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Gay Korean Actor Reveals Coming Out Struggles · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Popular K-pop music videos often show beautiful women kissing each other, and South Korean soap operas many times feature adorable gay couples. But is South Korea really as accepting of homosexuality as it appears to be on screen?
After Hong Suk-chun, the first openly gay actor in South Korea, discussed in a lengthy talk show the struggles he has faced since coming out as a gay man in 2000, many online reflected on the country's changing attitudes toward homosexuality.
Hong, who was fired from almost all of the shows he appeared on after coming out of the closet, has since made a comeback, currently appearing on numerous TV programs.
Hong Suk-Chun. Image from DramaWiki user Hanjae.
Twitter user @ShrimpChung [ko] lamented that there are still straight men who fear gay men being attracted to them, which rarely happens in real life:
@ShrimpChung: ㅎㅅ사람들과 차를 마시는데 어제밤 힐링캠프에나온 홍석천이 화두. 불쌍하다는 의견이 대부분인 가운데 동성애자가 자신을 좋아할까봐 두렵다는 말이 나옴. […]
Twitter user @_krpapa [ko] wrote that social change comes at slow pace:
@_krpapa: 홍석천이 소수성애자들에 대한 인식을 바꾸는데에 노력을 한거 같지만… 실상은 아직도 안좋게 본다는거….
@Reservoir_fox_ [ko] pointed out that the talk show, with Hong as a guest, touched on no other issues than the so-called “gay subject”:
@Reservoir_fox_: 근데 한국 방송이 웃긴건,홍석천이 나오니까 이야기 주제를 처음부터 끝까지 ‘동성애'로 고정시킨다는 점이다
Although gay characters often appear in Korean movies and soap operas, some social media users raised questions about how homosexuals are being ‘consumed’ in the cultural context, arguing that there is no real gay in any of those products. @emotionalboy83 [ko] wrote:
@emotionalboy83: 동성애에 대한 존중없이 입맛대로 골라서 상업적으로만 동성애가 소비되는 것이 불편하다. 문화 안에서 게이코드는 있지만 게이는 없고 백합물은 있지만 레즈비언은 없는 것이 현실 아닌가?
User @niefou [ko] blamed the media for distorting the image of homosexuals:
@niefou: 동성애자들은 왜 티비, 소설에만 나오면 뭔가 방황하고, 불쌍하고, 절망하고, 가정에 ‘문제’있는 사람으로 나오는 건지… ‘동성애’를 이런식으로 ‘소비’하는 건 그들은 우리(이성애자)와 틀리다는 부정적 인식, 편견에서 나오는 것 같음.
Young South Koreans, however, seem much more accepting of homosexuality than previous generations, enough to joke about it in a harmless way. Lee Seung-hwan in PPSS blog analyzed [ko] the attention to this famous Facebook post [ko] of a father holding cards that read “I fix my machines all day. But I cannot fix my gay son– because he is not broken”:
멋지고 감동적이라는 댓글도 많지만, 상당수가 자기 친구들을 태그로 소환하며, “XX야. 넌 문제가 없어.”, “XX야. 너희 아버지 심정이 이럴 거야.” 등의 댓글을 달면서 놀고 있었다. 물론 나는 이런 글을 남기는 사람들이 악의가 있다고 생각하지 않는다. 또한 이들이 동성애에 대한 편견을 가졌으리라 생각하지도 않는다. 오히려 동성애에 대해서 관용적이기에 이런 농담을 하는 사람들이 더 많을 것이다.
Although there were many comments saying this post is great and inspiring, still many, tagging their friends, wrote ‘Hey, XX (name), see? It is not a problem” or “XX (Name), this is what your father would think’ –kinda of fooling around with their friends with these sorts of comments. I don't think they've written these comments with malicious intentions, or because they hold a prejudice against homosexuality. In fact, people who are tolerant of homosexuality can make such jokes.
And he continued [ko]:
표면적으로 한국은 동성애에 대해 상당한 관용을 가진 것 같다 […] 동성애자들은 종교와 문화 등으로 인한 편견으로 사회적 차별을 받는 데다가, 눈치 본다고 자기들끼리 뭉쳐 목소리를 내기도 힘들다. 물론 이전보다야 나아졌다고 하지만, 반복하자면 ‘슬픈 일이 웃을 수 있는 일이 되기까지는 긴 시간이 필요하다.’
At first glance, it seems South Korean society is fairly tolerant of homosexuality[…] [However], homosexuals still suffer from discrimination stemming from religious and cultural prejudices. Many claim things have gotten better for gays, but still, as I said before, ‘it takes a long time to make a joke out of a sad situation.’

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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YouTube Removes North Korea Propaganda Video · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The latest North Korea propaganda video that shows an animated version of New York city in flames, had been removed from YouTube as a video game maker, Activision, filed a copyright infringement complaint. North Korea Tech explains more about the video.

source: news-globalvoices

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


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One Billion Rising: Global Day of Action, Fighting Violence Against Women · Global Voices
Claudia Blaser

Screenshot from Eve Ensler's short film “One Billion Rising”
Every third woman falls victim to rape or abuse in her lifetime. With the world-population of seven billion, this means that one billion women and girls are being confronted with, or personally experience, violence daily. More than 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is not regarded a crime. According to a press release from the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's campaign, ‘UNiTE to End Violence against Women’, as many as 70% of women experience some sort of violence.
The press release also states that the probability of a woman between the ages of 15 and 44 years being raped or suffering domestic violence is higher than contracting cancer or malaria, being involved in a motor vehicle accident, or affected by war.
One Billion Rising Logo, V-Day Advertisment
Faced with these alarming figures, the organisation V-Day initiated the international campaign One Billion Rising. This rapidly growing movement demands the end of violence against women and girls, and calls for equal rights; they aim to reach and sensitise as wide an audience as possible.
Therefore, on February 14, 2013 one billion people are called upon worldwide to participate in demonstrations. All over the world, men and women will  “strike, dance and rise” in public places and announce their solidarity through other directed activities.
One Billion Rising is a campaign which concerns everyone. By now more than 13,000 different initiatives have been organised in over 190 countries, with the number of activities rising daily.
Swiss blogger Nathalie Sassine-Hauptmann writes in her blog Clack [de] about this “feminist wave” [de]:
Zurzeit feiern weibliche Proteste grosse Erfolge – zumindest in den Medien. Nach #Aufschrei kommt jetzt der Aufstand. Lokale Aktionen und globale Resonanz zeichnen «One Billion Rising» aus: Um gegen Gewalt an Frauen zu protestieren, werden 190 Länder am «day to rise», dem 14. Februar 2013 an einem gigantischen Flashmob teilnehmen. Niemand ist darüber mehr überrascht als Eve Ensler, Initiantin und Autorin der «Vagina-Monologe». «Es geht über Klassen, soziale Gruppen und Religion hinaus. Es ist wie ein enormer feministischer Tsunami.» berichtete sie dem englischen «Guardian» gerührt.
Currently women's protests are enjoying great successes – at least in the media. After #Aufschrei [outcry, a popular anti-sexism hashtag] comes revolt. Local actions and global response distinguish “One Billion Rising”. To protest against violence against women, 190 countries will take part in a gigantic flashmob on the “day to rise”, on February 14, 2013.
No one is more surprised about this than Eve Ensler, initiator and author of Vagina-Monologues. “It is beyond the scope of classes, social groups and religion. It is like an enormous feminist Tsunami”, she shares with the Guardian.
Local protests range from the first Somali flashmob ever in Mogadishu, protest marches on the Scottish isle of Bute, to a large-scale rally in India and a huge dance event in Bangladesh.
Map of all events planned in Germany to date
In Germany alone, more than 120 events like dance demos, human chains, theater shows, anti-violence seminars, etc. will take place. In Switzerland, the Feministische Friedensorganisation (cfd) [de] and PeaceWomen Across the Globe (PWAG) [de] initiated a joint platform, on which the Swiss organisers can network, exchange ideas and projects; for continuous publishing of events happening in Switzerland. So far, flashmobs in Basel, Bern, Zürich, Genf, Worb, Thun, Lugano, Biel, Lausanne and Gümligen have been planned. This movement is unbelievably dynamic, since people are able to connect through social media and personally contribute to this global action with individual creativity and commitment.
Map of all events planned in Switzerland to date
There are already 138 video contributions on the YouTube channel of V-Day, showing men and women from around the world explaining why they will take to the streets on February 14.
Blogger Helga Hansen [de] from Braunschweig, Germany, who writes for German feminist association, Mädchenmannschaft [de], recorded a personal video statement:
Sharon Adler, awarded “Berlin's Woman of the Year 2012″, and founder of the online journal AVIVA-Berlin [de], took part in this video action as well:
More statements [de] from men and women in Germany are found in the blog Die Münchnerin [de].
Luziehfair writes on German writers’ blog Ausrufern [de]:
Nachdem ich in der letzten Zeit unter anderem Diskussionen um Unwörter des Jahres verfolgen durfte und die aktuelle Sexismusdebatte in den Medien (vermutlich auch an den Stammtischen, aber das ist ja nicht mehr mein Millieu) die skurrilsten Formen annimmt und sich zeitgleich überall auf der Welt Tragödien wie in Indien abspielen, möchte ich mal konstruktiv werden:
“Eine von drei Frauen auf diesem Planeten wird im Laufe ihres Lebens geschlagen oder vergewaltigt. Das sind eine Milliarde Frauen, denen Gewalt angetan wird … ein unfassbares Greuel. Am 14. Februar 2013 läd der V-Day eine Milliarde Frauen dazu ein, raus zu gehen, zu tanzen und sich zu erheben, um das Ende dieser Gewalt zu fordern. […] Wir zeigen der Welt unsere kollektive Stärke und unsere globale Solidarität über alle Grenzen hinweg. […]”
Das ist der Aufruf der Kampagne One Billion Rising und ich finde, er gehört gehört. Soll Gehör bekommen.
Lately I have had a chance to follow, among others, discussions around the “non-words of the year”, the current sexism debate in the media (probably also the cracker barrel, although that is no longer my milieu) is taking on the most bizarre forms, and simultaneously, tragedies like [rape] in India happening all over the world, I would like to be constructive:
“One of three women on this planet is beaten or raped during her lifetime. That is one billion women, who suffer from violence…an inconceivable horror. On February 14, 2013, V-day invites a billion women to go out, dance and rise up, to demand the end of this violence against women. […] We show the world our collective strength and our global solidarity beyond all borders. […]”
This is the appeal of the campaign One Billing Rising and I think it needs to be heard. It must be heard.
Luziehfair also refers to the trailer of Eve Ensler's touching short film (Caution: Trigger Warning):
Meanwhile, Frauenblog [women's blog] [de] is thinking about afterwards:
Und hier kommt die Frage nach dem Danach ins Spiel. Macht es Sinn, diese Entwicklungen in Gang zu setzen und danach die Aktion zu beenden? Wünschenswert wäre es mit Sicherheit, hier eine Kontinuität anbieten zu können. Doch nicht jeder Event kann auf Dauer angelegt werden, dafür haben wir einfach nicht genug Kapazitäten und Kraftreserven. Aber: Ein solcher „Event“ entsteht ja auch nicht aus dem Nichts, sondern es ist eingebettet in bereits vorhandene Strukturen, die auch am Tag danach noch existieren und ihre gewohnte Arbeit fortsetzen. Sollten sich im Anschluss an One Billion Rising […] Frauen finden, die sich dieser Bewegung anschließen, sei es als regionale V-Day-Gruppe oder als Verstärkung in den bereits existierenden Frauengruppen vor Ort, so wäre dies neben unserem öffentlichen Statement:„Wir sind hier, wir sind überall, wir sind stark, wir sind laut, wir lassen uns nicht mehr zum Schweigen bringen“ ein großartiger Erfolg.
This is where the question of afterwards arises. Does it make sense to launch these developments, only to end the action afterwards? Sure, it would be desirable to offer continuity, but not every event can be maintained, we simply do not have the capacity or strength. But: such an event does not emerge out of nowhere, it is embedded in already existing structures, which continue to exist and execute their work in the days after. By connecting with One Billion Rising […], should women join this movement, whether it be a regional V-Day-group or to support an already existing local women's group, this would be a monumental success, in tune with our public statement: We are here, we are everywhere, we are strong, we are loud, we will no longer be silenced”.

