A Name Coining the Great Depression
The name "Katherine McIntosh" is well-known in the US because it is the name that is synonymous with the plight of the poor during the Great Depression. Her claim to fame was being the four year old pictured clinging to mum whose disenchanted look spoke unashamedly of the woes faced by so many during the terrible economic times of the 1930s. It encapsulated the soul of a nation in desperation.
Ironically, fast-forward to 2010 and head on down to Australia and the same name captures the same sorrowful "now what" look for another dreadful plight. The plight of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME). Like the Great Depression, CFS also leaves its desperate victims with the never-ending drudgery of surviving another day. But, unlike the Great Depression, it cannot be explained only endured until such drudgery either strengthens the individual's will to fight on or it destroys it for lack of hope.
Fight to Live or Wait to Die
For Australia's Katherine McIntosh, this point of fight to live or wait to die has been reached and is now the biggest challenge of her life. After having been diagnosed with CFS some eight years ago she has since also developed sensitivity to chemicals which endanger her life on a daily basis. It is for this reason that today she finds herself effectively homeless. For her, everyday domestic chemicals used in the average suburban home causes difficulties in breathing.
Her story encapsulates the plight of many CFS sufferers worldwide whose voice is never heard. Yet, their silent scream is the loudest such as that of UK's Gordon McHendry. A former paratrooper who became ill with CFS only to then suffer from chemical sensitivity. He not only became bed-bound but was forced to live in a shed for 2,100 nights during a six year period.
History-Making Story
Finally, the story of McIntosh's plight with CFS and its complications has received some prominence after it made history. It was the first Australian story to be funded completely by members of the public as part of Melbourne-based Swinburne University's experiment in social media dubbed, "YouCommNews". This site is the world's second to foster public interest journalism in the footsteps of the US-site, "Spot.Us".
Monday, November 15, 2010
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Happy 16th Birthday Social Media!
SCOOP: The followng is the Behind-the-Scenes story on the Birth of Social Media
Shortly after the launch of the Internet in Australia in May 1994 when I was the media manager for ATUG, I was hired by Vodafone Australia but, at the time, I had already been contracted to work for the ABC TV's computer show "Hot Chips" as consultant researcher (given that I was also an IT&T journalist). Following this assignment with the ABC TV, I finally joined Vodafone and from then on, was thrown in the deep end to get Australia's third mobile carrier off the ground in a marketplace that was dominated by Telstra. It certainly was a challenge.
In this position, I tried to look for anything that could set the fledging company apart from its competitors. And in the space of a few months in the position, the opportunity of the possibility of creating a mobile digital data connection arose. The problem was that the telecommunications engineers were just that "telcos" and the computer guys were just that "computer guys" and the two did not really understand each other's world or language. For me, as an IT&T journalist, it was the natural progression and for this reason when, Lester Pearson (who was unique as Vodafone's UK Manager for Telecommunications and Computers at the time) approached me with this possibility I said to him that even though it was not a priority for the company I would put my job on the line and protect him and Sujeet Kumar (who was Vodafone Australia's Telecommunications Development Engineer at the time) to ensure that they had the space to work on making sure that they could get it to work.
And on that dull Monday afternoon on 26 Sept 1994, the world's first GSM mobile fax was received by me at about 4:30pm from a transmission made by Lester from his laptop computer connected to his Nokia 2110 GSM mobile phone whilst in transit on a train between North Sydney and Chatswood. This historic moment did not escape us... the three of us knew that this was the moment of the dawn of the Digital Age as we now know it and the birth of the phenomenon now known as "social media".
Two weeks later, I publicly demonstrated this service, now dubbed as "Mobile Data & Fax service", by downloading a full-colour weather map of Australia at a conference by accessing the Internet via CompuServe's online service using the same laptop computer and mobile phone. It worked. It astounded. In no time, some of Australia's most well-known CEOs switched across to Vodafone who, up until then, had not given the new entrant another look. And so the company got its first foothold in the Australian marketplace. We had beaten Telstra by at least two years (despite its army of engineers...and from memory, I think it took four years for both Telstra and Optus to get the same service into the mainstream). This certainly gave Vodafone the competitive edge...and the rest is history!
Shortly after the launch of the Internet in Australia in May 1994 when I was the media manager for ATUG, I was hired by Vodafone Australia but, at the time, I had already been contracted to work for the ABC TV's computer show "Hot Chips" as consultant researcher (given that I was also an IT&T journalist). Following this assignment with the ABC TV, I finally joined Vodafone and from then on, was thrown in the deep end to get Australia's third mobile carrier off the ground in a marketplace that was dominated by Telstra. It certainly was a challenge.
