By It’s an interesting phenomenon when an ex-politician finds himself reaching rock star status. Al Gore, the President who could have been, in his new life after politics has not only raised global awareness on global warming but I just found out that he also launched his own user-generated news website back in 2005 called current.tv
Is that cool or what? Someone older that actually understands the media today and what young people care about. Wish more politicians here in PNG were like that. Maybe Sir Paulias Matane is the closest thing we have to Al Gore and I guess I secretly wish that after politics my own uncle could be like Al Gore too. I once went through my uncles old papers and books and found a play that he had written when he was in University. He had also written several short stories and I would love to see that he could get into that creative side of himself again. Been thinking of discussing it with him sometime soon.
Now back to current.tv, after the 2000 U.S. presidential election, Gore and his business partner Joel Hyatt wanted to start a conventional cable news network. They were disenchanted with the existing networks, especially CNN. The plans eventually evolved into making a viewer-generated channel aimed at young people.
The new network would not have political leanings, Gore said, but would serve as an “independent voice” for a target audience of people between 18 and 34 “who want to learn about the world in a voice they recognize and a view they recognize as their own.” Other reports said that Gore hoped that the channel would help change the tide of “consolidation and conglomeratization” of the media by leading the change to “democratization.” The news network was said to be a combination between CNN, MTV, and blipverts.
In May this year, Al Gore also released a book on his views about the media called, The Assault on Reason. He argues that there is a trend in U.S. politics towards ignoring facts and analysis when making policy decisions. He heavily criticizes the Bush administration for its actions in furthering the “assault on reason“, and also the Congress and Judiciary for being so complacent in the process.
Gore also suggests the average citizen must be proactive in “restoring democracy“. He expresses hopes that the medium of the Internet will supersede television and what he argues is its inherent bias, creating a “marketplace of ideas” that has not been present since the replacement of the printed word with mass media.
Will definitely keep an eye out for his book next time I’m overseas. I guess the one truth in all of this is that if people are better informed then the better their decisions can be.
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July 16, 2007 at 2:52 am
Rex
Thanks Manu
It was an interesting site. I was looking for a video editing software to edit video’s and upload to Youtube. And the link yu provided gave me useful tips on video production.
Will be visiting it frequently
July 16, 2007 at 3:17 am
Emmanuel
Cool
July 19, 2007 at 10:22 am
Spowf
Manu! Look what I found..not sure if you’ve seen it yet but click here:
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=79943673&albumID=0&imageID=9713404
July 19, 2007 at 10:31 am
Emmanuel
LOL..kewel okay didn’t see that, thanks Spowf!
July 19, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Badira
Wow, the assault on reason, have go look for that book!
Thats absolutely true Manu, more informative and more aware, more knowledge empowerment and better decision made. I want to add one more thing, more knowledge more innovation.
I think democracy has to come from within, it cannot be enforced. Democracy is after all peoples wishes. Individualistic democracy is a utopian idea and quite academic, well atleast thats what I think.
US having problem with democracy, Aus and UK in a similar situation. Forced democracy seem not to be working in one of the cradels of civilations in IRAQ, former Mesopotamia.
And here in PNG, we trying to uproot our traditional systems and impant western democractic rule. I was thinking about the election and it occured to me why there is still friction in the highlands?..just my opinion though.. Highlands is the oldest civilisation in PNG, its tradition and norms have been entrench for milleniums, heck, the olders carbon dating is 70000yrs old agricultural irrigation networks in Kuk…Well I was thinking, can’t we look for a solution to combine our culture and traditions, in other words, can’t we be innovative about democracy. Evolution of humans is ongoing but we seemed to be trapped in the ridgid definition of democracy and the universally abused word “Freedom”….that reminds me of a story about freedom religion, because of that “freedom” of religion term in US, the 10 commandments were removed from the walls in a court house in California..oh and not forgeting that a 10 year boy took the father to court because he got spanked for misbehaving, he said the father abused him…”freedom”…well I reckon its “The Assault on Reason”. Gotta get that book!
July 19, 2007 at 12:49 pm
Spowf
you didn’t see it didn’t you….that’s why you’re laughing.
July 19, 2007 at 1:42 pm
Emmanuel
Of course I saw it Spowf!, I was wearing a striped shirt with a frown on my face with Clarence Q on my left (or your right).
Badira, you throw out some hard questions there. I’m gonna have to really give myself some more time to think over your ‘innovative democracy’ idea.
July 27, 2007 at 12:08 pm
Lita
Emmanuel, your uncle is one of my favourite PNG statesmen. He is such an imposing figure and I remember that being impressed upon my memory as a kid when I would watch Parliamentary sittings (because that’s all EMTV showed during the day).
My dad was also a big fan and i remember him telling me that when PNG first got independence Mr Narokobi had campaigned for the development of PNG’s human resources BEFORE heavy development of its natural resources, so that the people of PNG would be equipped and informed to manage our country whilst remaining aware of our rights and obligations and of those owed to us.
I wonder had we followed his advice would we be in the situation we are in now? Where some (many even) of those early lucky ones to receive an education and comprehend western concepts have succeeded while preventing those below them from achieving the same because of greed and corrupt practises which result in the benefits of our quickly developed natural resources heading in one general direction- the pockets of those at the top. Would we be stuck in this culture of ‘les pasin’ and wantok-system, because the benefits of the average worker are so little compared to the millions the people at the top get away with? Had PNG developed its human resources before rushing into making money- and tonnes of it- would we have managed the country differently? Would there have been more awareness? More debate and discussion among citizens? More demands for transparency and accountability? The development of a culture that respected law and order? A culture of hard work- because there are rewards for it? Would we have created a land of opportunities?
Perhaps the outcome wouldn’t have been perfect but I’m sure it would’ve been better than where we are at now.
July 28, 2007 at 6:10 am
Emmanuel
Lita,
Thank you. Certainly any country’s greatest asset is it’s people. You only have to look at Japan as an example to see how such a small country has progressed so far because of investment in people and I guess right from the start a work ethic and attitude to life and those around them.
But all is not lost…opportunities will always come knocking at your door and as individuals each and everyone has to be ready to take on what they are passionate about.
The general population is more educated now than before, the problem now is if there are enough jobs out there for all these people being educated. And for the jobs that are there, can the government or companies pay educated PNG’eans what they are worth? Can the public service and companies in PNG train up people who they see as having the right attitudes to get ahead?
If Digicel can come out of the blue and plant itself in PNG and then go out and recruit PNG’eans and pay them well at the same time, then hell those PNG’eans will give their best to that company despite the troubles the company may face.
Things are changing here, I can see and feel it happening…so you gotta be in it to win it!