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11-11-11: Grab Your Cameras and Capture Life · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Only a couple of days until 11/11/11, a date that will have people all over the world recording their lives through film and music. Participate in the 11Eleven project and One Day on Earth to leave your mark on the world.
Global Voices Online has partnered with the 11Eleven Project to help make a snapshot of the human experience. How different and how similar will our lives turn out to be?  Throughout the world and in different languages, footage made during that 24 hour period on November 11th 2011 will help answer that question.
11Eleven have established 11 different topics you can focus on: beginnings, heartbreak, make a wish, faith, routine, water, courage, play, darkness, beauty and love, and with these starting points they will be accepting photographs, songs, sounds, video, online content made during November 11, 2011, to turn them into a world music collection, a two-hour documentary and a photography book will be produced and distributed throughout the world.
Upload them and tag them with #11ElevenLIVE, as explained in the following video:
Grammy winning musician Imogen Heap has joined the team as the Executive Music Producer, will be producing the soundtrack for the documentary and will also be in charge of the world music collection.
Proceeds from the sales of the music collection, photography book and documentary will go in their entirety to support charities and organizations including Global Voices Online.
One Day on Earth is documenting videos of the world for the 2nd year in a row. Last year, on 10-10-10 they captured the world experience during a 24 hour span. The result was a geotagged video archive as well as a feature film which will be screened simultaneously in every country of the world thanks to the organization's collaboration with the United Nations.
Following is a behind the scenes explanation of how the project started and highlights of the documentary such as footage from North Korea and a wedding in Kosovo.
The next is a trailer for the documentary, showing some of the footage that was collected on the same day, all around the world.
You can participate on both of these projects on November 11. Sign up, turn on your camera, record the day's events and upload your content.  For more information visit One day on Earth and the 11Eleven Project.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Bhutan: An Open Letter To The Minister Of Singapore · Global Voices
Rezwan

Passu writes an open letter to the National Development Minister of Singapore, Mr. Khaw Boon Wan, in response to his controversial statements about Bhutan.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Brunika:  Brunei’s Instagramers Community · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Brunika is Brunei's official instagramers network whose vision is for each members to “Share, Good Communication and Own Creativity”

author: Mong Palatino


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China: Chinese power couples  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mary Ann O'Donnell has some interesting observations on Chinese power couples’ the division of labour.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Hospital said premature baby is not worth saving · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaSMACK translated a local story about a hospital mistook a premature baby boy as baby girl and told the family that it was dead then trashed it in the plastic bag in the hospital room's toilet. Later the family's relative found out the baby is a boy and still moving. This baby was lucky enough to be saved. How about others who are not worth saving as the hospital put it?


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China: How to post to Twitter via SMS in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaGeeks has written a detailed instruction to teach its readers how to post to Twitter via SMS in China.


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China: Husband hid next door while wife being abused and raped for 1 hour · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

What makes a husband hid next door while his wife being abused and raped for one hour? What is he afraid of and what makes him give up his manhood and conscience as a human being? Annie Lee from China Hush has translated a local news story that sheds some light on the above questions.


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China: Japan’s Imaginary Enemy · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Territoriality over the waters between China and Japan continues to limp along after yet another Chinese fish boat captain, Zhang Tianxiong, was arrested this past weekend for drifting into Japanese waters and then leading that country's coastguard on a four-hour high speed sea pursuit. It ended when the Chinese boat was rammed and its crew of ten were taken in for questioning.
By most accounts, Zhang was fishing well inside an area where he would have known he ought not be, but the chance to make the incident a nationalistic showdown was too good for some to pass up. Or, as military affairs commentator and magazine editor Wu Ge wrote [zh] on his blog:
这类事件，往往不可避免地牵动两国关系，外交部门不得不从较高层面加以关注、协调和化解，但是一个大问题来了。中国不少公众总是自动将所有这类事件（有时甚至包括所有不友好，挑衅性甚至挑逗性言论）统统上升到国家荣辱，大国地位，对外强硬，甚至两国要不要一战的层面。
Television news screenshot
And yet Zhang's arrest, sanctioned as it might be by international law, also happened to coincide with Chinese media reports, which cite Japanese media as saying that a large joint Japan-US naval drill will take place off Kyushu this week. Not only will this reportedly be the first of several large defensive drills to come, but Japanese media are now widely said to have alleged that China will serve as the imaginary enemy.
On that, Phoenix blogger Jin Zishan writes [zh]:
日本媒体大肆渲染把中国作为“假想敌”，不知道是不是代表了日本官方的态度。是日本官方把不方便说的话借由媒体说出，还是日本媒体以说出这样的话起到推波助澜的作用，可以仁者见仁智者见智地去分析玩味。在官方的外交中，在军事的演习中，一般的惯例是不轻易将“假想敌”公然说出口。
把中国作为“假想敌”本就没有道理，何况是“公然”地。中国与日本最前沿的博弈是在钓鱼岛海域与东海海域，但是中国仍然一直保持了相当的克制，并没有作出太多的咄咄逼人的姿态。以此实况，中国怎么会公然上了日本媒体的“假想敌”榜单。
Japanese media are playing up China as “the imaginary enemy”, but we don't know if that represents Japan's official stance. It could be that Japan is using its media to say what it's not convenient for the state to say itself, or it could be that Japanese media are just trying to throw fuel on the flames. People will see what they want to see. At the official diplomatic level, though, and when it comes to military drills, the convention is that the term “imaginary enemy” just doesn't get used so overtly so easily.
It makes no sense to have China be the “imaginary enemy”, and especially not so “overtly”. The forward game between China and Japan is played out in areas surrounding the Diaoyu islands and the East China Sea, yet China has always managed to maintain a certain amount of restraint, and seldom takes an aggressive stance. Considering this, how is it that China has ended up listed as “the imaginary enemy” in Japanese media?
[…]
公然以中国为“假想敌”，无非是在制造新一轮的所谓的“中国威胁论”。给中国扣上莫须有的“威胁”的帽子，既是想借机利用国内不健康的政治生态，又在国际上捏造出中国的坏形象，试图以此达到有利于自己，让自己获利，使日本在与中国的竞争中占据上风的目的。同时也可以掩盖自己对外露出的“`”。
树起一个中国“假想敌”，能够为日本的扩军备战、对外扩张营造舆论的氛围，进而逐步付诸行动。日本一直在实际加强自卫队的武装，日本有着极强的核能力、核积累，日本自卫队不断迈出向海外派军的步伐，是众所周知的事。11月3日是日本现行宪法（“和平宪法”）公布65周年纪念日，日本右翼媒体借机大肆鼓吹修改和平宪法，并将“自卫队”改变为“军队”。日本计划年内给39座离岛“命名”，搞不符合国际法的扩大日本“专属经济区”的“圈海”运动。日本还在有意将势力伸展到南海周边，对外扩张的倾向似乎越来越明显。
Setting China up to be the “imaginary enemy” allows Japan to build up its military and war capabilities, allowing it to shape policy in the region, and gradually lead to action. It's no secret that Japan, which possesses great nuclear strength and a nuclear stockpile, has always sought to strengthen its defense capabilities, and takes every opportunity to steadily extend those beyond its borders.
This November 3 was the 65th anniversary of Japan's ratification of its post-war “Peace constitution”, which the country's right wing took as an opportunity to demand that the “Peace constitution” be amended, that its “Self-Defense Forces” be renamed as its “Army”. Japan also plans to “give names” to 39 offshore islands before the end of this year, and, in violation of international law, even expand its offshore exclusive economic zone.
It's becoming increasingly evident that Japan intends to expand and extend its reach to the edge of the South China Sea.

author: John Kennedy


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Côte d’Ivoire: When Will the Universities Reopen? · Global Voices
Kanigui

This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.
[All links in are in French unless otherwise indicated]
During the post election crisis in Côte d'Ivoire [en], the country's three universities (Cocody, Abobo-Adjamé and Bouaké) were closed and the halls of residence cleared of their residents. While many Ivorians welcomed this measure at the time, today many are questioning the uncertainty surrounding the reopening of the universities.
The closures had two specific aims:
- To free up the rooms that were illegally occupied by non-students, especially members of the powerful, not to mention armed, Fédération Estudiantine et Scolaire de Côte d'Ivoire (Federation of Ivorian Students and Scholars)
- To renovate the buildings, which were in a serious need of repair.
The decaying state of Cocody University in Abidjan. Image by Alexenafrique, copyright Demotix (13/10/11).
Despite the fanfare that accompanied the beginning of the works, with visits from the Higher Education Minister Cissé Bacongo being reported across the Ivorian national media, the uncertainties surrounding the date when courses will finally resume were a source of concern for students, teachers and parents.
Construction at Cocody University, Abidjan, October 2011. Photo by author.
Over the last few days the debate has intensified on social networking sites, particularly on Twitter. Government minister Antoine Mian, a campaigner for IT and telecommunications in education, has underlined the risks of a prolonged university closure:
@MIANSEH: idleness is the root of vice #VICES and Ivorian students have been idle for the past 5 months. Hello #VICES #sosUniv #criseUniv #civ2010
Micro-bloggers have not been slow to ask the question directly to Alain Lobognon, one of the few Ivorian ministers to have an active Twitter account. Marc Antoine Hodonou demanded to know:
More pragmatically, Don Prince suggests a compromise solution allowing the works to continue and teaching to resume:
According to him, the Institut National Polytechnique Houphet Boigny (INP-HB) has already proved that this could work. This public, higher education institute based in Yamoussoukro (the political capital) has a faculty in Abidjan and its students were housed on the Cocody campus. As Don Prince points out, despite the closure of the Cocody campus, courses have carried on at the INP-HB:
If this solution was rolled out across the universities, lecture halls and other rooms would be quickly put straight and the students could resume their courses again despite the campus closures.
For others, difficulties surrounding housing and transport at Abidjan encourage them to suggest other solutions, like distance learning. Hagger55 suggests:
But, in the absence of appropriate infrastructure and the lack of households with the required IT equipment, this solution is unlikely to succeed, as Stephane Kouakou points out :
To reassure everyone, Alain Lobognon announced:
@MIANSEH: The date has been set.  It will be made public start of November by the GOVT #ci225 We are avoiding past mistakes #civ2010
But he insisted on specifying:
@MIANSEH: The Universities wont be reopened hastily. Address problems before opening #ci225 #civ2010
The message is clear, Ivorian students need to be patient and consider alternative solutions like the private, higher education Grands Ecoles or civil service entry exams (civil service courses have not been interrupted).
This post is part of our special coverage Côte d'Ivoire Unrest 2011.

author: Kanigui


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Cuba: Catholic Solidarity with Dissidents  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Pedazos de La Isla is heartened by this weekend's “display of solidarity [by] loyal churchgoers [who] showed solidarity with the Ladies in White, joining the religious figures in their successful attempt to deter a savage beat down of the non-violent women who simply demand freedom.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: Too Costly to Eat · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“You’d think that agricultural production would have increased under the reform momentum of our General-President”: Without Evasion blogs about the supposed growth of the Cuban economy, which she calls “the ultimate Cuban surrealism.”


