dream

1.Vezi nu te grabi sa-ti cataloghezi interlocutorii cu care te intretii in ignoranta ta ,la o bere daca ne-om intilni mai mult ca sigur ca te-o trage "mosul" asta de ureche ca sa nu mai faci afirmatii gratuite despre persoane pe care nu le cunosti.:)
2.Emigrantii ilegali au drepturi la hospitalizare gratis si fiindca esti ignorant in ale subiectului ti-as spune ca stiu fiindca am lucrat in domeniul medical. Nici un emigrant care nu stie doua boabe englezeste ca sint lenesi s-o invete cind intra pe poarta unui spitalamerican nu sint refuzati,nu numai atita dar tratamentele li se platesc din fonduri spaciale pentru refugiati si ilegali pe care le platim cu totii.
3.O alta chestie ,o noua lege votata in Congresul american propusa de catre stimabilul Orrin Hutch (scuze daca numele-i pocit ca de fapt nu ma intereseaza asa un senator) se cheama The " Dream Act" care permite tinerilor mexicani cu statut ILEGALI in USA sa mearga la facultate pe banii statului sau mai bine zis pe banii contribuabilor care platim taxe din greu.
4.Despre arabi imi mentin aceiasi parere.
5.Spune-mi te rog ignoranta asta a ta este reala sau falsa ca sa te afli in treaba la criticat USA cum multi romani care ar trebui sa stea acasa o fac ca sa se afle in treaba.
5.Atitudinea ta mi-aduce aminte de atitudine ciubotelor din Securitate si SRI astazi propagandistii de doi bani si 4 clase primare care impuiau creierele romanilor cu minciuni.
6.Ramine cum ti-am mai spus.Am sa te urechez :)

"Mosul"

Lista-i lunga, filme care mi-au placut:

- Calauza
- Barry Lyndon - Kubrick
- Paths of glory - Kubrick
- Portocala mecanica - Kubrick
- Eyes wide shut - Kubrick
- 2001 Odiseea spatiala - Kubrick
- Natural born killers / Nascuti asasini
- Urga (Aproape de Cer) - Mihalkov
- Gara pentru doi - Mihalkov
- Ochii negri - Mihalkov
- Noaptea generalilor
- Tunurile din Navarone
- Condamnatul (cu Jack Lemon)
- Some like it hot
- Cantand in ploaie
- Ninocika
- Moulin Rouge
- Cutitul in apa (Polanski)
- Le fabuleux destin d'Amelie Poulain
- Noptile Cabiriei
- La strada
- Noaptea americana - Truffaut
- Cele 400 de lovituri - Truffaut
- Parle avec elle - Almoldovar
- Easy Rider - regia Dennis Hoper
- The Killing Fields
- Jesus Christ Superstar
- Pentru tara si rege
- Padurea spanzuratilor
- Morometii
- Iacob
- Glissando
- Reconstituirea
- Operatiunea "Monstrul"
- Alice nu mai locuieste aici
- Hoti de biciclete -- de italianu' ala :)
- O lume nebuna nebuna nebuna
- Zbor deasupra unui cuib de cuci
- La est de Eden
- Diligentza
- Descult in parc
- In arsita noptii
- Ghici cine vine la cina?
- Iubiti animalele si copiii
- Razboiul lui Murphy - cu Peter O'Toole
- Out of Africa
- Pacientul englez
- Tacerea mieilor
- Meet Joe Black
- Arizona Dream
- Bagdad Cafe
- Sundance Kid
- Ghepardul
- Cei sapte magnifici
- Noaptea iguanei
- Priveste inapoi cu manie
- Kramer contra Kramer
- Brazil
- Leaving Las Vegas
- Vanilla Sky
- Inteligenta Artificiala
- The Truman Show
- The Mask
- Forest Gump
- Petrecerea - cu Peter Sellers
- seria "Panterei Roz" -- cu Perter Sellers
- comediile cu Stan si Bran (cei mai mari comici ai cinema-ului, din toate timpurile)
- comediile lui Chaplin (Timpuri moderne, Vagabondul, etc)
- comediile lui Louis de Funes
- comediile lui Norman
- serialul Twin Peaks
- etc.

