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PHOTOS: Humans of Latin America · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“She laughed, laughed and laughed while she waited for inter-provincial transportation. Tiraque, Cochabamba”.
Photo by Mijhail Calle for Humans of Bolivia, used with permission.
Inspired by photographer Brandon Stanton's blog Humans of New York (HONY), professional and amateur photographers across the world have created blogs and Facebook pages where they collect images and stories of people from all walks of life –and Latin America has not been an exception.
Stanton's idea has inspired Latin American photographers who want to showcase their country or city through portraits of its diverse people.
This is a brief overview of some of the “Humans of…” projects in the region.
Humans of Buenos Aires
Freelance photographer Jimena Mizrahi started Humans of Buenos Aires in May 2012, and her Facebook page has attracted over 11,000 likes.
“Come and visit me whenever you want. I'm sorry I can't offer you mate [local beverage] but I have no place to heat up water.” Photo by Jimena Mizrahi, used with permission.
Her project also caught the attention of a city official, which resulted in the first Humans of Buenos Aires exhibition. The Argentina Independent reports that “the exhibition ‘Micro historias del Microcentro’ featured displays of portraits of individuals who live or work in the city’s central business district”.
Jimena told The Argentina Independent that she does Humans of Buenos Aires “not only because I simply love interacting with people, but because each of these interactions is a lesson. Every person is a world.”
“-I can't believe it! A woman cab driver!
-Of course, do you think that women can't be taxi drivers? It's time to stop being surprised when women do things that aren't common for their gender, there aren't things for men or women.”
Photo by Jimena Mizrahi, used with permission.
Humans of Colombia and Humans of Bogotá
“A Wayuu girl, daughter of a restaurant owner in Uribia.”
Photo by Gábor Szentpétery, used with permission.
Humans of Colombia was created by designer Maurent Roa and architect Gábor Szentpétery. During their travels the couple met Mauricio Romero, who has joined the project and contributed some photographs. While traveling, they also noticed that many people didn't know much about Colombia or had a negative perception of the country; with this project they aim to show a different side of Colombia.
“The idea is to represent Colombia through its people because ethnic diversity in Colombia is incredible. It is a mixture of Amerindians, Spanish and African descendants, and that's what we want to show the world,” Maurent explains.
“Carmen Lorena grew up on a coffee plantation estate about three hours from Bogotá, but she thinks the city life is not for her, she prefers the countryside where she will stay after finishing her studies.”
Photo by Mauricio Romero, used with permission.
“What is your perception of love, and your favorite way to love?”
-“I think that love is everything, it makes up everything that surrounds us and I'd say that my favorite way to love is…breathing”.
Photo by John Cardona, used with permission.
For more photos from Colombia, you can also visit Humans of Bogotá, a page created in August 2013 by John Cardona and Jonathan Arévalo.
John and Jonathan are motivated by the response they've received, and by the chance to meet new people and hear stories that they can show the world through their page. They say that this movement “shows how we can all identify with someone, no matter how far they live.”
“One wish?
-Safety in all of Bogotá.
-Equality
-Tranquillity and peace”
Photo by John Cardona, used with permission.
Humans of Bolivia
“In Sipe Sipe – Cochabamba, the man said ‘take this abroad’. Then he began playing his charango.”
Photo by Mijhail Calle, used with permission.
Created on November 3, 2013, Humans of Bolivia is one of the newest Facebook pages to mirror Humans of New York in the region. Estelí Puente and Mijhail Calle want to create the same empathy they saw in the New York project and similar projects like Humans of Amsterdam, “the feeling that humanity is formed by individuals with their own stories.”
Although Mijhail takes most of the photographs, they are reaching out to other photographers who can share images from different parts of Bolivia. “This dynamic is also allowing us to create a space to share and discuss the role of the image and photography in the construction of our identities, so for now it looks like this will be more than a series of portraits. We want it to be a reason to reflect about ourselves,” Estelí explains.
“There are not many amauta women, it's hard to be one, but I am. Now I'm part of the union”.
Photo by Mijhail Calle, used with permission.
Humans of Honduras
“My biggest desire is for politicians to turn a blind eye to the colors of their parties, and for their focus to be solely on the betterment and unity of their country. This is the only way in which Honduras will be able to move forward.”
Photo by Claudia, used with permission.
Claudia Elvir and Daniela Mejía “invite you to get to know Honduras through its people” on their Facebook page Humans of Honduras.
Claudia started following Stanton's blog and was impressed by how he not only “captured impressive photographs, but also used them to capture the humanity behind each portrait, and how each photograph told a story that resonated in the hearts of the readers.”
Her friend Daniela conducts the interviews. Claudia and Daniela want to change the violent and negative image that the world has about Honduras, and they also want to change the way Hondurans see their own country.
Through their photographs and interviews, Claudia and Daniela hope to show that Honduras is a country “full of hard-working people, people with dreams, ambitions, joys and sorrows just like in every corner of the world.”
“I asked him to smile and very amiably he said, ‘I would like to, but in this job you have to be serious.’ and with that he demonstrated how appearances are deceiving.”
Photo by Claudia, used with permission.
Humans of Guatemala
“Slow but steady! Yes, it´s a long way to go, but I will make it.”
Photo by Elmer Alvarez, used with permission.
Elmer Alvarez had already been taking photographs of people around Guatemala before starting the Facebook page Humans of Guatemala in September 2013. Wendy Del Aguila, who now writes the captions, told Elmer about Humans of New York and he felt motivated to start a similar page about Guatemala.
Elmer and Wendy seek to capture “spontaneous moments of these extraordinary people reflecting their smile, passion, curiosity, hard work, shyness, kindness and most important their uniqueness!”
La Teacher-“Let Your Smile Change The World”
Photo by Elmer Alvarez, used with permission
More “Humans of…” projects
“Every morning Don Pedro has opened his taqueria in this small village for two years. He has the usual clients and he gives out free tacos to all the minibus drivers who stop their minibus near his stand. “
Photo by Humans of Mexico, used with permission
The image above comes from Humans of Mexico, a page created in March 2010. Also from Mexico, Humans of Mexico City seeks to create a “photographic census of Mexico City. One street portrait at a time.”
Humans of Costa Rica, a page created in July of 2013, has more than 1,700 likes.
In Brazil, the Humans of Rio de Janeiro Facebook page is one of the most active in the region, and has over 9,000 likes.
Some Facebook pages -like Humans of Nicaragua, Humans of Panama, and Humans of Santiago, Chile- ask users to contribute photographs to the project. Others -like Humans of Quito, Humans of Lima, Humans of Peru, and Humans of Asunción- have been created less than a month ago.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Pussy Riot’s Tolokonnikova Transferred to Krasnoyarsk  · Global Voices
Gina Lentine

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova's exact whereabouts were unknown for the past three weeks, after prison authorities announced that the Pussy Riot icon would be transferred from a prison in the Republic of Mordovia to an unknown location. On November 12, 2103, authorities finally revealed some information about Tolokonnikova's new home. The federal human rights ombudsman had this to say [ru] about Tolokonnikova's “re-integration”:
Руководству ФСИН России было рекомендовано перевести Толоконникову Н.А. для дальнейшего отбывания наказания в исправительную колонию […]. […] По сообщению руководства ФСИН России такое решение обусловлено тем, что Толоконникова Н.А. является уроженкой Красноярского края, постоянно зарегистрирована в г. Норильске и отбывание ею наказания в этом регионе будет способствовать её ресоциализации.
Senior officials in the Federal Penitentiary Service were encouraged to transfer Tolokonnikova for the remainder of her incarceration […]. […] According to FSIN heads, the decision was due to the fact that Tolokonnikova is a native of the Krasnoyarsk Krai, permanently registered in the city of Norilsk, and serving out her remaining sentence in this region will facilitate her reintegration into society.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Gina Lentine


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Russia’s Potemkin Hospitals? · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

Prime Minister Medvedev visits a Moscow hospital. YouTube screenshot.
Should people trust what they see on Russian television? No, says Moscow blogger Daniil Tereschenko, in a LiveJournal post [ru] he published on November 11, 2013. Tereschenko, a member of a religious organization with nationalist overtones called the Orthodox Brotherhood of the Resurrection [ru], tells a curious story about Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's recent televised visit [ru] to a Moscow hospital.
According to Tereschenko's anonymous “former classmate”, who works at the hospital, in the days before the PM was due for a walk through, the place went through some changes. Two days prior, the hospital stopped admitting new patients. At the same time, anyone who could walk without endangering their life was discharged. But the kicker was this:
Коридоры, по которым должен был пройти Медведев, быстро отделали накладными пластиковыми панелями, раскатали новый линолеум. […] как только Медведев из больницы уехал, накладные пластиковые панели и линолеум в коридорах тут же сняли и увезли.
The hallways through which Medvedev was due to walk were quickly redone with stuck-on plastic paneling, and the floor was covered with new linoleum. […] as soon as Medvedev left the hospital, the detachable plastic paneling and the linoleum in the hallways was immediately removed and carried off.
The post, which had included no proof or evidence (aside for anecdotal), garnered almost 400 comments. Many readily believed the story was true, and some had similar “Potemkin village” stories to tell. LJ user salome_lou wrote [ru]:
То же самое было, когда он приезжал на журфак. Я не узнала нашу главную аудиторию, они ее переделали вплоть до коврового покрытия, а потом все увезли.
It was the same when he visited the [Moscow State University] Journalism School. I didn't recognize our main lecture hall, it was redone down to the carpeting, and later everything was taken away.
Another blogger told of a time [ru] when Medvedev visited a small town of Kozelsk, where the authorities decided to turn on the city fountain in his honor. Only it was winter, and freezing. A third blogger recalled [ru] a time when a factory in Siberia got free WiFi, only to have it taken away once the visit was over.
Others questioned Tereschenko's post. One commenter said [ru] that rolling out temporary linoleum would be fraught with so many difficulties that this detail threw the rest into question. Another reader noted [ru] the lack of incriminating photos (after all, everyone has a phone camera these days), and linked to a online photo-gallery located on the hospital's website. The gallery shows clean, well lit spaces, and modern equipment:
Hospital #67 photo gallery. Screenshot.
Of course, that's not to say that these photos couldn't also be staged, as user Andrey Bibikov was quick to point out [ru].
Finally, Tereschenko's post drew attention of the hospital itself — which published a response [ru] on its website. The hospital denied that it changed its mode of operations or stopped serving and admitting patients. It also ridiculed the linoleum story, while admitting that there was some temporary carpeting set up in the conference hall to improve sound quality.
It's hard to tell who is in the right, short of going to the hospital and seeing for yourself. Regardless, people will tend to believe what they want to believe — whether they see it on TV or read it on the Internet.

