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Taiwan: Response to Ex-President’s Life Sentence · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

On September 11, Taiwan's former President Chen Sui-Bian was sentenced to life imprisonment and a NTD 200 million fine (roughly USD 6.13 million) on charges of embezzlement, taking bribes and money laundering. Chen's wife Wu Shu-jen also received a life sentence while their son Chen Chih-chung and daughter-in-law Huang Jui-ching received sentences ranging from 20-30 months for money laundering. Other relatives received suspended sentences. Two former advisers were given sentences of 16 and 20 years imprisonment. See Taiwan news for more detail on Chen family's corruption charge and sentence.
The GV Chinese lingua team  invited twitterers to comment on the case and use hashtag “#abian911” to mark the tweets that they recommend to be featured in GV.  The opinions are rather diverse.
Twitterers from Taiwan tended to doubt if the sentence is justified. HOW from Taiwan:
[murmur] 阿扁判無期徒刑…但為什麼性犯罪者可以假釋。我恨透他貪汙，但司法也不能這樣搞啊，比例原則在哪裡啊！（認為我政治狂上身可以盡量remove我沒關 係）
Abian got life sentence…but why sex criminals can have conditional release, (but he can't?). I hate his corruption, but justice cannot play it this way. Where is the principle of proportionality!
pipperl from Taiwan:
扁案這簡直是抄家，以後所有被告也要比照辦理嗎？ #abian911
The case of Chen is simply a family purge. Is this going to be a model for other politicians?
judie35 from Taiwan:
扁案一審的判決充滿政治報復意味，讓人無法接受。此種做法不是伸張正義，而是逼台灣社會對立分裂繼續深化。扁非無辜，但過重的懲罰反而會使法院失去正當性，讓人同情他、甚至尊他為殉道英雄。 #abian911
The sentence of the first trial of Chen's case smells completely like political avenge, and that is not acceptable. This is not justice, instead, it forces Taiwan society to continue its antagonism and disunion. Chen is not innocent, but the over-weighted punishment is making the court lose its legitimacy, which in return lets people feel sympathy for him or even regard him as a hero who die for his country. #abian911
traaworld from Taiwan RT @thecarol: RT @Lydia618: RT: @4F:
你們不要傻傻的，以為謀財貪污已經走了。謀財貪污一直都在，謀最多貪最大的一直都在打人喊救人。#(真的，這才是笑點所在) #abian911
Don't be fooled to believe that corruption is gone. Corruption is always here, and the most corrupted are always accusing others as corrupted. #(Yeah, this is the point) #abain911
traaworld from Taiwan RT @lianyue from China:
终生监禁的两种表述方法：陈水扁无期；共产党万岁。 #abian911
Two expressions for “In jail for life”: Chen Sui-Bian's life sentence and Long live CCP.
Octw is quite an exceptional Taiwanese view who believes that justice has been served:
正義。所有犯罪的人都應該追繳犯罪所得。希望這是一個永恆的判例。 #abian911
Justice. All the illegal earnings of criminals should be pursued and returned. I hope this is an eternal prejudication. #abian911
While among twitterers from China, the fact that an ex-political leader received life sentence is quite unimaginable. gudidi from China:
陈水扁的人生还真是跌宕起伏。。像部精心炮制的精彩大戏哪。。#abian911
Chen's life is full of ebbs and flows…just like a sophisticated drama! #abian911
TONG from China cites lianyue's tweet:
#abian911 民主的台湾，阿扁无期；专制的大陆，人民无期。
Democratic Taiwan leads to Abian's life sentence; Aristocratic Mainland China leads to all citizens’ life sentence.
ismaelan, a Chinese Muslim:
重判一个具有族群象征意义的台湾人,更让人加深了对国民党治国无能、内斗有方的恶劣历史印象. #abian911
Heavily punishing a token of ethnic Taiwanese adds more on the evil impression on KMT's inability to run the country and the ability to battle against interior enemy. #abian911
As for the Taiwan English-speaking twitter circle, it seems that most of the opinions simply do not trust the ruling party KMT and some accuse the Beijing government for operating behind the scene in Chen's sentence. The following tweets are selected by GV author David Reid:
Tortue: You know that I don't keep SCB (Chen Shui-Bian) and DPP in my heart but I don't think that a life sentence here was really appropriate…
TimMaddog: Taiwan's former President Chen Shui-bian and his wife Wu Shu-jen just sentenced to life imprisonment. Fuck this Ma Ying-jeou government!
vshchen: I hope most Taiwanese are smart enough to see how KMT is trampling on Taiwan's justice.
I wouldn't be surprised if Chen Shui-bian were sentenced to death by KMT's court. It's already very obvious that KMT want Chen to die.
jgdeutsch: A life sentence for Chen Shui-bian? This seems a bit extreme, even for a regime that's kissing up to the CCP. http://ow.ly/oWh1 [link to BBC news article]
JuleSuga @vshchen Hope now more ppl will wake up & see KMT's true colours. Chen will come out one day & lead us to build our own country.
David also suggested an article from The Far-Eastern Sweet Potato, who believed that the life sentence is to please Beijing government:
Chen was a flawed leader. But he is being sacrificed by a regime that cannot help but bend over backwards to please Beijing. As he and his wife face life behind bars, Beijing has successfully split Taiwanese Aborigines while dealing as death blow to the only opposition party in Taiwan that make the country worthy of being called a democracy……….
I certainly do not wish a 9/11 I Taiwan, or anything resembling a Cuban Revolution. But if the voice of the people continues to be ignored like this, and if Beijing continues to succeed in its plan to annex Taiwan one voice at a time, I fear that nothing less will be necessary.

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Uganda: Blogs, Twitter Keep World Informed as Kampala Riots Continue · Global Voices
Rebekah Heacock

As riots shook Kampala, the capital of Uganda, for the second day, bloggers and other netizens rallied to keep the world informed.
Within 24 hours of the first riots, concerned Kampalans launched Uganda Witness, a crisis reporting site where Ugandans can share news of deaths, looting, presence of government forces and other related information.  As of Friday afternoon (9pm GMT) the site had received multiple reports of rioting in downtown Kampala and several of the city's suburbs.
Screenshot from UgandaWitness.net showing where riots have been reported.
Ugandan blogger The 27th Comrade has spent the past few months developing a system for sending Twitter messages and posting Facebook status updates via Uganda Telecom cell phones.  On Friday, in response to the riots, he rolled out the service early, posting directions on the Kampala-based communal blog The Kampalan, ensuring the privacy of users:
Now, the situation in Kampala has caused a premature announcement (of sorts) for this service. What to do, though? The men make plans, the gods decide.
…
In short, there is no censorship, no fear, and no favour. Post away. :o) The exchanges are not cached in the system in a way that would injure privacy at all, and indeed many things are made complex (signing up, messaging) precisely because your privacy is being respected.
A tweet from Kampala resident and brand new Twitter user dgel urging others to use Twitter to spread news of the riots has been making its rounds through the Ugandan Twitter community.  He writes:
@dgel: “Anyone in Kampala, please teach at least one other person how to use twitter, and encourage them to keep us all updated. #kampala“
News from Kampala's mainstream has been increasingly hard to come by as the government has detained reporters and closed radio stations throughout the city.  Joe at Uganda Talks explains:
Readers last night will have been aware that popular Luganda station CBS was taken off the air last night for allegedly inciting violence and mobilising the rioters. Today the Government also suspended the licenses of Suubi FM, Radio Sapientia and Radio Two Akaboozi Kubiri on the same grounds.
Fresh Apples, who has been posting updates since the riots began, reports that the government posted guards at the CBS radio masts on Buziga Hill in Kampala:
CBS Radio station is now off air -reportedly cut of by the Government
…
CBS off air- Millitary police now guarding Masts at Buziga
Multiple Twitter reports coming in from Ugandans in Kampala indicate that the government is targeting individual journalists as well:
@mugamuya: “VoA (local FM) reporter detained in Kayunga after kampala riots. maybe in npolice cell somewhere. NTV reporter arrested briefly”
@uginsomniac: Moses Kibuuka (NTV) & Yahaya Iga Muyingo (Voice of Africa) arrested in Kayunga today are out on bond. Their equip still in custody. #Kampala“
According to residents of Kampala, the television and radio stations that are still on air are broadcasting little or no information about the riots.  Tumwijuke at Ugandan Insomniac writes:
What is radio for if not for immediate news immediately? Where was the citizen talk-back? Why no discussion of the hooliganism of many of the protesters? Where are the rolling interviews with the Buganda Kingdom, the police and government?  Where were the call-ins from Masaka town, Nyendo, Kayunga and Mukono where the rioting was taking place? Why no debate on media freedom? Why no discussion on why the Broadcasting Council exists?
Any news I am receiving on the situation in Kampala I am getting from Twitter, Facebook and blogs.
Sarah of The Malan Family writes:
TV Uganda is playing music videos and NTV Uganda is showing “Thats so Raven” *rolls eyes*. BBC has a man on the ground reporting on it (….from freaking Nairobi) so I'm sure he has “up to the minute updates” for us!!!!!
Twitter users in Uganda were also noting the lack of news coverage on the riots:
@CamaraAfrica: “Wow…everyone hurry and turn to NBS for a riveting report on…wait for it…how to play golf. #kampala“
@solomonking: Come on!! UBC has shown an annoying NLP short programme by Ethan Mussolini like 5 times in two hours and nothing on the riots!! #kampala“
Jon Gos, founder of Uganda-based software company Appfrica and 2009 TED Fellow, was surprised by how quickly Ugandans turned to Twitter to spread news:
One of the things that surprised me was how a handful of Twitter users drove the coverage for a lot of people. As I and others like @camaraafrica, @mugumya, @solomonking heard the latest here in Uganda, we feverishly updated Twitter and Facebook, our only means of reaching the outside world.
In another post on the Appfrica blog, Jon writes:
The mainstream news has picked up on what’s going on but local press has been shut down. Either due to too much traffic (web) or otherwise. So many of us, expats or not are relying on Twitter for information.
Photo courtesy of Sarah of The Malan Family.  She writes: “We came to the conclusion that this was either tear gas or a smoke bomb because we saw people running in all different directions immediately after it went off.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rebekah Heacock