author: Claudia Blaser


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Paraguay: Military Relationships · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

An article published [pt] by Natalia Viana and Jessica Mota on the Agency of Report and Investigative Journalism website notes that “Wikileaks documents reveal that the United States trained hundreds of Paraguayan police and army officers between 2005 and 2010 – among which we can find future military commanders of [incumbent Paraguayan President, Federico] Franco“.
The article includes a link to a database [pt], downloadable from its webpage.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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Alarming Rates of Violence Against Bolivian Women · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Activists in Cochabamba protest against the alarming rates of violence against women. Photo by Stephanie Weiss.
According to a United Nations report, seven out of ten Bolivian women have been victims of violence, and only 17% turn to the authorities to report the cases. In addition, a Pan American Health Organization report found that 53% of Bolivian women [es] have been victims of physical or sexual violence, which was the most of the twelve countries in the region that were surveyed.
In light of a recent increase in the number of these types of crimes against Bolivian women, a group of activists in the city of Cochabamba protested in front of the Judicial Palace and in the Main Plaza on February 6, 2013, citing the inaction and silence from State institutions. Photographer Stephanie Weiss posted a Flickr album with photos from these street protests, which were partly organized through the use of social media.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Protesting Cyrillic, “Collectivising Guilt” in Croatia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan Anarchist weighs in on the protests against the use of the Cyrillic script in Vukovar‘s public spaces:
[…] I believe that we, decent and honest Serbs, should be ashamed of what was done in the name of Serbdom during the '90s and condemn it all unequivocally! And I also agree that it's wrong that most Serb war crimes suspects have yet to be apprehended; it should not stay like that any longer. However, it's one thing to seek justice for serious offences that were committed in wartime, and a completely different thing to deny every sign of another culture and language in peace time, just because some dispicable members of that community did something horrible to you or a loved one. […]

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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The Romanian-Hungarian “War of the Flags” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Hungarian Spectrum writes about the ongoing diplomatic confrontation between Romania and Hungary, sparked by the Romanian authorities’ ban on flying the flag of the Székely Land, an ethnic Hungarian enclave currently demanding territorial autonomy within Romania.


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Colombia: Shots Continue to Ring Out in Medellín · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

The city of Medellin is facing a difficult public order situation. The most mentioned area is Comuna 13 [es], with several nocturnal clashes [es] on the first weekend of February. The situation became so serious that Metrocable [translator's note: a cable car system] was forced to suspend its service for 15 minutes [es]. Two people were injured by stray bullets that hit one Metrocable car [es].
The Metrocable System in Medellín by Álvaro Ramírez on Flickr, with the permission of Creative Commons 2.0.
In reaction to the events, two of the city's inhabitants, Juan Mosquera (@lluevelove) and rapper Jeihhco (@Jeihhco), took to Twitter to express their sadness and call for reflection. Global Voices has gathered some particularly pertinent tweets below:
Juan Mosquera
@lluevelove: Balas en la noche, silencio en la madrugada, pólvora al mediodía, miedo en la tarde.
@lluevelove: Gunshots at night, silence in the morning, dust at midday, fear in the evening.
@lluevelove: No hay silencio que guarde las balas que retumban: su eco son tumbas.
@lluevelove: There is no silence that can keep the shots that boom out: their echoes are tombs.
@lluevelove: Toda la ciudad como una. Toda la ciudad comuna. Vos y yo tenemos la piel intacta pero estamos heridos los dos, como aquel que no conocés.
@lluevelove: All the city as one. All the city – united. You and I have the skin intact, but we are both hurt, just like as the others you don't know.
Jeihhco
@Jehhico: Se oyen balas, de nuevo y sin saber hasta cuando arde Comuna 13, arde Medellín.
@Jehhico: We hear shots ringing out once more, we don't know for how long Comuna 13 will burn, Medellín is on fire.
@Jehhico: Entre la pólvora se camuflan las balas, entre la vida se va sintiendo cercana la muerte, sonidos que duelen en el corazón, en el alma.
@Jehhico: In the gunpowder gunshots are hidden, in life we sense death's gradual approach, sounds that ache in the heart, in the soul.
@Jehhico: Duele tanta mierda en las calles, el silencio que tiene el barrio a esta hora es un silencio doloroso, es aterrador, es miedo puro, latente.
@Jehhico: So may crap in the streets, it hurts, the silence that has fallen in the neighbourhood righ now is a hurting silence, terrifying, pure, underlying fear.
Alongside the above, the hashtag #Medelllinnotienealcalde [tn: roughly “Medellín has no mayor”] began to trend, a springboard for Twitter users to discuss the problems in the city, which has been characterised by its vigour but also by a history of violence and which has recently been nominated [en] for the title of most innovative city in the world:
Ramiro Velásquez (@RamiroCiencia) writes:
#MedellinNOTieneAlcalde tiene un funcionario que no hace sino sonreír hasta que le preguntan por la INSEGURIDAD
#MedellinNOTieneAlcalde, it has a civil servants that does nothing but smile until he's asked about SECURITY PROBLEMS.
Eliana Castro (@fermina_dz) notes:
#MedellinNOTieneAlcalde, tiene un representante de artistas extranjeros.
#MedellinNOTieneAlcalde, it has an agent for foreign artists.
Laura Albornoz Damme (@LauraAlbornozD), meanwhile, disagrees with the hashtag:
¿Por qué el #MedellinNOTieneAlcalde? Creo que Medellin es ejemplo para las demás ciudades de Colombia ¿no?
Why #MedellinNOTieneAlcalde? Isn't Medellín in many ways an example for the rest of Colombia to follow?
The city's current problems with respect to security are clearly complex, a fact made evident by online debate.

author: Cati Restrepo


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Hong Kong Activist Jailed for Burning Chinese Flag  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A Hong Kong activist was sentenced to nine months in prison on Thursday for burning and defacing the Chinese flag and the Hong Kong flag during two separate demonstrations against the mainland's communist government, sparking many web users to upload their own desecration of the Chinese flag in protest of the heavy-handed sentence.
A court convicted human rights advocate Koo Sze-yiu of four charges of flag desecration on February 7, 2013. Not long after, the Hong Kong police arrested [zh] a netizen who had uploaded a tainted Chinese flag on to a social media platform. The maximum sentence for flag desecration is up to three years in prison and a fine of 50,000 HK dollars (approximately 7,000 U.S. dollars).
Koo Sze-yiu is a well-known Hong Kong activist who is critical of the Chinese government human rights record, but who has also fought for China's claim to the Diaoyu Islands over Japan several times. The charges against him concern two separate protests: In June 2012, Koo burned the Chinese flag outside the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in Hong Kong to protest against the staged suicide of Chinese dissident Li Wangyang, and on January 1, Koo was seen waving the Chinese flag with a big X through it and the Hong Kong flag with holes in it.
The punishment of jail time is political in nature and implies the erosion of Hong Kong's legal independence from mainland China. Many have criticized the court's decision, believing the two cases are examples of how the Chinese government reasserting its sovereignty in Hong Kong through the intimidation of citizens.
Blogger hkwolf cited the U.S court case to point out that the criminalization of flag desecration is against human rights:
有人說，由於國旗代表國家統一和民族團結，所以不可隨便褻瀆。美國大法官William J. Brennan, Jr.的判詞就是最好的解答：「政府不能僅僅因為一個思想被社會視作冒犯，不能接受，就禁止人們表達這種思想。對此原則，我們不承認有任何例外，即使被冒犯的是我們的國旗。」身為一個自由和獨立的人，我們有擁戴國家的自由，也應該有討厭國家的自由。既然我們有權厭惡國家，當然也應有權用任何不妨礙他人的方法表達對國家的厭惡。單單因為一班愛國人士看不過眼，就剝奪他們表達想法的權利，絕不公道。
Some say the national flag should not be desecrated because it represents national unity and solidarity. U.S Supreme Court Judge William J. Brennan, Jr.'s verdict is the best answer to such argument: The government cannot ban people who express an idea that is considered unacceptable and disrespectful by society. There should not be any exception to such a principle even though it is our national flag being desecrated. People are independent with free will. We have freedom to love the country and freedom to hate the country. If we have the freedom to hate the country, we should enjoy the freedom to express such opinion without interference from others. It is absolutely not justified [for the court] to deprive people's freedom of expression because some patriotic people feel uneasy about such expression.
To express their discontent, many netizens uploaded images of their own so-called “desecration” of the Chinese national flag. Kursk Edward uploaded a flag, which was designed by a Hong Kong Golden Forum user last year, to his Facebook and invited police to arrest him:
Image uploaded by Kursk Edward to Facebook.
inmediahk.net changed its Facebook banner to display a Chinese flag not with stars, but with crabs, which are a symbol of censorship in China:
The image of crab represents censorship in China. From inmediahk.net's Facebook page banner.
Picnews reported the news about Koo Sze-yiu's prison sentence with this image, which reads nine months jail time for national flag desecration:
PicNews's photo report on its Facebook page.
Talk Hong Kong shared a photo of a torn Chinese flag hung in protest outside the Chinese embassy in Canada. The photo was uploaded by a Canadian citizen:
Talk Hong Kong invites like-minded people to share this image in Facebook.
Passion Times, a citizen media platform, also published this image, designed by Calvin Lan, with their news report about the arrest of netizen for flag desecration:
The Chinese word that replaces the star means “communism”. Designed by Calvin Lan and published in Passion Times. Used with permission.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Malaysians to Psy: “Don’t Perform for Corrupt Ruling Party” · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