author: Andrey Tselikov


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South Koreans Furious Over Never-Ending Crappy Soap Opera · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Although K-drama (South Korean soap opera) seems doing well internationally, South Koreans’ discontent and complaints on its repeated patterns and cliched scenarios and characters are bubbling under. Recently, as major network TV, KBS decided to extend a poorly-written soap opera ‘Princess Aurora’ which many call an ‘insult to viewers’ intelligence’, net users have started gathering signatures. And this rather unusual online petition [ko] calling to end the show and overthrow an extremely powerful screenwriter, Im Sung-han, is gaining traction; the first round of petition already surpassed its target of 10 thousand signatures in about a week, and seven thousands have signed in its second round.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Soviet Environmental Posters · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

Skyfall presents [ru] a collection of environmental posters from the Soviet period. The blogger who often writes about environmental problems in Kazakhstan and some of his readers are nostalgic about the “environmental education and awareness-raising programs” of the Soviet era.
Below are some of the posters collected by the blogger:
“Clean air to cities”.
“When you cut one [tree], plant ten [trees]”.
“Protect!”
“The forest should be protected!”

author: Mahina Shodizoda


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‘Tomorrow It Could Be You’: Gender, Racism and the Limits of Humor in Brazil  · Global Voices
Mariana Parra

[All links lead to Portuguese-language pages.]
A TV comedian's offensive jokes about a breast milk donor has revived the debate about the limits of humor in Brazil.
Danilo Gentili spent several minutes on his TV show making jokes about one of the main breast milk donors in Brazil, Michele Rafaela Maximino. She is from Pernambuco, and at that point she had donated more than 300 liters of milk to hospitals of Pernambuco.
As Giovanna Balogh from Blog Maternar commented:
No programa do último dia 3, o comediante fez piadas em rede nacional utilizando uma foto dela sem autorização. Gentili chegou a comparar Michele com o ator pornô Kid Bengala. “Em termos de doação de leite, ela está quase alcançando o Kid Bengala.”
During the episode that aired on 3 [October], the entertainer made jokes on national television using her photo without permission. Gentili even compared Michele with porn actor Kid Bengala. “In terms of milk donation, she is almost reaching Kid Bengala.”
His comment had effects beyond a few laughs on TV. After some residents began to call Maximino “Gentili’s cow”, she said that she plans to stop donating milk because she feels humiliated.
The psychological effects of the humiliation were devastating to Maximino, who used to drive 80 kilometers to donate milk in Caruaru:
Ele falou essas barbaridades e eu estava fazendo um incentivo às mães a doarem leite”, disse Michele. ”Eu passava na rua e o povo falava : ‘Olha a vaca de Danilo Gentili’!’. Fiquei várias noites sem dormir. Um peito secou”
“He said all these terrible things and I was making an incentive for mothers to donate milk”, Michele said. “I was walking down the street and people said: ‘Look at Danilo Gentili's cow! ‘. I spent several nights without sleeping. One of my breasts dried”
The milk donor sued Gentili and the TV network that hosts his show, Rede Bandeirantes, and won a court order for the video to be taken offline.
The limits of humor
“My intention with comedy is never to denounce… it's really to destroy”. Danilo Gentili in the documentary “O Riso dos Outros” (“The Laugh of Others”). Screenshot shared on blog Limpinho & Cheiroso (Little Clean & Sweet).
Some people who supported the entertainer, warning of the dangers that the decision to remove the video from the Internet could bring. Political analyst Flavio Morgenstern wrote on Implicante blog:
Danilo Gentili se tornou alvo da patrulha graças a uma piada. Não se junte à patrulha: hoje foi o Gentili. Amanhã poderá ser você.
Danilo Gentili has become a target of the “patrol” thanks to a joke. Don’t join the “patrol”: today it was Gentili. Tomorrow it could be you.
But journalist Kiko Nogueira pointed out on Diário do Centro do Mundo (Daily from the Center of the World) the difference between the politically incorrect humor used by several comedians in United States as a tool to challenge prejudices and social structures of domination, while comedians like Gentili choose people who are target for social discrimination. He emphasized that discrimination with humor is “stupidity”:
Gente como Andrew Dice Clay, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, entre outros, são expoentes dessa escola. Eddie Murphy também. […] Murphy tirava sarro de negros, como Chris Rock. Uma diferença é que eles são negros. A outra é que eles são engraçados e inteligentes. […]O que a turma de Gentili faz é outra coisa. Um dos nomes é covardia.
People like Andrew Dice Clay, George Carlin, Lenny Bruce, among others, belong to this camp. As well as Eddie Murphy. […] Murphy made fun of black people, as Chris Rock did. The difference is that they are black. Another difference is that they are funny and smart. […] What people like Gentili do is different. One of the names for it is cowardice.
This debate is taking place frequently in Brazil, since sitcoms have become more and more lax including offensive content, whose main targets are minority groups, such as black people, women and LGBT people.
In the blog Papo de Homem (Men Chat Blog), Alex Castro wrote an Open Letter to Comedians of Brazil, which has been widely spread, that talks about the limits of humor and a comedian's responsibility to society. In one of the excerpts of the provocative letter, Alex challenges:
É muito mais difícil fazer humor sem usar esses estereótipos que confirmam e fortalecem as culturas assassinas do nosso país: a homofobia, o machismo, o racismo.
Será que vocês conseguem? Será que conseguem, ao mesmo tempo, ser engraçados e não ser cúmplice dos assassinatos de mulheres, negros homossexuais.
Sei que não é fácil. Se fosse fácil, eu não estaria pedindo. Se fosse fácil, eu não estaria propondo o desafio.
Mas é tão necessário. É tristemente necessário.
Porque os humoristas alemães que faziam piadas de judeu em 1935 não são inocentes de Auschwitz não.
It is much harder to be funny without stereotypes that confirm and strengthen killer cultures of our country: homophobia, sexism, racism.
Could you do it? Would you be funny and at the same time not be an accomplice to the murder of women, blacks, homosexuals?
I know it is not easy. If it were easy, I would not be asking. If it were easy, I would not be proposing the challenge.
But it is so very necessary. It is sadly necessary.
Because German comedians who made Jewish jokes in 1935 are not innocent of Auschwitz.
One of the characters on another Brazilian television show, “Adelaide” from Zorra Total (Total Snafu), stereotypes black people and has been criticized for it. In fact, the show has battled lawsuits filed against the use of the character, but it remains on the air. The program uses a tactic that was very common in the United States during the period of racial segregation: a white actor is painted black (actually a black woman) to characterize features of African descent.
Writing for Geledes, The Institute of Black Women, Sergio Martins argues that the character is not funny, and that this could be “something created by racist minds that use a set of stereotypes historically built by Brazilian society to represent black men and women.”
Gentili and racism
Black people have also been targeted by comedian Danilo Gentili, in this case with a comment on Twitter, in which he offered “bananas” to a black netizen. Soon after, he deleted the racist tweet.
“Calling a black man a monkey is not, and has never been, funny.” Quote from the actress Marianna Aremellini in the documentary “The Laugh of Others”. Screenshot shared on the Blog Lançamento de Filme (Launching of Movie Blog).
On the post “A certeza da impunidade” (The Certainty of Impunity), author Juliana Gonçalves reported:
O redator Thiago Ribeiro, 29 anos, estava cansado dos ataques à comunidade negra realizados pelo comediante Danilo Gentili, quando editou e postou no Youtube um vídeo que enfatiza o conteúdo racista veiculado nas “piadas” do humorista da TV Bandeirantes.
Writer Thiago Ribeiro, 29 years old, was tired of attacks on the black community made by comedian Danilo Gentili, when he edited and posted on YouTube a video that emphasizes the racist content of the “jokes” of the comedian from TV Bandeirantes.
The video was removed from YouTube at the request of Gentilli alleging misuse of image.
The conflict wasn't over at this point, and followers of Gentili on Twitter beganto attack Thiago Ribeiro (@Lasombraribeiro) with racist comments such as: “I’m going to take some bananas to @Lasombraribeiro for him to be quiet” from profile of @BiahNunes; “lashes on him please” written by @jaqporra; and “he is not that black, he knows how to make a Twitter and knows how to do screenshots” from @RaquelRangel0.
The direct effects of this kind of humor are so evident, that the affirmation of Flavio Morgenstern quoted above, “Tomorrow could be you”, could well be referred to victims of offensive humor.
As stated by Lays Moreira in an article written with Henrique Marques-Samyn, a professor at the Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro – UERJ (University of the State of Rio de Janeiro):
Não se pode mensurar os prejuízos que o “humorista” causou, ainda que Michele ganhe a ação indenizatória que ela move contra Gentili. Isso porque suas ações, sua irresponsabilidade no uso do que ele chama de humor, afetaram vidas, reforçaram estereótipos de opressão, desestimularam a empatia e a solidariedade humana. Mal demais causado pelo que pretende ser apenas “uma piada”.
You cannot measure the damage that the “comedian” caused, even if [milk donor] Michele wins the lawsuit that she filed against Gentili. This is because his actions, his irresponsibility in the use of what he calls humor, has affected lives, has reinforced oppressive stereotypes, has discouraged empathy and human solidarity. It is harm caused by what he means to be “just a joke”.
This difficulty to see and recognize differences and the debate about the limits of humor are discussed in the documentary “O Riso dos Outros” (“The Laughter of Others”), which includes interviews with comedians Danilo Gentili and Rafinha Bastos, cartoonist Laerte and Congressman Jean Wyllys, among others. The movie, directed by Pedro Arantes and uploaded in 2012 December, has almost 300,000 views on YouTube.

author: Mariana Parra


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Winds of Waste: Plastic Bags Land in Venezuela’s Paraguaná Peninsula  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Silvia Castro's photo gallery, published by website Prodavinci, shows residents of the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela with bags on their heads to call attention to the damage that trash and plastic bags are causing the peninsula.
Prodavinci explains [es]:
Due to its geographic location, the Paraguaná Peninsula ends up being a great collector of much of the waste from the Venezuelan coast. Additionally, this area is characterized by high wind speeds that can reach up to 35 kilometres per hour. These winds carry plastic bags and light-weight waste, which get trapped in the cardones and cujíes [native vegetation]. Thus, trash traps the whole territory and seizes it, drawing a devastating landscape.


