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How the ‘Boycott McDonald’s’ Campaign for Gaza is Hurting Some Muslims in Malaysia · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

McDonalds boycott protest in Terengganu, Malaysia. Photo from Facebook post of BradfordBoycott
Several Malaysian groups have been supporting the “Boycott Israel” campaign targeting companies that are allegedly contributing funds to Israel. The boycott campaign is a protest against Israel’s military offensives in Gaza, which have killed almost 2,000 Palestinians, including many innocent civilians and children.
In Malaysia, which is a Muslim-dominated nation, many groups have called for a boycott of McDonald’s since the company is accused of giving funds to Israel. McDonald's has repeatedly denied this charge. A nationwide boycott of McDonald’s was successfully organized last Friday, but it also drew mixed reactions.
Most netizens expressed support for the idea of pressuring Israel to stop its offensives, but some of them were skeptical about the effectiveness of the boycott campaign. There were also negative reactions to the protest, which became violent when stones were thrown at some McDonald’s stores. Some branches were forced to close while others suffered an 80 percent loss of revenue.
Stephen Chew, the managing director of McDonald’s Malaysia, wrote an emotional letter about the impact of the boycott campaign on their workers:
On behalf of the 12,000 employees at McDonald’s Malaysia, I am writing to make an appeal to all Malaysians to please stop hurting fellow Malaysians
Our staff which comprises of 95% Malaysians, among which 85% are Malays, have faced countless attacks ranging from personal harassment to public attacks.
Our staff in uniform have been publicly humiliated. Others were shunned by their peers when they went to the mosque. Even the children of our staff have been singled out in their schools, confused by warnings by some teachers not to go to McDonald’s.
We can understand peoples anger over the conflict in Gaza which has claimed thousands of innocent lives. But what we cannot accept is Malaysians venting out their anger at fellow Malaysians over what’s happening in Gaza.
McDonald’s Malaysia has ordered the removal of company logos on their delivery vehicles and some staff were advised not to wear their uniform in public. One worker narrated the attacks they suffered recently for Malaysiakini.com:
A few friends of mine have been called names and were insulted while delivering, especially while waiting at traffic lights.
Writing for Astro Awani, Zan Azlee argued that the boycott campaign is hurting the Malaysian economy:
The question that has been playing in my head is, whether the boycott works in achieving the objective of pressurising the Israeli government.
At a micro level, the first people to suffer when such a boycott takes place are our own local people who rely on these organisations to earn a living.
To be honest, by refraining from buying burgers, fries and designer coffee, it just hurts us more than it does them.
V Shuman criticized the violent protesters:
The way the fast food restaurant staff here are treated is as if they themselves brandished the machine guns and bombs that killed innocent Palestinians.
Most of these protestors hate the Israelis for one main reason – for being a big bully preying on civilians in Gaza.
In essence, the protestors are not much better for making life miserable for our own people. Who’s the big bully now?
The organizers of “Boycott McDonald’s Day” also condemned the people who caused violence at some McDonald’s branches, but they insisted that the protest on the whole was necessary and just. Ashraf Wahab, one of the leaders of the boycott movement, denied that the domestic economy will suffer from the boycott action:
Just because their share of customers shrink, it doesn’t mean the entire market shrinks too. The customers of their products will go to other products, either some local business or an international franchise. Our economy will still reap the benefits. Perhaps it’s our local business that are the ones that will profit the most.
There are differing views on the boycott, but the popular sentiment in Malaysia is in favor of the immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza. If the boycott will not succeed, it is certain that Malaysian activists will continue to organize activities and other forms of campaigning to call for the end of hostilities in Gaza.


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Jamaica: #Ferguson & #Gaza · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica-based blogger Annie Paul republishes a compilation of tweets that show the similarities between the standoff in #Gaza and in #Ferguson, where yet another unarmed black man was gunned down by the police. The response to the resulting protests by U.S. law enforcement has been so brutal that netizens are comparing the small  Missouri town to a war zone.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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National Gallery of Jamaica Director Faces Accusations of Intimidating and Bullying Employees · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Books from Jamaica, in which Veerle Poupeye's “Caribbean Art” is near the top of the heap. Photo by Nicholas Laughlin, used under an CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 license.
The National Gallery of Jamaica, widely respected as the oldest and biggest public art museum in the English-speaking Caribbean, has been having problems behind closed doors — and according to blogger and cultural critic Annie Paul, who has written a series of posts about the gallery's challenges, the issues are just now coming out into the open.
Paul, who has close ties with the gallery, having served on its exhibitions and public relations committees over the years, said that the current management has frustrated several employees and caused many talented administrators to leave. She specifically brought into question the management style of the gallery's Executive Director Veerle Poupeye:
I know of no international best practice […] that recommends that Museum directors manage their human resources by intimidation, fear, bullying and general terror tactics: inappropriately berating members of staff for instance, imperiously ordering that they not meet with each other or have conversations without her permission, demanding that she be consulted before they post personal updates on their Facebook pages, and generally paralyzing them by constant micro-management. Things are so bad staff members at the Gallery have taken to walking down to the waterfront to have routine conversations for fear of rousing the ire of the ED [Executive Director].
Prior to this post, Paul had published a piece “documenting some of the experiences of the former Chief Curator of the National Gallery, Charles Campbell, during his short stint at the Gallery (January to July 2014)”. At the time of the publishing of Paul's initial post, Campbell was on his way out. Out of consideration for him and his exit interview process, she took down the post, but has maintained her position on the “inefficient, autocratic and extremely problematic management style of the Executive Director”. This, Paul says, has caused strife at the gallery — quite unfortunate, considering that its collection of contemporary and modern Jamaican art is quite extensive.
Poupeye has not formally responded to Paul's claims, though the Executive Director was reportedly telling people that Paul took down her initial blog post because of a request from her [Poupeye's] lawyers. Paul took great issue with this claim, saying:
This is patently untrue and further underscores the problems I am trying to bring to the public’s attention. To the list of problematic behavior described below I now add a clear and blatant disregard for the truth.
No lawyer has contacted either me or my lawyers since or before my post went up yesterday. This is simply one of the intimidatory tactics routinely and infamously used by the Executive Director of the National Gallery. It may have been an effective tool in the past, serving to silence others but it has only made me more determined to highlight the untenable situation at the National Gallery of Jamaica. This is a public institution and I am using this medium to raise questions that need to be asked about the management and credibility of its current directorate. I believe that it is in the public interest that I do so.
There is a deep malaise at the National Gallery of Jamaica, an institution I’ve taken an interest in since the mid-90s when my critiques of the Jamaican art scene were first published.
The gallery has also made no official statement, but apparently Paul's name was being “bandied about” as the author of this letter to one of the daily newspapers, which hinted at a gathering storm at the art institution. Paul's response, via her blog, was this:
As my close friends know and my record shows I don’t do anonymous.
That letter first brought many of these matters to light, highlighting, among other things, the fact of Veerle Poupeye’s Belgian birth and her current status as a Jamaican national. To me these are non-issues. If competent local talent can’t be found for a job, whether it be police chief or executive director or Chief Curator of the National Gallery, by all means hire a competent foreigner or naturalized non-native.
Soon after that letter to the editor, the gallery went on a public relations drive. Meanwhile, the focus of Paul's criticism remained solely on the executive director's allegedly abusive behaviour, as she detailed the casualties under her tenure: the former Senior Curator Nicole Smythe-Johnson resigned last year without having even served the first year of her tenure; and the newly appointed Chief Curator Charles Campbell resigned last month, “citing systemic management and leadership issues and a hostile working environment”.
In the comments section of Paul's blog, Active Voice, one reader suggested that the gallery needs to revisit its personnel management. Even as an outsider, Deborah Anzinger felt that the gallery was in dire need of trained human resources personnel, asking:
Don’t all int’l standard museums have such a dept? What would it take for the IOJ [Institute of Jamaica, a promoter of the arts under whose purview the gallery falls] to implement this for such a culturally important institute?
Paul agreed that there was “a huge gap between government rhetoric that it realizes the importance of culture and places it front and centre, and the woeful lack of investment in the institutions that mediate culture.”
On Facebook, Dave Rodney called on the government to intervene in the situation:
What I'm reading here is an absolute disgrace. Drama and famous fights are not new to the NG [National Gallery] […] The IOJ [Institute of Jamaica] and the minister must urgently intervene before the institution becomes a symbol of shame. […] People across the Diaspora connected with the Jamaican art world have been talking about this for a long time so I know the outrage and the resentments have been brewing. An explosion is inevitable unless the problem is fixed immediately.
Netizens were even discussing the issue on Twitter:
I always wondered how a country so rich with art history is so clueless as to how to engage its stakeholders @anniepaul
— Kesi Gardner (@KesiGardner) July 29, 2014
Has this only become a problem since Senior Curators complained? What about the other, long-serving staff — no ratings? :-s
— Akilah (@akilamantado) July 29, 2014
It may be a case of the straw that broke the camel's back, but the fact remains that the issues have come to light — and those who are concerned about Jamaica's rich art legacy are demanding accountability, Paul says:
Should Boards be held accountable for not performing the oversight function that is their mandate? Doesn’t the long-suffering staff of the National Gallery deserve better management? Should the media continue to fastidiously avert its gaze from these issues? These are merely a few of the troubling questions raised by the recent management problems at the National Gallery of Jamaica.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Even Pussy Riot Fears Russia’s New Internet Crackdown · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Pussy Riot activist Nadezhda Tolokonnikova attends Roskilde Festival, 4 July 2014, by Jacob Crawfurd, Demotix.
Many have wondered how Russian bloggers will respond to the country’s recent curbs on Internet freedom. With millions of people using the RuNet, there’s no simple way to describe the blogosphere’s reaction. There was also no way to predict that Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, the former Pussy Riot political prisoner, would limit her online activism to avoid being targeted by the Attorney General.
Since becoming an international celebrity, thanks to a politicized trial that landed her behind bars for almost two years, Tolokonnikova has been Russia’s most iconic rebel. Her rebellion seems to have its limits.
Today, she wrote online about a new public event hosted by her post-Pussy Riot group—the far less sexily named “Zone of Rights.” On Facebook, Tolokonnikova announced that Zone is hosting a “marathon teach-in” about Russia's prison system, taking place somewhere in Moscow tomorrow. To find out specifically where the event is happening, she invites you to email the group for the details.
RuNet Echo asked Tolokonnikova why she refrained from publishing the event’s location. She responded in Russian and English.
On Facebook, Tolokonnikova wrote:
Не тот год в России, чтобы в открытую выкладывать адрес.
It’s not the best year in Russia to be writing addresses in the open.
On Twitter, she added:
@KevinRothrock i just don't want political police to go in my office. It's pretty obvious
— Надя Толоконникова (@tolokno) August 15, 2014
Tolokonnikova’s fears are likely justified. In the past month, police ordered one of Russia’s most popular news websites to delete an interview with an activist in Siberia, because he discussed details about an unsanctioned rally. Federal censors have already blocked several other websites, including one of the country’s most prominent political blogs, because of materials discussing unsanctioned demonstrations. Indeed, the Russian government is able to block websites, and entitled to initiate extremism investigations, without any court oversight, thanks to a law that passed earlier this year.
Tolokonnikova says she is curtailing her online outreach in order to protect Zone’s offices, but she does appear to have tweeted that the teach-in will take place at the Moscow Contemporary Art Center “Vinzavod.”
@margulev @polinanem А приходите к нам, мы объясним все! Сбор информации по колониям. В сб и вс с 12-00 будем на Винзаводе, приходите. Ок?
— Надя Толоконникова (@tolokno) August 15, 2014
Come visit us and we'll explain everything! A whole collection of information about the prison system. On Saturday and Sunday at 12pm, we'll be at Vinzavod. Come by, okay?
When RuNet Echo asked why she announced the event’s location on Twitter but not Facebook, Tolokonnikova did not respond.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Russia Just Doubled Its Internet Surveillance Program · Global Voices
Sergey Kozlovsky

