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Africa: Misrepresentation of Africa in Movies · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Africa is a Country discusses the film Madagascar in the context of Africa's image in movies: “It doesn’t take a microscopic reading to see that Madagascar is a colonial narrative. The West is represented as the norm, and Africa is represented as savage and exotic to promote the idea of Western normalcy.”


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Azerbaijan: Satirical site blocked? · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Quoting local media, Azeri Report says that a satirical site, Eqreb.com, has been blocked in Azerbaijan. Covering political developments in the oil-rich country, the site has been reported inaccessible since 8 October. On 7 November, Azerbaijanis go to the polls to elect a new parliament and so far users contacted by Global Voices in the capital, Baku, report being unable to access the site except via proxies.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bermuda: Runaround? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Breezeblog comments on the media roundtable hosted by the outgoing Premier: “More like the media getting the runaround.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Bolivia: The Mining Rescue and Chile-Bolivia Relations · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In his blog Pronto, Miguel Centellas analyzes whether the mining rescue will improve bilateral relations between Bolivia and Chile. One of the 33 miners trapped underground is Bolivian [es].

author: Silvia Viñas


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Brazil: Prejudice against atheists · Global Voices
Raphael Tsavkko Garcia

Robson Fernando, in his blog Arauto da Consciência, comments [pt] on an article written by political activist and liberation theologist Frei Betto that argued those who tortured left-wing Brazilian presidential candidate Dilma Rousseff during the Military Dictatorship (1964-1985) “practiced militant atheism.” Fernando claims Betto “slandered atheism and, by extension, disrespected thousands or millions of atheists.”

author: Raphael Tsavkko Garcia


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Brazil: Research and Advances in Renewable Energy Sources · Global Voices
Danilo Gonçalves

Brazil has received acclaim in recent decades as a country of clean energy, with sources like hydroelectric power and alcohol playing a major role in the country’s energy mix. The inclusion of these sources of alternative energy have been made possible thanks to research conducted by various social players and to the government’s adoption of the systems proposed. The Amazônia News blog summarizes the data on energy supply by source [pt]:
De acordo com dados da Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (EPE), 90% da energia gerada no Brasil em 2009, veio de fontes renováveis – principalmente hidráulica (83,7%), biomassa (5,9%) e eólica, com uma pequena participação (0,3%).
Transformar esse potencial natural em capacidade instalada e produção exige superar uma série de gargalos econômicos, tecnológicos, logísticos e regulatórios. A previsão da EPE é de que, até 2019, o perfil da matriz energética brasileira como um todo não mude muito.
Despite the predominant supply of renewable energy that Brazil offers, [see graph by Balanço Nacional de Energia (BEN, pt)], the trajectory of energy use demonstrates that the country’s heaviest consumption is still derived from petroleum-based sources. Thus, there is an excess of renewable energy that Brazil sells to other countries while it is remains obligated to import petroleum-generated energy.
History of Energy Consumption by Source in Brazil – 2009, Source: BEN – 2010 (CC)
The solution to this situation lies in technological advances. One of researchers’ primary objectives is to explore new horizons for humanity, to develop new technologies and adapt technological advances to the most diverse situations. In the field of power generation and use, these efforts are concentrated on enabling the exploration and application of new sources of energy and in studies to make these sources more feasible. This work is made possible only by training qualified professionals and by supporting research centers.
Lightening – A Possible New Source of Energy, by Brujo+ on Flickr (CC)
In recent months, blogs like Lapsblog, Sandro Nasser Sicuto and Tecnólogos Ambientais [all in pt] have reported more than one Brazilian breakthrough in energy and power. On August 25, 2009, at the Boston meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), Unicamp’s Professor Fernando Galembeck introduced a model that captures the electricity that accumulates in atmospheric water droplets, hygroeletricity. This study brings academic light some controversial points regarding the formation of lightening and presents initial steps to harness this source of energy for human development.
The application of this discovery is still being studied and may take some time before its presence is a reality in consumers’ every day lives. Hygroelectricity will likely be harnessed using metal plates, but the materials and mechanisms involved require further study. In a discussion on the blog written by Journalist Luis Nassif regarding an article originally published by António Sisoto, Marko comments on Professor Galembeck’s research position:
Ok Legal mas vamos [com] calma, afinal explicar determinado fenômeno é 1 coisa, extrair utilidade [de] tal explicação são ooooutro$$$$$ 500 (mto$ quinhento$ aliá$$ ) inclusive “outros quinhentos” políticos, e não apenas financeiros…
Ademais, a história está cansada d demonstrar q nem sempre a explicação d determinado fenômeno precede ou é essencial p/a utilização prática do mesmo.
This long road was already traversed in the quest to utilize solar energy. The first steps [pt] in the theoretical development of solar energy were taken in the 1930. At that time, the use of photovoltaic panels was in its infancy. Today, this is a reality [pt] for an untold number of companies and one of the sources for clean energy used to power sustainable projects.
Yet, despite the availability of this technology in the market, according to the Amazônia News blog, the majority of Brazilians are not in any condition to access renewable energy [pt]:
O problema é o preço. A energia solar, ainda é relativamente cara, tornando um empreendimento deste porte inviável economicamente. O que não significa que ela não desempenhe um papel estratégico no desenvolvimento sustentável do país. Segundo [Enio Bueno] Pereira, a estratégia mais simples, seria disseminar o uso de painéis solares em telhados para uso doméstico, como forma de reduzir a demanda sobre o sistema e, assim, liberar mais energia para uso industrial, principalmente nos horários de pico.
Photo from Sociedade do Sol, reprinted with permission
Most consumption in Brazilian residences comes from electric showers. Noting the needs of Brazilian society, a group of researchers at the USP developed a low-cost solar heating system (ASBC in Portuguese). The system uses PVC covering to capture solar energy and heat the water contained in special holder, which can potentially reduce monthly electricity consumption by 60% – savings that recover the initial investment within five months. Numerous Brazilian blogs like that of Carol Daemon have been spreading word about this system and its installation, and the Sociedade do Sol site even includes free installation manuals as well as a list of material suppliers [all in pt].
Wind energy has also been gaining ground with a number of companies that have placed their bets on the importance of this clean-energy source as a viable alternative for the future.
Lampposts Powered by Solar and Wind Energy, March 23, 2010 Photo Reprinted with Permission from Fiec Magazine
The Ética Global blog has been promoting an innovative project published in Fiec magazine and developed by Mechanical Engineer Fernadez Ximentes, owner of Gram Eolic in the state of Ceará. The project consists of lampposts powered entirely by wind and solar energy that include a seven-day window in which they can remain lit without any solar or wind input. These lampposts are equipped with an independent energy production (IEP) system, which is capable of generating energy for another three lampposts. The airplane format was chosen as a means to bring together the solar panels and wind propeller in a single device.
According to the company, these lampposts represent savings of R$21,000.00 per kilometer/month when used as a substitute for purely electric lampposts, and their installation cost is 10% less than that of traditional lampposts. The state government is partner in the project and plans to install the system within the next few years.
All that remains now is to wait to see if the projections of Waler Kohn, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, were correct when he said that solar and wind energy could bring an end to the era of petroleum [pt].
Humanity depends on energy to sustain its growth. Through studies conducted by various social players, we can decrease the weight given to huge generation complexes, like hydroelectric dams and plants that burn fossil fuels, offering a viable alternative to respond to the country’s energy needs.
Despite Brazil’s opting for renewable energies, heavy impact has already been felt by generating energy through the burning of fossil fuels and the operation of hydroelectric dams, notably the loss of biodiversity through the suppression of plant life. New technologies will enable humanity to produce renewable energy with less environmental impact. As the development of technologies that seek to substitute fossil fuels with renewable sources is of fundamental importance for national sovereignty and development, it now falls upon the government and leadership to adopt these new technologies in their planning so that Brazil can continue to be the country of ever-cleaner renewable energy.

author: Danilo Gonçalves


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Brunei and the music of Maher Zain · Global Voices
Senor Pablo

Today's advent of information technology has provided citizens with more opportunities to access and embrace various types of music around the world. Maher Zain, a Swedish national of Lebanese descent, visited Brunei early this month as part of a world tour to introduce his music to his fans. According to Wikipedia,
“His first album ‘Thank You Allah’ of 13 tracks and two bonus songs was released on 1 November 2009. His music videos on youtube has collectively gained more than 4 million of views.”
The video shows Maher Zain singing one of his popular songs, ‘Barakallah Lakuma’, which was welcomed by his Brunei fans during a meet and greet session organised by Athirah Management.
Maher Zain, who is popular with Islamic inspirational songs, made several radio interviews in Brunei. According to Pelangi FM DJ and blogger Zayn Sabri, Maher confirmed that he has 107,000 fans from Brunei alone on his Facebook page, out of more than 700,000 fans globally.
Vance Tan  blogged about the radio interview:
“Fans of Maher Zain, an influential figure from Lebanon, stormed in at Radio Televisyen Brunei recently to capture the moments with the global sensation, according to a deejay working at RTB, DJ Zayn Sabri. Maher Zain’s inspirational music video on YouTube, ‘Insha-allah’ has gained a remarkable one million views. During a short interview over Facebook chat, Zayn also mentioned that Zain is a ‘very inspirational figure to everyone…especially to the youth’. He added, “Other international artists had to bow down and give way to him especially our local charts at Pelangi FM.’ Maher Zain’s interview on Pelangi FM will surely leave a legacy in Brunei, and as we speak the interview is now history.”
Ranoadidas  saw Maher Zain making a huge impact in Brunei, especially among the youth
“With just a span of two weeks, the initial hype was more than enough to spread the awareness that a music icon Maher Zain will be in Brunei Darussalam for a meet-the-fan session. My Twitter and Facebook responses have been phenomenal after I announced that he will be coming to Brunei officially.”
Ranoadidas also had the opportunity to interview the celebrity about his impressions on Brunei and his many fans. Twitterians fielded these questions
Rano: I read in one of your interviews that you were lost in “music” at one stage. Can you explain more?
Maher Zain: I felt something was missing. I was thinking a lot. I went back to Sweden and my friends brought me to the mosque in Stockholm. Then my heart just opened for the brothers and I'm glad Allah guided me and I felt very happy. It took some time for me to adjust when I stopped my music and my work for a while.   Then I realised that maybe I can help and do something with my experience to convey a good message, my thoughts, my feelings through music. From there, I contacted my record company Awakening Records and the rest was history.
Rano: Do you have problems entering western countries such as the U.S? (Question by @zul277)
Maher Zain: Alhamdulillah, so far there's no problem. If they actually listen to my music, we are trying to show a good picture about Islam. My music has a lot of happiness, about love, humanity etc. I have been to the United States a few times and I will be having a few tours in the States this year. So far so good.
Rano: What inspires you to be in the music scene? (Question by s_a_m1995)
Maher Zain: I wanted to share what I've heard and experienced and I wanted to thank Allah and hence the album is called Thank You Allah. There's always a lot of inspiration from doing a good thing. I want to convey a message and inspire people.
Rano: When is the next album? What can the fans expect?
Maher Zain: The second album will be slightly different but it will have more messages on Islamic issues, motherhood, friendship etc. It's like a package. The next album will be released some time next year and insyaAllah, there will be different languages like the current ones in iTunes and this is because we have a big community from different races. This shows that Islam is big, not only Arabs.
Randomly techno and  Kinsella blogged about how the songs of Maher Zain are touching the lives of many people. UBDStudentaffairs also blogged about Maher Zain's visit to the Uni's Radio Station. Geek in White also posted a video of a radio interview with Kristal FM.
Maher Zain's recent visit confirmed his popularity in Brunei. His songs continue to dominate local radio stations. He is seen by many Bruneians as an inspirational figure who spreads love and faith around the world through music.

author: Senor Pablo


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Chile: Images of Rescue Under Creative Commons License · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The Chilean government has uploaded a Flickr photostream with images of the rescue of the miners under a Creative Commons license, clarifying that “These photographs are property of the Government of Chile for editorial  use only. Images should be credited: Hugo Infante/Government of Chile.”


