text:
Philippines: Reproductive Health debate · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Several Filipino lawmakers want to enact a law that will provide for population and reproductive health programs at national and local levels. The Philippines, whose population is almost 90 million, is one of the most populous nations in the world. Many scholars believe that the country’s high population exacerbates its social and economic problems.
The Reproductive Health (RH) bill mandates health and local agencies to inform Filipino couples about birth control methods, maternal health care and other reproductive health concerns. Sex education will be introduced in schools as well.
The bill is controversial since it is vigorously opposed by the Catholic Church. In particular, church officials are opposing the promotion of artificial birth control methods. They insist the bill will legalize abortion in the country.
The Philippines is a Catholic-dominated nation. Politicians are afraid to lose the support of church officials. Even if Congress approves the RH Bill, there is still a big probability that the President will veto the bill.
What are the views of Filipino bloggers?
A Filipina Mom Blogger enumerates her reasons for supporting the bill:
1. I believe Filipina women or their spouses should have the freedom to choose what is best for them and the family. (help couples/parents achieve their desired fertility size in the context of responsible parenthood;)
2. I believe that sustained information campaign be imparted on reproductive health rights, care, services and facilities coupled with universal access to all methods of family planning ranging from the natural to the modern which are medically safe and legally permissible.
Atheista, a medical student, agrees that schools should teach reproductive health issues:
“Whether or not it is a secular university, an educational institution should be a credible source of information. It should not be beholden to any religious creed that, upon closer inspection, champions ignorance and quick judgment in the face of perceived social taboos. The campaign to make awareness on reproductive health and contraception more commonplace should be tailored to the population exposed to it.”
Congressman Ruffy Biazon is another supporter of the bill:
“Why do I support the bill?
“Because I have seen first hand during my service to my constituents the consequences of the continued denial of information and service to the people.
“Because there are women whose bodies have been ravaged by multiple consecutive pregnancies even if they had not planned it.
“Because I have seen too many teenage pregnancies which could have been avoided had these young women been informed about their adolescent reproductive system.
“Because I have seen too many complications in pregnancies and births from the poor constituents that come to my office for medical assistance.
“Because I have seen too many infant and maternal deaths, orphaned children, bereaved husbands.
Flowers from the Rubble, a critic of the measure, replies to Biazon’s article.
AlterNation 101 believes the bill should not be approved:
“I cannot fathom how promoting parental responsibility and financing everyone’s freedom to have sex irresponsibly could mix together. Surely, the proposed law spreads around nice words such as responsibility, healthcare, freedom, choice, development, rights, equality, couples, etc. Yet, it is nothing but an attempt to remove God from our government and society.”
Herbert Vego, writing for Iloilo Views, criticizes “the vanguards of morality (who) oppose the Reproductive Health on the ground that it’s euphemism for abortion.”
Meanwhile, Snapshots reminds lawmakers that a high population is not necessarily bad for the economy:
“(The RH Bill) claims to alleviate poverty by controlling the population growth. The thing is, the population rate is actually decreasing, and if there would be a cause of poverty, it would be the unjust distribution of resources and overcrowding in one place, not the growing number of people. Manpower is an asset, and this could actually be a means to better the country's economy. Evidences are clear that a country's big population is not enough reason to blame for the country's poverty.”
Last month, Catholic professors from a prestigious university issued a statement supporting the RH bill:
“We believe that it is possible for Catholics like ourselves to support HB 5043 in good conscience, even as we recognize, with some anguish, that our view contradicts the position held by some of our fellow Catholics, including our bishops. Those who oppose the RH Bill have denounced it as “pro-abortion,” “anti-life,” “anti-women,” “anti-poor,” and “immoral.” However, our reason, informed by our faith, has led us to believe and say otherwise.”
Random Thoughts and Musings answers the concerns raised by the professors. On the other hand, RK points out the deficiencies of the RH Bill:
“The bill cannot be pro-life because of many sections in the bill that promote harm than health, promote injustice rather than a greater good, and do not respect the solemn union of spouses in marriage.
“Neither is the bill pro-women because it makes them available for sex anytime the man wants it. In the long run, it is again the women who suffer from the physical consequences of contraceptives and the emotional depression coming from sexual abuse.”
Instead of the RH bill, she wants lawmakers to pass these measures:
“What is needed, among other things, are the proper education of couples with regards to the value of marriage, spousal relationship, responsible parenthood and the use of natural family planning methods (like the Billings Ovulation Method) that do not have any harmful side-effects, have a higher success rate than artificial means, and foster deeper communication, care and respect between couples. The Legislators must also enact laws that will promote the availability of affordable and improved pre-natal, delivery and post-natal services for indigent families; and focus on addressing the causes of mortality rates, primarily, insufficient nutrition, safe water and a cleaner environment.”
Bishop Oscar Cruz explains why contraceptives should not be classified as essential medicine:
“First, since when have contraceptives become “medicine”? Medical products are meant to cure a sickness. Since when is contraception categorized as a sickness that should be prevented or cured?
“Second, since when have contraceptives become “essential”? Something is essential if without it, nothing is even possible. This would mean that without contraceptives, health would be impossible, sickness and death would be inevitable!
“And finally, since contraceptives could become no less than “essential medicines,” would there be also “essential medicines,” to cure the cancer, tumor and other sicknesses contraceptive drugs and devices cause specially in women who are the standard targets as well as usual victims of artificial contraception?”
Former Senator Francisco Tatad accuses RH Bill advocates of serving foreign interests:
“What foreign interests are behind the wild and moneyed push for this bill? Why are so many foreign-funded NGOs, featuring brand and customary “nationalists”, trying to ride roughshod over the Constitution and Catholic objections to it on moral and constitutional grounds?”
Arbet writes about the failure of government to perform its duty:
“Unfortunately, the current regime has chosen to act as part of the Catholic Taliban and made natural method its family planning policy. So a poor couple (and the woman has an irregular period) who wants to control the number of offspring cannot expect the government to hand them out condoms and/or pills. I think this policy violates the couple’s freedom of choice. This is a gross dereliction of duty by this regime.”
See video below which features the position of the Church regarding the bill:
Read the full text of the bill. Listen to the sponsorship speeches of the RH Bill authors.


text:
Puerto Rico, U.S.A.: Gay Marriage  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“When I found out California and Florida were state's #29 and #30 in the banning of same-sex marriage, I was aghast”: Puerto Rican blogger Liza says that “the problem with gay marriage is not ‘the gay’ but ‘the marriage’.”.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


text:
Syria: Bloggers Unite to Read · Global Voices
Razan Ghazzawi

For the first time in the Syrian blogosphere, local Syrian bloggers have came up with a refreshing idea; forming an online book club in which they decide on reading a certain book, and after 10 days, each reader would offer her/his reading of the book on their personal blogs.
The book club has a website of its own, a blog, and you can see its founders on the sidebar. The blog so far contain posts of books that were read or yet to be read. The first book the club's founders decided on reading was Perfume by Patrick Süskind. Five Syrian bloggers wrote their feedback on the novel and here we're quoting two:
We start with Farah [AR]who was sympathetic with Grenouille, the protagonist, and thought that the author, Suskind, was harsh on him:
كان غرنوي يعيد الجثة بعد حفظ رائحتها، فهو يرى البشر لا يهتمون لما أخذه، هم فقط يهتمون لجسد الفتاة وشكلها، لا شيئ غيره، هذا ما يبهرهم، وجودها فقط، ولا يهتمون بالرائحة التي أخذها، لم يعتبر يوماً أن ما فعله كان خاطئاً فهو أخذ ما يحتاجه وترك لهم ما يحبونه
Second, we have Fattousha [AR] who tells us that the protagonist has no smell of his own, and when he wore a perfume in order to have one, people started to recognize him and respect him. Here, Fatousha comments:
هل من المعقول ” أن تكون حقيقياً” مرعب إلى هذا الحدّ، وهل علينا لكي نكون مقبولين اجتماعياً أن نكذب
The new book to be reviewed this week is the novel AL ORJUHAH by the Syrian playwright, poet and novelist, Muhammad AL Maghout. Al Maghout is one of leading  playwrights in Syria and some of his plays were influential in forming the Syrian consciousness in the early 80s.
Finally, Alloush, [AR] a member of Arabic Lingua project, posted a detailed roundup of these five posts on his blog. He said that the idea was taken from Global Voices and might be used as well in the newly formed Syrian blog aggregator, ALMUDAWEN.

author: Razan Ghazzawi


text:
Syria: Unprofessional Websites · Global Voices
Razan Ghazzawi

Salam [AR] lists in this post problems most Arabic internet users face as they're viewing Arabic websites. He argues that the reason behind such problems is mostly due to the profession of these websites’ owners: they're not websites’ designers nor developers, but rather money makers.


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Is this Development?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Trinidadian blogger Coffeewallah finds it “distasteful on so many levels that a man could be reduced to less than my dog, that as a nation stumbling towards what we call development, we still have not found a way to treat with our dispossessed.”


text:
Armenia: Special Committees · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on reported plans by the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) to establish special committeses to develop opinions and policies on issues facing the country. The blog compares the idea to the shadow cabinet system in the U.K. and hopes that such a move will contribute to creating a new culture of transparency and discussion in local politics.

author: Onnik Krikorian


text:
Bangladesh: Meditation Course · Global Voices
Rezwan

Tahmin1’s Blog introduces the meditation methods practiced in Bangladesh and discusses its benefits.

author: Rezwan


text:
Bermuda: Independent Thinking  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

21 Square thinks that “independence does not make sense for Bermuda in its present state”, while Vexed Bermoothes adds: “The PLP leadership insist that independence is the only logical endgame when most of the population do not want it.”


text:
Bhutan: Coronation Video · Global Voices
Rezwan

Kuzoo.net posts videos of the coronation of the new Bhutanese King His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, and his speeches.


text:
Caucasus: Gender Gap Index · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Social Science in the Caucasus takes exception to the World Economic Forum's Gender Gap Index and, comparing data on economic participation, explains why.


