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Death of Colombian Football Player Miguel Calero Shakes Mexico · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Update (December 4, 2012): Through a press release on Facebook [es], the Pachuca Football Club (Mexico) reported that Miguel Calero died on Tuesday, December 4.
It has been a difficult time for the Colombian former football player Miguel Ángel Calero and his family. Calero was being treated by medical specialists since November 25, 2012 after suffering from a stroke.
41-year-old Miguel Calero (goalkeeper) spent most of his career playing for the Pachuca Football Club (Mexico), where he was able to establish himself as a permanent fixture framework and with whom he won several titles, both national and international, including the CONCACAF Championship Cup three times.
On December 3, 2012, the Pachuca Football Club announced through a press release [es] on Facebook that the Colombian goalkeeper had suffered brain death.
Pachuca, Hgo., 3 de Diciembre de 2012.
COMUNICADO DE PRENSA
Por medio del presente y después de haberle realizado los estudios y análisis correspondientes hace unos momentos, informamos que el Director Técnico de Arqueros, del Grupo Pachuca, Miguel Ángel Calero Rodríguez, presenta muerte cerebral.
Miguel Calero a partir de este momento continuará en Terapia Intensiva bajo medidas de soporte vital.
Atentamente
Dirección de Comunicación
GRUPO PACHUCA
Pachucha, Hgo., December 3, 2012.
PRESS RELEASE
Hereby and after studies and analyses were carried out moments ago, we report that the Technical Director of Goalies, of Grupo Pachuca, Miguel Ángel Calero Rodríguez, has been declared brain dead.
From this moment on, Miguel Calero will remain in the Intensive Care Unit under life support.
Yours Sincerely,
Communications Director
GRUPO PACHUCA
Former football player Luis García (@GarciaPosti) [es] commented about the news released by the club:
Miguel Calero. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
@GarciaPosti: Terrible noticia lo de Miguel Calero. Deportista de elite, ejemplar ser humano. Bendiciones a su familia y seres cercanos.
@GarciaPosti: Terrible news concerning Miguel Calero. Elite athlete, exemplary human being. Blessings to his family and loved ones.
Enrique Garay (@quiquegaray) [es], sports journalist, said the following about Calero:
@quiquegaray: He tenido privilegio de tratar a Calero un par de veces…Tremenda personalidad, fanático NFL, tipo claro y directo… Lleno de amigos…
@quiquegaray: I have had the privilege of meeting Calero a few times…Tremendous personality, NFL fanatic, a clear and direct guy…with many friends…
Various displays of solidarity have been expressed on Twitter, primarily using the hashtag #FuerzaCalero [es] (Be Strong Calero!). Mexican goalie Guillermo Ochoa (@yosoy8a) [es] expressed his support to Calero's family:
@yosoy8a: Mucha fuerza a la familia y seres queridos de Miguel Calero, mis oraciones y pensamientos están con uds. #FuerzaCalero#FuerzaCóndor
@yosoy8a: Much strength to Miguel Calero's family and loved ones, my prayers and thoughts are with you. #FuerzaCalero #FuerzaCóndor
Even those who did not like “Cóndor”, the nickname for Calero's style of playing, have joined in positive commentaries, such as Eliel Hernández (@Eliel_HDZ) [es] who said:
@Eliel_HDZ: nunca me gusto su estilo pero #FuerzaCalero campeon de la sudamerica y multiple campeon en Mexico necesitamos mas profesionales como el [sic]
@Eliel_HDZ: I never liked his style but #FuerzaCalero champion of South America and multiple champion of Mexico, we need more professionals like him
A follower of the Club Deportivo Guadalajara (Sports Club Guadalajara) expressed a similar sentiment. Under the username @chivito_mat [es] he tweeted the following:
@chivito_mat: #FuerzaCalero Los Colores y rivalidades aquí salen sobrando. Un minuto de aplausos para un Guerrero de las canchas: Miguel Calero.
@chivito_mat: #FuerzaCalero The Colors and rivalries are unnecessary here. A minute to applaud a Warrior of the field: Miguel Calero.
A few hours after hearing the news about the brain death of Calero, blogger Sopitas [es] commented:
El 22 de octubre de 2011, en un juego contra Pumas y a los 40 años, Miguel Ángel Calero anunció que retiraría de las canchas, pero siguió ligado a la institución hidalguense, siendo entrenador de porteros.
Uno de los mejores arqueros y extranjeros que han llegado al fútbol mexicano en los últimos 20 años.
¡Fuerza Calero!
On October 22, 2011, during a game against Pumas and at 40 years old, Miguel Ángel Calero announced that he would retire from the field, but he continued to be linked to the Hidalgo institution as a coach for goalkeepers.
One of the best goalies and foreigners who have come to Mexican football in the last 20 years.
Be strong Calero!
We will be waiting to see how this difficult and sad situation pans out for Calero's family and thousands of followers of the iconic goalkeeper throughout Latin America.

author: J. Tadeo


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Fear of Food Crisis after Locust Invasion in the South of Madagascar  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Desert locust in the South of Madagascar by christopheandre on flickr license CC-BY-NC
A national security warning has been issued in Madagascar over the invasion of locust in the southern region [fr]. WFP estimates that 10 millions dollars are needed to counter the upcoming food crisis from the damages.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Jamaica: Environmental Concerns · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

As I ponder what else I should be doing, what else we all should be doing about the relentless risk and sacrifice of Jamaica’s natural resources by an unholy alliance of politician, civil servant and citizen, I find no answers. I look at my watch. I’m late for yet another meeting.
Diana McCauley writes about environmental issues in Jamaica.

author: Matthew Hunte


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Still Shaking from Kim Kardashian’s Bahrain Trip  · Global Voices
Mohamed Hassan

American socialite and reality show celebrity Kim Kardashian's trip to Bahrain is still making the rounds on news – and social media.
In a series of tweets, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof makes it clear how unhappy he is to be denied a visa to visit Bahrain, where Kardashian was invited to open a milkshake shop on December 1.
He tweets:
@NickKristof: Kim Kardashian says everybody should visit #Bahrain http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2012/12/03/why-people-are-so-upset-about-kim-kardashians-odd-visit-to-bahrain/ … But repressive Bahrain now denies me a visa.
And he jokes:
@NickKristof: Maybe I'll try to sneak into #Bahrain disguised as Kardashian's long-lost brother. Or as a US weapons salesman.
And the joke takes a life of its own, when others join in:
@NickKristof: Or as a giant tear gas canister? RT @acarvin: @NickKristof Dress up as a tall, delicious milkshake and you'll be just fine.
Several media channels commented on the trip, sparking the amusement of Bahraini netizens. Many are amazed how the news of a television star traveling to a country with unrest takes more headline space than people being killed across the region.
Marwan Bishara tweets:
@marwanbishara: stop hassling kim #kardashian re #Israel, #Palestine #Bahrain (prettiest place on earth) Awaiting her tweet on #Syria, #Milkshake for all
Bahraini cartoonist Ali Albazzaz tweeted this picture:
“Kim Kardashian in Bahrain” a cartoon by Ali Albazzaz
And 3yosh tweeted a picture blaming traffic on King Fahad Causeway, which links Bahrain to Saudi Arabia, on Kardashian's visit to Bahrain:
Traffic at King Fahad causeway photograph shared by @3yosh
جسر البحرين زحمممة
@3yosh: The Bahrain causeway is congested

author: Mohamed Hassan


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Mapping the Conflicts in DRC in 2012  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

crisis group map of fights in DRC between April-Nov 2012
The Crisis Group has created an interactive map of the conflicts in the Kivu region, DRC in 2012 [fr].


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Need for Concrete AIDS Policy in China · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

An HIV carrier in Tianjin was forced to conceal his condition in order to receive lung cancer surgery. Once  incident was brought into the spotlight by Li Hu, an HIV/AIDS advocate, during the week of World AIDS Day, it generated sensational responses in China and immediately captured attention of the incoming Chinese leadership.
On Nov 26, 2012 at a State Council commission, Li Keqiang, China’s newly nominated premier, called for greater effort in tackling HIV/AIDS. Li also met with non-governmental groups and pledged tax breaks for those NGOs that specialize in HIV/AIDS work.
Lip service or concrete policy?
. The United Nations put this poster up on December 1, World's AIDS day on its Chinese micro-blog.
Peng Liyuan, the wife of China’s expected next president, Xi Jinping, has also dedicated years to advocating the control of HIV and has been appointed the Goodwill Ambassador for Tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Although many grassroots NGOs and activists reacted positively to the incoming leadership’s proactive attitude in AIDS outreach, some still cast doubt on the credibility and capability of the government. In fact, the efficiency of Li Keqiang himself is challenged after the exposure of his biggest career blemish [zh]: when Li was the governor in Henan Province in the late 1990s, he tried to cover up a massive HIV outbreak, which stemmed from a tainted government-backed blood donation program.
AIDS and environmental activist Hu Jia, who had been sentenced to 3.5 years imprisonment for his advocacy work in 2008, believes the Chinese government is just paying lip service on World AIDS Day [zh]:
@hu_jia 在中国，每年只有12月1日属于艾滋病患者，政府也每到此日大张旗鼓地作秀。李克强作为曾经的河南省委书记，对封锁艾滋病疫情和打压患者、NGO成员负有直接责任。他现在兼任国务院防治艾滋病办公室主任，单是简单如落实一项艾滋病家庭受影响儿童的养育补助，都数年解决不了。
@hu_jia In China, only the day of December 1 belongs to HIV patients. Government officials make a big deal and showcase themselves on this particular day, every year. Li Keqiang assumes the direct responsibility of covering up an HIV/AIDS epidemic and clamping down on HIV/AIDS patients. For years, as the chair of the State Council AIDS working Committee Office, Li has even failed to provide subsidies to HIV-affected children.
A system for AIDS NGOs to grow
The China Daily reports [zh] that there are currently about 1,000 groups in China dedicated to combating HIV/AIDS, but a majority of them were unregistered and work outside the law. Since these NGOs are unable to take benefits from the government, most rely on donations, mainly from overseas. However, the development of the NGO sector calls for a comprehensive system. That's why some netizens felt rather disappointed by the empty gesture [zh]:
@鹅湖龙少：用得着去表态?建立机制才是你的工作！
@鹅湖龙少: To set up a system is your job! Why bother with just taking a stand?
Experienced AIDS activist Wan Yanhai, who fled to the U.S. on May 2010 out of fear of political prosecution, pointed out:
@万延海2012 要形成机制。从个人角度，要成为生活方式一部分。从经济角度，要建立市场机制。从政府角度，需要有预算和监督机制。从学校、媒体、场所，需要落实法律规定的义务，承担艾滋病预防的责任。运动式，宣教式，意义不会长久。
@万延海2012 It is necessary to establish a system. Individuals need a system that they can incorporate into their lifestyle. Market demand has to set up the system and the government has to allocate a budget and establish a monitoring mechanism. Schools and the media should implement the obligations prescribed by law and shoulder the responsibility of HIV/AIDS prevention. Only words and petitions will not go far.
Anti-AIDS discrimination policy and education needed
According to a Xinhua report [zh], as of last year, China had 346,000 registered HIV carriers and AIDS patients, although the actual number is estimated to be 780,000. However, due to systemic flaws, HIV/AIDS patients often encounter rejections from doctors. Most the doctors use specialized hospitals as an excuses and shift their responsibilities of HIV/AIDS patients to them. However, more often than not, the specialized hospitals lack the capability of performing major surgeries. Meanwhile, doctors’ safety cannot be guaranteed as no criteria has been established on preventive measures. Apart from the development of the NGO sector, many believe that an anti-discrimination policy and education is needed [zh]:
@孟林de小屋：艾滋病防治，除了要解决手术拒诊等医疗歧视及草根NGO合法注册等问题外，接下来更要向制度性歧视开炮。例如《公务员录用体检通用标准》规定艾滋病不合格，这不是政府歧视艾滋病的具体表现又是什么呢？你政府带头歧视，普通大众能不歧视吗？所以，反歧视要向制度层面纵深，要从根上消除艾滋病歧视。
@孟林de小屋 HIV/AIDS prevention is not only about medical discrimination including the surgery refusal. The next step is to fight against institutional discrimination. Many HIV/AIDS patients are discriminated against when finding employment, the “Civil Servants Employed Medical Standards” for example, barred HIV/AIDS patients from government jobs. Isn't that the embodiment of discrimination against HIV/AIDS carriers from the government? How can the public get rid of this discrimination if the government takes the lead? An anti-discrimination policy for HIV/AIDS carriers has to go much deeper.
@艾滋病人肖剑-大悲咒：体制问题是形式，根本是歧视的社会问题，而这源于知识的匮乏，从某种程度上来讲，政府和媒体需要为目前出现的问题承担主要责任，因为正是政府的恐吓式宣传，才加剧了社会对艾滋病的恐惧，让无知的人变得更愚昧无知，这种中国式的宣传方式已经用了几千年了，也失败了几千年了。
@艾滋病人肖剑-大悲咒: The problem concerning the mechanism is merely a matter of form. The heart and core of the problem is social discrimination that stems from the lack of awareness. To some extent, the government and the media have to assume the major responsibility for the current problem. It is the threatening propaganda from the government that intensifies fear in society and benighted ignorant people. This kind of Chinese-style propaganda has been used for thousand of years and has failed for thousands of years.
@数码-兔子：主要是人们给艾滋病戴上了道德的枷锁，认为得这个病的人是生活不检点，其道德影响远大于病痛本身。特别是在我国道德是一种杀人手段。
@数码-兔子: The HIV/AIDS debate is wrapped in moral terms. HIV-positive patients are considered to have sexual indiscretions.The morality imposed on these patients is even painful than the infection itself. High moral standards is capable of destroying a person, especially in China.

