Panatang Makabata

Panatang Makabata.

Pakinggan ang boses ng kabataan. Ipaglaban ang kanilang mga karapatan.

(Listen to the voice of the youth. Fight for their rights.)

Panatang Makabata is produced by Charm Abella, Dove Subingsubing and Camille Ventura as part of their requirements in their BC 148 (Interactive Broadcasting) class. Panatang Makabata is written by Charm Abella and is edited by Dove Subingsubing and Camille Ventura. Credit is given to Children International (www.children.org) for their file video that can be accessed via http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_dMKj9FNOI

The Yin and Yang of the Internet

Chatting, downloading, surfing, uploading -- our Internet usage is oftentimes limited to these activities.

But who knows that we can actually do much more scary stuff with the Internet? And I'm not even talking about running an online prostitution website.

The documentary that Ma'am Data had us watch last meeting showed two faces of the power of the Internet. If there's yin, there's yang. Fire to cook, fire to burn. Water to drink, water to drown. Things can be used for something positive, but can also be used for something negative.

The Internet does not escape this seemingly universal law.

On the "bright side," the Internet can be used to feed information to citizens of countries the governments of which control information so as to avoid the dissemination of unpleasant news to preserve the stability of the state and maintain the power of the rulers. Haystack, for instance, allows Internet users of these information-controlling countries to logon to sites.

(I had to put double quotes on "bright side" because in our perspective, this could be a good thing. But I don't want to impose my perspective on the Iranians and Chinese.)

On the "dark side," the Internet can be used to digitally bully other countries. There's this case shown in the documentary where it took one Russian guy to cripple the country of Estonia using the Internet.

(Same reason I placed double quotes on "dark side").

So, as a country that is not yet very wired to the Internet, is the Philippines safe from all these cyber-attacks? That's the good thing about not being very dependent to the Internet, I guess.

But you know what un-wired countries like us are prone to be victims of?

Since the masses still tune in to the radio and television to get their information, and these two media are not as "democratic" as the Internet, deciding what information gets breastfed to the people is still in the hands of a few, select oligarchs.

Haystack: Iran's key to internet access

I didn't realize how scary and amazing the internet is until we've watched "Virtual Revolution", a BBC documentary. It showed me what internet skills and determination can do to a country's economy. It made me realize the power of an individual. Watching the documentary actually troubled me, thinking that its about 20 years of existence enabled a single person to cripple a whole nation. I can't even imagine the horror of being able to truly comprehend the full potential of the web. I'm sure, a few years from now, the internet geeks will discover yet another tremendous power of the internet. I hope that when that day comes, we will be responsible enough with our actions and use our internet knowledge to make the world a little bit of a better place to live in.

After watching, Ma'am Data told us to visit sites mentioned in the video that we haven't come across to before. Some of these are Wikileaks and Haystack.

I checked out Haystack since it caught my interest when the documentary talked about it. Haystack is a program that allows internet access in places with heavy internet filtering such as Iran. It is really unfortunate that there is a need to invent this just so that the people of Iran can have access to social networking sites such as Twitter. I felt so blessed having the ability to log in to Twitter without difficulty. I am really grateful to the inventor of Haystack. It may be an easy task to conceptualize a technology like Haystack but it requires great sympathy and compassion for the people of Iran, to actually create it. It gave the Iranians the right to information that was taken away from them by the government. I felt guilty knowing that I don't make full use of what I have access of. It's really sad to know that other people can't get their hands on information that I've always taken for granted. I realized that the internet is more than updating your Facebook status. It's more than researching (which is merely a copy paste command) on your homework. It's more than watching Super Juniors on Youtube. It's a tool to have your voice heard. It's a venue for people with a common advocacy to come together. It's a medium of communication, a communication that is deprived from the people in the other parts of the world. The access to internet is a right.

Wikileaks in the Philippine Context

The Leakage

Communicating with the rest of the world has never been this easy. In its 20th year of existence, the internet has become a venue for individuals from different parts of the globe to speak out their minds and share information with each other. It also goes beyond the usual self-centered posts of many internet users. There has been a growing conscience to participate in the relay of information and discussion of pressing issues that surround our society. Through this, internet users take part in nation building.

This can be seen in the documentary, Virtual Revolution, which higlighted the development of the internet and featured several powerful websites throughout history. What grabbed my attention was the site called Wikileaks for it is investigative journalism with no holds barred. The site hosts remarkable documents which reveal anomalies in the governments of various countries. The Wikileaks community pledges to protect its contributors from getting their identity discovered.

The Wikileaks website follows the same principle of the internet where no individual or group has the monopoly of power over as it multi-jurisdictional in nature. The people at Wikileaks feel

that it is their duty to be of service to the public.

