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Malaysia: Where is Press Freedom Heading Now?  · Global Voices
Jude Chia

Which country is the odd one out? Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Malaysia. Okay, let's say I am an obnoxious author who wants to insult your general country knowledge and you try to impress me with what you know. So Malaysia is economically more prosperous in South East Asia region, has better developed infrastructure, with substantially lower poverty rate, hmm… you may even say more democratic. But odd one out indeed, Malaysia is also languished way below Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia in press freedom ranking.
As recent development of press freedom in Malaysia unfolds, there are 3 key outcomes that can be observed:
1) Opposition parties will continue to fight the hardest through online media, after being granted limited access to print and electronic media
2)  Despite claims or evidence of supporting free media, government continues to hold the leverage in controlling media with information and printing acts.
3) Information censorship is ineffective as long as Internet remains uncensored. Rising number of Internet users and independent online contents will shape major opinions and put government under pressure.
When latest press freedom index was released earlier this year, opposition politicians were quick to react through their own online party information portals and personal blogs. Their online criticism intensified when government delayed decision in renewing opposition newsletters, and the banning of satirical political cartoons offered another opportunistic moment to fuel discontent and speculation through online media. A citizen, Lai responded:
The reason that government gave, believe it or not, was that ‘the contents  can influence the people to revolt against the leaders and government policies'… Cartoons can cause the people to revolt? Wow! Newly found weapon eh?
Interestingly, apart from online media strategy to criticize censorship, one opposition-led state actually took the unprecedented move to table the Freedom of Information bill to disclose information of public interests to every individual. Anil said while chiding a state government representative who rejected the bill:
Today is something of a historic day for the country in our quest for a more accountable society…
As independent news portals and citizen media contents proliferate in the country, Gopal Krishnan predicted:
Despite these heavy-handed responses to alternative voices, the government must surely appreciate the futility (not to mention the political consequences) of continuing to restrict the space for independent journalism and commentary to exist. As of 2009, it is estimated that over 65 percent of Malaysian homes were connected to the Internet. Beyond this, not only have we witnessed the mushrooming of various online news outlets and sources competing for our screen time, there has also been an explosion of online citizen journalism and social media, which has – among other things – truly created a new political reality in the country.
Well ultimately, press freedom is not something that the government or opposition parties whimsically decide, but it is about citizens who demand the truth and reporters who want to report the truth. Like Attan said:
Like I said, no matter what, we journalists lose – Najib's government suspends newspapers, Guan Eng (DAP party leader) bans them, and Anwar sues us.

author: Jude Chia


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Russia: 19 Years Since Coup d’Etat Attempt · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Bloggers share recollections [RUS] of the 1991 events [EN] in Russia when a group of Soviet generals tried to seize the control over the country. User s01101 posts pictures [RUS] of the commemoration of the events in Saint-Petersburg. Oleg Kozlovsky asks [RUS] his readers, what if coup d'etat would succeed. “We'd be living in the Northern Myanmar,” Kozlovsky suggests.

source: news-globalvoices

license: Creative Commons - Attribution - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Bloggers Expose Death Rate Increase · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

"Need Air", photo by Maxim Trudolubov, taken on Aug. 4, 2010, in Moscow
Social media played a significant role during the unprecedented Russian wildfires. The Russian blogosphere provided [EN] hundreds of firsthand examples and exclusive evidence of the disaster. It exposed the lack of the government’s accountability and transparency, bypassing the traditional, state-controlled media. It also provided an instrument of social mobilization and mutual aid, thus replacing the unaccountable government with social responsibility of Internet users (as described here [EN] and here [EN]).
There is one specific and sensitive issue, however, where social media played an even more significant role: it was the bloggers who highlighted the sudden death rate increase among Moscow residents in early August. Combined with extreme temperatures and air pollution, the smog created the conditions that proved unbearable for elderly people and those with heart illnesses and asthma. As a result, numerous deaths were reported [EN] by the mainstream media.
Initially, government officials denied the increase in death rates. Then, Andrei Seltsovsky, Moscow health department chief, broke [RUS] weeks of official silence: “The average death rate in the city normally is between 360 and 380 deaths per day. Today, we have around 700.”
Health minister Tatyana Golikova said [RUS] that Seltsovsky's statistics were misleading and couldn’t be considered as official. At the same time, the media were filled with rumors [RUS] that suggested that not only had the real number of deaths been concealed, but also that Moscow health care professionals were forbidden to list heat or smog as causes of death.
In the era of social media, however, death is something that is difficult to conceal. On blogs, death becomes more public and personalized, as very often bloggers write about their own lives. Not only ordinary bloggers discussed the medical situation caused by the wildfires and heat, but medical workers and doctors were blogging, too, sharing evidence for various “rumors.”
The first post to raise the issue of the increased death rate and to cause a significant controversy was written by LJ user mamako on Aug. 7. The blogger claimed to work at the hospital and described [RUS] the horror of “overcrowded” morgues and extreme conditions in hospital rooms:
[…] В корпусе открыты все окна, задымление в коридорах, палатах, операционных, процедурных, перевязочных, туалетах и в большинстве ординаторских – такое же, как и на улице. В отделении реанимации окна закрыты, гари от этого не меньше, но разносится зловоние от гниющих при 40 градусах повязок и испражнений.
За прошедшие сутки в больнице умерло 17 человек. За позапрошлые – 16. К сегодняшнему утру за прошедшие сутки в морге больницы оказалось 65 трупов – наши плюс … из окрестных квартир. Трупы складывают в подвале стоя  – холодильники уже заняты.
Скорая пачками везет стариков с фактическим тепловым ударом, под страхом увольнения скорой запрещено выставлять диагноз “тепловой удар, перегрев” ( потому что у нас – не жарко, у нас в городе – все в порядке).
[…]
Такая же ситуация по всем московским больницам.
Кроме, наверное –  и к сожалению,  – ЦКБ.
P. S. До Кремля по прямой – от силы –  10 км. Только кого это интересует?
In the past 24 hours, 17 patients have died at the hospital. Yesterday, 16 died. As of today's morning, the morgue has received 65 corpses – ours and those from the nearby apartments. Corpses are stored in the basement in a standing position – the refrigerators are full.
Ambulances keep bringing packs of elderly people with thermal shock, but ER doctors are threatened with dismissal if they diagnose “thermal shock, overheating” (because it's not hot here – everything is OK in our city).
[…]
The situation is the same in every Moscow hospital. Except for the Central Clinical Hospital [the main clinic for officials and VIPs] – unfortunately.
P.S. It's some 10 kilometers from the Kremlin on a straight road. But who cares?
This post was re-posted by dozens, if not hundreds, of blogs and raised a lot of controversy. Many commentators considered the post to be a fake. One of the members of the Antideza_ru LJ community, created to fight disinformation, analyzed [RUS] the post critically: first, if the patients’ condition is the responsibility of the author, the author should be fired – she should be working, not blogging; second, some of the details provided in the post aren't credible (e.g., no one places bodies in a morgue in a standing position). Later, however, Life.ru published [RUS] a photo that supported LJ user mamako’s information about the ban on heat-related diagnoses.
LJ user mamako deleted her blog a few hours after posting the controversial post. The same happened with another popular post – a public letter to PM Vladimir Putin [RUS] by LJ user top-lap. In both cases, the blogs were restored after a few days. LJ user mamako explained [RUS] the removal of her blog by the annoyance caused to her and her family by curious journalists: one story, for example, published in Komsomolskaya Pravda, claimed [RUS] that mamako had had a thermal shock herself and, moreover, was a liar.
Despite attacks on the credibility of LJ user mamako’s post, the blogosphere continued to provide evidence about the terrifying conditions at Moscow hospitals. LJ user koteljnik published [RUS] a letter from his doctor friend:
В кабинете у меня, если не открывать окно 34-35 градусов, а если открыть, то задыхаюсь! Сокращать рабочее время или назначить дежурства за доп. плату не собираются! Мы согласны помогать людям – это наш долг, но государство может и нас поддержать малость! Нам не могут купить даже вентиляторы, на всю поликлинику 3 холодильника, где можно охладить воду, чтоб не умереть от жажды! Даже не все необходимые лекарства могут вместиться в имеющиеся у нас холодильники […]! Но нам велено не шуметь!!!
LJ user molitva-i-post wrote [RUS] about her grandfather, who had died because of the heat wave:
скоро 24 часа как умер дед. дедушка до сих пор лежит в квартире, за окном +35. мы накрыли тело мокрой простыней и закрыли окна, чтобы замедлить разложение. дверь подоткнули мокрым одеялом.
[…]
на момент 9 вечера по москве уже было 800 трупов. максимальная выработка службы 300 в день. ни одной дополнительной бригады им не выделили. дед распух. будут хоронить в закрытом гробу. когда заберут, неизвестно.[…]
[…]
At 9 PM Moscow time, there were already 800 dead. The service can transfer no more 300 per day. No additional crews have been sent [to help out]. Granddad is swollen. Will bury him in a closed coffin. No info on when they would take him away. […]
And again the post was re-posted by many bloggers. Some of the commentators tried to help. LJ user lion_casserole wrote [RUS] a detailed instruction on how to take care of a dead body when it stays at home for a long time. Still, many bloggers considered this post to be a fake as well. Some of the reactions were [RUS] very far from being respectful:
Если описанное правда – то это яркий пример тупого ленивого русского, который сидит и ждет приезда царя, который за него г.вно уберет. Если описанное неправда (что скорее всего) – то автор – наглый тролль, который танцует на чувствах хомячков.
LJ user molitva-i-post hasn’t responded to her attackers. But a few days later, she posted [RUS] a photo of her dead grandfather and wrote that eventually his body was evacuated 12 hours later, relatively fast compared to the average body evacuation time in Moscow in those days.
Bloggers continued to provide more evidence about deaths in Moscow. LJ user petunder commented on mamako‘s controversial post:
С утра читал эту запись и не верил. Но несколько часов назад у меня умерла мама. От жары. Сердечная недостаточность. Приехала скорая, поставила диагноз и быстро уехала к следующим умершим. Пять минут. По их словам куча умерших. Приехал милиционер, сказал, что весь день только и занимается, что ездит оформлять умерших. Труповозку ждать до утра, у них аврал. агенты даже не звонят – видимо клиентов больше, чем агентов.
Marina Litvinovich, a well-known blogger confirmed [RUS] the story:
Подтверждаю. Все так. Полторы недели назад, когда умер мой дед, все было так же.
Anton Nossik, one of the pioneers of RuNet, described [RUS] the new relationship between the government and the blogosphere, as it was reflected by the coverage of these events:
Есть информация в блогах, где каждый как бы говорит сам от себя, а есть официальная точка зрения. […] С той или иной задержкой официальные источники нам подтверждают то, что мы уже читали в блогах. После 10 лет строительства Вертикали и десятков миллиардов, вбуханных в «Электронную Россию», неспособность властей создать штаб и обеспечить поступление информации — впечатляет.
In this context, Russian bloggers have played another role in addition to providing the tragic evidence of the consequences of the disaster. Ivan Begtin, a blogger and IT expert, discovered that the Moscow authorities published [RUS] on their website the recent data about the rate of mortality in the Russian capital. He wrote [RUS]:
Данные за 2010 год там есть, вплоть до июля 2010 года, однако, как ведается про такое понятие как открытые данные они совсем не знают и таблички в виде которых они публикуют информацию малопригодны для работы. Приходится их конвертировать и преобразовывать в нечто более пригодное.
Begtin published a few graphs that clearly showed a significant increase in the Moscow death rate in July. In other words, the Russian blogosphere provided not only personal stories, but also an analysis of the official data, which hadn’t been done by the government itself.
Comparative analysis of death rates in 2009 and 2010, by Ivan Begtin.
The role of the social media in the coverage of the death rate caused by the wildfires demonstrated a unique role of the blogosphere that can’t be fulfilled by the contemporary traditional media in Russia. Until the emergence of Web 2.0, the government had enjoyed a monopoly on death rate information and could manipulate it. The task was relatively easy, since the state institutions that dealt with death could use privacy and sensitivity considerations as an excuse for the lack of transparency on this issue.
The arrival of social media and personal diaries meant that disasters affecting a lot of people cannot be concealed anymore, the way it was practiced in the past by some non-democratic states.  Blogs not only became a tool of the exposure of the dramatic phenomena. They made it much more powerful, personalizing these stories and creating a feeling of close interaction with the individuals affected by the disaster. Awareness of the death rates emerged thanks to the blogs, reducing the ability of the authorities to control the agenda and minimize the scale of disaster in order to protect itself from being held accountable.
As LJ user notolerance_cp noted [RUS], however, there are still some spaces that even social media can’t reach:
это детский лепет по сравнению с тем что сейчас происходит в камерах и тюрьмах

