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Could the U.S. learn something from China? · Global Voices
Andy Yee

Could the world's lone but weary superpower actually learn something from China? This is a question the Time magazine posted when President Barack Obama began his first visit to China. The article said this is a time when China has ‘emerged as a dynamo of optimism, experimentation and growth’, while the US economy is foundering. This is a moment of humility for the US.
The article has identified five lessons from China’s success stories. Meanwhile, Xu Ben (徐贲) and Tan Mintao (谭敏涛), a Chinese scholar and lawyer respectively, has each written comments on these lessons in their blogs:
#1 Be ambitious
The Time magazine highlights the ineffectiveness of the US in developing and executing ambitious projects. Quoting one business consultant:
One key thing we can learn from China is setting goals, making plans and focusing on moving the country ahead as a nation. These guys have taken the old five-year plans and stood them on their head. Instead of deciding which factory gets which raw materials, which products are made, how they are priced and where they are sold, their planning now consists of ‘How do we build a world-class silicon-chip industry in five years? How do we become a global player in car-manufacturing?’
Xu Ben agreed:
在美国，所有公共开支和建设项目是不可能由中央（联邦）政府统一确定目标，制定计划的。一切拨款都必须通过国会或地方议会的批准，不是由某个领导或首长一拍板就能决定的。
In America, all public infrastructure spending cannot be coordinated by the central (federal) government. They have to be passed by the Congress or local assemblies, and cannot be controlled by the local chief.
Tan Mintao highlighted some possible reasons behind China’s efficiency in implementing ambitious projects:
中国强制拆迁的事件层出不穷，而且多是以行政权压制公民个人私权取胜，这种视公民权利于不顾的举动和做法，我想美国人恐怕想得到，但做不到，因为，你们有法律为公民撑腰。
Forced demolitions are common in China. Citizens’ rights are sacrificed in face of administrative pressures. I am afraid this heavy-handedness through the neglect of rights is impracticable for the Americans, because their citizens are protected by the rule of law.
#2 Education Matters
The second lesson is the strong emphasis placed by the Chinese government and families on basic education, crucial for the economic health of the country. Quoting William McCahill, former deputy chief of mission in the US embassy in Beijing:
Fundamentally, they are getting the basics right, particularly in math and science. We need to do the same. Their kids are often ahead of ours.
The article also quotes Nick Reilly, a top executive at General Motors in Shanghai:
It all starts with the emphasis families put on the importance of education. That puts pressure on the government to deliver a decent system.
Xu Ben mentioned some practical difficulties for the US to improve its education system:
教师与学区是有工作合同的，其权利充分受到法律保护，谁也不能命令他们无报酬地加班加点。因此，延长学期就必须增加教师的报酬，而这又必须通过正规的预算和拨款程序，得到全体选民的正式认可才行。
The teacher-school relationship is guided by contracts. With protection by law, no one can order teachers to commit to unpaid overtime. Therefore, lengthening of the school term has to be accompanied by rise in teachers’ compensation, which means a process of budget expansion and approval by all electorates.
Meanwhile, Tan Mintao pointed out the incompleteness of the picture:
中国对教育的投资，我想更多的集中在大城市，名牌大学，农村中小学的投入永远很少，少到农村学生处在教育的最底层…关注中国发展的人多集中在大城市，但中国的大城市却不完全代表中国。
China’s investment in education is focused on big cities and key universities. Rural primary and secondary schools never receive enough investment, pushing them towards the bottom of the education pyramid… Those concerned about China’s development tend to focus their attention on big cities, which is not a complete picture of China.
#3 Look After the Elderly
With soaring elderly population, the trend in the US will be more home care and less expensive nursing homes. Here, the article argues, the US can learn from China:
In China the social contract has been straightforward for centuries: parents raise children; then the children care for the parents as they reach their dotage… For millions of poor Chinese, that's a burden as well as a responsibility… Still, there are benefits that balance the financial hardship: grandparents tutor young children while Mom and Dad work; they acculturate the youngest generation to the values of family and nation; they provide a sense of cultural continuity that helps bind a society.
Xu Ben seems to disagree:
一胎化政策都落实几十年了，哪里还有什么 ‘大家庭’?  报道还说，中国人认为，将老人送入疗养院是一种耻辱…如果真是如此，哪里还会有那么多“啃老族”和无助贫困老人？
The one-child policy has been implemented for decades. Are there still ‘big families’? The article said the Chinese regard sending old parents to nursing homes as a shame… If this is true, why are we still seeing numerous helpless elderly and ‘parasitic children’ relying on their parents’ income?
While Tan Mintao approves of this Chinese tradition, he points out that the weak elderly care system in China is certainly a concern of most Chinese:
当中国人认为把老人送入养老院是一种耻辱的时候，我想，更多折射的是我们的养老体系还很脆弱，经不起风吹雨打，真正需要建立的社会救助制度还没有建立，那谈何让年轻人放心把老人送入养老院呢？
While the Chinese regard sending old people to nursing homes as a shame, I think this is more a reflection of the fragile elderly care system. With an effective social security system yet to be built, nursing home is simply not a reliable option for old people.
#4 Save More
Following the financial crisis, it is a consensus that the US needs to save more. Here again, China, a society that has practised personal financial prudence for centuries, is a model for the US.
Xu Ben points out what the Americans fail to recognize:
美国人似乎并不知道一般中国人为什么那么怕花钱。与其他消费相比，他们不能不面对更基本的生存需要：买房子、交学费、医疗费。美国人看来也不知道，也有不节俭的中国人，他们能花几十万，上百万买一条藏獒，并由奔驰、宝马、奥迪等几十辆名车组成的豪华车队接近家门。
Seems the Americans don’t know why the Chinese are so afraid to spend money. Compared with other consumptions, they cannot but worry about more basic needs: housing, education and health care. Americans also are unaware that there are lavish Chinese, spending a million to buy a Tibetan Mastiff, or a fleet of Mercedes, BMW and Audi for their own travel.
This echoes a point made by Tan Mintao:
这些喜欢储蓄的群众多是对未来生活保障缺乏信心的广大群众。
For the general public, saving much is due to a lack of confidence in future livelihood.
#5 Look over the Horizon
The energy that foreigners feel in China comes from a sense that it's harnessed to something bigger, the article reckons. That confidence has been lacking in America following the deep recession. As an American who has lived in China puts it:
China is striving to become what it has not yet become. It is upwardly mobile, consciously, avowedly and — as its track record continues to strengthen — proudly so.
Citing the Time’s article example of the child of a poor rural family rising to become a successful software engineer in Shenzhen, Xu Bin said:
希望千千万万其他贫困的中国农民家庭子弟也有同样的机会，到那时候，美国人向往的就真的不再是“美国梦”，而该是“中国梦”了。
I hope that millions of poor rural children will have the same chance. By that time, Americans will no longer admire the ‘American Dream’, but instead the ‘Chinese Dream’.

author: Andy Yee


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Cuba: Here Comes The Rain Again  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Cuba's Generation Y longs for “what seems to be a pipe dream for so many, when the city will not collapse because of a simple shower that falls in the tropics.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Dominica: Cruise Control  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dominica Weekly suggests that the island's emphasis on cruise tourism may be a bit misplaced.


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India: Home-Bred Terror · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indian blogger Soumyadip at Cutting the Chai comments: “On this first anniversary of the 26/11 attacks, more than Kasab & Co. it is the home-bred terror, that people just refer to by other names, that pesters me.”

author: Rezwan


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India: More Noise · Global Voices
Rezwan

Conversations with Dina criticizes the sensationalism of Indian media in the coverage of the anniversary of the Mumbai attacks: “Just because you have so much footage during the terror attacks, does it mean it is revamped and repackaged into more and more noise (don’t forget the background dhadam dhadam music!)?”


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India Remembers Horrifying Mumbai Terror Attacks · Global Voices
Kamla Bhatt

26/11. Image by Flickr user -g-r-a-c-e-. Used under a Creative Commons License
One year ago, Mumbai, India's financial and entertainment capital came under a well-coordinated terrorist attack that lasted for 3 days. Downtown Mumbai, or “town” as it is popularly known was the target of 10 young men who reportedly arrived by boats from Pakistan and attacked the railway station, the main artery for commuters and a series of luxury hotels, a popular bar and a Jewish home. At least 200 people died in the attack and at least 308 people were injured. All but one young Pakistani attackers survived. That lone survivor Kasab is in India and has been the primary source of information about the attack. Nobody has claimed the body of the 9 young men, who launched the attack and paralysed Mumbai.
Only one word, fear! Collage by Flickr user Keerthi. Used under a Creative Commons License
For three days people around the world witnessed the brutal carnage unfold on their television sets. In hindsight it appears that the 10 young men were receiving instructions from a source in Pakistan on how to execute the attack.
Earlier today on the eve of the first anniversary of 26/11 the Government of Pakistan announced that it has charged seven suspects for organizing the attack. The seven arrested men have not pleaded guilty to the charge according to reports.
Madhavi at The Trajectory blog writes that Pakistan's actions comes after a year of “vehement denial” of the attacks. She continues:
“The most high profile name among those charged is Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, head of the banned militant group Laskar-e-Taiba.”
Madhavi's post has an interesting twist in the end when she asks:
“Pakistan has handed India an anniversary gift for 26/11 in the form of Lakhvi & company’s verdict; the people of India are still hoping to receive forgotten anniversary gifts. March 13th 1993, December 13th 2001, July 11th 2006, November 26th 2008…how many more strikes do we need before even a single mastermind of these terrorist attacks is punished by the Government of India?”
Nita at A Wide Angle View of India wonders why are the foot soldiers (the Mumbai police) being blamed for doing an effective job in staving off the attack? It is not the foot soldiers that need to be blamed, but the top politicians and security folks of Mumbai. She writes:
“So many died in vain, but not a single person has taken responsibility for the carnage. We need to mourn the dead, but we also need to ask for the answers. It is the top cops and the politicians who are to blame. For the lack of coordination and action. It is really pathetic and in really bad taste to see television channels blast the foot soldiers. Try and shame those poor unequipped men who had rifles that were rusted, men who ran helter skelter because they had no leader to direct them. Men who weren’t even sure where the terrorists were, how many there were, what they were up to. […]
The foot soldiers in Mumbai had nothing. If some of them ran, let us not blame them.”
While there were lots of articles written and many recommendations made in the immediate aftermath of 26/11 not much progress has happened, writes Filter Coffee. He writes:
“Sadly, barring a few cosmetic rearrangements, not much has changed in India, and no one, least of all Mumbaikars seem to care.”
Nyaypati Gautam of India Story appears to echo the feelings of Filter Coffee about the lack of change in the past year. But, he wonders what it is that he can do to bring about some change? He writes:
“We continue to be as apathetic as before. If any terror strike were to happen today I fear that the same things would get re-enacted. I hope I have got it wrong but I have a dirty feeling that I am not. It is so frustrating. What can I do to channelise this anger in a meaningful way?”
Many people used Twitter to share news and express their opinions. Here are a few examples of those messages:
RodrigoRMorais: USA Today is saying “Mumbai commemorates one-year anniversary of terror attacks”. What is there to commemorate about?
aniljayakumar: A minute for Mumbai………….
NitinNDTV: all of us will forever remember 26/11,but let's not forget victims of earlier attacks & the brave men who continue to die in defending India
madhavgk: Politicians abused after 26/11 last year… politicians abused after 26/11 this year… nothing changes in Indian politics!
nsohanlal: 26/11 Jingoism on twitter today… Alas will be forgotten as a mundane Monday come Sunday!