Russians protest against Internet censorship. 17 November 2012, by Mike Kireev, Demotix.
Under the Kremlin's Internet surveillance program known as “SORM-2,” Russian Internet service providers are obligated to purchase and install special equipment that allows the Federal Security Service (FSB) to track specific words (like “bomb” or “government”) in online writing and conversation. If officials request additional information about a particular user, the ISP must comply.
Until recently, SORM-2 applied only to ISPs. Last week, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree that will expand SORM-2's reach to online social networks and all websites that allow people to message one another. Sites like Facebook and Google are now obligated to install surveillance gadgetry, sometimes referred to as “backdoors,” that will allow the FSB to monitor Internet users independently. It's impossible to say exactly how this will work, as Medvedev's order prohibits websites from disclosing the technical details of the government's surveillance operations.
Decree N743 is intended to amend the controversial “Law on Bloggers,” which created a government registry for bloggers who have more than 3,000 daily readers. Registered bloggers are subject to media-focused regulations that can make them more vulnerable to fines and lawsuits than their less popular counterparts. Registered bloggers also are banned from using obscene language and required to fact-check any information they publish. Critics say the law places serious curbs on Internet freedom.
Medvedev's decision to extend Internet surveillance mechanisms to social networks surprised Russia's Internet companies. A PR officer from Yandex, the country's largest search engine, said the company received no advanced notice of the change.
“Once again, it's unclear what we're supposed to do, what the actual requirements are, and how much all this will cost,” said Anton Malginov, legal head of the Mail.ru, which owns Odnoklassniki.ru, one of Russia's most popular social networks. Businesses are still awaiting clarification from Russia's Communications Ministry.
If the government chooses to enforce every letter of Medvedev's decree, Russia's social networks will join ISPs in buying and installing equipment that allows the FSB to spy on users. Thus SORM-2 would have its “2.0.”
At first glance, “SORM 2.0″ seems redundant, as social network traffic already passes through the wiretaps now installed at the ISP level. In order to obtain detailed information about individual users, however, the FSB must file formal requests, which can be a burdensome process. Installing surveillance instruments at the source of the data, however, will grant authorities the power to conduct targeted realtime surveillance. The procedure will be faster and simpler than dealing with ISPs.
Before August 1, websites were under no obligation to record and store users’ data. The Law on Bloggers changed that. Since August 1, even before Medvedev interpreted the blogger law to be an extension of SORM-2, social networks have been required to keep certain information on file for six months. The costs of this storage will undoubtedly fall on businesses and, in turn, consumers. Websites that cannot attract additional advertising revenue might erect paywalls or even be forced to close down. These massive data stores can also be vulnerable to malicious hacking by third party actors.
And the degree to which extending SORM-2 controls to social networks will help authorities catch criminals remains largely unknown.
How should bloggers respond to these developments? Most Russian Internet users don't have to worry about anything. As Anton Nossik, one of the “founding fathers” of the RuNet, put it almost a year ago, the government's actions against bloggers are politically driven. For the most part, Russia's new laws don't threaten Internet users who steer clear of politics. Those who do speak out about sociopolitical issues, however, might attract the FSB's sudden attention, though there are only enough federal police to keep a close eye on the country's leading dissidents.
Of course, that may be little solace in a world where Big Brother never sleeps.

author: Sergey Kozlovsky


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Russian APCs Cross Into Ukraine, Mystery Convoy Still Stuck on Border · Global Voices
Tanya Lokot

As the humanitarian convoy lingers on the border, Russian APCs roll into Ukraine. Images mixed by author.
As speculation swirls around the huge Russian humanitarian convoy traveling into Eastern Ukraine, Western journalists following the procession of white-washed trucks have witnessed a column of armored vehicles crossing the border from Russia into Ukraine. Could this supposed invasion be the start of something big? And what is happening to the mystery convoy?
Ukraine has claimed before that Russian military transport (APCs, tanks and other vehicles) enters Ukraine regularly through border points controlled by the separatist rebels. But this was the first time several Western journalists, including British and US reporters, witnessed the trespassing first-hand. Shaun Walker of The Guardian tweeted the incident live:
So @RolandOliphant and I just saw a column of APCs and vehicles with official Russian military plates cross border into Ukraine.
— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) August 14, 2014
Erm ok so this isn't humanitarian aid. Column of over 20 APCs, 10km from the Ukraine border, and heading closer pic.twitter.com/OMvJmHzsx1
— Shaun Walker (@shaunwalker7) August 14, 2014
The Telegraph's Roland Oliphant supported Walker's claims and posted a photo as well:
These guys. Lots of them. pic.twitter.com/XM1QCCpmNQ
— Roland Oliphant (@RolandOliphant) August 15, 2014
The testimony of independent media proved to be a big deal with the international observers. NATO, for instance, said there was evidence to claim there had been a Russian incursion into Ukraine, although they did not call it an “invasion” outright.  Britain and France have summoned Russian envoys in their countries to demand an explanation of the incident and accused the Kremlin of escalating the fighting.
Ukraine later announced its armed forces had partly destroyed a Russian armored column that entered its territory overnight. The Russian government in response denied that any Russian forces had ceased into Ukraine, and instead said the Ukrainian side was trying to sabotage the delivery of humanitarian aid from Russia to the troubled areas of Ukraine's east.
The embattled humanitarian convoy, meanwhile, remains stuck on the Russian side of the border, as the Russian side claims they're ever closer to moving it into the East of Ukraine. Ukraine and the International Committee of the Red Cross, meanwhile, insist Russia provide them with a detailed list of the contents of the trucks. As of this morning, the column of 280 aid vehicles was parked near the town of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky in Rostov region, where experts from the ICRC and the Ukrainian customs officials were arriving to figure out how they could start checking the cargo. Ideally, once the trucks’ contents were examined by the ICRC and the paperwork processed by the Ukrainian customs, the humanitarian aid would come under the control of the Red Cross and be moved into Ukraine.
Earlier, Russian and international media got to peek inside some of the trucks and saw bags of buckwheat, baby food, sleeping bags, portable generators and water. Some of the correspondents, like Financial Times’ Courtney Weaver, noticed that quite a few of the trucks were less that half full and wondered why that was the case.
Got to check out more convoy trucks this morning. A lot of them mostly empty like this one pic.twitter.com/9qM7bYliv9
— Courtney Weaver (@courtneymoscow) August 15, 2014
This was corroborated by other journalists, including Slon.ru's own reporter at the scene, and caused a wave of suspicion online. Alec Luhn, another reporter covering Russia, speculated that humanitarian aid was a pretext for the trucks to come into Ukraine, and they were really there to carry fighters and arms back to Russia:
So Russia's aid convoy is half empty. Maybe this is not so much about taking in aid as taking out rebels & arms? pic.twitter.com/w4AzMC2p01
— Alec Luhn (@ASLuhn) August 15, 2014
A Russian emergency ministry representative explained to reporters that the vehicles were not full because otherwise the trucks would be overloaded and wouldn't be able to carry so much weight. The truck drivers themselves were skeptical of this explanation, says Slon.ru, but did not deign to provide their own version.
As Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of undermining the humanitarian mission, and the West wonders if they have just witnessed the start of open Russian aggression against Ukraine, the presence of independent journalists on the scene at the border gains importance. While the white trucks of the humanitarian convoy stand still, there's quite a lot of other movement there: blink, and another armored vehicle has whizzed by. Yuri Maloverjan, a BBC Russian Service correspondent, saw two groups of Russian military transport near the Russian bordertown of Donetsk within one hour:
В сторону укр.границы пошла колонна машин в 40 без номеров. И БТР. #Донецк pic.twitter.com/WuI3XpKf21
— Jüri Maloverjan (@MaloverjanBBC) August 15, 2014
A column of about 40 cars, with no license plates, went to the Ukrainian border. And an APC. #Donetsk
Пока писал предыд.твит, мимо к границе Украины прокатилась ещё колонна: 30 единиц, в т.ч. 10 БТРов.
— Jüri Maloverjan (@MaloverjanBBC) August 15, 2014
While I was typing the previous tweet, another column passed by me on its way to Ukraine: 30 units, including 10 APCs.
While citizen journalists posting photos and videos of the military transport moving around and near Ukraine have been instrumental in untangling conspiracies about Russia's role in supporting the rebels, the reports of international journalists on the scene will likely be crucial in providing the international community with more solid evidence. This could allow the West to make a convincing case against Russian aggression—or give Russia the means to disprove it.

