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Uganda & Kenya: In Search of e-Governance · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

Good governance is a slightly abstract concept that describes the process of nondiscriminatory government policies, checks and balances to political power, respect for human rights and effective civil society. This process that has become an important ingredient economists point to leading a country to high economic growth. Development experts also claim good governance is responsible for creating higher levels of human development.
Governments have heard this.  Pushed on in no small parts by grants, corporate and development programs, many countries began leveraging new technologies to increase access to government services. They’ve tried various methods to simplify procedures for citizens, expand transparency and make information available to everyone.
The blog Abugidan Info from Ethiopia draws the parallel between increasing peoples’ access to information and a more healthy political culture.
…the importance of the undeterred flow of information in the sphere of politics and governance and in improving socio-political life can hardly be exaggerated. Let us look at it this way. As in the marketplace, the impact of its lack is catastrophic, especially to the development of democracy and strengthening of respect for human dignity. In today’s society, that deficit is characterized by exclusion, inequality, the arrogance of power and problems pertaining to peace and security, stereotyping as political strategy, poor economic growth and uneven development and subjugation that eventually gives way to societal polarization and conflicts. With Internet today’s reality of our world, IF ONLY governments get their cues from a longstanding Syms’ ad, “An educated customer is our best customer”, the world would have been a much better place!
Governments’ use of information and communications technologies can only go so far, says Tanya Gupta, a blogger at Governance Matters from the World Bank. She argues that many e-government programs concentrate on providing better services to citizens while they should consider issues relating to political culture.
The first is increasing participation.
Large sections of most developing countries -typically the lowest income populations- are disenfranchised, lacking political participation and voice.  In fact, studies have found that greater economic inequality yields greater political inequality, thus creating a vicious cycle where the poor cannot use the political system to improve their economic situation…
This suggests that e-government can strengthen democracy by contributing to increase political participation among the poor.Unfortunately this is where we get stuck.  Empirical data shows that participation is not typically an important part of e-government programs in poorer countries even though they are the ones who most needed it.
Next, she outlines the importance of openness and transparency.
In spite of many good examples of open government/ transparency, the fundamental change in mind-set that is required for a truly open government has not really taken place anywhere.  In order for this to happen, each civil servant will need to relate in a very different way to data that he/she produces.
…In this process, as much data as possible should be released, withholding only confidential and personal information.  To achieve this, more investment would be needed in building a better search engine and modifying social networking apps for government.
Finally, she identifies collaborating amongst diverse groups and accountability:
Although closely linked, transparency/openness and collaboration alone will not bring about accountability.   Holding public servants and politicians accountable for their actions requires a robust civil society, strong judiciary and legal framework, a free and active press among other factors.  However citizen watchdogs, human rights organizations, non-profits and others that track governance related actions and data can certainly use technology to demand accountability.
Case study: Uganda
Uganda’s government began working earnestly with ICTs in 2006, when the Ministry of ICT began overseeing e-government programs across state-run institutions. The country’s private sector took off some years ago, but the government is still implementing a framework to drive e-Government infrastructure initiatives, like creating communication networks and file sharing amongst all 28 ministries. The government’s strategy also includes providing access to communications, which it hopes to accomplish through school-based training.
If I had to generalize, I’d say the Ugandan blogosphere is largely unimpressed with the government’s efforts in the ICT realm. (If you have anything to say on Uganda’s effort, please reply below.)
Kato Mivoule, from Uganda, writes Mivule Tech-Africa and blames the political culture of the government.
Despite the IT infrastructure, Uganda is still reeling back and forth from forces of corruption that are in no doubt hampering the would be robust ICT industry in East Africa
…from nepotism, favoritism, power fights, mismanagement, greed, ICT in Uganda is yet to deliver, especially when it comes to helping the poor in Africa alleviate poverty,diseases, and illiteracy… Current ICT Leadership in Uganda’s ICT ministry are so full of themselves that all they are concerned with are contracts for themselves and bogus middleman IT companies that  would rake in profits to their bank accounts… The people of Uganda benefiting from ICT is still a dream…
This post is admittedly a little old (from November 2008) but the issues remain relevant. It comes from Lilian, who writes From Uganda To You:
A presentation from the Ministry of ICT just confirmed my fears about their ignorance or complacency about IG issues. The presenter was just limited to the role of governments in IG yet what we wanted to hear what the Ugandan government has done as far as Internet governance is concerned. To make it even worse, he could hardly even talk about the three main bills (e-signatures, cyber crime and e-transactions). He simply put it that they were being tabled in parliament for “approval” and knowing the way in which our parliament operates, this may take forever to be finalised!
She points out that Uganda has an internet penetration rates of less than five percent, but the number of people accessing online through web-enabled phones is quickly increasing. “Looking at these figures, I’m not exactly hearing what the government is/has done to make IG a success in Uganda.,” she writes.
Right now, I’m seated in an Internet cafe and I’m wondering how safe it is for me to work from here! That is in terms of protection of my information. All I know is that the Cyber crime bill is is waiting Parliament’s approval.  So between now and then,  I do not know what happens in case someone hacked into say my email account (just in case I forgot to logout) and used my private data for their own use.
[The bills remain under consideration.]
A comment from BSK argues.
That is pretty serious; i hope those people do really show some seriousness soon. Otherwise, such things as growth of ‘e’ and ‘m’ commerce (particularly given that we soon will have functional mobile money transfer systems in the region) are going to be affected big time, and the expected surge in use in the next few years could be fertile ground for all sorts of scam and fraudsters. I agree, we probably be seeing more of the mobile web, especially in the next 2 years with expected falls in bandwidth costs, and uptake of wimax and 3G.
Test Case: Kenya
E-government services on the Government of Kenya’s webpages are easy to access and, it seems, to use. Kenyans may search jobs online, track the status of their national ID and passports. Students can locate exam results and follow up on their higher education loans. Business people can submit tax returns online and apply for specific permits and reports online. Finally, anyone can log a corruption complaint through an anonymous feedbox.
Many of the services provided, the government claims, can be done online or through SMS messaging.
The blog from Jellyfish Cool Man reports that the government is even expanding its efforts, including publishing ministry procurement details and digitizing health records. What makes this task easier is that most middle-class Kenyans are already online.
…all [these] developments indicate a country intent on modernizing it’s activities. The desire for this is driven by the need for efficiency, eradication of corruption, need for socialization and most importantly a voracious need for information which will greatly boost literacy levels and hopefully lead to innovation and a more civil society. Kenyans need to have a positive attitude, realize that they have a beautiful country, intelligent people and sufficient natural resources which they can utilize to provide a high quality of life equivalent to any advanced nation on Earth.
Kenya offers an interesting case study because some of the most interesting political watchdogs don’t come from the government. Rather, the country’s robust civil society has begun using technologies to keep watch on issues like corruption and government procurement, not very different from United Kingdom-based groups trying to hold those in power accountable.
Kenya’s governments have long tried to shake off corruption allegations. The group Transparency International currently ranks the country 147 out of 180 in its index tallying the perception of corruption, sharing space with Russia, Syria and Bangladesh. (Uganda is 126.)
Recently US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told an audience in Kenya although the government in Nairobi is slow to act, people should not give up complaining about corruption via social marketing sites like Twitter and Facebook.
The group Mars Group Kenya has exposed a number of high-priced and high-priced scandals on its “Leadership, Governance and Accountability” portal during the last few years. The group began in December 2006 to help publicize its reports on government corruption, hoping its website and forum would become a place to debate and publicize the importance of governance issues.
Recently it has found itself the target of claims it is trying to destabilize the government and Parliament proceedings regarding espionage charges.
Nonetheless, the group has friends in Kenya’s blogosphere. A Nairobian’s Perspective calls the group Kenya’s online ombudsman.
…True to its adage “watching out for you” Mars Group Org has been relentless in ensuring it watches out for Kenyan Civil Liberties and freedom.The website frequently publishes reports on corruption such as Ndungu Land Commission Report, Kroll Report, extracts from Wiki leaks,Githongo's Dossier on Anglo Leasing etc…The blog also has an interactive column where members of the public air their opinion, media clips are uploaded,a cartoon column gives corruption a human face, and of course subscribers get regurlar email updates.Mars group is right on -on its spotlight on corruption. While very little is known/atleast available online with regards to Mwalimu Mati [the group’s director] one thing is certain ;he is a true defender of public interest Kudos to him!

author: John Liebhardt


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Ukraine: Internet Offers Swine Flu Common Sense · Global Voices
Maryna Reshetnyak

