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Kyrgyzstan: “I Call It a Massacre!” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

English-language coverage of the situation in Kyrgyzstan – at neweurasia.net. Kyrgyz blogger writes: “Call it whatever you want, but I name it a massacre of Uzbeks in Osh and Jalalabad (Kyrgyzstan), which is, at the moment, still going on and the Interim government headed by Rosa Otunbaeva cannot do anything to prevent it.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan: Initial Coverage of the “Osh Massacre” · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

On June 10, 2010, local clashes between the ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek population in the Kyrgyz part of the Ferghana valley [EN] turned into a full-blown massacre and further exodus of the Kyrgyzstan-based Uzbeks [EN]. It seems that the conflict had been incited by the Kyrgyz organized criminal gangs in order to destabilize the region and might be connected with the revolutionary events in Kyrgyzstan two months earlier. Although it's evident that, even if provoked by the criminals, the conflict has deeper roots.
Refugees on the suburbs of Osh, Source: diesel.elcat.kg
Surrounded by mountains, Ferghana valley [EN], a densely populated region in Central Asia, has one of the most complicated ethnic patterns in the world. On the territory similar in size to the state of Pennsylvania live 11 mln people. The borders between the newly-established republics of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan had been literally drawn on a map by Stalin officials in the Soviet times, leaving more problems than solutions as they left lots of Kyrgyz villages and cities on the Uzbek side and vice versa. Poverty, rural specialization and high level of unemployment determine the overall situation.
Osh [EN], the second largest city in Kyrgyzstan, is an especially complicated case, since a significant part of its population is (was) Uzbek. The difficult relations between Kyrgyz and Uzbek populations were revealed during the Osh riots in 1990 [EN], which happened under similar circumstances and resulted in more than 300 dead and more than 1,000 wounded.
The information on what has happened during the past three days of violence and turmoil is scarce, since there's almost no electricity in the city. However, bloggers manage to send the materials to the web. U.S.-based Yelena Skochilo (aka LJ-user morrire [RUS]), as during the April 2010 Kyrgyzstan revolution [EN], tried to collect all the major news sources. But, she acknowledged, there are too few credible sources of information:
Эмоций просто через край, но я понимаю и разделяю страх беззащитных людей…Что известно точно: пожар в микрорайоне Черемушки и одиночные пожары по городу. Много провокаторов. Жители постоянно слышат выстрелы. Позвольте привести одну цитату, которая отражает общую картину и вы поймете, почему я не хочу вести time line. Я знаю этого человека лично и могу полагаться на его данные.
“… мне позвонил и спросил: “…, значит нам никто не поможет?”. никому не пожелю такого. я чуствовала себя как собака….я их встретила у туберкулезного диспансера. я села за руль и всем кричала. что он кыргыз. нам с трудом удалось его вывезти из этого района.по улице шли около 20 солдат, а за ними шла толпа молодых и не молодых людей кыргызской национальности. я тоже незнаю, что делать. “
NewEurasia.net became the major English-language source providing pictures [EN], videos and the latest news on the development of the events. Mil.wms.kg posted pictures [RUS]. Kyrgyzstan-based blogger sherboto posted pictures [RUS] of the events. Kyrgyz official press-agency Akipress.org and Kloop.kg provided their time lines of the events (available here [RUS] and here [RUS]). Forum users at diesel.elcat.kg provided photos of the crowds of refugees [RUS].
On June 13, the conflict went online [EN], with emerging pro-Kyrgyz and pro-Uzbek accounts. (At the same time, there are significantly fewer Uzbek websites due to strict anti-internet regulations in the country [EN]). Several Kyrgyz websites went down. Registan.net, where the events were being discussed, also went down, probably due to the Digg-effect. Clearly Uzbek-biased Youtube user saveosh presented a 6-minute Google Maps video [EN]. Although being a valuable source of information, the video presents a version far from neutral.
Twitter tags #Osh, #Uzbeks, #JA (for Jalalabad, the second city where the clashes also took place) and #freekg were used to group tweets on the event.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Macedonia: Gender Aspects of the Football World Cup · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Dejan Velkovski, aka Vnukot [The Grandson], a Macedonian blogger and writer, expressed dissatisfaction [MKD] with the first three days of the Football World Cup, which he considers some of the least attractive in history.
Vnukot thinks that the use of ‘bunker tactics’ kills the enjoyment of the game, as the coaches “park the whole team bus in front of their goal” and leave offense to chance. He considers Blater's decision on trumpets “the most catastrophic thing that honked football ever since it was allowed for financial criminals to purchase Premier League teams.” As end result, the “fantastic atmosphere” alleged by TV commentators provides less excitement than a chess tournament.
In addition, Vnukot also criticized the media coverage:
The Macedonian media contribute to the aversion of this World Cup. Adhering to stereotypes, they drone till death about how the men would now only watch football, and the women can't do anything, parroting some lists of rules and other vomit-inducing stuff. It's all a great read, for the people who, thanks to some temporal anomaly, got stuck in 1950!
Most of my female friends are bigger football fanatics than me, for instance. They could cut off your hand if you try to lower the volume during a game in which they have an emotional engagement. I wouldn't mention changing the channel, probably your just punishment would be castration. On the other hand, many of my male friends have no interest in football whatsoever. And all this is perfectly normal occurrence at a time when everybody can follow their own interests, not taking into consideration what the neighborhood would say. It's all in the mentality.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Russia: From “Sovereign Democracy” to “Sovereign Internet”? · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Over the last year we have seen a significant number of government initiatives and state-sponsored actions concerning the Russian Internet. They included an increase in activity of the authorities in the virtual space [ENG], endless discussions of new Internet regulation legislation, suggestions of new projects (e.g., development of the e-gov services [RUS], a national search engine [ENG], national OS, state e-mail accounts and a project for searching new talents [ENG]), active regulation policy aimed at reducing the digital divide [ENG], the emergence of the new Cyrillic domain [ENG], etc. These trends were summarized [ENG] by Alexey Sidorenko in his talk at the 2010 GV Summit in Santiago [ENG].
Following these developments, there are two important questions: 1. Where do these trends lead? and 2. What are the major motivations and goals of the state actor behind it? I would like to suggest that all these initiatives have two interrelated goals that lead to a particular desired future model for the Russian cyberspace:
Increasing internal density and decreasing external communication are the two elements of the strategy that aim at developing something more than just a national cyberzone. The current Russian ideological framework was named by Russian ideologists as “sovereign democracy” [ENG]. It looks as if the virtual equivalent of “sovereign democracy” is a model of “sovereign Internet” that is currently developing in Russia. Its goal is much more far-reaching than controlling the flow of information. Actually, the model recognizes the lack of ability to manage this type of control. Instead of direct and total control, this model aims at recreating the state through cyberspace and encouraging citizens to stay within this framework.
Creation of national cyberzone: increasing internal interaction
Despite the collapse of the USSR, Russia is still the biggest country in the world. The country’s size creates a geopolitical challenge for governance and management. For instance, how Moscow can control what’s going on in Sakhalin? Moreover, the size creates a challenge for maintaining a state-related identity of citizens. Geographical distance and the crises that followed the collapse of the USSR created a significant threat of Russia's further fragmentation. Many political analysts draw a future when regions, especially those with strong national and/or religious common denominators, will fight for independence and the Russian Federation will fall apart. Moreover, Internet-based communities can also contribute to the state fragmentation process. At the same time, cyberspace can also play a role as a place for recreation of the state identity and preservation of state unity.
Russia is not the only country struggling with its own geography. For instance, Chile, which also has a geographical challenge, approaches the Internet as a space that can help with governance and strengthen the state identity (this issue, too, was discussed [RUS] at the 2010 GV Summit in Santiago). In the Russian case, having a network that connects all the citizens can be an important element in the struggle against fragmentation. A famous song [RUS] of the Russian rock band Nautilus Pompilius from the mid-1980s said: “Forged together by one goal, connected by one chain.” Television used to play this role of an agent of community, but its impact is gradually decreasing, especially when it comes to the younger generation. The Internet is the information infrastructure that can play a role of a chain that connects people and unites the country.
The role of the Internet as a tool for re-creating the state and addressing geopolitical challenges has three dimensions:
Creation of national cyberzone: Decreasing external interaction
Significant reduction of the digital divide and development of state-wide information infrastructure is not only part of a solution, but also part of a new problem. On the one hand, Internet offers new opportunities for the country’s unification. On the other hand, it creates access to the global network beyond the state’s borders. In other words, an attempt to find a solution to one threat creates another threat.
Russian “Information Security Doctrine” [RUS], published in 2000, stresses that the information space is used by other countries and hostile forces for the destabilization of Russia. Consequently, controlling the information space is a security issue (this idea was also emphasized in the recent update [ENG] of the Russian Military Doctrine).
In a recent book – “Access Controlled: The Shaping of Power, Rights, and Rule in Cyberspace” [ENG] – Rafal Rohozinski and Ronald Deibert suggest that the next generations of Internet control emerge in RuNet. They write:
In RUNET, control strategies tend to be more subtle and sophisticated and designed to shape and affect how information is received by users, rather than denying access outright.
Rafal Rohozinski and Ronald Deibert
The authors define three generations of cyberspace control. The first generation is focused on information denial and blocking particular content (e.g., the Chinese model), which is almost not used in Russia. The second generation means creation of “legal and normative environment and technical capabilities that enable actors to deny access to information resources as and when needed, while reducing the possibility of blowback or discovery”. The third generation is the most complex phenomenon. It means shift from reactive to proactive policy and is defined as:
(…) sophisticated, multidimensional approach to enhancing state control over national cyberspace and building capabilities for competing in informational space with potential adversaries and competitors. The key characteristic of third-generation controls is that the focus is less on denying access than successfully competing with potential threats through effective counterinformation campaigns that overwhelm, discredit, or demoralize opponents.
I would like to claim that the development of the national cyberzone should be approached as a type of Internet control and further development of the third generation. The idea to create a national search engine, the launch of Cyrillic domains, e-government projects, etc., shape the information environment that encourages Russian users to stay in the national cyberspace, and consequently create a natural isolation, despite the global nature of the Internet.
The fact that RuNet had been a relatively closed online environment is not new. Rohozinski and Deibert write about the “Russianness” of the Runet:
Unlike much of the Internet, which remains dominated by English and dependent on popular applications and services that are provided by U.S.-based companies (such as Google, Yahoo, and Hotmail), RUNET is self-contained linguistic and cultural environment with well developed and highly popular search engines, Web portals, social networks sites, and free e-mail services.
The increasing activity of the government makes Internet environment not only “more Russian” but also more state-affiliated. First, the new initiatives, e.g. the Cyrillic domain, not only contribute to further the “Russianness” of Runet, but also to implement a higher level of state influence. Secondly, only platforms and software that are supported by the government are used in the educational system. Consequently, they become part of the socialization process for the new generations of “digital natives.”
These trends can not only lead to the increase of online state presence. According to Michael Gurevitch, deputy director of a major Russian Internet company RBC, the development of the state-affiliated national cyberzone can go far beyond (from an interview to GV):
One of the optional scenarios for RuNet development is applying the TV model (when you have a limited number of free TV channels) to the Internet. Once the infrastructure is developed, the government can suggest a free Internet package with limited number of available resources. It will include e-government services, a state-sponsored search engine, a limited number of news websites and a few entertainment portals. I believe that the majority of Russians will take advantage of this free option and will find it satisfying. They won’t want to expand the range of available sites if they have such a free option.
The launch of the national cyberzone with increased state presence as part of socialization, as well as the development of Internet system that encourages national isolation can be labeled as the “fourth generation” of Internet control. In this case, we may expect the emergence of new government projects that contribute to the development of a closed online information environment that enables and supports segregation and remoteness of the Russian online community from the global network. Another path of the nationalization of Runet is increasing investments of the government in popular Russian Internet companies, which makes the state’s involvement subtler.
The isolation can be supported also on an infrastructural level through violation of net neutrality principles. For instance, Rohozinski suggests that access to content beyond the borders of national Internet can be slower or more expensive (one can define it as low-cost connectivity within the national domain zone).
Conclusion: The 4th generation of control
In a book “Power and Powerlessness,” John Gaventa defined three dimensions of power. The first dimension of power is when actor “A” uses his power to influence and defeat “B”. The second dimension of power is the construction of barriers against participation of “B” by controlling the agenda. The third dimension of power is influencing or shaping the consciousness of “B” about inequalities and maintenance of non-participation through socialization and information control. The 4th generation of Internet control, as it was described here, is the development of an Internet environment in a way that facilitates powerlessness and passivity, when Internet users are unaware of the control itself.
The government's increasing cyberactivity aims at re-creating the state through online space. At the same time, it means a new model for increasing state control over the Internet. The process of making RuNet more isolated and at the same time increasing the state presence is slow and natural, unlike other control models. In this case control is not denying, filtering or even competing with other content, but developing an environment that diminishes citizens’ motivation to look beyond the range of the national and state-affiliated resources.
On the one hand, the national cyberzone is a system that motivates isolation. On the other hand, it intensifies internal communication and supports the role of the government as a nerve center, a hub of the system. Being a hub in such a context, together with maintaining common denominator, means protection of the state’s sovereignty. However, the most unique characteristics of “sovereign Internet” is that its control model is based on free will of the Internet users. Consequently, it can’t be bypassed through technological means. In this case, the change is not about the technology but primarily about the people and the social environment.
Rohozinski and Deibert suggest that RuNet is a model of development for other national segments of the World Wide Web. Consequently, the question that one should ask is whether we are moving towards the reality of global space fragmentation and the emergence of many “sovereign Internets.” To answer this question, further research should focus on comparative outlink analysis of national cyberzones and analysis of international online traffic, comparing local Internet traffic within states.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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South Africa: Soccer and Social Change · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Lisa Kays, writing for GlobalGoodness, tackles the role of playing soccer/football in promoting social change in Africa.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Algeria: Cabinet Reshuffle  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

