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Protecting the Beaches of Brunei · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Beach Bunch Association was established to “sustain and protect the beaches of Brunei from pollution.” Some of the activities of the group include the following:
We organise and conduct cleaning campaigns regularly on Brunei beaches
We organise and conduct awareness programs on waste management on the beaches
We promote reduction in waste generation in particular plastic bottles and plastics bag
We provide environmental education programs through public, private and educational institutions
Beach Bunch also taps the power of social media to gather more support from the public. Aside from its website, it also has Facebook and Twitter accounts.
One of its projects include a mapping of Brunei beaches:
Google Map of Brunei Beaches
Another mapping project involves the identification of the location, services offered and situation of the beaches in the country.
A coastal clean up was recently organized where 150 volunteers from various schools participated. According to the organizers, “a total of 418.5 kilogrammes of waste were collected, out of which 100 kgs were plastic, one and a half kgs of aluminium and 317 kgs of non-recyclable waste.”
The volunteers wrote about their participation on Facebook:
Harold Raps: Yeah! Had a great time! Helped with something good and met some great people! Best thing was that the beach looked so much cleaner afterwards!
Anthony Er: Well Done, BB. It only takes a spark to get this fire of cleanliness going. Impressed with the big turn-out. Congrats also to Rizan Latif and the rest of the BB organizers. Bravo !
Beach Bunch Clean-up event
Volunteers in the beach clean-up drive
Jan Shim was one of the participants of the clean up event:
I think you would have a lot of fun as I did covering this international anniversary beach clean-up event. I cannot imagine how this much crap could end up on the beach and how, evidence from photos, fishermen could leave nets conveniently washed up to the beach to be cleaned up by others.
Beach Bunch collected the photos which will be part of an international database:
We believe that no matter where we live, the ocean is our life support system. That's why we're teaming up with Ocean Conservancy, Project Aware and Clean-up the World to help keep our ocean and waterways clean. The data collected will be uploaded into an international database. This is the 2nd time Beach Bunch participate on such a world event.

author: Mong Palatino


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Russia: Google Office Invites Iranian Ambassador to ‘Disperse Myths’ About ‘Contemporary Persia’ · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

“Mr Ambassador [Reza Sajadi] had told us about contemporary Persia: about progress in science and technology in his country, developing tourism, situation of women in the Iranian society, had dispersed many myths around Iran and its traditions, and had invited us to visit Iran and enjoy ancient culture of the country and hospitality of its citizens,” writes [ru] Google's Official Russian Blog about the recent visit of Ambassador to the Google office in Moscow.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Indie Band Uses ‘Office Violence’ Viral Video For Promotion · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Biting Elbows, Moscow-based indie/punk band, has shot quite funny viral video for the promotion of its debut album. The clip reminds both the “Matrix,” and 2008 ‘Russian Office Rampage‘ footage (later recognised as the ad for Timur Bekmambetov's movie “Wanted“).


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Sri Lanka: Solar Plant Will Provide Power To 3,000 Rural Families · Global Voices
Rezwan

Window to Nature informs that Sri Lanka's newly established Solar Plant will provide power to 3,000 rural families. The country aims to switch to non-conventional renewable energy generation to meet 10% of total energy consumption by 2015.

author: Rezwan


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Sri Lanka: Yellow Journalism Threatens LGBT Community · Global Voices
Rezwan

Hans Billmoria reports how a local newspaper published their alleged exposé on “condoms and lubricating gels being distributed to men who have sex with men”, and published the addresses of the community based organizations involved in the process. This has put the gay community in the country in fear and insecurity.


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Trinidad & Tobago: 2011 Film Festival Launch · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Regional bloggers are excited about some of the films that will be screened at the 2011 Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival, which opens today.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Non-Communicable Diseases · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar recently brought the issue of non-communicable diseases to the attention of the United Nations; aka_lol agrees: “It will be no point taking guns and drugs of the streets while letting killer foods roam the country like an honorary citizen with diplomatic immunity.”


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Turkmenistan: Global Village or Village Behind the Globe? · Global Voices
Annasoltan

Turkmenistan is known as one of the most secretive and isolated countries in the world. Foreign presence in this country is limited to a few diplomats and branch executives of a couple of large energy or construction companies. [All links are in Turkmen].
In this sense Turkmenistan can be called a global desert. A recent conversation titled ‘The Americans in the villages‘ on newly opened Turkmen language chat forum ertir.com is illustrative of how Turkmenistan’s isolation has influenced the mentality of the people.
Turkmenistan
Tending the city park in the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat. Image by Mirka Duijn, copyright Demotix (24/09/2009).
Turkmenistan is a country of 5 million people, rich in hydrocarbon resources. Having witnessed the Tsarist conquest in the nineteenth century and consequently been incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1924, sandwiched between Iran and Afghanistan, the fear of the powerful neighbors and big powers in Turkmenistan is all present.
Nationalism has just begun to grow after 20 years of the country’s independence from the Soviet Union. The unpredictability of a dictatorship adds to the popularity of ‘spy’ scenarios or ‘conspiracy theories’ circulating among the population.
The government maintains secrecy in its policies and public discussions on political issues are considered a taboo. The heavily censored and state controlled media only reports official news; consequently the people know or understand very little about the government’s policies. Statistics and a variety of information that is available freely elsewhere is considered a state secret in Turkmenistan.
Therefore, an American’s presence in a Turkmen village can cause a real surprise and lead to all sorts of curiosity and speculation among the population. But like a Turkmen proverb is saying the “there is a logic in the crowd,” the conversation that took place on 10 September, 2011, has brought some clarity to the issue.
‘The Americans in the villages’
Görogly who opened a conversation titled ‘The Americans in the villages,’ wrote:
I don’t know whether you have also a similar situation in the area you live but in the neighboring village an American is working as an English teacher. It is obvious that they [the American teachers] aren’t coming here because of the salary of a village school. At the celebrative ‘toy’ events he is filming everything so that some aunts (elder women) from the village started to swear: ‘The haram who should be swallowed by the earth’ [a Turkmen expression meant for someone who is wished to disappear]. He is exhausting our patience by using his camera. What are your views about them? What do you think they are doing in Turkmenistan?
Turkmentalyp was first to share his opinion:
Of course it is not a coincidence. They have institutions for learning about people. They are learning the economic, political and social aspects of the [Turkmen] people. Hence, they are constructing a ‘vicious’ strategy. In short they learn the anatomy of the people, they learn the strengths and the weaknesses. Like in a struggle they use the opponents’ weaknesses.
Görogly joined the discussion saying:
During the era of Güljamal Han they were also living among the population and they came with Skobelev [the Russian army general who defeated the Turkmen at Gökdepe fortress]. Who knows what their aims are. We should fear them.
Abadan added:
They want to learn the Turkmen traditions.
Gudrat agreed:
Yes, sure they want to learn our culture. Do you sincerely believe that a spy would film with a camera? If he were indeed a spy you wouldn’t even know that he’s an American.
Kural had the following to say:
What are you talking about people? The human being is curious, he wants to learn about other cultures, wants to teach his own culture, wants to gather experiences… Wasn’t that an American girl who died under the Isreali bulldozer? [Reference to Rachael Corrie, an American activist killed in the Gaza Strip by an Israel Defence Forces (IDF) bulldozer]. If I had traveled to a foreign country, even if it were in Africa, I would take my camera with me.
We are not going to villages in the holidays to teach what we know. The people need someone to teach them. They don’t know what’s right or wrong.  If one is afraid of the camera, he should correct it. The [Turkmen] government which did not accept the Israel’s two diplomats credentials, should be able to manage that.
Senem disagreed with Kural:
But Kural, it is America. We shouldn’t be expecting anything better from America.
Kural responded:
Senem, to be honest, I have seen all of the difficulties in my life in Turkmenistan. I got past it. But even if the people are being beaten or reprimanded, they are soo content with the government. One shouldn’t be afraid but act boldly. They shouldn’t come to teach us, we should teach the people.
Abadan asked:
Why is there a sign on the wall of the American Embassy showing that taking photos are banned? Every time I go past I am wondering. There is nobody here taking a photo to stage an attack.
Senem responded:
They think that everybody is like them.
Leo Messi said:
If I go out of the country I film everything that I am not used to see. I film the taxis, the restaurants, even when the people are talking. Now, am I a spy? LOL to you. Is the dead village a military or strategic point worth of filming? Are you comparing Skobelev’s period to our time? Once more LOL to you. The technology has progressed now the spy info is being obtained through cyber spies not by sending one of their citizens to a dead village. Besides not all Americans are bad. If instead of America, Turkey or Russia were the superpowers they would be worse. I don’t see anything bad what America is doing. They are trying to clean countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan from dirt. America forever.
Turkmentalyp insisted:
They have finished the Iraqi state calling it democracy. To clean up the dirt we don’t need America. It would be better for them not to get their nose into the affairs of others. To learn the people’s opinions is a large information. It also includes learning the traditions, But to invade a country there is not only military information necessary. The media and the disputes that derive from the thinking of the people are also important. To make it perfect, learning the traditions is a must.
Leo Messi replied:
Turkmentalyp, to learn the thinking of the people they have special services. Besides there are no Americans working in these services. The people of the country under study are passing it. For example, on Turkmenistan, it is azatlyk.com’s workers find for them.
Halasgär sounded pessimistic:
Their goal is not only to spy but also to find young collaborators for the future. To raise people like Sylapmen [a Christian turned Turkmen]. One should be very careful. May Allah not separate the people from their belief, their beautiful life, and their homeland. Omin.
Heromant joined saying:
I am currently working in the Azatlyk Farmers Union in Yoloten. I am video taping whatever I see because here it looks like Afghanistan. Am I also a spy? LOL to you. Go to see America as well, to see their villages with cameras. You won’t be called a spy. Learn and let your thinking progress. Rather than gossiping about America let your thinking grow.
YaSwami opined:
In my opinion they know what we the Turkmens don’t know, in politics they know that we are the ass cleaners of the Russians. God knows what you are trying to hide from the cameras.
Belulym said:
Who has appointed him as a teacher? It is unlikely that he who came from America would become a teacher in a village.  If anything, he would come to work in the cities. Hmm, it’s a highly suspicious situation.
Mylayym explained:
The English teachers are being sent by the Peace Corps. Likewise, our people are being sent to the States for learning English. There is nothing to be afraid of. Our people can also video tape there. I have seen with my own eyes that how many of them have been taught English. If my family had allowed me I would have brought a girl to live with us if we were a family but the relatives at home didn’t allow and the Corps said that they don’t locate their people in Ashgabat. When I asked why they said to teach the village people English and second they said it is easier to learn the Turkmen language in the villages than in the cities. Not only in Ashgabat but in all the U.S. Embassies taking photos is not allowed.
Explorer had the last word on the issue:
You are behaving like if you were living in the 18th century. Let them video tape if they want. Are our villages also a state secret now?  Don’t let foreigners listen to what you’re saying cause you will make them laugh about you. This is a mentality issue. The issue about not believing that one person can indeed travel into another country to learn the culture and its people. Because our computers don’t have such a code in their BIOS. It should be a spy or an enemy or the like. Consequently he should be hanged, stoned to death or extradited.

