Will international correspondents be redundant?

"The old cartoonish model of parachute journalism was a reporter from New York or London, with a crisis mentality and a short list of questions. The new model is hundreds, or thousands, of homegrown bloggers piecing together many perspectives — counting on a hidden hand of links to sort out differences and shape a “lede” on the story. Kenya and China present the most striking examples of how the new model is pushing back on the old one."

Christofer Laydon talks to Ethan Zuckerman and Solana Larsen of Global Voices Online on the future of Journalism among other things.

Click to listen to Chris’s classroom conversation with Ethan Zuckerman and Solana Larsen here (71 minutes, 33 MB MP3).

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Mobile phones as a development tool

Grameen's phone lady concept is a decade old and now the mobile phones have become so affordable to the mass that the phone ladies are almost dead by now. Except mobile internet telecenters is there anything remarkable happening in Bangladesh using mobile technology?

In the developing world, especially in Africa more and more innovations are coming up to use the potentials of the cellphone networks. Mobile phones are now providing banking services to the poor, text messaging are being used for advocacy and communication. More and more citizen journalists are using mobile phones as a media to record and send videos, photos and text from remote areas.

The United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation has published a report titled :"Wireless Technology for Social Change: Trends in NGO Mobile Use" (click to download pdf -1MB).

This report examines innovative uses of mobile technology by groups working to achieve the UN Millennium Development Goals. The report identifies emerging trends in "mobile activism" through 11 case studies, and highlights the results of a global survey of NGO usage of mobile technology.

Also check their first report "Mobile Phone Banking and Low-Income Customers Evidence from South Africa" (click to download pdf).

I wish NGOs in Bangladesh would learn from these studies to use the potential of the mobile phone growth in the country.

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Cost effective water purification system

A much awaited invention from the creator of Segway. The $1000 eco-friendly water regenerator named Slingshot can take nearly any source of moisture -- including ocean water, urine or sewage--and quickly turn it into safe drinking water. And it comes to Bangladesh first:

"Iqbal Quadir, the founder of Grameen Phone, the largest cell phone company in Bangladesh, is collaborating with Kamen to provide this regenerator in his country in a field trial."

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New Blogger

Welcome Dr. Mahathir Mohammad to Blogging.

(Via Global Voices)

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Cruel politics with US presidential candidate McCain

Which one of his children is not like the others?

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Bangabandhu in Bollywood

Renowned Bangladeshi columnist Abdul Gaffar Chowdhury is producing a film on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Guess who will be playing the role.

Its Amitabh Bachchan, the legendary actor of Bollywood.

Reuters India also reports:

His son Abhishek Bachchan will act in the role of a young Mujib. Amitabh's daughter-in-law and former Miss Universe, Aishwarya Rai, and renowned actress Shabana Azmi will also act in two key roles.

Shyam Benegal, the only director to won India's National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi five times, will direct the movie.

Amitabh is a powerful actor and I don't have anything against the choice. But I wonder why we had to turn to Bollywood to produce a cinema on Bangabandhu. It remains to be seen whether the real history is altered through Bollywood style dramatization or not.

Sad but true that politicization of Bangabandhu's deeds (both by Awami League and anti Awami League forces) have alienated the true Sheikh Mujib from the hearts of many Bangladeshis. And we have to rediscover them through Bolloywood.

Update: Bachchan denies plan to play Mujibur Rahman

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On Fathers Day

Today is Father's Day in Germany (I didn't know that its celebrated in different dates across the world). When you feel the love you know the importance of this day.

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