Archive for
May 28th, 2007
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Hindi Blogosphere: Scorn at activists and foodies' delight!
Here we are again, ready to peek into the world of Hindi blogs to see what's happening in that part of the global blogosphere. A lot has happened in this time period in the Hindi blogosphere, nothing short of a civil war and though there's a sort of uneasy peace now which hardly betrays anything, it just might be the lull before the storm. ;) So let's go and see what has happened over the last week.
Seema Kumar showed us glimpses of the fashion show Fashionova where students of NIFT-Delhi showcased their creative designs, at The Ashok, as per the requirements for their last semesters of studies. I don't have to say that a lot of fashion designers are coming out in the industry every year & perhaps that might be the reason the prices of apparels are going up! Some modern variation of that famous cliché from Shakespeare, “let's kill all the lawyers“, might surface soon!! ;) Ok, bad joke, pardon me, lets move on. And while we are on fashion, it looks that smartphones etc. are sort of in thing. R.C.Mishra shows us his new HP iPaq.
Merasapna is telling that smoking is injurious to health. It just happens that one of my t-shirts, purchased recently, says “loosing weight, lung by lung” & has an old man smoking a cigarette. Don't think otherwise, I do happen to agree that smoking is not good & I don't smoke myself!! :) So if you do smoke, think about quitting it. :) The summers are hot, very hot in some places and a lot of parts of India are no different. So Hariram lists out some tips to keep your house cool this summer and I must say, having experienced a number of these myself, these tips do work. Manish's travelogue of his vacation to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands continues as he re-visits memory lane and takes us along for a ride to those beautiful isles and blue seas. It makes my resolution to visit those islands even stronger, I'll certainly go on a vacation there!! And Jagdish of Aaina(means “mirror” in hindi) has brought out another blog called Mazedaar Samachar which in Hindi means “Interesting News” and indeed he's blogging about quite interesting news stories, be it a married man caught with his girlfriend on live telecast by his brother-in-law or be it a member of Indian parliament caught by the Indian Railway Vigilance people taking along a gentleman on a ticket issued in the name of his wife! Mirchi Seth on the other hand, is telling everyone how money is made. And he's doing it by citing as example, Coca Cola's acquisition of Glaceu where 30 percent stake holder Tata Tea made a profit of around $500 million in just 9 months as they get about $1200 million for their stake which they got for about $677 million.
Sanjay @ Joglikhi wonders why so called wise people support something blindly without knowing anything about what they are supporting. Indeed, his frustration and anger is apparent in his post. At that, he's probably not far from being right when he says that a lot of NGOs etc are run by gangsters etc. to act as a shield for them and their men, because the most one can hear the human rights protagonists is when there's some criminal is to be hanged for a heinous crime or when a traitor is to be punished for his anti-national activities. As he puts it, Arundhati sees only the Indian armed forces in Kashmir, her impaired vision fails to see traitors & terrorists roaming in the valley killing innocent and those who have made it a living hell for the locals, not to mention the indulgence in anti social activities on Indian soil!! Perhaps the underlying meaning in her context is that she should stick to writing novels only, real life doesn't seem to be her cup of tea, or perhaps she is just another in that larger crowd of so called activists who crave for nothing but the limelight & always voice their opinions on issues they know are explosive but hardly care to stand by some commoner who can use their help in his/her fight for injustice just because the cameras & flash bulbs of the media won't be there to cover their un-glamourous faces!
Rachana has published her first podcast. Its a poem that she has sung(without background music) and even though it's in Hindi, I recommend listening to it. You might not make out what she's singing if you don't know Hindi, but you can enjoy it without understanding it as well!
After all this travel through last week's Hindi blog posts, I'm famished, how about you? Feeling hungry? Why not come along and check the first Hindi food blog, Spicy Ice. There's chinese, a word of caution about crap South-Indian cuisine served in a chain of restaurants called Sagar Ratna and a mention of tasty South-Indian food served in multinational chain Sarvana Bhawan. If the weather is too hot, try the home made mango ice-cream as Garima gives you her recipe. But that's not all, as Sameer shares his recipe of a cool cocktail that he made accidently! This is supposed to be a bilingual blog, so in future there'll be reviews and recipes blogged in English as well.
This concludes our look at last week's blog posts in the hindi blogosphere, sayonara!! :)
Links courtsey: Narad
Bahrain: The ‘two seas' are now a concrete jungle
This week we start with Mahmood Al Yousif who mentions an article in Al Wasat newspaper by Adel Marzooq which analyses the state of the Bahraini
blogosphere:
Another issue Adel raises is the cliquey nature of blogs in Bahrain as he categorises us in various strata: bourgeois, personal in nature, political, opposition, activist, little people, etc.
