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Puerto Rico: Massive Oil Refinery Explosion · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

At around 12:30 am on Friday, October 23, the Gulf Oil Refinery (Caribbean Petroleum Company-CAPECO) in Bayamón (in the metropolitan area), Puerto Rico, exploded massively.  Almost 20 tanks have exploded since then, the fire is still burning although it has been contained, and an immense and never ending tower of smoke is covering the sky. More than a 1,000 people who live in the surrounding neighborhoods have been relocated, and five municipalities have been declared in state of emergency. Activists and scientists have warned about the devastating ecological consequences of this disaster, and how it will affect people's health. Community leaders of the surrounding neighborhoods have been warning the government for years about the environmental and health implications of living close to an oil refinery.
The causes of the explosion are still under investigation.
Video of the explosion posted on YouTube by ZuperJ.
In Haciendo punto en otro blog [ES], journalist and blogger Carmel Ruiz comments:
On Thursday night the Gulf Oil refinery in the nearby town of Cataño blew up. The blast and shock waves were felt twenty miles away. It was a sound like nothing I had ever heard in my life (the shock wave actually opened my bedroom door). In the four or five seconds after the explosion, the fireball was as bright as the three o'clock sun The fire is still burning, the plume of smoke is like nothing ever seen in Puerto Rico.
View of the tunnel of smoke caused by the explosion. Photo by Alberto Marty.
Historian and blogger Ivone Acosta was also affected by the blast, as she expresses in Sin mordazas [ES]:
No me atrevo salir. Ya dos amigas que conocen mis alergias me llamaron para advertirme eso mismo, que no salga porque el aire contiene demasiados particulados peligrosos y que cierre todas las ventanas. Como quiera, no me interesa ver la histeria de la gente que por menos que eso se paniquean. Ya he visto comentarios en el periódico en línea acusando a “los socialistas de siempre”.
I dare not venture out. Already two friends who know about my allergies have called me to warn me that I should not leave the house because the air has too many dangerous particulates. They said I should close the windows. Anyway, I am not in the least interested in seeing people in hysteria who enter in panic with even less important things. I have already seen comments in the newspapers accusing the “same old socialists” of the explosion.
To understand Acosta's comments, some context is necessary. Just as recently as last October 15 there was a national strike in Puerto Rico.  Government officials have accused demonstrators of being terrorists.
In Observations from the “Island of Enchantment”, blogger Adriana remembers how she felt when she heard the explosion:
Yesterday, when I woke up, I heard the distant sounds of helicopters flying. I though to myself, well, maybe something's going on in the housing projects (caseríos).  A short while later, I found out about the explosion.  Although it had occurred in Cataño, which is just outside of San Juan, I saw the black clouds from my house. The magnitude of the explosion registered a 2.8 on the richter scale. Thousands of people had to be evacuated. Law enforcement officials are currently investigating the causes of the explosion. I can't imagine what the environmental, health and economic consequences will amount to. Luckily, no deaths have been reported.
The conversation in Twitter is running under the the hashtag #explosionpr. For photos you can check El Difusor. Alternative media outlets Diálogo and Prensa Comunitaria are offering minute-by-minute coverage, as are mainstream media Primera Hora, El Nuevo Día and El Vocero.
*First video by Luis Andrei Muñoz posted on Flickr. Republished under a Creative Commons License.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Saudi Arabia: The Future Husbands and Wives of Saudis Revamped · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Future Husbands and Wives of Saudis is introducing new changes for its readers.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Syria: 80 Year-Old Human Rights Activist Arrested · Global Voices
Anas Qtiesh

Omar Mushawah reported [ar] the arrest of Haytham al-Maleh, a Syrian lawyer and human rights advocate who also spent 6 years in prison in the period between 1980 and 1986 for demanding constitutional reforms. Al-Maleh is also a co-founder of the Syrian Human Rights Society.

author: Anas Qtiesh


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Algeria: An American Political Cartoonist’s Account · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

American political cartoonist Daryl Cagle recently sojourned to Algeria for a comics convention; he shares his experiences on his blog.

author: Jillian C. York


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Armenia: Twitter counters false media report · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

After a news item in the local press reported that a British MP had been appointed as rapporteur on Armenia and Turkey, Unzipped says that it used Twitter to check the accuracy of the story. Tweeting a question to the MP in question, it turned out that the report was false.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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China: Relics of the Old Summer Palace · Global Voices
Michael Kan

Back in the news again is Beijing’s Old Summer Palace, whose destruction still remains a sensitive topic in China.
Built during the Qing Dynasty, it was later sacked by British and French troops in 1860 during the Second Opium War. Countless works of art were also looted from the palace and then taken abroad.  Now many of these items remain in the hands of foreign museums or private collections.
Earlier this year, a few of those artifacts went up for auction in Paris, drawing the attention of the Chinese media. The Chinese government condemned the sale and demanded the artifacts’ return.
Now with the recent passing of the 149th anniversary of the palace’s destruction, China has announced it will send a team of experts to identify and document what items were taken from the historic palace. To do so, the team will visit museums, libraries and private collections in countries like the United States, Britain, France, Japan and more.
But the team’s goal will only involve cataloging what relics were looted in order to understand what the palace was like before it was destroyed. Still, Chen Mingjie, director of the Old Summer Palace’s management office said that they hope some artifacts will be returned to China during this retracing effort.
Like many repatriation issues, the topic has generated different views on what should be done. The hope for many Chinese netizens is that China can correct a bleak part of its country’s history.
One blogger, 村民老尚 described the history of the Old Summer Palace as a disgraceful and heavy burden.
长期以来，“圆明园”在中国人的字典上，基本上是具有莫种沉重与羞耻意义的三个字。她就像一个背负欺辱的受害者，始终在一种不堪回首的状态中存在着。
但是近些年，这种沉重似乎是越来越加重，加重的原因也似乎和圆明园的历史没多大关系了（那些历史已经定格），却和现代咱们中国人对圆明园历史的认识有关，和今天的圆明园要传达什么样的历史和现代文明、现代文化有关。
Another blogger, 高遠 discussed the difficulties China might encounter when trying to search for the relics in museums abroad.
我看这两天西方媒体报道， 他们说欧洲多国博物馆对中国追讨文物的举措感到紧张和担忧。紧张是心虚，担忧是怕自己的强权地位衰落而影响国际形象。但对我们中国来说，追讨遗失文物是早 晚要走的必由之路。
就像季羡林先生生前所讲的：“这些海外遗失文物首先是中国的，然后才是世界的”。问题是，我们才刚刚准备派出几个小分队，西方就开始感 到紧张、担忧了，大规模海外寻宝之旅不久的将来终会启程。那时候，才是真正对西方自我标榜的所谓人权、平等理念的最大考验。
Not all bloggers saw a need to search for the artifacts. 司馬平邦 commented that the palace’s significance has been overstated.
同时它是统治者用民脂民膏搭建的一个奢侈工程，毁了也就毁了，罪有应 得，洋人替老百姓拆了它，另一方面也大快人心。
Other comments have been made, reflecting the feeling that China is now a major power in the world, and should be treated as so.
Replying to an article about how all Chinese artifacts should be returned to the country, one user made a recent comment in the People’s Daily about how China shouldn’t even have to consider buying back any lost artifacts.
中国不能再搞什么回购文物的玩意了，应该名正言顺的要回本就属于我们的宝贝，这才能真正显示中国的力量和尊严！回购不仅仅会使非法文物合法化，甚至还会使那段野蛮的侵略合法化！
A quick poll was done at iDiaoYan.com that asked netizens what they thought about China’s search to archive the taken relics. Users seemed to be pessimistic about the project’s success, with 57.1 percent saying that it would be difficult to find and document all the looted artifacts.
Another question asked what if users though the project would help in returning artifacts to China. 58 percent said it would help a little, while 14 percent said it wouldn’t do any real benefit.
Still, 60 percent of the users in the poll, said they supported the project.
In comments made to the China Daily’s english article on the search for the relics, some netizens pointed out the benefits of having the cultural artifacts stored abroad.
Joanna 2009-10-19 17:18
i am amazed that so many relics were kept in the museums of other country, just as one of my friends said as long as the relics are well stored and some of them can be viewed for free in europe or America, it is a chance for forenginers to know more about China, especially chinese culture.
Give Credit 2009-10-19 13:27
A lot of these cultural relics were bought or stolen. However 100 years ago or even 70 years ago these treasures were lying in the original countries(when poor) as a worthless relics or art. If these cultural heritage are not “rescued” they would have been lost for ever.
Today these heritage are kept in good condition and displayed for free viewing. A good example is London Museum.

author: Michael Kan


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Israel: Why I don’t want to be a man · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Batya, at Shiloh Musings from Israel, never wanted to be a man. Click on the link to find out why.


