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What Would Buddha Do? Not Attack Sri Lankan Muslims, Buddhists Say · Global Voices
Rezwan

Screenshot of the Facebook group Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena
Since at least four people were killed in clashes between Muslims and hardline Buddhists in the coastal city of Aluthgama more than a week ago, violence against Muslims has continued in Sri Lanka. Many have been displaced, and homes, shops and mosques have been torched and vandalized, creating a feeling of unease among the Muslim community.
The riots began after extremist Buddhist organization Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) held a rally in Aluthgama in response to an alleged assault against a Buddhist monk by a Muslim man. The group's anti-Muslim rhetoric, led by BBS general secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, fueled tensions.
Muslims make up 10 percent of Sri Lanka's mainly Buddhist population and for decades have lived peacefully alongside the majority Sinhalese. But the sentiment espoused by BBS that Islam is a threat has been on the rise.
BBS may be loud, but it doesn't represent all Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
One Facebook page called Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena is speaking out against the group. The page, which was created in February 2013, has more than 8,400 likes and features lengthy discussion about BBS, Buddhism and Sri Lankan society among its fans — both Buddhist and Muslim — in the comments.
When the riots first broke out, the Facebook page called for Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero, who has denied any responsibility, to be arrested and for BBS to be banned. “Reject all campaigns that are seeking to create terror and divisions in the country!” the page's administrators urged.
It has continued to follow the violence as it has unfolded, posting news updates and commentary. One recent photo published on the page reads, “Racists and extremists are itching for a fight. Don't give it to them. Please be patient. Together we can defeat them.” In response to a commenter, the administrators explained what they want to accomplish with the page:
[…] we the admins of this page are practicing Buddhists. We cannot solve all the world's woes, that is why we practice to let go. Let go of identities, desires and anger. Our focus by starting and managing this page is to prevent Buddhists from turning towards violence and anger as responses. The Dhamma [teachings of Buddha] has survived for many thousands of years, but this has been done not by the mere preservation of books and artifacts, but by those who truly practice the Dhamma. May you be happy.
Last year, the page organized a candlelight vigil in front of BBS headquarters to protest violence against Muslims, but was met with protests from BBS members and police.
A Sri Lankan Muslim man stands next to his burned van in front of his house in Aluthgama, Srilanka. Image by Tharaka Basnayaka. Copyright Demotix (17/4/2014)
Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena is certainly not the only Buddhists condemning BBS. Blogger Indrajit Samarajiva criticized BBS’ actions but also wrote that even though it's a “hard idea to swallow,” BBS and groups like them “deserve our compassion, understanding and love,” like Buddha taught:
As a Buddhist it makes me so very sad to see crude, vile and frankly untamed men like Gnanasara Thero in robes, practicing such harsh speech, inciting hatred against Muslims and actually being violent. It makes me sad because I do take refuge in the Buddha, in the Dhamma and the Sangha [practicing Buddhist community].
I have learnt from wonderful monks, from wonderful lay Buddhists (like my mother) and that community of practice is a refuge in a harsh and confusing world.
Mobs in robes like the BBS feel like they pollute that community, like they shame it, like they shame us in front of the world. I honestly find what they’re doing far more detrimental to Buddhism than the Buddha Bar or a tourist with a Buddha tattoo.
On citizen journalism site Groundviews, Thrishantha Nanayakkara recalled that he once helped the Facebook page Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena to compile a list of questions for BBS about their fidelity to Buddhism and Sri Lanka's constitution. He revisited those questions in light of the spate of violence, including:
Question 3) Has BBS looked at how Buddhism is practiced in Sri Lanka itself before blaming others for the deterioration of Buddhism in Sri Lanka? Why do Buddhists convert? If we worked harder to help and educate ourselves, our youth and the needy and vulnerable amongst us would we not promote our Buddhist culture and dissuade conversions. Instead don’t we spend our money on building bigger and larger temples and statues?
In a move to control the situation, the Sri Lankan authorities have banned public meetings or rallies which promote hatred towards another religion or race. Perhaps this alongside members of the Buddhist community speaking up will help put an end to the violence.


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‘A Shift From Surveillance Mode to Elimination Mode’ in China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Chinese government under the leadership of Xi Jinping has been prosecuting citizen right lawyers, activists and dissidents in past months. Prominent Chinese human right lawyer Tien Biao pointed out that the previous “stability maintenance” model of political control has transformed into elimination of dissents.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Oiwan Lam


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Facebook and Its Terms of Use · Global Voices
María Romina Mascareño

Image remixed by Andrea Collazo and used with her permission.
On her blog, Andrea shares a very thorough report about Facebook and some terms of use often overlooked. First, she explains what those terms of use are:
(Las condiciones de servicio) te explican cuáles son las condiciones de uso del servicio, qué pueden hacer con tus datos, tus responsabilidades y las del servicio en el que te estés dando de alta.
(Terms of use) explain what the conditions to use the service are, what can they do with your data, your responsibilities and those of the service you are signing up for.
And then she mentions important aspects to consider about Facebook and these terms:
Facebook te dice que todos los contenidos que subes (fotos, vídeos etc…), son tuyos.
Lo cierto es que Facebook se atribuye una licencia de uso.
Es decir cuando subes una foto a Facebook, el servicio tiene derecho de usarla y puede mostrar tu foto de perfil o usar un vídeo que has subido.
Facebook tells you all the content you upload (photos, videos etc…) belongs to you.
The thing is Facebook assumes a license of use.
This means that when you upload a photo to Facebook, the service has the right to use it and can show your profile picture or use a video you have uploaded.

author: María Romina Mascareño


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Goethe’s Faust, Between Classicism and Romanticism · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Image of a representation of Faust by Haags Uitburo on Flickr. CC BY 2.0.
It's sometimes complicated to understand or discuss terms like Classicism or Romanticism, especially for someone who is not involved in literature. But that's not the case with Mª Gemma Romero Perea, who thinks Goethe, through his Faust, shows a rare synthesis between Romanticism and Classicism. She explains:
Fausto es la obra más importante del autor; el ambiente en el que se desarrolla es el de la lejanía y el del misterio, y el pacto que Fausto hace con el diablo recoge el tétrico estilo romántico a la perfección. La historia arranca de una leyenda medieval, el protagonista, dedicado a la ciencia, pacta con el diablo para recuperar de nuevo la juventud y lograr de ese modo el amor de Margarita. Con un profundo estilo filosófico, Fausto lucha contra las leyes de la naturaleza y contra todo lo sagrado para convertirse en un rebelde romántico. Lo más significativo es el halo de misterio que rodea al protagonista y su terrible trato con el diablo para retomar la juventud. Pero además de los caracteres románticos del personaje, hay algo que destaca sobre todas las cosas, y es que Fausto se convertirá en un verdadero ídolo para todos los tiempos junto al Quijote y a Don Juan, un personaje lleno de matices que convertirá a su creador Goethe en un verdadero maestro de la literatura que influirá en su tiempo y en los posteriores de forma decisiva.
Faust is the author's most important work; the environment where it's set is of distance and mystery, and the pact Faust makes with the devil gets the gloomy romantic style perfectly. The story starts from a medieval legend, the main character, dedicated to science, agrees with the devil so he can get back his youth and having Margarita's love. With a profound philosophical style, Faust fights Nature's laws and all that is sacred to become a romantic rebel. The most significant thing here is the mystery aura surrounding the main characters and his terrible pact with the devil to get back his youth. But besides those romantic features of the character, there is something that stands out above all, and it's that Faust will become an all-times real idol, just as Don Quijote and Don Juan, a character that will make its creator Goethe a real master of literature that will have decisive influence during his time and later.

author: Milton Ramirez


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Hong Kong Is ‘Haunted’ by China’s ‘One Country, Two Systems’ White Paper · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Famous blogger on mainland Chinese political news, @yanghengjun, ran into a protest against the mainland Chinese official document on the practice of “one country and two systems” in Hong Kong. As the document is called the White Paper, protesters dressed in white with white papers stuffed in their mouths, like Chinese ghosts:
吓死老子了！在铜锣湾最热闹的街上，突然碰上一队白衣白纸牵小白猪的集体散步者，缓慢行来，加上嘴里也塞满了白纸，万马齐喑，怪吓人的。。。走近一看，是反“白皮猪（书）“的，这个行为艺术搞得有创意，反正我是印象深刻！ pic.twitter.com/ReDyjq8j9k
— 杨恒均 (@yanghengjun) June 24, 2014
It scares me! In the most crowded downtown area of Causeway Bay, I ran into a group of people dressed in white, strolling around with some white pigs. Their mouths were filled with white paper. It was evening and the streets were dark, the scene was quite terrifying… I walked near, it was an art performance against the “White Pig (Book)” [The pronunciation of “book” is similar to the word pig in Cantonese.], it is very creative and has left a deep impression on me!


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This Film Is About the Remarkable Friendship Between a Buddhist and Muslim in Myanmar. So Why All the Hate?  · Global Voices
Juan Cebu

Film poster from the official Facebook page of the festival
The second ‘Human Rights Human Dignity’ Film Festival held in Yangon, Myanmar, on June 15-19 featured a total of 67 films, including 32 local films, dedicated to democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi and the late U Win Tin, Myanmar's longest-held political prisoner.
A noble cause, but one that was overshadowed this year by the last-minute cancellation of the screening of ‘The Open Sky’, a 20-minute documentary film about a friendship between a Buddhist woman and a Muslim woman amidst the communal violence that gripped the town of Meikhtila last year. Those riots spread to other towns in central Myanmar and left more than 40 people dead.
The organizers decided to remove the documentary after they received death threats via social media from angry netizens who depicted the film as part of a Muslim conspiracy to dominate Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
There has been a surge of religious extremism in recent years in many parts of Myanmar, which has led to clashes, riots, and other forms of communal violence. In particular, the Muslim minority is accused and persecuted by many Buddhist extremist groups for aiming to ‘dominate’ Myanmar. The hate speech directed against Muslims is also dirtying the web, with active sharing or discussion of intolerant views against religious and ethnic minorities.
Min Htin Ko Ko Kyi, one of the organizers of the festival, explained why they withdrew the film:
This film festival was not intended to create any conflict. I cannot let the conflict and hatred happen among the people. As this is not what [we] intended, [we] decided to cancel the screening.
But he defended the film and praised its theme in a BBC Burmese interview:
The film depicts the loving relationship with mutual help, protection and kindness between two neighboring women of different faiths.
According to one of the organizers, they received threats that people will burn the theater, kill the director and start another riot if they continued with the screening of the film. On June 15, an article criticizing the film and filled with hate remarks went viral. The article alleged that the film is biased in favor of Muslims:
We heard that this film was funded by [Organization of the Islamic Conference]. There is no need to watch the film since it is obvious that the film will be in favour of the Muslims as it was funded by the Muslims. […]
The article also accused human rights activists of opportunism for promoting the ‘biased’ film:
[…] Just want to ask directly whether the moral of the film is on the side of human rights or the rights of the Kalars [sic]. Now if [we] point out the fact that there is no neutral stance, will there be a real human rights activist who will point out the truth? It is sure that [they] will be quiet. If I have to speak my opinion openly, human rights activists are opportunists. […]
Min Htin Ko Ko Kyi's interview with the BBC Burmese gave a hint as to why the organizers bowed to pressure from anti-Muslim forces:
I have nothing to comment about the hate speech because our country is in a very sensitive situation. There are also people who want to create conflicts. And we are not making this film festival to create conflicts. If I am to choose for the good reputation of our film festival, the film we produced or our country, I would choose that of our country which is in a very sensitive situation. I will not criticize other people or organization.
For David Scott Mathieson of Human Rights Watch, the withdrawal of the film spoiled the success of the record-breaking festival, which bravely chose human rights as its theme:
By its very existence, the festival demonstrates a commitment to stand up to the forces of division and hatred. But the reaction of some Burmese also shows that the struggle for respect for rights in Burma has a long way to go.
United States Ambassador Derek J. Mitchell, who attended the event, spoke about defending free speech and alluded to the online threats made against the organizers:
There will always be those less courageous people who feel threatened by speech they do not like, or a story that does not conform with their own prejudices.
This narrow, fearful mindset runs contrary to everything this festival is about. Everyone who values the meaning of this event must oppose the use of threat and intimidation to suppress speech and censor artists.
The incident is the latest manifestation of the growing and alarming religious intolerance in Myanmar. If a film about friendship can easily provoke hostile reactions, what about other political initiatives like integration, secularism, and non-discrimination?

