Archive for
October 10th, 2008
Stories
Moroccans for Obama?
“When the Americans are getting ready to elect a president, the whole world holds its breath,” writes Moroccon blogger, Robin des Blogs [Fr]. It's a sentiment held by many around the world, but some Moroccon netizens aren't sure which outcome–an Obama or a McCain presidency–would be best for Morocco. (more…)
XDR-TB: Photographer Brings Emerging Disease Into Focus
In 2007 renowned war photographer and photojournalist James Nachtwey received a TED Prize, granting him $100,000 and one wish to change the world. Nachtwey's wish was to share a vital story in an innovative way using news photography. Last week his wish came true with the unveiling of his photos, which show the global impact of XDR-TB (extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis), and the launch of a multimedia public health campaign.
XDR-TB was brought to the world's attention in 2006, after it was identified in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. It is a mutation of tuberculosis (TB), a contagious bacterial disease that usually affects the lungs. TB, which spreads through the air, is a major cause of illness and death worldwide, particularly in Asia and Africa. In 2006 there were 9.2 million new cases of TB and 1.7 million deaths from the disease.
TB is treatable, but inadequate treatment can lead to the emergence of drug-resistant strains of the disease, such as XDR-TB. This type of TB is resistant to all of the most effective anti-TB drugs, severely limiting treatment options for people with XDR-TB and resulting in a much higher death rate. This video provides an overview of TB and XDR-TB. It's unknown how widespread XDR-TB is, but it's estimated that 25,000 to 30,000 new cases surface every year, and XDR-TB has been found in 49 counties around the world. Scientists are calling XDR-TB a serious emerging threat to public health.
Ridzuan, blogging on Ridz.sg, expresses dismay over the unnecessary emergence of XDR-TB:
“There is a problem when a disease that’s both preventable and curable is allowed to mutate to become a strain that’s extremely resistant to the drugs that we use today.”
Nachtwey traveled to countries such as India, Cambodia, South Africa, and Lesotho to put faces to this problem. His photos and the accompanying XDR-TB Web site were launched on October 3. This short video shows 37 of his black and white photos, revealing XDR-TB's terrible impact.
The release of this video and the unveiling of Nachtwey's photos, have created a buzz among the art and public health communities. tunneling thru’ talks about the emotional impact of his photos.
“I don’t know anyone who is suffering from it [XDR-TB], but that is no excuse for me to flip through an album or site and walk away unaffected. There is no personal angle to this. Just a need to share and see if it makes a difference. The pictures within spoke more emotions than I knew I was capable of.”
Bloggers are also discussing how Nachtwey's images are motivation to take action, and the power of his photos to create change. Luke Freeman, blogging on A Shoe Box Full of Pictures, says:
“The photography is powerful, yet the purpose behind the images gives this project even more meaning. These are not just images. Work like this will change the world. Photography, coupled with a selfless, heart-felt response has the power to affect change.”
Since TB is a major cause of death among people with HIV/AIDS, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, concerns also exist about XDR-TB's potential impact on those who are HIV positive. There were an estimated 710,000 HIV positive TB patients globally in 2006. Journal of the Plague Years points out that despite this, only one percent of those diagnosed with HIV are tested for TB worldwide, and that TB testing must become routine for HIV positive people.
“Doctors, scientists and public health experts are warning that a worldwide pandemic of extremely drug resistant tuberculosis will be the next big 'surprise' to emanate from the AIDS epidemic, if, as we move forward we are not informed by our look at the past.”
In My Heart's in Accra…, Ethan Zuckerman, a co-founder of Global Voices Online, discusses other steps needed to stop XDR-TB.
“Nachtwey’s intervention is a timely one - the ways to prevent XDR-TB from becoming a pervasive global threat have to do with strengthening healthcare systems in vulnerable nations. If hospitals and community health organizations can diagnose TB early and ensure compliance with treatment, the disease shouldn’t progress to multiple drug resistance. But improving developing world hospitals is a difficult and expensive task. Eliminating pharmaceutical fakes may be even more difficult. Fake prescription drugs are extremely common in developing nations.”