He also suggests that a state of “war” exists in the Bahraini blogosphere as some choose to have only their close blogfriends in their links sections and fight tooth and nail to remove any “outsider” to be considered for inclusion in that blogroll, which clearly demonstrates the cliquiness of the enterprise, he claims.
Mohammed AlMaskati compares an initiative in the UK to make Trafalgar Square a green space, albeit temporarily, to the state of Bahrain's green spaces:
I do not know how I am supposed to feel when I see a Bahraini family having a picnic on roundabouts, their children running around left and right not so far away from the speeding cars, because those roundabouts happen to be the only “green” spots near them, because we do not have much greenery or “natural treasures” that the people of the country can enjoy let alone the incoming vacationer. … Why is it that we are neglecting the natural development or even preservation of our country’s greenery, beaches and seas, and encourage the construction of cement jungles left and right? What happened to the palm tree fields we had? What happened to the sweet water springs all around the country?
“Bahrain” or “Two seas” was called that because it contains two kinds of water, sweet water from the springs and salty water from the sea, it was also once called “Paradise” and “Life of Eternity”, it is truly sad that we don’t have any of that left for us to see, let alone our children.
Silly Bahraini Girl is angry and frustrated at the ruling regarding the capsizing of the Dana dhow, which resulted in the death of fifty-eight people last year:
Our justice system has finally come to terms with itself and has decided to tell the rest of the world the following:
The cost of white trash is: BD172.4 (BD10,000 ÷ 58) per soul.
Indian labour: three years in prison for following ‘orders'
Bahraini accused of manslaughter: 10 year prison sentence and walking out Free after paying BD10,000 bail!
She continues:
This is my Bahrain, people. This is my justice system. This is what we are trying to tell the world about how transparent we are and how everyone is above the law. Thank you Lower Criminal Court! You have once again tarnished the reputation of my country beyond repair. You have once again created families who think our court system is a farce. You have once again reinforced to me personally what I have witnessed all my life living in Wonderland. Thank you for giving me that reality check.
SoulSearch is fed up with having to work:
Have you heard of the phrase: “A slave to the job”, well, that's how I feel right now. I'm at a point where I have had it with work. I feel I have come to a breaking point, where I'm seriously thinking of making greeting cards for a living or something kinky like that! … What do I say to my 2 year-old son, who asks me why I leave him every single day? What do I say to my daughter when she tells me she wants to color a rainbow with her? … I miss my kids, my life is passing by and I'm in the office worrying about other trivialities while I'm missing out on wonderful moments with my children.
Silver Girl is also thinking about work. Amongst other things, she raises the issue of graduates who were sent abroad to university by the Ministry of Education, on the understanding that on their return they would work for the Ministry for a number of years, else pay back the cost of the study abroad (in the region of BD40 000 – approximately US$100 000) – and in a follow-up post she celebrates the apparent cancellation of this requirement. But her main point is to examine what many people believe is the sectarian nature of employment in Bahrain, and also of the struggle for employees' rights. The Shi'a have a reputation of complaining more and making greater demands than the Sunnis. Silver Girl asks:
قد أفهم بأن لكل مذهب سياسة.. ولكل طائفة ثقافة. ولكن أن تكون لكل طائفة معاناتها؟ وفي مجتمع بحجم مجتمعنا؟ يا كبرها عند الله!
In Bahrain there are not only people who are frustrated with their work or trying to free themselves from obligations, but many who are desperate for a job. Babbling Bahrania has posted an advert placed by a jobseeker in a local newspaper. He is a university graduate, has experience with computers, can speak and write English, and is offering to work between 5am and 4pm without a break for a salary of BD150 (approximately US$400) – lower than the minimum wage.
Our final work-related post is another by Silly Bahraini Girl who wonders if she has been hypocritical in her advice to women making career decisions, because she herself did the work she loved rather than the work that would pay her well:
Not that Bahrainis are spoilt for choice when it comes to jobs, but I have had this conversation with two Bahrainis today and am battling my own demons when it comes to this. … My hypocritical advice to the two girls who asked me about what to do with their careers when faced with choices was the following: follow the money; take the job which offers more.
Yes. I had job satisfaction in my old job but no financial independence. Yes. I loved my job but it did not love me back when it came to money. Yes. I had a good life - but not until I was considered a human being and not a little girl who wanted a job to keep her out of the house and agreed to be paid in pocket money.
We conclude this week with a glimpse of history. Hussain Marhoon writes about the history of Bab Al Bahrain – the Gateway of Bahrain, built in the 1940s. He quotes from a novel by Bahraini author Fareed Ramadan:
ثمة رجل يعرض أوراقه على رجال الجمارك، يمسك صندوقاً محملاً بملابس قليلة. وَلدٌ في العاشرة يقف بالقرب منه، يكاد يلتحم به.