Since last week, all of Ukraine has been in a state of panic. The flu kills. The epidemic, started in the western part of the country, took the lives of about 100 people.
Initially, health care officials denied the fact that people were dying because of swine flu, saying that the deaths had been caused by an unknown infection, which led to pneumonia. But the thought of an “unknown infection” scared the public even more. Later on, officials admitted that there was an H1N1 epidemic starting in Ukraine. The result? People rushed to drug stores and soon after pharmacies were out of stock of face masks, vitamins and immunity-boosting supplements.
Inconsistency in health officials’ reports, plus a lack of information, created many rumors and much gossip. And Ukrainian politicians saw the epidemic as another opportunity to appear on TV and boost their image. Major TV channels ran 5-hour talk shows focused on the flu that were filled with politicians, many of which featured not a single person with a medical education.
In this environment of “collective madness,” the Internet has served as a medium for unbiased information about the epidemic, as well as professional advice on what to do and how to protect yourself and your family from the virus.
A balanced professional analysis of the flu epidemic by Dr Komarovskyy, a well-known pediatrician with more than 30 years of professional experience, was posted on his personal Web blog. This was perhaps something people were waiting for, as the post was widely sent around and has appeared on popular forums and social networks. It was also republished by major Ukrainian Internet media such as Ukrayinska Pravda. In a few days, the post got about 900 comments from readers.
At the beginning of the post, Dr Komarovskyy explains what forced him to turn to the Internet to tell the truth about the flu. He says:
I had planned to write about the flu in a few days, after I'd received adequate and objective information. But then, I received a phone call from my fellow nurse…Her boss had ordered her to bring three face masks the next day. When she asked where she could find the masks [drug stores were out of stock], the boss gave a response that reflects the Ukrainian reality “The night is long, so you can sew them.” This was the last straw for me, I realized that I cannot stay silent anymore, I need to talk.
In fact, on Friday and Saturday the only thing I did was talk. My cell phone registered about 850 phone calls on these days. I responded to questions, calmed people down, explained things…I understood that if my friends and patients (people with theoretical and practical knowledge in the treatment of viruses) were in panic, the general situation was a total disaster.
On Friday I talked to one of the managers of a TV channel from Kharkiv. I found out that there was not a single chance to talk to the people of the city. All the air time was filled with politicians.  At night there was a Savik Shuster political talk-show focused on the flu epidemic. Perhaps, for me it was one of the biggest shocks of the last few years. I do not remember myself being so much ashamed of my country…On Saturday, naïve me called Kiev. I said that I am ready to come, that I am ashamed, that we need to calm people down, that what is going on is a national shame… People tried to help but were not able to. For me it is clear. The flu and elections are not compatible, like the flu and Aspirin – it might cause many side effects.
A significant part of Dr. Komarovskyy's post was devoted to medical aspects of the flu. He professionally summarized facts about the ways it is transmitted, its symptoms and treatment. With a good sense of humor he went through the common misconceptions about treatment of the flu. In addition, Dr. Komarovskyy gave tips on how to prevent the flu.
In the next part of the post Dr. Komarovskyy shared his opinion concerning the hysteria surrounding the flu, the irresponsible appeals of politicians and the errors of public health officials. He pointed out:
During the first two days of the hysteria, the main advisers and teachers for the nation were politicians – parliament members, ministers, former ministers, etc. When a doctor appeared on TV, it just so happened that the politicians could talk better…The highest point of the panic was after a claim by a presidential candidate (!) that the deaths of Ukrainians were being caused not by a flu, but by a pneumonia-inducing plague. I want to highlight, this was not said by an old lady selling sunflower seeds at the market, but by a presidential candidate of a European country.
Another presidential candidate complained that drug stores did not have enough Oxolin ointment in stock [which in Ukraine is believed to be effective in prevention of the flu] and blamed this on “criminal pharmacists.” For some reason, nobody was able to explain to the candidate that the effectiveness of this ointment is not clinically proven and has never been used in the USA  or France or any other country.
OK, there are no doctors among the presidential candidates and perhaps they cannot afford a public health adviser. But a few of our politicians have a medical degree! One of them mixed up Theraflu with Tamiflu [the only medication proven to be effective against H1N1].  The other one did not see any difference between regular and viral pneumonia…But when I heard a doctor – a Parliament member and a secretary of the Parliament's Public Health  Committee –  say that Tamiflu is just an immunity booster and that at a meeting of National Security Council they decided to purchase Oseltamyvir instead I became really scared and ashamed. When major public health decisions in this country are being made by people who do not know that Tamiflu and Oseltamyvir are two names for one medication – what can we expect? …Thus, we should not be surprised by the fact that the government is purchasing medication that are not used anywhere in the world.
My advice to the government: Ask WHO [World Health Organization] experts to provide you with a list of required medications.
Dr Komarovskyy finished his post with a general assessment of the flu situation in Ukraine:
If we double the number of people sick with the swine flu (since no more than half the people with the flu go to a doctor) and compare it with other death rates, we will see that the death rate is even lower than with the regular flu. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in every country at any time. Pneumonia often accompanies many other diseases and traumas. If each case of pneumonia was reported by the media, nothing good will happen.
We are unlucky to have these together: the [economic] crisis, the elections, the fall season and the flu. But we know for sure that sniffing, coughing and a high body temperature is influenza [the flu], a common disease that is relatively easy to treat. It requires self control and certain actions, which everybody can afford.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Maryna Reshetnyak


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Video: The world commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Berlin Wall by Natalie Maynor
Today is the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, a complex security structure that once divided East and West Berlin in Germany. Today we are showcasing some of the videos from throughout the globe that are being uploaded to commemorate this date and what it meant to barriers not only in Germany, but throughout the world.
In Germany, a series of giant domino pieces crafted out of foam were erected, to be toppled down to mark the end of the Cold War. This video by NoCommentTV shows the dominoes, which were painted by children in Germany and also by artists living in other areas where there are divisions and walls, being set up. This other video's embed option has been disabled, but you can view how the dominoes were toppled by clicking this link to see it on its YouTube page.
In Colombia, students reenact the fall of the wall, by taking turns to demolish a concrete slab:
From Germany, domino toppling fan Annodomino2007 has uploaded his own domino tribute to the fall of the wall, and also to the 10 year anniversary celebration which kickstarted his passion for dominoes:
In the USA, college students erected a replica of the Berlin Wall that could be written on, as a way to raise awareness:
From Mexico, VarinVxx uploads a video featuring another wall that is still standing, in: Is not Berlin, is not Palestine is US Mexico border The Wall of Shame in USA :
Krista Schyler also makes the comparison between the Mexico/US wall and the Berlin wall, in this case, not only focusing on the impact on human migration, but from a wildlife conservation angle as well:
This pilot for a documentary by Ziashere showing s other walls that are still standingIn this pilot, one in Ireland:
This last video is 2 years old, but is still relevant: adamfilmaker interviewed youth both from the North and South of the Nicosia wall in Cyprus, a green zone patrolled by UN blue helmets  that divides Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, earning the distinction of being the last divided capital of the world.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Americas: The Mayan Civilization Blog · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mayistas [es] is a blog that is dedicated to the Mayan culture,  with a focus on anthropology, archaeology, ethnology, history and iconography, as well as upcoming educational confereces and seminars around the world. The Mayan civilization covers parts of Mexico and Central America.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Antigua: Sir Stanford?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Talk Antigua thinks “it is unfortunate that steps have been taken to revoke Stanford’s knighthood.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bangladesh: DST Woes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh introduced daylight saving time this summer but is not rolling back to the old time this winter. This has created much debate in the country and Rumi at Unheard Voice has details.

author: Rezwan


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Bermuda: Young Black Males  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The 200+ long report on the plight of Bermuda's young black males is a damning indictment of a school system that leaves 50% of BBM's ‘on the wall'”: Wishful Thinking says that the report in question should be used “a guide to making a change for the betterment of all of Bermuda.”


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Cameroon: From “kind” thieves to mobile credit as legal tender · Global Voices
George Esunge Fominyen

The nearly 20 million inhabitants of Cameroon are facing rising levels of criminality. Bandits even stormed the national headquarters of the police and the Ministry of External Relations (Foreign Affairs) in the capital city, Yaounde.
PNT Attitude shared her experience with crime in a recent post describing how her hand bag was stolen from her car:
…I pulled over to buy some mangoes. Mangoes bought, I open the door of the vehicle to put the mangoes on the back seat. Just then I saw this guy loitering on the other side of the car.
I paid him no attention. Suddenly he opened the passenger door, grabbed my red handbag lying on the front seat, and dashed into the market. I initially thought he wanted to do a carjacking, or was he just trying to make me uncomfortable by getting into the car? Could he be mentally deranged? I screamed “voleur” and ran after him with the mangoes, which I threw at him before he made the corner, thereby getting out of sight. Yes, you might be thinking I was careless leaving the bag there, fyi, it was hidden beneath that same seat until when I thought I had finished shopping!”
But the beautiful twist in her story is that some of the thieves in Yaounde could be really “kind”.  Even the police know that if one is lucky they can have their personal belongings back by visiting the place where they were robbed (mugged). So she drove there:
I was told that a guy with a red bag came a few minutes after I left asking “where is the lady whose bag was snatched”. Since they didn’t find me, they took it away.
My friend and I searched around the escape route for a little bit and another person advised that we check with the nearby radio station. We went there and the receptionist said: “…yes we received a bag this morning and the contents belonged to…Ntemgwa…!” that was it, I was SOOO RELIEVED that I found the bag, she brought it out, I checked the contents and I said everything was in tact, unless of course the money and fuel voucher. She added “10.000frs, withdrawal fee”. I tried to argue and realised whatever was still in that bag had more value than the amount requested. I however negotiated for 5.000frs and I got the bag, went back home, happily.”
After such an experience here are some of the lessons learned by PNT:
- Not all thieves have evil intentions, some are opportunists who are just hungry;
- There exist organised (petty) crime in the Mokolo market, beware in all you do whenever you find yourself there, organised because all they want is your money, and everyone around knows where you can find your bag after the incident, who knows if there is more to the whole setup than meets the eyes?
- It is normal to be attacked in such crowded markets, the policemen played down the whole drama, wondering y I was feeling bad (at all), yes there is no service to take care of trauma victims in the police station since it is “normal” to be victimised like that…
– I miss those mangoes and I have nothing against them;”
Speaking of buying fruits in Yaounde, a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer blogging at Adventures of Aubrey seems to have been haggling a bit over the price of apples. The conversations with those selling the apples certainly reveal a lot about the perceptions associated with race which engender misconceptions:
During my trip to Yaounde this week I went to buy apples, twice. The first time I was walking down the street and saw a man with an apple cart. I asked him the price and then told him that was the white person's price and apples should cost this and that I wanted to buy these two apples for this much. He laughed and went down in price but not enough. We talked back and forth a few minutes and finally he wanted 50 more CFA (like 10 cents) and I wouldn't pay it and so I grabbed a plastic bag and bagged my own apples and left the money on his cart while we both laughed and I walked away saying thank you and that I would come back next time (this is a common way to leave a conversation in Cameroon – saying thanks, next time).”
…I saw another man with an apple cart outside of a white person store in downtown Yaounde (that was mistake one, trying outside a white person store). I asked him how much the apples were, went into the store with my friend and her mom, and we came back and I decided I wanted apples and began to bargin. He got angry and started screaming at me that why would I assume the price could change – he told me the price and I should have accepted it and blah blah blah. So I laughed it off telling him, this is Cameroon you discute for all the prices and tried again to bargin with him. He got angry again. Then, I got mad. I told him he was very rude and that I didn't care what his apples cost now I wasn't buying any from him. He yelled back that I was rude to try to bargin with him when I was rich (aka white). I repeated that he was rude and wouldn't get my money today or in the future and left. A year ago that interaction might have upset me but now I simply ran to catch up with my friend and her mom and repeated it while laughing and saying that I guessed it wasn't my day for apples.”
Instead of nearly running into trouble haggling, maybe Aubrey (or anyone else planning a stay in Cameroon) should use pay-as-you-go mobile airtime credits as legal tender. It seems a much easier way of buying things without cash if one goes by PNTs Attitude:
I almost finished buying the items on my list when I decided to go into a lingerie shop to look for an item that has been on my shopping list forever: a seamless wireless bra.
I was very lucky to find it in this shop, and as fate would have it, it was the last one available and I hadn’t seen it in any other shop. The salesperson said it cost CFA 4,500. Behold I had just CFA 3,500 on me! I tried to haggle the price to the amount I had on me, in vain. I thought of taking a much dreaded along walk to the car and also the possibility of paying partially by a telephone credit transfer. The latter option seemed more likely.
So I asked her if she had an MTN phone so I could complete the payment through a phone credit transfer. She said no, she had an Orange phone. However she added, “I have a friend on the MTN network you can send the remaining CFA1000 to”. Problem solved, I went away with the much-sought-for bra, smiling as I walked away.”

