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Social Support Needed by AI Debate ‘Donkey Bloggers’

Claire Thompson, freelance PR Consultant, Waves PR

This was the blog I didn’t expect to be writing after the #aitech event. Things were fairly cerebral, looking at wider issues. It’s now time to get down and dirty.

You see, we were shown a video of a couple of guys taking the rise out of politicians in Azerbaijan. It had been posted on YouTube by blogger Adnan Hajizade following  a news story about how the Azerbaijani government had allegedly spent hundreds of thousands of dollars importing donkeys from Germany.  (The deal is suspected by many Azerbaijanis to have masked some kind of corruption/misappropriation of funds.)

The video (humorously) questions the purchase of the donkeys, the introduction of restrictive legislation for NGOs and the low priority the government attributes to human rights.

Only now it’s not so funny. On Wednesday, a Baku court upheld the convictions of Adnan and fellow blogger Emin Milli sentencing them to over two years prison each.

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Reading Geek Night, March 2010

Claire Thompson, freelance PR consultant, Waves PR

Reading Geek Night is a monthly gathering bringing together folk who have something to share about technology.  Reading boasts more than its share of technology companies, from established players like Microsoft and Oracle through to upstarts like Tweetmeme.

Proof that the toilet seat debate doesn't matter

Employers have been quick to suss that there’s a room full of talent, as witnessed by announcements of vacancies made around the room, both in person and by announcement.

What lured this room full of talent last night were four presentations, all very different, all equally interesting in very different ways.

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Bristol Twestival gets creative

Claire Thompson, freelance PR consultant, Waves PR

Loving this video by Bristol’s Twestival gang