About Power and Policy
Telecommunications was supposed to transform our country, providing free education to all and enlivening public debate over critical issues.
The truth however is that “the powers that be” have always seized control over new media.
This was true for radio shortly after radio broadcasting began and definitely with television.
When cable television made its debut it was thought that it would add diversity to the voices shared across the wires, but cable TV rapidly succumbed to the corporate elites and it’s promise was unfulfilled as cable companies merged into the monopoly entity that it is today.
But it didn’t need to be this way and it certainly doesn’t need to be this way now as politicians stand ready to deliver the Internet to their lobbyist pals on behalf of monopoly corporate interests.
This is a fight worth fighting – we have won before and we are about to win again!
Gordon Fuller
About Indian Hemp and Bioremediation
Please feel free to share this information, this is the real deal and it’s happening now.
Joseph Hart is here on our islands to establish a seed farm to supply growers on the mainland and provide material for oil, animal feedstock, waste treatment and bioremediation here in Hawaii.
This plant has always been legal – exempted from the 1930 narcotics act because US government and military needed it. Today there are huge industrial clients for this product in the oil industry and it is used very successfully for cleaning up chemical and oil spills. For commercial production of seed for oil, this plant gets 7000 pounds per acre whereas cannabis yields only 3000 pounds per acre.
The Hardy Plant gross 30 feet in six months and goes through its full cycle at this 22° latitude.
This is why Joseph is here looking for land on Kauai to establish a seed farm. The previous location of the seed farm was in New Mexico but the drug cartels of made it impossible to continue to operate there. Joseph attended Mississippi State University and earned his degrees in agriculture and ‘Lien systems’ and has built the production lines which milled the material and his company has a diverse product line and a huge inventory of products for all uses of hemp.
“Indian Hemp” is the true paper of the Constitution. It is what the Chinese are growing and use for all of their government printing in China. Interesting to note, US dollar currency is now being printed in China (why not produce it close to where it ends up I guess must be the thinking). I learned from Joseph that he yesterday received his report from the Hawaii Invasive Species Control Board giving Indian Hemp a greenlight and clean bill of health for being cultivated safely in Hawaii.
Please let anyone know that they can contact me and I will help them get any questions answered they may have about this cultivar and the role it may play in Hawaii’s agricultural future.
Gordon Fuller
www.FULLERVISION.COM
@FULLERTWEETS
808-636-7900
About Social Entrepreneurs and the Social Plastic Movement
Today I like to ask you to join the Social Plastic Movement.
Nobody describes the mission and the goals of the Social Plastic Movement better than the founders David Katz and Shaun Frankson:
Our mission: Reveal Value in plastic waste & people.
Our goal: The Plastic Bank is making plastic waste a currency where it is needed the most. Social Plastic helps improve the life of a disadvantaged person while preventing plastic waste from entering the oceans. As we demonstrate the growing demand for Social Plastic, we create a sustainable movement towards conscious consumerism & reduce the amount of new plastics that get created each year.
As consumers begin to demand the use of Social Plastic in the products they buy, the value of Social Plastic will increase. The more we can increase the value of Social Plastic world-wide, the less plastic will be discarded, and the more we can reward the people who need it the most.
Help us make plastic waste too valuable to throw away. This is the only sustainable way to prevent plastics from entering the ocean. http://plasticbank.org/our-movement/
Eco-Friendly with a Social Impact. Social Plastic Reduces Poverty & Plastic Pollution by Making Plastic Waste a Currency.
The Plastic Bank is a social enterprise turning plastic waste into a currency that can be exchanged to help lift people out of poverty.
We provide a social impact in areas with high amounts of poverty and plastic pollution by setting up exchange and recycling centers.
We create a ladder of opportunity for the world’s poor by providing access to income, education and 3D printing services.
The exchange process for our recycled Social Plastic ™ improves the life of a person in need.
Our goal is to lead the movement towards global demand for the use of Social Plastic ™ in eco-friendly products. The higher the demand for Social Plastic ™, the greater the social impact towards helping the world’s poor.
Join our Social Plastic ™ movement to start making a positive social impact.
