Archive for
November 2nd, 2008
Stories
Poland: How to Fight Illegal Sales of Games, Films & Music?
Like any other country, Poland has a strong tradition of markets. Last century brought a slight shift in the value delivered by those markets, though. We can still find traditional markets selling food and antiques in any larger city. But the most popular ones are markets famous for availability of illegal games, films and music. Simply because it's cheaper.
Now, a Polish news site Gazeta.pl is posting an article (POL) about the challenges facing the authorities in that matter. Police struggle with identifying the sources and lowering the actual sales on those markets - but not because of some attractive prizes: very often producers of original software or publications encourage illegal sales to promote the brand/product and to force users to turn to the original producers for upgrades, follow-ups, enhancements. The article in Gazeta.pl has generated a huge discussion on its forums.
One of the Gazeta Forum users, Pawel, mentions (POL) that the problem is even more complex, since software can also be illegally downloaded from the Internet:
[…] Let me invite you to the market in Wroclaw on Sunday - I am standing just opposite those pirates who just stand there ‘with no shame' and once police arrive, they are all gone, since everyone knew the police were coming. Nothing ever changes. And all those films, games, etc. can be downloaded from the web and burned on DVD. […]
Another person, fixumdyrdum2, is convinced (POL) that illegal copies from the market are much better than the purchased ones:
[…] Buying software results in software which is just as illegal as the [pirate copy], but with more difficult update options. I can easily buy a pirate copy after the software update, with the next [Service Pack]. […]
User p24 seems to touch upon (POL) the real reason for illegal software downloads - high prices:
I would regret spending 20PLZ on a program from the market and I wouldn't feel like walking there if I can download it for free from the web anytime. Maybe you cannot get everything, but quite a lot. This war cannot be won by police. Maybe only some battles. Unless the prices go down.
Let's not forget, as homo_googleticus mentions (POL), that we are talking about illegal behaviour here:
[…] As far as I can see, no one is calling a ‘pirate' a THIEF and illegal sales STEALING. It becomes quite clear in the light of comments to this article. […]
RT-bloguje posted an insightful blog post (POL) on the topic where the conclusion is the same - if the price of the products were affordable, people would actually prefer original copies:
[…] Personally, I would be more than happy right now to pay for downloading films, music or books from the web if the form of payment were friendly and the prices not too high. If I could, for instance, receive films attached to magazines for an amount similar to the magazine price (or maybe even lower). Of course, I would pay more for a newer release. […]
Is it achievable? Time will show.
Macedonia: Use Facebook If You Want to Flirt With Politicians
A few days ago, national newspaper “Vest” published a cover page article titled “Flirting with politicians online,” in which it said that if Macedonians wanted to speak with the politicians they could do that only on some of the social networking sites:
[…]
If you are not able to find Macedonian politicians in their offices, ministries or party headquarters, you will certainly find them on social networking websites. Many of them have their own profiles on Facebook - the world’s most famous social networking website. It is one of the most addictive social networking websites in the world and most of its users are young people, but there are also many other users of various profiles and ages.
Macedonian politicians, too, are not immune to the “Facebook virus.” Vice Prime Minister for European Affairs Ivica Bocevski is a member of this global social network, as well as Minister of the Interior Gordana Jankulovska, Minister of Information Society Ivo Ivanovski, former SDSM leader Radmila Shekerinska, Minister of Foreign Investments Vele Samak and his former colleague Gligor Tashkovik. The negotiator in the name dispute – Nikola Dimitrov - is also a Facebook user, the leader of DPA – Menduh Thaçi, former Minister of Interior Ljube Boshkoski, Macedonian ambassador to The Hague Shpresa Jusufi, former Minister of Environment and Physical Planning - Imer Aliu - from DPA, former Prime Minister Ljubcho Georgievski, the head of NSDP Tito Petkovski, and former MP Filip Petrovski, who is one of the most inventive Facebook users.
[…]
Some Macedonian bloggers re-published the article and let their readers comment on it. The media blog Komunikacii reacted (MKD) to the article, writing:
[…]
- The traditional media based on centralized principles still don’t see the decentralized nature of the new media, and they don’t plan to speak on these subjects. That’s why we have this article, “Politicians on Facebook”! Big deal that they are on Facebook. […]
- The topic that should be covered by one serious newspaper is how our politicians don’t use the potentials of the new media for communication with the population. How, besides so many financial opportunities, advisers, successful examples from abroad and similar things, the usage is still very humble, as if we are waiting for a benchmark from the EU for usage of social networks.
