I received this comment from one Larry Kasperek in regards to the Nadzab Airport story below (which has been used previously in this Blog): "The airstrip at Nadzab was built by the 836th Aviation Engineer Battalion.
"They arrived from Lae on Dec. 17, 1943 and spent their first Christmas in the Pacific there.
"In addition to the airstrip, they built a control tower, access roads, laid water pipe to the hospital area and the largest playhouse in thousands of miles, complete with a sound system.
"The John Wayne Show entertained them there.
"Of note in their history was a tea house run by the Australians.
"They departed in March of 1944.
"My father was a member, and they still hold annual reunions."
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
The story of Nadzab Airport
Longtime Lae resident, the late Horace Niall, once predicted that Nadazab would one day become the main international airport for Papua New Guinea (Picture above showsNadzab, just before it was opened in late 1977)
It hasn’t, as yet, however, is capable of receiving international flights and remains one of the busiest airports in the country.
Niall was one of those who helped to build Nadzab back in 1943 into one of the busiest airstrips of World War 11.
And he fondly recalls that Nadzab was almost in every respect an “international airport” in those days, with loudspeakers calling for passengers to Honolulu, Los Angeles, Australia and many other faraway places.
Nadzab fell into disuse after WW11, however, rose from the ashes of the war to be reopened in 1977 and eventually took over from Lae as the main airport.
“Having had so much to do with Nadzab, I was happy to hear in 1973 that it was to be made operational again,” Niall wrote in 1978.
“I doubt that it will ever be as busy as it was from late 1943 to 1945, but I have a feeling in my bones that one day it will become the main international airport for Papua New Guinea.”
The first airfield in the Nadzab area of the Morobe Province’s Markham Valley was established by the Lutheran Mission for use by small planes serving the mission station at Gabmatzung.
It was not used very often and, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, it soon became overgrown with dense kunai grass.
It was with the capture of Japanese-occupied Lae in mind that the Allied forces decided to use the Nadzab area as a landing craft for Dakota and other aircraft.
On September 5, 1943, about 1600 men of the 503rd American Parachute Infantry Regiment, with an Australian battery of 25-pounders, were dropped at Nadzab.
The Americans were in 82 Dakota transports, the Australian gunners in five.
Before the attack, part of the 2/2nd Pioneer Battalion, with a Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) company and an Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit (ANGAU) detachment with almost 1000 Papua New Guineans as carriers and labourers, had been assembled at Tsili Tsili airstrip in the Lower Watut area, to the southwest of Nadzab.
“The ANGAU detachment was under my command,” Niall takes up the story.
“All of us made a three-day march from Tsili Tsili to a point overlooking the Markham River and almost opposite the area where the paratroopers were to land.
“Before the drop, the site was heavily strafed by Mitchell bombers and fighter planes.
“At the same time the Lae airstrip was also coming under heavy bombardment.
“During the strafing, large areas of kunai grass were set alight.
“The paratroopers landed with no opposition.
“The overland troops and carriers crossed the Markham River just west of the junction with the Erap River but their progress to the drop area was held up because a track had to be cut through the tall pitpit (a wild sugarcane).
“By dark, Lieutenant Colonel J.T. Lang, CO of the Pioneers, and myself had reached the site of the proposed new airstrip.
“Word was sent back along the track for all to sleep where they could and to be at the old airstrip site by first light.
“This happened and by 7.30am I was able to report that, by a superhuman effort on the part of the Papua New Guinea labourers, the old strip was cleared and ready for planes to land on it.
“On hearing this, the 5th Air Force headquarters began moving troops of the Australian 7th Division, the first arrivals landing about 11.30am.
“Cover for the incoming aircraft was provided by the US paratroopers.
“The next day I was told to report to Colonel Price of the US Army engineers, who instructed me to accompany him to a site, marked on aerial photograph of the area, which appeared suitable for a large airstrip.
“We travelled at breakneck speed across country to the site of the present Nadzab airstrip.
“After driving up and down the proposed site a few times the colonel said he was satisfied it would be suitable.
“We then arranged for 50 labourers to be put to work clearing the kunai and other rubbish.
“A camp site, which is still recognisable, was selected for ANGAU personnel near the present turn-off from the Highlands Highway to the airport.”
Grass knives and machetes were dropped and some large tractor drawn mowers were sent from Port Moresby.
However, they could not be used until large stones and bush covering the area had been cleared.
Then six bulldozers were flown in.
They cleared a track as they drove to the site of the planned strip.
That track was almost in the same position as the track which today leads from the airport to the racecourse.
“The ‘dozers quickly leveled the area but in doing so they raised a pall of black dust, caused by the kunai being set alight, which made working conditions unpleasant, especially since drinking water had to be carried several miles,” Niall recalls.
“Another danger was the death adders which turned up by the score.
“Most were large and angry at being disturbed and each had to be caught and killed before work could proceed.
“Luckily no one was bitten and I think the adders helped augment the meat rations of some workers!”
Next came the Marsden steel matting which was laid on the new strip by the US engineers.
Two days after work had begun, the first flight of Mitchell bombers landed.
The strip had already been tested by a few Dakota landings and a makeshift control tower, made from poles cut from the nearby bushes and tied with wire and kunai vines, had been erected.
In the days that followed Lae was recaptured and the US 5th Air Force headquarters was moved from Port Moresby to Nadzab.
Two more strips were prepared plus an emergency landing ground.
Dispersal bays were made and connecting roads, most of which were sealed with bitumen flown from Port Moresby, were laid.
An Australian Construction Squadron also built two strips near the entrance to the present-day Nadzab airport for use by RAAF aircraft.
The main airstrip was, at first, used mostly by medium and heavy bombers such as Liberators and Flying Fortresses which were attacking Madang, Wewak, Rabaul and Hollandia (now Jayapura in West Irian).
They came and went from dawn till dark.
This went on until Hollandia was captured by US troops.
The heavy aircraft were then moved to Hollandia, and to Morotai in the northern Moluccas.
Nadazab then became home to the Combat Replacement Training Centre (CRTC).
Planes were flown in from Australia and the United States and the crews were given their final training before combat.
“Nadzab was almost in every respect an international airport,” Niall remembers.
“All day long, one could hear loudspeakers calling for passengers to Honolulu, Los Angeles, Australia and many other faraway places.
“Most air operations for the transport aircraft were controlled by civilians in uniform.
“One told me they were getting ready for the period after the war when they would be traffic controllers for US civil airlines.
“It must have been excellent training for them!
“We were hoping to have the use of a lot of the army-built huts at Nadzab after the 5th Air Force moved on but to our disappointment nearly all were dismantled and flown to Hollandia.
“Only the concrete floors were left, many of which can be seen at Nadzab today.”
The war over, Nadzab fell into disuse, nearly all air movements being made from Lae.
“Two years later, the only sign of activity was the ‘graveyard’ of dozens of wrecked Liberators and Fortress bombers plus a few Dakotas and fighter planes,” Niall continues.
“These were bought by an enterprising group who set up a furnace, smelted down the pieces into ingots and shipped them from Lae at what was said to have been a very handsome profit.
“It was sad to see the old bombers being chopped up.
“On their sides were a great selection of humourous paintwork – fancy names, markings signifying the number of missions, numbers of ships hit or sunk and other aircraft shot down in combat.
“Practically nothing is left today of the ‘graveyard’ which was at the western end of the present airstrip.”
In 1962, the main strip at Nadzab was resealed by the Australian Commonwealth Department of
Works and lengthened to make it suitable for Mirage fighters, even though they never materialised.
However, it was always maintained by the Australian Department of Civil Aviation as an alternative to Lae in poor weather conditions.
Likes its predecessor in Lae, Nadzab has made an indelible impact on the history of Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea and the world.
Storm Boy brings back memories of another day
It was while searching a second-hand shop in Port Moresby for books that I found a real gem.
That book was Storm Boy, written by Australian Colin Theile, and which was later made into a classic Australian film of the same name in 1976.
I immediately pounced on the book as Storm Boy was a movie that touched my heart – and those of so many other children - so many years ago as a child in Lae.
And, indeed, my children enjoyed every minute of me reading the book to them, which just goes to show the timelessness of Storm Boy.
It also brought back so many memories of another day, particularly of the now-extinct movie theatres, which once abounded all over Papua New Guinea.
A whole generation in Papua New Guinea has sadly grown up without knowing the experience of watching movies in a cinema.
In the “happy days” of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, cinemas were commonplace all over the country.
Those of us who grew up in that roaring and memorable period will know the joy of watching films on the big screen.
These days, with the advance of television, video, VCDs, and the Internet, the movie projector has become as antiquated as the time-honored typewriter.
Anyway, it was in 1978, when I was 10, that my father brought my elder brother David and I to the Huon Theatre in Lae one rainy night to watch Storm Boy.
I remember sitting with my eyes glued to the big screen, following Storm Boy’s every move, until I broke down and wept with him when his pet pelican Mr Percival was shot by hunters along a lonely, windswept Australian shore.
Every once in a while there is a special film, a film that appeals to all ages, a classic family entertainment that celebrates life and joyfully touches the heart.Storm Boy is that film.
Storm Boy (Mike) lives with his recluse father, Hide-Away Tom, on South Australia's lonely and beautiful coast.
Years before, when Storm Boy’s mother had died, Hide-Away Tom had left Adelaide and gone to live like a hermit by the sea.
Here his Storm Boy’s spirit roams with his pet pelican, Mr Percival, and his secret Aboriginal friend, Fingerbone Bill.
He knows no other world.
Suddenly there are intruders: the local school teacher who wants him to take lessons, a resentful wildlife ranger, duck shooters, hooligans with loud music.
Storm Boy, growing up, is forced to choose between a life of continued isolation and the challenges of the outside world.
One time the hunters are in the area, Mr Percival is shot down and Mike does a mad search through the long grass to find him.
The search is unsuccessful and Mike cries as he walks along the beach remembering times they spent together.
Fingerbone eventually finds Mr. Percival and buries him.
He shows Storm Boy the grave he dug, and there are a few moments of sadness, but this is turned to hope when Fingerbone shows Storm Boy a nest with a freshly hatched pelican in it: "Mr. Percival all over again, a bird like him never dies."
The film was one of the first Australian feature films made for children to become well-known and both the book and film are still widely used in school English programmes.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
First University of Goroka debate and panel discussion launched
Last Tuesday night (10th July 2008), the University of Goroka launched its first-ever student debate and panel discussion about events currently in the media.
The topic of the debate was centred on the controversial issues of mining and exploration.
Two teams of students competed in the debate, presenting their arguments for and against the topic, to win the approval of the adjudicators.
Some poignant ideas were presented throughout the debate, which ensured an interesting and entertaining event witnessed by staff and students.
Strong competition from each competing side meant a tough decision was reached to award one team the winner on the night.
Chief organiser of the event, Associate Professor Dr Michael Mel, commented: “Great societies can discuss things if they can articulate their points of view [and] it’s very important today as we look at these kinds of issues…affecting our pockets and our levels of survival”.
He also quoted Vanuatu orator Jean-Maree Tjibaou: “As long as talk remains hidden in our minds we will never develop a common conscience”.
The debate was followed by an open discussion on the Prime Minister’s actions to intervene into certain commissions of inquiry about matters of national interest.
The discussion raised several important points made by staff and students relating to the topic regarding transparency, good governance, democracy, unbiased information from the media and justice for crimes committed against the state.
Dr Mel commented: “We live in a world where information is constructed…[and yet] the truth is only relative”.
The evening proved to be popular with staff and students alike and was deemed a success, enjoyed by all.
Similar events are planned to be held later in the year.
The topic of the debate was centred on the controversial issues of mining and exploration.
Two teams of students competed in the debate, presenting their arguments for and against the topic, to win the approval of the adjudicators.
Some poignant ideas were presented throughout the debate, which ensured an interesting and entertaining event witnessed by staff and students.
Strong competition from each competing side meant a tough decision was reached to award one team the winner on the night.
Chief organiser of the event, Associate Professor Dr Michael Mel, commented: “Great societies can discuss things if they can articulate their points of view [and] it’s very important today as we look at these kinds of issues…affecting our pockets and our levels of survival”.
He also quoted Vanuatu orator Jean-Maree Tjibaou: “As long as talk remains hidden in our minds we will never develop a common conscience”.
The debate was followed by an open discussion on the Prime Minister’s actions to intervene into certain commissions of inquiry about matters of national interest.
The discussion raised several important points made by staff and students relating to the topic regarding transparency, good governance, democracy, unbiased information from the media and justice for crimes committed against the state.
Dr Mel commented: “We live in a world where information is constructed…[and yet] the truth is only relative”.
The evening proved to be popular with staff and students alike and was deemed a success, enjoyed by all.
Similar events are planned to be held later in the year.
University of Goroka Open Day a success
Last Friday (11 July 2008) saw the University of Goroka successfully host its annual Open Day celebrations.
The day attracted many visitors from the general public, tourists, and students from local and outlying schools to attend and participate in all attractions at the event.
Displays by each university faculty and partner institutions proved to be very popular.
Some highlights on the day included: displays from each faculty of student projects; blind students demonstrating how they learn by Braille computers and typewriters; Science faculty demonstrations on the uses and capabilities of the electron microscope; cooking and sewing demonstrations by the Home Economics department; displays of sculpture and artworks by Expressive Arts students (fine arts); student poetry recitals by the Humanities faculty Language and Literature staff; interactive demonstrations by the university’s IT staff; methods of teaching and learning by Education students; and HIV/AIDS and STI awareness displays by Health section staff and students.
Vice Chancellor Dr Gairo Onagi welcomed all attendees to the Open Day.
“This university is for you…this University is made by people who join it.
“Feel welcome to come and join us,” he invitingly said.
Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) and UOG Open Day Committee Chairman, Associate Professor Dr Michael Mel, thanked all who attended and told students how important education was to their lives and reminded them that university study was for all.
“Dispela universiti em i ples tru bilong yumi”, he said.
He also acknowledged and thanked all students and staff who prepared for and participated in the event.
The open day came to an end with contemporary dance and music performances by Expressive Arts students.
The event was seen as progressing better each year and unanimously declared a success by all involved
10 Tips for the newcomer to Blogging
By Goroka Bogger, Robert Schilt (http://www.trupela.com/)
(This is a follow-up to the story I posted a couple of days back on: “Blogging in Papua New Guinea“)
Wikipedia defines a Blog as: A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
First of all some basic terms…
A Blog is the same as a Weblog (Web Log).
A Blog is a type of website.
All Blog’s are websites but not all websites are Blog’s.
People that write Blogs are called Bloggers.
The collection of all Blogs is called the Blogoshere.
Blogs have a certain type of software running in the background.
Blogs make it easy to frequently add content to your website.
To publish a story or article is to post a story or article to your Blog.
If you already have access to the Internet - a Blog can be setup for little or no cost.
Blogging is easy and it’s fun.
OK - here’s that list of 10 tips on how to get started:
1. You must have a reasonable level of computer literacy.
2. Regular and easy access to the Internet is a must.
3. Ask yourself: Why do I want to start a Blog and what subject will I be writing about?.
4. Do a little bit of research and reading (google) on the subject. There’s a great book for the novice called (you guessed it!) : “Blogging for Dummies” by Brad Hill.
5. Decide on a Blogging Host - these are currently the most popular:
LiveJournal.
Yahoo! 360.
My Space.
Blogger.
Blogspot.
Facebook.
Typepad.
Wordpress.
6. Once you have decided on a Blogging Host then take the time to familiarise yourself with the blogging tools and administration software available.
7. Design and configure the style of your Blog. Consider incorporating one or more of the following:
A Photo Album.
Reader comments.
Links to other Blogs or websites.
RSS or Atom news feed.
Page header graphic.
Include a list of your recent posts.
Collect visitor/reader statistics.
Categories and keywords (tags).
A Contact form.
About the author.
8. Time to start writing and posting! Aim to post something on a daily basis. Better to post short stories regularly rather than longer stories intermittently.
9. Tell as many people as possible about your new Blog!!
10. Start reading and interacting with other blogs (social networking) that have similar topics.
Finally, if you do get stuck… you can always put up your hand and ask for some help. Most bloggers are only too willing to share their experiences with others.
Thought for today…
The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest patience is humility. The greatest effort is not concerned with results. The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go. The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances. - Atisha ...
(This is a follow-up to the story I posted a couple of days back on: “Blogging in Papua New Guinea“)
Wikipedia defines a Blog as: A blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.
First of all some basic terms…
A Blog is the same as a Weblog (Web Log).
A Blog is a type of website.
All Blog’s are websites but not all websites are Blog’s.
People that write Blogs are called Bloggers.
The collection of all Blogs is called the Blogoshere.
Blogs have a certain type of software running in the background.
Blogs make it easy to frequently add content to your website.
To publish a story or article is to post a story or article to your Blog.
If you already have access to the Internet - a Blog can be setup for little or no cost.
Blogging is easy and it’s fun.
OK - here’s that list of 10 tips on how to get started:
1. You must have a reasonable level of computer literacy.
2. Regular and easy access to the Internet is a must.
3. Ask yourself: Why do I want to start a Blog and what subject will I be writing about?.
4. Do a little bit of research and reading (google) on the subject. There’s a great book for the novice called (you guessed it!) : “Blogging for Dummies” by Brad Hill.
5. Decide on a Blogging Host - these are currently the most popular:
LiveJournal.
Yahoo! 360.
My Space.
Blogger.
Blogspot.
Facebook.
Typepad.
Wordpress.
6. Once you have decided on a Blogging Host then take the time to familiarise yourself with the blogging tools and administration software available.
7. Design and configure the style of your Blog. Consider incorporating one or more of the following:
A Photo Album.
Reader comments.
Links to other Blogs or websites.
RSS or Atom news feed.
Page header graphic.
Include a list of your recent posts.
Collect visitor/reader statistics.
Categories and keywords (tags).
A Contact form.
About the author.
8. Time to start writing and posting! Aim to post something on a daily basis. Better to post short stories regularly rather than longer stories intermittently.
9. Tell as many people as possible about your new Blog!!
10. Start reading and interacting with other blogs (social networking) that have similar topics.
Finally, if you do get stuck… you can always put up your hand and ask for some help. Most bloggers are only too willing to share their experiences with others.
Thought for today…
The greatest achievement is selflessness. The greatest worth is self-mastery. The greatest quality is seeking to serve others. The greatest precept is continual awareness. The greatest medicine is the emptiness of everything. The greatest action is not conforming with the worlds ways. The greatest magic is transmuting the passions. The greatest generosity is non-attachment. The greatest goodness is a peaceful mind. The greatest patience is humility. The greatest effort is not concerned with results. The greatest meditation is a mind that lets go. The greatest wisdom is seeing through appearances. - Atisha ...
Monday, July 14, 2008
University of Goroka Open Day
These are pictures from the University of Goroka Open Day last Friday, July 11, supplied by UOG's ICT Manager Russell Deka Harada.
This Blog was showcased at the open day as an example of how Papua New Guinea can promote itself on the Internet.
According to Mr Harada, there was overwhelming excitments about Blogs, and how individuals could upload stories and pictures on to the Internet.
Judging by these pictures, yes, indeed, there needs to be a lot more education on IT and the benefits it can bring about to our beloved country.
Statistics
I've received hundreds of hits over the last two years but have not installed a proper counter until today, Monday July 14, 2008, which is indeed a momentous occasion in the history of this Blog.
I'm looking forward to building a more-interractive Blog by the end of this year which will bring you news, views, entertainment and more.
It will also bring Papua New Guinea to the world.
I need your thoughts and views to help me make this become a reality.
Happy Blogging!
Malum
I'm looking forward to building a more-interractive Blog by the end of this year which will bring you news, views, entertainment and more.
It will also bring Papua New Guinea to the world.
I need your thoughts and views to help me make this become a reality.
Happy Blogging!
Malum
Sunday, July 13, 2008
A tribute to my wife (re-run of story run earlier this year)
A song for Hula
In life, my wife, Hula, often talked about the natural Eden-like beauty of her remote Iruupi village in the Western province, just across the Torres Strait from Australia.
We had talked many times about visiting Iruupi during our 10 years together, however, this was not to be.
My dear wife told me many-a-time of the natural beauty of Iruupi – a virtual Garden of Eden - with its waterways, barramundi, prawns, deer, wild pig, wallaby, cassowaries, taro, bananas, greens, melons, pineapple and other fruits.
She implored me to go and write a feature article of the place and take pictures of its breathtaking scenery.
Sadly, this would never be, as my beloved wife passed away so suddenly and tragically at Daru hospital on Easter Sunday, March 23, 2008, so far away from me and our four young children Malum Jr (7), Gedi (6), Moasing (3), and baby Keith (9 months) in Port Moresby.
Hula had been suffering from suspected post-natal complications following the birth of Keith last June.
She visited Iruupi to be with family, however, in the process, fell ill and was admitted to Daru hospital on Easter Saturday, but died the next day, leaving behind a broken-hearted husband and four young children.
