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Awareness: Freedom Day of South Africa

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Today is the Freedom Day of South Africa which commemorates the first post-apartheid elections held in 1994. Millions of people participated in the elections which were the first non-racial national elections. This means that everyone of voting age of over 18 from any race group was allowed to vote. Previously, under the apartheid regime, had only limited rights to vote.

Considered a middle-income country, South Africa has one of the most developed infrastructures and stock exchanges in the world. The country is also well endowed with rich natural resources. It has the fifth largest income per capita in Africa.

South Africa has one of the most diverse ethnicities in the world. Almost 80% of its population has a black African ancestry, which is divided into various Bantu speaking groups. The country is also home to the largest communities of Asian, European, and racially mixed ancestry in Africa.

South Africa is a member of various international and regional organizations such as the Africa Union, Commonwealth of Nations, Antarctic Treaty System, Group of 77, South Atlantic Peace and Cooperation Zone, Southern African Customs Union, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, Group of Twenty (G-20), and Group of Eight plus Five (G8+5).

We congratulate the people and government of South Africa led by Their Excellencies, President Jacob Zuma, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Foreign Affairs and International Relations and Cooperation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, and its Embassy in the Philippines headed by H.E., Ambassador Agnes Nyamande-Pitso, on the occasion of its Freedom Day. CONGRATULATIONS AND MABUHAY!

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Awareness: Freedom Day of South Africa

Google or the government: who’s really controlling our freedom online?

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Its an apt time to reflect on online freedom. On 3 May its World Media Freedom Day and South Africa, which has just passed a bill severely restricting what the press can report on, celebrates its freedom day this weekend.

Together with a dash of reflection and a dose of predictions by Googles Eric Schmidt, what can we learn about where we stand when it comes to liberty in todays digital world? In the US, support for the recently passed CISPA bill has lately increased, Googles been slapped on the wrist for capturing illegal Wi-Fi data in Germany following previous antitrust bashing by the EU and Iran is moving ever closer to making its own version of the internet.

The internet and innovations around it have created important opportunities enabling people to spread information and ideas. Through the evolution of this form of media and communication we are given the power to hold organizations and governments adequately accountable. Though revolutionary as this might be, governments have found ways to sometimes exploit these powerful tools in attempts to fight hate-speech or establish security for example.

As the pendulum swings, some of these attempts often cross the line where content is censored or peoples internet activity is being monitored. Here, freedom refers to the boundary that exists between public and private, the citizen and the authorities. By valuing privacy, you value your privacy to make decisions without any higher-up censoring or dictating.

Former Google CEO and current executive chairman Eric Schmidt recently said that the internet brings freedom; freedom of speech, freedom of information and in some cases, as we have seen with the Arab Spring, revolution. In this article by the Wall Street Journal he warns us of the dark side that comes along with the internet.

Granted, hes speaking about the future, and half of Schmidts article does in fact sound like an extract out of Bradburys Fahrenheit 451. He suggests that the digital revolution, although suffering a few hiccups, will eventually overcome the future oppressors. He argues that autocratic regimes will start seeking tools to monitor citizens in an attempt to strengthen the force of digital police. These predictions though might not be as far-fetched as they seem.

Today Iran is probably the country using the worlds most sophisticated methods of censoring and controlling the internet. The country is planning on filling the used-to-be-YouTube gap with its own competitor namely Mehr. The Iranian minister has also announced the launch of an Islamic Google Earth. This came after fears were being raised labeling Googles satellite imagery and map service a spying tool of the West.

Despite Indias latest milestone in certifying the countrys first late night adult show, the worlds largest democracy has struggled to adapt to its overwhelmingly large populations online presence. Since the beginning of this month the Indian government and its agencies have started monitoring telecommunications and internet services, meaning that all modern forms of communication will be under the gaze of the authorities. The CMS or Centre Monitoring Services has set up a social media lab which monitors user activity on sites like Twitter and Facebook for example.

Google has just released its annual transparency report, with the internet giant reporting a total of 2 285 removal requests. Governments moving in this direction are discomforting yes, but they arent necessarily the ones we need to worry about the most.

Despite Schmidts freedom activist speeches, Google has been repeatedly fined by European data protection regulators. Earlier this week Google was fined over US$180 000 by German privacy regulators accusing the search giant of stealing WiFi data (again) using its Google Street View service.

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Google or the government: who’s really controlling our freedom online?

Press freedom still not living up to the law, seminar told

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Home national Press freedom still not living up to the law, seminar told

Pravit Rojanaphruk The Nation on Sunday April 28, 2013 1:00 am

Anything negative about resigned Senior General Than Shwe is still taboo in Myanmar's media, said Aye Chan Naing. He added that the Myanmar government will soon introduce broadcasting laws and it's not certain as to what kind of restrictions will be made. The country's judiciary needs to be independent, while the law needs to be just, he said.

In Cambodia, while the constitution guarantees press freedom and freedom of expression, freedom of speech is still limited in reality, said Chhay Sophal, editor-in-chief of Cambodia News Online and a board member of the Cambodian Journalists' Council for Ethics.

"Legally speaking, the government respects the country's free press and freedom of expression, but in practice, the public voice is sometimes ignored or accused of being backed by the opposition - an excuse for government authorities to crack down."

Chhay Sophal said after the nightmare of the Pol Pot regime, the majority of Cambodians, who are farmers living in the rural areas, "seem to be completely debilitated through illiteracy, ignorance or fear of reprisal, and are disinclined to speak out in public, especially on politics."

"The urban [populace] feels freer and more ready to speak out, mainly on topics regarding the government's actions," Chhay Sophal added.

Gayathry Venkitsewaran, executive director of the Southeast Asian Press Alliance (SEAPA), and a former Malaysian journalist, said Malaysia's press freedom may improve, but it would depend on the result in the upcoming general election next month.

"If there's a change in government, it will be a bit chaotic because [the media] will not know how to behave," Venkiteswaran told the audience in Bangkok last week.

Venkiteswaran said the region's latest press freedom index by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders indicated there was still a lot to be done, and added that the relatively high ranking for Brunei may reflect a lack of knowledge about the sultanate on the part of the organisation. Helping to develop knowledge of the region's press was one area where SEAPA could help, he said.

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Press freedom still not living up to the law, seminar told

Joe Williams pitches Battlefield baseball past Freedom-South Riding

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With the Battlefield players mustache experiment earlier in the season a bit of a non-starter the Bobcats had more scruff than fluff junior left-hander Joe Williams has decided to see how long he can grow a curl out of the back of his cap.

Hes looking like the guy from Grease, junior catcher Nick Feight said.

Hey, if Williams, an effective pitcher up from last years junior varsity, keeps pitching like he did Friday night in a 5-3 win at Freedom-South Riding, the Bobcats will let him wear his hair however he wants with minimal razzing.

Williams went the distance, striking out five and walking none while relying on his trusty curveball. He also threw out a runner at home on a bunt attempt for the first out of the fourth inning after the first two Eagles had reached base.

Feight hollered Four! and Williams fielded the ball and fired home.

Play of the game right there, Williams said. They had all the momentum going up there and we just stole it from them on that play.

Battlefields win completed a regular season sweep in the series and enabled the Bobcats (14-2, 6-1) to pad its lead over Patriot (11-3, 4-2) and Freedom (11-3, 4-3) in the Virginia AAA Cedar Run District.

Burned by the bunt in past games against Freedom, Battlefield emphasized bunt defense in practice this week. The Bobcats were plenty opportunistic on the bases themselves, taking advantage of four walks, four errors, a wild pitch, two sacrifice bunts, a sacrifice fly and another flyout that moved a runner from second to third.

Three of the Freedom errors came in the sixth, when Battlefield scored three runs to stretch the lead to 5-1. Freedom senior ace Zach Newell left the mound that inning after the first two batters, junior Cameron Skaff and senior Daniel Tavenner, banged out hits, the latter an RBI triple.

Offensively when you get up, it kind of minimizes the things that they can do, Battlefield Coach Jay Burkhart said.

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Joe Williams pitches Battlefield baseball past Freedom-South Riding

Gears of Prequel – Gears of War Judgment Campaign Gameplay / Walkthrough w/ SSoHPKC Part 21 – Fight for Freedom – Video

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Gears of Prequel - Gears of War Judgment Campaign Gameplay / Walkthrough w/ SSoHPKC Part 21 - Fight for Freedom
If you enjoyed the video please leave a like - I #39;d really appreciate it, thanks 😀 Well, after escaping the worlds worst trial it #39;s off to the races #9675; FREE b...

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Gears of Prequel - Gears of War Judgment Campaign Gameplay / Walkthrough w/ SSoHPKC Part 21 - Fight for Freedom - Video

‘US backed Chechen ‘freedom fighters’, faces fallout of ‘enemy’s enemy’ policy’ – Video

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#39;US backed Chechen #39;freedom fighters #39;, faces fallout of #39;enemy #39;s enemy #39; policy #39;
Despite being of Chechen descent, the alleged bombers spent most of their lives in the US after their parents applied for asylum. Both were rare visitors to ...

By: RussiaToday

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'US backed Chechen 'freedom fighters', faces fallout of 'enemy's enemy' policy' - Video

Freedom of the press: Newspapers launch own Royal Charter with teeth to protect the public

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Newspaper industry rejects cross-party proposals to regulate the Press Unveils alternative plans for tough new watchdog which PM will consider Will have strong investigative powers and right to impose fines up to 1m

By James Chapman

PUBLISHED: 17:43 EST, 25 April 2013 | UPDATED: 18:45 EST, 25 April 2013

The newspaper industry has flatly rejected cross-party proposals to regulate Britains 300-year-old free Press, unveiling alternative plans for a tough new watchdog which David Cameron said yesterday he was very happy to consider.

It will mean a new independent regulator having strong investigative powers and the right to impose fines of up to 1million for wrongdoing, up-front corrections, inaccuracies corrected fully and prominently, and independence from the industry and politicians.

After weeks of uncertainty, major publishers said they would not sign up to the Royal Charter agreed by politicians and the Hacked Off lobby group over 2am takeaway pizzas in Labour leader Ed Milibands office last month.

That agreement gives the Government the power to interfere in Press regulation.

The newspaper and magazine industry have published a draft alternative charter, which will be put to the Privy Council. Many other professions have applied for their own Royal Charter in the past, including accountants and surveyors.

All four industry bodies, including the Newspaper Society, which represents national and local titles, backed the plan.

In a statement co-ordinated by the Newspaper Society, they said the Royal Charter published by the Government on March 18 had been condemned by a range of international media freedom organisations and enjoyed no support within the Press.

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Freedom of the press: Newspapers launch own Royal Charter with teeth to protect the public

Freedom Farms Cafe spotlights locally raised food

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Published: Wednesday, April 24, 2013, 9:01p.m. Updated: Wednesday, April 24, 2013

BACKGROUND

Freedom Farms Cafe and Carry-Out has a limited menu of made-to-order items, but the takeout options are nearly limitless.

The cafe opened a year ago along Route 56 in Allegheny Township in the small building that formerly housed J.D.'s Roadhouse and Hessom's Restaurant.

The cafe originally was called The Market at New Kensington, but two factors prompted the owners to change the name last fall.

Sales manager Amanda Noah said they wanted cafe customers to make the connection with Freedom Farms, the family-owned Butler County farm featured on the national television show Farm Kings. The reality show, which airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays on the Great American Country channel, features the King family's efforts to expand their farming business and the public's appreciation for locally raised food.

Noah said they also weren't familiar with the area or the sensitivity of Alle-Kiski Valley locals who protested the cafe's reference to New Kensington, technically located several miles away despite the building's 15068 ZIP code.

We felt this new name better reflected our business, Noah said.

And it does sandwiches and soups are served fresh from chef Dale Miller, while the rest of the store is filled with an array of takeout options. Coolers are full of pre-made wraps, salads and soups. Plus, there is plenty of produce, breads, eggs, meats, cheeses and ready-to-bake pastries.

Freedom Farms Cafe & Carry-Out gives diners the option of stopping by for a freshly made lunch, taking home pre-made food for dinner and grabbing some groceries for the rest of the week.

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Freedom Farms Cafe spotlights locally raised food

Press freedom, social media and the citizen

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Invitation

UNESCO WORLD PRESS FREEDOM DAY LECTUREHosted by the Pacific Media Centre and supported by the New Zealand National Commission for UNESCO and the School of Communication Studies

Press freedom, social media and the citizen

Professor Mark Pearson Griffith University

Friday, May 3, 5.30-7.30pm Communications Precinct Lecture Theatre WG126 Sir Paul Reeves Building 2 Governor Fitzroy Place Auckland City

Does social media mean press freedom is now for everyone?

The theme for this years UNESCO World Press Freedom Day on May 3, Safe to speak: Securing freedom of expression in all media, broadens the debate. It opens the way for an exploration of the libertarian origins of press freedom and the advent of social media and citizen journalism at a time when we are looking for new models of media responsibility and ethics beyond a social responsibility model some of which embrace cultural and religious notions of truth and story-telling.

Dr Mark Pearson is Professor of Journalism and Social Media at Griffith University, Australia, and has long been an advocate of press freedom. He is the Australian correspondent of the Paris-based global media freedom advocacy organisation Reporters Sans Frontires (Reporters Without Borders). Professor Pearson has combined careers in teaching and journalism. He was special reports editor of The Australian newspaper and his work has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, The Fiji Times, the Pacific Area Newspaper Publishers Association Bulletin and Crikey.com.au

Over the past two decades, Professor Pearson has also been involved with Pacific journalism at several levels. As author of The Journalists Guide to Media Law (4th edition with Mark Polden, Allen & Unwin, 2011), he has conducted media law training sessions for Pacific journalists in Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Tonga. Professor Pearson is on the editorial board of the Pacific Journalism Review and is a former editor of the Australian Journalism Review. His latest book is Blogging and Tweeting Without Getting Sued (Allen & Unwin, 2012). He blogs from journlaw.com and tweets from @journlaw

Also, the new International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) documentary Media Freedom in the Pacific will be screened. Live streaming link at AUT On Demand: http://tinyurl.com/cryjgu6 ends

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Press freedom, social media and the citizen


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