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December 13th, 2007
Stories
China: Bullog's top stories of 2007
· 22:41
Is it top ten year-end list time yet? Bullog International blogger Song Shinan gives us eight choices [zh] in a vote for blog story of the year at Bullog, the small but growing blog service provider (BSP) which hosts some of China's most progressive blogger voices, centered around hope to move on from the beating public trust in government and media has taken in recent months.
2007 was Bullog's first full calendar year—if you include the month this autumn it spent ‘under reconstruction'—and saw several high-profile personality clashes, three nominees for the Best of the Blogs awards, at least two server blow-outs and, most recently, a move overseas. Just twenty-four hours after Song published his post on Dec. 12, eight pages of votes had already been left; he begins:
Ring out the old, ring in the new；
The year is going, let him go；
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
一年又要过去了，来，玩耍一下。
牛博2007年度新闻候选如下（您可以到留言里投一票，单选）：
1、牛博主力站被和谐。
10月19日，由于众所周知的原因，牛博主力站被北京通信管理局强行关闭。在107大报告中我们可以找到这个“众所周知的原因”，那就是“保障人民的知情权与表达权”。
案发后，牛博网友“主席手下一小兵”在豆瓣牛博小组里发贴《牛博不完全作者二奶地址目录》，经网友补充后，被广为转载（生前与牛博“不合则去”的爱心牌和菜头，也转了此贴）。
案发后，牛博总编辑老罗表现出令人惊讶的乐观。他没有愤怒地向政府开炮，扔出数以万计的“操你妈逼”，也没有委屈地摆出受迫害造型儿，高呼“牛博不朽，自由万岁”。他居然像个真正的胖子一样心平气和，默默地操着办着一件实事——
On October 19, for reasons that everybody knows are unavoidable, Bullog Central was forced to shut down by the Beijing Communications Administration. We can find in the 17th National Party Congress keynote report these “reasons that everybody knows are unavoidable, namely, “guaranteeing the people's rights to be informed and to be heard.”
Following this, Bullogger “the Chairman's foot soldier” posted “the incomplete list of Bullog users' mistresses' addresses” on Douban.com, and with readers' additions, was widely spread around (He Caitou, loving supporter of Bullog alive—and “out of order”—also reposted this).
Following that, Bullog editor-in-chief Luo Yonghao shocked everyone with his optimism. He did not angrily go off on the government, or start casting thousands of curses upon anyone's mothers, nor did he start whining and playing the victim, shouting something like “Bullog forever! Long live freedom!”. Just like the fatty he is, stayed calm and reasonable, dealing silently with the issue at hand—
The old, and new, Bullog logo.
2、牛博国际站开张。
11月20日，牛博国际站（http://www.bullogger.com/）开张。除了读者评论、自行注册博客两个功能未开放外，从作者到界面，都跟老牛博一模一样。
牛博国际站作为“非电子公告牌性质”，比老牛博的点击略有下降，但日均独立IP访问数没有太大变化。这说明老牛博在1年零2个月里所形成的固定读者群，对它拥有相当的忠诚度。
在某个博客留言里，有网友声称：“牛博，我的精神家园”。
也许一些脸皮厚的人看了这句话会吐，但对于热爱牛博而且脸皮薄的人来说，他们将虎躯一震，星泪一闪。
我们身处的时代，是一个诡异的时代。一切有价值的正在被颠覆，比如正义、责任、人性，以及理想。一切没价值的则被颠覆更快，比如华南纸老虎、欧阳月球坑、节约型奥运，以及很成功的房改。而身处这个诡异时代的我们，也很容易就沦为虚无主义者。
但是，无论这个时代如何诡异，如何糟糕，仍有一些价值会幸存，也仍有一些珍视此类价值的幸存者会发出声音。
如果你愿意，在牛博，肯定能找到这样的幸存价值与幸存者。
On November 20, Bullog International (http://www.bullogger.com/) opened for service. Aside from the two functions of readers' comments and open registration, from the users' perspective, it was exactly the same as the old Bullog.
Bullog International, minus a bulletin board system, saw a decrease in click rates from the old Bullog, but the daily average of individual hits hasn't seen too big a change. This just shows how faithful the steady readers are that the old Bullog managed to establish in just a year and two months.
In the comments on one blog, one reader wrote: “Bullog, my spiritual home.”
Those with more thicker skin might have vomited upon seeing those words, but the thin-skinned, passionate about Bullog types, they were in for a shock.
This age in which we are living, is an age fraught with perils. Everything of value is now being subverted: justice, responsibility, humanism, and idealism. And things of no value are being subverted even faster, like the South China paper tiger, Ouyang's moon crater, an economical Olympics, as well as successful reform to the housing system. And us, here in this perilous age, how easily we end up nihilists.
But, no matter how abnormal, how messed up, this age may be, at Bullog, some values are surviving, and survivors who prize these kinds of values are still speaking out there.
Just so long as you are willing, at Bullog, you are guaranteed to find survivors and survival of these kinds of values there.
3、“厦门散步”博客直播。
6月1日、2日，数千名厦门市民自发上街“散步”，要求停建PX项目。牛博作者北风与一名国际友好人士赶赴现场，与牛博作者令狐补充利用手机短信及网络接力，在牛博博客上进行了全程现场报道。
在中国传统媒体对“厦门散步”报道集体缺席的情况下，牛博博客记录者所传播的声音，显得异常刺耳与悦耳。
Over June 1 and 2, thousands of Xiamen residents spontaneously took to the streets for “a walk”, demanding an end be put to the PX project. Bullog user Beifeng and one friendly international type rushed to the scene, and along with Bullog user Buchong, used mobile phone SMS and an internet operator to carry out live reports of the full duration of the procession on a Bullog blog.
In the collective absence of Chinese traditional media reports on “the walk in Xiamen”, the voices spread through Bullog blog-reporters were both exceptionally harsh and pleasing.
4、连岳获“德国之声”年度最佳中文博客大奖。
11月15日，“德国之声”国际博客大赛于柏林揭晓。最佳中文博客由牛博作者连岳获得。讽刺的是，从大赛投票开始到揭晓，连岳的博客始终无法访问。
之所以无法访问，是因为“连岳的第八大洲”与老牛博“咸鱼河蟹”了。
作为牛博的旗帜性人物之一，连岳在2007年因持续批评厦门PX项目而成为厦门乃至中国的言论英雄。
事实上，此次博客大赛的10个候选中文博客有3个来自牛博。除了连岳外，还有醉钢琴与老罗。
On November 15, the winners of Deutsche Welle's international blog competition were announced in Berlin. The title of best Chinese blog was awarded to Bullog author Lian Yue. What's ironic is that from the beginning of voting for the competition until the announcement was made, Lian Yue's blog was inaccessible.
The reason “Lian Yue's Eighth Continent” was inaccessible was due to the old Bullog's having been harmonized.
As one of Bullog's flagship figures, Lian Yue's persistent criticism of the PX project throughout 2007 made him a hero both for Xiamen and for freedom speech in China.
In fact, three of the blogs in this years Best of Blogs competition were Bullog bloggers. Aside from Lian Yue were Drunk Piano and Luo Yonghao.