The Moor Next Door takes a closer look at the Algerian cabinet reshuffle here.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Algeria: Disappointment and Anger After the Defeat against Slovenia · Global Voices
Mohamed Benderouiche

Fans watching Anxiously via Amekinfo on Flickr under Creative Commons License
After a  24 years long wait, the Algerian national football team finally took part in the World Cup again. Because domestic affairs are overwhelmed with official propaganda in the media (on the radio and television), Algerians  have focused their attentions on the world cup, hoping it would provide an escape from the grind of their daily lives. The disappointment was  all the more profound after the defeat of their team against Slovenia.
Une équipe de foot à l'image du pays: boiteuse et poussive…Félicitations pour la Slovénie, qui s'est assurée une place confortable pour passer au 2ème tour
writes Ahcene, a young  Human Rights activist in Algeria, on his facebook profile [fr].
Abderahmane, a journalist,  was very disappointed as well, and he posts the following sarcastic comment on his facebook page [fr]: :
Le coaching de Saâdane est merveilleux !! Il laisse Boudebouz, une perle rare, sur le banc et fait jouer un nullard comme Ghezzal, et Saifi qu'est-ce qu'il est rentré foutre sur le terrain ?
Samir, a student, also sarcastically questions the role of Ghezzal, the player who received a red card during the game [fr]:
Abdelkader Ghezzal…tu es sélectionné contre l'Ireland comme joueur de rugby…et contre la Slovénie, t'es devenu un handballeur….et quand tu joueras au football
Abdelkader Ghezzal  … you played as a rugby player against Ireland and against Slovenia, you  became a handball player… when are you going to play football?
Similar  feelings of bitterness for Yahia, a young student in Paris, , who posed a riddle probably related to  coach Saadane [fr]:
Un mec avec une roche à la place de la cervelle c'est qui ??? A vous de deviner
Toufik is pessimistic about the chance of the Algerian team [fr]:
Alors que nous n’arrivons pas à gagner contre la Slovénie, comment voulez-vous qu’on batte les Anglais avec un Rooney percutant et les missiles de Steven Gerrard et Lampard
Blogger RZ chooses to make light of coach Saadane [fr]:
En plus du fait de ne rien apporter à l'équipe dans les moments difficiles du match, en matière de coaching, puisque, comme il l'a affirmé il y a quelques jours, «J'ai un bon banc de touche» Il n'a pas tort… Le «Cheikh» suit le match de son «banc de touche» comme tout spectateur… «Sollicité à donner son impression à la fin de la rencontre face à la Slovénie, le «cheikh» a déclaré ni plus ni moins: «El hamdou li Llah !» Louange à Dieu ! S'il y a un sélectionneur qui puisse louer Dieu, c'est bien celui de la Slovénie, puisqu'il a réussi à damer le pion à Saâdane qui se dissimule derrière ce titre de “Cheikh”.
On a different topic, blogger and journalist, Djamel Benchenouf, is  surprised by the enthusiasm that the Algerian team can incite and yet the general population is so reluctant to rally for other social causes [fr]:
Un peuple qui ne se mobilise pas pour les plus faibles d’entre ses citoyens, qui subit l’oppression sans se révolter, qui se laisse dépouiller de ses richesses par des malfaiteurs de la pire espèce, qui se détourne du sort affreux qui est fait à toute la nation, et même de l’avenir de ses propres enfants, mais qu’un match de football fait vibrer, dans un incommensurable enthousiasme, ce peuple là doit craindre le pire

author: Mohamed Benderouiche


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Australians Reflect on Obama’s Presidency So Far · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Barack Obama has cancelled a trip to Australia for the second time this year, because of the oil spill crisis. Last time the reason was health care legislation. In his absence bloggers have been assessing his role and his performance as President. These are reflective pieces rather than partisan knee-jerks.
Craig McMurtrie, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation journalist in Washington, reflected on his visceral rather than cerebral role as leader:
There was some confusion initially over whether BP or the White House was in charge of emoting for Americans over the oil spill disaster, after all the oil company is legally the responsible party.
But it has to be the president, because BP chief Tony Hayward disqualified himself when he complained to reporters that he wanted his life back.
So Barack Obama is the Emoter-in-Chief. Only it isn't clear that he wants the job.
Gulf residents look to Emoter-in-Chief
Duckpond, a regular commentator on international affairs, laments that change is not real enough:
… there seems to me to be a frustration that the Federal Government has not taken the matter in hand leaving all the important decisions to the company that made the rash judgments about the safety of the project.
The post looks at Obama’s role in the oil crisis and the concern that he is not challenging the way Washington works as he promised before his election:
Obama compounded the problem by his prior commitment to off shore drilling – another slap in the face of many of his electoral support base. The problem, as I see it, is not so much gaming the system. but the failure to appreciate that systems must be changed from the outside, and cannot be changed from inside deals.
APPRAISING THE PRESIDENT
Dennis Altman, Professor of Politics at Melbourne’s La Trobe University, currently visiting the US, reflected on the domestic pressures on the presidency at Inside Story:
THAT President Obama has twice cancelled his visit to Indonesia and Australia reminds us that for any politician the home front is the most important, and this is particularly so in a mid-term election year.
Altman is not an optimist regarding foreign relations. He doubts whether Obama will achieve progress on human rights or the Middle East:
Obama is a classic realist, who is willing to compromise on principles to achieve limited goals.
… the wilful ignorance of the rest of the world in his country is a huge obstacle to developing a smarter foreign policy, one that recognises the centrality of issues such as climate change and food shortages to global security.
He sees some glimmer of hope:
Obama has, however, taken a major step by leading the way in developing a global response to uncontrolled nuclear proliferation.
Obama’s America
At Online Opinion, Brendan O’Connor also looked at Barack’s impact outside the United States. In particularly he saw a favourable response in Western Europe:
… undoubtedly Obama has made a significant number of people feel more positive about the US and its global role.
He found a different story in places like Russia, Pakistan and the Middle East:
in places where American power and militarism is felt, or relied upon, more intimately a new American president has mattered a lot less.
Has Obama changed the world in 18 months?
It was refreshing to read some posts about the US President without sarcasm, name-calling or cheering from the sidelines. Australia's beleaguered Prime Minister Kevin Rudd would probably like some of the same. Or at least a visit from his ‘friend’ Barack to take the blogosphere’s mind off internal politics.


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Bahrain: Spying on Citizens Using New Number Plates  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahrain is introducing new car number plates with technology which allows police to monitor the movement of every vehicle. Blogger Mahmood Al Yousif remarks: “Must we be followed, spied on and harassed by the state in every single facet of our miserable lives to end it now with a completely unwarranted invasion of privacy?”


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Bangladesh: Sweet And Savory Snacks  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bangladesh Unlocked posts a review of some sweet and savory snacks from across Bangladesh.

author: Rezwan


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Bangladesh: That Facebook Girl · Global Voices
Rezwan

Aminul Islam Sajib was supposed to meet a girl he befriended at Facebook on his birthday. But the Bangladesh government slapped a Facebook ban. Read what happened next.


