Cry Freedom

"It is better to die for an idea that will live, than to live for an idea that will die." -- Steve Biko

Imagine a country where the minority ruled; where if you spoke out against the authorities they could force you to see only one person at a time; where your level of education depended on the color of your skin. This, and more, happened in South Africa during apartheid, a government system that enforced and institutionalized racial segregation in South Africa. It was enacted in 1948 by the Afrikaner National Party and used laws to keep the white minority in power.

The movie Cry Freedom is the true story of black African activist Stephen Biko and white reporter Donald Woods. Both lived in South Africa under apartheid during the late 1970s. In the story, Biko wanted to fight for respect as a person and human rights, while Woods wanted to fight for justice for his country. These men started with different mindsets but came together to fight the apartheid.

Steve Biko was born in a black slum, or township. He got a good education and used it to speak out about the unfairness of apartheid government as part of the Black Consciousness Movement. In response, the government banned Biko. He kept on sneaking out, though, to speak out to people. Biko didn't want to be in politics, he just wanted to be treated by the Afrikaners as an equal. In fact, in his speeches, he told the black Africans that when they had control of the government, they shouldn't repeat what the Afrikaners did to them. All Biko wanted was respect as a fellow South African.

Donald Woods was a liberal newspaper editor who disagreed with the apartheid, but didn't realize the extremity of things that were happening in South Africa. Woods thought that Biko was an extremist, but he was willing to meet him in order to find the truth about apartheid. Biko showed Woods a township, and what life was like there.

One day, Biko was captured by the police at a road checkpoint. He was brought to prison, where he was tortured and beaten to death. When Donald Woods found out about his friend's death, he was determined to reveal the truth about apartheid in South Africa. He stayed within the system, but spoke out legally about the truth behind Biko's death. The police decided to ban him and his family. Woods' only choice was to publish the life of Biko, but he couldn't in South Africa. He and his family escaped to Botswana via Lesotho, and he published his book.

Both Steve Biko and Donald Woods wanted to fight against the Apartheid, but in different ways. Biko didn't mind publicly opposing the government to reveal the truth because he had nothing to lose. Woods, on the other hand, had a good life in South Africa, with a supporting family and a nice house. Woods decided to fight the system within the system. Biko ended up sacrificing his life for his goals, and Woods gave up his entire life in South Africa to seek justice. I believe justice and equality is worth fighting for. Incidentally, Cry Freedom was filmed while apartheid was still in South Africa, and it was a way for the world to see what was happening in South Africa at that very moment.

Free Speech or Piracy

Congress has announced that it wants to create a bill that will attempt to stop piracy on the Internet and protect copyrighted content. How? The Protect IP bill would allows the entertainment industry to "block access to infringing domain names" and to "cut off funds to infringing websites." This basically means that sites with pirated content can be blocked and/or sued.

The Protect IP bill might help the entertainment industry, but it may also cripple the Internet's freedom. Sites like YouTube may be blocked because of pirated content. This means that even if one person on websites like these posts a pirated video, the whole site could be sued and/or shut down. The bill also gives a lot of power to the entertainment industry, whose sole purpose is to make money. Remember, unlike democratic government, that represents the opinions of the majority, private corporations represent themselves. So, basically, this bill gives non-government groups the power of the Internet. Sounds dangerous, if I say so myself.

Personally, I think this bill shouldn't be passed. Although at first this bill seems like a good idea, the Internet is just too open to be able to block specific sites without messing up other ones. The Internet may lose stability if this law is passed, which could mess up many sites, innocent or guilty. Though this bill is meant to affect only US-based sites, other countries could follow in the USA's path, and the entire Internet would be universally censored. Do we really want that?

Many websites are trying to fight back. Just type in "Internet censor bill," and a bucket load of protesting blogs and forums appear. The USA believes in the right to free speech, yet the government is trying to allow censorship. Sound hypocritical? If you want to express your feelings to Congress, simply join in some of the blogs that discuss the idea or sign a petition being sent to Congress right now. If we can stop Congress from passing the Protect IP bill, the Internet will be better off. I believe in free speech. Do you?

Choose the Right Fight

In life, there are things worth fighting for and things not worth fighting for. The line between these two choices is often blurred and hard to see. Luke Dowdney is trying to change that. He is a champion British boxer who while studying anthropology was shocked by the violence of gang wars in favelas (slums) in Rio De Janeiro. He saw children holding firearms and corpses littering the streets. Luke decided to start a martial arts and education program in 2000 called Luta Pela Paz, or "Fight for Peace" in Portuguese. Luke teaches poor kids martial arts skills and educates them in his recreation center.

