The Tunneler Politics - Art
Volume 01 - Issue 01
The Tunneler June 2011 - Vol. 01 - No. 01
Editor’s Note . . . 3 The Voices in the Tunnel(er) . . . 4 Food for Thought: Understanding Genetic Engineering . . . 6 Relinquishing Political Power: A Look at Tibet’s Future . . . 9 Urbanization: Made in (Mega) China. . . . 12 Rashid Rana and Contemporary Asian Art . . . 15 Words in Motion: Sausan Masoud . . . 18 Open Source Democracy: The Case for Net Neutrality . . . 22
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“There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.” - Socrates
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E d itor’s No te . Dear readers...
dear writers...
dear artists...
dear citizens...
Dear Tunnelers, First of all, welcome to the first issue of The Tunneler! The current issue that you are gazing at is the result of months of hard work, long hours, international collaboration and perseverance. We hope that it is as great a joy to read The Tunneler as it was to make it! It has become readily apparent that we are in a period of massive disinformation within our society. Rumors, myths and falsehoods have been dressed up in eloquent rhetoric and have been masquerading as truths in our political discourse. This phenomenon has been exacerbated by the violent and inflammatory tone that both politicians and media outlets have been using when in dialogue with the public. This has been slowly causing a breakdown in the fabric of our society, eroding away at the pillars of democracy. Many have felt inundated by the sheer magnitude of this matter, have become jaded and then fallen into inaction. Others feel that true change is unattainable and that we shall always be fighting a losing battle and thus, not worth fighting for. It is precisely against this that we, with our audience as our accomplice, wish to resist against. We have set up The Tunneler as a medium for the voice of today’s youth. We seek to break away from the bonds created by apathy and disengagement in order to create a more civil discourse, to present every point of view in an objective manner and to engage the audience in a meaningful dialogue. It would be short-sighted of us to overlook the art world as it has always served as an accurate indicator of the sociocultural climate of the time and has always been a close ally political change. Tunnelers, read on and enjoy!
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T h e Voices in the Tu nne l e r. Anabel Castañeda.
A rising senior at Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, Anabel is a double major in Political Science and Communications with minors in both Advertising and Public Relations. She is currently an intern for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. She can be reached at acasta02@saintmarys.edu
Jaime Beaton
A Political Science senior at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, Jaime is a double major in Human Rights and Political Science with a focus on international relations. She can be contacted at jaime.beaton@ottawa.ca
Sanjeet Takhar
Sanjeet is a Junior at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada where she is currently majoring in Arts and Business; Speech Communication Studies. She focuses on the current art scene across the globe, always seeking a cultural/political insight in her pieces. She can be reached at sanj.tak@gmail.com
Josh Stanley
Josh is entering his 3rd year as an Arts and Business; Political Science major at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. A first generation immigrant of Jamaican, Josh focuses on the political advancement of the developing world. He can be contacted at jshstnly@gmail.com
Estephania Zluhan
Estephania is a Junior at the Universidad Autonoma de Mexico - Iztapalapa, in Mexico City, Mexico where she is currently majoring in Experimental Biological Sciences. For this initial edition of The Tunneler, Estephania contributed one of her pieces for the cover. She can be reached at ezluhan@hotmail.com
Olac Fuentes Zueck
A third year Multimedia Journalism student at the University of Texas at El Paso and founder of The Tunneler, Olac focuses on human rights issues as well as on current events in the political arena, both in the United States as well as abroad. He can be contacted at olacfz@gmail.com
Sausan Masoud
Sausan is a Palestinian-American, native El Pasoan, raised in the United Arab Emirates and Amman, Jordan. Her writing is primarily focused on the issues that arise with being a person of “hyphenated identity,” and the internal struggles that one faces within the clash of cultures. She can be reached at fsmasoud@miners.utep.edu June 2011 • The Tunneler 4
T h e Voices in the Tu nne l e r. Livia Chng
Livia Chng is a Sociology and Psychology graduate from a Singapore University. She has been accepted to read her Masters in Photography and Urban Cultures in London. Photographs in this article are copyright of the author. Please send any comments to dv.livia@gmail.com
What is The Tunneler?
The Tunneler is a non-partisan magazine that is driven in its entirety by the volunteer work of students across the world. We seek to distribute the thoughts and feelings of our generation, be it through text or other artistic means of expression.
Wish to become one of the voices in The Tunneler?
Send us your name, a brief biography as well as a sample of your work to thetunneler@gmail.com. Any type of contribution is more than welcome!
Care to make a financial contribution?
A lot of hard work goes into the elaboration of the Tunneler and we truly appreciate your personal commitment to help us out. Your contribution will go a long way towards our success and hopefully together we shall contribute towards changing our world for the better.asda Make a contribution online at www.wepay.com/donate/tunnelernow
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Food for Thought: Understanding Genetic Engineering By Jaime Beaton
When you look at a plate full of delectable eats, do
you pause to think of where your food came from, the origin of the seed and the processes used to produce it? If you have questioned what is on your plate, then you may also understand the frustration of trying to find ways to avoid foods that may contain Genetically Engineered products. At times, for those who have questioned the origins of their food, it can be painfully frustrating to know that Frankenfoods are everywhere; from candy to crackers, even to fish.
to elbow their way into European markets. According to a Wikileaks cable released in April 2011, the American government has considered retaliation against European countries that continue to ban GE products based on the precautionary principal. This certainly is a concern that is on the foreign policy agenda of the American government, indicating the biotechnology lobby has a preferential relationship with Congress.
