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Venezuela: Dialogues on the Dialogue  · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

Attempts at a dialogue between students and the police in Caracas, Venezuela. Copyright Demotix Photo by Carlos Becerra (February 15, 2014).
After two months of incessant street movements marked by violence and the death of many students, the Venezuelan crisis finally saw an attempt at a dialogue between the government and the opposition. The meeting was broadcasted on national television and intensely discussed on social networks. There, people shared different parts of the debate and ideas surrounding the political and social crisis in Venezuela. Nonetheless, when reading between the lines in most of these conversations, a lot of uncertainty about the future and an unanswered question about the conflicts between political factions and the economic situation is shared by all.
On Twitter, the hashtag #DiálogoVenezuela [es] (Venezuela dialogue) continues to grow in popularity with different opinions, and more questions can be found under #PreguntasSobreElDebate [es] (Questions on the debate).
Marleny Martinez [es] responds to criticisms of the opposition, which often accuse them of being coup leaders or part of the ultra-right wing:
Cuándo vamos a entender que los de oposición somos demócratas. NO es el pensamiento único lo que nos une. #DiálogoVenezuela
— Marleny Martínez (@MarlenyMZ) April 11, 2014
When are we going to understand that we in the opposition are democrats. NO is the only thought that unites us.
Meanwhile, Ángel David Sardi [es] sees the debate as a senseless game:
¿Esto es un 11 pa 11 y el balón es Venezuela? ¿Así? #DialogoVenezuela
— Ángel David Sardi (@AngelDavidSardi) April 11, 2014
Is this 11 for 11 and Venezuela's got the ball? Like that?
Andrea Bernal [es], on her end, stresses the absence of objective mediators that could act as a type of thread amidst the discussion:
¿Y dónde esta el mediador? Debe haber un moderador que no sea de ninguna de las partes. #Dialogovenezuela
— Andrea Bernal (@andrebernal26) April 11, 2014
And where is the mediator? There should be a moderator that does not belong to any part.
As a criticism, Gustavo Mavare [es] points out the error of government spokespeople in insisting on the achievements of early years of the Hugo Chávez government:
Mientras el pueblo necesita soluciones, el gobierno se dedica a pensar en el pasado. Triste realidad #DialogoVenezuela
— Gustavo Mavare (@TavoMavare) April 12, 2014
While the people need solutions, the government is dedicating itself to thinking about the past. Sad reality.
Meanwhile, Patricia Gutiérrez [es] is suspicious of the intentions of the government's dialogue:
En Venezuela queremos PAZ! Pero una Paz auténtica! No una dictadura q se disfraza de oveja con la palabra ‘diálogo’
— Patricia Gutierrez (@patrigutierrezf) April 7, 2014
In Venezuela, we want PEACE. But an authentic Peace! Not a dictatorship disguised as a sheep with the word “dialogue”.
Through a more reflective and analytical approach in his post Diálogo y Conciliación [es] (Dialogue and Reconciliation), Nicmer Evans notes the progress made by the dialogue and lists some of the key aspects behind the organization and outcome of the conversations:
El diálogo como práctica política no es sólo una alternativa, sino el instrumento fundamental de su práctica en una sociedad global donde la democracia se ha asumido como el sistema universal que rige las relaciones humanas.
En Venezuela, el diálogo entre sectores fuertemente polarizados en principio por concepciones ideológicas, pero hoy más que nunca, por intereses de poder, se plantea como “una necesidad”, posterior a dos meses de violencia urbana
Dialogue as a political practice is not just an alternative, but rather a fundamental instrument of its practice in a global society where democracy has been assumed as the universal system governing human relationships.
In Venezuela, the dialogue between sectors that are strongly polarized in principle by ideological concepts, but today more than ever, power interests, arises as “a necessity” after two months of urban violence.
Similarly, the blogger analyzes what can be seen in the background for both sides:
La convocatoria y aceptación del diálogo por parte del gobierno es visto por algunos sectores radicales del proceso revolucionario como un síntoma de debilidad […].
De igual manera, dentro de la oposición, la aceptación al diálogo sólo es reconocida por aquel sector que aunque no ha cuestionado las acciones violentas en las calles de diversas ciudades del país, no han convocado a las mismas .
The invitation and acceptance of dialogue on behalf of the government is seen by some radical sectors of the revolutionary process as a sign of weakness […].
Similarly, within the opposition, the acceptance of a dialogue is only recognized by the sector that has still not challenged the violent actions in the streets of various cities throughout the country, have not called for the same.
And on the process of the dialogue itself as well as the role of the most extreme sides, he says:
[…] debe ser manejado con la prudencia necesaria y con el discurso más favorable para generar la inclusión, no sólo de los moderados sino de los radicales, excluyendo a los extremistas violentos, para obligarlos a ceder.
Cualquier asomo de un gobierno de conciliación activaría al sector extremista del chavismo, colocando a Venezuela en un abismo que generaría satisfacción sólo a aquellos sectores que responden a intereses trasnacionales. Pero, aún sin un gobierno de conciliación, la pérdida de las conquistas sociales logradas en el gobierno de Chávez, basadas en una más justa distribución de la renta petrolera, sería otro detonante pero ahora de un conflicto social.
[…] it should be handled with necessary caution and with a more favorable discourse to generate inclusion, not only from the moderates but the radicals as well, excluding violent extremists, to force them to give up.
Any hint of a government of reconciliation would activate the extremist sector of chavismo, placing Venezuela in an abyss that would generate satisfaction for only those sectors that respond to transnational interests. But, even without a government of reconciliation, the loss of the social gains made in the Chavez government, based on a more just distribution of oil revenues, would be another trigger, except this time for a social conflict.
Also approaching it analytically, Luis Vicente León published his opinions on the role of the representatives from both political groups and the results of this exchange on Prodavinci [es]:
¿Qué se ganó? Aunque es muy temprano para proyectar el futuro de estas reuniones y estamos en una fase todavía muy incipiente, se abrió un espacio del tipo de diálogo político que es natural en cualquier dinámica democrática del mundo y que en Venezuela, hasta ayer, era inexistente
El gobierno se presenta a la reunión unido y organizado. Más allá de las múltiples diferencias internas que tienen, el riesgo externo de la oposición en la calle los unifica. En el caso opositor el tema se complica. El conflicto la divide entre moderados y radicales y, además, entre políticos y estudiantes. Nadie individualmente representa a toda la oposición ni puede garantizar el fin del conflicto con un acuerdo de su parte.
What was achieved? Although it is very early to project the future of these meetings and we are still in the very early stages, a space for a political dialogue was opened that is nature in any democratic dynamic in the world and that in Venezuela, until yesterday, was non-existent.
The government presented itself as united and organized at the meeting. Beyond the multiple internal differences that they have, the external risk of opposition in the street unifies them. In the case of the opponent, the issue becomes more complicated. The conflict divides it between moderates and radicals, and furthermore, between politicians and students. Nobody individually represents the entirety of the opposition nor can they guarantee an end to the conflict with an agreement on their part.
And finally, he comments:
Es evidente que aunque todos son importantes en el diálogo, el éxito o fracaso del mismo pasa por lo que Maduro esté dispuesto a hacer para rescatar el equilibrio del país. Y al gobierno le sobraban oportunidades antes del debate de ayer.
It is evident that everyone is important in the dialogue, the success or failure of it goes on what Maduro is willing to do to redeem the balance of the country. And the government had plenty of opportunities before yesterday's debate.
The hours of debate that kept most Venezuelans, both within and outside of the country, glued to their television screens and computers continue generating responses. Some of them full of distrust, other hopeful of seeing a door to reconciliation opening after over a decade of conflict between political views and social classes. The interventions, in their entirety, can be seen on Albaciudad.org [es] and more comments with respect to this can be heard on the political HangOut with bloggers Luis Carlos Díaz and Naky Soto [es], where they comment on the interventions and their possible implications.

author: Laura Vidal


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“Bring the Bottle”: Youth Activists Behind Bars in Azerbaijan · Global Voices
Arzu Geybullayeva