author: Annasoltan


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Uganda: LGBTI Human Rights Defender Receives Kennedy Award · Global Voices
Haute Haiku

Frank Mugisha, a Ugandan LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) human rights defender has been selected for the 2011 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. He has been commended for his work in the LGBTI community especially in Uganda. Mugisha is the Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), an umbrella organisation that protects and recognises LGBTI people in the country.
Ugandan LGBTI activist, Frank Mugisha. Image taken from Twitter (@frankmugisha).
Frank Mugisha, a prominent young advocate for the rights of sexual minorities in Uganda, has been chosen to receive the prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award. Mr. Mugisha is the Executive Director of Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG), a leading organization of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) movement in the East African country.In Uganda, LGBTI organizations operate in a dangerously hostile climate, and Mr. Mugisha is one of the few openly gay LGBTI activists. As a spokesperson for the movement, he amplifies the voice of one of the most vulnerable groups in the country.
“Frank Mugisha's unbending advocacy for gay rights in Uganda in the face of deep-rooted homophobia is a testament to the indomitability of the human spirit,” said RFK Human Rights Award Judge Dean Makau Mutua, Professor of Law and Dean of the University at Buffalo Law School (SUNY).
The Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights established the Award in 1984 to recognise activists and support authors and journalists working for the advancement of human rights:
The Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award was established in 1984 to honor courageous and innovative individuals striving for social justice throughout the world. Each year, the RFK Center awards an individual whose courageous activism is at the heart of the human rights movement and in the spirit of Robert Kennedy.
Frank Mugisha has significantly contributed to advancing gay rights in Uganda, a country which earlier this year has seen the proposal of the controversial anti-gay bill and the assault and murder of the late David Kato, another famous gay activist.
Mugisha runs Sexual Minority Uganda (SMUG), a gay center in capital Kampala comprised of two member organisations: Integrity Uganda, which tackles the crucial integration of identity and religion amongst LGBTI Ugandans, and Icebreakers Uganda, which focuses more on research and youth issues.
Our Vision: A liberated LGBTI people of Uganda.
Our mission: is to oversee and support member organizations to achieve their objectives aimed at LGBTI liberation.
As a coalition, we focus on advocacy and coordination of efforts by local and international bodies.
Mrs. Robert F. Kennedy and Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will present Frank Mugisha with his award in Washington, D.C., on November 10.

author: Haute Haiku


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World: Twitter Rallies for #TroyDavis · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

In the United States, where capital punishment is legal in all but 14 states, the case of Troy Davis has drawn ire from abolitionist activists.  Davis was convicted of murdering a police officer in 1989 during a trial in which there was no DNA evidence implicating him, but merely the testimony of witnesses, several of whom later recanted their statements.
Davis was given the death penalty, and his first execution scheduled for July 17, 2007.  After appeals by Davis's lawyers, NGOs, and numerous celebrities, Davis was granted a stay of execution.  Twice his execution was re-scheduled, and both times Davis was granted a stay; then, following a federal appeal in 2010 – which was rejected – his execution was once again scheduled, for September 21, 2011.
Photo credit: BigBoi, Twitpic
Along with Davis's lawyers, organizations like Amnesty called for a stay of execution, prompting even celebrities like Kim Kardashian and rapper BigBoi to appeal to their Twitter followers.
In the hours and minutes leading up to the execution, scheduled for 7pm local time, individuals from all across the globe continued to rally for a stay of execution.  Using the hashtags #Troy Davis, #TooMuchDoubt, and #TheWholeWorldIsWatching.
From the UK, @Rachel_McCormack tweeted:
Georgia I am outside the US Embassy in London freezing and watching #thewholeworldiswatching
Also from the UK, @CatherineBee shared her thoughts:
“It is better to risk sparing a guilty person than to condemn an innocent one.” Voltaire #thewholeworldiswatching #troydavis
@LizLemonCologne expressed a sentiment likely shared by many:
Following the #thewholeworldiswatching hashtag is just breaking my heart. #troydavis
@monstris lamented:
Watch Democracy Now. Now. Watch democracy fall apart for #TroyDavis. And people wonder why I left America…. #thewholeworldiswatching
And from Greece, @helion spoke:
a western democracy, a supposed bastion of human rights, should not take the life of a possibly innocent citizen #thewholeworldiswatching
In the end, their tweets–along with ample offline activism–served as a rallying cry against the execution of a potentially innocent man.  Just a few minutes after 7pm, news broke on Twitter that Davis had been granted a stay of execution.  Said @Colorlines:
Speechless! @democracynow is reporting a literal last-minute stay of execution! Livestream: http://democracynow.org #troydavis
From the UK, @GrahamSimmons commented:
tonight is a victory for humankind #troydavis #thewholeworldiswatching #fb
But amidst the excitement, @graceishuman – relaying news from @DemocracyNow reporters in the room – clarified the news, explaining:
SCOTUS has issued a reprieve for #troydavis execution – which means it's delayed (for further review?) not stayed. (via Democracy Now)
ABC News confirmed the story, stating that “The Supreme Court could decide at any time tonight or in the next seven days whether to go through with his execution.”

author: Jillian C. York


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Zambia: Netizens Fill Void of Delayed Election Results · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Eighteen hours after Zambia’s September 20 elections closed, inordinate delays by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to release presidential, parliamentary and local government results have led social media sources to give out the much yearned for information.
Zambian Economist is giving regular updates of the results:
We shall post below the constitution picture has it emerge for each province. Please let us know of results as you have them. The page will be regularly updated.
Supporters of Zambian presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema display his campaign posters. Image by Owen Miyanza, copyright Demotix (02/09/2011).
At the time of writing this post, opposition party Patriotic Front (PF), which is tipped to comfortably win, had 45 seats out of the possible 150, while the ruling party MMD had eight and other opposition party, the United Party for National Democracy (UPND) had three.
One contributor was however not happy with the Zambian Economist post. Alphoncious H. said:
This forum sounds for sure supporting PF. It is trying by all means to demean other political parties taking part in these elections. I think it is not an encouraging source to get information
On the Facebook group Zambian Peoples Pact, netizens were trying to make sense out of the situation.
Tina Banda wrote this about the PF secretary general:
VERY OFFICIAL FROM RELIABLE SOURCE—Wynter Kabimba has written to Ireen Mambilima to start announcing results because according to the RESULTS collected by PF secretariat ,the PF LEADER SATA is leading Country wide by 59% while RB 32%.They have collected results in all polling stations were counting is finished and SATA is headed for VICTORY No doubt.
On another Facebook group, Election Results – Zambia, there was an unofficial trickle of results.
Deli Bwalya posted the following:
Chipata Central MP: MMD 14065, PF 10412, Presidential MMD 16224, PF 8952. Hands down for Mangani (a former minister in the MMD government who resigned his position to join PF) well fought but bye bye.
On another Facebook group, the situation was the same.
Kennedy Kaluluma announced to fellow netizens an upcoming press conference by an ECZ official:
It's official Elo lwanya!!! tsunami yayisa. VIva PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF! wow! Mambillima is going to have a press conference shortly. Let's wait and see. (It’s official. It is getting interesting, a tsunami is on the way Viva PF. ECZ chairperson, Justice Ireen Mambilima is about to hold a press conference)
On Twitter, tweeps were reporting a fatality in the mining town of Solwezi, some 700 km to the northwest of Lusaka, where people were allegedly battling election officials after unsealed ballot boxes were brought to the counting centre.
@TwentyKwacha: oh no. RT @mwabizo: Riots in solwezi turn fatal as one person is reported dead.#bantuwatch #zambianelections
The ECZ has said that it will announce the official results on 22 September, 2011, two days after polling day.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Armenia: Punishing homophobia · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped: Gay Armenia reports that a regional tour company has announced that it will not be sponsoring or advertising on Radio Van, a local radio station accused of spreading hate-speech and homophobia in the country.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Peace Corps Reflections · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Aaron in Azerbaijan comments on a Global Voices post on the U.S. Peace Corps in Turkmenistan and reflects on the situation as a volunteer in Azerbaijan.


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Bolivia: Police Block Indigenous Territory Anti-Highway March · Global Voices
Magdalena Noga

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights and Forest Focus: Amazon.
Protests have continued by indigenous marchers to stop the building of a highway to go through TIPNIS, the Indigenous Territory National Park Isiboro Sécure, as Global Voices previously reported.
In the blog Bolivia Diary, Dario Kenner explains the conflict in depth and writes about the conditions the marchers have been facing:
Despite the indigenous peoples spending over a month marching, including with children and elderly people (there is a 99 year old marching!), in very difficult conditions and without proper supplies it is clear they are determined to reach an agreement that they feel will defend their rights and territory. For them this means the highway not going through the TIPNIS. It is surprising the Bolivian government has let the conflict go on this long because each day the issue generates more controversy which includes international petitions.
"Let's defend TIPNIS. NO to the highway" Poster by Patricio Javier Vera, used with his permission.
Dario goes on to report on the current situation:
There are still over 250 kilometres to go out of the total 500+ kilometres. There is currently a highly tense standoff due to a blockade which has been set up in Yucumo and the presence of 400 police who are stopping the marchers from advancing. An important rural social movement, the Confederation of Intercultural Communities of Bolivia (CSCIB), have been blockading in support of the highway and to demand the removal of five of the marcher’s demands (see full set of demands in part 2) and that the marchers dialogue with the government. This last point does not make sense because the very aim of the march is to get to La Paz and dialogue with the government. Everyone is praying there will not be any violent clashes, but the members of CSCIB who have been maintaining this blockade in Yucumo for over two weeks have threatened to stop the march from progressing – even though the indigenous march is peaceful and is not obstructing the road.
Police have suspended the march and blockaded the road to La Paz, Bolivia's capital, due to safety reasons, but a further explanation was not made. This, however, did not stop all protests. As reported by Bolivia Weekly:
A counter march of 300 people aligned with the government set off dynamite 200 meters away. The was was blocked yesterday [September 20] by 200 national police directed by Government Ministry official Boris Villena. Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera said that the marchers could come negotiate in San Borja and justified blocking the tribal marchers because their demands would hurt families who squat on jungle lands.
A petition to Bolivian President Evo Morales to Stop the Destruction of the Amazon has been garnering international support. Concerns of injuries have been speculated, as lawyer Americo Romero M. (@americorom) wrote:
3 heridos Naranjal y 1 herido o fallecido dan diferente informacion en urundaiti…es confusa la informacion.
However, (@sobre_el_TIPNIS) lastly reported:
La situación en Yucumo ha mejorado un poco. El agua de la solidaridad de la gente ya llega a los y las marchistas. Gracias
You can read more reactions and reports on Twitter under the hashtag #TIPNIS.
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights and Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Magdalena Noga


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CEE: Top 10 Worldwide Download Speed · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Watcher.com.ua reports [uk] that, according to a 6-month study of 27 million downloads by 20 million computers in 224 countries conducted by Pando Networks, Romania (1,909KBps), Bulgaria (1,611KBps), Lithuania (1,462KBps) and Latvia (1,377KBps) have the second, third, fourth and fifth highest download speeds in the world, while Ukraine has been ranked #8 (1,190KBps).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Chile: Twitter Reports on March for Education Reform · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

El Dínamo has put together a Storify post [es] with reports, pictures, and reactions to today's march for education reform. You can read more tweets about the march by following the hashtags #yomarchoel22 (“I march on the 22nd”) and #yoapoyoalosestudiantes (“I support the students”).

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: A water calligraphy dot matrix printer · Global Voices
Andy Yee

Danwei has produced a video interview with Nicholas Hanna, a media artist who has built a tricycle that can paint Chinese characters with water on the ground as it moves. The machine is inspired by Beijingers who practice Chinese calligraphy with water brushes on the ground in parks.

author: Andy Yee


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China: Chinese restaurant secrets · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ministry of Tofu translated a post from Sinablog exposing how some of the Chinese restaurant use chemicals to add favor and color to their food.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: “Green Collar” Criminals · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Generation Y says that “the latest episode of moral corruption in the business sector is related to the highly publicized fiber optic cable connecting us to Venezuela.”


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Cuba: Image of a Free Woman  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rebeca Monzo examines the new image of the Cuban woman, saying: “In official spheres they speak of the revolutionary woman, mother, comrade, worker, housewife. But what’s certain is that, more and more, our women suffer transformations that are detrimental to their appearance and self-esteem.”


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Cuba: Officers Sentenced  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Crossing the Barbed Wire blogs about three officials of the National Revolutionary Police who will be serving prison terms “presumptively [for] overrul[ing] charges (in exchange for gifts) against a truck driver who ran over a woman on a public road more than a year ago.”


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Cuba: Parents Detained; What Happens to Child?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense calls the “countless number of children [who] have been separated from their families…one of the regime’s more unforgivable sins” and goes on to highlight the plight of a two-year-old boy whose parents are allegedly “in jail because of their active opposition to the Castro dictatorship.”


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Global Voices Seeks Administration and Finance Manager · Global Voices
Ivan Sigal

Global Voices seeks a Finance and Administration Manager to support our operations on a daily basis. The selected candidate will join a small, energetic team of project directors, editors, and technical staff who run Global Voices projects. Global Voices has experienced rapid growth in the past year, and requires an efficient manager who can help us to improve and maintain our administrative and financial processes, work with us on developing and maintaining operational budgets, and help build efficient and cost-effective operations solutions as we expand.
The manager will be responsible for the following:
We are seeking a candidate with the following skills:
To work effectively with our community, we would prefer that candidates:
Candidates located in Trinidad and Tobago or Washington D.C. may receive some preference, as several of our key managers are based in those cities.
The ideal candidate should have a commitment to the values and goals of Global Voices, they will be joining a relatively new and growing management team who are dedicated to amplifying the voices of world. There is no geographic requirement associated with this position, but travel is expected. Candidates must have access to broadband internet connectivity and comfortable using VOIP services such as Skype, and be comfortable working in a wholly virtual environment. We welcome candidates from outside North America and Europe, and encourage people currently working on the Global Voices project to apply.
The position is full-time, but employment status will be independent contractor.
To express your interest, please send a cover letter and CV to “adminjob AT globalvoicesonline DOT org” by no later than October 17, 2011.

author: Ivan Sigal


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Latvia: Parliamentary Elections Results · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Andrew Wilson of OpenDemocracy.net and Juris Kaža of Failed State Latvia? analyze the results of the Sep. 17 parliamentary elections in Latvia.


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Latvia: Talk Show Host Fired for “Breach of Good Taste” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Free Speech Emergency in Latvia reports that a Latvian-American talk show host has been fired from LTV for calling certain politicians “whores.”


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Mexico: Twitter Users Accused of “Terrorism” are Released · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Two Twitter users who faced jail over “terrorism and sabotage” for spreading rumors of narco-related violence on social networks have been released. Bloggings by boz explains: “The local government created a new regulation against ‘disturbing the peace’ that might be used for future cases, but said the two released Twitter users are unlikely to be charged with it.”


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Peru: ‘Mistura 2011’ Ends Amid Praise and Criticism · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

Mistura, the already famous Peruvian festival of Gastronomy, has come to a close after ten days of its fourth edition with impressive figures: more than 400,000 visitors [es] (more than the year before) among which were 18,000 children and some 4,500 tourists who arrived in Lima to attend the event. Moreover, the organisers noted that a total of 233 journalists came from 19 countries [es] to report the development of the festival, besides 300 students of gastronomy from the region, and there are hopes that the 2012 Mistura festival will attract one million visitors [es]. It is important to note that Lima has 8 million inhabitants.
Outside the Mistura festival, Lima. Photo: Go!PymesFotos/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The local food blog Cucharas Bravas [es] details some of the numbers of total sales:
Apart form food, one of the most anticipated events of this edition of Mistura was the signing of the declaration of Lima, done by nine world renowned cooks. The blog Perú, Pasión por la Comida (Peru, Passion for Food) [es] reported:
…si algo hemos aprendido los peruanos en los últimos años gracias al boom  de la gastronomía nacional, es que la cocina puede convertirse en una  auténtica herramienta de transformación social y de cohesión para la  comunidad. Así lo han entendido también el brasileño Alex Atala, el  italiano Massino Bottura, el estadounidense Dan Barber, el Japonés Yukio  Hattori, el danés Rene Redzepi, el español Ferrán Adrià, el francés  Michael Bras y nuestro reconocido Gastón Acurio.
The Declaration of Lima, or the ‘G-9′ (for the 9 chefs who signed it) as it is called, was recognised on an international scale, but not everyone celebrated it. There were critical commentaries by Jay Rayner, of the blog Word of Mouth from The Guardian newspaper:
Let's be clear. There is nothing wrong with a bunch of very talented,  very serious cooks having these thoughts. […] Yes, of  course good chefs ought to be serious about their ingredients. Yes they  have a responsibility to source stuff ethically. But they also need to  remember that they aren't secular saints. They are chefs cooking dinner  for very, very rich people.
Ferrán Adriá, the famous chef from Catalonia and owner of El Bulli, walked through the festival, summarising his visible enthusiasm in one phrase: “The best recipe you have is passion” [es].
President of Congress, accompanied by three MPs, at the  inauguration of "Mistura". Photo: Congress of the Republic of  Perú/Flickr (CC BY 2.0) .
Despite the great opening and the massive attendance, not everyone was happy with the event: some criticised the disorganisation [es] as well as discrimination against the elderly. Some think that Misura is an elitist event that disguises itself as something average, as Johan Espinal posted on the blog Muladar News [es]:
… Mistura es un ejemplo de lo que la democracia significa para los  Gastones Acurios de nuestros tiempos: Si quieres comer tienes  que pagar, si quieres pagar tienes que hacer cola, si quieres hacer  cola primero tienes que entrar, si quieres entrar tienes que pagar y  así se cierra ese círculo empalagoso del negocio redondo en clave  gastronómica…  Mistura también podría ser el Perú que algunos   deseamos desterrar.
Along these same lines, there has been a Facebook page in existence since 2010 called “Misiura” [es] (in Peruvian slang “misio” means “broke”), that says:
Misiura es la feria gastronómica del pueblo, aquí degustarás de los mas ricos y exquisitos platillos, comida tradicional, etc; sin necesidad de pagar 20 soles por persona en la entrada… Esta FERIA se hará realidad no precisamente para hacer RICO o llenar de DINERO a un grupo de COCINEROS que se hacen “AMIGOS” del gobierno de turno, es para promover la justicia alimentaria…
However, this “Misiura” page is small: it hardly surpassed 2000 followers, compared to the 319,000 followers of the Facebook page “Mistura”.
Meanwhile, chef Gastón Acurio, creator of this festival, has been responding to criticism since 2009 about the price of tickets (which don't include what you consume inside), arguing that even with the price fixed at 20 soles (US $7.50) the festival managed to bring in multitudes, so that cheaper tickets [es] would have brought in a huge flood of people, meaning that it would have exceeded the safe number of attendees as authorised by the Civil Force for the Gran Parque de Lima (the chosen venue for the event).
On social networks the development of this Festival was attentively monitored, with comments ranging from reactions to the food to details of organisation. María Mickle [es] commented on Facebook on the festive side of the event and the integral role of food in Peruvian society:
MISTURA………..LA MEJOR FERIA GASTRONOMICA DEL MUNDO, ORGULLO NACIONAL EL UNICO LUGAR EN PERU DONDE NO SE DISCRIMINA A NADIE, MISTURA, DONDE SE JUNTAN LAS MANOS SACADAS DEL ULTIMO RINCON DEL PERU, PARA DEMOSTRAR EL ARTE DE LA COCINA AL MUNDO, ALLI NO HAY BLANCOS, NI CHOLOS, NI INDIOS, NI NEGROS, NI ZAMBITOS……..ALLI TODOS SON IGUALES, TODOS SON HERMANOS UNIDOS POR UNA SOLA VOZ………EL ARTE DE LA COCINA………..VIVA MISTURA………….VIVA EL PERU!!!!!!
Popular Peruvian singer song writer Gianmarco (@gianmarcomusica) notes on Twitter:
Mistura, la feria gastronomica mas importante de latinoamerica! Orgullosamente Peruano! http://yfrog.com/nw46dtj
Víctor Henry Guerrero celebrates the food festival but complains about the crowds:
Mistura …… que delicia, sabor y mas de 1000 platos  peruanos…. pero… para conseguir una entrada mas de dos dias… y para  comer lo bueno de lo bueno mas de 3 horas haciendo cola.. no pues !!!!!!
Jesús Verde (@Jeve30) comments on the necessity to get more space:
@MilagrosLeivaG ahora mistura es una feria interesante, pero necesita un recinto mas grande…
Twitter user JuandDz (@juandedz) talks about the prices at Mistura and “Misiura”:
@Dr_GV como dijo el amigo @CarlosLobaton, para los que no pueden entrar a “Mistura” afuera también pueden comer en “Misiura”
Others lament not being able to attend [es], so much so that there were expressions of hope that the 2012 version come soon [es].
Mistura, the festival organised by the Asociación Peruana de Gastronomía (Apega for its initials in Spanish, the Peruvian Gastronomy Association) has a good official website [es], and an active group on Facebook. The Mayor of Lima admonished that the festival couldn't continue in the same place [es], and the organisers are already looking for a new and more spacious venue [es] to be able to receive more people (and lower the ticket fee) in the 2012 edition.

author: Isabel Guerra


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Poland: “Hot Autumn in Politics” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Politics, Economy, Society writes about the upcoming Oct. 9 parliamentary elections in Poland.


