On another not so recent news, Budapest will soon get its new tram. Forget the old tram which was still running after a century–okay, I am exaggerating on this. Nevertheless the city is upgrading it with the shiny brand new Siemens combino. Do check out the pictures.
While the nénis described it as “szörnyű”(trans. shocking or horrible), I came up with an easier word: clean. Hopefully on June 9 we can see which one of us was right. Wink. Wink.
Only two weeks from now Zsolt and I will be off to Indonesia. Excited? You bet! I have been actually wondering about many things. But the main concern goes to the copyright issue there; whether it is still the same or it has changed. If you asked why—which I know you do, I must admit that Indonesia was a haven for piracy. Please have a look at these pictures:
Those are not very difficult to find in Indonesia, be it in big cities or smaller towns. Street vendors also offer pirated CD, DVD and computer software which can be fifty percent cheaper than the original. In schools, students chose to photocopy books since they could not afford the new ones. I am not saying I support piracy, but in some cases those people would have never survive without it. We are entering a grey area there. I still remember, in 1998 I lived from USD 15 each month. And a text book cost that much. Luckily, photocopying manuscripts were not illegal. Or else, I would have never graduated.
After the economy crisis hit the whole Asia in 1997, no doubt many people lost their job. Some then tried their luck in entrepreneurship. One of the easiest ways was to open VCD, computer rentals and internet cafe—which became booming since than. Again, I am careful enough not state whether it was good or bad. It was an effort to make ends meet nevertheless. Go ahead ask them about copyright. I would not be surprised if they asked you back: “Mister, wot is dat? Is dat delisius?” I know (I hope) they have developed since then. But how far, I cannot tell—yet.
However, in the other part of the world, things have really changed. I know that the action of The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is nothing more than old news. But heck, I’m still telling you anyway. Last year the RIAA filed a suit to 83-year-old Gertrude Walton because she allegedly served up over 700 songs onto peer-to-peer networks. The blunder was that she had actually died in December 2003.
Well, the granny might be lucky for that. Otherwise, this quote will explain what could have happened to her:
‘ For example assaulting a police officer will get you five years, downloading child p0rn will get you seven years, assaulting without a weapon will get you ten years and aggravated assault six years.
‘ ‘ So in other words if you copy a Disney CD and sell it you will be in the same league as a paedophile who is distributing pictures of sexual attacks on children.
‘ ‘ If you copy Craig David’s CD you get ten years, but if you punch him in the face and pummel him into a seven day coma you will only get six. You are more likely to get the respect of the prison population with your six year sentence as well.
The law seems to know no limit. In 2003, a twelve year-old girl was sued for harboring an MP3 file of her favorite TV show on her hard drive. Instead of getting a compliment for working out the process, her working class parents in New York were forced to pay two thousand dollars in a settlement. The most recent case is when a family with no computer and internet connection was suit for internet file sharing.
In the beginning of April, it was said that the Hungarian parliament was discussing a new bill to legalize file-sharing. Such a bill was turned down in France before, so why did some people secretly hope it would come true? It eventually turned out to be nothing more than a bad prank for April fool’s day, folks. A francba!
Well I’ve been pretending to be busy lately by not updating this blog as much. And here I am still having enough time to play with a silly test. But hey, it’s fun! (If you’re a fan of D&D, that is)
I Am A: Neutral Good Half-Elf Ranger Mage
Alignment: Neutral Good characters believe in the power of good above all else. They will work to make the world a better place, and will do whatever is necessary to bring that about, whether it goes for or against whatever is considered ‘normal’.
Race: Half-Elves are a cross between a human and an elf. They are smaller, like their elven ancestors, but have a much shorter lifespan. They are sometimes looked down upon as half-breeds, but this is rare. They have both the curious drive of humans and the patience of elves.
Primary Class: Rangers are the defenders of nature and the elements. They are in tune with the Earth, and work to keep it safe and healthy.
Secondary Class: Mages harness the magical energies for their own use. Spells, spell books, and long hours in the library are their loves. While often not physically strong, their mental talents can make up for this.
Deity: Mielikki is the Neutral Good goddess of the forest and autumn. She is also known as the Lady of the Forest, and is the Patron of Rangers. Her followers are devoted to nature, and believe in the positive and outreaching elements of it. They use light armor, and a variety of weapons suitable for hunting, which they are quite skilled at. Mielikki’s symbol is a unicorn head.
Last week Playboy Indonesia has finally launched its first edition—featuring model Andhara Early; interview with the Nobel Prize contender Pramoedya Ananta Toer; and also a study of East Timor since its independence. No nudity, as the publisher has always said. I haven’t—nor will I—read it, but if it was true, then there is nothing to worry about from the magazine. Nevertheless, there are at least three different points of view in response to this publication:
1. Those who loathe the magazine for its name—mostly come from the hardline factions. Muhammad Alawi Usman, the spoke person of the Islamic Defenders Front says, “If within a week they are still active and sell the magazine, we will take physical action. Playboy is not suitable for reading because its contents degrade women.”