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Russia: Shocking Pictures of Russian Neo-Nazis · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Bigpicture.ru posts Guillaume Herbaut‘s [FR] photos of the “Slavic Union” [RUS], a neo-Nazi group aimed to establish National-socialist reign in Russia. In April 2010, the group's activity had been prohibited.


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Russia: Wildfires Victims Sorry They Fought For Their Houses · Global Voices
Dmitry Davidov

The aftermath of the recent wildfires in Russia is on the agenda of the main media channels. Reports on and interviews with victims, volunteers, humanitarian aid workers and government officials are covering mainly positive developments: new houses are being built for the victims, financial compensations are being paid to the families who lost their houses in the fires,  donated clothes and goods are being sent to survivors.
But the blogosphere talks about “silent” victims of the wildfires: those who fought for their old houses instead of giving up everything and running from their villages.
Natalya Radulova (aka LJ user radulova), a columnist for the popular Russian weekly “Ogonyok” [RUS], writes about those people in her blog post titled “Who really suffered because of the fires in Russia” [RUS]. Equipped with a mobile phone camera, Radulova  went to a small Russian village Yuzhny and talked to the people who chose to put down the wildfires and stay in their houses.
“They are not entitled for a compensation,” Radulova wrote, “they are not being paid, they will not receive new houses in new modern villages. They stay to live in villages where they don't have electricity and where there are only few houses left.”
Radulova explained that people who decided to run from their villages as soon as the fires started now enjoy much better life than those who decided to stay and fight the fires:
Вот, к примеру, послелок Южный. Вот труба от сгоревшего дома. Его хозяину уже строят новый дом в поселке, где будет газ, горячая вода, ванная, туалет и проч. Он уже получил компенсацию, он выбирает из “гуманитарки” лучшие вещи, а б/у выбрасывает. Он живет в специализированном центре – они называют это “курорт”. Там им установили кондиционеры, их кормят три раза в день, им привозят много подарков. И такой вот Вася, вечный безработный, получив деньги на карточку, теперь ходит в магазин и “попивает винцо”, бросив дома своих коз, котов и собак. Его жизнь круто изменилась в лучшую сторону.
А дальше, видите, стоит дом человека, который всю ночь сражался с огнем так, что у него белки глаз стали красными. Теперь он живет в почти вымершем поселке, где сразу же отключи свет и закрыли магазин: “Кто ж знал, что наше правительство вдруг так расщедриться. Думали, что все будет как обычно и нам самим придется восстанавливаться. Поэтому защищали дома самые активные, а старики и пьянь, те, кому на все посрать, сразу уехали”. Ему и его семье еще встречать зиму. Почти в чистом поле, где никто дороги от снега чистить теперь не будет. Чего их чистить-то ради парочки жителей?
The discussion around the post focused around the widespread poverty in Russian villages and unequal efforts of the government to deal with the victims of the wildfires. LJ user bolshoi_zaitz, for example, wrote [RUS]:
По мне – если населенный пункт попал в зону пожаров – то надо давать компенсацию деньгами ВСЕМ жителям сгоревших деревень. Чтобы те, кто смог защитить жилье, понимали, что не зря это делали. И именно деньгами. Чтобы сами заключали договора на строительство. Можно регламентировать, конечно сроки и т.д. […] А так получается, что склонность забулдыг к халяве только неимоверно подстегнули.
Another user pr_woland expressed his concern [RUS]  that troubles would not stop there:
Вы еще не забудьте сколько всего разворуют, отмоют и пропилят на этих пожарах. Не погорельцы, конечно, а те, кто у распределительного вентиля сидит в кожаных креслах.
A numbers of users in comments also claimed that humanitarian aid to the victims was stolen or given to the people who did not need any help or who were never affected by the wildfires. People also expressed their concerns with new houses being built for the victims. Those LJ users were sure that the new buildings would be poorly constructed and would not be appropriate for harsh Russian winters.
The blog post and bloggers’ reactions show that not many people believe that the efforts to help the victims of the fires will be conducted effectively and distributed fairly. But even among pessimistic comments, there is a place for gloom Russian optimism. LJ user nikolo_m cheerfully wrote [RUS] that “those who did not burn this year have a change to burn next year and it is unclear who is more lucky.”

author: Dmitry Davidov


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Sao Tome & Principe: Revolt Against Water Diverted from Hospital · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Hospital Ayres de Menezes Pediatrics Ward, Blog Joãozinho Leve Leve
In the past few months, a heated discussion animated the blogosphere of Sao Tome and Principe, on a public health problem that apparently has already been solved. Until last week, there was no water running from the taps of Ayres de Menezes Hospital, but its director now assures that the issue has been taken care of.
From the beginning of 2010, bloggers have discussed the serious lack of water in the main hospital of Sao Tome, though the supply problems date back more than five years.
In February, Ricardo Bianchi, a Portuguese doctor working in a mission at the hospital, wrote in blog Joãozinho Leve-leve about the state of the health sector in Sao Tome, and particularly about the daily life of medical practitioners.
From his point of view, the lack of water represents one of the main hindrances to medical practice, which leads him to fear that in some situations, he would not be able to avoid a tragic ending, due to scarce resources, as he explains:
Os distintivos a assinalarem estes projectos de cooperação estão por toda a parte, mas a utilização de forma sustentada dos recursos tecnológicos existentes torna-se muito difícil quando as falhas de energia são constantes e o hospital não dispõe, actualmente, de água corrente. Resultado: enfermarias sobre-lotadas, quentes e mal ventiladas associadas a múltiplas restrições na realização de exames auxiliares de diagnóstico. Uma realidade muito diferente daquela a que nos habituámos nas Faculdades de Medicina e nos hospitais do nosso país [Portugal]!
Three months later, Américo, another doctor from Portuguese Aid starting a mission, reported his first impressions in the same blog:
As limitações de espaço e a desadequação das estruturas são evidentes, e não são estranhas aos profissionais que nela trabalham e que tentam diariamente fazer o melhor com aquilo que existe. Uma das maiores dificuldades é sem dúvida a falta de água corrente no hospital o que dificulta a higiene dos doentes e dos profissionais e impõe ainda maiores limites ao tipo de exames disponíveis.
Mention to water supply system in magazine "Ilustração Portugueza", December 1916, Blog Revista Antiga Portuguesa
The discussion was taken to a different level back in May, when Humbah Aguiar, a Saotomean citizen in the diaspora, spread an appeal through a video he made available on Youtube, titled In STP The rich steal water from the Hospital and the people just watch!!!!!??:
No Principal hospital de S.tomé não há água porque a população rica do país extraviou para suas casas.
São-tomenses façam alguma coisa, manifestem saiam a rua….
Esta minha revolta é apenas um desabafo….
In the video, Aguiar shows his revolt after having read a news story about a child for whom it was not possible to find water at Ayres de Menezes even for drug intake. The article stressed a previous denunciation concerning water diverted from the hospital to an elite housing area nearby – the Campo de Milho:
Sede e insanidade geral no hospital central, enquanto que há cerca de  200 metros do centro de saúde, água abundante mata sede de figuras  políticas e do mundo empresarial que habitam no campo de milho. «Têm água para beber e para regar os seus jardins», desabafou um dos utentes do banco de urgência.
A água que irriga as residências de luxo do campo de milho, foi  canalizada exclusivamente para o hospital central. Os poderosos que  vivem no bairro de elite vizinho ao hospital, vandalizaram a canalização  e levaram a água para as suas casas, para o seu bem-estar, para o seu  deleite.
Thirst and general insanity in the central hospital, while about 200 meters from the health center, plenty of water quenches the thirst of political figures and business men living in the Campo de Milho. “They have water for drinking and watering their gardens,” blurted one of the patients at the emergency ward.
The water that irrigates the luxury homes of the Campo de Milho was exclusively piped to the central hospital. The powerful people living in the elite neighborhood nearby the hospital, vandalized the pipe and took the water to their homes, to their well-being, to their delight.
The video triggered a discussion that quickly spread to other online social forums, such as São Tomé Blog group on Facebook and Canal Santola. Fifteen days later the video had had over 1500 views and the reactions of netcitizens began to multiply through the different platforms. At that time, the news website Téla Nón published an article in which the Director of the Hospital asserted that the problem was solved in 80-90% of the facilities. Reportedly, the hospital was making use of the pipes from an abandoned building nearby. A few days later the same news was shown to be false:
O Hospital Central Ayres de Menezes, continua sem acesso a água  canalizada. Como tem acontecido nos últimos meses, é a corporação dos  bombeiros que tem levado alguns metros cúbicos de água para o centro de  saúde de referência do país.
Such statements just sparked the ongoing online discussion with a new focus: the quality of the water provided by firefighters. The Minister of Health of Sao Tome and Principe, Arlindo Carvalho, had earlier presented his concerns about the potential emergence of a spate of contaminations in the hospital, taking into account the difficulties that the patients were having fulfilling basic needs, such as their own personal hygiene. Dozens of comments later, on last August 13th, the Director of Hospital Ayres de Menezes, José Luis, stated that “the water is running in the taps of the Hospital” sparingly, though the process for resolving the problem was not clarified, neither the consequences for those responsible for the water diversion to Campo de Milho.