- And finally, last but not least, one useful analogy: while [Greek minister of foreign affairs Dora Bakoyannis] is using social networking sites for promoting her politics, our politicians are using them for friendships. The information that Dora Bakoyannis is a very good surfer (Flickr, Twitter, Facebook, Web Page…) was published in several places in our online sphere, but no one thought it was a big deal, but I say au contre, au contre…
On the Antiblog of Filip Petrovski, who also posted the article, Gjurovski left this comment (MKD):
Most of the politicians' “profiles,” “blogs,” “accounts” are updated by political servants, and any interaction with them is silly and absurd.
So, don’t fool yourself and don't get yourself worked up over anything because instead of Shekerinska or Brother Ljube on the other side there is some guy who is certainly laughing and saying to himself – “The idiots I have to deal with!” while doing his job.
On Kajmakot there were even some suggestions (MKD), inspired by the article, for the name dispute with Greece:
Maybe Macedonia 2.0 is not such a bad name suggestion? ;)
Angola: Hawkers face a hard life with dignity and courage
“She has to take her baby with her, while walking around Luanda selling various things. In Luanda, we call them “zungueiras“. Foto “Lady and her baby” by Jose Carlos Costa, published with the photographer's permission.
Around the streets of Luanda city, we see humble and determined eyed zungueiras. They walk around the city come rain or shine. Some of them carry their babies on their backs, at the same time they bear the weight of the goods they sell. It may be the sweet fruit, like sugar apples, scented mangoes, or hope-colour avocados, which these women insist on preserving, or ham and cheese sandwiches. Other goods, such as shoes, school books or fish, are also among the products these fighters and breadwinners choose to sell.
Jorge Ramos, from Jorginho em Angola [pt] blog, proves this by writing about the zungueiras from the beautiful Mussulo peninsula:
“As zungueiras são as milhares de angolanas que saem às ruas vendendo todo o tipo de mercadorias que carregam na cabeça mesmo. Essas zungueiras do Mussulo atendem a um público específico e oferecem produtos como roupas de praia, batas e peças inteiras de panos multicoloridos, ricamente estampados com figuras africanas e linhas geométricas, bem ao gosto do padrão daqui. Elas caminham o dia todo, sob o sol escaldante. É absolutamente incrível a capacidade das zungueiras em equilibrar sobre a cabeça balaios, sacos, cestos, bacias e sacolas onde transportam as mercadorias que vendem. Desafiando as leis da física, o frágil equilíbrio se impõe perante vários obstáculos que se interpõem ante elas nas ruas e calçadas além dos filhos pequenos, que carregam nas costas, atados por panos que amarram na frente à altura do peito. Milhares de zungueiras percorrem a cidade, o dia todo, de um ponto a outro de Luanda, arriscando-se muitas vezes em meio ao tumultuado trânsito.”
“Women in the “zunga” are those who survive from hawking goods. It is an alternative to hunger in a country where there are few jobs. But in Africa, even this is aesthetic, colourful”. Zungueiras, photo by wilsonbentos, published with the photographer's permission.
The hellish traffic that reigns over Luanda is the least of the evils these women face. The economic police who go around the city looking for law breakers are characterized by the harsh and austere tone in which they address the street vendors. The relationship between the economic police and zungueiras is far from friendly. Many hawkers complain about the way those individuals act, especially considering that the majority take their money and goods, which means for them humiliation and a hole in the family budget.
The government is trying to put an end to hawking and intends to build proper markets to house the zungueiras. If this goal is met, will Luanda be the same? The city will lose the colourfulness and the pleasure of watching the sway of these warrior women and the colorful bowls in which they carry their daily survival kits.
Filmmaker Marisol Kadiegi devotes a well deserved space to the zungueiras of Luanda and of other parts of the country on the Angola de Todos Nós blog [pt]:
“Elas saíram do Uíge, Malange, Benguela, enfim! De todas as províncias de Angola para na capital do país, tentarem uma vida melhor e em busca de sonhos, tentar ver seus filhos “doutores”. Castigadas pela guerra, herdaram da mamã quitandeira a arte de vender, da palavra “zunga” originária do kimbundo, ela se tornou andarilha, andante ou vagante. Essa dita senhora é a nossa zungueira, mulher batalhadora que muito antes do sol, se levanta para tratar da vida e conseguir alimento para o seu sustento. Assim como uma leoa, caça comida para seus filhos enquanto o “rei” leão descansa. A nossa vendedora que de porta em porta e nas ruas da cidade sai oferecendo o seu produto, fazendo do lamento um grito. Na maioria das vezes, levando o filho caçula nas costas, dá um kilape (crédito) às freguesas habituais e carrega no rosto um sorriso na esperança de um dia ver-se totalmente liberta da sua condição.
Vítima de violência da polícia e muitas vezes por parte dos próprios companheiros, a mulher zungueira é exemplo de dignidade.”
