Monthly Archives: September 2012

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ARE THE DAYS OF online freedom numbered? Screen grab from YouTube (TechfluffTV)

WASHINGTON, USA - Online freedom has suffered setbacks in many countries but also some gains amid the Arab Spring uprisings and political upheaval in parts of the world, a new study showed.

The report by the research group Freedom House found that 20 countries "experienced a negative trajectory since January 2011" as authorities used newer, more sophisticated controls to quell dissent on the Internet.

"The findings clearly show that threats to Internet freedom are becoming more diverse," said Sanja Kelly, project director at Freedom House and co-author of the report released Monday covering the period from January 2011 to May 2012.

"As authoritarian rulers see that blocked websites and high-profile arrests draw local and international condemnation, they are turning to murkier but no less dangerous methods for controlling online conversations."

The study found that Estonia had the highest level of online freedom among the 47 countries examined, while the United States ranked second.

Iran, Cuba and China received the lowest scores and 10 other countries received a ranking of "not free" Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bahrain and Syria.

The worst declines, according to the report, were in Bahrain, Egypt and Jordan, reflecting "intensified censorship, arrests and violence against bloggers."

It said online freedom was also hurt in Mexico "in the context of increasing threats of violence from organized crime," and in Ethiopia, "possibly reflecting a government effort to establish more sophisticated controls before allowing access to expand."

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'Online freedom sees setbacks'

FREEDOM is a big word indeed, which has been used and misused since time began, I expect. How would you define it? Some might say that it is the capability of doing what one wants, without any interference. You are free to be who you are, to go wherever you want, you are free to make your own choices. You are also free to express your opinions, to say what crosses your mind, with no hindrance nor restraint. A-ha! Here things are not too clear, though, they start to become a bit (or a lot!) cloudy. If you have all the kinds of freedom you can think of, and so do I, and so do all the others, what happens when your freedom infringes on mine? If you can do all that what you want and you are an abuser, where is my right to be respected? You feel entitled to say whatever you wish because freedom of speech allows you to do that. Does this mean that I must tolerate your offensive words? Should I just keep quiet and let you persevere in a disrespectful behavior because you are free to speak? Sorry, you are not at least not to such an extent. Your freedom allows you to do and say what you want, but only provided you dont invade the boundary of my honor, of my well-being. If you dont agree with what I am saying, look at the despicable results of such wild permissiveness that is tearing the world apart. You have your beliefs, I have mine. You are free to follow yours but you are not free to offend mine. I have the right to be who I am and I expect to be accepted as such and treated accordingly. If you dont like me or do not agree with my creed, just walk away, look the other way, leave me alone. Today, open-mindedness and freedom have become synonyms for total acceptance of every kind of behavior, of vulgarity and immorality. If this is what modernity and progress have come to mean, there must be something wrong, somewhere. When, in the past, we had dictators and prevaricators, who compelled the weak masses to comply with their directives, we say that there was no freedom. There were the oppressors and the oppressed: a very clear line divided the two positions. Nowadays, in our modern society, we keep talking of equal rights for everybody. But, tell me, what kind of right do I have if my freedom to express my opinion ends up being attacked by the tongues, the pens or the movie camera of thugs whose aim is only to create friction, hatred, chaos? Should we believe that this free world of ours is better that the one of the past? Dr. Martin Luther King jr. had a dream, the dream of equality among human races, the dream of freedom for all human beings. I dont think he would have accepted the actual situation into his dream, in spite of the fact that many individuals (poor, nave souls!) are convinced that we have reached plenty of goals as human existence is concerned. We surely have a lot of technological gadgets and sophisticated stuff. But are we more available, understanding, lenient, loving, helpful, friendly toward those who do not belong to our circle, who live according to different habits, customs, religious creeds? I believe there is a lot of inner searching to be done, here. Each of us should honestly examine him/ herself and detect their own position. If we cannot compel or convince the opponents (often aggressors) to change their minds and their ways, we should at least do as much as we can to mend our personal way of being.

E-mail: elsafranco44@yahoo.com Blog: recreateyourlifetoday.blogspot.com

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Critical Thinking: Freedom... really?