Global pop sensation Psy has been invited to perform at an event in Malaysia hosted by Prime Minister Najib Razak and the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition, but instead of being welcomed, many fans have turned to his Facebook page pleading him not to attend and perform at the Chinese New Year event.
It has been reported that by inviting Psy, the government hopes to attract younger voters for elections that are due in the coming months.
But the move by the government has been seen negatively by many Malaysians, like Lukey:
I chuckled at the move, because not only one can see BN is running out of tactics, but also how the government still thinks that voters can be bought off with some last minute feel good effects such as a big concert featuring a Korean artist. It is also sad to note that rather than using that huge amount of money on more worthwhile matters such as raising the quality of public utilities, lowering the crime rate and increasing wage in general, the government is more interested in organizing concerts rather than tackling the real issues that is bothering the citizens daily. Sometimes, you really cannot say whether it's the Malaysians who are naive or the government itself is naive.
Chiew-Siah Tei agrees:
Psy. Photo by Eva Rinaldi, Wikimedia
To think that the presence of a pop star, with his popularity, would possibly steer the people’s favour towards the BN government, which is famously corrupt and inefficient, only reflects, once again, the immaturity of the ruling political leaders.  This is just another farcical episode to add to a series of money-wasting, immature and unwise decisions by the ruling party, which has reportedly reduced its budget allocation for education, an important sector in a developing country.
Lailakoh is concerned about rumours that the star is being paid RM 2 million for the performance:
Wooooo are we lucky or just need to think of this more?? Because ive heard that the organiser is paying him more than Rm2 million just to see he perform his world famous Oppa Gangnam Style dance.
Wait, personally I think with that such huge amount of money we could use it for better things. Dont you think so? plus where’s the 1Malaysia spirit? Instead of paying a KOREAN singer its better to invite OUR local singers to perform. That would be fair enough since we actually have a lot talented singers and musician.
Lim Kit Siang, a popular opposition leader, welcomed the event as a reason for Malaysians to get together:
I welcome reports that Najib’s CNY Open House featuring Psy and Gangnam Style at Han Chiang College is open to all with no restriction on anyone.
This is as it should be. We are all Malaysians first and last, and on national festive occasions like Chinese New Year, Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Vesak Day or Christmas, let us exude goodwill, peace, harmony and solidarity where we can fraternize freely without thought of political differences.
However, to make it more meaningful and worthwhile, while Malaysians enjoy the show and fun with Psy and Gangnam Style, let us not miss the occasion for a nation-wide soul-searching why South Korea is so far ahead of Malaysia in all fields of human endeavor when half-a-century ago, Malaysia was twice as rich as the “Gangnam Style” nation!
Some have reacted on Twitter as well:
@SyazwanShahrul Instead of spending RM 2Million on Psy, why don't you spend it to improve Malaysia's Education system, for the sake of Malaysia's future.
@syayyra “psy will come to malaysia to celebrate cny with our prime minister” oKaY. is our prime minister fanboy of psy?
@yixing0114 najib do u think you ask psy to come to malaysia during chinese new year and our parents will vote for you during election? #no
The Government has  insisted that the fee for Psy is to be paid by a private group.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Philippines: Human Rights Watch 2012 Report · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The overall human rights situation in the Philippines improved in 2012 with fewer extrajudicial killings and the passage of historic laws promoting rights. But the government has failed to address impunity for the most serious abuses. On prosecuting rights abusers, it needs to walk the walk, not just talk the talk.
Human Rights Watch releases its 2012 report about the human rights situation in the Philippines

author: Mong Palatino


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Southern Brazil Marches in Memory of Nightclub Fire Victims · Global Voices
Pedro Henrique Tavares

[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise stated.]
A week after more than 230 young people lost their lives in a horrific nightclub fire [en] in the southern Brazilian city of Santa Maria, thousands gathered across the state of Rio Grande do Sul to pay homage to the victims.
Several cities organized public gatherings to remember the victims and support their families. These gestures of solidarity included marches, memorial services, vigils, and demonstrations.
In Santa Maria only days after the blaze, large groups gathered in front of the nightclub in memory of the victims.
Demonstrators show messages of support. Photo by Cassiana Machado Martins. Used with permission.
Blogger Pequena Lou described in a January 29 post on her blog Menina Louca the solidarity march from Saldanha Marinho square to the gymnasium where the bodies held:
Na praça havia um mar de gente. Conversavam pouco. O máximo que saía era um “e aí” que obtinha como resposta outro “e aí” na mesma entonação. Registrei mais abraços e olhares tristes do que conversas, bandeiras, cartazes e protestos. Ondas de palmas vinham e se iam; não sei o que aplaudiam. Balões brancos foram soltos, mas eles voltavam e estouravam. Ouvi murmúrios diluídos do Pai Nosso e  ouvi como cantavam (mais de uma vez) o hino gaúcho com fervor:
Mostremos valor constância
Nesta ímpia e injusta guerra
Sirvam nossas façanhas
De modelo a toda Terra
There was a sea of people in the square. They hardly talked. The most that could be heard was a “how's it going”, which would be answered by a “how's it going” in the same tone. I saw more people hugging and looking at each other sadly than talking or protesting. Waves of applause could be heard at times, but I don't know what they were applauding. White balloons were released into the sky, but they'd fall back to the ground and end up popping. I heard people chanting Our Father and heard people singing (once again) the gaúcho anthem with fervor:
We must show the value of constancy
In this unjust war
May our deeds serve
As a model to the entire world
Funeral of the victims in the Santa Rita cemetery in Santa Maria. Photo by Vinicius Costa. Copyright Demotix (27/01/2013)
Marchers wear white in lieu of lighting candles in memory of the victims. Photo by Cassiana Machado Martins. Used with permission.
She concluded:
A massa branca se pôs em movimento. No trajeto, reparei que havia pouca gente nas janelas. Isso me deu a sensação de que a cidade inteira estava de branco e na rua. A massa branca caminhou até o ginásio. Lá de dentro ouvimos gritos e palmas. A massa respondeu e dispersou. Não caberia todo mundo dentro do ginásio e não era o propósito incomodar os remanescentes com a nossa presença.
On February 3, a silent vigil took place close to Kiss nightclub. According to the newspaper Zero Hora, “more and more people began to show up after a religious service in honor of the dead held in the Medianeira Basilica end, gathering about 4,000 people”.
The traditional procession of Navegantes, which marks a holiday on February 2, was made to remember the incident as well. Twitter user Irmandade Navegantes (@navegantespoa) wrote on January 29:
@navegantespoa: No próximo dia 02 de fevereiro vamos nos unir em oração, na procissão dos Navegantes, por Santa Maria.
Residents of Porto Alegre display messages of comfort for Santa Maria. Photo by Cassiana Machado Martins. Used with permission.
In the capital city of Porto Alegre, a march was organized on Facebook for February 3, leaving from the Arco da Redenção. The goal of the march, which attracted about 5,000 people, was to “direct positive energy and thoughts to the victims and their families”:
Não vamos parar com esse lindo grupo que se uniu em prol dos jovens que perderam suas vidas em Santa Maria!! Vamos continuar juntos, pessoal!!
Journalism student Ivan Sgarabotto mentioned on Twitter (@IvanSgarabotto) that cities from the mountainous areas of Rio Grande do Sul also participated in a memorial on February 3:
@IvanSgarabotto: Dezenas de pessoas se reúnem em Caxias do Sul para caminhada pelas vítimas de Santa Maria -> papodegringo.blogspot.com.br/2013/02/dezena…
Balloons represent the victims. Photo by Cassiana Machado Martins. Used with permission.

author: Pedro Henrique Tavares


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The Bobs 2013: Now in Ukrainian, Too! · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Deutsche Welle's 9th annual The Bobs online activism awards are now open for nominations of Ukrainian-language blogs [uk]. Ukrainian journalist Mustafa Nayyem, who is on this year's international jury panel, noted [ru, uk] on his Facebook page that in the previous years Ukrainian bloggers could only take part in The Bobs contest if their work was in Russian.


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Vietnam: Web Filtering Data · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

In 2012, Herdict received over twenty thousand inaccessible reports from Vietnam, making it the country with the second-highest number of inaccessible reports, behind China.
Marianna Mao summarizes the 2012 Herdict report on Vietnam


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#Shahbag in a 140 Characters  · Global Voices
Rezwan

As the #Shahbag movement of Bangladeshis is gaining its momentum, more and more Bangladeshis are using social network services like Twitter and Facebook to organize the movement. Shopan Awalin provides an in depth analysis on the activity of the hashtag #Shahbag in Twitter regarding the people, what they are talking, what they are sharing.

author: Rezwan


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Bureaucracy and Motherhood in Serbia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Marija Janković's photo of her 3-month-old baby sleeping peacefully next to the 52 medical and administrative documents has received 942 ‘likes’ and 826 ‘shares’ on the Facebook page of Status Magazin [sr], a Belgrade monthly, and was awarded the first prize in a photo contest run by the publication. It took Janković one year to collect all this paperwork in order to be eligible for one-time financial aid from the Serbian state. Facebook user Tanja Plava commented [sr]:
And this is only the beginning :)


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In Pictures: The Protesting Crowd In Shahbag · Global Voices
Arif Hossain Sayeed

Last Friday, 8th of February, 2013, thousands of people started to gather since morning in Shahbagh's Projonmo Chottor (Generation Square) in solidarity with bloggers and online activists’ ongoing protests. On 3:00PM the mass gathering in Bangladesh capital Dhaka started with singing the national anthem. It is really hard to tell how many people gathered for peaceful protests on that day. Many opined that almost 200,000 people joined in solidarity with the protest for stricter punishment of the war criminals. The Bloggers and online activists Network has been leading these protests continuously since last Tuesday. Many students, teahcers, freedom fighters, civil society leaders and families of the war martyrs joined this protest.
The protesters are sharing their demands and news of different protest events via an informative website titled Shahbag.org. In that site they are also informing about protests across the world in solidarity with their demands. People can get updates following Twitter hashtags #Shahbagh and #Shahbag. Different Facebook pages such as Shahbag Movement and Shahbag Square are sharing breaking news, pictures, opinions and videos. The protests in Shahbag are also being livestreamed intermittently which you can watch. The latest addition is a streaming radio broadcasting the speaches and slogans live.
Below you can find some pictures from the events of Friday. All pictures were taken by Arif Hossain Sayeed and used with permission.
Children participating in a Mass signature petition event.
The protesting crowd's demand “We want capital punishment”
The protesting crowd's demand “We want capital punishment”
An old lady joining the protests
Agitation by the protesting crowd
Protests against poor coverage in international media.
girls in a sit-in protest
protests continued at night
Slogans – The fight will go on
Slogans and placards against war criminals
Innovative protests
Protesting Crowd
Slogan of Protesting Crowd
Children among the crowd
Children also participated in protest
Huge crowd at the protest

author: Arif Hossain Sayeed


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Fatwa Snowballs, Kashmir’s First All-Girl Band Calls it Quits · Global Voices
Inji Pennu