Sproutingforth, blogging on Urban Sprout, adds that the lack of funding is a major issue.
“Reversing the TB epidemic is a political issue as much as it is a health issue. The World Health Organization estimates that it will cost approximately $6.7 billion annually to reverse the TB epidemic. Currently, only slightly more than half of that is projected to be available at current funding levels. This gap is costing millions of lives.”
Nachtwey’s photographs will be on display throughout October in public spaces spanning all seven continents, including cities such as New York, Paris, Melbourne, Seoul, Hong Kong, and London.
Stop XDR-TB logo posted by ElseKramer on Flickr.
Latin America: Reporting On, Twitter for journalists gets popular
The success of Twitter has had an enormous influence on many new sites, that want to copy the formula: short messages, from all kinds of devices, for a restricted audience. One of the sites that follows this example is Reporting On, a kind of Twitter for journalists, that has been in working in beta phase since last year. And if you register, you'll find the site is getting quite successful particularly among Latin American journalists.
The structure is very similar to Twitter's; we can write up to 140 characters, which most users take advantage of to write news in the form of headlines. Each piece of news can be tagged with many words. In the left column, we can find the most popular tags. We can comment in each others posts as well as reply to them, but we can't follow certain users or filter contents, except for the tags.
Pablo Mancini interviewed Ryan Sholin, who's behind the project, and he points out that Reporting On “is a non profit project financed by Knight News Challenge in order to improve local news, connecting people who don't talk with each other enough”. And he adds: “once the site is working with a healthy amount of applications, I will make the code open source and invite developers and journalists to improve it so they can launch their own versions of the site”.
Also talk about Reporting On: Bloc de Periodista (en español); The Exploding Newsroom; Random Mumblings; and Linchpen. At DigiDave you can find another interview to Sholin.
Tunisia: National Day for Freedom of Blogging on November 4
Tunisian bloggers are rallying for a National Day for Freedom of Blogging on November 4. The day will coincide with a court hearing for a lawsuit filed by the journalist and blogger Zied El Heni against the Tunisian Internet Agency (ATI).
It all started when Tunisian internet surfers welcomed with happiness the repeal of a ban placed on video sharing sites YouTube and Dailymotion. Many Tunisian bloggers celebrated this repeal of the ban by posting videos of songs downloaded from those two video websites on their blogs. But their happiness was cut short as the repeal did not last more than 24 hours. Very soon, the Tunisians discovered that there was in fact no repeal of the ban at all. Rather, a problem with the software and filters used by the ATI resulted in its failure to block these two video websites. The repeal of the ban, which had been welcomed with such enthusiasm, was actually just an accident and a mistake.
Meanwhile, journalist and blogger El Heni is suing the ATI for the censorship of Facebook, which had lasted for 16 days. The trial will take place on November 4 and as a sign of solidarity with his action, a group of bloggers decided that this date will henceforth be baptized as a national day for blogging freedom.
Blogger Abunadem, whose blog had been censored more than twice, spearheaded the campaign on Anticensuretounes, collective blog by Tunisian bloggers on anti-censorship. He explains:
والى الامام …لنتكاتف ضد عمار .
Writing on the same blog, Bachbouch further explains:
Tunisian blogs became the main supplier of unbiased news for Tunisians living inside and abroad. Blogging became a responsibility and bloggers are now citizens who can create jeopardy to any government agency trying to cover and shadow information that doesn’t project a picture of a stable and democratic, government of a country experiencing a fast economic growth.
That in mind, we decided that, as we took this heavy responsibility on our shoulders, we are entitled to a law that protects us from any abuse and unlawful censorship. This law should also shield us from any unlawful investigation and arrest due to the content of our blogs as long as it doesn’t break any law acknowledged by our constitution. This same law will punish any person or entity that shall intentionally break it.
Zied El Heni’s symbolic law suite against “Tunisian Internet Agency” inspired us to launch our movement and decided to have November 4th, the date of the first hearing, as a National Day For Freedom of Blogging. This movement was immediately embraced by most if not all the Tunisian bloggers who will be the force that fuels and inspires this movement.
