Opening Ceremony

So here I sit in awe of simultaneous translation in 7 languages. Babel had nothing on the United Nations. Under Secretary general for economic and social affairs, Mr. Sha Zukang, opened the conference with a speech most uncharacteristic of the UN... he mentioned the need to address the ongoing practical organization of the IGF programme, and in particular, the need to organize funding.

He also painted a broad picture of the Internet identifying it firstly as an economic engine, but that this engine had immediate and far ranging implications in the social sphere. In particular, that an economic engine may bring about increased freedom of expression and that this year's conference would also emphasize child protection.

Mr Mangabeira Unger (Extraordinary Minister for Strategic Affairs [best title ever?]) delivered perhaps my favorite quotable quote with reference to those who are skeptical of reform with ICANN.

So the realists will ridicule this initiative. But they are the ones to sink in anti-pragmatic pragmatism...

Guess that places me either with the Unrealists or the Surrealists. Let the conference begin.