author: Sara Moreira


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Venezuela: Rapper Defies New Ban Against Violent Images · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

OneChot profile picture
Days after Venezuelan President Chavez declared a month long ban on media's use of violent images,Venezuelan rapper OneChot is using social media to distribute his video criticizing the violence in Venezuela,  triggering an investigation surrounding the video's release.
OneChot's video Rotten Town, directed by Hernan Jabes, is spreading through the web through online networks such as Facebook as well as twitter. Most of the comments support the artist and prompt others to watch the video, stating that it is a great form of national production, however some twitter users had something else to add to the mix:
As for the investigation process established against OneChot, Camilo Maldonado in twitter had something to say about it:
En  este país nadie ve los videoclips de las bandas, a excepción de unos  pocos. Abrirle una investigación a Rotten Town es tan estéril.
Tere de Souza criticized the choice of language, since the song is in English:
me  gusta el video de rotten town! lo que me ladilla es que sea en ingles  la letra… que maña tan estupida la del Vzolano… todo en ingles
Antonio Jordana wrote about the video's less than cheerful effects:
En reunión. En el break vimos el video de la canción Rotten Town. Ahora están todos depre.
Here is a short excerpt of the lyrics :
Let me introduce you to Caracas, embassy of hell, land of murderers and shattas
Undred people die every week, we nuh live in war, country is full of freaks
We have more death than pakistan, Libano, Kosovo , Vietnam and Afganistan
We have planty mafia, we have planty Don, and we have some crazys killars with the fast machine guns [sic]
On the night of the video release, Juan David Chacón (OneChot) and director Hernán Jabes spoke about the video and how it is meant to spur reflection as a manifest to stop violence once and for all.
According to Jabes:
El video tiene un mensaje muy fuerte que nos compete. El concepto radica en la responsabilidad que tenemos todos, no sólo el Gobierno, sino también de cómo educamos, cómo somos como amigos, como seres humanos (…) El video apoya la letra de Onechot… es un grito de protesta

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Bulgaria: Discovery of John the Baptist’s Relics Causes Political Scandal · Global Voices
Ruslan Trad

On Aug. 1, Bulgarian dailies and TV stations announced the news [BG] that the remains of John the Baptist were discovered near the Bulgarian seaside town of Sozopol. Naturally, this discovery by archaeologist Kazimir Popkonstantinov [EN] gave rise to a passionate debate in the Bulgarian community.
A program about John The Baptist on Bulgarian TV.
A couple of days after the discovery and the announcement that these were, indeed, the saint's relics, many voiced their opinions that this was, in fact, a lie. Bojidar Dimitrov, minister without portfolio and, until recently, head of Sofia's National Historical Museum, stood up to support the discovery. However, words that he used to address the Bulgarian public caused a rather acute reaction. He called the Bulgarian society “screwed” because of people's disbelief that these were actually John the Baptist's relics. Opposition leaders reacted to these harsh words by calling for Dimitrov's resignation. Representatives of the socialist youth in Bulgaria created a site for people to protest online and post their own  requests for Dimitrov's resignation – azprotestiram.com.
Bulgarian blogs feature a multitude of opinions on the situation, but overall they condemn the minister's words.
Boiana MG wrote [BG]:
At the end of July this year the ancient city of Sozopol became the location of a unique find of great historical value. On the nearby island of St. Ivan, a team of archaeologists, led by Professor Kazimir Popkonstantinov, discovered the relics of St. John the Baptist! Following the excavations of the island, a tooth and parts of a hand and jaw were found inside an authentic alabaster reliquary, sealed with red mortar. The relics of the saint were found inside the altar section of an old monastery complex that existed for 12 centuries and was abandoned by its monks in 1620. Mainstream media like CNN and National Geographic are currently looking to make a film about the discovery.
Rumi Borisova wrote [BG]:
For several days now Internet forums have been flooded with comments about the statement made by minister without portfolio Bojidar Dimitrov, who is responsible for the Bulgarians living abroad, as well as the Department of Religious Affairs in the Council of Ministers. When addressing the Bulgarian people, the minister in question used a certain epithet which should not be repeated. This happened during a conversation with a journalist, in which the minister who presents himself as a historian and even holds an academic degree in the field, was explaining something about the relic fragments of St. John the Baptist, found in excavations of an early Christian temple.
Blog Neverojatno posted this view [BG]:
Miraculous things started to happen in our country following the archaeological discovery of St. John the Baptist's ancient relics. Thousands of people stopped paying their health insurance fees and the number of the uninsured swelled to an impressive 1.7 million people. The non-believers started to believe once again in the power of saints and decided that there's a greater chance to survive by praying before a pile of ancient bones than to direct their faith towards Bulgaria's science or its doctors. The Bulgarian people realized that faith in the divine does not demand any financial sacrifices, only prayers, while faith in politicians is purchased through taxes in exchange for numerous and, in many cases, empty promises.
An interesting and very critical opinion appeared on the blog Blogmasa [BG]:
In this line of thinking it is not wrong to say that Mr. Minister is one “screwed” minister. A storm of outrage poured over him like a whirlwind following his misconstrued message. Of course, the “screwed people” would hardly be able to understand such a positive message thrown at them anyway. As already explained, the “screwed minister” in question did everything in his power to make his “screwed” people a bit more proud by making them the proud owners of St. John the Baptist's “components” and thereby extended the tourist season on the Black Sea.
Dimiter Atanassov published a different opinion on his blog [BG]:
We are witnessing yet another hot summer for Bulgarian Archaeology! – That would be the general tone of the tacky, tedious journalistic cliche, put together for the purpose of cheap sensationalism. After all, expensive surprises are a bourgeois commodity that not many can afford. The question of whether the newly-discovered relics belong to St. John the Baptist, or some unknown John who lived on the east coast of the Black Sea, is a query towards which the skeptic, with all his respect for the values of tradition, feels no particular interest. For such a person accepting or rejecting the sacrament is of little importance since it is foreign to him anyway – a choice no less valid and no less dignified than that of the believer. That's why the only ones truly involved in the “game” with the bodily remains of this holy man, are the believers. The ones who trust their lives as laymen not to the politicians, but to the church.

author: Ruslan Trad


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China: Finland Bath · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Carrie Yang and Katrien translated Han Han's short story, I want to talk to this world, which describes Finland Bath business and a police crackdown incident.

author: Oiwan Lam


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France: Learn More about the Itinerant Community · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

Around the hot topic of the “gens du voyage” in France – the itinerant community – Léa Charles from suite101.fr, gives a few definitions to sport out any confusion; Les actualités du droit outlines the details of the law as they ought to be applied on this issue, Yann Savidan interviews some members of the community, and Asiamour wrote a poem about her love for the community [fr].

author: Suzanne Lehn


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India, Pakistan: The Politics With India’s Donation To Flood Victims · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Was Asif Zardari’s fear of Indian money directly related to his fear of the Pakistan Army?” questions Mobashar Jawed (MJ) Akbar while discussing the politics of “playing with a crisis”.

