Archive for
January 22nd, 2008
Stories
Korea: Have you been pressed down by scissors?
· 22:54
Have you heard about ‘your body is pressed down by scissors?’ When I was kid, I heard adults sometimes tell each other they were pressed down by scissors the previous night and talked about horrible ghost stories. I didn’t understand what it was until I experienced it one time. I didn’t know why they’re afraid of being pressed down by ‘scissors.’ People, who are tired, are stressed out, or don’t have strong spirit, sometimes have this experience. Literally, you feel that your body is pressed down by heavy stuff between you as you are about to fall asleep. You’re half sleeping and feel something press down on your body hard. It could be a thing, part of a human’s body, or a human (according to the experiences of people around me, such as family and friends). Those could be regarded as scissors.
Some frequently have this experience, others don’t in their lives. Even though I didn’t see something, I have had the same experience since being a teenager, having my body pressed down by something bulky and I couldn’t move my body at all for a while, right before I fell asleep. It wasn’t a pleasant experience. In my case, it happens when I sometimes go to bed after 1 am. I still don’t know what it is. Maybe I was way too tired. But netizens share their experiences.
A blogger wants to share his worries about it.
올해 26살 먹은 건장한 남자입니다. (어릴적부터 유도, 검도등 운동을 해서 정말 건장하고 건강합니다). 인터넷에 이런 글 처음 써보네요. 악플보다는 진지한 의견들 부탁드립니다..
제 친구 중에 철수(가명)라는 애가 있는데 어릴적부터 심한 가위눌림과 귀신을 자주 본 친굽니다…이야기는 작년 여름 철수 집에 놀러가서 생긴 일부터입니다. 하루는 술을 잔뜩먹고 철수집에서 하룻밤을 잤습니다. 다음날 저는 철수랑 이야기를 나누다 귀신 이야기가 나왔고 장난으로 ‘니방 귀신 내가 데려가께, 귀신아~ 귀신아~ 나 따라와라~' 이런 식으로 말을 했었습니다. 난생 처음 가위 눌림을 당했습니다. 놀라서 인터넷에서 가위에 관련된 이런저런 글을 봤었죠. 그리고 얼마후..일요일 낮에 여자친구집에서 잠깐 낮잠을 자는데 가위 눌림을 당했습니다. 그때 똑똑히 봤죠 여자라는 것을….. 제가 가위를 눌리는 동안 여자친구는 저를 깨우고있었답니다..
그러다 어제.. 새벽 3시쯤 제 방 침대에서 엎드려 잠을 청했습니다. 예, 또 가위 눌림을 당했습니다. 근데 평소와는 다르게 너무 무서운게 도망을 가고 싶드라구요. 몸은 움직이지 않았지만 제 머리속은 방에서 나가고 싶어 마루쪽을 향해 기어가는 생각뿐이었습니다. 그 순간 누군가가 저를 방밖으로 끌어 내던지는데 어찌나 힘이 쎈지 공중에 붕떠서 날라갔습니다. 고맙기도 했지만 왠지 내 방에서 쫓겨난 느낌이 들어 마루에 던저진채로 방을 봤는데 방 문이 없는겁니다………. 그리고는 가위에서 풀려났습니다.. 제 몸은 여전히 침대에 엎드려 누운 상태 그대로였습니다….작년 봄까지만해도 가위 눌림을 겪는건 그저 남의 이야기였습니다. 친구집에서 그 일이 있은 후,, 너무 빈번하게 가위 눌림을 당하고 있습니다.. 비슷한 경험 있으신분 없으신가요? 후… 꼭 조언 부탁드립니다.
One of my friends who is called Chulsoo (fake name) has been pressed down by scissors and seen ghosts… One summer, I went to see him at his house. Drinking alcohol, I slept at his house. Next day, we talked about ghosts and jokingly I said, ‘I will take your ghosts… ghosts~ ghosts~ follow me~’ and then for the first time in my life, I was pressed down by scissors. I checked about this experience on the internet. Later, I had the same experience. On Sunday, I took a nap at my girl friend’s house and it came to me again. That moment, I clearly saw. It was a woman… While I was pressed down by scissors, my girl friend tried to wake me up because I looked painful according to her…then yesterday.. I was about to fall asleep at my room at 3 am. Yeah… I was pressed down by scissors again. Compared to other times, I was so scared and wanted to run away. Even though I couldn’t move my body, I just wanted to get out of my room and head to the living room. That moment, someone dragged my body out of the room and threw me to the living room. Being thrown on the living room, I looked at the room, but there was no door…. And then I was released by the scissors. My body was still on the bed. Until the spring of the last year, being pressed down by scissors sounded like others’ stories. After I talked to my friend at his house, I’m tortured by scissors way too often…. Anyone have a similar experience? Please I need advice.
Clayaiken’s story is not so uncommon.
5시, 5시 48분, 7시 이렇게 세번이나 눈을 떴지만, 일어나기 싫어 이불 속에서 부비적 거리고 있었더니 천만년 만에 가위를 눌렀네요. 1년에 한번 겪을까 말까한 일인데 조낸 생생하다능…7시에 불을 켜고 다시 누워있다 정면에 놓인 시계를 보니 8시. 일어나려는데 뭔가 묘한 느낌. ‘헉. 설마 그거?”했더니 역시나.. 흙흙…손목까지만 있는 절단된 손 두개가 양쪽 어깨를 누르고 있었다능.. 그랬다능…손을 올려서 손가락 하나하나를 들었는데 마치 온 몸에 초장을 두르고 입에서 바둥거리는 산낚지 다리 마냥 도로 착 감기더라능…이뭐.. 무슨 자석도 아니고..
Of course, some netizens like yasu shares his knowledge of how people can get away from scary scissors.
“가위 눌린다”는 의학적으로 수면마비(sleep paralysis)라고 합니다. […]
가위눌림을 예방하기 위하여는 아래의 규칙을 지키세요.1. 항상 충분한 수면을 취한다.
2. 생활의 스트레스를 줄인다.
3. 규칙적으로 운동을 한다. 하지만 늦은 저녁이나 밤에는 하지 않는다.