We will be reaching out parties of our government soon with all our demands hoping for a great cooperation.
The result is an overwhelming support from bloggers, such as Mayadine, who writes:
مع اقتراح ابو ناظم في مدونة : ضد الحجب
في ان يكون يوم 4 نوفمبر من كل عام ، هو
اليوم الوطني لحرية التدوين
مّاله انا بدوري
نتوجّه للجميع بدعوة للانضمام الى هالاقتراح
ليكن يوم 4 نوفمبر يومنا الوطني من اجل ان
ندوّن
نخربش
نكتب
نفكر
نعبّر
نتحاو
نتناقش
نضيف
ننقد
نطلق اجنحة اقلامنا
To support the initiative, Facebook user Bassem Bouguerra created a Facebook group entitled: November 4th: A National Day for Blogging Freedom. Since its launch on October 1, more than 330 members have so far joined the call. This relatively great number can really be considered a great achievement, in a country where people have been raised in fear of speaking out freely. This show of support is also remarkable considering that many people avoid joining groups dealing with matters of freedom of expression and other controversial issues. They fear persecution and jail.
Members on the Facebook group are exchanging ideas about the best methods to overcome censorship and limits on freedom of expression.
Seifeddine Ben Fatthallah, for instance, writes:
“I hope that the trial against ATI will not be only Zied El Heni's trial against ATI but it will be rather the trial of all Tunisians against ATI. It will not be only for internet users. In fact, the problem is larger than it seems to be as it is going beyond all limits. I hope that the information about limits on freedom of expression will reach every Tunisian citizen.”
Hayett Abed explains that Tunisian law guarantees freedom of expression. He notes:
Tunisian law guarantees freedom of expression and this freedom should be through all available means. Because Tunisian law lacks stipulations about blogging and because the Internet is part of new media and modern technologies, the government's approval to introduce such technologies to our countries is equivalent to its approval and acceptance to the use of the different services available on internet, including the different websites and blogs created by internet users.
And while it is really sad to see so many blogs and websites under the TAI's siege, and witness how Tunisia continues to violate freedom of expression while claiming at international gatherings that it is a leader of freedom and human rights, it is inspiring and encouraging to see so many Tunisians voices rising to say No to oppression and barriers on freedom of expression.
Brazil: A day in jail for blog comments
Interrupting his blogging holidays, police officer Alexandre de Sousa [pt] posts in solidarity with Major Roberto Cavalcante Vianna, the first Brazilian citizen jailed for commenting on a blog:
Fui aluno do Major Roberto Vianna no Curso de Formação de Oficiais. Era meu instrutor de Direitos Humanos. Pessoa íntegra, estudioso de Segurança Pública, exemplo. Sua transgressão grave foi assinar um comentário se solidarizando com o Major Wanderby, denunciado por indisciplina na Auditoria Militar da PM. Punição de prisão! 12 dias preso por comentar em um blog! Caro Major Vianna, Gostaria de apoiá-lo neste momento cruel e de gosto duvidoso! Continue firme na sua caminhada. Não esmoreça. A sua arma mais forte é a sua determinação. Cumprimentos daquele que te admira muito e que aprendeu muito com o senhor.
At the heart of the trouble is another police Major and blogger, Wanderby Medeiros [pt], who informs us in one of his latest posts that Major Roberto Vianna was jailed on October 07 initially for 12 days, but he was freed the day after due to a habeas corpus. In an earlier post, he explains further Vianna's error:
Roberto Vianna fez um comentário não apócrifo no blog de um cidadão que se opõe às nefastas políticas “públicas” de Sérgio Cabral, José Mariano Beltrame e companhia!
Vianna exerceu um direito constitucional!
Vianna was exercising a constitutional right!
Journalist Gustavo de Almeida [pt], the only non-police blogger in this article, although many other civilians have commented on the issue, digs out the actual comment that caused the order, a message of solidarity for Major Wanderby with a criticism of the way the police force has been led in Rio de Janeiro:
A quem serve o Comando Geral de quaisquer instituições ? Quando alguém assume tal nobre função, não o faria para zelar por todos nós? Zelar por todos nós não incluiria combater a corrupção em todos os seus segmentos?