“They have left Uíge, Malange, Benguela, you name it! They came from all of the Angolan provinces to the country's capital to try for a better life and in search of their dreams, hoping to see their kids becoming “doctors”. Punished by the war, they have inherited from their greengrocer mothers the art of selling (sell from the kimbundo word “zunga”), they have become hikers, walkers and vagrants. Said ladies are our zungueiras, warrior women who get up before the sun to deal with life and pursue their living. Just like lionesses, they hunt for food for their kids while the “king” lion rests. Our street vendors, who knock on door after door and go about the city offering their products, make a shout from a lament. Most times, they carry their youngest kid on their backs, give kilape (credit) to their regular customers and wear a smile on their faces hoping that one day they will see themselves set completely free from this condition.
Victims of violence and police, and often from their own partners, the zungueira women are an example of dignity.”
“Women working”, photo by Jose Carlos Costa, published with the photographer's permission
Dignity and courage are two good adjectives to describe these women. Due to the lack of information and poverty, many Angolan women see themselves forced to fall into an ambulant life. Jorge Ramos tells us a little about the zungueiras‘ daily life:
“Quando cansam, param e se sentam nas calçadas onde amamentam seus bebés e tiram alguma fruta dos seus alforjes para se alimentarem. Às vezes é numa esquina movimentada, mas já vi uma zungueira em pleno centro da cidade parar num calçadão, baixar seu balaio de peixe salgado e ressequido e dar meio abacate para o filho pequeno que se lambuzava, bem na porta de uma moderna agência de um banco europeu, num belo contraste cultural. Idiossincrasias da globalização, que não comporta vertentes antropológicas nem aspectos humanistas em sua inexorável marcha, por isso nessa minha breve leitura contento-me em apenas analisar o episódio sob o prisma da plasticidade da cena e seu significado. Com as elevadas taxas de desemprego e o escasso acesso a uma formação escolar ou profissional ser zungueira é a actividade que mais absorve jovens angolanas pobres, geralmente mães solteiras, algumas recém saídas da adolescência.”
The photos above have been taken by Marcelo Frota, and are reproduced here with the photographer's permission. See his Flickr photostream and his Angola's album on Picasa.
India: Are bomb blasts normal?
India's northeastern state of Assam was rocked by a series of bomb blasts last Thursday which killed at least 76 people and injured hundreds. Even as the country is a constant state of high alert given the number of terrorist attacks in the country, more cities appear to be added to the list of those attacked by bomb blasts.
Pirates of the Dirac Sea writes on the blasts that came right after the festival of Diwali. While the state is used to a high level of conflict, the sheer scale and intensity of the blasts has shocked the people.
According to my friend when the blast occurred in Ganeshguri area near the car parking the 10 auto rickshaws standing there started burning simultaneously along with other vehicles. The flyover also got a big hole in it. The intensity was so high that many of the victims' dead bodies were just a mixture of ashes, bones, teeth etc. One person from my district in Assam has been identified as a victim with some bones, teeth found on the spot and a gold ring which he used to wear.
Although an obscure religious extremist group -India Mujahideen has claimed responsibility for the serial blasts, the theories of involvement of the terror outfits HUJI as well as the ULFA are not being ruled out.
Pirates of the Dirac Sea also complains about the inaction of the government against the suspects and comments on how peoples reacted:
Every time a bomb blast occurs, many people die and from the next day people forget about it and get busy with their daily lives.They have no other options as they have to get back to their work for their survival.
Varun's Vagaries writes on the usual rhetoric of cities being resilient and springing back to life:
We showed our resilience,the city started moving within a matter of hours, normalcy was resumed in a day. We moved on. I personally think this is nothing to be proud of. I am ASHAMED that the city life takes such hits so lightly. I'm ASHAMED the news channels will all move to cricket news withing minutes of that first BREAKING NEWS, I am ASHAMED to look at the TV, see the casualties and just move on, saying I can't do anything about it, and I am also ashamed that I have become so desensitized to human suffering.
Muslim India talks of the steady decline of law and order in Assam through decades of insurgency and ethnic conflict.:
Assam's steady descent into darkness has been happening over a period of time, with armed uprisings against the Indian state and Assam itself, with a proliferation of the ethnic divisions and communal divides over the past years. And none who have had association with violence and the politics of intimidation, hatred and confrontation — and that includes the Indian state which has tried to pit one group against another, politically and otherwise — can be absolved of responsibility.
Other than the sheer tragic nature of the attack, it has provoked a debate on religion and terrorism. At Daily Online Alochona, we find a link to an online discussion group talking on the prevalent discourse on terrorism.
Instead of vigorously denouncing all terrorists they are trying to shift the blame to the Hindu terrorists and defending the Muslim terrorists, as if they do not exist in India. Are they unaware of what's happening in Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen, Indonesia, as well as other Muslim countries in the world?
