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‘The Dictatorship Devours its Own Children’: Has Uzbekistan’s ‘Princess’ Fallen Forever?   · Global Voices
Dasha Kondrateva

Cartoon by Tom Wellings for The Conway Bulletin. Shared on Twitter.
She looks fine / But she has hundred things in her mind / She looks fine / But she's so fragile in her soul / She looks fine / But she's always on firing line / But what can she do about it / It's her rock and roll.
When Gulnara Karimova and her showbusiness team concocted the pop song “How Dare?” she was far from fragile. Her allegedly corrupt dealings with a Swedish telecoms firm had not yet been uncovered, she had a music career of sorts and with the possible exception of the mother she despises, she was the most powerful woman in the authoritarian state of Uzbekistan.
Two years later Karimova's How Dare ‘hit’ has taken on a twisted relevance. How dare Gulnara's father, Uzbek President Islam Karimov, keep her under house arrest for over seven months? How dare the low-ranking security guards patrolling her garden manhandle her whenever she steps outside? How dare the country's feared SNB security services abduct her lover blindfolded from her home in front of her watching sixteen-year-old daughter? Even the song's bizarre, ambiguous video now appears full of omens. Karimova, it seems, dared too much.
Now Karimova — a regular user of Twitter until mid-February this year — has problems both at home, where she is being probed for fraud and criminal conspiracy by Uzbek authorities, and abroad, where European investigators are examining the details of a reported $300 million bribe she allegedly accepted to provide Swedish firm Telesoniera access to the Uzbek telecoms market. But it is the palace drama taking place in the Uzbek capital Tashkent that is of more concern to Uzbek citizens, who are pondering its implications for the republic's political future.
On September 8, 2014, the Prosecutor General's Office of Uzbekistan, issued a press release stating that Karimova was potentially linked to a criminal group led by her supposed lover Rustam Madumarov and several others. The group is accused of defrauding the state to the amount of $65 millon. Karimova claims Madumarov was forcibly taken from her home earlier this year. The Prosecutor's office confirms he has already been convicted.
News of the General Prosecutor's statement provoked immediate discussion on Uznews.net, an independent website edited by Uzbek expatriate Galina Bukharbaeva, where readers tend to be opposed to Karimova.
A reader using the username chip offered a morbid analysis of the situation:
Gulnara Karimova slurps Nesquik under house arrest. A photo from @GooGaNews Twitter account.
Революция пожирает своих детей. Диктатура тоже. Кстати, каннибализм – частое явление в дикой фауне.
The revolution devours its own children. The dictatorship, too. Cannibalism, of course, is widely practiced among wild animals.
But another reader suggested Karimova's suffering was part of an elaborate political show being put on by Karimov and his cronies:
4-я часть марлезонского балета! :-) Не принимайте близко к сердцу. Все идет по сценарию. Страшно только, кто его пишет и насколько он кровавый для людей.
The fourth part of the spectacle is underway! Do not take any of this to heart. A specific scenario is being followed here. The only thing that scares me here is who the author of this scenario is, and how bloody it might be for ordinary people.
This “spectacle” theory has plenty of adherents, even after Karimova's London-based PR agent Ryan Locksley released a statement calling to “Free Gulnara Now” September 15, along with photos of his client seemingly being hassled by guards outside her house:
Содержится под домашним арестом и легко разрешают снимать фотки. Да, очень правдоподобно. Второй сеанс “Новые сказки Шахерезады”. Всем приятного просмотра!
So she’s detained in her house, but at the same time allowed to have photos taken of herself. Right, that sounds pretty truthful! The second part of Shakherizada’s fairy tales [1001 Nights]. Enjoy!
Karimova arguing with guards. A photo shared by Uznewsnet.
Garik, meanwhile, offered Karimova a way out:
Ей надо совершить суицид, харакири. Тогда её все поймут и поверят. И все будет в шоколаде.
She needs to commit suicide or do hara-kiri. Then everyone will believe her. Then everything will be hunky-dory!
Those who don't doubt the seriousnessness of Karimova's position tend to point to karma:
Каждый заслуживает то, чего он стоит. Я тоже однажды от судьбы получил удар. И знаю что это заслужил и виню в этом только себя. А в этой ситуации под маской невинной жертвы, прикрываются все делишки которые проворачивались в тени. Пусть каждый получит по заслугам.
Everyone gets what they deserve. Once I was struck down by life, too. I now know I deserved it and blame only myself. In the situation with Gulnara, she wears a mask of an innocent victim even as all her underhanded deals are coming to the surface. Everyone gets one’s deserved punishment.
Gulnara Karimova in her socialite days. A photo from @guardian Twitter account
Some readers of Uznews — one of the few reliable sources of information coming out of Uzbekistan — were even unhappy with what they viewed as the website’s sympathetic coverage of Karimova’s case:
А когда она занялась “рейдерством”. Никого не щадила. Узнюс хватит о ней писать как о жертве. Она сама еще тот беспредельшик. Немало людей пострадала за ее алчность. Вот пример. Все подделники сидят а она типа под дом арестом.
When she was doing the raiding, she didn’t have mercy for anyone. Uznews needs to stop portraying her as a victim. She’s guilty, too. Many people suffered because of her avaricousness. Note that all of her sidekicks have been jailed, while she is being kept under house arrest.
Gulnara is certainly able to call on more resources to lobby for her freedom than many of the ordinary Uzbeks her father's regime has jailed and tortured. She is recently believed to have sent a letter to BBC in which she described in detail her experience under house arrest, including alleged beatings. Her allies, meanwhile, have created the Free Gulnara Now website, where they argue for her immediate freedom:
Gulnara is committed to the people of Uzbekistan and the arts. She has fallen victim to powerful forces within the country who see her as an obstacle to their own success. We may not be able to stop this, but we can respond to false accusations against her, and will continue to do so.
The website also mentions that it is Gulnara’s sister Lola Karimova-Tilloeva and her mother Tatiana Karimova, who are responsible for the troubles she currently faces:
Gulnara Karimova has also confirmed that her mother typically sides with her younger sister. There are many rumours that Tatyana Karimova is working together with Lola to conspire against Gulnara. Gulnara believes: “Their goals are obviously the same, and nothing unites people better than one aim … I would rather not talk about it as it hurts me to accept that for the sake of tomorrow people can betray their close ones today.”
Lightening the mood, Lord Venal, a satirical blogger that hosts the Kazaxia blog, has also claimed to be in contact with Karimova:
In a shocking new twist to the tale of Googoosha, Lord Venal has received a hand-written note smuggled out of Uzbekistan from the secret location where the fallen princess is being kept under alleged house arrest.
The note was written in lipstick on the back of a Sarbast beermat after the evil henchmen of a sinister and mysterious figure – referred to by Googoosha as the Wizard of Uz – confiscated all the pens and pencils from her gilded cage.
Googoosha claims that the Wicked Witch of West Tashkent, her mother Tatiana Karimova, has cast a spell that has cut off access to twitter in her prison.
In the note she calls on Lord Venal to help her find a yellow brick road away from this nightmare scenario, but with the net of corruption allegations closing around Googoosha in Europe, not even the good Lord and his contacts may be able to rescue this princess.

author: Dasha Kondrateva


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This Organization Is Fighting the Long Battle Against Poverty in Mexico · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Image credit: Monica Godefroy, TECHO. Used with permission.
Mexico is home to more than 119.5 million people, according to data released by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography. According to the Mexican government's own statistics, almost half the population lived in poverty in 2012, when 13 percent of the country also endured extreme poverty.
These are unattractive figures for a nation that aims to expand free trade with countries like neighboring United States and Canada. Poverty also complicates Mexico's hopes to become a regional leader on development issues in Latin America. The country's current poverty, of course, denotes that people lack many things, which only adds to the significance of work by international organizations like TECHO (which means “roof” in Spanish). TECHO is an anti-poverty group that promotes community development in Latin America and the Caribbean, building homes and offering free vocational training.
Even in the country's capital, Mexican poverty can be severe. Earlier this month, one of TECHO's staff members named Luz, described what she witnessed working in the area of Xochimilco, where there is a shortage of many basic necessities:
“Las Cruces” es un caso particular -pero no aislado- por ser una comunidad vieja que se formó hace aproximadamente 80 años en Xochimilco y al día de hoy cuenta con aproximadamente 500 familias, pero que tenga tanto tiempo no significa que esté consolidada o cuente con una buena infraestructura. Desde que sus habitantes llegaron a la zona comenzaron a organizarse para llevar servicios básicos a la comunidad y al día de hoy al menos un 15% siguen acarreando agua, no tienen electricidad y sólo 70% tienen drenaje.
Muchos de los barrios o colonias de la Ciudad de México tienen la misma antigüedad y cuentan con todos los servicios.
“Las Cruces” [The Crosses] is a particular, though not isolated, case. This is an old community established about 80 years ago in Xochimilco, and today it has approximately 500 families. But having existed all this time doesn't mean it's consolidated or built up a good infrastructure. Since its residents arrived in the area, they started organizing themselves to bring basic services to the community, and today at least 15 percent still hauling their own water. There is no electricity and only 70 percent have drains.
Many neighborhoods or colonias [communities] in Mexico City are just as old and have all these amenities.
Luz also shares some alarming numbers:
El 28.4% de los habitantes de Xochimilco viven en extrema pobreza. Eso es una tercera parte de su población y me parece gravísimo. Quizás eso no suena tan alarmante, aunque no veo cómo no habría de serlo, pero para que te des una mejor idea: 16 millones de personas en México habitan en viviendas precarias, eso equivale a la población estimada de los Países Bajos, Chile o Ecuador. ¡Es la población de un país entero! y además, 7 de cada 10 personas pobres viven en las ciudades.
Twenty-eight percent of the residents of Xochimilco live in extreme poverty. That's a third of the population and it seems quite serious to me. This might not seem so alarming, although I don't see how it couldn't be. For you to have a better idea, remember that 16 million people in Mexico live in substandard housing. That equals the estimated population of the Netherlands, Chile, or Ecuador. It's the population of a whole country! Besides that, 7 out of 10 poor people live in the cities.
TECHO focuses on the most precarious settlements, organizing locals into “joint action” projects, which receive TECHO's help to generate solutions for overcoming poverty.
What are some examples of solutions? In Mexico, TECHO has helped families and volunteers build more than 3,000 emergency homes. The organization has also trained locals in various trades, and established schools for children in certain settlements where families endure especially dangerous conditions and the absence of at least one basic amenity.
Image credit: Monica Godefroy, TECHO. Used with permission.
In 2012, thanks to these actions, Margarita Zavala, then Mexico's first lady, recognized TECHO by giving it an honorable mention in the ceremony for that year's National Award for Volunteer Action and Solidarity. And that isn't the only award TECHO has received.
As Global Voices has reported in the past, Mexico is a country that not only faces poverty, but also social discrimination. Indeed, conspicuous “glamour and excess” are not uncommon among Mexico's richest citizens.
With so many challenges, TECHO's work is a rare source of good news in Mexico's fight to eradicate poverty.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: J. Tadeo