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Japan: Latest survey on poverty destroys the prosperity myth · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

One Japanese in six is living in poverty says the latest Welfare Ministry report [en]. According to OECD figures [en], Japan has one of the highest poverty rates in the developed world and is 4th after only Mexico, Turkey and the U.S.
By Flickr id: Ushio Shugo
In September, Makoto Yuasa, Secretary-general of Anti Poverty Network  (反貧困 Han Hinkon) [ja], had already pointed to the problem explaining Japan's poverty issue in this way [en]:
Ever since the high economic growth of the 1960s, Japan has inhabited the myth that all Japanese people belong to the middle class. However, Japanese-style employment, which is at the heart of this myth, has been transformed by the increase in nonregular employment and other factors, and a growing number of Japanese live in poverty.
As many debate on their blogs, nowadays the income gap in Japan is far from being new. When the economic Bubble burst in the early 90s it revealed the weaknesses in the Japanese system and since then many experts say the country has never completely recovered from recession.
Ysaki suggests how this problem has always existed but have been regarded by most Japanese as a somebody else's problem.
この記事を最初に見た時に、私は部落問題に近いな、と感じたんです。それは、私たちの隣に確実にその問題があるのに、知らないふりをする。見ない振りをし、無関係を装ってきた。
Miyabi-tale considers that the issue has a long history and that responsibility must be traced back to political inertia.
驚くべきは、この数字が今年ではなくて数年前のデータでさえすでに7人に1人いるという事実で、リーマンショック以降の世界恐慌の不景気のあとでは今現在では少なく見ても5人に1人はそれくらいの値になっていると考えられることである。自民政権下では、公式発表的に「日本に貧困はない」「一億総中流家庭」なんていうキャッチコピーもあったわけだが、現実はまったくそうでないということが改めて浮き彫りにされたわけである。
By Flickr id: caribb
There are those though who prefer to consider the other side of the coin.
Ukkii hopes that this black period in the Japanese social and economic history would bring a return of the strength of spirit for which the Japanese people are renowned.
し・か・し
国の景気が良くなるまでこのままでいいのだろうか
貧しかった戦後の日本国民は、みな必死で頑張ってここまでよくなってきています
あの時代のハングリー精神があればきっと国を変えれなくとも企業の生き残りは可能だと思います
私は一社員でありますが社長のような視点で物事を考えていくことを目標としています
視野を広げればいろんなことに発見や改善が見えてくるからです
ハングリー精神なんて言葉、現代では死語なのかもしれませんが
僕はこの言葉を提唱していきたいと思います

author: Scilla Alecci


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Jordan: Halloween Dilemma  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Moey is considering Holloween costumes in this post: Lady Gaga is in, Michael Jackson is out.


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Jordan: Serious about +18 · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian Ola Eliwat, from Cinnamon Zone, notes:'Seriously, when you receive an email titled “+18″, does anyone in his right mind seriously believe that someone who's under 18 will go, “Oh, I'm underage, I'd better not check that one out”‘


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Lebanon Ups the Ante in the Hummus War · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

Courtesy of © Maya Zankoul, mayazankoul.wordpress.com
As many as 300 Lebanese chefs gathered yesterday in Beirut to make the largest ever plate of hummus  in an attempt to claim the reigns in ownership of the popular chick pea dip.
The new world record is part of an ongoing campaign in Lebanon to reaffirm the country's claim to a number of dishes being produced in Israel – with the ownership of hummus being one of the main quarrels.
Israeli and Lebanese producers of hummus have been logged in a stiff competition for the growing global appetite for the delicious Middle Eastern dip.
Lebanese producers claim Israel is ripping off ‘Lebanese’ dishes and promoting them worldwide as their own.
The Israelis, for their part, were the previous world record holder for the largest hummus plate, prompting the Lebanese to react.
Officially in a state of war, the two countries appear to be widening the battle front to incorporate the fight for hummus.
The question now remains will other producers of the same dish, including the Syrians, Jordanians and Palestinians, enter the food fight?
Lebanese bloggers have offered their viewpoints on the battle for hummus.
Maya Zankoul ridiculed the battle with a humourous caricature of the event:
Yesterday, Lebanon broke the world record by making the largest hommos plate. I passed by the event location after the plate was made, and did not find it THAT big… So I imagined that after a while someone else would take the challenge of breaking our record and so on and so forth. W ba3den (and next)? Come on someone has to stop this nonsense!
Similar sentiments were echoed on The Cedar Tree blog:
At first, I heard about the largest kibbeh plate and I thought those Lebanese women were so cute. Then came the fight for the largest hummus plate and I thought this is starting to become ridiculous. But despite my personal opinion, apparently the Lebanese feel very passionate about their hummus and so we’re officially in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest hummus serving. I hope everyone’s happy about it. Can we move on now? No. There’s only one more fight left (let’s hope it’s the last) and that’s for the largest tabbouleh plate, scheduled to take place tomorrow on the 25th of October. Okay, now I’m thinking are these people out of their minds? What’s the point? So we make it into the book and then what? Don’t get me wrong; I LOVE Lebanese hummus, but I really think there’s way more important issues that are WORTH fighting for besides food and world records.
There are two questions I would like to find the answer for. One, how much money was spent to make this event today and two, what happened to all the hummus?
A blog post on A Diamond's Eye View of the World revealed equal bemusement (or amusement) to the event:
I agree that having Israelis and pseudo-Israelis try to correct my pronunciation of “hummus” as “KHumus” – say it with extra phlegm for full effect – is beyond irritating. But claiming a dish by cooking an obscene amount of it? And being PROUD of this? And creating an embarrassingly lame slogan – in English, no less? Good God.
In adding another dimension to the battle, Asad Abu Khalil at the Angry Arab blog highlighted that the origins of  hummus may not even be Lebanese, but Palestinian:
“”No one has the right to call hummus and falafel his national dish,” said Siham Baghdadi Zurub, a Ramallah-based chef and author of the Arabic-language cookbook The Palestinian Cuisine. She argued that in fact Palestinians were the first to make hummus of chickpeas, since the crop was plentiful, rather than from fava beans as done in Egypt and Syria. “Putting copyright on certain dishes is a selfish trend that reflects insecurity and lack of common sense.””
The hummus tug of war between Lebanon and Israel also captured the attention of Twitter users:
Whether it is to be considered a matter of national pride or source for comedy, the latest battle for hummus undoubtedly adds another twist to the firey relations between Lebanon and Israel.

author: Antoun Issa


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Malaysia: Should food bloggers reveal sponsors? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

masak-masak from Malaysia asks readers if they want a food blogger to reveal if he/she was paid to review a restaurant.

author: Mong Palatino


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Morocco: A Lenient Sentence · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Zineb Chtit at the trial (courtesy Oujdacity)
In September, we learned about Zineb Chtit, the young Moroccan girl who was severely beaten while working as a maid.  Last week, it was announced that Zineb's attacker Nawal Houmin, the wife of the couple who had hired her, was to be punished for the crime with a sentence of three years imprisonment and a $13,000 fine.  Many human rights groups have spoken out about the sentence, calling it too lenient.
Says blogger Crazy Moor:
But several Moroccan rights groups say they would appeal on behalf of the country’s estimated 60 thousand to 80 thousand child labourers.
The chair of the Association, “Don’t Touch My Children”, Najia Adib, says the sentence does not regret the scale of the atrocities committed, because the little girl was locked up in a cellar.
The case occurred in the eastern Moroccan city of Oujda.  Popular website Oujdacity.net, which calls itself the “premiere portal for eastern Morocco,” remarked on the incident, saying [ar]:
Solidarité Maroc remarked somewhat sarcastically [fr]:
Malgré les dénonciations concernant les deux époux, seule l'épouse a été inculpée, alors que le juge a été innocenté. Encore une illustration de la justice, au Maroc.
Blogger Moustapha Mouden of the collective blog SidiSlimane [ar], remarking on a 2M program on child labor, says of the issue:
But there is also the issue of awareness this serious problem, that laws have proved insufficient to deal with.
The blogger also remarks on the issue of awareness, something that the laws cannot change:
يجب التركيز على مسألة الوعي، والتحسيس بمختلف عواقب تشغيل الفتيات… وهو ما يتطلب كذلك إعمال النصوص القانوينة الخاصة بالموضوع، وإشعار السلطات المعنية بضرورة القيام بواجبها، ومن ذلك اتفاقية حقوق الطفل التي صادق عليها المغرب، ومدونة الشغل التي تجرم تشغيل من هو/هي في أقل من 15 سنة، وكذلك قانون إجبارية تدريس الأطفال
Special thanks to Hisham for assistance with this post.


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Myanmar: Gay slang · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Writing for New Mandala, Violet Cho and Dave Gilbert observe that “Gay people in Burma are resisting homophobia and marginalisation through the creative use of new communication codes.”


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Philippines: Relief Goods Rotting in Government Warehouses · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

Ella's Blog from the Philippines posts photos of donated goods intended for typhoon victims rotting in government warehouses. The expose has sparked fears that the goods might be misused to support administration candidates in next year's elections. The original site shows a “404 Not Found error” when it is accessed but the contents have been reposted by concerned citizens in blogs and social networks.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Saudi Arabia: Blogging Milestone  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Blogging from Saudi Arabia, American Bedu will soon be reaching a milestone on her blog. Find out what.


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Saudi Arabia: Lucrative Laundry Business  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

American Bedu, who blogs from Saudi Arabia, remarks: “One of the very marketable and therefore competitive opportunities in Saudi Arabia is owning and operating a cleaners (laundry).”