Aqua Bounty Technologies is a company dedicated to releasing genetically engineered fish on the market for human consumption. They released a report in August of 2010 that suggests there are no potential harms from the production of genetically engineered salmon. However, it is possible the damage could range from unknown, adverse human health effects to the potential of GE Salmon contaminating wild Salmon, which Aqua Bounty Technologies denies as a possibility. GE Salmon is just the tip of the iceberg; GE technologies are very The use of GE derived crops is not new to Ameripervasive in the food chain and seem to moving for- ca. The first soy bean intended for human consumpward with momentum. tion went on the market in the US in 1996; this is of course after years of lobbying the Environmental According to the Biotechnology Industry Orga- Protection Agency and the Food and Drug Adminnization “GE animals currently under development istration in the US. Currently, it is estimated that include pigs, sheep, goats, chicken, fish and cattle 70% of foods found in American supermarkets are all of which will be thoroughly reviewed by the derived from GE soy bean; certainly this is alarming appropriate federal agencies before entering the and speaks to the lack of choice for consumers. This marketplace.â€? However, when we think of the record coupled with extremely loose labelling laws makes of previous research of GE foods like soy and corn, it even harder as a consumer to make informed a thorough review is questionable as the research choices. For many years Canadian advocacy groups, of health effects were conducted primarily by the through the tireless efforts of Maude Barlow and the producer himself. This has become one of the major Council of Canadians, have called for the labelling of criticisms regarding the studies conducted regardGE foods. ing the safety of GE foods. Europe has been a leader in this area of concern and follows a precautionary As a Canadian that had the opportunity to study principal, which requires peer review of studies and at the University of Texas at El Paso, I also had the new technologies before they come onto the maropportunity to experience American grocery store ket for human consumption. Of course, this is an shopping. What was a concern for me was trying to unsettling position for biotech companies wanting June 2011 • The Tunneler 6
choose milk, as milk in the United States often has rBGH in it as a result of dairy cows being injected with this hormone.
Dairy was one of the first genetically modified products to enter the market when it made its American debut in 1994 and has become one of the more wide-spread genetically engineered products on the market.
Agriculture report, the enforcement of the National Organic Program that went into effect in 2002 has been met with an abysmal record of enforcing standards with producers, allowing for inaccurate labelling of organic products and produce.
California is a sound example of this as it has the largest tracts of organic acreage in the US, yet, they fail to meet the federal regulatory conditions of the National Organic Program which calls for states to have compliance, mediation, and appeal procedures in place. However, California has taken a lead in calling for labels on genetically modified fish. California’s example still speaks to the need for consumers to be more diligent when selecting organic products, as products may in fact decertified organic, yet still able to market as organic as a result of monitoring or regulatory deficiencies. Further, the Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 has not been updated in 20 years; it has just been reinforced with the National Organic program, which in itself has its own inadequacies. For instance, the NOP only studies outputs What was interesting to me was the labelling of of production and not inputs and because organic milk products where there was a persistent assurlabeling or certification of fertilizer products does ance that the producer made efforts to use raw milk not exist, it makes it very difficult to ensure that in from animals not treated with rBGH. However, there fact a product is actually. was no sure guarantee, just a note on the product informing the consumer that there was no significant Furthermore, according to the NOP audit report difference in milk derived from cows treated with rBGH. For me, this certainly did not feel like a choice, published by USDA in 2010, “None of the four certifying and as of late, mass produced organic products have agents we visited conducted periodic residue testing of the approximately 5,000 certified operations for which they an eerie scepticism for me that cannot be ignored. The reason for this is the enforcement of legislation were responsible, and there is no assurance that certifying agents performed regular periodic testing at any of the surrounding what is deemed organic. approximately 28,000 certified organic operations worldAccording to a 2010 United States Department of wide”. Certifying agents are the key ingredient in ensuring the validity of organic labeling and surely this demonstrates that more diligence and monitoring is needed to provide for consumer confidence and food security. What is also of interest to American’s is the
call for a moratorium on GE food from the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, citing that “GM foods pose a serious health risk in the areas of toxicology, allergy and immune function, reproductive health, and metabolic, physiologic and genetic health” as a result of clinical studies on animals.
Now, this does not mean that one should throw 7 The Tunneler • June 2011
the baby out with the bath water, but what it does mean is that there is a need for consumers to be more diligent in their selection of food if they wish to avoid genetically modified products or ensure that the organic food they purchase is indeed meeting the regulatory specifications of what is considered “organic”. This is especially disheartening since it diminishes public trust in farmers, whom themselves have been adversely and negatively affected in many ways by biotech companies. The days of the family farm and heirloom seeds have certainly been quashed by these gigantic multi-billion dollar corporations who care not for the earth and the well-being of farmers or consumers, but for the dollar figure attached to either co-opting the organic movement or dismantling the movement with whatever tactics they can use.
Now, I will suggest some ways to avoid the blatantly obvious foods on the market, most of which are fast food products. Processed food is generally highly suspect as it usually contains soy, corn or on of their derivatives; two of the most widely produced GE foods. If you are looking for organic produce, try farmers markets. This allows you to speak directly with the producer and get some background information on his production methods.
make your own breads or biscuits from ingredients you chose. Most importantly, you can educate yourself on the definitions of organic as well as start reading food labels so that you are not easily fooled into buying products that make a word game out labeling such as ‘organic’ or ‘organics’.
Of course these are just suggestions that you can
try and share with friends, further, if you can get involved with projects dedicated to organic farming or for groups that advocate for labeling and for more scrutiny of biotech companies that can be a good way to try and curb biotechnologies influence in American lobbying, the path of least resistance is always sought after from those with ulterior motives, and the biotech industry is certainly looking for that path. Some good resources for more background information on this topic can be found on the web with the Council of Canadians, Centre for Food Safety and vandanashiva.org, as well as in great documentaries such as “Food Inc.” and “Monsanto”.
Try growing your own, in the southwest this
could be a task, but a small container garden may work, and if soil is a concern, try your own composting project too. You can also try to stick with raw unprocessed food, which can allow you to make your own soups, casseroles and other yummy delights; this also allows you to closely monitor the ingredients. Further, if you are ambitious, you can try to June 2011 • The Tunneler 8
Relinquishing Political Power: A Look at Tibet’s Future.
ern sense that the ways in which Tibetans go about day to day life do not affect those of the Chinese.
By Anabel Castañeda
Both communities are able to live alongside each
Conflicts and disagreements within China’s borders
have existed for some time. The issues that have plagued Tibet and China continue to affect their neighboring countries and the world. Now, it has been seen time and time again countries of substantial power observe the conflict, but instead of involving themselves- they turn their heads away and do not acknowledge it. With countries like the United States who promote human rights and democracy, it may seem hypocritical for them not to become involved with issues concerning certain countries’ behaviors. We see the geopolitical power of China preventing other nations like the United States from getting involved in their country’s affairs. An affair that we will be further examining is one that surrounds Tibet. Particularly we must look at the question of how will the Dalai Lama’s relinquishing of political power affect Tibet? By examining the history of the relationship with China and Tibet we will be able to have a definite answer to our question.
other, but because of the structure of the continuous discussions of Tibet’s autonomy then their ability to live alongside each other becomes difficult. These concerns have been escalated because of the insistency of interpretation between both parties. China has often stated that the Tibetan officials are advocating for independence while Chinese officials say that Tibet already has enough autonomy. These two conflicting views on Tibet show the struggle that the people in the area have dealt with. China believes that it is performing at the best of its capabilities to ensure the peace in the area, but this has been opposed by NGOs like the International Campaign for Tibet. One clear statement that has been made is that China has no intention of allowing Tibet to become its own country.
This seems to bring much attention because the Dalai Lama has stated that he does not want Tibet to We must first note China’s political power has be its own country, but rather that it be autonomous. increased and continues to increase exponentially. The inconsistency that is taking place between their It is making innovations and is working towards becoming a developed country. Many concerns have communications seems to be halting any progresbeen raised about its relationship with Tibet and the sion that may be suitable for both sides. By analyzing human rights violations that have occurred since its both views on Tibet’s autonomy we shall get a better understanding of what exactly is occurring in the occupation of Tibet. There has been a strong West9 The Tunneler • June 2011
discussions surrounding Tibet that is at is making Tibet’s autonomy an issue. Jeffery Wasserstrom author of the book China In The 21st Century: What Everyone Needs To Know tells us “What many westerners would normally dub a “demonstration” for example, many non-Tibetans in the PRC call a “riot”…”(p.115) These differences in defining a situation shows observers that having two opposing views can make a person see only one part of a picture. It is important to see both sides of an issue to really get a clear understanding of what is occurring. Without having knowledge of both of the sides then it is easy to develop a bias. This is reason we will explore the both Tibet and China’s view of the disagreement.
then many were interested because of its ties with China. Tatiana Shaumian describes this in her book Tibet: The Great Hame and Tsarist Russia “Therefore, the reported reception of the Tibetan representative Dorjieff by the Russian Tsar in September 1900 caused great anxiety in London and Calcutta” (p.46). London and Calcutta’s anxiety was because they were afraid that they would not be the ones to settle Tibet. For these countries it was important that they gain this territory over any other country.
