Archive for
June 26th, 2009
Stories
Caribbean, USA: Tributes to the “King of Pop”
Despite the controversy which plagued him for the latter part of his eccentric life, the sudden and unexpected death of American-born entertainer Michael Jackson, dubbed “The King of Pop”, has touched millions of people around the world - and the Caribbean is no exception. Regional bloggers pay their respects…
Guyana Media Arts calls Jackson “the world's greatest musician”, and admits the news of the singer's death still hasn't really sunk in, while fellow Guyanese blogger The Intellectual Elite says:
I have never understood the fixation that a lot of the adult men I know have with Michael Jackson.
But I’ll admit that for much of my childhood I liked his music, which as someone pointed out to me transcended barriers all around.
And then I grew up, confused and disenchanted by his ambiguous sexuality, his unhealthy preoccupation with plastic surgery, and the child abuse allegations that continued to dog him. Like with another musician, I have been loathe to listen to Jackson, his musical genius notwithstanding. There’s absolutely no denying that he was a very talented musician…but it’s hard to put those kinds of eccentricities out of your mind.
Bermudian cartoon blog, The Devil Island, mourns for both Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson, who passed away on the same day, saying of the latter:
Come on. We grew up with him.
Yeah, he freaked at the end, but ‘I Want You Back'? ‘ABC'? ‘Ben'? What he gave us was so much more.He was an icon. He changed us.
His compatriot Breezeblog comments:
Michael Jackson produced some of the best pop music ever made … but what a strange boy.
…but Crushing Fools comes to the singer's defense:
Although we may never know the truth about the allegations that was brought against Michael Jackson; I personally never believed they were true. I am of the opinion that Michael was a victim of imposed greed, a phenomenon that is widely spread today.
Meanwhile, Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp posts a moving poem that he wrote in Jackson's honour and in another post, remembers his feelings about the musical icon:
Michael was born to sing, he was born to set our souls on fire–to show us how a spirit body could soar.
Year after year Michael would create great music. In Jamaica, I'd stand there at a party waiting for the moment, hoping for a slow dance when the DJ would play ‘Got to Be There' or ‘Ben'.
I continued to listen Michael's music when he played with my hero Bob Marley in Jamaica…Michael's music followed me through my young adulthood, student days, college days, young married days, young fatherhood days–no road trip was ever complete without a Michael Jackson song.
And, yes, there were the dark moments in his life. He is gone now so they won't follow him into his next life.
And if anyone is still inclined to judge, listen to ‘Human Nature' one more time.
Other Jamaican bloggers also weigh in. Stunner's Afflictions: “Another great icon of our generation has passed”; Girl With a Purpose: “His ‘Thriller' album was a testament to the musical and theatrical genius of the man. Yes, he had faults…but the guy was a musical genius!”
Barbados Free Press echoes her sentiment:
Yes, we know he went weird, but Michael Jackson’s Thriller is still one of our favourites and we remember him as he was – not as he became.
…while diaspora blogger Doan Mind Me says:
Do you remember the time when Michael was a pop icon rather than tabloid fodder?
At the end he was more bogeyman than boogie-man, more monster than hero…more caricature than role model but there was a time when Michael apparently was a cool inspiration to black folks and loved by everyone worldwide.
Without Michael there would be no Puffy, no Jay Z, no Chris Brownes, no Ushers.
And man could he dance!
A lot of the boo hoo hoo I miss him stories that will circulate in the coming days are a bunch of crap and highly hypocritical and come from the people who two days ago were more than likely dissing or laughing at ol boy.
Rest in Peace Michael; may you be less troubled now than in life.
His feelings are closely matched by Living in Barbados, who writes:
So, from a boy who seemed like a talented freak of nature, we ended up with a man, who had turned into a freak. Yet, he still produced stunning music and danced like no one else. I just hope that whatever demons he had to live with are now laid to rest.
From St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Abeni says:
It just doesn't feel right that MJ is no longer with us. I feel bad and I am not even the person who gets bent out of shape by celebrities. I am just shocked. Finally, some peace though for the King of Pop. RIP MJ, the music will live on.
Caribbean musician Rasheed Ali, who once met the legendary singer, remembers their encounter:
In 1977, I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and speaking with Michael Jackson. I felt sorry for him because he seemed so painfully shy but his warmth and kindness were genuine.