Maverick Thinking is sick of the coverage for the US elections in the media and feels anger at the increasing instances of terrorist attacks in the country:
Seems like every alternate day a new place is treated to bomb blasts. My blood couldn't help go boiling after seeing the pained pictures of the victims and their families, from the recent Assam serial blasts. How many cities have been hit with these serial blasts in the past 6 month? Bangalore, Hyderabad, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Assam…who's next?
Korea: Spreading propaganda leaflets to North Korea
Photo: Bbira Balloon
South Korean civil rights groups have infuriated North Korea by releasing “bbira” propaganda leaflets into the country by sea and by air. Activists have recently sent the leaflets using fishing boats and advertisement balloons. The leaflets contain information ranging from Kim Jong Il’s sickness, to his private life, and to calling on North Koreans to topple him [En].
The North Korean government has criticized the South Korean government’s attitude toward these groups and warns it will shut down the Kaesong industrial complex. The North Korean government even implied that those continual activities might lead them to take some instant and strict actions to South Korea.
The sudden tension and activities by those groups draw many opinions from netizens.
Many netizens share their memories about bbira and show concerns about new bbira era.
삐라. 우리 말이 아니다. 국어사전에 보면 ‘전단의 북한 말'로 되어있다. 그런데 요즈음 우리 언론에 이 삐라 이야기가 등장하고 있다.
어렸을 때 보았던 북한 삐라의 기억
어렸을 적에 삐라를 본 기억이 난다. 길을 가다가 주은 삐라에는 박정희 대통령이 톱스타 여배우를 껴안고 있는 그림이 그려져있었다. 워낙 오랜 세월이 지나 기억이 잘 나지는 않지만, 어린 눈에도 무척 조잡한 그림과 글귀가 있었던 것 같다. 아마도 북한에서 내려보낸 삐라였을 것이다. 세월이 지난 지금에도 그 때 보았던 삐라 기억이 나는 것을 보면, 그 때 보았던 삐라가 어린 가슴에 무척 놀라웠던 모양이다. 그런데 정말 오랜만에 삐라 이야기를 듣게되었다. 한 민간단체가 북한지역에 김정일 국방위원장을 비난하는 삐라를 살포하고 있어 남북간에 논란거리가 되고 있다는 것이다.[…]
북측의 격분, 도대체 어떤 삐라이길래…….
도대체 누가 제작하고 어떤 내용이 담겨있는 삐라이길래 북측이 이렇게 격분하며 민감하게 받아들이는 것일까. 언론에는 ‘민간단체'라고 보도되고 있지만, 삐라 살포를 주도하고 있는 곳은 자유북한운동연합 (대표:박상학)이라는 단체이다.
2005년부터 북한에 삐라 보내기를 해왔다고 밝히고 있는 이 단체는, 자신들이 삐라 살포활동을 하게 된 이유를 이렇게 설명하고 있다.
2000년 6월15일 김대중•김정일 상봉(남북정상회담)이후 상호 “체제에 대한 비난과 선전을 자제 한다”면서 대한민국정부는 1953년 7월 27일 정전 후 반세기에 걸쳐 DMZ 상에서 북한군인들에게 자유대한민국에 대한 체제의 우월성과 자유의 정신을 선전하던 대북 전광판과 대북방송을 일방적으로 해체하고 국방부 대북심리전단에서 꾸준히 해오던 애드벌룬에 의한 북한의 모든 지역에로 전단지, 유인물 보내기마저 포기하였기 때문이다.
정부가 안하니까 자신들이 나섰다는 이야기이다. 삐라의 내용은 보면 북한이 왜 그렇게 민감한 반응을 보이는지 어느 정도 알 법하다. 삐라는 김정일 위원장에게 9명의 부인이 있었다는 내용의 도표까지 싣고 있다. 이 도표 앞에는 ‘김정일은 과연 어떤 인간인가? 진실은 이렇습니다'라는 부분도 있다[Kr].
1960년대식 행동, 중단해야
이 삐라의 내용과 방식을 접하니, 수십년전 어렸을 때 보았던 삐라가 생각난다. 내용이나 표현에서 조잡하기 이를 데 없었던 삐라 말이다. 그런데 지금 그런 수준의 삐라를 다시 보게되다니, 더구나 그런 삐라가 우리 측에서 북측으로 보내지고 있다니. 그렇지 않아도 안좋은 남북관계에 악영향을 미치는 행동이다. 정부는 이들 단체의 행동을 제지시킬 마땅한 방법이 없어서 고민중이라고 한다. 이명박 정부로서도 이런 문제가 남북간에 논란거리가 되는 일이 부담스러울 것이다. 통일부가 삐라 살포행동의 자제를 요구하는 입장을 밝혔지만, 이들 단체가 당장 말을 들을 것 같지는 않다.그러면 어떻게 해야 할까. 햇볕정책 지지하던 사람들이 말하면 또 ‘좌파'들이라고 더 반발할테니, 코드가 같은 사람들이 나서서 말리는 것이 낫지않을까. 이명박 정부가 책임지고, 또 대한민국 보수가 나서서 이들의 1960년대식 행동을 중단시키는 것이 마땅하다. 지금 세상이 어느 세상인가.