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‘The Right Moment Has Come for People to Rise Up and Say No More’ to Fossil Fuels · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Participants of the climate change march in Trinidad and Tobago form the shape of a heart in the Queen's Park Savannah in Port of Spain. Photo by Nico Kersting, courtesy IAMovement, used with permission.
A lot of talk has followed the Climate Summit, which took place on September 23 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, about the magnitude of the occasion. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that the 120 people or more gathered (from heads of state and government officials to members of civil society) were there “not to talk, but to make history.” American actor Leonardo diCaprio, who gave an address, told the attendees that they would either “make history or be vilified by it.”
Some Caribbean territories have been paying attention and made history themselves two days before the summit by participating in a global calendar of events that turned out to be the most well-attended climate change marches in history. At the summit, Trinidad and Tobago promised that “100% of the country's electricity will come from natural gas, supporting net-zero global emissions goal before end of the century”.
Climate change is an urgent global issue that many feel has been ignored for far too long by world leaders and change makers, who, primarily for economic reasons, have failed to take action on a problem that could threaten the very existence of humanity. The summit was one step in the process of moving towards a worldwide agreement on climate change by next year, under the Framework Convention the UN has provided.
In Trinidad and Tobago, a small group of young activists and environmentalists organised a climate change march to show solidarity with the global cause and make a statement alongside other marches that were going on in major cities around the world. In this part one of a two-part post, Global Voices interviewed Jonathan Barcant, one of the co-founders of the non-governmental organisation IAMovement, which aims to effect positive change in education, community building and environmental awareness. Barcant spoke about the march, climate change, and Trinidad and Tobago's role in helping to create a more sustainable world.
Jonathan Barcant, co-founder of the non-profit IAMovement and one of the organisers of the Climate Change March in Trinidad and Tobago. Photo used with permission.
Global Voices (GV): Why was it important for Trinidad and Tobago to have a climate change march?
Jonathan Barcant (JB): Trinidad and Tobago is the second highest emitter of greenhouse gases in the world per capita, according to a University of Trinidad and Tobago statistics report. We are a massive fossil fuel producing and consuming nation, and therefore the general opinion of citizens on the subject of climate change has been dismissal and disregard, due to the feeling that we simply have no place talking about this issue when we are one of the biggest perpetrators. Helpless feelings on the part of citizens has, however, been to the advantage of the politicians, who feel no local pressure against climate pollution and therefore have free reign. We thought it important for this event to happen to stand with [other global marches] but also to create feelings of solidarity locally, by showing [people] that they are not alone, and there are in fact a strong group of citizens willing to stand up for one of the most important issues of our day.
GV: What do you expect to come out of the summit and what role will Trinidad and Tobago have to play?
JB: We hope that [the marches] will send a strong message to those at the U.N. Summit that we as citizens of the world do care, and that we are no longer willing to sit by and watch leaders fail to make tough but critical decisions. As a major player in the fossil fuel economy, Trinidad and Tobago ought to play a leading role in climate summit talks. We hope that our event will also send the message to our leaders that citizens of Trinidad and Tobago do care about the future of our country and our world.
GV: What was the local response to the march like?
JB: We had over 500 online Avaaz petition signers, and 165 participants who showed up to the event. We see this as a great success as it was the first event of its kind here. There was a real sense of achievement, empowerment and unity, and we hope that this serves as a cornerstone for future work and discussion on this issue, and may start the ball rolling on this topic locally sooner rather than later.
GV: The UN Climate Change Conference in Paris is 15 months away, when it is expected that a global agreement will emerge. The Rockefellers have already announced that its philanthropic arm will be selling off all investments they have in fossil fuels and reinvesting in clean energy. What should Trinidad and Tobago's national commitment be to this global deal?
JB: Some studies suggest that Trinidad and Tobago may have as little as 15 years of oil and natural gas reserves remaining. Climate change aside, while a tremendously important issue, the country should be thinking about the future of its children and grandchildren, who will be adults when our fossil fuel reserves have been depleted. Our nation currently runs on the income from fossil fuels. If (and when) that were to run out, the [economic] situation would change drastically, and could, quite frankly, be nightmarish. We have become a society used to comfort and quick money, and if that were to disappear, it's quite natural that problems such as violence and crime would ensue. This however, is still entirely avoidable. It is in the best interest of the nation to reinvest without delay in renewable energies such as wind and solar [power]. By doing so, we would reap both short and long term benefits by providing good employment for many in green industry – from laborers to designers to business managers – boosting our world reputation as a clean, green and renewable-moving nation. This, in turn, would likely encourage tourism and, most importantly, gradually remove our dependence on fossil fuels, so that by the time our resources are depleted, we are sustainable.
GV: Why do you think it has taken climate change so long to be taken seriously by world leaders and what do you think has been the impetus for citizens to make their voices heard?
JB: The fossil fuel industry [has] had a strong hand for a very long time in lobbying world leaders to support continued fossil fuel extraction, for their continued profit. This, and the fact that climate change is a slow occurring phenomenon – over decades – and is largely invisible (apart from scientific data and more recently, weather events), means that 99% of the population, the common man, have had little grasp on what has really been happening and how they could possibly do something about it. Leaders, who have mostly had only the whispers and manipulating hands of lobbyists to determine their moves, have been too fearful […] to make key climate emission agreements. The powerful movement of scientists and activists […] has resulted in some incredible information sharing through documentary and human mobilization efforts. The climate change issue [has been] simmering in the back of people's minds for too long, while the frustration has built at each failed climate summit. The right moment has come for people to rise up and say ‘No More’.
Look out for the second installment of this post, in which Jonathan Barcant talks about why people should care about climate change, what the a world running on clean energy might look like, and whether the climate change marches have actually made a difference.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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India’s Prime Minister Plans Hi-Tech Makeover For Ancient City of Varanasi · Global Voices
Alka

The Ganga riverfront at Varanasi (Wikimedia CC-BY-SA)
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi won his seat in the parliament by getting elected in the ancient city of Varanasi, where he's now set to make good on a campaign promise to transform the city into a blend of ancient culture and modern technology.
Elected in May, Modi didn't waste any time before getting to work on Varanasi's development. By August, he'd drawn up a blueprint to make Varanasi into a modern-day metropolis, complete with a transport system that includes rail and bus services. Simultaneously, Modi has emphasized the need to preserve the city's ancient heritage. Earlier this month, India signed an agreement with Japan to help realize Modi's development plans.
Varanasi is several thousand years old, and is dedicated to the Hindu deity Lord Shiva. In ancient times, it was known as Kashi. In the Hindu way of life, it is one of the holiest cities on Earth. In fact, the word “Kashi” means “city of light”, and several hundred temples are located within the city's boundaries. The river Ganga, also considered holy by Hindus, flows through Kashi, too. Many ascetics make the city their home, taking a dip in the river every morning, before spending the day engaged in various practices and rituals.
Author Rajiv Malhotra shared his thoughts about Modi’s plans with his Twitter followers, who number more than 105,000:
Reviving our sacred geographies starting with Kashi is great. Must also do for shakti peethams & jyotirlingams http://t.co/qdODZBSXWC
— Rajiv Malhotra (@RajivMessage) August 21, 2014
Malhotra wasn't the only Twitter user who felt this way. Someone else tweeted almost two weeks earlier:
@NitiCentral @vimoh Good news India to become young & modern again! Do away with our parallel historic heritage of undeveloped uncivic India
— Leena Manohar (@leena_manohar) August 10, 2014
Not everyone supports Modi's plans in Varanasi, however. Ajay Rai (a member of India's Congress Party, which opposes Modi in the parliament) posted a photo of a protest against Varanasi’s chronic electricity shortages.
Only @kashikirai Ajay Rai with people of Kashi for their power problems Will get our #city #varanasi due pic.twitter.com/j5j5pbAyFw
— Ajai Rai (@kashikirai) August 25, 2014
Opponents of Modi's plans for Varanasi won't have much time to stop him. Earlier this month, the prime minister signed the Kashi-Kyoto protocol on a visit to Kyoto, a place renown for blending modern and ancient aesthetics to create a beautiful cityscape.
On the second day of his trip to Japan, Modi stopped at the Toji temple (a UNESCO world heritage site) and remarked at how well the temple is maintained. “Kyoto has been able to preserve its thousand year legacy and cultural heritage while also staying abreast of all technological advances that is necessary in today's life. We are planning to do something similar in India as well, where we can achieve a similar union between preservation of culture and technological progress,” he told reporters.
The agreement with Tokyo will bring Japanese assistance with transforming Varanasi into a “smart city,” complete with a world-class transport system, botanical gardens, hi-tech cinemas, a classical music center, a waste treatment plant, and other facilities.
Before the pact was even signed, Journalist Minhaz Merchant tweeted that working with Japan will have dual significance for India:
Varanasi-Kyoto cooperation agreement will get 2 projects up & running: modernising Kashi & kickstarting smart cities
— Minhaz Merchant (@minhazmerchant) August 31, 2014
Perhaps the time has come for India, with its millennia-old culture, to move fully into the twenty-first century and embrace its rich past and promising future simultaneously.