Stive [pt], on the other hand, investigates and uncovers the news that most of the punishment that has fallen on Major Wanderby is for posting on blogs, his own blog being one of the most popular and commented on among police officers. He says this is lamentable:
O major Wanderby é um dos pouquíssimos oficiais superiores que NÃO se omite diante de tanta sacanagem injustiça e ele manifesta isso em seu blog, que tem sido visto pelos olhos do alto comando como subversivo, incompatível para sua função. Não é de se estranhar que a maioria dos blogs policiais de protestos o autor prefira não mostrar a cara, afinal quem vai querer ser punido pelo comandante geral como já aconteceu com o major três vezes.
Mônica [pt] believes the police regulation which disallows officers expressing their opinions the way they see fit is archaic and from the era of dictatorship, and wonders what might happen to a less senior officer:
O caso acima é com oficiais superiores, imaginem o que acontece com a gente. Prender um oficial superior por expressar sua opinião não é ilegal? Não fere o que diz nossa constituição? Ainda nos criticam por não colocarmos a cara aqui!
José Ricardo [pt] says he favors freedom of speech, despite the fact he doesn't exercise it himself. He avoids commenting further on the Major's imprisonment, but leaves a piece of advice for his readers:
Portanto, companheiro, cuidado com o que você diz na caixa de comentários dos blogs.
Despite the fact that they are not allowed to, these officials have been strongly opposing the current government. Major Wanderby was one of the organizers of a movement claiming a better wage for the police - a newly recruited police officer earns $500 a month. They blame the low wages and appalling working conditions of so high a risk job as the causes for the collapse of the Brazilian military and corruption among officers. According to a U.N. Human Rights Council report released last September 15, the Brazilian police is linked to 1 in 5 murders in Rio de Janeiro.
Even though under tremendous pressure not to publicly speak out or criticize the Brazilain police force or government, more and more police officers of all ranks, anonymously and not, have been using blogs as a tool to inform and mobilize. See a previous article on the subject.
Japan: Rikimaru Toho, the first manga narrating cantastoria
His stage name is Rikimaru Tōhō (東方力丸). He defines himself a “manga [Japanese comics] reader”, and for five years he has been enchanting hundreds of passersby with his performances in the suburbs of western Tokyo.
A legendary performer, Rikimaru Tōhō's popularity is due not to TV or radio shows (although he has participated in several minor programs recently) but to his ability to modify his voice and play the parts of the characters (men, women and children) in the stories he reads, to the emotion he puts in this storytelling, and to the warm and polite way in which he interacts with his listeners. What makes him particularly unique is that he has been able to modernize one figure that is present in many cultures: the figure of the cantastoria who passes on the traditional narrative folktales. The tales that he narrates, however, are the stories from manga — products of modern Japanese popular culture.
At Josei Jōi Jidai (女性上位時代), a blogger writes about when she and her sister attended a manga reading by Rikimaru Tōhō.
梅雨の中休みで好天に恵まれた日曜日。買い物ついでにふらふらと立ち寄った井の頭公園は、ギターを奏でて歌う人あり、刀剣でジャグリングする人ありと休日っぽい雰囲気。その一角でビニールシートにマンガを並べ、傍らに佇むアヤシイ人発見。
Then I spotted some manga on a plastic sheet in a corner and a strange person standing nearby.
ｲﾀ━━━━(ﾟ∀ﾟ)━━━━ｯ!!