Political demonstration in Azerbaijan. Photo by Jahangir Yusif, used with permission.
When Maxim Gorky wrote about revolutionary workers in his 1906 novel, “The Mother”, little did he know that a century later, social uprisings and revolutions would still be affecting and influencing the lives of people around the world.
He might not have imagined that in December 2013 in Azerbaijan, a young man would read “The Mother” in his prison cell and, saddened by difficult circumstances yet full of pride at having a heroic mother, be inspired to write a letter to his own mother.
The young man’s name is Zaur Gurbanli. He is one of eight members of an Azerbaijani youth movement called N!DA whom I witnessed undergoing court proceedings in Baku on April 15, 2014. Together with his seven colleagues, Zaur was charged with incitement to violence, illegal drug possession, illegal possession of explosives, and hooliganism. By the end of April 2014, Zaur and his cohorts will probably be charged with an additional series of grave crimes, none of which any of these young men has committed. The Prosecutor General has asked for a sentence of eight years in prison for each of the young men.
Last December, Zaur wrote to his mother, Sakina:
“Hi (smiley). I have read Gorky’s novel “The Mother”. In the book, the mother is aware of the truth about her son, just like you….I read it with much difficulty. It is like he was writing about all the things you had to endure…. You know what I remembered? There is this cartoon. The children’s mother gets sick and asks her children for water. None of the children bring her water. Then, the mother turns into a bird and flies away. And the children come running with the water splashing. They are crying.
“When I was a child, I was afraid you, too, were going to turn into a bird and fly away…. I read Gorky’s novel. I considered everything you have done while I've been in prison. I was sure this mother will never get sick of her children…. In these past 8 months, I feel like you have aged at least eight years because of me. If life went according to the the plot in the cartoon, you would be long gone by now. And I would be running after you with buckets full of water. But you haven’t turned into a bird (smiley)….
“I have inherited everything from you. You brought me to this world twice (smiley). That is why I am a very lucky man. That is why I am proud of you. I have a mother worthy of novels.”
Zaur’s mother, Sakina, can see her son only during prison visits and court hearings. It has been 11 months since she was able to sit down with her son for dinner, or have a conversation that didn’t involve police officers, courtrooms, or handcuffs. The mere experience of standing before the presiding judge and navigating the justice system of Azerbaijan, makes her a hero indeed. On my recent visit to Baku in April, I was able to meet the heroic mom- a woman of strength indeed. Even the guards stood still as she spoke to her son during the boys’ April 15 hearing.
Case in point: On April 1, a police vehicle transferring defendants to jail stopped in front of the prison entrance, turned off its engine, and one of the officers threw in a tear gas canister into the car. This came in response to the defendants’ pleas that the car doors be opened, as one of them, a young man called Ilkin Rustamzade, suffers from asthma. The prison service has promised to look into the case, but a competing narrative maintains the prisoners were attempting to escape. The presiding judge dismissed the petition to investigate the case as an example of torture, saying the claim was unfounded.
Azerbaijani police are notorious for their poor treatment of captives. This is how Mammad Azizov, another of the detained members of the N!DA movement, recalls his interrogation [az]:
“The investigator got confused. He left to speak on the phone. A man named Azer took me to the room and started beating me. He called someone on the phone and said, “bring the bottle.” A man arrived with a baton. I was glad it was not a bottle. He beat me on my head, on different parts of my body. The beating continued for 15-20 minutes. Then they called another man and took me to his room.
“His name was Mamay; they addressed him as “boss.” Mamay continued beating me with his fists and kicking me, while Azer beat me with the baton. They beat me continuously for an hour. They said I had to testify against Rashad [another arrested member of N!DA]. I said I would not do it. Then Mamay said I had to choose between being raped by a person, or with a bottle. I said I don't want either. He rested a bit, then they continued beating me….”
Trumped up charges
If you examined the charges against activists, journalists or advocates currently in jail or in pretrial detention, you would find hooliganism, tax evasion, substance abuse, illegal possession of drugs, and illegal possession of weapons with intent to use against the government. Someone who doesn’t know the country well would think that most of Azerbaijani's youth are drug addicts who buy or trade arms in their spare time, while building bombs and mixing chemicals in their non-existent basements. And of course all of this illicit behavior is caused by that menace known as social media.
But it is not just the youth that are a threat to Azerbaijan. There is an older generation of troublemakers who also engage in many of these illegal behaviors. Anar Mammadli, the Chairman of Election Monitoring and Democracy Studies Center has been in pretrial custody since December 2013, on bogus charges. He is accused of tax evasion, illegal entrepreneurship, abuse of office, and more. His organization has been involved in observing elections for over a decade, reporting on election fraud. If convicted, he faces up to 12 years in jail.
Ilgar Mammadov, political analyst and chairman of the opposition group REAL (Republican Alternative), was convicted together with Tofig Yagublu, columnist and deputy chair of the opposition political party Musavat on March 17, 2014. The two men were found guilty of instigating violence on January 24, 2013, during a visit to the northern town of Ismayilli. The town was the site of anti-government riots, in response to indecent behaviour on the part of a relative of the local governor. Mammadov and Yagublu had travelled to Ismayilli to find out more about the situation and were arrested during their visit.
The other side of the rainbow
While the government is engaged in a witch-hunt, curtailing the freedoms of people like those mentioned above, certain other Azerbaijanis enjoy an unfettered life. These include government officials and their families and relatives, whose lives remain untouched by everyday realities, whose businesses flourish, and who are never man-handled by the Azerbaijani police.
It is no secret that public servants and MPs in Azerbaijan are engaged in business enterprise, though the law prohibits it. Corruption is at a record high, with Transparency International ranking Azerbaijan 127th among 177 countries.
And here's the icing on the cake: on May 16, Azerbaijan will assume the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. And there's no doubt that the country will do its best to promote its image abroad. Not the image of a country that tortures its citizens, of course, but perhaps of a gentler nation that offers detainees the option of a being raped with a bottle instead.
Back in that court room, my heart ached as I watched those eight young men. They were there because Azerbaijani authorities are intimidated by the intelligence of the country's youth, who deserve none of the treatment they are getting. Seeing Zaur Gurbanli and his colleagues smile and exchange messages with their friends and families, uncertain what was in store for them and yet standing firmly on their feet passing jokes, was an image I felt the whole world should see. But there were few people to witness it, and fewer still will think of this image as the Council of Europe welcomes Azerbaijan to the chair with wide grins on their faces.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Arzu Geybullayeva


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Caribbean: Kids & Technology  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Caribbean diaspora blogger Tobias Buckell says that the biggest surprise about living with five year olds is “their uptake of [tech] devices.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Facebook Post Spells Legal Trouble for Russian Charity · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Judge Putin. Images remixed by Andrey Tselikov.
A Facebook post that got one Russian journalist fired last month continues to make trouble on the RuNet. Earlier, RuNet Echo reported [Global Voices report] that Alexander Erenko of Perm was canned after he re-posted a tongue-in-cheek status update calling for Putin to invade his city, just like he did with Crimea, in order to improve living conditions there. Ironically, at the time, Roman Romaneko, the author of the original post [ru], was not affected. However, this soon changed.
Two weeks later, on March 17, 2014, Romanenko reported [ru] that no less than the governor of Vologodsk (Romananenko's home town) had filed a complaint against him with the local prosecutor's office because of the jocular post. Romanenko also said that because of the complaint he was quizzed by an investigator from the prosecutor's office, who asked him if he had proof that living conditions in the region were as deplorable as his post suggested:
Вопросы были такого плана: есть ли у вас факты и документы, свидетельствующие о развале сельского хозяйства? Ответы были такого рода – отъедьте на десять километров от Вологды и сами посмотрите.
The questions were of this sort: do you have facts and documents that show that local agriculture is breaking down? The answers were of this sort — take a trip ten kilometers away from Vologda and take a look yourself.
Romanenko seemed to deal with the inconvenience in good spirits, although he did note that “a sense of humor isn't a bad quality for a politician to have.” This type of harassment, he continued, might give the region a reputation of a place where people are “persecuted for jokes.”
The powers that be apparently did not heed this gentle warning — two weeks later, on April 4, a local healthcare charity that Romanenko helms ran into legal trouble, which he says [ru] is politically motivated:
Сегодня четыре сотрудника отдела областного УВД из отдела по борьбе с экономическими преступлениями начали оперативно-розыскные действия в отношении благотворительного фонда «Хорошие люди», который я возглавляю. Изъяты и вывезены все бухгалтерские документы. […] в стадию обострения все перешло после моего шуточного обращения к президенту о вводе войск в Вологодскую область.
Today four members of the regional Internal Affairs department for economic crime began investigating the charity fund “Good People,” which I am the head of. They have confiscated all accounting records. […] the whole thing entered an acute stage after my jocular entreaty to the president to invade the Vologodsk region.
After Novaya Gazeta covered [ru] this story a few days later, it began to spread through social networks, including the popular VKontakte news community Lentach [ru] (formerly run by Lenta.ru, but given over to the users when the old editorial team left the newspaper). Novaya Gazeta later reported [ru] that this led to an attack on Lentach by a team of bots, after Kuvshinnikov, the governor of Vologodsk, demonstratively left the community.
It seems that Romanenko's troubles might be just starting. Yulia Arsenieva, another person associated with the “Good People” charity, wrote [ru] on April 9 that investigators began interviewing sick people who were helped by the fund in the past. For now, she says, they are summoning people with hematological disorders, “those who can walk on their own.”

author: Andrey Tselikov


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Facing Economic Challenges, China’s Growth Slows  · Global Voices
Holly

China's gross domestic product (GDP) grew 7.4 percent in the first quarter of 2014, the slowest rate since the third quarter of 2012, a sign for some that the world’s second largest economy is on a downward trajectory.
The growth beat earlier forecasts, but was down from the 7.7 percent rate from the same period last year.
Shanghai city skylines. Screen grab from Youku.
Other data released showed that industrial output rose by 8.8 percent in March compared with a year earlier, a figure lower than expected. Retail sales in March registered a growth rate of 12.2 percent, pointing to the government's efforts to step up domestic consumption.
Earlier data showed signs of stress in the Chinese economy. In the first quarter of the year, imports and exports shrank, according to the National Bureau of Statistics of China.
The new figures released on April 16, 2014 came a week after Chinese Premier Li Keqiang pledged that the country would not resort to stimulus packages in the face of a slowing economy. During the financial crisis in 2009, China added fuel to the sluggish global economic growth with its massive domestic stimulus plans introduced to prop up the Chinese economy.
Now as Europe and the US slowly recover from recession, China is mired in a set of economic challenges ranging from a slowing growth rate and the financial risks stemming from problematic shadow banking.
The Chinese government under its currently leadership has set the economic development growth rate for 2014 at 7.5 percent.
On Twitter-like microblogging service Sina Weibo, user “Can't find object” warned of the potential danger of a slowing economy:
欧美人口基本稳定了，经济体系工业体系也稳定了。中国人口现在还在增长，而且经济体系也没全面转型到工业化现代化自动化，所以经济增长缓不得，一缓就是大量的就业压力和失业问题。但也不能太多，太多了就是虚高，或者是透支性成长
The population growth in Europe and America has practically stabilised, so has their economic systems. The Chinese population is still growing, and its economy still hasn't reached a stage where a large degree of industrial automation and modernisation can be seen. Therefore, our economic growth can't be slowed, or else the problem of unemployment will arise. But it can't be too high either, or else it would be a growth model that comes at the expense of other things.
Daina complained about the authenticity of the figures released by Chinese officials:
从不相信统计局发布的数据！假打。
I never believe the figures by the National Bureau of Statistics, they are fake.
Finance researcher Dongdeng assured:
6%至8%的GDP增长率，将是我国未来30年的适度增长区间，这也是保证高质量经济增长的重要前提。地方政府切莫喜快贪功，不顾长远利益及经济增长质量，片面追求高速度，结果一定是透支后代、害人害己的。当务之急必须推行经济转型、产业升级战略。一季度GDP同比增7.4% 仍在合理区间。
The growth rate of between 6 and 8 percent is the appropriate range of growth for China in the next 30 years. This is also the premise of high-quality growth. Local governments should discard short- sightedness and not aim for just the rate of growth, or else it will do much harm to our future generations. What is urgent for us to do is to strive for economic reconstructing and industrial upgrade. The growth rate of 7.4 percent is still within the reasonable range.

author: Holly


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87-Year Old Gabriel Garcia Marquez Dies · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Colombia Nobel laureate author Gabriel García Márquez passed away on Thursday, April 17, 2014, in Mexico City. He was 87 years old. Colombian network Caracol posted a chronology [es] of his life.
On Twitter, user Pepin Balongo expressed his sorrow:
Ya no son cien años en soledad; a partir de ahora será una eternidad en soledad; adiós Gabo.
— Pepín Balongo (@PepnBalongo) abril 17, 2014
There are no more a hundred years of solitude; from now on, it will be an eternity in solitude; goodbye Gabo [author's nickname].

