Freedom Of Speech, Ideas, Opinions and Expression

Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship or limitation. The synonymous term freedom of expression is sometimes used to denote not only freedom of verbal speech but any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used. Freedom of speech and freedom of expression is closely related to, yet distinct from, the concept of freedom of thought or freedom of conscience. In practice, the right to freedom of speech is not absolute in any country and the right is commonly subject to limitations, such as on "hate speech". This is because exercising freedom of speech always takes place within a context of competing values.

The right to freedom of speech is recognized as a human right under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and recognized in international human rights law in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The ICCPR recognizes the right to freedom of speech as "the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression". Furthermore freedom of speech is recognized in European, inter-American and African regional human rights law.

... Wikipedia

I am taking a poll. I have a curious question, and I would be interested to hear what your opinions are on the subject. It seems to me that, the more globalized we become and the smaller the earth is, the more we communicate across broad spectrums through the Internet, text messaging, Facebook, My Space, etc., and the more we are able to exchange ideas, the more afraid we are to speak our minds.

An idea is a form (such as a thought) formed by consciousness (including mind) through the process of ideation. Human capability to contemplate ideas is associated with the ability of reasoning, self-reflection, and of the ability to acquire and apply intellect, intuition, inspiration, etc. Further, ideas give rise to actual concepts, or mind generalizations, which are the basis for any kind of knowledge whether science or philosophy or impulsiveness.

In a popular sense, an idea arises in a reflex, spontaneous manner, even without thinking or serious reflection, for example, when we talk about the idea of a person or a place.

An opinion is a person's ideas and thoughts towards something which it is either impossible to verify the truth of, or the truth of which is thought unimportant to the person. It is an assertion about something especially if that something lies in the future and its truth or falsity cannot be directly established e.g. induction. An opinion is not a fact, because opinions are either not falsifiable, or the opinion has not been proven or verified. If it later becomes proven or verified, it is no longer an opinion, but a fact.

In economics, philosophy, or other social sciences, analysis based on opinions is referred to as normative analysis (what ought to be), as opposed to positive analysis, which is based on scientific observation (what materially is). Historically, the distinction of proven knowledge and opinion was articulated by some Ancient Greek philosophers. Plato's analogy of the divided line is a well-known illustration of the distinction between knowledge and opinion.

... Wikipedia

Ideas and opinions – we all have them. And because we are all different, our ideas and opinions are different. It is the differences of ideas and opinions that keep everything fresh. Without death there would be no life, and without ideas and opinions there would be only stagnation.

Of course, we all love the company of people who are just like us. “You eat your morning cereal with yogurt instead of milk? So do I!” *heh*. However, as I cruise around the blogs, I find all sorts of ideas and opinions that are antithesis to mine, and conversely, those are the blogs I enjoy the most. I enjoy hearing the ideas and opinions of folks who think differently than I do. I find it refreshing.

As most of you know by now, I occasionally like to voice my ideas and opinions. When I do, please don’t get your knickers in a twist. I was raised in a household where debates and differences of opinions were not only welcomed, they were encouraged.

To get back to my question, (my poll), do you find, the more we communicate with each other, the more we are becoming more afraid to express our ideas and opinions, or less afraid? If I do not agree with you – for whatever reason – or you do not agree with me, do you take it personally? I don’t mean to sound preachy, I really am interested in what you have to say on this subject. You’re all very intelligent people.

Do we really have freedom of speech? Freedom of thought? Freedom of ideas? Freedom of expression? Or have we all turned into Winston Smith?

What Drives You Crazy?

The Scream
Edvard Munch
1893
Oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard
91 × 73.5 cm
National Gallery, Oslo

I love this painting. There are days when we all feel like this. Certain things drive us crazy, and we feel the scream slowly rising to the top. We contain it, of course, but silently, inside our heads, we are screaming. One thing that bothers me is noise. I cannot tolerate noise. Some noises are pleasant and have a music all their own, such as the sound of a lawnmower on a spring afternoon or the sound of children in a playground down the street. And for some strange reason, I love the sound of my clothes dryer or my dishwasher humming away in the background. But most noises are just unpleasant and annoying.