author: Gloria Wong


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New Technologies Monitor Ghana Elections 2012 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

As Ghanaians get ready to head to the polls on 7 December 2012, we would like to point out local initiatives using new technologies to ensure free and fair elections.
Ghana Votes 2012 uses a Ushahidi-based map to display election related reports:
The Ghana Votes 2012 instance map has been developed and designed to display reports from the elections body, civil society groups and citizens on the upcoming Ghana elections. The map will provide information about everything from security issues to polling station logistics to voter education activities. In addition, the map displays all the polling stations, parliamentary and presidential candidates and political parties by constituency and regions, making the map a one-stop shop for election information.
A screenshot of Ghana Votes 2012 instance map, from http://ghvotes2012.com/.
The reports can be sent by filing out a form online or using the options outlined below:
By sending a message to 7000 or 1902 or 0202841029
By sending an email to info@africanelections.org
By sending a tweet with the hashtag/s ghana or ghanaelections or ghanavotes or ghanadecides or elections or johnmahama or nanaaddo or ndc or npp or pnc or cpp or ppp
Sarah Brierley and George Ofosu reported last month that the Electoral Commission of Ghana launched a technological tool in order to expand access to the Provisional Voters Register (PVR). The tool uses SMS technology to allow voters to text in to check that their names and other details have been properly captured on the newly composed Voters Register.
However, they argued that this initiative was flawed:
Firstly, although the donor world (and indeed it is the UNDP that funded this project) have eagerly embraced mobile technology as the latest tool to “empower citizens”, it should be recognized that there are limits to how successfully citizen-based SMS projects can be executed. The fifth round of the Afrobaromter (2012) indeed shows that only 36% of Ghanaians ever used SMS when communicating, and the vast majority instead relies on voice calls. This suggests that for all of its efforts and related costs, the EC may be targeting a relatively small voter population. Arguably, the money could have been better spent educating citizens on the importance of visiting polling stations, organizing community meetings for voters to check the register, supporting a free voice hotline to allow voters to verify their details, and allowing for a longer exhibition of the voters register.
Secondly, the project has been launched very late in the day, after two days of the ten-day voter exhibition at polling stations has already been completed. Furthermore, there has been no public education on this new service and a lack of advertising. As it stands, voters are likely to be confused as to how to verify their Voter ID detail, that is whether to use the mobile phone text messaging method or visit their polling centers.
African Elections Project has established Ghana's first Social Media Tracking Centre (STMC) to monitor the use of social media during Ghana's 2012 elections. The center will provide a real time response mechanism on election irregularities, violence and other concerns by reaching out to key election stakeholders for immediate action.
In an e-press release received today, African Elections Project said:
Apart from all these tool deployed, citizens are now empowered to actively participant in the electoral process by simply sending reports free of charge to the SMS short code 7000 on MTN and 1902 on other networks by prefixing their message with ‘AEP’. Verified reports will be plotted on the elections instance map.
Recognizing the impact and ownership of mobile phones in the country, a mobile app christened ‘Jangbeeshi’ (delivering results in style) mobile app which will not only provide citizens with information about where, when and how to vote but also get citizens report to on irregularities at their voting centers during the elections just at the tap of a button has also been developed.
Other tools include the social media platforms such as facebook, twitter, online info and knowledge platform (www.africanelections.org/ghana), Google plus, Flickr and Twitpic for pictures and Youtube for videos.
African Elections Project (AEP) was established in 2008 with the vision of enhancing the ability of journalists, citizen journalists and the news media to provide more timely and relevant election information and knowledge while undertaking monitoring of specific and important aspects of governance
In March 2012, BloggingGhana community launched a social media initiative, Ghana Decides, to train stakeholders to use social media tools for election monitoring and reporting. GhanaBlogging is a group of bloggers in/outside Ghana who blog about Ghana.
Tomorrow all eyes will be on the two main Ghana's political parties, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Petition to Release Imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo and Wife Liu Xia · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Desmond Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus of Cape Town, launched a petition calling for the Chinese Communist Party New Leader Xi Jinping to release the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Winner Liu Xiaobo and his wife Liu Xia. The petition says:
…send a clear message to the Chinese government that the continued detention of the world’s only imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and his wife—in clear violation of their rights to freedom of expression and due process of law—will not be tolerated by the international community.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Protests Continue in Bahrain  · Global Voices
Mohamed Hassan

Protestors in Bani Jamra, Bahrain, angry over the injury of Aqeel Mohsin, a 20-year-old Bahraini by police shot in the face. The banner, in Arabic, reads: The blood of the brave, will overthrow the regime. Photograph shared on Twitter by @angryarabia
Despite a blanket ban on all protest gatherings in Bahrain, protestors marched in Bank Jamra tonight in protest against the shooting by police of 20-year-old Aqeel Mohsin.
Angry Arabiya [Zainab Alkhawajah] was at the protest and shares this photograph. She tweets:
@angryarabia: In Bani Jamra now, protester calls out “the revolutionaries protected u, where are u 2day to protect them?!” #bahrain


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Sex Tapes of Chinese Official and Anti-Corruption Fight  · Global Voices
my1510.cn

Anti-corruption has become the main agenda for the Chinese Communist Party since its 18th National Congress. The newly elected CCP Chief Secretary Xi Jinping warned [zh] all the CCP members in his first Central Committee meeting that if the corruption problem continues it will bring about the end of the CCP and subsequently the end of the People's Republic of China.
There are two possible readings of Xi's statement: that the CCP is really serious about anti-corruption work, or that the corruption problem is so serious that it cannot be tolerated anymore. Corruption has spread to all levels of CCP members and penetrated their daily lives despite past efforts to fight corruption. The purity of CCP members is becoming a joke.
Blogger Zhu Zhenqiang（祝振強）pointed out that anti-corruption work in China has been caught between the “fighting the tigers” or “catching the flies” debate, which explains [zh] why “anti-corruption has brought about more corruption”, despite the fact that there are several successful “tiger cases”:
但是，所有這些，並不能說明反腐敗“打老虎”就卓有成效，並不能說明反腐敗“打老虎”就應打盡打、該打都打。換言之，反腐敗中的“打老虎”、“拍蒼蠅”皆有選擇、有取捨，至少打得不是很主動、很天羅地網，很在劫難逃。這個才是很值得反思、思量的。
[With the above mentioned successful cases], we can't say that we have been successful in “fighting the tigers” or that the anti-corruption work has been targeting “all tigers”. In fact, whether it is “fighting the tigers” or “catching the flies”, the anti-corruption work has been highly selective and calculative. It is neither proactive nor comprehensive; it is more like an unavoidable ill fate. This is something worth looking into.
A screen grab of the leaked sex tape of Lei Zhengfu, a former Chongqin CCP secretary of the Beipei District.
While the CCP chief secretary's anti-corruption talk still lingered in our ears, an obscene sex tape of former Chongqin CCP Secretary of the Beipei District Lei Zhengfu (雷政富) was leaked and went viral online. The video shows a young girl engaging in sexual acts with a 50-something male. At first Zhengfu denied it, but within 63 hours he was under investigation and proclaimed a “former” CCP secretary.
More details of the tape have surfaced. It was shot five years ago, and the sex acts involved were part of a deal between Zhengfu and a construction company. The incident was related to a former Chongqin leader who ordered the heroic figure Wang Lijun to arrest the young woman seen on the tape and the head of the construction company. That's why blogger Yao Xiaoyuan （二爺姚小遠） believes [zh] that the tape being leaked when it did is no coincidence:
重慶的新官已經上任，更高層面的新官們，也已經粉墨登場，站台排座。舊時代或者愚昧迷信地區有臨事祭旗的風俗和傳統，看起來，這次雷政富視頻事件，就是一場高調的祭旗儀式，山雨欲來風滿樓，中國正面臨著一場風暴。但願，這場風暴所蕩滌的，是污泥濁水，而非藉機整肅和排斥異己。
Most of the new government officials and leaders have been presented on stage. According to our ancient tradition, we need some sort of sacrifice in times of abrupt change. Lei's sex videotape can be regarded as a ritual. When the wind comes before the rain, and China is facing a storm. Just hope that the storm will wash away the dirt rather than purge against dissents.
Zhengfu's dismissal, which happened within 63 hours and is a normal procedure in the circumstances, has broken the record of any previous scandal. Scholar Guo Yenyuan (郭賢源) felt worried [zh]:
雷政富是黨的書記，屬於黨的人；但他又是官，卻又沒有經過人民與政府的關係來選舉。於是，我們就需要問，沒有經過人民與政府原則的“官”，他是否有權力的授予關係？如果有人民授予他權力，那出現了問題，也就必定需要按照相應的程序來處置；如果沒有，那麼他的權力來源就存在問題……
Lei Zhengfu is the CCP's secretary; he is also a government official appointed without an election. We have to ask if such a government official has ever been endorsed by the people? If so, when a problem appears, it calls for the issue to be handled. If not, where does his power come from? […]
When power is without public monitoring, corruption is inevitable.
There are also some discussions about the privacy problems involved. He Qinglian's (何清漣) article [zh] refers to the U.S. tradition of dealing with the privacy of public figures, while Hu Caiming (胡賽萌) discussed corruption problems from a gender perspective:
在當下社會，女性的身體如同土地等其他資源一樣，已經淪為一種可以被肆意買賣、租售的社會資源。在權力主導一切的現今，權力擁有主導一切社會資源的天然優勢，無論是經濟資源還是自然資源，甚至包括女性身體這種'新興資源'。這也就是為什麼倍受關注的官僚群體會頻頻發生艷照門事件的根本原因……
Women's bodies have become another resource, such as land, that can be sold and rented out and exchanged. Those who are in power can manipulate economic resources, natural resources or even women's bodies, a new resource in this emerging market. That's why the bureaucrats are so frequently caught in sex scandals.
Very soon after CCP Secretary Zhengfu had stepped down, another scandal broke out online. It was revealed [zh] that Chou Weisi (周偉思), the head of a village committee in Shenzhen Long Gang district, is in possession of RMB 2 billion (approx. GBP 2 million) in assets and is now under investigation. The Internet has become a platform where scandals that involve expensive cigarettes, sex affairs, and luxurious properties owned by the CCP secretary are exposed, while the CCP disciplinary committee is lagging behind in their duty to fight corruption.
Ironically, Lei Zhengfu once made the following anti-corruption speech [zh]:
(領導幹部)要牢固樹立正確的權力觀、地位觀和利益觀，從政先修德，做官先做人，律人先律己，時時處處自重自省、自警自勵，慎行慎獨、慎始慎終，認真算好利益賬、法紀賬、良心賬，自覺築牢拒腐防變的道德防線。
[Leaders and officials] should establish the correct attitude towards power, position and interest. For those who commit to politics, morality comes first. Be an upright man before you become an official. Develop self-discipline before you discipline others. Respect yourself and be reflective. Behave yourself and work with others. Be prudent and cautious in taking any action. Bear in mind, if you have embedded interest, that you must be sure that your decision is in alignment with the law and your conscience. Build your moral baseline to guard against the temptation to be corrupt.
If we don't have an effective mechanism to fight corruption, similar situations will be occur again and again.
You are welcome to visit my1510.cn [zh] for further related discussions.
This post was proofread in English by Georgi McCarthy.