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Chile: Miners Begin to Emerge · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Julio Suarez Anturi blogs [es] about the first miners emerging after 69 days trapped underground: “A second opportunity on this planet is what these 33 men are getting who spent the first 17 days as if they had disappeared, died […]”


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Chile: Twitter List of Users Live from Camp Hope Covering Rescue of Miners · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Nicolas Copano (@copano) has made a list of Twitter users [es] that are reporting on the rescue of the 33 trapped miners live from Camp Hope.


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Chile: Unfolding Miracle  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“it is such a joy to be following a story that is filled with the triumph of the human spirit”: Abeni is rejoicing over the rescue of the Chilean miners.


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China: More reactions to a first Nobel Prize · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Pending his acceptance speech, discussion around China's first Nobel laureate, Liu Xiaobo, has ranged from his nomination and the censorship which followed his win, his writings, suitability, the talking points against him, his detractors, how many people know who Liu is, if any, the subsequent house arrest of his wife, and whether, if an award for Liu is an award for moderate progress in China, who might have made a better candidate.
A number of related quotes collected from popular Chinese social network website Renren can be found here [zh].
From the blogs:
The upside to harmonizing news of the Nobel Peace Prize, Infrared:
如果不是诺贝尔和平奖，我可能不会想到去搜索这个名字。
文革是父母那一代的事，六四是我姐那一代的事，我们这一代好像什么事也没赶上，除了改革的春风。
到了3字头的年纪，耳边除了房子车子孩子的讨论鲜有其他话题。倒不是说唯恐天下不乱，能够成长在这样的”太平盛世“实在算是幸运。但是有的时候会自省反思，我们这一代人的理想是什么？为什么应该愤青应该犯傻的年纪却一个个老成得像棱角磨平的中年人？
每个国家都有自己的问题，就像家家有本难念的经。法国目前的大规模罢工仅仅是为了反对退休年龄推后2年，这在中国不就是一个指令下来大家举手赞同嘛？民主有的时候在我们这些成长在专制国家的人看来就像胡闹，如同新闻里台湾立委们在会议上打群架一样匪夷所思。
几年前曾经看过一个视频介绍一位新加坡的民运人士，才发现不管在多么繁华的城市，都有人情愿放弃小康生活去坚持一个信仰，尤其是这种牺牲放在历史长河里简直微小的激不起一朵浪花，而对于他个人及家庭却是一辈子，人只有一辈子，那么这样的牺牲值得吗？
刘晓波没有子女，他和老婆的共识就是不要连累下一代。对于这样的境界我是十分钦佩的，虽然我并没有看过他的作品。
我非常反感那些举着民族主义大牌说脏话的人，他们除了显示无知和低素质以外什么也没有，这样的人如果是大多数，中国真的没什么希望。所以，政府封锁诺贝尔和平奖的消息倒是件好事，省了网上很多叫骂和口水。
The impact it might have, Folboy, looking at British newspaper coverage of Liu's award and a Financial Times editorial in particular:
评论说，许多人怀疑诺奖委员会让北京政府尴尬的做法，是否能激起中国的政治改革，认为在短期内会导致中国和西方的冲突。不仅是中国的民族主义者会仇视外界对中国事务的干预，而且许多知识分子也认为国际社会没有给中国30年来经济和个人自由都迅速发展的事实予以应有的认可。
但是评论说，刘晓波的获奖会在中国迅速变化的社会产生巨大影响。尽管中国现在提倡多党竞争、民主选举的还不普遍，但越来越多的人呼吁更大程度的自由和人权，而刘晓波的获奖会让人们希望当局在这方面做出改变的要求更强烈。
The first Han Chinese Nobel laureate: a signal of the world's growing acceptance of Han culture, financial news editor and China Value blogger, Luo Mo:
刘晓波的获奖，是西方文化向东方文化伸出了橄榄枝。有反对者可能会说，西方人的确是伸出了橄榄枝，可刘晓波没有对汉人伸出橄榄枝，关于这个问题，我觉得最明智的态度，不知者就不要参与争辩，真实的感受是，如人饮水，冷暖自知，有第一手真实感受的时候再说，不轻易表态是最佳表态。但不表态，也不是无作为，而是有着自己清晰的立脚点。
高行健也获得了诺奖，但他获奖的国籍是法国，而且他参评的文学作品也是翻译成法文，才入选参评的。而以汉语言、中国国籍参与进来并获奖的，刘晓波是第一人。刘晓波的获奖意味着，西方文化对汉文化的关注已经显示出了诚意。这是世界文化相互交融的一件大事，是一个新时代的开始。汉文化开始以自己的角色走向世界，当然确切地说汉文化早已走向了世界，而这里所指的强调是一种文化的相互认可，这个被广泛认可的界线，就可划在发生于2010年10月8日宣布刘晓波获得诺贝尔奖的这一天，这一天汉语体系与英语体系获得了空前默契。
当然刘晓波的诸多见解，也并非为笔者所完全认同。我只是为汉语言文字，西方人开始认真倾听，并做出诚恳的反馈，而感到非常欣慰。
A Nobel Peace Prize's role in a Chinese theory of change, yanbin:
中国的进步当然要靠中国人自己争取，但是没有国际社会舆论的支持，显然这种进程会异常的艰难。中国近两百年来的历史发展，有哪次是仅靠中国人自己的力量来推动了？
此次刘晓波被授予诺贝尔和平奖，多少还证明西方国家和各种独立组织还是关注中国人权的，某些程度上他们是可以信任的。中国的进步绝不能仅靠外部支援，但少了这种外部道义和舆论上的支持，以中国政府现在的能力，以大多数中国国民的愚昧和温顺，国内的异议者基本不可能有任何大的进展。刘晓波这次获和平奖基本上是改变不了什么中国现状的，权力当然继续不受制约，当然继续导致腐败，既得利益者当然不可能突然觉醒，他们肯定还会维护自己的利益、维护现状。但是，中国人获和平奖的好处就在于这是一个巨大的鼓励。twitter上那么多人说忍不住泪流满面，我当然没有亲见了。但是我知道，国内受过教育对中国现政府有颇多不满的年轻人还是有很多，得知这个获奖的消息大抵肯定会欣欢鼓舞一阵。至少不会觉得，中国的进步完全就只靠国内少部分异议人士赤手空拳、冒着巨大的风险、还不得不以和平的方式来抗争（武力根本没戏）。
这种鼓舞的力量不见得有多大，但这代表着希望，代表着为中国争取进步的举动得到了全世界的支持。当全世界只有中国政府不认同一件事的时候，我们大概就会很肯定，这绝对是北京政府的问题了。
The government's first mistake was in trying to ‘exterminate’ Charter 08, My Falling Leaves:
在权力角斗当众，不仅仅要打击对方的力量，而且要争取到对方某一股力量，才能在角斗中占据上风，而往往敌对势力中的温和派是要争取的。这个已经是政治学中国的常识，但令人惊讶的是，政府并未意识到这一点。对异见分子中的温和派进行打击，一份宪章，本来控制得当，也就是在知识分子中流传的一个普及常识的文本，后80和一些90后的脑残才懒得去理。但上纲上线到了禁止打压，不仅仅团结了对方温和派和激进派，同时也获得旁观者的同情。第二大失误，逮捕刘晓波并判处11年的有期徒刑，这个是跟上一个失误有关的。既然刘晓波被认为是温和派，你对温和派尚如此，那其他人怎么跟你合作呢？
可能有人会觉得我思考过于官方角度，但我并不忌讳这一点。事实上到今天，我认为能够推动民主进程的，任何过于偏激的办法都难于奏效，宽容与合作，不正是刘晓波先生的我们没有敌人最直白的阐释吗？
There's a lot Westerners just aren't seeing, US-based blogger Mak Zhou:
我的闹钟设定的是NPR早上的广播，7点钟的时候模模糊糊听到Liu-Xiao-bo三个字就大致意识到发生了什么。既然我的blog早就给gfw了，豆瓣也十之八九不会转这个，那就干脆不要遮遮掩掩的，扯开说亮话。说实话我对于刘做过些什么没太多了解。我知道他写了08宪章，也知道他参与过六四，但是就仅此而已了。虽然我很反感因言获罪这种荒谬的逻辑，但是不管从理论工作还是实践层面，比他有杰出贡献的人从左到右应该也不止一两个吧。事实上很多的西方媒体提到（后面也会讲到），他的获奖代表的是对在国内的一个群体的支持——亲西方的，想走民主选举道路的政治激进分子和人权活动家（political and human rights activists）。这也是让我很失望的一点，就是西方对中国政治和社会张力的想象依然在一个很狭窄的框架里面。
Also worth a look:
Young supporters of Liu Xiaobo from Beijing
From Boxun, community activists in Guiyang discussing Liu's career, more photos here.
Banner congratulating Liu Xiaobo on receiving the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, reportedly from Central South University.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Offended by Nobel Peace Prize? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

TimMaddog posts an interesting question at Twitter: How can the people of China be “offended” by the Nobel Peace Prize when the news was blacked out in China?

author: Oiwan Lam


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Cuba: Las Damas Members Injured  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bloggers discuss the latest altercation between Cuban authorities and Las Damas de Blanco.


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Guyana: Creating Awareness  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month”: The Guyana Groove urges her compatriots to “speak up and save a woman’s life.”


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India: Joyous Bangla During Puja · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sukanya C notes how elated the people of West Bengal state in India are in celebrating the Durga Puja festivities.

author: Rezwan


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Jamaica: Banton Petition  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

YardFlex.com reports that fans of music icon Buju Banton “have started a drive to get 15,000 signatures on a petition to US Attorney General Eric Holder, urging him to step in and thwart the prosecution's bid to keep him languishing in jail.”


