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Colombia: El Puente_lab Making a Difference in Moravia, Medellin · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

In the thriving city of Medellín, Colombia, project Hiperbarrio [es] (a Rising Voices grantee) and several more interesting initiatives are in development, focusing on social inclusion and citizen media training. One of the new projects is El Puente_lab [es], a production platform for art and culture. They define their objectives as [es]:
desarrollar proyectos culturales en el ámbito local, creando puentes de comunicación con artistas y expertos a través una infraestructura operativa de cooperación internacional.
Los proyectos que desarrolla el puente_lab responden a necesidades especificas del contexto social donde se realizan, utilizando la creatividad artística como instrumento de activación de dinámicas culturales que inicien, faciliten y/o acompañen procesos de educación, comunicación y transformación urbana y social.
Moravia, Medellín.  Photo compilation from Flickr user Archivo_vivo (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Among their projects is Proyecto Espacios de Memoria (memory spaces) [es]: “artistic interventions in the public space of the Moravia neighborhood in Medellín. These interventions will serve to communicate to Moravia's inhabitants at first place and to the public in general, the importance of the neighborhood’s urban and social development and urban transformation during the past years”; and Nodos de Desarrollo Cultural (cultural development nodes) [es], that tries to “tackle the lack of cultural spaces in a marginalized densely populated neighborhood, and in addition, work under the condition of a low budget, using recycled materials and strict conditions of use of public space.”
Moravia is a neighborhood in northeast Medellín sharing a common story with other neighborhoods in Latin America. As this article [es] explains:
During the 70s and 80s, [Medellín] received a tidal wave of provincial, rural displaced Colombians that settled in a haphazard manner, setting up shacks on top of a landfill next to the bus station. This encampment received the name ‘El Morro de Moravia’ (Hill of Moravia). […] [Later] a complete intervention project began that involved different action stages: relocation of inhabitants, decontamination and recovery of Morro as a public space.
The blog G4Moravia reports [es] additional characteristics of this neighborhood:
Moravia y su área cercana son hogar de miles de familias que surgieron con el crecimiento de Medellín, principalmente con el auge de las grandes empresas manufactureras y de construcción. También ha sido la puerta de otros grupos familiares que llegaron principalmente desde el norte y el Urabá antioqueños, los departamentos de Córdoba y Chocó y que encontraron alternativas de subsistencia en la economía formal e informal de la ciudad. […] Por la manera como se urbanizó, Moravia es un sistema urbano de configuración cerrada, que propicia el “desarrollo hacia adentro” de la vida comunitaria de sus habitantes, presenta una malla urbana laberíntica y poco permeable desde y hacia la ciudad.
In this environment the projects of El Puente_lab have been developed. Daniel Urrea [es], one of the members of the Puente_lab group, spoke with Global Voices about what Puente_lab is doing currently:
Given that this video dates from April, the date of the project mentioned by Daniel working with girls from Moravia is currently nearing completion. The blog Moravia Video_Lab [es] has information and news on the workshops and what has been accomplished so far. In their About us [es], they state:
El proyecto pretende capacitar en video a un grupo de 20 mujeres del barrio Moravia a través de talleres que tendrán lugar entre el 16 de Agosto y la primera semana de Septiembre, liderados por las artistas María Rosa Jijón y Margarita Vázquez Ponte […] Será un proceso en el que chicas entre los 12 y los 17 años aprenderán a registrar y editar video, pero además será un espacio para reflexionar en torno a su rol como mujeres.
You can also visit their Flickr site and Vimeo video channel, where 10 videos from the workshops are already uploaded, including this one:
Finally, Margarita Vázquez Ponte, the visual artist and one of the facilitators of the training classes, wrote on her blog [es] about her experiences in Medellín and the workshops. In one post [es] she relates her impressions from the final socialization session of the project:
Bueno, ¿qué puedo decir? todo, el taller, la presentación, fue como que un éxito, las chicas eran una mezcla de turbación y orgullo de ver sus trabajos en público y en pantalla grande, creo que fue empoderador para ellas ver cuánto podían hacer en tan poco tiempo. Todas recibieron certificados por su trabajo. ¿Qué nos piden ahora? Están dispuestas a hacer más… lo que es excelente y espero suceda…
Global Voices Author Catalina Restrepo supported the El Puente_lab workshops in Moravia and helped compile much of the information in this post.
The image used in this post is a photo composition from Flickr user Archivo_vivo used under the license CC BY-SA 2.0.
Beatriz Arze helped subtitle the videos in this post.

author: Juan Arellano


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Cuba: 486 Reported Political Arrests  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The month of September 2011 has proven to be the blackest month this year in Cuba”: Babalu explains why and Uncommon Sense adds: “The numbers just don't lie.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Cuba: Simplistic Media Coverage  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Without Evasion has harsh criticism for the international media's coverage of Cuba, calling it “bland, irresponsible and without ethical commitments.”


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Curacao: Remembering Our Heroes  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

TRIUNFO DI SABLIKA remembers the day in 1795 when “Tula and the rest of our liberation warriors [were] executed after they revolted against the Dutch slavery system”, saying: “One of the main reasons you forget about the killings of our freedom fighting warriors easily is because we have a cultural self-esteem deficient media.”


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Iran: “17 Million Iranians on Facebook” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A Basij official says  [fa] that 17 million Iranians are on Facebook and filtering has been useless.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: VPN access blocked · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian authorities  [fa] confirmedVPN access has been blocked in Iran.


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Jamaica: On Golding’s Resignation  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Jamaica Woman Tongue weighs in on the possible reason's behind the Prime Minister's resignation, while Girl With a Purpose is concerned that while Golding “has set the stage for Jamaica to undergo transformational leadership…it is doubtful that this can truly happen with our present crop of politicians and those who hold the purse strings in both political parties.”


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Nigeria: Role of the Internet in Spreading Humanism · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Critical Point explains the role of the Internet in spreading humanism: “The internet provides a forum, missing in Nigeria and similar countries, to have on-going debate and develop ideas. With the refusal of the religiously influenced Nigerian media to report humanist stories, the internet is the only way the movement can publicise itself, present issues and outreach.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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North Korea: Kim Jong-il’s Grandson and His Footprint in Social Media · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

Kim Han-sol, a teenager believed to be the grandson of Kim Jong-il  has blocked access to his social media  accounts after media made numerous reports on his admission into a Bosnian school. Many have succeeded in capturing his comments and pictures before access has been denied. North Korea Tech blog posted some examples.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Peru: Project Captures Stories of Victims of Enforced Disappearances · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Catherine Binet, in her blog for The Advocacy Project, introduces the series Not One, but Fifteen Thousand Voices by the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF): “Yes, there are 15,000 missing persons in Peru. Yes, that is an  impressive number. But to understand the tragedy of enforced  disappearance, one must look beyond the numbers and into the particular  story of each of the missing and the impact left on each of the  relative.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Puerto Rico: Calle 13 Reach New Heights with Music Video · Global Voices
Alfredo Richner

With more than 2 million views since being uploaded to YouTube a week ago, music group Calle 13's new video “Latinoamérica” [es] has found widespread acclaim online and around the world.
The clip, co-directed by Jorge Carmona and Milovan Radovic, begins with the Puerto Rican duo of brothers René Pérez Joglar (Residente) and Eduardo José Cabra Martínez (Visitante) visiting a small Peruvian radio station in the mountains, where they are introduced by a Quechua-speaking discjockey. It then alternates between clips of Latin American people and landscapes, as well as several animated segments which allude to the lyrics “vamos dibujando el camino” (we are drawing the way as we go) [es].
A couple of blogs from the Puerto Rican blogosphere have commented on the video. Ivonne Acosta Lespier, from the blog Sin Mordazas [es,] wrote:
En lo alto de los Andes, en tierra Inca, nuestros embajadores de buena voluntad René Pérez (Residente) y su hermano Eduardo Cabra (Visitante), censurados en su propia tierra, cantan lo que quisieran que nuestra gente escuchara a “las caras más bonitas que he conocido” que resultan ser los olvidados del mundo en la era del capitalismo salvaje.
She adds:
El estribillo podría ser un himno para cantarle a los desarrollistas preferidos por este Gobierno que se canta “verde” pero destruye la naturaleza de nuestra Isla para venderle terrenos, incluyendo los que antes estaban protegidos, al mejor postor y ganar millones.
PuertoRicoIndie.com, which recently posted an essay [es] comparing Calle 13's ‘Latinoamérica’ to a song by the ever-popular Mexican rock group Maná, that shares the same name, had this to say about the video:
Una colaboración entre los directores Jorge Carmona y Milovan Radovic, el vídeo captura la diversidad del continente, encontrando su esencia entre su gente y sus paisajes. Logra esto con la misma efectividad que lo hacen la música y letras del tema – René Pérez y Eduardo Cabra reconocen que el tema es más grande que ellos dos y que el trabajó está en documentar. Tampoco se trata de sorpresas, si no de un reflejo – de la historia, de la realidad, de la actualidad.
René “Residente” Pérez, who has spent the week actively promoting the video through his Twitter account, @Calle13Oficial [es] proudly proclaimed to his millions of followers:
el video de #Latinoamerica en menos de 1 semana llegara a los 2 millones de views,sin sonar en la radio.
He later added:
El video de”Latinoamérica” llegó a las 2 millones de visitas..Gracias a VEVO por nada..jeje..
The video for “Latinoamérica” was uploaded directly to YouTube by the group, eschewing the popular music video syndication platform VEVO, which is used by many international artists and is co-owned by Sony Music Entertainment, Universal Music Group, and Abu Dhabi Media.
Calle 13 was recently nominated in a record-setting 10 categories for the 2011 Latin Grammy Awards, including “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year” for “Latinoamérica.