"We believe that transparency in government activities leads to reduced corruption, better government and stronger democracies." I have to agree because only such government can lead the people to the right direction. If it does otherwise, the people have the power to

complain and redress their grievances. Wikileaks have become such platform to hear the truth from the people who investigate and examine the truth in the governments around the globe.

With all these in mind, I'll leave you with a quote that was cited in the case of the Pentagon Papers. It's something to think about. "Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government."

Reference: http://wikileaks.org/wiki/WikiLeaks:About

Rumored Manhunt For WikiLeaks Founder

I just saw this while searching YT for WikiLeaks. :P It's in parts, this is just Part 1. :P



- Dove Subingsubing

It Just Takes One

This is isn't going to be as profound and as serious, I guess, as the previous posts are. So there, a disclaimer of sorts because really, this post has just one point!

One of the things that really struck me when I watched BBC's Virtual Revolution documentary, was the idea (in this case, the reality) that one person can essentially liberate or damn a whole nation. Imagine that: ONE PERSON. And the beauty of this is that this one person doesn't have to be extraordinarily famous, rich, or well-connected. This one person just has to be motivated enough to see something happen and tech-savvy enough to carve something for himself out of the Internet. In short, this one person can be any John or Jane we see in the street. This one person can be ORDINARY.

Yes, I know, history details many many movements that started with one person: Mahatma Gandhi, Paul Revere ("The British are coming!" started the movement for the Americans to drive out the Brits), just to name a few. Their voice started the ball rolling and the support they gathered along the way allowed for the cause to gain momentum and eventually send out a successful message or effect action. I'm sure there were many more, but you get the idea. Let's just put it this way: These people were the wicks that served as a way to ignite the whole darn load of TNT.

But with new software (I use the term for the lack of a better one) like Haystack (created by a kind-hearted computer genius to bypass the Iranian information filter allowing Iranians access to censorship-free cyberspace to get country-related news out to the world) essentially one person is the wick and the TNT combined! Whereas before you needed a large number of people to get something done, the advent of the internet has allowed people to be a movement all on their own! This one person gave one country back its voice. ONE COUNTRY. If one person can do all that, what can one person not be capable of doing through the net? The answer? NOTHING. Isn't that both amazing and scary at the same time? What comes to mind is Uncle Ben's (you know, from Spiderman?!): "With great power comes great responsibility." With Haystacks' creator, it was a good thing he used his power for good. Whew.

With a site like WikiLeaks that allows for sensitive and private documents to come into public scrutiny, the idea of that all powerful ONE PERSON is exhibited at its finest. Here, one person can divulge information where he otherwise couldn't have anywhere else. And there it is again, he can build or ruin something as singular as a life or something as big as a multi-national billion-dollar company. That in itself is a double-edged sword! Imagine if the information were true, then well and good. However, if it wasn't, reputations will be razed all thanks to a rumor. Wow.

So thanks to the Internet with its sites like Haystack and WikiLeaks, the power really can lie in each of our hands. Because really, it just takes one.

Truth Apparatus

Posted by: Faye Marcelino
Humanity’s endless search for the truth is very amusing. We put up institutions and organizations such as schools, the church and the media to search and research then eventually teach us, preach to us or report to us about the truth. But despite the efforts, it is still beyond our grasp.
As I scanned through the Wikileaks website, I realized how little we know of the truth and how much effort some people make to assure our ignorance. It is good that the people behind this site recognized that the internet as a product of technology should not only make our lives better by raking in capital, but release us from the tall tales that we accept as reality. They took advantage of this technology to let people know and talk about things that do matter. According to Julian Assange, founder of Wikileaks, the site was created to have a system of guaranteed free press across the world.
Wikileaks is bold, courageous, liberating and controversial all at the same time. These are some of the characteristics that the internet shares which would somehow assure its existence and progress as a new media. It is our very own curiosity and dedication for truth that would feed the internet’s development.

A Leak In The System

A Leak In The System
by Dove Subingsubing

The Internet empowers, indeed. "The Virtual Revolution" documentary by the BBC has opened my eyes to the limitless powers an individual can harness through the Internet, given sufficient resources and skills. The episode we watched, entitled "Enemy of the State?" presents the pros and cons of using the Internet for social networking, citizen journalism, and creating a whole new kind of virtual (but real) revolution.

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

On another note, I'm particularly interested in the website http://wikileaks.org/, which was mentioned and featured in the episode. I haven't heard of that website until today, so I decided to take a visit. I found out that Wikileaks is a "multi-jurisdictional public service designed to protect whistleblowers, journalists, and activists who have sensitive materials to communicate". Interesting to note that it's like a CIA by and for the people. It's very accessible to anyone.

