Babble Fish

The International Center for Journalists is seeking outstanding applicants for a Knight International Journalism Fellowship in Malaysia. Applicants should have solid experience in digital media reporting and editing, experience with digital media technology, experience in newsroom convergence, knowledge of or experience with citizen journalism and blogging, and media-management experience. Applicants should be fluent in English. Proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia or Chinese is recommended, but not required. The Fellowship duration is a minimum of one year and is open to any nationality.

Project focus:
Integrate a citizen journalist network into a digital newsroom to create new Web content and features based on citizen reports and information.

The International Center for Journalists, a non-profit, professional organization based in Washington, D.C., promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous media are crucial in improving the human condition. For more information on the Knight International Journalism Fellowships, please visit our website: www.knight.icfj.org.

To access the online application, go to http://knight.icfj.org/OurFellows/ApplyforaFellowship/tabid/64/Default.aspx

I still vividly remember my first trip to Sarawak with my friends a few years ago. Our destination was a long house community deep in the forest. So we took plane to Bintulu. From there, we were on a 2-hour boat ride, followed by a ride over the hills on the 4-wheel-drive and another round of boat ride to reach that remote neighbourhood.

The sad thing about the trip was hectares of land were being deprived of it’s natural green covers even before we touched down at the Bintulu airport. The scenery on the way to the longhouse were more or less the same, barren land which is orange in colour. So the long house was not that deep in the forest after all, it was actually deep inside the vast deforested land. Forestry in Malaysia, like many other countries, is about money. Valuable timber to be harvested at all cost. Seriously lacking the attention to the other two dimensions: the environment and the people depending on the forest for livelihood.

I first heard about the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) a few years ago. Responsible management of forests on the planet is what they are preaching through a certification system that is recognised internationally to make sure companies, organisations and community dealing with the forests are using the forests without harming them. You may get more details from FSC’s web site.

From what I know, the FSC processes in Malaysia have not been smooth because there are no compromise between the companies who would like to harvest the timber, environmentalist who would like preserve the environment, and the people (mostly the indigenous people) depending on the forest for livelihood. To make things worst, there are hardly any political will to solve the issues. Conflicts appear often because the economics of the timber industry always out weight the environmental and social impacts of deforestation. I always wonder if the balance can be achieved at all?

This picture was taken at the 6-inch gap of the tall metal cladded entrance to the demolition site a.k.a. the Bok House, along Jalan Ampang, which is located at the golden triangle of Kuala Lumpur.

There is a love story behind the the Bok House. Many years ago, before the Bok House was built, there was a mansion right across the street. The owner of the mansion had a daughter who fell in love with a poor bicycle trader. His proposal to marry the lady was rejected by her wealthy parents as he was not rich. The girl was married to another man later.

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Shall we start a new genre called Festive Jam Photography? To qualify the collection of photos one must:

1. in a car while driving
2. takes photos when the car is not moving, stucked in the middle of the jam. (because it is dangerous shoot while the car is moving)
3. traffic jam must happen during festive season like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya, Deepavali, Thaipusam, or Christmas. (we wouldn’t name it Festive Jam Photography if it is a normal jam)
4. must take with point-n-shoot or mobile phone cameras. (believe me, it is difficult to use DSLR when you are driving)
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cocktail, cocktail
hatred molotov cocktail
one for A/G
one for Assumption
another one for the Life Chapel

I walked upon the street
and saw screaming racists
violence is all they preach
a threat to society it seemed

did the enforcement really care
to serve justice and be fair
living the the state of blackmail
where all the leaders had failed

cocktail, cocktail
hatred molotov cocktail
one for A/G
one for Assumption
another one for the Life Chapel

We once geared towards IT
worshiped Information Technology
Some people redefined IT
set course for Internal Terrorists

they commit act of terror
they want to create fear
I live no days in horror
because I am not inferior

cocktail, cocktail
hatred molotov cocktail
one for A/G
one for Assumption
another one for the Life Chapel