4. 취침과 기상 시간을 항상 일정하게 한다.
In order to prevent being pressed down by scissors, there are tips below.
1. You should sleep enough all the time.
2. You should lessen stress in your life.
3. You should work out regularly. But you shouldn’t work out late night.
4. Times to wake up and sleep should be regular.
Kim02 interprets it based on shamanism and lets netizens know how to get out of the moment.
1.가위눌림 현상에 대한 이해와 분석
수면마비라고도 불려지는 가위눌림은 과학적으로는 정신적인 불안 스트레스가 요인이 된다.
무속에서의 이해
무속에서는 사람의 3가지, 공간을 느끼는 장소 (화장실, 잠이 드는 순간, 머리를 감을때) 등이 있는데, 그중 가장 쉬운곳이 잠이 드는 순간이라고 하여서, 잠을 자면서 꿈을 꿈으로 아는 그 순간이라고 한다.
Understanding in Shamanism.
In Shamanism, there are three things that humans can feel some space (restroom, the moment when you fall asleep, the moment when you wash your hair). The easiest part is the moment when you fall asleep. It is the moment when you recognize dreams as being dreaming.
2.가위눌림의 이유
1)REM 수면기에는 호흡이 불규칙하게 변하며 심장도 빨라지고 숨도 가쁘게 쉬고 혈압도 오르며 이때 목이 조여오며 가슴에 누가 올라탄 느낌이 듭니다.
2)두려움 때문 입니다. 평상시 걱정하거나 두려워하던 일이 악몽으로 나타나고 가위눌림으로 이어집니다.
3)집안에 흐르는 수맥의 영향으로 혹은 갑자기 심한 스트레스로 가위눌림이 옵니다.
4)흔치않은 경우이지만 “빙의”된 경우 그 영가때문에도 발생됩니다.무속에서 말하는 가위눌림 이유
무속에서 가위눌림은 역시 다른 이공간의 느낌입니다. 따라서 가위를 한번 눌리게 되면 다른 공간의 느낌을 알기때문에, 가위를 눌리다보면, 잠들기전에 이미 오늘 가위를 눌린다는 사실을 알게 됩니다. 이런 이유는 경험에 의한 기억때문입니다. 가위를 눌리게 되면 온몸의 털이 곤두서고 무게를 느낌니다.
무속에서는 정신의 불안정과 함께 살에 의한 작용과 영체의 접근을 막지 못하는 상태에 가위를 눌린다고 봅니다.
1) According to REM sleep, breathing changes irregularly, your heart beating gets faster, and your blood pressure goes up. At that moment, you feel your neck tighten and somebody on your chest.
2) It is from fear. At usual, things you are worried about and afraid of turn to be nightmares and you feel you’re pressed down by scissors.
3) It’s due to a water vein under your house
4) It’s not common, but sometimes a ghost enters your body.
The reason why you are pressed down by scissors, according to shamanism.
According to shamanism, being pressed down by scissors is to transfer to another space. Once you have been pressed down by scissors, you know the feeling of another space. Therefore, before falling asleep, you get to know you would be pressed down by scissors. It’s because of memory from your experience. You will feel goose bumps and feel heavy. Due to spiritual instability and prevention of ghosts, they believe that people are pressed down by scissors.
3. 가위눌림을 방지하려면?
1)가장좋은 방법은 잠을 자기전에 마음을 편하게 하는것입니다. 무서운 영화나 책을 보고 자면 가위눌림이 오기 쉬우니 자기전에는 마음이 평화로워지는 책을 보거나 편안한 음악을 듣는것이 좋습니다. …
1) The best way is to relax before falling asleep. Reading scary books and watching horror movies, you will be more easily pressed down by scissors. Before falling asleep, you’d better read peaceful books and listen to comfortable music….
4. 가위눌림에서 빨리 빠져나오는 방법
몸의 어느 한부분, 이를테면 손가락에 정신을 집중해서 움직이려고 노력하는 것입니다. 그렇게 할 경우 대개 손가락정도는 움직일수 있고 차츰 몸전체를 움직이게되며 가위눌림에서 빠져나올수 있습니다….
You should focus on one part of your body, such as a finger, and try to move it. When your finger could be moved, try your whole body. Then you will get out of it….
[Photo] Being pressed down by scissors??? (from Yasu)
Israel: Israeli Bloggers Respond to Crisis in Palestine
· 22:38
Overview of the Situation–
On Thursday, January 17th, the Israeli government shut the border crossing between Israel and Gaza, stopping the flow of all goods between the two countries, including food and fuel. On Sunday, Gaza's power plant announced major cutbacks, and by Monday, an estimated 40 per cent of Gaza's population was experiencing blackouts.
With food supplies running low and hospital generators rapidly losing power, international relief groups, including the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Oxfam, and the World Health Organization declared a looming humanitarian crisis.
In response to mounting international pressure, including a personal phone call from Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak to Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the blockage was partially lifted and 13 aid trucks entered Gaza today with supplies from Jordan.
Gaza's border with Israel was closed down in response to an especially high number of rockets launched last week. Elder of Ziyon's January Qassam Calendar counted the combined number of rockets at 138 on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Since the border closing, the number fell to a total of 50 on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, increasing again to 18 today as the border was partially opened.
Over the last seven years, over 6,300 rockets have been fired by Gazan militants on Israel's civilian population.
Israeli Bloggers Ask: What Would You Do?
Israeli bloggers ask, “What would you do? How would your country react?
Rachel, a rabbinical student living in Jerusalem and the author of the Rachel Chronicles, is critical of the media's condemnation of Israel, asking them to think about Israel's options in the face of ongoing rocket fire on civilian populations.