What I remember about bbira
I remember when I was kid, I saw a bbira. It was a painting showing South Korean President Park Chung Hee was hugging a topnotch actress. It was long time ago, and so I don’t remember well. What I remember is that the painting looked coarse to even a child’s perspective. It seems that North Korea spread it. The reason why I still remember is because I was so nervous at that moment. And after a long time I haven’t heard about bbira until now. Private organizations are spraying bbira to North Korea about criticizing the North Korea leader.[…]
Why North Korea is so mad about bbira…
Why is North Korea so upset about this bbira and what contents does it have? Media just indicates it as a ‘private organization.’ It is Fighters For Free North Korea (FFNK). The organization has sprayed bbira since 2005 and the representative explains why they started this activity.
“After the meeting between Kim Dae Joong (South Korean President) and Kim Jong Il (North Korean Leader) on the 15th of June, 2000, South Korea stopped making propaganda and broadcasting that have taught about freedom and superiority of political systems of the South Korean government toward North Korean soldiers in the demilitarized zone. In addition, South Korea also gave up leaflets and printed copies that they sprayed through advertising balloons since they did after the ceasefire agreement on the 27th of July, 1953.”
It means that they are doing this because the government doesn’t do it anymore. Looking at the contents of bbira, it is understandable why North Korea is so sensitive. Bbira even shows a table indicating that Kim Jong Il has 9 wives.[Kr] Above the table, it says ‘Is Kim Jong Il really a human? The truth is here.’
We should stop the activity of the 1960s style
Looking at the contents of bbira, I thought about bbira that I saw several decades ago. But now I see the bbira in the 1960s style and we spread them to North Korea. Our relations with North Korea are not good now and this will make it worse. The government said that they are also worried, but can’t find a way to stop them. The Lee government must not be comfortable with this because it causes worse relations between North Korea and South Korea. Even though the Ministry of Unification asked to restrain those organizations from these activities, I don’t think that those organizations will stop.
Then what do we have to do? The Lee government should take responsibility for this and should stop these 1960 style activities. What kind of world do we live now?
Not a few netizens are not happy about activities of those organizations.
삐라.. 참으로 오랜만에 들어보는 말인데, 어제 신문을 뒤적이다 의외의 기사를 보았다. 북한이 “남한측에서 대북전단(삐라) 살포를 중단하지 않으면 즉각 행동에 나서겠다” 고 했단다. 아니, 삐라는 북한이 주로 뿌리는거 아니었나? 초등학교 때만해도 삐라를 줏어다가 학교에 제출하면 학용품으로 바꿔주곤 했었던것 같은데, 그때 내눈에 띄지 않던 삐라가 얼마나 원망스러웠는데.. 이젠 우리나라가 뿌리는 구나..
점심을 먹으면서 동료들과 이야기를 했는데, 아마 삐라 뿐만 아니라 (북한에서 볼때) 간첩도 우리가 더 많이 보내고 있지 않나 하는 생각이 든다. 경제력이 월등하니 당연한건가.. 그런데, 이 글을 포스팅 하면서 찾아보니,삐라는 기독교단체에서 주로 보내나 보다. 참 하지 말라는 짓은 골라서 한다는 생각이 든다.
While I had lunch with my company colleagues, we said that maybe South Korea sends a larger number of spies to North Korea than North Korea does. It might be true because of the economic gap. With curiosity, I looked for other writings about this news. It seems that Christian groups are sending bbira [Kr]. Why do they do that?
Passive reaction from the South Korean government is also criticized by some netizens.
대북삐라(이하 대북전단)가 남북관계를 경색시키는데 한몫을 하고 있다.[…] 통일부와 현정부는 남과 북이 합의한 합의서들을 다시 봐야 한다. 이명박 정부가 남북관계에서 6.15공동선언과 10.4남북정상선언보다 중요시하는 1992년 채택된 남북기본합의서에도 남북 상호 비방ㆍ중상 금지 조항이 있다. […]북한이 제기하는 대북전단 살포 중단 요구는 남북 간의 합의사항에 기초한 것이다. 합의사항을 위배하고 있는 것은 남측당국이다.