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Brazil: Soccer Dream Team Murals for the World Cup · Global Voices
Debora Baldelli

During the first day of the World Cup, a group of 12 urban artists painted a wall of 240 m2 in the city of Rio de Janeiro featuring what they believe to be the Brazilian soccer dream team. The result may be seen at the event's blog “Grafite Futebol Arte” [Graffiti Soccer Art].

author: Debora Baldelli


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Brazil: The “CALA BOCA GALVAO” Phenomenon · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Screenshot from the twitter profile of @galvaoinstitute
Galvão Bueno [pt], a famous Brazilian narrator and broadcaster, was made victim of a huge twitter phenomenon when millions of twitter users told him to shut up during the 2010 World Cup opening show. The phenomenon soon became a worldwide joke.
CALA BOCA GALVAO stands for “Shut up Galvao”.
For many, Galvão Bueno is considered unbearable as a sports narrator although he is the official narrator of the Brazilian National Football Team and of the most important football and volleyball matches in Brazil since 1993 as well as of the Formula 1 races.
Blog do Pupa says:
Nem bem a Copa do Mundo começou e o narrador da TV Globo Galvão Bueno já começou a ser citado pelo público brasileiro. A expressão ‘Cala Boca Galvão’ virou hit do Twitter mundial durante a cerimônia de abertura da competição, que foi apresentada por ele e a jornalista Fátima Bernardes na África do Sul.
O público mostrou o descontentamento com o narrador e apresentador de tal forma que a expressão de desaprovo ao seu desempenho na cerimônia de abertura foi a líder do Trending Topic (TT) Brasil, termo que representa as palavras e/ou expressões mais abordadas no microblog no país.
The World Cup barely began and TV Globo's reporter Galvão Bueno is already being quoted by the Brazilian public. The phrase ‘Cala Boca Galvão’ became a worldwide hit of Twitter during the opening ceremony of the competition, which was presented by him and journalist Fatima Bernardes in South Africa
The public showed discontent with both narrator and presenter and the phrase expressing disapproval with his performance at the opening ceremony became the leader Trending Topic (TT) in Brazil, a phrase that represents the words and / or expressions discussed in the country's microblog.
In no time, “cala boca galvao” hitted the worldwide trending tpics and people from all over the world tried to understand what was going on.
shafiraaulyapn: who's CALA BOCA GALVAO ? @,@
LuizRedfield: o Brasil dominou o Twitter! CALA BOCA GALVAO em primeiro no Worldwide! O resto do mundo não tá entendendo nada!
The most widespread image of the joke. author unknown
Brazilian mass media and the international media are already talking about the phenomenon. Here's what @Maria_fro had to say:
maria_fro: Plena copa [ CALA BOCA GALVAO ] E [ BOCA GALVÃO ] enlouquecem os gringos:1º e 3º lugares no TT enquanto FIFA WORLD CUP E #WORLDCUP 5º E 6º!
On the joke, Junio Miranda explains:
Brazilians spread that “CALA BOCA GALVAO” was not only a rare species of bird, but also that it was some kind of remedy and a new single from Lady Gaga. Some blogs actualy believed that “Cala Boca Galvão” was, for real, a new single.
Juliana Weis says:
Outra explicação, não menos sádica, mas menos usada, é de que “CALA BOCA GALVAO” é a nova música de Lady Gaga. Só que essa versão não ganhou tantos adeptos quanto a do pobre pássaro ameaçado. Mas o pior (ou melhor) de tudo, os gringos aderiram. O “CALA BOCA GALVAO” invadiu o site e virou piada entre os brasileiros: “Se o Galvão é um passarinho de acordo com os gringos… seu canto é insuportável”, brincou um twitteiro chamado @Pedrocost.
The famous Brazilian writer, Paulo Coelho, was among some of the jokers:
paulocoelho: CALA BOCA GALVAO is the Brazilian version of a homeopathic remedy SILENTIUM GALVANUS
And the joke still continues as the Brazilians keep trying to “explain” what “CALA BOCA GALVAO” means. See some twitter reactions:
BrazilianMcFly: News: CALA BOCA GALVAO is the new single of Lady Gaga in Spanish rythm about a brazilian bird in extinction.
TheMusicDude: “Essa parada de CALA BOCA GALVAO é a maior piada interna da história mesmo. Um país inteiro rindo e o resto do mundo sem entender nada”.
instanTKarmax: “After Alejandro, Lady Gaga will launch her new single CALA BOCA GALVAO, which promises to become another worldwide success.”
taianetai: #nowplaying Lady Gaga – CALA BOCA GALVAO EXPLICIT VERSION
nandoaires: CALA BOCA GALVAO Foundation will give US$ 0,31 for each tweet mentioning CALA BOCA GALVAO. Save the birds, RT.
nicholashf12: So what is the meaning of CALA BOCA GALVAO??? That's such a horrible nome for a Lady Gaga's song. I won't buy it, even for any bird's sake!
Antonionuneskd: Quem acha que devemos entrar pro Guiness por enganar o mundo dá RT . CALA BOCA GALVAO
JonCardoso: Gente, o Brasil é muito criativo! CALA BOCA GALVAO
Twitter user Ana explains the gerenal feeling of brazilians rigth now:
Analaus: O Twitter é de graça; Digitar é de graça; Ler é de graça; Ver o mundo se perguntando ” Who is CALA BOCA GALVAO ” #Nãotempreço
An Orkut community [Orkut is the most used social community in Brazil] was created with, so far, 400 members and also a twitter account @calabocagalvao and a twitter account for the “Galvao Bird foundation”: @galvaoinstitute

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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China’s foreign residents · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

C. Custer from ChinaGeek blogs a the result of a survey on China's foreign residents. The finding contradict some of the stereotypes Chinese people have on foreigners.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China and the U.S: The cultural work of tests · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Maryannodonnell compares the cultural meaning of test in China and the U.S.


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Cuba: Letters to the Editor  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Generation Y says that the Granma newspaper's “Letters to the Editor” section “has created the false impression that criticism is admissible and one can speak with ‘no holds barred’.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Egypt: A Tweeting Government  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

If you can't beat them, join them. Egyptian Chronicles comments on how the governing National Democratic Party now has a presence on Twitter.


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Egypt: Iara Lee’s Flotilla Attack Footage  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger Zeinobia posts Iara Lee's one-hour footage from the Gaza-bound flotilla on the night it was attacked by Israeli commandos here.


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France: Reflections on Being Part of the Gaza Freedom Flotilla · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

Miloud was on board of a Greek ship sailing to Gaza with the Freedom Flottilla that was raided by the IDF. Back in his home town of Marseilles, he tells [Fr] Marseille Bondy Blog about his experience.

author: Suzanne Lehn


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Ghana: Bloggers celebrate Ghana’s victory over Serbia · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Ghana national football team, the Black Stars, became the first African team to win a match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup after beating Serbia on Sunday afternoon in South Africa. Ghanaian bloggers are celebrating this historic win.
“The Black Stars’ campaign at the World Cup got off to a good start in Pretoria, making me dread the possibility that I may just be forced to eat humble pie – yet again!,” writes Ghanaian journalist and blogger Ato Dadzie.
He continues:
It was a good performance against Serbia. Everyone in the team contributed their best.
Even Richard Kingson pulled up some brilliant saves to keep the Serbs at Bay. Asamoah Gyan, usually wasteful, took almost his chances, crowning it all with an emphatic penalty kick that ensured Ghana’s victory.
But in the end, the hero of the day, even from a Ghanaian perspective was not Ghanaian. I think supporters of the Black Stars should count Serbia’s Kuzmanovic as their hero of the afternoon, because he gave that silly penalty that Asamoah Gyan converted.
It was a well-deserved victory, nonetheless.
The Black Stars dominated play and they should have won by a bigger margin if Asamoah Gyan hasn’t been so unlucky. After the match against Serbia, Ghanaian confidence seemed buoyed and people started speaking again about the possibility that Ghana would win the World Cup
Despite Ghana's victory on Sunday, Ato says that it is going to take a miracle for Ghana to even draw against Germany:
But the wishful thinking was abated as Germany started to tear Australia apart. The Germans played the most purposeful football in the tournament so far to beat Australia 4-0. They have a well-oiled machine and it’s going to take a miracle for Ghana to even draw against them. The best Milovan Rajevac’s team can do is to strive to keep the score line low when the two sides meet in the last group match.
Leaving his comments on Ato's blog, Wascarat disagrees with his analysis:
Ato I disagree with you that the Germans are already through. This is football!!
So far the Australian team is the weakest of all the teams that have already played.
The Germans were quick to admit that Australia was astonishingly weak and there is therefore no reason for such an euphoria.
I am of the opinion that Ghana can beat the currenct German squad which, on paper, isn't better than the Serbian squad and especially so, as we don't have a German coach:)
We all saw the serious conflict of emotions on Milo's part.
Personally, I think Milo was planning a draw against his native Serbia and that simply didn't work out, else Tagoe should have been replaced earlier.
The weakened Aussies will face us without Cahill and trust me even though they are robust and physical they lack pace and creativity.
The game will be ours to win!!!
No time to embrace medocrity – Go Ghana Go!
Doo says that in football anything can happen:
Ato paa!!! how can you say that “There is no way on earth the Black Stars can beat Germany”.This is football and anything can happen.
Mike would like Ato to stop underating the Black Stars:
kwamena- you must be one of those kids who could never quite play football, and always stood on the side of the street bemoaning and sulking about the fact you were always last or never picked for games. get over it! your pessimism and need to negate every good the black stars do is a bit tiresome.
the same goes for your virtual felating of the germans. it won't be a miracle to tie them. they're just as overrated as the czechs, americans, and serbs- but i'm sure you never saw it that way (and probably were dismissive of our chances prior to all those games, too). do us a favor and stop regurgitating “analysis” you read from western countries who will always underrate the black stars.
Ghanaian photographer and blogger Nana Kofi Acquah posts colorful photos of Ghanaian fans celebrating on Oxford Street in Accra, Ghana.
They say “a picture is more than a thousand words”. I hope these photographs do the story of how Ghanaians watched and celebrated the Black Stars 1-0 victory of the Serbs justice.
Go! Black Stars Go!
“I have never hidden my support for the Brazillian national team in international tournaments such as the World Cup…However the Ghana black stars have given me good reasons to consider them as a team to reckon with,” Edward of Tagoe blog reveals:
The Ghana national team put up spectacular performances at the previous world cup event in Germany; winning against power houses such as the US and Czech Republic to the surprise of many.
This time too, Ghana has started its world cup campaign triumphantly, by beating Serbia by a goal to nil, becoming the first African team to win its game after Algeria, South Africa and Nigeria all failed to win.
Gary of Ghana World Cup Blog came up with some interesting statistics after Ghana’s game:
Sunday was the first time that there have been red cards in three different games on a single day in World Cup history.
Until the 84th minute of the match on Sunday night, the African teams had managed only a single goal – and no victories – in their first three World Cup matches.
Nigeria and Algeria had failed to score in their losses to Argentina and Slovenia, while South Africa had been unable to beat Mexico, settling for a 1-1 draw.
That explains why Asamoah Gyan could barely speak as he tried to sum up his emotions.
Boakyewaa writes about experiencing the World Cup in Atlanta, USA:
What will I do without crazy guys dancing on top of taxis and every car horn on full blast? What will I do without the almost choreographed scream that splits through the whole nation each time Ghana scores a goal? Is this going to be one of those ‘when in Rome’ experiences? Check out my three-day video blog on experiencing the world cup in Atlanta.
After hearing the news of Ghana’ s victory, Kajsa, who is based in Sweden, imagined the celebrations going on all over Ghana:
In my room in Sweden I imagined the celebrations going on all over the crazy fotball nation that is Ghana and was lucky enough to stumble across the lovely and vivid pics on fellow Ghanablogging blogger Nana Kofi’s photo blog.
You can see more photos of fans in Ghana on Oteiba’s blog.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Global: Tweeting the USA/England Match · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