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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Is Valparaíso’s Wildfire Result of Neglect by Municipal Government? · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Photo of wildfire in Valparaíso by Flickr user Leonardo Maldonado, under license to CC Attribution-NonCommercial 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC 2.0).
A report [es] from Chile's Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIPER) has stirred up a story of neglect and corruption about how, since 2012, local authorities have been aware of the danger posed by the extensive growth of underbrush in the hills and ravines around Valparaíso as well as the proliferation of garbage dumps in these same areas —all of which contribute to a situation ripe for wildfires. But not even the blazes that ignited in 2013 provoked a reaction from local government. So now, the search for those responsible has begun.
In the midst of the ravages left by the massive wildfire in Valparaiso, a new inquiry commission will be appointed by the Chamber of Deputies in the coming week. The goal: to determine the amounts and those responsible for this latest corruption scandal in the city's administration […]. The investigation of this new regional scandal, which has once again focused its attention on another million dollars allegedly diverted to political campaigns, may turn out to be the one that paints the clearest picture of the extent to which corruption is entrenched in regional government and from which not a single party has escaped.

author: Juan Arellano


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Jihadist Boko Haram Intensifies Its Deadly Campaign in Nigeria · Global Voices
Nwachukwu Egbunike

Smoke and flames billow from the police headquarters car park in Abuja, Nigeria. Boko Haram claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing. Photo by Ayemoba Godswill, copyright Demotix (29/4/2013).
Nigeria is at war with Boko Haram, an Islamic jihadist terrorist movement based in northeast Nigeria, northern Cameroon and Niger that is responsible for thousands of deaths in the last several years.
In recent weeks, the group has intensified their campaign of slaughtering innocent and hapless Nigerians. Last week, members killed over a dozen students who were travelling to write their pre-university entrance examination in Borno State. Boko Haram is suspected to be behind a bus station bomb blast in Nyanya in the capital Abuja, which left more than 70 people killed.
A few days ago, the group abducted about 100 girls from the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, about 130 kilometers west of Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria.
Last year, Boko Haram opened fire on students at the College of Agriculture in Yobe state, gunning down dozens of students aged 18 to 22 while they slept in a dormitory. A timeline of the organization's killings from 2012 is detailed in this post.
Many Nigerian netizens, shocked by these latest crimes, have blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the deteriorating security situation in the country:
While The Federal Government and its security chiefs have perfected how to write condolence speeches, BOKO HARAM continues to grow..
— Aaliyah (@TalesMallory) April 16, 2014
Others think the president is not doing enough:
Boko Haram does as it pleases and the President is busy making silly campaign speeches. The irresponsibility, the rascality is unbelievable!
— Malcolm O. Ifi, Esq. (@saymalcolm) April 16, 2014
@toluogunlesi praised Nigeria's National Security Adviser Colonel Sambo Dasuki:
To his credit Dasuki launched impressive anti-terror strategy last month. If only presentations saved lives | http://t.co/43eHCCBDwP
— tolu ogunlesi (@toluogunlesi) April 14, 2014
Who finances Boko Haram, asked Henry Bature Okelue:
I hope one day, the government will one day announce to us the unmasking of the financier and mastermind behind Boko Haram.
— Henry Bature Okelue (@4eyedmonk) April 14, 2014
Nigeria states where Boko Haram operates. Photo released under Creative Commons by Wikipedia user Bohr.
One Twitter user called for the slaughter of all Boko Haram members:
Murder is the only acceptable resolution in this case. Every single member of Boko Haram should be slaughtered.
— #Kayode (@Unkle_K) April 16, 2014
Horror for the killing and anguish for the victims:
i still don't understand how boko haram abducted 200 girls from a school, i'm still just spinning
— Apollonian (@jvson_) April 16, 2014
# BokoHaram upducting 100 girls is an abomination. Goodluck Jonathan must now declare full scale military war on BokoHaram. Wipe them out.
— Alphayo Nyakundi (@AlphayoNyakundi) April 16, 2014
@onigabby1 wondered if Nigeria still exists:
Is Nigeria still Nigeria? Or federal republic of boko haram. My condolence to victim of the bomb blast.
— ONI GABRIEL (@onigabby1) April 16, 2014
What is the solution?:
“@9ja_travel: solution to this Boko haram terrorism?”There is really no solution, d spate of their activities can only be reduced.
— kolawole olawole (@kholarr_ola) April 16, 2014
@LovBwise urged activists to protest:
Twitter activists can we please protest this weekend against the sponsors of boko haram?
— MaXiNze (@LovBwise) April 16, 2014
@opinion_river took a measured stance:
President Goodluck Jonathan did not create Boko-Haram. The sect existed before his coming into power. But he has not done enough to crush it
— opinion_river (@opinion_river) April 16, 2014
Some called for prayer:
Please let take 5 minutes between 12-12.05noon to say this Prayer:- GOD send help to the defenceless girls abducted by Boko Haram in Borno
— Mz. ‘Damie (@queensaldam) April 16, 2014
While others called for more than prayer:
So while praying for those plagued by Boko Haram, strategy MUST come forth from the place of prayer. #noxveritas
— Abdul Masih (@damilar3) April 16, 2014
User @naitwt held out hope:
Last RT. The terrorists + their sponsors & sympathizers come to Distract, Demoralize & Destroy – but they will Fail & We will Prevail
— Noel Ihebuzor (@naitwt) April 15, 2014

author: Nwachukwu Egbunike


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Linda Jaivin: Sex, Sinology and the Translator · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Linda Jaivin – Photo: Jade Muratore
Linda Jaivin is a renaissance woman who describes herself as a secular humanist. Born in New London, Connecticut, USA, she has been an Australian citizen for over twenty years, after many years studying and working in Taiwan and mainland China.
Linda's activity is prodigious. The list of hats she wears includes translator, interpreter, anthology editor, poet, novelist and playwright. Her written works include short stories; essays; novels such as the comic, erotic “Eat Me”; historical fiction such as “A Most Immoral Woman”; and non-fiction such as the outrageous “Confessions of an S & M Virgin”.
Words that apply to Linda: stimulating, challenging, quirky, provocative, original, salacious, graphomaniac. Her writings and her conversations take us many unexpected or unfamiliar places. She may once have shocked much of her audience, but Linda has helped expand the openness of public discourse. As the Wheeler Centre video interview shows, she can be in your face, but in the friendliest way.
There is a lot more than sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll in Linda’s box of tricks. Whether she’s exploring Tiananmen Square or the treatment of refugees, her mixture of the personal and the political does not brook political correctness. She regularly pops up on panels and in interviews, not just as a writer but also as a commentator on national current affairs programs such as the ABC’s Q&A.
As a translator, Linda especially loves film work. Her subtitles for many well-known Chinese films include “Farewell my Concubine” and “The Grandmaster”.
“The challenge is to make the translation as short, direct and simple as possible and yet convey both sense and emotion. You have to consider what information viewers will be getting from the soundtrack and the picture as well. It’s like a puzzle. It’s also very nice to have your name pop up in the end credits of a film by someone like Wong Kar Wai or Chen Kaige, even if no one except your mother actually sits in the theatre long enough to see it.”
She hasn’t yet experienced the downside of being in the public gaze. “Writers, even ones like me with a performing streak, aren’t ever going to be ‘celebs’ in the way that rock stars are. We don’t tend to get mobbed when out shopping, or have paparazzi trying to photograph us dressing badly (writers dressing badly is hardly news—many of us work in our pajamas). Sometimes people in restaurants send over drinks, saying they like my novels, or people on buses come up to me to talk. Nothing I’d call a ‘pitfall’.”
She has no preferred genre. “When I’m writing erotica, I like erotica best. Then I stop to write an essay and revel in the art of writing essays. Etcetera. I love all kinds of writing. Each presents subtly different challenges and offers subtly different joys. I feel like my latest novel, The Empress Lover (April 2014, Fourth Estate HarperCollins), although fiction, combines quite a few of my literary loves including translation, history, and the essay.”
Her comic and satirical side is one of her strengths. “I’m something of an infernal optimist, I suppose. But I think it’s because writing things that make people laugh makes me laugh while I’m writing. I like to enjoy myself.”
Her views on a range of political and social issues place her clearly on the progressive side of politics. “I consider myself a secular humanist. I believe that as individuals we owe our fellow human beings respect, consideration, and compassion and that as a society we must look after the most weak and vulnerable among us. When governments display a lack of respect and compassion towards the weak and vulnerable, it distresses me (and my visits to asylum seekers in detention was a deeply revelatory and distressing experience). I want to use what influence I have as a writer and an individual to try to move others to think about these issues and maybe even act on them.”
Asked how her life as a translator might unfold from now on, she responded: “As it has up till now—a mix of long-term projects and ideas and random opportunities. I’m writing this in Beijing, fresh from being asked by a Chinese rocker to translate the lyrics to all his songs—with the idea that some can be sung in English. Not something I’d planned to do, I’m already pretty busy and it’s a very hard call. So I said yes.”
Her advice for today’s youth, who are often blamed for not fighting to fix the environmental and social mess they have been born into, is concise and pointed. “Know that some of us have wanted to fix the mess all our lives as well. But it’s a pretty big mess. Pick your battles. Do your best. Good luck.”
If you haven’t encountered Linda before, please visit her website and choose one of her many offerings. Her Goodreads page also has lots of valuable links and information.
Her latest writing includes the Quarterly essay Found in Translation: In Praise of a Plural World and her historical novel about China The Empress Lover.

author: Kevin Rennie


text:
Meet Suzanne Lehn, Co-Editor of Global Voices en Français  · Global Voices
Marie Bohner

