The BlogCatalog calls on bloggers everywhere to unite their individual voices into a strong collective outcry to highlight an important issue. I will be joining this challenge and welcome you to do the same if you have a blog.
On September 27, thousands of bloggers will join together to blog about stopping abuse. The type of abuse is at the discretion of each blogger. If you plan on participating, your post can be about any type of abuse you feel passionate about, whether it’s abuse of women, the elderly, children, animals, or any other type of abuse you want to bring to light.
Just how do you participate?
- On Sept. 27th, blog about putting an end to some sort of Abuse
- Spread the word among all the bloggers you know.
What do you get?
- You will receive a link to your Blog Post from the Blogcatalog blog.
- You get to use your blog for an important cause.
- You get to create blogging history.
Together we can help put a stop to abuse. Join me on September 27.
I sure was surprised to see Lifehacker’s post on how to get around browser-specific blocks. One webmaster decided that in order to avoid site visitors with the Adblock Plus extension of Firefox installed, it was necessary to block all users of the Firefox browser. In other words, he took the step of blocking an entire segment of web users to make sure those who do see his site also see the ads on his site.
Firefox has been my default browser since the moment I discovered it. Internet Explorer now gets used only for Windows Updates. Adblock Plus is a Firefox add-on which allows users to block internet ads and banners from appearing. A filter subscription such as EasyList automatically includes a wealth of known advertisements so filtering begins right away. Say bye-bye to annoying and intrusive ads! Add-ons such as these are a major reason why I prefer to surf the web with Firefox.
The webmaster above claims that Firefox users are less likely to shop online and feels that this justifies his decision. Quite frankly, I have found the opposite to be true. These users tend to be more tech savvy and less hesitant about performing any sort of financial transaction over the Internet. Of the people I personally know never to have made a purchase online, every single one of them uses Internet Explorer. They are casual computer users, prefer to feel merchandise in their hands before shelling out cash, and don’t notice or care which browser they happen to be using. Likewise, those who have made the switch to Firefox are more comfortable researching purchase decisions on the web. They may read buying guides or customer reviews of a particular product and once they have done this research usually go right ahead and complete the purchase online. I personally have bought nearly all of my Christmas presents for the past decade from web retailers. Holiday crowds are not my cup of tea. I tend to spend more online than in brick and mortar stores.
Web developers and site owners constantly search for ways to attract more site visitors. Search engine optimization techniques attempt to bring in more users. Considerations such as load times and navigation architecture attempt to keep visitors once they do manage to find a site. The mantra for anyone involved with web creation is that the experience must be as easy for the user as possible because it is so easy to leave a web page. With just a click (or mouse gesture) a website is no longer in view. With so much collective effort being expended on enhancing the customer experience, the decision to block an entire population of potential customers is one I truly find inexplicable.
Personally, I plan on dealing with browser-specific blocks using a method much easier than the one described by Lifehacker: I’ll simply leave.
Enticing aromas from that freshly ground kona coffee seduce my nostrils. I eagerly lift this mug of french pressed goodness to my lips and savor the flavor. My laptop has already been resting gently upon my thighs. Time to catch up on those RSS feeds. My desktop computer has been on the fritz lately, and rather than pull my hair out struggling to troubleshoot, I’d decided to take a mini-sabbatical from computers in general, including the still functioning laptop. Yes, quite a few unread posts await my attention. That looks interesting. I’ll star it and read it later. Eh, those news stories are no longer news by now. Mark as read.
Wait! What is that? Those are some familiar words being shown on one of my favorite blogs!
Leo Babauta at Zen Habits recently asked his readers to share their single best organizing tool or tip. And share they did! At the time of this writing there are 106 comments. He then shared some of the best of those tips. Mine appears as number 8:
Use the recycling bin/trash basket. Organizing unnecessary items is wasted energy. It is amazing how much more in control I feel just by ridding myself of now outdated articles I’d like to read “someday,†or countless meeting notes from which relevant action items have already been extracted.
This was the first time I’d ever commented on Zen Habits. Feeling a bit sheepish, I didn’t even link my name to my blog when I offered that tip. Zen Habits is a wonderful blog and one I frequent almost religiously for tips and advice. It’s just a couple of lines, but reading words I wrote on such a reputable site felt great.
27 Great Tips to Keep Your Life Organized
One thing about the Internet, at least from my personal experience and from what I learned back in a college Cyberpolitics course, is that it has made elected officials more reachable. I feel heartened whenever politicians I have written to actually do respond to my questions. Sure, they are obviously template responses. Sure, responses seem to come only if the answer is in agreement with my stance. I wouldn’t be surprised if the responses weren’t written by them personally. Nor would I mind.
This blog is not intended to be a forum for controversial political debate and I won’t get into my own views on any potentially charged topics. This topic (hopefully) is benign enough that arguments and name-calling can be avoided.
I wrote NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg and voiced my support in renewing the Breast Cancer Research Stamp. Here is his reply.
Dear Ms. Galang :
Thank you for contacting me with your support for the Breast Cancer Research Stamp. I am a proud cosponsor of the reauthorization bill (S. 597) and I appreciate hearing from you on this important issue.
We have made great strides in the war on cancer, in large part because of scientific advances and the dedicated work of oncology physicians and nurses. Cancer mortality rates have declined each year for the past decade. However, despite these promising developments, breast cancer remains the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States and is the second leading cause of cancer death for women.
It is clear that further research is still needed and the breast cancer stamp has been extremely successful in raising awareness and money for this important work. Since its inception, the stamp has raised over $53 million for breast cancer research. Please be assured that I strongly support the continuation of this stamp and will continue to advocate for increased cancer research.
Thank you again for writing.
It was with great horror that I learned of the bridge collapse in Minnesota. A rush of thoughts steamrolled through my mind. What a devastating loss! For as long as I can remember, anytime I’d cross a bridge a fleeting fear of just this sort of incident would register in the back of my mind. Why did the structure fail? Were appropriate preventive maintenance measures performed? How many people were hurt…or worse?
That last thought made me pause and come back to the first thought. It then occurred to me. The time to reflect can come later.
Real people, for doing nothing more than getting from one place to another, lost their lives. Countless others who did survive will undoubtedly have this event imprinted in their minds for the rest of their lives.
Before the finger pointing starts, before the lessons are learned, before the political grandstanding gets nauseating, let us take a moment to remember the victims.
My heart goes out to those who were on the bridge at that fateful moment. My thoughts are with their families. The City of Minnesota is in my prayers.