"A noisy noise annoys an oyster."

One of my co-workers drives me completely insane. I love her dearly, but there are days when I feel a scream rising in my throat, just like in the Edvard Munch painting. My co-worker wears her plastic access pass on a lanyard around her neck, and on it she also wears the key to her desk, which she locks at the end of the day. The problem is, my co-worker has a form of ADHD and she cannot sit still for more than a few minutes. She is constantly jumping up and running around the office with the key clacking against the hard plastic access pass.

Clack, clack, clack... run, run, run... clack, clack, clack...

Scream!

Last Sunday Leslie and I went to the Boathouse Restaurant for lunch. We had a fabulous table next to the window overlooking the sailboats on English Bay (I snapped this picture from our table, and yes, we have palm trees in Vancouver...), the food was delicious, the company was wonderful. Leslie and I always find so much to chat about. The noise in the restaurant was indescribable. There was some awful 1980s music playing from a tinny stereo somewhere off in the distance. The music was indecipherable, loud, impossible to hear, and didn't fit the ambience of the restaurant at all. It was probably some cheesy remix that one of the servers had brought in from a homemade CD collection. I was dizzy by the time we left the restaurant.

SCREAM!

Yesterday as I was coming home from work, I noticed everyone on the bus was talking on a cell phone. There were all different languages, English, Iranian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Punjabi, Spanish, and they were all using their "telephone voices". I could hardly wait to get home, close the door behind me, and put on some soft jazz. Today I have the dryer humming quietly in the background, the rain is pattering on my roof and on the trees outside, and it's wonderful. My ears are saying, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Am I neurotic? Probably. But, I would bet there are things that drive you crazy too. There aren't?

Just When You Thought It Was Safe...

Feeding the Chickens
George Vicat Cole
Oil on canvas
10 by 14.1/2 inches

People are living longer than ever before and there are more healthy centegenarians now than ever. We don't have as many communicable diseases as our grandparents did because we have antibiotics and we know more about hygiene. But in spite of this, we are a nation of hypochondriacs and we are afraid of everything. If a disease doesn't exist, we make one up. (Fibromyalgia, anyone?) Today we received the following bulletin at work, and when I read it, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

You've heard about the chicken that crossed the road. But have you heard the one about the chickens travelling down the road? It's no laughing matter. Crates of chickens being trucked along the highway in the back of an open truck can shoot a bunch of nasty bacteria into the cars behind them, researchers have found. Drivers stuck behind such a truck should "pass them quickly," advised study co-author Ana Rule, a researcher at Johns Hopkins University. Even so, it's not clear that germy debris will make you sick. None of the scientists who studied this problem got sick. And the disease-causing bacteria in question are normally spread by food or water, not air. Rule and her colleagues at the Bloomberg School of Public Health focused on the so-called Delmarva Peninsula, a coastal area that includes parts of Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The region is a chicken mecca, with one of the highest concentrations of broiler chickens per hectare in the nation.

The researchers chose a 27-kilometre stretch of highway connecting chicken farms in Maryland to a processing plant to the south in Accomac, Va. They rode in four-door cars with all the windows down and the air conditioning off. They checked the cars for bacteria after driving when there were no chicken trucks around. And they checked for bacteria after 10 trips behind flatbed trucks carrying crates of broiler chickens. They collected bacteria from air samples, door handles and soda cans inside the car. In all the truck chases, they found high levels of certain bacteria, including some that are resistant to antibiotics. The study, released this week, is being published in the first issue of the Journal of Infection and Public Health, and it's billed as the first to look at whether poultry trucking exposes people to antibiotic-resistant bacteria. ... CDC

Oh, gosh. And here I thought the only time I should be afraid of chicken was when the Cafeteria Nazi serves it on her menu.

