To my 27 followers:
I've created a "mobile photo blog" to which I hope to consistently post photos while out and about. It's at
I invite you to visit there, and follow if you're interested. Also, be aware that the exact same stuff will show up in my twitter stream, and other places.
It looks like I won the getting-the-x10-fast lottery. I ordered with bestbuy and adorama. Bestbuy shipped first, so I cancelled the adorama order. (Right now many people are trying to get orders filled from any camera retailer they can.)
The battery is charging. (I've read that the battery life is not so good, so I ordered a couple spares from amazon and they should show up soon. It's a previously used battery, and not too expensive.)
Couple little things, without even having really used it.
Perhaps I should mention that for quite a while I've vacilated about getting a canon S95 or a panasonic LX5, but I just never came to the point of getting one for myself. (I did get an S95 for my wife.) So when I saw this online, it immediately jumped out at me as the camera I'd been looking for.
Today I heard, on Hawaii Public Radio, a bit from a local "occupy" activist. There was some hemming and hawing about what exactly the statement is/isn't and that it has not yet been settled on. Moved by this, and inspired by the recent "occupy" movement(s), I wrote up the following statement of principles. It may be naive, or maybe I'm just catching up with everybody else, but in the spirit of democratic debate I would sincerly appreciate any comments/or feedback.
thanks
My Statement of Principles
A response to the Occupy Wall Street, Oakland, etc movement(s).
1. Democracy is a process of compromise. The U.S. Constitution is not a document brought down from the mountain top, crafted by a single all-knowing mind. It was created through an arduous, and long, process of discussion and compromise. No one has all the answers. We are all in a process of discovery. If you believe that you are correct 100% of the time, then you are wrong.
2. The purpose of environmentalism is to promote and preserve the quality of human life, and the continuation of the human race, ultimately. It is not just about saving the Earth, or endangered species. This world was here long before we were, and will go on long after we are gone. The question is: How long do we get to enjoy our time here?
3. Capitalism, enhanced by free markets, and driven by the profit imperative, is a very effective strategy for the distribution of most, but not all, goods and services. It is not an end unto itself, but serves the purpose of creating a better society and enabling “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Some goods and services are better managed collectively (i.e., by government). Collective good and shared responsibility are not equivalent to communism, not even socialism. It is not evil “to promote the general Welfare.”
4. Voting and paying taxes are both responsibilities that every citizen of a democracy should be proud to exercise. Each of these are ways that we, as citizens, participate in the creation of a better society, for ourselves and for our co-citizens. Every citizen should be as proud of paying their taxes, and being a contributor to society, as of having done their duty by casting their vote.
5. Democracy is government by the people, for the people. Corporations (and other business entities), in themselves, are not people, regardless of legal definitions, and should not be accorded the same rights as people in the political process. If current law conflicts with this principle, the law should be corrected.
6. Persons in power (political or otherwise) have a responsibility to investigate the implications of their decisions. Ignorance of the effects of decisions should be regarded as a personal and professional failure. While “the squeaky wheel gets the grease,” a responsible mechanic checks all the wheels.
Conclusions/Implications:
Persons who hold responsibility for the guidance and priorities of businesses must recognize that the pursuit of profit is subservient to these principles. In addition to the ability to maximize profits, executives of business must demonstrate an internal moral compass and integrity, above and beyond the rubric of “don’t break the law,” whereby they are able to compromise profits when higher principles are at risk. They must effectively communicate to boards and stock holders when and why such principles (including the imperative to profit) are in conflict.
Corporate boards and stock holders must hold their executives to a higher standard than “maximize profit and don’t break the law.” Persons who fail in these regards should be removed from positions of power, regardless of their ability to generate profits, since profits themselves exist only to serve the purpose of bettering society.
Politicians that refuse to participate, reasonably and in good faith, in the process of debate and compromise, should be removed from their positions. Those politicians that demonstrate that their highest concern is to be re-elected, or fail to be open and honest, should be removed from their positions.
Politicians that elevate corporate interests, or the personal gain of themselves or any individual, over the rights of the people or the principles outlined here, should be removed from their positions.