5、罗方之争。
6 月4日，方舟子在他的牛博博客上发表声明：“今天有一名来自吉林延边的精神病患者通过代理服务器和刷贴机上了几千条内容相同的评论和留言，我没有时间删除和管理。在牛博网管理人员做到以下三条之前，我将关闭这里的评论和留言：一、删除这几千条重复的评论和留言。二、防止重复张贴和炸板。三、对评论和留言增加‘全部选择’的功能以便成批删除。”
随后，老罗发帖回应，最后说：“为了不影响我做编辑工作时的心情，我把我讨厌得要死的方先生的博客从牛博首页上拿掉了，从‘完整的牛博作者目录’上也拿掉了……今后我会一如既往的支持方先生的学术打假事业和科普写作事业，我过去支持方先生也不是因为喜欢他，现在讨厌方先生也不会因此不支持他的事业。牛博首页的新语丝链接和科技打假资金募集网站的链接也会继续保留，牛博的编辑推荐里也会继续推荐方舟子的科普文章，只是链接都会指向新语丝或新浪上的地址”。
之后就是打群架。略。
结局：方舟子离开牛博，部分新语丝网友自此视牛博为寇仇。
在我看来，罗方之争，不是利益冲突，也不是原则冲突，而是性格冲突。方舟子的离开，对牛博当然是个损失，但也不是什么无可挽救的损失。是个遗憾，但不是遗嘱。
On June 4, Fang Zhouzi wrote on his Bullog blog: “today, one psychopath in Yanbian, Jilin, using a proxy server and a spambot, posted several thousand comments of similar content [to my blog], which I do not have time to delete. Until Bullog webmasters make the three following adjustments, I will close comments on my blog: 1) delete the several thousand repeated comments; 2) prevent repeat postings and comment blasts; 3) add a 'select all' function so comments can me moderated en masse.”
Luo Yonghao responded to this, and eventually wrote: “so to not affect my mood while carrying out webmaster work, I've taken the annoying-as-hell Mr. Fang's blog down off Bullog's front page, and removed it from “the full list of Bullog users…from today forth I will continue as of old to support Mr. Fang's academic fraud-busting and science writing career. My past support of Mr. Fang was not borne of affection for him, and my loathe of him now will not mean non-support for his causes. Links to the New Trends and Dajiajijin websites will remain on the Bullog front page, and Bullog's “Editor Picks” will continue to highlight Fang Zhouzi's writings on science; only the links will be directed to New Trends itself, or Fang's Sina blog.
Then the fighting began.
The conclusion: Fang Zhouzi left Bullog, and some New Trends fans came from this to see Bullog as foe.
As I see it, the Luo-Fang War, was not a conflict of interests, nor was it a conflict of principles. It was a personality clash. Fang Zhouzi's departure was of course a loss to Bullog, but not an irrecoverable loss. It's a shame, but not a tragedy.
6、“歧视同性恋”论战。
2007 年8月25日，平客在他的牛博博客上发帖《同性恋是犯罪？》，力挺激情燃烧掉同性恋的傻逼孙海英，并给出了很神奇的理由：“我是反对同性恋的，即便我是同性恋我也反对它。那终究是有悖常态的非主流行为，同性可以有很深厚、绵长的友情，但性嘛，实在不堪。我反对同性恋，但我尊重周围彼此相爱的同性恋朋友，那是他们的自由。我在反波里谈过这个问题，现在的同性恋在政治正确的旗帜下，不仅是理直气壮了而已，大有“同性恋代表先进生产力、代表先进文化、代表人类进步”的趋势，那就全人类都同性恋吧，一代，只要一代，人类就会灭绝。”
牛博作者王老板随后发表《憋不住说几句》，《马蜂窝跟你没完》等文章，与平客商榷，只是双方的商榷稍微暴力了一点。
期间，网友一窝蜂涌上，绝大多数参与群殴平客，少数则劝架。最后以平客离开牛博首页收场。
在我看来，歧视同性恋在本质上与中世纪焚烧异教徒没什么区别。平客有坚持自己“反对同性恋”的权利，网友当然也有将他打成马蜂窝的义务。
On August 25, 2007, Pingke posted “Homosexuality is a crime?” on his Bullog blog in support of that stupid c*** Sun Haiying's passionate flaming of homosexuals, giving the very miraculous reason that: “I oppose homosexuality, and even if I was a homosexual I would still oppose it. It is, after all, still an abnormal minority behavior. Homosexuals can have deep, tender friendships, but sex? It's totally unbearable. I oppose homosexuality, but I respect my close homosexual friends who love each other; that is their freedom. I've discussed this problem on my podcast show, how now, under the flag of political correctness, homosexuals aren't only just becoming more self-righteous, but are all like, ‘homosexuals represent advanced productivity, represent advanced culture, represent human evolution.' So let everyone go gay then—in a generation, just one, humans will go extinct.”
Bullog user Boss Wang then wrote the posts, “A few words I can't hold in” and “The wasps ain't done with you yet”, disagreeing with Pingke, only both sides' disagreements got a little violent.
Meanwhile, bloggers kept poking the wasp's nest, and the vast majority of them took part in ganging up on Pingke, only a few tried to stop the fighting. It ended with Pingke leaving Bullog's main page.
The way I see it, there isn't much difference between discrimination against homosexuals and the burning of heathens during the Middle Ages. Pingke has the right to defend his “opposition to homosexuals”, and bloggers of course have the obligation to attack him like wasps.
7、《牛博文集》即将出版。
2007年11月，老罗四处给牛博作者打电话，希望对方同意将牛博博客上的文章选入《牛博文集》。
《牛博文集》出版策划者是京城10大熟女杀手莫之许，作序者暂定有中国10大文化名人：老罗、郭敬明、钱烈宪、徐静蕾、王佩、林志玲、连岳、田中爱、醉钢琴、蔡依林。
群星璀璨，敬请期待。
In November of 2007, Luo Yonghao phoned up all the Bullog bloggers, hoping they would agree to let their works be included in “The Bullog Collection”.
The mastermind behind the publishing of “The Bullog Collection” is one of Beijing's ten top ladykillers, Mo Zhixu, and the preface is tentatively set to be written by ten of China's biggest cultural figures: Luo Yonghao, Guo Jingming, ProState in Flames, Xu Jinglei, Wang Pei, Lin Zhiling, Lian Yue, Tian Zhongai, Drunk Piano and [the Taiwanese popstar?] Jolene Tsai.
A line-up of the brightest stars, coming to you soon.
Is the last one a candidate or Song's wishful thinking? Bullog founder Luo Yonghao is quite well-known offline in China for his former career as an instructor with New Oriental.
8、老罗将执教考研马列。
2007年12月，老罗接受北京某考研机构邀请，在明年夏天执教考研马列。
该考研机构本来拟邀请老罗教考研英语，但老罗不愿重复自己。他们又劝老罗教马列。
老罗开始说，别扯淡了，后来一想，马列的阵地我们不占领谁占领？于是决定去讲中国最好听的马列课。
老罗并且声称，要将学生讲得死去活来——死的要讲活过来，活的要讲死过去。
我对此只有两字评语：打入敌人内部，赢得少年芳心，哦也！
In December, 2007, Luo Yonghao accepted an invitation from one post-graduate institution in Beijing, to teach a post-graduate course next summer on Marxism-Leninism.
