Inquirer.net & CNN.com blocked in Thailand??? (UPDATE)

(I originally posted this at around 8.30pm, Bangkok time, 11 April please read my update on this post below) 

I usually surf the news on the Internet after office hours, however, I was surprised of what I’ve discovered tonight. At about 8.06pm, Bangkok time, I typed Inquirer.net and this is what I’ve got.  

I’m not sure what’s happening but apparently after Youtube, Inquirer.net and CNN.com got the ire of the Thai Government for some reason.  

This is hot news, I informed Joey and Erwin re the possible blockade for their info. I said to myself, this might be an error on my computer, I refreshed my laptop but the same window.

I tried to check Inquirer Bloggers, to my relief, I can still view the site. 

I surfed CNN.com. Surprise, surprise, this is what I’ve got.

The small English script reads as follows:

ict.cyberclean.org

( Sorry! the web site you are accessing has been blocked by ministry of information and communication technology )

I lost my contacts in CNN so I’m not sure how to inform them but I’m sure they’ve already noticed as they have a regional office here in Bangkok.

They usually do this for pornographic sites but Inquirer.net and CNN.com?? Their news might be too sizzling for the Thai government, well I hope I’m wrong. I tried to key in other news media addresses. Al-Jazeera and BBC are still up, so I might probably be wrong and this might be a simple case of technical mistake???

****

Time stamp: 11.43pm, Bangkok Time, 11 April 2007 

I’m really puzzled of what happened early this evening it’s like I entered a Twilight Zone! When I surfed the internet just to check on the latest on Inquirer.net there was this announcement from Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. Good thing there’s print screen, so I have an evidence of what I saw and that I’m not just hallucinating.

After blogging about this apparent blockade, I tried to access the Tagalog site of WordPress. Guess what? I was directed to the cyberclean webpage again. I tried to access wordpress.com, while I was able to access it it was in its naked glory. I tried to access Chuckie’s website, it was also blocked!??? (hmm, is it because of Antoniella??).

I’ve received an inquiry from Yuga as to what ISP I’m hooked on, I was on True, which is a private company here. I took his lead and tried to ask my friends based here in Thailand to further confirm the possible blockade. A friend, who’s served by TOT, said the sites that I claimed to be blocked were fine (CNN, Inquirer.net, Tagalog WordPress, A Day In The Life, and yes even my blog), she can read all the news and all my blog entries! (by that time, I couldn’t access or update my blog on Blogbastic! as in only that site, I still have access to my other blogs on wordpress though).

Alas, when I asked two other friends, one confirmed that Inquirer.net was blocked the other confirmed that my blog was blocked, they were also on True. In the process of confirming the sites that they are surfing, one of them told me that she can now has access to part of my blog! I was puzzled and then after a while she can read most of the entries on my blog.

When I checked on my laptop, typed CNN, then Inquirer.net on one tab, then Chuckie’s blog on another, then WordPress Tagalog on another then my blog on another tab–I can see, I can see all of them (sigh…).

It made sense to me now, that last year, I started a blog for a network of communications officer here in the region and even before I could populate it with entries, it got blocked also by the MICT for some reason. When I emailed them for an explanation, no reply was made, I guess if this block was eventually for a longer period, my inquiries would have landed on deaf ears, too.

It was a great relief (to know I still have access on this blog in Bangkok, THAILAND!), puzzling but a bit scary. I’m supposed to be on a blogging hiatus because of an office work load and, have to admit this, because of the contagious moods of Massa P. and Shari. But this event was too good to pass not to be blogged.

Sayang I thought I had a scoop already, but that’s fine at least I have access to my blog again. Now, I can really relate to people having a site and then censored for no reason at all–I mean really no reason or provocation. Enough said.

Lastly, many thanks to Abe, Erwin and Joey for having the time to look into this info. Thanks to Liza and Danny, Mel and Ligh for helping me confirm this event.

Thai Youtube blockade sparks video wars

Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology got its wish from Google and Youtube. Traces of the offensive video have been removed, however, the issue sparked a number of protest and triggered an onset of attack on the Thai monarchy online.

So, brace for a prolonged battle of videos online. But nobody’s retaliating against the offensive video, but how are they going to hit back? This is just like Thailand’s battle down south–they don’t know who the enemies are.

Mornings in Bangkok

If I’m lucky (or not too tired) I wake up early in the morning, go to the office and catch monks collecting offerings from Buddhist around Bangkok.

I got lucky this morning and caught one monk around our neighborhood carrying a pot for offerings. A lady rushed out of her house to greet the monk with her offering. She removes her slippers before approaching the monk. With heads bowed down, her hands joined together in prayer in front of her face, the lady prayed to the Monk.

She then offered her the offering walked backwards to retrieve her slippers and waited for the monk to go his way. It was an awesome sight.

On the way to the office, I got luckier and yes good thing I have my camera with me. I caught five to seven novice monks following an elder monk, they, too, have just completed collecting offerings around the district.

As you can see they don’t have any slippers on whenever they are doing this duty. They started early.