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Russia: Jokes and Xenophobia · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Donna Welles writes about Russian jokes (and a blog that translates Russian and Ukrainian jokes into English) – and about xenophobia.


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Slovenia: Government Loses Confidence Vote · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sleeping With Pengovsky reports that the government of PM Borut Pahor has lost a confidence vote in parliament.


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U.S. Virgin Islands: Where’s the Improvement?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

News of St. John says it just “doesn't seem right…that budget allocations to the St. John Capital Improvement Fund never seem to be earmarked to help improve St. John's streets, parking lots, curbs, sidewalks…and this year apparently will be no different.”


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Uganda: Anti-Museveni Author Freed After Five Days  · Global Voices
Rosebell Kagumire

The Ugandan government has freed the author of a book who was imprisoned for five days without access to his lawyers or family. Vincent Nzaramba’s little known book People Power, Battle the Mighty General called for a coup and a revolution in the country, thrusting the little known activist into the spotlight.
Many netizens have exchanged the publication via social media sites since police arrested Nzaramba on Saturday 17 September, 2011. During his arrest the police seized over 200 copies of the book.
Nzaramba is a former leader at Uganda’s oldest university, Makerere; he stood for a parliamentary seat in the February general elections and also runs a blog that features his views on how to stage a non-violent revolution. In his book Nzaramba calls for an uprising like the ones that engulfed the North African countries early this year and saw the demise of the regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
Book cover: People Power, Battle the Mighty General
Uganda has experienced demonstrations in the last few months over the rising cost of living which saw ten people shot dead in the streets of Kampala in April and May. The government has increasingly made it difficult for opposition groups to hold rallies, the latest being an anti-Gaddafi demonstration.
Nzaramba’s book is only the latest to catch the government's eye. Last year the authorities tried to blocked Dr Olive Kobusingye's book The Correct Line, another anti-Museveni publication. President Museveni has been in power since 1986 and ‘life after Museveni’ discussions are common in the national media and online forums.
Online reactions
A Facebook group was formed to call for Vincent Nzaramba’s release. Some on the group page called him a prisoner of conscience and over 800 people have joined in support.
Morris P'LORENG'A comments:
While we end the day, we should never forget Vincent Nzaramba who may be facing serious physical and psychological torture in the hands of the murderous NRM regime.
James William Mugeni indicates that the soft copies of the book are already accessible out of the city where the arrest took place:
Interseting [interesting] that online copies are a vailabe [available] we have then upcountry already.”THE MAN IS FINISHED”
Steven Mukuma emphasises what the Minister of Information told the press – that the police had used excessive force in the arrest of Nzaramba:
Yes i think thr ws excessive force imposed on vincent as rightly pt by karooro okurut ystdy. I dnt need 2 repeat wht sh said. So cn he pls enjoy constitutional rights en th rules of natural justice as any othr citizen?
Enx Nux says the arrest can only expose the weakness of the government:
its unfortunate but gud on the other hand as its the only way govt can display its cruck edges hence calling upon the ready on es to relieve them from burden. I get smile every de as govt continues to expose its lines off weakness but the same smile disappears if none is ready to unite 4 one ug. Let get focused & keep our ambitions high to rescue this country.
Nina Mbabazi wonders how the charge of inciting violence on Nzaramba can hold:
Nzaramba Vincent who has just been freed on bond, wrote a book that some have circulated on facebook and I can clearly see he hates M7s guts. But inciting violence? Did he call for the death of anyone Al Shabaab style? This must be the best publicity stunt for his book because most of us would not have read it.
Ugandan journalist Don Wanyama wonders on his Facebook page why the government is jittery about books given with the country’s poor reading culture; however, the book is available online which has made it easy for many social media users to access and read.

author: Rosebell Kagumire


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Ukraine: Chernobyl Trip Reports · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

At Desolation Travel, Jane Keeler and Derek Kedziora write about their trip to Chernobyl this past summer.


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Ukraine: Euro 2012 “Travel Advisory” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Travel advisory for Ukraine and EURO-2012” from uaMuzik's Vasyl – “short and sweet”: “Travel there with extreme caution – levels of barbarity and disrespect for human life by law enforcement officials is at intolerable levels by international standards. They claim that there will be law enforcement officials that speak your language by the time of EURO-2012, but there is no guarantee that you will understand one another.”


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Ukraine: Vitaly Portnikov’s “Winter Time” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes posts a loose translation of Vitaly Portnikov's latest analytical piece [ru] on the political situation in Ukraine.


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Uruguay: Economic Growth and Happiness · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

According to a forecast by the Intentional Monetary Fund, Uruguay's economy will expand 6% in 2011. Rosario Queirolo in Razones y personas: repensando Uruguay (“Reasons and people: rethinking Uruguay”) comments on the relationship between economic growth and general satisfaction in Uruguay.


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World: Mourning the Execution of Troy Davis · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Despite the reprieve granted to Troy Davis earlier today, just over four hours after our last report, Davis was executed.
Around the world, and particularly in the United States, Twitter is in a state of morning.  The hashtag #RIPTroyDavis is currently trending, and individuals are expressing their feelings about Davis's case, as well as about the state of capital punishment in the United States.
From Philadelphia, @ShamaraOnAir reports:
Watching CNN 11:08 was time of death #RIPTROYDAVIS
From Iowa, @Jasminenkelly tweets:
Troy Davis campaign image, by Tricia Wang uploaded by Flickr user dabnotu (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
Racism and injustice still exists just on a different scale… we dnt have KKK's in sheets anymore they are our law makers. #RIPTROYDAVIS
Journalist Dan Gillmor rails against the death penalty, saying:
Bad enough that death penalty exists. But tonight, our system of “justice” killed another person whose guilt was hugely in doubt. Travesty.
From Barbados, @bajanswaggboy remarks:
#RIPTroyDavis. No murder weapon, no DNA, 7 of 9 witnesses recant their testimonies. Seriously? How do you execute someone without evidence?
And from the UK, @tweety_coco says:
Still in shock. Just cannot believe this can happen in 2011. #riptroydavis
Linda Sarsour (@lsarsour), a Palestinian-American activist, states:
#TroyDavis will be the fuel I need to continue my quest for social justice. He will never be forgotten. #RIPTroyDavis
While the case of Troy Davis has certainly drawn interest from the public, many are cynical that the case is a one-off, and that US citizens will not continue to fight against the death penalty. Or as Palestinian @Falasteeni put it shortly before the execution took place:
What saddens me most abt expected murder of #TroyDavis is tht nothing will happen, no movement will grow to make sure it never happens again


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Bulgaria: Meeting to Support Palestine’s UN Bid · Global Voices
Ruslan Trad

A silent meeting in support of Palestine's bid for a UN seat and independence took place in Sofia on Sep. 20, organized by the Bulgarian-Palestinian Association for Friendship and Development. There was coverage by Press TV and here are photos from the event on Facebook (Bulgaria to support independent Palestine in UN).

author: Ruslan Trad


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China: “Dog Meat Festival” Cancelled · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translates the Chinese netizen's online campaign to petition against the Dog Meat Festival in Zhejiang province.


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Colombia: President Santos’ Tour of Asia · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