Hope

Hope
George Frederic Watts
1885

I was watching a really assinine program on TV the other day called "The Real Housewives of New York City". I have never seen a more shallow, self-serving bunch of women. The series is described by Bravo TV as "Fearuring an elite and powerful set of New York socialites as they juggle their careers and home lives with busy calendars packed with charity fund-raising galas, the social whirl of the Hamptons, and interviews for elite private schools. These driven and ambitious women show everyone what it takes to make it in the upper echelon of society, where money and status are an essential way of life. The series takes an up-close and personal look at a lifestyle where private chefs, Au Pairs, front row seats at Fashion Week and Hamptons estates are part of everyday life. The Real Housewives of New York City follows five glamorous Manhattan women - Alex, Bethenny, Jill, LuAnn, and Ramona - as they balance motherhood, demanding careers, and a fast-paced social calendar, and shows what life is like in the most exclusive areas of New York."

It was horrible ... It was like watching a train wreck, but I couldn't tear my eyes away.

However, my favorite of the five women is Countess LuAnn de Lesseps. She's not quite the real deal; she did not come from an aristocratic background before she married Alexander Count de Lesseps of the Suez Canal Dynasty, and really, how many Countesses are named LuAnn? But she definitely is a cut above the rest of the women in the group, and she has an understated style and taste that I like. She is very involved in charity work, and particularly with young women whose lives have been derailed by drugs, alcohol and other bad choices. As Countess LuAnn de Lesseps says, "It's not how far you have fallen, but how you get back up."

I think in some way all of us can relate to that. I have certainly gone through some low times in my life. Fortunately I never resorted to drugs or alcohol, but there have been times when I thought nothing would ever be right again. And like the "pay it forward" philosophy, sometimes all it takes is a small amount of encouragement and a kind word from someone else to get us back on track. It gives us hope. But I must confess, I am not as diligent about this as I should be. There is a lot (lot!) more I could be doing to help people who are less fortunate than I am, so I thank Countess LuAnn de Lesseps for reminding me of that.

Mystery Woman Contest

I haven't run a contest here on my blog for a long time, over a year in fact. So I think it's time we had one, don't you? I have quite a collection of tasteless lovely gifts that have been given to me by one of the doctors at work, who brings me something every time she comes back from one of her trips to somewhere exotic. I have in my collection a candle in the shape of something completely unidentifiable, with a scent that I don't recognize. It's yours if you can tell me who is the woman in this picture. She is dressed in the style of the 1970s, with bell bottom jeans, a comfortable blouse, a sun hat and sunglasses. No, it isn't me, and no I won't give you any hints. Give it a try. The wilder and crazier the guess, the better. Take a chance. Anything goes! You just might be right.

Leslie, you might want to recuse yourself, since I think you know the answer. :-)

We have a winner! Cedar from Cedarflame has won the ghastly beautiful candle by guessing correctly.

The woman in the bell-bottom blue jeans is none other than Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith Sovereign of the Order of Canada, Sovereign of the Order of Australia, Sovereign of the Order of New Zealand, Sovereign of the Order of Barbados, Sovereign of the Order of Valour, Sovereign of the Order of Military Merit, Sovereign of the Order of Merit of the Police Forces, Sovereign of the Queen's Service Order, Sovereign of the New Zealand Order of Merit, Sovereign of the Order of St. Andrew, Sovereign of the Order of Logohu, Sovereign of the Order of the Star of Melanesia.

That's not a bad looking little boat anchored in the background either...

The Sexiest Man Alive?

Once again People Magazine has issued its "Sexiest Man Alive" edition for 2008. This year it's Hugh Jackman. Well, okay, I guess he's not bad. My problem with People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive issue is that their choices are all so obvious, and not really the type of man most women would choose. Well, let me rephrase that... There are many men who women would think are the "Sexiest Man Alive", but they may not necessarily end up the People Magazine issue. So, I always do my annual version of the "Sexist Man Alive", and after much discussion amongst the women at work today and after taking a poll which was accurate to within 3.1 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 ... the following three men were considered to be the "Sexiest Men Alive". Here they are, in no particular order.