author: George Esunge Fominyen


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Cuba: Of Victims & Violence · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In the aftermath of her seizure by state authorities, Generation Y admonishes those who may be adopting a “blame the victim stance, while Claudia Cadelo says she prefers being a victim to being the executioner.  Havana Times, meanwhile, posts a piece about the march against violence on the way to which Yoani and the other bloggers were detained.


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Guatemala: Economic Blog by Mario García Lara · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Guatemalan economist Mario García Lara blogs at El Economista Lúgubre [es], where he shares his thoughts about the country's economic and social situation.


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Hungary: Comments on the Interview with Imre Kertész · Global Voices
Marietta Le

The German newspaper Die Welt published an interview (GER, HUN) this weekend with Imre Kertész, a Nobel Prize-winning Hungarian author living in Berlin. Kertész celebrated his 80th birthday on the same day as Germany celebrated the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. The journalist asked him about his attitude towards Budapest and Berlin, the Hungarian author, annoyed with the political situation in Budapest, replied:
I am a metropolitan person, I am and always have been. A metropolitan person does not belong to Budapest. The city is completely balkanised. A metropolitan person belongs to Berlin!
His words made several Hungarian bloggers upset, and a tense discussion started right after the release of the Hungarian translations of the interview. Mr Falafel of Konzervatív Költők Baráti Köre (HUN, ‘Fellowship of Conservative Poets’) reacted (HUN):
[…] In the interview he gave to Die Welt, he declared what every honorable Hungarian man thinks about him, that he is a stateless rogue who has nothing to do with Hungarians. […] Regarding the interview, the translations of certain news sources are different at the point that, according to Kertész, anti-Semites have been reigning for 10 years, or they have been only opinion leaders. I don't speak German, so I can't decide which translation I should trust. Actually, it's the same, both versions are imbecility. He is not living in Hungary, and he is not even interested in what's happening here. […]
Lordart was also disappointed after reading the article. He wrote in his post (HUN):
[…] Till now I have been a little bit proud that there's a Nobel Prize-winning author of Hungarian origin, whose work – and the value of whose work – is recognized worldwide. After this I will still acknowledge what can be considered as value in the work of Mr. Kertész, but I will respect his will, according to which his personality can't be attached to Hungary, to Budapest. […]
Some bloggers condemned the translations published by the Hungarian media because some points seemed to be exaggerated. Vérszegény éjszakai dúvad of Hángörienidiocc (HUN) re-translated the whole interview (HUN), and added his comments to the controversial translations of the press:
[…] Simply and solely the whole Hungarian press was lazy to review a damned translation, every news report is an approximated word-for-word repetition. (Perhaps nobody speaks German in this country.)
It sounds really very good anyway: “Don't attach me to Hungary.” And of course one can be shocked at it, but the problem is, which is always forgotten to be stated, that it's not about the origins, but rather about the literary roots.
Otherwise, that can't be picked at either what Kertész thinks about Budapest or Berlin, because that would be approximately like if I picked at someone because he doesn't like goulash with beans; how can that be, if for me that's the favorite meal.
[…] It seems as if anything that Kertész had done, he couldn't atone for since then, because summarizing his interview this way looks rather like an intentional slant than a mistranslation. […]

author: Marietta Le


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India: Delhi Metro Rail Project Is Not A Solution · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ram Bansal at India In Peril opines that the Delhi Metro Rail “is not going to solve any problems of Delhi but going to make it the most unsafe city in the world.”


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India: Women Farmers Stand Against Climate Change  · Global Voices
Belen Bogado

A group of women in India have demonstrated that despite the existing gender inequity and their low economic status, they can become a powerful resource to tackle climate change and reduce the emissions that cause it.
In India, the most vulnerable populations to climate change — impoverished communities and women — are being affected first, and the most. For example, Oxfam India’s blog comments about the devastating impact of drought on farmers, and the direct effect on women and children.
In the last 12 years, almost 50 farmers committed suicide every year, one tenth of them being women farmers. (…) Increasing number of farmers started migrating to cities in search of food. And the situation became shocking when trafficking in women and children proliferated in the district.
Gender as a Factor of Vulnerability to Climate Change
It is estimated that women produce over 50% of all food grown worldwide. In India, more than 84% of women are involved in agricultural activities, and as a result they become the greatest victims of climate change’s impact. In addition, gender inequality makes them disproportionately vulnerable to environmental alterations. Blogger Pricilla Stuckey, PhD points out on the blog This Lively Earth that women are unequally affected by climate change:
Discrimination against women also plays an enormous role in how women experience the effects of climate change. In India, for example, where women have seen their crop yields cut in half and the quality of grain diminish because of climate changes, women’s health is impaired from the double whammy of inferior crops and inequality.
Farmer Sita Debi is an example of this. “When there is no rain, we women have to work really hard in the fields to try and grow crops. Our nutrition also suffers because we are the last to eat at the family table. A lot of us are anemic as a result,” she says in the video filmed and posted on the blog Find Your Feet. Other women farmers appear in the video explaining how badly climate change is affecting their lives.
When Women Fight Back
Indian women don’t just sit around waiting to be hit by climate change. They, also, fight back. As shown in the second half of the video, women are developing innovative ways to adapt and help prevent global warming.
As reported in this Inter Press Service article:
Agriculture accounts for at least 20 percent of Indian greenhouse gas emissions, mainly methane emission from paddy fields and cattle and nitrous oxides from fertilisers. According to the 2007 report by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), India’s rainfall pattern will be changing disproportionately, with intense rain occurring over fewer days, leading directly to confusion in the agricultural scenario.
Another example of women taking proactive steps to combat climate change is taking place in the village of Bidakanne, where women are growing crops such as linseed, green and chick peas, wheat and other legumes in between the rows of sunflowers, all without water and chemical inputs, such as pesticides.
This type of agricultural activity is especially beneficial to the dalit or broken women, who make up the lowest rung of India's caste system. Through this system, women in the approximately 75 villages in the Medak district can now form associations to sell their crops, as well as gather surplus produce for poorer members.  In addition, to using practices to reduce emissions and harmful pollutants, this type of activity also helps reduce poverty.
The leadership and effort of these Indian women has not gone unnoticed within the online community. Shiba Prosad Bhattacharyya comments on the site India Together
Thank you for your column that these women have been profiled here make a case for them being a role model to the world.  (…)Food is a human right & not a corporate commodity for speculation.Mother nature does not operate on a boardroom profit.Corporate profit will mearly lead to more food crisis. Through you I am conveying my highest regards to these women leaders who have demonstrated no negative effects on the environment, public health & farming families that food production can be profitable, sustainable and feed all of us.

author: Belen Bogado


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Kenya: Google Adsense paying in Kenyan Shillings · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kenyan bloggers and website owners are now pleased to note that they can receive their Google Adsense earnings in Kenyan Shillings, writes A Nairobian's Perspective.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Lebanon: Operation: Sex Change  · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

Queer Arab Magazine Bekhsoos supports the Operation: Sex Change campaign, aimed to raise awareness about transgender issues across the world. The campaign started on November 8, the International day of action for sexual and bodily rights across Muslim societies, and ends on November 20, the Transgender Day of Remembrance.

author: Katharine Ganly


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Liberia: Taylor accuses Britain of transporting arms to Sierra Leone · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Alpha blogs about the trial of the former President of Sierra Leone: “Charles Taylor today accused Britain of transporting arms to Sierra Leone in violation of a United Nations arms embargo on the country, and of using him as a scapegoat by falsely accusing him of responsibility for the flow of arms into the country.”


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Malawi: Fighting poverty with social enterprise · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Clement writes about The Big Issue project in Malawi: “This project is affiliated to the Big Issue, London. It has the same objective of working as a social enterprise to fight poverty and homelessness by providing business and creative solutions through selling of The Big Issue magazine.”


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Maldives: Girl Slaves · Global Voices
Rezwan

Codexero dicusses about girl slavery in Maldives.


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Qatar: Anticipation mounts over England vs Brazil football friendly · Global Voices
Shabina Khatri

Qatar has been abuzz with events over the past few months: an international film festival, a nail-biting woman's tennis championship, and now, the Brazil-England friendly football match on November 14.
Barechestedness and public drinking are not things you'll see at the friendly in Doha this weekend (Photo by Charles Fred).
The game has drummed up a great deal of excitement and apprehension here, as residents wonder how conservative Qatar will handle the inevitable influx of rowdy football fans this weekend.
On the forum Qatar Living, family man HDY solicits advice on whether to buy tickets to the match:
Do you think that such matches are suitable for families? Shall I expect harassments? Overall, it is a matter of culture, and I hope that I will not regret this experience.
Secret1 tried to reassure him, but caused a stir with his comments:
I really think theres no problem here for families…. Its Qatar man not Europe…. Even though its gonna b a lot of Brits, here theyll have to behave….
Though the exact number of people flying in for the match is unknown, the England Supporters Club reported that 10,000 tickets were sold to British football fans within 48 hours of the box office opening.
Khalifa International Stadium, the main venue for the Doha 2006 Asian Games and where Saturday's match will be held, holds 50,000 people.
Qatar Visitor comments:
Qatar, though far more liberal and tolerant that neighbouring Saudi, practises the strictest form of Islam, Wahabbism. Many women still cover their faces from public view with black veils or masks, while Muslims who get drunk can be lashed and deported. Meanwhile, “bad smelling” and “badly dressed” Asian labourers are barred from places where they could spoil the view of families relaxing on the weekend. England football fans, on the other hand, are famous in Qatar for their drinking and fighting.
The match, added QV, will be a test for Qatar, which is bidding for the World Cup in 2022.
The Qatari police have little patience for yobbish behaviour in this well ordered country. But Qatar will also have a lot riding on this match. The country also has its eyes on a future world cup, and there is little doubt that relevant bodies will have their eyes on Qatar when it holds this friendly. How it handles belligerent fans could well have an effect on its success at holding larger sporting events in the future.
Some residents drew on past experiences to reassure others that the football match will be a family-friendly event.
On Qatar Living, commenter Muhammadshaikh said:
I have seen many Football matches in Qatar. I am 99.99% sure that there will be no problem. I have gone with my friends and my own kids. For me Qatar is among the few safest place on earth with/without family…Here there are more moral, social, ethical, and cultural values then anywhere in the world.
Indeed, such values are why British football fans should take care not to offend, warns one organization.
The Footballer Supporters’ Federation said:
The consequences of falling foul of the authorities in Qatar can be pretty drastic.
It added that public drunkenness, going bare-chested, rude gestures and overt PDAs could also lead to court
in the Gulf state.
In a separate thread on Qatar Living, forum members debated the best way to handle any potential bad behavior.
ES said:
It's going to be really interesting to see how the hooligan brits are going to be dealt with. As has been said, treat them too harshly and bye bye world cup, or else treat them with kid gloves and piss off the entire muslim community. Watch this space.
Jervis was more optimistic after being impressed by Qatar's hands-off approach to the Doha Tribeca Film Festival (DTFF).
The DTFF surprised me. I expected a lot more censors. If they could relax the rules for the Film Festival, surely they would be more considerate towards a sport that the locals enjoy and follow. Given that they are bidding for the 2022, this would be a prelude. The press relase may be just a show to deter things getting out of hand.
idealman summed it up:
Undoubtedly most of the England fans coming over will respect Qatars laws, if they dont, then they will obviously pay the price. Thankfully most of todays England supporters are undoubtedly the best fans in the world, and not one country has a larger away following. But there are still some young muppets about that dont know respect. lets hope these plastic hard boys stay at home. I have no time for pissed up wannabes who can only fight in packs and terrorise the innocent. it will also be nice to watch the lads put a few past Brazil.
On another note, many Qatar bloggers expressed disappointment that English footballer David Beckham won't be playing in Saturday's match as his American Major League Soccer team Los Angeles Galaxy progresses to the MLS Western Conference final on Friday.
On Twitter, v3nomous, who flew to Doha for the match, said:
Damn.. Beckham is not playing this Saturday.. :( bummer..
IvanGiesbrecht  was more concerned about Mrs. Beckham:
What about Posh? Any chance she'll still be able to make it?
And Sybil at Sybil & Kristi's Qatari Adventures said:
Not to worry, I plan on it being a lot of fun, nonetheless. It will be my first big league soccer game to attend and his absence will not deter me.

author: Shabina Khatri


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Rape in China: a ‘temporary’ crime? · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

A prominent topic circulating throughout China’s blogosphere is the light sentencing on 29th October of two civilian police assistants charged with the rape of a young girl in Huzhou, in Zheijang province. What netizens have been rampantly discussing is not the crime itself, but the court’s ruling that the convicts were guilty of a “temporary crime on a whim”, drawing important attention to how rape is dealt with in the People’s Republic and its vibrant online communities.
The incident itself dates back to June of this year. Having been wined and dined by two police officials upon passing her college entrance exam, ‘Qiu and Cai’ took a highly intoxicated ‘Chen’ back to their hotel room and raped her. Having later turned themselves in, the Huzhou Nanxun court sentenced the rapists to a mere three years in prison. According to China News Net’s report of the episode, this was based on the judge’s ruling that the two had “temporarily committed [the] crime, with no prior planning … and [were] forgiven by the victim.”
The wording of the translated report is enough cause for anger: in what can only be deemed ignorance, it claims the rapists drove Chen to a hotel “in order to let her sober up.” More mentioned is made of the fact that the convicted overstepped their boundary as police officials than their violation of an otherwise helpless woman.  Despite reminding us of the “bitter fruit” tasted by the rapists upon their conviction, there is almost sympathy in the article. Sympathy for two benevolent men whose initial intentions were to sober up a blind-drunk young woman, but who then spontaneously decided to rape her. A violent act of domination, intimidation and control has been trivialized into a whimsical time-filling activity, putting the source on a par with the poor-sighted judge who delivered the paltry sentences.
The Chinese blogosphere wasted no time in jumping on to the bizarre phrasing of the crime. Tianya, one of China’s most popular online forums, had 8,000 users discussing the issue in the last week. One forum-goer, Liaoheyu, pointed out that there was no legislative ground for “temporary and improvised crime”:
南浔法院根据犯罪事实，给两个强奸犯定的属“临时性的即意犯罪”，令辽河鱼迷糊了，这是个啥概念？搜遍了网络，也没找到“临时性的即意犯罪”的来源和条款依据。“临时”既是非正式的和短时间的行为，难道强奸犯罪还有“非正式”和时间的长短之分？这个“临时性的即意犯罪”应是个新名词，可以为我国的司法界又填补了一项创造性的空白，可喜可贺。
The author went to question the criminal facts and intent and the validity of the judgment.
搞不明白，犯罪还有临时、固定、长期之分？在被害人不清醒的情况下，两人轮番实施强奸，为什么不是轮奸？难道就是因为得到了被害人的谅解？这个谅解是怎么得到的？相信“金钱封嘴”的肯定的。如果这个判决能成为一个新的榜样，那以后再出现这样的“临时性的即意犯罪”，是否也要得到“从轻处罚”呢？要是在这样，可以再全国推而广之，以便广大犯罪分子都去进行“临时性的即意犯罪”。
将女灌醉，然后带她去开房，强奸了她，明显就是有预谋的犯罪，什么是“即时性”？就是即时就发生性关系。临时性的犯罪就可以“从轻判决”？那哪个犯罪不是“临时性”的？是否都要可以轻判？
其犯罪算是“临时性的即意犯罪”，那判了3年，笔者想也应该是“临时性的即意判决”。
English-language blogs such as China Hush, China Digital Times and ChinaSMACK have also been dealing with hordes of comments from justifiably confused and riled-up netizens. These postings have ranged from outrage at legal trivia to uncompromising misogyny. One ChinaSMACK reader submitted the following:
One person’s misogynist is another person’s Casanova and symbol of a healthy male libido. What happened was very likely more natural than criminal though exacerbated by the inebriated and roused condition all parties were in. 3 years jail just for 1 sexual act, is already very harsh and shows the judge’s sympathy for the lady, though a sincere apology (which they already offered) and some form of compensation from the men involved, commensurate with the lady’s virtuousness (i.e. if she sleeps around habitually, less compensation, if she is a virgin – a hell lot more – maybe based on the going rate for the same), would have been better.
In between the vast amount of posts blaming the victim, most of the cyber-confusion has been with the term ‘temporary’. Key, a writer from China Hush, blogged her speculations:
I for one believe “money sealed lips”. If this sentence becomes a new example, then the next time when “temporary crime” happens again, should we give lenient punishment again? If so we can extend this to the entire country, so that the vast criminals all can ‘temporarily committed the crime’.
ChinaSMACK provided some legal clarification, courtesy of Zhejiang Hai Hao law firm. Firstly, there were some arithmetical issues the judge in question had to deal with, since,
when two criminals successively rape the victim, it is typically gang rape. If the case were identified as gang rape, according to the People’s Republic of China Criminal Law clause 236, item 3, article 4 ‘where two or more people gang rape a girl’, they should be sentenced to more than a decade in prison, life imprisonment or death, which has a significant difference from their three-year term.
Then, to solve the conundrum, the judged deemed the crime a ‘temporary’ one. Why ‘temporary'? Because, according to ChinaSMACK‘s legal sources, “a temporary crime on a whim is an opposite concept to a premeditated crime. Premeditated crimes cause more damage to society.”
At this stage I could get on my high horse and discuss the damage rape does to its survivors. But the key word here in is ‘society’. In China, maintaining a harmonious society is paramount. The elements of negotiation and agreement have long reigned supreme over legal proceedings when dealing with criminal offences. Hence why the rape of one woman in a population of 1.3 billion receives the label of ‘temporary’, as opposed to the ‘premeditated’ ethnic unrest and protest that could create a deeper dent in an allegedly harmonious society.
Nonetheless, the choice of words is clearly careless and gravely downplays the severity of the crime. Another recent rape conviction was brought against a man in Sichuan province who, in an apparently drunken and besotted state, snuck into the house of his female neighbour, on whom he had spent the last few hours spying. Having being caught by the unsuspecting neighbour, ‘Li’ then turned himself in, claiming he had been planning on raping her. He received a rape conviction and will spend one year behind bars, although no rape ever took place, temporary or premeditated.
Netizens also took to their laptops in this episode. A contributor to the forum Sohu demanded, “Evidence! Evidence!”, whilst a Tianya follower claimed “the law has become a plaything in the hands of judges. Being born in a China this terrifying is too frightening.” Some, however, were not so rational, as one contributor wrote,
Yes this is rape. The intention is enough. There is no need for physical contact. Don’t think that rape has only one meaning. Every man should have been guilty of such rape including the judges who sentenced him.
These trivialising convictions and forum posts imbued with a misogynistic blame culture do no favours to a section of society that is already on the receiving end of a serious gender imbalance. As in any society, imposed standards of beauty and femininity penetrate deeply, with skin whitening procedures and double-eyelid surgery progressively increasing throughout China and her neighbours. Female infanticide has long marred the PRC’s history, with the one-child policy helping to reinforce male superiority and value, triggering a gender ratio imbalance of 119 male births for every 100 girls (this usually sits at 107 to 100 in industrialised countries).
The Chinese government has warned of gender imbalances (this ratio in particular) contributing to social instability. But while policy reforms have been made in ensuring civil compensation for adultery cases, trivial attitudes towards rape are forced to stand the test of time. China Hush’s Key is clearly sceptical:
So according to this term “temporary”, next time there could be “temporary beating someone to death”, “temporary kicking someone to death”, “temporary ‘being suicide’ (another mocking term for covering murder with suicide)”, “temporary taking bribes”, “temporary drinking and driving”, “temporary robbery” and “temporary theft”, every crime can use “temporary” as an excuse to reduce the sentence. We can imagine a “temporary” era is coming.
Whilst China is therefore struggling through a twilight zone of individual welfare and wider societal harmony, it is reassuring that the noise in the blogosphere was perhaps too loud this time: as of Tuesday, the case is currently undergoing a more evidence-based review. We can only hope that this temporary awakening results in a permanent change.