Last week, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos toured Japan and South Korean for seven days with the goal of strengthening commercial ties.  In Japan, he signed an agreement to protect reciprocal investments, while the Koreans promised to accelerate the process for a free trade treaty.  According to Santos himself, this trip was a dream come true, after previously visiting this region when acting as Minister of Exterior Commerce during the Cesar Gaviria administration 18 years ago.
And it was not for nothing.  President Santos consolidated an alliance with Korean corporate leaders that assured him a superior investment of $220 million and the government of this country indicated Colombia as a “member” along with other economies of great importance such as Japan and the United States, according to the daily El Tiempo [es].  President Santos’ interest in this trip was such that the logistical display was massive, according to Revista Semana magazine [es]: everything from the fact that officials and members of the armed forces had to attend to the pens they had to use at the signings.
President Juan Manuel Santos, image from Globovisión on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
For some bloggers, this trip represented the opportunity for Colombia to open new markets and introduce its products, as Jhodainternacional [es] describes it:
Es real que la internacionalizacion [sic] de los productos de colombia [sic] son el primer paso para alcanzar un desarrollo sostenible y que el horizonte que ofrece Asia es el mejor, por factores como su población [sic], sus ingresos percapita y los beneficios que se pueden recibir, como el desarrollo tecnologico, [sic] la formacion [sic] de capital humano y el efecto locomotor que se desprende de este.
This same blog also adds that it is convenient for Colombia to open other markets as a result of the current poor economic time in the United States [es]:
Tal y como se siente el presente, la posición de Colombia como país de economía dependiente no es la mejor postura que pudiera tener la nación para afrontar el futuro teniendo en cuenta que USA está pasando por una recesión y que los pronósticos no son alentadores.
On its part, the Iberian-American Observatory of Asia-Pacific [es] highlighted the agreement that President Santos signed with South Korea with respect to topics on energy, miners and infrastructure [es]:
Asimismo, ambos mandatarios cerraron otro memorando para la protección ambiental y para proyectos en el desarrollo de viviendas, urbano y de infraestructuras. Santos dijo que espera que “los memorandos se traduzcan en acuerdos formales e inversiones concretas”, después de asistir a la firma de convenios entre la siderúrgica surcoreana Posco y las colombianas Fanalca y Blue Pacific. Asimismo, Myung-bak informó que en adelante Corea del Sur dará a las relaciones con Colombia el nivel cooperación estratégica, uno de los más altos que otorga esta nación.
Two months ago, Diego Sánchez de la Cruz wrote for International Relations Blog about President Santos’ strategy in increasing Colombia's presence in international markets and improving its relationship with its neighbors:
Since Juan Manuel Santos took office, Colombia’s foreign policy strategy has experienced significant changes. For instance, the new Cabinet restored diplomatic ties with both Venezuela and Ecuador, ending years of political stress and closing a period of security dilemmas that created uncertainty and instability. The Economist has explained that “Santos has shown a desire to broaden his country’s friendships in the region”, and it looks like his effort has been successful so far
And they add that Santos does not only look to strengthen commercial tied with the Pacific basin, to which Japan and South Korea belong to as well:
However, President Santos is not only looking to expand Colombia’s ties with the Pacific economy. The European Union has just passed a Free Trade Agreement with Colombia, and this partnership is likely to become broader. President Santos himself has recently visited Spain and Germany, heading a diplomatic mission that devoted most of its efforts to highlight business opportunities in Colombia to European investors.
Twitter users did not hesitate to respond, beginning with President Santos himself, (@JuanManSantos) [es]:
Hemos salido muy complacidos con la visita al Japón, ha sido muy fructífera para el país. Agradezco toda la hospitalidad del pueblo japonés.
Followed also by another Twitter user from the State Department of Colombian Foreign Relations (@CancilleriaCol) [es]:
#CancillerHolguín calificó como exitosa en materia comercial la gira del presidente Santos por Asia http://ow.ly/6ynBj (Vía @noticierodel…
Mylianita (@Mylianita) [es] responded to Santos’ message with the following:
@JuanManSantos Bien por usted, hay que abrir puertas no esperar solo el tlc con USA, bien bien lo felicito
Of course, the Colombians’ cunning comments did not go unnoticed.  For example, Felipe Acevedo (@FelipeAcevedoM) [es] put forward that traveling the world is a pleasure, as President Santos does it:
“Gira del presidente Santos por Asia, ‘un sueño cumplido'”// Que rico viajar por todo el mundo…
Ernesto Macías Tovar (@emaciastovar ) [es] indicated that there were more reporters than government personnel during the trip:
En Comitiva del presidente #Santos en viaje por Asia hay más periodistas que empresarios y funcionarios. Muy bueno por los primeros.
Jorge Figueroa Clausen (@figuerjoda) [es] asks the following question:
A ustedes les ha hecho falta el Presidente SANTOS que esta viajando por ASIA? [sic]
Finally, Lucho Martínez (@martinezlucho) asks why President Santos did not visit Asia's primary economy:
Why is Colombian President Santos in Asia, but not visiting China?

author: Robert Valencia


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Cuba: A Blogger Says Goodbye · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Boris Leonardo Caro says goodbye to Cuba and to his blog El rumor del elefante [es].

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Cuba: “Capitalism of the Castros” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Iván García explains that “the Cuba of the 21st century is split in two. The islet of the gentleman and the atoll of the comrade.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: “Damas” March Tomorrow · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense will have his eye on Cuba tomorrow as “the Damas De Blanco (‘Ladies In White)…participate in a march and other ceremonies commemorating Our Lady of Mercy, the patroness of prisoners, a fitting celebration for a group committed to advocating for the release of Cuban political prisoners.”


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East Timor: Proposed Base Law on Environment · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

La’o Hamutuk provides an unofficial translation of East Timor's proposed Base Law on Environment which seeks to provide the legal framework in protecting the country's environment.

author: Mong Palatino


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El Salvador: Residents of High-Crime Area Speak of Soldier’s Harsh Tactics · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Tim recommends a blog post by Danny Burridge “about lives lived under the harsh tactics of Salvadoran soldiers patrolling a high-crime area”. Tim explains that Danny doesn't blog often because “he's too busy immersing himself in the lives of children in one of San Salvador's poorest neighborhoods, La Chacra.”


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Guyana, Jamaica: Possessed by Strong Narrative  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“My favorite short stories work like cinematic vignettes…connecting in some major way with narrative voice…is for me the key component to enjoying short fiction”: Litblogger Charmaine Valere says that Jamaican author Lorna Goodison's new collection of short stories “continues in the tradition of presenting narrative voice as a key element…”


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Haiti: Duvalier’s Lawyer Disrupts Press Conference  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

mediahacker posts audio of “one of Jean-Claude Duvalier’s lawyers…attempt[ing] to shout over Gerardo Ducos, a researcher for Amnesty International, as he [spoke] to reporters…about his organization’s call for prosecuting the former dictator.”


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India: Paparazzis And Sonia Gandhi’s Health · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sans Serif wonders why there are so many reporters tracking Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's recent illness, and yet so little published info on her.

author: Rezwan


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India: The Growth Of Digital Media · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sahiba Singh at Youth Ki Awaaz posts an info-graphic showing the growth of digital media in India.


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Iran: “Justice” in the Islamic Republic · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Azadi-Esteghal-Edalat says [fa] with irony the regime released “two American spies” but keeps opposition leaders jailed. The blogger refers to the release of two American hikers who were accused of “espionage” in Iran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Israel: Beyond ‘us’ and ‘them,’ Lihi Yona is an Arab Jew · Global Voices
Carmel L. Vaisman

Israeli woman Lihi Yona, a Moroccan Jew descendent, reclaims her Arab roots and complicates local identity politics on a bus ride to Jordan to attend a Lebanese band performance. The Hebrew version is followed by an English one: I am an Arab Jew.

author: Carmel L. Vaisman


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Jordan: MPs Wage Battle Against the Youth · Global Voices
Nadine Toukan

This week's House of Representatives parliament sessions in Amman, Jordan, have been the center of public discontent, especially among the youth community. One topic open for discussion was a proposed constitutional amendment to lower the eligibility age required to run for parliament from 30 to 25 years. True to form, 20 MPs were absent, 49 MPs voted in favor of the proposed amendment, while 49 rejected it, and 2 abstained. A loud and heated debate took place under the dome around this proposal, where some MPs expressed strong disapproval to support the engagement of a younger age group in a country where 70% of the population is under 30 years of age. The amendment did not pass.
Ahmad Zatari summarized some of the offensive comments from the MPs:
And he commented on the proposed minimum age of 25:
Hazem Zureikat, a Jordanian transport planner and economist, tweeted the intervention of another MP:
And this Jordanian, whose Twitter handle means the facade of corruption, asked:
Ahmad Alhuwwari joked:
And the Palestinian poet and author, Mourid Barghouti, tweeted a question I often wonder about myself when I hear youth bashing:
A photograph of a sign held by a young Jordanian from the protest outside the parliament yesterday. The sign reads: If the whole world is against me, I'm an unfeathered chick. I love a challenge. Photo by @eman on Twitter.
Ahmad Zatari tweeted about an organized protest:
Activist Eman Jaradat mocked:
Batir Wardam, an environmental communicator, asked:
هل يمكن أن نستنتج من تعليق النائب المحترم حول “ممعوط الذنب” أن مجلس النواب هو خم؟
Aya Almusa spoke out against the offense:
And the pièce de résistance is that the House of Representatives decided to delete the insults from the session's minutes, offering an apology. Deleted from the minutes, perhaps, while videos on the Internet like this JordanDays recording (video Ar) ensure that authentic, untampered, archived documentation lives on.

author: Nadine Toukan


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Mali : ATT Tending to his Legacy  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Diawara at Sur les traces de l'empire du Mali [fr] describes the upcoming tight schedule of Malian president  Ahmadou Toumani Touré (aka A.T.T) : “A.T.T is seemingly keen on leaving a good lasting impression as he prepares to depart his (presidential) office. Indeed, his upcoming agenda is heavy on inauguration ceremonies of newly built infrastructures.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Mexico: Uproar Over Twitter Law Proposed by Veracruz Governor · Global Voices
Miguel Angel Guevara

On August 25, in the city of Veracruz –one of Mexico's most important ports– the rumor that some public schools would be targeted by drug cartels started circulating on Twitter.
Seized with fear, parents desperately went to pick up their children from school to bring them to safety.
That same day, regarding these reports, the Governor of the state of Veracruz, Javier Duarte (@Javier_Duarte), declared on Twitter:
Ya tenemos ubicado el origen de toda la desinformación de hoy, quiero informar q esto tendrá consecuencias legales Art. 311 (terrorismo)
The idea that Twitter users would be publicly persecuted sparked even greater outrage when the news broke that the governor was pushing a bill in the State's Congress to punish those who spread rumors on the charge of “disturbing public order”. Twitter users labeled the law #LeyJavierDuarte (“Javier Duarte Law”). Animal Político published the bill's text [es].
Robles Maloof [es] mentions that this issue has had little coverage in Mexico:
Solo poco a poco va siendo un tema de relevancia en nuestro país. Frente a esto Javier Duarte persiste en su actitud represiva y prepara una iniciativa que castigue penalmente la difusión del rumor por medios digitales.
Federico Zuvire [es] in the blog Salmoblog wonders: Who is responsible for unleashing this paranoia?:
¿La psicosis desatada es culpa de un par de personas que publicaron algo en las redes sociales? ¿No será a caso el estado permanente de las cosas: el  ánimo de miedo generado por la guerra que libra el gobierno? ¿No es a caso justamente a través de ese “terrorismo psicológico” que Calderón justifica y mantiene en marcha esta guerra?
The bill was approved  [es] on September 21 by the Institutional Revolutionary Party majority bloc, unleashing a wave of indignation on the Mexican blogosphere. Chingadanews [es] calls on Twitter users to confront the state representatives who passed the law:
Y por si quería saber quienes fueron los pendejos diputados que votaron a FAVOR de la Ley más inaudita del mundo, la Ley Javier Duarte que encarrcel twitteros, aquí mero están, al menos los que tienen twitter, porque a los que se les ocurra abrirla, también les lloverá,
Eduardo Polis [es] criticizes the government's actions:
Qué triste es ver a un gobierno que, en lugar de hacer sentir a sus ciudadanos respaldados por éste los hace sentir que deben cuidarse de él; que además de la preocupación por la creciente delincuencia organizada, deben cuidar en exceso lo que escriben porque si el gobernador amaneció de malas y lee un tweet que no le guste, aplicará su subjetiva ley contra quien él desee.
Daniel Gershenson (@alconsumidor) has undertaken an ongoing campaign against the governor and the law he promoted.
Y volvemos a decir al ridículo|inepto gobernadir (sic) #Veracruz. #leyjavierduarte caerá pronto x su propio peso. Ciao, #buganza y #reynaldo
J.S. Zolliker (@zolliker) warns that the risks of this Law may extend beyond the Twittersphere:
Ya se dieron cuenta que con la #LeyJavierDuarte si quisieran silenciar medios, podrían encubrir casos como los 35 cadáveres de hoy?
Eleanor Abernathy (@headbangirl) expresses the frustration felt by many citizens towards the legislative power:
Lo que esta cabron es que “trabajen” en chinga para sacar cosas como la #LeyJavierDuarte y no para otras cosas mas urgentes
Some have even questioned the constitutionality [es] of the Law, and have asked other users to advocate for its unconstitutionality, like @tipographo:
Pidan una acción de inconstitucionalidad contra #LeyJavierDuarte a presidencia@cndh.org.mx y comentarios@cedhveracruz.org
Jesús C. (@xjesus) gives Twitter users advice so that they are not imprisoned when they share information:
Para brincarse la #LeyJavierDuarte sólo agreguen a sus tweets “sin confirmar” y ya no estarán AFIRMANDO la existencia de ataques #verfollow
The two accused Twitter uses were incarcerated on charges of terrorism on social networks for the August 25 episode; they were released on September 22.

author: Miguel Angel Guevara


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Nepal: Fire In The Mountains · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dr. Divas wonders whether the frequent wildfires in the Terai jungles of Nepal are natural or man-made and questions the authorities whether they are taking any action to prevent them.


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North Korea: Google Earth Reveals Death Camps in Detail · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Kyle Wagner from Gizmodo site wrote a post on one of the most detailed images of the North Korean concentration camps taken by Google Earth. It is estimated that over 200,000 North Korean citizens are imprisoned in the camps under unimaginably harsh conditions.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Pakistan: A New Literary Voice · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pak Tea House highlights Ayesha Salman, a new literary voice from Pakistan, who shares her works in a blog.


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Pakistan: Repeated Agonies  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Beena Sarwar has some general observations from the 2010 Pakistan floods, which are sadly relevant again as nothing significant has been done to prevent floods.


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Puerto Rico: Marcela Lagarde on Women and Citizenship · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Verónica RT posts a summary and the video of the conference “The Body and Women's Citizenship”  [es] offered by the Mexican feminist scholar Marcela Lagarde.


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Puerto Rico: “Occupy Wall Street” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Sofía Gallisá writes about the “Occupy Wall Street” movement in the digital publication 80 Grados [es].


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Puerto Rico: Photojournalists on the Web · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The websites of photojournalists Luis Alcalá del Olmo, Xavier Araújo, Andre Kang and Tonito Zayas showcase their beautiful and intense photographs from Puerto Rico and around the world.


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Puerto Rico: Photos of Hello Seahorse! · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The music blog Puerto Rico Indie [es] has a photo gallery of the concert of the Mexican band Hello Seahorse! [es] at La Respuesta, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


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Puerto Rico: Santurce is Law · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The art blog Fractal [es] covered what seems to have been a wonderful night during the event Santurce es Ley, a collective artistic movement dedicated to revitalizing and connecting the Santurce community, a sector in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


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Russia: Controlled Media Support Party Hijacking · Global Voices
Dmitry Davidov

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.
With Russia’s parliamentary (December 2011) and presidential (March 2012) elections quickly approaching, political battles are becoming an almost daily occurrence. But the latest scandal has disturbed the routine of the political circus and harshly reminded many bloggers that political celebrities can be discredited as fast as they're pushed into the spotlight.
The Right Cause, a liberal party, and its former leader Mikhail Prokhorov (elected just few months ago, in June 2011), a Russian billionaire and owner of the New Jersey Nets basketball team, are in the center of the scandal.
Formerly supported and promoted by the Kremlin, the party got attention of liberal voters and even gave Prokhorov an opportunity to contemplate an independent game. But the billionaire, likely with the Kremlin’s nod of approval, has been quickly excluded from the Right Cause by an alternative party congress that hi-jacked the control over the party. Prokhorov has quit the party, vowing, however, to fight, and publicly accused Vladislav Surkov, the Russian President's first deputy chief of staff, of playing the role of a “gray cardinal” in the country’s politics.
Media control
Mikhail Prokhorov. Photo by Igor Komarov, used with permission.
Prokhorov’s accusations also brought other issues to light. Aleksandr Lyubimov, a popular Russian journalist who played an important role in creating the independent media in the country, stood by Prokhorov and stated sadly [ru]:
Before, I would switch on Channel 1 to find out what Berezovsky [a Russian oligarch who controlled Channel 1] thought, I watched  NTV to find out what Gusinsky [a Russian oligarch who controlled NTV] thought, RTR was for opinions of the government and the president, and that is what we were fighting against. Now I don’t even have to watch anything because every radio station and  newspaper will tell me what I have to know about the politics of Russian Federation. Every day governors and vice-governors are sucked into this massive propaganda campaign. A newspaper can be printed out if it doesn’t contain news about Putin, ONF [All People’s Front, Vladimir Putin's recent initiative], materials against Prokhorov and Roizman [a public activist and politician known for his controversial practices of treating drug addicts].
With this statement, Lyubimov echoed another popular Russian TV anchor Leonid Parfenov who in 2010 publicly criticized the government control in media. Lyubimov’s words were proven right when a day later one of the most popular TV channels – and a former flagship of independent reporting – NTV, in the best  traditions of soviet propaganda, released a documentary “Wrong Cause,” accusing Prokhorov and his counterpart Roizman of violating many laws while conducting their businesses. The battle for the minds of voters has begun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3bKCGNwquk
Not the same NTV
Drastic shift in media coverage of oligarch Prokhorov and an obvious bias in the so-called journalistic investigation of NTV reporters gave bloggers an opportunity to contemplate about the state of the media in the country.
Blogger ibigdan re-posted an ironic but accurate collage by ShirMan, which sums up [ru] the illogical and accusatory structure of the NTV documentary:
Dear viewers, here is Mikhail Prokhorov – And here is Evgeny Roizman – And here is “Right Cause” party – And here is [Chewbacca, a Star Wars character] – His homeland is planet Kashyyyk – He is known in his motherland as a destroyer of hundreds of villages – He did not have mercy for women and children – He is a terrible creature – TERRIBLE – And here are Prokhorov and Roizman – It is clear that there is no place in politics for people like them – Thank you.
Popular Russian political writer Andrey Malgin in his blog post also expressed dissatisfaction [ru] with media manipulation by the Kremlin:
В пятницу, субботу и  воскресенье – три дня подряд! – Ройзман и Прохоров поодиночке сидят в  эфире сразу четырех каналов, они уважаемые люди, а к середине недели за ними уже грешки обнаружились. Им уже новые роли в этой телевизионной  пьесе, оказывается, подготовлены!
LJ user Evgeny Shultz (eugenyshultz) recollected [ru] previous crackdowns on those who were on bad terms with the Kremlin:
В свете явно заказного характера передачи и 100% идентичности по всем параметрам с наездом на Лужкова “Дело в кепке” и на Лукашенко  “Крестный батька”, еще более убеждаешься в манипуляции общественным мнением.
Some bloggers, such as piligrim67 [ru], noted how drastically NTV has changed:
Давно прошли те времена, когда этот канал был выразителем   объективности. Сейчас он стал сборищем журнашлюшек  легко дающих за 30   сребренников.
The bloggers’ predominantly critical reaction to the documentary had another common theme: many people seemed to be offended by this obvious attempt to pass a staged documentary for objective investigative journalism. The majority of blog posts talked about how Prokhorov was being “whacked” on TV and none of the bloggers had any doubts about the paid-for nature of the documentary. As one might have expected, Russian netizens are far from being naive.
The media involvement in “whacking” oligarch Prokhorov seemed to make the distance between the traditional media and Internet even greater. The massive migration of Russians to the web will change the way political battles are fought. And there will probably never come the time when the Russian Internet turns into NTV – a place for different opinions that fell under strict government control.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.

author: Dmitry Davidov


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Russia: Cyber Security Code of Conduct?  · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