author: Rezwan


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MENA: The Bigger Picture Behind Eden Abergil’s Facebook Photos · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Ex-Israeli soldier Eden Abergil's Facebook photo album entitled “IDF- The best days of my life” has caused outrage since it was revealed on Monday that the album contained photos of the soldier posing mockingly with handcuffed and blindfolded Palestinian detainees.
The photo album was available for public viewing until Abergil changed her Facebook privacy settings after the scandal arose. The story, which has made news  worldwide, has been met by angry reactions on local and international blogs and on Twitter.
The album not only contained photos of the detainees, with the soldier posing alongside them, but was also annotated with mocking commentary. Jordanian-Palestinian blogger Haitham Sabbah, at the Sabbah Report provides a translation for some of the comments:
On Thursday Abergil responded to the controversy by saying she did not understand what was wrong  with the photos. She said:
“There’s no violence or intention to humiliate anyone in the pictures. I just had my picture taken with them in the background. I did it out of excitement, to remember the experience. It wasn’t a political statement or any kind of statement. It was about remembering my experiences in the army and that’s it.”
Since the publicity around the photographs, the IDF has denounced Abergil's actions, insisting that she does not represent the IDF and pointing out that she was discharged last year. Some, such as Zeinobia at Egyptian Chronicles  suggest that this is merely as an image-saving exercise. One commenter on Zenobia‘s post however points out that despite what many bloggers think, Abergil has been equally as criticised from within Israel as she has been elsewhere:
Regardless of IDF's public statements and actions to be taken against Eden Abergil, the majority of Israeli people comments and opinions posted in their news media criticized her and called her various names ranging from ‘idiot’ to @%#*& and demanded for her punishment.
While Abergil has been singled out, Sabbah on the other hand states that these pictures are just part of a wider phenomenon, an opines that this is the norm for the IDF:
All of these pictures really speak for themselves and what to expect from Israel Army, and worse. Pictures of this kind reflect the norms accepted among Israeli soldiers at checkpoint, and the treatment meted out to innocent Palestinians. This sick girl is no better than all Israeli soldiers serving the occupation of Palestine. In fact these “best times of my life” pictures are only humble memories when compared to the bloody memories that other Israeli terrorist soldiers carry with them
Progressive Jewish blog Mondoweiss posts a similar view, as detailed in the post Eden Abergil, The Product of a Blindfolded Society, where a militarized society is blamed for such actions, suggesting while Abergil's behaviour is reprehensible, it is also commonplace and is something she may later regret:
Is there anything shocking about the Facebook photos showing the Israeli female soldier Eden Abergil posing in mocking positions next to bound and blindfolded Palestinian men? …
…You don't have to go to the West Bank or into an Israeli prison to recognize that Abergil is a typical product of Israel’s comprehensively militarized society. Just watch the documentary,“To See When I’m Smiling.”In the film, which tells the soul-crushing stories of four young women conscripted into the Israeli Army, one of the characters recounts posing for a photo beside a dead Palestinian man who had an erection. She was smiling from ear to ear in the photo. However, at the end of the film, when she is compelled to look at the picture for the first time in two years, she does not recognize the monster who bears her image. Her contorted facial expression seems to ask, “Who was I?”
And Dimi Reider, who works from within Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, at Dimi's notes makes the point that:
Abergil is no better or worse than thousands of other Israeli soldiers… Abergil by no means should be scapegoated for all excesses of the IDF
The Black Iris of Jordan, expresses some confusion as to why the photos have caused such a stir, as they are by no means unique, in this post, stating:
What is perhaps…interesting about this controversy is that the international media is deeming it a controversy at all. In the context of this conflict, and with all the well documented barbaric acts of the Israeli occupational force, why is a girl take a picture next to bound prisoners all that important? I’m essentially re-framing the very idiotic question Abergil posted in her own defense, but merely contextually. A simple Google search will yield unending results of Israeli acts on Palestinian lives, images that are simply haunting. And yet, this is what gets the media machine talking? It would definitely be interesting to analyze simply why this is so appealing to mass media? Is it the Facebook element? The digital, viral element? Is it a “caught red-handed” moment?
Indeed, the internet is rife with similar photos, which can not only be found through Google but are also being posted on Facebook, as can be seen here highlighted on Israeli blogger Eyal Niv’s blog [HB], in Palestinian Pundit‘s post entitled Rotten Apples, huh?, and in the Facebook group The norm Avi Benayahu denies, – named in reference to the Israeli military spokesman who described the release of photographs of soldiers next to detainees as exceptional,-  set up by Israeli activist group Breaking the Silence in response to the controversy.
Nevertheless, most of the attention has been on Abergil herself, with the creation of  a Fake Eden Abergil on Twitter, a sarcastic   Twibbon,  an “Eden Aberjil Sucks” Facebook page , and a meme sweeping the internet that includes mock ups of the photos from Abergil's album, many of which, such as the following, can be viewed on Ido Kenan’s blog Room 404:
Abergil has reacted to the meme by starting a debate with one of the contributors: extracts of the argument in which she does not do herself any favours can be seen on Dimi's notes here. While the statements Abergil makes in this argument are abhorrent ( “There are no laws in war!” “I hate Arabs and wish them the worst” “It would be fun for me to kill them” ), Dimi offers us the following comments on the matter:
I really don’t think Abergil is a monster. She speaks and acts like someone from a conflict area, who had well-grounded fears of Palestinian political violence nourished and grown into a full-fledged paranoia by a society built around the idea of existential fear. Comments similar to hers are posted in their hundreds on Israeli news sites every day; and frankly, some of the pro-Palestinian comments I’ve been trashing from this blog over the past couple of days are no better; the worrying thing is not Abergil’s uniqueness but her complete commonality, the fact that mind-numbing fear is taking hold of more and more young Israelis, grinding on whatever little intolerance we have left for abuses of state power against minority.
As for Abergil, like I said earlier, life is long and there’s hope she’ll feel differently in years to come; I’d strongly suggest you watch “To see if I’m smiling” before you wish her ill.
Meanwhile, at The Young Diplomat, Israeli blogger Ilan Ben Zion supports this notion that maybe Eden Abergil is just a young, inmpressionable, and yes, insensitive and senseless child in the post O Aberjil Saint of Silly:
What is surprising (aside from the fact that there is one group, 1,500 or so strong in support of the woman) is that no one, not even the Israeli Army, has simply dismissed her immoral actions as those of an immature dolt whose scope of foresight is limited to what she can put up on her Facebook page for the amusement of friends.  She is undoubtedly and undeniably a complete ignoramus.  Her statements on Facebook annunciate a primitive, brutish outlook (“I would gladly kill Arabs– even slaughter them”) typical of football hooligans and stultified post-lobotomy patients.  Any conscience she was meant to possess must have been tossed out with her frontal lobes…
He writes a scathing piece before finishing:
Ms. Abergil, I hope you've learned a lesson: don't post incriminating pictures on Facebook that make you– and more importantly your whole country– look bad, and take a minute to weigh the consequences of your actions.  Everyone else out there, I wish I could say she is a wholly isolated incident, but she is not.  Nevertheless, know that Eden Abergil is not representative of Israel, the IDF, or Israelis.  She is, in fact, the Israeli patron saint of bad taste, myopia, and tactlessness.
A commenter on Dimi's notes‘ post, regarding the photos, states simply:
Ceux qui rient dans ces circonstances ont perdu conscience de ce qu’ils font.
But maybe, after looking at the opinions above, it turns out that she never had a developed conscience about the reality of what she was doing in the first place? In any case, one thing is certain: We have not heard the end of the Eden Abergil story. While her actions are deplorable, let's hope that the focus moves away from the individual and onto the larger issues that it involves.

author: Katharine Ganly


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Morocco: When Sarkozy “Proposes” a French Version of Ramadan · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Followers of Moroccan blogger Ahmed, who writes on Alash? [Ar] (Why?), know he is fond of the art of satire. Earlier this month he published a post about a supposed announcement by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy [Ar] of a series of measures to “encourage” French Muslims to follow a French version of this year's Ramadan.
Mini Croissant by The Fernwoodian
The blogger writes quoting his imaginary Sarkozy:
اخواني المواطنين، المسلم الفرنسي هو فرنسي قبل أن يكون مسلما وعليه فإن قهوة الصباح مع الهلالية (كرواصون) تقليد فرنسي عريق لا يجب التخلي عليه. لذا وانطلاقا من فتاوى الأزهر حول فقه الأقليات فانه يجوز للمسلم الفرنسي الصائم ان يبدأ صباحه بقهوة مع هلالية كغيره من أبناء الشعب الفرنسي على الساعة الثامنة قبل انطلاق العمل.
The French Muslim is French before being a Muslim. Therefore, the old French tradition of early morning breakfast with coffee and croissant should not be abandoned [during the month of Ramadan]. And based on fatwas (religious edicts) from Al-Azhar University and their jurisprudence concerning [Muslim] minorities, it is permissible for fasting French Muslims to start the day with the morning coffee and croissant like all other French people do, at 8 A.M. before leaving for work.
Ahmed's Sarkozy goes on exhorting Muslims to embrace his brand of Islam:
اخواني المواطنين، اللغة الفرنسية تجمعنا والمسلم الفرنسي كغيره من المواطنين يجب أن يقرأ كتابه المقدس (القرآن) باللغة الفرنسية. لذا أدعوا كل إمام فرنسي ان يقرأ القرآن باللغة الفرنسية، ويصلي باللغة الفرنسية وهذه ضرورة ليصبح الاسلام دينا فرنسيا.
We share the French language, therefore the French Muslim, like his fellow French citizens, must read his holy book (the Koran) in French. So I invite all imams in France to read the Koran and pray in French so that Islam becomes a French religion.
What started as a joke is now being peddled around Middle Eastern blogs and online forums. Seeing his article being presented as a factual account, with no reference to the source, the blogger updated his original post writing a disclaimer and warning that “this article is a satirical account of an event that did not happen. The objective was to discuss the relationship between Sarkozy […] and the Muslim minority in France.”
The “story” even surfaced on CNNArabic.com [Ar]. Ahmed comments:
وزاد الطين بلة حين نشر موقع سي إن إن العربي مقتطفا من التدوينة دون التوضيح بأنه مقال ساخر. وأصبحت بعض المواقع “الجادة” تنقل القصة وتضيف إليها “حسبما أورد موقع سي إن إن”. وهذا أمر خطير جدا!!!!!
The Egyptian group, the Muslim Brotherhood [Ar] published an article on its website [Ar] condemning what it calls “an attack on the Muslim faith,” calling upon “scholars and rulers of Arab and Muslim regimes to confront these trivialities, and to prosecute Sarkozy for his infringement on freedom of religion.”
A number of blogs, online news websites and forums seem to have also taken Ahmed's post at face value. One example among many is Basratouna.com [Ar], an Iraqi online forum that published the following:
أصدر العلامة «ساركوزي» مفتي الديار الباريسية فتواه السوبر مودرن حيث أجاز سماحته لمسلمي فرنسا بتناول القهوة مع الكرواسون في الساعات الأولى من صباح أيام شهر رمضان المبارك حتى لا تنقص مواطنتهم شهرا كاملا عن بقية المواطنين الفرنسيين!
Now it seems that the printed press as well is picking up on the story. Jordanian newspaper Adustour publishes an article [Ar] at its back pages titled: “French Ramadan à la Sarkozy.” The Moroccan daily al-Alam publishes the story on its front page [Ar] under the title: “President Sarkozy presents a French version on how to fast and pray during the holy month of Ramadan.” Kuwaiti newspaper al-Dar also publishes an article on its “Truth” column [Ar] titling: “When President Sarkozy performs the fast.”
Although Ahmed says he's shocked by the plagiarism and distortions of his original satire, he says he is not against freedom of speech. However, Ahmed sends out “some advise” [Ar] to those who pick up news and information on the Internet. He writes:
1- إقرأ الخبر أو المقال مرتين على الأقل قبل أن تعيد نشره
2- أذكر المصدر وأضف رابطا له
3- أخبر القراء عن المعلومات الخاطئة التي قد تكون نشرتها
وكل ذلك يمكن جمعه في كلمة واحدة: الأمانة
In other words: Be honest.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Portugal: Online Conversation on Poliamory · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

PolyPortugal blog [pt] is an online community that discusses poliamory in Portugal and supports sexual diversity in general.


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South Korea: Small Tips for Green Growth · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo wrote an article  on giving tips for green growth, focusing on how green practices can be done in every day life in ordinary houses.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Sri Lanka: The Different Aspects Of Colombo · Global Voices
Rezwan

Portrait Blog shares the different aspects of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka. It depends on you how you look at it.


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Africa: Ukash: ideal online payment solution for Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ukash is the ideal online payment solution for Africa, argues Malawian blogger Nyirenda: “As some African geeks are trying to come up with their own solutions, it is interesting to see the emergence of  the Ukash service, currently the the world’s fastest growing prepaid-cash issuing network.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Angola: The biggest open-air market in Africa · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Mark and Jana writes about the the biggest open-air market in Africa, the Roque Santeiro Market in Angola:”…is known for being the biggest open-air market in Africa, for transacting thousands of dollars a day, and for being the main stage for the sale of every imaginable product.”


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Angola: Why the Warthog is so ugly · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

African folklore: why the warthog is so ugly: “God created the warthog to be a fine-looking pig. He was so good-looking that he became vain and rude to all the other animals.”