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USA: Latinos on the passing of Ted Kennedy · Global Voices
Gina Cardenas

Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy’s passing on August 25, 2009 has stirred a flurry of blog posts among the Latino community in the United States. Words of sadness and remembrance surface in the midst of the eulogizing.
United Farm Workers – a grassroots, immigrant rights group for improved farm labor conditions and legal reforms – posted a memorial on their blog in honor of Kennedy's friendship and support, entitled “Remembering our Long Time Friend, Senator Edward Kennedy“, saying:
Year after year, Sen. Kennedy stood shoulder to shoulder with the farm workers in good times and bad during marches and rallies, political campaigns and legislative battles from the halls of the United States Senate to the dusty farm fields of California:
As United Farm Workers co-founder Dolores Huerta once said, Robert and Ted Kennedy “didn’t come to us and tell us what was good for us. All they said was, ‘What do you want? And how can I help?’ That’s why we love them.”
The departure of a trusted political ally in Washington also stirs anxiety given the pending Comprehensive Immigration Reform slated for review sometime in 2010. Latina Lista writes about Kennedy's role as more far-reaching than one of an ally:
…to an older generation of Latinos his death signals the end of an era when “honorary Latinos” were entrusted with championing the voice of la gente in Washington.
Kennedy's landmark Immigration Reform Act of 1965 ended national-origin immigration quotas that set a preference for European immigration and opened the doors to immigrants from Latin America and Asia.
His more recent contributions include participation with the DREAM Act, AgJobs, CHIP and Violence Against Women Act.
He also pursued the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill of 2007 which did not pass. It lays the foundation for current immigration reform considerations. CHIP and VAWA enable social service provisions which assist immigrants currently residing in the country. The DREAM Act and AgJobs would both provide paths to citizenship for undocumented immigrants through labor and education-based programs.
Current ideas regarding Comprehensive Immigration Reform seek to change the manner in which immigration is handled on a systemic level by focusing on enhanced border security, removing incentives for hiring undocumented immigrants, assisting current undocumented immigrants residing in the country with a path to citizenship, assisting Mexico with economic development projects and improving the immigration bureaucracy.
While Kennedy has notably influenced the course of immigration reform, historic organizations involved with immigrant rights policy include the National Council of La Raza, League of United Latin American Citizens and the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund.
The National Council of La Raza released a report on Labor Day, September 7, 2009 that focuses on the Latino worker experience. It portrays a grim reality: low wages, lack of benefits, dangerous working conditions and high mortality rates. Latinas are affected in larger numbers writes Leigh Graham the Poverty blogger in the Change.org network. Graham says the report sets a precedent for addressing improved labor conditions in the larger immigration reform agenda:
The report shows that smart, ethical immigration reform is the “first step” towards reducing worker exploitation and improving the job market for all low-wage workers.
Kennedy's impact in the Latino community is also tied to an endearing character trait: he never referred to immigrants with an us vs. them attitude. And he never forgot the humble origins of his Irish immigrant background. His introduction to the book: A Nation of Immigrants written by his brother John F. Kennedy, is a poignant testament to the Kennedy family values, which are rooted in the immigrant experience.
Zoraya Tapia-Alfaro who blogs at NDN, a Washington DC think tank, shares the introduction to a A Nation of Immigrants in her post “Edward Kennedy: A Man Who Saw Wrong, and tried to Right it”:
“A century and a half ago all eight of our Irish great grandparents successfully crossed the Atlantic in the famous vessels that were known as ‘coffin ships’ because so many failed to survive the arduous voyage…immigration is in our blood.”

author: Gina Cardenas


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Arab Diaspora: Shall I Marry a Non-Arab?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Arab women living in diaspora have hard questions to answer. Should they marry non-Arabs, non-Muslims or converts to Islam? Palestinian blogger Mona, who lives in Canada and blogs at Rebellious Arab Girl, opens a can of worms when she asks these questions in a post, which has attracted 162 comments so far.
Mona writes:
There is a  question that I don’t have a real answer for, but it is the most asked question that people ask me. This question is mostly asked because people think that the Rebellious Arab Girl is such a crazy odd girl who will do anything and everything.
Mona, why don’t you just marry a non-Arab? What’s wrong with marrying a convert? Mona, if you don’t like the Arabic culture, why not just marry outside of it and spare us your complaints?
She explains:
My answer is simple. I was raised a certain way, and I don’t want someone to get accustomed to the way I was brainwashed by the family and arabic culture, and I don’t have to get accustomed to his. However it is my choice.
She further adds:
Many Arabs marry non-Arabs. It is known throughout history. A lot of people are against it, and I don’t know why. If it effects you directly, then go ahead and be angry about it. All I know is, that each person is held responsible for their own actions. Let them do what they please. Arab male or female, let them be.
Inter-racial marriages, notes Mona, have their share of misery:
I know there are so many problems with interracial marriages, especially the way Arabs perceive it, but what can you do? Arabs are so picky sometimes that they want their sons and daughters to only marry an Arab. However, this Arab has to be from the same country, speaks the same dialect, and is from the same village. What can you do? This is their mentality. Accept it, or leave it.
And she adds:
I believe that it is logical for an Arab to marry another Arab. If some Arabs think negatively of it, then maybe one day they will see the upside of the whole thing. If those Arabs really want things to change, then maybe they can start by the way they want to live their life, and raise their children in a more modern Arab lifestyle.
In the comments section, the debate is raging.
Moroccan Hajar Benlahmar notes:
if i have to choose between marrying an Arab and non Arab, i would pick the non Arab even I’m an Arab.for one simple reason, i cant bear the Arabic men mentality, which is dogmatic, racist, sexist … just name it
…and any successful woman cant deal with such behavior because an Arabic man cant accept a woman as partner in life, he want her to be under his control following his wills and denying her existence…I don’t wanna generalize, but the most Arabic men are not looking for wife to share life with, but they are looking for domestic servant…My cousin is married to french converted to Islam. they passed their holiday in morocco with us.one day i woke up to find him ironing his and her cloths, then he changed the diapers of their daughter,and he even washed the dishes… he helped in everything…My brother found him cooking dinner he told him ” dude are you crazy!!! she is the one who got to do that, then why you married her” he said with an innocent face ” i married her cus i loved her” lol
Seventeen-year-old Bahraini-German Mariam weighs in, adding:
Marrying an Arab or non Arab doesn’t matter to me, but since my mom is a German convert and my dad is an Arab and I’m a child of a mixed marriage I thought I might let you know the advantages of mixed
marriages. We can speak more than one language; we understand more than one culture, tradition and religion even though we don’t agree totally with it. We are able to change people’s minds from both countries and
traditions because we are related while some stranger isn’t able to. We wipe away prejudice. We are more open minded. And we bring people together.Those are just a few examples.
And Desert Shark shares the following story:
My sister is engaged to an american muslim-convert. It originally caused a lot of distress for my father, who has slowly gotten used to the idea. There was no arab guy who can handle a well-educated, independent and financially secure woman like my sister, the way most arab guys are raised they can’t handle that kind of mentality. So it was no surprise that she found an american guy who can handle being with a woman like her. The idea of arabs marrying non-arabs isn’t easy, I think most see it as going against their own culture. But sometimes you have to follow your heart and be with the person you want to be with.
And finally Najma supports the status quo:
I personally think everyone should stick to their own culture and background. Arab should marry Arabs and so on. It saves alot of trouble, hassle, family conflicts and disagreements. You say some people rather not deal with Arab in laws who wont leave you alone, says who other in laws arent trouble and they wil leave you alone. Honestly alot of problems does occur marrying someone else with other background. If not sooner it will effect you later on, althou their are alot of people I kno who married other backgrounds and are happy. So you never know, but I rather not!

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Bahamas: educational tourism · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Repeating Islands reports on a new “educational tourism” initiative in Eleuthera, one of the Bahamas. “This is travel that unites your purpose and passion and ignites your enthusiasm.”

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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Bangladesh: Advice On Fasting · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sadiq Alam at Inspirations and Creative Thoughts posts a sufi master's advice on fasting.

author: Rezwan


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China: Army on national day parade · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated netizens’ opinions and comments from a local forum on the training of army on the national day parade.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: the 2002 needle attacks in Tianjin and Beijing · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Rob from Black and white cat pointed out that the use of hypodermic needles to threaten and rob people is not a new phenomena in China and rest of the world. The blogger reminded readers of two needle attack cases back in 2002 in Tianjin and Beijing, of course the former two cases had not resulted in a hysteria as in the case of Urumqi.


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Cuba: no substitute for beauty · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“The economic crisis in Cuba forced us to find substitutes for almost everything, including cosmetics.” Generation Y reflects on the sacrifices ordinary Cubans once made “in their desire to look more beautiful.”