His gentle voice will continue to echo into eternity…
Puerto Rican diaspora blogger Liza adds:
Michael Jackson is dead.
I don't know what to say other than a part of my childhood has died with him.
…while over in the Bahamas, Nicolette Bethel says:
The whiter Michael got the further he got from me and from my friends. The more he assimilated, for whatever reason, the closer he came to yesterday. By the time his hair caught on fire on the Pepsi shoot, we’d determined that Michael, the Michael Jackson we’d grown up with, the singer of ‘Ben' and ‘Got to Be There' and ‘She’s Out of My Life', was dead. All that was left was the clone.
But here’s to Michael — to all the Michaels that he ever was — the greatest performer I’ve ever seen.
Scavella's Blogsphere adds:
When my husband told me…that Michael Jackson had been found not breathing at his home, having suffered cardiac arrest, I didn’t feel a whole lot of sympathy for him.
The reason? I’ve been convinced for the last twenty years or so that Michael Jackson died after Thriller, and that the person we’ve been calling MJ is the clone.
But now that the word is out that they couldn’t revive him, that he might be dead, it’s hit me. This is the boy who sang me through my childhood.
Trinidad and Tobago bloggers also have their fair share to say. Tattoo posts a list of his Top 5 favourite Michael Jackson songs, and follows that up with a more detailed blog entry:
While we had thought of him one day dying, when that day did come, no one was prepared. Cynic and fan alike, everyone was struck with a wave of panic, pain, and sadness when it was confirmed that Jackson had died.
I may not have known the man (or did I through his music?), I may not have ever met the man (would I have wanted to with all of his odd behavior?)…but I felt the beginnings of a little tear over the fact that this great piece of history…had come to an end. Just when he was about to try to prove to everyone that he could rise again, like the phoenix, he could go no further.
Islandista keeps it simple:
An era has ended. He touched all our lives.
And that is all that needs to be said.
And even as B.C. Pires wrestles with the reality that the shock over the murder of a woman on a police station compound in Trinidad “has already begun to pass, in Trini minds, into the realm of statistics…especially when Trinidadians have Michael Jackson’s death to talk about at the next fete and the pelau eating sweet”, he still manages to write a post remembering the singer.
This Beach Called Life sums it up this way:
I suppose it is only after he died Michael Jackson knew what his life really meant.
Singapore: Infamous Burger King ad
Burger King has a new sandwich offering in Singapore called the “Super Seven Incher.” To promote the new product, a local ad agency produced an outdoor ad which is now getting a lot of attention and criticism around the world.
The ad has been criticized for its use of sexual codes to sell the product. Read the full text of the ad:
Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER. Yearn for more after you taste the mind-blowing burger that comes with a single beef patty, topped with American cheese, crispy onions and the A1 Thick and Hearty Steak Sauce.
The ad will run until the end of the month. Dan Mitchell reacts to the ad:
They got two “blows” in there. Nice. The sandwich (by itself an obscenity), slathered in unnaturally ultra-white mayonnaise, is floating in the air directly across from the disturbingly pale profile of a young, gape-mouthed woman who looks frightened to death of the manly meat. Sexy!
So good adds:
When I say “hot”, “meaty” and “7 inches” what do you think of? Well you aren’t alone. So did the ad minds behind this new campaign, who apparently just couldn’t resist the idea/imagery of a woman giving a blow job to a giant 7-inch hunk of meat. Just in case you couldn’t pick up on the subtlety of the idea, they decided to hit you over the head with it.
Garr’s posterous writes that the ad is stupid and insulting:
On their website they touch on who their target is: “In Singapore, the bright and vibrant Americana décor has made our restaurants the favourite meeting place for young people, including college students and working professionals.” OK, so it's not families or young children (I guess), but this ad is still insulting to teens and young professionals. Where's the respect for your customer? Even putting the objectification of the woman in the ad aside, this ad is poor simply because it's so, well, stupid…it's not clever. Is this Burger King? Really? Who on earth at Burger King thought this would be a good idea?
This is not the first time that a Burger King ad was cited for its use of sexual themes. There was the square butts ad to promote kiddie meals, an ad urging the customer to “pleasure yourself“, a shirtless BK King, and an ad naming a product after a slang term for a photo of a vagina.