author: Tanya Lokot


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The U.S. Has Problems in Ferguson. And That’s Creating Problems For the U.S. in Russia. · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Thousands of people across USA gathered in remembrance of victim, 14 August 2014, by Cynthia Rucker. Demotix.
Russians are beginning to turn their attention to violence in the American city of Ferguson, Missouri, where heavily armed police have clashed with locals, following protests against the murder of an unarmed African-American teenager named Michael Brown. So far, most Russians watching the unrest in Ferguson have taken it as an opportunity to criticize the United States, arguing that America exaggerates its progress in race relations. For Russian “patriots,” that is, Russians who support the Kremlin’s frequent demonization of the United States, the violence in Ferguson is welcome confirmation that Americans are nobody to lecture Russia about proper policing or social justice.
Many Russians on Twitter have taken to comparing images of heavily armed police in Ferguson to familiar photographs of American troops abroad.
Не Ирак и не Афганистан. Это полицейский в #Ferguson выцеливает новую жертву. США. Штат Миссури pic.twitter.com/K1e1rs9zde
— SDbrvS (@iwmaster) August 14, 2014
This isn’t Iraq and it isn’t Afghanistan. It’s a police officer in Ferguson targeting a new victim. The U.S.A., the state of Missouri.
Верхнее фото — армия США в Ираке, нижнее — полиция в Фергюсон, #США #отличия pic.twitter.com/lCEEPhOVuG
— Volodymyr Khomenko (@DominoBank) August 14, 2014
The top photo is of the American army in Iraq. The bottom is police in Ferguson. #USA #Differences
@McFaul Обаме недостаточно того, что он убивает ливийцев, сирийцев и украинцев. Власти США отправили полицию убивать американцев #Ferguson
— Владимир Орлов (@soldier_moskva) August 15, 2014
@McFaul Obama isn’t satisfied killing Libyans, Syrians, and Ukrainians, [so] U.S. officials have sent the police to go kill Americans. #Ferguson
Though many in the United States are rubbing their eyes in disbelief at the shocking footage coming out of Missouri this week, Russians have been absorbed in developments much closer to home. Even now, most people on the RuNet appear to be writing about events in Ukraine, where a series of resignations unexpectedly swept the separatist leadership yesterday. Meanwhile, a convoy of 280 trucks carrying humanitarian aid has been traveling from Moscow to the Ukrainian border for the past several days. When it arrives, it’s unclear if border guards will negotiate with the Russian drivers, do nothing, or open fire. Not surprisingly, some Russian Internet users have responded to the Ferguson story with allusions to the conflict in Ukraine.
Egor Prosvirnin, editor of the Russian nationalist website “Sputnik & Pogrom” and a vocal supporter of Ukraine’s separatists, has written several popular jokes suggesting that Obama will be forced into exile like former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych before him. (When Yanukovych fled the country, protesters raided his presidential palace, discovering absurd displays of wealth, including gilded bread. Yanukovych found refuge in Rostov, inside Russia.)
В общем, в #Ferguson у американцев похоже Майдан начинается, скоро ловить Обаму с золотым батоном на границе с Мексикой
— Sputnik & Pogrom (@sputnikipogrom) August 14, 2014
All in all, it seems that the Americans have started their own Maidan in Ferguson. Soon they’ll catch Obama with golden bread loaves at the border with Mexico.
Как вы считаете, должна ли Россия предоставлять в Ростове убежище Обаме, после того, как майданщики из #Ferguson займут Вашингтон?
— Sputnik & Pogrom (@sputnikipogrom) August 14, 2014
What do you think? Should Russia grant Obama asylum in Rostov after the Ferguson Maidanites seize Washington?
Others joked that Igor Strelkov, until yesterday the military commander of the Donetsk separatists, must have quit Ukraine to fight in America’s new war.
Стрелков поехал в Фергюсон, штат Миссури.
— Lera Kalashnikova (@l_kalashnikova) August 14, 2014
Strelkov went to Ferguson, in the state of Missouri.
Some online are asking why Russia’s liberals—whose attitude about the West is typically aspirational—have remained largely silent about the events in Ferguson, where the U.S. witnessed what was effectively a 21st century race riot. Admittedly, the question isn’t altogether fair, given that Russia’s news media is currently focused very narrowly on events in Ukraine. That said, Russian-American journalist Julia Ioffe did manage to grab the attention of Petr Verzilov, husband of famed Pussy Riot front-woman Nadezhda Tolokonnikova. Verzilov tweeted a link to Ioffe’s story in The New Republic:
Почитайте как @juliaioffe сравнивает расовые беспорядки в Америке с протестами в России – не в пользу Америки! http://t.co/OInFb8JnkK
— группа война (@gruppa_voina) August 15, 2014
Read how @JuliaIoffe compares riot races in America to protests in Russia—and not in America’s favor!
As Ioffe argues in her article, the violence in Ferguson is sure to damage America’s reputation abroad, especially in places like Russia, where the state has tirelessly demonized Western meddling in international affairs. Early reactions to Ferguson on the RuNet confirm that the United States just made its work in Russia much harder.


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Speaking Out Against the Stigma of Mental Illness in the Caribbean · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

A depiction of how depression feels, taken from the Depression/The Blues flickr page; used under a CC BY-NC 2.0 license.
American comedian Robin Williams’ apparent suicide has triggered a discussion about depression and other forms of mental illness in the Caribbean blogosphere. The tragedy has inspired many bloggers to share their own experiences, as a way to raise awareness and help others.
Mental illness has long been considered taboo in the Caribbean. The colonial model of psychiatric treatment, which basically means banishing mentally ill people to “mad houses,” hasn't helped matters. Indeed, many of the Caribbean asylums established in the mid-1800s—more like prisons than places of refuge—still operate today. It's here where many sick people are locked away and isolated from the rest of society, so the general public doesn't have to confront the issue of mental illness.
Even as a “get-out-of-jail” card, Caribbean society generally frowns on suicide, particularly when viewed through a religious lens. Attitudes about mental illness are changing gradually, however, with various regional governments investing more in mental wellness facilities. Jamaican blogger Bianca Welds has started a project asking her compartiots to share their experiences with mental illness, as a way of attacking the stigma attached to it:
Need J'cans willing to publicly share their mental health story. Share yr contact info to participate in project https://t.co/kv75qWFYE0
— Bianca Welds (@biancawelds) August 14, 2014
Jamaican writer Brandon Allwood, now studying in Canada, wrote a long essay about his experiences dealing with depression and anxiety:
The first time I tried to kill myself, I was 15. I lunged through a window in my 5th form classroom and was pulled back by some of my classmates — who subsequently made much fun of the whole debacle. A few weeks later I tried clumsily to swallow a bunch of tablets – Excedrin Extra Strength to be precise. I had a massive stomach ache afterwards, but death was (sadly) nowhere close.
Allwood noted that depression is often seen as an affliction among wealthier people (many of whom are referred to as “browning” in Jamaica because of the lighter colour of their skin), even though poorer people of course also suffer from the disease. He also argues that Jamaica's outdated education system puts undue pressure on young people, thereby exacerbating the problem:
We must begin to ‘de-brown’ mental illness in Jamaica. Ironically, mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are more likely to occur in people who are poor(er?) and more disadvantaged in society. At some point we have to question why all the mental illness events and walks and days are seemingly supported by the same kind of people—‘brown’ and ‘uptown’ […] Why it is that the cost for getting help for mental illness is so high. Why it is that there are no support systems in primary and secondary schools to help students deal with the ever-increasing pressure of an archaic exam-centric educational system with a multiplicity of other problems that have a severe impact on them.
Allwood's post, which is at times deeply intimate, has resonated powerfully online. In what is perhaps the most evocative passage, he calls on society to start taking mental illness more seriously.
Taking your own life is not a trivial matter. It is something that people usually think about for some time before making an attempt. In my own case, when I tried to hang myself from the pull up bar in my room five weeks ago, I thought not of myself but of my friends and family. I thought that I would be doing them a favour by leaving them with a memory of a good friend, and not having them deal with the dark horrible person I thought I had become. I felt like I hit a wall in my personal life with financial and school troubles, and I was absolutely tired of being a burden on the universe. For me it was a selfless thought, a heroic act and even though I am being treated now for my depression, I still regret having been too tall for the noose to do its job.
This is not a call for the government; it is a call for us all to seriously look at our attitudes towards mental illness. How we support our children, siblings, parents, friends and colleagues who are affected by the gamut of mental ailments. It is about us, as a people, being more open to the idea that sometimes we actually do need help and that ‘help’ is not always a case of cultural imperialism or ‘uptown’. It is an open call, for anyone who want[s] to be a better human being, to understand that people who struggle with mental illness need support and love.
On Twitter, bloggers praised Allwood for his candor:
@brandonallwood You likely don't know the extent of it yet but this will do so much for so many. Thank you doesn't begin to cover it
— Salsa NocturNAS (@Nasylum) August 13, 2014
Hearing @brandonallwood speak abt his experiences w/ depression & suicide on a national scale is..wow. Your strength is boundless. I love u.
— Bae Cheque (@mz_KARizma) August 13, 2014
In the Jamaica Journal, Kate Chappell spoke from the perspective of having a family member who is mentally ill, sharing the story of her struggle to cope with her sister's illness and suicide attempts:
You can’t just cheer someone up who is assaulted so gravely by serious mental illness. What seared my soul in the worst way was how dead her eyes appeared. How void of spirit her body was. How flat her voice sounded. In those moments, when my eyes met her lifeless ones, two emotions coursed through me: terror and rage. ‘Why can’t you just feel better?’ I would scream within. ‘Why can’t you just take a shower and go for a walk? Is life really that bad?’ Of course, I never said this to her, and I never really meant it.
Chappell eventually made peace with her sister's condition:
I learned to love her. I learned to accept her as she was, as well as my own panic and fear, both of which sparked this brutal judgment. I learned how to love a person whose spirit has been so sapped that they can barely tend to their most basic physical needs. I learned about loyalty and commitment and choice. And I learned gratitude. Every day she made it through another 24 hours, I was grateful. In turn, I learned to appreciate those around me, from those I love dearly to strangers on the street.
She concluded:
As human beings, most of us possess a natural aversion to discussing such a mystifying, counterintuitive action as ending our own life. We instinctively strive to preserve ourselves at all costs, so when a fellow human being does not act in accordance with this fundamental drive, it causes fear and confusion. But this is precisely why we should address this reality: the pain does not have to be endured alone, and the abolishment of a solitary struggle could prevent some loss. Our society is ceaseless in its attempt to eradicate physical pain; we should apply the same to mental illness.
Brave bloggers like Allwood and Chappell hope that more people sharing their experiences with mental illness can help destigmatize the issue, reforming public attitudes that are still in many ways toxic to mental health. If people learn to speak more openly about depression and other diseases, people will find that they're saving lives.