Memories of another day came swirling in my mind as I struggled to come to terms with the reality that Hula, who was only 31 years of age, would never grow old with me and watch our four wonderful young children grow up.
My thoughts went back to 1998 in Lae, when I met the most-beautiful woman I had ever seen, and fell head-over-heels in love with her.Hula, who was then living in Australia with her uncle and auntie, was in Lae for holiday when I first courted her and would not take ‘no’ for an answer.
We started dating, and our love blossomed, to the point that she left for Australia with the promise that she would be back to live with me as my wife.
Towards the end of 1998, I secured a job with the Coffee Industry Corporation in Goroka, and Hula joined me in early 1999.
We had a big three-bedroom house at the Rotary Park in West Goroka, with a big backyard and garden, and life was a dream to a young couple like us.
We’d roll on the grass like children, grow our own vegetables, take long walks along the streets of Goroka, go to market, have long lunches at the Bird of Paradise Hotel followed by a dip in the pool, lie in the park at the airport watching planes land, and catch a PMV or take a long drive to Lae as I pointed out places of interest to Hula.
Yes, indeed, life was a wonderful, carefree dream for us star-crossed lovers.
We were active members of the St John’s Lutheran Church at West Goroka, with Hula being a member of the church choir, and I have so many fond memories of watching her practice and then walking back home with our hands around each other on those cold Goroka nights.
Hula’s radiant personality and friendliness won us so many friends among the people of Goroka.
In early 2000, she became pregnant, and on Saturday, November 4, 2000, I held her at the Goroka Base Hospital and cried after she gave birth to our first son Malum Jr.
We regaled in the joy of becoming parents and enjoyed every minute of Jr growing up at our new home at North Goroka.
Our second son, Gedi, was also born in Goroka on February 13, 2002.
The laid-back lifestyle of Goroka, however, was to end later in 2002 when the CIC underwent a major retrenchment exercise in which about 75% of its staff, including me, was laid off.
We moved to the big smoke of Port Moresby, and although life was good, we never quite got to enjoy the privacy and happiness we once had in Goroka.
Hula, being the good wife that she was, stuck with me through thick and thin.
We were blessed with a third child, a girl named Moasing after my mother, in August 2004 and she brought so much joy to our hearts.
Keith came along last June to complete our hat-trick of boys and complete our basketball team.
At the end of last year, when my three-year contract was up, I decided – after consultation with Hula – to move on to The National where we both believed I could contribute more to the country.
To mark the occasion, we family celebrated by booking a room at the Holiday Inn, where we ate and drank as much as we wanted to.
At the beginning of this year, Hula started complaining of burning sensations in her body, which doctors said was heartburn brought about by child birth.
She was put on medication, however, the sensations continued, by which time Hula insisted that she go home to her village in Iruupi.
I tried to stop her, as she was due for an internal scan and x-ray, however, she would not be moved and flew to Daru, with a relative of hers as babysitter to take care of our children in Port Moresby.
I would never see her alive again.
On Easter Monday, my daughter Moasing and I traveled to Daru with Hula’s coffin, helped to dress her up, I kissed her for the last time, and it was homeward bound on the dinghy hearse for Iruupi.
I held Moasing and cried all the way from Daru Island to Iruupi on the mainland, as all those charming places Hula had told me so many times about, came into view.
We buried her the next morning, next to her beloved father, amidst a throng of mourners.
Before I very reluctantly let her off to Daru, Hula held me, and told me: “Darling, I love you very much.
“ If I do not come back, I want you to take the children to Church every Sunday, and to make sure that they all go to university, because I never went to university.”
I know Hula is in God’s arms, away from all the evil of this earth, and will do everything I can to honour her memory.
Minji, Mamne, Ato!
Comments
Many readers of this Blog have been wondering how they can make comments.
If you want to do so, scroll down to the bottom of a posting, click comments, and you can write to your heart's desire as to what you think about me, the Blog, as well as how it can be improved.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Malum
If you want to do so, scroll down to the bottom of a posting, click comments, and you can write to your heart's desire as to what you think about me, the Blog, as well as how it can be improved.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Malum
Blogging in Papua New Guinea
By Goroka Bogger, Robert Schilt (http://www.trupela.com/)
I have been an avid blogger since early 2005 and although I have never attracted thousands of regular readers nor created layouts to blow your mind, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and have remained reasonably consistent as far as the frequency and the content that I publish.
What triggered the whole blogging thing for me was when I decided to come and work as a volunteer in Papua New Guinea back in early 2005, I was seeking a means to share the adventure with the family and friends back at home.
A so called Blog (or Weblog) seemed like the perfect medium for achieving this need and so this is when blogging for me got of to a flying start.
There are currently thousands of online articles, news feeds, websites, and of course blogs available for the Blogger (just ask Google!) - from tips and techniques, to customisation guides and of course a myriad on the esoteric topic of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Blogging can be as simple or as complex, as fun or as serious, as little work or as time consuming as you want. In the end and if you decide to start your own blog - you and only you can decide the what, the when and the how’s - the means, the guidance and resources to do it are generally widely available.
Believe it or not but there are folks around that have found a way to make a comfortable living out of blogging.
Whether it’s designing blogs for another people, writing stories, or even those that have found a way of creating an unattended blog - one that is capable of automatically “pinching” stories/posts from other websites/blogs/newsfeeds and then re-publishing them as their own, these blogs normally carry adverts which of course make money for the owner.
There are times I wished that I was in a position to immerse myself into blogging full-time - then again I’m glad that I have other responsibilities in my life which drag me away from the potentially addictive nature of this cyber past-time.
Although my basic reason for blogging remains the same as it was back in early 2005 when I started out, the interest and curiosity in the incredibly diverse selection of tools available to bloggers has really caught my fancy.
There are many times when I can see how caught up I have become in the periphery tasks associated with blogging such as customisation, SEO and function.
In the end it’s the quality and content that attracts the readers plus it has always been my intention to preserve uniqueness and individuality of my web presence.
When I reflect on this I always end up making a decision to drop the nerdy/techo stuff and refocus on my primary reason for blogging: the writing and the sharing.
This post was inspired by the following stories I read recently by PNG journalist Malum Nalu: “How PNG can benefit from Blogging” and “Blogging offers endless possibilities for PNG“.
You can read Malum’s stories and other quality articles by him on his blog at: “http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/”
I set out to write “10 Tips for the Newcomer to Blogging” but got carried away with the above - a future post will give 10 tips for those wanting to setup a blog and don’t quite know where or how to start.
Stay tuned!!
I have been an avid blogger since early 2005 and although I have never attracted thousands of regular readers nor created layouts to blow your mind, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process and have remained reasonably consistent as far as the frequency and the content that I publish.
What triggered the whole blogging thing for me was when I decided to come and work as a volunteer in Papua New Guinea back in early 2005, I was seeking a means to share the adventure with the family and friends back at home.
A so called Blog (or Weblog) seemed like the perfect medium for achieving this need and so this is when blogging for me got of to a flying start.
There are currently thousands of online articles, news feeds, websites, and of course blogs available for the Blogger (just ask Google!) - from tips and techniques, to customisation guides and of course a myriad on the esoteric topic of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
Blogging can be as simple or as complex, as fun or as serious, as little work or as time consuming as you want. In the end and if you decide to start your own blog - you and only you can decide the what, the when and the how’s - the means, the guidance and resources to do it are generally widely available.
Believe it or not but there are folks around that have found a way to make a comfortable living out of blogging.
Whether it’s designing blogs for another people, writing stories, or even those that have found a way of creating an unattended blog - one that is capable of automatically “pinching” stories/posts from other websites/blogs/newsfeeds and then re-publishing them as their own, these blogs normally carry adverts which of course make money for the owner.
There are times I wished that I was in a position to immerse myself into blogging full-time - then again I’m glad that I have other responsibilities in my life which drag me away from the potentially addictive nature of this cyber past-time.
Although my basic reason for blogging remains the same as it was back in early 2005 when I started out, the interest and curiosity in the incredibly diverse selection of tools available to bloggers has really caught my fancy.
There are many times when I can see how caught up I have become in the periphery tasks associated with blogging such as customisation, SEO and function.
In the end it’s the quality and content that attracts the readers plus it has always been my intention to preserve uniqueness and individuality of my web presence.
When I reflect on this I always end up making a decision to drop the nerdy/techo stuff and refocus on my primary reason for blogging: the writing and the sharing.
This post was inspired by the following stories I read recently by PNG journalist Malum Nalu: “How PNG can benefit from Blogging” and “Blogging offers endless possibilities for PNG“.
You can read Malum’s stories and other quality articles by him on his blog at: “http://malumnalu.blogspot.com/”
I set out to write “10 Tips for the Newcomer to Blogging” but got carried away with the above - a future post will give 10 tips for those wanting to setup a blog and don’t quite know where or how to start.
Stay tuned!!
Friday, July 11, 2008
"The Blogging Curse"
A poem by Goroka Blogger Robert Schilt
Internet,
Wordpress,
SEO,
Digg it man!!
Out of control,
out of mind,
I’m hooked…
piddly dial-up connection!
Instead of writing and posting,
I’ve been obsessed!
The right theme,
the perfect widget,
the ideal plugin!
De.licio.us!
Feedburner
and RSS feeds,
not to mention comments.
Engrossed in stats…
How can I attract more readers?
More bots…
than real people,
embarrassing!
Optimisation,
tagging
and stylesheets,
gibberish.
In the meantime…
over 1000 broken links,
posts without excerpts
and tabs playing up in Firefox!
Blogging…
what is it all about really?
The writing,
the playing…
or both?
What purpose does it serve,
whether I have two sidebars
or just one?
Customise that header!!
Google it!
Add that feed!
Check out the forums!
Time…
Full-time…
Where do they find it?
These folks.
As for me,
got to cut back,
find that balance
and get back to blogging!
Internet,
Wordpress,
SEO,
Digg it man!!
Out of control,
out of mind,
I’m hooked…
piddly dial-up connection!
Instead of writing and posting,
I’ve been obsessed!
The right theme,
the perfect widget,
the ideal plugin!
De.licio.us!
Feedburner
and RSS feeds,
not to mention comments.
Engrossed in stats…
How can I attract more readers?
More bots…
than real people,
embarrassing!
Optimisation,
tagging
and stylesheets,
gibberish.
In the meantime…
over 1000 broken links,
posts without excerpts
and tabs playing up in Firefox!
Blogging…
what is it all about really?
The writing,
the playing…
or both?
What purpose does it serve,
whether I have two sidebars
or just one?
Customise that header!!
Google it!
Add that feed!
Check out the forums!