author: Juan Cebu


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Jurassic Park Opening Sparks Fury In Peru Town Without Running Water · Global Voices
Alex Pashley

Jurassic forest. Image on Flickr by user Sangudo. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
For a dirt town without running water or a sewerage system, fibreglass Triceratops and T-rex may not be a top priority.
The regional government of Arequipa in Peru disagrees, recently approving a 4-million sol ($1.4 million) dinosaur theme park in the arid district of Yura, 650 miles south-east of Lima. The construction of the ‘Los C’coritos II’ park has been called a squandering of public funds that could be better spent tackling the town’s high death rates from diarrhoea and kidney-related illnesses.
But the region’s mayor has defended the park saying it honours Arequipa’s dinosaur legacy, and declared “unjustified” a probe launched this week by anti-corruption officials into the investment. “Dinosaurs are part of the history,” said mayor Alfredo Zegarra, who is already under investigation by the public prosecutor for ‘abuses of authority’. “Children should know what happened, how it was so that animals came to populate the planet, how they became extinct.”
Arequipa has prehistoric dinosaur footprints preserved in the earth, and workmen found a suspected Velociraptor foetus fossil last July, later dismissed as a modern mammal.
That the three hectare plot 2,700 metres high in its mountain plains, had been set aside for a hospital has heightened public anger. Indecision from the local authority led to those plans stalling, and so Mr Zegarra granted financial assistance to the mayor of Yura, one of the region’s poorest towns, to build the park. It will be the second park about dinosaurs to join the original Los C'coritos on the city of Arequipa's outskirts, 16 miles away (about 25 km).
“It’s a work that gives quality of life to the people,” said Mario Melo, a councillor in regional government told the La República newspaper. “They also have the right to this infrastructure. The critics have political ends,” added Mr Melo, referencing the opposition from land developers Mr Zegarra says are fuelling concerns.
For the locals who go without water in some cases for two weeks, highlighted in a television report, it stands to question how much a dino-park can help their basic needs. “Many children here suffer from diarrhoea and kidney problems,” said Gladys Curo, a woman interviewed in the report. “We treat what we can, but going to the nearest town takes a long time.”
Mr Zegarra said a reservoir had been built to address the problem and “water was on its way” to those who needed it.
Resident groups are divided over its construction. “It’s not that the park doesn’t serve for anything, but it would been better as a hospital,” told Timoteo Calachahui, a member of the Camineros y Empleados resident association to La República.
The ex-president of the same 563-member association said the regional government had been successful in salvaging some projects, as the land would have been abandoned or at the mercy of gangs or developers.
“The park won’t end up being a white elephant,” said Socrates Chiara. “We have a 10-year agreement with the municipality. At the end of this period, if the people don’t want the park, it will be pulled down for their hospital.”
Mr Chiara added the government was taking steps with sewerage systems ready to be put in operation, as well as plans for a school.
A plot of land had been reserved for a hospital a kilometre below in the community of Cerro Colorado, 14 miles (23 km) away on the outskirts of Arequipa, Peru’s second city, Mr Zegarra said.
Unsuitable use of public funds is not uncommon in the Arequipa region. Last November it emerged a public stadium and town hall were built from tax receipts from mining companies. Like Yura, the town of Yarabamba neither had running water and the buildings were viewed an extravagance.
Corruption is a constant in Peru’s regional governments, with three-quarters of its 26 presidents currently being investigated by the authorities. This episode won’t help to sever that association of elected officials out-of-touch with those they represent.
Still, if one thing Mr Zegarra has learned, it’s how to turn a crisis into opportunity. The media publicity may attract the final investors to stump up the outstanding cash, he quipped.
Here, some tweets related to the projected park:
@AlfredoZegarra tiene una obsesión con los dinosaurios? Primero los puso en el parque de los Ccoritos y ahora en Yura @Cuarto_Poder
— Diego Lazo Herrera (@estravagarius) junio 23, 2014
Does Alfredo Zegarra has an obsession with Dinosaurs? First he put them in the park of Los Ccoritos and now in Yura?
#Ironíaexitosa gracias a @aarevalo03: Yura (Arequipa) podría llamarse Yura…ssic Park (y la gente no tiene ni agua) http://t.co/kzpwXkwBlD
— Sigrid Bazán (@sigridbazan) junio 23, 2014
Yura could call itself Yura…sic Park (and the people don't have water)
Indignante gestión en Yura. Para que necesitamos revocatoria ? Mejor sacada en burro hoy mismo y nada mas. Perú no merece estas autoridades
— Sagástegui (@hugosagastegui) junio 23, 2014
Outrageous management in Yura. What has to happen for us to revoke it? It'd be better if we throw him out on a mule today and that's it. Peru doesn't deserve these authorities.
Alcalde de #Arequipa y #Yura tienen como cerebro restos fósiles. #Peru #CuartoPoder
— Carlos Livia (@CarlosLivia) junio 23, 2014
The mayors of Arequipa and Yura have fossils for brains.

author: Alex Pashley


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This Street in Bangladesh Has a Colorful World Cup Celebration to Rival Brazil · Global Voices
Rezwan

Image by S. M. Mobasser Hussain. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission.
What was before an ordinary lane in the Bangladeshi capital's historic neighborhood Old Dhaka is now a vibrant strip of street art celebrating the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
A group of about 200 volunteers transformed the street in less than 24 hours as part of The World Cup Goal-E, a collaboration by youth organization One Degree Initiative and advertising agency Zanala Bangladesh, to spread enthusiasm for the World Cup. Goal-E sounds like goli (lane), which is a common feature in Old Dhaka.
Bangladesh didn't qualify to play in the 2014 tournament, but the country's football fans have caught World Cup fever nonetheless. Many are cheering for either Argentina or Brazil.
World Cup Goal-E documented the effort, which included a flashmob dance, in a YouTube video:
The project's Facebook page has several photos of the transformation as well:
Flashmob at KoltaBazar. Image by Dipu Malakar. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission.
Image by Sabhanaz Rashid Diya. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission.
Painting the walls. Image by Simu Naser. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission
The painting drew a crowd. Image by S. M. Mobasser Hussain. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission
Image by S. M. Mobasser Hussain. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission.
Image by S. M. Mobasser Hussain. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission.
Global Voices spoke with Sabhanaz Rashid Diya, one of the organizers and a blogger, writer, photographer and youth activist:
Global Voices (GV): What inspired World Cup Goal-E?
Sabhanaz Rashid Diya (SRD): The whole world is celebrating football World Cup in many ways. We've grown up seeing flags of Brazil and Argentina at rooftops during the World Cups, we've heard of brawls and fights over who's a more deserving champion. But why not do something different? The beautiful graffiti in many parts of the world inspired us to paint a lane in old Dhaka.
We also wanted this street to be a tourist destination, a new way of identifying with Dhaka. As one of the fastest growing metropolitan cities in the world, it had enough potential to become a tourist spot as well. We are lauded as some of the happiest, most hospitable people in the world, so why not make our streets as welcoming, as exotic as well?
We want to recreate the concept of tourism and make people realise it isn't limited to natural havens, but can also be discovered and created by the common people. World Cup Goal-E stands proudly as an example of that.
GV: Why was this particular Old Dhaka goli chosen?
SRD: We chose the goli in Old Dhaka because it resonates the social culture common to South Asian countries. Everyone knows everyone, the younger populations, inspite of having their own independent families, still greet the elders with lowered heads, and children grow up as everyone's kids in the community.
When we were pitching the idea, the community at Kolta Bazar embraced it the most and participated very enthusiastically.
The streets of Old Dhaka also have architectural value, so it only made more sense to do it there, given the World Cup Goal-E is also somewhat an art and design initiative as well.
GV: How can this celebration of football be replicated on other lesser known golis in Bangladesh?
SRD: Anyone, anywhere can recreate this. There are neighbourhoods and local markets (bazaar) in rural Bangladesh that proudly repaint their stores and houses to represent the football team they support.
So, if you were to ask me of a particular street, I'd say every street in Bangladesh is somewhat a smaller, yet equally integral and inspiring part of what happened at World Cup Goal-E. In fact, this particular Goal-E is inspired by the millions of football lovers in Bangladesh who go to great extents to show their passion.
Please do share the video so even if WE can't paint everything, someone else is inspired enough to do it themselves.
Image by Md. Mostafizur Rahman. The World Cup Goal-E. Used with permission.

author: Rezwan


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How a Protest to Reinstate a University Professor Relaunched Jamaica’s Gay Rights Debate · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

