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Pakistan: Netizens Protest Moral Policing On Art Curator · Global Voices
Salman Latif

The holy month of Ramadan brings lot more than just fasting to Pakistanis – we can take the recent incident at Nairang Gallery, Lahore, as an example. A few days ago, a Station House Officer (SHO) together with other policemen stormed into the Nairang Art Gallery in Lahore.
The raid was carried out on the pretext that the female curator of the gallery wore a sleeveless shirt and was intermingling with other men, something quite contrary to the views held by the conservatives here and thus bordering on obscenity.
As soon as the issue came to light, the Pakistani online sphere was fraught with condemnatory posts and tweets. Disgusted and appalled at such brazen violation of human rights by a law-enforcement officer, demands were made to take action against him so that no further incidents like these occur. Human Rights Commission Pakistan has also expressed serious concern over the incident and demanded that immediate action be taken against the offender.
Expressing her horror at the fact that some media outlets were more concerned about the curator’s outfit than the issue of harassment, Meera Ghani writes at Pak Tea House:
People choose to over look the fact that these women were illegally beaten by a policeman instead they choose to focus on what they wore and whether their dress and behavior was Islamic or not. And because of that their assault becomes justified even though they had done nothing wrong.
Amir Qureshi, writing at Let us Build Pakistan, equates the act to the moral policing of the Taliban:
Through implicit support of the state, our police force has turned into the Pakistan’s version of Taliban’s notorious Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. It’s reminiscent of the secret video released by the Afghan women’s right groups of a Taliban member beating up a burqa-clad woman on the street because her ankles were showing.”
Commenting on the relatively muted response from the mainstream media over the issue, Amir fleetingly refers to the root cause of such state-sponsored moral-enforcement – General Zia’s policies:
In the ensuing years after the end of Zia’s regime, successive governments reinforced the Islamized national narrative, embedding it firmly in the image Pakistan has of itself.
So when a police officer raided an art gallery and assaulted its staff –accusing them of ‘fahashi’ – there was minimal outrage.
Mr. Nayyar Ali Dada, owner of the gallery and father to Amir Ali Dada who was arrested and taken to police station during the raid, addresses Chief Minister Punjab and Inspector General Police Punjab in a letter at Lahorenama. Citing his constitutional rights as a citizen of Pakistan and their clear breach by a police officer, he writes:
Your honour, facts narrated below will prove and show, that how our fundamental rights Article 14 (Right to dignity), Article 9 (Right to life), Article 18 (Right to trade/business) conferred by the Constitution have been infringed and violated by a Police Officer by taking the law in his own hands without following the law, PPC and the Police Order 2002.”
Narrating the series of events as they took place, Mr. Nayyar then goes on to request action against the culprit,
In view of the above, I request the Honorable Chief Minister and the IGP to take action against the SHO under the Section 155 of the Police Order, 2002 and to initiate proceedings committing a misconduct under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act, 2006.”
Whereas no response from the government has ensued regarding the issue, the artists and civil society continue to demand an inquiry into the matter, registering their discontent through protests. Shared rapidly and posted at a number of blogs, the invitation to the demonstrations, which are being held at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, states:
Artists, art critics and gallerists and civil society members will demonstrate in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad on August 13, 2011 (details below) to show solidarity with Nairang Gallery, Lahore, which was attacked on August 2, 2011 and register their protest against the reprehensible behavior of the police. They will demand a public apology by SHO Rana Zulfiqar and his dismissal from the police force for beating the curator and staff of Nairang Gallery. All concerned citizens must unite to stop police violence against citizens.
There is little hope that serious action will be taken against the police official, given that they have a record of getting away with lot more than this in Pakistan. However, the strong condemnation by Pakistan’s online community and the civil society is an affirmation of the conviction that freedom of speech and expression, be that of art or literature, will be guarded ardently. And those attempting to suppress it under the cover of moral policing will face resistance if they continue their exploits.

author: Salman Latif


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Philippines: Uproar over Sorry State of Manila Zoo  · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

The sorry state of Manila Zoo caused a stir among Filipino netizens after photos were posted online, resulting in the rise of the keywords “Manila Zoo” as a popular trending topic on Twitter last month.
It all began last July 12 when Nix de Pano posted circa 2008-2010 photos of sickly animals and poorly kept pens of Manila Zoo in her Livejournal blog. The next day, de Pano’s friend Karen Ang reposted some of the pictures in The Pro-Pinoy Project site:
Soon enough, the issue spread worldwide on Twitter. The keywords “Manila Zoo” became a popular trending topic while the photo post gained over a thousand retweets and reposts. It also caught the attention of some celebrities and mainstream media.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has also initiated an online petition calling on Manila City Mayor Alfredo Lim to stop plans to get more animals for the zoo. They are demanding for the improvement of the animals’ welfare and ultimately, the closing of the zoo:
The giraffes, horses, turtles, crocodiles, rabbits, and deer who live at the Manila Zoo are crammed into extremely crowded cages. Sisi, an orangutan who lives all by herself, has only enough room in her cage to stretch out her arms. Mali, an isolated elephant, is housed alone in a concrete pen, and the tigers, who love to swim, are provided nothing more than a puddle.
Blogger Faith Salazar meanwhile calls on volunteers to help maintain the zoo and sign up for the Friends of Manila Zoo.
Obviously, Manila Zoo needs a lot of improvement. First of all, it’s undermanned. It needs people who will pass on their love for animals to children and their parents, no matter how hard it is to help them understand. People who have been feeding the animals unknowingly contribute to the degradation of the animals’ health. Plastic, popsicles and other harmful objects get ingested by animals – in fact, two giraffes have died, one of their four stomachs filled with plastic.
Both Ang and de Pano visited the Manila Zoo within the week after first raising concern over the plight of its animals. The two have noted marked improvements in contrast to the zoo conditions shown in the two-year old photos. The lack of sufficient financial support from government, however, continues to make life difficult for both the zoo animals and their overseers.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russia-Georgia-US: Versions of War · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eugene Ivanov of The Ivanov Report – on the third anniversary of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war – argues that US demands that Georgia should control its entire territory to become a NATO-member was a key motivation for escalation of the South Ossetian conflict into outright war.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Russia: Moscow Calls for Limited OSCE Election Observation · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

The Democratist argues that the OSCE should not bulge to Russian demands to limit the number of election observers for the December 2011 parliamentary elections in the country.


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Russia: Prokhorov Launches Pravoe Delo Pre-election Campaign · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Kevin Rothrock of A Good Treaty presents an extensive analysis on billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov and his Kremlin-close opposition party Pravoe Delo [ru], as the party joins an intensifying campaign to lay the ground for success in parliamentary elections due in December this year.


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US-Russia: Reset in the Balance · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Gordon Hahn of Russia: Other Points of View provides perspective to the gradual decay of US Russia reset policy against the background of the 2008 Russo-Georgian war and increasing political turmoil in Ukraine.


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Bangladesh: Tragic Deaths Puts the Spotlight on Road Safety · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh's 3,492 kilometers of national highways and 4,268 kilometers of regional highways have become a death trap for many travelers for a variety of reasons. Statistics show that every year nearly 4,000 people die in around 20,000 road crashes across the country.
The nation was shocked to learn about the death of two of its favourite sons, award-winning film director Tareque Masud and internationally renowned cameraman/television journalist Ashfaque Munier Mishuk. They died in a tragic road accident on 13 August, 2011, while returning to capital Dhaka from Manikganj on the Dhaka-Aricha highway when an oncoming passenger bus collided head-on with their minibus and tore it apart killing five instantly, and injuring several people. Tareque's United States-born wife Catherine Masud was also injured seriously in the accident.
Netizens have been mourning the death of the two ever since. Sahidul Alam breaks the news [The post contains some pictures of the wreckage and people mourning]:
Tareque Masud, one of the finest film makers this nation has produced; Mishuk Munier, a talented cameraperson and a media professional who had both the dreams and the ability to change the way reporting was done, died a brutal death as they were returning to Dhaka having chosen the location for their next film.
Tareque Masud's first full-length feature film Matir Moina (The Clay Bird) won the International Critic's Award at the Cannes film Festival in 2002. It was one of the first Bangladeshi films to widely circulated around the world.
Ashfaque (Mishuk) Munier, the CEO of ATN News, stated his career as a teacher of Journalism at Dhaka University and previously worked for international media such as BBC World, Discovery Channel, National Geographic and the Real News. He was also an eminent cinematographer and worked in many of Tareque Masud's films.
Shahnaz at Dhaka Dweller portrays the sorry state of Bangladeshi highways:
Of the things that bother me about Bangladesh, lack of safety on roads is near the top of the list. Poor road conditions, old vehicles, inept drivers and reckless driving make our roads deathtraps – both city roads and highways. Not a day goes by that we don't hear of a road accident claiming multiple lives. And it gets worse in the monsoon season, when heavy rains aggravate the problem.
She goes on:
Our political leaders dutifully express shock at the accidents, pray for the salvation of the departed souls and express sympathy for the bereaved families. Empty promises are made to punish the guilty (bus and truck drivers somehow always manage to escape and evade the law enforcement agencies). Enquiry committees are sometimes formed to investigate the accident. The public never hears the committee reports, and I doubt the government pays any heed to their recommendations – if indeed, any are made.
Asif Anwar thinks that roadside trees blocking the visibility of the vehicles in curvy roads may be a cause of the increasing number of accidents in Bangladesh.
However, a recent article in the Daily Star reveals that breaking rules is the rule of the highways. And the perpetrators do not stop because of the clemency – a driver can only be punished up to 5 years in jail for killing someone on the road.
Faruk Wasif shows his anger [bn] over the lack of road safety in the country and the negligence of the authorities:
সড়কগুলো অপঘাতের জন্য সদাপ্রস্তুত। যানবাহন দুর্ঘটনামুখী, চালকেরা কেয়ারলেস। দেখার কেউ নাই, ব্যবস্থা নাই, শাস্তি নাই। [..] মানুষ মরছে, কিন্তু কোনো জবাবদিহি নাই। জাতি নামক গাভী দোহনে ব্যস্ত শাসকেরা। কিছুতেই তাদের কিছু এসে যায় না।
He hits the nail in the coffin:
এই পোড়ার দেশে কিছুই তাই দাঁড়ায় না। কম মানুষই যাত্রা শেষ করতে পারে। তার আগেই মৃত্যু এসে নিয়ে যায়। বিকাশের ধারা অজস্র যতিতে ছারখার। নৈরাজ্য, অপঘাত, আত্মঘাত আর অবসাদে শেষ হয়ে যাচ্ছি আমরা। আমাদের আত্মবিশ্বাস বারবার তলানিতে চলে যায়। আশার সমাধিতে আমরা অপেক্ষা করি।
Cartoonist and blogger Sujan Chowdhury has only one question – “How many more?”:
How many more? Image by Cartoonist and blogger Sujan Chowdhury.

author: Rezwan


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China: Dalian Anti PX Protest Photo Collection · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Google user Big fish collected 215 photos on the Anti-PX chemical factory protest in Dalian on August 14, 2011.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Dog Massacre in Jiangmen City · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Fauna translated a story from MOP about the latest policy in Jiangmen city which bans residents from strolling their dogs in public areas. The implementation of the policy involves large scale public execution of dogs. [Warning: the link contains very cruel pictures.]