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Fiji: Bloggers debate Amnesty International findings  · Global Voices
Michael Hartsell

Bloggers in Fiji and around the Pacific are debating a recent Amnesty International report chronicling the island nation’s human rights record since the country’s president abrogated the constitution April 10.
The report, titled Fiji: Paradise Lost, contends that since the constitution was nullified, Fiji’s military government has limited freedom of expression, movement, assembly, the right to a fair trial and the freedom of arbitrary detention. Also, the government has briefly imprisoned up to 40 people, including lawyers, opposition politicians, high-ranking members of the Methodist church and 20 journalists. The report tallies alleged arrests and other violations through July.
The head of Fiji’s military, Frank Bainimarama, came to power in a December 2006 coup, dissolving parliament and the government of Laisenia Qarase. On April 9, 2009 three judges ruled in a case brought by Qarase that the takeover was illegal. The judges demanded Bainimarama step down, and asked Fiji’s president to appoint a caretaker government to move the country to elections. On April 10, the country’s president claimed he had no power to appoint a new government; instead, he nullified Fiji’s 1997 constitution, fired the entire judiciary and appointed Bainimarama to a five-year term, scheduling elections in 2014.
One of Bainimarama’s first tasks was to promulgate a series of 30-day renewable Public Emergency Regulations, called PER, for “maintaining public safety,” granting the government the authority to, among other things, impose curfews, restrict movement and the ability to detain people for up to seven days without charges. In July, the government said it would extend the PER through December 2009. Amnesty International calls on the government to immediately repeal these rules.
From the report:
The ongoing harassement and arbitrary detention of journalists, lawyers, clergy and government critics by the authorities under the guise of the PER is a tactic used to suppress freedom of expression, including any form of dissent.
The report saves special criticism for the restriction of the country’s press. The rights group points out that extra-constitutional PERs allow the government to revoke the license of any media organ printing negative stories; the government also granted itself power to place censors in newsrooms around the country.
The report also claims the government holds undue influence over the country’s judiciary.
Fiji’s government says the report provides very little proof of alleged human rights abuses perpetrated by the country’s military.
In a comment at the Soli Vakasama blog, Tui argues it is good that someone has begun chronicling the alleged abuses by the Bainiarama regime.
THe entry of Amnesty Interrnational into the foray of Fiji Politics must be very disheartnening to the Illegal Regime.Now they will have to answer to somebody for their total disregard of human and civil rights in Fiji.They have to explain why they are only allowing one side of the story to be told.With the entry of Amnesty International into the mix the illegal regime must explain the abuse of women, the torture of civillians and even their murder.
Isn’t it strange that the regimes first line of defence as stated by the uneducated PS for Info is that people must come with evidence of the abuse. I wonder which planet Leweni is talking from because we know that PER is still in force in Fiji and that is proof enough of abuse of anykind.I am so glad that this is happening in Fiji because soon some heads will begin to roll and it will not be the peoples but that of the illegal regime and its mastermind Bainimarama.
No Right Turn, a blog from New Zealand, calls the report – which also exposes alleged abuses from the December 2006 coup – “unpleasant reading.”
While the Fijian regime are clearly amateurs at oppression, they have successfully created a climate of fear, with people intimidated by “Gestapo tactics”, including threats, arrests, arbitrary detentions, travel bans, and even attacks on homes. According to Amnesty, over a thousand people have been dragged off by the military to their barracks, where they have been beaten, forced to perform military drills, stripped, and sexually abused. At least one person has died as a result of this mistreatment, but despite being tried and convicted, his killers have been released on orders from the regime. The media is subject to censorship and can report only “good news” about the regime and international events. The judiciary has been corrupted and turned into a tool of the regime, and the rule of law no longer exists. Instead, everything is down to the arbitrary whim of those in power.
This isn't happening in some far-off place like China or Zimbabwe – its happening right on our doorstep, in one of the largest countries in the Pacific. And there seems to be very little we can do to stop it.
Bainiarama justified his actions in December 2006 claiming the former government was corrupt and former Prime Minister Qarase ruled solely for the benefit of the indigenous Fijian population at the expense of Indo-Fijians, descendants of indentured servants brought to the islands about a century ago by British colonial rulers. Indigineous Fijians presently make up just below 60 percent of the population while Indo-Fijians represent roughly 37 percent.
Fiji: The Way It Was, Is and Can Be argues this historical context is not found in Amnesty International’s report.
As for the report itself, I can only say I'm deeply disappointed with Amnesty International, an organization that over the years I have admired and financially supported. Its title tells all: Fiji: Paradise Lost: A Tale of Ongoing Human Rights Violations April – July 2009. Its researcher and author is ethnic Fijian Apolosi Bose. Its methodology involved 80 interviews with journalists, lawyers and others, all hostile to the Interim Government, based largely on Bose's visit to Fiji from 4-18 April, and 2008-2009 inputs from “activists in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne and London. ” The Fiji April visit overlapped the Abrogation of the 1997 Constitution and the introduction of the Public Emergency Regulations. Other than the period immediately following the coup, this was the most troubled period in the past six years…
There have been human rights abuses in Fiji, and not all of them have been properly addressed by the Government. There have also been abuses of office by opponents of the Government. These things happen in post-coup situations. All such happenings need to be place in context, weighed and balanced; compared with earlier (pre-coup) abuses; and considered within a future context: where is Fiji now, and how may we help it to move towards a better future? The Amnesty International investigation does none of these things. It is a report by and about “activists” aimed at an international audience, and it will be used by them to further isolate Fiji to no useful purpose.
Two bloggers from outside Fiji debate the veracity and importance of recent media reports on the purported human rights violations by Fiji’s government.
The QBrand QBlog, from Australia, wonders why people in that country get worked up about problems in Burma, but ignore purported violations in Fiji.
It's getting harder and harder to understand the attitudes of many Australians to our island neighbour Fiji. Despite clear evidence of the repressive nature of the Bainimarama regime, most of the talk I hear about Fiji is about how cheap the airfares are and which resort is the best.
From a branding perspective, what are the forces that perpetuate our view of Fiji as a sleepy, friendly tropical paradise when we get worked up about human rights in Burma and Zimbabwe, or about media censorship in China?
Is it just proximity? Or is it that so many Australians and Australian enterprises with commercial interests in Fiji are willing to be apologists for Bainimarama and his military government?
Café Pacific, from a New Zealand-based journalist and academic, criticizes Pacific media for concentrating on abuses in Fiji while ignoring decades of human rights violations in East Timor.
THE HYPOCRISY reeks. While Australia, NZ and the media went through the usual bleating about Fiji human rights violations, they remained silent about the ongoing struggle to gain justice for those Timorese who have suffered horrendous human rights violations for more than four decades. Alleged human rights violations in Fiji are a soft target – the tough target, the top Indonesian military commanders who have blood on their hands for their colonial adventure in East Timor, remain free with inpunity. Timor-Leste's Truth Commission appeals for an international tribunal and a “commission for disappeared persons” still remain an unlikely dream.
[Note to copy editors, line editors, journalists, NGOs and news organizations: The terms “paradise lost,” “trouble in paradise,” and other related expressions are now forbidden in future reports on Fiji. Utilizing this long-suffering analogy now constitutes a human rights violation.]

author: Michael Hartsell


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India: The Delhi Bloggers Meet #31 · Global Voices
Rezwan

Raja Basu at Potpourri informs that on 12th September, 2009 “the ‘Delhi Bloggers Bloc’ (DBB) had its 31st meet at the Jama Masjid of Old Delhi, followed by a solid meal at the ‘Al-Jawahar’ restaurant.”


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Indonesia: Controversial new film law · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