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Singapore plans to require bloggers to reveal sponsors · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Media Development Authority (MDA) of Singapore is thinking of drafting a new guideline that would require bloggers to reveal if they receive gifts or money for their articles. This proposed “stricter disclosure rule” will “protect consumers by enabling them to make an informed assessment about what they read.”
Tham Yuen-C believes enforcing such rule is impossible
Yet, enforcement will be almost impossible.
With so many bloggers opining about anything from restaurants to running shoes to handbags, the agencies in charge of policing the blogs have their work cut out for them.
There will also be many things to pin down, such as who a blogger is, what qualifies as a blog and which legal jurisdiction a person would fall under if he or she were, say, a Singaporean blogger living in London.
Even in the media industry, where there are rules and the threat of dismissal for breaking them, mandating credibility is not an easy task. What more in the nebulous world of the Internet?
She advises authorities to focus on “regulating the practice (of deceptive advertising) and not the medium (of blogs and new media).”
For example, while it will be hard to track all blog posts and bloggers, it should be easier to police companies that use new media channels to make self-serving claims under a cloak of partiality, and the advertising companies that broker these deals.
The Temasek Review agrees that Singapore can’t implement the new ruling:
Given the borderless and anonymous nature of cyberspace, it will be almost impossible for MDA to enforce the rule unless bloggers disclose the information voluntarily.
The author speculates that the real agenda of the MDA is to hurt the financial viability of socio-political blogs:
The real agenda behind the move, however, is probably to deter potential donors from funding and supporting bloggers, especially socio-political blogs with a high readership like ours.
At the present moment, only our site, The Online Citizen and the website of the Singapore Democratic Party accept donations from readers.
If such a rule is indeed promulgated, donations for socio-political blogs will surely dry up because few Singaporeans will dare to have their identities revealed to MDA that they have been supporting sites which are critical of the government.
In the long run, this will have a detrimental impact on the growth and development of the new media in Singapore, especially for popular sites with a sizable readership but hampered by limited funding.
An anonymous commenter believes that netizens should do their own policing:
If ppl get paid to write good things on eg food, spa, etc, consumers will know sooner or later. A better developed media will ensure this fake writeups will be exposed. Let the netizens do their own policing.
Don’t overreact, Silenceisgolden comments:
Lets not over react in this matter. I think bloggers will probably be required to make a statement somewhere within their site that to say that they are being paid for blogging.
Another commenter, Ree, cites an example on how consumers will benefit from the MDA ruling:
Am I being very naive in thinking that the reason MDA wants to implement this is for the benefit of consumers?
To put it very simply, isn’t this just like those long Home Shopping Network ads where there is a disclosure stating that it is a PAID advertisement we are watching?
Commenting in The Online Citizen, HL welcomes the proposal but is pessimistic if Singapore can enforce the guideline:
The declaration would help to state up front where the blogger is coming from. Might not necessarily mean what the blogger writes is or has to be biased towards the sponsor. The decision then becomes a more informed one for the readers, and overall improved health on info reliability. This, I welcome.
The only issue is how best to effect this. Direct regulation is difficult, and not just because of the “vastness” of cyberspace. Someone mentioned taxation, and that’s a good example of a stumbling block – mountains need to be moved before MDA and IRAS can come to some agreement on how to plug this potential policy blackhole – i.e. who collects the taxes, who polices, etc.
Miss Dotty clarifies that MDA may be replicating the move of the Federal Trade Commission in the United States which recently amended its guidelines. But Miss Dotty questions the inclusion of blogs in the proposed ruling
Since the government keeps claiming that there is only lies and disinformation in the internet; this should prompt us all to ask; then what’s the basis to even demand blogs to fully disclose their association with firms should they decide to write favorably or negatively about products or services? This doesn’t make any sense to me.
Uncle Sha notes that it is up to the individual blogger to disclose his/her sponsors
I guess sooner or later the law is catching up on cyberspace. From my own opinion and perception, such policy was only brought up as MDA wants more control, and IRA wants to tax us twice instead of once a year. Well that’s just me lah.
I myself disclose if I do receive remuneration for my blog posting, but I know many bloggers out there who don’t. So there’s an issues of transparency with their entries.
All I can say, in cyberspace you can play hide and seek all you want without getting caught, even with such policy in place, it’s really up to the individual blogger if they want to disclose.
FOOD fuels me to talk also asks if there is need to expand the coverage of the ruling to include paid bloggers who “damn all things about Singapore”
IMHO, I think MDA shouldn’t blindly introduce rules just because the US is doing so. Rather, if we want rules, we should have them, whether the US does so or not.
Moreover, disclosures shouldn’t just be imposed because they go to show a blogger’s bias. They should also be there to help IRAS track income, if indeed, as boasted by the occasional blogger that he/she is pulling in a 4-figure monthly income through blogging.
And more controversially, what about bloggers who damn all things about Singapore, all the time? Shouldn’t they be made to confirm that it’s just that they have a negative disposition; not because someone is sponsoring their ascorbic outpourings?
The(new)mediaslut wants the same ruling to apply to traditional media
On the end of the spectrum, how about journalists declaring the gifts and junkets they go on to cover certain events for vendors?
If MDA decides to put such a ruling on bloggers or New Media as the government likes to call it, why not put in the same ruling traditional media too?


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Thailand, Cambodia rift evident in ASEAN conference · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

absolutelybangkok.com provides a backgrounder and update to the continuing rift between the top leaders of Thailand and Cambodia who are both attending the annual conference of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.


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Thailand: How not to be scammed  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Dale offers tips on how to avoid being scammed by unscrupulous taxi drivers in Bangkok.


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Thailand: Local elections · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Andy links to two blog posts which provide commentaries on local elections in Thailand. The first post highlights the prevalence of vote buying in communities while the other post sees hope in the conduct of local elections.


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Uruguay: Following Tabaré Vásquez · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Uruguay's election is scheduled for October 25 and Juan Cruz Díaz  of Americas Quarterly [es] wonders who will lead the country after outgoing President Tabaré Vásquez, who Díaz writes “was a successful governor” and cites some of his accomplishments, such as the implementation of the Ceibal Plan.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Afghanistan: Who will benefit from re-vote? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding assumes that no-one except the insurgents would benefit from the re-run of presidential elections, because the whole election process is now mired by corruption allegations.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Algeria: The Culture of Rioting  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Moor Next Door takes a closer look at the culture of rioting in Algeria: “A decade of national reconciliation has produce a society where young men riot by night and by day plot escape routs out of Algeria, via suicide or sea.”


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Azerbaijan: Hope · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Writing on Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines on the eve of their next court hearing, Arzu Geybullayeva says she still hopes that detained video bloggers Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli will be released. She also says that the two online youth activists are an example to others and believes that that the situation in Azerbaijan will improve whatever happens.


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Bahrain: Bahraini Inventors  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini inventors? Mahmood Al Yousif finds them in this post.


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Bangladesh: Conference On 1971 Genocide  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Mash attended the 2nd conference on the 1971 Bangladesh Genocide organized by the Human Rights Institute and the Bangladesh Genocide Study Group at Kean University and posted about it in his blog Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying. “The focus was on eyewitness accounts, documentation and memorialization of the Genocide, and the upcoming Genocide trials in Bangladesh,” he reports.

author: Rezwan


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Bermuda: PATI Problems · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Vexed Bermoothes says that Bermuda's draft freedom of information law “is a rather opaque transparency law.  It also misses a singular opportunity to protect whistleblowers…”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bhutan: Perspective On Child Labor · Global Voices
Rezwan

“The malignant hypocrisy hangs in the air when a rich official’s wife ill-treats her maidservant, who is only a child, while her husband attends international conferences and speaks to people about GNH (gross national happiness). It happens in Bhutan,” reports Di at On The Job blog.


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Caribbean: Rethinking Online Publishing · Global Voices
Nicholas Laughlin

A selection of books from and about the Caribbean. Photo by Nicholas Laughlin, originally posted at Flickr under a Creative Commons license.
The anglophone Caribbean's small but energetic literary blogosphere has taken notice of a new arrival to its conversation. Caribbean Book Blog, created by the St. Lucian journalist Tony Williams, aims to “inform writers and readers about the latest developments in the international book trade and how they are likely [to] affect the literary communities in the Caribbean and other small-island states.” Since launching on 11 October, 2009, Caribbean Book Blog has posted a series of thoughtful, statistics-laden essays on the issues facing Caribbean publishers, writers, and readers, at a time when literary publishing around the world is grappling with financial hardship and technological change. Williams's posts have provoked thought and discussion both in the blog's comments fields and elsewhere.
Caribbean Book Blog began with an essay titled “Breaking the Shackles”, analysing the state of Caribbean publishing and the market for Caribbean books.
… if you speak to many booklovers in and outside of the Caribbean, or check out some online message boards where the topic of discussion is Caribbean literature, you’ll find people bewailing how difficult it is to find good books by Caribbean writers, whether it’s in the region itself or in the metropolitan markets.
… there’s need for change — massive change. Otherwise we may well be faced with a situation where our literary griots end up being relegated to a state of obscurity and irrelevance. To avoid this they must find new mediums to draw attention to themselves and their work.
In his second essay, “Now Is the Time”, Williams proposes that “a group of intellectual, editorial and IT visionaries with … pioneering spirit and the entrepreneurial drive” ought to “take up the challenge of creating an online home for our struggling writers and poets to help them stand on their feet so they in turn can help usher in a new dawn of knowledge and enlightenment.”
Several writers based in the Caribbean have joined the discussion by leaving comments. Antiguan novelist Joanne C. Hillhouse writes:
It does take away from the time and energy I have to give to my writing, and I’m still working on finding that balance, but I’ve come to terms with the fact that self-promotion (ugly word) is part of the process and the Internet is in many ways leveling the playing field.
Jamaican poet Tanya Shirley echoes these sentiments:
I think as Caribbean writers we are now living in an age where we have to be more proactive in the process of marketing our work and using all the resources at our disposal to do so.
The Miami-based Jamaican writer Geoffrey Philp — also one of the Caribbean's most prolific literary bloggers — responds on his own blog, with a proposal:
What is needed is a web site that is devoted full-time to Caribbean writing. The site as I envision it would be a clearing house for books published by Caribbean writers. Publishers would submit their catalogues, writers could upload their photos and reading dates, and readers could subscribe via RSS, newsletters, or email.
Philp also lists well over a dozen Caribbean literary and scholarly journals online, some of them traditional printed journals that also maintain a web presence, and some entirely web-based. Together with a few dedicated litbloggers and writers-who-blog, these sites, Philp suggests, could evolve into the nucleus of a future web-based Caribbean publishing community.
In the three and a half years since Global Voices last comprehensively surveyed the Caribbean literary blogosphere, a handful of new journals has emerged, based online and in many cases using blogging software to publish quickly and inexpensively. tongues of the ocean, based in the Bahamas and running on WordPress, was launched in early 2009 as a poetry journal, but by its third issue it also included short fiction. Editor Nicolette Bethel (who also writes at her personal blog) in an interview with Antilles, the blog of the Caribbean Review of Books, described being inspired by online journals based in other parts of the world:
I was impressed by these journals’ integration of media into their offerings, which made them a substantially different, more alive, animal from the printed page.
What was missing among them? An online Caribbean journal for Caribbean writers with the kind of turn-around and quick publishing record that these other online journals had.
In mid-2009 another blog-based magazine project went live: Zafra Lit, which translates short fiction by contemporary Cuban writers into English. Edited by David Iaconangelo, a student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, and running on Blogger, Zafra Lit draws on the efforts of student translators who volunteer their time and skills. An even more recent arrival is Town, launched in October 2009. Based in Trinidad, it publishes short poems and fiction both online and via broadsides — posters — which readers can download as PDFs and print at home.
Other bloggers have responded to the shortage — or absence — of serious literary and cultural coverage in the Caribbean press by turning their blogs into virtual magazines. At Tallawah, Jamaican journalist Tyrone S. Reid posts reviews and articles covering books, music, art, and film, in an effort to “help facilitate constructive discussion.” New Jersey-based literature teacher Charmaine Valere reviews Caribbean and especially Guyanese literature at Signifyin’ Guyana — in a recent post she tackled the question “Why review?” And PLEASURE, a new blog by Trinidadian writer Andre Bagoo (who also has a personal blog, Tattoo), covers “art in all its forms”, including a recently launched interview series which began with UK-based Trinidadian poet Vahni Capildeo.
The most energetic recent arrival in the Caribbean online literary scene may be Repeating Islands, an arts and culture blog run by two literary scholars with roots in Puerto Rico, Ivette Romero-Cesareo and Lisa Paravisini-Gebert. Covering literature, visual arts, music, performance, cultural studies, and more, Repeating Islands posts up to six or seven new items daily: links to articles and interviews, information about new books and exhibitions, and fascinating oddments. Covering all the Caribbean's language areas — English, Spanish, French, Dutch — the blog plays an increasingly important role in spreading information and ideas. An online writing and publishing network like the one Caribbean Book Blog and Geoffrey Philp imagine will need this kind of breadth and enthusiasm.