The post-secondary institution had originally invited Luo to teach English, but faced with Luo's refusal to tread old ground, they then urged him to teach Marxism-Leninism.
Luo's first response was, ‘cut the crap,' but then came to think, ‘if we don't hold the lead in Marxism-Leninist thought, then who might occupy it?’ Then he decided to go teach China's best class in Marxism-Leninism.
Luo also stated, he plans to teach his students to death with it—those he doesn't talk back into living.
I have only two comments on this: infiltrating the enemy camp to win the hearts and minds of the young—oh yeah!
China: Please, Give Me a Job 
· 20:57
Although there are almost half a year before graduation, the seniors in the universities of China have already thrown themselves into the cutthroat job-hunting war. With the meticulously-made resumes, those ready-to-be graduates are busy running about the various job fairs, which can often attract tens of thousands of senior students flocking to seek their ideal work.
Youku vlogger Haomang Yigen (好芒一根) shot a piece of video of the recent “super surprising job fair in Nanchang University” (if the video is slow, you can click here to see the same one in YouTube):
今天12月8号南昌大学举行招聘会！附近大学毕业生有的纷纷涌向拥有亚洲最大校门的南大前湖校区！招聘会外面排队学生波涛汹涌！相互挤压有的女孩都被踩了！深思中国毕业生就业形势的严峻和毕业生的就业压力.虽然有各种形式的就业压力的分流，由于超大批的扩招大学生，一点压力分流就如杯水车薪！
Today is December 8 when it's time for Nanchang University to hold job fair! Some of the nearby graduates have been streaming to the Front Lake Campus(前湖校区) of Nanchang University which owns the biggest gate of Asia! The surge of the students waiting outside the job fair hall has resulted in some incidents that a couple of girls were trampled on in the crowded! Thinking of the serious situation and employment pressure of Chinese graduates, even if there is a variety of ways to help ease the employment pressure, the expanded college students in extremely large quantities still make the measures nonsense!
The report of the 17th CPC National Congress clearly required “the employment work for the university graduates should be done well”, which has fully reflected the Central Party Committee's ardent expectation of educational development especially the progress of higher education, the great attention to the employment work for university graduates and good care for the graduate students, China's Education Minister Zhou Ji indicated in a video conference of the 2008 national graduate employment work, which was held on December 5 in Beijing. Despite Minister Zhou's confidence, the annual job fairs across China universities from north to south have been a tough struggle to each senior who is going to work after graduation next year.
Generally, the enormous number of applicants is the stubborn headache to the authorities so that almost every time the organizers have to ask for policemen or security guards to keep order of the job fairs, however, the huge surge of people sometimes still makes the place of recruitment like a battle field.
leafmin in the tianya blog community collected a set of pictures of explosive scenes of job fairs in 2007:
郑州万人招聘会，大门被挤倒，电梯也被挤得变了形
Ten-thousand-people job fair of Zhengzhou, in which the gate was crowded down and the escalator was out of shape
人山人海，见到招聘企业人员的面就已算不错了。别说应聘行不行了！
A sea of people, it had been luckier to meet the company's interviewers. No space to consider whether you were hired or not!
After seeing a news about the graduate job fair in Tianjin, Sina blogger Zhang Le (张乐）recalled a similar scene which he had experienced at the beginning of December in Changchun. The heavy employment pressure had left him little latitude to select a good job:
长春招聘会现场
Changchun Job Fair
学校的老师说，在年前是一个签约的高峰，要把握这段时间尽量多看信息，多应聘，否则就要等到过年的三月份了，如果那个时候再签不到就比较麻烦。
这些天来我天天上网浏览各种招聘信息，忙的不亦乐乎也郁闷的不亦乐乎。上网抱怨几句，朋友发现现在快递行业比较“紧俏”建议我找个快递公司去送快递，听了这话我昨天晚上真的是很难入睡，虽然大学生现在已经遍地都是了，可难道我他妈的花了家里几万块钱读个大学就配去送个快递？这话说起来似乎会让人觉得我有眼高手低之嫌，其实我一直是做好了最坏的打算的，到毕业那天如果再没有合适的工作，再底层的工作我都会去作的，毕竟那是要解决生存的问题。狂郁闷
The teacher said, it's a peak for signing contracts before the New Year. We should grasp this period of time, collecting information as much as possible and holding any opportunity to submit applications, otherwise we had to wait until March of next year, in which it would be really troublesome if we failed again.
Recently, I surf the Net everyday to browse through all kinds of recruiting information, extremely busy and extremely disappointed. I made some complaints on Net and a friend told me the express service was “very popular” now, so why not work as a delivery man for the express company. Having heard such suggestion, I could hardly fall asleep last night. Although the graduates have been awfully abundant, how can I work as a delivery man after graduating from the university which has f*** cost my family tens of thousands RMB? The words may let someone think I'm a fastidious and demanding man who's actually inept, but indeed I have always prepared for the worst. If there's still no proper job for me until the graduation day, I will do any job no matter how hard it is. After all, it's a question about living.
.
Exceptionally disappointed
Netease blogger flyheart, a postgraduate in Guang Zhou, described part of her job-hunting experience:
…
说实在的，从11月24日参加大学城北亭举办的招聘会以来，给自己的一个感觉就是，不管什么类型什么层次的招聘会，都会有一大堆的大学生；不管什么样的职位，最后都有一大堆的简历。望着此中情景，只能感叹没办法，中国什么都缺，就是不缺人；本来在99年之前中国也缺大学生，那时的研究生可是香饽饽，可是最近几年硕士博士也都城地瓜土豆了。
…
…
To be honest, since November 24 when I attended the job fair held in Bei Ting of Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, one of my feelings is no matter what sort of job fair, there will be a swarm of graduates; no matter what kind of position, there will be a great pile of resumes. Facing such situation, I can do nothing. China lacks everything but people; before 1999 China used to be short of graduates, too. Postgraduates at that time were really precious, but in recent years even masters and doctors have been surplus.