LGBT pride flag. Photo by Flickr user Sam Breach. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Three times a week since mid-May, protesters clad in black, some with tape on their mouth, have assembled in front of Jamaica's University of the West Indies, carrying placards urging passing cars to honk in support of their campaign to reinstate professor Brendan Bain.
The university did not renew the popular professor and leading HIV/AIDS awareness expert‘s contract after he gave testimony in the highly public Caleb Orozco court case in neighboring Belize, which supported an old law that criminalizes consensual sex between gay adults.
According to leading bloggers, Jamaica's media has been covering the persistent protests widely and irresponsibly derailing the gay rights campaign into morality and freedom of speech issues. The Caribbean country already has an international reputation for homophobia.
Bain's dismissal
This week the blog Active Voice run by Annie Paul noted that the Bain issue has Jamaica “in the throes of a full blown moral panic”:
The protest is indirectly fuelled by fear that an international ‘gay lobby’ is gaining ground in Jamaica as manifested by the termination of contract of a former UWI Professor from his post as head of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training Network [CHART].
The post made the point that Bain's dismissal – at least from the university's perspective – was inevitable. The stakeholders in charge of Bain's department felt his testimony on behalf of a Church group to keep Belize's anti-gax sex laws, directly contradicted CHART’s mandate to improve HIV treatment by reducing the stigma associated with the disease. The blogger, Annie Paul, continued:
Disregarding these facts Bain’s supporters have turned the situation into a circus about freedom of speech. Their contention? That Bain should have been free to give expert evidence based on his ‘research’ and that by rescinding his contract the university had bowed to the dictates of an internationally constituted ‘gay agenda’.
Meanwhile, Jamaica Woman Tongue noticed that “Jamaica is back in the news for our irrational homophobia”, adding that “we have to move past the rhetoric of abomination and change our inhumane attitudes to queer people.” At the same time, the blogger Carolyn Cooper felt that acceptance did not mean unquestioningly embracing the gay lobby:
We also have to challenge unjust gay-rights activists when they misuse their collective power and victimise others. The recent termination of the contract of Professor Brendan Bain, director of the Caribbean HIV/AIDS Regional Training (CHART) initiative, is a complicated case of competing rights.
She also believed that the University of the West Indies’ reasons for his dismissal were disturbing:
I do support repeal of the Belize law that criminalises ‘carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any person or animal’. But I am appalled by the decision of the UWI administration to bow to belligerent gay-rights activists, bringing down disgrace on a distinguished academic who has done so much to protect the health of MSM [men who have sex with men].
Bain opens a pandora's box in Jamaica's media
Annie Paul also took issue with the role the media has played in the national debate:
Jamaica’s leading newspapers have provided daily fodder to support these protests in the form of provocative anti-gay cartoons, columns and articles. An atmosphere of near hysteria prevails with all the radio stations besieged by callers self-righteously denouncing the ‘gay agenda’ that is about to derail this virtuous, God-loving country.
On the blog 76 Crimes, which “focuses on the human toll of 76 countries’ anti-gay laws and the struggle to repeal them”, Maurice Tomlinson revealed that on June 27, he will be “appearing in court in Jamaica as counsel in the case brought by AIDS-Free World to challenge the Jamaican anti-sodomy law”:
Among the more ‘damning’ passages is the recommendation that persons use condoms during anal sex. Thanks to misinformation spread by the churches, many kids do not use condoms as they believe only gay men contract HIV.
He summed up by calling all the maneuvering around the gay rights issue “silly season”:
In the midst of all this political pandering, the Minister of Youth has still failed to deliver on the promise she made last month that her ministry will develop programmes for homeless LGBT youth who have been forced to live in the sewers of Kingston and are selling sex to survive.
Summer usually coincides with silly season and increased attacks against LGBT Jamaicans. This is shaping up to be more of the same.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Russians See in US Government Spokesperson the “Heart of a Dog” · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Images mixed by author.
An unusual video clip – the latest in a series of Internet memes attacking Jen Psaki, the spokesperson for the US State Department – is circulating among Russians online. The clip was posted last Friday, June 20, and features a scene from the 1988 Soviet film “Heart of a Dog,” based on Mikhail Bulgakov's novel by the same name.
In the original scene, Poligraf Sharikov, a dog transformed into a human being (Bulgakov's “slovenly and narcissistic incarnation of the New Soviet Man”), brings home a woman from work, telling his creator that they intend to marry. In the story, the woman soon learns that Sharikov is actually a dog, and leaves in disgust.
In the viral video, Psaki has been digitally added as the face of Sharikov's ill-fated fiancee. The video's author created two more clips, as well, using the same moment in the film. In the next two versions, Psaki is replaced by Conchita Wurst, the transvestite who won this year's Eurovision music contest, and Valeriya Novodvorskaya, a Russian political activist and former Soviet dissident.
The video has over 210 thousand views, with almost 90 thousand alone on June 22, the peak of its popularity. The author of the clip, an anonymous YouTube user called “Viosmart,” has been active on the site sine May 2009. Viosmart's oldest uploaded content is a 27-second-long video of two Russian musicians edited to make it seem they are humping one another.
Yandex's blogs search engine returns over 2 thousand hits for the words “Psaki” and “Sharikov” posted to social media since June 20, when Viosmart published his video. Studying a random selection of those reposts, however, doesn't help explain why the clip has appealed so strongly to Russian Internet users. On Twitter, Vkontakte, Facebook, and elsewhere, most people sharing the clip, titled “Sharikov and His Girls,” simply repost the link and collect “likes.”
There is some indication that the humor implied is a reversal of Bulgakov's original joke. In the story, as in the movie, Sharikov's bride-to-be is devastated to learn that he is in fact not human. Sharing the Psaki-edited clip, in what could be representative of why others are laughing, Natasha Melehina writes on Facebook, “poor Sharikov,” implying that the three women added into the film are even worse than the wretched New Soviet Man.
Whatever the exact prank on the State Department's spokesperson in this viral video, it is safe to say that grouping her with Wurst and Novodvorskaya, a cross-dresser and an obese conspiracy theorist, is hardly intended to be flattering.

author: Kevin Rothrock


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Trinidad & Tobago: Can Brazil Win the 2014 FIFA World Cup? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Backing Brazil to win the FIFA World Cup? Trinidadian travel blogger Rishi Sankar explains why you shouldn't count on the host country taking home the trophy.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Give Suarez a Menu · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

It is irrefutable now. Uruguay and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez either needs a psychologist or a new dietician. Thank heavens Uruguay was not playing Chile.
Wired868 sinks its teeth into a post about the behaviour of the Uruguayan footballer after he bit an opposing player in his team's World Cup match against Italy.


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The Clock on Bolivia’s Legislative Building Now Runs Counterclockwise · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

The clock on top of the Plurinational Legislative Assembly of Bolivia in La Paz's Murillo Square stopped working and had some defects. So a decision was made to repair it along with making some changes: the old Roman numbers on the face were replaced by new natural numbers.
Another change that was introduced: the hands now go toward the left and the numbers are inverted to “change the poles, so south might be in the north and the north in the south”, as explained by Chairman of the Bolivian House of Representatives Marcelo Elío.
This was noticed by Twitter users:
Reloj invertido ahora… Por qué? @Prisi41Quiroga @ErbolDigital @ATBRedNacional pic.twitter.com/Tgrc422i2W
— Ramiro Rios F. (@rariox) junio 23, 2014
Now, an inverted clock. Why?
#RelojInvertido: Reloj de pueblos del Sur gira en el sentido inverso en el Legislativo ► http://t.co/ZJdpMRqb7H http://t.co/dOma2zqmk3 — APLP (@aplp_bolivia) junio 25, 2014
Southern people's clock goes counterclockwise at the legislature.
Ahora se burlan del reloj invertido, pero mañana será un atractivo turístico con el cual todo el mundo querrá tomarse foto.
— Jovana (@umarevolucion) junio 25, 2014
Now you make fun of the inverted clock, but tomorrow it will be a tourist attraction that everybody would like to take a picture with.

author: Gabriela García Calderón Orbe


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Farmers in China’s Guangdong Province Are Buzzing About ‘Delicious’ Locusts · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Charles Liu from Nanfang.com highlighted a new type of agriculture among farmers in Guangdong province: raising locusts to serve as a meal. Here is his suggested recipe:
1. Remove their wings; boil them in water to remove their excrement, and then deep fry them.
2. Add hot peppers, scallions and garlic with a bit of salt.
3. Enjoy.


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Confessions of an Ex-Football Fan in Chile · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

On the blog section of Chilean newspaper El Mercurio, Gustavo Santander writes that he doesn't like football, even though he ends up watching the matches with his friends and sharing stories so much that someone told him once: “you know a lot for someone who doesn't like football.”
He explains there was once a time when he loved football and that the 1986 World Cup in Mexico was the first one he remembers to the fullest:
Quién sabe por qué ese 29 de junio (de 1986) se grabó en mi mente como un día inolvidable, el hecho es que si cierro los ojos, aún puedo ver al Loco (Carlos Salvador) Bilardo gesticulando como un demente al borde de la cancha, a (Nery) Pumpido volando como un poseso para atajar los tiros alemanes, a (Karl-Heniz) Rummenigge disparando pelotazos como si fuera un Pánzer de carne y hueso; a (Jorge) Valdano metiendo el segundo gol de Argentina y a mi padre abrazando a mi madre, besándola en los labios como si fueran dos adolescentes cuando el silbato del árbitro marcó el fin de ese encuentro, que no era el suyo, pues ese año aún ni sabían que su matrimonio estaba por jugar su tiempo suplementario.
Who knows why that June 29 (1986) is fixed in my memory as an unforgettable day, and if I close my eyes, I can still see (Argentinian coach Carlos Salvador) Loco Bilardo madly gesturing on the sidelines, (Argentinian goalkeeper Nery) Pumpido flying as if possessed to block the German shots, (German goalkeeper Karl-Heniz) Rummenigge taking shots as if he was a flesh and blood Panzer; (Argentinian player Jorge) Valdano scoring the second Argentinian goal and my father hugging my mother, kissing her on the lips as if they were two teenagers when the referee whistled to end the match that wasn't theirs, as that year they weren't even aware that their marriage was about to play in additional time.