After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music – Aldous Huxley
The first all-girl rock band from the war-torn Indian region of Kashmir has quit after a local Muslim cleric issued an edict calling the girls’ behavior un-Islamic.
The short-lived musical group, which goes by the name of Pragaash, meaning “from darkness to light”, had also been the target of online and offline abuse since the band formed in December 2012 after winning the best performance award at the Battle of the Bands contest in the region's capital city of Srinagar.
Indian media have pounced on the story, but the press are not actually interested in issues of freedom of expression or civil liberties, Mohamad Junaid wrote in a piece for the political magazine Tehelka:
Pragaash The Band
Indeed, it is tragic that some stray, abusive comments against the band on social media by a few anonymous youth — which snowballed into a controversy after the highly unpopular ‘Grand Mufti’ in Kashmir jumped in to issue a fatwa against music and women performing on stage — has now put these teenagers’ future in music in jeopardy. TV channels picked the story to paint Kashmiri society either as a threat to India’s secularism or as misogynist. Most Kashmiris don’t have access to social media. The broad brushes of generalisation, however, which work in tandem with stereotypes against Muslim societies, paint all of them as uniformly extremist.
A number of Facebook pages dedicated to supporting Pragaash have launched, and a chorus of support for members Aneeqa Khalid, Noma Nazir, and Farah Deeba has emerged from discussions of the injustice online. Meanwhile, police have arrested a few of the band's alleged online abusers.
Twitter user barkha dutt (@BDUTT) wrote about the cleric's unpopularity:
@BDUTT:The fact is that [religious cleric] Muft's fatwa subverted Kashmirs own traditions. The resistance to him is aptly coming from Kashmiris themselves #pragaash
Karsh Kale (@karshkalemusic) tweeted about the mighty guitar:
@karshkalemusic:they are afraid that a girl with a guitar might just be more powerful than a man with a gun….and they are right….#fatwa
Screenshot of a Facebook page supporting Pragaash.
The band's official Facebook page was last updated on February 3 to announce in separate posts that members Noma and Farah were quitting, prompting thousands of users to comment.
Debashis Das begged the girls not to quit:
Dont Quit Please…India as a nation has become intolerant to freedom of expression….if you are a politician or have muscle power then only you are going to be liked whatever you do…i think the FREEDOM OF SPEECH is AT STAKE…so pls pls dont QUIT….
Saba Danawala offered the girls a message of support:
Would really like to see more Muslim women's voices here, to be honest – and while I can understand why the girls are quitting, please, do come back when you find the strength within you. Muslim women around the world and in South Asia need women like you – not just women who live up to the status quo.
Pelin Ariner professed admiration of the band:
I am a Turkish muslim woman and I admire you for making an all girls band. Even in the western world that is rare. You are all awesome and you sacrifice NOTHING of your worth and beauty in wanting to play music and express yourselves. Don't let all the old-fashioned people dictate what you can and can't do.
Manoj explored the reasons behind the religious pushback against Pragaash on his Google Plus account:
പൗരോഹിത്യത്തിന്റെ ഉത്പന്നമായ മതമൗലികവാദം പൊതുവേ എല്ലാ കലകള്ക്കും എതിരാണ്. അതിന് കലകളില് ഉള്ളടങ്ങിക്കിടക്കുന്ന സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യദാഹം പൊറുപ്പിക്കാനാവില്ല. അവയില് പുലര്ന്നുപോരുന്ന പാരമ്പര്യനിഷേധം അനുവദിക്കാനാവില്ല. അവയില്നിന്ന് പുറപ്പെട്ടുവരുന്ന ആനന്ദം അംഗീകരിക്കാനാവില്ല. രാജാവിന്റെയും പുരോഹിതന്റെയും പുരുഷന്റെയും എന്നുവേണ്ട, ആരുടെയും അധികാരത്തെ വെല്ലുവിളിക്കുന്ന ഏതോ ഒരംശം ഓരോ കലയിലും കുടിപാര്ക്കുന്നുണ്ട്.
Sahar Lotfi, a member of an Iranian all-woman musical group, sympathized with Pragaash, telling reporters that she wants the girls to perform again. The band is currently visiting India:
“We are so sorry to hear (about the Kashmir girls’ band Pragaash). We are so happy to perform in India but why can't they?”

author: Inji Pennu


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Kazakhstan’s ‘Breathtakingly Beautiful’ Parks · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

The Kolsai Lakes national park in Kazakhstan. Image provided by Shohin Shomulloyev.
Kazakhstan is so much more than just steppes and oil. The Caravanistan blog offers a glimpse into the country's ‘breathtakingly beautiful’ national parks.

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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‘Les Miserables’ Parody by South Korean Air Force · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

The South Korean air force's “Les Miserables” parody video went viral over the week, garnering over 2.8 million hits. The video features snow-shovelling military men suffering under a vindictive superior while juggling thwarted love, a nightmare situation for South Korean men who are obliged to two years of military service.


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Peru: Heavy Rains Affect Arequipa · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Blog Globalizado [es], by Juan Arellano, Global Voices in Spanish editor, shares photos and videos in the aftermath of the heavy rains that have affected the city of Arequipa:
[…] city council of Arequipa declared 30-day period state of emergency [es]. However, the Regional Government nor the Provincial Council have resources to take care of this emergency, which will require at least 800 million of Peruvian soles [es] (about 310 million U.S. dollars).
[…]
Last news report five fatalities and 48 mil people affected, as well as 5,5 kilometers of destroyed roads.


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10 Best African Food Blogs · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

MyWeku compiles a list of 10 best African food blogs for 2013: “There are seemingly a million food blogs out there, but only a handful showcase African food. Even so it has still been a struggle to pick 10 of our favourites for this year (2013).”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Australian Sport: Drugs, Match Fixing Linked to Organised Crime  · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

If Australia has a national religion, it is sport in all its forms. The shared obsession is being sorely tested at present. Allegations of illegal drug taking and match-fixing, linked to organised crime, have brought an avalanche of moral outrage and a cascade of clichés online. Will saints become sinners?
Following recent scandals overseas, Australia had its own the ‘darkest day’ in sport on 7 February 2013. It was the release of the Australian Crime Commission report on Organised Crime and Drugs in Sport.
[Warning: cliché alert!]
Mike Pottenger and Ciannon Cazaly pull no punches at The Conversation in their blog post Not fun and games: organised crime and sport:
Australian Crime Commission report
The problem is not just a few deceitful and devious players. Though there may be some bad apples, all athletes in elite competitive sport face clear incentives to take performance and image enhancing drugs (PIEDs).
They are worried that it has wider implications for law enforcement:
…networks and connections established to smuggle PIEDs into the country can be used to traffic other prohibited substances, like hard narcotics or weapons
… [this] involves corrupting or drawing upon already corrupted public officials
In his cartoon A Sporting Chance, Jon Kudelka draws a comparison between the good old days of iconic sports ‘saints’ such as cricketer Don Bradman and the injection culture of today.
A Sporting Chance – Courtesy: Jon Kudelka's blog
Many sports fans have discovered the usefulness of hindsight. Jack the Insider debunks the myth that cheating is ‘not cricket’. It is a traditional expression reflecting the ideas of sportsmanship and fairplay associated with the game. He looks at another cricket hero, English captain Dr. W.G. Grace, whose reputation for cheating is alive more than a century later:
Cheating in sport is as old as sport itself.
… The rewards in professional sport are counted in the millions. In Grace’s day it was simply the business of beating an opponent by hook or by crook. Now sporting clubs in the major football codes are facing the embarrassing and destructive revelations that they may have engaged in criminal conspiracies.
That athletes might cheat should come as no surprise to any sports fan.
The satirical website The Shovel is concerned that more damage is being done to the English language than the national pastime. An AFL (the local football code) club jumped the gun before the release of the ACC report by asking for a review of its use of ‘supplements’. The Shovel poured it on:
Just hours after allegations broke that Essendon players may have been forced to inject performance enhancing drugs into their bodies, it has emerged that many were made to inject clichés into their interviews as well.
…An Essendon spokesperson said the club was taking the allegations seriously and would co-operate with any investigation. “The footy club is going to have a good hard look at the tapes during the week and then we’ll hope to put this behind us, draw a line under it and move forward with playing good, accountable footy”.
Football in all its guises, Rugby League, Rugby Union, Soccer and AFL, has been at the eye of the storm.
Sarah Joseph, human rights lawyer and avid sports tweeter, hit the nail on the head:
@profsarahj: I'm sick of hearing how corrupt & doped Australian sport is. Name names! Put up or shut up ACC! Otherwise all are unfairly tarred.
The ACC report has a narrow scope as it looks at only a few sports. Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Pottharst doesn’t want to be judged with the footy players:
@kerripottharst: Oh please…. To say this is the blackest day in Australian Sport is crazy! Is “Australian Sport” just Football… http://fb.me/1wW1d7wTE
The link is to her Facebook page where there are several supportive comments.
Meanwhile Oz sports fans are biting their nails wondering if their club or favourite players will be entangled in the web of deception. Bek supports teams in two football codes. She is sort of confident that her teams are not guilty:
@BekkieBee: all this talk about drugs in sport I can say with confidence my 2 teams parra & the suns are definitely not & probably not NSW team #enufsaid
[Author’s personal note: My AFL club is St Kilda, ‘the Saints’. We have made an art form over the years out of losing or as we love to cliché it down under ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’. It beggars belief that a crime syndicate might have bribed our team to throw a game.]
Ironically there have been ongoing AFL investigations into tanking [the practice of deliberatiely losing to gain an advantgae in the player draft]. Nick Fairlie wonders about the ethics:
@Nickfairlie: What is more repugnant to a sports fan: losing on purpose or cheating to win? #tanking #doping
The strangest part of this saga is probably the suggestion that gambling on sport is getting a bad name. Highly respected blogger Greg Jericho doubtless thinks we need to follow the money:
@GrogsGamut: “Betting fraud a bigger problem than doping: analyst”. Alas I think he might be right – http://bit.ly/11wiFqC
But that’s another story. We're taking this scandal just one allegation at a time.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Bangladeshi Women Join Shahbag Protests in Remarkable Numbers · Global Voices
পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)

