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Latin America: A Conversation with Carolina Botero about Intellectual Property · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages except when otherwise noted]
Attorney Carolina Botero spoke about the free culture movement and Creative Commons during the first conference of the recent Free Culture Congress in Quito. As one of the regional representatives of CC in Latin America, she often gives presentations and writes articles on this and other related topics.
For example, she wrote in her column not long ago in the daily Colombian newspaper El Espectador about the recent controversies surrounding collective management societies, such as the Spanish SGAE, the Peruvian APDAYC or the Colombian SAYCO, which are responsible for charging royalties on works and defending the rights of the authors that created them:
La gestión colectiva necesita cirugía reconstructiva extrema en todo el mundo, pero lo complicado es que esta conclusión la provoquen los cuestionamientos públicos de falta de transparencia (por mencionar el menor) y no la decisión del sector o la de los estados de reconocer que el desarrollo tecnológico ha significado importantes cambios que deberían reflejarse en modificaciones al derecho de autor, en esa gestión, en su estructura y seguramente en su naturaleza.
Collective rights management needs extreme reconstructive surgery throughout the world, but the tricky thing is that this conclusion is prompting public discourse on the lack of transparency (to name the very least) and not the decision of the sector or the states to recognize that technological development has meant major changes which must be reflected in modifications to the rights of the author, within that management, in its structure and surely its nature.
Later she announced on her blog a study to be conducted throughout 2012:
llevamos ya unos meses trabajando en el diseño y puesta en marcha de una investigación con otras instituciones de la región cuyo tema es precisamente gestión colectiva en América Latina. Ojalá nuestros insumos sirvan en unos meses para apoyar y enriquecer esa discusión, para repensar en la forma de gestión colectiva y en todo caso fortalecerla, pues no sólo es importante ahora sino que será mucho más importante en el futuro con un entorno tecnológico que la está moldeando en forma evidente.
We have spent several months working on the design and implementation of a study, together with other institutions in the region, precisely on the theme of collective management in Latin America. Hopefully our efforts will in a few months serve to support and enrich that discussion, to rethink the form of collective management and in any case to strengthen it, because not only is it important now but it will be much more important in the future given the technological environment that is so obviously molding it.
I took advantage of Carolina Botero's attendence at the Free Culture Congress to chat with her about various things, such as the state of Creative Commons in Latin America:
Related to Creative Commons’ presence in Latin America, Carolina Botero wrote an article [PDF] together with Alberto Cerda about online publications in the Latin American region from the perspective of the philosophy of open access and the use of those licenses, analyzing their impact, the opportunities they generate, their apparent advantages, and more.
Actualmente, las licencias Creative Commons han sido adoptadas o se encuentran en proceso de adaptación en más de 70 países, incluidos 11 de América Latina. En cada uno de ellos, han sido debidamente adecuadas a su legislación interna. En concreto, en América Latina fue Brasil el primer país que desarrolló un proyecto de este tipo. Hoy ya 9 jurisdicciones cuentan con sus propios textos (Argentina, Brasil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, México, Perú y Puerto Rico) y por lo menos 2 jurisdicciones más se encuentran en proceso de adopción (Costa Rica y Venezuela). No obstante, debemos consignar que la ausencia de la iniciativa en un determinado país no ha obstado al licenciamiento de una publicación con la licencia adoptada en otro país; así, por ejemplo, la Revista Cubana de Información en Ciencias de la Salud (ACIMED) licencia sus contenidos con una licencia Creative Commons de España.
Actually, Creative Commons licenses have been adopted or are in the process of adaptation in more than 70 countires, including 11 in Latin America. In each one of those cases, the licenses have been properly tailored to the country's own domestic legislation. Specifically, Brazil was the first country in Latin America to develop a protection such as this. Today, nine juridictions have their own licenses (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, and Puerto Rico) and at least two more jurisdictions are in the process of adopting them (Costa Rica and Venezuela). However, we should point out that the absence of an initiative in a given country has not stopped the licensing of a publication with the license of another country; so, for example, the Revista Cubana de Información en Ciencias de la Salud (ACIMED) licenses its content with a Creative Commons license in Spain.
Another topic that I brought up with Carolina Botero was how indigenous communities can make use of intellectual property, author's rights and specifically of CC, to safeguard their extensive traditional knowledge and cultural heritage, a theme that is generating various discussions and proposals among diverse communities.
The indigenous communities of Latin American, like those in Chile, are meeting to discuss, among other topics, subjects such as this:
- Analizar el estado de situación del reconocimiento de la propiedad intelectual de los conocimientos tradicionales de los pueblos indígenas. ¿Es posible un registro de derecho de propiedad intelectual público, colectivo indígenas?
Finally, I asked Carolina about the subject of piracy, and if it is, like this article on CC and piracy says: “One of the most annoying things about watching original movies, whether on DVD, Blu-Ray or in the theater, is the anti-piracy commercials. They give the impression that everyone is a delinquent […] Moreover, they deem the sharing of copies to be among the gravest of misdeeds, even including it in the category of “‘crime.'” Carolina Botero shared this on the topic:
Another article by Carolina in El Espectador addresses the subject. The piece addresses a report [en] by the Social Science Research Council (SSRC) [en] on piracy in emerging economies, or rather countries where, according to the SSRC, piracy gives citizens access to cultural products, making it a result of a defect of an industry that “protects the price structure of products in high-income countries, its natural market, while maintaining a dominant position in emerging markets as it waits for incomes there to rise.”
el informe es publicado con la licencia “Dilema del Consumidor”, como una estrategia “estética” de activismo: Si descargas el informe desde un país no desarrollado, vale US$0, si lo haces desde un país desarrollado US$8, si quieres usos especiales (como comerciales) vale US$200. Paralelamente montaron un “grupo de apoyo” en Facebook con un listado de sitios para descargar el informe sin pagar o de personas que lo envían a su correo descargándolo desde un país en desarrollo. Se busca que el consumidor se pregunte: ¿Qué haría si un producto cuesta mucho más de lo que estoy dispuesto a pagar? ¿Consideraría ser pirata? Dilema que es el que, alegan, enfrentan los consumidores de las economías emergentes.
On YouTube there are two more videos that feature excerpts of Carolina Botero's presentation in the Free Culture Congress. Her papers from the same event are: Deciphering the Free Culture Movement and Accessible Culture [both PDF]. You can find more of her presentations through her Slideshare account, and by following her on Twitter: @carobotero.

author: Juan Arellano


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Malaysia: Protesting the Peaceful Assembly Bill · Global Voices
Jerrenn Lam

The Malaysian government’s plan to table the Peaceful Assembly Bill has received backlash from some of its citizens who believe that it represses the right to assemble more than granting freedom to hold demonstrations.
UPDATE: The Parliament has approved the bill with no dissenting votes after the Opposition walked out of the sessions.
Some of the provisions of the new law are:
1. 30 days’ advance notice for assemblies except for those done in designated areas as defined by the home minister (this has been reduced to 10 days’ notice instead)
2. A police officer is allowed ‘to take such measures he/she deems necessary’ to ensure compliance
3. The police are allowed to fine organisers up to RM10,000 if no advance notice of a planned assembly is given to the police;
4. The police are allowed to fine those arrested up to RM20,000.
In addition to that, children under the age of 15 are not allowed to participate in any assemblies, and any person under the age of 21 is not allowed to organise an assembly.
Michelle from I Am Malaysian wrote:
One cannot help but wonder about the true purpose of this bill. As many have already said, the right to assemble peaceably and without arms is protected under the Federal Constitution. What this Bill intends to do, the way I see it, is to put shackles and cuffs as mandatory add-ons to this right of peaceful assembly.
Melvin Mah, felt the same way.
To say that to notify someone from the police office of an event 30 days ahead is somewhat hints of the inefficiency of the police side. It also contradicts one of the police slogans of “Mesra, Cepat dan Betul” we used to here many years before. In other countries, similar scenarios will only take between 5 to 10 days for arrangement.
The view of freedom and civil liberties to some people are pretty narrow. In fact Malaysia still remains in the guided-democracy state. This means that only a select group decides what is acceptable and can be said and what cannot be said / done. I often notice how some people talk like in that manner, I would think that they are foaming in their mouths.
Douglas Tan looked at the issue objectively but came to the same conclusion:
After a lot of condemnation from the Bar Council and Opposition MPs, we have to examine whether or not it should be called the “Anti-Assembly Bill” or “Illegal Assembly Bill” as proposed by some quarters.
Notice of the assembly was proposed to be 30 days, which has since been revised to 10 days, after Myanmar's assembly bill which specified a 5 day notice period put us to shame.
The issue of peaceful assemblies has certainly been a contentious one in our country, and most recently we saw 300 people gathering in KLCC park in protest of this very bill. But is it correct to allow an absolute freedom? Some argue that societies with sufficient maturity should not have their rights infringed upon by legislation.
However, I would liken this to removing all the lines, traffic lights, zebra crossings and speed limits on our roads. Now people are truly free to drive on the road, but would you dare? True freedom has boundaries. That way, we know the parameters to operate within.
Therefore, a Peaceful Assembly Bill is certainly essential. However, does the current piece of proposed legislation do us justice? I would submit that it does not. Laws must give space and act as guidelines, but not to the extent that it is stifling.
Glam wrote about the demonstration at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) to protest the introduction of the Bill.
Protesting against the Peaceful Assembly Bill. Photo from @savebukitgasing
On Twitter, the hashtag #PA2011 has been popular, as many netizens took to the Internet to voice their frustrations about the issue. While there is also a Facebook group set up to protest the introduction of the law, it has not been popular.
Among some of the Tweets are:
@HRDipendra If Najib (Prime Minister) really cares, he would withdraw #PA2011 and listen to the various interested parties
@fahmi_fadzil Tmrw: 1130am, Lake Garden to Parliament, march against #PA2011, a piece of legislation being pushed by @NajibRazak with “unholy haste”.
@MyConsti #PA2011 if enacted in its current form would contain disproportionate and  unreasonable restrictions to your freedom to peaceably assemble.
@PangKheeTeik We R not breakg the law, we R just living our lives. But they've banned the things tt make us human. #Walk4Freedom
Additionally, a ‘Walk for Freedom’ was organized to protest the passage of the bill.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Jerrenn Lam