author: Nicholas Laughlin


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Cuba: Feeling the Disconnect · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba's Generation Y feels like a nomad in cyberspace, but is confident that “one day my blog will be found on a server on this Island and, believe me, it will not be because it has performed an ideological pirouette.”


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Guatemala: The Giant Kites of Santiago and Sumpango · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Rudy Girón of Antigua Daily Photo recommends not to miss the giant kites that can be seen in the Guatemalan communities of Santiago and Sumpango.


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Israel: “Ordinary Racism” In Media Coverage · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Approximately 20 per cent of the country's population, the Palestinian citizens of Israel (also known as Israeli Arabs) argue that they are discriminated against in many aspects of life. The media coverage of a recent road accident prompted a Palestinian blogger in Israel to comment.
Blogger The Other Door writes about the coverage, in a post called “Very Ordinary Racism”:

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Kazakhstan: Atomic Lake · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Michael Forster Rothbart offers a photo-essay about the Semipalatinsk Polygon in Kazakhstan, where the Soviet Union was testing its nuclear bombs.


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Kazakhstan: Boxing Scandal To Be Decided in Rematch · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

KZBlog reports that a boxer from Kazakhstan, widely viewed as a future world champion, will meet again with his opponent after appealing against the last year's match result.


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Kazakhstan: economic paradoxes, sexism and the decline of science · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Kazakhstan’s bloggers continue to discuss topics of social relevance Last week, online discussions touched on various subjects.
The blogger Lord-Fame was visited by tax authorities, who found his company to have an insufficient number of employees, below the “industry average” [ru]
What moron came up with this rule? How stupid do you have to be to hold ALL companies within an industry to the same standard?
Continuing the economic theme, Thousand-pa cannot understand why, despite the background of optimistic statements by the government, authorities have decided against the planned increase in salaries for employees of government-funded organizations [ru]:
Why were we talking about the end of the crisis, only to use that same crisis as an excuse to go back on earlier promises a month later?
D-lov is concerned by the lack of discussion in Kazakhstan regarding sexual harassment in the workplace [ru]:
Women here inherently accept male chauvinism on every level and in every form, which is typical of a second world Asian country. Sleeping with the boss is considered a great honor. If an attractive female employee has no intention of flirting with management, and, additionally, demonstrates intelligence and skill in the workplace, she becomes a “competitor,” a “dangerous player,” a “bitch,” etc.
Megakhuimyak is worried about the quality of Kazakhstan’s potential in research science and education [ru]:
Analyzing the history of science in Kazakhstan shows that our perennial leaders have been found in natural science: geologists, mining engineers, biologists. The country no longer has scientists who could perform work on a comparable level – and, given the quality of our education, we will never have them again.
pycm
a href=”http://pycm.livejournal.com/422260.html”>summarizes the situation with a sarcastic aphorism [ru]:
The paradox is that the country has no culture, yet it has a Ministry of Culture. On the other hand, there is corruption everywhere, yet there is no Ministry of Corruption.
Also posted on neweurasia (translated by Andrey)


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Kyrgyzstan: Administrative reform · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Aravanski reports that the Kyrgyzstan President announced extensive reforms in public administration system, including a massive reduction of the number of officials.


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Kyrgyzstan: New Prime Minister Discussed by Internet Users · Global Voices
Tolkun

One of Kyrgyzstan’s wealthiest men, the prominent government official Daniyar Usenov, was appointed the republic’s Prime Minister. President Kurmanbek Bakiev has already signed the appropriate orders. Daniyar Toktogulovich was among a list of possible candidates. Possible, but, to be honest, undesirable. At least, this is what the overwhelming majority of Kyrgyzstan’s internet users think.
Immediately after it became known that Daniyar Usenov assumed Igor Chudinov’s former post, members of the Diesel internet forum began actively discussing the country’s new second-in-command. There were many comments, most of them negative. The new appointment was not a popular one.
Here are some sample responses [ru]:
Alx.: He reminds me of that character from [comedy film] The 12 Chairs played by Savelii Kramarov. Anything he tries his hand at, he fails.
Havez:  Whoever said earlier that he has a “season pass” for the job is right. It’s sad that we’re in for yet another scam of the century. I just wonder what it will be.
XWalker [ru]: It seems like developed capitalism is a ways away… Onward to the past!
Queer [ru]: Now they’re definitely going to litter Friendship Park with cottages. Not only that, they’re probably going to start building apartment buildings in the middle of Dzerzhinka.
So far, Diesel is one of the few places where the new appointment is being discussed. Most bloggers have kept silent. Perhaps, they’re still digesting all the information that has come out in the past two days, of which there has been plenty.
Morrire, the prominent Kyrgyz blogger on LiveJournal is one of the few who have commented on Usenov’s appointment as PM. She writes laconically, but succinctly [ru]:
I’m nauseous, simply nauseous.
Why such strong antipathy towards Daniyar Usenov? There are many answers. For example, today one of my blogger friends joked that “we’ll probably start playing the lottery again soon,” referring to the unpopular lotteries Usenov organized during his reign as mayor of Bishkek. Nariman Tiuleev, who took the mayor seat after Usenov, accomplished more in one year than the latter did in two.
Also posted on neweurasia.net, translated by Andrey

author: Tolkun


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Mongolia: Luxury Brand Explosion  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Bilguun reports that after this year's coming of Louis Vuitton to Ulaan Baatar, the capital of Mongolia, next year is scheduled for opening of even more luxury brand stores, although they all will be competing for “the same 300 or so customers who can afford their products”.


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Nepal: What Next? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ujjwal Acharya at The Radiant Star comments on the recent political deadlock between the Maoists and the other political parties of Nepal: “if Maoists decide to launch a nationwide movement against the government, it could be a bad decision. If they fail… Then what next?”


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Pakistan: Students Protest Closure Of Educational Institutions · Global Voices
Rezwan

When the Pakistani leaders are seemingly not doing enough, local citizens and bloggers are filling the vacuum. Students in Islamabad and Karachi are protesting in the streets denouncing all acts of terrorism and the indefinite closure of educational institutions and some bloggers took interviews of the protesters. Kalsoom at CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan has details.


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Peru: The Abortion Debate · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

