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World Food Day: Living with Hunger Pangs · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

According to the World Bank, nearly 1 billion people go to bed hungry around the world, and the rising food prices will make that number grow. Today, for the World Food Day, we put faces on those hungry families and hear their stories.
Video Volunteers from India have gone to the communities to bring to you the Hunger Video Project, focusing on how in spite of the growing economy, people are still going to bed hungry throughout their country.
The videos were produced for the launch of The World Disaster Report 2011, a joint collaboration between the World Food Program, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC.)The report aims to answer the fundamental question: “Why do one billion people across the world go to sleep hungry each night when the world is producing enough food for everyone?”
What makes these 12 videos more touching is the fact that they were made by people who are from the affected communities and not outsiders. Video Volunteers is a training program for people in marginalized communities who learn to make news, watch it, take action and make solutions for the problems that affect them and their neighbors.
On their project site, they include all 12 videos with a small description of the community where the video was filmed. This video for example, was filmed in Silchar, Assam in North East India, a predominantly rural – agrarian district with tribal marginalized minorities. In it, a father speaks of the hardships and the impotence of going to sleep knowing that his children are hungry.
In Raj Nandgaon, an underdeveloped and predominantly agrarian district in Chhatisgarh a woman is forced to prostitute herself just so she can feed her children.
Medecins Sans Frontieres have faced malnourished children for years of work in different areas of the world, and they noticed that what seemed like help, was actually making the problem worse: food donor organizations were not providing food that was nourishing enough to sustain children under two. So with the  Starved for Attention campaign, they decided to ask the actors in the Food Aid System to stop sending poor quality food aid and instead provide adequate nutritious food for malnourished children.
This year's topic for the World Food Day is Food Prices, from Crisis to Stability. This trailer is for The Hunger Game, a  15 minute film by Félix Álvarez Torres from Perú,  where he establishes that food prices are played with as if they were gambling chips in a game of power.
In the last 10 years the cost of food has increased in the whole world scandalous levels. Multinational companies invest billions of dollars on the purchase of future harvests, creating speculation and shortages at present. The stakes for the food prices are on the rise: the game where you always win.
Outside the poker table, the poor have to pay the gamblers heading of The Hunger Games. [sic]
Today, many people will be posting online about food and food issues thanks to the Blog Action Day initiative, under the #BAD11 and #food tag on microblogging sites and blogs.  Weigh in on the conversation and tell the world what you think about the rising price of food and hunger.


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Worldwide: Dialogue and Peace Through Sport  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Joël Bouzou [fr], a bronze medalist at the 1984 Olympic Games and modern pentathlon World Champion in 1987 from France, is the founder and president of Peace and Sport, a global initiative created in 2007 whose objective is building sustainable peace through sport.
Burundi: Peace & Sport sport center in Gihanga  – Image from website Peace and Sport
In countries where Peace and Sport operates, the organization supports local actors and heps them design and implement programs for vulnerable youth, while strengthening existing sports facilities damaged during armed conflicts.
In Burundi, for instance, Peace and Sport is funding the renovation of sports facilities, equipment and training for coaches. Since 2008, 300 out-of-school children in Gihanga, war orphans and children living in the streets nearby, have been receiving training in football, athletics, karate, modern biathlon, judo, volleyball, basketball and tennis. Community events are organized to foster reconciliation, education as well as the promotion of peace.
Pascal, a 16-year old former refugee and would-be football player from the Gihanga Center, is quoted [fr] on Peace and Sport's Burundi page:
Sport clears my mind. When I play football, I expend a lot of energy: suddenly, I no longer think about the death of my relatives, it removes dark thoughts from my mind. It soothes me. In addition, through football, I can communicate better with other children. I am learning how to guide them, not necessarily by giving them orders. I like that.
Peace and Sport worked in Côte d’Ivoire, even during the period of political turmoil and ethnic strife in early 2011, and continues to do so in Bouake, Abidjan (Marcory), Daloa, Man and Yamoussoukro. The organization supports local NGOs and reaches nearly 600 children through social, education and social inclusiveness programs (literacy, health, civic education).
Global Voices spoke to Joël Bouzou about his work.
Global Voices (GV): Joël Bouzou, why did you create Peace and Sport?
Joël Bouzou with Nelson Mandela – Image from  Peace & Sport website
Joël Bouzou (JB): I created Peace and Sport in 2007 because, as an Olympic medalist, I am particularly attuned to the power of sport to create unity across political, social, ethnic or religious divides, which are often the core reasons for conflicts on the planet.
GV: In which countries do you operate?
JB: We have supported or coordinated the implementation of programs in seven countries: Côte d'Ivoire, Burundi, Timor Leste, Colombia, Haïti, Israël-Palestine and, more recently, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
GV: To what extent do you think you have contributed to peace?
JB: To me, peace is not just a state of “no war”; peace has to be taught, learned and transmitted. Sport is a recognized educational tool. It is easy to implement, even when infrastructure is lacking. Sport, taught in a structured manner, helps vulnerable children regain a personal balance and to set goals and standards for themselves. They reacquire the wish to improve and to succeed.  They rediscover the path to solidarity, tolerance and a sense of solidarity. They learn how to communicate, to overcome their prejudices and to engage in dialogue.
Peace and Sport, whose patron is Prince Albert II of Monaco, has also created Champions for Peace, an initiative that brings together 56 world level athletes. It grants awards to grassroot  organizations or sports events, such as Skateistan, a  skateboarding teaching initiative for both girls and boys in Afghanistan.
On September 21, on the occasion of  World Peace Day, the Peace and Sport youth centers organized a special event, an Open Door day, to promote the values of sport.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Anti-Malaysianism in Indonesia? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Farish A Noor discusses the perceived anti-Malaysianism sentiment in Indonesia. The author hopes for better relations between the two neighbors in the Southeast Asian region

author: Mong Palatino


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Armenia: More military deaths · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on the latest deaths in the Armenian military and says that it is an indication of endemic problems of violence and bullying in the ranks. The blog also criticizes the official response that highlighting such problems lowers morale and is the work of ‘foreign sponsored NGOs.’

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Twitter Action for Jabbar Savalan · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Following a Twitter campaign by Amnesty International calling for the release of imprisoned journalist Eynulla Fatullayev, the international human rights watchdog has launched another in support of a young Facebook activist in Azerbaijan who was jailed in May. The earlier action was followed by Fatullayev's release just days later and the organization hopes that the same will be true for Jabbar Savalan. More details of the online action which will coincide with the 20th anniversary of the country's independence from the former Soviet Union can be found here.


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Barbados: FIFA & Ethics  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press is keeping its eyes on the unfolding controversy with former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner and other regional football officials.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Brazil: Creating Opportunities for Life After Jail · Global Voices
João Miguel Lima

In the 1990s Ronaldo Monteiro was convicted for extortion by kidnapping and sentenced to 28 years in prison in Brazil. While serving his time, Monteiro and some fellow inmates were concerned for the wellbeing of their families in their absence. They responded to the situation by setting up a workshop inside the jail where they recycled and sold paper. A portion of the profit went towards improving their equipment, and the rest was shared among their families. That's how project Uma Chance (A Chance) started.
The Center for Digital Inclusion (CDI) began offering short courses on information technology to detainees. Monteiro enrolled and learned fast; he was soon invited to teach as well. The project expanded to other penitentiaries, and family members were also invited to participate.
In this documentary by Mixer Productions, Monteiro explains how he pursued a new path from inside jail and turned his life around (subtitles in English):
In 2002, while still incarcerated, Monteiro created the Center of Social and Cultural Integration known as CISC-Uma Chance, which offers courses on IT and recycling to communities of Tribobó, in São Gonçalo, in Greater Rio de Janeiro. They work to make opportunities available to more people, as CISC develops activities in cooking, citizen awareness, healthy lifestyle and preparation for university.
Event to celebrate the third year of ‘Growing up with Citizenship' at CISC. Photo by Danny Silva, used with permission.
In 2003, Monteiro was granted parole.
New beginnings
In 2006, Monteiro went one step further and created the impressive Incubadora de Empreendimentos para Egressos (IEE) (Incubator of Small Businesses for Ex-Detainees). Aiming for social reintegration of young offenders, detainees and former detainees, the incubator fosters ideas with dynamic lessons on entrepreneurial skills and management. The IEE seeks to break the cycle of repeat-offending by offering a chance to men and women who are often turned down by society.
The project has earned support from Petrobras since 2006, and has partnered with Ashoka, McKinsey & Company and several universities. Because of this work, Monteiro was named an Ashoka fellow.
Ronaldo Monteiro talking to participants of IEE. Photo by Danny Silva, used with permission
As Monteiro says in the documentary above, serious projects “transform lives and make men work” instead of resorting to crime and armed violence. In a TEDx Sudeste [pt] presentation in 2010, Monteiro explained that rehabilitation should involve education, and opportunities and incentive for pursuing dreams.
The penitentiary system in Brazil has been repeatedly been a subject of criticism by human rights groups. A report by Amnesty International in 2010 said detainees “continued to be held in cruel, inhuman or degrading conditions”, often facing overcrowded facilities.
When detainees are released, they carry a heavy stigma, and harsh experiences in jail hardly contribute to rehabilitation. But with the proper incentive and inspiration, detainees may find options of new paths to rebuild their lives.

author: João Miguel Lima


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Chile: “Anti-Occupation” Law Sparks Controversy · Global Voices
Felipe Cordero

