Arabig Blogosphere begins to bloom

Arabic blogosphere begins to bloom
By Clark Boyd The World, WGBH Boston

Mapping the Arabic blogosphere
Enlarge Image
Bloggers are having a real impact on opinions inside many Arabic nations, finds a broad look at the blogosphere in the Middle East.
The study has given web researchers insight into the issues and forces that are shaping online conversation in the Middle East and beyond.
The study, carried out by the Berkman Center for the Internet and Society at Harvard analyzed some 35,000 active Arabic language blogs in 18 different countries. This included several thousand blogs that mixed Arabic and English, or Arabic and French.
From that set, researchers identified the most connected blogs, i.e. those that were the most linked to, and then used a team of Arabic speakers to further analyze the content.
A map of this blogging network was then created.
"The goal," said the authors, "was to produce a baseline assessment of the networked public sphere in the Arab Middle East, and its relationship to a range of emergent issues, including politics, religion, culture and international affairs."
The study was paid for largely with US State Department funds. The findings were presented publicly at the United States Institute of Peace in Washington, DC.
National focus
"We found some surprises," said John Kelly of Morningside Analytics, which did statistical and network analysis on the project.
Jihadists aren't blogging
Prof Daniel Brumberg, Georgetown University
Blogging all over the world
"We found that the Arabic blogosphere is organised primarily around countries," Mr Kelly said, noting that Egypt formed the largest cluster on the Arabic blogging map. The study also singled out Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Syria as having sizable blogging clusters.
Within a given country, the make-up of the blogging cluster turned out to be quite varied. The Egyptian cluster, for example, "is characterized by secular reformist bloggers" on one hand, and yet also "by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a group that is technically illegal in Egypt but whose online presence appears to be tolerated."
Saad Ibrahim, a Harvard professor and well-known Egyptian dissident, was not involved in the study but he spoke at the Washington event to launch the report and offered his opinion on Egypt's prominence in the Arabic blogging world.
"'Blogger,'" Mr Ibrahim said, "has become almost a revered term in Egypt. Groups that are otherwise completely disenfranchised, the only outlet for them is online."
He noted that many Egyptian bloggers have paid dearly in recent years for voicing their opinions online. Bloggers have been imprisoned, and even tortured by the authorities. But that, Mr Ibrahim said, has galvanized public opinion even more in the bloggers' favour.
Extreme view
The report also identified two large cross-national groups of what the authors call "bridge bloggers." One group is located in the countries of the eastern Mediterranean and frequently blogs in English in addition to, or instead of, Arabic. Another group of bloggers in North Africa does much the same thing, only in French and Arabic.

Blogs and online spaces are informing debate in many Arab nations
Report co-author John Palfrey noted that these bridge bloggers were important because they serve as cultural interpreters for many in the West. Bridge blogs, he said, are often where "the water-cooler chatter" of the Arabic-speaking world gets into the wider public domain.
That chatter, the study found, is largely shaped by demographics and geography. According to researchers, Arabic bloggers tend to be predominantly young and male, and they are more likely to link to YouTube videos and Wikipedia as news and information sources than to outlets such as Al-Jazeera.
The authors found that Arabic bloggers mostly focus on local politics and local issues, and that, perhaps surprisingly, "the United States is not a dominant political topic in Arabic blogs; neither are the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan."
The one political topic that did cut across all the various clusters in the Arabic blogging world, however, was the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, in particular the situation in Gaza.
Berkman's Bruce Etling noted that the authors were also surprised "that there was no cluster around extremism or jihad." In fact, the report notes, "When discussing terrorism, Arab bloggers are overwhelmingly critical of violent extremists."
But a couple of the panellists warned against making broad assumptions based on the findings of the Harvard report.
Raed Jarrar, an Iraqi who writes a popular blog called Raed in the Middle, noted that many Iraqis are not blogging at all because the infrastructure in the country remains so bad.