The abortion debate in Peru has reemerged due to a bill that has been approved in the Special Committee of the Penal Code in the Peruvian Congress, which would decriminalize abortion in cases of rape or congenital disorders in the fetus. This type of abortion is known as eugenic abortion, as well as therapeutic abortion.  The Roman Catholic Church is opposing this measure [es], and it is also causing divided opinions among the Ministerial Cabinet. However, the debate is far from over, as the proposal still needs to be submitted by the Committee of the Congressional President for debate during the month of December.
The current Peruvian legislation (Penal Code 1991) stipulates [es] (.pdf format) the criminalization of all forms of abortion, except for therapeutic and includes such mitigating figures, as the ethical or sentimental abortion, and eugenic abortion. Even though there are no trustworthy official figures about abortion, it is estimated that there are between 350,000 and 400,000 abortions each year [es] in Peru.
Protests for and against the decriminalization of abortion have already reached the streets of the capital city Lima [es],  and since the debate still has a long way to go, the protests are expected to remain for more months. Surveys show that opinions are almost equal regarding the issue, and the digital survey conducted by Peru.com [es] shows that 54% believe that eugenic abortion due to congenital disorders and rape should not be decriminalized, and 43% believe that it should be. Another survey conducted by the company Apoyo [es] for the newspaper El Comercio shows similar results: “53% disapproves of abortion when the pregnancy is the result of rape. 41% approves. 48% say no to abortion when the fetus shows defects. 46% state that they agree.”
This national controversy has also had repercussions abroad, but it is on the internet where there are many opinions, for example in Foros Perú (Peru Forums) there is a thread called “Eugenic Abortion. Are you For or Against? [es]” There is also discussion from bloggers, such as Isabel Guerra of La Burbujas Recargadas [es], who states her position on the issue:
creo que la principal razón por la que me opongo (al aborto) es porque la muerte es irreversible. No tiene retorno. Abortar o aplicar la eutanasia, o enviar a alguien al patíbulo, son generalmente situaciones a las que se llega bajo un tremendo estrés, en las que se llega a sentir que esto es la única solución. Ojo, que digo sentir, no pensar, porque cuando uno está pasando alguna de esas situaciones extremas es muy fácil no pensar con claridad, es terriblemente fácil equivocarse.
Hay muchísimos testimonios (libros, páginas web, etc.) de mujeres que abortaron y que años después se arrepintieron. Les dijeron que con un aborto se libraban de un problema en media hora. Pero no les dijeron que el recuerdo no las abandonaría nunca. Y cuando años después se arrepintieron, ya no había vuelta atrás. Lo que tienen casi todos estos testimonios en común es que las mujeres señalan que no recibieron ninguna ayuda, y que de una u otra forma fueron inducidas, por las circunstancias, por la desesperación o por terceras personas, a creer que el aborto era la única salida.
I think the principal reason that I oppose (abortion) is because it is an irreversible death. There is no return. Abortion or euthanasia or sending someone to the gallows are generally situations that one arrives to under tremendous stress, where one feels that it is the only solution. I say feel, and not think, because when one is going through one of these extreme situations it is very easy to not think with clarity, and it is terribly easy to make a mistake.
There are many testimonies (books, website, etc.) from women who had an abortion and years later regret the decision. They told them that with the abortion that they will free themselves from the problem in half an hour. They did not tell that the memory will never leave them. Years later when they regret the decision, there was no way to turn back. What all of these testimonies have in common is that the women say that they did not receive any help, and that in one way or another they were induced, by the circumstances, by the desperation, or by third-party persons, to think that abortion was the only exit.
Daniel Salas of the blog Gran Combo Club [es] describes the problem's ethics from an opposing position:
La discusión sobre el aborto no debería estar enfocada en las motivaciones terapéuticas, ya que estos criterios crean severas contradicciones. Por ejemplo, conozco algunas personas que se oponen al aborto por razones morales pues consideran que el óvulo fecundado debe ya ser considerado una persona pero, a la vez, admiten que hay ciertos casos (como la violación o malformaciones severas) que pueden justificar tal práctica. Si el aborto fuese injustificable e inmoral, no debería tener excepciones, ni siquiera como respuesta posible a una violación, ya que el nuevo ser debería ser considerado enteramente independiente de tal acto que le dio origen; tampoco se debería permitir en casos de que el embarazo pudiera causar la muerte de la madre, ya que el niño por nacer, con todos sus derechos plenamente constituidos, no podría ser considerado responsable de tal consecuencia.
Entonces, quien admita que el aborto es admisible “en ciertos casos” o “bajo ciertas condiciones” debería reconocer que la inviolabilidad de la vida humana aplicada a un feto no es tan absoluta como en principio se anunciaba. La discusión debería estar, en cambio, enfocada en dos cuestiones de índole ética, a saber:
1. El derecho que posee la mujer de continuar con el embarazo de un ser que depende enteramente de ella.
2. La posibilidad de otorgarle al no nacido los mismos derechos que a un nacido.
The abortion discussion should not be focused on therapeutic motivations, because those criteria create severe contradictions. For example, I know some people who oppose abortion for moral reasons and consider that the fertilized egg should already be considered a person, but also at the same tie, admit that there are certain cases (like rape or severe defects) that can justify the abortion. If abortion was unjustifiable and immoral, then there should be no exceptions, not even as an answer to a possible rape, and the new human being should be considered independent of the act that created it; it should also not be permitted in cases where the pregnancy could cause the death of the mother, because the child to be born, with all of its constituted rights, cannot be considered responsible for the consequence.
Therefore, those that admit that abortion is admissible in “certain cases” or “under certain conditions” should recognize that the inviolability of human life applied to a fetus is not as absolute as originally announced. The debate should be, instead, focused on two ethical issues:
1. The woman's right to continue with the pregnancy depends entirely upon her.
2. The possibility of granting the unborn the same rights of one born.
In the blog Tinta Roja [es], Cristina Andrade adds her grain of sand to the debate stating the problem of informality that prevails in the country:
otro problema en esta posible legalización del aborto, es la criollada, la ilegalidad de algunos médicos, quienes bajo el pretexto de que la muerte de la madre peligra, o que es un bebé con malformaciones, falsearán exámenes y documentos, para justificar el aborto, claro dependiendo de cuanto les paguen, porque en este país todo se compra, todo se vende y lamentablemente como existen médicos buenos, también hay malos y sin ninguna ética, quienes por dinero son capaces de todo.
Esos son los riesgos de legalizar el aborto, estamos en el Perú, no en Europa ni otros países civilizados en los que la ética, los valores y las leyes se respetan. Aquí siempre están buscando como violar las normas, así que en ese sentido, creo que sería muy peligroso legalizar el aborto.
Another problem with this possible legalization of abortion is the local nature, the illegal practice of some doctors, who under the pretext of the possibility of the mother's death, or a baby with defects, falsify tests and documents, to justify the abortion, of course depending on how much they are paid, because in this country everything can be bought, everything is sold, and unfortunately , as there are good doctors, there are also bad doctors with no ethics, who are capable of doing anything.
Those are the risks of legalizing abortion, we are in Peru, not in Europe or other civilized countries where ethics, values, and laws are respected. Here, they are always looking for ways to violate the rules, so in that sense, I think it would be very dangerous to legalize abortion.
The post generated a lot of posts, and Andrade adds in another post [es]:
Leer los comentarios a favor y en contra en mi primer post, solo me han hecho llegar a una conclusión: la mujer debe tener la libertad de decidir si aborta o no. Y creanme, yo no estoy a favor del aborto, pero tampoco puedo obligar a alguien a pensar como yo. Es sencillo, en mi caso, por mas que despenalicen el aborto, no lo haría, porque mi convicción, mi forma de ser no lo permitiría. Es decir, quien está en contra del aborto, simplemente no lo hará, con o sin ley a favor o en contra, simplemente no lo hará. En todo caso, quienes piensan distinto, tienen la libertad de decidir, y no ser juzgadas.
Laura Arroyo of the blog Menoscanas [es] cites the need for debate and respect for differing opinions:
El problema en este país es justamente que somos incapaces de reconocer en la opinión distinta de la propia una opinión válida. Problematizar temas polémicos como el aborto, la eutanasia, preguntarnos si el Estado debiera ser o no laico, etc. es, en buena cuenta permitir que se desarrolle la democracia. En ese sentido, ¡a buena hora el tema del aborto ha sido puesto en la mesa!
Regarding the debate, Daniel Salas of GranComboClub [es] asks the following:
Un asunto en este debate al que nadie ha podido responder es qué se entiende exactamente por penalizar el aborto.
Con la penalización del aborto hay una enorme discrepancia entre el discurso que lo sanciona y el castigo que reciben efectivamente quienes lo ejecutan. Así, quienes se oponen a despenalizar el aborto sostienen que la interrupción voluntaria de un embarazo equivale a un homicidio. La consecuencia práctica de tal juicio debería ser que las personas involucradas en el aborto, incluyendo la madre, reciban la misma condena que recibe quien asesina a un nacido. Esto, sin embargo, no ocurre. Una madre que asesina a sus hijos va a la cárcel y recibe mucha publicidad en los medios.
Pero una mujer que aborta no.
Este tipo de discrepancias revelan las verdaderas intenciones de la ley. … controlar la capacidad de las mujeres de tomar decisiones sobre su cuerpo. Permitimos que el aborto se practique, pero no de manera abierta porque esto último daría demasiada libertad a las mujeres en una decisión que sentimos que afecta el sostenimiento de la sociedad.
One issue in this debate that no one has been able to answer is what exactly is meant by criminalizing abortion.
With the criminalization of abortion, there is a huge discrepancy between the discourse that sanctions and the punishment to those who are actually carrying them out. So those who oppose the decriminalization of abortion contend that the voluntary interruption of pregnancy is equivalent to murder. The practical consequence of such a trial should be that people involved in abortion, including the mother, receive the same sentence that one who murders a born person receives. This, however, does not happen. A mother who murders her children goes to jail and receives much publicity in the media.
But a woman who aborts does not.
Such discrepancies reveal the true intentions of the law. … control the ability of women to make decisions about her body. We allow abortions to be carried out, but not in an open manner because that would give too much freedom to women in a decision that we feel that affects the sustainability of society.
For David Ramos of the blog Yo, (DASH) [es], there are not many worthwhile arguments:
las organizaciones feministas y pro-elección, en general, parecen considerar que el ser humano inicia su vida con el nacimiento. Antes de eso, solo era poco más que un riñón. Vale anotar que no hay ciencia que sustente esto, más que una frívola y equívoca percepción de la realidad: no te veo, por lo tanto no existes.
la defensa de la vida debe ser prioridad: así como defendemos delfines, perritos callejeros, flora y fauna amazónica, con mayor razón debemos defender la vida humana en cualquiera de sus etapas. Ningún honor hay en defender más la vida de una foca o de una ballena que la de un congénere humano.
The feminist and pro-choice organizations, in general, appear to consider that a human begins life at birth. Before that, it was only a little more than a kidney. It is worth noting that there is no science that, other than a frivolous and erroneous perception of reality: if I cannot see you, therefore, you do not exist.
The defense of life should be a priority: just as we defend the dolphins, street dogs, Amazonian flora and fauna, and with more reason we should defend human life in any of its stages. There is no honor in defending the life of a seal or a whale more than a fellow human.
As is clear from the views above, the positions on abortion are difficult to reconcile. It is understandable because the discussion revolves around life, ethics, morals, values, science, with decisions based on practicality and privacy. On the other hand, there are many material interests at stake. The debate will continue, and even more so with the recent announcement of the State ban by the Constitutional Court for the free distribution of the “morning after pill.” [es] It is obvious that things will not calm down.

author: Juan Arellano


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Saudi Arabia: Saudi Liberalism  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Majid Al Hamdan [Ar], from Saudi Arabia, shares the story of Saudi liberalism in this post.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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St. Lucia: Death of the Artiste? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In the Caribbean you’re more likely to wake up one day in summer and find it snowing than find a writer or poet who believes that the way to get ahead in the book trade and the literary field is to look to the governments for support”: St. Lucia-based Caribbean Book Blog takes a look at the state of the regional publishing industry.


