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Chile: New Government Makes Strong Presence on Twitter · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

For the first time in Chile, Internet users can follow the President and the Cabinet of ministers on Twitter; President Sebastián Piñera and his entire Cabinet opened their Twitter accounts. As expected, Chilean social media users have taken notice, commenting on their expectations for this new way of interacting with their leaders.
Sample of twitter accounts of Cabinet members.
Accounts are updated using different applications like UberTwitter, HootSuite and OpenBreak; although some stick to the traditional method of posting via web.
Minister of Defense Jaime Ravinet (@jravinet) started Tweeting on March 26. In one of his tweets he says,
Gracias por sus saludos, de apoco aprendo a usar esta nueva herramienta..
His latest Tweet reports on his visit to wounded military:
visité a militares accidentados ayer. Su evolución es satisfactoria,Cabo Hernández está en la UTI por fractura de pelvis y ambas muñecas
Rodrigo Alvarez (@RodrigoAlvarez_), Sub-Secretary of the Treasury, seems to be more familiar with Twitter: he responds to other users, posts information about his day-to-day activities as a government official, and as many other politicians do via Twitter, he promotes government policies:
El compromiso del gobierno es total.No vamos a detenernos hasta que cada uno de ustedes pueda ponerse de pie y mirar el futuro con esperanza
The citizen newspaper El Paradiario 14 [es]  posted a story that includes a list of all the ministers with their corresponding Twitter accounts.  The article reminds readers that Piñera used social media to his advantage during his presidential campaign.
Recordemos que la campaña digital del Presidente Electo fue probablemente la más activa en la utilización de redes sociales: Sebastián Piñera contaba vía Twitter las cosas que iba haciendo, convocaba voluntarios a través de Facebook y compartía las imágenes de sus recorridos en Flickr. Todo, siguiendo la tendencia que legó Barack Obama en EE.UU. Sin embargo, una cosa es la campaña y otra es gobernar utilizando estas herramientas de comunicación…
Enzo Abbagliati Boïls wrote a post on his blog Cadaunadas [es] about the Cabinet’s presence on Twitter. He sees this as a positive move, but he also says that frequent social media users should not get their hopes up too high; he argues each user should define what they expect.
Para quienes vivimos cotidianamente en las redes sociales, es una buena noticia saber que tendremos la oportunidad de compartir con las máximas autoridades del Poder Ejecutivo a través de este espacio. […]
Mientras tanto, que el Presidente electo y sus 22 ministras y ministros tengan cuenta en Twitter, no debe generar en nosotros, la ciudadanía que frecuentamos estos espacios, falsas expectativas. Es bueno, por ello, que cada uno de nosotros defina que espera y -sobre todo- que no espera de la presencia de estas autoridades en la red.
For those of us who live our daily lives on social media sites, it is good news to know that we will have the chance to share with the authorities of the executive power through this space […]
Meanwhile, the fact that the President-elect and his 22 ministers have a Twitter account shouldn’t generate in us, the people that visit these spaces, false expectations. It would be good, because of this, that each one of us define what we expect and –above all- what we don’t expect from the online presence of these authorities.
Abbagliati shares that one of the things he anticipates is that ministers will use Twitter as a means of communication, not just a platform for announcements or news. Sigrid [es] commented on this post saying that she hopes this is a step in the right direction toward a stronger democracy where citizens can more directly tell their officials what they think and feel.
Yo espero q sea una forma de establecer mayor horizontalidad entre las “autoridades” y la ciudadanía, chile está a años luz de un gobierno realmente ciudadano, y tenemos los recursos para hacerlo, no sólo tecnológicos, sino también un movimiento grande de personas interesadas en el bien común y con ganas de manifestar su opinión respecto al acontecer nacional y con ganas de ser escuchados. No hablo de lógicas asistencialistas, más bien hablo de real democracia y expresión ciudadana. Espero realmente que este inicio sea una señal de un cambio potente y real.
Ministers with Sebastián Piñera at cabinet meeting. Photo uploaded by Flickr account Ministerio Secretaria General de Gobierno and used under a Creative Commons license.
User Kangrejoman [es] showed skepticism, wondering who is behind the Twitter updates:
A lo mejor peco de ingenuo o pesimista, pero dudo que el 100% de los ministros vaya a administrar personalmente sus cuentas.
Alejandro Barros [es] commented on Abbagliati's blog posting regarding the same issue, linking to a story from November 15, 2009 that quotes President Obama saying he was not the one updating his Twitter account:
Enzo, yo espero otra cosa, además de las que planteas, saber quien administra su cuenta: el jefe de gabinete, su asesor comunicacional, la SECOM o son ellos directamente. […] Creo que sería bueno lo supieramos antes y no después como fue en el caso de Obama: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/obama_i_have_never_used_twitter.php

Creo que eso hace iniciar el proceso en forma transparente
Enzo, I hope for something else, apart from what you argue for, knowing who administers their account […] I think it would be good to know this before, and not after like in the case of Obama: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/obama_i_have_never_used_twitter.php

I think that assures the process begins in a transparent way.
Abbagliati finishes his post with an invitation to comment on the issue, and with a powerful concluding statement of what he hopes will come out of this interaction:
Finalmente, no espero que cambien Chile desde Twitter. Más bien espero lo contrario: que a través de Twitter, Chile cambie a los ministros y ministras. Los ciudadanos y ciudadanas que habitamos por estos lares no representamos a todo el país, pero sin duda ayudaremos a que en sus reuniones de Gabinete haya mayor diversidad.

author: Silvia Viñas


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China’s Top IT Enterprenuers Call For Internet Special Zone · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

CTD translated a local news about top IT enterprenuers’ call for the setting up of Internet Special Zone free from censorship in Shenzhen.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: The potential of Microblogging · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Toadi from interlocals.net has translated a Beijing News’ interview with Hu Yong on the potential of micro-bogging in China.


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Ghana: Ghana Travel & Living Guide · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Gayle writes about Ghana Travel & Living Guide: “If you want to buy the guide for the current price of US$8.15 you have 4 more days to do so! It's not scary. It's not difficult.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Ghana: Random things I like about Ghana · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Diversity is one of the reasons Fiona likes Ghana: “We realised during the afternoon that there were ten nationalities represented – African, Middle Eastern, European, North American, Asian and Australasian.”


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India: Battle Of Two Newspapers · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sans Serif brings to you a three part story of the battle between two major newspapers of India – The Indian Express and The Hindu (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3).

author: Rezwan


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Jamaica: Responding to HIV · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands reports that with funding support from the World Bank, the Jamaican government “aims to curb the spread of HIV, improve treatment, care and support for persons living with HIV/AIDS, and strengthen Jamaica’s capacity to respond to the epidemic.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Kazakhstan: Bloggers claim lack of state aid to flood victims · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

After a mudflow killed dozens of people in the villages south-east of Kazakhstan on March 11, many fear that other dams across the country may cause much harsher disasters in case of bursting. This anxiety is aggravated by a continuing weather anomaly with unprecedentedly high level of precipitations. Blogger schriftsteller writes [ru]:
There are many obsolete and worn out dams in Kazakhstan, which can get destroyed, especially the cascade of dams and hydroelectric power stations on the Irtysh River. There is little time – literally, they have to race with floods.
Meanwhile, the Kazakhstanis collect money and articles of prime necessity for the victims of flood and suspect that the authorities intentionally underestimate the real scope of disaster. As Maks-Kazah writes [ru],
Why they don’t declare national mourning in the country? The tragedy in Kyzyl-Agash was caused by the negligence of the officials. Probably, this is the reason why they conceal the real number of casualties?
Lunaric has had a ride in a taxi with a cabman, who told a story of how he took the “Nur-Otan” [Kazakhstan's ruling party] functionaries to Kyzyl-Agash [ru]:
He told about a man, who asked for food. He saved himself and his son only because he left the village on the eve of the disaster […] and when he got back, his house was destroyed, his 70 year-old father, mother, wife and three daughters were dead. The taxi driver also told that the container with collected clothes for the flood victims still stands unpacked, because some officials decided that it's not the right time to give the stuff – and the collected money – away. He also told that the officials stayed overnight in specially deployed military camp with stoves, while the survivors are to sleep in semi-demolished houses…
Lord-fame keeps an eye on the Kyzyl-Agash disaster [ru]:
After the tragedy, the survivors had to walk to Taldy-Kurgan [administrative center of the province]. The local officials met them only near the airport. Now they are quartered in the dormitories, hotels and the airbase. There are no less that 50 kilometers from Kyzyl-Agash to Taldy-Kurgan. The authorities were extremely ineffective.
Journalists Timur Nusimbek and Sanat Urnaliev took a trip to the damaged area. That's what they saw [ru]:
This is Egen-su, one of the villages in the area, damaged by the dam burst on March 12. For more than a week these people are isolated from the civilization. They deliver food and water on their own, using horses. While we were there (since evening of March 18 until afternoon of March 19) no presence of the state authority or signs of state assistance to the victims were noticed.
Railway station
The village
There were pastures here until morning of March 12
The mudflow pulled out a part of railway together with the embankment.
Adam-Kesher reposted the journalists’ report. Thousand-pa comments [ru]:
The authorities demonstrate the same model of behavior every time they face with the disaster – more PR, less assistance. It looks like somebody in the government calculates that it would be more expedient for the state to build one shiny street on the site of disaster and show it on television. And let the victims reconstruct the rest. Anti-people logic, like many more in our domestic policy.
Xxrock adds [ru]:
This catastrophe is yet another proof of corrupted and stagnant power vertical in Kazakhstan.
Neruad keeps it short [ru]:
This winter showed the real picture of the “Kazakhstani economic miracle”. I will write a begger post later – now only indecent words come to my mind.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Mexico: Chicken Foot Soup · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Jesús Chairez recently went to enjoy chicken soup at a local café in Mexico City and was surprised to find a chicken foot in the bowl.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Mexico: Straw Buyers of Weapons in the U.S. · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Gancho writes about straw buyers of arms in the United States, who purchase the weapons to be sent to Mexico and wonders how authorities might be able to crack down.


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Nigeria: The New Afrika Shrine one of top small venues · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

More kudos to Lagos as [The New Afrika] Shrine is named as one of the top small music venues in the world. I am not sure what the reviewer means “its not for the faint-hearted”…” writes Sokari.


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Pakistan: Prayers For Moscow · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Prayers for #Moscow from #Lahore – there are no words that will lessen your grief.” tweets Mars On Earth from Pakistan as reported in Lahore Metblogs.