author: Alka


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Jamaica Considers Developing Goat Islands Despite Environmental Protests · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Savegoatislands.org screen capture.
Jamaica's environmental activists are leveraging social media as best they can in a struggle against plans to build a seaport on protected land. The proposed development puts Jamaica's government in a difficult position, caught between a civic push to preserve the environment, and large financial gains that would help service recent loans from the IMF.
When the second annual Jamaica Blog Day took place in May, earlier this year, bloggers rallied around a theme of “Environment vs. Development”. The event's organisers explained:
The issue of our environment and development is a live one: from the near yearlong vigorous debate about the use of Goat Islands and the Portland Bight Protected Area for a Logistics Hub, to […] drought that yet again grips the island. Economists, politicians, environmentalists, businesspeople, the media, and ‘ordinary’ Jamaicans on The Rock or in the Diaspora are all debating how Jamaica…should manage the environment in the quest for development.
Since May, concerns about Goat Islands have not abated. Now, Richard Conniff at The Jamaican Blogs suggests the “secretive deal to let a Chinese company build a mega-freighter seaport in the nation's largest natural protected area” could jeopardise the island's lucrative tourism industry and damage Jamaica's international reputation:
The new port would compromise an area known for extensive sea‐grass beds, coral reefs, wetlands, and Jamaica’s largest mangrove forests. The protected area is also home to the Jamaican iguana, a species believed extinct until its dramatic rediscovery in 1990. Since then, the international conservation community has spent millions of dollars rebuilding the iguana population in a protected forest in the Hellshire Hills, part of the reserve adjacent to the proposed port. Much of that investment hinged on the government’s promise, now apparently discarded, that the Goat Islands would become a permanent home for the iguanas, which are Jamaica’s largest vertebrate species.
Conniff accuses the government of doing an about-face: just last year, Conniff contends, “the same government officials were petitioning UNESCO to designate a Global Biosphere Reserve”, but perhaps “the lure of a $1.5 billion investment” was too tempting to ignore. Economically, Jamaica is not in a strong position, partly because it is shackled to the International Monetary Fund, from which it accepted a $932 million loan in 2013. Just this week, the Jamaica Observer reported that the IMF will release another $68.8 million.
Environmentalists like Diana McCaulay, who heads the Jamaica Environment Trust, along with several other civil society groups, have been raising awareness of the issue through educational outreach and public service announcements, as well as mainstream and social media. There is a website dedicated to saving the islands and an online petition aimed at getting Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller to stop plans to turn the area into a trans-shipment port.
On August 14, McCaulay tweeted:
‘The only wildlife I saw on Great Goat Island was two ants and I killed them both’ from a private sector leader. Says it all. #hopeless
— Diana McCaulay (@dmccaulay) August 24, 2014
There is obviously a disconnect between environmentalists, who are considering the long-term benefits to the country, and big business, which is focusing on the bottom line of short-term gains. The question remains—whose voice will sway the Jamaican government?

author: Matthew Hunte


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Non-Japanese Who Stayed in Sendai After 3.11 Earthquake Walk for Recovery  · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

Despite being uncertain of what the future might bring, dozens of non-Japanese people decided to remain in their adopted home of Sendai, a coastal city located in the north of Japan hit by massive tsunami triggered by the earthquake of March 11, 2011.
Sharing the footsteps to recovery, those standing together with the locals will join the parade “Da-te-fes“, a walk  on September 28th with Sendai residents of ten different nationalities dressed in traditional kimono.
Participants will include geisha, a bride and bridegroom, and traditional dancers who succeed the moves from 17th century.
With support from Finnish Wellbeing Center Project in Sendai, the parade looks to boost the welcoming mood for upcoming UN  World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in next March, and let the residents know about the conference.
Learn more about Sendai on Tourism Sendai's Facebook page.
Image of geisha walk. Photo provided by Yumi Nakano

author: Keiko Tanaka


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Anton Nossik on the Coming End of Facebook, Twitter, and Google in Russia · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

A Russian apocalypse might be headed for social networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Google. Images mixed by Kevin Rothrock.
Severing Russia’s connection to American Internet giants looks increasingly likely. Earlier today, September 26, Russia’s Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media (Roskomnadzor) revealed it has formally demanded that Facebook, Twitter, and Google obey a new law requiring “organizers of information distribution” to store on Russian soil six-month meta data archives, making them accessible to Russian police. Also, the Duma is poised to pass the final reading of amendments to another law that will require websites and certain apps to store all user data on servers located inside Russia by January 1, 2015, rather than September 2016, as the law originally planned.
For months already, speculation that the Kremlin will cut off access to American online social media has been a regular feature of commentary about the RuNet. Now, one of the Russian Internet’s most respected voices says he’s confident that websites like Facebook, Twitter, and Google will soon be things of the past in Russian cyberspace. Writing on LiveJournal today, media expert and founding member of the Russian blogosphere Anton Nossik explained why he thinks the end is nigh in Russia for websites used by billions around the globe.
With the author’s permission, RuNet Echo is making Nossik’s blog post available to English speakers.
Roskomnadzor has started preparing to block in Russia the servers of Facebook, Twitter, and Google.
The original plan was to block these services in the second half of 2016, but Duma deputies suddenly changed their minds this week, approving revisions to new legislation that move the disconnection date to January 1, 2015. But Roskomnadzor is hurrying to create the preconditions for this shut-off even sooner.
The technology for disconnecting is two-stage. First, the government will present foreign Internet companies with clearly impractical demands to relocate all user data to locations under the control of Russia’s FSB [the Federal Security Service]. Then, for failing to comply with these demands, state officials will disconnect them. More accurately, they’ll disconnect us from them.
After being registered by Roskomnadzor as an organizer of information distribution, a website must maintain “on the territory of the Russian Federation information [from the past six months] about the reception, transmission, delivery, and (or) processing of communication by voice, writing, images, sounds, or other electronic means between users of the Internet.” Failure to fulfill these demands carries a penalty of up to 500,000 rubles, Roskomnadzor explains.
Maybe you're thinking the journalists at Izvestia left out an important nuance: just exactly whose data needs to be stored on Russian soil. Does this concern only Russian citizens, Russian-speaking Internet users worldwide, or citizens of any country, who happen to be on Russian territory, when accessing the Web?
In fact, Izvestia’s journalists aren't guilty of anything here. Of course, they could have asked the Roskomnadzor official this interesting question, and maybe even did ask, but simply weren’t permitted to print the answer. The raw truth is that the answer isn’t actually written in the federal law passed by the government. There was no effort to limit the jurisdiction of the Duma’s laws and the legitimate sphere of interest of Russia’s FSB—not by the criterion of citizenship, not by language, not by geography. If you read Federal Law 97 as it was actually written and passed, you’ll see that it concerns the reception and transmission of anyone’s data—American and European, Japanese and Canadian, Israeli and New Zealander, without any kind of restrictions. And the law’s definition of a blog is also quite generous. Allow me to quote the law, as you probably won’t believe me:
The owner of a site and (or) particular page of a site on the Internet, on which there is publicly accessible information and which attracts more than 3,000 daily visits from users of the Internet, (henceforth referred to as a “blogger”) is obligated to observe the laws of the Russian Federation, when distributing and using this information, including the distribution of said information on the website or website’s page by other users of the Internet.
Here it’s plainly clear there aren’t restrictions of any kind. Not by citizenship, not by language, and not by geography. If you’ve got 3,000 unique visitors in a day, you’re on the list, so please fall in. Even if your language is Indonesian and your entire audience is on the island of Java. Either you recognize the jurisdiction of a flock of sheep [i.e., Russia], or we’ll block you. That's what the law says.
Naturally, nobody is planning to enforce this law as it was passed. From the beginning, the task has been something else. Still ten days before the law went into effect, Roskomnadzor’s Maxim Ksenzov explained to everyone that his agency wouldn’t enforce any provisions of this law in any way except as selective political censorship.
We do not aim nor have we ever aimed to organize a census of all popular Russian-language Internet users. This would be a pointless exercise, and the law isn’t about that. […] The blogger registry created by the law, which Roskomnadzor will launch on August 1, wasn’t created to provide statistical calculations […]. We see no specific need for a preliminary assessment of the number of Internet users who potentially fall into the law’s “blogger” category. The statistics will be gathered as the law is enforced and will be flexible.
Flexibility is perhaps the defining quality of Russian law enforcement this season. Whomever they point the finger at tomorrow will be the next one visited by this “flexibility.” But the top priority now is blocking Facebook, Twitter, and Google’s services in Russia. The Duma has set a deadline of January 1, 2015, but Roskomnadzor is hurrying to get it done even earlier.
I don’t know what brought on this rush. In any event, for now we’re only talking about the kind of disconnection technology that is easily overcome with the help of proxies and VPN.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Who Needs Roads? Russia Entertains Lunar Ambitions · Global Voices
Tanya Lokot