The year of 2011 has turned out to be a hot season for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA): the government is attempting to spread the system of Internet controls abroad – and the Russian bloggers interpret these attempts as either a basic self-preservation instinct of the current regime or, even more troublesome, as inadequate thinking about the Internet.
Spreading Internet regulations abroad
In May 2011, the Interparliamentary Assembly of Member Nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States published a model law [ru]  “On the basics of Internet penetration” (not legally binding, recommended as a template for the CIS member state legislature).
Will the United Nations be able to confront the temptation of inadequate thinking? (United Nations flag. Source: Wikipedia)
On September 13, together with Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China, Russia proposed to the UN Secretary General a document called “International code of conduct for information security.”
Ten days later, Kommersant reported [ru] that the Russian Security Council together with the MFA and representatives of 52 countries, had produced an 18-page draft of a UN convention “On ensuring international information security” (the Convention; English version here).
The documents share the idea that national governments have sovereignty over the ‘national Internet segments.’ The proposed Code of Conduct states that the countries that sign it should pledge:
c) To cooperate in combating criminal and terrorist activities that use information and communications technologies, including networks, and in curbing the dissemination of information that incites terrorism, secessionism or extremism or undermines other countries’ political, economic and social stability, as well as their spiritual and cultural environment; […]
As the main arguments for proposing such a code, the Russian officials point to the militarisation of the net (e.g., the setting up of the US Cyber Command, a military unit that conducts ‘full spectrum military cyberspace operations in order to enable actions in all domains […],’), and mass mobilisation for anti-government protests.
“Inadequate, [primitive] thinking”
A discussion [ru] at the IT forum Habrahabr has highlighted, however, different motives behind the MFA's recent activity. User whoozle wrote [ru] (the most popular reply):
Наши чинуши, прежде и больше всего, пекутся о своём благосостоянии. И смена политической обстановки(не говоря о режиме) им, очевидно, очень невыгодна.
Всю жизнь они воровали или просто были максимально неэффективными, и вроде бы, все на всё закрывали глаза. СМИ поприжали, демонстрации-выборы отменили. Всё стабильно и хорошо, остался лишь интернет.
Что можно сделать в этой ситуации? Можно начать думать, работать, перестать воровать. Но это не путь джедаяроссийского чиновника. Путь российского чиновника — бороться с теми кто его критикует. И это пока им удавалось, СМИ теперь легко снимают острые материалы, отбираются лицензии. :) Это простейший, одноклеточный ответ на угрозу и я думаю эволюционно общество найдёт действенное противоядие.
Our officials, first and most of all, care about their welfare. And the change of the political situation (let alone the regime) is, obviously, very disadvantageous. All their lives they've been stealing, or they've just been highly ineffective, and it seems that no one paid any attention to any of it. They've pressed the media down to the ground, cancelled demonstrations and elections. Everything is stable and well, and there's only Internet left.
What can one do in such a situation? One can start thinking, start working, stop stealing. But this is not the path of the Jedi Russian official. The path of the Russian official is to combat those who criticise him. And so far they've succeeded in it – the media are canceling critical stories, licenses are being taken away. :) And this is the simplest, unicellular [primitive] response to the threat, and I think that through evolution the society will find an efficient antidote.
User dimakey commented [ru]:
Подозрительно, что про детское порно ничего нет…
Warrior127 replied [ru]:
По логике чинушей, пока педофилы не кричат «Путина в отставку» с педофилией бороться не зачем.
Blogger CLR, however, noted [ru] that the document does address some crucial issues:
Цель — расширение сотрудничества правоохранительных органов между странами членами ООН, потому что сейчас любой мало мальски важный запрос, например данные по почтовому ящику на hotmail.com (заказчик убийства например с него ведет переписку) можно осуществлять только через интерпол и ждать ответ месяцы, с нашими реалиями такие преступления если они действительно не очень громкие автоматом переводятся в разряд глухарей. Что совершенно не нормально.
Blogger tachidi wrote [ru] that the problem is not with the control itself, but rather with the officials’ poor vision of what the Internet and our age really are:
Вообще, у проблемы две стороны. Современному рядовому «потребителю интернетов» весьма фиолетов статус свободы, прозрачности и доступа к информации. Более того, его это практически не интересует. Т.е., даже в худшем варианте развития событий он попросту не заметит кардинальных перемен.
Остальные же, скорее всего смогут найти способ обхода проблемы.
Но печальное здесь, да, именно «квадратно-гнездовое» мышление наших власть имущих, их абсолютное несоответствие эпохе и мироустройству.
But the saddest thing here, yes, is the [inadequate] thinking of our [politicians], their total discrepancy with the epoch and the world order.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Racial Propaganda in the State-Owned Media  · Global Voices
Will Partlett

Two Residents of an African Ghetto? Photo by Ilya Varlamov/zyalt.livejournal.com, used with permission.
Is the pen really mightier than the sword?  Or, in today's age, is the keyboard greater than the laser-sighted assault rifle?  For some purposes, the answer is yes.  Whether seeking to inflame passions, discredit an individual, or simply reshape the debate, powerful interests have often eschewed coercion and instead planted false or misleading stories in the press to transform public opinion.  Just ask the United States military.  In 2005, the Pentagon – desperate to capture the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people – paid millions to Iraqi newspapers  to ensure that pro-American stories would appear in the Iraqi press.
These techniques of misinformation and misdirection are particularly widespread across Russia.  Drawing on a rich tradition of “political technology” honed under both the Tsarist and Soviet police states, the Russian media are now rife with paid stories (vbros) planted to advance specific agendas.  The smoke and mirrors characterizing Russian public life is often unimaginably difficult for the outsider to decipher. Consider, for instance, Mikhail Prokhorov's recent departure from his leadership of the political party Right Cause: numerous versions are possible, including that the whole thing was stage-managed from the beginning.  No wonder Kremlinologists are so frequently wrong.
A recent example suggests this phenomenon reaches far further than the release of pictures of politicians in bed with prostitutes or false reports of candidate deaths on the eve of an election.  Last Thursday, Vesti FM’s Ksenia Krikheli – a seemingly mild-mannered journalist who normally covers local issues like schools – published an article [ru] on a small Moscow suburb in Liubertsy called Krasnaya Gorka.  In an article laced with racial stereotypes and innuendo, Ms. Krikheli reported how local residents were living in fear as their quiet suburb was being transformed into an “African ghetto” overrun by an influx of unruly, violent, and sex-crazed African migrants.  Ms. Krikheli described a “local” population unable to sleep and scared to venture onto the streets because of late night African drum playing, African prostitution (women supposedly asking “3 rubles for sex”), and criminal activity.
This article – which has spread across Russian online media – was followed by another article.  In this follow-up article, Ms. Krikheli – clearly portraying herself as an investigative journalist seeking to find the truth – reported visiting a police station where a number of African migrants were being detained (in response to her article, she mused).  She then had the following to say:
Не исключаю, помешала сотрудникам полиции еще и потому, что в участок на роскошном “Лексусе” как раз приехал африканский босс, видимо, выручать собратьев из плена. Уже возникли какие-то договоренности, и мой визит совсем некстати.
Сотрудник полиции говорит африканцу: “Мы с вами свяжемся через 10-15 минут, обо всём договоримся”.
Muckraking bloggers investigate these allegations
As this news story spread across the Russian media landscape, prominent photo-blogger Ilya Varlamov (LJ user zyalt) traveled to the “African Ghetto” to investigate [ru]. In three hours of interviews, he found nothing to support Ms. Krikheli's article.  He did not find a single person who had spoken with Ms. Krikheli.  Furthermore, everyone he spoke to denied having any problems with African migrants living in their neighborhood.
For instance, one woman with three children said:
«Нормально живется. Никаких проблем. . . А в соседнем доме живет Пьер Нарцисс, «Шоколадный заяц». Но вообще с ними никаких проблем нет — всегда здороваются, не шумят. Что-что? Ночью играют на барабанах во дворе и танцуют африканские танцы?! Бред какой-то, первый раз слышу. Наоборот, вообще никакого шума от них. У нас в школу ходит много их детей, все прекрасно ладят. Это вам какую-то чушь рассказали».
Terrorized by an Influx of African Migrants? Photo by Ilya Varlamov/zyalt.livejournal.com, used with permission.
Ilya also spoke with a local African migrant from South Africa who had moved to Moscow to manage a nightclub.  He was clearly worried about the effects of the article:
Было видно, что к прессе у него очень подозрительное отношение. . .  «Мы собираемся подавать в суд на них», — заявил он. «Они все переврали. Здесь живет много африканцев из разных стран, и все всегда жили спокойно, а они там наговорили непонятно что. Я не понимаю, зачем надо так врать».
Why would Vesti-FM publish this kind of nonsense?
If the fair residents of this quiet suburb were not terrorized, what could possibly motivate Ms. Krikheli and Vesti FM to print this kind of racist misinformation?  As Varlamov poses it:
зачем серьезной государственной радиокомпании надо раздувать абсолютно несуществующую в реальности проблему? Да еще описывать все в таких страшных красках? Ради сенсации? И как у журналистки, готовившей материал, обстоит дело с журналистской этикой? Слышала ли она об ответственности за разжигание межнациональной розни?
Although it is unlikely that a definitive answer will ever emerge from the murky world of Russian misinformation, one strong possibility is that this series of articles were paid for by wealthy interests (one possibility: construction companies) who have an interest in deflecting anti-immigration attitudes toward African migrants. There are some clues in Ms. Khrikeli's articles themselves.  At one point, she writes:
Анастасия говорит, что жизнь рядом с мигрантами из стран СНГ ни в какое сравнение не идет – они просто ангелы на фоне африканского народа, заполонившего подмосковные Люберцы. “Что вы, таджики и узбеки – тихие, спокойные, никогда не собираются большими компаниями, не шумят. Африканцы же всегда после себя столько мусора оставляют. Очень плохо мы живем здесь”, – отмечает она.
Articles around the web have appeared which further support this explanation.  One article on Islam News proclaims that the residents of Liubertsy “now sorely miss living next to Tajiks and Uzbeks.”
A great deal still remains unclear.  Since Vesti FM is state-owned, what role did the Russian government play in these articles? Whatever the explanation, however, Ms. Krikheli's articles are a sad reflection on the state of journalistic ethics in the state-owned Russian media as well as the ease with which it is manipulated.  For the African immigrants of Liubertsy, let's hope that the ramifications end there.

author: Will Partlett


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Spain: Crowdsourcing Democracy · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The website 100 medidas (100 measures) [es] is a crowdsourcing project that is collecting citizen's recommendations on how to improve  the government. People will vote for the best 100 measures, which will be sent to the government elected on the November 20, 2011 general elections.


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Thailand: Commemoration of 2006 Coup · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Lillian Suwanrumpha posts pictures of the assembly of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship or popularly known as Red Shirts as the group commemorated the five-year anniversary of the military coup that ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.


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Timor-Leste eProcurement Portal · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The East Timor government says it established the Timor-Leste eProcurement Portal to enhance transparency and accountability. The website “allows citizens, donors, NGOs and the press to analyze and search information related with the goods, services or works that (the government) is procuring.”


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Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Troy Davis’ Execution  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian bloggers share their thoughts on the Troy Davis execution, with Afrobella saying: “I’m not here to rehash the facts of the Troy Davis case or to analyze the details of the social media outcry or the last minute attempts to save his life. I just know I’m not the only one left with an overwhelming feeling of sorrow.”