Time…
Full-time…
Where do they find it?
These folks.
As for me,
got to cut back,
find that balance
and get back to blogging!
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Blogging offers endless possibilities for PNG
The column that I wrote last Friday on “How PNG can benefit from Blogging” opened up the eyes of many people in this country to how they can benefit from the technology that is freely available on the Internet.
It became very obvious to me that in this rapidly-globalising Information Age that we are living in, so many Internet users in PNG just use it to send and receive e-mails, as well as browse it to download music and pictures.
How about uploading stories and pictures to promote our beloved Papua New Guinea?
Two of the many people who responded to my article were from Goroka.
Japanese, Russell Deka Harada, ICT manager at the University of Goroka, was so impressed with the article and my Blog that he will use it as an example of how PNG can promote itself on the Internet at the UOG open day today.
Robert Schilt, IT Manager at Goroka General Hospital and a regular Blogger since early 2005 (http://www.trupela.com/) was also impressed with the article and is promoting my Blog on his Blog.
“I was reading your story about the Blog in the Weekender,” Mr Harada wrote.
“I am Japanese but I am in Goroka near 11 years.
“I have very big interest in PNG local culture so I will still live in Goroka and to develop latest Internet / e-mail technology through our University.
“Most important thing you said was that we have very unique culture in here and we should upload so many stories using Blogs.
“At this moment, so many Internet users in PNG are just using e-mail functions and browsing Internet to download music and pictures only
“But in the future we should upload our unique culture through the Internet to the world.
“I visited your Blog site and I have a lot of impressions.
“I am very surprised that I have never seen some Papua New Guineans write several stories on Blogs.
“This week Friday, our University has its open day.
“At that time can I introduce your Blog site to the public?”
Mr Schilt wrote: “I have added your RSS Feed to my news reader so will keep in touch with your stories.
“And just to let you know I also made reference to your article on Blogging on my Blog post.”
Nancy Waim from the Media Council of PNG commented: “Of all the things I read on The National, I reckon this article on Blogging is really an eye-opener for many.
“There are many others out there who do not know the availability of these avenues for information dissemination and also in creating your own space on the net as you mentioned.
“Good on you.”
Eliud Uwasenko from Pacific Adventist University: “I am interested in setting up my own Blog after reading your article.
“Please provide further information on how to go about in setting up my own Blog.”
Dr Philip Raif from Lae: “…thanks again for very good information on IT.
“I have been trying to find more about Blogs etc and now you may assist me with how to access and download templates on Blogs.
“If you can assist with some information I will be grateful.”
Robert Koela from Port Moresby: “I read with interest your article published in The National issue, Weekender of Friday 4th July titled ‘How PNG can benefit from Blogging’.
“I must say that I am very interested in creating my own Blog on the Internet.
“Though, I have not taken any computer training in this, I am nonetheless, acquainted with the Internet and most associated programs and computer language.
“I would very much appreciate some pointers/tips and references on where I could get more information in going about achieving this.”
Jacinta Yadamatti wrote from Divine Word University: “I am a third-year Business Studies student at the Divine Word University and I write in response to your article titled ‘How Papua New Guinea can benefit from Blogging’ published in the Weekender, The National, on Friday the 4th July.
“I found this article very informative and interesting!
“Immediately after reading the article, I went online to do some research on Internet Blogging and I found some very interesting theories, most of which you have outlined in the article.
“I even signed up with a cricket Blog site.
“I am a follower of the game, but I haven't written a thing in it yet.
“My purpose of writing is to seek assistance from you on tips of just where and how to start writing Blogs.
“I would also like to read your authored Blog but I can't, unfortunately, because I do not know where to find it.
“Would you mind informing me on how to access it?
“Your article has inspired me a great deal.”
And how about this from Eric Ungil, an overseas-based PNG doctor: “I was just reading the Weekender and came across your article about Blogging.
“I am a medical doctor overseas and I like your Blog.
“Keep up the good work and continue to write such fantastic articles about PNG.”
Mr Schilt left me with this thought from Michael Faraday, inventor of the electric motor, and a man who never went to university: “My education was of the most ordinary description, consisting of little more than the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic at a common day school.
“My hours out of school were passed at home and in the streets.”
Happy Blogging!
It became very obvious to me that in this rapidly-globalising Information Age that we are living in, so many Internet users in PNG just use it to send and receive e-mails, as well as browse it to download music and pictures.
How about uploading stories and pictures to promote our beloved Papua New Guinea?
Two of the many people who responded to my article were from Goroka.
Japanese, Russell Deka Harada, ICT manager at the University of Goroka, was so impressed with the article and my Blog that he will use it as an example of how PNG can promote itself on the Internet at the UOG open day today.
Robert Schilt, IT Manager at Goroka General Hospital and a regular Blogger since early 2005 (http://www.trupela.com/) was also impressed with the article and is promoting my Blog on his Blog.
“I was reading your story about the Blog in the Weekender,” Mr Harada wrote.
“I am Japanese but I am in Goroka near 11 years.
“I have very big interest in PNG local culture so I will still live in Goroka and to develop latest Internet / e-mail technology through our University.
“Most important thing you said was that we have very unique culture in here and we should upload so many stories using Blogs.
“At this moment, so many Internet users in PNG are just using e-mail functions and browsing Internet to download music and pictures only
“But in the future we should upload our unique culture through the Internet to the world.
“I visited your Blog site and I have a lot of impressions.
“I am very surprised that I have never seen some Papua New Guineans write several stories on Blogs.
“This week Friday, our University has its open day.
“At that time can I introduce your Blog site to the public?”
Mr Schilt wrote: “I have added your RSS Feed to my news reader so will keep in touch with your stories.
“And just to let you know I also made reference to your article on Blogging on my Blog post.”
Nancy Waim from the Media Council of PNG commented: “Of all the things I read on The National, I reckon this article on Blogging is really an eye-opener for many.
“There are many others out there who do not know the availability of these avenues for information dissemination and also in creating your own space on the net as you mentioned.
“Good on you.”
Eliud Uwasenko from Pacific Adventist University: “I am interested in setting up my own Blog after reading your article.
“Please provide further information on how to go about in setting up my own Blog.”
Dr Philip Raif from Lae: “…thanks again for very good information on IT.
“I have been trying to find more about Blogs etc and now you may assist me with how to access and download templates on Blogs.
“If you can assist with some information I will be grateful.”
Robert Koela from Port Moresby: “I read with interest your article published in The National issue, Weekender of Friday 4th July titled ‘How PNG can benefit from Blogging’.
“I must say that I am very interested in creating my own Blog on the Internet.
“Though, I have not taken any computer training in this, I am nonetheless, acquainted with the Internet and most associated programs and computer language.
“I would very much appreciate some pointers/tips and references on where I could get more information in going about achieving this.”
Jacinta Yadamatti wrote from Divine Word University: “I am a third-year Business Studies student at the Divine Word University and I write in response to your article titled ‘How Papua New Guinea can benefit from Blogging’ published in the Weekender, The National, on Friday the 4th July.
“I found this article very informative and interesting!
“Immediately after reading the article, I went online to do some research on Internet Blogging and I found some very interesting theories, most of which you have outlined in the article.
“I even signed up with a cricket Blog site.
“I am a follower of the game, but I haven't written a thing in it yet.
“My purpose of writing is to seek assistance from you on tips of just where and how to start writing Blogs.
“I would also like to read your authored Blog but I can't, unfortunately, because I do not know where to find it.
“Would you mind informing me on how to access it?
“Your article has inspired me a great deal.”
And how about this from Eric Ungil, an overseas-based PNG doctor: “I was just reading the Weekender and came across your article about Blogging.
“I am a medical doctor overseas and I like your Blog.
“Keep up the good work and continue to write such fantastic articles about PNG.”
Mr Schilt left me with this thought from Michael Faraday, inventor of the electric motor, and a man who never went to university: “My education was of the most ordinary description, consisting of little more than the rudiments of reading, writing, and arithmetic at a common day school.
“My hours out of school were passed at home and in the streets.”
Happy Blogging!
Russian blogger sentenced for "extremist" post
MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian man who described local police as "scum" in an Internet posting was given a suspended jail sentence on Monday for extremism, prompting bloggers to warn of a crackdown on free speech online.
Savva Terentiev, a 28-year-old musician from Syktyvkar, 1,515 kilometres (940 miles) north of Moscow, wrote in a blog last year that the police force should be cleaned up by ceremonially burning officers twice a day in a town square.
Convicted on charges of "inciting hatred or enmity", Terentiev was given a one-year suspended term on Monday, Russian news agencies reported.
Free speech campaigners said the ruling could create a dangerous precedent for free speech on the Internet, a vibrant forum for political debate in a country where the mainstream traditional media is deferential to authority.
"This was an absolutely unjustified verdict," Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA centre in Moscow, a non-governmental group that monitors extremism, told Reuters. "Savva for sure wrote a rude comment ... but this verdict means it will be impossible to make rude comments about anybody."
The verdict was discussed in Russian blogs on Monday. "I don't know now if I should be writing here or not," blogger Likershassi posted on one website.
"The fact that Terentiev got a conditional sentence is unimportant. What's important is the precedent," a blogger named Puffinus wrote.
BONFIRE
Contacted by Reuters on Monday, Terentiev confirmed the sentence but said he was unable to make further comment.
The blog entry for which he was prosecuted has been removed from the Internet. Russia's Kommersant newspaper quoted him as saying in the post: "Those who become cops are scum," and calling for officers to be put on a bonfire.
After the prosecution was launched, Terentiev wrote an open letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev protesting his innocence.
"It is our duty to take responsibility for words on the Internet but ... I did not call for the inflaming of social hatred towards the employees of the police department," he wrote in the letter, posted at one of his sites, www.zasavva.ru.
Most Russians receive their news and information from television stations and newspapers controlled by the state or by businessmen with links to the Kremlin, with opposition voices confined largely to the Internet, talk radio and low-circulation publications.
Medvedev has said he views freedom of speech and a flourishing civil society as essential and that Russia should use a light touch when policing the Internet.
"Thank God we live in a free society," Medvedev said last month in an interview with Reuters.
"It's possible to go on to the Internet and get basically anything you want. In that regard, there are no problems of closed access to information in Russia today, there weren't any yesterday and there won't be any tomorrow," he said.
(Additional reporting by Aydar Buribaev; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Savva Terentiev, a 28-year-old musician from Syktyvkar, 1,515 kilometres (940 miles) north of Moscow, wrote in a blog last year that the police force should be cleaned up by ceremonially burning officers twice a day in a town square.
Convicted on charges of "inciting hatred or enmity", Terentiev was given a one-year suspended term on Monday, Russian news agencies reported.
Free speech campaigners said the ruling could create a dangerous precedent for free speech on the Internet, a vibrant forum for political debate in a country where the mainstream traditional media is deferential to authority.
"This was an absolutely unjustified verdict," Alexander Verkhovsky, director of the SOVA centre in Moscow, a non-governmental group that monitors extremism, told Reuters. "Savva for sure wrote a rude comment ... but this verdict means it will be impossible to make rude comments about anybody."
The verdict was discussed in Russian blogs on Monday. "I don't know now if I should be writing here or not," blogger Likershassi posted on one website.
"The fact that Terentiev got a conditional sentence is unimportant. What's important is the precedent," a blogger named Puffinus wrote.
BONFIRE
Contacted by Reuters on Monday, Terentiev confirmed the sentence but said he was unable to make further comment.
The blog entry for which he was prosecuted has been removed from the Internet. Russia's Kommersant newspaper quoted him as saying in the post: "Those who become cops are scum," and calling for officers to be put on a bonfire.
After the prosecution was launched, Terentiev wrote an open letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev protesting his innocence.
"It is our duty to take responsibility for words on the Internet but ... I did not call for the inflaming of social hatred towards the employees of the police department," he wrote in the letter, posted at one of his sites, www.zasavva.ru.
Most Russians receive their news and information from television stations and newspapers controlled by the state or by businessmen with links to the Kremlin, with opposition voices confined largely to the Internet, talk radio and low-circulation publications.
Medvedev has said he views freedom of speech and a flourishing civil society as essential and that Russia should use a light touch when policing the Internet.
"Thank God we live in a free society," Medvedev said last month in an interview with Reuters.
"It's possible to go on to the Internet and get basically anything you want. In that regard, there are no problems of closed access to information in Russia today, there weren't any yesterday and there won't be any tomorrow," he said.
(Additional reporting by Aydar Buribaev; Editing by Catherine Evans)
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Forging relationships between Australia and PNG the 'Fuzzy Wuzzy' way
+and+three+of+his+senior+staff.+Nationalpic+by+WILLIAM+WILLIANDO..jpg)
Relationships between Australia and Papua New Guinea took a turn for the better at the Hideaway Hotel in Port Moresby on Tuesday last week.
And no, it didn’t take politicians or bureaucrats to do that, but simple Australians and even simpler Papua New Guineans.
The nine Australians, all members of the Noosa Rugby Union Club in Queensland, tackled the difficult Kokoda Trail over nine days.
They were accompanied by a dedicated group of guides and porters from Kokoda, villagers along the famous WW11 trail, Koiari, as well as Port Moresby.
Many of these young men were once misfits of society, now under the wings of up-and-coming 100% nationally-owned trekking company, Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions.
The Australians and Papua New Guineans enjoyed a beer and barbeque in typical Aussie fashion, sang songs and exchanged gifts at the Hideaway Hotel.
The occasion was witnessed by Southern Region police task force commander, Reuben Giusu, who extolled the virtues of Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions in the fight against crime
“We are all from Queensland in Australia, from Noosa Rugby Union Club,” explains group leader Robin Yates.
“We wanted to come because our forefathers and your forefathers fought very hard in this country in 1942.
“And for us, we want to maintain the friendship that started in those days, even though we’ve got good times now.
“So there’s been special relationship between Australia and New Guinea for 60 years now.
“And one way for us to experience that special friendship is for us to come here, walk with the guides and porters, have a lot of fun, it’s a very hard trek.
“For me, I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro (Africa), Everest Base Camp (Himalayas) and Lima Trail in Peru.
“And this trek was very tough.
“But this trek is different because for this time, in our hearts, we are remembering our forefathers and all the brave people who died here and all the help that was given to Australian soldiers from the people of New Guinea.
“Eve though we are at peace now, it’s important for the younger people to remember the very special relationship that existed between your guys and us all those years ago.
“It’s important for the people in Australia not to forget that Papua New Guinea and Australia have been very good friends for many years and will stay that way.
“And for all these brave people that died here, whether from Papua New Guinea or Australia, even though they are dead, they will live forever because they are in our thoughts and hearts.
“And by doing this trek, we can really understand just how difficult it would have been for them all those years ago.
“And for us to get to know some of the porters and guides, even when we were lying because our knees were hurting, we can still all laugh together, what I’m sure our forefathers did all those years ago when they established these bonds of friendship.
“That’s only because we’re here.”
Mr Yates, 57, a successful import/export businessman, proved that age was no hindrance when you set your mind on something.
He also cast his vote-of-confidence in Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions, especially at a time when it is common knowledge that many Australian companies use Papua New Guineans as mere fronts, with most of the money heading back south.
“We want the money to come to New Guinea, not Australia,” Mr Yates explains.
“We want the money to come to New Guinea, that’s why we used a local company.
“And I’m very pleased that we did because we did a great trek and enjoyed all the people from Fuzzy Wuzzy.
“I’m sure that many more people will want to come and do the same.”
While every day along the WW11 icon was a highlight, he singled out Isurava and Brigade Hill as two that stood out.
“I think, for the boys, the two nights that were really enjoyable were at Isurava and Brigade Hill where we camped, because both of these places were very special back in 1942,” Mr Yates says,
“I guess the other highlight was the finish after all the hard work.
“Life is easy today in 2008.
“Everybody sits down and watches TV.
“It’s good to come out, get wet in the rain, sleep in the open, and see the stars at night.
“It was such a good feeling for nine days.”
Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions is the new kid on the block that’s taking the Kokoda Trail by storm through the Internet.
It’s a far cry from early 2004 when I first met an enterprising young man named Defol Jabbar.
He had just set up his new trekking company and the next three years would be a steep learning curve.
Mr Jabbar has slowly, but steadily, been building up his client base since 2004, albeit, without a professionally-designed website.
His website http://www.fuzzywuzzy.com.pg/ was properly designed and uploaded last November and the sky is now the limit.
Mr Jabbar, as far as I know, is the first Papua New Guinean owner of a trekking company to have a proper website.
Many overseas trekkers and tourists prefer to use 100% locally-owned companies; however, the catch is that few of these companies are Internet-savvy.
The lucrative Kokoda Trail market is dominated by foreign-owned companies, many of whom use Papua New Guineans as fronts, and Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions is indeed a breath of fresh air.
It has already secured major corporate clients such as SP Brewery and Telikom, while the number of site visits and hits increases by the day.
The situation for many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) all over the world, including Papua New Guinea, is that an entrepreneur (such as Mr Jabbar) owns a small or medium enterprise.
The company produces an interesting product such as organic coffee or arts and crafts, or provides a novel service such as taking tourists across the Kokoda Trail.
The problem: How do we use the Internet to sell the product or service?
The general methodology is to plan, analyse and enact E-marketing activities.
This methodology can be used by anyone who wants to use the Internet to access customers.
And it’s been through such methodology that Mr Jabbar has been able to pull in an extra buck or two into the country, provide employment, as well as promote tourism in this beautiful country of ours.
Mr Jabbar can be contacted on email defol@fuzzywuzzy.com.pg or info@fuzzywuzzy.com.pg and mobile 6883231.
And no, it didn’t take politicians or bureaucrats to do that, but simple Australians and even simpler Papua New Guineans.
The nine Australians, all members of the Noosa Rugby Union Club in Queensland, tackled the difficult Kokoda Trail over nine days.
They were accompanied by a dedicated group of guides and porters from Kokoda, villagers along the famous WW11 trail, Koiari, as well as Port Moresby.
Many of these young men were once misfits of society, now under the wings of up-and-coming 100% nationally-owned trekking company, Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions.
The Australians and Papua New Guineans enjoyed a beer and barbeque in typical Aussie fashion, sang songs and exchanged gifts at the Hideaway Hotel.
The occasion was witnessed by Southern Region police task force commander, Reuben Giusu, who extolled the virtues of Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions in the fight against crime
“We are all from Queensland in Australia, from Noosa Rugby Union Club,” explains group leader Robin Yates.
“We wanted to come because our forefathers and your forefathers fought very hard in this country in 1942.
“And for us, we want to maintain the friendship that started in those days, even though we’ve got good times now.
“So there’s been special relationship between Australia and New Guinea for 60 years now.
“And one way for us to experience that special friendship is for us to come here, walk with the guides and porters, have a lot of fun, it’s a very hard trek.
“For me, I’ve climbed Kilimanjaro (Africa), Everest Base Camp (Himalayas) and Lima Trail in Peru.
“And this trek was very tough.
“But this trek is different because for this time, in our hearts, we are remembering our forefathers and all the brave people who died here and all the help that was given to Australian soldiers from the people of New Guinea.
“Eve though we are at peace now, it’s important for the younger people to remember the very special relationship that existed between your guys and us all those years ago.
“It’s important for the people in Australia not to forget that Papua New Guinea and Australia have been very good friends for many years and will stay that way.
“And for all these brave people that died here, whether from Papua New Guinea or Australia, even though they are dead, they will live forever because they are in our thoughts and hearts.
“And by doing this trek, we can really understand just how difficult it would have been for them all those years ago.
“And for us to get to know some of the porters and guides, even when we were lying because our knees were hurting, we can still all laugh together, what I’m sure our forefathers did all those years ago when they established these bonds of friendship.
“That’s only because we’re here.”
Mr Yates, 57, a successful import/export businessman, proved that age was no hindrance when you set your mind on something.
He also cast his vote-of-confidence in Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions, especially at a time when it is common knowledge that many Australian companies use Papua New Guineans as mere fronts, with most of the money heading back south.
“We want the money to come to New Guinea, not Australia,” Mr Yates explains.
“We want the money to come to New Guinea, that’s why we used a local company.
“And I’m very pleased that we did because we did a great trek and enjoyed all the people from Fuzzy Wuzzy.
“I’m sure that many more people will want to come and do the same.”
While every day along the WW11 icon was a highlight, he singled out Isurava and Brigade Hill as two that stood out.
“I think, for the boys, the two nights that were really enjoyable were at Isurava and Brigade Hill where we camped, because both of these places were very special back in 1942,” Mr Yates says,
“I guess the other highlight was the finish after all the hard work.
“Life is easy today in 2008.
“Everybody sits down and watches TV.
“It’s good to come out, get wet in the rain, sleep in the open, and see the stars at night.
“It was such a good feeling for nine days.”
Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions is the new kid on the block that’s taking the Kokoda Trail by storm through the Internet.
It’s a far cry from early 2004 when I first met an enterprising young man named Defol Jabbar.
He had just set up his new trekking company and the next three years would be a steep learning curve.
Mr Jabbar has slowly, but steadily, been building up his client base since 2004, albeit, without a professionally-designed website.
His website http://www.fuzzywuzzy.com.pg/ was properly designed and uploaded last November and the sky is now the limit.
Mr Jabbar, as far as I know, is the first Papua New Guinean owner of a trekking company to have a proper website.
Many overseas trekkers and tourists prefer to use 100% locally-owned companies; however, the catch is that few of these companies are Internet-savvy.
The lucrative Kokoda Trail market is dominated by foreign-owned companies, many of whom use Papua New Guineans as fronts, and Fuzzy Wuzzy Expeditions is indeed a breath of fresh air.
It has already secured major corporate clients such as SP Brewery and Telikom, while the number of site visits and hits increases by the day.
The situation for many Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) all over the world, including Papua New Guinea, is that an entrepreneur (such as Mr Jabbar) owns a small or medium enterprise.
The company produces an interesting product such as organic coffee or arts and crafts, or provides a novel service such as taking tourists across the Kokoda Trail.
The problem: How do we use the Internet to sell the product or service?
The general methodology is to plan, analyse and enact E-marketing activities.
This methodology can be used by anyone who wants to use the Internet to access customers.
And it’s been through such methodology that Mr Jabbar has been able to pull in an extra buck or two into the country, provide employment, as well as promote tourism in this beautiful country of ours.
Mr Jabbar can be contacted on email defol@fuzzywuzzy.com.pg or info@fuzzywuzzy.com.pg and mobile 6883231.
Kuk, Western Highland, added to World Heritage list
Eight new sites, from the Straits of Malacca, to Papua New Guinea and San Marino, added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List
Monday, July 7, 2008
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.
The new sites inscribed are:
Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.
Kuk Early Agricultural Site (Papua New Guinea) consists of 116 ha of swamps in the southern highlands of New Guinea 1,500 metres above sea-level. Archaeological excavation has revealed the landscape to be one of wetland reclamation worked almost continuously for 7,000, and possibly for 10,000 years. It contains well-preserved archaeological remains demonstrating the technological leap which transformed plant exploitation to agriculture around 6,500 years ago. It is an excellent example of transformation of agricultural practices over time, from cultivation mounds to draining the wetlands through the digging of ditches with wooden tools. Kuk is one of the few places in the world where archaeological evidence suggests independent agricultural development and changes in agricultural practice over such a long period of time.
Stari Grad Plain (Croatia) on the Adriatic island of Hvar is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centring on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. The site is also a natural reserve. The landscape features ancient stone walls and trims, or small stone shelters, and bears testimony to the ancient geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks, the chora which has remained virtually intact over 24 centuries.
Fortifications of Vauban (France) consists of 13 groups of fortified buildings and sites along the western, northern and eastern borders of France. They represent the finest examples of the work of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707), a military engineer of King Louis XIV. The serial property includes towns built from scratch by Vauban, citadels built on plains, urban bastion walls, bastion towers and a residence. There are also mountain forts, sea forts, a mountain battery and two mountain communication structures. This property is inscribed as bearing witness to the peak of classic fortifications, typical of western military architecture. Vauban also played a major role in the history of fortification in Europe and as far away as the American continent, Russia and East Asia.
Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (Germany). The property consists of six housing estates that testify to innovative housing policies from 1910 to 1933, especially during the Weimar Republic, when the city of Berlin was particularly progressive socially, politically and culturally. The property is an outstanding example of the building reform movement that contributed to improving housing and living conditions for people with low incomes through novel approaches to town planning, architecture and garden design. The estates also provide exceptional examples of new urban and architectural typologies, featuring fresh design solutions, as well as technical and aesthetic innovations. Bruno Taut, Martin Wagner and Walter Gropius were among the leading architects of these projects which exercised considerable influence on the development of housing around the world.
Mantua and Sabbioneta, in the Po valley, in the north of Italy, represent two aspects of Renaissance town planning: Mantua shows the renewal and extension of an existing city, while 30 km away, Sabbioneta represents the implementation of the period’s theories about planning the ideal city. Typically, Mantua’s layout is irregular with regular parts showing different stages of its growth since the Roman period and includes many medieval edifices among them an 11th century rotunda and a Baroque theatre. Sabbioneta, created in the second half of the 16th century under the rule of one person, Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, can be described as a single-period city and has a right angle grid layout. Both cities offer exceptional testimonies to the urban, architectural and artistic realizations of the Renaissance, linked through the visions and actions of the ruling Gonzaga family. The two towns are important for the value of their architecture and for their prominent role in the dissemination of Renaissance culture. The ideals of the Renaissance, fostered by the Gonzaga family, are present in the towns’ morphology and architecture.
San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano (San Marino) covers 55 ha, including Mount Titano and the historic centre of the city which dates back to the foundation of the republic as a city-state in the 13th century. San Marino is inscribed as a testimony to the continuity of a free republic since the Middle Ages. The inscribed city centre includes fortification towers, walls, gates and bastions, as well as a neo-classical basilica of the 19th century, 14th and 16th century convents, and the Palazzo Publico of the 19th century, as well as the 18th century Titano Theatre. The property represents an historical centre still inhabited and preserving all its institutional functions. Thanks to its position on top of Mount Titano, it was not affected by the urban transformations that have occurred from the advent of the industrial era to today.
The Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area (Slovakia) inscribed on the World Heritage List consist of two Roman Catholic, three Protestant and three Greek Orthodox churches built between the 16th and 18th centuries in small, poor villages in an area formerly known as Upland Hungary. The property presents good examples of a rich local tradition of religious architecture, marked by the meeting of Latin and Byzantine cultures. The edifices exhibit some typological variations in their floor plans, interior spaces and external appearance due to their respective religious practices. They bear testimony to the development of major architectural and artistic trends during the period of construction and to their interpretation and adaptation to a specific geographical and cultural context. Interiors are decorated with paintings on the walls and ceilings and other works of art that enrich the cultural significance of the properties.
During the morning session, the Committee also approved the extension of the Mountain Railways of India with the inscription of the Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla.
Contacts in Quebec: Roni Amelan, r.amelan@unesco.org +33(0)674398441
Joana Sullivan, j.sullivan@unesco.org +1 418 262 6529
For photographs: www.unesco.org/en/whc/photos
Video footage: mms://stream.unesco.org/bpi/whc_cult2_070708.wmv
Monday, July 7, 2008
The World Heritage Committee meeting in Quebec City has added eight new cultural sites to UNESCO’s World Heritage List on the morning of the 7 of July. With these inscriptions, Papua New Guinea and San Marino enter the World Heritage List for the first time.
The new sites inscribed are:
Melaka and George Town, historic cities of the Straits of Malacca (Malaysia) have developed over 500 years of trading and cultural exchanges between East and West in the Straits of Malacca. The influences of Asia and Europe have endowed the towns with a specific multicultural heritage that is both tangible and intangible. With its government buildings, churches, squares and fortifications, Melaka demonstrates the early stages of this history originating in the 15th-century Malay sultanate and the Portuguese and Dutch periods beginning in the early 16th century. Featuring residential and commercial buildings, George Town represents the British era from the end of the 18th century. The two towns constitute a unique architectural and cultural townscape without parallel anywhere in East and Southeast Asia.
Kuk Early Agricultural Site (Papua New Guinea) consists of 116 ha of swamps in the southern highlands of New Guinea 1,500 metres above sea-level. Archaeological excavation has revealed the landscape to be one of wetland reclamation worked almost continuously for 7,000, and possibly for 10,000 years. It contains well-preserved archaeological remains demonstrating the technological leap which transformed plant exploitation to agriculture around 6,500 years ago. It is an excellent example of transformation of agricultural practices over time, from cultivation mounds to draining the wetlands through the digging of ditches with wooden tools. Kuk is one of the few places in the world where archaeological evidence suggests independent agricultural development and changes in agricultural practice over such a long period of time.
Stari Grad Plain (Croatia) on the Adriatic island of Hvar is a cultural landscape that has remained practically intact since it was first colonized by Ionian Greeks from Paros in the 4th century BC. The original agricultural activity of this fertile plain, mainly centring on grapes and olives, has been maintained since Greek times to the present. The site is also a natural reserve. The landscape features ancient stone walls and trims, or small stone shelters, and bears testimony to the ancient geometrical system of land division used by the ancient Greeks, the chora which has remained virtually intact over 24 centuries.
Fortifications of Vauban (France) consists of 13 groups of fortified buildings and sites along the western, northern and eastern borders of France. They represent the finest examples of the work of Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707), a military engineer of King Louis XIV. The serial property includes towns built from scratch by Vauban, citadels built on plains, urban bastion walls, bastion towers and a residence. There are also mountain forts, sea forts, a mountain battery and two mountain communication structures. This property is inscribed as bearing witness to the peak of classic fortifications, typical of western military architecture. Vauban also played a major role in the history of fortification in Europe and as far away as the American continent, Russia and East Asia.
Berlin Modernism Housing Estates (Germany). The property consists of six housing estates that testify to innovative housing policies from 1910 to 1933, especially during the Weimar Republic, when the city of Berlin was particularly progressive socially, politically and culturally. The property is an outstanding example of the building reform movement that contributed to improving housing and living conditions for people with low incomes through novel approaches to town planning, architecture and garden design. The estates also provide exceptional examples of new urban and architectural typologies, featuring fresh design solutions, as well as technical and aesthetic innovations. Bruno Taut, Martin Wagner and Walter Gropius were among the leading architects of these projects which exercised considerable influence on the development of housing around the world.
Mantua and Sabbioneta, in the Po valley, in the north of Italy, represent two aspects of Renaissance town planning: Mantua shows the renewal and extension of an existing city, while 30 km away, Sabbioneta represents the implementation of the period’s theories about planning the ideal city. Typically, Mantua’s layout is irregular with regular parts showing different stages of its growth since the Roman period and includes many medieval edifices among them an 11th century rotunda and a Baroque theatre. Sabbioneta, created in the second half of the 16th century under the rule of one person, Vespasiano Gonzaga Colonna, can be described as a single-period city and has a right angle grid layout. Both cities offer exceptional testimonies to the urban, architectural and artistic realizations of the Renaissance, linked through the visions and actions of the ruling Gonzaga family. The two towns are important for the value of their architecture and for their prominent role in the dissemination of Renaissance culture. The ideals of the Renaissance, fostered by the Gonzaga family, are present in the towns’ morphology and architecture.
San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano (San Marino) covers 55 ha, including Mount Titano and the historic centre of the city which dates back to the foundation of the republic as a city-state in the 13th century. San Marino is inscribed as a testimony to the continuity of a free republic since the Middle Ages. The inscribed city centre includes fortification towers, walls, gates and bastions, as well as a neo-classical basilica of the 19th century, 14th and 16th century convents, and the Palazzo Publico of the 19th century, as well as the 18th century Titano Theatre. The property represents an historical centre still inhabited and preserving all its institutional functions. Thanks to its position on top of Mount Titano, it was not affected by the urban transformations that have occurred from the advent of the industrial era to today.
The Wooden Churches of the Slovak part of Carpathian Mountain Area (Slovakia) inscribed on the World Heritage List consist of two Roman Catholic, three Protestant and three Greek Orthodox churches built between the 16th and 18th centuries in small, poor villages in an area formerly known as Upland Hungary. The property presents good examples of a rich local tradition of religious architecture, marked by the meeting of Latin and Byzantine cultures. The edifices exhibit some typological variations in their floor plans, interior spaces and external appearance due to their respective religious practices. They bear testimony to the development of major architectural and artistic trends during the period of construction and to their interpretation and adaptation to a specific geographical and cultural context. Interiors are decorated with paintings on the walls and ceilings and other works of art that enrich the cultural significance of the properties.
During the morning session, the Committee also approved the extension of the Mountain Railways of India with the inscription of the Kalka Shimla Railway, a 96km long, single track working rail link built in the mid-19th century to provide a service to the highland town of Shimla.
Contacts in Quebec: Roni Amelan, r.amelan@unesco.org +33(0)674398441
Joana Sullivan, j.sullivan@unesco.org +1 418 262 6529
For photographs: www.unesco.org/en/whc/photos
Video footage: mms://stream.unesco.org/bpi/whc_cult2_070708.wmv
Friday, July 04, 2008
How PNG can benefit from Blogging
How PNG can benefit from Blogging
In my 20-odd years in journalism, I have written hundreds of stories and taken hundreds of photographs on a vast array of subjects, covering everything from rugby league to politics, from Kavieng to Daru.
Many of these articles were written before the age of computers, in the era of typewriters and fax machines, hence could not be saved.
Only after computers and the Internet came on the scene, in the late 1990’s, could these articles be preserved on floppy disks and CDs.
I couple of years ago, as I was cleaning up my house, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with this myriad of stories and pictures.
Family and friends, particularly my late wife Hula – my greatest fan – had often encouraged me to compile a book of all that I’d written over the years.
After considering all the possibilities, I decided to set up my own Blog on the Internet, featuring my articles and photographs, and with the express purpose of promoting our beloved country Papua New Guinea.
So, I copied some of what I’d written and photographed over the years on a flash drive, and spent long hours on weekends at Internet cafes posting them on my Blog.
Slowly, but steadily, readership of my Blog grew and I started receiving emails from all over the world.
These came from former PNG residents, tourists who wanted to know more about the country, students doing assignments, academics, researchers, businessmen, writers, book publishers, and many, many more.
Needless to say, I’m proud that my Blog has, in one way or another, served to promote PNG around the world and may have brought in an extra kina or two into our coffers.
At the height of the Taiwan scandal earlier this year, I was surprised to receive an email from a leading TV station in Taipei, wanting to know more about Timothy Bonga and Dr Florian Gubon.
The TV station had apparently found my Blog on the Internet!
A Blog, a shortened form of the term ‘web log’, is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.
"Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a Blog.
Many Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries.
A typical Blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.
The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many Blogs.
Most Blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media.
A Blog gives you your own voice on the web.
It's a place to collect and share things that you find interesting— whether it's your political commentary, a personal diary, or links to web sites you want to remember.
Many people use a Blog just to organise their own thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands.
Professional and amateur journalists use Blogs to publish breaking news, while personal journalers reveal inner thoughts.
Whatever you have to say, Blogging can help you say it.
Blogging is about more than just putting your thoughts on the web.
It's about connecting with and hearing from anyone who reads your work and cares to respond.
With Blogging, you control who can read and write to your Blog — let just a few friends or the entire world see what you have to say!
Blogging let anyone, anywhere, to offer feedback on your posts.
You can choose whether you want to allow comments on a post-by-post basis, and you can delete any comments you don't like.
Access Controls let you decide who can read and who can write to your Blog.
You can use a group Blog with multiple authors as an excellent communication tool for small teams, families and other groups.
Or as a single author, you can create a private online space for collecting news, links, and ideas, to keep to yourself or share with as many readers as you want.
Bloggings let you find people and Blogs that share your interests.
Your profile, where you can list your blogs, your interests, and more, lets people find you (but only if you want to be found).
Whether you're starting your Blog or just think it's time to give your existing Blog a facelift, user-friendly editing tools help you easily design a great-looking page.
A collection of templates will get you started with an attractive site right away without you having to learn any HTML, though you can edit your Blog's HTML code whenever you want.
When you're ready to take the next step, you can further customise templates to create a design that perfectly reflects you and your Blog.
You can easily upload photos on your Blog.
The fastest way to understand Blogging is to try it out, and in less than five minutes, you could be part of the phenomenon that’s transforming web and media to a participatory approach.
As I have mentioned before in this column, several companies and individuals in PNG are profiteering from the ignorance of our little people by charging them huge amounts of money to build a website for their small businesses.
And after being ripped off by these companies, the little people then feel the brunt of paying excessive fees for a domain name, regular rental to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), as well as Internet usage fees to Telikom.
In a small economy, such as that of PNG, small businesses cannot survive with such exorbitant costs.
This should no longer be the case, as it is quick and easy to design a website, such as a Blog, using templates freely available on the Internet, where you do not have to pay for a domain name or ISP rentals.
Your just have to pay for your Internet usage fee at the nearest Internet café if you don’t have Internet access in your office.
In my 20-odd years in journalism, I have written hundreds of stories and taken hundreds of photographs on a vast array of subjects, covering everything from rugby league to politics, from Kavieng to Daru.
Many of these articles were written before the age of computers, in the era of typewriters and fax machines, hence could not be saved.
Only after computers and the Internet came on the scene, in the late 1990’s, could these articles be preserved on floppy disks and CDs.
I couple of years ago, as I was cleaning up my house, I was faced with the dilemma of what to do with this myriad of stories and pictures.
Family and friends, particularly my late wife Hula – my greatest fan – had often encouraged me to compile a book of all that I’d written over the years.
After considering all the possibilities, I decided to set up my own Blog on the Internet, featuring my articles and photographs, and with the express purpose of promoting our beloved country Papua New Guinea.
So, I copied some of what I’d written and photographed over the years on a flash drive, and spent long hours on weekends at Internet cafes posting them on my Blog.
Slowly, but steadily, readership of my Blog grew and I started receiving emails from all over the world.
These came from former PNG residents, tourists who wanted to know more about the country, students doing assignments, academics, researchers, businessmen, writers, book publishers, and many, many more.
Needless to say, I’m proud that my Blog has, in one way or another, served to promote PNG around the world and may have brought in an extra kina or two into our coffers.
At the height of the Taiwan scandal earlier this year, I was surprised to receive an email from a leading TV station in Taipei, wanting to know more about Timothy Bonga and Dr Florian Gubon.
The TV station had apparently found my Blog on the Internet!
A Blog, a shortened form of the term ‘web log’, is a website, usually maintained by an individual, with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
Entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order.
"Blog" can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a Blog.
Many Blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject; others function as more personal online diaries.
A typical Blog combines text, images, and links to other blogs, web pages, and other media related to its topic.
The ability for readers to leave comments in an interactive format is an important part of many Blogs.
Most Blogs are primarily textual, although some focus on art (artlog), photographs (photoblog), sketchblog, videos (vlog), music (MP3 blog), audio (podcasting) are part of a wider network of social media.
A Blog gives you your own voice on the web.
It's a place to collect and share things that you find interesting— whether it's your political commentary, a personal diary, or links to web sites you want to remember.
Many people use a Blog just to organise their own thoughts, while others command influential, worldwide audiences of thousands.
Professional and amateur journalists use Blogs to publish breaking news, while personal journalers reveal inner thoughts.
Whatever you have to say, Blogging can help you say it.
Blogging is about more than just putting your thoughts on the web.
It's about connecting with and hearing from anyone who reads your work and cares to respond.
With Blogging, you control who can read and write to your Blog — let just a few friends or the entire world see what you have to say!
Blogging let anyone, anywhere, to offer feedback on your posts.
You can choose whether you want to allow comments on a post-by-post basis, and you can delete any comments you don't like.
Access Controls let you decide who can read and who can write to your Blog.
You can use a group Blog with multiple authors as an excellent communication tool for small teams, families and other groups.
Or as a single author, you can create a private online space for collecting news, links, and ideas, to keep to yourself or share with as many readers as you want.
Bloggings let you find people and Blogs that share your interests.
Your profile, where you can list your blogs, your interests, and more, lets people find you (but only if you want to be found).
Whether you're starting your Blog or just think it's time to give your existing Blog a facelift, user-friendly editing tools help you easily design a great-looking page.
A collection of templates will get you started with an attractive site right away without you having to learn any HTML, though you can edit your Blog's HTML code whenever you want.
When you're ready to take the next step, you can further customise templates to create a design that perfectly reflects you and your Blog.
You can easily upload photos on your Blog.
The fastest way to understand Blogging is to try it out, and in less than five minutes, you could be part of the phenomenon that’s transforming web and media to a participatory approach.
As I have mentioned before in this column, several companies and individuals in PNG are profiteering from the ignorance of our little people by charging them huge amounts of money to build a website for their small businesses.
And after being ripped off by these companies, the little people then feel the brunt of paying excessive fees for a domain name, regular rental to the Internet Service Provider (ISP), as well as Internet usage fees to Telikom.
In a small economy, such as that of PNG, small businesses cannot survive with such exorbitant costs.
This should no longer be the case, as it is quick and easy to design a website, such as a Blog, using templates freely available on the Internet, where you do not have to pay for a domain name or ISP rentals.
Your just have to pay for your Internet usage fee at the nearest Internet café if you don’t have Internet access in your office.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
PNG faces massive threat from computer viruses
Young Papua New Guinean computer specialist Panu Kasar, who runs the PC Clinic, advises that it is wise for all computer users to be equipped with the latest anti-virus software and fixes to counterattack this flood of cyber pests flooding our computer networks.
“Computer viruses are dangerous and can cause millions of kina loss in income and profit because of the society’s dependence on computers,” he says.
“Preventing loss is wiser, so be equipped with a reliable anti-virus as soon as possible.
“All computers must have at least anti-virus software installed on the PC configured to scan threats that may infect the computer,” he says.
“Anti-viruses such as Norton, Symantec, AVG, need the Internet for updating because they have live update feature.
“This means that when connected to the Internet a user must activate the automatic update feature for latest updates to be installed.
“Otherwise, download anti-virus definitions from the manufacturer’s site.
“Updating definitions is important because anti-viruses are designed to go weak after a month.
“This is a strategy used by the manufacturers to monitor viruses because once a user connects to the net for monthly updates the manufacturers have access to your PC to record the number of viruses you have detected in your PC.”
A virus is software designed to corrupt system files.
It is made to disrupt or deny basic services the computer would need to use to function.
They act as low level computer processes which make some anti viruses hard to detect as they are seen as normal system processes.
Usually they infect a PC rapidly that you won’t notice.
It may take hours to scan and clean an infected computer but takes a second or two to be infected again once an infected USB drive is inserted.
The transferable nature of viruses has caused government departments millions of dollars due to loss of data by destructive viruses.
Viruses are highly dangerous and can cause computers to crash.
Some viruses are designed even to corrupt and disable anti-virus software installed in the victim’s PC.
Mr Kasar discusses the various threats below:
Spyware
“Spyware is malicious software planted on your computer by marketing companies.
“It is designed to monitor your Internet activities, collect your personal information and can even reach sensitive data like your private passwords, emails and credit card details.
“If your PC is infected with Spyware all your keystrokes, visited websites and even conversations can be recorded or monitored by someone who had secretly installed spy software on your PC.
“This person or company can steal your banking data; make Internet access slower, change browser homepage, etc.
“Spyware is usually bundled with software downloads, attached to e-mails, or transmitted through networks.
“That’s why many anti-virus programs define it as legitimate software.
“Once installed, it can be hard to remove, and therefore, your computer will remain infected and your privacy will be at risk for a long time.
“Originally it was designed by advertising and marketing companies to monitor behaviour of internet surfers.
Trojan
“Trojans infections are mainly seen when using the Internet without a reliable firewall.
“Trojans filter through networks rapidly, can cause harm to data and stops access to files.
“Like the traditional Trojan horse story of Greek mythology, they become a resident of the victim’s PC and allow hackers access to your computer.
“They also create or clone more viruses when they reside in your PC.
“When the PC becomes a host to a Trojan it invites more viruses who are attracted to it.”
Worm
“This was originally was used by administrators to find loop holes in the networks.
“They filter through networks rapidly and can also duplicate themselves on removable storage devices.
“Recently, worms have been modified by cyber criminals to act also as viruses and can cause system crashes in large networks.
“A good example is the Brontok worm which has both characteristics of a virus and a worm. “
Mr Kasar said computer viruses had increased rapidly in PNG in recent years due to the increase in computer usage.
“Viruses are now very readily transferable due to certain factors and changes in the ICT environment,” he says.
“Obvious factors include:
The widespread use of USB storage devices - Today the use of USB flash drives, iPods, MP3/MP4 players, external hard drives, mobile phone storage and also digital camera storage devices is widespread. These are portable and can be carried around and used in any computer. It is a precaution to scan all USB portable devices with a reliable virus scanner before using.
The increased use of Internet by the working class - It is an obvious fact that today most of our corporate working class are using the email facilities for communicating. This has also resulted in the spread of computer viruses. Email servers that do not have updated firewalls have become vulnerable to viruses attacks. This is very critical because emails can be sent to many contacts at a single click. Supposing there is a virus attached, unsuspecting victims will be infected upon downloading the infected attachments.
The introduction of Telikom PNG’s VSAT and Broadband Technology - These are state-of-the-part modern day technology that will definitely lift PNG to a higher level in ICT. With the use of this technology precaution must be taken against computer viruses. Users must be prepared to counterattack computer viruses on a larger scale with the use of this technology. In traditional Internet dial-up technology the speed is 56Kb/s while with the VSAT you experience speeds from 1 MB/s up to 2 GB/s range depending on customer preferences. These speeds have enabled PNG to be opened up to high speed data freeways making our networks vulnerable to virus attacks.”
Mr Kasar said latest threats included W32.Rontokbro@mm , W32.PitinB , W32.Fujacks , .SCR , Surabaya , Panduan Islam Virus—ManOblack , Trojanhorse and Downloader.
He said symptoms that showed a user that his computer was infected were:
The Home Page on the Internet browser changing;
CD Drive opens and closes unexpectedly;
Strange behavior is noticed- applications not responding, Explorer blinks or goes off, start menu pops up and goes off continuously;
· Folders in the USB drive are hidden
· Mouse pointer moves without you pointing the mouse;
· Office documents change their extension form, for example, from doc, xls, etc, to exe.
· Strange pop-ups are experienced;
· Computer suddenly logs off and displays a blue screen;
· You log into Windows and it logs off again;
· Your computer suddenly becomes very slow; and
· Your anti-virus cannot start up or is disabled.
The PC Clinic deals with detection, removal and monitoring of computer viruses and also provides anti-virus installations for WAN and LAN Servers.
They can be contacted on email pkasar@mail.com telephone 325 8912, and mobiles 6890616 and 72571939.
Young Papua New Guinean computer specialist Panu Kasar, who runs the PC Clinic, advises that it is wise for all computer users to be equipped with the latest anti-virus software and fixes to counterattack this flood of cyber pests flooding our computer networks.
“Computer viruses are dangerous and can cause millions of kina loss in income and profit because of the society’s dependence on computers,” he says.
“Preventing loss is wiser, so be equipped with a reliable anti-virus as soon as possible.
“All computers must have at least anti-virus software installed on the PC configured to scan threats that may infect the computer,” he says.
“Anti-viruses such as Norton, Symantec, AVG, need the Internet for updating because they have live update feature.
“This means that when connected to the Internet a user must activate the automatic update feature for latest updates to be installed.
“Otherwise, download anti-virus definitions from the manufacturer’s site.
“Updating definitions is important because anti-viruses are designed to go weak after a month.
“This is a strategy used by the manufacturers to monitor viruses because once a user connects to the net for monthly updates the manufacturers have access to your PC to record the number of viruses you have detected in your PC.”
A virus is software designed to corrupt system files.
It is made to disrupt or deny basic services the computer would need to use to function.
They act as low level computer processes which make some anti viruses hard to detect as they are seen as normal system processes.
Usually they infect a PC rapidly that you won’t notice.
It may take hours to scan and clean an infected computer but takes a second or two to be infected again once an infected USB drive is inserted.
The transferable nature of viruses has caused government departments millions of dollars due to loss of data by destructive viruses.
Viruses are highly dangerous and can cause computers to crash.
Some viruses are designed even to corrupt and disable anti-virus software installed in the victim’s PC.
Mr Kasar discusses the various threats below:
Spyware
“Spyware is malicious software planted on your computer by marketing companies.
“It is designed to monitor your Internet activities, collect your personal information and can even reach sensitive data like your private passwords, emails and credit card details.
“If your PC is infected with Spyware all your keystrokes, visited websites and even conversations can be recorded or monitored by someone who had secretly installed spy software on your PC.
“This person or company can steal your banking data; make Internet access slower, change browser homepage, etc.
“Spyware is usually bundled with software downloads, attached to e-mails, or transmitted through networks.
“That’s why many anti-virus programs define it as legitimate software.
“Once installed, it can be hard to remove, and therefore, your computer will remain infected and your privacy will be at risk for a long time.
“Originally it was designed by advertising and marketing companies to monitor behaviour of internet surfers.
Trojan
“Trojans infections are mainly seen when using the Internet without a reliable firewall.
“Trojans filter through networks rapidly, can cause harm to data and stops access to files.
“Like the traditional Trojan horse story of Greek mythology, they become a resident of the victim’s PC and allow hackers access to your computer.
“They also create or clone more viruses when they reside in your PC.
“When the PC becomes a host to a Trojan it invites more viruses who are attracted to it.”
Worm
“This was originally was used by administrators to find loop holes in the networks.
“They filter through networks rapidly and can also duplicate themselves on removable storage devices.
“Recently, worms have been modified by cyber criminals to act also as viruses and can cause system crashes in large networks.
“A good example is the Brontok worm which has both characteristics of a virus and a worm. “
Mr Kasar said computer viruses had increased rapidly in PNG in recent years due to the increase in computer usage.
“Viruses are now very readily transferable due to certain factors and changes in the ICT environment,” he says.
“Obvious factors include:
The widespread use of USB storage devices - Today the use of USB flash drives, iPods, MP3/MP4 players, external hard drives, mobile phone storage and also digital camera storage devices is widespread. These are portable and can be carried around and used in any computer. It is a precaution to scan all USB portable devices with a reliable virus scanner before using.
The increased use of Internet by the working class - It is an obvious fact that today most of our corporate working class are using the email facilities for communicating. This has also resulted in the spread of computer viruses. Email servers that do not have updated firewalls have become vulnerable to viruses attacks. This is very critical because emails can be sent to many contacts at a single click. Supposing there is a virus attached, unsuspecting victims will be infected upon downloading the infected attachments.
The introduction of Telikom PNG’s VSAT and Broadband Technology - These are state-of-the-part modern day technology that will definitely lift PNG to a higher level in ICT. With the use of this technology precaution must be taken against computer viruses. Users must be prepared to counterattack computer viruses on a larger scale with the use of this technology. In traditional Internet dial-up technology the speed is 56Kb/s while with the VSAT you experience speeds from 1 MB/s up to 2 GB/s range depending on customer preferences. These speeds have enabled PNG to be opened up to high speed data freeways making our networks vulnerable to virus attacks.”
Mr Kasar said latest threats included W32.Rontokbro@mm , W32.PitinB , W32.Fujacks , .SCR , Surabaya , Panduan Islam Virus—ManOblack , Trojanhorse and Downloader.
He said symptoms that showed a user that his computer was infected were:
The Home Page on the Internet browser changing;
CD Drive opens and closes unexpectedly;
Strange behavior is noticed- applications not responding, Explorer blinks or goes off, start menu pops up and goes off continuously;
· Folders in the USB drive are hidden
· Mouse pointer moves without you pointing the mouse;
· Office documents change their extension form, for example, from doc, xls, etc, to exe.
· Strange pop-ups are experienced;
· Computer suddenly logs off and displays a blue screen;
· You log into Windows and it logs off again;
· Your computer suddenly becomes very slow; and
· Your anti-virus cannot start up or is disabled.
The PC Clinic deals with detection, removal and monitoring of computer viruses and also provides anti-virus installations for WAN and LAN Servers.
They can be contacted on email pkasar@mail.com telephone 325 8912, and mobiles 6890616 and 72571939.
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