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Kenya: Colobus Monkey Recognised as Threatened · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

“Kenya Wildlife Service has recognised Colobus angolensis, the type of Colobus monkey that lives here in Diani, as Nationally Threatened. As a whole this sub-species of Black and White Colobus is fairing comparatively well, thanks to large populations in remote forests of Tanzania, however, here in Kenya it is a different story.” Colobus Trust reports.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Mexico: Blogosphere Previews United Nations Climate Change Conference- COP 16 · Global Voices
Andrea Arzaba

The next United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 16) will take place from November 29 until December 10, 2010 in Cancun, Mexico.
There are several discussions on the subject. Bloggers are analyzing whether the conference will bring the usual disappointment about a lack of action from the climate change and ecological actors, or if this time it will provide a new perspective and a new opportunity where failure is not an option.
Laguna Nichupté in Cancun Mexico. Image by Manuel Canela, Flickr user manuelcanela, used under an Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license
Ecoportal.net [es], one of the best-known Green websites for Spanish speakers, mentions the importance of COP 16 as an international commitment:
El fracaso no es una opción ya que condenaría al planeta, sus  ecosistemas y sus habitantes a un cambio climático catastrófico,  advirtieron organizaciones civiles respecto a la décimo sexta  Conferencia de las Partes de la Convención Marco de las Naciones Unidas  sobre Cambio Climático (COP-16), que se llevará a cabo en nuestro país  del 29 de noviembre al 10 de diciembre de este año.
Por ello, las organizaciones de la sociedad civil Cemda, Greenpeace,  Oxfam y la Heinrich Böll Stiftung, lanzaron este día la campaña La  cumbre climática en Cancún debe ser exitosa, para exigir a los tomadores  de decisiones de la COP 16, que éste sea el espacio y el momento para  destrabar los acuerdos globales que evitarán el caos climático.
Failure is not an option because it would condemn the planet, its   ecosystems and their inhabitants to a catastrophic climate change, as civil organizations warned about the 16 Conference on Climate Change (COP-16 ), which will be held in our country (Mexico) from November 29 to December 10 this year.
This is why civil organizations like Cemda, Greenpeace, Oxfam and Heinrich Böll Stiftung, today launched the campaign “Climate summit in Cancun has to be successful,” in order to demand decision makers from the COP  16, [to make sure] this is the space and time   to unlock the global agreements that will prevent climate chaos.
In JOIN [es], an online magazine written by youth in Mexico, Adrian Monfort wrote the article “Cancun, COP 16 and the fight against climate change”,  where he discusses the importance of this event for current and future generations:
Esto nos pinta un panorama crítico, en donde las necesidades de  concretar acuerdos entre los países es urgente y el tiempo para hacerlos  es mínimo. México como anfitrión y participante de la reunión previa  (COP 15) promovió activamente el año pasado la negociación de un nuevo  acuerdo global, y al no conseguirlo, reafirmó su intención de lograrlo  en Cancún.
Para nosotros como jóvenes y ciudadanos esto tiene implicaciones  trascendentales, ya que seremos nosotros los que estaremos viviendo en  un mundo cada vez más deteriorado por los cambios medioambientales.
This paints a critical picture, where the need for specific  agreements  between countries becomes urgent and the time to make them  happen is  minimal. Mexico, as a host and participant of the previous  meeting (COP  15) actively promoted last year’s negotiation for a new  global agreement, and because of the failure to achieve it, they reaffirmed the  intention do it in Cancun.
For us, as young people and citizens  of the world, this has major implications, as we will be the ones  living in a world increasingly deteriorated by environmental changes.
Image from COP 15 by flickr user WWF FRANCE, used under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license
Bloggers from Espacio Mexicano Dialogo Climático Cancún [es] (Mexican Space for Climate Dialogue Cancun) consider that the role of Mexican and international organizations and  social movements at the  event is fundamental:
Se han minimizado las expectativas de la Conferencia de las Partes – COP-16: no se observan propuestas firmes de los países desarrollados en la mesa de negociaciones en materia de mitigación y está en riesgo el sistema multilateral de negociación. Por ello el movimiento social y las organizaciones civiles mexicanas y mundiales discutiremos en Cancún nuestras propuestas para hacer frente al problema y, a través de manifestaciones pacíficas haremos escuchar la diversidad y pluralidad de nuestras voces.
The expectations of the Conference –  COP-16 have been minimized: We have not seen firm proposals from developed  countries in the negotiating table in terms of mitigation, and the  multilateral negotiation system is at risk. Therefore, Mexican and international social movements and organizations will discuss in  Cancun our proposals to tackle the problem, and through peaceful  demonstrations we will make the diversity and plurality of our  voices heard.
Finally, in the webpage Mexicohazalgo.org.mx (Mexico Do Something)  there is an article written by Alejandra Biotes, where she discusses  how COP 16 attendants will be able to learn about and experience firsthand the natural resources Cancun has to offer:
Recientemente una comitiva de activistas, proveniente de Copenhague,  estuvo de visita en Puerto Morelos para ver de cerca las instalaciones y  servicios con los que se cuenta en ese lugar.
Los integrantes de  las ONG’s, que visitaron Puerto Morelos, eligieron las zonas de cenotes  y otras áreas naturales para que quienes asistan a la Cumbre acampen  ahí ¿Un pretexto para disfrutar los escenarios naturales que ofrece  nuestro país, o la opción más accesible para estar presentes en la  discusión del futuro del planeta?
Recently a delegation of activists from Copenhagen visited  Puerto Morelos to see up close the facilities and services that the place has to offer.
The members of NGOs, who visited Puerto Morelos, chose the areas of cenotes and other natural areas so that those attending the summit may camp out there. A good excuse to enjoy the natural  scenery that our country offers? or the most affordable option to attend the discussion on the future of the planet?

author: Andrea Arzaba


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Mexico: Remembering the Pasta de Conchos Mine Disaster  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Pepe Flores, from Vivir Mexico [es], says Mexicans watching the rescue of 33 miners in Chile are remembering the Pasta de Conchos mine disaster from February 19, 2006, when 65 miners were trapped underground.  In the case of Pasta de Conchos, no miners were rescued.


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Nigeria: NigeriaDecides Tech Meetup · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Young Nigerians would be meeting physically and virtually this Saturday 16th October 2010 to discuss how best technology can be applied to election monitoring by average Nigerians.


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Pakistan: 100 Million Mobile Phones · Global Voices
Rezwan

Babar Bhatti at All Things Pakistan informs that “Pakistan now has 100 million mobile phone subscribers” and tells what it means for the country.


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Puerto Rico: La Acera is One Year Old · Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Blogger Al Carbon reflects on the first anniversary of the collective blog La Acera: “Exactly a year has gone by since La Acera’s first post, and an eventful year it’s been.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Russia: Review of Online Record Labels · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Habrahabr-user frony posts [RUS] a review of Russian indie netlabels, online record labels that publish songs with Creative Commons license. Genres include hip-hop, alternative, as well as classical music.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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South Korea:Local Twitter and Facebook Alike Facing an UpHill Battle · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

In every economy in the world, there are at least one or two local brands that manage to survive a fierce battle against global powers. Korea had been a well known holdout country in Global IT trends with its portal ‘Naver.com’ beating Google and its social network ‘Cyworld.com’ trumping Facebook. As the country enters the wave of TGIF (Twitter, Google, iPhone, Facebook), Korean SNSs (Social Networking Service) are rapidly losing ground. Korean IT companies have come up with their new ‘socials’, but young, tech-savvy Koreans are disclaiming them as ‘faux-socials’ and continue to lean toward Twitter and Facebook.
The mid-2000s was a heyday for Korean IT brands. It was almost impossible for Korean college students to build social relationship without a Cyworld account and often their online lives were formed around Naver’s email, blog, café and club service. Korea's biggest portal site, the Naver, was invincible, usually ranked number one on almost every IT chart. It is still No. 1 in traffic, but things have started to change. Among global social network services, Twitter has gone wild in Korea, with its growth rate the second fastest in the world. Facebook users have doubled in recent several months. Both were totally unblocked by the  ‘C-log’ of Cyworld and ‘me2DAY’ of Naver. These two are self-proclaimed formidable opponents of Facebook and Twitter.
Right under an introductory article to Cyworld’s new social network ‘C-log’, which is a combination of Facebook and Twitter,this comment was added by netizen ID: Ppyororong.
트위터와 페이스 북만 있어도 충분히 웹 서비스 사용하는데 불편함이 없더라구요. 그래서 싸이월드+네이트 계정을 모두 지워버렸다는.
Losing a good head start in the SNS battle can lead to a huge defeat. Unlike any other market where switching from one brand to another does not cause major inconvenience, in the case of SNS, the lock-in-effect kicks in at a certain point and the compatibility between two or more social services can become a major obstacle in switching to new service. It takes a certain amount of time and effort to carry all web content and relations formed through the previous site to new one, and some information and connections  can be  lost in the process. So, users nearly HAVE to choose between a lineup of Google-Twitter-Facebook or the Naver-NaverME-me2DAY.
The Bloter, a combination of Blogger plus Reporter, is a Korean new media specializing in Internet tech field. In its article “That’s not what ‘Social’ is”,it argues that the Naver is facing an uphill battle against Twitter and Facebook.
트위터와 페이스북을 대상으로 한국 사용자 사이에서 빠르게 형성되고 있는 ’잠금효과(Lock-in-effect)’를 네이버 소셜전략이 극복하기란 쉽지 않다.
It is very easy to be forgotten in the fast-changing IT field that Korea was actually the birth place of SNS. Around the early and mid-2000s, it had a high reputation in the IT field and the Cyworld's SNS model had been benchmarked by foreign companies and taught in several MBA courses. Local Korean financial newspaper, Maeil Business lamented about Korean SNS’s fading glory. According to Maeil report, this reversed trend was due to Korea’s biz-environment which is hostile to medium-sized venture companies. Small companies have struggled in tough competition with big corporations and even after they survived the battles, they soon disappeared after being merged or being destroyed by intense power struggles in management.
Nowadays there are numerous micro-blogs like Twitter in Korea. The up-and-coming social networks are Yagg, Tocpic, and me2DAY. Blogger Ebizstory commented about Naver's ‘me2DAY’ having poor compatibility with other software, though it had made small gains with celebrity marketing, and evaluated ‘Yagg’ as most resembling Twitter, calling it a Korean translated version of Twitter. The ‘Yagg’ and ‘Tocpic’ provide the SMS service which is unavailable in Twitter in Korea.
Twitter, which was rooted and used in English using countries, is not a really convenient service for most Koreans. Only the login page and several major pages are translated in Korean. In a local bookstore, there are many  ‘Twitter for dummies’ sort of books helping Koreans to keep up with the trend. Plus, the Twitter’s core service, its SMS service is not even available in the country. Blogger Donghoda commented that the twitter’s inconvenience has given birth to  clones in Korea.
트위터의 페이지. 오른쪽 붉은 색 부분이 현재 핫 이슈를 나타내는 부분이지만, 모두 영어로만 나온다. 또한 한국의 이슈가 무엇인지 알 수 없다는 문제점이 있다…또한 국내 트위터 이용자들은 휴대폰 SMS로 문자를 올리는 것도 불가능합니다… 트위터는 영어권 서비스이고, 회사 규모가 직원 60명에 불과한 중소기업인데다, 전세계가 단일 채널이어서 야후나 구글처럼 그 나라의 실정에 맞춘 나라별 서비스를 제공하기는 쉽지 않을 것 같다. 그래서 한국형 트위터들이 우후죽순 생겨나고 있다.
Photos taken by Neokin
IT power blogger Neoskin posted his review on the Naver's conference he attended. The Naver promoted its “GO SOCIAL” strategy of combining all three social networks inside its territory: Naver’s ‘me2DAY’ (Twitter look-alike) and its social homepage ‘NAVER Me’ (Facebook look-alike) and the ‘NAVER Talk’ (a combination of MSN service and SMS service between smart phone users). The blogger wrote that he got the impression that Naver coalesced all the other social networks quite well and predicted that it will not be extremely hard for Naver to reclaim its glory to certain extent, since it is still most widely used, go-to portal site in Korea. But he later added it is not a perfect social and comments wrote below his article echoed this view:
토이솔저 “네이버에 적을 두는 터라 아무래도 관심은 있으나, 아직까지는 ‘역시나 네이버'란 느낌입니다. 개방적인 척 보이려고 하면서 여전히 폐쇄적이라는 부분부터 해서. 분명히 꾸준히 뭔가를 한다는 인상은 있지만 좀 두고 봐야죠.
The major difference between Naver and Google at first glance, is the appearance. While the Google leaves almost nothing but the search box, Naver displays too many functions and gadgets from its main page, enough to distract users to forget why they came here for and lead them wander on the website for several hours. And its daring ‘Go-Social’ move, if it goes right, will only strengthen this pattern.
명섭이 “껍데기님도 말씀하셨지만 자꾸 네이버 안으로 가두려는 것이 불안해요. 네이버와 같은 포털사이트는 ‘과자로 만든 집'이라는 말이 생각나더군요. 멋진 과자집의 문을 열고 들어서면 그 안에는 많은 달콤한 것들이 있어서 무엇을 위해 그 집에 들어갔는 지 알기 어렵다는 것이죠. 이러한 모델이 당분간은 효과를 발휘하겠지만 앞으로는 어떨지 모르겠네요.
The bloter article from the previous paragraph added:
네이버가 네이버라는 울타리 안에서 ‘소셜’을 덧붙인 것, 다시 말해 네이버 블로그 및 카페 글부터 사진첩, 뉴스, 웹툰 등에 이르기 까지 네이버 ‘안’에 존재하는 콘텐츠에(만) ‘소셜 버튼’을 추가하는 방식은, 네이버 입장에서 볼 때 ‘개방에 역행한다’ 등 다양한 비판에도 불구하고 어쩔 수 없는 선택이다.
Korean local IT powers may feel remorse for opening a bout against global SNSs in a field where they once dominated, but at least Korean people took ringside seats to watch one of most fierce matches between the local IT brands versus the TGIF trend.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Sri Lanka: A Photographer’s Journey To Dhaka · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sri Lankan photo-blogger Chulie de Silva travels to Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, with the usual inhibition of stereotyping of the cosmopolitan and finds the glass half full.