[The interview was conducted in French by Marie Bohner. All links forward to French-language pages unless otherwise stated].
Suzanne Lehn defines herself as a long-time media addict. She has been a Global Voices collaborator since 2008 and is thought of as a second “mother” by Global Voices in French authors and translators (Claire Ulrich, also co-editor of Global Voices in French, is the first “mother”). Meet the 66-year-old geek who shuns narrow-minded thinking and unfailingly challenges herself to conquer new horizons from both a media and human perspective.
Suzanne Lehn. Photo by Stève Duchêne, used with permission.
Global Voices (GV): How do you explain your passion for media?
Suzanne Lehn (SL): Je suis passionnée de médias depuis l'enfance. J'avais une prof d'histoire au lycée qui nous faisait tenir un cahier d'actualités, pour lequel nous devions lire chaque jour un quotidien. Quand la plupart de mes camarades avaient choisi les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, j'avais, gourmande déjà d'élargir mes horizons, choisi Le Monde. A la maison, c'était presque religieux : à midi, avec mes parents, on écoutait les informations à la radio. Mes parents ayant vécu les deux guerres mondiales, ils craignaient toujours l'avènement d'un troisième conflit. Lors de l’insurrection de Budapest en 1956, je me souviens de l'atmosphère de peur qui régnait autour de la table. Incroyable aussi l'affaire des alpinistes Henry et Vincendon, toujours en 1956, dont on avait suivi l'agonie sur le Mont Blanc en direct, car ils avaient une radio, mais que les secours ne pouvaient pas atteindre. J'avais 9 ans à l'époque. En 1963, on était suspendus à la radio pendant l’assassinat de Kennedy. Au-delà de l'inquiétude, il y avait chez moi une intense curiosité, une façon, en suivant l'actualité, de s'ouvrir au monde et de ne pas rester dans le petit cercle fermé de la famille.
Suzanne Lehn (SL): I have had a passion for media since my childhood. I had a history teacher in high school who made us keep a book of news stories and we had to read a newspaper every day. While most of my classmates chose the paper Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, I was already keen to broaden my horizons and chose Le Monde. At home it was almost religious: at noon, I would invariably listen to the news on the radio with my parents. My parents lived through both world wars, and they lived in perpetual fear of a third conflict breaking out. During the 1956 Budapest uprising, I remember the prevailing sense of fear around the table. Another incredible episode in 1956 was that of mountaineers Henry and Vincendon, who perished ascending the Mount Blanc. We followed live their agonising wait because they had a radio but the rescuers couldn't reach them in time. I was 9 years old at the time. In 1963, we were glued to the radio following Kennedy's assassination. Much more than worry, at home there was intense curiosity. In a way, by following the news, we opened ourselves up to the world rather than staying closeted within the family.
GV: How has the Internet and social media changed the media in general?
SL: Avec internet, on entre dans l'ère de l'immédiateté. C'est un élargissement : par opposition, tout ce qui est local paraît encore plus rétréci. Avec internet on peut se fabriquer son propre menu. Les journaux, la télévision nous donnent un sommaire imposé, le même pour tous. Sur la toile, on peut partir à la pêche aux informations en se fiant au hasard. Que va apporter la timeline de twitter aujourd'hui ? Qu'ont posté les amis sur facebook ? On obtient des visions plus personnelles de l'actualité, avec observations et commentaires. On y trouve aussi des sujets qui ne sont pas abordés par les médias traditionnels, car ils ne satisfont pas les annonceurs.
SL: With the Internet, we have entered the age of immediacy. The world seems to always be expanding. In contrast, everything local appears to be even more parochial nowadays. With the Internet, you can devise your own “media menu”. Newspapers and television impose on us a one-size-fits-all type of news.  On the web, we can take a more serendipitous approach to reading the news. What's going to appear on my Twitter feed today? What have my friends posted on Facebook? We get a more personal view of the news, including observations and commentaries. You will also find topics which the mainstream media don't deal with because they don't interest the advertisers.
GV: Secularism, immigration, national identity, French political viewpoints, Roma: the majority of the subjects you write about and translate for GV have strong links to identity. What message do you hope to send?
SL:Mon but est de prendre le contrepied de l'usage qui est fait de l'identité dans la politique, notamment dans la politique française d'une certaine époque. J'ai voulu mettre en lumière les coulisses très nocives du Ministère de l'Identité Nationale qui avait été créé en France.
SL: My aim is to take a stand against how identity is used in politics, especially in French politics, which recalls a not so glorious era of our history. I wanted to shed light on the harmful impact that the Ministry of National Identity had when it was created in France.
Suzanne Lehn. Photo by Stève Duchêne
GV: Multilingualism is also at the heart of your concerns.  Why is multilingualism important?
SL: Avec des langues différentes, on peut élargir son cercle, aller au-delà de sa propre langue, on peut dialoguer, en direct ou via les médias sociaux. C'est aussi une question de curiosité, de plaisir intellectuel! Je dois beaucoup à mon oncle Georges Schmidt, qui était au nombre des polyglottes extraordinaires. Il a grandi dans une famille alsacienne typique, pas particulièrement éduquée, bilingue comme on peut l'être en Alsace, et a développé son talent sans qu'on comprenne vraiment d'où ça venait. Il a assisté aux début des Nations Unies, où il a été d'abord traducteur, puis réviseur, puis il a fini sa carrière à la terminologie. Il a appris plus de 60 langues, et en parlait une douzaine couramment. La passion de sa vie, c'était de collectionner des dictionnaires et des livres de grammaire, un livre pour chaque langue existante. Il avait établi sa propre classification. A son décès, je me suis occupée de ses livres et je les ai donnés au Collège de France notamment. Mon oncle aurait souhaité que je soie traductrice aux Nations Unies, et je regrette vraiment qu'il ne puisse pas voir mon travail à GV aujourd'hui. Il aurait sans aucun doute été fasciné par un outil comme GV.
SL: Through different languages we can open up the circle that was limited to our own language. We can maintain a dialogue, either face to face or via social media. It is also a matter of curiosity, and intellectual pleasure. I owe a lot to my uncle Georges Schmidt who was one of the great polyglots of his time. He grew up in a typical Alsacian family, not having access to top schools, but being bilingual is the norm in Alsace, and he developed his talent without anyone really understanding where it came from. He contributed to the beginnings of the United Nations, first as a translator, then as an editor and then towards the end of his career he became a terminologist. He learned over 60 languages and spoke a dozen fluently. His lifelong passion was collecting dictionaries and grammar books, one book for each language. He created his own classification system. When he died, I took responsibility for his books and gave most of them to the College de France. My uncle would have wanted me to be a United Nations translator, and I truly regret that he can't see my work today with GV. He would, without a doubt, have been fascinated by a platform like GV.
GV: What languages do you speak?
SL: Français, évidemment, c'est ma lange maternelle. Je parle aussi anglais et allemand, et puis à un niveau moindre, mais ex æquo, russe et espagnol. Je continue à étudier le russe en ce moment. J'avais aussi commencé à apprendre l'arabe il y a un moment, et j'aimerai y revenir.
SL: French, of course, as it is my mother tongue. I also speak English, German, and then Russian and Spanish to a lesser degree. I am studying Russian at the moment. I also started learning Arabic a while ago, and I'd like to take that up again.
GV: What is the GV spirit?
SL: GV, c'est d'abord l'ouverture et la communauté, un groupe de personnes avec des objectifs concordants et qui travaillent ensemble dans un esprit très amical. J'ai rejoint GV en 2008, alors que le noyau dur et expérimental était déjà en action depuis 2004/2005. A mon arrivée, le projet Lingua venait de démarrer et l'anglais était la langue véhiculaire. L'équipe de traduction française était petite, une petite dizaine de personnes. Aujourd'hui il y en a plus de 100. En 2010, les articles ont commencé à être écrit en langues locales, ce qui a démultiplié GV. La structure de GV s'est à la fois étoffée, alourdie et professionnalisée. La possibilité d'écrire dans sa propre langue a permis aux groupes linguistiques, notamment les lusophones, d'explorer considérablement leur créativité. Alors oui, les choses changent beaucoup et vite, mais il ne faut pas s'accrocher à l'organisation telle qu'elle était à ses débuts. C'est fascinant de regarder dans quel sens les choses vont. Parfois, le multiculturalisme joue des tours : la culture de l'information à l'anglo-saxonne et celle à la française sont très différentes… Il y a un équilibre à trouver entre la cohérence d'ensemble de GV et la liberté de chaque groupe culturel.
SL: GV is firstly about openness and community, a group of people with comparable objectives who work together in the spirit of friendship. I joined GV in 2008, though the experiment at the core of the project had been underway since 2004/5. When I arrived, the Lingua project had just launched and English was the working language. The French translation team was small, just a dozen people. Today there are over 100. In 2010, articles began being written in local languages, which augmented the size of GV. The GV structure all at once grew and became more structured and professional. The possibility of writing in their mother tongue allowed language groups, especially Portuguese speakers, to explore their creativity more widely. So things can change quickly and one should not hang on to the nostalgia of how the organisation was when it just started out. It is fascinating to see the direction in which things have moved. Sometimes, multiculturalism is tricky: the Anglo-Saxon information culture is very different from that of the French. A balance needs to be found between the overall cohesion of GV and the freedom of each cultural group.
GV: Given that you spend three to four hours a day on social media and follow at least ten blogs per week, which blogs would you want to recommend right now?
SL: Je papillonne beaucoup sur internet, et c'est un exercice difficile de faire des choix! En français, j'aurais envie de parler d'un blog très original, neuf et frais, humoristique et caustique, c'est une femme qui tricote l'actualité, et ça s'appelle Délit Maille. Je recommande aussi le blog en français et bambara de Boukary Konate, pour découvrir la sagesse des villages et des proverbes du Mali. Et enfin, bien sûr, je n'oublie pas l'Alsace avec le blog de Lovely Elsa. Pour les blogs en anglais, je suis avec attention celui d'une égyptienne, Suzeinthecity [en], qui publie des photos de graffitis : les photos sont superbes et l’Égypte au cœur de l'actualité. Et enfin, pour les photos aussi, il y a le blog Before They.
SL: I browse around a lot on the Internet, and it's quite a task to choose what to read. In French, I'd like to give a shout out to a really new, fresh blog which is humorous with a bite: it's a woman who knits the news and it's called Délit Maille. I would also recommend the French- and Bambara-language blog by Boukary Konate as an introduction to Malian village wisdom and proverbs. And finally, not forgetting Alsace of course, the blog written by Lovely Elsa. For blogs in English, I closely follow one written by an Egyptian woman, Suzeinthecity [en], which posts photos of graffiti. The photos are superb and Egypt is at the heart of current affairs. Lastly, also for the photos, I recommend the Before They blog [en].
GV: Do you have any advice or tips to share with bloggers?
SL: En tant que lectrice, je suis très sensible à la forme, au soin apporté à écrire. Cela conditionne la possibilité de rentrer dans l'écrit de quelqu'un. Par ailleurs je recherche aussi des textes et des visions personnelles, originales, car internet est plein de gens qui ne font que reprendre des choses déjà dites.
SL: As a reader, I am very sensitive to the attention paid to the written form. This makes it possible to relate to someone's writing and be absorbed into it. I also look for texts and viewpoints that are personal and original because the Internet is full of people who are simply rehashing what's already been said.
GV: What do you think is on the horizon in terms of new technology?
SL: J'ai assisté à re:publica à Berlin en 2012, j'en ai profité pour rencontrer des nouveaux blogueurs du monde entier. C'est un événement à vivre, au moins une fois, si ce n'est tous les ans, au mois de mai à Berlin. Il y a des sujets pointus, techniques et technologiques, et mais on y parle aussi d'art, d'actualités, de politique.
SL: I took part in re:publica in Berlin in 2012, which gave me the opportunity to meet bloggers from all over the world. It is an event to be experienced at least once, if not every year, during the month of May in Berlin. It covers specialized content related to technology, but it also covers arts, current affairs and politics.
Suzanne Lehn. Photo by Stève Duchêne
GV: Would you like to add anything else?
SL: Je voudrais remercier Claire Ulrich, à qui je dois tout, puisqu'elle m'a initiée non seulement à GV, mais aussi à internet, en général et en particulier ! Bien sûr je pense aussi à tous les amis très chers que j'ai rencontré grâce à GV: Abdoulaye Bah, Boukary Konaté et tant d'autres.
SL: I'd like to thank Claire Ulrich, I owe her everything because she introduced me not only to GV, but also to the Internet in general. Of course, I'm also thinking about all of the dear friends I've made thanks to GV: Abdoulaye Bah, Boukary Konaté and so many others.

author: Marie Bohner


text:
Would Confucius Support the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan?  · Global Voices
I-fan Lin