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Benin: President Boni Yayi In Impeachment Row as MPs Switch Strategy   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Le Blog Visage du Benin  writes that The head of Benin's parliament has rejected a request by 48 MPs to impeach President Boni Yayi on charges of fraud [fr]. It adds that the MPs have decided to switch strategy and move the impeachment motion to an emergency procedure to be subjected to a vote at the assembly rather than a signed petition.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Bolivia: State of Emergency Due to Wildfires  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bolivia is in a state of fire emergency, with 25,000 blazes affecting 1.5 million hectares. Pablo Andrés Rivero writes [es] about the lack of resources to put out the fires; he also expresses his unbelief at declarations from the Minister of Rural Development, Nemesia Achacollo, who said that only rain could stop the wildfires.

author: Silvia Viñas


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France: Discrimination Against Roma People, Labeled as “Thieves”  · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

Chez les Rroms (gitanos) par jespel sur Flickr licence CC Attribution NC-ND 2.0 Generic
(This article is a translation of the original article in French on Global Voices en  Français.)
On August 15, the television channel France 4 rebroadcasted a documentary entitled: “Who is afraid of the Gypsies?” produced in 2009 by John Paul Lepers. Le post writes [fr]:
…  A documentary that may prove to be invaluable during these troubled times when politicians have decided to subject the itinerant community to public ire.
Many preconceived ideas that are anchored in us since the beginning of times (us the sedentary people or the”gadjes” as they sometimes call us) make us believe that they are thieves, vilains who are dirty and poor.
It is true that they are different from us and that in the name of their freedom, they ignore some rules of our society. But does the State itself respect the law that concerns this issue? Is the Besson decree that stipulates that all towns of more than 5,000 people must provide land to host the itinerant community ever respected? What about it 10 years later? Merely 20% of the cities apply the law and the others break the law with the outmost impunity.
While the destruction of camps and expulsions of Roma announced by president Sarkozy and interior minister Brice Hortefeux are in full throttle with the silent approval of the majority of the public opinion, some doubts start to creep in even from within the UMP ( the ruling party) and some bloggers who do not usually venture in these debates cannot help but express their outrage.
Bienvenue chez les roms, a blog published in the newspaper La Tribune de Genève, found musicians in Hungary who happended to be named Sárközy, and shares with us some witty tidbits:
It is a common name with the Roma in Hungary, I won't speculate that our Sarkozy is of Roma origin but it's not out of the realm of possibility. In fact, I identified a musician who plays in a band called the devilish Romas. What if our Sarkozy was one of them? A devilish one who forgot his origin, his sense of rhythm and his songs  and only leaves us with a noisy cacophony on top of having an identity crisis but focusing his attacks on Roma people.
Bah by CC feigns to be naive :
I saw the Roma on tv. They did not look like how Hortefeux described them at all. They did not own big German cars.  Hortefeux has history of confusing arabs with Auvergnats, maybe his acumen on this issue is not that good,..unless the mistake was intentional ? Either way, the Roma on tv looked like they were quite miserable. They had old RVs in wich they slept on lots they were not supposed to be stationed on.
The usual themes of dernier des blogs are ” photos, digital culture, sci-fi and comtemporary art”. But the author expressed his anger that the higher sphere of the State took aim at such an easy and vulnerable target as the Gypsies. In an article on owni entitled the biweekly news on the Roma, he provides an in-depth analysis on his blog [fr]:
There is another issue. It seems to me that these nomadic populations are saying much more  about us, that they are the grain of sand in the well-oiled machine. They used to be the oil that allowed the machine to function since the Roma were often the vectors of innovative technology, of know-how or just manpower for critical seasonal work in the agricultural business. While they might be as well-integrated as they have ever been, their way of life remains at odds with the modern world. This status, instead of being considered as a thorn in our side, ought to be valued immensely, because it tells us an awful lot about ourselves ( we the sedentary ones).
[…]
Elena B.  a Romanian with Roma ties lives and works in Rouen. She says: ” Before, we were free. Now, as soon as we enter a store, they suddenly realize you are Roma from Romania and they track you until you leave the store. »
She understands sentiment of the majority of French though: ” At first, Roma only stole food and French people tolerated it. Then some went overboard and started stealing to make a sale later. On top of stealing food, they now steal expensive stuff. Now, we are not allowed to taste the sample products anymore.»
On the other hand, Bulgaria seems to be indifferent to the fate of their citizens in Western Europe says Le Courrier des Balkans:
When do Bulgarian seem to care about the issue of the Romas ? Only when the Bulgarian fringe of this minority becomes a problem for another country.
Immediately, the average Bulgarian citizen who believes that Bulgaria is aching because of the Ottoman reign and the larceny committed by Romas will react thusly:” See, now europeans know what Roma people are up to. They ought to stop bringing up their human rights and whatnot” … the real problem is, the Bulgarian government does not behave any differently than the common Bulgarian person.
Are “insertion village” the answer? Café Babel investigated in those supposedly paradise for Romas and is reflecting the skepticism of many:
The members of the EU mentioned the issue twice during session focused on community integration. Yet nothing concrete came out of it. It's worse and worse. At the parliament, everyone spoke about it. They show they care but no concrete measures are ever taken. The strategy must include a text specific to the Roma situation. It is quite urgent, actually. »
Between political wishful thinking and the harsh social reality, Roma people are always caught in no man's land. One of their representative think it could last another decade.
What is the Italian equivalent  to the insertion villages made in France ? None. But something is happening there. The Mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, who was the first to hire a Roma in his team and the city of Treviglio is oft cited as a model of integration
Image Vignette : Photo jespel sur Flickr licence CC Attribution NC-ND 2.0 Generic


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Japan: Hikikomori as a global issue · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

News that the Japanese word hikikomori was included in the newest edition of the Oxford Dictionary of English prompted some bloggers to think of English equivalents of the word. Perhaps “shut-in”, one blogger offers.
Hikikomori – Social withdrawal in Japan, Hiroshi Tomishige's blog about his experiences with hikikomori and thoughts about related social issues, is an excellent first-hand resource in English.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Japan: Photos by Astronaut Soichi Noguchi · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

The Slick blog is thrilled [ja] that a selection of photos by astronaut Soichi Noguchi will be published as an iPhone/iPad application. As @Astro_Soichi, Noguchi posted more than 600 photos to Twitter from space.


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Russia: Mass Manifestations In Defense of the Khimki Forest Park · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Photobloggers nl [RUS], bb-mos [RUS], zyalt [RUS] share pictures of today's concert in defense of the Khimki Forest Park. The concert, that gathered from 1,000 to 5,000 people in the center of Moscow, transformed into a political rally of people protesting against the government.


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Tanzania: Solar Hope in Tanzania · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

E.B writes about the work of the non-profit organization Solar Hope in Tanzanian schools: “Nine OIT students and two faculty members have landed in Tanzania and are currently installing the first round of solar panels, converters and chargers.”


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Tanzania: Tanzania Odyssey Photo Competition · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tanzania Odyssey Blog announces photo Tanzania Odyssey Photo Competition: “We are delighted to launch our new photo competition. This is in response to the vast number of amazing photos that we have received over the years.”


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Tanzania: Zanzibar wants independence · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

AfricanPress links to a story about Zanzibar renewing its bid for independence. Zanzibar and Tanganyika joined to form Tanzania in 1964.


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Armenia: Suicide soldier · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following the recent suicide of an officer in the Armenian army who is believed to have suffered from victimization and intimidation from fellow soldiers, Unzipped posts a photograph of graffiti that has since appeared in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia: LGBT blogger responds to radio station · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia responds to an open letter published by a local radio station considered by many to be guilty of homophobia despite funding from international donors to spread European values in the country.


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Azerbaijan: An impossible dream? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Önər Blog [AZ] ponders the state of the economy and society in oil-rich Azerbaijan, considering that the government doesn't offer any real hope for the future. While many are quick to advise others, and often criticize the opposition without offering any alternatives, it says, nothing is actually done to change the situation. Noting the danger posed to journalists and alternative voices in society, it concludes that the situation affects the life of every citizen and calls on people to think and act.


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Bangladesh: Court Bars Enforcement of Islamic Dress Code  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faisal at the Spittoon reports that a Bangladesh court has barred enforcing of Islamic dress code in the country and also stated that wearing of any religious clothing should be a personal choice.


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Barbados: CARICOM Pappyshow?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As the Secretary General of CARICOM takes his leave, B.C. Pires is more convinced than ever that “the whole enterprise is one big pappy-show, an elaborate skulls that mocks integration of a people while enriching the lifestyles of a few persons…”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Barbados:  Paper Trail?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As a police raid in Trinidad and Tobago reveals alleged illegal activity at a deceased contractor's house, Barbados Free Press “want[s] to know…if the Anti-Corruption Investigation Bureau found any paperwork relating to Karamath’s connections to the Barbados politicians and officials who awarded him big government contracts here.”


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Cape Verde: Debates on Youth and Politics Happening in Portugal · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

There is a group of Cape Verdean citizens who occasionally organize meetings in Lisbon to discuss the relations between youth and politics, as Suzano Costa explains in a video [pt] republished by Amilcar Tavares. In their blog – Tertúlia Crioula [pt] – one can read the notes taken from “Cape Verde in Debate” as well as other discussions on important issues.


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Caucasus: Armenia, Azerbaijan risky countries to surf the Net · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Writing on the AVG blog, the anti-virus company's chief research officer says that Armenia and Azerbaijan are the third and fourth most risky places to surf the web. Although the full list of 144 countries hasn't been released, The two most risky, Turkey and Russia, also border the Caucasus region while Georgia is definitely not in the Top Ten of countries most vulnerable to computer viruses spread online.