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The Future of #YoSoy132 Under Enrique Peña Nieto · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

What is the future of the youth movement #YoSoy132 (I am 132) under the administration of new Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto? In Vivir México, Link Tilldemann argues [es]:
I think the future of the movement is the political way: it is already a political movement, since they are against a party and a candidate, though some insist otherwise. […] The political way is, to my taste, the way the cries from the youth can last.

author: Silvia Viñas


text:
The Many Faces of Everyday Violence Against Women · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

[All links in French unless otherwise stated]
In poor countries and in rich countries, in peace and in war, women are subjected to violence by their fathers, brothers, or those who once claimed to love them.
In 1999, on the initiative of the World Health Organization, the United Nations General Assembly adopted November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The origin of the date goes back to 1960; on that day in the Dominican Republic, on the orders of dictator Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961), the three Mirabal sisters [en] were brutally assassinated because they were regarded as political opponents.
Factsheet N°239, published on WHO's website in September 2011, provides some worrisome data [en] collected in a global-scale study:
The WHO Multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women in 10 mainly developing countries found that, among women aged 15-49:
But it would be a mistake to think that this phenomenon is limited to poor countries in Africa, Asia, or Latin America.
March 8 (International Women's Day) demonstration in Dhaka, on Wikipedia under license CC-BY-2.0
Domestic violence
Womann's World sheds some light on the extent of one aspect of violence against women in France:
Selon les chiffres officiels, une femme sur 10 est victime de violences conjugales et une femme meurt tous les 2,5 jours sous les coups de son conjoint ou concubin. En 2011, 122 femmes sont mortes en France. Des chiffres alarmants qui peinent à diminuer véritablement, en raison notamment du manque de mesures concrètes annoncées par le gouvernement. Qu’en est-il des questions d’accueil et de prise en charge des victimes ? L’Observatoire national des violences faites aux femmes promis par  Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Ministre des droits des femmes, verra-t-il le jour ?
According to official figures, one woman in 10 is the victim of domestic violence and one woman dies every 2.5 days at the hands of her spouse or partner. In 2011, 122 women died in France. Alarming figures that have yet to significantly decline, mainly due to the lack of concrete measures announced by the government. What about the issues of reception and treatment of victims? Will the Observatoire national des violences faites aux femmes (National Observatory on Violence Against Women) promised by Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, Minister of Women's Rights, see the light of day?
Cultural practices
Some aspects of violence against women in France are linked to cultural practices in immigrant populations, who continue to follow traditional practices increasingly falling into disuse in their countries of origin. The site Forum au Féminin reveals:
On estime qu'au moins 30 000 femmes et fillettes excisées vivent actuellement en France. Différentes organisations avancent le chiffre de 10 000 à 20 000 petites filles originaires d'Afrique, exposées au risque d'excision.
It is estimated that at least 30,000 circumcised women and girls currently live in France. Other organizations put the figure at 10,000 to 20,000 young girls from Africa who are at risk of female genital mutilation.
Rape
Meanwhile, rape is more common and affects those from all walks of life, as the blog les-carnets-d-emma.blogs.lavoixdunord.fr reminds us in this post:
75 000 femmes sont violées chaque année. Le viol ne donne lieu qu’à 3% de poursuites judiciaires. Une femme est violée toutes les 8 minutes. 59% des victimes de viol sont mineures. Les chiffres parlent d’eux-mêmes.
75,000 women are raped every year. Only 3% of rape cases are prosecuted. Every eight minutes, a woman is raped. 59% of rape victims are minors. The numbers speak for themselves.
Two women who had been raped commented on the post about what they had endured. One of the women recounted how she had been assaulted every day for eight years by her own father, who was tried and sentenced to seven years in prison before his death. She expressed her emotions upon her father's death:
Un soulagement une page se tourne mais cela à provoqué, une aliénation durant toutes ces années de souffrance non reconnue et provoquera toujours au plus profond de moi un manque de confiance altérée. Je serais à jamais perturbée par cette histoire…
It's a relief, a page has been turned, but it led to a feeling of alienation during all those years of unrecognized suffering, and deep inside I will always feel a lack of trust. I will always be disturbed by my past…
Other violence
A high level of impunity and indifference surrounds this kind of violence. This is confirmed by a study conducted by Ipsos for Femme Actuelle on this International Day to Fight Violence Against Women, with a sample of about a thousand people representing the French population:
… 16 % des sondés considèrent que le harcèlement moral ne relève pas du domaine de la violence. Par exemple, les commentaires sur un décolleté plongeant sont jugés “de mauvais gout mais sans réelle conséquence” pour 26 % des hommes. Les insultes sexistes sont ainsi jugées de moindre importance. Pourtant, la violence psychologique est la plus répandue avec 20% des femmes qui ont subi à plusieurs reprises le dénigrement de leur conjoint ou de leur partenaire. Enfin, les foyers défavorisés sont les plus touchés : 38 % des femmes aux revenus les plus faibles ont déjà rencontré des situations de violences dans leur couple.
… 16% of respondents do not consider psychological harassment to fall under the category of violence. For example, comments on a plunging neckline are considered “in poor taste but without any serious consequences” by 26% of men. Sexist insults are thus deemed to be of lesser significance. Yet emotional abuse is the most common kind, with 20% of women having been repeatedly denigrated by their spouse or partner. Lastly, poorer households are the hardest hit: 38% of lower-income women have encountered situations of violence in their relationships before.
Brave survivors
The blog contre-dits.com discusses the underestimated courage of those who, despite the difficulties, dare to file complaints against their rapists:
Sans ce soutien, les victimes, surtout les plus jeunes, ont tendance à se murer, dans l’appréhension de cet autre cataclysme que déclencherait le récit d’une souillure dont elles s’estiment souvent, confusément, coupables.
Douloureux à émettre, à supposer qu’il soit reçu, et à répéter des années durant jusqu’au tribunal, en dépit des menaces, leur témoignage est pourtant indispensable non seulement au retour de leur propre équilibre, mais à celui de la société, lequel passe par la prise de conscience des agresseurs potentiels, pas toujours à même d’évaluer les dégâts qu’ils vont causer.
Without this support, victims–especially the younger ones–tend to shut themselves away, apprehensive of the calamity that would ensue from telling of a defilement that they often feel vaguely guilty about.
It is painful to express–assuming that they are believed–and to repeat for years and years before the court, despite threats. Their testimony is however essential, not only to restore a state of balance in themselves, but in society, which raises awareness in potential attackers who are not always able to assess the damage they will cause.
The blog Journal des Femmes reports on an initiative by 313 women who were raped:
Les 313 signataires font partie des 75 000 victimes recensées chaque année en France. On compte un viol toutes les 8 minutes dans notre pays. Ce fait de société n'épargne aucun milieu. Les femmes du manifeste ont entre 18 et 87 ans et sont représentatives de la population. Il y a des journalistes, des infirmières, des étudiantes, des cadres supérieurs, des assistantes sociales, des retraitées…
The 313 signatories are among the 75,000 victims reported every year in France. There is one rape every eight minutes in our country. This social reality affects those of all backgrounds. The women involved with the manifesto range from 18 to 87 years old and are representative of the population. There are journalists, nurses, students, senior executives, social workers, retirees, etc.
Here is a statement from one of the rape victims and a signatory on the manifesto of the 313 :
There are some phone numbers that can be called in case of need. The site lesnouvellesnews.fr provides a few of these numbers along with the names of the associations that run them:
Le 0.800.05.95.95, ‘SOS Viol’ du Collectif féministe contre le viol. Appel gratuit. Le 01.45.84.24.24, numéro de l’Association européenne contre les Violences faites aux Femmes au Travail (AVFT). Permanence téléphonique du lundi au vendredi de 9h30 à 15h (prix appel local). Le 08.842.846.37 (08 Victimes) de l’Inavem. Pour les victimes d'agressions sexuelles. Numéro non surtaxé, tous les jours de 9h à 21h.
0.800.05.95.95, ‘SOS Viol’ (sexual assault helpline) run by Collectif féministe contre le viol (Feminist Collective Against Rape). Toll-free. 01.45.84.24.24, the number for Association européenne contre les Violences faites aux Femmes au Travail (AVFT, European Association Against Violence Against Women at Work). Helpline Monday-Friday 9.30am-3.00pm (local call rate). 08.842.846.37 (08-VICTIMES) run by Inavem. For victims of sexual assault. Non-premium number, every day from 9.00am to 9.00pm.
The increase in the number of these hotlines is not without financial problems that threaten their continuation. The free number 3919, however, deserves a special mention, according to the blog lesnouvellesnews.fr:
Pas question en tout cas de remettre en cause le numéro « officiel », le 3919, numéro vert sur les violences conjugales géré par l’Association Nationale Solidarité Femmes. Un numéro gratuit et anonyme : il n'apparaît pas sur les factures téléphoniques
In any case, no questioning of the “official” number, 3919, a domestic violence helpline run by Association Nationale Solidarité Femmes (National Association for Women's Solidarity). A free and anonymous number: it does not appear on phone bills
Forced prostitution
Prostitution, when it is not voluntary, can entail forms of violence against women who are thrown into this line of work by men who exploit them. The blog avocats.fr gives some statistics:
Selon l'Office central pour la répression de la traite des êtres humains (OCRTEH), il y aurait entre 18 000 et 20 000 personnes prostituées en France aujourd'hui. La prostitution est-elle légale en France ? Les clients peuvent-ils être sanctionnés ? Les précisions de Maître Julie Scavazza.
According to Office central pour la répression de la traite des êtres humains (OCRTEH, Central Office for Combating Human Trafficking), there are between 18 000 and 20 000 prostitutes in France today. Is prostitution legal in France? Can clients be punished? Attorney Julie Scavazza has the details.
This November 25, the collective Abolition 2012 is also mobilizing to give a reminder on mouvementdunid.org of its demands–the removal of repressive measures toward prostitutes:

author: Abdoulaye Bah


text:
Brazil Bids Farewell to Niemeyer, Revolutionary of Modern Architecture · Global Voices
Débora Medeiros

[All links lead to Portuguese language pages except when otherwise noted.]
Remembered primarily as the architect who designed Brazil's capital city, Brasilia [en], and for having remained faithful to his communist ideals throughout his entire adult life, Oscar Niemeyer [en] passed away on the night of December 5 in Rio de Janeiro after succumbing to a respiratory infection. He was 104 years old.
Honored in obituaries in newspapers around the world as the man who revolutionized modern architecture by adding curves and levity to buildings and constructions in hundreds of architectural projects in Brazil and abroad. On his 100th birthday, on December 15, 2007, Global Voices revisited [en] some of the most significant creations of his life's work.
Oscar Niemeyer on the Brazilian government's official blog, under Creative Commons license (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
What seems pushed to the back burner in so many of the acclaims is the fact that Niemeyer defended not only his innovative architecture, but also Communism, with his atheist-humanist world view. Standing for his views was not always easy given his playing witness to the greatest changes of the twentieth century throughout his life, such as two world wars, Brazil's military dictatorship and the Cold War. His ideas cost him; he was denied visas to the US and decided to emigrate to Europe in the face of limited employment for his services in military-governed Brazil.
Career advances alone were not what agave meaning to Niemeyer, who believed that “more important than architecture is being read to protest and to take to the streets,” which he stated in the documentary “A vida é um sopro” (Life is a Breath of Air, 2007), directed by Fabiano Maciel:
Niemeyer's longevity is also something that stands out in the public's mind. The tumblr “Coisas mais novas que Oscar Niemeyer” [Things Younger Than Oscar Niemeyer”] lists everyday objects invented after the architect was born in 1907 in Rio de Janeiro. Yesterday, to mark the date of his death, the blog published one of Niemeyer's drawings with the phrase, “And now all we have left is the future.”
Niemeyer was also present on social networks under a fake profile that also poked fun at his long life. On Twitter, a number of users throughout the world have paid homage.
Tiago Bicalho (@TiagoMG13) remembers the architect's ideas:
Niemeyer desenhava certo por linhas tortas. Queria um país mais igualitário. Viveu até ver o Brasil se transformar nas mão de Lula e Dilma
Niemeyer drew straight by drawing crooked lines. He wanted a more equal country. He lived until he saw Brazil transform itself at the hands of Lula and Dilma
Gracynha Lóppez (@GracynhaLoppez) stresses his vanguard way of thinking:
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida de Niemeyer Soares – Um dos maiores brasileiros ! Até seus pensamentos possuíam linhas com perspectivas no futuro.
Oscar Ribeiro de Almeida de Niemeyer Soares – One of Brazil's greatest ! Even your thoughts contained lines with perspectives into the future.
Meanwhile Dougal Marwick (@dougalm) [en] from Edinburgh associates Niemeyer's buildings with positive personal memories.
Walking past this with my wife en route to Le Parc des Buttes Chaumont is one of my happiest memories. RIP Mr Niemeyer. http://www.flickr.com/photos/atelier_flir/3671978939/
Gunar Almeida (@gunaralmeida) expressed cynicism at news of the centenarian architect's death:
As emissoras de TV têm falado tanto que eu tô começando a acreditar que Oscar Niemeyer morreu mesmo.
The TV stations have said so much about it that I'm starting to believe Oscar Niemeyer really did die.
And Rafa Peres (@red_bird) suggests how best to give acclaim to Oscar Niemeyer:
Pessoas q fazem homenagens pro Niemeyer… o cara era simples. Conselho: ajude a fazer um mundo mais justo q ele apoiaria.
Those of you paying homage Niemeyer… the guy was simple. A word of advice: help make the world more just because that's what he would want.
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), Niemeyer also deserves the title of  universal artists, according to a statement by Director-General Irina Bokova:
Apaixonado por seu trabalho, ele estava convencido de que a arquitetura tem que fazer mais do que belos edifícios: tem que contribuir para melhorar a vida na cidade como um todo e incorporar os valores de inclusão, solidariedade e cooperação.
He was passionate about work and convinced that architecture, before becoming fine arts, had to contribute concretely to living better together in the city and must embody the values of inclusion, solidarity and cooperation.

author: Débora Medeiros


text:
Day 2 of Developing Latin America 2012 · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages unless otherwise noted]
Last Sunday December 2 saw the completion of day 2 of the regional hackathon Developing Latin America 2012, organised by the Ciudadano Inteligente Foundation. This year the event was carried out [en] in eight Latin American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Peru and Uruguay.
After about 36 hours of intense and continuous work, the teams participating in the various headquarters began the presentations of their projects in order to later find out the jurys’ decision.
From Chile, the website Fayerwayer announced  the country's three winners out of the 26 applications that were presented:
Winning Team DAL2012 Chile. Photo shared by @Tia_Ivonne via Twitter.
TechnoChat announces  the three winners in Costa Rica, where there were 11 teams participating:
DAL2012 Teams in Costa Rica. Photo shared by Inco Group on Facebook.
Primer lugar: Pixelated Dot, compuesto por William Rodríguez, Diego Carballo y David Madrigal. Ellos desarrollaron un juego denominado “Escuadrón Salud”, que permite educar a los niños de 6 a 10 años en materia de prevención de enfermedades. En el prototipo utilizaron de referencia el dengue y la diarrea.
Segundo lugar: TIC, compuesto por Daniel Castro, Mauricio Muñoz y Samantha Ramijan. Este equipo desarrolló una solución para que los médicos puedan, al recetar, consultar la disponibilidad de un medicamento en la farmacia, además, con la puesta en línea de la aplicación, se reduce el tiempo y despacho de las recetas prescritas.
Tercer lugar: The Code Monkey, compuesto por Natalia Sibaja, Leonardo Ortiz, Iván Alarcón y Javier Carvajal. Este grupo desarrolló una plataforma que brinda los datos sobre sismos que acontecen en el país y permite al usuario detallar información sobre su estado, así como emitir alertas en caso de riesgo.
First place: Pixelated Dot, consisting of William Rodríguez, Diego Carballo and David Madrigal. The team developed a game called “Escuadrón Salud” [Health Squad], that educates children between 6 and 10 years of age in matters to do with the prevention of illnesses. In making the prototype, the team used dengue and diarrhoea as their references.
Second Place: TIC, consisting of Daniel Castro, Mauricio Muñoz and Samantha Ramijan. This team developed a solution for doctors to be able to check the availability of medicines in the pharmacy when prescribing drugs to patients. Not only this, but also by reserving the medicines online it reduces the time to prepare and dispatch the prescriptions.
Third Place: The Code Monkey, consisting of Natalia Sibaja, Leonardo Ortiz, Iván Alarcón and Javier Carvajal. This group developed a platform that provides data about earth tremors occurring in the country and allows the user to detail information about their situation, in this way sending out alerts in case of risk.
In OpenDataMx they write about the seven projects that participated and present the three winners:
Winners DAL2012 Mexico. Photo shared by Juan M Casanueva in Facebook.
Codeando México 1er lugar Integrantes: @adrian22 @emikebr @rod_wilhelmy @edolopez @juanpabloe @javi_ayala. Codeando México busca habilitar un espacio de hackatón permanente en donde la transparencia y colaboración ocurren todos los días, codeandoMexico es una plataforma donde se pueden publicar proyectos por parte de fundaciones o gente de la sociedad civil exponiendo datos abiertos e involucrando interesados del área de tecnología, diseño, o de industrias en general para desarrollar una solución tecnológica.
FONDOxDiabetes 2do lugar Integrantes: @dave_domz @karemcitamz @mgjoseluis Elías Sánchez Martín. FONDOxDiabetes es un sitio de consulta y participación ciudadana en donde se puede votar a favor o en contra georeferenciando los votos y publicando argumentos a favor y en contra. Se buscó exponer el problema del consumo de refrescos embotellados en México y su relación con la diabetes, un problema de salud pública nacional.
InfoAgua 3er lugar Integrantes: @janzaldo @tuxtitlan @balam_0 @lepamaz. InfoAgua es una herramienta de consulta para realizar análisis estadísticos del agua en relación al crecimiento de la población y detectar factores de riesgo por Entidad Federativa. También se realizaron juegos interactivos educativos para Facebook vinculados a la educación sobre la problemática del agua.
Coding Mexico First Place Members: @adrian22 @emikebr @rod_wilhelmy @edolopez @juanpabloe @javi_ayala. Coding Mexico looks to house a permanent hackathon space where transparency and collaboration are everyday occurrences. Coding Mexico is a platform where projects can be published on behalf of foundations or civilians exposing open data and involving people interested from the areas of technology, design or industry in general in order to develop a technological solution.
FONDOxDiabetes Second Place Members: @dave_domz @karemcitamz @mgjoseluis Elías Sánchez Martín. FONDOxDiabetes is a consultation and participation site where you can vote in favour of, or against, georeferencing votes, as well as publishing arguments for and against. It was looking to expose the problem of consumption of bottled drinks in Mexico and its relationship with diabetes, a national public health problem.
InfoAgua [InfoWater] Third Place Members: @janzaldo @tuxtitlan @balam_0 @lepamaz. InfoAgua is a consultation tool in order to carry out statistics analysis of water in relation to the growth of the population and to detect risk factors for Federative Entity. They also carried out interactive educational games for Facebook linked to educating people about the issues surrounding water.
Escuelab announced the Peruvian winners:
Teams, collaborators and staff of DAL2012 in Peru. Photo by Maru Panta http://visorperu.com/ for Escuelab. Used with author's permission.
Primer lugar grupo: Rememos. Proyecto: Monitoreo Ambiental. Integrantes: Antonio Cucho Gamboa, Renzo Arauco, Jordi Cook, Juan Luis Peña
Segundo lugar grupo: YS. Proyecto: Alerta Ciudad. Integrantes: Arturo Ochoa, Riccardo Mija, Franks Samamé, Paul Osorio Schuler
Tercer lugar grupo: #OTA. Proyecto: EducAya! Integrantes: Pedro Valverde, Jairo Gutierrez, Daphne Orihuela
First Place: Rememos. Project: Environmental Monitor. Members: Antonio Cucho Gamboa, Renzo Arauco, Jordi Cook, Juan Luis Peña
Second Place: YS. Project: City Alert. Members: Arturo Ochoa, Riccardo Mija, Franks Samamé, Paul Osorio Schuler
Third Place: #OTA. Project: EducAya! Members: Pedro Valverde, Jairo Gutierrez, Daphne Orihuela
Wingu (@desdewingu) tweeted about the Argentine winners:
Winners DAL2012 Argentina. Photo shared by Sandra Crucianelli in Facebook
@desdewingu:  Tercer puesto #DAL2012 #Argentina para Mapa de asistencia a la víctima @pollatos @alegranza_a @malev pic.twitter.com/nlpQr6uq
@desdewingu:  Third Place #DAL2012 #Argentina for assisting Map for victims @pollatos @alegranza_a @malev pic.twitter.com/nlpQr6uq
@desdewingu:  Segundo puesto #DAL2012 #Argentina Grandes pequeñas ideas! pic.twitter.com/lp8krE2R
@desdewingu:  Second Place #DAL2012 #Argentina Great Small Ideas! pic.twitter.com/lp8krE2R
@desdewingu:  Ganador #DAL2012 #Argentina Puedo jugar solo. Proyecto para niños con autismo de @casaangelman pic.twitter.com/ALCLk2FZ
@desdewingu:  Winner #DAL2012 #Argentina I can play alone. A project for children with autism by @casaangelman pic.twitter.com/ALCLk2FZ
In Uruguay, Data (@DataUY ) also tweeted its winners:
@DataUY  Felicidades a Ombudsman Uy, Me Robaron, y Tu Huerta, los tres primeros proyectos ganadores del #DAL2012 en #Uruguay
@DataUY  Congratulations to Ombudsman Uy, Me Robaron [I Was Robbed], and Tu Huerta [Your Veg Patch], the first three winning projects from #DAL2012 in #Uruguay
W3C Brazil followed suit (@w3cbrasil):
@w3cbrasil  App brasileiro no @DAL hackathon latino americano http://i9bits.com.br/seuLixo/  @w3cbrasil #dadosabertos
@w3cbrasil  Brazilian App @DAL Latin American hackathon http://i9bits.com.br/seuLixo/  @w3cbrasil #dadosabertos
The Bolivian Apps can be found on the Developing Latin America website, where you can also find all the other apps. A recount of tweets, photos and anecdotes from the second day of #dal2012 can be found in Storify.
Now all that is left is to wait a few more days before finding out the regional winners. In the meantime, the teams that have passed this stage find themselves making improvements to their apps in order to be best prepared for competing with the rest of the winners. We will continue to update!
Other related posts:
Developing Latin America 2012
What exactly is a hackathon and what is open data?
Hackathones in droves: How is a hackathon organised?
Developing Latin America Draws Near!
Day 1 of Developing Latin America 2012
What is web mapping? [es]
Brasil: Rio de Janeiro Demands Better Sanitation
Crowdmapping Water Contamination in Peruvian Indigenous Communities