As Russia announces grand plans for Moon exploration, its citizens have more earthly concerns. Images mixed by Tetyana Lokot.
Russia is revitalizing its Moon exploration efforts, with plans to launch a full-scale lunar colonization and development program by 2030. Sounds awesome, right? The RuNet begs to differ.
Russia's relationship with the West has soured around the growing conflict in Ukraine, likely putting to end hopes for space cooperation with Europe (like the timeshare moon base project) and NASA, which recently cut a new space taxi deal with Space X and Boeing, presumably to replace buying seats on the Russian Soyuz rockets that currently ferry astronauts to the ISS.
To spite the competition, Russian space agency RosKosmos recently announced a set of new plans for Earth's closest neighbor. By around 2030, RosKosmos head Oleg Ostapenko said, Russia wants to have unmanned explorer vehicles on the Moon, to scout out the surface and determine the best spots for dropping human explorer teams and building lunar settlements (there are even plans to 3-D print all the facilities!). In the course of a few dozen years, as much as 200 Russian settlers would be living on the Moon, RosKosmos claims, fully providing for the settlement and extracting lunar resources for the Earth, such as minerals from the soil and helium from the atmosphere. “We have every reason to believe that what we are planning today can be implemented in full,” chief of RosKosmos Ostapenko said.
In theory, these grand plans for colonizing the Moon sound great, but our readers probably know by now that RuNet users never leave a stone unturned when they decide something is worthy of ridicule. The Moon takeover strategy left most Russians online cold, as they felt the Russian state had enough “earthly business” to be getting on with. Exhibit 1: Russian roads.
Russia to direct all efforts to Moon exploration. Roads what roads. pic.twitter.com/XcnrI4bQeH
— RuNet Memes (@RuNetMemes) September 24, 2014
The issues of road construction in Russia are well known, immortalized in the apocryphal quip, “There are only two woes in Russia: fools and roads,” attributed to a whole host of various Russian writers. Keeping the phrase in mind, the RuNet users quickly juxtaposed the news of space progress with images of roads across Russia, hinting that maybe, just maybe, it was a bit premature to be planning Moon colonies.
Россия потратит 321 млрд рублей на космическую программу и начнет осваивать Луну: pic.twitter.com/44Mt9BIQRD
— Мuд Роисси (@Fake_MIDRF) September 23, 2014
Russia will spend 321 billion roubles on space program and will begin Moon exploration.
Incidentally, 321 billion roubles (roughly $8.3 billion, the suggested cost of the Moon colonization project) is 5 (five!) times less than what Russia spent on the Sochi Olympics. This might sound shocking to someone who is not familiar with doing business in Russia or state-financed development projects there, but investigations like FBK's “Sochi 2014: Encyclopedia of Spending” expose the massive scale of pilfering, kickbacks, and money laundering. Many Russians connect the dots and wonder if the lunar exploration project will also be a cover for corrupt officials stuffing their pockets.
@Fake_MIDRF теперь и на Луне будут плохие дороги…
— lizzy bennet (@lethethel) September 23, 2014
Now the Moon will have bad roads as well…
Most of the images used by netizens criticizing the state's cosmic ambitions are those of Federal Highway M56 Lena, known as “the dirtiest road in Russia.” Officially M56 is a federal highway, but long stretches of it are essentially a dirt road, traversable in the winter frosts with a speed limit of 70 kilometres (43 miles) per hour. During summer rains though, the drivers lament that the road turns to mud and smaller vehicles can often get stuck roof-deep. The Russian transportation agency briefly entertained plans to spend $1.7 billion on the renovation of M56 and the construction of a bridge across the Lena river, starting in 2014, but the annexation of Crimea put a damper in those plans, and the renovation has been postponed indefinitely.
An image search on Google for “федеральная трасса Лена” (Lena federal highway) brings up plenty of images.
The road troubles are a real, down-to-earth problem that most Russians have to deal with daily, so they're understandably snarky about RosKosmos’ grand designs on the Moon. How can we be sure, they ask, that Russia won't screw up on the Moon as well? And what about dealing with issues on its own soil, like the Lena federal highway and dozens of other broken or impassable roads?
Федеральная трасса “Луна”.
— Госпожа Сырова (@Judge_Syrova_Ya) September 23, 2014
Federal Highway “Luna.” (Луна, Rus. Moon)
@PaulSonne and after that they will finally start exploration of Siberia
— Хуёвый Washington DC (@ZhidoBandera) September 23, 2014
In light of the level of corruption previously exposed in most state-funded initiatives, be it the Olympics or road construction, Russian netizens mostly see the “Moon 2030″ project as yet another get rich scheme for officials—and this time, it might be even harder to hold them accountable, as the Moon is somewhat out of reach for activists’ camera-equipped drones and internet search skills, unlike the elite's summer palaces near Moscow or property in Miami.
Через 10 лет после начала освоения Луны чиновники Роскосмоса окончательно освоились на рынке недвижимости Нью-Йорка и Монте-Карло.
— Мuнобороны Роисси (@FakeMORF) September 24, 2014
10 years after the start of lunar colonization, the RosKosmos officials are feeling quite at home in the real estate markets of New York and Monte Carlo.
Maybe that's why the Russian officials themselves are so eager to go to space? Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, for one, seemed stoked as he toured Star City, a training center for astronauts in Moscow Region the other day, and had only complimentary things to say about the quality of the space personnel at the facility.
Our lady-instructor for working in a space suit is far more attractive than Sandra Bullock from the film “Gravity” pic.twitter.com/Pek7cQaDSs
— Dmitry Rogozin (@DRogozin) September 25, 2014
As ordinary Russians lament the terrible state of roads on Earth, Russian officials gear up for what could be an exciting new stage of the space race—or could turn out to be a money laundering scheme of truly cosmic proportions. Or maybe what we are seeing here is the devious work of “Lunar Putin,” the dark alter ego of the Russian president that political scientist Alexandr Dugin claims is “responsible for Putin’s occasional failures to lead Russia in the right direction.” On the one hand, what better way to distract the world's attention from Russia's actions in Ukraine then to stake a claim on another celestial body? On the other hand, we know how space battles usually end. It's not pretty.

author: Tanya Lokot


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In War-Torn Aleppo, There’s No Place Like Home · Global Voices
مرسيل شحوارو

Photo by Flickr user Vincent Ferron (CC BY-NC 2.0)
This post is part of a special series of articles by blogger and activist, Marcell Shehwaro, describing the realities of life in Syria during the ongoing armed conflict between forces loyal to the current regime, and those seeking to oust it.
Very few Syrians have not experienced compulsory displacement. The fact of having to move from one place to another, abandoning the tangible present while ruminating on memories over and over again until they’re worn out. And like many Syrians, I too have a story involving houses—“luckily”, I should add, because for hundreds of thousands of people a cold tent is now all they have.
Throughout my past life—“prior to the revolution,” I mean—I lived in a house, a nice family home. My parents moved there when my mother was pregnant with me. A small house in one of Aleppo’s prestigious neighbourhoods where I lived for 28 years, during the majority of which I shared a room with my elder sister.
In our house green predominated. My mother, who was fascinated by this colour, invaded our bedroom with it: summer sheets and winter covers, the kitchen, the bathroom and most of the little decorative ornaments. As for me and my father, we competed for space on the shelves to hold our books all over the house.
Twenty-eight years living in the same house, as a result of which I developed strange habits, like being able to fall asleep even in the noisiest of times because I got used to the noises of the busy street outside.
I left it around two years ago, when I travelled to the UK to study for a Master’s degree. I packed only two large suitcases of clothes, thinking I would come back to get the rest of my things. How mistaken I was.
Shortly after my departure I became one of the hundreds of thousands of activists wanted by various State security branches because of my political activity. State security personnel visited our family house twice, and thank God they found no one there. This, however, made any attempt by me to visit our house an insane risk that could be classified as suicide.
Before my elder sister took off to Turkey—due to the safety threat she faced merely on account of being “my sister”—she packed our lives into boxes. Our pictures, our books, my parents’ pictures (which is all we have left of them), their love letters, their clothes, our clothes, our childhood toys, our house’s green ornaments, the feminine things my mother once bought me when she hoped I would marry one day, my father’s watch which I promised I’d give to the man I would love as much as I loved my father. Even though I finally found this man, I broke the promise: the watch sits there in a box somewhere along with copies of the book that I once published but have not even a single copy of today.
My entire past life is stacked in boxes, humble boxes that don’t manifest their grand contents. And just like us, our boxes await the chance for redemption or for burning down by an enemy’s missile, or a friend’s—it doesn’t really matter. Or maybe they’ll be violated just like everything in this country, stolen by a mad man hunkered behind his weapon.
After those 28 years my experience with houses took a sharp detour, for I have already slept in almost 50 houses in the past two years.
On the first Christmas holiday after my initial departure, we knew well that I was wanted by State security, but I took the risk of sneaking back into my city, Aleppo. And to avert security forces I slept in 20 different houses, a new house every day. Secretly meeting my sister at friends’, fortuitously kissing her kids, unable to explain to them my invisibility and the importance of keeping our meetings a secret.
Moving around every day with my suitcase and my laptop “which should not contain any thing that could condemn me at the regime’s check points”. Moving around from one house to the other, followed by the wondering, rather terrified gazes of my friends’ parents, whom I cannot blame.
Eventually, all that wandering was in vain as it did not alleviate the imminent danger from the State security. My nightly visits became a reason for my friends to be called in for investigation. At that point I decided to leave that part of the city, never to return, leaving behind my loved ones to start a new life in the other part, the one liberated by the Free Syrian Army.
A young woman looking for a house to live in by herself, an alien with a different religion and different attire. An unarmed woman among the many armed who might misuse those arms. New fears that I have to face now, as a female activist who chooses to live alone.
It was then that I experienced the first clash with my every belief: in a war society I am a vulnerable female who needs a man’s protection. The idea alone is terrifying and debilitating.
My fellow revolutionists and I decided to look for an apartment in the same building so that they could come quickly to my aid if I needed it. That’s when we briefly shared a living space in Alzibdiya. My house in Alzibdiya was a fourth floor apartment, which alone was a safety hazard due to air strikes. It was an empty space with nothing but an old television which didn’t work most of the time due to electricity cuts, some mattresses on the floor and a badly made bed in the room the guys decided was mine. We also had a small cooker that I managed to convince them to buy, after long arguments about the need to replace the sandwiches they bought every day with home-cooked food.
In that house I learned to cook large amounts of food, enough to feed ten of my male friends. In that house I stayed up late talking politics and sharing intimate stories about our families. I got to know theirs and they got to know mine. Together we shed many tears on the balcony and anxiously waited for our crazy reckless friends. In that busy house, always filled with homeless activists, I learnt how in the time of war one’s privacy completely vanishes.
We had to move out quickly because of the irritated neighbours and ISIS’ arrival in that neighbourhood. Both were paramount reasons to relaunch the hunt for a new home. We managed to find two apartments in the same building, and I moved into a house in Almashhad by myself. My friends’ caring never stopped, demonstrated even in the smallest details, like the grocery list. This house had a yard which I decorated with a jasmine arbor. I bought curtains and cupboards for this house and decided to call it home. Just like any Syrian, I was looking for something more personal and more intimate than a suitcase on the move.
It was into that house that I smuggled a Christmas tree to celebrate with friends, despite ISIS. It was in that house that the cold reduced me to tears, as all the windows were broken and all my attempts to make it warmer failed. And just as I gave in to the illusion that this house would actually become my home, an ISIS patrol stopped me in a nearby street. I escaped miraculously with the help and courage of the friends in the Free Syrian Army. For their safety and mine, we returned to moving between friends’ houses in order to dodge ISIS.
Then I spent some time going back and forth between Aleppo and Ghazi Aintab, bits of clothes here and there. At a certain point I had had bags of clothes in six different houses, a practice that ended up saving my life. And after liberating Aleppo from ISIS completely, we went back to square one, looking for a new house.
I told them I was looking for a house that resembled my family’s. We looked and looked until we finally found it, nice and neat. It was a house of newlyweds who had had to flee to Turkey. I told them they could put all their cherished things in a locked room, and I promised to respect their memories there. And so it was.
I spent two months in that house, until I got arrested by the City of Aleppo brigade for refusing to wear a head scarf. The house was raided on that day too, and friends felt I needed to leave Aleppo, and again—again—I had to leave, never to return.
Today I live in a room that I cannot afford to make any larger, and probably as a token of my nostalgia, I covered it in green, still dreaming, like all Syrians, of going back, to my stacked boxes, to my belongings, to a place in this universe that I safely call “home”, to live there again and return to my roots and to my history.