On an ordinary day, though, these monks have slippers on, rides the bus for free (with a dedicated seat reserved for them–so when you’re sitting on it, you are required to vacate it and give it to them regardless of your age or gender), rides the taxi (I think they pay when they ride luxurious mode of transport) and yes, they rest.

Slow Down

Last night, I told my wife that this was one of the best weekend–I was really rested. It was an ironic statement given that my eldest daughter got sick early this week and just as she was recovering by the end of the week, the second one followed suit. My second daughter was quite healthy so she easily shrugged off the symptoms before it became a full-blown flu but then my youngest daughter started to show some symptoms. However, they all recovered by Sunday evening–thank God.

So, our usual routine of going to the mall was skipped for this week, which I welcomed as all of us had a good rest, except for my wife who got to do her regular weekend chores. This morning as I was reading the 11 March entry of Our Daily Bread the title aptly says what I should be doing regularly–slow down.

Sometimes we take task after tasks without thinking if we can do it or not–which is true for me most of the time (blame it on wrong judgement). It was bad a bit on a professional side as I do miss deadlines (while there are legit reasons for some other delays) but the fact remains that my hands are always full. My wife longs for the day that I come home and tell her that this task is finished for today or this week–but that seldom happens.

God . . . rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. —Genesis 2:2

If God rested, why shouldn’t we? We’re just humans anyway. 🙂 Take it easy..

Captain America (Steve Rogers), 1917–2007

Captain America felled by sniper fire. Read details here.

I used to watch the cartoon series when I was in elementary, he would definitely be missed but Superman died in 1993–well he was resurrected. So, there would definitely be a resurrection for this superhero!

Thanks Captain America! (so are you going to beat the hell out of Iraqi insurgents or the man at the White House when you return???) 🙂

Tag Game

Surprise, surprise!

I’ve been tagged! 🙂 This is my first time to do this. In fact, I seldom forward emails as I’m lazy to continue chain letters, games but I think this is an exception–I think this is fun!

Courtesy of my online pal, Chuck (the famous Chuckie Dreyfus for my Filipino readers–astig ba?! 🙂 ), one is obliged to blog about 10 weird things/habits or little known facts about himself/herself. Then the blogger would return the favor and tag six other bloggers, who are asked to do the same. No tagbacks are allowed however, so here it goes: 

1. Less than a year old, I was under the knife to remove a cyst at my gluteus maximus area (rightmost part though)–without any anaesthetic!   
2. I first had worked as a garbage scavenger without my parents’ knowledge during my elementary days. When I failed to report at home for a day, they filed a police blotter and reported me missing! I was a rookie scavenger then that I only earned a measly PhP15.00 (compared to the regular PhP75-100) for a whole day’s work–and to think the hardship I experienced–I got stuck in a hole in the middle of this big garbage bridge on a river. 🙂
3. I stumbled on a sharp stone during a pilgrimage to Mt. Banahaw. My knee was hurt so bad that it looked like slash wound (I was elementary then). A New People’s Army rendered first aid–I believe the man was Ka Roger if my memory serves me right.  
4. I was dragged by a calf during a carambola (well, the objective was to lasso the calf), the rope burn was so bad that it looked like a sniper’s guide albeit very, very wide guide.
5. I stopped schooling after my first year in college to serve full time in our church’s music ministry. 
6. I was one of the first church attendees in our city to be under disciplinary action (well, close to being excommunicado)–bad boy! 
7. I played Aladin in the theater play of Florante at Laura back in college. For those who knew me then, they would have laughed throughout the play as I’m as thin as Palito but younger of course. The play did well though. 🙂 
8. My ex-girlfriend, now my wife, used to tease me as bumbay as I always bring a long umbrella whenever I go to class–the rain, man, the rain!! (oh yes, also the sun)
9. Back in college, I used to drink coca cola during breakfast, lunch and dinner. 500ml each
10. Now this is not much known since I was college or since I started blogging–my first name is Domingo. I’m the third Domingo but at home they call me Jimbo. 🙂 Elementary classmates call me by my first name. High school classmates call me by my last name (well, during the last two years). Close friends call me Dom’s but at home I’m known as Jimbo (given by my father) or Bo (as in bow and arrow) so, to settle that Inggo is my lolo (RIP), Jun is my father, I just introduced myself as Jim when I stepped college. So, I usually go for Jim Caro when I introduce myself.

Il est fini !

 Hope you enjoyed it?! Now, I tag (drumroll)… Massa P., Lynette, Joey, Czille, Nick and Ivy–take it away pals!

PHILIPPINES FRAUD-CASE COUPLE FIND B.C. HAVEN (The Province, 05 Mar 2007, Page A1)

This is big news in Canada, but obviously not big news in the Philippines and to think that they defrauded the Philippine Government that much money??? Is the Philippine government that stupid or there were just too many (or few powerful ones) who benefitted from this racket.

PHILIPPINES FRAUD-CASE COUPLE FIND B.C. HAVEN

The Province
05 Mar 2007

read more…Tech Tags: The Province newspaper Front Page

Read the full story here.

I’m on Blog Addicts!