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China: Music Video – People of July · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Digital Times translates a song written by Chuanzi in response to the Wenzhou High-speed Train crash.


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Colombia Eliminated from FIFA U-20 World Cup · Global Voices
Lully Posada

In EquinoXio [es] blogger Marsares [es] is covering [es] the U-20 Football World Cup taking place in Colombia from July 29 to August 20 with the participation of 24 countries. Colombia, the host, was eliminated [es] in a game against Mexico, generating all kinds of reactions online.

author: Lully Posada


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Cuba: First “Gay” Marriage  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The wedding invitation, posted online by blogger Yoani Sanchez on August 11, 2011, was as untraditional as the wedding itself:
The wedding of Wendy and Ignacio will be this coming Saturday, August [1]3, 2011, at 3:00 PM in the Vibora neighborhood Wedding Palace at Maia Rodríguez and Patrocinio streets, telephone +537-640-7004.
Anyone who would like to go is invited: friends, acquaintances, curious neighbors, stigmatizers and discriminators of all kinds, official paparazzi, self-employed photographers, bloggers, independent journalists, CENESEX workers — Mariela Castro included — foreign and national press, homosexuals, gays, lesbians, transsexuals and heterosexuals. The doors will also open to people who think that now is the time for Cuba to open itself to modernity and modernity to open itself to Cuba.
Against all odds, it happened: a gay man, Ignacio Estrada, and a trans-sexual woman, got married.  In Cuba.  On the same day that Fidel Castro turned 85.  This was a landmark event, because, according to Havana Times:
While same-sex marriage is not legal in Cuba, the bride, Wendy Iriepa, a transsexual, now has her ID card listing her as a woman.
The ceremony therefore proceeded with no obstruction and was deemed perfectly legal.  Havana Times explains:
Wendy had a sex change operation four years ago thanks to CENESEX, the Sex Education Center led by President Raul Castro’s daughter Mariela Castro, an advocate of LGBT rights.
CENESEX is trying to convince the Cuban parliament to legalize same sex marriage.
As the day approached, bloggers could feel the excitement.  Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo posted this update:
The people in Cuba are ever more supportive…
A sea of people tell me they are going to the wedding…
It doesn’t matter to anyone about having an official invitation or not…
All of Havana fits inside the Maya Rodriguez Marriage Palace…It will be a true gayvolution…!!!
All you need is love!
According to Yoani Sanchez's tweets describing the scene at la Plaza de la Revolucion [ES], it seems as if that “sea of people” did in fact show up to witness the nuptials – and Havana Times has the photos to prove it.
The fact that Sanchez and her husband, Reinaldo Escobar, acted as best man and matron of honour at the wedding, has caused other bloggers to focus the spotlight on possible hidden agendas behind the high-profile wedding.  The Cuban Triangle says:
Yoani Sanchez was maid of honor, some of the Damas de Blanco attended, and some U.S. diplomats were reportedly in attendance.
All that, plus the fact that the Obama Administration is dedicating some of its Cuba democracy funding to Cuba’s gay community, led Mariela Castro to say the blessed event was a U.S. show, or was hijacked to make it so.
It is reasonable to raise that question, and in fairness one has to say that if the U.S. government paid for the car, the dress, the hair, the nails, the tux, the drinks, and a roast pig and sides, then more was accomplished than with the Alan Gross operation, which cost more than $600,000 and put one guy in jail and lots of nice equipment in the hands of the Ministry of Interior. Algo es algo.
The blogger also noted that:
Paris-based writer Zoe Valdes viewed the entire event as a show of a different kind, one mounted to distract from human rights abuses by the Cuban government. “Pure propaganda of Raulismo light and Cenesex,” she calls it.
Valdes posts a photo of the couple in their convertible, right in the middle of the Plaza de la Revolucion, asking where was the police deployment that Yoani described.
Sanchez, in a post published the day after the wedding, explains her decision to be involved, tracing it back to her memories of Cusio, a gay childhood friend to whom “[she] owe[s] [her] predisposition to consider it a normal thing that two men would decide to love each other, or that two women would join their lives as a couple”:
He came strongly to mind when I accepted the unusual, irreverent and surprising proposal to be the matron of honor at the first wedding in Cuba between a transsexual and a gay man.
Wendy and Ignacio – the couple to whom I now have the pleasure of being the matron of honor — who reflect much of the suffering I knew in Cusio, a part of the torment he had to carry. To be a witness to this union between a girl who once had the name of a boy, and the HIV positive young man crushed both by homophobia and political intolerance, constitutes my personal way of honoring the boy who taught me to respect differences.
The post goes on to document Ignacio's going to jail “very young for handing out proclamations with the Declaration of Human Rights” and Wendy's alleged victimisation at the hands of the Center for the Study of Sexuality (CENESEX), (which is headed by Mariela Castro), before acknowledging what a milestone it is in the life of the country:
Before leaving CENESEX, Wendy Iriepa had managed to have the surgery that aligned her mind with her body. She also achieved the dream of many Cuban transsexuals, having an identity card with a female name.
Thus, they slipped through the gap left by the law, in a country where gay marriage is not allowed. But preventing them from validating their relationship in the eyes of the law, would have gone against Mariela Castro herself, who had given the order to issue Wendy an ID card as a woman. Although the National Assembly has not yet approved — or even discussed — the legalization of marriage between same-sex couples, Ignacio and Wendy managed to get ahead of the bureaucracy.
To me it was left only to support them in their decision, to watch them rise to the occasion before each new obstacle, to witness their happy smiles and to know they were already a couple. But they have faced it all, overcoming the mockery of many, the pressure of the political police who saw the wedding as a provocation, the discomfort of Mariela Castro whose absence at the Wedding Palace showed her disapproval*.  We could celebrate thanks to the strength of their love that allowed them to ignore the anti-gay jokes, the insults, the testosterone-filled official discourse and the aggressive stance of the troublemakers common to every neighborhood.
*The Cuban Triangle‘s post maintains that “Ms. Castro nonetheless congratulated the happy couple.”
Perceived political agendas aside, what happened on Saturday was a first for Cuba, a milestone which Generation Y hopes has “set an important precedent, one that has given us a lesson, a jolt, a burst of energy…[and] for one afternoon, for one brief afternoon, [has] placed our country into the third millennium, into the desired time of ‘now.'”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: “Las Damas” – The Struggle Continues  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Attacks allegedly continue against Cuba's Ladies in White.


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Czech Republic: Gay Pride in Prague and Politics · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Reference Frame comments on the politics surrounding Prague's first gay pride parade.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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El Salvador: Reopening Wounds or Paving the Way for Reconciliation? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Mike in Central American Politics comments on the implications of the news of the nine former soldiers who “turned themselves into authorities one week ago. The men are wanted by a Spanish court for the killing of six Jesuits and their housekeeper and her daughter at the University of Central American in November 1989.” He argues that “democracy and reconciliation will not arrive in El Salvador until there is some justice for crimes committed before and during the country’s civil war.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Estonia: A Breivik of Tallinn? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa draws parallels between the confused motives of Oslo killer Anders Breivik and Karen Drambjan and his failed attempt at attacking the Estonian Ministry of Defence in Tallinn on 11 August.


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Google Logos Celebrate Indian and Korean Independence Days · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

BuzzInTech posted about Google's celebrations of South Korean and Indian independence days on August 15 by using its special logos in their countries’ Google main search page.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Hungary: New Law on Churches and Scientology · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eva S. Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum writes about Hungary's new law on churches – according to which the legal status of a church is to be decided by the parliament – and the alleged role of the Church of Scientology in the adoption of this law.


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Iran: 12th century book was censored · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian authorities decided after 900 years to censor “Khosrow and Shirin” book. “Khosrow and Shirin” depicts the love of Sassanian king Khosrow II towards an Armenian princess, Shirin. Khashak blog writes [fa] which parts have been censored.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Japan: How to Unplug Your Life and Save Electricity · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