The Indonesian movie-making industry is criticizing the newly revised Film Law [id]. The law is deemed to leave a small room for creativity, and putting the survival of the industry under the government's tight supervision.
If the agonizing law is strictly implemented, the flourishing landscape of national cinema will surely turn to a different direction.
Film critic Totot Indrarto wrote an opinion [id] on local journal Kompas:
Sejak RUU disosialisasikan, sejumlah komponen komunitas perfilman Indonesia, dengan berbagai cara yang konstitusional dan saluran yang ada, telah menyatakan ketidaksetujuan atas sejumlah pasal. Antara lain, larangan membuat film dengan isi tertentu; pembatasan produser untuk menggunakan SDM dan teknologi tertentu yang dibutuhkan; pembuatan film harus dimulai dengan pendaftaran judul, cerita, dan rencana produksi; kewenangan Lembaga Sensor Film (LSF) yang masih besar; pekerja film wajib memiliki sertifikat kompetensi dari organisasi profesi, lembaga sertifikasi profesi, atau perguruan tinggi; kegiatan peredaran, pemutaran, apresiasi, pengarsipan, dan ekspor-impor film diatur dengan peraturan menteri; serta sejumlah sanksi administratif dan ancaman pidana yang mengerikan.
[…]
Substansi UU Perfilman itu jelas amat birokratis, eksesif, cenderung represif. Sementara semangatnya menafikan arus besar dalam komunitas perfilman Indonesia yang menghendaki agar urusan film dikembalikan sepenuhnya ke tangan orang film.
The substance of the film law is clearly extremely bureaucratic, excessive, and quite repressive. The grand idea (of this law) is to diminish the big splash from the Indonesian film communities which demand movie issues to be returned to the hands of the movie people.
Some professionals feared that the law could trigger a massive wave of unemployment, since one point of the law imposed  job related certification for those who wish to remain in the industry.
Iman Fatah wondered if the law would force him turn away jobs:
Pada poin #9 (pasal 68), Itu dampaknya sangat besar mengingat di Indonesia para insan perfilman mayoritas berangkat dari otodidak dan pengalaman karena minimnya pendidikan formal di bidang film. Lalu bagaimana nasib para pekerja music scorer dan music producer otodidak seperti saya ini? apakah ini artinya saya DILARANG MEMBUAT SCORING FILM LAGI?
Poin #9 (chapter 68) could have great impact, since,  in Indonesia, the majority of those who work in the industry learned things autodidactly and through experience, (mainly) because there are so few formal education to be found. So what will happen to me as music scorer and producer who learned autodidactly? Does this mean that I can't make film score anymore?
Herman Saksono said that the House of Representatives, though on paper has a noble intention to protect the survival of film industry, isn't choosing the right path. Saksono pointed out that imposing 60% of local film quota is an excessive protectionism move.
Pertama-tama kita harus sepakat bahwa melindungi potensi nasional kita adalah sesuatu yang mulia dan penting.
[…]
proteksi yang berlebihan justru akan melahirkan jago-jago kandang kelas teri. Adanya kuota 60% justru mendorong produser-produser film sembarangan membuat film, hanya demi memenuhi kuota hadiah dari DPR.
Akibatnya, kualitas film kita jadi buruk. Kuantitas di atas kualitas. Padahal sekitar 90% film Indonesia itu buruk. Jadi, dipastikan yang buruk akan bertambah banyak. Ini bukan sebuah hipotesis, ini sudah terbukti ketika pemerintah mewajibkan stasiun televisi menayangkan minimal 70% tayangan produksi dalam negeri di awal 90-an.
First of all we do agree that the initiative to protect our national potential is something that's both noble and important.
[…]
Excessive protectionism will give birth to the schoolyard champions. With 60% quota, film producers will make low quality movies for the sake to fulfill the quota given by the House of Representatives.
As the result, the quality of our movies deteriorate. Quantity over quality. In fact 90% of Indonesian films are bad. So, the bad ones will surely keep on appearing. This is not hypothesis, it's a fact just like when the government imposed local TV channels to air at least 70% of local productions in the beginning of the 90s.
He added that the industry requires a bigger space in order to improve a more creative atmosphere:
Mungkin DPR lupa kalau untuk bersaing di kancah industri kreatif global, yang dibutuhkan adalah  dan kemudahan birokrasi, bukan shortcut dan cheatsheet.
Perhaps the House of Representatives forgot that in order to compete in the global creative industry what the people need is a room for expression and bureaucracy ease, not shortcut and cheatsheet.
Wina Armada Sukardi, a journalist and also a film critic, said there are few of weak points on the new law which systematically restrain the improvement of the currently growing movie industry:
Keempat, sistem sensor yang dipakai masih memakai sistem pemotongan dan bukan klasifikasi murni. Memang sudah ada penggolongan atau pembagian umur, tetapi produser tetap harus mengikuti ”selera” lembaga sensor film. Hal ini melahirkan sistem sensor klarifikasi setengah hati.
[…]
Keenam, peranan pemerintah terlalu dominan memasuki hampir seluruh aspek perfilman. Campur tangan pemerintah tidak hanya sebatas pada pemberian bantuan keuangan dan hal-hal yang strategis saja, tetapi juga sudah masuk ke dalam masalah-masalah tetek bengek. Makanya tak banyak lagi ruang yang tersisa bagi insan perfilman untuk mengatur dan mengekspresikan dirinya sendiri.
Fourth, the current censorship system still use the “cut” system instead of pure classification. Sure there's a classification or age classification, but the producer still needs to follow the “taste” of the censorship agency. And this caused half-hearted censorship by classification system.
[…]
Sixth, government's role is too dominant and is included in nearly all aspects of the movie making business. Goverment's involvement isn't limited on financial aid and strategic matters, but also to thingamajig affairs. Therefore not much left for the movie people to control and express themselves.
However, he added, the industry shouldn't cry over spilled milk and should consider this as a lesson, so that in the future everybody who's involved in the business would fight together defending their common freedom of expression…
Kelahiran UU Perfilman baru ini memberikan pelajaran lain kepada kalangan film nasional: jangan tidak peduli terhadap urusan pihak lain dalam dunia perfilman yang sama. Selama ini terdapat kecenderungan kalangan film hanya sibuk mengurus diri sendiri dan tidak begitu peduli terhadap urusan pihak lainnya. Hanya apabila terdapat kepentingan langsung mereka yang terganggu barulah mereka beraksi.
Dalam memperjuangkan substansi UU Perfilman yang baru pun agar lebih banyak unsur kemerdekaan berekspresi dan kondisi yang kondusif bagi perfilman nasional, lebih banyak dilakukan oleh kalangan nonfilm. Dari mulai kalangan aktivis prodemokrasi sampai wartawan budaya ikut memerhatikan perkembangan soal ini. Tapi kalangan perfilman baru datang belakangan, itu pun jumlahnya cuma secuil.
Tidaklah mengherankan apabila di tengah ketidakpedulian itu ada pihak lain yang mengambil inisiatif untuk menata dunia perfilman nasional berdasarkan versinya. Jadi, sebenarnya, UU Perfilman memang harga yang harus diterima oleh kalangan perfilman sendiri atas sikap mereka yang kurang proaktif. Inilah kado buat kalangan perfilman sesuai dengan sikap tindak mereka sendiri.
The birth of the new Film Law has taught yet another lesson to everyone in the national film industry: not to be ignorant of the right of their fellow film making professionals. All these times, the film people tends to mind about their own business and ignore the others (who are involved in the same industry). They react only when their interest is being disturbed.
It is the non-film industry people who are (more seriously) fighting the substance of the new Film Law, so it will have more freedom of expression and a more conducive condition for the national movie industry. From  pro-democracy activists to cultural journalists followed closely the updates of the issue. The movie makers came later on, and in small numbers.
It's not surprising if on the midst of that passiveness, another party took initiative to rearrange the national film industry according to their version. So, in fact, the Film Law is indeed the price to pay by those in film industry for their less than proactive demeanors.
Hundreds who are against the new law signed an online petition, and a Facebook Group was set-up for this cause.

author: Juke Carolina


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Jamaica: uncomfortable silence? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

An incident on a minibus provokes Jamaican Ruthibelle to ask: “What is it about being in the silence of their own thoughts that makes people uncomfortable and uneasy?”


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Lebanon: Lebanese Bloggers React to Israeli film “Lebanon” · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

Lebanese bloggers have offered a mixed reception to another Israeli film about the Jewish state's 1982 invasion of its northern neighbour.
Conspicuously titled “Lebanon“, the autobiographical film is set entirely in a tank as it recounts the Israeli military's involvement in the conflict.
“Lebanon” is the second Israeli autobiographical film depicting Israeli Defence Force (IDF) soldiers in action in the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990), only a year after the Israeli animation Waltz with Bashir was released.
Both films have attempted to highlight – in the most gory and confronting fashion – the brutality and devastation of modern war.
Due to the political sensitivity in Lebanon surrounding events of the civil war, the latest film was always going to arouse controversy and interest among the Lebanese.
The film has received international acclaim after winning the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, but what do Lebanese think about it and its world fame?
Asad Abu Khalil of the Angry Arab News Service, who has yet to see the film, poured cold water on the film's success in Venice with the following comment on his blog:
“”I dedicate this work to people all over the world that come back from the war safe and sound,” the director told the audience at the award ceremony. “They work, get married, have children, but the memories get stuck in their souls.””
So this Zionist clown dedicates this movie to the warriors (I will review it once I get my unpurchased copy) and not to the victims of the terrorist Israeli warriors.
Some Lebanese on Twitter also criticised the film for attempting to humanise Israeli soldiers and refusing to incorporate the stories of those who suffered under Israel's invasion of Lebanon … the Lebanese people.
Some of the critical tweets from Lebanon are as follows:
justimage Another killer makes film to alleviate his guilt. Tell stories of those you terrorized, then I'll watch.
MXML Great, yet another Israeli film about #Lebanon that only humanizes Israeli soldiers and not Lebanese/Palestinian victims.
abdallahdeeb and the “#Lebanon” movie is made in #Israel. How weird is that?
RamsayShort oh my god the gall of this new Israel film ‘Lebanon‘ – if it was Hizbullah with  guns defending against the Israelis would it be so acclaimed?
Interesting how the Israelis appropriate even ‘Lebanon’ the name in the new Venice film. Sad too how awards are given for films about the poor
Israeli soldiers who did so much damage in '82. Let's care about what they did in South Lebanon & Beirut when they came..
The Lebanese won't forget the Israeli soldiers
A Lebanese Facebook group on the film has, however, offered a contrasting view.
Supporters of Israel's former allies in the Lebanese Civil War, the far-right Phalangists, have launched a Facebook group in reaction to the film, calling on a film to be made about Syria's involvement in the war as well.
Comments on the group's page – “We Want a Movie about Syria's WAR on Lebanon” – also criticise Israeli filmmakers for portraying the Phalangist militia as the villains while sanitising the IDF's actions and ignoring the atrocities committed against their own communities:
Israelis have done a movie about the Sabra and Chatila massacre accusing the Lebanese (Phalangists),we need a movie on DAMOUR massacre too to show the world that WE were the victims too
Any film on the Lebanese Civil War was always going to elicit such diverse opinions from a highly polarised Lebanese society.
“Lebanon” has not only rekindled painful memories of the war, but forced many Lebanese to relive the horror and emotions they previously experienced.
While many may disagree on the motives, intentions and focus of the Israeli-made film, it certainly has people talking.

author: Antoun Issa


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Live Blogging Force India’s Race · Global Voices
Rezwan

Über Desi has live blogged the Indian F1 motor racing team Force India's race at the Italian Grand Prix.