يمران أمام باب البحرين الذي يبدو في هذا النهار الجديد بؤرة للابتهاج والحبور. فالمبنى المطلي بالجير الأبيض الناصع يطل على مرفأ المنامة الكبير، وميدان الجمارك، حيث يمكن للمرء مشاهدة حركة العمال، السفن، والقوارب، بأحجامها وأعدادها الكثيرة التي تصل أحياناً إلى مائة سفينة.
And Bint Battuta has translated the same text:
There is a man showing his papers to the customs officials, carrying a trunk containing a few clothes. A boy of about ten stands near him, sticking very close.
They pass in front of Bab Al-Bahrain which at this time of day appears to be a hub of happiness and joy. The building is plastered in brilliant white lime, and looks out onto the large port of Manama and the square with the customs buildings. Here it is possible for anyone to observe the movement of the workers and the ships and boats, in all their shapes and sizes and in great numbers, sometimes reaching a hundred ships.
Malawians on the world stage: academic honors, music, science and technology
There is one discernible theme running through the Malawian blogosphere in the month of May. This round-up focuses mostly on what these bloggers have written in this month, now approaching its end. One Malawian has received international honors for his contributions to world scholarship, while two female Malawian musicians have launched their latest music albums outside Malawi. One Malawian scientist calls for the Malawi government to put in place mechanisms to prepare for the looming disaster that might possibly be triggered by global warming, and two Malawians have made their mark in the world of technology. It has been a month of Malawians showcasing their mettle on the world stage, and here with it all.
Honoring a world class scholar
Blogger Kondwani Munthali, a Malawian journalist currently a Niemann Fellow at Harvard University, celebrates the news that a Malawian scholar has recently been honored by Rhodes University of South Africa, and that a former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) journalist will be teaching at Rhodes University. The two Malawians being celebrated are Thandika Mkandawire and Joe Mlenga. Mkandawire was recently awarded a Senior Doctorate by Rhodes University for his world class scholarship in development studies and political economy. Mkandawire has been the Director of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) since 1998. The other Malawian is Joe Mlenga, who recently announced on his blog that he had resigned from MBC. Munthali, himself a journalist with the MBC, writes:
I wish to congratulate Prof. Mkandawire and Mlenga for the Rhodes Honours. This comes to mind how quickly our great poets and academics such as Jack Mapanje and David Rubadiri whom I have heard from so many people here at Harvard and beyond asking. Wole Sonyinka and others have become symbols of their nations and ambassadors promoting good. Apart from the two, people like Goodall Gondwe made an impact at the IMF, early May 2007 when I visited the institution I heard fascinating stories on how he used to move from office to office meeting his juniors and seniors alike to hear them. I was proud to be a Malawian when a room full of World Bank and IMF officials, one screamed, “Malawi is unique, it has its best leadership in the Presidency and Minister of Finance.” I hope the this Leadership given at the global institutions will extend into recognition of our achievers and use them as ambassadors to promote Malawi's values.
Music for the world
Two Malawian female musicians this month launched their latest albums, one in Nairobi, Kenya, and the other in Stockholm, Sweden. In Kenya it was gospel artist Chrissy Kamthunzi, while in Sweden it was musician Fingani Mphande. Victor Kaonga, Global Voices author, witnessed the Stockholm affair, and wrote on his blog:
She says she decided to launch here [Sweden] because she did not have adequate time to do so in Malawi as she was supposed to leave for studies in Sweden. Fingani's album which has ten tracks (most in Chichewa and others in English) can be bought on Radio Yako (www.radioyako.com).
In another posting, Victor writes about the Global Day of Prayer, Sunday May 27, arguing that the day is unlikely to make the headlines because of its religious nature. He reflects on this important day, posting pictures of a celebration of this day last year at Silver Stadium in Lilongwe, Malawi:
PROBABLY the world's largest unity is to be reflected this Sunday on the Global Day of Prayer when people from over 190 nations will join together and pray for the world.
But to put this event in the headlines is direct rebuke to most of our global and national issues so editors prefer to keep it away. After all these are “religious things” and covering it would be ‘like promoting their faith' they argue.
Malawi and a warmer globe
Hastings Zidana, a scientist with the Malawi National Aquaculture Centre, warns that global warming is real, and that Malawi is part of the areas in Africa that are at greater risk. He calls on government to take measures to address the problem:
My questin has been and is always “What is our role as Malawians ?” Do the parliamentarians take this issue with a priority? The image clearly shows that Malawi is in the band of “Areas at most risk”. Let us act now by putting in place necessary policy issues like-irrigation for all crop fields by the year 2030 or 2040, thats 10 yeras before the real thing is on our neck. We can do it there are several organisation dealing with global warimng and environment where, we can tap the resources let alone the credit income which they have just been written off by our creditors.
On the technology front
Malawian blogger and ICT expert Soyapi Mumba gives an update on a new program he has been working on, a search tool compatible with Forefox and Mozilla.