I wonder if anyone has tried to attack or hack the Wikileaks system, because of the amount of information made public in that website. :P I would assume that the creators of that website are at high risks. Alam naman natin sa Internet, kahit ano posible. :P

Most of the posts in Wikileaks were from countries such as Germany, the United States, etc. I tried searching for any anomalies particular to the Philippines, but there wasn't much. :P

One post that caught my eye though, was about a Neo-Nazi website and forum called "Blood and Honour" (March 2009). They're calling their revolution a "musical revolution", since they're grounded on the Nazi ideals and advocacies of one band (I forgot the name of the band). I visited the website and oh my god, are they creepy. D: And they're actually visible in some places in real-time, where they're flashing their not-so-subtle skinheads and Nazi signs. D:

...If it wasn't for the Internet, I would never have acknowledge the fact that racist, white supremacists still exist. *chills* :O

- Dove

WE ARE THE CHANGE

by Charmaine Loren A. Abella

BBC’s The Virtual Revolution proves that the internet is a very powerful tool in achieving the change we want. Internet, being the new media, allows everyone to become journalists in their own simple ways. The videos uploaded by the Iranians are clear evidences that every person connected in the internet has a voice. The internet gives us the freedom to broadcast issues not presented in the mainstream media. Everyone has this opportunity. However, it is still up to us on how we want to use this privilege. When we come to think of it, we use the internet for entertainment and leisure purposes most of the time. We sit in front of the computer for hours to check our friends and stalk people on Facebook and Twitter. I do not declare these habits as a bad thing. It’s just that I realized that these social networking sites can be a venue for a change. The tweets of the Iranians during their protests evoked action from the people outside Iran. Individuals from all over the world extended their help in any way to the Iranians. Even when Iranians were prohibited by the government to access certain social networking sites, people outside their country didn’t stop connecting with them. This is true for Austin Heap’s remarkable action in creating Haystack. He generated the software that would allow Iranians to access the blocked sites and to still get in touch with people outside their country. Austin Heap is just an ordinary citizen like all of us. However, he collated all his skills to provide help to the Iranians. His bravery affirms how we can make a difference in the society through the use of the internet. We don’t need to become as genius as Austin Heap to offer change, we just have to maximize the big world of the internet. It can all start from reading articles or watching videos on the internet regarding important issues. Then, we make our own decisions. Do we end there or do we begin to act for a change?

the end..or so we thought

by: Kem Gascon

I am totally amazed at all the wonders the internet has to offer. After watching Virtual Revolution, a documentary from BBC, i was encouraged (ok, so we we're told) to try visiting some of the websites mentioned there that we haven't encountered before. Most of the sites were familiar but never in my entire cyber-life have I visited those for the reason that I was clueless on what they were about.

Some, like Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, and Google, I know a lot about because I use these sites. I have accounts in all of them anyway. But there were also some which sounded familiar but I never visited such as WikiLeaks. There was also a website I never encountered before (it made me feel quite internet illiterate) which is PayPal.

I visited both WikiLeaks and PayPal because these were the ones which caught my interest (and somehow my memory). It's really amazing that the internet has given everyone everywhere the ability to pay from one place to another however far from each other point A and point B may be. That was almost an impossible thing to do without getting your feet off the ground ages ago. But now, it all rests in your fingertips. One click, you're paid! If we were in the ages when witchcraft was against the laws, this feat would have beenconsidered one...probably someone who uses PayPal would be accused of witchcraft. Crazy, yes, but it's really something "magical" and we can't deny it.

WikiLeaks is another splendid website. It provides many (confidential?) information and promotes press freedom! It is very useful if we want to know a lot of things that the government does not want to show. Transparency of the information of public interest, I believe, is significant to a nation.

The internet has opened a lot of avenues for us, whether we are a big company or a simple citizen, to be able to access and disseminate information. We can never really tell how to stop the internet from growing even more powerful and influential. I believe we still couldn't predict the end of this technology. We never know, tomorrow might have a new surprise for us in the cyberworld.

We Might Need A Bigger Spotlight

by: Margie Marie G. Manlunas

The Internet is once again given the spotlight on BBC's documentary "The Virtual Revolution" by BBC. Part of the hour-long documentary is the mention of some popular websites today: Google, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, the Ivys of online media. It hailed Google as king of internet and its runner-up is nonetheless, Facebook. I got amazed by the fact presented in the documentary that if we add up the total number of Facebook users , if we count is a country, it could be the third most populous country in the world. Indeed, these astounding researches can be a big bang on the gong to our ears.