author: Kamla Bhatt


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India’s tryst with e-health: A healthier future for its rural millions? · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

About 700 km away from Bangalore, across a couple of remote villages in the Bidar district, a quiet revolution has been going on. No, not a political one, but a remarkable pilot project in telemedicine.
Local pediatricians are using the iPhone to connect with experts in Bangalore for screening and diagnosis of a potentially blinding condition in newly born infants, ROP (retinopathy of prematurity), so they can be treated within 48 hours. Already 1600 infants have been screened and 160 have been treated successfully.
Cut across to North-East India's Tripura Vision Centre project which is effectively utilizing ICTs to reach rural masses with quality eye care services through tele-ophthalmology.
e-Health and more specifically telemedicine, promises to revolutionize rural health care in India soon. It is a welcome development, given the inadequacies of health care in rural areas.
The ambitious aim of India’s first National Health Policy [NHP], framed in 1983, was to achieve the goal of Health for All, by 2000 AD, through the provision of comprehensive primary health care services. Yet, given the country’s vast geographical spread, huge population, inadequate rural infrastructure and paucity of health care personnel, trying to make health care accessible to all has presented seemingly insurmountable challenges.
Consider these daunting statistics:
In an article in PLos Medicine, Sanjit Bagchi, a medical practitioner and medical journalist based in Calcutta, India, writes:
The poor infrastructure of rural health centers makes it impossible to retain doctors in villages, who feel that they become professionally isolated and outdated if stationed in remote areas.
In addition, poor Indian villagers spend most of their out-of-pocket health expenses on travel to the specialty hospitals in the city and for staying in the city along with their escorts. A recent study conducted by the Indian Institute of Public Opinion found that 89% of rural Indian patients have to travel about 8 km to access basic medical treatment, and the rest have to travel even farther.
Keenly aware of the problem at hand, the GOI, in partnership with both public sector as well as private sector organizations, has been trying to promote and implement telemedicine and e-health projects across various states since 1999.
The basic telemedicine model as described by DIT's K.K.Ghosh in his presentation “Telemedicine: DIT intiative” [ppt] is as follows:
India saw telemedicine in action on a large-scale for the first time in 2001 after the earthquake in Gujarat, when the Ahmadabad-based Online Telemedicine Research Institute established a communication system from Bhuj, one of the worst hit places and hence pretty inaccessible. Soon they had a disaster management system up and running that allowed for the electronic transfer of medical needs, data etc., and enabled medical specialists to provide consultations from far away places through video-conferencing.
Other government and private players in the telemedicine space in India, especially in connection with the semi-urban, rural poor/ isolated communities and tribes can be found in this 2008 report from ehealth-connection.org. They include:
Sanjit Bagchi points out:
The efficacy of telemedicine has already been shown through the network established by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which has connected 22 super-specialty hospitals with 78 rural and remote hospitals across the country through its geo-stationary satellites. This network has enabled thousands of patients in remote places such as Jammu and Kashmir, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the Lakshadweep Islands, and tribal areas of the central and northeastern regions of India to gain access to consultations with experts in super-specialty medical institutions. ISRO has also provided connectivity for mobile telemedicine units in villages, particularly in the areas of community health and ophthalmology
In the following video, Mr. Chaturvedi, Director of The National Rural Health Mission in India, speaks about the ‘over-arching’ program, launched in 2005.
On why telemedicine is good for India, Dr. K. Ganapathy, President of the Apollo Telemedicine Networking Foundation had this to say:
The distribution of specialists in India is indeed lopsided. There are more neurologists and neurosurgeons in Chennai, than in all the states of North eastern India put together… The increasing availability of excellent telecommunications, infrastructure and video conferencing equipment will help provide a physician where there was none before.
(…)
This also ensures maximal utilisation of suburban hospitals. The general practitioner in the rural/suburban area often feels that he would loose his patient to the city consultant. With Telemedicine the community doctor continues to primarily treat the patient under a specialist’s umbrella. With modern software/ hardware at either end 90% of the normal interaction can be accomplished through Telemedicine.
The journey of telemedicine in India is however, not without challenges. Sanjit Bagchi writes:
“There are inevitable difficulties associated with the introduction of new systems and technologies,” according to Sathyamurthy (Programme Director, Telemedicine, ISRO). “There are some who needlessly fear that they will lose their jobs. Although the systems are user-friendly, there are others who are affected by the fear of the unknown in handling computers and other equipment. There is a feeling that the initial investment is high and hence financially not viable.” In addition, there may be technical hitches, such as low bandwidth and lack of interoperability standards for software.
Sanjay Prakash Sood of the Centre for Electronics Design & Technology of India  mentions some other challenges on the road to e-health such as lack of health infrastructure and services, shortage of computer-savvy health care personnel, and poor quality of communication services in many of the cities.
Toms K. Thomas, Senior Manager at ESAF India in his presentation“ICT & Rural Healthcare: Tele-Clinics in Chhatarpurin Madhya Pradesh (India)” points out that:
There is a need for public sector to be an enabler who invests in infrastructure –Living condition of the poor, Power, Road , Transport -ENABLING ICT TO OPERATE
He also talks about the basic infrastructure required for a model ICT enabled District Public Health System (DPHS)
The Indian government slogan “Health for all by 2000AD” may in the end have been an over-ambitious dream that has fallen by the wayside. It still remains to be seen, whether or not today's promise of health care delivery to India's rural millions via ICT will succeed in transforming tomorrow's reality.

author: Aparna Ray


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Japan: International Robot Exhibition · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Pink Tentacle posted some photos taken from the International Robot Exhibition in Toyko.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Pakistan: Activism Against Gender Violence · Global Voices
Rezwan

Teeth Maestro highlights the efforts of Sunshine Welfare Organization (SWO), a group of committed young activists from Karachi and Islamabad. They are trying to mobilize Pakistani youth against gender violence using ICT tools.


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Pakistan: Spare The Animals · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pakistani blog Baithak suggests that people should understand the spirit of religion rather than just following the rituals of sacrificing animals during Eid-ul-Azha: “The purpose of sacrifice is to understand the spirit of parting with what you hold dear (your wealth), it is not some muqabla against four-legged animals.”


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Russia: Defense Ministry Reports “Non-Combat Losses” Online · Global Voices
Andrei Skvarsky

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Nov. 20 that suicides, accidents, murders, and, possibly, manslaughter claimed 297 lives in the country's armed forces from January to October 2009, and that 149 of these deaths were suicides.
October alone produced a death toll of 24, including 12 suicides, according to the report (RUS), which was one of the monthly statistical bulletins on the so-called “non-combat losses” that the ministry publishes in the form of tables on its website, www.mil.ru.
The reports do not specify the proportions of draftees, soldiers doing contractual service and officers that make up the death tolls, and they only cover the Defense Ministry-run part of the military; no such statistics are available on armed services coming under the Interior Ministry, the Federal Security Service (FSB), or the Emergency Situations Ministry.
The Defense Ministry-controlled forces, where the term of draft service is one year, number about 1.2 million, including more than 300,000 officers.
The ministry's “non-combat losses” statistics have varied little from month to month, with this year's minimum and maximum monthly tolls being 23 and 37 respectively.
Accidents claimed more than 127 lives in the 10-month period, but the exact numbers of lives lost through accidents, murder, and, possibly, manslaughter are unclear because of the bulletins’ rather confusing organization.
The reports have a category entitled “Accidents” (96 fatalities stated in the November report), but also separate categories on the mishandling of weapons (seven deaths) and road accidents (24), and a category entitled “Murders and Deaths through Negligence” (17). There is also a category (four deaths in the November bulletin) on “exceeding of powers” and the notorious bullying and brutal hazing by soldiers of fellow servicemen known as dedovshchina.
According to footnotes to the table, the total “non-combat” death toll is definitive, but criminal investigations into soldiers’ deaths sometimes take a long time, and so some of the reported cases may be moved from one category to another later.
One of the notes says the statistics do not cover fatal diseases.
The November report, which also says 11,653 crimes were committed in the armed forces from January to October, has hardly drawn any comments on RuNet so far, but quite a lot of comments followed the October bulletin (RUS), which said the period from January to September had produced a death toll of 273.
There was hardly any reaction to the October report from bloggers, but there were quite a few comments on various news websites: some purely emotional, others trying to get to the causes of “non-combat” fatalities, one comment providing a link to a law firm that offers to exempt young men from the draft, and one person arguing that the death toll of 273 was too low to worry about.
There was, for example, a discussion on the Novosibirsk-based Lyubimy Gorod site, and below is a small selection of opinions posted there:
Silxer:
But everyone chooses their own way. If all you do is drink and smoke, that's where you will be [i.e., drafted into the army]. These days tricking yourself out [of the draft is no problem]…
***
Tatyana and KOtyata:
Study and study [a reference to Vladimir Lenin's advice to young people], or phone here [a link to the website of a law firm in Novosibirsk that promises allegedly guaranteed exemption from the draft]
***
Zyklon_B:
Moreover, according to the Defense Ministry, 10,396 crimes were committed in the military since the start of the year, 1,023 of them in September. If one serves in the Russian military, there is a high probability that one will become a criminal.
There was also a debate (RUS) on the site of the Novy Region 2 online news agency:
Kapitan:
An I-couldn't-give-a-shit attitude on the part of officers, lack of REAL sergeants, moronic combat training programs – all these are results of these “non-combat” losses in the Armed Forces [he apparently means 'causes’ rather than ‘results’]. Russia is no exception either. The situation is just as crazy in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. And the ultimate reason is there are more old-fart generals, colonels and rubbishy staff and logistics officers than soldiers in our armies. There're 10 officers for each rank-and-file soldier!!! There's one more little group of good-for-nothings with stars on their shoulders – the warrant officers. I'm not talking about those who command companies or are special forces fighters – I'm talking about the LOGISTIC services, where, at times, to get something out of a warrant officer in a combat or financial unit you have to either give him a bottle of brandy or simply blow his teeth out – an IMPENETRABLE BUNCH OF BASTARDS.
***
Dersu Uzala:
This is a very low ratio between non-combat losses and the total number of military personnel for any army in the world.
Why should NR [New Region] be running into hysterics?
***
SPETS:
In fact, in a large city with a population of a minimum of one million more people get killed by drugs […] than in the entire armed forces with all their losses. But they don't yell about that, do they!
***
Nerussky:
The main causes of non-combat losses are old armaments plus the fact that military personnel have very little experience of using them, the exceptionally low education standards of draftees and their exceptionally poor health, the shortage of officers and their being too busy with goodness knows what but not work with soldiers, exceptionally poor performance on the part of officers in working with soldiers – most of them simply lack the knowledge that's needed for this.
A lonely comment, posted by “a student” on the Velikaya Epokha (The Epoch Times) site, said (RUS):
Yet they keep taking young guys into the military, our state broke the lives of 273 people.
Reuters reported on Nov. 17, citing Gen. Peter Chiarelli, vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army, that about 140 soldiers in the Army had committed suicide in 2009.