My first blog confirmed a new-found passion (well, addiction with a purpose, i.e.–keep me sane in my mind-cracking activities). After a few months of blogging, with the last four months almost regularly, I’m starting to get the feel of it and starting to get friends online–and yes started to get some exposure–vane :)! I’ll get on the purpose of this post as you read on, by the way, title was inspired by Cyberbaguioboy’s entry.

To business, as of this writing, my hottest post (most read post) is my post on Inquirer.net’s Radio Online. Most people got to find my blog when they searched Filipino radio, Inquirer.net Radio, Radio online among others. It got me thinking, hmm, Inquirer.net has got a few good hits from this site. Well, I think that was compensated recently. Well, my plug of recent developments in the Philippine Media especially Inquirer.net got reciprocated–I’m on Blog Addicts! The post also got some attention from cybersoc.com as having some good links in here worth exploring.

Yes, this is the second blogsite of Inquirerbloggers.net–after Joey Alarilla’s @play (I think they’ll be building this site just like Inq7.net, i.e., take-off sites for blogsites of Inquirer.net).

Inquirer.net reporter Erwin Oliva explains that Blog Addicts is a team blog on Inquirer.net. He further explained that…

Blog Addicts is a section under YOU (a youth portal on INQUIRER.net) that features bloggers.

The Inquirer.net‘s blog addicts are Joey Alarilla, Jayvee Fernandez and Erwin.

Thanks to Joey for adding me in his blogroll at @play–indeed an honor!

More power to Inquirer.net and to the millions of Netizens, enjoy reading (didn’t I tell you that readers will benefit in the end from this new media development)!

Cheers! 

Of news media and blogs

There has been a growth in news media using blogs as another medium of delivering news or newspaper blogging–allowing its pool of reporters or editors to post their views on any news in real time albeit filtered (in compliance with the company’s policies among others). Last year, a journalism class from the New York University Department of Journalism noted that there’s been a slow adoption of newspaper sites of blogs.

So, what’s with newspaper blogging? Well newspaper blogging, according to the NYU, can make a difference especially for a small newspaper. For big news media outfit it serves its hordes of followers as it gives readers added value services, which they would hardly get on the regular program or the traditional form of that medium.

Among the few media outfits that’s now into blogging are Newsweek, BBC, Time, CNN among others. Actually, Newsweek‘s presentation is more of a blog right now, readers or surfers could comment on every article and actually blog about it from the Newsweek site! (well, if they have a MySpace account). BBC combines a podcast and blog so it’s really a multimedia approach to blogging. Time seems to have hosted their own blogging software (forgive my lapses on tech stuff), you have the option to add your choice blog post to Sphere it!, newsvine, facebook, Digg, del.icio.us or reddit. CNNs blog presents majority of its program presentors and it also tries to engage its readers and viewers to join in the submitting fresh stories, photos, videos and more (contributors have a chance to be seen worldwide–no royalty or fees whatsoever).

Now blogging about news is also becoming tech savvy these days. Pressdisplay, for one, allows guests (limited access, usually first page articles only) or account holders to blog about a certain article on any newspaper around the world–yes with the replica of the paper’s front page. I posted this blog from their site.

Here in Thailand, The Nation has a list of blog written by its pool of writers and editors. The Bangkok Post still has to catch up though. I’m not sure how many Thai journalists are maintaining a blogsites.

In the Philippines, the Philippine Daily Inquirer Inquirer.net  recently had a soft launch of its blogsite with Joey Alarilla trying the waters. So here’s one media outfit trying to test the untried waters of newspaper blogging in the Philippine scene. One Philippine Media institution which first tried blogging was the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, which has its own institutional blog. Its pool of writers also blog personally along with other journalists all over the country.

What I like in the move of the Inquirer.net is they are going the BBC way with their approach to media convergence. Readers will notice that they are trying to integrate video, podcast among others. As Erwin Oliva, another PDI Inquirer.net reporter, blogged, readers want to interact with the news–reason I think that there’s a declining popularity of radio in the Philippines.

So, I think newspaper blogging is paving the way to the wide acceptance of new media in the Philippines.

Bloggers under siege

Just found out that Malaysia’s case against bloggers isn’t a first. Egypt made serious attempts to clamp down on bloggers since May 2006 and to date it is the first one to jail a blogger because of his blog posts and comments (yes, even a comment could land you in jail!). Filipino blogger Yuga is also tackling a case against him for maintaining a forum that contained libelous items against a certain company.

These cases highlighted the threat to freedom of expression on the Internet and various organizations expressed concern including Reporters Without Borders, an international organization advocating press freedom.

Blogs are increasingly becoming popular means of expression of any ordinary person. It has become a tool of power on the blogosphere and certainly most bloggers are aware of this responsibility. This development highlighted the dangers of tackling very popular but sensitive issues like politics and religion online and also showed that blogs are not taken for granted and have some influence on a nation’s politics and religion.

But sometimes even a personal blog could cost one’s job. There are many cases and the first case in Britain came from a company considered as a bastion of freedom in the UK. There’s also this one guy who worked for Microsoft then took a photo at his office during a sensitive delivery and posted on his blog site the next working day his boss asked him to resign. Yes freedom of speech has its consequences.