It is not only Bangladeshi men who are occupying the capital city Dhaka's Shahbag intersection demanding capital punishment for war criminals.
The protests have seen extraordinary participation by women. Students, working professionals, and mothers accompanied by their young children have all lent their voice to the Shahbag protests, a movement spearheaded by bloggers and online activists which is seeking the death penalty for those who committed crimes against humanity during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.
An estimated 200,000 to 3 million people were killed by the Pakistani army and approximately 250,000 women were raped during the war. Local political and religious militia groups such as Razakar, Al Badr, and Al-Shams, many of whom were also members of the Islamist political party Jamaat-e-Islami, aided Pakistani soldiers in killing, particularly targeting Hindus.
The International Crimes Tribunal was formed 42 years after the war to bring perpetrators of these terrible wartime crimes to justice. The tribunal's first verdicts were handed down against Abul Kalam Azad, known as “Bachchu Razakar”, who was sentenced to death late last month, and Abdul Quader Mollah, known as “Butcher” to the Bengalis in the outskirts of Dhaka, who was sentenced to life in prison for murder, rape, torture, and other crimes.
People have taken to the streets demanding that Mollah and other war criminals be put to death, fearing that if they are imprisoned, they may be released after a regime change.
The engagement of women and children in these protests is remarkable. Mahabub Bhuiyan [bn] wrote on Somewherein blog:
মায়ের কোলে কিংবা বাবার হাত ধরে চলে আসছে শিশুরাও। গৃহবধূরাও আজ রাজপথে নেমে গেছেন। বৃদ্ধ-বৃদ্ধারা এই তারুণ্যেও মিছিলে পা ফেলছেন যৌবনের বীর্যে বলীয়ান হয়ে।
Children came in their mother's lap or holding the hand of their father. Many housewives are seen on the streets. Senior citizens also walked with youth for the cause.
Pavel Mohitul Alam [bn] wrote on Facebook about how some female college students have shown solidarity with the protests:
ভিকারুননিসার একদল মেয়ে এসেছিলো আজ সংহতি প্রকাশ করতে। তাদের মধ্যে কারো কারো আবার পরীক্ষা। পরীক্ষার পড়ার জন্য আন্দোলন কিংবা আন্দোলনের জন্য পড়া– কোনোটাই বাদ দেয়নি তারা। প্রজন্ম চত্বরেই তারা বসে পড়ে বই-খাতা নিয়ে। চলে পড়াশোনা, সেই সংগে চলে শ্লোগানও।
Some students of Viqarunnisa College came to show solidarity. Some of them had exams imminent. They did not let any one go, they engaged in sit-in protest and opened their book to study. They studied and shouted slogans intermittently.
Writer and journalist Abu Hasan Shahriar [bn] shared in a Facebook status his experience visiting the Shahbag protests on the second day:
রাত তখন দেড়টার বেশি। এক কিশোরীকে দেখলাম, মায়ের হাত ধরে প্রজন্ম চত্বরের দিকে এগিয়ে আসছে। মাইক থেকে ‘কাদের মোল্লার ফাঁসি চাই’ স্লোগান ভেসে আসতেই কিশোরীটি সমবেত জনতার সঙ্গে গলা মিলিয়ে বলছে– ‘ফাঁসি চাই ফাঁসি চাই’।
It was 1:30 at night. I saw a young girl walking towards the square holding her mother's hand. There were slogans from the speaker, “We want capital punishment for Kader Mollah”, and the girl would join in, “we want.. we want..”
Below are some photographs of women and children who joined the protests. The images are from International Crime Strategy Forum's album “‘Shahbag Square’ Uprising: Justice for the Victims of '71” and have been used with permission.
Women demanding capital punishment. Photo by Mehedi Hasan Khan.
Child sitting on her father's shoulders. Photo by Kamrul Hasan.
Protesting in Shahbag. Photo by Mehedi Hasan Khan.
Signatures demanding capital punishment. Photo by Mehedi Hasan Khan.
Shahbag's fiery leader Lucky Akter. Sketch by Artist Sujan Chowdhury.
Writer and Blogger Monika Rashid [bn] had never shouted a protest slogan until the Shahbag protests. She wrote about the experience in a Facebook status:
আমি কখনো মিছিলে গিয়ে স্লোগান দিয়েছি বলে মনে পড়ে না! কিন্তু শাহবাগ চত্তরের এই উত্তাল সময়ে চীৎকার করে স্লোগান দিতে কী যে অসাধারণ আনন্দ, তা বুঝিয়ে বলার ক্ষমতা রাখিনা। আজ আবার যাবো, স্লোগানও দেব
I don't remember shouting a slogan, ever. But I cannot express what fun it is in this crucial moment in Shahbag. I will come again today and shout slogans.
Blogger Lina Fardows [bn] also wanted to come to Shahbag to join the candlelight procession:
আজ রাত ১০টার পর শাহবাগ থাকবো। :) মোমের আলোয় পুড়িয়ে ফেলতে চাই ব্যর্থ প্রাণের আবর্জনা…
Tonight I will come to Shahbag after 10PM. :) I want to burn away all of life's ills with a candle flame.
Banker and blogger Nazmus Nupur [bn] came to Shahbag in the hopes of creating a Bangladesh free of the religious militia Razakar for her child. She also raised her voice and wrote on Facebook:
সারাদিন গলা ফাটিয়ে শ্লোগান দেয়ার সময় একবারো গলা কাঁপেনি, মনে হয়নি জীবনে প্রথম গলা ফাটাচ্ছি। ৭১-এ বাপ মা পথে নেমেছে, আজ আমরা নামলাম, জয় আমাদের হবেই। আমার সন্তানকে আমি রাজাকার মুক্ত বাংলাদেশ দিতে চাই। জয় বাংলা।
Shouting slogans all day didn't crack my voice. It did not seem like I am doing it for the first time. In 1971, my parents came to the streets, today we came, victory will be ours. I want to give my child a Razakar-free Bangladesh. Joy Bangla.
Facebook user Zeenat Zoardar Ripa [bn] wrote:
কোন এক সময়ে, নিজের সন্তানকে নিয়ে শাহবাগের রাস্তা দিয়ে যখন যাব তখন বলতে পারব- এই পথে নেমেছিলো তোর মা। রাজাকারের ফাঁসির দাবিতে।
One day I will come with my child to Shahbag and will tell him or her – this is the street where your mother protested, demanding capital punishment for Razakars.
In Shahbag, many girls have led youth protests, one of them being Lucky Akter. Her powerful slogans have mesmerized the crowd, but cohorts of the Islamist party Jamaat-Shibir, to which the war criminals belong, are spreading ill things about her on Facebook. She wrote in a Facebook [bn] status:
যারা আমাদের নামে কুৎসা রটনা করেছেন। তাদের উদ্দেশ্যে বলছি, দেখুন আমরা যারা রাজপথে নেমেছি তারা কোন ধর্মের বিপক্ষে নই। তাই মাদ্রাসার ছাত্ররাও এই আন্দোলনে অংশ নিচ্ছে। ধর্ম যার যার, রাষ্ট্র সবার। জামাত শিবিরের ধর্ম ব্যাবসার রাজনীতি আইন করে বন্ধ করতে হবে।
Those who are speaking ill about me, please listen. We have taken the street not to protest against any religion. Even Madrassa students are joining the protests. Religions are for individuals, but the state is for everybody. We have to shut down Jamaat-Shibir's politics of religion.
Ekramul Haque Emon saluted the women protesters in Shahbag:
শাহবাগে সপরিবারে যারা যোগ দিয়েছেন তাদের লক্ষ কোটি স্যালুট, স্যালুট ওইসব অবুঝ শিশুদের যারা ভালভাবে ‘মা’ উচ্চারণ শেখার আগেই ‘তুই রাজাকার তুই রাজাকার‘ কিংবা ‘ফাঁসী চাই, ফাঁসী চাই’ গর্জনে নিজের কান তাতাল দিয়ে গেঁথে নিচ্ছে। স্যালুট সেইসব নারীদের, যারা দিনভর অফিসের কাজ ও সাংসারিক ঝামেলা মিটিয়ে রাতে যোগ দিচ্ছেন। আপনাদের প্রাণবন্ত উপস্থিতি ও চিৎকার আমাদের শক্তি ও সাহস তরান্বিত করছে প্রতিনিয়ত।
Those who joined in the Shahbag protests, I salute them a thousand times. I salute those children who are shouting slogans with their mother. I salute those women who are working in the office all day and going to the protests in the evening after taking care of the family. Your presence and eloquence have increased our strength and courage.

author: পান্থ রহমান রেজা (Pantha)


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Brazil Gets Into Carnival Mood to the Afro Beats in Salvador · Global Voices
Inês Pontes

The biggest party on the planet, carnival in Brazil attracts millions of tourists during its days of revelry. In Salvador, Bahia, the party has grown to such an extent that it’s now spread over three main points in the city: Pelourinho, Barra-Ondina (Dodo) and Campo Grande-Avenida (Osmar).
This year, with half a million tourists expected, the theme for the Pelourinho carnival is ‘Black Carnivals’ and the main stages will be in Municipal and Sé squares, as well as in the famous Pelourinho. This last, in the historical centre, is the most fabulous, most fun and best-organised.
The traditional Pelourinho Carnival will gather a variety of musical attractions of different styles, such as samba, reggae, percussion and the Bahian guitar (theme of Salvador Carnival in 2013). All of these, of course, have African roots.
Party revellers enjoying carnival in Pelourinho. Photo by Carlo Alcantar on El Cabong website (used with permission).
Known as the main generator of Bahian culture, Pelourinho is the base of a number of Afro carnival ‘blocks’ (groups) [pt] from Salvador, such as the famous Ile Aye, Filhos de Ghandi (Ghandi’s sons) and Olodum. Preserving Afro-Brazilian culture is key to the Bahian carnival, which carries with it the influence of African cultures and the struggle of those kept on the margins of society. The crowd goes mad and the tourists want to connect with Bahia, land of Dorival Caymmi and Jorge Amado, to the sound of the hypnotic and happy beat and the sound which takes over Pelourinho.
Ilê Aiyê, founded in 1974, is the main headline of the Afro carnival ‘blocks’ (groups). As its objective is to value black culture, it doesn’t accept white people into its group and has been responsible for the so-called ‘re-africanisation’ of the Salvador Carnival, to the extent that it’s brought items from African culture to its parade, such as ‘atabaques’, ‘timbaus’ and ‘repiniques’, percussion instruments which give it a sound which harks back to African roots.
Check out the clip below from Ile Aye, in partnership with the Sao Paulo rapper Criolo, on the project ‘What block is this?’ [pt], an initiative from Petrobras which intends [pt] to ‘bring the music and world of the Salvador Afro blocks to the world of national pop’. This show took place in Liberdade district, in Salvador:
Is there anywhere in the world which has a Candomblé [Brazilian cult of African origin] following of almost 10,000 people parading through the streets? Salvador does. It is the Afoxé, Filhos de Gandhy (Sons of Gandhi) [pt] block, founded by 33 stevedores in 1949, who watched a film about the Indian leader and decided to found a block in his honour. The success of handing out bead necklaces in exchange for kisses during carnival has grown, and seems to have become the main focus of the club. It is a candomble without an overly religious link, which brings agogôs [a Ghanaian musical instrument] and atabaques [an Afro-Brazilian hand drum] to honour the Orishás [spirits or deities in the Yoruba religious faith] directly to the people, with a flavour of the peace preached by Mahatma Gandhi.
Image of Filhos de Gandy from Facebook (used with permission)
Based on percussion, the musicality of the Olodum block, is based on beats such as ‘ijexá’ [pt], samba, ‘alujá’, reggae and ‘forró’, amongst others. The fusion of these various rhythms, mixed with samba reggae, is the basis for Olodum’s music, which, with the creativity of using these elements, has influenced numerous bands and national and international artists, such as Jimmy Cliff, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, Leci Brandao, Zig Marley and many others, including those in the Bahian carnival. The following clip shows some of the best of Olodum:
About 130 groups will entertain at Pelourinho point during carnival. The Salvador blog by Estefano Diaz, posted about Muzenza block’s rehearsals [pt] on 30 January. While rehearsing in the streets where it will parade, the beat of its drums apparently piqued the curiosity of Bahians and tourists alike: ‘Perfect sound, beautiful!’ was how he summed up what one of the French tourists he met who was following the parade, said.
O Pelourinho é um grande fomentador da cultura. Este espaço é uma referência para nós do Muzenza e é sempre muito especial fazermos nossos ensaios aqui”, define Jorge dos Santos, presidente do Muzenza. “Nós não temos repertório definido, vamos sentindo a resposta do público e tocamos os grandes sucessos como ‘Guerrilheiros da Jamaica (Mama África)’, ‘A Terra Tremeu’, ‘Brilho e Beleza’, dentre outros”, finalizou Jorge.
Pelourinho is a great ‘hatching’ of culture. This space is a reference for us, from Muzenza, and it’s always special for us to have our rehearsals here’ says Jorge dos Santos, president of Muzenza. ‘We don’t have a pre-defined repertoire, so we go by the public reaction and play great successes such as ‘Guerrilheiros da Jamaica (Mama Africa) (Jamaica warriors)’, ‘A Terra Tremeu’ (The Earth Shook), ‘Brilho e Beleza’ (Sparkle and Beauty), as well as others’. Jorge adds.
The theme ‘Black Carnivals’ is part of the ‘African descent decade’ in Salvador. Just like the First Meeting of Black Cultures [pt], the choice for the theme of the Pelourinho carnival slots into the International Decade of People of African Descent [pt] in Salvador, as set up by the United Nations after the Ibero American Meeting of the International Year of African Descent (Afro XXI), carried out in 2011. This was an opportunity for themes of racism and the social, economic and political situations of black people throughout the world today to be discussed.
During Afro XXI, the Bahian capital was given the title ‘Ibero American Capital of African Descent’. For the director of CCPI, Arany Santana, ‘the theme of the Pelourinho Carnival matches with the United Nations’, agenda, with the reality of Salvador and its cultural policies which Secult is supporting, such as the Black Gold Carnival. Carnival is an excellent opportunity to showcase these actions in the best way, giving recognition to the shaping of its (Salvador’s) identity as the city with the second largest number of black people in the world’ (outside the African continent) Arany points out.