As usual, the Twittersphere was abuzz during the final game of Saturday, June 12: the USA/England match.  The game was highly anticipated in the United States, where TV advertisements touted it as the “most anticipated” match of the World Cup, whereas across the pond in England, fans were nearly certain their team would win.  Despite the tension, however, the Twittersphere found time for some humor.
For example, syrianews, a British-Syrian, made it clear who he thought the winner might be:
I am going to be  quite delighted to see England embarrass the United States of America  tomorrow. That's ‘soccer’ I'm talking about.
As the game got going, Global Voices’ own 2010 Twitter account shared a fun fact about Team USA:
11 of the 23 players on the US team come from a home where at least 1 parent was born in a foreign country
Washington, D.C.-based Fadi Elsalameen, who was watching the game in public, quipped:
Where is the US offense ? A guy next to me yelled “In Iraq?”
Belgian/South African sisiwami noted, perhaps with pride, that everyone was watching South Africa:
so right now the whole of the USA and UK are staring at South Africa
Referencing the game of American football, Egyptian Alaa Abd El Fattah joked in response:
@khadijapatel @sisiwami yes bet the whole of USA keeps wondering when will they do a touch down
British James Cook referenced the recent BP oil spill, in this play on words:
Americans celebrate a British spill, for a change.
Belfast-based Keith Anderson also found a way to joke about the oil spill:
“hey england, your  goalie is as leaky as your oil rigs.” #worldcup  #usa  #eng  #ilovediggcomments
As the game ended, it was evident that American fans had–at least temporarily–found a new sport to love.  Laura Barr, based in Missouri, is waiting in anticipation for the next games:
#USA  has only played  one #WorldCup  game and  already my voice is shot. I fully expect to sound like a man the rest of  the tournament.

author: Jillian C. York


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Greece: World Cup-Mania Provides Respite from Financial Crisis · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

Despite the dire financial crisis unfolding in Greece, many Greeks have taken to the ‘social media World Cup‘ with gusto – perhaps hoping for a repeat of the amazing and uplifting victory in the Euro 2004 championship rather than a rehash of the national team's abysmal performance at the 1994 World Cup at the feet of Argentina and Nigeria.
Wishing good luck to the Greek national team, blogger Roides guiltlessly and poetically proclaimed:
Το Μουντιάλ παραμένει γιορτή των  αισθήσεων, του πάθους. Αγαπώ τη μπάλα, έπαιξα σε αλάνες και σε  γήπεδα, μάτωσα παθιάστηκα ίδρωσα έκλαψα και γέλασα. Οι πρώτες αγάπες, οι  μεγάλες, δεν ξεχνιούνται.
Παρόλη την ακραία εμπορευματοποίηση, το  ποδόσφαιρο συνεχίζει να κουβαλά εκείνο το άλλο, το μυστήριο της μαγείας,  μια ευφάνταστη ντρίμπλα σε ανύποπτο χρόνο είναι αρκετή να αποφόρτιση  θετικά όλο σου το είναι, όλα μεμιάς ξεχνιούνται, χρέη, υποχρεώσεις, άγχη  –όλα στον καιάδα.
Ποιος να ξέρει, ίσως τα ανήσυχα πνεύματα  των μεγάλων Πορτογάλων θαλασσοπόρων του Ντα Γκάμα, του Ντιάζ, εκεί στο  ιστορικό Algoa Bay, με τα βουβά  θαλάσσια ρεύματα, στην πόλη των ανέμων,  μας επιφυλάσσουν συγκινήσεις.
The World Cup remains the celebration of senses, of passion. I love football, I've played in alleys and fields, I bled, got passionate, sweated, cried and laughed. First loves, the big ones, cannot be forgotten. Despite rampant commercialism, football continues to convey that other, the mystery of magic. An imaginative dribble that catches you unawares is enough to positively discharge your whole being, everything is at once forgotten: debts, obligations, anxieties -everything down the drain.
Who knows, maybe the restless spirits of the great Portuguese seafarers, Da Gama and Diaz, there at historic Algoa Bay, with it's mute sea currents, city of the winds, portend thrills for us.
Twitter is naturally dominated by talk of the World Cup these days, especially during the games, when dozens of users take to commenting the games with instant fervor. AntidraSports, quipped on the mostly ballistic USA – England game:
Τυχεροί οι θεατές των άνω διαζωμάτων. Το μεγαλύτερο μέρος του ματς, παίζεται στο ύψος τους. (όσο πιο ψηλά, τόσο πιο καλά).
World Cup and politics go together like football and beer, of course. Constantinos Alexacos wryly commented:
Αργεντινή Ελλάδα, διαιτητής θα παίξει ο Στρος Κααν
On Twitter, team name “hashflags” that make national flag icons appear in tweets, and the #worldcup hashtag that shows a little football, became an instant hit, even with non-fans. Nikos Fotakis admitted:
δεν μ’ ενδιαφέρει το μουντιάλ, αλλά μου αρέσει αυτή η σαχλαμαρίτσα με την μπαλίτσα #outofyourculticloset #sucker #worldcup
Vivian Efthimiopoulou tried the obvious: “Come on little ball! Out with you! #worldcup”
The vuvuzela, a South African favorite noisemaker whose sound dominates games in the World Cup, also dominated conversations in the Greek Twittersphere. Most just hated it, despite there being similar Greek instruments, sometimes employed in stadiums. Stavros Papadakis described their sound with a literary simile from Tolkien's Lord of the Rings,
λες και παίζουν στους βάλτους με τα κουνούπια στη Gorgoroth!
Even animals were apparently affected. Anastasia Kamvissi protested that:
Οι γάτες μου, έξαλλες με τις βουβουζέλες, θέλουν  να φάνε την τηλεόραση
Nikos Anagnostou mused on the linguistic roots of the word:
Αυτό το -ζέλα στο βουβουζέλα πρέπει να έχει μουσική σημασία. Μου θυμίζει τον ΜουφλουΖΕΛΗ (ρεμπέτης) και τον ΚουκουΖΕΛΗ (βυζαντ. υμνογράφος)
On the day of the Greek national team‘s first match with South Korea, June 12,  fans were jubilant. As political tensions between the two Koreas were flaring, xtsanos teasingly cheered the team on,
Πάμε ρε Ελλαδάρα! Κάνε χαρούμενο τον Κιμ-Γιονγκ Ιλ :-P #gre #wc10gr
But the Greek team probably didn't make the North Korean leader happy. It was generally agreed they played a wretched game. Eric Parks summed up the first half of the game:
We're behind, ref denied Koreans a clear penalty & they had the best chance so far. Ah, I can smell the summer of 94′ already #worldcup  #gre
XML guru Tim Bray wondered,
So is #kor  really as great as they're looking, or is #gre  just having a really bad day? #worldcup
… to which software developer Vassilis Rizopoulos replied:
@timbray #kor are good enough, but #gre is not really having a bad day…it's their normal state. '04 was a fluke #worldcup
The World Cup even brought legendary blogs out of hiatus. Yorgos Panzaris reassessed his predictions made 4 years ago on Reality Tape,
Φυσικά έπεσα έξω σχεδόν σε όλα τα τολμηρά — τέσσερα χρόνια μοιάζουν πάρα  πολλά την επομένη του τελικού, ελάχιστα σήμερα
Dribble & Drink, a collective blog for humorous football punditry created during the last World Cup was also resurrected. A contributor nicknamed The Grass waxes lyrically on the supposedly mythological significance of low play:
Είναι ίσως γραφτό σε μια εποχή που η ανθρωπότητα παρακμάζει αναζητώντας  αξίες και πρότυπα, το πρώτο mundial στην Αφρικανική ήπειρο – εκεί που άρχισαν όλα – να σημαδευτεί  από την θριαμβευτική επιστροφή στις ρίζες [..] Το ποδόσφαιρο  κατοχής της σφαίρας και διατήρησης της ιερής σχέσης που έχει αυτή με το  γκαζόν
Not everyone was happy with the attention garnered by the World Cup, however. Eleftheria Katsianou openly warned about the football “war of the sexes”,
Όσο οι αντρες θα βλέπουν μπαλα για ένα μηνα, οι γυναίκες θα “παίζουν” μπάλα ελεύθερα. Thank u #mundial
Arkoudos poignantly commented on the political aspect of  the whole globe turning it's gaze to spectator sports for a month with a new “issue” of his faux-magazine, Point of View. The caption on the cover reads: “Come on kid, don't pretend you don't understand. It's the World Cup.”

author: Asteris Masouras


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Haiti: Profiting from Disaster?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Haitian Blogger suggests that “Haiti's calamity is a windfall  for everyone, except Haitians living in Haiti in the camps.”


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India: A Challenging Journey Forward · Global Voices
Rezwan

K Vishwanath Reddy at  The Call Of India discusses about the challenging journey forward of India, the world's largest democracy.


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India: EcoFestival 2010 · Global Voices
Rezwan

Alexandra at India Climate Solutions writes about the EcoFestival 2010 which took place in New Delhi recently. The festival is aimed at “creating greater awareness, interest and actions to mitigate climate change”, informs Kriti, the organizer team.