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Puerto Rico: A brief history of a new species, the “Twittericans”  · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

They are calling themselves “Twittericans.” They are Puerto Ricans, national and transnational, who absolutely adore Twitter. Computer Science graduate student and digital media savant Miguel Ríos (@miguelrios) has written a brief history of Twitter in Puerto Rico in his blog on all things tech Novéltica [ES].  Ríos explains that Twitter started to have followers in Puerto Rico in 2008. This is when the hashtag #twittericans emerged.
El nombre de #twittericans comenzó a surgir, y nació una comunidad que  en ese momento era unida, libre de toda  controversia y bien amigable (cuanto extraño  esos tiempos, coño).
The name #twittericans started, and a community was born. At that moment this community was close, free of controversies, and very friendly (dammit I really miss those times).
Design by Miguel Ríos.
In 2009, many famous Puerto Rican artists opened their accounts, such as Calle 13, Daddy Yankee, Ricky Martin, and Kany García. In 2009, Twitter also became an important space for spreading news. This was the year in which Twitter exploded in Puerto Rico:
Durante este año, Twitter fue parte de reportajes de periódico en la  isla, y más allá, fue una de las fuentes de información más grande para  las revistas y periódicos sobre información de los artistas. Ricky  Martin mostró por primera vez las fotos de sus hijos vía Twitter.  Locutores radiales comenzaron a integrar Twitter en sus programas.  Muchas noticias fueron primero divulgadas vía esta red y luego tomadas  por la prensa.
During this year, Twitter was mentioned in newspaper articles. Moreover, it became one of the major sources of information on artists for magazines and newspapers. Ricky Martin used Twitter to show the first pictures of his children. Radio reporters began to use Twitter in their programs. A lot of news stories were spread through Twitter first, and then picked up by the mainstream media.
National strike avatar used for Twitter.
These were the most frequent words used in the tweets on the national strike.
But Twitter really became a vital space of conversation and information exchange during the national strike on October 15 2009 (please check Global Voices’ coverage of the strike here, here, and here).
Durante la marcha del pueblo en contra de los despidos de empleados  públicos por parte del gobierno. Twitter fue ampliamente utilizado para  opinar sobre la protesta, así como también fue utilizado para protestar. Según un análisis realizado por este servidor,  durante ese día se enviaron unos 2570 tweets públicos  que contenían el hashtag oficial de la protesta: #paropr. Esto  solo contando tweets enviados desde las 10 AM, por lo que no  oficialmente me atrevo a decir que más de 5,000 tweets  en total fueron escritos sobre el tema.
During the rally against the lay-offs of government employees, Twitter was widely used to express opinions on the protests, and it was also used as a protest tool in itself. According to an analysis I did at the time, during the day of the strike 2,570 tweets with the official hashtag #paropr were sent. These are only the tweets sent from at 10 am on, so I dare say unofficially that more than 5,000 tweets were written about this topic.
“Twittericans” also used Twitter a lot during the waking hours of the oil refinery explosion on October 23, 2009. Ríos once again studied the trends on Twitter, and concluded that 150 tweets with the hashtag #explosionpr were sent per hour.
No fue hasta 1 hora y 54 minutos después de la explosión que se registró  la primera señal en vivo de la noticia en la televisión boricua. Sin  embargo, esta señal consistía de un video de la explosión, sin audio,  sin reportajes. Mientras tanto, en Twitter, ya se había corrido la voz,  al punto que fue donde primero se aclaró un rumor que había llegado a  Notiuno sobre la posibilidad de que un avión comercial se había  estrellado y causado la explosión.
The TV arrived at the scene an hour and 54 minutes after the explosion. Anyway, the TV stations only broadcast video without audio or live reporting. In the meantime, everyone already knew about the explosion through Twitter, to the point that it was the first place in which the rumor about the explosion being caused by an airplane crash was denied.
Ríos’ next project is to quantify the Twittericans. The real time search engine of what's happening in Puerto Rico TuitealoPR estimates that there are 9,000 “Twittericans.”  If you want to find Puerto Ricans on Twitter this is a great place to start: Puerto Rico Twitter Pages.
*The images are republished with the permission of Miguel Ríos.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Russia: 3G Network Turned Off; Blood Donations Needed · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Latest developments in Moscow: 3G networks have been turned off due to high traffic, Openspace reported [RUS]; bloggers call for blood donations [RUS].

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Blogger-Businessman Killed · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Maxim Zuev (aka LJ user kenig), a blogger from Kaliningrad, was killed on March 18, rian.ru reported. Zuev's occupation was business although Kaliningrad bloggers remember him as a moderator of the kenigsberg LJ community. The motives of the murder are still unknown.


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Russia: Bloggers’ Mockery of Film Poster Upsets Famous Director · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

A poster to an upcoming movie on the World War II by an internationally recognized Russian director Nikita Mikhalkov [RUS] is monumental, tense and grim as many Russian movies on one of the most tragic events of the modern history. It also became funny, descriptive and nearly offensive after numerous manipulations by many bloggers eager to express their creativity online and mock the director who, according to a lot of online comments, is blinded by his arrogance.
The poster in question has advertised an upcoming movie of Mikhlakov “Burnt by the Sun 2″ (the movie trailer is here) where the director depicts the monumental struggle and suffering of people in the Soviet Union during the World War II. The movie is thought as a sequel to the Oscar-winning “Burnt by the Sun” released in 1994 that brought an international fame to Mikhalkov. “Burnt by the Sun 2″ poster depicts the director Mikhalkov, who also plays a leading role in the movie, as a Soviet soldier in the middle of a battle. The poster reads “The Great Movie About the Great War. Burnt by the Sun 2. Upcoming. Movie by Nikita Mikhalkov.”
The creative process started on one of the most popular blogs of RuNet. Artemy Lebedev (LJ user tema), a controversial blogger and art designer, uploaded the poster on his blog and encouraged his numerous readers to express their limitless creativity changing the original work of art into something new. The results flooded tema‘s blog within the matter of hours. One can certainly appreciate the passion with which Russian blogger approached the task. They renamed the movie into “Nikita,” drew Mikhalkov as Terminator, depicted him as Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, transformed him into Robocop, made fun of his previous role as a Russian gangster, added flashy glasses and arty skulls, whitened and enlarged his teeth… The results of the process [RUS] can be viewed on tema‘s blog.
The Internet users seemed to enjoy mocking the director who allegedly has a big ego. LJ user autoglaz wrote [RUS]:
Назвать еще не вышедший фильм, который никто не видел “Великий фильм” –  это уже не гордыня, а… Даже слова не подберу.
But Mikhalkov did not appreciate the creative side of Internet users and threatened to sue the bloggers [RUS] who mocked the new movie. This decision did not increase the popularity of Mikhalkov among bloggers.
LJ user artemdragunov, for example, jokingly replied to the threat on his blog [RUS] in the style of Soviet art reviews accusing authors, directors and artists of plotting against communism:
Я Артём Драгунов, гражданин России и Германии, проживающий в городе Штуттгарт, заявляю, что в случае если Михалков Никита Сергеевич подаст в суд на блогеров за фотожабы на его плакат будущего фильма, то я подам встречный иск по поводу оскорбления Михалковым памяти ветеранов войны с фашизмом. На его плакате изображено лоснящееся от жира лицо, с шикарной золотой печаткой на пальце и должное по видимому изображать доблестного воина Советской Красной Армии в первый год войны, но самое злобное – в руках у советского воина  фашистский МП38 -40( экспертное приложение будет дослано в суд).
Поэтому нет никакой ясности  – советский ли воин изображён на плакате или предатель Родины, власовец или бандеровец.
Так как господин Михалков известен в миру как сторонник  монархии и белого движения, у меня нет сомнений по поводу того, что на плакате фильма Утомлённые солнцем 2 – под видом советского воина изображён предатель и враг советской страны и коммунизма.
Another blogger leonsija defended [RUS] Mikhalkov and accused tema of “playing with the sacred”:
Я не ярый поклонник самого Никиты Сергеевича, и часто не приемлю его  человеческих поступков, но в данном случае желаю ему победы. Пора все же  поставить на место того, кто находит поводы для издевательств на темы,  которых касаться грязными руками ни при каких обстоятельствах нельзя.  Есть конструктивная критика, оценка художественных качеств фильма, а  есть подлость, игра на святом. Забавного, сатирического и смешного в  этом мало… Стеб на тему войны все же не уместен, тем более перед  годовщиной Победы.
But the controversy around the mockery led some to believe that all this is nothing more than just a promotion of the movie. Blogger burmatoff noted [RUS]:
Никита Сергеич создает ажиотаж. Всем расслабиться и получать удовольствие. Билеты в кассах, ага.

author: Vadim Isakov


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Russia: Initial Coverage of the Moscow Subway Bombings · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Moscow's Monday morning routine was broken today by two subway suicide bombings [EN], which took the lives of at least 38 and wounded at least 70 people (many victims were students, aged below 40). The suicide explosions were carried out by two women allegedly affiliated with the North Caucasus rebels [EN]. Bloggers were among the first to spread the word about the tragic event, becoming the only stable media while major news websites stopped responding due to high traffic and TV channels were too slow to prepare any material on time. As Twitter user Krassnova noticed [RUS], Twitter hashtag #metro29 [RUS, EN] had 40 tweets per second while TV channels managed to prepare just 4 stories. In less than a couple of hours a website metro29.ru has been installed to cover the events.
One of the first bloggers to tell the news was Marina Litvinovich (aka LJ user abstract2001), an opposition blogger, who posted photos from Lubyanka subway station [RUS], where the first blast occurred:
Lobby of "Lubyanka" Subway Station, photo by abstract2001
Here's also a YouTube video of the evacuation of passengers from Park Kultury subway station, where the second explosion took place, posted by user baranovweb:
Temporary information and transportation collapse followed. As terrified Muscovites started to check if their friends or relatives were alive, cellphone network in the centre of Moscow went down. LJ user offnet complained that one of the reasons for the cell phone network blackout was a bureaucratic routine that required mounting an extra re-translator cell stations even in extreme situations. Habrahabr user rubyrabbit made a complete log of the major news website blackouts.
The Sokolnicheskaya (red) subway line was completely closed down due to investigations. Bloggers posted a video of the jam at Komsomolskaya station. At the same time people were cautious about using metro at all, even though other subway lines remained open. Popular blogger Nikolay Danilov (aka LJ user nl) posted pictures of the crowds [RUS] of commuters marching to their workplaces:
Muscovites getting to their workplaces, photo by Nikolay Danilov (nl)
TV channels were not only slow but have also been accused for the lack of adequate attitude in their coverage of the event. Another popular blogger, Anton Nossik (aka LJ user dolboeb), wrote [RUS]:
в 12:00 по Первому каналу начался плановый выпуск новостей. Не спеша, рассказывают о взрывах метро в Токио (1995), Баку, Париже, Дюссельдорфе, Лондоне, о соболезнованиях Януковича, депутатов Верховной Рады, Ангелы Меркель, передают заявление Бернара Кушнера. Затем скороговоркой дали recap, довольно чёткий, всех основных событий в Москве, длиной в полторы минуты: 35 погибших, 70 раненых, метро не ходит от Комсомольской до Спортивной, в центре города пробки, правительство требует усилить безопасность всех российских аэропортов. На минуту включили Тимура Серазиева с Лубянской площади, и тут же пошла реклама здоровой пищи, пепси-колы, какого-то Антистакса, шоколада «Вдохновение», сока «Любимый»,синтетических моторных масел Mobil1, средства для мытья окон, нового йогурта «Яблоко Мюсли», Афобазола от тревоги и напряжения, кофе Jakobs Monarch, хлопьев от Nestle с цельными злаками. Каждый из роликов был длинней прямого включения с Лубянки. После завершения семиминутной рекламной паузы досрочно началось часовое ток-шоу «Участок».
Both bloggers and news portals helped to fill the information vacuum. News portal lifenews.ru posted a photo gallery [RUS] that included pictures of the blown-up subway train cars [RUS]. LJ user seg_o posted pictures [RUS] from the area near Park Kultury metro station. Both BBC and the Guardian set up their liveblogging page – LiveBlog [EN] and Live Coverage [EN] – tracking every major event happening. LiveJournal opened up a special channel [RUS] to cover the topic. Below are some of the reports from those who survived the explosions:
oyolin:
Я работаю на Лубянке. В школе. Начинаю работать в 8. В 7.50 я приехала на Кузнецкий Мост. Хотела перейти на Лубянку, но там всё было в думу, людей не пускали. Вышла через Кузнецкий Мост. На Лубянской площаде сразу же всё перегородили, приехали спасатели. На работе до сих пор кризисная ситуация. Родители звонят, беспокоятся, мамы плачут. Это ужасно.
kotikeksik:
Время 14.40. Я только-только собрала в кучу голову. Меня перестало трясти, когда я встаю со стула, и я больше не плачу. Пытаюсь заставить себя поработать.
davete:
Выхожу на Парке Культуры. Поднимаюсь уже было к выходу. Рядом идут сотрудники милиции. К ним обращается какая-то женщина:
-Что случилось то?
-Ой, да авария какая-то, технические причины.
В эту же секунду прогремел взрыв.
Противоположный от моего поезд, по направлению к станции Кропоткинская.
Взорвался где-то в середине.
Людей было не много, давки не было. Но взрыв очень мощный. Не сомневаюсь, эта бомба – военного стандарта.