The study came as protests continued in Iran.
And those that are online, Mr Jarrar said, "tend to participate in private group websites or bulletin boards, not public blogs. And so it's skewed. It's all about how gets to have access, who speaks English, and who gets linked to by the Western media."
"Jihadists aren't blogging," said Georgetown University professor Daniel Brumberg, who also heads of the United States Institute of Peace's Muslim World Initiative. "They've put up the walls, but that does not suggest a lack of influence."
The reports authors, though, did not shy away from criticism. They noted that the study was only designed to analyze publicly accessible blogs, and that it should not be considered a survey of the entire Arabic-speaking world.
"We have no idea whether, or to what degree, these attitudes reflect broader public opinion," said Mr Kelly of Morningside Analytics.
Berkman's Bruce Etling said that the report was just a first step in understanding what's going on online in the Arabic-speaking world.
"We want to delve into more extremist views," Mr Etling said. "We would also like to do similar mapping with offline groups and compare and contrast them with online groups."
The report, of course, comes out against the backdrop of events in Iran in the wake of a disputed election.
The Iranian government's blocking of websites such as Facebook, and Iranians' use of services like Twitter to stay informed and to mobilize, were certainly present at the unveiling of the report.
To Mr Kelly, the situation in Iran highlights larger questions raised by the findings of the Harvard study.
"To me, the key question for this region is will online discussion be something that happens out in the light where anyone can read it and link to it, or will it be restricted to hiding out in chat rooms and behind passwords?" he asked.
"If the only place people have to talk is behind closed doors, then we're not going to get the kind of impact of this technology I think we all want to see in that part of the world," Mr Kelly said.

Students 'copy' life statements

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6426945.stm

Degree applicants 'copy from web'

"Ever since I was eight..." Thousands of prospective university students are using the internet to cheat in their applications, analysis by admissions service Ucas reveals.
Checks on 50,000 personal statements found 5% had borrowed material.
Its study, by CFL Software Development, was done after the 15 October deadline for Oxbridge, medicine, dentistry and veterinary science applications.
Almost 800 drew on three example medicine statements on a free website, including a story about burnt pyjamas.
The Ucas application form includes a personal statement for people to detail their interests and say why they want to study their chosen course.
CFL, which makes detection software Copycatch, found:
370 sentences contained a statement beginning: "a fascination for how the human body works..."
234 contained a statement relating a dramatic incident involving "burning a hole in pyjamas at age eight"
175 contained a statement which involved "an elderly or infirm grandfather".As the deadline had approached the number of applications with borrowed material had increased.
Feasibility
The pyjamas incident features in the top-rated personal statement for medicine applicants on the studential.com advice site:
"Ever since I accidentally burnt holes in my pyjamas after experimenting with a chemistry set on my eighth birthday, I have always had a passion for science."
Among the advice, the website states clearly about example material: "The first thing to remember is don't directly copy any of it - not even a single sentence!
"The reason is, copying statements is plagiarism, and if an admissions tutor sees a statement they recognise they will probably reject you instantly."
Ucas said the proliferation of advice sites, some of which charge a fee for writing tailored statements, is what prompted its inquiry.
It was not planning to take action against the individuals who had apparently been caught copying, a spokesman said.
This was a feasibility study and it was going to consult universities on the best way forward.
He said individual institutions needed to assess applications to see whether there was anything "fishy" about them.
"Very few are. Most of those are just borrowing some material then adapting it.
"There's a difference between copying, and using the web to get advice on how to write the best personal statement - there's nothing wrong with that."
Integrity
Part of Ucas' message in publicising its findings is to stress to youngsters that the personal statement is their opportunity to stand out from the crowd, to differentiate themselves from others with similar grades.
Borrowed material is most likely to appear at the end of the statement or where an applicant describes why they want to study a subject.
Ucas chief executive, Anthony McClaran, said: "We are pleased to see that plagiarism is not rife in applications and that few applicants are paying to plagiarise.
"We take the integrity of applications very seriously and commissioned this work to investigate the potential for screening applications for borrowed material in the future.
"As part of our ongoing commitment to maintaining integrity standards we will shortly be doubling the size our verification unit, which is responsible for identifying fraudulent applications."
The research also looked for similarities in applications from the same school, but found "very little evidence" of this.
E-mail this to a friend
Printable version
SEE ALSO
Exams 'could beat student cheats' 17 Oct 06 Education
Student plagiarism 'on the rise' 11 Feb 05 Education
Exams agency probes web cheating 11 Jun 06 Scotland
Worry at web exam plagiarism rise 02 May 06 Wales
Students 'admit copying essays' 16 Mar 06 Education
RELATED INTERNET LINKS
Ucas
JISC Plagiarism Advisory Service
Universities UK
National Union of Students
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
TOP EDUCATION STORIES
No winners in degree place fight
Academics denounce maths A-level
Parents worry about summer costs
getRssUrlStory('/rss/newsonline_world_edition/uk_news/education/rss.xml')
News feeds
MOST POPULAR STORIES NOW
function liveStatsTabs(newTab,oldTab) {