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Mexico: Government Considers Legal Actions Against Citizens Demanding ICC Probe · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.
The Mexican Presidency's office has responded to the petition filed in the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate crimes against civilians committed by those fighting Mexico's Drug War; according to a press release [es] published in major print newspapers, the government considers the complaint's arguments “unfounded and unfair” and a “true libel”, and will consider legal alternatives to act against those who “damage the name of Mexico”.
It is absurd to even try to equate the actions of a democratic government to preserve the law and defend families from criminals, with crimes against humanity committed by authoritarian regimes […]
The accusations against the Government of Mexico are clearly unfounded  and out of order, as pointed out by the most respected voices on the subject. Nevertheless, they constitute real slander, reckless  accusations that damage not only individuals and institutions, but  terribly affect the good name of Mexico; therefore [the government] explores all alternatives to legally act against those who make these accusations  in different forums and courts, nationally and internationally.
Professor John Ackerman emphasized on the news blog Animal Político [es] that there is no such thing as a “law suit” filed at the ICC, because that legal figure does not exist; instead, the complaint requests an evaluation of the information presented, and eventually, the organism will define if it proceeds to open an investigation or “like it happened in Colombia, establish observation mechanisms of the conflict in the country”.
International Criminal Court logo, image from Wikimedia commons.
On November 28, 2011, during Carmen Aristegui's [es] radio news show, Netzai Sandoval, the human rights lawyer who wrote the petition, said:
[..] un gobierno no se puede dar el lujo de acallar voces críticas en espacios mediáticos y tampoco por acudir a las vías judiciales para llegar a una solución pacífica.
Es inaceptable que se intente reprimir las voces de 23 mil personas de esta forma. Se está cuestionando nuestro derecho para buscar soluciones pacíficas y civilizadas ante los conflictos. Nosotros vamos a defender nuestros derechos y vamos a exigir que se respete la capacidad de la sociedad mexicana de denunciar.
Mexican citizens reacted strongly on Twitter, condemning the Government's statements.  They have been organizing a peaceful demonstration for November 29 outside the General Attorney's Office (PGR) to  symbolically “turn themselves in”, like José Hernández (@Monerohernandez) [es] tweets:
Mañana todos en la PGR a las 16:00 hrs. [Reforma a dos cuadras de Insurgentes] a ratificar las firmas y ‘entregarnos’.
Nat Colmenares blogs [es]:
Es un desacierto mayúsculo lo expresado por Calderón. Su actitud lo único que evidencia son sus temores de que el juicio en La Haya sí procede. Porque si el que nada debe, nada teme, el que teme tanto con Calderón es que tiene deudas mayores que pagar.
The popular culture blog Sopitas [es] considers that nothing damages the name of Mexico more than the drug war images published by some major media outlets:
Bueno, suponemos que utilizar las vías jurídicas internacionales para señalar la impunidad y la ausencia del cacareado “estado de derecho” daña más la imágen de méxico que las siguientes imagenes, ¿no?
Secretary of Labor Javier Lozano published an editorial in newspaper El Universal [es] defending President Calderón's strategy and defying the legal team that promotes #juicioacalderon (a trial against Calderón):
Acusar al Presidente Calderón ante cortes internacionales por hacer su trabajo y cumplir –como nunca nadie lo había hecho– con la obligación primaria, constitucional y moral inherente a su cargo, es una actitud ruin, propia de la insensatez, de la ignorancia y de la actitud revanchista de aquellos que no saben perder.
Lilián Bañuelos (@Leeleean) [es] and other Twitter users consider the government's statements as a threat:
Por otro lado, qué deprimente amanecer en un país en donde tu presidente te tiene amenazado.
@Thinkmexican asks:
#Calderon threatens legal action; citizens respond by saying, “arrest me!” Isn't this how revolutions start? #JuicioaCalderon
While Amílcar Sandoval (@Sanamilcar) [es] argues that:
Calderón cumple cabalmente el patrón conductual de criminales y dictadores enjuiciados en la CPI. Acosa y amenaza a quienes lo denuncian.
Eduardo Buscaglia (@edbusclagia) [es], an expert in organized crime and security for international institutions like the United Nations, tweeted:
Autoridads d otros paises han sido llevados ant la Corte Interamericana de DDHH debido a una amenaza “legal” como la hoy emitida x Mr. FCH.
Finally, @Cualquiercabron [es] sums up his opinion with this tweet:
Si Calderón se supiera inocente no lo preocuparía la CPI,  y si le importara la “imagen de México” no amenazaría a ciudadanos.  Simple.
This post is part of our special coverage Mexico's Drug War.

author: Geraldine Juarez


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Mexico: Guadalajara Hosts 25th International Book Fair · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Guadalajara is hosting the 25th International Book Fair from November 26 to December 4, 2011. Álvaro López writes about the fair in Vivir México [es], and says he wishes Mexico had more readers and fewer TV viewers.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Nepal: Constituent Assembly Extended For Six Months · Global Voices
Rezwan

United We Blog! for a Democratic Nepal reports that a bill seeking to extend the term of the Constituent Assembly by six more months was passed today.

author: Rezwan


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North Korea Ranked 3rd in Deforestation  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korean Economy Watch blog consolidated current reports on severe deforestation in North Korea. According to one risk analysis firm, North Korea had the third highest deforestation rate among 180 countries surveyed and the UN estimates that North Korea had lost almost one-third of its entire forest mass.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Sri Lanka: Project Roku · Global Voices
Rezwan

Murshid introduces Project Roku, a next generation conversation system born in Sri Lanka.


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St. Lucia: Looking Good for St. Lucia Labour Party  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Caribbean-American Forum says that incoming results point to the likelihood that opposition leader Dr. Kenny Anthony has led the St. Lucia Labour Party to a sweeping victory in the country's recent general election.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Online Safety  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Mark Lyndersay writes an enlightening post about online child safety, here.


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Zambia: Netizens Weigh in on Fight Against Corruption · Global Voices
Soneka Kamuhuza

The cry for change has been resonating in Zambia for a while and now that Michael Sata‘s Patriotic Front (PF) party has dethroned the decades long reign of the Movement for Multi-Party Democracy (MMD), Zambia appears headed in a new direction. What seems to be of great interest, is the single-minded focus of the new government in dealing with corruption. Zambians are abuzz every day with some new leaks, revelations or insinuations.
Former politicians are crying foul over what they feel is a witch-hunt. In addressing the investigations into the sale of Zamtel, Zambia's premier telecommunications company, by the former government, former Vice President George Kunda stated, “It is unprecedented to appoint six commissions, and we don't know how many more are still coming. That is fault-finding.”
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) is the agency that leads the fight against corruption in Zambia. Image courtesy of E-hustling Visual.
In the meantime, indigenous Zambians are crying for blood and netizens are weighing in.
@lwangamwilu said:
Some people miraculously acquired wealth in 3 years in office, let them be investigated – Milupi #Zambia
@itayics added:
Crikey! RT @livilodge: RT @sandaykc: FLASH: Zambia’s telecom firm, ZAMTEL illegally sold to Libya’s Lap Green. #Zambia #Libya
With some former leaders being arrested, Dora Siliya, the former minister of information in Rupiah Banda's government, was called in for interviews and some Zambians ponder how long it will be before she is arrested.
What seems to be at the heart of this investigation is the procurement of various materials including hundreds of bicycles, by the former ruling party to be used in the recent elections.
@stevenputter tweeted:
#Zambia, 1000 bicycles “for personal use” thought it was only God that could be in more than one place at a time, no wonder investigated
@stevenputter explained why it is difficult to fight corruption in Zambia:
@livilodge problems are with why laws and systems are made in #Zambia to begin with, they try and prevent corruption with laws, not working
Even former President Banda's sons are part of the inquiry. @sandaykc wrote:
Ex-President RB's sons Henry & Nenani to be investigated over father's campaign funds. Duo to appear before investigators this week #Zambia
Another tweep wondered whether the government investigate the source of Zambian precious stones on ebay:
@mwanabibi: I don't know if they are smuggled out of Zambia but all our precious stones seem to be on Ebay coming from India @rphoenixzambia
What about corruption the Zambian style?:
Only in #zambia do people bury K2.1 billion. At least he delayed the process of getting caught. Such corruption!
The fight against corruption seems to be getting deeper as Zambian authorities continue to seize and question anyone they believe has information that is relevant to misuse of public funds. The Zambia Post reported recently that, “ATTORNEY General Mumba Malila says police seized over 80 MMD vehicles because they were procured using public funds.”
It is clear that there is much more digging to be done and the drama is far from over as PF has not even sharpened its teeth as it establishes new order in Zambian politics.

author: Soneka Kamuhuza


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A Book on Citizen Journalism · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

The digital media outlet Periodismo Ciudadano [es] has published a book on the evolution of citizen journalism [es] titled “Periodismo ciudadano: evolución positiva de la comunicación,” which is freely accessible in PDF format. The book includes case studies from all over the world.

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Barbados: The Pride of Independence · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbadian bloggers post their Independence Day greetings, here, here, here and here.


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Bermuda: Public Debate about Crime Reduction Methods? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Respice Finem examines the sensitive issue of the Bermuda police's “stop and search” policy as part of their crime reduction arsenal, saying that the concern of “those advocating caution…is that in our quest to significantly reduce crime…we do not sacrifice the liberties so many fought for for so long.”


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Bolivia Holds its First ‘PressCamp’   · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The first PressCamp Bolivia [es] will be held on December 3, 2011 in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. With a similar dynamic to BarCamp conferences, participants at PressCamp Bolivia will discuss online journalism, creative commons, and citizen journalism, among other subjects. Hugo Miranda provides more information in his blog [es].


