2008-08-20T03:09:09Z opencongress.org tag:opencongress.org,2007:/bill/comments/39880 2008-08-20T03:09:09Z tag:opencongress.org,2008-08-20:/comment/38076 Anonymous Okay, who here seriously believes that internet usage is a RIGHT? Why should people who did nothing to create the internet nor are in any way involved in its maintanence be guaranteed equal access? Just because it exists? There is nothing special about the internet that it needs to be protected by this kind of law. Net Neutrality stifles innovation, by decreasing the amount of compensation internet service providers can obtain. Not only that, but I'm pretty sure that making everybody equal actually puts back the people who would have better access without it. For a pretty decent analogy, what if we removed carpool lanes from the freeways? Would that make everybody faster? That's the kind of logic that the supporters of net neutrality would want you to think. The truth is that the internet would be more efficient if people who had similar needs joined together. In fact this is what businesses do all the time. And business is a good thing. Business is the only way an economy can exist. Besides, the only people who really want laws like this are insufferable internet addicts. Who cares what they think? 2008-01-24T00:07:56Z tag:opencongress.org,2008-01-24:/comment/386 Setzer529 The internet is one of the most unique and powerful innovations of our lifetimes. With it we, as citizens, have more power than ever to effect change and exercise our freedom of speech in an unlimited and fully accessible public forum. At the very core of its importance as a medium for serious communication is the notion that the internet, unlike any mass media that has come before it, is equally available to all people on an equal basis. Like the printing press before it, the internet represents a revolution in the communication of thoughts and ideas and should be protected by the laws of our nation as such. 2008-06-09T22:39:25Z tag:opencongress.org,2008-06-09:/comment/21864 Anonymous Do you approve of yourself - or do you seek the approval of others? When we lack confidence and in particular have low self esteem, we find ourselves needing the approval of others to feel good about ourselves. Unfortunately, in this day and age of being over worked and under valued, the approval of others may be slow to happen. Saying “well done” or “thank you” doesn’t seem to common language in modern society - and how often do you say such things to others? Being self critical is an easy habit to get into, and forms the basis of our needing approval from others. The root of our self criticism is usually being at the receiving end of criticism from others as we grow up. I like the expression that “criticism is negative feedback badly delivered”. Constantly receiveing messages like “you’re too slow/stupid/bad/ugly/…” etc leads to us believing that this is a reality. And language like “don’t do that” “why did you….” “you shouldn’t have” “you always” “you mustn’t” “you always” doesn’t exactly help a child feel good about themselves. Every expression is a sign of disapproval, so its not surprising we grow wanting that approval from others. “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” Mark Twain Comparing ourselves to others is another way we end up being critical of ourselves, as we usually find ways we don’t match up. This perpetuates our own self disapproval. If you must compare - find positive things where you are better than others. Even if you find yourself with role models you are trying to emulate, there will be aspects of their personality, perhaps particular skills or attributes that you already have but they don’t possess. Identify situations where you find yourself seeking the approval of others. Is it with particular people - boss, parent - or in particular environments - workplace, home, social? Is there any reason you can identify why this should be, why you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to their moods and frustrations? Whether or not you can find reasons for your seeking approval, start getting in the habit of getting approval solely from yourself. As you find yourself automatically deferring to others opinion of you, catch that thinking and challenge it. If you have deep seated fears of rejection or abandonment you may need to seek professional help (such as a psychologist or counselor) if you have difficulty challenging these thoughts yourself. One easy way to challenge such thinking, is to remind yourself that most people are quite self centered. In the same way you spend most of your time full of self talk, worrying about you, other people are not as concerned about you as you think. They’re mostly concerned about themselves. The bottom line, whilst you’re blogging aimlessly and worried about others opinions or the approval the unemployment extension, you, they probably haven’t given you any thought at all. Like you, when they’re thinking about other people, it’s mainly in relation to themselves. None of you know what anyone else is thinking. Whether or not they’ve even noticed you or what you have done, you may never know. So why beat yourself up about it? “A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” Mark Twain Another technique, which I have written about recently in self esteem building, is to get in the habit of approving of yourself. Keep reminding yourself what you’ve done well, what you are pleased about that you have done. The “portfolio” technique is something many people now have to do for courses and professional competence. Keep a file or folder with reminders of what you have done and achieved. Its easy to forget the things that we’re good at, perhaps things we do automatically without a second thought. You may find it helpful to ask a friend to help you at this. Another technique is to use positive affirmations. I have previously written that I use affirmations to reinforce character traits - such as confidence - rather than to gain material possessions (as fans of the Jack Handy Law of Attraction suggest). Use affirmations to reinforce your approval of yourself - what you like about you. 2008-05-19T20:21:54Z tag:opencongress.org,2008-05-19:/comment/16205 aaron Rhetoric aside, this bill will help protect the open architecture of the internet. That architecture has enabled the net to become a powerful source of innovation, economic growth, and cultural production. The telecommunications market in the US is so heavily concentrated that the action of the congress is needed to protect the Internet and its users from the rent-seeking tendencies of broadband providers and network owners.