Somalia is a scary place for journalists...and everyone else
Just read about a freelance journalist and photographer being held hostage in somalia... http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5597153/kidnapped-aussie-appeals-help/
...this is why i personally would always want the backing of a large organization if i was going to report on controversial issues abroad. freelancers take more risks to tell the stories that are harder to get-- and have no one to bail them out when things go horribly wrong.
Meanwhile last week Reporters without borders announced the death of journalist Abdirisak Warsameh Mohamed, of Radio Shabelle, who was shot as the Somali army launched a major offensive against Islamist “al-Shabab” insurgents in the heart of the capital Mogadishu. He is the third journalist to be killed in Somalia since the beginning of 2009. The killing of 11 journalists since 2007 has made it Africa’s deadliest country for the media.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Friday, May 22, 2009
my cell phone has died. simcard too. day before a major deadline. agony. well not quite, but pretty freaking frustrating, anyway.
been working on sales pitch for 'my book.' yeah THE book. the same one. that i started 100 years ago. the one about me. i know im not that interesting. but im pretty good writer... anyway cross your fingers, i think im gonna seek out every distant remote my-friend-knows-the-cleaner-who-works for the best friend of the top publishing chick at random house contact that ive got....
i have been obsessed with words and the power contained within them for a long time. i remember once, just after i moved to australia, i wrote a poem. actually i wrote a few poems, because this was back when integrity in writing was all that mattered to me. anyway, i sent the poems to a friend who i went to journalism school with, a friend whose writing i really respected.
she wrote me back, and told me the poem i had written made her cry.
what an amazing feeling, to think that the words you put on paper in the middle of the night when you should be dreaming can create that kind of emotion.
i want to do that again. i want to write something that moves people....
been working on sales pitch for 'my book.' yeah THE book. the same one. that i started 100 years ago. the one about me. i know im not that interesting. but im pretty good writer... anyway cross your fingers, i think im gonna seek out every distant remote my-friend-knows-the-cleaner-who-works for the best friend of the top publishing chick at random house contact that ive got....
i have been obsessed with words and the power contained within them for a long time. i remember once, just after i moved to australia, i wrote a poem. actually i wrote a few poems, because this was back when integrity in writing was all that mattered to me. anyway, i sent the poems to a friend who i went to journalism school with, a friend whose writing i really respected.
she wrote me back, and told me the poem i had written made her cry.
what an amazing feeling, to think that the words you put on paper in the middle of the night when you should be dreaming can create that kind of emotion.
i want to do that again. i want to write something that moves people....
Monday, May 11, 2009
i put more pix up
the first seven albums from this link http://picasaweb.google.com/lynnettehoffman are all argentina-- and thats it for pix from that trip.
the first seven albums from this link http://picasaweb.google.com/lynnettehoffman are all argentina-- and thats it for pix from that trip.
Monday, May 04, 2009
one disadvantage to living in tasmania
is it means a lot of extra flying, and i hate flying. just found out i have to be in sydney at the end of the week. guess thats the price of living in the middle of nowhere.
is it means a lot of extra flying, and i hate flying. just found out i have to be in sydney at the end of the week. guess thats the price of living in the middle of nowhere.
slowly putting pix online
latest album is here: http://picasaweb.google.com/lynnettehoffman/Freytojacob#
Saturday, May 02, 2009
Newspaper theft is on the rise
The first thing I do when I get the newspaper, is to take out the sections I'm probably not going to read. When I buy the Sydney Morning Herald or the Age, I immediately discard the Drive and real estate sections. Just not interested.
With the Australian, I usually get rid of Business and Sports (both of which are inherently more interesting than cars and houses, but I only have limited time, and reading the newspaper the way I do takes a lot of that. So out go business and sports.
Anyway this morning I was sitting in coffee shop with laptop and newspaper-- business and sports sections on the table adjacent to mine--i hadnt even browsed to be sure there was nothing of interest, and some guy came over and took them, without even asking. I guess just assuming it was coffeeshop property.
But really, I have to pay 60 cents extra per copy for my newspaper to be flown over to this little island from the mainland (!!!) -- at least give me a sec to skim before you snag it!
This incident probably wouldnt have registered too much on my radar had something a little peculur not just occurred on the flight back from Auckland (via Buenos Aires) a few weeks ago.
Side note: Aerolinas Argentina provides almost no entertainment (there is one screen for all of economy class-- two stations providing audio for whatever bad film is showing, with one in spanish and one in english, and two incredibly bad radio stations. That's it. So in Auckland I grabbed my favorite newspaper in the whole universe: The Guardian Weekly. And when I got on the plane I smilled, winked and got the flight attendants to give me a copy of the New Zealand Herald that had been designated for the priveleged first class.
I commented to the guy next me on how stoked i WAS TO HAVE NOT ONE BUT TWO NEWSPAPERS TO READ, AND RECOUNTED MY TALE OF SCORING THE FREE PAPER. lITTLE THINGs make me happy.
So I was indulging in the Guardian Weekly, with the Herald beneath it when an older gentleman a couple rows up tried to get my attention. He mouthed some words and gestured toward the paper. Eventually I figured out that he wanted to read the other paper.
I'll admit I was a little reluctant since I wanted to read the fresh uncrinkled paper first, but I knew it would take me a while to get through the best paper ever, so I agreed. I try to be community spirited, you know.
So the gentleman read my paper...and I couldnt help but notice that the pages were distinctly not crisp and unwrinkled any longer.
(Ok Im anal about my newspapers. It's my livelihood, afterall!!).
I finished my paper and waited for the man to give me the other one back, but when I looked up to make eye contact I realised that he had distributed it to everyone else in his row, so it was now in several pieces.
i waited a little longer, and then finally asked for the paper.
"Oh," he looked a little flustered as he set about gathering the various sections.
"I thought you were Spanish and couldn't read our paper..."
The first thing I do when I get the newspaper, is to take out the sections I'm probably not going to read. When I buy the Sydney Morning Herald or the Age, I immediately discard the Drive and real estate sections. Just not interested.
With the Australian, I usually get rid of Business and Sports (both of which are inherently more interesting than cars and houses, but I only have limited time, and reading the newspaper the way I do takes a lot of that. So out go business and sports.
Anyway this morning I was sitting in coffee shop with laptop and newspaper-- business and sports sections on the table adjacent to mine--i hadnt even browsed to be sure there was nothing of interest, and some guy came over and took them, without even asking. I guess just assuming it was coffeeshop property.
But really, I have to pay 60 cents extra per copy for my newspaper to be flown over to this little island from the mainland (!!!) -- at least give me a sec to skim before you snag it!
This incident probably wouldnt have registered too much on my radar had something a little peculur not just occurred on the flight back from Auckland (via Buenos Aires) a few weeks ago.
Side note: Aerolinas Argentina provides almost no entertainment (there is one screen for all of economy class-- two stations providing audio for whatever bad film is showing, with one in spanish and one in english, and two incredibly bad radio stations. That's it. So in Auckland I grabbed my favorite newspaper in the whole universe: The Guardian Weekly. And when I got on the plane I smilled, winked and got the flight attendants to give me a copy of the New Zealand Herald that had been designated for the priveleged first class.
I commented to the guy next me on how stoked i WAS TO HAVE NOT ONE BUT TWO NEWSPAPERS TO READ, AND RECOUNTED MY TALE OF SCORING THE FREE PAPER. lITTLE THINGs make me happy.
So I was indulging in the Guardian Weekly, with the Herald beneath it when an older gentleman a couple rows up tried to get my attention. He mouthed some words and gestured toward the paper. Eventually I figured out that he wanted to read the other paper.
I'll admit I was a little reluctant since I wanted to read the fresh uncrinkled paper first, but I knew it would take me a while to get through the best paper ever, so I agreed. I try to be community spirited, you know.
So the gentleman read my paper...and I couldnt help but notice that the pages were distinctly not crisp and unwrinkled any longer.
(Ok Im anal about my newspapers. It's my livelihood, afterall!!).
I finished my paper and waited for the man to give me the other one back, but when I looked up to make eye contact I realised that he had distributed it to everyone else in his row, so it was now in several pieces.
i waited a little longer, and then finally asked for the paper.
"Oh," he looked a little flustered as he set about gathering the various sections.
"I thought you were Spanish and couldn't read our paper..."
Thursday, April 30, 2009
saw lior last night. so inspiring. left and wanted to write a novel. or paint a canvas. or something,
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
freaky face grab kiss apple selling man. but i guess i did take a lot of pix. too bad the light was terrible.
anyway heres a link to some pics from this little town south of Mendoza:
San Rafael shots
anyway heres a link to some pics from this little town south of Mendoza:
San Rafael shots
Just to prove my point
Here are some pictures from the tour to las Lenas. Ie the worst tour ever to be created. Im not really sure Ive made it look as bad as it really was. You have to imagine the REALLY LONG distances we had to drive between each point, and remember that this was not even the tour I requested.
http://picasaweb.google.com/lynnettehoffman/TheTourFromHell#5327421377152803874
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