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Russia: Sochi Games and the Circassian Genocide · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

The mountaineers leave the aul, by P. N. Gruzinsky, 1872. Public Domain
In 2014, the Russian resort of Sochi will host the Winter Olympic Games [ENG], but the 700,000-900,000 of ethnic Circassians [ENG] living in Russia or in the diaspora are trying their best to prevent the country from having its Olympic games in peace.
The Circassian people demand that the Russian government acknowledges the 19th century Muhajir [ENG] (Circassian Genocide), where about 90 percent of the local Circassian population was killed or displaced by the Tsar Alexander II. The problem is even more serious considering that Sochi is the exact place where one of the worst episodes of the genocide took place, as Dina Tlisova, from the blog Mass Communications WHS, reports [ENG]:
Others, like the  Circassians oppose the Olympics because the main place, called the Red  Valley was where the CIrcassian Genocide took place in 1864 and 97% of  the Circassians were killed and deported to the Ottoman Empire, Syria,  Jordan and other countries. The graves of dead soldiers that were buried  near the place are bulldozed and dug out to be replaced by amusement  parks. Officially, Russia did not recognize the Circassian Genocide,  thus the issue does not receive enough attention.
Martim W Lewis, from the GeoCurrents.info blogs, adds [ENG] more information on the genocide:
Having fought the  Circassians for roughly a century, Russia’s leaders decided to expel the  population. Some 80 to 90 percent of the Circassians were forced out;  most found refuge in the Ottoman Empire, but nearly half died in the  process. Today the Circassian population in Russia has recovered to  number some 900,000. In Turkey, roughly two to four million people are  of Circassian descent, and the Circassian community in Jordan numbers  about 150,000. It is doubtful, however, whether Circassian culture can  survive outside of the Caucasian homeland.
The Circassian ethnic group comprises the Adyghe [ENG] ,  the  Abkhaz [ENG], the Ubykh [ENG], the  Cherkess, the Shapsugs and the Kabardins [ENG], mainly  in northwestern Caucasus (south of Russia) within the Autonomous Republics of Adyghea, Kabardino-Balkaria and Karatchaevo-Therkessia, but also in a large diaspora  all over the world, but mostly in Turkey, Jordan and the USA.
Historical Circassia today is divided between six regions of the Russian Federation but nearly 90 percent of the global Circassian population now live outside of Russia, according to the Circassian World website, which gives us some more information over the Circassian people and their diaspora, the second largest from Russia.
The Circassian people have long demanded the recognition of its genocide, although Russia has kept silent about every protests, demonstrations, websites end books asking Russia to do so and also protesting against the Olympic games in Sochi, such as the protest in New York City last October, showed in the video by Sokarov below:
According to “NoSochi2014“, a website created to put more pressure on the Russian government and to gather support for the cause, the date of the games will coincide with the 150th anniversary of the genocide, which is quite emblematic for the Circassian people. To make  the situation even worse, Sochi, the city named after the Circassian ethnic group Shache who lived there until 1864, lays exactly over the bones and blood  [ENG] of thousands of Circassians dead during the war’s last battles and the city was the last capital of independent Circassia. In addition to this, Radio Adiga explains [ENG] that the hill named “Red Hill” will be used in ski events. It is just outside of Sochi and it was the place of a bloody battle where many of people where murdered.
Used under CC
The Russian government has declined [ENG] every attempt to discuss the matter. In 1994, the former Russian president Boris Yeltsin recognized that many Caucasian people had fought against the Tsarist regime and that it was legitimated. Although he did not recognize the Russian response as “genocide,” the Jamestown Foundation blog says [ENG] it was the closest any Russian government has come to the recognition:
The recognition issue has quite a history of its own. Former Russian  President Boris Yeltsin's 1994 statement acknowledged that “resistance to the tsarist forces [in the 19th  century] was legitimate,” but he did not recognize “the guilt of the  tsarist government for the genocide.”
And as for the Russian RuNet, bloggers such as Yuri Mamchur, from Russian Blog, have reported on the games and said that the city was fortified to resist against Circassian invasions and had been a part of the Russian Empire since 1829, without even mentioning [ENG] the bloody battles or the huge displacement of the local population during the 19th century:
From the 15th century the coast was controlled by the local  mountaineer clans, nominally under the sovereignty of the Ottoman  Empire. It was ceded to Russia in 1829 as a result of the Russo-Turkish  War.
In 1838, the fort of Alexandria, renamed Navaginsky a year later, was  founded at the mouth of the Sochi River to protect the area from  Circassian incursions. During the Crimean War the garrison was evacuated  from Navaginsky in order to reinforce active forces. The fort was  rebuilt in 1864 under the name of Dakhovsky, or Dakhovsky Posad (as it  became known in 1874). In 1896, the settlement acquired its present  name, derived from the local Sochi River. Town status was granted to  Sochi in 1917.
Finaly, Em Kâ Bé, from Share Brook, questions the International Olympic Committee, comparing  [ENG] its decision to choose Sochi to choosing Auschwitz as a place for the Games:
One cannot say the International Olympic Committee is an organisation that is involved in humanitarian and/or political causes, only to close its eyes or put its head in the sand. In fact, I would bet the Games could be held at Auschwitz and it wouldn't raise an eyebrow at IOC over that issue. Only sport. Sport for the sake of sport, disembodied of the rest. Just sport. In the blood and in the money whatever the cost. As long as it's only sport.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Russia: Theatre Play Based on Online Conference · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Theatre director Pavel Rudnev proposed to stage a play based on the questions of bloggers to the Russian State Duma's Speaker Boris Gryzlov during an online-press conference. Rudnev admits not only high number but also inexhaustible wit of venomous questions asked by Russian netizens.


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Suriname: Art as a Beacon  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

At Paramaribo SPAN, Nicholas Laughlin blogs about artist Sri Irodikromo’s “monumentally scaled batik panel”, which, on the night of SPAN's recent exhibition opening, “served as a beacon, drawing visitors to the far end of the DSB Bank garden”.  He suggests that the piece “might also be seen as another kind of beacon, drawing our attention to a mental space where cultural and spiritual traditions meet and negotiate.”


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Tajikistan: Afghan Refugees in Tajikistan · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Christian Bleuer reflects on a video report about Afghan refugees in Tajikistan, saying that this is just one of many issues in the country that it is ill-equipped to handle.


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Tajikistan: Bargaining over dams and shipments · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Tajik and Uzbek officials traded barbs during the security conference in Dushanbe. The argument concerned freight train shipments for Tajikistan that have been stalled on Uzbek territory, but as neweurasia’s Dushanbe explains, the real reason is the Roghun dam project.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Food Prices · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The basket of items you bought in the grocery in Jan 2010 is just over three times the price of the same basket bought in Jan 2003…Is your salary today three times what you earned in Jan 2003?  If not, then, at least for food, you're not winning”: KnowTnT.com looks at food inflation in Trinidad and Tobago.


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Uzbekistan: Children infected with HIV · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reports that two hospitals in Namangan have been identified in a newly released documentary as infecting at least 140 children with HIV, resulting in the deaths of at least 14.


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Uzbekistan: They Cancelled Navroz · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nathan Hamm informs his readers that public Navroz celebrations were cancelled in Uzbekistan – allegedly because of bad weather, but no official announcements were made about the cancellation.


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Arab World: Earth Hour Marked Across the Region  · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Earth Hour  is an annual event that takes place on the last Saturday of March, all over the world.
For one hour, between 8.30pm and 9.30pm (local time) people are encouraged to switch off all their lights in order to make their stand against climate change. It is a means of raising awareness and is a global initiative with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating in the event.
In the Middle East and North Africa, awareness of Earth Hour has been increasing with more and more individuals and businesses taking part, often with the support of local councils and official endorsement.
In Jordan, Black Iris tells us about Earth Hour in Amman, where support for the event has grown since last year:
The Greater Amman Municipality did seem to participate with the closure of various lights, including Zahran Street, and perhaps the Citadel (although I can never tell in Jordan as those lights may have just been malfunctioning). The Sheraton Hotel also turned off its lights, and in doing so, provided a great display of its environment conscience in contrast to its biggest competitor, right across the street, the Four Seasons, which remained a castle ablaze. Rainbow street, as usual, was where it was at. Cups & Kilos lit candles, as did a few other places in the area, with a fairly large turnout of people at Wild Jordan.
Despite this growing support Black Iris  is determined to raise more awareness about the event, and states that for next time:
It would be great to see some major landmarks go dark, including the Jordanian Flag at the Royal Hashemite Court, and the Royal Hotel on the third circle
In Saudi Arabia, Earth Hour was observed for the first time this year.
In Jeddah, volunteer photographers documented Earth Hour and have uploaded lots of photos of those who participated into a blog, Earth Hour Jeddah. Photos include businesses that participated, such as TGI Fridays and Berlitz, along with pictures of individual participants.
However, not everyone in the Kingdom was happy to participate in the event. Saudi Jeans pointed out before the event, that due to the unreliable electricity supply in the capital,:-
Khalaf al-Harbi says he won’t be joining everybody else for this event. Why? Because the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC) has already forced him to observe it more than three times this week in three different districts in Riyadh and at different times of the day and night. Can you blame him?
In Muscat, Oman, some of the major hotels participated by switching off their lights.
However, in Salalah, blogger Dhofari Gucci was dissappointed in the lack of knowledge about Earth Hour before the event, and asks:
Where the hell is the Ministry of Environment & Climate Affairs? What is their role in this climate change initiative? Can someone enlighten me? Why not organize a walk along the beach from 8:30 to 9:30 … hundreds of people would turn off all the electricity in their houses and join the walk if only it were advertised properly.
Comments on the blog suggest their were some individual participants, with commentator Lamya,  showing how it can be enjoyed:
Earth Hour was fun this year. Just had a good night playing card and board games
And an anonymous commentator showing their participation but lamenting the lack of awareness of the initiative:
i did it, cuz it felt nice, but we need to have more awareness esp at school levels.
In Egypt there was a good knowledge and support for the event, with many landmarks such as the pyramids and sphinx having their lights turned off, in addition to business and individuals celebrating the event.
Smile Rose tells us about the experience in Cairo and what it meant for her:
Yesterday i lived by the light of candles at 8.30, i met with some relatives and we prayed for a safe and stable world. It was a beautiful and spiritual experience. There was a child with us who thought that the lit candles were for his birthday;-we sang the birthday song and there was a smile in our hearts. As i am one of the residents of Giza, the lights of the pyramids and areas around them were turned off, and entry to the the ruins had been closed since 4 in the afternoon. At 8.30 the lights we also turned off on the Cairo Tower, as well as the Citadel and also to several hotels in Cairo.
Smile Rose links also links to a youm7 news  article which shows some lovely photos of landmarks before and after 8.30pm.
Lastly, Chay Altha7atells us about the Earth Hour experience in Kuwait. The lights to the Kuwait towers were switched off at 8.30 and the blogger arrived there just in time to take this video of the event.
Upon returning home, moving by candlelight, she soon realises there are certain risks invloved in celebrating Earth Hour, illustrated here:
but finishes on a positive note, asking:
I hope that the earth is pleased with us?!
Pictures of Earth Hour in the Middle East and around the world can be viewed on flickr, here,

author: Katharine Ganly


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Bangladesh: Aktel Becomes Robi · Global Voices
Rezwan

Aktel, one of the leading cell phone service providers in Bangladesh, has renamed its brand as Robi in an attempt to ‘localise’ its branding. Bangladesh Corporate Blog analyzes consumer reactions through netizens’ eyes.