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Cambodia: Law on Prison Labor · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Human Rights Watch is opposed to the proposed law in Cambodia that would permit prison labor to be used by private companies.

author: Mong Palatino


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Chile: Mapuche Protest Militarization and Project to Build Airport · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

On November 23, Mapuche protested against the militarization of their communities and a project to build an airport south of Temuco, in southern Chile, in a territory they claim as their ancestral land. Montserrat Nicolas, from the blog Curvas Políticas, shares a video [es] with speeches and testimonies by Mapuche leaders present in that protest.


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China: New Tactics to Rally Around Blind Activist Lawyer · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Andy Yee translated an activist, Xiao Cuo's suggestion on sustainable tactics to support blind activist lawyer, Chen Guangcheng who have been detained by the local government in Shandong for more than one year.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Clinton’s Visit to Myanmar · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

US Campaign 4 Burma gathers news stories and other online reports on the historic visit US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to Myanmar.


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Colombia: Internally Displaced People Tell Blogger their Stories · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

According to the Consultancy for Human Rights and Displacement (CODHES) Colombia has 5.2 million internally displaced people. Mike Ceaser talked “to several of the displaced people who've been demonstrating daily in Plaza Bolivar [in Bogota], demanding that the government give them land and other benefits.” Read some of their stories in Mike's blog.


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Cuba: Under “Survey-lance” · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“As far as many Cubans here are concerned, it is not necessary to have survey results to  verify the high levels of discontent and uncertainty we live under”: Without Evasion explains why she's sceptical of surveys.


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Egypt: Tear Gas Shipment Raises Questions About the US  · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Months after former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down, and just days after many people were reported to have suffocated and died allegedly because of new types of tear gas used by the Egyptian police, a new tear gas shipment arrived at the Suez Port from the United States (US) a few days ago.
Photo shared by Shadizm on Facebook.
The story broke when it was reported [ar] in Al Ahram Arabic daily that the employees of the custom service in Suez refused to receive a shipment with containers of seven tons of tear gas in each, creating an uproar on social networking sites. Here is part of the conversation from Twitter:
@Psypherize: A new tear gas shipment 7 tonnes heavy just arrived in #Cairo from #Suez and stored by the #MOI. Get ready for another crackdown.
@RashaAbdulla: So apparently, the 7-ton tear gas shipment from the #US to #Egypt is only part 1 of 3. Total is 21 tons!!
@sharifkouddous: Suez rocks. Port workers in Suez refuse 7-ton shipment of tear gas from US to restock Interior Ministry supply
Later on, people knew that the workers will be subject to investigations for their refusal to receive the shipment:
Netizens were also worried about the government's intentions:
@elkammar: I pay my government to get a better tear gas, a better way to kill me and my brothers
And to show their solidarity with the workers, many Twitter users shared the following message:
Others urged employees in other Egyptian ports to do the same:
@AnonyOps: Spread the message to Egyptian port workers. Refuse tear gas at the ports!
The tear gas bombs in this shipment are manufactured in the United States, hence people are wondering how the US claims to support the Arab world revolutions yet continues to support tyrannies across the region.
@freddydeknatel: But what does that say then, when you’ve got tear gas shipments arriving in the Port of Suez with “Made in the USA” on the side of them?
@waleedrashed: To U.S. and European governments:instead of asking how can we promote democracy in the Egypt, just stop exporting the gas used against today
@KhaRouBology: To #USA .. SHUT UP .. Stop sending the f**kin chemical bombs to #Egypt. And then support our Revolution
Finally, it was reported that the shipment was released and headed to the Ministry of Interior:
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Tarek Amr


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Hong Kong: LGBT Come Out Video · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

“I am who I am”, produced by an activist group, Nutongxueshe, is a series of video for the LGBT community in Hong Kong to come out and speak about their experience, very often painful because of discrimination and bullying. (via acopy.net)


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Indonesia: Social Media Situation · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Indonesian netizen @donnybu posts on Slideshare a presentation about the social media situation in Indonesia, including the challenges faced by internet users as they campaign for greater internet freedom


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Iran: British Embassy in Tehran Attacked · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

On 29 November, 2011, a crowd of about 1,000 people demonstrated near the British embassy in Tehran after Britain cut all financial ties with Iran over concerns about its nuclear program. The gathering was peaceful, before some participants stormed the building.
This incident has reminded many observers of the 1979 attack on the United States embassy in Tehran. A few days earlier, Iran's parliament voted to expel the British ambassador since relations had deteriorated.
Here is a video from the demonstration:
Iranian blogger, Xcalibur, advises people not to follow the official line by calling the attackers “students”. The blogger says  [fa]:
it is not right to call these wild people, students.
Another blogger, Snotes, said [fa] it was Basij paramilitary students attacked the embassy, seized documents from “the old Fox”, and burne the British flag.
Rahayi Iran says [fa] it was terrorists who attacked the British embassy.
Hamedemofidi blogs:
A high-ranking revolutionary guard, Sajadi, entered the British embassy and such an act could be considered a war declaration, because the embassy is considered British soil. Such an act is in contradiction with Iran's constitution.
H-naderifar worries [fa] that:
Iran pays a high price for such actions. Attacking an embassy is attacking a country and insulting its national symbols.
Somayeh Tohidlou, an Iranian activist who received 50 whip lashes in Tehran in September 2011, wrote [fa] on  Friendfeed:
Are they wrong about the date? This is 2011, not 1979 [when protesters took the US embassy in Tehran]. The regime is 32 years old, not 1 year old.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: “Police brutality toward the protesters”  · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Hamid Darvishi, a pro-regime student who was among those who raided UK compounds in Tehran, describes [Fa] police brutality toward the protesters: “Our wild brothers in police were beating us in our heads. A soldiers asked us how much we were paid to raid the compound here?”

author: Hadi Nili


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Iran: UK embassy under attack · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A film in YouTube shows how a group of Iranian protesters attacked UK embassy in Tehran on Monday.


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Jamaica: First Afro Chess Grandmaster · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora litblogger Geoffrey Philp republishes an interview with Maurice Ashley, “the Jamaica-born Grandmaster of Chess”.


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Japan: I am Isolated in My Workplace · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

“The Internet can be a saving grace if you’re isolated in your school or workplace.” – This was a remark from my recent interview with Izumi Mihashi from Lingua Japanese. I was reminded of it when chancing upon a poignant cry in the form of an anonymous blog entry [ja].
Bullying doesn’t stop at the schoolyard.
by Flickr user maciejgruszecki.com
Note: This post was translated in its entirety. Please note that the original text does not give any indication of gender for any of the characters, but the translation assumes that the blogger and colleague are male for brevity's sake.
Today, I realized yet again that the treatment I receive at my workplace is really acrimonious. I went to work in the morning, checked my e-mail, and got chewed out by four people for four different things within the first hour. When I was alone, I couldn’t help but quietly laugh with bitterness.
I feel that if I can just find one positive thing to latch onto, I can work out some of these issues as long as I apply myself to it. The thing is, I can’t help but think that I’m just being cut off completely.
After the troubles that morning, I ended up with some free time on my hands. I went up to one of the people that had gotten angry at me and quietly asked, “Is there anything I can help with?”. He replied “No”, with a very tired face. That he couldn’t trust me with anything was written all over his face.
I felt extremely sorry, embarrassed, and so many other emotions mixed together. From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to say, “I’m so sorry for making you feel this way.” It was all I could do to force a smile and say, “Please let me know if there’s anything I can help you with.” After going back to my seat, I reviewed my past work to see if there was anything to do. There were many errors, so I went to work on fixing them.
It’s cold at my window seat so I got some hot tea from the vending machine and sat back down, trying to warm myself. The person next to me furiously shouted, “Don’t bring anything that smells to your seat. What are you thinking!?”. I begged forgiveness – almost on my knees –  and escaped to the coffee room.
Feeling depressed, I looked out the window from the coffee room and thought about ways that I might improve myself. The only plan that I could come up with in my current state was very general – there’s nothing that I can do except take extra care with my actions and do my best.
This kind of life has been going on for more than three months. In all honesty, I want to quit this company. I think it’s time.
Sometimes, I think I shouldn’t be here. Still, quitting without making personal improvements feels like running away. I can’t do that. Me breaking down mentally, or my colleagues’ patience reaching the limit… which will come first?
I’m so sorry that I’m such a miserable person. I’m just so sorry.
And, I’ve caught a cold. But I can’t take a day off.

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Latin America: A Conversation With Santiago Hoerth about Open Technology · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages except when otherwise noted]
Santiago Hoerth, founder and coordinator of Código Sur, presented on ‘Open Internet with Open Technologies’ at the Open Culture Congress held October 17 and 18, 2011, in Quito, Ecuador. His presentation is available almost in full in two videos (1 and 2) online.
Código Sur is an organization which defines itself as:
un grupo de personas pertenecientes a diferentes movimientos sociales preocupadas por los derechos humanos, las libertades y los procesos sociales de emancipación. De igual modo lo estamos por las nuevas formas de comunicación y sus herramientas tecnológicas.
Among their objectives they mention the following:
A couple of days after the Congress I met with Santiago to talk, among other things, about Código Sur:
In his presentation Santiago discussed neutral internet exchange points (IXP) and free networks. He provides more information on the subject in the following video:
Wikipedia explains [en] more about these neutral points:
The technical and business logistics of traffic exchange between ISPs is governed by mutual peering agreements. Under such agreements traffic is often exchanged without  compensation. When an IXP incurs operating costs, they are typically  shared among all of its participants. […] Fees  based on volume of traffic are unpopular because they provide a  counterincentive to growth of the exchange.
RedLibre (free networks) is also defined on Wikipedia. Its goals [en] are particularly interesting to note:
The Wikipedia entry in Spanish also mentions common problems among free network communities:
Exceso de expectativas. Falta de acciones, sentimiento de comunidad y trabajo en equipo. Falta de coordinación.
As in any project, the human factor is apparently very important. You can find more information on this subject on Guifi.net, Buenos Aires Libre, Bogotá Mesh, Montevideo Libre, and Redes Libres, the organization that gathers all the Latin American free network communities.
Finally, Santiago spoke about Free Software [en] in Latin America.
As Santiago explains, free software is very popular in Latin America, as revealed during the Latin American Free Software Install Fests (FLISOL [en] for its initials in Spanish), an event that spreads free software in the continent every year. This year, for example, 269 cities participated with lectures, workshops, and installations of different free software.
It is important to note that Codigo Sur looks beyond the concept of free software as a programming tool and considers it a social tool as well:
El propósito de retirar la programación de la esfera corporativa y volverla a poner en el ámbito social es algo indispensable para evitar que la promesa de la Era Digital se convierta en una pesadilla social. La condición necesaria para poder confiar en que las reglas impuestas por el software reflejen los objetivos y valores de la sociedad, es que la participación en la construcción del software esté abierta y al alcance de todas las personas que deseen hacerlo.