Opinions are divided in Taiwan following the end of #CongressOccupied protests against a secretly negotiated trade deal with China. Members of the movement left the country's legislature on April 10, 2014 after occupying the building for more than three weeks.
Protesters conceded after the speaker of the Legislative Yuan, as the Taiwanese Congress is called, promised to pass legislation monitoring future agreements proposed by the executive branch before deliberating on the current Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement (CSSTA). Some had worried the deal would make Taiwan vulnerable to political pressure from Beijing.
While members of the Sunflower Movement, as the protests were dubbed, exited the building, protesters from the Free Taiwan Alliance and the Alliance for a Referendum on Taiwan decided to continue their public gathering outside the legislature. However, they were forcibly removed from the scene by police on April 11 at 7 a.m.
In response, 2,000 protesters demonstrated outside the police station. The next day, supporters of the police also organized a gathering criticizing the protesters for disturbing public order.
Online, some have questioned protesters’ voluntary exit from the Legislative Yuan, while others believe the protest against police has shifted the attention away from the trade agreement to police violence.
Many pro-government and pro-police comments have emerged. There are quite a number of debates concerning who is to blame for the aggression against protesters.
Lidance looked into the two different positions that the Taiwanese generally take on the Sunflower Movement in a blog post:
學生控制立院議場後，網路上立刻出現「挺學運方」（以下簡稱A）與「挺政府方」（以下簡稱B）的大規模混戰。
我認為A的倫理思考是「批判式」的，B則有很濃的「直覺」傾向。
A方，也就是挺學運方，當他們看到衝突暴力的場面，思考的並不是暴力的表面道德價值，而是暴力的意義：「為什麼他們要採用暴力？」
B方，即挺府院方，當他們看到暴力場面，會運用道德直覺給予評價，包括否定學生暴力與肯定警方的國家暴力。
After the students occupied the legislature, we could see the furious debate on the Internet between the pro-protester side (A) and the pro-government side (B).
I think the A side is more “analytic” in their thinking and the B side tends to be more “intuitive”.
When the pro-protester A side witnessed violence, instead of making a direct moral judgment of the violence, they reflected on its purpose and ask, “Why do they use violence?”
When the pro-government B side witnessed violence, they evaluated it based on their moral intuition, and they opposed the students’ violence and accepted the police and the government’s violence.
Political satire of a peaceful protester by Nydia Chen and reposted by Med Front. CC BY-NC 2.0. The Buddha was chained with all the “requirements” of a peaceful protest, including: lawful, rational, no disruption, no demand, no social cost and etc.
Some believe the pro-government opinions are rooted in Confucianism, an ideology that has great impact on Chinese society. In Taiwan, there is an ongoing discussion on  on whether Confucianism can get along with democracy.
Wang Li believed that pro-government and pro-stability opinions are rooted in Confucianism in his blog:
就從這次太陽花學運作為標準，讀者可以從自我身邊看到很多例子，足以佐證這個被儒家思想控制的結構存在。
他們之所以反對學運，是因為既有的秩序被破壞…他們反對的是階級的上下關係被打破，學生本分就是聽大人的話念書，好好的磨練十年爬上來，怎麼現在突然爆紅成了領袖。他們真正反對的是，這個穩定的結構不可以被破壞。
什麼結構？子女要對父母跪拜、學生要對老師問安、人民要對官員的決策信服。所以學生反抗是錯的，因為晚輩不可以指導長輩，也不能沒有禮貌。
If we look at people’s reactions toward the Sunflower Movement, you can observe a lot of examples that prove the psychological structure of our political society is rooted in Confucianism.
They oppose the student movement because it disrupts the social order… What they oppose is the disruption of the relationship between the dominate classes and the subordinate classes. Say, the students should listen to the adults and study hard, then they will have their chance to climb up the social ladder after ten years. How come these students became so popular and became leaders of society overnight? What they really object to is a disruption of societal stability.
What is the stable social structure that they have in mind? In such a society, children should bow to their parents, students should pay respect to their teachers, and people should obey the government. As a result, the students’ resistance must be wrong. The young should not teach the old what to do, and the young cannot be impolite.
Wang continued:
結果呢？憲政問題不重要，但學生不讀書超重要。執政黨執政無方幾年沒關係，反對黨打架抗議三天就不可以。產業政策失敗沒差，學生不可以阻擋更差的政策上桌就是。工商大老自己營運無方也無所謂，反正開除的都是基層員工跟中階幹部。
The result? These people think that the violation of the constitution is not a big problem, but if the students skip their classes, that is a big issue. The ruling party’s failure to lead the country for years is not a problem, but the opposition party fighting back and protests that last for a few days are unacceptable. The failure of industrial policy is not a problem, but the students’ objection to the policy is a big problem. [According to their logic], the incapable bosses do not need to leave, but the workers and middle ranking staffs should leave.
On the other hand, some argued that even Confucius himself might rethink the CSSTA and protest against it. Lidance quoted the words of Confucian Chinese philosopher Mencius:
孟子見梁惠王。王曰：「叟不遠千里而來，亦將有以利吾國乎？」
孟子對曰：「王何必曰利？亦有仁義而已矣。王曰『何以利吾國』？大夫曰『何以利吾家』？士庶人曰『何以利吾身』？上下交征利，而國危矣。萬乘之國，弒其君者，必千乘之家；千乘之國，弒其君者，必百乘之家。萬取千焉，千取百焉，不為不多矣。苟為後義而先利，不奪不饜。未有仁而遺其親者也，未有義而後其君者也。王亦曰仁義而已矣，何必曰利？」
學生也知道自由貿易是不可逆的大勢，但更重要的是社群內部的利益分配與人際關係維持。有錢，但是家破人亡，好嗎？你賺到很多錢，但原本台灣的社會關係崩解了，好嗎？
“When Mencius met King Hui of Liang, the king asked him, ‘Since you have traveled a long way to see me, do you have some suggestions to profit my country?’ Mencius said, ‘Why does your highness ask me about profit? Benevolence and justice are more important. If your highness asks about what to do to profit your country, your courtiers would ask what to do to profit their families, and the common people would ask what to do to profit themselves. If everyone focuses on profiting themselves, this country is in a dangerous situation. On a large scale, if what everyone thinks about is profiting himself instead of justice, a courtier who owns 1,000 chariots would kill his king who owns 10,000 chariots, and a courtier who owns 100 chariots would kill his king who owns 1,000 chariots.
It is simple mathematics. People would not stop grabbing others’ belongings until they were satisfied with what they have. On the other hand, a man who is benevolent would never leave his family behind, and a man who believes in justice would never kill his king. Your highness should ask about benevolence and justice instead of profit.”
These students understand that free trade is an unstoppable trend, but it is more important to benefit everyone in our society and keep relationships. If we have money but lose our family and friends, is it a good choice? If we earn a lot of money but lose societal relations in Taiwan, is it a good choice?
Mr. Hsieh, a high school teacher, also quoted Confucius to show that the philosopher would have condemned the injustice in his blog:
「季氏富於周公，而求也為之聚斂而附益之。子曰：「非吾徒也。小子鳴鼓而攻之，可也。」
“Mr. Chi is already wealthier than the Duke of Zhou, but Jan Chiu is still helping him get more money. Confucius said, ‘He [Jan Chiu] is not my student any more, you should beat a drum to condemn him.’”

author: I-fan Lin


text:
Arab World: Farewell Gabriel Garcia Marquez  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Arab netizens mourned the death of Colombian Nobel laureate Gabriel Garcia Marquez, who died on Thursday aged 87 at his home in Mexico City. On Twitter, Yasmine Zohdi puts to words what many feel:
Márquez is dead – a little bit of magic has abandoned the Earth today. — ياسمين زهدي (@YasmineZohdi) April 17, 2014
Jordanian Shaden Abdelrahman notes [ar]:
قلبي الليلة حزين.. #ماركيز — Shaden شادن (@Shad84) April 17, 2014
My heart is sad tonight #Marquez
And Moroccan writer Laila Lalami explains:
No one wrote better about the sin of pride, the corruption of power, and the redemption of love. I will miss you, Gabriel García Márquez. — Laila Lalami (@LailaLalami) April 17, 2014
She also shares her own photograph reading One Hundred Years of Solitude and the impact reading it had on her as a writer:
Me, age 23, reading ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ and wondering how the hell I was supposed to write after that. pic.twitter.com/F87ne19Qjv — Laila Lalami (@LailaLalami) April 17, 2014
UAE columnist Sultan Al Qassemi shares memories of reading that very same book too. He tweets:
RIP Gabriel García Márquez. I recall reading 100 Years of Solitude when my father was in hospital 10 years ago shortly before he passed away — שחררו את פלסטין (@SultanAlQassemi) April 17, 2014
Mohamed AbdelRahman uses the occasion to poke fun at Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who has been in power for 15 years, and who won his fourth term today (April 19, 2014) despite his failing health [ar]:
جميع رؤساء العالم ينعون ماركيز ماعدا بوتفليقة نظرا لوفاته أولا — Mhmd AbdelRahman (@MhmdAbdelRahman) April 17, 2014
All the world leaders mourn Marquez except Bouteflika, who had died before him
Bahraini Eyad Ebrahim adds:
RIP Gabriel García Márquez. Your books will inspire for centuries to come. pic.twitter.com/edb64MCTyG — إياد Eyad (@eyade) April 17, 2014
And Omani Nabhan Salem concludes [ar]:
وداعاً #ماركيز يبقى الإبداع وتموت الأجساد ومثلك لا يموت وقد أشعل الدهشة بنار الفكر والأدب — Nabhan Salim (@Nabhan80) April 17, 2014
Farewell Marquez. Your innovation continues to live after your body is dead. Those like you, who have ignited amazement with the fire of intellect and literature, never die

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Censorship by Litigation in Russia? · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Objection? Overruled! Images remixed by Andrey Tselikov.
It has been a week of revelations for Pavel Durov, founder and CEO of VKontakte, Russia's largest social network. On April 16, Durov made an announcement that VKontakte will not engage in censorship on behalf of Russian authorities, publicly refusing [Global Voices report] to shut down Alexey Navalny's anti-corruption community on the service. In a later interview [ru] he elaborated that his stunt [Global Voices report] with an April Fools’ Day resignation and subsequent return was engineered to counter pressure he was feeling over this incident.
On the same day Durov also announced that when he sold his 12% share in VKontakte back in January (a share which gave him a controlling stake in the company when combined with the 40% held by billionaire Alisher Usmanov, who entrusted Durov his voting rights), it wasn't precisely for reasons he had given [ru] back then — a saintly desire to rid himself of worldly possessions. Rather, it was because he did not want his stake to be used to pressure him when he refused to provide Russian secret police with information [ru] on Ukrainian opposition Euromaidan groups organizing on VKontakte.
Durov said that complying with such a request would have been a “betrayal” of millions of Ukrainians who had trusted him. He also claimed that Russia has no jurisdiction over Ukrainian users of his website. In an interview [ru] with the New Times on April 17 he said that he has no more possessions that can be used as “leverage” against him — an ironic claim from a man with an estimated worth of over $200 million in 2012. Perhaps what he meant was that he has no possessions that Russian authorities and their proxies can get a hold of. Unfortunately, this assumption could be wrong.
Earlier this month, VKontakte minority shareholder investment fund United Capital Partners (UCP), filed a complaint [ru] against Durov for breach of VKontakte fiduciary duty when he was developing his new brainchild — the secure messenger Telegram. UCP alleges that Durov developed the new service using VKontakte funds and resources, as well as his own time, which harmed VKontakte. UCP also alleges that Telegram is in direct competition against VKontakte, which has also harmed the company. Finally, UCP claims damages of 500 million rubles and wants Telegram and all associated IP to come under VKontakte control by way of restitution.
So far, UCP has gained control of three companies registered in the United States and loosely affiliated with Telegram. Durov explained in an interview [ru] to TJournal that these companies own the rights for the Telegram trademark in the US market. However, actual Telegram infrastructure and IP is controlled by Durov and his brother outside the United States (Durov did not specify where). Durov claims that the complaint is frivolous, and that there are “signs of fraud” in the way that UCP is conducting its business.
UCP is Durov's arch-nemesis. Last year it purchased a 48% stake in VKontakte, and is currently the only true minority shareholder (Alisher Usmanov's Mail.ru group controls the remainder). Durov maintains [ru] that UCP's purchase was conducted in secret and therefore illegally. Recently a subsidiary of Mail.ru group filed its own complaint [ru] against UCP with an arbitrage court. If successful Durov will have a chance to buy back some of his shares, and maybe regain control of the company.
It is uncanny that UCP should start exerting pressure on Durov's other interests, just when he is embroiled in conflict with the authorities over Navalny. Perhaps this is an attempt to use “property as leverage,” now that Durov no longer has a stake in VKontakte. Is Durov's confidence that Telegram is out of bounds for players like UCP genuine? Or has he started speaking publicly against censorship because he needs popular support as a way to defend his intellectual property? Only time will tell.


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Chinese Court Rejects Lawsuit Over Lanzhou Water Pollution  · Global Voices
Abby Liu

A Chinese court has rejected a lawsuit filed by five residents against a water supply company in Lanzhou over excessive levels of carcinogenic benzene found in the tap water.
The Lanzhou Intermediate People's Court said the individuals don't meet legal criteria to sue on the public's behalf over pollution under Article 55 of the Civil Procedure Law. The article states that “only agencies and organizations that are stipulated by the law” are allowed to file pollution-related lawsuits. In such cases, only the China Environment Federation under the environmental bureau can file the lawsuit.
A map of tap water incidents in China in the past few years. Images from Sina Weibo.
On April 11, the municipal government asked residents not to drink tap water for 24 hours after tests showed benzene levels in the water supply had reached 20 times the national safety limit. The contamination affected more than two million residents.
Lanzhou, an industrial city of 3.6 million people in northwestern China, depends largely on the Yellow River for its water supply. In recent years, this city has seen a wave of investment frenzy as the state rolled out various initiatives to lift the economic standing of the underdeveloped western regions.
Wang Canfa, an environmental law professor, told Reuters that courts rarely accept lawsuits filed by people exposed to pollution.
Many lawyers think the court rejection itself was unlawful. Professor of Chinese law Xu Xin wrote on popular microblogging site Sina Weibo:
原告只要喝过污染的水，就与本案有直接利害关系，法院应当受理。这是公民提起的普通民事诉讼，法院不受理是违法的。希望更多个人提起诉讼。同时，希望中华环保联合会等依第55条提起公益诉讼
As long as they drank the polluted water, they are direct victims of the case, and the court should accept their complaint. The court is violating the law for not accepting citizens’ civil action. I hope more individuals file the suit. At the same time, I hope the China Environment Federation files public interest litigation.
Netizen “John-Paul” commented:
裁定不予受理尚且法院的一种作为方式；真正令人无法忍受的是不作为。对于特定类型纠纷，法院往往不予理睬。这种行为公然违反《民诉法》，但却是法院所通常采取的策略。
The rejection is the court’s way to deal with the issue. It's intolerable. The courts tend to ignore certain types of disputes. This flagrant violation of “Civil Procedure Law” is how the courts usually deal with such issues.
Wangyi news pointed out the pitfalls of the law in China:
目前中国大部分的环境公害事件原因，均是政府影响环境的渎职、过失以及越权等行为，纵容、增幅了企业的排放、泄露事故等。最典型的例子，是《环境保护法》修正案中钦点的、垄断环境公益诉讼权的“中华环保联合会”，其企业会员中就不乏排放、污染大户。当会员企业牵涉污染环境案件，“联合会”与会员之间的关联关系将直接影响环境公益诉讼的公正程度，并引发公众对于这些案件是否能得到起诉、起诉力度是否得到保证的合理怀疑。
Most of China's current environmental hazards are caused by the government’s negligence towards the companies’ emissions and leakage accidents. The most typical example is the China Environment Federation, which has monopoly rights on environmental public interest litigation. There is no shortage of emissions polluters among the members of the Federation. When the member companies are involved in environmental pollution cases, it will directly affect the fairness of environmental public interest litigation and trigger doubt about whether these cases can be sued and prosecuted.

author: Abby Liu


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Everyone’s “Gabo” · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

Pain undoubtedly overwhelms literature. Gabriel García Márquez, affectionately known as Gabo, was a precursor to “magic realism” and although some of his works were about love, his furies and other fantastic stories about his native village, Aracataca, gained followers in places as remote as China and Iran.
The reaction to Gabo's death was so strong that even papers like The New York Times dedicated a good part of the space on their website to him. Image taken from nytimes.com
His death shocked Americans that have closely follows his work. His reach was so powerful that the acclaimed Oprah Winfrey included “Love in the Time of Cholera” in her selective book club and labeled it “one of the greatest love stories I have ever read.”
On the afternoon of April 17, once his death became public, the White House issued a statement on Twitter using hashtag #GraciasGabo (#ThankYouGabo):
#GraciasGabo. http://t.co/6krPIVgzDO, pic.twitter.com/E7NIo24f3y
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 17, 2014
As seen in most tweets, people dedicated themselves to quoting celebrated phrases from his works:
“A person doesn’t die when he should but when he can.”-Gabriel García Márquez #RIP
— mrs saripali (@leelah_veevie) April 18, 2014
#GabrielGarciaMarquez passes, age 87. Possibly the greatest writer of our time, perhaps among the greatest ever. http://t.co/ezeenCxrqk
— Jonah Blank (@JonahBlank) April 18, 2014
RIP Gabriel Garcia Marquez, a monument in literature, thank you dear man for enlightening my life with your writing.
— Sebastian Roché (@sebroche) April 18, 2014
Thank God for Magical Realism. RIP Gabriel Garcia Marquez
— Marisa (@marisazavala) April 18, 2014
Others, like journalist Ioan Grillo, offered interesting information on the relationship that Gabo had with the United States as a result of his ideological inclinations:
Los Estados Unidos nego Gabriel Garcia Marquez una visa durante 30 anos por ha sido “comunista.” Bill Clinton (fan) al final le dejo entrar.
— Ioan Grillo (@ioangrillo) April 18, 2014
The United States denied Gabriel Garcia Marquez a visa for 30 years for having been “communist”. Bill Clinton (a fan) finally let him in.
Other Twitter users confirmed the friction between Gabo and American diplomacy:
#GabrielGarcíaMárquez debido a sus puntos de vista sobre el imperialismo de Estados Unidos, fue etiquetado como subversivo
— Maria Jesus Pola (@susipolaz) April 17, 2014
#GabrielGarciaMarquez was tagged as subversive due to his points of view on American imperialism

author: Robert Valencia


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Germany’s Migration Commissioner Throws Her Support Behind Migrant Voting Rights in Municipal Elections · Global Voices
Anne Hemeda

A voter places her ballot into the box. Photo by Alexander Hauk for Bayernnachrichten.de, used with permission
In Germany, foreigners with neither German nor European Union citizenship can vote for an Integration Advisory Council in their own communities, but otherwise have no right to vote.
Could this change in the near future? In an interview this weekend with the newspaper Welt am Sonntag, German Federal Commissioner for Migration, Refugees, and Integration Aydan Özoğuz called for all foreigners in Germany to be granted the right to vote in municipal elections:
Alle sollten in ihrem unmittelbaren Wohnumfeld auch mitbestimmen dürfen, was hier passiert. […] Das kommunale Wahlrecht für alle Migranten, die lange da sind, wäre ein ganz wichtiges Instrument. Integration heißt eben auch politische Teilhabe.
Everyone should be able to have a say in what happens in their own neighborhoods. […] A very important tool for this would be the right to vote in municipal elections for all migrants who have been in this country for a long time. Integration also means political participation.
Acting Chairman of the CDU party Volker Bouffier criticized the move, which he said “reduced the right to vote in municipal elections to a right to vote of the lowest order.” In Germany, however, foreigners from the EU can take part in municipal elections; only non-EU citizens are excluded. The radio station Funkhaus Europa asked on Facebook if people think that's fair.
Jasmina Petrović commented:
Richtig, absolut nicht fair. Wenn z. B. jemand aus dem Ausland schon 40 Jahre hier lebt, genau wie jeder andere seine Steuern zahlt, Kinder hier geboren und aufwachsen lassen hat usw., wäre es nur fair diese Person auch wählen zu lassen, ganz gleich, ob auf dem Papier steht, dass sie woanders herkommt.
Right, it's absolutely unfair. If, for example, someone from abroad has lived here for 40 years, pays his or her taxes like everybody else, has kids and raises them here, etc., it would only be fair for this person to also be able to vote, regardless if it says on paper that he or she comes from someplace else.
User Tom Mix pointed out that identification with Germany is difficult when a person cannot participate politically:
Es ist eine Frechheit, dass wir das diskutieren müssen. Es ist eine Selbstverständlichkeit, dass Einwanderer Wahlrecht haben müssen, nicht nur kommunal!!! wie sollen die Einwanderer sich mit Deutschland identifizieren können.
It's shameful that we even have to discuss this. It goes without saying that immigrants must have the right to vote, and not just locally! How else should immigrants be able to identify with Germany?
Darren Tafel wrote that it cannot be fair when citizens are treated equally based on their obligations, but not their rights:
Ich hoffe, dass das eine rethorische Frage ist. Jeder Mensch, der in Deutschland lebt ist gleichermaßen von politischen Entscheidungen betroffen. Ganz gleich seiner Herkunft. Wenn Ausländer vor dem Gesetz genau so behandelt werden wie Deutsche, warum dürfen sie dann nicht wählen wie Deutsche?
I hope this is a rhetorical question. Every person that lives in Germany is affected equally by political decision making. Where they come from doesn't matter. If foreigners are treated like Germans before the law, why can't they vote like Germans?
Dennis Urra noted that a distinction is made between foreigners from the EU and those from outside the EU when it comes to the right to vote in municipal elections:
Entweder es dürfen alle Ausländer wählen oder gar keine. Was soll denn dieses Ausländer 2. Klasse-Gehabe?
Either all foreigners can vote, or none of them can. What is with this “second-class foreigner” attitude?
Twitter users also discussed the commissioner's statement:
Integrationsbeauftragte@oezoguz fordert kommunales#Wahlrecht für alle http://t.co/tYNjzh8ChA Wir auch: http://t.co/XPW6UEtuYV
— Mehr Demorkatie NRW (@mehr_demokratie) April 13, 2014
Commissioner for Integration @oezoguz demands universal right to vote in municipal elections. We do too.
The Chair of the local Dudweiler FDP party Tobias Raab welcomed the universal right to vote in municipal elections:
Initiative zu kommunalem Wahlrecht für alle! Sinnvoll, über ihr direktes Lebensumfeld sollten alle entscheiden! http://t.co/Z3CUYKQodB
— Tobias Raab (@TobiRaab) April 13, 2014
Initiative for a universal right to vote in municipal elections! Now that's sensible. Everyone should take part in decisions that affect the places they call home!
The Speaker of the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen party in Essen Gönül Eğlence called the demand forward-looking:
Endlich zukunftsweisender Vorstoß, wenngleich die @zeitonline etwas platt ist mit der Titelfotowahl. #kommunalwahl http://t.co/BHRVLmm01D
— Gönül Eğlence (@GonulEglence) April 13, 2014
Finally, a forward-thinking initiative, though @zeitonline [online magazine] fell somewhat flat in its choice of cover photo. #kommunalwahl [municipal vote]