Jason O'Mara. Who, you ask? Well, if any of you have seen "Life on Mars" on ABC on Thursday nights, you just might have noticed Jason O'Mara. I first saw Jason O'Mara on a BBC production called "Berkeley Square". It was filmed about ten years ago, and shown on PBS. Like Hugh Lawrie in "House" and Rufus Sewell in "Eleventh Hour" Jason O'Mara is an import from the British Isles, and he has had to learn to speak with an American accent, rather than his Irish brogue. "Life on Mars" is one of the best shows I have seen in about a decade. It's edgy, funny and brilliant. And ABC has cancelled it. I guess people are too busy watching "Dancing With The Stars" and "American Idol".

*sigh*

Harvey Keitel. Oh, come on, you can't fool me. I know you have a secret crush on Harvey Keitel. He always plays tough-guy parts, and he has a reputation for being a tough guy in real life, but he doesn't suffer fools gladly. I think he is probably as street smart in real life as the characters he plays. He was in the U.S. Marines before he became an actor. When I did my scientific poll of the women in the office today, Harvey Keitel was their favorite, especially with Dr. A. who says Harvey Keitel makes her go weak at the knees. Harvey Keitel was also in "Life on Mars", and the chemistry between his character and Jason O'Mara's character was brilliant and funny. What a huge loss!

Paul Gross, Canada's very own. You might remember him as Constable Benton Fraser in "Due Douth". He is currently starring in a feature film "Passchendaele" which was one of the more infamous battles of the First World War and is also known as The Third Battle of Ypres. He not only stars in the movie, but he wrote and directed it as well, and it is getting good reviews. Paul Gross is one of those rare breeds - a good looking man with a sense of humor. He is also brilliant and doesn't mind making a fool of himself. If you have never seen it, rent "Men with Brooms", a spoof on curling, the traditional sport in every small Canadian town.

The general consensus amongst the group of women at the office today was that there is really no such thing as a "Sexiest Man Alive". It's all just a gimmick to sell a magazine. As Dr. A. said, "The Sexiest Man Alive is the man one loves..."

Whatever is in any way beautiful hath its source of beauty in itself, and is complete in itself; praise forms no part of it. So it is none the worse nor the better for being praised. ... Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart. ... Kahlil Gibran

Beauty?... To me it is a word without sense because I do not know where its meaning comes from nor where it leads to. ... Pablo Picasso

The best and most beautiful things in life cannot be seen, not touched, but are felt in the heart. ... Helen Keller

I'll Be Back....

I am taking a short break for the time being. I will try to visit all of you as much as I can, and I will re-open my own blog again eventually.

I will be back, but for now I need to do other things. I need to get away from my computer and do other things for a while. I will be back.

Johanna

ADDENDUM: Okay, Okay, I won't be away long. I just have a few things to do and to catch my breath... Phew! But I'll be back. I sit in front of my computer at work all day and sometimes when I get home, sitting in front of my computer at home is the last thing I want to do. Where do you all get the energy to blog so much? Some of you have upwards of 50 commenters! Holy doodle! It must take forever to visit all those folks!

Books! Glorious Books!

Still Life With Three Books
Vincent van Gogh
Painting, Oil on panel (oval)
Paris: March - April, 1887
Van Gogh Museum
Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Europe

Willow at Life at Willow Manor has a wonderful meme going on at the moment, and she has invited anyone to join in.

Okay!

List the following:

(a) Fiction book
(b) Autobiography
(c) Non-fiction book
(d) A fourth book of your choice from any genre.

Explain why the books are essential reads in no more than 30 words.

Here is my list.

(a) "Youngblood Hawke" by Herman Wouk. It's a fictionalized account of the life of Thomas Wolfe, who was one of my favorite authors, and who wrote one of my favorite books, "Look Homeward Angel". Oddly enough, "Look Homeward Angel" was loosely based on Thomas Wolfe's own life.

(b) "Einstein, His Life and Universe" by Walter Isaacson. I have always been fascinated with Einstein as a person, and the book shows his human side. We all think of Einstein as the most brilliant man who ever lived, but he was really quite a lady's man, and the book publishes some of his love letters, which are very sweet.

