The country is online again...
Aug. 24th, 2003 09:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tcpipNational internet access has been sporadic over the past week or so. Worms galore! Of course, this Ministry zapped everything within 4.5 hours, but they've me working for them. If only the Ministry for Telecommunications bothered to contact me...
The Minister, Ramos-Horta, has signed a reference. It says nice things about me. Is this where I mention I'm looking for a job?
To whom it may concern
Lev Lafayette has worked for a year at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation as the Information and Communications Technology Policy Adviser, a position funded through Australian Volunteers International. During this time he has brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Ministry.
As the senior systems administrator and senior technician for the Ministry he has maintained our 74 node local area network and developed a number of professional and unambiguous policies.
He has also acted as the Ministerial representative in liaison with other appropriate national and international organizations providing substantial contributions to the development of our country-code top-level domain, the development of software for our national passport database and initiating discussion on national wireless networking.
His activities have included establishing, designing, and coding the only Ministerial-level government website for the nation. This website, consisting of over 500 pages of content in four languages, has also been designed with the highest international standards for accessibility and web-browser compatibility. The website is the quickest loading foreign Ministry website in the world and will be nominated as for the DiploAward 2003.
Always prepared to share knowledge, Mr. Lafayette has written a comprehensive, two-hundred page, computer users manual . Whilst the manual itself will remain a valuable resource for many years, Mr. Lafayette also conducted an intensive training course to familiarise staff with the basic concepts along with consistent mentoring to our two other IT staff.
Finally, Mr. Lafayette leaves the Ministry having outlined a detailed IT development plan for the next three years.
A diligent and consistent worker, Mr. Lafayette has made a lasting impression on the Ministry. His high standards of research and serious commitment to professionalism have set an example, as has his preparedness to assist users in the most minor technical issues and carefully explain circumstances with good humor. Mr. Lafayette also made the effort to gain a modest understanding of our vernacular language (Tetun) and an understanding of our culture and history; this alone speaks volumes for his character.
I am confident that any who are fortunate enough to work with him on any endeavor will come to the same conclusions as I have.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. José Ramos-Horta
I have finished section 3-3 of my PhD, dealing with content censorship on the Internet (particularly media censorship, sedition and blasphemy, sex and violence, group vilification). Researching case examples was depressing and aggravating. There is a lot of censorship in the world and with some extreme punishments, with the "People's" Republic of China getting the dubious honours of being the most censorious regime (Saudia Arabia comes second).
The theory side was interesting as well, various debates about the capacity of particular expressions to "cause harm" and various definitions of what harm actually constitutes (ranging from "causing offense", "influence", "defamation", "fighting words" etc). My conclusion opposes all censorship (to express, to receive) for any person neurologically capable of formal operations (i.e, post-pubescent) on the pre-publication level and with post-publication onus on defamation and libellous expressions although I do admit some liking to the "right of reply" method used in Europe (democracy, in my opinion, is about communication, not just expression).
Apart from work and study, life has been just fine, with some very pleasant visits from Peter, a linux-head who dropped in for two weeks to do Linux networking for the Secretary of Social Services and Sandra and Rob, doing work for the Australian Dental Association and liaison with the East Timor Dental Association. By way of quick national comparison, Australia has about 7000 dentists (1 per 2700 people) whereas East Timor has 2 (1 per 400 000).
Later this week I embark on the beginning of a five-nation tour (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, back to East Timor and then Australia), ahh, such sweet holidays...
The Minister, Ramos-Horta, has signed a reference. It says nice things about me. Is this where I mention I'm looking for a job?
To whom it may concern
Lev Lafayette has worked for a year at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation as the Information and Communications Technology Policy Adviser, a position funded through Australian Volunteers International. During this time he has brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Ministry.
As the senior systems administrator and senior technician for the Ministry he has maintained our 74 node local area network and developed a number of professional and unambiguous policies.
He has also acted as the Ministerial representative in liaison with other appropriate national and international organizations providing substantial contributions to the development of our country-code top-level domain, the development of software for our national passport database and initiating discussion on national wireless networking.
His activities have included establishing, designing, and coding the only Ministerial-level government website for the nation. This website, consisting of over 500 pages of content in four languages, has also been designed with the highest international standards for accessibility and web-browser compatibility. The website is the quickest loading foreign Ministry website in the world and will be nominated as for the DiploAward 2003.
Always prepared to share knowledge, Mr. Lafayette has written a comprehensive, two-hundred page, computer users manual . Whilst the manual itself will remain a valuable resource for many years, Mr. Lafayette also conducted an intensive training course to familiarise staff with the basic concepts along with consistent mentoring to our two other IT staff.
Finally, Mr. Lafayette leaves the Ministry having outlined a detailed IT development plan for the next three years.