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Iran: Repressed at home, Iranians protest worldwide · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

While several witnesses in Tehran said that scattered clashes erupted between Iran's security forces and demonstrators marking the first anniversary of a contested presidential election on 12 June, protests also occurred in many different cities of the world, from Ankara, Turkey to Vancouver, Canada, where people chanted against Iran's government.
Several videos appear on YouTube.
Japan: Dictator leave the country
Canada: with masks and notebooks
Turkey: chanting by Iran's embassy

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iraq: A Series of Explosions  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Iraqi Pundit comments on the series of explosions that rocked Baghdad yesterday. “Whoever attacked wanted to remind us they're still around,” he remarks.


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Israel: Barred from Spain’s Gay Pride Parade · Global Voices
Maya Norton

In an entry entitled “You Know You're an Outcast When…” Israeli blogger David Bogner remarks on Spain's barring of Israel from its gay pride parade. Meanwhile, Tel Aviv celebrated its largest parade ever with 100,000 participants, Isrealli reports.

author: Maya Norton


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Israel: iPhone Weather App Divides Jerusalem · Global Voices
Maya Norton

If you want to know the weather for Jerusalem on your iPhone, you're going to have to get specific, reports Jewlicious‘ CK. You will now have to choose between East and West Jerusalem. “On the Yahoo weather page East Jerusalem’s weather is in Palestinian Occupied Territories >West Bank >Jerusalem and West Jerusalem’s weather is in Weather >Israel >Yerushalayim >Jerusalem.”


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Israel: Politics and Protest with Humor · Global Voices
Maya Norton

I see your protest and I raise you one. Jameel of the Muqata gives us politics with a much needed sense of humor. Last Saturday, a left-wing demonstration protesting 43 years of Israeli occupation in the West Bank was infiltrated by counter protesters holding signs such as, “We believe in blah-blah-blah,” and “We make the world abandon reason”- an Israeli cultural reference based on the recent “We Con the World” video. See blog for photos.


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Israel: Violence, Non-Violence, and Palestinian Solidarity  · Global Voices
Maya Norton

In “7 Reasons I'm Conflicted about the Fredom Flotilla” Daniel Sieradski writes: “By engaging in violence…[the activists] have demonstrated succinctly to Israel's supporters and allies that they, and by extension all Palestinian solidarity activists, are neither non-violent nor pro-peace. This hampers their cause and the greater cause of Palestinian liberation.”


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Jamaica, Guyana: Passing on the Classics · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Any list of Caribbean classics ultimately has to be the responsibility of Caribbean people wherever we are. And we’re not only responsible for creating a canon, but also for passing it on…”: Guyanese diaspora Charmaine Valere weighs in on Geoffrey Philp's question as to what constitutes a Caribbean literary classic.


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Kyrgyzstan: Provocateurs seen behind ethnic clashes  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

As reported, on June 10, clashes between the ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbek population in the southern Kyrgyzstan have developed into a large-scale violence and further exodus of the Uzbeks residing in Kyrgyzstan.
Three days of pogroms have led to serious humanitarian disaster in the isolated conflict zone – the population still has limited access to telephony, electricity and food products after several nights of shooting and looting. There was a threat that the conflict could involve other regions of the Southern Kyrgyzstan, including Jalal-Abad (the former president Bakiyev's homeland), which is close to Osh, the place of initial unrest.
Currently, the situation is seemingly improving, after the Interim government introduced strict regime of emergency, empowering the army with the mandate to shoot the looters. Several provocateurs were detained and interrogated, among whom the officials identify “the former higher politician”, yet his name remains undisclosed so far. The patriarchs from both ethnic communities are meeting with the people and urging them to calm down and reconcile.
Investigation revealed that the alleged incidents, which resulted in clashes (beating or raping of a representative of one ethnos by a representative of another) were invented. Bloggers in the northern parts of the country collect food and clothes to send to their compatriots as a humanitarian aid, call on each other to refill the balance of cellphones of the Osh-based journalists, and simply can't keep their emotions, their posts being prayers for peace:
“I fell in love with this town once I got there. […] It was calm and spiritual, with so many kids playing right on the streets. Now it is ruined, and the people are killed…” sam-des writes, also posting a series of photos of the once peaceful Osh [ru].
Sabinareingold is scared that this may happen in the capital one day or another, as soon as Kyrgyzstan is very diverse ethnically [ru]:
I am afraid that provocateurs may some day stage the same in Bishkek. The country is in a desperate condition […]. I hate the provocateurs and those who followed them. I try to believe in the best, but I prepare for the worst. […] I cry and I mourn…
Morrire notes [ru]:
“There are very few trustworthy sources. Emotions are extreme, and I understand and share the fear of the defenseless people. […] There are a lot of provocateurs. Residents hear shooting all the time”. She adds: “As seen from the on-site reports, the situation is exacerbated intentionally”.
UlanMelisbek tweets, as many more other Kyrgyzstanis, numerous appeals to the confronting sides [ru]:
Neither Kyrgyzs, nor Uzbeks are to be blamed for the bloodshed. It's the Bakiyev's fault, and let them be damned.
Azamatrix urges:
STOP talking about ‘ethnic clashes’. It's groups of BANDITS killing both Uzbeks and Kyrgyz!
Apart from separate online-voiced versions of the conflict's roots blaming CIA or Russia and Uzbekistan, the main version is that the provocation was set up by the previous power, especially after former president Bakiyev two months ago vowed to “drown the country in blood”:
“It is obvious that somebody is manipulating the situation in an attempt to cause a clash between the Uzbeks and Kyrgyzs. It looks like there are Bakiyev's people behind this provocation, which threw a big part of the country in chaos”, writes Foto-nebo [ru].
Several hours ago it became known [ru] that among the leaders of the provocateurs, detained in Jalal-Abad, there was one of the closest allies of ex-president Bakiyev and another one is, probably, his nephew. Another piece of news arrived from London – Maksim Bakiyev, son of the fled dictator and former Kyrgyz tycoon – has been arrested after a top secret swoop by the UK Border Agency.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Laos: Forced to buy bracelets? · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

To mark Vientiane's 450th anniversary this year, local authorities issued bracelets for distribution. But there are rumors that rural villagers are being forced to buy these bracelets.

author: Mong Palatino


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Laos: Korean star visits schools · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Korean actor Jang Dong-gun visited schools in Laos where he gave free meals and starred in an anti-poverty documentary by the UN World Food Program


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Myanmar: No power shortage during World Cup broadcast · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Myanmar football fans are happy to discover that power supply seems stable during the TV broadcast of World Cup games.


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Pakistan: Budget Sans Public · Global Voices
Rezwan

Raza Rumi at Pak Tea House criticizes the lack of public consultation in the budgetary processes in Pakistan.


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Peru: Cyber-Activism in Chimbote · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Since November of last year, when I wrote [es] about the activity of blogs and Twitter in the city of Chimbote, some important incidents have taken place; some of those came to light when I spoke to some bloggers [es] from Chimbote last January. In the recent months, more people have joined these blogging and Twitter initiatives and the integration has expanded to Facebook. Augusto Rubio, from the blog Marea Cultural, worried about the regrettable state of the roads in Chimbote, took advantage of this occasion and called for a public forum. The announcement for a type of smart mob and public forum was sent through Facebook under the name, S.O.S. ¡Arreglen las Pistas de Chimbote!…[es] (S.O.S Repair the Roads of Chimbote!):
S.O.S.  ¡ARREGLEN LAS PISTAS DE CHIMBOTE!… aspira a canalizar las inquietudes de los chimbotanos y de quienes visitan el puerto y constatan el caos que vivimos, de quienes desean solucionar con propuestas el grave problema que origina el mal estado de las pistas producto de obras públicas inconclusas y la incapacidad de quienes malgobiernan como ya hemos manifestado. Súmate a esta cruzada!…
S.O.S REPAIR THE ROADS OF CHIMBOTE!…aspires to channel the anxiety of the people of Chimbote and of those who visit our town and notice the chaos in which we live, of those who wish to find solutions with proposals to the severe problem that originates from the poor state of the roads as a product of unfinished public works and the incapability of those who wrongfully govern like we have manifested.  Join us in this crusade!…
Image of event SOS Repair the Roads of Chimbote, used with permission from Augusto Rubio.
On his personal blog Habla, Cabeza e’libro (Speak, Book Head) Augusto added [es]:
“Voces por el cambio“, a través de ésta la primera convocatoria 2.0 de activismo y participación ciudadana, aspira a generar la movilización social reformulando el ejercicio del poder a través de las nuevas tecnologías y de esta forma cambiar la agenda pública hasta ahora copada y dominada por medios de comunicación tradicionales mayormente de espaldas al pueblo y a favor de intereses económicos y grupo de poder.
“Voices for change,” through this first 2.0 call of activism and citizen participation, aspired to generate a social mobilization to reformulate the exercise of power through new technologies and in this way change the public agenda which up to now has been dominated by the mainstream media mainly behind the back of the people and in favor of economic interests and of a group with power.
Soon this call for a smart mob won followers not only on Facebook but also on blogs of other people from Chimbote. This is the case with Gelen Salinas who said the following [es] through the blog Espacio Sideral =) [es]:
Las autoridades no ven (o no quieren  ver) el daño que producen al no concluir con el arreglo de las pistas;  ya que los transportistas no ven más solución que hacerse notar con sus estruendosos claxon y gritarse entre ellos para que “avancen” en un vía donde el comienzo es notable pero el final es toda una utopía. Esto no sólo produce molestías que van desde el sentimiento de desagrado y la incomididad de los transeúntes; sino que ocasionan daños irreversibles en el sistema auditivo.
Authorities don’t see (or don’t want to see) the damage they cause by not finishing the repair of the roads: drivers don’t see any other way of getting noticed than through their noisy honking and yelling at each other so that they can “move forward” in a road where the beginning is visible but the end is not. This doesn’t only cause nuisances that can be seen in the displeasure and discomfort of the drivers; but it also causes irreversible damage to our auditory system.
Another blogger from Chimbote, Katia Cruz, spread [es] information on the smart mob through her blog Detrás del Telón (Behind the Curtain)
(se) ha convocado a las personas conscientes al plantón y foro público “S.O.S. ¡Arreglen las pistas de Chimbote!”, a realizarse este jueves 3 de Junio a partir de las 11.00 a.m. en la berma central de la Av. Pardo (esquina con Enrique Palacios), Plaza de Armas.
A call has been made to people conscious about the smart mob and public forum “S.O.S Repair the Roads of Chimbote!,” which will take place this Thursday June 3, starting at 11:00 a.m. in the central berm of Pardo Avenue (corner of Enrique Palacios), Plaza de Armas.
The blog Expresarte Siempre (Always Express Yourself) reflects [es] on the situation:
Mirar nuestras calles y pistas, es más, pasar por ahí  me da mucho qué pensar y la verdad tengo tantas cosas qué decir, quisiera también que traten de explicarme porqué tanto tiempo… Y bueno, por los comentarios de los conductores de las combis, los colectivos, los mototaxis  y transeúntes ese detalle o esas preguntas no sólo me las hago yo. Por un lado qué bueno! Pero por otro lado, ¿qué hacemos para que nuestra voz se escuche?
En la actividad, cito textualmente, “será posible escuchar de primera mano a los ciudadanos de diversas zonas del puerto que sufren desde hace mucho tiempo las consecuencias del abandono y el caos en que vivimos a raíz de las inconclusas y ‘prolongadas’ obras públicas que han acarreado una serie de males ante la pasividad e indiferencia de las ‘autoridades’, quienes también han sido invitadas”.
In the activity, I quote directly, “it will be possible to listen directly to the citizens of various zones of the port that have been suffering for a long time the consequences of the abandonment and chaos that we live in because of the inconclusive and ‘prolonged’ public works that have brought with them a series of ills thanks to the passiveness and indifference from the ‘authorities’ who has also been invited”
Finally, the day arrived and the smart mob and public forum took place. During a couple of hours the organizers took a small but central space in the city (after they arranged the corresponding municipal permits) and armed with microphones, sound equipment, a banner and a huge sign, and their strong lungs of course, encouraged pedestrians to leave their opinion about the issue of the bad state of the roads in Chimbote (pictures of the roads can be seen here and more pictures of the event can be seen here)
Image of event SOS Repair the Roads of Chimbote; people write on “Cadáver Exquisito” (a huge sign with messages). Used with permission from Augusto Rubio.
The response was truly encouraging and the event caught the attention of curious people walking by, and the media was also present. Various of those interested in what everything was about ended up leaving their own testimony, opinion or request on the big sign or “Cadáver Exquisito” [es] “Exquisite Cadaver”. During the three hours that the evening lasted, about 120 people participated actively and many more watched. Despite the fact that no authority made an appearance, this has been a move in an interesting direction to contribute to raising consciousness in the somewhat sleepy society of Chimbote.
Here you can watch a video [es] where Augusto Rubio explains how the initiative began and expands on related issues.