author: Inês Pontes


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Crowdmapping Ukraine’s Wheelchair Accessibility  · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At BiggggIdea.com (uk; “Velyka Ideya” – “a platform where people present their projects, and the community funds them”), Oleksandr Telyuk draws attention [uk] to Wheelmap.org, a crowdmapping project that allows users to evaluate and mark wheelchair accessibility of various locations worldwide. Telyuk notes that 96 percent of public places in Ukraine's capital Kyiv still lack adequate wheelchair access, and, as for the Ukrainian segment of Wheelmap.org,
[…] Most objects on the Ukrainian map are now colored gray, which means that their wheelchair accessibility hasn't been determined by anyone yet. […]


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From Whispers to Outcry: Sexism in Germany · Global Voices
Katrin Zinoun

[All links lead to German language websites]
On January 25, 2013 an #Aufschrei (outcry) rang out through the German-speaking blogosphere in response to an article in Stern, a weekly German news magazine. Journalist Laura Himmelreich reported on an encounter with Rainer Brüderle, a politician from the Free Democratic Party (FDP), who allegedly made remarks about her buste and approached her inappropriately. Himmelreich's experience is just one of many examples of sexism that exists in everyday life.
Using the hashtag #aufschrei (#outcry), female Twitter users have been reporting their experiences of similar cases of everyday sexism, sexual harassment and, in some cases, even of sexual abuse. Below are some of the tweets:
@terrorzicke: Der Prof, der mir auf der Erasmus-Party zuraunte “I want to see you naked!” #aufschrei #England
@terrorzicke: The lecturer who whispered to me at an Erasmus party: “I want to see you naked!” #aufschrei #England
@Ine_12e: Ich näh die Dammnaht enger als vorher, da wird ihr Mann sich sicher drüber freuen. Arzt nach Geburt #aufschrei
@Ine_12e: I’m sewing up the perineal suture tighter than it was before, your husband should be pleased with that. A doctor after giving birth. #aufschrei
Street Art in Karlsruhe. Photo from Flickr by theodoritsis (CC BY-ND 2.0)
@KatiKuersch: Der Vorgesetzte, der mir sagte, ich müsse nur mal flachgelegt werden, dann ginge es mir psychisch sicher besser. #aufschrei
@KatiKuersch: The supervisor who told me I just needed to get on my back to feel psychologically better. #aufschrei
@marthadear: der vater einer schulfreundin, der auf ihrer geburtstagsfeier all ihren freundinnen poklappse gab. ich habe mich immer versteckt. #aufschrei
@marthadear: My friend's dad who smacked all the girls on the bum at her birthday party. I spent the whole time hiding. #aufschrei
@Wendelherz: Wie ich anfangs das Gefühl hatte, gar nix beisteuern zu können, und dann nach und nach alles hochkommt und ich kotzen möchte. #aufschrei
@Wendelherz: Feeling, at the beginning, that I couldn't add anything at all and then bit by bit, everything came up and I wanted to throw up. #aufschrei
hanhaiwen: Und all die Leute die auf solche Vorfälle jemals mit einem verständnislosen „ja und?“ reagiert haben. #aufschrei
hanhaiwen: And to anyone who has ever responded to such an incident with an unsympathetic, “So what?” #aufschrei
@sincerelyjurs: Und immer wieder das Gefühl, sexistische Situationen nicht als solche benennen zu dürfen, um nicht als Spaßbremse dazustehen. #aufschrei
@sincerelyjurs: And always feeling like you’re not allowed to label these situations as sexist, without being branded a killjoy. #aufschrei
MmeCoquelicot: Es geht nicht darum, dass ich mich nicht wehren KANN. Es geht darum, dass ich es nicht ständig müssen sollte. #aufschrei
MmeCoquelicot: It’s not that I can’t fight back, it’s that I shouldn’t always have to. #aufschrei
In the eyes of many Germans, sexism is not a problem that exists in today’s society. However, the tweets posted with the hashtag #aufschrei (outcry) show that this is not an accurate view and that sexism is in fact a common problem, even now. Journelle tweets:
Was ich an #aufschrei mag,ist,dass dieser “Minisexismus” in der Masse mal sein ganzes hässliches Gesicht zeigt und nicht runtergespielt wird.
What I like about #aufschrei (outcry) is that it’s bringing much-deserved attention to these abhorrent cases of casual sexism that might otherwise be ignored or trivialized.
Antje Schrupp writes about the newsworthiness of sexism and investigates the causes of this debate:
Auch viele Männer, die sich selbst gegenüber Frauen völlig korrekt verhalten, dachten bis vorgestern: Das ist zwar nicht schön, aber doch keine Nachricht – und suchten deshalb nach “Nebengründen”, die diese Veröffentlichung erklären könnten.
Es braucht aber keine weiteren Gründe, um so eine Story zu veröffentlichen, denn es gibt inzwischen massenweise Frauen und auch Männer, die das durchaus für eine Nachricht halten. Die sexuelle Belästigung keineswegs für eine Lappalie halten, auch dann nicht, wenn sie sich auf “niedrigem Niveau” abspielt.
Despite the unpleasant nature of these incidents, up until the day before yesterday, a number of men would not have considered them to be newsworthy, even those who treat women with dignity and respect. As a result, they have been trying to come up with additional reasons to justify the publication of these incidents.
But reports of this kind are considered newsworthy by masses of women, as well as men and so do not need any further justification in order to be published. Sexual harassment in any shape or form is by no means an insignificant matter.
Unfortunately, as so often happens in such debates, the uninformed and ignorant also feel the need to speak out and be heard. Below is one of the more friendly comments made by Twitter users criticising or ridiculing the campaign:
@robby_eberlein: #aufschrei Wie langweilig und trostlos muss der Alltag sein wenn man sich über solchen Nonsens dermassen aufregen kann…..
@robby_eberlein: #aufschrei (outcry) How boring and dull your life must be to get upset about this nonsense…
Meike Lobo took to her blog to criticise, among other things, the vagueness inherent in the terms ‘sexism’, ‘abuse’ and ‘sexual violence’:
Die Vermischung dieser Schlagworte überdramatisiert das Eine und — weitaus schlimmer — bagatellisiert das Andere. Die Grundhaltung mag bei allem eine ähnliche sein, nämlich die Objektifizierung des Gegenübers, aber das ist nach meinem Empfinden auch alles.
Kindesmissbrauch und Vergewaltigung sind schwerste Verbrechen und allein schon dadurch ganz klar zu trennen von Sexismus, der zwar oft unangenehm, schmierig und geschmacklos, aber eben kein Verbrechen ist. Solche schlimmen Verbrechen für die Lösung eines sozialen Problems zu missbrauchen, empfinde ich als Ohrfeige ins Gesicht aller Opfer sexueller Gewalt (sie selbst mögen das freilich anders empfinden).
For one thing, by using these catchwords together, the situation tends to be overdramatized and, far worse, trivialized. The main idea behind using each of these words may well be similar, namely, the objectification of the person subjected to it, but as far as I’m concerned, that’s also all it is.
Child abuse and rape are the most serious of crimes and are automatically differentiable from sexism, which, although often unpleasant, sleazy and tasteless, is not in itself a crime. In my opinion, misemplying such grave crimes in an attempt to solve what is essentially a social problem, is a slap in the face to all victims of sexual violence (who, of course, may well feel differently).
Sensitive Men
Some men have shown themselves to be rather more discerning and have vowed to react more sensitively to these issues in the future:
John tweets:
@einbequemesbrot: Schon krass, dass es heute noch so zugeht. Werde in Zukunft aufmerksamer sein. #Aufschrei
@einbequemesbrot: Disgusting that this is still happening in this day and age. Will be more considerate in the future. #Aufschrei
Alf Frommer reports on the change in attitudes triggered by this discussion on his blog Siegstyle.de:
Es steckt eben in jedem ein Brüderle. Eine Zoten-König oder ein Blicke-Belästiger. Ich sollte mein Verhalten überprüfen, auch wenn ich von mir selbst niemals annehmen würde, ich wäre ein Sexist. Aber vielleicht ist das gerade die Gefahr: ich halte mich für einen modernen Mann, der Frauen ernst nimmt und für die Gleichberechtigung und die Frauen-Quote eintritt. Trotzdem bin ich in einigen Dingen nicht besser als ein Ol’ Dirty Brüderle oder ein Franz-Josef Wagner, der eine Bildungsministerin zunächst mal nach dem Äußeren bewertet.
Daher bin ich froh über die Diskussion – weil ich darin in erster Linie eine Aufforderung sehe, mich selbst zu überprüfen.
There is a Brüderle [the FDP politician] hiding in everyone. A master of dirty jokes or a pervy old man. I should really look at my own behaviour, even though I would never consider myself to be sexist. But maybe that is where the danger lies. I consider myself to be a modern man, who takes women seriously and supports gender equality. Nevertheless, as someone who, at least initially, judged the Education Secretary based purely on her appearance, I am in some ways no better than an Ol’ Dirty Brüderle or a Franz-Josef Wagner [German tabloid columnist known to be sexist].
That is why I am pleased about the ongoing discussion. I see it as a prompt to reevaluate myself and my own behaviour.
By January 25, the Twitter debate had even reached the mainstream media:
Handelsblatt (a leading German language business newspaper) and Spiegel (a weekly German news magazine). In the meantime, the debate has spread to every type of media, including television. The main news programmes on public television have reported on the matter, while sexists and feminists took to political talk showa to debate the terminology being used, and whether sexism is even a problem.
The debate on sexism has escalated to such a height of publicity so quickly, primarily because it exposes the ongoing existence of a cultural phenomenon believed to have been long since overcome. As members of a modern society, Germans seem to think that sexism, gender stereotypes and the like have been left firmly in the past, but the reports surfacing on Twitter give powerful evidence to the contrary. Consequently, this has led to a passionate and emotionally-charged debate, that is, at times, lacking in respect and sensitivity to the subject matter.
Since then, the Twitter hashtag has gone global. See: #outcry and #assez.

author: Katrin Zinoun


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Incoming Chinese President’s Mystery Fan Blogger Revealed · Global Voices
Owen Guo