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6 Days of Protests, Tweets and Tear Gas After Police Gun Down a Black Teen in Ferguson, Missouri · Global Voices
Ellery Roberts Biddle

Tweeted by citizen journalist @AntonioFrench on August 14 ” from last night in #Ferguson that I didn't get to post before I was arrested.”
Police are in military-grade riot gear. Journalists are being arrested. Peaceful protesters have faced tear gas and rubber bullets.
Since 18-year-old Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer in the central U.S. state of Missouri, demonstrations in Ferguson town have been met with what many Americans are calling the militarization of police.
Protesters are largely unarmed and using only their voices to express their outrage at the killing of the unarmed black teenager. But since Monday, police officers have responded with violent force:
Policing is no longer policing. Police depts have military grade weaponry and surveillance capabilities. This hurts us all #Ferguson
— Sherif Ibrahim (@Sherif_Ib) August 14, 2014
Writing for The Intercept, Glenn Greenwald described the police assault on protesters as “the destructive by-product of several decades of deliberate [post-9/11] militarization of American policing…has resulted in a domestic police force that looks, thinks, and acts more like an invading and occupying military than a community-based force to protect the public.”
Ferguson's population is nearly 70% black, yet the local police force is predominantly white. According to rights advocates, Americans of color, particularly young black men, are disproportionately targeted and accused of wrongdoing by law enforcement officials in staggering numbers. Even though state-sanctioned racial profiling is most prevalent in major US cities, the current conflict in Ferguson, which has a population of about 21,000 people, illustrates that it may be a nationwide problem.
Here's a timeline of events since unarmed Michael Brown, the African-American teen who was preparing to begin college this fall, was shot.
Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer at noon. . Details of the interaction between police and Brown are in dispute, but the only non-police witness to the shooting, a friend of Brown’s, reports that Brown raised his hands in the air, pleading with police not to shoot him. MSNBC’s Chris Hayes tweeted that he interviewed the key (and only non-police) witness to Brown’s shooting, but that the police had not.
I interviewed the key witness to the Michael Brown shooting last night. The police haven't. Think about that. — Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) August 12, 2014
The next day hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the Ferguson police department, demanding information about Brown’s death.
Police officials held a press conference in which St. Louis police chief Jon Belmar stated that an altercation had ensued between Brown and police, causing officers to shoot the teen. He acknowledged that Brown was shot “more than a few” times. The medical examiner’s report on Brown’s body has not yet been released, and police have refused to release the name of the officer who killed Michael Brown, citing security threats.
That evening, riots broke out and stores were looted and vandalized by local residents, outraged by Brown’s death. Police in riot gear arrived soon after and arrested 32 individuals from the scene.
say what you want about internet activism but when the media isn't telling the truth this is the only way to educate the people #Ferguson — North West (@arcleoa) August 14, 2014
Criticism of media coverage of the story story surged on Twitter, with many users accusing media of depicting Brown as a “thug”. Young men and women of color began posting photos of themselves under the hashtag #IfTheyGunnedMeDown, juxtaposing photographs of themselves looking devious with graduation photos, family celebrations, and the like.
#WhatWouldTheySay? Are we “thugs” or are we young adults serving our country? #IfTheyGunnedMeDown pic.twitter.com/PyzfbcgndR
— ΛKASHA (@ayo_brittt) August 13, 2014
#IfTheyGunnedMeDown Which would they use? Terrorist in training or recent high school graduate? pic.twitter.com/iRJ9PTSqwc
— Uwais (@Uwais_Patel) August 14, 2014
Global hacker collective Anonymous meanwhile pledged to identify the police officer who killed Michael Brown. These claims have since been discredited by local authorities, who continue to withhold the officer’s name.
Peaceful protests continued in Ferguson.The family of Michael Brown held a press conference and urged demonstrators to remain peaceful in their actions. Also present was their attorney Benjamin Crump, who also served as defense attorney for slain Florida teenager Trayvon Martin, who like Brown was African-American and shot by a police officer.
Local alderman Antonio French, who has attended and tweeted reports from rallies since the incident occurred, shared the following Vine of protesters singing at a street gathering:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation announced plans to conduct an investigation of the shooting, parallel to local police efforts.
In the evening, riot squads arrived and shot tear gas and rubber bullets into a crowd of demonstrators, some of whom had allegedly thrown rocks at police. At least fifteen protesters were arrested. Below we show another Vine, also posted by Antonio French, where protesters are nearly swallowed in clouds of teargas.
Protests continued, again largely peaceful. Photographs of heavily-armed police clad in military uniforms, bullet-proof vests and gas masks flooded the Internet.
The Federal Aviation Administration ordered the local Lambert Airport to close temporarily, due to shots fired in the air. The airport reopened within a few hours.
President Obama issued a statement on the “passing” of Michael Brown, noting that the Justice Department is investigating the case. He said:
I know the events of the past few days have prompted strong passions, but as details unfold, I urge everyone in Ferguson, Missouri, and across the country, to remember this young man through reflection and understanding.  We should comfort each other and talk with one another in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.
Protests continued and multiple arrests were made. Among those arrested and detained overnight by local police were reporters for Huffington Post and the Washington Post, and government representative Antonio French, a local alderman.
French had attended demonstrations throughout the week, reporting on events using Twitter and Vine. Here are some of French’s images, which he later posted on Twitter:
Some photos from last night in #Ferguson that I didn't get to post before I was arrested. pic.twitter.com/bbRFp8rtGA — Antonio French (@AntonioFrench) August 14, 2014
French and the two reporters were released from detention early Thursday morning. In a first-hand account of his arrest, which took place at a McDonald’s restaurant near a protest site, Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery described police threatening him for attempting to record  their actions on his mobile phone camera.
He later posted the video on the Post’s website. Lowery wrote that he explained to police that all he’d experienced would be published in the Washington Post the next day.  “This story’s going to get out there. It’s going to be on the front page of The Washington Post tomorrow,” he told an officer, who responded: “Yeah, well, you’re going to be in my jail cell tonight.”
Washington Post Executive Editor Martin Baron called the department’s behavior “wholly unwarranted and an assault on the freedom of the press to cover the news. The physical risk to Wesley himself is obvious and outrageous.”
On Vox, Max Fisher pointed out that Lowery was the second WaPo reported arrested this year. The other is Jason Rezaian, currently jailed in Iran. Lowery and Huffington Post writer Ryan Reilly believe they were released from detention without charges because of their status as reporters. In the video below, they can be heard asking police why they were released without being given any report of their arrest.
Protester Mya Aaten-White posted an instagram photo of herself saying she was shot in the head while protesting in Ferguson, Missouri on Wednesday.
Citizens, civil rights activists, and journalists continue to express outrage and frustration over the situation. Brooklyn-based writer Jackie Summers reported that he received death threats after posting the following photographs:
The Civil Rights Act is 50 years old. These two pictures were taken 50 years apart. Behold our progress. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/8PNn8eteO2 — Jackie Summers (@jackfrombkln) August 13, 2014
Al Jazeera America journalists were teargassed by police officers in Ferguson, on Wednesday evening, a mile away from the epicenter of the protests. As the journalists scrambled to flee the teargas they left their equipment behind, which Ferguson police starting disassembling.
PHOTOS: Police fire tear gas near Al Jazeera crew, then disassemble the gear after they flee. #Ferguson pic.twitter.com/It5FOxVWhB — Cassidy Moody (@CassFM) August 14, 2014
Many have noted the eery similarities between photographs being tweeted from Ferguson, and those currently emerging from Gaza. National security journalist Jeremy Scahill quipped:
If they changed the name to Fergustan, the Obama admin might intervene — jeremy scahill (@jeremyscahill) August 14, 2014
On Thursday Missouri's Governor said that the name of the police officer who shot and killed Michael Brown should be released to the public. He also announced that the Missouri Highway Patrol will take over security operations from the St. Louis County Police Department.
It remains unclear if this will alter the tension in Ferguson.