(heh, am completat lista de cateva ori, cu ocazia asta mi-am facut si lista cu filmele preferate, ca se simtea nevoia... :))) )

aaa...sigur ca arta ar trebui sa transmita idei, da` fiecare arta cu meshteshugu` sau... una e meshteshugu` si alta e ideea... una fara alta nu se poate... ai o gara cu o suta de femei goale? Asta e o idee. Si? In conceptia mea asta nu ajunge... trebuie lumina, cadru, atmosfera... iacata ce spun cei mari:

"Simply look with perceptive eyes at the world about you, and trust to your own reactions and convictions. Ask yourself: "Does this subject move me to feel, think and dream? Can I visualize a print - my own personal statement of what I feel and want to convey - from the subject before me?"

-Ansel Adams

It is light that reveals, light that obscures, light that communicates. It is light I "listen"
to. The light late in the day has a distinct quality, as it fades toward the darkness of evening. After sunset there is a gentle leaving of the light, the air begins to still, and a quiet descends. I see magic in the quiet light of dusk. I feel quiet, yet intense energy in the natural elements of our habitat. A sense of magic prevails. A sense of mystery. It is a time for contemplation, for listening - a time for making photographs.

-John Sexton

Uite o piesa, nush' dac'ai ascultat-o, e superbissima: "Take this waltz"... O pun pe picior de egalitate cu "Dance me..."
Un colaj de imagini halucinant, o [poezie] de [dragoste] deosebita:


"TAKE THIS WALTZ
--after Lorca

Now in Vienna there's ten pretty women
There's a shoulder where Death comes to cry
There's a lobby with nine hundred windows
There's a tree where the doves go to die
There's a piece that was torn from the morning
And it hangs in the Gallery of Frost
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
Take this waltz with the clamp on its jaws

Oh I want you, I want you, I want you
On a chair with a dead magazine
In the cave at the tip of the lily
In some hallways where love's never been
On a bed where the moon has been sweating
In a cry filled with footsteps and sand
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
Take its broken waist in your hand

This waltz, this waltz, this waltz, this waltz
With its very own breath of brandy and Death
Dragging its tail in the sea

There's a concert hall in Vienna
Where your mouth had a thousand reviews
There's a bar where the boys have stopped talking
They've been sentenced to death by the blues
Ah, but who is it climbs to your picture
With a garland of freshly cut tears?
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
Take this waltz it's been dying for years


There's an attic where children are playing
Where I've got to lie down with you soon
In a dream of Hungarian lanterns
In the mist of some sweet afternoon
And I'll see what you've chained to your sorrow
All your sheep and your lilies of snow
Ay, Ay, Ay, Ay
Take this waltz, take this waltz
With its "I'll never forget you, you know!"

This waltz, this waltz, this waltz, this waltz ...

And I'll dance with you in Vienna
I'll be wearing a river's disguise
The hyacinth wild on my shoulder,
My mouth on the dew of your thighs
And I'll bury my soul in a scrapbook,
With the photographs there, and the moss
And I'll yield to the flood of your beauty
My cheap violin and my cross
And you'll carry me down on your dancing
To the pools that you lift on your wrist
Oh my love, Oh my love
Take this waltz, take this waltz
It's yours now. It's all that there is."


Si iata si o comparatie cu poezia lui Lorca, dupa care Cohen spune ca s-a inspirat:
http://www.webheights.net/speakingcohen/waltz.htm

hello MY,

NU,nu sint celebrul mega rock star,sint un mare fan al lui inca din 1970, cind era cu faimosul grup Black Sabbath...daca ai auzit cumva de el?Ori daca ai trait in acei ani?In fine ,intrebarile tale mi-au atras atentia si pot spune ca
m-au si deranjat mult,NO offense though!Ai libertatea de a te exprima si a-ti scrie parerile si gindurile si la fel oricine,deci si eu.
Si s-o luam de la prima intrebare,your back is against the wall.