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Ecuador Launches Oil Auction Amid Indigenous Protests · Global Voices
Rachael Petersen

On Wednesday November 28, 2012, Ecuador began an international licensing round for 13 oil blocks – nearly ten million acres –  of untouched south-central Amazonian territory as indigenous leaders took to the streets in Quito to protest petroleum concessions on their lands.
Hundreds of indigenous protesters gathered outside the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Quito last week during the VII Annual Meeting of Oil and Energy, which marked the beginning of the licensing process.
Organized by the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and the Confederation of Amazonian Indigenous Nationalities (CONFENIAE), the protest included representatives from seven indigenous nationalities who expressed concern about the lack of consultation in the concessions process and the potential environmental and social impacts of drilling. AmazonWatch reports that indigenous protesters were met by military, police, private security, and pepper spray. AmazonWatch also posted several photos of the confrontation on their website.
According to Earth Island, CONFENIAE alleges that the undersecretary of hydrocarbons entered Achuar, Kichwa, and Sapara indigenous communities without permission in October and held consultations with the local people. However, CONFENIAE holds that these consultations were illegitimate because they involved a select group of individuals, not the larger decision-making structures of the communities.
Map of indigenous territories and XI Oil Round concessions. Source: Fundacion Pachamama Facebook page.
Blogger Ecuachaski [es] reported as early as October of this year that leaders of Schuar, Achuar, Shiwiar, Sapara and Kichwa communities met in a press conference to announce they will not permit the entry to petroleum industries into their lands. The audio [es] of the meeting is also available.
Although indigenous organizations have made several negative pronouncements around the XI Oil Round, the Correa government has not responded to their concerns.
In a formal statement [es] published online on November 28th, CONAIE and CONFENIAE wrote:
Las nacionalidades indígenas situadas en el centro sur de la Amazonia:  Kichwas Amazónicos, Shuar, Achuar, Shiwiar y Sáparas, rechazaron la decisión unilateral del régimen de licitar bloques  petroleros mediante la llamada XI Ronda e instaron a que esta sea suspendida de inmediato.
Indigenous nationalities located in the south-central part of the Amazon: the Kichwa, Shuar, Achuar, Shiwiar and Sáparas, rejected the unilateral decision of the regime to auction petroleum blocks during the so-called 11th Round and insist that it be immediately suspended.
Furthermore, the organizations emphasize that the government’s consultations did not respect local decision-making norms and lack proper procedure in the native language.
The communication also includes the following quote by CONFENIAE president Franco Viter:
“…Estamos unidos y nos oponemos totalmente a la XI  Ronda Petrolera. El avance de la frontera petrolera en nuestro territorio  representa el fin de nuestra forma de vida y puede significar el fin de nuestras vidas.
“…We are united and we totally oppose the 11th Oil Round. The encroachment of oil into our territories represents the end of our way of life and could mean the end of our very lives themselves.”
For Ecuador, the smallest member of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), the oil industry represents a critical source of revenue for the state. The government expects at least $1 billion in investments from the 13 blocks, reports Reuters. While the country’s oil output has lingered around 500,000 barrels per day the last few years, non-renewable natural resources minister Wilson Pastor expects oil output to rise up to 530,000 barrels per day, sustaining the country for another ten years.
Companies have six months to present bids for the new Amazonian concessions. The government hopes contracts will be signed before September 2013.
“We are living a contradiction”
Yet the 11th Oil Round takes place within a country that is soliciting funding to leave oil in the ground under the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) area of Yasuní national park. The government initiative [es] has attracted $64 million dollars from governments, foundations and individuals, with another $187 million pledged. The head of the negotiating committee for the project, Ivonee Baki, recently said:
Ecuador does not want to be depend on oil and this is a way to reduce dependency. Oil countries are cursed. Developing countries depend on it so much that they do not develop anything else. It breeds corruption and the poor pay the price. The only benefit traditionally go to the elites.
In a November interview with Rebelión [es], Franco Viteri  president of CONFENIAE pointed out the contradiction of the current Correa administration:
Cierto, vivimos efectivamente en una contradicción. Mientras se esboza un discurso ecologista en los ámbitos internacionales, el gobierno del presidente Rafael Correa ha lanzado la XI Ronda Petrolera.
We’re effectively living a contradiction. While he outlines an environmentalist discourse in international circles, president Rafael Correa has launched the 11th Oil Round.
This contradiction received international attention on October 26th of this year, when the Indian Law Resource Center in the United States delivered a letter to several UN Climate Change officials noting the contradictions between the government’s high-profile commitment to forest preservation and the plan to open three million hectares of indigenous ancestral territory to oil development. They report that the concessions process involves indigenous lands currently preserved under SocioBosque, an Ecuadorian program that pays indigenous peoples not to deforest their lands. The letter calls into question the legality of the concessions process, which has moved forward without indigenous peoples’ free, prior, and informed consent.
COP18
The current oil concession take place amid a background of the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP18) in Doha, Qatar, in which the Ecuadorian Ministry of Environment [es] is taking part. The conference began the 26th of November and concludes the 7th of December.
Indigenous leaders of the Ecuadorian Amazon protest the XI Oil Round at the UN COP18 in Doha. Photo courtesy of Francisco Shiki, President of FICSH.
Several indigenous leaders of the Ecuadorian Amazon, including the President of the Interprovincial Federation of Schuar Centers, Francisco Shiki, brought discussions of Ecuador’s XI Oil Round to the COP18. According to Fundación Pachamama [es], these leaders called for international allies in denouncing the government’s “lack of political will to uphold commitments to environmental and social safeguards in Ecuador.”
Three leaders from Sarayaku – an Ecuadorian indigenous community made famous by its legal struggles with multinational oil companies –  have also joined the protest. They recently compiled a video petition featured on AmazonWatch’s website.
Although the XI Oil Round does not currently include their lands, the government may decide to put up five more blocks for auction, including those within Sarayaku (Kichwa) territories. The Sarayaku people’s blog [es] contains several joint letters to the Correa administration admonishing the government’s previous oil “consultations,” which did not comply with ILO (International Labor Organization) Convention 169 or the Ecuadorian Constitution in regard to free, prior, and informed consent of indigenous peoples.
Indigenous organizations plan to continue protesting through the month of December to call attention to the contradictions between Ecuador’s environmental programs, its constitutional commitment to protect the rights of indigenous peoples, and its ongoing concessions of pristine indigenous lands within the XI Oil Round.

author: Rachael Petersen


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‘Fuleco’ the Mascot Divides Brazil · Global Voices
Emmanuelle Leroy Cerqueira