text:
Central & Eastern Europe: A Travel Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Olive harvesting in Albania, John Paul II monuments in Poland, a Soviet military hardware “cemetery” in Moscow, and more: Central and Eastern Europe-based bloggers share their recent travel observations and photos.
Albania
- Stepping Stones has posted photos of two elderly Albanian village women: the first one is harvesting olives in “the old-fashioned way”; the second one has her black apron filled with “tiny daisies,” which she is picking for a local company and gets paid less than $1 per kilo.
Also, Stepping Stones has spent some time at the ancient city of Apollonia and visited the Ardenice Orthodox Christian monastery:
[…] Ardenice is an old Orthodox monastery which was saved from destruction during the times of totalitarianism. 4 monks still live and work there but they were away at the seminary today so we didn't get to see them. The site has been ‘reclaimed’ in recent years and is being well maintained and lovingly restored after being used for everything from a restaurant to a small hotel. […]
- Kolin of Living in Shkodër has been jogging around the city lately “seeing ‘normal’ Albanian life,” getting “LOTS of really strange looks” and taking pictures of the old doors to private houses:
[…] There are many of these and one street could have about 20 different kinds of doors. It is the old wooden doors that I really like.
I think to myself, what kind of story could these doors tell us if only they could speak. […]
Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia
- Balkanology Blog has posted some photos of Croatia and, following a tip from a fellow blogger (Stuart Pinfold), wrote about “the eccentricities of Google Maps in giving driving directions between certain points in Southeast Europe.”
First, there is Google's Dubrovnik-Mostar route:
[…] Instead of the conventional 150-kilometre drive that less creative mapping software might recommend, Google suggests a more adventurous approach: a ferry to Italy, some driving, another ferry to Greece, and more driving through Greece, the entire length of Albania, Montenegro, and finally Bosnia. At 1541 kilometres it's a mere 10 times longer than the usual route – and so much more interesting. […]
Then, there is the Split-Dubrovnik route:
[…] Sure enough, Google's answer does involve a drive along the Adriatic Coast – unfortunately it is on the other side of the Adriatic, between Bari and Pescara [in Italy]. […]
And there is also the Split-Zagreb route:
[…] The result was even more surprising: “We could not calculate directions between split, croatia and zagreb, croatia.” […]
And the Belgrade-Podgorica route:
[…] Closer inspection of the driving directions reveals the problem: Google wants us to head southeast for 150km, turn around, and drive back to the outskirts of Belgrade on the same road before finally taking the correct road towards Montenegro. […]
The author of Balkanology Blog gave up at this point, but Stuart Pinfold – the blogger who first discovered the confusion – shared some more results of Google Maps destination searches in the comment section to this post.
The Czech Republic
- The Journeys of Captain Oddsocks writes about the town of Svitavy – which, among other things, is the birthplace of Oscar Schindler, the man “credited with saving the lives of over 1000 Jewish people towards the end of World War II”:
[…] The Schindler home is at Poličská Ul. 24 but is still a family residence and therefore inaccessible to the public. It’s marked only by a small stone memorial in the park across the street.
[…]
One block south of the main square, the Svitavy city museum dedicates an entire wing to the story of Schindler and his Jews. Most of the displays take the form of documents and photographs and are neatly displayed in white on black panels. There are also several items exhibited in glass cases – prisoners’ uniforms, identity cards, food stamps and so on […].
In another post, Captain Oddsocks writes about his “love/hate relationship” with “tourist information offices in the Czech Republic” and offers some tips on how “to make sure their visitors, however few or many, have such a wonderful stay that they want to go away and spread the word without being asked”:
[…] I say that because I think, even though foreign tourists have been coming here freely for almost 20 years, the Czech Republic remains drastically underrated and underappreciated. Most people only go to Prague. […]
Latvia
- Latvian photographer Arnis Balcus posts photos of Latvia's oldest movie theater, Rīga, founded in 1923:
[…] It is probably also the only cinema in the country that still hires an artist to paint film ads.
Poland
- Polandian writes about the fast-growing population of Pope John Paul II statues in Poland:
[…] There are now 228 known public statues of Jan Pawel in Poland (this guy keeps a record). The Pope only died three years ago. According to a calculation I just pretended to do, if the production of Pope statues continues at this rate there will be more marble John Pauls than actual Polish people by about 2025. […]
[…]
Kitsch is the word that springs, unfortunately, to mind. You have to wonder what John Paul would have thought of all this idolatry, and you have to conclude that it wouldn’t have been positive. […]
- 20 east explores Warsaw landmarks connected to Heinrich, count von Brühl – the palace at Saski Square and the palace in Młociny:
[…] We’ve walked past it many times but not ventured over the fence. The other weekend, I went out for a walk alone into the wilder parts of the neighbouring land and after working my way around a small lake and then up a steep slope I found myself standing face to face with the palace without having to deliberately break any boundaries. I imagined the place would be deserted but I think there’s a caretaker living in the north wing because I saw a tricycle parked there (visible in the next picture) and curtains in the windows. There’s a weird looking guy, about 45 years old, rides around the neighbourhood on a tricycle made for a 6 year old. I thought he was just the local mutant but it seems he might be the palace caretaker. […]
Russia
- Eagle and the Bear writes about “a strange assemblage of Soviet military hardware” at Khodynka Field in Moscow – here and here:
[…] Listen up, kids — this kind of thing doesn’t happen in America or Europe: A completely unsupervised collection of Soviet air power, Hinds and MIGs, relics that once hunted down Afghani goat-herders now at your disposal for war games and stupid pictures. […]
LJ user akry has also devoted several posts (RUS) to Khodynka military hardware “cemetery” and has posted over a hundred photos taken there:
[…] We were shocked by what we saw there. The once mighty, beautiful machines have been left to rot under the rain, their blister windows broken, their insides sticking out… And these are the helicopters and aircrafts that used to protect us… […]
Serbia
- A Yankee-in-Belgrade writes about the “long and tumultuous history” of Serbia's capital:
[…] When the Scordisci (a Celtic tribe) set uptheir stronghold Singidunum at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers in the third century, the city at the “crossroads of the worlds” had been already been conquered by the Byzantines, the Gepidae, the Sarmatians, the Eastern Goths, the Slavs, the Avars, the Francs, the Bulgarians, the Hungarians, the Ottomans, the Austrians, the Germans… each of whom gave the city their respective names: Singedon, Nandor, Fehervar, Nandor Alba, Alba Graeca, Grieschisch Weisenburg, Alba Bulgarica, Taurunum… However, its Slavic name Belgrade, meaning White City, has lasted the longest. […]
- At the Balkan Crew, GV author Danica Radovanovic writes about places she loves best in Belgrade:
[…] 2. Markets, open lively markets with food and other goods. Someone said that you have to go first to the open market when you visit some city in order to know better the soul of the city and its habitants, people who live there. […]
- Viktor Markovic of Belgraded.com writes that the travel tips he shared in The Guardian last week “are a good sneak preview of what's coming soon at Belgraded – a series of articles entitled ‘Hundred things to do in Belgrade‘.” Viktor invites readers to contribute their own “top secret Belgrade tips.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


text:
China: Does the secret “Fifty Cents Party” exist? · Global Voices
Yantao BI

Wu Mao（五毛）is fifty cents or half yuan in Chinese currency. Wu Mao Dang (五毛党), or Fifty Cents Party, is a derogatory term applied to those pro-government bloggers who are suspected to receive fifty cents for every pro-party post. Does Wu Mao Dang really exist in China, as rumors say? A Chinese blogger took great pains to collect some evidence [zh], but dlliushaokui at sina.com expressed his doubt  [zh]about its existence.

author: Yantao BI


text:
China: The end of export-led growth? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Alan Baumler from Frog in a Well comments on the China economic stimulus package and wonders if it implies an end of export-led growth. David Dollar from the World Bank blog also looks at the plan very positively.

author: Oiwan Lam


text:
Cuba: Lomas Fired  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora blogger Child of the Revolution speculates as to why “the highest ranking woman in the Castro regime…has been unexpectedly fired…from her high-profile post as Minister for Foreign Investment.”


text:
China: Different Interpretation of Taiwan Politics · Global Voices
Yantao BI

A well-known Chinese blogger WU Jiaxiang （吳稼祥）argues the “riot” that happened at Taipei Hotel November 6 is in fact part of the rampant “political kidnapping” in Taiwan [zh]. The blogger further analyses who are ultimately behind “the political violence” in Taiwan.


text:
Haiti: Visiting the Victims  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Blesh Family in Haiti makes a visit to the General Hospital where some of the victims of the Petionville school collapse were taken: “We are glad we went & it was nice to be able to get the kids to smile but the situation is so devastating. Many of the parents had multiple children in the school…it was heartbreaking. Also at this hospital, NOTHING is supplied.”  Meanwhile, RHFH Rescue Center reports that “at least nine people were injured when a school building partially collapsed in Haiti – days after a similar incident killed more than 90 people.”


text:
Japan: Children and mobile phones · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

At Kyô mo Aruku [ja], Shigeru Kurokawa casts doubts [ja] on the propriety of a report [ja], published by the government Discussion Group for Education Rebuilding, which urges mobile phone companies to make special telephones for children that limit functionality so that only calls can be made, and to set up a system for tracking the position of the unit.

author: Scilla Alecci


text:
Japan: Italian students demo seen through Japanese eyes · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Id:sawabonroma, a Japanese writer living in Rome, describes her everyday life in the Italian capital at Roma no Heijitsu (ローマの平日). In a post on October 30th, she writes about a students demo against the education reform proposed by Minister of Education Gelmini. Millions of high school and university students, professors, researchers and school employees protested in the streets of Rome against the demolition of the public educational system, paralyzing the city center. Blaming the Japanese media, Sawabonroma points out how they gave more importance to the resulting traffic problems than to reasons for the demo. Besides, the blogger adds, everybody knows that traffic jams are part of the everyday routine for Roman people.


text:
Maldives: The Government as a Business Company · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shaapay lists down the stakes of the Maldives government in the commercial enterprises of the country and comments that it looks more like a business company.


text:
Mexico: Radiohead Concert in 2009 · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Mexican blogs like Tinta y Pixeles [es] are buzzing at the announcement that the rock band Radiohead have scheduled a show in Mexico City for March 16, 2009.

author: Eduardo Avila


text:
Nagorno Karabakh: No Return of Territory · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

With the Azerbaijani Constitution prohibiting referendums unless held nationally, Kornelij Glas [RU] argues that the regions surrounding the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh should not be negotiated away by the Armenian side in peace talks. The blog looks at the issue from a military  point of view.


text:
Nepal: Is Buddha Boy Real? · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Himalayan Beacon reports that thousands of pilgrims in southeast Nepal are rushing in to see a 17-year-old boy whom some believe to be a reincarnation of the Buddha. The blog asks whether he is the same person as he emerges after living more than a year in the forest.