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El Salvador: Impunity for Civil War Crimes Continues  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“A leading voice for human rights in El Salvador, the Human Rights Institute at the University of Central America (IDHUCA), is publicly denouncing the failure of the government of El Salvador to provide justice in many of the highest profile cases from El Salvador's civil war.” Tim's El Salvador Blog reports.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Equatorial Guinea: Teodoro Obiang Nguema and Son Face French Justice System   · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

[All links in French unless otherwise indicated.]
The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, appeared more offended than concerned to find himself listed among 30 leaders, four of them from Africa, who have stolen from their people assets estimated at several billion dollars. This is according to a report published in 2009 by the Catholic Committee Against Hunger and for Development (CCFDT – Terre Solidaire)  entitled “Ill gotten goods, who does crime profit”?
According to Reporters without Borders, the Equatorial Guinean president, who is presented by the national radio in his country as an “Equatorial Guinean God”, lodged a complaint against the authors of the report.  However, the 17th chamber of the Tribunal de Grande Instance de Paris, dismissed the case on October 7, 2011.
A blog from an association called Survie, reports:
Teodoro Obiang complained particularly about certain passages in the report, indicating that he established a “real authoritarian regime” and that his clan amassed a fortune estimated between 500 and 700 million dollars, from the diversion of oil revenue.
As far as the tribunal was concerned, the cautionary wording, the abundance in testimony and references in the incriminating report, demonstrated the honesty of the writers of the report. Moreover, the tribunal ordered the president of Equatorial Guinea, to pay 2,500 euros to each of the four he accused, for the abusive nature of his complaint.
Further down on the same post, the following remark appears:
At the outset of the hearing, President Obiang's lawyers, lamented the present day climate in France as being unfavourable towards African leaders.
Afriquejet.com published the following story from PANA (Panafrican Press Agency):
Moreover, the report affirms that this wealth was derived from the diversion of oil revenue and that 80% of the national income would have been monopolized by the oligarchy in power in Malabo. In its document, the association accuses the leader of Equatorial Guinea and 10 members of his family, of having laundered 26.5 million dollars in real estate purchases between 2000 and 2003.  The president would also have acquired a mansion on Avenue Foch in Paris.
This decision took place within a few days of the Paris police seizing 11 luxury cars belonging to 43 year old Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, also known as “Teodorin”, the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and son of the president.
France-Guineeequatoriale.org states the following specifics:
The eleven vehicles seized at the time of the search, were 2 Bugatti Veyrons, 1 Maserati MC12, 1 Porsche Carrera GT, 1 Ferrari Enzo and 1 Ferrari 59 GTO, 1 Aston Martin V8 V600 LM, 1 Rolls-Royce Phantom, 1 Drophead Coupe, 1 Bentley Azure and 1 Bentley Brooklands Coupe, from 500 to 1001 horsepower and from 200,000 to approximately 2 milion euros an item.
The operation decided upon by the French justice system, took place right in front of residents and passersby at 42 Avenue Foch, in the beautiful districts of Paris, a stone's throw away from the Arc de Triomphe.
The blog mentions that the opulent-looking building of more than 2,000 m² could also belong to Teodorin, adding that:
Last September 21st, the two judges Roger Le Loire and Rene Grouman, in charge of the case of “ill gotten goods ” (BMA,) had already ordered a search of the mansion.
Caradisiac.com published a letter from Patrick Garcia showing a video of the 11 vehicles.
Contrary to what the powers in Malabo might suggest, this action is not deemed a persecution.  It had to do with new developments in the “ill gotten goods” affair and is dificult to disociate from French media revelations, the dubious accumulation of wealth regarding the financing of political parties by African dictators.
According a letter published on Afrik.com:
The public prosecutor's office in Paris, proceeded Wednesday with a search of the offices of lawyers and notaries within the context of the investigation of the “ill gotten goods” in France, of African heads of state, Denis Sassou Nguesso of the Congo, Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea and the late Gabonese president, Omar Bongo Ondimba.
The powers in Malabo, felt compelled to publish a press release to voice their protest.  The site afreekelection.com published a letter citing:
According to Malabo, the seizure of several vehicles on Wednesday, belonging to the Equatorial Guinean president's family, took place just two days prior to a new meeting that was to be held in Paris to deal with the cost of the creation of Unesco-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.
The presentation of this award, created in 2008, was suspended in 2010 following protests from NGO human rights activists and high profile personalities such as Nobel Peace prize winner Desmond Tutu of South Africa.
The denunciation of this initiative, started bearing fruit because after lengthy discussions the case was postponed until the following spring.
With a per capita income estimated in 2010 at $14,540, the 668,225 inhabitants of Equatorial Guinea are classified as being among the wealthiest populations among non-OCDE countries. This is only according to the statistics. In reality, the wealth attributed to its leaders is quite different from that of the population.
Even though this country is the third largest producer of oil in Sub-Saharan Africa, its people live in poverty. Access to drinking water and electricity is a dream for many.  Life expectancy in 2009 was 62.37 years, classifying it at 180th place in the world, behind other African countries of lesser wealth, that are better managed.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Haiti: Where’s the Running Water? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A multi-million dollar project to supply water to several marginal neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince was approved in 2006; 5 years later, there is still no running water.  Haiti Grassroots Watch looked into it and this is what they found.


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Honduras: The Relationship Between Poverty & Crime · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

A guest blogger in La Gringa's Blogicito writes about poverty and crime in Honduras: “This rampant poverty, lack of education and lack opportunities drives some young people to become delinquents and gang members. They grow up to become thieves and killers. They grow up to believe the only way to get ahead is by going against the system and taking advantage of those who can be taken advantage of.”


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Hong Kong: Barcamp 2011 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The 2011 Barcamp (Hong Kong) will be taken place in the City University of Hong Kong this Saturday.


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India: Why The Infant Mortality Is High In West Bengal? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Anirban at Its A Miracle  writes about the increasing rate of infant mortality in West Bengal and points to the inadequate healthcare system in the state.


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Iran: Bloggers React to Rumors of Military Strikes · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

The rumor of an impending Israeli or American millitary attack on Iranian nuclear facilities has become a top news story. Israeli officials have emphasised that the rumor could turn into reality, as United States media has reported that Iran is on brink of nuclear capability. Israel's Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon has said that Israel is not bluffing in its threat to take military action against Iran's contentious nuclear program. Russia, meanwhile, has called the threat a mistake.
Iranian civil society actors reacted to this disturbing news, as did bloggers.
Dodoozeh published several photos of toy weapons, and writes [fa] that the Revolutionary Guards are ready with new weapons to defend the Motherland.
Takeview published a photo of a pin-up model photo sitting on a bomb in a post titled “Wrong image of Iran’s war”. “The UK and U.S. are drawing up plans to attack Iran,” writes the blogger, “amid growing tensions in the Middle East, it was claimed last night.”
Nesvan recalls the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, and writes:
once upon in time there was war in Iran and we listened to red alert…the goods were rare in market but that time was different that now. It was just one year after the revolution and people thought they overthrew Shah and then they can do anything. It is like these people are not the same ones living in country. Today again we listen to the war news but what the war will solve for us? For western countries it can move their economic wheels, sell their weapons and gets rid of Iran's nuclear facilities. They can make profit but what about us? Do not you think that a limited attack to Iran, will make this regime prevail for years?
And Azar Tondar [fa] says:
there are signs that western countries aim to beef up pressure on Iran at the same time that attacking Iranian nuclear facilities makes the headlines: a UN resolution condemning human rights violation in Iran, an International Atomic Agency report on Iran suspected nulear activities and terrorist plot.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Jamaica: On the Kartel Murder Charges  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica Salt is not surprised by the murder charges that have been slapped on dancehall sensation Vybz Kartel, saying: “In a small place like JA, making more enemies than friends is a dangerous position to find yourself.  The real question which of course must be asked is, ‘is he guilty?’ If he is, then this would spell the end of the Gaza era.”


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Liberia Elections 2011: Polling Stations Nearly Empty · Global Voices
Counselor Track

As early as the break of dawn today, Liberians have bravely queued up at various polling stations to exercise their constitutional right to vote. At least five supporters of the opposition Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) lost their lives and many more are injured after Monday's clashes between the opposition supporters and security forces. CDC's leader Winston Tubman called on his supporters to boycott today's elections.
@liberiaelection reports:
No CDC party agents at any of the polling centers AEP has visited across the country #Liberia2011 #Liberiaelections
@lutherjake managed to vote:
Just got thru voting in the #liberia2011 election run-off…. #Liberia, please get up and exercise your #democratic rights.
An empty polling center in Monrovia. Photo courtesy of @liberiaelection.
Pray for Liberia:
@PartnersWW: Please pray for our staff and affiliate businesses in Nicaragua and Liberia during the country presidential elections happening right now.
@danrutledge1: Please pray for peaceful elections in Liberia today. They had some violence flare up yesterday and it's a volatile situation.
@kenyakate's tip for journalists in Liberia:
Journalists in #Liberia for run-off: @iLabLiberia has fast Internet connection that ur welcome to use for uploading ur stories #Liberia2011
Below is a map of election-related incidents from the 2011 Elections in Liberia:
The majority of the reports on this site are contributed by Ushahidi Liberia’s partner organizations; each organization has their own protocols and metrics for report verification and publication
–       It has been Ushahidi Liberia’s intention from the beginning not to crowdsource information regarding the electoral process. Given the potential for unreliable information and volatility from the crowd in Liberia, we have intentionally sought information from partner organizations whom we have trained in reporting to the platform – a crowdseeding approach rather than crowdsourcing. This is a different approach than is often taken in other deployments of the Ushahidi platform.
–        Some members of the crowd made use of the map’s shortcode and sent anonymous messages during the election. Due to the receipt of these messages, the Ushahidi Liberia team created a “crowdsourced” category. We realize that this exception contradicts the original intention to crowdseed information, however we did not want to dismiss or discourage Liberian citizens who made the effort to share information in a climate that typically does not promote information sharing
Polling stations are nearly empty:
@liberiaelection: Reports reaching AEP from across Liberia say turnout is lower than even the referendum polls #Liberia2011
@scarlettlion: Polling station in New Kru Town, which is Weah's area, is all but empty. #liberia2011
@scarlettlion: Monrovia is quiet. Last voting day people were queuing even in the rain at five am. Now, polling stations nearly empty. #liberia2011
Baby looks on as mother goes through the voting process. Photo courtesy of @liberiaelection.
djbaba says the call for a boycott may be working:
I went for a morning jog following a similar route I ran the morning of the October 11 elections in Liberia. On October 11, the atmosphere was one filled with anticipation as voters braved the pouring rain to make sure their voices were heard. Today it seems like a majority of the voters have stayed home so far. Two polling stations had maybe one tenth the number of voters they had by 7:30 AM as they did on October 11, and the weather is nice and sunny today.
But then again on October 11, people were voting for Legislative as well as Presidential elections while today the vote is a run-off between two Presidential Candidates. Maybe Liberian's care more about Legislative elections? Or maybe the 70% voter turnout was a result of 15 Presidential hopefuls? I doubt it though. The CDC's call for voters to boycott the election may indeed be working but to what end?
As the New Democrat Newspaper Column says, “THIS TOO IS LIBERIA!!!”
Following the boycott by the opposition leader Winston Tubman, Africa's first female president and Nobel Peace Laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf remains the only candidate.

author: Counselor Track


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Liberia: To Vote or Not to Vote? · Global Voices
Counselor Track

As the clock was ticking toward Liberia's scheduled November 8, 2011, presidential run-off, a cloud of doubt and uncertainty seemed to be engulfing the process.
Upon his return from Abuja, Nigeria, last Friday where he attended an ECOWAS consultative briefing, the presidential candidate for the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC), Winston Tubman, in an address delivered to his members categorically stressed that CDC wouldn't take part in the runoff.
The CDC chief's proclaimation stirred up many views both at home and abroad: Mardea Wiles commented:
Cllr. Winston Tubman has reiterated that CDC will not participate in the  November 8th runoff for allegations of fraud and biases.  If CDC is  convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that the process was fraudulent,  their Representatives just elected in the October 11th election should  also boycott the process by not taking up their seats in the House of  Legislature. With such action, the Liberians will know that they are  determined to pursue this claim to a logical conclusion.  Can you honor  part of a process and disregard some under the same NEC Administration?
Congress for Democratic Change presidential candidate Winston Tubman. Picture courtesy of africatv1.com
The New Dispensation blog broke the CDC's call for a boycott this way:
Liberia’s controversial next Tuesday  run-off election is postponed and  President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will address the nation  at which time  she will officially inform the Liberian people of the government’s  decision.
The run-off election has come to be one of gridlock as the opposition  party and presidential candidate Cllr. Winston Tubman  withdrew  in  protest  to boycott the run-off.  Cllr. Winston Tubman who returned from  Nigeria yesterday after having talks with Nigeria President Goodluck  Johnathan and Chairman of the Economic Community of West Africa States  (ECOWAS), reiterated his call for boycott of the Tuesday election,  calling on his supporters and partisans to peacefully boycott the Tuesday polls by staying home.
Elizabeth J.Nelson, the acting chairperson of Liberia Elections Commission. Photo courtesy of necliberia.org
The National Elections Commission under the leadership of its new acting chairperson, Elizabeth J.Nelson, reassured all stakeholders that NEC-Liberia is fully committed to leading Liberia to a peaceful transition via free, fair and peaceful elections. In her first official press conference held last week Tuesday, she specifically pinpointed the organisation's readiness to conduct a credible runoff.
In an effort to motivate citizens to exercise their constitutional voting right against a boycott, Mr. Samuel Tolehyon Gbatu, Sr, a Liberian in the Diaspora chose these words for Liberians:
Wake Up Call: It is time for us (Liberians) to exhibit our patriotism, it is time for us to learn that violence is not the answer to our quest if we did not learn that in the past. This is not even based on party levels, be a patriot, support your  and its people, refrain from violence and be a good citizen. Support the electoral process and accept the result for a way forward. Politicians will come and go, but the future of Liberia still remains in our hands……Their aims are unknown don't fall for them. Don't be a fool to be used to destroy your own country, remember their lives are better than the average Liberians.
Unlike Mr. Gbatu, who is calling for a peaceful continuation of the electoral process during the run-off, Jerome J.Verdier, the erstwhile chairman of the defunct Liberian Truth of Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has called for a complete halt to the process. He called the process the “Kangaroo November 8 runoff” and urged the Liberian Senate to cease it:
We have on hand a constitutional/political crisis which should spare no  effort in ensuring its peaceful resolution founded in dialogue pursuant  to a political resolution. The only other option is the legal option  which is no longer viable as no one who is a major stakeholder has any  inkling of confidence in the Supreme Court to dispose of contentious  matters independently, judiciously and legally where the interest of  President Sirleaf is concerned.
A political resolution entails that the senate which has oversight of  presidential appointments must engage both parties, along with the  international community, halt any kangaroo November 8 runoff and advert  further deterioration of an already worsening situation.
An elderly lady being escorted by her son to vote. Photo courtesy of @liberiaelection.
Ibrahim Al-bakri Nyei, a Liberian Youth Ambassador For Peace, commissioned by the Universal Peace Federation described the process in these words: “products of post-conflict governance leakages”:
At this point it is important to mention that the prevailing  developments in Liberia are not spontaneous, but are products of  pos-conflict governance leakages which the administration overlooked.   There are governance leakages which have all built up to numerous  political crises out of which the current situation is just one product.  Two key issues can be considered here as part of the leakages. The  first was the failure of the administration to lead the country into a  broader national process of Constitutional reform.  Constitutional  reform is a key and fundamental element of postwar reform, and had this  government embarked on such an initiative key issues of national  controversy would have been sorted out and addressed. Rather, the  administration chose to support and conduct a referendum month to the  election. It was from this controversial referendum the current tension  around the elections began.
The United Nations (UN) in the midst of all the claims and counter claims reaffirmed its commitment to the electoral process. The world governing body through its Chief, Ban Ki-moon, said the UN supports the joint efforts by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the UN Special Representative for Liberia,  Ellen Margrethe Lj, to promote dialogue and build confidence in the  electoral process and stressed the need for all parties to foster a peaceful transition.
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the regional body of which Liberia is a founding member continued to urge  the Congress for Democratic Change (CDC) to participate in the run-off.
In the wake of all of the fervent efforts being exerted by ECOWAS, with the memory of ECOWAS’ role in the Liberian civil crisis still fresh on the minds of many Liberians, Joe ‘Saye-Tomah’ Gbaba, Sr, showed strong reservations about the regional body's sincerity and neutrality through a comment on the Elections Media Monitoring group on Facebook:
Given the trend of politics in Liberia the comments recently made by the ECOWAS Commission is very troubling in that the ECOWAS Commission suggested that it will “recognize” Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, even if the people of Liberia boycott the elections and reject her as their leader. Such a statement reflects the biased and prejudiced stance the ECOWAS Commission took from day one when ECOMOG’s Ghanaian Field Commander Arnorld Quinoo master-minded the brutal murder of Liberia’s sitting President Samuel Kanyon Doe at the hands of rebels of Prince Johnson’s Independent National Patriotic Front of Liberia (INPFL).
From that time moving forward, it became crystal-clear that ECOWAS Commission had a hidden agenda and that they would be in Liberia for keeps. For, the ECOWAS Commission would pretend they were in Liberia to secure the peace and bring the Liberian human carnage and mayhem to a close. Whereas, in reality, they would enhance and perpetuate mayhem and lawlessness in its various forms in cohort with Liberian rebel warlords and their supporters.
Despite Tubman's call for a boycott, polling opened today for the disputed presidential run-off.


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Malaysia: Sexuality Rights Festival Banned · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

On Wednesday 2 November, 2011, a sexuality rights festival, Seksualiti Merdeka (sexuality independence) was banned by the police in Malaysia. The festival, which is held annually, represents a coalition of NGOs that includes the Malaysian Bar Council and Amnesty International. Through workshops, talks and film screenings, the festival aims to promote human rights and acceptance of the LGBT community. The festival’s vision is for everyone ‘to be free from discrimination, harassment and violence for their sexual orientations and their gender identities’.
Following the ban, organisers of the event have agreed to temporarily suspend all activities.
In a moderately conservative country like Malaysia, this issue has received a lot of mixed opinions, with some fully supporting the cause and others believing it promotes immoral acts.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Muhyiddin Yassin, have been quoted calling the festival a ‘deviationist activity’. Islamist Party of Malaysia’s Youth chief was also quoted saying that the gay lifestyle should not be adopted by anyone, and made reference to an upcoming Elton John concert in Malaysia as promoting the gay lifestyle and supporting homosexuals in Malaysia.
The blogger by the pen name of Gerakan Timur believes (written in Malay) that the festival goes against the religious practices and beliefs of the nation, and that the culture and lifestyle of Malaysians is being threatened by immoral practices.
Che Nah, also brought religion into the equation by saying homosexuality is not permitted in Islam:
I’d like to add that Ambiga was idiotic to have suggested that what the festival promoted would solve the problem of baby dumping in the future. I hate it when non-Muslims and a number of liberal Muslims become too vocal in campaigning their causes that are against the teaching of Islam, the official religion of the country.
The blogger at Simple & Gayforward, also supported the ban, but only for this year’s event:
Because of these trouble-makers, I am glad the festival was banned this year. To me the Malaysian police made the right decision in banning it. After not banning it since 2008 when it began, when it was still quietly held, to ban it this year was prudent because the festival has now attracted the attention of some crazy people. Are some of these people opposing the festival because of their Islamic religious beliefs? I believe yes, but I also believe religious faith is only part of the story.
I suspect it is actually equal parts religious and political, if not more of the latter. I suspect it has more to do with opposition parties using the gay community to pick another fight with the ruling government.
If the festival goes on, with the attention it has garnered by now and with the kind of tempers running now, the religious group will definitely carry out its threat to protest at the festival, which I feel will easily turn ugly and even violent.
However, he did add that he felt offended as a gay man himself:
As a gay man, I feel attacked that the noble efforts to help the stigmatized among LGBT people across the causeway, has been labelled as ‘immoral’ by the ignorant.
Norman Goh is a supporter of the event:
I, for one, supports the effort by organisers of Seksualiti Merdeka and Marina Mahathir’s work to speak up for the discriminated minority groups in Malaysia, particularly LGBT (Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgendered).
They are not organising so-called Free Sex Party (Party Seks Songsang) as mentioned on certain TV stations and newspapers. This is absurd and irresponsible act of cowardice to ‘demonise’ such good effort made to help these people from harassment, violence, abuse and of course, uphold Human Rights for the LGBT group.
The blogger at Kerabumangga also believes that the festival is not about promoting the gay ‘lifestyle’:
Honestly, you can easily be a ‘normal’ heterosexual to get involved with all those what you consider ‘nasties’ of the society. The dark side of the world has got absolutely nothing to do with your sexuality. I'm not asking you to accept homosexuality or any other forms of sexuality or any particular groups which you may think is wrong as correct just like that. All I'm asking you is to acknowledge them and treat everyone with the same respect and dignity. We are all humans.
And this what I think Seksualiti Merdeka (SM) is about. Penerimaan dan (acceptance and) respect. And support. And seriously, SM is more than just about homosexuality as the media is portraying. It's not about sex.
Kimm-Chi also felt that the banning of the event was uncalled for:
There is absolutely no incentive to ban Seksualiti Merdeka on the  grounds of it being ‘immoral’ or ‘inappropriate’. We are all consenting  adults and what we do behind closed doors is nobody’s business. The  festival doesn’t propagate rampant gay orgies in public view nor does it  aim to ‘convert’ people to homosexuality. You can’t choose to be queer,  you are either gay or you are not.
Some have taken to Twitter to show their support for the event as well:
@cindilse: One thing good abt Seksualiti Merdeka – Journalists are now speaking out against the extremism.
@art_harun: For those who do not understand, support for the rights of seksualiti merdeka to express does not equate support for homosex act.
@debbieloh: Seksualiti Merdeka has been on past few years and nobody fussed. What's d big deal now? Oh, general elections are coming, that's why
@anakcelup: Biased media coverage of #SeksualitiMerdeka is state-sanctioned bullying of the LGBTIQ comm. If anythng's splitting the nation, it's this.
As of now, the festival has not been given the permission to continue.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Movember Brunei · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Delwin Keasberry blogs about the Movember Brunei campaign which asks twitter users to put a moustache on their profile in support of the campaign to raise awareness on men's health.


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Myanmar: Military and Violence Against Women · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Khin Min Zaw writes about a film documentary which links the Myanmar military to several cases of violence against women in the country's war-torn northern state.


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Russia: Drug Control Service Goes After a Blogger Who Commented on Steve Jobs Taking Drugs · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Russian Drug Control Service had approached Habrahabr.ru, a popular IT-portal, and demanded [ru] personal data of the Belarus-based staff-writer Alizar [ru]. He is accused of drug propaganda in his post [ru] which speculates on Steve Jobs’ innovativity, marijuana and LSD, and the governments’ policies towards light drugs, citing Time magazine, the New York Times, etc. Alizar is one of the most prolific writers at Habrahabr and had sometimes covered political topics. The portal representative tweeted [ru] that they will not disclose the data without a court order.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Police Re-Branding, So Far Online Only · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Bloggers discuss newpolice.ru [ru], a self-proclaimed website of the Russian police's new look. Despite beautiful design, the authenticity of website hasn't been confirmed by any government agency, which leads a confusion wherever it's a real yet unannounced reform or just a design prank.


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Spain: Canary Islands Volcanic Activity at El Hierro · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Although the community has been evacuated from the La Restinga in El Hierro Island of the Canary Islands due to increased earthquakes due to volcanic activity, scientists and journalists are staying posted to record the underwater volcano eruptions as can be seen on this video by local Guilletheplayer.


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Sri Lanka: Deteriorating Law And Order Situation · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Sri Lanka has suddenly become a country where violence and murder to achieve one’s ends appears to be a very matter of fact event,” comments Ratmale at Serendipity.


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Sri Lanka: Registration For News Websites · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indi.ca reports that the Sri Lankan government has recently banned some websites and also asked any news websites to register.


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Taiwan: Updates from “Occupy Taipei” · Global Voices
Portnoy Zheng

Green Party member and active participant of Occupy Taipei MingWangX(王鐘銘) updates the recent activities of the movement: “On the 15th day, 10/28, the police and the park administrators came again and tried to confiscate the tents for the 3rd time. They didn’t succeed because the member in one of the tents refused to leave even though the poles were stripped and the tent toppled. …That night, Occupy Taipei showed an open-air movie, “Capitalism, A Love Story.” The Occupy Taipei members held a meeting after the movie and decided to stay in the park and keep this movement going. There will be a 2-day event on 11/11-12, including movie, open-space conference, camping, barter market.”

author: Portnoy Zheng


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Thailand Flooding Disaster · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The death toll in Thailand’s worst flooding disaster in 50 years has reached more than 500. Government authorities said 25 provinces are still suffering from the flooding. More than one million families have been affected and the flooding has damaged 4.4 million acres of agricultural land in the country.
The Bangkok governor revealed that 470 areas in the city are affected by the rising floodwaters and evacuation has been ordered in many districts. Below is a map of the flooded parts of Bangkok:
Suthichai Yoon writes about the impact of the floods on Buddhist temples and monks:
Buddhist monks are out in full force these days to help fight the rising floods. A few thousand temples have been submerged and monks in remote areas have suffered from the lack of daily food because local residents haven't been able to do their daily rounds o alms-giving to monks after floods have hit many provinces.
The Thailand Life posted some flooding photos:
I decided to take my camera down there this afternoon and see exactly how much we Sutthisan residents should be concerned. The water seems well contained on the main road, and it doesn’t look strong enough at the moment to make it much further into town, but that said, some of the small side roads have been completely submerged, as you can see.
From the blog of The Thailand Life
Ladprao 64 reports that nothing much has changed in the flooded areas:
From our point of view, there has not been much change again today. Those areas affected are still affected, although the area has widened slightly. There does not seem to have been any further movement of the water along Ladprao Road, although as I mentioned before it was claimed that the movement is now taking place underground.
Provinces a little further to the north, including Pathum Thani, are said to have slightly lower levels of flood water now and it is reported that life might return to normal there within ten days, although that sounds a bit like a guess. As ever, we shall see how it all turns out
Below is a video of motorcycles which are able to travel through the floods:
Twitter user @ThanongK criticizes government relief efforts:
@ThanongK: Only middle class people who have access to online get information on floods. Common people don't know what's going on.
@ThanongK: 6 Govt has no priorities over which areas to protect from floods. Govt focuses on helping industries instead of people.
@ThanongK: 7. Govt's sloppy relief operation is evident by its evacuation of people to areas where floods would eventually make their way to.
A Bruneian blogger created a video calling for more support for the flood victims. Below is a picture of ‘judnak’ bag (heavy task) which was invented to address the hygiene and sanitation problems in evacuation centers:
What’s a Judnak bag and what’s the role of Facebook in facilitating the production of this bag?
“Jud-Nak” bag was originated by a small group of strangers in Facebook since Monday 17 Oct 2011. By Tuesday, we found friend that own a factory with biodegradable materials who could manufacture the bags for us. By Thursday, we got Ploy and Ton from faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn university to design the usage graphics on the bag. Now on Friday, all the manufacturing of the first 20,000 pilot bags is completed. The whole process was conducted by people who barely know each other before, people who put in both money and labour we could find at the time. As the project could be beneficial to majority of people suffering from the biggest flood crisis in 50 years, we aspire to manufacture more of these bags and hopefully we can distribute them to those in need asap
The #thaiflood hashtag continues to be a realiable tool to monitor the flood situation:
@TAN_Network: Public Health warns against consuming ice during floods. All samples of ice and iced drinks tested were contaminated.
@MCOT_Eng: Half Bangkok's taxis ‘disappear’, only 60,000 of over 100,000 operate normally due to flood; many LPG, NGV gas stations closed


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Trinidad & Tobago: Controversial Show Suspended  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Plain Talk “congratulate[s]…the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad & Tobago for their intervention in the issue surrounding the continuous breaches of the law, the Broadcast Code and common decency that has become the hallmark of the Crime Watch show and its subsequent suspension from broadcast”, while Facebook comments left by the suspended show's fans prompts Gerard Best to add: “It is time for a generation of media professionals to emerge as authentic champions of ethical journalism. If not now, when?”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Court Says “No” to Extradition · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidad and Tobago News Blog and Globewriter report on an “important ruling” that was handed down yesterday, resulting in “Ishwar Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson [winning] their judicial review hearing against the decision of Attorney General Anand Ramlogan to sign extradition warrants against them” for their alleged roles in the corruption related to the award of contracts for the construction of the Piarco Airport.


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Vietnam: Campaign to Support Families of Detained Activists · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

“Speak Up Now!” is a letter writing initiative to support families of detained youth activists in Vietnam. The goal is to collect at least 300 letters by Human Rights Day on December 10


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Bolivia: The UN Development Program’s Video Series on Inequality · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The United Nations Development Program has produced a series of videos focusing on inequality in Bolivia [es]. Blogger Pablo Andrés Rivero -who appears in two videos- posts the series [es] in his personal blog.


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China: On the Rise But Feeling Boxed In · Global Voices
John Kennedy

It's been a month since United States (US) Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote that Asia is now the focus of her country's diplomatic, economic and strategic foreign policy, meaning both stability and instability for the region, depending largely on how Sino-US relations develop as the two countries learn to share the same geopolitical theater.
In China, it still all sounds a lot like an encirclement conspiracy, something which Zheng Yongnian, director of the East Asian Institute at the National University of Singapore, touched on in this blog post [zh] from last week, which contains an excerpt from his latest book [zh], “The Road to Great Power: China and the Reshaping of World Order,” (通往大国之路：中国与世界秩序的重塑) due out later this month:
中国的地缘政治非常特殊。中国周边有21个国家(与中国陆地相邻的国家有15个，同中国隔海相望的国家有6个)。从上往下，有朝鲜、日本，接下来是东南亚国家，再下来是印度、缅甸。中国是世界上唯一被核武器包围的国家。中国有安全感吗？如果墨西哥、加拿大要发展核武器，美国拼了老命也不会让它们发展。
Maritime claims in the South China Sea. Image available on Wikipedia
中国没有国际空间，拿海权来说，中国有海权吗？没有。往东，走不出去，有美、日、澳大利亚、新西兰等国挡着，往印度洋，有印度。印度的唯一假想敌是中国。现在唯一剩下的是南海，但美国等国都对南海感兴趣，如果那里被堵住，中国一点出海口都没有。中国连航空母舰都没有，怎么去投送兵力？怎么去履行国际责任？更不用说国际领导权。
Also, Sara K. added an important point to my previous post, writing that:
If China really wants to prevent the perpetuation of the “China Threat Theory”, they should stop pointing so many missiles at Taiwan – and if the PLA had access to Taiwan, it would be much easier for them to attack Japan. If you point weapons at people, you are going to look like a threat.


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Colombia: FARC Main Ideologue “Alfonso Cano” Killed · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

On November 4, 2011, the Colombian government confirmed [es] that Guillermo Leon Saenz (aka Alfonso Cano), the lead FARC ideologist and the man in charge after the death of commanders ‘Tirofijo’ [Fixed Target] and ‘Mono Jojoy‘ [Jojoy Chimp] was taken out in combat with the army in the Cauca department.
This combat situation received the name of Operation Odiseo [es], and even though rumors of the guerrilla leader's death were being spread during the morning, only at night did the first confirmed news break.
As it was expected, there were several reactions amongst netizens.
Manolo Bellon (@ManoloBellon) [es] questioned the celebrations for the guerrilla leader's death:
Buenos días. La muerte de #AlfonsoCano es un avance para la paz del país. Pero jamás se puede celebrar la muerte de un ser humano, nunca.
Good morning. The death of #AlfonsoCano is a move forward towards peace in the country. But we should never celebrate the death of a human being, never.
Alfonso Cano, image of Wikimedia Commons for public domain
Victicor (@CommunityVM) [es] asked about the kidnapped who could die in these operations and who weren't mentioned by the media:
Cuántos secuestrados mataran en esos ataques y el ejercito no dice nada… #AlfonsoCano
How many kidnapped will be killed in these attacks and the army is not saying anything… #AlfonsoCano
Alfonso Cano had already been the focus of attention during regional election day, last October 30, when an ex-M19 guerrilla militant won the mayorship of the capital city, Bogota. Diego Felipe Ariza G (@Diego_Ariza) [es] wrote on that day:
A quien pondremos en la siguiente Alcaldía de Bogota, #AlfonsoCano, el también es populista y tiene ideas que prometen.” #fail
Who will we put on the next Bogota Mayorship, #AlfonsoCano, he's also populist and has promising ideas. #fail
After his death, Neider Negrette D (@NeiderNegrette) [es] mentioned the political role of illegally armed group members:
#AlfonsoCano, camilo torres, vivos ejemplos de ideólogos que tomaron las armas, y sucumbieron ante ellas… El monte no es solución
#AlfonsoCano, camilo torres [sic], living ideological examples who took on the arms… The mountain is not the solution
Journalist Felix de Bedout (@fdbedout) [es] also expressed his opinion on the matter:
En una semana,un ex-guerrillero llega a la alcaldía de Bogotá y un jefe guerrillero muere en el monte.Mensaje a los que optan por el fusil.
In one week, an ex-guerrilla man becomes Bogota Mayor and a guerrilla boss dies in the mountains. Message for those who choose the rifle
Some, on the other hand, took the opportunity to show some humor, like Twichiste (@twichiste) who published:
- Saddam Hussein ☑ – Osama Bin Laden ☑ – Gaddafi ☑ – Alfonso Cano #AlfonsoCano ☑ – Justin Bieber ☐
Maria Fernanda (@mariafernandamp) [es] said:
Gaddafi en el infierno: “Hombre #alfonsocano, no te esperaba tan pronto”.
Gaddafi in hell: “Man #alfonsocano, I wasn't expecting you so soon”.
The blog Consulta previa [Previous consultation] described the developments [es] remembering other guerrilla leaders who have died in similar circumstances:
Murió Alfonso Cano, líder máximo de las FARC. Tropas del ejército colombiano, apoyadas desde el aire, lo cercaron, enfrentaron y mataron. Cuatro altos dirigentes de la longeva organización subversiva han muerto en los últimos años: Raúl Reyes, Manuel Marulanda, el Mono Jojoy (Jorge Briceño) y, ahora, Cano. De ellos, sólo “Tiro Fijo” Marulanda falleció por causas naturales.
Alfonso Cano died, the top FARC leader. Colombian army troops, supported from the air, surrounded him, faced him and killed him. Four high ranked leaders of this long lasting subversive organization have died in the last few years. Raul Reyes, Manuel Marulanda, el Mono Jojoy (Jorge Briceño) and, now, Cano. From all of them, only “Tiro Fijo” Marulanda died of natural causes.
In their opinion,
El gobierno colombiano está a punto de ganar el extenso enfrentamiento, que supera el medio siglo, contra una guerrilla, que insurgió romántica y que degeneró después.
The Colombian government is just about to win the long lasting war, that has been going on for over half a century, against a guerrilla that was born in a romantic manner but degenerated afterwards.
W Radio, one of the national broadcasting stations, transmitted the opinion of former kidnap victims [es] after the news broke. They consider the guerrilla was left broken:
Exsecuestrados y familiares de cautivos de las FARC consideraron hoy que con la muerte del máximo jefe del grupo armado, Guillermo León Sáenz, alias “Alfonso Cano“, se acerca el fin de esta guerrilla, que con más de 40 años de historia es la más antigua de América.
Former kidnap victims and families of FARC prisoners considered today that with the death of the armed group chief, Guillermo Leon Saenz [es], aka “Alfonso Cano”, the end of the guerrilla is near. With more than 40 years of history, it is the oldest in America.
Fred L. Alvarez’ blog republished a note by the EFE news agency [es] that ratifies this opinion:
Con la muerte del máximo jefe de las FARC en los últimos tres años, Guillermo León Sáenz, alias “Alfonso Cano”, esta guerrilla colombiana afronta un camino incierto que la puede exponer a una oleada de deserciones y a una caída de la moral de la tropa.
With the death of the maximum FARC boss in the last three years, Guillermo Leon Saenz, aka “Alfonso Cano”, the Colombian guerrilla is facing an uncertain future that could expose it to a wave of defections and a morale fall among the troops.
Luise Castro felt the same (@LuiiseCastro) [es] and published on Twitter:
Será mejor que se desmovilizen los guerrilleros, porque le están dando plomo duro y no creo que les guste morir. #NoMásFarc #AlfonsoCano
It would be better for the guerrilla fighters to stop their war, because they're being hit hard and I don't think they would like dying. #NoMásFarc [No More FARC] #AlfonsoCano
Nonetheless, Michael Menses (@Mikeoax) [es] doesn't agree, and from Oaxaca, Mexico, he writes that the FARC will stay put:
Las #FARC continuarán la lucha armada en Colombia a pesar de la muerte de su máximo líder #AlfonsoCano. #Colombia #guerrilla
The #FARC will continue the armed fight in Colombia even with the death of their top leader  #AlfonsoCano. #Colombia #guerrilla
Jeison Bolívar (@JesionBolivar) [es] voiced the desire for peace of most Colombians:
paz en la tumba de #alfonsocano la misma paz que colombia tanto le suplicó
peace on the tomb of #alfonsocano the same peace that Colombia begged from him so much
The blog Croniquillas questioned [es] the fact that some leaders of illegally armed groups are being given amnesty for laying down their arms and collaborating with the justice:
Mientras el país padece la guerra declarada por la subversión, los altos jurisconsultos deambulan por el mundo en defensa de las altruistas posiciones de la guerrilla, dándoles de hecho una beligerancia que no merecen y sin importar un pito la sangre inocente de miles de colombianos, masacrados por estos inmaculados defensores de la verdad.
While the country puts up with the war declared by subversion, the high justice experts wonder around the world defending the unselfish guerrilla positions, giving them in fact a belligerence they don't deserve and without giving a damn about the innocent blood of thousands of Colombians, slaughtered for these immaculate defenders of the truth.
On that respect, it is worth mentioning the opinion of Manuel Miranda who in 2010 stated in his blog [es] that,
a la clase política de Colombia no le conviene en modo alguno, la desaparición definitiva de las narcoguerrillas…
it is not on the Colombian political class’ interest that the narcoguerrilla desapear definitevely…
Anonymous Colombia [es] mentions the current situation of the public universities in Colombia, and makes the whole coverage of the recent military operations seem like a cover up strategy to prevent people from talking about the Education Reform:
No crean que con la muerte de Alfonso Cano, van a ocultar todo el problema de la educación la lucha sigue!
Do not think that with Alfonso Cano's death you are going to be able to conceal the education problem, the fight goes on!
You can follow more opinions on Twitter under the hashtag #AlfonsoCano

author: Cati Restrepo


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Colombia: Online Petition Calls for Resignation of Minister of Education · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

With widespread opposition to the Colombian government's reform to higher education, Pilar Sáenz (@Mapisaro) tweets a link [es] and shares that she signed an online petition [es] that calls for the resignation of the current Minister of Education, María Fernanda Campo [es]. A Senator [es] has been promoting this measure. #ChaoMinistra is currently a local Trending Topic on Twitter.


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Colombia: President Santos Proposes Removal of Reform to Law 30 if Students Lift Strike · Global Voices
Lully Posada

Seconds after President Juan Manuel Santos announced [es] that if students lifted their strike he would remove the project to reform higher education Law 30 from Congress, ‘Presidente Juan Manuel Santos’ [es] and ‘Santos‘ [es] became local Trending Topics on Twitter. This occurs on the eve of a protest scheduled for November 10.

author: Lully Posada


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Cuba: Encounter with a Fumigator  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Many people in Cuba fail to understand the gap between social and private space,” writes Daisy Valera, whose run-in with an official fumigator left her with “the feeling of being overwhelmed and without rights, even within the four walls of where I live.”


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Cuba: Segregation Sail  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Reinaldo Escobar and his wife Yoani Sanchez get kicked off a yacht tour reserved for tourists; he recounts the experience here.


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Czech Republic: Open Source Initiative to Visualize State Budget · Global Voices
Jakub Górnicki

KohoVolit‘s Michal Škop and Centrum Cyfrowe [pl] from Poland announced that the open source application Raw Salad [pl] used to hack the Polish state budget will also be used in the Czech Republic. Besides publishing the budget data using this new way, Czechs will also create a dedicated portal with visualisations of the selected data.

author: Jakub Górnicki


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Egypt: Global Online Protest Against Military Planned Today  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A global online protest is being held today to protest against the unjust imprisonment of thousands of Egyptians since the beginning of the Egyptian revolution. Click here for more details.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Ghana: Shame and Praise Service Providers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Have any companies driven you to the wall lately to the point where you felt like burning down their premises? Kuzima is your answer. Kuzima is “A platform that allows anyone to SHAME and PRAISE service providers. Comments eventually end up with the companies’ customer service departments, so, you don't scream in vain.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Global Campaigns in Solidarity with Syria Keep Growing · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
While repression continues in Syria, the Internet has been flooded with initiatives in solidarity with Syrian citizens and their struggle for freedom. Two of the latest are “Call Homs” and “Syrian Sit-in in Youtube.”
“Call Homs” aims to show solidarity with the people of Homs, the Syrian city that has become the symbolic capital of resistance against the regime's brutality. This week, Muslims celebrate the festivity of Eid Al-Adha, and a campaign organized by a group of Syrian expatriates encourages people to dial the area code for Homs and wish a random family Happy Eid. More guidelines can be found  on the Facebook event page.
An audio recorded by Mohammed Al-Mulhim and widely shared on Twitter presents the conversation between a Saudi man and a Homsi lady. Here's the translation:
Salam Aleikom/ Aleikum Es-salam / Who's talking? / This  is Mohammad  AlMudhem, from Saudi Arabia / Oh, son, you got the wrong  number, / Yes,  I know, sister. I´m calling you randomly,  to tell you  just one thing.  /Tell me, dear/ We stand with you in solidarity, with  all our hearts  /God bless you, my son/Listening to you makes me very  happy, sorry to  disturb you, I just wanted to wish you Happy Eid / God  bless you, my  son! / Best wishes and I hope you stay safe / Who's  talking again? /  This is Mohammad Almudhem / God bless you, best wishes  and longest life  to you/ But tell me about you, is your family ok? /  Yes, we are,  thanks so much, God bless you, God bless you!
The campaign spread quickly mainly through blogs, Facebook and Twitter, with hundreds of users sharing the #CallHoms hashtag and their stories:
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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Global: Replacing Moreno Ocampo at the International Criminal Court · Global Voices
Evan Fleischer

Luis Moreno Ocampo‘s term as the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court is coming to an end. The elections for judges are scheduled for the tenth session of the Assembly of States Parties at United Nations Headquarters from the 12-21 December, 2011.
So who  might end up replacing Luis Moreno Ocampo as Chief  Prosecutor of the ICC? As of the time of writing, the  frontrunner is the Deputy Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda of Gambia.
Other candidates include:
…  Andrew Cayley, a co-prosecutor at the Khmer Rouge tribunal in Cambodia  who comes from Britain; Tanzania's Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman;  and Robert Petit, a counsel at the crimes against humanity and war  crimes section of Canada's Justice Department.
The ECCC court room on 20 July 2009 during testimony of former Khmer Rouge prison guard Him Huy. Courtesy of Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia.
“Any of those four would be an improvement,” Joshua Rozenberg of the BBC's Law in Action writes in response to a query from the author:
@JoshuaRozenberg: @efleischer Any of those four would be an improvement. Come to think of it, anyone would be better.
Almost in counterpoint to Rozenberg’s disapproval however, is Bensouda herself. In an interview with The Global Observatory, she stresses the idea of letting the court be the court:
I  think one of the strongest arguments to make about not amending or  changing anything is, at least let the court go into full cycle, let it  try and test all the parts of the statute that we will be dealing with,  before you want to amend it.
In reaching out to the online community specifically interested in the  International Criminal Court, Jesse Loncraine of IJ Central, an  activist organization created by Skylight Pictures, wrote that:
If Bensouda takes over, expect a victim driven approach.
And the idea of this ‘victim driven’ approach manifests itself  at least within the interview with The Global Observatory:
You should also take note that the ICC is the first international criminal  court created that also took into account victim participation. Most of  it was as a result of what happened in the ad-hoc tribunals and how the  victims felt so helpless, that they are just passive subjects, they are  used as witnesses but when it comes to them participating, having their  views and concerns, and at the end of the day seeking reparations, it  did not happen. It is happening at the ICC. Again, I give examples of  the trials that have taken place so far and how the victims have been  very active subjects in those trials.
[…]
It  is not the work of the Office of the Prosecutor, of course, to deal  with reparations. It is the judges, and they will decide how they want  to decide, and the trust fund for victims will take it up from there.  But what we have been doing at the level of the Office of the Prosecutor  is see how we can connect situations that can help each  other.
Global Voices has previously reported on efforts to bring the British-born Prime Minister of Thailand to the International Criminal Court, Kenyans organizing to show support for the ICC (or texting their votes to save a suspect), the Sudanese blogosphere reacting to the arrest warrant issued against Omar al-Bashir (as well as here), African bloggers reacting to Karadžić’s arrest, the trial of Charles Taylor at the ICJ  and more.
One  of the issues in dealing with a global institution is to begin to work  towards building a global conversation around it; in taking a step  back and in reply to being queried as to what he thinks about the  court, Ahron Young, the Melbourne Bureau Chief for Sky News, writes:
I  agree that people in corrupt countries need to do something and the ICC  offers at least some hope that something can be  done.
Jahanzaib Haque, web editor for The Express Tribune, writes:
I  don't have a strong opinion about the ICC, but I am a believer in  justice without borders, and the ICC is a (flawed) necessary step in the  right direction towards a unified, cosmopolitan existence for  all.

author: Evan Fleischer


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Grenada: On Self-Publishing  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Tobias Buckell is “seriously getting tired of prominent self publishers” and explains why, here.


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Guinea-Bissau: Community Radio Launches a New Blog · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The community radio Voz de Queléle (Voice of Quelélé) [pt], from the Quelélé neighborhood in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, launched a new blog in October 2011. The radio was created in 1994 and has played an important role especially in providing public health information to the community.

author: Sara Moreira


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Haiti: Cholera Vaccine?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dying in Haiti links to an article which suggests that it would cost 40 million dollars to vaccinate everyone in Haiti against cholera and says: “That seems like a good deal. We need to remember that the UN costs 60 million dollars per MONTH to keep them in Haiti. Which do you think is more important?”


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Iran: Referee gets beaten up  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Khakestar writes  [fa] that several English newspapers published the story how a referee in Iran beaten up in Iran League the match between Chooka Talesh vs Shahrdari Dezfool. Here is the film.


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Iran: Remembering Joe Frazier · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Several bloggers shared their childhood memories where they watched Joe Frazier and Mohammad Ali's match. Mohsen Kordi says [fa] sometimes people were so excited about the matches that they did not go to work and watch TV.


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Israel: Whistleblower Anat Kamm Jailed for Exposing IDF Assassinations · Global Voices
Gilad Lotan

Anat Kamm is an Israeli journalist who was sentenced to four and a half years in prison for leaking thousands of classified military documents to Israeli Haaretz journalist Uri Blau. Information from the documents suggests that the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) had defied a court ruling against assassinating wanted militants in the West Bank who could have potentially been arrested safely.
On December 4, 2008, Blau published a report based on these documents which stated that the IDF senior command planned and executed targeted killings of three people in violation of a 2006 ruling of the Israeli Supreme Court limiting the circumstances in which such a tactic could be used. I couldn't find a working link to the original article by Uri Blau, “License to Kill”, but here's a link to a blog post that reposted the original text.
Image by mish
Kamm is reported to have said during her interrogation: “There were some aspects of the IDF's operations procedures in the West Bank that I felt should be public knowledge… When I was burning the CDs I kept thinking that history tends to forgive people who expose war crimes.”
The Israeli police secured a gag order prohibiting Israeli media from reporting on Kamm's arrest. On February 6, 2010, Anat was convicted of espionage and providing confidential information without authorization and placed under house arrest. After almost two years under house arrest, on October 30, 2011, Kamm was sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
While this story is not new, the court decision on Kamm's sentence this week drew a wide array of Israeli netizen reactions. Noam Lester reposts thoughts [he] he published when the story was first publicized in 2010, protesting the lack of media focus on the reported IDF crime that surfaced from this leak:
We witness again the ritual of concealment, censorship, foreign publishing, leaks to blogs and finally a tiring day of non-stop blabbering media. Once again we sacrifice a victim in order to teach us all not to deal with the security forces, especially not to embarrass and show their wretchedness (and crimes). Everyone is focusing on the emissary (Anat) and not the news she surfaced:  the IDF has committed crimes directly violating a court order from the Israeli Supreme Court. For this no one will be tried and certainly no one will sit in prison. But the one who exposed the atrocity – she can be presented as a traitor and sent for life imprisonment.
Anat Balint sarcastically writes:
The severe verdict of four and a half years in prison, given by the Tel-Aviv district court to Anat Kamm is a harsh blow to the 24-year-old whistleblower, and a calming pill to many of the public who followed the evolution of this story since April 2010. The process of turning Kamm to a modern-day witch who is threatening the existing social order has been completed successfully. She was caught, removed away from us, thank god, and now all can be sure that we've returned to believe in the holy values: there's nothing more important than the security of our country and its protection from enemies, there's no holier entity than the military, and there's nothing more severe than trying to hurt either of these.
She continues:
Every person whose part of the complex relationship between government entities, security forces and journalists in Israel understands the sheer irony wrapped in the Kamm affair. Leaks of the same sort are the bread and butter of these relationships, a daily affair. Messages that don't come out through the formal channels, or through an authorized interview, are in effect a type of “leak”, which is, according to the law, a crime. These leaks many times include confidential or top secret documents that somehow find their way to journalists and serve as a basis to their articles.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are many who believe that Kamm's sentence should be more severe. Moshe Goldbladt writes:
I hope that the State Attorney will not accept this absurd punishment that Anat Kamm received. In opposition to the judge ruling in the given verdict, the punishment reflects disrespect towards the state security.
Anat Kamm received the support of the left due to exposing “war crimes” – the claim is total babble – and glorified her for her motivation and ideology. When Kamm's lawyers saw that this heartens left wingers but doesn't help her, she started presenting herself as a young, confused girl who doesn't really understand the judges.
It is now time to stop playing hide-and-seek with Uri Blau and with Haaretz. The journalist, editor and everyone involved in receiving this classified material from Anat Kamm must stand before trial and pay a heavy price for their action. Also in this case we need to be talking about an active prison term for many years. Their claim for regularly having access to classified materials (as Raviv Druker suggests as a witness Kamm's trial) is exactly why they need to learn the consequences of breaking military field security laws in this country.

author: Gilad Lotan


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Liberia: For the Liberiaphiles · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A post for the Liberiaphiles from Chris: “Yesterday’s vote was marred by violence the day before. It looks like badly-trained and led police are to blame, but we will see.”