In this position, I tried to look for anything that could set the fledging company apart from its competitors. And in the space of a few months in the position, the opportunity of the possibility of creating a mobile digital data connection arose. The problem was that the telecommunications engineers were just that "telcos" and the computer guys were just that "computer guys" and the two did not really understand each other's world or language. For me, as an IT&T journalist, it was the natural progression and for this reason when, Lester Pearson (who was unique as Vodafone's UK Manager for Telecommunications and Computers at the time) approached me with this possibility I said to him that even though it was not a priority for the company I would put my job on the line and protect him and Sujeet Kumar (who was Vodafone Australia's Telecommunications Development Engineer at the time) to ensure that they had the space to work on making sure that they could get it to work.
And on that dull Monday afternoon on 26 Sept 1994, the world's first GSM mobile fax was received by me at about 4:30pm from a transmission made by Lester from his laptop computer connected to his Nokia 2110 GSM mobile phone whilst in transit on a train between North Sydney and Chatswood. This historic moment did not escape us... the three of us knew that this was the moment of the dawn of the Digital Age as we now know it and the birth of the phenomenon now known as "social media".
Two weeks later, I publicly demonstrated this service, now dubbed as "Mobile Data & Fax service", by downloading a full-colour weather map of Australia at a conference by accessing the Internet via CompuServe's online service using the same laptop computer and mobile phone. It worked. It astounded. In no time, some of Australia's most well-known CEOs switched across to Vodafone who, up until then, had not given the new entrant another look. And so the company got its first foothold in the Australian marketplace. We had beaten Telstra by at least two years (despite its army of engineers...and from memory, I think it took four years for both Telstra and Optus to get the same service into the mainstream). This certainly gave Vodafone the competitive edge...and the rest is history!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Interesting developments on the mobile front in Australia
Hold on to your hat for there has been another kaleidoscope moment for Australia and who knows...given the fact that Australians are the most popular users of social media...it could be a gamechanger for the world! In case you missed it, Google Australia's man, Karim Temsamani, has moved in the mobile space and Malcolm Turnbull has landed as the Liberal Party's man for telecommunications. From my days as the media manager for the Australian Telecommunications Users' Group, I learned this national security secret that one could control a country if one could control its telecommunications. Now isn't that interesting! What are your thoughts?
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
God has voted and He has chosen Julia Gillard
Has God chosen Julia Gillard for judgment and curses or for prosperity and blessings?
During my Bible Study this morning, I was struck by the notation titled: "God Is in Charge".
It read: "The contemporary world has set God to the side and ignores the divine influence on the course of human affairs. But God's decisions really do direct the world as well as the personal histories of those who trust Him. We can confidently affirm that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Rom. 8:28).
It caused me to rethink my response to the terrible flux our nation has been through at a time when we have been blessed economically in comparison to the rest of the world. Now, I am called to respect what God has sovereignly ordained because "all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted..." - Rom. 13:1,2(a). To put it in a nutshell, "The authorities are God's servants, sent for your good." - Rom. 13:4(a). "So you must submit to them...to keep a clear conscience." - Rom. 13:5.
For me, it comes down to whether I trust God in His choice...Gillard is not for Christian Religious Education in primary schools but she is for chaplains...that's fine except that it takes away the opportunity for children to hear the gospel and then decide for themselves as to whether or not they will accept the love of Jesus Christ. For a child to reach out to a chaplain in a time of crisis, presupposes that the child understands the love of Christ. From what I have seen in my time in the primary schools as a CRE teacher....there is a great big black hole of understanding who Jesus is and what He stands for! There is more understanding of Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny than the Saviour of the World!
But God is bigger than me and He knows the hearts of men and women and He knows the future. And God is good! God is love! This gives me hope! And so I rest in His choice. I rest in His determination. "For this has been decreed by the messengers; it is commanded by the holy ones, so that everyone may know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to anyone he chooses - even to the lowliest of people." (Dan. 4:17) Not even King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the mighty Babylonian Empire, could escape God's decree and in the end, this man who would not bow down to any authority, finally bowed down before our Holy God and declared the following praises about Him: "His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people on the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop Him or say to Him, "What do you mean by doing these things?" - Dan. 4:34(b),35. "Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All His acts are just and true, and He is able to humble the proud." - Dan. 4:37.
This is a faithful warning to Gillard and to all of us but it is also a trustworthy signpost to pray for her specifically because God can through His Holy Spirit and in His will bring her to repentance so that she too might echo Neb's famous last words! Alternatively, she and her band will have to face the music:
"He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. They hardly get started, barely taking root, when He blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff. "To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal?" asks the Holy One." - Dan. 40: 23,24. And there is one man that can testify to this truth - Kevin Rudd.