This page is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.
People in Japan have been unplugging their lives as electricity saving measures have been implemented to cope with power shortages.
At present only 19 out of 54 nuclear reactors at power plants are operating and the government has been urging citizens – particularly those living in Eastern Japan – to reduce energy consumption in order to avoid power shortages resulting from the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
According to a survey by research company Macromill [ja], 70 percent of the Japanese interviewed have changed their lifestyle in the last few months. The respondents were young people in their 20s from eight different prefectures and most of them said they had begun to spend more time at home, turn off the lights and unplug their electrical appliances when not in use.
Save Electricity, Switch Off, by Bevelle. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
The effectiveness of the power saving measures is still a subject of hot debate in the country but many have taken this opportunity to change their power consuming life style.
Roco lives in Kobe, in Western Japan, and said her family had changed their habits [jp] even though that part of Japan hasn’t been directly affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident:
我が家は、もう常識になってしまったエアコンの設定温度28℃に！
家族はできるだけ１部屋にかたまって動かすエアコンは1台に！
を心がける事と、就寝時間を１時間早めて朝の時間を有効利用しています。
電力消費需要のピーク時午後２時くらい〜はPCやTVなど
電気製品の使用を控えるのも有効な対策になるんですよね。
“Setsuden” (an abbreviation for ‘saving electricity’) has become an everyday word and in some cases also a trend.
Setsuden recipes, for instance, have become popular on the internet as people have been spreading the word on what’s the best way to eat well without using too much energy.
Shirousagi posted some suggestions [jp] on her blog:
節電レシピとしては冷ややっこや納豆、佃煮、
梅干し、海苔、漬物、缶づめ、ハム、かまぼこなど
電気だけでなくガスも使わずささっと手早く
食べられるものを多く使うようにしています。
加熱するものがあるとどうしても室温が上がり
暑くなるので火を加えず美味しく頂けるものが
あると節電だけでなく涼しく過ごせ良いなと
思います。
お刺身などもそのままお料理せずに食べられて
節電メニューの代表的なものかもしれません。
Power saving trends started before summer, when home centers and electrical appliance shops put on sale a variety of goods with the aim of facilitating a low power consuming life.
Blogger Bota started changing his lifestyle in May [jp] when he first acquired his first setsuden  devices:
１）電気契約量を４０Ａ⇒３０Ａに変更して、電気使用量の上限を強制的に下げた。
２）電気消費量の多いダウンライトとクリプトン球を使用した照明器具の使用をやめて、使用頻度の高いリビングは蛍光灯に切り替えた。（ＬＥＤはまだ高いのであきらめた）
[…]
③東京電力「電気のシェイプアップカルテ」に申し込んで、月次で電気使用量を点検
④真夏に備えて緑のカーテンを準備
今年は節電対策としてゴーヤやアサガオを栽培する家庭が多いようで、どこのホームセンターでも売り切れだ。
Goya (bitter melon) curtain, by Hidetsugu Tonomura. CC BY-NC 2.0
①７月度の節電の取り組み　ＬＥＤ化以外はほとんど節電の余地がなくなってきたが、７月９日の梅雨明け以来、急に日差しが強まってきたため、窓に断熱シートを貼って室温の上昇を抑えることにした。ただしこのシートによる断熱効果がいかほどのものかは分からない。
Heat insulating sheet, by YTO. CC BY 2.0
Whilst doubt remains whether these small changes in power consuming habits may actually make a real difference, people like @coachsuki are proud that their efforts have proved successful.
@coachsuki 電気使用量のお知らせがきた～！今月分は昨年と比べ31％減少してますって＼(^o^)／ 家中の電球を変えたのと冷風機使用と冷蔵庫カーテンの結果だな♩ちゃんと節電出来てるわ(o^^o)
This page is part of our special coverage Japan Earthquake 2011.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Malaysia-Australia Refugee Swap Deal Criticised · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

The refugee swap between Malaysia and Australia that was signed on July 25, 2011, has been suspended by the Australian High Court after huge criticism. Under the deal, the next 800 refugees to arrive in Australia will be sent to Malaysia, and in return Australia will take in 4,000 refugees from Malaysia in the next four years. The court has set the date of August 22 to hear a legal challenge to the swap.
Aliran, a Malaysian NGO, wrote in their blog:
Malaysia has not guaranteed human rights protection for either its own citizens, legitimate asylum seekers, refugees or any other migrants in this country, as recent events here have revealed… Aliran is dismayed that the most fundamental requirements of refugee protection, especially the basic human rights of all refugees, is not covered by the Australia-Malaysia asylum seekers-for-refugees swap deal signed on 25 July 2011 – notwithstanding that Malaysia is not a state party to the 1951 Refugees Convention.
Opposition politician Teresa Kok also criticised the deal, and was quoted in Malaysia Today (an online Malaysian news portal) as saying that “the exchange of money (USD $320mil) involved in the swap is vulgar”.
Jay Fletcher, writing in Green Left, wrote:
The Australia-Malaysia refugee “swap” deal, signed in Kuala Lumpur on July 25, further persecutes people who have escaped conflict and terror and have an international right to seek asylum in Australia.
The Australian government said the plan was intended to attack the “people smugglers’ business model”. But, in reality, it is a high-priced human trafficking deal between two governments known for discriminating against refugees.
Try Me-lah wrote in LoyarBurok that:
It is precisely due to the fear harbored in their home countries that refugees seek refuge elsewhere and in return, the countries they flee to are expected to be in compliance with treatment stated in the Convention. As a result, protection and education for refugees, especially children, remains an important part of the Convention and it is these aspects that we may fail the test under UN standards since we have not yet ratified the Convention. Similarly, Australia is seen as shirking its burdens rather than sharing it. It has given the rest of the world the impression that neither Australia nor Malaysia has signed this deal for the wellbeing of these people, but touches upon a larger issue: economic and political standing.
Human rights appear to be the biggest issue that is lobbied around. In The Conversation, Gregore Lopez wrote:
The concerns expressed by international human rights groups are justified. Malaysia’s history of human rights is simply atrocious. This is despite the fact Malaysia is an upper middle-income economy with aspirations to become a high-income economy by 2020.
The issue, however, have been kept quiet in Malaysia- the mainstream media has not published any articles on the issue, and it rarely shows up on the online media as well. On social media, this issue does not appear to catch Malaysians’ attention, either.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported:
After a sometimes tetchy hearing in Canberra, Justice Ken Hayne declared government plans to send all boat people to Malaysia raised “serious questions” that ought to be examined by all the judges of the court in a fortnight's time. A full frontal challenge is being mounted to the Malaysia plan. Sixteen asylum seekers on Christmas Island, represented by the lawyers David Manne and Debbie Mortimer, SC, want to argue before the full High Court that the protection due to them – and required under Australia's Migration Act – would not be available in Malaysia.

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Mexico: Celebrating Cantinflas’ 100th Birthday · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

This August Mexico celebrates one hundred years of the birth of comedian Mario Moreno, better known as Cantinflas. In Mexico, and throughout Latin America Cantinflas is recognized as a great actor and one of Mexico's most admired comedians.
Generation after generation, children and adults have laughed together with his movies, television shows and comics. He was once called “the best comedian alive” by none other than American comedian Charles Chaplin.
Cantinflas represented the poorer side of Mexico. He was capable of making people reflect about the contrast between the poor and the rich in a unique way. And although he has passed away, Cantinflas keeps doing so through his movies.
Fans celebrate Cantinflas' birthday. Image by Flickr user Globovision (CC BY-NC 2.0).
In Cuéntame, blogger Axel Caballero begins his post writing about the importance of Cantinflas in his early memories:
I remember growing up watching old Cantinflas movies. So innocent,  funny yet poignant. They all had something to say – a social commentary  on class struggle and economic disparity in a country where often this  is swept under the rug. Cantinflas was a symbol: with his doublespeak, his humility, warmth  and above all his sense of humor he represented an entire country.
Blogger SotoHoyos for El Antagonista comments on the value of celebrating [es] the anniversary of Cantinflas’ birthday:
En estos momentos donde se dejó de entender -eso pareciera- que el  humor es la expresión más elevada de la inconformidad y la tristeza,  vale la pena rendir un pequeño homenaje a Cantinflas en la celebración  de los 100 años de su nacimiento. Un homenaje a  uno de los grandes  humoristas de Latinoamérica, que con una capacidad histróinica  admirable, logró reflejar, reflexionar, analizar y pensar, sobre los más  variados temas, de la cultura mexicana, la latina, la mundial.
Today when we have stopped understanding that humor is the highest expression of discontent and sadness, it is important to pay a small tribute to Cantinflas by celebrating 100 years of his birth. A tribute to one of the great comedians of Latin America, with an admirable capacity, he managed to reflect, analyze and think about the most varied themes of Mexican, Latin and world culture.
In the Los Angeles Times blog La Plaza, Ken Ellingwood mentions the cultural events taking place in Mexico:
The  country, which could use a few laughs, is using the occasion for a   monthlong celebration of his influence on Mexican film and culture.
For the rest of August, the late comic actor […] will be the  subject of exhibitions, film retrospectives, panel discussions and even a dance in his honor. Along tree-shaded Paseo de la Reforma,   an outdoor exhibition of blown-up black-and-white photos and colorful   movie posters provides a sense of how Cantinflas helped create a golden era of Mexican film.
Michael Lopez from Tr3s also describes how Mexicans are paying tribute to the comedian:
Even though Cantinflas passed away nearly 20 years   ago, his impact lives on. In Mexico City, a massive outdoor gallery of   his photographs and paintings are gracing the heavily trafficked   streets. His star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame is also getting the royal   100th birthday treatment, with flowers, cards, and  constant photo  opps.
Cantinflas is still a movie star of the people. His   characters always reflected the downtrodden, which is something the   actor prided himself on. Despite being able to mingle with royals, Cantinflas never lost his down-to-earth spirit.
In the same post he mentions the importance of Cantinflas in other continents:
And don't think that Cantinflas’ presence was just  felt in Latin America. Across Europe news outlets are publishing stories  on the legendary comedian, even dubbing him Mexico's “Groucho Marx.”
Apart from his fame on the screen, Cantinflas is responsible for some slang modifications in  the Spanish  language, including the verb “Cantinflear,” meaning to talk  a lot but say nothing of substance.
On YouTube, AlJazeera English uploaded a video about Cantinflas and the celebration taking place in Mexico, and TeleSur posted an English-subtitled version of their report on the comedian's 100th birthday.

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Mexico City’s 1000th Gay Wedding · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

“Mexican national José Carlos Gómez and the Dutch Tjarda Olaf Helias  became the 1000th gay couple to legally wed in Mexico City”, writes Aguachile,  and adds: “I don't know about yours, but neither one of those thousand  has made my own marriage feel threatened in the slightest.”


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Nepal: Prime Minister Resigns · Global Voices
Rezwan

After six months of serving as the Prime Minister post of Nepal, Jhalanath Khanal resigned today, reports Nepali Blogger. The 34th Prime Minister of the country was elected after 17 attempts in the parliament to reach a consensus on a candidate.