(c) "The Outline of History" by H.G. Wells. Even though he was famous for his science fiction books, he wrote a history book that was wonderfully interesting. He wrote about evolution, religion and philosophy with the same beliefs and opinions that I have. He would have been an interesting person to know. "When I wrote the Outline of History I slowly gained the conviction which crystallized itself later on into a positive idea, that the great Roman Empire was ruined not only from outside by the storming barbarians; but also by the internal financial difficulties, by the indebtedness of all social classes, and by the heavy burden of taxation, until, under these financial burdens, the whole scaffolding of imperialism broke down." ... H.G. Wells

(d) This last category is difficult because I think I have read thousands of books, and each of them is a favorite of mine, in its own way. But I have a particular fondness for a book that belonged to my father called "A Treasury of Laughter". I used to read it for hours when I was a little girl, I still have the book, and it can still make me laugh.

In my enthusiasm, I think I went way over 30 words. Now I will probably wake up at 3:00 in the morning and want to change my list, or at least add to it.

Okay ... now it's your turn.

A Breath Of Fresh Air

I think it must be very exciting for Americans to look forward to having children in the White House again. I'm not the biggest fan of Barack or Michelle Obama, (...sorry) but they sure have two beautiful, adorable little girls, and I think having them in the White House would be like a breath of fresh air. The laughter of children, and especially the giggling of little girls, can blow the cobwebs out of any stuffy old residence, can't it?

On Good Morning American this morning someone was saying that when any new President and his family moves into the White House, they have free rein to make the house their own home. They can bring in their own furniture, and paint the walls any color they wish. Nothing is more exciting to a little girl than being able to decorate her own bedroom.

I just hope the world leaves them alone and allows them to grow up as normal little girls, out of the spotlight. They are both entering their teenage years very soon, and teenagers can be ... well ... teenagers. The press and the media can make a conscious choice to leave them alone, and I hope they do.

Bring on the Barbie dolls and pillow fights!

Welcome To Pottersville

Do you remember the part in "It's A Wonderful Life"? where the angel Clarence Odbody takes George Bailey around Bedford Falls to show him what it would be like if George weren't alive? Without George, Bedford Falls has turned into Pottersville, and it's horrible. It's mostly a slum with Main Street dominated by pawn shops and sleazy bars. Everything is crass and seedy, there is no spirit left in the town. Everyone is angry and depressed, and worst of all Christmas has gone away and it doesn't snow anymore.

Well, it's already started. Here in Vancouver, decorations have gone up in all the shops and malls, and the store fronts have painted-on signs wishing everyone "Seasons Greetings" or "Happy Holidays". Magazines in the supermarkets have their "holiday" issues on display, and commercials on television are advertising "holiday" gifts. Well, first of all, it's way to early for my liking. And second, there is no reference - anywhere - to Christmas. It feels like Pottersville. Everything feels crass and seedy, and not at all like Christmas.

What has happened to Christmas? Why have we allowed it to be taken away from us? I have celebrated Christmas all my life; not "holiday", but Christmas. It is a tradition with deep roots in my culture. But, in order to be all-inclusive, rather than inviting other cultures into sharing our celebration of Christmas, we have homogenized it down to something that we hardly recognize anymore. How the hell did Christmas become politically incorrect, and why have we permitted that to happen?

It feels like Pottersville!

In Vancouver we celebrate all the cultures. We celebrate Chinese New Years with a wonderful parade and all kinds of parties and dinners; we have two large parades celebrating Vaisakhi, the Sikh holiday; we celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which is the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting. During Chanukah our Vancouver Art Gallery erects a large menorah and the lighting of the menorah has become an annual tradition.

Nowhere does anyone mention that dreaded "C" word - Christmas. Nowhere!

How did this happen? If other cultures, in the spirit of all-inclusiveness, are permitted to celebrate their traditions openly and with joy, why are we not permitted to celebrate Christmas? Not "holiday" - Christmas!

This year I vow I am going to visit every mall and every store, armed with my can of spray paint, and the paint the word

wherever I find that offensive word "holiday". And then it won't feel so much like Pottersville anymore.