1.) OH YES,YES,YES!!!!Am plecat cu inima mai usoara ca fulgul acum 23 ani din Buc.Ro,cel mai fericit om din lume!Nici azi inca nu-mi vine sa cred ca sint in USA
si mi-am REALIZAT SINGUR toate visele mele ce NU le-as fi putut realiza nici in trecut dar nici in prezent in RO.!!!!Spune-mi UNDE poti cistiga din arta ta
$10.000-$12.000 pe luna? IN Romania?Asa ca zilnic ma scol si multumesc din suflet Lui Dzeu pt. soarta mea ca m-a adus aici si ca am scapat de mizeria comunista in care am trait.Inima imi este inca f. usoara!!!!!

2.) OH,YES YES AND YES!!!READ MY LIPS!Chiar daca am avut vreo 4-6 ani de greutati la inceput,am stiut ca ma voi realiza in USA!Si daca vrei sa cunosti raspunsul la intrebare citeste raspunsul la prima!
Am o familie superba si o sotie minunata italianca-americana.Desigur ca sintem fericiti de 14 ani de la casatorie si avem si o vila superba in mijlocul naturii in New Jersey si la citeve minute de mers pe jos la plaja Atlanticului.
As fi avut asa ceva in RO?NOOOO!!!Poate as fi stat la ocean visind dintr-un atlas de geografie.

3.)My dear MY,colacii i-am facut eu prin multa munca,ciini sint destui in Ro. pe toate strazile.Crezi oare ca m-a interesat CE voi gasi la colt de strada in USA?
Nu cred ca-ti imaginezi nici in vise cit de fericit eram si sint ca traiesc aici!
Oare nu crezi ca unii oameni AU un anume destin al lor ce-i cheama in alte tari?Unde se regasesc de fapt si unde ar fi trebuit sa fie de la inceput? Asa simt eu in mine.Ciini exista peste tot in lume ,colacii tii faci singur(a).