I've become so much interested in the integration of various content available on the web with search since I started developing SearchWith, a search tool for Firefox and Mozilla-based applications. Follow the discussion on Techmeme.
And still in the world of technology, Clement Nyirenda announces that his two papers have been accepted at two international conferences, where he hopes to go and present in September, 2007:
Today, I thank God because the two papers that I submitted to IEEE Eurocon and IEEE Africon conferences have both been accepted. IEEE Eurocon will take place in Warsaw, Poland from September 9-12 while IEEE Africon will take place in Windhoek, Namibia from September 26-28. So far, I have managed to pay the registration fees (280 EUROs) for the Poland conference. I am yet to pay for the Namibia one. I also have to look for funds so that I can travel to these two countries to present these papers.
Clement also announces in another entry that he has since returned to Malawi, having successfully finished his MScEng degree, and has resumed his teaching duties at the The Polytechnic in the University of Malawi.
Also sharing good news for a successful educational endeavor is John, on his blog Soka Liyenda. John informs his readers of his good news:
It is now very official. I will be attending Purdue University next semester. This is the best thing that has happened to me in months. Finally a sigh of relief. It has been a topsy-turvy affair so far. I graduated from DACC last night with an associate degree in Agriculture. I will be a junior at Purdue majoring in Agriculture Economics with an emphasis on Finance and Rural Development.
Unquiet on the political front
The month of May in Malawi has seen the return of a commemoration that was stopped at the dawn of the new democratic era in 1994. During Malawi’s 30 year one-party rule under Dr. Kamuzu Banda, May 14th was celebrated as Kamuzu Day, believed to be his date of birth, on paper. Breaking a long period of silence, blogger Kondwani Kamiyala reminisces over how Kamuzu appeared in the eyes of a 12 year old, the age at which Kondwani began to know about the former president:
A lot has been written about Malawi’s first Head of State, Dr Kamuzu Banda. I look back at my experience with him. This is my general view of the man. I do not seek to write or rewrite history. As a child, this is how I saw Dr Kamuzu Banda, and I transfer those childhood memories into my later life, having seen two presidents after him, and observing the lives of some politicians who were fighting against his ‘oppression’. Enjoy my Childhood Memories of Dr Kamuzu Banda. After all that is said, Kamuzu takes a new image from the eyes of a 12 year old, standard seven pupil….
And to end on this political note, blogger Pearson Nkhoma makes an argument for holding local government elections, which the government has been accused of not being committed to for a number of years now, in contravetion to a constitutional requirement:
A lot has been written about postponements of local government elections. However, with the wrangles that are resulting because of the lack of consultation in the appointment of MEC commissioners, it is inevitable that local government elections would also be postponed for another longer period. History is repeating itself, but does Malawi really need councilors. This is a question that I am trying to answer.
Internet Censorship Law Proposal in Israel
Internet censorship could slowly and surely find its way to Israel. Now that a new proposal “that is supposedly meant to protect kids from the dangers of pornography, violence and gambling sites” has passed the primary voting stage in the Israeli Knesset, bloggers writing in Hebrew are asking: What is next?
From Gadi Shimshon's post “say nicely goodbye to your internet“:
עברה בקריאה טרומית בכנסת (משהו שכיום הוא בעיקר הצהרתי) הצעת חוק של ח”כ אמנון כהן מש”ס שמיועדת, לכאורה, להגן על קטינים מסכנות של אתרי פורנוגרפיה, אלימות והימורים. למען הסר ספק, אין בהצעה הזו דבר שיגן על ילדי מדינת ישראל. כל כולה שילוב של בערות טכנולוגית, צדקנות שמנונית ומשחקי כוח פוליטיים. מצד שני, עד כמה שהצעת החוק מטומטמת לעילא וכמעט בלתי ישימה כלכלית וטכנולוגית, יש בה משהו מעורר חלחלה. הבעיה היא לא ש”ס - הבעיה היא הח”כים שסביר מאוד שרובכם בחרתם. התהליך בו זורמת ומתקדמת ההצעה בכנסת - הוא בדיוק התהליך שהייתם מדמיינים. זה מצחיק בטירוף, וזה מייאש עוד יותר.
The proposed law requires from the Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to block adult content-based sites (sexual, gambling and violence) from children. The ISPs will require some biometric means of identification for adults, in addition to a personal password, as a means to verify one's age. The current law proposal does not state who claims which sites will be blocked, and technology will be used by the ISPs for this sort of identification. In one of their meetings, it was suggested that for an additional monthly fee, ISPs would offer their customers means to block “harmful” content, when and if requested. There are so many problems that come up. For instance, how and who decides which content is violent or sexual. How problematic it is if all the ISP's in Israel hold a white list of every user's personal information. If this content can be censored, what is the next stage? Perhaps blocking all sites that deal with evolution?
