Forget the economic crisis, forget climate change — images of an elderly, bespectacled Buddhist monk in a maroon robe have dominated Polish newspapers and television screens all week.

  The Dalai Lama has come to town and it seems everybody, from the president and prime minister to college students and housewives in this still-staunchly Roman Catholic country, want to meet and hear Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader.

    Of course, the charismatic septuagenerian can bring out the crowds in many countries and counts among his worldwide fans heads of state and Hollywood stars. But he has struck a special chord in Poland, where some see in his decades-old campaign for Tibetan self-determination echoes of their own struggle against an atheistic communist government back in the 1980s.

    Not by accident, the Buddhist leader kicked off his six-day tour of Poland in Gdansk at a party for another modern icon — Lech Walesa, leader of the pro-democracy Solidarity trade union which helped topple communist rule in Poland in 1989, the year the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize.

    Although other Nobel laureates and European statesmen such as French President Nicolas Sarkozy were also in Gdansk for the celebrations marking the 25th anniversary of Walesa winning the Nobel Prize, the loudest applause was reserved for the Dalai Lama. Newspapers carried pictures of him and his old friend Walesa hugging and laughing together.

    The Dalai Lama, who fled to exile in India in 1959 after a failed uprising against Beijing’s rule, told Poles how much he had been inspired by the example of Solidarity, a movement rooted in religious — Catholic — faith and like him opposed to the use of violence.

    The Poles returned the compliment by turning out in their thousands in Gdansk, Krakow, Wroclaw and Warsaw to hear the Dalai speak about Buddhist philosophy and about the Tibetan people’s experience of Chinese communist rule.

    “Our young people are eager to hear about moral values,” said Marta Kudelska, a professor of Indian philosophy at Krakow University and one of the organisers of the Dalai’s visit.

    For Poles of older generations who remember communist oppression, she added, there is an instinctive empathy for the Dalai Lama and his cause.

    “About a year ago, I got a call from the Chinese embassy (in Warsaw) complaining about our preparations for the visit. It was not pleasant, it reminded me of the days of martial law in Poland,” she said, referring to the Soviet-backed communist regime’s efforts to stifle democracy in the early 1980s.

    “For people of my generation, this memory of the past, of communist times, helps us to better understand the Dalai Lama’s way… I think his way is similar to that of (India’s pacifist leader) Mathatma Gandhi or of Lech Walesa and Solidarity here.”

    When I visited Tibet 20 years ago, I remember how monks, some of them just children, would furtively approach me in the Potala Palace — the Dalai Lama’s former residence in the
capital Lhasa — to ask, out of earshot of our Chinese tour guide, whether I had any pictures of His Holiness.

    I did not — I had flown into Lhasa from the Chinese city of Chengdu — but an American couple on our tour discreetly dispensed pictures they had brought from neighbouring Nepal. The joy of the monks was a revelation to us all.

    Fast-forward 20 years, and both China and Tibet have been transformed. China is far richer and more open today, though it is still not a democracy and continues to keeps tight control over Tibet. However, Beijing points to the numerous monasteries and monks and nuns there as evidence of religious freedom.

    What else has changed in the past 20 years is that the Tibetan cause itself has become much more widely known through the Dalai Lama’s high-profile globe-trotting.

    In Poland, I caught up with the Dalai Lama in his hotel in Krakow where he told us — in his distinctive Indian-accented English — of his wish to reach out to ordinary Chinese people
while also urging Western leaders to stand firm on human rights in their ongoing dialogue with economic powerhouse China.

    Asked whether he ever expected to see Tibet again, he was characteristically philosophical, “I really feel like that… But if not, it does not much matter. We have a Tibetan proverb, your home is where you feel most happy.”

By Juliana Rincón Parra

Thomson Reuters is not responsible for the content of this post — the views are the author’s alone.

Frontera Filmmakers is social networking website based in San Diego, California that unites video producers from both sides of the USA-Mexico border. Its members share links to more than two dozen films and trailers related to border politics and culture.