text:
Nicaragua: Concerns About Fraud in Recent Elections · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Editor's Note: The following is a translation of a summary post written by Alvaro Berroteran of the blog site Nicaragua y Su Blog [es].  Used with permission.
The streets of Managua were not the only place where supporters of the two political parties in Nicaragua were present during the recent municipal elections held on November 9.  One could also find them on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.  In some cases, there were virtual confrontations, where the written word was used as a weapon and the bloggers also did not hold back.  However, at least in these spaces, there were no victims or injured as a result.
Some bloggers provided their thoughts on the results of the municipal elections, such as the blogger from Y ahora ¿de qué vamos a hablar? [es] writes that the opposition had lost:
Sorpresa para mucha gente, el partido de gobierno ha ganado las elecciones municipales, obteniendo el control de una gran mayoría de alcaldías por todo el país, con un porcentaje total de votos a nivel nacional mucho mayor que el que obtuvo en las pasadas elecciones.
It was surprising for many people that the government's party won the municipal elections by gaining control of a large majority of the mayorships across the country, with a total percentage of votes much higher than they obtained in past elections on a national level.
However, one theme that was reoccurring in many of the blogs was the accusation of fraud by the ruling party, the FSLN. One blog that claims this is Chepe Velez [es], who writes:
La transparencia con la que se desarrollaron estas elecciones municipales dió la razón al Magistrado de Rivas cuando este se negó a acreditar observadores nacionales. En Nicaragua no necesitamos más observadores, con nosotros basta y sobra. Miles de ciudadanos de todos los rincones del país denuncian con nombres y apellidos, algunos con actas y boletas en las manos, el fraude que llevará a los candidatos danielistas a las sillas del poder local. La serie de trucos es larga y va desde la negación de entrega de cédulas a ciudadanos independientes, la emisión de tales documentos a menores de edad relacionados con “el partido”, la múltiple votación de militantes de la dictadura, anulación de boletas no afines, cierre anticipado de juntas receptoras, hasta llegar a la apertura de juntas clandestinas o virtuales. El fraude fue claro y lo observamos todos. A pesar del fraude quedó la evidencia de lo que realmente fue una abrumadora derrota al danielismo. Con tantos trucos aun se nota la grandeza del rechazo a la dictadura de la familia Ortega Murillo.
The transparency with which the elections took place demonstrated that Judge Rivas was correct, when he refused to provide accreditation to national observers.  We don't need more observers in Nicaragua, we are more than enough.  Thousands of citizens from all corners of the country make complaints with first and last names, some with ballots in hand.  The fraud lifted the candidates of Daniel (Ortega) to local seats of power. The list of tricks is long and began with the denial of I.D. cards to independent citizens, the distribution of these documents to minors, who are linked to the “party,” the multiple acts of voting by party members of the dictatorship, the annulment of ballots, the early closing of stations, even the opening of clandestine or virtual stations.  The fraud was clear and we saw it all. In spite of the fraud, it became evident the surprising defeat of Danielismo.  With so many tricks, it was clear the rejection of the dictatorship of the family of Ortega Murillo.
And now, Leonel Delgado of Notas Rigorosas [es] writes that much of the coverage is so capital-centric:
Managua se traga toda la atención, los medios hablan de y desde Managua. Managua bendice o maldice y así fabrica verdades.
A la mitad de la población del país, más o menos, no le interesan las elecciones municipales, la otra mitad tiende a estar polarizada entre sandinistas y liberales.
Managua swallows all of the attention, the media talks about and from Managua. Managua blesses or curses, and manufactures the truth.
Half the population of the country, more or less, do not care about the municipal elections, the other half tend to be polarized between Sandinistas y Liberals.
Another blog that states that there was fraud in the municipal elections is called Contra La Dictadura [es] (Against the Dictatorship) cites a blog written by friend, who forewarned of possible fraud and writes that citizens need to rebel or that they are in trouble.
El 19 de octubre en el post “Cracking the code” un bloguero amigo escribía, entre otras cosas, lo siguiente:
Estoy convencido que en las próximas elecciones habrá fraude y que el momento crítico para desmontar el pacto habrá de empezar el segundo después de anunciado el resultado electoral. Si aceptamos el fraudulento resultado de las elecciones sin protestar, por miedo a que nos garroteen los elementos paramilitares al servicio de Daniel Ortega, tendremos entonces dictadura para rato y en lugar de este temor que ahora nos invade, en los años siguientes estaremos aterrorizados, inmóviles, como el pajarito frente al ojo de la serpiente. Por capearnos hoy un garrotazo estaremos condenando a nuestra descendencia a una vida en el oscurantismo, en el terror.
On October 19, on the post “Cracking the Code,” a blogger friend wrote:
I am convinced that in the next elections there will be fraud, and the critical moment to dismantle the pact will be the second after the election results are announced.  If we accept the fraudulent results of the elections without protest, for fear that the paramilitary elements at the service of Daniel Ortega will attack us, then we will have dictatorship. And instead of this fear that now that invades us, in the next years we will be fearful, motionless, like a bird in front of the snake.  For avoiding an attack, we would have condemned our descendants a dark life full of fear.
Another tool that was used to cover the elections was a Twitter application (as shown in the picture), where the key words like FSLN (Sandinista party), Alexis Arguello (Managua mayor) appeared was created by Igor.


text:
Russia: Financial Problems · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Streetwise Professor posts a detailed update on Russia's financial problems: “Whichever way Medvedev or Putin […] turn, they face stark choices. Protect the Ruble – burn through the reserves or throw an already wobbly economy into a tailspin by jacking interest rates. Let the Ruble fall – serious potential for political unrest and the almost certain destruction of Putin’s credibility and reputation as the man who restored Russia from its last default. Bail out the oligarchs – say goodbye to dollars and euros. Let the oligarchs default – say goodbye to Russian control over the “crown jewels” of Russian industry, or keep control of them by repudiating foreign commitments and forget about foreign capital for a long time to come.”


text:
Sri Lanka: Budget Allocation for E-Villages · Global Voices
Rezwan

LIRNEasia has some questions about the proposed budget allocation in Sri Lanka for e-villages.


text:
Trinidad & Tobago: Manning & the Media  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The furor surrounding the Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister‘s recent radio station visit has not abated.
Trin posts a comprehensive roundup of reactions, all of which have been highlighted in the mainstream media, but the beauty of this post is that Trin cleverly employs the same modus operandi which allegedly got the radio announcers in question suspended: unapologetically commenting on the facts in Trinbagonian parlance…
Manning say, ‘If the spirit moves me,’ he will visit media houses to complain if he disapproves of the content they produce. Maybe the spirit should tell him to stop talkin and actin so friggin crazy.
Manning say it have no pro-government agenda media. I guess he ain't get the message yet that people up to they arse with stress from crime, food, inflation and the public doh really like him too much anymore.
Media Watch reports that the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago (which, incidentally, has not posted its views on this issue on its website) was prompted to issue another statement on the controversy, adding:
There is so much talk in T&T at this time about ‘Press Freedom’, but clearly that term means different things to different people.  Consider the International Press Freedom Awards, and those who will be honoured later this month.
But Jumbie's Watch is not convinced that the central issue is freedom of the press:
It's a bit amazing to see the feedback over Pa-trick's visit to the 94.1 FM radio station is still continuing.  Gratifying as it is to see that this issue is kept alive, that people are calling him to account, and mostly telling him he was indeed a cacahole to do what he did, it hardly surprises me that people just respond to the wrong issues.
I don't see this incident as issues with freedom of the press. I see this as an issue about the unprofessional oddities that passes for journalism these days. For far too long, the media has been getting away with substandard shite. It brought this upon its own head.
It was also unprofessional of the Prime Minister to use his office to intimidate two of the idiots also. A formal complaint would have sufficed, not the least because the owner of the station is a pal of his.
Finally, KnowProSE.com says he is “almost done with the issue”, but he does have a few parting shots:
* The visit by the Prime Minister, as the ‘spirit moved him’, to a radio station is not appropriate for a person who holds an office that can (and apparently does) be used to intimidate the media.
* Management at 94.1 FM seem derelict in their responsibilities if the people suspended never received punitive measures before. If I were suspended by the management there and I had a clean record, you can bet your bottom CNG container that I would be seeking legal counsel. I've never owned a radio station before. That could be fun.
* The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, Mr. Patrick Manning, whether intended or not, has struck a blow to the Freedom of Expression that can be found in the Constitution of Trinidad and Tobago (Chapter 1, Part 1, Section 4, items e, i and k – and perhaps a).
In my opinion, I think the Prime Minister should issue a mea culpa. Sure, he may not like what was said – but he's a politician. He's had worse things said about him by the Opposition, not to mention people in his own political party. Further, if he continues to demonstrate that he can and will intimidate media into suspending employees, he makes opinions of dictatorial rule gain weight – something that would probably oust someone out of political office in a democracy.
So, in the end, the Prime Minister made a mess – intentionally or not, in good faith or not – and he needs to clean it up. Why? It will not otherwise go away. It has been recorded, it has spread across the world, and it is a ready reference should he go astray again.


text:
Anguilla, Trinidad & Tobago: Memories of The Abbey  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Anguillian Don Mitchell takes a trip to his Alma Mater at Mount St. Benedict in Trinidad.


text:
Armenia: Casinos · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Han's Space comments on the appearance of casinos in Armenia following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The blog says that there other easier places to go for anyone wanting to gamble, but adds that they might at least be interesting from an anthropological point of view rather than as a vacation destination.


text:
Bahamas: Call of the Parrots  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Womanish Words hears “a wonderful sound…the raucous cries of wild Bahama Parrots in (her) Avocado tree. Real, honest-to-the-Goddess, wild parrots, the ones that are highly endangered…but by some miracle there is now at least one flock of these beautiful, rare birds alive and well on New Providence.”


text:
Bangladesh: Truth Accountability Commission Illegal? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ahamed Bauani informs: “today, a division of Bangladesh High Cort declared the Truth and Accountability Commission (TAC) as illegal and ordered Government to explain ‘why the activity of Truth Commission will not declared as illegal’.”


text:
Barbados: Russian Teen Murdered  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Citizens are wondering about the motive behind the murder of a teenaged Russian girl in Barbados.  Keltruth Corp and Barbados Free Press are also asking questions.


text:
Bosnia & Herzegovina: Post-War Situation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

An author of Foreign Policy Association's War Crimes blog writes that the war that occurred in Bosnia and Herzegovina 15 years ago still “feels recent” and that “Bosnia is not taking major steps to diminish tensions by integrating communities”: “Education and politics are both segregated, so children don’t necessarily make friends outside their ethnic group and no politician has to balance the aspirations of Muslims, Serbs and Croats or develop credibility with more than one group, which is why the Republika Srpska has as its president a man most Bosniaks believe is a war criminal and many Serbs believe the same about Bosniak leaders.”


text:
China: A new black business flourishes · Global Voices
Yantao BI

In China, to publish an academic essay is extremely difficult for simply one reason: Too many people are compelled to publish essays in a miserably limited number of journals. Reluctantly, contributors have to pay certain sum of money to get their essays published. But demand still overwhelmingly exceeds supply. Therefore, a new type of brokers came into existence: they help polish, rewrite and publish essays for blind profits. Academics
debate heatedly [zh], but a high-rank official openly supports charging the contributors [zh].


text:
China: The 3rd cabbies strike in 10 days. Now appeased. · Global Voices
Bob Chen