author: Ellery Roberts Biddle


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Video: Listen to Nairobi Coffee Shop Entrepreneur · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Meet Peter Owiti, coffee shop entrepreneur in Nairobi, Kenya:
The story of Peter Owiti, the brains behind Pete’s Coffee shop, speaks volumes of the great deal of effort that is spent when setting up a successful business. In the brief video below, Pete, who is a father of three, talks to Kuza Biashara about the challenges he encountered when he set up shop in 2004.
Peter resigned from a well-paying office job and, left with nothing other than his lifetime savings that amounted to Ksh500,000 ($6,000), he resolved to tread a path he was barely familiar with. Today, his business is valued at Ksh5,000,000 ($60,000). This admirable growth was recorded despite the scourge of Kenya’s Post Election Violence (PEV) in 2007/2008 which threatened to break his sequence of success.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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12 Deaths and 27,000 Displaced Nigeriens Because of Floods    · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Flooding in Niamey in Niger – Public Domain
Heavy rains and flooding in Niger have killed 12 people and left thousands without homes. Rivers in Niamey and the extended regions have risen and destroyed thousands of houses. In the region, land degradation and cultivation of marginal land increase the risk that extreme events can develop into natural disasters. Some solutions for flood preparedness were being implemented by national authorities :
ANADIA Niger aims to develop methodologies and tools to assess flood risk, to support planning at different decision making levels, to increase the resilience of local communities and to develop a greater capacity for forecasting and response. In this context, the development of a floods database will contribute to a more effective decision-making.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Activists Are Connecting Peruvians With Their Country’s Impressive Archaeological Heritage · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Huaca Pucllana, Lima. Photo by Flickr user Robert Nunn. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Have you ever related archeology with activism? Well, maybe you should start. In Peru, the land of millenary cultures, several groups are working to ensure that the nation's large archeological heritage is not lost and is part of Peruvian pride.
Save Las Huacas (SLH) is a project that can be traced back to 2001 when school teacher Koke Contreras, along with students from the Limean school where he worked, tried to create citizen networks for the archeological heritage's defense and preservation:
El proyecto aprovecha las nuevas tecnologías de la información y comunicación (TIC) como instrumento para la organización y movilización social orientada a la preservación del patrimonio cultural. SLH busca convertirse en un instrumento para diversas comunidades locales interesadas en desarrollar sistemas de vigilancia ciudadana y participación local en la defensa y preservación del patrimonio arqueológico.
The project takes advantage of the new information and communication technology (ICT) as a tool for social organization and mobilization geared towards the cultural heritage's preservation. SLH looks to become a tool for various local communities interested in developing citizen surveillance systems and local participation in the archeological heritage's defense and preservation.
What are las huacas? Historian Juan Luis Orrego Penagos explains:
Por definición, huaca es el término quechua que hace referencia a un lugar u objeto sagrado. Por lo tanto, huaca puede ser una construcción religiosa, un cerro, una laguna, un riachuelo, un árbol, una cueva o cualquier lugar u objeto (una piedra, un ídolo o una momia) que los antiguos peruanos consideraban sagrado. Con el tiempo, el término ha cambiado de connotación y hoy llamamos huaca a todo el patrimonio monumental y arquitectónico prehispánico como templos, centros administrativos, fortalezas, cementerios, etc. Es decir, los peruanos actuales asociamos el término con cualquier construcción física levantada por nuestros antepasados.
By definition, huaca is a Quechua term that refers to a sacred place or object. Therefore, huaca can be a religious structure, a hill, a lagoon, a stream, a tree, a cave or any place or object (a rock, an idol, or a mummy) that the ancient Peruvians considered to be sacred. With time, the term's connotation changed and today we use huaca for all monumental and pre-Hispanic architectural heritage such as temples, administrative centers, forts, cemeteries, etc. That's to say, we Peruvians actually associate the term with any elevated, physical construction made by our ancestors.
“Salvemos las Huacas” (Save the Huacas) page banner. Used with permission.
Save the Huacas has two goals: sketch maps of Lima's archeological remains through its web platform and create citizen awareness regarding the importance that these remains have for local and national identity. To do this, they hold activities such as archeological hikes “with the intention to identify what state our archeological heritage is in, to search for, register, and document its current condition, so that later maps of new sites can be sketched on the platform” that also serve to attract the interest of more citizens.
Some hikes are supported by archeologists, who explain to the assistants the history of the huaca and what is being done to recover, as these videos show.
In this video, the guide explains how the zone where the huaca is located used to be, and how nowadays the huaca and the guided visits have changed the perspective of the surrounding area:
In this second video, we see the guide explaining how the area was in pre-Hispanic times, how ancient Peruvians used the facilities and how the area is been preserved nowadays:
In a blog post on Save the Huacas, Koke Contreras reflects on what the participants saw on one of the hikes in Murallas de Chuquitanta, an archeological site in the Lima surrounding area:
Photo Enrique Mori. Used with permission.
Avanzamos a buscar las demás murallas hasta que ante nuestrosojos apareció una invitación a vivir en esta tranquila zona de Lima. En efecto el boom inmobiliario se hizo presente, no podía faltar. Una muralla de barro prehispánica a punto de colapsar nos daba la bienvenida. Un cartel nos invita a vivir en esta bucólica parte del valle. Aproveche la ocasión, separe con tiempo, marque su lote, coloque su piedra, su cerco e imagine la casa soñada ¿Podrá soportar esa muralla defensiva que repelió los ataques e invasiones de otras comarcas antes de la llegada de los Incas la invasión inmobiliaria?
We went on in search of the rest of the walls, until an invitation to live in this tranquil zone of Lima appeared before our eyes. In effect, the real-estate boom happened, it couldn't be missed. A pre-Hispanic mud wall on the verge of collapse welcomed us. A sign invites us to live in this pastoral part of the valley. Take advantage of the occasion, separate with time, choose your spot, place your rock, your fence, and imagine the dream home. Will that defense wall, which once repelled the attacks and invasions of other regions before the Incas’ arrival, be able to withstand the real-estate invasion?
Along the same lines, the Colectivo Colli develops activities that promote local identity through the knowledge and assessment of history, especially in the Lima district of Comas, northern Lima, and surrounding areas:
El Colectivo Colli es una organización conformada por niños, niñas, púberes, adolescentes, jóvenes y personas interesadas en la protección del patrimonio arqueológico, cuyo principal objetivo es la sensibilización para la defensa y conservación de los diferentes monumentos, construcciones, caminos, murallas y expresiones materiales de los antiguos pobladores prehipanicos de la zona de Lima Norte.
The Colectivo Colli is an organization composed of young people, teenagers, young adults, and individuals interested in the archeological heritage's protection. Its main objective is to increase awareness in the defense and conservation of the different monuments, buildings, roads, walls, and tangible expressions of the ancient pre-Hispanic settlers from northern Lima.
One of Colectivo Colli‘s activities is to clean the huacas, carried out with specialized, technical support and collaboration from schools in the area.
Students from Colegio William Shakespeare cleaning the Huaca El Retablo.
En la Huaca El Retablo se estuvo coordinando a lo largo de la semana con entusiastas vecinos cercanos al sitio arqueológico, ellos vienen haciendo los esfuerzos por rescatar del estado en abandono en que se encuentra este espacio, que en horas de la noche es frecuentado por personas de mal vivir. A ellos se sumaron entusiastas estudiantes de secundaria del Colegio William Shakespeare quienes guiados por sus maestros realizaron la limpieza de la huaca y sus alrededores.
At the Huaca El Retablo [The Alterpiece Huaca], Colectivo Colli coordinated with enthusiastic neighbors nearby the archeological site throughout the week. They come and make a big effort to salvage the abandoned state this space finds itself in, which is frequented at night by unsavory characters. Led by their teachers, enthusiastic students from the Colegio William Shakespeare joined up to clean the huaca and its surroundings.
Futhermore, the Protective Cycling Circle for Las Huacas also contributes to the preservation of material and immaterial heritage. In addition, it promotes the bicycle as a means of transport via cycling trips or archeological bike rides:
La actividad se compone de una visita guiada al mes por las diferentes Huacas de los distritos de Lima, donde se explica el papel que cumplían en su contexto histórico, se evalúa su estado de conservación y finalmente pedalean en círculos a su alrededor para reconectarse con ella y revitalizar su energía protectora.
The activity is composed of a one guided visit per month through the different Huacas in Lima's districts. It explains the role they fulfilled in their historical context and evaluates their conservation status. Finally, the cyclists pedal in circles around the Huacas as a means to reconnect with them and revitalize their protective energy.
These and other projects such as Cuida tu Huaca PLO (Take care of your Huaca PLO), Instituto de Cultura, Historia y Medio Ambiente – ICHMA (Culture, History, and Environment Institute), HistoriActual, Fortaleza de Campoy (Campoy Fort) and several more, make up a network of scholars, activists, and people of all ages that promote assessment and awareness regarding the need to conserve the nation's archeological heritage.
At a time when Peru's heritage has been threatened and a large portion of the population lacks of awareness, support from institutions, local government, and the state is needed — as well as the participation of everyone in general.

author: Juan Arellano


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Iran Vows to Block All “Unlicensed” Websites · Global Voices
Mahsa Alimardani

Rouhani supporters in Tehran. Photo by Tabarez2 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Last week, Iran's Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced that all news websites that do not obtain government-issued licenses will be blocked nationwide.
Hassan Mehrabi, the Ministry's director of local press regulations declared that all news websites in the future must obtain licenses from the Ministry's press supervisory board. Further details about the new policy appeared in a report covered by the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA). The announcement was made on “Journalist's Day,” a vaguely-defined national day to recognize the work of journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders, with 65 journalists and netizens in prison, Iran is among the top five jailers of those working in the media sector.
Prior to the new regulation, most websites registered within Iran would abide by self-censorship in order to avoid being filtered. Targets of filtering have often been reformist websites, such as those associated with the Green Movement and its leaders.
This news comes three months after moderate President Hassan Rouhani's conference on information and communications technologies, where he announced, “The right of citizens to have access to international networks of information is something we formally recognize. Why are we so nervous? Why don’t we trust our youth?”
Twitter users were quick to criticize the President for the new regulation under his government. Rouhani's 2013 election victory has largely been attributed to his progressive campaign promises, among them guarantees for a freer Internet.
Internet researcher and avid Twitter user Nariman Gharib, known as @ListenToUs, criticized the new regulation as an affront to the principles of the open Web:
حسن روحانی که خودش اینکاره‌است باید بدونه که محتوی آنلاین رو نمی‌تونه فیلتر کنه! محتوی وقتی وارد اینترنت شد دیگه اومده و قابل کنترل نیست.
— Nariman Gharib (@ListenToUs) August 11, 2014
“Hassan Rouhani who makes this his business must know that once something goes online it cannot be filtered. When content enters the Internet it's there and cannot be controlled.”
یک‌چیزی داریم به اسم جریان آزاد اطلاعات که آق حسن روحانی مثل اینکه نمی‌خواد این اتفاق بیافته و همچین تصمیمات بچگانه‌یی می‌گیره
— Nariman Gharib (@ListenToUs) August 11, 2014
“We have something called the situation of freedom of information, which Mr. Rouhani doesn't seem to want to take place, and is making childish decisions instead.”
Gharib also referenced the popular slogan of hope, “Rouhani Mochakerim” in a tweet criticizing the new website regulation:
.@HassanRouhani مچکریم؟ وزارت ارشاد: «کلیه سایت‌های خبری باید مجوز فعالیت دریافت کنند یا #فیلتر خواهند شد» http://t.co/KHIsOhgN7Z
— Nariman Gharib (@ListenToUs) August 11, 2014
“Thankful? Ministry of Culture: “All news sites must acquire a license or will get filtered.””.”
Following Rouhani's 2013 election victory, Iranian Internet users started using the phrase (#روحانی_مچکریم) in a demonstration of gratitude and hope for a new era under the moderate President. Mochakerim, meaning “thankful” in Persian, soon became a phrase uttered sarcastically, a tacit reference to Rouhani's popularity, which has managed to persist, despite the relative lack of domestic change he has brought to the country.

