Archive for
February 17th, 2008
Stories
Egypt: Dov'è L'Amore
· 16:55
Last Thursday was Valentine's Day, and for sure Egyptian bloggers couldn't miss such opportunity without writing about it, or even dedicating a special recipe of a Chocolate Pie for this occasion and calling it “The meal of Love”.
Some bloggers, such as Pinsy Winsy, decided to dedicate that day to everyone she knows:
ماليش حبيب واحد أهديله ورده حمرا مع حبي
اشتريت عشر وردات من أجمل ماشفت لكل زمايلي فى الشغل
واتمنيت لو جبت مليون ورده لكل أصحابي وحبايبي البلوجرز والفيس بوكيين وأصدقاء الطفولة والرحلات والسفر
اتخضيت لما عرفت ان أسعار الورد غليت بالطريقه المتوحشه دى
حتى الحب والفرحه عاوزين يكسبوا من وراهم؟؟
أمشي في الشارع ومعايا ورداتي
أبص على الأحبه اللي ماشيين وايديهم متشبكه
والايد التانيه شايله هدية.. حجمها صغر عن السنه اللى فاتت
أو شايلين بوكيهات ورد.. عدد ورداتها قلت عن الأول
بس فرحانين .. ومتحابين
ماحدش يقدر يسرق مننا الفرحه… وهانفضل برضه نحب ونفرح.. ولو بأبسط الامكانات
I don't have a lover to give a red rose with my love.
I bought 10 beautiful roses and gave them to my co-workers.
And I wish I could get one million roses and give them to all my friends, beloved bloggers, and Facebook, childhood and travel mates.
I was shocked when I knew that roses prices became that high.
Even love and joy, they wanna make money of??
I walked in the street with my roses in my hand.
And looked at those lovers holding each others hands.
And in the other hand there was a present … but its size was smaller than the one of the previous year.
Or holding a bouquet of roses … with less roses than those of the previous year.
However they were happy and joyful
No one can steel from us our joy. And we will continue to love and amuse ourselves, even with fewer resources.
On the other hand, Amira Hassan, decided to dedicate her post to … let's see who her lover is here.
I want Grow Old Loving U,,,
Kol sana w ent yaib ya 7abebi
ml2tsh 7aga bt7bha akter mn Google :)
I want to grow old loving you,
Happy Valentine's Day my dear
I found nothing to love more than Google :)
Hany George, bikya, also wrote about Valentine's Day here.
عيد الحب … تأتيني بعض الرسائل علي تليفوني المحمول … هابي فلانتين … فاجيب بمثلها … ما معني أن يكون الحب مثل التبرز … له اوقات معينه نتبرز فيها بعض الكلمات مثل التي تتكرر علي مسمعي في الهاتف … و انت عامل ايه … كلمات تملأ فراغ زمني … و لا يشعر بها أحد .. نبرة الاصوات تدل علي ذلك بشدة لكنه الواجب
الواجب … و نحن صغار يكون الواجب أن تكرر حرف الالف العديد من المرات في صف طويل في كراستك و انت لا تعرف ما الفائدة ان كانت مرة واحدة كافية لكي تحفظ شكل الحرف
و عندما تكبر قليلا … يكون الواجب أن تحترم المدرسين … و تكتب موضوع انشائي طويل عن مضار التدخين و أنت تعلم أن من سيقرأه و يصلحه لك … مدخن
و عندما تكبر اكثر … يتحول كل شيء الي واجب … حتي ممارسة الجنس … فعل الحب … في اطاره الشرعي يسمي بالواجبات الزوجية
ملعونة هي تلك الواجبات
Valentine's Day … I received some SMS's on my mobile phone … Happy Valentine's Day … and I reply on them with similar ones … what's the meaning of love when it's like shitting … it has specific occasions when we have to piss some words like those ones I received on the phone… “How are you doing?” … just words that fill time and space … and no one feels them … the voices and tones also emphasises this so much, however it's the duty.
Duty .. when we were young, we use to write the letter “A” many times in our copybooks, we never know what's the use of writing it that much when writing it only once is enough to know its shape, and we got older … our duty was to respect our teachers … and write essays about the dangers of smoking even when the teacher who will read your easy is a smoker, and when we got older and older … everything turned to be a duty … even sex and love … it's even called “Marital Duties” … damn those duties.
As you know, in this part of the world, people sometimes like to relate everything to religion, even when religion has nothing to do with it. And Badway wrote here about those who believe that we should not celebrate the Valentine's Day.
و الله أنا زهقت كل سنة فى الميعاد بتاع عيد الحب ده اللى معرفش ميعاده امتى أصلا ألاقى ناس محموقين قوى و أعصابهم شايطة أن ازاى احنا نحتفل بعيد الحب و ألاقى مقالات طويلة و نصايح اخوية رخمة بأننا مفروض منحتفلش بعيد الحب و ناقص يقولوا نعلن فيه الحداد … أو نلبس شارة سودا
0 comments · »»I am really sick, every year of Valentine's Day, the day that I do not even know, I see people mad at us because of celebrating Valentine's Day, and I see long essays and silly advises that we shall not celebrate it, I think they are about to tell us to show grief and sorrow then … or to wear black armbands.
Philippines: A Tale of Corruption and Bribery
· 16:37
For a backgrounder on the issue, read this: Corruption scandal reaches presidential palace.