author: Alfredo Richner


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Thailand: Prime Minister Cancels Twitter Account · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has stopped tweeting after her Twitter account, @PouYingluck, was hacked a few days ago. The hacker was able to post the following messages using the Prime Minister’s account:
You can't protect even your Twitter account. How can you safeguard the country? Think about it my brothers and sisters.
This country is a business we run for our cronies and not for the Thai people. We serve our supporters and not our opponents.
Do the poor have a chance? We are exploiting the poor hoping for their votes to support us to plunder the country.
Is it time for our country to change for the better and not project an image to aid businesses, vested interests and relatives?
Education is most important to the country. But why is there a policy for free distribution of tablets instead of a curriculum or wage hike for teachers?
The hacker admitted that Yingluck didn’t post those tweets:
Please be informed that a hacker has accessed the account and none of the messages is being posted by PM Yingluck.
Twitter messages posted by the hacker. Translation by Saksith Saiyasombut
Yingluck is Thailand’s first female prime minister. She is the younger sister of former Prime Minister Thaksin who was ousted by a coup in 2006. Thaksin went into exile after he was convicted of plunder charges.
Saksith Saiyasombut believes the hacker has given some clues about his gender:
At this time nothing is known about the people behind these messages other than the fact that the last word in the last tweet is the politeness-particle ครับ (“khrap”), which exposes the hacker to be male.
Thai Intelligence News Study Center thinks the hacker is an ultra nationalist:
The twitter appears to be an “Ultra-Nationalist” based on the following message he (posted on) Twitter with the Yingluck account.
The hacker also attacked modern business and economics principles
The ultra-nationalist Thais, is a segment of the Thai population that rejects Globalization and progressive development, but prefer isolation and sufficiency oriented development.
Suthichai Yoon reports the initial reactions of netizens:
Wow! some real self-criticisms by the PM? Early soul-searching statements? A few of the remarks in the account were about how this government is mishandling the problems of the country.
Soon,the Twitter world was abuzz with questions: “Is the PM's Twitter account hacked?” or “Strange things are happening at the PM's Twitter account” and things along that line.
Within half an hour, the “PM's team” posted an urgent message, declaring that the prime minister's Twitter account has been hacked and that some of the messages posted this morning were fake
Here are some Twitter comments from Bangkok:
@kaybic: PM Yingluck in not herself today – her Twitter account has been hacked!
@TAN_Network: ICT Min Anudit says PM's Twitter account was hacked from inside Thailand but he refuses to disclose more info;warned ministers to beware
@sunaibkk: PM Yingluck's Twitter account was hacked and filled with critical comments on government policy.
@Hooba_kwan: Thai PM's twitter account was hacked. Shame on you,ICT.
@nutrahat: Not only the Thai PM's twitter accout is hacked, her brain was hacked too(by her bro) and that was a long long time ago, hooray for Thailand
@IbbyEve: Thai PM's twitter account been hacked hahaha sooo funny. Anyway, hacked or not, it's same same full of crap!
@sathornstreet: Got the answer…the Clone's tweeter account has been hacked! With a handful of staff @PouYingluck still can't manage her own twitter acct.
@juliechungfso: Press reports Yingluck's Twitter account hacked, following FinanceMin & MFA incidents this month. Time for everyone to review cyber security
@ppearxoxo: Im totally in love with the person who hacked yingluck's twitter!
@Pie_Eip: That bro who hacked Thai PM's twitter ac. I think he's cool ;)

author: Mong Palatino


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Trinidad & Tobago: Wish List for Apple Announcement  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

TECHTT turned his “social media streams to gain some insight into what people were expecting or wanting” from Apple's big announcement today and gives out some awards based on the best responses.


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Tunisia: Palestinian Bloggers Denied Entry to Arab Bloggers Meeting · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

Tunisian authorities refused to grant Palestinian bloggers visas to attend the Third Arab bloggers meeting taking place in Tunis from the 3-6 October, 2011.
The meeting is an attraction to Arab bloggers and activists, and an opportunity for them to exchange expertise and learn from each other. The event is co-hosted by Global Voices, Nawaat and Heinrich Böll Foundation and is attended by around 100 bloggers from nearly all Arab countries.
The decision to block Palestinian bloggers from attending the event came as a shock to Arab bloggers, and no one would have really expected such a move to come from a country, that sparked the so called Arab Spring, and led the calls for freedom across the region.
On October 2,  Palestinian blogger Saleh Dawabsheh, who lives in Ramallah tweeted [ar]:
On Monday, October 3, the day when the Arab Bloggers Meeting was launched, Palestinian bloggers tried one more time to get their visas, but once again they were denied entry to Tunisia.
Saleh Dawabsheh tweeted [ar] on October 3:
Boycott
Tunisian blogger @tounsiahourra decided to boycott the meeting in solidarity with the Palestinian bloggers.
She tweeted on October 2 [ar]:
She adds in another tweet [ar]:
وأسخر كثيرا من النظام في تونس يتشدق باعترافه بعضوية فلسطين في الامم المتحدة وبنفس الوقت يرفض دخول مدونين فلسطينين يحاربون الاحتلال الى تونس
Photo by Palestinian activist @almagdela shared via Twitpic
#AB11 stand in solidarity
Bloggers and activists taking part in the meeting didn't forget their Palestinian counterparts.
During the second day of the meeting, Syrian activist and blogger Razan Ghazzawi (@RedRazan)  was walking around with a banner on her back saying:” OK, Pals denied entry. Let's not just tweet about it.”
Moroccan blogger Hisham Almiraat tweets:
A lot of soul-searching this morning at Arab Bloggers Meeting in Tunis (#ab11) since we learned our Palestinian colleagues were denied visas
A statement condemning the action of the Tunisian Embassy in Ramallah and demanding an explanation, was issued by the organizers of the AB11.
The Heinrich Boell Foundation, Global Voices Online and Nawaat Association strongly condemn the decision by the Tunisian Embassy in Ramallah to deny 11 Palestinian bloggers and journalists visas to enter Tunisia in order to attend the Third Arab Bloggers Meeting from October 3rd until 6th 2011. […]We demand an explanation from the Tunisian Interior Ministry and seek clarification as to why Palestinian participants’ were denied.
Skype chat with Arab bloggers denied entry to attend the third Arab Bloggers Meeting. Image by @georgiap on picplz.com.
The organisers of and participants in the third Arab Bloggers meeting scheduled a Skype conversation with the Palestinian bloggers denied entry to Tunisia on Tuesday afternoon.
@RedRazan: Right now Skype session with the Palestinian bloggers who were denied visa by Tunisian embassies in Ramalla and Cairo. #AB11
Palestinian bloggers react
Palestinian bloggers wrote on their blogs about what happened to let the whole world know. Abir Kopty shared on her blog a post called “An insult to Arab Spring: Palestinian bloggers denied visa”. She says:
I wonder: do not Palestinians also have the experience to share and the right to learn? Are Palestinians part of the Arab world or not? Do not they have enough of Israeli siege and movement restrictions so they will have further restrictions imposed by Arab regimes?
[…]The reason that has been given by Tunisian Ministry of Interior for the denial of visa to Palestinian bloggers is that Organization ‘Nawaat’ who invited them and conference itself are not licensed. So we wonder how come all the other Arab participants received visa to unlicensed event?
She adds:
For me, Arab spring is not only about changing the regime; it’s also about changing the practices of the regimes, who worked hard to separate us, because Arab solidarity and unity are a threat to their stability. It is also about having the power to fight any injustice.
Rasha, a Palestinian blogger who was also supposed to take part at the meeting, writes [ar]:
بيتي في عكّا، أتابع أحداث أيام مؤتمر “المدونون العرب” الثالث في تونس[…] أتابع الأحداث “أون لاين” من خلال موقع “التوتير”.. أمر عاديّ تماماً، لكن هذه المرة، دون المرات السابقة توقعت أن أكون شريكة فيه ومع أصدقائي المدونين العرب هُناك.
Campaign launched
An online campaign “to demand an explanation from the Tunisian Ministry of Interior” was launched. A Facebook Page called Tunisian Ministry of Interior rejected the Palestinian bloggers’ VISAs, and event called Petition: Why were Palestinian bloggers’ prevented from accessing Tunisia were created. On Twitter, the hash tag #Visarejected is being constantly updated to spread the word about what had happened.
Further reading
Storify: Arab Bloggers Meeting: Palestinians denied entry to Tunis

author: Afef Abrougui


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UAE: Five Activists on Trial for “Insulting” President  · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

During the ten month old Arab Spring, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) expressed its opposition to the trial of Egyptian former president  Hosni Mubarak and sent troops, as part of the “Shield of the Arabian Peninsula,” to oppress the Bahraini uprising, and arrested several activists who demanded reform. The arrests started with blogger Ahmed Mansour, the other four detainees are Nasser Bin Ghaith, Fahad Al-Sihhi, Hassan Ali Al Khamis, and Ahmed Abdulhaleq Ahmed. All five are accused of publicly “insulting” the country's president and top officials.
"Justice for UAE detainees" as published by blogger Khalifa AlNuaimi
Reactions to arrests
Bin Ghaith seems to have gained a lot of attention from western media lately as he doesn't represent the typical image of an opposition figure; he has served the government as a consultant in the army besides being a war veteran, a columnist, a lecturer, a decorated pilot, and the son of a wealthy family.
The other name that media cared least about is Ahmed Abdulhaleq Ahmed who happens to be one of the stateless people of the UAE, a cause that has always been neglected as the wealthy Gulf state continues to deprive the stateless people of their rights and block any effort to unveil their struggle.
Netizens did not have much to say except share the few news pieces about the refusal of the five activists to show up in court as they spent six months in jail waiting to be prosecuted by a court that will not allow them to appeal the final decision and will most probably sentence them to long periods in jail as it is specialized in cases of anti-regime acts and terrorism.
Among the reactions found on Twitter was Blake Hounshell (@blakehounshell) the Qatar-based editor of Foreign Policy who commented on Bin Ghaith's case saying:
@blakehounshell: The case against UAE political prisoner Nasser bin Ghaith appears to be complete garbage.
One of the few famous UAE tweeps Sultan Al Qassemi (@SultanAlQassemi) tweeted some news relevant to the activists’ trial:
@SultanAlQassemi: UAE authorities have allowed access to the trial. Four rights groups are sending two independent legal observers to monitor today's hearings.
Cecily Hilleary (@VOAHilleary) from Voice of America  asked a question about the Arab Spring and the Gulf region:
@VOAHilleary: Why doesn't spring reach the Gulf? Activists on trial in UAE, the quelled uprising in Bahrain, why is dissent always viewed as insult?
Kuwaiti Columnist Nasser Al-Abdily (@bmckwt) [ar] wrote some relevant news about the status of human rights in the UAE:
Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, Kenneth Roth (@KenRoth), wrote saying:
@KenRoth: If prominent #Emirate, decorated pilot & Sorbonne lecturer can be prosecuted on trumped-up charges in #UAE, any can be.
Human Rights Watch was typically attacked online by a lot of pro-regime Emiratis who kept referring to the five activists as traitors.
One of them (@UAEVIP100) [ar] called for protests in front of the court against the activists:
UAE blogger Khalifa Alnuaimi (@Alnuaimi_k) published a post  that had a statement from Dr Nasser Bin Ghaith two days ago saying that he had been mistreated and denied his basic rights while in detention. This, he said, made him face the reality of his country which will be prosecuting him despite his love and loyalty and for opinions he wrote in online forums.
Another post published by the same blogger talked about how the UAE authorities played a game with the international community, organizations, and media by saying that the trial will be public. AlNuaimi says authorities manipulated what to pass and what to block of the trial's information.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 9. According to human rights organisations, the activists could face a five year prison sentence if convicted.