A public vote campaign, sponsored by Coca Cola, invited Brazilian internet users to choose the name of the future mascot of the 2014 World Cup—an armadillo, a small, endangered animal from Brazil's forests. This small animal, with a very resistant shell, has the ability to roll itself up into a ball when threatened—hence the name Tatu Bola.
Internet campaign, with reference to City of God: “Fuleco, my ass! My name is L'il Zé!” Caricature by Odes on Belo Horizonte from A to Z – Public Domain
Of the 1.7 million voters, 48% chose Fuleco over Zuzeco (31%) and Amijubi (21%).
The three suggestions had been proposed by a committee, composed of Bebeto (ex-player of the Brazilian national football team), Arlindo Cruz (singer and samba composer), Thalita Rebouças (journalist and writer), Roberto Duailibi (publicist) and Fernanda Santos.
Tatu Bola, as the majority of Brazilians already informally call it, created a very strong wave of sympathy in the country, as shown on the official website of the mascot.
As the website states:
As one of the most high-profile ambassadors of the event and a member of a vulnerable species, the Official Mascot can play a key role in driving environmental awareness. The name Fuleco™ is a fusion of the words futebol and ecologia. This seamlessly represents the way in which the FIFA World Cup can combine the two to encourage people to behave in an environmentally friendly way. In voting for the name Fuleco™, the Brazilian population has clearly demonstrated an affinity for both themes that the name epitomises.
However, now, a majority of Brazilians are strongly calling into question the the choice of this name. While citizens agree to highlight the aforementioned values (environment and sports), they regret FIFA's irresponsible choice (in naming the mascot).
In fact, with only two letters, fuleco is transformed to fuleiro. In the northeast, this means liar and lazy, and in the southeast, fuleiro refers to something that is worthless. Fuleco also resembles furreco, meaning very bad quality and worthless.
“Don't embarass us with these names! We don't want Amijubi, Fuleco or Zuleco. His name is Tatu Bola! by Juventude Sustentavel on Facebook with permission
According to internet users that contribute to dictionnaire informel du portugais (informal portuguese dictionary) [pt], fuleco in slang terms is also a synonym for anus, the same usage as our word, ass.
The play on words is particularly suited for Fuleco: fudeco (someone who ****), fumeco (smoker)…
In brief, Fuleco proves to be inappropriate. A number of Brazilians have expressed their anger via social networks, like Facebook or Twitter. Caricature images of Fuleco were shared by the thousands, with comments of shame, anger and regrets—like this mascot page [pt].
A campaign was even launched to call for a change of the mascot's name; for example, renaming it Tatu Bola.
More than 39,000 signatures have already been gathered on a petition [pt] that asks:
Se o Tatu-Bola foi escolhido justamente pela forma e pelo nome, por que o Mascote não pode se chamar simplesmente… Tatu-Bola?
The funniest thing in the story is that the local organizing committee (LOC) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) had analyzed 47 names proposed by six Brazilian agencies. They had relied on the testimonials of children between 5 and 12 years-old, the main factor in their decision.
At least the organizers have achieved their goal: making people laugh on the children's playground!

author: Emmanuelle Leroy Cerqueira


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Ghana Election 2012, From the Ballot Box · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Ghanaian voters went to the polls today, 7 December 2012, to elect a new president and parliament. The main presidential contenders are current president John Dramani Mahama representing the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and Nana Akufo-Addo of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). The whole world is watching as one of Africa's most politically stable states decides its future through the ballot box. However, @ayittey reminds us:
@ayittey: @IDEGGhana Remember Josef Stalin; “It is not those who vote that count (matter) but rather those who count the votes”
Ghanaian voters waiting to cast their ballots at Trobu in the Greater Accra Constituency. Photo courtesy of Linda Anaan (used with permission).
Generally, reports from the ground show that the voting exercise has gone smoothly. However, there are tweet reports of vote selling, riots, delays, strikes and missing ballot boxes. Below is a summary of election related tweets under the hashtag #ghanaelections.
Delays:
@omgGhanaDotCom: gbogba ascension SDA polling station not voting… No election material since mornin. 3 nd half hours more. #GhanaElections #GhanaDecides
@ghanaelections: voters at the Star of the East school worried as ballot boxes are still not in #Ghanaelections @metrotvGhana
@MissOye_K: Chaos at Ablekuma North constituency. Voting has been halted. #GhanaDecides #Ghanaelections
@AngeloBenj: Snatching of #BallotBoxes here and there… Manhyia, Kentinkrono, Ablekuma, What Could account for this early Strike? #GhanaElections
@Nii_logologi: Vote selling is booming business is booming #ghanaelections #ghanadecides
@bigxghdotcom: The citizens of Nkwanta South in the Volta Region says they are not voting for lack of dev. in the area. #Ghanaelections
@omgGhanaDotCom: A tear gas shot at the Ablekuma North Constituency to deter people from creating confusion #Ghanaelections #GhanaDecides
Long queues:
@ghanaelections: Queuing begun as early as 10pm in parts of Kumasi with neighbourhood watch dog teams protecting people #ghanaelections
@MsAbenaAnnan: Queues started as early as 7pm yesterday @ Tip Toe Lane Accra 2 vote.Pple used stones 2 mark their spot & slept @ voting stations. #ghana
@MacJordan: People been queuing since 3am at polling stations, marking their spots with stones an gallons. Everyone want to vote early. #GhanaDecides
@BMarshall601: Finally voted after waiting 5 hours!#GhanaElections http://instagr.am/p/S791H9qWY3/
However, according to @Nii_logologi, voting in Tema was quicker:
@Nii_logologi: #ghanadecides #ghanaelections RT @mey3_ewuraba: took me less than 5mins…. No place lyk Tema
Arrests:
@ghanaelections: the unthinkable happened-EC officer arrested for failing to stamp ballot papers – Ashanti region #ghanaelections @VOAAfrica @joyonlineghana
@bigxghdotcom: Arrested DCE in Walewale released. Police now claim he was going to repair the machines… #GhanaDecides #GhanaElections
@ghanaelections: Ayigya EC polling officer arrested for not stamping over 200 ballots cast! #ghanaelections
#Ghanaelections: Double registrant arrested for attempting to vote in the Tarkwa-Nsuaem constituency http://ow.ly/fUd2t
Finally, join @Africanelection and @ghanaelection on Facebook, whatsapp and BBM to share images and elections stories:
@Africanelection: send images of the elections and chat with us about #ghanaelections on whatsapp 0241995737, 0202841029 & 0244838097
@ghanaelection: we are also on facebook, you can like our page too http://ow.ly/fUdzp #Ghanaelections, join us on whatsapp and BBM 28F11BFF +23341995737


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Italy: Staying in Venetian Monasteries  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Olia and Claude Barrère, two French expatriates in Venice, Italy, write on their blog, “Olia i Klod” [fr]:
Today, as in the past, monasteries offer the possibility of accommodation. They are places of peace, places rich in culture, very well managed, and offer moments of serenity. In Venice, many of these timeless places offer lodging, of high historical and artistic value.


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Journalism and Technology Scholarships for U.S. Students · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

The Online News Association is accepting applications for the AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship, which awards six $20,000 scholarships for the 2013-14 academic year to undergrad and grad students doing great work in digital news. Deadline to apply is February 8, 2013.

author: Solana Larsen


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New Twists in the Political Crisis in São Tomé & Príncipe   · Global Voices
Mário Lopes

The small island nation of São Tomé and Principe has lived some the most epic weeks in its politics since its independence in 1975. After its government suffered a censure measure by opposition parties on November 29, political tension reached its peak, as the measure was passed without the presence of MPs of the party that leads the minority government, ADI (Democratic Independent Action). In response, ADI convened a demonstration calling for early elections.
The President of the Republic, Dr. Manuel Pinto da Costa, convened the Council of the State seeking a mutual consensus from the opposition and the censured government, but this hope was dashed absolutely [pt]. Formal consultations reached their end after a number of meetings, and the President broke his silence on the night of December 4, formally removing the 14th Constitutional Government led by Patrice Trovoada by Presidential Decree (23/2012 Part I, Part II [pt]).
ADI convened a new protest for December 5th, on the same day that it received in its headquarters a letter from the President [pt] inviting the party to form the 15th constitutional government and appoint a new representative in 24 hours. The ADI considered this period too short and unjust [pt], and continued to advocate for early elections.
As Jornal Vitrina [pt] says, the opposition parties, Movement for the Liberation of São Tomé and Principe – Social Democratic Party (MLSTP/PSD) and the Party of Democratic Convergence (PCD) both maintain that the President acted prudently and within the parameters of the constitution, showing that both are “open to dialogue,” leaving in the hands of the party recently removed from government a possible solution to the political crisis reigning in the country.
Protesters hold up posters in front of the People's Palace. Photo by Olinto Daio shared on Facebook (used with permission).
Reactions from São Tomeans online took no time at all.
For Emílio Pontes, who lives in Angola, “the political crisis is hard to solve. But this was a predictable situation, after the legislative elections in 2010 (…) because in a democracy the majority governs,” as he explained in a newspaper article for Jornal Tela Non [pt]. This opinion is also shared by Gerhardt Seibert, specialist in São Tome and Príncipe linked to the Center of African Studies in Lisbon, who maintained in statement to RFI that the possible scenarios are early elections or the formation of a new government.
Emílio Pontes republished [pt] on Facebook an article in which he supports early legislative elections, to be conducted within 90 days as stipulated by the Electoral Law:
Assim sendo, para a clarificação da situação política actual de São Tomé e Príncipe e para o bem do país, que o poder seja devolvido ao povo para que, soberanamente ele decida quem o poderá governar nos próximos quatro anos, sem qualquer atropelo, rumo ao desenvolvimento.
As such, to clarify the current political situation of São Tomé and Principe and for the good of the country, power should be returned to the people so that the people decide for themselves who will govern for the next four years, without any infringement, towards the path of development.
On the other side sociologist Humbah Aguiar, before the announcement of the sacking of government, published a noted in which he put himself in the shoes of the President, saying “If I were Dr. Pinto da Costa” [pt]…
caso fosse legal a votação da “Monção de Censura”, caso fosse legal a eleição do novo Presidente d’Assembleia, caso não fizessem sentido as razões apresentadas pelos deputados do ADI; e caso as acusações que a oposição faz ao governo serem verdadeiras; Ai, claro, mas só aí, convocava, eleições antecipadas, pois, não faria sentido ter um parlamento que não fonciona, segundo os seu regulamentos, e um governo que não esteja a trabalhar, para o povo.
Eleições antecipadas porque, não faz sentido convocar um ou dois, partidos que não ganharam as eleições para formarem governo. (…)  Em último caso, pedia ao ADI que indicasse, um novo Primeiro-ministro e, convidava-o à formar seu governo. Afinal, Patrice Trovoada não deve ser, a única pessoa do partido ADI que, pode ser, Primeiro-ministro.
In the case that the “censure motion” was legal, and in the case that the election of new President of the Assembly was also legal, and in the case that the arguments made by the ADI's MPs did not make sense, and in the case that the accusations made by the opposition against the government are true, ok, then of course, but only then, call early elections, as it does not make sense to have a parliament that does not function according to itself regulations and a government that is not working for the people.
Early elections because it does not make sense to call on one or two parties that did not win the [last] elections to form a government. (…) As a last resort, ask ADI to nominate a new Prime Minister and ask him to form his government. In the end Patrice Trovoada should not be the only person from ADI who can be Prime Minister.
Masses of people in the Plaza Yon Gato. Photo by Olinto Daio shared on Facebook (used with permission). One comment reads: “It is unacceptable that in 22 years of democracy 15 governments are nominated… We are faced with an average of 1 year, 5 months and 20 days per government.. We have to say ENOUGH to these blockers to our development…”
If the ADI refuses to form a government, Pinto da Costa will have to invite the second-most voted party in the legislative elections of 2010, the MLSTP/PSD, to form the executive, especially if the other parties in parliament like the PCD, are willing to form a coalition. As a last resort either early elections will be held or a technocratic government is formed.
In response to the question posted on Facebook by DW Português para África – “What do you foresee in the immediate political future of São Tomé and Principe after the sacking of the government by President Manuel Pinto da Costa?” – the online audience did not forget the political situation lived by Guinea Bissau, a country that shares a colonial past, a history of political and military disagreements, and that in April was plunged into yet another political crisis, with a military coup d'etat that toppled the government.
Meanwhile in the midst of the storm that threatens in São Tomé and Principe, a piece of good news emerges from the Transparency International perceptions of corruption survey this year: the country rose 28 places since last year, now in 72th place.
Protester before the Palace of the People holding a poster that saying “Corrupt [MPs] out of the Parliament.” Photo by Olinto Daio shared on Facebook (used with permission).