Another leader, Tubagus Muhamad Sidik, told Reuters, “Even if it had no pictures of women in it, we would still protest it because of the name,” he said. “If they don’t withdraw it then we will act in our own way, the forceful way. Our crew will clearly hound the editors.”
2. Those who do not mind the publication—as long as it is tailored to local taste, which forbids nudity in the media. This group has been keeping low profile except for noting that the government has no right whatsoever to ban any magazines unless they violated the law. It is a democratic country they live in, anyways.
3. Those who liked Playboy for the contents they usually see in other places. Of course, the local version has disappointed them. Jakarta’s 68H radio station reported a buyer said, “It’s sinful to read Playboy if there’s no nudity!”
“It’s a scandal! There’s no nude women in the magazine. I think we have been deceived,” said another.
With the price of Rp 39,000, the magazine is a lot more expensive than others. It is sealed in order to prevent youngsters from taking a glance at its content. However, protestors are still complaining because it is publicly sold at kiosks and hawkers on the street, making it easier for anyone to get access to it. The publisher had previously promised to distribute it only at appointed shops.
An outsider like me could only wait and see how long it will last: the magazine and the brouhaha it has caused. So far, let’s admit that it is a let down—either for those who hate it or the supporters. Nobody would buy Playboy with no nudity. But with nudity in it, the publisher should be ready for more protests. Makes me wonder, is it worth it at all?
Meanwhile, last Sunday the Playboy creator Hugh Hefner celebrated his 80th birthday. Here it is Paris Hilton singing “Happy Birthday” to him. I would say it’s um interesting—but probably not safe for office viewing.
Since last week, the Danube has been angry with us. With the help of wave of rain and melting snow, it sends its message to us: flood. Tram has been long gone since the railway is under water. Zsolt has to take another route to work—which is longer, what a surprise. since then since the railway is drowned. Outside Budapest, people have been evacuated from their home. Farm and roads are under water. The brown water is everywhere. Now, we have a reason to worry. The river is only about 30 m from our flat. Each afternoon we’d take a little walk to check whether things have gotten better. There is only an estimated week left until it returns to normal, so they said.
Surprisingly, a quirky sign has appeared at Battyhány tér:
I have no idea who put it there, but the disaster has really become a tourist attraction as I saw. There were vendors selling pretzels for Ft 400 and beer for Ft 800 to the tourists gawping at the carnage along the shores of the Danube. People were now taking photographs of people eating popcorn, drinking beer and taking photographs, as Pestiside reported. Well, at least they still manage to be happy.
Most cancers are related to lifestyle factors, Elizabeth M. Whelan of the American Council on Science and Health reported. Tobacco use, poor diet, alcohol abuse, ionizing radiation (x-rays, for example), certain sexually transmitted diseases, certain reproductive patterns, and sunlight are among the proven causes of cancer. Therefore healthy lifestyle is a major key to prevent it. Of course, with the Global Cancer Report which said that cancer rates could increase by 50% to 15 millions by 2020, a cure is still needed.
There have been many efforts, but what HopeLab has recently announced is absolutely something different. It has released “Re-Mission”, the first PC-based video game scientifically shown to improve health-related outcomes for young people with cancer. The nonprofit organization is committed to help young people to deal with chronic illness; and the game is developed through a scientific study involving 375 young adults at 43 medical centers in the three countries—those are United States, Canada and Australia. They were helped by researchers, medical experts and game developers.
The game’s main character is Roxxi—a well-armed Nanobot. Its task is to destroy cancer cells throughout the human body, battling cancer and its life-threatening effects. Through 20 different levels of game play, Re-Mission illustrates what occurs inside the bodies of young cancer patients and how they can most effectively fight their disease. The study has proven that the participants who played Re-Mission maintained high levels of adherence to their prescribed medication regimens. They also maintained higher levels of chemotherapy in their blood and took their antibiotics more consistently than those in the control group who did not receive Re-Mission.
Saif Azar, a patient with Hodgkin’s lymphomas said, “It was perfect, actually. It helped me understand the things that were going on in my body.”
The president of HopeLab, Pat Christen, said, “Re-Mission works. It gives teens and young adults a sense of power and control over their cancer. Research on Re-Mission was conducted in much the same way research into a new drug is conducted, with rigorous testing based on scientific principles. Our study findings clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the game in improving health-related outcomes for these kids. It’s great news.”
“We approached the study in the same way and with the same rigor that we would with a new drug,” she added.
The game will be available in English, French and Spanish and free to download through www.remission.net starting on May 1.