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Malaysia: Netizens React to ‘Peaceful Assembly Bill’  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Malaysian Parliament has approved the controversial Peaceful Assembly Bill which gives police and government authorities broad powers to control and even ban street assemblies and protests. Malaysian activists criticized the government for passing this measure which they described as an attack on civil liberties and freedom of speech.
Using the hashtags #walk4freedom and #PA2011, netizens reacted to the quick passage of the bill. A #walk4freedom was organized by lawyers and civil society groups to dramatize their protest
@edmundbon Kudos to all who were #Walk4Freedom for the discipline organisation and spirit. We showed Msia we can rally peacefully.
@nikicheong Good morning. Shout out to all those who joined #Walk4Freedom today. Disappointed with MPs who walked out though. :(
@PangKheeTeik The people are not ANTI-government. It's just the government is ANTI-people.
@AdrianNCF Special funeral service tomorrow at Parlimen 1Dec 8pm for the passing of Malaysian Democracy #OccupyParlimen
Below is a video of the protest march by lawyers
Through #PA2011, we learned that some netizens are not happy over the walkout staged by the Opposition in the Parliament during the deliberations and voting for the bill
@humanrightsSEA Which other country has law banning “street protest”? #PA2011 #Malaysia < < N. Korea? Others?
@j_rubis PR MPs had no choice but to walk out, when they introduced amendments to #PA2011. The objective is to oppose the bill all together.
@mpkotabelud Democracy at times is best summed up as: The minority will have its say, the Majority will have its way. Live with it. #PA2011
@meshloop Whatever the Oppo MPs wanna say now, I am so disappointed in them. Your job is to stay in there & fight for me, damnit.
@boosulyn It took 6 years for the Domestic Violence Act to be passed by Parliament, but just a week to pass
@vangeyzel Perspective: We should be angrier at our MPs who voted FOR the Bill in Parlimen than those who walked out.
@Khairykj Have to say lawyers who marched this morning to Parliament against #PA2011 have more courage & conviction than Opposition MPs who walked out
Niki Cheong defends the right of the people to express themselves
I don’t always understand the issues people are protesting, or don’t agree with their opinions, but I will defend their right to express themselves. And if this takes the form of a protest, so be it.
Instead of making it harder for people to exercise their rights, I wish that more Governments (our own and others around the world) would instead work with protestors to make sure that it is, if not a win-win situation for both sides, at least one of compromise.
It reflects best on both parties – the protestors and the one being protested against – if such an event is executed well. It shows trust, cooperation and respect – all important ingredients of a democracy.
Protest Vigil Against the Bill. Photo from @cindilse
Front Line urges the authorities in Malaysia to:
Extend the review process by the Senate by at least three months to ensure proper scrutiny of the Peaceful Assembly Bill in order to ensure that it conforms with international human rights standards;
Hold proper consultations with human rights defenders and organisations and seriously take their concerns into account;
Guarantee in all circumstances that human rights defenders and organisations in Malaysia are free to carry out their legitimate activities in defending and protecting the rights of others, without fear of reprisals and free of all undue restrictions.


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Myanmar: Meeting Aung San Suu Kyi  · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

dawn_1o9 from Myanmar narrates her memorable meeting with global democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.


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Myanmar, Thailand: Mong Kok Coal Project · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A special report was published by Shanland about the devastating impact of a coal mining project in Mong Kok. The project will affect several communities in Thailand and Myanmar.


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Peru: Conga Mining Project Suspended in Wake of Public Pressure · Global Voices
Isabel Guerra

[All links lead to Spanish language pages except when otherwise noted]
The region of Cajamarca, located to the north of the Peruvian Andes mountains, continues its protest [en] against the Minas Conga mining project [en], considered to be the largest mining investment in the history of Peru, that according to its opponents threatens to destroy some 20 lagoons, which serve as a foundation for local ecosystems and a source of water for farming communities.
The regional strike has so far left five residents and three police officers injured, although no number has officially been confirmed, and different figures have been circulated: the blog Mariátegui, Revista de las ideas reports up to 18 injured.
Las autoridades de salud del departamento Cajamarca informaron a la  prensa local que el choque entre las autoridades policiales y los  manifestantes dejaron un saldo de 18 heridos, de los cuales 12 son  civiles y seis uniformados…
Stencil art against the Yanacocha mining company, ever a theme in Cajamarca. "Yanacocha contaminates and kills you, become aware of it" Photo: Jorge Gobbi  (CC BY 2.0)
At the time of this article's publication, on the sixth day [en] of regional push back in Cajamarca, the Yanacocha mining company announced the suspension [en] of Conga project operations; residents, however, have declared that they are hoping not for a move such as this from the company, but for the Peruvian government to declare the mining project ‘unfeasible’ [en], which would, it is thought, cancel it definitively.
The protests in Cajamarca arose some time ago,  led by farmers and other residents of the watershed that would suffer the direct impact of this project, since the lagoons not only serve as a foundation for ecosystems and a source of water for irrigation, but also provide water for human consumption; and the conflict has been exasperated in the last weeks, after Peruvian President Ollanta Humala made statements that he “is not anti-mining,” but that he “works to make sure that mining serves the population,” calling the Conga project “important for Peru.”
As detailed earlier in the blog Palabras van y Vienen:
se supone que Conga (ubicado en los distritos de Huasmín,   Sorochuco y  La Encañada, producirá entre 580 mil y 680 mil onzas de   oro por año; que  creará alrededor de cinco mil nuevos puestos de   trabajo, y que  generaría entre US$ 800 a 1000 millones en regalías y   canon minero para  la región y los gobiernos locales de Cajamarca.
The residents of Cajamarca not only oppose Conga but also ask for the Peruvian Minister of Energy and Mines, Carlos Herrera Descalzi, to renounce the project. So far, the only one to renounce the project is the Vice Minister of Environmental Management, José de Echave, after encountering a report from the Minister of Environment that specified that the beginning of the Conga project “will transform the headwater of the water basin in a significant and irreversible way as well as make various ecosystems disappear.”
But what exactly, in environmental terms, are we talking about? The blog El Maletero – Red Verde Cajamarca pins down the facts about the at-risk lagoons:
…las 8 lagunas que en una primera etapa del Proyecto Conga se destruirían (o trasvasarían, según el eufemismo minero) son: El Perol, con una superficie de 16.48 hás.; Cortada, 3.64 hás.; Alforja cocha, 19.10 hás.; Azul lagoon, 4 hectores; 3 hectores; Mamacocha, 19.74 hectores.; Lipiac, 1.08 hectores; and Chica lagoon, 1.35 hectores. En total son 68.39 hás de lagunas repletas de agua. ¿Se imagina usted cuantos litros o metros cúbicos de agua están contenidas en semejante extensión hídrica? y ¿cuántas hectáreas de papa, maíz, trigo, cebada, arveja y pastos se dejarían de sembrar? (…) si le ponemos valor económico a todas estas pérdidas (…) ni todos los miles de millones de dólares de ganancia que acumularían en 20 ó 30 años alcanzaría para comprarnos el agua y los animales y productos agrícolas que se obtienen con dicho [sic] gracias al elemental líquido…
A Yanacocha company poster: "What does really contaminate water? Throwing trash in the river contaminates water; modern mining does not contaminate. Taking care of the water in Cajamarca is everyone's responsibility". Photo: Participatory Learning (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Even though the Minister of Energy and Mines has already given his approval to the project, the Minister of Environment has asked that a more exhaustive evaluation of the Environmental Impact Study (EIA), which the project had presented, be completed.
Attorney Emma Gómez writes on the blog SEVINDI:
el caso Minas Conga pone nuevamente sobre el tapete la credibilidad de  los EIA y sus procesos de aprobación, pues es insostenible que sea el  propio promotor de la inversión en el sector minero quien apruebe los  EIA. Tal como ha sido propuesto por el Ministro del Ambiente, esa  competencia tendría que pasar al Ministerio del Ambiente.
Among netizens, there are both those in favor of the Conga project, and those who are against it.
On Twitter, Felipe (@marcielmarciano) commented:
Asi son los radicales RT @perucom: [VIDEO] Paro seguirá hasta retiro de proyecto Conga goo.gl/gmYDm
OsOptimus (@OsOptimus) said, also on Twitter:
@el_observante_ COMO HACE 500 AÑOS: EL CURA AL INCA LE DA LA BIBLIA, EL INCA LA ARROJA X Q NO ENTIENDE, HOY = LOS ATAHUALPAS SERAN VENCIDOS
To this El Observante (@El_Observante) retorted:
@OsOptimus El Peru no se puede detener por un grupo de gente q quiere solo posicionamiento politico a costa del progreso de Cajamarca.
Peruvians continue to watch for developments and an outcome in this case, which has become the first significant crisis that the government of President Ollanta Humala will have to resolve.

author: Isabel Guerra


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Puerto Rico: Blogger Exposes Misleading Commercial · Global Voices
César Santiago

A recent commercial for Fiat shows Puerto Rican singer and actress, Jennifer López, riding a white Fiat 500c on the streets of the Bronx, New York, where she was born and raised. López talks about being from the neighborhood and how the place inspires her.
The video has been posted on the official Fiat YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mJPCAEkcyqg#!
Puerto Rican blogger Ed Morales from edmorales.net happens to live in the neighborhood. He was present during the shooting of the commercial and had wondered at the time who the real celebrity the body double was for. He writes about it in his article ‘Jenny Absent From My Block‘:
… in fact the woman sitting in the car was so nondescript despite the fact that she seemed to be playing a lead role that I had a strong suspicion that she was a body double. But for whom?
Ed even took photos of the shoot including a moment when the car actually malfunctioned. After watching the commercial on TV and realizing this was the same production he had witnessed, he published his post alerting that López was never there. His photos were picked up by The Smoking Gun and his post is also mentioned in the New York Times.
Broken down Fiat being repaired with body double for Jennifer Lopez at the driving wheel. (Photo by Ed Morales)
Puerto Rican digital news site Noticel reported on Morales’ story [es] and states that Fiat was forced to admit the use of a double to accommodate López's schedule.

author: César Santiago


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Russia: Creators of Election Violation Map Come Under Attack · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.
With less than a week to go until Russia's parliamentary elections, the Golos [ru] election monitoring association has been experiencing unprecedented pressure, including a break-in by an NTV television team, accusatory articles in major newspapers, and a call for the organization's closure signed by three parliament deputies.
The main reason for this pressure? Its popular crowdsourced Election Violation Map (kartanarusheniy.ru), developed by Golos.org together with gazeta.ru.
“You're Surkov's Propaganda”
On November 26, 2011, newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta published [ru] an almost stereotypical accusatory article about Golos’ associations. The article implied that Golos is a “fifth column” and an agent of United States foreign policy:
An example of electioneering violation. Photo by Golos.org on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0).
Среди партнеров “Голоса” называют такие структуры из США, как Агентство по международному развитию (USAID), Национальный фонд за демократию (NED), Национальный демократический институт (NDI). Более того, в организации не скрывают, что существуют на деньги, приходящие из-за рубежа.
On November 28, while Golos held a press conference in the Independent Press Center, a team of NTV journalists broke into the organisation's offices expecting to shoot footage that would be later used in an accusatory TV programme. Similar cases have previously involved independent politician Yevgeniy Roizman, former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov [ru], Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko [ru] and many others.
Grigoriy Melkonyants, deputy chairman of Golos, managed to counter the aggressive (and still anonymous as their names are not disclosed) television journalists. He recorded everything and used the Internet-born technique of trolling (repeating the same slogan continuously and almost zombie-like to confuse one's opponent) saying “You're Surkov's propaganda” [Vladislav Surkov – first deputy chief of the presidential staff responsible for handling political issues].
The same day YouTube user videogolos uploaded the video [ru] of the break-in (~301,000 views so far):
In the video Melkonyants repeats the slogan 86 times. Later it transformed into a Twitter hashtag #высурковскаяпропаганда [ru]. As Alexander Morozov, chief editor of Russ.ru, noted [ru]:
это просто гениальный какой-то пример “встречного телевидения”. Снимая, видимо, на телефон или на любительскую камеру с руки, активист “Голоса” замучил юного корреспондента НТВ. Одной этой съемкой и мантрой “вы – сурковская пропаганда” этот великий человек мало того, что развалил атаку на “Голос”, но он еще и создал уникальный прецедент борьбы “альтернативного телевидения” с “традиционным”…
True test of the Opposition
The attack on Golos would not be complete if no one had called for the organization's closure. Three deputies have written an appeal to the Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor's Office, to investigate the activity of the foreign-sponsored election monitoring NGO.
Surprisingly, only one deputy, Andrey Nazarov, belonged to the dominating United Russia party, whilst Anton Belyakov came from A Just Russia, and Maksim Rohmistrov from LDPR.
The appearance of other parties to support the call, parties which are usually the object of violations themselves, was considered by many as a proof of the tight control exercised by the Kremlin over political parties, even those that are considered to be opposing.
Popular journalist Oleg Kashin wrote [ru] that the reaction towards this letter was “the true test of the ‘oppositionness'” of those parties:
чтобы доказать, что они действительно хотят всерьез бороться за голоса, им нужно всего лишь исключить Белякова и Рохмистрова из фракций.
The reaction of the two Opposition parties was quite different. Within 24 hours of the revelation of the conflict, all leaders of A Just Russia party had condemned Belyakov's support of the call for closure (although no one has dismissed Belyakov yet). LDPR simply ignored the case.
Gennadiy Gudkov, deputy chairman of A Just Russia's faction in Duma, tweeted [ru]:
Заявляю,подпись Белякова-его личная инициатива,идущая против линии партии(см.мое выступл.от 18.11 от фракции).Мы поддерж.все общ.орг-ции>
Promotional banner for the Violation Map (deleted from gazeta.ru)
Disappearing banner and the “Streisand effect”
Early on 30 November, bloggers noticed that gazeta.ru, the partner of the Golos association on its Violation Map, had removed a banner promoting the map project from its website.
Alexander Kynev, an election expert, wrote [ru]:
Думаю она – карта нарушений – и есть главный объект движухи. Им нужно уничтожить канал аккумулирования информации о нарушениях. Так что объем давления можете представить
Mikhail Kotov, editor in chief of Gazeta.ru, and one of the creators of the Violation Map, explained [ru] away the removal of the banner with commercial reasons:
сейчас такой период, это коммерческое место стало востребовано коммерческой рекламой. Но с «Голосом» мы по-прежнему партнеры.
The political undercurrent of the decision to remove the banner surfaced very quickly. Roman Badanin, Gazeta.ru deputy chief editor, resigned [ru] right after Kotov's interview, explaining that the Violation Map was among those things he had curated personally. After it became evident that the Violation Map “no longer suited the leadership and the owners of the website”, Badanin said to lenta.ru [ru], it would have been “cowardice” to continue the work.
It is important to note that two days earlier, Grigoriy Okhotin, editor in chief of inosmi.ru, a portal that translates foreign articles about Russia into Russian, resigned after RIA Novosti (the owner of inosmi.ru) asked him to avoid political and negative topics. RIA Novosti in return has filed a lawsuit against Okhotin.
Again, the ease of interconnections and alliances enabled by networked technology, prove that even the loss of a main media partner is not a disastrous failure. Almost simultaneously with Badanin's resignation, Slon.ru, a popular blog platform (~1 million unique visitors monthly), announced [ru] itself as the main media partner of kartanarusheniy.ru and placed the banner as one of its rotating ads.
It seems that Kartanarusheniy.ru induced the ‘Streisand Effect‘, whereby any attempt to contain the spread of information results in the opposite reaction. As popular blogger Oleg Kozyrev tweeted [ru]:
Почему у единороссов такие недальновидные деятели? Ведь очевидно, что теперь про Карту нарушений будет знать полстраны
A deeper trend
The Violation Map incident is just an indicator of a much deeper trend – the growing will for the need of change, exercised by free, non-falsified elections. In previous election cycles, most journalists would not have resigned and no big portal would have been brave enough to advertise election violation monitoring.
Aside from the deeper sociological undercurrent, technology plays a crucial role in all presented stories. Without trolling, Grigoriy Melkonyants would not have been able to confuse the experienced accusatory journalist from NTV. Without social networks, political party A Just Russia wouldn't have been able to denounce Belyakov's actions in calling to close Golos as fast as it did.
Finally, none of these events would actually have happened if Golos and Gazeta.ru had not united in producing the Violation Map. Golos has had an election violation database since 2008, but it never was as influential as it is now.
This suggests the success of the project relies heavily on its online mapping element (if any event gets concrete geographic coordinates it automatically gets more real and more appealing) and having a proper media partner.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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South Africa: Sci-Fi Novel “Zoo City” to Get Film Adaptation · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

South African science fiction novel “Zoo City” will soon be a movie: “After winning several literary awards and garnering global acclaim for its clever originality, South African author Lauren Beukes’ science-fiction novel, Zoo City, recently saw its film rights awarded to producer Helena Spring (Red Dust, Yesterday, The First Grader), a fellow South African.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Trinidad & Tobago: Impressed with Miss Miles  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dingolay reviews the new play about Gene Miles (a whistleblower for a political corruption scandal in the 1960s, who subsequently became a social outcast), admitting she was “a bit chilled by the fact that what happened to Gene Miles could happen again today, woman PM or no.”


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Ukraine: Government Gives In to Pressure, Bans Killing of Stray Dogs · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On Oct. 22, Vasyl Pawlowsky wrote about the often “sadistic” ways of getting rid of stray dogs in Ukraine ahead of the Euro 2012 Football Championship. Tell Ukraine to Stop Burning Animals Alive petition now has 496,177 signatures; the goal is 750,000. At least two Facebook groups were set up to draw attention to the issue: STOP KILLING DOGS – EURO 2012 IN UKRAINE and Stop the Animal Killing, Boycott Euro-2012. As a result of these initiatives and the pressure from UEFA and other entities, the Ukrainian government announced “an immediate ban on the killing of stray dogs” on Nov. 17.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Ukraine: Update on Jailed Ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko; Donetsk Protests · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Foreign Notes cites journalist Viktoria Syumar's blog post [ru], which compares prison conditions of the jailed ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko to those of Anders Breivik, and writes – here and here – about Tymoshenko's health problems. Also on Foreign Notes, a post on the dispersal of a protest by Chernobyl clean-up vets in Donetsk, which resulted in the death of one protester. Ukrainiana re-posts videos from the celebration of Tymoshenko's birthday in front of the Kyiv detention center she's kept in – as well as photos of the Spanish villa where the ex-PM and her family reportedly vacationed a year before.


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: Pomegranate Diplomacy · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Human Journalist posts a photograph of pomegranate juice from Azerbaijan sold at an Armenian market in Los Angeles. With the two countries still locked in bitter conflict over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh, the blog calls the culinary find ‘Pomegranate Diplomacy.’

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Armenia-Azerbaijan: The Nagorno Karabakh conflict on YouTube · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The South Caucasus Diary takes a look at how the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is waged by Armenians and Azerbaijanis on YouTube. In particular, the blog notes how the conflict is mainly represented on the video sharing site… and how it could be.


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Barbados: Silk Cotton Tree to be Felled  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The decision to remove an old Silk Cotton tree to make room for a new roadway inspires bloggers to discuss the importance of green space and the power of social media to help “civic minded Barbadians…mobilize.”


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Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago: West Indian Brotherhood?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As Barbadian fishermen appeared before a Tobago magistrate on charges of illegally entering the country yesterday, B.C. Pires suggests that “there’s something to be said…for one West Indian island locking up its brothers from another island on their Independence Day”, adding: “If you want to know what’s wrong with our West Indies cricket, it is that it is ours.”


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Bulgaria: 30,000 Protest Against Cuts and Pension Reform · Global Voices
Ruslan Trad

According to the trade unions, between 25,000 and 30,000 people protested in Sofia on Wednesday against the new pension reform, social cuts and the cancellation of the majority of trains in the country (a photo; videos – here and here). The police sent to contain the rally supported the people's demands by wearing ribbons in the colors of the Bulgarian national flag on their uniforms. MPs from the ruling party tried to talk with the protestors, but were booed. The protests will continue because of the cancelation of talks between the government and the trade unions.

author: Ruslan Trad


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China: Emigrating Elites · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Gin Ge from China Bubble Watch points out that the biggest challenge for the development of Chinese economy is the emigrating elites.


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China, USA: Comparing Poverty Lines · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.
China has decided to raise its poverty line to RMB 2,300 yuan (approximately USD 360) per capita annual income; the population below the poverty line will be raised from 26.88 million to 130 million accordingly.
Premier Wen Jiabao has stressed [zh] that the adjustment is to include more people in the country's poverty relief scheme. However, does the new poverty line reflect the reality of China's poor?
Poverty defined by policy
The World Bank has defined extreme poverty as living on less than USD 1.25 a day, and moderate poverty as less than USD 2 a day, since 2008.
A Guizhou family making their living on a landfill site in Jiangsu. Image by Flickr user sheilaz413 (CC: BY-SA).
Given China is among the ‘Big Four‘ (BRIC) countries in the developing world, the new poverty line of USD 0.99 a day, is considered far below the international standards.
Yahoo China has prepared a special feature [zh] to address the issue, which rightly points out that the current poverty line drawn by the Chinese government is based on the daily caloric intake per capita. In addition, the line is drawn by the government poverty relief policy rather than being a reflection of people's livelihoods:
我们国家现有的贫困线，更多是一种“扶贫线”。换言之，从最低收入人群算起，国家财力能够承担扶贫到哪条线，就以此作为我们国内的贫困线——这个扶贫线是扶贫能力本位的，是政府可以讨价还价的。
贫困线标准提高带来的不仅是穷人数量的增加，还有更多中国的扶贫资金投入。而贫困资金的发放，采取定名额分配及认定贫困县的方式。目前，中国共有592个贫困县，其认定是在1990年代完成的。这不仅造成地方与中央在资金分配方面博弈，引发腐败。
Most of the Chinese netizens find the figure unrealistic and are also skeptical of the government's poverty relief work, as indicated by the following comments on The Wall Street Journal's Weibo discussion thread [zh]:
不学无术的黑籽：贫困标准被随意地玩弄着……2300一年可以干嘛？ (今天 13:58)
德德的吧：年纯收入2300元，合每天收入6.3元人民币，在北京不知道是否可吃碗面条，估计街头要饭的也不在此列
岳_宸：一面是贫困人口食不裹腹，看不起病，上不起学；一面是有望超越日本成为世界上最大的奢侈品市场。贫富差距不断扩大越来越成为不容忽视的问题。
bigwooder：再穷不能穷领导，社会主义好
ChaoI3：我百度了一下08年公车消费900亿元,其他的历年三公经费都查不到.我想11年三公经费一定超万亿了,那就是等于40年的扶贫补助.对此我只想说:呵呵!
NOU小姐的铺子：是我们在玩数字还是数字在玩我们？
USA/China comparison
Poverty in Guangzhou, China. Image by Flickr user tarotastic (CC BY 2.0).
The Chinese poverty line figure becomes more controversial when compared with its United States (US) counterpart. The US poverty line was set at USD 22,314 annual income per household in 2010, which is equal to USD 5,578.5 (RMB 35,579 yuan) annual income per capita – more than 15 times the current poverty line level set by the Chinese government.
While local media outlet, Caijing highlighted [zh] the fact that one third of children in the US is living under the poverty line, Chinese netizens are envious of America's poor:
等待是为了不再等待：美国是被贫困，我们是被中产
哥又要人身攻击了：晕,我家属于贫困中的贫困了,完了,年收入还不到1半呢.
新远峰：这是新闻呢还是说我们过的比人家幸福吗？猪狗不如的美狗和掌权着看看自己的土地上的贫穷 的人的生活。我们在于他们相比，算是赤贫，活在这个世界算是悲哀
三胖子的那点小事：我要去美国当穷人……
月本-无心：按这标准，在中国月收入低于1万1人民币的四口之家都是贫困人口。那全国95%都是贫困人口了。
呼唤-人性：美国的贫困线标准是：年收入低于人均gdp的1/3，就是大概15000美元；中国的贫困线标准大概是人均gdp的1/30，是1500元人民币。你说谁更像社会主义？
A number of Weibo users compare China and the US's economic figures to make their points about the poverty line:
小小lo [zh]：中国贫困线的横向比较：1985、2007、2009、2010、2011年贫困线分别为206、1067、1196、1500、2300元，与当年GDP比分别为24%、5.3%、4.7%、5.0%与6.8%（预期）；纵向比较，2010年美国贫困线11390美元，与当年GDP比为24%。在中国，想成为贫困人口，还真不容易
老真天真：美国人贫困线每天15美元，中国人贫困线6.3元人民币，美国人贫困线是中国人的15倍。人均GDP美国人是中国人的10倍。再看美国的食品价格，其猪肉价格是中国的0.5倍、玉米、豆类价格均比中国低，平民的生活保障主要是用来生存的，很明显中国贫困人生活状态要比美国贫困人口低的多。比比就知道，谁的谁。
This post is part of our special coverage Global Development 2011.


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Cuba: Thinking about the Internet · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Translating Cuba notes that blogger Yoani Sanchez has been included Foreign Policy's list of Top 100 Global Thinkers.


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Ethiopia: Homosexuality Debate as Capital Hosts AIDS Conference  · Global Voices
Markos Lemma

An upcoming conference on AIDS and sexually transmitted infections in Africa has sparked controversy after religious leaders and government officials in Ethiopia held a meeting on Tuesday 29 November, 2011, over whether or not to ban gay rights activists gathering on the fringes of the international meeting. The meeting came after religious leaders canceled a news conference called to denounce the planned conference of gay rights activists.
The 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa will be held in the capital Addis Ababa this coming Sunday, where more than 200 activists, experts and UN officials are expected to participate.
Following the attempt by the religious community to ban the conference, Ethiopian netizens turned to Facebook to discuss homosexuality in their country. Homosexuality in Ethiopia is a crime and is punishable by up to 15 years imprisonment.
ICASA 2011: Own, Scale-Up and Sustain. Image source: ICASA 2011 site.
According to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 97% of Ethiopian residents said that homosexuality should be rejected by society, which was the second-highest percentage rejecting homosexuality among the 44 countries surveyed, exceeded only by Mali with 98%.
However, some Ethiopians netizens on Facebook start to have a different perspective on homosexuality.
Hallelujah calls for a civilized public debate about the issue:
Sooner or later we need to have a civilized public debate about the issue. We shouldn't hate or discriminate,but rather be bold,articulate and critical enough to express our disapproval of the practice of Homosexuality from a spiritual,moral,social,health and nature and survival perspectives.
Below is a comment thread that followed Hallelujah's message on his wall.
Lilly Kidane thinks that we need to be compassionate about the issue:
We need to address it and try to be compassionate about it as well, we have created God in our image and what ever we dont like and we dont understand and we judge we say God doesnt like it either, but God should be, in my opinion, beyond all this small stuff of who is sleeping with whom. We all need to find what makes us happy and be greatful for it
She adds:
how boring would it be if the whole world be the same. It takes all kinds of people to fill up the world
Bisrat Teshome says emotional reactions to homosexuality are unacceptable:
As to me, i don't consider homosexuality as a problem by itself. It is preference of people. People are rational and have the right and full knowledge to choose what is good for themselves (of course under the umbrella of the legal system of the country). These types of emotional and discriminatory reactions from religions are unacceptable.
Osman Mohammedsiraj says that the debate should be on how to protect Ethiopians from “the spread of the epidemic”:
Gay and lesbian rights are among issues that are not worth discussing in Ethiopia, since it is forgone conclusion that everyone across all religious affiliation disapproves them. But the discussion should rather be how to protect our people from spread of the epidemic
Nuhamin Getachew believes homosexuality has no place in Ethiopia:
i am thanking God for those of us who still believe it is an utterly unnatural act. Also,i CAN NOT believe i am reading approvals for it from ETHIOPIANS?? Guys please,let us keep the dignified country our proud forefathers handed to us and not confuse civilization and plain immorality!!
Markos asks:
I think we are missing the ONLY point here….Since when people treated so awfully like this for THINGS they practice on themselves?
Mesfin Tekle says that Africa needs to deal with the issue:
This issue is very complex but sooner or later our country and the continent of Africa will have to deal with it. This is not a curable disease like polio that you can prevent with a vaccination.
Bob Herold asks:
Something to think about. What if one of your children who you have LOVED, nutured, and provided for came to you and said, ” I am gay”. Could you just turn your back on them. Does this make them a terrible person. As a matter of fact does this change them in any way other than what they do in the PRIVACY of there on home. Hmmm.
Selam Araya sees homosexuality as a sign of a confused generation:
I was trying to read the comments and debates above. and just wondered “what would be the response of the past generation to this issue.” I would guess completely against homosexuality” even better, how about the next generation. I would guess completely pro to it. we are the confused generation!
Sewinet Belete posted the following protest message in Amharic on Facebook:
A message of protest against the conference
Agenda of the Meeting at Jupiter hotel revealed.
For the World HIV conference which will be held at millennium hall, the main point of the agenda is “To stop the spread of HIV AIDS and homosexuality as a solution” … another objective of this meeting is to influence the Ethiopia government to make a supportive law to accept this extremely bad practice which leads to corrupt families and the country.
To do this, they are trying spend a lot of money and plead support of the international organizations.
Well respected, rich and educated people in Ethiopia are actively participating in this as if this is the peak of their knowledge and wisdom.
And anyone who believes in the existence of God …. anyone who knows how to live in a society should object/protest this bad practice which spoiled Europe and the Western world.
The debates continues on Facebook, which more than 90% of Internet users in Ethiopia have access to.

author: Markos Lemma


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France: A Magazine For Women Living with Breast Cancer  · Global Voices
Claire Ulrich

Rose (Pink) is a new bi-yearly French magazine for women living with breast cancer or who had survived one. The publication is resolutely upbeat and “glossy”, it covers health issues as well as fashion and beauty, to fight the stigma and silence attached to breast cancer. An online version of the first issue is available here [fr].

author: Claire Ulrich


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Global Voices Podcast: Technology that Empowers! · Global Voices
Jamillah Knowles

Hello world!
In this edition of the Global Voices podcast you can hear how women in Egypt are using technology to fight harassment, and what our Global Voices authors and editors got up to at the Mozilla Festival in London.
We also mark World Aids Day by speaking to HIV/AIDS activists in Kenya and Egypt about the special work they do.
Technology to empower women
First we take a look at harassment of women in the streets of Egypt. Engy Ghozlan in Cairo is a young woman who took matters in her own hands to fight social acceptance of sexual harassment by using mapping technology and the voices of women who speak up about what happens to them on the street. The result is Harassmap. Global Voices author, Maria Grabowski Kjær spoke to Engy about her work in support of women's safety and comfort in public.
World Aids Day
December 1st is World Aids Day. A time to think about the many people who living with HIV or AIDS and consider what can be done to support them and their carers.  I had a chat with a two people working hard to improve conditions and raise awareness.
Ahmed Awadalla is in Egypt. He has worked with  Cairo Family Planning and Development Association and is now with the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. He talks about stigma and how the current uprising in Egypt is actually hindering support for communities at risk.
Leah Okeyoh is a community activist, blogger, author, and World Pulse correspondent. She is co-founder of two women's organizations, Jacolo Rural Women Response to HIV/AIDS, and Positive Action for Change (PACHO). She is also a participant in the “Blogging Positively” project of Rising Voices. We talked to her about the Kenyan health care system and her hopes for the future.
You too can be involved with Blogging Positively if you're interested in citizen media related to HIV/AIDS. If you're on Twitter for World Aids Day, use the hashtag #BlogPos so we can find you.
Global Voices out and about
Mozilla Festival Science Fair by Mozilla in Europe on Flickr (CC-BY-2.0)
London was host to the Mozilla Festival on “media, freedom, and the web” in November. Global Voices was represented by an awesome team at the Science Fair. With so much GV-goodness in one place, I had to ask them what they were up to.
Emma Brewin is our Deputy Editor of citizen media organisation. Marta Cooper is an author who is also on the Board of Global Voices. Paula Goes is our Multilingual editor who was showing a colleague around the event via a live video connection. Amira is possibly the youngest interviewer so far on the Global Voices podcast at 10 years old. She interviewed our Iraq author Salam Adil.
Emma Brewin, Marta Cooper, Salam Adil, and Paula Goes
Well, that’s all we can squeeze into this edition of the Global Voices Podcast. Thank you all for listening and thanks to all of our contributors and interviewees. We’ll be back next month but you can always drop by on any of our social media spaces like Twitter or Facebook and say hi!
Music credits
In the podcast you can hear lots of lovely Creative Commons music. If you want to find out more about these artists here are the links. Thanks to Orb Gettarr for the atmospheric Return of the Atlanteans Lemurian Candidate, to Mark Cotton for his Spiritualized Homage, to Superbus feat. NS for Fujjad! Most of the music was found via OpSound.Org, The Free Music Archive or direct from the artists. Thanks also to all of the wonderful voice over performances and clips that help to glue the podcast together.
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author: Jamillah Knowles


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Guyana: Still Waiting on Election Results  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Even as the votes are still being counted following Guyana's general election, Guyana-Gyal says: “Some might forget that they ain’t God, they gon want to dictate how the poor and the rich must live or die, how days must end and darkness begin…when all is said and done, good health and love is the only things that matter.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Hungary: Solidarity With the Homeless and the Poor · Global Voices
Marietta Le

Many citizen actions have been organized in the past weeks in Budapest in protest against the modification of the law that would punish “recurrent residing in public places” with an increased fine of €530 or imprisonment. The law is supposed to come into force by December 1, 2011.
The City is for All grassroots group, fighting for the right to housing in Hungary, published this statement on their blog:
[…] Mate Kocsis, mayor of the 8th district forbade rummaging through garbage in the 8th district. Despite the fact that the ombudsperson for civil rights found the Budapest ordinance unconstitutional, hundreds of homeless people have been subjected to short-term arrest by the police in the past months on the grounds of the ordinance, and dozens of self-made homes have been destroyed by the authorities. […]
Sit-in in front of Hungarian Parliament for the protection of homeless peoples rights. Image by Janos Kis, copyright Demotix (17/10/11).
European Federation of National Organisations Working With the Homeless (FEANTSA) published a press release condemning the regulation passed on November 11:
[…] The drafters of the law argue that imprisoning homeless people is a “dissuasive” form of sanction. This is very cynical and ignores the fact that homeless people are often obliged to use public space to survive because of a lack of services, especially ones adapted to their needs. Framing homelessness as an offence subtracts the question of homelessness from social policies. It also constitutes a denial of state responsibility for what is often a result of structural problems and belies a culture of blaming homeless people for their situation. […]
The day after the law passed on November 11, a citizen group called Börtön helyett lakhatást (Housing, Not Prison) organized a sit-in protest in Máté Kocsis’ mayor's office. (The mayor of District VIII is also the advisor of homeless issues to the governing party in Parliament.)
About 30 protesters were arrested by the police and interrogated until late night. Kettős Mérce live-blogged [hu] the events at the office and shared a photo gallery of the sit-in.
Index.hu news site's video of the sit-in and the arrests with English subtitles is here.
A week later, a silent protest was organized [hu] in front of the Parliament. A photo gallery of Kettős Mérce is here. A ‘counter-post’ [hu] was published on Mandiner, also with a photo gallery of the same event.
Börtön helyett lakhatást group called for solidarity with the homeless by staying on the streets of Budapest on the night when the regulation is coming into effect (Night of Solidarity Facebook event [hu]).
KA Steve, an activist known for hacking the District VIII regulation, blogged the following on Kettős Mérce [hu], stating that the modification will fail because citizens finally have to stand up and say no:
[…] From December 1, 2011, thousands of innocent people may be sent to prison. This is not about disputable stances, abstract political questions, smaller or bigger shady dealings, ridiculous paintings [referring to the new Hungarian constitution which has been illustrated with paintings ordered by the special commissioner of the Prime Minister], and it's not even about social justice. It can't be repeated enough times: this is about the fact that innocent citizens may be sent to prison.
And this is our responsibility. Years later, our grandchildren will ask what we have done, but it's eventually us who will have to account for our conscience. And saying “I ‘liked’ the news” or “commented on them” won't be a satisfying feeling. […]
Today the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU) started a campaign [hu] against the modification of the law, calling on citizens to write protest letters to the Minister of the Interior and to Máté Kocsis, the referee of the homeless issues.
The campaign goes with the following video that compares the price of two nights spent at luxurious Budapest hotels to the price of spending two nights on a public bench. It should not be evident, but, of course, the latter one is more expensive.

author: Marietta Le


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Madagascar: French Passenger Convicted of Racial Abuse Towards a Flight Attendant  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

A passenger on a flight from Mauritius to Paris was convicted of racial abuse by a Malagasy court after he told a Malagasy flight attendant that [fr] “his ancestors were slaves and so is he because he is black. He (the passenger) is white therefore the flight attendant should do as he was told.” The incident occurred after an argument over a bottle of liquor in the plane.

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Mozambique: Reactions to an Everyday Urban Tragedy · Global Voices
Janet Gunter

Last week, Mozambican readers of the newspaper @Verdade reacted to the tragic and all-too-normal story of a man whose needless death was recounted by reporter Victor Bulande (@VictorBulande). He heard of the story on his way to work on Monday November 21, 2011, in Maputo and stopped in the Alto Maé neighborhood, where he live-tweeted his reporting on the case:
@VictorBulande: #policia leva mais de 24 horas para socorrer um indivíduo que perdeu sentidos na  via publica. Isso deu-se a menos de 200m de duas esquadras.
Flip flop carnage in a market in Maputo. Photo by KimMaxPhoto on Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
@VictorBulande: Cidadãos participaram o caso a policia varias vezes e esta dizia que estava a caminho, desde ontem. @verdademz
@VictorBulande: “Passaram por aqui vários carros da policia mas não paravam, e nos não podíamos mexer nele. Tivemos medo”, dizem testemunhas. @verdademz
@VictorBulande: “A number of times police cars passed by here but did not stop, and we couldn't move him. We were scared,” said witnesses. @verdademz
@VictorBulande: O indivíduo acaba de perder a vida. Nem deu tempo de ser observado pela equipa médica. Foi levado a Morgue do HCM. @verdademz
@Verdade reporter Bulande published a story on the incident, in which he explains that the deceased did not carry identification and that he was not known to people in the market or in the neighborhood.
It was assumed that “João Ninguém” (literally “John Nobody”), a man roughly 40 years old, had been drinking potent alcoholic drinks known as “bebidas secas” which are essentially unregulated doses sold in small bottles or plastic pouches.
Two empty sachets of "Power's No1" pure cane spirit. Photo by John Duffel on Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
The police, when interviewed, said they did not respond because they “do not work on weekends” and they had an obligatory training exercise in the early hours of that Monday.
As Bulande originally tweeted:
@VictorBulande: A policia so começou a movimentar-se quando viu a nossa equipa de reportagem. Foram pedir ajuda a um “chapa 100″.
One outraged reader called Neuson commented on the newspaper's website [pt]:
Lamento bastante mas o nosso pais esta podre,tanto de corruptos bem como de pessoas sem coracao.Qual foi a sansacao aplicada aos policias que tiveram conhecimento do caso e nada fizeram?Um final de semana de descanso enquanto ca fora as pessoas vao morrendo.E lamentavel.
The story really moved readers, as it was shared more on Facebook 27 times, more than most local news of this kind. Some commented on the story on the newspaper's Facebook wall [pt].
Reader Abudo Domingos wrote accusingly:
epa k notic ma sera k a polic nao pdia ajudar da 7 xquard afinal elex servc pra k? Sou pra roubar sou
Another reader asked why the police do not do more to control the sale of “bebidas secas”.
One reader asked why an ambulance was not called and why the police was responsible. Others asked what consequences a Good Samaritan could face if for some reason the police or others decided to blame them for the man's death.
“We are all complicit”
On Facebook [pt], reader Antonio Jamisse wrote:
SOMOS TODOS CÚMPLICES! Só terá algo connosco quando formos nós!
Jamisse was reacting to the newspaper's strong editorial on the story Somos todos cúmplices (We are all complicit) [pt], which provoked many responses. @Bedylicious quoted the editorial [pt] in her tweet:
Vivemos demasiadamente concentrados nas nossas “vidinhas”, nas nossas “guerrinhas” e no nosso desejo de ascensão social que ignoramos que nada somos nada sem os outros
Ridwan Nabi responded on Facebook [pt], referring to the infamous case of a hit and run in China:
Li uma historia parecida a algum tempo atras sobre uma  situacao parecida na China, uma crianca foi atropelada e deixada na rua,  com gente a passar sem fazer nada.
Gledson Simão Jacinto Guambe also commented on Facebook [pt]:
Infelizmente essa atitude reflecte o nosso respeito pela vida humana, é fácil culpar a policia, mas ela não é mais que o nosso próprio espelho… a nossa sociedade está doente…