“What I am not impressed with is the quickness with which people, the media, organizations, etc. are ready to abandon Israel and paint the Israeli government as either an evil empire that submits an entire population to collective punishment, or a weak government that can't keep its' own residents safe. When the Gaza power plant decided to shut down, did it also turn off the lights to the world's critical eye?…
The spin that all the major newspapers in the States is that big bad Israel is cutting off Gaza. And while it is true that the border crossings have been closed, Israel is being very careful not allow a humanitarian crisis to emerge - at least outside of the city of S'derot, which is the one that they are trying to prevent…
S'derot has lived under a barrage of rocket attacks for the past seven years, or so. Israel has been very very patient and blatantly turned a blind eye to the daily torture that Gaza militants have poured on them. It is time for that bullying and harassment to stop. And while I respect the right of the Gaza civilians to live in peace, until the people that they fund, support, house, and hide stop trying to murder the people of S'derot, I will support the Israeli government's attempts to stop that murder.”
Yael of Oleh Girl adds to Rachel's criticism of what she perceives as the media's slanted reporting.
“A lot of newspapers carried as headlines, Abbas’ claim that Israel was conducting a ‘massacre.'
Nowhere did you read during the three days that such headlines listed above were appearing that, during those same three days more than 130 Qassam rockets hit the Israeli city of Sderot. Also during those same three days, more than 80 mortars were fired from Gaza into Israeli civilian communities along the Gaza border. Nowhere did you read that… snipers fired repeatedly at civilian targets or that Hamas issued a statement calling for constant sniper attacks against Israeli farmers and farm workers. Nowhere did you read that, in just the past year alone, Palestinian militants have launched considerably more than 1,000 rockets targeting the civilian population of Sderot.”
The Gentile Warrior questions why Israel is seen as the aggressor when its civilian population is also under attack, and asks how Gaza can simultaneously attack and demand services from Israel.
“Israel didn't do this just for the heck of it. Why doesn't this group accost Hamas, Fatah, and Al Aqsa to stop launching rockets into Israel? Why is the respondent considered the guilty party? If the “palestinians” would stop launching rockets they would have food and fuel. Instead, they allow their elected and unelected leaders to continue with attacks on Israel and expect Israel to keep feeding them. This is beyond insane…
This is a self imposer humanitarian crisis. The “palestinians” brought this retribution down on themselves. This same civilian population put Hamas, a [known] terrorist organization, in charge. This is the repercussions of that ignorant act. Besides, isn't it quite embarrassing to rely on Israel for your basic needs? The same nation the “palestinians” want to erase from the map is the one that can shut off fuel supplies as well as food? It is suicidal to want to destroy the only supplier of daily necessities…
Have them come to us unarmed. Have them come to us after they have overthrown the murderous regime they have put in charge. Until then let them have their self-induced humanitarian crisis. The longer the world caters to these murderers the long they will commit murder.”
David Bogner of Treppenwitz echoes Gentile Warrior's concerns and asks why humanitarian aid is not being channeled through Egypt's border with Gaza.
“Gazastan cannot continue to be both an openly hostile entity, committed to Israel's destruction… and at the same time a fully dependant beggar-state that relies on Israel for all of its basic needs. This kind of dysfunctional relationship has never existed before in the world, and I dare say no other nation would tolerate such a parasitic situation to continue.
The Gazan border with Egypt is, for all intents and purposes, open. Weapons, money and people pour across from Egypt unchecked every single day. There is no reason why the world can't channel it's sympathy for the Gazan population into humanitarian aid supplied via Egypt. Except, of course, that this would remove the albatross from around Israel's neck… something that nobody really wants to do.
The world seems to enjoy the delicious irony of Israel being forced to keep the lights and heat on in the kassam workshops and explosive laboratories of Gaza, even as the lethal fruit of those laboratories rains down on the heads of Israeli civilians in the western Negev.”
World renowned author (and occasional blogger) Naomi Ragen gets specific. She points out that many of the employees of the Ashkelon power plant are residents of neighboring Sderot and that Ashkelon has additionally been the target of attacks.
“Picture this: the electric plant which supplies 70% of electricity to the Palestinians in Gaza is in Ashkelon. The Palestinians in Gaza have been shooting kassam rockets at the plant ever since the ‘disengagement' i.e. the abandonment of Gush Katif [Gaza]. Now, Palestinians are crying that they don't have enough electricity. They are complaining about Israeli sanctions against them. They are going to the U.N.
The truth is, Israel has not stopped supplying electricity to Gaza. Not only that, but Israeli electric company employees are risking their lives to do so.
Mickey Tsarfati, head of the union of electrical workers, was quoted in YNet: ‘It is unbelievable chutzpah for them to complain. We have not stopped supplying them with electricity for a minute. And they have not stopped logging bombs at us for a minute.' Many of the workers who fix the lines to Gaza daily are residents of Sderot. It has happened more than once that bombs fell next to their homes as they were fixing the lines to supply electricity to the bombers.
Now the U.N. and the Quartet, and the Arab League are all getting demands to stop Israeli 'sanctions' against the Gazans…. You tell me what other country would be supplying electricity to people who are bombing their children on a daily basis, and risking their lives to do so.”
Lirun of East Med Sea Peace is concerned with the humanitarian implications of the crisis and suggests a way that Israelis can help provide food for Gazans.
“heard it on the radio this morning.. apparently on saturday morning a convoy of cars will be driving to gaza to pass on some supplies to the gazastanis.. who as you probably all now know are languishing in starvation and darkness.. because apparently nothing short of that could bring the rocket fire to an end..
people who want to drive down and donate flour sugar and rice should be at the arlozorov train station no later than 8 am and the reading bus depot no later than 830am..
i hate the qassam rockets just as much as the next guy.. and as far as i am concerned the hamas and co are collectively punishing a whole region of israel for israel not conforming to hamas' demands.. however - people are starving in gaza and dying of hypothermia because of the measures we are taking and i cant accept that.. “
Meanwhile, Elliot Chodoff of Mideast On Target leaves us with suggestions for Israel's leadership.
“What can be done in the meantime? First, the Israeli leadership needs to conclude that while inaction under the circumstances is bad, improper action is worse. The Gaza population need not be provided with everything its heart desires, but allowing the creation of the image of a humanitarian disaster is counterproductive, especially when the image is false. Second, military activity needs to be stepped up, not only in quantity, but in quality. We have seen early indicators that this is occurring over the past two weeks, but if Sederot and its surroundings are to have any hope of weathering the rocket rainfall of this winter, the IDF will have to operate more intensively in Gaza until the weather permits the extensive operation that will be sure to occur sooner or later. It is high time the Israeli leadership stopped making declarations and starting taking effective action.”
Learn More–
You can learn more about the reactions of the Arab blogosphere from these Global Voices Online authors:
- Palestine: Gaza Under Siege by Amira Al Hussaini
- Egypt: Gaza in the Headlines by Eman Abd al Rahman
- Pitch Black Gaza: Jordanian Bloggers React by Naseem Tarawnah
Your Reactions–
After you have read reactions from the Israeli blogosphere in this post and opinions from Palestine, Egypt, and Jordan from my colleagues, come back here and let us know what you think about the whole situation. What are your reactions reading the voices of those whose lives have been touched on both sides of the border? What do you see as possible solutions? What do you think your country would have done when faced with similar threats from its neighbors?
I look forward to learning from your perspective.
50 comments · »»Morocco: Ashoura and Fashion
· 17:56
Morocco is celebrating Ashoura, the 10th day of the month of Moharram (which is the first month of the Hijra calendar year). Unlike their Shi'a counterparts in Iran and elsewhere, however, Moroccans typically do not commemorate Ashoura with mourning and breast-beating. As Everything Morocco explains:
Children and young teens are everywhere in the streets with whole percussion bands assembled from genuine snare drums right down to plastic gallon-sized vegetable oil bottles they probably snatched from the kitchen. Some have metal castanets and others have sticks. They are celebrating the 10th day of the month of Moharrem.
Shifa of Move It or Lose It noticed how the holiday coincided with warm weather:
The second day of Ashora was the first day of Spring in Tangier. Heartwarming, seeing as how I can assume my bedroom at home is still overlooking dirty mounds of snow and sludge. I celebrated by taking the three dirham taxi to Sweni.
Dress was a prominent subject amongst Moroccan bloggers over the weekend as well. Maryam of My Marrakesh, who is currently traveling in Kyrgyzstan, shares a poem and photographs:
Bewildering.
A girl who lived in the heat of the desert
found herself in a place
where, in the warmth of the mid-day sun,
it was -17°C.
Without the wind chill factor.
*
Brrr….Welcome to Kyrgyzstan.
A Moro in America shares an AP photo of Moroccans celebrating their football (soccer) team, and remarks:
Moroccan chicks support the national team a-la-Bresilienne :)
Myrtus shares two fashion-related stories; one about “Redlight Fashion” in the Netherlands, to which she remarks:
Those who think that fashion can replace prostitution seriously need their heads examined and those who say the two don't mix are in for a big surprise. Take a look how Amsterdam is making it all happen in the famous Red Light District.
The other is in regards to the ongoing debate about hijab, or “the veil:”
The question is: Do Muslim women believe and desire what Western women believe and desire? Following Virginia Woolf’s model of sexual equality, the internationalist feminists are convinced of the universality of women’s needs and rights beyond national boundaries. As Woolf once said, “As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, I want no country. As a woman, my country is the world.”
But, according to professor Shahrzad Mojab, some postmodern feminists defend the use of veil in the guise of respect for other cultures and denouncing critics of the veil as cultural imperialist. For example, professor Fadwa El Guindi goes as far as claiming that for women, veiling in contemporary Arab culture fulfills many functions. It can signify privacy, kinship, status, power, autonomy, and political resistance, she says. Boiled down to its essence, this view is a cultural relativism, which render nations or individuals with authority to (mis) use culture as a basis for justifying human rights abuses.
Loula comments:
0 comments · »»Muslim women and the West. What about Muslim Women and the Far East? I think women in “Islamic” countries are in a very bad position. Of course, some will argue that much need to be done before women's condition could be enhanced in “Islamic” countries, funny this always comes from men.Other will argue that women in the West are also oppressed, then again depending where. Anyway we are all in the same boat, although Women in many countries are really suffering. But, hey the Old Boys Club is still calling the shots.
Egypt: Gaza In the Headlines
· 16:40
Here are the latest headlines from the Egyptian blogosphere decrying the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. An Israeli blockade has plunged Gaza in darkness, sparking international calls and anger on the Arab street to stop the carnage.
Since words are lost and bloggers from around the region have already had their say, I will be brief and bring you headlines from Egypt's Arabic blogosphere.
Watany, writes an article entitled: “Fasting until they end the Gaza siege.”
صائم حتى يرفع الحصار عن غزة
Lesani moltofy, talks about a girl who sent her an email from Gaza and writes:
“Wait for us will until we die.”
إنتظرونا حتى نموت
And Mowaten mat-hoon asks -after posting horrible pictures of the massacres: “Where are the national movements, after the death of the official one.”
اين التحرك الشعبي بعدما مات التحرك الرسمي
Meanwhile, Zeinobia writes in her blog post “To light a candle for Gaza”: “Shame on Egypt that the borders are still closed. No. Shame not on Egypt, but on the Egyptian President.”
و عيب على مصر ان تكون الحدود مغلقة
هو العيب مش على مصر و لكن على حاكم مصر
While Bent Masrya in her post, entitled Take me with you to Gaza, is lost for words but posts a few links stating her opinion.
إلى غزة خذوني معكم
Ana Ikhwan writes an article entitled: “The darkness of murderers and no excuse for anyone.”
ظلام القتلة…ولا عذر لأحد
And Morakeb Masry makes his point with the headline “Gaza burns in the darkness..You Infidels.”
غزة تحترق في جنح الظلام يا كفرة
Last but not least, Erham Demaghak writes, in a very short but to the point post: “Eight o'clock in El Shifa Hospital, the emergency generators will be switched on, to delay the death of those in intensive care for a few more hours ..”
الساعة الثامنة ستعمل المولدات البديلة في مستشفى الشفاء، لتؤخر موت من هم بالعناية المركزة لساعات أخرى..
3 comments · »»Social Media Outreach: Non-Profits are the Key
· 16:33
Originally posted on Rising Voices.
We often talk about extending the global conversation to every corner of the world with the use of social media tools. The means to do this are manifold and depend upon the support and implementation of local institutions. The main impediment to this cause is the lack of awareness of the freely available tools available to enter the global conversation and the absence of basic communication infrastructure in the developing world. Essentially, the digital divide is much larger in these countries than the developed countries.
However, with the proliferation of mobile communication in regions such as the Indian Sub-Continent and Sub-Saharan Africa, internet access has reached remote rural areas without the need of additional infrastructure like cables and land lines. But the potential of this phenomenon is largely yet to be harnessed.
Non-Profits are the Key
The not for profit organizations or NGOs as they are known in some parts of the world have a wider influence on the population of the developing countries. In some countries they contribute by sustaining a large workforce and their development budgets frequently make up a major part of the economy. These non-profit organizations have the capacity to use this technology on a wider scale and, thereby, to inspire a communication revolution among the people they serve. So when we talk about bringing the fruit of social media to each and every person in the world, we cannot progress much without enlisting the help of non-profits.
The digital divide
Which side of the digital divide are the non profits and NGOs? First let us look at the developed countries. In the USA, the Overbrook Foundation had released a report assessing some of the foundation's human rights grantees use of Web 2.0 tools. Some findings are:
- Most of the organizations use the web more as a source of information than as a tool for connecting with others.
- Roughly half of the organizations — in most cases, the larger ones — maintain blogs.
- Respondents experienced a great deal of frustration in determining which tools to use and where to turn for help.
- Participants felt a generation gap with the new technology. “I’m always trying to catch up to my younger staff members.”
If the exposure of non-profits from developed countries to social media look like this then imagine the state of non-profits in developing countries. They are still in the process of incorporating to the digital age. Slowly, more and more non-profit institutions are making their web presence felt. But their web presence is mostly characterized by static web 1.0 websites which don't allow for participation or interaction. They remain typical brochure sites with nothing more than a mission statement, some advertisements, rarely updated newsletters, a few photos, contact information, and zero interaction.
Nepal’s ASMITA is a powerful advocacy organization where a small group of female media activists are playing a pivotal role in the country’s history. ASMITA uses many forms of media. “It acts as a print magazine, a media campaign for women’s rights, a research group, a media watchdog, a TV and radio producer and a publisher of educational literature.” But what it does not have are participatory web media tools like blogs, videos, podcasts.
More than 20,000 NGOs work in Bangladesh. The official websites of Bangladesh’s two big NGOs BRAC and Grameen have still yet to incorporate web 2.0 applications on a visible scale.
In the era of Web 2.0, non-profits must take their online messages to a new level. Using social media tools like blogs, podcasts, videos and collaborative wikis they can initiate more interaction, make their work more interactive, and can positively distribute their message. We have seen that there is occasionally mistrusts among people regarding certain non-profits, which are not always transparent about their activities. When communicating with interactive social media, stakeholders and supporters can have each have better understandings of each other and ascertain whether everything is working properly.
What is social media or web 2.0?
Techsoup explains web 2.0 in the context of the non-profits:
“Web 2.0″ to me is the building of community and collaboration on a website — wikis, social-networking, user-created content, repurposed content, people interacting publicly through a website, users interacting with staff and with each other.”
The advantages of web 2.0:
You do not need special programming skills to use these tools. Most of them are free or extremely low cost.
Beth Kanter is a trainer, blogger, and consultant to non-profits and individuals who want to effectively use social media. She writes in the Read Write Web:
Non-profits that integrate Web 2.0 tools and techniques effectively into their communications and programming strategies are reaping many benefits….
…In a recent blog discussion on the Netsquared community blog, some nonprofit techies believed that the answer is actually a change of mindset. Their point was that non-profits need to adopt a new philosophy of making their constituents the distributors of their message, and their work. To facilitate this shift, there is a need to educate more non-profits about what possibilities Web 2.0 tools offer and the practical ways to get started. It took years and small steps for many in the nonprofit sector to make the leap from fax machines to email - and it'll be the same when taking the leap from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0.
Seth Godin's free one-pager for non-profits courtesy of Npower New York and Squidoo.
Examples of the use of social media tools
- Flickr as Nonprofit Documentation Tool: What happens when you give a grantmaker a camera and flickr account? An interesting use of Flickr as a documentation tool! Also look at the International NGOs flickr group.
- Wiki Adoption in Organizations: Wikis are good for creating a collaborative and flexible knowledge base.
- The UN Foundation has had a dazzling success with its Nothing But Nets site, which focuses specifically on providing malaria nets to kids in the developing world.
- Invite your community to make contributions other than money. The web is a great place to ask for other kinds of contributions — whether that means connecting people directly with people who need their expertise or services (as in Nabuur) or asking them to share their personal experiences (as with the March of Dimes' Share your Story project).
Best practices for non-profits using web 2.0
“How are smart non profits using the power of the web to spread information and have virtual conversations with their supporters? Who are using the web to deliver their message, but more crucially, to engage audiences in a conversation?”
Alexandra Samuel answers those questions in Social Signal quoting some of the best practices:
Check the rest here.
Why is the Web 2.0 is important for small local non-profits?
Ken Goldstein writes that using interactive applications, two-way online communications and user-generated content the established core constituency of a non-profit can be expanded wider, possibly transforming it to a global powerhouse. Some advantages:
- Blogging communicates with the target audience more frequently and more cost-effectively than newsletters and appeal letters.
- RSS feeds of blogs, videos, etc., allow supporters to receive, read, and act upon the communications at their own pace.
How non-profits can start leveraging Social Media
Masternewmedia prescribes ten ways to do it.
If, as a decision-maker of a non-profit, you still are not convinced of the power of new media, then read Beth Kanter’s entire Blog dedicated to the theme: “How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media.”
1 comment · »»Japan: Illegal or Harmful?
· 14:05
Blogger Sakiyama Nobuo [ja], a social activist who has covered the area of web censorship in Japan for many years, early last week responded to a conversation initiated by fellow blogger Minakata Tsukasa [ja] on the topic of the regulation of so-called “harmful” websites [ja]. The blog entry is long and heavy in legal terminology, but it provides a useful overview of the current state of legal controls on Internet content in Japan, something which may come in handy in the future.
He starts by distinguishing between “illegal” and “harmful”:
この議論、しばしば「違法・有害」というふうに並べて議論されているのだが、もちろん、「違法」と「有害」は、全く異なる概念だし、さらに、ひとくちに「違法」と言ったところで、その内容もさまざまだ。そして、現実に起きている事象も複雑で、それらを個別に捉えつつ、全体として考えていかないと、議論がおかしくなる。
He then observes that “illegal” is less ambiguous than “harmful”, and so begins the discussion from Japan's “Provider Liability Limitation Law”, which Minakata claims covers illegal sites. Sakiyama argues that it is not actually so simple:
プロバイダ責任制限法は、プロバイダの民事責任を制限するに過ぎない。簡単に言って、著作権侵害とか、名誉毀損・プライバシー侵害とか、そういう民事の問題について、知らなきゃ責任無い（監視義務もない）し、申立てに基づいて「送信防止」するさいも、内容がそれらしくてデュー・プロセスで処理されていれば、情報発信者の利益を損なう部分について責任無いよ、というだけだ。 厳密な話とか、業界ガイドラインとかは、プロバイダ責任制限法対応事業者協議会によるサイトを参照のこと。刑法的な問題は、プロバイダ責任制限法ではカバーされていない。
刑法的な部分でどういうものが問題になりうるかは、インターネット・ホットラインセンターの運用ガイドラインにおける違法情報が、一応の参考にはなるだろう（が、これで網羅されている、とも言い難い気はする）。このガイドラインの大分類には問題があるが、とりあえず個別にみていくと、児童ポルノ、わいせつ物公然陳列、売春防止法違反、出会い系サイト規制法違反、規制薬物の濫用の煽り、規制薬物の広告、預貯金通帳等の譲渡の誘引、携帯電話の匿名貸与業等の誘引、といったものが並んでいる。児童ポルノのように個人的法益の侵害の大きいものもあるが、大半は社会的法益の侵害としての犯罪とされるものだ。
[…]
こういった情報と疑われるものについて、プロバイダが「送信防止」したから、といって、情報発信者の権利を侵害するとして問題になることは、あまりない。そもそも、多くの場合は、プロバイダは契約者との間で結ぶ規約で、そういったことが問題になることを防ぐ規定を入れている。 具体的な議論は、2006年のインターネット協会主催セミナーにおける森亮二弁護士の発表などがネット上にある（森弁護士は、学会で論文なども発表していたと思うが私はそこまでチェックしていない）。
とはいえ、これは「削除は安全だ」という話であり、放置したからといって、プロバイダが直ちに刑事罰に問われる、という話ではない。各犯罪の幇助（や状況により正犯）に問われているケースでは、もう少し積極的な関与があったり、あるいは状況を認容していたり、といった状況があるようだ（これも森弁護士の前記発表を参照のこと）。実際、インターネット・ホットラインセンターへの通報で国内サイトについての通報で違法情報と判断されたもの全てが、削除されているわけではない。ホットラインセンターが違法と判断したものはすべて警察庁に通報されているが、警察は「違法」なものを処理するために動くとなれば、捜査をして被疑者を特定し、送検し、処分を確定する、といったことを前提に動くわけで、そこまでのものではないとなれば動かない。そして、警察より後に通報されたサイトなりプロバイダなりが放置すればそれまで、ということになる。
He then points out that even certain types of voluntary child porn, if left on free bulletin boards, will not necessarily be taken down, and that a lot of “illegal” content is in fact simply left on these bulletin boards as spam. He then continues:
とりあえずここまで見てきたように、インターネット上での「違法情報」といったものは、さまざまな種類があり、数の上ではその多くが具体的存在を認知されつつも放置されている、というのが、実際のところだ。警察も、ある意味「どうでもいい違法情報」まで強制捜査をして潰しているほど暇ではないし、プロバイダも、通信の秘密や表現の自由の保護を前提とすると、情報発信の抑止には慎重になるし、あるいは、そもそもが「チープ革命」で無料や極めて安価のホスティングやレンタル掲示板（無料のものは個人情報登録不要のものも少なくない）があふれる中、自覚なく「プロバイダ」になっていたり、あるいは自分の開設したサイトを放置したり存在そのものを忘れたり、という状況で情報発信の抑止に慎重になる以前に、その意識もないとか、あるいは通報を受け付ける体制もない、とった零細法人や個人も少なくないだろう。
しかし、そのような場合にだからといって、掲示板開設者からレンタル掲示板提供者へ、さらにホスティング業者へ、といった具合に上位のプロバイダに通報して潰していけるか、というと、利用者の権利を考えると、そう簡単でもないのだろう。インターネット・ホットラインセンターのスキームでは、現状ではそのようなエスカレーションは行われていない。
そういう意味では、「違法サイト規制」の枠組には、穴があいている部分がはっきりとあるといっていいだろう。そのような穴は、ある程度は、憲法の定める基本的人権があえて作り出すものではある。通信の秘密だけではなく、人身の自由も関係する。そういったものが国家の法執行を適切に制限することで、私たちは、社会正義に著しく反するようなことでもなければ、軽微な違法性はスルーして、あまりギスギスとしない社会をつくってきていた。
Pitch Black Gaza: Jordanian Bloggers React!
· 13:26
As the Israeli onslaught in Gaza continues this week, the death toll continues to climb. With many of the dead being civilians and the European Union labeling the Israeli offensive as ‘collective punishment', the situation has not sat well with Jordanian bloggers. Here's what they had to say in the past few days:
On his blog, Haitham Sabbah encourages readers to support Gazan families through donations and has this to say about the situation:
“If Israel and its allies think that the siege and its war crimes will stop Palestinian from fighting for their freedom and return of their land, they are stupid. Palestinian will continue their resistance until the last drop of their blood, in light or darkness. Israel, you are dreaming. You will only gain more hate and give more reasons for more violent resistance.”
Image By: Carlos Latuff
The Heart Of Darkness:
Roba Assi and Secratea choose more symbolic forms of solidarity, while Naseem Tarawnah struggles to find the right words for Gaza.
Khalid, who studies in Amman, analyzes ‘the darkness', while Razan Khatib resurrects his prose from 2002 that is sadly, still applicable today. Like Jad, Isam lights a candle and lets the images tell the story. Asoom, inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the US, scribbles words of reality between darker photos, while ‘Lost Within' was taken aback by a particularly powerful photograph
Elsewhere, doctors in Gaza have stopped doing surgeries because of the electricity shortage, and Hareega wonders just how long the generators will last, saying:
“Another crime committed by Israel, the country that attacks ambulances, bombs schools and destroys houses on its inhabitants without a warning. Israel was founded by offending the right of others, killing the innocent, and with blood on its hands. It would be naive to believe that it would behave differently in order to defend itself.”
Reaction-less :
‘J' of Jordan Journals is appalled by the reaction of the UN while Dana reacts to the Israeli belief that Hamas is deliberately intensifying the crisis. SimSim is baffled by the world's silence, wondering if Palestinians are still considered to be human.
But what about the (expected) lack of reaction from Arab leaders? Tallouza puts the looming humanitarian crisis into perspective, while Moi of My Occupied Territory aims her frustration over the situation at the lack of reaction, especially from Arab leaders:
“I just fail to understand how Arab and Muslim leaders are watching this misery take place across the border. I fail to see why Jordanians, Egyptians, Syrians, Saudis, and Qataris don’t take to the streets and demand that their governments do something about this shameful situation. I’m disgusted, utterly disgusted by those cowardly Arab dictators who welcomed the scum of the earth to their palaces last week and failed to mention to him the misery of our Palestinian brethren.”
Ali takes a similar stance by saying:
“Are we that deaf not to hear the cry of help from innocent kids and women in Gaza? I don’t blame Israel or US for supporting Israel’s actions, at the end all parties have their own agenda and beliefs. I put the blame on the Arab States who are silently watching the news coming out from Gaza.”
Jordanians gathered for a candlelight vigil in front of the UN building in Amman on January, 20th.
Calling Out:
Gazans are calling out, but Eman doesn't seem to think anyone is listening:
“The disastrous situation the Palestinians, particularly the Gazans, are living is so out of control and calls for immediate international intervention. But who’s listening?”
No Angel expresses emotions of helplessness:
“If I send donations, they are blocked
If raise my voice, it is unheard
If light a candle, it is blown away
If I write a letter to my representative, it comes back unread
If I voice my opinion about it on the internet, I am told they brought it upon themselves”
Kinzi recalls a girl from Gaza, whom she believes to have been one of the most influential people in her life. In the context of recent tragedies, she says:
“Israel has not learned the lesson of the Holocaust. No one wants to forget what happened under Hitler, but it seems the same vilification of a whole people has been repeated by former victims of the same. Blood is blood, whether Jewish or Arab. It is life, and it is flowing out in death again.”
The events have left Qwaider and Khalidah rather speechless. While Iman decides to unleash her wrath on another entity:
10 comments · »»“…right now I want to give myself the right to blame some for the latest humanitarian crisis, the latest misery, the latest catastrophe on the Cancer of Palestine - Hamas! They are the source of the misery Gaza and Gazans have been Plagued with… It’s time to put the firecrackers away and think logically of the best way to get your people out of the misery you (of course with the help of your very people, as they are the incompetent citizens who voted you in to begin with) put them through since you ‘liberated Gaza.’”
Japan: The Whistle of the Middle East
· 10:59
The sport of handball is receiving the kind of attention from the media and general public it never has before in Japan, as well as in Korea. The dispute came to light when Korea and Japan together appealed to the International Handball Federation for replay of the Olympics qualifiers of the Asian region because of some dubious judgements made by referees. The allegation is that the Asian Handball Association (AHF), chaired by Kuwaiti royal Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Sabah, changed the European referees to ones from the Middle East just before Kuwait's matches against Japan and Korea to tilt the games in favour of Kuwait.
While the bickering seems to be getting rather ugly, here's what some Japanese bloggers had to say.
We Are Family criticizes the so-called “Whistle of the Middle East” and thinks that the characteristics of Japanese people may have played a role in the whole thing:
あの「中東の笛」と呼ばれるスポーツにあるまじき行為・・・。個人的にはスポーツはお金や権力に左右されずにみんなに平等であるべきだと思うけど・・。では何故今それが話題になってきたのか？これまではなかったのか？と考えると・・・日本の自己主張力がないような気がする。今回の問題も韓国のおかげで事が大きくなったし。多分日本は不公平なジャッジでもしょうがないと思っていたに違いない。そこがやはり外国と日本との考え方（価値観）の違いなんだろうねぇ。まあこれからはもっと国際化してくなかで日本人が直さないと世界とは戦えないという事が増えてくるかもしれないねぇ。。頑張れ日本！！
So, why has it been brought into question now? Has it not happened before now? I thought… I think Japanese people lack self-assertiveness. Japanese must have thought even though they received unfair judgments, there was nothing they could do about it. I guess that is the difference between Japanese and foreign ways of thinking (values). Well, I think there will be more things that Japanese have to change in order to compete in the world… Keep it up Japan!
Sports News points out that unfair judgments are not anything unique to the Middle East but are a common affair in sports.
にわかに脚光を浴び始めた「中東の笛」という言葉ですが、中東に限らず地元のチームに有利な判定が出ることを「ホームタウン・デシジョン」と言います。これはプロの世界ではボクシングでかなり露骨に見られる場合があります。例えば問題になった亀田興毅ＶＳランダエタの第1戦などもその一つであると考えられます。あの時は驚異的な視聴率をとったこともあり、多くのボクシングビギナーもＴＶ観戦したことから大問題となりましたが、海外で日本人が（日本人に限りませんが）試合をした場合に、地元の選手に有利な判定で涙を飲むことは珍しくないんですよね。
「中東の笛」は批判されてしかるべきですが、スポーツの試合に完全なクリーンさを望むのもどうかと思います。一番ホクホクしているのは、高視聴率がとれそうなコンテンツのできたテレビ局かも。
“The whistle of the Middle East” deserves criticisms, but I am not sure about demanding absolute cleanliness in sports matches. Perhaps the happiest ones are the TV stations, who now have content with which they can win higher viewing rates.