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Zambia: Netizens Report Riots as Poll Results are Delayed · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Zambian netizens on Thursday 22 September reported widespread riots across the country as a result of delays by the Electoral Commission of Zambia (ECZ) to announce election results for presidential, parliamentary and local government elections. One death has so far been recorded.
Users on various social networking sites claim that there was violence in the capital city, Lusaka, the Copperbelt cities of Ndola and Kitwe, Mongu in the Western Province and Chipata in the Eastern Province where people were apparently calling for the declaration of the victory of opposition Patriotic Front (PF) leader Michael Sata, who has been leading in most of the constituencies where the results have so far been verified.
In a Facebook entry about the deployment of soldiers in Kitwe Donchi Kubeba says:
Soldiers in tanks, I've just been dropped in Kitwe town. With machine guns, Ak47's and other military artillaries, the BIG question is is all this millitary artillery necessary for unarmed civilians?
This apparently refers to the deployment of soldiers to quell riots in this mining hub, which is historically a hotbed of protest against mining companies and the government.
On the riots in Lusaka, one Twitter user said:
@geshgroove: RT @Mutheliso: #Zambia : Rioting is taking place in certain parts of the Capital City #Lusaka.
Urging restraint in the posts, @lwangamwilu posted the following:
@lwangamwilu: Alarmist reports can translate into actual chaos. Let's all post responsibly #BantuWatch #ZambiaElections
A retweet of events in one district of Kitwe City where a mosque was allegedly stoned stated:
@geshgroove: RT @Mutheliso: RT @makayi411: i can confirm that a small group of people have gathered at bulangililo market they … tmi.me/giMiQ
On the apparent violence in Lusaka, @Mulumba reported the following:
@Mulumba: Just spoke to my sis, she's left work to head home after skirmishes in Lusaka town centre #ZambiaElections
Humour was not lost when people deserted the usually congested streets of capital Lusaka. @KaliwaLubasi posted this:
@KaliwaLubasi: Zambians are such scaredy cats lol..ain't nobody in town..I can actually make a streer party right now.
Another retweet scoffed at the so-called riots:
@geshgroove: RT @marcimpala: (Riots? Looks more like kids burning boxes) Watch “Riots erupt in tight Zambian election” on YouTube bit.ly/nyKve3
Facebook updates were even more graphic with Yewa Kumwenda posting:
Sad news from Kitwe riots right now is that one life has been lost.Its alleged that soldiers called to reinforce in calming riots fired live ammunition.All Wusakile residents have marched to Wusakile Police Station and all police men there have fled.So sad.
At the time of writing this post, ECZ has not released the final results.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Zambia: Tweeps Celebrate Michael Sata’s Victory · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Michael Sata, the leader of the opposition Patriotic Front, is the new Zambian Republican President. Sata was sworn in by the Chief Justice Ernest Sakala today and handed the ceremonial presidential flag by the former president Rupiah Banda.
Zambian tweeps as well as other Africans on Twitter have joined thousands of Zambians who have been celebrating on the ground since last night. Here is a roundup of tweets congratulating Michael Sata and Zambia for being a model of democracy in Africa.
@chiume notes that Zambia has been led by four presidents in 20 years:
RT @munshyamunshya: Zambia is a model of democracy in Africa. Four Presidents in 20 years. #zambiaelections #bantuwatch
However, @KshitiDewan observes:
@chiume @munshyamunshya – 4 pres in 20yrs, but only mmd. exciting times #ZambiaElections #bantuwatch
@missbwaya asks:
@djcruzz Iwe mwana wa mu Bemba, ni chizungu cha bwanji ichi?[You Bemba child, what English language is this? ] “Which zambian president saved the shortest term?”
@ictjournalist reports:
All elected members of parliament invited to the inauguration ceremony of President Michael Sata #Bantuwatch #ZambiaElections
She also thanks the former president for the unfinished road in her neighborhood:
I thank RB [Rupiah Banda] for the unfinished tared road in Mandevu at least taxi can reach my place #BantuWatch #ZambiaElections
@missbwalya nominates Rupiah Banda for 2011 Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership:
2011 Nominee Ibrahim Prize for African Leadership (aka “for not pulling a Mugabe”)- Rupiah B. Banda, fmr president of Zambia.
She says Rupian Banda will retire to his farm:
@louisth16 He was only in office for 3 years; he's not entrenched. He'll leave & retire to his farm. @TrevorNcube @nguni_princess
@kenyanpundit wonders whether Sata's victory will change China-Africa dynamics:
So Michael Sata wins in Zambia, say hello to a shift in China – Africa dynamics?
@GNdhlovu writes:
“@afromode: @Mama_Kankasa I hope that we all remember the 90 day promise made by Mr Sata. #Zambia” If RB did it in 60 days, 90 is easy peasy
@afromode replies to @GNdhlovu tweet:
@GNdhlovu @Mama_Kankasa I think we'll quickly learn that President Sata can't deliver on most of his chest pounding rhetoric
Mobile subscribers jam mobile networks as they share news of Sata's victory:
Communication jams as Zambians communicate the news abt Sata being the new President #BantuWatch
Does Zambia need a fierce or clueless president?:
“@Mama_Kankasa: @afromode I agree, thou fierce sata seems better than clueless rb” RB got it on silver platter! #zambiaelections
@Malawi2014 congratulates Rupiah Banda:
And congratulations & HE Rupiah Banda 4 accepting defeat in “His Excellency” manner-hope Africa will emulate u #zambiaelections #BantuWatch
Rupiah Banda has conceded defeat and congratulated Michael Sata during a farewell press conference in Lusaka.
@Malawi2014 congratulates Michael Sata as well:
Congratulations His Excellency Michael Sata for making it to State House – new chapter for the region – c u soon in Malawi #zambiaelections
@RosebellK shares a link to her blog post titled “A speech that Ugandans long for”:
A speech that Ugandans long for nblo.gs/ntQ5d #Uganda #Zambia
@agathanewton replies:
@RosebellK wow! at some point i thot Africa was eroded of morals and democracy. seems i was mistaken after all!

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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China: If This is Neocolonialism, Bring It · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Media professional and current events columnist Zhang Wen on current US ambassador to China Gary Locke‘s popularity among Chinese netizens due to such exotic behavior as buying his own coffee and flying economic class.
Zhang starts with CCTV host Rui Chenggang's attempt to humiliate Locke earlier this month at a Davos summit but tries to take on the view, also popular online, that Locke's unintended soft power is one carefully orchestrated scheme:
近日网上热传“警惕骆家辉带来的美国‘新殖民主义’”一文，读之令人有时光倒流之感，其观点、用词之陈旧，堪比冷战时期共产主义阵营的论调，充满了对美国的敌意。
作者完全无视世界合作和发展的大趋势，完全无视中美经济互利共赢的基调，整篇文章从政治、经济、军事和宗教等多个角度痛批美国的“狼子野心”，称美国将会把地球变成“一个弱肉强食的动物世界”。
我一点不奇怪于作者观点的陈旧，像他这样的人在当下还不少见，头脑并未随着时代的发展而发展，似乎还停留在冷战时代。我以为这源于对世界的隔膜，显而易见，作者对世界、对美国所知甚少，却任凭敌意在头脑中起风暴。
The writer of the piece completely disregards the overall trend of cooperation between states throughout the world, as well as the key point of the win-win situation in the economic between China and the United States. The article manages to scorn the United States for its “bloodthirsty ambition” in aspects ranging from politics, economics, military affairs and religion, saying the USA is set to turn the entire world into “an animal kindgom under the law of the jungle.”
I'm not surprised by the outdated views held by its author, many people like him can still be found in China today, with a brain that hasn't managed to keep up with the changing times, almost seeming to have stopped growing at some point during the Cold War. I think, though, that this kind of thinking comes from isolation with the rest of the world, and it's easy to notice that the writer knows little about the world or the United States, and despite this has managed to fill his head with hostile rage.
Photo composite of Locke (top) and Rui from Weibo user Cheng Zhongshan.
作者认为骆家辉出任美国驻华大使，潜藏着“美国以华治华、煽动中国政治动乱的卑鄙用心”。作者还把骆家辉的轻车简从等同于早年共产党人的“不摆架子不讲排场”。作者进一步说骆家辉此举并非是为了给现在的中国官员们上课，而是“为美国收揽赢得中国的民心强化中国民众崇洋媚外的奴性，进而召集民意以壮大美国在中国的支持力量，借以分化中国断裂甚至碎裂的意识形态”。
单此一段，就足以证明作者根本就不了解美国的国情，而在那里擅自臆断。骆家辉在刚刚接受财新传媒专访时称，他对自己在中国普通民众中掀起的这股超人气有些意外。“我并未意识到有人在拍摄我和我女儿（在西雅图星巴克独自买咖啡）。实际上，你会发现大多数的美国政府官员都很随意，同时我个人也非常享受自己干活的乐趣，这是我的风格”。
This statement alone is enough to prove that the writer lacks even the most rudimentary understanding of the American people, and from there he then goes on to jump to conclusions. In a recent interview with Caixin Media, Locke said that he's quite surprised with how popular he's become with average Chinese citizens. “I didn't realize that someone was taking a photo of my daughter and me (while he was ordering his own coffee at a Starbucks in Seattle). In fact, you'll see that many American officials act just as freely, and personally I happen to enjoy doing things for myself, that's just my style.”
骆家辉也对最近关于乘坐商务舱出席大连夏季达沃斯会议做了一番解释，“美国政府的规定是如果飞行旅程超过12小时，并且议程安排在着落后几小时或者次日，那么才允许乘坐商务舱。我在担任商务部长的时候，一般都是乘坐商业航班和经济舱。”
也就是说，骆家辉并非故意，更非“作秀”，上述种种“平民”之举乃是本色出演，是在美国政治体制下一个官员的应尽本分。倘不如此，反而是有问题了。试想，骆家辉敢和中国官员那样出行时警车开道，前呼后拥吗？如果那样，美国民众一定不会“放”过他，等待他的估计就是下课，回家“种红薯”了。
美国大使的本分之举，却被解读成“标志着信息时代新式殖民主义的高潮，标志着中美在意识形态层面冲突的全面爆发”。世界还有比这更荒诞的事情么？
这当然是无知的表现，更是心虚、不自信的表现。不管“新殖民”还是“旧殖民”，都是强势一方“侵略”弱势。实际上，作者是从另外一面承认了美国文化、价值观的强大，承认了我方的羸弱。如果不弱，还怕什么被“殖民”？
In other words, Locke didn't intend any hostility, or to put on a “show.” What the writer interpreted as “acting” as one of the people was actually just a rule by which officials must comply under the current American system. Those who don't comply, have problems. Think about it, would Locke dare and try and do like Chinese officials do, having police clear the roads and bring crowds out to cheer their arrival? There's no way the American public would let something like that go, and I think that if he did try it what he would get is dismissed and sent back home to “tend the farm.”
An American ambassador is just doing his job, yet ends up interpreted as “symbolizing a surge in neocolonialism in the information age, and a head-on collision between China and the United States in the ideological sphere.” Is there anything in the world more absurd?
Of course, this is just the result of ignorance, but even more so of guilt and lack of confidence. It could be “neocolonialism” or just “old colonialism,” either way it's the stronger side “violating” the weaker party. When in fact, the writer is also admitting the power of American culture and values, and the weakness of ours. If we weren't the weaker side, what would we have to worry about being “colonized”?
[…]
令我欣慰也不意外的是，对于骆家辉所代表的美国“新殖民主义”，不少中国网民的反应是：不介意。有人甚至表示“热烈欢迎”。群众的眼睛真是越来越雪亮了，老套的意识形态和冷战思维越来越没有市场了。

author: John Kennedy


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