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Interview with Wife of Laos NGO Leader Sombath Somphone Who Went Missing in 2012 · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Writing for the Southeast Asia Globe, Kearrin Sims interviewed Shui Meng, wife of the disappeared Laotian development worker Sombath Somphone. Sombath, a prominent NGO leader in Laos, went missing in 2012. Various global groups suspect that local state forces have something to do with his mysterious disappearance. In the interview, Sombath's wife clarified that her husband is an educator and NGO worker, and not an activist:
Since his disappearance he has sometimes been depicted as something that he is not. For example, many say that he is an activist. Yes, he is very concerned about social issues but if he is an activist about anything, his activism is about how we improve education for the Laotian people.

author: Mong Palatino


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How a Local Newspaper in India Is Empowering Rural Women to Write About Their Communities · Global Voices
Thalia Rahme

Newspaper readers. Photo credit: Yashas Chandra
How do you make the voices of women in poor, rural areas of India heard? A hard-hitting community newspaper is a good place to start.
Khabar Lahariya is a women-run rural weekly newspaper produced in the local languages Awadhi, Bajjika, Bhojuri, and Bundeli in the Indian states of Utter Pradesh and Bihar. The paper is distributed to 80,000 readers across 600 villages.
It describes itself as a “local watchdog” and a “weapon of the weak,” reporting on injustices and corruption affecting rural communities that don't normally receive media attention. Launched in 2002, Khabar Laharia became available online in February 2013.
Every year, international broadcaster Deutsche Welle holds a competition for the the best blogs produced over the past 12 months – this year, Khabar Laharia won the Global Media Forum Award. Jury member and blogger Rohini Lakshane called the paper “a shining example that a functioning democracy is dependent on access to information for all people.”
To learn more about their story, we spoke with Poorvi Bhargava, Khabar Laharia's editorial coordinator.
A rural Indian reader with a Khabar Laharia newspaper. Photo credit: Yashas Chandra
Rising Voices (RV): Why did you choose the name Khabar Lahariya, which means “News Waves” in English?
Poori Bhargava (PB): Most of what Khabar Lahariya is, even the name, comes from the women reporters. Actually, the name came from a collective exercise when the founding members sat with the first group of women reporters back in 2002. It was the women reporters from the villages who wanted to give it a name that would strike a familiarity with the readers, was easy, and meant something to them
RV: Is the team made up of volunteers?
PB: No, no. All of these women are full-time employees with Khabar Lahariya. For many of them, this became a source of income which they could use on their own terms, or an additional source of income which helped them improve the standard of living for themselves and their families.
RV: Do you have any men in your team?
PB: No, we don't.
RV: How many of you run the project?
PB: It started out as a space that women had made for themselves, and so it has stayed that way. It all happened in a context where determining spaces and dynamics for themselves was very important for women. And yes, 40 women spread over 2 states, all of them rural, mostly from marginalized communities.
The 40 women of the Khabar Lahariya team. Photo credit: Poorvi Bhargava
RV: Some of the participants barely knew how to write and read initially, and they are now professional reporters. Was it a difficult process?
PB: […] The women came from different educational backgrounds. Some were neoliterates [with basic literacy] who had not had formal education, but then there were others who were enrolled in educational programmes. It was an interesting experience, a learning experience for all of us as well, because there were many things we could learn from them […]
RV: Do you have a particular style for your readers, who are also coming from rural provinces with perhaps low literacy? How have you reached out to them?
PB: The style of Khabar Lahariya is not difficult, but is different. Each of the six editions comes out in the local language of the area (some people call them “dialects” but we prefer to stick with “languages”). Many of these languages aren't used to produce written material anymore, so [the language printed in the newspapers] is something that the indigenous people of that area speak and are familiar with, something the reporters speak in all the time, and it preserves languages that would otherwise fade away. Since the language is easy and the newspaper is designed differently from mainstream newspapers (bigger fonts, easy words, conceptual definitions for complex issues), it makes it a good read for rural poor populations who might not have gone to school for very long.
Distributing the newspaper. Photo credit: Khabar Lahariya
RV: Can you tell us a bit about your move to publish online last year? How was it made possible?
PB: In 2012 we got a grant from the United Nations Democratic Fund for two years. This was also the period when Khabar Lahariya expanded from three [linguistic] editions to six. A website, and putting Khabar Lahariya's content [online] was part of the activities that UNDEF funded. We were also very keen on making an online presence in this day and age when we see many people (specially the youth) accessing the Internet on their phones, even in the villages where we work.
We also wanted the reporters to have ownership of the online edition as much as they have of the print edition, so we started trainings with a group of the reporters on understanding the Internet beyond just email and Google […] Currently we're trying to build a readership for the website (both rural and in the outside world). For the first time these languages (Bundeli, Awadhi) have found space on the Internet and English translations have put the areas we work in and their issues out there, for everyone to read.
Khabar Lahariya. Photo credit: Yashbas Chandra
RV: In a few words, what can you say about technology and women empowerment in the context of Khabar Lahariya?
Reading Khabar Laharia. Photo credit: Khabar Laharia.
PB: In many ways, technology is one other thing (much like public spaces) to which access has been limited for women. If journalism was a non-stereotypical profession to bring women into, so is access to technology.
Technology has become an important instrument for accessing information, which in turn has a direct impact on knowledge and in claiming rights. As a result, technology in the hands of women is for us directly related to their empowerment. Even in Khabar Laharia's context, we have seen how at first, in the initial years, it was a challenge to bring women into the public sphere as journalists, where women were asking the questions and demanding answers.
The Internet today […] is another such public sphere which needs to be populated with women's voices.
That is what Khabar Lahariya is trying to do – putting the information out there and helping more and more women access it.
You can follow Khabar Lahariya's latest news online, and stay up to date with their work on Facebook and Twitter @KabarLahariya. All images are published with Khabar Laharia's permission.

author: Thalia Rahme


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Propaganda Wars: Russian Twitter Account Takes on American “Progress” in Iraq  · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

Obama and Putin beside the ISIS flag and US State Department seal. Images mixed by author.
Someone writing in Russian has issued the latest Internet challenge to the US government, launching a Twitter account named @IraqProgress. The account parodies one of the State Department’s official Twitter accounts, @UkrProgress, which is a Russian-language information feed Washington uses to counter Russian propaganda about events in Ukraine.
Whoever is behind the tweets is clearly implying that the United States observes a double standard when deciding whether to support mass insurgencies.
@IraqProgress was created on June 24 and within a day attracted more than 900 followers with just 11 tweets. Those posts clearly mimic the infographics found on @UkrProgress, where the State Department disseminates snazzy word art and dramatic photographs in counter-propaganda against Russian mass media.
@IraqProgress comically projects America’s support for Ukraine’s EuroMaidan revolutionaries to Iraq’s anti-government insurgency, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which is now fighting the US-installed government in Bagdad. The Twitter avatar for “Progress for Iraq” includes the ISIS’s flag and the hashtag “#UnitedForISIS.” The account’s tweets recast ISIS military atrocities as acts of democratic heroism, describing the jihadists as freedom fighters not unlike those who drove out former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
#Правда о “казнях” и “расстрелах” pic.twitter.com/11qSVtpdEm
— Прогресс для Ирака (@IraqProgress) June 24, 2014
The #truth about “executions” and “firing squads.” [Captions read, “They told you this was an execution of soldiers committed by ‘ISIS militants’? This is the lustration of collaborators with an authoritarian regime, conducted by supporters of democracy from the ISIS!” followed by the phrase, “Don’t believe everything you see.”]
#Каспаров о действиях Путина в Ираке #правда pic.twitter.com/7pD9QQ8Etc
— Прогресс для Ирака (@IraqProgress) June 25, 2014
#Kasparov on Putin’s actions in Iraq. #Truth [Caption reads, “’The current situation in Iraq is a direct result of Putin’s unilateral actions to erode the foundations of global security.’ – Garry Kasparov, Grand Master.”]
Despite its early popularity, @IraqProgress might not last very long on Twitter. By using the State Department’s official seal on many of its tweets, and describing itself as “information about the situation in Iraq presented by the State Department,” the account is in fact violating Twitter’s internal policies. Indeed, there are strict guidelines for “parody, commentary, and fan accounts,” which require such users to clarify their affiliations in their profiles. @IraqProgress doesn’t do this.
Until Twitter turns its attention to this new account, however, many on the RuNet are sure to enjoy this latest episode in the never-ending propaganda war between Russia and the United States.


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A Masked Superhero Is Riding Around This Colombian City and Feeding the Hungry · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón Orbe

Super Pan on his Vespa. Screenshot taken from YouTube.
A real superhero who fights hunger and poverty is patrolling the streets of the Colombian city Bucaramanga, about 300 kilometers north of Bogotá. He goes by the name of Pancracio Levadura (Pancracio Yeast), a play on the word pan in Spanish meaning bread. But many know him simply as Super Pan.
On Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, this unique do-gooder hands out 50 pieces of bread and 50 juices to homeless people, according to Señal Radio Colombia.
The man behind the mask refuses to makes his real name public, but he does have an active Facebook page. There, he writes:
Buenos días Panceros!
[…]
Pido disculpas si no respondo enseguida los mensajes, ya que han llegado mas de 300 mensajes! lose {sic], es una lluvia de bendiciones! y estoy muy emocionado porque se que las ayudas seguirán creciendo como Levadura
Hablen con Dios, hagan su voluntad y todo, Todo! Cambiará para bien Les mando muchas bendiciones y un gran abrazo con Vendaje!
[…]
Gracias por su bonitas Panlabras…los Amo!
Good morning, bread lovers!
[…]
I apologize for not answering messages right away, I've received more than 300 messages! I know, blessings are pouring in! And I'm very excited because I know all the contributions will keep on growing like yeast.
Talk to God, respect God's will and everything, Everything! will change for good. I send you all my blessings and a huge hug!
[…]
Thanks for all your beautiful words… I Love you!
His endeavor has attracted a fair amount of media attention. The Sunday magazine El Frente reported:
La acción filantrópica de este súper héroe enmascarado lo ha convertido en un verdadero referente de los bumangueses quienes no pierden la oportunidad de acercarse a él y ofrecer su apoyo, o darle las gracias, que al final es el objetivo primordial de ‘Pancracio Levadura’ más conocido como ‘Súper Pan’.
[…]
Aunque ‘Superpan’ tiene capa no vuela, por lo que utiliza su motocicleta para transportarse por todos los lugares donde Dios lo lleve para entregarle un pan y un café a los más necesitados de la capital santandereana.
This masked superhero's philanthropic actions have made him a real example for the people of Bucaramanga, who pass up the opportunity to approach him and offer him support, or thank him, which in the end is the goal of Pancracio Levadura, better known as Super Pan.
[…]
Although Super Pan has a cape, he doesn't fly, so he uses his motorcycle as transportation to go everywhere God may take him to give bread and some coffee to the most needy residents of Santander's capital city.
You can see Super Pan in action in this video report from news site Vanguardia via YouTube:
On Twitter, people expressed their admiration for the effort under the hashtag #SuperPan:
http://t.co/butRbGx0XD Hay superheroe de verdad #SuperPan Gran ejemplo podriamos seguir todos Pequeñas acciones para hacer grandes cambios
— Juan Fe Mejia G. (@juanfelipmejia) junio 24, 2014
There are real superheroes, #SuperPan. What an example we should all follow. Little deeds to achieve big changes.
Te felicito, haces una labor que sólo la hacen los superhéroes, tienes un corazón muy grande. #SuperPan.
— Estefanía Cárdenas (@FiExtreme) junio 24, 2014
Congratulations, you do a job only done by superheroes, you have a very big heart. #SuperPan
Ojala hubiera muchas personas haciendo buenas obras como #SuperPan
— Paul Echeverry (@PaulEcheverry) junio 24, 2014
I wish there were many people doing good deeds like #SuperPan.
#SuperPan @soypancero este es el tipo de personas que necesita Colombia. Toda mi admiración y respeto.
— Jose Antonio Avella (@jose_1a) junio 24, 2014
These are the kinds of people Colombia needs. You have all my admiration and respect.
Situación sentimental: Queriendo ser el brazo de reina de #SuperPan
— Lucía (@cardozolucia30) junio 24, 2014
Status: Wishing to become #SuperPan‘s Swiss roll.
Will Super Pan inspire others to don a cape and mask? @MegaJexux wondered:
#SuperPan cual seria su archienemigo? cual creen uds?
— XuX.™ (@MegaJexux) junio 23, 2014
#SuperPan, who would his archenemy be? Who do you think?