After the cabbies strike in Chonqing which about 9000 drivers participated and over 100 taxis and 3 police cars were smashed during the course, another taxi strike broke out on 10, Nov, in the southern tourism city Sanya.
The cause, the same with the one in Chongqing, is overly high price charged by the taxi companies that are questioned to be monopoly, and the unfair competition with unlicensed taxis.
It was the third strike action by taxi drivers in China in 10 days. At as early as 6 am, about 200 drivers have gathered at the Sanya government headquarter to protest. [picture]They prosecuted that the taxi companies didn’t follow the regulated price set by the authority, and kept charging exorbitant fees for the cars they operate.
Media reported that the local street is nearly clear of taxis, and citizens had to take bus or motorcycle cabs instead.
Police reported that in some places the strike upgraded into violence. Cab drivers who refused to join in the operation were said to be beaten, and 28 have been arrested. The police alleged they were possibly gang members. But as the strike enters the 3rd day, more cab drivers demand the police to release their colleagues.
Representatives from each side, the government and cab drivers, were negotiating for a solution. The mayor apologized to the drivers for the loose regulation, and promised an all-in effort to give a satisfactory response.
Regarding that the arrested were categorized as gang members, lloouu222 on the internet mocked:
党和政府才是最大的黑恶势力啊。
Netizen 新李寻欢 warned:
重庆开了头，马上就要席卷全国了！
A netizen named “I am Sanya driver”我是三亚司机 said:
我支持罢工，政府不给我门一个满意的回答我们就一直不营运。再说来过三亚的都知道三亚的黑车是最多的，有谁抓过，每天就知道抓出租车。
I am in support of the strike. We will not return to work until the government gives a satisfactory response. Everyone has been to Sanya would agree that it has the largest number of unlicensed cabs. Who has ever tried to catch them? All they (possibly refer to police that impose fine) know is to catch us.
Strikes are rare in China, because the authority will both crack down and muzzle the media report on such events. But the recent strike in Chongqing received an exceptional media coverage, and meanwhile, the government gave a positive solution that the fee was soon lowered and industry associations were allow to set up.
The Wall Street Journal cited a Chinese lawyer's comment in a long introductory passage of the recent cab driver strikes:
The Chongqing strike, which began Nov. 3, “made an impact,” said Zhou Litai, a Chongqing-based labor-rights lawyer. “People noticed that it worked.”
Therefore, it might have an exemplary effect to the those  grieved cab drivers all over the country. But blogger Ratbaby noticed that this time the action of police might upgrade the clash:
但从最新的报道看，三亚警方所正在做的，不是试图平和的解决争端，恰恰是在客观上激化现有的矛盾。
按照有关部门的说法，被“强制带离现场”、“传唤至公安机关进行审查”的21名涉嫌违法人员，在罢运期间“参与煽动、拦阻、打砸正常营运出租车”。但恐怕没有人不明白，这其实是有关部门在处理突发事件时惯有的传统做法：枪打出头鸟，杀一儆百。
According to the administration, 21 suspects were forced away to police station for investigation, because they fanned violence, smashed and blocked taxis in normal service. But no one would not know that it is a convential way the authority deals with any situation as the idiom goes; “to kill the leading one to deter other hundreds”(杀一儆百).
And he warned against that,
只希望自己短暂的几年任期可以平安无事，问题爆出来之后也是能掩盖就掩盖。至于被一次又一次隐藏回社会肌体的越积越深的诸多问题，则是“我走后，哪管他洪水滔天”。这种畸形稳定观在官场的长期肆虐，让某些问题不科学的处理方法在重复千遍之后变成所谓的“先进经验”与“客观规律”，成为影响社会真正和谐的罪魁之一。
Right now, the 4-day strike has come to an end. Cabs were persuaded back to work. But dose this mean a real solution, or, actually a signal of more incoming storms?

author: Bob Chen


text:
Croatia: EU Membership and Democratization · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The 8th Circle examines Croatia's efforts to combat crime and corruption on the way to EU membership.


text:
Cuba: Castro’s New Book  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Fidel Castro's new book has not escaped the notice of El Cafe Cubano or Guyanese blogger Propaganda Press.


text:
Egypt: Lawsuit calling for the devalidation of 25,000 Muslim Hadiths · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Bent Masreya wrote:
I found out the way most Egyptians find things out that there is a lawsuit against Al Azhar calling for devalidating 25,000 Muslim Hadiths. The idea reminded me of the saying that wonders why words should be taken to court?
علمتُ كيفما يعلم المصريون، أن دعوى قضائية على الأزهر قد رفعت لمطالبته بإلغاء 25 ألف حديث نبوي. فتذكرت لتوي قول القائل “لم يؤخذ الكلام إلى المحكمة؟”..
The Egyptian blogger goes on to question the idea
As far as I know, courts rule for or against actions not words or thoughts and ideas; ideas have their other battlefields like books, discussions, workshops, and forums where people filter, discuss, accept, or condemn them. This is how humanity evolves and how creative thinking prospers.
She bases her argument on the fact that
There is a process for compiling the Hadiths and for validating them … and the sheikhs in charge never dismissed any Hadith, they settled for writing next to it whether they thought it is true, suspected, or weak. But no one ever took them to court as they realized that others who will once read those Hadiths have a right to know them and it is up to us to take them or leave them; validate them or dismiss them. Maybe some of the Hadith that we believe in today were once marked as weak and some other sheikhs proved that they were valid … who knows?
لم يحدث أن اجتمع العلماء على التخلص من الأحاديث التي قرروا أنها “موضوعة أو مكذوبة” فكان إلصاق الصفة يكفيهم، وكانوا يدركون أن للآخرين حق، وإلا ما وصلتنا تلك الآحاديث اليوم ورأينا أن من حقنا نحن أيضاً معرفتها والاستغراب عليها تماما كما فعلوا، او حتى اكتشاف أن أحد تلك الأحاديث ليس ضعيفا كما قرروا.. من يعلم، حتى أن الأحاديث التي هي صحيحة اليوم قد يتوصل غيرنا لاعتبارها ضعيفة يوما.. ماذا سيفعلون حينها؟ يحرقونها؟
At the end of her post, Bent Masreya asks:
Does Al Azhar have the right to “delete” these hadiths? Did they invent them and now they decided to negate them? So what will they do now with those 25,000 Hadiths? Burn them? Burn the books they are in? Do they have that right? Are they the only Islamic icon? We all know tha this is not true for Islam is bigger than being limited to one body or one person … hence this lawsuit is a farce … no thoughts or words can be “ordered to vanish” by a court ruling and Al Azhar does not have the power to act upon it.
وهل للأزهر فعلا حق في “إلغاء أحاديث”؟ هل هو الذى اخترعها مثلاً؟ وما معنى هذا؟ وكيف يطبق هذا الإلغاء؟ أسيحرقون الكتب التي بها أحاديث ضعيفة وموضوعة؟ وهل من حقهم ذلك؟ وهل الأزهر هو قلعة الإسلام الوحيدة؟ نعلم تماما أن هذا غير صحيح.. الإسلام أكبر من أن ينحصر في مكان بعينه أو إنسان بذاته.
فالدعوى إذا هزلية.. فلا الأفكار أو الأقوال “يحكم عليها بالإلغاء” بحكم محكمة، ولا المدعى عليه “يملك الحق التنفيذ”

author: Marwa Rakha


text:
Egypt: No Manhood for the Manhood Drink! · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Egypt has launched a fierce campaign against sexual harassment in the aftermath of the recent events here, here, here, here, and here. But people working in the media industry do not seem to get the idea.
Ink Pen wrote:
Is it ethical to flatter either the authorities, the powerful, the intellectuals, or the public opinion in your attempt to deliver an advertising message to a target audience? Why am I asking such an odd question? Because yesterday I watched a weird ad for a bunch of men sitting on what looks like a high table in a coffee shop and then a girl passes by and greets one of the guys. After returning the courtesy he says that she has a great character. Then the voice over on the ad takes over and says in a husky voice “A girl's character is the last thing to comment on … be a man and drink Birell”
لماذا أسأل هذا السؤال الرخم؟
أمس شاهدت إعلاناً غريب الشكل لمجموعة من البشر جالسين في “كوفي شوب” وتمر من أمامهم فتاة تحيي أحدهم فيرد عليها التحية .. ويثني على شخصيتها .. فنفاجأ بصوت جعوري مخشوشن يقول “شخصية البنت آخر حاجة تعلق عليها .. استرجل واشرب بيريل”..
Birell is Egypt's first brand of non-alcoholic beer; Ink Pen writes on
لكن تخيلوا معي المشروب -غير الكحولي- العجيب الذي يقترن شربه بـ”الرجولة” من وجهة نظر الإعلان.. مثله مثل السجائر التي يصطلح في مجتمعنا المحافظ -حتى حسب ظني في الستينيات التي تجد من يتباكى عليها- على أنها قرين “الرجولة” والنضج..
As for the girl the director did not choose an average looking girl or the stereotype of the nerd who is always commended for her character rather than her looks. The director chose a knockout.
The ad positions the Egyptian male as a creature governed by his desires and instincts and encourages him to adopt a false imgae of manhood regardless of the consequences.
Those in the advertising business in Egypt will forget – had they not already forgotten – the true purpose of an by detaching themselves from promoting the benefits of the product to promoting illusions, false promises, and gender discrimination.