author: Mona Kareem


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Bahrain: 15 Year Jail Sentences for Medics Who Treated Protesters  · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.
After months of detention and a hunger strike, Bahraini medics were released a month ago on bail waiting for their trials. The shock came when the court announced its verdict, sentencing them to 5 to 15 years in jail and accusing them of different charges including threatening public order, possession of weapons, invasion of the country's main hospital, the Salmaniya Medical Complex, and many other fabricated accusations that the regime and its media apparatus have imagined since Bahrain's protests started on February 14, 2011.
The doctors, who have been arrested and subjected to torture because they witnessed the atrocities committed by the state against the protesters first hand, have taken their struggle online, addressing international media and human rights organizations through Twitter and telling the world their stories in their own words.
An online invitation for a sit-in that took place Tuesday afternoon to support Bahraini medics
Among them is Dr Nada Dhaif (@NadaDhaif), who was brave enough to talk about what she has been through in jail and send video letters through Amnesty International and BBC to the world, as part of her testimony. Dhaif, who has been sentenced to 15 years, has accused a member of the Bahraini ruling family  Nourah Al-Khalifa, in her recent interviews, of torturing her and calling her “a Shia pig.”
In one of her tweets, Dhaif, who ran a makeshift clinic to treat the protesters at the Pearl or Lulu Roundabout, the epicenter of  protests in Bahrain, wrote:
@NadaDhaif: Gov spokesperson said that nobody is above the law including members of the royal family. A royal family member was involved in my torture.
Another doctor sentenced to 15 years is Dr Ghassan Dhaif (@ghassandhaif), whose wife Zahra Al-Sammak (@Zahrasammak), has also been sentenced to 5 years. The couple have three children and have been tweeting about their ordeal.
Their predicament comes as a shock to a lot of people knowing that the children of this couple will live without their parents who have only practiced their job as doctors trying to save the lives of wounded protesters. The husband wrote the reaction of his children in several tweets:
@ghassandhaif: My children asked me: Baba are you going to jail for 15 years and mama for 5 years after what you have done to save lives? I broke in tears
@ghassandhaif: My children told me: Baba we are proud of you and mama coz both of you loved people and people loved you. We will wait for both of you.
An activist dressed as a doctor demonstrates in support of those arrested for helping injured protestors in Bahrain. Image by Bahraini1985, copyright Demotix (10/06/2011).
Dr Al-Sammak (@Zahrasammak) tweeted about the time she spent in jail when she was arrested:
Dr Ali Alerki (@DrAlekri), who has also been handed a 15 year prison sentence, doesn't tweet much, but he keeps track by retweeting updates. He was famous for the video that saw him breaking into tears at Salmaniya Medical Complex after seeing all those wounded and having the hospital attacked by riot police.
DR Alerki wrote saying, a few days ago:
One of the dedicated Twitter users for the news of Bahraini medics is (@Freedom4BahDrs) and in the following tweets, he writes down sentences from the medics’ interviews and testimonies:
@Freedom4BahDrs: Bahrain Sentenced Medics: we were prevented from calling or meeting our families. We met them only after 3 months, in bad situation.
@Freedom4BahDrs: Bahrain Detained Medics: we were prevented from showering & changing clothes for 19 days in some cases & we had bad smells coming out of our bodies.
@Freedom4BahDrs: Bahrain Detained Medics: We were prevented from sleep and forced go stand 24 hours, except for few minutes to eat.
@Freedom4BahDrs: Bahrain Detained Medics: We have been tortured physically, physiologically & threatened with rape. We were insulted for our religious beliefs.
@Freedom4BahDrs: Bahrain Detained Medics: They deliberately destroyed contents of our houses, insulted us &beaten us in front of our families.
The doctors’ trial and sentences have created an outcry, both locally and internationally, particularly since the doctors have many years of experience under their belts and are well respected among their patients and peers.
@Anarchist74 wrote saying:
@Anarchist74: You've killed & tortured. You used foreign military force. You've arrested&tortured doctors. You have expelled students. What more?
(@in_bahrain) wrote one more sad tweet in reaction of the court decision:
@in_bahrain: The best doctors, teachers, human rights advocates, entrepreneurs even handball players all in jail! Who's left?
This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.


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Brazil: Mobilization on Twitter Takes Down Pedophile Blog · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Following wide mobilization via social media, Brazilian netizens managed to take down a pedophile blog just hours after the first alert was sent on Twitter, on the morning of Monday, October 3, 2011.
The blog in question, called Sim a Pedofilia (Yes to Pedophilia) [pt], was very clear in its call for the sexual abuse of minors. The page had only one post with a video containing explicit images, published on July 15 and had 454 critical comments. Nevertheless, it stayed up for almost three months.
In the state of Alagoas, journalist Marcos Rodrigues, who usually follows social media while his radio show is on air, explains on the blog Jornal do Ócio (Journal of Leisure) [pt] how the situation unfolded:
Screenshot of Twitter action from blog Jornal do Ócio
Hj, enquanto estava no ar com o nosso [programa de rádio] “Jornal do Povo” recebí no twitter uma postagem dando conta da existência de um site de pedofilia. Em meio a tantos protestos de indignação também me revoltei ao ver a única postagem existente.
A cena era chocante. Uma criança estava sendo abusada por um adulto. No blog o autor, desconhecido e covarde, defendia a pedofilia. Cinicamente dizia sim a essa prática nefasta e abominável.
Diante deste fato repugnante não tivemos dúvidas. Acionamos a Polícia Federal e o delegado Políbio Brandão respondeu imediatamente. Depois de orientar no ar como se deveria proceder, poucas horas depois – duas especificamente- o site foi tirado do ar.
Today, while I was on air with our [radio show] “Jornal do Povo” (People's Journal) I received a tweet calling attention to the existence of a pedophile website. Amidst so many demonstrations of anger I also felt furious when I saw the blog's single post.
The scene was shocking. One child was being abused by an adult. On the blog, the unknown and cowardly author defended pedophilia. [He/she] cynically said yes to this despicable and abominable practice.
Given this repugnant fact we had no doubt. We contacted the federal police and the sheriff Políbio Brandão replied immediately. After he gave guidance on air on how to proceed, a few hours later – specifically two – the site was taken down.
Lenilda Luna (@lenildaluna), also a journalist, explains [pt] that any person can report abuse on blogging platforms, such as Blogger:
@lwisster: @CanAlmeida @oscardemelo no próprio blog, em cima, tem “denunciar abuso”. Qto mais pessoas denunciarem, melhor!
Lua Beserra (@LuaBeserra), who uses Twitter to exercize citizenship, celebrates [pt]:
@LuaBeserra: pedofilia na internet? DENUNCIEM! http://denuncia.pf.gov.br, hoje eu e meus companheiros do twitter tiramos do ar um blog de pedófilos!
Apparently, it was not the first time that this blog had showed up. Verônica Muzzi (@VeMuzzi) writes [pt]:
@VeMuzzi: Eu não acredito que o filho da puta que criou o blog simapedofilia.blogspot.com voltou. Ele ainda não foi preso não ? af.
Ronaldo Júnior (@RoonaldGomez) states that the action shouldn't end with the blog's deletion:
@RoonaldGomez: Galeeera o Blog simapedofilia.blogspot.com foi removido, ISSO É BOM, mas tem um grande problema, eu quero ver o cara É PRESO
Perhaps it is possible, if users get together to investigate the case. The final conclusion [pt] of Marcos Rodrigues, who says he is from the time when people had to go onto the streets to mobilize, is that, united, the users of social networks have a lot of power:
Então, cheguei a conclusão que uma nova forma de cobrar e exigir está em prática. Mais do que nunca, precisamos usar essas ferramentas com mais habilidade. Alguém vai nos ler, nos ouvir e, principalmente, agir.

author: Paula Góes


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Brazil: Digital Storytelling from a Squatted Building in Sao Paulo · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Ipiranga 895 [pt] is the address of a squatter settlement [pt] in a São Paulo building that was occupied for less than two months, from October 3, 2010, until the police followed a court order to evict more than 1,000 homeless people. It is now the virtual address of a digital storytelling multimedia documentary.

author: Sara Moreira


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Colombia: Expouniversidad 2011 in Medellín · Global Voices
Lully Posada

The University of Antioquia and Colciencias (Administrative Department of Science, Technology and Innovation) [es], together with other organizations, have opened the sixth version [es] of Expouniversidad 2011 [es] (Sep.29 to Oct.7) in Medellín [es] to promote learning and to show advances in projects related to science, technology and innovation in the country. The event includes cultural and entertainment programs [es]. Read more about the expo in Altaír [es] and follow what's being said on Twitter through #Expouniversidad and @ExpoUdeA

author: Lully Posada


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Cuba, Jamaica: “Them is Russians Too” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The totalitarian regime in Cuba seeks to rewrite its past to give the appearance of being relevant and ‘with it'”: Notes from the Cuban Exile Quarter uses an upcoming homage concert to Bob Marley to prove his point, saying: “The best way Cubans can honor Bob Marley is to get up and stand up for their rights.”


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Ethiopia: Miss Ethiopia Website Launched · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Miss Ethiopia website launched, Arefe reports: “A new Miss Ethiopia website providing all the latest official information on the upcoming Miss Ethiopia 2011 beauty pageant was launched recently.”


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Ethiopia: People As Tourist Attraction · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

When people become a tourist attraction: “When my girlfriend and I decided to go there [South Omo, Ethiopia] in the first place it wasn’t just because we are expecting to see beautiful animals – but also exotic people. These are people who can attract tourists with their life style.”


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Ethiopia: Personal Tribute to Veteran Actor and Political Activist · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Prof. Mesfin Wolde-Mariam pays a personal tribute to Debebe Eshetu, a veteran actor and political activist, who was imprisoned a month ago on charges of ties to terrorism: “His onetime prison inmate, Prof. Mesfin says that Debebe is a wonderful and kind person who hates any kind of terrorism act.”


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India: The Advent Of $45 Tablet PCs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Aakash, the world's cheapest Tablet PC ($45), has been launched in India, reports Anupam Saxena. The government plans to distribute 10 million tablet PCs to post-secondary students in India.

author: Rezwan


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Jamaica: A Proud Black History  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

It's Black History Month in the UK and Kei Miller turns on its head “those tired statements of black pride – how, for instance, we are the sons and daughters of kings and queens”, saying: “It seems so banal…it betrays such a lack of imagination. Me… I’d rather imagine other possibilities.”


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Malawi: Who Murdered Robert Chasowa? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Mabvuto Jobani says that Malawian police know the people who were involved in the death of Robert Chasowa – a fourth year engineering student at the university of Malawi: “Two Blantyre police officers who asked for anonymity told me that so far two theories have emerged as to why he was murdered.”


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Mauritania: Black Mauritanians Fear for their Citizenship as Census Proceeds · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Bakari Guèye in Magharebia reports that the city of Kaedi erupted into violence on September 24 and 30, 2011, because the black community feared that the census would be used as a discriminatory tool to relegate them to second class citizen status. Babacar Justin Ndiaye explains that only Black Mauritanians are asked to produce documentation [fr] that would justify their Mauritanian citizenship.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Myanmar: President Suspends Dam Project · Global Voices
Chan Myae Khine

Construction of the controversial hydroelectric dam project on the Ayeyarwaddy River located in the northern part of Myanmar has been suspended by the government. President Thein Sein sent a letter to Parliament informing them that the dam project will be postponed for the sake of public interest.
The project is one of the infrastructure investments by China in Myanmar. The plan was to export the power generated from this plant to China.
Last month, Minister of Electric Power Zaw Min told reporters that the government will not suspend the project despite the concerns raised by some groups. But public activities like petition signing, workshops and community seminars urging the government to stop the dam construction intensified in the past few weeks. Even media organizations echoed the side of the public including well-known individuals who asked the president to cancel the project.
Ayeyarwaddy River, Myanmar. Photo from Flickr page of DamienHR used under CC license Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-SA 2.0).
Myanmar netizens expressed support to the decision made by the government. HeinHlyan528 commented on the news page of Eleven Media Group, a well-known media outlet in Myanmar:
First of all, I’d like to say thank you to Mr. President who postponed the dam project. Everybody who is interested in Myanmar affairs would know how it would have been difficult to make such decision. I wholeheartedly thank Mr. President for making a courageous decision by fulfilling the public wish despite its impact on the long term energy needs of China which protected Myanmar in the Security Council of the UN; and the legal repercussion of voiding the contracts that have been signed already. It would be a historic act. I, as a Myanmar citizen, wish to know how our beloved China will response to this matter.
Another commenter, babymilo, mentioned:
From postponing till demolishing, we still need to march together.
Eleven Media gathered the reactions of the public. A 60-year old local from Myitkyina expressed her relief over the cancellation of the project
Did the government really postpone it? I’m so glad. It doesn’t need to be mentioned how I have been really worried about this project. Not only me but the whole town, the whole country. That [project] would destroy the nature. All would get in trouble. I’m so glad to hear this news.
Meanwhile, NayOoPeople posted this comment on the Facebook page of the Voice Weekly, another popular journal in Myanmar.
Great!!!! This is a beginning of the successful trust building process between DASSK, Burmese citizens, ethnic groups, and the present government!!
But not all citizens believe that the suspension of the project is a sign of change in the country. An anonymous commenter left this message on the Irrawaddy News blog
They can now announce themselves as so called government of the people. But they didn’t mention if it will be stopped for good. They will make profit out of it. Even if they couldn’t, they will need to wait only five years. It cannot be said that it’s for public. It cannot be said that the situation has changed in Myanmar, too.
Tint Kyaw Naing also cautioned against premature celebration
Does it mean that if it would not continue under the democracy government, it would be implemented under the army government in the future? If so, it has to be continued!
The Irrawaddy News also mentioned that global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi welcomed the President’s decision during a meeting with Minister Aung Kyi.

author: Chan Myae Khine


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Pakistan: The Militant Heroes · Global Voices
Rezwan

Malik Siraj Akbar reports that the widely read Urdu newspapers in Pakistan are repeatedly glorifying Punjab governor Salman Taseer’s murder and are depicting the murderer, who has been sentenced to death, as a “hero”.


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Pakistan: Why Balochistan is Burning? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Zain Khattak at Chowrangi explains that the intolerance and disturbance in Balochistan are the result of non-democratic attitudes towards the province.


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Russia: Links to Vasily Grossman’s Works and Other Resources · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Faculty Of Useless Knowledge writes about Vasily Grossman's novel Life and Fate, which has recently been dramatized for BBC Radio 4. Sarah J. Young posts a selection of links to resources on Grossman and his works.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Russia: State-Funded Blogging School Opens in Chelyabinsk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Svetlana Gladkova of Profy comments on the launch of the first public blogging school in Chelyabinsk, Russia: “This state-funded not-for-profit nature of the school is particularly interesting because it looks like the authorities in Russia have not only realized the power of social media but have decided to influence it by teaching people to blog properly. And I can’t help but suspect that at least some of the graduates will be invited by those very authorities to blog in public on behalf of some institutions that might need improvement of their image in the eyes of the general public […].”


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Sri Lanka: Media Silenced · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sunanda Deshapriya reports that the police in Moratuwa forced a video cameraman from a private television station to erase a video recording of people protesting the death of a suspect in police custody.


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Sudan: Concern Grows About Detained Sudanese Writer · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Concern grows about detained Sudanese writer and activist: “There’s been no word of Abdelmoniem Rahma, a poet and political activist, since he was arrested a month ago. Rahma was close to the ousted governor of Blue Nile State, Malik Agar, and involved in the arts.”


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Ukraine: Anti- and Pro-Tymoshenko Camps on Khreshchatyk · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Alexander Motyl of Ukraine's Orange Blues writes about the pro- and anti-Yulia Tymoshenko camps thathave for months occupied the block near the court where the ex-PM is being tried. According to this article [uk] in Ukrainska Pravda, people recruited to wave flags from early morning till around 8PM at the anti-Tymoshenko camp are paid 140 hryvnias ($17.50) a day.


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Ukraine: Interview With Author Vasyl Shklyar · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Brian Spadora‘s RFE/RL interview with the Ukrainian novelist Vasyl Shklyar – who “has attracted a lot of attention in Ukraine this year both for his bestselling novel, Black Raven, as well for the statements he’s made against the erosion of freedoms that has taken place under President Viktor Yanukovych” – is here.


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Ukraine: “Tension is Growing” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes reviews Ukraine's relationship with Gazprom prior to Yulia Tymoshenko's 2009 deal (“for which she may be jailed for seven years”); quotes economist and politician Oleksandra Kuzhel on the conditions in which small- and medium-sized Ukrainian businesses have found themselves in; and writes about the expensive watches “so beloved by Ukraine's flashy elites” and about the uncivilized ways of PM Mykola Azarov's bodyguards, concluding: “When are people going to say, ‘Enough is enough?'”


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Africa: Famine is Man-made but… · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Famine is man-made but….:”21st century solutions should be founded on collective responsibility. Describing famine as “man-made” is a step in the right direction, but let's not just look to foreign governments for handouts let's have the courage to call for responsibility and action from those closer to home.”


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Arab World: RIP Steve Jobs · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Arab world is mourning the death of Steve Jobs, Apple's visionary leader. Tributes are pouring in via social media as netizens wake up to the news.
From Saudi Arabia, Aziz Shalan tweets [ar]:
RIP Steve Jobs. Image by Flickr user noppyfoto1 (CC BY 2.0).
Egyptian Ahmed Naguib notes:
@ahmednaguib: The Internet today is all about Steve Jobs. That's how influential he was. #SteveJobs
And Shaden Fawaz, also from Egypt, adds:
@shadenfawaz: “Steve Jobs was born out of wedlock, put up for adoption at birth, dropped out of college, then changed the world. What's your excuse?”
From the UAE, Saleh Al Braik writes:
@FearlessinDubai: #ThankYouSteve for giving my generation the motivation to never give up on our dreams. #RIPSteveJobs
But if religion was not imposed into this, it wouldn't be the Middle East.
Egyptian Bassem Sabry informs us [ar]:
Dalia exclaims:
@Daloosh: Dear #Salafi: if you're going to tweet a fatwa against mourning Steve Jobs then for the love of God don't do it from an Iphone. #RIDICULOUS
For Jordanian blogger Roba Al Assi, the loss is more personal. She blogs:
A while ago, a friend asked me if I would ever cry over a celebrity death. I said, “Of course I would not”.
But this morning, I woke up to the terrible news of Steve Job’s passing.
And I cried.
Steve wasn’t a celebrity. He was a man who changed the world.
I didn’t just cry over the loss of a brilliant man. I also cried over death. Death by cancer. Death by liver cancer. And he was only 56. I don’t think I ever mentioned it here, but we lost our father three years ago to liver cancer as well. It was sudden. He was only 53. Another brilliant, kind man, lost forever.
RIP Steve Jobs.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Armenia: Steve Jobs’ Armenian connection and an obituary · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Ianyan posts its own obituary to Steve Jobs, Apple co-founder, who died yesterday. The blog says that Jobs revolutionized the way we use personal computers and mobile telephones while also detailing his adoption by an ethnic Armenian mother. Meanwhile, another Armenian blog, Unzipped, says thank you to the visionary innovator.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bahamas: Outlaws & Outbreaks  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Crime and dengue fever: two pressing issues that have Bahama Pundit‘s Larry Smith concerned.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bahrain: Dr Ghassan Dhaif Tweets His Jail Experience · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.
The plight of Bahraini medics, 20 of whom have been sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison on allegedly fabricated charges, is still gathering momentum, despite an announcement by the government to re-trial them in a civilian court.
Medical organizations abroad, especially those located in Ireland, have shown a lot of support and solidarity with the medics by awarding them for their courage and dedication and by taking part in a hunger strike a month ago to demand their release.
One of the interesting aspects in the medics’ case is that many of the targeted doctors have become active in social networks, tweeting their stories, about getting beaten, tortured, harassed, and insulted whether by the police or even some members of the Royal family.
Twitter avatar of Dr. Ghassan Dhaif between his wife Dr. Zahra Sammak and daughter and two sons
In the following tweets, Dr Ghassan Dhaif (@ghassandhaif) tweets his story. He is a Senior Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at the Ministry of Health and was the first Bahraini maxillofacial surgeon in Bahrain, who started his practice in 1995.
He was sentenced to 15 years in jail while his wife Dr Zahra Sammak (@Zahrasammak) was sentenced to 5 years. Being a couple, their story gathered a lot of attention and sympathy especially when they told the world about the reaction of their children after the court's decision:
@ghassandhaif: My children asked me: Baba are you going to jail for 15 years and mama for 5 years after what you have done to save lives? I broke in tears
@ghassandhaif: My children told me: Baba we are proud of you and mama coz both of you loved people and people loved you. We will wait for both of you.
@ghassandhaif: My children: though mum and dad are going to prison, you won't be alone because the whole world is behind you. We both will rest on peace.
@ghassandhaif: My wife goes to jail for 5 years and my kids left lonely for no reason but helping people in need for medical aid. Not fair my country
The story of torture
A few days ago, Dr Nada Dhaif told The Times that she was tortured by Princess Nourah Al-Khalifa. She said she, among others, was threatened with rape.
Dr Ghassan tweeted his story of torture and how he too was also threatened that his wife and daughter would be raped:
@ghassandhaif: The amount of torture medics have experienced is beyond imagination. It showed the hate and revenge. All have permanent disabilities
@ghassandhaif: When i was examined by American doctor, she got shocked from hearing me tortured at Al Qala clinic by medical staff! I wonder is that fair?
@ghassandhaif: I was kept in a solitary confinement for 7 days, standing, deprived from sleep and toilet. I was tortured by hour by several people.
@ghassandhaif: I was intimidated and threatened of rape to my wife and daughter while i was supposedly receiving treatment at AlQala clinic.
@ghassandhaif: We were tortured in the ugliest ways to sign confessions for actions we haven't committed. The medics are innocent by all standards.
@ghassandhaif: I was Tortured by a female member of the royal family by repeated beatings and punch on my face until i fainted.
@ghassandhaif: I was knocked out by a lady who attacked me as i reached CID. I bled from mouth and nose. I wake up after she punched me on my chest.
Not a sectarian
When reading Dr Dhaif's tweets, one can see that he is not a politician and that all he was trying to do was be a medical doctor, practising in peace and without discrimination.
In the following tweets, he addresses the King, and condemns the sectarian charges against himself:
@ghassandhaif: HM The King, isn't it time for you to save the lives of innocent medics who helped the people and served their country!
@ghassandhaif: I was hurt deeply by being charged me for refusing to treat Sunni brothers. My practice is 70-75% Sunnis?!
@ghassandhaif: I was convected of sectarian discrimination. I treated 1000s of Sunnis and people from Royal family for over 20 years,Isn't it ridiculous
Testify for the truth
One of the irritating sides about the case of medics is the testimonies made by some of their colleagues who accused them of possessing weapons. In the following tweets, Dhaif tweets about that and demands others to break their silence:
@ghassandhaif: It is awful that a doctor back stab his colleagues in medical profession. Prof McCormack in response to bahraini medics case.
@ghassandhaif: SMC administration have seen doctors and nurses helping casualties and not engaged in non-professional acts. It is unfair to accuse them.
@ghassandhaif: MOH official have entered history by not defending consultants who have saved humanity for over 25 years without discrimination.
@ghassandhaif: Over 50 witnesses gave their testimony to the court which deny all charges. The judge got fed up & said it's enough. Then 15 years sentence
@ghassandhaif: Tell the truth that all health professionals at salmaniya were treating and helping to save lives and are not criminals.
Support the medics
Dr Ghassan Dhaif has been a good voice for the case of Bahraini medics. He spoke up, unveiling the truth and he has been active though media and social networking for his case. In the following tweets, we see the emotional side of his struggle and his need for support and solidarity:
@ghassandhaif: We have represented bahrain in international events and got recognized. We our country and will defend its soil forever.
@ghassandhaif: The medics are human being with emotions and feelings. Obviously they are shocked with these unfair and harsh sentences. We need support????
@ghassandhaif: Oh my people, my country, you don't know how much I love you and adore you. I want help you by whatever means I can till you”re satisfied.
@ghassandhaif: Do we think that tomorrow will better than today? Oh my country how much we loved and served you, at the end i go to jail for 15 years?
This post is part of our special coverage of Bahrain Protests 2011.


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Bolivia: Is Twitter Good for Democracy? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Roberto Laserna [es] blogs about the use of Twitter in Bolivia and argues that Twitter “has enormous potential to facilitate democracy and direct personal contact between citizens and the authorities, especially if authorities manage their own accounts and interact actively and honestly with citizens.”


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Cameroon: Controversies Around the Electoral Campaign · Global Voices
Julie Owono

This page is part of our special coverage Cameroon Elections 2011.
The Central African Republic of Cameroon is in the last week of the presidential campaign that will end on October 9, 2011. While international election monitors have arrived in the country to observe the elections, the electoral campaign activities failed to convince most Cameroonians of the importance of what is at stake.
The conspicuous absence of Paul Biya
Criticised for the fact that he spends more time abroad than in the country, Paul Biya, the incumbent president and candidate is now being blamed for his absence from the political debate.
This subject has been feeding debate on the Twitter hashtag dedicated to the presidential election: #cmr11.
Campaign poster for Paul Biya, the incumbent candidate from Eric Mwamba on Facebook
Referring to the slogan chosen by the outgoing president for his campaign “The People's choice” Etumnamboa [fr], wonders on Twitter:
Je ne comprends pas il est le “Choix du Peuple” mais ne s'approche jamais de son peuple et a peur de lui
According to Félicité Ngadja of the Social Democratic Front in Canada on the information site camer.be [fr], the president's attitude is not a positive sign towards the population and towards Cameroon's international partners:
[…] disparaître du paysage politqiue une semaine après le lancement de la campagne électorale est  plus qu’un mépris  envers le peuple camerounais mais une insulte grave envers tous les bailleurs de fonds et les partenaires du Cameroun
Biya's announced visit in Maroua, the biggest city of northern Cameroon, did not seem to convince Cameroonian netizens. Twitter user NewsduKamer [fr], ironically commented about Biya's presence in the north on Twitter:
Attention au choléra…
NewsduKamer refers to the fact that the north of the country is particularly affected by a cholera outbreak which has already caused the death of 500 Cameroonians so far.
In the following video posted on YouTube on the Paul Biya 2011 campaign page:
Biya dismissed the critics discussing potential division between the north and the south [fr], declaring during his visit to Maroua:
Je suis venu à Maroua pour marquer l’importance que j’attache à votre région, à la paix et aux problèmes du monde rural dans notre nouvelle dynamique pour mettre notre pays sur la voie de l’émergence
On one of the statuses [fr] published on his official Facebook Page, Banla Maximus, a Bamenda based Cameroonian facebook user commented:
Personne ne peut gérer le Cameroun mieux que vous.Vous avez mon appui tout le temps.
According to Twitter user Kasbig [fr], the president will be campaigning in Douala, the economic capital of Cameroon, on October 5, 2011:
Le Nnom Ngii est à Douala demain, le 17h de CRTV est entrain de donner le programme. […]
The information was confirmed on Biya's official Facebook Page. The visit could be considered historical: Paul Biya hasn't been to the city since September 20, 1991, when a crackdown on the opposition occured*.
Referring to the constant power shortage problems, Bubakaele [fr], another user of the Twitter feed #cmr11 notices:
avec la visite du Nom Ngii à #Douala, la lumière semble revenue dans certaines rues
Paul Biya hasn't faced any of the 22 other candidates in a political debate since the beginning of the electoral campaign. In one of the weekly debates organised by the Panafrican channel Africa 24, opposition candidates Edith Kahbang Walla (Cameroon's People Party) and Anicet Ekane (MANIDEM) faced Grégoire Owona (Secretary General of the Presidential party Cameroon's People Democratic Movement – CPDM).
A weak or a weakened opposition?
Grioo.com [fr] published a review of candidates, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
Among them is Olivier Bilé, 44 year-old candidate of the Union for Brotherhood and Prosperity [fr] (Union pour la Fraternité et la prospérité – UFP) who distanced himself with his concept of “Political Fathism” (Foyisme politique) [fr]. The concept explained in the article on site Grioo.com [fr] consists of:
la création de 500 000 emplois par an tout au long de son mandat, la sortie du franc CFA avec la création d’une monnaie appelée le « camer » et la révision de nos structures mentales et spirituelles pour mieux gouverner avec Dieu comme repère fondamental.
The reference to God doesn't suit some netizens like ETAMBA on Twitter:
[…] Faut qu'il laisse Dieu tranquille
Jean Njeunga, also one of the 23 candidates, became the laughing stock of the Cameroonian online community after his appearance on a political show of Equinoxe TV, a private Cameroonian television channel.  A YouTube video  has been made available by user moanang and has been viewed by more than 23,000 visitors.
At 11:06 minutes, Jean Njeunga is asked by journalist Suzanne Kalla Lobè if he will suppress polygamy if he is elected president. Here is his answer:
I cannot suppress it because our ancestors started being polygamists […] We are Africans, not Europeans […] There are more women than men in Cameroon
A Facebook page called “Le Best of des Phrases de JEAN NJEUNGA – Etoudi 2011” gathers Mr Njeunga's best quotes.
But according to Chicago-based Cameroonian writer and journalist Dibussi Tande, such electoral spectacle is not a surprise. He explains on his Twitter account:
No political party (except the CPDM with access to state resources) can run an effective election campaign in 14 days
And he continues:
Election laws in Cameroon are not only meant to favor the incumbent but to ridicule the entire electoral process
On October 6, 2011, Africa Review reports that two opposition candidates, Edith Kah Walla and Anicet Ekane, organised a press conference to explain some of their grievances against the Cameroonian electoral system:
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday [October 4, 2011] in Douala, Mr Ekane charged that the Biya posters violated an ELECAM (electoral agency) directive that they should not be more than 60 centimetres long and 40 centimetres wide.
“These instructions have not been respected by the candidate of the ruling party because some of his posters are three metres wide and four metres long, which is totally illegal,” Mr Ekane declared.
Concerning the financing of the campaign, Mr Ekane and the Cameroon Peoples’ Party candidate Kah Wallah insisted they had not yet received any money from the Treasury, contrary to official promises.
Esther Dang [fr], another opposition candidate, while replying to a question from a Cameroonian citizen in a political show on Vox Africa [fr] channel also confirmed that as of October 3, 2011, she hadn't received public funds for her campaign. But she referred to this financing issue in a more tempered way:
C'est bien aussi cette situation qui permet aux camerounais de suivre les composantes de la démocratie camerounaise (…) ; cette situation permet aussi aux camerounais de se rendre compte que nous sommes un PPTE et qu'il n'est pas normal que nous déployions sur le terrain un arsenal de moyens, d'argent qui en correspond pas au pouvoir d'achat
*Erratum: Paul Biya's last visit in Douala was on October 9, 2004  [fr].
This page is part of our special coverage Cameroon Elections 2011.