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Bolivia: April 4th Regional Elections · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Miguel Centellas of the blog Pronto* previews Bolivia's municipal and departmental elections scheduled for April 4, 2010.


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Brazil: “Sao Paulo, shithole of world” · Global Voices
Paula Góes

In a post called “Sao Paulo, shithole of world”, Adriano Cintra from the band CSS, publishes a set of amazing pictures showing what happens when it rains in the biggest Latin American city, portraying the chaos the population has lived with since the beginning of the year.

author: Paula Góes


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Chile: The Process of Earthquake Reconstruction  · Global Voices
Felipe Cordero

Calling for “national unity” in Concepcion’s main square on March 27, exactly a month after the devastating earthquake that hit Chile, President Sebastián Piñera announced “Plan Manos a la Obra” (Plan “Let's Get to Work”) [es], an initiative of the Chilean government to reconstruct the country’s infrastructure and housing. Two days later, on March 29, Piñera also announced a plan to provide a subsidy of US$2,543 each to assist 195,950 families.
Video by YouTube user EVRDIPUTADO44, taken in Concepción's Main Square on March 27, 2010.
In Concepcion, he explained that the necessary measures to reconstruct bridges, roads, ports, and airports were already underway. He also announced that emergency health posts will correct the deficiencies of the health care system starting in April, and that emergency ferries and bridges in the Bio-Bio River will allow for the transport of heavy loads of materials and supplies to San Pedro de la Paz and Talcahuano. Finally, the President highlighted a special fund that will distribute $8 billion Chilean pesos (US $15,107,160) through vouchers given to more than 200.000 families to provide them with construction materials.
Julio Segovia, a reader of the La Nación newspaper [es] article that informed about this announcement, criticized the special fund for housing:
¿8 mil millones de pesos que serán distribuido entre más de 200 mil familias? O sea, $40 mil por familia, ¿con eso van a reconstruir sus casas?. Parece que Piñera no está dando “el ancho ni el largo” como Presidente.
8 billion [Chilean] pesos will be distributed between more than 200,000 families? That is, $40,000 pesos (approximately US$ 75.5)] per family [.] With that amount they are meant to reconstruct their houses? It seems that Piñera is “falling short” as President.
Twitter user Viviana Meneses (@vivipazz) reacted [es] to the President’s announcement and agreed with statements made by Senator Camilo Escalona of the Socialist Party, who had said earlier that the President did not actually have a structured plan:
Me carga Escalona, pero sus dichos son ciertos. Piñera no cuenta con un plan de reconstrucción efectivo. Ideas sueltas no sirven.
I dislike Escalona, but his statements are true. Piñera does not have an effective reconstruction plan. Loose ideas are not useful.
However, other Chileans support the government’s call for unity and prompted opposition leaders to support it as well. Manuel Blanco (@manuelblancoc),  “tweeted” the following [es] to Guido Girardi, a prominent opposition leader of the Party for Democracy:
@guidogirardi Ojalá que todos, al igual que Guido, “estén” con el Pdte. Piñera en el proceso de Reconstrucción, sin polítiquería pequeña
@guidogirardi Hopefully everyone, just like Guido, “will be” with President Piñera in the process of reconstruction, without petty politics
Girls play on a "mediagua" (emergency housing) in a displaced persons camp in Lipimávida, Vichuquén, Maule Region. Photo taken by Rodrigo Alvarez and used under a Creative Commons license.
The plans for reconstruction have generated a lot of debate in Chile even prior to Piñera’s announcements. One of the issues discussed in social media outlets is the issue of who will reconstruct and how will these persons or companies be selected to do this job.
In a post for Revista La Página [es] titled “Reconstruction of Chile: Everyone did not lose in the Earthquake [es],” journalism student Martina Orrego expresses her concern for the contracts that will be awarded in public bids:
Una cosa sí debería estar clara para todos: mucha gente perdió todo lo que tenía, incluso a seres queridos, pero sólo unos pocos comenzarán a ganar con este desastre.El negocio para quienes serán los encargados de poner a Chile de pie es enorme. Los 30 mil millones en contratos de reconstrucción (o tal vez calza mejor “construcción” sencillamente) es plata que a alguien se le debe pagar […] Pero vivimos en Chile, donde sólo algunos “califican” y tienen los “méritos” necesarios para ganarse este tipo de concursos públicos.
One thing should be clear to everyone: a lot of people lost everything they had, even their loved ones, but only a few will begin to earn from this disaster.The business for those who will be in charge of putting Chile back on its feet is enormous. The 30 billion pesos [US $56,651,874] in reconstruction contracts (or perhaps “construction” is a better word) is money that must be paid to someone […] But we live in Chile, where only some “meet the requirements” and have the necessary “qualifications” to win this type of public contest.
She recalls several corruption scandals in Chile to warn Chileans of what could ensue.
Pero hagamos algo de historia para entender lo que podría venir. Cuántos casos de irregularidades en la adjudicación de licitaciones hemos escuchado este último tiempo. Transantiago y sus deficiencias […] y como dejar pasar el escandaloso caso Mirage donde se compraron aviones por más de 100 millones de dólares, los que resultaron ser defectuosos y sólo habrían sido adquiridos debido a que altos mandos de la Fuerza Aérea, e incluso dos ministros de Defensa, fueron receptores de “comisiones”. Esto es el ejemplo de lo que NO queremos que pase, pero que podría pasar, cuando se habla de adquisición de implementación para una nación.
But let us recall history to understand what could come our way. We have heard of many cases of fraud in the awarding of public bids. Transantiago and its deficiencies […] and how to ignore the scandalous Mirage Case, where planes which turned out to be defective, were bought for 100 million dollars and that were supposedly acquired only because high-ranking personnel of the Air Force, and even two ministers of defense, were the recipients of “kickbacks.” This is an example of what we DO NOT want to happen, but that could happen when we are talking about purchases for a nation.
Another issue that has been raised by the reconstruction plans is the decentralization of Chile. Blogger Pablo Monje in a post titled “Reconstruction in Chile: An Opportunity for Decentralization? [es]” suggests that the reconstruction of Chile will be very difficult under the current centralized system, and that this is partly responsible for what he considers as a slow response to the emergencies unfolding in the regions:
Aprender de este fracaso exige avanzar a un Estado que se conforme por comunidades, regionales y locales, autónomas en sus formas de gobierno con respecto al gobierno central. Solo así se podrá enfrentar una nueva emergencia y el actual proceso de reconstrucción, ya que las comunidades contarán recursos y competencias institucionales propias, pudiendo responder con mayor velocidad a este tipo de crisis.
Learning from this failure requires the progress of a State that accepts autonomous communities – regional and local – in their forms of government with respect to the central government. Only in that way, could we confront a new emergency and the unfolding reconstruction process, because communities will have their own resources and institutional expertise, [which would] allow them to respond with more speed to this type of crisis.

author: Felipe Cordero


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China and Hong Kong: Post 80’s Generation · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

K.E. David from ChinaGeek translated an article written by Yang Hengjun on his encounter with post 80's generation in a talk on democracy. The discussion makes him realize the connection between democracy and young people's future.


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China: Google.cn search blocked · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Several twitterers, including @williamlong @geekinmedia @aHexie @terryxxy and @mranti, confirmed the blocking of google.cn's search in major cities, such as Beijing and Shenzhen in China. According to @mranti: Google search is blocked in Beijing. Any search will trigger reset.