author: Marta Cooper


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Russia: Flashmobbers Connect With Each Other Via USB (photo) · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Several dozens of people gathered in Moscow for a 7-minute flashmob called “USB global connect.” Each person held a USB cable to “connect” to the other one. Photos of the event were captured by lj-user ottenki_serogo [RUS] and published here [RUS].

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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South Africa: South African national anthem for English speakers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

South African national anthem for English speakers: What a great way to visually explain the South African national anthem for those of us who firstly don’t know it by now, secondly know it but might not know how we are pronouncing it and thirdly don’t speak the languages in the anthem.


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South Africa: South Africa’s aggregator too expensive to run · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

South Africa's blog aggregator, Amatomu, has become too expensive to run: “Amatomu has become too expensive for us to maintain and run, as it brings very little revenue, and bears a prohibitive cost for a company whose main product is news.”


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Sri Lanka: Support The IDPs · Global Voices
Rezwan

V.V. at Sepia Mutiny writes about an initiative of a Sri Lankan diaspora group in the USA who are organizing a fund raising event. The fund will support two charities which are working in the Sri Lankan IDP camps, where approximately 200,000 people are detained.


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Sri Lanka: Tariff Protection · Global Voices
Rezwan

Going Global criticizes Sri Lankan government's protective tariff on some agricultural items which are increasing the prices and the cost of living.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Getting Closer  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian artist Rodell Warner posts photos from a project called Closer, in which “passersby were asked to stand for a photo with a stranger, however close they were comfortable with, and to make eye contact.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Steups · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This Beach Called Life thinks that the national mood of Trinidad and Tobago can be summed up in just one word: “Steups”.


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Ukraine: Flu Stats, Panic, Gauze Masks (and Some Lingerie) · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

GV's H1N1 Outbreak 2009 special coverage page is here. Last week's coverage of the flu epidemics in Ukraine: Oct. 31; Nov. 1; Nov. 2; Nov. 3; Nov. 4; Nov. 6; Nov. 7.
According to Ukraine's Health Ministry (UKR), 1,031,597 people in Ukraine have fallen ill with “flu, acute respiratory illness and their complications (pneumonia, etc.)” between Oct. 29 and Nov. 9 – and 174 of them have died.
According to World Health Organization, whose experts are currently working in Ukraine, “public health measures recommended by the Ministry of Health of Ukraine across the entire country include: social distancing (school closures and cancellation of mass gatherings); enhancement of surveillance activities; increased respiratory hygiene; and continuation of the vaccination campaign against seasonal influenza targeting at risk groups.”
In the Ukrainian blogosphere, much of the discussion of the current medical emergency focuses on whether there are enough reasons to panic or not.
Maryna Reshetnyak, GV's Russian Language Health Editor, has just translated excerpts from one of the most widely read and discussed Ukrainian blog posts of the past week, written by Kharkiv-based pediatrician and author Yevgeny Komarovsky on Nov. 2. In his post (RUS), according to Maryna, Dr. Komarovsky has provided, among other things, “a balanced professional analysis of the flu epidemic” – and “shared his opinion concerning the hysteria surrounding the flu, the irresponsible appeals of politicians and the errors of public health officials.” Here is one of Dr. Komarovsky's assessments:
[…] If we double the number of people sick with the swine flu (since no more than half the people with the flu go to a doctor) and compare it with other death rates, we will see that the death rate is even lower than with the regular flu. Pneumonia is the most common cause of death in every country at any time. Pneumonia often accompanies many other diseases and traumas. If each case of pneumonia was reported by the media, nothing good will happen. […]
On Oct. 29, the day the epidemic was announced by Ukraine's Health Ministry, Lviv-based LJ user orestk carried out similar calculations (UKR) in an attempt to counter the panic:
In 2007, 205 adults died of pneumonia in Lviv region, in 2008 – 182 people. In the first nine months of 2009 – 105 people. There are 92 days in the last three months of the year. For the number of deaths to be no lower than last year, 182-105=77 more people have to die. That is, six people every week. And here we are having a panic attack because of four deaths (of adults, and there is one more – an 11-year-old girl) in the past week. Perhaps it's time to stop panicking? […]
Two weeks later, Lviv region has 74 flu/acute respiratory illness/pneumonia-related deaths, which makes it the hardest-hit region of Ukraine so far.
On Nov. 5, Natalia Zhuravlova announced (UKR) the launch of an interactive map of flu dynamics in Ukraine, as well as a number of other related widgets, on the blog of the Ukrainian branch of the Russian web portal Yandex. Here is an excerpt from her introductory post:
Because of the epidemic, various scary rumors have been spreading rapidly in Ukraine – that we are having atypical pneumonia, or that we are having lung plague, or that there are more lethal cases due to swine flu than due to regular flu. The data on the dynamics of the disease often varies [significantly].
We at Yandex choose to look at things with calm. Yes, of course, we do not want to fall ill ourselves and are worry a lot about our dear ones. But we get flu epidemics every year, and each time we are told that there hasn't been a more horrible strain, but we are still alive and healthy (knock on wood). The most important thing is that actually the numbers of those sick with flu and acute respiratory infection aren't really high, they haven't reached last year's level yet. Unfortunately, people were dying from these diseases in the previous years, too, only no one was making the statistics public. So we should not panic. And, moreover, we should not trust the unconfirmed data.
So that our users could follow the official statistics of the spread of the disease and knew where to go to for consultation and help, we've developed several useful devices.
[…]
With the help of the map and the widgets, you'll see when the epidemic begins to subside. We hope that this will happen as soon as possible.
Stay healthy! And if you're feeling sick, call the doctor. And everything will be okay.
In a post about the flu info service offered by Yandex (UKR), Ukrainian Watcher – a blog covering “social networks, blogs and internet business” – also mentions Google.org's Flu Trends portal, which “uses aggregated Google search data to estimate flu activity.” According to this resource, “flu activity” is currently assessed as “high” in Ukraine, Hungary and Poland, and as “intense” in Russia and Bulgaria.
While Belarus is not being monitored by Google.org's Flu Trends, here is what LJ user budimir wrote (RUS) on Nov. 3 about the situation there in a comments thread on a post by Kyiv-based LJ user kermanich:
[Here] they are using good old methods in their attempts to fight [the flu outbreak] – by hushing it up. They are not allowing any information whatsoever, even the most necessary.
And the panic is raging here already. Maybe even more than in Ukraine.
[…]
EVERYTHING that is even distantly related to the treatment of flu has been swept away from the pharmacies.
And yes, Minsk is wearing masks. No one is explaining to Minsk residents, however, that it is not necessary to wear masks outdoors.
[…]
In my work-related [RSS feed] that I got myself when I started doing reviews of the Belarusian blogosphere, nearly every second post is about swine flu.
There are also plenty of reports from friends and friends’ friends, who are saying that “people are burning down like candles.”
And there is some first-hand info – from hospitals. [The situation is grave] there, as far as I understand.
[…]
They aren't blogging about Ukraine here, are focused on local matters instead. […]
But the government, it seems to me, is trying to portray Ukraine as the source of the infection – the first officially confirmed swine flu death of a Belarusian citizen turned out to have its origin [in Ukraine].
But this is a lie – there have been more deaths. Not from flu, of course – because they don't die of it, but of its complications – pneumonia, etc.
[…]
Here's how blogger Ivanko of Fructus temporum described the situation in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk (pop. 173,700; Donetsk region, where, as of Nov. 8, 48,263 people have been officially confirmed to have flu) in this Oct. 31 entry (UKR):
[…] First of all, lines in pharmacies. Not too long, some ten people on the average, but considering that we have a pharmacy every 20 meters, and sometimes pharmacy kiosks stand right next to each other, it was hard not to notice such a sharp increase in demand.
After my question, “What's happened?”, people looked at me as if I… well, they looked at me unkindly.
After I learned the reason of the anxiety, I decided to buy Amizonum and Oxoline ointment [anti-viral drugs popular in Ukraine], because I didn't remember if we had them at home.
But I was too late. Amizonum had been sold out the day before, they've run out of gauze masks today, and bandages were almost gone, too. The pharmacist was dispensing her expert opinion on how to make two gauze masks out of one bandage.
I stopped by at a few more pharmacies – same thing everywhere.
[…]
Today, people were even lining up to buy medicinal herbs from an elderly lady [at the local market].
I don't know, maybe things are really that bad?
Then again, my neighbor still has a sack of overpriced salt that she bought during the latest salt anxiety. [At some point, there were false rumors in Ukraine that salt would disappear from the stores, which urged many people to store up on it in advance.]
And here is what LJ user e_grishkovets (Russian writer Evgeny Grishkovets) wrote on Nov. 5 about Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, where his shows were canceled due to the flu situation:
[…] In general, I can't recall Kyiv ever being in such a gloomy, suppressed and exhausted state. Though, of course, it would have been hard for me to perceive the city differently, considering the problems that have occurred.
[…] Theaters are closed. Ministry of culture has made this decision. But events scheduled to take place in sports facilities have not been canceled… The concert of Todes dance group at some palace of sports hasn't been canceled, a football game took place at a huge stadium yesterday, and today there is Aleksandr Rozenbaum's concert […], at the Ukraina Palace (4,000 seats). […] If someone could explain to me why these events are taking place while the theaters are closed… Where is the logic here, where is the truly thoughtful and well-justified fight against the epidemic?… […]
[…]
On my way to the airport, the driver said that for the fourth day in a row there were no traffic jams in Kyiv, and there are a lot fewer cars and people in the streets. “Everyone looks kind of beaten,” the driver said and smiled bitterly. […]
On a lighter note, Ukrainian women's organization Femen held an “anti-stress” event at Kyiv's Independence Square on Nov. 9: to cheer Kyiv residents up, a group of activists put on self-made gauze lingerie and masks. LJ user drugoi (RUS) has posted three photos from the event, and there are six more photos at Femen‘s LJ blog (RUS). (Natalia Antonova's Sept. 11 interview with Femen‘s leader Anna Gutsol is here.)
While the undressing part of Femen‘s prank may or may not have been an allusion to the Nov. 2 protest against Ukraine's anti-pornography law (WARNING: graphic content), carried out by the Voina radical art group, the masks do seem to be turning into a fashion item in Ukraine: here, for example, is a selection of user-designed masks on sale at one of the Ukrainian online shops. And here's a link to LJ user ellustrator‘s gauze mask cartoon, which may or may not allude to this photo of PM Yulia Tymoshenko wearing a mask.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Zimbabwe: Ruling in Deputy Agriculture Minister Designate postponed · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sokwanele reports that the High Court Judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu on Tuesday 10 November 2009 once again postponed to Wednesday 11 November 2009 delivery of his ruling in an application in which Attorney General (AG) Johannes Tomana is seeking to strike out Deputy Agriculture Minister Designate Roy Bennett’s defence outline.


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Africa: The UnAfrican African · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Is there such a thing as an unAfrican African?: “What is African? What isn't? What defines who we are? Our identity? From our archives is an article by Stephen Wanyama on why he finds little identity with Africa”


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Azerbaijan: Bloggers sentenced · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

As many of their supporters feared, and on the same day as a  round table on the case against two detained video blogging youth activists, a court in Baku, Azerbaijan, earlier passed sentence on Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli.
The verdict and first reaction spread on Twitter.
Media Helping Media quickly commented on the sentence.
According to supporters tweeting from the court, the lawyer for Hajizade, Isahan Ashurov, said the case was about power.
“Today we witness the unfair struggle of mind and physical power.” “Today we witness the unfair struggle of mind and physical power.”
[…]
Supporters have tweeted that Hajizade said the decision was built on lies.
Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines also reflects on the verdict and says “this is not an end, this is only the beginning.”
Today at the end of the hearing, Emin said he is feeling proud and thats why he is ready to accept the verdict given to him. Adnan, questioned how alleged witnesses will look into the eyes of their families- we will be done with our sentences but I wonder how they are going to live a life built on lies… They both showed their strength to us, we must to the same in return.
Meanwhile, the first ever World Blogging Forum in Bucharest, Romania, immediately issued a preliminary statement.
We, the bloggers, will promote a world in which Internet users shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and repression in any form.
The bloggers united in Bucharest at the World Blogging forum are worried about the situation in Azerbaijan and support #EminAdnan as a Free Voice of the Internet and as a member of the World Blogging Family.
Global Voices caught up with Parvana Persiani, OL! youth activist and Hajizade's girlfriend, at the conference yesterday.
More updates will be posted as of when. Meanwhile, full coverage of the detention, trial and imprisonment of Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli is available in the Azerbaijan section of Global Voices Online and on the OL! Blog (in English and Azeri). The hashtag #EminAdnan is also used on Twitter.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas, Cuba: Fair Trade?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Rick Lowe issues a few words of warning to the Bahamas Chamber of Commerce when it comes to doing business with Cuba: “The Chamber stands for ethics in business and I believe they are on shaky ground recommending we do business with a regime in Cuba that apparently does not honour basic human rights…”


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Brunei: Searching for E-book devices · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Journey is frustrated that Brunei shops have the latest cameras, laptops, and other hi-tech gadgets but no e-book devices.

author: Mong Palatino


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Brunei: Youngest woman to ski South Pole · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Iantie Safar is happy for Dk Najibah Eradah, Brunei's first and youngest woman to ski the South Pole. The young Bruneian will join the Kaspersky Commonwealth Antartic Expedition.


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Cambodia: Comics culture · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Webbed Feet, Web Log notes that Cambodia had a thriving comics culture during the socialist era but it declined when the country adopted free market principles in the late 1980s and early 1990s.


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Cambodia: Online press freedom · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Sopheap Chak explains why “online press freedom is emerging as the new digital democracy” in Cambodia. The writer adds that blogs and websites are enjoying  more freedom from government censorship.


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Cambodian Ambassador sends protest letter to Thai newspaper · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Cambodian Ambassador You Aye, who is not pleased with the editorial published by Thai newspaper The Nation on the ongoing diplomatic row between Thailand and Cambodia, sends a letter to the editorial board of the paper accusing them of “becoming a tool for escalating tensions between the two countries.”


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China: Death as business · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN puts together local reports and commentaries on the tragic case of three university students who died while trying save others. The tragedy involves a moral debate over the business of body retrievers.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Drought and the Three Gorges Dam · Global Voices
Andy Yee

Since September this year, China’s Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest hydropower scheme, has began a plan to raise its reservoir to its ideal height of 175 metres. In October, there has been severe drought in the provinces of Hunan and Jiangxi provinces along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. On 25 October, the China three Gorges Corporation argued that there was no link between the drought and the Three Gorges project:
Zheng Shouren, Chief Engineer of the Yangtze River Water Resources Committee, said those blaming the drought in Hunan and Jiangxi solely on the Three Gorges project got a partial picture. “The drought in Hunan and Jiangxi was mainly caused by the lack of rainfall in the regions amid continuous high temperature since September,” said Zheng, who is also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
On the same day, the discharge rate was increased to ease the drought downstream. On 28 October, CCTV reported that the discharge rate was further increased. The authority admitted that the target reservoir level of 175 metres would not be achieved this year, but insisted that the drought was not related to the Three Gorges project.
Qian Gang (钱钢), a well-known Chinese journalist, has joined the debate. In a post to 1bao (壹报) on 2 November, he said:
旱灾通常由气候变化引致。今年夏秋，包括广东在内的诸多省份少雨干旱。但长江流域广大地区今次大旱情，却与三峡有关。据报道，三峡水库水位由9月15日的近148米上升到10月24日的170米，截留之水形成前所未有的巨大人工湖。
Drought is usually caused by climate change. A few provinces, including Guangdong, experienced drought during this summer and autumn. But the large area of drought around the Yangtze  River is related to the Three Gorges project. According to reports, the Three Gorges reservoir level has increased from 148m on 15 September to 170m on 24 October. This has created an unprecedented, massive artificial lake.
而与此同时，湖南各条长江支流水位迅速下降，洞庭湖水位降至60年来同期最低值。渔民无鱼可捕，枯水影响航运，长沙等城市食水供应告急。江西境内的4条大河逼近或低于历史同期最低水位。鄱阳湖比正常年份提前40天进入枯水期。
At the same time, water level of a few tributaries in Hunan province has decreased rapidly. Dongting Lake has dropped to the lowest level in 60 years. Fishermen and river transport are severely affected. Cities like Changsha are facing water shortages. Water level of the four major rivers in Jiangxi province have dropped near historic lows.  Poyang Lake has entered dry season 40 days earlier than normal.
He went on to criticize the authority:
长江水利委员会的专家把华中干旱的原因归咎于天气，称三峡蓄水是为了抗旱，蓄至高水位，才能在来年苦水季给下游补水。
The Yangtze River Water Resources Committee puts the blame on weather. The committee says that the Three Gorges project serves anti-drought purposes in the coming year. Only by storing large amount of water can the aim of providing water in next year’s dry season be achieved.
这是对公众极不负责的态度，好比一个人先劫掠，再施舍，然后以扶困救难的善士自居。请不要再欺骗老百姓，请解释：明知夏秋之际中国中部、南部少雨干旱，为什么还启动风险如此巨大的三峡蓄水计划？
This is an irresponsible behaviour. This is like robbing a person first, then helping him to show your charitable cause. Please don’t lie to the citizens anymore. Please explain: knowing that the summer-autumn period would be a dry season for central China, why still proceed with the high-risk plan?
为什么在今秋急急上马175米高程蓄水？有关部门宣称“将兼顾上、下游需求，正确处理防洪、发电、航运和供水之间的关系”，但一个月来长江中下游航运淤滞、供水告急的事实，证明这完全是一句假话。能源部门这个央企巨无霸，真正追求的东西只有一个——钱。
Why the hast decision to implement the 175m water storage scheme? The authority claimed it will “manage the relationship between flood protection, electricity generation, river traffic and water supply. But the traffic congestion and drought of the past month has disproved this claim. The related energy department, a giant state-owned firm, is only pursuing one thing: money.
This seems to echo with a commentary on Hong Kong’s Apple Daily:
區內雨量大幅減少確實是洞庭、鄱陽兩湖乾涸的主要原因。但兩湖水位急降，跟三峽工程也有關係。三峽水庫九月中啟動一百七十五米蓄水計劃後，長江中下游開始水位急降，本來儲存長江來水的洞庭及鄱陽，倒過來向長江輸水。
The reduction in rain is indeed an important cause for the dramatic drop in water level of the lakes of Dongting and Poyang. But it is also related to the Three Gorges project. Since the start of the water storage scheme in September, the water level of downstream Yangtze has dropped rapidly. Dongting and Poyang, originally acting as storage of incoming water, become a water supply for Yangtze.
巨大的三峽水庫本可調節長江水量：雨季時截住洪水…枯水時增加排水量…可惜，這幅理想圖像與現實的利益存在衝突，很難實現，因為三峽工程已成為利益集團的禁臠和生財工具。
The gigantic Three Gorges project could be used to regulate water flow: stopping water during wet season and supplying water at times of drought… Unfortunately, this ideal picture cannot be realized, because the project has become a paraphernalia for interested parties.
[Picture taken from www.1bao.org]

author: Andy Yee


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China: Sino-Indian tension and Dalai Lama · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Matters has an article looking into the Sino-Indian tension against the background of Dalai Lama's recent visits to Tawang and Nepal.