Roberto Custódio has a dark history. His father was shot by a policeman over a woman in front of Roberto. He swore to avenge his father, and hoped Luke could teach him the skills to do so. Luke agreed to Roberto's request as long as he attended the educational courses. As Roberto became more skilled in boxing, his lust for revenge left him. The discipline and self-control needed for boxing taught Roberto the right things to fight for. He is now Luke Dowdney's right hand man in the fight for peace in the favelas. Roberto has won the gold medal for light welterweight boxing in Brazil and is likely to enter the London Olympics.

Luke Dowdney fought for peace by teaching people how to fight. Roberto Custódio fought for revenge on his dad's killers. Luke clearly fought for something everyone agrees is a good cause. Roberto, on the other hand, had a justified goal with good intentions, but not necessarily the right thing to do. Luke got Roberto to change his goal into something that is indisputably right: fighting for peace.

This story was inspired by an article in Sports Illustrated (dated September 26th, 2011).

To learn more about Luta Pela Paz, go to http://www.luta.co.uk/fightwear-blog/

LUTA Real Strength Film

They Should've Known Better

There is a big story on the news right now about the prolonged delay of the Dalai Lama's (Spiritual Leader of Buddhism and Tibet) visa to South Africa to visit Desmond Tutu (Archbishop of South Africa) for his 80th birthday. The visa's confirmation was delayed for so long that the Dalai Lama canceled his trip. Tutu was furious with his government for delaying the visa, claiming that the ANC (African National Congress) cracked under the pressure of the Chinese government (a big trading partner of South Africa and the oppressors of Tibet's freedom). Tutu explained in a press conference that "our government representing me... says it will not support Tibetans who are being oppressed viciously by the Chinese." He goes further, saying that "this government, our government, is worse than the Apartheid government because at least you were expecting [this kind of behavior] with the Apartheid government."

Tutu was furious with the ANC because South Africa had gone through the same issues that Tibet has, but they completely erase relationships with Tibet out of fear from the Chinese trade industry. The ANC should have sided with Tibet to show that they knew what there were feeling because they were in the same situation. Tutu makes it very clear he does not side with the government's choices by stating "Mr. Zuma, you and you government don't represent me. You represent your own interests."

I believe that Tutu is fighting for the right to represent himself. He doesn't not in any way want to be connected to his government's choices. Instead, Desmond Tutu announces he supports Tibet against the ANC's decision.

Quotes and information were supplied by the Guardian news website.

Found Poem

I believe that I've been infected by my opinions.
They have become my disguised uncertainty,
aggressively challenging my conviction.
They speak contrary beliefs,
things I don't want to know.
They oppose my personal wisdom,
and always question my authority.
And you have it too,
but for now they are invisible.
I fear for you,
because your tragic end is near.

This poem is a bit random and has no clear message because of the fact that it is the jumbled from another poem. The poem does suggest that our opinions are sometimes our worst enemy, because we think we know so much and act like know-it-all's. I found it difficult to create a clear message without having the same idea as the original poem.

The Fight for Facebook

Mark Zuckerberg, a 35 year-old Harvard graduate, is one of the richest men in the world. How? Facebook. Originally a college online photo directory, Facebook has travelled all over the world and has made Zuckerberg's personal wealth a whopping $13.5 billion! His riches came with a price, though; many people have sued for ownership of Facebook. This, along with the popular blockbuster The Social Network, has given Zuckerburg a bad reputation.

We sometimes forget that Zuckerburg created Facebook in college, and that everybody does crazy things at that age. I think the reason behind picking on him was because of his success; people want to find a way to steal his riches. The Social Network gives Zuckerburg a "snide and sarcastic in a cruel way" personality. All this has weighed down on Zuckerburg's shoulders, yet he just brushed it off and kept on growing.

Zuckerburg did what he thought was the right thing, even if others didn't agree. He has made mistakes, but he didn't let it get in the way of his work. Zuckerburg has pushed through all the bullying and has made it through the maze with money to prove it. You don't have to like Zuckerburg or agree with him, but you have to admit, he has found a way to the top.

My New World Blueprints

If I had to organize a pioneer journey to a fresh planet, the one characteristic I would wish for would be the control of communication between citizens of the new society. Although this sounds harsh, it is actually very effective in practice. Humans have a natural urge for jealousy when they see others who have something they want. Limiting communication between different communities chokes jealousy and adds focus to the task given to the community. Dividing the people into groups that compliment each encourage people to work their hardest. A capital with government workers would be surrounded by towns that export one major resource. This society would act like a well oiled machine. Unfortunately, this system of government does not appeal to many people.