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Pakistan: Celebrating Independence Day · Global Voices
Salman Latif

August 14 is the Independence Day of Pakistan which marks the date when the country was liberated from British colonialism and emerged as a free nation. This year, August 14 was celebrated with jubilation not only in the streets of Pakistan but also in the blogosphere.
Motivated bloggers posted about Pakistan, praying for its prosperity and success. Whereas the posts centered mainly upon the day itself, many ardent bloggers discussed the ideology of Pakistan, citing excerpts by Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan.
Despite the prevailing social, economic and humanitarian crisis in Pakistan, the bloggers wrote optimistically, pinning their hopes on the youth and trusting it with a positive change. Awais Aftab wrote at A Myth in Creation:
The solution is in new beginnings. The solution is a liberal, secular Pakistan. The solution is toleration of diversity. The solution is in opposing extremism and fanaticism. The solution is in fighting terrorism. The solution is in a democratic culture sensitive to safeguarding human rights. The solution is in modern education and critical thinking. The solution is in our hands, the youth and those who know better, of a Pakistan that is yet to be build.
People from all walks of life came out to celebrate Pakistan Independence Day, Islamabad, Pakistan. Image by Niaz Ali, copyright Demotix (14/08/2011).
On Independence Day I wrote in my personal blog about  the potential of Pakistan’s youth:
There is no answer to the now-almost cliché question ‘what are the solutions?’ We have to stop looking everywhere and fervently asking everyone. No one has the answer to that because we, the youth, are the answer. We are the answer to everything that has gone wrong with this nation. We are the answer to the lack of leadership, to corruption and debauchery, to the terrorism and militancy and to all that needs resolving. With an overwhelming populace which comprises a majority of the total population, we are a force to beckon and a power that can truly turn the tide. We are the future of this nation and it’s up to us how we want to shape this future.
Roshni posted an article by Nusrat Pasha in which Nusrat presented extensive quotes from Jinnah’s speeches while debating whether or not Pakistan was meant to be a theocratic Islamic state. He concludes:
Whenever Jinnah uses the terms “Islam” and “Islamic” with reference to Pakistan, they are by no means in the sense of a Shariah State. Instead of focusing on the apparent tenor, which more often than not remains subject to diverse interpretations, debate and dispute, Jinnah very wisely remains focused on the SPIRIT of Islamic teachings, which in essence is also the spirit of every single known revealed religion. Thus he succeeds in upholding the secular cause without sacrificing the elements of morality and universal appeal.
Celebrities and bloggers tweeted with Jinnah’s quotes and wishes of a happy independence day.
Salman Ahmed, a rock-star from Pakistan tweeted:
@sufisal “No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. – Muhammad Ali Jinnah #14August #Pakistan” -
A pleasant piece of news that circulated rapidly among Pakistani netizens was a new Guinness world record, made by more than 5,000 people in Karachi who gathered to sing the national anthem. Organized by a well-known entrepreneur, Abid Beli, the event was tweeted under the hash-tag #anthemrecord and soon became the most shared item among Pakistani tweeters on the night of August 14.
Faisal Qureshi, a noted TV talk show host tweeted:
@faisalqureshi: “Pakistan National Anthem Record Event successful. 5857 patriots showed up and sang the anthem with high spirits.#Pakistan#Karachi#14August”
Another plus for the country's netizens came in the form of an exclusive first-time Google doodle about Pakistan's Independence Day on Google Pakistan's home page:
The entire Pakistani blogosphere was charged up with hopes and promises for a better future. Education, youth and social activism were cited as tools that can deliver us. It is heartening to see such optimism despite the turbulent times Pakistan is going through. And one wishes that such hopes do indeed materialize and this country becomes known for peace and humanity rather than for other things.


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Pakistan: Google Doodle Celebrating Independence Day · Global Voices
Rezwan

Spring Of Autumn celebrates the fact that Google had put up a special doodle for its search page on Pakistan's Independence day.


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Pakistan: Ramadan Over The Top On TV · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Almost every notable Pakistani entertainment channel has a Ramadancentric talent or game show hosted by a decked up popular star,” notes Syed Manzoor Suharwardi at Pak Tea House.


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Poland: Parties Not So Eager to Obey New Gender Quota Act · Global Voices
Anna Gotowska

With the announcement of the date of the Polish parliamentary elections – to be held on October 9, 2011 – a discussion has started on whether the Polish political parties will follow the new rules introduced by the Gender Quota Act, which was passed earlier this year.
According to the new legislation, each party running for parliament should have at least 35 percent of women on its candidate list. Although this is not the most demanding obligation, the parties seem to be finding it surprisingly hard to fulfill their duty.
A research conducted by TOKFM [pl], a popular radio station and Internet portal, reveals the true nature of gender politics in the main Polish parties. The data collected shows that in the parliamentary elections of 2007, out of over 6,000 candidates only 23 percent were women. Of the three parties that had the highest number of women on their tickets, none managed to enter the parliament. Only one out of five Polish MPs is a woman. The most shocking figure shows that out of 107 city mayors only four are women.
At the end of last week, most parties revealed their complete candidate lists. Blogger Goetz, who covers the Polish social and political situation on Lewica.pl, a Polish left-wing portal, wrote this [pl] on August 10:
[…] Today, we have a chance to observe the implementation of the quota act. And what do we see? On the horizon, we can watch the grim fruition of the common saying “A Pole can.” Because it is true that Poles have mastered the art of evading the law, including the quota act that has just joined a bunch of other acts existing only on paper.
It seems to have become a habit for the majority of parties to put women on lower places on the tickets, which practically eliminates their chances to be elected. On the so-called “guaranteed places” women are scarce, no to mention [the top positions on the candidate lists]. Women have become – and we shoud have seen it coming – the ticket's “fillers”, put there only to fulfill the demands of the Quota Act. In some cases they were given higher positions just to pull the wool over our eyes – it was mostly done by the parties that don't stand much of a chance in this year's elections anyway. […]
Another post on Lewica.pl portal, written by prekiel, states [pl]:
The party of Grzegorz Napieralski [SLD, a left-wing party], which was the first to demand the implementation of parities on the tickets, decided to change its mind. And even though we cannot complain about the lack of women on the tickets, it's obvious that they were not given any important positions. Out of 41 tickets composed by SLD, only on four a woman was placed on the first position – which accounts for only 10%. Nepotism seems to be more important than the promises made earlier, not to mention the abilities of women.
Blogger koziolekweb clearly states that he was against the passing of the act from the very beginning. In his post titled “The number of the breasts must be right,” he writes [pl]:
Every day we are getting closer and closer to the parlimentary elections. This time it will be held under the abnormal rule of the Quota Act ensuring 35 percent of the seats for the gender minority. The stupidity of this solution is overwhelming, but after the recent events, it's even more obvious. The parties didn't bother to put any effort into composing of the tickets. Both PiS [Law and Justice, Jaroslaw Kaczynski‘s right-wing party] and PO [Civic Platform, the ruling party] put breasts on the ticktes. I have to admit that in both of these parties there are female members who are professionals (most of them are members of PiS), but they are not enough to fulfill the obligation of 35 percent. So the parties fill the gaps with ladies whose capacities are more than visible when it comes to the neckline. At least PO is not making a show out of this the way PiS is doing when it is promoting their leader using the breasts of some political tweenie.
As the implementation of the Quota Act isn't going too smoothly, we should perhaps take a closer look at the Act itself, for it has caused a huge debate even before it was passed by the vote. The bill, created by The Congress of Women – “Poland’s largest non-political civic movement, founded in 2009, aiming at equality of rights, opportunities, and potential of women and men in both the private and the public spheres” – even now is a cause for a heated debate.
The logo of the Congress of Women – 'Women for Poland, Poland for Women'
Many Polish bloggers openly oppose the Act and criticize politicians for having implemented it. Blogger Stefanb wrote [pl] two weeks ago:
In this situation it is all about the tickets for the upcoming elections, but when speaking of “gender equality” they [feminists] also speak of “equality in professional career, equal access to promotion” or even of “equal relations in the family.” These are also the spheres where “femi-nazis” and the “politically-correcting” would love to have parity, no matter what. They would love to have parity in washing the dishes, cleaning, taking care of the babies – half of the time a woman would be taking care of this, and the other half – a man. Unfortunately, I fear that this crazy politics would be a ‘success’, and by that I mean there would be an even bigger mess in this country compared to what we have now.
It's not only men who speak out against the Quota Act. For example, blogger Evcom writes [pl]:
I think that the idea of parity in politics is not at all about administering justice or implementing equality. It's obvious – and we don't need to discuss parities to come to that – that work is more effective when the people in the workplace are diverse. The question is whether women really want to join politics?
Another blogger, krzysztofsiuda, has some doubts on whether such an act could be democratically justifiable, but admits nevertheless:
From many opinions I've heard it follows that for a woman to achieve a rightful place in politics means much more of an effort than for a man, because they come across many more problems. I think there's something to it. Maybe through this “fake law” we would finally be able to achieve normality? If this happens, after a few years we won't need this fake imposition and everything will be in place – everyone will be equally capable of participating in politics, regardless of the gender. We'll see, time will show…

author: Anna Gotowska


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Portugal: A Guide for Digital Literacy · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

With the aims to “increase digital literacy and citizenship”, the Portuguese blog Sobre Literacia Digital (About Digital Literacy) [pt] by Ricardo Santos Silva, provides tips, a range of examples, and step-by-step exercises on how to verify sources and find facts and people, among other internet related subjects [pt].

author: Sara Moreira


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Russia: “On the Eve of Collapse” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

To mark the upcoming 20th anniversary of the August 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, OpenDemocracy.net publishes two excerpts from Susan Richards’ 1990 book, “Epics of Everyday Life: Encounters in a Changing Russia.”


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Blogging in Portuguese on Special Education · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

The blog Grito de Mudança (Cry for Change) [pt] gathers several articles and resources on special education and children with special needs in Portuguese language.


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Woman Killed, Victim of Domestic Violence · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As yet another young woman becomes a victim of domestic violence, Abeni says: “A weariness fills my soul…and within my weariness is a growing despair that we are a long way from turning around this situation. Sometimes it is hard being a woman.”


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The Balkans, Norway: Anders Breivik and Srđa Trifković · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Eric Gordy of East Ethnia writes about the Balkan dimension of the July 22 terrorist attacks in Norway: “[…] [Anders Breivik] has the revelation that his path to violent idiocy began with his shock at the Kosovo bombing campaign in 1999. So to the other sets of concerns he understands badly, he added the history of the Balkans, and his main, heavily quoted and cribbed source on that (as well as on some theological topics!) is one Srđa Trifković.”


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Trinidad & Tobago: Fork in the Road for England · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Just as there are two exits in Clapham Junction station, there are two paths for England. One takes us down the road of xenophobic, society-crushing finger pointing and name-calling. The other path is to a society we all feel a part of”: Outlish posts an interesting youth perspective on the London riots.