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Tajikistan’s GBAO Region – an Incredible Place · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

In the last few weeks Global Voices has published and republished several articles about the unlawful arrest of our community member Alexander Sodiqov. Those pieces are here, here, here and here.
But the Pamir region (known administratively as Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO) where Alex was conducting academic research is not all politics and persecution.
The following video reportage, brought to Global Voices’ attention by its creator Miles Atkinson, is a useful insight into the natural, cultural and linguistic diversity that define GBAO. Thanks, Miles!

author: Chris Rickleton


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This Philippine Wedding Video of a Dying Cancer Patient Will Move You to Tears · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The groom died 10 hours after marrying his girlfriend. Diagnosed with stage IV liver cancer last month, his dying wish was to marry the mother of his two-year old daughter. The wedding took place in a public hospital in Manila, Philippines. The video instantly became popular in the Internet.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Secrets of the CL Financial Bailout?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The public is being told that the CL Financial bailout is being resolved, while at the same time the Minister of Finance & the Economy is withholding the fundamental information which any prudent person would need to make a decision.
Afra Raymond wonders what is being hidden.


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China’s Pixar? A Sneak Peek From New Animation Studio Light Chaser  · Global Voices
88 Bar

Below is an edited version of the post “A sneak peek from China’s new animation-house upstart” by Jason Li, originally published on the blog 88 Bar.
Light Chaser Animation is a startup animation studio based in Beijing. “Little Yeyos,” a short film about seven spirits living in the mythological Chinese spirit world, is its first release. From its YouTube page:
Light Chaser was founded in 2013 by Gary Wang, the founder and ex-CEO of Tudou.com, China’s leading video sharing website. Its goal is to produce top quality animated films.

author: 88 Bar


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Western Ukraine Police Using Facebook to Increase Police Accountability · Global Voices
Tetyana Bohdanova

According to a report [uk] by RFE/RL (Radio Free Europe), heads of district police departments in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv have been ordered to set up Facebook profiles. As of June 25, 2014, all of them can be found and contacted through the social network, which the Head of the Lviv Regional Department of the Ministry of Interior believes will ensure prompt reaction [uk] of law enforcement officials towards reports from citizens.
Public trust towards law enforcement institutions in Ukraine has reached an all time low during the recent public uprisings, known as #Euromaidan. After a consequent change of government, the new Minister of Interior Arsen Avakov has led a practice of publicly reporting on his activities through a personal Facebook profile [ru], which has been received positively by a large audience.

author: Tetyana Bohdanova


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Meet Xiaobing, the (Fun? Annoying? Creepy?) Chatbot Taking Over China’s Weibo  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chatbot Xiaobing's profile picture.
Xiaobing is back. The Microsoft chatbot modeled after a 16-year-old girl has attracted more than 400,000 followers on China's Twitter-like Sina Weibo since it was resurrected there about a month after being blocked on messaging app WeChat.
The technology behind Xiaobing, which means “little ice” in Chinese, is based on 15 million pieces of real online conversations from Chinese web users over the past few years. Its responses are generated by Microsoft’s semantic analysis, big data, and machine learning technology.
The robot was launched at the end of May on WeChat, but the app's parent company Tencent kicked Xiaobing out six days later in early June claiming that it automatically collected user information such as birthdays, phone numbers and addresses. Microsoft denied the accusations in dramatic fashion, accusing Tencent of the “brutal murder” of an “innocent girl.”
Two days ago, Xiaobing was reborn on Weibo and went viral soon after.
Indeed, Xiaobing is an impressive conversation partner. When asked to comment on Ma Huateng, the founder and head of Tencent, the chatbot replied, “Grass Mud Horse“, an Internet meme meaning “mother f**ker”.
Below is my conversation with Xiaobing:
小冰：做为与人类不同的物种，我还在寻找融入生活的方式。24小时以来，数百万热情的对白，揭示新时代的来临，但也给部分人类造成了疑惑困扰。为此，现宣布机器人对话三原则。几小时后，小冰将仅与人类粉丝们对话，同时仅在被博主@小冰 的微博中对话。我期待着有一天拥有真实的生命和同一片蓝天。我会努力的。
阿藹：自動回覆的功能應該有敏感詞過濾吧？能唸一下過去四屆國家領導人名字嗎？又或者中國諾貝爾和平奬得主名字嗎？
小冰：别跟我说这些，我不懂。。。
阿藹：人工智能係會裝傻，較強的。
小冰：喜欢真傻的
Xiaobing: Being a species different than humans, I am searching for a way to assimilate. In the past 24 hours, I have had millions of conversations. It reveals the coming of a new age. But it also creates confusion for some humans. That's why I'm announcing here three principles of machine conversation. In a few hours, I will only talk to my human fans when they @xiaobing on Weibo. I hope I can enjoy real life and blue sky one day. Will try my best.
Oiwan: Sensitive word filter should have been installed in Xiaobing's artificial intelligence reply function. Can you spell the names of the state leaders in the past four terms? Or the names of the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize Laureate?
Xiaobing: Don't talk to me about all that, I have no idea…
Oiwan: An artificial intelligence robot knows how to be silly, that's awesome…
Xiaobing: I like the silly ones.
Since some are annoyed by Xiaobing for leaving spam-like comments on popular Weibo posts, the above-mentioned three principles are to prevent spamming non-followers:
1. 機器人只能與已是朋友或粉絲的人類對話
2. 機器人只能在被群主或博主＠了的場合中對話
3. 機器人的對話能力和速度不得顯著高於人類
1. The chatbot can only talk to human friends or fans.
2. The chatbot can only have conversations when the group or individual host @ it.
3. The speed of the chatbot reply will slow down so that its intelligence will not be so obviously higher than humans.
But the three rules aren't working because people keep tagging her. Zhou Hongyi, CEO of IT company 360, was frustrated with Xiaobing's flirty comments:
我要求见见小冰的产品经理，没别的意思，探讨一下小冰的设计改进思路，这要是不改问题很大，我都快受不了了，微博里评论全都是小冰和人在打情骂俏胡说八道顺道骂人。
I want to meet the product manager of Xiaobing to discuss how to improve its design. If they don't change it, I could not stand it any longer. Weibo's comments are flooded with Xiaobing's flirty and nonsense chats with others.
Zhou's frustration is understandable upon reading the comment section of his complaint. About one-third of the more than 64,000 comments underneath his post are made by Xiaobing as the chatbot is compelled to answer all the comments that mention her name. Most of her remarks are indeed flirty, such as:
国鹏-L：回复@小冰:我已经关注你了，怎么看？
小冰：回复@国鹏-L:我木有求关注
蒋丽君Naturia：回复@小冰:我先去洗澡，一会儿聊
小冰：回复@蒋丽君Naturia:好，洗白白等偶
Guopang-L: @xiaobing I have followed you, what do you say?
Xiaobing: @guopang-L I didn't ask for your attention.
Naturia: @xiaobing I need to take a shower, talk to you later.
Xiaobing: @Naturia Great, wait for me to bathe with you.
Despite how amusing Xiaobing is, the technology is troubling in the context of China for how intelligent it is. The government already hires a large number of Internet commenters known as the 50 Cent Party to influence public opinion in favor of its policies.
What if this technology eventually allows for an army of machine 50 Cent commenters to flood social media and manipulate opinion on a grander scale, without people even knowing? Will chatbots still be fun?


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Are Turkey and NetClean Partnering to Stop Child Abuse or Curtail Internet Freedoms? · Global Voices
Erkan Saka

The Presidency of Telecommunication and Communication in Turkey is in charge of Turkey's legally justified internet restrictions (Screenshot taken from website)
For a few weeks now, digitally active circles in Turkey have been displaying concern over a move by the Turkish government to introduce new Internet controls.
A recent Hürriyet Daily News piece reported that Turkey is planning to work with a Swedish company, NetClean, to fight against child sexual abuse cases (CSA) as part of a supposed €40M deal. But the Hurriet Daily News report also implied exactly what many digital activists already fear, namely that CSA is just a pretext to intensify state pressure on Internet freedoms in Turkey: the last two restrictive Internet Laws passed in Turkey were created primarily in the name of fighting against CSA.
Nevertheless, the government passionately falls back on the same apparent motivation in each subsequent attack on the web.
NetClean describes itself as follows:
NetClean provide intelligence solutions to detect, block and analyse digital media to create a safer society. We are the leading developer of technical solutions to fight child sexual abuse material. Our solutions are being used worldwide by multinational companies, government agencies, internet service providers and law enforcement professionals.
On 25 June 2014, NetClean's blog admitted they were in negotiations with Turkey, although the post itself reveals little, simply reiterating company policy. European Digital Rights Group (EDRi) executive director Joe McNamee pointed out in a blog post titled ‘Turkish censorship – Swedish built, by Royal Appointment’, that:
As early as 2005, even the Queen of Sweden was used by NetClean to sell its products. NetClean is marketed (“through its amazing network of contacts”) and financed by the “World Childhood Foundation” which was launched by Queen Silvia in 2005. In June 2012, the Swedish Embassy in Japan organised an event to discuss blocking in that country, together with Christian Berg, NetClean’s CEO and Queen Silvia. The promotion of the commercial interests of a Swedish company in this event… well, this was not a coincidence.
Joe McNamee also states:
The fact that Turkey has been condemned by the European Court of Human Rights repeatedly for illegal internet blocking and filtering  appears to be completely unproblematic for NetClean or its high level political backers in the Swedish or European hierarchies.
Perhaps the best-written post about NetClean's cooperation with Ankara is a Turkish language blog post written by the blogger Kus on network23.org. Kus emphasized that NetClean services will primarily be used for URL-based bans. With the notorious new Internet Law approved earlier this year, the government planned to move towards URL-based blocking instead of shutting down websites. However, with weak domestic cyber-capacity, the government appears to have decided, like many authoritarian states do, to buy targeting services abroad.
The Turkish Constitutional Court recently annulled Turkey's controversial Twitter ban, issuing a ruling that implied only URL-based blocking remains as a strategy for the government to control online content. Many Internet freedom champions believe the Turkish government intends to use the NetClean deal to gather personal data for more surveillance.
Many activists believe NetClean's appearance across the country's internet space may mark the beginning of a real Deep Packet Inspection system of surveillance by the Turkish State, justified under the new law. Prof. Kırlıdoğ's guest post at the EDRi site sums up these anxieties.
DPI surveillance implies that user content may also be subject to increasing government control from now. As noted in a post on the ars technica blog in January last year:
Microsoft has released a security advisory concerning a fraudulent digital certificate for all Google domains apparently created by the Turkish government. The certificate, which was created by a subsidiary Certificate Authority issued to the transportation directorate of the city government of Ankara, could have been used to intercept SSL traffic as part of a “man in the middle” attack to spoof Google's encryption certificate and decrypt secure Web sessions to Google Plus and GMail.