author: Juan Arellano


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Philippines: Best and worst library schools · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Here is a list of the best and worst library schools in the Philippines, based on the blog post of blogger Filipino librarian


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Russia: Authorities Anounce “Social Plan” for Internet Access · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Igor Schegolev, Russian minister of Communications, announced [RUS] today that country's largest, state-controlled, access provider “Svyazinvest“ [ENG] will launch a subsidized Internet access plan. Users of the new “Social” plan will be able to access few “socially important” websites for lower price (at reduced speed, though). Few days earlier, “Social Plug“, a parallel state project offering access to limited number of websites in every home, had been approved [RUS].

author: Gregory Asmolov


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Saudi Arabia: How a Censored Page Looks Like  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Twitter, JawazSafar shows how a censored page appears in Saudi Arabia here.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Singapore: Swiss national charged over train vandalism · Global Voices
Shawn Lim

On 17 May, Swiss national Oliver Fricker and his suspected accomplice, Briton Lloyd Dane Alexander, allegedly breached the perimeter fence at the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) Changi Depot.  The two men are alleged to have then spray-painted graffiti on one of the carriages of the trains.
A video of the incident was posted on YouTube the next day and the online community quickly picked it up and the video went viral on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and also on blogs and forums.
SMRT's staff only discovered the act of vandalism two days later, on 19 May, after the act was first committed. Fricker was charged in court on 5 June for vandalising the MRT train by spraying graffiti on it and damaging public property by cutting a wired fence. An Interpol arrest warrant is out on Lloyd Dane Alexander. The Briton is believed to have left Singapore and is in Hong Kong. In Singapore, vandalism is punishable by up to three years in jail or a maximum fine of S$2,000, plus three to eight strokes of the cane.
Singaporean socio-political blogger, Kristen Han wrote that this incident was a wake up call for SMRT:
Singaporean design blogger, Pure Libre, wanted the Singapore government to look at the real issue at hand:
Singaporean blogger, Roger Poh, writes that instead of punishing Fricker and Alexander, SMRT should be punished:

author: Shawn Lim


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South Africa: The Vuvuzela World Cup Debate · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Perhaps the defining sights to date of the 2010 World Cup have been the sparkling new stadiums or the colorful costumes worn by fans of each of the 32 competing nations. Without a doubt, the defining sound of the tournament has been the droning sound of the vuvuzela, which can be heard by spectators attending the games or by the television viewer. The notable sound has sparked a debate whether the vuvuzela adds or takes away from the World Cup experience.
For local South African football fans, the vuvuzela has been a natural part of the conduct of watching a match, and wonder what is the fuss. However, for international visitors and viewers the sound of the plastic instrument has been a novelty.
Photo of Vuvuzela at Soccer City by alvez and used under a Creative Commons license.
This debate dates back to the 2009 Confederations Cup held in South Africa, which may have been the first exposure to the sound for many global football fans. Some called for the vuvuzela to be banned from the stadium by those who said that it took away from the enjoyment of the game. FIFA President Sepp Blatter, however, gave his full backing to allowing the use of vuvuzelas at the 2010 World Cup. He said, “we should not try to europeanise an African World Cup.“
Now, just days into the tournament, it has become a topic on the internet by those who complain about it, as well as those who defend the instrument, and even by those who criticize those grumbling about the vuvuzela. Even though there are some reports that FIFA may look into restricting the vuvuzela due to television complaints, many feel that it will continue on.
Syrian twitterer Anas Qtiesh compares the sound to that of a swarm of insects and writes, “we need to fumigate the stadium, the bee situation is getting out of hand.” Several Twitter accounts are appearing to encourage more complaints about the vuvuzela: @stopvuvuzela, @vuvuneela, and @vuvunee.
There were others quick to defend the football tradition in South Africa. Michelle Sibanda (@pinkminx36) writes:
The vuvuzela is part of our country's heritage…so NO we wont stop blowing it and you can complain till the cows come home!!!”
The criticism about the buzzing sound of the vuvuzela proved to be quite humorous for some, who turned around to make light of their complaints. Daniel Reeders (@onekind) stated:
Western world discovers Africa, discovers it to be loud, discordant, overwhelming, and retires to twitter to complain #vuvuzela
Finally, Karabo Harry (@kayrabH) puts it all into perspective by offering a suggestion:
If the sound of the #Vuvuzela irritates you get #EarPlugs & complain about beeger things like #Illiteracy & #Poverty.

author: Eduardo Avila


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South Korea: Understanding the Oil Spill From Painful Experience · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

As the BP oil spill disaster in the United States is reported in South Korea, numerous Korean bloggers, for whom painful memories of the deadliest oil spill in Korean history in 2007 remains fresh, are expressing their worries and sympathy to the oil spill victims.
In December 2007, 2.7 million gallons of crude oil gushed into Korea's scenic west sea near the Port of Daesan on the Yellow Sea coast of Taean County after a crane barge owned by Samsung Heavy Industries slammed into the Hebei Spirit, a Hong Kong-registered crude oil carrier, spotting Korea's west coast with jet black crude oil.
[Photos from a blogger who participated in the clean up process as a volunteer.]
Around 1.2 million people from different social backgrounds volunteered in the West Sea shore clean-up process which lasted for several months. Celebrities, politicians and professionals from various fields scrubbed stones covered in oil by hand, one-by-one, using absorbent materials to soak up the remaining oil.
A volunteer of the Taean clean-up process reported on her blog the mild distress she suffered during the clean-up work and following days due to the strong smell of the oil:
기름을 닦아내도 바닷물이 들어오면 다시 엉망이 되고마는
태안. 기름 냄새에 속이 울렁거리고 머리가 지끈거린다…집에 돌아온 지금도 온 몸이 으실으실하고 속이 메스겁다.
Even though the Korean government dispatched hundreds of vessels, cranes, helicopters and airplane to the west coast, most of the clean-up process had to rely on people's hands as the oil permeated deep and wide into the shore's complicated landscape, hiding itself in the sand and millions of rocks laying there.
A blogger on his Daum blog noted that the BP oil spill clean-up process might speed up if more manpower and financial support are injected to the process, at the same time expressing envy of the US’ high-end cleanup equipment:
부자 나라답게 장비도 고급이고 대량으로 투입하기 때문에 방제작업을 의외로 싱겁게 끝날지도 모르겠습니다. 앞서도 언급했지만 손으로 일일이 닦아 내던 우리의 현실이 겹쳐집니다. …이번 사태를 대비해서 Oil pollution trust fund(기금)을 조성하여…1건당 사용 가능한 금액은 US$ 1bn (1억 달러)인데 이번 사고를 처리하기에는 턱 없이 적다는 생각이 듭니다. 우리나라처럼 자원봉사자가 많으면 모르겠지만.
Local media reported that the Taean oil leak was only two-thirds the amount of oil that spews from the BP oil pipe on a single day. And it was one-third of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Nevertheless it was deadly enough to kill marine life in one of Korea's largest wetland areas, damaging the fishing industry and 445 sea farms, and the tourism industry by tainting a national maritime park, thereby wrecking people's livelihoods. Samsung, one of biggest multinational conglomerate corporations in Korea, had been blamed for causing the disaster for letting its barge go wild with loose cables linking it to the tug. As the oil spill case in Mexico Gulf appeared, Koreans came to recall that Samsung Heavy Industries got off with a relatively light punishment.
A Naver blogger expresses a unpleasant feeling toward governments and companies’ shirking their responsibilities:
지난 2007년 겨울 한국에서 발생했던 서해 태안 기름 유출
사건을 연상케 합니다…우리는 지난 태안 기름 유출 사건때 수많은 자원봉사자들의 덕에 빠르게 정상화를 찾아갔던 기억이 있습니다… 미국 정부도 이번 사건의 늑장대응에 대한 책임을 피하기는 쉽지 않을 것 같습니다. 열심히 BP에 모든
책임을 떠넘기고 있군요. 한국에서 태안 기름 유출을 일으킨 삼성 중공업이 고작 56억원의 손해 배상 책임을 판결 받은 것을 기억하니 무지하게 씁쓸합니다.
With its compensation cap limited to 5.6 billion Korean won, Samsung was fined only 30 million Korean won, or about USD 22,000.
Some blogger are approaching this issue from a realistic angle. One Naver blogger have posted speculation on affect the BP oil disaster will have on oil prices, himself predicting that it will surpass USD 100 dollar a barrel soon in this year.
Another OhMyNews blogger stressed the urgent need to seek a fundamental way to stop oil disasters from recurring:
궁극적으로 전세게가 하루빨리 원유 의존에서 벗어나 친환경 에너지로 하루빨리 바꿔야 하겠습니다…우리 모두 같은 지구촌 사람인이상 남의 일이 아닙니다.
Koreans, after being burnt from their oil spill disaster, have expressed their sincere worries over the the endless spewing of the oil in the United States and the aftermath it will bring on a global level.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Taiwan: The Chinese nation meme · Global Voices
David Reid

Letters from Taiwan writes about the Chinese nation meme and how this is used by President Ma Ying-jeou to imply that both Taiwan and China are part of the Chinese Nation. However, this meme is just one of two competing memes about national identity in Taiwan.

author: David Reid


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The Internet Situation In China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The Angry Chinese Bloggers comments on the “controversy” and “debate” on the latest China internet policy white paper.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Trinidad & Tobago: Budget of the People? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

KnowTnT.com applauds the new Finance Minister's initiative “to design a ‘dialogue process’ for all stakeholders to voice their opinions on the Republic’s budget”, saying: “He leads a process (if genuine) of true participatory/contributory governance.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Watchful Eye · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This Beach Called Life is keeping a close eye on the weather.


