Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until 6th June 2008
P Kishor wrote: So, on the basis of a highly scientific polling methodology, we have 5 for inviting all 18 nominated to become Charter Members and 2 for leaving 3 behind. There is some logic in sticking with the program, but programs have to be malleable and changeable with the times and situation. 15 is as arbitrary a number as 18. My choosing 15 out of the list is going to 100% irrational and arbitrary. 3 is as arbitrary a number as 4, or 5, or 6. So what would happen if there were 19 nominations, or 20 or 21 Changing the policy may be appropriate, but not during the process. For example, knowing that the 'magic number' is 15, some people might have decided not to make further nominations on seeing a list of 18 well qualified nominees, but may have made a different choice had they known the 'magic number' could be changed. -- Dave Patton CIS Canadian Information Systems Victoria, B.C. Degree Confluence Project: Canadian Coordinator Technical Coordinator http://www.confluence.org/ OSGeo FOSS4G2007 conference: Workshop Committee Chair Conference Committee member http://www.foss4g2007.org/ Personal website: Maps, GPS, etc. http://members.shaw.ca/davepatton/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until 6th June 2008
So, on the basis of a highly scientific polling methodology, we have 5 for inviting all 18 nominated to become Charter Members and 2 for leaving 3 behind. There is some logic in sticking with the program, but programs have to be malleable and changeable with the times and situation. 15 is as arbitrary a number as 18. My choosing 15 out of the list is going to 100% irrational and arbitrary. I'd rather err on the side of inclusion. On 5/30/08, Mateusz Loskot <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On May 31, 2008, at 12:04 AM, Jody Garnett wrote: > > P Kishor wrote: > > > > > This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already > > > is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 > > > on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify > > > all 18 of them. > > > > > > > > Somehow I think we get to stick to the program; although I agree it is a > tough choice. > > Making this choice is one of our few "responsibilities" as charter members > ;-) > > > > Personally, I agree with Jody's point, although it *is* a tough choice. > > -- > Mateusz Loskot, http://mateusz.loskot.net > Charter Member of OSGeo, http://osgeo.org > > > > > > ___ > Discuss mailing list > Discuss@lists.osgeo.org > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss > -- Puneet Kishor ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until 6th June 2008
On May 31, 2008, at 12:04 AM, Jody Garnett wrote: P Kishor wrote: This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify all 18 of them. Somehow I think we get to stick to the program; although I agree it is a tough choice. Making this choice is one of our few "responsibilities" as charter members ;-) Personally, I agree with Jody's point, although it *is* a tough choice. -- Mateusz Loskot, http://mateusz.loskot.net Charter Member of OSGeo, http://osgeo.org ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Question
On May 30, 2008, at 10:50 PM, mauricio marcelo wrote: I have Mapguide Studio 2009 and I connected to Mapduide Open Source 2.0.x, but I need to configurate Mapguide Open Source fot to connect Php with MySql, and modify the php.ini file , changing ";extension=php_mysql.dll" to "extension=php_mysql.dll", without ";", but I can´t connect php with MySql, do you know the problem ? I believe this question is best asked on the mapguide-users list: http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/mapguide-users The discuss@lists.osgeo.org is a general OSGeo forum. -- Mateusz Loskot, http://mateusz.loskot.net Charter Member of OSGeo, http://osgeo.org ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until 6th June 2008
P Kishor wrote: This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify all 18 of them. Somehow I think we get to stick to the program; although I agree it is a tough choice. Making this choice is one of our few "responsibilities" as charter members ;-) Cheers, Jody ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until6th June 2008
+1 on making all 18 charter members. I know I can personally vouch for both Martin Davis and Markus Lupp. Landon -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of P Kishor Sent: Friday, May 30, 2008 1:17 PM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until6th June 2008 On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 3:41 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > dear all, > > The list of nominations for new OSGeo Charter Members is here: > http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 > > From today until the end of Friday 6th June 2008, votes for > 15 new Charter Members are being accepted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify all 18 of them. > > * Only Charter Members are eligible to vote! > * Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a list of names 15 lines > long (one vote per new member slot) > * Votes can be for 15 different people, or the same person > 15 times, or any balance in