In his post “Amnon Cohen interests the tip of my finger“, blogger Jonathan Klinger describes the many problems which come up when claiming what the “main nature” of a site is:
אולם, השאלה האמיתית תהיה מי יקבע מהי אותה תועבה ומהם אותם אתרים החסומים בפני משתמשים. האם אתר NRG הוא אתר שמכיל אלימות ומין כיוון שהוא מחזיק את מדור NRG-סקסי מצד אחד, ופה ושם ניתן למצוא פטמה או שתיים באחת מהכתבות, או שמא הוא אתר שעיסוקו העיקרי הוא באלימות כיוון שזה מדווח על מלחמות, פצועים, חיסולים בעולם התחתון ו“סתם” דקירות. החברה שלנו אלימה, אין מה לעשות, וכל אתר חדשות עוסק באלימות.The real question will be who decides what is an abomination and which websites should be blocked. Is NRG (a popular Israeli news website) a site that has sexual content because it hosts the NRG sexy column, where one can possibly spot a nipple or two? Or rather does it mainly deal with violence because there are articles reporting on war, casualties, deaths and “random” knife stabs. Our society is violent, we cannot do anything about that. And every news website deals with violence.
Too many parents nowadays are unaware of what their children are up to (not only relevant to the internet). The basic argument claims that it is the parent's responsibility and not the country or government, to educate. A simple yet effective solution is placing the computer in the living room. If the government will start dictating what we can or cannot view, there's no promise that in the near future they will not censure other “topics”. The general notions are that this law will probably not be able to get a majority of votes in the Knesset. But that people should react, and think thoroughly about how utterly important it is to protect the freedom of content. Various banners like the one below have been spreading through the Israeli blogosphere, as well as an encouragement to email all those leaders who supported this law proposal in its initial voting stages. There is less than two weeks before the government takes the proposal to the next stage.
The translated text from a banner depicting Amnon Cohen as Israel's ‘big brother': “my brother, your big brother has come… come and meet your new educator”
link to the law proposal in Hebrew
Francophone Morocco: Politics, Power, and Money
With the upcoming September 7th elections in Morocco, many young Moroccans are questioning if politics still make sense in their home country. They're also talking about the issues that matter - Palestine being a big one - and the changes the country is going through.
“If you don’t do politics, politics will do what it wants with you”
This a proverb a friend of Moroccan blogger le mythe (fr) used to tell him. This week, le mythe asks if politics make any sense in the Maghreb. He explains his point of view, saying:
Faire de la politique n’est pas pour devenir un électeur passif qui brandit systématiquement sa carte pour faire partie du contre-pouvoir.
Faire de la politique n’est pas devenir le maghrébin de service d’un parti politique lambda, ou le fou du Roi…Faire de la politique c’est comme faire l’amour…
En effet la politique et les affaires d’amour ne diffèrent pas plus que deux gouttes d’eau.
Practicing politics doesn't mean being the “Maghrebian of service”* of some political party, or the fool of the King. Practicing politics is like making love…
In effect, politics and love affairs are no more different than two drops of water.
*An insulting term which implies that a working person of minority is the only one in his community.
He also refers to the famous book of Hannah Arendt, entitled La politique a-t-elle encore un sens?, in which she says:
La politique a-t-elle encore un sens? Le politique n’est nullement nécessaire, ni au sens impérieux d’un besoin de la nature humaine, tels la faim ou l’amour, ni au sens d’une institution indispensable pour la communauté humaine.
Au contraire, il commence même précisément là où le domaine des nécessités matérielles et celui de la force physique cessent.
Politics means - to most people - power and money, and people who have power always want more power…because more power equals more money. Maroc Bourse (fr) made an announcement about a new pharmaceutical company entering the stock exchange:
La bourse de Casablanca s'apprète à accueillir une nouvelle société dans le secteur pharmaceutique après la société SOTHEMA à partir du 15 juin avec l'introduction de la société PROMOPHARM.
But to some people, money is just a means to an end. Citoyenhmida (fr) has put out a call to all Arabs to help Palestine because its people are in crisis:
Peu m’importent les responsables de cette situation : que ce soit les dirigeants palestiniens enfermés dans leurs contradictions ou le gouvernement israélien cadenassé dans sa politique intérieure.
Peu m’importe que les USA, qui détiennent les clés de ce problème, ne veuillent pas le résoudre !
…La Palestine est en voie de disparition, sous les bombes, sous les balles, sous le béton du mur de séparation, sous le silence, sous la honte de ses dirigeants, sous l’arrogance de ses adversaires, sous l’indifférence de ses frères!
Naim (fr) commented, saying:
Je crois que pour résumer les avis passés et même qui seront postés ici même, je dirai que le peuple palestinien n'a pas besoin de “paix” mais de justice.