長髪にハチマキ（タオル？）、ヒゲ面・メガネのこの方こそ東方力丸さん。好きな漫画をリクエストすると、セリフから効果音まで力を込めて読み聞かせてくれる「漫読家」です。深夜番組「あらびき団」で見て以来、非常に気になってました！ちょうどカップルが「NANA」を読んでもらっているところで、その後私が目を離した隙に、妹が力丸さんと交渉を成立させ、私も一緒に風呂用のイスに着席。漫画は彼の十八番であろう「北斗の拳」。
「最近浮かれているわたくしですが、力を入れてやらせて頂きます」と丁重な挨拶を述べ、きっちり正座をして漫読スタート。ケンシロウとラオウの死闘、それを見守るリンやバットにユリア。キャラを見事に演じわけ、技が繰り出されると私たちに誌面を近づけたり離したりという演出も。腹の底から出す声が周囲に響き渡り、その迫力にどんどん人が集まってきます。す、すごい！！「北斗の拳」はちゃんと読んだことがないけれど、全巻読破したような満足感があるとかないとか。(´∀｀)
おひねりで妹と一緒に千円を出したら（計二千円）、「いやいや、こんなにもらえません。この千円でお二人でマックでも…」と返されました。なんて律儀なお方でしょう。ますます高感度アップです。最後にはチョコ菓子までくれました。
Rikimaru Tōhō reads a manga in Shimokitazawa (Tokyo).
Here is how the blogger at Jōnetsu no Omosa wa Yoru no Unagi (情熱の重さは夜のウナギ) described their first encounter with Toho Rikimaru-san, in a post from three years ago:
もう何度も見かけていましたが、ちゃんとお金を払って読んでもらった事がなかったので友人Iさんと勇気を出してお願いしました。
「特攻の拓 第一巻」です。[…]
効果音はもちろん凄かったのですが、女の人の声もちゃんとしてくれるのが超面白かったです。
はじめは誰も居なかったのですが。私たちが聞いていると20人くらい集まってきてました。
The sound effects were awesome, but what impressed me most was his ability to reproduce the voices of woman characters.
At first there was nobody there, but while we were listening to him about 20 people gathered around.
A blogger at Shūmatsu Kichijōji Tanken (週末吉祥寺探索) is enthusiastic about Rikimaru's performance:
頂いた名刺には「漫読家」と書いてありました。
その名の通り、ずらりと並んで置いてある漫画の
中からリクエストで力丸さんが読んでくれます。
少年、少女漫画など幅広いジャンルがあります。
私がその中でも特に好きなのは北斗の拳です。
「あたたたたたたたたったたたたたあああああああ！！！！！」
と血管が切れそうな勢いで漫画を読んでくれます。
３人ともそれぞれ表現方法に違いはありますが、
人を立ち止まらせ、引き付ける魅力があります。
And as that name suggests, you suggest one of the manga from among those on display, and Rikimaru-san reads it to you.
There are all a lot of genres, manga for boys, for girls etc.
My favorite among them is “Hokuto no Ken” [北斗の拳].
“Atatatatatatattttatattataaaaaaaaa!!!!”
He read me the story with so much energy that it seemed like his veins were about to explode.
And the way he differentiates between the expressions of each of the three characters, he is so fascinating that he catches the attention of the passersby who stop and listen to him.
Another sample of Rikimaru's performances in Shimokitazawa (Tokyo).
Last year, Rikimaru Tōhō launched his own blog, and despite his supposed inability to keep any form of diary updated, since he started, he's been constantly updating it with pics and entries about his life and activities.
Here are the two of the first posts in which he introduces himself. In the first post he writes:
ちなみにオイラの活動です。
仕事は事務所からのお仕事や、御依頼頂いた番組、イベントなどにも出演させて頂く他、
普段は下北沢や井の頭公園で漫画を読ませて頂いております。
毎週土曜日・・・下北沢駅南口ガード下 ２０時頃～２５時くらいまで
毎週日曜日・・・井の頭公園 野外ステージ前付近 １２時頃～夕方暗くなる前まで
Every Sunday… in Inokashira Park, next to the open stage, from 12 a.m. to sunset.
そのほか平日の夜も下北沢では出没するときもございます。
天気によっては井の頭公園の方は遠慮させて頂いている場合もありますが、
下北沢に関しては雨が降ろうと、
雷が脳天に落ちようと（それはそれで面白い光景かもしれないなぁ）やらせて頂いております。
Depending on the weather, I sometimes skip the Inokashira Park appointment, but regardless of whether rain or snow is falling on my head (actually that would be an interesting sight), I always show up at Shimokitazawa.