between. > > http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2008 has more links. > > Charter Members are responsible for electing the Board of the > OSGeo Foundation. The initial group of Charter Members was the 25 > people in the Free and Open Source Geospatial community who attended > the "startup" meeting of the Foundation in Chicago on 4th Feb. 2006 > > This group later selected another 20 Charter Members and they in turn > elected the first complete Board in the summer of 2006. In 2007 another > 15 Charter Members were elected to the Foundation (one stood down). > The current list is at http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members > > http://www.osgeo.org/membership explains why the Charter Membership > exists, basically as an attempt to guarantee the ongoing integrity > of the Board as representative of the community at large. > This is seen as more stable, and less liable to "hijack", than > granting a vote in exchange for payment (like the OpenStreetmap Foundation) > or in exchange for measurable contribution (like Wikimedia's Foundation) > > This year's nominations again, for those who read this far: > > http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 > > > jo > -- > -- Puneet Kishor ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss Warning: Information provided via electronic media is not guaranteed against defects including translation and transmission errors. If the reader is not the intended recipient, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this information in error, please notify the sender immediately. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until6th June 2008
Same here. I can't see leaving three out in the cold. By the way, I think it may be time for me to "retire" from Charter Member status since my geo-being has changed to the point where I'm pretty far removed from the OSGeo mainstream (no, I'm not using proprietary software!). Allan On May 30, 2008, at 4:32 PM, Steve Lime wrote: Looking at the list I was thinking the exact same thing and would support a blanket invitation as well... Steve On 5/30/2008 at 3:16 PM, in message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "P Kishor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 3:41 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: dear all, The list of nominations for new OSGeo Charter Members is here: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 From today until the end of Friday 6th June 2008, votes for 15 new Charter Members are being accepted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify all 18 of them. * Only Charter Members are eligible to vote! * Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a list of names 15 lines long (one vote per new member slot) * Votes can be for 15 different people, or the same person 15 times, or any balance in between. http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2008 has more links. Charter Members are responsible for electing the Board of the OSGeo Foundation. The initial group of Charter Members was the 25 people in the Free and Open Source Geospatial community who attended the "startup" meeting of the Foundation in Chicago on 4th Feb. 2006 This group later selected another 20 Charter Members and they in turn elected the first complete Board in the summer of 2006. In 2007 another 15 Charter Members were elected to the Foundation (one stood down). The current list is at http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members http://www.osgeo.org/membership explains why the Charter Membership exists, basically as an attempt to guarantee the ongoing integrity of the Board as representative of the community at large. This is seen as more stable, and less liable to "hijack", than granting a vote in exchange for payment (like the OpenStreetmap Foundation) or in exchange for measurable contribution (like Wikimedia's Foundation) This year's nominations again, for those who read this far: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 jo -- ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss -- Allan Doyle Director of Technology MIT Museum +1.617.452.2111 ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until6th June 2008
If that's a possibility then I would support that option as well. Daniel Steve Lime wrote: Looking at the list I was thinking the exact same thing and would support a blanket invitation as well... Steve On 5/30/2008 at 3:16 PM, in message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "P Kishor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 3:41 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: dear all, The list of nominations for new OSGeo Charter Members is here: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 From today until the end of Friday 6th June 2008, votes for 15 new Charter Members are being accepted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify all 18 of them. * Only Charter Members are eligible to vote! * Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a list of names 15 lines long (one vote per new member slot) * Votes can be for 15 different people, or the same person 15 times, or any balance in between. http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2008 has more links. Charter Members are responsible for electing the Board of the OSGeo Foundation. The initial group of Charter Members was the 25 people in the Free and Open Source Geospatial community who attended the "startup" meeting of the Foundation in Chicago on 4th Feb. 2006 This group later selected another 20 Charter Members and they in turn elected the first complete Board in the summer of 2006. In 2007 another 15 Charter Members were elected to the Foundation (one stood down). The current list is at http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members http://www.osgeo.org/membership explains why the Charter Membership exists, basically as an attempt to guarantee the ongoing integrity of the Board as representative of the community at large. This is seen as more stable, and less liable to "hijack", than granting a vote in exchange for payment (like the OpenStreetmap Foundation) or in exchange for measurable contribution (like Wikimedia's Foundation) This year's nominations again, for those who read this far: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 jo -- ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss -- Daniel Morissette http://www.mapgears.com/ ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] Question
I have Mapguide Studio 2009 and I connected to Mapduide Open Source 2.0.x, but I need to configurate Mapguide Open Source fot to connect Php with MySql, and modify the php.ini file , changing ";extension=php_mysql.dll" to "extension=php_mysql.dll", without ";", but I can´t connect php with MySql, do you know the problem ? _ Ingresa ya a MSN en Concierto y disfruta los recitales en vivo de tus artistas favoritos. http://msninconcert.msn.com/music/archive/es-la/archive.aspx___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until6th June 2008
Looking at the list I was thinking the exact same thing and would support a blanket invitation as well... Steve >>> On 5/30/2008 at 3:16 PM, in message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "P Kishor" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 3:41 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> dear all, >> >> The list of nominations for new OSGeo Charter Members is here: >> http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 >> >> From today until the end of Friday 6th June 2008, votes for >> 15 new Charter Members are being accepted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already > is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 > on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify > all 18 of them. > > > >> >> * Only Charter Members are eligible to vote! >> * Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a list of names 15 lines >> long (one vote per new member slot) >> * Votes can be for 15 different people, or the same person >> 15 times, or any balance in between. >> >> http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2008 has more links. >> >> Charter Members are responsible for electing the Board of the >> OSGeo Foundation. The initial group of Charter Members was the 25 >> people in the Free and Open Source Geospatial community who attended >> the "startup" meeting of the Foundation in Chicago on 4th Feb. 2006 >> >> This group later selected another 20 Charter Members and they in turn >> elected the first complete Board in the summer of 2006. In 2007 another >> 15 Charter Members were elected to the Foundation (one stood down). >> The current list is at http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members >> >> http://www.osgeo.org/membership explains why the Charter Membership >> exists, basically as an attempt to guarantee the ongoing integrity >> of the Board as representative of the community at large. >> This is seen as more stable, and less liable to "hijack", than >> granting a vote in exchange for payment (like the OpenStreetmap Foundation) >> or in exchange for measurable contribution (like Wikimedia's Foundation) >> >> This year's nominations again, for those who read this far: >> >> http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 >> >> >> jo >> -- >> > > ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] Re: Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until 6th June 2008
On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 3:41 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > dear all, > > The list of nominations for new OSGeo Charter Members is here: > http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 > > From today until the end of Friday 6th June 2008, votes for > 15 new Charter Members are being accepted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] This is a great list. Each one of those listed would be (well, already is) a great asset to the OSGeo cause and community. There are only 18 on that list, so that means 3 will be left out. My vote? Charter-ify all 18 of them. > > * Only Charter Members are eligible to vote! > * Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a list of names 15 lines > long (one vote per new member slot) > * Votes can be for 15 different people, or the same person > 15 times, or any balance in between. > > http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2008 has more links. > > Charter Members are responsible for electing the Board of the > OSGeo Foundation. The initial group of Charter Members was the 25 > people in the Free and Open Source Geospatial community who attended > the "startup" meeting of the Foundation in Chicago on 4th Feb. 2006 > > This group later selected another 20 Charter Members and they in turn > elected the first complete Board in the summer of 2006. In 2007 another > 15 Charter Members were elected to the Foundation (one stood down). > The current list is at http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members > > http://www.osgeo.org/membership explains why the Charter Membership > exists, basically as an attempt to guarantee the ongoing integrity > of the Board as representative of the community at large. > This is seen as more stable, and less liable to "hijack", than > granting a vote in exchange for payment (like the OpenStreetmap Foundation) > or in exchange for measurable contribution (like Wikimedia's Foundation) > > This year's nominations again, for those who read this far: > > http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 > > > jo > -- > -- Puneet Kishor ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] Voting for new OSGeo Charter Members open until 6th June 2008
dear all, The list of nominations for new OSGeo Charter Members is here: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 >From today until the end of Friday 6th June 2008, votes for 15 new Charter Members are being accepted at [EMAIL PROTECTED] * Only Charter Members are eligible to vote! * Please email [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a list of names 15 lines long (one vote per new member slot) * Votes can be for 15 different people, or the same person 15 times, or any balance in between. http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Election_2008 has more links. Charter Members are responsible for electing the Board of the OSGeo Foundation. The initial group of Charter Members was the 25 people in the Free and Open Source Geospatial community who attended the "startup" meeting of the Foundation in Chicago on 4th Feb. 2006 This group later selected another 20 Charter Members and they in turn elected the first complete Board in the summer of 2006. In 2007 another 15 Charter Members were elected to the Foundation (one stood down). The current list is at http://www.osgeo.org/charter_members http://www.osgeo.org/membership explains why the Charter Membership exists, basically as an attempt to guarantee the ongoing integrity of the Board as representative of the community at large. This is seen as more stable, and less liable to "hijack", than granting a vote in exchange for payment (like the OpenStreetmap Foundation) or in exchange for measurable contribution (like Wikimedia's Foundation) This year's nominations again, for those who read this far: http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/New_Member_Nominations_2008 jo -- ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
Paolo Cavallini wrote: Hi all. I'm informed, both from the newspapers and from South African friends, that there are serious concerns about safety in South Africa. Of course this will not affect FOSS4G directly, but I'm sure many of us are planning to have some holidays before or after the conference, so not being able to tour around freely will detract much from the appeal of the conference. This could result in less participation, thus in turn in lower general interest. I spent a good deal of time in South Africa in 2006 and I agree that "safety" is something to be concerned about. And as long as you are concerned and aware I would not let it spoil your visit. Capetown is very well set up for tourists and visitors; you can let your comfort level dictate what else you want to do. - Hike up table top mountain - pretty safe but bring water - Take the gondola up the mountain - pretty safe unless you are afraid of heights - Food in the harbour next to the tall ships - yum - Tour a township - pretty safe and some interesting history - Drive into a township and walk around - not so safe, take a tour - Shark cage diving - mostly safe (but the Atlantic is cold) - Skydiving - not so safe Any news or indications from local organizers? I think this is a problem that should be dealt with, for the best success of the meeting. All the best. I recommend heading along the "garden route" if you are up for a road trip; there are lots of nice bed and breakfasts to stay in etc... Cavallini you are from Italy? Capetown will be much easier than Naples. Jody ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] PCI Geomatics Sponsors OSGeo
On May 30, 2008, at 6:16 PM, Tyler Mitchell (OSGeo) wrote: I'm please to announce PCI Geomatics as OSGeo's latest Associate Sponsor! This is a great news of the day! Thanks to PCI Geomatics managers and developers for their support! -- Mateusz Loskot, http://mateusz.loskot.net Charter Member of OSGeo, http://osgeo.org ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
Hi Paolo M, you're writing from Brazil, right? Just to add a byline to my previous post: As usual the media is presenting the sensational side of things. For a more positive view of SA see http://www.sagoodnews.co.za/ Gavin From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of Paulo Marcondes Sent: Fri 2008/05/30 04:14 PM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation 2008/5/30 Lucena, Ivan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: Gavin, My South Africans friends here in the US and I are deeply concern about that situation too. I just wanted to add that thanks to economic growth and social reforms, Brazil is now a moving target on what concern wealth concentration index. Brazilian business, factories and agriculture are investing now in Africa. I hope that Word Cup, tourism, conferences and other business could bring more opportunities to South African of all ethnicity and that will result in peace and prosperity. Gavin and Ivan, The last 14 years have been extremely profitable for banks and financial investors. So, I an quite pessimist regarding wealth distribution. Also, there are some concerns regarding the political climate here. Many seem it as getting more and more unfriendly to private property and civil liberties. For instance, what you call realID is a reality here since unremembered times, and that is also a police issued document. No one seems to give a rat's ass about that. talk about police state... we are far more down that road than the US, or even the UK, AFAIK. The only thing we don't have so far is a no-fly list. the cup is half empty, -- Paulo Marcondes = PU1/PU2PIX -22.915 -42.224 = GG86jc <>___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] PCI Geomatics Sponsors OSGeo
I'm please to announce PCI Geomatics as OSGeo's latest Associate Sponsor! PCI is well respected throughout the geospatial industry for their software and solutions for geospatial imaging applications. Here is how they describe their interest in open source technologies: "PCI Geomatics uses a number of open source tools and software in its development process. We do this because our programmers often know the tools and the software that is made available for specific applications is usually the best. PCI Geomatics has frequently contributed to the open source community and will continue to do so. We believe OSGeo is the appropriate geospatial organization to work with and they have a strong local (Ottawa) presence." Please join me in thanking them for their encouraging show of support for OSGeo. You can learn more about PCI at: http://www.pcigeomatics.com/ Sincerely, Tyler Tyler Mitchell Executive Director Open Source Geospatial Foundation [EMAIL PROTECTED] P: +1-250-277-1621 M: +1-250-303-1831 ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
2008/5/30 Lucena, Ivan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Gavin, > > My South Africans friends here in the US and I are deeply concern about > that situation too. I just wanted to add that thanks to economic growth and > social reforms, Brazil is now a moving target on what concern wealth > concentration index. Brazilian business, factories and agriculture are > investing now in Africa. I hope that Word Cup, tourism, conferences and > other business could bring more opportunities to South African of all > ethnicity and that will result in peace and prosperity. > Gavin and Ivan, The last 14 years have been extremely profitable for banks and financial investors. So, I an quite pessimist regarding wealth distribution. Also, there are some concerns regarding the political climate here. Many seem it as getting more and more unfriendly to private property and civil liberties. For instance, what you call realID is a reality here since unremembered times, and that is also a police issued document. No one seems to give a rat's ass about that. talk about police state... we are far more down that road than the US, or even the UK, AFAIK. The only thing we don't have so far is a no-fly list. the cup is half empty, -- Paulo Marcondes = PU1/PU2PIX -22.915 -42.224 = GG86jc ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
Gavin, My South Africans friends here in the US and I are deeply concern about that situation too. I just wanted to add that thanks to economic growth and social reforms, Brazil is now a moving target on what concern wealth concentration index. Brazilian business, factories and agriculture are investing now in Africa. I hope that Word Cup, tourism, conferences and other business could bring more opportunities to South African of all ethnicity and that will result in peace and prosperity. Ivan Gavin Fleming wrote: Hi all and thanks for bringing it up Paolo Yes we are sadly going through a spate of unrest and criminal violence in poverty-stricken neighbourhoods in South Africa, mainly against foreigners from other parts of Africa. 'xenophobic attacks' as they are labelled. Believe me, we have to and will get things right - while FOSS4G is a small community, the whole world is gearing up for the 2010 World Cup in SA. It has not affected tourists and visitors although some are obviously scared to come at the moment, and it is abating. Of course this situation and the complexities giving rise to it are experienced in other countries, developed and developing, and are not unique to South Africa. Many of the conference topics indeed attempt to address the root causes of situations like this. South Africa recently overtook Brazil as the country with the highest Gini coefficient, which is nothing to be proud of. This disparity in wealth distribution despite high levels of so-called economic 'growth' is one of the root causes of dissatisfaction leading to the current situation here. We also have by some estimates between 5 and 10 million immigrants, labourers and refugees, mainly from Zimbabwe recently but really from all over Africa on top of a local population of about 45 million. These things coupled with our apartheid history and recent transformation are what make South Africa a fascinating destination and subject of research for people from all over the world. So we hope people will come for some of these reasons and to have a say in solving some of these challenges. As it affects potential FOSS4G 2008 delegates, I suggest be aware of the situation but don't let it put you off. Our tourism numbers are increasing at about 9% per year and last year was another record in terms of numbers of overseas visitors. South Africa is a top international big conference venue. Cape Town is a tourist mecca rivalling Paris, Sydney, Vancouver etc. The City of Cape Town, the conference centre and environs are safe. Whatever appeals to you as a tourist, travelling far and wide in South Africa and even neighbouring countries, be it our fantastic wildlife and scenery, backpacking, local culture, immersing yourself in township life, shark-cage diving, whale-watching, whatever, you are bound to have a great conference and memorable travels in South Africa. Gavin FOSS4G 2008 conference chair -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paolo Cavallini Sent: 30 May 2008 09:27 AM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation Hi all. I'm informed, both from the newspapers and from South African friends, that there are serious concerns about safety in South Africa. Of course this will not affect FOSS4G directly, but I'm sure many of us are planning to have some holidays before or after the conference, so not being able to tour around freely will detract much from the appeal of the conference. This could result in less participation, thus in turn in lower general interest. Any news or indications from local organizers? I think this is a problem that should be dealt with, for the best success of the meeting. All the best. pc ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
It is a source of shame for most South Africans that this wave of xenophobia-driven violence is happening inside our country. The reasons for it are not entirely clear, but it seems to have settled down almost as rapidly as it sprung up. It does not have any element of being state-backed violence (e.g. Darfur) or anything like that. News reports this morning were describing how displaced foreigners are already re-integrating with their communities and getting back to their daily lives. Bizarre. It has certainly been a wake up call for our politicians (so they say), but on a more human level, the response from many ordinary folk has been great - donations of money, food, clothes etc have poured in and people have been lending a helping hand. Actually, this is what South Africa is often about - people responding with warmth and generosity of spirit to great adversities. I would suggest that the travel situation to and through South Africa at the moment is largely unaffected, though each person needs to keep their own "safe-travel radar" active. The average tourist will likely not go to the areas affected, unless interested in seeing the situation for themselves. And to echo Gavin, these things need to be addressed and understood better. There is a clear socio-political dimension to the problems (of a very spatial nature), hence some of the conference themes. Graeme -- This message is subject to the CSIR's copyright terms and conditions, e-mail legal notice, and implemented Open Document Format (ODF) standard. The full disclaimer details can be found at http://www.csir.co.za/disclaimer.html. This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. MailScanner thanks Transtec Computers for their support. ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
Looking at my African travel experience I doubt that this will really affect us. The violence is mostly against people who are "stealing" jobs in the eyes of some South-Africans, so tourists should be relatively safe. I would be more worried if I would be planning a cruise on the coast of Somalia. Compare South-Africa to Zimbabwe, last year I was 1 month in Zimbabwe and did not experience anything negative, besides all the power and water cuts. This year, before going to FOSS4G2008, I'll visit Zimbabwe again for 3 weeks, even though the stories you hear about Zimbabwe are worse than SA. As long as you are not politically involved, the situation should still be safe in Zimbabwe I believe. Best regards, Bart On Fri, 30 May 2008 09:26:50 +0200, Paolo Cavallini <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > Hi all. > I'm informed, both from the newspapers and from South African friends, > that there are serious concerns about safety in South Africa. Of course > this will not affect FOSS4G directly, but I'm sure many of us are > planning to have some holidays before or after the conference, so not > being able to tour around freely will detract much from the appeal of > the conference. This could result in less participation, thus in turn in > lower general interest. > Any news or indications from local organizers? I think this is a problem > that should be dealt with, for the best success of the meeting. > All the best. > pc > ___ > Discuss mailing list > Discuss@lists.osgeo.org > http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