author: مرسيل شحوارو


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‘We Should All Care About Climate Change Because It Will Have a Direct Impact on the State of the World’ · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The 2014 Climate Change March in Trinidad and Tobago; photo by Dylan Quesnel, courtesy IAMovement, used with permission.
Caribbean voices were added to the global outcry about climate change when Trinidad and Tobago hosted a march to raise awareness about what many believe to be the single greatest threat to humanity's existence.
In the first installment of this post, Global Voices interviewed Jonathan Barcant, co-founder of the non-profit group IAMovement, and one of the organisers of the local march, which took place in Port of Spain on September 21. Here, we continue the conversation.
Global Voices (GV): Why should people care about climate change, and why do you think some are so sceptical that it's even happening?
Jonathan Barcant (JB): Many people are caught up in living in the moment for the enjoyment of short-lived success, money and immediate pleasures…so much so that something to fly in the face of their lifestyle is simply too contradictory and therefore they may not want to listen, and prefer to take the stance of the sceptic. Any educated and truth-seeking person though, could quickly be convinced by the examination of [scientific] data now easily available [via] documentaries and media. We should all care about climate change because it will have a direct impact on the state of the world. The predicted effects are already being seen and larger effects are expected in just decades. Though we may not be able to imagine it right now, a completely changed world climate, weather patterns, temperatures and ocean conditions in a short space of time spell massive human and economic losses, much of which could be expected to be on the disaster scale. If we think about the type of world our children at home and grandchildren to come will be facing, then we should care about climate change.
GV: What do you think the future world — one that uses clean energy — will look like?
JB: I think that shift to clean energy will also go hand in hand with a shift in consciousness, for the better. People feel good when they know they are doing good and are contributing to something good. It gives a sense of meaning, happiness and empowerment. With this real climate change risk and fear looming, a movement to clean energy will empower mankind in a sense of togetherness, working together to overcome probably the greatest challenge we have ever had to face collectively as a species. A future world that uses clean energy would, for me, look like one with a lot more peace, togetherness, cooperation, innovation and completely renewed faith in humanity. It's not going to happen overnight, that's for sure, but that's what I imagine if we are able to come together and do this.
Participants at the Climate Change March in Trinidad & Tobago. Photo by Dylan Quesnel, used with permission.
GV: Do you think the global marches have made a difference? What has the one in Trinidad and Tobago accomplished?
JB: I think we will see in the coming days and weeks how much of a difference the global climate marches have made. There is no doubt that they represent an important historic moment as the largest worldwide gathering (in terms of numbers of people and countries to participate), but their timing with the U.N. Summit in New York will hopefully give the leaders the support and pressure they need to realise that this is an issue which can no longer be ignored, and that true emission agreements must be made and adhered to. The local event, small as it was compared to some countries, was very empowering as caring citizens stood together united on an issue which has been on the back burner for too long. All participants were enthusiastic and grateful that the event took place, and the online post-event support has been very good.
GV: What follow-up action do you have planned?
JB: We actually do not have specific follow up action planned, but of course we do have ideas, and a lot may be based on how the post-success of our event here unfolds, as well as the success of the international events. We are [currently] responding to some media requests and follow up, to support awareness of [climate change] as much as possible. IAMovement will also be meeting to discuss the best way forward to keep this topic strong and [be] available to all who wish to learn more or participate in activities to support the cause.
GV: What would be some of the tangible benefits to Trinidad and Tobago if it were to switch to renewable energy sources?
JB: Some of the benefits of such a model would include employment, long-term harvesting of clean energy (25 years+), an improved international reputation for the country in energy sustainability, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and an increase in tourism. Clean energy will invest in the future of our country, giving us long-term energy security, as fossil fuel resources are finite. Most importantly, in the short and medium term, this would not be in competition with or threat to the local fossil fuel industry, which we know cannot disappear overnight. It could in fact be mutually beneficial, from the standpoint of our local resources, as the production of renewable energy means reducing the need for fossil fuel consumption locally, which in turn means more available for sale abroad at the international market price, and removal of local subsidy costs.
Barcant, through his own research, carried out a home-work style study on the theoretical cost of making Tobago's (the smaller of the two islands) electrical grid 100% powered by renewable energy. To do this he drew upon the actual costs of wind and solar projects in Canada and Chile, to determine the rough cost for each megawatt of power, and found that the costs for wind and solar were comparable (at about US$2 million per MW). Along with the assumption that the population of Tobago, as compared to the whole nation, is proportionally representative to their power consumption, he estimated the total cost of making Tobago renewable to be approximately US$72 million.
Trinidad and Tobago's local annual fuel and electricity subsidy is about US$1.1 billion, meaning that the cost to outfit Tobago with clean energy would be theoretically less than one-twelfth of the annual national spend on energy subsidy. Barcant maintains that “although this study is rough and will have some margins of error, it can be nonetheless said, with confidence, that this Tobago model would still only cost a fraction of the annual energy subsidy”, a shocking statistic which he believes demonstrates that renewable energy is not only feasible, but within Trinidad and Tobago's reach.


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8 Things You Wanted to Know About Madagascar but Were Afraid to Ask · Global Voices
Rakotomalala

