Archive for January 25, 2011

The United States: a role model for censorship

Censored As American citizens, we’ve been taught throughout our upbringing that our country is a role-model for freedom and democracy. Until the internet emerged as a primary form of communication, it was the truth. Now, however, the fact that the US government uses their power to censor websites for the “safety” of citizens has been noticed and cited as a reason for other countries to do the same.

Sami Zaoui, the state secretary of Tunisia (which is currently in the midst of a revolution), announced last week that the country will continue to block websites that are “against decency, contain violent elements or incite to hate”. When a Twitter follower criticized the move, Zaoui responded, “False! The countries most advanced in terms of freedom block terrorist websites. One has to know the truth.” Read more

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Freelance Freedom: Indulging My Circadian Rhythm

The best part about being a freelance writer and copy editor who works remotely is that, for Circadian Rhythm the first time in my working life, I am able to keep the sleep/wake cycle that is comfortable for me.

For years I’ve had to drag myself out of bed between 5 and 7 AM to be at a job between 7 and 9 AM, and get out around 4 to 6 PM, and I hated it. My body never wanted to sleep at an early enough hour to allow for me to get in a sufficient amount of sleep before my necessary wake time. I would have an overwhelming sleep deficit by Friday of each week, and would crash all weekend to make up for it. Not healthy or pleasant, that’s for sure.

I even tried second and third shift jobs, and wasn’t fond of either (In fact, I’m really just not fond of working in a corporate office, but we’ll get to that in another post). Read more

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