Power and money aren't infinite, and neither is life. Naim (fr), a university professor, eulogizes Driss Benzekri, who recently passed away:
Un grand homme, digne et sincère, est décédé. Mes sincère condoléances a sa famille et a tous les épris de la liberté.
Moi, dans tous mes états (fr), whose name means “Me, in all my states” expresses his sadness at Benzekri's death:
C’est avec grande tristesse que j’ai appris le décès de Driss BENZEKRI. Militant de longue date, activiste au sein de l’UNEM et de la gauche radicale, il fut incarcéré en 1974 puis condamné à 30ans de réclusion.
Désigné par SM comme secrétaire général du Conseil Consultatif des Droits de l’Homme, président de l’Instance Equité et Réconciliation.
…BENZEKRI mérite d’être érigé en héros national. Que Dieu ait son âme dans sa sainte miséricorde. Nous sommes à Dieu et à lui nous retournons.
Photo by Daveyll
China: Student hits teacher video
It might not be so shocking for those who went to a public high school in most places around the world, but a video entitled ‘Student hits teacher' has brought a flood of comments consisting of rabid death and sexual assault threats—directed at all the kids in the classroom—racist slurs and even a RMB 5000 reward for anyone who can identify those seen in the short. Days later, names have been found and the internet manhunt is on.
‘A high school student's documentary‘ labels it one member of the Paowang BBS. Here's EastSouthWestNorth blogger Roland Soong's summary:
“The students were napping, talking, horsing around and one of them was roaming around filming. One student said: “This is the geography lesson. Watch the show.” Then he walked up to the teacher and removed the teacher's white hat. The class roared in laughter. Later, that student went up to the teacher and made for a physical confrontation. Another student threw a water bottle at the teacher while the first student yelled: “That stupid c*nt! Kill him!” The teacher just kept on with his lecture.”
The video can now be found at tv.Mofile. ‘Check out these pieces of garbage, everyone see the truth for yourself, don't be polite' is how tv.Molive user XiaoXiao introduces the video which with has received over 100,000 and over twenty pages of comments, some of which have been translated below. For posterity's sake, the video has also been uploaded to YouTube and in just two days has also garnered over 100,000 views with over 150 pages of comments, many of which are in English, from Chinese viewers…
Starting with the first comment at tv.Molive:
游客 2007-5-25 21:01:43 没人性啊
The most profane comments have not been translated here, but the language below is still often vulgar.
游客 2007-5-25 21:21:49 MD 这些还是学生吗
还是人吗
NND 就TMD一帮垃圾 来这里弄死你们
Are these humans?
These [expletive] are [expletive] just a bunch of trash. If they were here I'm kill them.
游客 2007-5-25 21:22:52 真是社会的渣滓
游客 2007-5-25 21:32:28 也许等他们长大了会明白他们的行为是多么可耻 多么无知 道德沦丧!!也许永远不会.(曾经也是这样的一个学生的我 满复罪孽感 对以前的老师 说声 对不起!.)
游客 2007-5-25 22:30:44 有胆说出这是哪个学校吗??那个象畜牲一样的王八蛋学生叫什么名字??老子到那里来找他,看他又多牛!我叫他吃屎!!放倒他!!畜牲!!!他活在世上是多余的!!!
游客 2007-5-25 23:13:39
不学习可以怪教育,
不尊师你还想怪社会?~!
老人容易吗!~
他的家人子孙看到了你们这样对待他,不抽刀剁了你们几个不知道天高地后的东西.MD现在有学校有未成法保护你们,进了社会你MD要不横尸接头,我跟你们姓
But you want to blame society because you don't respect your teachers?
Being old is not easy!
If his family, son or grandson saw the way you treat him they pull out a knife and chop you don't-know-your-heads-from-a-hole-in-the-grounds. [Expletive] now they have minors law protecting you at school, but once you come into society you [expletive] if you don't get your asses kick I'll come do it.
游客 2007-5-25 23:55:46 自以为自己爸爸妈妈有两破钱自己就是TMD大爷。拿无知当本事的一群社会垃圾。
游客 2007-5-26 1:24:18 这是大陆么？这里真的是北京？垃圾填埋场吧？！口口声声说北京人素质高，高考录取分数低合情合理，我呸！和共产党一样垃圾！
游客 2007-5-27 21:17:18 当心gcd的网警…..
What you're not seeing here is the vast majority of the comments, all still very rage and violence. At this point the RMB 5000 bounty is put forth as increasing calls for someone to dig up the student's name and address are posted. Based on the accent in which the students speak, immediate speculation is that the school is either in Beijing or somewhere to its northeast, later said to be the former. Here's what was posted at tv.Molive:
游客 2007-5-26 19:22:11 北京市海淀区艺术职业学校 全能班
游客 2007-5-26 19:46:30 有认识的朋友看到以上的这群渣子男的往死里抽 女的往死里插
游客 2007-5-27 0:22:25 老天，我想全世界也只有中国会有这种事情发生了。
希望大家把这段视频转到各大论坛，引起广泛的公愤，自然会有人去追杀那几个王八蛋!