4.)Hey,sa nu gindim acum din p.d.v. personal,adica al tau!
Eu sint de parere ca NU e bine sa te dai destept sau snob ORIUNDE TRAIESTI in lume,dar e o chestie ce eu o consider de experienta de viata si fiecare o are pe a lui sau ei,la fel cum eu o am pe a mea.
NU MA CONSIDER DELOC DESTEPT dar nici imbecil sau prost!
In Romania am terminat liceul Tonitza si incercat de 5 ori la Grigorescu,NU am avut....acele pile necesare si nimic altceva decit talentul meu inascut.
CUM se face oare ca vin in USA si dupa 1 an cea mai prestigioasa scoala de arte din New York,Art Students League fondata in 1894 si unde au studiat unii din cei mai mari artisti ai lumii,daca ai auzit de Andy Warhol,jasper Jones,
Jackson Pollock,Frank Stella,Alexander Calder etc. primesc bursa de studii pe 4 ani acordata ...DOAR pe arta mea si FARA examene de orice fel?O comisie de prof. ilustrii m-au admis IMEDIAT!!!
Poate ca-s mai destept ori talentat ca MULTI din cei ramasi in Ro.Tu ce crezi,ori oricine va citi mesajul meu?
Si apoi cum se face ca am devenit un artist faimos si cu NUME aici timp de 12 ani in arta de benzi desenate,pt. cea mai mare companie din lume,Marvel Comics?Stii cum am ajuns sa fiu ales?Am mers intr-o buna zi acolo cu 7 schite in creion si acuarela si Stan Lee ,presedintele companiei inca din 1945,s-a uitat la ele ,HABAR NU AVEA de mine,dar mi-a zis ca -s f. talentat si PE LOC a ales o schita si mi-a spus chiar atunci s-o pictez caci o va tipari ca ,coperta la una din reviste si era CONAN the barbarian!Au urmat altele si altele si alte reviste renumite si am fost mereu invitat ca GUEST ARTIST la zeci si zeci de conventii in tara si semnat autografe,caci am avut si inca am multi fani!
Oare ma consider ...destept?Crezi ca in Ro. as fi avut sansele astea?
Si apoi din nou...si de 7 ani am parasit B.D. si sint in prezent un artist de succes creind si ilustrind storyboards pt. reclame TV ce le vad cu ochii mei pe toate canalele posibile in USA.Fara ele nu se face aici o reclama TV.!
Oare sint mai destept?NU! Ceea ce sint este munca mea de unul singur si fara ajutor si pile si legaturi si nume!
Cind am dat portfoliul meu ca sa lucrez pt. TV,M-AU ALES pt. TALENTUL meu,
dupa multe luni apoi am aflat ca au fost peste 200 candidati pe UN SINGUR POST!!!Si asta l-am cistigat eu si FARA examinari,doar aratind arta mea!
Oare sint mai destept ?Poate sint in adevar si nu-mi dau seama dar un lucru e CERT: NU AS FI ceea ce sint azi daca as fi ramas in RO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tu ai viata ta si e treaba ta ce faci cu ea dar cred ca este decent sa NU critici pe NIMENI din afara RO.pt. ca toti am trecut prin thick and thin oriunde traim azi si daca ne-am facut un rost si sintem fericiti este alegerea noastra,
poate unii n-au reusit ca mine sau altii dar totusi merita respect pt. ca au avut curajul de a incepe o noua viata de la inceput fara frica si fara a se plinge,noi
si sper ca nu aduc ofense nimanui acum,romannii din strainatate sintem ALT ALUAT,sintem ceea ce as numi the fittest of the fittest,o rasa anume de oameni,tari in caracter si suflet ce am stiut ca va fi greu dar totusi am facut un pas ce multi ca tine NU vor face,pt. ca cei ramasi in RO sint destinati sa traiasca acolo si asta e in final viata,cum iti e scris asa traiesti.

5.)YES,YES YES,tzatza Veta avea gura stirba aurita!Daca NU CREZI IN TINE desigur ca nimic nu va fi posibil si NU ai realiza nimic si ..realitatea ar fi mereu neagra de nori grei..."don't delay you're in today but tomorrow is another dream"ca sa -l exemplific pe Ozzy intr-unul din cintecele scrise de el.Miine devine ieri si va fi un alt vis in iluzia vietii de scurta durata si se va pierde in ..trecut.dar de ce nu mi-as cladi visul meu acolo unde vreau?
Deci traieste-ti visul tau in RO. si eu pe al meu in USA.Fair enough?
Si DA,TZATZA Ozzy iti spune ca ESTE suficient SA CRED in ceva si ...HOP realitatea ,nu doar ca se ajusteaza dupa ce cred eu dar DEVINE un fapt real in viata mea!

Cred ca te-am lamurit si daca uneori tonul meu il consideri dur,imi cer iertare,la fel tuturor celor ce vor citi ce am scris si s-ar simti ofensati.Am spus doar adevarul din perspectiva mea si experienta mea de viata,nimic mai mult.

LOVE&PEACE,
OZZY OSBOURNE

Mi-e greu sa spun ca am fost "marcat" de anumite carti.dar fara nici o indoiala sint carti care te pun pe ginduri,carti care te fac sa rizi sau sa plingi,carti care le citesti ca sa-ti treaca timpul(pe plaja,in avion).
Din cartile mai recente pe care le-am citit si mi-au imbogatit cel putin orele petrecute cu cititul ,as recomanda(nu stiu cite din ele au fost traduse in romana)
Philip Roth-The Human Stain
Iain Pears-Scipio's Dream
Louis de Bernieres-Captain's Corelli's Mandolin
Oriana Fallaci-Le rage et l'orgueil

"...destul de comuna ca sa fie inteleasa in sensul ce i l-am atribuit aici." Se pare ca am fost plecat de cam mult din tara si am uitat 'expresia'.