언론에서는 북한과 남측 보수단체들의 틈바구니에서 오도가도 못하는 통일부의 처지에 대한 보도가 이어지고 있지만, 통일부는 사실상 자기 직무를 하지 않고 있는 것이다. 통일부는 대북전단을 살포하는 관련단체에 자제를 요청했다고 하지만, 그 이상도 그 이하도 아니다. 오히려 대북전단을 살포하는 보수단체들은 통일부에 대해 더 반발하고 있으며, 전단살포를 계속할 것이라는 입장을 취하고 있다. 촛불을 든 국민들은 모두 범법자로 만들고, 강경진압해온 당국이다.
그런데 이번에는 희안한 상황이다. 남북관계를 경색시키는 전단살포에 대해서 당국은 보수단체들 눈치보기에 여념이 없다.[…]
The media just says that the Ministry of Unification has hard time between North Korea and conservative groups in South Korea. However, the Ministry of Unification actually doesn’t do their duty. The Ministry of Unification said that they asked those groups not to spread bbira. But that’s all. Those conservative organizations are more strongly repulsing and insisting that they will continue spreading bbira. It was the government that treated people holding candles as criminals and forcefully suppressed them. But this time is different. The government is busy studying faces of those conservative organizations.[…]
And how about people who are in military service at present… ?
저 군인입니다…전쟁이 무섭습니다 ㅠㅠ
뭐…반쯤은 진담인 농담입니다. 한창 북한관련 뉴스로 꾸준히 화젯거리가 되고있는 북한 삐라 배포…
솔직히 말해서 그다지 보기 좋은 모습은 아닌듯. 북한이 한 민족이다 뭐다 하긴 하지만 솔직히 21세기를 살아온 저로써는 그다지 한민족이다 뭐다 한 생각이 전혀 들지도 않는게, 개인적으로 친척중에 이산가족이 있는것도 아니고, 통일이 될 경우 호황을 누릴 직종(건설업, 부동산 등등)에 종사 할 생각도 전혀 없는데 통일을 굳이 고집할 필요성을 느끼지 못하는 조금…아니 많이 이기적인 인간이기 때문입니다.그러나
삐라 배포를 통해 민심선동이라니…이런건 분명 침략행위라고 봐도 무방 하지 않는가? 모순아닌가? 물론 수천만의 국민들이 사는 사람들의 의견이 하나 일수는 없겟으나, 한쪽에서는 평화 통일을 내세워 반미를 외치면서 한쪽에서는 삐라 배포같은 전략적 침략행위라니. 삐라 배포는 분명 국가 보안법에 위배되는 반국가 단체와의 통신 행위로써 불법이다. 삐라 관련 민간단체들이 내세우는 ‘북한 땅으로 제대로 갈 수 있을지 없을지 모를 원시적 방식으로, 학정에 시달리는 북한 동포들에 대한 연민을 담아 날려보내는 것들이니 정부가 상관할 바 아니다라는 헛소리따윈 집어 치워라. 한번 물어보고 싶다. 당신들이 그 연민을 날려보내는 행동으로 돌아오는 것들에 책임을 질 수 있는지. 제대로 갈 수 있을지 없을지 모를 원시적 방법은 실제로 성공해서 북한에 도달했으며, 그로인해 위 뉴스처럼 공격의사까지 밝혔는데, 실제로 핵무기라 서울 한가운데 떨어질지 어떻게 아는가. 하루빨리 각성하길… 당신들의 행동에 국가의 안보와 안전이 위협받고 있다는 사실을… 안그래도 김정일 건강 이상설때문에 군생활 늘어날까봐 조마조마한 실정인데…
Now all people talk about bbira… Honestly speaking, I don’t think that this is right. We all say North and South are brothers and sisters. But to me living in the 21 century, it is not so persuasive. I don’t have any relatives in North Korea and I am not planning to work in sectors (construction, real estate and so on) that are assumed to be popular after reunification. So I don’t feel that unification is necessary… maybe I am a selfish person.
However,
Demagogy through distributing bbira… Shouldn’t it be regarded as an act of aggression? Isn’t it contradiction? In one side, people are shouting anti-America and crying for peaceful unification and in other side, people are spreading bbira. Spreading bbira in that way is the illegal activity against the National Security Law. If the government lazily says that those organizations use primitive tactics that can’t guarantee those bbira to be able to reach North Korea and that they want to show their compassion to North Korean brothers and sisters who are suffered, it is nonsense. I would like to ask them, Can they take responsibility about their compassion? If those bbira will arrive in North Korean brothers and sisters’ hands, if the North Korean military will take actions at once, and if nuclear weapon will be dropped in the middle of Seoul… I hope that they realize what they do now. Due to their activities, the country is threatened in security and safety. I am nervous enough now that, because of the rumor of Kim Jong Il’s health, my military life can be extended.
Some netizens ask why North Korea is over-sensitive this time.