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Sudan: The Sudan Peace Watch · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

The Enough Project is introducing the Sudan Peace Watch: “In these regular updates, Enough's team of researchers and policy analysts will provide in-depth coverage of developments around the key benchmarks and potential flashpoints in the run-up to the referenda and beyond.”


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Bangladesh: The Saga Of (Not) Recognizing ‘Sex Worker’ As A Profession · Global Voices
Rezwan

Wasfia Nazreen criticizes the saga of introducing ‘sex worker’ as a profession in the national ID card and voter list of Bangladesh by the Election Commission and their subsequent removal of the category on the basis of moral grounds.


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Barbados: Social Media & Tourism  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It seems that despite the power social media has from a marketing perspective that ‘we’ do not have staff in place to effectively monitor and update these sites”: Adrian Loveridge, guest blogging at Barbados Free Press, says that despite the Minister of Tourism's statements about harnessing the power of social media to promote the destination, the reality is very different.


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Brazil: Electoral debate hits the 29th São Paulo Biennial · Global Voices
Paula Góes

The heated Brazilian electoral debate has hit the art world: chtodelat news publishes an official response to a post that casts doubt on the 29th Sao Paulo Biennial‘s statement that it “is anchored in the idea that it is impossible to separate art and politics”.

author: Paula Góes


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Brazil: The Xingu River is no place for Belo Monte · Global Voices
Elisa Thiago

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.
In defense of Amazon Rivers, on Youtube by xinguvivoparasempre
On August 26 the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, signed a decree that transfers the concession to harness the hydroelectric potential of the Belo Monte Dam on the Xingu River, in the State of Pará, to the Norte Energia consortium [pt], over approximately 35 years, while also authorizing the commencement of  construction work. This is a controversial move [pt], involving an investment of 19.6 billion reais and the potential for supplying 26 million people with energy, at the cost of deforestation, flooding towns and displacing thousands of people. The government’s action is calculated to give the impression that the Belo Monte project is being conducted under completely normal conditions and that the construction of the dam is inevitable. Behind the scenes, however, the events suggest something rather different.
Behind the government’s official talk of “normality”, people have been organizing themselves into social and environmental resistance movements [pt] against the construction of the dam since the 1970s. They are made up of Indians and river dwellers whose present way of life and means of survival will suffer a disastrous impact if the dam is built.
Indigenous people and river dwellers from all over the area of the Amazon where the hydroelectric plant is being planned have joined together to try to establish common strategies to halt the damming of rivers in the Amazon region. These groups are fighting to be heard in order to raise public awareness and encourage people to join forces with them in demanding the interruption of the project before the construction phase of the dam. This is aimed at promoting dialogue, hitherto virtually inexistent, between stakeholders and those affected by the construction of the dam.
UHE Belo Monte, by Flickr user J.Gil shared under a CC license: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
They are counting on the support of people committed to indigenous and environmental causes. One such individual is Bishop Erwin Kräutler, the last winner of the prestigious Right Livelihood Prize for his decades-long work as an activist for indigenous rights. Kräutler, Bishop of Xingu, Pará, and President of the Indigenous Missionary Council, says [pt]:
Sou contra o projeto do jeito que foi feito, com autoritarismo e preconizando o discurso desenvolvimentista do governo que só fala das vantagens e nunca das desvantagens que Belo Monte trará. Cerca de 30 mil pessoas serão chutadas de lá [da Volta Grande do rio Xingu] e levadas sei lá pra onde. Essa obra vai ser a maior agressão já vista na Amazônia.
Also committed to the cause, and one of the leaders of the case brought to the Federal Ministry of Pará, is the attorney Felício Pontes Júnior, who filed his first lawsuit against Belo Monte in 2001, ensuring that the project has not seen any action since then. Had he not done so, the plant would have been built by now. In total, the Federal Ministry of Pará has seen eight cases which deal with the trampling of legal procedures and point out irregularities in the dam’s environmental licensing. None of these claims had come before the court by September 2 this year, which shows that only a court order can change the game.
According to Pontes Júnior, the government is trying to the “fait accompli tactic”, which in law refers to the attempt to circumvent lawsuits by the idea that once work has been completed, it cannot be reversed. However, the ongoing cases may still be able to prevent the construction of the plant:
O governo federal tem soltado release sobre Belo Monte como se o fato já estivesse consumado. Temos processos em andamento que, se tiverem decisões favoráveis, nós paramos Belo Monte. (…) Nós não desistimos de barrar Belo Monte. Queremos barrar a construção da hidrelétrica sim porque todos os estudos, da Unicamp, da USP, da UnB, mostram que é uma obra inviável. (…) Nós não estamos jogando a toalha.
The news about Belo Monte reported on EcoAgência on September 27 shows that Pontes Júnior has not given up the fight. He and his colleague Cláudio Terre do Amaral attended a meeting on September 24 with the representatives of the approximately 12 thousand families living in the Volta Grande area, which covers 100km of the Xingu River in the Vitória do Xingu municipality. Two opposing processes have been precipitated in this region by the construction of the plant: the disappearance of water and the formation of a lake along one stretch of the river, and the resultant flooding along another. Both phenomena are devastating for families who survive from fishing and small-scale farming, and who still do not know what will happen to their land and property if the plant is built. Pontes Júnior explains:
Ainda falta muito para que a usina se torne uma realidade, mas estamos preocupados com o fato dessas famílias não terem recebido informações concretas sobre o empreendimento.
These families cannot even count on actually benefiting from electricity. One of their complaints is, quite justifiably, the lack of electricity, despite the Volta Grande region being only 300km from the Tucuruí dam. The electricity distribution company has already informed the farmers and river dwellers that the Light for Everyone programme will not reach the residents of the inlets that will be flooded if the dam is built.
Under the heading “Attorney fears confrontation at Belo Monte dam site”, the Indymedia [pt] blog reports Pontes Júnior’s concern that there may be a confrontation between the indigenous people and construction site employees once work is  underway:
Eu estou extremamente preocupado. Porque o discurso dos indígenas está sendo no seguinte sentido: “Nós vamos morrer de qualquer jeito se esse rio [Xingu] for barrado, então nós vamos morrer lutando”. Temo por um conflito no canteiro de obras dessa hidrelétrica, entre os índios e os trabalhadores da construção civil. Isso pode acontecer e, pessoalmente, é o que mais angustia.
Despite all these impacts and problems, the indigenous people reaffirmed their stance on the construction of the dam in December 2009, as reported in the Brasil Autogestionário  [pt] blog:
Nós, povos Indígenas, não vamos sentar mais com nenhum representante do governo para falar sobre UHE Belo Monte; pois já falamos tempo demais e isso custou 20 anos de nossa história. Se o governo brasileiro quiser construir Belo Monte da forma arbitrária de como está sendo proposto, que seja de total responsabilidade deste governo e de seus representantes como também da justiça o que virá a acontecer com os executores dessa obra; com os trabalhadores; com os povos indígenas. O rio Xingu pode virar um rio de sangue. É esta a nossa mensagem. Que o Brasil e o mundo tenham conhecimento do que pode acontecer no futuro se os governantes brasileiros não respeitarem os nossos direitos como povos indígenas do Brasil.
In the same interview, Pontes Júnior revealed that at the meeting of indigenous people on August 26 they decided to approach the international courts and ask them to denounce the violation of their rights:
Eu espero que, com essa decisão, nós consigamos o apoio internacional, principalmente das entidades ligadas aos direitos humanos, e também das entidades técnicas, a Comissão Mundial de Barragens, por exemplo. Estudos técnicos, por exemplo, podem comprovar a inviabilidade econômica dessa hidrelétrica.
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Elisa Thiago


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Brunei: International Coastal Cleanup · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Tiger Lim invites Brunei netizens to participate in the International Coastal Cleanup Day on October 16. Volunteers will meet in Serasa, Brunei.

author: Mong Palatino


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Cuba: Preparing for Paula · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Havana Times notes that Cuba is preparing for “a weakened Hurricane Paula”.


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Cuba: Violence in Schools · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Although the official media do not report it, through word of mouth from independent journalists, alarming cases of school violence have come to light”: Iván's File Cabinet reports.


