Archive for
December 27th, 2005
Stories
Chilean Cinema Trends
Chilean cinema has been growing and growing as years go by. The “Festival de cine de Valdivia” (ES), the best known Chilean festival of cinema, has taken place in the city of Valdivia (ES) since 1993. Every year, Chilean producers and directors have the possibility to present their new works in this international event. In the Chilean blogs “Fuga Magazine” (ES) and “Voraz Film Festival”(ES) , you can read about this year’s event, and the details of new Chilean movies in the festival. You can also read about the “Viña del Mar Cinema festival”(ES) (in the city of Viña del Mar(ES), just one week later than Valdivia´s festival). In the blog “Analizame” (ES) (Analize Me), the scriptwriter Gonzalo Maza posts his analysis of the national and international scenes. In “Las Peliculas de mi Vida” (ES) (The Movies of my Life) the writer and director Alberto Fuguet posts about the impact of his movie “Se Arrienda” (For Rent) in media and actors awards. In “Esta es la Sagrada Familia” (ES) (This is the Sacred Family), director Sebastián Campos posts about cinema criticism in general.
Mexico: Interview with Javier Treviño
La versión original de este artículo está disponible en español.
The following interview, conducted by Mexican contributing writer, Alan Flores, was translated by Linda Evarts. The interviewee, Javier Treviño Cantú, is a columnist for El Norte and professor of public policy at the Tec de Monterrey.
While reading authors of Mexican blogs, one comes across a little of everything. The Mexican blogosphere is so inclusive that there is no end to the number of topics and authors. One blog that surprised me was that of Javier Treviño. Treviño spoke to me in the following interview:
Alan Flores: Javier Treviño, thank you for accepting this interview. The resume on your blog is very impressive. For those who haven’t read it, will you please tell us: who is Javier Treviño?
Javier Treviño: Thanks for this splendid opportunity. I am a professional linked to the private and public sectors, as well as to international topics and issues of communication. I was born in Monterrey, and I grew up in San Nicolás de los Garza. When I was 20, I went to Mexico City to study international relations. I later won a scholarship to study public policy at Harvard. I then began an almost 14-year career in the public sector, with the Secretary of Education, the Secretary of Social Development, and at the Mexican Embassy in Washington. I worked at the Embassy for four years, and was present during the negotiations for the North American Free Trade Agreement. In December of 1994, President Zedillo named me as the Sub-Secretary of Foreign Relations. Later, in January of 1998, the President named me the official Director of the Treasury. I had the opportunity to work very closely with Luis Donaldo Colosio and Angel Gurría. At the beginning of 2001, I entered the private sector and worked with CEMEX for 5 years as Vice President of Communication. I am proud to work in a great global business of Mexican origin. CEMEX operates in 50 countries. In addition to my work with the company, I am a professor in the Graduate School of Public Administration and Public Politics of the TEC in Monterrey. I also do commentaries about international politics for the news station TV Monterrey, and I write a bi-weekly column for the editorial pages of El Norte. I am married and I have a daughter and two sons.
AF: And, why the blog?
JT: My blog allows me to make my ideas public. I am passionate about international issues. I have dedicated a good part of my life to studying and living the relations between Mexico and the United States. My blog gives me the opportunity to share what I think about the internal and external politics of Mexico with many readers. The advantage of the blog, as compared to other forms of mass media, is that I am able to continually update information that I have published. I believe that in the future quality blogs will substitute many other forms of communication.
AF: I’m reading an editorial by Miguel Angel Vargas in the newspaper El Norte with the title “Blogalization,” that, in fact, mentions your blog. Are we already in this epoch?
JT: Yes. The advance of information technology and communication has transformed everything. Politics will never be the same. Imagine the possibility that on the day of the next presidential election, on July 2, 2006, some blogs publish photos, videos and analysis of the election throughout the day, including forecasts of the electoral results based on personal interviews, before the authorities are able to do it. Blogs are not subject to regulation as are TV and radio. They can define the information agenda that informs the other media outlets. Blogs allow hundreds of citizens to become permanent reporters and analysts. Readers will have to discriminate afterward as to the quality of the information. But the freedom is there.
Iranian Blogs & 2005
Iranian blogs continue its dynamic existence in 2005 and Persian language has become second most used language (After English Persian ties with French) in Blogosphere. Here we look at some events in Iranian Blog city in 2005 which have importance in our eyes:
1-Blogger in Jail: Saminnejad, an Iran based blogger, was accused of jeopardizing national security and insulting Leader. (Read GV) Un fortunately he is still in prison in Iran. Don't forget him!
2-Filtering & Hacking: Iranian blogs & sites have been become victims of official filtering and apparently non official hacking. Mr.Moin a reformist presidential candidate, writes that twice his blog was hacked. According to him they ( government ) are too shy to filter it directly”.
3-More Politicians become bloggers: Tajzadeh, a reformist activist , Moin , a former Minister and reformist presidential candidate, several other reformist politicians have started to write their ideas and meetings in their blogs. Recently some friends of Mr.Khatami offered him a blog and encouraged him to start blogging.
His first message received more than 1500 comments!. Another good sign that Iranian still take care of blogs and Khatami!
4-One Event blogs: Some blogs have been created to cover just one topic or event. Free Ganji is one of them which reports all news, reports about jailed writer & journalist (Read GV). New blog in this category is Throat full of blades which covers AirPlane 's crash ( Read GV).
5-Zannevesht, an Iranian journalist, won Deutsche Welle's prize for best blog in Persian: It was first time that Persian blogs participated in this competition.
6-Beyond Politics: Several famous writers such as Maroufi, a Germany based blogger, started to publish their stories on their blogs. There are all free of charge and can be downloaded.
I asked a couple of active bloggers to share their idea about Iranian Blogcity in 2005. Shahram Kholdi, a UK based blogger, send me an email about 2005 & blogs. Here is a summary of what he has to share:
In 2005, the Iranian blogosphere became a public space for political discourse, activism, and collective action on a level completely set apart from the previous years. Several political events became the centrepiece of such activities: the continuing torture and tormenting of Akbar Ganji, the Iranian journalist, the surge in the persecution of student activists and webloggers, the nuclear talks between Iran and the EU, and last but not least, the Iranian Presidential Election.
Even though it still remains to be seen to what extent that Iranian weblogs have a “direct” impact on these events inside Iran, one fact is clear: Iranian weblogs have proven to be a critical tool for collective action and citizen empowerment. Used by people of different social, cultural, religious, and political orientation, Iranian weblogs proved vital to overcome the artificial international borders as a medium of connecting the Iranian youth inside Iran to “Diaspora” Iranian youth more directly. The sense of a more inclusive and world-wide connected Iranian community through the blogosphere was barely undermined by the filtering actions of the Islamic Republic government and their restriction of access to the worldwide web in different ways. However, poverty and the economic digital divide in Iran remain important impediments for many other voices to be heard from within a country whose ethnic, historical, and communal vernacular is much more diverse and is yet to be heard.
One thing is sure 2005 was a great year for Iranian blogs despite all pressure, filtering and censorship. I wish the best for all bloggers Iranian or not a fruitful 2006 year.
Blogging To Improve Cambodia’s Environment
Meet Zarah Jane Almeida who works as a producer for Mlup Baitong's Environmental Advocacy Radio Program. She has been blogging about her work and life at Sreisaat Adventures in Cambodia since January, 2004. Born in Roxas City, known as the seafood capital of the Philippines, she graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in mass communications. She moved to Cambodia in April, 2000.
1. How and why did you find yourself in Cambodia?
Five years ago, after more than three years of working as a TV producer, I lost my enthusiasm for my work and resigned. My sister was working for an NGO as a volunteer agriculturist in Cambodia and encouraged me to take a job there.
2. Tell us about your work in Cambodia with the NGO, Mlup Baitong.
Mlup Baitong’s mission is to address the problem of deforestation in Cambodia, with a focus on educating the public on conservation of natural resources. I manage the over-all production of the radio program, attending production meetings and conducting in-house training for the local radio program staff so that they can take over my place after a period of time. It was difficult to learn to the language at first! Now, I enjoy working with my colleagues, traveling, searching for stories, interviewing people and listening to their stories and just interacting with them. Although I come from a different culture, it doesn't hamper my work. It is a benefit.
3. How does your NGO use technology to support your advocacy and education work?
Our organization gets feedback from listeners of our radio program via email and sms text messages. (I got an exchange deal with a local mobile phone company and they gave us a free dial number so that listeners can call in during the broadcast for free for one year.)
After broadcast, we re-edit the material and distribute for pagoda broadcasts in the provinces during holy days. The monks broadcast it through the pagoda public address system, a rudimentary system composed of a cassette player connected to an amplifier. The monks help us with our environmental education and advocacy work. I've written about this program on my blog and posted photographs on flickr.