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China: Kidney Stone Babies’ father on trial · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Today, Zhao Lianhai, the founder of “kidney stone babies” whose 4-year old son was poisoned by Sanlu melamine tainted milk in 2008 was put on trial today under the criminal charge of “provoking an incident”. The trial ended at 2:30pm, Zhao pleaded not guilty but the verdict has yet to be announced.
In Twitter, concerned citizens are updating the trial of Zhao Lianhai by using the hashtag #Zhaolianhai. Zhao's wife was denied to attend the trial and had to wait outside the court in the rain with her 4 year old son, who was holding a placard: Father come home! (video via tiger temple)
Sanlu tainted milk power incident
So what kind of incident he has provoked? In the past two years he has helped families of “kidney stone babies” to defend their rights, in particular free medical treatment of the poisoned children. Liu Shaoshao puts together a time line of the Melamine tainted milk incident and Zhao's civic rights action:
2008年九月十一日，中国卫生部宣布“高度怀疑石家庄三鹿集团股份有限公司生产的三鹿牌婴幼儿配方奶粉受到三聚氰胺污染”，提醒公众停止使用该品牌奶粉。
2008年九月二十日，北京市民赵连海之子赵鹏润（三岁零八个月），确诊左肾结石…
2008年九月二十二日，赵连海在网上发布呼吁：希望受害者家长组成统一诉讼联盟，准备迎接此后漫长的集体诉讼。
2008年九月二十四日，赵连海创建“毒牛奶”网站，两天后，为了更中性温和，网站更名为“结石宝宝”网站。
2008年十一月，赵连海在网上发布“受害者统计信息表”，半个月内，收回表格两百多份。
2008年十一月二十五日，为了更多地掌握偏远地区结石宝宝的治疗康复情况，经过多方联系和寻找，结石宝宝家长、公益律师、民间NGO代表举行受害家属联谊会。
2008年十二月二日，卫生部通报，截至11月27日8时，累计报告因食用三鹿牌奶粉和其他个别问题奶粉导致泌尿系统出现异常的患儿29.4万人。
2008年十二月二十七日，22家责任企业表示，愿意对近30万名确诊患儿给予一次性现金赔偿。元旦，赵连海和其它家长认为，这个一次性赔付方案不是建立在平等自愿协商基础上的，遂提出了申诉书。
2008-9-20, Beijing citizen Zhao Lianhai's 3.5-year son was diagnosed with kidney stone in his left kidney.
2008-9-22, Zhao Lianhai urged parents of Sanlu victim to form a coalition to prepare for a collective litigation.
2008-9-24, Zhao Lianhai founded a website on poisonous milk incident and named the website “kidney stone babies”.
2008-11, Zhao Lianhai started collecting victim's information and within 2 weeks he received more than 200 forms.
2008-11-25, gathering among lawyers, NGO representatives and parents of kidney stone babies for information exchange.
2008-12-2, the Ministry of Health announced that by November 27, there were 294 thousand children suffered from kidney problem because of tainted milk.
2008-12-27, 22 corporates agreed to give an one-off compensation to the 300-thousand kidney stone babies. Zhao and many parents put forward a plead against the arrangement as it was not based on mutual agreement.
2009年元月二日，准备举行记者招待会的赵连海等五名结石宝宝家长，被警方控制在大兴区劳教农场。原定举行招待会的场地被封锁，其余家长在路边举行了记者招待会。
2009年九月十一日，和其它受害者家长举行烛光晚会
2009年十一月四日，赵连海发布消息，全国第一例确定公开审理之三聚氰胺毒奶索赔诉讼案件“王刚诉石家庄三鹿集团案”，将于十一月十日在大兴区法院开庭。
2009年十一月五日，结石宝宝家长王刚被海淀区羊坊店派出所搜查并背铐了两个多小时。赵连海发布抗议书并征集签名。
2009年十一月十三日，赵连海陪同王刚，去海淀公安局递交有五百多位网友签名之抗议书。2009年十一月十三日晚，赵连海被大兴公安局从家中带走。
2010年三月三十日上午八点，北京市大兴区金星西路8号，大兴法院将开庭审判赵连海。
2009-9-11, Zhao attended the candle night vigil with other kidney stone parents.
2009-11-4, Zhao Lianhai announced the information that the first civic case filed by Wang Gang against Sanlu would be on trial in Nov 10 in Daxing district court.
2009-115, Wang Gang was interrogated in Haidian police station for more than 2 hours. Zhao drafted a protest statement and collected join signatures.
2009-11-13, Zhao Lianhai and Wang Gang submitted the protest statement with more than 500 signature to Haidian police station. On that night, Zhao was arrested in his home.
Two testimonies
Two testimonies defending Zhao can be found online. They are written by Guo Caihong and Jiang Yalin, both are mothers of kidney stone babies. Guo describes how she first contacted Zhao:
本人在2008年9月12日以前不认识赵XX， 三鹿事件曝光后，本人为了给女儿维护权利，特买了电脑，当时本人根本不会电脑，后来在家逐渐自学电脑，不停的在网 上收索结石宝宝的情况，最先找到的是上海的结石宝宝家长王刚，后来认识了结石宝宝家长李旭，李旭把我拉进结石宝宝的群里，这个群就是我们结石宝宝的家长相 互交流孩子病情的群，我们在这里互相关心，互相照顾，在这里认识了赵XX（具体时间记不清了，大概在2009年初）。在2008年10月份我就委托了律师进行了法律诉讼，可是法院的大门一直没有为结石宝宝打开，2009年三月份，在我感到维权无望的时候，我准备去北京上访，可是我在北京没有一个亲人，而我又是一名残疾人，这时我想到 了北京的结石宝宝家长代表赵XX， 当时我是在坐上火车后给 他打的电话，当时他在电话里就叫我回去，不要那么冲动，有什么事情可以先在网上交流，可是我已经坐上了火车，没有办法回去了，我就告诉他我是一名残疾人， 现在已经在火车上了，他知道情况后去火车站接的我，我当时身上没有带钱，只带了去北京的车费，所以我就住在了赵XX家里，在他的家里他了解了详细的情况，他知道我的家庭困难，他劝我先不要冲动的去上访，回去和地方政府协商一些，看 看他们是否能给与我一些帮助，第二天他就帮我买车票把我送到火车上。
Later Guo attended the candle night vigil and here is her testimony about the activity:
我们的内心在担心着我们的孩子同时，很想找人诉说一下，也便于 我们一年来所受的种种辛酸和委屈有一个宣泄，由于结石宝宝家长分散在全国各地，于是我们就选择了北京，赵XX作为北京的结石宝宝家长，又是结石宝宝的家长代表，所以理所当然的我们就先去了他家里。本次活动没有发起人，只是赵XX倡议的，但这几乎是我们共同的心声，没有人邀请我，我是觉得作为家长应该为孩子的权利去努力的。事件发生在毒奶粉爆 发一周年，也就是9月11日，我们觉得发生了这么严重的群体事件，我们每个有良知的人都是应该去纪念那些死去的孩子，同时为幸存者祈福。所以 在这天，我们在北京大兴区的一个餐馆（我不知道名字）内举行了回顾性座谈会以及后来的烛光纪念活动。。。我 主要是讲了我这一 年来的经历，其他的家长也是分别讲了自己的经历，我们希望社会上每一个有良知的人，都来关心结石宝宝的成长。希望他们的生活中再也没有无谓的伤害。活动中 没有警方到场，警方在做些什么我不知道。活动中没有示威行为。事件没有引起无关人员的围观，我们一直就是在屋里关上门的。活动没有扰乱当地的秩序，没有造 成混乱等不良影响。吃完饭后我们就回到赵XX的家中，第二天我就回去了，在回去的路上我又被警察调查了此次活动的经过。
Jiang Yalin describes the Beijing press conference on Jan 2, 2009:
准确的说也不算是有发起人，就是大家知道三鹿的赔偿方案出来后，大家在群里聊天就这样说了，因为老赵是北京人，这 么大的事情只有到北京我们才有可能看到希望，所以就让老赵辛苦点了。去的人是自愿去的，没有邀请，谁愿意去就去。
活动当日有很多的警察到场，包括交警，还有一些不知道是不是警察 但是跟他们在一起，没有穿制服的一直都在全程拍照跟录像。
活动中没有示威行为，这些可以要求警方提供当天的录像资料。也希 望当天在场的媒体提供资料
当时最多的是记者，我们几个家长都被记者围住了，所以其他的情况 不是很清楚，这个马路记者会差不多在2点左右就结束了，记者自己走的，而我们其他的家长赶到大兴团河会议中心去找老赵他们，当时就想大家是一起来的，办完 事了一起回家。
当时有那么多的警察在场能有多少混乱，唯一的混乱就是很多不知道 是什么人一直都在驱赶我们，给我的感觉这不是中国的马路，我不是中国公民，我没有权利在这个国家的马路上停留！
The reporters out-numbered the parents, we were circled by them and did not know what exactly happened in the street. The press conference ended at around 2pm, the journalists left and we went to Daxing conference center to look for Zhao. Since we came here together we wanted to end this together and return home.
With so many police, how chaotic can it be? The only chaos was that some un-identified people were trying to disperse us as if we were not Chinese citizen and did not have the right to use our own street.
A criminal with Chinese characteristics
William Xu writes in his blog also defending Zhao:
连海真是一大善人，自打中国9.11事件出来后，这小子一天都没清闲过，除了像头驴似的 拼命挣钱养家糊口外，还得把自己的家腾出大部分空间来，安顿那些从东南西北窜到北京来讨说法的结石宝宝的家长们。有些穷得没盘缠打道回府的兄弟姐妹，还是 他掏腰包资助路费返乡的。更有某些跑到官府去讨说法而被警察大哥留下来的家长们，还是他亲自把他们从局子里要回来的呢。
然而，有幸成为中国人，并且有幸生活在这块神奇的土地上，你，是否有罪，并非是由你的行为能够来证明的，即便所有的当事人都能异口同声证明你不仅无罪，而且有功，那也是白搭。道理很简单，这片国土，的确太神奇了，神奇得不可思议也。
However, he is too luckily to be a Chinese and live in this wonderland. Whether you are guilt or not is not defined by what you have done. Even though the whole world say you are not guilt and you are contributing to the society, it is useless. In this wonderland, everything is unbelievable.


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Colombia: Hostage Pablo Emilio Moncayo Freed by FARC · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

After 4,483 days as a hostage in Colombia, Pablo Emilio Moncayo was freed by the FARC guerrillas. The blog Plan Colombia and Beyond provides the details of his release.


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Russia: Role of Social Media in Coverage of Recent Metro Bombings in Moscow · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Paul Globe writes on his blog “Window on Eurasia” about increasing role of the Internet and social media in the coverage of the recent terrorist attacks in Moscow.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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India: Tribals Using Cell Phones To Publish News · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indian Tribals Blog reports that “dozens of citizen journalists in India’s chronically neglected tribal communities are producing and sharing audio news reports for the first time through an innovative cell phone system.”


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India: Water Crisis Is Man Made · Global Voices
Rezwan

Muriel Kakani writes that India’s recent water crisis is “predominantly a man-made problem”. The blogger opines that ‘water harvesting from rainfalls’ can be a solution.


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Lebanon: The Adventures of Salwa · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Liliane comments on The Adventures of Salwa a new comic-style campaign aimed at combating sexual harassment in Lebanon.


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Peru: Alarmist Report on Possible Earthquake in Lima · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A recent report by the Peruvian Civil Defense finds that if an earthquake struck the capital city of Lima that 51,000 people would die. Blogger Juan Sheput of Mate Pastor [es] criticizes the report calling it “alarmist” and “incomplete” for not thoroughly explaining its methodology and for not taking into consideration other factors.


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Russia: Bombings Victims Commemoration; Analysis of TV-channels · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Photos from the commemoration action dedicated to the victims of the recentMoscow bombings published by bloggers can be found here and here. Arina Borodina, Russian TV-expert, analyses the role of TV coverage of the bombings.


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Russia: High Taxi Fares And Text Messaging Scams After Moscow Bombings · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

The aftermath of the recent subway bombings in Moscow is widespread. People mourn victims, looks for answers to numerous questions, contemplate the future of Russia and express anger with… taxi drivers and text message scammers who seem to take advantage of the tragedy.
Several blog posts that appeared right after the bombings mentioned taxi drivers who significantly increased their fares for people trying to get to their homes and jobs within the first hour after the tragedy. According to bloggers, an average taxi fare to get to the downtown Moscow from the places of the bombings (10-minute drive) was around 3,000 rubles ($101), which is eight times higher than an average fare for the same trip before the tragedy.
Popular (and former) TV anchor and current radio host Vladimir Solovyev wrote on his blog [RUS] regarding this issue:
Отдельно хочу сказать о мерзавцах, которые пытаются собрать деньги якобы на помощь пострадавшим. Их надо судить как пособников террористов. Таксисты в Америке после трагедии работали бесплатно, а наши взвинтили цены. В налоговую и штрафовать. Редкие подонки. Их бы номера и фамилии вывесить в сети и объявлять по радио и ТВ – устроить доску позора.
Other bloggers (here, here and here, for example) also expressed their outrage about taxi drivers and occasionally cited the same example with taxi drivers in New York City during the 9/11 tragedy.
The issue was so pressing that the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly urged the drivers [RUS] not to use the situation to their advantage but “show solidarity with people who suffered in the tragedy.” To resolve the problem with transportation, the Moscow Mayor's office later assigned 131 free-ride minibuses to the area of the tragedy.
Another case of virtual marauders came out on mobile phones.
LJ user molnija warned [RUS] Muscovites about text messages asking for donations to help the victims of the metro bombings:
Пожалуйста, не доверяйте паническим смскам с незнакомых номеров!
мне в обед пришла смс
“Уважаемы Россияне, убедительно просим Вас оказать посильную помощь пострадавшим от терактов в Московском метро. Все средства будут перечислены в НИИ Склифосовского. Стоимость смс 45 руб без налогов”
позвонила оператору, мне сказали, что ни о чем подобном Склифу или реальной благотворительной организации они пока не слышали. и самый финиш – стоимость смс на сей чудный номер не 45, а почти сто рублей.
Another blogger Apraxis added on his blog [RUS] that this concerns also those who live in Saint Petersburg.
Later, the biggest three mobile companies in Russia announced their decision [RUS] to compensate people who fell for the text message scam.