author: Anne Hemeda


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Voters Turn Out En Masse in Guinea-Bissau’s First Post-Coup Elections · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Exactly two years and one day after a military coup d'etat interrupted Guinea-Bissau's 2012 presidential elections, Guineans cast their vote to democratically elect their political representatives.
Queue of voters in Amílcar Cabral Avenue, Bissau. “#guineans will elect today [April 13, 2014] a new president and government after two years of political transition resulting from a coup d'etat. #africa #guine #bissau #estado #povo #democracia #eleições #participação #voto #cidadania” Photo by Miguel de Barros (debarros2013) on Instagram
More than 80 percent of the population participated in the general elections on April 13, 2014, in which 13 candidates were running for president and 15 political parties were running for the National Assembly to form a new government. The official lists of candidates [pdf, pt] are available on the website of the National Election Commission (CNE).
A statement [pt] by the CNE right after the polling stations closed said “without clear data, that these general elections have had the biggest turnout of voters ever.”
Ballot boxes for the 2014 presidential and parliamentary elections in Guinea-Bissau. Photo by Filipa Larcher (anafilipa2011) on Instagram
“By turning out in unprecedented large numbers, in a peaceful and orderly fashion, the people of Guinea-Bissau have shown their unequivocal desire for the return to constitutional order in their country”, reacted Nobel Peacemaker José Ramos Horta, the special representative of the United Nations Integrated Peace-Building Office (UNIOGBIS) for Guinea-Bissau and former president of East Timor:
The elections that we have just witnessed, on 13 April 2014, have the potential of being imprinted in the history of the country as the turning point from the painful and chronic political instability that has plagued the country since its independence, to a period of peace, stability and development.
Polling station in Guinea-Bissau on April 13, 2014. Photo by Filipa Larcher (anafilipa2011) on Instagram.
Political and military instability have indeed been a constant feature in Guinea Bissau, a country which has never seen an elected president reach the end of his mandate since its independence 40 years ago. On April 12, 2012, a few days before the presidential run-off, a military coup plunged the country into a crisis with lasting negative impacts at all levels of society.
The general elections of 2014 aimed to put an end to the Period of instability created by the coup, which installed a “transitional government” in power, mediated by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).
“#africa #guine #bissau #eleições #voto #participação #democracia #cidadania #povo (people) make their choice. Nerida Varela, sociologist and monitor of the Group of Civil Society Organizations for the Elections, after casting her vote.” Photo by Miguel de Barros (debarros2013) on Instagram
Domestic electoral observers
The elections saw the increasing involvement of citizens and civil society organizations in the democratic process and its monitoring. New technologies for communication and collaboration also played an important role.
Recognizing the importance of the “full participation of citizens in the functioning of democracy”, a coalition of 15 national organizations – the Grupo das Organizações da Sociedade Civil para as Eleições (Group of Civil Society Organizations for the Elections, GOSCE) – joined forces to run a domestic electoral watchdog by monitoring the pre-electoral period until the day of elections.
Screenshot of the website www.bissauvote.com
From April 9 to 13, GOSCE mobilized a network of about 400 citizen observers throughout the territory, ready to observe, collect and send via SMS data about the electoral campaign, media coverage, civic education activities, and the voting process itself, including turnout and the functioning of polling stations.
The website bissauvote.com, created by GOSCE in partnership with non-governmental organization One World and with the support of the European Union Delegation, provides a map of reports and a search engine by region and topic, as well as statistical reports.
The findings of the civic monitoring throughout the pre-electoral period have been summarized in a report [pdf, pt] that highlights the tone of the speeches by the candidates during the campaign; gender participation; presence of security forces and the independence of the media in the electoral coverage.
“Control tower of the civil society group responsible for the monitoring of the electoral process – www.bissauvote.com.” Photo by Miguel de Barros (debarros2013) on Instagram
In a statement [pt] released after the voting day, GOSCE noted that although there had been reports of “84 incidents throughout the national territory, most of them related with situations of incompatibility of registered voters with the lists of voters”, the elections went well overall and were “generally peaceful”.  The preliminary conclusions taken by the information that was collected throughout the process point out:
1. A campanha eleitoral, em particular os comícios realizados por partidos políticos e candidatos presidenciais, decorreram de forma pacífica sem registos significativos de incidentes de ordem político-partidária. De um modo geral, os discursos dos candidatos e partidos transmitiram uma mensagem pacífica e focalizada nas suas agendas políticas.
2. O esforço de equidade e imparcialidade dos meios do comunicação monitorizados – nomeadamente as rádios privadas e comunitárias – privilegiando a neutralidade no tratamento dos candidatos e partidos políticos.
3. A complementaridade das acções de educação cívica promovidas pela Sociedade Civil e pela Comissão Nacional de Eleições, permitindo o maior esclarecimento dos cidadãos eleitores relativamente ao processo eleitoral.
1. The electoral campaign, particularly the rallies carried out by political parties and presidential candidates, were held peacefully without significant incidents related with parties or politics. In general, the speeches of candidates and parties transmitted a peaceful message and were focused on their political agendas.
2. The effort of fairness and impartiality of the monitored media – including private and community radios – favored neutrality in the treatment of candidates and political parties.
3. The complementarity of civic education activities organized by civil society and the National Election Commission allowed for greater clarification of the electoral process for voters.
Citizen casting his vote in Guinea-Bissau on April 13, 2014. Photo by Filipa Larcher (anafilipa2011) on Instagram.
The electoral results [pt], announced on April 16, confirm a run-off to be held in May between the two presidential candidates that got the most votes: José Mário Vaz (41 percent) from the historical PAIGC party, and Nuno Nabiam (25 percent), running as an independent backed by the military.
For parliament, PAIGC got the majority of seats (55 out of 102), thus the next prime minister will be the leader of that party's parliamentary list, Domingos Simoes Pereira. The Party for Social Renewal (PRS) came in second, taking 41 seats of the National Assembly.
But “elections are only the first stage of a long-term effort to solve problems that have undermined progress for years”, stresses a briefing that has been recently published by the International Crisis Group, titled “Guinea-Bissau: Elections, But Then What?“.
The study enumerates the main challenges that the next elected government will have to face, highlighting that “given the country’s fragility, the political stakes in play, a suspicious military and a weak economy, real transformation will only be possible with strong international involvement, political and financial.” It adds that the country, “where participation in government has been the main method for acquiring wealth”, needs to balance the redistribution of power and resources, as well as “political and military will for reform”:
The new government will have to call into question the privileges enjoyed by senior military officers and carefully resume the security sector reforms that prompted the army to stage the coup.
Citizen and list of voters, Guinea-Bissau, April 13, 2014. Photo by Filipa Larcher (anafilipa2011) on Instagram.

author: Sara Moreira


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How Online Discussions on Whaling Get Twisted in Japan · Global Voices
Keiko Tanaka

whale meat cans piled up at a store. Photo by flickr user masamunecyrus (CC BY NC 2.0)
Following the International Court of Justice ruling on 31 March 2014 that ordered Japan to halt what the country claims as a ‘scientific research’ whale hunt in the Southern Ocean, Japan's e-commerce giant Rakuten has asked its marketplace users to end all online sales of whale and dolphin products including meat, skin and bones by the end of April.
Though the sale of whale meat is legal in Japan, whale meat sellers often use e-commerce platforms. A whale meat seller [ja] in Nagasaki, which began business in the early 1900s, announced their withdrawal from Rakuten :
＜ご報告＞
この度、楽天市場が「鯨肉」を禁止商材に決定いたしましたので４月末日までで、”くじら日和　楽天市場店”は退店となります。
<Announcement>
We will close our store at Rakuten at the end of April due to ban on whale meat transaction
Whaling itself has always been controversial in Japan in regard to international relations, and has been a good topic for teachers to take up the issue in classroom discussion, because opinions vary. However, contrary to the diverse discussions seen in classrooms, opinions in the online environment that are loud and most noticeable are the ones on the fringe.
These opinions often advocate defending the custom of hunting and eating whale meat and are often accompanied by patriotism, when the ruling is specifically against the misconduct of Japan's “scientific research”.
Taiji Town Museum of Whales exhibiting images of traditional whaling fishermen. Photo taken by flickr user daichi (CC BY NC SA)
Conversation on twitter seemed to be dominated by users who were vocally against the world court ruling and Rakuten's ban, while people with differing opinions – and there are certainly many in Japan who think differently from what online comments suggest – remain silent.
Therefore listing vocal, conspicuous comments probably will not reflect overall rounded general discussion. The following quotes are intended to showcase some of the talking points on the Internet, how unhealthy or healthy the discussion may be.
Conservative pro-whaling netizens booed Rakuten's decision. Twitter user Kukkuri commented:
楽天が鯨肉販売を禁止　イルカも、全店舗に通達　http://t.co/23l6beElya　ニュース知って唖然とした。日本包囲網になぜ日本企業が参加するのですか？日本の伝統文化を潰すことがグローバルってことなんですか？
— くっくり (@boyakuri) April 3, 2014
Rakuten bans selling whale and dolphin meat on its platform. All stores are notified. It's an astounding piece of news. Why would a Japanese company want to take part in besieging Japan? Killing traditional Japanese culture means being global?
One particularly loud advocate for Japan's whaling is an American video blogger in Texas who goes by the name of “Propaganda Buster”. He receives echoes of many Japanese followers behind the keyboard. His many Japanese followers call him “Texas Daddy”.
In a YouTube video translated into Japanese by his supporters whose funding is unknown, he aggressively spoke out against controversial marine conversation group Sea Shepherd, which has actively opposed Japan's whaling:
His videos have been successfully exerting influence on Japanese netizens who find themselves suddenly shaping extremely patriotic voices on the Internet.
While Australians gave a high five, Masaaki Sasaki echoes the view of Texas Daddy, and wrote that Sea Shepard would be the most negatively impacted by the International Court of Justice's ruling:
判決を受け、実は最も打撃を受けるのは #シーシェパード。日本が調査 #捕鯨 をやめれば、自分たちの存在をアピールできる反捕鯨キャンペーンを続けることができず、活動の源となる寄付金収入が減るからー捕鯨訴訟判決についての所感 http://t.co/PhAjqw4FSE
— Masaaki Sasaki (@izasasakima) April 6, 2014
In reality, it is Sea Shepard who will be most damaged by the ICJ ruling. If Japan stops the research-driven whaling, they won't be able to continue campaigning against whaling to justify their existence to their audience, and will then lose donations to fund their activities. What I feel about the ICJ ruling
Author Yusuke Hayashi saw it as a cultural issue:
捕鯨禁止。オーストラリアからの輸入牛肉の関税引き下げ。日本人は明治時代まで牛を食べなかった。鯨を食べるのも、牛を食べるのも文化なんだけど。オーストラリアは多文化共生が好きらしいが、捕鯨文化を否定してるじゃん。鯨は食うな、オーストラリアの牛を食えというのはおかしいと思う。
— 作家・林雄介@児童文学者協会会員 (@yukehaya) April 7, 2014
Ban on whaling. Reducing the tariff on Australian beef. Japanese people did not eat beef until the Meiji era [in the late 19th century]. Eating whales and eating beef are both cultural. Australia seems to like multiculturalism, but they condemn whaling culture. I think it is wrong for Australia to say do not eat whales, eat Australian beef.
Sociologist Kasuga Sho pointed out that whaling for so-called scientific research is a problem of euphemisms and misleading labels, similar to labor exploitation under the name of Japan's internship training program for foreign workers:
「技能実習」と称する労働力。「調査」と称する商業捕鯨。そのうち前者もどっかの国から提訴されて負けるよね。「そのころには自分は現役じゃないからいいや」と思っている人が制度を作ってるんだろうけど。
— sho kasuga (@skasuga) April 6, 2014
Labor under the name “technical training” was also defended by some countries in the past, and Japan lost the case. Commercial whaling for “research purposes” seems to be the same idea. I guess both are made by people who think, “This is okay because I will be retired by the time [the program becomes an international problem]”
Sub-editor's Note:
The International Whaling Commission banned commercial whaling in 1986, but Japan is allowed to catch a certain number of whales each year for scientific research and the meat sold as a byproduct. The recent ruling stemmed from accusations from Australia that Japan was using scientific research as a cover for commercial whaling.
Japan has already cancelled next winter's Southern Ocean hunt in line with the ruling, but has assured that other hunts, such as in the Pacific, will continue as planned.