author: Mário Lopes


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Review of South Korea’s First Presidential Debate · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korea's presidential election is just right around the corner and three top contenders had their first heated TV presidential debate. The Marmot's Hole blog wrote a review of the debate with some background information.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Pardon Granted to Police Officers Convicted of Torture in Spain · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

[All links lead to Spanish language pages, except when otherwise noted.]
On July 27, 2006, Romanian citizen Lucian Paduraru and his pregnant wife left their Barcelona home when five men approached the couple and attacked Paduraru, beating him viciously. The five men were members of the Catalan police force Mossos d’Esquadra [en], but never identified themselves to the couple. The officers had mistaken Paduraru for a notoriously dangerous mugger.
Paduraru was arrested and taken to the police station in Les Corts where the beating not only continued, but worsened to include threats, insults, and even inserting the barrel of a gun into his mouth.  It was only when one of the mossos realized security cameras monitored the room that the beating stoped. The tragedy turned graver still with the realization that Paduraru is a hemophiliac. This case served as one of the examples in Amnesty International's Spain: Adding insult to injury [en] report about police violence in Spain.
Cameras capture the mossos beating a detainee in the Les Corts police station. Photo from the blog «Chorizos ibéricos»
The five mossos faced charges of torture, personal injury and illegal detention and were tried in Barcelona's main court. Three officers received a six year and seven month sentence each, one received a two year and three month sentence and the fifth received only a fine for abuse. In an appeal to the Supreme Court, the sentences were reduced and granted a suspension pending the final outcome of the police investigation for the pardon the mossos requested.
In February 2012, the government granted the first pardon claiming “subsequent police investigations” provided “new and valuable information in relation to the facts of the case.”  They also took into account the officers’ personal records with the department as well as “the mounting support and general backing for the pardon.” The pardon further reduced the prison times, to two years, which coupled with their lack of prior offenses exempted the officers from their return to prison. In addition, their banning from public office was also substituted for a two year suspension.
In spite of this, the Court made the unusual mandate that the officers fulfill their prison time, citing social outrage and the threat the officers posed to society. In response, the mossos filed their second appeal.
Yet a few days ago, the Spanish government, ignoring public opinion, granted the officers’ second appeal, commuting their prison time to a mere fine of 7,200 euros (roughly $9,350) to be paid 10 euro “installments” over two years.
This secondary pardon has enraged the public, who has widely interpreted the government's action as a clear siding with the impunity and brutality that blatantly violated fundamental human rights. On Twitter, the hashtags #indulto [pardon] and #justiciadeespaña [justice in Spain] became the trending topics the afternoon of the announcement. Abraham Escobar of #14N and Gloria Marcos shared their indignation:
@abraham_escobar: The mossos’ pardon is disgraceful. This political system is broken. Injustice is legalized and impunity rewarded.
@gloriamarcosmar: Gano Ping freed, torturers pardoned, the #PP [Popular Party] promotes police brutality. What country do we live in? #JusticiaDeEspaña
Ricardo Sixto criticized the Ministry of Justice's recent initiatives:
@Rsixtoiglesias: Spain: it pardons torturers and uses fines as a means of justice. There is no rule of law. http://www.publico.es/espana/446355/
This pardon sheds light on the reality of what has been happening for years. Spaniards are beginning to realize that the pardon, a mechanism intended to humanize justice, has been used extensively by the government to overturn the sentences of offenders in close proximity to power. Ignacio Escobar explains as much in his article “The pardon: A daily abuse of power“:
[…] we are one of the Western countries whose government abuses most this arbitrary prerogative. Since 1977 we have granted 17,620 pardons, according to the BOE [State Official Bulletin, en].  Among those pardoned are the best of each house: the leaders of the 23-F coup [coup of February 23, 1981, en], the GAL terrorists [Grupos Antiterroristas de Liberación, en], corrupt politicians, depraved judges, big businesses, fraudulent bankers, drug traffickers… This averages to 480 each year.
Zapatero granted 3,226 during his two years while Aznar —national record holder— nearly doubled this number with 5,916 pardons. By comparison, George W. Bush granted only 200 pardons in eight years in the United States, a country seven times the size of Spain […]
Nearly 200 judges united to sign a declaration of dissent against the mossos‘ pardon. The following are excerpts from the press release:
A pardon assumes an act in violation of human dignity whose responsibility in the persecution of said acts of torture falls on the State or the hands of its agents.
[…]
Torture is one of the worst possible ways in which human dignity is violated.  This dignity is the foundation of a constitutional order. The European Court of Human Rights has condemned Spain for not investigating these acts. […] When the [Ministry of] Justice acts, investigates and condemns, the Government pardons. It then becomes challenging to explain such behavior before the European Court.
[…]
The Government's decision is unbecoming of a democratic system of law, illegitimate, and ethically unaffordable.
The Minister of Justice, Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, defended the Government's decision:
Alberto Ruiz Gallardón, Spanish Justice Minister. Taken from a YouTube video.
[…] what cannot prevail is the belief that other powers can assume certain faculties that are not theirs just because the constitution grants them to the state of Spain; the pardon is not a right of the judiciary but a faculty of the executive power.
But there is still hope that this pardon will count for something, as Ixaiac writes in a Huffington Post article:
Yesterday the SUP [Unified Police Union], today 200 judges. Maybe something is changing. But for most, the change comes too late. Hopefully more and more eyes are being opened to the constant abuse of power. Let's waste no time in restoring justice to our society.
[All links lead to Spanish language pages, except when otherwise noted.]

author: Lourdes Sada


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Sri Lanka: The Rise Of The Classified Portals · Global Voices
Rezwan

Nandasiri Wanninayaka sold his Motorbike through a free online classified portal in Sri Lanka and writes about his experience and the potentials of such platforms.

author: Rezwan


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Striker’s ‘Scorpion Kick’ Goal Makes Bolivian Football History · Global Voices
Pablo Andres Rivero

Nacional Potosí, a modest first-division football club from Bolivia, kicked off the 2012 football season playing against The Strongest at home. During the second half of the match, Gastón Mealla, a 24-year-old Nacional Potosí striker, made an improbable heel volley, a ‘scorpion kick’, scoring from outside the box.
Mealla’s goal was nominated by FIFA as one of the 10 best goals for the 2012 Puskás Award; however, it was not selected among the final 3.
Skrileks, an anonymous YouTube user based in France, commented on FIFA’s YouTube Channel:
I can't understand how so much people can vote for the two bicycles in the penalty box, when you have a never seen scorpion kick from outside the box like that.
It's worthy of the taekwondo kicks of Zlatan [Ibrahimovic]. It's wonderful, powerful, and nobody ever done a scorpion kick from a so long distance.
PickleKunAMV, another YouTube user, also wrote:
I'm Colombian and love [Radamel] Falcao [whose goal was nominated among the top 3] but this should win the Puskas award.
Roberto Acosta (@btoae) [es], an active sport journalist and Twitter user based in La Paz, argues that such a spectacular goal was not among the most voted because,
@btoae: Hay una sola toma del gol, quizá le quita algo de espectacularidad, la LFPB no se caracteriza por la calidad en transmisiones ni pensar en HD.
@btoae: There is only one shot of the goal, maybe it takes some spectacularly away, HD or good quality broadcast is not a feature in the LFPB [Bolivian Professional Football League].
Moreover, Roberto Acosta also states that these awards are oriented towards big football stars:
@btoae: El Balon de Oro 2012 de FIFA es como los Oscar para Blatter, es dificil imaginar una pelicula de bajo presupuesto en una terna.
@btoae: The FIFA Ballon d'Or 2012 is like the Oscars for [Joseph] Blatter, hard to imagine a low budget film being short-listed.
Despite not making the top 3 goals of the year, Gastón Mealla's astonishing, but low-quality broadcast scorpion kick will remain as one of the most spectacular goals of Bolivian football history.

author: Pablo Andres Rivero


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Top 10 Chinese Internet Memes of 2012 · Global Voices
Abby Liu