Burger King released this statement in reference to the Singapore ad:
“Burger King Corporation values and respects all of its guests. This advertisement is running to support a limited promotion in the Singapore market and is not running in the U.S. or any other markets. It was produced by a locally-based Singapore agency and not by BKC's U.S. advertising agency of record, Crispin Porter and Bogusky.”
Lissa has a message for Burger King:
I understand that you ran this ad only in a limited market (Singapore). I applaud your iota of common sense that kept you from running them world-wide. That being said — See, there’s this little thing called the Internet. It allows us to communicate with people all the way around the world — wow! So I’d advise you to refrain from running ads like this
China's youngest mayor questioned
The youngest mayor in China is now believed to be Zhou Senfeng (周森峰）.
The newly elected mayor is only 29 years old. His resume shows the rapid promotion he got in the past 5 years. Right after he graduated from Qinghua University, one of the best colleges in China, he was appointed to be the deputy director of the Construction Committee in Xiangfan, a city in Hubei province. A position many people can only dream of in their thirties, it started Zhou's rocketing promotion, that finally leads him to be the mayor of YiCheng (宜城）.
This time, the People's Congress of Yicheng unanimously voted him the mayor, which is another shocking fact. A member in the congress said it was unprecedented. His mysterious promotion, therefore, has become the topic of the heated debate on the internet.
A denial of interview and public concern
A broadcast scription reads:
周森锋成为湖北乃至全中国最年轻市长的消息传开后，各路媒体纷纷要求采访这名政坛新星，但都遭中共宜城市委宣传部拒绝。宜城市委宣传部负责人声称，周森锋比较务实、低调，不希望媒体过多地宣传、炒作。该市组织部门一名工作人员说，相关领导已明确指示，任何人不得私自接受采访。
Meanwhile, none of Zhou's colleagues has given any information about the young mayor in his previous posts.
A short path to power
Three years after graduation, Zhou has been promoted to be the vice bureau chief, which is the second position he took. In the following two years, he was promoted for totally 5 times.
An editorial cited by the official media, People's Daily, posed a question on Zhou's rapid promotion. The writer questioned whether the quick promotion violates the CCP regualtions about the procedure of cadre promotion.
Zhou Pengan, the blogger, writes:
再来看看中共中央关于《党政领导干部选拔任用条例》相关条款的规定。《党政领导干部选拔任用条例》第七条第一款规定， 提任县（处）级领导职务的，应当具有五年以上工龄和两年以上基层工作经历。
周森锋的简历告诉我们，他2004年7月参加工作，其工龄还不满5年并且缺乏两年以上基层工作经历
Justice-Blade echoed the question on China.com:
我相信在科学界，在艺术界，在文化界有天才，但在成熟的政治领域不可能有。
Questioning whether Zhou has special family background that brings him to the position, netizens launched Flesh Search Engine in an attempt to find out the truth. Typing in Zhou Senfeng in Baidu, relative terms such as Zhou Senfeng's father, Zhou Senfeng's wife immediately show up, which indicates that millions of people have already tried to find out about his family.
Zhou's father was the first focus. ‘Who is Zhou's father' became a question frequently seen on the internet. Netizens soon discovered a “suspect”. On around 23, June, the name Zhou Gengyan floated on the internet. According to his public resume, Zhou Gengyan is now the CCP's first secretary of YuZhou, head of the city.
However, official media across the country soon published a story about Zhou's family, claiming that his father is actually a normal worker and his mother a farmer.
The report said:
记者又询问了很多人后，终于找到了周森锋在神垕镇上开摄影店的三姨妈。“我们已经从网上看到了森锋当选宜城市市长的消息了，这孩子越来越有出息了。”周森锋的三姨妈高兴地说，“其实，我们森锋也是贫苦人家的孩子。”
The report, furthermore, depicted Zhou's home as the worst in the town. His father was said to be working in a porcelain plant for living. Moreover, there are netizens questioning that, if Zhou's father is now only the head of a city, he has no way to promote his son to the same level so quickly.
The contradicting versions about Zhou's family lead netizens to question about Zhou's wife. She was first exposed to be the deputy director of the city congress. But again, she was found to be only the head of a subcomittee. Zhou's father-in-law, who is said to be unemployed now has nothing special as well.
