Topic: Matt Harding

[Nichi]

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pwe-pA6TaZk/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pwe-pA6TaZk"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pwe-pA6TaZk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Pwe-pA6TaZk</a>

[Nichi]

To review ...

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bNF_P281Uu4/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bNF_P281Uu4"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/bNF_P281Uu4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/bNF_P281Uu4</a>

[Nichi]

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/zlfKdbWwruY/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zlfKdbWwruY"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/zlfKdbWwruY" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/zlfKdbWwruY</a>

[Nichi]

<span data-s9e-mediaembed="youtube" style="display:inline-block;width:100%;max-width:640px"><span style="display:block;overflow:hidden;position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%"><iframe allowfullscreen="" loading="lazy" scrolling="no" style="background:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Pwe-pA6TaZk/hqdefault.jpg) 50% 50% / cover;border:0;height:100%;left:0;position:absolute;width:100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pwe-pA6TaZk"></iframe></span></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/Pwe-pA6TaZk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/Pwe-pA6TaZk</a>

Just a few comments about this video:

~He blocked out the faces of the Syrian dancers "for their safety".

~His whole point is to show joy around the world, his theory being that what we see of all the nations is their grief and horror, leading us to a skewed world-view. He states that the predominant mode is that people want to laugh and take comfort in each other's company.

~I wonder if, perhaps, "Playing for Change" stole a bit of his thunder, using the technique of around-the-world spots.

~He did not have a sponsor for this most recent video, meaning that he did it out of his own pocket.

~He admits to having a method in his madness - that all the pieces are part of a puzzle.

[Nichi]

~He blocked out the faces of the Syrian dancers "for their safety".

A wise move.

Elsewhere in the world:

Teen sisters shot dead over dancing in the rain video

July 1, 2013 - 2:43PM
Two teenage girls have been shot dead in an apparent honour killing in Pakistan after a video was circulated showing them dancing in the rain.

The girls, aged 15 and 16, are seen running around wearing traditional dress, covered in green and purple headscarves, outside their stone bungalow in the town of Chilas, in the far north of the country.

Local media named them as Noor Basra and Noor Sheza, the daughters of a retired police officer. According to Dawn newspaper, five masked men barged into their house and opened fire last Sunday. Their mother was also killed.

The report said police believed that the crime was motivated by a video clip circulated on mobile telephones. The short film, shot six months ago, shows the girls smiling and laughing as they run around their home, breaking into a dance.

An initial investigation, quoted by Dawn, suggested that the girls' stepbrother, named as Khutore, considered the video an "assault on the honour of his family" and carried out the attack. Officers are also examining whether a property dispute or an audio clip - in which the girls are apparently heard talking to an unknown man - might be a motive.

Human rights activist Atiya Jehan was quoted by Yahoo7 as saying "the video of the sisters breaking into dance and flashing a smile at the camera became a big issue in Chillas area."

Five women and two men were reportedly killed in the same region following footage of them singing and dancing together at a wedding, the UK Telegraph reported.

The alleged killer is believed to still be on the run.

Honour killings in Pakistan are carried out to restore honour the the family name, following an action by a family member that causes the name to be shamed in some way.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani girl who was falsely accused of burning a religious text has fled to Canada, according to her supporters.

Rimsha Masih, a Christian believed to be 14, was jailed for several weeks last year after witnesses claimed she had set fire to an Islamic book. The blasphemy case was dropped when it emerged that she had been framed.

The Telegraph, London

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/teen-sisters-shot-dead-over-dancing-in-the-rain-video-20130701-2p66o.html#ixzz2Xlx7kpsF
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/teen-sisters-shot-dead-over-dancing-in-the-rain-video-20130701-2p66o.html#ixzz2XlynYnvg