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As Twitter Use Rises in Tajikistan, Who Should You Follow? · Global Voices
Alexander Sodiqov

Although Twitter's popularity in Tajikistan still lags far behind that of Odnoklassniki or Facebook, the number of Tajikistani voices on the social network is rising. Nilufar Shukrikhudo observes:
It makes me quite happy to see twitter gain momentum in #Tajikistan. I've been waiting for a while for that to happen.
— Nilufar Shukrikhudo (@Nillie_s) November 14, 2013
Shukufa offers [ru] a list of must-follow Twitter accounts run by Tajikistani users and foreigners tweeting about Tajikistan:
If you would like to receive regular [Tajikistan] news updates, follow @radiozodi, @asiaplustj and @avestatj.
There are another several accounts that I read regularly:

author: Alexander Sodiqov


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GV Face: Helping Haiyan Survivors in the Philippines  · Global Voices
Sahar Habib Ghazi

Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest storms in recorded history, has killed thousands in central Philippines.
According to our local authors many more are stranded, without food, water and aid, in a wasteland that used to be their homes. Aid is simply not arriving quickly enough to these communities that survived Haiyan, locally referred to as Yolanda.
A week after the super typhoon hit the provinces of Leyte and Samar, in the Visayas islands, we'll be talking to our Philippine authors and an aid worker about how the country is coping with the disaster, the progress in rescue operations, and what we – the concerned international community – can do to help.
In this week's episode of GV Face, our South East Asia Editor Mong Palatino (@mongster) joins us from Manila, along with activist and video journalist Chantal Eco (@chantaleco), who is coordinating relief efforts in Manila for her native Leyte.
Some highlights from the conversation:
Mong Palatino (05:00 – 07:30):
The night before the storm hit the Philippines, the President came on live TV and promised zero casualties. He warned the public about the storm but he said the government was prepared and said his target was zero casualties. The 10,000 death report, came from a local police official, who has now been relieved from duty because of the estimate he gave. The President soon downgraded his estimate to 2,000. And then other officials said it was 4,000. Regardless whether the official estimate is 2,000, 4,000 or 10,000. The number of casualties could rise, because we do not know the situation in many areas.
The Typhoon hit some of the poorest areas of the Philippines, most of these residents are farmers or fisherfolk, the poorest strata of the Philippines. Many of the these people still remain unreachable because of ruined roads and because of the remoteness of these places. So it is safe to say that the causalities really could reach more than 10,000. If not, definitely this disaster is the worst to hit the Philippines, despite this region being battered by so many storms every year, this is the worst disaster in terms of casualties and the amount of devastation it caused and the heavy effort that will be used to rehabilitate the affected towns.
Chantal Eco (14:14 – 15:00)
For those that have families outside Tacloban (ground-zero of the disaster) and the affected areas, those that were brave enough, those that had the resources, they travelled to the affected areas in Tacloban to check on people, and collected names of the survivors and posted their information online just to calm their families trying to locate them.
Our colleagues in Tacloban regularly update us via SMS, because Internet is down in most areas and mobile connection is patchy.
The local government of Tacloban has set up a booth in a town hall (with Internet through Satellite phone) where people can call to let their loved ones know they are OK and post status messages on Facebook, everyone is given one minute on Facebook.
Mong (19:00 – 21:00):
This is what they refer to as climate injustice. Our contribution to global pollution is extremely low, but we are one of the most vulnerable in terms of the harsh impact of climate change… Every year we are visited by more than 20 typhoons, many of which are disastrous, in fact the world's deadliest disaster in 2012 took place in the Philippines in the Mindanao Island the Southern part of the Philippines. This year the Central Philippines is hit, what is really tragic hear is Visayas was recently also hit by a powerful earthquake, which we reported on Global Voices. While we are recovering from the deadly impact of the earthquake, we are hit by this super typhoon, which triggered a storm surge. We were not prepared for the storm surge… some people say if they were warned of a tsunami they would have gone to a higher evacuation center. So the lesson here is that climate change is very real for Filipinos, especially its harsh impact. It's a wake up call for the international community to be more aggressive in tackling this problem because it is causing unnecessary deaths and so much devastation in small island groups like the  Philippines.
Chantal (21:10 – 23:00)
We are calling for help for the people of the provinces of Leyte and Samar, in the western part of the Visayas islands,especially those from remote areas…based on experiences when there are typhoons and disaster when we receive aid from the government clearly our government can not address the scale of the disaster. After the relief stage we need to rebuild the communities. Especially the fisher folk communities, along the shore line which were wiped out by the storm surge Many communities were wiped out because of the storm surge, they need help to rebuild their lives, livelihood, materials to rebuild their homes and boats so they can continue living on.
Also see Haiyan Devastates the Philippines, our special coverage page.

author: Sahar Habib Ghazi


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Have Racist Behaviors Been Unleashed in France ?  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Epitomized by racial taunts [fr] towards the French Guiana-born Minister of Justice Christine Taubira on the cover of the weekly newspaper Minute, many observers bemoan the rise of racist behaviors [fr] in France. One of those observers is Harry Roselmack, a prominent reporter born in Martinique, who wrote an editorial in which he opines that the current atmosphere in France reduces his citizenship to the color of his skin [fr]:
Ce qui me chagrine, c'est le fond de racisme qui résiste au temps et aux mots d'ordre, pas seulement au sein du FN, mais au plus profond de la société française. C'est un héritage des temps anciens, une justification pour une domination suprême et criminelle : l'esclavage et la colonisation. [..] Tant que l'on laissera ces peaux de Banania traîner dans nos cerveaux, des glissades et dérapages vers l'injure raciste sont à craindre. Surtout par les temps qui courent, avec cette crise qui alimente la xénophobie de son bien étrange carburant : la jalousie envers plus mal loti que soi.
What saddens me is that there are remnants of racism that presevere through time and political correctness, not only within the FN party (ed's note: a far right political party) but also deep within the French society. This is a legacy from an ancient time, a justification of a supreme and criminal oppressive era : slavery and colonization. [..] As long as we leave banana peels hanging around in our brains, slides and skids and tumbles to racist insults are bound to happen. Especially in these challenging times, in which economic crisis feeds the most basic xenophobia with its strangest component: jealousy towards those who are much worse off than ourselves.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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How You Can Help Philippine Typhoon Victims · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tacloban typhoon survivors wait in line during a relief distribution. Government photo
Also see Haiyan Devastates the Philippines, our special coverage page.
As of this writing, 2,357 are dead and 338,000 persons are housed in evacuation centers a week after super typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) hit the central part of the Philippines. The casualties are expected to rise after rescuers are able to reach and determine the situation in the remote parts of Samar and Leyte provinces.
Thousands died after a storm surge hit Tacloban, the capital of Leyte. Several towns were devastated leaving many homeless. Survivors have complained that aid is not being provided to them by the government. There are reports that some refugees are dying because of hunger. But the government is denying that it is slow in providing assistance to typhoon victims.
Donations are urgently needed to save more lives and rehabilitate the affected towns. Thankfully, aid is pouring in from all over the world. The government has compiled a list of agencies which can receive international donations. Several foundations and schools are also accepting all kinds of aid. Donations can be sent even through iTunes and mobile phones. Western Union will not charge money transfers to the Philippines until the end of the month.
This author is recommending the relief efforts of the Citizens’ Disaster Response Center, National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (for those residing in the United States), and Sagip Migrante.
The govenrment's disaster mitigation and response map. The red areas are the most affected provinces in the Visayas.
The government’s official website provides updates of the impact of Haiyan and relief activities. Those looking for missing relatives or friends can seek help through the Google Person Finder and the Philippine Red Cross tracing form. Meanwhile, the government has uploaded a list of deceased persons in the typhoon-ravaged provinces.
On Twitter, the main hashtag in monitoring the situation is #yolandaph. For relief efforts, #reliefph. For search and rescue, #rescueph. And for finding missing persons, #tracingph.
Robert Plaza comments on the role of social media in coordinating response during and after the disaster:
It is definitely the perfect time for social media to show its wares, unfortunately, in such devastation. So far, social media did not disappoint — except of course, in areas where powerlines and communications were down, and that’s understandable. Outside the affected areas, however, it’s a different story: social media became a convenient tool for more people to respond to the calamity.
PHOTO via @jeffcanoy: Aerial view of the destruction in Leyte #YolandaPH pic.twitter.com/r0QMpdeSBP
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) November 14, 2013
A damaged church in Aklan province. Photo by Aklanon AKO ( I Love Aklan)'s Facebook Page
A relief packing operation in Tacloban. Government photo
The contents of the government's food pack given to typhoon survivors
Relief arrives at Pan de Azucar island in Concepcion, Iloilo via Heli. Our efforts are not just in Eastern Visayas. pic.twitter.com/pGKSXMWLWc
— Team AFP (@TeamAFP) November 12, 2013
A rainbow appears over Tacloban, ushering the first week of the tragedy. There is hope. pic.twitter.com/qL6j8nKLPD
— Raffy Tima (@raffytima) November 14, 2013
Manila Times lists what the government should prioritize in the relief efforts:
Countless dead remain unburied and their decaying bodies have the potential for spreading disease. At the very least, the stench their cadavers emit makes rescue and recovery work unbearable.
Then there are the seriously injured or ill. If they do not receive medical assistance soonest, they will wither and die, and become part of the statistics that is already too painful to bear.
There are also the hundreds of thousands who have nothing, literally nothing. No homes (as these were blown away), no food (as what food they had was lost during the storm), and nothing but the clothes on their back (as all their clothes were likewise hopelessly damaged by Yolanda).
Boo Chanco recognizes the value of criticizing the government’s slow relief operations:
I now doubt the validity of calls to stop criticizing government's slow pace of relief operations. it looks like criticism, specially if coming from foreign media, is just the thing to get our bureaucrats to get a sense of urgency. We ought to unite as a people to get through this tragedy but it doesn't mean we shouldn't point out how things could and should be made better along the way.
Violeta Lopez Gonzaga (through the Facebook of Mila Aguilar), a government social worker, asks the public to be more considerate in judging the response of the government:
We are slow, yes. But realize that only about 5 staff including the director and asst director who stay in our Office in Tacloban are reporting for work. We dont know if other staff are alive or injured or even dead. We have no time to look for them.
Roads still blocked with debris so no direct transport. Our field workers are humans too. These human beings, who themselves were victims too, is the government under fire now for being slow. We are not fast enough even for our own standard but please understand that Yolanda is beyond what we expected, beyond what we prepared for.

author: Mong Palatino


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“I have Dreams of My Own”: Revolting Against Patriarchy in Kazakhstan · Global Voices
Mahina Shodizoda

A Kazakhstani blogger writes [ru] about her transformation from a “wife and mother”, the role that the patriarchal society reserves for women, to a “free woman”. She calls the process a “revolution in my head”:
And then I realized it… I have dreams of my own, the dreams that have little to do with my family or my husband. I have a right to have these dreams! I want to find myself in a profession; I want my brain, education certificates, and skills to be used for the benefit of society. I want to be independent financially. I want my husband and my son to be proud of me – not only because I [cook well] and take care of the house. [I want them to be proud of] me as a professional, citizen, a woman who has achieved much while remaining a loving mother and wife. I want my interests to go beyond the children's playground, illnesses, kitchen, and a wardrobe. I want to be myself!
She also lists several recommendations for girls and women that wish to break away from the social norms and conventions of the patriarchal society.


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India: Sixty Million Diabetics And Growing · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

With over  60 million diabetics [pdf] and another estimated 77 million people being considered pre-diabetic, India is caught in the throes of a diabetes crisis. On World Diabetes Day on November 14, India renewed its pledge to fight the growing diabetes menace in the country.
Writer and blogger Prem Rao points out the various symptoms of diabetes and suggests that those who have not had themselves checked for sugar/diabetes in the last six months, should do so promptly.

author: Aparna Ray


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Jamaica: Get with the (Interactive TV) Program!  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

You can buy the exclusive rights to such shows but you can’t do that and treat them as if they’re the kind of traditional uni-directional, analog content that’s on its way out without raising the ire of your viewers.
The Voice is stirring up some discussion in Jamaica – and not just because of Tessanne Chin.  Annie Paul explains.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Jamaica: Police Painting Out Murals  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Many will say the murals are merely ‘a glorification of criminals’ and should be defaced for fear of their ‘grave effects’ on ‘poor Jamaicans’ [but]…How does a profoundly corrupt state determine criminality?
A really interesting post by Active Voice about the police embracing iconoclasm as a crime strategy.


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Kim Jong-Un Found in Hong Kong? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un has an impersonator in Hong Kong. Hong Wrong interviewed the Australian Hong Konger, ‘Howard’, who had performed Kim Jong-un for an  Israeli burger chain. Howard likes to wander around in Lan Kwai Fong and takes picture with passer-by so don't be surprise to run into Kim Jong-Un.
Image from the T.V commercial of Israeli burger chain via Hong Wrong.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Polish Right-Wing Nationalists Hijack Country’s Independence Day · Global Voices
Anna Gotowska

Nationalists at Rozdroze Square; image posted by @PolandTalks, used with permission
Poland's National Independence Day, traditionally celebrated on November 11, ended in violence this year. Young right-wing Poles torched cars, threw stones at police and even attacked and set fire to the Russian Embassy in Warsaw during a march organized by a nationalist movement. Police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, then detained around a dozen individuals from a group of a few hundred mostly masked men who began the march.
Over the last few years, Warsaw's inhabitants anticipate  Independence Day with mixed feelings of fear and disgust. Usually a festive day that is supposed to unite Polish citizens in a joyful celebration of independence regained in 1918 after more than 100 years of foreign rule, this one turned out to be quite the opposite. Political discourse over the issue of patriotism and ways of expressing one's national pride was dominated by the definitions and viewpoints of right-wing nationalist and neo-fascist groups.
Twitter user @p_ministra tweeted a comment from her grandmother that perfectly depicted the day:
telefon od babci (płaczącym prawie głosem): “Anuszka, a jak Ty wczoraj tą niepodległość przeżyłaś?!” :D:D
— p_ministra (@p_ministra) November 12, 2013
My grandma called me today (with a teary voice): Anuszka, how did you survive this independence yesterday?!
- p_ministra (@p_ministra), November 12, 2013
This tendency has recently been highly supported by the media, which have been looking for controversial content to improve their ratings. It has become clear that only the few “true Poles” will be defining what it actually means to be a patriot. It has also become obvious that the definitions of patriotism provided by these few are tremendously narrow and based on the drastic exclusion of many groups identified as “alien elements”.
And so the spiral began towards the violent events of November 11, 2013 during a ring-wing march organized by All-Polish Youth (Młodzież Wszechpolska) in Warsaw. During this march, a group of masked men attacked two squats in downtown of Warsaw and set fire to artistic installation [pl, photos] “The Rainbow” – a representation supporting LGBT rights, located in the most popular nightlife area of the city – then proceeded to attack the Russian Embassy. Poland Talks, a blog that follows social struggles in Poland, tweeted:
It's not enough the nationalism fails, they must make sure no one else suceeds #11listopada pic.twitter.com/cxl3PlQDxW
— PolandTalks (@PolandTalks) November 11, 2013
Poland seems to be painfully helpless in this matter, not for lack of trying to find a solution though. In the past few years, some attempts to block marches like this one were quite successful, but many now believe that they just escalated the violence instead of reducing it. So a decision was made this year to, instead of banning their march, organize an alternative march on a different day for those who refuse to support the exclusive definition of belonging by these ring-wing groups and believe in a broader one.
The meme says: “Poland / USA – why are we able to copy Haloween, but a shared national party – not really? picture posted on demotywatory.pl
This alternative march was organised on November 9, 2013 by a coalition of organisations dubbed Together Against Nationalism, and it had a significant turnout.
A statement by coalition organisers said:
We turn to you on the 75th anniversary Kristallnacht in Germany when hordes of Nazis, with the support of the state apparatus, intensified the persecution of the Jewish minority. Europe today is reminiscent of the times of the Great Depression. As a result of social exclusion there is increased support for the violence embedded in nationalist, racist and fascist ideas.[…]
The most effective way to combat these sick ideas is with social self-organisation. In Poland local groups of antifascists have brought about the cancellation of many events organised by the nationalists. We have also blocked the attempt by the National Movement to make inroads into the academic world. We will allow neither the tragic events of the past nor the present incidents to pass unnoticed.
Immediately after the riots started, many questioned why the city's authorities were not prepared for the expected violence. Since authorities were never very fond of the squats, it is suspected by some that the police were somehow instructed to do nothing during the attack and let the hooligans do the job that the city isn't allowed to. A statement published by the inhabitants of Squat Syrena [pl] said:
Today, on Independence Day, the police maintained constant patrol over the streets Skorupki and Wilcza where the autonomous spaces Syrena and Przychodnia are located.
About 3:30 PM, the nationalist March of Independence moved through the city center. The police troops standing guard near Skorupki street dispersed and disappeared.
Simultaneously, a several dozen-strong group of neo-Nazi demonstrators arrived. They broke the chains at the gate and entered the site. Armed with machetes, bottles, and clubs, they proceded to attack the people inside. At the moment, Syrena’s quarters held eight children aged 3 to 14, among other persons.
The greatest damage was done to Przychodnia – with cars burned and destroyed, people injured, and windowpanes knocked out. For about thirty minutes – due to the police forces’ retreating – we were forced to defend ourselves on our own. Had it not been for our firm response, the scene would have ended in tragedy: the neo-Nazi attackers were ready to kill.
This is what your ‘patriotism’ looks like today. Every single person taking part in the Independence March shares the responsibility for the attacks on homes of evicted families, of the elderly, of people with disabilities and all those who cannot afford neither their rent nor a 30-year bank loan.
This is reality in Warsaw today – those in power evict, the fascists strike.
We will endure both.
Rainbow – an artistic installation by Julita Wójcik, built in the centre of Warsaw as a symbol of tolerance, was burnt. Photo posted by @PolandTalks
The following day, many Warsaw citizens showed their solidarity with the values under attack by decorating the burnt rainbow and creating Facebook groups demanding that the guilty parties rebuild it themselves.
Cartoon posted by @CzapskiPawel, drawn by famed cartoonist AndrzejRysuje.pl. The girl says “People are decorating the burnt rainbow with flowers, on Friday there is a flash mob organised – people will be kissing under the burnt rainbow and the nationalists are supposed to pay for its reconstruction…”
“Rainbow in Poland” – satirical picture posted by @p_ministra
There were many, who highlighted the right of citizens to march under any circumstances, blaming organisational skills of the march leaders rather than the general attitude of it's participants:
It's true – the Independence March was not perfect. But it was better than a year ago. And Poland with this March is better then on without it!
- Krzysztof Bosak (@krzysztofbosak), 12 November 2013
Hanna Kozłowska, a Polish blogger writing for Foreign Policy Blog highlighted the influence of the change in political moods over the last years on the events of November 11, 2013:
While the nationalist hooligans make up a fringe group, their actions reflect a larger shift in Polish society. With the once vigorous economic growth falling from 4.5 percent in 2011 to 1.8 in 2012, the unemployment rate high at 13%, Poles are increasingly dissatisfied with their government, the European Union and their lives. Polls indicate that the main conservative party, Law and Justice which has been out of power since 2007, is now gaining support over the centrist, pro-European Civic Platform, idle and incompetent in the eyes of many.

author: Anna Gotowska


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VIDEO: Tear-jerking Google ‘Reunion’ Ad Warms Hearts Across India and Pakistan · Global Voices
Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman

A series of short ads by Google India showing how their search engine can facilitate the bridging of hearts and help re-connect people separated by distance and man-made barriers has gone viral across India and Pakistan.
Released on 13 November, 2013, the Google Search: Reunion ad from Google India, is seen to be emotional and engaging. There is a playlist of five ads in this series, including ‘Fennel’, ‘Cricket’, ‘Anarkali’, and ‘Sugar-free’, but the most widely circulated one is ‘Reunion’, which has already garnered over 1,523,788 views.
The three-and-a-half-minute ‘Reunion’ ad is about friendship, fond childhood memories, separation and reconnecting to a tender past. In the ad, available on YouTube with English sub-titles, an Indian Punjabi is shown telling his granddaughter Suman about his fond childhood memories in Lahore, Pakistan. He mentions his childhood friend Yousuf and the sweet shop his friend's father owned in old Lahore, and how he and his friend were separated by the partition of 1947. Suman then searches on Google the whereabouts of her grandfather's childhood friend and contacts him. Finally, the two friends re-unite.
The Reunion ad touches upon the sensitive issue of partition and how it separated friends and families. In 1947, prior to their departure from India, the British rulers partitioned India into the Dominion of Pakistan (later Islamic Republic of Pakistan and People's Republic of Bangladesh) and the Union of India (later Republic of India), primarily along religious lines, to stem the growing tensions between the Hindu and Muslim communities. The partition however, left both the nations devastated. People were forced to migrate across borders in massive numbers and rioting and acts of violence left deep scars on people's psyche. Till date, the wounds left by partition have not healed and the relationship between the two countries is often strained, marred by wars, border disputes, military stand-offs and a continuing conflict over Kashmir.  The partition tore apart friends and families, many of whom have not been able to find each other and/or reconnect. Though the two countries have made attempts to improve their relationship, even today the relationship is fragile and it is very difficult for Indian and Pakistani nationals to travel across the border due to stringent visa procedures.
Given this backdrop, it is interesting to see how the ads touched an emotional chord, with bloggers across the two countries reacting positively to the heartwarming ads.
Beena Sarwar, a journalist, blogger, human rights activist and lead campaigner for Aman ki Aasha, a campaign for peace between India and Pakistan, tied the ad into the ‘Milne Do’ campaign against visa restrictions between India and Pakistan:
If it doesn’t move you, you’ve got a heart of stone. And if oh, it was that easy. For Pakistanis and Indians to get visas to visit each other’s country is just short of impossible… If the Reunion ad moved you, go to the Milne Do (Let people meet) petition link and sign (and share) the campaign against India Pakistan visa restrictions. Every voice counts.
Blogger Mehreen Kasana wrote on her blog:
Many families in Pakistan don’t have family in India including mine, but at the same time there are many who have loved ones across the border. This is probably the most beautiful video I’ve seen on the subject…Got a little teary, not gonna lie.
Umar Alam from Pakistan, commented on the YouTube video of the ad:
Such an Awesome effort by Google. Love and respect from Pakistan
There are interesting tweets from both India and Pakistan discussing how the ad had an impact on viewers, leaving them touched and emotional.
Pakistani author and publisher, Musharraf A. Faroqi tweeted:
Google will go to Heaven because of this: http://t.co/JzyI2yqjPZ #Reunion
— Musharraf A. Farooqi (@microMAF) November 14, 2013
Anthony Permal, known as Tony Khan among twiterrati in Pakistan, tweeted:
I just watched the Google #India ad for the 4th time and I'm STILL being moved to tears. :’)
— Anthony Permal (@anthonypermal) November 13, 2013
Blogger Muna Khan tweeted about how the ad made her father nostalgic and eager to connect with his old friends:
I showed the Reunion video to my dad who wants me to google the names of his school friends in India so he can have his own reunion. Uh oh
— Muna Khan (@muna_khan) November 14, 2013
Journalist and photographer Sukanto Mukherjee (@Humerus) from Kolkata, India linked to the actual sweet shop featured in the ad:
So this is the actual Fazal Sweets in Lahore wrt Google ad http://t.co/YS08rRAjoz [thanks for sharing @ShirazHassan ]
— SM (@TheHumerus) November 13, 2013
Indian journalist, Tripti Lahiri tweeted:
Many a Delhi Punjabi refugee will sigh, perhaps even shed a tear over Google Search's Partition/Reunion ad http://t.co/VRIzdNy8HW
— Tripti Lahiri (@triptilahiri) November 14, 2013
Twilightfairy (@twilightfairy), a professional photographer based in India, commented:
So many partition afflicted souls need healing! Google India's ad – Reunion – http://t.co/hKPYcE6x6o
— twilightfairy (@twilightfairy) November 13, 2013
Roopa Gulati (@roopagulati), chef-blogger from India agreed. According to her:
Emotive Google ad…Will have resonance with so many from my Dad's generation who went thru 1947 Indo-Pak partition http://t.co/cbQwOJGN6F
— Roopa Gulati (@roopagulati) November 14, 2013
Some people were more critical of the ad. For example, Shivani Mohan, a corporate communication professional from India, tweeted:
I liked the Google reunion ad but it is best to take these things with a big pinch of salt!
— Shivani Mohan (@Chevane) November 15, 2013
Some netizens also pointed out that the idea and storyline for the Google ad was “stolen” or “completely inspired” from a Pakistani short film called “RESPECT”, a short film about friendship and the power of communication in the context of Pakistan and India produced by Pak Sar Zameen Productions in August 2012.
Taha Kirmani (@TahaKirmani1), who directed the film, responded:
#GoogleIndia #Reunion #Ad is completely Inspired from #Pakistan #ShortFilm #RESPECT.
— Taha Kirmani (@TahaKirmani1) November 14, 2013
Here is the YouTube video of the aforementioned short film, which shows a young man using technology to reconnect his grandfather with his childhood friend, separated by the Partition of 1947:

author: Qurratulain (Annie) Zaman


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Will Russia’s Scrotum Revolt Join Pussy Riot in Prison? · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Photo from Petr Pavlensky's May 2013 protest, “Carcass,” YouTube screenshot.
Petr Pavlensky, the Russian political artist who recently nailed his scrotum the pavement in Red Square, now faces [ru] the same “hooliganism” charges that were at the center of the infamous Pussy Riot trial in 2012. Accused of violating Article 213 of the Russian Criminal Code [ru], “disturbing the peace on grounds of political, ideological, racist, ethnic, or religious hatred,” Pavlensky could spend the next seven years in prison.
In comments [ru] to the journal Snob.ru, Pavlensky said he is ready to go to jail, though he believes that officials haven’t yet made up their minds. Contrasting the prison sentence handed down to Pussy Riot with Alexey Navalny’s suspended sentence, Pavlensky argues that Russian law enforcement is unpredictable:
Я был готов к этому. Наша власть – аппарат насилия, другой она быть не может, и поэтому ожидать от нее можно чего угодно. Может быть и такое, что меня посадят. А может, через три часа МВД вынесет опровержение, что это утка. Мы видели, как закрывали Pussy Riot, и как выпускали Навального из зала суда. В любой момент может случиться поворот на 180 градусов.
I was ready for anything. Our authorities are an apparatus of violence. They can’t change this, therefore you can expect just about anything from them. Maybe they will put me in prison. Then again, maybe the Interior Ministry will refute the idea three hours later, saying it’s only gossip. We saw how they locked up Pussy Riot, and how they released Navalny. At any moment, there can be a 180-degrees turn.
Petr Verzilov, husband of Pussy Riot front woman Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, wrote on Twitter that the hooliganism charges against Pavlensky mark the beginning of something new:
Уголовное дело за собственные прибитые яйца на Красной площади – это совершенно новый уровень правового ада в стране. Невероятно.
— группа война (@gruppa_voina) November 15, 2013
Criminal charges for nailing your own balls to Red Square—this is an utterly new level of judicial hell in the country. Unbelievable.
A scene from Pussy Riot's infamous “punk prayer” in February 2012, YouTube screenshot.
While Pavlensky’s situation does represent a harsh application of the law against hooliganism, the charges against him are more familiar than Verzilov seems to recognize. Like Pussy Riot before him, Pavlensky justifies [ru] his act of public indecency as a political-artistic effort to draw attention to Russia’s social problems. When prosecutors cite Article 213, however, they allege that some form of hatred motivated the indecency. Indeed, the supposed presence of hatred is why crimes of this nature carry such heavy penalties.
But how does hate play a role in a man nailing his balls to a rock?
Nikolai Polozov, one of the lawyers who defended Pussy Riot’s members in their 2012 trial, ventured a guess about the function of hate in Pavlensky’s Red Square demonstration:
Художника, пригвоздившего свою мошонку к брусчатке, привлекают за хулиганство. По мотивам ненависти к собственным гениталиям наверное?
— Николай Полозов (@Moscow_advokat) November 15, 2013
The artist who nailed his own scrotum to the pavement is being charged with hooliganism. Motivated by hatred toward his own genitals, I presume?

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Business, Politics and the Revolving Door in the European Union · Global Voices
Tamás Novák

Image by European People's Party, used under Creative Commons 2.0 license.
The so-called “revolving door”, or when public sector officials move into private sector jobs and vice-versa, is becoming more of an issue in the European Union with every year. The primary concern in these cases is the tendency for conflicts of interest to arise, in other words, the abuse of inside knowledge attained by these persons while in public office.
Although the revolving door has different forms, it has a significant effect in the lobby industry, and anti-lobby groups are calling for more transparency and even bans on this kind of practice. The issue with the revolving door in regards to the European Union begins when lobbyists or Brussels officers commute between EU institutions and companies without regard to conflicts of interest. As EUObserver.com recently noted:
The revolving door refers to public officials leaving office and going to work in private sector lobby jobs, often in the same areas they were responsible for in office, or vice-versa.
This creates a significant risk of conflicts of interest, which – if left unmanaged – facilitates the privileged access and undue influence of corporate groups that undermines democratic, public-interest decision-making in the EU.
Though the European Union has set up a Transparency Register since 2011, many argue that it is not efficient enough. The European Transparency Register (ETR) is run by the European Commission and the European Parliament with the goal of providing EU citizens with an information access point regarding various decision-making processes. In an  article, The Parliament Magazine commented:
[…] a “worrying” number of officials go through the ‘revolving door’, which means leaving their EU job to work for “big” business and lobby groups, often in the same policy area.
Business gains “inside-knowledge, vital contacts, and above all, powerful influence”, it was said.
Rachel Tansey, a campaigner with Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), said, “This helps to make Brussels even more business-dominated and remote from the public interest.”
This was demonstrated, she said, by a recent EU citizens’ poll showing 73 per cent are concerned that lobbyists representing the business sector have too much influence on EU decisions.
It is difficult to calculate how many former officials have moved through the revolving door so far, but ALTER-EU's research estimates [pdf] that at least half of the biggest lobby companies’ staff have previously worked in various EU institutions. A well-known example is the case of the Swedish Mårten Westrup. As a start, Westrup had his position in the European Commission's Directorate General of Enterprise and Industry as a legal officer and later as a policy officer. He dealt with industrial policy and worked out regulations for CO2 emission from cars. Through the revolving door, he then secured a position for himself at BusinessEurope, one of the most influential and dominant lobby organizations in Brussels, as an advisor. ALTER-EU's report points out:
In 2010, Mårten Westrup moved from DG Enterprise to BusinessEurope and lobbied former colleagues on climate change issues on behalf of BusinessEurope’s interests. Yet under the current rules, his job move did not require approval from the Commission because of a loophole which excludes staff on contracts from systematically requiring authorisation. Westrup has now gone back through the revolving door and can be found working in DG Energy.
The Alliance for Lobbying Transparency and Ethics Regulation (ALTER-EU) was launched in late 2005 in order to put pressure on and raise awareness against lobbying in the European Union. The organization states that since at least 50 per cent of our laws are created in Brussels, it is crucial that these regulations serve the people and not businesses.
ALTER-EU's main argument is that the volunteer options of European Transparency Register will never ensure transparency on an acceptable level. Hence, they campaign for a mandatory and extensive register. The same ALTER-EU report mentioned above suggests creating new regulation and closing loopholes to fix the problem.
In fact, Europe's revolving door has become somewhat of a hot topic on social networks in the past several months, many of the comments there showing that the effect of lobbyist and corporations on governance is becoming obvious to EU citizens. Tim LaPira, a political scientist from Virginia, compares it to what has been happening in the US for decades:
American-style revolving door #lobbying knows no geography http://t.co/wuZupsA71z
— Tim LaPira (@timlapira) October 20, 2013
A reader on a Spiegel Online article about the revolving door in regards to top EU officials also comments:
The Commission should simply have rules where a former official takes a private industry position that places him in conflict means the Commission will no longer have dealings with either agents or principles until the conflict is cured?
Jürgen Wilfrd Linder is one Twitter user who was very straightforward in this tweet about the matter:
The EU must forbid lobbying interfering into politics, or Europe will never stop to be the bitch of mighty corporations that are ruining us.
— Jürgen Wilfrd Linder (@Wriseup) November 14, 2013
ALTER-EU's partner organization, Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO), has launched its RevolvingDoorWatch program in December 2011 in order to raise bring matters to light. During the program's launch, eight cases were revealed where former members of various European institutions without satisfying limits joined different lobbyist groups.
The EU's regulation and criticism
The fact that there was no scrutiny or a mandatory cooling-off period in the revealed cases shows that there are currently major loopholes EU regulations. These cases could happen because the EU's current rules do not apply to officials with temporary contracts except for those who were in positions where they could have obtained “sensitive” information. ALTER-EU argues that the distinction between staff members based on whether they are on permanent or temporary contracts cannot be maintained. This organization urges the EU to implement a sustainable, common and transparent procedure.
After a number of cases revealed by CEO in October 2012, the organization along with Greenpeace, Lobbycontrol and Spinwatch submitted a complaint to the European Ombudsman against the European Commission.
On 14 February 2013, the European Ombudsman published a press release stating that an investigation has begun against the EC. The press release announced that if during the inquiry the Ombudsman finds systematic problems, further scrutiny will follow.
Since then, the first steps towards better regulation has been made. During this summer, the European Parliament adopted new staff regulations which will go into effect at the beginning of 2014. Compared to the old regulations, the new ones provide an explicit system for monitoring and screening officers for possible conflicts of interest and includes a 12-month prohibition on lobbying staff of their former institution.
Obviously, there is progress towards regulating issues related to the revolving door. However, some of the mentioned organizations are not fully satisfied with this progress and say that there is room for future improvements. They argue that the new provisions have further loopholes which make the whole document weaker.

author: Tamás Novák


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Cricket Icon Sachin Tendulkar Awarded India’s Highest Civilian Award · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Iconic Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Flickr image by junaidrao, CC By-NC-ND 2.0
A billion hearts were choked with emotions today, November 16, 2013, as Indian cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar retired from the game after a legendary career that spanned 24 years. Acknowledging Sachin's contribution, the President of India, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, has awarded him the prestigious Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.
In India, the Bharat Ratna (Jewel of India) is awarded in recognition of exceptional service/performance of the highest order in any field of human endeavour. Any person, without distinction of race, occupation, position or gender is eligible for this award. The 40 year old Sachin Tendulkar  will be the first sportsperson and the youngest person to receive this honour.
Social media was abuzz with reactions and congratulatory comments.
In a discussion on Quora, Bala Senthil Kumar expressed firm opinion as to why Sachin deserved the Bharat Ratna. According to him,
Bharat Ratna is literally translated as ‘Jewel of India’.
Is Sachin a ‘Jewel of India'?
Please,without a doubt,the answer is an overwhelming ‘YES'!
I challenge anyone to come forward and refute this.
On another similar discussion thread in Quora, Vaibhab Sharma, a cricket lover and die-hard fan of Sachin Tendulkar, pointed out his reasons for Sachin deserving the prestigious award. He commented:
There is no doubt about the fact that Sachin has achieved the performance of highest order in cricket. You can confirm it from his peers, his opponents, retired legendary cricketers, ICC, Wisden who rated him as the second best of all time behind Bradman, his statistics which feature on top of almost every batting list compiled and many more endless sources. […]
Sachin's batting was the balm to Indian people's troubles. Caste, creed, race and sex do not matter when Sachin comes out to bat. Everybody loves him which was pretty evident in his farewell today when every person I know who follows cricket was crying. Nobody told them to but they automatically did. Such is the impact of this great man.
As the announcement of the award filtered in, Twitter too was abuzz with congratulatory comments and reactions.
Indian entrepreneur Kiram Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) tweeted:
Sachin is a rare legend He is not just a national but a global phenomenon. That makes him extra precious and our Bharat Ratna
— Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (@kiranshaw) November 16, 2013
Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur), Member of Parliament (Lok Sabha) and Joint Secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), tweeted:
Bharat Ratna @sachin_rt ! True Champion of the game, International Sports Icon, Global Indian, Inspiration for young & Humble Human Being.
— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) November 16, 2013
Actor and social activist Rahul Bose (@RahulBose1) tweeted:
And so @sachin_rt becomes the first sportsperson to be conferred the Bharat Ratna. Incredible honour. Congratulations!
— Rahul Bose (@RahulBose1) November 16, 2013
Varanasi Ramprasad (@smarttrainers), a management consultant, tweeted:
Bharat Ratna for Sachin. Another record set by the Master Blaster. Youngest & the first sports person to get the Ratna Award. We Salute you.
— Varanasi Ramprasad (@smarttrainers) November 16, 2013
Vaneet (@Vabo18), a cricket fan, was ecstatic. He tweeted:
The moment I heard the news Sachin was receiving Bharat Ratna, my face just glowed with happiness! Finally, Indian Gov. gives it to him!
— Vaneet (@Vabo18) November 16, 2013
While the mood of the nation was largely congratulatory, there were also a few voices of dissent, which either felt that there were other equally deserving candidates for the award or felt that the award should be given to non-sportspersons, to those who were perhaps older and had spent a lifetime working for a larger national cause.For example, independent journalist Shivam Vij (@DilliDurAst) felt that this was a populist gesture by the government. He tweeted:
Bharat Ratna for Sachin Tendulkar but not for Dhyan Chand or Anand Vishwanathan. Populism.
— Shivam Vij (@DilliDurAst) November 16, 2013
However,on this day, these voices found themselves in the minority, drowned in the adulation of a doting billion.


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Tendulkar’s Retirement: ‘Cricket Will Never Be the Same’  · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

In some ways my feelings towards Tendulkar were ambivalent and they oscillated between love and dislike, depending whether he was playing against Pakistan or not! Whereas the feeling has oscillated, my respect and admiration for Tendulkar both as a great cricketer and a human have always remained constant. […]
Today as he walked after being dismissed, and the entire stadium rose to its feet, I felt teary eyed. I grew up watching him, loathing him, admiring him and respecting him. Cricket will never be the same again and in some ways perhaps even life will never be the same again. Sachin after all is much more than a cricketer.
Raza Habib Raja at the Pak Tea House pays tribute to the ace Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on the eve of the latter's retirement from the game.


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Anonymous Hacks Ukraine’s Customs Services, Leaks Documents · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

Watcher.Com.Ua reports [uk] that hackers representing themselves as members of the Anonymous group have hacked into one of the servers of Ukraine's customs officials, leaking a number of documents pertaining to the operations of Danube and Black Sea marine customs. In particular, the group stated [en] the following:
Inside you will find much [fun information] related to illegal operations with oil and gas, corruption schemes and also much good edible [intelligence] all related to corruption in Ukraine government controlled marine cargo operations, bribes and [government] kickbacks.
Internet users have questioned the authenticity of the files since they are not electronic versions, but photographs of documents. Some have suggested that the server was not really hacked, but instead that someone inside Ukrainian Customs has leaked these files to Anonymous.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Chileans Abroad Hold Symbolic Vote with Surprising Results · Global Voices
Elizabeth Rivera

Results are in for votes cast by Chileans living abroad who participated in a symbolic election through the online platform “Voto Ciudadano” [es, Citizen vote], since Chilean law does not allow voting from overseas.
The results show a surprising difference with the forecasts made by pollsters in Chile, which placed Michelle Bachelet -the candidate from the left wing Nueva Mayoría [New Majority] coalition- as the winner, and Evelyn Matthei -the candidate from the right wing Alianza [Alliance] coalition- in second place.
According to these results, however, Michelle Bachelet would compete in a run-off election with Marcel Claude, the candidate from the Partido Humanista [Humanist Party].
Resultados #VotoExterior vía @elquintopoderpic.twitter.com/ACM6gd20Xt
— Breaking News Chile (@BreakingNewsChi) November 17, 2013
Results #VotoExterior via @elquintopoder
The symbolic vote had a high turnout, as detailed on Twitter by El Quinto Poder:
Los votos en #VotoExterior fueron 12.486 y fueron emitidos desde 105 países de todo el mundo
— elquintopoder (@elquintopoder) November 17, 2013
The votes on #VotoExterior were 12,486 and were cast from 105 countries all around the world.
This map shows the countries where the votes were cast:
Países desde donde se recibieron mayor cantidad de votos #VotoExterior vía @elquintopoder pic.twitter.com/vEr1hNWWp4
— Breaking News Chile (@BreakingNewsChi) November 17, 2013
Countries where most of the votes came from #VotoExterior via @elquintopoder
These are some reactions on Twitter about this symbolic election:
Jamás de los jamases hubiera acertado en los % del #VotoExterior, acá los resultados: http://t.co/nK6WLGRsPS
— Angélica Pavez (@MAngelicaPavez) November 17, 2013
I would have never guessed the % of the vote from abroad, here are the results
Aunque fue simbólico, emocionante igual. #votoexterior @Chilenossinvoto #haztuvotovolar pic.twitter.com/BR9ywBaV0t
— Paulina Astroza (@PaulinaAstrozaS) November 17, 2013
Even though it was symbolic, it was still exciting.
Gracias a #votociudadano pude votar hoy desde Mexico. Buena iniciativa! Tenemos que seguir luchando por el #VotoExterior @Chilenossinvoto
— Soledad Morgado G. (@solemorgado) November 17, 2013
Thanks to #votociudadano [citizen vote] I was able to vote today from Mexico. Good initiative! We have to keep fighting for the vote from abroad.
Resultado #VotoExterior pic.twitter.com/ENf8G6wCLD La gente del extranjero sabe! Es terrible penca que esos votos no sean válidos :/
— Milo (@Victum88) November 17, 2013
People living abroad know! It's terrible that those votes are not valid :/
In the Voto Ciudadano website [es] you can find more details about the vote from abroad and its results.

