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The $100 laptop at International Symposium on Digital Earth 5

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The $100 laptop visits ISDE5
The $100 laptop @ ISDE5

The International Symposium on Digital Earth was an opportunity for a few hundred experts and other interested individuals to get together, see and discuss ways in which online information systems are making it possible to explore our planet.

The most obvious, to me, being Google Earth. But there are lots and lots of others.

As I walked into UC Berkeley to register, I stumbled across Ed Cherlin, who I’ve known for a few years as a knowledgeable and good-hearted promoter of the Simputer (Simple Computer). This time he was wearing a volunteer staff shirt for ISDE5 and carrying an XO (the “$100 computer”) in his hand. Hmm, an XO. Time to talk to Ed I think! [Read more…]

University for Peace & the Earth Charter

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upeaceOn June 6th, several of us from the Foundation met with Professor Abelardo Brenes of University for Peace (headquartered in San José, Costa Rica) to discuss the Earth Charter and the principle of universal responsibility.

Brenes described the Earth Charter in a 30-minute monologue which you may play (below).

University for Peace logoUniversity for Peace (UPEACE) is a UN initiative which operates independent of, but was mandated by the UN. “Headquartered in Costa Rica, the United Nations-mandated University for Peace was established in December 1980 as a Treaty Organization by the UN General Assembly. As determined in the Charter of the University and endorsed by the UPEACE Council, the mission of the University for Peace is: “to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence, to stimulate cooperation among peoples and to help lessen obstacles and threats to world peace and progress, in keeping with the noble aspirations proclaimed in the Charter of the United Nations.”

In a 2003 online “paper,” Brenes describes (in Spanish) the initiative.

And in a 2003 print interview, as well (on irenees.net, A Website of Resources for Peace).

UPDATE: Abelardo Brenes faculty page at University for Peace

Play the interview:

Project Happiness and MediaSnackers

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MediaSnackers.com

As we were just getting Project Happiness moving, a guy named “DK” pinged us – interested in our project because he creates podcasts dealing with media for and by youth.

This guy is moving and shaking and getting a lot of activities going. And his media approach is quite interesting.

“DK” of MediaSnackers.com

Here’s what DK says about his work – “I launched MediaSnackers in June 2006 with an educational background in communications and media, plus a professional background in local government (I was the UK’s first and only Corporate Youth Officer… oooh!)—I’ve done lots of things and had many roles, but my passion for working with young people (and youth professionals) has been my main focus for the past 8 years. … MediaSnackers is my ‘bat and ball’—do you fancy a game?

(The DK comes from the initials of my old name. One of the first young people I started working with called me DK and it just stuck—I never liked my old name so I adopted it fully.)”

As of this date MediaSnackers has completed 8 videocasts and 94 podcast interviews.

This is the only opportunity that you’ll get (on this blog, at least) to hear me interviewed by somebody else…if that’s of interest to you at all.

Play the interview:

Dave Goulding talks about Travels with Project Happiness

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Dave Goulding shooting video at
Upper-TCV in India

Dave Goulding is a cinematographer who has traveled with John Sorenson and Brian Buckley to record the story of Project Happiness.

This summer we interviewed filmmaker George Lucas at his office (ranch) in Marin County, California. Well, actually the students of Project Happiness conducted the interview, and I watched as Dave and John (Sorensen) recorded everything on video tape for the documentary we’re making. Well, actually, I have nothing to do with making the documentary – I just make the online stuff happen.

What makes this so much fun? To quote Dave, “I think it’s the people you get to meet- the people you meet are just amazing!”

I talked with Dave over lunch, following the morning interview of George Lucas. We covered a mix of topics that ranged all over the globe – from Nigeria to India to the US.

Play the interview:

Educators For NonViolence (EFNV) – Michael Nagler

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Educators For NonViolence [EFNV.ORG] is a group of educators operating under the auspices of the Metta Center for Nonviolence Education. It was co-founded by The Dalai Lama Foundation a couple of years ago.

EFNV is holding its second summer teacher conference on Friday and Saturday, 20-21 July, 2007 on the University of California campus in Berkeley CA.

The coordinator of Metta Center’s volunteers as well as coordinator of the planning activities for the EFNV conference is Jordan Pearlstein at the Metta Center.

Michael Nagler is founder of the Peace Studies program at Berkeley, and leader of EFNV. I had a Skype conversation this morning with him where we discussed the conference and the organizations.

Play the interview:

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Links we promised during the interview: