Survey of blocked Uyghur websites shows Xinjiang still cut off from the world

Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières

29 October 2009

CHINA
Survey of blocked Uyghur websites shows Xinjiang still cut off from the world
http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34859

Reporters Without Borders has surveyed access to websites dedicated to the
Uyghur community, including sites in the Uyghur language, in Mandarin and
sometimes in English. These sites, operated for Uyghurs, are for the most
part inaccessible both to Internet users based in Xinjiang and those
abroad. More than 85 per cent of the surveyed sites were blocked, censored
or otherwise unreachable.

"The discrimination to which Uyghurs have been subjected for decades as
regards their freedom of expression and their religious and economic
freedom now applies to their Internet access as well," Reporters Without
Borders said. "Four months after the violence in Urumqi, the Chinese
authorities continue to keep the province cut off from the rest of the
world. We must not be duped by the illusion of normality. Most Uyghurs
still cannot go online, send SMS messages or even make phone calls."

The press freedom organisation added: "The official reason given for this
blackout, that 'terrorists used the Internet and SMS messaging,' is
unacceptable. Do the Pakistani or Afghan authorities suspend the Internet
because terrorists sent email messages? No. The Chinese government seems
more interested in preventing Xinjiang's inhabitants from circulating
information about the real situation in the province, especially about the
crackdown after the July riots."

Reporters Without Borders urges the authorities to restore Internet and
phone connections in Xinjiang without delay. "The dozens of websites in
the Uyghur language and websites about Xinjiang that have been closed must
be allowed to reopen and those who edit them must have freedom of
movement," the organisation added.

Carried out in October, the survey examined around 100 Uyghur websites,
portals, forums, blogs and other kinds of online platform. Various factors
were considered, such as the country in which the site is based, the type
of site (such as forum or blog), the type of content (such as news,
politics, culture or sport), the language, and the problems encountered
when the attempt was made to visit the site (such as change of address,
overly long delay in opening or error message).

The results highlight the degree of paralysis of the Uyghur Internet
during the pasts four months. The more than 85 per cent of the sites that
are inaccessible include very popular ones such as Diyarim
(www.diyarim.com), Xabnam (www.xabnam.com) and Ulinix (www.ulinix.com), a
site registered in the name of the University of Xinjiang that served as a
portal.

More than half of the websites – including Uzmakan (www.uzmakan.com) and
Uzonline (www.uzonline.net), whose addresses refer explicitly to the
Uyghur community – are inaccessible because of interminable connection
delays. Others have for months been displaying temporary error messages,
which disguise the fact that they have been closed down for good.

The few accessible sites such as Uighurbiz (www.uighurbiz.net) are based
in other countries, often the United States, where there is a sizable
Uyghur diaspora, or are based in China but have a content that is in no
way political and have no sensitive information, such as Blogbus
(www.qutyar.blogbus.com).

Some sites are the victims of targeted censorship. The news section of the
Gazina website (www.gazina.com) was inaccessible during the survey but its
music and cinema sections were working. The Akburkut (www.akburkut.com),
Tahdir (bbs.tahdir.com), Uyghurum (www.uyghurum.net) and Karamet
(http://karamet.5d6d.com) websites did not let visitors register in order
to post messages.

Many reports have confirmed Xinjiang's isolation since July 2009 and the
severe problems being encountered by Internet café owners, online stores,
and students while they wait for the Internet to resume working. Ordinary
residents are also hard put to send or receive emails or text messages.

The Chinese authorities meanwhile continue to regularly censor websites in
general. An average of one site is shut down every two days. This is what
happened on 24 October, for example, to the blogs on the Free China Forum
(http://zyzg.us.), one of the most influential political debate platforms.

Similarly, Window of Southern Breeze, a website linked to the Guangzhou
Daily News Corporation's online magazine, was blocked on 26 October after
it posted an article from the 21 October print issue about incidents
involving the police. Other sites that had reproduced the article had to
remove it.

---------

CHINE
Etude sur le blocage des sites Internet ouïghours : le Xinjiang toujours
coupé du monde
http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34858

Reporters sans frontières a mené une enquête sur la situation de l'accès
aux sites Internet dédiés à la communauté ouïghoure. La plupart de ces
sites, en langue ouïghoure, chinoise et parfois anglaise, fait par ou pour
des Ouïghours, sont, pour la grande majorité, inaccessibles aux
internautes, que ceux-ci soient basés au Xinjiang ou bien à l'étranger.
Sur 91 sites répertoriés, plus de 85% étaient bloqués, censurés ou hors
d'atteinte.

"La discrimination qui frappe depuis des décennies les Ouïghours dans leur
liberté d'expression, leur liberté religieuse et économique, s'étend
maintenant à leur accès à Internet. Presque quatre mois après les
violences à Urumqi, les autorités chinoises maintiennent la province
coupée du monde. L'illusion de la normalité ne doit pas tromper, la
majorité des Ouïghours ne peuvent toujours pas consulter Internet, envoyer
des SMS ou tout simplement téléphoner. Et les motifs officiels de ce black
out – "les terroristes utilisent Internet et les SMS" – sont
inacceptables. Est-ce que les autorités pakistanaises ou afghanes
suspendent Internet car les terroristes envoient des emails ? Non. Le
gouvernement chinois semble plutôt intéressé d'empêcher les habitants du
Xinjiang de faire sortir les informations sur la situation réelle dans la
province, notamment la répression qui a suivi les émeutes de juillet", a
affirmé l'organisation.

Reporters sans frontières demande que les connexions Internet et
téléphoniques soient rétablies dans les meilleurs délais au Xinjiang. "Les
sites en ouïghour ou dédiés au Xinjiang qui ont été fermés par dizaines
doivent être rouverts et leurs responsables libres de leurs mouvements", a
précisé l'organisation.

Réalisée en octobre 2009, l'enquête repose sur l'examen d'une centaine de
sites Web, portails, forums, blogs et autres plateformes ouïghoures.
Plusieurs facteurs ont été pris en compte au cours de cette enquête, comme
le pays dans lequel le site Internet est basé, le type de site (forum,
blog, etc.), le type de contenu offert par le site (informations,
politique, culture, sport, etc.), la langue et les problèmes rencontrés
lors de la visite du site (changement d'adresse, délai d'ouverture du site
trop long, message d'erreur, etc.).

Les résultats sont éloquents sur la situation de quasi-paralysie de
l'Internet ouïghour depuis près de quatre mois. Plus de 85% des sites sont
inaccessibles et on compte parmi eux des sites très populaires tels que
www.diyarim.com, www.xabnam.com ou www.ulinix.com, site enregistré au nom
de l'université du Xinjiang et faisant office de portail Web.

Plus de la moitié des sites visités, comme www.uzmakan.com ou
www.uzonline.net dont l'adresse fait explicitement référence à la
communauté ouïghoure, sont inaccessibles en raison de délais de connexions
dépassés. D'autres sites affichent des messages d'erreur temporaires
depuis plusieurs mois, qui masquent une fermeture définitive.

Les rares sites accessibles, à l'instar de www.uighurbiz.net, sont basés à
l'étranger, souvent aux Etats-Unis où la diaspora ouïghoure est
importante, ou bien en Chine, mais dans ce cas leur contenu n'est jamais
politique, et ne traite pas d'informations sensibles (par exemple:
http://www.qutyar.blogbus.com).

Certains sites sont victimes de censures ciblées. Durant l'enquête, la
rubrique d'informations du site www.gazina.com était inaccessible alors
que les rubriques de musique et de cinéma fonctionnaient. Les sites
www.akburkut.com, bbs.tahdir.com, www.uyghurum.net ou
http://karamet.5d6d.com/ ne permettaient pas de s'enregistrer pour poster
des messages.

Depuis juillet 2009, de nombreux témoignages ont confirmé l'état
d'isolement dont est victime le Xinjiang, et du désarroi des propriétaires
de cybercafés et de magasins en ligne ou des étudiants qui attendent
qu'Internet fonctionne à nouveau. Les habitants rencontrent également des
difficultés pour envoyer et recevoir des mails et des messages par
téléphone.

D'autre part, les autorités chinoises continuent à censurer régulièrement
des sites Internet. Un site, en moyenne, se retrouve fermé tous les deux
jours. Ainsi, le 24 octobre, les blogs établis sur la plateforme du site
Free China Forum (http://zyzg.us.), l'un des plus influents dans le débat
politique, ont subi ce traitement. De même, le site officiel Window of
Southern Breeze, lié au magazine en ligne du Guangzhou Daily News
Corporation, a été bloqué le 26 octobre. Selon l'organisation CHRD, le
site avait mis en ligne un article du magazine papier du 21 octobre
relatant des incidents impliquant la police. L'article a dû être retiré
d'autres sites qui l'avaient également republié.

Vincent Brossel
Asia-Pacific Desk
Reporters Without Borders
33 1 44 83 84 70
asia@rsf.org

Tiny banner advertisements attached to flies.. should work great in the North!

"... A company at a German trade show has attached tiny banner advertisements to flies and set them loose on unsuspecting visitors, in a bizarre yet effective marketing stunt.The banners, measuring just a few centimetres across, seem to be causing the beleaguered flies a bit of piloting trouble. The weight keeps the flies at a lower altitude and forces them to rest more often, which is a stroke of genius on the part of the marketing creatives: the flies end up at about eye level, and whenever a fly is forced to land and recover, the banner is clearly visible. What's more, the zig-zagging of the fly naturally attracts the attention because of its rapid movement..." But what will PETA say?

Prosecutors Turn Tables on Northwestern University's Student Journalists

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Prosecutors Turn Tables on Student Journalists
From: moderator@PORTSIDE.ORG
Date: Sun, October 25, 2009 22:00
To: PORTSIDE@LISTS.PORTSIDE.ORG
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Prosecutors Turn Tables on Student Journalists
By MONICA DAVEY
New York Times
October 25, 2009
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/25/us/25innocence.html?th&emc=th

[excerpt]

EVANSTON, Ill. - For more than a decade, classes of students at
Northwestern University's journalism school have been scrutinizing the
work of prosecutors and the police. The investigations into old crimes, as
part of the Medill Innocence Project, have helped lead to the release of
11 inmates, the project's director says, and an Illinois governor once
cited those wrongful convictions as he announced he was commuting the
sentences of everyone on death row.

But as the Medill Innocence Project is raising concerns about another
case, that of a man convicted in a murder 31 years ago, a hearing has been
scheduled next month in Cook County Circuit Court on an unusual request:
Local prosecutors have subpoenaed the grades, grading criteria, class
syllabus, expense reports and e-mail messages of the journalism students
themselves.

The prosecutors, it seems, wish to scrutinize the methods of the students
this time. The university is fighting the subpoenas.

Lawyers in the Cook County state's attorney's office say that in their
quest for justice in the old case, they need every pertinent piece of
information about the students' three-year investigation into Anthony
McKinney, who was convicted of fatally shooting a security guard in 1978.
Mr. McKinney's conviction is being reviewed by a judge.

Among the issues the prosecutors need to understand better, a spokeswoman
said, is whether students believed they would receive better grades if
witnesses they interviewed provided evidence to exonerate Mr. McKinney.

Northwestern University and David Protess, the professor who leads the
students and directs the Medill Innocence Project, say the demands are
ridiculously overreaching, irrelevant to Mr. McKinney's case, in violation
of the state's protections for journalists and a breach of federal privacy
statutes - not to mention insulting.

John Lavine, the dean of the Medill School of Journalism, said the
suggestion that students might have thought their grades were linked to
what witnesses said was "astonishing." He said he believed that federal
law
barred him from providing the students grades, but that he had no
intention of doing so in any case..

[...]

ManyCam Virtual Webcam 2.4.44 [MAC & WIN]

ManyCam Virtual Webcam 2.4.44
http://www.manycam.com/

If you're the kind of person you has a need for being in several different
places at once, the ManyCam application is worth a look. Essentially, the
application allows interested parties the ability to use their webcam with
multiple programs simultaneously. The application also allows users to
customize their backgrounds with falling snow, flickering flames, or a
pelagic view that gives the appearance of being 20,000 leagues under the
sea. This version is compatible with computers running Windows 95 and newer
and Mac OS X 10.5 and newer. [KMG]

Thanks to:
>From The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2009.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

Five reasons corporations are failing at social media

Five reasons corporations are failing at social media

[excerpts]

http://www.socialmediatoday.com/SMC/132126

"It's not rocket surgery."

That malapropism became a bit of a mantra at last week's Inbound Marketing
Summit.

Social media isn't complicated. When you boil it down it's about listening
to your customers, being helpful by offering your knowledge and giving
them interesting content to share and thereby advocate for you. The IMS
speakers shared several case studies (yes, too many of them mentioned
Comcast and Zappos) on how organizations have embraced social media to
connect with and built trust and affection among customers. None of the
examples required hyper-specialized knowledge or technology for a company
to connect with people.

So why is it so difficult for so many companies to successfully integrate
social media? I dug through my (30 pages of) notes to try and find some
themes in what the speakers shared and came up with a this list of why
organizations might be getting hung up.

1. They can't talk about anything broader than their own products.

[...]

2. They listen to customers but don't take any action

[...]

3. They aren't calibrated internally with the technology

[...]

4. They're not framing risk accurately

[...]

5. Their internal culture isn't aligned for social media success

The Yes Men Fix the US Chamber of Commerce

Canadian Folk-Blues-Jazz Radio Shows

This site is a listing of folk, blues, and jazz related shows aired on
campus and community radio stations in Canada (and a few CBC shows, too).
It is maintained by Melissa Kaestner (as passed on from Ian Gifford). If
you find something that needs correcting (shows, spelling, stations,
whatever!) or if you have a new listing then please email me at
melissa.kaestner[at]gmail.com.

A note from some campus and community radio music directors (other music
directors and programmers may have different opinions and approaches):
Artists/bands are encouraged to send releases to the station (Music
Director) to ensure charting. If music only gets to the show hosts, then
the release may not be eligible for charting, nor will the station have
access to your recording once the show hosts move on. Artists are
encouraged to contact the stations to find out their policy. Tips on how
to get airplay: blogs at http://www.myspace.com/communityradio and
http://www.myspace.com/digyourroots

Charting: Campus and community stations report to a variety of charts and
publications. The main publication for the sector is !earshot Magazine.
http://www.earshot-online.com/
!earshot maintains a weekly Top 50 and a monthly Top 200 spanning all
airplay and genres, as well as a Top 10 for specific genres, including:
Folk/Roots/Blues, Jazz, Electronic, Hip Hop, International, and Loud.
!earshot also publishes music reviews and other music-related resources,
including top picks from music directors around the country. It is
published online as well as monthly in Exclaim! Magazine.
http://www.exclaim.ca/

http://sites.google.com/site/rootsradiolist/

HERB & DOROTHY

"Most of us go through the world, never seeing anything. Then you meet somebody like Herb and Dorothy, who have eyes that see." —Richard Tuttle, artist

He was a postal worker. She was a librarian. Together they amassed one of the most important contemporary art collections in the world.

HERB & DOROTHY tells the extraordinary tale of Herb and Dorothy Vogel, a seemingly ordinary couple who filled their humble one-bedroom New York apartment with more than 4,000 works of art over a 45-year period. Filmmaker Megumi Sasaki turns her lens on the Vogels during a critical period of transition for the couple and their cherished collection.

Herb and Dorothy at The Gates, Central Park, 2005

From the earliest days of their marriage, the Vogels delighted in art. While working the midnight shift at the post office, Herb studied by day at the Institute of Fine Arts. Dorothy soon followed suit and began taking classes in painting and drawing. But ultimately, Dorothy confesses, they were "wannabe artists" and quickly gave up their own ambitions when they realized the joys of collecting.

Despite their modest income, the two began acquiring work that was undiscovered or unappreciated in the early 1960s, primarily Minimalist and Conceptual art by such visionaries as Robert and Sylvia Mangold, Donald Judd, Richard Tuttle, Sol LeWitt, Christo, Lynda Benglis and many other artists who are featured in the film.

More at

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/herb-and-dorothy/film.html

Ancient aboriginals in Australia may have been faster than a speeding Bolt!

http://www.australiannews.net/story/554479

[excerpt]

Edinburgh, October 15 : A leading anthropologist has suggested that
ancient aboriginals in Australia would have outrun Usain Bolt, the fastest
man alive, while a Neanderthal woman would have crushed Arnold
Schwarzenegger in arm-wrestling.

According to a report in The Scotsman, Peter McAllister, the author of
"Manthropology: the Science of Inadequate Modern Man", claims men today
are the weakest in history and would have been trumped in feats of
strength or speed by our ancient ancestors.

McAllister finds evidence he believes proves modern man is inferior to his
predecessors in, among other fields, the basic Olympic athletics
disciplines of running and jumping.

His conclusions about the speed of Australian aboriginals 20,000 years ago
are based on a set of footprints, preserved in a fossilised claypan lake
bed, of six men chasing prey.

Do you need media insurance?

Do you need media insurance?

October 13, 2009 · Filed Under News

The Online News Association is surveying digital journalists to gauge the
need for low-cost Media Liability Insurance coverage, which includes
libel, defamation, copyright and other publishing torts.

If ONA determines enough need and interest, we will work to provide a
program tailored for digital journalists under the ONA name.

Please take a few moments to complete the following survey. If you aren't
in need of Media Liability Insurance, please forward this to someone who
might be.

http://www.cyberjournalist.net/do-you-need-media-insurance/

Report: Top Keyword Price Nears $100 Per Click

Report: Top Keyword Price Nears $100 Per Click
by Laurie Sullivan, Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 3:45 PM

[excerpt]

http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=115431

The highest-priced keyword in the United States last month sold on Google
for $99.44 per click, according to the AdGooroo Search Engine Advertising
Update: Q309.

The report released Wednesday pegs Mesothelioma as the highest-selling
keyword in September. The same word sold on Yahoo in the No. 1 spot for
$60.68 per click. The phrase "auto insurance comparison" took top honors
on Bing, bringing in $55.20 per click.

It's the first time that AdGooroo's quarterly report has analyzed the
price for keywords, according to Rich Stokes, founder and CEO of AdGooroo.
He couldn't tell Online Media Daily how many times the top keywords were
clicked on during the month.

As for the word "mesothelioma," it seems lawyers have ramped up
paid-search ads based on lawsuits related to the asbestos-causing lung
cancer. The paid search ads direct people to lawyers affected by the death
sentence. "If I was a law firm specializing in mesothelioma lawsuits I
would put the paid-search ads on Bing," he says. "The word hasn't caught
up demand on Bing as it has on the other two search engines."

Stokes believes average cost per click (CPCs) will remain flat through
2010. Advertisers can expect to see keywords shift in and out of the
top-priced list. It suggests the industry has begun to mature.

The report also lists the top 25 U.S. advertisers by search engine. Among
the top in alphabetical order are Amazon.com, Ask.com, Att.com, eBay.com,
Google.com, Priceline.com and more. Companies come and go from this list
each quarter, Stokes says. Travel companies seem to dominate in the first
quarter, replaced in the fourth quarter by retail.

Actual Newspaper Story or the Onion Headline?

Ever read a small-town newspaper and just scratch your head in disbelief
at the funny headlines? We do all the time, and we can't help but notice
how similar many are to headlines in The Onion. Think you can spot real
news from fake?

http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/36766

AP’s Tom Curley on the “oversupply” of news and whathe’s doing about it

By Zachary M. Seward / Oct. 13 / 8:40 a.m.

Tom Curley, president and chief executive of The Associated Press, was in
China last week for a government-sponsored media summit, where he compared
digital content to NCAA basketball and explained the AP's plans to build
revenue online. But Curley was far more revealing when he spoke without a
prepared text on October 6 at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in Hong
Kong. I wrote about the big news from that talk on Friday but can now
share the audio and transcript.

http://www.niemanlab.org/2009/10/aps-tom-curley-on-the-oversupply-of-news-and-what-hes-doing-about-it/

Linux laptop for every pupil in Uruguay

* Laptop for every pupil in Uruguay *
Uruguay has given 362,000 primary children laptops which run on a Linux
desktop.
Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/em/-/2/hi/technology/8309583.stm

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Portal Ceibal
http://www.ceibal.edu.uy/
One Laptop Per Child
http://laptop.org/en/

MEDIA: South-South Radio from Caracas to Africa

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Frederick Noronha <fredericknoronha@gmail.com>
Date: 2009/10/8
Subject: [cr-india] MEDIA: South-South Radio from Caracas to Africa
To: cr-india@sarai.net


http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=48749

MEDIA: South-South Radio from Caracas to Africa
By Mildred Pineda

CARACAS, Oct 6 (IPS) - Poverty, attacks on human rights and corporate fraud will be among the main news coverage focuses of a new regional public radio network, Radio del Sur, which will link stations from South America and Africa.

Radio del Sur (Radio of the South) emerged as "an instrument of integration in a world of shifting power alignments and geopolitical changes," said Helena Salcedo, director of the Radio Nacional de Venezuela (the state-owned national radio station), who heads the new Caracas-based station.

Salcedo said the Venezuelan government, which launched the new network of public stations, is providing "a small amount" of funding, but did not provide figures.

The new station is motivated by the same objectives underlying Telesur, the Caracas-based regional TV network that for four years has been broadcasting news coverage, documentaries and series aimed at "giving a voice" to those who have none in the mainstream media.

Telesur is a 24-hour Latin America-wide network jointly owned by the governments of Venezuela, Argentina, Uruguay, Cuba, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Nicaragua. The bulk of the station's financing comes from the Venezuelan government, with other governments providing mainly logistical and in-country support.

For now, Radio del Sur is broadcasting mainly music and some news, using the internet for international coverage, over a network of stations that reach 40 percent of the country.

The first day it went on the air, on Sept. 27, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez said "People in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa are going to learn about their history and their revolutionary political struggles."

That was a concrete objective, he said, laid out by the second Africa-South America summit held Sept. 26-27 on Venezuela's Margarita Island, where the governments of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Ecuador pledged support for the initiative.

Radio del Sur will closely follow news on the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas (ALBA), the new regional lender Banco del Sur, Petrocaribe, the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Universidad del Sur (University of the South), the Gasoducto del Sur (pipeline of the South) and the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) - blocs and projects aimed at political, financial, economic, energy and cultural integration, many of which were Chávez's initiatives.

The radio network will also provide coverage of social movements and cooperation agreements between the regions.

The programming will be planned with partner stations from Mexico to Argentina. Contacts have also been made with community and indigenous stations in Colombia. Venezuela will provide the system with news programmes and interviews, and editing and coordination will take place in Caracas.

On the Radio del Sur web site, www.laradiodelsur.com, 88 stations from Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, Canada and Spain are listed as partners: 18 from Argentina, 10 from Colombia, five from Bolivia, four from Uruguay and Honduras, three from Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay and the United States, two from Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti and Peru, and one from Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala and the Dominican Republic.

The eventual goal is to translate the programming into French, English, Dutch and Arabic, so that it can expand throughout the African continent.

Programming content will also be shared with several radio stations in Africa: stations in Gambia, Benin and Algeria – which have Spanish language broadcasts – and in Equatorial Guinea, where Spanish is one of the official languages.

Writer and media expert Luis Britto García, a member of the Telesur advisory council, told IPS that "Radio del Sur's broadcasts must provide an accurate view of reality, because the conventional media tend to create an illusory world; they only air reruns while transmitting U.S. values as if they were our own."

In U.S. programming, "we are depicted as picturesque beings, but actually, we have our own cultures," he said.

The question of the impartiality of Radio del Sur could be a point of controversy, as it will be largely financed by the Venezuelan government.

But Britto said that will not be a problem, because the government "is governed by the constitution, which stipulates that news must be veracious."

Furthermore, the station "is not going to sit on news items until they are no longer important, nor is it going to lie or censor, as the transnational news networks do – something that can be seen simply by turning to certain channels," he said.

Salcedo said "nations that have been subjected to the transnational news networks will now have a station that will be open to participation."

Magda Gibelli, a 21-year-old journalism student at the Santa María University in Caracas, said "it is always good when new media outlets are opened, but that depends on the focus that it will have, because we often see that official channels only show one viewpoint on what is happening in Latin America – in this case, from the angle of the left."

Another journalism student, Yosvelin Saavedra, 23, said "on Radio del Sur, listeners can find other eyes and microphones to see reality as it is; I just hope they focus on social issues instead of waging media wars."

The new station itself complains about a smear campaign and "counteroffensive" against the Chávez administration's so-called "Bolivarian revolution" by local and international stations.

The directors of Radio del Sur recall, for example, that in 2005, U.S. Congressman Connie Mack, a Republican from Florida, sponsored a bill that was to increase broadcasting to Venezuela "as a way to provide an accurate and comprehensive alternative source of news to the people of Venezuela" and counter Telesur's "anti-Americanism." The broadcasting would be financed by the U.S. government.

In late July, the Venezuelan government broadcasting watchdog Conatel ordered the closure of 32 radio stations and two TV stations because they failed to comply with regulations – a decision that drew wide criticism, on both the local and international levels.

Public Works Minister Diosdado Cabello, who oversees Conatel, said some of the stations were shut down because they did not renew their broadcasting licenses, and others because the stations had been illegally transferred to new owners.

Radio del Sur will broadcast on 98.5 FM, which it was assigned by Conatel prior to the July closures.

Salcedo said her team "has fulfilled all of the legal procedures," unlike the outlets that were taken off the air on Aug. 1. (END/2009)

--
Frederick Noronha :: +91-832-2409490
Writing, editing, alt.publishing, photography, journalism
Blog: http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com
Photos: http://photosfromgoa.notlong.com
Goa,1556: http://goa1556.goa-india.org

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Should access to broadband be a right?

Finland has made broadband a 'legal right', leading experts to question
whether the UK government is similarly committed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8311081.stm

Google launches e-book platform

Google launches e-book platform

[excerpt]

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/books/story/2009/10/15/google-ebook-frankfurt.html

Google Inc. is launching an online service that will let readers buy
electronic versions of books and read them on such gadgets as cellphones,
laptops and possibly e-book devices.

Google Editions marks the company's first effort to earn revenue from its
ambitious Google Books scanning project, which attempts to make millions
of printed books available online. Although the scanning program has faced
complaints from authors and publishers over copyright, Google Editions
will cover only books submitted and approved by the copyright holders when
it launches next year.

The books bought through Google Editions will be accessible on any device
that has a web browser, including smart phones, netbooks and personal
computers and laptops, putting Google in competition with Amazon.com Inc.
and its Kindle e-book reader.

Tom Turvey, head of Google Book Search's publisher partnership program,
said Thursday the e-book market is evolving to allow access of books from
anywhere and from any device.

Consumers can buy directly from Google or from any number of online
booksellers and other retail partners using the Google Editions platform.
Google will actually host the e-books and make them searchable.

Sell The Vatican, Feed The World (HD, Official)

Sarah Silverman's ambitious plan for feeding the world.

Piano stairs - Rolighetsteorin.se - The fun theory

Video

2009-11-08 14:15

”Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator and feel better” is something we often hear or read in the Sunday papers. Few people actually follow that advice. Can we get more people to take the stairs over the escalator by making it fun to do? See the results here.
http://www.rolighetsteorin.se/en/

Canuk Feds accused of softening stance on anti-spam law

Feds accused of softening stance on anti-spam law

OTTAWA — The Conservative government has buckled under pressure from businesses to water down its anti-spam legislation so some marketers can continue to send unsolicited e-mails.

And the government is now looking for an opposition party to help pass a bill with new loopholes, after Industry Canada officials released a list of more than 40 proposed amendments on behalf of the government. Some are technical and will not affect the scope of the bill meant to curtail junk mail, but others will narrow the reach of the proposed law.

They include new exceptions for: product updates, solicitation to participate in surveys or market research, and information on self-governing professions.

The government proposal also expands implied consent to receive unsolicited e-mails in instances where a person has provided her e-mail address to the sender, and removes the need for explicit consent for software programs for updates or upgrades, if consent was obtained in the past.

The John Howard Society of the NWT Logo

The John Howard Society of the NWT Logo
Originally uploaded by The MediaMentor

George Lessard
is pleased to announce, that at the John Howard Society of the Northwest Territories AGM Oct 8, 2009 he was elected to serve as Vice-president of the Society. The society's office is located in the basement of the Tundra Building (867) 920-4276...

JOHN HOWARD SOCIETY PARTNERS FOR HOMELESS DAY SHELTER

YELLOWKNIFE (October 1, 2009) – The Honourable Sandy Lee, Minister of Health and Social Services, Mayor Gordon Van Tighem, City of Yellowknife, and Richard Morland, Interim President and Chief Operating Officer of BHP Billiton’s EKATI Diamond Mine are pleased to announce their partnership with the John Howard Society. The John Howard Society won the request for proposal and will operate the day shelter in Yellowknife.

The day shelter will be operated as a pilot project for three years to allow the facility’s usage and future capability to be evaluated. The day shelter will be open and ready for use by the fall.

For more information contact:
Damien Healy
Communications
Department of Health and Social Services
Government of the Northwest Territories
Tel: (867) 920-8927 Fax: (867) 873-0204

Max Hall
City of Yellowknife
Tel: (867) 920-5624 Fax: (867) 920-5649

Deana Twissell
Superintendent of Corporate and Community Affairs
BHP Billiton Diamonds Inc.
Tel: (867) 669-6107 Fax: (867) 669-9293

Lydia Bardak, Executive Director
The John Howard Society of the NWT
(867) 920-4276

Who Makes the News

Who Makes the News

In November 2009, the world news media will once again come under scrutiny during the 4th Global Media Monitoring Project (GMMP). Volunteers from women's rights organizations, media associations, academia, etc across the world will collaborate in a one-day global research on gender in their local news media. GMMP research results are applied as a tool for change towards gender equality in and through media.

Livebrush

What is Livebrush?

Livebrush is a drawing application. It employs an easy-to-use brush tool
that reacts to your gesture. By combining simple motion controls with
brush styles, Livebrush offers a fun and unique way to create graphics.

Livebrush runs on all major operating systems. But it should be noted that
as an image creation tool, the type of image you're trying to create plays
a large part in how the software performs.

An internet connection is required to access help files and documention

http://www.livebrush.com/index.html

Webnographers: Resources for Virtual Ethnography + Cyberanthropology

Cyberanthropology is but a fetal field, far from defined. This website was developed in the interest of providing a central hub for those interested in ethnography of the internet. Created by and for webnographers, its success in contingent on your participation.

Ethnography is not constrained solely to anthropologists, and indeed the barriers that divide the various social sciences are at once arbitrary and collapsible. Any individual interested in the complex social, cultural, and psychological facets of humans relating with and through the internet is encouraged to join in this nascent community.

http://webnographers.org/index.php?title=Main_Page

ISES Solar World Congress (SWC) 2009

http://www.solarworldcongress2009.com/

 Renewable Energy Resources can Unlock Africa's Potential

The potential solutions that renewable energy resources can provide in solving the world's energy problems will be presented by scientists and researchers at the ISES Solar World Congress (SWC) 2009 at the Sandton Convention Centre, Johannesburg from 11 – 14 October 2009. 
 

 The ISES SWC 2009 will not only focus on global issues but will clearly reflect significantly on Africa, while also paying increased attention to environmental and social responsibility issues, global warning and climate change. The Congress will address, in particular, the role that the renewable energy resources can play in the sustainable development of poor and rural communities in Africa.  
 

 First and foremost will be the use of various new technologies that can convert the abundance of solar energy on the continent into electricity to boost much-needed economic development, which relies heavily on energy supplies. Presentations will include the latest research and technological advances in these conversion processes. 

 "Our continent's potential to be one of the biggest users of renewable energy should not be underestimated," said Jon Adams, Chairperson of the conference steering committee and member of SESSA. Therefore, the timing of this event on the African continent is seen as very appropriate. "In most places in Africa photovoltaic systems are the only source of providing light to those infamous two billion people that live on less that $1 a day and without access to electricity," Adams continued.  
 

 Top international scientists and researchers will share their latest findings and innovations with peers and the energy industry. Presentations will cover a diverse range of themes such as Resource Assessment, Solar Heating and Cooling, Solar Electricity, Solar Buildings, and Solar Energy & Society.  

The Congress programme is still being finalized, but it already holds promises of a good balance between science and research with a generous touch of current affairs and controversy. High profile national and international speakers will address the most recent and current topics in the sustainable energy field.  

Another speaker who is expected to attract wide attention is Prof. Vivian Alberts of South Africa, who will discuss his reasons for moving his enterprise to Germany. A panel discussion on concentrating solar power and Eskom's technology choices is bound to attract considerable interest from governments and industry in the southern African region.  

The recent announcement in South Africa of the Renewable Energy Feed-in Tariff (Refit) has created quite a buzz in the industry and it is expected that the pros and cons of Refit and the level of the tariffs will be hotly debated during the congress. Dr. Hermann Scheer who first introduced the Feed-in Tariff into the German Parliament will also be one of the keynote speakers.

"The above examples represent just a small sample of the level of debate that can be expected at the Congress. We will make more information available about the programme as invited speakers confirm their participation," so Adams.

ISES SWC 2009 key objective are to:

• ensure a sustainable energy future
• promote and increase the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency
• promote the use of renewable energy resources to positively impact on the quality of life for future generations
• development of future opportunities for the use of renewable energy in Africa
• jointly seek solutions which are consistent with the principles of sustainability - affordability, environmentally sound and socially acceptable .

 

Renewable Energy Expo

http://www.solarworldcongress2009.com/index.php/expo.html

Parallel to this Congress, SESSA will also promote the interest of the trade and the public by introducing a Renewable Energy Expo, a trade exhibition. The theme of the Expo is Efficient; Alternative; Sustainable, and it will focus on solar, renewable, sustainable, alternative and efficient energy resources and products, services and developments. The Expo will showcase the industrial and domestic use of new technologies and inventions that will be of interest to the business sector and the public at large. SESSA envisages this Renewable Energy Expo to become an annual event. 

Pulitzer Center Internship Fall 2009

Pulitzer Center Internship Fall 2009
  Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
  http://www.idealist.org/en/internship/142968-111
Location: Washington, District of Columbia, 20036, United States

[excerpt]

"... Last day to apply: October 14, 2009
The internship pays $1,000 per month and runs through May

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting seeks an intern for spring 2010, preferably starting the week of January 3, 2010. We are especially interested in web-savvy applicants eager to get the word out about our international reporting projects to as many people as possible - through social networking platforms, online media, campus networks, special events, and other avenues.

With the aim of increasing traffic to our reporting projects and expanding the debate around these international issues, the intern's main duties will include:
• maintenance of our website
• maintenance of our online profiles and channels (including YouTube Channel)
• outreach to the online world, including blogs, social networking sites and new media tools
• compilation of newsletters
• efforts to increase online traffic and expand newsletter subscription base
• assistance with event coordination

Not required but desirable: familiarity with HTML, familiarity with the blogosphere, and experience with increasing web traffic through campaigns such as Google Adwords and social networking sites. Applicants should also have an interest in, and some familiarity with, current international affairs.

The Pulitzer Center is a non-profit leader in sponsoring the independent journalism that media organizations are increasingly less willing to undertake on their own. Pulitzer Center-funded stories shed light on underreported issues and regions around the globe. Our Global Gateway education initiative then brings those stories and the journalists into high schools and universities.

For information on our reporting projects and outreach efforts please see our website, at http://www.pulitzercenter.org The Pulitzer Center is located in the heart of Washington, D.C., near Dupont Circle.

The internship pays $1,000 per month and runs through May. Possibility of internship extension through summer 2010 based on further discussions with applicants and upon mutual agreement. ..."

CHINA: Censorship and attacks on journalists in run-up to 1 October anniversary

Reporters Without Borders/Reporters sans frontières
www.rsf-chinese.org

29 September 2009

CHINA
Censorship and attacks on journalists in run-up to 1 October anniversary
http://www.rsf.org/spip.php?page=article&id_article=34609

"Government security paranoia in the run-up to the celebration of the 60th
anniversary of the proclamation of the People's Republic of China on 1
October has led to a reinforcement of online censorship and abusive
behaviour towards foreign journalists," Reporters Without Borders said
today. "A case of police brutality towards three foreign journalists was
particularly unacceptable."

The press freedom organisation added: "What the authorities are trying to
portray as a big celebration is turning into a major head-ache for
Internet users and a reporters."

Internet control agencies have redoubled efforts to prevent Internet users
based in China, including foreign residents, from using censorship
circumvention software such as Freegate and virtual private networks
(VPN). Experts have told Reporters Without Borders that tens of thousands
of IP addresses suspected by the authorities of using Freegate and VPNs,
especially those that are free, have been blocked in the past few days.

"The Electronic Great Wall has never been as consolidated as it is now, on
the eve of the 1 October anniversary, proving that the Chinese government
is not so sure of its record," Reporters Without Borders said. The new
restrictions are making it even more difficult to access social-networking
websites such Facebook and Twitter, or YouTube's video-sharing sites,
which have been blocked since July.

China's leaders have made combating separatism one of the watchwords of
the 60th anniversary, and new regulations have just been issued for
combating online separatism in the far-western province of Xinjiang.

A Reporters Without Borders study of Uyghur-language and Xinjiang-based
websites has established that the clampdown imposed during last July's
rioting in the province has not been loosened. Most of the sites that
existed before the unrest are either still inaccessible or their content
has not been updated. Of the 65 sites included in the study, 54 are still
blocked for Internet users in China or abroad.

Even Tianshannet.com, a Xinjiang-based website that was held up by the
authorities as an example of a site that respected the regulations, is no
longer accessible. Xinjiang residents have been cut off from the Internet
for almost three months and Uyghurs are being deprived of all news and
information that is independent of the official media.

Three China-based Mongol websites – Mongol Ger Association
(http://www.mongolger.net/), Mongol People Chat Room (MGLhun), which is
hosted on the Sina.com site (http://www.sina.com.cn/), and Mongolian
People (http://www.mongolhun.com/) – have been rendered inaccessible in
the past few weeks.

The Mongol Ger Association site had become very active in promoting the
Mongol language and had referred to sensitive subjects such as arbitrary
arrests and the right to land access for Mongols. The site's owner,
identified as Sodmongol, was arrested by the Chinese authorities on 13
June. Mongol People Chat Room, which covered politics, culture and the
environment and organised events centred on the rights of Mongols in
China, was closed without prior warning.

The Mongolian People site offered a range of services to Mongols in China,
putting people in touch with each other and organising charity events. The
authorities accused all three sites of conspiring with hostile and
separatist foreign forces – the same grounds that have been cited for
censoring dozens of Tibetan websites and forums
(http://www.rsf.org/Authorities-tighten-grip-on.html).

Chinese hackers have meanwhile posted crude messages and xenophobic
slogans on Taiwanese and Australian film festival websites in protest
against the screening of "The 10 Conditions of Love," a documentary about
Uyghur exiled activist Rebiya Kadeer, who is blamed by the Chinese
authorities for stirring up the violence in Xinjiang. The hackers, who did
not hide their affiliation to the Communist Party of China, called on the
festival organisers to apologise to the Chinese people for including the
film in their programmes.

China-based foreign journalists have also been the target of hacker
attacks. Emails containing viruses have been sent to French, American,
Singaporean and Italian correspondents. The Chinese assistants of foreign
reporters have received booby-trapped emails that try to establish a
parallel control over the recipient's computer. At the same time, Chinese
websites based abroad such as Boxun have received very aggressive
distributed denial-of-service attacks DDOS (in which targeted servers are
swamped by simultaneous communication requests).

Police have used violence against foreign journalists trying to cover the
preparations for the 1 October parade. Three journalists employed by the
Japanese news agency Kyodo, for example, were attacked in their hotel room
by plain-clothes men after a parade rehearsal on 18 September. They were
hit about the head and their computers were smashed.

This occurred after the authorities warned more than a dozen of foreign
news media not to film or photograph the preparations. The Foreign
Correspondents' Club of China has asked the foreign ministry to explain
the ban, which is not based on any rule or law.

----------

CHINE
Censures et bavures à la veille du 1er Octobre
http://www.rsf.org/ecrire/?exec=articles&id_article=34610

"La paranoïa sécuritaire des autorités à la veille des célébrations du 60e
anniversaire de la proclamation de la République populaire de Chine, a
conduit à un renforcement de la censure sur Internet et à plusieurs
bavures à l'encontre de journalistes étrangers. Le comportement de
policiers à l'encontre de trois journalistes japonais est particulièrement
inacceptable. Ce que le pouvoir souhaite faire passer pour une fête se
transforme en un casse-tête pour les internautes et les reporters", a
affirmé Reporters sans frontières.

Les administrations en charge du contrôle d'Internet ont redoublé
d'efforts pour empêcher les internautes basés en Chine, notamment les
expatriés, d'utiliser des softwares de contournement de la censure, comme
Freegate, et des logiciels VPN. Selon des experts interrogés par
l'organisation, des dizaines de milliers d'adresses IP, soupçonnées par
les autorités d'utiliser Freegate, et des réseaux VPN, notamment ceux qui
sont gratuits, ont été bloquées au cours des derniers jours.

"La Grande muraille électronique n'aura jamais été aussi consolidée
qu'avant les célébrations du 1er octobre, preuve en est que le
gouvernement chinois n'est pas aussi sûr de son bilan", a estimé Reporters
sans frontières. Ces nouvelles restrictions rendent encore plus difficile
l'accès des internautes aux réseaux sociaux Facebook et Twitter et aux
sites YouTube, bloqués depuis juillet dernier.

Alors que les dirigeants chinois font de la lutte contre le séparatisme
l'un des mots d'ordre de ce soixantième anniversaire, une nouvelle
régulation vient d'être promulguée pour lutter contre le séparatisme en
ligne dans la province du Xinjiang. Selon une étude de Reporters sans
frontières sur les sites en ouïghour ou basés au Xinjiang, l'étau ne s'est
toujours pas desserré depuis les émeutes de début juillet 2009. La plupart
des sites existant avant les événements ne sont toujours pas accessibles
ou leur contenu n'est plus actualisé. Sur plus de 65 sites consultés pour
cette étude, 54 sont toujours bloqués pour les internautes chinois ou
depuis l'étranger. Même le site tianshannet.com (basé au Xinjiang),
pourtant salué par les autorités comme un exemple de respect des
régulations, n'est plus accessible. Depuis pratiquement trois mois, les
habitants du Xinjiang sont coupés d'Internet et les Ouïghours sont privés
de toute information indépendante des médias officiels.

Par ailleurs, trois sites mongols basés en Chine ont été bloqués, à
l'approche du 1er octobre. Mongol Ger Association
(http://www.mongolger.net/), Mongol People Chat Room (MGLhun, hebergé sur
la site http://www.sina.com.cn/) et Mongolian People
(http://www.mongolhun.com/) ont été rendus inaccessibles au cours des
derniers jours. Le site Mongol Ger Association était devenu très actif
dans la promotion de la langue mongole, évoquant des sujets sensibles tels
que les détentions arbitraires et le droit d'accéder à la terre pour les
Mongols. Le propriétaire du site, Sodmongol, a été détenu par les
autorités chinoises le 13 juin 2009. Mongol People Chat Room a été fermé
sans avertissement préalable. Il traitait aussi bien de politique, de
culture, d'environnement et organisait des événements sur les droits des
Mongols en Chine. Enfin, le site Mongolian People offrait des services aux
Mongols de Chine, mettant en relation les gens et organisant des actions
de charité. Selon les autorités, ces sites conspirent avec des forces
étrangères hostiles et séparatistes. Ces même motifs ont été évoqués pour
censurer des dizaines de sites et forums tibétains
(http://www.rsf.org/fr-pays57-Chine.html).

Par ailleurs, des hackers chinois ont posté des messages vulgaires et des
slogans xénophobes sur les sites de festivals de films taïwanais et
australien pour protester contre la diffusion du documentaire "Les dix
conditions de l'amour" sur l'activiste ouïghoure en exil, Rebiya Kadeer,
accusée par Pékin d'avoir incité à la violence dans le Xinjiang. Les
hackers, qui ne cachent plus leur affiliation au Parti communiste chinois,
demandent que les organisateurs s'excusent auprès des Chinois pour avoir
inclus ce documentaire dans le programme.

Des journalistes étrangers basés en Chine ont également été les cibles
d'attaques informatiques. Des messages électroniques contenant des virus
ont été adressés à des correspondants français, américains, singapouriens
et italiens. Des assistants chinois de reporters étrangers ont également
été visés par ces emails piégés qui visent à prendre un contrôle parallèle
sur l'ordinateur du destinataire. Au même moment, des sites Internet
chinois basés à l'étranger, notamment Boxun, sont victimes d'attaques
D-DOS très violentes (attaque durant laquelle le serveur cible est attaqué
par plusieurs ordinateurs simultanément).

A Pékin, les journalistes étrangers qui ont tenté de couvrir les
préparatifs du défilé du 1er octobre ont été violemment pris à partie par
des policiers. Ainsi, le 18 septembre, trois journalistes de l'agence de
presse japonaise Kyodo ont été agressés dans leur chambre d'hôtel par des
hommes en civil après une répétition de la parade officielle. Des
reporters ont été frappés à la tête et des ordinateurs ont été détruits.
Les autorités ont mis en garde plus d'une quinzaine de médias étrangers de
ne pas filmer ou prendre des clichés des préparatifs. Le Foreign
Correspondents' Club of China (FCCC) a demandé au ministère des Affaires
étrangères de s'expliquer car cette interdiction ne repose sur aucune
règle ou loi.

Vincent Brossel
Asia-Pacific Desk
Reporters Without Borders
33 1 44 83 84 70
asia@rsf.org

Reporters Without Borders

Social Network Site Privacy:A Comparative Analysis of Six Sites from the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

Social Network Site Privacy: A Comparative Analysis of Six Sites

http://priv.gc.ca/information/pub/sub_comp_200901_e.cfm

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
February 2009
Researched by: Jennifer Barrigar

This report was prepared for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner by
Jennifer Barrigar, a consultant and researcher with experience in both
privacy law and developments in internet technology. It was originally
commissioned in late 2008, and a final report was delivered to the Office
in February 2009.

Social networks frequently make amendments or additions to their privacy
policies and protections. As a result, some of the observations made in
this report may appear outdated or even incorrect. This is certainly the
case with Facebook, one social network that has undertaken successive
rounds of privacy amendments in 2009.

This is not the case with many of the other social networking sites
identified by Ms. Barrigar. They are among the most popular sites with
Canadians, but are largely developed and headquartered outside Canada. As
a result, they offer significantly different levels of privacy protection
for their users. This report identifies areas where these sites need to
improve their policies and take steps to effectively protect the personal
information of their users.

Colin McKay
Director of Research, Education and Outreach

cfp: Chinese Journal of Communication Special Edition

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Radhika Gajjala <cyborgwati@gmail.com>
Date: 2009/9/27
Subject: [Air-L] Chinese Journal of Communication Special Edition Call for
Papers
To: aoir list <air-l@aoir.org>

*****Special Issue CJoC 3(4) CFP******

Chinese Journal of Communication

Special Edition

Call for Papers

"Emerging Media and Challenges in Chinese Communities"

Editor
Professor Louisa Ha, Bowling Green State University, USA
louisah@bgsu.edu<mailto:louisah@bgsu.edu>

Submission by January 15, 2010

Launched in 2008 and published by Routledge, Chinese Journal of
Communication (CJoC) is an English language scholarly publication aimed at
elevating Chinese communication studies along theoretical, empirical, and
methodological dimensions. This special issue of the Chinese Journal of
Communication (CJoC) is to address the impact and nature of emerging media
in Chinese communities or comparison with other countries or ethnic
communities. Emerging media is defined as message delivery vehicles
achieving higher utilization among the general population, but has neither
universally accepted technical standards for content transmission and
display, nor established operation models such as revenue sources and
content strategies. Examples of emerging media are digital television,
webcasting, podcasting, cellular phones, IPTV, blogs, social media and
networking sites, etc.

China is at the forefront of emerging media. The number of Internet users
in China is the largest in the world and Chinese consumers are among the
most avid users of media technologies. The adoption of these media can
have significant political, social, and economic implications on Greater
China and present challenges to the current media industry structure
there. The use of the emerging media by overseas Chinese can reconnect
them to the mainland and connect them to the Chinese around the world.

Topics for papers could include, but are by no means limited to:

1. Political, social or economic impact of emerging media on Greater
China and other Chinese communities

2. Public perception of emerging media and their role in politics and
formation of public opinion

3. Comparison of the use of emerging media between Chinese and
non-Chinese markets

4. Comparison of emerging media use in different Chinese markets

5. Business models of emerging media in Chinese markets

6. Market competition and management of emerging media in Chinese markets

7. Comparison of the use of different emerging media by Chinese
consumers

8. Policy and regulatory issues on emerging media in Greater China.

9. Online advertising, online games, and Internet search services
development in Greater China

10. Audience measurement of emerging media in Greater China

11. Methodological issues in studying emerging media in Chinese communities

Both quantitative and qualitative approaches to the issue are welcome. We
especially encourage the collaboration of Chinese scholars and non-Chinese
scholars to submit manuscript to this issue to facilitate exchange of
ideas and offer cross-national perspectives on the issue.

Submissions should conform to the editorial guidelines of the Chinese
Journal of Communication to be found at
http://www.informaworld.com/cjoc under "Instructions for Authors."
Papers for consideration in this special edition should be emailed to:
louisah@bgsu.edu<mailto:louisah@bgsu.edu>.

Papers will undergo a double blind peer review process and should be
submitted by January 15, 2010. Informal enquiries are welcome and please
contact the special issue editor for potential topics. Planned publication
date is December 2010.

Chinese Journal of Communication (CJoC) is a refereed journal serving as
an important international platform for students and scholars in Chinese
communication studies to exchange ideas and research results.
Interdisciplinary in scope, it examines subjects in all Chinese societies
in Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Singapore, and the global
Chinese diaspora. The journal will be published quarterly beginning 2010.

The CJoC welcomes research articles using social scientific or humanistic
approaches on such topics as mass communication, journalism studies,
telecommunications, rhetoric, cultural studies, media effects, new
communication technologies, organizational communication, interpersonal
communication, advertising and PR, political communication, communications
law and policy, and so on. Articles employing historical and comparative
analysis focused on traditional Chinese culture as well as contemporary
processes such as globalization, deregulation, and democratization are
also welcome.

Published by Routledge, CJoC is institutionally based at the Communication
Research Centre, the School of Journalism and Communication, the Chinese
University of Hong Kong . For more information and submission
instructions, please visit
http://www.informaworld.com/cjoc

--

Radhika Gajjala
Professor of Communication Studies and Cultural Studies
Interim Women's Studies Director 2009-2010
233 Shatzel
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green, OH 43403
http://personal.bgsu.edu/~radhik
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OpenOffice.org Portable 3.1

OpenOffice.org Portable 3.1
http://portableapps.com/

Packing a number of office applications can be an onerous undertaking, but
this portable version of OpenOffice makes this task a bit easier.
Essentially, users can use this open platform program with any storage
device (such as a USB drive) to take their materials wherever they need to
go. This open source office suite includes an email client, an instant
messaging client, a PDF reader, and so on. This version is compatible with
computers running Windows 2000 and newer. [KMG]

via / from / thanks to:

The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2009.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

Convenient

Now you can carry your favorite computer programs along with all of your
bookmarks, settings, email and more with you. Use them on any Windows
computer. All without leaving any personal data behind.

Open

PortableApps.com provides a truly open platform that works with any
hardware you like (USB flash drive, iPod, portable hard drive, etc). The
entire platform is open source built around an open format that any
hardware or software provider can use.

Free

The PortableApps.com Suite and Platform is free. It contains no spyware.
There are no advertisements. It isn't a limited or trial version. There is
no additional hardware or software to buy. You don't even have to give out
your email address. It's 100% free to use, free to copy and free to share.

Employers grappling with social network use

Employers grappling with social network use

[excerpt]

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10360849-235.html

Social networking is on the rise, both on and off the job, leaving
companies uncertain how to monitor their use by employees, reports new
survey.

More than 50 percent of companies questioned said they have no policy to
address the use of social networking by employees outside the workplace,
according to a survey released Wednesday by the Society of Corporate
Compliance and Ethics and the Health Care Compliance Association.

Typically, companies shy away from restricting an employee's actions off
the job. But businesses are concerned about employees who use social
networking and reveal private details or post inappropriate pictures that
could embarrass the company.

Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency, English & En Español

Now printable! Reporter's Guide to Multimedia Proficiency

http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2009/now-printable-reporters-guide-to-multimedia-proficiency/

Reporter's Guide to Multimedia Proficiency (PDF; 536 KB)
http://www.jou.ufl.edu/faculty/mmcadams/PDFs/RGMPbook.pdf

Translations
En español (PDF; 600 KB) — translation by María Elena Brizuela, a
journalist and journalism educator based in Córdoba, Argentina. (Posted
Sept. 8, 2009.)
http://www.jou.ufl.edu/faculty/mmcadams/PDFs/RGMPespanol.pdf

Posts in this series in HTPL...
http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2009/rgmp-15-maintain-and-update-your-skills/

* RGMP 1: Read blogs and use RSS
* RGMP 2: Start a blog
* RGMP 3: Buy an audio recorder and learn to use it
* RGMP 4: Start editing audio
* RGMP 5: Listen to podcasts
* RGMP 6: Post an interview (or podcast) on your blog
* RGMP 7: Learn how to shoot decent photos
* RGMP 8: Learn how to crop, tone, and optimize photos
* RGMP 9: Add photos to your blog
* RGMP 10: Learn to use Soundslides
* RGMP 11: Tell a good story with images and sound
* RGMP 12: Learn to shoot video
* RGMP 13: Edit your video with iMovie or Windows Movie Maker
* RGMP 14: Publish your video on your blog

The "blog" of "unnecessary" quotation marks.

For anyone who enjoys the humor of unnecessary quotation marks, and
sharing that humor of "unnecessary" quotation marks.

Facebppk page
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=10952466351

Blog
http://www.unnecessaryquotes.com

Media is a Plural: Just Say Yes Men

Fake NYPost paper online at http://nypost-se.com

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: Media is a Plural: Just Say Yes Men
From: "MediaChannel.org" <mediachannel@mail.democracyinaction.org>
Date: Mon, September 21, 2009 12:59

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Media is a Plural -- September 21, 2009

Just Say Yes Men
By Rory O'Connor

I've long been a fan for years of the zany duo of performance
artists/political activists known as the Yes Men, ever since their
turn-of-the-century stunt of creating their own "corrected" World Trade
Organization website at GATT.org (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade).
Soon their fake site began to receive real email queries from confused
visitors, including invitations to address various elite groups on behalf
of the WTO. Naturally, and hysterically, the Men responded as if they
actually represented the WTO ? all of which is documented in their very
funny and very pointed 2004 film "The Yes Men."

Now the Men have a new, almost as amusing documentary about to hit movie
screens across America ? "The Yes Men Fix the World," which they
accurately describe as "a screwball true story about two gonzo political
activists who, posing as top executives of giant corporations, lie their
way into big business conferences and pull off the world's most outrageous
pranks. "

But it is in their actual stunts - and not just in their documentation of
them ? that the Yes Men truly excel. Of late they have taken to targeting
the media directly, such as last fall's fake New York Times? which
declared the Iraq War over, Universities to be free, Bike paths expanded ?
and even announced the much-anticipated resignation of NYT Op-Ed apologist
? oops, I mean, columnist - Thomas Friedman.

Now comes their latest effort - this week's stunning "SPECIAL EDITION" New
York Post, trumpeting the headline "WE'RE SCREWED" in large point type.

The Yes Men's latest elaborate media hoax/heist blanketed Manhattan early
Monday morning with a fake "truth-telling tabloid" about climate change
and how it will soon affect New York City ? and the rest of the world?

New Yorkers were met with the appearance of a "special edition" of the
Post highlighting warnings that the city could face "deadly heat waves,
extreme flooding, and other lethal effects of global warming within the
next few decades." The most alarming thing about the spoofy newspaper was
that the news within it came from a spooky - but official - City report.

Distributed by thousands of volunteers throughout New York City, the paper
was created "as a wake-up call to action on climate change" by a coalition
of activists. It appeared just a day before a United Nations summit in
which Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon will attempt to persuade world leaders
to reduce carbon emissions in the lead-up to December's upcoming climate
conference in Copenhagen. (Ban has called the Copenhagen gathering a
"once-in-a-generation opportunity" to halt the global rise in greenhouse
gas emissions "if we are to avoid catastrophic consequences for people and
the planet.")

Although the 32-page Post is a fake, everything in it is true. "This could
be, and should be, a real New York Post," said Yes Man Andy Bichlbaum.
"Climate change is the biggest threat civilization has ever faced, and it
should be in the headlines of every paper, every day until we solve the
problem."

The fake Post's cover story reports the real conclusions of a scientific
panel commissioned by the mayor's office to determine the potential
effects of climate change on New York City. (The report, released in
February, received little attention in the real media.) Other articles
described the Pentagon's warnings about global warming; the government's
inadequate response to the crisis ("Congress Cops Out on Climate");
China's alternative energy program ("China's Green Leap Forward Overtakes
U.S."); and how, if the US doesn't quickly pass a strong climate bill, the
crucial Copenhagen climate talks this December could turn out instead to
be a "Flopenhagen."

The paper includes original investigative reporting, such as an article
revealing that Deutsche Bank - which erected a seven-story "carbon
counter" in central Manhattan - not only invests heavily in coal-mining
companies worldwide, but recently entered the business of coal trading
itself. It also displays the world's gloomiest weather page, covering the
next 70 years?rather than just the next 7 days ? and an "Around the World"
section that describes the disproportionate effects of climate change -
such as droughts, floods, famines, water shortages, mass migrations and
conflicts - on the poor. Although they have done little to cause the
problem, developing countries will bear the brunt of its effects.

But all the news in the faux Post isn't bad ? one article ("New York
Fights Back") reports that the Big Apple's carbon emissions are only one
third the national average. There's also a lot of Yes Men-style humor,
including a page of cartoons and a number of pointed but funny ads ? for
sex ("Awesome. No carbon emissions."), tote bags, and even tap water
("Literally comes right out of your faucet!"). A more serious ad promotes
civil disobedience and encourages readers to risk arrest in a planned
global action November 30, just before the conference in Copenhagen.

Scared of the future effects of climate change? Angry at the media's
failures to highlight the problem?? Anxious to do something about it???

Just Say Yes Men!

(Editor's Note: The fake New York Post paper is one of 2500 initiatives
taking place in more than 130 countries, part of the "Global Wake-up Call"
on climate change. For more information, visit www.tcktcktck.org/wakeup or
contact The Yes Men at tabloid@theyesmen.org. To see the New York City
report on climate change click here. Link to video news release:
http://nypost-se.com/video/)

Comment on this post:
http://www.roryoconnor.org/blog/2009/09/21/just-say-yes-men/

Aviation Safety Network Database of incidents, hijackings and accidents

Aviation Safety Network

Mission Statement

"Providing everyone with a (professional) interest in aviation with
up-to-date, complete and reliable authoritative information on airliner
accidents and safety issues".

Content / scope
The Aviation Safety Network is a private, independent initiative founded
in 1996. On line since January 1996, the Aviation Safety Network covers
accidents and safety issues with regards to airliners, military transport
planes and corporate jets.

The ASN Safety Database contains detailed descriptions of over 10,700
incidents, hijackings and accidents.

Sources
Most of the information contained in the Aviation Safety Network site is
based on information from official sources (authorities, safety boards).
Sources used as a basis for the accident database are aircraft production
lists, ICAO Aircraft Accident Digests since 1952, and NTSB, TSB etc.

http://aviation-safety.net/

Photos
http://aviation-safety.net/photos/
This section contains photos of aircraft taken before the crash; photos
taken after the actual accident and miscellaneous photos (ARFF, emergency
exits, safety placards).

Your Google docs: Soon in search results?

September 19, 2009 6:31 PM PDT

Your Google docs: Soon in search results?

[excerpt]

Google on Thursday wrote in a blog post
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/Google+Docs/thread?tid=0ca72389c9b26ef4&hl=en
that "in about two weeks, we will be launching a change for published
docs. The change will allow published docs that are linked to from a
public Web site to be crawled and indexed, which means they can appear in
search results you see on Google.com and other search engines...This is a
very exciting change as your published docs linked to from public websites
will reach a much wider audience of people."

"Marie" of Google was quick to note that the crawling for search results
"only applies to docs which you explicitly publish using the 'Publish as
Web page' or 'Publish/embed' option, and which are linked to from a
publicly crawled Web page" (documents for which users choose only to
"allow anyone with the link to view" will not get crawled, she wrote,
adding that users can unpublish documents they wish to remain uncrawled).

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17939_109-10357137-2.html?tag=mncol;posts

"Espresso Book Machine" - Google To Reincarnate Digital Books As Paperbacks

Google To Reincarnate Digital Books As Paperbacks

[excerpt]

http://www.siliconvalley.com/news/ci_13357835

Google is giving 2 million books in its digital library a chance to be
reincarnated as paperbacks. As part of a deal announced Thursday, Google
is opening up part of its index to the maker of a high-speed publishing
machine that can manufacture a paperback-bound book of about 300 pages in
under five minutes. The new service is an acknowledgment by the Internet
search leader that not everyone wants their books served up on a computer
or an electronic reader like those made by Amazon.com and Sony.

[...]

The "Espresso Book Machine"
[ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espresso_Book_Machine ] has been around for
several years, but it figures to become a hotter commodity now that it has
access to so many books scanned from some of the world's largest
libraries. And On Demand Books, the Espresso's maker, potentially could
get access to even more hard-to-find books if Google wins court approval
of a class-action settlement giving it the right to sell out-of-print
books.

"This is a seminal event for us," said Dane Neller, On Demand Books' chief
executive, as he oversaw a demonstration of the Espresso Book Machine
Wednesday at Google's Mountain View headquarters.

In the background, some of the books that Google spent the past five years
scanning into a digital format were returning to their paper origins.

[...]

- - - - -

http://www.ondemandbooks.com/home.htm

What Gutenberg's press did for Europe in the 15th century, digitization
and the Espresso Book Machine®
will do for the world tomorrow.

Library quality paperbacks at low cost, identical to factory made books,
printed direct from digital files for the reader in minutes, serving a
radically decentralized world-wide multilingual marketplace.

Espresso: something made to order, one at a time, at point of sale, quickly.

Our EBM Locations
http://www.ondemandbooks.com/our_ebm_locations.htm
Video of The Espresso Book Machine 2.0
http://www.ondemandbooks.com/video2.htm
NEWSFLASH: On Demand Books and Google Sign Agreement
http://www.ondemandbooks.com/ODB%20and%20Google%20Press%20Release%2009-17-09.pdf

British Newspapers, 1800-1900

British Newspapers, 1800-1900
http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs/

The British Library has done historians a tremendous service by creating
this extensive and thoroughly engaging collection of British newspapers from
1800 to 1900. The site contains over two million pages of 19th century
newspapers, though it is worth noting that many of them require the payment
of a fee. Visitors can browse complete articles from the "Penny Illustrated
Paper" and "The Graphic" free of charge, and they should also click on the
"Topical Articles" area. This area contains thematic essays on matters such
as the Sepoy Mutiny, the Napoleonic Wars, and the abolition of slavery. Each
essay also includes access to relevant articles from the newspapers of the
day. This area also includes detailed information on how best to use the
search engine in order to locate items of interest. [KMG]

Via The Scout Report, Copyright Internet Scout 1994-2009.
http://scout.wisc.edu/

Creative Commons Publishes Study of “Noncommercial Use”

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Richard Forno <rforno@infowarrior.org>
Date: 2009/9/15
Subject: [Air-L] Creative Commons Publishes Study of "Noncommercial Use"
To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org

Creative Commons Publishes Study of "Noncommercial Use"
Mike Linksvayer, September 14th, 2009
San Francisco, California, USA — September 14, 2009

http://creativecommons.org/press-releases/entry/17721

Creative Commons announces the publication of Defining "Noncommercial": A
Study of How the Online Population Understands "Noncommercial Use." The
report details the results of a research study launched in September 2008
to explore differences between commercial and noncommercial uses of
content found online, as those uses are understood by various communities
and in connection with a wide variety of content. Generous support for the
study was provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

The study investigated understandings of noncommercial use and the
Creative Commons "NC" license term through online surveys of content
creators and users in the U.S., open access polls of global "Creative
Commons Friends and Family," interviews with thought leaders, and focus
groups with participants from around the world who create and use a wide
variety of online content and media. The research behind Defining
"Noncommercial" was conducted by Netpop Research, under advisement from
academics and a working group consisting of several Creative Commons
jurisdiction project members as well as Creative Commons staff and board
members.

Creative Commons provides free copyright licenses to creators who want to
grant the public certain permissions to use their works, in advance and
without the need for one-to-one contact between the user and the creator.
"Noncommercial" or "NC" is one of four license terms that creators may
choose to apply to CC-licensed content.

Creative Commons noncommercial licenses preclude use of a work "in any
manner that is primarily intended for or directed toward commercial
advantage or private monetary compensation." The majority of respondents
(87% of creators, 85% of users) replied that the definition was
"essentially the same as" (43% of creators, 42% of users) or "different
from but still compatible with" (44% of creators, 43% of users) theirs.
Only 7% of creators and 11% of users replied that the term was "different
from and incompatible with" their definition.

Other highlights from the study include the rating by content creators and
users of different uses of online content as either "commercial" or
"noncommercial" on a scale of 1-100, where 1 is "definitely noncommercial"
and 100 is "definitely commercial." On this scale, creators and users
(84.6 and 82.6, respectively) both rate uses in connection with online
advertising generally as "commercial." However, more specific use cases
revealed that many interpretations are fact-specific. For example,
creators and users gave the specific use case "not-for-profit organization
uses work on its site, organization makes enough money from ads to cover
hosting costs" ratings of 59.2 and 71.7, respectively.

On the same scale, creators and users (89.4 and 91.7, respectively) both
rate uses in which money is made as being commercial, yet again those
ratings are lower in use cases specifying cost recovery or use by
not-for-profits. Finally, both groups rate "personal or private" use as
noncommercial, though creators did so less strongly than users (24.3 and
16.0, respectively, on the same scale).

In open access polls, CC's global network of "friends and family" rate
some uses differently from the U.S. online population—although direct
empirical comparisons may not be drawn from these data. For example,
creators and users in these polls rate uses by not-for-profit
organizations with advertisements as a means of cost recovery at 35.7 and
40.3, respectively—somewhat more noncommercial. They also rate "personal
or private" use as strongly noncommercial—8.2 and 7.8, respectively—again
on a scale of 1-100 where 1 is "definitely noncommercial" and 100 is
"definitely commercial."

"As more people have begun to make, share, and use content online, the
question of what constitutes a 'commercial use' versus a 'noncommercial
use' has become increasingly important to understand," said Josh Crandall,
President of Netpop Research. "With this study, we were particularly
interested to see that—contrary to what many might believe—there is little
variation between creators and users in the perceived 'commerciality' of
particular uses of copyrighted content. Furthermore, where they do differ,
users tend to have a more conservative outlook than creators. This study
provides useful data and perspectives—from both members of the general
public and people who work closely in the world of copyright—that can help
people begin to think more clearly about the issue."

The study report and its associated data are available at
http://wiki.creativecommons.org/Defining_Noncommercial, where members of
the public can contribute feedback about the report. Defining
"Noncommercial" is published under a Creative Commons Attribution license,
and the research data is available under a CC0 public domain waiver.

"We're excited that the results of this important project will be
available for all kinds of uses—including commercial use—by anyone," said
Joi Ito, CEO of Creative Commons. "We encourage researchers and our
community to use what we've done and expand this investigation further,
building upon the data we collected and incorporating more perspectives
from Creative Commons adopters worldwide."

In the next years, possibly as soon as 2010, Creative Commons expects to
formally launch a multi-year, international process for producing the next
version (4.0) of the six main Creative Commons licenses. This process will
include examination of whether the noncommercial definition included in
licenses with the NC term should be modified or if other means of
clarifying noncommercial use under the CC licenses should be pursued. The
results of Defining "Noncommercial" and subsequent research will be an
important thread informing this process.

About Creative Commons

Creative Commons is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001, that
promotes the creative re-use of intellectual and artistic works, whether
owned or in the public domain. Through its free copyright licenses,
Creative Commons offers authors, artists, scientists, and educators the
choice of a flexible range of protections and freedoms that build upon the
"all rights reserved" concept of traditional copyright to enable a
voluntary "some rights reserved" approach. Creative Commons was built with
and is sustained by the generous support of organizations including the
Center for the Public Domain, Google, the John D. and Catherine T.
MacArthur Foundation, the Mozilla Foundation, Omidyar Network, Red Hat,
and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, as well as members of the
public. For more information about supporting Creative Commons, please
contact development@creativecommons.org.

About Netpop Research, LLC

Netpop Research, LLC is a San Francisco-based strategic market research
firm that specializes in online media, digital entertainment and
user-generated content trends. Netpop Research has fielded numerous
studies for major profit and nonprofit entities, and is the creator of the
Netpop tracking study of Internet usage among broadband consumers in the
United States and China.

Contact

Mike Linksvayer
Vice President
Creative Commons
ml@creativecommons.org
+1 415 369 8480

Press Kit

http://creativecommons.org/about/press/
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Rise of the Professional Blogger & increasingly mythical - pajama-wearing classes.

The Rise of the Professional Blogger
by Benjamin Carlson
The Atlantic
September 11, 2009
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200909u/professional-bloggers

[excerpt]

In a recent essay in the New York Review of Books,
Michael Massing articulates a point made so often about
the Web that it's nearly catechismal. Blogs, he says,
have torn down the power structure of old media.
"Decentralization and democratization" are the law of
the land, offering "a podium to Americans of all ages
and backgrounds to contribute." This is a notion that
bloggers and web gurus have been touting for years. In
his 2006 book, An Army of Davids, for example,
"Instapundit" blogger Glenn Reynolds argued that
"markets and technology" empowered "ordinary people to
beat big media." And this June, internet sage Clay
Shirky assured an audience at a TED event that the old
model, where "professionals broadcast messages to
amateurs," is "slipping away."

But is this really true? Among some of the biggest
bloggers, this notion is increasingly seen as suspect.
In early July, Laura McKenna, a widely respected and
longtime blogger, argued on her site, 11D, that blogging
has perceptibly changed over the six years she's been at
it. Many of blogging's heavy hitters, she observed, have
ended up "absorbed into some other professional
enterprise." Meanwhile, newer or lesser-known bloggers
aren't getting the kind of links and attention they used
to, which means that "good stuff" is no longer "bubbling
to the top." Her post prompted a couple of the medium's
most legendary, best-established hands to react: Matthew
Yglesias (formerly of The Atlantic, now of
ThinkProgress), confirmed that blogging has indeed
become "institutionalized," and Ezra Klein (formerly of
The American Prospect, now of The Washington Post)
concurred, "The place has professionalized." Almost
everyone weighing in agreed that blogging has become
more corporate, more ossified, and increasingly
indistinguishable from the mainstream media. Even Glenn
Reynolds had a slight change of heart, admitting in a
June interview that the David-and-Goliath dynamic is
eroding as blogs have become "more big-media-ish." All
this has led Matthew Hindman, author of The Myth of
Digital Democracy, to declare that "The era when
political comment on the Web is dominated by solo
bloggers writing for free is gone."

[...]

Blogging, then, seems to be an industry on the cusp of
maturity. Nick Carr compares its evolution to that of
ham radio in the early twentieth century. Out of the
amateur hubbub emerged self-made stars, who were then
hired by fledgling networks that eventually grew into
CBS, NBC and ABC. In much the same way, blogging
celebrities have been snatched up by old and new
conglomerates, while a sudden heart attack in the old-
media world has put commercial blogging enterprises into
a startlingly advantageous position. To wit, in the
midst of a major downturn in advertising profits across
most media, revenue to Gawker's network of eight blogs
jumped 45% in the first half of this year.

Clearly, a new establishment is taking shape. It seems
ever more likely that the next media kingpins will come
from the proverbial - and increasingly mythical -
pajama-wearing classes.