text:
Fiji: “Draconian Prosecution” of press · Global Voices
John Liebhardt

For the second time this month, Fiji’s military government has threatened to send a newspaper editor and its publisher to prison for publishing a letter to the editor alleged to be in contempt of court.
In mid-October, the Fiji Times and Fiji Daily Post printed a letter from a certain Vili Navukitu of Queensland, Australia complaining about a recent high court ruling that legitimized the actions of the country’s president in dissolving the Parliament, and the elected government of Laisenia Qarase, immediately following the December 2006 coup that brought into power Commodore Frank Bainamairama.
The letter (which has been reprinted in this post) pointed out that Bainimarama had undue influence on the jurors because he had previously removed the court’s chief justice.
After the letter was published, Fiji’s Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum accused the Fiji Times of being in contempt according to Fiji’s laws because it casted doubts on the integrity and independence of the courts. The Fiji Times printed a front-page apology admitting contempt and offering to pay all court costs.
The Attorney General, unimpressed with the apology, has asked the court to jail the editor and publisher of the paper and apply stiff fines to the paper. The case is in recess until December.  The editor and publisher of the Fiji Daily Post, where the letter also appeared, could meet the same fate, the Attorney General declared this week. Both newspapers have been asked to provide full details of the letter writer.
The scandal comes at the heels of the announcement that press freedom group Reporters Without Borders ranked Fiji 79th for press freedom out of 173 countries, a large leap from the previous year, where it was 107.
Fiji’s bloggers have largely expressed outrage at the case against the two newspapers.
The blog Soli Vakasama complained that the Fiji Daily Post also apologized to the judiciary, which is something no newspaper should ever have to do:
[T]oday the Fiji Daily Post dedicated its entired editorial towards apologising to the judiciary and therefore caving into the illegal interim government and that arse of an AG’s demands. While they maybe in a tight spot, the question we may ask is when will the so called “Fourth Estate” be man enough to draw a line in the sand and say it as it is instead of complying to the selfish demands of these illegal bunch of thieves who stole power through the barrel of a gun?
If the media are not game enough to do it we will say it at Solivakasama that there are certain members of the judiciary who are a bunch of low down selfish self serving scums…
However, not all people agree with those sentiments. A commenter, Budhau points out:
This ain’t about Aiyaz and what he says. The issue is contempt of court and regardless of who is in power or who the judges are – the letter, and the publishing of the letter was contempt.
Now the newspaper folks should have done a better job of going through the letters before the print it – not because of the content, but to deal with issues like contempt of court, libel etc.
Mark Manning claims:
There was no contempt of court as the case had already been heard and dealt with .
It’s only contempt if the case about to be heard or is in the process of being heard . It’s actually freedom of the press and it’s a Journalists job to report these matters , but not while the case is before the courts .
“FIJI'S JUDICIAL responses to contempt by two local newspapers become sillier and sillier,” writes New Zealand Journalist David Robie’s blog Cafe Pacific.
The contempt laws for scandalising the court were never meant to stifle vigorous debate about court rulings. Citizens Constitutional Forum chief executive Rev Akuila Yabaki says the draconian prosecutions “stifle free speech in an oppressive manner“. The paranoid climate around the judiciary following last month's controversial High Court judgment declaring the post-coup regime to be legitimate is deteriorating.
Discombobulated Bubu, which reprinted the letter (along with another equally critical one) says these opinions are on the tongues of many people:
These letters to the Editor of the Fiji Times reflects the mood of the country right now. Our people are sad, angry and struggling to make ends meet. As one who is involved with charity work on a daily basis, it is no exaggeration to compare Fiji to Zimbabwe.
We are truly at the beginning of Zimbabwe's slide into self-destruction…
When the taxpayer can see that there hard earned money is being spent on trivial things such as new uniforms for Teletubby and his band of marching boys, thousands of dollars a day to an expatriate FIRCA consultant, thousands of other dollars for useless and unnecessary overseas trips for Baini, Mary and accompanying entourage, a Charter process costing millions that is failing big time, thousands of dolllars for a Charter consultant to produce a Class 8 essay, and useless court judgements costing thousands to legalise murder and coups, prolonged and vindictive false prosecutions against “enemies of the State” , something has got to give.
Our Fiji was never given to us to be run by bullies with guns. Be warned , the military regime in Fiji is living on borrowed time.
Raw Fiji News looks ahead to December, when the country’s government will publish its new law governing the media.
And to stifle the media even more, Frank’s gestapo regime is going to impose their media law in December. And we say, bring it on! The truth is this – in this new day and age, information reaches people the way they want to receive it. And guess what, more breaking and detailed news can be found outside of the mainstream media with a touch of a button and people already know that and are accessing it online all the time. Sounds familiar? Yep, that’s us the new i-peoples of this world who don’t rely on the media to tell us waz up and waz down!

author: John Liebhardt


text:
Georgia: Fox News and the War · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Tbilisi Blues comments on video footage of Fox News reporters fleeing what they describe as “Georgian forces firing at journalists” during the recent war with Russia. Tbilisi-based journalist Paul Rimple says that the news channel got it wrong.


text:
Grenada: Sorrel Season · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Grenada's Free Spirit writes a poem about making West Indian sorrel.


text:
Haiti: Dire Situation  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Konbit Pou Ayiti says that “although most of the world has moved on from the tragic stories of the four powerful storms that thrashed Haiti in August and September, Haitians certainly have not. In Gonaives, people are still living on the roofs of homes that are covered in mud. In the south and southeast, hunger that was once a part of daily life is now becoming famine…”


text:
Hong Kong: Netizen’s DIY Environmental Impact Assessment to Save Lung Mei · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Lung Mei （龍尾）Coastline is a natural muddy stretch at the eastern boundary of Ting Kok（汀角） Site of Special Scientific Interest (which is the fourth largest mangrove stand in Hong Kong). There are prolific biodiversity and ecological niches.
Early last year, the Civil Engineering and Development Department put forward a proposal to turn the Coastline into an artificial beach, even though the water quality is not suitable for swimming and it costs taxpayers HKD130 millions.
In order to get a green light for the project, the government put forward an environmental impact assessment report end of last year, saying that there are only 30 kind of natural habitats at Lung Mei and argued that the ecological value there is low.
However, netizens from the Hong Kong Wild Life forum found the report unbelievable and decided to do their own research at the muddy beach. Within one year, they found more than 200 natural habitats at Lung Mei mud beach and several are endangered species. Below is a music video “sad song for Lung Mei's habitats” that records their research outcome and preservation campaign:
Their findings pressured the government to do an amendment to the original environmental impact assessment and this time the consultant company found another 130 natural habitats. However, their conclusion remains the same, that the beach is of little ecological significance.
Two days ago, on 12 of November, the Advisory Council on the Environment had to vote on the environmental impact assessment report, according to citizen reporter, hoidick's report at inmediahk.net:
環諮會十八個委員，十一人出席了會議，第一輪投票五對五，副主席要求作第二輪投票，剛剛離席的一人回到會議室，最後以六對五有條件地通過。
Hoidick also gave more background and the local political dynamics on the development project:
建沙灘是大埔地區組織、鄉事團體和區議會的主意，希望推動大尾督附近的消閒旅遊，又得到曾蔭權巡區時答允，自然生態從二零零一年至零七年也不是主題；對陣的則只有在網上組織起來的生態愛好者，再加上少數環保團體，介入的位置只有環諮會和城規會兩次公眾諮詢。兩種民間的對立，各有不同的想法和想像，一方看見生意一方看見海星，各自又牽動起不同的組織網絡。單以這個個案為例，協商其實不是沒有可能，因為根據環保署的水質調查，龍尾水域全年接近五分一日子的水質差得不宜游泳，與其斥巨資趕盡殺絕生物搞一個水質欠佳的「泳灘」，不如興建一些讓人能欣賞和認識潮間生態的設施，如濕地公園。但，強勢一方並沒有意思坐下來談，「大埔各界社團」星期一在開會地點拉起「可恥 環保人仕假借保育為名 打壓政府修復大埔龍尾泳灘為實」橫額。
The preservation campaign has to draw support from a wider public. Making use of their research outcome, the Hong Kong Wild Life forum published a ebook on the Lung Mei ecology (pdf)
In the facebook, there are several groups against the construction. The largest group, “We oppose turning of Lung Mei Coastline (Tai Mei Tuk, Tai Po) into an artificial beach” (反對在大埔龍尾發展人工泳灘) has more than 600 members. Here are some of the comments on the wall:
Ryan Cheng Po Sang:
咩人工泳灘，黃金海岸已經係一個失敗嘅例子，因為海水自然沖刷嘅關係而要「補沙」。沙灘係自然形成嘅，夾硬整嘅有咩用?仲要破壞當地生態!又話環保又話綠化，原來政府先係破壞者!自然泥灘有幾多珍貴生物，就因為要起商店、起馬路、搵藉口俾發展商起樓起酒店而死晒!
Joshua Fok commented on the design of the beach: Will you swim beside sewerage outfalls?
we can identify 2 culverts at each ends of the proposed artificial beach, namely drainage culverts from Lo Tsz Tin and Lung Mei respectively. The EIA report proposes building eastern and western drainage systems to divert the pollution away from the proposed beach. Moreover, there are 3 outfalls from Lung Mei opening to the eastern stretch of the coastline near Tai Mei Tuk. The report suggests buliding dams on both side of the beach.
the BEST case scenario of 60% sewerage connection rate in wet (swimming) season, the WQO at eastern end of the proposed beach is 180-360 E.Coli no/ 100ml EVEN WITH THE DAM. There is heavily polluted sewerage from the western outfall from the Lung Mei Village. E Coli is present in human feces, which comes from contaminated septic tanks and soakaway systems of the Lung Mei Village.
Therefore there is a small but not neglectable risks of having so-called minor illnesses (skin and gastroenteritis) 1-1.5% chance for every swimmer at the eastern end of the proposed beach. In addition, there could be E. Coli septicemia for children playing and swimming in the eastern end of the beach.
If the CEDD (Civil Engineering and Development Department )insists on this development of a “bathing” beach besides these sewerage contaminated culvert and outfalls, I would suggest the public who gets sick after the “bathing” files claim to the CEDD.
Carla Chan, a Taipo resident points out that she hadn't noticed any public consultation on residents’ opinion:
我是大埔居民, 我就不認為需要泳灘, 而寧要一個天然的海灘。何況, 我也不曾見過區內有正式的調查問居民是否有此需要。
故此, 我特別想呼籲大埔街坊幫忙。若你們也不認為你們想要這個龍尾人造灘, 請發聲– 請按這裡指示向環評署發表意見, 並也請向大埔區議會發表意見。
Therefore I want to urge Taipo residents who do not agree on artificial beach to voice out and express their opinion to the Advisory Council on the Environment as well as to the district council.
Jones HC wrote:
I used to have field trip in this place when I was studying A level Biology… I love the place and there are many valuable creature there…!
Now that the environmental impact assessment report has been passed, the netizen environmentalists will probably take a turn from DIY scientific research approach to a public campaign. Stay tuned.


text:
India: Book of Ram · Global Voices
Rezwan

Jabberwock reviews ‘The Book of Ram’ by mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik, who shows: “how the Ram story has been adapted and retold over the centuries to suit the needs and perspectives of the people who have done the retelling and the times they lived in.”


text:
India: Landing on the Moon · Global Voices
Rezwan

The Moon Impact Probe (MIP) of the Indian space mission Chandrayaan-1 crash Landed successfully on the Moon today. My Thought Waves reacts: “Chandrayaan has made each one of us proud. We now join one of the very few countries in the world to have demonstrated the capability to carry out space missions.”


text:
Indonesia: Reflections on poverty · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thomas Belfield writes about the subject of poverty in Indonesia. He points out that “It is time for a new paradigm. It is time for impatient action.”

author: Mong Palatino


text:
Jamaica: Leadership Roles · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Leadership has to be about prioritizing and making the unpopular decisions that may not help in getting you re-elected but will set the country on the right course for future growth and development”: Trevor Dawes at Abeng News Magazine wonders “why is it that the Jamaican government, regardless of which party forms it, has had such a difficult time doing right by the Jamaican people.”


text:
Jamaica: Only in Jamaica · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A Fe Me Page Dis Iyah posts photos of some humourous scenarios that could be “ONLY IN JAMAICA, MON!”


text:
Japan: Changing jobs in a recession · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Noriyuki Okada at Silicon Valley wa Kyô mo Hareru  (シリコンバレーは今日も晴れ) [jp] describes his experience taking the decision as a software-engineer to change his job despite being in the middle of an economically unstable period. He writes about how he thought carefully about his technical skills, asked for experts’ opinion about what the market wants nowadays, and modified his resume in order to improve his chances in getting the position he applied for.


text:
Japan: Street View and the Burakumin · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