We are a Social Enterprise with a Triple Bottom Line Business Model. We Help Sustainable Brands Provide Ethical Products.
Social Plastic is a Global Movement.
In May 2013 our social enterprise made an impact with Social Plastic ™. This video shows our successful first year where we recycled ocean plastic to use it for 3D printing. Because of our eco-friendly printing material, we won the 2013 RCBC Innovation Award. The founder of The Plastic Bank, David Katz, was named 2013 EO Global Citizen of the Year. Over the last year The Plastic Bank and our Social Plastic ™ movement were featured in over 75 interviews from 25 countries.
We have been blessed with amazing volunteers to help our cause. Thank you for all your support.
We Have 3D Printed from Recycled Ocean Plastic.
We have 3D printed the world’s first item from recycled ocean plastic. The plastic used came from the North Pacific Gyre. The plastic was removed from the ocean and shorelines of Alaska and BC. The goal of our plastics for change project was to create an eco-friendly 3D printing filament from recycled ocean debris.
Our goal is to empower the world’s poor with 3D printing. We are now one step closer to creating eco-friendly recycled plastic at every location. Our end in mind is to recycle all of the 3D printing materials we use. This will allow people to collect the raw materials to 3D print.
We Reveal Value in Plastic.
Our core value is to Reveal Value. Plastic is pound for pound more valuable than steel. Yet we see steel as a resource and plastic as waste. The world has already produced over 4 trillion pounds of plastic. Almost all of that plastic still exists today. All plastic can be recycled. There is no need to create new plastic. We must simply recycle the plastic that litters our planet.
We Stop Plastic Waste Before it Enters the Oceans.
Developing countries often lack the tax revenue for waste management. Plastic waste is dumped into the streets and pushed into ocean bound waterways. Our social enterprise is leading a global recycling movement. We are going after a common route cause of marine debris. With your help companies can switch from using virgin plastic to Social Plastic ™. The higher the demand, the higher the reward becomes for those that need it the most.
Poverty is a Man Made Problem.
Poverty is a man made problem that needs to be addressed. The world’s poor are no different than you or I. They are smart, creative and talented people. They are simply disadvantaged. Our goal is to ensure that anyone can go out and collect enough plastic waste to meet their most basic needs.
3D Printing is the Future.
3D printing will soon be as common as home computers. You can 3D print what you need, when you need it. Imagine printing a broken part in a town with no delivery service. Or a tool that is not for sale. Or a cast for child. Some items can be printed to increase ones standard of living. Others can be printed to sell to local shops. A simple phone case uses just as much plastic as a spoon, yet sells for a much higher price.
Partner with Schools from Around the World.
We have partnered with schools in Canada, USA, Peru, and the Uk. Our goal is to get as many young minds as possible working on social good. We invite any school to reach out to see how we can work together.
We Work With Locals.
We do not assume that we know more than the locals in each area. Instead we seek out people who are already making a social impact. We identify local champions with a passion for change. These are the leaders who run The Plastic Bank.
Eco-Friendly with a Social Impact.
Social Plastic ™ helps to improve the life of a person in need. That is what makes it better than every day recycled plastic. We use the phrases eco-friendly & social impact with pride. Our recycled plastic uses much less carbon than new plastic. Our plastic was ocean bound. If not collected, it most likely would have ended up in the ocean. We are the first to admit that not every ethical product should be made of plastic. However, we think that Social Plastic ™ is the most eco-friendly plastic option possible. You vote with your purchases. Social Plastic ™ is a means for you to have social impact purchase power.
We are a Proud Triple Bottom Line Social Enterprise.
We are a proud social enterprise. We believe that business can be a force for social impact. We are not a charity. We are a revenue generating triple bottom line business. Our revenues come from the sale of our eco-friendly Social Plastic ™. They fuel our social impact. It’s how we make plastic waste a currency. Our goal is to inspire other social entrepreneurs and social enterprises around the world.
http://plasticbank.org/our-movement/
About Scott Cooper and the origins of IOS
Scott Cooper says he is a producer for It’s Our Story, well, that may be true but is hardly a description of the human being, the artist, the mad genius.