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Russia: Wikipedia Used to Cover Recent Metro Bombings · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

A popular Russian blogger Anton Nosik asks bloggers to contribute their content to the chapter of Wikipedia about terror attacks in Moscow metro.


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Russia: Witness Shares Her Account of Bombings in Moscow Metro · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

LJ user Karpusha was at Park Kultury metro station at the moment of explosion. She wrote on her blog about what she had seen, the  lack of information after the first explosion, the shock and her attempts to help an injured woman.


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Sri Lanka: Unbounded Crowd-sourcing Of Human Rights Violations · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT For Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) discusses about the unbounded nature of a new crowd-sourcing initiative in Sri Lanka called Citizens Net. This mapping project records human rights violence on issues regarding “gender-based violence, the rights of children, the elderly and the disabled”.


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Sweden: Parliament Recognizes the Assyrian Genocide · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

With a vote of 131 against 130, the Swedish Parliament recognized as genocide the massacres that took place within the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1920 against the Armenian, Assyrian and Pontic Greek population – an episode that is also referred to as “Seyfo” by the Assyrian Diaspora.
Up to 1.5 million Armenians, 250,000 Pontic Greeks and 250,000 Assyrians were killed between 1913 and 1920, and a few other millions had to flee from what is now Turkey, in order to survive. Other sources  claim the real number of Assyrians and Pontic Greeks murdered reach up to 750,000 and 500,000 respectively.
Phillip Ohlund, in the New Testament News blog, comments saying:
We should of course always condemn genocides of millions of innocent  persons.
The holocaust of the Jews was a terrible thing, and so  was the genocide of the Armenians back in 1915.
It is impossible  to understand why anyone would raise objections against condemning a  genocide.
The resolution was eventually passed by one  single vote, thanks to four conservative politicians who voted  with the socialist opposition.
[…]
No one blames Turkey of today for what happened in 1915.
But the  genocide of most of the Armenians in Turkey in 1915 is an undeniable  historical fact.
It would be sensible of Turkey to officially  understand how traumatized the Armenians still are today by the 1915  genocide.
The Assyrian Genocide Center issued a statement addressing the decision votes, noting that the decision, in this particular case, was more political than anything else and that the politicians were all convinced the the massacres were a genocide:
Yes, the decision was taken with 131 votes against 130. However, the one  vote majority does not reflect the reality and it may be misleading.  The fact is all those who voted against the motion did not claim nor say  that the genocide did not happen. All of them were saying yes the  genocide took place, however a majority of them said we need to be loyal  to the Coalition Government's decision and others were fearing a yes  vote would jeopardize the relations with Turkey.
Volkan Kemal, in the Adsiz Vesaire blog, tells us that the result caused distress over the Turkish government and even among some Swedish ministers:
The Turkish Ambassador to Sweden was  immediately ordered to leave the country and Turkish prime minister  Erdogan announced the cancellation of his planned visit to Sweden the  coming week.
Sweden's pro-Turkish foreign minister, Carl Bildt was very upset by the  decision of the parliament and warned it will harm Swedish-Turkish  relations and Turkish-Armenian relations as the resolution called for  the recognition of not only the Turkish genocide on Assyrians but also  the genocides on Armenians and Pontic Greeks.
However, Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt disagrees with the resolution. He says in his blog [machine translation]:
Vi anser att det är fel att politisera historien
[…]
Det skall noteras att beslutet gick emot utrikesutskottets betänkande, liksom att riksdagen inte var enig eftersom utfallet baserades på en enda rösts majoritet.
Riksdagens beslut kommer tyvärr inte att bidra positivt till den pågående normaliseringsprocessen mellan Turkiet och Armenien, inte minst upprättandet av en kommission med uppgift att bland annat utreda händelserna 1915.
Ramsen's Rambling sums up some of the feelings shared by the Assyrian people:
AMAZING NEWS.
The Assyrian Genocide is officially  recognized by my new favorite country, Sweden. Sweden is the first country to accept the  Genocide of the Assyrians, but also has accepted the Genocide of the  Pontic-Greeks and Armenians perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks. This is a  great day for Assyrians. Not only will the souls of those that were  wrongly and innocently butchered like cattle be rested, the world will  be enlightened of the first genocide of the 20th Century.
This recognition comes shortly after the one passed by the US congressional  Foreign Affairs Committee, as a non-biding resolution which acknowledges the 1915 mass killings as the “Armenian Genocide” with the votes of 23 against 22.
Following the recognition, Móndivers [cat] show us the position of the Turkish government:
El primer ministre turc, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, va advertir ahir en una entrevista al servei turc de la BBC que podria  decidir deportar els 100.000 armenis que, segons ell, resideixen  il·legalment a Turquia. Erdoğan va fer aquesta amenaça després de ser  preguntat sobre la seva opinió al voltant de les recents votacions als  Estats Units i a  Suècia sobre el reconeixement dels genocidis d’armenis, assiris i  grecs durant l’època final de l’Imperi otomà. El primer ministre turc va  culpar la diàspora armènia als països occidentals del fet que  s’estiguin produint votacions sobre el reconeixement d’aquest genocidi.
And now, the Turkish Forum announces that Bulgaria may be the next country to recognize the massacre as a genocide:
Based on the mentioned facts, National Assembly of the Republic of
Bulgaria, admitting the cogency of the facts proving the committed
extermination of 1.500.000 Armenians by Ottoman Empire authorities in
1915-17, considering the violence against Armenians during the World
War I is recognized by the European Parliament and a number of EU
members-Belgium, Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Poland,
Slovakia, France as genocide, condemning the genocide of the Armenian
population,
Declares:
1. Expresses its dissent with official position of Turkish Government,
directed towards the negation of the purposive violence against
Armenian nation committed in 1915-1917.
2. Urges the Republic of Turkey to review its stance on the historic
reality during the World War I
3. Term the forcible displacement-
the extermination of the Armenian
people under Ottoman Empire as Genocide
4. Announces the necessity of mandatory unbiased reporting of the
historical events indicated in the documents, publications, public
addresses of all state institutions, political organizations, mass
media of the Republic of Bulgaria.
5. Admits that protection of monuments of Bulgarian and Armenian
architectural-religious heritage on the territory of Turkey should be
considered as part of a broader policy of preservation of cultural
heritage of European civilization.
6. Demands that in the course of the talks on Turkey’s membership to
EU, the stance of Bulgarian Government be conditioned by the
recognition of Armenian Genocide by Turkey.
The final question is whether the door has been finally opened.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Shouter Baptist Liberation Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It seems hard to believe or to fully understand the idea that practicing a faith could be considered illegal here in T&T where we pride ourselves on religious tolerance and diversity, however for many decades that was exactly what the Shouter Baptist community endured”: TriniGourmet.com has some ideas for local fare on today's hard-won religious holiday.


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Bangladesh: Air-Conditioners Banned During Evening To Tackle Energy Shortage · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tacitaeterno at In The Middle Of Nowhere informs that the Bangladesh government has imposed restrictions on the usage of air conditioners during evening to control the stifling electricity shortage in the capital.


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Bermuda: Overspending  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It’s so simple that only a politician could miss it”: Vexed Bermoothes says that the Bermudian government must reduce its budget.


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Brazil: São Paulo State police beat striking teachers  · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

On March 26th 2010, thousands of teachers (20,000 people according to the organizers, only 3,500 according to the police) of the State of São Paulo marched towards the  Government Palace, where some of them were beaten [pt] by State Police. On strike since March 8th, the teachers have been protesting on a weekly basis, thousands of people having marched on March 12th and 19th on the most prestigious street of São Paulo, Paulista Avenue. The strike goes on, so the protests go on.
Their goal was to pressurise São Paulo state Governor José Serra to meet  their demands, including a 34.4% pay rise, bonuses, and, a fair career plan. The confrontation was reported live on Twitter, and later uploaded to Flickr and YouTube, with many citizen journalists expressing disgust and disapproval at the police brutality against unarmed school teachers. So far, Serra has not commented on the incident through his personal Twitter account @joseserra_.
Photo by Yuri Gonzaga, used with permission
The demonstration started in peaceful fashion. However, at 12:17 pm a teacher, Eduardo Prado [pt], reports the first signs of the violence to come that he later documented on his blog [pt]:
@eduardoprado: Tem inicio a repressao. Policia ataca os manifestantes com gas de pimenta.
Some teachers and students reacted to the violence. According to Rede Brasil Atual [pt]:
@redebrasilatual: Alguns estudantes tentaram reagir atirando pedras contra os policiais, que vão afastando os manifestantes do local de protesto.
Soon after, there were reports of casualities, some of them seriously injured. Fernando Bustamante [pt] reports:
@fepardal: Um professor foi p/ o hospital em estado grave com uma bala de borracha alojada no pulmão (coisas que a imprensa não diz pra você)
Undercover police action:
Twittering from his mobile, Eduardo Prado [pt] updates on reports that undercover police officers had been mingling with protesters and using violence against them. Making serious accusations against the police, Sérgio Vaz [pt] was retweeted by dozens of people:
@poetasergiovaz: um policial á paisana botou fogo num carro para culpar os professores, mas foi fotografado. A Ditadura impera em Sao Paulo.
Eduardo Prado [pt] reports the same:
@eduardoprado: Um carro foi incendiado, varias testemunhas confirmaram que foram policais a paisana.
Several people were injured during the protests, 16 according to the teachers union. At 22:32, Rede Brasil Atual reports the end and final balance of the confrontation. Suzana Vier later provided the full coverage on their website [pt]:
@redebrasilatual: Acaba a manifestação. Saldo: professores seguem em greve, o governo não negocia e nove pessoas ficaram feridas
Photo by Yuri Gonzaga, used with permission
The [lack of] media balance:
According to Twitter users, the media was very slow to react and report the incident while it was happening, as reports Sérgio Vaz [pt]:
@poetasergiovaz: Os professores estão apanhando feio da polícia do Serra e não tem ninguém da imprensa séria cobrindo. SOS jornalistas sérios.
Túlio Viana [pt] asks sarcastically:
@tuliovianna: Cadê a mídia paulista pra fazer uma reportagem catalogando todas esta rotina de “trabalho duro” do batalhão-de-choque da PM paulista?
Eduardo Amaral [pt] also wonders about the next day's coverage:
@edu74: O clima é tenso no palácio. Professores indignados com a violência da PM. E vai sair na imprensa?
Apparently, the demonstration marred by violence did not make to the main headlines nor was it reported accurately. Fernando Bustamante [pt] carried out an analyses of the pictures published in the main newspapers next day:
@fepardal: Com dezenas de profs feridos, a única foto que vemos nos jornais é de uma PM atingida (merecidamente, aliás). Por que será?
Conrado Galdino [pt] reports that GloboNews, part of the biggest television network in Brazil, had a subtle caption claiming that the teachers had confronted [pt] the police:
@conradopreto: Da forma como foi escrita o leitor desapercebido culpará facilmente os professores. Caracteres tem forte apelo subliminar!
Photo by Yuri Gonzaga, used with permission
The Twittersphere reaction
Twitter users all over Brazil have been discussing the strike and the police violence. Some people believe that the education strike was a measured political act, as the election approaches, such as Vinicius Vianna:
@ViniciusBruno: Que a educação em SP tem muitas deficiências é verdade. Mas essa greve tem interesse político eleitoral e corporativista de acomodados!!!
José Fernandes Jr. [pt] agrees:
@jfernandesjr: Antes de qualquer coisa direito de greve é sagrado. Mas não de cunho político e criminoso com essa.
So does Leo Brandão [pt]:
@LeooBrandao: Greve eleitoreira em SP. E tem gente se iludindo que isso é manifestação de professores apartidários.
Regardless of the politics behind the strike, the majority seem to agree that violence should not be used, as Túlio Vianna [pt] explains:
@tuliovianna: Tão dizendo que a greve dos professores de SP é eleitoreira. E se fosse? Nestes casos a polícia teria o direito de descer o cacete no povo?
Fernando Amaral [pt] asks, after the various recent instances of violence against demonstrators, whether this is a new rule of public security:
@Quodores: Será mesmo que o Governo de São Paulo NÃO consegue que nenhuma, repito, nenhuma manifestação de rua NÃO acabe em pancadaria com a PM?
On the education system
Some other bloggers, such as Conrado Galdino [pt] laments the inversion of values:
@conradopreto: São os professores os responsáveis de fato pelo desenvolvimento do BR merecem respeito e não porrada. #serrafail
Sergio Vaz [pt] takes the opportunity to reflect on the impoverished Brazilian education system:
@poetasergiovaz: Falta de educação:muitos desses pms foram alunos desses professores. Os filhos deles estudam em escolas públicas também.
Like many people around the country,  Twitter user @dolphindiluna was deeply saddened by the news [pt]:
@dolphindiluna: Todas essas notícias sobre os professores estão me deixando tão triste… Da revolta e indignação à uma profunda tristeza. #solidariedade
Photo by Yuri Gonzaga, used with permission
This last violent incident has made citizens feel more alarmed, especially because José Serra will run for president of Brazil in the forthcoming elections of October 2010. Today, March 31st, was his last day in office before starting his campaign. The teachers organized his “leaving do” party, marching again through the streets of São Paulo. So far, no major incidents have been reported.