author: Keiko Tanaka


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In Bangladesh, Cycling to Break Free of Dhaka’s Notorious Traffic · Global Voices
Pantha Rahman Reza

Traffic jams are a regular feature in Dhaka. Image by Firoz Ahmed. Copyright Demotix (25/7/2012)
Dhaka is a city rich in history, having been established more than 400 years ago. It is the capital of Bangladesh, with nearly 18 million people residing in its 350 square kilometers.
It is also one of the most unlivable cities in the world, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, and its extreme traffic congestion contributes a lot to this fame. Any visitor to Dhaka will be quick to notice the backed up lines of cars moving at a crawl. The city simply can’t handle the increasing volumes of traffic, and it is a source of stress for many.
Now, some people are finding relief by cycling to break out of the traffic deadlock.
One of them is Palash Ranjan Sanyal. He wrote on the Dhaka Tribune blog:
One morning, I was waiting for to take a rickshaw to the university I attended and I was getting late for the exam that had been scheduled for that day. I waited, waited and waited…
Then suddenly I had the idea that I could use my bicycle. I did that and it took me only ten minutes to get the university, a journey that would usually take about half an hour.
That was it. The start. From that day, I cycle everywhere. It saves enormous amount of time and money. Some days, I do not have my wallet on me and I don’t even notice it.
Riding a bicycle is also the preferred alternative for blogger Sandhi [bn]. He wrote at cadetcollageblog:
ঢাকা শহরের অবস্থা দিন দিন যেদিকে এগুচ্ছে, বাসে বা রিক্সায় চলাফেরা করাটা যেমন কষ্টসাধ্য, তেমন ব্যয়বহুল। আর জ্যামে বসে থেকে তো নাভিশ্বাস উঠে যায় মানুষের। তার মাঝে আমার সাইকেলখানা যেন স্বর্গের বাহন রূপে দেখা দিল। হল থেকে ক্লাস, রাত-বিরাতে বাইরে খেতে যাওয়া, গৃহশিক্ষকতায় এত কম সময়ে, কম কষ্টে সহজে পৌঁছানোর এত সুন্দর উপায় খুঁজে পেয়ে আমার জীবনে যেন স্বস্তি নেমে আসল।
Day after day Dhaka is becoming a hellish city where moving by rickshaw or bus is difficult. It’s also costly. Most of the people feel severe stress when they are sitting in the middle of the road because of a traffic jam. In these circumstances, my bicycle seems like a gift from God. Now going to class from my hall, going outside for a midnight snack or for tuition has become much easier thanks to my bicycle. I’m happy to have discovered this beautiful solution.
A cycle procession on Dhaka University campus for World Cycling Day 2012 and to demand a lane for cyclists on Dhaka streets. Image by Firoz Ahmed. Copyright Demotix (18/9/2012)
Bicycle revolution
Bicycles have been used in Dhaka for years. But the “revolution on two wheels” began in 2011.
Mozammed Haque, the founder of cycling association BDCyclists, is a prime figure behind this revolution. He is a software engineer by profession. During his daily commute, he used to waste one to one and half hours each day due to traffic congestion, so he decided to travel to the office by bicycle.
Soon, his colleagues and others joined in. They formed BDCyclists, which has been mainly active on Facebook. In three years, more than 35,000 members have joined the group to discuss things related to cycling and to network among themselves. From the website of this community:
We are neither an elite athlete group, nor people who are training to compete in races. We are just general people like you who is either a student, a service holder, a business person having a common goal of staying healthy in this stressful Dhaka life and ride for recreation, health, and sheer fun.
Bdcyclists organizes several bicycle rides every week, with titles like bike Friday, critical mass, joshila Saturday, BDC nightriders, beginner’s lesson, and annual grand race. The 10-20 kilometer rides attract as many as 4,000 cyclists.
Now, Bdcyclists is campaigning to turn Dhaka into a “bicycle city” within the next few years. Blogger Aminul Islam Sajib shares how he enjoyed his first session with the BDCyclists community:
I’m not a rider yet, still I feel like starting to get out. I haven’t begun cycling yet, still I had so much fun at today’s session that I can actually imagine how fun it would be to go out on an actual ride.
Here is a video on YouTube shared by Iqbal Hossain, a member of the community:
Girl power
In a country where girls are leered at when they are simply walking down the street, it’s truly inspiring that BDCyclists have more than 100 active female members who take ownership of the streets alongside their male counterparts on bicycles.
Blogger JaJabar Backpacker [bn] lives outside Dhaka and is a teacher by profession. She wrote about her experience with bicycles in Sachalayatan:
আমাদের আবাসিক এলাকার কাছেই আর একটা এলাকা আছে, সেটা ঠিক বস্তি নয়, দিনমজুর-গেরস্ত নানারকম মানুষ থাকেন। কেউ কেউ মোটামুটি ভালোই জীবনযাপন করেন, গরু-ছাগল পোষেন। গত বছর নতুন সাইকেল কেনার পরপরই ঐদিকে গিয়েছিলাম রাস্তা এক্সপোর করতে। বারদুয়েক চক্কর দেয়ার পরে তৃতীয়বার দেখি টিন-ছনের ঘরগুলোর কাছে একটা ছোটখাটো জটলা। সেখানে ছোট-বড়-বুড়ো সকলেই আছেন। আমি কাছে যেতেই হাসি দিলো কয়েকজন, কোনরকম ঠাট্টা নয়, উত্সাহজনক হাসি রীতিমতো।
Near our residential quarter we have an area where working people live. But this is not a slum. Some of them have fairly good living standards. They raise cattle. Last year, I went to explore this area with my new bicycle. After going round the area twice, I noticed that some people had gathered and they were watching me. When I came closer to them, they greeted me with encouraging smiles.
The growing demand for bikes has increased twenty fold, and the government has welcomed the trend. What Dhaka needs now are dedicated bike lanes, a tough request when swarming pedestrians and street vendors occupy the footpaths and even spill over into traffic lanes.

author: Pantha Rahman Reza


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Putting the Brakes on Independent Films in Cuba · Global Voices
Elaine Díaz

Claudia Calviño, independent producer in Cuba. (Photo Raquel Pérez)
Two feature films and a short film by an independent producer did not get permits despite having the necessary financing to start filming. The denial was issued by the Ministry of the Interior (MININT in Spanish), the entity that for several months has been reviewing the scripts and the composition of the technical teams for cinematic projects being developed on the island.
Previously, the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC in Spanish) and the Ministry of Culture were responsible for the review and approval of the scripts.
To demonstrate their discontent with the new measure, several filmmakers sent a letter to ICAIC and the Ministry of Culture. Jorge Perugorría, prominent Cuban filmmaker and star of the film “Fresa y Chocolate” [Strawberry and Chocolate], said [es] there was “a common opinion” among artists that no agency other than the ICAIC or the Ministry of Culture should revise the stories to be filmed.
In statements to the Spanish daily newspaper, El País [es], Perugorría added that “making movies is still somewhat difficult in Cuba, especially in a crisis because the government prioritizes other things.” However, “thanks to digital media and the ability to make low-budget films, seven or eight a year are still made within a very interesting independent cinema, which can be seen in the sampling from this budding cinema.”
Meanwhile, the independent producer Claudia Calviño added the high costs to obtain permits to film in certain parts of the country to the limitations that currently hinder Cuban cinema. “The Office of the City Historian imposes fees of 500 CUC [Cuban convertible peso] per hour of shooting in the historic center of Old Havana,” Calvino said. According to filmmaker Enrique Alvarez, the statement will not be made public. Alvarez said:
es una declaración que hemos hecho a través de nuestras instituciones, porque nos interesaba que nuestras instituciones fueran las que defendieran su espacio institucional de ser quienes den o no este tipo de permiso, como ha sido hasta ahora. Y a nosotros nos tocaría ya discutir con ellos y fajarnos con ellos cada vez que den un permiso o no.
It’s a statement that we’ve made through our institutions, because we wanted our institutions to be the ones who defended their institutional place to be the ones who give or don’t give this type of permit, as it has been up until now. And it would be up to us to discuss or fight it out with them every time they give or don’t give a permit.
In the recently concluded meeting of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba, Álvarez noted [es]:
nunca como hoy la producción cinematográfica se ha extendido por todo el país. Documentales, largos y cortos de ficción se realizan en cualquier rincón con la calidad profesional suficiente como para representar a nuestra cinematografía.
Today like never before, film production has spread across the country. Documentaries and fiction both short and long are made in every corner, with enough professional quality to represent our cinematography.

author: Elaine Díaz