I'm Appealing

Judging from the emails I received this morning, there are some who feel that Jakartass has a reach and clout which surpasses the influence I really don't think I have.

Today I'm giving the gist of the lengthiest email, one which I hurriedly skimmed so obviously misconstrued.

I'm contacting you with news of a major new initiative of ours announced today: the TED Fellows program.

Each Fellow will attend the prestigious TED Conference in Long Beach or Oxford, where they will have the opportunity to speak before or during TED and spread their ideas online through TED.com. They will also receive exclusive communications training, a private social network and the opportunity to tell their ongoing stories on the new TED Fellows blog.

Wow, I thought, Jakartass is really being honoured, although for what I had no idea. I did note that the fellows listed include citizen journalists - a category I vaguely fit in, professors, and others working on environmental justice, children's education, design conferences for social change, mobile technology for social good - all interests of mine.

The opportunity to attend "the ultimate brain spa" and meet folk with names such as the speakers, who have included Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Frank Gehry, Paul Simon, Sir Richard Branson, Philippe Starck and Bono seemed to good to be true.

Which of course it is.

I'm not being invited. I suppose the only reason I received the email is because I gave TED a plug last year so I they want me to give them some more publicity.

And this I have now done.

Ho hum.
.....................
Tomorrow I'll post another appeal, a worthy cause, and an offer to take a paid advertisement which, against the wishes of my wallet, I'm refusing.
 

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¶ 2:00 pm