How dreary to be somebody,
as public as a frog
To tell your name the livelong June
To an admiring bog.
- Emily Dickinson
The question came up, “Why do I keep a Web site? Aren’t I concerned about people finding out about me? Wouldn’t people hurt me if they knew about me? Don’t I want to keep my privacy?”
Sorry, but privacy is dead. Our personal lives are exposed in ways George Orwell couldn’t have imagined. If you have a Social Security number, a driver’s license, or a birth date; if you use a credit card, a store club program, a phone, a Web site, and e-mail; if you’ve filed a tax return, gotten married, or filled out a job application — your personal information is out in the open. And when your data isn’t being mined and catalogued, you’re being videotaped by security cameras in stores or on traffic lights. Your car or cell phone may have GPS navigation that tracks your every move. Every day, we’re surrounded by people with camera phones ready to post our mishaps on YouTube. Life in the 21st century is life in a fishbowl.
So, what do we do about it? Is there any hope for those of us who crave privacy? Or does being out in the open have benefits? [Read more →]
I’ve always considered myself to be a proud American. There were times that I felt especially patriotic: The Bicentennial, the 1984 Olympics, the first Gulf War, and after 9/11. Add today, November 4, 2008 to my list.
I recently found a YouTube video of my mom’s favorite old ballpark, Gilmore Field in the Fairfax district. If you’re an old Hollywood Stars fan or buff of old ballparks, this is very exciting to see.
I suspect that some watched tonight’s vice presidential debate for the same reason they watch NASCAR races. They wanted to see someone crash and burn, especially Sarah Palin. Well, Governor Palin didn’t crash and burn. She kept her poise, polish, and graciousness. She performed well, as did Biden. Still, the debate was painful to watch because of irritating things both candidates did.
As both a speaker and an American voter, I was keenly interested in what the presidential and vice presidential candidates had to say at their conventions over the past two weeks.
American political conventions have turned into extended informercials for their political parties. The party candidates have long been selected in the primaries, and the parties work after the front-runner has been decided to present a show of unity. Look how far the Clintons went to show enthusiastic support for former Democratic rival Barack Obama. So, there isn’t any real drama at a political convention. (The revelations about the Republican VP nominee Sarah Palin made things interesting in St. Paul. Still, the Republicans still went out of their way to show unified support for her.)
So, what did I think about the speeches for the candidates? Here is my assessment based solely on the quality of their presentations, not their political viewpoints. [Read more →]