A diligent and consistent worker, Mr. Lafayette has made a lasting impression on the Ministry. His high standards of research and serious commitment to professionalism have set an example, as has his preparedness to assist users in the most minor technical issues and carefully explain circumstances with good humor. Mr. Lafayette also made the effort to gain a modest understanding of our vernacular language (Tetun) and an understanding of our culture and history; this alone speaks volumes for his character.
I am confident that any who are fortunate enough to work with him on any endeavor will come to the same conclusions as I have.
Yours sincerely,
Dr. José Ramos-Horta
I have finished section 3-3 of my PhD, dealing with content censorship on the Internet (particularly media censorship, sedition and blasphemy, sex and violence, group vilification). Researching case examples was depressing and aggravating. There is a lot of censorship in the world and with some extreme punishments, with the "People's" Republic of China getting the dubious honours of being the most censorious regime (Saudia Arabia comes second).
The theory side was interesting as well, various debates about the capacity of particular expressions to "cause harm" and various definitions of what harm actually constitutes (ranging from "causing offense", "influence", "defamation", "fighting words" etc). My conclusion opposes all censorship (to express, to receive) for any person neurologically capable of formal operations (i.e, post-pubescent) on the pre-publication level and with post-publication onus on defamation and libellous expressions although I do admit some liking to the "right of reply" method used in Europe (democracy, in my opinion, is about communication, not just expression).
Apart from work and study, life has been just fine, with some very pleasant visits from Peter, a linux-head who dropped in for two weeks to do Linux networking for the Secretary of Social Services and Sandra and Rob, doing work for the Australian Dental Association and liaison with the East Timor Dental Association. By way of quick national comparison, Australia has about 7000 dentists (1 per 2700 people) whereas East Timor has 2 (1 per 400 000).
Later this week I embark on the beginning of a five-nation tour (Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, back to East Timor and then Australia), ahh, such sweet holidays...
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no subject
Date: 2003-08-24 04:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-24 06:44 am (UTC)I don't have many, but what I do have are pretty good...
Now, if only I could get Bracks to write one for me...
no subject
Date: 2003-08-24 06:53 am (UTC)Go Lev! Well done, on both the reference and finishing another part of the PhD.
And then you'll be home soon :-)
no subject
Date: 2003-08-24 07:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-24 09:38 am (UTC)You know, I have made comments against subliminal advertising and hypnosis in my thesis ;-)
That said I do want to go to Pacific NW.. All I need to do is find a post-doctoral scholarship.. I've also discovered that I'm eligiable for Canadian residency without any job offers or current relatives living there.... That goodness for all that French I've picked up on grapevine, eh?
no subject
Date: 2003-08-24 10:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-08-24 11:15 pm (UTC)Melbourne. Once upon a time, Perth and Kalgoorlie (well, close to Kal).. I've also spent a few months in Sydney.. visited Canberra, Woolongong, Adeliade, Darwin and Hobart on several occassions... Even Alice Springs for a couple of hours..
Yeah, guess who's missed out so far? ;-)
Cool Reference!
Date: 2003-08-24 11:24 pm (UTC)As we are all looking forward to seeing you when you get back?
Re: Cool Reference!
Date: 2003-08-25 01:39 am (UTC)Just a couple of weeks. It's a rapid tour, but I may as well do it whilst I'm reasonably close. Besides, I've learnt how to see the major parts of a city or two in a short space of time. It's called getting a tour book, a map and making a Markov chain... You invariably have sufficient time to deliberately get lost, see how real people really live and then mix with the locals as you ask for directions.... Strange strategy I know, but it works..
Crime versus Punishment...
Date: 2003-08-25 01:52 am (UTC)*sigh* replying to my own entry... Something that I should point out is that PRC is relatively kind with its Internet related punishments and content expression (and significantly more competent at what it does censor). If you get done for anything it's because you're perceived as threatening the political and economic system and you'll get put in the slammer for a couple of years..
In Saudi Arabia you can get done breaches the political, economic, cultural and religious "system". And the punishments are likely to be a lot worse too (the death penalty usually applies for "sorcerers"). Of course, noone ever actually finds out. Not even Amnesty International knows about how many executions there are in SA or what the crimes were (indeed some of the criminal code is unwritten!).
Both suck the genitals of deceased canines, but the bottom line is I'd much rather be an Internet user in the Peoples Republic of China than the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Re: Crime versus Punishment...
Date: 2003-08-28 07:21 am (UTC)Re: Crime versus Punishment...
Date: 2003-08-28 08:47 am (UTC)If you like a draft of the subchapter is available..
Please excuse the dodgy spelling, grammar and odd referencing. Like I said, it's a draft.