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Morocco: A Dangerous Flu · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

It appears that not only the flu virus is getting the Moroccan authorities unnerved. Another virus has been upsetting them: Freedom of Expression.
By Y on Flickr
At least five Moroccan independent journalists will appear before a judge later this month in Rabat, the Moroccan capital, after having published articles in their newspapers, Al-Jarida al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Mishaal, in which they challenged the official announcement about King Mohammed VI's  health. It all started when on August 26, the Royal Palace, in an unprecedented move, revealed that the monarch has contracted “a viral, benign disease” and needed convalescing for five days. The next day, the Moroccan press started commenting on the announcement, mostly praising the transparency of the palace, some (citing anonymous sources) associating the king's illness with the hypothetic “abuse of immunodepressants to treat asthma.” Bloggers soon joined the debate. After a while, a wave of rumors and gossip emerged, giving way to speculations and all kinds of interpretations. Then authorities started calling in and arresting journalists who were submitted to long hours of questioning on the sources of their information, with some interrogations lasting for more than 40 hours.
Most bloggers denounced the attacks on journalists which, according to the official news agency [Fr], were based on the Press Code used by the prosecutor to accuse journalists of “publication offense,” “libel,” “bad intentions” and of spreading “false information” and “untruthful facts.”
Solidarité Maroc, a citizen online platform campaigning for human rights in Morocco, publishes a letter [Fr] of solidarity with the journalists by veteran activist Khalid Jamai [Fr], who writes:
Ils ont des armes, des commissariats, des fallaka (forme de punition corporelle); mais nous avons les mots, ceux que l’histoire incruste dans la mémoire des temps futurs. Il faut dire que nous, nous sommes rentré dans l’ère de “Amoula nouba” (“A qui le tour”). [D]es dizaines de quotidiens et hebdomadaire eurent à subir les affres de la censure, des interdictions, des procès, des amendes faramineuses, uniques dans l’histoire de la presse.
Demain à qui le tour…
Pourtant : au début ce fut le mot. Le mot que l’on ne peut mettre derrière les barreaux, ni assassiner.
A Moroccan about the world around him blames the journalists and calls for more “journalistic maturity.” He writes:
We don’t need self-proclaimed serious political newspapers dedicating their front pages to speculate on the king’s every sneeze and cough and divert the public’s attention from grave issues such as the recent utter failures of Morocco’s craven and politically naïve diplomats in addressing the Western Sahara issue. We need an independent media that exercises not self-censorship, but good judgment and selflessness in the conduct of their duties; one that adheres not to Delphic influences, but to personal conscience and unwavering character. Freedom is a greater responsibility; Al-Jarida Al-Oula, Al-Ayam and Al-Michaal demonstrated in this particular case that they could not strap it on and take charge. Let’s hope this is nothing more than a snag.
It is not the first time this year that journalists have found themselves in the dock. Unlike previous affairs, Bluesman notices [Ar], this time around the accused may find themselves abandoned:
The debate over the issue took at times some unexpected turns. Kissing the hand of the monarch in Morocco is a centuries old custom which, although not compulsory, most Moroccans feel compelled to perform in order to show their allegiance to the king. Larbi, citing an editorial by journalist Rachid Nini who suggested the banning of the practice for prophylactic reasons, deplores [Fr] the fact that the custom was not being disfavored for the good reasons. He writes:
Ainsi donc il faut abolir le baise-main non pas parce qu’il représente une pratique venue d’un autre temps, non pas parce qu’il est humiliant pour la dignité humaine, non pas parce qu’il représente un étonnant contraste avec le Maroc moderne chanté à tout bout de champs. Non il faut l’abolir pour protéger le roi contre la saleté et les microbes que portent, forcément, ses sujets, leurs mains et leurs bouches.
For an outsider, it is difficult to comprehend the Moroccan authorities’ repeated attitude towards the media unless it is put in the context of the Moroccan system of governance which places the king above the rest of the mortals. Jillian York, blogger, activist and fine connoisseur of Morocco, writing on KABOBfest, wonders sarcastically, but almost in disbelief, about what could the journalists have published so nasty as to prompt such reaction from the authorities. She writes:
So what could the false story have said? […] That he had cancer? That he was dying of lung disease? Alas, no. The journalists reported on the King’s alleged contraction of…the flu virus.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Morocco: Rage against the Sandwich · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

Larbi, in Comme une bouteille jetée à la mer, reports [Fr] on a manifestation that took place on Sunday 13 September in the outskirts of Casablanca, by young Moroccans who decided to organize a picnic braving the ban on eating in public during Ramadan, only to find hundreds of policemen confronting them. “Our objective is to say we are Moroccans whether we observe the fast or not,” writes the blogger, citing one of the participants.


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Oman: Online Activists Questioned  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Initiative for an Open Arab Internet [Ar] reports that a number of online activists have been summoned for questioning by the security and military forces and made to sign declarations that they will refrain from discussing Omani public affairs and the ‘symbols of the Sultanate’ online.


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Pakistan: Do Not Link Us With Afghanistan · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Whenever Pakistan is linked with Afghanistan, Islamabad reacts sharply and angrily because Pakistanis have been leading the fight against the Taliban on their own, unlike Afghanistan where Americans and NATO forces are fighting the Taliban,” comments Bilal Qureshi at Pak Tea House while discussing President Zardari's reactions on US President Obama’s new Afghanistan strategy.


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Palestine: Scenes from Gaza  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

For uprooted Palestinians, a trip home is a hard and painful experience. Palestinian blogger Ibrahim [Ar] visits Gaza, and finds himself speechless. He leaves us with a photo album to sum up his visit.
The blogger, who lives in Europe and runs the Palestine Technoblog, spent a whole month visiting Gaza. He writes:
Here are some of them:
The blogger enjoys a day with his family by the sea
A Gaza celebration
The Gaza Skyline
Digging into local dessert
Destroyed buildings..a reminder of war


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Sri Lanka: 1000 XO Laptops Deployed In 9 Schools · Global Voices
Rezwan

OLPC Lanka Foundation is working with the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka and the World Bank to deploy 1000 XO laptops in 9 schools of nine provinces of Sri Lanka. Danishka posts some photos of the OLPC installation in Sri Lanka.


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Suriname: a word for freedom · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“It’s hard for me to imagine a language or dialect without a  word for ‘freedom'”: Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp reviews a new documentary film about the Surinamese poet Trefossa.


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Suriname: Invisible Men · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Paramaribo SPAN posts images and text from Invisible Men, a new book by Surinamese artist Patricia Kaersenhout.


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Syria: A Week Against Everything and Anything · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

The oft-divided Syrian blogosphere is at it again this week.  After a post [ar] from Syrian blogger Fadl decrying the practice of masturbation and encouraging bloggers to join in his campaign against it, the blogosphere exploded in a flurry of opposition toward the idea, creating their own campaigns.
In the original post, Fadl encouraged bloggers to re-post information which explained the perceived evils of the act of masturbation in an Islamic context.  He wrote:
First to oppose Fadl‘s initiative was perennial blogger Abu Fares, who wrote a farcical post regarding the problem of masturbation in Syria.  In the post, he mocked:
According to one informed source who has confided in me after recently returning from a trip to Syria (the new enlightened herd very much likes using this phrase or something similar) the bathroom is the most likely crime scene for these psychotically sick and abnormal boys and girls. While unsuspecting parents are watching Bab El Hara, the boys are spanking their monkeys and the girls are beating their beavers.
He then prompted a new initiative, inviting the Syrian blogosphere and its friends to take part:
Let's all use the comment section to reach a consensus. We, the bad guys and gals (the Ze3ran) [Editor's note: “naughty people“]  of the Syrian Blogsphere and our regular guests need to initiate our own Week Against Something. All ideas are welcome and the stupider the better. This is activism at its best. How about a few days of lobbying before we start our valiant attempt at draining this septic pool of stink and shit. Let's move ahead, forge our destiny and join forces together in beating our meats or around the bushes to reach an unprecedented Syrian Orgasm against absurdity, hypocrisy and sanctimony. I leave it literally in your hands ya Mala3een.
Abu Fares’s own foray into the campaign was a tongue-in-cheek proposal for a “week against anal orifices” in which he explained his very real opposition to certain behaviors and kinds of people.  The blogger wrote:
1.There are men who think they are inherently better than women by virtue of their sex. I don't like them.
2.There are men who walk a step ahead of women believing it's only normal due to their twisted sense of morality or their sick understanding of modesty. I don't like them.
3.There are men who discuss the attire of women. How they should or shouldn't dress. What they ought to cover and what they are allowed to reveal. I don't like them.
4.There are men who boss women around and who strongly believe its their god given right to do so. I don't like them.
His post listed four other types he avoids, and also linked to numerous other blogs participating in the campaign.
Another participant was Dubai Jazz, a UAE-based blogger who grew up in Syria.  In his post entitled “A Week of Blogging Against Tribalism” (اسبوع التدوين السوري ضد القَبَلية), the blogger eschewed the idea that sexual activities were the biggest problems facing Syrian society, instead railing against tribalism with examples like this one:
-The first incident occurred in the early 90s. I was probably in the tenth grade. I remember it being a spring evening, and me and the family were out sitting in the balcony. Our house was on the top floor and the balcony was expansive and had a great view of our neighborhood. Except for the cool westerly breeze, the sporadic honks of cars and the distant effeminate voice of Hani Shaker bleating from a distant cassette player, the night was quite and relaxing. We’re probably having tea or cracking nuts.
But all that quiet changed in an instant.
All of the sudden, there were animal shrieks and wailings from the street below. We jumped in our seats and rushed to see what was happening. And our balcony, as I said, afforded us a great view. From the entrance of the building across the street from us, there were dozens of people shuffling around, at first I thought they were escaping a fire, but then it turned out most of them were hurrying inside.
There were dozens of young men of various ages. Few seconds later the pandemonium moved out of the building and on to the blacktop, and only then it occurred to me that a big fight was underway. More and more people were now trickling out of the building, and it was impossible to tell who was on whose side. It was funny in a way, except for the blood that soon started flowing in the gutter. Glistening under the ancient neon street light.
No one died, though. The thugs from both sides had enough sense not to use knives. The police soon came and rounded up everybody like a herd. It turned out (and word on an Arab street travels faster than through a fiber optic cable,) it turned out that someone had lattash (verbally harassed or flirted with) somebody’s sister. And the tension was building up between the neighbors since. Both sides promised to mobilize their next of kin and attack the other side viciously.
Tribalism.
Blogger Ana Sourie (أنا سوري) [I am Syrian] chimed in with a bit of humor, proposing a week against the consumption of beans:
As per an agreement made with Abu Fares last week, I'm fulfilling my part by starting a blogging week against the consumption of all beans, Chickpeas and Fava beans in particular, in our beloved part of the world. We all know the popularity of such toxic elements in our daily diets. This popularity passed through all environmental, dietic, and morality censors in our society. We are a nation whose daily life is controlled by Fava beans and chick peas. In this twenty first century, it's about time someone raised a flag and protested this infiltration. In the next few paragraphs, I'll prove my point against this poison.
GV's own Yazan Badran gave his two cents’ worth with a post for, rather than against, moral decay.  The post offers an “activity” for each of the seven days of the week.  On day one, the blogger suggests:
On the first day of the Blogging Week for Moral Decay, you shall buy a rock and roll album (preferably Are You Experienced? By Jimi Hendrix), and one of them evil devil-worshippers heavy metal (Say, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath). Get your iPod on, let your hair down, make your red underpants very visible and then go have a little walk.
Not every blogger has chosen to participate.  GV's Anas Qtiesh, for one, isn't so sure that ridiculing bloggers is the way to go.  Of the original anti-masturbation campaign, he writes:
Some people were amused by the idea and tweeted the link of the article and a friend of mine wrote to me saying that the campaigner is likely to have a crowd supporting his campaign that you could fit in a phone booth. So, many people find – me included – that idea outrageous, But does that warrant the ridicule of the blogger? Does that make it ok to put aside all the great words and thoughts I’ve seen many Syrian bloggers write on each of their blogs to combine forces to fight this supposed “common enemy” called religiousness?
Abu Fares‘s comment on Qtiesh's blog is an apt conclusion.  He writes:
I agree with everything you said by the way but we’re humans, and Syrians, after all. A little bickering is part of our identity.
Meanwhile, Abu Fares is compiling a complete list of participants in the campaign here.

author: Jillian C. York


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Trinidad and Tobago: Anton Nimblett’s stories · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

gspottt posts a review of a new book of short stories by US-based Trinidadian writer Anton Nimblett: “Sections of an Orange is … perhaps the first work of literature to portray Trinidadian men who both love other men and are not psychologically conflicted or destroyed by their sexuality.”


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Trinidad and Tobago: filmmakers speak · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

The Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival blog posts short interviews with filmmakers Dalton Narine, Mariel Brown, and Jaime Lee Loy.


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Uruguay: Election Season Underway · Global Voices
Mario Blanco

Uruguay is experiencing, as it does every 5 years, an electoral process that will be decided on Sunday, October 25. However, if one candidate does not receive the majority of votes, then a run-off election will take place on the last Sunday in November.   This is part of a busy 12 months in the electoral calendar in Uruguay, as “internal elections” or party elections took place last June, followed by the presidential elections, and municipal elections in May 2010.
There are many political parties in contention, but the list is reduced when referring to the parties that really have the chance to gain, at least one, parliamentary seat. These parties include the National Party (White Party), considered to be one of the traditional parties and is the main opponent of the current government. Others include the Broad Front, which is the current government, and is considered to left-leaning and can also be considered to be a “traditional” party, despite being a young party.
Photo of campaign propaganda in Colonia de Sacramento, Uruguay taken by Marisali and used under a Creative Commons license.
The major contenders for the presidential seat are considered to be the Broad Front and the National Party.  One of the major candidates is already well-known to Uruguayans. Dr. Luis A. Lacalle, the National Party candidate, was President of Uruguay from 1999-2004 and is considered to be a major rival for the Broad Front.
On the other hand, their candidate is a very colorful figure, who is often seen far from typical political protocol or convention.  José “El Pepe” Mujica has had a history with the National Liberation Movement “Tupamaros” in the 1960s, where he participated in guerrilla operations, arrested 4 times, and twice escaped from the Punta Carretas prison.  In all, Mujica spent 15 years of his life in jail, with his last period of detention being between 1972-1985.  When the military dictatorship ended, and democracy returned to the country, Mujica changed his weapons, and has been a deputy and a senator. In the current government, he was the Minister of Livestock and Agriculture.
The blogger Jorge Oyhenard takes a look at how various candidates are using the internet to spread their campaign [es]. He notes that most parties and candidates have their own website, but they have yet to maximize the use of web 2.0 and social networking sites.
With the stage set, there are few topics of discussion. Public security is a concern due to the wave of crime over the past few years, as well as the issue of taxes.  However, the current campaign is already filled with usual campaign rhetoric as the blog Uy Elecciones [es] describes:
Si un marciano encayara en Uruguay (podría ser en otros muchos países) y lee los programas de gobierno de los (o escucha a los) diferentes partidos políticos se encontraría con una grata sorpresa: a todos ahora les importa la justicia social (planes para ayudar a los más desfavorecidos, educación y salud más equitativas, etc.), alguna que otra cosa del medio ambiente, los beneficios para los pasivos (y si, hay que nombrarlos que cada vez son más), la transparencia (a esta altura ésta podría ser ya una política de Estado, todos la apoyan (que bueno, no?)).
Y así estamos; esas “semejanzas” condimentadas con la publicidad medio-masiva moderna electoral crean como una nube gris, en la cual es comprensible caer en la de “son todo lo mismo”.

author: Mario Blanco


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USA: 30 New York Mosques in 30 Days · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Two young men in New York City, Aman Ali and Bassam Tariq, are nearing the end of their journey to document visits to “30 mosques in 30 days” on their blog of the same name.
The personal project to visit and photograph the insides of mosques throughout the holy month of Ramadan (during which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset) has even attracted the attention of local New York television.
Their first blog entry on August 22 began:
Day 1: The Journey Begins
Tonight my friend Bassam Tariq and I came up with an insanely random idea: What if we prayed at a different mosque every single day for the month of Ramadan? Hence, this Web site was born…
According to a study at Columbia University there are approximately 600,000 Muslims  in New York City of many different cultural and ethnic backgrounds.
It is not common for people to go to visit mosques belonging to other groups, but Aman and Bassam (both of South Asian origin) say they have been met with smiles and warm welcomes everywhere.
Day 9: Masjid Aqsa (West African mosque in Manhattan)
Today, I  decided to stay in my neighborhood and visit Masjid Aqsa. The mosque is a couple of blocks south of my apartment on 116th and Frederick Douglas. The community is predominantly West African. It is said that this area also houses the majority of the Senegalese in New York.
Similar to other masajid in Manhattan, vendors surrounded the entrance selling everything from Madani Dates to Nike socks. One of the more interesting vendors sold dried fish.
Day 11: Masjid Al-Hikmah (Indonesian mosque in Queens)
I love Indonesian people and their food just as much. To break our fast we had dates and this person in the blue shirt was serving this really good Indonesian soup.
Transcending cultural divides is not always easy.
Bassam very candidly describes his thoughts on Day 12 when he was presented with two mosques only blocks away from each other in Brooklyn: a Bangladeshi mosque, and a West African one.
Being South Asian, the Bangladeshi mosque would have been the easier option, but with the added encouragement of a friend, he decided on the greater personal challenge.
Day 12: Masjid Tawhid Inc. (West African mosque in Brooklyn)
… Things didn’t seem that awkward in the beginning. In fact, it was only when I started to wonder how the rest of the congregation perceived me that I began to feel uneasy. I felt like a freeloader coming in — barely eating the food offered to me — and then leaving abruptly afterwards . A bad exhibitionist, if you will.  Though no one in the masjid might have felt that way, I wonder if anyone asked themselves, “Why didn’t he just go to the Bangladeshi mosque?” Maybe it’s my own insecurities that raise the question.
Day 22: Albanian Islamic Cultural Center (Staten Island)
… The mosque has its own chef that prepared the food, may Allah reward him for his talent.
But the food didn’t compare to our true experience at the mosque. We sat among many of the younger kids in the community just picking their brains a bit about the community…
… One thing I really love is seeing younger kids come to mosques because they genuinely enjoy being there, not because they are dragged by their parents. Its kids like these that make me feel good about where the Muslim community as a whole is headed in this country.
Ramadan ends on September 19.

author: Solana Larsen


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Anguilla: imported massage? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

A newspaper advertisement for “excellent massage” prompts some tongue-in-cheek commentary from Corruption-free Anguilla.


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Bangladesh: Interview With Professor Anu Muhammad · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh Watchdog publishes an interview with Professor Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports on their recent protests against the lease of three offshore gas fields of Bangladesh to foreign companies.


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Barbados: lizard life · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

My Rustic Bajan Garden does a photographic survey of lizards in her garden and reminds readers why these creatures are useful to humans.


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Barbados: speaking bluntly · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

“They don’t come more honest than your average Bajan.” Notes from a Small Rock reflects on Barbadians’ habits of plain speaking.


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Bhutan: Drug Abuse – Sign Of Changing Times · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dipika wonders why there is a boom in newspaper reports about drugs in Bhutan. “A change in attitude, perhaps, on how we look at drug abuse, or rather, how the young generation looks at drug abuse,” comments the blogger.