However, there were several low-key and unheard-of sites that were featured also. These sites are the ones I have never heard of until The Virtual Revolution.

Haystack. Wikileaks. Discovering these sites online would be near-impossible when you're stuck and distracted in the jungles of social-networking sites of Facebook and Twitter. I think such sites are underrated, the former I mean. These websites give us information that could change the way we act in our society. It moves us to do something to change, and according to MJ, to heal the world, make it a better a better place, for you and for me, and the entire human race. Haystack is a new program designed to provide unfiltered internet access to the people of Iran. This sprung out of the initiative of one person to fight for the rights of the people in using the Internet since it was regulated and filtered by their government. Certain websites such as Twitter and Facebook were blocked. Wiki Leaks on the other hand is another police website which publishes and comments on leaked documents alleging government and corporate misconduct. It is heaven for those CIA-driven individuals. It is a source of serious information regarding politics and etc. It's Wikipedia of political scandal, documents and the like.

I have been using the Internet since I was a kid, and still I don't know the half of it. Maybe because it is evolving. It is growing, exponentially. There new sites everyday. There are new posts every minute. Everything online is growing and booming-- even as I write this blog, something is being put up online. The Internet is endless, limitless. People change something everyday online, their Facebook status, their email address, their Youtube password... We are changing the internet as it constantly changes our lives as well. It is slowly becoming a necessity in our lives. And if not the center, then it's close to it. It is continuously on the spotlight in today's new media age.

In a few years though, we might be needing a bigger spotlight.

ERROR

WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME?!

All this time I thought what my classmates and I will be doing is to post an entry about the cause we joined in as part of the class hands-on activity. But it was not until I read my classmates' blog entries here that I realized I was wrong. Errrr, so I still need to make a review or a reaction about the sites that were mentioned in the documentary we watched inside the class. I think, I'd better stop ranting about all these stuff. I'd better do the entry rather.

I believe we had an awesome discussion inside the class this afternoon. Though the coldness of the room still made me sleepy that I needed to eat inside the class to stay awake. :)

Isang pindot lang abot-kamay na ng sinuman ang ilan sa mga pinakakontrobersyal at pinakaimportanteng mga dokumento sa mundo. Isang pindot lang at maaaring bumulusok pababa ang ilan sa mga makapangyarihang tao sa mundo na gumagawa ng masama. Isang pindot lang at wham! nasa harap na natin ang katotohanan o kasinungalingang hinabi ng sinumang nagtangkang gamitin ang wikileaks upang isiwalat ang kanilang nalalaman.

Classified. Uncensored. Significant.

Ito ang naintindihan ko sa mga dokumentong pilit kong binubuksan sa website ng WikiLeaks. Habang nanonood pa lang ng dokyumentaryo ang klase, labis na akong naintriga sa WikiLeaks. Hindi ko maiwasang tanungin ang sarili ko kung totoo ngang uncensored at classified ang mga dokumentong nakapaloob sa website na ito. Kaya't nauna ko talagang binuksan ang website upang malaman kung ano nga ba ito.

Nakakagulat lang kung anong mga klaseng classified information ang matatagpuan sa site. Sa loob ng ilang minuto ko ding pagbrowse (hindi ko man masyadong maintindihan ang kaakibat nitong kahalagan para sa buhay ko o sa bansa ko) napagtanto kong napakadelikado nga ng site na ito para sa gobyerno at sa iba pang malalaking korporasyon sa mayayaman at makapangyarihang bansa sa mundo. Hindi kataka-takang maraming nasa kapangyarihan ang gustong magpabagsak dito.

Ngayon ko lang lubos na napagtanto na totoong makapangyarihan ang internet. Kaya nitong magpabagsak ng bansa, kaya nitong magsiwalat ng kabulukan, kaya nitong magsimula ng pagbabago at kaya nitong protektahan ang mga taong nais gumawa ng mabuti. Naisip ko lang na sa bawat araw ay mas lalong nababawasan ang limitasyon ng pwede nating gawin dahil sa teknolohiyang meron tayo ngayon.

Bilang isang alagad ng midya, alam ko kung gaano kahalaga ang magkaroon ng isang uncensored source, ang makascoop ng isang classified information kaya nga sobrang naintriga talaga ako sa wikileaks at maaaring isang araw ay magkaroon din ng ganito sa bansa natin. At marahil magkakaroon din tayo ng mas transparent na gobyerno at lipunan.

there must be a way!

BBC's: "Virtual Revolution" served as a justification to the fact that just brush-off - Internet has really gone a long way since it began.

