My buddy Hamlet over at New World Notes blogged today about the explosion in French political activity in Second Life over the past month, with not one but TWO political parties setting up headquarters in the virtual world. Both the far-far right Front National and the Socialist Party have pitched their pixelated tents in SL,…
Category: Politics
ABC News on US Congress in Second Life
I got a teeny-tiny quote in an ABCnews.com article on the opening of the 110th Congress in Second Life by Steve Grove : "It was kind of surreal," says Rik Panganiban, a blogger who was in the audience. That’s 1 second out of my 15 minutes of fame, I guess. Not a bad piece on…
Pioneering legal scholar Jerome Barron on the First Amendment and the Internet
“Ideas matter and they have enduring power.” – Jerome Barron Today, Jerome A. Barron, legal scholar at the George Washington University School of Law, delivered a lecture to mark the 40th anniversary of a groundbreaking Harvard Law Review article he wrote in 1967 entitled “Access to the Press – A New First Amendment Right.” In…
What the Dorgan-Snowe Net Neutrality bill means for gamers and virtual worlders
Senators Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) have recently introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act in an effort to legislate the principle of Network Neutrality. The bill would prevent any broadband internet service provider from "privileging bits" and blocking traffic on the basis of Internet content, application, or service, codifying Net Neutrality as part…
Call for papers for Conf on “Young People, New Technologies and Political Engagement” in July, Univ. of Surrey
Just got this Call for Papers for an academic seminar on "Young People, New Technologies and Political Engagement" at the University of Surrey from July 24-25. Here’s the seminar description: Against the backdrop of increasing concern about the disengagement of youth from politics and the public sphere, the relationship between new technologies and young people’s…
Four days in Memphis: Where is the Media Reform Movement now?
"I’m anxious for us to broaden the base of this coalition. This is the people’s coalition. We want our coalition to look like the people." — Rev. Jesse Jackson at the National Conference on Media Reform Returning home after four days at the National Conference on Media Reform in Memphis, I have to wonder what…
Toolkits & Online Resources for Media Activism: Show & Tell
I’m speaking this morning at a side-event on "Toolkits & Online Resources for Media Activism: Show & Tell" featuring : Hye Jung Park, Funding Exchange Drew Clark, Center for Public Integrity Anthony Mazza, Prometheus Radio Project Elisha Miranda and Sophia Quintero, Chica Luna Productions Jeff Smith, Grand Rapids Institute for Information Democracy TBA, Youth Media…
Pictures from last night of Natl Conference on Media Reform
The last night of the National Conference on Media Reform featured a star-studded series of short speeches by: Congressman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) Geena Davis, actress and founder, See Jane Ben Bagdikian, author, The Media Monopoly Ben Hooks, former executive director, NAACP Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Hip-Hop Caucus Deepa Fernandes, WBAI and Radio Rootz Erubiel Valladares Carranza,…
Andrew Puddephatt on media reform from a human rights perspective
This morning I attended a very broad and interesting side-event on “Global Information and Communication Policy” organized by Consumer’s Union. The event featured an international panel of speakers including : Luiz Fernando Marrey Moncau, Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor, Brazil Rosemary Okello-Orlale, African Woman and Child Feature Service, Kenya Bjarne Pedersen, Consumers International Andrew…
NCMR Community Wireless Workshop
This morning I was at a really great panel discussion on “The Growth of Wireless Internet : From Community to Municipal to Corporate,” which featured several leading experts and activists in the field of community wireless: Dharma Dailey, Ethos Group (moderator) Michael Calabrese, New America Foundation Harold Feld, Media Access Project Michael Lewis, Wireless Harlem…