A new witness who recently testified in the senate confirmed earlier allegations of bribe and corruption involving the botched national broadband network project between the Philippine government and ZTE Corporation from China.
The ongoing senate probe concerns two things: the crime of corruption and the attempt by agents of the Executive branch to hide the truth by abducting the witness.
The witness, Jun Lozada, named a high ranking elections officer as the broker of the overpriced deal. He also implicated the First Gentleman in the controversy.
The explosive testimony of Mr. Lozada has revived efforts to unseat President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The opposition is again calling for the resignation of the president. Street protests are gaining momentum. More and more people are expressing their disgust against corruption in government.
New Philippine Revolution lists the summary of Lozada’s testimony in the senate. De La Salle University releases a chronology of events on how the prestigious institution got entangled in the issue. The Daily PCIJ uploads the testimonies of government officials who denied that they tried to prevent the witness from testifying in Congress.
baratillo @ cubao links to a site where videos and pictures of the broad anti-Arroyo rally can be viewed. MlQ3 uploads pictures of the senate hearing aside from providing incisive commentaries on the issue. blog @ AWBHoldings.com and Tingog.com offer an initial round-up of bloggers’ reactions on Jun Lozada.
Akomismo is a high school teacher who suspends his lesson plan to talk about Lozada:
“Lozada, to me, represents the fate of our good and honest public servants. My students ask me whether there are good men and women in government and I would always say, “Yes, there are.” I recognize that there are many young, idealistic and worthy public servants. There are a lot who try to break new ground and make a difference. However, the Damocles sword of political favoritism and patronage remain. This is the political reality that compels the up and coming to leave the public service in the same way that economic realities compel a lot of us to leave the country for greener pastures. Yet in the end, these servants face the choice of being either a Neri or a Lozada. Will they hide in the darkness of truth or will they bring the truth to light? How about you?”
An Apple a Day echoes the feelings of many people:
“We've been through this countless of times already, but no one really sees the end of it. Why? Because no one really gets imprisoned from these things. The trials just go on and on until the public forgets about it… until the next drama special.”
Challenges and Movements wonders why protests are peaking every month of February:
“The month of February is a month of protests. I do not know what is it in February that makes this month special when it comes to protests aside from celebrating Valentines Day, but this month seems always a month wherein protest actions have been successful in booting tyrant president’s out from the palace.”
An OFW Living in HK encourages the people to join protest actions:
“If you are against corruption and you believe that Gloria's administration is corrupt, then the simple answer is Yes, go and support the protest actions. If you think that there will be not enough bodies to make a significant protest, then help increase the number by bringing yourself. If you think that 2010 is near and there's no need to dump Gloria Arroyo now, just go ahead and join the protests to make your sentiment known. It's as simple and easy as that. Just go!”
Congressman Ruffy Biazon argues why Congress must issue a statement against the “kidnapping “of Lozada:
“If the people will see that their House of Representatives will stand up for the rights of Mr. Lozada, it will surely give them hope that if ever the strong arm of government comes crashing down on them, they have an institution that they can rely on. An institution that upholds the people’s interests far above its own, an institution that has a will, conviction and principles of its own, an institution that will not hesitate to defend what is right and condemn what is wrong.”
dantonremoto2010 describes the government as a “rotten fruit”:
“Rotten fruit. This is the way this administration is going. Remember Jose Rizal's El Filibusterismo? Ibarra came back to afflict everybody with corruption, so that like an over-ripe fruit, the system would just fall to the ground from the weight of its own corruption. With a loud thud. That is the way this government is going.”
The powerful Makati Business Club salutes the whistleblower:
“If he had been a lesser person, he could have continued to acquiesce and cower in the dark. But having come into the light, he has become a credible witness to the truth. Now that he is being unjustly maligned by government officials and by senators identified with the Administration in their continuing effort to suppress the truth, we express our support for Mr. Lozada”
Underside praises Lozada:
“He is flawed and he is in no way perfect but the most commendable thing about him is that he had to guts to admit his faults. Have you ever heard a word of apology from the crooks and professional politicians? Have they ever admitted their boo-boos? No, of course not.”
Like a rolling store mentions the two crimes committed by the government:
“I’ve talked to some friends and they are saying that the cover up is somehow worse than the actual crime of corruption. Why? Because the ZTE deal has been canceled and that sort of mitigates its ill effects. But the cover up, that one is still ongoing and is still claiming victims like Lozada. The cover up continues to insult our collective intelligence as a people. Whichever you may find worse, the original crime or the cover up, there is no doubt that someone must be made accountable. Heads must roll, so they say. It won’t happen out of the government’s own volition. We have to make it happen.”
The Marocharim Experiment is demanding more evidence:
“Something smells fishy. For one, Jun Lozada’s version of “the truth” has yet to be backed up by hard, solid evidence. For two, Senators are grilling Lozada like bad barbecue for hours on end. For three, no government official has yet to stand to say, “Hey, we’re going after the wrong man.” Had I been the chairman of the Senate committee hearing out the NBN-ZTE fiasco, I would have let Lozada go right now and sent a subpoena to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo the very next day. Then I’d send for the President herself.”
Out of my Mind has a message for the opposition:
“Let me get this clear: This administration is hopelessly corrupt beyond redemption and the sooner we get rid of these people, the better. But it’s not just these people. And removing this administration, and mainly by embarrassing and ridiculing it—which, also harms business and ourselves—should not be the only goal. A major reason why this administration is still in power is because most think that the people who are itching to replace this administration are doing so mainly for personal political gain. That may not be entirely true, but that’s the message people are getting. A taxi driver I talked to said it well: Better the thief that has been unmasked and has seemingly no pretensions of being moral than the people who claim to be imbued with stronger moral fiber.”
Phoenix Eyrie believes the anti-Arroyo forces are leading the people to the wrong direction:
“Everyone’s getting caught up in the moment; Government is corrupt! Geezus, like we all didn’t know that already? Somebody’s being taken for a ride here. I just hope the Republic doesn’t suffer because the people got brought to the wrong directions. Again.”
Journalist RG Cruz quotes presidential daughter Luli Arroyo:
“So many times, the people who actually make money from whatever deals do so using my father’s name even though he is not at all involved, and then when they get caught, they point an accusing finger at him while pocketing the money they made. Why do people want to destroy my mother? Because she has tried very hard to take out the institutionalized corruption, so the way they fight back is to try to destroy my family’s reputation.”
Geronimo Nadal is not a fan of an anti-Arroyo civil society group:
“You know them. They are “pushy”, self-righteous and “feel morally superior” above all other Filipinos. If you are with them, you feel that they consider themselves as God’s gift to the Filipino nation and that they seem to have all the answers to the burning issues of the times. You can immediately sense that they truly believe that if you are not with them, you are against them and therefore you are either corrupt, a coward, or less a person.”
Edicio dela Torre uploads an article allegedly written by Jun Lozada. Pinoypress uploads another article by the star witness who explains why a member of Arroyo’s Cabinet has refused to reveal all details of corruption in government. Notes of Marichu C. Lambino weighs the credibility of Lozada’s testimony. Swikey and Joni’s world believe in the sincerity of the witness. M.O.B reacts to how the senate hearing was conducted.
4 comments · »»Sudanese Blogosphere Reaches New Milestone
· 16:02
The Sudanese blogosphere is starting to build momentum. Blogs written in English are quite active now showing the genuine, diverse and raw face of Sudan to the world.
On the other hand, blogs written in Arabic have mushroomed at another corner of this vast online space. They’re just as important as those written in English (maybe even more important) and they’re explicitly leveraging the power of the internet to practice their right to free expression.
Sudanese Bloggers is an official community of Sudanese bloggers writing in Arabic. Amna is a member. She is a human rights activist and has a brave post translated by a friend of hers from Arabic to English about how she was sexually harassed by a journalist at a pro-government newspaper:
Then He asked me if I wanted to work with him and I told him that was what I wanted.
… He then, and in an unrespectable manners, went on mentioning that everything has its price while at the same time placing his hand on my knee.
… He jumped at me and tried to pull me towards the bench by the wall while murmuring with dirty comments. At this moment, even his looks changed and he became like a real monster. As I was resisting him, I told him I would scream loud and ask for help. But he laughed and told me to do whatever I wanted and that no body would come for my rescue.
Overwhelmed by fear, I slapped him very hard on his face using my hand. Surprisingly, he let go of me and I ran for my safety passing by the secretary and few others who seemed were not interested to notice anything unusual.
One blog in Arabic called Un-Masking Islam is vehemently anti-Islamist. Imad on the other hand chose the slogan of the Muslim brotherhood, “Islam is the solution,” for his blog. Both are members of Sudanese Bloggers. Even Black Gay Arab is.
As the Sudanese blogosphere continues to expand, bloggers discuss a variety of topics. Amjad is now getting settled in his university in Texas after leaving Oman. He had a few things to say about the color red:
While Saudi Arabia is banning all red items from sale until after February the 14th (Valentine's Day), everything in our university is turning into red because of this so-called Valentine's Day…
AK commented on Spielberg's withdrawal from his artistic role in the Beijing 2008 Olympics to protest what is happening in Darfur:
Someone is going to get mad and I think it's going to be China! I've heard speculations about this for months now, and Spielberg has been under a lot of pressure from various groups (Save Darfur, et. al.) to take this move. Obviously Beijing is going to try to play this down, but they will be furious.
… I can't wait to here the smart things Khartoum will have to say about this.
Drima (who is writing a book about blogging and freedom of expression in the Muslim world) was amused by Spielberg's news:
Ahahahahaha! It’s true!
… Like I said, the coming Beijing 2008 Olympic Games are already too tainted. Seriously, let’s move the games to Taiwan.
Kizzie on the other hand however had a different opinion:
Spielberg, are you scared of George Clooney not acting in your movies again or what? Did Hollywood pressure you into doing it? well, bravo. Instead of reading about Darfur and using your brain, you did the dumbest thing ever!
And as usual Jah Guide drops his poetry:
1 comment · »»God runs in me
God in the river and in the sea
someone like you Rumi
Sufi
beautiful
I see Rumi
just like that
love you
I see
Japan: Reactions to alleged Okinawa rape
· 15:32
The news last week that U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Tyrone Hadnott had allegedly raped a 14-year-old schoolgirl in Okinawa sparked various degrees of condemnation from local citizens, politicians, the government and bloggers [ja], reigniting anger at the continued presence of American military bases in Japan's southernmost prefecture. While different in many ways from the current case, a famous gang rape by U.S. military personnel in 1995 remains fresh in the minds of many Okinawans, adding to feelings of frustration.
In describing cases of rape in Japan such as this one, media tend to avoid the word “rape” (強姦) in favor of the less direct expression “violence” (暴行). Freelance journalist and blogger Uesugi Takashi comments on this use of language, and on differences between local and national media in their coverage of the case:
また、米海兵隊員による性犯罪が発生しました。
『沖縄タイムズ』は号外を出し、比較的静かな本土との報道の差が気になります。
だいたい「少女暴行」とありますが、はっきり言って「未成年者への強姦」（レイプ）でしょう。
それを「暴行」と、言葉を緩める意味が果たしてあるのか？
「援助交際」とか「婦女暴行」とか、性犯罪用語を曖昧にする日本の報道は、被害者への配慮というよりも、加害者への贖罪意識の軽減につながってしまっているようです。
こうした性犯罪は、絶対許さないという姿勢で報じるように変えていくべきでしょう。
I sense the difference between the “Okinawa Times”, which put out an extra edition, and the relatively quiet mainland reporting on this.
[Mainland reporting] refers to it as something like an “violence against a young woman” (少女暴行), but speaking frankly, this is “rape of a minor” (未成年者への強姦).
Is there even any point in softening these words and referring to it as “violence” (暴行)?
In using terminology like “compensated dating” and “violence against young women” for sex crimes, Japanese reporting, more than considering the victim, tends to reduce the sense of atonement of the assailant.
There should be a change in attitude to one that absolutely does not put up with this kind of sex crime.
While there was considerable hostility voiced at the U.S. military presence, on Internet bulletin boards the incident also attracted heavy criticism targeted at the high-school girl herself [ja] for (allegedly) not being careful enough and allowing this incident to happen. One blogger, for example, wrote of the girl's “frivolousness”:
沖縄の米兵による中学生暴行事件
よく聞いたら
バイクに乗せて家まで送ってあげると言われて
バイクに乗ってしまったのが原因だとか
バカか・・・・
そんなの、暴行してくださいとお願いしてるようなもんよ
軽薄な行動が呼んだ事件としか言いようがない
この女の子の軽薄さに腹が立つ
If you listen carefully:
She was asked if she would like a lift home by motorbike,
And she actually got on the bike, that was the cause.
So stupid…
That kind of thing, it's just like asking: assault me please.
No way to describe this but as frivolous actions just asking for something to happen.
This girl's frivolousness really makes me angry.
Blogger VcCS expressed a similar sentiment:
沖縄県で、またもや米兵による強姦事件が発生！
女子中学生を乗用車に乗せ、車内で暴行をしたという。こういう事件を見ると、結果的には米兵の罪が問われるのだが、そこに至る経緯も気になる。決して、暴行に及んだ米兵をかばうつもりはない。
だけど、被害にあった女子学生は、米兵から声をかけられ、その誘いを受けたことで、こうした事件を招いている。それが知り合いであれば事情が変わったのかもしれないが、見知らぬ人からの誘いを受ける方にも問題があるように思えてならない。
沖縄という土地柄、米兵による強姦事件は後を絶たない。
だからこそ、その土地の女性はもっと用心すべきだ！それにもまして、親はもっと子供に責任を持つべきではないか？
過去に起こった事件から学び、もう少し責任ある行動を取ってもらいたい。
加害者がどんな裁きを受けようとも、被害者の傷跡は消すことが出来ないから
A girl in junior high school got into a car, and was assaulted inside. The American military should ultimately be held responsible for this crime, but I also wonder about the process that led up to it.
I absolutely do not want to defend the American soldier who called her [into the car].
But the high school girl who was victimized, the American soldier called out to her, and she accepted this invitation, so she asked for this incident [to happen]. It would be different if this was an acquaintance of hers, but I cannot help feeling that there is a problem with a person who accepts an invitation from someone they don't even know.
In the local character of Okinawa [*], these cases of rape by American military personnel are never-ending.
And that's exactly why girls in those places should be more careful! Even more than that, shouldn't parents take more responsibility for their children?
I want them to learn from past incidents and act a little more responsibility.
Because however the assailant ends up being charged, there is no way to erase the victims scars!
[*] Referring to the fact that Okinawa has many U.S. army bases.
For more about this story, see also this English-language post and a long set of comments responding to it.
48 comments · »»Korea: Burning of Namdaemun
· 05:15
Namdaemun, the Great South Gate (called Namdaemun or Sungnyemun), which was established in the 14th century, was ravaged by a fire that broke out on the 10th of February. It was was the city’s main entrance from the south when Seoul became the capital of Korea more than 600 years ago. What made people shocked was that an important historical symbol in Seoul in an instant. It seems many can’t get over the shock easily. Rather than focusing on who committed the arson and why, why the incident happened in the first place and what the tragedy indicates have more grabbed people’s attention.
Many people were deeply distressed.
이 장면 하나에 마음이 무너져 내린다. 20여년전, 난생 처음 서울에 발을 디디며 서울역에 내린후 바로 보게 된 숭례문은 내게 ‘아, 여기가 바로 서울이구나!' 라는 감흥을 선사한 위대한 건축물이었다. 개인적으로 한국사 공부를 하며 한없이 초라한 우리나라의 문화재 관리에 분통이 치밀어 오르기도 했지만 그나마 이런 건물들이 남아 있는 것이 어디겠는가 하며 스스로 위안을 하고 내심 뿌듯해 하곤 했었다. 임란당시 일본에 의해 훼손되고, 병자년에는 불태워지며, 다시 일본에 의해 무차별로 파괴되는가 하면 개발이란 명목하에 마구잡이로 변질되어 버린 우리 문화재들중 그나마 그 원형을 유지한 몇 안되는 서울의 자랑이 바로 숭례문 아닌가.
태조께서 조선을 창건하며 세워진 도성의 정문이라 할 수 있는 남문인 숭례문은 지독히도 불운한 한국사의 아픔을 모두 겪으면서도 살아남은 진정 당당한 우리 서울의 상징이었고 그래서 ‘나라의 가장 보배로운 물건' 제1호가 될 수 있었다. 숭례문은 단순한 건물이 아니라 아래의 사진에서 보듯 600여년간 백성들과 삶을 같이 해온 ‘벗'이었다. 숭례문 주위에는 백성들의 삶이 펼쳐지는 상가거리가 있었고, 그것이 곧 지금의 남대문 시장이다. 100년 전만해도 숭례문은 백성들 삶의 터전이자 한낮의 찌는 태양을 막아주는 시원한 그늘을 제공해주며 늘 그곳에 서있는 보배였다.
[…] 600년 전통의 건물이 단 몇시간만에 잿더미로 변해버렸다.
숭례문은 단순히 불에 타고 무너져 내린 것이 아니다.불길이 그의 속살을 태우며 나는 흰 연기는 제발 살려달라고 외치는 절규였고, 날름거리는 불꽃속의 선명한 단청은 그의 마지막 자존심 처럼 보였다.마침내 그 지붕이 무너질때, 나는 600년의 역사를 고스란히 지녀온 그의 죽음을 보았다.더이상 그의 명예와 혼백을 훼손치 말아야 한다.감히 그의 앞에 무릎을 꿇고 우리의 잘못을 뉘우치고 머리를 숙여야 한다. 그리고 다시 앞으로 최소 600년, 아니 수천년을 당당히 버티고 서있을 수 있는 새로운 몸을 그에게 주어야만 600년의 역사가 살아숨쉬는 그의 혼백이 다시 그곳에 깃들 것이다.
The King Taejo established the Chosun Dynasty and established the front gate of the capital. It was Sungnyemun. Going through unfortune events of Korea history, it survived and was the symbol of Seoul. It was the most valuaable heratige of our country, no. 1 of the cultural assets. It was not a simple building. Like the photo below, it has been a ‘friend’ to live with us for 600 years. Surrounding it, there have been market streets where people made a living and it is the Namdaemun market at present. Just 100 years ago, it was a place where people could avoid the sun during the day and where provided the shadow for the people. […] The building with a 600 year tradition became ashes in several hours.
Sungnyemun was not just simply set on fire and cracked down. The flame burned its flesh and the white smog was the voice to cry out for help. Clear paint color in the middle of the flame looked like the last confidence of itself. At last, when the roof was cracked down, I saw the death of 600 year history. We shouldn’t destroy its dignity and spirit. I dare to kneel down, bow my head, and apologize for our mistakes. And as long as we give the new body that can survive at least 600 years or more than several thousand years, its spirit will be back again.
It was not hard to find netizens whose hearts collapsed with the collapse of Namdaemun.
어제 밤, 오늘 새벽녁까지 뉴스를 보면서 소리죽여 울었다. 하루 종일 알 수 없는 죄책감이 들었다. 오래간만에 온 식구 다 모여 먹던 저녁 식사 시간에, 뉴스 보면서 다시금 눈물을 흘렸다. 조상님. 지키지 못해 죄송합니다.
Namdaemun has been regarded as the gate that, according to geomancy, is supposed to protect Seoul from fire. The burning of the gate with that function seems to worry not a few netizens.
[…] 사료에 나온 것을 전적으로 믿을 수는 없지만, 암튼 역사를 공부하다 보면 나라가 망하기 전에는 꼭 흉년이니 민심이 흉흉하다느니 민란이 일어났다느니 자연 재해가 심하다느니 천재지변이 일어났다느니 하는 말들이 나온다. 털내반 인질 사건, 태안 기름 유출 사건, 남대문 소실 사건 … 이거 뭐냐?
21세기 세계화 정보화 과학화 시대에 이런 말 하면 우스갯소리로 치부할지 모르겠지만, 난 이런 사건들이 현재를 살아가는 우리 국민에게 주는 일종의 경고 메시지라고 본다. […]
You can mock what I say in the period of the 21st century, which is facing globalization and the IT world. But I think this series of incidents is a kind of warning messages to the current people. […]
One of the biggest issues following this tragedy is who has responsibility. Politicians are taken as the main victims and perpetrators, especially between the current and coming presidents. Their attidues toward this tragedy have been criticized seriously.
숭례문 화재가 노무현 때문?
한나라당, ‘숭례문 화재는 노 대통령 때문' 비난 [노컷뉴스] 2008.2.11(일부발췌)
한편 한나라당이 숭례문 화재의 책임이 노무현 대통령에게 있다고 주장하고 나서 논란이 예상된다. 안상수 원내대표는 이날 최고위원회에서 “노무현 정권이 안전업무에 허술하고 엉뚱한 데 신경을 쓴 결과 이런 비극이 빚어졌다”고 노 대통령을 비난했다. 이한구 정책위 의장은 “이번 화재로 문화재 관리와 보호체계가 얼마나 엉터리인지 드러났다”며 이런 차원에서라도 정부혁신은 정말 필요하다고 화재와 정부조직 개편안을 연결시켰다.
그렇다. 분명히 문화재청과 소방당국이 총 책임자이므로 그 수장인 노대통령이 아무런 책임이 없다고 말할 수 없다. 그런데, 여기서 조금 이상한 것은, 숭례문을 개방한 것은, 이명박 전 시장의 업적 중의 하나로 손꼽히는 부분이라는 것이다.이상하지 않나? 문화재청이 개방의 주체가 되었어야지, 왜 지자체의 장이 그 영광(?)을 가졌을까?그건, 숭례문 등 문화재의 관리는 문화재청이 아닌, 지자체에서 맡고 있기 때문이다.
숭례문 개방의 업적 - 서울시장과 구청장에게 돌아가
서울시 홈페이지의 보도자료를 찾아보면, 숭례문 개방은 “2005 서울 시정 10대 뉴스“에 뽑혔다.즉, 숭례문 광장 조성은 문화재청의 업적이 아니라 서울시의 업적이며 시민들도 이를 “이명박 시장”의 업적으로 생각했다는 뜻이된다. 주인공은 언제나 이명박 서울시장으로 되어 있다. 청계천 복원이나 버스개편과 함께 이명박 당선자의 업적 중의 하나가 바로 “숭례문 개방”이라는 점은 각종 기사에서 명백하게 나와 있다.영광은 서울시에게, 치욕은 중앙정부에게?[…]총선이 코앞에 있으니, 한나라당에겐 좋은 “꺼리”가 될만한 사건이다. 그런데, 여태까지의 사건 경위로 보건데, 한나라당이 더 세게 “책임”을 노무현 정부에게 돌린다면, 그와 비슷한 크기로 다시 역풍이 불것이다. 왜냐하면, 숭례문의 업적은 모두 이명박 당선자에게 돌아갔었기 때문이다.[…] 모두가 “공범이며 주범이며 종범이다”라는 말이 맞을 것 같다.
“Criticism from the Grand Nation Party: ‘the fire of Sungnyemun is because of the president, Roh Moo Hyun.’
[…] The Grand Nation Party cricitizes that the fire of Sungnyemun is because of the president, Roh Moo Hyun. This argument is expected to generate dispute. Ahn Sang Soo, representative of the Party, criticized “the Roh government has been clumsy about security and has paid attention to other unnecessary matters. Therefore, this tragedy happened.”
Lee Han Goo, chairman of the policy committee, also commented “This fire shows how badly cultural assets have been protected,” and emphasized that political reform is really necessary.[…] ” from Nocut News Feb. 11, 2008.
Yes, we can’t deny the top leader of government offices, Roh Moo Hyun has some responsibility of this. But a strange thing is that letting Namdaemun open in public was regarded one of the major achievements that Lee Myung Bak made when he was the Seoul Mayor. Isn’t it strange? At that time, why did a governor take the honor instead of the National Cultural Treasures Administration (NCTA)? Because taking care of national treasures, including Namdaemun, is not what the NCTA does, but what the local governmenet does.
The achievement of opening Namdaemun – to the mayor of the Seoul Metropolitan Governemnt and the district head.
If you check the press release at the website of the Seoul Metropolitan Government, opening Namdaemun was selected as one of the 10 achievements of the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2005. In other words, opening Namdaemun was not the achievement of the NTCA, but was regarded as the achievement of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. Citizens also thought it as the achievement of the Seoul Mayor Lee Myung Bak. The hero was always Seoul Mayor Lee Myung Bak.
Including renovating Chunggyechun and reorganizing the public transportation system, one of the achievements that Lee Myung Bak made was “opening Namdaemun” We can see it in many news reports.[…] But does the honor go to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, and does the shame go to the central government? The general election is coming soon. The tragedy is a thing that could be a good motive to the GNP. But regarding the process of the incident, if the GNP blames the Roh government more, there will be the same amount of the reverse wind to them. Because the achievement of Namdaemun has already been for Lee Myung Bak. […] But, all are “principal criminals, accessories and accomplices” This would be right. […]
Many posts about who should get the responsibility angered other netizens.
[…]숭례문이 방화로 전소되었는데 한나라 열린우리당 편 갈려서 니탓이라는 댓글들이 태반이더군여 방화로 사라져서 화가나는게 아니라 우리가 보이는 반응때문에 더 화가 치밀어 오릅니다.. 나라에 망조가 들었다 누구탓이다 누구탓이다 여기서 누구는 현재 국가의 가장어른이신분과 곧 국가의 가장 어른이 되실분입니다..
과거 삼국시대 무당들이 국가의 중대사를 점쳤듯이 2008년대 새해에 우리들은 방화로인한 화재사건을 두고 국가의 망조를 점치고 있습니다.. 숭례문이 국보1호가 전소되어 사라지니 망연자실한건 사실이지만 이사건을 두고 서로 니탓이라고 싸우니 중요한거는 보이질않나 봅니다.. […]
In the past, shamans predicted important matters of the nation. And in New Year of 2008, we predict the conflagration by arson as a bad omen of the country. It is true that we must be stunned to look at the destruction of the no.1 cultural asset. But it’s not right to argue that it’s because of this person or of that person. […]
Although the tragedy passed in a week and the arsonist was arrested, discussions and posts about Namdaemun are more and more. Individual and group marches in order to remember it keep going on and many stories related to the gate from history, personal stories, and rumors (that sometimes don’t seem to be related), are posted in the internet. It was surely not a good news that people would like to hear right after celebrating New Year and while waiting for the inauguration of the new government.
1 comment · »»Amit Gupta: A self confessed geek
· 03:22
Amit Gupta is a software engineer who works as a web applications architect in India and is a self confessed geek, in other words, someone who literally lives, breathes, sleeps and talks the Internet. With such a high tech profile, it doesn't come as a surprise that he has been blogging for nearly 10 years, in fact, since 1999, and has an incredible array of blogs, both in English (iGEEK, about web development, and diGit Blog about technology) in Hindi (Spicy Ice is about food and the world from my eyes is about - what else - Internet and technology two of his passions we managed to discover another three!).
He also has photo blogs, video blog, twitter… Name a tool and you will find out Amit has discovered it (probably before you) and is already using it to good account. Amit blogs to express himself, let off a bit of a steam and because he likes having his say on everything - and he also loves to meet people who declare themselves to be among his readership. It seems that we are talking to someone quite famous here - Amit was once chosen ASP Guru of the Year.
Amit has been a member of the Global Voices Online family for just over a year, since January 2007, providing roundups of the Hindi blogosphere. From one of his many blogs, we discover that we are talking about a “blogosphere that hasn’t yet reached where its foreign (especially western) counterparts are, and even in the Indian blogosphere, the south Indian bloggers are much ahead than Hindi bloggers”. We thank Amit for the hardwork to bring these bloggers in the spotlight!
What attracted you to GVO?
A bunch of different bloggers from different parts of the world writing about different & yet not so different blogospheres. A bunch of cool guys & gals who are addicted to blogging! :)
And what about projects, such as Paricharcha, you have to help Indian people to blog in their language, Hindi? Could you tell us how this has made a difference?
Well, when I wrote my first post on my Hindi blog, I thought that there weren't any Hindi bloggers but I was surprised as there existed a number of them. Blogging itself is catching up in India, more and more people realising the potential of this medium, more & more people becoming aware of this medium to express themselves!! Hindi is a language that's spoken by most of the Indians, be it a different dialect like Bhojpuri or Haryanvi or Rajasthani but it still is Hindi and that's the first language of a lot of people, so they are more comfortable in expressing themselves in that rather than in another language which they picked up later in life!
So I dreamed of Paricharcha as a place where “we” (Hindi bloggers & non-bloggers who know Hindi; differentiation because the first users were Hindi bloggers) can discuss just about anything be it religion or politics or technology etc. There have been other Indian forums around where people would communicate in Hindi but they would write in Roman characters there due to lack of knowledge about writing in Devnagari there. Unicode has taken away the font problems that used to haunt developers of Hindi websites earlier and phonetic tools like Baraha have made it way too easy to write Hindi in Devnagari script in unicode.
We expected a lot of first timers also coming across Paricharcha (there've been some newspaper articles etc mentioning this platform) who didn't know how to write unicode Hindi so naturally we had a forum section for them to assist them in getting started & we integrated a Hindi editor (the Hindini tool made by a fellow Hindi blogger long before Paricharcha came into being) so that users not on their own PCs can also type in Hindi on the forum. The hindi wiki Sarvagya has been quite helpful in getting people started with both reading-writing in Hindi on their PCs as well as starting with blogging.
You are very prolific on the blogosphere. How do you manage so many blogs (and now also a twitter)?
Umm…..err….. to tell ya the truth I still don't have any freakin' clue!! ;) I write whenever I have time & whenever I'm in a mood to write & I write on the blog on which I feel like writing on! No management at all!! As for Twitter, well, I post on it either from GTalk or my mobile, again whenever I feel like saying something; so if I'm on PC or logged into IM via my mobile I post & if I'm away from PC I load up Twitter widget in Widsets on my mobile & post whatever idiotic stuff I wanna write! :)
Is there any super special application/tool that you wish would come true?
Yeah. I wish someone could make a software & hardware so that a software engineer will just have to think how he/she is gonna make any software & all the coding etc is done by that tool just by reading the mind!! :D
And how do you see the internet in 10 years?
Hmm….. that's very far to predict & too wide. :) And which region are you talking about? I know about India so I'll focus my reply keeping the scenario here in mind. I guess just about everything will be connected to internet in next 10 years, be it music players (they already are) or TV or Refrigerators or phone calls (already in existence but not as widespread) or automobiles (navigation etc.), etc. Content On Demand would settle in bigtime as well as Services on Demand via Internet. E-Commerce is still in beginning stages here in India, not many choices around & not much motivation for customers and then not many adopters of the convenience but I think that this would change rapidly & for good.
Generally speaking, I think that spam (of all kinds, email, blog, etc) will increase manyfolds & the cat-mouse game of spam & anti-spam technology will continue but more specific laws will come into existence regarding spam & it will become a criminal offence (its already in some places) in a lot of places.
You say you have gone on/off blogging, but reading blogs has always been part of your day. Which are your favorite blogs in English and why?
English, eh? Not many of them English (not many in total as well as I start cutting down after my reading list increases). But still I can't pinpoint 1 favourite so I'll list some that I like most (in no particular order): Darren Rowse - Engadget - Sitepoint Blogs - Planet PHP (not exactly a blog but an aggregator) - Digital Photography School Blog
Why I like them? Well, I find a lot of good stuff written on them in areas I've a lot of interest in. Like SitePoint has been a place where I've picked up a lot of info regarding web-tech and it has come in handy as well; have interacted with people having similar interests and the discussions in forums have been knowledgeable (am known as ‘asp_funda' in the forums there, was voted ASP Guru of the Year couple of years back, not much active there nowadays).
Then I find a number of interesting & knowledgeable stuff on Planet-PHP regarding the PHP language (for past 4 years I've been writing code only in this). Digital Photography School Blog is written by Darren Rowse & I've picked up quite a number of tips about photography there, so that's why its in my reading list. Darren does quite a good job on that blog as well and I'd sure recommend it to any photography enthusiast. :)
So you are a photography enthusiast! How did you discover it?
Hmm, well, I've always liked taking photos but hated the cumbersome process of using film rolls & then having them developed! So my passion found its wings when I got my first digital camera in 2005 & went on my first vacation on my own (with friends) in May 2006. Then gradually the likeness turned into a passion over the next year and I invested in a better camera and started reading about photography, anything I can lay my hands on be it tips-tricks or pointers or tutorials etc. and started practicing them & plan to continuing that. :)
“A grayscale version of peacock's feather with the center showing some colours. I was just playing around with this photo when this idea struck me & it looked nice after completion, so I thought I'd save it.” (Amit Gupta). See more pictures by Amit, the photographer here.
What is your favourite subject to take pictures of? And have you any good memories from photography?
I like to shoot landscapes most & then portraits are my second most favourite. Haven't had any bad memories yet, so they are all good ones till yet!! ;) So I dunno which is the most favoured memory; maybe the one from Dec.2007 when on Christmas I & some fellows from a photography group were freezing ourselves (at 5am in about 4′C) on the banks of Yamuna river taking photos of moonlit Taj Mahal or me delirious at seeing the awesome views & snapping photos of them on my trek to Tungnath (highest Hindu temple in India at about 12500 feet above sea level) or me going nuts at seeing the amazing sculpture work & temples at Khajuraho. And I guess I'll have some more when I go to Agra & Taj Mahal again later this Feb.; Taj Mahotsav (”utsav” means festival & “maha” means big/super & “mahotsav” is “maha” + “utsav”) is on so I guess it will be yet another good memory! :)
Talking about passion, you are the second author we discover with a love of food (Juliana Ricon also blogs about it!). As your Spicy Ice food blog is mostly in Hindi, would you tell us about it?
Well, Spicy Ice will be a bi-lingual blog, ie., in English & Hindi, that's what I thought when I started it & I still plan to make it so. Its just that I've not gotten around to write in English there & some friends who were to write in English haven't gotten around to finding time yet! :) Its basically a group blog about food & drinks where the idea is to write first-hand reviews of eating/drinking places in a not so formal way, recipes of different kinds of interesting foods and drinks which the authors have themselves experienced, etc. So its like sharing one's experiences etc. with others. :)
And what is your favourite kind of food ever?
North Indian & Punjabi cuisine is what I like best, I've grown up eating that only! ;) And I also like Gujrati food. Other than that I find Chinese & Thai cuisine very delicious….. ummmm! :D As for favourite food, *Poori Chhole* is what I like most & *Rabri* is my most favourite dessert (otherwise I like almost all of them, hehe!!). :)
You love traveling too. Have you got a favourite destination? Why?
Hmmm….. I felt peace amongst the old temples of Khajuraho (they are beautiful), liked the vibrancy of Pushkar but the one place where I've been & would like to go there again & again is Tungnath. Not for religious reasons (I myself don't believe in existence of God) but that 4km steep trek/climb to the temple at that altitude is somehow mentally refreshing, the view of the Himalayas is great. I've been there in 2006 & in 2007 and sure plan to go once a year there!
2 comments · »»
Links
Sub-Saharan Africa
Hope's first ever bribe in Zimbabwe: “I bribed a government official yesterday - my first ever bribe. The Zimbabweans reading this post may now shut their mouths and massage their bruised chins from where they hit the floor. I know that everyone does it but this really was my first ever bribe, and not because I am prudish about it.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
After going back to the US from Ethiopia, this is Marc's last post on his blog, Ferenge Addis Blog: “Having moved back to the US a couple of weeks ago, I'm sad to now say goodbye to the FAB. I've made some friends through contacts made here. And the comments sections has provided no end of entertainment.
I've started a new blog, the “Oh, Sorry, I'm new in DC” blog, which will serve the original intention of the FAB (Hi Mom, Hi Dad). Thanks to everyone who stopped here and especially those who commented.”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethan Zuckerman discusses “the digital activist class” in Kenya: “There’s a strong overlap between the emerging middle class in the developing world and the world of citizen media. Bloggers in Africa are highly educated, and generally are wealthier than the average African. (It’s not cheap, in African terms, to afford the amount of internet access you need to maintain a blog.)”
Sub-Saharan Africa
Ethan Zuckerman posts a link to a special Ghana Elections 2008 Blog: “The beginnings of a project to monitor Ghana’s upcoming presidential and parliametary elections via blogs, mobiles and community radio.”
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