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China and Hong Kong: Ex-president’s life sentence, a farce or a victory? · Global Voices
Winglok Hung

Former Taiwanese leader Chen Shui bian was sentenced to life imprisonment on 11 September and Portnoy has made an excellent summary of Twitterers’ responses from Taiwan. Here I would like to add to the discussion by collecting more opinions and discussions from mainland China and Hong Kong, which, very interestingly, are pointing at very different conclusions.
China: A farce of Democracy
There is a hot debate on whether Chen's life sentence is a farce or victory of democracy.
Wuluwufu from state-owned Qiangguo Forum argued that Chen's life sentence is a farce of Taiwan's democratic system.
陈水扁是靠操弄民主而上台的,一个操弄虚假利益冲突而捞个人实际利益的政客欺骗得了大多数民众,也太小看民众的智商了,它只不过表明一个最低政治操守都没有的政客是不能被利益强势集团容忍的,清除出局应是陈水扁注定的结局.
从这个意义上说,民主是局部地胜利了,法制也如帮规一样惩戒不守规矩的前帮主.但这种胜利如果超出这个范围去宣讲,甚致说是人民民意的胜利就太可笑了,反而,从大的角度看,说是民主法制的胜利勿宁说是民主法制的又一丑剧
111.167.234 added in the comment section,
记住了，陈水扁是卸任成了老百姓之后，台湾司法才敢制裁他。在任上的官僚陈水扁，台湾司法屁也不如。所以，台湾司法只敢欺负百姓。
Hong Kong: A victory of Democracy
However, Xiaoren from Hong Kong celebrated Chen’s life sentence as a victory of democracy in his blog,
台灣民主o既成功，證明法院係由人民開，而唔係政府。
有民主先有民生，如果香港呢家已經好似台灣咁民主發展得咁成熟，真係唔知會有幾多官員因為某 d 事件而下台。
Several netizens from Hong Kong Golden Forum used the graphic picture below to celebrate Chen's sentence. It said: “let's sing and dance!”
In Hong Kong Discussion Forum, a netizen udbkam posted a question, asking “Do you agree that Chen’s corruption is a minor problem because Taiwan enjoys universal suffrage?”
Helios agreed
呢個我同意，
至少陳水扁貪污之後唔會不了了之，
對岸嘛，想知邊個唔貪都難．．．．．．
Eric_from_1986 further elaborated,
將陳水扁「手多多」得來的錢跟大陸貪官比較，簡直蚊脾同牛脾，輸足十條街
但係阿扁咁樣已經要坐穿牢底，大陸呢？
Carlucci also shared similar view,
今天我很羨慕台灣人.  能把前貪污總統判無期徒刑.    公義得以申張.   中國人民共和國? 何時才能這樣???
Anti-CCP sentiment at work?
Another debate among Hong Kong netizens over Chen's sentence is on whether or not Chen's sentence is a result of the anti- Chinese Communist party's sentiment in Taiwan (as corruption is the biggest problem in China). It is interesting to note that such opinion is very different from some Taiwanese netizens viewpoint that the Taiwanese ruling party KMT is trying to please CCP with Chen's life imprisonment (via Portnoy's post).
Helen17162 in Hong Kong Discussion Forum disagreed with such association,
陳水扁的例子同反共有什麼關系呢？法律面前人人平等，人類生存才有希望，台灣加油啊，給中國共產党一個好好的警鐘，貪官的下場，沒有明天社會是黑暗的。中國要同台灣談統戰，共產党好好改革喇，走向民主法律的社會才是中華民族之褔。
(P.S the thumb nail picture is from NF daily news)

author: Winglok Hung


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China: Here comes the Laowai  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Uln from Chinayouren blogs about an experimental performance for testing people's reaction towards foreigners (Laowei) who wrote a T-shirt with big Chinese characters  “laowai has come!” and “laowai has left!”


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China: Verifying reports of Ai Weiwei’s surgery · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Joel Martinsen from DANWEI translated a blog post by Liu Xiaoyuan verifying the fact that Ai Weiwei, a prominent artist and activist in China, has been hospitalized for cranial surgery related to a scuffle with police in Chengdu a month ago. Ai Weiwei's blog has his latest photos taken from the hospital in Germany after the surgery.


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Costa Rica: Media Portrayal of African Immigrants · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Alejandro Vargas Johannson criticizes the Costa Rican media for the manner in which they portrayed African immigrants that recently arrived by boat as criminal delinquents, and not as victims [es].

author: Eduardo Avila


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Czech Republic: Sidewalk Parking · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Parking on sidewalks in the Czech Republic – at The Czech Daily Word.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Egypt: A Coptic Presidential Candidate?  · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

In September 2005 Ayman Nour of Al Ghad Party and No'man Goma'a of New Wafd Party nominated themselves against President Hosni Mubarak. Nour was charged with fraud and Goma'a was accused of insanity!
Since 2000, Gamal Hosni Mubarak  has the been groomed to be his father's successor as the next president with no apparent opponent. In August 2009, Gamal Mubarak launched his Sharek [participate] initiative where he launched an open online forum (Sharek) where he promises to address all the questions posed by young internet savvy Egyptians himself. Later on, Egyptian singer Mohsen El Sayad decided to campaign for Gamal Mubarak in his own way [Arabic Song]. The song is titled Gamal Mubarak … Why Not?
Rumor has it that Omar Soliman, Chief of the Egyptian General Intelligence Services, is an eligible presidential candidate. In June 2009, a blog and Facebook group  were dedicated to support Omar Soliman.
Today Mohamed Abdel Salam of Bikya Masr reported: Coptic lawyer throws hat in for Presidential run:
In a new unprecedented move, Coptic lawyer Mamdouh Ramzy declared his willingness to nominate himself for Egypt’s 2011 presidential elections, becoming the first person to put his name forward for a possible run for the country’s top job. Razmy said in an exclusive interview with local newspaper al-Youm al-Saba’a that the rumors concerning his candidacy were true.
“I am the first Coptic Egyptian that will run for the presidential elections, after meeting all the requirements prescribed for nomination to this post, which is the first top post in Egypt,” he said.
As for the Church's stance, the blogger notes:
The Orthodox and Protestant churches in the country welcomed the decision by the prominent Coptic lawyer to run, saying that this decision is evidence of national unity, due to the existing conditions for a presidential candidate. Ramzy is a leading member of the Constitutional Party.
However, the country’s Catholic Church said they consider the nomination as “contrary to the constitution.”
Priest Salib Matta Sawiris, a priest at the Church of Saint George, said that “the church welcomes the first Coptic to participate in the political life with this idea that he wants to nominate himself for the post of President of the Republic.”
But, he argued that it is not easy and that “it makes sense that a candidate for this position would be a candidate following the religion of the majority,” meaning a Muslim. Sawiris explained that the church welcomes any Egyptian meeting the conditions for the nomination, but he sees this as “a waste of time,” because when someone wants to lead an electoral campaign, “there must be a study and a plan before doing so.”

author: Marwa Rakha


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Egypt: A Marginalized Middle Class · Global Voices
Nermeen Edrees

Mohamed, from Traveller Within, analyzes the Egyptian Middle class, and acknowledges
the presence of a parallel middle class that is being deliberately marginalized. In his post he stressed the importance of inter-class reconciliation in order not to lose such an influential societal category.

author: Nermeen Edrees


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Jamaica: development or destruction? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Snailwriter reports on the illegal bulldozing of an area of forest near Jamaica's sensitive Martha Brae River. “The situation … well illustrates why the destruction of Jamaica's natural resources continues unabated.”


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Pakistan: Back Home And Starting A New Life · Global Voices
Faisal Kapadia

Flour delivery and distribution in an IDP Camp. Image by Olaf Kellerhoff, used under a creative commons license
After nearly two months of living in squalor in temporary camps the internally displaced people (IDPs) of the Swat region of Pakistan were allowed to go back home from July 13th. Although there were several complaints of lack of proper medical facilities on the way back and there was less focus on the available transport facilities, the whole country seemingly exhaled a sigh of relief with the hope that the suffering of these displaced people would diminish when they are back home. Some IDPs however are still reluctant to commit to this exercise, as the way back is fraught with problems and the security situation is still in flux.
At Teeth Maestro Awab Alvi interviewed a district government official in Mardan about the situation on the ground, the official has requested to remain anonymous:
“With regard to the return of IDPs, he said that he had spoken with the Naib Nazim of Buner two days ago, who insisted that the conditions in the area were not suitable for anyone to live. There had been widespread destruction in the entire district. However, people wished to leave as soon as possible. They said, even if you make us a Taj Mahal here, we will not stay.”
Pak Factor took an interview of Bakhtmal, another displaced person from Swat. It tells the same story:
“If we go back we will be living in darkness as the infrastructure has been destroyed. There is no electricity or communication facility,” he said. “My fields and my livelihood have been destroyed so there will be no way that I will be able to make a living when I go back,” he explained. “This means that we will be reliant on external aid and will probably have to live in tents as our homes have been damaged and are uninhabitable.”
Pakistan Politics evaluates the journey of these IDPs back home describing the latest situation:
The most remarkable aspect of the Malakand operation is the return of displaced people. An estimated 1.8 million refugees have returned, 80 per cent back to the division and 90 per cent in Swat, confounding the doomsday predictions of many foreign observers. This would not have happened if they did not feel reassured about their safety. Public concern about the militants will not evaporate overnight, but the return of the IDPs is an important indicator of growing normalcy. Handling the displaced persons was rightly seen as a critical test of the operation. Their swift and largely orderly repatriation marks an important accomplishment.
The Jazba blog brings pleasant news for the people of Swat, a sign of returning to normalcy:
NWFP Government on Friday decided to reopen Swat Museum while all homework has been finalized in this regard. During Rah-e-Rast Operation by the Pakistan Army, Swat Museum was closed for an indefinite period of time and all the heritage of the Museum was shifted to Peshawar to safeguard it.However after complete/successful operation of the Security Forces and safe return of all IDPs, all offices have been reopened. As law and order situation is improving in Swat, NWFP Government has decided to open Swat Museum.
The government has also been claiming  that a total sum of Rs 5.75 billion in cash grants have been distributed to the IDPs returning home for their rehabilitation.
Whatever may be the case, the whole exercise of displacement and return has been a great and horrible tragedy in the history of Pakistan. There is only one lesson to come out of all this, rehabilitation is by no means an easy task for any government especially on the scale that it had to be handled in Pakistan. The good news is that with many hurdles and difficulties still to come, at least many of the displaced families are now starting a new life.

author: Faisal Kapadia


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Pakistan: Shifting The Blame For Stampede Death · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kalsoom at CHUP: Changing Up Pakistan informs that yesterday at least 19 women were killed in a stampede while collecting food in one of the poorest neighborhoods in Karachi. “In the wake of this heart-breaking incident, it seems we are all trying to find a scapegoat,” comments the blogger as an eyewitness even blamed the crowd of women gathered for food for being impatient.


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Panama: Demolition of Historic Buildings · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Orlando Acosta of Estación Tropical [es] is worried about the demolition of several “emblematic buildings” in Panama City, Panama.