…
Another Sina blogger Qianqian Ruoshui (浅浅若水) personally analyzed the other side of the graduate job fair:
2008届毕业生招聘热潮已经掀起。可是参加过招聘会和了解招聘会内幕的人都在骂娘。我的一个南京大学的一个朋友，成绩不错，社会实践能力也很出众，但是他最近告诉我，他投出去的几十份简历份份石沉大海，没有一点回音，白白浪费了很多钱，搞得自己现在饭都吃不起了，我就借了点钱给他。也看到了现在大学生就业的艰难困境。那么，为什么那么多所谓的大型招聘会都在忙些啥，都没有招人吗，打听一下之后知道普遍的情势都不看好，大家灰心伤气，而毕业一天天临近，已经到火烧眉毛的时候了。那么大学毕业生招聘会的背后是什么？我们来分析一下。
大企业忙宣讲
每到招聘时节，大企业仿佛都一夜之间赶时髦似的全都跑到大学去开什么宣讲会去了，往往更注重宣讲，而真正的目的并不是招聘！大企业名企业都把招聘季节当作宣传自己企业的大好机会了，他们根本就不参加那些所谓的大型招聘会。小公司招聘忙会忽悠
很多小公司打着招聘的大旗，招而不聘！据某公司一招聘经理称，他们去招聘并非真正招聘，只不过是去给企业做宣传，以招聘的方式给企业做宣传，真是滑天下之大稽。…主办方借招聘之机忙赚钱和演戏
很多主办招聘会的单位根本不关心学生怎么就业，而是忙着赚钱，也不关心来招聘的企业到底是大公司还是皮包公司，只要交钱就给展位。随随便便，很不严谨的就冠之“2008某某大型招聘会”。什么叫大型到是值得商榷。每人１０元钱的门票，一般招聘会随随便便都有几千人，主办方趁机大大的捞了一笔。而一些高校的招生就业办公室，大都是在演戏，为了应付学校的考核或者指标什么。大学毕业生算什么
而只有这些知识分子，大学毕业后新的弱势群体因为生存才在不断地忙招聘会。花钱和心思做简历，结果被那些缺乏道德和根本就不是来招聘的单位当做垃圾一样把简历扔在垃圾桶，不但丢失了自己一些个人信息，还丢失了尊严。
…
The upsurge of recruitment for the 2008 graduates has started, but people who have attended the job fair or known the inside story are both complaining. A friend in Nanjing University who did a good job in study and had an outstanding ability of social practice recently told me he had sent dozens of resumes but got no reply and the high cost of job-hunting had made him hardly afford the life, so I lent some money to him. The situation of the graduate employment is difficult, but what's the so called great job fair busy at? No one employ person there? After inquiring I found the general prospect was not good, everyone was disappointed and the dead line for graduation was approaching day by day, which demanded immediate action. Then what is it behind the graduate job fair? Let's have an analysis.
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Big Enterprise Busy at Advertising
Every time when the recruiting season comes, the big enterprises like following the fashion would go to the universities overnight to hold publicity meetings which mostly emphasize the publicity but not aim at employing workers! All the big and prestigious enterprises regard the recruiting season as a great chance to publicize themselves. They never attend the so called large job fair.
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Small Company Busy at Bragging
Lifting a signboard of recruiting, many small companies just interview the applicants without employing! According to some company's personnel manager, they actually wouldn't take on anyone there, but only wanted to do publicity. It's so ridiculous. …
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Organizer Busy at Making Money and Shows
A lot of job fair organizers are not concerned about the student employment at all but only busy at making money. No matter big giants or briefcase company, the host will provide display stand to anyone as long as they pay the cash. It's free and simple to give a name to the fair like “2008 so-and-so Large-Scale Job Fair” and what does the large-scale mean really deserves a discussion. The organizer will take advantage of the chance to gain lots of money because almost all the job fairs can easily magnetize thousands of people and each person always has to buy a 10 RMB admission. Besides, some university enrolment and vocation offices only make a show for dealing with checks and the like from the above.
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The Graduate Is Nothing
However, only the intelligentsia, the new disadvantaged group after graduation, have to keep busy at job fair for living. But finally, their carefully-made resumes which cost a full amount of effort and money are thrown away into the garbage bins by those immoral companies that don't mean to recruit the graduates at all. The graduate students not only lose some of their personal information, but also the dignity.
…
In addition to the cruel competition, the green graduates also have to face different limits and discrimination during the job-hunting. QQ blogger Youth Laboratory (青春实验室) who is living in Beijing summarized four prejudices which some graduates would be faced in the job market:
女生先出局：性别歧视依然存在
在找工作的过程中，女生们似乎总是显得很无奈。“招聘的时候没有明文规定不招女生，可为什么最后通过面试的全是男生？”
进入笔试的同学里男女生的比例是差不多的，甚至女生稍多一点，可最后被录用的名单里，却清一色全是男生。现在很多单位并不写明只招男生，却在淘汰的过程中先推女生出局……学历还要“查三代”
名牌大学的博士学位、硕士学位还不够，还要看本科。这是如今招聘会上用人单位查看学历的的要求，被不少人称为“查三代”。肝病限制：用人单位怎么都在躲我们
患肝病的大学毕业生，在找工作时受到的限制似乎更多。事实上，医学上早已确认：乙肝病毒携带者肝功能相对正常，不等于乙肝病人，体力上与正常人无异，也不妨碍他人接受教育。正常的学习、生活、工作中，乙肝病毒携带者与其他人接触不会发生传染。 但用人单位还是谈肝色变。相貌歧视：长得不好看是谁的错
相比于男生，相貌问题在女生求职中表现得更明显，用人单位对女生的相貌相对要求更高一些，因为长相不好求职失败的案例不少，近几年表现得更明显，但相关的法律法规对相貌歧视并没有明确的约束，求职者即使遭遇相貌歧视也很难通过法律途径维护自身权益。
Girls Are First Out: The Sexism Still Exists
The women graduates always seem helpless when they are hunting jobs. “No proclamation declaring that women are not employed, but why at last all the people who finally pass the interviews are men?”
In the schoolmates who have entered the written examination, the proportion of women graduates is even a little higher than men, but in the final list you can only see the men's names.
Now lots of units won't manifest that they only employ men graduates, but during the eliminating process they will firstly make the women out.
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The Academic Background Should “Be Checked to Three Generations”
Doctorate and master's degree of the prestigious university are not enough. The employers will check whether your Bachelor degree is also coming from the key university. Nowadays this kind of examination of educational background in the job fair is called “Be Checked to Three Generations”
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Liver Complaint Limit: Why Are We Shunned by All the Employers
It seems the graduates who have liver troubles will face more restrictions during job-hunting. In fact, the medical authority has already confirmed: Not equal to hepatitis B patient, people carrying virus of hepatitis B relatively have normal liver function. They are as the same as the normal people on physical power and won't hinder others from accepting education. People will not be infected when they are in touch with person who carries virus of hepatitis B. However, the employers still turn pale at the mention of liver.
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The Physical Appearance Discrimination: It's not My Fault to Be Ugly
Compared to men, the appearance play a more important role among the women graduates. The employers relatively have a higher standard for the women's appearance. To be turned down for the not good face is not unusual and such kind of phenomenon has been more obvious in recent years, but there are no relevant laws that clearly ban on appearance discrimination. As a result, it's very difficult for the applicants who meet appearance prejudice to protect their own rights through legal procedure.
Chile: BiblioRedes, From Visviri to Puerto Williams
· 19:50
Editor's Note: This is the first in a series of articles about citizen's media projects that I had the opportunity to visit during a five-week trip through 5 countries in South America.
Photo of the BiblioRedes campaign on a public building in Valparaiso, Chile. Photo by Eduardo Ávila.
Glancing at a map of South America, it is easy to tell that Chile stretches for kilometers and kilometers nestled in between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains. The time it takes to travel along the Pan-American and Austral highways is measured in days, not hours. One might think It is easy for Chileans to feel disconnected from one another due to the physical distance that separates them. A program called BiblioRedes (Network of Libraries) is hoping to close the distances and bring people closer together through the use of the internet provided free in local public libraries.
An initial grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2002 impulsed the program, which has the backing of the Chilean government under the Directorate of Libraries, Archives, and Museums (DIBAM). In each of the 387 public libraries from Visviri, which is located on the Chilean-Bolivian border to the southernmost town of Puerto Williams, located near the Antarctic, the program provides free computer access and broadband internet. In some of the more remote areas of the country with less developed infrastructure, such as Robinson Crusoe Island, the connections are through satellite hookups. A recent census found that the majority of home computers are concentrated in the middle part of the county or where the capital of Santiago is located. This program allows individuals that may not normally have access to these technologies to learn how to use computers. In total, there are approximately 2,300 computers installed in these libraries.