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Cuba, U.S.A.: Bloggers & Violence · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Both writing for Havana Times, Circles Robinson reports that the U.S. government has criticized the recent seizure of blogger Yoani Sanchez and two of her peers, noting that “Cuba maintains its rejection of any interference of the US government in its internal affairs”, while Pedro Campos suggests that “to reject unnecessary violence does not denigrate the revolutionary and socialist position; quite the contrary – it dignifies it.”


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Denmark: Immigrants offered money to leave the country · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Denmark is offering immigrants from “non-Western” countries 100,000 Danish kroners (US$20,000) if they volunteer to give up their legal residency and move “home”. This is just one of many creative initiatives spearheaded by the anti-immigrant Danish People's Party to make foreigners – and especially Muslims – feel unwelcome in this small European country of 5.5 million inhabitants.
According to the Danish People's Party, a coalition partner of the two ruling right-wing parties of the Danish government, paying immigrants to leave Denmark will save the state money on social services and “problems” [da] in the long run. “It costs quite a lot to have maladjusted immigrants in Danish society,” said financial spokesperson of the party, Kristian Thulesen Dahl. Funds have also been set aside for campaigns by local authorities who wish to encourage immigrants to leave the country. The government have not yet calculated how many people can be expected to accept the offer.
Around 10% of the population in Denmark are immigrants or descendants of immigrants including from neighboring countries, as well as the rest of the world. The primary issue in politics and the media for the past many years has been the “integration” of Muslim and other non-western immigrants and the tension arising from a perceived clash of cultures. Danish politicians have created some of the most stringent immigration laws in all of Europe, and continue to score high for it in polls.
How much, to leave the country?
In response, a sarcastic public Facebook group [da] protesting the law has been set up to collect 100,000 kroners to pay the leader of the Danish People's Party, Pia Kjærsgård to leave the country.
The group has over 16,000 members, and the tagline says, “100,000 kr. dear friends – and maybe she'll do it”. The group creators pledge to offer any additional money collected to the minister of integration, Birthe Rønn Hornbech from the governing Liberal Party, in case she should be amenable to leaving the country as well.
The debate on the Facebook group page is heated. Some offer witty comments about who else should be kicked out of the country or what else should happen to them, while others counter that the offer from the Danish government is a generous offer and should be welcomed by immigrants who are unhappy in Denmark and would prefer to leave. One commenter disagrees with the hype, and reminds everyone that a similar policy has been in place for several years, but the amount of money on offer was only 10 times smaller.
Facebook commenter Dan Cornali Jørgensen says [da]:
Jeg har måske misforstået konceptet?
Drejer det sig ikke om et lovforslag som giver ikke-integrerbare udlændige mulighed for at sige ja-tak, til en check på 100.000 kr. mod tilsagn om frivilligt at rejse hjem til deres oprindelsesland? Umidelbart virker det storsindet og absolut humanistisk, da vi må formode at 100.000… kr. er en anseelig formue i det pågældende land, og nok til at starte en anstændig tilværelse i det land som de tilsyneladende har så stærk tilknytning til…
Pensioners must report travel of more than 2 months
Another initiative negotiated this month by Danish People's Party is a law that requires all pensioners and early retirees in Denmark [da] to report to their city government if they plan to leave Denmark for more than two months at a time. Ostensibly, the goal is to stop people “for instance, Iraqis” from receiving pension payments in Denmark while they may be collecting wages in another country at the same time. The most popular example is that of an Iraqi-Danish politician, Samia Aziz Mohammad, who was discovered to be collecting pension funds while she was earning high wages from the Iraqi parliament. She has since paid the money back [da] to the Danish government. Another pensioner was discovered by the Danish press to be earning wages from the Kurdish parliament.
Members of parliament of both the Liberal Party and the Danish People's Party have argued that the new restrictions will also cut down on holiday visits by fake refugees to their home countries, and repatriation of family members who spend too much time abroad.
The fact that all Danish pensioners wil in effect will become suspects of fraud is something the biggest association of the elderly in Denmark, DaneAge, is vocally angry [da] about. Many comments on newspaper articles [da] support the government's attempt to cut down on fraud, while others draw comparisons to East Germany (GDR) travel bans of the past.
One Danish blogger, Erik Bentzen on Dette og Hint, says [da]:
Enhver kan sige sig selv, at meldepligten ikke dæmmer op for noget som helst, da den ikke indebærer nogen form for effektiv kontrol.
Det er ren chikane og tom signalpolitik, som øger kommunernes administrative arbejde til ingen verdens nytte.
Reglen er så amøbeintelligent, at den forhåbentlig giver bagslag, næste gang pensionisterne skal til stemmeurnerne.
This is pure harassment and empty symbolic politics, which increases the administrative work of local government for no reason whatsoever.
The rule is so amoebae-intelligent that it hopefully will result in backlash next time the pensioners will vote.

author: Solana Larsen


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El Salvador: The Blog Hunnapuh Moves to New Domain · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The blog Hunnapuh [es], which covers many different issues relating to El Salvador, has moved to a new domain Hunna.org [es].

author: Eduardo Avila


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Guyana: Must Get Mosquito · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal has it out with a mosquito.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Haiti: Pierre-Louis Ousted  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Haiti's Senate dismissed Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis on Friday, Oct. 30, 2009″: HaitiAnalysis.com reports that some senators believe “the vote was ‘illegal’ and plagued by procedural irregularities.”


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India: Climate Change And The Role Of Government · Global Voices
Rezwan

Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) volunteer Nicola Macnaughton opines that the Indian government’s lack of involvement in tackling climate changes “raises serious concerns about equity, justice, and human rights in a country which is widely acknowledged as the world’s ‘largest democracy’.”

author: Rezwan


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India: Dalai Lama And The Relationship With China · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kochuthresiamma at ParelTank comments on Dalai Lama's visit in Arunachal Pradesh and India's relationship with China: “Too many things have been happening between India and China in the past few months – the incursions, the dam, issuing separate visas to Kashmiris by China, protesting against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Arunachal Pradesh. Wonder what all these mean.”


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Kenya: Progressive or new activist constitution?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Taabu discusses the Kenya's draft constitution: “A look at the proposed new draft constitution leaves you wondering whether you are listening to an NGO seminar presentation.”


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Lebanon finally has a government · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