author: Julie Owono


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Caribbean: Remembering the Genius of Steve Jobs  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

News of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs’ death yesterday made techies everywhere pause, reflect, and maybe treat their Macs, iPods, iPhones and iPads with more than the usual reverence.  The death of this visionary leader, who helped transform not only the computing industry, but also the way in which consumers experienced digital media and communications, has left a gaping hole in the world of technology.
Caribbean bloggers took the opportunity to say “thank you” and talk about the role that Jobs – and the company he helped revolutionize – played in their lives.
Jamaican diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp reminisced about his first Apple IIe:
Back then, the choices were limited to clunky PCs with Microsoft technology, Commodores, and Ataris. I chose the IIe because it felt right. It was user friendly and I didn't have to remember complex codes for commands, as if I was some postgraduate math major. All I had to do was point, click, and begin.
It was that easy. Steve Jobs, it seemed, had created a computer just for me. Or that was how it felt.
He went on to explain how that one little computer did so much more than make his professional life easier:
At the heart of Apple products is the desire to communicate and to make our sensory lives as rich and layered as possible. And the complex engineering is always expressed in elegant, user-friendly devices that follow the intuitive contours of our minds. Steve Jobs has transformed the inhuman integers of 0s and 1s into a humane language that all of us can understand.
This has practical implications in our world. If we stopped thinking about “just the numbers” and more about what they meant–the values– then we would see the human faces behind our 9% unemployment rate: brothers and sisters who are looking for work so that they can feed their families, keep a roof over their heads, and maintain their dignity.
Steve Jobs wanted us to think about our world and the ways that we can make it better through our individual experience.
Thank you, Steve Jobs. You have expanded the possibilities of my life and the lives of my children.
One Love.
At Translating Cuba, a site that regularly posts English translations of Cuban blogs, Orlando Luis Pardo Lazo paid tribute to the late Apple chairman in a post entitled “jobsless”, noting:
The day-to-day operation of TranslatingCuba.com and HemosOido.com is accomplished on an iMac and a Macbook.
Babalu blog also weighed in:
There are very few people outside of my family that I can say have had a positive effect on me.  One man and his singular vision revolutionized not one but several industries. His technological vision was such that from kernels of ideas he created the first personal computer, created a computer with a graphical user interface, practically invented the digital publishing industry along with Adobe and Aldus, changed the way we listen to music, buy it, interact with it. And, he gave us the best damn smartphone ever developed. I am sitting here, writing this on one iteration of that computer, my iMac, and next to it are my iPhone, my Apple router, my iPad, and my iPod. They just work. Thanks to Steve.
The post continued:
Jobs was a genius, no doubt, but his kind of genius is not the E=MC2 kind; his is the evolutionary kind whose life's work, when taken in toto, amounts to a greatness few ever achieve, a greatness that touches so many lives with positive energy and delight. My generation has just lost its luminary.
From the Dominican Republic, Bracuta said:
You changed the way we worked, played games, listened to music and spoke on the phone. You changed our world in so many ways it is impossible to describe. You believed in your dreams and made us dream with you.
In one phrase, you made us think different.
Godspeed, Steve.
Weblog Bahamas‘ Rick Lowe also commented:
You have left an indelible mark on this world and made it better for millions of us.
Lower down the Caribbean archipelago, in Trinidad and Tobago, coffeewallah noted:
This blog, since inception has always been written on an Apple computer, starting with a Powerbook and then moving to a succession on MacBook Pro's. Every computer I have ever owned has been a Mac, somehow, I've never been a PC type of girl.
Whether you liked him or not, used his products etc, we have lost a visionary make  no mistake.  Since the second coming of Jobs at Apple the company has consistently pushed the envelope to create products that capture the imagination and by so doing, changed the face of world.
Apple has inspired many to continue to reach, to up their game, Tim Cook has large shoes to fill. And in truth, Apple may continue on brilliantly, but it will never be the same.
Trinbagonian diaspora techie and longtime Mac genius in his own right, CunningLinguist added:
Steve Jobs officially became my boss in May 2005 and in the last six years, from part-time on the sales floor to full time tech support, I’ve participated in the launch of four iPhones, two iPads, three operating systems, the transition from PowerPC to Intel. I’ve introduced people to devices that have changed their lives, I’ve helped them get back on track when their favorite device doesn’t quite do what they expected it to and showed them how make the computer they’ve had last just a little bit longer.
Thank you Steve Jobs, for giving me and tens of thousands of retail employees the power to help people in whatever way we could. You didn’t hire each of us individually but your vision created the space for us to exist and I’m honored to have had you as my fearless leader.
Eloquent words from Caribbean netizens whose lives – real and virtual – were transformed by Steve Jobs and his innovative, user-friendly products – yet, Trini Like Salt managed to sum up the feelings of the regional blogosphere in a post that contained nothing more than a headline.  Jobs would probably have loved the simplicity of it:
iSad


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China: The Runaway Bosses of Wenzhou City · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Wenzhou, a city in southeastern Zhejiang province, has been a prosperous foreign trading port since early 19th century. Its citizens have migrated all over the world and small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) have been flourishing in the city since the Deng Xiaoping's open door policy in the 1970s. The term “Wenzhou model” has been used to describe the unregulated free market economic development in the region.
Recently a scandal broke out surrounding Wenzhou government officials who were involved in illegal loan sharking activities; it is estimated that billions of RMB have been trafficked out from banks in the city to the underground loan market and onto local SMEs.
Luggage factory, Wenzhou, China. Image by Malcolm M on Flickr (CC BY 2.0).
However, as a result of the economic downturn, the companies have been unable to pay the debt. So far more than 26 Wenzhou entrepreneurs have fled [zh] the country and the local government is pleading with the central government for help. In the past few days, ‘runaway bosses’ has become a trending term on various social media sites and many believe that Wenzhou bosses do not deserve any sympathy.
Young entrepreneur Song Zude comments [zh] on the situation on the Sina Weibo forum:
温州炒房团，该死！房价高涨主要原因是政府哄抬地价、狂追GDP，但温州炒房团也是罪人之一，十多年来，温州人在全国疯狂炒房，扰乱了当地房价，苦了当地百姓！许多温州老板不专心做实业，卷入炒房、虚拟经济、民间高利借贷，最终债务累累，“温跑跑”满世界逃，时候已到，恶有恶报！
There are more than 300 comments in Song's discussion thread, many expressing their anger towards Wenzhou speculators:
-浩米- 温州炒房，潮州炒地，银行炒息，房都没买，先比人轮奸一轮！(今天 09:39)
dengdaiyanguilai 就是啊！现在政府要救他们，那他们以前把全国人民的钱都挣完了，现在要救 ，以前的钱他们退、吐出来吗？ (今天 08:03)
靖江枫 温州籍老板们，国家受自然灾害袭击时你们在干什么？你们喝着拉菲红酒，开的是豪华跑车，抱的美女明星，而大部分钞票都靠投机倒把得来，被高利贷逼走的人有几个没参与这些勾当？(今天 03:15)
丹东晓程 温州炒房团倒霉之日，就是贫农下中农幸福之时。
本莫愁 炒高国内的，又跑去迪拜炒！结果赶上迪拜房地产业大跌，好多人栽里头！温八子们，拿着在国内炒房赚的钱，全跑国外去给人送钱，真害人不浅！(10月5日 14:59)
VanTssei 既然ZF创造了一个能叫你稳赚的垄断市场，有资本为什么不赚？本来炒房团就是ZF为了有房市资金介入而鼓励下的产物，炒房先驱而已。真心的，祖德就时事针砭时弊和对娱乐圈冷嘲热讽就算了，别扯太多你的副业。(10月5日 14:44)
State-run media, Chinese Central Television's finance commentator Niu Wenxin disagrees with the public sentiment and blames the United States (US) [zh] for the problem:
当中国不能继续紧缩货币之时，美国开始用最强力的手段逼人民币升值。什么意思？我们必须人民币升值就紧缩货币是同义词。去看看温州的情况吧，那就是紧缩的后果。但现在有人存心转移国人视线，把温州问题的原因引向温州老板的投机，贪婪、暴利等。这是混淆是非，是迫使中国经济走向死亡的手段！
In Niu's discussion thread:
poliwang 现在世界经济增长在放缓，国际大宗商品价格连续暴跌，中国的出口将会面临严峻的冲击，中国如果不马上停止紧缩政策而转向刺激内需，中国经济很可能出现200年时的断崖式滑坡和硬着陆！我们现在首要的问题是要多创造就业，避免出现中小企业大规模倒闭和大量的失业！ (10月5日 07:55)
清蒸_小老虎 温州地下金融资金链断裂的根源其实是金融系统的低效和利率的扭曲。再加上腐败和无效监管，于是形成了事实上的庞氏骗局，最终必然走向崩盘。信贷紧缩只是提早刺破了这个泡泡。毕竟当全民放贷开始出现时，我们应该知道离盛宴结束已经不远了。(10月5日 00:38)

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Zhengzhou Sex Culture Festival  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaSMACK translated Chinese netizens’ reactions on the Zhengzhou Sex Culture Festival.


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Colombia: First National Evacuation Simulation  · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

On the morning of October 5, 2011, Colombia carried out a national evacuation simulation exercise [es], in which 14 cities participated. The idea was to simulate an emergency (an earthquake) and build awareness of the steps people should assume in the event of an actual emergency.
Those in charge of the event, which was scheduled by the national government to start at 11:00am, turned to the media and a website [es] to invite Colombians to take part in the exercise. As such, state institutions, educational establishments and a number of private companies agreed to participate in this simulation, which was the first on a national level, but the third in the city capital, Bogotá [es].
Official logo of the national evacuation campaign
The event's official site published [es]:
El Simulacro de Evacuación ha  permitido posicionar a Bogotá y al país en general como líderes en el  tema de prevención y preparación para afrontar emergencias en América  Latina. Este año se ha hecho especial énfasis en el sector educativo, en  el cual ya confirmaron su participación 214 planteles educativos, tanto  privados como públicos, de toda la ciudad.
Social networks did their part and people spoke about the event with quite a sense of humor.
Some also placed a political spin on it. Carlos Hernánez (@creacionhumana) [es] said that it was a smokescreen so that people would not discuss the passage of the Free Trade Agreement between the United States and Colombia:
Lo del #simulacro era para distraernos de la aprobación del TLC?
Mal_nacida (@JelizMon) [es] took advantage of the situation and spoke about the flaws in the Colombian health system's attention to emergencies:
Por que no mejor un #simulacro de atender bien en las URGENCIAS  de los hospitales
Nonetheless, Twitter users like Marisol Gutierrez (@marysolga) [es] made light of the event and wrote:
charlé, reí, caminé, busqué a mi grupo, dije presente y volví a trabajar, estaba #simulacro. Jaja será que en un terremoto se pasa tan bueno?
There were also varying opinions that demonstrated the fact that the objective of the event was not reached.
José David Hidalgo (@josedavidalejo) [es] wrote:
El #Simulacro De Mi Colegio Fue Muy Malooo :/
Geovanna Valencia (@Geovannella) [es] pointed out that during a real emergency, no one stays calm:
#simulacro es una perdedera de tiempo, a la hora de una emergencia NADIE piensa, ni conserva la calma!
Finally some, like Sebastián Álvarez (@SebasAlvarez6) [es], didn't notice a simulation was going on:
Yo ni me di cuenta del #simulacro!
You can read more reactions under the hashtag #simulacro.

author: Cati Restrepo


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Cuba: Fonseca Told to Get Lawyer · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense finds it interesting that jailed dissidents Sara Fonseca and her husband Julio Leon have been advised to obtain legal counsel, calling it “a suggestion that indicates the regime plans to formally prosecute the couple because of their anti-communist activism.”


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Dreamwork China: The Workers of Foxconn · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

China Digital Times introduces a documentary, Dreamwork China, on the lives and dreams of the Foxconn workers who make (authentic) Apple products (among others) at their massive complex in Shenzhen.


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Fallacies About the Singapore Welfare State · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Ng Kok challenges the view that Singapore should not aim to be a welfare state because the Western welfare state is doomed to fail and social welfare is fundamentally un-Asian.


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Indonesia: Q! Film Festival · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Q! Film Festival is a festival showcasing LGBT, HIV/AIDS and Human Rights films in Indonesia.


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Iran: A cartoon for Steve Jobs · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mana Neyestani, a leading Iranian cartoonist, has published a cartoon about Steve Jobs’ death. An old man says to the “Angel of Death” there are many dinosaurs in Iran and you go after “red apples”.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:In the memory of Steve Jobs · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Alireza Shirazi, head of a leading blog provider, remembered Steve Jobs as a creative human being.


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Italy: Wikipedia Italia on strike · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

The homepage of Wikipedia Italia  is on strike from the evening of October 4th. Its content is blocked in protest against an Italian bill on telephone interceptions that will mean that all sites and blogs must amend their contents within 48 hours of a request by any applicant who judges it detrimental to their personal image. The details and a petition can be found here. The latest news indicates, however, that the obligation to make amendments will only apply to online publications which are registered in court. The issue is, however, not fully resolved  as demonstrates a new intervention by Wikipedia Italia [Italian – all links].

author: Claire Ulrich


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Jamaica: Vybz Cartel on Murder Charge  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dancehall star Vybz Cartel now faces murder charges in Jamaica; The Caribbean Camera has the details.


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Jordan: Prince Hassan Joins Twitter! · Global Voices
Ali Alhasani

Jordan's Prince Hassan joins Twitter, much to the delight of many Jordanian tweeps. He is the son of the late King Talal and Queen Zein al-Sharaf and brother of the late King Hussein and uncle of the present King Abdullah II.
The Jordanian royal, who was Crown Prince from 1965 to 1999, is the third member of the royal family to go on Twitter. The other high profile relatives are Queen Noor Al Hussein, King Hussein's widow, and Queen Rania Al Abdullah, King Abdullah's wife.
Prince Hassan was popular among Jordanian tweeps, who had taken to tweeting his appearances on television and whenever he speaks in public.  Now he has taken the plunge and joins the Jordanian Twitterati.
Prince Hassan of Jordan
akrumidrees tweets [ar] the reasons why he is happy Prince Hassan has joined Twitter:
Ahead of his appearance on AmmanTT (Amman Tech Tuesdays) where the Prince was scheduled to give a session about “Continuity, Innovation and Change: Building a Knowledge Economy,” he created his Twitter account (@HRHPrinceHassan), which attracted hundreds of followers within hours.
The prince announced on his official Facebook page that he's entering the world of Twitter:
So after hearing and reading a lot about twitter, i was prevailed upon to open an account… please bear with me: https://twitter.com/#!/HRHPrinceHassan @HRHPrinceHassan
Prince Hassan's official Twitter account
When followed by Prince Hassan, YazAmro tweeted:
This is the greatest email I ever received: (HRH Prince El Hassan (@HRHPrinceHassan) is now following you on Twitter!) may God bless you YRH.
wara23inab was also happy, she tweeted:
Heartfelt welcome to your Highness @HRHPrinceHassan, so delighted to have the chance to interact with you in this virtual yet intimate space.
RHammouri said:
it is great to be able to read your thoughts here your highness, this gives a better meaning for twitter. thank you sir.

author: Ali Alhasani


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Kenya: Movie About Oldest Kenyan Primary School Pupil · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Africa Expat Wife writes about The First Grader, a movie about Maruge – the oldest Kenyan primary school pupil: “I am gutted that they didn't call the movie ‘Form One’ – which would have been a lot more apt and less corny, however, it's the true story of a man in his 80's who asserted his right to free primary education in 2004 when the Kenya government announced that primary education would be free for ALL (Kenyans).”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Kenya: Vote for Juliana Rotich for Ultimate Business and Technology Game Changer · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Vote for Julian Rotich for Ultimate Business and Technology Game Changer: “This year, Africa’s very own Juliana Rotich has been nominated as one of 10 change makers in the Business and Technology category. Nomination and more importantly winning in any of the categories undoubtedly brings more awareness of the work that the likes of Julliana and others are doing and helps inspire others to follow in their footsteps.”


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Madagascar: 164 homes burnt down in Fort Dauphin  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

The second serious fire in the region within the last 3 weeks burned down 164 homes in the the fokontany of Amparihy in Fort Dauphin, Azafady reports. The fires have been amplified by continuous strong winds across the SE region of Madagascar.  An online fundraising page has been set up for anyone who would like to support the victims.


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Myanmar: Interactive Map of Ethnic Groups · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Stimson has set-up an interactive map of Myanmar's ethnic groups and key economic and power utilities.

author: Mong Palatino


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Nicaragua: Sony Music Tells Ortega to Stop Using Song in Campaign Ad  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

President Daniel Ortega's campaign jingle is causing controversy abroad, as Erwin C. reports: “The use of ‘Stand by Me’ […] did not sit well with Sony Music, which reportedly sent a cease and desist letter to the head of Ortega’s party in the legislature. […] The statement also claimed that the use of the classic Ben E. King song was a ‘serious infringement‘ of Sony’s copyright and that the company could take legal action to prevent its future use.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Palestine: Blogger Rasha Hilwi Not Welcome in Tunisia · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Rasha Hilwi, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, is a well-known journalist and blogger, and she was among the Palestinian bloggers refused visas to Tunisia in order to attend the 3rd Arab Bloggers Meeting that took place from October 3-6. Global Voices has interviewed Rasha, asking her about blogging, her work, and her feelings at not being allowed to attend the meeting.
Global Voices (GV): How long have you been blogging?
Palestinian blogger  Rasha Hilwi (Photo credit: Ehab Shukha)
GV: You are a journalist who writes for various newspapers and websites, so what kind of subject makes you choose to write a blog post instead of an article?
GV: Is blogging popular among Palestinians in Israel?
GV: How about social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter – are they having an impact on how Palestinians in Israel communicate, and perhaps organise politically?
GV: Are you involved in any other online projects?
GV: You and eleven other Palestinian bloggers were invited to attend the 3rd Arab Bloggers Meeting currently taking place in Tunis, but were not granted Tunisian visas. Can you tell us what happened? Was there a reason given?
Perhaps it now unimportant what the reasons are. This rejection is painful because since December 18 [the start of protests in Tunisia] we believed, and still believe, that the world is changing, and that with tomorrow will come better days.
This meeting in Tunisia, the land of revolution, was a chance for Palestinian bloggers to meet their Arab brethren and even each other (because a son of Ramallah is forbidden from visiting Haifa, and a daughter of Haifa is forbidden from visiting Gaza, and a son of Gaza is forbidden from visiting Jerusalem…) It would have been possible for them to meet in Tunisia, which has hosted Palestinians in the past… But it was not the case.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


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Puerto Rico: Internet Leadership · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dondequiera says that “there is no way that Puerto Rico will ever have a chance of building an Internet startup community if we don't enjoy the same freedoms and access that are granted to other leaders on the Internet”, adding: “This isn't about status, it's about opportunity.”


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Singapore’s forgotten generation? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Wizard@McPeekay Institute reminds policymakers not to ignore the post-1960 generation who, according to the blogger, are the real ‘power brokers’ in Singapore society


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Singapore’s Nuclear Energy Plan · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Donaldson Tan cites a WikiLeaks report in discussing Singapore's plan to build a nuclear plant to address its long term energy needs


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Thailand: Thammasat University massacre · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Chayanin Wipusanawan writes about the October 6, 1976 massacre in Bangkok’s Thammasat University. More than 40 student protesters were killed on that day when military forces stormed the campus.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Proper Procurement Procedure  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Afra Raymond blogs about the importance of proper procurement practices regarding “the development of Invader’s Bay, a 70-acre parcel of State-owned reclaimed land”, saying: “The publication of the [Request For Proposal]…give the impression that a proper procurement process is underway at Invader’s Bay.  Nothing could be further from the truth.”


