Held in Iran

A grad student from Los Angeles, was arrested and thrown in jail in Iran on October 15th.  She was in Iran working on a thesis on women's struggles.  (She is a dual citizen of Iran and U.S.) She was pulled over in her car by the police, thinking she was being  stopped for a driving violation.  Instead she was forced to lead them to where she was living, where they searched her belongings and confiscated her computer which contained video footage for her study.  

In a video newscast on the Los Angeles Times website, the reporter said that the woman's family was told by officials that if they didn't go to press she would be released soon.  Yet she still hasn't been released as of now and hasn't been able to have contact with anyone.  The embassy said that she may be being tortured.

I think that its interesting that the Iranian police/administration told her family that she'd be released soon if no press would find out.  What could they be doing that would look bad in the press? Are they doing something illegal or against their rules?  The international press surely would think differently than the national press too.  

The fact that this woman is detained is thought of as a terrible thing to us in the United States, but the media in Iran most likely isn't thinking the same.  They may think its a good thing, to check her out to see if she's a threat or something.  Still there are many, many women who are upset because of the treatment she's getting in the country.  

public art artist makes a statement

World famous graffiti artist, Will Banksy, visited New Orleans a few weeks ago leaving a semi-permanent impact on the city.  Banksy tagged about 12 walls while he visited.  It was the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.  Most of his works are somewhat of a visual commentary of the disaster. 

Banksy is perhaps the most famous graffiti artist around today.  He has tagged illustrations in dozens of different countries.  His taggings are being removed from their walls, wooden boards etc. and are being sold for hundreds of dollars.  The reason for all of his popularity, besides his great talent, has been the fact that his art is public.  

The media helps Banksy become famous through the advanced technology and communications of today.  Word of mouth and seeing his work firsthand lead people to notice his work.  Website postings and bloggers raving about his tags, have increased his popularity.  

Also, the media has developed the stereotype of graffiti taggers being criminals, defacing property.  Taggers are also known to be involved in gangs, which are also associated with violence and vandalism.  Yet, Banksy's work has challenged this stereotype and all that the media pushes us to think.  Even though Banksy is illegally spray painting illustrations on others' property, his work has become known as art.  Few see it as a bad thing or as defacing property. 

The media doesn't shine favorably on people who graffiti in our society, yet the media also helps to make it known; through internet and word of mouth communications.  Graffiti art has become the latest art movement, with Will Banksy being the key figure.

spain arrest 121 for child porn

In Spain on Wednesday, October 1st, there was a nationwide raid of internet child pornographers.  121 men were arrested.  Millions of images were on the internet, reaching to over 75 countries.  It was said that two of those arrested used their own children in pornography.  Four arrested were under the age of 18.  Spain had partnered with the Brazilian police last year in July to begin work on this operation.

When something like this can happen with todays technology; when something made in one country can span out to 75 other countries, I wonder what type of laws and restrictions, if any, there are for illicit material on the web.  The easy accessibility of internet sites has helped communication, knowledge, understanding, and much more in recent years.  Yet, it has also made child pornography all the more easier to exist.

This relates to the discussions and study of ideologies that we have had in class recently.  During last semester, while studying and living in Spain, I learned a lot about the contemporary social issues being faced as a country.  The media has a large say in how news is presented to their viewers.  Spain's censorship is very loose in comparison to the United States'.  I remember seeing graphic photos of a little Gitano (gypsie) girl who had been kidnapped and murdered.  It surprised me that one of the articles presenting this story today noted that the child footage was too graphic to be aired on the news.  This seems unlike the censorship I experienced while in Spain.  An ideology I had about Spain nearly censoring everything was challenged and changed after reading the articles.  Also, the idea of holding children at a different, perhaps higher, level than women or minorities in general seemed apparent here.  The gitano, Mari Luz, that go a lot of press while kidnapped, was said to have been taken by other gitanos for revenge on her family.  Even thought this wasn't proven, it makes me think that since Mari Luz was a minority, she may not have been censored as much as she could have, perhaps by those who don't have favorable views of Gitanos in general.  Would they have not shown her dead, decomposing body if she was born by Spaniards, and not viewed as a second class citizen?