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Syria: Hyperlink Podcast Caters to the Arabic Tech Crave · Global Voices
Anas Qtiesh

Hyperlink Podcast [ar] is being received with enthusiasm among Syrian bloggers as one of the best technology podcasts available in Arabic. Hyperlink is created weekly by two Syrian blogging brothers: Mohammad and Beshr Kayyali, who garnered the respect of many due to the meticulous attention to detail in executing the recording and the wide variety of technology topics covered and interviews with influential IT professionals.
Global Voices’ own Alloush expressed his admiration[ar] of the quality of the work saying:
3bdulsalam also wrote a positive review[ar] of Hyperlink, but he had a suggestion to improve it:
Beshr Kayali, one of the creators of Hyperlink, explained some of the aspects of preparing the podcast:
We face many difficulties, most importantly is the internet connection. Uploading a 50MB file is a major crisis. As for our interviews, we have been lucky to have great treatment from the people we interviewed, like Wael Ghonim from Google for example. Juanne Kubba the Public Affairs manager in Google MENA helped us so much.
And speaking about the project's development Kayali added:
We have a lot of ideas to convert Hyperlink into a Netcasting or Podcasting Network that does not solely revolve around technology, but also caters to other areas of interest like movies and music. We're waiting for some kind of a sponsorship deal we can give the whole project the time it deserves.
If you're an Arabic speaker, you can download Hyperlink podcasts from iTunes or stream it directly from the blog, or click play on the embedded player to listen to the latest episode now.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS

author: Anas Qtiesh


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Tajikistan: Militants in the Valley · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Michael Hancock reviews the recent story about a shootout in the Tajikistan's part of the Fergana Valley.


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Timor Sea Oil Spill Disaster · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

More than two months since the environmental catastrophe happened in the Timor Sea still no successful solution was found in order to plug the hole and stop the huge oil spill. Skytruth has been intensively blogging and proving the extent of the spill with satellite photos and netizens have started to spread the word of mouth questioning who is to blame, urging Australian action.

author: Sara Moreira


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Trinidad & Tobago: Long Live The Queen! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tongue very much in cheek, This Beach Called Life is pleased that the Queen of England is coming to Trinidad, since the Minister of Works, “fearing his ass would be highlighted in the international press…announced how, after years of looking, his Ministry suddenly found out what was blocking the drains of Port of Spain and it would be cleaned before the Queen arrives.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Politics & Race · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“When it comes to race in politics, Trinidad and Tobago has a colourful past”: Taran Rampersad thinks it's time for a change.


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Tunisia: Al Jazeera and France  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

From Tunisia, Farhat Al Tunisi remarks [Ar]: “The similarity between the news on Tunisia that the occupying French media and Al Jazeera broadcast has reached a point which makes you think that our country is under French rule.”


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Tunisia elections: Fairness and Impartiality !!? · Global Voices
Lina Ben Mhenni

As predicted, president Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali won the Tunisian elections for a fifth term. What wasn't expected was that he would win with 89.62 per cent of the over all votes. The prediction was that he would garner more votes.
Ben Ali's ruling party, the Democratic Constitutional Rally, also fared as well. It won 161 of the 214 parliament seats. The remaining 53 seats were won by six different parties: Movement for Democratic Socialists, 16 seats; Party of People's Unity, led by Mohamed Bouchiha, 12 seats; Ahmed Inoubli's Union of Democratic Unionists, 9 seats; Social Liberal Party, 8 seats; Party of Greens for Progress, 6 seats and Ahmed Brahim’s Ettajdid Party, 2 seats.
The ruling party announced the fairness and the impartiality of the 2009 elections. But opposition leaders and bloggers have another opinion: they think that  repressive acts and stifling controls on the election process have characterized the 2009 presidential and legislative elections in Tunisia on October 25, 2009.
Arabasta  ironically remarks :
نتوجه بالشكر زادة لسيادة رئيس الجمهورية (لمدة 5 سنوات أخرى) و نعتذر عن عدم الدعوة و التصويت ليه و نستنكر و نشجب
التصرفات المشينة هذي أما نذكر أنو عمري ما شككت في نزاهة الإنتخابات و حريتها، فمن المعروف أنو في حالة تزوير الإنتخابات النتائج تكون من نوع 99،98% لكن الملاحظ النزيه يعرف أنو نتيجة  2009 ما تبعدش برشة على النسبة اللي ربح بيها شيراك في 2002 في فرنسا و لذا فالإنتخابات هذي إرتقت بينا إلى مصاف الدول العظمى و المتقدمة
Nakhlet Wed El Bey (The palm tree of the Bey's river) wrote in Tunisian dialect :
Some Thoughts from Tunisia, on his part,  described what happened to him when he went to vote in the last hours of the day :

author: Lina Ben Mhenni


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Turkmenistan: Government Puts Obstacles to Peace Corp  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vlad reports that Turkmenistan has taken to barring entry to Peace Corps volunteers, for reasons that remain utterly baffling.


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Turkmenistan: Trafficking in human beings · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Annasoltan writes  about the problem of human trafficking in Turkmenistan against the background of persistent economic hardship, porous borders and the regime's attempts to demur and defer the issue.


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UAE: Desperate Housewife  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Palestinian Eman, who lives in the UAE, discusses her life as a ‘deperate’ housewife, whose life and work rotates around her home.


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UAE: Sending a Child to School  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Sending a child to school for the first time, could be difficult on many parents. Palestinian Eman, who lives in the UAE, discusses her thoughts and feelings on her son's first day at the nursery.


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Uzbekistan: Oppositionist returns from exile · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Musafirbek writes that leader of the Birdamlik movement in exile, Bakhodir Choriyev, is returning to Uzbekistan.


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At the Indonesian Blogger Festival  · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Indonesia has a vibrant blogging scene with a strong emphasis on community.  The annual  Blogger Festival (Pestablogger)  Indonesia attracted bloggers and tech lovers from all over the vast island nation.
Packed venue for Indonesia Blogger Festival
Scenes from the bloggers festival.
This was the third time the annual event was being held and it is nice to see the number of participants increase every year.
Indonesian bloggers tend to be a varied bunch, not just in geography but also in terms of age and profession.
A breakout session on blogging ethics
A breakout session on citizen journalism
A citizen journalist shares his experience with bloggers
A breakout session on bridging the divide within Indonesia via blogging. The participants also discussed the ways in which blogs can be used to connect Indonesia with the outside world.
Tristam(representing a sponsoring organisation), Chip (tech enthusist from Vietnam) and Retty (Indonesian blogger) in a discussion. Indonesian event do not see the level of outside  participation that Cambodian or Thai events do. Still, curious people are trickling in and we hope to have more people from the wider South East Asian region the next time.
A batik artist making the blogger fest t-shirt.
Blogger take a break from their discussions to enjoy some music.

author: Preetam Rai


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Azerbaijan: Video blogger trial postponed… again (updated) · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

In what many consider to be a politically motivated trial to stifle dissent in Azerbaijan, video blogging youth activists Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli once again appeared in court today.
The two young activists, exemplary in their use of new media in the region, were unexpectedly detained in the early hours of 8 July after they were attacked at a restaurant in the center of Baku, the Azerbaijani capital.
On the eve of yet another hearing, Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines blogger Arzu Geybullayeva summed up her own feelings about the case.
Tomorrow (27th October), Adnan and Emin are going to have another hearing. Its been almost two weeks since the last one and there is still hope that they will be released. At least I want to hope so! I want to see my friends free again. I want their parents to see their sons and be proud of them. I want all of us- his friends, be honored that we have friends as them.
The following morning, L4L made a similar post albeit in a much shorter form and injected with some humor, perhaps in an effort to lift the spirits of others.
I don’t want to hear anything rational right now. I don’t want to think anything rational right now. I want them out of the jail today. Adnan still owes me few rounds of beer. So, i want them back. :)
When the trial started earlier today, supporters of the two detained activists used Facebook and Twitter to spread updates from the ground worldwide.
However, as has been common throughout the case and despite significant international outcry, many seem resigned to the fact that the authorities appear intent on dragging out the court case for as long as possible rather than see it come to a speedy end.
Support Adnan and Emin yesterday listed some of the many concerns about the trial expressed by human rights and pro-democracy organizations inside Azerbaijan.
This legal trial chaired by Araz Huseynov strikingly indicates the dependence of the judicial system on the executive power and the use of trials for political pressure on dissidents and repressions, particularly against freedom of speech, thought and self-expression.
Despite likely having already resigned themselves to more of the same, the disappointment was evident in the tweets of supporters when the hearing was adjourned less than a hour after it started.
Update: Some hours after the hearing, L4L made a promised second post reflecting on the day. The blog summed up the combination of both anger, frustration and hope that  supporters of the two online activists must have felt.
Well, we all witnessed what happened today. Adnan’s  and Emin’s court hearing was  postponed once again […]. One of the witnesses was missing, so  judge decided that one hour of work is enough for his conscience to continue its state of  sleep for another week and told tired audience of this spectacle that next hearing will be  held on November 6, 2009(2009!). Seriously, case of hooliganism that is already under investigation for almost 4 months? Should we consider contacting Guinness World Records anytime soon? […]
[…]
[…] E&A’s smile, the way they handle themselves. Dignity, positivity, courage. Love and  happiness in their eyes every time they see us. The fact that they still cheer us even being  behind convoy car’s bars. That makes me hopeful. That gives me strength. And I hope that our  tries to cheer them up are working, that they know how much we love them and miss them. Of  course, I hope that Adnan didn’t forget about 2 beers that he still owes me :)
Full coverage of the detention and trial 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: Effects of Colonialism  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“There’s an affliction that strikes countries whose histories come out of colonialism. It’s the sense that what happens in your space of the world…is not quite real. It isn’t really happening to proper people”: Nicolette Bethel explores one of the effects of the Bahamas’ colonial past, while Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe asks: “I’m often left bewildered why colonialism is still blamed for this stuff after all these years. What am I missing?”


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Bahamas: Homosexual Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Catch a fire and Wishful Thinking discuss homosexuality in the Bahamas.