On October 2, 2011, the Chilean Ministry of Interior (responsible for public order and security), drafted and sent to Congress a piece of legislation that would criminalize occupations of public or privately-owned buildings [es], as well as rioting and damage to public infrastructure.
The law was drafted by Miguel Otero, former Senator of the National Renovation Party (same party as President Sebastian Piñera) and current advisor to the National Chamber of Commerce, at the request of the Ministry of Interior. When asked about what he thought of the 37 public protest by online newspaper El Dinamo, Mr. Otero replied [es]:
Estuve viéndola por televisión y eso prueba de que es urgente que saquemos esta ley. Lo que hay que entender es que nadie puede hacer lo que están haciendo los estudiantes, que están al margen de la ley. ¡Eso no lo puede permitir ningún gobierno!
The proposed law immediately triggered responses from the opposition and civil society, including reactions from the student movement.
Most responses on Twitter express opposition to the law. This was the case of Felipe Carcamo (@carcamofelipe), a senior-year high school student who said [es]:
La #leyantitomas es otra excusa mas supuestamente con un fin de justicia pero solo es para quitarnos mas derechos
Others criticize it because they think it is a form of perpetuating dictatorial policies inherited from the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet, as university student Javier Vergara (@javiervergarap) wrote [es].
J. Raul Martinez (@jraul_martinez) thinks the legislation shows the level of influence businesses have over policy-making [es]:
impuestos son “suficientes para necesidades del país”, dice el gran comercio… el mismo que mandó listo el proyecto de ley #antitomas
This last point was explored more in depth in blogs, where particular attention was paid to the fact that the legislation appears to have been pushed only after the National Chamber of Commerce requested actions be taken to protect commerce. Daniel Arellano, writing for the blog El Kiosco Bloggero [es], raised several questions [es]:
Y para terminar llama la atención que la idea de este proyecto no fue del Gobierno propiamente tal (aunque lo “amononaron” en estos días), sino que de la Confederación Nacional de Comercio (CNC), en otras palabras de los empresarios. ¿Quien manda entonces en Chile?. ¿El Gobierno o los empresarios?. ¿Habría sido tomado tan en cuenta un proyecto similar […] que fuera presentado por ciudadanos comunes?. Este es un punto que debe ser aclarado prontamente por ambas partes para bien de la transparencia gubernamental. Para terminar, esta alianza Gobierno – Empresarios en temas de seguridad se ve consolidada con la premiación a la CNC, del Ministerio del Interior, por su aporte en materias de seguridad ciudadana. ¿Raro al menos, no creen?.
In Diario30 [es], Raul Valdivia explains why he thinks disruptions of public order are sometimes necessary to bring positive change:
A través de estas acciones “disruptivas” –marchas, paros y diversas formas de protesta- los movimientos despiertan el interés de otros ciudadanos y de los medios de comunicación, que es el primer paso para generar solidaridad y, finalmente, lograr adhesión masiva a sus demandas. Es así […] como los movimientos acumulan fuerza, aumentan su incidencia en la agenda pública […]
He adds:
Pero lo que no se puede permitir es que una nueva ley ahogue esa cuota de disrupción que enriquece la democracia y que en ocasiones es necesaria para impulsar cambios que a la larga son saludables para el país, especialmente cuando se trata de situaciones abiertamente injustas, como lo es la realidad educacional chilena.

author: Felipe Cordero


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Chile: Citizen Photos of October 15 Protests · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Citizens throughout Chile participated in the October 15 protests. Online new site El Dínamo [es] put together a Storify post [es] with pictures shared on Twitter.

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: A Poem About the Self-Immolations in Tibet · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A series of self-immolations happened in Tibet since early October. Tibetan poet Sengdor wrote a poem, “Mourning” to commemorate his fellows. High Peaks Pure Earth translated the poem and some of the comments.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Girl ran over by two vans, bystanders ignored · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A cold-blood story happened in the weekend in Foshan city. A two-year-old girl hit by a van, the diver did not stop and drove away. Bystanders witnessed the scene did not help the girl, then another van ran over. The incident was recorded by a CCTV in a roadside store. ChinaSMACK translated the story.


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China: No Clear Solution to the Wall Street Occupation · Global Voices
John Kennedy

This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.
A month on since the Wall Street demonstration began, “Occupy” protests even spread to several cities in Asia this past weekend.
According to New York-based investment banker and adjunct professor in the Zicklin School of Business at CUNY, Jay Guo, writing on his Sina.com blog [zh], protesters at the original site have yet show much sign of being ready to pack up and head home, while in the meantime similar protests have popped up across the country in 70 other cities, finding lots of support in each.
The American dream is fading away, Guo says, and a lot of the blame falls on United States President Obama, who despite repeated calls made during his 2008 election campaign to initiate reforms, has yet to deliver:
更为担心的是，不同于以往经济危机，目前美国还没有出现一个行业有希望能够带领国家走出这场危机。而现有的权力结构也未能展现出任何变革的魄力。在民众没有希望可看时，矛盾向社会的蔓延也是必然趋势。
美国梦在渐行渐远。占领华尔街运动还将继续。
What's more worrisome, though, is how this differs from past economic crises. There isn't a single profession that shows any hope of being able to bring the country out of this crisis. Not just that, but the present power structures haven't shown any will to push through reforms. With the public left with no hope in sight, conflict is guaranteed to continue spreading through society.
The American dream is drifting away, and the Occupy Wall Street movement is going strong.
Occupy Hong Kong in Exchange Square, Hong Kong, China. Image by anissatung, copyright Demotix (15/10/11).
Then, if bankers say they don't have the answers and the political process is equally unable to repair either itself or the economy, how do you start over? National Business Daily columnist Ye Tan looked at the more radical, or possibly legal, approach in her post this weekend [zh] of chasing the “fat cats” out of Wall Street and the global economic system:
占领华尔街运动旷日持久，四处蔓延，华尔街上的金融家成为部分民众泄愤的对象。贪婪的金融肥猫，成为失业率上升、经济疲软的罪魁。抗议者占领了华尔街之后怎么办？无非是走了一批旧肥猫，再来一批新肥猫。
[…]
目前的金融时代极端不公平，不仅仅在美国国内，在全球、在中国，莫不如此。民众赶走肥猫，也占领不了华尔街。
What if, though, instead of more fat cats, zombies end up taking over Wall Street and start working on a public bailout plan? That's almost the question Yale Professor of Finance Zhiwu Chen seemed to be asking in a recent interview he gave [zh] to Phoenix TV:
他们肯定有这样的权力，但从另一个角度来讲，作为经济学家，我是觉得他们自己搬起石头砸自己的脚，因为说到底，你说当然我知道这些抗议华尔街那些人，每一个人的原因不一样，理由各种各样的，所以他们可以根据各自的原因去游行、去示威。
但是，到最后如果他们真的把华尔街给打垮了，尤其是他们通过游行，给美国民主党的那些议员和政客提供更多的理由去推出更多的监管政策，甚至推出新的法律，加强对于高收入群体的征税等等。到最后，必然的一个结果，会使得美国社会的总体金融服务的供给量会下降的。
Of course they have the right [to be there], but looking at it from another aspect, as an economist, I think that what they're actually doing is shooting themselves in the foot. To the point, I know that they all have their own reasons for being there, and that the protesters have different reasons for wanting to demonstrate.
But in the end, if they truly do end up taking Wall Street down, and especially if, through their rallies, they end up giving politicians and those in Congress from the Democratic Party more reason to introduce greater regulatory measures—or even laws—which raise taxes on high-income earners, in the end there's only going to be one result, and that will be an inevitable decline in the supply of financial services available to the American public.
因为简单的说，你把很多的华尔街公司都打垮了，把很多银行都赶跑了，到最后整个美国经济不管是企业家，还是企业他们能够得到的资金的支持，资本的支持，会比以前更少。这么多企业和创业家甚至于像未来的乔布斯这样的人物，都得不到很多的资本，得不到很多的华尔街的支持了以后，那美国的就业靠什么来增长。
这些去游行示威抗议的人，和他们的盟友，他们的支持者以后要找工作的时候谁来给他们提供工作。
Put simply, if a number of Wall Street firms end up getting shut down and banks are forced to leave, in the end it's going to be the overall American economy, affecting both entrepreneurs and corporations, that won't be able to receive sufficient financial support, enough capital support, as there just won't have been as much as there once was. If this means that all the future Steve Jobs among all these corporations and entrepreneurs aren't going to be able to raise much capital, or receive much support from Wall Street, then where will American job growth come from?
These people out rallying and demonstrating and protesting, their allies and supporters, when it comes time for them to find work, who's going to be there to give them a job?
This post is part of our special coverage #Occupy Worldwide.

author: John Kennedy


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Cuba: Mourning the Loss of Laura Pollan  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuban bloggers are in mourning over the death of Laura Pollan, the former leader of the opposition group Las Damas de Blanco.  Pollan was admitted to hospital on October 7, with an unidentified infection that reportedly turned out to be dengue fever. (The official cause of death, however, hasn't stopped some conspiracy theorists [es]).
She passed away last Friday.  The sad news made its way across the blogosphere with lightning speed and bloggers, both within Cuba and throughout the diaspora, were soon posting their remembrances of the late human rights activist online.
Ziva Sahl, blogging at babalu, said:
I will forever hold in my heart the image of Laura Pollán, dressed in white, carrying gladiolus, leading the column of  Las Damas de Blanco. How many of us waited every Sunday for news of their weekly act of brave resistance, their peaceful, dignified walk down Havana’s 5th Avenue, as we prayed for their safety, the release of their husbands and all political prisoners, and inspired by their bravery and dignity, dared to hope for more, so much more for Cuba.
The post goes on to compare Pollan to “China's Tank Man…but with one significant difference”:
Unlike China’s invisible rebel, Laura Pollán is not going to disappear. Just as the weak and cowardly Castro dictators were rendered helpless to stop Laura from marching in life, her cause, Libertad, Libertad, Libertad, will prevail. They will be unable to stop Cuba’s inevitable passage out of bondage to freedom.
Uncommon Sense called her one of Cuba's “greatest heroes”:
For eight years, Pollan was kept apart from her husband Hector Maseda, one of the Group of 75 dissidents arrested and imprisoned during the “black spring” of 2003.
Pollan and other Damas De Blanco — made up of the wives, mothers, sisters, daughters and other family members of the Group of 75 — marched peacefully through the streets of Havana, bearing witness on behalf of their loved ones and against their captors. They braved the worse the dictatorship could throw against, up to and including outright assaults and arrests, but they persisted, motivated by their love for their imprisoned men and as time passed, by the support of many of their fellow Cubans and of admirers overseas inspired by their example.
The Damas, with Pollan at the forefront, were among the brave Cubans who after the murder of prisoner Orlando Zapata Tamayo eventually convinced the regime last year that the continued imprisonment of the Group of 75 was no longer tenable. The Spanish government and the Catholic Church claimed the credit for the eventual release of those prisoners still in jail, but it was the Damas and other Cubans — like Zapata and Guillermo Farinas — with the courage to take on the Castros, who made it happen.
Even after Maseda and others were released, Pollan remained a leader, expanding the Damas’ efforts to demand the release of other political prisoners and to other parts of Cuba.
Laura Pollan…never gave up and neither should Cubans on the front lines of the continuing struggle for freedom, and those of us who support them.
It is up to them and to us to ensure that Laura Pollan's death was not in vain, and that the inspiration she provided in life will continue until her struggle is complete.
Along the Malecon added:
Cuban authorities vilified Pollán in the state-run media, calling her a “mercenary” who received money from U.S. government-financed organizations. Others praised Pollán as a hero, a woman of great courage. Whatever your view, Pollán was one of the most important players in Cuba's transition to the post-Castro era.
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter honoured Pollan's “heroic life” in this post, but the theme of remembrance gave way to news that the Cuban government was reportedly clamping down on activities related to the death of the famous dissident:
Tonight the dictatorship has mobilized its state security forces around the country and they are visibly nervous. Women attempting to travel to Havana from the provinces to pay their respects to the former high school literature teacher now turned human rights icon have been arrested reports Jose Daniel Ferrer Garcia and Yoani Sanchez.
The post also detailed plans for Pollan's wake and funeral:
Laura's wake will take place over the next 2 hours at La Nacional funeral parlor at Infanta and Benjumeda in Central Havana on the 2nd floor in Chapel E. Ladies in White from around the country are trying to reach the capitol to pay their respects. The family has announced they will have a small private funeral and that Laura will be cremated afterwards.
Starting Saturday at 9:00am and over the next three days a book of condolences for Laura Pollan will be available for signing at Neptuno 963 between Hospital & Aramburu in Central Havana in Cuba.
Havana Times was of the view that:
The absence of Laura Pollan will be felt by the Ladies in White, who — in addition to having to face greater repression from government supporters — will also have competition from new dissident splinter groups formed by some of the recently released prisoners.
Angel Santiesteban, blogging at Translating Cuba, asked, “And now, what do we do?”:
May we be able to earn that life in which you now live, having justified staying on this Island you defended until death – it will be the only way in which you will live for the Motherland. And then may it not be the dead who raising their arms will still know how to defend her** [**words from a Cuban poem]. It will be us, possessed by your spirit, who will conquer the yearned-for freedom.
Indeed, many bloggers reported that the Ladies in White have vowed to continue Pollan's fight, noting that a mere two days after her death, the group marched in her memory – as well as to make the statement that her dreams for a free Cuba will not die with her.  Members of the Cuban diaspora also marched in solidarity and had church services said in her honour.  Condolences from official sources in the United States did not go unnoticed by diaspora bloggers.
Still, her absence seems unreal to many.  Yoani Sanchez wore a T-shirt emblazoned with a photo of Pollan accompanied by text reading: “Laura Pollan you are still with us”. Sanchez also wrote a post about Pollan's death and the “lack of compassion” shown to her by the Cuban government:
In the same days when Laura Pollán lay dying in intensive care, Cuban television rebroadcast a dogmatic serial where they insulted the leader of the Ladies in White. Among the most notable signs of the Cuban government’s pettiness is its failure to respect a political adversary, even when she is dying.  This lack of compassion compelled them to deploy a crude police operation outside Calixto Garcia Hospital last night, shuffling her body from ambulance to ambulance so that we wouldn’t know to which morgue they were taking her. And, finally, they did not release even a short death notice in the national press.  They have lost a final chance to appear, at least, to have pity.
Laura has gone — has left us — and they lost the opportunity to repair so many atrocities. They believed that by hanging degrading epithets on her, preventing her from leaving her house, accusing her of being a traitor, ‘stateless,’ they would prevent people from approaching her, from liking her. But in the dark hours of the morning, a funeral filled with friends and acquaintances rejected the effect of their demonization.
Laura is gone and now all the acts of hatred against her resonate even more grotesquely. Laura is gone and we are left with a country slowly waking up from a very old totalitarianism that doesn’t even know how to say ‘I’m sorry.’