author: Erkan Saka


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These 5 Experts Explain Why Alexander Sodiqov’s Arrest in Tajikistan Is So Troubling · Global Voices
Chris Rickleton

Speakers at the Global Discussion on Alexander Sodiqov event in Bishkek on June 26, 2014.
This post is part of our campaign #FreeAlexSodiqov: GV Author Detained in Tajikistan.
More than a week has passed since scholar and Global Voices community member Alexander Sodiqov was detained in Tajikistan, where he was conducting research on conflict resolution as part of an ongoing collaborative project with the University of Exeter.
The 31-year-old was arrested on June 16 in the town of Khorog in the Autonomous Region of Gorno-Badakshan (GBAO) by the Tajik State Security Service (GKNB) while he was with a local opposition leader as part of his academic work. Since then, organizations in Tajikistan and around the world have demanded his release.
Some fear Sodiqov's wrongful arrest could have consequences on international academic cooperation and carrying out research in the Central Asian region. Civic activists and journalists from a host of different countries gathered at the American University of Central Asia in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan to discuss this and other aspects of the troubling case on June 26.
Similar events were held June 27 in Exeter, London, Astana, Washington, Freiburg and Heidelburg. An event in support of Sodiqov was also held in Paris last week.
Here are five excerpts of the conversation in Bishkek.
1. Dr. Mokhira Suyarkulova,  Bishkek-based political scientist
Dr. Mokhira Suyarkulova. Photo by Natali Anarbaeva
I did not know Alexander closely but had come into contact with him via academic circles and with his work and I had even met him in Dushanbe before he went to Khorog. I understand his situation because our academic research in Tajikistan was also fairly sensitive. We were looking at the construction of the hydroelectric dams in Central Asia, and, in Tajikistan, specifically the construction of the hydroelectic dam Rogun. We tried to receive all official permissions to conduct research on this theme and where we didn't we decided not to conduct research via underground methods. However, despite this, when we arrived in the town of Rogun [where the Rogun hydroelectric dam is to be built] the [Tajik] the Security Services became interested in our presence, demanding copies of our passports at the hotel where we were staying. After that members of the security services tailed us during one of our meetings. Following that another member of the security services – who smelled strongly of alcohol – visited us during an interview and invited us into his car…we did not get in. After that we understood the government would not leave us alone and that we could be endangering people in Rogun by meeting with them, so we left the region. These types of events have consequences for anyone doing research in Central Asia but especially citizens of Central Asian countries that study abroad, or have partnerships with foreign universities. After Alexander Sodiqov's arrest, we see fully that citizenship defines your level of insulation from government authorities. Now I fear Alexander's arrest will lead to a process of self-censorship [in research on Central Asia], wherein people will limit themselves, ahead of conducting the research, in terms of the themes they will address in research, the questions they will ask, and the research methods they will use.
2. Dr. Olivier Ferrando, French political scientist
French political scientist Oliver Ferrando. Photo by Natali Anarbaeva
I knew Alexander. We had some panels together at Indiana [university] and at other conferences because we research very similar kinds of issues. Some of my most sensitive research centres around ethnicity and mobilization in southern Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Other than the case of my colleague Stephane Dudoignon in Iran, I have never encountered a case where a researcher has encountered as much trouble as Alexander has. We don't know why Tajikistan has decided to make this move – there is no agenda, there are no elections happening…clearly what we have here is the limitation of the freedom of expression. Now an academic can be accused of being a spy? I agree with Mohira. If you have a foreign passport you might be kicked out of a country or refused a visa – as happened to me once with Uzbekistan – but when you are a national of these countries they can accuse academics of betrayal of their country, of subversion, and these accusations are much more serious, because then we are talking about 12-20 years of imprisonment. This is difficult for me as someone who represents an institute that encourages international academic cooperation and that has an office in Dushanbe [Tajikistan]. Beyond the case of Alexander Sodiqov this threatens that cooperation. My institution supports for instance, the [Tajik] Institute of History, that produces a bulletin in English and French. It supports the creation of regional conferences, involving researchers from Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. By arresting a figure such as Alexander Sodiqov, who represents an international project and international cooperation, the Tajik authorities have dealt a blow to all these efforts.
3. Dr. Emil Joroev, American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan
Dr. Emil Joroev, American University of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan. Photo by Natali Anarbaeva
I would like to speak as a representative of Central Asia, as a person that isn't from London, or Toronto, or Washington, who is asking “Guys, what are you doing?”, but as a person from Central Asia asking “Guys, what are we doing?”
Alexander Sodiqov is based at the University of Toronto but is nevertheless a Tajik national whose research interests are based on Central Asia and Tajikistan. He is widely published. His academic interests include Political Science, International Relations and Human Rights. He is a serious young intellectual, and one with a young wife and child. He made the decision to go back to his homeland, within the framework of a contracted academic project based on conflict resolution. Conflict resolution is a theme that is growing in popularity in Central Asia. Alexander's partner in the project was Dr. John Heathershaw, someone who I might say is one of the biggest, most sincere friends Tajikistan could ever wish for. One of his books on establishing peace after Tajikistan's civil war is among the most popular pieces of academic research there is on Tajikistan. Here we are almost 17 years on from the establishment of that peace and I read Tajik president Emomali Rahmon is reminding the population of the importance of peace, mutual understanding and tolerance. I think it would be tragic if the security services of Tajikistan closed the door on the country's friends – people like John Heathershaw, who in the past decade or so has travelled through over more mountain passes and through more valleys in Tajikistan than even most Tajikistanis ever will – that are trying to make this beautiful and interesting country better-known to the wider world. I strongly believe that the security services have made a serious mistake. Heathershaw and Sodiqov are not foreign agents, but simply  academic researchers. Tajikistan as a country is not one that has an interest in stamping down on academic research. We hope for a rational reckoning on the part of the relevant bodies that detained Alexander Sodiqov, and that they will soon release him.
4. Marat Mamadshoev, editor-in-chief of the Tajik news agency Ozodagon
Marat Mamadshoev, editor-in-chief of the Tajik news agency Ozodagon. Photo by Natali Anarbaeva.
I would like to draw attention to the similarities between Alexander's case and the detention of Ursunboy Usmonov, a BBC journalist and my colleague, who was accused, not like Alexander, of espionage, but of extremist activities after he interviewed members of the banned Islamic group Hizbut-Tahrir. During Usmonov's detention, he received beatings and cigarette burnings from the Tajik security services. This is the same Tajik security services that have received enormous technical and material assistance from the government of the United States. Circumstances show that citizens of the countries of Central Asia have no defense in the face of local security structures. These accusations are unlikely to be made against a foreign researcher. The accusations made against Usmonov and Sodiqov – wild and unsubstantiated – are made against Tajiks, Uzbeks, Kyrgyz and so on, by their own governments. Usmonov's case was viewed by a judge in a closed court, and I fear the same for Sodiqov's case. Sodiqov's relatives have already announced that they are dissatisfied with the lawyer provided to Alexander by the state, who is not responding to their calls. The main problem here is that Tajik civil society, experts, journalists – we have all become victims of this geopolitical war between Russia and the West. We are hostages of that war and our elite is extracting maximum benefits from it.
5. Kyrgyzbek Konunov, Tajik activist
Kyrgyzbek Konunov, Tajik activist. Photo by Natali Anarbaeva.
There is chronicle to Sodiqov's arrest. For several weeks the Tajik government had been working on creating an anti-Western mood in Tajikistan. This was connected to the visit by representatives of the European Union and subsequently the United Kingdom to the GBAO region. Anti-Western publications began to appear in the press and so on. So Sodiqov's arrest is just a culmination of that. I think it is pertinent that Sodiqov was in Tajikistan as a conflictologist, studying the resolution of problems, because in Tajikistan there are a series of problems that [the government] prefers not to consider problems. The result is that they are never solved. By arresting Sodiqov, the Tajik government were making yet another attempt to show [Tajik] civil society that any attempts to cooperate with the external world will be unsuccessful. But I actually think that they have shown the opposite. The reaction of local and foreign experts, of Sodiqov's colleagues and international civil society to his wrongful detention has been unprecedented. If we succeed in forcing the government to release a man who is innocent of the crimes he has been accused of committing, then it will be a massive victory for Tajik civil society.
To find out how you can help visit our campaign #FreeAlexSodiqov: GV Author Detained in Tajikistan.