It's official. Five months after Lebanon's parliamentary elections, the country's squabbling factions have finally formed a government.
After winning a parliamentary majority in June, the US-backed March 14 coalition has struggled to form a national unity government with the Hezballah-led opposition.
Lebanon's political heavyweights had agreed soon after the elections on a cabinet formation that respected the country's delicate sectarian balance, and ensured opposition parties were not excluded from the decision-making process.
The cabinet includes 30 ministers, 15 from the ruling coalition, 10 the opposition, and 5 selected by President Michel Suleiman as a neutral buffer.
Obviously, this was all easier said than done. In reality, squeezing in over 10 political factions – each of whom vying for a greater share of government portfolios and influential ministries – proved more difficult than one could imagine.
Political wrangling over the seats of power is a trademark of Lebanese politics, and thus, the Lebanese blogosphere expressed little shock throughout the five month saga.
Nevertheless, having endured nearly half a year of a government-less state, Lebanese bloggers were understandably relieved, but remain cautious about its prospects.
And rightly so, as signs of tension within the two-day-old government were picked up by the blogosphere as soon as its formation had been deemed official.
March 14 ally, the right-wing Christian Phalangist Party (al'Kata'eb in Arabic), responded to its sole ministry post of Social Affairs with anger, threatening to unravel the new government line-up.
In his analysis of the Phalangist fallout, Lebanese political blogger Elias Muhanna senses a shift in alliances, Qifa Nabki:
On the one hand, I can understand the frustration: Social Affairs is a pretty lousy ministry, especially given the fact that the Lebanese Forces (another Christian ally of March 14 with more or less the same parliamentary weight as the Kata’eb) was given two portfolios in the new cabinet, one of them the highly visible Ministry of Justice.
[Phalangist] Sami Gemayel had been calling publicly for the Education Ministry earlier last week, presumably so that it would look like [Prime Minister Saad] Hariri gave them what they were demanding, were he only to give them one seat. But to dump them with Social Affairs alone looks like a snub.
Muhanna continues by declaring the March 14 versus March 8 rivalry dead:
Here’s a guess [for Hariri's snub of the Phalangists]. As we’ve said before, the era of the March 14-March 8 rivalry is over. It died, more or less, on the day after the election, and [PSP and Druze leader Walid] Jumblatt’s decision to drop out of Hariri’s coalition was the final nail in the coffin. The March 14 coalition, or what’s left of it, doesn’t command a majority in parliament, so what’s the point of trying to maintain it anymore?
If Hariri wants to be able to govern effectively, he needs to build a new coalition. Or, at least, he needs to re-build the kinds of partnerships that his father constructed and manipulated so masterfully, reaching across the aisle to court erstwhile opponents like Hezbollah, AMAL, and the FPM. Those are the parties with the real clout in their communities and the seats in parliament. If I had to guess, this is more or less what’s in the back of the young PM’s mind.
Left-leaning As'ad Abu Khalil at the Angry Arab blog conducted an overview of the elected ministers, but remained adamant that the cabinet will not solve any of Lebanon's woes:
So there is a new Lebanese cabinet. Nothing new. Lebanon was and will be always on the verge of civil war, even if it does not descend into civil war. The cabinet will not solve a thing.
Ghassan Karam from Rational Republic offers an equally pessimistic outlook, alleging that the government is simply a mini-parliament:
From here on the Lebanese cabinets are to be formed according to the newly established principle; each parliamentary bloc will be represented in the executive branch of government according to its share of parliamentary seats.
Goodbye democracy and welcome to the unworkable hybrid where many will be and not be at the same time. They will function as opposition and yet change their fedoras, whenever it suits them to become part of the government that they oppose. Thank you March 14, for driving in the final nail into the coffin of the Cedar revolution and the aspirations that it gave rise to.
Harsh criticism is given in an interesting commentary titled “Contradictions” on the French language blog, Le Liban:
Sitôt formé, le gouvernement d’union nationale se démène déjà dans ces problèmes.
Non pas dans les problèmes quotidiens des libanais, problèmes sociaux comme l’appauvrissement de la population, économiques comme la crise dans laquelle se démène l’industrie locale ou politiques locaux et régionaux comme les menaces israéliennes et la guerre prévue pour le printemps prochain, mais dans les propres contradictions de la majorité parlementaire avec les menaces de retrait des partis phalangistes.
Twitter response
Several Lebanese bloggers on Twitter also engaged in ridiculing and expressing frustration at Lebanon's political elite.
Alexandra Tohme (Twitter alias alexzawya) drew up a mock counter Lebanese Government made up of “Twit-Ministers”:
Yesterday was a rollercoaster of emotions. The announcement that a cabinet had been formed 5 months after elections had me singing from the balcony, a few hours later and breakaway parties threatened to destabilize the whole thing.
I tossed and turned.  I fretted. I ate chocolate cake. In this day and age, I thought, we no longer have to be at the mercy of delayed talks, stalling tactics and idle bickering whilst the world moves on. What we need, is a quickly assembled alternative cabinet that can be swiftly deployed in the event of war, acts of god (or gods), government strike or overly long lunch breaks.
Samia Badih (Twitter alias samiaonthemove) revealed her disappointment with the following tweets:
Why is any war criminal still in Lebanese government?
What a joke! How is this guy the Minister of Culture? http://tinyurl.com/ylfl8ms #Lebanese #Government #Shootmenow
Philippe Kalaf (Twitter alias planetlebanon) ridiculed the government as being headed by clowns:
Kataeb aren't happy, they want to quit the cabinet (Sayegh from social affairs) and break alliance with M14. Country run by clowns…
Someone should make a map of the most “profitable” (for ministers of course) ministries in Lebanon. It would help explain the happy/sad ppl
The Lebanese blogosphere's deriding response to the government formation signals a clear disconnect between Lebanon's political elite and those underneath it who can only see a comedy show ahead of them.

author: Antoun Issa


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Morocco: Islamic Finance Banks · Global Voices
Jennifer Brea

we are watching you [Fr] explains why you won't see any Islamic finance banks in Morocco anytime soon.

author: Jennifer Brea


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Nigeria: Top Nollywood actor kidnapped · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Top Nigerian film star, Nkem Owoh, has been kidnapped:  “Mr. Owoh is one of the top Nollywood actors mainly due to his role in the blockbuster movie ‘Osuofia’. He was kidnapped along the Enugu – PortHarcourt Expressway and his kidnappers have reportedly demanded a 15 million naira ransom.”


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Palestine: Frustration With The “Swagger” Of Politics · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Last week the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced that he would not stand for re-election in January, due to his frustration at the US failure to stop Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. However, some commentators believe he is trying to call Israel’s bluff. In this post we hear the opinion of one blogger who is also extremely frustrated – with Palestinian politics.
At the group blog Al Thawrah (“The Revolution”), Me writes:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Puerto Rico: Talking ‘Bout A Revolution  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius suggests that the recent protests in Puerto Rico weren't enough.


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Russia: Bird’s Eye View Photos of Central Part of the Country · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Russian landscapes from the board of a small plane. LJ-user Makarena [RUS] shared some breathtaking photos here.


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Singapore: Health Care System · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Diana Saw introduces the positive side of the Singapore health system.


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South Africa: Sesame Street’s HIV-Positive Muppet Raises Awareness · Global Voices
Juhie Bhatia

As the children's show Sesame Street celebrates its 40th anniversary this month, premiering its new season today, one cute and cuddly Muppet on its South African edition continues to help combat and raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.
While Sesame Street is seen in over 140 countries, each version addresses local issues and has different Muppets.  Golden-yellow Kami made her debut on the South African Sesame Street co-production, called Takalani Sesame, in 2002 in response to the country's HIV/AIDS problem. The world's first HIV-positive Muppet, she helps educate kids about the disease and confronts issues related to being HIV-positive. The name Kami is derived from the Setswana word “Kamogelo,” meaning “acceptance.” Sunshinestar110, blogging on U Don't Like My Opinion…That's Fine! talks more about Kami:
“Kami is a healthy HIV Positive, affectionate 5 year old orphan who is a little shy but quickly joins when approached in a friendly way, She also knows a lot about HIV, she lost her mother to the disease. When Kami was unveiled, with her mop of brown hair and she also wore a vest, wandering onto Sesame Street and wondering nervously if the residents will want to play with her. She didn't have to worry because the other Muppets enthusiastically welcomed her.”
Kami was introduced to help the many children in South Africa who are dealing with the HIV/AIDS crisis. South Africa is believed to have the highest number of people infected with HIV in the world — an estimated 5.7 million people. Approximately 280,000 of those infected are children 14 and younger and there are 1.4 million orphans  in the country due to AIDS. In addition to the physical complications of having HIV, there's also the stigma and taboo that comes with having the disease, which makes it harder for people to receive adequate treatment and support. Takalani Sesame, which incorporates all 11 of South Africa's official languages, tries to help children address some of these issues head on through Kami.
However, there was much controversy when Kami was introduced, particularly in the U.S., as many were outraged that a children's show would feature an HIV-positive character. Haven on Earth elaborates on the debate:
“Although it was reported that Kami's arrival on Sesame Street in South Africa was welcomed (I have a hard time accepting this as fact because of the still high level of denial still there), there was definite controversy here in United States. I remember reading about this (which is why I was so pleased to actually encounter a show airing while in South Africa – it would have never occurred to me to look for it). Apparently a group of Republican congressmen sent a letter to the President of PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) that airs Sesame Street. The letter protested that plans to introduce a similar HIV-positive character in the United States in due course were inappropriate, given the age of the audience. They suggested that such a move might threaten public funding of PBS [Public Broadcasting Service].”
Kami has never appeared on the American Sesame Street, though she has proven to be a very successful character on Takalani Sesame and beyond. In 2003, UNICEF appointed her as a global “Champion for Children.” In this video, she joins former U.S. president Bill Clinton to deliver a message about HIV/AIDS. Jamie, blogging on No day but today…, discusses Kami's other successes.
“Since most South African children know someone who has AIDS, the character has become a national hero, beloved by the country's people. Kami has appeared at the United Nations and the World Bank and was interviewed by Katie Couric. She has also been named a UNICEF ambassador for children and has appeared in Takalani segments alongside Desmond Tutu and Nelson Mandela.”
Despite Kami's success, some bloggers still believe that she's not an appropriate character for the American version of Sesame Street.  Emily Meyer, blogging for her honors class, says:
“Although it is important for Americans to know about HIV/AIDS and the seriousness of the diseases, I think teaching kids at the ages of two and three is a little extreme.  Children this young would most likely not understand about HIV and would not understand its consequences.  If Kami was to be introduced in the United States as a way to spread knowledge and combat AIDS, I do not think the intended results would occur…Kids in America are not forced to deal with the issue of HIV/AIDS at that young of an age.  I think the appropriate time for kids in America to learn about the seriousness of HIV is when they are older, about ten or eleven years old or when the student becomes sexually active”
Still, many bloggers, such as this one writing on Muppets and History, see Kami has another example of how Sesame Street has pushed the boundaries. Others profess their love for the Muppet and the message she brings to children. And still others think she should be introduced on other versions of Sesame Street. On her personal blog, Steisha Pintado says:
“She shows children that it is okay to hug someone who is HIV positive, and she explains what to do when she has a cut on her finger or if you have a cut yours. She teachers her young audience about coping with illness and loss…Even though sex is never mentioned when talking about Kami’s condition, some people have said that having an HIV positive character would be inappropriate for a young viewing audience. One legislature even claimed that the Sesame Workshop would lose its government funding if it aired a program with such a character in our country. It is so shocking to hear these words. Parents spend less and less time with their children, and allow the television to educate them more and more. So obviously many parents aren’t teaching their children how to handle delicate subjects of awareness and acceptance. Parents have already allowed the Sesame Workshop to introduce acceptance with those who have disabilities and illnesses, and also with those who are a different race or religion. How is this any different?”

author: Juhie Bhatia


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Sri Lanka: E-Swabhimani Awards · Global Voices
Rezwan

Chulie de Silva writes about the E-Swabhimani awards organized by the Information Communication Agency  (ICTA), which honors Sri Lanka’s digital content developers/producers. The blogger also highlights some of the nominated projects.


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Taiwan: Spirit medium · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Michael Turton from the View from Taiwan started from the story of a spirit medium in Taiwan and discussed the history and culture of Tang-ki worship.