Mi-ai facut mare bucurie sa-mi aduci aminte de poezia lui Rudyard Kipling. Imi place sa o savurez in engleza pentru ca are un inteles mai profund...pentru mine:

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Nu are rost sa mai comentez la ce ai scris. Inteleg acum ce vrei sa spui...:)

Numai bine
Florin si atat

Dear Daniel,

Cintecul atat de frumos si celebru,nu are nimic de-a face cu "Virgin Mary"!
Intr-o noapte,Paul(McCartney)a avut un vis in care mama lui a aparut si i-a spus:"It"ll be alright.Don't worry to much,it will be okay".
Numele mamei lui:Mary Patricia Mohin,a fost sora medicala si la acea vreme moase,a murit in 1956 cind Paul avea 14 ani,a iubit-o f. mult.
Cintecul este scris de el in amintirea ei,NU are nici o legatura cu Biblia .
Altadata,pe la 1986 Paul a spus ca in acele zile grele prin care treceau Beatles si erau pe cale de a se dezmembra,a consumat multe droguri si ar fi putut crea acest vis despre mama lui ce l-a inspirat sa scrie cintecul.
Cert este ca este dedicat ei,si destule ori a facut referinte in interviuri ca a iubit-o f. mult si ca a scris cintecul in memoria ei.

LOVE&PEACE,
OZZY

Ps: Stii ca Ozzy Osbourne a fost mult influentat de John Lennon?Ca si azi inca este un mare fan al lui?Visul lui a fost sa fie ca John.
Ozzy este un avid colectionar al Beatles ii considera regii muzicii in lume.
Cind avea 16 ani cinta in fata oglinzii cu o ...matura in loc de microfon si pretindea ca era John Lennon...!

Paul a spus aceste cuvinte legate de cintec si visul lui:
"I felt very blessed to have that dream"

Adios muchacho

NEWS
Committee to Protect Journalists

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: MONDAY, MAY 3, AT 00:01 GMT (For Monday's Newspapers)

CPJ Names World's Worst Places to Be a Journalist

New York, April 30, 2004-The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is marking World Press Freedom Day, Monday, May 3, by naming the World's Worst Places to Be a Journalist.
The list of 10 places represents the full range of current threats to press freedom.

At the top of the list is Iraq, where 25 journalists have died since the U.S.-led war began in March 2003. A brutal crackdown launched last year in Cuba by Fidel Castro's government has left an unprecedented 29 journalists behind bars, serving lengthy prison terms of up to 27 years. Last year saw the biggest blow to Zimbabwe's beleaguered press when authorities closed the country's only remaining independent daily. CPJ also placed Turkmenistan, Bangladesh, China, Eritrea, Haiti, the West Bank and Gaza, and Russia on the list of Worst Places to Be a Journalist.


"In all of these places, reporting the news is an act of courage and conviction," said CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper. "Journalism is essential in helping all of us understand the events that shape our lives, and our need and desire for information cannot be eliminated by violence and repression."


WORLD'S WORST PLACES TO BE A JOURNALIST:

IRAQ

More than a year after the war in Iraq began, the country remains the most dangerous place in the world to work as a journalist. Twenty-five journalists have been killed in action in Iraq since March 2003. Twelve have been killed in 2004 alone-all of them Iraqis.

Postwar Iraq is fraught with risks for reporters: Banditry, gunfire, and bombings are common. Insurgents have added a new threat by systematically targeting foreigners, including journalists, and Iraqis who work for them.
At least six Iraqi media workers have been murdered, and several more have received threats. Armed groups have abducted some eight journalists in 2004, though all have been released.

U.S. forces pose an additional threat to working journalists: at least seven-and possibly as many as nine-journalists have been killed by gunfire from U.S. forces. Other journalists-mostly Arab or Iraqi-have been detained and suffered mistreatment at the hands of U.S. forces.