Leading each of the BiblioRedes site is an encargado (coordinator), who is an individual drawn straight from the community. The advantage of this is that each individual is well-trusted in the community and already knows the local cultural context. Coordinators participate in trainings themselves, who then in turn, teach the residents of the local communities.
In addition to free access to the internet, BiblioRedes provides digital literacy training through a series of workshops, including the use of Microsoft Office, Encarta encyclopedia and how to create presentations. To date, more than 200,000 Chileans have taken part in these workshops. One highlight of these trainings is the instruction on how to create their own websites. Many utilize this space to tell about their communities, a special interest they hold, or about their local culture. In all, about 3,000 websites are hosted on the BiblioRedes server.
A blog called Contenidos Locales [es] (Local Content) features the very best of this content and centralizes it on the updated site. Categories such as: History [es], Legends [es], Music [es], Aboriginal People [es], Tourism [es] and Religion [es] make it easier to find content.
Some of theses sites tell about the hobbies of residents from the local community, and created by the participants themselves. For example, Ángel Calfuan created a website called La Esperanza [es] about a group of older adults from the community that have become involved with a club for folkloric dancing. The library in community of Trovolhoe is located in the municipality of Carahue and has its own website [es].
Los adultos de esta agrupación están trabajando en un proyecto llamado DANZANDO LOS AÑOS DORADOS POR UNA VIDA SALUDABLE. Con el cual se han visto beneficiados 18 adultos de la edad de 60 a 97años. El objetivo general de este proyecto es crear espacios de sana convivencia entre los adultos mayores, para favorecer y potenciar la actividad física y la salud mental a través de la práctica de la danza de raíz folclórica. Y en forma especifica tener en Trovolhue un grupo de danza folclórica que represente a los adultos mayores en distintos eventos artísticos y culturales dentro de la comunidad como fuera de ella.
The adults from this group are working on a project called DANCING DURING THE GOLDEN YEARS FOR A HEALTHY LIFE. The program has benefited 18 adults from the ages of 60-97. The general objective of this project is to create opportunities for healthy interaction between older adults, to support and strengthen physical activity and mental health through the practice of folkloric dancing. The objective is also to provide a group of folkloric dancers from Trovolhue to represent the older adults in different artistic and cultural events in and out of the community.
Other sites are used to marketing and publicity tools for local businesses. Gastronomía Magallánica [es] is a site that highlights various restaurants in the city of Punta Arenas. Others are more family-orientated, such as the site created by Jhoscenia Arancibia to promote the company [es] she runs with her husband.
Colmenares Arancibia es una microempresa familiar dedicada a la extracción de productos apicolas, como lo es la miel, y entregar servicios de Polinización. El trabajo con las abejas no es difícil pero es necesario ser metódico. Dedicado y muy responsable, y por supuesto no ser alérgico a la picada de la abeja.
Colmenares Arancibia is a family micro-enterprise that is dedicated to the extraction of apicultural products, such as honey and deliver pollination services. The work with bees is not difficult, but it is necessary to be methodical, dedicated, very responsible, and of course, to not be allergic to bee stings.
Additionally, these sites are also a source of cultural pride especially among indigenous groups. There are a number of native peoples in Chile and the first inhabitants of the Tierra del Fuego region of Chile were the Kawéshkar indigenous group. Carlos Pedraza proudly creates a site [es] to talk about their lifestyle [es] and their customs [es] .
Su idioma es el kawésqar, nombre con el que ellos se autodenominan. En su idioma, esta palabra significa “persona” o “ser humano”. El nombre alacalufe, originalmente tenía una intención despectiva y ellos no lo usan.
Their language is kawésqar, a name that they call themselves. In their language, the word means “person” or “human being.” The name alacalufe, originally had a derogatory meaning and they did not use that term.
Luis Carvajal also maintains a site for an Aymara community in Chile [es], which is an indigenous group that is usually thought to be only located in neighboring Bolivia and Peru.
According to Enzo Abbagliati, National Coordinator of BiblioRedes, there is interest in adding more participatory media training to the program, such as creating a blogging platform that will enable the participants to find like-minded people across Chile and throughout the world.
0 comments · »»Hong Kong: Universal Suffrage Not Later Than 2017
· 17:46
Although a majority of public opinion supports universal suffrage of the SAR Chief Executive (CE) in 2012, the SAR government still insists on a “Not Later Than 2017” position in a recent consultation report (announced in Dec 12) on political reform. The present CE, Donald Tsang, claimed that he would get more support if it is “Not Later than 2017” than 2012.
How about the Legislative Council universal suffrage time table? The government report mentions very little about Legco's universal suffrage timetable but stresses that it has to be later than the CE. Which means the earliest day for the Legco universal suffrage will be 2020, 13 years later!
Some mainstream media started blackmailing the pan-democrats by saying that if they don’t agree on the time table for Legco election, they will ruin the 2017 CE universal suffrage.
Ah yeah from inmediahk.net quotes from the Ming pao editorial and criticizes the newspapers political stand. According to the editorial:
泛民陣營有必要在爭取『一步到位』和『分步走』之間抉擇。……如果泛民陣營的立場是非要同時立法會普選不可，否則連行政長官先行普選也不要，採取這種綑綁式的「零和抉擇」取態，則連2017 年普選行政長官的可能機會，這次也不可能實現。
Ah yeah describes such blackmailing comment as “loyalty dance” for wining the central government and SAR government’s trust.
上面那兩段社論的引文出自「公信第一」的《明報》，四兩撥千斤把政治責任由曾蔭權推到泛民身上，忠字舞跳得出神入化爐火純青。
Hegelchong makes fun of the language game in the report and suggests a time frame of “Not Later than the End of the World” for getting more people support:
一萬八千名向政府提交有關政制發展意見的市民，有一萬六千份支持2012達致普選行政長官，曾蔭權卻竟然說，不遲於2017年會有較多機會獲大多數人接受。…乾脆便說，不遲於地球大毀滅會有更大機會獲得大多數人接受！
Winter wonders if s/he can eventually see the universal suffrage day come:
記得九七回歸，香港市民期待 2008 普選行政長官，十年轉眼即逝，民建聯早把黨綱修訂，否決 08 普選，正是今日的我打倒昨日的我。2008 普選無望，渴望普選的一群只好把盼望延續到 2012，不料 2012 普選夢再度落空，正是十年之後又十年，只怕到老還是一場空。甚麼他媽的「未能取得各界共識」、「循序漸進」，60% 民意支持還不算共識？香港人由八十年代起爭取民主選舉至今足足二十年，循甚麼序？漸甚麼進？
Now the SAR government has announced the report, the pan-dem alliance has to give their responses. Those were the days spells out the dilemma the pan dem alliance is facing now:
若泛民今次政改再投否決票，泛民A說，他們就會中了煲呔陷阱，成了遲遲沒有普選幫兇… 特別是現實的香港人，他們眼見2012無望，必會轉投2017普選特首陣營，那時泛民又應如何自處？
泛民B說，煲呔今次建議， 真的很「毒」：拋出一個2017普選特首的空泛建議，既沒內容、連參選門檻高低也不說，就要泛民決定支持與否，若泛民反對，罪在泛民，若中央明知主流民意支持2012雙普選，仍舊加以否決，甚至連2017是否普選特首，也不肯承諾，那是中央責任…
Plastichk suggests the pan-dem to work out the details rather than the time table:
細節才是普選問題的主戰場！泛民到時「以實還虛」，在細節的問題上，真假民主立即現形，提名機制如何？委任區議員何時取消？泛民對政府方案最後判斷之前，應先「聽其言，觀其行」。
Philippines: Jeepney Drivers Launch Strike
· 17:02
Jeepney drivers in many parts of the Philippines did not ply their routes today to protest oil price increases which they branded as “unwarranted”, “unchecked” and “oppressive”.