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Bangladesh: Doctors Need To Be Disciplined · Global Voices
Rezwan

Syed ABM Ashrafuzzaman thinks that in Bangladesh the existing laws relating to medical profession are anti people. The blogger urges that the doctors need to be disciplined by banning all their trade union like organizations.


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Cambodia: A dangerous country for tourists? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Somongkol disagrees with the observation of a writer who describes Cambodia as one of the most dangerous tourist destinations in Asia.


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Cambodia: Flooding woes · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Sophonrith posts pictures of flooding scenes in Khan Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.


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China:  Shanghai schoolgirl beating & human flesh search  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a local report from Netease on a school bully incident and netizens’ action in disclosing the girl's identity via human flesh search.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Czech Republic: Lisbon before court · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Reference Frame writes about the EU Lisbon Treaty being addressed by the Czech Constitutional Court to review its accordance with national legislation.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Disaster Management and the role of ICTs · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

What is disaster management? What are the various stages that it involves? The terminology may differ depending on where you are. In New Zealand, for example, you would be talking of the 4R’s, namely Readiness, Response, Recovery and Reduction. In other places, such as India, it could be as outlined in the graphic below:
Whatever the terminology, today it is an undeniable truth that the need of the hour is effective disaster management and preparation for a growing incidence, worldwide, of different forms of natural disasters.
In a series of posts, we shall trace and examine the increasing role and impact of ICTs in the area of disaster management.
Nobel Laureate R.K. Pachauri, while addressing the 5 convocation of the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology (DA-IICT) in January 2009, highlighted the need for ICTs in dealing with natural disasters and other weather-related events that pose a threat to human life and property.
[…] Climate science has advanced at a phenomenal rate largely because powerful computers can now run very complex models that simulate climatic conditions on land as well as the oceans. Our assessment of future changes in the climate as a result both of natural as well as human factors is dependent largely on the power of models that are being used today and our ability to assess the impacts of climate change in different parts of the world. In response to future projections of these events, governments, civil society and even business organizations can take effective measures to adapt to changes that would occur.
Citing an example from 2003, Dr. Pachauri said:
“I would like to give the example of a major heat wave that took place in parts of Andhra Pradesh in 2003, as a result of which almost 4000 people lost their lives according to official records. […]
“When studying this major problem, it became apparent that ICT infrastructure could have saved perhaps all the lives that were lost if it had been put in place properly and utilized effectively. There was, for instance, no early warning provided to the victims of the heat wave. Nor was there any follow up in terms of providing medical advice to those who suffered from heat stress, such as the need for oral rehydration therapy and simple healthcare for those who were affected. Even television channels could have been used to spread proper awareness and information to protect the lives of those who were affected were not used.
“There are several examples of coastal disasters where people affected can be warned on a timely basis and evacuated before the disaster itself takes place. When a hurricane hits the coast of Florida, the infrastructure available is used to provide adequate warning and notice to those likely to be affected, and entire townships are evacuated. When a cyclone of even lower intensity hits the coasts of Bangladesh or Orissa, major damage takes place, because not only is there lack of shelters and infrastructure to house those who are affected, but there are inadequate systems for early warning and guidance.
“Today even mobile telephones could be used as an effective medium to provide early warning and thus save lives and property”.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, speaking at the Telecom World 2009 in Geneva, also highlighted the role of ICTs in addressing key issues, including natural disaster reduction.
“Through good climate science and information sharing, ICTs can help reduce the risk and impact of natural disasters… when an earthquake hits, a coordinated ICT system can monitor developments, send out emergency messages and help people to cope.”
The UN Secretary-General’s statement echoes the paradigm shift in Disaster Management mentioned in the 2005 presentation by Sujit Mohanty, namely:
In the aftermaths of large-scale natural calamities such as the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami and Hurricane Katrina in 2005, the world was forced to wake up to the need for coordinated and collaborative harnessing of the power of ICT systems in managing natural disasters.
Paul Currion in humanitarian.info stated that:
“In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, there has been an astonishing amount of activity in web-based initiatives responding to the consequences of the disaster. Examining the characteristics of the response of the technology community to Hurricane Katrina tells us much about the way the web has shaped social responses to disaster, raises some interesting issues about the impact of ICT in disaster response, and points towards what might happen in future.[…]
“It was clear following the Indian Ocean tsunami that the information revolution was in the process of changing the way in which we respond to disasters. This was demonstrated by the rise of web-based fund-raising; Christian Aid raised over $700,000 online in nine days, amounting to nearly four times as much as it raised through donations over the phone. The spread of broadband, improvements in satellite telecommunications and the availability of imagery has made possible GIS and cartographic projects that would not have been possible five years ago. The rise of the open source movement has led to initiatives such as the Sahana project, an attempt to develop a suite of web-enabled applications for disaster response organisations.
Currion goes on to talk about the “first responders of the wired world”, netizens who spring to action to fill in information gaps that the governments of the respective countries and even the traditional media often struggle to fill. However, given the high influx of information post-Katrina, it was soon apparent that multiple data streams would be more effective if they were collated, consolidated and served from a more centralized platform. Thus we saw initiatives such as the Katrina PeopleFinder Project and the Katrina Help Wiki come into play.
In this context, it would not be unfair to say that the South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami (SEA-EAT) blog, set up during the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, was a trendsetter of sorts–the first project of its kind that demonstrated the power of engaging ordinary people effectively to channel information in order to bridge the gap between those who needed help and those who had help to offer. According to Dina Mehta, one of the key people behind the SEA-EAT blog,
“I think what we managed to do was demonstrate perhaps the largest ‘people's’ coordinated effort on the web during disasters, that it was possible and that too without any formal organizational structure. There’s also something in the ability for these efforts to bring in ordinary citizens from all walks of life – people who aren’t necessarily dedicated or working in this space – most of us have different professions and regular jobs too – but just a human need to help.”
While the SEA-EAT blog focused on “keeping the information flowing”, the Sahana FOSS Disaster Management System in Sri Lanka functioned as a more structured, holistic system that helped manage the large scale of the disaster of 2004. The project was deployed by the Sri Lankan government's Center of National Operations (CNO) which included the Center of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA). Generalized later for global use, Sahana has now grown to become a globally recognized project with deployments in many other disasters such as the South Asian earthquake in Pakistan (2005), Southern Leyte Mudslide Disaster in Phillipines (2006), the Jogjarkata Earthquake in Indonesia (2006), the Peru Earthquake (2007), the Myanmar Cyclone (2008), etc.
In 2005, Michael Gurstein of the New Jersey Institute of Technology wrote his reflections on the web-based initiatives and what he perceived as the need gaps in these situations:
“Scanning the Net for information and for stories I was struck by a couple of things concerning the role (and lack of role) of the Net in these events. The Net appeared to be playing a very significant part in responding to the needs of those at a distance–the on-lookers for information, stories, ways of contributing and so on; families and friends of those possibly impacted with attempts at creating listings of the found and the lost and for those on the ground to manage the concerns and queries of those farther away; and one expects that behind the scenes much of the co-ordination and planning that is being done by aid organizations is being done in ways that are pushing the boundaries of Computer Mediated Communication and managing at a distance.
“But I guess I'm a bit surprised that the Net wasn't able (yet?) to bridge the information divides between those who had some idea about what might be coming (the scientists and those immediately impacted) and those who might have been able to make some use of that information in the places where the impact took appreciable time to be realized.
“The problem here was not, I think a “the Digital Divide” that is, it wasn’t because of a lack of “access” to information, although apparently that too was a problem overall; rather, it seemed to me to be another example of what I've referred to elsewhere as the gap between “access” and “effective use”…From what I can gather many if not most of the communities impacted had Internet “access” in one form or another. What they (and here I would include those with the knowledge who couldn't use it as well as those without knowledge) lacked rather, was the social infrastructure which could have turned Internet access into an “effectively usable” early warning system.
“Some had the information—the scientists who detected the earthquake and could understand how that could result in a Tsunami and those who felt the early impact either of the earthquake or the Tsunami—but couldn't use it. Others needed the information—the coastal villages around the Indian Ocean—but couldn't or weren’t able to “get it” at least in a timely and usable form. The “degrees of separation” imposed by nationality, language and perhaps most important, domains of knowledge and profession (and the related lack of social linkages, network based trust relationships, communication pathways and so on) impeded the communication between the two groups and one wonders whether this was simply a matter of it still being early days in our Internetted world or something more profound and permanent. (Michael Gurstein, The Journal of Community Informatics, (2005) Vol. 1, Issue 2, pp. 14-17)”
Observing the loss of lives in typhoon Ketsana that hit Philippines, Vietnam and Cambodia in October 2009, Paul Conneally posted the following on his blog Head Down, Eyes Open:
“In many poverty stricken areas there is no access to TV or radio (or Internet for that matter) to help communicate warning messages. Aid agencies must work with communities to find out which methods of communication work for them at the time of an emergency and run simulation exercises to put this into practice. Often mobile phone text messages or even sending people out into the streets with megaphones, as was the case in these emergencies, prove to be most successful.
“[…]Early warning, early action in high disaster risk countries needs to be seen as a mindset, not a mechanism or technology, and works best when it spans timescales, anticipating disaster by days, hours, months, years and even decades. It must also be firmly linked to early action by decision-makers, and must cover ‘the last mile’ -linking early warning mechanisms not just to the most ‘at risk’ communities, but to the most vulnerable people within those communities.
“Strengthening community capacity to prevent and/or cope with the impact of disasters and crises is a concrete way to save lives and better protect livelihoods, and prevent such shocks from crippling development within the poorest countries. Early warning and early action is also more cost effective than traditional disaster response and saves more lives per pound spent: public money buys four times as much humanitarian ‘impact’ if spent on preparation and risk reduction, rather than on relief items.”
In India, the 2004 tsunami was a clarion call for the government, NGOs and the civil society to effect a paradigm shift and realise that preparedness was the key to minimising the impact of natural disasters.
To enable better planning and preparedness, the India Disaster Resource Network [idrn.gov.in] was set up as a National initiative under the Govt. of India-UNDP DRM programme in collaboration with National Informatics Center, Government of India. The task of this Network was to create an online database for capturing the countrywide inventory of equipment and skilled human resources available for emergency response. The role of this ambitious, yet comprehensive database would be to help minimize emergency response time through effective decision-making on mobilization of human & material resources. The project was to ensure systematic data collection & collation from government line departments, public sector units, the corporate sector, etc at the district level. Other initiatives launched were:
Here is an example of implementation of this strategy/philosophy of preparedness by an NGO in Tamil Nadu following the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004:
In the next post in the series, we shall explore disaster warning systems and the various ICT-based tools and applications that have been, are being, and can be put to use as an early warning system to help reduce and or mitigate the severe damage to life and property in the wake of natural disasters across the globe.

author: Aparna Ray


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Dominica: Fruit Cake  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dominica's Gourmet Global is getting ready for fruit cake season and posts a mouth-watering recipe!


