大象传媒

Pakistan airstrike

Rakshanda: 鈥淭oday in Peshawar there was different reaction from different groups. This is not new 鈥� it happened earlier. Last time Mr Bush visited 40 were killed. This time it鈥檚 Prince Charles. The whole issue of terrorism is not presented clearly to the world.鈥�

Etahab is a journo with the Herald in Peshawar: 鈥淭he area attacked is in the federally administered tribal areas. The government has made several agreements with militants in the area, but reports from Waziristan suggest there are still training camps for militants. If this was a training facility then why did the government release 9 people 8 days ago? Why sign agreements with them?鈥�

A text has just come in:
鈥淎ERIAL BOMBINGS ARE USUALLY CARRIED BY NATIONS OF COWARDS LIKE NATO OR US OR UK OR ISRAEL OR THE LACKEYS OF IRAQ AND PAKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN: COME DOWN IF YOU ARE MEN.鈥�

Nadia: 鈥淭here were 70-80 students that died. From day one Musharraf made an effort to stay with the Americans. He understands where the West is coming from but is making the situation worse.鈥�

Obaid: 鈥淲e should look at the ground reality. Believe me 99.9% of the people said the dead were kids. You have created another 80,000 sympathisers with the Taleban. We have to have diplomacy. Prince Charles has nothing to do with policy-making. Fault intelligence could be to blame.鈥�

Caller Khan in Afghanistan
鈥淭here should be more of these operations. The madrassas brainwash young men into committing suicide attacks in Afghanistan.鈥�

More texts on this topic:
鈥淲ell done President Musharaf. The only way to deal with militants is to tackle from the base.鈥�
JOHN, JUBA.

鈥淭he madrassa are a breeding ground of militants and the army is correct to act accordingly. Job well done. Terrorists must not be given a chance to do more.鈥�
Anon

鈥淭he attack shows that Musharraf and his backers are out to kill Islam. But they will fail as those before them. The best way to fight terror is to stop the West's double standards.鈥�
JJV, THE GAMBIA.

Internet influence

Neil Doyle: 鈥淭he internet is having a growing influence.

Iain Dale: 鈥淯K Blogging is lagging behind the US. I understand that there are more bloggers in Iran than elsewhere in the world. The internet is now the primary news source. Especially if you鈥檙e young . . if you鈥檙e 18 鈥� 25 you don鈥檛 buy a newspaper anymore.鈥�

Harry MacDougald better known as in internet lore, knows a thing or two about the web鈥檚 power: 鈥淭he MSM influence is steadily declining.鈥�

Daniel: 鈥淭he stuff you鈥檙e seeing is smear campaigns. You never know what is factual. It鈥檚 a democratic force for getting information out. Now I can get news from all over the world.鈥�

Iain Dale: 鈥淭he internet is breaking down the old media elites. The media is empowering the little people. If somebody says something you think is wrong, you have the opportunity to correct it.鈥�

Texts
鈥淲hats the issue? the net is the only place you can double check with a double click. duh.鈥� discovalue in france.

鈥淓ver since the internet came on board d world has never been the same it has bedevilled the world & has destroyed many youths.鈥�
Beno, Nigeria

Ali is in Iran where a crackdown on internet broadband is coming soon: 鈥淚 can get access, the restrictions are not yet implemented. Blogs here are popular especially with the young. This is a very good approach.鈥�

Text from Africa
鈥淭he Internet has totally spoiled our African values.鈥�
SELEMUN FROM ASMARA

Harry: 鈥淭he reader has a responsibility to apply their critical faculties to the information they read.鈥�

Caller Amin from Nigeria
鈥淭he internet is the most wonderful thing that happened on the globe. It brings the world together. And in Nigeria it has helped to uncover corruption.鈥�

Two texts just in:
鈥淭he internet is for only the rich countries.鈥�
Iam Otai Mbale, Uganda

鈥淭he internet has its advantages & disadvantages. However the bad side seems to be having the upper hand. I take the good & leave the bad.鈥�
Gideon Unom, Nigeria.

Harry MacDougald: 鈥淚 will be using the internet to keep up with events.鈥�

Iain Dale who blogs here : 鈥淭he web can make a difference in marginal constituencies. The bloggers already have had an influence.鈥�

Harry has the final word with a compliment for 鈥渢he lovely鈥� Karnegie Sharp.

Texts are flying in:
鈥淚'm not a user of internet but i understand its effect and importance to those who wouldn't have expressed themselves in any other way.鈥�
Nur, Kenya

The internet has been of tremendious help in my academic life enabling me 2 access any info i need.especially the recent discovery.
Minbeyk

Most of the problem with the internet is the incompleteness of the information & that lead many people astray.
Joseph Ataboh (nigeria).

Why all d fuss about d internet like it is divine,it's just another form of media subject to bias,misinformation and corruption.
Maibe Abbas from Kaduna, Nigeria .

Dangerous cities

A couple of texts just in before we鈥檝e even got started:
鈥淣airobi is definitely the most risky city on earth. Consider the number of robbed plus other residents and the security minister.鈥�
Anon

鈥淚've never really experienced personal crime, but I do remember a night I was walking home and I noticed a shadow stalking me from my side, so i RAN in middle of the highway screaming and swearing top of my lungs. I didnt get mugged but managed to get a lift back home safely =)鈥�
Arin, Nairobi

Lereiya is in Kingston, Jamaica: 鈥淚f you鈥檙e on a bus you could be shot or firebombed. I had a friend who died last week in Rockport. You鈥檙e not safe living in Kingston.鈥�

Mariana: 鈥淚n Colombia we suffer from the same stereotypes. Bogota is not that bad. We have some dramatic problems of course. The social inequity and the drugs are problems. They are a world concern.鈥�

Dan is in Detroit: 鈥淒etroit鈥檚 had a false bad rap just like St. Louis. The crime . . yes it exists but not on that grand scale. Just recently we hosted the baseball play-offs. Our fans were not rowdy.That echoes the embodiment of Detroit. We鈥檙e working very hard to repair any damage we鈥檝e suffered from race riots.鈥�

Final word of the night goes to caller Kira who says:
鈥淚 work in security in Kingston, Jamaica. Although it is a violent city, the crime rate has been cut 25% since last year, and the government is working hard on cutting crime.鈥�

That鈥檚 it for tonight folks. Sleep tight!