There were various hardships felt in Tibet. In the book On the Cultural Revolution in Tibet authors Melvyn Goldstein, Ben Jiao, and Tanzen Lhundrup explain some of those hardships that the Tibetans Throughout history the relationship between faced. In the year 1950 there was a military conflict China and Tibet has significantly varied. In Tibet within the Tibetan region. China and Tibet both have Through Dissident Chinese Eyes: Essays on Selfdifferent versions of this 1950 military conflict. On Determination author Cao Changching tells us how one side we see China’s view of the 1950s situation. during the seventh century Tibet was a powerful According to an article in China Daily published power in the world. He goes on to explain, “The October 23, 2010 titled “Qamdo in Tibet marks 60th Tibetan army was strong enough to conqueror anniversary of liberation” tells us “On Oct 19, 1950, China’s capital, Chang’an (Now Xi’an). Princess Wen troops of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Cheng of the Tang dynasty was given in marriage to marched into Qamdo… and raised a Chinese national King Songsten…” (p.3). One can infer that the preflag there. The event was a precursor to the peaceful sentation of the princess to the king was in order to liberation of the entire Tibet in the following year.” provide some alliance between both entities. Politi- This liberation was to protect Tibet from Russia and cal maneuvers like this were very common during Britain. Instead of coming into Tibet and leaving this era and helped ensure that peace in the area was after they had successfully driven out the imperialist prominent. they prolonged their stay within the region.
During the late eighteenth century we saw the struggle for the alliance of Tibet. Many countries had their eye set on Tibet because of its location. After Tibet came out of its self-imposed isolation
Anguish of Tibet’s authors Petra Kelly, Gert Bastian, and Pat Aiello discuss the hardships that ensued after China colonized Tibet by telling us about the “More than 1.2 million Tibetan died between 1950 and 1983 under Chinese military rule” (p.xii) Tibetan refugees began their journey to India in 1959. The Tibetan refugees have been dispersed for fiftyone years and there has not been much progress to resolve this issue. These individuals are struggling to maintain their identities while agreeing to some assimilation. A large portion of the refugees are located in Dharmasala, India and there are also many refugees in Nepal. A CNN article published October 4, 2010 titled “Nepalese authorities confiscate Tibetan ballot boxes” noted the disruption of a Tibetan election in Kathmandu. The Nepalese government qualified their disruption of the election by stating, “An estimated 20,000 Tibetan exiles live in Nepal. June 2011 • The Tunneler 10
Nepal maintains that Tibet is part of China, and does not allow any anti-Chinese activities on its soil.” This outlook shows the Chinese pressure to suppress Tibetan related freedoms even outside Chinese borders.
These refugees are compelled to live far from their home and adapt to another culture and society. While being exposed to multiple cultures is an excellent way of creating a well-rounded person those individuals should have a choice. Tibet still has a long way to go before it can reach
true autonomy. Its daily struggle has shown many individuals that it wants change. Mahatmas Gandhi said it best when he said, “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win.” In that quotation we come to the understanding that even when the world seems bleak that you must have faith in your cause. The issue is not for a new country, but for recognition. Tibetans want to be able to practice their way of life without the interference of China. China says that Tibet is autonomous, but as we have seen that Tibetans’ human rights are violated and they are limited in what they can do. For many years the Dalai Lama has been meeting with heads of state and has urged them to consider Tibet’s struggle. Now, the new prime minister for the Tibetan government in exile will do so.
China will continue to strengthen its controls
over Tibet. Their policy toward Tibet is not likely to change soon. A country of its stature needs to give the appearance of power. If China begins to change its policies dramatically then this can show weakness. This weakness would make China susceptible to other regions desiring the same respect as Tibet. This hypothetical situation could cause further tensions in the Chinese area. China would need to keep their country as stable as possible. If it would lose any stability then it would not be able to continue to stay a super power or at least it would believe that this would be the case. This is a concern for China because it fears having any of its region gain separation. Many protest like the one seen below show that people aren’t advocating for their own country, but so that China can stop the killings and mistreatments of Tibetans. 11 The Tunneler • June 2011
The Dalai Lama’s relinquishing of political power
will affect Tibet, but not drastically and not long. As we have seen the Tibetan issue has been around for many years. This issue is not something that can be solved within a short period of time. The fourteenth Dalai Lama is 75 years old and there is no telling how much longer he will be around. We are all well aware of death and its ability to strike at any moment. Once the present Dalai Lama passes he will be reincarnated and his mission on Earth will continue. We can predict that the Chinese government will proceed in naming the fifteenth Dalai Lama. They will choose someone who will benefit them and execute their orders. This outcome will further strain the relationship between China and Tibet, but will also bring to light the Chinese government’s character. Countries like the United States, Great Britain, Germany, and France can have a firmer stance on Tibet. Though the situation of having multiple Dalai Lamas at once will cause a great split among Buddhists, we will see that this will emphasize the differences between China and Tibet. After having the differences recognized, this will hopefully lead to an understanding between the Tibetan government in exile and the Chinese government.
Many might criticize this hypothesis and say
that it too idealistic, but the Dalai Lama has and will always represent the voice of the unheard. He stands for justice and peace. Even with the relinquishing of political power he will continue to show the world the importance of autonomy for Tibet. There is more than one way to find a solution to an issue and he has tried one way and will now pursue a different method.
Urbanization: Made in (Mega)China By Livia Chng
The People’s Republic of China is showing immense potential of becoming the next international superpower. With a vast geographical area comparable to that of the United States, China is capitalizing on positive development in almost every aspect she can possibly expand upon. Historically, because of her size, China has split into pockets of provinces, comprising of different varieties of urban and rural Chinese dialects. With such rapid expansion towards modernization and urbanization, what will be the future of provinces and villages? Will these uniquely built areas of rich culture and diversity be eradicated or will they be adaptable into a unified megacity China? Urbanization: How Big Can China Get?
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The notion of a megacity is not new. Character-
proximately 24 million and above.
As China’s population density increases, under employment will also surface as a problem as jobs may not be able to keep pace with the fast exploding inhabitants. With more wanting a piece of the cake, rural to urban migration accelerates to the point that under employment occurs and living expenses As of 2010, 25 megacities have been listed as megacities. The top 5 are Tokyo, Guangzhou, Seoul, rise – creating large urban ghettos, also known as Delhi, and Mumbai, all of which are in the continent the ant people. The move towards the urban is estiof Asia with high projected population density of ap- mated to grow at an alarming rate of 400 million new urbanites by 2020. istically, a megacity is defined as a metropolitan area with a total population of more than 10 million people. This can be constituted of a single or two or more metropolitan area(s) that converge together.
Connecting China and Beyond: High Speed Rails China’s rapid expansion is fueling the growth of 22 large and mega city clusters and to expedite the transformation of China’s economy, she has tapped into the her vast geographical area – by expanding out and beyond. Since the opening of the first High Speed Rail (HSR) between Beijing and Tianjin in 2008, China has built more than 4,600 miles of new tracks. In comparison, Japan’s bullet trains – once held in high regard for innovation has paled in comparison. China already has the world’s longest HSR, transporting approximately 600 million passengers since its’ opening. Under the government support to stimulate the economy, China is making plans to build more tracks and to improve this HSR system, which will span approximately 18,641 miles and reach about 700 million people.
That would mean the linking up of 250 Chinese cities, forming the ambition of China as a megacity. According to industry experts, China is expected to have a 76 percent urbanization rate over the next 50 years. Moving at top speeds of 300km/hr, the Beijing-Tianjin Intercity Railway has drastically shortened commuting time between two largest cities in northern China to just half and hour. China will become, and if not already is, one of the largest consumer market in the world.
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China has international ambitions – it is not only striving to link up the whole of China but to build transcontinental lines across borders and transocean lines. This will reduce travel times between major cities by more than half. It has been estimated that travel from Beijing to Hong Kong will be reduced to less than eight hours, and to most other major cities in less than four hours. By 2020, this high-speed network is envisioned to span a 12,000km grid of eight different lines that will criss-cross and link most of China.
MegaChina: Villages Within a City?
Fueled by the growth of megacities, suburban
expansion has taken on so quickly that some segments of China have become cheng zhong cun, which translates to the notion of a village within a city. The juxtaposition of old brick low-lying houses against newly built high-rise apartments is being
more prevalent as the urban centre struggles to keep up the growing influx of urbanites. The influx is caused by the rural to urban migration of millions of Chinese moving from the countryside to the city for employment, and the emigration of foreigners tapping into the booming economy. Preceding the recent Shanghai World Expo 2010, themed “Better City, Better Life�, there was a massive crackdown to clean up the city of Shanghai in preparation for the event that was expected to host 73 million visitors from around the world. Police raids were conducted to detain and clean out illegal immigrants, street vendors, unlicensed dogs and unkept villages. In order to be the new showcase of China to the world, a flavourful city lost significant aspects of her culture that took centuries to cultivate.
June 2011 • The Tunneler 14
This trend of migration, both internal and trans-
pushcarts or displaying them on mats on the ground. The variety of street stalls is what injects texture national, is intensifying even in major cities like into the landscape, from the display of fruits and Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou. With such rapid snacks, poultry, to hardware and daily services like expansion towards modernization and urbanization, what will be the future of traditional provinces tailors and barbers. Standing side by side, these are and villages? Will these uniquely built areas of rich a common part of the local flavour but were quickly evicted by authorities as they were seen to be ‘dirty’ culture and diversity be eradicated or will they be and gave the impression a developing nation. These adaptable into a unified megacity China? street hawkers were pushed to the borders, away Many were ‘re-educated’ and much of the from the city centre, hidden from the sight of tourstreetscape and traditional ways of life were forced ists. However, with the increasing suburban expanout in order to mould Shanghai into a globalised sion, these villages and hosts of culture will eventuworld city. Traditionally, street vendors set up stall ally be eradicated to make way for China as a unified by the roadside or in provinces selling their ware in whole.
It is likely that the values of unity, community
and neighbourliness in suburban provinces will diminish as quickly as China stacks her high-rise buildings. Historically, China has split into pockets of provinces, comprising of different varieties of urban and rural Chinese dialects. With a nation characterized by a high levels of internal diversity forced into rapid globalization and modernization, MegaChina will be pressured to evolve into a nation of urbanites.
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Unlike that of the suburban, contacts made by
urbanites will become secondary. Even in face-toface contacts, the likelihood of these encounters to be impersonal and transitory is substantial. The increasing lack of emotional ties due to economic and real estate competitiveness will eventually foster mutual exploitation. Though there is presence of close physical contact with the influx of people in cities, there will be evidence of greater social distance, in contrary to friendly, familiar suburban relations. In speeding towards the future, there are indeed unseen costs of urbanization of MegaChina.
Rashid Rana; Deconstructing media By Sanjeet Takhar
When the majority of people think of pixelated
images, they view them as a part of an outdated technology, something that should be prevented rather than commended. The role of an artist is to take these overlooked features and show them in a new light, a concept that artist Rashid Rana excels at.
The Language Series shown this past April at the
(meaning desiccated land), for decades, killing thousands and consistently creating instability.
In 1998, the world became aware of nuclear testing in both countries. The United States immediately ordered sanctions of 20 billion dollars of aid, loans, and trade to these South Asian countries. This decision is a large reason why the Eastern and Western relations have been rocky, let alone the fact that Kashmir has had ties with Al-Qaeda activity.
Lisson Gallery in London, England, exhibits work coined by Rana as “unpacked abstraction”. At first glance it seems chaotic and disorderly. The various It is clear that racism, religious differences and geometric shapes, uneven texture and abstract lines western conflict has many places in South Asian hisseem almost purposeless. However, as one delves tory, which in fact, provides a great canvas for art. into the artwork, and takes time to examine the Rana visually represents politics, religion and piece, the mastery behind it becomes clear. culture in pieces that speak volumes. His large scale Rana, born and currently living in Pakistan, is an photographic prints articulate not only images and artist that lives in an almost permanent ethnic, rameaning but are also relatable beyond South Asian cial and religious skirmish. Issues in South Asia have culture. Tieing in contemporary art with traditional stood the test of time as disputes between Hindu, imagery, or the vice versa, Rana provokes controMuslim and Sikh religions still create strong borders versy. In his current Language Series exhibit, the between countries. Conflict between westernized cit- concepts of traditional imagery and western influies and traditional villages create unequal dynamics ence are highlighted. Taking images of shops sign while the toxicity of racism creates strife for all. from the streets of Lahore, Rana makes point out of One of the largest issues dividing South Asia is, of the concept of “transliterations.” course, the partition and conflict surrounding Kashmir. In 1947, at the end of British Rule, the Indian Empire was split into a Hindu-dominated India and a Muslim-dominated Pakistan. Though the two borders were formed, there lay a few ‘shared’ territories – territories that have remained contested. India and Pakistan have been fighting over the land of Kashmir
Transliteration, by definition, is the literal conversion of text from one writing system into another. For example, taking the word hello and phonetically writing it in Sanskrit. Therefore, when looking at Rana’s pixelated
work, the majority of individuals just see the traditional Urdu script. Yet, once translated to the Latin June 2011 • The Tunneler 16
alphabet, it proves that the signs are, in fact, already
English. Shops highlighted within his piece include stores titled “Welding Store” or “Victory Laundry Works”. These transliterations from English to Urdu are an attempt to maintain the image that Lahore is not westernized.
No more evident of this fact is the controversy brought up in Rana’s work titled ‘What Lies Between Flesh and Blood.’ Images of skin from fashion models mixed with the blood from slaughterhouses are used to depict the media’s obsession with sex and violence. Rana’s take on the representation of flesh as sex and blood as violence also brings to light an interesting perception of how within the human body, flesh and blood are so closely linked. This allows one to ponder upon whether or not sex and violence is a media construction, or something that is acutely human. The relationship between sex, violence, South
Asia and Western culture then seems to be intertwined. Pakistani people fight western influence, ban attempts of globalization and attempt to preserve the modesty of their women. Yet, it makes one wonder if issues of sex and violence are all that frowned Many traditional countries are opposed to the upon. While Pakistani magazines do not explicitly influence of Western culture, and in many ways speak of sex, does a scantily clad woman on a magafight against it. In this case, signs show exactly how zine cover not exhibit the same purpose? Or does a prominent globalization, western culture, and media ban against everything Western not promote unrest effects everyday life. Humans on the surface atand show aggression and violence? tempt to fight change. They wear traditional garb, Rana’s work promotes deep contemplation. It speak traditional languages, and practice the traspeaks about the modern clash that will forever be ditional religions of their culture, conversely, they relatable. His chaotic images produce clear messages have proven to adapt to modern ways. with complex meanings, an achievement that should Media within Pakistan has recently erupted. not be taken lightly. Television channels, blogs, social media, and movie As an artistic ethnomethodologist, Rana’s work watching are at an all time high despite the multichallenges societal norms and the traditions that tude of bans in the country. Fashion and style, and humans take for granted. He pushes individuals to entertainment magazines fill the shelves of corner shops, regardless of the expected cultural modesty. think beyond the basics and understand true meaning behind issues of society. Any future work to be Humsay Magazine has become the premier media completed by this artist will be nothing less than magazine of Pakistan. Magazines have proven to fantastic. One will expect to be mentally challenged have an effect on society. Promoting esteem issues and psychologically invigorated. It will be interestwith females and gender stereotyping. Humsay is no ing to see where Rashid Rana takes us next. different. Showing bare shouldered women wearing western clothing, bearing leg and without a trace of a hijab. Humsay clearly has made an impact on Pakistan.
Flipping through a copy any of its editions, one would have to see that it is indeed, very similar to the concept of any North American magazine. This makes one think, that if a Pakistani print is similar to that of North America, then does it in fact promote the same values? 17 The Tunneler • June 2011
Words in Motion: Sausan Masoud “The Eyes of Khawla” Khawla, they named you. Timid fawn amidst cackling hyenas, you existed quietly among them. Hovering intruder/outsider in their world, a fawn child whose mother’s eyes shone like shattered glass. At five, they hung you. Hands held tight around your ankles over a well, screaming the Spirits out of your body. You harbored them in your baby-doe eyes, blue as the water that runs in the lemon grove. At fourteen, they married you. Your virginal silence as agreement to spend eternity with a wordless man. His secret whiskey bottles burned holes in the bedsheets and poisoned the well of your womb. One son, they granted you. Still wet with the scent of woman, they clamped the Hand of Fatima to his tiny God-body and praised you on the functionality of your womanhood. You had done well, a doe that birthed a lion’s cub. Endless misery, they caused you. Your lion cub fell to bed with the enemy. A bird woman, with wings too restless for your kitchen, she gave you grandchildren unable to speak your name and left you, old doe, to the hyenas’ jaws. Grandmother, where did they bury you? Your blue eyes shine like shattered glass and you close into yourself when I struggle with foreign words. You will never forgive my birdmother’s wings and you sigh at my attempts for redemption. Slowly, you glide your defeated doe-glass eyes over the Hand of Fatima I wear on my neck and you feel the fury of the Spirits rush back in.
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“The Death of Me” Muscles contract and Eyes Fall, to whispers that are more like screams; My body- conquered but not barren- Lies growing; Swelling at the seams. lines that curve and voice that aches collide into your sharp angles: there is no strength left here for you and I and It Is it easier for you to imagine me a man; while I am curving? while I am swollen full of you?
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“Mohammed, I Have Lost you” Mohammed I have lost you To women’s ankles beaten raw and red; And I can’t find you in the fat eyes of mothers Whose first-born sons share your name. Mohammed I have thrown you Out of windows made not for looking out of; And I have drawn the curtains To keep your namesakes from looking in Mohammed I tried to find you In dusty streets full of empty-bellied men; But I could only find you after sundown In the dates and dried apricots set on the table. Mohammed I saw you falling Out of mouths of fast muttering pray-errs; Your name in an index finger rests on knees And falls like a gavel of judgment. Mohammed the last I saw of you Was in the taxi cab leaving Jabal-Hussein; You forgot your shopping on the curbIt was a new pair of shoes.
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“Untitled” Salwa curls between two worlds, bites her lip and dissolves into herself. She replays the images, the cinematic melodrama of her father’s yell-and-shout. “You are no daughter of mine.” Salwa remembers the light, the tint of the windows and the teenage furious “i love you.” She can also recall the cracking, smacking, sticky sound of the father’s violent palms. “sharmota, haywaneh, bint el kalb” She is a whore, an animal, the daughter of dogs. He curses amreeka and the television. He blames the schools and her sha’ara friends. He forgets the feelings, the burning, aching, teenage-furious moments the days spent dreaming under fig trees. He does not remember the motherland as it were, but in his mind it is a virgin-land; white and pure, like freshly washed laundry. He forgets all this and watches his honor slowly drip, like thick blood on clean sheets.
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Open Source Democracy: The Case for Net Neutrality By Olac Fuentes Zueck
Of the many issues that the United States has
been discussing in the current political arena, net neutrality is one that has passed almost unnoticed by the mainstream media, despite its potential impact on online free speech in an increasingly digital world.
First off, what is Net Neutrality?
When a user accesses the World Wide Web,
this user is working upon a series of assumptions. For example; any user can access any website regardless of content or the form of that content, be it images, music, video, text or a combination of these forms. All of this information is treated equally by your Internet service provider and this allows you to access all content with the same degree of ease. Once online, you are also able to create your own website, online business and use a series of online tools as you see fit. Due to net neutrality legislation, ISPs are prohibited from giving inferior service to the website of competitor. This is what prohibits Comcast, one of the largest ISPs, from making it more difficult to access the Fox News website (one of their greatest competitors) than their own NBC News website.
Internet’s content, ISPs say that it is within their rights to use this framework as they see fit. Other detractors of net neutrality laws believe that the federal government is incapable of creating and enforcing a just set of norms and laws with which to regulate the Internet and fear that legislation would end up causing more harm than good. This lack of confidence in the government has been seen on both sides of the net neutrality issue.
This distrust in government regulation was only
recently exacerbated through the actions of former FCC commissioner Meredith Atwell Baker.
Baker was one of the commissioners that voted in favor of the NBC-Comcast merger, a merger which would create one of the largest media conglomerates in the world. This merger was seen as a threat to net neutrality laws by many organizations and was also viewed as a possible infringement of anti-monopoly laws. Commissioner Baker was both in favor of the controversial Comcast merger as well as against net neutrality laws.
“Net neutrality can be summarized as a policy of non-discrimination between data on the Internet in order to preserve a network where consumers can be able to download and utilize any software applications, content, or services that they desire.”
Why would someone be against net neutrality?
There are several arguments against net neu-
trality, however many these arguments are of dubious validity. One of the main arguments put forth by telecommunication companies against any net neutrality legislation is arguing that such laws would be a violation of their property rights. As owners of the vast network of cables and lines that serve to host and maintain portions of the
A mere four months after approving the merger, Commissioner Baker resigned from her position at the FCC and became a lobbyist for Comcast as Senior Vice President of Governmental Affairs. It is these acts of implicit collusion between “the
regulated” and “the regulator” that erode the public’s trust in their own government.
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Nonetheless, the main argument against net neu- on other aspects of the issue outside of the election trality has been the increased use of bandwidth by cycle. Many online citizens answered Geller’s call and the average user. As video-sharing websites such in true grassroots fashion, offered their time, hard as YouTube and Hulu have increased in popularwork and even free legal counsel in order to give birth ity, along with other high websites that use a lot of to the OSDF. bandwidth, ISPs have claimed that the cost of mainIt has been six months since the creation of the taining their infrastructure have sky-rocketed. They OSDF and in that six-month period it has survived and see the creation of a “higher tier” of Internet service even thrived in the harsh environment of American as a manner to offset increased costs. politics. In concordance with its founding values of Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has been especially transparency and collaboration, the OSDF has worked critical of this point of view, as he believes that this with the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Public Knowllast argument is not factually accurate. In an open edge, Color of Change as well as Savetheinternet.com, letter to the FCC, Hastings expressed his skepticism all of which are interested in protecting the digital rights of American citizens. Multiple campaigns have on this concept. been born out of these cooperative endeavors and one “Wired ISPs have large fixed costs of building and maintaining their last mile network of residential cable and fiber. The ISPs’ costs, however, to deliver a marginal gigabyte, which is about an hour of viewing, from one of our regional interchange points over their last mile wired network to the consumer is less than a penny, and falling, so there is no reason that pay-per-gigabyte is economically necessary. Moreover, at $1 per gigabyte over wired networks, it would be grossly overpriced.”
What is the ODSF?
The Open Source Democracy Foundation is
an organic grassroots organization that seeks to inform the American public about this very important issue while advocating for increased transparency and cooperation within the government.
The OSDF was
born from one particular citizen’s frustration with the rampant apathy and disengagement with the world of politics. Six months ago, Los Angeles resident Eddie Geller made an online call for action, a call to arms in favor of protecting one of the things he valued most; a free Internet. Initially envisioned as a political action committee with the goal of swaying elections, Geller’s idea morphed into the OSDF, a 501(c)(4) that would allow the organization to be much more flexible in its goals and be able to focus 23 The Tunneler • June 2011
of the more successful ones was the recollection of over 50,000 signatures in favor of net neutrality which were delivered by Geller to the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, DC this past December. Currently the OSDF is running the “On the Record” campaign. This campaign seeks to get all 535 voting members of Congress on the record with regards to their support or opposition to net neutrality. The ODSF wishes not only inform constituents about their representative’s stance, but also to inform possibly misinformed representatives on the issue. The OSDF is also considering running ad campaigns in favor or against certain representatives in response to their stance on this important issue.
In a recent interview that we had with Eddie
Geller and members of the Open Source Democracy Foundation, we asked what advice they would give to aspiring grassroots leaders and they offered the following points: 1. Be patient. Things are not going to develop as fast as you want. 2. Be resilient. People are going to volunteer and drop out. Unfortunately, I’d say that’s more common than people actually getting in and participating. 3. Be encouraging. Nothing kills momentum like shooting down people and their ideas. 4. Network. Try and reach out to everyone you know that has been working on your issues. They will probably be more open to talking to you and working with you than you realize. 5. Make friends with the press. When you do something, you want people to take notice. So, some well-placed and well-prepared emails and calls to blogs, newspapers, etc., will be a huge boon to your organization when you’ve done something cool or are about do something. 6. Be self-motivated. No one will care about your issue as much as you, but you need to make sure everyone knows about it, as well as what you are doing for it.
It’s up to us then to use everything we can to rally people to Net Neutrality and other causes. Money might be able to buy air time, but it can’t buy passion.”
And what does the future hold for the Open
Source Democracy Foundation?
“We absolutely plan to take on other issues as we grow, but for the moment, taking on something as large and complicated as Net Neutrality keeps our hands pretty full. When we do take on a new issue, it’ll be something born out of the passion of what people want to take on; in other words, it’ll be a group decision.” If you wish to contribute to the OSDF, don’t hesitate to visit them at www.theosdf.org or contact them at volunteer@theosdf.org!
We inquired with regards to the idea that politics
and American democracy has ceased to be a votedriven process and has become increasing under the power of money and those who most possess it. We inquired ODSF leadership as to how one could best make up for the lack of multimillion dollar funding and the political influence that this amount of money can grant.
“All I know is that the only thing that’s going to be able to compete with big money is a massive amount of people. So, what we can do is organize people to take action in one way or another. We want to facilitate people to understand the issues we’re fighting for and go out and educate others. We want people to sign petitions and lobby their representatives.”
Senior OSDF member Kevin Reuning also chipped in “In the end I try to remember that thankfully money can only go so far, politicians still need votes.
June 2011 • The Tunneler 24
Thanks for reading! Don’t forget to come back for more in July, 2011!
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