author: Mahsa Alimardani


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#ISISmovies Trending on Twitter as the Islamic State Killing Machine Moves Across Syria and Iraq · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

This map allegedly showing the expanses the ISIS plan to annex has gone viral. Source: Unknown
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a self-declared Islamic Caliphate (kingdom) which covers swathes of Syria and Iraq is trending on Twitter in the US, under the self-explanatory hashtag #ISISmovies.
Netizens across the world are changing the names of popular movies to reflect the actions of the militant Sunni Islamists, also known as simply the Islamic State (IS), who have been terrorising people across Syria and Iraq, and posting the photographs of their blood curdling exploits, including those of crucifixions, mass murder and decapitated heads online for the world to witness the horror they are unleashing on civilians along their path.
All those who don't convert to their hardline version of Islam, and pay allegiance to their self-proclaimed Caliph Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, are called infidels – and as such deserve to die. In Iraq, the banishment of the Christians of Mosul and murder and starvation of Yazidis in Northern Iraq, in particular drew condemnation from across the world over the last few weeks.
From Massachusetts, this Twitter user changes Good Will Hunting to reflect IS's thirst for blood:
Good Infidel Hunting #ISISmovies
— MustBeTheMeds (@MustBeTheMeds) August 16, 2014
From Lebanon, Ink offers two ISIS productions. Gone in 60 Seconds becomes:
#ISISmovies Decapitated in 60 Seconds.
— Ink (@Ink184) August 16, 2014
while How I Met Your Mother becomes:
How I Blew Up Your Temple. #ISISmovies
— Ink (@Ink184) August 16, 2014
The IS has destroyed several ancient temples and places of worship, as it considers the veneration of saints apostasy and Shia Muslims as heretics.
From Cairo, Egypt, AM Homossani adds a new twist to Sound of Music:
The Sound of Music is Haram #ISISmovies
— يا حمصاني (@AMHomossani) August 16, 2014
Haram, in Arabic, means sinful, and those fundamentalists also shun music, saying it is “the work of the devil.”
According to Hilal Ibrahim Toslak, Saving Private Ryan becomes:
Saving Private Abu Ryan #isismovies
— Halil İbrahim Toslak (@hibrahimt_) August 16, 2014
Jihadists pick up nom de guerres, prefixed with Abu – which translates to “father of” from Arabic. IS recruits come from around the world, and those pseudonyms make them difficult to track down.
And Hassan Hassan, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, comes up with:
Beheading Private Ryan #ISISMovies
— Hassan Hassan (@hxhassan) August 16, 2014
– again driving home the point of IS's favourite way to slaughter their victims.
Not everyone found the hashtag funny. Mohamed Alyahya, from New York, tells his 1,748 followers:
If I were in #ISIS I would be laughing hysterically at the stupidity of most of these tweets on this hashtag: #ISISmovies
— Mohammed K. Alyahya (@7yhy) August 16, 2014
While Akhter, from Kashmir, notes:
Some #ISISMovies titles are really hurting religious sentiments. Please don't slander islam.
— Akhter_ (@akhterA786) August 16, 2014
Regardless of the hashtag, the blood thirsty terrorists continue mass murdering innocents where ever they go.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Jewish-American Journalist Max Blumenthal Visits Gaza and Tweets Images of a Devastated City · Global Voices
Elia J. Ayoub

This was Beit Hanoun, Gaza, today – tweets @MaxBlumenthal in the first of a series of photographs he posts on Twitter showing the extent of the damage he witnessed
Jewish-American journalist, author and blogger Max Blumenthal visited Gaza's Beit Hanoun on the north-eastern border with Israel on August 15. He was accompanied by Palestine-based journalist Dan Cohen.
Gazans were taking advantage of a much-anticipated ceasefire between Hamas and Israel to try and salvage what they can from the rubble. Prior to the ceasefire, the offensive in Gaza had claimed the lives of 1,951 people, including over 70 families and 467 children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. Israeli NGO B'TSelem has confirmed the death of at least 1,767 Gazans and 431 children while the percentage of civilians killed ranges from 73 to 80 per cent according to the United Nations.
What Blumenthal and Cohen saw, however, was a town “completely flattened” by Israeli aerial and tank attacks. Beit Hanoun made worldwide headlines when an Israeli strike on a UN school killed 15 civilians on the 24th of July despite the UN asking the IDF for time to evacuate. Unfortunately, the devastation was not limited to a single school as you will see below.
The following is the timeline of their visit:
Beit Hanoun was completely flattened by Israeli aerial and tank attacks pic.twitter.com/KdmNwyqxpR
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
One of the Beit Hanoun homes occupied by Israeli soldiers, its floor littered with bullet casings pic.twitter.com/zlwXhEYVpf
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
He says Israeli soldiers looted his brother's documents and belongings from his desk. His home is in ruins. pic.twitter.com/m0jVTITi5u
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
Some clothes left behind by Israeli soldiers in Beit Hanoun pic.twitter.com/gBICqRLcdj
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
A cemetery in Beit Hanoun. They even bomb the dead. pic.twitter.com/WJifqnP2hD
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
.@dancohen3000 finds some new fans in Beit Hanoun pic.twitter.com/simIMdTwP2
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
Yard of the UN school shelled by Israel, where 17 were killed and 150 injured pic.twitter.com/YUFbB3HxTO
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
Israel bombed his classroom with an F-16 at Beit Hanoun's UN school pic.twitter.com/vLCIBv6EY2
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
Scholasticide pic.twitter.com/vwVbATkKWt
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
One of the many wounded I randomly encountered today – She lives behind the Beit Hanoun UN school pic.twitter.com/zuc7UMoIxX
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
Israel is 700 m away. It uprooted his orange groves & destroyed his wells in 2005 then bombed his house last month. pic.twitter.com/eIrT4vOKbo
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
As a farmer describes to me how Israel killed 8 family members, his cousin offers me a bunch of grapes & cold water. The highest character.
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
A girl named Reham lived in this room in Beit Hanoun until Israel destroyed her home pic.twitter.com/8dD6dEq7N7
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) August 15, 2014
1948 continues in Beit Hanoun today pic.twitter.com/7I0lLPSX3a
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) August 15, 2014
Israeli soldiers carved Stars of David in homes in Gaza, report @MaxBlumenthal & @dancohen3000 http://t.co/GB3QeEyzWi pic.twitter.com/FkbMVHSv9y
— Mondoweiss (@Mondoweiss) August 15, 2014
Written on the wall of what used to be a home in Beit Hanoun: Palestine, 3 Israel, 0 pic.twitter.com/dR85D69PFr
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
Her home was turned into a hole in the ground. She learns where I'm from. “Netanyahu and Obama are equally guilty!” pic.twitter.com/wrBjvAJwp3
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 15, 2014
Only the entrance remains to the farmer's house pic.twitter.com/Pn8osP5bhH
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) August 15, 2014
Burnt remains of a classroom in the Beit Hanoun Boy's and Girl's School pic.twitter.com/OrrRP3xpRu
— Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) August 15, 2014
Gaza City's Amin Muhammad mosque, where Israeli army sources say demographic threats launched non-Jewish prayers: pic.twitter.com/U82B3FLZQt
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Inside Gaza City's Amin Muhammad mosque. It was locked and empty when hit. #sociocide pic.twitter.com/x5VwzZPv0t
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Fadel Alawah drove a wounded man to a hospital, not knowing he was a fighter. Here's what a drone did to his car: pic.twitter.com/84GTpgPxSo
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Fadel Alawah's shoe remains inside the taxi he worked in for 12 hours a day at $8 an hour #PT pic.twitter.com/ZFFxoTaPP9
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
I keep finding seared shoes around Gaza. I can't say what they remind me of. This was in Shujaiya: pic.twitter.com/Wuz8n39MMP
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
The family of Salem Shamali, who was killed on video by Israeli sniper while looking for them http://t.co/iXU3n1Acv7 pic.twitter.com/1WcvLmUil2
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
The mother of Salem Shamali breaks down after rewatching @AymanM‘s report on her son's execution by Israeli sniper pic.twitter.com/Wc03HkFpFj
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Waseem Shamali misses his big brother, Salem. He can't talk about him without crying. pic.twitter.com/xxMb7Xld0j
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
The Shamali family has not received justice for their son Salem's murder. Instead they've been given these: pic.twitter.com/BSJ852r5mR
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Hamza Masri stands before his ruined home in Beit Hanoun and insists there are some good Israelis despite Netanyahu. pic.twitter.com/OjQpiBOcwj
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Hamza Masri is 62. He has met Israeli Jews. His grandkids grew up under siege. “The only Jews we meet are in tanks,” one tells me. #PT
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Shujaiya, Beit Hanoun, Gaza City – some of my and @dancohen3000‘s photos: https://t.co/khLya386zI
— Max Blumenthal (@MaxBlumenthal) August 16, 2014
Follow our in-depth coverage: #Gaza: Civilian Death Toll Mounts in Israeli Offensive

author: Elia J. Ayoub


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Trinidad & Tobago: Is Education Really About Learning?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Why, oh why, did I fail what is clearly a basic english class?
The easy answer – I didn’t try hard enough […] The more complicated answer lies in a system so rigid that I am required to take freshman english despite all proof and indications to the contrary.
Trinidad diaspora blogger CunningLinguist laments the failings of the modern education system, as he comes to realisation that “higher education is not about learning, it’s about about checking boxes”.