CUBA

The arrest and long-term imprisonment of 29 journalists in 2003 has decimated Cuba's fledgling independent press. A year after the government of President Fidel Castro Ruz launched a massive crackdown against the press and the political opposition, the imprisoned journalists and their families are harassed and exposed to humiliating prison conditions and psychological torture. They have denounced inadequate medical attention, have been placed in solitary confinement, and have complained about receiving foul-smelling and rotten food. The journalists, who are held in maximum-security facilities, went on hunger strikes several times to demand better conditions. Those journalists who were not imprisoned continue to face routine police intimidation and harassment and are careful about what they write. They say they have been visited by state security officials and issued warnings to stop writing or face the consequences.

ZIMBABWE

For the last four years, Zimbabwe's government has pursued a relentless crackdown on the private press through harassment, censorship, and restrictive legislation. Last year saw the biggest blow to press freedom yet, with authorities closing the Daily News, Zimbabwe's only independent daily and the country's most popular paper. The country's Media and Information Commission (MIC), whose board is government-appointed, refused to register the newspaper despite two court orders to do so. And in February 2004, the Zimbabwean Supreme Court upheld legislation requiring journalists and media outlets to be licensed by the MIC, making it a criminal act to practice journalism without government approval. Those who fail to register face fines and up to two years' imprisonment.

Zimbabwean officials have proven particularly sensitive to coverage of political unrest and the country's severe economic problems. Journalists who reported on pro-democracy rallies were arrested by police and attacked by ruling party supporters. Last year, authorities deported the last foreign reporter based in Zimbabwe, the U.K. Guardian's Andrew Meldrum, whom officials called an "undesirable inhabitant."

TURKMENISTAN

Because political dissent is not tolerated by Turkmenistan's totalitarian regime, independent journalism is practically non-existent.
President-for-life and self-proclaimed "father of all Turkmen,"
Saparmurat
Niyazov, maintains strict control over all newspapers, radio, and television stations by personally appointing editors, and his office approves news reports before they are published or broadcast.

One of the only independent media outlets that penetrates this system of control is the reporting broadcast from abroad by the Turkmen service of the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL). And again this year, RFE/RL was subjected to intense official harassment. In September 2003, National Security Service (MNB) agents detained an RFE/RL stringer based in the capital, Ashgabat, for two days, threatened him with 20 years in prison for betraying his country, and injected him multiple times with an unknown substance. More recently, in February 2004, MNB agents arrested two RFE/RL freelancers after one smuggled 800 copies of his banned novel into Turkmenistan. Both were released from prison in March after CPJ and other press freedom groups protested. However, the journalists still face charges of slander and instigating social, ethnic, and religious hatred and have been pressured to sever all ties with RFE/RL.


BANGLADESH

Crime, corruption, and lawlessness make Bangladesh the most violent country for journalists in Asia. Reporters routinely face threats, harassment, and often brutally violent physical attacks in retaliation for their reporting.
Despite promises from government officials to apprehend those responsible for assaults, the majority of attacks on journalists go unpunished. Deep political divisions in the country and within the journalism community also contribute to the climate of fear.

CPJ has documented dozens of violent attacks against Bangladeshi journalists during the last decade, including the murders of seven journalists in the last eight years. Journalists working outside the capital, Dhaka, are particularly vulnerable. Veteran journalist Manik Saha was killed in January
2004 in the southwestern city of Khulna when unidentified assailants threw a homemade bomb at him. In December 2003, a group of thugs affiliated with the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party tried to kill Shafiul Haque Mithu in the southwestern town of Pirojpur after he wrote a series of articles exposing local officials' abuse of power.

CHINA

During the last year, the newly installed government of President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao has escalated an assault on the burgeoning independent-minded media in China. Authorities have arrested high-profile editors, closed publications, and imposed news blackouts on politically sensitive events.