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Indonesia: Anti-Porn Law · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Province officials of Bali and Papua in Indonesia are planning not to implement the recently passed Anti-Pornography Law by claiming that the law would “stifle traditional Balinese and Papuan culture.”

author: Mong Palatino


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Indonesia: Anti-smoking Fatwa · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

An Islamic organization in Indonesia has issued a fatwa (edict) which named smoking cigarettes as haram or forbidden.


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Indonesia: Sony vs Sony · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Sony Arianto Kurniawan from Indonesia has a personal website which displeased Sony Corporation because the latter claims it has legal ownership over the trademark Sony. Sony the corporation initially charged Sony the person in the court but dropped the charges later.


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Jamaica, Haiti: Art Aid  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Art to help Haiti: Jamaican Annie Paul has the low-down.


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Japan: The Strange Country · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Kenichi realized an “info-graphic, motion piece” (which is his final thesis) with the aim of making Japanese people think about their country, that, the Japanese videomaker says, “isn't that normal”.
Unfortunately, the English version is no longer available.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Laos and the drying of Mekong River · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Gretchen Kunze writes how the drying up of the Mekong River is affecting Laos, the only landlocked-country in Southeast Asia


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Pakistan: The Big And Tall Persons  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Owais Mughal at All Things In Pakistan features a number of tall human beings from Pakistan.


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Philippines: Online and Offline Student Protests for Education · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

This past week's student protests in the Philippines demanding greater government budget for education and the prevention of tuition and other fee increases for the coming school year also has an online component in the form of the March 29 Blog Action Day for Education. Participating blogs write about the theme “Education is a Right.”

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Singapore: TwestivalSG 2010 · Global Voices
Shawn Lim

TwestivalSG in fullswing at Brewerkz Riverside Point
Every year, on March 25, 2010, people in hundreds of cities around the world meet together offline to rally around the important cause of Concern Worldwide by hosting local events to have fun and create awareness. Through this, it is estimated that the money will provide an education to about 72 million children around the world who are not enrolled in schools.
Social media websites like Twitter and Facebook were used to raise awareness for the event.
This year, hundreds of people thronged Twestival Singapore, which was held at Brewerkz Riverside Point, with the microbrewery restaurant donating 10% of of the night's revenue. Other sponsors included the Singapore Civil Defence Force which provided first-aid kits as door gifts and Lenovo Singapore, which provide laptops onsite for guests to make their donations.
The event was an absolute success and according to Singapore social media blog, Penn Olson, Singapore was one of the top contributors in the total funds raised worldwide:
Singapore, top 10 nations in total funds raised and top 3 in amount raised per 1000 inhabitants
….we are proud to say that TwestivalSG 2010 raised USD 6112.41, excluding all the other sponsorship figures for Concern Worldwide. With the help of cities all over the world, Twestival Global raised more than USD 300,000 this year!
Online Media Gazette, a blog that covers the latest in social media and technology news from an Asian perspective was amazed at the huge turnout:
TwestivalSG's Twtvite page and Facebook event page had only 77 and 96 respectively, who RSVPed for the event but the turnout yesterday was a resounding success where more than 160 people showed up to have fun, network and donate towards this greater cause.
The event was also reported on CNNGo, CNN's Asian based blog. It wrote that Singapore's Twitter community was out in force that night:
It's funny if you stop to think about how a simple micro-blogging tool like Twitter has brought people from all walks of life together. And this past March 25, the gathering power of Twitter is nowhere more evident than at Brewerkz Riverside Point, where Twestival Singapore 2010 was in full swing.
With laptops and mobile phone out in force, a make-shift photo booth in the back and pints of foamy beers sloshing their way around the private room, the local Twitter community was doing their bit to raise funds for Concern Worldwide, an international humanitarian organization dedicated to reducing suffering and ending extreme poverty.
More pictures of TwestivalSG can be found here

author: Shawn Lim


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South Korea: Gender issues · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Grand Narratives has a nice roundup post on various current gender issues in South Korea.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Sri Lanka: On April 2010 Parliamentary Elections · Global Voices
Rezwan

Devanesan Nesiah at Groundviews opines that  the April 2010 Parliamentary Elections in Sri Lanka will be an opportunity for the voters in the North and East to engage themselves in the democratic process.

author: Rezwan


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Taiwan: Relations with the Pacific Islands and Australia · Global Voices
David Reid

Michael Turton looks at Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's recent visit to the Pacific. He analyses how Australia and Taiwan's involvement in the Solomon Islands has been used for political purposes by both countries.

author: David Reid


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Trinidad & Tobago: Drought – Stage 1 · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“A lot is happening each time a bushfire begins somewhere in Trinidad and Tobago, and it all leads to the dread spectre we hear of in other places – drought”: KnowTnT.com examines the different stages of drought.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: On Corruption  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“On the day the Uff Report was submitted to a happy looking President, the Prime Minister suddenly realized the people needed more hospitals and Summits”: This Beach Called Life takes a tongue-in-cheek look at Trinidad and Tobago's political landscape.


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U.S.V.I.: There’s an App for that!  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Need some tips on what to do and where to go in the U.S. Virgin Islands?  There's an app for that.  News of St. John explains.


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Bahamas: Building Art  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The artists will convert 15 buildings on the current eyesore list into splashes of color depicting Bahamian themes”: Repeating Islands reports that the Bahamas will be transforming “more than a dozen historic and prominent downtown buildings into vibrant works of art.”


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Bangladesh: The Cost Of The Truth · Global Voices
Rezwan

“It costs the efforts of many to deliver a piece of truth to the masses,” comments Mehedi Rahman on the recent verdict of the Bangladesh supreme court to reopen the censored photo exhibition titled “crossfire“, which depicts the extra-judicial killings in the country.


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Bolivia: The Best Mayor in the History of La Paz · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Julio Peñaloza believes that Juan del Granado is the best Mayor in the history of La Paz, Bolivia [es] for transforming the urban city with various projects downtown and in the neighborhoods.

author: Eduardo Avila


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China: Corruption Museum Seeking Nominations · Global Voices
Andy Yee

A museum of corruption is planned in the southwest province  of Sichuan, China Daily reported, citing from a local paper. The museum is seeking nominations from netizens of the 100 most corrupt officials in the last century.
The project is first suggested on the microblog of Fan Jianchuan, founder of the Jianchuan Museum in Chengdu. He said that the museum will accept nominations from the public who can vote on his museum’s website. Criteria for deciding on the top 100 will include the corrupt official’s seniority, amounts involved, by what means, circumstances and impacts on the society.
The Jianchuan Museum is a cluster of 15 museums located in Chengdu, Sichuan Province
Fan said he will ask for supports from the Communist Party’s disciplinary committee to turn the initiative into a anti-corruption educational center. He said that exhibitions of corruption organized by party disciplinary committee are very common nationwide, but a museum is yet to be created. He thinks the museum will create a positive effect on the society. He has started to single out ‘corruption artifacts’ from his existing collections, including court verdicts and documents of confession.
The suggestion receives overwhelming responses on the internet. Qian Guilin (钱桂林) thinks that it is a very innovative idea with positive educational impacts:
雨果说过：“多办一所学校，就可以少建一座监狱。”教育的力量是伟大的，没有什么比教育能够对人的思想产生更大的影响了。建贪官博物馆，比单纯让干部听一两次反腐报告或参观一两个图片展览更具震撼力和震慑力，能教育和警醒广大干部，让他们树立正确的人生观、权力观、地位观和价值观
Victor Hugo said: ‘He who opens a school door, closes a prison.’ Education can have enormous impacts. The power and shock created by a museum is far greater than that of one or two anti-corruption lectures or exhibitions. This can help erect correct values on life and power among Chinese officials.
Meanwhile, Sun Jindong (孙金栋) identifies several flaws in the proposal:
从内容看，百强以何标准衡量？如果以官员级别最高者入选，以贪污金额最多者入选，以手段最阴险者入选，以年龄最大、最小者入选，它是一个动态的过程，不可能象抗日战争、解放战争那样，成为已经过去、不再变化的一个静止点。因此，这个“百强”之最只能是相对而言，新的百强随时在产生，百强纪录将被不断刷新，“百强贪官”最终成为名不符实。
Content wise, how do you decide the top 100? You cannot judge it by the official’s position, amounts involved, method of corruption or even age, since these factors are dynamic. This is unlike historical events like the anti-Japanese or liberation wars, which are static. Therefore, the concept of top 100 is relative; new record-breaking top 100 will appear in future, rendering the description ‘top 100’ meaningless.
从冠名看更不确切，“百强贪官”强在何处？从本质上说，他们都是纸老虎。得势、得志、在位时，一个个貌似强大，呼风唤雨，猖狂之极。一旦败露，就成了不齿于人类的狗屎堆，成了人民的阶下囚，或者受到极刑严惩成为历史的罪人，他们强在何处？
Naming wise, why are the ‘top 100’ described as ‘top’ in the first place? They are in essence paper tigers. They abuse their power while in their position as officials. Once arrested, they become prisoners and black spots in history. Why are they described as ‘top’?
Turning to the phenomenon of corruption, Wu Min (吴敏) thinks that the Chinese public is helpless in face of corrupt officials. Building a corruption museum as a kind of ‘black humor’ is all they can do.
“贪污、潜规则已经成为现在中国社会的一种文化。既然是文化，应该加以保护并好好研究。不但要建博物馆，同时，还应向联合国申请国际文化遗产。”有网友不无风趣地说到。笔者认为，导致建设“贪官馆”的根源是社会道德出现了短路。道德短路，致使良善缺失、黑白不分、公平失衡等，这种大社会背景，成为滋生腐败的温床。加之社会制度的不完善，催生着种种贪腐劣迹，充斥在民众的眼前。
One netizen commented that ‘corruption and hidden rules are already part of the Chinese culture. As it is culture, it should be well protected and researched. Building a museum is not enough; we should include it in the United Nation’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.’ I believe that there is some sort of ‘moral short-circuiting’ – there is a lack of justice, fairness and honesty in our society. It is under this circumstance, together with flaws in our social institutions, that leads to widespread corruption.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao said in March that China is still ‘prone to corruption’ and plagued with ‘unfair law enforcement and inefficient governance’ despite years of anti-corruption efforts. China has issued a code of ethics for officials earlier this year specifying 52 unacceptable practices.

author: Andy Yee


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Costa Rica: Examining State’s Relationship With Church Amidst Controversy · Global Voices
Luis Diego Molina

The Roman Catholic Church has been standing the eye of a hurricane for the last couple of weeks because of the many allegations of pedophilia by priests around the world. This issue is especially relevant in Costa Rica because of the fact that it is a confessional state, in that the State recognizes Catholicism as the official religion and its increasingly closer relationship with the Church. Costa Rican bloggers seem to be really concerned about this issue, and opinions abound in the web regarding how this controversy may affect the country whose citizens are majority Roman Catholic.
Photo by Radio Rover and used under a CC license.
Lauren Latifa, in her blog Club Sodoma [es] writes:
Estoy sorprendida en cómo una noticia de este nivel como el de las olas de pedofilia dentro de la iglesia católica, puede llegar a pasar como algo leve y sin mayor discusión. ¿Pero los jerarcas católicos reconocen que se dan grandes errores dentro de la iglesia? Obviamente no lo reconocen, solo pretenden en muchas circunstancias silenciar estas acusaciones indemnizando a las víctimas, hasta trasladan a esos sacerdotes abusadores de iglesia en iglesia y siguen abusando de los niños, todo para no debilitar el poder “de la iglesia”.
I am amazed of the level of news of the wave of pedophilia within the Catholic Church, may pass as something irrelevant and without further discussion. But will the Catholic leaders acknowledge that there are large errors in the church? Obviously they won`t recognize it. In many circumstances, they aim to silence the accusations by compensating the victims, and they even transfer abusive priests from church to church and they continue to abuse children, all to avoid weakening the power “of the church.”
Referring to the widespread disappointment, the author of the blog “Cultura, Cultura Política y Económica [es]” writes:
Los abusos sexuales a menores son de los actos delictivos más abominables que un adulto puede cometer. Y si estos delitos son cometidos por religiosos, de los que se espera un plus de honestidad, la decepción y el escándalo aún son superiores a los ojos de la sociedad.
Child sexual abuse is among the most heinous criminal acts that an adult can commit. And if these offenses are committed by religious, of whom a surplus of honesty is expected; deception and scandal are still higher in the eyes of society.
The disappointment also includes the lack of punishment for this priests, as the blogger H3Dicho comments:
Un cura que sea sospechoso de pedofilia debe ser removido inmediatamente de su cargo mientras se le investiga, y debe ponerse a la orden de las autoridades. El problema es que la iglesia siempre ha preferido mantener “investigaciones internas”, y para no poner mal el nombre de la “iglesia” no lo hacen público, por lo que sus delitos sexuales quedan impunes.
A priest who is suspected of pedophilia must be immediately removed from his post while he is being investigated, and should be made accountable to the authorities. The problem is that the church has always preferred to maintain “internal investigations” and in order not to harm the name “church” , it does not go public, so that their sexual crimes go unpunished.
Cristian Cambronero, author of the blog Fusil de Chispas [es] writes that in Costa Rica there are all types of crimes of this nature:
En Costa Rica no solo se han presentado este tipo de abusos, hay un cura condenado a prisión y supimos de un obispo que encubrió a un sacerdote prófugo de la justicia, acusado de violación. ¿Y el Obispo? Ahí sigue, en la Conferencia Episcopal, levantando el dedo acusador cada vez que puede,enfiestándose con estafadores, y dándole instrucciones a los diputados blandengues de cómo gobernar según “la moral y las buenas costumbres”.
In Costa Rica not only do these kinds of abuses are seen, there is a priest sentenced to prison and we discovered a bishop who covered up a fugitive priest accused of rape. What about the Bishop? There he is, in the Episcopal Conference, pointing the finger whenever he can,become involved with scammers, and giving instructions to bland deputies regarding how to govern according to “morals and good habits“.
Despite the unpopularity that the Catholic Church is going through in the country, the elected president Laura Chinchilla, who will assume power in May 8, has been approaching the hierarchy of this Church, to strengthen the bonds between the State and the Church. This has caused discontent by many people in the country. Cambronero also complains about this,  saying:
No pocos dijeron que fuimos exagerados el primer día de este mes cuando dijimos que Laura Chinchilla se estaba casando con los Obispos, tras una reunión de la surgió “una comisión” para coordinar “un mecanismo permanente de relación entre el próximo Gobierno y la Iglesia Católica”, según reseñó La Nación (…) Hoy el mismo periódico nos cuenta que los Obispos que apadrinaron a Chinchilla durante la campaña presidencial, incluso violentando la disposición constitucional, ahora impulsan un Corcordato: un acuerdo bilateral entre El Vaticano y el Estado, que otorga a la Iglesia Católica una serie de privilegios de los que no gozan otras iglesias.
Many said that we were exaggerating on the first day of the month when we said Laura Chinchilla was getting married with the Bishops, after a meeting where “a committee” to coordinate “a permanent mechanism for the relationship between the next government and the Catholic Church” emerged, as quoted by La Nación [es] (…) Today the same paper tells us that the Bishops sponsored Chinchilla during the presidential campaign, even violating the constitution, now they want to make a Corcordato: a bilateral agreement between the Vatican and the State, which gives the Catholic Church a number of privileges not enjoyed by other churches.
The author of the blog ASOJOD [es]  seems very disenchanted with this situation, and states:
En ASOJOD hemos repudiado, desde nuestros inicios, el contubernio entre la Iglesia (s) y el Estado, pues presupone una imposición sobre la libertad individual y, como en el caso de Costa Rica, otorga gollerías a una agrupación a costa de los costarricenses. Hoy día, nuestro dinero se usa para financiar a la Iglesia Católica, que mediante las Temporalidades de la Iglesia, cuenta con partidas del Presupuesto de la República bastante altas. Además, la Iglesia sigue determinando la orientación de algunas políticas públicas, específicamente las relacionadas con la educación sexual y la salud sexual-reproductiva, de forma tal que, mediante su influencia espiritual y política, pisotea la libertad de los individuos para decidir la forma en que desean vivir.
In ASOJOD we have repudiated from the very beginning, the complicity between the Church(es) and the State, because it implies an imposition on individual freedom and as in the case of Costa Rica, it favors a group at the expense of Costa Ricans. Today, our money is used to fund the Catholic Church, which by the temporalities of the Church, with items in the Republic's budget, which are quite high. Moreover, the Church continues to shape the direction of some public policies, specifically those related to sex education and sexual-reproductive health, so that, by its spiritual and political influence it tramples the freedom of individuals to decide how they wish to live.

author: Luis Diego Molina


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Dominican Republic: Safety Messages Doubling as Political Propaganda · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Accidents during Holy Week in the Dominican Republic traditionally have increased, and Aneudy Santos of Duarte 101 [es] notices that some politicians provide safety recommendations in public service announcements, which double as political campaigning.


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El Salvador: National Campaign Against Dengue Fever · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Tim Muth writes about the national campaign against dengue fever in El Salvador, where 1965 cases have been reported during the first 70 days of the 2010.


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Global Voices Unofficial Mascot Feared Lost · Global Voices
Allen Smithee

Unidentified sources have questioned whether a certain furry yellow creature will make an appearance at the Global Voices Summit in Santiago, Chile in May, or whether the neon creature has in fact been lost and replaced with an look-alike impostor.
Since February 2009, Global Voices bloggers have jovially passed on the ferret from one country to another, photographing and tweeting his adventures along the way. G.V. Ferret himself took up Twitter and blogging and today has nearly 100 friends on Facebook.
The word “ferret” stems from the word “furittus” in Latin. This means “little thief” and that surely helps explain how the unofficial mascot of Global Voices, Mr. G.V. Ferret, stole the ‘hearts and minds’ of such a prestigious and sophisticated international blogging community.
However,  even in virtual communities – as in many geographic communities – acceptance of ferret pets is not always without opposition. As one United States commenter noted on a Flickr photo of Salvador, the pet dog of GV's managing director:
Awww. He should be GV's mascot instead of that stupid ferret.
Others opposing the unofficial mascot have either favored silent dissent or have engaged in dubious behavior such as forgetting Ferret in unspeakable locations or even letting their cats loose on him. Nonetheless, even those in staunch opposition are usually won over once Ferret works his furry charms, especially in photos and on Facebook.
No doubt it is the threatening behavior against Mr. Ferret that leaves some community members worrying for his safety. On Facebook and on Twitter, the concerned refrain goes, “Where are you G.V. Ferret?” The mascot was last seen in Boston at the beginning of 2010. His next known appearance will be in Santiago in May.

author: Allen Smithee


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Guyana, U.S.A.: Identity  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora blogger Signifyin’ Guyana has a message for the U.S. Census Bureau – she's “G-U-Y-A-N-A-A-F-R-O-C-A-R-I-B-B-E-A-N!”


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India: Death Penalty for Honour Killing · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sumanth at Desicritics comments on the recent debate in India – whether death penalty for honor killing is justified: “If couple of people are hanged till death for honor killing in a year or two, then these well planned murders will come to an end.”


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Laos: Morning Market in Vientiane · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Sao Darly posts pictures of bargain products for sale at Talat Sao or Morning Market in Vientiane, Laos.


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Lebanon: Culture of Racism and Discrimination · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“Culture of Racism and Discrimination in Lebanon” is a new blog which aims to break the traditional ways in which research has been presented about racism and discrimination by being an online journal and by incorporating the use of social media tools.

author: Moussa Bashir