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Macedonia: Mobilizing Against Veles Lead Smelting Factory · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

The city of Veles residents of all political persuasions are united in protest against restarting of the lead and zinc smelting factory located within city limits, whose operation has had devastating effects on people's health. On November 9, 2011, the Day of the City that marks Veles’ liberation from the Nazis in World War II, they are organizing a massive rally.
Twitter hashtags about the protest movement cover both Latin and Cyrillic versions of the city's name: #Veles or #Велес. Aggregattor Time.mk published a compilation of links gathered by the Twitter community [mk] towards media coverage of the problem over the years (sadly, the recent closing down of A1 TV and other critical media has led to inaccessibility of their web archives).
The Green Coalition, composed of the local NGOs, published a call for “everybody” to join the protest against the environmental “genocide” through a viral video [mk] based on their written demands [mk], also advocated via a Facebook group [mk]:
As previously reported by Global Voices, blogger Jovan Petrov provided the background of the problem with the lead and zync smelting factory in Veles. His post also included a link to a very disturbing documentary “Smelter Good – Veles Kaput” (part 1, 2, 3 – in Macedonian, with English subtitles).
Jovan Petrov has also managed to discover a very important document by the investor corporation, posted on the website of the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning. He tweeted [mk] about it:
BTW here's the METRHUDEM impact study [mk, PDF] submitted to the Ministry of environment – they admit that they will pollute…
He also invited his audience to form their own judgement by tweeting [mk] about the news item [mk] on the pro-government portal Kurir, in which a representative of the factory owners claimed that they would invest a lot of money in filtering technology to minimize pollution after restarting.
Various stakeholders, including the local opposition and the local branch of the ruling political party – which dominates the local government (same as on the central level) expressed support for the citizens’ request on this burning issue. From the unanimous Municipal Council [mk], to local businessmen and MPs [mk], and to the President of the Republic. Interestingly, the latter's support was announced [mk] via Kurir also, but not on his official site.
Ace Kocevski's Facebook status
However, all these institutions do not have direct jurisdiction/competence over this issue – it lies within the executive branch of the central government. The current opposition member and former Veles mayor Ace Kocevski, who in 2002 filed the recently rejected suit on behalf of the Municipality and the Green Coalition against the state, wrote [mk] on his Facebook profile:
Before the announced protest gathering against restarting of the Smelter factory, the citizens of Veles deserve to know: On whose side are the Government of the Republic of Macedonia and the Ministry of the Environment – the citizens of Veles or the polluters? What is more important to them – the people's health or the polluters’ profit, the increase of the GDP and increased industrial production. I have no dilemma. One cannot put a price tag on health. Can you?
In another status, ‘liked’ by 220 Facebook users, Kocevski also wrote [mk] that the citizens of Veles can do much on their own, without waiting for the relevant central government institutions:
Today, as in 2002, when I initiated the suit, I am convinced that the Republic of Macedonia is responsible for the damages from the 30-year pollution, due to non-implementation of its legal obligations, because according to the Constitution, it is obliged to provide healthy environmental conditions to all of its citizens [quoting Article 8, 43, 55]
[…]
Health consequences of the criminal negligence are enormous and well-documented by domestic and foreign experts and scientific institutions.
I express full support for the Green Coalition and Veles Municipality. I call upon them, besides emotional speeches, to also act rationally and realistically. We do not need meetings with METRUDHEM. Their business interest is legitimate, since the competent authorities have allowed them to buy MHK Zletovo [the parent company of the factory].
Citizens of Veles can do much on their own. The Municipal Council should immediately change the general and detailed urban plan and change the zoning of the factory space from heavy to light, non-polluting industry. This will provide both protection and conditions for investment leading to new jobs.
In the meantime the Ministry of the Environment must consistently obey the Law by not issuing A-level integrated license for the Smelter.
Health has no price. No business interest is more important than the health of citizens of Veles. Veles must win this battle, because it belongs to the future, yet unborn generations. Let us unite again, overcoming our mutual differences.
Protest poster from the GreenBox blog.
In a post [mk] about the upcoming protest, Greenbox blog posted that the Green Coalition confirmed support for the protest by local guilds of physicians, athletes, organizations of retired people and veterans, and religious communities. The organizers have also called top government executives to join the protest. A few days ago, the minister of the environment confirmed that the investor had submitted request for license to restart the factory, but said the permission had not been given yet.
Numerous Twitter users have also commented on this situation. For instance, Vanco Ordanoski wrote [mk]:
The Minister of the Environment, with his family, should move to Veles to live near the Smelter, and then he should attempt to restart it!…
Vlatko Vasilj asserted [mk]:
Not only the citizens of Veles, the whole Macedonia must not allow the Smelter to restart!
Nikola Strezovski opined [mk]:
…I think that this thing with #Veles might be propaganda set up like “a success of the Government, it prevented the opening of the Smelter.”
Miroslav Sazdovski concluded [mk], using the Cyrillic version of the hashtag #vmrololo, which mockingly refers to the ruling party VMRO-DPMNE:
#vmrlolo glued itself to the #smelter #Veles issue and we can expect parades and theater. We shall endure/tolerate it, if that's the price of saving the people of Veles… [expletive]

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Madagascar: A Blogger’s Wish for Free Elections for Christmas · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

In a letter to Santa Claus, on his blog tulearenvie.mondoblog.org, @Andriamihaj shares his nostalgia for the atmosphere generated by peaceful elections and points out what he misses:  “I would really like to experience new things.  I actually want to experience the propaganda (it's been a while).  I want to change the posters on my wall (not on Facebook, on the other wall), have pens, new t-shirts. …I just want elections!


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Malawi: Women in Prison · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Sonya Donnelly writes about the plight of Malawian women in prison: “Prison is often a very expensive way of making vulnerable women’s life situations much worse. Once a woman is incarcerated miles from her home, sometimes for months or years without the case progressing, she may lose her home, her relationships and her children in the process.”


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Mexico: Global Voices Contributor Receives Praise for Her Poems and Her Tweets · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Global Voices contributor Issa Villarreal is recognized in the UNAM's (National Autonomous University of Mexico) ‘Poetry Periodical’ [es] for her poem El cuerpo siempre pierde [es] (“The body always loses”) and her informative tweets about Monterrey. You can follow Issa on Twitter @hiperkarma.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Nicaragua: Protesters Denounce Election Fraud · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Opponents to Daniel Ortega's reelection protested on November 8 denouncing electoral fraud in the November 6 elections, as reported by El Nuevo Diario [es]. The blog Política Mente Incorrecto [es] shares links to articles, pictures, and several citizen videos of the protest.


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North Korea: Insider Reports on North Koreans Lives · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean humanitarian aid group, Good Friends released the English translation of their news letter. It gives inside look into the North Korean food crisis and how impoverished North Korean will cope with the harsh winter season.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Pakistan: India Is The Most Favored Nation For Trade · Global Voices
Rezwan

Riaz Ali Toori comments that a dream came true when the Federal Cabinet of Pakistan declared India as the most favored nation of Pakistan for trade.

author: Rezwan


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Report on North Korea’s Digital Revolution · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Martyn Williams of the North Korea Tech blog wrote about the Nautilus Institute's new report on North Korea. According to the report, North Korea's mobile communications industry has grown so rapidly and widely that even the regime can no longer has absolute control over it.


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Russia: Radical Feminist Band Dedicates Debut Clip to Arab Spring · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

“Egyptian air is good for lungs,” “Make Tahrir at the Red Square”, “Feminist whip is good for Russia” and other provoking slogans sing 3 women from the new radical feminist band “Pussy Riot.” The debut clip [ru] of the band, inspired by the Arab Spring events, features mask-wearing females with guitars standing on top of a trolleybus and other controversial public performances.