author: Elizabeth Rivera


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Croatian Activists Protest Concert of Nationalist Rock Band in Zagreb · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Actvists posted a banner on the venue of the bands upcoming concert that reads “Thompson is not Croatia” written in Serbian Cyrillic; image by the Occupy Croatia Movement, public domain.
These signs were placed on the Hall of Sports in Zagreb by Croatian activists just days before Thompson, a Croatian rock band, held their concert there on Saturday, November 16. The band bears its name after the nickname of their lead singer, Marko Perković, received during service in the military during the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s. The nickname derives from the Thompson submachine gun, also known as the “Tommy gun”.
The band and Perković are known for righ-wing nationalist attitudes, often included in their song lyrics and public statements. In 2003, Perković was banned from playing in the Netherlands under accusations of neo-nazi activities and has often been criticized by minority groups in Croatia and other countries.
Another banner placed by activists on the venue read “Fascist, not patriot” in Croatian; image by the Occupy Croatia Movement, public domain.
In this latest instance of criticism, activist posted “Thompson is not Croatia” in Serbian Cyrillic script, referring to recent issues regarding decisions to place bilingual street signs and signs on government buildings in the Croatian city of Vukovar. The signs, in both Croatian Latin script and Serbian Cyrillic were taken down, destroyed several times by protesters, then replaced in Vukovar, until a decision was finally to take them down permanently and not allow bilingual signs. The debate of whether or not bilingual signs will be used in Vukovar is on-going.
The band's concert was held in the Croatian capital on Saturday, peacefully and without any incidents.

author: Danica Radisic


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Discovering the Bouquinistes of Colombo · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Paris may be famous for its bouquinistes, stalls selling second hand and antiquarian books lining the banks of the River Seine, but Colombo also has them. They don’t line the banks of the Beira Lake and tourists seldom find them but they are invaluable for the traveller.
In this lovely guest post, author and travel writer Royston Ellis, a British resident of Sri Lanka, tells us where to look for the bouquinistes of Colombo.


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Does Tennis Pro Viktor Troicki’s Doping Ban Go Too Far? · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Viktor Toricki signing autographs at PTT Thailand Open 2009; photo courtesy of Government of Thailand, used under Creative Commons 2.0 License.
A Serbian world-class tennis player who was suspended by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) for missing a standard doping test earlier in 2013 was banned from entering a Belgrade arena to cheer on his teammates in the Davis Cup finals, a move that has caused fans to question the fairness of the sport's anti-doping system.
Viktor Troicki first received an 18-month suspension from competing in any events for his missed doping test, but fought the charges, citing that he had already given a urine sample that tested negative for banned substances. He succeeded in having the penalty reduced to 12 months in early November, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport stated that there was no indication that Troicki “intended to evade the detection of a banned substance in his system.”
The young tennis pro was also banned from attending matches, including the Davis Cup semi-finals that the Serbian national team played in September, while his appeal was still under investigation.
A New York Times special report [en] summarized the events and added some interesting insight:
Initially suspended for 18 months by the International Tennis Federation, Troicki had his penalty reduced on appeal to one year by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week. But that qualified victory still feels like defeat to him, and his case has generated a range of strong opinions at the top of the game, with Andy Murray and Roger Federer expressing support for the antidoping system in tennis and Troicki’s close friend and teammate Novak Djokovic bitterly ripping into it.
However, even after the suspension was reduced and the investigation against him officially closed, Troicki was again banned from attending the Davis Cup finals [sr], which took place in Kombank Arena in Troicki's hometown of Belgrade on November 15, 2013. The Serbian Tennis Federation (TSS) decided to support the ITF's decision fully by banning Troicki from entering the arena even as a spectator with a paid ticket, which Troicki was planning to do in support of his teammates who were playing in the finals that evening. Some media sources even claim that the TSS distributed photos of Troicki to Kombank Arena security and at the doors to make sure the tennis player was recognized and not allowed to enter with or without a ticket.
Regardless of the suspension and doping charges, or the personal opinions of Troicki's colleagues, fans are now questioning whether both the International and the Serbian Tennis Federation have the legal right to limit one's physical movement in this manner. Many on social networks, discussion boards and in comments on online articles regarding this matter are accusing the ITF and TSS of having broken basic civil rights laws when they banned Troicki from attending the match as a spectator from the bleachers along with other fans.
Dejan Nikolić, a journalist and founder of the popular Serbian satirical news site Njuz.net, posted a public comment on the matter on his Facebook profile:
Fascinantna mi je ova situacija, ako je tacno, gde Troickom biva ograniceno kretanje kao gradjaninu zato sto ga je neka sportska organizacija suspendovala. Mislim da je to pitanje za ustavni sud, Strazbur i jos pokoju instituciju za ljudska i gradjanska prava.
Jedna je stvar ne dozvoliti da ucestvuje na turnirima, sasvim druga ogranicavati slobodu kretanja.
I find this situation fascinating, if true, in which Troicki's movement as a citizen is being limited because he was suspended by a sports organization. I think this is a matter for the Constitutional Court, Strasbourgh and a few other institutions for human and civil rights.
It's one thing to not allow him to participate in tournaments, entirely another to limit his freedom of movement.
Among the 52 comments on Nikolić's post, there were those who cited that ITF rules state that players who are penalized by the organization are also banned from any related tournaments and sporting events. Most commenters, however, questioned how the ITF or any other sports organization could have the authority to ban anyone, including sanctioned players, from purchasing a ticket and attending such events as a citizen.
Similar comments can be found on online articles in several other languages, and it isn't just Serbian tennis fans who are complaining and noting the same thing. In response to a short article on Italian tennis portal LiveTennis.it with the news that Troicki was not allowed to enter Belgrade's Kombank Arena as a spectator, reader Francis said:
allora ne dico un’altra di scemenza ribattendoti che quanto dici mi pare molto strano… nel senso che l’atp o l’itf o la federazione serba possono non considerare valido il pass da addetto ai lavori e vietare l’accesso ai settori a loro destinati; vietare l’ingresso con regolare biglietto pagato vorrebbe dire una palese limitazione della libertà individuale.
Now they say more complete nonsense that when said seems very strange to me – in the sense that the ATP or ITF or Federation of Serbia could consider a pass not valid and prohibit access to areas they are intended for, prohibit entry with a regular paid ticket would mean blatant limitation of individual freedom.
Another reader on the same article, Andy86, added:
Francamente mi pare una cosa veramente che non sta ne in cielo ne in terra… lui è squalificato piu o meno giustamente (non sta a me dirlo) per quello che riguarda la sua attività agonistica, ma che ora non lo facciano entrare allo stadio, mi pare veramente fuori dal mondo..
Frankly one thing strikes me that truly isn't in the heavens nor the earth – he was disqualified more or less justly (it's not up to me to say) for things regarding his sports activities, but now to not allow him to enter the stadium, it strikes me as truly out of this world..
Neither the ITF nor the Serbian Federation have responded to the questions raised by the public, nor have they made any statements as to what might give them the authority to ban any player from purchasing a ticket for a tennis event and not be able to use it as a spectator.


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Insulting a Dead King is a Crime in Thailand · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

David Streckfuss cites a Thailand Supreme Court ruling about a Lese Majeste (anti-royal insult law) case which upheld the verdict against a citizen who reportedly defamed a dead king:
Although the [defamatory] action was against a past king who had already passed on, it is still a violation….The defamation of a past king will inevitably affect the present king who still reigns.


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Online Magazine Publishes Leaked Emails of Serbian Government Agency · Global Voices
Danica Radisic

Online magazine Balkanist was among several media to receive over 300 leaked emails from the Investment and Export Promotion Agency of the Republic of Serbia (SIEPA) that allegedly reveal corruption, nepotism, misappropriation of Agency funds and several other malpractices of the government agency's top officials and employees. SIEPA Director Božidar Laganin warned that these emails were obtained illegally and could have been manipulated, claiming that SIEPA servers had been hacked, thus anyone considering publishing or distributing them further should be aware of possible legal consequences if they did so. Mr. Laganin handed in his official resignation as Director of SIEPA shortly after making this statement.
Balkanist staff decided to publish an analysis of a portion of the emails [sr], as well as publish screenshots of some of them. As the author of the article and co-founder of Balkanist magazine, Srećko Šekeljić, explains:
Na adresu Balkanista je u ponedeljak 11. novembra prosleđeno preko 300 mejlova visokih funkcionera Agencije za promociju izvoza i stranih ulaganja Vlade Srbije (SIEPA) koji, u slučaju da se dokaže njihova autentičnost, sadrže naznake postojanja korupcije i nesavesnog postupanja u rukovođenju ovom agencijom.
U Agenciji za borbu protiv korupcije nam je potvrđeno da “iz sadržine dopisa primljenih elektronskom poštom, proizlazi sumnja da su izvršena krivična dela za koja se goni po službenoj dužnosti”. Na pitanje Balkanista šta će Agencija preduzeti u vezi sa informacijama koje su na naše adrese “procurele” iz SIEPA-e, rečeno nam je da su primljeni materijal “prosledili Apelacionom javnom tužilaštvu u Beogradu na dalju nadležnost i postupanje”.
Over 300 emails from highly positioned employees of the Investment and Export Promotion Agency of the government of Serbia (SIEPA) were forwarded to the address of Balkanist on Monday, November 11, which, if proven to be authentic, contain evidence of the existence of corruption and irresponsible acts in managing this agency.
The Anti-corruption Agency has confirmed that “from the content of the correspondence received by email, there is reason to suspect that criminal acts have been committed that will be prosecuted by legal obligation”. When asked by Balkanist what the [Anti-corruption] Agency will do with the information that was “leaked” from SIEPA, we were told that the received materials “have been forwarded to Public Prosecutor's office of the Appeals Court in Belgrade for further jurisdiction and action”.