Young Malagasy girls by Hery Zo Rakotondramana on Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0
Madagascar is the world's fourth largest island by area, yet it still remains a mystery to many people. Recently in the spotlight because of a visit from Valérie Trierweiler, former partner of French president François Hollande and author of the bestseller “Merci pour ce moment” (Thank you for the moment), Madagascar is as intriguing for its biodiversity as it is for the way it straddles Asia and Africa.
So, whether you are planning your first trip to Madagascar, you want to know about your friends’ homeland, or you just want to learn more about this part of the world, here are eight things you might have been wondering about Madagascar but were afraid to ask. The answers come from Malagasy citizens who are active on the web—check out their blogs and videos.
1) I'm going to Madagascar soon and would like to get a better idea of what everyday life is like for the people there. What is the typical way of life for the Malagasy?
That depends who you ask. According to the World Bank, 90 percent of the Malagasy people live on less than US$2 per day. The disparities of wealth in Madagascar are such that there is not really a typical way of life to speak of. Randriamihaly,a blogger in Madagascar, describes the disparity:
Ainsi, les princes et les princesses sont ceux qui possèdent le plus. Il ne faut pas s’étonner de les entendre parler de leur vie à Tana comme d’un conte de fées. Ils vivent dans une bulle increvable. Leurs palaces gardés par les agences de sécurités sont truffés de meubles dorés et de gadgets de haute technologie. Ils sortent de là en 4×4 pour aller dans ces lieux qui leur sont réservés : écoles américaines ou françaises, restaurants, piscines, spa,  centres commerciaux. [..] A quelques mètres de là, dans Antananarivo, l’enfer, c’est ce que vit la famille d’Ernestine. Cette femme se lève très tôt le matin afin de préparer ses enfants pour l’école : se laver à l’eau froide du bidon, manger la soupe de riz avec le bout de viande fumée et partir à pied. L’école, c’est le rêve auquel elle s’accroche. Elle croit que si ses enfants parviennent à décrocher un diplôme, n’importe lequel, ils pourront s’en sortir plus tard et ils n’auront pas à vivre un calvaire quotidien comme elle. Elle va chez les patrons, elle peut tout faire : lessive, vaisselle, ménage, porteuse d’eau, garde d’enfant, tout. Et le soir, elle revient exténuée, ses enfants dorment déjà. Elle veille sur leur sommeil à cause des rats qui peuvent attaquer. Et puis, comment avoir un bon sommeil lorsqu’on est à 4, 5 ou 6 à dormir dans une seule pièce de 2 m de largeur ?
The princes and princesses are the ones who have the most. Don't be surprised if their lives in Tana sound like fairy tales. They live in an impenetrable bubble. Their luxury hotels are protected by security guards, filled with gilded furniture and high-tech gadgets. They go out in their 4x4s to places only they go: American or French schools, restaurants, pools, spas, shopping centers. . . . A few meters away, in Antananarivo, Ernestine's family is living in hell. She gets up very early in the morning to get her children ready for school: washing up with cold water from a can and eating rice soup with a bit of smoked meat before leaving on foot. She clings to the dream of a good education. She believes that if her children manage to get a diploma, any diploma, they will later be able to get by and won't have to suffer everyday like she does. She goes to her employers’ homes and does everything for them: the laundry, the dishes, the cleaning, carrying water, babysitting, everything. And in the evening, she comes home exhausted, her children already asleep. She stays up while they sleep to watch out for the rats that can attack in the night. Besides, how can anyone have a good sleep when there are four, five, even six people sleeping in a single two-meter-wide room?
So there is no such thing as a typical everyday life in Madagascar; this is true in any country but especially this one, a country where the middle class is just a sliver.
2) How do you pronounce the current president's name?
Hery Martial Rajaonarimampianina Rakotoarimanana has been the president of Madagascar since January 2014. According to The Guardian, his name is the longest of any current world leader. It's not easy to pronounce, even for the Malagasy. If you ever meet the president, instead of taking the risk of butchering his name and bringing diplomatic embarrassment upon yourself, it might be a better idea to refer to the name of his party, the Hery Vaovao (“New Forces”), or lend him a flashlight to keep him from worrying about electric power all the time. But if you really insist on pronouncing his name, here is how you should say it ( at 0:09 in the video) :
3) We're planning on cross-country hiking across the island. What do we need to know to stay safe?
News out of Madagascar these past few years has been full of stories of poverty, health crises, instability and highway robbery. The memories of two vazaha (white foreigners) being lynched on the Madagascan island of Nosy Be are still fresh in people's minds. That being said, hiking across the island is a unique experience that many tourists and Malagasy embark on every year.
The main health risk is malaria. The country as a whole is classified as being in Zone 3, meaning that the strain of malaria found here is somewhat resistant to chloroquine (the most frequently used anti-malaria medication worldwide for both prevention and treatment). Malaria is present over 90 percent of the Madagascar territory. Here are some tips to stay protected: (via Le Guide du Routard, a renown tourist guide for french-speaking backpackers):
- il est indispensable de prendre un traitement antipaludique.
– le soir, porter des vêtements les plus couvrants possible et, mieux encore, traités (par exemple avec Insect Ecran® trempage) ;- sur les parties découvertes, utiliser lotions ou crèmes répulsives efficaces. S'enduire les parties découvertes du corps dès le coucher du soleil ;
– utiliser une moustiquaire.
- Antimalarial medication is a must.
– In the evening, wear clothes that cover you as much as possible. If the clothes are medicated (for example, with an antimalarial fabric soak such as Insect Ecran®), even better. Slather an effective mosquito repellent lotion or cream on exposed body parts, especially after sunset.
– Use a mosquito net.
Chikungunya and other tropical diseases are also found in Madagascar. The basic rules for avoiding them are the same as in any other country. As far as instability is concerned, there are no official statistics on crime in Madagascar, but it is present enough in public consciousness to have a negative impact on tourism . Mofo Lany, who lives in the country's capital of Antananarivo, offers his point of view:
Il ne se passe pas une semaine sans que les journaux ne relatent des faits de violences dans la capitale malgache Antananarivo. Toutes les couches de la population, des plus aisées aux plus modestes, sont victimes de ce phénomène. Même les étrangers ne sont pas en reste. Les attaques à main armée sont particulièrement nombreuses.
Not a week goes by without the newspapers reporting violence out of Antananarivo, Madagascar's capital. All levels of society, from the most well off to the least, are victims of this phenomenon. Even foreigners are not immune. Holdups are particularly common.
4) Should I learn Malagasy when I am in Madagascar? If so, how?
Ideally, yes. But like learning any language, Malagasy requires determination and high motivation. And, like any other language, it has its easy aspects and not-so-easy aspects. The pros:
As for the cons, Lilikely, a French expatriate, shares the experience of learning Malagasy as a vazaha (“foreigner” in Malagasy):
- Déjà, pas mal de gens parlent un peu français : beaucoup dans les grandes villes, et assez peu dans les campagnes. Du coup, c'est plus facile pour se faire comprendre, on finit toujours par trouver quelqu'un pour nous aider si ce qu'on cherche est compliqué. Du coup, on n'a pas besoin de se forcer, et si on est un peu flemmard, on profite de cela.
-La grammaire. Ca parait simplissime au début.  MAIS… Tout cela c'est pour la forme active. Et au final, les malgaches s'expriment surtout avec la forme passive… nettement plus difficile à maîtriser.
– Les références culturelles et la façon d'exprimer les idées sont aussi très éloignées des nôtres
– Les spécificités régionales font que le découragement arrive vite lorsqu'on voyage.
- Quite a few people speak a bit of French: a lot in the bigger cities, less so in the countryside. So that means it's easier for people to understand you, and someone can always help you if you have trouble finding what you need. So you don't need to try that hard, and if you're kind of lazy, that's okay.
-The grammar. It seems simple at first. BUT… That's only for the active form. And, it turns out, the Malagasy mostly speak using the passive form… which is obviously harder to master.
– The cultural references and the way people express their ideas here are also very different from our own.
– Linguistic features that are specific to particular regions can be easily discouraging when you're traveling.
How can a person learn Malagasy? Here are some resources that can give English speakers an introduction to the language: the basics on mylanguages.org, a phrasebook from Wikitravel, and an explanation of the verb tenses.
5) Are the Malagasy people African, Asian, or something else?
Betsileo, Madagascar, 1908 CC-BY-2.0
Ah, the question that won't go away! This is the part where we tackle the more controversial questions about Madagascar. This particular question is understandable as the country is situated right between Africa and Asia and its population is very diverse. The problem is the debate that comes after the question–discussion on the subject is often steeped in prejudiced, racist undertones. If you are truly curious and can read French, Dominique Ranaivoson, a professor and expert in Malagasy literature, has written at length on the topic in French. One of the first facts to know is that 18 traditional tribes have been counted in Madagascar, which include people of African, Asian, or Arab origin. Another fact is that a sort of latent racism exists between these different Malagasy groups.
Vézo the Fisher by Jean-Louis Vandevivère CC-BY-2.0
6) Why do some Malagasy people “turn the bones” (famadihana) of their dead relatives?
Ah, the other controversial question! The famadihana, or “turning of the bones,” is a funerary tradition honoring ancestors. An explanation of the ritual from Lay in Antananrivo:
Un razana (ancêtre)  peut se manifester à un de ses descendants dans son rêve ou dans un tromba en lui disant qu’il a froid. Il promet en contrepartie de bénir ses descendants dans leur vie quotidienne. C’est ainsi que les Malgaches rouvrent les tombeaux et remplacent les tissus qui recouvrent les restes de leurs morts. C’est l’occasion de fêtes monumentales, de danses et de beuveries
A razana (ancestor) might appear to one of his or her descendants in a dream or in a vision, complaining of cold and promising to impart blessings upon the lives of his or her relatives. This is why the Malgasy reopen their family members’ tombs and replace the shrouds covering the remains of the dead. It is a time of massive celebration, dancing and drinking.
Soahary explains the particular way the tradition fits in the context of Malagasy culture:
La relation des Malgaches avec la mort et les parents déjà partis est assez particulière. On considère que nos ancêtres veillent sur nous.  Ainsi, ils ne sont jamais vraiment partis. On leur rend hommage périodiquement en recouvrant leur corps de nouveaux linceuls.
The Malagasy people's relationship with death and deceased family is rather unique. We consider our ancestors to be watching over us, and thus, they are never really gone. We pay tribute to them periodically by wrapping their bodies in new shrouds.
Hemerson Andrianetrazafy, lecturer and researcher in civilization at the University of Antananarivo, adds:
Le famadihana est très exactement le rituel par lequel la dépouille d’un parent atteint le statut de razana, d’ancêtre. Un moment capital dans la spiritualité malgache, car tous les morts ne deviennent pas automatiquement des razana  [..] Pour les Malgaches, la mort n’est pas une dissolution, un anéantissement, mais une étape conduisant au statut d’ancêtre. « Tsy maty fa lasan-ko razana », (Ils vivent mais sous une autre forme), servant d’intermédiaire entre les vivants et les zanahary, les divinités.
In fact, famadihana is the ritual that makes a family member's body achieve razana (ancestor) status. It is a major event in Malagasy spirituality, for not all of the dead automatically become razana. . . . Tsy maty fa lasan-ko razana (They live on, but in another form), serving as mediators between the living and the zanahary, the deities.
Many Christian Malagasy people have pointed out this practice is in conflict with Biblical principles. The practice of famadihana is becoming less common for this reason, as well as the high cost of the ceremony.
7) Why is circumcision (or hasoavana in Malagasy) so common in Madagascar?
Another tradition in Madagascar is the circumcision of young boys before the age of two.
This is another opportunity to celebrate as a family. In Madagascar the practice is not linked to any religious tradition, but it is not without controversy. Ariniaina explains why she had her son circumcised:
Mais pourquoi faire ce rituel? J’allais me justifier en disant que c’est pour des raisons médicales. Comme quoi des saletés peuvent rester dans le prépuce, que plus tard, il se peut qu’on doit quand même le circoncire parce qu’il aura des problèmes de santé. Il sera alors plus âgé, plus conscient de la douleur. Ainsi, j’aurai regretté de ne pas avoir fait la circoncision plus tôt. Mais, au fond, est-ce la culture qui l’emporte? N’est considéré « vrai homme » que celui qui est circoncis.
But why partake in this ritual? I was going to justify it by saying that it's for medical reasons. That dirt can get trapped in the foreskin, meaning he may have to later be circumcised anyway due to the resulting health problems. And by then he'll be older and more aware of the pain, and I would regret not getting the circumcision done sooner. But the truth is, it is cultural: he who is not circumcised is not considered a “real man.”
8) What is the connection between Madagascar, the country, and “Madagascar”, the cartoon?
There isn't any. Well, two things, actually: 1) Nightclubs in Madagascar really did groove to “I Like to Move It, Move It” in the 1990s. 2) Jeffrey Katzenberg, CEO of Dreamworks, the company that produced the “Madagascar” film trilogy, has donated US$500 000to the non-profit organization Conservation International to promote ecotourism in Madagascar.

author: Rakotomalala


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Philippine Mall Apologizes For Selling Shirts that Say Rape is a ‘Snuggle with a Struggle’ · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

From Karen Kunawicz's Facebook Account.
When poet Karen Kunawicz shared a photo from the boys section of the SM Mall Department Store on Facebook earlier this week she sparked widespread outrage among Filipino netizens.
Kunawicz asked: ‘Really SM Department Store? In the boy's section?’ The T-shirt had the following statement printed on it: ‘It’s not rape, it’s a snuggle with a struggle.’
The next day, SM Malls, the Philippines’ largest shopping mall chain owned by the country's richest man, was compelled to issue a public apology and promised to withdraw the shirt from their stocks.
The controversial shirt led women's rights activists to hold a picket at an SM mall branch. Meanwhile, the Gabriela Women's Party is set to file a congressional resolution on the issue.
Kunawicz's Facebook post has gathered over 1,800 likes and was shared more than 4,700 times. Several posts on Twitter expressed indignation against the ‘pro-rape’ shirt:
Snuggle with a struggle? Really? SM wants boys to walk around wearing a shirt defining “rape” in the most distorted way? Ew.
— Pat (@PatriciaCruz_) September 22, 2014
Having serious WTF moments today what with Bench and SM promoting #rapeculture. No means no. Rape is always rape. #stupid #stupid #dangerous
— Betty Romero (@BettyRome) September 23, 2014
“It's not rape. It's struggle with a snuggle.” You actually sold a shirt with that line, @TheSMStore. Gross and unforgivable.
— Nina (@nunuuu) September 23, 2014
“Snuggle with a struggle”? Seriously? Of all the things to put in a shirt, it just had to be a joke on rape. Just plain sick.
— Kammy (@_kamuntalan) September 23, 2014
Meanwhile, a major apparel brand was also forced to issue a public apology in the wake of a fashion show that also caused a public scandal.
Netizens condemned retail brand Bench for trampling on the dignity of women during ‘The Naked Truth Denim and Underwear Fashion Show’. Former Gabriela Women’s Party representative Liza Maza posted on Facebook:
At the Naked Truth Bench show – Bench should be held accountable for this degrading and dehumanizing portrayal of women and should apologize.
#the naked truth. woman on a leash carried by coco martin. in 2014? #bench mistakes stupidity for wit. pic.twitter.com/jJYpHdlJ65
— Danton Remoto (@DantonRemoto) September 23, 2014
One of the scenes from the show featured a female model who was on all fours crawling on the stage while a popular actor held her on a leash as if she were his pet. The Plump Pinay by Danah & Stacy wrote that the Bench fashion show ‘crossed the line’ and ‘made their blood boil’, saying the scenes glorified sex slavery and human trafficking:
Didn't anybody from the company know that treating people like dogs (literally) was one of the cruel exercises the Nazis did in concentration camps to strip a person from his/her dignity and humanity? To make them feel utter shame and inferiority? No one felt uncomfortable enough to call this out from the production team? Not any one?