About to shake up the world with the fruit of his labor he has not only produced, directed, filmed and edited over 1300 voices of disability in 45 states and 128 cities but he composed and designed the archives to open a doorway through which members of the disability community can access history like never before. His art on famous people with impairments are paintings of history, beautiful, inspiring and meaningful, museum art of the air, representing a new renaissance of storytellers who have embraced rich media to enrich the human experience for others.
Gordon Fuller interviews Ken Nakata of HiSoftware
https://vimeo.com/94600701
Gordon Fuller, CEO of ACCESSIBLE HELP interviews Ken Nakata of HiSoftware.
Filmed by Kealoha Gardner, edited by Fred Vanderpoel.
About Timberwolves and Chihuahuas
Same species, different animal.
I recently sat down with Hawaii Senator Mike Gabbard, Hawaii Representative Cynthia Thielen and Kelly King, Vice President of Pacific Biodiesel to interview them about their views on the upcoming legislation on hemp. You can see it here: www.HempInternet.com
My dear friend Denise Key of iHempHI.com who is a grand activist for the legalization of industrial hemp and who initiated and facilitated these interviews said that today that some opposition to the growing of industrial hemp remained, evidently based on distortions. So I send a few emails to my friends to help them tell the Chihuahuas from the Timberwolves:
WHY YOU CAN’T CONTROL IT
“[T]hey (DEA) cannot regulate naturally-occurring THC not contained within or derived from marijuana-i.e. non-psychoactive hemp is not included in Schedule I. The DEA has no authority to regulate drugs that are not scheduled, and it has not followed procedures required to schedule a substance. The DEA’s definition of “THC” contravenes the unambiguously expressed intent of Congress in the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) and cannot be upheld” The PDF from the Court is also attached. Here is the DEA press release that the quotes in the second page of Keith Kamita’s testimony came from: http://www.justice.gov/dea/pubs/pressrel/pr100901.html
WHY YOU CAN’T GET HIGH FROM IT
There is an inexpensive hemp breeder‘s field test that is able to quickly and inexpensively distinguish between the different varieties of cannabis by their THC levels. The “DG Test” for THC was developed by the late Peter Dragla in Canada. It is similar to the development of a method to test individual hemp plants for C8l’l|’l8biI10id presence or absence in the field done in the Ukraine. You may learn more here: A Discussion On Cannabis Cannabinoidr-THC & CBD. By Gordon Scheifele & Peter Dragla Hemp Commerce and Farming Report http://www.hempreport.com/issues/08/January2000.html
WHY YOU CAN’T BE LEFT BEHIND
So far in the 2014 legislative season industrial hemp legislation has been introduced or carried over in Puerto Rico and twenty-three states: Alabama, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Illinois (carried over from 20l3), Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire (carried over from 2013), New Jersey (carried over from 20l3) and a new bill introduction as well, New York, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Washington (two bills were carried over from 2013), West Virginia, and Wisconsin. You can keep track of all state hemp legislation on Vote Hemp‘s State Hemp Legislation Page: http://www.votehemp.com/state.html
WHY YOU CAN’T IGNORE IT
WHEN YOU WORK FOR A CAUSE YOU ARE THE EFFECT www.HempInternet.com
About Civility and Accessibility
Here’s the real challenge – getting everyone to understand that accessibility is for everybody. Too often people with disabilities are considered to be the ‘others’. This is the biggest problem with getting people to embrace the idea of accessibility and for product designers to embrace the philosophy of Universal Design. In Silicon Valley we’ve always spoken of good design but, to convey this idea more effectively I have needed to dumb down the language to say, “get the specs right on human beings.”
Given the global aging population it seems completely unbelievable that building in Accessibility is too challenging for the world’s leading tech companies. Given the fact that after 25 years since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act, The US still has a 75% unemployment rate for people with disabilities. I have little patience for scofflaw companies with customers numbering in the millions and reaping billions in profits who have proven unwilling to spend anything on improving accessibility. The unprecedented human rights achievement represented by the Americans With Disabilities Act has been thwarted by the negative cultural bias and neglect tech companies reveal by the fact that at the time of this justice department action less than 9% of all websites are accessible.