RE: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
Hi all and thanks for bringing it up Paolo Yes we are sadly going through a spate of unrest and criminal violence in poverty-stricken neighbourhoods in South Africa, mainly against foreigners from other parts of Africa. 'xenophobic attacks' as they are labelled. Believe me, we have to and will get things right - while FOSS4G is a small community, the whole world is gearing up for the 2010 World Cup in SA. It has not affected tourists and visitors although some are obviously scared to come at the moment, and it is abating. Of course this situation and the complexities giving rise to it are experienced in other countries, developed and developing, and are not unique to South Africa. Many of the conference topics indeed attempt to address the root causes of situations like this. South Africa recently overtook Brazil as the country with the highest Gini coefficient, which is nothing to be proud of. This disparity in wealth distribution despite high levels of so-called economic 'growth' is one of the root causes of dissatisfaction leading to the current situation here. We also have by some estimates between 5 and 10 million immigrants, labourers and refugees, mainly from Zimbabwe recently but really from all over Africa on top of a local population of about 45 million. These things coupled with our apartheid history and recent transformation are what make South Africa a fascinating destination and subject of research for people from all over the world. So we hope people will come for some of these reasons and to have a say in solving some of these challenges. As it affects potential FOSS4G 2008 delegates, I suggest be aware of the situation but don't let it put you off. Our tourism numbers are increasing at about 9% per year and last year was another record in terms of numbers of overseas visitors. South Africa is a top international big conference venue. Cape Town is a tourist mecca rivalling Paris, Sydney, Vancouver etc. The City of Cape Town, the conference centre and environs are safe. Whatever appeals to you as a tourist, travelling far and wide in South Africa and even neighbouring countries, be it our fantastic wildlife and scenery, backpacking, local culture, immersing yourself in township life, shark-cage diving, whale-watching, whatever, you are bound to have a great conference and memorable travels in South Africa. Gavin FOSS4G 2008 conference chair -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Paolo Cavallini Sent: 30 May 2008 09:27 AM To: OSGeo Discussions Subject: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation Hi all. I'm informed, both from the newspapers and from South African friends, that there are serious concerns about safety in South Africa. Of course this will not affect FOSS4G directly, but I'm sure many of us are planning to have some holidays before or after the conference, so not being able to tour around freely will detract much from the appeal of the conference. This could result in less participation, thus in turn in lower general interest. Any news or indications from local organizers? I think this is a problem that should be dealt with, for the best success of the meeting. All the best. pc ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
Re: [OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
Hi, I'm happy you feel concerned about that. So do I, and even if I'm not frightened for my own safety, going in a country where such things are happenning put me in a real trouble. I know it can be silly to avoid the trip because of that, but I can't really figure out how to travel there in complete unconsciousness. Guillaume Paolo Cavallini a écrit : Hi all. I'm informed, both from the newspapers and from South African friends, that there are serious concerns about safety in South Africa. Of course this will not affect FOSS4G directly, but I'm sure many of us are planning to have some holidays before or after the conference, so not being able to tour around freely will detract much from the appeal of the conference. This could result in less participation, thus in turn in lower general interest. Any news or indications from local organizers? I think this is a problem that should be dealt with, for the best success of the meeting. All the best. pc ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
[OSGeo-Discuss] South African safety situation
Hi all. I'm informed, both from the newspapers and from South African friends, that there are serious concerns about safety in South Africa. Of course this will not affect FOSS4G directly, but I'm sure many of us are planning to have some holidays before or after the conference, so not being able to tour around freely will detract much from the appeal of the conference. This could result in less participation, thus in turn in lower general interest. Any news or indications from local organizers? I think this is a problem that should be dealt with, for the best success of the meeting. All the best. pc ___ Discuss mailing list Discuss@lists.osgeo.org http://lists.osgeo.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