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Chile: 33 Trapped Miners Are Alive · Global Voices
Felipe Cordero

Estamos bien en el refugio los 33
These were the words that confirmed that 33 miners trapped for 17 days inside a copper and gold mine near the city of Copiapó are still alive. The message [es] was inscribed with red ink on a white piece of paper inside a plastic bag. The bag was tied to the end of a metal drill used to reach a shelter deep inside the mine where engineers estimated the trapped miners would be located.
Though a rescue worker had informed the relatives of the miners about the message [es] early in the morning, the government did not confirm the news until 4 pm local time (UTC/GMT -4 hours). President Sebastian Piñera delivered the news outside the mine, as shown in the video below, sparking spontaneous demonstrations of joy on the streets of several cities, and bringing much-needed relief to relatives and Chileans throughout the country.
Video by YouTube user dvary13, taken outside the San Jose mine on August 22, 2010.
Jinny, the author of the blog The Jinny Show [es], expressed joy at the positive news:
17 dias!  Porfin tenemos noticias de los mineros!!  porfin!!! TODOS  VIVOS! los 33!,  que buenooo =)  increible! vi en las  noticias en la  mañana que el refugio en el que se encuentran contiene  alimentacion solo  para 48 hrs!!!  y para una cantidad limitada de  mineros! hay que  destacar la fuerza y la capacidad de organizacion que  tienen para poder  sobrevivir asi =)  ahora a esperar como 4 meces dicen  :S para poder  recien sacarlos.
Six days earlier, rescue teams were forced to halt operations inside the mine and inside a ventilation shaft [es] because both were considered to be very unstable. The decision was made to continue the search by using drills only. These would dig narrow holes to send vital supplies to the miners.
The fact that an immediate rescue was ruled out made many Chileans hopeless. The blog Orgullo Eterno [es] reflected on the hopes that had previously faded:
Habían pasado 17 días desde que se supo que estos  mineros se encontraban atrapados en lo subterráneo del norte de Chile…Nunca se  perdió la fe, yo personalmente nunca dije “están muertos”, “No, ya no  hay nada más que hacer”. ¡Son mineros!, llevan en sus manos esfuerzo,  paciencia y mucha sabiduría cuando se trata de su trabajo y de propia  tierra.
Relatives of the miners on a hill near the entry to the San José mine. Photo by Flickr user AlexCamPro used under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 license.
Conversations about the day's event also took place on Twitter with the hashtag #mineros, making it a worldwide trending topic. Daniela Ramirez (@DanielaRamirezA) simply expressed her happiness for the miners [es], as did Juan Pablo Soto [es] (@jpsoto):
Estoy feliz, aunque no menosprecio la pega que queda ahora. Lo que más me impactó fue la lucidez y eficacia del mensaje. ¡Vamos #Mineros!
Besides happiness, many expressed their discontent with the government of Sebastian Piñera for not notifying the relatives of the miners earlier about the note attached to the drill. Ign. Rodríguez (@micronauta) was one such Chilean [es]:
… creo q perfil d chileno q hace squatting d nombres y uso comercial d accidente a #mineros es mismo q retrasa la noticia para darla él.
On the contrary, Eduardo Zuniga (@eduardoz) opposed this view and expressed his support [es] for the government's performance in the search and rescue efforts:
Sobra la gente que no reconozca la eficiente y comprometida labor del #gobierno con los #mineros, basta de ciegos, fue un excelente trabajo
Others reflected on what will ensue once the tragedy is over. Juan Pablo Ayala (@jampaloide) said [es]:
Ojalá que con la buena noticia de los #mineros venga el periodo de reflexión, no puede ser que las empresas lucren de esa manera!
Roberto Arancibia, author of El Mundo Sigue Ahí (The World is Still There) [es], wrote:
Un país entero se asombra por la fortaleza de estos 33 mineros  atrapados. Si esto va a ayudar a la seguridad de otros mineros,  bienvenidas las nuevas medidas, y el reforzamiento de inspecciones para  hacerlas cumplir […] Todos estos días he pensado en esas 33 familias, parejas, novias, hijas,  madres. No es justo, de verdad que no es justo todo lo que han pasado.
The Internet has been booming with support for the miners, their families, and rescue workers. Twitter users widely circulated this cartoon as a way to show their support:
"Here's a gift from the 16 million (Chileans). So you can hang on while we get there." Work by Alberto Montt, used  under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0  license.

author: Felipe Cordero


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China: Hype on university virginity rate · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

On August 16, a survey report on university female student virginity rate was posted around university forums. Since the report was published under the name of Li Yinhe, the most famous sexologist in China, the post quickly became the hottest topic online. Eventhough Professor Li denied her connection with the survey, people continued to talk about the data as if they were facts.
Li Yinhe tries to make sense of the hype in her blog:
网上最近流传我调查大学生处女率纯属误传。我在1989年的确做过一个北京市随机抽样调查，当时发现有过婚前性行为的人在样本中占15%。换言之， 婚前“处女率”为85%。“处女率”之所以如此之高是因为样本的年龄跨度为30岁至80岁。老辈人中将童贞保持到结婚的比例还是相当高的。
现在，20年过去了，后来别人也做过一些调查，婚前性行为比例在提高，换言之，“处女率”在降低。在年轻人群中，在大城市中，有调查显示，婚前性行为已高达六成（换言之，“处女率”降低到四成）。但是在老辈人中，在农村，婚前性行为还是少数，“处女率”还是比较高的。
The survey on university female student virginity rate that passed around recently was a rumor. I did conduct a survey by random sampling in Beijing city in 1989. The founding was that there was about 15% of the Beijing female population had premarital sex. In other word, the “virginity rate” was 85%. The reason why the rate was so high because the sampling population was between 30-80 years old. The ratio for older generation in keeping their virginity before marriage was very high.
After 20 years, there were some other surveys showing that the ratio of premarital sex has been increasing. In other word, the virginity rate is decreasing. In some big cities, there are surveys indicating that among young people 60% of them has premarital sex, which means the virginity rate has been lowered to 40%. However, in rural areas among older generation, only a minority of population has premarital sex and the virginity rate is still quite high.
大学的情况我并未做过调查。那个所谓调查报告漏洞百出。因为从统计上看，某高校“处女率为0”的情况绝对不可能出现。即使只有10%的人是处女；即使只有 1%的人是处女；即使只有一个人是处女，“处女率”就不是0。因此网上流传的所谓调查报告只有两个可能的来源：一是出自一个极不专业的调查；另一个可能就 是完全是瞎编出来的。
有意思的是，大家对“处女率”如此津津乐道。我想，原因有好几个：第一个原因是将童贞保持到结婚的处女越来越少，而且是在一二十年这么短暂的时间段内发生 的剧烈变化；第二个原因是怀念人人将童贞保持到结婚的时代；第三个原因是对处女越来越少的时代潮流感到恐慌和手足无措。当然，也不排除有些人像高尔基的海 燕那样，欢呼这场改变习俗的暴风雨的来临。他们想说的是：让暴风雨来得更猛烈些吧！
I have never conducted any research on virginity rate among university students. The so-called survey was full of flaws. According to statistic rule, it is almost impossible for 0% virginity rate in any university. You can have 10% or even 1% of the virgin population. Only one respondent claimed to be virgin, the virginity rate would not be “0%”. The online survey report either comes from a very unprofessional survey, or it is purely a fake one.
It is interesting to see how people are so enthusiastic about the survey. There are a number of reasons. First of all, there are less and less people keeping their virginity for marriage. Such rapid change of sex culture takes place within the short period of 20 years. Secondly, people are nostalgic about the time when premarital virginity was treasured. Thirdly, people are anxious about the coming of an era when there are less and less virgins. Of course, some may react like the Stormy Petrel in Maxim Gorky's story, cheering for the arrival of the storm that change the culture. They want to see the storm becoming more violent.
Although the sex culture is changing, some continue to insist on the need and desire to marry virgins. For example, Baidu blogger, broken heart, created a “scientific” theory on the “value” of virgin:
在女人和男人交媾的那些日子里，男人的亿万个精子进入了她的体内，精子进入女性体内后，除一部分流出外，其他都发生了自溶。在它们自溶时，会释放出一种遗 传物质“核蛋白体”，被女性生殖器官的内腺所吸收，与此同时，精液中还含有多种性激素，这些性激素也被女性吸收。被吸收的精子和性激素中的遗传物质——脱 氧核糖核酸（ＤＮＡ），能使母体性细胞产生遗传变异而被同化，进而引起后次卵细胞也随之变化，因此而产生“无距离遗传”的效果，所以如果和有过性经历的女 人结婚，便会出现儿子为什么像其他人的缘故，这种现象虽不普遍，却客观地存在着。
Then he continues to argue for virginity with “psychological theory”:
非处有好多种，有的非处可能在结婚前不知道睡过多少男人了，有的却只有过一、二次。第一种也就不要去说她了，标准的烂货。如果只有一两次的话说明她对这事 还是比较看重的，确实是为爱而做，那你可就更要当心了，你就等着一辈子生活在那个男人的阴影中吧，在她心中你永远也比不上她第一个男人，哪怕那人是个流 氓。
Tangjikede criticizes such kind of virginity complex:
中国的臭男人有个心结，就是要找结婚的对象一定是处 女，男人有此心结，女人似乎也有此心结，不是处女怎么办呢？不好交代啊，好像不是处女就给不了男人一个说法，于是就开始编：骑车没注意啦，违章跨护栏啦等 等。现在高科技发达了，甚至还有人专门搞处女膜修复。干嘛要修复呢？就是为了圆那个谎话。…
中国是个日益走向开放的社会，开放社会的标志就是宽 容。老唐并不支持随意的婚前性行为，但是老唐认为婚前是否发生性行为应该由个人决定，其实对于大部分年轻人来说，尤其对有责任感的年轻人来说，远没有人们 想象的那么随便。没有发生未必就是什么道德卫士，发生了未必就是见不得人。


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China: Pambassadors · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Elaine Chow from Shanghaiist blogs about the recruitment of six Panda Ambassadors in China. The Pambassadors will be working at the famous Woolong Giant Panda Protection and Research Center in the coming October.


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Colombia: President Santos and Human Rights · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Valentina Díaz Gómez writes [es] about President Juan Manuel Santos and human rights in Colombia on her blog Realidades Colombianas. She hopes the media will report on human rights violations rather than cover them up, and that Santos and organizations like Human Rights Watch will find a way to work together and understand each other.


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Colombia: Technology as Synonym for Jobs and Development · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Carlos Correa writes [es] in his technology blog, Blog de Kloscorrea, about technology as a synonym for development and job creation in Colombia. He says the government needs to make regulations and policies that benefit the technology sector, and that Colombians need to stop feeling “small” next to other countries in terms of technological development.


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Costa Rica: Assessing 100 Days of Laura Chinchilla’s Government · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Marcelo shares [es] his concise and straightforward opinion on the first 100 days of Laura Chinchilla's presidency.


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Cuba: Empty or Full?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The truth is the rules of democracy and human rights agreements are instruments against which the government in Havana holds grudges”: Iván's File Cabinet wouldn't be surprised if Cuban prisons were to be filled once again.


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Egypt: Egyptian Woman Vs a Woman…. · Global Voices
Eman AbdElRahman

Aliaa Elzeiny, an Egyptian studying political science at the American University of Beirut, Lebanon, is reflecting on whether there is a different between “Egyptian Women” and “Women” or not.

author: Eman AbdElRahman


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Egypt: My First Fast · Global Voices
Eman AbdElRahman

Food Jihadist, is an American expat living in Egypt. She shared her experience of fasting for the first time in Cairo this year. Muslims are marking Ramadan, a month of fasting where food and water are prohibited from dawn to dusk.


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Global: Spreading Peace Through Images · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Recently, a group of young entrepreneurs and photographers came upon the idea of spreading humanity, good will and positivity through images. On August 16, their project, dubbed International Guild of Visual Peacemakers, came alive on-line. In short, IGVP is an organization seemingly devoted to, as they put it on their newly launched website, “breaking down stereotypes by displaying the beauty and dignity of various cultures around the world” through images. IGVP members are invited to post images, photo galleries and photo stories that tell tales of life throughout the very different, yet very similar cultures of the world.
Their August 2010 press release states:
As television screens, YouTube, and news sources are flooded with images of violence and hatred throughout the world, one group of acclaimed humanitarian and cultural photographers is instead choosing to use their craft to bring peace through an organization called the International Guild of Visual Peacemakers (IGVP) […]
IGVP co-founder and president, Mario Mattei, an independent photographer currently living in Turkey, kindly agreed to a short interview, in which he conveys the essence of IGVP in more detail:
D.R. for Global Voices: Breaking down prejudices by sharing images that show that people are people anywhere in the world, in any situation is a simple, yet fantastic concept. Where did the idea come from and how did it develop?
Mario Mattei: First, thank you, Danica, for this opportunity to interview and for the fantastic platform you're using to publish it.
The International Guild of Visual Peacemakers (IGVP) began like this: My good friend and IGVP co-founder, Jim Mullins, realized several years after 9/11 that he had almost joined the U.S. military simply because of images he saw in the media. He acknowledged reading few words. The photographs were “proof.” The seed for the visual peacemaking idea will forever be attributed to his humbling realization that this was not good! The proof was that two buildings were hit by planes. The rest is complicated and convoluted, requiring research and thoughtfulness before responding.
Amongst several of us in Arizona, Jim communicated this story and the need for what we began calling visual peacemaking. An email discussion began with Jim, myself, Matt Brandon, Nicole Gibson, David duChemin, co-founders Logan McAdams and John Machado, and a few others. We brainstormed the essence of visual peacemaking, how we'd communicate it and spread it, and what a cross-promotional website might look like.  We followed the mission statement: “…devoted to peacemaking and breaking down stereotypes by displaying the beauty and dignity of various cultures around the word.“
We defined and planned a lot together, recruited the rest of the Guild, and developed the idea, business, movement, and website intensely from July 2009 to August 2010. Jim moved on to launch Peace Catalyst International. We would not have developed as we have without the Guild as models and full supporters who leveraged their own networks.
GV: The impact of images has become clear throughout history, from Magnum‘s Che and Hemingway photographs, to images of war from Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, China and even as far back as the Vietnam war and WWII. Why is it that people most often notice and remember negative images? How can we help positive images make greater impact?
M.M.: We notice negative images perhaps because they shock us. With visual media, advertising, and our own responsibilities all competing for our attention, we notice things out of the ordinary. Certainly war images or images of hatred and “difference” have this effect. Some positive, cultural images can shock us into admiring them too, however.
Beyond the shock-factor, I think we remember images based on how deeply we are affected by the story they tell, positively or negatively. Sometimes it's more than shock. We are truly hurt, bothered, or inspired by them. When I see a portrait of Nelson Mandela, I feel hope and resolve. I know the story behind it.
However, positive images often capture the ordinary and so are less noticeable. Put into the context of story, images of the ordinary can communicate in ways that become more meaningful, and thereby memorable. Many great images tell a full enough story in themselves, but many don't. Often it's a series of images we need. Or sometimes text or audio to accompany them.
Billions of images of the ordinary are pregnant with the power to impact, but the stories aren't told, or they aren't shown in a context or environment where viewers are told to view them more mindfully. In IGVP, each visual communicator is working to tell a story of hope, of common humanity, of new perspectives that break down harmful stereotypes. Sometimes it takes just one image.
The Guild and IGVP Founders intend to gather the many smaller stories and bring them into one larger meta-narrative. All the visual content of IGVP is leveraged, therefore, to draw in viewers to experience a “lessening of social distance.” Whether the distance experienced is cultural, national, religious, or societal, reducing it helps prevent fears that lead to oppression, misunderstanding, or violence. The purpose isn't to simply reduce issues, but to expand appreciation for humanity, for each individual person we encounter and their intrinsic worth.
GV: How can people help develop IGVP? Can anyone become a member?
M.M.: Technically anyone can become a member of the Visual Peacemakers Community (VPC) for free. But we want people who are serious about visual peacemaking, who read the About section and Ethical code, and who understand what we want to accomplish together. We want those who will stay involved in creating images and stories, and who stay active in the blog conversations and in social media. IGVP is open to all faiths and backgrounds, and to both vocational and emerging photographers. The Guild itself has a tiny entrance since the role each plays is different, strategic, and there’s some existing collaboration present.
I'd encourage [anyone reading this] to go sign the Charter for Visual Peace and use the form to invite others through email. Then post it on Facebook and Twitter! Follow @igvp and become a fan of IGVP. I’m also on Twitter @visualpeace. Spread the love!
We designed the website as a platform for each photographer to maintain their own Peacemaker Profile, to empower each one to be the humanitarian. Our upgraded memberships require more in terms of operational expenses, so we charge some small fees. We need to grow the movement. I see almost no limits to how far this can go.
Our world is ready for this right now. We're all getting “closer” through media, the Internet, and even geographically. It's time we use talented, grassroots media to celebrate our common dignity and aspirations, to add a balanced view to the horrible things we hear about. There's more good than bad out there. If you’re a photographer, check out our first blog post and the welcome newcomer page.
While images, both good and bad, shocking and endearing, will continue to leave lasting impressions on people and history, Mario and the Guild make another important point: pictures may speak a thousand words, yet sometimes it is crucial to paint a picture with words, to bring an image to life by telling the story behind it. Next time you go about the task of fulfilling your basic human interaction and communication needs, remember that the words and images we so easily spread on-line today, send a message. Keep the message positive and spread the peace through cultural diversity.

author: Danica Radisic


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Global: The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

August 23rd is The International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. By selecting this date in 1998, The UNESCO wanted to mark and help remember the tragedy of the slave trade and slavery. For the occasion, a series of events are organized in different regions of the world  by various organisations for the promotion of human rights.
Mrs Koïchiro Matsuura, then head of UNESCO, articulated the reason for such a celebration, a message that is still relevant today. On their website, Gens De La Caraibe remind us  [fr] of the gist of her message:
It is in the following spirit that I invite all of you to organize, initiate and support all activities with youngsters, teachers, artists and intellectuals- that could help awareness  of the slave trade and encourage an ethical reflections on its impact and consequences, notably on the new forms of slavery and to promote solidarity with the peoples who have been victimized by slavery.”.
Reso.Net explains why August 23 was the selected date and the objective of the commemoration [fr]:
On the night of 22 to 23 of August 1791, an insurrection started in Santo-Domingo that played a critical role in the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade.
Toussaint Louverture via Wikimedia Commons- CC license share alike
Human Rights Education Associates (HREA), an NGO that supports human rights learning; the training of activists and professionals and community-building through on-line technologies explains in more details what they hope to achieve on the day [fr] :
Bringing to light all aspects of slavery is essential to constructing an overall dispassionate vision of this tragedy. UNESCO's Slave Route project endeavors to promote such research that helps to explain, understand and reconstruct the threads of sometimes conflicting narratives and fill the silences of the past.
Many activities are scheduled around the world this year. In Nigeria,, an international conference  is organized by black Nationalities  which will include the participation of Nigeria's president Ebele Jonathan Goodluck. The objectives  of the conference are:
To promote general discourse and inter-cultural dialogue among the various peoples of the world with a view to promoting understanding and encouraging the Black race to aspire to greater heights in an increasingly inter-dependent world
In the DR of Congo, Boris Kharl Ebaka on his blog brazzaville-adiac urges his readers to remember [fr]:
The first commemorations of the International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition happened in many countries, in Haiti in 1998 and on Gorée Island, Sénégal in 1999. Cultural events and debates were also hold; in 2001, le musée de l'Étoffe in Mulhouse (France) joined the commemoration and organised a workshop showcasing fabrics called ” Indiennes de Traite” that were used as currency for salves in the 17th and 18th centuries.
In London, the  National Maritime Museum organizes a series of events that will include conferences, dances and film projections, starting at 11:00 am until 4:00 pm:
Trace the history of the transatlantic slave trade through rare and revealing manuscripts from the Museums archive collections.
According to  Panafricanfestival, in Trinidad & Tobago, the celebrations already started at the end of July:
One of the most popular highlights of the period is the Emancipation Day parade on the morning of August 1. Some 20,000 participants on the street, and tens of thousands more who crowd the sidewalk, create a spectacle of colour dominated by African motifs, textiles and designs adding visual vibrations to the rhythm of ancestral drums and chants, and modern African musical expressions of the diaspora. Exponents of the African martial art, capoeira, draw spectator attention with their dramatic flips and “sequencias”.
One of the most ambitious poject in terms of eduction in the field was initiated by UNESCO, “Breaking the Silence” spans over several years and involves the participation of schools from 24 countries in Africa, Americas and Europe.
According to the organisation, the goal of projet is :
The goal of the project is increased awareness of the causes and consequences of the Transatlantic Slave Trade – including modern forms of slavery and racism – through educational exchanges, sharing best practice and developing and diffusing educational material.
The noir au feminin blog  notes [fr] that in France May 10th is also an important day as it celebrates the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in France and all its colonial territories:
The decree of april 27 1848 seals the absolute end of slavery in France and all its colonial territories.  158 ans later, on january 2006, French President  Jacques Chirac selected May 10 as the Day of commemoration of the abolition of slavery.
On may 9th 2007, in a speech posted on ldh-toulon.net,   former  international football player now authorLilian Thuram reminds us [fr] of:
The silence of history books and the invisibility of its victims.  The duty of remembrance is critical to rehabilitate the resistance, both physically and culturally that its victims displayed.  More importantly, it is important to archive the racism that prufundly affected the culture and society where these events happened.
Franck Salin on afrik.com cites French president  Nicolas Sarkozy speech on January 10  2008 about the measures he took with respect to this commemoration [fr]:
Slavery and its abolition will be introduced in the new programs for primary schools. Slavery was a tragedy that affected many continents for a long time. It is a deep wound that weighs on all of our consciences. The memories will carry on the weigh of this chapter of history.
In the  Dossier du  10 Mai that noir au feminin blog dedicates to this day, Eric Koua describes the condition of women during slavery and  the spirit of resistance women  exhibited [fr] :
The refusal to be enslaved sometimes meant committing suicide rather than live under these conditions. It also sometimes meant aborting a pregnancy when colonial authorities encouraged marriages and reproduction.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Guinea Bissau: Videos about Water Scarcity · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Blog Novas da Guiné Bissau shares the video Bafatá Misti Iagu (Bafatá Wants Water) [pt], describing a project that promotes the access to water for 22.000 people in the city of Bafatá. The issue of lack of access to safe water in Guinea Bissau had been previously reported in a documentary [pt] by Adriano Bordalo Sá.

author: Sara Moreira


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Haiti: Beauty & Controversy  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As controversy swirls around Haiti's representative for the 2010 Miss Universe beauty pageant, The Haitian Blogger says: “The assassination of Miss Haiti's mother was a terrible tragedy. Unfortunately the sad event is being used by many to demonize Haiti's first real democratically elected government and the Lavalas political party.”


