Hi Wolfgang<br><br>Just for thought.<br><br>A few years ago, a Brazilian teeanager was arrested leaving the US for telling customs officials that he was carrying a bomb when asked what a volume of luggage was. He was immediately arrested as the officials thought he was joking and did not see any humour in it. <br>
<br>It turned out that he was acually speaking the **truth**, abeit in defective English. In Portuguese, "bomba" is both a "bomb" and a "pump", and the teeanager used the word "bomb" to mean "pump" to refer to the diving air compressor.<br>
<br>It took a lot of high-level diplomacy for the US to accept the linguistic faux pas as a reasonable explanation. <br><br>Regards<br><br>Rui <br><br><div class="gmail_quote">2012/1/31 "Kleinwächter, Wolfgang" <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:wolfgang.kleinwaechter@medienkomm.uni-halle.de">wolfgang.kleinwaechter@medienkomm.uni-halle.de</a>></span><br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">Hi<br>
<br>
is "joking" protected by the first amendement of the US constitution and part of Article 19 (right to freedom of exression) of the UN Human Rights Declaration?<br>
<br>
wolfgang<br>
<br>
________________________________<br>
<br>
Von: <a href="mailto:governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org">governance-request@lists.igcaucus.org</a> im Auftrag von Riaz K Tayob<br>
Gesendet: Di 31.01.2012 16:23<br>
An: <a href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a><br>
Betreff: [governance] Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US<br>
<div class="im"><br>
<br>
31 January 2012 Last updated at 12:51 GMT<br>
<br>
<br>
Caution on Twitter urged as tourists barred from US<br>
<br>
Post-9/11 USA is highly cautious of any perceived threat, Abta said<br>
<br>
<br>
Holidaymakers have been warned to watch their words after two friends were refused entry to the US on security grounds after a tweet.<br>
<br>
Before his trip, Leigh Van Bryan wrote that he was going to "destroy America".<br>
<br>
He insisted he was referring to simply having a good time - but was sent home.<br>
<br>
Trade association Abta told the BBC that the case highlighted that holidaymakers should never do anything to raise "concern or suspicion in any way".<br>
<br>
The US Department for Homeland Security picked up Mr Bryan's messages ahead of his holiday in Los Angeles.<br>
<br>
The 26-year-old bar manager wrote a message to a friend on the micro-blogging service, saying: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America."<br>
<br>
</div>The Irish national told the Sun newspaper <<a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4095372/Twitter-news-US-bars-friends-over-Twitter-joke.html" target="_blank">http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/4095372/Twitter-news-US-bars-friends-over-Twitter-joke.html</a>> that he and his friend Emily Bunting were apprehended on arrival at Los Angeles International Airport before being sent home.<br>
<div class="im"><br>
"The Homeland Security agents were treating me like some kind of terrorist," Mr Bryan said.<br>
<br>
"I kept saying they had got the wrong meaning from my tweet."<br>
<br>
No joke<br>
<br>
Abta, which represents travel companies in the UK, said holidaymakers need to learn to be ultra-cautious when it comes to talking about forthcoming trips, particularly after 9/11.<br>
<br>
</div>Continue reading the main story <<a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16810312#story_continues_2" target="_blank">http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16810312#story_continues_2</a>><br>
<div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5"><br>
"Start Quote<br>
<br>
<br>
Airport security staff do not have a sense of humour when it comes to potential risk"<br>
<br>
Abta<br>
<br>
"Posting statements in a public forum which could be construed as threatening - in this case saying they are going to "destroy" somewhere - will not be viewed sympathetically by US authorities," it told the BBC.<br>
<br>
"In the past we have seen holidaymakers stopped at airport security for 'joking' that they have a bomb in their bag, thoroughly questioned and ending up missing their flights, demonstrating that airport security staff do not have a sense of humour when it comes to potential risk."<br>
<br>
In another tweet, Mr Bryan made reference to comedy show Family Guy saying that he would be in LA in three weeks, annoying people "and diggin' Marilyn Monroe up".<br>
<br>
Mr Bryan told the newspaper that he was questioned for five hours about his Twitter messages.<br>
<br>
'Tweeter account'<br>
<br>
After the interview, Homeland Security's reported: "Mr Bryan confirmed that he had posted on his Tweeter website account that he was coming to the United States to dig up the grave of Marilyn Monroe.<br>
<br>
"Also on his tweeter account Mr Bryan posted he was coming to destroy America."<br>
<br>
Paul Chambers was fined after posting a message about Robin Hood Airport<br>
<br>
The US Customs and Border Protection agency said in a statement that it tried to maintain a balance between "securing our borders while facilitating the high volume of legitimate trade and travel that crosses our borders every day".<br>
<br>
It added: "We strive to achieve that balance and show the world that the United States is a welcoming nation."<br>
<br>
Mr Bryan is not the only person to suffer from a misjudged tweet. In January 2010, Paul Chambers tweeted that he would blow snow-affected Robin Hood Airport in Doncaster "sky high!" if it was not reopened in time for him to see his girlfriend.<br>
<br>
He was fined £385 plus £2,600 in costs - a sum which actor Stephen Fry offered to pay on Mr Chambers' behalf.<br>
<br>
<br>
</div></div><br>____________________________________________________________<br>
You received this message as a subscriber on the list:<br>
<a href="mailto:governance@lists.igcaucus.org">governance@lists.igcaucus.org</a><br>
To be removed from the list, visit:<br>
<a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing" target="_blank">http://www.igcaucus.org/unsubscribing</a><br>
<br>
For all other list information and functions, see:<br>
<a href="http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance" target="_blank">http://lists.igcaucus.org/info/governance</a><br>
To edit your profile and to find the IGC's charter, see:<br>
<a href="http://www.igcaucus.org/" target="_blank">http://www.igcaucus.org/</a><br>
<br>
Translate this email: <a href="http://translate.google.com/translate_t" target="_blank">http://translate.google.com/translate_t</a><br>
<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial">_________________________<br>Mobile Number in Namibia +264 81 445 1308<br></span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial">Número de Telemóvel na Namíbia +264 81 445 1308</span><br>
<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:Arial"><br>I am away from Johannesburg - you cannot contact me on my South African numbers<br>Estou fora de Joanesburgo - não poderá entrar em contacto comigo através dos meus números sul-africanos<br>
<br>Rui Correia<br>
Advocacy, Human Rights, Media and Language Consultant<br>
Angola Liaison Consultant<br>
<br>
_______________<br>
</span><input type="hidden"><input type="hidden"><div></div><br>