An anonymous blogger in China who ignited the country's curiosity with intimate details of incoming Chinese President Xi Jingping‘s comings and goings has revealed himself to be a college dropout unaffiliated with the communist party. [Update: Zhang Hongming announced with bitterness in the Fan's group would stop update on late afternoon of February 11, 2013.]
Bombarded with interview requests from the media and faced with mounting speculation over his real identity, Zhang Hongming, a migrant worker from China's southwestern Sichuan province, revealed in an exclusive interview with the Associated Press that he is the mastermind behind the “Xuesifensituan” [zh] (Learning from Xi Fan Club) page on the popular Chinese micro-blogging website Sina Weibo.
Zhang Hongming, the mastermind behind “Learning from Xi Fan Club”, unveiled his real identity on February 9.
Zhang claimed in the February 9 interview to be a genuine fan of Xi, and said his intention is to grant the public more access to the state leader. He went on to describe [zh] the interview with the Associated Press in a February 10 post on his Weibo page. A photo of himself was attached to the microblog:
起先澄清后，大家还说此地无银三百两，我这次是彻底是曝光个人资料，我连身份证都传给了记者，把来龙去脉都说的很清楚，不知那位记者把稿子报道出来是否完整。谢谢粉丝们是因为学习粉丝团才聚集在这里，更谢谢很多提供信息的粉丝们，我怀着一颗学习和谦卑的心和粉丝们继续团结，努力走下去。祝新年快乐
Many remain skeptical of Zhang, believing that he works for the Propaganda Department. The Weibo page is home to nothing but messages fawning over the country's communist leadership, such as a post published to the fan club page on Chinese New Year's Eve on February 9 that features an image [zh] of seven party members performing a New Year's greeting. The microblog greets the Chinese people on behalf of the leaders:
【向全国人民拜年】我们在努力……..团长我也向粉丝们拜年，过年了，休博几天。
[New Year greeting to all Chinese people] We are making efforts… As the head of this fan club, I wish all Xi's fans Happy New Year. I will stop tweeting for some days.
Zhang posted a New Year's greeting from communist leaders. In the illustration, Xi is standing at the center.
Such flattering publications have annoyed some web users. Zhang Xiaolei [zh] commented on Weibo that the fan club is serving the Propaganda Department:
看来宣传部的人都要放春节假期
It seems that the propaganda department staff will take Spring Festival break soon.
As of Feb 11, the number of Zhang's followers on Weibo has swelled to 809,737. Doubts are likely to linger over how he manages to collect such close-up pictures of Xi despite his earlier claim that the pictures of Xi he has featured came from online sources or were provided by Xi's local fans. It's a question that the Associated Press interview failed to address, as Maodou Xiansheng [zh] pointed out on Weibo:
请问博主，你对习书记的行程安排为何如此清晰，包括部分省份主要领导，还有很多的老照片，还有大量习书记第一现场的问候或出席照片？？？？？？
May I ask the blogger, how are you able to know so much about the General Secretary's itinerary, his meetings with major provincial leaders and get hold of so many old photos, as well as those photos taken on the scene of General Secretary Xi's visits??????

author: Owen Guo


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Praising Lenin in Tajik Poetry · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Glorifying Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik Revolution, was a popular theme in Soviet literature. Kimiyoi Saodat (The Chemistry of Happiness) blog traces [tj] the Lenin-praising tradition in Tajik poetry, from the prominent poets of the Soviet period to some contemporaries. More than two decades after independence, debates persist about the role of Lenin in the history of Tajikistan.


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Students to Protest Constitutional Amendment · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Hungarian Student Network and the Hungarian High School Network posted a declaration [en] “about the rule of law” in Hungary – and are planning yet another protest rally [hu] in Budapest on Monday, Feb. 11:
Today’s proposal for a constitutional amendment has made it obvious – even for those who so far doubted it – that the government is openly dismantling the system of checks and balances. According to Article 12 of the proposal, the Constitutional Court will not be allowed to scrutinize the content of any further amendments, which in effect means that the government and its two-thirds parliamentary majority will be able to pass any amendments they want. […]


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Taiwanese Writer Finds Poetry in Laid-off Workers’ Railway Protest  · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

Laid-off factory workers facing a lawsuit from the Taiwanese government over “unpaid debt” protested February 5, 2013 [zh] by lying across the tracks at a Taipei train station, bring traffic to a standstill.
The group of workers, who lost their jobs 16 years ago when many factories fled Taiwan for China and other countries to cut labor costs, received money at the time from the government body in charge of protecting labour rights meant to help them get back on their feet. But last year, that government body, called the Council of Labour Affairs, decided to sue the victims, demanding that they return the so-called “loan”.
Image from BoTh Ali Alone.
Not so many people are sympathetic to the plight of these desperate workers. So, inspired by the latest protest, Taiwanese writer-animator ‘BoTh Ali Alone’ [zh] created an illustration to show his support for these victims of de-industrialization.
BoTh Ali Alone's illustration is accompanied by a poem titled “Lying on the Railway”, which he wrote to describe a demoralized world in which people view other people's misery without any sympathy:
《臥軌》
有一座小島，人從出生就住在電車裡。
居民的人生目標就是沿著軌道向前衝
手持車票的居民
從未見過外面的世界，
因為車窗上都是螢幕
播着美麗的風景
別下車
下車你就回不去了
你會發現
政府不停地建設鐵路
電車能去任何地方
卻讓整座島變得沒有任何值得去的地方
除了一望無際的鐵路之外一片荒蕪
而買不起車票的人，
住在鐵軌的夾縫中間求生存。
被碾過的時候，
車裡的人還會抱怨路途顛簸。
— with 需要被支持的人.

author: I-fan Lin


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The Idleness of African Leadership in Mali  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Ousmane Gueye on the site Mondoblog writes [fr] about the slow deployment of African troops in northern Mali :
If we were to judge the impact of the intervention in Mali by the jubilant euphoria of liberated populations, then it should be obvious that by deploying so slowly, African countries failed Mali once again ….. All the posturing by African heads of state and yet they could not achieve a single action of their own to slow down the Islamists in Mali.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Protester Sets Himself on Fire, Yemen Remembers the Revolution · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Days before the second anniversary of Yemen's revolution, Munif Al-Zubairy set himself on fire in capital city Sanaa, to show solidarity with the country's striking injured revolutionaries.
Atiaf Al Wazir tweeted:
@WomanfromYemen: At noon today,Muneef alzubairi set himself on fire protesting lack of care by Yemeni govt to wounded revolutionaries pic.twitter.com/nZkSVEud
@WomanfromYemen: Muneef who set himself on fire today is alive but suffering severe burns, he's currently in the hospital. #Yemen
Blogger Afrah Nasser posted a post about him in which she wrote:
Shocking images of Munif has spread like fire over social media websites but I hope those political leaders have bothered to see them. Munif was rushed to the hospital and he managed to survive. Though, he suffers from sever injuries. “I want us to have a second revolution,” he shouted while he was setting himself on fire, today.
Striking injured revolutionaries
The protesters injured during the revolution have yet to receive adequate treatment or care from the government. Following the death of Taha Mohammed Al-Ariqi, who was hurt during the revolution, a group of injured revolutionaries staged a sit-in protest (some even went on hunger strike) in front of the Cabinet office, demanding the government to provide them with financial aid to get treated abroad.
An Injured protester holding a sign that reads in Arabic “They rose on our blood and we beg them for medical treatment”.
Yemen Updates tweeted:
@yemen_updates
Injured protesters staged a sit-in at the cabinet gate &went on hunger strike protesting official negligence of their medical needs. #Yemen
Journalist Aron Baron added:
@adammbaron: morally, opposition politicians inability to secure treatment for injured activists is disturbing. politically, its simply moronic. #yemen
Remembering the Revolution
Yemenis are commemorating the second anniversary of February 11, 2011 – the day their revolution began.
Mohammed Al-Asaadi tweeted from Taiz where the revolution began:
@alasaadim: I'm in Taiz witnessing the crowds gathering to celebrate the 2nd anniversary of #11Feb revolution. A remarkable day for #Yemen & #Yemenis.
A design commemorating February 11th, the beginning of Yemen's peaceful youth revolution
Yemen is known to be the second most armed nation in the world (after the U.S), yet Yemenis impressed the world with their peaceful marches. Men and women flooded the squares of Change and Freedom every Friday across 21 provinces, for over a year.
Two years have passed since Yemenis went to the streets “demanding, dignity, freedom and a life worth living”, as the SupportYemen team echoed in this video:
Yet looking back at what has been achieved many feel a bitter disappointment. Living conditions in Yemen have not improved, and according to some, have even deteriorated further. The country continues to suffer from electricity cuts and water shortages.
The military has not been properly reconstructed yet, although some decrees have been passed by President Abdu Rabu Mansour Hadi. The suffering economy has not improved either. Much needed development and relief pledged funds are still awaiting the “Friends of Yemen” conference in March, hosted by the UK. Also set for March is the ever elusive National Dialogue, which is supposed to deal with political divisions and bitter grievances that threaten the country's unity and draft the new constitution preparing for the 2014 presidential election. President Hadi chose March 18 to be the launch date of the conference – a date that some Yemeni found to be very distasteful since it marks the second anniversary of the “Friday of Dignity” Massacre in which 52 people were killed by the regime forces.
Osamah Fakih tweeted:
@osamahfakih: March18 for National Dialogue n #Yemen is provocation 2 obliterate the anniversary of the #Friday_of_Dignity.Nations have their own memorie
Summer Nasser added:
@SummerNasser: I find Hadi's decision to make the National Dialogue on March 18th, also known as the anniversary of Dignity Friday, disrespectful. #yemen
Journalist Adam Baron tweeted:
@adammbaron: as #yemen's elites squabble abt natl dialogue, most here remain mired in a daily struggle to eke out a living amidst a moribund economy.
Even Yemeni students studying abroad are suffering from the corruption that the new government inherited from the old regime which the revolution “supposedly” overthrew. Students in Algeria, Germany, Egypt, Sudan, Malaysia and Russia are struggling with financial difficulties and mis-treatment from the educational sector in the embassies abroad. They have been staging sit-ins in their respective embassies and so have their supporters in Yemen staging sit-ins in front of the Ministry of Higher Education, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who have been blaming each other for the responsibility behind their hardship. This video was uploaded on YouTube by VSJ Germany with messages od students in Germany recounting their problems and asking the government to solve them as soon as possible:
Mohammed Al-Asaadi tweeted:
@alasaadim: Saleh is toppled. Family rule in #Yemen are gone. Construction, development and advancement are to follow. Thx to #11Feb youth revolution
@alasaadim: These crowds I see in Taiz and are everywhere in #Yemen will defend their nation & revolution. #11Feb is the start of a long march.
Rooj Alwazir tweeted:
@Rooj129:STRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKE!! Youth of #Yemen are striking tomorrow to bring the #revolution to victory! #feb11
Afrah Nasser tweeted:
@Afrahnasser: In the 2nd anniversary of #Yemen's uprising, I'd lik 2 congratulate th #US, #KSA & th rest #Gulf states 4 suppressing the people's revo.
Ataif Alwazir wrote a blog post: “Revolution 1.0 has ended & Revolution 2.0 has begun”
She wrote:
Those of us who have dedicated our life to speaking out about injustice, those of us who felt betrayed by the system, those of us who went to bed hungry, those of us who were tortured in prison, those of us who couldn't find a job, and those of us who had to face the corruption of the government on a daily basis, were ecstatic that this day has finally come. We all went out dreaming, and refused to wake up from our dream.
Then there was the biggest blowback, and the stab in the back to the youth revolution: the signing of the Gulf Cooperation Council's plan, under the support of the “international community”. The plan gave immunity to Saleh & many in his regime. Adding insult to injury, the plan stated that there will be a “one man election” and that the next president would be Saleh's vice president-Abd Rabo Mansour Hadi.
With the signing of the GCC deal, it seems that everyone (regime and opposition parties) had a piece of the cake, except the independent youth who started the revolution with big aspirations for change and dreams of building a new Yemen.
A video of a Yemeni rap song commemorating the revolution's martyrs was uploaded on Youtube by sakhr galeb and was shared widely on Facebook and Twitter.
Despite the many disappointments, grievances, international interference, setbacks and unaccomplished goals, history has taught us that revolutions do not succeed overnight. A lot of commitment, effort, faith, hope, patience and above all time is needed for any concrete change to happen or for any desired results to occur. The fact remains that today is February 11, the day written in history as the date in which Yemen's revolution started… and seemingly it will continue for a long time.