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Ethiopia: Aberash Hailay’s Case Ignites Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women · Global Voices
Markos Lemma

Aberash Hailay is an Ethiopian Airlines flight attendant whose ex-husband, Fisseha Tadesse, stabbed both her eyes with a knife in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Ethiopian activists are using the Internet to call for justice for Aberash Hailay and draw attention to issues of violence against women in Ethiopia.
Billene Seyoum covered the story on the AfricanFeminism blog, on September 19, 2011. She wrote:
Aberash, an Ethiopian Airlines flight attendant whose ex-husband, Fisseha Tadesse, stabbed both her eyes out with a knife last week, now lies in a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand receiving medical attention to retain sight in one of her eyes, although local medical experts have ruled out the chance of survivability. According to the Amharic newspaper, The Reporter, Aberash was married for seven years before the marriage amicably ended a few months ago. Her uncle says that the night of the incident both Aberash and her ex-husband were invited for festivities in his house and they appeared to be in “good condition”, whatever that means. What the article did not express however was that both her eyes experienced multiple stabs from various directions which made it near to impossible for surgeons to even sew shut the gaping socket which once housed beautiful eyes.
She stressed:
Her wounds and her pain are symbolic of a dysfunctional society stained by the tears and blood of countless women whose cries and plea have often gone unheard and silenced by the taboos of culture
Ethiopian airlines hostess Aberash Hailay. Photo taken from africanfeminism.wordpress.com
On September 22, netizens took a campaign called “Ahun BeAyne Meta!!!” Campaign for Aberash Hailay and other suvivors of VAW (violence against women) to Facebook. The campaign page with over 200 page likes reads:
“Ahun BeAyne Meta!!!” (“Now Through My Eyes”). The Amharic phrase expresses sentiment towards an injustice or a grave act committed against a person which surpasses bodily harm.
Latest news about Aberash's case:
Tuesday, October 18th, 9am – Followup court hearing for suspect in Aberash Hailay's case. The Network of Ethiopian Women's Association (NEWA) is asking you to show up and spread the word.
Another page on Facebook with more than 900 likes is called Justice for Aberash Hailay:
This page is created to raise our VOICE for Justice!! To Aberash Hailay & all the ladies in Ethiopia & all over the world who are being terreriosed, abused and harrased by Men everyday!!!! .
More than 1,300 people have signed an online petition to the Ethiopian government to stop violence against women. The petition reads:
To protect and redress the injustice committed against Aberash Hailay, an Ethiopian Airlines flight attendant and countless others who had endured attacks on their persons.
One person who signed the petition, Etsub Ethiopia said:
It is sad that there is no real support from any government and non-government agencies. There lots of women who tried to get such support [from] government……. it is [really] sad this should be [stopped] and the government need[s] to take action.
The “Ahun BeAyne Meta” campaign was launched last month in Addis Ababa:
The purpose of the gathering on the morning of September 23rd at the Sheraton Addis was three-fold:
1. To give a press statement on the case of Aberash Hailay and other survivors of VAW
2. To unveil the open letter addressed to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and sign the petition
3. And thirdly, to discuss the issue of increasing levels of violence against women in Ethiopia and arrive at strategies for way forward.
The open letter to the Prime Minister Melese Zenawi reads:
Your Excellency, you have also on many occasions spoken on the issue of violence against women and girls. The issue of gender-based violence as an issue intrinsically tied to political, economical, social and traditional issues requires the leaders in each sector to play a key role … Read the full text.
Ethiopian netizens have also taken the Shweya Mullah campaign online.  Shweya Mullah is a 30-year-old Ethiopian who was brutally tortured by the wife of Gadhafi's son.

author: Markos Lemma


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France: Global Voices in French Recommended in Volunteers’ Guide · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

Global Voices en français [fr] is happy to see the work of its volunteer translators highlighted and recommended in a recently published book in France, Impliquez-vous !  (Get Involved!) [fr]. Translating foreign blogs into French as part of the Global Voices Lingua project is one of  “101 acts of solidarity” listed by author Christophe Chenebault that contributes to “a more cooperative and human orientated future”.

author: Claire Ulrich


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India: Women Bloggers Meet In Mumbai · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ugich Konitari attended the Dove-Indiblogger Women Bloggers Meet held in mid-town Mumbai on the 16th of October 2011 and wrote about it. More than 90 women from various parts of Mumbai and possibly from nearby cities participated.

author: Rezwan


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Jamaica: Cricket & Writing  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The game of cricket taught diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp how to stay his wicket – in writing and in life.


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Jordan: New Government, Expectations and Hope! · Global Voices
Ali Alhasani

Jordan saw the appointment of a new prime minister today after the majority of parliamentarians sent a letter to King Abdullah, pointing out grievances with Dr Marouf Bakhit's government. Bakhit submitted his resignation, which was accepted by the King.
In addition to the MPs letter, Bakhit's ouster was the result of widespread anti-government protests which have been taking place in the kingdom since his appointment. Replacing Marouf Bakhit is Awn Khasawneh, an international judge.
Netizens have already reacted to today's fast paced developments on Twitter. Jordanian Fadi Samara expressed his disappointment with the constant reshuffling in cabinet positions.
@Fadisamara: Woke up to a new Government in #Jordan. Who is this Khasawneh? When will this destructive reshuffling act stop?
Mohammad Abandah is happy and optimistic with the changes. He noted [ar]:
أنا سعيد ومتفائل جدا بتعيين دولة عون الخصاونة رئيسا للوزارء في الأردن فهو شخص شريف مثقف ومشهود له بالإخلاص للوطن الحق والعدالة
Ghiya Rushidat is loving the suspense accompanying all what's going on in the Jordanian political scene. She remarked:
@GhiyaRushidat: Love the suspense of new government & anticipate ministry of culture, education, foreign affairs, interior & social development
Naseem Tarawnah wanted more changes. He said:
@tarawnah: I wonder if aside from these senior positions, whether we'll see massive overhaul of middle-management in Jordan's public sector.
And Anas H. Natour was surprised. He tweeted [ar]:

author: Ali Alhasani


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Macedonia: Blog Action Day Entries About Food · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Macedonian bloggers, who have joined this year's Blog Action Day, include Dzamski, who wrote [mk, en] about the ongoing campaigns to raise awareness about the socio-economic roots of the famine problem; Greener stressed the importance of making healthy choices; while Jovana Tozija warned about the consumerist abuse of the term “organic food” and related misconceptions.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Macedonia: Public Debate on Down Syndrome · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Prof. Vladimir Trajkovski, MD, PhD, blogged [mk] about the public debate on the Down Syndrome, which was held in Skopje on Oct. 15 with over 300 participants, including the Croatian ambassador, but without the invited local politicians/public officials. He also posted a video of his short lecture [mk] on the recent scientific discoveries in this area of genetics.


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Madagascar: The Birthplace of the “Occupy Wall Street” Philosophy ?  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Dan Berrett argues in the Chronicle of Higher Education that the ” Occupy Wall Street's most defining characteristics—its decentralized nature and its intensive process of participatory, consensus-based decision-making—are rooted in other precincts of academe and activism: in the scholarship of anarchism and, specifically, in an ethnography of central Madagascar”.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Malaysia: #cleanbefore13 hashtag · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The twitter hashtag #cleanbefore13 refers to the campaign to pressure the Malaysian government to implement immediate electoral reforms before the 2013 general elections.


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Malaysia: Proposed Electoral Reforms · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

Bersih 2.0, the landmark demonstration held in July this year which has become a formidable political reform movement in Malaysia, is still pressing the government to implement the suggested 8 electoral reforms before the next general election.
Although the Malaysian government has established a Parliament Select Committee (PSC) to look into the proposed electoral reforms, Bersih still feels that it is not enough:
We reiterate that any move towards electoral reform by the government is insincere and deceitful if the 8 immediate demands by BERSIH 2.0 are not implemented before the 13General Elections (GE-13). It is the duty of the Election Commission (EC) and the Government to do all they can to ensure that the right of all Malaysian citizens to vote in a clean, free and fair election is protected.
BERSIH 2.0 urges PM Najib Razak to give the people of Malaysia his word that GE-13 will not be held before the recommendations from the PSC are implemented.
The 8 measures demanded by Bersih are:
Nurul Izzah Anwar, a federal Member of Parliament and vice president of the opposition party led by her father, Anwar Ibrahim, also called for the Prime Minister Najib Razak to implement the reforms before the election:
As Prime Minister, it is morally imperative for you to fulfill the pledges you made during the closing address at the 5thMalaysian Student Leaders Summit on the 31st of July 2011, and I quote:
“I am committed to electoral reform. We will undertake it. For example, there are concerns about phantom voters. We will ensure there is no chance for phantom voters.”
“Do not doubt our commitment to improving the system. We have shortcomings but no one can dispute there is democracy.”
The Rakyat does not deserve to be misled yet again on the long over due need for electoral reform with distractions by way of excuses made for changed venues, heavy-handed crackdown or selectively declaring certain groupings illegal (read BERSIH 2.0).
As a gentle and historical reminder YAB (Yang Amat Berhormat, used as a sign of respect), the rakyat has never truly elected YAB as the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Hence, let this opportunity to enact comprehensive electoral reforms present YAB with the opportunity to definitively receive the rakyat’s mandate to govern.
The implementation of bold electoral reforms will also signal that YAB will no longer be held at ransom by extreme right wing elements that have held back reforms for a better Malaysia.
YAB must also take heart in realizing that embarking on reforms will also ensure YAB regains legitimacy from the Rakyat against other UMNO pretenders to the political throne. These pretenders must not get the better of YAB.
On a suggestion that everyone should wear yellow on Saturdays, kutukurap agrees:
I totally agree with the suggestion to wear yellow on Saturdays as a way to show support for a free and fair election. It’s not disobeying the law but a democratic and harmless way to show the people's stance.
Electoral reform is highly required before GE13 as the rumours on the ground is that UMNO/BN will manipulate the elections like never before to ensure not only they retain Putrajaya but exceed 2/3 majority, therefore we the rakyat must demand for these reforms.
From the Facebook Page CleanBefore13 – Implement the 8 Demands Before GE13
However, there are sceptics to Bersih’s demands, among them a Malaysian living in the United Kingdom who wrote to Another Brick in the Wall [regarding cleaning the electoral roll]:
Based on the CIA World Fact book, death in Malaysia is 4.93 per 1,000 population (based on July 2011). Through extrapolation, for 28 million population, the estimated number of deaths in a year is 138,040 persons. Assuming the information is not updated in JPN over a period of 5 years, on a worst case scenario, the total “un-updated record of deceased persons” is 690,020 people.
According to the EC, we have 11.4 million registered voters. Assuming EC did not update their database due deceased people, this represent 6% inaccuracy of the true/actual registered voters.
Malaysians should ask: can a 6% “inaccuracy/irregularity” (on a worst case scenario) be a strong point to bash the EC or the Government for being unfair? I think this is absurd and politically motivated.
Jebat Must Die, also criticised the opposition’s scepticism regarding the government’s electoral reform promises, specifically where the government proposed the use of biometric voter verification rather than indelible ink:
One of the biggest complaint of indelible ink is that unscrupulous people (they can be from Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat or other good for nothing people) can roam the rural/urban areas and trick unsuspecting voters to use the indelible ink before the election starts thus the voters cannot vote even when they turned up at the election centres. Can we afford this risk?
The biometric on the other hand does not try to replace the IC (Malaysian Identity Card) as the IC is the all important document that can verify a voter.
For instance, can you pass the automated gateway at the airports without your passports by just scanning your fingerprints? Of course you can’t. Same with voting process.
Clearly the Pakatan leaders, being half past six themselves, have not studied the system to make a well informed statement. But then again, I believe they just want to trick people who are unaware of their deceit so that they can continue playing this issue over and over again.
Ahirudin Attan, a popular blogger, agreed:
Bet you didn't know that biometrics in the Malaysian Immigration has now made it impossible for anyone to try and bribe our officers at any entry (or/and) exit point? That's a fact.
You support biometrics, you stop corruption.
A Facebook page has been set up, though it has not garnered a lot of support.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Mexico: October 15 Protests in Photos · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Animal Político [es] posts photos of the October 15 protests in Mexico. Mexicans used the hashtag #15Omx to tweet reports, photos, and reactions.


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Pakistan: A Daughter’s Plea To Free Her Father From Pirates · Global Voices
Rezwan

On 26 November 2010 MV Albedo, a Malaysian commercial ship was hijacked by the Somali pirates and its 23 crews including 7 Pakistanis have been held hostage ever since. Nareman Jawaid, the daughter of the Pakistani captain of the ship is trying her best via blog and Facebook to raise fund for the huge $8 million ransom to free her father.


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Poetry Slam Activism in Francophone Africa · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.
In the past 10 months social movements have sprung around the world at an impressive pace. It all started with an act of despair in the town of Sidi Bouzid, Tunisia, and has now spread across 87 countries and 951 cities around the world according to the organizers of the United for #GlobalChange (October 15) Movement.
Demonstrating outside institutions is one way of expressing a desire for change in a society.  However, other forms of activism have existed for a while now and are now rekindled all around the world as a show of protest against the status-quo. Poetry slam is a well-known channel of expression for many activists in North America but the rest of the world has now embraced this unique blend of poetry and rhythmic oral story telling.
Many have found it difficult at times to relate to a form of expression that is often wrongly perceived as limited to the urban youth of North America. Poetry slam is however now firmly entrenched in the culture of many countries, especially in Africa because it incorporates the African tradition of oral story telling.  Here are a few examples of poetry slam across the African continent and the context in which they were expressed.
The Arab revolution
King Bobo on UniversalSlam wrote a tribute to the youth of Tunisia, Egypt, Syria and Libya entitled ‘Liberté chérie j’écris ton nom‘ ( Beloved freedom, I write thy name) [fr]:
Liberté chérie j’écris ton nom
Ecoutez ce vent de liberté qui souffle dans toutes les langues
La jeunesse tunisienne s’exprime sur les murs
Avec des slogans tracés à la peinture
Liberté, liberté, liberté
La jeunesse égyptienne grave sur les sépultures
Des hiéroglyphes modernes inscrits pour le futur
La jeunesse syrienne ne voit que des balles perdues
Qui ricochent un peu partout et qui tracent sur les murs
Les poètes libyens de Benghazi murmurent
Des poèmes satiriques comme des caricatures
Algeria
Fodil Belhadj, an Algerian author, poet and blogger on Regards Africains (African eyes) [fr], slams about the promise of Algeria's independence [fr]  and makes an analogy with his own story and his exile from his homeland [fr]
Fodil Belhadj also posts on his blog an open letter to the Algerian army [fr] :
.. Cela s’appelle l’autodétermination Chère Armée Algérienne. L’aurais-tu par je ne sais quel crime oublié ? Ah oui j’avais oublié que les Algériens s’étaient « trompés » en mandatant 188 députés du Front islamique du salut. Oui c’est vrai z’avaient qu’à pas voter pour de méchants islamistes, alors que toi tu es tellement, tellement sympathique. Chère Armée Algérienne. C’est tout ce que tu as trouvé comme argument spécieux, s’il en est, pour écraser ton propre peuple et rassurer « ta » communauté internationale…!
Sache donc grande muette puisque tu feins de ne point le comprendre, et à défaut de l’admettre, que démocratie signifie : Se soumettre au verdict des urnes.
Republic of Congo
Abd al Malik is a well-known singer and poet who grew up in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.  Socially and politically engaged, most notably on the perception of Islam in France,  he created with other artists the group ‘New African Poets’ (NAP) [fr]. In his poem, ‘Soldat de plomb’ (Toy soldier), Malik describes the struggle of a disaffected youth trying to fit in:
Soldat de plomb, soldat de plomb
Bien sûr qu'un sourire nous aurait fait plaisir,
Juste un peu d'attention et peut-être ça aurait été autrement.
Nous aurions été des enfants normaux et pas des enfants soldats,
Morocco
In Morocco, the independent news portal Mamfakinch described how  the February 20 movement voiced their desire for change a few months ago in a different manner [fr]:
Nous sommes jeunes, nous sommes capables d’innovation ! Pour ne pas tomber dans la banalisation de nos formes de protestation, et au vu de l’essoufflement que peuvent ressentir nos concitoyens et principalement les jeunes par les sit-in répétitifs, la coordination de Rabat des jeunes du 20 févier a décidé de diversifier ses formes des contestations.
C’est dans cet esprit nous avons choisi, après un long débat, de faire un Flash-mob: Plus précisément, un Freeze ( on explique plus bas le principe) et un petit concert de musique et poèmes contestataires.
Here is a video of part of the protest:
Madagascar
Some may argue that the original seeds of peotry slam were sowed in Madagascar. Malagasy culture has always incorporated Hainteny (Malagasy for “knowledge of words”), a traditional form of Malagasy oral literature and poetry involving heavy use of metaphor.
Kabary is the the spoken public discourse of the Hainteny and the earlier form of Kabary dates back to the 18th century. Kabary are often used during social gathering such as engagement parties or wedding where the speaker for each family would engage in verbal jousting. Usually declined by men,  here is a rare instance of a Kabary spoken by Malagasy women [mg]:
Mauritius
Poetry slam has also taken a foothold on the island of Mauritius. Stefan Hart de Keating also known as StefH2K is one of the pioneer of poetry slam in the Indian Ocean.  StefH2K explains that the presence during the slam is just as important as the quality of the text.
Fictif discusses the identity crisis that the Asian minority can sometimes feel in Mauritius [fr, kr]:
LE Sino-Mauricien
Aujourd’hui
Je veux slamer
Pour tous ceux
Qui comme moi en ont marre
D’être mis à l’écart
Car je ne suis pas qu’un petit Chinois
Mais un Mauricien
Comme toi… comme toi… comme toi
Oublie mon accent chinois
Ma langue maternelle, c’est le créole
Ki to ti kroir toi ? Mo pa konn koz kréol ?
Même si je regarde Jackie Chan à la télé
Ou pratique le kung-fu
Fou, hein ?
Ma danse préférée reste le séga
The Chinese-Mauritian
I want to slam
For those like me
Who are tired
Of being ostracized
Because I am not only a small Chinese guy
I am also a Mauritian
Like you, like you, like you
Forget my Chinese accent for a minute
My mother tongue is Creole
What did you think? That I cannot speak Creole?
Even if I watch Jackie Chan on TV
Or practice Kung-fu
Fooled you huh?
My favorite dance is still séga
There are many causes for which people protests in the streets or engage in political discourse. What has come to fruition is that the manner in which we do so tend to feed into one another more rapidly. Similarily, poetry slam has moved beyond borders to reach as a unique channel for self-expression and social activism. In fact, the rise of  social media probably played a role in the quicker dissemination of poetry slam as a universal voice for the oppressed.
This post is part of our special coverage Languages and the Internet.


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Portugal: Photos and Videos of October 15 Protests · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis and #Occupy Worldwide.
[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted]
The non-partisan, secular and peaceful protest arranged [en] for the October 15 in Portugal,  calling for “participatory democracy,  transparency in policy and the end of the precariousness of life”, gathered around 80,000 “indignados” (protestors) in the  main squares of eight cities around the country.
Two days before on October 13, 2011, Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho announced historic cuts for public servants, which provided mottos for many of the posters taken to the streets by demonstrators. Online platforms were used to share photo and video reports of events.
October 15 Demonstration in Porto. Photo by José Ferreira (used with permission).
Protest in Lisbon
YouTube user João Pedro (immortaltechpt), who shared two videos of the events, sums up the motivation and the course of the day of action in Lisbon:
desde o Marquês de Pombal até S. Bento. A manifestação regeu-se  principalmente por uma discórdia para com as medidas de austeridade  adoptadas para fazer frente à crise. Adicionalmente expressou-se a  vontade de reformar a sociedade e fazer uma transição para uma  democracia mais participativa/directa.
Concentration in Marquês de Pombal, Lisbon. Photo by José M. on Foursquare
After the preparation for the event [photos], those who went by subway to the gathering in Marquês de Pombal might have noticed that the names of the stations had been changed. The direct action O Metro é das pessoas, não é das marcas (The Metro belongs to the people, not to the brands) against the change of the name of the emblematic station Baixa-Chiado, which is now called Baixa-Chiado PT Bluestation following sponsorship by the company Portugal  Telecom, proposes a reflection about the privatization of public spaces in times of crisis, playing with words: “Entre-estágios” (Between internships) instead of the station “Entrecampos” (Between fields), or “Baixa-Empregabilidade” (Low employability) for the station “Baixa-Chiado” (Low Chiado).
From the subway to the streets, the following video compiles a selection of photos by Paulete Matos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sf_5EqeBIY&feature=player_embedded
The march continued with intervention songs recorded in several citizen-videos such as this one and the following:
The destination was São Bento Street and eventually the occupation of Parliament's steps [videos]:
March of the Indignados. Photo by Debora Baldelli for Global Voices Online.
"This afternoon (October 15) in Lisboa, next to the Assembly of the Republic (4:38pm, before the confusion) #15outubro (#October15)". Photo by Luis Galrão on Twitpic
On Twitter, the hashtag #15oPT made it to the national trending topics, but also #15outubro was used to a lesser extent to report the day of protests. Some of the most active users of this tool directly from the demonstration were the journalist Sara Marques, through her personal account (@sara_marques) and Luis Galrão (@LGalrao), who stated that it is “clear that Twitter is not the elected channel by the lusos (Portuguese) #indignados”.
Occupy Lisbon Begins (15/10/2011). Photo by Fernando Mendes copyright Demotix.
A People's Assembly was organized afterwards with around 100 players and several approved proposals, such as the permanence of the occupation, the call for initiatives of peaceful civil disobedience, and a new demonstration on 26 November.
"This Government is a thief because it steals our bread". Demonstrator in Porto. Photo by Diana Rui – www.dianarui.net (used with permission)
An anonymous indignado wrote a few thoughts about the organization of the people's assembly, the proposals presented and the time of voting, as he believes that some points may be “not so readily discernible to anyone who makes contact with the event from the outside, through the media”, and he concludes:
é imperioso [pensar] as assembleias como um local de construção de saber e de  emancipação e não como um palanque de exposição de pessoas mais  atrevidas e eloquentes. É imperioso usar metodologias comprovadas de  organização da participação popular. Temos que nos socorrer de  profissionais que fazem do estímulo à participação pública o seu mester,  para que com eles/elas possamos criar assembleias verdadeiramente  participativas. É imperioso também que as  organizações/associações/colectivos das sociedade civil sem vínculos  partidários se assomem a este processo, minimizando a influência que  certos partidos com respectivas agendas têm, para que as assembleias  sejam uma verdadeira mostra da vontade das pessoas e não da vontade de  certos partidos ou facções.
Action in Porto
In the city of Porto around 15,000 demonstrators marched from Batalha Square to Liberdade Square:
Concentration in Batalha Square. Photo shared by the October 15 organization in Porto
March on the Passos Manuel Street. Photo shared by October 15 organization in Porto
An overview of the demonstration on the Aliados Avenue was recorded on video:
"They steal the people to give to the wealthy… I prefer Robin Hood. Direct Democracy". World Revolution for Real Democracy in Porto (15/10/2011). Photo by Pedro Ferreira, copyright Demotix.
Keep calm and protest. Indignados in front of the City Hall. Photo shared by the organization of October 15 in Porto.
"The governments piss all over us! Media tells us it is raining!" (Coimbra, 15/10/2011). Photo by Aurélio Malva shared on Facebook.
The Porto protest also ended with a people's assembly; a list of proposals (not yet available online) will be discussed next Saturday, October 23, in Liberdade Square.
In the aftermath of the protests, Rui Rocha, from the blog Delito de Opinião, wonders if “is there anyone out there who is not indignant“. Through a brief comparative analysis of the October 15 marches and the Scraping-by Generation protests of March 12 – “less protesters in a more degraded social and economical context than then”, he adds:
para lá de tudo isso, das   comparações, dos mensageiros, dos propósitos e do contexto, sobra uma   mensagem que é impossível ignorar. A de que paira sobre nós um nevoeiro   de injustiça, de desequilíbrio, de distribuição enviesada que não pode   deixar-nos indiferentes. E, se os motivos, os percursos e as soluções   não são consensuais ou mesmo aceitáveis, fica, apesar de tudo, um   sentimento de indignação que merece ser partilhado e que tem muito mais   adesão do que aquela que hoje foi visível nas nossas ruas.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis and #Occupy Worldwide.

author: Sara Moreira


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Russia: Facebook Bots Massively Vote for Putin · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Russian online magazine “Slon” exposes [ru] significant increase in activity of Facebook fake accounts who vote for Putin in online opinion polls. The bots are active not only on Facebook but also on online media websites that allow to use Facebook profiles for voting.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Russia: Networked Volunteers Save Lives of Missing Children · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