I hope everyone spreads this video to every major bbs forum, give rise to widespread public fury and someone is bound to track these bastards down and kill them!
游客 2007-5-27 2:56:48 去百度海艺吧！
那里 资料更全！
Actually, a lot of the posts at the page the above user linked to are curses aimed at the webmaster for having deleted their previous posts on the subject.
游客 2007-5-27 12:51:43 MD，这群人渣，还不去死，上教育部网站找了半天也没找到邮箱和留言。
游客 2007-5-27 13:43:17
这是北京海艺，海淀艺术职业高中，那个学生叫郭旭
游客 2007-5-27 13:49:39 一群什么玩意儿！！！
这就是我们伟大首都的学生？
这就是我们祖国未来的希望？
这就是我们中华民族未来的栋梁？
连最起码的尊师重教都丧失了，国家的教育是应该到反思的时候了
Are these the students in our great capital?
Are they the hope of our motherland's future?
Are they the pillars of the Chinese people's future?
They've even lost the most basic respect for their teachers and educations. It's time for the country's education system to be reconsidered.
游客 2007-5-27 15:08:01 生气吗?我不生气!
他们的爹妈在造牠们的时候因为是乱伦
在加上环境脏,乱,差,难免混进螥蝇,臭虫及狗屎的成分.引起基因变化.
惯着牠们,总有人灭了牠们!!
These kids were made by incestuous parents!
Add to that their dirty environment, chaotic, inferior, unable to keep out the flies, bugs and dog shit. Their genes have mutated.
They've been spoiled rotten!!
游客 2007-5-27 22:03:36 弗吉尼亚理工大学应该多出几个抢手，到中国来把这些猪狗都毙了！！
游客 2007-5-27 22:56:03 这几个小子长大绝对是祸害,枪毙最好.我真的怒了,我很多外国朋友都看了这录象.他们都很愤怒.我30年第一次那么愤怒.
游客 2007-5-27 22:59:53 一直都觉得我们国家的教育整个变态了，没想到变态得这么严重！说到底是我们整个社会都病了！！~素质教育？这个的素质教育，真不知道十年，二十年后我们国家将变成傻样了？！~~
游客 2007-5-27 23:46:13 精英们责骂毛主席时代学生不尊重教师，现在没有人发动学生批斗老师了，怎么还敢有学生打教师呢？我们的教育到底出什么问题了？我为国家的未来担忧。
游客 2007-5-28 1:03:30 是北京海淀艺术职业学校的SB,已经找出了他们的名字,家庭地址,并且攻击了他们学校的网站…
希望集合大家的力量,共同发出网络通缉令!
I hope we can focus everyone's strength and come together to launch an internet manhunt!
游客 2007-5-28 1:05:37 这TM是不是人?
你回家打打你爸爸啊.
TM就一SB龟儿子
我也把他发到我地方的电视台去
TM中国有钱人就是出这些垃圾儿子.
Why don't you go home and hit your dad?
[Expletive] he's a [expletive][expletive]
I sent this to my local television station
The [expletive] people with money in China all give birth to garbage sons like this.
游客 2007-5-28 4:04:55
于悦（第1排-那-个-小-丑 耳-钉-男 绰-号 大-驴） PHONE:1.3.6.8.1.5.9.0.4.3.2 郭-旭-女（拍-D-V，认-为这样很好玩让全-国-人-民1-起欣赏的那位）. 海-淀-艺-术-职-业-学-校 高2(5)班 郭旭 Q–Q为3-7-3-0-2-5-2-8-4 电-话88977628 moble: 13661100088 耳环男家庭住址公布北京市石景山区老山西里首钢机电有限公司七层 家庭电话 010－88977268
Phone: 13681590432
Guo Xu, female (the one filming…who thinks this is so fun, giving the whole country something to enjoy together)
Haiding Arts Vocational School
Class 5, Senior 2
Guo Xu
QQ: 373025284
Telephone: 88977628
Cell: 13661100088
The boy with the earring's home address has been made public:
7/F Shougang Machinery & Electrics Co. Ltd.