My response is this prayer:
"Indeed, Heavenly Father, you sit above the circle of the earth and we are like grasshoppers to you! There is no-one that can stand equal to you. There is no power on earth that can thwart your sovereign will upon our lives. Forgive us for all our attempts to usurp your authority in our lives. We are foolish to think that we can even wage war against you. Thank you for your lovingkindness towards us. Thank you for constantly reminding yourself of our helpless state - even in our rebellion! Thank you for your saving grace. Thank you for the love of Jesus Christ which gives us hope and the precious gift of a loving relationship with you. Thank you that we can return to you like the prodigal son and call out to you: "Abba Father". Thank you that you are ready to forgive! Thank you for adopting us into your family. We are your children. We pray that you would reach out to Julia Gillard and her party members and that you would work a miracle in her heart and in their hearts in the same way you turned the heart of King Neb so that they would worship you! You are the hope of our nation. You are the hope of lost souls! You are the hope of our world! May we be your faithful servants today and bring the good news of your love to lives living without hope! In Jesus name, Amen."
During my Bible Study this morning, I was struck by the notation titled: "God Is in Charge".
It read: "The contemporary world has set God to the side and ignores the divine influence on the course of human affairs. But God's decisions really do direct the world as well as the personal histories of those who trust Him. We can confidently affirm that "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them" (Rom. 8:28).
It caused me to rethink my response to the terrible flux our nation has been through at a time when we have been blessed economically in comparison to the rest of the world. Now, I am called to respect what God has sovereignly ordained because "all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God. So anyone who rebels against authority is rebelling against what God has instituted..." - Rom. 13:1,2(a). To put it in a nutshell, "The authorities are God's servants, sent for your good." - Rom. 13:4(a). "So you must submit to them...to keep a clear conscience." - Rom. 13:5.
For me, it comes down to whether I trust God in His choice...Gillard is not for Christian Religious Education in primary schools but she is for chaplains...that's fine except that it takes away the opportunity for children to hear the gospel and then decide for themselves as to whether or not they will accept the love of Jesus Christ. For a child to reach out to a chaplain in a time of crisis, presupposes that the child understands the love of Christ. From what I have seen in my time in the primary schools as a CRE teacher....there is a great big black hole of understanding who Jesus is and what He stands for! There is more understanding of Father Christmas and the Easter Bunny than the Saviour of the World!
But God is bigger than me and He knows the hearts of men and women and He knows the future. And God is good! God is love! This gives me hope! And so I rest in His choice. I rest in His determination. "For this has been decreed by the messengers; it is commanded by the holy ones, so that everyone may know that the Most High rules over the kingdoms of the world. He gives them to anyone he chooses - even to the lowliest of people." (Dan. 4:17) Not even King Nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of the mighty Babylonian Empire, could escape God's decree and in the end, this man who would not bow down to any authority, finally bowed down before our Holy God and declared the following praises about Him: "His rule is everlasting, and his kingdom is eternal. All the people on the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop Him or say to Him, "What do you mean by doing these things?" - Dan. 4:34(b),35. "Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All His acts are just and true, and He is able to humble the proud." - Dan. 4:37.
This is a faithful warning to Gillard and to all of us but it is also a trustworthy signpost to pray for her specifically because God can through His Holy Spirit and in His will bring her to repentance so that she too might echo Neb's famous last words! Alternatively, she and her band will have to face the music:
"He judges the great people of the world and brings them all to nothing. They hardly get started, barely taking root, when He blows on them and they wither. The wind carries them off like chaff. "To whom will you compare Me? Who is My equal?" asks the Holy One." - Dan. 40: 23,24. And there is one man that can testify to this truth - Kevin Rudd.
My response is this prayer:
"Indeed, Heavenly Father, you sit above the circle of the earth and we are like grasshoppers to you! There is no-one that can stand equal to you. There is no power on earth that can thwart your sovereign will upon our lives. Forgive us for all our attempts to usurp your authority in our lives. We are foolish to think that we can even wage war against you. Thank you for your lovingkindness towards us. Thank you for constantly reminding yourself of our helpless state - even in our rebellion! Thank you for your saving grace. Thank you for the love of Jesus Christ which gives us hope and the precious gift of a loving relationship with you. Thank you that we can return to you like the prodigal son and call out to you: "Abba Father". Thank you that you are ready to forgive! Thank you for adopting us into your family. We are your children. We pray that you would reach out to Julia Gillard and her party members and that you would work a miracle in her heart and in their hearts in the same way you turned the heart of King Neb so that they would worship you! You are the hope of our nation. You are the hope of lost souls! You are the hope of our world! May we be your faithful servants today and bring the good news of your love to lives living without hope! In Jesus name, Amen."
Monday, September 6, 2010
Being in touch from anywhere, anytime.
Never before have we had such connectivity in our midst. It is wonderful to think that we can be in touch with each others' lives despite differences in time and space. This is how those making their first telephone call must've felt...to hear their loved ones on the other side of the line. For us it is to see and hear those we care about from anywhere at anytime by a simple tap or click! Now there is no excuse for not keeping in touch!
