pair of pants. Though I was sure the SD connections would not work after being washed and dried, I thought the USB connections (I have a SD Plus, the best kind of SD card) would work. The first connection gave me the dreaded “Unknown USB Device”, but I followed the standard device uninstall/reinstall, and VOILA!, the card was recognized. I then copied all the files to the local hard drive for safe keeping and tried the card in the SD slot. It’s still kicking, though I won’t expect it to for very long, but I’m in need of an upgrade anyway.

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As a learning exercise and to develop a concise, simple site management tool, I have decided to create my own PowerShell script that interfaces with WMI classes to automate various tedious tasks I perform every time a new website is added to our Windows 2008 server. The general goal of the script is to create a website with standard functionality, including a username to own the website and connect via FTP to manage the site. This site will also receive it’s own application pool to isolate the website from all the other websites currently hosted on the server.
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