author: Janet Gunter


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North Korea’s State News Agency to Launch Chinese News Service · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

North Korea’s official news agency and Kim Jong-il's major propaganda outlet, Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) will start a Chinese news service this week. North Korea Tech blog wrote an analysis on the issue with background information on the news agency's history.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Portugal: Posters on the crisis on Facebook · Global Voices
Ana Vasquez

The Facebook page of the group Artigo 21º (the article of the Portuguese Constitution that details the “right to resist”) has been disseminating original material containing facts related to the austerity measures, with posters like this. It informs “more than 400,000 workers do not make more than 485€ a month”.

author: Ana Vasquez


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St. Vincent & the Grenadines: Aiming for Zero HIV · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

On World Aids Day, Abeni says: “The Caribbean has the second highest regional HIV prevalence after sub-Saharan Africa, although the epidemic has slowed considerably since the mid-1990s. The theme for World AIDS Day 2011 is ‘Getting to Zero.’ In other words wrap it up, get tested, dismantle the AIDS related stigmas. Get the facts and act on them.”


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Venezuela: Photography Contest Shows Positive Side of Caracas · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Centro Cultural Chacao and the blog Caracas Ciudad de la Furia [es] invited residents of Caracas to submit photos showing the positive side of the Venezuelan capital. You can see the participating photos in the contest's official Flickr gallery and read updates through their Twitter account (@ciudad_positiva) [es]. Winners will be announced December 1, 2011.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Africa: Online Space for African Languages and Poetry · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Maneno Matamu is a platform for African poets/writers to showcase their work in the rich and beautiful languages this continent is blessed with. It is a collective breath expressing our linguistic peculiarities, discoveries and oddities.


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Bangladesh: The First Dhaka Tweetup · Global Voices
Rezwan

A.I. Sajib participated in the first Dhaka Tweetup and writes all about it.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: Where Are His Parents? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Monirul Alam appeals to his blog readers to help a lost boy find his parents.


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Barbados: Environmental Laws Needed · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

In the wake of a fire at a chemical warehouse, Barbados Free Press says: “This week’s spill disaster again reminds us that when it comes to environmental standards, laws and performance, our leaders have made us a third world country.”


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Brazil: Documentary on Belo Monte Seeks Funds from the Crowd · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Belo Monte: Announcement of a War is the title of a Brazilian independent video production about the hydroelectric plant's impact, which has made its way to the top of the most expensive crowdfunding campaigns in the Catarse platform. The short documentary had tried crowdfunding before without success.

author: Sara Moreira


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Caribbean: Thoughts on World AIDS Day  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

December 1, was World AIDS Day.  This year's theme was “Getting to Zero”, which, in the words of one Caribbean blogger, meant striving “towards achieving 3 targets: Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths.  In other words wrap it up, get tested, dismantle the AIDS related stigmas. Get the facts and act on them.”
Her regional peers soon weighed in with their own thoughts about and support for the ongoing battle against HIV and AIDS.
Jamaica's Girl With a Purpose took advantage of the occasion to make a plea for sexual abstinence among youth:
In Jamaica 32,000 people have AIDS but over half of these people don't know it. That's one in every 9 people. (Jamaica has a population of over 2.7 million people).
Although advancement in technology allows those persons living with HIV and full-blown AIDs to live longer, there is still stigma attached to having the virus.
I am appealing to our youth:
Your well-being is important to God.
He knows that sex outside of marriage destroys the human spirit.
Being naive about sex and safe sexual practices could kill you.
Sex isn't running away…Concentrate on developing the total you: your spirit, your mind, your well-being and your body.
Her compatriot, The Wickedest Time, posted three perspectives about World AIDS Day, here, here and here; some highlights included:
AIDS is real and it is up to you to be responsible; use protection, get tested on a regular basis, and only indulge in those that are truly worthy of holding the rest of your life in the palm of their hands, don't be blind to a pretty face and nice smile.
People should begin to pay more attention to this epidemic on a daily basis — not just on this specific day. Highlighting an epidemic on one day followed by silence on the other 364 days is not good enough.
We must try to do a lot more in educating the worlds population about one of the most deadliest diseases out there because it is obvious that people are still being infected at an alarming rate.  With little education about how to protect yourself or how to deal with the situation if you are infected, escalation of this problem is inevitable.
A day where we want to spread the awareness, not the disease. AIDS is the MOST destructive epidemic in recorded history.  Not talking about it will not make it go away. The only thing that you can do is protect yourself.
Over in St. Lucia, meanwhile, Alien in the Caribbean wondered whether “true lovemaking and a fulfilling intimate sex life between couples is one of the answers to the AIDS epidemic”.  The blogger went on to explain why she felt that when it came to sexual intimacy in the region, “the only thing on [people's] minds was vaginal penetration and nothing more”:
This lack of imagination saddened me, especially when there are hundreds of safe and loving things a couple, even a couple where one person might be HIV positive, can do to share intimacy and pleasure. And so, it led me to ask, ‘Could our lack of imagination when it comes to sex be one of the many reasons why AIDS is spreading so rapidly in this region?’
Maybe if we were focusing more on the quality of our sexual experiences instead of the quantity of times we “get a juk” (especially the men), it would be easier to implement safer sex into our sexual routines. The fact is safer sex goes hand in hand with good sex.
She further suggested that:
Good sex comes from a kind of intimacy that allows openness of communication, concern for each other’s pleasure and health, mutual exploration, sharing desires and fantasies and freedom to feel safe within a loving relationship. As a bonus, much of the infidelity that often results in the spread of AIDS would also decrease if both parties were deeply satisfied in their sex lives with each other.
In this day and age of the AIDS epidemic, one would expect our imagination to grow beyond just rudimentary coitus. We have stubbornly held on to their outdated hypocrisy and shame. We are not widely providing sex aids, sex counseling, couples counseling or open and honest education about sex and sexuality. Yet at the same time we continue to nourish the primal sexual drive in our music and culture.
It is no coincidence that the countries with the highest HIV contractions are those that still have deep seated conservative, repressed and hypocritically religious views on sex.
Trinidad and Tobago-based Globewriter posted a photo of Matthew Shepard along with a statement from the foundation that was started in his memory, dedicating his post:
To all those lost to disease and hatred and to the hope for a better tomorrow.
Havana Times ended on a hopeful note:
Zero new HIV infections, zero incidents of discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths are the goals set by UNAIDS initiative.
Though this aim is almost impossible, experts point out that Cuba has developed a comprehensive prevention program that incorporates research activities, assessment, training and counseling to the public at large, according to a PL report.
Remarkable progress has been made on the island in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, which has contributed to improvements in the quality of life of patients, increased their survival rates and has decreased complications.


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China: Marriage Transaction · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

ChinaHush has translated the script of an online video and a new movie trailer, A Big Deal, in which women talk about their attitude towards marriage. More and more Chinese women believe that marriage is like business transaction and “men without money are garbage” in the marriage market.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Colombia: Mixed Feelings About Ecotouristic Project  · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Cineaoloido points us to this documentary [es] on the social and economical impact that the people of Santa Elena near Medellin have experienced since the opening of a massive ecotouristic park in their community.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba: The 99 Per Cent · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense reports on the latest activity in the Occupy Cuba movement, here and here.


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Iran: 4 hours instead of ‘444 days’ · Global Voices
Hadi Nili

Robab who objects the raid on UK compounds in Tehran, says [Fa]: “Thanks God that they got satisfied with 4 hours of taking UK hostages, and it didn't reach 444 days that 52 Americans were held hostage“.

author: Hadi Nili


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Iran:The alien theory · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Amir Bayani writes in Article 19 “Mohammad Javad Larijani of Iran’s Judiciary (the head of the human rights council in the judiciary) gave the world reassurance that we have fair judicial procedures in Iran…It just occurred to me that maybe he is an alien, just landed somewhere in Iran.”

author: Fred Petrossian


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Latin American Hackathon Seeks to Create Web Apps to Solve Social Problems · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

On December 3 and 4, 2011, developers, designers, academics and other experts from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay, will participate in “Desarrollando América Latina” [es] (Developing Latin America), a 30 hour open data hackathon to develop web applications that help solve social problems related to education, public budgets, and security. Some bloggers, like Juan Arellano [es] from Peru and Fabrizio Scrollini [es] from Uruguay, have previewed the event from their country's perspective.