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Tunisia: Arab Bloggers Discuss the Situation in Syria · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.
Syria has been on the minds and lips of many participants of this week's Third Arab Bloggers Meeting in Tunis.  The celebratory spirit provoked by the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt has been dampened by discussions about Syria, where regime violence is increasing, the death toll is nearing 3,000, and many see no end in sight.
Several sessions on Syria have taken place at the meeting.  On Wednesday, bloggers discussed the impact of digital activism in Syria, focusing heavily on the Syrian Electronic Army, the pro-regime hacking group recently responsible for defacing Harvard University's website.  Noting that President Bashar Al Assad had thanked the Electronic Army for its efforts, Amira Al Hussaini commented: “SICK.”
A symbol used by Syrian digital activists, urging an end to repression
One Syrian participant stated that the impact of digital activists in Syria has been “minimal,” and quoting another participant, @weddady remarked that “many of #Syria electronic activists impact was strictly limited to mobilizing foreign media, they're not organizers on the ground.”
The discussion also touched upon the issue of authenticity, with some Syrians inside the country emphasizing the legitimacy of diaspora voices, as @redrazan tweeted:
Treating the voices of Syrians inside as authentic and the ones in disapora as not so much, is ridiculous. #Syria
Anonymously quoting a Syrian participant, @ahmed tweeted:
How can Syrians abroad help protesters on the ground in Syria? Is there ways to do that? #ab11
Bloggers also discussed organizing in Syria, where protests are often quickly dispersed and movement is restricted.  @ahmed translated and transcribed the comments of Syrian participants, noting the difficulty of organizing and remarking that Syrians “invented “flying protestes”: quick 2-min protest that gets filmed & uploaded.”
Syria is “pulling at my heart strings”
Thursday morning, one of the Syrian participants who had recently spent time in the country gave a talk on the dire situation in the country, prompting Jordanian blogger Naseem Tarawnah (@Tarawnah) to note:
Hands down, #Syria has been the most emotional talk of #AB11 & as a Jordanian its pulling at my heart strings. #BlessSyria
Quoting the speaker, Tarawnah also wrote that, after seven months, “no opposition group has demonstrated its ability to break the regime,” asking “Where do we go from here?”
Syrian-Spanish blogger Leila Nachawati also quoted the speaker, explaining:
Syrian participant explained the ways in which the Syrian government is trying to ignite sectarianism to provoke a civil war.
Although the situation is dire, the Syrian speaker injected hopefulness into the discussion.  According to Lilian Wagdy, the blogger also proclaimed that the only hope for #Syria is #Egypt ‘s revolution ending in success, and that Syrians don't want to “co-exist together, [they] want to ‘live’ together.”
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011.

author: Jillian C. York


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Uruguay: Concerns About Collecting Census Data Online · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The blog Uruguay: click para actualizar [es] (“click to refresh”) lays out several concerns about a website with an online questionnaire that closely resembles the official census survey. The people behind the website say they want to show that census data could be collected online rather than door-to-door.


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Ada Lovelace Day: Inspirational Women in Action · Global Voices
Renata Avila

Ada Lovelace Day (7 October) aims to raise the profile of women in science,  technology, engineering and maths by encouraging people around the world  to talk about the women whose work they admire. Ada Lovelace (1815-1852) was an English female writer and mathematician, widely held to have been the first computer programmer.
Our tribute for Ada Lovelace Day goes to women who are constantly working to make our world a more transparent and fair place; brave social leaders denouncing corruption while providing tools and directing campaigns who are increasing our awareness and uniting us to act for change.
'One Laptop Per Child' project. Image by Flickr user venkylinux (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0).
As we have done in the past, this year we are including smart women in the intersection between technology and social change who are a central presence in projects promoting a more accountable and transparent society.
Our tributes
Fernanda Viegas (@viegasf) is on the list of the top 100 more influential Brazilians. She is a computational designer whose work focuses on the social, collaborative, and artistic aspects of information visualization.
Viegas is a co-leader, with Martin Wattenberg, of Google's ‘Big Picture’ data visualization group in Cambridge, MA. She is also one of the great minds behind public visualization platform Many Eyes, an experiment in open, public data visualization and analysis. In this video you can see her talk in TedX Sao Paulo:
Hok Kakada from Cambodia is creating a software program that will help Cambodian hospitals store data more accurately, allowing for better treatment. All her work is based on Open Source software. She challenged the difficulties girls face in her country and obtained a master degree in Japan.
Linda Kamau (@lkamau) is one of the coders behind the well known Ushahidi initiative. She is a software developer based in Kenya with a degree in Business  Information Technology. Kamau develops both web and mobile applications and is contributing to change across continents, from election monitoring to corruption mapping.
Brenda Burell is the technical mind behind the Freedom Fone Project, a voice database where users can access news and public-interest information via land, mobile or Internet phones. Previously she directed the Kubatana initiative in Zimbabwe.
Camila Bustamante (@cabude), from Peru, is working on the design front, on design strategies for participatory processes mainly related to urban  mobility, public space and new media. In 2010 Camila iniciated Todos  somos dateros (“We are all data providers”), a participatory mechanism for  sustainable urban mobility in Lima.
Working from the UK-based Open Knowledge Foundation, Kat Braybrooke @kat_braybrooke is a front-end web developer and Lucy Chambers (@lucyfedia) is in the process of learning how to code. They are involved in the organization of the world's biggest open government event, the Open Government Data Camp in Warsaw.
Kristin Antin (@kjantin) from the United States is participating in the design and organization of New Tactics in Human Rights, a technical on-line platform providing resources to human rights advocates that offer  innovative tactical solutions for confronting specific local challenges, using technology.
Stephanie Hankey is the co-founder of Tactical Technology Collective, a small non-governmental organization dedicated to advance the skills, tools and techniques of rights advocates, empowering them to use information and communications as a critical asset in helping marginalised communities understand and effect progressive social, environmental and political change.
Daniela Silva (@danielabsilva) from Brazil is the founder of Sfera Brazil and Transparencia Hacker a community of over 800 designers, developers, coders and even government officers developing huge projects together to promote transparency and accountability.
These are some examples of brilliant women who are not afraid of the mouse, the screen, or the complexities of coding. They are inspiring others by doing amazing projects, all of them contributing to social change.
If you have an example in mind today, we invite you to write about them, to describe the amazing women working in technology you know; women who are an example and inspiration for girls in the generations to come as Ada Lovelace, more than hundred years ago, was for many others. Share your stories and inspire others!

author: Renata Avila


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Africa: R.I.P Steve Jobs, You Will be Missed · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Steve Jobs died on October 5, 2011. African bloggers have taken time to pay tribute and remember his contribution to the world of technology.
Thanks Steve Jobs for making creative life much easier:
Thank you Sir, for making my creative life that much easier through the vision you created in Apple Products.
And for making a dent in the universe:
Thank you Steve, for making a dent in the universe.
Collins says Steve was a gift to the IT world:
Steve Jobs was truly a gift to the IT World.
Our sincere condolences to the family, colleagues and friends from this blog .
Steve Jobs holding a MacBook Air at MacWorld Conference & Expo 2008. Photo courtesy of Matthew Yohe, released into the public domain (CC-BY-3.0).
Swahili blogger Simon Kitururu writes:
. kuwa MTU mmoja anaweza kuwa changamoto kwa WENGI,…
…weye STEVE  ulikuwa bonge la CHANGAMOTO na ni bonge la CHANGAMOTO bado
Moses says, “R.I.P Steve Jobs, you will be missed”:
Steve Jobs was without a doubt one of the Fathers of modern technology as we know it – a true Titan of all things digital. He defined and redefined everything from personal computers to mobile phones as well as movies and more recently tablets. He drove the vision of products and services that were quite simply “magical”  – we would never have appreciated the art of technology that he brought to life through his well-known and unrelenting drive for perfection in all he did. The world would not be what it is today we’re it not for Steve Jobs.
One of Steve Jobs’ famous “closing” statements when recruiting new team members to Apple was to ask them if they wanted to “put a dent on the universe” by working for him. Indeed, Steve Jobs made many many dents in the technology universe, as we know it. R.I.P Steve Jobs, you will be missed.
EK13 Photography desktop screen shots of the London Regent Street Flagship Store. Image courtesy of EK13 Photography.
Kanyana's chooses best Steve Jobs quote:
“Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma – which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”
Open Mic writes a “cheesy tribute”:
So, Apple Inc. have just announced Steve Jobs’ demise after and amazing career that brought us iPods and every i-Thing we can think of. Wangari Maathai, our very own Nobel Laureate, activist, environmental champion and perhaps our best prototype of positive feminism is set to be cremated soon. Here goes a cheesy tribute:
Its an adage: An apple a day, or so they say
But what becomes of the apple trees on that day
The gardener's away and won't ever return again
Another adage: Where there's trees, there's rain
An apple a day, but not today, not today
A torrent of rain, but never again, never again
The day the designer died:
No one embodies the three things we strive for at Appfrica than the man the world lost today. Design. Leadership. Vision. We salute you, Mr. Steve Jobs. Best wishes from me, Jon, and our colleagues and friends in Uganda.
Mr Cape Town looks forward to paying respect to Steve Jobs by getting his hands on Tweetdeck for iPhone:
Running social media accounts for brands is something which requires having access to these accounts on-the-move. The best thing for this is @Tweetdeck for iPhone and I am looking forward to paying respect to Steve by finally getting my hands on when when my upgrade is due in a few months!
Finally, a poem for Steve Jobs from Nana Acquah:
Here, when The Empty dies
We cry a little. Just a little.
And then we drink, drum, dance
And recount their great deeds
So the living will not forget.
The common die with all or most
Of their dreams still in them.
They die full. Losers. Cowards.
Procrastinators. Full of excuses.
We don’t even notice when they go.
But you, you died empty: The way
The great do.
And may your soul rest in peace.
(For Steve Jobs, because he truly lived).


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Analysis on Russia-North Korea trade · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea specialist Andrei Lankov posted  an analysis on North Korea's recent talk with Russia on economic cooperation. In the East Asia Forum site, Lankov explained why the two most important potential  projects are a railway and a gas pipeline.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Bermuda: Economic Impact of Term Limits  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“One day it's [term limits] about long term residency. The next about not letting expats steal jobs from Bermudians. Just pick one already will you”: Politics.bm says that the government is “doubling down on term limits with an election coming. This is very dangerous for Bermuda.”


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Bolivia: Spoil Vote Campaign for Upcoming Judicial Elections · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Miguel A. Buitrago blogs about a campaign to promote the spoiled vote as a way to protest the upcoming judicial elections, which will be held on October 16.


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Brazil: Mega No to Surveillance Wins FRIDA Award · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

The movement Mega No to Surveillance [pt], a Brazilian watchdog of online censorship, has won the FRIDA International Award in the category “Freedoms”. This joint initiative of Latin American Network Information Center, International Development Research Centre and Internet Society, rewards digital innovation and research initiatives that have made  the Internet catalyze change in Latin America and the Caribbean.

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: Open Letter Defends Women’s Dignity · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Maria da Penha Neles, a Brazilian feminist blog, published an open letter [pt] by the activist Reginna Sampaio (@brazilpalestine) to the “sertanejo” [country music] duo Bruno & Marrone that, in a show in San Francisco, USA, called Brazilian women as sluts. The video of the show was widely shared online.