Umbrella and research paper
The official statement told that ‘his appointment coincided with the government's campaign to foster more young cadres.' He just took well of the chance and earned his own way in the political sphere.
However, it is not too convincing a statement. In China, it is unbelievable that a person without network can rise up so quickly. It is the belief of the most that there must be something going under the table. Driven by the questions, suspicion and distrust, netizens keep on their fight for truth.
Zhou is now facing the attention from across the country. In Baidu.com, a special post-zone(贴吧）was set for people to discuss about the youthful mayor. More facts about his have been dug out.
Blogger Zhao Dahua said in his post ‘Zhou, can't you hold the umbrella yourself?':
谢疏而不漏的恢恢网络，29岁的研究生周森锋“当选”为中国最年轻市长的消息刚一传开，人们就找到了他今年早些时候下乡视察时由他人打伞的照片。当时，人不多，雨不大，周常委兼常务副市长背着双手，挺着肚子，在他人打着的雨伞下，悠然自得地扫视着瓜地。同时，人们还找到了好几张温家宝、布什、普京等大人物在雨中亲自打伞的照片。比较着这些照片，人们对周市长的架子看着很不爽。
Moreover, people discovered that one of Zhou's postgraduate papers plagiarized the paper of another scholar. The paper is about real estate studies, which is the major research topic of Zhou's post-graduate study. 木有下文 writes in his post which is widely cited on the internet:
于是我在半信半疑中下载了这两篇文章，对照后发现，其中竟然有好几段几乎一模一样，还有不少段落是修改了几个字，基本意思一样。而且周市长也没有注明“引用”的脚注。通篇看来，我认为不只50%的抄袭
The blogger then cited the similar paragraphs in the two papers. Qinghua University has started checking the paper but not yet given any response.
Unlucky Man?
Zhou, as the youngest mayor, is thought to be by some people just an unlucky person. It should have been exciting to hear young men promoted to the leadership. In response to such comments on the internet, Blogger Chenyunx replied in his post ‘Why do we have to question about Mayor Zhou.'
襄樊市引进硕士博士，是好事情。但是当年引进硕士博士一共多少位？其他人才引进之后是不是一开始就这么重用？周市长一开始就能成为建委副主任，是否经过公开的招考，是否经过审慎的考察？周市长一系列的工作变动，有没有经过正常的程序。一系列工作变动之后，周市长最终成为了一市之长，有没有相应证明他能够胜任这个岗位的证据？有没有工作业绩的支撑？这些东西，是我们必须疑问的。因为，作为一市之长，不是随便去找一个打工仔完成一项工作。他的一个决策的失败，影响的是宜城几十万老百姓的生活。这样一个人物，怎么能够不谨慎。
对于强势的官员们，需要的是制衡他们的力量，否则，没有制约的权力带来的只有苦涩的恶果。我们需要的不是盲从，不是盲目支持，而是用带着怀疑和警惕的眼光注视那些强大的官员们，让他们在诱惑面前多一些警醒，让他们感受到做错事之后会受到惩罚，这样，他们才能够如履薄冰，兢兢业业的做好他的工作。
如果面对网民的一点点质疑周市长们都通不过，那么这样的人有什么资格掌管几十万人民的前途？
中国民主的进程注定要从网上监督开始，因此，让质疑来的更猛烈一些吧。
Angola: New highway code in action
Angolan Driver's License
The new Angolan highway code [pt], which came into effect on April 1, has divided society. On one hand, the new code is seen as a good measure taken by the Government as it will educate some of the drivers who are less attached to life. Nevertheless, the legislation contains costs that not everyone is able to meet. The compulsory use of seats for children under twelve, may be an example. There are now well informed thieves who have begun stealing these items each of which costs around 30 thousand Cuanza (approximately 385 USD at the date this piece was published).
Among other measures, the new highway code imposes the use of seat belts and child seats as well as dictating the mandatory use of helmets for motorcycle drivers. Fines applied tend to be heavy. However, most drivers choose to ignore the law. This fact, coupled with the country's poor road conditions, is causing congestion and situations of risk for those using public roads. Some say that when you learn how to drive in Angola, then you can drive anywhere.
For the more demoniac drivers, who offer taxi services, the new highway code has triggered great pain, since most run without legal documentation and without normal security measures, such as excess passengers. For one month, the transit police has exercised its regulatory function in an educational environment, thereby enabling, persuading and educating people about the new behavior they are expected to assume while on the road.
Photo uploaded on March 15, 2009 by Flickr user gabrieltomate, with a Creative Commons License
Eugénio Costa Almeida from blog Pululu [pt] presents the following analysis of the new highway code and his reaction:
“Uma das alterações, e talvez a mais importante para quem está na Diáspora, deve-se ao facto dos novos documentos de licença de condução serem válidos em qualquer parte do mundo dado que o mesmo se adequa às convenções internacionais adoptadas no âmbito das Nações Unidas. Acaba-se, de vez, assim o esperamos, o “Caso Mantorras (nota autora: que causou mau estar nas relações diplomáticas entre Angola e Portugal, em relação à utilização das cartas de condução portuguesas em solo angolano, após o jogador do Benfica ter sido apanhado a conduzir em Portugal com a carta caducada).
A outras das significativas alterações e que Luanda já hoje sentiu, com a reduzida presença deles, prende-se com as novas normas que limitam a circulação de alguns taxistas dos “azuis e brancos” mais conhecidos por “candongueiros”. Entre as restrições a obrigatoriedade de uso de cintos de segurança em todos os bancos, embora, segundo pareça e a fazer fé em certos relatos de Luanda, a polícia ainda está só a exigir – o que se admite durante um período de adaptação – nos bancos da frente, a apresentação de uma licença de circulação legalizada – consta-se que a maioria não estava encartado – ter licença de aluguer e que as viaturas se mostrem estar técnica e legalmente adaptadas ao referido uso, além de não poderem transportar pessoas em veículos de transporte de mercadorias.”
The same blogger continues, drawing attention to the need to improve the roads and the amount of public transport available to Angolan citizens.
“Vamos ver se Angola não segue as “normas” de um outro reconhecido país que tem restrições a certos “modos” no código mas que se esquece, em muitos casos, de melhorar as condições das estradas. Porque se estradas condignas não há códigos, por muito bons e penalizadores que sejam, que se safem. Já agora talvez seja o momento ideal para Luanda e arredores sejam dotados de melhores transportes colectivos municipais e que liguem com uma curta periodicidade exigível os diferentes bairros e municípios da capital obrigando as três actuais empresas de transporte se auto-regularem e auto-disciplinarem entre si.
Talvez que assim o fluxo rodoviário, nomeadamente em Luanda e arredores, fosse menor e mais fluido. Talvez assim as pessoas pudessem chegar mais depressa aos seus empregos e, ou, às suas casas. Talvez que assim houvesse menor perca de tempo e maior rentabilidade nos serviços e nas empresas; talvez, talvez, talvez…
Cabe ao Governo Provincial cogitar e ponderar bem no assunto!”
It is the job of the Provincial Government to think and consider this matter!
For more information visit the website AngolaBela [pt] where a series of questions and answers related to this subject can be found.
A traffic jam in Luanda. Photo uploaded on June 23, 2008 by Flickr user, azeite, with a Creative Commons License
Originally written in Portuguese, translation into English by Sara Moreira.
Links for Fri, 2009-06
Taras of Ukrainiana posts a tribute to Michael Jackson.
Window on Eurasia sums up “a 144-page report [on Internet use in Russia,] released this week […] by the Public Opinion Foundation on the basis of interviews with 34,000 people in 1920 cities and towns of the Russian Federation.”
Chapati Mystery highlights two inspiring Americans who are helping the IDPs in Pakistan.
Russian Blog posts an ode to buckwheat.
Jeremy Putley posts an open letter to Mikhail Khodorkovsky (who turned 46 on June 26) at A Step At A Time.
Eternal Remont writes that “Gazprom has created a joint venture with Nigeria's state-owned NNPC gas company” and that the new company's name is Nigaz. License Plate Poetry has a poem on this - “But no, my dear, Russia is not racist” (via @jilliancyork).
Cricket is more than a game in Pakistan and is played everywhere; on the streets, on a beach, on varandah, on the roof and what not! Owais Mughal at All Things Pakistan lists different forms of cricket played in Pakistan.
Macedonian blog Panta Rei pointed out to a gallery of Soviet Punks, reminding readers that the totalitarian regime sometimes sent its youth who dressed differently to “re-education” camps.
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