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A Syrian in Brazil: An Interview With Global Voices Contributor Rami Alhames  · Global Voices
Thalia Rahme

The young Syro-Brazilian Hames family. Photo used with Rami's permission
Global Voices volunteer authors and translators bring you stories and portraits from all over world. But interestingly, everyone of these volunteers have a story of his or her own worthy to be told.
Rami Alhames is one of these volunteers. He describes himself in his Global Voices profile as a Syrian in Brazil, but there is much more to this prolific contributor. A polyglot, he writes and translates into Arabic, English and Portuguese. He has also his own blog  and he is very active on Twitter. He is also an engineer and a father of two young toddlers.
I chatted with him this summer during the World Cup fever that gripped Brazil.
Rami Alhames (RA): I'm a Syrian mechanical engineer who lived and worked in four middle east countries before losing the job in Bahrain in 2011 and forced to cross oceans with a 5 months pregnant Brazilian/Syrian wife to far south America largest country. I came to know GV when I googled Amira's name (MENA editor) who is a friend of mine. However, in Brazil and during my unemployment period I joined GV em Português to enrich Brazilian vocabulary, then I found myself an author, translator and co-editor in GVinArabic.
RA: The first Syrians immigrants arrived Brazil and South America in the early 19th century and there was a second wave after the WWI. They were called Turks because they were holding Turkish passports. As a new arrival, I met the third generation of these immigrants; the young Arabs are proud of their roots, though they don't know Arabic but its food names. In Syria you can find a stone from 3000 A.D, while Brazil is considered a “country of the future” where you won't find this ancient history. Brazil is very liberated country in human rights, politics and democracy. Syria is closer with its oriental culture and family bonds where forbidden slogans chase you all the time.
RA: Yes, Brazil is ahead of many first world nations who establish good rules of Internet freedom which didn't come from vacuum. Syrian activists revealed their creativity during the Syrian revolution but they can still learn more from Brazilians rights defenders how to use their intelligence in fighting against the surveillance by the Syrian regime which used the Internet as device to gag and detain the peaceful protests. I'm a supporter of peaceful online anti-government tactics that won't risk lives of people. GV has written a bunch of articles and mentioned many good practices in this regard.
RA: Actually, Syrians in Brazil are well divided between anti- and pro-Assad government. While you find people who are defending the bombarding of the government in name of “war against terrorists,” very limited offers went public due to lack of media coverage that plays a significant role to bring the public awareness. Moreover, majority of Brazilians think of “Middle East” conflicts as a source of problems that never end, therefore, they're careless.
RA: While NetMundial is considered a gain and pride on international levels toward human rights and technology, the World Cup didn't go as smooth as the Brazilian government wanted it to be. From projects delays, collapsed constructions, and protests in the streets where people wanted to express their objection to the corruption that the government and FIFA want to hide beyond the popular game, almost a religion in Brazil. Not all Brazilians are blind football fanatics who forgive and forget the white elephants brought by the greedy politicians.
Rami speaking during the Cumbre Mundial de Indignados in Mexico in December 2012, an event focusing on popular uprisings around the globe.
GV: What are some of your favorites?
RA: I love Gabriel Garcia Marquez and his “One Hundred Years of Solitude.” Muhammad Al Maghut is also among my favorite authors. I listen to Fairouz and admire the oriental music as much as I love the jazz of Frank Sinatra. Pizza is my favorite and its country Italy is my World Cup team that I support. I find myself traveling through the Lord of the Rings world and enjoy every movie comes through.

author: Thalia Rahme


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Derailed Train Exposed Inefficient Philippine Mass Transport System · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Scores were injured when a train overshot its stop at a busy intersection in south Manila. The crash ignited an intense discussion about the weak and inefficient mass transportation system in the Philippines. Authorities vowed to improve train service amid rising public anger over the incident.
A train overshot it's stop at a terminal in Manila. Photo by Juan Carlo de Vela. Copyright @Demotix. (8/13/2014)

author: Mong Palatino


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GKill City, a Site for ‘Countercultural Journalism’ in Ecuador, Turns Three · Global Voices
Daniela Gallardo

GKillCity's website banner.
In Ecuador, President Rafael Correa's government has had a stormy relationship with the media. Since he took power in 2007, he has encouraged public media while classifying the self-dubbed “independent media” as the “corrupt press.” Several watchdogs have accused him of repressing press freedom by interfering in broadcasts, filing defamation lawsuits against journalists critical of his leadership and enacting new restrictions.
In this tumultuous media environment, digital journalism website GKill City plays an important role, as it's the country's only 2.0 media outlet that gives a voice to different ideologies and perspective. Journalists and citizens from all walks of life write for the site. What GKill City publishes consistently sparks debates on social media.
Since mid-2014, the team comprised of José María León, Isabela Ponce, Ernesto Yturralde, Pablo Cozzaglio, María Fernanda Mejía, and Andrea Balda is in Argentina training with MediaFactory, a Latin American digital media accelerator.
The idea for the site arose three years ago in the mind of José María León, currently the general editor. When in January 2009 a US Airways Boeing plane landed in the Hudson River in New York, the closest photo taken of the accident was one from a Twitter user who was on one of the rescue ferries. The images from big conglomerates were from a distance. “So I said something that was quite obvious but at the time seemed like a revelation to me: ‘Good journalism can be done with few resources and it can reach many people thanks to new technology’,” León said in an interview via email.
Amidst the discussion between official and independent media, it seemed to León that citizen interests were not being taken into account. “There, Gkill City was born, as an experiment of digital and liberal citizen communication in denial of the false dilemma that proposed a radical ‘either you're with me or against me’.”
The essence of the site is “countercultural journalism”, an antithesis to the traditional. León said that starting a project of this nature is easy; the difficult part is keeping it up. Citizens of the world who contribute text, video and photos for the website have been its pillar throughout the last three years. León said that for a long time, the media have acted as a spokesperson for society or the country, but he doesn't share this stance because “no one can speak for everyone else.”
Since GKill City was created, it has seen the impact of its coverage more than once. Recently, a story entitled “The forest will die soon“, which showed the potential destruction of a forest in the city of Guayaquil, managed to make authorities guarantee that they would not allow its urbanization.
Read about three other key moments below:
Soon after GKill City launched in 2011, it covered an accusation of unconstitutionality relating to the Municipality of Guayaquil's painting competition, the “Salón de Julio”. The city's Director of Culture Melvin Hoyos had forbidden expressions of “explicit sex” and the team considered that to be censorship, something that is prohibited in Ecuador, according to the article 18 of the Organic Law of Communication of Ecuador. “It was great moment because we got to discuss the exercise of individual freedom in the country and the manner in which public funds were being used to endorse personal moral codes,” León said.
During the 2013 election, the team selected eight contributors ideologically opposed to the eight candidates to write them letters about the candidates’ projects and management in the hopes of an answer. Some of them did. “Many people felt that in that way, politicians would get closer to their voters to answer specific questions.” In 2014, when columnist Ricardo Flores sent a letter to Viviana Bonilla, a ruling party candidate, the text was so warmly welcomed that the website crashed and had to move to a new server. Bonilla answered the letter immediately.
“Without a doubt, winning the MediaFactory investment has been instrumental in our lives. It will give us a huge boost to do things we previously could not,” León said.
What began with an almost youthful energy has undergone a metamorphosis in search of its identity. MediaFactory will not change GKill City's values nor its style, but rather help strengthen its resources and use of new tools. For this Ecuadorian team, content cannot be made into a business. “The business is to have excellent content that people share, that generates reflections and a community available to participate in sustaining a project that, bit by bit, has become a platform by everyone, for everyone,” León said.

author: Daniela Gallardo


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Twitter Popularity Brings No Joy to Self-Dubbed “Shitty Slovyansk” Blogger · Global Voices
Daniel Alan Kennedy