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Hong Kong: Transparency on filtering · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Hong Kong Government Chief Information Officer, Jeremy Godfrey, has opened a twitter account @HKGCIO and he is discussing with @daaitoulaam regarding transparency on filtering.

author: Oiwan Lam


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India: Navi Mumbai Mangroves In Danger · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Navi Mumbai mangroves came into spotlight after the recent oil spill near Mumbai port. However, Debolina Raja Gupta asserts that they were endangered much before the oil spill and the authorities need to wake up to the fact.


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India: Why Rahul Gandhi Is Not Appropriate For The Prime Minister Position · Global Voices
Rezwan

Management Guru lists some points to explain why Rahul Gandhi is not appropriate for the Prime Minister of India post.


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Iran: International Protest against Stoning · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Sakineh Ashtyanieh Mohammadi
Those condemned to be stoned in Iran now have a face in international media, Sakineh Mohammadi Ashitiani, a 43-year-old mother of two, who was recently sentenced to death by stoning for adultery.
She was found guilty by the court of having sexual relations with two men who murdered her husband.
Her lawyer Mohmmad Mostafai says the international outcry over the death sentence might be enough to save her from execution. Mostafai recently fled Iran and is now based in Norway, where he has publicized the case online and in international media.
Unfortunately Sakineh's case is not unique in Iran. According to French newspaper, Le Figaro, there are presently three men and women condemned to be stoned in Iranian jails.
The International Committee Against Stoning has published a long list of people who were stoned in Iran in the last 30 years.
International Protest: From Australia to Georgia
Citizens of several cities in the world protested against the stoning sentence in Iran at the beginning of August. In recent weeks different organizations launched demonstrations around the world to protest against Sakineh's death sentence.
Women in Georgia organized several demonstrations to display their anger and disgust and to support Sakineh.
Against stoning around the world in photos
Iranian blogger Talelesiyasat writes [fa]:
When outside Iran speaking of Islam as a religion of love and kindness, foreigners immediately remind me about the stoning and lashing sentences and it makes me shameful. I want to say very clearly that we can not speak about Islamic and humanistic values and sentence people to be stoned… It is by the same double standards of [the State] to order public executions within the country and create propaganda outside Iran about their kindness…
Sahargahan  who published the photo above, has chosen “Stoning or holy crime” as the title of his post. The blogger, who is against all kinds of executions, says stoning is the worst.
Stoning is the most shameful crime that a human being from the dawn of existence has committed.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Myanmar: Photo essay on Yangon · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Jodi Ettenberg publishes a photo essay that provides a glimpse of life in Yangon, Myanmar

author: Mong Palatino


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Myanmar: Remembering the 1988 uprising · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Democratic Voice of Burma interviews three participants of the 1988 student uprising who are still fighting for democratic reforms in Myanmar.


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Myanmar: Wanted: Election stories · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Myanmar has announced that elections will push through on November. A Glimpse of My Life tries to gather blog comments about the elections and ends up frustrated: “I have been trying to find blog posts among Burmese bloggers about the elections. So far, in the 30 something bloggers I have subscribed to, none had written about the election.”


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Pakistan: Horrid Act of Mob Shock The Citizens · Global Voices
Sana Jamal

As if the stories of human suffering, displacement of millions of people due to havoc caused by the flooding were not enough for the nation, yet another tragic incident started unfolding in Pakistan recently. Pakistanis are in shock as the news and video of the brutal mob-lynching of two teenage brothers were aired on local media on 22nd of August, 2010.
According to the local newspapers, the mob-lynching occurred on 15th August in Sialkot, in eastern Punjab province of Pakistan. Later, it turned out that the victims, Moiz Butt (17) and his brother Muneeb (15), were innocent and belonged to a respectable family.
Apparently, the two boys in question had gotten into a fight over a cricket match and when they were headed out for another match early morning the following day, they were ambushed and once the townsfolk and the police noticed, the perpetrators blamed them for theft and the boys were beaten to death by a savage mob.
Beating two boys in front of police and an enthusiastic crowd. Screenshot from YouTube Video
The video clips of the incident are the reason why everyone can feel the intensity of the incident. The origins of the video are unknown and there are reports that multiple men in the crowd recorded the attack using cell phones. The images of the boys’ bloodied bodies, but several faces in the crowd are clearly identifiable, including several police officers in uniform who watched.
The scene, caught on video and broadcast on news channels, has outraged and anguished Pakistanis. Here are the links (1, 2, and 3).
President Asif Ali Zardari has strongly condemned the killing and called for an inquiry vowing to punish the killers. The Interior Minister Rehman Malik asserted that the local citizens will not be allowed to create their own justice system.
The Supreme Court has taken notice of the double murder and a case was registered against 14 people.
Many Pakistani Bloggers have been outraged by this incident. Asadullah Qureshi, a blogger writes:
“We need to own up to the fact that the perpetrators arose from amongst us. After all is said and done, as long as a majority of the country, willingly or unwillingly, shuns reason in favour of this extremist sense of morality and justice, it is likely we will see such a tragedy again.”
Jahanzaib Haque at Express Blog highlights this issue by claiming ‘I am part of the Sialkot lynch mob':
“Let’s end the blame game. Let’s stop pointing fingers at Taliban, drugs, political parties, elite, police, army or even a global conspiracy is afoot. I will be the first to admit that I have made some terrible choices in my life. I am part of that mob in Sialkot. Despair is easy, hate is easy, apathy is easy, but for the sake of two brothers in Sialkot, we should try to change by effectively addressing the corruption within us. It is either that, or stand alongside the mob to watch on.”
The blogger further adds:
“In a country afflicted with back-to-back political and civil strife, war, terrorism, poverty and natural disaster, violent extremism (in all forms) is bound to flourish, nay become an outlet for venting the utter helplessness individuals feel at a personal level. And none of us are immune to its effect.”
Sadaf Khan, a journalist writes at her blog ‘Existential Quest’:
“Having seen the insane act, un-cut and un-blurred, I cannot even begin to comprehend just how anybody with the least bit of humanity, could actually stand there are watch the barbarians without so much as flinching. The double murder in Sialkot is not just an unfortunate and horrifying incident; it is not just a matter of an out of control mob. The incident, in fact is proof that we as a society have become so devastatingly barbaric, that dozens can actually stand and watch, while some men literally beat the life out of two helpless teenagers.
Barbarians within a barbaric crowd, Is there any thing, any thing in the world that could actually be termed fair punishment for these people?”
Haroon Riaz, a free lance writer made following remarks in his insightful article ‘The Sialkot Carnage: Are Pakistanis Becoming a Savage Nation?’:
“I have a feeling these brutal savages knew who these boys were and that they were specifically targeted. I have a feeling that there is more to this story, which is being covered up by the people, the corrupt DPO, the local administration and the criminal police of the area.
This tragic and horrific incident should get every Pakistani worried and thinking. It is not an everyday incident or act of crime at all. For if they do not speak out against it, and talk about it, so to educate the unaware masses out there, many of them could find the same treatment on the streets.”
This incident also proves to be a wakeup call for Pakistan's law-enforcing agencies as is evident from the following views:
Fiverupees comments:
“”.. Authority exists only if people believe it exists. Do citizens believe that they will get justice if they leave it up to the state? If yes, it makes sense to leave it in its hands. If not, it doesn't, and by that very action, they undermine the authority of the state.
When government doesn't work, people make their own personal governments. 180 million mini-governments is a recipe for disaster; it is a return to the state of nature. The media and technological revolutions in this country have meant that people are increasingly aware that government doesn't work. In my mind, this issue — of how to get the state to do the simple things right – will be the public policy issue that serious analysts and activists must grapple with for the next ten or fifteen years. The very deep and structural change Pakistan is going through demand nothing less.”
Dawn newspaper's editorial on ‘Mob justice’  comments:
“When those tasked with law enforcement and governance fail to deliver and a general sense of hopelessness and injustice prevails in society, people take matters into their own hands.”
Horrific as the incident may sound but ‘mob justice’ has been quite the norm in some rural parts of the country. Mob justice or the rule of might is right is an action prevailing in societies who have lost the trust in the law of state so the societies turn into vigilantes.
While the causes of the incident are being probed by the authorities, one evident cause is the rise of extremism in our society which has its roots in ignorance and no doubt ‘ignorance is the root and stem of every evil.’

author: Sana Jamal


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Peru: SUVs Taking Over Sidewalks · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Cyrano writes [es] about his friend Edgardo, who uses a wheelchair, and his encounter with an SUV which was taking over most of the sidewalk. The SUV made it impossible for Edgardo to go through with his wheelchair, even with the help of his friends. They couldn't find a policeman to report the incident to, so Edgardo and his friends took pictures of the SUV blocking the way. Cyrano includes the pictures in his post.


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Russia: Bloggers Defend Opposition Artist from Discreditation · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

LJ users _o_tets [RUS] and crazymozart [RUS] disprove the series of discrediting materials against famous opposition musician Yuri Shevchuk [EN]. After Shevchuk got engaged in the political debates at the beginning of 2010, a number of online publications [RUS] accused the musician of alcoholism and mental sickness.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: More Bloggers Join Discussion on Russian Nationalism · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Paul Goble mentions [EN] the article of Valery Solovey on nazdem.info that predicts [RUS] the rise of new type of Russian nationalism tied to democratic ideas. LJ user ammosov says [RUS] that “Russians should re-invent themselves,” which will result in forming several Russian nations in different parts of the country.