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Dominican Republic: Cancer Awareness Campaigns · Global Voices
Rocio Diaz

In many countries, October is breast cancer prevention month, an event that is celebrated with dedicated websites, special television programs, lectures, medical conferences, and the distribution of pamphlets and flyers with information of interest. These resources always emphasize the importance of self-examinations and what risk factors should be considered.
In the Dominican Republic, there has been more awareness about this disease. Since October 2006, from the Office of the First Lady [es], Dr. Margarita Cedeño de Fernández has become a chief spokesperson for the cause of breast cancer and has launched an annual campaign called “Today is the Best Time. [es]” The campaign calls on women to take care of their health and some of the activities includes conferences and lectures around the country. In addition, flyers have been distributed and mammograms have been offered.
Photo of campaign launch. Used with permission by Office of the First Lady.
The campaign culminated with a benefit fashion show by Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera, who praised the First Lady's initiative [es], and supported the proposal that “Today is the best day” become the global slogan to call attention to this disease. In her press conference, Herrera, who also is part of the international initiative SER, which supports awareness on a global scale, made a call to unite the various worldwide campaigns.
There are also campaigns to raise awareness about all types of cancer, one of these is called Caminantes por la Vida [es] (Walkers for Life), is a walk through the streets of the capital city Santo Domingo, which is celebrating its 4th version. Caminantes por la Vida is an initiative started by MercaSID, a food services and household products company, which has been raising funds for volunteer services, hospitals, cancer prevention groups. This year the campaign is called “Esta Va por Todos” (This is for Everyone).
Video of the 2008 post-walk event by Jorge Valdez
These types of campaigns are important to many Dominicans whose lives are personally affected by cancer. The blogger Principe Mestizo has had many loved ones affected by various forms of cancer [es], and values campaigns that will raise awareness:
Mi tío Juan, prominente abogado de aproximadamente 32 años , cayo victima de un cáncer en el área del estomago que se expandió a varios órganos y que finalmente hizo que Juan dejara este plano, dejándome múltiples enseñanzas, valorando y admirando a mi familia que en un momento de una crisis de esa magnitud, se unió como un solo cuerpo para ayudar a salir adelante al Benjamín de los hermanos de mi padre, y para el (mi papa) otro hijo mas.
Años después, otro hermano de mi Papa caia victima de la enfermedad (Tio Chichi) y de nuevo me toco ver….ya mas adulto otra cara de la enfermedad.
Lo Primero que hay que aclarar es que cuando en una familia alguien tiene Cáncer, toda la familia por defecto esta con Cáncer.
My Uncle Juan, a prominent 32-year-old lawyer, fell victim to stomach cancer, which spread to various organs and finally caused him to leave this earth, leaving me with many lessons, valuing and admiring my family because during a crisis of this magnitude they became united as one in order to help their youngest sibling, who was like a son to my father.
Years later, another of my father's brothers (Uncle Chichi) also became diagnosed with cancer and once again, this time as a grown-up,  I saw another face of this disease.
What must be clear is that when one person in the family has cancer, the entire family, by default, has cancer.

author: Rocio Diaz


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False report on Brunei · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Daily Brunei Resources spots a factual mistake in a news article which appeared in The Florida Times-Union. The article mentioned that Brunei participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and that it has a male-only policy.

author: Mong Palatino


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Featured Editor: Veronica Khokhlova · Global Voices
David Sasaki

Veronica Khokhlova has been Global Voices’ Central and Eastern Europe Editor since January 2006 when she first published an “Introduction to the Ukrainian Blogosphere“. She splits her time between Kyiv, Moscow, and Istanbul. In this video she looks back on her time studying in the United States, describes how she got started blogging during Ukraine's so-called Orange Revolution, and looks back on some of her favorite Global Voices posts over the years. You can help us translate the subtitles of the video into other languages on dotSUB.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | RSS

author: David Sasaki


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France: Language Lessons in the Park · Global Voices
Lester Bolicenni

Sarah Hay blogs about the French lessons she gives to a group of young Afghan asylum seekers in a park in Paris. “They’re incredibly keen that I learn the Pashto for everything I teach them to the point of comical mishap, for example when I taught them the word metro…”

author: Lester Bolicenni


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Germany and China: Berlin Twitter Wall · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

berlintwitterwall is a project organized by the city of Berlin to mark the 20th anniversary of the fall of Berlin wall. The wall is now filled up with messages from Chinese twitterers against the Chinese Great Fire Wall which blocks Chinese Internet user from connecting with the outside world.


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Haiti, D.R.: Escalating Tensions · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands reports on the murder of four Haitians in the Dominican Republic.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Hong Kong: Property market bubbles burst into public outrage · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Earlier in October, an apartment in Hong Kong was sold for USD$57 million, a recording breaking price, locally and globally. The 6,158 square foot duplex apartment is in a building called “Conduit Road 39″ located at the western mid-levels of Hong Kong Island. The unidentified buyer is from Mainland China.
Recording breaking price in time of recession
At the same time, Hong Kong has become the number one in the income disparity list. As the property market keeps rising in time of recession due to the inflow of hot money, the dream of sweet home is getting further and further away from ordinary people, such as 貝卡 from uwants:
天匯破世界記錄 一尺7萬蚊成交
如不才(我)要買這房子就以這樣計算
不買衣,不吃貴,不旅遊,不買手機
上例也不重要,以下還有
不養妻,不生子
我就能拿7000蚊出來供樓
工作10個月後就能買一尺
十年後我能買下十尺有多…
100年後我就能買下天匯房子
的一個洗手間了
這時我打比麥玲玲問下我有幾多歲命
佢話算到我有1千3百幾歲
在計下去
到左我8百幾歲的時後就能買下天匯的一個單位了
No more new clothes, good food, traveling and fancy mobile, and what's more
Cannot support a wife, nor kid, then I could have HKD7000 per month to pay the mortage.
In ten months, I could buy in a square foot.
In ten years, I could buy in a bit more than 10 square…
In 100 years, I could buy in the bathroom of the apartment in Conduit Road 39.
Then I called up fortune teller asking her how many years I could live on,
she answared that I had 1,300 years to come,
Then I could buy in an apartment when I were in my 800 years…
Stay away from the city center… and then from Hong Kong
When answering the question of a professional couple who could not afford to buy a decent house in downtown area, the Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang suggested them to build their home from smaller apartment unit away from the city, where there are still apartments marked at HKD4000 (USD520) per square foot.
Erynnyes from Those were the day discussed the implications of Tsang's answer:
若連律師、醫生也無法在中環買樓，要像煲呔說到偏遠地方買4000元一呎的樓，那其他人又怎樣？豈不連4000元一呎的樓也買不到？B說，假若有一天連律 師、醫生也要「進駐」新界之時，到時新界樓價，又豈止4000元一呎？那其他打工仔又怎樣？難道要搬到深圳住？煲呔是否不明打工仔的困苦？
In fact the Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang Ying-yen, has spelled out his vision for Hong Kong earlier this year that “by 2020, improved road and rail networks may mean Hong Kong people could be better off living in Guangdong than staying input.”
Hung One Bean was outraged by such logic:
有錢就自己人，冇錢就賤過人─唔該過主，或，你應該衡量下自己既能力，係咪適合係香港居住，當然，來打工是歡迎的，正是有見及此，即使付出昂貴的公帑，都要興建高速又完善的運輸系統。
Money game, number game
Recently a video clip of a TV drama in 1999 in which the protagonist was complaining about the economic situation when the property bubbles had devastated the middle class and the poor has been circulated widely among Internet users via youtube and facebook. Because of copyrights issue, the clip has been taken down several times but netizens keep on uploading and circulating the clip around. Below in a version that remixes the sound of the protagonist with photos of government officials, property developers and the poor:
Here is the transcription of the protagonist's speech:
I have tried, I tried my best to stick to my position, working days and nights and earned a living. I have tried. But people out there, people out there do they know anything about construction and building? They just invest with little bit of money and time, push up the property market and make a hugh amount of money. Is that fair? Please ask people around, ask any people randomly what do they need. Their answer is very simple. What they want is a very simple apartment. Why do they have to spend their whole life to pay the housing mortgage? Because the rich people is manipulating the world. The richer one is, they are more into this game. Is this world fair? Is this world fair?
Among the photos shown in the video clip is the “Conduit Road 39″ building. Apart from its price, the building also reflects how the property developer “played their game”. The 46-storey building turned into a scandal due to the “auspicious” floor numbering system. A total of 42 intermediate floor numbers are omitted in order to turn the top floor into “88th floor” (lucky number for Chinese) and the missing floors are 14, 24, 34, 64 and all floors between 40-59, and the floor number which follows 68 is 88. It seems that Hong Kong has become the Orwell's animal farm where monetary power can redefine our sense of number.
Donald Tsang Unwanted
People's anger cannot be contained. Netizens decided to organize a rally against the Chief Executive Donald Tsang on 1 of November. There are several groups in the facebook for the mobilization, including “Power of all citizens against Tsang“, “Light bulb Tsang, We have enough of you“.   Below is one of the rally posters:


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