Archive for
July 6th, 2006
Stories
Release the divine antichrist!
Photo from Iván Alvarado.
José Pizarro, usually dresses as a woman, is a self-made poet, homeless, and calls himself “the divine antichrist.” He has lived in a very intellectual area since 1985, in the centre of the capital. With time , he has become very popular. Everything was as normal in the neighbourhood until the people start asking, were is he?
The government authorities took him to a mental medical centre, for medical care. All the neighbours started an internet and media campaign to recover his freedom and let him stay as a homeless man on the street. The blog's name is “Release the antichrist” (ES) and they used the medium to inform, call for meetings and organize a protest in front of the mental medical centre. In the first post, titled “why did they take him? (ES) there are more than 90 comments of support. Cony comments
“ Definitely, he is not crazy, a friend bought his book, he is the most wise person, more than others that say they are because they have a PHD in sociologist or philosophy…but what this guy expresses in his book, no one else can explain. Freedom!!!.”
They also have made available a page with his poems (ES), photos on a flickr account and a fotoblog (ES).
Two days ago the divine antichrist recovered his freedom. Now neighbours are coordinating a way to help him and they wrote
“we have contacted a psychiatrist to advise and give us more details about the technical situation. Be aware, when we get more information we will post it” (ES).
Hunger strike & Gaza conflict
Akbar Ganji, dissident journalist and writer, invited Iranians to join him in a three day hunger strike on 14 - 16 July to attract world-wide attention to political prisoners in Iran. Several bloggers supported his proposition but some expressed their doubt about such an action.
From virtual world to a real hunger strike
Sibitala, a Canada based blogger, says she supports Ganji’s idea for a three day hunger strike (Persian). She wrote in her blog Binesh Hassanpour from Toronto University concerning this protest action:
Following a phone conversation with Mr Ganji, it was specified that the three-day hunger strike (July 14-16) will be held without pause, i.e., we don't go home at night. As for subsistence, it's water, tea and sugar. He also encouraged us to involve our non-Iranian friends and colleagues. Mr Ganji might be writing a statement on the hunger strike that we can utilize for publicity; once we receive this via email, we'll distribute it. Remember that one of the strike's purposes is to demand the release of Ramin Jahanbegloo, Mansour Osanloo and Ali-Akbar Mousavi Khoeni.
Yadshthaye tanhayi invites bloggers and others to participate in this hunger strike. The blogger adds that he wants to support his hunger strike call in the real world and not only in the virtual environment (Persian).
(more…)
China: Why wait for the media to tell your story when you can blog it yourself?
In this fourth and final part of Sichuan-based blogger-journalist Ran Yunfei's (冉云飞) speech given at a Chengdu teahouse earlier this year on his decades of research into the victims of the Communist Party of China's Cultural Revolution in the 1950s and 60s, Ran continues answering questions from the audience, and expands on his call for people to take on similar historical research which, in Ran's case, has only found exposure through his blog. As with the three previous segments (123) of this transcript, Ran begins this post by mentioning having troubles posting, presumably due to keyword filters built into his blog service provider [zh].
叶涛：
我想请教一下冉云飞先生和远宏老师，想请你们预测一下在我们中国以后还有没有可能再有反右或者类似的运动出现？
I'd like to ask Mr. Ran Yunfei and Teacher Yuanhong if you could take a stab at whether or not China could ever see the appearance of another anti-right or similar movement.
Government protests Blogger's Column
mr. brown, A popular Singapore blogger had written a column in a newspaper talking about the rising cost of living. A spokesperson from the government responded in the same newspaper
mr brown's views on all these issues distort the truth. They are polemics dressed up as analysis, blaming the Government for all that he is unhappy with. He offers no alternatives or solutions. His piece is calculated to encourage cynicism and despondency, which can only make things worse, not better, for those he professes to sympathise with
Singaporeangle feels that the tone of reply could have been softer
Even if the intention was not, the perception from the reply is that the government is less willing to receive feedback, especially it they are not positive. We should ideally offer constructive criticism and alternatives for issues raised, but it may be challenging for ordinary citizens, even journalist such as Mr. Brown, who often does not have sufficient information to always do so.
Links for Thu, 2006-07
jxhill disusses the difference in the taste in reading among mainland Chinese, Honghongese and Taiwanese. Taiwan is most diversified among the three; Hong Kong is too commercialized; while mainland China has a great potential in further development (zh).
Miss Lee in Summer discusses why one is forced to choose a leader from among Donald Tsang, Anson Chan and Regina Ip, all of them were key official in the government before the handover of Hong Kong to China (zh). ESWN has a partial translation of what she wrote.
James J. Na in Korea Liberator discusses about trafficking of women for sexual service from South Korea to D.C. “South Korea is a source, transit, and destination country for women who are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation…“
“So what will make a newspaper special? The content, the specific content, and the breaking content. That will make people curious to know the “new” thing from the newspaper, not the thing already given in the press release, not the repeating of the stock market annoucement.” Amy in Amy in a crazy Hong Kong discusses about her expectation in her new job.
ESWN translates an article concerning the mystery of the death of a young girl: “An old cadre in Xiangfan city angrily told the reporter: the many suspicious points about this case have caused strong reactions among the people and the impact on society and the image of the Party was extremely bad. ”
According to (Fr) Dijoux.re, Reunion's “volcano has been grumbling lately and local government has decided to put in place a plan of vigilence. An eruption is possible in the days and weeks to come. The last activity dates from December 2005.”
Reunion's Max Belvisee announces (Fr) that a petition is circulating to nominate Martinique's Aime Cesaire for a Nobel Peace Prize. (Aime Cesaire is one of the founders of Negritude, a francophone literary movement and the current mayor of Fort-de-France, Martinique's capital.)
UDPS Liege offers (Fr) pictures of a June 30 Congolese March in Brussels. Pictured slogans include: ” Louis Michel, the Congo is not for sale” and “All with Etienne Tshisekedi for free, democratic and transparent elections.”
Le Blog du Congolais posts (Fr) an interview of Belgian Professor Robert Crem and adds: “this university professor does not stop denouncing the systematic looting of Congolese mines in general and of Gecamines in particular. Looting orchestrated by the alliance between Congolese leaders, mafia-like business circles, international bureaucrats and western leaders.”
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