(In case you’re not aware of the new Arizona law, it’s explained here.)
Category: Life
Creative Commons Photo by the Poissant Family.
Open Government / Government 2.0
The intersection of the internet and politics has given rise to many things, including the concept often referred to as “Open Government” or “Government 2.0”. To borrow a couple of lines from Mark Kuznicki’s keynote at ChangeCamp Toronto, its goals are twofold:
- For governments to become more open, transparent, participatory, innovative, efficient and effective
- For citizens to become more connected to each other around their civic passions in the place they call home
Events like ChangeCamp, TransitCamp and Metronauts – unconferences where ordinary citizens, government officials and representatives of organizations that receive public funding meet to exchange ideas – have been happening across Canada. At these events, people have thought about, discussed and built new relationships with their local governments, often through the use of technology.
Most of these events focused on a local community, municipality or occasionally, a province, but none of them have had a discussion at the federal level. Could this be done at a broader level?
GovCamp: May 31 – June 1 in Ottawa
That’s where GovCamp comes in. It’s an “Open Government”/”Government 2.0” discussion where the topics will be centred around Canada as a whole, the interactions between cities and provinces, and how our provincial and federal governments can help cultivate the growth and prosperity of Canadians and their vibrant communities.
John Weigelt, Microsoft Canada’s National Technology Officer, is putting together this event, which takes place on Monday, May 31st and Tuesday, June 1st in Ottawa. It’ll be a gathering of local citizens, public sector employees, service delivery leaders and policy people with an interest in having a conversation about engaging citizens and businesses and making government at all levels more open, responsive and efficient. It won’t be a trade show or product-oriented discussion; instead, it will be a workshop-style unconference where participants establish the agenda and explore the themes that they care most about.
GovCamp is being hosted by CIPS – the Canadian Association for Information Technology Professionals – and sponsored by Microsoft Canada on behalf of the community.
Who’s Coming to GovCamp?
In putting GovCamp together, we’re reaching out to a number organizations and communities including:
- Industry Canada
- The Treasury Board Secretariat
- Public Works and Government Services
- Public Safety Canada
- The Information Commissioner of Canada
- The Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner
- Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- The City of Ottawa
- Open Government and ChangeCamp community leaders
Who is GovCamp For?
This event is for:
- IT People –Technology is one way that governments are transforming how they deliver services externally and internally. Technology people are needed to explore the art of the possible for these new services. Mash-ups, Open Data, social media are but a few of the possible areas for discussion.
- Policy People – We need you in the conversation so that you can share your expertise on the realm of the possible from a policy perspective. Privacy, Security, Access to Information, Information Management are all key considerations for successful government transformation. Come share your knowledge on how to make these policies enable new services.
- Government Services leaders – Ultimately, government delivers value through the many services that are provided. GovCamp is about exploring the realm of the possible for service to individuals, services to businesses and services to other departments. Your voice is essential to inform the community and to guide those ideas that the community may have for you!
- Community – We are fortunate that there’s a passionate and creative community with vibrant ideas about how they can help create a closer connection between governments, individuals, businesses and even among government itself. Your participation at the Canada Gov Camp will provide you with a venue to share your great ideas and, if all goes well, interact with some of the people that can take your idea further.
How Much, and Where do I Register?
Registration for GovCamp is free! To register, visit the registration page.
GovCamp will be held at the University of Ottawa, in a location to be determined.
I read Hustler for the pictures, but every now and again, Larry Flynt publishes a spot-on editorial, like the one below:
![Full page ad in Hustler featuring Larry Flynt: "A Message to the Tea Party Movement - You have a reason to be angry. You are being screwed. The bankers get bailed out, but the working class is left to fend for itself at a time when jobs are hard to find. But your anger is misdirected. You are being lied to. It's the corporations that have brought this about. They have corrupted both the Republicans and the Democrats. Aside from shipping your jobs overseas, corporations want their taxes reduced as a way of further increasing profits. Reduced tax revenue means less money for schools, hospitals, police, roads and everything else we need to keep our country running. The focus of your anger should be not just the government but also the banks and corporations that are looting taxpayer dollars. Your taxes -- the taxes of working Americans -- have already been cut by the Obama Administration. It may indeed by time for a revolution. Just make sure you go after the right people. [Signed] Larry Flynt, Publisher."](https://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/amessagetotheteapartymovement.jpg "Full page ad in Hustler featuring Larry Flynt: \"A Message to the Tea Party Movement - You have a reason to be angry. You are being screwed. The bankers get bailed out, but the working class is left to fend for itself at a time when jobs are hard to find. But your anger is misdirected. You are being lied to. It's the corporations that have brought this about. They have corrupted both the Republicans and the Democrats. Aside from shipping your jobs overseas, corporations want their taxes reduced as a way of further increasing profits. Reduced tax revenue means less money for schools, hospitals, police, roads and everything else we need to keep our country running. The focus of your anger should be not just the government but also the banks and corporations that are looting taxpayer dollars. Your taxes -- the taxes of working Americans -- have already been cut by the Obama Administration. It may indeed by time for a revolution. Just make sure you go after the right people. [Signed] Larry Flynt, Publisher.\"")
Click the image to see it at full size.
My only question is: “Damn, Larry, where do you buy your paperweights?”
Categories
Glenn Beck, Voice of Reason
Memo to John McCain: When Glenn freakin’ Beck sounds more reasonable than you, something is seriously wrong.
In case you needed a reminder of Glenn Beck’s usual level of reasonableness, here’s a collection of his greatest hits:
Categories
The Best TV Ad Ever?
How’d I miss this gem — a TV ad for Cullman Liquidation, who sell mobile housing?
This line from the ad is pure bad-ass:
A bouncer in Birmingham hit me in the face with a crescent wrench five times and my wife’s boyfriend broke my jaw with a fence post. So if you don’t buy a trailer from me, it ain’t gonna hurt my feelings. So come on down to Cullman Liquidation and get yourself a home. Or don’t. I don’t care.
Celebrated film director Errol Morris calls this – and apparently without irony — “the best commercial ever made” and says “I should be so lucky as to achieve this level of excellence.”
The ad became a big YouTube hit, requiring Cullman’s saleswoman to make this video:
Categories
Bacon Pancakes!
This looks like a pretty nice way to start the day…
Click the photo to see it at full size.