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Thailand’s Military Stops University Lecture on ‘Authoritarianism’ and Detains Professors · Global Voices
Khun Somchai

About a hundred students of Thammasat University joined the planned lecture on authoritarianism. Photo from Prachatai website. Used with permission.
Last week a group of students at the prestigious Thammasat University hosted a public lecture on “the collapse of authoritarian regimes in other countries”. While the discussion was presumably focused on other countries, the government seemed to decide the topic was too close to the current situation in Thailand and shut it down.
Thailand's incumbent Prime Minister is the army chief who staged a coup in May. The army subsequently drafted a constitution, appointed members of the legislative assembly, and designated the coup leader as the country's head of state. Despite the appointment of a new government body, the army continues to ban protest actions and public gathering of five or more people, aside from strictly monitoring and controlling the mainstream press. Those who defy the army are threatened with prosecution and even imprisonment.
The military asked the public lecture to be cancelled and the university complied by locking the lecture hall. The students then moved downstairs to the open hall way. The lecture was given by a senior history professor Nidhi Eaowsriwong , and a popular political science lecturer Prajak Kongkirati. The police tried to ask the event to be cancelled but failed, so they asked the speakers and hosting students to go to a local police station.  The station was promptly guarded by military personnel.
Students provided first-hand accounts of the situation on Twitter:
นักวิชาการที่ จนท.เชิญไป สภ.คลองหลวง เท่าทีีทราบมี นิธิ เอียวศรีวงศ์,จันจิรา สมบัติพูนศิริ,ประจักษ์ ก้องกีรติ pic.twitter.com/Q9g5GZXDGj
— Nalinee Siriked (@Nalinee_PLE) September 18, 2014
The academics who were asked by authorities to be at the [local] police station, as far as we know, are Nidhi Eaowsriwong, Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, Prajak Kongkirati
นักวิชาการที่ จนท.คุมตัวไปมีนายนิธิ เอียวศรีวงศ์ และนายประจักษ์ ก้องกีรติ ด้วย โดยพาไปที่ สภ.คลองหลวง pic.twitter.com/C0lSwKvjNY
— Nalinee Siriked (@Nalinee_PLE) September 18, 2014
The academics who were taken by authorities are Nidhi Eaowsriwong, Janjira Sombatpoonsiri, Prajak Kongkirati
ลั๊นลาหน้า สน. คลองหลวง pic.twitter.com/tywPpob1LE
— ♥ Moui ♥ (@moui) September 18, 2014
Having a good time at the local police station
While the Thai Prime Minister described the detention as an “invitation” to a police station, The Bangkok post reports that the participants received an “attitude adjustment” while in custody.
Scholars from 16 universities signed a statement condemning the action taken by the military:
As academics from 16 universities in Thailand, we condemn the the military and the police for intimidating academics and students within a university premise. The action by the military and the police clearly constitutes a severe infringement of academic freedom, and is absolutely unacceptable.
The excuse that the panel discussion might harm national security is groundless. Academic discussions like the one at Thammsat University have always been a regular, normal affair, and have never proved to harm national security.
Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch, urged the government to end the crackdown on academic freedom:
While telling the world that they are not dictators, the Thai military authorities are extending their grip into universities and banning discussions about democracy and human rights. Prime Minister Prayuth should immediately end this crackdown on academic freedom and free speech.
The incident is another sign of the continuing deterioration of human rights protection, academic freedom, and free speech in Thailand under a military-backed government. But it is also proof that many groups and citizens are quietly asserting the return of normalcy and democratic rights in the country.

author: Khun Somchai


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The Curious Case Of Marrying Out Of Caste in India · Global Voices
Rezwan

Protest March in UK demanding to eradicate the centuries-old caste system that exists on the Indian sub continent and amongst expatriate communities. Image by Paul Davey. Copyright Demotix (19/10/2013)
Karthik Shashidhar, a freelance management consultant and data scientist, shares interesting statistics from the National Family Health Survey. Shashidhar discusses the percentage of women in India who are married to someone of their own caste. The caste system in India is based on an order of (predominantly) endogamous groups rendering marriage out of caste deplored by the society. Most of the marriage out of caste is out of love and defying the socio-cultural norms.
The survey, which was carried out in all states in India, asked “ever-married” women whether they were married to someone from the same caste, or to someone from a higher caste, or to someone from a lower caste. The result shows that the national average for the percentage of women who are married to someone of their own caste is 89%.

author: Rezwan


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Video of Japan’s Mount Ontake Eruption as it Happened · Global Voices
Nevin Thompson

One person has been confirmed dead, nearly fifty climbers are severely injured, and ten people are missing after Mount Ontake (御嶽山, Ontake-san), a popular climbing spot in central Japan, erupted for the first time in five years. News coverage shows billowing clouds of ash, and a large climbing lodge at the top of the mountain covered in grey cinder.
Search for Ontake on Twitter to keep updated on this developing story.
YouTube poster kuroda terutoshi uploaded frightening smartphone footage of the initial explosion as it happened at the top of the mountain. “Let's get out of here!” he says, as a cloud of ash descends on the climbers.
Massive eruption on Mount Ontake
AP was able to get pictures of terrified hikers hurrying down the mountain.
At 3,067 m, Mount Ontake is the second-tallest volcano in Japan after Mount Fuji. It's located in Gifu, close to the large city of Nagoya in central Japan, and is a popular hiking destination in summer and early fall.
Due to the many missing and wounded, many people are looking for updates on the status and whereabouts of friends and loved ones caught on the mountain during the eruption.
One popular Tweet sketches out a rough map of the pyroclastic flow:
御嶽山2014年9月27日火砕流、迅速判読図。 pic.twitter.com/xat1De1P1h
— 早川由紀夫 (@HayakawaYukio) September 27, 2014
Japan's hiking community is a close-knit group that frequently connects over social media, including Twitter. So, many people are desperate to find out more information.
Local fire department confirms woman killed in #Ontake volcano eruption 木曽広域消防本部 御嶽山噴火 女性１人死亡 http://t.co/lJlJck2MxH pic.twitter.com/pDUZcDAth6
— Thoton News Japan (@Thoton) September 27, 2014
This comes after, just a day earlier, a well-known hiker from Tajimi in Gifu had posted a much more pleasant image from the top of Ontake:
一人でのんびり御嶽山(^^) pic.twitter.com/cFzNtPuw5e
— enari (@setori_) September 27, 2014
I spent a nice day by myself hiking to the top of Mount Ontake
As of yet, her whereabouts are unknown.
@briandesu Let's hope not… @setori_
— Thoton News Japan (@Thoton) September 27, 2014
Rescue efforts are ongoing to recover climbers trapped at the top of the mountain, which continues to erupt.
Place this tag in your head or just before your close body tag.
Place this tag where you want the widget to render.
Featured image courtesy kuroda terutoshi

author: Nevin Thompson


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Violent Clashes Between Hong Kong Police and Peaceful Student Protesters  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

More protesters arrived and they were gathered in front of the government headquarter. Photo from inmediahk.net
Hundreds of riot police used pepper spray and batons to disperse peaceful student protesters at Hong Kong's Civic Square earlier today, September 27. Roughly 75 protesters have been arrested.
For the past week, thousands of university and high school students have boycotted classes, gathering in Tamar Park to demand that Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chung Ying open a public dialogue about election reform.
The Beijing framework set by the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress requires candidates for Hong Kong's top leader, the chief executive, to get majority support from a nominating committee before running for office. This new principle, which guarantees the candidates of the chief executive will be pro-Beijing, does not enjoy wide support in Hong Kong. Leung, ignoring public opinion, has insisted that the Beijing framework keeps Hong Kong on the path of democratic development. He has refused to meet face to face with student protesters, accusing them of being “irrational”.
Over the past week, protesters had made several failed attempts to force Leung into a public debate. On September 26, a pro-Beijing group reserved Tamar Park for another function. At 10:30 p.m., student protesters decided to move their assembly from the park to Citizen Square in front of the main government building, which is designed as a public space but has been sealed off with barricades since June.
About 200 students managed to penetrate the barricades and enter Civic Square, but police stopped the rest of the demonstrators. As riot police attempted to enter the square in pursuit of the students inside, other protesters raised their hands (to show they were unarmed) and formed a human shield to block the officers. Confrontations broke out in various spots, and police ended up pepper spraying the peaceful protesters. So far, around 13 student leaders and 61 protesters have been arrested.
Hong Kong Apple Daily has released a video about the confrontation:
Joshua Wong, the 17-year-old leader of a high-school activist group called “Scholarism,” was handcuffed during his arrest. He is accused of participating in illegal assembly, disturbing public order and forcing entry into a government building. The police rejected his bail application.
Protesters formed human shields and raised their hands to show that they were peaceful. But the police still pepper sprayed them. Photo from inmediahk.net
Soon after news of clashes spread on social media, many people rushed to the scene at midnight to join the student protest. Hinhope, a local teacher, was among one of these late arrivals. Writing online, he described what he witnessed overnight:
1. 學生和市民在受傷：現場唯一可見的暴力與有人受傷，是警察用警棍攻擊只原地停留的學生和市民，以及警察持續不斷地用胡椒噴霧讓年輕人面部嚴重受傷。
2. 雨傘和水：因此，在現場的話，會見到不斷有後排的學生和市民，將雨傘和一瓶瓶的水傳到跟警察距離最近的人群；雨傘是為了減低胡椒噴霧射出時的傷害，而水是為了緩和痛苦。[…]
3. 舉高雙手：在場的學生和市民經常全體舉高雙手，以示大家手無吋鐵，且不會作任何行動——大家只是要站在原位，僅僅讓身體停留在那位置，以示爭民主的決心。僅僅站著，舉高雙手。但胡椒噴霧還是會一陣陣地向學生們射去。[…]
9. 人鍊、耐性：守在公民廣場入口那條路上，七到八排學生組成的人鍊陣，堅定不移，手勾手，就站在那兒，站了一整晚。他們的眼神，透視出非一般的耐性 […] 大多是年輕的女孩子。
1. Students and ordinary citizens were injured: The only violence I witnessed came from police. Some police used their batons to shuffle students and citizens who were just standing nearby. The police also pepper sprayed young protesters directly in their faces and seriously hurt them.
2. Umbrellas and water: You can see students and people from behind kept passing umbrellas and water to those who were near the police. The umbrellas were to block the pepper spray and water was to clean their faces and reduce the pain. […]
3. Hands up: The students and other citizens raised their hands to show that they were unarmed and would not fight back — people just stood there and occupied the space with their bodies to show their determination to struggle for democracy. But they were still pepper sprayed […]
9. Human shields and patience: On the road leading to Civic Square, students formed chains by holding each others’ hands. They just stood there for the whole night. You could see the patience in their eyes […] most of those standing on the frontline were young girls.
Citizen media platform inmediahk.net reporter Ng Cheuk Hang wrote on Facebook that he'd never before encountered such ruthless police behavior. He and other journalists captured on film several episodes of police pepper spraying demonstrators:
A photo taken by Ng Cheuk Hang when he among other photo-journalists were cornered and pepper-sprayed at.
今晨受傷的過程是這樣的，先被防暴警察用盾牌拍打背包，然後向我直射胡椒噴霧，第一下尚可忍受，可是防暴警察再用盾牌逼我和前面的攝記和示威者埋牆，差點就人踩人，然後再向我們噴射多次胡椒噴霧，這時已經完全忍不了痛。
經過現場醫護人員醫治後已無事，但今次有同學被打得頭破血流，也有同學被推倒後再被警察拖行。這是我見過香港最暴力的一次鎮壓行動，面對學生，真的需要用到防暴警察嗎？
真的很痛，由心裡痛出來的痛。
The situation this morning was like this: riot police used their shields to hit my backpacks and pepper-sprayed my face. I could bear the first blow, but the police forced against a wall other photo journalists and protesters standing in front of me. I was almost trampled, and then I was pepper sprayed over and over. The pain was unbearable.
After being treated by a medical team, I recovered. But another student was hit on his head and bled a lot. Another student fell down and was dragged along the ground by police. This is the most violent crackdown I have ever seen in Hong Kong. Does the government really need to call upon riot police to respond to students?
My heart is filled with pain.
Police sealed off Civic Square and arrested 61 protesters in the afternoon on 27 September 2014. Photo from inmediahk.net's Facebook.
Meanwhile, Hinhope is urging teachers to strike and stand up for their students next week:
學生在帶頭行動、而受暴力對待了，老師和相關機構們，是否應考慮宣布星期一起全面罷課，聲援學生？預備佔中的人們，是否不應再等，立時與疲勞受苦的學生站在一起。
Students were on the frontline, facing violence. Shouldn't teachers and others in related spheres strike with the students next Monday? Shouldn't we be preparing for a mass sit-in, to stand together with our students?
Thousands of protesters were still gathering in front of the government headquarter late at night on 27 of September. Photo from Facebook user Fernando Cheung.
Police may have arrested dozens of protesters at Civic Square, but more demonstrators arrived and occupied the road in front of the government headquarters.
A number of civic groups have condemned the police for using excessive force. Thousands of people were still gathering in front of the government building at Civic Square protesting against police violence and calling for the release of protesters late at night on 27 September.
The police announced the evening assembly illegal and urged the crowd to disperse. Riot police were on hand in large numbers, standing by and ready to disperse the crowd, if ordered to do so.
Follow our in-depth coverage: Hong Kong's Umbrella Revolution