The Internet, many would argue, has created the possibility for anyone to express their opinions freely without having to belong to a category of people with the “legitimacy to speak” (i.e. journalists, scholars, etc.). Recently, however, some have worried about an increase in the number of racist and denigrative comments against minorities spreading across the web.
In Japan, for example, the advent of Google's new Street View service [GSV], aside from arousing indignation among some and sparking debates over privacy issues among others, has also led some bloggers to discuss the relationship between areas photographed in GSV and the so-called hisabetsu buraku (被差別部落). The hisabetsu buraku are discriminated hamlets inhabited by people who, for many centuries and over many generations, have carried the burden of doing the “tainted jobs” (butchers, executioners etc.). These burakumin (部落民) [hamlet people] resemble the Dalits [the untouchables], the lowest caste in the south-east Asian Hindu system, both formally abolished under modern constitutional systems but continuing their existence through prejudice in the minds of many people.
The first to raise questions regarding the topic of Google Street View and discrimination was Manabu Kitaguchi [北口学] at Journalist-Net, a journalist, expert in human rights and president of the  Japan Journalists Association for Human Rights (日本人権ジャーナリスト会):
米国でプライバシーと人権問題の議論が湧き上がったGoogleストリートビュのサービスは、欧州でのサービス開始を前に多くの人権NGOの反対によってストップが賭けられている。が、メディアや市民のなんの論議もなく日本ではサービスがスタートしてしまった。日本固有の差別問題に対する影響力、特に巨大掲示板で面白おかしく差別扇動の書き込みをする人達は、サービス開始直後から「ハイテク電子地名総鑑」というスレッドを立ち上げ、被差別地域の画像をどんどん書き込みしている。
[…]
Google社は、日本という固有の差別問題を有する国での安易なサービス開始で、大きな問題を巻き起こしているサービスをはじめた。早急に日本国内の人権団体との対話やヒヤリングを行なうべきであると考える。心に痛みを感じる人々に向き合って自社サービスの影響を被害者当事者から聞く姿勢が「正義」であると私は思えてならない。
Another blogger, Nobuo Sakiyama [崎山伸夫], became interested in the issue and expressed his opinion about Kitaguchi's entry at his blog:
気になりつづけている空白地帯問題だが、最初は1ヶ所だけしか認識していなかった大規模被差別部落との相関について、私自身は土地勘がまったくない都市だが空白地帯のいくつかについて調べると、そこもまた被差別部落の地名として著名、といった状況があることがわかった。ただ、空白地帯とそうでない部分の境界と部落との関係がどこまで密接なのか、というのは、さすがに簡単にわかる公開資料程度では分からない。
[…]
ということで、一般にも著名な部落問題の研究者（誰なのかは少なくとも今のところは伏せる）に、本件についてご意見を伺うべく、問い合わせのメールを出してみた。まったく面識がない方なので、どういうことになるかは分からないが。個人的には、本件（Googleストリートビューと部落差別の関係）については「部落差別問題へ取り組むことを主要な関心としているわけではない私が被差別部落の正確な場所について詳しくなることが適切とは思えない」という事情により、今回連絡をとった研究者の方や、あるいは北口氏のような専門性の高いジャーナリストの方に引き取ってもらって撤退したいと考えている。
最後に、私の見込みが当たっているという仮定でのこの問題についての意見だけれども、Googleストリートビューが仮に存続しつづけるとした場合、公開範囲は大幅に制限する必要があるだろうし、また、サポート範囲の道路の縁取りもやめるべきだと思う。
[…]
追記: 上記の著名な研究者から返事を頂いた。それによると、当該都市のストリートビューで部落を識別できる状況にはないとのこと。中途半端に知られている地名で余計な心配をしてしまったのかもしれない。
Kitaguchi posted a reply to Sakiyama:
研究者のおっしゃるようにGoogleストリートビューの公開情報には「このエリアが被差別部落地域」という表示はありません。しかしながら別サイトで山のような差別書き込み、ストリートビュー画像URLが膨大な分量で公開され過去ログも蓄積されています。Googleストリートビューの機能を活用し、ストリートビューのサイトを指し示し閲覧を促すという事実が多数見受けられます。そのようなスレッドが継続して行るという現状の悲惨さは現実問題として進行しているわけです。
For more on this issue, see an earlier post about the so-called “blanked-out zones” [空白地帯] of Japan not shown in Street View.


text:
Morocco: Bloggers Ignored by Film Festival · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Allal El Alaoui reports that the Marrakesh International Film Festival ignores bloggers and freelance film critics, as well as, in some cases, Moroccans in general.

author: Jillian C. York


text:
Morocco: Hemline Indicator · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

Margot the Marrakesh Mystic correlates the rise of hemlines in Morocco to the changes in the economy.


text:
Nagorno Karabakh: Selective Memory Loss · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Artashes98 comments on the response to a question he asked a former military commander who considers the regions seized outside the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh as “liberated territories.” The blog reminds its readers that the territories now occupied by Armenian forces were always meant to be a temporary buffer zone which would be returned in the event of a peace deal with Azerbaijan and an agreement on Nagorno Karabakh's status.


text:
Pakistan: A Military Perspective · Global Voices
Rezwan

CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan interviews an internationally renowned political and strategic analyst Shuja Nawaz on Pakistan’s current counter-terrorism strategy.


text:
Rim Banna – A Voice from Palestine · Global Voices
Marwa Rakha

Clueless came across Rim Banna's work recently and she was moved beyond the words on her blog:
I am glad that I got introduced to that great voice .. I am grateful to that friend who gave me the chance to listen to those great lyrics composed and arranged in so beautiful tunes.
Rim Banna; I only got to know about her weeks back when I knew about her performing for first time here in Cairo. I marked my calendar and wanted to make sure I reserve my seat there!
Though I was really not sure if I ever heard anything for her before! But when I got to Google her name I was really amazed.. you can visit her page too on facebook to see.
Days went by and I missed the concert. I couldn't make it but I was lucky enough to have some of her MP3s on my PC ” given by that friend too “. I am listening to her now; she is really inspiring .. the lyrics are telling a lot, in fact that friend who attended the concert told me that each song has a story beneath .. and a story I should listen to to know how the song is really telling the truth. I am arranging to know those stories soon and I will try to share them with you too.
Some will find the songs are influenced by wars in Palestine, however I saw them telling more than that….You need to listen to the lyrics with closed eyes and open heart..
There is that quote of hers: ” I would give half my life to whoever makes a child smiles to replace his cries…” it echoes all the time with me…I wish if world leaders listen to her too and try to replace those tears running there in Palestine and everywhere else burnin’ in wars fire.
At the end Clueless concludes her post saying:
I wish I did not miss that concert. I wish she comes back for another and I don't miss it that time… with all my love to Palestine and its People.


text:
Romania: Elections and Gazprom · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Kosmopolito writes that in Romania, “[t]he fight against corruption is ongoing and is progressing according to schedule: endless” – and as the country prepares for the parliamentary election on Nov. 30, “[m]ost likely it will not vote”: “Those who will vote, will have to choose pretty much the same thing. There is no specific difference among the candidates. The same usual suspects.” Transatlantic Politics reports that “Romanian Liberal Party – currently in government – is flirting with the idea to get a lucrative deal with Gazprom and a quick gain, even if it means to sacrifice the country’s energy independence on the long run.”


text:
Russia: 65 Years Since the Deportation of Karachais · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Otto's Random Thoughts writes – here and here – about the deportation of the Karachais, which began on Nov. 2 sixty-five years ago.


text:
Serbia: Barbie and Ken in National Dress · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Yankee-in-Belgrade writes that he has “seen many a Barbie and Ken in national dress of countries where I've traveled and now Serbia is no exception.”


text:
Serbia: Belgrade’s Street Dogs · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Cafe Turco writes about Belgrade's street dogs and animal rights.


text:
Serbia: Nikola Kavaja · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Just like communism itself, Nikola Kavaja remains a controversial topic in the Serbian history,” writes Viktor Markovic of Belgraded.com about the man who made several unsuccessful attempts to eliminate Yugoslavia's leader Josip Broz Tito, including a 1979 hijacking of a U.S. passenger jet with the intention of crashing it into the Communist Party headquarters. Kavaja, 76, died in Belgrade earlier this week.


text:
Serbia: Reflections of a Bosnian Refugee · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

27-year-old Amila Jašarević fled Bosnia & Herzegovina in 1993 and has since been living in Denmark. On her blog, Amila Bosnae, she describes her first visit to Serbia: “Although our hosts from the different Serbian NGOs did whatever they could to make us comfortable, there was nothing they could do about the radical graffiti and posters all over Belgrade. Or the daily nationalist rallies in support of Radovan Karadžić. Or simply the fact that I was always very aware that I was a Bosnian in Serbia.” (Link via Belgraded.com)


text:
Syria: Using ScribeFire · Global Voices
Razan Ghazzawi

In this post, Omar [AR] tells us that he used the FireFox add-on, Scribefire, to publish his post. He explains how it is easy to add the plug-in in your browser and publish posts without necessarily signing into your blog account. And to those who own several blogs he adds: “you can use this plug-in also to publish posts in your several blogs, and not just one”.


text:
Thailand: Australian in detention for lese majeste · Global Voices
David Reid

New Mandala writes of the case of an Australian writer in detention for lese majeste. The case was also reported by ABC TV's 7:30 Report.

author: David Reid


text:
Thailand: Bomb blast in market · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A bomb blast in a Bangkok market wounded 13 persons. The victims were market vendors who were protesting the new rental contracts of the market. The blast seems to be connected to a commercial dispute between the old and new owners of the market.


text:
The Balkans: Srebrenica Roundup · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sarah Franco of Cafe Turco writes about the award-winning film on Srebrenica genocide – Resolution 819. Srebrenica Genocide Blog posts the full text of the U.N. Security Council Resolution 819 (1993) – which, among other things, demanded “the immediate cessation of armed attacks by Bosnian Serb paramilitary units against Srebrenica” – and also reports that Bosnian Serb soldier Mladen Blagojevic, who participated in Srebrenica massacre, was found guilty of crimes against humanity by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina earlier this month.


text:
U.S., Bosnia & Herzegovina: Adi Kunalic · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Americans For Bosnia writes about Adi Kunalic, “a young Bosniak who came to America as a young boy in 1992 [and] found success in one of the most veritable and thoroughly American institutions our great land has to offer–college football.”


text:
Vietnam: British Ambassador is also a blogger · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

British Ambassador to Vietnam, Mark Kent, started blogging last September. The blog is published in Vietnamese so that it can reach more people in the country.


text:
Vietnam: Dog food · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

This is not for dog lovers. ABP Photo uploads pictures of a dog in Vietnam which was slaughtered so that it can be served for dinner.


text:
Worker killed by tigers at Singapore zoo · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

A Malaysian worker was killed by tigers at the popular Singapore zoo.