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Uruguay: Effect of European Crisis · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The blog Visión Universitaria [es] looks at how the European crisis has affected Uruguay.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Afghanistan: Death of al-Qaeda’s leader · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding reports on the death of Sheikh Mustafa Abu al-Yazid in a US drone strike in North Waziristan, noting that it came as a huge blow for al-Qaeda, as soon as the man was the head of the organisation in Afghanistan since May 2007.


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Afghanistan: Fresh Allegations Against Karzai · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nasim Fekratْ reports that Taliban revealed information regarding its relationship with the Afghan authorities.


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Afghanistan: Reintegrating Taliban fighters  · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nick Fielding reviews a new report by the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Australia, devoted to the issue if the Afghan Government's reintegration and reconciliation efforts bring peace to Afghanistan.


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Bangladesh: The Nimtoli Inferno · Global Voices
Rezwan

In a photo essay Back To Bangladesh does a post mortem of the Nimtoli fire disaster in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh where a fire inside a building took 142 lives.

author: Rezwan


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Bhutan: Breast Envy · Global Voices
Rezwan

Bhutanese blogger Passu feels that if he only could breastfeed his newborn daughter, he would feel like a complete father.


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Brazil: Stefhany, Authentic Pop Star Rises from the Web · Global Voices
Debora Baldelli

Stefhany's tour bus from her Official Blog
Stefhany is known as “Beyonce from Piauí”. Her first video “Eu sou Stefhany” [I am Stefhany], uploaded to Youtube by a friend and fan, has had almost 2 million views so far. Her first video was a version for the song “A thousand miles”, from Vanessa Carlton, which included a version of  Beyonce's “All the Single Ladies” choreography.  She is inspired by mostly female pop stars, but produces remakes of their work with the resources availed for a new born internet star. Some think that her work is corny [pt], and some say the opposite [pt]. The fact is that though her work was once considered “viral”, there is no doubt that she is now part of the Brazilian Popular Music Scene. Blogger Fabinho Vieira, from Doce de Pimenta [Pepper Sweet, pt] explains the important role internet has played in her success:
Não que eu a ache a mais bela de todas, ou a melhor cantora, ou por ela ser absoluta. Mas pelo fato dela ser, simplesmente, ela. Não sou fã desses estilos (…), mas defendo que são expressões que merecem respeito, principalmente porque fogem dos conceitos impostos por uma mídia elitista, dando voz a um povo, que é a maioria, e verdadeiro consumidor da própria cultura, provando que, mesmo quando há uma mídia (e jabás) impondo o que se deve consumir, as pessoas sabem o que querem, e procuram.
Considero a internet uma grande colaboradora disso. (…) A explosão da nova cantora veio por uma razão a mim estranha: ela foge dos padrões. Assim como Joelma do Calypso já fugia, mas não com tanta inocência e convicção (nem vídeos tão toscos). Foi justamente essa tosqueira que rodeia Stefhany que fez dela um fenômeno. E como todo fenômeno, a mídia quer explorá-lo até onde puder (…) às custas de seu sotaque “exótico”, nordestino e de seus figurinos criados pela própria mãe.
It's not that I think of her as the most beautiful woman, or the best singer or because she is “absolut”, but for the fact that she is simply herself. I'm not a fan of this music (…), but I respect it as cultural expression, mainly because it doesn't follow mainstream media concepts, but it gives a voice to the people, who are the main consumers of their own culture, proving that, even with the media imposing what people should consume, people know what they want and look for.
I consider the internet a major contributor to that. (…) The reason of her success is for me strange: it avoids the patterns as Joelma from Calypso once did, but not with so much innocence and conviction (or corny videos). It is exactly because of the lack of patterns that Stefhany became a phenomenon. And like any phenomenon  the media wants to exploy it as far as it is possible  in spite of her exotic and northeastern accent and her clothes created by her mother.
Watch “Eu sou Stefhany” [I am Stefhany] at Youtube:
From Piauí to Fame
The fact that Stefhany [pt] is from Piauí does make a difference in the hype wave she is causing and also in the way she is seen by the media and general public. Piauí, in the Northeast of Brazil, borders Bahia, Pernambuco, Ceará and Maranhão and shares the exaggerated stereotype [pt] of most cities from this region: a poor state [pt] with very hot weather, great beaches, high taxes of unemployment and rural exodus, people with funny accents and exotic taste for music.
As for music, the northeastern region is one of the most creative parts of the country. The musical atmosphere of Piauí, has direct influence on Stefhany’s style. Forró, one of the most popular musical genres from the Northeast, can easily be identified in the artist's music style of melody and harmony, as well as for her use of instruments and musical effects. Moreover, Calypso [an Afro-Caribbean music, but also the name of a very famous band from the north of Brazil, pt], is also seen as an influence to Stefhany’s music.
No one is indifferent to such artistic exoticism. Zeca Camargo writes about the cloud of controversy surrounding Stefhany when he posted about her in his blog:
Quando eu escrevi sobre Stephany, em abril do ano passado, a desconfiança de boa parte das pessoas que leram era tão grande, que não faltaram comentários insinuando que eu estava usando o vídeo da cantora para disfarçadamente humilhá-la, criticá-la, e diminuir seu trabalho – quando minhas intenções, dentro da minha fé no universo pop, tinham o objetivo exatamente oposto: elogiar sua iniciativa (teve gente que chegou até a insinuar que eu estava usando a Stefhany como desculpa para falar mal de toda a cultura do Piauí).
Stefhany has also caught the attention of big corporate groups who have been using her image to promote products, namely car brands which she inserted in her lyrics, raising a true wave of strong opinions among netcitizens, as thoroughly reported in the website Stefhany Trocou de Carro [Stefhany has Switched her Car – watch the video in English].
In order to show she doesn’t care about the bad critics (or to use it as good marketing), she wrote her last work song “Falem mal, mas falem de mim” [You can praise or gossip about me, as long as you keep talking about me.].
Watch the video with English subtitles:
Stefhany’s Artistic Path
As an authentic Internet Pop Star, Stefhany recently launched her new album for free download, following her typical marketing technique based on the upload to Youtube of a home made video. This technique allows her to update her followers about her new tunes. She recognizes the importance of Youtube in her career, as she wrote in her personal twitter account on May 18th:
@StefhanyCross hoje o youtube está completando 5 anos, e eu estou parabenizando ele por existir e por me tornar conhecida pelo mundo todo.
Stefhany's Youtube Channel
Stefhany's genuine nature, strong personality and great self-esteem got her unexpected attention from the public. Since her first video “Eu sou Stefhany” [I am Stefhany], in which she says she is “absolute”, meaning she is a gorgeous and confident woman, a lot of women adopted her motto. In the northeastern part of the country, her concerts usually have an audience larger than the whole population of her home town, Inhuma.
In her lyrics and extravagant videos she likes to show her self as an independent and sexy woman who does not need anyone to be happy. The twittosphere shows a great respect for the artist:
@McestrelinhaFly melhor do q funk só musica da Stefhany [ to falando seerioo, intaum canta musica da DEWA ABSOLUUTA *-*
@eDDuLeroy Posso falar? Não que eu escute o estilo de música daStefhany, mas dentro do que ela se propõe a fazer, faz MUITO BEM.
@ArthurLobato50 STEFHANY É MUITO DIVA, O QUE VOCÊS ACHAM DELA
Going through all the positive and negative comments online, it is evident that Stefhany can definitely provoke intense declarations, either of love or hate. However no one can doubt her authentic personality and artistic style, and how the internet made possible the birth of a very important Brazilian pop star. And the fact that she is a woman and from the Northeast is just a plus. An interesting critic point of view from blog Na Cidade dos Outros [In the City of Others, pt] synthesizes Stefhany phenomenon:
Não resisti em fazer um post sobre a riqueza que um vídeo como esse representa. ele pode ser usado como símbolo da cultura digital por escancarar questões frequentemente discutidas por empresários da indústria cultural, como plágio relativo à remix de melodia, e aqui também à dancinha famosa de beyonce. (…) O novo sucesso de Stefhany não deve ser tão ridicularizado como fazem em comentários no youtube com a intenção de mostrar-se distante desse universo popular, mas sim visto como um exemplo nítido do uso em comum à internet, feito por todas classes.