Finally, hanasinogomibako writes:
クウェートの王族が実権を握っているのだから友好関係にひびが入るほうが心配
中東諸国が石油を日本に売らないと言われたほうが心配
日本は北京五輪に出られたとしてもメダルを取れるほど強くはないし予選で韓国にも負けているほどだから
ハンドボールの件は日本韓国のアピールが通ったのだから次回からは公平に成ると思う。
スポーツと政治は別ものだが歴史を見れば関係大有り。
I am more worried that the Middle Eastern countries might say that they will not sell their oil to Japan anymore.
Even if Japan goes to the Olympics, it is not good enough to win a medal and it has lost to Korea in the qualifying game.
In the handball case, since the appeal made by Japan and Korea made it through, it will be fair next time.
Sports and politics are two separates things, but if you look at the history there is obviously a connection.
(Top image: Reproduced under GNU Licence)
0 comments · »»Ukraine: Drunk Driving
· 01:55
Taras of Ukrainiana reports on a deadly car accident that took place in Odesa this month:
On Jan. 12, an 18-year old Odesite crashed his Toyota Prado into a Daewoo Lanos moving on the opposite lane, killing one person and wounding two others in an accident that involved a total of eleven vehicles.
[…]
When the police arrived, the 18-year old showered them with profanity and demanded his cell phone, saying his dad would fix things quickly. On his way to the precinct, the bad boy was escorted by a trail of luxury cars.
According to Dmytro Fuchedzhy, deputy chief of Odesa oblast police, the subject was DUI. Now hear this: The young man reportedly attends law school. He is also the son of a wealthy businessman who holds a seat in the local assembly under the wing of the Party of Pensioners. […]
The episode raised a firestorm of indignation at Ukrainian forums, with many netizens gloomily expecting the Odesa offender to get away with murder […].
[…]
Below is a selection of readers' reactions to a story (RUS) on Korrespondent.net news site about president Victor Yushchenko's proposal to raise fines for drunk driving to $270-$500. According to the publication, over 7,000 people died in car accidents in Ukraine in 2007.
0 comments · »»Oleg Sevastopol:
Right, now we'll have to carry 500 bucks instead of 100 along with our driver's license. And the rest will stay the same. […]
***
iVeter:
Fines aren't going to intimidate those Subaru-driving idiots… As a rule, their parents have already paid all these fines a year in advance…
***
Nekto:
It's all total crap! Drivers are the ones who's gonna suffer again. Ok, drunk driving is unacceptable, driver's license should be taken away for this altogether. But yesterday I was driving 120 [km/p] outside the city… my car is capable of doing 220, visibility is perfect, the road is empty and dry, why not? Well, [cops] stopped me… Naturally, I had to bribe them, and then, while I was still there, they stopped some jeep: a window opened and some IDs were shown, and after that the jeep continued on its way at about 160 [km/h]… Any questions??? […] It's not the issue of the amount of the fine, but of the inevitability of punishment, but we're unlikely to succeed here, because some are [more equal than others].
***
voditel:
[…] It'd be great if they weren't selling driver's licenses for $700 at traffic police department [skipping tests and other formalities] […].
***
from CA:
That a ridiculous fine.
My friend in California has been fined $300 recently for riding his bike along the bicycle path when the red light was on.
Another example - a $1,000 fine for throwing garbage out of your car onto the highway (that's a really good road that Ukraine's never gonna have).
And don't tell me about their salaries - for 90 percent of the population, this is a considerable amount of money.
И не надо мне говорить про их уровень зарплат, это для 90% населения тут существенные деньги.
And drunk driving is a criminal offense.
Links for Roundups
Middle East & North Africa
From Algeria, Nouri the Moor objects to an LA Times article which describes slain former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto as the “first elected leader of a Muslim state.” ‘What about this guy, this guy, this guy, and this guy? Maybe they meant “the first elected female leader of a Muslim state”?' he writes.
Eastern & Central Europe
Orange Ukraine lists what needs to be done to accommodate the Euro 2012 visitors (from 400,000 to 1 million) in Ukraine: “As of this moment, Kyiv has 4,000 hotel rooms. What is required is all the logistics incl. infrastructure (roads, parking, planes, trains, etc.) and upgrading facilities such as hospitals and clinics, the building of stadiums, the upgrading of dormitories such as in Donetsk for low cost renting, the settling of the conflict at the Olympic stadium in Kyiv (removal of shopping centre which makes it unsafe), the building of walkway to metro station, … And there is a to-do list not just for Kyiv but for Kharkiv, Lviv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, etc.”
Middle East & North Africa
Or Does it Explode reports a small victory for Saudi women in this post. It quotes news sources as saying: “Women in Saudi Arabia can now stay in a hotel or a furnished apartment without a male guardian, according to a government decision that comes as the country faces increasing criticism for its severe restrictions on women.”
Eastern & Central Europe
BBC's Mark Mardell blogs about his trip to Albania.
Eastern & Central Europe
A Fistful of Euros posts a detailed roundup on the first round of the Serbian presidential election.
Eastern & Central Europe
Robert Amsterdam and A Fistful of Euros write about Gazprom's acquisition of “Serbia's national energy monopoly, NIS, at a knockdown price.”
Middle East & North Africa
From Jordan, Ammar Ibrahim will be running in a 24 hour marathon. “Dead to Read (D2R) is an annual event for psychos, you get teams of 10 people to run 242KM from Dead Sea to Red Sea in under 24 hours. we start running at 3 PM Thursday Jan 31st, and finish (hopefully), by friday morning. I don't understand how I will be awake for 24 hours running,” he explains.
South Asia
TheKillRomeoProject expresses disappointment after attending a panel discussion on blogging at the Galle Literary Festival.
South Asia
Cynically Yours goes to