text:
Argentina: Wordcamp 2008 in Buenos Aires · Global Voices
Jorge Gobbi

On November 8, the second edition of Wordcamp Argentina took place in Buenos Aires. As was the case at the first Wordcamp, the most important guest was Matt Mullenweg, WordPress’ main developer. Matt told the attendees about the new features of WP 2.7, which has a lot to do with AJAX and includes a long awaited functionality: automatic updates with only one click -something that applies to plugins since version 2.6. Mullenweg also referred to “the death of blogs”, a polemic that has been making the rounds for the past few weeks, as Ezequiel Apesteguía [es] summarizes here:
“Matt también negó la muerte de los blogs y dijo que están en su mejor momento. Explicó que el futuro de WordPress radica en la posibilidad de ser móvil y social: deberíamos ser capaces de convertir un blog en nuestra casa, para publicar una foto allí y que se distribuya automáticamente a otras redes sociales, por ejemplo”.
Ezequiel also published a video, although a little shakey, of Mullenweg's presentation:
The morning started with the presence of Alejandro Piscitelli, professor and researcher of the Universidad de Buenos Aires, who spoke about many issues related to the Web 2.0 and the cognitive changes linked to the Internet and the media. There was a space for discussions such as how to earn money with your blog, the problems of getting advertising, how to develop corporate blogs, and how to measure the success of your site among many other topics.
There are summaries of what happened in the Wordcamp Argentina 2008 at Denken Uber [es]; Infoxicados [es]; Dotpod [es]; Optimizada [es]; I Wanna Be Sedated [es]; SEO; Ramiro Arturi [es]; DrGen [es]; PsicoGeek [es]; Fabio; and Cookieface [es].

author: Jorge Gobbi


text:
Armenia: Zucchero, Planet X Concert Reviews · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

As part of her continuing updates on life in the Armenian capital, local blogger La Vida – los WatcheRos includes accounts of two concerts by foreign musicians she saw perform in Yerevan this week. Although both started an hour later than scheduled, the blog says that Italian musician Zucchero was the best and enjoyed by all while Planet X played to an almost empty hall and was terrible. Photographs accompany both posts.


text:
Bangladesh: Bullish Trend In Garments Trade · Global Voices
Rezwan

:: Maverick Tanvir's Journal :: reports that Bangladesh’s ready-made garments export, the main foreign currency earner of the country, is getting stronger despite the recession in the developed world.


text:
China: Too much time online? You got psychosis. · Global Voices
Bob Chen

Facebook, twitter, blog, facebook, email, online game, then blog, how long have you stayed online? If you have stared at your computer screen and clutched your mouse for over 6.13 hours a day (not including work time), you are, I am sorry, a person of mental disorder according to the latest official definition in China.
China will be the first country to define internet addiction as a type of mental disorder. The national Ministry of Health has accepted a manual by Chinese psychologists which categorizes obsession with internet as a mental disease, and it is expected to turn into a guideline for all the hospitals in China very soon.
Symptoms of net addiction, as the manual introduces, include impulsive use of internet, irritation and unreasonable distress when offline, and the failure to concentrate.
According to the leading expert Dr. Tao in the country’s first addiction treatment center, of the young group that takes the majority of 253 million netizens in China, about 10% have been inflicted by the addiction, most of them male. His research on 3000 patients shows they might have strong psychological dependence on internet, which undermine their normal social activities and daily life. It is pointed out that online games which now totally take up over 4800 million users in China, such as World of Warcraft, are a great problem that they weaken users’ ability to distinguish virtual world from the real.
Also, internet may contribute to crime rate. 76% of juvenile offenses in the capital city of Beijing are related to the Internet, said Dr Tao.
It is not the first time, however, for the Chinese government to regulate the booming online industry. It has ordered an “anti-obsession” system compulsorily installed on public computers to limit game players’ time online.
Netizen reaction
A great number of internet users are thrilled at their first glance of the definition, recalling their overnighters online.
Is such a categorization ridiculous? Someone think it not at all. An opinion published 4 days ago on New Beijing Daily justifies the regulation.
这些年上了网瘾毁了孩子的报道可是铺天盖地不胜枚举。而且，关乎
成瘾医学的研究与防范是科学，不仅网瘾被纳入精神病范畴，工作成瘾、购物成
瘾、饮食成瘾、性成瘾、烟酒成瘾等都被看作是成瘾疾病。所以，网游成瘾纳入
精神病管理不是人格歧视，而是科学界定。
And the writer states why it should be taken as a disease:
确立网瘾属于精神疾病，就可以在专业医学的指导下进行药物、心理双管齐
下的戒断治疗，根除心魔，涤荡蛰伏于意识深处的网游诱惑。精神病学的实践证明，网络成瘾是可以治疗的，一般治疗时间为3个月左右，80%
的患者都可以通过治疗摆脱瘾病。
In bullog.cn, blogger Xiaoyao 逍-遥 cited the opinion above with a title:
奇文 网瘾=精神病
Netizen “Cold” replied:
我们都是精神病
Baiyongbing 白咏冰3 said:
同性恋也需要治疗、上网时间长也需要治疗、吃得多要治疗、吃得少也要治疗……
And Li qingchen 李清晨 opposed the new categorization because the label might be a lifetime trauma to the kids:
孩子一旦进入这个地方，等于给他打上了一个标签，因此而造成的心理影响也是无法估量的。


text:
DR Congo: Video call for action · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has flared up once again: 10 years of tension, on-and-off warfare and violence have taken their toll on the population, who are being displaced yet one more time. More than 5 million people have died during this warfare, thousands of women have been raped, and thousands of children have been recruited as children soldiers. On the following videos we bring you calls for action from the DRC citizens pleading with us to take a stand to stop the humanitarian crisis in the DRC.
Previous Posts on Global Voices has focused on this resurgence of violence: D.R. of Congo: Blogging From the War Zone and DR Congo: Fighting Continues, giving us an overview of the dramatic human rights violations, the clashes and fights arising between UN forces, government and rebels,  and the internal displacement of people leaving their villages, cities and towns, running away from the violence.
Bukeni Waruzi, a DRC native who is the project coordinator for the African and Middle East region for Witness.org, writes an article in The Huffington Post about the crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and also posts a video commentary explaining the political situation, the historical roots for the crisis, and a call to action for all citizens to bring attention to this crisis, and try and force the authorities to intercede in benefit of the civilians taking the brunt of the conflict.
A campaign by Médicins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders) to raise awareness on the stark state of the DRC will start on November 20th. The Condition:Critical project will collect voices from the war in Eastern DRC, starting off with a documentary to be published on the launch date. The trailer is extremely moving, starting with the poignant testimony of a child born and raised during the war, who perceives his future as a bleak path leading only unto death.A first-hand account on the impact of this war is told in this interview on the Virunga National Park blog where Ranger Benjamin from the Kalengera Patrol Post, tells how he witnessed rebels killing his father and murdering twenty other people from his village, shooting them one by one. He ran into the forest and then decided to walk to the refugee camp and tell his story to peers and authorities. He makes a heart wrenching call for action for the international community to pressure the CDR's government to take action regarding the dire situation they are living in.
What can we do? Bukeni Waruzi has three suggestions for actions we can take:
* Write to President Kabila to urge him to stop mass rape, recruitment of children and bring an end to the conflict: http://hub.witness.org/DRCinCrisis
* If you're a blogger — embed this video interview talking about the crisis: http://hub.witness.org/DRCinCrisis
* Urge your local media to cover this issue — write to the editor and write your own opinion piece
On Witness’ The HUB, there are many other videos providing different aspects of the humanitarian crisis: the violence, the refugee crisis and the epidemic rape of women and girls. The Ushahidi project has already deployed a taggable map to geographically locate and report incidents of violence and human rights abuses through SMS and web reporting

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


text:
El Salvador: Downtown San Salvador Becoming Pedestrian Walkways · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

In El Salvador, David Mejia takes a shopping trip to downtown San Salvador where he writes that some of the streets are fast becoming pedestrian walkways [es] due to the street vendors taking up space on the street.


text:
Iran: Professors against Plagiarism · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A group of Iranian professors in cooperation with colleagues at other universities, have launched a blog called [fa] Professors against Plagiarism. They are asking university colleagues everywhere to join and help them in their efforts. Read more here.

author: Fred Petrossian


text:
Lingua: The Making of a Global Online Translation Project · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

Ever wonder how to get dozens of people to work together over the internet to collaborate on translations to multiple languages? In nearly two years Global Voices’ Lingua translation community has grown to include 15 different languages (7 more up-and-coming!) and over 75 volunteer translators. Honestly, we're astounded by the growth ourselves.
In December 2006, bloggers attending the Global Voices Summit in Delhi decided to create a project that would enable volunteer translators to make selected Global Voices posts available in different languages. In just two years, we now have websites in Bangla, French, Arabic, Albanian, Chinese, and many other languages.
Leonard Chien in Taiwan, is co-manager of Lingua with Portnoy Zheng. He has created an interactive timeline mapping the growth of the project, including the first translation in each language, key partnerships with other organizations, media coverage of the project, and interviews with participants.
Slide the green dot to the right to read entries on the timeline. Click on entries to read more details about each item.
New volunteers have appeared from all corners of the world to help collaborate on this project. An email to Lingua from an interested translator is the simple first step to getting involved. Each language group works autonomously to get translations done, and everyone works together in email groups to decide on the joint direction of the project. Many translators wind up authoring posts on Global Voices and vice versa.
Claire Ulrich, who manages Global Voices in French, created this map of the Lingua translators community.
Please join Lingua if you have the skills and times to make a contribution. Everyone is welcome and the community is full of wonderful people. Email us! (at the bottom of this page)

author: Solana Larsen


text:
Mexico: The Death of Paco Ignacio Taibo I · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

El Nahual of México Para Los Mexicanos [es] mourns the death of Paco Ignacio Taibo I, who was a Mexican writer and historian.  He also founded the Culture section of the El Universal newspaper.


text:
Nagorno Karabakh: Peacebuilding Goes Online · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.
With stereotypes and alternate and usually contradictory as well as inaccurate perceptions of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno Karabakh still prevalent in both societies, a new online youth media project has been set up by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the United States Department of State to be implemented by Project Harmony.
Among the 90 students involved in the program, ten students from each country will be selected to participate in an advanced media education program in Vermont in the summer of 2009. American students will then travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan in the spring of 2010 to work with their DOTCOM peers to bring media action to a broader audience. Students will be selected based on their commitment to the program, grasp of media literacy and willingness to engage constructively in cross-cultural dialogue.
Students not selected for the physical exchange will remain in the program to continue their media work and civic activism through the online forums.
What will DOTCOM achieve?
• 90 participants from Armenia, America and Azerbaijan will work online to explore media literacy and the role that web-based social networking can play in changing stereotypes and perceptions.
• 30 participants from Armenia, America and Azerbaijan will travel on overseas exchanges to work with their DOTCOM peers to motivate change in their communities.
• Media produced during the program will be released via the Internet and through a network of global NGO’s and media organizations, using Web 2.0 tools such as personal blogs, mySpace, Flickr and Youtube to reach audiences worldwide.
• Community service projects with youth and community groups in the U.S. and abroad will provide an opportunity for students to engage in community service in a tangible, concrete way with their DOTCOM peers.
• A participant-run weblog and online community will provide an open exchange of news and images from participants’ communities and countries, allowing for dialogue and exchange among participants on current events and social issues.
The deadline for applications for children aged 15-16 is 1 December 2008 and more information can be found at http://dotcom.ph-int.org/. There is also a Facebook Group for the project here.
This post is part of our special coverage Caucasus Conflict Voices.

author: Onnik Krikorian


text:
Peru: President Refuses to Answer Questions from Media Outlet · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

The blog Pepitas writes about journalist Vilma Escalante claims that Peruvian President Alan García refused to answer her questions because she works the newspaper La Primera, which he called an “anti-democratic and anti-system” media outlet.