author: Debora Baldelli


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China: Post 80s rural worker · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A recent wave of labour strike in China has attracted local and foreign media's attention. While local media has been harmonized by the propaganda department in order to stop workers from copying each others’ spontaneous protests, foreign media, such as The New York Times, believe that it is a beginning of a labour movement for independent labour union.
It is probably too soon to announce the coming of independent labour union, however, the recent strikes do have some distinctively new feature, which comes along with the rise of a new subjectivity. Many say that the suicides and the protests are the post 80's generation's discontents.
Huang Qian-hong, a Twitterer in his mid-twenties, describes himself as post 80 rural worker. In fact he had three-year working experience in FoxConn and four years in Honda, both companies has been facing worker protest, the former by consecutive suicides, the latter by  strike. He compared the working conditions between the two companies via twitter back in May:
Huang:日本人在中国不敢太嚣张，因为政府不敢太纵容。政府一手制造的民族反日情绪，让一些人不敢太明显的抱日本人的大腿。
Huang:在富士康最高工资没有超过3000元，在本田最高工资没有超过8000元，在本田最低没有低过2000元。所以，本田确实比富士康好。
Huang:在富士康工作最多一个月加班达到120个小时，在本田工作加班从来不会超过36个小时。
Huang:在富士康恨不得你每天24小时上班，在本田根本不让员工加班。
Huang在富士康同事的流动率特高，在本田的同事很少辞职。
Huang富士康只有过年的时候放几天假，很多员工过年都没有假放，所以富士康有员工好几年没有回老家的，很正常。这种环境下，人的心理真的会变态。没有感情诉说的空间，心理太容易变化了。
Huang本田系，每年过年会放8～9天假，五一会放7天假，十一会放7天假，8月份还会放9天左右的高温假。放假都是有工资发的。这样每个员工每年都有机会回老家。放这么多假是因为日本人也要回日本老家。日本人的观念里，管理者和员工是一样的，都需要时间回老家。所以，都放假。
In early June, a FoxConn worker died from exhaustion and Huang explained:
Huang在 富士康8点上班，20点下班。从工厂到宿舍要30分钟，回去洗澡洗衣服要1个小时。8个人一间房，洗澡要排队。等大家都洗涮完大概就23点了，然后躺在床 上聊聊天，一般都要到凌晨才睡觉，第二天7点起床，又开始一天的工作。这就是富士康员工的生存状态，常年累月睡眠不够，是很容易猝死的。
Huang decided to return home to Hunan last year despite the fact that he made a rather good income in Honda factory because:
Huang:我个人的原因如下：一、长沙的经济这几年发展很好，企业增加很多，而且工资比珠三角还要高一些。一个技术工人，在珠三角可能拿2400左右，在长沙的知名工程机械厂可以拿到5000多。在长沙工作比较好找
Huang:二、 结婚生子后，老婆就一直在家带小孩，夫妻两地分居。她娘家人和我家人都希望我回家工作，两夫妻生活在一起。小孩由自己带也比较放心。和家人生活在一起，有 什么事也可以在吃饭的时候，说一说，让精神得到放松。特别是家里有老人，他们可以帮忙解开很多心中的困惑。我爷爷奶奶都在世，经常给我鼓励
Huang:三、 农村有自己的宅基地，自建了300多平米的住房，别墅。建设成本400多元一平方米（包括简单的装修）。到长沙市区1小时车程，不要买房子，只要买辆车子 就行了。而且周围的邻居都差不多，很少有外地人，治安很好。有几家邻居是千万富翁(做花木生意）。我也在家里种了一点花木。
Huang:四、 广州污染太严重，患上了慢性咽喉炎，无药可治，只能到空气好的地方慢慢调养。在广州每个月感冒两次上以，人浑身没劲。早上起床刷牙呕吐到眼泪都出来。旁边 的工厂，每天凌晨两点左右会排气味很难闻的废气，更加重了我的病情。空闲的时候，无处可去，只能在出租屋里上网，感觉生命在虚渡
Huang: 六、 我父母在家旁边的工厂做事，一年收入也有3～4万。如果我回家找不到工作，由父母养着这个家庭也没有问题。现在也是父母当家，我自己挣的钱，只要养小孩。 我父亲才50岁，还可以再当十年家。我有一个从小玩到大的朋友，这三四年发财了，开辆JEEP 4.7L的汽车。他表示随时可以帮助我。
Huang:珠三角的劳工正在急剧减少。我2001年去富士康的时候，要交800元给富士康招聘人员才能进去。从2005年开始，招聘人员就不收钱了。现在只要推荐人进厂，工厂奖励80元。但工人对珠三角恶劣对等劳工的印象已经形成，很难改变。没有人愿意去珠三角作工人了。
Huang:天堂往左，深圳向右。珠三角，是绝大部分打工仔的伤心地。多少少年因为贫困，与心爱的女友分手。多少人眼睁睁的看着港台商人包养自己的心爱的女人。这种无能为力，这种失败感，会导致他的心理严重变形。
Back in 2007, when he was 22, Huang Qian-hong wrote an article reflecting on his life as a rural worker. Recently he re-posted the article to his blog. Below is a tiny excerpt:
我是什么
为什么找工作的时候，感觉别人把我当猴子看？
为什么我笑脸迎人，而人冷脸对我？
为什么好朋友说我什么都好，就是没有钱？
为什么我喜欢的女孩子，她根本就不理我？
为什么别人这么不给我面子？
为什么我19岁，就感觉很累，感觉自己随时可能猝死？
为什么不敢把我的感受认真的告诉别人？
。。。
在周围人的心里我到底是个什么样的人？
自己到底是个什么样的人？


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Colombia: Armed Forces Rescue 4 Hostages Kidnapped by FARC in 1998 · Global Voices
Julián Ortega Martínez

On Sunday June 13 at midday, as most Colombians were getting ready to watch the World Cup football match between Germany and Australia, the news broke: minutes earlier, President Uribe had announced the rescue of General Luis Mendieta and Colonel Enrique Murillo, two Colombian National Police officials kidnapped by FARC November 1, 1998 during the Mitú siege [es] in the Amazon, in the southeastern Vaupés department. Hours later, authorities confirmed that Army Sergeant Arbey Delgado Argote (kidnapped August 3, 1998 in Miraflores, Guaviare) had been rescued too and that Colonel William Donato (kidnapped with Delgado) had escaped. On Monday morning Donato was found safe by the Army (all those rescued had been promoted to higher ranks after a law was approved in Congress [es] in 2008). The rescue, which took place in Calamar, Guaviare, was dubbed Operation Camaleón by the Defense Minister Gabriel Silva. In 2008, Operation Jaque rescued Íngrid Betancourt and other 14 hostages.
People march with sign "FARC and its hostages are a shame for this country" July 20, 2008. Image by Flickr user pattoncito, used under a Creative Commons license.
As the news broke, Colombian Twitter users –while making their bets for the World Cup match– reacted to the news. Most of them with joy [es], others rather suspicious [es] of the timing of this operation, one week before the presidential election run-off between Juan Manuel Santos (former Defense Minister) and Antanas Mockus.
@kaops19852:
Gracias @AlvaroUribeVel  por demostrarles a los amigos de las Farc y a ese grupo que hasta el ultimo día de su mandato los ataca con fuerza
@adrianitaca:
No puedo creer que algunos en vez de alegrarse digan estupideces
@MaisAngel:
La alegría de un rescatado y el grandioso trabajo de las FFAA no deben nublar el análisis.
@sergioand:
No importa si usted es liberal, conservador, Uribista, verde o del PIN. Es un secuestrado menos¡¡¡¡¡¡
@AlfonsoRicoT:
Mejor gol, de #Mundial, anotado por el #Ejército al rescatar a #Mendieta y #Murillo #PiedadCórdoba #Secuestrados #FARC http://bit.ly/9bp4n5
@simonwilchesc (1, 2):
Si hubiera una diferencia más clara entre Gobierno y Estado. Lo de Mendieta no causaría reacciones encontradas y sospechas entre la gente. Y este gobierno ha preferido beneficiar a individuos sobre las instituciones, Es natural que exista la sospecha. No se hagan y no se quejen.
@Tefa_:
Sinceramente creo en la buena fe de la gente. No sean hijueputas, si Uribe los hubiera podido rescatar a todos, lo hubiera hecho.
@klawdy:
Que viva Colombia carajo, viva nuestro glorioso Ejército Nacional!!! Ojalá la maldita “Corte Suprema de Justicia” no los juzgue en 20 años.
@stultaviro:
Si hay un falso positivo, la culpa es de Uribe. Si hay una operación exitosa contra la subversión, es oportunismo de Uribe. Lógica mamerta.
@juanmurs:
De todo corazón me alegro por la liberación de los secuestrados,pero no sabia que cuando hay rescate militar si se permite el show mediatico
@JoseGregorio:
Se necesita un fanatismo inmenso para recibir con odio cualquier logro de Uribe. Me impresionan.
@NiaEsco:
A mi me parece triste que siempre rescaten a los más conocidos. ¿y el resto qué?
@MauricioJaramil:
Qué tontería sugerir que rescate tiene propósitos electorales. El riesgo de una operación fallida era mucho mayor.
@arttesano:
¿ si hemos de estar de algun lado no ha de ser del lado de los secuestrados ? . . .
@egolaxista:
Lo verdaderamente ridículo es que aquí acusen a alguien de no estar contento porque rescataron a un secuestrado.
@jrinconh:
Quienes están contrariados con el rescate porque creen que favorece al candidato del gobierno, harían bien en disimilar un poquito.
@DanielitoBang:
De incoherencias y otras bondades: Malo el show cuando liberaron a Moncayo. Formidable ahora cuando rescataron a Mendieta. ¿Es así?
On Monday morning, the rescued hostages were brought to Bogotá to meet their relatives and receive a medical inspection. Some Twitter users criticized the way journalists covered and behaved during the arrival of the freed hostages and the press conference [es] that followed, as well as the fact that, except Mendieta, the former hostages still had chains on their necks:
@Tefa_:
¿Y esas cadenas que van a mostrar cuántos votos darán? ¿no podían quitárselas o es otra estrategia de JJ?
@juanmurs:
Empezó el show en Catam, me acuerdo cuando dijeron que quitarle las cadenas a Moncayo era una payasada
@kloscorrea:
Parece que algunos periodistas y fotografos quisieran que no estuvieran los familiares estorbando
@hyperconectado:
Deberíamos ser expertos en ruedas de prensa para secuestrados. Pero no.
@programator
¿Sí es necesaria esa música apocalíptica para una noticia? Está bien que pasen los testimonios, pero la banda sonora no.
@_wap_:
Tenian una motosierra para la liberacion, y no tenian una hijueputa segueta o unas pinzas para quitarles esas cadenas? #Libertad
@pcastano
Las últimas liberaciones me han tocado con visitantes estadounidenses en mi casa. Hoy Josh hace preguntas sobre todo este circo…
@AlejitaO:
La libertad de estos colombianos no tiene nada que ver con un color político, todos repudiamos a las Farc, en eso todos nos parecemos.
With the rescue of these 4 hostages, 17 military and police officers remain kidnapped by the FARC [es], which has tried to swap them for imprisoned guerrilla members; there are also hundreds of anonymous hostages [es] in Colombia.

author: Julián Ortega Martínez


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Cuba: Ferrer’s Trial Date · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Uncommon Sense highlights the case of Cuban prisoner of conscience Darsi Ferrer, who is set to stand trial later this month.