With over 400 million Weibo (China’s twitter) users, Chinese social media has become a prominent source keeping people updated about what's happening in China. As the year comes to an end, we've picked China's 10 most memorable Internet memes of 2012. They cover scandal, celebrity, humour and buzzwords.
#1 Dog vs. Locust — China-Hong Kong conflict
Hong Kong's people have long held resentment towards mainlanders due to some ill-mannered tourists and pregnant women sneaking in for birthright residency. In January 2012, a video of Hong Kongers and mainlanders arguing on the Hong Kong subway went online. In the video, a few children from the mainland were accused of violating the rules by eating on the subway. The incident soon expanded to resentment on both sides. Peking University professor Kong Qingdong called Hong Kongers dogs.
Hong Kong netizens published an ad on Apple Daily,“Hong Kong people have had enough!” the ad says.
In response, Hong Kong netizens labelled the mainlanders “locusts” with an ad on Apple Daily showing a locust overlooking Hong Kong’s skyline. “Hong Kong people have had enough!” the ad says.
The ad went viral on Weibo and was followed up with a collection of “had enough” parodies: Shanghainese complained that they have had enough of the migrant workers moving into the city, Beijingers complained that they’ve had enough of the rising real estate prices.
#2 Pussy high Miniskirt
In March, 2012, a model called Emily Zhou went viral after she posted photos online of her rich NPC delegate “godfather” (sugar daddy) and her shiny “pussy high Miniskirt”. She went further to explain that the so-called “pussy high miniskirt” is a mini-skirt that is only long enough to cover a woman’s genitals.
Netizens suspected that the NPC delegate is another corrupted official with a well-kept mistress, and that Emily Zhou is just another “Guo Meimei”.
Although Emily later clarified that the man was not her sugar daddy, her “pussy high miniskirt” has since became a new meme online. Many netizens use it to refer to any mini skirt.
#3 Chen GuangCheng
When blind Chinese lawyer and civil rights activist Chen Guangcheng escaped from house arrest in the spring of 2012, it caught the attention of Chinese internet users. Although the government blocked Chen’s name, netizens were able to circumvent the censorship. An artist supporter of Chen created a KFC ad, featuring a cartoon version of Chen with the slogan “Free CGC.”
The “Free CGC” ad went viral on the Chinese Internet.
The Kentucky Fried Chicken ad began spreading across the Chinese Internet as support for Chen. The spreading of the meme was called “guerrilla activism”.
#4 “diaosi” and Tall-rich-handsome
The term “diao si” (屌丝) has been a buzzword among China's internet community since the start of the year. It is a self-mockery term to describe “underprivileged losers” who lacked advantages that one must possess (good appearance, good family background or high social status) and who feel themselves leading dead-end lives with rising living costs and all sorts of competition and pressure from society.
On the contrary, there’s another buzzword for the tall, rich and handsome (高富帅 Gao-fu-shuai) or the fair-skinned, rich and beautiful (白富美 bai-fu-mei), both of which are considered as ideal husband and wife candidates in the Chinese society.
Funny as the buzzwords sound, it revealed the issues and mentality in modern Chinese society.
#5 Dress the Nude
On July 9, China Central Television CCTV reported about an Italian art exhibition at the National Museum of China. When CCTV showed Michelangelo's sculpture on the news,they pixelated the statue’s private parts. The video of the censored artwork was viewed by millions of Chinese netizens.
Netizens “dressed up” the paintings to mock CCTV.
One professor commented sarcastically: “Why not dress them up?” Netizens were inspired. They soon used computer software to “dress up” the famous works of sculptures and paintings as an opportunity to mock CCTV.
#6 62%
In August, Yang Yiyong, Director of the State Development and Reform Commission’s Macroeconomic Research Institute for Social Development, said [zh] at a forum that China has acheived 62% of the task of rejuvenating the civilization based on the Great National Revival Process Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators.
Netizens found it ridiculous [zh] to use the index to measure the progress of China's revival, thus the “scientific” figure became a viral Internet meme. They invented new ways to mock the report by being creative with the figure 62%. One netizen wrote: “I was awaken by a text message when I was 62% into my sleep last night.” Another wrote:“The mission of enlarging the gap between the rich and the poor is 62% complete.”
#7 Watch Uncle
In September 2012, Yang Dacai was removed from his post as head of the Shaanxi Administration of Work Safety after multiple photos of him were posted on the Internet showing him wearing at least 11 luxury watches on different occasions. Following Yang's watch scandal, Fujian Province Transportation Chief Li Dejin and Lanzhou mayor Yuan Zhanting both joined the group, thus “watch uncle” became another term for corrupted officials. Besides watches, ill-gotten gains also include houses and mistresses, thus “House Uncle” goes for Guangzhou City Panyu District Urban Management Bureau Chief Cai Bin, and “Second Uncle” goes for Chongqing city Beibei district Communist Party Chief Lei Zhengfu whose 12-second sex-tapes was exposed online by a journalist.
#8 “Are you Happy?”
In early October, China Central Television CCTV launched a program called “Holiday survey: are you happy?” The reporters asked random people on the street whether they are happy, the result was bewildered and confused faces with some unexpected answers. An elderly migrant worker answered: “My surname is Zeng,” apparently mistaking the question to mean, “Is your surname Fu?”
The program is perceived as an effort to show a “harmonious” society right before the opening of the 18th Party Congress. The question “are you happy” soon went viral over the internet with netiens using it to embarrass and mock CCTV.
#9 Sparta
Sparta is another code internet users used to talk about the 18th National Party Congress. Sparta in Mandarin sounds like the colloquial term for the 18th National Party Congress, “Shi ba da” , which was censored on Weibo before the Congress in November, 2012.
A search for Sparta or 斯巴达 yielded over 3.5 million results. Netizens used this code to complain about “strange regulations” or internet slow down they experienced before the Congress.
“My Internet speed is becoming slower and slower, is this because of the approaching ‘sparta'?” said one Weibo user.
#10 qie gao
Another buzzword “qie gao” (切糕, nut cake) was born by the end of 2012 due to the dispute between some Han Chinese locals and a few Uyghur rice cake vendors over the absurdly high price of nut cakes.
The dispute turned into a big fight. The damage to rice cake and walnut candies was worth approximately 160,000 yuan ($25,700), 16 Uyghurs were compensated for all their damages and relocated to Xinjiang and the customer was placed under arrest by local Police. The pro-Uyghur handle of the situation and ridiculously expensive “qie gao” soon caught netizens’ attention. They uploaded pictures of “qie gao” on Weibo and shared their bad experience with Uighur cake vendors. The incident also triggered Han nationality's complaints about preferential policies towards ethic groups in China.

author: Abby Liu


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Why Are Rich Chinese Entrepreneurs Leaving China? · Global Voices
Abby Liu

Chinese entrepreneurs are leaving China. According  a survey, conducted by China Merchants Bank and Bain & Co., 27% of entrepreneurs worth over 100 million RMB have already emigrated and 47% of them are considering moving abroad.
The growing trend is nurturing resentment towards wealthy emigrants among Chinese citizens. And the recent exposure of a prominent businesswoman and member of the CPPCC (China's political advisory body) Zhang Lan’s immigration further triggered controversy in Chinese society.
Economic insecurity
Chinese Entrepreneur Magazine [zh] analyzed:
Zhang Lan's emigration triggered controversy in Chinese society. Screen capture from local news-report via Youku.
中国企业家杂志：分析认为，缺乏安全感是众多商人共同的感觉。迁往其他经济体，可以提供其他的、独立于中国经济的财富来源的新机会。多样化可以降低风险，避免因只在一国经营、或从事一种经济活动的损失，提高富人阶层的“安全感”。
Chinese entrepreneurs all suffer from a lack of security. Once they emigrate to another economic system, they will be provided with new opportunities independent of the Chinese economy. The diversity lowers their risk compared to doing business only in one country(China) where policies can be unstable. Overall, it helps to enhance their sense of security.
ifeng.com[zh], a prominent Chinese newspaper, shared similar opinion:
老实说，在目前的中国很难给人以安全感，普通老百姓可能觉得有钱人比较安全，自己因为各种社会保障不全的缘故比较焦虑，但有钱人的安全感更低。前段时间三一重工的梁稳根说过，自己的财产与生命都是国家的，党员的太太也比较漂亮。这话看上去挺谄媚，实际上更像是一种恐惧的表达。任何做企业的人都知道，只有产权清晰才好做事，自己的产业怎么可能做这样的表述？
Honestly, Chinese society doesn’t provide citizens with a sense of security. Average citizens may think rich people feel safe because they don’t need to worry about social welfare; however, rich people in China feel even less safe. Recently, one of China’s richest men Liang Wengen said his property and life belong to the country and that the Party members’ wives are more beautiful. It seems a stupid thing to say, but it reveals his fear. How can an entrepreneur make such a statement about his property? Any entrepreneur knows clear property rights are essential for doing business.
Rigid Rules for Chinese Enterprises
Huang Song[zh], Secretary-General of Finance Industry and Development Research Center of Peking University pointed out a neglected reason behind the immigration:
There are many reasons why entrepreneurs choose to emigrate. Public opinion is usually concerned with two reasons: first, they do not have confidence in China’s future; second, they are trying to escape from something illegal they have done. But there’s a very important reason often ignored, that is, the large number of government restrictions and barriers to overseas investment and financing. First, due to the control of foreign exchange under the capital account, overseas investment by Chinese enterprises need to be approved by the Foreign Exchange Management Department. And although the investment polices have become more relaxed than the past, there are still a lot of limitations and financial investment is still strictly managed. Second, overseas investment has to be approved by the Development and Reform Department, which brings a lot of uncertainty to projects.
China's financial system essentially only supports state-owned enterprises and large enterprises. For private enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises there exist difficulties in financing: it's difficult to get loans, and even more difficult to go public or issue bonds.
Yang Yongmin[zh], GM of Offshore Incorporations Group Beijing Office echoed:
晒歪歪：不出所料，俏江南张兰移民到了那个加勒比海的一个岛国。了解这个情况的都知道，这跟张兰是否爱国没任何关系，纯粹是资本项下的移民，为公司海外上市考虑。 中国总有很多傻比的政策，坑了自己人，肥了外国人。
I’m not surprised that Zhang Lan emigrated to that Caribbean island. People who have a little knowledge about Chinese private companies know that it has nothing to do with whether Zhang loves the country or not. It’s because it’s easier for the company to go public overseas. There are so many stupid policies in China that inconvenience Chinese themselves and benefit foreign countries.
People's Daily published a commentary suggesting following the Americans by implementing heavier taxes on rich entrepreneurs to prevent them from emigrating, the piece soon triggered netizens’ disagreement. Famous TV show host Meng Fei criticized:
孟非: 这个思路有问题！你见过几个美国富豪放弃美国国籍？应该思考的为什么那么多官员家眷、演艺明星、大小富豪、著名学者都想移民？而不是琢磨怎么给他们移民设置更高的门槛。不反省这个问题，设置再高的门槛也留不住。
This thinking is in the wrong direction. How many rich Americans choose to give up their nationality? What we need to consider is why so many officials, celebrities, rich people and famous scholars want to emigrate, not how to prevent them from doing so. If we don't reflect on this problem, we can never keep them no matter how strict the rules might be.
Zhi Qiangli echoed:
志强李：张兰就是甩给僵化体制的耳光。
Zhang Lan's emigration is a slap in the face to the rigid system.
Also, there are a lot of rules and policies that make it difficult for Chinese private companies to go public but foreign enterprises are exempt from these policies. Perhaps chief editor of Workers’ Daily Shi shusi’s words best summarized the problems China needs to tackle in the next decade:
石述思：目前争议继续，抛开爱不爱国的充满道德绑架的争论，一个黑色幽默的结果是：作为民营餐饮企业的老板，如果张兰不移民，那么，无论是国内A股市场还是香港资本市场，按照现行政策都难以完成上市融资的诉求，但现在移民了，上市却成功在望。当然，这样的结果不美好，但罪魁是谁呢？实际上，富豪资金外流，只是中国经济出现问题的一种表现、一个信号而已，与其谴责他们，不如推动改革共识的形成，呼唤中国塑造尊重私权、依法行政、进一步解放生产力的法治市场环境。
The controversy continues, patriotism aside; the result is a black comedy. As the boss of a private company, she couldn’t make her companies go public in China due to strict rules and difficulties with financing [esp. for restaurant chain business]; however, now that she has emigrated, she stands a better chance of taking her company public. Of course, the outcome is not perfect for China, but who’s responsible for this? The huge emigration trend is just a sign of China’s economic problems. Instead of blaming entrepreneurs, why don’t we promote the formation of consensus for reform and call for more respect for personal property rights, the rule of law and establishment of a just market environment in China?


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World Heritage Site Djemila, Algeria in Jeopardy  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Roman city Djemila, Algeria by photo by rapidtravelchai on Fotopedia CC-license-BY
Algerian historian Nacéra Benseddik warns that the construction underway on the site of UNESCO World Heritage Site Djamila is endangering the archaeological ruins [fr]. Djamila is famous for for its unique adaptation of Roman architecture highlighted by an impressive arch.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Chinese Supreme Court Says Self-Immolation Is Murder · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Anthony Tao from Beijing Cream highlighted the Chinese Supreme Court's latest statement that self-immolation is “intentional murder.” The blogger obviously disagreed:
Self-immolation is not murder. It’s a tragic, incomprehensible, radical act made against harsh political, social, and economic realities.