In September 2010, 4-year-old Liza and her aunt disappeared in a forest area outside of Moscow. Just a few weeks prior to that, fierce wildfires had destroyed forest paths and it was particularly difficult to navigate. Volunteers who found out about Liza's disappearance used the Internet to distribute an urgent call for help. A community of car drivers was the first to respond. Unfortunately, it was too late; Liza and her aunt died alone in a forest.
Liza Alert: Internet-based Volunteer Network
Liza's disappearance and a number of similar cases have triggered the creation of a more organized volunteer community. Liza's rescuers decided to establish a network whose members would engage immediately once a child was lost. The network was called Liza Alert [ru]  in order to commemorate Liza, and a reference to the successful United States-based Amber Alert.
Grigoriy Sergeev, one of the network founders, explains how the network was born:
После этого случая целая группа людей начала одновременно говорить о необходимости организации чего-то, что могло бы мешать гарантированной кончине в лесу пропавших. Почему гарантированной? Потому что никто не ищет. Есть в очень малой степени участие тех, кто должен этим заниматься. Милиция прекрасно отметилась на Лизе: два дня вообще не искали, потому что был День Города, а когда искали суть поиска сводилась к работе одного-двух человек по вялому опросу населения. Это была имитация деятельности.
Saving of a child by one of Liza Alert volunteers. Photo courtesy of Liza-Alert.org
Lizaalert.org, the hub of the network that consists of 1,300 members, now provides information on recent cases of missing kids that need to be searched for immediately. The core of the network consists of its 50-70 most active members who are involved in search activities on a weekly basis.
There are, however, many more people that sympathize with Liza Alert; when a search is taking place, around 20,000 people visit the site every day. Many of them join the operation even if they are not registered as volunteers. Irina Vorobieva, one of the activists and a journalist at Echo Moskvy, explains the role of the Internet in the process:
Когда появляется «потеряшка» – люди выезжают на место для поисков, но основная работа идет в Интернете. Люди на сайте формируют экипажи, созваниваются, распространяют информацию о том кто пропал […] Телефоны и карты мы тоже находим в сети. Интернет – это база на которой это все возникло, построилось и работает.
So far, Liza Alert volunteers have conducted about 50 searches. According to Grigoriy Sergeev, one of the founders of the network, it was a response to the “vacuum of action” by the government:
Это абсолютная инициатива снизу без какого то единого центра. В результате появления этого интернет-сообщества, у многих созрело решение, посвятить значительную часть себя этим историям, чтобы дети не гибли.
Main issues: scope, credibility, professionalism
Scope
To make their work efficient the volunteers initially decided to limit their scope of activity geographically and to focus solely on lost children. Otherwise, the network risked becoming overloaded since there are lots of missing people in the country.
Liza Alert activists confess it was quite difficult to act according to these limitations and after some time they expanded their scope of activities, including the search for missing elderly people:
Дедушки и бабушки – это гарантированное бездействие. Кроме 2-3 уникальных случаев, никогда полиция активно не участвовала в поисковых мероприятиях по поводу пенсионеров, которых 10 человек пропало только за последние выходные.
[Missing] elderly men and women – there is guaranteed inactivity [of the police]. Except in one or two unique cases, the police have never participated in the search of lost seniors, but during the last weekend alone we had 10 such cases.
Irina and Gregory also explain that once they get a specific alert about a missing elderly person, they are not able to say “no”, as their refusal could cost a life. At the same time, Irina and Gregory acknowledge that people engage more in the cases of missing kids, than in those of seniors.
Credibility
Liza Alert activists say they often get misleading information. False alert can negatively influence the motivation of the volunteers and cost a life in the future. Therefore they have developed a special method of checking their data:
Первично выезжает туда узкая команда, которая вообще расследует суть события и оперативно выясняет ситуацию. Если ситуация прозрачна – сразу начинается работа. Если не прозрачна – разговариваем с родителями, полицией, свидетелями, кем удается и после этого уже появляется большая  система оповещения. Если мы говорим про лесной поиск как правило через 5 часов после получения объявления у нас уже в лесу человек 20-30.
Professionalism of volunteers
Liza Alert volunteer during search operation. Photo by Sergey Dolya
Another issue is volunteers’ professionalism. Grigoriy says that they have developed a special set of instructions for searching, since there were no handbooks available from the official emergency services:
Изначально они относятся с большим скепсисом, но когда они видят как это происходит их шокирует организация, наличие такого штаба, количество людей, то что есть оборудование, навигаторы, компасы, рации. Честно говоря достаточно странно, что им до этого далеко. У них было больше времени, сил и средств это сделать.
Due to the networked nature of the organization, inexperienced volunteers join Liza Alert everyday. As consequence, one of the major challenges is to develop techniques for effective engagement and training of the newcomers.
Relationship and cooperation with government
The activity of Liza Alert fills the gaps that exist because authorities can't search for people efficiently. However, volunteer response is not efficient either unless it is based on cooperation with the emergency services. Data sharing and coordination of search activities could be a “win-win” solution for all sides in finding missing people. The relationships with the authorities, however, are far from being perfect:
Были ситуации когда настоятельно просили не участвовать. Ведь очень часто такие случаи спускаются  на тормозах:  «Пропал…  Ну и… А я один участковый, а там целый лес. Как я его вам найду.» Это ж надо звонить в МЧС, просить их помочь, потому что МЧС у нас не обязан заниматься поисками людей. Причем высокопоставленные сотрудники МЧС в эфире на радиостанции недавно сообщили – нет такой задачи.
Activists have noticed positive changes, as well:
Григорий: На второй-третий день они видят как мы работают начинают подходят ближе, начинают спрашивать «А вы куда?» и начинается какое то взаимодействие. Но начинаться должно сразу.
Ирина: В той же Смоленской области где погибла девочка двух лет, в следующий раз местная полиция нам позвонила. Прям через несколько часов после того как пропал ребёнок. Еще через несколько часов мы приехали развернули там штаб и еще через несколько часов мы нашли там девочку.
Grigoriy: After 2-3 days of search they see how we work, come closer, start asking “Where are you going?” and the cooperation starts. But it should start immediately.
Irina: In the Smolensk region, where a 2-year-old girl died, the police called us within several hours after another kid went missing. Within a few hours we arrived and deployed the mobile headquarters, and within another few hours the girl was found.
In many cases, however, even previous experience is not helpful, since the authorities are just not interested in helping people. Grigoriy tells us about one such case:
В эти выходные приехали спасатели дедушки искать, зашли в лес на три часа  и вышли с тремя  полными пакетами грибов. Ну у них вообще мозг где? А родственники стоят смотрят…
Threefold role of networked organizations
The case of Liza Alert demonstrates the triple role of networked organizations. It includes:
Transparency
First, the activity of Liza Alert has attracted attention to the numerous cases of missing people, as well as to the style of the authorities’ response. Irina claims that the number of deaths of missing people is close to the scale of a national disaster. The problem is that there are no official statistics, and therefore no one talks about it:
Ирина: А когда разговариваешь с спасителями, которые с нами сотрудничают, они  говорят –  «Так каждый год». Я: «А почему об этом никто не говорит». Они: «А кто – статистики нет.» Поэтому никто не видит проблемы и чудесным образом проблема превращается в ничто.
Irina: When I talk to rescuers that collaborate with us, they say, “It happens every year.” I ask them why no one is talking about it. They respond, “There are no statistics. Who will speak about it?” Therefore no one perceives it as a problem, and miraculously the problem disappears.
Accountability
The second point of the “networked triangle” is the effect networked initiatives have on the authorities’ actions. A partnership between volunteers and traditional media is especially important in this process.
Irina, a journalist herself, says media cooperation is important not only in attracting more volunteers, but also in putting pressure that could cause a shift in the police's response. The police are more likely to cooperate if journalists are around. Once, an appearance of a TV crew (invited by one of the Liza Alert volunteers) saved a boy's life. Here, Irina states there are also positive changes:
Картина реагирования полиции на пропажу детей изменилась за этот год. Потому что они слышали, читали, они знают что будет внимание, они знаю что волонтеру нельзя заткнуть рот.
Grigoriy and Irina say that holding the authorities accountable was one of the major goals of Liza Alert's development. Vorobieva says:
Надо в регионах создать мобильные отряды даже не для того чтобы они там прочесывали лес вдесятером, а чтобы эти десять могли мобилизовать вокруг себя людей, заставить работать полицию, заставить работать МЧС. Чтобы была пружинка которая срабатывает в случае беды. Вот эту пружинку в каждом регионе нам надо сделать.
There is also an additional layer to the potential impact of the volunteers. The purpose of Liza Alert is to develop new, more efficient models of collaboration. Sergeev says:
Идеально сделать систему аналог американской «Амбер алерт» которая реагировала бы абсолютно на все пропажи детей с вовлечением всех служб с гигантской сетевой структурой добровольцев во всех регионах которые бы реагировали поисками на исчезновения ребенка. С прекращением замалчивания этой проблемы и с оттачиванием этой системы до того чтобы она работала как часики и пропавший человек находился через два часа после пропажи.
Liza Alert activists want officials to recognize that there are situations that can't be handled by the government alone and that volunteers should be appreciated not ignored. Sergeev, however, doubts the authorities’ good will, since they might be afraid of the volunteer movement growing too powerful and independent.
Self-reliance
The third aspect is self-reliance. Putting the problem on the agenda and forcing the authorities to act is not enough. Therefore, in some cases Liza Alert activists have to rely solely on themselves. The internet provides them tools and mechanisms for self-organization and coordination of collective action. It is especially important in looking for elderly people, when the network-based volunteers are often the only ones to respond.
Liza Alert activists are working on the development of professional capabilities, increasing the number of volunteers, as well as on expanding their network geographically. They claim they are ready to train volunteers in the regions. On the other hand, they want to improve their own level of expertise and study international experience. Grigoriy says:
Все это очень важно потому что у нас в стране никто этим не занимается кроме нас, а там существуют целые центры и целые системы.
***
The more professional and powerful the volunteer movement is, the more lives it might save.
The increasing power of Liza Alert and other initiatives raises a problem that no training or experience is able to solve. Volunteers, once empowered by the feeling of saving someone's life, face the dilemma of finding a balance between personal life, work, and their volunteer activity:
Григорий: Я не могу себе позволить бесконечное занятие этим, потому что я должен кормить семью. Однако, понимая то, что пока мы этим занимаемся, многие, кто мог погибнуть, остаются живыми – нет таких весов как-то уравновесить. Это очень сложная история.
Ирина: Я знаю, кто боится, что это съест мою жизнь полностью – этого боится мой начальник и этого боится моя семья. Но, честно скажу, соблазн довольно серьезный заниматься этим фул тайм.
Во всем отряде у каждого, кто занимается поисками активно, есть большие проблемы на работе и большие проблемы дома. И то должно быть большое терпение у семьи, иначе это все плохо закончится. Он встает перед этим сложным выбором – чья-то жизнь или твоя собственная семья,  и этот выбор делает каждый раз по-разному. Но как-то этот выбор приходиться делать.
Grigoriy: I can't afford to work on this project without any limits, because I have to take care of my family. But when you realize that since you have been doing it, many people who could have died are still alive, there is no system of weights that will help you to find a balance. It's a very difficult situation.
Irina: I know there are people who are afraid that this project will entirely consume my life – those people are my boss and my family. Frankly speaking, the temptation to work on it full-time is powerful.
In our team everyone has big problems both at home and at work. And the family should have a lot of patience, otherwise everything will end badly. Everyone has a difficult choice to make – someone's life or your own family, and everyone makes a different choice. But the choice has to be made.


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Russia: the First Twitter Account Officially Registered as Media Outlet · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Federal Service for Supervision in the Sphere of Telecoms and Communications (RosKomNadzor) officially registered [ru] Twitter account of a microblogger Denis Plenin (@Dplenin) as the first mass media outlet on the platform.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Food Posts for Blog Action Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Regional bloggers add their voices to Blog Action Day 2011.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Freedom of Speech  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian bloggers discuss freedom of speech.


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Uruguay’s Candombe · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Eva Blair Smith from Ola Uruguay blogs about candombe music in a post titled “The Heartbreat of Uruguay: A History of Candombe Drumming.”


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Vietnam: Halal Restaurants · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

GoHalalPlanet is a website that provides information on Halal restaurants in Vietnam

author: Mong Palatino


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Vietnam: Trial of Detained Blogger Postponed · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Viet Tan reports that the trial of detained blogger and Mathematics professor Pham Minh Hoang has been postponed. The blogger was charged with subversion.


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Yemen: Azizah Abdo Othman, Yemen’s First Female Martyr · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.
Violence by the regime continued against peaceful protesters in Yemen. Saturday's pro-democracy march in Sanaa resulted in 12 killed and several injured. Yesterday (October 16) another march in Sanaa and one in Taiz were attacked resulting in 14 protesters killed. A breakdown of those killed was tweeted by Khaled Hammadi:
@KhaledHammadi: Death toll in #Yemen reaches to 14: six protesters in #Sanaa, 7 soldiers of army support revolution in Sanaa & 1 woman-protester in #Taiz
The news of a woman killed in Taiz was breaking news on Twitter, since she happened to be the first woman killed while marching peacefully for her country's freedom.
@alguneid: #Breaking #Breaking by phone #Taiz #Woman Martyr, now in Wadi Madam. Shot by 12.7 big gun, by Saleh Thugs, while in demo #Yemen #Breaking
@alguneid: #Taiz 1Martyr #Woman , 4Wounded, by Saleh henchmen. Wadi al-Madam, Old Town, #Yemen
@JamjoomCNN:  Atiaf Alwazir says, “the fear now is that today’s..sniper attack against one woman who was killed in Taiz–it really is an escalation” #Yemen
@alguneid: Martyr #Woman of #Taiz Azizah Othman Al-Mohageri is the 1st martyr who is activist and shot dead by Saleh henchmen, while in a demo.
@YusraAlA: Graphic video of Azezah Abdo Othman, sniper shot in her head in #Taiz today http://youtu.be/E9vtnjSAJ3w #yemen #yf [WARNING: This graphic video was posted by FreeDomTaiz showing Taiz's first female martyr, Aziza killed by a sniper who shot her in the head]
Although many women have been injured and killed before in shelling and bombardments by Saleh forces on residential areas in Taiz, yet the whole of Yemen was moved and enraged by the news of a woman killed by a sniper while marching. Taiz went out in protest that same afternoon.
@YusraAlA: Escalation march in #Taiz today http://youtu.be/cDbMYqaIJE8 condemning #Saleh's crimes against protesters #yemen #yf
(Video posted by: ahmed201120121994)
@alguneid: Magnificent #Taiz #Women are Now big in Nos. Demo., in Wadi Al-Madam where Martyr Azizah was shot dead by Saleh thugs #Yemen
@alguneid: Sad,angry #Taiz #Women,who lost Martyr Azizah,just returned to freedom Sq., unusually late&under rain.They stood,where she was killed #Yemen
@alguneid:
#AI #HRW #UN #HCHR Do you want a better proof that Saleh henchmen shoot at peaceful protesters? #Taiz #Yemen Video http://bit.ly/nsElPF
This video was posted by BassemTaiz shows a sniper shooting directly at protesters at close range:
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh said upon his return to Yemen from Saudi Arabia, where he was being treated for three months for wounds and burns he sustained in an attack on the presidential palace in June, that he was carrying a dove of peace and an olive branch. Yet since his arrival more than 100 people have been killed.
No body is safe in Yemen, even the women are not spared from Saleh's forces, snipers and thugs who kill peaceful protesters with cold blood. Azizah Othman might be the first woman killed in the revolution, but many fear she might not be the last.
This post is part of our special coverage Yemen Protests 2011.

author: Noon Arabia


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Arab World: Celebrations Break Out as 477 Palestinians Released  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Freed Palestinian prisoners leaving Egypt and entering Gaza posted on Twitter by Ian Lee
Tweeps have been busy today following the details of the Israel-Palestine prisoner swap, which saw the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, in exchange for 1,027 Palestinian prisoners.
A total of 477 Palestinians were released today and the remaining 550 prisoners will be released next month, according to the deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamic resistance movement Hamas.
Many across the Arab world pondered on how cheap Arabs were in the eyes of their governments, when compared to the lengths Israel would go through to secure the release and safety of one of its own.
According to Janine Zacharia:
@janinezacharia: In Israel's 9 prisoner swaps with Arab enemies, Israel has freed 13,509 prisoners to win the release of a total of 16 soldiers.
And Syrian SooriMadsoos laments his reality as a Syrian today. He makes his point in three tweets as follows:
@SooriMadsoos: I must say something guys u might not like it but I'm gonna say it anyways. Israel exchanged 1000 Palestinian prisoners for 1 Israeli
@SooriMadsoos: I just envy their govt because it cares for it's citizens. Their govt is prepared to pay the ultimate price for one citizen
@SooriMadsoos: While our govt kills us like we are animals and our Arab neighbors say that it's an internal matter.
Saudi Ali Al Dafiri shares [ar] another viewpoint:
Many commentators reacted to Shalit's health upon his release. Arab commentators were quick to the rebuttal.
Palestinian Ahmed Shihab-Eldin notes:
@ASE: #Shalit, like half the Palestinians living in West Bank and Gaza, is “malnourished” #eatingunderoccupation ind.pn/mSeUnG
Yousef Munayyer makes a similar point:
@YousefMunayyer: If you are surprised #Shalit is “malnourished” you are forgetting he has been eating like a Palestinian in #Gaza
And Ali Abunimah, also a Palestinian, reminds us:
@avinunu: Reminder that Israel still holds 1.5 million prisoners in the giant jail called Gaza for the crime of not being Jews. #TheyTooWillGoHome
Mainstream coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian prisoner swap got a lot of criticism from netizens.
Roqayah points out:
@iRevolt: What the media unashamedly neglects to tell you: Gilad Shalit was a corporal in the IDF, serving as a tank gunner.
and she adds:
@iRevolt: Gilad Shalit is a prisoner of war; Palestinian women and children are prisoners of occupation.
Kurdish blogger Ruwayda Mustafah points out:
@RuwaydaMustafah: Media swiftly ignores Arab prisoners being released. They too have faces, among them women and children. #Shalit.
And Indian Sunny Singh agrees:
@sunnysingh_sw6: Dear international media, thank you for that detailed coverage of #Shalit's release. Can you now give some info on the Palestinian prisoners
Meanwhile, Occupied Palestine posts photographs of the released Palestinian prisoners and their waiting families here.
Gaza broke out in celebrations to welcome the Palestinian prisoners released in exchange for Shalit today.
Omar Gaza reports:
@Omar_Gaza: @danmike1 Most of #Gaza streets r closed lol u cant move easily everywhere, people r filling the streets celebrating :D
In Ramallah, similar celebrations were reported.
Quds News Network, on Facebook, shares those photographs from the celebrations to welcome the prisoners.
And DeeDee tweets:
@ManaraRam: NOW nationalistic songs are being played out loud in the streets of #Ramallah and all other cities Freedom to all prisoners #PrisonerSwap
Many in Palestine also noted how this prisoner swap deal may be a uniting force for the Palestinian factions.
Tim Marshall notes:
@Skytwitius: Gaza. Interesting. There are almost as many fatah flags in khatami sq as hamas. Five years since civil war threw fatah gunmen out.
While Palestinian Nour Odeh, a journalist based in Ramallah, tweets:
@nour_odeh: Emotions are high. Families of #prisoners at Ofer now chanting ‘National Unity, National Unity’, hope factions are listening!!! #Palestine
She continues:
@nour_odeh: Issue of prisoners is a uniting force in #Palestine; having sacrificed their freedom for the nation's, they are considered heroes by all
and she adds:
@nour_odeh: #Palestinian division is shameful, best present 2 prisoners would b 4 factions 2 implement their proposal on #unity, reconciliation
Palestinian Izzat Risheq expresses [ar] his happiness:
@izzat_risheq: We welcome our brave prisoners with two types of tears in our eyes: one of joy for our freed prisoners and another of longing for those not included in the deal
Bringing us back to the reality of countless Palestinians, blogger Jamal Dajani reminds us:
@JamalDajani: Many of the freed Palestinian prisoners will be transferred to a large prison called #Gaza

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Argentina: Photos of October 15 Protests in Buenos Aires · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In Demotix, photographers Laura E., Patricio Murphy, and Maximiliano Ramos share photos of the October 15 protests held in Buenos Aires.


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Bangladesh: Tata Nano Launch Deferred  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Guru Mia reports that the Bangladesh launch of Tata Nano, the world's cheapest car, has been deferred because of high price. The $2,870 basic Indian car model would cost $7,900 in Bangladesh after tax.


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Bolivia: Interview With Indigenous Leader on TIPNIS March · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Dario Kenner has updated his blog Bolivia Diary with pictures and information on the march to defend the Indigenous Territory and National Park Isiboro Sécure (TIPNIS) which, as he reports, “is getting very close to La Paz and should arrive this Wednesday”. He also interviewed indigenous leader Walberto Baraona.


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Brazil: Violence Against Indigenous Fulni-o Tapuya · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Brazilian blogger Danielle Pereira, on Diário Liberdade, denounces [pt] (with photos and videos) abuses and violence committed by the police of Brasilia against members of the indigenous community Fulni-o Tapuya. The people are claiming land that historically belongs to them, but that was delivered to a private company by the local government.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: #OccupySaoPaulo Sets Up Camp · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

A group of Brazilian activists who have set up camp in downtown São Paulo since October 15 protests are now facing the possibility of police repression, says [pt] blogger Conceição Oliveira (@Maria_Fro). There is a live streaming from the so called #OccupySaoPaulo or #AcampaSampa.


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Central America: The Dangerous Journey of Female Migrants · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“Every year, thousands of migrants risk their lives on a treacherous  journey toward el norte, facing violence, extortion, kidnapping and  discrimination. However, female migrants face a heightened risk of  exploitation in the form of sexual violence and trafficking at the hands  of many groups: criminal gangs, corrupt officials, law enforcement,  immigration or security forces and other migrants.” Amanda Tello reports in the blog Witness for Peace.


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Cuba: Remembering Laura Pollan  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Four days after her death, the online tributes are still pouring in for Laura Pollan, the late leader of one of Cuba's most recognized and respected opposition groups, Las Damas de Blanco.  Many sites are focusing on the resolve of the group to continue their fight for human rights on the island in the wake of Pollan's death, in a climate of apparent state-sanctioned aggression.  Front Line Defenders voiced its concern that:
The crackdown against human rights defenders continues unabated. This is evidenced by the actions of security forces in preventing dozens of human rights defenders, journalists and activists from attending the funeral mass of Laura Pollan. It is reported that several human rights defenders were beaten and arrested, and some had the flowers that they were taking to the church destroyed by police officers.
Babalu even translated a post about the arrest of a journalist, allegedly because of an article he wrote about “the possible relationship between the grave illness of Laura Pollan and the puncture inflicted on her at the last attack she suffered”, and wrote another post that questioned “the virtues of the Cuban health care system, but also about the capacity to translate this moral indignation into visible politics.”
Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter compared Pollan to Martin Luther King Jr.:
On the same weekend that the United States dedicated a national monument to the nonviolent resistance activist Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Cubans held a wake for Laura Pollán. King was a Baptist Minister and Laura a school teacher but they both shared the same methodology of struggle, nonviolent civic resistance. In both cases they left behind a movement that would continue after them.
As in the case of Martin Luther King Jr., Laura Pollán's spirit lives on and is present in the hearts of all who love freedom and detest injustice. Despite their physical absence tyrants and despots fear the example set by these nonviolent activists in successfully confronting injustice and the absence of freedom.
The post noted that Pollan “changed Cuba” – and that despite efforts to curtail the farewell activities for Pollan, “over 100 activists managed to circumvent the crackdown and attend Mass at Santa Rita Church then march through the streets of Cuba”:
Leading the march was Hector Maseda, Laura Pollán's husband and a former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, with a photo of his wife on poster board that read ‘Laura Pollán Toledo, Present!’ that he held up for all to see. At the end of the march the demonstrators chanted: Laura Pollán lives!
Many blog posts, though, were sincere tributes to a lady whose struggle touched the hearts of her compatriots and close friends.  Reinaldo Escobar recalled his visit to the home of Laura Pollán and Héctor Maceda on October 2:
I intended to film a short interview with both. Half an hour earlier, Maceda had confirmed with me that it would be possible, but when I arrived at 963 Neptuno Street on the heart of Central Havana, he told me that his wife had begun to feel ill almost exactly when he’d hung up the phone.
I went to her room where I saw her shivering with cold and fever; she allowed me to make a couple of good humored medicinal jokes, and then she lowered the sheet covering her a little so I could see her smile. I touched her forehead and gave her a kiss.
I did not see her in that unspeakable wood gray box where I was told she was unrecognizable. I’m keeping her invincible smile.
Without Evasion wrote about her feelings upon hearing the news of Pollan's death:
It couldn’t be true that Laura had died. We were all sad, angry, feeling orphaned; we all wanted to confirm that this news was wrong. Perhaps it was a mistake, perhaps it was another provocation born of the perversity from official quarters, of those repressors disguised as doctors who swarmed around her hospital bed. How can a person with so much life and energy have died?
Then came other messages confirming the fact and we had to surrender to the fatality: that brave and dignified Lady like few others that had made the dictatorship tremble in fear and anger, had died.
But why, then, were the hounds still so frightened? Why did they allow only two hours in the middle of the night for the wake? Why did there have to be so many arrests in several of Cuba’s provinces to prevent Laura’s friends and fellow travelers coming to her funeral and offering tribute?
Regina Coyula was one of those who “crossed the city well after midnight, determined to arrive at the wake during the two hours conceded by the government to say goodbye to Laura Pollán”; she wrote:
I sang the national anthem there and controlled my emotions during the enormous silence that followed the coffin out between her companions in white, and those so much like me, who were there despite the haste and the late hour; I’m not a person for ceremonies, but I brushed the coffin in passing with my side as a way of saying goodbye.
I returned home on foot. I remembered the events of September 26 in front of her house, that act of repudiation organized down to the gnat’s eyebrow…but I remember above all the women who threateningly cornered Laura against the wall of her house while the conga roared: ‘machete, they’re small.’ Sleep soundly while you can, women of the mob, because the dead are becoming ever more obstreperous.
Without Evasion's Miriam Celaya continued her post:
When I signed the book of condolences, opened in Laura’s house, there were already almost 300 signatures there, and friends kept coming. I couldn’t help but think of the triumph of Laura and her near resurrection: despite the repression, the vigilance and the hatred of the authorities, her house remained open, receiving the solidarity and love of hundreds of Cubans. In the little living room, a modest altar surrounded by flowers and candles, presided over by the Cuban flag, showed the respect of her companions in the marches and all the friends who honored her memory.
I left comforted, strengthened, optimistic. Laura not only hadn’t gone, but she will rise again in the spirit of the new Cuba…Laura is now and forever the soul lit with faith who announces the end of the dictatorship: the rebellion of the gladioli.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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France: Towards an Admission of the 17 Octobre 1961 Suppression? · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

The blog Le Petit Blanquiste recounts [fr] the peaceful demonstration by Algerians in Paris, on 17 October 1961, which was suppressed in blood, and the media reactions of the time. After 50 years of near silence, there are emerging signs of an admission of fault.

author: Suzanne Lehn


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Honduras: An In-Depth Look at Crime · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

La Gringa’ from La Gringa's Blogcito has published the first blog post in a series about crime in Honduras, where she reports that “The recent United Nations Global Study on Homicide put Honduras in the spotlight by naming it number one with 82.1 murders per 100,000 population.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Hong Kong: Occupy Central · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

In global call for solidarity for Wall Street Occupation, Hong Kong activists have started to occupy Central since last Saturday. Here are some photos showing their daily life in Central.

author: Oiwan Lam


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India: ZaraBol – The Micro-Blogging Site · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anupam Saxena at Medianama reviews ZaraBol, the new Micro-Blogging site launched by Rediff.


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Iran: Student receives lashes · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Khorafe says another students received [fa] lashes for insulting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iranian president.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Syrians carry “Khamenei’s coffin” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A film in You Tube shows anti-Assad Syrians in Romania carried Iran's Leader, Khamenei's coffin, as a symbolic act, to protest against Assad's most important ally.


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Iran: History of Women’s Dress and Clothing · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

See the history of Iranian women's dress and clothing in Iran for 25 centuries in photos at rounash.com [fa].


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Japan: We’re Losing to Apple, and Here’s Why · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

When IT consultant, author and developer Isseki Nagae titled an October 11, 2011, post on his blog “Why Japanese manufacturers keep losing to Apple, in the words of Steve Jobs” [jp], he probably knew he would draw some flak for it. Many of those who came to the post through Hatena, where it was bookmarked over two thousand times, no doubt expected to find some insights from the former Apple CEO on what is wrong with the Japanese electronics industry. With the iPhone finally making major inroads into the local mobile phone market, and Samsung stealing the spotlight from Japan's legendary gadget-makers, these insights are much in demand.
The post, though, wasn't exactly what its title seemed to imply. Instead of the words of Steve Jobs on the topic, the post was an opinion piece by Nagae, supported in part by things Steve Jobs had said in other contexts.
iPhone in Japan (by Flickr user nobihaya)
Nagae sets the backdrop:
トヨタ、ホンダなどの自動車メーカー以外の日本のメーカー、特に黒モノメーカーが海外メーカーに全く太刀打ちできなくなったと言われて５年くらいもたつが、ウォークマンで世界を凌駕したソニーをはじめ、IT関係、家電系は特にその兆候が痛々しい。ネット上でいろんな討論があるが、要は現在の日本の家電(特に黒モノ)メーカーはマーケティング力がめちゃくちゃ弱い、ということは間違いないように感じる。シャープのガラパゴスの惨敗なんてそのいい例だ。
理由として挙げられる最大のものは、「素人の顧客の意見を聞きすぎる」ということにあるのではないかと考える。いい方を変えるならば、素人のユーザーの意見に左右されるのはいい加減にした方がいいということでもある。まあ日本のメーカーの経営者自体が素人に近いので、こうした資料が無いと開発にゴーが出ないのかもしれない、というのが最大の問題ではあるのだが・・。本田宗一郎やソニーの盛田昭夫さんが懐かしい今日この頃 です。いまの日本のメーカー経営者ってみんなサラリーマンで、出世が上手くて上がってきた人ばっかりだもんね。
昔から大手広告代理店などでは「リサーチ」「顧客調査」「ヒヤリング」などのもとに多額の予算をとって調査をかける。実は自分もけっこう参加したことがあ る。大手代理店にはユーザー集めてミーティングさせて、メーカー担当がこっそりそれを見るマジックミラー張りの部屋まで用意されているし、世の中には女子 高生を集めて商品企画するような会社もあると聞くが、これで本当にヒット作を企画出来るのかと言えば、自分もジョブズも全く必要ないと思っている(神と自 分を同じ扱いですみません)。実際、ユーザー集めてのミーティングの場にいたことも何度かあるが、たいしたアイデアは出たことがない。
Nagae then cites two well-known quotes from Steve Jobs. In the first, Jobs responds to a question about market research for the iPad (of which there was none):
It’s not the consumers’ job to know what they want.
The second, from a 1998 article in BusinessWeek, echoes the same sentiment. Jobs explains:
It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.
Nagae concurs:
まったくその通りだと思う。素人の消費者にリサーチして、彼らが欲しい(と思われる)ものを作っても、彼らは全く別のものを買う。それが今の日本の黒モノ家電だ。
試しに「どんな携帯電話が欲しいか」聞いてみたらいい。
絵文字が打てる、メールが片手で打てる、ワンセグは絶対欲しい、 防水がいい、おサイフ機能は必須、いろんな機能が付いていると楽しい・・・ETC・・・結果が世界に通用しないガラケー戦隊ですよ・・・
そう答えた消費者が、ワンセグもなくお財布もなく入力もしにくいiPhoneに殺到しているのである。これは何故か。つまり、素人の客に聞いて、彼らがど んなものが欲しいのか忠実に作っていく方法は、まったく無意味ということなのだ。素人が考えつかないようなものでないと売れない。
Later, he draws parallels:
つまり、本当の商品企画というものは、独善的に「ユーザーに思いつかないような斬新なコンセプト」が閃めくような人しかできないということです。ラーメン 屋でもケーキ屋でもパソコンメーカーでもこれは同じなんです。日産が復活したんだって、絶対売れないといわれて生産中止になっていたフェアレディZをカル ロス・ゴーンが再開発したからじゃないですか。Facebookだってザッカーバーグが独善的に機能を詰め込んでいまのかたちになったから世界を支配し た。極論をいえば顧客の意見なんて聞く必要は無いのだ。顧客にスゲエ、と言わせれば良いだけの話です。
Responses to the post were mixed. KoshianX:
これはソフトウェア開発をするとすごくよくわかると思う。お客さんの要望をそのままきくとたいていダメなシステムになってしまう
munioka303:
意味が分からないエントリ。素人顧客の意見が反映されてるの？誰かワンセグ欲しいって言ったか？Appleが勝ってる理由はそんな事じゃないよ。こういう嬉々として「ジョブズ語録」とかやっちゃう人を大量生産できたから
And raitu:
だから日本メーカーっていうか世界中のメーカーがApple一社に負けっ放しなんだっつうの。自虐大好き日本人もそろそろ見飽きてきた。
But perhaps the most interesting thought in the post appeared in the comment thread, where Nagae sums up the situation with a comparison between Sony 30 years ago and Apple today:
その昔、ウォークマンの時代はウォークマンのステッカーを貼ってる車もいました。今でもAppleのステッカーを貼ってる車はけっこういますよね。でもい まやソニーや東芝のステッカーを貼ってる車なんて営業車以外いません。「自分はこれのファンである」とユーザーが堂々と公言できる作品を創っているかどう かで考えれば、間違いなくAppleにメタメタにやられていると思いますよ。

author: Chris Salzberg


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Malawi: A Growing City and its Pay-to-Cross Footbridges · Global Voices
Steve Sharra

As the world's population reaches 7 billion at the end of October, one sign that Lilongwe, Malawi's capital, is growing rapidly are the numbers of people that flock to the city's markets. Two of such markets are on opposite sides of the Lilongwe River in this city of just over 1 million. One market sells vegetables and farm produce, the other clothing.
Four years ago, going from one market to the other meant taking a circuitous path along the riverbank, crossing the Lilongwe Bridge, and then walking back on the other side. Today, there are bridges connecting the two markets, but they are not conventional bridges. They have been constructed by hand using locally-sourced wood.
A hand-made bridge connecting two markets across the Lilongwe river. By Steve Sharra (CC-BY)
The bridge pictured on the right was constructed by a team of seven young men, and it now provides them with a livelihood. They take turns manning the bridge, from as early as 6am to as late as 7pm when darkness falls and the markets close.
The proceeds of the day's bridge-crossing go into the pocket of whoever is on shift. From his earnings, Samuel Mbewe told me he had opened a grocery store.
Their constructors collect tolls, currently at K10.00 (US$0.06) per person crossing.
A local solution to joblessness and urbanization
On Sunday October 2, 2011, I found Samuel Mbewe and Kayen Kayanka, standing guard at their bridge. In the three years that they have owned the bridge they have never counted how many people cross the bridge per day. But Samuel told me their earnings range from MK9,000 (US$54) on a slow day, to MK25,000 (US$150) on a good day.
At MK10 person, that's between 900 and 2,500 people crossing the bridge every day. But it's only an estimate, since he says some people pay only K5, while others don't pay anything at all, such as friends and colleagues.
At work on a Lilongwe river bridge, Samuel Mbewe and Kayen Kayanka with friend. By Steve Sharra (CC-BY)
The bridges are not for the lightheaded, or someone with vertigo. First timers take slow steps, while experienced crossers walk as if they were in Air Jordan basketball sneakers.
A Swiss blogger, Janique Racine, wrote in 2007 about being frightened to death upon crossing a swaying bridge. She said:
Of course you don’t want to look down but you have to because your foot might get stuck in the empty spaces!
There are other hazards as well. The Lilongwe River overflows during the rainy season. The bridges get damaged in the floods, but they are rebuilt once the rainy season is over. In January this year a man drowned trying to cross.
In July this year, the young men (there are no women thus far) organized themselves into a “bridges union”. They agreed each bridge should contribute K200 (US$1.20) per day to a shared pool. That translates into MK803,000 (US$4,808) per year. The aim of the union is to support members in times of death or bereavement. I asked about future investment plans with the savings, but they had none, as yet.

author: Steve Sharra


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Nepal: Movies & Nationality  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Acharya, a Nepali language movie based on the life of a Nepali music legend, has been categorized in the Mumbai Film Festival as Indian movie because of its production banner. XNepali asks “do movies have nationality”?

author: Rezwan


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Paraguay: Digital Magazine Focuses on Young Migrants · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Juan Carlos Rodríguez from Camino al Paraguay [es] shares the digital version of a magazine that focuses on Paraguayan youth who have left the country.


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Russia: Newspaper Leaks Plans to Discredit Anti-Corruption Blogger  · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

“United Russia” had ordered a massive plan (worth of ~320,000 US dollars) to discredit anti-corruption blogger Alexey Navalny, Novaya Gazeta writes [ru]. The campaign might include compromising footage with Navalny's look-alike involved in some illegal and/or immoral activities.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Photoblogger Launches New Citizen Media Agency  · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Ilya Varlamov, popular photoblogger, officially launches [ru] Ridus.ru, news agency dedicated to the citizen media in Russia. Its ‘special projects’ section [ru] tells about new and already existing civil society movements that deal with environmental issues, traffic violations, illegal development in the historic parts of the cities, freedom of photography and other digital activism initiatives.