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Czech Republic: Happy 600th Birthday Prague’s Astronomical Clock · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The video mapping of the Astronomical Tower in Prague for its 600th anniversary has Spanish language social networks buzzing this morning. Microsiervos blog points us to the official video by The Makula where animations projected on the building bring the facade to life.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Greece: Life Sentence for Officer who Shot Teen Sparking 2008 Riots · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

In December 2008, the killing of 15-year old Alexandros Grigoropoulos at the hands of Greek police triggered month-long riots and protests in several cities across Greece, fueled by rage at growing police brutality, compounded by impunity, incompetence and corruption in the Greek political system, rife with scandals, that precipitated the financial crisis. Finally, after two years of tortuous deliberations, the court delivered a verdict on October 11.
The officer who shot Grigoropoulos, Epaminondas Korkoneas, was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Another officer, Vassilios Saraliotis, was found guilty of complicity and sentenced to 10 years in prison.
First reactions on Twitter
Twitter users awaiting the verdict and sentencing reacted to the announcement with grim relief and circumspection. The December riots were the first time Twitter was used extensively in Greece by hundreds of users to report on an ongoing story, and was even monitored and quoted by international media. It even helped “nickname” the uprising with the #griots hashtag, which reverberated in coverage throughout social media and beyond.
The public trust in the Greek justice system is at an all-time low, after decades of political scandals and police brutality incidents gone unpunished. Web radio owner Apostolis Kaparoudakis heralded the significance of the day’s deliberations on Twitter:
πιθανά ιστορική ημέρα για τη χώρα (αναμένοντας να καταδικαστεί για πρώτη φορά σε ισόβια ένστολος δολοφόνος …)
Citizen photojournalist Craig Wherlock, who covered the December riots in Thessaloniki for days on end, once again reported from the streets:
On the way to the centre saw lots of riot police units on duty then realised that the verdict on the Grigoropoulos case was out today.
Reactions when the sentencing was announced were muted. Blogger elikas, who says he emigrated out of Greece in disgust at the state of the country, felt a glimmer of hope:
Life sentence for Greek cop who murdered teenager, causing riots 2 years ago. There is some justice left in this country after all…
Antidrasex complimented the “blind lady” and pleaded,
Αγαπητή  Δικαιοσύνη, σήμερα έδειξες ότι μπορείς να λειτουργήσεις. Εύχομαι να  επεκταθείς και σε άλλες περιπτώσεις, καθώς και στην έφεση.
… while Cyberela, musing on the chronic delays of the Greek judicial system, appended to the plea,
και να πάρεις πιο γρήγορα τις αποφάσεις σου αγαπητή δικαιοσύνη. 2 χρόνια μετά τη δολοφονία του παιδιού.
Cyberela also compares the verdict with that of a similar case of a youth’s murder by a police officer 25 years ago:
Το παρανοϊκό σύστημα δικαιοσύνης… ο Κορκονέας ισόβια, ο Μελίστας 2,5 χρόνια για το ίδιο έγκλημα http://tinyurl.com/58aa9d
… to which satirical blogger pitsirikos replied in deadpan,
Την εποχή του Μελίστα δεν είχε διαδίκτυο και μπλογκ. Την εποχή του Κορκονέα έχει. Αυτή ήταν η ατυχία του.
elentelon, a vocal proponent of a strict sentences in the Grigoropoulos case, mused on the aftermath:
Και  μετά την καταδίκη Κορκονέα που βρισκόμαστε? Η αστυνομοκρατία στην Αθήνα  έχει θεριέψει και ο επόμενος Γρηγορόπουλος είναι στη γωνία!
Blogs chime in
The Jungle Report blog also drew parallels with the Melistas case and cautioned that the sentence is not final:
αν η υπόθεση συνεχίσει από το Εφετείο στον Άρειο Πάγο, δεν θα υπάρχει το  λαϊκό έρεισμα αλλά μία ζύγιση μέσα σε αυστηρά καθορισμένο νομικό  πλαίσιο. [..] Σε πρωτόδικο βαθμό [ο Μελίστας] καταδικάστηκε σε 2,5(!) χρόνια αλλά  απαλλάχτηκε στο δεύτερο βαθμό. Έτσι λοιπόν, το να πανηγυρίζουμε για μια  ποινή που πιθανό είναι να ανατραπεί δεν είναι κάτι που μπορεί να  ικανοποιεί παρά μόνο βραχυπρόθεσμα.
Blogger and graphic designer Arkoudos bitterly commented on the lack of justice in the more recent case of an immigrant bystander shot by police during a bank heist, with another front page cover for his faux-magazine, “Point of View”:
Translation: Necessary ingredient – The only difference between vindication and injustice is our caring

author: Asteris Masouras


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Haiti: Hero on the Titanic  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Joseph Phillippe Lemercier Laroche was the only black man, a Haitian man, to perish in the Titanic;  that’s after he saved his wife and kids”: Repeating Islands has the amazing story.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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India: Interview With A Blogger Who Fought With Breast Cancer · Global Voices
Rezwan

BlogAdda interviews Farida Rizwan, who has battled against breast cancer for 15 years with success and blogged about it.


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India: The Grand Secret OS · Global Voices
Rezwan

Greatbong takes a hilarious look at the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation's (DRDO) proposal to create a “closed source operating system” to protect Data.


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Jamaica: Eliminating Gender-Based Violence  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As reggae artist Bounty Killer makes “a pledge to support the elimination of violence towards woman in the region”, The Wickedest Time quips: “Holla at me when he signs up for anger management classes!”


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Japan: Memories of an outlaw – Part One · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

After almost three years outside the walls, a blogger – who prefers to be anonymous  – decided to tell the story of his life behind bars.
Arrested for a crime that he says didn't cause anybody’s death or injury, he blogs ‘to re-examine a life that recently has been twisted asunder’.
By Mrhayata, CC License.
more
From the fact to the arrest
I was arrested in a capsule hotel in Tokyo. Until that time I had always used false names to check in but, I don't know why, that time I wrote my real name and address. So when the hotel employee saw it, he called the police.
The Police had been checking my bank account and knew that I was on the run all over the country, so an alert had been issued to every sauna and hotel in the areas where I had been.
It was 10 pm I think, when the curtain of the capsule where I was sleeping suddenly opened and one said  “We are the Police, you know why we are here!”
There were three detectives and  a police officer in  the corridor of the hotel. As I was taken to the police car they didn't handcuff me but they held the back of my trousers very firmly. A barker from a nearby bar who had no clue of what was going on spoke to me but in that moment my mind was blank and I couldn't understand very well what was happening…
My life in the police cell
In the police cell there were, yakuza bosses, mobsters, Chinese, Iraqis, Americans and so on. The crimes were various. The foreigners and the mobsters were an uncaring bunch but the bosses were helpful. They gave to a greenhorn like me toiletries and snacks.
The police station where I was had relatively good treatment and once a week they would do some shopping for you if you could pay. I could buy potato chips, candies, juices, sweets, bread or things for one day.
What left me without words was an American who had become violent so from the beginning they put him alone in a cell for women or minors. He would scream at night, hit the police and throw shit…So  each time they moved him there needed to be three police officers. He used to say “You are being abusive to Americans because you lost the war!” What nonsense.
The interpreter had a hard time…

author: Scilla Alecci


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Laos: In defense of casinos · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Thomas Wanhoff defends the proposal to build casinos in a Laos province


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Myanmar: “Boycott elections” · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

yangonthu tweets about the reported activity of youth protesters in Myanmar urging voters to boycott the November elections.


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Myanmar (Burma): The Plight of the Karen · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The ethnic minority of the  Karen are one of the groups that have been targeted by the Burmese army in its effort to defend the military regime. The threat of the soldiers’ arrival  is enough to force migrations as the Karen people run from their homes and into hiding, carrying a few of  their possessions on their backs. Burma Matters Now brings us a few videos that speak out about the plight of the Karen people.
The Karen had a part in the victory over Japan during the 2nd World War, and two war veterans speak of their experience during the war, and how, for them, the results of victory were never felt:
In this short film, two veterans in their 90s tell their story and how,  for them, world war 2 was just the beginning of a drawn out bloody  conflict in which their communities have been systematically and  brutally devastated by the Burma Army for the last 61 years.
The military's incursions in the area are related to the existance of the Karen National Union and its armed wing the Karen National Liberation Army, however the government's Four Cuts policy of eliminating anything that might provide support to the resistance, including food, information, future recruits and resources means that villagers have to flee for their lives. The Karen villagers attempt normalcy as they hide from the soldiers. Their camps are located in the middle of jungles where it is less likely they will be discovered, and although they lack health facilities, schools, and food,  they try to survive. After all, for many, staying in their villages is not an option:
Across northern Karen state, villages are regularly targeted and burnt  to the ground, including their clinics, schools, temples and churches.  Typically, Burmese troops will fire mortars into the settlement before  entering and shooting any remaining civilians, regardless of age or sex.  They will seek out stored medicines and food stocks to destroy along  with pots, pans, blankets and school materials. Complete disregard for  human and civil rights allows almost total impunity to soldiers on the  ground, many of which are despicable racists and sadists. Monthly,  reports are received of unprovoked torture, extrajudicial killing and  rape, few of which gain local media attention let alone the  international coverage, due to lack of accountability or communication  capacity.
These attacks, are not only towards the Karen. Most minorities in Burma face similar challenges as the military attempts to crack down on different insurgent groups:
Once insurgents in these areas are weak, the Burma Army will move in and force villagers into relocation sites under government control, where they are kept under tight travel restrictions and often forced to do perform labour duties without remuneration.
Meanwhile, areas that are not possible to take due to insurgent strength are kept in a state of chaos, via regular long-distance shelling of farms, villages and markets, the routine shooting villagers, and the blocking of key travel routes. People in these regions are effectively considered insurgents themselves, are not registered as citizens and are unable to access government services of any kind.
Some efforts are being made to bring these stories out to light: some of the footage in these videos was collected by WIN, Worldwide Impact Now, an organization which has been training members of the Karen communities so that they can report their stories in a more efficient manner. Training includes basic journalism, camera work, video editing and strategies for advocacy:
WIN has worked with people in these zones to develop specific shooting plans to document this entire process from the outbreak of conflict through to the documentation of life in hiding. We are also empowering numerous community groups with the knowledge of international human rights mechanisms to collect incident details for the United Nations.


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Myanmar: Overcrowding in Hledan  · Global Voices
tan

Pink Gold from Myanmar blogs about the road side shops in Hledan, a popular hangout place in Yangon, Myanmar.

author: tan


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Netherlands: Latin American Diaspora Women Unite  · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The European DiasporaSolidaria.org foundation organized a summit for migrant Latin American and Caribbean women in Amsterdam, where they discussed issues such as their rights, the changing nature of families and remittances. LA Ruta brings us a short video recording some of their experiences.
During the event, the women participated in different workshops. In the first one they discussed gender, migration and development, and how their rights have transformed or changed according to their new migratory status.  In the second workshop, they explored remittances and agreed on the need to raise awareness on the role of women in sending money to their home countries. In the last workshop, they discussed the new family structures that have been created due to migrations, and the importance of Latin America as it has given rise to a new family structure called “transnational family”, and how family law and family rights should change or adapt to this new context.
Women who went to the encounter had diverse reasons. As they are interviewed in the video they list a few, such as the need to inform themselves, to socialize, to learn and also to discover new ways in which to adapt to a new culture without forgetting their previous one.
Another meeting of migrant Latin American Women was organized in Spain, inspired in the successful experience of the one in Netherlands.  Diaspora Solidaria describes the inspiring results:
La agradable sorpresa la constituyó el ver a tantas mujeres comprometidas seriamente con el desarrollo de un movimiento de mujeres que traspase regiones y naciones


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Pakistan: Art Exhibition To Raise Fund For The Flood Relief Efforts · Global Voices
Rezwan

“The Sanjh set (101 cards) [..] tells a story of how artists of Pakistan came forward to share the miseries of fellow countrymen in real need by offering their art work that moved people to buy and contribute to the (flood) relief efforts”, informs S. A. J. Shirazi at Lahore Metblogs.