When asked to check the websites that the said documentary featured, I must say that haystacknetwork.com was the website which tickled my interest most. How can it be possible that a program can hack a country's internet server and restore access to the web? But when I checked haystack, I realized "Yes, it is possible. It really is!". The inventor of the site must really be genius to be able to come up with such a relief for the Iranians. For all we know, before the inventor came up with the said technology, he may have started haystack out of his sympathy to these people. The haystack inventor is really commendable because he paved the way in giving Iranians a chance to once again let their voice be heard on the world wide web. A chance that should have been a right, but was taken away from them. This only proves that an individual's concerned action like that of the haystack inventor is a tool for other people to realize a need for change. It is in this realization that hope comes. At the end of the day, everything can be resolved. In this modern world, there is always a way to solve things through the technology that we currently have. Questionable? Think not.

GREENY ME

I AM GREEN MINDED. Yes I am and I care for the environment. Maybe not as hardcore as some environment activists are but on my own little way, I can keep the fight for our mother nature.  I was still young when I realized that I love planting trees and some plants in our garden and I promised that I would be a protector of the environment someday. I do not know any organization that keeps the fight as Greenpeace. Aside from the fact that they have scope internationally, Greenpeace has already made significant projects and launched movements all over the country. They also tackled some issues before when the sea disasters were prevalent. 

I am thankful for this class for it does not only encourages us to be active online but also be socially active for some movements where we are of interest with. And as for me, this fight for the environment through this organization- Greenpeace, is just the start of something bigger for me. And it all started with a simple class activity in my BC 148 class.

UP is...

This video shows how I view my life in UP, so far. In spite of the stressful and jungle-like stuff the professors make us go through, I still enjoy my stay in the university and manage to be successful in my endeavors (so far). Actually, these "sabaw" activites the UP people make us do is what makes my stay in the university worthwhile. Enjoy! :) -Kyra Yambao

Sorry for the super delay. My internet connection sucks bigtime.

Tsinelas

TSINELAS
by: ALDRIN SORIANO

The University of the Philippines is known for its academic freedom.
UP students and even professors can wear whatever they want to wear even slippers- one thing that most of the schools in the country does not allow.
Also, UP students are known for 'taking the road less traveled by' for they make their new way and they do not conform.

(to know the story behind this production, visit my blog site:
www.aldrinandmedia.blogspot.com)

Buhay UP

Hope you enjoy our simple videos on how we view UP life. :)

Buhay UP (Version 1)

Music: Ligaya (Eraserheads)

Happiness and simplicity of UP life despite the complexities aka acads. :))

Buhay UP (Version 2)

Music: Kabataang Pilipino

-Camille, Charm, Dove and Kem

Sina Isko a Iska

This video simply shows the lifestyle of every Isko and Iska during their vacant time inside the university.

Simple, chill, fun..

Edited by: Kathleen Gabaon

Music: Black Eyed Peas ( Bebot)

UP is giving a quality education that molds the mind of every student in order for them to become an efficient and responsible citizen. UP is known for producing individuals who have big roles in serving our nation.

Excellence is what describes UP.

UP in Black and White

This is first less-than-a-minute project using my 2GB camera phone! Who would have thought this phone would come in so handy? The video is about 54 seconds long and it shows how I see the everyday UP Mass Comm - in black in white. No color-coating, just plain black and white.

As for the technicality of the video, since I'm using a lesser quality camera, I tried playing around with its look, thus making it black and white with an old age feel so as to hide the low-definition features of the clips. When the effects came all together, I liked what I saw, a black and white, not-so-clear, old-age feel video.

I hope I improve from this! That's for sure.
So any comments! Yes. I know you have some!

-Margie Manlunas, 2008 27869

Music used: Blind Melon - No Rain (2005)

this way UP

In UP there is never a dull moment. Students are constantly in a hurry with hardened faces but unafraid. How they can stay sane when faced with the seemingly impossible? Well that is simply their everyday life. Nothing is insurmountable. Always excellent.

Blue Jeans and Swerte

Yeap, the title says it all. This is basically how I view UP life, or better yet, my feelings about UP life. But really, it's more like how I think Iskolars should feel about UP life. Sorry if it sounds preachy!

Anyhoo...credits:

Music: Blue Jeans - Rocksteddy (Kami nAPO Muna: Tribute to APO Hiking Society)

Tagline: UPTV Online's Iba. Orig. Astig.

Video camera: Kem Gascon (thanks for lending it to me!)

So there.

Also, disclaimer: This is video is sooo amateur skill-wise. Don't expect fireworks.

Buhay Isko

This is a glimpse of how life is in the University of the Philippines.

And many more things to see, encounter, and experience.

Ipasa mo na kasi ang UPCAT!