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PHOTOS: Rally of Mozambique’s Main Opposition Party Attacked by Riot Police · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The arrival of two cars with officers from the Rapid Intervention Force (FIR) of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) interrupted the final rally of the campaign of opposition party MDM in Beira. Photo @Verdade newspaper (CC BY 2.0)
The final mayoral campaign rally of opposition party MDM in Beira ended with three people killed and several injured – the injured included the candidate's own son – following an attack by riot police who used tear gas grenades and shot bullets to the air.
When the tumult began, incumbent mayor Daviz Simango was preparing to take the stage and call on the crowd to vote once again for the main opposition party MDM (Mozambique Democratic Movement), in power in the second largest city of Mozambique, also the capital of the province of Sofala.
Unrest in Beira set in on November 16, the second to last day of the electoral campaign for Mozambique's municipal elections. The vote will take place on November 20, 2013. @Verdade newspaper is gathering citizen reports in a special website for the elections.
“Unrest set in and citizens tried to flee in disarray while FIR agents kept shooting. ” Photo shared by @Verdade newspaper on Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
After the attack of the riot police, the crowd started to burn tires in the roads that lead to Beira´s neighborhood of Munhava (16/11/2013). Photo by Miguel Mangueze for @Verdade newspaper (CC BY 2.0)

author: Sara Moreira


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PHOTOS: Heavy Rains Hit Saudi Capital · Global Voices
Noon Arabia

Residents of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, were first pleased with the drizzle that started on Saturday afternoon (November 16). A few hours later, it was no longer enjoyable but rather scary when the rain flooded the city.
Here are some of the tweets and photographs shared yesterday, which show flooding. Many commented how a rich country like Saudi Arabia has a poor infrastructure, which cannot handle rain.
#Video of lightning striking Al-Faisaliya Tower in #Riyadh earlier this evening. pic.twitter.com/AtOqdvVnF6
— Arab News (@Arab_News) November 16, 2013
Now,,,, lightning and rain ,,, in Riyadh pic.twitter.com/u2VLQz1oDh
— أبو خالد (@abukhalid3333) November 16, 2013
#riyadhrain stuck on northern ring road for nearly an hour. Why can't #Riyadh deal with a little rain? pic.twitter.com/N1tEZQxbfn
— Peter of Arabia (@PeterofArabia) November 16, 2013
With only 2hrs of heavy rain, Riyadh got drenched! What a shame!! #الرياض_تغرق #امطار_الرياض pic.twitter.com/BGLVXVcZXl
— Fatimah Alhamlan (@FatimahAlhamlan) November 16, 2013
Now,,,, lightning and rain ,,, in Riyadh pic.twitter.com/u2VLQz1oDh
— أبو خالد (@abukhalid3333) November 16, 2013
Riyadh flooding after the heavy rain Saturday. #Riyadh #RiyadhRains #Saudi pic.twitter.com/EvQlRPcJDK
— Mohammed K. Alyahya (@7yhy) November 16, 2013
Heavy rain in Riyadh (Saudi Arabic) causes flood in supermarket. pic.twitter.com/esUWJ4ZOSn
— أبو جاز Abu Jazz (@AbuJazz) November 16, 2013
@alimhaider this Riyadh today. After rain. Remember what I told you about the infrastructure? pic.twitter.com/Zhs9VMR8fl
— maii (@iaskmaie) November 16, 2013
#NiagaraFalls in #Riyadh? Rich as the nation may be, my ❤goes to those living in poor conditions #Rain pic.twitter.com/JZxrCotJcT
— Peace NOW ✌ (@OneLadyLibra) November 17, 2013
The land of oil and money drowning under few hours of rain #Riyadh #SaudiArabia pic.twitter.com/ZeXjkwSWdw
— Mohamed Alaa (علاء) (@McHappyPants__) November 17, 2013
More #Flooding in #Riyadh. They just cancelled schools for tomorrow: pic.twitter.com/WZd8fPde7e
— Abdullah Mohiuddin (@NidalM) November 16, 2013
Rains are expected to continue Sunday in #Riyadh and the northern and eastern parts of #Saudi Arabia pic.twitter.com/8x0oJmKpka
— Zaid Benjamin (@zaidbenjamin) November 17, 2013

author: Noon Arabia


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Waiting for Freedom of the Press in Bulgaria · Global Voices
Nevena Borisova

Caricature of the former Prime Minister and media by Christo Komarnitzki, used with permission
More than 20 years after the instatement of democracy in Bulgaria, the country should be well out of a transitional period, at least regarding basic democratic rights such as freedom of speech and media freedom. This, however, is not the case. According to some recent studies and public sentiment, Bulgaria is rated as the country with the worst state of media freedom among EU member states.
A few months before the resignation of his cabinet, former Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov made a controversial public comment after website Bivol, a partner of Wikileaks in Bulgaria, had published a document that allegedly revealed [bg, pdf] that the now former Prime Minister had been under police investigation in the 1990s. This comment to media representatives from Borisov came only four days after he announced on Bulgarian National Television that he wasn't controlling the media in the country:
The thing they [Bivol] did, I can do to all of you who are standing here today. I can order the [government] agencies to form similar trials against all of your journalists, or anyone.
Along with issues of government corruption and social inequality, which first sparked mass protests almost immediately after the new polls in May and then an occupation of Bulgarian universities by students, key issues in the country include the state of freedom of the press in Bulgaria, which now seems to be on the public agenda.
On September 16, 2013, the car of Bulgarian journalist and co-host of a popular morning show on bTV Genka Shikerova, known for her in-depth interviews of Bulgarian politicians, was set on fire outside her home in Sofia, bringing more concern about media freedom and the safety of journalists in Bulgaria. Reporters Without Borders published an interview with Shikerova recently, while OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media Dunja Mijatović urged “swift investigation” into the suspected arson attack.
Mijatovic had also made an earlier official statement regarding threats against journalists in Bulgaria after a television crew from Bulgarian SKAT TV was verbally and physically assaulted by Ataka Party leader Volen Siderov and other members of his political party in Bourgas while trying to interview him. In this statement, she said:
Such intimidation not only threatens the affected journalists, it can also harm free expression and have a chilling effect on media freedom.
According to a Freedom House study of democratic development in 29 countries Bulgaria is also rated as one of the five countries in Europe, along with Russia, Kosovo, Estonia and Romania, which face democratic issues and challenges. In the report Freedom of the Press 2013, a part devoted to developments in Bulgaria states:
A number of private newspapers publish daily, and most are owned by two rival companies. Two of the three leading national television stations, bTV and Nova TV, are owned by foreign companies. The third is state-owned Bulgarian National Television (BNT). Like Bulgarian National Radio, BNT generally provides news coverage without a clear political bias, but the legal structure leaves public media vulnerable to potential government interference.[…] The New Bulgarian Media Group, which takes a staunchly pro-government line, continued to acquire outlets during the year, raising concerns about concentration.
Alternative information outlets
Students occupy Sofia University and use laptops to send information out; photo from the Early-waking students Facebook fan page, used with permission.
With the traditional media landscape as closed as it is in the country, many are turning to social media and websites as alternative sources of information. Many people are turning mainly to small or mid-sized websites that are not owned by any of the big media companies to stay informed.
Orlin Spasov, a Bulgarian media expert and director of Media Democracy Foundation, commented [bg] on a Bulgarian news site about the media situation in relation to the polls in May:
Много медии следват политическата конюнктура и се ориентират не ценностно, а спрямо нея, пиковете в подкрепа на една или друга политическа формация са основен ориентир на голяма част от българските медии.[…]
Нашите изследвания показват, че социалният интернет – Фейсбук, блоговете, сайтовете за видеосподеляне – се радват почти на толкова голяма степен на доверие, както и телевизията.
Many media follow the political conjuncture and they orientate not according to values, but according to this [politics] and pick in support for one political formation or another, as a main point of orientation for a large part of the Bulgarian media.[…]
Our research shows that the social web – Facebook, blogs, video exchange sites – enjoy almost as much [public] trust as television.
Twitter user @zzdravkov tweeted a sentiment that seems to be becoming more common in Bulgaria:
Абе на правителствата от последните 6 години, дали много им тежи, че се появиха телефони с камери, Интернет, и социални мрежи?
— zzdravkov (@zzdravkov) October 13, 2013
I wonder whether it is too hard for the governments from the last six years now that phones with cameras have appeared, as well as the Internet and social networks?
— zzdravkov (@zzdravkov) October 13, 2013
Social media has played a key role in protests for a large part of Bulgarians who use the Internet. According to research [bg], in 2012, 57 percent of Bulgarian citizens use the Internet regularly, and earlier studies point out that over two million people in Bulgaria were active Facebook users in 2009 alone.
In a story about the recent developments in Bulgaria, Euronews points out that social media emerged as a crucial source of information in leading both the anti-government protests that began in June and the current sit-ins by students at several Bulgarian universities:
#ДАНСwithme has become the main hashtag – along with #Bulgaria, naturally – around which tweets, videos, blogposts and messages about the demonstrations have focused.[…]
Protesters on the internet are using both blogs and social media to voice their anger and let the world know their feelings about the political situation in Bulgaria.
In a blog post [bg] titled “About the Success Reached and the Possible (Eventual) Victory of the Protests”, Professor Nikolay Slatinsky wrote:
Хубавото на социалните мрежи и блоговете е и това, че те помнят и пазят позиции, мнения, становища, виждания – кой какво е писал, казал, изрекъл, споделил преди време и когато е трябвало, а не post factum.
The nice thing about social networks and blogs is that they remember and save stated positions, opinions and points of view – what someone has written, said, shared in the past, and when it was needed, not post factum [after the fact].
Many observers and bloggers in Bulgaria reflect on whether the energy expressed on online networks is a reason for social developments, such as the recent protests, or a consequence. Slatinsky adds:
На протестите трябва да се гледа и мисли малко по-различно (Защото сме не в 20 век, а в мрежовото общество на 21 век)[…]
А това е време на мрежовите структури, а не на йерархическите (каквито са и партиите); на социалните мобилизации по хоризонтала, а не по вертикала; на спонтанно възникващите общности; на автентичните изблици на обществена енергия; на стихийните самоорганизации.
One should view and think about the protests a bit differently (because we are not in the 20th century but in the networked society of the 21st century)[…] And this is a time of network structures, not of the hierarchal ones (like those belonging to the parties); of social horizontal mobilizations and not vertical ones; of spontaneously born communities; of authentic eruptions of social energy.
Bulgarian journalist and blogger Ruslan Jordanov writes on his blog about the phenomenon of the power of social mobilization on online networks:
Прощъпулникът на гражданската съпротива показва нещо много важно -
всеки е медия, всеки е журналист, от всеки нещо /или много/ зависи.
The first steps of the citizen opposition show something very important -
everyone is media, everyone is a journalist and something /or much/ depends on everyone.

author: Nevena Borisova