When my parents left Greece, they left saying goodbye to their loved ones with the hope that one day they would return but deep down believing that this was it...they would probably never again see those familiar faces! And they boarded those ships and landed on the other side of the world in a foreign land speaking another language and eating strange foods! How that world has changed!
In less than 50 years, the miracle of air travel and modern communications has opened the doors to the world in the same way the Roman roads (built by tracing the paths trodded on by Alexander the Great and his men) gave access to new worlds around the Mediterranean and, with it, many opportunities for trade and ideas to flourish...except that it took something like 1000 years to foster the connectivity that we share today!
And so now, some 2000 years later, we have all become citizens and neighbours instead of foreigners and strangers. We are the first generation to be the beneficiaries of the heartache spawned by the tyranny of distance...all thanks to that innate desire to keep in touch!
When my parents left Greece, they left saying goodbye to their loved ones with the hope that one day they would return but deep down believing that this was it...they would probably never again see those familiar faces! And they boarded those ships and landed on the other side of the world in a foreign land speaking another language and eating strange foods! How that world has changed!
In less than 50 years, the miracle of air travel and modern communications has opened the doors to the world in the same way the Roman roads (built by tracing the paths trodded on by Alexander the Great and his men) gave access to new worlds around the Mediterranean and, with it, many opportunities for trade and ideas to flourish...except that it took something like 1000 years to foster the connectivity that we share today!
And so now, some 2000 years later, we have all become citizens and neighbours instead of foreigners and strangers. We are the first generation to be the beneficiaries of the heartache spawned by the tyranny of distance...all thanks to that innate desire to keep in touch!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
There's excitement in the air!
This morning the sun's rays shone brighter over Melbourne.
They had magically cleared the air.
Yesterday's bleak wet weather had disappeared ...the stormy clouds had blown away.
Today was a bright new day. It was also day 7 of the Melbourne Writers Festival 2010.
We had now moved into spring but with it came the new age of journalism in Australia.
Yes! A new birth had taken place...thanks to the forward thinkers from Swinburne University of Technology's Public Interest Journalism (PIJ) Foundation.
It was indeed an historic day.
It was commemorated by the launch of the NEWS NEWS 2010 Conference on the future of journalism.
I had been waiting since 1994 for today. (That's 16 years!)
Back then, I had only imagined how the multimedia platform (empowered by mobility) would create a level playing field for all storytellers in this country. Today, I witnessed it! No longer was the power of the press in the hands of the few...it was now in the hands of anyone who chose to be part of the transfer of information - in their own language, in their own creative style, anywhere, anytime. And the audience is online and, more importantly, is staying online! Today, finally, these facts were acknowledged publicly and there was no disputing them by the big boys!
Now, the fun seriously begins!
Welcome to the digital age!
They had magically cleared the air.
Yesterday's bleak wet weather had disappeared ...the stormy clouds had blown away.
Today was a bright new day. It was also day 7 of the Melbourne Writers Festival 2010.
We had now moved into spring but with it came the new age of journalism in Australia.
Yes! A new birth had taken place...thanks to the forward thinkers from Swinburne University of Technology's Public Interest Journalism (PIJ) Foundation.
It was indeed an historic day.
It was commemorated by the launch of the NEWS NEWS 2010 Conference on the future of journalism.
I had been waiting since 1994 for today. (That's 16 years!)
Back then, I had only imagined how the multimedia platform (empowered by mobility) would create a level playing field for all storytellers in this country. Today, I witnessed it! No longer was the power of the press in the hands of the few...it was now in the hands of anyone who chose to be part of the transfer of information - in their own language, in their own creative style, anywhere, anytime. And the audience is online and, more importantly, is staying online! Today, finally, these facts were acknowledged publicly and there was no disputing them by the big boys!
Now, the fun seriously begins!
Welcome to the digital age!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Just Launched!
It is midnight and the day has been busy and I have an early start in the morning. For many of us, that is life!
It is fast and furious with little time to ponder on what has happened and why....all we manage is well...manage getting through to the next day!
My hope is that the topics considered on this blog would act as a catalyst for better living.
I will be digging as an archeologist to find ancient words of wisdom and applying them to daily events in an effort to inject hope into lives and inspire change that is long-lasting!
So, please join me on this journey we call life and let's share inspirational moments together.
Until then, goodnight!
It is fast and furious with little time to ponder on what has happened and why....all we manage is well...manage getting through to the next day!
My hope is that the topics considered on this blog would act as a catalyst for better living.
I will be digging as an archeologist to find ancient words of wisdom and applying them to daily events in an effort to inject hope into lives and inspire change that is long-lasting!
So, please join me on this journey we call life and let's share inspirational moments together.
Until then, goodnight!
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