Now Control Of The Internet...Where Will It Lead?

© 2008 J Picken
On the rare occasion I actually got an opportunity to browse the many Ning groups I belong to,one site in particular had posted an article and video that is of great concern to all that read this. All ISP’s plan to change the service they offer in the year 2012 turning the internet into a “pay tv” subscription based service. Each site you visit will incur a charge payable to the ISP provider. Some bundled site packages will be available, but those that are not included in the bundle will incur an additional charge.

Control…control of where we go, who we talk to, what we read. This already exists in the society we live in, within the communities we reside in, but now if the ISP’s have their way it will exist on the internet. Too bad if you enjoy surfing and participating in forums, discussions, social networks, messenger programs. It will hit your hip pocket in more ways then one. Too bad for those people who rely on the internet for business, for communication or for a stress break from real life. Tough, now you’ll have to pay for the experience, for every site you look at, for every post you make. Then consider the webmaster and the site owner, what will be the point of maintaining a site which people have to pay to visit? How many people will be willing to pay for each and every site they visit? Honestly, think for one moment, how many of you would pay to be here, right now?
Oh and then you’ll have to pay to post your own blogs, shouldn’t it be the other way round?
This world has gone crazy with the need to control, the need to eliminate freedom of choice, freedom of expression , soon we will ask “what was the internet?” then sadly “what is freedom?”
“06/01/2008 - Every significant Internet provider around the globe is currently in talks with access and content providers to transform the internet into a television-like medium: no more freedom, you pay for a small commercial package of sites you can visit and you'll have to pay for seperate subscriptions for every site that's not in the package.
Almost all smaller websites/services will disappear over time and multinationals who are used to using big budgets to brute force their content into every media outlet will finally be able to approach the internet in the same way. “
“Bell Canada and TELUS (formerly owned by Verizon) employees officially confirm that by 2012 ISP's all over the globe will reduce Internet access to a TV-like subscription model, only offering access to a small standard amount of commercial sites and require extra fees for every other site you visit. These 'other' sites would then lose all their exposure and eventually shut down, resulting in what could be seen as the end of the Internet.
Dylan Pattyn , who is currently writing an article for Time Magazine on the issue, has official confirmation from sources within Bell Canada and is interviewing a marketing representative from TELUS who confirms the story and states that TELUS has already started blocking all websites that aren't in the subscription package for mobile Internet access. They could not confirm whether it would happen in 2012 because both stated it may actually happen sooner (as early as 2010). Interviews with these sources, more confirmation from other sources and more in-depth information on the issue is set to be published in Time Magazine soon.”
The Article can be sourced via I Power
Perhaps this is the end of the world as "we know it" in 2012..interesting date the ISP's have chosen..
Not just the end of the internet, but the end of freedom and the beginning total control...

 

The Truth Behind Happiness

Happiness.

What exactly is happiness and how is it defined?

 

Happiness is a very subjective state which varies in meaning from person to person. Each individual has aspects of themselves and the more malleable properties of life which they consider bring happiness. My question is…is happiness something which comes with materialism or with objects? Or is it something bigger, something which dwells inside awaiting the right circumstances and conditions to bloom into magnificence? How we view happiness and what makes us happy is very much influenced by society’s expectations. An example of this is money. One would naturally expect a millionaire to be happy solely because there is no financial pressure, no worries.

Can we be happy with money alone? No I don’t think so. Perhaps, initially the novelty of having so much money you cannot count it would bring some pleasure, but true happiness? Interesting how our society as a whole considers money as an object of class definition, prestige, status and inevitably the degree of happiness each individual should obtain or own. Perhaps those that are narrow minded or perhaps so well conditioned by societal expectations, media and spiritual organisations would disagree, but to honestly look what makes you happy takes courage. Courage because you need to acknowledge that your happiness is based on a different foundation then what is expected by the society we live within. Next time you watch television, take note of the advertisements, notice how each product mentioned intimates some degree of happiness through using it, purchasing it or winning it. What better incentive to give people then to strive towards, buy or gamble then to obtain happiness? What a wonderful ploy, keeps the cogs of society turning smoothly, nothing like dangling a carrot in front of a horse to encourage it to focus on the task at hand.

“That 99% of all social motivations in this culture are based upon money. All the good things in life are assumed to be found on supermarket shelves, and nowhere else. The dollar is God, and God is to be worshiped day and night for the rest of our lives, as the basis for every consideration. Our self worth is defined in the eyes of society in terms of job titles, resumes and income brackets. There is nothing that most people today will not do for money. Any heinous act is committed against nature, the body, the mind, the family and truth, all for the sake of a paycheck. Profit is considered the ideal excuse to commit any atrocity against humanity, including the exploitation of world resources, environmental health, the enslavement of the poor, mass imprisonment of domestic and foreign populations, the destruction of foreign governments and the starvation and induced, mass infection of various populations world-wide. Profits are considered more important than health, happiness, peace, justice, cooperation, wisdom, love, family, truth, clarity, spirit, nature and God.”

 http://www.eoni.com/%7evisionquest/library/truthalone.html

So if happiness is not material, not financial, what is it? Several definitions of happiness: “In his book Authentic Happiness, Martin Seligman, one of the founders of Positive psychology, describes happiness as consisting of 'positive emotions' and 'positive activities'. He further categorizes emotions related to the past, present and future. Positive emotions relating to the past include satisfaction, contentment, pride and serenity. Positive emotions relating to the future include optimism, hope and trust. Positive emotions about the present are divided into two categories: pleasure and gratifications. The bodily and higher pleasures are "pleasures of the moment" and usually involve some external stimulus. Gratifications involve full engagement, flow, elimination of self-consciousness, and blocking of felt emotions. But when a gratification comes to an end then positive emotions will be felt. Gratifications can be obtained or increased by developing 'signature strengths' and virtues. Authenticity is the derivation of gratification and positive emotions from exercising signature strengths. The good life comes from using 'signature strengths' to obtain abundant gratification in, for example, enjoying work and creative "activities". The most profound sense of happiness is experienced through the 'meaningful life', achieved if one exercises one's unique strengths and virtues in a purpose greater than one's own immediate goals.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Happiness

“Finding happiness is like finding yourself. You don't find happiness, you make happiness. You choose happiness. Self-actualization is a process of discovering who you are, who you want to be and paving the way to happiness by doing what brings YOU the most meaning and contentment to your life over the long run.

This definition of happiness by David Leonhardt, The Happy Guy” http://www.thehappyguy.com/definition-of-happiness.html

Now you decide what happiness means to you and what makes you happy…

© 2008 J Picken