A Jeepney in Manila (from Wikipedia)
The jeepney drivers group PISTON declared the strike a success, with the government saying it did not affect traffic.
Bloggers took note of the strike in their own way:
Highway 53 complained about the cancellation of an orchestra practice at the University of the Philippines and noticed few jeeps serving students.
Writing passionately in Filipino, as if in a dream tells how she managed to go to the University of Santo Tomas only to find out that the administration cancelled classes at 3:00 pm. The blogger said she was able to get a seat in a “free bus” courtesy of the university and enjoyed the ride with other Thomasians.
Val Makasiar MD complains to Piston about jeepney drivers who cut their trips.
Another student-blogger, some grape juice for new year's day, also managed to get a ride and also found out belatedly about cancelled classes. The blogger hopes:
Sana, kung anuman kahantungan ng strike na yan, makakabuti sa bayan, hindi lang sa malalaking kumpanya. Sayang naman ang paghihirap ng mga Pilipino kung iba rin ang makikinabang.
Aude Sapere does not mince words for what he dubs as “Piss-ton”:
These jeepney drivers, who did nothing but pollute the environment, break traffic laws, cause too much heavy traffic, and hike up transport fares, are protesting the series of increases in oil prices. Too bad the only affected party is the average Filipino commuter, who are mostly students and employees.
For every diligent student that was forced to absent themselves from their classes, for every workman who lost his daily wage today, for all the kids in grade school who were forced to walk a couple of kilometers to school, for each and every grim story this strike has caused, I curse you PISTON.
Elsewhere, i.am.bliss tries to understand the jeepney drivers' and consumers' situation:
Hindi mo masisisi ang mga tsuper. Ang ginawa nilang tigil-pasada ang natatanging paraan para maiparating nila sa pamahalaan ang kanilang hinaing
Ang linggo-linggong pagtataas ng gasolina ay damang-dama ng mga tsuper. Sa pamilya namin, meron kaming anim na sasakyang pinatatakbo ng gasolina
The bloggers adds:
Bilang isang pasahero, hassle nga naman na ma-late sa pupuntahan… Trabaho, eskwela, gimik, atbp. Pero isipin mo, one-time hassle lang ‘to eh. Yung pinaglalaban ng mga tsuper, ng mga kasapi ng PISTON, yung kanilang isinisigaw, ang dahilan ng malawakang tigil-pasda… kaya nila yun ginagawa dahil merong mas malubhang problema, mas masama kesa sa ilang beses kang mahuhuli sa trabaho mo. Kung walang tigil-pasada, aakalain ng administrasyong Arroyo na okey lang tayo sa pagtaas ng presyo ng langis. Sa pamamagitan ng jeepney strike, naipahatid ang pag-resist, pagtuligsa…
Well said!
Also read: Lessons from PISTON's successful transport strike
3 comments · »»Japan: Alpha Blogger Awards 2007
· 16:47
A-List blogs in the active blogging culture of the United States are those that draw the most hits, that hold the most influence, that are the most widely-read and the most popular. But what about Japan? Are there many influential bloggers here too? When organizers of the yearly Alpha Bloggers Awards asked this question a few years ago, they had no answer, so they created a project to find one.
The Alpha Bloggers Awards website explains:
日本にはすでに1000万人以上のブログが開設されており、世界全体のブログの中でも日本語で解説されているブログは、複数の国で利用されている英語とトップを争うほどの数があると言われています。
ただ、そんな大量のブログの中から自分に役立つブログを見つけ出すのは、実は至難の業です。
そんな中、アルファブロガーに選ばれた方々のブログは、複数の人に推薦された評価の高いブログと言えると思います。
皆さんの日々の生活に良い影響を与えてくれたり、ビジネスや日々の情報収集に役立つブログもきっと見つかるはずです。
In this kind of situation, bloggers selected as Alpha Bloggers may be said to be those of a high evaluation, that have been recommended by many people.
Bloggers that have a positive influence on everybody's daily life, that are useful in business or in collecting daily information, can surely be found.
初めてブログを始める人、また面白いブログを探しているけれど、どこで探せば良いのか分からない人、そんな方々に参考になるブログを、このアルファブロガー・アワードを通じてたくさん見つけていきたいと考えています。
Slides from Alpha Bloggers 2007: “They're all blogs I don't know!”
Three years after its establishment in 2004, however, and organizers of the Alpha Blogger Awards have changed their approach. In contrast to previous years, which featured exclusively well-known names in the Japanese blogosphere such as Joi Ito, the group of nominees in the 2007 awards were largely unknown even to the presenters themselves. A report about the event on the Alpha Bloggers website explains:
思ってたより、ずっとずっと、ブログの世界は広かったんだ。
そんな印象のアワードでした。
That was the impression I had of the awards.
今回ノミネート選定にあたったブロガーの方々は、職業などのバックグラウンドもさまざまです。それぞれの専門領域から、「これは！」というものが集められました。
したがってノミネートブログは、法律や教育、医療、遠隔地での自然保護など、その道のオーソリティーが集まり、結果もまたそうした多様な顔ぶれを反映したものとなりました。
これまで3回行ううちに、似た顔ぶれしかピックアップされなくなったことから、終了が検討されていたアルファブロガー・アワード。
しかし、運営主体が替わり、ノミネート方法を変えたところ、徳力さんも清田さんも、初めて見る、しかも実はカリスマ的な人気を誇るブログがわんさかと出てきて、「こんなにあるのか！」と驚いたそうです。
Slides from Alpha Bloggers 2007: Crossing into a Broader Blogosphere
Slides from Alpha Bloggers 2007: “Together we were able to discover many great blogs from different genres”
While at the Alpha Bloggers Awards we had the chance to meet up with one of the winners, blogger Hadama Masami (葉玉匡美) who blogs at Kaishahou de Asobo (会社法であそぼ):
How did you start blogging in the first place?
I was working at the Legal Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, and was in charge of drafting the new companies law. After the law was implemented, I got questions from people, like “how does the law work?” or “I don't know what has really been changed?” As I was answering these questions on the phone, I noticed that many people had similar questions, so I thought that if I answered them in a blog then it would reduce the number of questions. In a blog there is a comment section, so if they have any questions, they can just post them there. People tried to call the Legal Affairs Bureau, but there were a lot of people calling, so the line was always busy. So I thought, wouldn't it be good if I could do this in a blog. It was just an impulsive idea.
But in the end, the number of questions didn't decrease.
The opposite, it increased. Not only that, but well, because there are various procedures for corporate law, there is a lot to do at a Japanese the Legal Affairs Bureau. Companies came to the legal affairs bureau to ask questions, but when [the bureau] didn't know the answer, or they were told that it could not be done, then as a kind of consolation they would turn to my blog, and if I said I could do it, then with that blog post, they would storm in [to the bureau]. We also got phone calls from regional legal affairs bureaus around the country saying: “It seems taht Hadama-san says such-and-such on his blog. Is it true?.”
Blogger Hadama Masami (right) at the Alpha Blogger Awards 2007
What is the access count of your site?
Depending on the time it can change quite a lot, but around 7000. When it's a lot it's around 9000.
At what kind of times does it increase?
In Japan general meetings of stockholders are usually held in June. Many companies start preparing for the general meeting of stockholders in around March. So in the period between March and April, when preparations are going on for the general meeting, the access count increases. Also, when there is corporate law-related news, for example when there are things like the Bull-Dog Sauce incident, people come wondering: “What does Hadama has to say?”
At roughly what pace do you update your blog?
I used to update about every day, but I'm busy. Now it's about once in a week. Because of that there are a lot of questions that build up. 10 questions or 15 questions. When I had just started the site, people didn't know much about the law, so they asked only easy questions, but recently lawyers and professionals are writing so it's become really hard. I answer their questions for free, and then they go and make money [with the answers]. Not very fair….
Have you thought of charging?
No, haven't considered that. If I charge, then there is a responsibility. Since I don't take any money, I don't have to take responsibility. Well, but I also have pride, so I don't say things that are really careless.
You use your real name, does your work say anything to you about it?
No. I've been using my real name since back when I was originally at the Justice Ministry, and when I quit it was already known that I was doing this blog. People at the legal department of listed companies in Japan all read it. I can't stop, see. And the law firm I work for now, they figure it's good publicity, and so they tolerates it.
[Prepared by Chris Salzberg and Hanako Tokita.]
1 comment · »»Israel: Rockets Hit Sderot, Flame the Israeli Blogosphere
· 16:32
Some might say that the tiny town of Sderot in the Western Negev is Israel's little secret. This red roofed village an hour's drive from Be'er Sheva lies only minutes from the Gaza Strip. As such, it has been a prime target for Hamas aggression against Israel. Use katuysha rockets to hit a major center, you are in for a war. Bombard a hamlet in the midst of an international conflict, and display your anger.
If in all your reading about the Middle East conflict you haven't heard about Sderot, don't be surprised. You're not the only one. Despite the fact that Sderot has been under nearly constant attack from qassam rockets for the past 7 years, its tenuous position in the buffer zone of Israel and Gaza is conspicuously ignored in mainstream news channels.
For your reference, qassams are homemade rockets made out of pipes with steel warheads at the tip. With a range of approximately 15 kilometers, they are used for short range attacks only. Qassams came into common usage by Palestinians against Israel in 2001 toward the start of the Al-Aqsa Intifada (also known as the Second Intifida). It is widely acknowledged that their primary purpose is to lower Israeli morale.
Sderot's mayor stepped down after nine years of service. Since the barrage began in 2001, over 6,300 rockets have slammed Sderot.
Mayor Eli Moyal's resignation came in concert with the peace talks that began in Jerusalem, following up on the November Israeli-Palestinian Peace Summit in Annapolis.
In his resignation speech broadcast on Israel Radio, Mayor Moyal explained:
“I cannot take the responsibility to manage a city that is under attack for seven years. If 20 children are killed tomorrow from a rocket, I will be asked, ‘why did you open the kindergarten?' I have been deliberating matters pertaining to human life for years now, and I cannot continue… For seven years no one has taken responsibility for what is happening here. It is unreasonable to start the morning with eight Qassams. I am not willing to take this responsibility. I was chosen to manage a city, and not this situation.”
Mayor Moyal said he hoped his resignation pressured Israel's government to take action for Sderot's protection.
With 20 qassam rockets hitting Sderot this morning alone, the Israeli blogosphere is contemptuous. Here are some of their reactions.
“Sderot is not on the radar of the ‘peace' plan. Sderot cannot be found on the roadmap. The 20 rockets that were shot today towards Sderot are not considered an obstacle to peace. It is way too inconvenient to mention Sderot when talking about the sacred ‘peace process.'”
I highly recommend Elder of Ziyon's Qassam Calender as a tool for following this conflict.
“On a day when some twenty Kassam rockets hit Sderot, the peabrains who call themselves a government decided not to send the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] into Gaza today to put a stop to the shooting, and instead decided to talk to the
shooters‘Palestinians' about giving them their ownstatereichlet from which they will be able to shoot more comfortably.”
“[Israeli Prime Minister Ehud] Olmert's lack of leadership, indecisiveness and peace at any cost additude has given Hamas and growing confidence in Israel's vulnerability. Hamas is sending rockets into the Negev with reckless abandon–and snubs their nose at peaceful nations. The world sees a leaderless Israel and is doing its best to push the nation into a one-sided “peace” deal. Its time to show Hamas that terrorism does not pay.”
“Mayor Eli Moyal resigned today. Atlas shrugged. This is a dark day, my friends. This man should be Prime Minister.”
“One does not make peace with one's enemy, but only with one's ‘former enemy.' That is one very inescapable truth that the
promoters of peace“screw Israel club” have yet to comprehend.”
Response from Palestine
The official Palestinian response came from Muhammad Abd al-Al, spokesperson for the Palestinian Popular Resistance Committees:
“The resignation of Sderot's mayor constitutes a great victory for the Palestinian resistance. This is a political victory, a victory for morale, it adds to the humiliation we are heaping upon the Zionist army in the field. Our improved missiles are waiting for the enemy's tanks, but the ones who will really suffer are those Israeli residents of the area.”
He additionally threatened: “We and the other Palestinian organizations are prepared for the great struggle to commence and to hurt the Israelis in the West Bank as well. I hope that we will soon begin bringing the technology and know-how needed to launch rocket attacks to the West Bank.”
Additional Resources
Listen to an audio file of Mayor Moyal that was recorded during the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006. (The first minute is rough sound quality, but it is worth it to keep listening for a full understanding of the conflict and Sderot and Israel's struggles.)
Visit the Sderot Media Center and hear Sderot's perspective firsthand.
Return to Global Voices Online's Gilad Lotan's “Sderot's Invisible Wounds” for a more personal perspective of the situation (September 2007).
9 comments · »»Libya: Fuel shortage and the power of rumours, origins and awards
· 14:50
It's really been too quiet for the Libyan bloggers, I'm wondering if it is a bug or if it is just a coincidence and they all are busy with their lives?
Because of this the voice of Libyan bloggers has subdued on GVO these past few months.
However, the good news is that Ghazi and his blog Imtidad won the BOBs User Award 2007. I think this is a first for a Libyan blogger and we are proud of him.
Whilst we are on the topic of awards, Braveheart has kept his promise and is introducing his 2007 Libyan Bloggers Award.
“”i have the pleasure to announce my Award for the best blogger for 2007 and all of you are invited to participate in this award. as u dont know i'm big fan of football, thats why i take FIFA system to select best player of the year and use it in my award. the way is very easy each one of you can nominate his best five bloggers which he/she believes they are the best.( i know u'll all of u nominate me :-P) it's totally depends on ur views and ideas and i think most of us have open minds and will not feel offended cos she/he dont select him in his/ her list. this mean this award totally depend on selective thinking and not objective one. it's depand on ur thinking and how u can rate the other which point u think it's more important than the other.
ur list it will be 5 names and list it from 1 to 5, number 1 will have 5 marks and the number2 will have 4 and so on . at the end of the month will see which one got the highest marks to take his award [sic]”.