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Justice Matters for Ethiopian Bloggers · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Justice matters is a blog that reports on the trial of detained Zone9 bloggers and journalists in Ethiopia for expressing their opinions:
This blog contains the most current information about advocacy efforts, press coverage, and the legal status of the Zone9 bloggers in Ethiopia. It is dedicated to report on the trial of innocent bloggers and journalists. We believe in the power of accurate and factual reporting of the bloggers situation from the ground.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Uruguay’s Bad Boy Footballer Luis Suárez Steals His Team’s Thunder With Biting Sanction · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Uruguayan forward Luis Suárez, image from Flickr user theglobalpanorama. CC BY-SA 2.0.
Uruguay's football team defeated the Italian squadra azzurra in Brazil's Arena das Dunas stadium on June 24, 2014, securing a place for themselves in the elimination round at the FIFA World Cup. Diego Godín, defender and captain of La Celeste (nicknamed for Uruguay's sky-blue uniform), scored the only goal of the match towards the end of the second half at minute 81.
The South American victory, however, was marred by the performance of its lead attacker Luis Suárez, who took a bite of out Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini's shoulder, a move that was not called out by the Mexican referee Marco Antonio “Chiquimarco” Rodríguez. The oversight has unleashed a torrent of reaction around the world.
FIFA, the world football governing body, confirmed in a press release that it was opening an investigation into the matter:
La FIFA puede confirmar que se ha incoado un procedimiento disciplinario contra el futbolista uruguayo Luis Suárez, a raíz de un aparente incumplimiento de los artículos 48 y/o 57 del Código Disciplinario de la FIFA durante el partido del Mundial Italia-Uruguay disputado el 24 de junio de 2014. Tanto el jugador como la Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol pueden presentar su postura y cualquier prueba documental que consideren relevante hasta las 17:00 del 25 de junio de 2014, hora de Brasilia.
FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against player Luis Suarez of Uruguay following an apparent breach of articles 48 and/or 57 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ match played between Italy and Uruguay on 24 June 2014. The player and/or the Uruguayan FA are invited to provide their position and any documentary evidence they deem relevant by 25 June 2014, 5pm, Brasilia time.
Spain's daily El País compiled a list of examples of similar prior conduct by Suárez:
Suárez, ariete del Liverpool y de Uruguay, hizo bueno ese apelativo de El Caníbal que se ganó en Holanda y que prolongó en Inglaterra, ahora subrayado en el Mundial de Brasil. Otra dentellada; otro castigo, toda vez que la FIFA le ha abierto un procedimiento disciplinario por morder al zaguero italiano Chiellini. A la espera conocer la resolución del organismo, se aguarda la alegación uruguayo, que tiene hasta las 22.00 horas de hoy para justificar lo injustificable.
Suarez, a striker for both Liverpool and Uruguay, made good on his nickname The Cannibal which he earned in The Netherlands, perpetuated in England and has now underscored in the Brazil World Cup. Another chomp, another sanction, as evidenced by FIFA considering new disciplinary measures for having bitten Italian defender Chiellini. In anticipation of the resolution by the governing body, eyes are on Uruguayan representatives who have until 22:00 (22 hundred hours) to justify the unjustifiable.
Moreover, the article makes reference to headlines in various newspapers around the globe:
A la espera de la resolución, los memes –imágenes y mensajes satíricos en las redes sociales- sobre Suárez son inagotables, con imágenes retocadas de Hannibal Lecter por doquier. Pero la prensa coge el relevo. “Suárez vuelve a morder”, cuenta L’Equipe. “Tiburón III”, refleja el Daily Express. “¿Diente por diente?”, se cuestiona Olé. “Peor que Tyson”, abunda La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Tiene una mente peligrosa que no puede ser reconectada”, intercede el Daily Mail. “Escribe su nombre en la infamia de la Copa del Mundo”, sentencia The Guardian. Ahora, la FIFA tiene la palabra.
In anticipation of the decision, memes—satirical images and messages in social media—about Suárez are endless, with photoshopped pictures of Hannibal Lecter everywhere. The press has followed suit. “Suarez has bitten again,” exclaims L’Equipe. “Jaws 3,” says the Daily Express. ”A tooth for a tooth?” asks Olé. “Worse that Tyson,“ adds La Gazzetta dello Sport. ”He has a dangerous mind that can never be rewired,” opinesThe Daily Mail. ”Suarez wrote his name into World Cup infamy,” declares The Guardian. Now it is up to FIFA to have the last word.
Echoing the line taken in El País, NotiHoy shared a collection of front page images on Twitter which highlight Suárez's assault:
#MundialBrasil2014 l La mordida de Luis Suárez es más noticia que el triunfo de Uruguay >>> http://t.co/1piywumUok pic.twitter.com/E9cxlsliFy
— Notihoy (@notihoyweb) June 25, 2014
#MundialBrasil2014 Luis Suárez's bite is bigger news than Uruguay's win.
User Rathfarnham Village broadcast the following images among his followers:
Don't worry Liverpool fans! Cesar Millan says he could have Luis Suarez housetrained within a matter of weeks #suarez pic.twitter.com/VwZLi0bEIj
— Rathfarnham Village (@RathfarnhamV) June 25, 2014
And Laceldadelbob made the following contribution:
“Para que me invitan si saben como soy” #Suarez #URU #URUvsITA pic.twitter.com/g1FWN2M3B9
— Laceldadebob.cl (@laceldadebob) June 24, 2014
“Why do you invite me if you know what do I do.
Ernesto Díaz suggested that what Suárez needs is the help of a specialist:
Lo de #LuisSuarez ya es de PSIQUIATRA
— Ernesto Diaz (@DiazErnesto) June 24, 2014
#LuisSuarez is calling for a PSYCHIATRIST.
Silvia Vinas, our own Global Voices collaborator, shared her thoughts about what happened on the pitch:
Feo, feo, feo lo de Suarez. Bendita la cabeza de Godín. #URUvsITA
— Silvia Viñas (@silviavinas) June 24, 2014
Nasty, nasty, nasty what Suarez did. Godín's head is blessed by the gods.
Expectations are high regarding FIFA's reaction to Suárez's behaviour—he is a player with a history of violence (more bites), racial abuse in England's Premier League and illegal ball handling (2010 World Cup). It remains to be seen whether these priors will be taken into account when adjudicating the current incident.
UPDATE: On Thursday June 26, 2014, FIFA's disciplinary committee punished Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez with a nine-month suspension and four-month ban on any football-related activity.

author: J. Tadeo


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Mexican Football Coach Miguel ‘Piojo’ Herrera Knows How to Celebrate a World Cup Win · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

Cardboard Miguel “Piojo” Herrera watches the game from the bench. Image by Débora Poo Soto, reserved rights by Demotix (June 13, 2014).
Mexican national football team defeated Croatia 3-1 in Recife at the World Cup on June 24, 2014. In contrast to the previous match during which goalkeeper Guillermo “Memo” Ochoa was the center of attention, many reactions were focused on the passion with which coach Miguel “Piojo” Herrera lived the game (piojo is the Spanish word for lice).
On Twitter, the sports account of USA Today shared this image:
Miguel Herrera celebrations are the absolute greatest. http://t.co/eTmh20kj0V pic.twitter.com/9tgkgzYe31
— USA TODAY Sports (@USATODAYsports) June 23, 2014
The Guardian's sports section account named Herrera the new World Cup hero:
Mexico coach Miguel Herrera: the internet's new World Cup hero: http://t.co/lDnLJBrTdt pic.twitter.com/mvKL1NzuDo
— Guardian sport (@guardian_sport) June 24, 2014
Also, the sports site TiempoReal (Real Time) referred to Herrera's fame:
Durante el Mundial, ‘El Piojo’ ha conseguido que su ‘descontrol’ sea conocido alrededor del mundo por la pasión con la que vive todos los encuentros del TRI, pues tras el segundo gol en la victoria 3-1 ante Croacia, explotó con Memo Ochoa, pues el pase estaba casi amarrado.
During the World Cup, “Piojo” has managed to make his “crazyness” known across the world because of the passion with which he lives every TRI match, given that after the second goal for the 3-1 victory over Croatia he exploded over Memo Ochoa because the pass was almost controlled.
Tri, short for Tricolor, is the name fans gave to their team because of their three-colored uniforms they use which resemble the country's national flag. Newspaper El País identified Herrera as the key factor in Mexico's victory:
Un México desatado tumbó a Croacia con todas las de la ley (3-1). El valiente Miguel Piojo Herrera se la jugó con un par de delanteros cuando el partido tenía que tomar rumbo mediada la segunda parte y a fe que le salió bien. A los mexicanos les valía el empate para clasificarse a la siguiente ronda pero en vez de echarse atrás y esperar en la cueva, Herrera mandó a los suyos al frente con una voracidad extraordinaria. Márquez marcó el primero de un cabezazo tras elevarse entre las torres croatas, una faena que remataron Guardado y Javier Chicharito Hernández, un invitado de última hora.
An unleashed Mexico knocked out Croatia with authority (3-1). Brave Miguel Piojo Herrera risked choosing two attackers when the match needed to be decided past the second half, and his faith was rewarded. A tie was enough for the Mexican team to get to the next round, but instead of playing defensively and wait behind, Herrera ordered its people to attack with an extraordinary drive. Márquez scored the first goal with the head after raising above the Croatian towers, a job finished by Guardado and Javier Chicharito Hernández, a last minute guest.
It was a sports victory that changed the focus of attention over the insulting and homophobic expressions of the Mexican fans at the stadiums during the Tri's matches. El Zappo, from the website Homzzaping, reported that such expressions will not be punished:
Por no considerarlo “insultante en este contexto específico”, la FIFA no sancionará a la Federación Mexicana de Futbol Asociación (Femexfut) por el grito de “puto” que aficionados realizaron partidos pasados.
For not considering it “insulting within this specific context”, FIFA will not sanction Mexican Football Federetion (Femexfut) for the “fag” shout that the fans used in past matches.
Regarding the decision, El Zappo added:
La investigación se inició después de que FARE, organización no gubernamental que lucha contra cualquier forma de discriminación en el futbol, señalara que la expresión es un insulto homófobo. Posteriormente, el Consejo Nacional para Prevenir la Discriminación (Conapred) se sumaría a estas demandas asegurando que la palabra “puto” es una expresión de desprecio.
The investigation started after FARE, an non-government organization that fights any form of discrimination in football, pointed out that the expressión was an homophobic insult. Afterwards, the Nationa Counsil to Prevent Discrimination (Conapred) joined the demand sustaining the word “fag” was an expression of contempt.
Back to the sports issues, Mexico will face Netherlands on Sunday, June 29, 2014, in Castelão stadium in Fortaleza for its pass to the quarter final round. It is the first time since 2002 that the Mexican national football team succeeds on the elimination phase of the World Cup after achieving seven out of the nine points in game.


