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Argentina: Former President Néstor Kirchner Dies · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Néstor Kirchner, secretary general of UNASUR, former President and husband of current President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, died of a heart attack on Wednesday. His name is currently the top worldwide Twitter trending topic. Calafate, the place where he passed away, and Cristina Fernandez are also a trending topics.


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Bermuda: Ahoy There! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Elaborate plans are afoot for the development of “a pirate-themed waterpark”; New Onion asks: “Who has deep pockets and is that bad of a businessperson other than the Bermuda Government?”, while Vexed Bermoothes says: “There has not been a well thought out business plan…there should be limited development on this land, which should remain open space.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Caribbean: Perception of Corruption  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands re-posts the results of Transparency International's latest Corruption Perception Index, and reports that Caribbean nations have not fared so well.


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China: A Mistress Denounced The Maoming Vice-Mayor · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Internet provides new space for citizen to uncover corruption. The latest case is a mistress denouncing the vice-mayor of Maoming city for corruption and debauchery by posting his nude photos online. (ESWN has translated the story.)

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Professional test-takers · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Geeks translates a journal article from Southern Weekend on the business of professional test-takers and how foreign institutions struggle to combat Chinese cheaters.


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Ecuador: Seeking Those Responsible for September 30 Uprising · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

After almost one month since the September 30 police strike, things in Ecuador have calmed down.  The police uprising ultimately worked for the troops because they got what they wanted: Leaders of the National Assembly, including those from the same political party of President Correa, didn’t take into consideration the reforms sent by Correa that would reduce benefits, and the project became law in a process that many called “automatic [es],” without further discussion.
Even though the cause for discontent from members of the Ecuadorian police and some members of the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE by its initials in Spanish) was solved, investigations to determine who is responsible for the September 30 uprising have continued. So far, 14 members of the police are being processed by the Attorney General.
President Correa, on his Saturday broadcast from Ichimbia in the capital, Quito, said the main actor of the strike has been identified as former police sergeant Luis Aníbal Martínez Vilañez [es].  Spanish Readers Blog [es] writes that the former sergeant didn’t show up to a court audience he was to attend for alleged human rights violations.  Presumably, Martinez has already left Ecuador.
In Ecuador, with or without the police, the thieves carry out their business; but Ecuafriki’s blogger [es] explains that on that September 30, the thieves were the ones who benefited the most:
Así es, mientras la policía estuvo en todo el movimiento para reclamar sus derechos, un grupo (bastante grande) de ladrones y vándalos salieron a las calles a hacer de las suyas. Cuando el gato duerme, los ratones se pasean (como dijo alguien por ahí, se enteraron que no había policía, cogieron sus mejores gorras planas, sus pantalones bajos, sus mejores cuchillos y salieron a disfrutar de la libertad…)
Latin America has been receiving a lot of attention from international media this past month: Mario  Vargas Llosa and his Nobel Prize in Literature, the rescue of 33 miners in Chile and of course the police strike in Ecuador. Hoy y Ahora’s blogger  [es] doubts Ecuadorians could repeat the words by Chilean President Sebastián Piñera after the rescue of the 33 miners: “We did it the Chilean way”
No podemos basar la situación de un país en un solo hecho, en un solo triunfo o fracaso. Pero en esta ocasión, estos sucesos parecerían revelar mucho de nuestra realidad. En el caso ecuatoriano, una triste y decepcionante realidad.
Politica y Sociedad [es] is another blog who tries to explain the irrationality of the troop's salary claims. Blogger Luis Alberto Mendieta blames right-wing Ecuadorians for the events of September 30:
Bastó mencionarles que les quitarían el biberón para que sus intereses egoístas pisoteen la racionalidad y el patriotismo… Intento de golpe de estado porque les quitaron un BONO… Y de yapa, como animales, querían matar al que, con toda razón, propone quitarles la teta. Si eso es ‘pueblo’, el concepto de sociedad HUMANA vale un carajo, porque bien podría mañana matar a mi vecino por un plato de fritada, y sería un excelente ejemplar de ‘pueblo’, porque no me convidó un poquito…
President Correa has pointed out that the brain behind “30S” — a hashtag created on Twitter to follow the outcomes– was former President Lucio Gutierrez, but that the only person who should be incarcerated for now is Anibal Martinez. Nobody else is paying for the incident that left Ecuadorians deeply divided and suspecting one another, while going through a rising economic crisis.  There is no agreement on whether this was an attempt to take Correa’s presidency or whether it was only a police protest.
If you ask a member of Correa’s opposition they will say that it was self-kidnapping and a coup d’etat created by Correa himself [es].  But if you ask a sympathizer, they will agree that in effect if was a bloody intent to  overthrow the president [es].
Yet others, like Cristian Espinosa from Cobertura Digital [es], try to find the words that will best describe September 30, 2010 in Ecuador: “Attempted murder? Kindapping, coup d'etat, self-overthrow, rebellion, conspiracy …?” Almost a month later, Ecuadorians are still trying to figure out what exactly happened that day, as this video (in Spanish with Dutch subtitles) from Noticias.nl shows:

author: Milton Ramirez


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Ecuador: The Kichwa of Ecuador and the Oil Companies · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Waves of Change points us towards I am a Defender of the Rainforest, a 2008 documentary by the Kichwa people of Ecuador, where they documented their struggles with oil companies who invaded their autonomous territories.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Eritrea: The Asmara All Stars · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Meet the Asmara All Stars (Eritrean Jazz): “Love their sound! They've been getting a lot of publicity from various websites too. See more about the The Asmara All Stars at this Youtube channel. Listen to a playlist of their songs on the Addis Tunes website and read the article below.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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FSU: ‘The Road’ by Vasily Grossman · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert & Elizabeth Chandler’s translation of The Road, a short story by Vasily Grossman, and Robert Chandler's article about Grossman's stories and his friendship with Andrey Platonov – at OpenDemocracy.net.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Guyana: Entrepreneurship  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Tell a Guyanese that something can make money…right away, dollar signs does pop up and paste on to them eye-balls like in cartoons”: Guyana-Gyal has big plans for when she becomes “a Poh-Poh Magnate.”


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Haiti: Upcoming Elections  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Fanmi Lavalas (FL) is widely seen as the Haiti’s largest and most popular political party”, yet it is being excluded from the upcoming elections.  Wadner Pierre reposts an article he wrote, suggesting that “the uncertainty that plagues over these elections can comprise the legitimacy” of the elected representatives.


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India: On Group Blogging · Global Voices
Rezwan

Idea Smith at Blog Adda shares some information and tips on Group Blogging.

author: Rezwan


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Myanmar: “Boycott elections” campaign · Global Voices
tan

Although the November 7 elections in Myanmar has been criticized as a sham by many countries around the world, the government is determined to push ahead with it. As the day draws near, there are mixed reactions among the Burmese people within the country and abroad.
The opposition party, National League of Democracy, has boycotted the election citing that it is “unfair and undemocratic”, and is urging the citizens not to vote in the elections. Detained Burmese pro-democracy leader, Aung San Su Kyi, also decided that she will not vote in the election even though she is on the electoral roll.
In Japan, the 2010 Election Boycott Committee has held a protest march in Ebitsu Park, Tokyo.
In Rakhine State, “NO Campaign” posters were posted in several townships, which read,
“Boycott 2008 Constitution and 2010 Election: NO 2010″. One of the people who participated in this campaign said to Arakhan Review:
For Boycott Election Campaign, we have posted around 1000 posters in 12 villages of Taung Kote and Ma Ei Townships one month before the Nov 7 election. We have gone down to these villages so that everyone in these villages can participate in this campaign against the government's election. We have to do this campaign together in both townships of Taung Kote and Ma Ei because these two townships together make up one constituency. Another thing is Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) and National Unity Party (NUP) will be the only two parties running in this constituency, so we don't need to feel bad towards other parties by this boycotting. We totally opposed the 2008 Constitution, so we cannot accept this 2010 Elections which will legalize this constitution.
In the November 7 elections, about 498 seats in the lower house of Parliament (Pyi Thu Hlut Taw), 224 seats in the upper house (Amyo Thar Hlut Taw) will be contested including the other seats in the States and Divisional Legislatures. Around 25 percnt of these seats will be reserved for defense service personnel.

author: tan


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Peru: Embarrassing Moments in Peruvian Football · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Cyrano from Columna 17 writes [es] about two embarrassing moments in Peruvian football: the first, when a second-division Peruvian team drugged their opponent; the second, when some players from the national team “went out partying hours after a 1-0 loss to Panama,” as reported by Living in Peru.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Peru: Municipal Elections, Delays and the Electronic Vote · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

After over three weeks since the municipal elections, the people of Lima are still not certain of who will be their next mayor. This delay in the ballot counting does look uncharacteristic of the age of the Internet, but even though the governmental body in charge, the ONPE [es] (National Office of Electoral Processes), had the electronic voting project developed for some time, there was no political will to make use of it until now, when after pressure by the media and the citizenship in general, the peruvian congress approved the law to implement gradually and progressively electronic voting. Just before the passage of the law journalist Juan Carlos Luján voiced his opinion:
Llama mucho la atención escuchar o leer declaraciones de políticos que casi poco o nada saben sobre la propuesta elaborada por la ONPE. Desde comienzos de año la ONPE experimenta con un sistema desarrollado íntegramente en el Perú con aportes de Innova PUCP y la Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos. Tuve ocasión de verlo en funcionamiento y la verdad es que trae novedades que espero puedan apreciar bien aquellos que hablan a diestra y siniestra sobre un tema poco conocido -o mejor dicho- divulgado. Y ahí sí una critica constructiva a la ONPE. Debieron difundir ampliamente el tema entre quiénes tienen hoy el poder de decidir su aprobación.
But going back to the subject of the elections, at the time of this writing it has been reported [es] that “with 96.484 percent of the ballots counted… the candidate… Susan Villarán, holds a 38.381 percent of the vote; and Lourdes Flores … 37.592 percent of the votes … the difference between both candidates is of 34 thousand 882 votes.” It is precisely this minimal difference between both candidates that has put the spotlight on electronic voting, since in previous cases when the vote difference has been clear and indisputable, the winner could be defined with mathematical certainty and the remaining votes and vote scrutiny did not matter that much, something that in this case is decisive.
This slow process has brought up all kinds of doubts, suspicions [es] and even accusations of attempt to commit fraud [es] mainly by supporters of Fuerza Social, the party of Susana Villarán, which besides narrow margins, has maintained the lead throughout the whole process. On Monday Villarán headed an encampment [es] in front of the National Jury of Elections (JNE) to “defend the votes of all the people of Lima” and “so the delay in the delivery of electoral results does not repeat itself in the general elections of April 2011″. This was rejected by the people of Lourdes Flores, her opponent, who said that [es] “just like before when fear was brought to the population by terrorist practices, Susan Villarán pretends to do this on the electoral system”. It must be pointed out that Villarán's association with extreme left groups was something used quite a bit during the campaign.
A sub product of this electoral process was the campaign denominated  “Adopt a Ballot [es]” which appeared a few days before the elections because of the fear of Villarán's people of not being able to absorb the costs of appealing the resolution (S/53.00 or US $18.97 each) of the more than 8300 voting ballots that were under the possession of the Special Electoral Juries of the JNE. The idea was that members of the party and sympathizers would collaborate on the appeals costs of one or more ballots. But the idea did not bring much results and it does not look like it will be necessary to appeal many ballots either.  However, bloggers like economist Silvio Rendón of the Gran Combo Club believe [es] there is nothing sure about the electoral results:
En Lima: tendencias en el escrutinio [ES] señalé que “La tendencia es a la convergencia entre los porcentajes de las dos candidatas” y, en base a una extrapolación lineal, señalé también que Flores iba camino a alcanzar a Villarán. … Que Flores pase y gane a Villarán puede ciertamente no ser el resultado final pues, efectivamente, faltan las actas de las zonas en que gana Villarán, pero sí que tiene un significado político y psicológico nada desdeñable. Lourdes Flores incluso perdiendo la alcaldía sale reivindicada y fortalecida de una elección ajustada.
However, not everyone believes the same, for example blogger Troba from Trobando Voy among other things writes [es] that:
En Perú, cuando los dueños de la pelota pierden las elecciones, éstos se olvidan de sus fingidos modales democráticos y se les sale el corazoncito facho y gamonal: ensucian el conteo, demoran el proceso, manipulan a su antojo las cifras, dinamitan la esperanza y la legítima celebración de los demonizados de siempre, que se ganaron el triunfo a base de sudor, unidad y esfuerzo … Es que nunca la vieron venir. Ni en sus peores pesadillas soñaron perder Lima, su otrora irreductible bastión. Mucho menos frente a una Alianza de Izquierdas, siempre satanizados o tildados de rojos, violentistas, retrógrados. La eterna candidata de los ricos y de los narcos ha tenido su más dolorosa derrota, pese a las absurdas explicaciones de “expertos” para parecerla triunfadora, o perdedora por un estrecho margen: perder una elección donde llegó a tener 30 puntos de ventaja, faltando 3 meses, es una derrota inobjetable.
Meanwhile, the government's official spokesmen asked [es] the candidates waiting for the official results to remain clam; the results could be ready Tuesday or during the week, and they said that the electoral procedures could be expedited [es] for next year's presidential elections. Some bloggers are circulating information [es] about possible members for the council of municipalities and others already speculate [es] about the possible alliances and political accommodations that will take place before the presidential elections, which by what has been seen so far, will be tightly contested, and why not say it, dirty.
Update 10/27: The Peruvian Times reports that, “More than three weeks after residents in Lima went to the polls to elect a new mayor, conservative candidate Lourdes Flores has conceded to Susana Villarán of the leftist Social Force party.” La República [es] uploaded a video where Flores admits her defeat.

author: Juan Arellano


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Puerto Rico: Reclaiming Public Space One Song at a Time · Global Voices
Alfredo Richner

Frecuencias Alternas has covered Puerto Rico’s independent music scene for the past decade through its radio show (every Saturday night at 9PM Eastern Time on WRTU 89.7 FM Radio Universidad Puerto Rico [es]), and more recently, its website [es]. The newest addition to their site is the video series “Música Realenga” – realenga [es] meaning ‘without an owner.’ Each episode introduces the audience to a particular ‘indie’ artist or band through a couple of live performances filmed in public spaces such as parks, plazas, and sidewalks.
Produced and directed by Amarilys Oyola (known as @FunkyFresh_Ah through Twitter), the project aims to reclaim public spaces as cultural centers for artistic expression while giving independent artists another platform from which to share their music with a global audience. The following Q&A with Amarilys is translated from an interview I originally conducted for PuertoRicoIndie.com (read full interview here [es]). You’ll also find a couple of performances from the web series. For more “Música Realenga” visit FrecuenciasAlternas [es].
Global Voices (GV): What moved you to create “Música Realenga”?
Amarilys Oyola (AO): The project is not unlike La Blogotheque’s The Take Away Shows, a similar video series produced for the French blog, that José ‘Pepe’ Pesante had shown Ezequiel Rodríguez-Andino (both producers and radio hosts for Frecuencias Alternas). This initiative takes French and International artists to public spaces for a series of ‘happenings’ in which they perform their music. You get to see the public’s reactions to these performances and the way in which music is able to transform our interactions with a particular space – which makes it awesome.
When Ezequiel shared some of these ‘Take Away Shows’ during a staff meeting for FrecuenciasAlternas.com, I immediately fell in love with the idea of trying something similar in Puerto Rico. It was originally planned as part of another project that never saw the light of day, but I the idea stuck, so I went ahead and planned the first ‘Música Realenga’ without asking for Ezequiel’s permission. :-)
GV: With what frequency are the shows produced? Have you envisioned this as an on-going series or do you plan to stop after a number of episodes?
AO: I shoot one or two bands per month – although I recently visited New York City and filmed three bands during the same week! In terms of limiting the series to a particular number of episodes – there is no set plan. I’ll continue with the project until I can no longer do it properly. I love “Música Realenga,” it’s what I do and I think about it constantly throughout the day.
GV: Have local artists embraced the project?
AO: All the artists who’ve participated have loved the experience. They are usually not concerned much about how they are going to look – more so about their sound. Once we stop filming they tell me how much they are surprised by the public’s reaction to their performances. Musicians from Puerto Rico’s independent scene are a pleasure to work with. They are very patient and willing to ‘go with the flow’ dictated by a particular place or situation.
To this date we’ve published six episodes of “Música Realenga”: Los Niños Estelares [es] (socially conscious sometimes duo/sometimes full rock band and local YouTube phenomenon), Los Nervios [es] (indie guitar-pop sound), Balún (classically trained electronic quartet now stationed in New York), Harry Rag [es] (skilled guitarist and composer), El Medio [es] (dream-pop), and Guateke Roots Ensemble (old–school tropical music).  We’ve also recorded performances by Paraguay Lo-Fi, Fantasmes and Campo-Formio, which I hope to upload soon.
GV: The project aims to retake public spaces for cultural expression – from your experience, what are the best spaces to stage such interventions?
AO: Based on what we’ve captured, the best spaces seem to be sidewalks and boardwalks – wherever there’s a lot of people traveling by foot. Loíza Street in Condado (San Juan), Piñones (Loíza), Paseo de Diego in Río Piedras (San Juan), Ponce de León Avenue in Hato Rey (San Juan) and others. These types of places allow for a better interaction between the general public and the musicians.
GV: How does the public react?
AO: As we set up they look at us strangely, without a clear idea of what we are about to make happen for them. But I always tell the bands: “There’s always someone who's going to enjoy it” And that’s precisely how it goes. Everyone – young and old – has enjoyed the music we’ve taken to public spaces. We’ve yet to run into a situation where the reaction has been negative.
People enjoy music one way or another. The more I do this, the more I appreciate music’s capacity to transform not only the spaces themselves, but an entire day for some people. It gives them something to share with others once they reach their destination and above all, it gives them a welcome respite from the stress and sameness of each day. I very much enjoy watching their faces change once the music starts and knowing how receptive people are to these types of initiatives.

author: Alfredo Richner


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Russia: Blogger Navalny Tries to Prove That Fighting Regime is Fun · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Alexey Navalny at the presentation of the ‘Mapping the Russian Blogosphere’ report at the United States Institute of Peace, Oct. 19, 2010. (Photo by Gregory Asmolov)
Alexey Navalny is a Russian lawyer, former member of the board of “Yabloko” political party, and a blogger who became popular due to his online anti-corruption investigations. Time Magazine called Navalny “Russia's Erin Brockovich” [ENG]; Russian newspaper Vedomosti named him Man of the Year in 2009 [RUS]. Currently, Navalny is a World Fellow at Yale University [ENG]. On Oct. 19, 2010, he participated in the presentation of a Russian blogosphere report published by Harvard University’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Morningside Analytics: “Public Discourse in the Russian Blogosphere: Mapping RuNet Politics and Mobilization” [ENG]. GV's RuNet Echo talked to Navalny after the presentation, which took place at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) in Washington, D.C.
Alexey, you participated in the presentation of the “Mapping the Russian Blogosphere” report. Did you find anything interesting for you in this research? Can it be helpful for Russian bloggers?
First of all, this Harvard research is useful because it’s a Harvard research. Before that, we saw several different researches depicting the Russian blogosphere. But all these researches were done by organizations that were participants of the market – they had their own blog platforms or something similar. These reports were very interesting, but you couldn’t trust them. Now, we have something from an organization with a solid reputation. This is why I think this is the first report one can fully trust, which is a big deal for the Russian blogosphere. Second, it’s amazing how technical tools could observe that the blogosphere is actually very political, and that the bloggers who write about politics are mainstream and not marginals. What is even more interesting is that marginals are those who call all the others “marginals.” It has technically been proved that all these petty criminals like “Nashi”, “Molodaya Gvardia” – they’re all among the so-called “instrumental” part, the paid bloggers. Besides that, they didn’t manage to create a certain galaxy on the star map of the blogosphere. They’re evidently a purely technological solution of the Kremlin, which failed to succeed. And this is very important in terms of future work. Because it’s been understood that all attempts to buy out several people to announce a certain idea – this just doesn’t work in the Russian blogosphere. It successfully fights any solutions like that.
But there’s another question, though. We now have a thorough technical description of what's happening in the blogosphere, but we need to interpret and seriously study it. But we don’t know how, so far. At least, we know where to start.
Some time ago, as a democratic activist, you were accused of nationalism. One of the conclusions of the research talks about a high level of polarization between nationalistic and democratic groups of bloggers. How would you comment on this?
For me it is a technical proof of my ideas. I said that the division between democrats and nationalists is in a certain sense artificial – it is a result of the general political nonsense that came to us from the early 90s, when “democrats” were fighting “communists-nationalists.” This simplified political science doesn’t work anymore. And now, the blogosphere represents the actual political situation. There’s a systematic opposition that exists in the Duma, but in fact it represents a minimum of political views in the society. And there’s an informal part that is 10 times bigger. Altogether, the opposition is against the government and censorship, violence, corrupted police, etc. This is why there’s a cloud that is against, it’s critical. In this cloud, I can see that “nationalists” and “democrats” co-exist comfortably, although criticizing each other. They’re moving in the same direction.
To which cluster, “nationalistic” or “democratic”, is your blog-identity closer?
Harvard's experts have painted the map in different colors in accordance with their understanding of the Russian politics. I can see that what Harvard has painted yellow and green is actually a single cloud. This is why all this political science – these are nationalists, and these are democrats – is conditional. I can see that there is a cloud. I’m somewhere in the center of this cloud. And I can see that both green and yellow dots – they work together with me. This is why if you don't put labels on people – e.g., nationalists, democrats or liberals – it will be much more positive.
It turns out that all the most active bloggers, like you and Marina Litvinovich – they all came out of the democratic movement, and participated in the offline structures of the democratic movement and had to leave… how would you explain this common denominator?
Well, I can’t speak for Litvinovich, but the map shows that I’m not a marginal of the democratic movement. Quite the opposite, the democratic movement in the state it exists now is marginal, because the real democratic movement exists outside of those three clowns who consider themselves a democratic movement. I would say – they’re marginals.
Alexey, you said that you didn’t want to use an online platform to coordinate offline political actions. Why is that? Do you think that RuNet can’t have an impact on the real political life?
I wouldn’t say that. I just think that there’s no strict division between online and offline anymore. What I organize online has consequences offline. We organize a campaign online – a real official gets fired or a criminal case starts. There are no parallel worlds. I think we should not use the blogosphere to create offline structures. We shouldn’t spend our energy organizing people on the Internet… This doesn’t make sense. We shouldn’t use the 21 century for something from the 19 century. There’s no antagonism between the online and the offline.
So, the assertion that the Internet discusses but doesn’t decide is untrue?
It’s been untrue for 10 years already. It’s evident that Internet matters.
Not so long ago you were elected a virtual mayor of Moscow. What does it mean for you?
Well, that’s nice to think about that. Thanks to all who voted for me. But I’m pretty ironic about it because the keyword here is “virtual.” Although these “elections” showed two important things. First, more than 60,000 people took part in them. This shows that people aren’t happy about not having a place where to vote. This is why a lot of bloggers took seriously the idea of Internet-voting and are seriously discussing it. Second, it was incredible that I won with such a big share of votes and that I took over many opposition politicians, while all the other candidates took 2-3 percent, maximum 6 percent.
It means that the government has lost the moral and intellectual competition on the Internet, which is pretty big – almost 37 million users. For the government there’s no online platform where it is trusted. There are websites like Kommersant, Vedomosti, Echo Moskvy. Even if we take non-liberal websites, conservative, entertainment, neutral, whatever – any voting would lead to the victory of what we call “the opposition.” And the government, although it invested a lot of money, has lost this work. And as the Internet penetrates, this division will get bigger. Internet is the main threat to the stability of the government in Russia.
When will be the turning point, when will the virtual election have its real-life consequences? Can a virtual audience play an important role in the 2012 presidential election, so that the result of such an election wouldn’t be only virtual?
I anticipate that within the next two years, the number of people getting their information from the Internet will reach 50 million and we will see the quality change. Internet will become much more influential and the role of public opinion generated online will increase. However, I think it won’t have a decisive impact on the results of the 2012 election. It will affect the presidential campaign, the message of the campaign, the discussion. Actually, Internet for the government is some kind of a focus group. The Russian government is very populist. They just like to do what the people want. I mean, if it doesn’t contradict their own interests. The political agenda, however, will be tested on the Internet. And this is why it will have an influence – but no direct impact. Putin will successfully become Russia's president.
We have a situation when one leader, Medvedev, plays with the Internet and the other one, Putin, ignores it. How will it affect the situation?
Well, the fact that Medvedev plays with the Internet is pretty ironic. He looks like a kid who is playing with his iPhone, iPad and tamagotchi. I wouldn’t say that this fact helps his image.
What is your blog for you? Is it a political or information platform, a tool for a fight with something?
The blog is everything. In the contemporary Russian conditions, a blog is a tool for collection and distribution of information, organization of civil campaigns and political pressure. Blogs do work. A blog is personal and interactive mass media. I can find specialists in any field, I can find people ready to write thousands complaints to the anti-monopoly committee. It’s not purely online. Online and offline are connected through the blog.
How do you explain the success of your blog in becoming an effective platform that attracts a wide audience?
I think that my blog is different from others and has the people’s support. I am very grateful to all who support it because I offer some practical steps of pressuring the government. My idea is not simply to say: “Look, officer Ivan Petrov is a crook.” I'd rather say: “See, this official, Ivan Petrov, is a crook because he did this and that; let's all make a few steps that will put him in prison.” This is my basic concept. I suggest specific solutions. They may be more or less effective. We can win. We can lose. Nevertheless, I do not want just to cry out. I engage people in direct confrontation. That is how we push the government. But I'm trying to do this in an entertaining format. I'm trying to prove to everyone that the fight against the regime is fun.
At the same time, one of the stories that made your blog famous is the investigation of corruption in VTB bank [RUS] and attorney Magnitski’s death [ENG]. Do you think that such investigations could be  possible without a blog and what was the blog’s role?
Without a blog, it could have been done in America because the investigation of corruption in the largest bank would attract the attention of the traditional media. In Russia, it could be done only via a blog. On my blog, I announced that there were some disturbing facts that I had been investigating. With the help of the blog, I put together other shareholders of VTB Bank who wrote the complaint with me. With its help, I found leasing specialists, experts in drilling rigs, etc. Via the blog, I found other insiders who told me about what is happening now with these drilling rigs. In other words, I fully coordinated the campaign via my blog. The blog gives me the information and then I play the role of a mediator between the investigation on the Internet and specific individuals. I formalize all the information that I found in the form of complaints and in court appeals.
How successful was the outcome of this investigation?
Well, how do you measure success? If I am asked if I was able to put Kostin, a head of the VTB Bank, in jail, the answer is “no” and apparently it will be extremely difficult to do it in the near future simply due to the political situation; because Kostin is actually the state. And he does not want to be in jail. But yet it was the most discussed issue at the meeting of shareholders of the VTB Bank. It is one of the most painful issues that exist in the VTB Bank and it is really afraid of this situation. We forced them at least to do something with the drilling rigs and they started moving. I am confident that this investigation made corruption in the bank more subtle and complicated. They probably steal 40 percent instead of 70 percent. They continue to steal but at least they are afraid to do it openly.
And in the story of Magnitski, were you able to move it forward?
In the case of Magnitski, I didn't play a major role. I was just using the blog to inform people about what was happening there. This situation was outrageous. We remember that Medvedev and others said that it required investigation but things are still the same. In this case, interests of FSB are involved. Police, policymakers and judges are responsible for the fact that the man was tortured and killed. For them it's not just an anti-corruption investigation, it is a particular criminal case because of which they must all be in prison. And here we have huge resistance from the government and law enforcement agencies, but nevertheless my blog and other blogs that cover this matter contribute to the fact that the case of Magnitski is well-known.
If we talk about the future of struggle against corruption, how the role of blogs in this context should develop? How blogs can become more effective?
You can do now anything through your blog. The last successful example is the fight against fake tenders in the IT sector [ENG]. That can be replicated … It should not be blogs or Internet solutions but people who are willing to do it. If there is a person who wants to fight corruption, he or she will easy find supporters and experts. Blogs and the Internet are now a very convenient environment that can be used for the real fight against corruption in every area.
Many say that there is no censorship per se on RuNet and the main control is conducted primarily through threats to bloggers. Organizations such as the VTB Bank are powerful and your investigation was a threat to their commercial interests. Were there any concerns about the safety and immediate threats to you?
I've never received threats related to my professional activites. Although, from time to time, there are some strange calls or strange cars out there that follow me. It doesn't happen often and I never got immediate threats. I think that the whole  threat issue is exaggerated. Of course, they can without any problems knock down a specific person in 3 seconds, including me, but someone will resist longer while someone resists less, someone will break sooner and someone later, but there's no need to exaggerate their ability to put pressure on everyone. When they see that an organized group protests against them, they are most likely to yield.
Do you think that a scenario of crackdown on Internet by Russian authorities is possible?
I see that they [the authorities – G.V.] consider this possibility and perhaps there are some technical solutions, such as the Chinese experience. However, I think that moving in this direction will cause very strong resistance and implications for the government will be much more dangerous than the free Internet.
Alexey, what are your future plans? Are you going to modify your blog or use other platforms? Do you have any creative plans for fighting corruption?
I and my colleagues look into new technical solutions that already exist in the West.  For instance, “Ushahidi” platform that I want to use for the project “Ushahidi on potholes” [RUS] and a couple more projects to fight corruption. We carefully examine what has been done in other countries so we can bring to Russia ready technological solutions. In general, it is possible to invent them, but why would we waste our time if it is already invented for us, and they are willing to share it with us. Corruption is not something that is unique to Russia. Most countries also have corruption as high as in Russia. But some people fight corruption more successfuly than others. Anyway, there are many successful projects. We must study them, bring them to Russia and replicate.
And what is the idea of the project “Ushahidi on potholes?”
The Administrative Code of Russia states that if a road has a pit over 50 centimeters deep and greater than 80 centimeters in length, it should be urgently sealed and that a specific official who is responsible for this road – and there is a responsible official for every road – should be penalized for doing nothing about it. So we will try to use this article of the Administrative Code to organize activists for sealing the hole in front of your home and punishing officials who are responsible for not fixing it earlier. According to the legislation, they have no ability to avoid punishing the officials. We will try to do a project that will make significant troubles to the governmental officials. With the help of this project, we will also find activists who are interested in this type of actions and will make efforts to engage those activists in future projects.
The last question is a little more personal.  Maintaining this type of blog probably requires a lot of time. Do you have time for anything else?
I like my blog and it’s very interesting to read the comments and chat with people. You need to understand that, in a sense, you become a slave to your blog. First, people are constantly demanding something from you – that you should write this and avoid writing that… If I write something about my personal life, then I always see comments: “You do not have the right to use your blog to write about such nonsense as your personal life, let's write about corruption and the fight against it.” And the blog is transformed into something bigger than just your property.
Second, there are about 50,000 people who read my blog daily. If I don't write, three days later the blog will be read by 20,000 people. In a week, the number of readers will be 2,000 people and, two weeks later, only your mother will go and see if you wrote something.  Therefore, if you want to have a popular blog, you have to constantly write and say something. The good thing about the Internet is that the audience is very mobile and no one will wait for Navalny if Navalny won’t write anything for a month. These are the laws of the genre.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Saudi: Female-only hospitals · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

American Bedu discusses the idea of female-only hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Read the blog post and the numerous comments on it here.

author: Katharine Ganly


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Serbia: Netizens Discuss a U.S. Fighter Pilot’s Suicide · Global Voices
Sasa Milosevic

A screenshot of an article about Lt. Col. Harold F. “Hootch” Meyers's suicide that ran in the Serbian Alo! daily on Sept. 21, 2010
The tragic death of American fighter pilot Lt. Col. Harold F. “Hootch” Meyers, who committed a suicide at his home in Santa Barbara on Sept. 12, echoed in the Serbian media and online communities – and there were strong reasons for it.
According to the Serbian daily Alo!, Meyers was one of the American pilots who participated in the NATO bombing of Serbia and Montenegro in 1999. The bloody statistics published in the article show that the air strikes caused the deaths of 3,500 civilians, of which 79 were children, and this implies Meyers’ direct responsibility. Before the NATO attack on Yugoslavia, he participated in operations in the Republic of Srpska, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Serbian newspaper Kurir portrayed Meyers as a mentally unstable person who could not withstand the pressure of conscience and the constant nightmares that plagued him since after the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia. He retired a few months ago after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and severe depression.
Kurir quoted Meyers’ friends stating that the pilot had nightmares for a long time:
“He dreamed about bombing people, their cries, screams. He dreamed of children, the elderly, dismembered bodies.The worst thing was when he could not wake up from his nightmares. It obviously came to his head,” said one of his friends.
Meyers’ wife Elisabeth is quoted saying that there were no reasons to suspect that her husband would commit a suicide:
We spent a wonderful day together, we were having lunch and enjoyed it. But he was unusually silent. This was a constant occurrence in the last few years… And when we came home, he pulled a gun and said: ”I'm sorry, I cannot take it anymore,” and then he fired a shot to his temple” […].
Serbian netizens’ traumatic memories and unhealed wounds from the times of the NATO bombing initiated a heated online debate about the American pilot’s suicide, splitting the online community into two camps: some were gloating over Meyer's death, claiming he deserved such an end, while others followed the Christian doctrine of forgiveness.
On the Vidovdan.org forum, there are posts by people who lost close family members in the NATO air strikes.
Zoran Milenkovic, whose 15-year-old daughter Sanja was killed in the NATO bombing of Varvarin Bridge, does not regret Meyers’ death, saying that his suicide, as well as the fate of other NATO soldiers who took part in the bombing of Serbia, is God’s justice:
The conscience starts to work in them. My daughter was a completely innocent victim. I am a victim together with her. She was a mathematical genius. She had a great future. That wound will never heal in me.
Milsu replied to Mr. Milenkovic's statement:
[…] Little Sanja is turning around in heaven, listening to what her father is saying…
Savle warns Milsu:
[…] There is no greater suffering than the pain for a missing child. No one but this man knows what he has survived. You say well, it is not according to Christianity, but he is human and he should not be judged…  In this case, all of them are the victims of America: Sanja, her father and the pilot… For Sanja, all of it ended immediately, while the pilot’s agony lasted ten years, and her father stays to live with the pain.
Vladimir Veliki from Sremska Mitrovica still remembers the day when his wife Ljiljana was killed by shrapnel in the backyard of his house during the bombing of the military barracks nearby:
My daughter and I saw Ljiljana being killed, when that pilot, as a god, sowed her death… We are still suffering.  After 11 years…  I understand that the pilot carried out his order, but I do not feel regrets for him when he killed himself!… It could be called divine or cosmic justice.
Milsu concluded :
Poor man, he repented and killed himself as Judas. It is a pity he did not have anyone to direct him to repent and find a cure in Christ, the way Peter did.
Broker wrote on Paluba.info:
It was necessary for him to come to Serbia and he could have been forgiven.
Nationalists from the Serbian Stormfront.org forum reacted vindictively, expressing no mercy for the U.S pilot. One of them concluded very bluntly that Meyers “got what he deserved, though he had only been a tool. The devil got what belonged to him!”
The article published in Kurir caused sharp reactions from readers.
Dimitrije, whose son was born three days after the start of the NATO bombings, commented:
For me, it is completely irrelevant whether he was killed or committed a suicide. It is essential that one of the executioners of Serbs got the punishment he deserved.
Mrgud replied:
It happens usually. Justice is slow, but…
Bami asked:
When will Blair and Clinton follow him?
Ratko agreed:
Only this one? Let’s go – Blair, Clinton, others… What are you waiting for?
Sandra addressed other Serbian netizens angrily:
You live in the past and because of that there is no future for this country! Stop using that ridiculous religious ‘curse’.

author: Sasa Milosevic


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Tanzania: Bloggers Analyse Tanzania 2010 Election Campaigns  · Global Voices
Mosi Simba

On 31 October 2010, more than 19.6 million Tanzanians will make an important decision for the future of their country. They will take part in the fourth general election since the introduction of multiparty democracy. With only a few days left before the polls, Tanzanian blogosphere is following closely election campaigns conducted by various political parties.
One of the controversial issues in this year’s campaigns, it seems, is that most of university students will not be able to vote.  Senior Journalist Ndimara Tegambwage who blogs at Uhuru Hauna Kikomo [SW] writes about the issue:
…Maelfu ya wanafunzi wa vyuo vikuu vya serikali walijiandikisha kupiga kura pale vyuoni kwao. Wizara ilijua hilo. Tume ya Uchaguzi ilijua na kupanga hivyo. Wanafunzi walijua watakuwa vyuoni (kwa kawaida vyuo hufunguliwa mwishoni mwa mwezi wa Septemba au mwanzoni mwa mwezi wa Oktoba,lakini mwaka huu serikali imeamua kwamba vyuo vifunguliwe mwezi Novemba). Serikali kwa ujumla ilijua hilo …
He goes on to explain what happens in other countries:
.. Katika baadhi ya nchi duniani, kuna mifumo ya kuhakikisha raia wake waishio ughaibuni, wanashiriki zoezi la uchaguzi huko watokako. Serikali huhakikisha kila kura inakusanywa.
And the he gives an advice to the students:
…Kuna kazi moja ambayo wanafunzi wanaweza kuifanya iwapo serikali haitabadili msimamo. Wabaki walipo. Wahimize wananchi kuamka mapema na kupiga kura. Wafanye uwakala wa vyama vyao…
Opinion Polls
Another interesting issue in these campaigns is how opinion polls were conducted. Three institutions conducted the polls. These are Research and Education for Democracy in Tanzania (REDET), Synovate as well as Tanzania Citizens Information Bureau (TCIB) (More information at Wavuti blog) [SW].
Results from REDET and Synovate were met with mixed reactions. Christian Bwaya blogging at Jielewe posted an article by Evarist Chahali who blogs at Kulikoni Ughaibuni. The article expresses suspicion that there might be rigging of the final vote and that REDET’s opinion poll results were preparing the ground for the impending vote-rigging:
…Wapiga kura wasianze kukata tamaa kuwa CCM wataiba kura … kwa mfano Dkt Slaa akipata asilimia 51 na Kikwete asilimia 49. Hapo watarejea uchakachuaji kama ule wa Zanzibar … Ni muhimu kutovunjwa moyo na hujuma hizi. Yatupasa kufahamu kuwa Kikwete na CCM yake ni kama mgonjwa mahututi ambaye yuko tayari hata kuning'inia kwenye uzi ili asalimike. Tutashuhudia vituko zaidi ya huo uchakachuaji wa REDET …
There are those who have lost trust in REDET like Markus Mpangala who left a comment at Bwaya'sblog:
… ilipoanzishwa REDET sijawahi kusoma wala sitarajii kusoma tafiti zao … samahani mimi huwa siamini maoni hususani tafiti za namna hii … REDET wanatumia pesa kibao kutafiti eti fulani anaongoza … REDET ni mchezo wa rede au kombolela tu.
Ansbert Ngurumo blogging at Utakapojua Hujui Ndipo Utakapojua [SW] writes about the Synovate opinion polls:
… Baada ya hapo alionyesha vielelezo vya utafiti uliofanywa na Synovate, ambao katika kipengele GPO 6 liliulizwa swali: “Kama uchaguzi ungefanyika leo, nani ungempigia kura ya urais?” – Synovate walikanusha kwamba swali hilo halikuwemo katika utafiti wao … ukweli ni uwa walifanya utafiti lakini CCM iliingiza ‘mkono’ wake baada ya kubaini kuwa matokeo hayo yalikuwa yanaonyesha Kikwete yuko nyuma ya Dkt Slaa …
Meanwhile, Haki writing for a blog called Food for Thought posted photos showing a famous businessman and CCM supporter, Mustapha Jaffar Sabodo with the following explanation:
Mfanyabiashara na mkereketwa wa CCM nchini, Mustapha Jaffar Sabodo, ametoa  hundi ya shilingi milioni 100 na kumkabidhi Mwenyekiti wa Taifa wa Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), Freeman Mbowe. Fedha hizo zimelenga kusaidia chama hicho ili kukamilisha kampeni.
Election Debates
One week before the general elections, there was a Q&A session broadcast through  ITV. In that session Dr. Wilbrod Slaa, CHADEMA’s presidential candidate responded to questions direct from the people. Maggid Mjengwa, a journalist and blogger, wondered about the presidential ‘debate’:
… Kama ni mdahalo, basi ingekuwa ni vema na busara kwa wagombea wengine wa urais kushiriki. Bila shaka, wagombea wengine nao wana haki za msingi za kupewa nafasi kuelezea sera zao na kujibu maswali ya wapiga kura.
And then he informs us that CCM barred their candidates from participating in election debates:
…Hata kama chama tawala, CCM, kimeweka wazi kuwa mgombea wao hatashiriki mdahalo …
Photo journalist, Issa Michuzi, who runs one of the most read Swahili blogs both within and outside the country, follows the incumbent and CCM’s presidential candidate Mh Jakaya Kikwete campaign as well as his supporters.  A title in one of his posts (with photos) says: JK Afunika Bovu Mlimba, Mahenge na Ifakara (meaning: JK conquers Mlimba, Mahenge and Ifakara).
UDADISI  notices that one presidential candidate from the opposition seems to trouble CCM:
…It is quite clear that Dr Wilbrod Slaa's decision to run as a presidential candidate has tilted the balance of power. Now the debate is no longer about whether the ruling party's candidate [Jakay Kikwete] will get a landslide victory – as in the previous election. rather, it is about how much that victory will be cut.
In Zanzibar, there are signs that there will be peaceful elections especially after the agreement to form a Government of National Unity in the Isles. However, there are some nagging issues as described by Salma Said:
…SERIKALI ya Mapinduzi Zanzibar (SMZ) imekiri kwamba imeandikisha watu katika daftari la kudumu la wapiga kura wasiokuwa na sifa za kuandikishwa katika daftari hilo kutokana na sababu mbali mbali.
Apart from admitting that, the government also has admitted that Zanzibar Election Commission (ZEC) has employed ineligible electoral officers.
Kauli hiyo imetolewa na Mkuu wa Mkoa wa Kaskazini Pemba, Dadi Faki Dadi katika semina ya wakuu wa mikoa, makamanda, maafisa wadhamini, kamati za ulinzi na masheikh iliyofanyika kwenye ukumbi wa Elimu Mbadala Vitongoji Mkoa wa Kusini Kisiwani Pemba….
She goes on to caution Zanzibaris (and all Tanzanians in general):
…Waswahili wana msemo wanasema kwamba yashayopita sio ndwele tugange yanayokuja. Naam, nakubaliana na msemo huo lakini tukumbuke katika kuganga kunahitajika umahiri, ubunifu, ujuzi, uzoefu na busara za kutosha ili ndwele ile iliotokea nyuma isije ikajirejea tena…
Fierce contest for the (Union) presidential seat is between Jakaya Kikwete from CCM, Wilbrod Slaa from CHADEMA and Ibrahim Lipumba from CUF. In Zanzibar, the contest is between Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein from CCM and Maalim Seif Sharif Hamad from CUF.
As a famous Swahili saying goes: Will Tanzanians decide to plait or to shave?  We will find out after the elections.

author: Mosi Simba


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

Repeating Islands notes that “it is once again time for the largest Hindu festival in Trinidad & Tobago, Divali or the Festival of Lights.”


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Video: One Minute Jr video nominees for 2010 Awards · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The nominees for each of the 3 categories in the One Minutes Jr project competition 2010 have been selected. In each of the categories of  (Self)-portrait, Inside-Out and One Minute of Freedom there will be one winner who will be awarded a JVC Piscio HD Hand-Camera.  The nominees are all participants of the international, arts-based initiative of oneminutesjr, which organizes 5 day workshops for underprivileged or marginalized youth between 12 and 20 years old:
The oneminutesjr. holds 5-day workshops where the youth are taught  basic camera and directing skills, story-telling, teamwork and how to  think creatively about issues and representation.  Each participant  develops his/her own story based on the workshop theme and produces a  sixty-second video that is screened at the conclusion of the workshop.
A full listing of the nominees can be found on the UNICEF website.  The videos can be viewed on the oneminutesjr site or some can also be found on their YouTube channel.
Following are some of the nominated videos, each one lasting no more than one minute in length. The winners will be selected by a jury and announced on November 10th.
Mama, about adoptions, was made by Wolf Artem from Ukraine, and is nominated for tha category of (Self)-portraits:
Also in the same category is Greetings from Kosovo by Suada Jahirovic on forced migrations:
In the Inside Out Category is Paper Wings by Nargiz Zeynalova from Azerbaijan,  showing the issue of females and education: since I couldn't find an embeddable video for this entry, please click through to view it on the oneminutesjr site.
Also in this category is Taim Nogut , a story on suicide by Louisah Enos from Papua New Guinea:
And in the One Minute of Freedom category; Focus by Ryan Forde in Guyana tackles the subject of education:
Last but not least, focusing on water conservation is On the Last Drop by Tolib Homitov from Tajikistan:
Don't forget to watch the videos made by the remaining award nominees who share their views of the world from places such as  Uganda, USA,  Barbados, Vietnam and Fiji.


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Africa: Africans Turn to Each Other for Expert Advice · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Google Baraza – Information for Africa: “How can I write a movie script for Nollywood? How does the stock exchange operate in Johannesburg? What is the recipe for bitter leaf soup? What is the best company for car insurance in Kenya?  English and French speaking Internet users in Africa, with local questions, can now turn to each other for expert advice on almost any topic, using Google Baraza.”


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Argentina: Former President, Nestor Kirchner, Dies · Global Voices
Jorge Gobbi

This Wednesday, early in the morning, Nestor Kirchner, former president and husband of the current president Cristina Fernandez, died of a heart attack at Calafate, a Patagonian location where he lived in the last years.
The sudden death of Kichner caused several gatherings throughout the day in downtown Buenos Aires, despite it was a national holiday because a census was being held.  A wake is expected to take place in the Casa Rosada (Government Palace), the traditional workplace for presidents.
Nestor Kirchner. Image by flickr user Mariano Pernicone, used under an Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license
There were many repercussions in blogs. At ArtePolítica [es], Juan Pablo Cappelli writes that Kirchner’s great contribution,
fue devolverle la política a la sociedad, al pueblo. Demostrar que el cambio es posible, descolonizar nuestro pensamiento. Antes pedíamos que se vayan todos y ahora muchos queremos entrar, antes decían “algo habrán hecho” y ahora decimos “hagamos algo”, porque sabemos, ahora mas que nunca, que es la política la única herramienta de transformación de la sociedad
At Los Tres Chiflados [es] Larry says,
Gracias Néstor, ahora voy a despedirte junto al pueblo, en forma de agradecimiento por demostrarme con actitud y hechos que otra Argentina es posible, que la historia puede cambiarse si se tiene coraje y convicciones
Poster reads: "Thank you Nestor for giving us our rights back. We will never forget you. Be strong Cristina." Image by flickr user Beatrice Murch, used under an Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license
At La Ciencia Maldita, Lucas Llach says,
Pobre Cristina — nuestras humildes condolencias. Ojalá que tenga el ánimo para que el ciclo kirchnerista termine con el balance generalmente positivo que –en el neto de causas y azares de todos colores– tiene de momento
Noticias del Sur [es] gathers  the declarations of other Latin American leaders. At  Mide/No Mide [es] and Lo que digo y no hago [es] they point out that after Kirchner’s death Argentinean bonds and stocks increased their value.
Other repercussions in blogs: Mendieta el Renegáu [es]; Denken Uber [es]; República Unida de la Soja [es]; Conurbanos [es]; Tirando al Medio [es]; and Finanzas Públicas [es].
On Twitter, “Néstor Kirchner” was one of the global trending topics throughout this Wednesday.

author: Jorge Gobbi


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Argentina: Images from Plaza de Mayo After Kirchner’s Death · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

La Propaladora [es] shares images and a video of people gathering at Plaza de Mayo to say goodbye to Néstor Kirchner, former president and husband of current president Cristina Fernández, who passed away yesterday morning from a heart attack.


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Bahamas: Set a Better Example  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The last time Weblog Bahamas‘ Jerome Pinder checked, things were “pretty grim” in the Bahamas: “If the behavior of our Parliamentarians is any reflection on us as a people, then you don't have to wonder why social values are crumbling around us.”


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Bangladesh: The Importance Of Tea And Singara · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shehzaad Shams at Bangladesh Corporate Blog describes the importance of tea and Singara (snacks) in doing business in Bangladesh.


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Barbados: Another Fire  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Bajan Reporter posts footage of yet another fire in Barbados, saying: “Something is going on… Apart from Campus Trendz…in the last 21 days there was the Lighthouse in Silver Sands…Cafe Sol…then Sam Lord’s Castle…and now in Bridgetown with a business in broad daylight…is the DPP going to make a thorough inquiry on these events?”


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Brazil: activists, bloggers defend freedom of expression · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

In an act of solidarity [pt] in response to the censoring of Revista do Brasil magazine, a host of Brazilian activists, bloggers and other independent media joined yesterday in collectively criticising the country's mainstream media and lack of freedom of speech.

author: Marta Cooper


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Brazil: Dilma, Cristina and machismo in the media · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Rodrigo Vianna at Escrevinhador [pt] draws parallels between the rise and leadership of Argentinian president Cristina Fernandez and Brazilian presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff, and slams the often sexist media both women face.


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Brazil: satirical voting campaign goes viral · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

A topic that has been making waves throughout the Brazilian Internet is the satirical campanha #votoserrapq (why I will vote for Serra campaign) [pt]. Organised by the blog Grupo Brasil e Desenvolvimento (Brasil & Development Group) [pt], the campaign consists of video footage [pt] of citizens sarcastically explaining why they will vote for social democrat candidate Jose Serra in the presidential elections. Reasons ranged from being in favour of the death penalty to restricting “human rights to the right humans.”


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Cape Verde: draft law passed to regulate Council of Communities · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Olhofuturo [pt] reports that a draft law regulating the Council of Communities has been approved by Cape Verde's national assembly, with the aim [pt] of better tackling issues of migration and diaspora. One result looks to be improved efficiency of administrative consular tasks for Cape Verde citizens living abroad, according to Instituto das Comunidades [pt].


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China: Blood house map · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A google map that marks social conflicts related with force demolition and land acquisition.


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China: Mapping violent evictions for homebuyer awareness · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Google Maps, not Ushahidi or Map World, is what one activist is using in Bloody Map, plotting information of forced evictions from across the country with conscientious potential homebuyers as the target audience:
Bloody Map, according to its Wikipedia entry:
记录下近年来层出不穷的暴力拆迁案件，提醒人们，拒绝购买在非法、反人性的基础上建造起来的新房
Bloody Map also briefly had an entry on Baidu Baike, which in part read:
在地图上可以看到，迄今为止，这一地图已经被网友浏览了七万余次，而标注的血拆事件也达到了82起，覆盖了从上海到新疆、从黑龙江到广西的全国大多数区域，其中大多数暴力拆迁事件集中在东部沿海地区。唐福珍拆迁自焚、江西宜黄拆迁自焚、呼和浩特拆迁通知附带子弹、广西北海白虎头村强拆等轰动一时的案例在血房地图上都有标注，不过记者也发现，地图上也有一些并不准确的信息，例如发生在成都的唐福珍拆迁自焚案在地图上却被标注到了湖北荆门。
“因为网友可以自由更改地图，所以难免会产生小差错，发现错误网友也可以改正。”地图创建者“血房地图”对南都记者说。
“Because netizens can edit the map freely, it's hard to avoid certain small errors, although netizens who discover them can make changes,” the “Bloody Map” creator told Southern Metropolis Daily reporters.
The Bloody Map creator has been very active on a Sina microblog account which was opened on October 8, highlighting news about evictions and interacting with users, some of them witnesses to ongoing eviction projects; two updates from October 9 read:
“血房地图的目的，在于将那些已经，或将要淡出公众视野的暴力拆迁案收集整理，一些两三年以前发生的事件，单凭我一己之力不容易找到，但有了你们的支持会容易很多。那些带血的土地上，新房正在销售，你懂的。”
一些正在发生的强拆案件，需要引起更多的媒体关注，血房地图并不是一个适合的平台。不能指望这样的方式能够引起关注阻止当下的强拆。这个平台的目的，是为消费者提供选择依据。如果有一天，这份小小的地图能让某个拆迁利益链上的人对他们的行为方式有所顾及，目的就达到了。

author: John Kennedy


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China: The social and political implication of “Car Accident Gate” · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ESWN translates a blog post explaining the social and political implications of the public rage instigated by the catchphrase: “My father is Li Gang” in the recent “Car Accident Gate”.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: Restricted Access  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“In Cuba, access to the internet is restricted and very expensive for citizens, but it is also is controlled by state institutions”: Laritza's Laws explains.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: Standard of Living  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Nobody on the island may have a high standard of living if it is not authorized by the regime”: Iván García explains that he “aspire[s] to live better. But above all [he] consider[s] [him]self a free man. And that is where a person can be dangerous in Cuba.”


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Egypt: On Salafis and Shias  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“Because some did not believe the claims that the Egyptian regime is behind the Salafi channels and the Salafi trend in the country , the suspension of the Salafi channels revealed very interesting facts,” writes Zeinobia, at Egyptian Chronicles.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: Why Does Saudi Arabia Need So Many Helicopters?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Issandr El Amrani, from the Arabist, wonders why Saudi Arabia needs to purchase so many helicopters. “What will they use all of these helicopters for? Future incursions into Yemen? Riot control in Dhahran province? Counter-terrorism in the Empty Quarter? Helicopters, unlike F-15s, are not really for engaging another state (like Iran) in the case of a major regional conflict,” he writes.


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Ethiopia: On Ethiopian Intellectuals · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A critique of Ethiopian intellectuals: “Ethiopian intellectuals are a sick bunch. They are wild and radical. Radical in the sense of acting together as a single unit; wild in the sense of having no focus or rather focused only on short term gains.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Gabon, France: Gabon-raised Frenchman to Run for Elections  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Will Mael Nyamat explains [Fr] what a black candidate who was raised in Gabon like himself can bring in terms of perspective to the political discourse during the French primary elections. Nyamat also argues in his book that the historically close tie between Gabon and France [Fr] makes him as sensible to the French cultural exception as any other Frenchmen.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Global: Rarefying of Rare Earth Metals? · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

The economy-focused blog Le regard à Lupus explains [fr] that there are increasing concerns over the shrinking access to rare earth metals. These strategical mining resources are indispensable to the high-tech industry and green energy solutions.

author: Suzanne Lehn


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Guyana: Just Say “Hell, No”!  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Domestic Violence Awareness Month comes to an end, The Guyana Groove says: “It is time for every woman in Guyana to hold hands and in unison yell to the top of your voices at every single abusive man, ‘HELL, NO!'”


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Indonesia: Earthquake, Tsunami, Volcanic Eruption in 48 hours · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesia is no stranger to natural disasters since its location in the Pacific Ring of Fire makes it vulnerable to storms, quakes and volcanic eruptions. But this week, Indonesia was caught unprepared when an earthquake, tsunami and volcanic eruption battered the islands in less than 48 hours. Casualties are expected to exceed 500 and thousands of families need immediate relief.
Photo of eruption impact from the FB page of Jogjaku
Photos of the impact of the triple disasters have been uploaded already on Facebook. Click here to view the photos of the eruption of Mount Merapi, one of the most active and dangerous volcanoes in the world. Mentawai Island, meanwhile, was hit by a tsunami and here are the photos. The Mentawai map can be seen here.
Twitter reactions from Jakarta
mellydjie: Many natural event which struck Indonesia,really sad…forest fires,landslides,eartquake,flood,tsunami.Let us pray for #Indonesia.
veranotariza09: RT @devinoliver: Earthquake, a major tsunami,floods & a volcanic eruption have all occurred over the past 48 hours. Please #prayforindonesia
marshawenur: @Ryota_sw yea, the place whre tsunami occured is pretty isolated, its a small islands. So kinda tough 4 rescues 2 reach tht place. Its sad
NinRex: RT @radhialyani: The eruption of merapi, tsunami at mentawai & aceh, quake at jogja & tasik, all happened at the same date: 26
winnielimawan: Keep #prayforindonesia, we need restoration for what has happened: earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, floods. God, restore our country
myBny: let us unite and join hands to support our friends affected Wasior, Mentawai and Mount Merapi (indonesia)
Gupta1978: In moment like this I realize,my tribulations is nothing compare to yours my sister and brother, people of Mentawai and Merapi.God Bless!
tatterscoops: Morning! Another cloudy day in Jakarta. My thoughts goes out to the victims of Mentawai, Mt. Merapi & lets not forget Wasior people in Papua
FadhilaAgustina: Just praying for the victims in Mentawai and Central java is not helping,they need more food and clothes and medicines to survive…
The recent tsunami disaster reminded everyone of the Aceh disaster a few years ago and the flashflood which hit West Papua early this month.
The support message by singer Justin Bieber was used by some netizens to highlight the “delayed response” of the government
Photo from the FB page of  Jogjaku
justinbieber: just found out about the earthquake in Indonesia. everyone please pray for the people there. #prayforindonesia
martinmanurung: RT @hansdavidian: Dear mr. President, @justinbieber beat U 2 express concerns ovr yr fallen countrymen. U, sir, R a disgrace 2 R nation.
The twitter hashtag #prayforindonesia became a global trending topic for many days. Here are sample twitter messages from Malaysia, Singapore, and Manila.
Relief efforts are coordinated by many groups, and also by the blogging community.
#prayforindonesia global conversation on trendsmap
• Indonesian Red Cross: BCA Account No. 0353112233; Account name: Palang Merah Indonesia
• Lazis Muhammadiyah: BCA No. 8780171171;Mandiri No. 1230099008999; BNI Syariah No. 0091539444
• Blogger community: Deliver supplies to Jl Langsat 1 No. 16, Mayestik, South Jakarta  Ismira Lutfia & Nurfika Osman
Cafe Salemba reacts to the disaster response of various institutions and individuals
My condolences to the victims of tsunami in Mentawai, Sumatra and of vulcanic eruption of Mount Merapi in Central Java, this week.
Alas, same things repeat: slow response and lax coordination from the government, stupid minister blaming accidents on the victims for not obeying the God's rules, media blunders, insensitive netizens posting pictures of victims on soc meds, and so forth.

author: Mong Palatino


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Iran: Digital Media Fair · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

The 4th International Digital Media Fair was run from October 9 to 16 in Tehran. Akase Mosalman, has published several photos from this digital event in Iran.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Tehran at night · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kosoof, a leading photo blogger from Iran, has published a collection photos of Tehran at night.


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Kenya: Will New Constitution Improve Governance?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Will Kenya's new constitution improve governance in the country?: “There are many people who seem to believe that it will not.  A prominent journalist was recently quoted  in Nairobi's Daily Nation  as saying that the constitution is just a piece of paper, and “a piece of paper can't transform society”. I disagree.”


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Lebanon: GeekFest Planned · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Plans are underway for GeekFest Beirut v3 on November 3. Here are more details.


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Madagascar: Village Burned Down by Highwaymen during Cattle Robbery  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The villages of Ampasimbe and Ankaenihenibe in Madagascar were attacked by gangs of highwaymen [Fr] (Dahalo in Malagasy) that made away with 18 and 15 zebus respectively. As the Ampasimbe villagers retaliated against the robbers, their village was burned down entirely, partly because of the powerful wind guts at the time.


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Mozambique: English influencing spoken language  · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Mosanblog [pt] looks at how the introduction of English words is rapidly influencing colloquial Portuguese in Mozambique.


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Pakistan: Another Video Of Abuse By Pakistan Army Appears · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Yet another video can be seen on you tube where apparently Pakistani Army severely beating up the suspected militant,” informs Teeth Maestro.

author: Rezwan


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Palestine: A Parting Gift from Gaza · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Gaza Mom is back to the US with a parting gift from Gaza. Click here to find out.


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Puerto Rico: #EnProfundo and the “Cassava of Love” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The team behind #EnProfundo produce another podcast [ES] that includes their characteristically biting media critique.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Russia: Bloggers Discuss Putin’s Bruise · Global Voices
Dmitry Davidov

The recent visit of Vladimir Putin to Ukraine surprised Internet community with official photographs of Putin with a bruise on his face. Russian bloggers jumped on the opportunity to talk about the possible reason for the bruise.

author: Dmitry Davidov


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Saudi Arabia: A Genie for your Thought! · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Saudis continue to react to the genie (jinni) drama. Qusay shares his thoughts here.


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South Africa: Dear Government · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Controversial South Africa radio personality Gareth Cliff writes a letter to the South African government: “OK, I get it, the President isn't the only one in charge. The ANC believes in “collective responsibility” (So that nobody has to get blamed when things get screwed up), so I address this to everyone in government – the whole lot of you – good, bad and ugly (That's you, Blade).”


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South Korea: Few Christians’ ‘Spiritual Mapping’ Enraged Korean Public  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A handful of Christians’ “spiritual mapping” to the largest Buddhist temple in southern Seoul has enraged Korean public. A Youtube video shows (the original video had been removed) a church worship team sings Gospel songs and prays in the temple. Criticism is unlikely to subdue despite an apology from the concerned church’s pastor. To read more, click here.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Tanzania: Government threatens press  before election · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Tanzanian government threatens press before election: “As the October 31 national elections draw near, Tanzania's media is in a frenzy trying to cover the close race between the two leading presidential candidates. But government threats and draconian media laws may be getting in the way of objective coverage.”


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Tanzania: Vote Like You Own Your Country · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Elsie looks at election related news and events a few days before Tanzanians go to the polls: ” Now, to the serious business: we've got our citizen reporting work cut out for us, folks. I told you already that Vijana FM are running an election monitoring online tool based on the Ushahidi platform. Well, Hivos is also running one from Kenya with a little help from local partners.”


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“United Russia” Ideologist Calls to Forbid Official Blogs · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Alexey Chadaev, a leading ideologist of “United Russia,” calls [RUS] to ban blogs and microblogs of senior Russian officials. Chadaev explains that blogging threatens the authority of the Russian political leadership since it has been always based on “three whales: miracle, secret and power,” in other words, exclusivity and distance from its people.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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US: Stop Meddling with Palestinian Online Conversations · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jillian C York is concerned with the policy recommendations of a study released by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies on Palestinian social media.


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Zimbabwe:  Big Brother Africa, Mugabe and US$300,000 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Big Brother Africa is a television show produced by Endemol in South Africa. The show, which has become the most popular TV reality show in Africa, entered its fifth season with Big Brother Africa All-Stars. After 91 days of stiff and exciting competition, Nigerian musician and actor Uti Nwachukwu was announced the winner of US$ 200,000. The final two housemates were Nigeria's Uti and Zimbabwe's Munya Chidzonga. Although Munya lost he ended up “winning” US$300,000. Follow Zimbabwean bloggers to know what happened.
After the results were announced, Zimbabweans cried foul over the voting system. They claimed that there was rigging in favour of the Nigerian finalist. A Zimbabwean businessman decided to set up a consolation fund for Munya who survived a record 9 times eviction. Through the consolation fund Munya ended up receiving a cheque of US$300,000 which was presented to him by President Mugabe.
After arriving home from South Africa, Munya met with President Robert Mugabe at State House for tea. He considers Mugabe his hero.
In a post titled “Mubage, Reality Show and US$300,000″ Musavengana Mhuri writes, “The mediocrity in the Leadership of Zimbabwe never siezes to amaze me nor does it surprise me”:
The mediocrity in the Leadership of Zimbabwe never siezes to amaze me nor does it surprise me. Munya Chidzonga comes second in the Big Brother Africa reality show and Mugabe rewards him with a cheque for USD300k. There has been a lot of talk and controvesy  around this donation to Mr Chidzonga. I do not have anything against this young man he has “achieved” a lot in a very short space of time but USD300K for getting the 1st loser’s place in a reality show and for him to be rewarded so generously in a country ravaged by poverty and social injustices is just insane. In Zimbabwe some have dubbed this “compensation for depression”, as people who have made this possible for Mr Chidzonga set-up a trauma fund, they are scared the actor will spiral into depression.
Natasha Msonza reacts with a post titled, “Munya’s compensation for depression.” She says that the news of Munya's compesation demonstrated the ability of leaders to raise big amount of money in a short space of time:
When I watched the unprecedented meet with the president on the news yesterday, I was motivated to highlight that the kerfuffle around Munya and his subsequent reception of 300 thousand USD in ‘compensation fees to cushion him against depression’ served at least one good purpose for me; the opportunity to witness our leaders demonstrate their ability to raise big funds in a considerably short space of time.
One word from a flaky professor and another from an obscure land tycoon and just like that, on a whim, thousands were raised in less than a week. If this were to be done on a sustained basis for more meaningful things, imagine what that would do for our country’s development. Imagine what 300 thousand can do for the non-working traffic lights and potholes littering Harare’s streets; hundreds of needless deaths would be avoided. Imagine what a similar initiative would add to the lives of the displaced folk living and scavenging like animals at Borrowdale race course…
Andrew Kassa, a Nigerian student in the United Kingdom, says, “It was unfortunate that the Zimbabwean Government would dish out the sum of USD300,000 to a youngman who did not deserve it.”:
I am a Nigerian Student in the United Kingdom and have been following the Big Brother Africa Show for about 5 years now. That Uti Nwanchukwu won the USD200,000 (N30m naira) is a good development on his part and will go a long way to empower him economically. Two years ago, Ofuneke (a Nigerian) was the first runner up in the competition that saw a Tanzanian win the competition. The Nigerian President at that time did not compensate Ofuneke for loosing to Richard as it was of no consequence.
It was unfortunate that the Zimbabwean Government would dish out the sum of USD300,000 to a youngman who did not deserve it. That sum of money will go a long way in empowering the 100 Zimbabweans if they were given micro credits for their businesses. It could as well be used to procure medicine for primary healthcare in Zimbabwean Hospitals. This action goes a long way to show the level of mediocrity in the Leadership of your country. President Robert Mugabe has ruled the country in excess of 30 years and it not ready to quite.
“Let people use their money the way they want to,” says Jealous Down:
“A consortium of businessmen and friends in the corporate world have come up with a consolation fund that will give Zimbabwe’s representative and Big Brother Africa All Stars housemate, Munyaradzi Chidzonga US$300 000 for coming second in the reality show.
The consortium is headed by businessman, Philip Chiyangwa and Chairperson of the National Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment Board, Mr David Chapfika”
I did not read anywhere in the quote above that the money donated is from the Zimbabwean government. Let people use their money the way they want to. Just like you choose to donate or to buy a car for youself, or pay for your studies in the UK. Why did you opt to study in the UK and not in Nigeria so you can allocate the money you are using in the UK to micro credits?
Zimbabweans speak out (via sms sent to Kubatana):
Following Natasha’s blog about Munya, the Big Brother candidate who got more money from Phillip Chiyangwa for losing the competition than he would have gotten from the show had he won, we wanted to hear what other people thought about this.
We sent out this text message yesterday:
Kubatana! Munya from Big Brother gets US$300 000 for losing. Text us your opinion on him getting “compensation for depression.” www.kubatana.net
So far, we’ve gotten a number of responses, with opinion split among those who think Munya’s $300,000 reward was deserved, and those opposed to it. We share some of these responses below:
* Munya was not supposed to be given that money. Why? They are failures. How can they give Munya $300,000 while the country needs money?
* These are the end of days according to the bible. Saturn is creating new ways to grab people. Don’t be surprised!
* It’s amazing, I think that huge amount should have been given to teachers or orphans.
* Is it the same Munya who kissed and romanced another man in a movie. If a man can kiss another man and walk away $300,000 richer, those anti-gays must
* withdraw their words.
* He is a blood diamond friend somehow
* He has just put the country on the map of Africa but people must accept that he wasn’t robbed, he deserves what he gets. Let them avoid politicking.
* It’s good becuse he is patriotic to his nation.
* Something is amiss. Someone would want to use him to gain some milage politically or otherwise directly or indirectly sooner or later.
* CRAZY
* GOOD FOR HIM
More reactions from Kubatana subscribers:
The feedback on Munya’s “compensation for depression” continues to pour in. Here are some more comments from our subscribers:
* Mugabe is a disgrace + proves he is Senile. The money cld feed starving children,  not given 2 a LOSER like Munya.
* Kutambisa mari pane zvakawanda zvirikuda mari muzvipatara hazvisati zvaita.
* It’s good to keep our banner raised.
* Munya’s compensation 4 losing is very very unreasonable.
* Does it mean to say that Munya will pocket the whole cash just like that?
* Its more to do with his back ground.  The mother is in government and the father is a well established business man.  Im sure its a way of honouring the family.
* On my opinion that was excelent
* solidarity with munya not bad…may be extent yacho is the one to debate
* HOW COULD WE EXPECT  MUNYA TO WIN I PERSONALLY FEEL IF EACH TEACHER WAS GIVEN USD IO THA THANK YOU FOR IGOT CHICKEN TO CHANGE VIDEO BYE C G MUTAWU
* Zvakanaka bcoz BBA management was not fair on final results.
* wicked and imorality at its climax may god bless the poor, the sick, the homeless and the hungry
* He deserved mo coz dat waznt fair at all.at least BBA hz smthing 2 learn, & did u knw zimbabweans ar natural born ‘winners’ at global scale?
* Its of no use splashing cash on individual yet the nation is suffering
* They are wasting on compansating Munya, instead of donating to poor people, ophans and even civ cervants
* He deserve the price.let the organisers know that we are suprised by giving our loser a token of appreciation that is more than e winner.
* Where is that money coming from? Civil servants are not paid well.yu dont need to work to get money but to play with thozn power
* Thats nonsensical the loss is not compensatory. furthermore u can not claim that he was duped wen countries did not vote for him. do zanu pf wants to hold another big brother africa!
* It could be that he is connected to the good samaritens in some way.
* Munya was not supposed to be given that money ..why .they are failures .how can they give Munya 300  000US$ while the country need money. We need money to pay civil servants.
Is Big Brother Africa a Nigerian scam?:
BBA is a Nigerian scam and someone has to speak up and and Zimbabwe just did that. Munya deserves the money. I know Nigerians will post rubbish here but we, the Zimbabwean people are happy our boy was given that money which will help him to go ahead with his project also. It is not the state money but money raised by businessman in Zimbabwe. Why crtying about poor if the money would never be raised if it was not for Munya. So, should BB also give that money to the poor in Africa instead he waste in that house and give to Nigerians scammers.
Munya's reward was a good marketing strategy for the country:
Correct me if I’m wrong, that money didn’t come from government, but from business pple & individuals who have obtained the much needed publicity to further their businesses. the president just handed over the money. This was more of a marketing strategy, and good for the country, I think more investors are scratching their heads on how to start biz. in Zim.
Thandi Mpofu does not understand how “someone can be rewarded a ridiculous amount of money for sitting in a house for 3 months:
It is pure jealousy that has motivated the writing of this piece. Some young man has just been awarded a ridiculous amount of money for sitting in a house for 3 months. I know that I’ve achieved just as much, in fact, I’ve accomplished more, having been unemployed for over a year. Unfortunately for me there’s been no recognition, no pomp and fanfare, and no fat cheque!
Thandi believes that she could be a millionaire with her good looks and God-given abilities “If he [Munya] could become wealthy for displaying absolutely no talent…”:
However, watching the luck of this fellow unfold, I’ve realised that making money is very easy. If he could become wealthy for displaying absolutely no talent, then I conclude that, with my good looks and God-given abilities, I’ll be a millionaire in no time. So, given my aptitude for writing obscene amounts of drivel, I’ve figured that instant wealth will come to me if I write a soap opera. Why not? The plots don’t need much thought and it’s a billion dollar industry that I would like to be part of.


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Barbados: Rihanna Not Attending PM’s Funeral  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Free Press republishes the opinion of Barbadian blogger Kammie Holder, who says of Rihanna's inability to attend the late Prime Minister's funeral: “America has made her famous, but as a Cultural Ambassador with a diplomatic passport she also has a responsibility to her country.”


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Brazil: citizen coverage of election runoff · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

As Brazil gears up for the second round of presidential elections, 48 Horas Democracia [pt] will again provide citizen-produced videos, news reports and bulletins of the event to offer non-mainstream coverage.