Let's count the date until the results are announced.
Tasnim has an interesting post about Libyans in the diaspora who make the so-called back -to -our -roots -journey.
“Laila Al-Taiba’s one page ‘Story’ of her trip to Libya is just a little note on a non-Arabic-speaking Arab’s journey to her roots, and her pride in and gratitude for her American passport. It’s hardly intended as a biography. But I still find myself a little disgruntled by the clichés involved in being swept swiftly past 100 warm and loving faceless relatives in 5 days and half a sentence, for a paragraph detailing the eating of ice-cream and the dipping of toes in the Mediterannean and finally, a note on the uselessness of three years studying Arabic at university level in deciphering the Libyan dialect.” [more
]
Personally, I imagined this happened to other people or in movies but never to Libyans.
On the other hand rumours are a powerful weapon and sometimes create chaos. This is was obvious last week with the gasoline/fuel shortage crisis that was reported by a couple of bloggers in Tripoli.
On December 6, Hibo stated that she noticed something strange at the gas stations near her house since December 4 with more and more cars crowding her street at all times. At one point the police was interfering to regulate the flow. Her post is a blow by blow account of the situation. Apparently, the rumours mentioned rising gasoline prices and shortage of fuel.
Khadijateri then mentions in ” Who's got gas ” that “there's a gasoline shortage in Tripoli. That's hard to believe since Libya is an oil producing country. But it's true. The gas stations have no gasoline, though there is diesel.”
An excellent comment on Hibo's blog by Enlightened spirit sheds a good light and explains the whole situation:
“let me put my analysis for this problem here, at wensday evening a problem in gas supply happened in Tripoli and ppl couldn't find gas at some stations, the coz of the shortage was't declared officially, and here the mass panic started and with the rumors and gossip the problem inflated , the supply problem was solved quickly the next day earlly morning, but ppl conitinue their panic, coz of lack of clarity and trust, and they rush out to gas stations even if they don't really need the gas I mean with full half tank, some even bring extra barrel with them and fill it (as a consequences of many gossips like the price of the gas will increase, and the gas supply will be cut off for days, …etc), so the usual supply of the stations did't cover the extra need and the problem exagerated, but it will be solved out gradually within the next days as ppl will realise that the supply is really there and was't cutted off.[sic]”
Khadijateri reports that all is back to normal :
“The gasoline situation seems to be sorting itself out. Last night I went out to find long, long lines at some of the gas stations in my area and other places were completely closed. I didn't bother to get in line. Today I went out and found the gas stations busier than usual but not too bad.”
Basically half a day of fuel shortage resulted in two days of panic but what is the full story here, away from the speculations?
It is climate change, the modern plague and boogeyman which is affecting the weather global. Among other things it caused some unexpected weather changes as a result of which ships could not offload their cargo of refined oil (for local consumption) for half a day and the rumour mill began. But what this incident brought to the surface is the need for investment in oil refinery infrastructure in Libya. The heavily subsidized local prices and increasing consumption over the last decade as a result of a dramatic tripling of the number of cars in Libya combined with the limited capacity for production of refined fuels since no new refineries have be built to supply the local market, has lead to the need to ironically enough import slightly more than half the local need in gasoline from abroad and consequently to the threat of shortage. It does not mean we do not have oil, it means that the years of sanctions which have affected everything in Libya, especially technology and industry. This has stopped the country from investing in modern oil technology. Still this is not an excuse as sanctions have been lifted a few years ago and maybe some sort of planning should have been in place to increase Libya's capability in refining it's oil products. After all ” Libyan crude oil is particularly attractive due to its very low sulphur content; it requires much less refining than higher sulphur oil. It is extremely high quality crude, whose characteristics are not easily found elsewhere”. [source]; which means it should be easier to refine and less expensive.
Thank God the crisis was averted and people should not listen to rumours! Have you be affected by the 48 hrs situation? If yes, please share with us your experience in the comments section.
4 comments · »»Israel: Teacher's Strike Over 
· 14:09
An agreement between the teachers union and the Ministry of Finance was signed just a mere 15 minutes before the Israeli Labor Court's restraining order was activated, in what has ended the longest strike in Israel's education system (over 60 days). Teachers received a raise in their salaries and the prime minister's personal promise to reduce the number of students in a classroom.
Teacher demo outside the Finance Ministry as night talks take part in hope of ending the ongoing strike. source
Throughout their struggle, the teachers used a variety of communication methods to spread their messages and describe their struggle online, if through active forums, or numerous blogs through the major Israeli portals.
Shoshi, a biology teacher, kept an active blog and recently posted a podcast of her recent appearance on the radio, where she describes the problems that arise with the existing average age of teachers in most Israeli schools - 52. She claims that most young teachers leave their jobs after four years, seeking better employment conditions. She describes her fears for the future of education in Israel.
Many reactions were posted on the topic of the teacher's dilemma when confronted with the court's decision to place a constraining order on their strike. The court ruled that even if negotiations fail, teachers must end the strike by Thursday, December 13th.
In his post, Sagi writes:
Once in 30 years does such a powerful public outcry form that can really change the face of Israeli society. If we stop the strike now, we win nothing for 30 more years, and we will return like dogs to the classrooms.
Personally, I prefer to resign and not come back.
Avshalom Adam makes an interesting argument, comparing the teacher's dilemma to that of Socrates:
Socrates was accused of disobeying Athen's laws - hurting youth ethics in the city, harming its gods, and was sentenced to death. He accepted this sentence, even though he, along with a section of the public, considered himself innocent. Socrates could have escaped Athens and the death sentence, but he chose to stay and drink the poisonous cup. He claimed that his duty was to obey the city laws, even if those were not just nor used fairly. His reasoning was that an act of obedience to the law is in its essence more important than one's opinion towards its content or the way in which it is used. In his eye, the law's function is to provide a peaceful solution for problems amongst the public and between them and their state. Disobedience towards the law harms its status and reduces its effectivity to fill its duty, hence - claimed Socrates - it is necessary to always obey the law, even when one feels that justice or ethics are harmed.
The teacher's dilemma reminds us of Socrates dilemma: on the one hand, if they obey the court's ruling, their ability to put pressure on the government to settle on a fair wage for their hard work, and to help provide conditions to educate kids on an appropriate level, which will lead to accomplishments for the country as a whole. On the other hand, if they do not obey the law, they serve as a negative example in the kid's eyes, whom they teach to follow the laws.
…The teacher's strike comes at a time when we all find out - again - that Israeli students are ranked very low by international standardized testing. How much is this current crisis connected to the fact that the teacher's wage does not allow them to lead a respectful lifestyle? Is it connected to the size of classrooms, or number of teaching hours? In their strike, the teachers are asking the Education Department to take a moral responsibility in the current education crisis in Israel. The teachers demand the government to come to conclusions and to react before it is too late. Should they retreat from their demand, if it is the law that requests them to? This makes me wonder if by abiding the law, teachers will be forced to drink from the poisonous glass of the Israeli democracy.