Laoshanxili, Shijingshan District
Beijing
Home phone: 010-88977268
游客 2007-5-28 5:12:27
这个不合适吧？要是情报错误不就造成误伤了么？
游客 2007-5-28 8:30:54 你们不知道现在做老师有多难,学校和家长逼着要出成绩,学生又不肯学,平时就上课就是这样捣乱,男女学生谈恋爱,晚上出去开房间,考试成绩出来就是个位数,真不知道这样下去国家会变成什么样子
北京市海淀艺术职业学校
省市级重点校
校长：王忠
校址：海淀区北三环西路4号
邮编：100088
电话：62216908
Beijing Haiding Arts Vocational School
Provincial-grade top school
Principal: Wang Zhong
Address: #4 Third Ring Road West, north Haiding District
Postal code: 100088
Telephone: 62216908
游客 2007-5-28 10:26:13 拿摄影机的是什么人~他跟那些学生一个样，垃圾~真该把他们全发配到伊拉克去，一帮没有人性的东西
游客 2007-5-28 10:46:43 我是老师现在的初中就真那回事，我也教过地理，也让学让当课骂过，只因他上课玩火，我说了句，就让骂了！中国的这一段，我不敢想！中国的教育，我不敢想！老师的工资，永远没着落，这年头，有选择，谁愿意教书！过段时间，我也打算不教了，走了～
One commenter, one of the handful to have registered a name, having chosen ‘Yu Yue's Grave', writes:
我给那个小子建了 坟
And attaches in the comment this link, at which can be found this photo:
游客 2007-5-28 12:52:35 这就是中国丢弃几千年的传统教育而引进“先进的素质教育”的结果。
这也是发生在经常对别人指手划脚，常用别人素质低来反衬自己素质高的皇城脚下的首都人民，最最低劣的素质。
中国的教育该何去何从？我深感困惑！
不过说实话，我是一名老师。如果这事发生在我的课堂，结果只有一个，用牺牲我的职业找回一名教师应有的人格尊严。
面对这个画面，我想问问我们的媒体，你们还会将责任的大棒打向教师的头吗？
如果你是一个有良知的人，就请您在激愤之余，提醒自己和身边的朋友，教育自己的子女时，多用心，千万别再养成这样的。
就算是为了你，也更是为了这个民族和社会！
谢谢了！
This is also what happens when people wave their fingers at others, contrasting the ‘low character' of others with the highness of the citizens of the capital, the lowest kind of behavior there is.
Which direction ought China's education be going? Your guess is as good as mine!
Though to tell the truth, I am a teacher. If this had happened in my classroom, there would have only been one result: I would have sacrificed my career to get back the respect that teachers deserve.
Faced with a scene like this, I'd just like to ask our media: will you continue to beat us teachers on the head with the responsibility stick?
If you have conscience, then please, in your anger, tell yourself and your friends that while they're teaching their own children, to be diligent. Never raise them to be like this.
Not just for yourself, but for this nation and society!
Thank you!
One last comment from tv.Molive, in English:
游客 2007-5-28 15:10:09 SONS OF BITCHES CHINESE TEACHERS DESERVE THESE…..lucky i wasn't there or else it couldv been way worse than that
Links for Mon, 2007-05
Enidd's photo report from Kyiv is by far the best illustration of how the talk of impending civil war in Ukraine was a bit premature.
Olechko attends Beregynya, an annual folk festival in Lutsk, and helps her family sell some delicious homemade mead.
Trivial Matters has a wonderful photo post on Vasai, one of the suburbs on Mumbai. A place that has obviously seen better days. “By the year 1534 the King of Portugal held the seven islands plus Bassein, which was a chunk of mainland territory north of Bombay also known as Salsette but now as Vasai. Here at Bassein the Portuguese built themselves a walled city overlooking the sea, which remains to this day. Its chancels, creepers smother the gravestones of the some Bombay’s earliest colonialists; it seems to have remained untouched, like Sleeping Beauty’s citadel, since the day the Portuguese were forced to vacate hastily by a local Mahratha army. It is a poignant reminder of what was, and of what Bombay itself might have been today had history taken another turn.”
Bhutan: For a Democracy on mocking democracy. “Thousands of people from the east have been denied citizenship and right to vote in the upcoming mockeries. People may not like voting to legitimise the terrorism of the Jigmes but our concern is they need to be treated as citizens.”
Carpetblogger eats pizza in Istanbul and provides “more proof Turkey was never part of the Soviet Union“: “
the olive ream doesn't take very kindly to the offers of money pouring in his spam box. “My father was a highly reputable magnet-[Would that be a fridge magnet or a babe magnet?] who operated in the capital of Ivory coast during his days. [And where did he operate during his nights?] It is sad to say that he passed away mysteriously in one of his business trips abroad. [It is even sadder for me to say that I am sorry about his ambiguous demise.]”
Kathmandu Speaks on the Bhutanese refugees in Nepal. “. There has been two deaths in two days' time, while the efforts of the Bhutanese refugees to either seek repatriation or third-country settlement is gaining momentum. A large number of the Bhutanese refugees staged demonstrations in the eastern Nepali district of Jhapa today. The efforts of the refugees to enter their country through India were disrupted by the Indian paramilitary guard present at the border across the bridge over the Mechi river which acts a natural Indo-Nepal border-line.”
Apricotflan.com shares some St. Petersburg trivia: “How many bridges does it take to make a St Petersburg? 800.”
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