@ExileUA's Twitter avatar shows Slovyansk's acting mayor and city council head Alexandr Samsonov, who has been accused of siding with the rebels.
This article is part of an extensive RuNet Echo study of Russian-language blogosphere in Eastern Ukraine. Explore the complete interview series on the Eastern Ukraine Unfiltered page.
The information war and the real one have almost become synonymous for a Ukrainian Twitter blogger from Slovyansk, and he is sick of both. While Slovyansk was occupied by the separatist rebels, his account became the go-to source about the troubles in his city and gained hundreds of followers, but it brings him no joy.
It's difficult to gauge the level of support for armed separatism in Eastern Ukraine these days. Data from polls carried out back in early April by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology indicated that 30.3% of Luhansk Region inhabitants mostly or definitely supported joining Russia and that 27.5% of people in Donetsk Region did. Similarly 24.2% of Luhansk Region inhabitants mostly or definitely supported the seizure of administrative buildings, with a figure of 18.1% for Donetsk Region.
Despite this, antipathy to the new government in Kyiv and suspicion of Ukrainian nationalists from the west were relatively high in these regions, local forces were corrupt, and the new central government was weak and preoccupied with the Russian takeover of Crimea. Within two short months, large swathes of Donetsk and Luhansk were under the control of armed men calling themselves the “People's Militia.” Up until it was abandoned by rebel forces on July 5, the epicentre of this uprising was Slovyansk, a city of about 130,000 people in Donetsk Region.
As RuNet Echo's profile of Maksim Osovskiy demonstrated, openly reporting on events in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic can be extremely dangerous, especially for those who don't support the rebels. Against this background anonymous online reporting has become a key source of information from Ukraine's conflict zone. One of these sources is @ExileUA, whose Twitter account has 11,800 followers and who is regularly retweeted by Ukrainian media outlets. He tweets under the name “Хуевый Славянск,” which roughly translates to “Shitty Slovyansk.” The is part of a trend of pro-Ukrainian Twitter accounts self-deprecatingly referring to themselves or their cities as “shitty.” A few of these existed on VKontakte and Twitter before this year. But then, according to @ExileUA, the trend went viral and gained many new participants during the Eastern Ukraine conflict, when “Хуевый Луганск” or Shitty Luhansk, tweeted in May:
Хуевые города мира объединяйтесь!
— Хуевый Луганск (@peoplelugansk) May 15, 2014
Shitty cities of the world, unite!
@ExileUA explained the phenomenon was rooted in depressingly practical concerns, and that the group, occasionally referred to as “The League of Shitty Cities,” wasn't really coordinated.
Наши ники с приставкой Ху*вый- отражают ужасную ситуацию в городе и то в каком именно городе мы живем, чтоб когда пишешь, что слышно взрыв, не спрашивали в каком городе. Единственное, что мы делаем вместе, это любим свою страну, свою Украину.
Our nicknames with the qualifier “Sh*tty” reflect the horrific situation in the city, and the city in which we live in is there so that when you write that you hear an explosion, they don't ask you which city it was in. The only thing we do together is love our country, our Ukraine.
Although Slovyansk is now controlled by Ukrainian government forces, @ExileUA has decided to remain anonymous. When approached by RuNet Echo, he explained simply that “the war hasn't ended and it isn't clear what tomorrow will be like.” @ExileUA‘s desire to remain anonymous is clearly based on safety concerns, but likely also has roots in his personal preferences. He says he had stopped participating in social media several years earlier, but opened a Twitter account when events started in Slovyansk so he could find out more about the situation online.
@ExileUA explained to RuNet Echo how he became reluctantly drawn into disseminating information and opinions despite his dislike of social networks.
Писал, что видел […] читал других с моего города и других городов , где так же идет война. Так мы общими усилиями сравнивали информацию и пытались понять, где же правда, а где пропаганда и ложь. Чуть позже я [разместил] на своей странице карту своего города с пометкой районов, чтоб жителям других городов было проще понять где идут бои. Так же начал высказывать свои мысли, так сказать анализ всего, что происходит с моей точки зрения.
I wrote what I saw […] read others from my city and from other cities where the war is going on. Those of us in similar situations compared information and tried to understand, what was true and what was propaganda and lies. A bit later I put a map [ru] on my account with notes for areas, so inhabitants of other cities could more easily understand where the war was going on. Then I started to reveal my thoughts, my sort of analysis of everything that was going on from my point of view.
@ExileUA is at pains to make clear that he doesn't think he's “doing anything special.” While he admits he is relatively widely read, including by media, he explains there are practical reasons for this, as Ukrainian media who attempted to enter Slovyasnk when it was under rebel control were liable to have equipment stolen or be detained, thus forcing them to rely on social media accounts such as his. Local media were forced to work for the rebels or lose their jobs. Like most pro-Ukrainian bloggers and citizen journalists profiled in the course of this series, @ExileUA has a low opinion of Russian media.
СМИ РФ (которые к слову не легально проникают в страну и ведут явно пропаганду, а не освещение событий) работают на стороне террористов, делая им имидж защитников, списывая все обстрелы городов на действия ВСУ.
Russian media (who, incidentally illegally enter our country and carry out obvious propaganda, not [simply] covering events) work on the side of the terrorists, creating for them the image of defenders, chalking up all the bombardment of cities to the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
He did, however, list radio station Echo Moskvy, TV Rain, and the newspaper Novaya Gazeta as three media outlets that attempt to cover the situation in Ukraine more objectively, and admitted that Ukrainian media were also liable to do biased or shoddy work at times.
Despite the popularity of his account, @ExileUA seemingly takes no pleasure in running it, and seems to consider what he does a chore or a duty. Indeed, given his situation, it seems almost as if the information war and the real one are synonymous, and he is sick of both.
я не люблю внимание к себе, не люблю похвалу и рекламу…не для того я писал, кстати очень жду, чтоб скорее война закончилась и тогда опять уйду из соц сетей насовсем.
I don't like attention, I don't like praise or advertising… It's not why I write and, what's more, I really hope this war ends quickly so I can once again completely delete myself from social networks.

author: Daniel Alan Kennedy


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VIDEO: Is the IDF Glorifying Its Air Bombings of Gaza? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Israeli blogger Elizabeth Tsurkov challenges the IDF to make an English version of a video it had released in Hebrew, which she describes as “glorifying air bombings of Gaza.”
She tweets:
Hey, @IDFSpokesperson, why didn't you make an English version of this snazzy video glorifying air bombings of Gaza? http://t.co/R651aWr0uC
— Elizabeth Tsurkov (@Elizrael) August 17, 2014
At least 1,900 Palestinians have been killed, more than 10,000 injured, and 450,000 displaced since Israel launched a massive offensive called Protective Edge against the 40-kilometer-long coastal strip on July 8.
Follow our in-depth coverage: #Gaza: Civilian Death Toll Mounts in Israeli Offensive


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Yasmine: Brunei’s First Feature Film · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The film Yasmine is notable because it is Brunei's first feature film. It is about a young woman who wanted to be a champion of silat, an indigenous martial arts from Brunei. The film has been well-received in various international film festivals.


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A Gathering of Indigenous Language Digital Activism in Oaxaca, Mexico · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

‘Colorful’, Mexico, Oaxaca. Photo by Chris Ford (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Global Voices through its Rising Voices initiative, the Juan de Córdova Research Library, and SURCO invite indigenous language activists from all across Mexico to take part in the Indigenous Language Digital Activism Gathering that will take place on October 3-5 at the San Pablo Cultural Center in the historical center of Oaxaca de Juárez, Mexico.
The central focus of this gathering is to provide a space for peer learning and exchange targeted at 25 indigenous language digital activists that are currently using their languages in digital media.
Mexico is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in Latin America with more than 300 indigenous languages spoken and written on a daily basis, and many of these are in danger of extinction. Technology has been adopted in recent times for academic documentation and for the creation of language learning software as a way to study and preserve these languages.
New generations have also been taking to the Internet to tweet, blog, or podcast in their native languages as part of their daily online routines. However, an emerging movement comprised of indigenous Internet users are welcoming the responsibility to promote their language and culture online in an effort to revitalize the language and encourage the next generations of speakers. This sense of duty to their community drives these digital activists to dedicate their own time and resources towards this noble cause.
Despite these grassroots efforts, many digital activists work in relative isolation facing unique and ongoing challenges, such as:
The good news is that there are strategies to address these challenges in unique contexts, as demonstrated by the growing number of success stories of how communities have been using participatory media to promote their languages online. However, there continues to be a need to find ways for these digital activists to connect with one another to share their stories and experiences.
That's where the Indigenous Language Digital Activism Gathering comes in. This group will include bloggers, audio-visual producers, Wikipedia editors, and free software localizers, all creating digital content in Mexican indigenous languages.
Through peer-led discussions and hands-on workshops, there will be ample opportunity for the participants to build digital skills, as well to engage in conversations about the unique challenges that they face. In addition, workshops exploring the topic of online and offline digital activism and how their work can continue to have an impact in their communities.
There will also be two public events where those interested in learning more about how these communities are working to help make this social change through their digital work.
Those interested can apply to attend and full and partial travel scholarships are available.
Please note: this opportunity is only open for participants that speak an indigenous language and who reside in Mexico. The deadline to apply is August 29, 2014. For more information, please use the Contact Form on the event's blog.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Bridging the Digital Divide? Facebook and Telcos Bring Free Apps to Zambia · Global Voices
Alex Laverty

Mobile phone shop in Lusaka, Zambia. Photo by Curious Lee via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Gershom Ndhlovu contributed reporting to this post.
Earlier this summer, Facebook-telco partnership Internet.org launched a mobile app in Zambia on Bharti Airtel with the stated goal of bring mobile Internet access — or at least Facebook access — to the disconnected. The India-based company is one of Zambia’s three major mobile service providers, along with MTN and Zamtel.
Efforts to bridge the divide between Africans who do and do not have Internet access are a popular venture these days, with Google also putting forward plans to accomplish this goal on a global scale, and other African telecoms seeking  to get in on the action. Providing increased Internet penetration also has become a popular political idea in the region. Government and industry leaders met this summer to discuss how to reduce barriers to access, and some African cities have begun providing free Wi-Fi in public areas.
Internet.org, largely a product of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg’s white paper in 2013, “Is Connectivity a Human Right?”, has launched partnerships with mobile broadband providers to provide access to users. Less than a year after first announcing the partnership, the service began in Zambia in June, providing users with Wikipedia, Facebook Messenger, Go Zambia Jobs, and Google Search services via smartphone app. While Facebook has partnered with mobile operators in the past, this is the first time offerings beyond Facebook.com have been included in the package.
The project’s partners include Samsung, Ericsson, MediaTek, Nokia, owned by Microsoft, Opera Software, and Qualcomm. The recent launch of the Internet.org app in Zambia comes on the back of Facebook’s claim earlier this summer that it helped bring 3 million people online in the Philippines, Paraguay, and Tanzania.
Just days after the launch of the partnership, users complained that Internet speeds on Airtel were unbearably slow — likely due to a surge of traffic. Local tech industry and news site TechTrends quoted one user saying it took him twelve hours to send a single tweet. TechTrends wrote:
We are now worried about the reported airtime deductions from Airtel Zambia client’s mobile accounts. Is the ‘free’ service actually taking up airtime by mistake?
Internet policy experts have also questioned the value of the program, noting that it presents users with an extremely limited experience of the Internet. Indeed, the partnership provides them with access to (and knowledge of) specific sites and services, much more so than it does the Internet at large.
Internet freedom contrarian Evgeny Morozov explored the hidden costs of the service, which requires users to create a Facebook account, thus bolstering their member numbers and increasing the amount of data they collect on Zambian users. The business model is to provide access to some apps for free. In time, this will presumably encourage users to eventually pay for more apps and services down the road, with Facebook being the interlocutor for these transactions. But much of this will depend on the quality service Airtel can provide to Zambian subscribers, and on what they choose to do with it.

author: Alex Laverty