The Community Forestry committee was also provided with a digital camera to aid them in documenting illegal activities that they've encountered during their regular patrols inside the forest. The pictures are very vital evidence when the committee members write reports to local authorities or our organization to seek assistance. The committee members of Community Forestry and Ecotourism projects were trained in basic computer skills and English language skills.
4. Tell us about your blog?
I started my blog with the main goal of keeping in touch with family, relatives and friends from far and wide. I want them all to know about my work in Cambodia, and life here in general. My Indonesian friend introduced me to blogging. Using chats, she taught me how to start a blog and upload pictures.
When I started to get lots of visitors, I realized why not blog more about my work with Mlup Baitong? Although my blog is primarily for family and friends, I am inspired to read comments left by visitors saying that they learn more and something different about Cambodia’s environment.
Remembrance Week - Tsunami and After
It has been a year since the horrific tragedy of the Boxing Day Tsunami last year. This year has seen more than it's fair share of tragedy and disaster. The hurricanes, an earthquake in Kashmir, and hundreds of other disasters that never quite make international news. It is with the intention of reminding us that reconstruction of lives is not over in these places that World Wide Helps reminds us about the events of the year and the need for a Disaster Remembrance Week.
“During the course of the year, other disasters took their toll too. Most devastating of them: Hurricanes Katrina and Rita on the South-East coast of the USA; and another enormous earthquake near Pakistan's border with India.
These disasters took their immediate toll, and, each time, the world tried to help. But as calamity piled upon calamity, there has been a certain amount of fatigue. Perhaps people's stock of goodwill has run low. Perhaps seeing too much suffering hardens us.
But, the fact is, the suffering from those disasters has not ceased. Parts of South Asia have still not recovered from December 26th, 2004. In the USA, normalcy hasn't returned to New Orleans. In Pakistan, thousands are still homeless, and may not survive the harsh Himalayan winter.
They need your help…. Can we harness that goodwill, that togetherness, that willingness to help once more?”
Crossroads Dispatches from Phi Phi Island writes
Later after the deputy prime minster has spoken, we file towards the bay. A six or seven-year old blond girl with a white sundress gently bows and places her palms into a triangular wai.
She lays a white orchid given to each surviving family member at the ceremony by the altar ledge fringed with flowers, photos, incense sticks and remembrances circling the banyan tree wrapped in rainbow colored sashes. Her mother stands behind with the jeweled bay stark in the background.
It's crucial at this point to remember that while we give by reaching into our pockets, we don't forget the smaller-less known causes. When you do give to the well-covered causes, please don't compromise your contribution to the other ones. Remember the victims, and recall the promises made by governments and aid agencies.
Links for Tue, 2005-12
Responding to Alex Beech's post on governmental aggressions against Venezuela's Jewish community, former Ambassador of Venezuela to Israel, Milos Alcalay writes a letter noting the recent shift in stance taken by the Chavez administration.
Leftside says a new exhibit in Cuba by photographer Robert Mapplethorpe signals an attitude shift in Cuban society regarding tolerance of homosexuality.
Adam Isacson dissects a new, controversial forestry law, which was passed through the Colombian Congress “without the congressmen who attended the session having seen the text they were to approve.”
Costa Rica Blogs calls cell phone insurance a big success. JD Clark has the latest numbers from five major polls regarding the upcoming presidential elections. Former president, Oscar Arias looks poised for a major victory.
Karl, currently based in Teresina gives readers a photojournalistic sampling of exotic fruits from Brazil.
CaribPundit announces that the Haiti Democracy Project is looking to recruit international observers to witness Haiti's national elections, which are scheduled to begin on January 8, 2006.
MediaCritic considers a senior government official's assertion that he favors red wine a slap in the face of the Guyanese rum industry.
While Ramaris Albert reports for the AP that “Puerto Rico Gov. Aníbal Acevedo Vilá rejected a Bush administration report saying that Washington has the final word in defining the U.S. territory's status,” Gil Schmidt argues that the bottom-line significance is that Puerto Rico is not wanted as a 51st state. Luis Alberto Ferre, director of the newspaper, El Nuevo Dia, offers straightforward analysis (ES) in his blog, Journalism is a Conversation.
Lina writes, from September 11 to 15, 2006, youth leaders from all the nations of the world will assemble at the Dead Sea in Jordan for the World Youth Peace Summit.
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