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Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica: Twitter Lit Wit  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Annie Paul is impressed at the “Bolt-like capacities” with which Trinidadian netizens took on the Twitter hashtag #bookswithalettermissing.  Check out her post for some real gems.


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U.S.: The Soviet Arts Experience in Chicago · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Poemless posts an overview of some of the current exhibitions taking place in Chicago as part of The Soviet Arts Experience, “a 16-month-long showcase of works by artists who created under (and in response to) the Politburo of the Soviet Union.”


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Zambia: Netizen Launches Vlog Ahead of Elections · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

A Zambian political activist has come up with an innovative idea to publish across his political and social-economic messages through videos, or vlog as it is commonly known, ahead the country's September 20 elections. He shares his videos on YouTube.
Gongs Jhala, Zambian video blogger. Photo source: Gongs Jhala Facebook page.
Gongs Jhala, posting under the name TheGongster, writes of his innovation:
I've come up with a novel idea to share my views on political and social-economic hot topics in the run up to the Zambian elections on 20 September 2011. Please leave me your suggestions in the comment section below or on Zambian Peoples Pact  on Facebook.
In the very first video, ‘Intro To Gongs Political Vlog’, he urges people to judge his effort and tell him whether it is a good idea or just a waste of time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W44Kmku20YQ&feature=player_embedded
Jhala, based in the United Kingdom, is also an active contributor to Zambia People’s Pact, a Facebook-based political group where political ideas are exchanged among various political parties taking part in the forthcoming tripartite elections that will cover presidential, parliamentary and local government elections.
The first vlog received the following reaction:
I think its a great idea but we people in diaspora might have vested interest in mother zambia but we have no means of voting from this end. So these people (i.e. zed polititians) would have to put some kind off act for us zambians in diaspora to vote as well during general elections .
Jhala’s second video, ‘Zambian's Living In The Diaspora Told To Shut Up‘,  is based on the reaction someone from Zambia People's Pact gave when he, Jhala, sought the opinion of other netizens about his vlog.
The video received positive feedback from a contributor who appears to have lived in Zambia’s neighbouring Botswana as well as the UK.
This is good. You sound well fired up. Thanks for your effort on this issue of discriminating against Zambians in diaspora. I saw it in Zambia, witnessed it in Botswana and now UK. Only God knows why we do such things.
Another contributor hailed Jhala’s effort.
Well said Gongs. No need for Zambians to talk down at other Zambians. Differences of opinion should be respected regardless of political, religious or lingual orientation and affiliation. We all want the best for mother Zambia, ad-hominen attacks on each other will only sway us from the core issues that we should be focusing on . A better Zambia for every ZambianConsidering that it is not easy even for established politicians, especially those in the opposition to make it on state-owned Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation TV which has national reach, vlogs may be the way to go in the future. Two other privately owned TV stations have limited reach.
As ThandiEdumund noted, vlogs may be the way to go in the future.

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Africa: The Looting of African Fishery Resources · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

The first chapter of the Greenpeace project SOS Oceans  is entitled: “How Africa feeds Europe “. The website introduce the project with the following statement [fr] :  “After depleting the reserves of fishes in their own waters, European fish boats are now on the move to target other oceans to fish in.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Armenia: An accident and Ramazan · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

One Hell of a Ride, a blog by an Armenian biker, continues its travelogue documenting a journey across Turkey. After an unfortunate accident, the blog notes the professionalism of the Turkish police before receiving the assistance of locals during Ramazan, the Islamic month of fasting.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Unlikely Pen Pals? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Tamada Tales comments on an exchange between the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and an Armenian child living in the breakaway territory of Nagorno Karabakh. Tensions between the two ethnic groups remain high, but the exchange ended with an invitation from Aliyev to the 13-year-old girl to visit the oil-rich republic.


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Cuba: Everyday Violence  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“We are a society where a blow and a scream have replaced words, let’s admit it and begin to look for solutions for it”: Generation Y blogs about “violence not reflected in the official media.”


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Ecuador: President Correa’s Tumultuous Relationship With the Media · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

After last year's police uprising, Ecuadoreans have been eager to find out who was responsible for the events that took place on that September 30, 2010, when the country was thrown into chaos during a police strike to oppose changes to a law which reduced benefits for various public entities.
Ecuadorean courts have decided on the matter, “declaring six police officers guilty of crimes against the security of the state.” A hearing to appeal the resolution [es] is in progress, but the conflict between President Rafael Correa and the Ecuadorian media is far from resolved.
President Correa with a copy of El Universo. Image by Flickr user Presidencia de la República de Ecuador (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
Widening breach
The breach between Correa and the press has widened now that Correa has been favored by the  Fifteenth Court of Criminal Guarantees of the Guayas province in a defamation trial against Emilio Palacio, one of the most recognized journalists in the country and now former chief editor of El Universo newspaper.
According to Correa's lawyer, Palacio's editorial [es] imputed to his client [es] allegations of murder, crimes against humanity and the ordering of troops to open fire on the hospital where Correa was being held on September 30, 2010.
Judge Juan Paredes sentenced [es] the journalist and three El Universo executives to three years in prison and a total of $40 million USD in fines. After learning about the judge's decision, Fernando Alvarado, Press Secretary of the Presidency, declared [es] that free speech is guaranteed in the country and that the government is not persecuting the media. Furthermore, Correa declared that the judge's ruling was correct because it “criminalizes freedom of extortion, not freedom of expression” [es].
Buró [es], a  web site specializing in political management, public relations and  communication strategy, points out that the newspaper questioned the  unusual speed with which the Ecuadorean courts acted: “In 4 months the  trial of El Universo had 5 judges and the decision was resolved in less  than a day.”
This was not the first time an Ecuadorean journalist had been sued for his or her commentary: the television show ‘La Television‘ was sued by former Culture Minister Sandra Correa (no relation to the president), and journalist  Fredy Vidal Aponte [es] was sued by former Loja Major Jose Bolivar Castillo. Palacio himself had previously been sued for libel, by Camilo Samán, president of the National Finance Corporation (CFN).
Nor was it the first time that Correa's government has clashed with the media. As Amnesty International explains:
The latest case comes amid mounting concern about restrictions on  freedom of expression in Ecuador. A referendum in May included a  question about restrictions on news media ownership and creation of a  government oversight body to review “excesses” in media content.
After the legal decision was made public there were innumerable reactions in Ecuador and abroad. The Ecuadorian Association of Newspaper Editors (AEDEP), the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (CIDH), and others are challenging the verdict.
Former ad hoc CIDH's judge Rey Cantor [es] expressed concern about the legal process followed in the case, saying that human rights were in fact violated on two counts: through the violation of  freedom of expression and through the absence of due process  supported by independent judges. Cantor also stated that the CIDH has established that vague and ambiguous libel standards cannot be used to impose liability on someone who is referred to  a public  official.
Furthermore, as The Economist’s Americas View blog reports:
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said the ruling was “contrary to regional freedom of expression standards” and would produce “self-censorship and a notable chilling effect that impacts not only the individuals convicted but Ecuadorean society as a whole.”
Ecuador's secretary of communications, Fernando Alvarado Espinel, responded in a letter to The Economist, stating that:
“In Ecuador, as in many other countries, a citizen’s right to defend his  honour and reputation is protected by the constitution. Freedom of  expression is not a free pass to supplant another’s right to defend his  dignity.”
Bloggers react to ruling
Director and screenwriter Carlos Andrés Vera analyzes the language Palacio used in his column. At Polifiction [es],  his personal blog, Vera writes that after reading the piece several times  he concluded that the journalist did insult the president, but that both the lawsuit  and the sentence were disproportionately harsh.
To José Fernando Gómez of Desde mi trinchera [es], the muzzling of the Ecuadorean press suggests a regime of dictatorship, and he explains why Ecuadoreans need to be vigilant:
Todos sabemos que las dictaduras, aunque le den centavos a los pobres para tenerlos de su lado, enriquece a las cabezas. En la Rusia comunista, sólo los del Politburó vivían bien. En la pobre Cuba el pueblo se muere de hambre mientras los Castro y su grupo viven opulentamente. Hemos visto videos y fotos de cómo viven los magnates de los países en los que los Gobernantes tienen tiempo en el poder, como vivía la familia Batista en la Cuba pre comunista, Sadam y tantos otros más.
As Global Voices previously reported, at least five national newspaper ran the very same cover story on August 10, Ecuador's Independence Day. Adam Isacson explained:
Major Ecuadorian newspapers ran the same cover today —  “For Freedom of  Expression” — to protest President Rafael Correa’s  increasing verbal and  legal attacks on the independent media. The President devoted 42 minutes to his State of the Union speech today to criticism of the press.
Fausto Lupera Martínez  at El Ecuatoriano [es] refers to this State of the Union address where, on every August 10, the president must inform the National Assembly about the government's compliance with the National Development Plan and other objectives. He says Correa violated the Constitution because he delegated that part of his State of the Union speech to the Vice-President and other ministers, and dedicated a great part of his address to discussing the media and once again mentioning last year's police uprising.
Roque Planas from the Council of the Americas explains that “Correa says he offered to withdraw the lawsuit if the paper ran a correction, but the paper refused. Instead, El Universo offered to publish a statement from Correa, but he refused, too.”
The blog  Guayaquil Insumiso [es] discusses  cases where the Ecuadorean media spreads “gossip” and doesn't verify  their sources:
Los medios se comportan como humanos, porque están manejados por  humanos y en nuestra cultura estamos acostumbrados a difundir rumores  como si fuesen verdades confirmadas. Que el periodismo político  en Ecuador se maneje de la misma manera, lo hace digno de estar en un  circo, porque a la final representa lo que somos; y todos somos dignos  de estar en un circo.
A recent poll showed that President Correa has a 74.9 per cent approval rating, but this might change after Ecuadoreans learn that Palacio is unable to pay the fine and will lose his house as a consequence of this ruling.
Palacio has not retracted what he wrote in the aforementioned article, nor has President Rafael Correa formally accepted a promised amendment [es] by Carlos, Cesar and Nicolas Perez, owners and managers of El Universo  in Guayaquil.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Egypt: The Verb “To Mubarak” · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Last Thursday evening, riders of San Francisco, California's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) discovered that their mobile phones weren't working.  By the next morning, rumors were circling as to whether service had been disconnected on the system, and by 10:00, BART had made a statement (since updated), confirming that they had shut off networks on subway platforms, in anticipation of a protest.
Last month, local activists protesting the shooting deaths of Charles Hill (warning: violent content) and Oscar Grant succeeded in shutting down BART stations in protest.
BART's actions provoked ire from civil liberties groups and activists, as well as Anonymous, which immediately sprung to action, planning #opBART on Twitter.  By Sunday, they had defaced the website mybart.org.  At the same time, local activists planned a protest for Monday, August 15.
While the protests were taking place in San Francisco, an Egyptian solidarity campaign was taking form on Twitter.  Coining the hashtag #MuBARTek, Egyptians compared BART's actions with those of former president Mubarak who in January famously shut down Internet networks in an attempt to quell protests.
Tarek Amr (@gr33ndata) explained the hashtag to followers:
In case you're wondering, yes, the Egyptians now have a mockery hastag combining #opBART with #Mubarak farce, and it's called #muBARTek
Ahmed Kamal added:
@magyj compared the media coverage of BART protests with the Egyptian state media's coverage in January:
#OPBart there is nothing on CNN about #SanFran !!! It's look like z Egyptian media on #jan25 #MuBARTek
Adding humor to the conversation, Gigi Ibrahim (@GSquare86) noted Mubarak's role:
Mubarak's great achievement: a new verb “To Mubarak” to the english dictionary meaning to oppress&cut communication on ppl #MuBARTek #opBART
In response to @3arabawy jokingly asking if Egyptian mobile provider Mobinil had networks in San Francisco, @SalmaNoshokaty referenced another network's famous gaffe remarking, “In light of recent events, I am almost sure @VodafoneEgypt does!”
From the US, Zeynep Tufekci (@techsoc) quipped:
Next, BART will send camels and thugs to Embarcadero Station. #OpBart #MuBARTek
She added:
BART decides to recklessly, needlessly & possibly illegally shut down cell service & then overreacts to the reaction? Brilliant. #OpBart
To which Rasha Abdulla responded:
@techsoc Once again, we need to criminalize blocking access to mobile and wireless communications #OpBart #FreeSpeech
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Jillian C. York


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Guatemala: Memoir Captures Complicated Adoption Process  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Steven Roll in Travelojos reviews Mamalita: An Adoption Memoir by Jessica O’Dwyer, a book about “the long and grueling adoption process she and her husband suffered through in Guatemala”.


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Hungary: Memory of a Political Thinker · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Eva Balogh of Hungarian Spectrum commemorates István Bibó (1911-1975), who in her opinion is one of the greatest political thinkers in Hungary during the 20th century.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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India: RTI and Wildlife Activist Killed in Broad Daylight · Global Voices
Rezwan

Right To Information activist and NGO worker Shehla Masood (39) was shot dead in front of her residence in Bhopal on Tuesday morning. She was also known for campaigning on wildlife conservation. According to reports Shehla recently joined a fast in support of Anna Hazare's ‘India Against Corruption’ campaign.
Shehla, an active Twitter user, was followed by many Indian Tweeps and some of their reactions on this tragic death are as follows:
landofom: RT @kunalmajumder: Shocked! RTI activist @shehlamasood shot dead at 11 am. Her last tweet was at 7 hrs ago “#LS adjourned”. It's like Pakistan now!
@jhunjhunwala: Shehla Masood was on her way to a hearing about a Tigress.Ironic that both Tigers and RTI activists are being hunted and killed…
nageshparaddi: @shehlamasood was murdered today. She had written a letter about how she feared for her life bit.ly/qPNODm
TRISH00L: She did> RT @shehlamasood: How many of u have ever fought corruption? Did u ever raise ur voice in public? Did u ever complaint in writing?
raahildabest: Meanwhile @shehlamasood lies cold and dead. Murdered for her convictions. Her death has been lost in the Hazare Haze. #Shehla Masood #SHAME
@aknksha: For Indian newspapers #ShehlaMasood ‘s shooting in broad daylight is filed under “Supporter of #AnnaHazare killed.” SHAMEFUL
surnell: @shehlamasood: Thanks for whatever you meant to me.Very proud of having known you.May your soul rest in peace.We will carry the goals fwd
shanutweets: Felt very sad for #ShehlaMasood and Sorry for #bhopal. STOP poaching RTI activists
I_Madcap: No news channel has given a detailed report of @ShehlaMasood ‘s murder. A RTI activist who possibly killed coz of her courageous work.
The police are investigating to ascertain the motive and the identity of the killers.
Screenshot of Shehla Masood on Facebook
Kafila blog posts a statement on the martyrdom of Shehla Masood:
We the undersigned aghast at the irony that tigers, tribals, trees and civil rights and environmental rights activists are being hunted and killed in the same manner.
We demand that the possible connection between her murder and her raising the issue of illegal Diamond mining project in Chhattarpur district, Madhya Pradesh by Rio Tinto, a transnational mining company headquartered in the UK, combining Rio Tinto plc, a London and NYSE listed company, and Rio Tinto Limited, which is listed on the Australian Securities Exchange must be investigated along with other suspicions by a high level probe team. [..]
Shehla Masood used to conclude her messages with a proud “Roarrrrr” that cannot be silenced by the bullets of her assailants.
Please check out Shehla's photos on Facebook (needs Facebook login) and her blog.

author: Rezwan


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India, US: Stories Of Adoption From India · Global Voices
Rezwan

Lassi With Lavina shares some stories of parents who have adopted children from India. The post also contains some tips and a list of procedures on how to adopt a child from India.


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Indonesia: Villagers Threaten to Raise Malaysian Flag · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Villagers in the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan have threatened to raise the flag of Malaysia during the Indonesia's Independence Day celebration to protest the lack of economic and social services in the province.

author: Mong Palatino


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Iran: Blogger Freed After 25-Day Hunger Strike · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Dr. Mehdi Khazali, a blogger, publisher and son of a leading conservative cleric and former Council of Guardians member, Ayatollah Khazali, was released on bail from prison on Sunday after a 25-day hunger strike. The blogger has raised his voice against the Iranian government for the last two years, and this was the third time he was arrested. Several Iranian bloggers have commented on his release, as well as on his hunger strike before then.
In his first post after being released, Khazali quoted the revered Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq, saying: “A believer is stronger than Iron scrap and he can be killed, resurrected and killed again. All this will not change anything in his belief.”
Basiji Sabz writes [fa] of Khazali's release: “Praise God. Let's hope for other innocent prisoners, especially the Green movement's  Mir Hussein Mousavi.
Khorshid Neshan says [fa]:
We do not know why Mehdi Khazali was arrested nor how they accepted his bail. He wrote a Hadit as his first post after being released. He should know that if he is in religious competition with the regime, he will be a loser. I wish he would keep his religious feelings and beliefs a personal matter.
Several bloggers worried about Mehdi Khazali's health when he was in jail and displayed their support in their posts.
Sedaye Azadi wrote [fa]:
Mehdi Khazali has been in the regime's prison for more than 20 days and he is on hunger strike. It proves he is on the people's side. Do you care about his hunger strike? Do you care about the Green Movement leaders, Mehid Karoubi and Mir Hussein Mousavi, who are under house arrest? If you do not care, there is no humanity in you… Do you ask why your child goes to prison for a water fight? Because there is no freedom. Why is there no freedom, because you do not fight for it.
MehrdadIrani wrote [fa] that Mehdi Khazali was transfered to Evin Prinson's 350 section and that his son witnessed his father being beaten up when he was arrested. Other witnesses say the blogger's neck was hurt during the arrest.
Charkh o Falk called on [fa] other bloggers to support Mehdi, and not to wait for his death. “An action by bloggers may force the regime to provide necessary conditions for Mehdi to end his hunger strike,” he said. He also said Khazali was asked to fetch items that had been confiscated by the authorities, but was then arrested for no reason.
Agahi ta Rahayi praises [fa] Mehdi Khazali's resistance and says it shows he is a man who keeps his word.
What else should happen for us to wake up? Some ask why Egypt could, while Iran failed [to unseat government] … Some say wait, a new dawn will come soon, but in the North Pole it can take 6 months for the morning to come.


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Jamaica: No Love for Gays?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The situation in Jamaica concerning the status and well-being of its homosexual citizens continues to evolve in a one step forward-two steps backward manner”: Active Voice explains.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Japan: Computers as a social and communicative tool  · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

In Japan's Former Computer Lag, Néojaponisme looks at the development of the  Internet and computers in Japan from the perspective of infrastructure and as a social and communicative tool.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Lebanon: 3G Internet Not Before 2012 · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Najib posts that the long anticipated internet connection speed upgrade in Lebanon will not take place in the next few weeks as was previously reported. He mentions that Lebanon will not be getting 3G technology before 2012 and after passing through three stages which he lists.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Checkpoint Detention · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Danielle at This is Beirut writes about her experience during the detention and release of her friend (for a couple of hours) at a security checkpoint, as they were returning to Beirut after a day at a winery in the Bekaa Valley.


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Lebanon: On Mahmoud Abbas’ Upcoming Visit · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Bissan writes (Ar) that because she believes in, among other things, the Palestinian Right to Return and that Palestine belongs to the Arab nation, she therefore opposes the upcoming visit of Mahmoud Abbas to Lebanon as well as the prospective Palestinian state intended to be voted upon at the UN.


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Lebanon: Tips for Tourists · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“We still have seriously no clue how our country is still going, while we're still sure it's a great place, to be in,” writes Toom Extrain a humorous post of sarcastic tips for tourists visiting Lebanon. Toom Extra (Ar) translates to Extra Garlic.


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Madagascar: Sanctions Result in Economic Decline and Food Insecurity · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

In recent years Madagascar has experienced a slow, seemingly unstoppable decline of its fragile economy, that has put a strain on the lives of millions of Malagasy citizens.
After two and a half years under the administration of the transitional government of Andry Rajoelina (half a presidential mandate), the economy has been ranked worst in the world by Forbes magazine; thousands have lost their jobs and a food crisis is looming in the southern region of the country.
Food crises in the region have been recurrent over the past decade, but an independent United Nations expert has warned that the sanctions imposed on Madagascar have made the situation untenable  from a food security standpoint.
Madagascar rice fields. Image by Flickr user Luc Legay (CC BY-SA 2.0).
A prolonged crisis
It has been 30 months since Rajoelina, a former mayor and Malagasy advertising/media mogul, took power in Madagascar by means of a military coup in 2009; this move prompted immediate sanctions from most of the international community*. These sanctions are having a disastrous impact on food security, argues Olivier De Schutter, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food:
“The result is that Madagascar today has one of the highest levels of child malnutrition in the world, with levels comparable to those of Afghanistan or Yemen,” he stated.  [..] the decision to suspend Madagascar from the African Growth and Opportunities Act by the United States has cost at least 50,000 jobs in the textile sector, which had accounted for half of Madagascar’s exports.
In addition, the European Union has halted programmes that were ready to be signed before the political crisis, suspending all development aid channelled through the Government.
Renowned economist and aid observer at Aid Watchers, William Easterly, argued similarly a year ago about the sanctions affecting the poor and missing their intended targets, the people in power:
Multiple critics have protested ever since the US government, hoping to force President Andry Rajoelina’s questionable government to hold elections, first threatened to remove preferential trading rights for Madagascar.
The Malagasy textile industry was a clear success story of the US African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which removed US quotas and duties from thousands of products from eligible African countries. Madagascar’s exports tripled in the first three years of the program, and the textile sector, which made up 60 percent of Malagasy exports, accounted directly for 50,000 jobs and indirectly at least 100,000 more. [..]
Now we are starting to see the effects in the formal and informal economy:
Factories closing and factory jobs lost: “factories are laying off workers and we are seeing an explosion in the numbers of unemployed,” [..]
‘I used to be able to earn 20,000 ariary ($9.30) a day,’ said Soloniaina Rasoarimanana, who has been selling clothes from a pavement stall for 10 years. ‘Now, with the political crisis and more competition, I earn around 5,000 ariary ($2.30) a day.’” [..]
Among the effects we are NOT seeing: signs of increased interest in arriving at a power-sharing agreement or instating democratic governance on the part of Rajoelina’s government.
Malagasy blogger Ndimby adds to the list of detrimental effect of the sanctions [fr]:
De plus, les entreprises sont asphyxiées par la crise, mais aussi par des « redressements d’office » imposés par le Fisc, mais qui semblent plus tenir de la roulette russe que d’une quelconque rationalité.
La paupérisation de la population est une réalité, et les victimes se lancent dans l’informel pour joindre les deux bouts. Cela se voit dans les rues, où les vendeurs sont de plus en plus nombreux. Et cela se voit dans les journaux, où des « salons de massage » en nombre croissant proposent leurs services tout en résorbant le chômage féminin.
Increasing prostitution has been documented in detail by IRIN News, which has shown an important increase in young girls trying to pay for school fees. The testimony below of Nadine, 16, tells of her daily life:
[Nadine's ambition] is to open a clothes boutique after completing a college course in textile design, but in the meantime, along with eight of her friends, she has turned to sex work to pay her tuition fees. Charging up to US$7 a time, she works in the poor Antananarivo suburb of 67 Hectares. [..] “Most of them [my friends] are like me; they are looking after their parents [through sex work]”, she said. [..] Miroarisoa Rakotoarivelo, head of the Groupe Développement Madagascar, said a recent survey of 129 sex workers indicated a growing number of children among them. “It’s increased, and the proof I can give you is the January-April 2011 statistics we’ve got,” she told IRIN, adding that almost half of the sex workers sampled were under 18.
Any solutions on the horizon?
The transitional government was set up to prepare for transparent elections. It has been  two years now and a definite deadline is yet to be settled for the electoral calendar.  Rivonala Razafison states that:
The mediation team insists that the polls cannot go ahead since President Andry Rajoelina's administration is yet to implement conditions set out in a political roadmap that SADC submitted early this year to end the country's political crisis. The roadmap presented by SADC mediator Leonardo Simao recommended the departure from office of anyone intending to vie in the elections. This rubbed Mr Rajoelina the wrong way [..] He claims that the earlier roadmap was already in effect, thus other conditions should not be added. In November, the country approved a new constitution that lowered the minimum age limit for a presidential candidate, allowing the incumbent, now 36, to run.
A solution is yet to be found from an economic standpoint as well. Even more worrisome, land deals that were a trigger point for overthrowing former president Ravalomanana are now back in full force, as the government has leased out lands for 50 years to India at $15 per acre per year.
Land deals are at the center of Malagasy citizens’ worries, as evictions of farmers from arable lands are on the rise.
Famed singer Bekoto and activist for the cause of Malagasy farmers has proposed a new paradigm to address the plight of the farmers [fr].  He argues that new technologies ought to be used by farmers to inform the media of forced evictions from their lands by the authorities and as a negotiation tool for their rights to access food and work the lands they live on.
De Schutter suggests that a solution to the food crisis can be found locally:
We know that the system of intensive rice cultivation, a pure Malagasy invention, allows to double, triple or even quadruple yields.
[…]
A national strategy to support this type of ecological production could make the large island self-sufficient in rice in thee years.
On the political side, Ndimby argues that only elections can provide an exit to the crisis and the alleviation of the economic sanctions. He adds that a firm single presidential mandate [fr] needs to be added to the conditions for the upcoming elections. This would help ensure that the elections will provide the concrete basis for a sustainable democracy.
*Addendum:   As described in Global Voices at length in previous articles, the undemocratic power seizure by Andry Rajoelina is the direct cause of the withdrawal of AGOA and MCA agreements in Madagascar. It is important to note that the direct  US aid in Madagascar has increased ($85 million USD  in 2010) and tops contribution for any other country.  Only non-humanitarian assistance and direct assistance to the Government of Madagascar have been suspended by the US government.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Malawi: Confusion and Uncertainty Over August 17 Vigil · Global Voices
Steve Sharra

With hours to go before August 17, 2011, the day set aside for follow-up nation-wide demonstrations in Malawi, a cloud of uncertainty hovers over the country. Two different teams of organizers have given contradicting statements about the day, one team announcing a postponement, another team indicating they are going ahead. Online reactions range from relief to frustration, confusion to defiance.
The organizers of the 20 July demonstrations had given President Bingu wa Mutharika a deadline by which to answer their petition, after which they would take to the streets again. On Sunday, President wa Mutharika addressed the nation, discussing some of the issues raised in the petition.
The organizers met on the same day and announced that they had resolved to go ahead with the demonstrations because the president had not fully addressed the issues. On Tuesday morning, the organizers decided to postpone the demonstrations citing two reasons: there was a court injunction against the demonstrations and the UN Secretary General had sent emissaries to help mediate the situation.
Protest advertisement. Photo source: Rafiq Hajat Facebook page.
By noon, a lunch hour news bulletin from Zodiak Broadcasting Station was quoting a Blantyre-based organizer, Rafiq Hajat, as contradicting the announcement of the postponement. Hajat was said to have indicated that Blantyre-based civil society organizations were in a meeting, and would make their own decision as to whether to proceed with the vigil or postpone it.
The president has spent the past two weeks talking to street vendors in the major cities of Lilongwe, Blantyre and Mzuzu, pleading with them not to participate in the August 17 demonstrations. There were reports on Tuesday morning that the police were snatching copies of one of the dailies, carrying the news of MHRC report.
Fred Bvalani mentioned this in a tweet, quoting a post from Facebook:
I understand the police are going around Blantyre confiscating the ‘Nation’ newspaper via @daniso
On my timeline, the first suggestion that the vigil had been postponed appeared on the discussion forum Nyasanet at 8.44am Malawi time. It said:
Netters The rumour in town is that the vigil has been cancelled. Will update as soon as I get any more substantive updates.
It took 20 minutes for somebody to respond, not hiding their irritation:
Please come on the forum with concrete positions that rumours. I find this not only disturbing but morally wrong. Thanks
The original poster came back with a two-sentence response:
The reasons being given is that the police can not handle the demos because of their incapacitation in terms of handling riots. They say they will be tempted to use live bullets in the event that people go berserk
It became apparent that the postponement was not a rumour anymore when someone posted on Malawi Talk, another discussion forum, and reported that Zodiak Broadcasting Station were airing a live press conference from the Lilongwe organisers. One of the organizers posted an announcement on their Facebook wall, pleading with the public for their understanding:
Painfully, it is indeed true that we have POSTPONED – Not CANCELLED, the 17th and 18th August Virgil. full statement within the next 2 Hours. Your understanding will highly be appreciated at this time. Pepani fellow Malawians- we had to make a decision having weighed all situations- Pepani, we plead for your acceptance- It would have been worse and unstoppable!!! Pepani!!
The reaction on Facebook and Twitter was fast and furious. Someone asked one of the organizers on their Facebook wall:
tell us the truth Mr Hajat whats on the ground????????????
That question elicited a few responses which did not hide the frustrations, making allusions to whether the civil society leaders had sold out:
it shows that money has worked in tha elders pockets
That same person later added:
i cant wait they just fooled us ,,,,not us but themselves,,,ope we will hav forex 2moro
More reactions came on the same wall:
AM DISAPOINTED WTH U…
i read ur articles daily and thot u wre a genius!!
am speakng to u as part v e civil society…o rather a branch of corupt greedy selfish political men!
Another one added:
We thot cso were on our side. Nw w r hearing alot of stories on hw u hav bin gvn money 2 call off the demos!
Some frustrations were as a result of an aborted holiday:
we already declared holiday tomorow what should we do now
Other netizens didn't think much about the selling out suggestion. It would not be that easy for government to pay off the organizers, observed one netizen:
Even thou am disappointed with the cancellation but i still have a some trust and faith in CSO group. Lets see if the dialogue works and if it doesn't no one should blame the CSO for not trying of not going into talks. I think this can be the last strategy which Govt can use. I don't think they have given any money, they are not that weak. If it was one that would have been possible but a group i doubt. Am still behind you and people don't lose trust on the CSO group
A more reflective response came from a women's rights activist and attorney, Seodi,who wrote:
Im a little bit sad and a little bit relieved about cancelled demos. But Im also a little wiser; lives were lost on 20th July. Having just come back from Liberia, I took time to discuss with colleagues there about their war which started with demos. Many told me it wasnt worth it and that the best way to hold leaders accountable is through the ballot. I salute the civil society leadership for such bravery. Heros to many; foes to a few. It doesnt matter. The truth shall set us all free.
Another Malawian, Daniso, wondered why there were no alternative means of demonstrating being suggested:
If the vigil has been postponed (even before the injunction has been granted), can't we be doing something in the interim? Why can't we at specified times of each day be honking our horns, blowing our vuvuzelas and whistles, banking our pots and pans, ringing our church bells and otherwise making noise until the fruits of dialogue start bearing fruit?
On Twitter, a few Malawians were monitoring the live radio press conference, and tweeting it live. Austin Madinga quoted Undule Mwakasungura, one of the organizers:
#Malawi protests postponed to give a chance to dialogue facilitated by the UN who are in country currently, meeting Govt at 11am – Undule
Fred Bvalani confirmed:
17 August Vigil Postponed. …Live press briefing airing now on Zodiak.
Twitter reactions expressed similar frustrations as those on Facebook. Madalitso Mvula tweeted:
People in Mzimba wil go on with the demo, not vigil. Injunction, or no injunction. #redarmy angered in the North.
The person who had broken the news of the postponement on Nyasatimes came back in the afternoon to report that Blantyre-based civil society leaders had announced they would go ahead with the vigil:
Blantyre CSOs say tomorrow's vigil is still on because they were not consulted on the postponement. I believe we are going to hear a lot from these CSOs. Guess there is something fishy in all this.
Face of Malawi made an observation as to why the demonstrations were likely to go on, come Wednesday:
One thing press/media people forget is that the average Malawian has no internet, tv or radio. In his mind #17august is a go. #Malawi
As of now, it appears the news of the postponement has not done much to calm people's anxieties. It remains unclear what Wednesday August 17 will bring. Earlier on Tuesday, President Bingu wa Mutharika and religious leaders attended a National Day of Prayer. The sermon, delivered by Bishop Joseph Zuza attracted a lot of attention and reaction onFacebook and in online newspapers.
UPDATE: Tuesday August 16, 2011 – Evening news bulletins are now announcing that both groups of organizers have agreed on a postponement.