if (document.getElementById)
{
document.getElementById(newTab).style.display = "inline";
document.getElementById(oldTab).style.display = "none";
return false;
}
else if (document.all)
{
document.all[oldTab].style.display = "none";
document.all[newTab].style.display = "inline";
return false;
}
else {
return true;
}
}
MOST SHARED
MOST READ
Lightning delays shuttle launch
Arabic blogosphere begins to bloom
Saudi 'genie' sued for harassment
Shah Rukh honoured to be Dr Khan
Rail staff face 'smile police' Most popular now, in detail
MOST SHARED
MOST READ
Israel in 'Sabbath car park' row
US president sets Afghan target
Saudi 'genie' sued for harassment
Concert cancelled as boy stabbed
Most of Xinjiang dead 'Chinese'
Jacqui Smith 'quit over porn row'
Rail staff face 'smile police'
Woman teacher on sex crime charge
Week in pictures: 4-10 July
Obama speaks of hopes for Africa Most popular now, in detail

¿Y qué os parece el COPY-LIFE? ¿Barrapunto?

El lema es quien quiera, lo que quiera, como quiera, donde quiera y cuando quiera.
La guayguebygueb es una red o plataforma copylife en internet, un entramado de blogs, wikis y gemails, compartiendo abiertamente una misma palabra clave: SUPERBIBENCIA.
Viajar hasta el fondo de la conciencia humana occidental exigía toparse con el papel del lenguaje, como ladrillos que sostienen nuestra idea de realidad, ; si no percibimos el poder del lenguaje de sumisión construido durante siglos, y no nos damos cuenta que "debajo" de este lenguaje que usamos ahora esté el lenguaje de la liberación, el de lo matriztiko, constatable facilmente viendo las etimologías, del latin y griego, por ejemplo, que todas vienen de hace dos mil y pico años; es decir, tiempos en que dominaba, más que ahoira, el lenguaje vivificante y dinámico del fluir matriztiko, como forma de vida comunitaria seleccionada por deriva natural de Maturana y Varela Y Darwin...

La Hipocresía Idolizante de esta Sociedad...

...contagiada dentro del Mundo de la Ciencia de moda, conlleva una pesada sedimentación de teorías y descubrimientos de segunda, que escalan hábilmente el PODIUM DE POPULARIDAD, impulsado por corrientes que nada tienen que ver con la bondad y eficiencia en su aplicación social de estos conocimientos científicos.

Es puro Neodarwinismo Social que a la larga dictaBA machacona-mente las modas en la Ciencia.

Por otro lado, las sucesivas crisis de los últimos siglos han presionado cada vez más el ingenio y la resistencia científica ante este modelo de ciencia lineal, clásica o normal, que cada vez más voces iban clasificando de obsoleto.

La Ciencia que Apoyaba Ciega-Mente la Obsoleticidad Programada de la Sociedad de Consumo, ha terminado por convertirse ella misma en un objeto de consumo de masas, de masas de científicos que han seguido la inercia de seguir, "cómodamente", por "la carretera principal". Al fín y al cabo, se podía investigar, teóricamente, sobre cualquier cosa.

La Presión Sistémica, dictada por un proceso de Selección Natural, cada vez más presente en Centros Educativos, Movimientos Sociales, Empresas y Centros de Investigación, ha terminado por hacer estallar el último reducto donde, por lógica, aún se atrincheraba La Parte Más Suculenta del Pensamiento Lineal: EN LAS UNIVERSIDADES.

La Miopía del Especialismo Científico o Cientifismo, se veía reforzada en feed-back con Instituciones cortadas por el mismo patrón y con procesos que, como Sinapomorfías BioCulturales, habían conseguido sobrevivir, paradójicamente, hasta NUESTROS DÍAS.