author: Andrei Skvarsky


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Russia: Free Wi-Fi To Be Installed At Moscow Railway Stations · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

The Russian Railroads company announced [RUS] today that free wi-fi hotspots would be installed at every passenger terminal in Moscow by December 7, 2009. The company expects around 1,500 wi-fi users per day but many Russian bloggers think the figure will be much larger.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Website Administrator Faces Trial on Libelling · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Alexander Batalov, a former administrator of the official Web site for the town of Irbit, faces libel charges for anonymous comments left by someone else on the site. Batalov is accused of allowing unapropriate comments online and, if found guilty, will be required to pay $8,000 penalty. The full story is here [RUS] and Batalov's interpretation of the case is here [RUS].


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St. Lucia, U.S.A.: New Book of Poetry  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From St. Lucia, Caribbean Book Blog interviews Dr. Neal Hall about his new anthology of verse, Nigger For Life.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: No! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The people have voted no to the proposed new constitution in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.  Abeni and Repeating Islands report.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Why the Shutdown? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowTnT.com is unimpressed that tomorrow is being pegged as “a de facto holiday in Trinidad and Tobago due to CHOGM”, adding: “There's really no reason for everything to shut down for an entire day. Of course, it could simply be that the powers-that-be are dismissing the citizens of the nation more openly now.”


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Uzbekistan: Tashkent, a green city. Or not?   · Global Voices
Kathy Pidginson

Old trees are cut down in the center of Tashkent – the shocking news was spread in the city within a day.
Photo by goricvet
Planetrees, or platanus, planted at the end of the 19th century, were cut down in the public garden named after Amir Temur (Tamerlane) in Tashkent last week. As officials say, the felling was carried out according to the plan of sanitary actions to be held in the city. However, it was visible that the trees were in good condition and well-attended.
Moreover, two old buildings located next to the public garden are being demolished. The first one is the recently renovated hotel “Poytakht” (“Capital” in Uzbek), which was built in the middle of the last century. The second one is the former Russian Orthodox Church that was erected for the Tashkent Teachers Seminary in 1898. A new administrative building is planned to be constructed there.
Joendax writes (rus):
I never worried about tress so much before. But on that day and several days after, I couldn’t believe it’s true. When I recall these memories I start crying, because I can not change anything.
How this can be explained? Many consider that the main reason of these actions is the new Forum Palace, built next to the public garden earlier this year. This was the subject of wide speculation among Uzbekistan bloggers.
So UNKNOWN wrote:
[…] there was a command on urgent dismantling of the central and the oldest telephone station in Tashkent, built in 1932. This was a surprise for the most of its workers and subscribers. At the same time they demolished the central bus station located near the telephone station. A new Forum Palace is planned to be built on this territory.
However, the Palace still provokes many questions among the public, especially concerning the expediency of such spending, the use of foreign labor force on the construction site against the background of wide unemployment in the country and other issues, including the ban on taking pictures of the building.
Now the Palace’s victims are old trees in front of it.
Some suppose that the monument to Amir Temur, located in the middle of the public garden, was the main reason for elimination of trees:
nashingyou comments with a bitter sarcasm (rus):
[…] Tashkent must always be young and fresh! What does it need the old tall and thick trees for? What does it need the old architectural monuments for? This is the past! For example, the public garden has been recently exterminated, so now tourists can see the horse of Amir Temur from afar.
On November 21 young activists held a protest against this vandalism.
They laid flowers and candles to the public garden’s fence, next to the Forum Palace. The action was to be held inside the garden, but entrance was closed by the police, while bulldozers were working there. Shortly after the action began, the police came to blew out candles and threw away flowers.
Blogger roost reports (rus):
Protest near the Amir Temur Square was held on Saturday. On the one hand, it was good, because it brought together a sufficient number of people. […] On the other hand, it was not successful, because most candles stood there only for a minute or so. As far as I know, nobody was detained.

author: Kathy Pidginson


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Venezuela: Thoughts About a Possible Conflict with Colombia · Global Voices
Laura Vidal

The Venezuelan blogosphere also had their opinions about new clashes arising between the Venezuelan and Colombian governments. As it is common in the political atmosphere of the country, opinions are divided between the views on the ongoing confrontation. On one hand, this clash is seen as another way to distract attention away from the problems inside the country; whereas, on the other hand, others see it as a move to preserve sovereignty in the face of a US military presence on bases in Colombia.
Photo of Venezuelan flag in smoke by ··· Mango Verde con Sal ··· and used under a Creative Commons license.
The international and Venezuelan public opinion still wonders if Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's intentions of war are serious, while they explore the real possibilities of Venezuela getting into an armed conflict for which the nation does not seem prepared. Meanwhile, violent incidents along the border raise tensions and puts a veil on a situation, making it difficult for a reconciliation between the two countries anytime soon. However, the most expanded opinion in the blogosphere makes it clear that a war in ths region would be a conflict among people with a very close historical background and a very deep cultural attachment.
Daniel, through his blog Venezuela News and Views quotes a very controversial Venezuelan ex-president and gives his point of view:
… Translating this communique and publishing me puts me on record as someone that will not go to war against Colombia. If Colombia were to attack is a different matter but I would need proof of it since, courtesy to the FARC and even the ELN, Chavez could create a pretext to make it look like Colombia attacked.(…)
In other words, unless proven that indeed the US and Colombia are preparing an invasion to Venezuela, which odds for me are about <0.01% , I am in open refusal and thus a traitor by chavista canon. Not to mention that I am a pacifist, a conscience objector, and cannot justify any war unless overt aggression is clearly proved. And even then I would be unable to hold a gun and shoot, and would be of any use only at some hospital or such service(…)
Gandica, from the blog Enigma Press [es] gives an original idea:
Ahora bien esta es mi posición: Si estalla la guerra entre Venezuela-Colombia  invito a la comunidad virtual de blogs de Venezuela a salir con la bandera colombiana. Y a toda la tribu electrónica colombiana a salir con la bandera de Venezuela. Y combatiremos -en esta guerra entre Venezuela y Colombia- a punta de balas de aguardiente y balas de ron en una zona temporal autónoma bajo los explosivos tonos del vallenato y nuestros joropos llaneros. Y después del combate, ebrios de felicidad, nos abrazaremos y reiremos como nunca antes. Que los políticos de Venezuela y Colombia y sus poderosos intereses y los perros de la guerra-Venezuela-Colombia se despedacen entre ellos.
Facebook has also been a tool to express the disapproval on this growing conflict. The group “Paz entre Colombia y Venezuela (Peace between Colombia and Venezuela)” looks for people online to join and discuss.
This is their main objective:
Este grupo no es para discutir si Chavez es bueno o malo o si Uribe hace las cosas bien o no, es solo para que, independientemente de la ideología política de cada uno de los miembros de este grupo nos unamos para RECHAZAR ROTUNDAMENTE UNA POSIBLE GUERRA ENTRE LOS PUEBLOS HERMANOS!.

author: Laura Vidal


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China: 41 Popular Chinese Internet Memes From 2009 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated local web portal Netease's pick of 41 popular Chinese internet memes.


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China: Dwelling Narrowness · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A popular Chinese drama “Dwelling Narrowness” was “re-scheduled” without explanation recently. ESWN translated various reports and discussions about the drama. A recent development of the drama is that one of the main characters becomes the mistress of a government official in order to help repay her older sister's mortgage.


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Costa Rica: Science Fiction Anthology called Possible Futures · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Costa Rican writer Antonio Chamu writes that he is included in the upcoming book anthology called “Possible Futures,” [es] which collects science fiction from national authors who explore the topic, “what would happen if…?”

author: Eduardo Avila


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Cuba: Call to Respect Human Rights  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As four Cuban dissidents are reportedly arrested in Havana, Uncommon Sense profiles political prisoner Oscar Biscet's call for his compatriots “to join an international campaign set for next month to demand that the Castro dictatorship respect human rights.”


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Cuba: Ongoing HIV/AIDS Education Efforts · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Even though Cuba has one of the lowest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates in the Caribbean region, there are still ongoing education efforts to reduce the number of new infections, as well as to break down the stigma of the disease.
According to data from the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, it is estimated that the number of Cubans living with HIV is 6,200 and the prevalence rate among adults aged 15-49 is 0.1%  Approximately 57% of these cases can be found in the capital city of Havana [es]. However, as Mileyda Menéndez Dávila of Juventud Rebelde [es] notes that this has been changing over the past few years:
Elemento distintivo en la expansión del VIH en Cuba es su distribución geográfica. Diez años atrás la epidemia se concentraba sobre todo en ciudades cabecera, fundamentalmente, además de otros poblados. En el 2006 no se reportaban casos en 41 de los 169 municipios cubanos: hoy todos tienen algún grado de afectación.
Some of this shift can be blamed on some people's belief that infection only happens to others, as well as a lackadaisical view on the seriousness of the disease. Menéndez Dávila adds:
Más bien abundan las disonancias entre el saber y el hacer cotidiano, y aunque se detecten nuevos casos por día, mucha gente prefiere ahogar su conciencia con sonsonetes adormecedores como «Eso no me tocará a mí», «Ya el sida no es tan grave porque los medicamentos alargan el plazo» y hasta «!De algo hay que morirse, ¿no?!».
One blogging activist who is trying to break down these misconceptions about the disease and about infection is Sandra Alvarez. On her blog Negra Cubana Tenía que Ser [es], she often shares news, statistics about HIV/AIDS in Cuba, as well as personal anecdotes. One recent story involves friends of hers, who happen to be HIV positive, and decide to have a baby.  Regarding this experience, she writes:
Con ella y él aprendí que los seres humanos somos mucho más que cuerpos biológicos sanos o enfermos, o seres racionales que, en ocasiones, analizamos los hechos con pasmosa frialdad.
She contributes to Bloggers Cuba [es], and earlier this year she shared her experience of getting tested. She describes some of the items asked by her tester:
Y tú, hace cuanto tiempo no te haces la prueba de VIH?
Piénsalo, se puede vivir con el resultado…
And you, how long has it been since you have been tested for HIV?
Think about it, whether you can live with the result…
Photo of negative test result and used with permission by Sandra Alvarez


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Ecuador: Recent Protest Against President Correa · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Danny Ayala Hinojosa of El Federalista [es] has photos of a recent protest against Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa.


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Haiti: Lavalas Banned From Elections  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Repeating Islands reports that “Haiti’s electoral council has banned the influential party of exiled former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide from next year’s legislative elections.”


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India: On Liberation Of Women · Global Voices
Rezwan

“For me the strongest drag force working against my desire to return home is my experience of life as a woman in India,” confesses Heartcrossings while discussing about the lack of freedom, independence and safety of Indian women.


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India Should Wake Up On Climate Issues · Global Voices
Rezwan

Supriyo Chaudhuri at Sunday Posts discusses why India must wake up on climate change issues.


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Japan: Buy Nothing Day · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Started in 1992 in Canada by artist Ted Dave, the Buy Nothing Day movement  [en] has spread to more than 60 countries around the world, Japan included.
In line with the philosophy of the movement, next Saturday (November 28) Japanese are invited to refrain from shopping and reflect upon their thoughtless consumerism habits.
Buy Nothing Day Japan
So reads the purpose statement of Buy Nothing Day:
Provide a moment of pause in the production-consumption routine. Find alternatives to a shopping-centered life-style. Draw attention to the social, economic, environmental and psychological effects of overconsumption. Promote ecological economics (local and environmentally responsible business, non=GNP indicators of wealth).
All over the country, individuals and organizations are planning special events to alert people to the problems related to irresponsible buying customs.
Ikuko, a member of the artistic group NU★ie, announces that they will organize workshops in Sapporo, in the northern island of Hokkaido. One of the workshops, for example, will consist of the production of useful objects by recycling cast-off products.
大量生産・大量消費。買い物すること、消費することに慣れきってしまっている生活を1年に1度だけ、ちょっと見直す良い機会。
「無くてもいい物は買わない日→無買日」です。
カナダから始まったこの運動は今や世界同時多発アクション！の日となっています。
さっぽろでも何かしたいな…と思い、イベントをやることにしました！
その名も・・・。
～無買日！タダを楽しむ休日～
Blogger zawasawa reflects on the meaning of ‘culture’ and what are conventionally called cultural products.
僕たちは色々な「楽しみ」を買ってきた。そういう「楽しみ」は、だいたい文化産業と呼ばれるテレビとか娯楽産業とかのプロの連中が作った物だ。僕たちは受け身の消費者で、まぁ、せいぜい参加者といったところだ。CDを買い、映画に行き、イベントに参加する。ハリウッドやニンテンドーが、靴工場が靴を作るみたいに「文化」とやらを生産して僕らに供給してくれているわけだ。
でもね。文化というは本当はそういうものじゃない。工業製品じゃないんだよ。文化ってのは歴史的にみれば実はキミや僕らのような普通の人々が築いてきたものなんだ。
On the occasion of the Kyoto Buy Nothing Day in 2007, a team of Japanese artists led by activist and video maker Illcommonz (イルコモンズ) produced a short movie as inspiration to the anti-consumerism movement titled 無買日 京都 二〇〇七(Mubaibi Kyoto 2007, Buy Nothing Day Kyoto 2007) .
What are you? By Flickr id: Ripplet.jp

author: Scilla Alecci


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Mexico: Viewing Mexican Streets with Google · Global Voices
Issa Villarreal

On November 9th, Mexicans welcomed the afternoon filled with images: Google Street View, the service that takes high-quality photographs at the street level for major cities of the world, was released for Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and other 5 Mexican cities. At the same time, some of those cities were updated with important informational layers, such as public transport routes, as well as locations for hospitals, movie theatres, and museums.
Early this year several users recognized Google’s car, equipped with camera that takes 360° horizontal and 290° vertical panoramic photos. Mexico is the first Latin American country to have its streets digitally mapped, which nowadays includes many cities of United States and Canada, as well as countries from Europe, Asia, and Oceania.
Street View in Google Maps México
Mexicans showed mostly positive reactions to the service, although some expressed natural concerns for their privacy. User hekma expressed on Twitter [es]:
Mi jefe vio Google street View en Mexico y comenzo a tener panico… demasiado diria yo…
Another common first reaction to the service is to look for someone's house or office. Twitter user Rafaesp [es] did this and found his mother in front of his house:
Orales, en la foto de mi casa de Google Street View Mexico, sale mi madre recibiendo una notificacion para mi del IEDF… .
Twitter user avomx considers [es] that the images of Street View unintentionally make a social commentary:
Muy buena herramienta, pero como que se ven feitas las paredes grafiteadas y las calles llenas de baches ¬_¬
User mexico_df also perceived a contrast [es] of the living conditions of the Mexicans:
Con google maps Mexico view street puedes ver algunos contrastes de nuestra ciudad casas de cartón y residencias inimaginables. Interesante
Few days after its release, users were already developing useful projects with one of the most frequent uses of Google Street View: virtual tours. The blogger that is known as Juan Crouset provides historical details of the city of Monterrey in his posts [es], and has taken Street View to guide his readers [es] through old constructions. This makes an interesting contrast with his regular contributions that usually are supported with historical documents and photographs. A sample of his work:
Juan Alvarez con Guadalupe Victoria, colonia Industrial. Muy cerca de la central de autobuses. Casa de influencia americana, probablemente construida para trabajadores de alguna empresa cercana. Muchas construcciones que se cubrieron originalmente con techos de lámina, se encuentran en muy buenas condiciones gracias a la excelente capacidad de los techos de metal para evitar la filtración de humedad, ésto a pesar de encontrarse abandonadas algunas de ellas.
Several newspapers have already made coverage of the service, including collections of images that show urban decay in Mexico City [es].

author: Issa Villarreal


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Nepal: Machine Readable Passport · Global Voices
Rezwan

“I wouldn’t want to cancel my trips due to the the failure of the government to issue passport,” says Xnepali while discussing whether the Nepali government will be able to meet the deadline of producing machine readable passports (MRP) for the Nepalis within four months (April 1, 2010).


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Pakistan: A Letter To The Neighbors · Global Voices
Rezwan

To mark the anniversary of Mumbai terror attacks, Yasser Latif Hamdani at Pak Tea House writes a letter to the Indians: “let this day signify an awakening on both sides that (says) enough with this ‘geo-strategic thinking’ of one-upping each other.”


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Pakistan: Take Back The Tech Campaign  · Global Voices
Sana Saleem

Take Back The Tech is a collaborative campaign which takes place during the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence (25 Nov – 10 Dec). Its goal is to promote ICT to end violence against women. In Pakistan, P@SH@- Pakistan Software Houses Association- is taking the initiative forward and have already launched the campaign on various online platforms.
Jehan Ara, President of P@sh@, initiated the campaign after holding a small meetup with bloggers to help find ways in which the campaign could be beneficial. On her blog  In the Line Of Wire, Jehan shares details of the campaign and ways in which people can help collaborate.
From 25 November to 10 December, get ready to click your mouse, flex your SMS fingers and engage full energy to take control of technology to end violence against women. PC’s Women’s Programme calls on users of the radio, television, internet,
emails and mobile phones to Take Back the Tech!
Meanwhile Jehan also launched the campaign on Twitter which has received an overwhelming response from men and women alike.
jehan_ara: Let us discuss what legislation exist to fight Violence against Women using ICT and whether they need to be changed/reviewed #takebackthetech
rai_azlan It is well-known that violence often ends when others intervene. #takebackthetech
faisalkapadia: FOR THE WOMEN OF PAKISTAN lets put an end to domestic violence against them #TBTT
Fariha Akthar at Far Quest shared announced the online campaign in a post:
I devoted most of my free time today in attempting to TBTT….yes to “Take Back The Tech!” and it’s going to be so at least till the next 16 days. [..]
We here in Pakistan have planned to run the local TBTT Campaign.(..) We have laid down a basic day-to-day activities plan as well that we will follow mainly to create awareness about female harassment issues and sharing tips on how to fight back this menace.
Rai Azlan at “My land Pakistan”  blog discussed the need to highlight incidents of violence against women.
Living in a male dominated society I sometimes  consider myself superior over the opposite gender, it might be the influence of the overall social air. However I believe that superiority comes with responsibility and one can only be superior if the entire obligation toward him is being fulfilled.
[..] As soon as I got to know the importance and the aim behind this campaign I felt like it might be the way I can try to fulfill my responsibility.
Teabreak, Pakistan's largest Blog aggregator, announced  its support for the campaign, calling all bloggers to join in and spread the word. Teabreak is home to over 1200 registered bloggers across Pakistan. Taking up the initiative will help amplify it to a larger audience. More support poured in when “The Laid Back Show“, hosted by renowned bloggers Awab Alvi and Faisal Kapadia, dedicated an entire episode to the campaign in order to help spread awareness and gather more support.
The campaign has triggered debate over the use of social media tools and has discussed cases of online harassment. Lets hope that this initiative culminates into a more powerful campaign to combat violence against women- a campaign that is not limited to 16-days but will last till the percentage of women facing violence declines appreciably.

author: Sana Saleem


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Peru: Belief in the Pishtaco · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In light of the recent arrest of a Peruvian gang accused of killing their victims to sell their body fat and whose actions closely resemble that of the mythical character the “Pishtaco,” J. Francisco Canaza of Apuntes Peruanos [es] writes that many people in the Andes region still believe in a modernized version of the legend.


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Russia: Official Government Web sites Will Be Regulated By Law · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

A new law “On Ensuring Access to Information about Activities of Government Bodies and Municipal Authorities” [RUS] will require, among other things, creating public Internet terminals all around Russia. But netizens question [RUS] the feasibility of the law.


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Russia: Social Networks Help Find Debtors · Global Voices
Vadim Isakov

Court enforcement officers in Russia actively use social networks to gather information on debtors and their properties, Russian news agency Prime-TASS reports [RUS].

author: Vadim Isakov


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Russia: Tatarstan Blogger Sentenced to Almost 2 Years in Penal Colony · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Irek Murtazin, photo by Sergey Varshavchik
On Nov. 26, the Kirov district court of Kazan, which is the capital of the Republic of Tartastan, convicted Irek Murtazin, a 45-year-old journalist and blogger, of defamation and incitement to hatred, reports Gazeta.ru [RUS]. The court sentenced Murtazin to one year and nine months of imprisonment in a penal colony (a form of imprisonment where convicts live not in a jail but in a special colony for prisoners).
About a year ago, in Dec. 2008, Murtazin – former head of Shaimiev's press service and currently an opposition blogger, aka lj-user irek-murtazin [RUS] – was accused of defamation against Mintimir Shaimiev, President of Tatarstan. On Sept. 12, 2008, Murtazin published a post in which he mentioned a piece of gossip about Shaimiev's death. He wrote [RUS]:
Пришла страшная весть…
…на 72-ом году жизни, во время отдыха в Турции (в  Кемере) скоропостижно скончался Минтимер Шарипович Шаймиев.
Честно говоря – не верится. Точнее, не хочется верить. Потому что, если это правда, то начнется такая свара, такая нешуточная борьба за то, чтобы занять освободившееся кресло, что чубы у холопов будут трещать и вдоль и поперек. И именно из-за подобных перспектив, ближайшее окружение Минтимера Шариповича попытается скрыть эту информацию. Чтобы успеть перегруппироваться (вплоть до скоропостижной эвакуации из страны). Именно поэтому официальная информация, думаю, будет не раньше чем через неделю.
The rumor of Shaimiev's death was disproven on the same day, but the shares of the oil company allegedly owned by the representatives of the so-called “Shaimiev clan” dropped significantly, says Lenta.ru [RUS]. In Dec. 2008, Murtazin was officially accused of defamation and infringement upon personal inviolability of Shaimiev (It is important to note that the court acquitted Murtazin only on this latter charge).
The trial lasted almost a year, and prosecution kept adding new accusations, blaming Murtazin for defamation and libel not only on his blog, but also in Murtazin's book “Mintimir Shaimiev: The Last President of Tatarstan. Part 1″ as well as in his news bulletin “Our Kazan News” (“Наши казанские вести,” which Murtazin described [RUS] in Oct. 2008 as a “print digest” of his LiveJournal blog).
Murtazin said he didn't agree with the verdict and would file an appeal.
Photographs from the trial are available here.
***
Irek Murtazin's bio (according to Anticompromat.org)
Born in 1964 in Bogatye Saby settlement, Tatarstan
1981-1990 – served in the Soviet Army, also in GRU (military intelligence unit)
1985 – graduated from the Kazan Higher Tank College
1990-1991 – assistant to the legislator Vladimir Lopatin
1995 – graduated from the Moscow Government Law Academy
1991-1995 – editor-in-chief of newspapers “Russian North” and “Gubernskie Vesti”
1993-1995 – editor-in-chief of TV-7, a local TV channel in Vologda
1995-1999 – bureau chief of the VGTRK (the largest state-owned TV company) in Kazan
1999-2002 – head of the press service of the President of Tatarstan
2002-2003 – head of TV channel “Tatarstan”
2003-2004 – head of VGTRK's Minsk, Belarus, bureau
2006-2007 – member of the regional branch of A Just Russia party in Tatarstan
2008-2009 -publisher and editor-in-chief of the news bulletin “Our Kazan News” (printed outside Tatarstan in Cheboksary, Republic of Chuvashia)


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South Asia: Mass Murder Of Animals · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dipen Bhattacharya at Mukto Mona criticizes the rituals of sacrifices – be it during Kali Puja for Hindus or Eid-ul-Adha sacrifices for Muslims. “Man might need to eat meat, but mass murder of helpless animals using brutal methods cannot be considered self-sacrifice,” he opines.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: ‘No’ It Is · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Vincentian bloggers discuss the fact that the citizenry recently voted ‘No’ to “the current manifestation of a proposed constitution for this country.”


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Suriname: Seamlessness · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“There is a way that Caribbean music or musical interests create a seamlessness between locations”: Blogging at Paramaribo SPAN, Chris Cozier ruminates on seamless spaces created by sound.


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Trinidad & Tobago: The Queen & the PM  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

B.C. Pires pokes fun at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, which kicked off in Trinidad and Tobago today.


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USA: Conflict Cell Phones · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Rima Abdelkader reports from New York about ‘conflict cell phones’ in the Democratic Republic of Congo on her CUNY University journalism blog.

author: Solana Larsen


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USA: Native American Heritage Day · Global Voices
Bernardo Parrella

Seneca Dance, Letchworth State Park, NY
A new Native American National Heritage day is being celebrated in the United States on November 27, the day after most people there celebrated Thanksgiving. The new national holiday is the culmination of an annual National Native American Heritage Month in November that was passed into law in June.
The Friends of Leonard Peltier blog shared part of US President Obama's statement:
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 2009 as National Native American Heritage Month.  I call upon all Americans to commemorate this month with appropriate programs and activities, and to celebrate November 27, 2009, as Native American Heritage Day.
Leonard Peltier is an American Indian Movement activist sentenced in 1977 to two consecutive terms of life imprisonment for the murder of two FBI agents killed during a 1975 shootout on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, following what is known as the Wounded Knee incident. In 1992 the US actor-director Robert Redford produced the documentary  Incident at Oglala: The Leonard Peltier Story, and his case has been largely covered on international media – with various government entities around the world calling for Peltier's release and an on-going pouring of online activism.
In a post entitled A Day To Honor Native Americans on the Huffington Post, California Democratic congressman Joe Baca (a primary sponsor of the bill establishing Native American Heritage Month) wrote:
American families gather together on the fourth Thursday of every November to celebrate Thanksgiving in remembrance of a feast hosted by the Wampanoag Native Americans for the Pilgrims at Plymouth in 1621. While we always remember the feast of Thanksgiving, we seldom pay homage to the Wampanoag hosts or recount what happened to them afterward.
By the time the Jamestown colony was founded in Virginia in 1607, the most accurate estimates are there were substantially more than 30 million Native Americans thriving in numerous tribes and cultures from the North American shores of Alaska to the tip of Cape Horn in South America. Unfortunately, the treatment of Native Americans over the next 300 years is one of the darkest chapters in American history.
Several celebrations and Pow-Wow gatherings took place throughout the country, following a variety of educational and artistic activities throughout the  month of November. A large collection of photos and slide shows related to Native Americans events is also available on Flickr.
The Friday Native America Calling show addressed the issue: “As First Americans, what is our existing heritage? What are the things we will pass on to the next generations for them to celebrate?” – with several people calling in to share thoughts on the air. The program aires daily on 52 stations (and on the web) in United States and Canada, reaching about 500,000 listeners weekly.
On Friday morning, November 27, a public ceremony – “Healing Turtle Island” (#turtleisland) – took place in front of the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City:
The event site has historical significance, as it is near where the first Collegiate Church was raised in Fort Amsterdam. And, just across State Street The Netherlands Monument stands as a reminder of the greatest misunderstanding by the Dutch of Native Americans: Peter Minuit’s so-called “purchase” of Manhattan in 1626 for 60 guilders’ worth of dry goods. The Lenape, having no concept of private ownership of land, likely believed that Minuit was not purchasing the island but instead thanking them for the aid they had given the Dutch settlers when they first started arriving here.
Under the phrase, “Pride in our heritage, honor our ancestors”,  the First Nations Urban Survival blog shares a great collection of YouTube videos by Native American people and artists, including the following “Turtle Song” performed by the Spirit of the Dawn, a Wabanaki singers/drumming group from Maine:
On Native American Netroots, “A Forum for Native American Issues”, StuartH shares one of his youth diary entries about a Navajo Nation meeting “by many medicine men, tribal college leaders, tribal government and legal experts and others concerned about the issue of spreading water from sewage treatment onto the slopes of a sacred mountain”:
…on deep reflection, I believe that if the core of indigenous experience is ever lost, all mankind will suffer from that in ways we may never grasp.  I prefer to take what opportunities there might be, to honor what wisdom I might be able to comprehend.  That isn't an easy process, and yes, it is full of contradictions.
What I am saying is that the differences between perspectives have in the past led to killing and huge conflict.  We should contemplate, instead, the ways that we can learn to open our minds to new dimensions of understanding and gain new ground in the process.  That is something to consider and give thanks over – for the future.
Hozho Nahastle  (May there be Beauty).

author: Bernardo Parrella


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Venezuela: Independent Film The Devil’s Faces · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Las Caras del Diablo (The Devil's Faces) is an independent film from Venezuelan director Carlos Malavé and Carlos Caridad-Montero of Blogacine [es] writes that it follows the local trend of producing film “with a small budget, taking advantage of the latest technological advances.”


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Africa: Why are African intellectuals so depressing? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Why are African intellectuals so depressing?, wonders Kenyan blogger Kaasa: “Hello! Today on my way back to the hotel, I saw the current Oct-Dec 2009  BBC Focus on Africa  magazine at a newsstand and read Mukoma wa Ngugi’s article “We Are Sailing”. My goodness. Talk about a super depressingly-depressing article.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Bangladesh: Hijra Dance Festival · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ashok Deb at LGBTI Bangladesh blog posts videos of a Hijra dance Competition in Dhaka.


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Barcamp Singapore 4 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Check out the pictures and presentations of Barcamp Singapore 4

author: Mong Palatino


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Cambodia: End of first Khmer Rouge Tribunal deemed a relative success · Global Voices
Chhunny Chhean

Many in the international community are calling the first Khmer Rouge Tribunal trial of Kaing Kek Iev, or Duch, a relative success as the trial closed.  The Open Society Justice Initiative recently issued a report that the trial “generally satisfied international standards of fairness and due process.”  However, according to the report, there have been indications that Cambodian government officials may not participate in future cases, making it difficult to conduct a fair trial for the four Khmer Rouge members awaiting trial: Nuon Chea, Khieu Samphan, Ieng Sary and Ieng Thirith.
One marker of success is found in the fact that Cambodians finally had a forum through which they could share their stories.  The Applied Social Research Institute of Cambodia (ASRIC) collected survivors’ testimonies in cities across the United States for use in the Khmer Rouge trials.  Below is a video of ASRIC at work:
The Tribunal also increased worldwide awareness of the Khmer Rouge, including this article, which profiles several Cambodians.  One of those profiled is Bou Meng, a survivor of the S-21 prison Duch headed, who sought closure in the trial:
For [Meng], having a former S-21 staffer tell him where his wife was killed and buried would also bring a good deal of closure. He cannot perform a traditional Cambodian cremation because it would be too difficult to identify her bones. But, Bou Meng told Duch at the tribunal, if he could find out where she spent her final moments, he would ‘go to that location to get the soil from there to pray for her soul.’
However, neither the staffer nor Duch could remember where Meng's wife spent her last moments.
Another survivor is Dr. Sophal Ear, who fled the Khmer Rouge as a child and is now a professor and TED fellow.  Dr. Ear shares his reaction to Duch's trial with a memory of his mother:
I never entirely understood the saying ‘Justice delayed is justice denied.’ With my mom's passing at age 73, before she ever saw a single defendant serve a prison sentence, I now understand.
Duch, who had offered his apology during the trial, has now asked for the charges against him to be dropped.

author: Chhunny Chhean


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China: Law or Justice? · Global Voices
Robert Woo

According to Chongqing Evening News, by November 15 2905 suspects had been arrested during a massive crackdown on gangs in the municipality of Chongqing, a major city with 30 million population and provincial status. The campaign was unprecedented both in its scope and its depth as it brought down a large number of government officials including the Director of Justice Bureau Wen Qiang, Deputy Police Chief Peng Changjian, plus scores of other police officers, government officials, prosecutors and judges. It is one of the first times that the linkage between political power and the black underworld in so many parts of China has been so publically exposed.
The success of the campaign has won tremendous popularity for Chongqing’s leadership, especially for the party secretary Bo Xilai, also a member of the powerful Politburo. However, many people expressed doubts as to whether the procedural justice was respected, whether Bo launched this campaign solely out of his own ambitious agenda, and also whether such a Mao-style campaign would be effective in solving long-term problems. In September, John Kennedy of GV reported on this debate by asking whether Bo Xilai’s corruption crackdown was good for China.
The debate reached another dimension when the State-run newspapers started to report on the sensational drama that was involved in Wen Qiang’s interrogation. The following quote comes from a tabloid-style ‘news story‘ reported by Yangtse Evening News, a widely distributed regional affiliate of Xinhua News Agency, based on the information provided by an ‘anonymous insider':
被“双规”后，文强知道自己不招供一些违法事实难以过关，最初装出很坦白的样子，在审讯时天天讲自己喜欢女人和玩女人的大量故事，他还主动讲述一些强奸少女、玩女明星的过程，“他说但凡有女明星、女歌星到重庆走穴演出，只要能想到办法搞定她们，包括用钱买、利用女星的隐私恐吓她们等，他都要和这些明星睡一觉。”但文强聪明反被聪明误，他老婆得知文强交代的这些情况后，“大哭不止，一直骂文强是个畜生，”消息人士说，“然后她交代了文强的一些问题，还带着我们去挖鱼塘取出了赃款。”
This story raised the eyebrows of many, notably those of columnist Chang Ping, who wrote an article on the matter in  The Financial Times’ Chinese website. In the article, Chang Ping suggested that the so-called ‘anonymous insider’ could only be one of the investigators of Wen Qiang’s case. He went on to question whether the investigators had followed the proper procedures by making this criminal case into a tabloid sensation. He speculated that the police most likely had not even verified the information with any of the so-called ‘actresses’, neither did them follow the principle that no matter how bad a suspect seemed to be, they should not be treated and vilified as a real criminal before the formal indictment took place.
在中国，几乎所有的腐败官员都有八卦消息，但是这些消息的源头并非八卦人士，而是非常严肃的机构，不是警方就是宣传部门。与媒体略有不同的是，他们释放消息时有着非常严肃的目的，那就是证明此人道德堕落，生活腐化。而且，在他们看来，在这个阶段，从道德上打垮他，比从法律上认定他的犯罪事实更重要。
那么专案小组为什么认为文强“强奸少女、玩女明星”是最重要的消息呢？这跟中共的历史传统有关。在这个传统中，当权者并不满足于从法律上指控落败者或犯罪嫌疑人，而是要将他全面“搞倒”、“搞臭”。生活作风问题，是一场永远不会终结的连续剧，这个国家的人民也越看越上瘾了。
However, Chang Ping’s essay has sparked a heated discussion in the following comment section which seems to suggest that many people believe sometimes to attack the evil, political tactics may take precedence over the due process of law. In this sense, the very mindset Chang Ping is attacking still possesses a great deal of currency. Following is a sample of such comments.
打黑是一种正义的行为，你们还说成官场斗争；我看你就有黑社会的细胞。说是官场斗争也好，是一批好官要斗倒一批黑官，对于人民来说，就是好事！当年共产党斗倒国民党，你也可以说是一场官场斗争，但是，广大的穷苦人—中华民族的根基所在，确是翻身了。这是天意！！！！黑社会是社会的毒瘤，哪个官养他，就是与人民为敌，这样的官一定要斗下去。
看到你写这样的文章，真是感到悲哀。我一贯对中国知识分子抱有好感，对于政客和普通老百姓对他们的奚落和嘲笑感到不平，但是，看到你这篇文章，只有一个感觉——迂腐，可恨！
你在纠缠于一些细枝末节的时候，知不知道自己已经偏离了大道？在中国当前的情况下，不采取特别手段能将这帮恶人制服吗？人家在那里冒着危险举起大刀劈向豺狼，你这里却批评人家违反了动物保护法，你这不是助纣为虐么？
这个作者显然对中国的政治还不了解，就来这里试图忽悠别人。记住了，一件事，不看动机，而是看结果。如果这件事情最终的结果是让坏人死掉，好人受益，那就是好事。这件事情，文强是个坏人，付出代价，那是正常的。现在作者在这里矫情西方的所谓‘无恶意假定’，想要说明什么？难道想说 审问农夫和蛇中的蛇，也要给他仁义道德？作者明显是为了稿费炮制这么一出添西方媒体屁股的文章～
长平，总觉的自己都是对的，嘴里叫着法制，就站在道德制高点，他的评论无论对还是错，都是特别的专业，总能从一些事情中抓住事物的本质，比如就这件事，贪官有几个不乱淫，在中国都报道很多，可是法制联系在一起，人权就出来了，就把人带到另外一个境界，忽悠的好像就是那么一回事，特别有逻辑
To be fair, many people also show support for the ideals that Chang Ping stands for.
如果没有证据，那这些消息不是炮制出来的是什么？司法机关又不是娱乐媒体，说话不应该负有严肃的责任么？
我认为长平的想法是值得重视的。事实上媒体对性的过度关注，从某种程度上转移了对更严肃主题——政治腐败的注意力；同时，我们重视严肃的法律审判，保护犯罪嫌疑人的基本权益，就是为了从制度上进行更深刻的反思，避免“胜者为王、败者为寇”的循环。
长平是中国为数不多的谨守职业操守的媒体人之一，可惜的是，大多数国人不在乎这些。
为什么没有人关注程序的合法性了？难道将一个堕落分子从灵魂到肉体都批烂、批臭就是我们追寻的目标？我们如何保证不会在消除罪恶的同时，产生更多的罪恶？
缺乏现代公民意识的中国人民,只能继续在这种清官的盼望中轮回.
曲高和寡, 这是痛苦.
A third, more cynical sentiment can also be found occasionally in the comments. For these people, not only this story on Wen Qiang’s sexual affairs but the whole crackdown is merely a part of a power struggle. Therefore, in their opinion, there is simply no point in arguing whether it follows procedural justice or not.
法只不过是打倒异已的手段,
政治斗争自古以来尔虞我诈。什么打黑，什么严打之类其实就是对本来就不健全的法律的践踏。没有什么合理合法的事。
政治斗争, 谈不上什么正不正义, 手段而已, 多点娱乐资料, 没什么不好.
现代人都活的太压抑，在这个全民娱乐八卦时代，把注意力放在花边上也可以理解。
如果愚蠢到认为在中国还可以按法律程序来处理社会问题，尤其是黑社会问题，那对中国的国情实在太不了解了。如果说世界上还有什么非法治国家，中国自然不会不出现在名单上。历来的运动或事件是从来不会考虑社会进步和百姓需要的，而总是政治工具而已。等什么时候中国各级当权者真正为老百姓的利益考虑事情，中国也就真正开始强大了。只是，这种愿望可能永远都不会实现。

author: Robert Woo


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Dominican Republic: Environmental Film Festival · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Duarte 101 [es] writes about the 2nd Environmental Film Festival to take place November 27-29 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.


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Ecuador: Power Outages Back Home · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

The blogger from Viviendo en Venus [es] , who is currently living in Germany, is concerned about her fellow Ecuadorians who are going through too frequent power outages.


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Ecuador: Teenagers in Unexpected Pregnancies in Guayaquil · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

When teenagers in Guayaquil, Ecuador find themselves with an unexpected pregnancy, Pitonizza [es] directs them to several resources in the city for counseling and assistance.


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Egypt: A fine line between patriotism and chauvinism · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

From ferocious marketing campaigns to Facebook wars, the hacking of websites, and owl burning, the November 14th football match between Egypt and Algeria has turned into an ugly war which got worse after Egypt's defeat on November 18 in Sudan. Egyptian and Algerian youth got sucked into a Twitter war and in real life Egyptians went on demonstrations, attacked the Algerian Embassy, and demanded revenge. Egyptian-Algerian actor Ahmed Mekky dedicated a song called “Wake Up“ to the hypnotized mobs before the first match, where he asked Egyptians and Algerians to remember their legacy of Arabism. Alaa Mubarak, the Egyptian President's eldest son, turned into a national hero when he called live on TV and beat the drums of war.
From the President's son to renowned actors and actresses, media figures, writers, and Facebook users, fury has blinded common sense; Dr. Mostafa Al Naggar was there the night of the demonstrations in Zamalek and he hated what he saw:
Wael Nawara knows that a hairline separates patriotism from chauvinism:
Ahmed Naje is disgusted with the Egyptian cultural scene
Naje goes on to denounce the shameful statements of those who should carry the torch of enlightenment. He actually believes that they have tricked us into looking up to them for decades and tricked those in charge of film festivals into believing that they were worthy of honors and awards:
Naje continues the saga of prejudice saying:
When asked to choose sides, Egyptian-Algerian actor Ahmed Mekky chose Egypt. Zeinobia cheered for his new song “I am Egyptian“:
Ahmed Mekky has released a new Rap song but this time he is singing for  Egypt. Egyptian-Algerian Mekky demands an official apology from Algeria for what  happened. It is the best among all these songs released lately may be because it  is more honest and it is not about the crisis rather about Egypt itself.
Instead of separate Egyptian and Algerian statements, Wael Nawara published a joint Egyptian-Algerian statement signed by 140 people from all over the Arab world:
Karim El Beheiry of Egyworkers posted ” A common Decision … We Won't Separate” in English, Arabic, and French:
Ahmed Al Sabbagh posted an initiative to reconcile the two countries on Facebook and on his blog:

author: Marwa Rakha


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Ghana: Who Will benefit From Oil? · Global Voices
L. Abena Annan

When UK firm Tullow Oil announced its discovery of 600 million barrels of oil in Ghana in 2007, the blogosphere responded with variegated tones of hope and cynicism. After two years since the detection, the country has begun to prepare for oil production, but the current discussion hovers around the questions: “Who benefits and what could be the future ramifications of decisions made by Ghana’s leaders today?”
Charles Crawford, at Blogoir, commented on a piece written by Craig Murray  analyzing the cause and effect of Ghana’s oil find. He wrote this about Murray’s article:
At the same time, revenue must urgently be directed to rural infrastructure, to increasing farm prices and developing agro-processing industry, on a scale not previously attempted. Ghana already has a major problem keeping young people in farming. Think how much this will worsen when oil starts to flow.
Why should young people stay on farms now that the country is going to get rich? Ghana as the anti-Nigeria, ie a new hi-tech Singapore-style place rather than a typical agriculture exporting African country?
Is not the point of acquiring such largesse that it gives a country the chance to look at quite different options, not merely ways to impose top-down solutions based on old ideas?
A comment posted in response to the blogger’s statement by someone named Craig Murray read:
Because William Cobbett Was Right!
Crawford’s remark about the youth still working on farms, despite the country’s apparent road to riches, has been on the minds of Ghanaians. Ghana Pundit   posted a piece by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) which addressed similar concerns:
Dr. Edward Omane Buamah, Deputy Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, has observed that the oil and gas find in the Western Region, has made unemployment among the youth in the area a big issue.
Speaking at a special hearing on the Environmental Impact Assessment for the development of the first phase of the Jubilee Oil Fields, organised for the Western Region House of Chiefs in Sekondi, he said the region had not benefited from natural endowments like the sea, gold, bauxite, timber and other minerals.
Dr. Buamah said it was therefore normal for the youth to expect better employment prospects from Ghana's oil find.
He said direct employment into the upstream oil industry required high level of professional competence and qualification, hence the need for the youth to improve themselves to be able to take full advantage of the numerous ancillary job opportunities, which would be generated by the emerging industry.
Ghana Pundit posted another article  that touched upon a new area of concern:
Ghana’s oil find if not properly managed could spell crisis comparable to what is happening in Nigeria’s restive Niger Delta region.
A respected legal practitioner and lecturer at the University of Ghana, Law Faculty, Dr. Raymond Atuguba has chillingly revealed that militants in the Niger Delta region, notorious for blowing up oil pipes, kidnapping and demanding huge ransoms and causing unrest in the oil rich Nigerian region have started tripping to Ghana in droves.
Dr. Atuguba in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Wednesday said the essence of militants’ interest in Ghana is to mentor folks in the Western Region of Ghana, on whose offshore, the country will be drilling oil to be protective of their interest.
A blog entry posted on President Atta Mills’  official campaign site stated:
President John Evans Atta Mills on Thursday reminded Kosmos Energy, one of the companies involved in the nation’s oil find in the Jubilee Fields of Cape Three Points, to be mindful of social, legal and corporate responsibilities so that local people would be part of the process and feel its benefits.
He urged the company to make use of available Ghanaian expertise as well as insulate the people against any challenges that would emanate from the drilling of oil.
A comment, in response to this post, by Ofori Amooako Elijah read:
The drilling of the oil must benefit the people of Ghana more especially, it should [be] a step in creating employment.

author: L. Abena Annan


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Guatemala: Jumaytepeque Volcano · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Guatezona [es] provides information about the tourist destination of Jumaytepeque Volcano in Santa Rosa department in Guatemala, including the time needed to climb and the routes to take.


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Lebanon: The Plural of ‘Anecdote’  · Global Voices
Katharine Ganly

“The plural of “anecdote”  is not “data.””  remarks Gregg Carlstrom at The Majlis,  in response to FP‘s article on temporary marriage in Lebanon.

author: Katharine Ganly


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Namibia: A quick update from VSO volunteer · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A quick update from a VSO volunteer in Namibia: “As part of the immunisation program I’ve been on two crazy adventures into the deepest darkest Namibian bush, over mountains and through deserts (literally) to take nurses and other health staff out to do health education and immunisations.”


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Namibia: Live Elections Blog · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Live Elections Blog as Namibia votes on November 27 and 28, 2009.


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Namibia: Namibia elections 2009 mashup · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Namibia citizens can submit reports of election related incidents to Namibia Elections 2009 site, “By sending a message to 0855900886.
By sending an email to namibianrights@gmail.com. By filling a form at the website.”


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Namibia: Online Resources for Namibia Elections 2009 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Selection of online resources for Namibia Elections 2009, which ends today.


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Namibia: Polling ends, counting begins · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Namibia Presidential and National Assembly 2009 has come to an end, African Elections Project reports.


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Nigeria: Nigeria manufactures armoured vehicle · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Nigeria's first locally manufactured armoured carrier was built by two Nigerian brothers, Victor and Johnson Obasa, who recently returned from the U.S. hoping to use their talents in boosting security and creating employment, Euro-Africa reports.


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One East African Musician beats all odds for a global fan base · Global Voices
Njeri Wangari

Not many know her as Mwanaisha Abdalla but Nyota Ndogo (Kiswahili for Small Star), is a household name in East Africa.
She has been collecting fans of her eclectic East African sound for over 4 years now. Her blog on the other hand has been running for 3 years. There is no doubt that the blog has contributed the growth of her online fan base.
An artwork of her Nyota Ndogo's Cover Album – Mpenzi
Born in 1981 in the Kenyan Coastal province of Mombasa, Nyota Ndogo has come from a very humble background. She dropped out of school at a young age and for quite some time, worked as a house help until she was discovered by Andrew Burchell as a talented singer.
Now she has 3 cd's released under her name, CHEREKO, NATOKA MBALI NA WEWE and MPENZI. She has also featured on 3 international compilations WORLD 2003, THE ROUGH GUIDE TO KENYA and OFF THE BEATEN TRACK. She is also holder of two Kenya Kisima Music Awards: Best Taraab Singer 2003 and Best Female Singer 2005.
Her songs which are mostly in Kiswahili with a few in English are sang in the Taarab genre heard mostly in the East African Coast as well as in Kapuka and Genge, music genres heard mainly within the Kenyan mainland.
So how does one with such a background learn to harness the internet to her advantage as a growing Kenyan based Artist? This is the question that comes to mind when you visit her blog.
In it, she shares everything about herself as an artist from a personal perspective as opposed to the edited media stories and information that one will find in the entertainment section of a newspaper or magazine.
From music videos of her songs to lyrics to photos of her performing with fellow artists and fans, one can feel a more intimate connection with Nyota Ndogo through her blog.
Blogging has not been an easy experience for her as she confessed in her blog post on 27th July, 2006 at 1.43pm
wow I’d nearly given up with the blog as it was proving difficult to get a new post up .it turned out to be me using an incompatible browser. So am back with good old internet explorer. If this works expect some pix up soon so much has happend.x
Looking at her current blog posts, one can indeed see that Nyota has known quite well how to use the blogging tool. This unfortunately cannot be said of many other East African Artists as I could not find any other artist blog.
It seems, one need not be learned to know how to blog, it is after all, a tool.

author: Njeri Wangari


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Philippines: CNN Hero of the year · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Pedestrian Observer praises Efren “Kuya Ef!” Penaflorida Jr. from the Philippines for being the 2009 CNN Hero of the Year.


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Russia: At Least 25 People Killed in the ‘Neva Express’ Train Crash · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An express train traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg derailed at 9:34 PM on Friday, Nov. 27, near the town of Bologoye, killing at least 25 people and injuring 87; as of 4 AM Saturday, 32 passengers are reported missing. The #166  train, known as the Neva Express, was carrying over 600 passengers in its 14 carriages; three rear carriages have been damaged due to the accident. A one-meter hole has allegedly been discovered next to the railway track, prompting speculation that this could have been a terrorist act.
On Aug. 13, 2007, the same Neva Express train was derailed due to an explosion; some 60 people were injured then. Coincidentally, in the past few days, there has been an increase in the Russian media coverage (RUS) of the trial of Maksharip Khidriev, one of the suspects charged in connection with the 2007 attack; an Ingushetia native, he is alleged to have links to Chechen rebels. (GV posts on the 2007 Neva Express train derailment are here and here.)
No witness reports of the tragedy seem to have appeared in the Russian blogosphere yet, but there are plenty of reactions still, and below is a small selection.
LJ user peresedov recalls the 2007 accident and the ongoing trial of one of the suspects, and posts this comment (RUS):
[…] Whether you want it or not, these two events [appear related].
I'd like to ask the experts: to which extent could these two events be interconnected, and is it really possible for Khidriev's associates (he has been proclaimed [Doku Umarov]'s person) to have prepared an attack like this in two days, and what the hell is going on here in general?
UPD. [LJ user] beri_llii links to a report claiming that the train explosion was carried out by yet another obscure nationalist group: [http://headshotboy.livejournal.com/137255.html]
(The post linked to in LJ user peresedov‘s update has since been deleted, replaced by another one (RUS) with an explanatory note, which says, among other things, that “the nationalists’ statement” turned out to contain false claims of their involvement in the train blast.)
Some bloggers chose to draw parallels between Friday's train accident, the trial of Maksharip Khidriev, and Kurban Bayram (Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice), a three-day Muslim holiday, whose celebration began on Friday. LJ user warsh wrote this (RUS):
[…] I won't be surprised if this turns out to be a Kurban Bayram “gift” from the North Caucasus rebels (as it was with the attack on the Neva Express in 2007). I'm wishing them to join [the Chechen guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev, killed in 2006] as soon as possible.
And LJ user uliana wrote this (RUS):
All things considered, the newest Neva Express blast is someone's kurban. A consequence of the fact that those guilty of the first blast have been “appointed”…
LJ user aneta_spb mentions the 2007 attack and the trial, too, but points out (RUS) to other factors that might have caused the crash:
[…] The suspect in the previous catastrophe [case] has just admitted [his involvement] (and how many more they kept trying to implicate in this case!)
I can imagine what this night is going to be like for Novgorod's doctors… With roads like these… […]
***
murys:
We were just driving from the countryside, gave a ride to a man who, as far as I understood, worked for the Ministry of Emergency Situations or a similar kind of place. He said that this segment of the railway near Bologoye is so rotten in general that they don't have to explode anything there, and this could've been a secondary explosion, too. […]
aneta_spb:
Exactly – you don't even have to make an explosion. A couple weeks after [the 2007 Neva Express accident], we were on a train and spent some six hours waiting [not far from the site of Friday's crash], because there had been some accident in front of us. And prior to the rushed launch of the [Sapsan high speed train route], they were doing some urgent repairs, and it's likely that they haven't finished something or done something wrong. […]
And here's a comment (RUS) on the rescue effort, posted anonymously in the ru_railway LJ community:
In this situation, I'm most upset about the fact that they've spent so much time bragging about the Emergency Situations Ministry's cool new rescue center in Moscow, about all the info that they've got showing on the little screens, and the fact that they are now capable of taking urgent decisions, but what's the use of all these decisions if the local rescue equipment is not in the working condition, and that's why they had to send some [all the way] from Novgorod. The accident took place at 9:34 PM, and the rescuers from Novgorod set out [to the site of the accident] only at 10:40 PM, and it takes two and half hours to ride along those roads, if you can call them roads at all, and that's the best case scenario. They've sent the planes out – but why don't they have anything locally?!

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Afghanistan: Empowering trading potential · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Sanjar shares his idea of creating opprtunities for market linkages between small entrepreneurs, shopkeepers, sellers and businesses in Afghanistan via the use of mobile technologies.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Bolivia: Citizen Coverage of Upcoming Election · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A group of Bolivian bloggers have put together a site called Elecciones 2.0 Bolivia [es] which will provide citizen coverage of the upcoming general elections to be held on December 6.

author: Eduardo Avila


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Chile: Council Rejects Giant Pope Statue in Santiago · Global Voices
Nike Jung

The proposed construction of a giant statue of the late Pope John Paul II that was to be placed in a square of the capital city Santiago, was rejected by Chile's National Monuments Council. The Council argued that the dimensions of “El Papa Bicentenario” (Bicentennial Pope) would violate and disrupt the historical harmony of the city square's landscape. The bronze Pope would have been approximately 13.5 meters (45 feet) high, and which some Chileans have dubbed the “Papasaurio” (Popeasaurus).
Besides the statue's hyperbolic height and its staggering cost of 200 million Chilean Pesos (approximately $400,000), the most controversial aspect is its intended location. Proposed by the private San Sebastián University (USS for its initials in Spanish), the statue was to be erected in central Santiago, opposite the University of Chile's law school. There are Chilean bloggers like Cristian Cabalin who comment that the university could spend the money on better things:
Si esta Universidad estaba tan preocupada por devolver el favor a la municipalidad de Recoleta podría destinar 200 millones de pesos o más para que mejoren las escuelas o para que se entreguen becas a los estudiantes de menores ingresos de la comuna. Ahí sí que existiría un efecto favorable para los vecinos, a quienes el municipio dice defender.
The Council further complained that the proximity of the statue on top of an underground car park was undignified, and criticized the lack of a public consultation for the project. Another issue that is drawing criticism is the fact that the statue's sculptor, Daniel Cordero is the brother of the USS’ director. Cordero has already finished the clay model, which is now stored a warehouse in Central Santiago.
According to The Clinic [es], there is opposition because “the lack of public contest was one of the principal critiques to the real and conventional giant statue.” In addition, the USS neglected to first seek permission from the Monuments’ Council, as is customary for such projects.
The discussion in the blogosphere quickly turned onto more basic questions concerning the relationship between laicism and religiosity in Chile’s education system and the country as a whole. Also discussed are the merits and shortcomings of John Paul II, who was a staunch anti-abortionist, one of the hot matters in the upcoming election.

author: Nike Jung


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Ecuador: Carlos Vega Book · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In Ecuador, Eduardo Varas reviews the most recent book written by Carlos Vera [es] and its place in the current conflict between the government and the press.


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Hungary: Violence “Behind Doors” · Global Voices
Marietta Le

“At least one woman a week dies in Hungary as a result of domestic violence,” said Krisztina Morvai to the Central Europe Review in 2001, when she had published her book “Terror in the Family,” while working as the director of the office of the Hungarian Women's and Children's Rights Foundation (now she is an MEP delegated by Jobbik party). The mentioned fact has been announced several times in Hungarian media, but it seems as if nothing has changed about the situation by 2009.
In January this year, at the time of a debate on introducing a new law against domestic violence, the Hungarian Spectrum blogged:
President Sólyom doesn't seem to be too concerned, although according to Hungarian sociologists every week at least one woman dies as a result of domestic violence. And that statistic doesn't include old people and children who are abused or even killed. There was something on the books allegedly dealing with the issue, but it was totally ineffectual. Police couldn't act on the spot and weeks might go by before the case ended up in court. By that time, the plaintiff could be dead. Moreover, the police rarely acted. They simply didn't want to get involved in “family squabbles.” It was, for example, totally useless to call the police and report threats. The answer was: as long as there is no blood no action can be taken. I remember one specific case when such threats were uttered by a young boy against a young girl. The girl's family reported the situation. The police did nothing. A few days later the girl was dead. […]
Because of the refusal of the law in January by László Sólyom, the Hungarian president, the law was changed and the Hungarian Parliament voted on it in June again, and it came into force in October. The law, which has changed the regulation of limiting the freedom of movement to the person accused of committing violent acts, is still criticized (HUN) as not being effective enough.
This month, Hungarian NGOs joined (HUN) the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence Campaign. Amnesty International Hungary started a Facebook event where they published their two campaign videos from 2005.
Giving the title of a Hungarian singer Zséda‘s new song dealing with domestic violence (“Behind Doors”) to his post, tegla07 wrote this (HUN) on his blog:
[…] You're walking on the street and you have no other possibility: you are either one of them, or not. You can't do anything else. You can't be independent – you are among them, or next to them. But a lot of people, and among the lot there are more and more, who try to live as if all this didn't exist. Until it turns out that their best friend, a friend of a friend, a colleague, a cleaning lady or a secretary, a female director, teacher, CEO, is beaten at home…
And why? Every situation is different, every fate is unique, but. But there are rules, there are limits which are impossible to step across. There are situations when the “why” fades, and you can't ponder over it – and mostly, you can't judge.
You can't judge somebody because of her “weakness” (weakness? she stands up to something that you, probably, would never be able to), because of her “powerlessness” (powerlessness? she re-builds herself every morning from nothing)… If somebody's hurt, there's no question there. You must get there, from anywhere you are. You must hug her, to let her know that she's valuable. To let her know that she deserves something different. […]
Nobody, nobody deserves those slaps. Nobody, nobody can think that he has club-law in his family. Nobody, nobody can just pass by a humiliated woman. Nobody, never has the right to speak in another person's ear about a woman hurt… When will we understand this?

author: Marietta Le


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Jordan: Brass Award for The Black Iris  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Naseem Tarawnah's The Black Iris  won the Brass Crescent award in the Middle East category for the second year in a row.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Kyrgyzstan: Water Management · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Misha reflects on the problems of water management in Central Asia against the background of the news about glacial retreat in Kyrgyzstan.