This appalling situation reminds me of when no one in the US would broadcast Spanish-language television. Ultimately such exclusionary practices proved to be thoroughly stupid and the lost profits will never be recovered. Same deal here. Why alienate customers and make products and services difficult to use? America’s inventors have given us the telephone, automobiles, electric starters, elevators, transistors, text to speech synthesizers, the internet and many other wonders of the everyday world that began as ways to improve accessibility and overcome limitations imposed by impairments. How many other innovations will come from the US as inventors begin providing accessibility to people who need a better way to solve a problem faced by millions around the world? Too many design decisions result in poorly considered interfaces that necessitates people have good manual dexterity and 20/20 vision. Not a day goes by when I don’t wish I had a large rock to smash my smart phone to pieces. I am often driven completely mad by it’s idiosyncratic behaviors. For the record, no one wants to read manuals in order to use some arcane piece of technology. And yet, that’s what we’ve got!
As a closing note, I would like to share the positive news that America is back! We’ve led the world as social innovators by embracing inclusion for every member of our society. This investment has paid off for us handsomely with the marketplace reaping the rewards of diversity by better serving their global customers. I believe that our best days are yet ahead because of the US’ socially inclusive policies and progressive idealism that America has introduced to the world.
On my part and on behalf of my company and my country I hope we will continue to do so.
About Accessibility and the Law
The Justice Department announced today that it has entered a landmark consent decree with H&R Block in National Federation of the Blind, et al. and United States v. HRB Digital LLC, et al. The decree resolves the Department’s first ADA lawsuit centered on the accessibility of corporate websites and mobile applications. Under the decree, H&R Block will make its website, tax filing utility, and mobile applications conform to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to the Level AA Success Criteria, will pay damages to the two named plaintiffs, and pay a civil penalty. H&R Block will also take a number of steps to maintain the accessibility of www.hrblock.com and its mobile apps with WCAG 2.0 AA, including adopting a policy, training employees and ensuring accountability, conducting regular automated and user testing, and regular reporting.
To find out more about the ADA or this consent decree, call the Justice Department’s toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD), or access its ADA.gov website.
About Visionaries and Intelligence
Surrounded by friends and visionary entrepreneurs searching for intelligent ways to affect social justice, it comes as no surprise to me that my longtime friend Ray Kurzweil was honored with the American Visionary Art Museum’s Grand Visionary Award at a recent gala celebration.
The American Visionary Art Museum selects its award honorees for their courage as intuitive innovators and in recognition of their life’s creative work to expand the realm of human dignity, beauty, and social justice. Senator Barbara Mikulski attended and Ray enjoyed getting to know the other honoree Jack Andraka, who was presented with the Young Genius Award — he developed an early detection test for pancreatic cancer when he was 14 and won the Intel International Science Fair. Other guests included the National Federation of the Blind leadership including President Marc Maurer, PhD and his wife Mrs. Maurer, Jim Gashel and his wife Mrs. Gashel, and Mrs. Mary Ellen Jernigan. Ray was accompanied by his friends Brent and Jenn Dearth, who married after having met at a screening of Transcendent Man, where he gave a presentation.
About Accelerating Intelligence
Launched in 2001, KurzweilAI explores the forecasts and insights on accelerating change articulated in Ray Kurzweil’s landmark books — notably The Singularity Is Near and How to Create a Mind — and updates these books daily with key breakthroughs in science and technology. The “AI” in KurzweilAI refers to “accelerating intelligence,” a core concept that underlies the exponential growth of the pervasive information-based technologies — both biological and machine — that are radically changing our world. These include biotechnology, nanotechnology & materials science, molecular electronics, computation, artificial intelligence, robotics, neuroscience, physics, Internet, energy, electronics, pattern recognition, virtual reality, human brain reverse engineering, and brain and body augmentation. The leading visionaries represented on this site cover these and other topics, and examine the trends that are profoundly impacting science, economics, the arts, politics, government, warfare, medicine, health, education, disabilities, behavior, and society.
If you like to learn more about Ray Kurzweil you can visit him here: http://www.kurzweilai.net/