author: Steve Sharra


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Malaysia: Voter Registration Details · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

reg2vote is a website developed by concerned citizens of Malaysia to give information on voter registration events throughout the country.


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Missing Dutchman Returns Home after Detention in North Korea · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Robert Neff from Marmot's Hole posted about Van der Bijl, a Dutchman who went to North Korea to buy stamps and painting and ended up missing. He has returned home after being detained in North Korea on charges of anti-state activities. The charges appear to be related to the photos he took during his trip.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Peru: New Bills for a New Congress · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Miguel Morachimo in Blawyer [es] comments on two bills currently being discussed by Peru's new Congress. One is “another attempt to change the Penal Code to establish the dissemination of private conversations through the media as a crime”, and the other seeks to create a “Computer crime law” which adds new crimes related to the violation of personal data, child pornography, etc. to the the Penal Code.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Poland: Can Communist Architecture Be Cherished? · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Michael Dembinski of W-wa Jeziorki discusses whether edifices of communist era architecture, such as Warszawa Zachodnia station, can be as cherished as older historical landmarks.


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Puerto Rico: Blogging & Ethics  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gil the Jenius grades himself on his blogger ethics.


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Russia: New Legislation to Allow “Creative Commons” License · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Russian Communication Ministry submitted  to President Medvedev a  project for legislation update that would allow using “Creative Commons”  (CC) copyright license in Russia, newspaper Vedomosti reports [ru]. The project is a follow-up to a meeting between Medvedev and leaders of Russian Internet community [en] where the president promised to support CC.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Senegal: Mayor Becomes the Oldest Elementary School Graduate  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Assane Diallo celebrates the uncommon achievement of the mayor of Tambacounda in Senegal : ” Among the  2 233 candidates for the Year End Elementary School  Diploma  was the mayor of Tambacounda, Mr Oury Bâ. The 67-year-old elected official successfully earned his first diploma, a testimony to perseverance and the value  he gives to education. “


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Singapore: Foreign Maids are Happy? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Yawning Bread posts some questions to the survey conducted by Singapore's Ministry of Manpower about the situation of foreign maids and workers in the city. The survey showed that most maids are happy working in Singapore.


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South Korea: Blood Type Personality Theory, How It Works · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In which countries in the world does everyone know their blood types? The answer has to be Japan and South Korea. The considerable interest in blood types in the two countries has become something of a running joke [ko], especially when compared to Western countries in which many people don't know – and don't really care about – their blood group.
Whilst evident across Asia, nowhere is the ‘blood type personality theory’ more strongly adhered to than in Japan and South Korea, with books, comics, songs, and products on sale, all based on the idea. On South Korean Facebook, people can even add their blood type to their profile along with other important personal information.
Although this fad has somehow faded over the recent years, its popularity is still strong, somewhat equivalent to that of horoscopes in Western countries.
Blood type personality theory
According to the theory, people's ABO blood type is predictive of their personality,  temperament, and compatibility with others. The adjectives which best describe the traits of each blood type are as follow: Type A is considerate but shy, B is creative but whimsical, O is sociable but unorganized and AB is rational but calculating.
The images below, created by cartoonist Park Dong Sun, exhibit how each blood type behaves in a certain situation. Park's cartoon scripts on blood type personalities are published on South Korea's largest portal site, Naver.com on a regular basis.
Even though there are criticisms that his works often over-simplify the complex human personalities, they are widely loved by Koreans. (The images below is from his blog [ko], not from his official cartoon page on Naver [ko]. Most of his cartoon images circulating online were once posted on and paid by Naver and therefore are protected by copyright.)
ABO blood types on a summer vacation: The B Type is seen as fully enjoying the moment, the Type A is putting quite a lot of effort into building a sand castle, and Type AB is located very far from the group. Image from Cartoonist Park's blog (CC BY NC ND).
The most organised, Type A, softly complains about who packed the vacation baggage, Type AB points at Type O and B for lousy packing. Type O and B are busy playing in the sea. Image from Cartoonist Park's blog (CC BY NC ND).
Short-tempered Type O is cooling off by sitting right in front of an electric fan, very noisily and repetitively complaining about the weather. Type B, so irritated, is on the verge of hitting Type O. Type AB is paying no attention to any of them. Image from Cartoonist Park's blog (CC BY NC ND).
Type AB, the rarest blood type, is always pictured as a sort of outsider, even an alien sometimes. In the image, AB is riding on a UFO while others are sitting on the ground. Image from Cartoonist Park's blog (CC BY NC ND).
To find out more details about the each type's trait, read this Global Voices post written by Hyejin in 2007.
USBs based on the characters from the blood type cartoons. Image from Cartoonist Park's blog (CC BY NC ND).
Harmless fun or dark relic?
Although harmless, cute images are adopted to explain the blood type personality theory in cartoons, the theory itself is a relic of the dark past. It is often traced back to the  scientific racism used first by Nazis and later by Japanese imperialists to promote ideas of supremacy over different races or countries during the 1920s-30s.
When Austrian scientists first found the four different blood types, it was a truly ground-breaking research which later saved countless human lives by preventing them from receiving mismatched blood transfusions. However, later studies revealed that the  different  blood groups are distributed disproportionately across the world and this prompted some racist, imperialist researchers to publish non-statical reports on the theory of blood type personalities.
One famous piece of research was done by Japanese scholar  Furukawa, who focused on the racial traits of the Taiwanese who  revolted against Japanese imperialism. The researcher concluded that since more than 40  percent of Taiwanese had type O  blood, which is believed to be the least submissive type, they needed to dilute the country's ‘rebellious blood’ by increasing intermarriages with Japanese.
Even after many Japanese academics discredited the theory for  its lack of scientific basis, it somehow managed to survive through several sensational publications, with the help of media's unyielding interest. Starting from late 1990s, this fad spread  to South Korea, gaining huge popularity in early 2000, and has been famous ever since.
South Korean blogger Age of Mass Production Type Romance reflected [ko] Korean public sentiment toward the theory. Although the blogger admitted that the blood type personality lacks scientific evidence, his experience has convinced him that it is a sure-fire way to categorize people:
그런데 문제는 “실제로 겪어보면 맞는데 어떡해” 라는 거다. 물론 안 그런 예도 전무한 건 아니다. 에이형이라도 되게 직설적이고  제할말 다하는 사람 물론 있고 오형이라도 꽁생원에 좀팽이인 사람 없는 건 아니다. 하지만 […] 사람 다루는 입장에서는 사실  혈액형만큼 편한 잣대가 별로 없다. […] 과학적 근거 같은 걸로 잴 수  있는 건, 잴 수 없는 것보다 훨씬 적다 이말이다.
Blogger Unalpha was once a strong believer of the blood type personality but not any more. The blogger analyzed [ko] that among several tools which make the blood type theory sounds believable is the Cold Reading method, which is a series of techniques used by psychics, fortune-tellers and con artists in order to convince people that they understand them:
대범한 척하지만 은근히 마음이 깊고 소심한 구석이 있어서 이미 결정한 일에 대해서도 괜히 “정말 이 말이 맞나?” 하고 혼자서 되돌아보는 날들이 있을 거에요. 타인에게 상냥하고 친구들관계도 나쁜 편은 아니지만 실제로 속내를 다 보여주는데는 꽤나 오랜 시간이 걸리죠[…] 위의 글을 읽으시면서 끄덕끄덕 하시게되지 않나요? 사람에게는 누구에게나 양면성이 있습니다. 늘 대범한 사람에게도 사실은 말못할 소심함이 있고, 털털하다고 느끼는 사람에게도 나름 세심한 구석이 숨겨져있기 마련이죠.
These sentences are defined in the Barnum statement, an open-ended statement that seems personal, yet applies to many people. Blogger Wawoooo, using an example of a school kid who refuses to speak in front of class because he is the shy A blood type, blamed [ko] collectivism's role in Korean society in bolstering public belief in the blood type personality:
우리나라와 일본과 같이 집단주의 사상을 교육받고 있는 나라에서는 주위의 의견과 서로 어울림을 중요시하는 공동체 의식이 강하기 때문에 나이많은 어른들이나 주위의 집단의견을 무시하지 못하고 받아들여야만 하는 성향이 강해 이런 혈액형 성격론의 여파가 상대적으로 큰 문제를 불러일으키고 있다.


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