북한은 왜 삐라 살포에 민감한가?
북한이 우리의 탈북자 단체와 납북자 단체들이 살포한 전단에 민감한 반응을 보이고 있어 남북간에 새로운 쟁점으로 부각되고 있다. 이와 관련하여 국방부는 2005년 남북 군사회담에서 합의한 군사분계선 상에서의 전단살포 중지는 합의를 성실하게 지키고 있는데, 민간단체의 삐라 살포문제를 가지고 개성공단 사업과 개성.금강산 관광사업과 연계시키는 것은 적절치 못하다고 지적했다. 그렇다. 북한이 시비를 걸고 있는 민간단체들의 대북 삐라살포는 어제 오늘에 일어난 일이 아니다. 대북선교를 표방한 탈북자단체인 ‘기독 북한인연합’은 2003년부터 지금까지 무려 1천만장 정도의 전단을 북한에 살포해 왔고, ‘자유북한연합’은 2004년부터 매년 150만장의 삐라를 북한에 보내고 있다. […] 이들 민간단체들이 대북 삐라 살포에 드는 경비는 주로 재미 교포나 디펜스 포럼과 같은 미국 현지 단체의 후원금, 그리고 국내 민간단체들이 모금한 돈으로 충당하고 있다. 당국의 지원 없이 순수한 민간단체들이 모금한 돈으로 사용하고 있어 정부 당국으로서도 마땅히 제재할 방도가 없고, 단지 남북관계를 고려하여 자제를 당부하고 있는 정도다. 북한이 이같이 신경질적인 반응을 보이고 있는 것은, 민간단체들이 전단지에 김정일의 유일 지배체제 유지와 북한이 부르짖고 있는 선군정치를 위해 북한 주민들의 인권이 처참하게 유린되고 있고, 굶주림에 시달리고 있는 북한 주민들의 참상을 담고 있는데다가 1955-2000년까지 북한에 납치된 500여명의 납북자 실태와 600여명의 생존 국군포로문제, 김정일의 와병설에 대해서도 전파하는 등 북한의 아픈 곳을 찌르고 있기 때문이다. 그리고 이같은 전단 내용을 북한 주민들이 접하고 있기에 북한으로서는 북한의 처참한 현실이 주민들에게 생생하게 전파되어 반 김정일 분위가 확산되는 것을 막기 위해서 일 것이다.[…] 북한이 민간단체들이 알리는 내용이 사실이 아니라면 그렇게 민감하게 행동할 일이 아닐 것이다. 북한은 민간단체들의 전단 살포 문제를 가지고 떠들면 떠들수록 북한의 참상이 북한 주민들과 국제사회에 더욱 더 확산되어 나가게 될 것이라는 것도 함께 알아두어야 한다.
North Korea shows sensitive reactions about bbira that organizations that North Korean defectors and South Korean abductees lead spread and this issue becomes a significant point of relations between North and South Korea. Regarding this, the Ministry of National Defense pointed out that the government sincerely followed the agreement that North and South Korea had in 2005, but, due to activities of private organizations, that the North Korean government wants to close the Kaesong Industrial Zone and Mt. Keumkang Tourism is not appropriate. That’s true. Spraying bbira is not a new story. ‘ The North Korean Christian Association since 2003 has spread 10 million bbira to North Korea and the Fighters For Free North Korea from 2004 sends 1.5 million bbira every year.[…] The expenses of bbira for those organizations are usually from Korean Americans, American organizations, such as Defense Forum, or domestic organizations. They don’t get any financial support from the government and therefore the government can’t block them forcefully. The reason why North Korea is so sensitive about the bbira is because it shows what’s happening to North Korea, such as humanitarian crisis, starving North Koreans, 500 abductees to North Korea between 1955 and 2000, 600 South Korean war prisoners, and Kim Jong Il’s illness. They are worried that these stories will be conveyed to North Korean people and might lead anti-Kim Jong Il atmosphere. […]If those stories are not true, North Korea doesn’t have to react so sensitively. The more North Korea talks about this scandal, the more stories about North Korea will be exposed to international society.
Russia: Bureaucracy and LJ Activism in St. Petersburg
This story (RUS) of bureaucracy, human suffering and online activism in St. Petersburg began when LJ user lassi_'s mother hurt her leg in February 2006:
[…] She was taken by an ambulance to [City Hospital #26 on Kostyushko St.], where she spent all the time in the hallway. A room cost 2,500 rubles a day [roughly $100] then. Almost all hallways were packed with people. […]
By March 2008, LJ user lassi_'s mother was bedridden - and in need of a costly surgery.