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CEE: IKEA · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Czechmatediary, 20 east, Robert Amsterdam, and The Russia Monitor – on IKEA.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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China’s image in posters · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Annie Lee from China Hush translates a feature article [cn] which looks into China's image in political posters in the past 61 years.


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China and the U.S: Fuss about rare earth · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Adam Minter from Shanghai Scrap looks into the data of China agricultural trade and points out that the recent intimations of a ban on the rare earth elements has been overstated. On the other hand, the Chinese experts have underestimated the importance of low-cost soy beans and wheat to social stability in China


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China: Debate on Rare Earths Export · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Rare earth elements are essential to the manufacturing of high-tech devices, including cellphones, batteries, T.V and computer monitors and etc. According to 2009 data, China has 36% of the world's reserves (36 million tons), but it produces 97% of the world's rare earth elements.
Since September, when China temporarily suspended the export of rare earth metals to Japan because of the territorial dispute over Diaoyu Island, the tension over the rare earth supply has elevated and other countries have joined in the debate. The Federation of German Industries claimed that rare earths were becoming a “geopolitical issue”, even though the Chinese government claimed that rare earth metals would not be used as a “bargaining tool”. The latest development is that the U.S Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, raised the embargo issue at a news conference yesterday.
So much for the international scene. Domestically, with the rise of nationalistic sentiment, a majority of mainland Chinese support the government's restriction on exporting rare earth metals.
History of rare earth export
The debate over rare earth actually started last year. Even back then, blogger SMPB looked at the issue  as a matter of national security. The blogger reviewed the history of China's rare earth export:
在2002年的一份有关中国“入世后稀土产业的六大趋势”的官方报告里，中国对稀土资源的认知还普遍停留在对一般矿产资源的认知里，在那种全面拥抱WTO的开放心态作祟下，如何让国有的稀土资源赚更多的钱、如何掌握定价权，以及如何拓宽销售渠道及使其开放模式现代化是那时中国稀土贸易的主导话语权。
但2009年4月，中国国土资源部发布新的《稀土矿开采总量控制指标》，并进一步降低了国内的产能，并继续冻结新的开采许可证，与此同时，中国更针对包括稀土在内的工业原材料… 实行限制出口和加收出口赋税及费用，这 一决定在欧盟、美国和日韩都引起强烈反弹，6月22日欧盟与美国将在正式要求与中国针对此事进行协商，若协商破裂，下一步将是要求世界贸易组织（WTO） 小组受理申诉。欧盟消息人士还称：“中国已经对这些原材料施加了不公平的出口配额和关税，这样做扭曲了全球市场并损害了欧洲和美国企业。”
The blogger believed that the export restrictions are a matter of national security:
这次被欧美拖去WTO仲裁的20余种工业原材料与澳大利亚的铁矿石相比还有另一重更深刻的意义：国家安全―― 尤其是世界储量最巨的稀土资源，更是人类现代高科技武器最重要的原材料之一，而之前中国在此方面的大量出口失控从某种意义上说，已经造成了帮助国外的高科 技武品进步而危害自身战略安全甚至全球战略稳定的坏局，所以，中国限制其出口和欧美反对中国限制出口都有WTO所无法备述的重要战略原因。
International bullying?
In the new round of debate, blogger, exsoldier, also looks at the issue as international bullying of China. His blog title is  “Foreign powers are pressuring China to export rare earths”. The blogger quotes a report, Rare Earth Elements: The Global Supply Chain (pdf) written by Marc Humphries, an analyst in energy policy, and points out that:
按人均储量算，美国和俄罗斯都要高于中国。而因为处于产业下端，中国以全世界三分之一的储量生产出占世界97%的稀土，储量和产量之间的关系出现了严重不 对等。而美国坐拥全球稀土资源的13%，却分文不动，百分之百地“依赖”进口。所谓中国限制稀土出口引起了一些国家稀土供应短缺的说法并不真实，应该说， 它们短缺的不是稀土，而只是中国生产的廉价稀土。
The nationalistic rhetoric has some resonance in internet forums. In Baidu Tieba, many accuse rare earth smugglers as traitors. In response to recent news about rare earth smuggling, Dandelion (成长的蒲公英a) says:
为了自己利益，你们就可以出卖国家利益？中国现在是个发展中国家，距离发达国家还有很遥远的距离，这最关键的问题，自然是经济！那些发达国家说中 国人爱占小便宜，不尊重中国人可他们呢，净占大便宜！不想让自己的资源流失，不想破坏自己国家环境，就来买中国的稀土！别看那一点稀土卖1亿多，在国际市 场上，稀土远远超出这个价，黄金当作白菜卖！就算你现在富可敌国，那又怎样呢，在外国谁会晒你？只有让我们的综合国力增强，经济迅速发展，我们在可以真正 地在外国人面前抬起头，可以骄傲地说：我是中国人！那就让我们从现在做起吧，不要再为了一点私利而破坏了国家整个政策，我们13亿人一起努力，团结的力量 才有凝聚力和战斗力，相信中国的明天会更加辉煌！（另外，鄙视美国人.日本人….鄙视为私利贩卖稀土的，你买的不仅是稀土，还有中国人的尊严，中国的 发展！青岛那人你真有病，忘记南京大屠杀了，还买给日本人，你不怕它发展原子弹第一个炸的就是你？）
However, who has made the  decision to sell rare earth in the first place? YierYier Wei questions the decision maker in Baidu Teiba and the nationalistic sentiments are quickly directed towards corrupt government officials:
唉呀咿呀喂: 中国的当权者，你们不会知道稀土有多重要
124.231.90.*: 他们只知道花天酒地，大贪特贪！
思念szy: 毕竟官员不是直选的，所以民意没太大作用
欧古利斯: 他们卖完之后都移民都国外去了，哪管我们的死活，所以不止要封锁稀土，官员也必须封锁，不准他们移民
124.231.90.*: They only know where to eat and enjoy life, and get corrupted whenever they can.
Missing szy: The government officials are not elected. People's opinions don't count.
Aukulisi: After they sell away all our rare earths, they will migrate to other countries. They won't care if we are alive or dead. Apart from embargoing the rare earths, we have to block the government officials from emigrating.


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China: Why I Support Liu Xiaobo’s Nobel Peace Prize · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wang Chaohua, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Institute of Modern History at Academica Sinica in Taiwan, explains in China Beat why she supports Liu Xiaobo's Nobel Peace Prize.


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Cote d’Ivoire: Election News on Twitter · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Follow general election taking place on Sunday 31st October 2010 in Cote d'Ivoire on African Elections Project Twitter page.


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Dominican Republic: Rita Indiana and “El Juidero” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The music blog Club Fonograma reviews Rita Indiana y Los Misterios’ [ES] new album, “El Juidero”: “She is a unique voice and one of our generation’s most creative personas.”


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Ecuador: CNN Reporter Resigns Over Network’s Coverage of September 30 Police Uprising · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

INK reports that Rodolfo Muñoz, “the CNN journalist on site at the September 30th attempted coup in Ecuador has resigned from the company due to the way in which that news channel reported his story.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Ecuador: Use of Twitter in 2010 · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Christian Espoinosa from Cobertura Digital [es] shares statistics on the use of Twitter in Ecuador in 2010.


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Greece: Iranian refugees on hunger strike · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Twenty-five Iranian refugees in Athens, Greece have gone on hunger strike since October 14 demanding that Greek authorities process their political asylum applications. Some have had their mouths sewn shut.
A statement by the Iranian campaign group said they had been protesting peacefully at the Propylaia of Athens for more than 44 days with no response when they decided to begin the hunger strike. They say they have been threatened by the local authorities who want them to stop their public protest.
According to an article on Antiracismfacism.org, Petros Konstantinou, an anti-capitalist mayoral candidate also reported seeing Iranian embassy employees trying to harass the protesters and take pictures [Gr].
The refugees and their supporters have used YouTube to broadcast their message. There has been almost no media coverage in Greek mainstream media about the hunger strike, but local activists groups and online media have been showing support (the poster above is for a solidarity concert).
Greek municipal police attacks hunger strikers
This video from October 17 shows aggressive behavior against the Iranians by the Greek municipal police.
One refugee was sent to the hospital
One of refugees, Masoud Faramarzi, was transported to the hospital after his health deteriorated after days of hunger strike. On the tent we can read anti-Iranian regime slogans such as “Down with Khamenei” (Iran's supreme leader). The video is from October 16.
This video from the hunger strike was uploaded on October 18.
In July, a previous group of six Iranian hunger strikers demonstrated in front of The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) offices in Athens, including one who had his mouth sewn shut.


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Guyana: Cyclone Approaches  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Demerara Waves reports that “the densely populated coastland, including Georgetown and several villages, could be struck by strong winds, heavy rainfall lightning and thunder” associated with an approaching weather system.


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Haiti: Cholera Outbreak  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dying in Haiti says: “Port-au-Prince and its slums do not need a cholera epidemic. I can't hardly think of a worse nightmare. Haiti is beyond fragile at this point and the people are suffering more than I have ever seen.”


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India: Kashmiris commemorate ‘Black Day’ · Global Voices
Rezwan

“On Wednesday, New Delhi imposed curfew in four districts of Jammu and Kashmir Valley and thwarted the protest march to the United Nations office”, informs Pakistani blogger Rehmat.


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Iran:First talking clip of Reza Shah found after 76 years · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

The first video in which Reza Shah talked with Kamal Ataturk , filmed in 1934 found accidentally in a fruit shop in Istanbul after 76 years.


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Japan: Speaking Beatles to communicate · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

An American blogger at InsideHalton.com said [en] she used Beatles’ lyrics to communicate with Japanese people and teach English. [via japundit.com]

author: Scilla Alecci


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Mexico: Interview with author of Mexican desserts cookbook · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Lesley Téllez from The Mija Chronicles  interviewed Fany Gerson, author of My Sweet Mexico, “a new cookbook of authentic Mexican desserts, beverages and breads.”


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Pakistan: Citizen Media Playing A Crucial Role · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sonya Rehman describes how grass-root citizen journalism is on the rise in Pakistan.


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Puerto Rico: “Guadalupe Should Not be the Provost” · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Ángel Carrión comments on the designation of Ana Guadalupe [ES] as the Provost of the Río Piedras campus (the main campus) of the  University of Puerto Rico. Guadalupe was severely criticized for the  decisions she made as the interim Provost during the student strike last  Spring.


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Sri Lanka: Oral History Project Highlighting Elders · Global Voices
Rezwan

London, Lanka and drums  introduces the oral history project iam.lk, which tells the stories of 36 Sri Lankan elders, about their lives and work, and their connections to their hometown.