One documentary on the site, 389 Miles, tells the story of residents on both sides of border. In the 4 minute trailer, the director Luis Carlos Romero-Davis invites us to meet migrants who brave the desert crossing the border, volunteers searching for them in order to provide aid, and others who are there to protect their country from illegal immigrants. He also shows a partial interview with a smuggler who tells all about the human trafficking trade in the region.

In Contaminacion 202 [in Spanish] youngsters from Tijuana, Mexico explain why it is important to control pollution and contamination, with examples of ground, water and air pollution. 

A third video is titled Entre Corazón y Mar (Between Heart and Sea), and shows the building process of the fourth Pacific Rim Park in Baja California, Mexico, where Mexicans, US citizens, Russians and Chinese have gathered together in spite of language differences to build a monument that honors diversity.

There are many other videos on the Frontera Filmmakers site including animations, TV show pilots, and cultural excursions into the lives of people who live their lives at the edge of two worlds.

This article originally appeared on Global Voices Online, a website that tracks global blog reactions to world news.

Mong Palatino is South East Asia editor of Global Voices, which monitors citizen media in the developing world. Thomson Reuters is not responsible for the content of this post — the views are the author’s alone.

Cyclone Nargis hit Myanmar last weekend which devastated five regions. State-run media reported that more than 22,000 people are found dead with another 41,000 missing. Hundreds of thousands are now homeless. The following is a collection of quotes from regional bloggers about the devastation.

Bangkok Pundit comments on the soaring number of casualties:

“It was 351 then 4,000, then 10,000. Now, even state media are reporting 22,000 dead and 41,000 missing. By the time this is all over, a death toll of over 100,000 is not improbable. The Burmese government can’t handle the situation on their own.”

Indeed, the death toll could still rise. The Irrawaddy explains:

“Witnesses who have managed to get out of Laputta Township in the Irrawaddy Delta have told The Irrawaddy that 22 villages were completely destroyed and that the death toll could be much higher. A local source from Laputta Township estimated a total of 60,000 people could have been killed by the cyclone. This estimate could not be independently confirmed.”

Rule of Lords gathers eyewitness accounts of the disaster:

“Some were killed by flying trees, some from exposure to the cold, some died when they had gathered to shelter from the storms in monasteries and they collapsed.

“The sea rose by around 5 feet and swamped the town at the time of the storm, causing most of the damage and sweeping away small homes and buildings.

“There was water, rain and wind. The shore road was submerged and on the high ground the water was at knee level. The whole town was underwater. There were heavy waves all over, and water snakes. Some died from the snakes.

“Local people in Rangoon and monks have cleared roads themselves due to the lack of authorities. The clearing has been done by a system of “self reliance” according to one participant. People are also sharing small quantities of water and other essentials among themselves to get through this period.”

Myat Thura describes how his family and neighbors are coping with the tragedy:

“I tried to call my home in Yangon since Saturday morning. Until Friday evening, I could still call my home. My father told me that the wind was blowing heavily, but the situation was still OK. The next morning when I tried to call my home, the lines are already down. I tried the whole Saturday but I could not get through. Sunday morning, still no phone contact.

“My flat was in the top floor, so I was quite worried. There are two or three roofs blown away, and all the satellite dishes destroyed, but apart from that, the building is intact. Water was pouring into the house and my family had to move things into the rooms where it was dry.

“Electricity was cut off but, thanks to one of our neighbors who has an electric generator, we could pump water to our room. For those without any generator, water is a big problem. There is still no relief effort from the government agencies, and people are cleaning the roads by themselves.

“Prices of food had risen and the price of building materials has doubled. A few shops opened and many shoppers are trying to buy things. Some super markets opened today, and they have to limit the number of shoppers into the supermarket.

“My friend said it would be very difficult to restore the city into its previous condition, especially electricity and telecommunication as it will cost millions of dollars to repair the entire infrastructure.”