author: Oiwan Lam


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What it Means to be Puerto Rican for Political Prisoner Oscar López Rivera · Global Voices
Ángel Carrión

At a time when there are more Puerto Ricans living outside the island, questions on what it means to be Puerto Rican become essential. A letter written by Puerto Rican political prisoner Oscar López Rivera deals with just that.
In it, he offers his views on
Photo from Facebook page Free Oscar López Rivera.
Puerto Rican identities. This letter is the first entry in a newly created section of the online magazine La Respuesta, dedicated to writings by and about Oscar López Rivera. Here is an excerpt:
To be Puerto Rican means to me to carry out all the responsibilities that our citizenship demands. It means to struggle to keep our culture, our language, our history, our idiosyncrasies, our music, our dances, our culinary skills, and our roots alive, and to decolonize our minds and our homeland. It means that we should struggle to protect and preserve everything that defines the Puerto Rican nation.
The diasporic identities aren’t synonymous with Puerto Rican identity. i’m not a Nuyorican. i have lived in this country for over five and a half decades. i speak both languages, but Spanish remains my primary language. In the late 60′s a handful of Puerto Ricans put together a journal called ‘the Rican.’ i thought the name was an error. It didn’t survive because just a handful of Ricans read it and identified with it. i use Spanglish like many other diasporic Puerto Ricans do. i enjoy the poetry of Pedro Pietri and the plays written by Miguel Piñero. i believe many diasporic Boricuas can identify with Spanglish, and we can be sure it will continue morphing and evolving.
Oscar López Rivera has been imprisoned in the United States for over thirty years because of his political beliefs. López Rivera, 71, has been imprisoned for 33 years in the United States charged with “seditious conspiracy” and “conspiracy to escape” for which he received a 70-year sentence. He is a fighter for the independence of Puerto Rico, a colony of the United States. Politicians, artists, and many people across different ideologies have united to ask US President Barack Obama to pardon López Rivera, who has been called the longest held political prisoner in the western hemisphere.
To find out more, please read our previous coverage here, here, here, and here.

author: Ángel Carrión


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Questioning Weekend’s Media Silence About Ebola · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

“When will Ebola news go 24/7?,” asks a US/Canadian professor Crawford Kilian:
I have long been used to outbreak news dropping off on weekends. The media, government agencies, and NGOs all knock off on Friday afternoon and show up again Monday morning.
But after the last few weeks of Ebola, I'm losing patience with the folks who make a living covering the outbreak. Yes, good for them and the collective agreements that give them eight-hour days, weekends off, extended holidays, and excellent health benefits.
But if Ebola is as unprecedented as Dr. Chan says it is, how about finding the money to pay those folks overtime so Ebola news carries on over the weekend (not to mention statutory holidays)? Can you imagine news about Pearl Harbor waiting until some reporter sauntered in on the morning of Monday, December 8, 1941? Or JFK's death going unreported until the following Monday, November 25, 1963?
But the West African media, with a few exceptions, go into hibernation on Friday afternoons and revive sometime the following Monday. So do WHO and the other major health agencies. I know very well that they've suffered budget cuts by governments that still think austerity is the road to recovery from the crash of 2008.
Follow our in-depth coverage: The Struggle to #StopEbola in West Africa

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Hong Kong Police Unleash Tear Gas on Peaceful Pro-Democracy Protesters · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Protesters in Hong Kong are using umbrellas to shield themselves from tear gas. Photo from Twitter @15MBcn_int
Protesters demanding genuine democratic elections in Hong Kong were met with batons, tear gas and pepper spray during the second day of demonstrations in the city.
Following clashes between Hong Kong police and student protesters on September 27, pro-democracy group Occupy Central with Love and Peace kickstarted a massive sit-in at 1:30 a.m. the following day to pressure China's government into withdrawing its requirement that candidates for Hong Kong's top leader get majority support from a largely pro-Beijing nominating committee.
Riot police began attempting to disperse protesters wielding batons and deploying tear gas and pepper spray beginning at 6 p.m. on September 28. Thousands of protesters were still in streets near the city's financial center confronting riot police by the time this article was published.
Unverified accounts of police using rubber bullets to shoot at protesters have circulated on social media. Key protest organizers have urged protesters to retreat at around 10 p.m.
China has promised special administrative region Hong Kong, which enjoys certain autonomy from the mainland, a direct vote in the 2017 chief executive election, but pro-democracy activists maintain the nominating committee undermines the people's right to choose their leader.
Hong Kong police called the sit-in illegal and blocked roads and pathways leading to the government headquarters. More and more people arrived and scattered around Admiralty and Central districts as they attempted to reach the government headquarters by walking pass the Harcourt and Connaught Highway. Eventually the two main roads at the center of the financial district were blocked at around 3 p.m.
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying held a press conference at 3:30 p.m. repeating his stand that election reform in Hong Kong has to be restricted by the framework set by Beijing and that the police would take action against illegal protests, in accordance with the law.
Thousands of protesters were surrounding the government headquarters at various spots in Admiralty and Central districts, blocking several roads. Police raised an orange-colored warning sign, stating “disperse or we fire”:
Never seen such a clampdown in #HongKong – police flash warning to protesters ‘DISPERSE OR WE FIRE’ h/t @george_chen pic.twitter.com/Wy3Lun1NEC
— Anuj Chopra (@AnujChopra) September 28, 2014
At 6 p.m., the riot police started firing tear gas.
Many Twitter users uploaded photos of the violent crackdown. @imrika1874 posted a photo capturing riot police pointing guns at peaceful protesters, who were raising their hands:
This is #HongKong !!!! Please share to the world!!!!! #hk926 #hk928 #HKDemocracy #HKStudentStrike pic.twitter.com/lLy2sf8FD8
— Rika (@imrika1874) September 28, 2014
@jeromyu posted this scene:
[urgent] plz viral: brutal HK police fire #Teargas to peaceful protestors, threaten to shoot them!!! #hk926 pic.twitter.com/gLx3KLohy9
— Jeromy-Yu Chan (@jeromyu) September 28, 2014
Journalists and the elderly became the target of the police's pepper spray:
Hong Kong's most recognizable face pic.twitter.com/nRl1d17a5T
— edde (@Edourdoo) September 28, 2014
@USADHK @GlobalSolidHK HK police grabs elderly protester, turns her+pepper sprays in the face: http://t.co/o6aFXLzUE3 Outrageous conduct!
— cayenneleung (@cayenneleung1) September 28, 2014
Instead of escaping from the scene, many people dispersed and returned with better equipment, such as raincoats, gas masks and goggles:
Students getting ready for the night.Stunning organization #Hongkongprotests #occupyAdmiralty #hk926 pic.twitter.com/7y56TxYzDz
— Violeta Camarasa (@VioletaCamarasa) September 28, 2014
RT @kathy_gao: Crowds become agitated as more police arrive! Shouting “police leave!” #HongKong #OccupyCentral pic.twitter.com/kWntxzTH8y
— W. (@_wli) September 28, 2014
In addition, the police instructed the metro company to shut down the Admiralty station in order to deploy more riot police to back up the crackdown. But protesters set up a barricade at the entrance of the subway to block police:
Chu Hai College students took shot of #Police deploying MTR trains to deploy more policemen #OccupyAdmiralty pic.twitter.com/OIT8F0pONB
— Galileo Cheng (@galileo44) September 28, 2014
Admiralty MTR station blockage #HK926 pic.twitter.com/fDOPHKDSld
— Kris Cheng (@krislc) September 28, 2014
In response to the police violence, the Federation of University Student Union urged for continuous class boycott this week. The Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions called for a worker's strike, the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union and Hong Kong Social Workers’ General Union will also launch a teacher's strike.