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Panama: The Arepa Buzz · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In Panama, Rob Rivera writes that the shop in Via España that sells arepas, a popular food in the country, is deserving of all the buzz that it has been receiving as of late.


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Peru: Looming Problem of the Inambari Hydroelectric Power Station · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

The name Inambari does not mean very much to Peruvians. Some of them may think of it in relation to the Inambari River, which flows through the Cuzco, Puno and Madre de Dios regions. Others may think of the Alto Inambari district in the Puno region of Sandia or the Inambari district in the province of  Tambopata in the Madre de Dios region. In fact, this far off area of the country has almost been completely forgotten. However, recently there has been news about Inambari and all of it is about the hydroelectric power station.
In March 2009, it was announced [es] that a Brazilian construction company (OAS) would invest approximately 4 billion dollars to build a hydroelectric power station that would be located in the Inambari, Madre de Dios region. However in 2008, there was talk [es] of an even bigger financial investment. The aim of this Brazilian firm is to supply energy to the Brazilian state of Acre, producing around 2,000 megawatts.
Many people are impressed by the sheer size of this project. For example in the blog Infaestructura Peruana [es]  (Peruvian Infrastructure) the blogger states  that “It will be the largest electric power station in the country and the fifth biggest in South America” while the blog Desarrollo Peruano [es] (Peruvian Development) emphasizes progress being made in the region: “It goes without saying that the area will receive a substantial sum in royalties from electricity in the future. This is one of the benefits of large projects.” This optimism is shared by the commenters of this post and they believe that this hydroelectric power station will bring prosperity to the region and the country.
There are dissenting voices regarding this notion of development and earning profit, and they are now being listened to. The first concern is related to the ecological harm that will be caused by the dam that will practically be located in the area of the National Park of Bahauja Sonene, as was officially stated by the Intercultural Communication Services (SERVINDI): “The Inambari hydroelectric project directly threatens the area and indirectly the park.” This park will also be affected by the construction of an Interoceanic highway.
Many residents of Puno are also completely against the project upon learning of the project. As mentioned in the Puno newspaper Los Andes [es], local organizations like the Association of Rural Educational Services (SER) concludes that even the future Inter-oceanic highway will be affected by the power station. “According to the description of the reservoir for the hydroelectric dam, 106.1 kilometers of highway will be submerged beneath water.”  According to an opinion piece, there is also a problem of lack of information [es] made worse with the absence of the region's Congressional representatives.
The blogs are not unaware of the situation. For example, the blog Cuarto Ambiente [es] (Fourth Environment) publishes a press release from the Management Committee of National Park BS from last May which mentions that:
El proyecto, amenaza directamente la Zona de Amortiguamiento e indirectamente al Parque Nacional Bahuaja Sonene, hogar de miles de especies únicas en el mundo y declarada maravilla natural por la National Geographic Society, por la alteración sin precedentes de los ecosistemas de la cuenca del rio Inambari, por la modificación de su curso principal y sus afluentes, que estaría propiciando a futuro, una posible invasión de colonos de esta área natural protegida.
The project threatens the buffer zone and indirectly the National Park  – home to thousands of unique species and declared a national treasure by the National Geographic Society – because of the unprecedented change in the ecosystems of the Inambari river basin and because of the changes in its main course and its tributaries, and which would encourage a possible invasion of colonizers of this natural protected area in the near future
Aldo Santos, who blogs in Exegesis [es], publishes a post after visiting Puerto Manoa, one of the areas that will be affected by the dam, which follows an earlier post about the subject:
Hoy, lejos ya de Puerto Manoa, sigo preguntándome, ¿cuál será el destino de las miles de familias que tendrán que dejar sus hogares para iniciar otra vida en un lugar diferente, porque el gobierno decidió construir una hidroeléctrica en sus tierras?, ¿realmente vale la pena deforestar, inundar, alterar los ecosistemas, para vender energía eléctrica al Brasil?, ¿cómo nos beneficiamos los peruanos?, ¿cuánto hemos desarrollado ahora que las cifras del canon minero o gasífero se han incrementado?
Además de discutir sobre las ventajas y desventajas de un proyecto como la Central Hidroeléctrica del Inambari, habría que preguntarse cómo este proyecto se articula con nuestra visión del desarrollo de la Amazonía en regiones como Cusco y Puno –mayoritaria y predominantemente andinas-, si existe o no dicha compatibilidad o qué otra propuesta de desarrollo alternativa tenemos como región. Discusión necesaria, para acabar con reduccionismos simplistas que ven a “la selva como una despensa del ande” y consecuentemente como un lugar al que hay que ir a explotar depredar y destruir para obtener el mayor beneficio posible.
Today, far from Puerto Manoa, I continue to ask myself what will become of the thousands of families that will have to leave their homes to start a life in a different place because the government decided to build a hydroelectric dam on their land? Is it really worth deforesting, flooding, altering the ecosystems to sell electric energy to Brazil. How will this benefit Peruvians? How much progress, if any, have we made now that the royalties on gas and the mines have increased?
In addition to arguing about the advantages and disadvantages of a project like the hydroelectric power station, various questions must be posed:  how does this project fit within our understanding of development in the Amazon in regions such as Cusco and Puno, which are predominantly Andean; is the hydroelectric project really compatible with this understanding and what other options do we have? This debate is necessary, in order to stamp out misleading thinking such as “the forest as a Andean pantry” since the logic of such thinking is that the forest is a place to exploit, slash and burn, and ruin in gain the greatest benefit possible.
These types of conflicts between the government and residents have historically led to roadblocks, strikes, and clashes. Maria Isabel Guerra in Las Burbujas Recargadas [es] wonders whether this will be the next battle in the country:
Los pobladores puneños actualmente se encuentran movilizándose y profundamente preocupados y con razón: la represa requerida para la proyectada gigantesca hidroeléctrica de Inambari crearía un lago de nada menos que 412 km2 … La población afectada obviamente ya está exigiendo ser informada de las implicancias del proyecto para su medio y su vida, pero al parecer estas demandas de información no estarían siendo debidamente atendidas,
Y mientras los puneños tienen muy claros sus recuerdos, parece que a nuestros políticos y autoridades ya se les olvidaron las cosas que pasaron en Ilave y el recientísimo episodio de Bagua, situaciones ambas causadas por lo mismo: por pensar irresponsablemente que se puede ningunear a la gente, especialmente la de las provincias más alejadas de Lima, sin que haya ninguna consecuencia.
The Puno residents are currently mobilizing and are deeply concerned and with reason: the dam for this giant hydroelectric power station is supposed to create a lake of no less than 412 km2 in size. The people affected obviously wish to be informed about the implications of the project on their livelihoods and their lives, but it seems that their request for information is being ignored.
And while the Puno residents have very good memories, it seems that our politicians and authorities have short ones, they have forgotten about Ilave and the very recent episode in Bagua, a situation caused in the same way: namely politicians thinking that they can treat people like dirt, especially in the provinces furthest from Lima, without suffering serious consequences.
There is more information in the blog Inambari Dignidad [es] (The Dignity of Inambari). In this forum [es], there is a wide range of opinions for and against. Peruvian citizen Marc Dourojeanni wrote an article that raises question about the project [es].  Another article by Javier Rodriguez Pardo, an Argentine journalist, writes that this project is part of a trend in South America of “Highway Robberies.” [es]

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: 1999 Apartment Bombings · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eternal Remont reports on the coverage of “twelve heroic Russian citizens” who are still looking for answers in the 1999 apartment bombing case “that pulled Russia into a second war with Chechnya and secured Putin's place in the presidency.”


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Russia: Matryoshkas · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Culture Blog writes about Sergiev Posad and matryoshkas, the Russian wooden dolls, that are made there.


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Russia: Photos of Borovsk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

RussianKafe highlights Flickr user zaykivi‘s photos of Borovsk, a town in Kaluga Region: “Besides its historical value, there is a subtle atmosphere of something close to your heart, where you feel at peace and blessed. Near a monastery, if you sit down on a bench, you don’t want to leave, whether you believe in God or not.”


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Trinidad and Tobago: budget “daggering”? · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Writer Attillah Springer blogs her most recent newspaper column, comparing the Trinidad and Tobago government's annual budget presentation with the violent “daggering” trend in dancehall music.

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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USA: Use of the Term “Illegal Immigrant” · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Marisa Treviño of Latina Lista takes a look at President Obama's recent use of the term “illegal immigrant,” and his change from earlier usage of “undocumented immigrant,” and what the ramifications.


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Afghanistan: Growing presence of Taliban · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding reports that Taliban now has a permanent presence in 80 per cent of Afghanistan, up from 72 per cent in November 2008 and 54 per cent in 2007.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Afghanistan: New Blog in Kunar · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust writes that the Kunar Provincial Reconstruction Team in Afghanistan has a blog with news and some great pictures.


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Afghanistan: Rethinking “Af-Pak” · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding analyzes the shifts in understanding of the Afghanistan politics by the West, as more politicians are rejecting the idea of linking policy for Afghanistan and Pakistan.


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Afghanistan: Riots in Ghazni, the Province Falls · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Joshua Foust reports that the strategic province of Ghazni in Afghanistan is falling to the Taliban with increasing presence of its “Radio Shariat” in the area and violent anti-government riots in the city.


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Anguilla: sailing life · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Montague Kobbe posts a review of a new book about sailboat racing in Anguilla. “There is something innate, something intrinsic, that links Anguillans to seafaring and boat building – after all this might be the only island in the West Indies where cricket is not the most popular sport.”


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Barbados: tourism focus · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

Barbados Free Press asks if the country's tourism authorities are paying enough attention to potential visitors in the Americas. “We’re chasing after the Chinese market which is fine, but why should we be ignoring a substantial market that is much much closer?”