Immigration officers put Finnish woman through ordeal at JFK Airport

Aigh!

Been Away For a While
17 March 2003, 4:34 PM

I just looked at my blog calendar for this month. Wow. Buying a house really DOES consume a person. :-) I promise I'll be chatty again, but at the moment too many things are happening at once. I'm planning for the wedding, there's everything related to the house, and now we're moving our offices at work because they'll be renovating our current space. Oh, and now that Spring Break is over, classes have resumed and I need to study.

But at least all is well with me. It's stressful, but in a good way. Mostly. (The work-related stress stinks.)

We chose wood floors for the house downstairs (with tile in the bathrooms, etc.) and carpet upstairs. The inspection went well, and now things are slowing down a bit. Everybody's warned us about the volume of paperwork to sign on closing - that'll be next month.

I got to visit my folks during the break and teach my mom new tricks with the Internet, get her printer working and show my dad the ins and outs of Excel. I wish I'd had more time, but I'm trying to save my vacation time for late April and early May.

Media Watchdogs Caught Napping. (Americans are increasingly turning to foreign news sources.)

Why am I not surprised? Because most recent and not-so-recent immigrants to this country have known for a long time that there's no real world news coverage from American news sources, save maybe NPR and the like. World news coverage, real IN-DEPTH world news coverage is what Americans are seeking right now to make sense of European reaction to the possible war with Iraq.

I got my mom online in December and the one thing she's excited about? Being able to get NEWS from around the world. If you're an ordinary Joe American and don't have cable, you're living behind a sort of iron curtain when it comes to truly international news. If you do have cable (CNN) it's at least a mosquito net, but not much better. It's one of the things many immigrants complain about about - you feel almost completely cut off from the rest of the world. If it's a major earth-shattering headline that affects the U.S. in some way, then there might be 5 minutes of it on ABC or NBC news and the same damn 15 minute coverage will cycle throughout the day on CNN. But if you want to know what's really going on, everyday, all over the world, you'd better get online and start looking at the BBC's website. Or Canadian newspapers. Or Arabic News, or The Times of India or the Sydney Morning Herald.

Other interesting tidbits that have piled up:

BBC article via Etho:log Iranians arrested for net dating

EU cybercrime code could punish online demonstrations

Who's Minding the E-Store? The U.S. Justice Department has added Internet domain names to the types of property seized in crime busts. In the past, websites simply vanished once the computer servers were seized, but in the recent weeks, the sites remained active, greeting visitors with stern warnings from government agencies.

Censoring the Internet. Software being forced on libraries prevents patrons from seeing a large amount of constitutionally protected material.

Online Library Wants It All, Every Book. The directors of the new Alexandria Library have begun an ambitious effort to make virtually all of the world's books available at a mouse click.

Clique of Instant Messagers Expands Into the Workplace

How Uncle Sam can save you from telemarketers President Bush this week signed legislation enabling the creation of a national "do not call" list, which telemarketers will be required to consult before they unleash their autodialers...

CommunityTech-Texas: If you work/volunteer in, or are interested in, activities that address the digital divide in Texas, please join this group! CommunityTech-Texas helps to facilitate communication & peer support among Texas-based community technology advocates and other parties interested in the "digital divide" in Texas.

6th International Women into Computing Conference
15-17 July 2004
University of East London, England
"The Gender Politics of Information and Communication Technologies"
First Call for Papers

DESIGNING TECHNOLOGY NOT FOR OURSELVES BUT FOR 'OUR FUTURE SELVES'
Despite great progress in the use of technology to assist the disabled, there is still much to be done. Design expert Bill Gribbins says, for example, that too many Web designers use too many fine print and light blue colors, which are difficult for older eyes to see. "Many times designers simply aren't aware of these things. What works well from their perspective can be problematic for an aging user. When I talk to my students, I refer to it as designing for our future selves." (AP/USA Today 12 Mar 2003)

KERA is pleased to announce WOMEN IN POWER, a new luncheon series that will feature some of the most powerful female corporate officers of today's Fortune 500 companies. Produced in conjunction with the Baylor Executive MBA Program, this series will provide an excellent atmosphere for businesswomen to hear inspiring messages from top female executives and to have an opportunity to network with other successful women.

Going against the grain Asia's women in technology.

And some via NewsWeCanUse:

The Imperial Presidency is Back - But Who's Watching?

Rape Victims Wait Years while Evidence Gathers Dust - The Virginian-Post

An Abortion Showdown Republicans in Congress have won the first round in the fight over what abortion rights advocates are calling their most significant legislative challenge in years. Voting along party lines, the House defeated a Democratic amendment that would have increased the availability of contraceptives, provided prenatal care to low-income mothers, and encouraged health care providers to educate rape victims about the morning after pill.

Lawsuit vs Union Pacific Seeks Birth Control Coverage

Lawyer Accuses Firm of Pregnancy Bias

Taking on Tradition: How One Kenyan Girl Confronted a Cruel World About Her Circumcision

Staying Alive Once there was a thriving Arab women's movement. Right now, survival is our political act. [...] Do you see these women represented in the western media? Arab women are generally portrayed as victimized, subservient. They sit next to silent, wide-eyed children in Iraqi hospitals, they stumble among the ruins of their homes in Jenin. Many in the west seem to think they need to be dragged out from under their veils and scolded into standing up for themselves. But as we all try to block, to temper, to survive the coming horror, it is crucial for sympathizers in the west to understand the truth. The women's movement started in Egypt, Palestine and Syria in the 1880s. By the 1960s women in many Arab countries had the vote, equal pay for equal work and maternity and childcare legislation that is still a dream in the west. Massive women's organizations worked to improve women's education and health-care. Women (and men) campaigned for reforms in the personal laws and notched up several successes. But now all this is on hold. [...]

For some lighter fare:

Visit the sixteenth annual Virtual Dog Show - Spring 2003

Dog's diner makes a pretty good broadband connection

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