author: Noon Arabia


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A Digital Farmer’s Almanac – How Communities Track ‘Microchanges’ in Climate · Global Voices
New America Media

This interview was originally published by New America Media on February 11, 2013.
Source: New America Media
Question & Answer, Ngoc Nguyen, Interview with Julia Kumari Drapkin.
The iSeeChange almanac allows people to make observations about climate change in their own backyards and ask scientists questions directly. NAM’s Ngoc Nguyen spoke with the project’s producer, Julia Kumari Drapkin, about how this experiment in crowd-sourced environmental reporting is spurring conversations about climate change in rural Colorado and elsewhere.
What is the idea behind the iSeeChange almanac?
I’ve worked closely with scientists, had personal conversations with them and written stories about scientists and why they think the way they think. After all this time, we’re still struggling with communicating climate change … You can’t narrow down very easily global climate change to individual community experiences. Like when Hurricane Katrina slammed into my hometown of New Orleans…. could you attribute it to climate change?
We are afraid to go into local experiences and attribute climate change to local experiences because we don’t want to make a mistake. That’s a good fear to have, but it prevents us from having conversations with citizens who may have climate change affecting their lives.
As a journalist, what were you trying to change about the way environmental news is communicated?
I realized that part of the problem is the structure of the way [journalists] report. Traditionally, a science story begins with a scientist making observations and asking questions. They answers questions in a research paper, and if I [the reporter] have time, I find a local anecdote to make that experience seem familiar. What if we reverse that process? What if we provide tools and mechanisms to make observations about what is changing in their lives?
How does the website work?
People go online and make observations and ask questions, and the questions are answered by the community, which includes scientists. As questions get asked, we come through every week and review the postings. Either the questions are answered by the community or scientists or we call a scientist and get them to answer specific questions. For example, if there’s an early spring, what happens?
It’s a socially networked almanac — half journalism, half farmer’s almanac. People keep detailed notes about farms and ranches, in the same way that a biologist would keep field notes. It’s relevant to their bottom line. They derive their livelihood off the land so they pay attention to the way it changes. Even on Facebook, there’s a weather journal. It’s never been curated and shared.
What have you learned and what’s been surprising about the project so far?
I learned that when you give the community the power to ask the questions, it’s one of the most empowering things you can do. It’s a powerful [reporting] tool and allows me to see what is happening in the community months before things break in the mainstream [media]. Communities could tip off their news if they had the tools to do it. I do believe in that process. When we launched the website, I remember, I received texts about wildfires and droughts in April 2012, long before wildfires and droughts made mainstream news and headlines. In Colorado, we saw a historic wildfire season and …half the country is in a drought now.
The face of the environmental movement has been traditionally white, despite the fact that ethnic communities and immigrants have long championed environmental rights and protections, and polls find they want cleaner air and water and clean energy. How could the iSeeChange project change that?
I would say that immigrant communities are the ones who are the best positioned to see these microchanges in the climate because of their relationship to the land. One of the reasons iSeeChange works so well is because in Paonia, Colo., you have a natural resource community. People here live off the land. They derive their livelihood off the environment. Immigrant communities know that really well. In a way, it would be really interesting to have an ISeeChange in a Vietnamese community in coastal Louisiana who are attuned to microchanges in the environment over time.
You’re in rural Western Colorado, so how do you talk about climate change there?
In ironic, because in Paonia, half the town are miners and the other half are organic farmers. We have a coal mine in town owned by Bill Koch. When we first started to promo iSeeChange, the radio station heard from some listeners that it was a misuse of resources. [In Paonia], there’s a part of the community that doesn’t believe in climate change. Mostly, people I am working with are white…they may not be wealthy, they may not buy into climate change, but they do pay attention to how the weather’s affecting water [supply]…we all have common ground. Weather – it’s a little bit ‘Eliza Doolittle’ — you can talk to anyone, anywhere about the weather.
Right now, iSeeChange is locally focused [on Paonia, Colo.], but could it have a global lens as well?
Yes, right now, it’s geared for the community. The weather feed has info relevant to the community. But we’re getting clips everywhere. We got a post from Baltimore, saying that spring flowers were blooming earlier in Baltimore.
We envision websites for three environments – rural, urban and coastal. We’re exploring how it could or should be modified for urban climate change, how it can be adjusted for coastal climate change.
Climate scientists say that weather is not the same thing as climate, but there’s so much mingling of extreme weather events and climate change now in the minds of the public. There seems to be value in talking about climate change through weather, but is it also misleading?
Scientists are much closer to saying the weird weather is indicative of climate change. That’s what the almanac is about. Extreme variability in the environment. This tool allows us to map the noise…we can see that sustained number of bizarre events at the same time is telling us something. For a drought series we did, we looked at the changes in the behavior of the jet stream has on heating temperatures in the Artic. Jet stream is the river of air and as it slows down…it can contribute to the weather pattern persisting. If dry weather is what we’re seeing lately, it is more likely to continue to be dry and if it’s more wet, it will continue to be wet.
So iSeeChange is recording what you call microchanges in the environment. Is it also mapping how people are adapting to the changes?
We’re interested in that too. Scientist and ranchers and farmers are all seeing the same thing…farmers and ranchers are making a decision. What do they do on their farms and ranches? We’re interested in mapping the decisions. That’s a core question that … iSeeChange tries to answer … as the environment is changing, how are we changing too? That’s the whole point of the project. A digital almanac…to document what 2012 has done to us, how it changed us.
We had a earlier spring, flowers grew earlier, markets weren’t ready for some of the food, people ran out of water, they decided not to plant…people selling off [farm] animals right and left. This has been an epic year.

author: New America Media


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Apply Today: Journalism Fellowship, Immigrant Women · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Today (February 12) is the last day to apply for New America Media's fellowship for journalists writing about immigrant women in the United States. Ten fellowships are available, and bloggers and online journalists in the U.S. can apply too.

author: Solana Larsen


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As Pope Resigns, Russians Resigned to Putin · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

If every community views global events though a lens of its choosing, then for the Russian Internet community the lens of choice is domestic politics. It comes as no surprise, then, that the news that Pope Benedict XIV resigned from his post was interpreted from this angle by Russian bloggers. It also comes as no surprise that most of these interpretations were in the form of jokes — after all, even religious Russians don't really have a dog in this fight. Without any real interest in the repercussions of Benedict's resignation for the Catholic faith or what it means in light of ever more visible priest molestation scandals, the RuNet defaulted to its favorite pastime, humor.
Blogger and journalist Ivan Davydov took a social welfare angle [ru]:
В России из каждой третьей семьи папа ушел. И ничего, не шумит никто в прессе.
In Russia a third of the families have been abandoned by fathers [the Russian “papa” means both father and Pope]. And nothing, no one is making noise in the press.
RuNet's pro-government bad boy Politrash exploited [ru] growing tensions in the North Caucasus:
Бенедикт XVI: “Руководство футбольного клуба “Анжи” сделало мне предложение, от которого я не мог отказаться”.
Benedict XVI: “The leadership of the football [soccer] club “Anzhi” made me an offer I could not refuse.
FC Anzhi is based in Makhachkala, the Republic of Dagestan, and is owned by Russian billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, who since 2011 has been spending reams of cash to poach good players from European clubs like FC Milan.
While Benedict XVI is retiring, President Putin still has some juice left. Pope Benedict in Poland, October 17, 2010. © Kancelaria Prezydenta RP. GNU Licence. Vladimir Putin in Tuva, August 13, 2007. © www.kremlin.ru CC 3.0
Most bloggers, however, went with the transparent Vladimir Putin parallel. There is some symmetry in comparing the authoritarian Putin to the Pope. Both run organizations defined by “power verticals”, although it was a different Russian leader [ru] who is said to have famously queried “The Pope? How many divisions has he got?”
Ksenia Sobchak summed up the general sentiment in a tweet [ru], hinting at the dubious constitutionality of Putin's third term:
Даже папа ушел.Сам.В теократическом гос-ве Ватикан принцип сменяемости власти работает лучше чем в стране “суверенной демократии”…
Even the pope left. On his own. In the theocratic nation of Vatican the principle of transition of power works better than in the country of “sovereign democracy” …
The fake Twitter account of Rossneft president Igor Sechin implied [ru] that the Pope may have had ulterior motives in resigning:
Папа Римский Бенедикт XVI весело троллит Путина
The Roman Pope Benedict XVI is cheerfully trolling Putin
The fake Twitter account of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded [ru] to the presumed “hint” from Benedict for Putin to bow out, with a fake quote from Putin's press-secretary:
“Не дождетесь!” – кратко прокомментировал Дмитрий Песков последние новости из Ватикана.
“Not a chance!” – Dmitry Peskov tersely commented on the latest news from Vatican.
The anonymous jokester KermlinRussia couldn't pass an opportunity by, mysteriously tweeting [ru]:
П. отрекся от престола.
P. abdicated.
While this tongue-in-cheek announcement was retweeted 146 times, it didn't beat the 254 retweets for user @fuckdaoutlaws, who brought it all home in a tweet [ru] that single-handedly managed to poke fun of current Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu's versatility (he has also governed a federal region and ran the paramilitary Ministry of Emergency Situations), while expressing doubt about the future of Russian leadership (Shoigu, who has somewhat of a personality cult, especially among his former MChS troops, is often shortlisted as a possible Putin successor):
временно исполняющим обязанности Папы Римского назначен Сергей Шойгу
Sergei Shoigu, has for the time being, been appointed the acting Pope

author: Andrey Tselikov


text:
Fukushima’s Children Are Getting Sick · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Tokyo based documentary filmmaker Ian Thomas Ash uploaded a trailer of his new documentary about children in Fukushima who are now being diagnosed with thyroid cysts and nodules. Fukushima suffered a massive nuclear disaster in 2011, after a earthquake hit Japan.

author: Keiko Tanaka


text:
Linking to Facebook is a Crime in Iran · Global Voices
Farid

According to [fa] Iranian media, linking to filtered social networking sites such as Facebook and Google+ can be considered a crime under the “computer crimes law”. Read more on the “Law of Computer Crimes” here.

author: Farid