Online freedom has suffered setbacks in many countries, but also some gains, amid the Arab Spring uprisings and political upheaval in parts of the world, a new study showed.

The report by the research group Freedom House found that 20 countries "experienced a negative trajectory since January 2011" as authorities used newer, more sophisticated controls to quell dissent on the Internet.

"The findings clearly show that threats to Internet freedom are becoming more diverse," said Sanja Kelly, project director at Freedom House and co-author of the report released Monday covering the period from January 2011 to May 2012.

"As authoritarian rulers see that blocked websites and high-profile arrests draw local and international condemnation, they are turning to murkier -- but no less dangerous -- methods for controlling online conversations."

The study found that Estonia had the highest level of online freedom among the 47 countries examined, while the United States ranked second.

Iran, Cuba, and China received the lowest scores and 10 other countries received a ranking of "not free" -- Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Ethiopia, Bahrain and Syria.

The worst declines, according to the report, were in Bahrain, Egypt, and Jordan, reflecting "intensified censorship, arrests, and violence against bloggers."

It said online freedom was also hurt in Mexico "in the context of increasing threats of violence from organized crime," and in Ethiopia, "possibly reflecting a government effort to establish more sophisticated controls before allowing access to expand."

In Pakistan, the downgrade "reflected extreme punishments meted out for dissemination of allegedly blasphemous messages" and tighter censorship by regulators.

Improvements were cited in 14 countries, including some with "a dramatic regime change or political opening" such as Tunisia, Libya and Myanmar. But restrictions also eased in some other countries such as Georgia, Kenya, and Indonesia, where the report cited "a growing diversity of content and fewer cases of arrest or censorship than in previous years."

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Online freedom sees setbacks, a few gains: study

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Sep 25, 2012) - The Fuel Freedom Foundation today announced the winners of its first college video competition, recognizing the work of three filmmakers from Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. The winning films are short segments that illustrate the severity of our oil addiction, and the urgency to develop cheaper, cleaner, American-made replacement fuels.

"These highly talented young artists have created powerful visual statements that show why we must open the transportation fuel market to competition from alternatives to gasoline, such as natural gas, ethanol and methanol," said Eyal Aronoff, co-founder of the nonprofit, nonpartisan Fuel Freedom Foundation. "We want to use all forms of media to spread the word, including high-quality, creative videos that will become viral and create an impact on the internet."

The winners of the Chapman University competition will be eligible to compete in a national college video contest. The Foundation also plans to hold Fuel Freedom video competitions for the general public.

The $5,000 Grand Prize was awarded to Jacob Taylor, whose two-minute video, "Fuel Freedom Campaign," received more than 13,000 views on YouTube. Taylor is an undergraduate at Chapman's Dodge College, one of the nation's premier film and media arts schools, located in Orange, CA. The two runners-up were Ryan Broomberg, a graduate film student, for his one-minute "Funny Dog Commercial for Fuel Freedom," and Brandon Wade, a 2012 MFA graduate, whose two-minute video was titled "Oil Makes The Myths Remix."The runners-up each received $2,500. Broomberg's video attracted more than 4,000 YouTube views and Wade's received more than 5,800 views.

The winners were determined based on formula that took into account virality, creativity, quality and accuracy.

About Fuel Freedom The Fuel Freedom Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the U.S. economy's oil addiction through the development of cheaper, cleaner, American-made replacement fuels. Americans could easily convert their cars to run on replacement fuels for gasoline, but outdated regulations and entrenched commercial interests stand in the way. The Fuel Freedom campaign aims to remove barriers to competition so that natural gas, methanol, ethanol and electricity can compete on equal footing with gasoline at the pump and at the dealership. Achieving Fuel Freedom will lower fuel prices, create jobs, spur economic growth, reduce pollution, and improve national and global security. For more information go to the Foundation's website at http://www.fuelfreedom.org; Facebook: FuelFreedomFoundation; and Twitter: @FuelFreedomNow.

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Fuel Freedom Announces Winners of First College Video Competition