[…] As of now, there's a two-year waiting list for this surgery. The only chance for a pensioner is to get a “quota” from the state. […]
But obtaining this much-needed piece of paper from the state turned out to be not an easy task:
[…] Quotas are currently being issued in St. Petersburg and Leningrad region on Wednesdays, in the courtyard at 24 Rudnev St., from 10 AM till noon, at the Orthopedics and Traumatology Medical Center. My mother had made four attempts at getting through there, before she turned to me, because she “was afraid to disturb me.” She just tried to do it by herself. And failed. Here's why - people in wheelchairs and on crutches, as well as their relatives and friends, start coming to that courtyard to secure their place in the waiting line from 2:30 AM. […]
Needless to say, LJ user lassi_ decided to get involved and help her mother get the surgery certificate. Here's how it went:
[…] At 5 AM, dressed in my winter jacket, I didn't even make it into the first 30. People stood in darkness on crutches, in wheelchairs, everyone recognized each other […]. Cars were parked everywhere. People were helping each other, as if during the [Siege of Leningrad], letting strangers sit in their relatives' cars to get warm […]. Cold, dark, no toilets, people could barely keep standing. […]
Mama replaced me at 8:30 AM. I was freezing to death by that time. Miraculously, she got her paper at 11:50 AM, ten minutes before the place closed. The fifth attempt was a success. […]
This ordeal has prompted LJ user lassi_ to get others, including the media, involved in drawing attention to the outrageous treatment of the disabled elderly people - all via her blog:
[…] Tell me - are there any medical professionals here who can give me links to relevant sites where I can write about it, or any journalists who can join me next Wednesday to do a story on this mess.
Yes, my mama has obtained the certificate she needed, but I'm aware of what it's like for other people to be standing there, those who were behind us… Flash mobs in LJ have always been a good thing. But maybe we could help for real, not just do it for fun? I'll go there on the night of Tuesday to Wednesday, and will at least take hot tea for these people.
[…]
UP. 1 Mama said that coffee and tea won't help. People are afraid to drink them, because they are spending 8-9 hours before the office opens, in the freezing cold and without toilets, with nowhere to go. […]
The post quoted above appeared on Oct. 10. Five days later, on Oct. 15, LJ users nisovsky and lassi_ collaborated on a photo report from the Orthopedics and Traumatology Medical Center in St. Petersburg, posting it on LJ user nisovsky's blog on Oct. 19. The post (RUS) - titled “On Self-Respect” - has made it into the Top 30 at Yandex Blogs portal; below is a tiny part of the text accompanying the 16 photos of people waiting outside and inside the medical center:
[…] [photo of an elderly woman wiping her nose with a handkerchief]
Yershova Tamara Grigorievna. […] A surgeon with 40 years of work experience, 15 of them in ER. She is suffering from arthrose/arthritis of knees and spine. This is her third time in the waiting line. [She says]: “I've come at 10-15 minutes to 8 today. I'm somewhere in the fourties [on the waiting list] now. When I came here the first time, it was a bit too late and I decided against waiting; when I came the second time, they stopped seeing people when it was my turn - the surgeon closed the door right in front of my nose. After that I was forced to take a break - I got sick. It's insulting for me to be standing here. I worked in the Soviet times and couldn't imagine that anything like this was possible. Even during the [Siege of Leningrad] - and I am [a Siege survivor] - we were warm when we stood in line for bread: they were at least letting us inside the store. But I was 14 then - and life seemed more fun in general then.” […]
The story got picked up by a number of local media outlets. LJ user anonim_from_rus was one of the reporters who showed up at the medical center on Oct. 15, along with LJ users nisovsky and lassi_, and here's what he wrote (RUS) about the outcome of the publicity campaign:
[…] After a series of reports, the Center's administrators have kindly agreed to extend reception hours and even see patients twice a week, not once, as it used to be. […]
Links for Sun, 2008-11
Gamron, an Iran based blogger, writes [fa] that Iranian security forces repressed people who wanted to celebrate Cyrus the Great Day in Pasargad in Fars province. The blogger has published photos and films about this event.
Shan Ding Lu has compiled a photo essay about rubbish in Taiwan. He looks at how rubbish is collected and often recycled.
Bahraini blogger and founder of Mideast Youth Esra'a Al Shafei, has been featured in Al Hasnaa magazine, a monthly Arabic magazine targeting modern Arab women.
Qwaider from Jordan says the Global Network Initiative is a great win for human rights.
“It’s exciting that I can finally see the Maps of Lebanon, even the small village where I live got a label!” notes Elie El Khoury about Google Maps adding Lebanese maps with labels.
“Valet dude takes the car and parks it 2 meters away, they don't even let you park it yourself in some restaurants, they confiscate all parking spots by placing these yellow thingies, either you have to go park it back in your house or give it to them,” explains Liliane about the Lebanese laziness and dependency on valet parking.
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