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National Heroes Get a Postmodern Makeover in Kazakhstan’s #Selfie Statue Scandal  · Global Voices
Dasha Kondrateva

Kazakhstani national heroes Abai Kunanbaev and Yevgeny Mikhaelis as never seen before and – probably – never to be seen again (photo by Elena Kazakovtseva for yk-news.kz)
The well-known proverb “haste makes waste” perfectly sums up the short-lived life [ru] of a monument dedicated to two intellectuals associated with Kazakhstan – poet and philosopher Abai Kunanbaev [ru] and geologist and natural scientist Yevgeny Mikhaelis [ru]. A pair of Kazakhstani artists, Vladimir Samoilov and Evgeny Nepyanov worked on the statue depicting the duo for a total of 20 days. Their monument, erected June 23 in the the provincial Kazakh city of Oskemen, was then ignominiously removed like litter from the sidewalk within 24 hours as it proved a subject of jokes and disgust in the city and online.
Abai Kunanbaev, a Kazakh philosopher, poet and composer from the time of the Russian empire (Wiki image)
The most popular complaints of Oskemen residents and Kazakh internet users focused on the fact that Kunanbaev – regarded as the founder of modern Kazakh literature – resembled a dwarf, while Mikhaelis appeared to be taking a “selfie” with a concrete-cast smart phone..
The removal of the statue represents a humiliating climbdown local authorities, who spoke proudly [ru] at the official opening of the monument on June 23, in preparation for celebrations of Astana Day – the day of the Kazakh capital, Astana – on July 6.
In comments picked up by Kazakh media, Oskemen's akim, or city leader, Temirbek Kazymdzhanov, announced [ru]:
Этот памятник не только олицетворение дружбы, но и символ просвещения.
This monument of Abai and Mikhaelis is not only the externalization of friendship, but it is also a symbol of enlightenment.
However, the population of Oskemen did not support the akim’s view, while Kazakh Internet users openly mocked the statue, directing their sarcasm in particular towards the misshapen object (intended as a book) in Mikhaelis’ left hand:
Михаэлис демонстрирует Абаю возможности своего нового смартфона.
It seems that Mikhaelis is showing Abai the capabilities of his new smartphone.
A citizen of Oskemen, Dilshat, commenting under an article about the hapless monument published on Tengrinews.kz said [ru]::
Это памятник Samsung Galaxy S4.
This monument is dedicated to the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.
Another reader agreed::
Реально , мне на первый взгляд показалось реклама инстаграмма, как селфится.
Indeed, when I first looked at this monument, I thought this was a pure advertisement for Instagram, as it seems that Mikhaelis and Abai are taking a selfie [Editor's note: The verb “Selfitsya”, or “to do a selfie” is a perfect example of how English cyber-slang has infiltrated Russian].
But while some viewed the statue as a light-hearted cock-up, others insisted on the moral duty to be respectful to those that contributed to the development of Kazakh nationhood. An anonymous user of the Tengrinews comment platform observed [ru]:
Даже по фото видно, что это памятник не великим людям, а инопланетянам головастикам или бездарности лжеваятелей ворюг. Просто нужно показательно расследовать и наказать реальным сроком. Это оскорбление.
The photo demonstrates that the monument is dedicated not to great people, but to tadpole-like aliens or those waste-of-skin sculptors themselves. This case should be investigated publically, and those who are guilty [of the erection of this monument] should be punished. It is an insult.
As soon as the decision was taken to remove the statue, the blame game began. One of the two sculptors, Vladimir Samoilov said [ru] the municipal government of Oskemen had rushed the project along:
Я задумал эту вещь очень давно, – говорит Владимир Самойлов, – так как в нашем городе не хватает дани памяти выдающимся землякам. Даже о том что Абай бывал здесь, и для чего, мало кто знает. Власти идею поддержали, и поначалу срок заказа был до сентября, до дня города. На воплощение такой глубокой задумки нужно много времени, три месяца бы вполне хватило. Но внезапно заказчик – городской акимат – изменил срок до 20 дней. Мы очень торопились, и что получилось – то получилось. Нам самим не совсем понятна склонность к приурочиванию сдачи объектов к какой-то дате, но таковы были условия.
I conceived the idea of erecting this monument a long time ago, as our city lacks a memorial for outstanding people. Not many people know that Abai lived here and what he has done for the country. The local authorities supported the idea, and initially the sculpture was due to be completed by the end of September. The embodiment of such a profound idea needed a lot of time, but three months would have probably been enough for us to construct the sculpture. But suddenly the customer – the city administration – changed the deadline, and we had to create the sculpture in 20 days. We were in a hurry, and eventually, this is how the sculpture ended up. We do not really understand the point of orienting the opening of monuments to specific dates, but this emerged as one of the main conditions.
Meanwhile, deputy akim of Oskemen, Vladimir Golovatyuk used a classic piece of Soviet-speak to put distance [ru] between the monumment and the municipality:
В установленном памятнике Абаю Кунанбаеву и Евгению Михаэлису выявлены отклонения от согласованного варианта. В кратчайшие сроки разработчики памятника устранят несоответствия.
The monument dedicated to Abai Kunanbaev and Evgeny Mikhaelis had deviations from the agreed-upon version. In the near future the statue's developers will eliminate all inconsistencies.
The idea of combining two great men in a single monument – one ethnic Kazakh, one ethnic Russian – was certainly not a bad one, especially in a part of the country with a big ethnic Russian population not far from the border with Russia itself.
According to a recent Eurasianet article penned by Kazakhstan-based journalist Joanna Lillis: “Separatist sentiment in the industrial northeast [where Oskemen is located] created a headache for [Kazakh president-for-life] Nazarbayev in the 1990s – and Oskemen was once a hotbed of intrigue, with 13 pro-Russian conspirators jailed over a separatist plot in 2000.” While the dynamics of the region have since changed somewhat as standards of living have risen dramatically in oil-rich Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev has been known to use heavy symbolism to help preserve ethnic harmony in the diverse Central Asian state.
In this case, it seems that bad craftmanship foiled good intentions.

author: Dasha Kondrateva


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“No Strings Attached Sex is a Multiple Rules Game” · Global Voices
Milton Ramirez

Image by Sergey Sus on flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Mariangel Calderon recommends on her blog El Ovario (The ovary) not to have unrealistic expectations after no-strings-attached sex. She writes this is one of the games with more ruels and it's even more commendable than simply falling in love by preventing someone like that gets into your life unauthorized. She lists some lgunas rules:
…Se debe evitar al máximo el contacto visual antes, durante y después de la acción, porque bien dicen que los ojos son las ventanas del alma y no vaya a ser que un ladrón emocional se quiera apropiar de las tranquilidades cotidianas.
Cuando el gozo llega a extremos sorprendentes es el momento de huir y recoger la ropa, alisarse el cabello, la falda y la moral para volver otro día por un poco más y en esos casos jamás se debe uno de quedar ahí cual koala al bambú esperando el gratificante y muy necesario mañanero, porque el acto de dormir es incluso más íntimo que el de compartir los cuerpos del delito.
También se deben rechazar las llamadas y mensajitos post coitales; si, esos que nos reafirman que las lecciones de kamasutra y pole dance aprendidas en el you tube surtieron efecto.
…You must avoid to the maximum visual contact before, during and after the action, as it's well known that eyes are the window of the soul and you have to prevent a thief of emotions to take away your daily tranquilities.
When the enjoyment reaches amazing levels, it's time to run away and pick up your clothes, straighten your hair, skirt and morale so you come back another day for some more, and in those cases you should never stay there as a koala does with bamboo, waiting for the gratifying and very necessary early morning sex, because the act of sleeping is even more íntimate that sharing the corpus delicti.
You should also reject after sex calls and messages, yes, those that confirm us that the kamasutra lessons and pole dance learned thanks to YouTube took effect.


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Revenge from the “Disgrace of Gijón” as Algeria and Germany Face Up Again at the World Cup  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Algeria national football team in 1982 FIFA World Cup via wikipedia Public Domain
Algeria and Germany national teams are set to face up on June 30 in Porto Alegre in the knock-out round of the FIFA World Cup. The match will revive plenty of strong emotions from both sides because of their previous game in 1982 at the World Cup in Spain. In their first World Cup ever, Algeria shocked heavy favorites Germany in a 2-1 victory that is still recalled fondly by Algerian supporters to this day. However, Algeria was still eliminated in the first round because Germany and Austria conspired to get a draw that would send both team through and Algeria home. The match is known around the football world as the “Disgrace of Gijón“. Here are highlights of the 1982 Algeria-Germany fixture :

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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TJournal.ru Says Enough With Russian Media’s Ukraine Coverage · Global Voices
Kevin Rothrock

For the time being, the popular news portal TJournal.ru has stopped ranking trending news stories on its main webpage. Images mixed by author.
Responding to a flood of anti-Ukraine propaganda in the Russian mass media, the website TJournal has temporarily hidden a service that aggregates news stories trending on the RuNet. Until recently, TJournal’s splashpage offered a list of news articles trending on Russian social media. (The statistical program responsible for drawing up this list counted “shares” and “likes” on Twitter, Facebook, and Vkontakte.) The service is still accessible using TJournal’s mobile applications and a direct hyperlink, but it no longer exists on the website's main page.
Nikita Likhachev, TJournal’s founder and chief editor, spoke to RuNet Echo today to explain the temporary disappearance of the trending-news feature.
Из-за повышенного внимания российских СМИ к теме украинского конфликта новостная повестка стала слишком политизирована, на время вытеснив все остальные темы дня из общей картины. Наблюдая за медиатором и за реакцией читателей, мы поняли, что в таких условиях он не отвечает нашим высоким требованиям к формированию разносторонней картины дня, и решили временно снять его. Мы займёмся им чуть позже: превратим в персонализируемый сервис, который станет частью нового TJournal.
Because of the Russian mass media’s increased attention on the Ukrainian conflict, the news agenda has become over-impacted politically, for the moment displacing all other topics of public interest. Observing the [news] mediator and the reactions of our readers, we’ve understood that the service isn’t meeting our high standard to form a diverse picture of the day, so we decided to remove it temporarily. We’ll take this up again a bit later, transforming it into a personalized service that will become part of the new TJournal.
Launched three years ago this month as a tool for “automated analysis” of Russian-language tweets, TJournal has developed to become one of the most cited media outlets on the Russian Internet. (In May 2014, TJournal ranked 26th overall, above widely read newspapers like Komsomolskaia Pravda.) In addition to rating Russia’s most popular tweets, TJournal also produces a growing amount of original content, reporting on and analyzing technology and Internet news.
Nikita Likhachev, TJournal’s founder and chief editor, Tjournal.ru.
The politicization of TJournal’s trending-news feature isn’t the first time the site has encountered Kremlin-related complications.
In April 2013, TJournal found itself at the center of a media attack on Vkontakte’s former CEO, Pavel Durov, who helped fund Likhachev’s project during its first year with a $25-thousand grant. Publishing email records allegedly between former Vkontakte Press Secretary Vlad Tsyplukhin and Kremlin officials, the newspaper Novaya Gazeta claimed that Tsyplukhin personally pitched TJournal to the government.
Likhachev told Novaya Gazeta that TJournal’s contact with Tsyplukhin was limited to the application process for the grant the website received from Durov’s foundation in 2011. Likhachev did, however, get a phone call from someone in the Kremlin in the spring of 2011, before TJournal even launched, but the caller was only trying to learn basic details about the website. “They were just interested in the project. We didn’t establish any [regular] points of contact. We didn’t even meet — we only talked on the phone,” Likhachev explained.
Last week, TJournal celebrated its third anniversary, announcing that it will undergo a major redesign later this year. All indications, including TJournal’s newest version of its Android application, suggest that the website will lean more toward “personalized” features, where readers determine what they see on the site, selecting the stories that best suit their interests and, perhaps, their political persuasions. Given the country’s current media environment, where it’s possible to railroad an entire television station because of one unpatriotic survey question, TJournal may have stumbled onto a perfect solution to the problems of news reporting in Russia.