The crackdown reached an apex in early 2004, when officials arrested three popular and respected editors from the pioneering Southern Metropolis News for alleged corruption. The charges came after the paper published a series of reports on the resurgence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, local police violence, and other sensitive topics. Chinese journalists have called the arrests the "darkest moment" in 20 years of media reform in China.

Forty-one journalists are now imprisoned in China, making it the world's leading jailer of journalists for the fifth year in a row. Independent writers and commentators on the Internet are particularly targeted for prosecution. The arrest of prominent and outspoken commentator Du Daobin in late 2003 sent a clear message to all Internet writers that free expression online will not be tolerated.

ERITREA

Eritrea has been Africa's foremost jailer of journalists since September 2001, when the government banned the entire private press and detained independent reporters. Seventeen journalists are now in secret jails across the tiny Red Sea nation, almost all of them held incommunicado. President Isaias Afewerki and top government officials have accused independent journalists of espionage, spreading disinformation, and "endangering national unity." Authorities continue to insist that the private press also operated without proper licenses, and that independent journalists routinely evaded the compulsory National Service Program. Despite these allegations, no formal charges have been brought against any of the journalists, and the government has given no indication that it intends to prosecute them.

The ruling party has a firm grip on the state media, whose employees are censored and also practice self-censorship. Afewerki has been unfazed by persistent international denunciation of his human rights record and continues to dismiss foreign critics as enemies of Eritrea.


HAITI

Press freedom conditions have seriously deteriorated in Haiti since September 2003, when the murder of a notorious gang leader sparked nationwide violence. From January to March 2004, journalists became targets during the uprising that led to the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide on February 29. While hostility against Haitian journalists is common, foreign correspondents were also attacked while covering the two-month rebellion. In March, a Spanish television correspondent was killed and a U.S. photographer was wounded by gunfire. Several radio stations were torched around the country. Investigations into the 2000 and 2001 murders of two prominent Haitian journalists have shown no progress. The Haitian judicial system's failure to prosecute these crimes has perpetuated a climate of impunity, forcing dozens of journalists to go into exile or seek political asylum.

THE WEST BANK AND GAZA

The West Bank and Gaza Strip remains one of the most unpredictable and potentially dangerous assignments for journalists. At least three journalists have been killed there since April 2003-each by Israeli army gunfire. Israeli troops often harass or attack Palestinian journalists, and Israeli authorities enforce tough restrictions on their freedom of movement.
Palestinian journalists are vulnerable to the increasing lawlessness in the Occupied Territories.

Palestinian militias and armed groups have frequently threatened and assaulted reporters and in some cases have ransacked news offices. In 2003 and 2004, Palestinian gunmen raided two television news offices and a newspaper in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, attacked a correspondent on the street in Gaza, and assaulted a reporter in Ramallah.

RUSSIA

President Vladimir Putin's "managed democracy," which includes using various branches of the state bureaucracy to rein in the independent media, is making the practice of independent journalism in Russia more and more tenuous. A shift from blatant pressures to more subtle and covert tactics, such as politicized lawsuits and hostile corporate takeovers by businessmen with close ties to Putin, has allowed the Kremlin to stifle criticism of the president and reports on government corruption and human rights abuses committed by Russian forces in Chechnya.

In advance of the December 2003 parliamentary elections and March 2004 presidential elections, the Kremlin tightened its legal and bureaucratic controls over the domestic press. Russian press groups criticized the Central Election Commission for failing to sanction the state-run national television channels for improperly promoting Putin and pro-Kremlin parties during the campaigns.

Journalists in Russia's provinces continue to be murdered with impunity.
In
October 2003, the editor-in-chief of an independent newspaper in the Volga River city of Togliatti was stabbed to death because of his paper's coverage of organized crime and government corruption. He was the paper's second editor-in-chief to be murdered in 18 months.

The Committee to Protect Journalists is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide.




"The only death you die is the one you die daily by not living. Dream big and dare to fail." - Norman Vaughn

Sallie Dean Shatz
sallie@sopris.net
970 923 6757 h
970 948 2901 cell