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Poland: Racist Flyers Given to Children in a Catholic Church · Global Voices
Sylwia Presley

One of the Catholic churches in Poznań, Poland's fifth largest city, generated a lot of online buzz yesterday, when the media (POL) published articles about a religious flyer printed by a Catholic weekly Mały Gość Niedzielny and distributed to children. On the flyer's cover, there is a quote from the Bible – “A lamp without oil is dark, a human without a prayer, too.” Right above it is a drawing of a black child, who is saying: “What a pity that the prayer does not brighten the skin.”
The chief editor Gabriela Szulik, when confronted (POL) with the fact, responded:
It’s a mistake, an unfortunate one. We had no intention to offend anyone, because we are not racist. The thought that this can carry racist meaning does not even enter my mind; I simply have no associations of the kind.
Later on, she responded to allegations of racism with a promise of an online statement, also referring to the company's involvement in charity work in Rwanda and their article about Zambia.
Online reactions vary. Some discussion board users, like maczimo (POL), agree with Gabriela Szulik:
Only a complete idiot can say that we are dealing with racism.
Others – like lucenty (POL) – stay supportive and objective:
I am also convinced it was a mistake. Someone who does not think in terms of prejudice can be careless to ‘pronounce’ this pseudo racist sentence. I am far from the sick view on every single statement like that and seeing bad intentions. We, Poles, are not really so bad!
Still others express rather cynical (POL) thoughts on the issue:
It’s not that I am anti-Catholic, but the whole situation, mainly in the context of the Church, is slightly ridiculous. […] ;-)
One of the Polish London-based bloggers writes (POL):
[…] This Sunday we will pray for [the 15 black children out of the total of 26 in the blogger's child’s school group]. So passionately, so Polish-way. Will it help? […]
The majority of commentators on discussion boards find the flyer highly racist. Mecz-k (POL) said on Gazeta.pl Forum:
Oh, yes, Polish Catholicism is a religion of hate and despise. Pity that there is nothing left of Jesus preaching. Now we have Father Rydzyk [a very controversial leader of the Catholic Radio] preaching… Shame, shame really.
Jww commented on a post about the issue on this blog (POL):
I am not surprised by the content and the level of the flyer. I know more examples of that type or even worst acts of ‘tolerance’ and ‘freedom of speech’ within the church, sadly most of them stay away from political scandal similar to the one about the flyer.
One of the parents involved in the incident happens to be an outspoken blogger. After describing (POL) the day when the child came home with the flyer, she wrote:
I confiscated the flyer discreetly, but there is no way to cheat on my son: Mom, why did you hide the flyer in the pocket? Did you dislike it for some reason? Is there something wrong with it? This text is bizarre, isn’t?
Yes, a little bit. After one hour of serious thinking whether I am overreacting and consultations with Kuba’s parents: do you also agree that someone was thoughtless? Do you see it too? I am calling the parish office:
Dear Father, I understand you meant no harm, but this joke is tasteless, since all kids take such messages seriously, they do not see the intentions behind them; and you can see here clearly: the black baby regrets having dark skin, meaning being black is the worst…
I do understand where you’re coming from, but I believe the priests who ordered those pictures aimed to stress Christian values, the message of the Holy Bible…
Dear Father, you can be a Catholic and not a racist, you cannot promote messages of the kind, especially amongst children, for whom the Church sets example…
The discussion continues. On Wykop.pl, a Polish version of Digg bookmarking site, an article on this topic is on the main state category and has generated over 100 comments and gained 783 ratings so far.

author: Sylwia Presley


text:
Syria: Love is in Stuttgart · Global Voices
Yazan Badran

Forget politics, Obama or the economic crisis. The new buzz in the Syrian blogosphere is about love.
Mariyah, a Syrian blogger from Damascus, has been playing with the hearts of her readers with the most delicate series of posts about the story of Ghassan and Alexandra.
It all starts on one cold evening in the winter of 1955 in Stuttgart, Germany:
There was something to be said for poise. As the other women became increasingly loud, a petite, fair skinned woman sat quietly watching and smiling. She was clearly enjoying the entertainment but seemed shy and reserved – too much so to become involved in the conversation. Her large, blue eyes glistened with intelligence and her diminutive features gave her a look of a porcelain doll. Her auburn hair glistened red as the light from the fireplace threw an amber glow around her. Ghassan observed that she was well dressed but not ostentatious. When she did speak, her voice was quiet – he couldn’t hear it from his table. Ghassan found, as the evening wore on, that he couldn’t take his eyes off of her.
We are never explicitly told, but we do sense that Ghassan and Alexandra are actually, Mariyah‘s father and mother, which makes the story all the more compelling.
“Guten tag. Can I help you sir?” she cooed from beside him. “Something for the pretty lady?”
Ghassan could not help but look surprised. Had his facial expressions reflected his thoughts of Alexandra to the extent an old woman, a stranger, could recognize? He had intended to buy flowers but only as a way to further his study of this woman whom he now believed far wiser than he could have imagined.
“Yes, yes of course. What do you suggest?” Ghassan attempted to speak as smoothly as he could muster.
“Red, dear, accented with a touch of purple. And, of course, blue to highlight her eyes.” The woman replied easily.
Ghassan was flabbergasted. “How? How did you know?”
Mariyah‘s beautiful writing, along with her most timely story breaks has captured the imagination of the readers, leaving them asking for more after each part.
She even decided to better set the mood with some music from those rosy days of the Ghassan and Alexandra's winter of 1955.
You can find all the published parts here. We are now at Part 5, and waiting, patiently, for part 6!

author: Yazan Badran


text:
Syria: No for Sunni/Shiaa Divisions, We’re Muslims! · Global Voices
Razan Ghazzawi

Feras [AR] comments on the so called “Shia-Sunni conflict” in the region. He says that this conflict is not only due to Zionists and Americans’ policies in the region, but also due to Arabs themselves. He asserts that it is Arabs who are enhancing such sectarian divisions. He ends his post by calling for a no more of Sunni-Shia rhetoric in both of our social meetings and media.

author: Razan Ghazzawi


text:
Bahrain: Change at the Ministry of Information · Global Voices
Ayesha Saldanha

Ali Abdulemam gives his perspective on the recent changes at Bahrain's Ministry of Information – describing the appointment of the new minister as revenge.

author: Ayesha Saldanha


text:
Brazil: Flash mob protest against Digital Crimes Bill · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Brazilian bloggers and netizens took to the streets of São Paulo to protest against the Digital Crimes Bill, which typifies the cyber-crimes punishable by law and stipulates penalties accordingly. They claim the law has so many flaws that, instead of punishing real criminals, it might end up deeming as crime trivial conduct when surfing the Internet. Proposed by senator Eduardo Azeredo, the bill has passed through the Senate, has proceeded to the House of Representatives and has been labeled as urgent, which means that voting might happen at any time.
Over 50 bloggers, students and netizens participated in the flash mob last Friday at Avenida Paulista, one of the city's most important avenues and financial centers. The protest was organized through blogs and mostly twitter. Lúcia Freitas reports:
A postos, mostramos nossos cartazes. alguém de dentro do ônibus acena. Pessoas param nas calçadas de ambos os lados. Motos e carros buzinam. Ao comando, viramos para o outro lado (ímpar) da avenida. Os fotógrafos fazem farra. A gente diz em alto e bom som: Não!
In fact, due to bad weather and terrible traffic, many people only managed to get there late. Political Scientist Sérgio Amadeu [pt] says that these late comers demanded to be part of the protest, so a quick decision was made for another performance, this time attended by over 100 people:
Bom, como uma manifestação auto-organizada ela resolveu se auto-constituir de novo. A flashmob virou uma refreshmob.
Photo by  Paulo Fehlauer who also has a video showing the protest at Avenida Paulista
On the day before, a public hearing was held in Brasília and some bloggers took the time to attend the debate (see a video and twitter reactions). They had their mouths closed with sellotape to protest against the over-surveillance on the Internet that the bill may bring if approved. Daniel Padua [pt] was there and said it had a positive outcome as the case against was very well laid by both specialists and members of parliament:
A força dos argumentos foi uma surpresa pros defensores do projeto, que acabaram soando ridículos e despreparados – como no caso do delegado da PF (alguma coisa Sobral) – que apresentou uma história na qual a PF tinha os IPs de suspeitos de pedofilia, mas só conseguiu prender 1/5 deles pela falta de um processo jurídico adequado, e foi questionado pelo deputado Paulo Teixeira: “bom, a PF tinha os IPs, não? então se vocês já conseguem os IPs das pessoas, porque precisam desse projeto de lei?”
Marcelo Träsel [pt] says that a battle was won but the fight goes ahead. He unveils whose interests are in fact behind the bill:
Porque no fim das contas é disso que se trata: os bancos estão tentando impor uma legislação estúpida para deixarem de assumir a responsabilidade por tornar seus sistemas de transação eletrônica mais seguros. Afinal, garantir a segurança de dados custa dinheiro. E dinheiro é o que os bancos deram, coincidentemente, para a campanha a senador de Azeredo e muitos outros deputados. Estão pouco ligando se vão emperrar o processo cultural ou o avanço da inclusão digital no Brasil.
According to João Carlos Caribé [pt], this public hearing, virtually the first open debate about the bill, was made possible through liaising by the organizers of an online petition [pt] in defense of freedom and progress of knowledge on the Brazilian Internet. It has been signed by over 121,400 citizens, which is not much, considering Brazil's nearly 200 million population. Gabriel Sadoco [pt] writes about it at this Saturday's blog carnival [pt] about politics and says that people should not be so apathetic regarding this and others issues:
E a esses brasileiros que não se incomodam com o que acontece no seu país. Que preferem assistir as tragédias do jornal antes da novela das oito e só servem pra fazer peso no mundo, acordem para a realidade e comecem a protestar, porque você ainda tem direito a isso. Não ao vigilantismo.
Privacidade e liberdade pra todo mundo!
Mário Amaya [pt] has designed the poster that many bloggers have been carrying with them, which can be downloaded and printed out. He is also the designer of many of the online banners that have spread on the blogosphere.
Freedom on the Internet

author: Paula Góes


text:
Brunei: 9th happiest country in the world · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Jewelle reacts to a news report naming Brunei as the 9th happiest country in the world.


text:
Brunei: Cartoon against high prices · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Cuboiart from Brunei posts a cartoon depicting the complaint of customers against high commodity prices.