And in another post:
オイラの普通の日常。
朝起きて９９ショップで自炊の食材を買い、
コンビニエンスストアーで立ち読みをし、
古本屋で漫画を買う。
Then I go to the convenience store where I read some comics or magazine and I buy some comics at the secondhand bookstore.
古本屋で漫画を買うと作者さんに印税が入らないだろうから悪い気がするが、
１００円で買えるのは安くて得をした気分になる。
but to be able to buy it for only 100 yen, I can't help but feel that's quite cheap, and a profit for me.
四畳半に帰って、サイモン＆ガーファンクルと、
タイマーズを聞きながら買って来た漫画を読む。
良い作品だ。
是非普段のレパートリーに加えさせていただきたい作品だ。
Stuff I'd really like to add to my regular repertoire.
四畳半で稽古をする。
飯を食う。
丼に白米をよそい
萌やしをさっと煮て
白米の上にたっぷり盛ってやってポン酢を掛けて食う。
I have lunch.
I fill a bowl with white rice
and quickly boil some bean sprouts
Then I add them to the rice, sprinkle some ponzu [soy sauce and vinegar] over it and eat.
原価はバカみたいに安い即席料理だが実にうまい。
ＴＶの国会中継を見ながら稽古をする。
喉の炎症を抑えるステロイドを飲む。
声の出はだいぶ良い。
おじゃる丸を見る。
忍たま乱太郎を見る。
体を洗って歯を磨いて下北沢で漫画を読ませてもらう。
I drink some medicine to prevent throat inflammation.
My voice is fine.
I watch Ojaru Maru.
I watch Nintama Rantaro.
I wash myself, brush my teeth and I am out to Shimokitazawa to read manga.
こういった日が一番幸せだ。
Even when he is too busy to write a long and detailed post, Rikimaru Tōhō never forgets to thank the people who stopped by to listen to his manga readings:
どようび、にちようびにマンガよみをみていただいた
“おきゃくさま”“まちのみなさま”
ありがとうございます。
たいへんこうひょうでした。
ありがとうございます。
Thank you.
It was really a success.
Thank you.
Links for Fri, 2008-10
La Gringa points us out to English language blog “I owe so much”, where one man writes in English about his experience trying to get out of credit card debt in Honduras. He writes bluntly and honestly about how much he owes and how he got to that amount, how he now drives his girls to school to save on school bus fees, how he has set up a VOIP business for extra income, and bit by bit he pays back his debt.
Cristian Cambronero of Fusil de Chispas writes about the grand finale of Latin American Idol, where Costa Rican Maria Jose was up to the last minute singing for the first place. Much to the national disappointment, she didn't win, ending the three months of nail biting as Panama's singer walked away with the coveted prize.
Bibek Paudal discusses the controversy regarding whether the new Maoist Prime Minister observed Dashain festivities (15 days long national festival of Nepal) or not. He reminds: “Dashain is a Nepalese festival, not a Hindu festival. Calling Dashain anything other than a social-cultural festival is undermining the many unique Nepalese elements it symbolizes.”
Michael Turton looks at how the KMT government is attempting to control content at the public media institutions (PTS, RTI and CNA). He follows up with details of the response from the International Federation of Journalists. Claudia Jean gives examples of more broader attacks by the KMT on freedom of speech.
Trinidadian blogger Now is Wow Too recounts an interesting conversation she had with an coconut vendor.
Cuban diaspora blogger Uncommon Sense reports that a Cuban human rights activist who was paroled from prison earlier this year because of poor health, now faces up to five years in prison “on a charge of ‘attacking' — which has been used before to silence critics of the dictatorship.”
Generation Y offers encouragement to a rural blogger (whom she refers to as “peasant of agile keys and posts as sharp as machetes”), who paints a picture of what blogging in Cuba is like: “Time is scarce and expensive. You have to resend posts and emails that are interrupted when the line goes down. You can’t read or respond to comments. There is little chance of establishing relationships with other bloggers…”
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