Si antes decíamos que la Ciencia Dominante iba "por la Carretera Principal", ahora, perfilando más, especificaremos que cada especialidad circula por su propia "Carretera Principal". La potencia de esta "Carretera Principal" dependerá del apoyo institucional que tuviera.

En esas estábamos cuando, como hongos, comienza a darse a gran velocidad y aceleración, un proceso que ya hemos citado: el desarrollo y extensión social del Pensamiento Sistémico, que complementaba, incluyendo, al Pensamiento Lineal, por lo que las ventajas de este último, no se perdían en La Ampliación de lo Lineal Hacia los Sistémico.

Ambos sistemas de pensamiento han convivido en el transcurso de la Historia. Y ahora nos encontramos en un Punto de Inflexión de la Asíntota, "La Gran Bifurcación".

Probablemente, La Caída Cuantitativa del Que Era Sistema Económico Dominante ya se Acerca Cada Día Más, o Incluso Sobrepasó el PUNTO DE RECUPERACIÓN BIOSFÉRICA de las Gráficas de Nuestros Hermanos Lucky Medianero y Salvador Espada.

GRAFICA PARA ESCANEAR..................................................................

La Percepción Sistémica Disponible Hoy Día Para Cualquier Ciudadan@ Que Se Quiera Asomar, Sin Complicaciones, A La Ciencia Actual, SE HA RADIKALIZADO Hasta Límites Antes Insospechados, Aunque Deseados.

RADIKALIZACIÓN QUE REMUEVE LAS RAÍCES Y CIMIENTOS DE LOS SISTEMAS DE CONOCIMIENTOS QUE ERAN DOMINANTES.

Para Comprender Cómo Se Ha Podido dar Este Interesante Proceso, Que Marca La Fundamentación Más Innovadora De La Sociedad Del Conocimiento, Basta Con Mirar Atenta-Mente A Nuestro Alrededor:

1) Nunca el Conocimiento se hizo tan Simbiótico. Con el Masivo Desarrollo de la World Wide Web, se ha ido Facilitando Enorme-Mente el Acceso del Conocimiento a Cualquiera.

2) La Correspondiente Ascensión Demográfica de las Personas Nativas Digitales, que parten ya, desde su experiencia más cotidiana, de un pensamiento no ya sistémico, sino global y complejo. Ciudadan@s donde se han cebado los desarrollos de la Física Cuántica, presente en los microchips. Esta sucesión generacional que nos ha tocado disfrutar, está pues fundamentada, además, en la RENOVACIÓN CIENTÍFICA Y TECNOLÓGICA VIVIDA EN PRIMERA PERSONA.

3) Los Intentos Fallidos de Globalización Económica, lo han sido por Pasar Por Alto El Conocimiento Local, Motor de la Diversidad como Fuente de Innovación y, a su vez, Reflejo Bio-Cultural de la Diversidad de los Ecosistemas y Paisajes, y de sus entrelazados componentes.

Se podría decir que este proceso fallido de globalización económica fué como una huída hacia adelante desde el reduccionismo lineal, ignorando pues la mayoría de los desarrollos sistémicos ya conocidos.

Fué una simplificación ciega, abusiva y reduccionista del enfoque sistémico, a la desesperada; el canto del cisne muy oportuno y demostrativo de cara a una parte de la población que aún guardaba algo de confianza en el sistema (hipnotizada sin duda como Mowgli con la Serpiente de "El Libro de la Selva").

4) La Globalización Cultural, en buena medida un efecto colateral de las políticas imperialistas, ha terminado por completar la ronda de procesos de los que andabamos comentando:

La relación "Cuerpo a Cuerpo" entre grupos y personas antes desconocidos entre sí, ha añadido una puesta en valor fundamental de la Sociedad del Conocimiento. Ya no se trata de Reuniones Internacionales donde "expertistas" de todos los rincones del Mundo se juntan unas horas. ES LA GENTE, EN LA CALLE, QUE SE TOPA Y CONVERSA Y COOPERA CON PERSONAS DE TODO EL MUNDO, de forma que se va haciendo cada vez más difícil la censura y el engaño.

Quizás es este aspecto último el más ignorado en los planteamientos tanto de ONGs como Instituciones, que lo han pasado por alto, limitándose a su problematización y/o desproblematización.