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Russia: Blogger Calls for Help to Expose Corruption in Public Procurement · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Blogger Navalny calls [RUS] IT-specialists for help in exposing corruption in online projects of different government structures. The last case led by Navalny helped prevent stealing over $1,8M from the government's budget. He presents screenshots of 9 similar projects worth $17,7M at the state procurement website zakupki.gov.ru.


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Russia: Center of Moscow in Photographs  · Global Voices
Dmitry Davidov

LJ user varandej posts pictures of conventional houses and apartment complexes in the center of Moscow.

author: Dmitry Davidov


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Russia: The Twitter Craze. This Time, It’s a Worm…  · Global Voices
Yelena Osipova

…I mean, a real worm.
The fact that Russian officials had become devout fans of Twitter is not news anymore. Their enthusiasm has even been credited for the explosion of the Russian “tweet-o-sphere” over the past several months, so much so that the administration of the microblogging website has announced a plan to launch a Russian-language interface for its users.
Photo of a worm in the plate at the Kremlin reception, photo by Dmitry Zelenin, screenshot from Russia Today YouTube channel
Yet, it was a different matter that topped the Twitter-related news in Russia on Wednesday, October 13. Apparently, as the Kremlin was hosting an honorable guest – German President Christian Wulff – on Tuesday evening,  the dinner menu for Governor of Tver region Dmitry Zelenin included an extra shot of protein: a live earth worm. The tweet-o-enthusiastic governor managed to take a picture of the unwanted guest and shared it on his microblog along with a comment which, according to RIA Novosti [RUS], read:
Things like this happen even in Alexandrovsky Hall. Along with beef you're also served lettuce with live earthworms.
The Moscow Times pointed out that the Governor had an additional comment:
It's an attempt of sorts to show that the salad leaves are fresh.
The Kremlin was certainly not happy with these comments. Sergei Prikhodko, President Medvedev's top foreign policy adviser, told RIA Novosti [RUS] that he found Zelenin's comments to be “irresponsible” and “stupid”:
Fortunately, I deal with foreign policy issues; however, I would, probably, advise my lawyer-colleagues to introduce a provision in the guidelines for the evaluation of governors’ activities that would allow them to be fired ‘on grounds of idiocy’.
Prikhodko also advised everyone to think twice, from now on, before inviting Zelenin over for dinner.
The photo along with the tweets have since been removed from Zelenin's feed. However, the story still managed to get several prominent mentions:
REUTERS reported on the incident, contextualizing it within the general issue of tweet-o-mania among Russian officials, as well as the convoluted relationship between the President and the regional governors in the country.
The Moscow Times picked it up, too, with a little follow-up, highlighting that Zelenin's spokeswoman declined to comment on why the governor removed the tweets and the photo. The article also featured comments by Kremlin's head chef, who was quick to clear himself of blame. (As a side note: it is worth pointing out that the piece mentioned that Prime Minister Putin's grandfather was the personal cook to Lenin and Stalin. Just a side note!)
The most interesting mention, however, is certainly that by Russia Today TV, which not only featured two separate segments on it, but also had managed to capture the actual photo, before it was removed (see the videos here and here). Weird public diplomacy: I guess they did not consult Prikhodko before airing or publishing these.
Another interesting comment on the matter came from the mock @Kremlins_Wife user on Twitter, who wrote[RUS]:
And just in case you are wondering (according to RT)…
…The fate of the worm is unknown.
UPDATE [12:40 p.m., EST]: The Kremlin worm is apparently live and well, and it has come out of hiding: later on Thursday it registered an official Twitter account of its own @KremlinCherv, posting comments and asking for attention. At the time of this writing, it already has 779 followers.
The first Tweet read:
@DZelenin Thank you, Dmitry Vadimovich. I am a star now!
The Celeb Worm also re-shared its previously removed portrait.
Yet, the most noteworthy update so far has been:
Brothers, eat salads. I'm the last worm of democracy!
[See another recent Global Voices post on Kremlin's attitude toward environmentalism.]
As for Governor Zelenin, apparently he has run into real trouble, with a full-scale investigation launched into the case. According to Russian news agencies [RUS], a preliminary examination of the photograph has revealed that it did not correspond to the location and presentation of the plate at the table. If the photo is found to be indeed fake, Mr. Zelenin can “face charges based on the existing legal code.”

author: Yelena Osipova


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Singapore: Wealth distribution · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

SquareCircleZ uses a graph to present the distribution of wealth in Singapore.


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Zambia: Are Journalists Dogs or Watchdogs? · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Zambian journalists have recently been in the news not as reporters and editors but as victims after an opposition parliamentarian labeled those working for state-controlled media organisations as Lt-Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha's dogs. Lt-Gen Ronnie Shikapwasha is the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services.
The opposition Patriotic Front (PF) Lusaka-based Munali Constituency Member of Parliament, Mumbi Phiri, who has been in the news for all the wrong reasons in the last one year or so, was incensed when a state-owned media reporter asked her about allegations that she had allegedly sold a piece of land illegally in her constituency.
Zambian opposition parties are hardly covered by state-controlled newspapers and broadcasting stations and when they are, they are only reported negatively. For Ms Mumbi, her negative reportage goes back to early last year when she fought with a fellow PF female parliamentarian, Elizabeth Chitika-Mulobeka, in the National Assembly building and was later in the same year arrested with another opposition parliamentarian for a civil disobedience offence of hooting in support of a campaign in which Zambians flash red cards against President Rupiah Banda’s government.
Blogger Richard Mulonga, who also works for state-owned Times of Zambia, wrote about the protest  march against the erring MP which took place Tuesday October 12 after which the journalists presented a petition to the Speaker of the National Assembly:
Journalists from the public media (including myself) have successfully sent a petition to the Speaker of the National Amussa Mwanamwambwa against Munali Member of Parliament Mumbi Phiri.
Chipangali Member of Parliament Vincent Mwale had the pleasure to receive our petition to forward to the Speaker as per parliamentary etiquette and procedure. We are now waiting for parliamentary course of action to take course before the public can know the outcome of our cry.
Ignore the bad press and negative comments some people uttered and still want to utter. They have selfish motives and objectives. It is only a matter of time and the truth shall be known. We know most of these people are like pawns. They do not have minds of their. They fight other people’s battles just because of a small wage or some pat on the back. Others are chasing for favours. But this is where some people have taken the Zambian media, a platform where they can achieve selfish egos.
We carried placards and chanted slogans as we marched from Arcades Shopping Centre to the Parliament through the great east road where our colleagues from the police service received us with courtesy, contrary to previous years when this procession should have ended in severe beatings and such agony as spending hours or a night in custody.
But the affected journalists have not received a lot of sympathy from the public who are generally not happy with the way state media covers news in general and news about opposition parties in particular. When Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation public relations manager Mirriam Tonga said ZNBC staff would also join the protest march in a story carried by the Zambian Watchdog,  one contributor calling himself Munthu, wrote:
We’ll also just organise a counter demo against these untrainable public media Journalist dogs who never learn to detect the anger and frustration of the public at large over their ineptitude, incompetence and bias in news coverage.
They need to be reminded that its not only MMD members who pay the K3000 (TV licence fee). Every Zambian, regardless of party affiliation has a right to fair coverage, being the pay master of these dogs.
Another contributor calling himself Bishop Alistoto wrote:
I will also join the demonstration. Where is the assembly point?
The purpose of my participation in this demonstration is to add numbers to attract the attention of all Zambians and outside world that public media employees have chosen to be called Dogs because of the way they disseminate information.
Its only wrong to be called a dog if you are untrainable because dogs are trainable, just watch the dog wispers on geographical channel.
it looks like ZNBC, Daily Mail, ZANA and Times of Zambia have their own syllabus different from the rest of the world. Could have studied journalism in Iraq under Sadam Huissen or Bin Ladin.
In any case give me the details of your assembly point, I am gonna be in attendance.
Ms Mumbi, however, apologised before the protest march for her statement which threw the march preparations into disarray with some of the organisations representing media workers, notably the Press Association of Zambia whose vice chairman, Amos Chanda was quoted in the Lusaka Times, accepting the apology and withdrawing from the demonstration.
In her apology, according to a story carried by the Lusaka Times Ms Phiri said she did not call the journalists in question “Dogs” but “Watch Dogs” saying she had respect for human beings saying there was no way she would have called a fellow human being “dog”.
This is a deliberate misrepresentation of facts and distortion of my words, there was no way I can call a fellow human being a dog. This notwithstanding, I want to apologise most sincerely to all those who may have been injured by this misrepresentation and deliberate distortion of my words, It was never my intention,” she said.
Reacting to Ms Phiri's apology, Alter Boy says:
Apologies accepted, meanwhile the affected jornalists should continue to examine their conducts. Apology is fine for now (for wrong choice of words) but I am sure if one was sincere, there is some substance in what she was talking about.
Mafosisa criticizes both the state and independent media:
Ba Journo please learn to pick on your own size. The poor MP said she made a mistake and has even apologised. What else do you want? Meanwhile Party and Govt has been busy harasing your FELLOW JOURNOS sometimes with beatings at airports and you’ve done nothing. Then there is the fact that Govt is pushing for media regulation in a manner that robs all of freedom of expresion but there has been no match againist it. Why are you so trivial? No ethics in govt media and no morals in independent media. All you guys are concerned with is your pay cheque or that kick back. I would not have apologised because the way things are going you are worse than Ntweno.
Mpangula thinks that criticism against state media is fair. He says that he has stopped getting news from state controlled media for the past 6 months:
I have stopped listening to ZNBC & Radio from Govt., controlled institutions for the past 6 months. I have become more wiser now & havent missed a thing.
Speaking Times advises Zambian netizens to be objective and welcome her apology:
I see know reason- we should rejoice on insults, let us be objective in our debates or blogs…Mumbi’s apology should be welcomed but pipo should not only apologise when they see harm coming their way, she could have clarified earlier….Journalists back for work, this issue is over
Could this be the turning point for state-controlled media journalists to prove that they are indeed independent of government control by extending coverage to all Zambians?

author: Gershom Ndhlovu


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Africa: African Elections to Watch · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

African elections to watch: “Nigeria – It will be all systems go as “the moderate corrupt” Goodluck tries to win against the Youth Ribandu (Former Anti Corruption head) who is responsible for putting several Governors out of work and on the run. Uganda:Museveni will try to get 20 years in power and be president for life. He is showing signs of dementia and is of late unsure about himself.”