Fear from Freedom issues an appeal to the ruling Junta:

“Many now live in monasteries in cities in delta area since their villages are gone and their paddy fields are flooded. Who can help who when every family is struggling for survival. While the people in the city struggle with what they have to repair the roofs of their houses and store some water and rice for the expected shortage, the homeless villagers will become beggars till they can go back to their lands and rebuild their villages.

“The military has their soldiers to help the cities but they will not have cash nor goods and tools to help rebuild the victims. I hope they allow the international organization to help these people. They do not have any resources and expertise for this kind of disaster.”

The cyclone also destroyed a prison camp where many political prisoners are held. Assistance Association for Political Prisoners drafts this statement narrating how more than 30 prisoners were killed during a riot last weekend:

“The storm also hit Insein prison in Rangoon. As a result of strong winds, many zinc roofs atop of Insein prison were torn off, one after another.

“Due to the destruction in one area of the prison, over 1,500 prisoners were forced to congregate inside prison hall no. 1. No one was allowed to seek safety, and they were locked inside the hall until the next morning May 3, 2008. Prisoners were wet, cold and hungry as well as angry. Even though prisoners requested prison guards open the doors and move them to safety, the authorities ignored their request. Some prisoners started shouting demands, and some set fire to the prison hall. The fire burnt down the hall, and a riot situation ensued in the prison.

“In order to control the situation, prison guards opened fire on the prisoners. In addition, soldiers and riot police were called in. They opened fire on prisoners in the area. 36 prisoners were killed instantly and around 70 were injured.

“The authorities are to blame for this situation. As soon as the storm hit, they should have moved the prisoners to safety. Their mismanagement of the situation led to prisoners rioting. We condemn their violent response, which led to the needless deaths of 36 prisoners.”

KyiMayKaung uploads a letter from Sophie Lwin of the Burma Global Action Network:

“On Wednesday night NASA predicted that Typhoon Nargis would hit Burma, yet the regime did nothing…It is criminal that the regime didn’t warn the people that the typhoon was coming.”

Agam’s Gecko also condemns the military:

“The massive scale of the disaster has finally prompted the military regime to accept outside assistance, an about-face that alone demonstrates how dire the situation is. Very few soldiers have been spotted lately doing any of the recovery work, although state television did show a couple of uniforms pulling branches around. Monks and other citizens have organized themselves, and seem to be doing most of it.”

Myo Kyaw Htun gathers news reports about the disaster. Burmese Gold Bull and Singeo upload maps illustrating satellite-detected flood waters over the affected regions.

The Acorn on the difficulties of delivering aid to Myanmar:

“The tricky business of delivering aid to victims of a natural disaster who are also victims of a repressive regime. A closed regime. Media controls. A category 4 cyclone. Damaged infrastructure. Broken communication links. Death toll first in the hundreds, rapidly upped to the tens of thousands.

“It’s highly likely that the Burmese junta can’t cope with the disaster. Worse, its isolation is making a bad situation much worse. The international response is hobbled by the lack of communication channels, common frameworks and operating procedures.”

nofearSIngapore asserts it’s time for action, not politics:

“Fellow human beings are suffering in a fellow ASEAN country. Another father, brother, sister or child is now waiting for desperate aid from us. This is not the time for politics-it is the time for action.”

jg69 echoes the sentiments of many bloggers around the world:

“Not only do the people in Burma have to put up with a military dictatorship, they also have to contend with natural disasters like cyclone Nargis.

“To the Burmese people, even though it might seem a small and empty gesture, nevertheless, please accept my truly heartfelt condolences to what you have been going through for decades and what you’re going through now.”

Related article: Myanmar: The Perfect Storm

A version of this article was originally posted on Global Voices.

Juliana Rincon is video editor of Global Voices, which monitors citizen media in the developing world. Thomson Reuters is not responsible for the content of this post — the views are the author’s alone.

Reasons not to Overeat by BreezeDebris

The international food shortage and crisis is doing its rounds on the blogosphere, and videos are no exception. From Haiti: people eating dirt to survive, and a plan to help feed hungry Haitian children. Haiti is the poorest country in the American continent, and hunger has been an important issue since before this crisis took to the headlines.

On YouTube toddgsapp shows us a video of the process by which a family makes mud cakes, not only to eat themselves, but also to sell. These dirt cookies or mud cakes are made out of dirt, shortening and salt, and are sometimes their only means of sustenance.

Food for thought, isn’t it?

lovinitwithhim uploaded a video on the Haitian Food crisis for Kids Against Hunger you can see here.

With the following video by mfkhaiti for Meds and Food for Kids (MFK) in Haiti we are given an insight into an NGO seeking and testing a possible solution for malnutrition in children, based on a high energy peanut butter product that is ready to use and to be given to the children. Said to contain peanuts, powdered milk, sugar, oil, vitamins and minerals, it is produced locally using Haitian peanuts harvested from local farmers and all the other ingredients are purchased locally, helping the economy. According to MFK, it costs $68 for a full dosage of the ready to use therapeutic food, or Medikal Mamba as it is known locally, to be given to a child and bring them back to life. Following, the first of three videos on their peanut butter product to help cure malnutrition in children.

Juliana Rincon is video editor of Global Voices, which monitors citizen media in the developing world, Thomson Reuters is not responsible for the content — the views are the author’s alone.

On May 10th 2008 at 18:00 GMT, 24 films will be broadcast during a 4 hour event. What makes this different is that this event, PangeaDay will be broadcast from six locations worldwide in seven different languages to be viewed through internet, television or cellphones with one unique purpose: to make each other know about the lives of others and focus on what makes us similar, instead of what makes us different and let us work together towards peace. This initiative came from Egyptian filmmaker Jehane Noujaim’s wish. As a TED Prize winner she was granted a wish in addition to a $100 000 USD award. PangeaDay is her wish, to change the world and create a day in which people of the world could come together through film. Her 2006 acceptance speech can be found here.

Because PangeaDay is about bringing people together, an invitation was made for audiences to upload their own videos on the pangeaday video channel where you can view the 1037 videos people uploaded in reply.

As an example, one of the uploaded videos is about an Art student in Tanzania, telling the story of his day to day life and how he wants to teach homeless kids about art. Following, the story of Chado by jamesstephenbrown:

The logistics of PangeaDay are awe-inspiring: from Cairo, Kigali, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai and Rio de Janeiro, films, live music and speakers will come together to inspire the whole world. The films chosen have been selected from more than 25000 films from over 100 hundred countries.These movies all share some characteristics such as being able to inspire, transform and enabling us to experience life through another’s eyes. Queen Noor of Jordan, will be one of the speakers, along with musician and activist Bob Geldorf, Christiane Amanpour from CNN and the Iranian rock group Hypernova. While at these locations people will be getting together, all around the world parties and groups of friends can sign up and show that they will be tuned in: you can attend an open event in your hometown or even host your own.

However, Pangea Day isn’t just about getting together during 4 hours. The idea is for the event to get people inspired, talking and making changes. It has also allowed others to participate not only as viewers. Through partner organization Nokia, aspiring filmmakers in different locations throughout the world have been given video enabled mobile devices to some people in rural areas, refugee camps, and film schools, so they too can portray their stories. People can also upload their own videos for a chance to win a Nokia N95 8GB mobile device. This partnership brings us a Myanmar refugee in India recording children’s laughter, an Iranian family in a refugee camp in Afghanistan recording their idea of Hope, and an Indian in Bangalore filming the cutting down of Banyan trees… and children planting new trees. You can view these and other videos on this page.

So there are many different ways to participate. Don’t miss the chance to be a part of this and make sure to tell others and spread the word.