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South Korea: Online Political Satire Show Draws Millions of Downloads · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A hilarious satirical talk show, ‘Na-Ggom-su’ has gone viral in South Korea. The show, which is only available online, is filled with wild jokes and expletives, and lampoons the country’s President Lee Myung-bak and the ruling Grand National party.
The four hosts of the show openly say that they have “dedicated” their show to Mr. Lee whom they often mockingly call “His Highness”. They named the show “Naneun Ggomsuda” (I’m a petty-minded creep”), a nickname vocal critics gave to the president. (People prefer to call the show by its acronym “Na-Ggom-su”).
It has been only eight months since its launch, but this low-budgeted political show has become incredibly popular. Each episode has been downloaded by more than two million people, six million people have listened the show and roughly  10 million, about one fifth of the whole population, know about the show. After the release of each weekly episode, it ranks as top podcast of the day or week in iTunes.
Image of the four hosts of the show. The Naggomsu team holds the copyrights, used with permission.
Case in point
Naggomsu’s latest episode (#26) starts with a Christian hymn “Nearer, my God, to thee”. But when listened carefully, the lyric is about the Naegok-dong, an expensive piece of land the President allegedly purchased under his son’s name to build his retirement residence.
While the melody, rhythm, and even the song’s sentiment is the same as the original hymn, the song’s title is “Nearer, Naegok-dong, to thee”. Fans went crazy for this parody and have created numerous memes, while the Christian community has filed a complaint on the use of the sacred hymn.
The show’s opening comment is witty: “You folk need to know where your daily stress comes from: it actually comes from politics. Having an interest in politics and participating in voting – that should be done for you, for your own good so you can relieve your stress.”
When talking about the former mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon, the host cackles and blurts, “when he stepped down [after he lost in the election] he gave s**t to his party, the ruling party. Actually he distribute his s**t to everybody around him”. Then the other host chimes in, “we shall call him the s**t-distributer”. Another mockingly cries out to Mr. Oh, “My friend, I am the only one left for you. Call me when you feel lonely”.
The issues they touch on range from lighter, funny cases to much sharp analyses on serious social issues. With former and current investigative reporters on board, the show often breaks exclusive stories on numerous allegations.
Episode 26 reveals the authorities’ unsuccessful manipulation of the voting rate on the recent election day. According to the show's report, the election commission suddenly changed the voting locations; its homepage, particularly the web page where voters go to look up their election locations, had stopped for three hours on the morning of the election day. The host says it was neither a DDoS attack as the authorities claim, nor a connection error caused by heavy traffic, since it was early in the morning. The host concluded it was to confuse and discourage young, liberal voters who hurriedly go to vote before work.
Several weeks ago one of the hosts, investigative reporter, Mr. Choo, broke an exclusive report on Na Kyung-won, the governing party’s candidate in the latest Seoul mayoral election. Mr. Choo’s revelation on Ms. Na’s frequent visit to a luxury skin care clinic with an annual membership fee of 100 million won (USD 90,000) is believed to have affected the highly-contested election. Ms. Na, though she admitted that she went to the clinic, has denied the allegations that she holds membership and sued the show for libel.
Despite threats and numerous lawsuits pending, the show is greatly loved by the Korean people. Millions have downloaded it on their mobile and home computers and from abroad and shared it in their favorites sites, and four major RSS feeds have been created. Blogger 2Proo requested people to download it through its proper root (by its original Podcast) since about 75 percent of the expense is spent in managing the server traffic. The production expenses are covered by the show leader's pocket money.
Praise of the show
Many net users are surprised to watch these hard-core political talk show in the country. Blogger Nolyitur 31 wrote [ko]:
MB에 대한 시시껄렁한 에피소드부터 굵직한 정치 윗이야기가 쏟아져 나온다. 포맷은 포장마차나 대포집에서 아저씨들이 술안주삼아 씹고 까불고 욕하다 박장대소하는 형식 지금의 20,30대는 수용가능할지 몰라도 ‘대통령 욕하면 쥐도 새도 모르게 잡아간다는 시절’ 을 살아낸 40대 후반 이상 연령대가 들어면 깜놀할 방송이다.
Another blogger Jangbalkim commented [ko] that the show talks about things people want to know about but can’t find in the mainstream media and brings young generation closer to politics:
이들이 주고 받는 이야기가 마치 술김에 입에서 나오는 대로 마구 배설하는 느낌이지만 사실은 나름대로 철저히 준비하고 다른 (의도된) 큰 뉴스에 묻혀버린, 묻혀서는 안될 이야기들을 근거로 이야기를 풀어간다.무엇보다 정치 혐오모드의 젊은이들에게 정치 관심으로의 긍정적 역할을 좋게 본다[…]현재로서 어떤 TV나 신문매체보다 정치 상황을 제대로 바라볼 수 있는 통로라는 생각이 든다.
Blogger DongMakRyu listed [ko] some of the problems the show have:
70%의 사실과 20%의 찹리적 추론, 10%정도의 부정확한 정보로 이루어져 있다.[기존 기사 읽을때] 내용을 걸러서 읽을 수 있는 사람은 이 방송을 충분히 즐길 수 있고 거기서 새로운 사실을 알아갈 수 있다.[…] 소위 말하는 보수진영, MB진영에 대해선 사정없이 까는데, 소위 말하는 진보진영은 일방적으로 옹호하는 면이 있다. 특히 김어준이 흑백논리에 빠져 있고…
But the blogger still defined it as a show “worth listening to”.
As the show gained huge popularity and influence, the conservative party has come up with its version of talk shows aiming young voters. However, many bloggers call them “no match” to Naggomsu.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Final Bailout Formula · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Afra Raymond comments on the new bailout formula which was recently approved by Parliament: “Whatever one thinks of the actual [CL Financial] bailout, which I maintain is a perversion of our Treasury, there are valuable lessons to be learned from all this.  The main lesson for me is the Power of the Few.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Tunisia: The Day Ben Ali Became President · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.
On November 7, 1987, former Tunisian President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali, who now lives in exile in Saudi Arabia, came to power through a bloodless coup. Ben Ali became president, after doctors of his predecessor Habib Bourguiba filed a medical report claiming that the latter was medically incapable of fulfilling his duties as president.
Since the peaceful transfer of power took place, Ben Ali acted as the Tunisian President until he was forced to leave office on January 14, following a popular uprising that swept the North African country.
An example of how the streets of Tunis were decorated on November 7, 2009. The banner reads: Ben Ali Our Only Choice. Photo by Hamideddine Bouali
If Ben Ali was still in power, he would have been celebrating the 24th anniversary of his presidency. His pictures, and the purple color of his party [the Constitutional Democratic Rally, known by its French acronym, the RCD], would have been decorating the streets of Tunisia, from North to South.
Netizens react to the anniversary with relief.
Houssem H. tweets [fr]:
Demain ta ville ne sera pas repeinte en mauve #7nov
For this occasion, Tunisian blogger Imen Braham created a Tumblr blog and named it November 7th Without of Ben Ali. The blog is dedicated to share and mock previous speeches of the former President, and songs praising him.
She tweets [fr]:
Je viens de céer le Tumblr du #7nov sans Ben Ali pour nous rappeler ce qu'on va rater cette année :D
She adds in another tweet:
If you find stuff about previous #7nov in tunisia you can share with us :) http://7nov.tumblr.com/ Tunisia isn't missing it's dictator
For instance, Imen shared a televised speech by Ben Ali, in which he was addressing the youth on the occasion of the International Year for Youth. She commented [ar]:
كلمة بن علي بمناسبة السنة الدولية للشباب!  قال نريد الشباب أن يجلب إلى تونس الشرف ! الشباب طردك وجابلنا الشرف
Another tumblr blog called Le musée mauve (The Purple Museum) [fr] was created, for the same purpose.
Oussama Messaoud, wrote an imaginary speech [ar], of what would Ben Ali have said, had he still been in power. About his text, Oussama writes:
In this imaginary speech, Ben Ali says:
He adds:
This November 7 overlapped with the second day of Eid Al Adha celebrations. On Twitter, Protact makes the connection:
@protact: tunisian are celebrating the second day of #Aid and the first #7Nov day without the ousted president speech.
And Mira adds [fr]:
@Mira404: Cette année en égorgeant leurs moutons bcp de tunisiens vont penser à Ben Ali.
This post is part of our special coverage Tunisia Revolution 2011.

author: Afef Abrougui


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Africa: The 4th edition of the African Media Leaders Forum · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Writing about the 2011 African Media Leaders Forum (AMLF) held on November 10-11 in Tunis, EVINA in the africapress.over-blog.com provides possible reasons  [fr] for the increase in the number of participants: 55 people attended the first edition that took place in Dakar (Senegal) in November 2008, and 250 participants gathered in Yaounde, Cameroon in 2010.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Bangladesh: Ethnic Minorities Or Indigenous People · Global Voices
Robb WJ Ellis

Habib Siddiqui endorses Bangladesh's stance on terming the people of the Chittagong hill tracts as ethnic minorities in place of indigenous people.

author: Robb WJ Ellis


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Central African Republic: Alleged Fire next to the Residence of President Bozizé  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Hippolyte Donossio wrote on Twitter at 8:20 am local time that the residence of François Bozizé, president of the Central African Republic, was allegedly set on fire [fr]. The cause of the fire is still unknown.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Chile: Netizens Denounce Police Violence in Mapuche Community · Global Voices
Mi voz

This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.
With the title “Mapuche Territory Militarization – Low-Intensity War” [es], Felipe Durán – UPI Agency photographer and member of the Union of the Association of Independent Reporters ARI – published a series of images denouncing police violence in the Mapuche community WenteWinKulMapu Lof Chequenco, in Ercilla.
Felipe called out on Facebook [es]:
Esto es Todos los días… Estos últimos 3 días fueron los más fuertes… las imágenes son solo de 1 día en la Comunidad donde llego Carabineros con vehículos Blindados rompiendo cerco de las casas, trancas y lo que se les interponga, disparando a las casas niños mujeres… sin justificación alguna… sólo con el afán de amedrentar a las personas… en las imágenes se puede apreciar como entran a los terrenos de las casas disparando a mansalva… Solicitamos ayudar a difundir y estar atentos ante más información que seguiremos liberando. Las imágenes son libres como nosotros, compartalas, informe a su entorno, solidarice difundiendo y estando informando.
The blog werkenkvrvf [es] re-published some of the images, and wrote [es]:
Los helicópteros policiales vuelan día y noche por sobre las tierras de estas comunidades. Los mapuches sufren controles de identidad abusivos, vejatorios. Sus luchas son criminalizadas y judicializadas por el gobierno y el poder Judicial, y son deformadas y condenadas por la prensa (salvo contadas y honrosas excepciones) y por los partidos políticos con representación parlamentaria.
The Mapuche Student Federation [es] (FedFEMAE) tweeted [es]:
Esta es la REPRESION DEL ESTADO CHILENO PARA LOS MAPUCHE…
These acts of violence are taking place after the revival of the recovery of ancestral territories of the Wente Winkul Mapu community [es]. These territories in the Pidima, Ercilla area in the Araucanía region today are called ‘fundo Centenario‘. This estate is owned by Juan de Dios Fuentes and forestry companies. Likewise, in 2010, 5 Mapuche were convicted of non-violent usurpation [es] of the territory.
These events are usually framed within the so-called “Mapuche conflict“, a social phenomenon that gained strength in Chile with the return of democracy, and that consists of the recognition of the collective rights of the Mapuche, which includes, among other demands, the recovery of indigenous territories lost since the nineteenth century.
Mapuche media azkintuwe [es] and mapuexpress [es] also shared the photos. Here are some of the images, posted with Felipe Durán's permission:
Police deployment in the Wente WinKul Mapu Lof Chequenco community in Ercilla.
Police used tear gas in Mapuche community
Police vehicle
Police in the WenteWinKulMapu Lof Chequenco community, Ercilla.
This post is part of our special coverage Indigenous Rights.

author: Mi voz


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China: Free Guangcheng, Dark Glasses Portraits · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Concerned citizens in Mainland China express their support for blind activist Chen Guangcheng by wearing dark glasses. They demand the Shangdong Government free Chen and his family who has been under house arrest for more than one year since his release from prison in September 2010 (via acopy.net).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: No Justice for Sex Assault Victims  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zeng Jinyan discusses about the fate of sex assault victims in China. Instead of justice, they are consumed by media and some of them have to face further prosecution by the government authorities.


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Colombia: Massive National Mobilization Rejecting Reform of Law 30 · Global Voices
Lully Posada

Blog El salmon [es] published [es] a post titled “|No to Law 30|… We are occupying Bogotá!!” on the November 10 national  mobilization [es], reporting that other social movements like indigenous people and transportation workers have joined the protest. It is estimated that 35 thousand people are protesting. Bogota is jammed with traffic congestion and reports say student plan to occupy Plaza Bolivar [es] indefinitely. Peaceful protests are also taking place in other cities.

author: Lully Posada