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Africa: Write About Water in Africa for Blog Action Day · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

You are invited to blog about water in Africa for Blog Action Day: “Happy Blog Action Day everyone! The topic this year is WATER. Kabissa members are invited to blog about water in AFRICA. You can send in your posts via email to connect@groups.kabissa.org or post online to http://kabissa.org/group/connect (if you get a notification back you need to join the group).”


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Azerbaijan: Blog Action Day · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines marks Blog Action Day by examining the situation in its native Azerbaijan. The blog says that while the country is rich in energy, it lags behind in providing its citizens with clean drinking water with the situation even worse outside of the capital, Baku.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Bermuda: Hit the Road  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The real problem is us:  we drive like idiots”: As the government tries to find ways to “slow down traffic” in the face of rising road deaths, Vexed Bermoothes thinks that “there is much that can be done”, but warns that “‘technical measures’ alone will not solve the problem.”


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Bermuda: Stats! · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermuda is celebrating National Statistics Day today, but Vexed Bermoothes may spoil the party: “I see little to celebrate in the ‘achievement’ of managing to cover less than half the population in the national census.”


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Bhutan: Washing Hands For Better Health · Global Voices
Rezwan

“While we should continue ‘washing’ our hands with rice, let’s do so only after we’ve washed them with soap,” opines Tshering Tobgay on the occasion of the Global Handwashing Day pointing to the Bhutanese pre-meal ritual and the importance of washing hands.

author: Rezwan


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Bolivia: The Effects of Climate Change on Water · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Pablo Rivero blogs at Purple Fire [es] for Blog Action Day: “Bolivia is a country with great nature reserves, among them, fresh water. However, in the last years, the effects of climate change have left notorious and dramatic footprints.” He provides various links for more information, including a blog dedicated to water in Bolivia: Agua en Bolivia [es]

author: Silvia Viñas


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Brazil: media silent on handouts from state education departments · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Conceição Lemes at Vi O Mundo [pt] has posted a lengthy interview with web researcher NaMaria News [pt], in which it has been claimed that some of Brazil's major media groups have received substantial funding from São Paulo state's Education Department and the country's Education Development Foundation.

author: Marta Cooper


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Brazil: mobile data packages most expensive among developing nations, says study · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

The 2010 Information Economy Report from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has revealed Brazil has one of the most expensive mobile data packages [pt] among developing countries, at around US $120 for 2.1 megabytes of data per month, according to Rede Brasil Atual [pt]. The report also found that digital technology and mobile-related micro-enterprises – from selling top-up cards on the streets to refurbishing mobile phones – are becoming a crucial tool for reducing global poverty.


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Brazil: social networking world champions · Global Voices
Marta Cooper

Comunica Geral [pt] reports that a Unisys-led study has shown Brazilians beat the rest of the world in social networking. 19% of Brazilians said they access social networking websites at least once a day for work-related reasons, compared to 3% of Americans, 7% of Europeans and 5% of respondents from Australia and New Zealand. 20% use Twitter for business and personal means, while in the US, Europe and Australasia this figure is just 3%.


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Cape Verde: Stories from the “Camp of the Slow Death” · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Paulino Dias describes [pt] his visit to Tarrafal camp, in the Cape Verdean island of Santiago, regretting the fact that the former political prison from the Portuguese dictatorship (1926-1974), known as the “Camp of the Slow Death”, has not yet been transformed into a museum.

author: Sara Moreira


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Caucasus: Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian opposition parties in cooperation agreement · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

The Armenian Observer features a guest post from Uzogh [RU] on news that opposition parties in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia have signed a declaration on cooperation. The local blogger, however, remains less than convinced.


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Caucasus: Attitudes to inter-ethnic marriage · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

After posting the results of a survey last year examining perceptions of inter-ethnic friendship in the South Caucasus, Social Science in Caucasus now posts information on attitudes to inter-ethnic marriage. According the results, 99% of Azerbaijanis disapprove of their women marrying Armenians while 92% of Armenians disapprove of marriage with Azerbaijanis. Meanwhile, 75% of Georgians disapprove of marriage with Azerbaijanis and 66% with Armenians.


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Caucasus: Women as a reflection of nationalism · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Motherhood, Repatriation and other fictions comments on a recent event staged in Istanbul, Turkey, which women activists from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Russia attended. The blog particularly examines the role of nationalism and patriarchal societies in peace-building and cross-border initiatives in the South Caucasus.


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China：Peace Prize Before A Peaceful Rise Of China · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Pat Tse from interlocals.net translated a post written by An Tao which compares Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo's Charter 08 with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's talk on political reform. The writer suggests that the peaceful path for China should begin with internal reconciliation.

author: Oiwan Lam


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El Salvador: The Right to Water  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Tim's El Salvador Blog is participating in Blog Action Day with a post on the right to water: “Water is a a paradox in El Salvador. At many times there is too much water, and floods destroy crops or heavy rains produce landslides burying homes. And yet hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans lack a source of clean potable water for their daily living.”


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El Salvador: ‘There’s no water’  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

For Blog Action Day, Linda writes: “Usually, no hay agua [meaning, “there is no water”] is a temporary condition, and the water returns. Yet as more and more demands are placed on our water systems, and less and less care is taken to preserve and recycle water well, no hay agua, will not be the announcement of a nuisance, but the call of desperation.”


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Greece: Teargas under the Acropolis · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

The financial crisis gripping Greece has led to new clashes between protesting workers and police, most recently at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens on October 13 when riot police teargassed contract employees of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, who were protesting against unpaid wages and demanding permanent contracts. The protesters were barricading themselves inside the Acropolis, a major tourist destination, and threatening to block access for the rest of the month.
Citizen journalists were absent from the scene, but an amateur video of the clashes did make the rounds:
Reactions varied greatly on Twitter, abuzz with commentary from users who were watching the events unfold on TV.
Last year, the minister of Citizen Protection -who has since been replaced- promised to ban police chemicals, a pledge that has yet to be honored by the government.
Dimitris Tsigos was horrified at the use of teargas beneath the “holy rock”, and said:
It's absolutely horrible and disgusting. Tear-gassing protesters a few  meters from Parthenon, the ultimate asylum of ancient history. #EU
He also appropriated a well known Culture and Tourism Ministry slogan, which has become the butt of many jokes in recent years:
The “Breath Your Gas In Greece” campaign is on again. Now live at the Acropolis. #TeargassedInAcropolis
Political scientist Christos Valtadoros criticized the protesting employees,
Συμβασιούχοι του Υπουργείου Πολιτισμού που δεν σέβονται τον Πολιτισμό…
… and lawyer George Giannaros questioned their demands and chosen method of protest:
Ο ορισμός της δημοκρατικής διεκδίκησης: να αξιώνεις μονιμότητα στο  Δημόσιο εκτός ΑΣΕΠ παράνομα και να αλλάζεις κλειδαριές στην Ακρόπολη.  WIN
Exarvi proposed less disruptive means of protest,
Οι συμβασιούχοι που διαμαρτύρονται θα έπρεπε να κάνουν μια “θεαματική”  διαμαρτυρία αφήνοντας όμως τους τουρίστες να μπαίνουν Ακρόπολη
Film producer Yannis Koutsomitis was adamant:
Απαράδεκτο και αισχρό το να είναι απλήρωτοι. ΙΜΟ όμως η Ακρόπολη δεν κλείνει ποτέ, αλλά ποτέ. Για κανένα λόγο. Τέλος.
Unemployed journalist @The_Stranger_gr stoically observed that protests and police violence have become a way of life in recent years:
Ξυπνάς. Βλέπεις στην τηλεόραση μπάτσους να πετάνε δακρυγόνα και να κυνηγάνε διαδηλωτές. “Just another normal day in Athens”, σκέφτεσαι.
Disagreeing with this outlook, photographer Craig Wherlock accused the government of intransigence on his blog:
Once again the authorities have  mixed indifference, incompetence and violent overreaction into a  volatile cocktail which confirms many Greek's worst opinion of the government.
Instead of negotiation and discussion, batons and tear gas were used, so inflaming a tense situation and sending the message to the outside world that Greece is racked by violent confrontation. Of course, this is not the case, but by providing such images the authorities are doing everything in their power to promote this idea.
Blogger krotkaya accused the state of having financially abandoned archaeological sites and mused bitterly on the modern meaning of culture:
Αν για μας ιστορία και πολιτισμός είναι καλά για τα μουσεία και τα  σχολικά εγχειρίδια και η ζωή μας είναι αλλού, τότε προφανώς αποτελούν  προσβολή οι συμβασιούχοι που διαμαρτύρονται στην Ακρόπολη, το πανώ του  ΚΚΕ στον Παρθενώνα ή το φώτοσοπ του Focus. Τι μας θυμίζει άλλωστε αυτό το συγκεκριμένο μνημείο: το μέτρο της Αρχαίας Αθήνας, την ισορροπία, τη λογική, το δημοκρατικό πολίτευμα. [..] Αν το βλέπεις έτσι το μνημείο, ζωντανό, παλλόμενο, αναπνέον -τότε μάλλον θα κατάλαβες πως το έπιασε δύσπνοια όταν του έριξαν χημικά οι μαντραχαλάδες [..] Δεν είναι σήμερα που συνέβη η αμαύρωση του πολιτισμού στην Ελλάδα: αυτό που συνέβη σήμερα ήταν το κερασάκι στην τούρτα της πολιτικής υπονόμευσης και σαμποτάζ του πολιτισμού, που επικρατεί εδώ και πολλά χρόνια
Sotiris Koukios had no easy answers, only questions that have been gripping public discourse for years:
μέχρι που φτάνει το δικαίωμα της  διαμαρτυρίας; Υπάρχουν όρια τελικά; Θα βοηθήσει ως πίεση η προβολή  διεθνώς των διαμαρτυριών; Θα βελτιώσει σε κάτι τις ζωές όλων μας αλλά  ιδιαιτέρως αυτών που διαμαρτύρονται;
Ποιο είναι το όριο της αντίδρασης της κυβέρνησης;  ειδικά όταν το δημόσιο έχει άδικο και δεν έχει πληρώσει τους ανθρώπους  επί τόσο μεγάλο χρονικό διάστημα; Η απάντηση είναι τα ΜΑΤ; Και η  σύγκρουση με τέτοιο τρόπο αποτελεί κατά την κυβέρνηση λύση; Βελτιώνει σε  τίποτε την θέση της διεθνώς; Βελτιώνει σε τίποτε την οικονομική  κατάσταση της χώρας;
Where does the right to protest end? Are there limits? Will global media attention on these protests help to put pressure on the government?
Where's the limit of the government's response,  especially when the state is in the wrong and hasn't paid these people  for such a long period of time? Are riot squads the response? And does  this kind of conflict constitute a solution? Does it improve it's international standing? Does it improve the financial situation of the country at all?


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Honduras: The Lack of Clean Water · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Laurie says that statistics on water conditions are “too big to grasp! But here in the elbow of Central America, I get it. Water, or the lack of clean water, kills people. They get diarrhea, cholera or hepatitis. They lose their kids. Their hope. They stay in poverty.” Laurie knows people involved on water projects and tells her readers to email her for contacts.


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India: 150 Mercedes Cars For Aurangabad · Global Voices
Rezwan

Ugich Konitari from Mumbai reacts to the news that 150 young entrepreneurs, industrialists, professionals, and moneyed men from Aurangabad city bought expensive Mercedes Benz cars for each of them in a single day to secure a different recognition in the world.


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Iran: Daily Photos of Art and Persian History · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iranian citizen media does not only talk about politics and protest, but also life, art and history. Vahid Rahmanian is a creative photo blogger who publishes photos of art and historic places in Iran. With Vahid's permission, we've republished a few of the daily photos below. Click on them to see bigger versions in his blog.
Colourful Mosque
Nasir AlMolk mosque, Shiraz
Persian Dance
A painting on the wall of Chehel Sotoun (40 columns) in Esfahan (Isfahan) depicting Persian dancers dancing in the court of the Safavid king.
Plates with various designs
These plates showing varieties of MinaKari, a specific handicraft of Esfahan.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Khazali,blogger and physician was arrested · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Mehdi Khazali, head of Iran's Medical Data Bank and son of hardliner, Ayatollah Abolghassem Khazali, was arrested on Wednesday by Iranian authorities. According to [fa] Sedaye Zendani, says  Khazali wrote posts against Iranian government.


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Iran: “Lash poem” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Many Iranians have been sentenced to lashes in Iran's prisons. Here is a poem by Mehrangiz Rassapour for them. Iranian journalist Mirali Hosseini performed it in You Tube (with English subtitles).


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Iran: President Ahamdinejad’s trip to Lebanon · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Iran's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has just concluded a two-day visit to Lebanon. It was his first official since 2005 when he first took office. He held talks with Lebanese officials and visited strongholds of Iran's ally Hezbollah in the capital's southern suburbs and south Lebanon, and received a hero's welcome. Several Iranian bloggers reacted to this trip.
Meybodema has published several photos of Ahmadinejad's visit in Lebanon and quoted  [fa] Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, who praised the Islamic Republic and welcomed Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The blogger quotes Nasrallah saying that contrary to all propaganda, “Iran is helping the oppressed”.
Sayeh Azadi has republished (see above) a cartoon by leading Iranian cartoonist Nikahang from  in Roozonline [fa] with the  headline “Ahmadinejad's dreams for Lebanon”.
Z8unak counts some reasons of why Lebanese people welcomed Ahmadinejad. The blogger writes [fa]:
Why you were surprised that Ahmadinejad was greeted so warmly in Lebanon? After 20 years of the Iran-Iraq war, border cities did not get constructed but houses in Lebanon were constructed by our money. Many Iranians can not afford going to a doctor or hospitals and die every day as a result, meanwhile Iran constructs hospitals in Lebanon.
Mollah writes with irony:
Lebanese did not see any bad things from the Iranian government. If we were Lebanese and got the money we would become Islamic Republic's supporters… They say, we don't care that they are in power after a ‘coup’ or that they torture people… just pass the dollars.


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Jamaica: Bail for Buju · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

As news breaks that Buju Banton has been granted bail, Girl With a Purpose says: “The conditions of his bail are so onerous, that I'm wondering if he shouldn't just save himself the expense and remain in prison until December”; The Wickedest Time, on the other hand, sees the development as “moving on the right path.”


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Jamaica: Blogging for Action  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Adding her voice to the Blog Action Day initiative, Labrish Jamaica says: “The global water cycle is speeding up and countries in the tropics are taking the brunt [of] it.”


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Jamaica: Mother & Child  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I wondered what kind of frustration would cause an upset mother to unleash such unbridled anger on her child … and if the child did not cry because he had become accustomed to it”: Ruthibelle witnesses a phenomenon that is becoming all too prevalent in the Caribbean.


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Japan: Living a long life · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Koichi at Tofugu has a few tips to live a long life [en] following the Japanese diet and habits.


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Japan: Memories of an outlaw – Part Two · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Following from the first part, here is the anonymous blogger's description of his life in jail and his transition back into society.
By Mrhayata, CC License.
more
Life at the detention center
There were ten people in my cell which was meant for seven; it is one of the consequences of prison overcrowding.
I immediately became anxious as the  people here looked like they could be more difficult than those in the police cells.. Will I be able to make it here? Well..I guess I have no choice…
Since it's a communal life, there are many rules and each cell has its own character. There is a fixed order for cleaning and chores, and the toilet cleaning is done by the latest arrival.  Depending on when a new prisoner would come you could have to do the toilet cleaning only once but I had to do it for one week…
I had heard it before but it's really true that those who get arrested for rape or indecent assault are bullied in prison. There were a bunch of them and at worst they had their stuff stolen or they were kicked or had  their nose broken…A detention center is really a scary place.
The first impression matters and if you become someone to make fun of then you'll be bullied.
In other words, since they have nothing else to do, it’s usual that things go in that way. What people say or do is not that much different from the way primary school kids behave. I also said a lot of stupid things, but similar to my primary school days, I didn't bully anyone and wasn't bullied myself.
As far as I remember these were the crimes of the people in my cell: injurious assault, robbery, drug related crimes, DVD black market, rape, indecent assault, public nuisance (stalker), arson, illegal gambling, use of underage  prostitutes, falsification of official documents, fraud, counterfeiting, burglary, blackmail, threats, forcible obstruction of business, trespassing and violation of the gun control law…
Exercise time was once every 2 days though it’s not compulsory to have to go out. Even though it is called exercise it means about 50 people walking in circle for about 20 minutes in a 20 square-meter narrow space of the building where almost no sunshine gets through.
No running. No talking. In this every center is different but during these 20 minutes we were allowed to cut our nails. Since there were only a few nail cutters, as soon as the ‘exercise time – start’ was announced those who wanted to be first would run as fast as they could to the guy in charge of keeping the nail-cutters.
As the nail cuttings were then left in the corner of the exercise-ground it was really disgusting.
Those in confinement cells would have their exercise time up on the roof in a fenced space called ‘the bird cage’. I preferred that as a nail-cutter is not something worth fighting for and, I particularly liked  the view which was really nice. I could only see a small piece of the landscape but seeing the town I knew and the trains running made me feel the freedom beyond the walls…
This is what I learnt during my time in prison. The real yakuza don't touch the honest people and take care of the others. The henchmen and the thugs act dishonestly and are arrogant and childish. Surprisingly, there are many North Korean yakuza. In the Tokyo prison there were many such thugs, and I hated it.
I heard a lot of underground stories and they were really interesting.  Having only experienced life as a salaryman, there were so many things that I didn't know.
Until that time I had thought that my life was normal but I got to learn that there is no such a thing as a ‘normal’ life. Everyone's daily life is normal…
One year after I entered the prison, I was given a sentence of four years and six months and it was a shock for me. The guy of the center tried to comfort me by saying: “Considering your crime, you muddled through”, but even with good behavior it would only have been three years and ten months so it seemed like a very long time….
I was torn between appealing or not but given that my parents strongly wished me to, I decided to appeal. At this point, my transfer to the Tokyo penitentiary was decided.
The first trial is usually held at the local court of each prefecture or district but since the appeal court of the area where I was is the Tokyo High Court, the jurisdiction was Tokyo.
So my pleasant life in a single cell was over. At the new place I made a request to have a single cell, like in the previous detention center, but it was denied.
Where they put me was once again a community cell…
The Tokyo detention center was different from the other one as the structure was new and it was in a multistory building equipped with air-conditioning and heating…
The most difficult thing for me during my life in prison was living together with complete strangers.
Fellow criminals meeting for the first time means trouble and for someone like me who's uncomfortable with groups of people, there was nothing more painful than that. Even without realizing it, I accumulated a lot of stress by constantly living with other people.
I almost became depressed. I told myself that also this is part of the punishment and I lived with it but so many times I was very close to being driven mad by those selfish people. From a normal person's point of view though, I'm probably the same as them.
During a visit when I saw my mother pleading with  the officer on guard saying “Can't you please let him have a single cell?”, a tear dropped from my eyes.
It's undeniable that my family was also a ‘victim’..
For the rest of my life, I will never be able to raise my head to my parents again….
Outside the walls
I also thought that as soon as I was outside I would have eaten this and that but this wasn’t the case. Even now, I end up buying the same snacks or cup-noodles I used to eat in prison. Even those that for a normal person are just snacks, for me they have the taste of prison…
A Stain


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Japan: Virtual water · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

On Blog Action Day Masato Fukushima reflects  [ja] on the concept of Virtual Water [ja]. Japan has a very low food self-sufficiency ratio and rely on imports, he explains, adding that imported food is cultivated and processed using the water of other countries and that Japanese should keep it in mind.


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Jordanians Tweet about Election Campaigning · Global Voices
Betsy Fisher

Jordanian parliamentary candidates are now allowed to post campaign materials for the November 9 elections.  Posters now cover main roads, and the topic of these campaign materials has been hotly discussed among Jordanian Twitter users. Almost unanimously, these tweets express disgust with the posters.
Three Jordanian women reacted after a week of looking at signs along major roadways.  Ruba tweeted,
We need our own #rallytorestoresanity in #JO those candidates are really going crazy with their banners! #JOElections
Another Jordanian woman, Thoraya, writes:
Apparently, all you need to run for Jordanian Parliament is a face. #JOelections
And Samia joins:
Dear running candidates for #JOelections walahi (I swear) im dreaming of ur faces at night
Earlier in the week,  OulaFarawati was one of many to comment on the repetitiveness of campaign slogans:
Candidate agendas: liberate Palestine,fight corruption,combat poverty&unemployment.. Ridiculously ambitious &deceptive!
She continues:
And I thereby vow to vote for the candidate who can show practically how he will “liberate Palestine
aksharawi seems to summarize the feeling:
the only thing ur picture is doing is blocking a road sign
Jordanians also have used Twitter to debate participating in the elections.  The leading opposition party is leading a boycott of the elections out of protest of election laws that they say are unfair.
KShihabi asks:
What will a crippling elections law produce???!!! Democracy!!!! a hard working parliament!!!! or just a copy of the last one?!
Others, like Bayanwaleed, argue that the election is the only way to improve government in Jordan:
If U don't elect them and show them U know what U want, someone else will, and U will only bare the consequences
Shusmo agrees, tweeting:
If you are against #JOElections you should never complain again about the #Government, Engage & Elect to create better#Government
Some say they will not vote because of the poor choices of candidates, not because of campaign laws.
kamelasmar is one of these:
I was really hoping to see the change happening, same faces exactly. It's good I won't be in town so I won't vote
Follow the #Joelections Twitter feed for the latest updates and opinions on the Jordanian parliamentary elections.

author: Betsy Fisher


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Kenya: Meet the Villagers Band · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Meet the Villagers Band from Kenya: “This is an Afro-fusion band from Kenya. It is a 10 piece band that plays Bengenge which is a form of Afro Fusion that is heavily influenced by Benga, Mbalax, Kwela, Mbaqanga, Hi-life and other forms of African music, and fused with smooth urban chords and melodies.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha