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Bolivia: Immigrant Community Stages March in Buenos Aires · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Barrio Flores shot video footage of members of the Bolivian community, who marched in Buenos Aires in support of the government of Evo Morales.


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Bulgaria, Libya: Article on Tripoli Six Case · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Declan Butler links to an article by John Bohannon, which “tells the story of scientists’ actions in the Libya [Tripoli Six] case.”

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Chile: Cell Phone Maps for Transantiago · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

A new map for use by cell phones will help users maneuver through the difficulties of the Transantiago public transport system in Santiago, Chile, writes Leo Prieto of Fayer Wayer [es].

author: Eduardo Avila


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China: Top Fake News 2007 · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zhengyi has listed out major fake news in 2007 with some background information. Some of his picks are (zh): 1. Paper Baozi, 2. Cruelest Step mother, 3. Guangzhou's property price goes down upon government regulation; 4. the gunman of campus shooting in Virginia is Chinese; 5. Province government gives order to protect the pig once fed by Maggie Cheung; 6. standard salary of white collar worker; 7.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Truth Doesn’t Matter? · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The State Forestry Administration said whether the Tiger picture is fake or not doesn't matter. Xu Ming from 1510 said that the government's response made God mad (zh). And Rose Lu from 1510 insisted that truth does matter! Or people would eventually lose trust on the government eventually.


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Colombia: Released Videos Shows Silence From Hostages · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

The proof of survival videos and images that were discovered last week when 3 emissaries of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) terrorist group were captured, contains poignant images of several of the hostages the FARC has in their power. These videos were allegedly on their way to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, as part of the conditions for the humanitarian exchange negotiations which were halted a week and a half ago.
There are videos and images of hostages who speak about the conditions they live under, the concentration camp-like quality of their prisons, and other hostages just take the time to send their love and regards to family and children. One of the most talked about videos has been the one which shows ex-presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, kidnapped on February 2002, who stares out straight ahead while sitting very still, only her blinking eyes are proof that it is a video and not a still image. She didn't speak a word, but her sad, haggard face, her stick thin arms and silence spoke volumes to many .
Ingrid Betancourt might not have spoken on the 55 second long video, but she wrote a long letter to her family, and the content of that letter was leaked and was published on El Tiempo newspaper and website and then transcribed on Costa Rican blog  Por la Boca Vive el Pez [es], much to Ingrid's family's indignation.  In this extensive letter, she tries to cram years of her life in torturous captivity, while sending out love to her children, ex-husband and mother.
Durante mucho tiempo hemos sido como los leprosos que afean el baile, los secuestrados no somos un tema “políticamente correcto”, suena mejor decir que hay que ser fuertes frente a la guerrilla aún sin sacrificar algunas vidas humanas. Ante eso, el silencio. Solo el tiempo puede abrir las conciencias y elevar los espíritus.
For so long we've been like the lepers who spoil the party. As hostages we aren't a “politically correct” topic, it sounds better for them to say that they have to be strong towards the guerrilla but without sacrificing some human lives. To face this, silence. Only time can open minds and elevate spirits.
Another type of silence is that of all the other hostages out there in the FARC concentration camps, those who are not deemed important enough to merit sending out videos and letters, and whose families are still waiting for a sign of life, waiting to see if they have any right to hope for them to come home.
Bloggers such as Bluelephant [es] criticizes the reactions of some politicians like Piedad Córdoba who do not miss a chance to take advantage of any situation to back their own agendas.
Esas caras descompuestas, granulosas, que miramos desde la distancia con total impotencia mientras los políticos de todos los pelambres -empezando por Uribe y Chávez- los capitalizan electoralmente (qué vergüenza Piedad Córdoba acreditándose su existencia, jugando a la política con esas cartas (y con sus lágrimas) …
Those uncomposed pixelated faces we saw through the distances with complete impotence while every type of politician -starting with Uribe and Chávez- capitalize on them electorally (Shame on Piedad Córdoba, crediting herself with their existence, playing politics with those cards (and her tears)…
Others like Octav at Crítica destructiva [es] condemns the situation and the way these people are being used as merchandise to be exchanged.
Maldito tiene que ser un pueblo que permite que se utilice la vida y la libertad de las personas como mercancía y no exige…y obliga a los responsables a liberarlos y por el contrario, le sirve y le da beneficios inclusive por encima de los representantes que éste mismo eligió.
Damn those people who allow the lives and freedom of people to be used as merchandise and who don't demand and force those responsible to free them, those who instead work for them and give them benefits over the representatives that they themselves have chosen.
Alejandro in Diary of an unknown programmer [es] wonders why these videos weren't sent as email earlier as examples of good will.
…lo que no puedo tolerar es que sean tan brutos como para decir que esos tipos iban para donde Chavez como mensajeros,,, ¿Es que acaso no existen los mails? Para qué carajos tienen una puta página web donde montan sus fechorías y sus maldades, no podrían hacer algún tipo de upload en Youtube de cualquier video de los secuestrados y enviarlos periódicamente?
The video which includes US citizens, Colombian hostages and  French-Colombian citizen and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt can be seen at the El Tiempo newspaper's site, along with other video material.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Cuba, Venezuela: The Right Reaction?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Child of the Revolution presents two opposing scenarios about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's reaction to the defeat of his constitutional referendum.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Ecuador: First Actions in Constituent Assembly · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Tambopaxi of Quito, La Carolina writes about the first actions taken in the Constituent Assembly in Ecuador.


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Egypt: Greedy Military  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“There has been anecdotal evidence that the military is getting increasingly greedy about encroaching on the civilian sphere, particularly when it comes to prime land and business,” notes The Arabist, from Egypt, who brings us the latest story of the military's plans to take over Qursaya Island, off Cairo.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Egypt: GV Podcast Wins Praise · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Global Voices Online‘s podcast with Egyptian blogger Wa7da Masrya won the praise of bloggers. Ibn Al Dunya from Egypt and the Free Kareem campaign site mention it in their posts.


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Egypt: Little Children Suffer · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Maryanne Stroud Gabbani, who lives in Egypt, draws our attention to the plight of children with a school curriculum which doesn't meet their needs in this telling post.


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Egypt: The Story of the Flying Mouse · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

We all used to watch cartoons when we were children. In fact, many of us still like watching cartoon movies. And sometimes some of those movies stay there in our minds for a while and affect our lives. Captain L.J.Silver wrote here (Ar) about a movie he watched 15 years ago, and still can't forget.
من الغريب جدا تلك القدرة الغريبة لأفلام الرسوم المتحركة على النتأثير في نفوس الأطفال ,لا أستطيع ان أحدد سببا واضحا لذلك و لكنني أزعم ان هذه القدرة ترتكز على مبدأ بسيط جدا و هو أن هذه الأفلام تخاطب مشاهديها بنفس لغتهم ؛لغة الخيال الجامح الغير محدود-الشيء الوحيد الذي يولد كبيرا عند الأطفال-و من هنا تستطيع النفاذ الى قلوب بل و عقول الأطفال بكل سهولة و يسر
It is really strange how cartoons can effect children. Nobody can find a clear reason for this but I think it is because such movies talk to children using their own language, the language of unlimited imagination – the only thing that is born big in children. And this is how they can take over their minds and hearts easily.
Then he tells us about the movie that had a great effect on him.
الفيلم كان يحكي عن فأر صغير في الغابة لا يشغل تفكيره أي شيء سوى حلمه بالطيران ,كل يوم يثبت جناحين من الورق فوق يديه و يذهب للقفز من فوق تبة صغيرة غير عابيء بالالام الناتجة عن سقوطه مرة تلو الأخرى..يوما بعد يوم يبدأ جناحين صغيرين في النمو مكان يديه وهو لايكل ولايمل من التمرين الى أن يصبح قادرا على الطيران و يحقق حلمه …ولكن تأتي الرياح بما لا تشتهي السفن ,فلقد قامت حرب كبيرة في الغابة بين مملكة الحيوانات و مملكة الطيور …و يقف الفأر عاجزا عن الانضمام لأي طرف منهم .
The movie was about a little mouse, who used to live in a forest and had one dream, and that was to be able to fly. Everyday he put on a pair of wings made of paper and went to a small hill and jumped from there, without paying any attention to the pain that he felt after falling each time. Day after day, two small wings started to grow in the place of his arms, and he kept trying to fly continuously until he was able to do so. But what he never expected was that a war started between the animals and the birds and he stood in between unable to decide which side to join.
He then continues:
الفيلم يقدم ببساطة شديدة فكرة غاية في الروعة …كيف من الممكن أن ننساق وراء حلم ما حتى ننسى ما سواه…وقد ننساق وراء الحلم لدرجة أن يصبح السعي وراءه هو الغاية في حد ذاتها …و ليس تحقيقه !
من الصعب أن تقضي حياتك محاولا اللحاق بسراب لا وجود له !….ولكن الأصعب هو أن تسعى وراء حلم بكل امكانياتك ..و تكتشف أنك اذ أصبحت قادرا على تحقيق الحلم فلقد قفدت ما هو أهم منه….فقدت نقسك
The movie presents a very simple yet wonderful idea … How can we follow a dream till we forget anything in our lives but it … We may also follow it till the dream itself becomes our goal instead of making it come true.
It's really bad to spend your whole life trying to find a mirage that is not there! But what is worse is to spend everything in order to follow a dream … and then realize that you were able to make it come true but after losing something more important … losing your own self.

author: Tarek Amr


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Georgia: Imedi Back on Air · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

TOL Georgia reports that the Georgian authorities will allow Imedi TV back on air ahead of the January presidential election. However, there are concerns that it might take as long as three months before Imedi TV can resume broadcasting.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Haiti: Of Policies & Procedures  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“I like to think that my time in Haiti has made me a kinder, more patient Tara. As it turns out maybe that is only true in certain situations”: Livesay Haiti Weblog has a new travel policy.


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Indonesia: Top Blogs · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Indonesia Matters has compiled a list of top Indonesian blogs based on their rankings across a range of search engines.

author: Preetam Rai


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Iran:A radio piece on Ahmadinejad’s blog · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Cyrus Farivar, journalist and blogger,talks about the return of President Ahmadinejad’s blog.You can listen to several bloggers and journalists who took part in this radio piece.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran:What is George Bush Smoking?  · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Farideh Farhi, a USA based Iranian academic,writes about President Bush's reaction to a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) that concludes Iran does not currently have a nuclear weapons program.Farideh has chosen “what is George Bush smoking” as title for her post.


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Israel: Hanukkah Recipe  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

IsRealli brings us a special Hanukkah recipe in this vlog.


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Israel: Hanukkah Special  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

CK from Jewlicious shares scenes of Hanukkah festivities in this photo feature.


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Jamaica: Common Bonds  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“It strikes me that if we had a bigger world view, we might relax a little and be able to see that our problems are for the most part, common ones”: Francis Wade says that Jamaica's challenges are not unique.


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Japan: 16 suicide cases in Self Defence Forces · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

tokyodo-2005 [ja] quotes a November 14 newspaper article which reports 16 cases of suicide among Self-Defence Forces personnel deployed in the Indian Ocean and Iraq this year (up to October). The blogger speculates that the number may actually be larger since some cases might be misclassified as “natural causes” and personnel who retired from service are not included.

author: Hanako Tokita


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Japan: Anti-fingerprinting protest leaflet · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

Re-entry Japan is a collaborative blog site which offers information and discussion on the newly introduced fingerprinting of non-Japanese nationals in Japan. The site has a protest leaflet which people can put in their passport when they go through customs.


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Japan: KakikoTV for Non-Japanese · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Serkan at Tokyotronic translates from Japanese to English instructions for using a new service, KakikoTV, which allows users to modify videos and photos online. The service also allows for the integration of a range of visual and sound effects, as well as comments and subtitles.

author: Chris Salzberg


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Japan: Michelin Guide Hits Tokyo · Global Voices
Hanako Tokita

On November 22, the much-talked-about Michelin Guide Tokyo went on sale. With a combination of French connections and something of gastronomical interest, you can never go wrong in Japan. Sure enough, for days leading up to and after its release, the Japanese media flocked to cover the event and the Guide itself, the most recognized restaurant and hotel guide book published by French tire manufacturer Michelin. Of course, the Guide was a popular topic among Japanese bloggers last week.
Blogger gen comments:
I have only thumbed through a friend's copy of the recently released (and now sold out) Michelin Guide Tokyo. I have only been to a handful of the restaurants in the guide (maybe 5-7 of the 1 stars.) It is staggering to think that while Paris and New York City have roughly 20,000 restaurants, the greater Tokyo area has over 160,000 restaurants.
There's a longer discussion about what really deserves stars and why it took a non-Japanese company to create the most-recognizable guide to food in Tokyo, and how many of the best restaurants are invite-only and thus are not reviewed, but that's for another day.
The full list of Michelin Guide Tokyo restaurants are on the Michelin website (name only- buy the guidebook for the reviews once they reprint it.)
On the other hand, the guide has also stirred up some controversy, with critics voicing concerns about evaluating traditional Japanese cuisine based on Western taste and standards. As ko-ji points out, the guide only covers certain parts of Tokyo and its evaluation criteria were never made clear.
各方面でいろいろと書かれているようですがこの
ガイドを読む限りでは東京23区のうちのたった9区で
しかも老舗店の多い台東区、中野区あたりが全くなく
外国人の判断基準を知りたいように思いました。
Photo by Flickr user eprouveze CC-BY-NC-SA
Some bloggers were quite sarcastic about the whole event. This blogger comments:
何で、あんなに大騒ぎしてるんだろう。
はっきりいって踊らされすぎだと思う。
フランス人には日本料理の評価なんてできないと思う。
まぁ東京にあるフランス料理店の判断基準にはなるかもね。
I don't think the French can evaluate Japanese cuisine.
Well, I guess they can set criteria for [the quality of] French restaurants in Tokyo.
Many bloggers seem to be turned off by the “snobbishness” of the Guide and express their disappointment about how Japanese food culture is represented. saturday_interlude echoes these voices:
高級な料亭や、豪華なフランス料理店じゃなくて、
路地裏にでもあるような、小さなお店でも
とっても美味しい料理と、女将さんの優しい微笑で、
三ツ星経験を楽しめるかもしれませんよ。


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Japan: Opinions on Fingerprinting · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jamie from Japan Probe blogs the diverse opinions on Japan's fingerprinting policy.


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Kuwait: Professional Emails · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

With technology effecting every facet of life, Arab governments are slowly waking up to the concept of e-services. Kuwaiti blogger Lamia The Dreamer (Ar) detects a glitch in the system and broadcasts it to the world in this post.
Photo credit: Lamia
According to Lamia The Dreamer:
هل هو نوع من الترشيد “للإكسجينج سيرفر” بالوزارة؟


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Kyrgyzstan: Labor Migrants, Unsung heroes of the nation · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Almaz says that, according to World Bank’s forecast, the remittances by the Kyrgyz labor migrants will constitute about 100% of the Kyrgyzstan’s 2007 budget or 1 billion US dollars.

author: Adil Nurmakov


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Kyrgyzstan: Scandal over ballots · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Asel tells about the scandal in Kyrgyzstan ahead of the nation's parliamentary vote. An opposition politican put a picture of voting ballot in his blog, and was deregistered as a candidate, while the authorities ordered to eliminate all ballots and print new ones – with the costs to be reimbursed by a politican.


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Nepal: A state for Nepali Indians · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

United We Blog! on the demands of Nepali Indians in India who want their own state.

author: Neha Viswanathan


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Oman: Aids Awareness  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Sleepless in Muscat, from Oman, shares links of newspaper articles written to mark the International Aids Day on December 1.


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Pakistan: The President and his oath · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Reflections on Musharraf as the civilian President of Pakistan at All Things Pakistan.


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Palestine: Different Hanukkah  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

“This year, the celebration of Hanukkah coincides with a slow-motion genocide the legions of Zionism are carrying out against nearly 1.5 million helpless human beings in the Gaza Strip,” notes Palestinian blogger Khaled Amayreh.


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Russia: Inflation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Fistful of Euros points out “another reason why Russia should be in the news, its growing inflation problem.”


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Russia: Muslims For Putin · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Window on Eurasia writes on the voting patterns of Russia's Muslims: “Muslims voted for United Russia and thus endorsed Putin, according to Abdulla Rinat Mukhametov, the head of Islam.ru’s research department, in order to demonstrate that they are ‘for a strong, united and socially oriented state’ and thus put to rest all charges that Muslims are linked to ‘separatism, extremism, and the like’.”


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Russia: Sup Buys LiveJournal · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

James over at Robert Amsterdam's blog posts a comprehensive overview of the recent sale of LiveJournal to the Russian media company Sup and the possible implications of this deal.


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Russia: Western Media Response to the Election · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Another discussion at Sean's Russia Blog: “predictable responses” of the Western media to “predictable results” of the Russian election.


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Russia: “Why Russian Liberals Lose” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Sean's Russia Blog hosts a discussion of Nicolai Petro's International Herald Tribune column titled “Why Russian Liberals Lose.”


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Slovenia: “Often Forgotten Country” and Its TLD · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“In 28 days, Slovenia will take over the rotating presidency of the European Union for the firs six months of 2008 – and for the first time ever, since Slovenia has only been a member of the EU for 1,311 days as we speak. Time then to start learning some basic facts about this often forgotten country – such as what its Internet top level domain (TLD) is,” writes Jonathan Newton of Tales from the European Underbelly.


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South Korea: Foreign Teacher’s Visa · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Metropolitician is drafting a counter proposal to the new foreign teacher's visa. He calls for help in the collective drafting and translation process.


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Sri Lanka: A village and the blogosphere · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Cerno reflects on the Sri Lankan blogosphere, particularly on the sense of community at kottu.org.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Beetham Sphinx · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Thebookmann features a Trinidad and Tobago version of the Sphinx.


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Turkmenistan: Natural Gas to Be Sold for a Higher Price · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Bboyd reports that Russia's Gazprom agreed to hike its price for Turkmenistan’s gas: from USD 100 per cubic meter (cum) to USD 130 starting January of 2008.


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Turkmenistan: Railways Construction Plan Announced · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Maciula reports about launching the construction of the Uzen-Gyzylgaya-Bereket-Etrek-Gorgan transnational railway, which will link Iran, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, and probably also Russia.


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Ukraine: “Hitler Infantilization” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana writes about a scandal over teaching methods used at a private school attended by president Yushchenko’s two daughters.


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Ukraine: PM Bribery Video · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana posts one of the four videos released by Yulia Tymoshenko's Bloc, in which “an Orange MP” is allegedly offered to be paid in return for his switching to the opponents’ side (translated transcript provided): “There’s your capital — this one thing, the voting card. You have no other capital.”


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Ukraine: “Unsung Heroes” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Orange Ukraine writes on various sources of aid to Ukraine, individual and institutional.


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Uruguay: Distribution of OLPC Laptops · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Ivan Krstić was in Uruguay to help with the distribution of the OLPC XO laptops.  He chronicles the visit with pictures taken at the schools.


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Afghanistan: Leaked map has got more no-go zones for aid missions · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Carl Robichaud reacts on the recent article in The Times with the leaked information about new map for aid missions in Afghanistan. According to this UN map, almost half of Afghanistan is now too dangerous for aid workers to operate in.


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Aghanistan: Taliban’s Shallow Promise of Justice · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Afghanistanica comments on the IWPR article, which is suggesting that some people are looking to the Taliban’s parallel justice system for help with their grievances. The blog insists that the Taliban’s promise of justice is shallow: while the current justice system in Afghanistan is indeed wretched, the Taliban justice system apparently does not do so well when confronted with conflicting claims.


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Armenia: Fear & Oppression Ahead of Election · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

After deciding that it would not be a conflict of interests to sell a photograph of former president Levon Ter Petrosian for use by his team to publicize Saturday's rally, Global Voices’ Onnik Krikorian writes on his Armenia Election Monitor 2008 that he is outraged that the leaflets have been seized by the authorities and one man briefly detained for his involvement in their printing.


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Armenia: Intimidation & Harassment · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Nazarian comments on news that posters advertising former president Levon Ter Petrosian's Saturday rally have been confiscated by the authorities. The blogger concludes that such a move is a continuation of a policy of the intimidation and harassment of opposition activists and supporters ahead of next year's presidential election.


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Bahrain: Pebbles Land Blogger in Court · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Redbelt is facing trial because a pebble from the street got into his car tyre while driving and hit another car's windshield.


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Bangladesh: A cyclone and its aftermath · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Shawn, a Canadian in Bangladesh has accounts of the devastation caused by Cyclone Sidr.


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Bolivia: Morales’ Popularity Falls · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Miguel Centellas of Pronto* cites the latest opinion polls that reveal Bolivian President Evo Morales’ popularity has dropped 10 points.


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Cambodia: Survey Results · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

According to a recent survey, Cambodians feel that the high price of gas is the biggest impediment in Cambodia's growth.


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Cape Verde: Enough of mugging · Global Voices
Paula Góes

Pedrabika [pt] discusses the high rate of mugging in Cape Verde and invites everyone to react, starting with attending to a rally this Friday, December 14: “We all talk but nobody does anything to get the situation changed. This appeal may be the beginning of a process of change, it depends on us, and how we face citizenship activism. Safety is an issue the relates to us all”.

author: Paula Góes


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Chile: Latest News · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Tomás Dinges of Chile From Within provides the latest run-down of news from Chile.


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China: “Beautiful Eyes” Questioned the New Crater in China’s First Moon Picture · Global Voices
Meng Zhang

“China published the first picture of the moon captured by Chang'e-1 on Monday morning, marking the success of the country's first lunar probe project.” Xinhua News Agency, the state-run media of China, reported on November 26. Although proudly unveiled by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, the “framed black-and-white photo” which “showed a rough moon surface with scattered round craters both big and small” immediately caused some astronomical amateurs’ suspicions because of its similarities to an earlier lunar image confirmed by US in 2005. Additionally, the recent South China Tiger farce and the continuous negative rumors of the lunar probe undoubtedly reinforced people's worries that whether the photo was another “Tiger” copied from NASA‘s work.
In an effort to dispel the doubts and queries about the picture, Ouyang Ziyuan, academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and chief scientist of the lunar exploration program, claimed last Sunday, “Because China and the United States took the images in the same region, it's natural the two pictures look alike. But through careful observation you will see there are some nuances.” To further prove the photo's authenticity, Professor Ouyang Ziyuan confidently cited a convincing difference discovered by a Canadian Chinese named Jun Liu, saying after a careful comparison the overseas Chinese found that in China National Space Administration(CNSA)'s picture there were two craters in an area where the NASA's image only showed one. “The additional crater,” Ouyang Ziyuan added, “may be either missed due to the American photo's inadequate resolution or created by a new impact of some celestial body from 2005 to 2007.”
The magnifying image of the new crater were massively quoted by the mainstream media in China and a lot of people including part of the critics were brought around by the effective proof, until another question persuasively raised by a netizen named “Beautiful Eyes” (美丽的眼睛) was appearing in a thread of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory online BBS:
我前两天回一个帖子时估算了一下，十来年的功夫在几百乘几百公里的月面上最可能产生的是直径米级的新撞击坑，当然不能排出km级新坑的可能性，但那应该是非常非常低概率的事件。
今天欧阳院士说出来我有点惊讶，但是图上确实很明显。刚才我又把我们的图和Google Moon仔细比了一下，发现“新撞击坑”的说法问题很大。最可能是问题出在图片拼接环节。很可能有一方把图拼叉了。
When I replied to a post the other day, I had an estimate that during ten years or so it is most likely to form a new crater meters in diameter within an area of thousands of square kilometers in the moon surface. Of course we can not get rid of the possibility of a new km-grade crater, but that should be an incident of extremely low probability.
I was a little surprised by what academician Ouyang said today, but obviously there were two craters in CNSA's photo. Just now I made a careful comparison again between our picture and Google Moon, finding out a big problem of the “new crater”. The error may be committed during the image stitching. It's highly probable that either NASA or CNSA wrongly pieced together the images.
我的World Wind坏了下不了清晰的月面图，谁有的拿来也比一比。
这是大体位置：
My World Wind doesn't work so I can't download a clear image of the moon surface. If somebody has one you can have a comparison.
This is the approximate position of the new crater:
欧阳院士在上海文汇的报告会上讲，一位加拿大华侨找到了确证：一个新的撞击坑，证明嫦娥月照是真的。目前，我倒也不太怀疑嫦娥月照有假。但这个证据跟我的直觉不太符合。
局部：箭头所指是欧阳先生指出的新坑，直径约3km
Academician Ouyang presented in Shanghai Wenhui lecture and said a Canadian Chinese had found an ironclad proof: a new crater, proving the moon picture taken by Chang'e was real. At present, I don't suspect the authenticity of the moon image sent back by Chang'e very much, but that proof is not in complete accord with my intuition.
Part: The arrow points at the new crater which Mr. Ouyang mentioned. The diameter is about 3km.
放大一看，一下子就很可疑了：新坑的左边缘上居然还叠加了一个小坑，连续这么两件事情发生于过去2年，几乎不可能。
仔细看 Google Moon上那个所谓老坑，岂不是也在左边缘上叠着一个小坑吗？
难道欧阳院士指错了？右上方紧挨着的才是新坑？仔细看，发现不然，详见楼下。
After enlarging the different part of the two images, it becomes very suspicious right away: another smaller crater is surprisingly located on the left edge of the new crater. It's almost impossible that two heavenly bodies hit at the same spot of the moon surface just during two years.
Pay attention to the so called old crater on Google Moon. Isn't there a small crater also on the left edge?
Is academician Ouyang wrong? Is the upper-right one the new crater? Absolutely not. Get more information in the next comparison.
疑问坑的局部
The part of the controversial crater
根据地形特征，从左向右推算（黄线），再从右向左推算（红线），结果发现走到中间错了位，嫦娥的两个坑对应的其实就是Google的一个坑。蓝线我怀疑是局部拼接线。
According to the terrain features, we first calculate from left to right (yellow lines), then from right to left (red lines), finally getting a dislocation in the middle, so the two craters shot by Chang'e are actually the same one of Google Moon. The blue mark I guess is the stitching line of that part.
进一步证据表明更可能是嫦娥图像处理人员的失误，而不是NASA。
看问题坑的南面有一个条索状物，在嫦娥图片中一劈为二了 （红色箭头所指）。注意参照黄色箭头所指的地标。
The evidence further illustrates it's more like Chang'e image manipulating personnel's mistake, but not NASA.
To the south of the crater in question, there is a strip of ground which is divided into two parts in the picture taken by Chang'e probe (the red arrow pointed at). Please compared it to the landmark pointed by the yellow arrows.
在这幅三维图里那个小坑的拼接是正确的:
The stitch of the small crater in the three-dimensional image is correct:
忽然发现一夜之间已经新闻铺天盖地，到处都在引用新撞击坑的说法，新浪甚至给出了详图。
请坛主、版主们只要能跟欧阳院士说上话的，赶紧告诉他老人家高姿态更正错误说法争取主动。经过虎照事件网民个个火眼金睛，如果确实是错误的话，即使我不发现，终究也难逃网民法眼，那时再解释就事倍功半了。
The explanation of new crater has been overwhelmingly spread and quoted by the news media and Sina even published detailed pictures. I hope the webmasters who can contact with academician Ouyang tell him to voluntarily admit the mistake and correct it as soon as possible. Every netizen has got a pair of penetrating eyes through the fake photo of South China Tiger. As long as it's a real mistake, some netizens will definitely expose it even if I didn't discover it before. Until that time, to give a reasonable explanation will become a very tough work for the authorities.
By Thursday evening, more than 29000 people have browsed through Beautiful Eyes's post in the online BBS while 178 left their comments. Whether the alleged new crater is a forgivable mistake, a shameful fault or actually existing there has become the focus among the netizens. Here are some of the comments:
作者：浪子崖
楼主的探索精神我表示佩服!!
这个错误从另外一个方面也证明了我们的嫦娥照片是真的!!仅仅是因为人为的拼接的缘故导致错误!
这个错误不大但也不小，毕竟是第一张照片啊! 我认为政府应该吸取华南虎的经验，如果确实属实，应该坦然承认并进行详细的解释，千万不要捂盖子! 甚至可以嘉奖这位网友，以彰显政府和科研部门的开放和坦诚!!
Author: Lang Ziya
I pay my tribute to the author (Beautiful Eyes)!!
This mistake from the other side has proved our Chang'e picture is real!! It's only some man-made stitching work that caused mistakes!
It's not a big error but also not a trivial matter. After all, this picture is the first one! I think the government must learn a lesson from the South China Tiger. If it is really true, they should be composed to acknowledge their fault and give a specific explanation, never covering up the fact! The government and scientific department can even reward this netizen (Beautiful Eyes) to show their opening and sincerity!!
作者：东东狐
很佩服楼主的火眼，呵呵
可是楼主用来比对的照片来自于googlemoon吧，我听到的更多消息是，美国的照片也是拼接的，而且是不同分辨率的照片拼接而成的，那么楼主是如何证明是嫦娥的照片错了，而不是美国的照片拼接错误?
Author: Dongdong Hu
Admiring the author's piercing eyes, ha ha
but the photo you (Beautiful Eyes) quoted in the comparison is coming from Google Moon and more information has told me the photo of US is also stitched by different images which are of different definitions. So how can you prove it's a mistake of Chang'e's picture but not America's?
作者：馒头簸箕
这还用讨论, 显然证明了轨道运行得不是那么精确的谣言, 19轨图像拼接的时候没有仔细作好几何校正。政治压力大, 一线干活的人太毛糙了。
Author: Mantou Boji
Do we need a discussion about this? It has obviously demonstrated the rumor that the probe's orbit is not that accurate. They didn't make careful geometric adjustments when pieced together the 19 images. High political pressure has made the working staff's work too crude.
作者：sun2100
作为嫦鹅工程的首席院士这样不负责任的性口信口雌黄实在有损国家形象，这样的官员应该立即下岗！不值得国人尊敬！
Author: sun2100
As the chief scientist of the lunar exploration program, his irresponsible statement is really a shame to the country. Such kind of official should be dismissed at once! He can't deserve the respect from the people!
作者：vicent
我觉得通过楼主的分析大家都能看出这个照片真假的问题没必要讨论了，肯定是真的，就是出了点错。不如小日本先进也不用比了，这个是事实，除了技术基础外，人家探测起步也比我们早，有同好说为什么不拍个地球的照片，其实很简单，看一下嫦娥的相机设计就知道了，纯粹是为了扫描月面设计的，更像一个扫描仪而不是相机，并且是固定的，没法象小日本那样回头拍一下地球，并且我们那个是黑白的。
事情发展到这个地步，ZF不能不反思一下宣传工作，开始大张旗鼓，然后就无声无息，等到质疑的声音出来后再匆匆应对，忙中出错，首席科学家也没有了应该的严谨，这一切把一个本该平实的科学探测活动搞得乌烟瘴气，ZF的公信力又一次被消费了。
Author: vicent
I think through the author (Beautiful Eyes)'s analysis everyone can see it's unnecessary to talk about whether the picture is true or not. It's absolutely a real one which just includes some mistakes. There's also no need to discuss if the Japan's lunar probe is more advanced than ours. It's a truth that Japan owns a better technology foundation and an earlier start of moon exploration. Someone asked why China's probe didn't take a photograph of the earth like Japanese did before. In fact it's very simple to understand after we see the Chang'e probe's camera structure which is totally designed for scanning the moon surface. Rather than a camera it's more like a scanning apparatus which can't rotate like Japan's lens that is able to turn back to take a picture of the earth. Besides, our moon picture is black-and-white.
Facing the present situation, the government has to make an introspection of the propaganda work that began on a grand scale and then kept silent. Hastily giving a reply after the querying voice had come out, the chief scientist also lost the necessary caution. All of that have messed up the lunar program which is supposed to be a plain scientific exploring activity. The credibility of the government has been consumed again.
作者：流星雨
所有听过欧阳先生报告的人，应该都会敬佩他的严谨和科学的态度。但是首席科学家也不是神，谁能保证一个人连续做2个半小时的报告而没有一点失误呢？欧阳先生对那个坑的说法也不是他自己的创造，而是来源于一个国外华侨提供的信息，他也是在报告前不久才看到的这个信息，只不过没有来得及仔细核实罢了，毕竟这只是一个科普报告，而不是做科研，我们有什么理由要他每一句话都一丝无缝呢？
对事物的分析要全面，对人的分析也应全面。请尊重我们的首席科学家。
Anyone who has heard Mr. Ouyang's report would admire his carefulness and scientific attitude. Even the chief scientist is not god, so who was able to guarantee that a man can continuously made a report for two and half hours without any mistake? During the lecture, Mr. Ouyang had explained the opinion of the new crater didn't belong to him but an overseas Chinese. He just heard it not long before the meeting, and didn't have enough time to examine and check the information. After all, what Ouyang did was just a popular science report rather than a research, so how can we demand his every word is completely accurate?
One thing should be analyzed overall, and it's the same to one man. Please pay tribute to our chief scientist.
Following Beautiful Eyes, some netizens continued to compare the two pictures by the image manipulating software like Photoshop. skyhobby, another registered member of Shanghai Astronomical Observatory online BBS, provided a screenshot which further supported Beautiful Eye's view:
楼主太牛了.果然是嫦娥一号图像拼接失误.我用photoshop作了一个简单的移位,就和google moon上的图像一样了.
The author (Beautiful Eyes) is fantastic. It's certainly an image stitching error of Chang'e-1 personnel. After a simple shift by Photoshop, the picture taken by Chang'e showed the same lunar surface with Google Moon.
It seems Beautiful Eyes's question to the new crater has evoked a new surge of controversy  about the first moon picture photographed by Chang'e probe on China's Internet. However, the mainstream media of China still keep silent on the new question. A report titled by “Ouyang Ziyuan Refuted the suspicion that ‘the first image sent back by Chang'e-I copied the picture from US’ ” is still available in Xinhua's Chinese version website.

author: Meng Zhang


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China: Citizen Reporter Interrogated by Police · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Zoula was interrogated by police in his trip to Liaoning reporting on the ant farmer issue. He blogs the details of the police interrogation (zh).


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China: Internet censorship on trial, day two · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Is publicly notarized proof that your internet service provider has blocked your company website strong enough to seek damages? Just a week after National Legal System Propaganda Day, Shanghai-based IT blogger Du “Yetaai” Dongjin will have his second day in court where it is expected the defendant, China Telecom, will continue to challenge Du's evidence: courtroom 12, 5/F, #1 Intermediate People's Court at #1200 Hongqiao Rd., Shanghai, 1:45pm on December 11, 2007.
In a Dec. 2 post, Du writes on his Blogspot blog Very Beginner (also blocked):
公民杜冬劲于今年四月二十八日起诉上海电信违反服务协议。而原告的初衷，反对黑箱式监管互联网，带有强烈的宪法诉讼意愿。其在声明中说，结合上海市浦东新区法院的一审判决书和其中列举的证据,我们认为原告所列事实准确，所诉合情合理。根据我们日常的上网经验，我们也确认很多网站的访问在国内受到了无端禁止。然而，即便明知某个网站没有违反中华人民共和国法律，也无法通知有关部门承担责任，改正错误。杜冬劲在本讼中列举的证据，充分证明上海电信参与了监管这些网站的行为。中国电信全资拥有上海电信，结合我们分布各省的事实，中国电信难辞其绺。
进一步，我们认为，无论上海电信在这个是否违约，上海电信及相关网络监管部门的网络监管行为违反了中华人民共和国宪法。而上海电信对于原告故障保修的回答，“非回复性原因”，更是对于公民道权（权利）的极端漠视。鉴于目前没有成熟的宪法诉讼流程，我们特对于全国人民代表大会，进行如下违宪审查的呼吁，希望有人民代表能提起相关议案，为中国社会的进步做出自己的一份贡献。
Recently, Du has been calling on readers to join him in a class action lawsuit, emphasizing the relatively simple procedure involved:
非常希望更过律师或能法律专业人士加入本讼二审的联合辩护团，但不限于法律专业人士。二审开庭日期请见本文最后一段。希望本讼能成为中国宪法诉讼中的一个重要案件和公开舞台。基于此种想法，我，原告杜冬劲，和本讼目前律师，李立，共同邀请各位专业朋友报名。拟再邀请主讼律师一名（需要参加二审开庭），联合辩护团成员数目最多五名（签名即可）。请发送电子邮件和本人联系。
无论是否法律专业人士，只要您是地球人，能够读懂本文，如果您愿意通过真名签名表示支持，请打印诉讼介绍一节，签上您的名字和日期，扫描后发送电子邮件给本人，也欢迎您发送照片和简介介绍您自己。所有图片本人将汇集后刻成光盘出版。同时欢迎博客和媒体朋友通过各种方式转载，报道。
本人电子邮件，yetaai at gmail dot comg 去掉最后的字母g。
Being a legal professional is not relevant, one need only be of this earth and able to understand the legal text. If you are indeed willing to sign in your real name and express your support, please print out the case summary, sign your name and the date, scan it in and e-mail it to me. You're also welcome to send a photo and brief introduction of yourself. All images will collected by myself and burnt onto a CD-ROM to be released. At the same time, all blogger and media friends are welcome to pass on and report this news on in any way they see fit.
My e-mail is ‘yetaai at gmail dot comg’ but drop the last g.
An anonymous comment left Dec. 3 on that post reads:
楼上的说的对，你是先驱者，至于现阶段能否真正废除网络管制，我不太乐观，但是随着民众渐渐地觉醒，这个政策早晚流产。
It remains to be blogged whether Du has found the five co-complainants he seeks, but in the meantime supportive news of his cause continues to spread, as well as resonate with other blocked bloggers:
我在Blogspot坚持了几年没有换岗,可是这个哥们(告杜冬劲)比我更执着, 不敢坚持,还一纸把上海电信公司告上了法庭,法院判决结果不管怎么样,支持一下这个哥们:
And even inspire:
事情的原委就是杜冬劲不满GFW及中国电信随意封锁网站。在上海对这些变态提起诉讼。
具体事情的原委及如何支持他欢迎移步杜冬劲的博客http://yetaai.blogspot.com/。
还有一点，希望大家广泛宣传此事件，让更多人知道和关注！
另外本人在信产部对中国联通封锁WAP网站的投诉已经成功，联通承诺将进行整改。

author: John Kennedy


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Egypt: YouTube Restores Account .. But  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian blogger and human right's activist Wael Abbas‘s YouTube and Yahoo accounts are back after being suspended for posting videos showing victims being allegedly tortured by Egyptian police. Click the link to see why Wael isn't over the moon.


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India: Still 1992 · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

a reader's words reminds us of the events of 6 Dec 1992, when a mosque was demolished by fundamentalists, and on how things haven't really changed.


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Indonesia: Air Safety · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Martin looks at Indonesian air carrier's safety rankings.


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Indonesia: Things Indonesian · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Indcoup looks at 10 seemingly Indonesian things/cultural artifacts/food etc. and traces their origins.


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Iran:Boy executed for Underage Homosexual Act · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kamangir reports that Makwan Moloudzadeh, was executed for a homosexual act which he allegedly committed when he was 13. Amnesty International has published a report on this issue:”Iran,the last executioner of children”.


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Iran:Two Japanese citizens were arrested · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to Farda blog, two Japanese citizens were arrested in Iran. It seems that they took photos from Iranian military bases.


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Iran:”Why Yahoo is not a right place?” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

Kourosh Ziabari says that after Yahoo Mail removed Iran from its list of countries, a “Hello Yahoo Project” has been launched to protest against Yahoo's policy.He says internet is free space and it is not right to “punish” a nation for so called “mistakes” of a government.


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Iraq: Can You Eat an Elephant? · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Can an elephant be eaten? Iraq the Model sheds light on the dilemma, following the most recent crackdown on the Sunni insurgency and Al Qaeda sympathisers in Iraq.


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Israel: Hanukkah, festival of light and cultural wars · Global Voices
Gilad Lotan

Hanukkah an all-time favorite Jewish holiday, has interesting historical value dealing with issues relevant to Israeli culture and sense of identity. Hanukkah commemorates the victory of the ancient Israelites over the Greeks in a series of battles taking place around the year 165 BC. The battles were not about territory nor resources, but dealt with freedom; the right to practice religion and follow the Jewish faith.
While Hanukkah, traditionally speaking, is only a minor Jewish holiday, it has taken a place equal to Passover as a symbol of Jewish identity. Both the Israeli and North American versions of Hanukkah emphasize resistance, focusing on some combination of national liberation and religious freedom as the defining meaning of the holiday. “Classical rabbis usually downplay the military and nationalistic dimensions of Hanukkah, yet some even interpret the story of the miracle oil as a creative diversion away from the struggle with empires that had led to the disastrous downfall of Jerusalem to the Romans.” (source)
image above: a lit menorah, symbolizing the miracle oil which provided light for eight consecutive days in the Jewish Temple
Hanukkah is celebrated in many homes spanning both secular and religious sectors of Israeli population. A recent survey shows that the majority of Israelis (83%) light a candle every single day of Hanukkah, an amazing figure considering the explicit religious-secular tear within the society. Israel is a country where many secular citizens feel the burden of religious law forced upon their everyday lives, since they identify as Israeli first, and Jewish second. (a great post on Jewish-Israeli identity)
A substantial difference between orthodox and secular Israeli perception of the holiday is evident from the Hebrew blogosphere. While the secular emphasizes the importance of family, tradition and delicious food that Hanukkah brings to their dinner tables, their counterparts focus on modern day Israel's loss of culture; its loss in the culture-war with the West. They highlight the irony of celebrating Hanukkah, which comes to commemorate the same war that the ancient Israelites fought against the Greeks thousands of years ago in order to preserve their culture.
In his blog entry, Rabbi Yehuda (Hebrew) depicts his thoughts on how current-day Israel has lost in its modern culture battle against Western culture:
The Greeks did not want to kill the Jews. They did not want to kill the people whom they conquered. They only wanted two things: money from the conquered people, and that people accept and perform according to Greek culture – horse racing, wrestling, play their music.
The Greeks believed that the Jews will come to their games, and eventually be lured to participate in their culture; that they will turn Greek and leave Judaism without being forced to.
Regretfully, the Greeks were correct. Most Israelis have converted to their culture, act according to their culture. Because it is obviously nicer to go to see shows in comparison to studying the Torah. And because of this pleasure-seeking behavior, they give up the holy Torah. The Hashmonean people  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasmonean) fought over the right of the Israelites to follow god. They realized the importance of not only seeking immediate fun, but to take part in more important actions (…study the Torah).
For further background on the story of Hanukkah visit this post.

author: Gilad Lotan


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Japan: Mutant Frog on Sasagawa · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Adamu at Mutant Frog Travelogue writes about Ryoichi Sasakawa, the (now deceased) Japanese right-wing philanthropist and war profiteer once quoted as claiming to be “the world's wealthiest fascist”.


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Japan: The Terabutadon Incident · Global Voices
Chris Salzberg

Blogger Kikko writes about the Terabutadon (テラ豚丼) incident in which two employees of Yoshinoya, Japan's largest beef bowl restaurant chain, shot a video of themselves piling pork over a rice bowl to create a giant “butadon”. The video became a sensation and the two employees were fired (for reasons not specified). Kikko writes that [ja] the restaurant chain is acting like a bunch of idiots who can't even understand the prank of a couple kids, and says that if she were the head of Yoshinoya she would add terabutadon to the menu.


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Japan: What Was Big? 2007: East VS. West · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Mari Kanazawa summarized the “What was Big in 2007″ ranking in terms of East VS. West framework done by a SMBC (a bank).


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Jordan: On Being Jordanian  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Jordanian blogger Bakkouz lists the miseries of being Jordanian in this post (Ar), in which he posts an email he had received from his mother.


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Kazakhstan: Do Kazakh Politics Coincide with OSCE Standards? · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The main issue on the local blogosphere’s agenda are politics again – Kazakhstan with its controversial, more and more Soviet-alike political system and continuously poor human rights record, has won the top post in the Europe’s leading democracy promoting institution, OSCE.
There are many speculations concerning the so-called “autocrats’ club of CIS countries”, in which its members allegedly exchange their experience and share practices – in treating media or conducting elections. Interestingly, b-ryskulov notes that during the televised hotline of President V. Putin several weeks ago, the Russian leader twice distinguished Kazakhstan specifically in a very praiseful context, utterly supporting President Nazarbayev.
“For some reason, Putin wanted to highlight Kazakhstan as compared to other neighbors, because I doubt that in such thoroughly-orchestrated event as TV show there could be any improvisations”, he says [ru].
Slavasay reflects on biographies of the Kazakh higher officials, who are usually appointed and fired by the president not one by one, but multiply. “It’s easier to shuffle this way”, he says, and adds, that in Kazakhstan – unlike Russia – acting or former officers of special services rarely enter the government. “The most famous of them was ex-premier (now exiled oppositionist) Akezhan Kazhegeldin. Incumbent prime minister Massimov also is rumored to have origins of his career in the “organs”, but he denies” [ru].
Finally, the OSCE chairmanship – despite flawed elections in 2005 and 2007 and dubious constitutional changes that include the “president-for-life” provisions – is won by Astana. “It is official. Kazakhstan will assume chairmanship of the OSCE in 2010, the bid for 2009 having failed. The official news agency of the government puts it optimistically, preferring to focus on the positive outcome rather than the failure”, Kzblog reports. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has issued press release condemning the decision on the grounds that Kazakhstan does not meet OSCE commitments.
Joshua Foust also analyzes the controversies and debates over the Kazakhstan's bid to chair the OSCE despite poor human rights and democracy record, calling all diplomatic bargainings around this issue an “ugly trade”. Slavasay agrees: “Well, the haggle is settled for 2010. Astana will have to do a lot to become a worthy chairman-in-office” [ru]. Adam-kesher says it’s “a big success for the Kazakh diplomats – and huge blow for the Organization”. Adam Kesher's reaction is pessimistic:
“Kazakhstan has again promised to hold reforms in 2008, including media law, decriminalization of defamation laws and liberalization of election legislation.  However, disappointment and bewilderment are the most natural reactions to this news. It doesn’t matter that Kazakhstan promised to reform, because it didn’t do so earlier, and does not seem to do so now, while the Organization’s image is already undermined” [ru].
Epolet looks at the issue from a different – but very indicative – angle, demonstrating that image issues are very important for the Kazakhstan’s incumbent president. “Kazakh Chairmanship in the OSCE in 2010 coincides with Nursultan Nazarbayev’s 70-year jubilee, which will be celebrated with large scale festivities. The main event of the year 2008 – 10-year anniversary of Astana (the capital city, which was moved from Almaty by the president) – is going to be a rehearsal. The Day of Astana is celebrated on the same day with president’s birthday” [ru].
Cross-posted on neweurasia


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Kazakhstan: Exxon Plays Its Game in Kashagan Controversy · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Steve LeVine says that by being the lone holdout on a settlement in Kazakhstan's Kashagan oilfield, Exxon is continuing its own trend of going against the tide around the world.


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Kazakhstan: Reviewing Poverty · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Marat posts a brief analytical overview of the level of poverty in the regions of Kazakhstan, and concludes that the worst potential social destabilizing factor is that there are lots of poor people in petro-regions.


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Korea: Wetland and Politics · Global Voices
Hyejin Kim

A wetland in Korea will disappear due to money and politics.
Saemangeum (pronounced “say-man-gum”) is a 40,100 ha construction project on the west coast of South Korea. It is the world’s largest “reclamation,”… Vast bird-rich tidal-flats and sea-shallows are being replaced by land and a huge freshwater reservoir, both still lacking any clear end use. These same estuaries formed the single most important known shorebird staging area in whole of the Yellow Sea, itself a core part of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway. They were the jewel in the crown of a globally important region, a key link in a long chain of sites used by probably over 300,000 of the Yellow Sea’s 2-3 million migratory shorebirds during their extraordinary migrations between the southern and northern hemispheres….The Saemangeum “reclamation” project is believed the largest single coastal reclamation in the world, and remains hugely controversial. It has provoked some of the largest ever environmental protests inside Korea, and the most sustained international protests ever against a South Korean development project. …By 25 April, 2006, only four days after seawall completion, shellfish beds in the enclosed area started to die. By the end of May, most were dead, and water quality was already deteriorating rapidly. 90% of Saemangeum's vast tidal-flats are now expected to be lost by 2007, either dried out or permanently flooded. Water pollution is expected to worsen dramatically. The area was not only vital to migrant birds: it had enormous local and national importance for fisheries, supporting the livelihoods of an estimated 25 000 people.
Many netizens ask for whom this project is made and criticize the irresponsible behavior of politicians and developers.
작년(2006년 3월) 새만금 소송 때, 대법원은 농지와 담수호를 만든다는 새만금 간척 사업을 계속하라는 판결을 내렸다. 하지만 판결 이후 정부는 새만금 간척 예정지를 산업용지, 관광용지, 도시용지 등으로 용도 변경하는 계획을 확정 발표했다.
그간 정부, 법원은 새만금 간척 사업을 농지 사용을 전제로 해 허가하고 판결해 왔는데, 이것을 ‘타 용도로 전용하겠음'이란 선언만 하고 넘어가겠다는 말이다. 용도를 변경하면 완전히 새로운 사업이 되는 것이기 때문에 이 같은 용도변경은 명백히 불법이다. 만일 이밖에도 이 법은 환경관련 제반 법률상의 규제, 각종 조세, 개발 이익 등을 감면하는 초법적 발상으로 가득하다….
표 구걸
새만금 개발 공약은 전북의 표심이 오직 새만금에 달려 있다는 생각을 전제로 한다. 문제는 이런 전제가 검증된 바 없다는 사실이다. 전북 고위 공무원은 새만금이 전북도민의 숙원 사업이라고 여론몰이하고, 전북 언론은 다시 이 말을 받아서 새만금에 대한 환상을 기사화한다….이들은 새만금 특별법을 읽어보기는 했을까? 새만금 특별법은 전북 지역에 검증 없이 국세를 쏟아 붓겠다는 의미이며, 타 지역의 반발을 불러오고 있다.
전북도민은 새만금 특별법으로 삶의 질이 높아질까? 새만금 특별법에 따라 간척 예정지에 복합 단지를 건설하려면 만경강, 동진강에 엄격한 수질 관리를 해야 한다. 그러려면 지금 전북의 공업, 축산업을 대거 다른 곳으로 옮겨야 한다. 농업 이외의 활동은 금지해야 한다. 물론 인구도 줄여야 한다.
책임 있는 선택
대통령감이라면 적어도 국내 최대 규모의 토목 공사가 어떤 의미를 지니고 어떻게 진행될지 현실적으로 감을 잡고 있어야 한다. 차기 대통령 임기가 끝나는 5년 후(2012년)의 상황은 어떨까? 골프장, 상하이, 두바이, 꽃시장은커녕 임기 말까지 ‘새만금 사업을 완공시킨 대통령'으로 남는 것도 불가능하다. 오히려 새만금 사업으로 국정 운영에 차질을 빚지 않을지 걱정해야 하는 상황에 처할 가능성이 훨씬 높다.…
So far, the government and court agreed to approve the project under the condition of using it for farming lands. But now they change the usage of the land. It’s absurd. Changing the usage means it is a new project and it’s clearly illegal. In addition, they reduce or exempt regulations, taxes, and development profits…
Begging Votes
The public promise for Saemanguem is based on the thought that it will drag votes from the north Jeolla province. The problem is that this condition has never been verified. High government officials from the province say the Saemangeum project is the dream of the local people and local media creates reports and articles to fantacize about the Saemangeum project…. Have they read the special regulations for Saemangeum? The special regulation means that national tax will be poured in north Jeolla province and it will cause resistance from other locals.
Will the Jeolla people obtain better quality of life? According to the special regulation, in order to construct such a compound zone, they should investigate the water-purity control of Mangyeong River and Dongjin River first. Then manufacturing and livestock industries that they have now should be moved away. They should prohibit other activities except agriculture. Of course, they should decrease the population.
Responsible Choice
If he’s capable of being the president, he should know how realistic the project is. Is it possible to finish the project within 5 years? It is impossible to be ‘a president to complete the Saemangeum project within his presidency.’ It has more possibilities that the president will be in trouble with this project….
The Saemanguem project seems to be politicians’ favorite topic to get attention from citizens.
“새만금에 100개의 골프장(1800홀)을 만들어야한다.” (유시민) / “광활한 새만금 지역을 꽃시장으로 만들겠다.” (정동영) / “새만금을 두바이처럼 만들겠다, (내가 대통령이 되면) 두바이에서 오신 ‘그분'이 오일달러를 투자하신다고 했다.” (이명박) / “새만금을 상하이처럼 만들겠다.” (조순형)
이밖에도 저마다 하루가 멀다 하고 새만금 공약을 발표하는 중이다. 이들은 모두 듣는 사람을 헛웃음 나오게 만드는 탁월한 재능을 가졌다. 왜 코미디 작가를 안 하고 재능을 썩히고 있을까? 민주노동당의 권영길 후보가 유일하게 해수 유통으로 새만금 갯벌을 살려야 한다는 입장을 가지고 있을 뿐이다.
이 정신 산란한 개발 공약은 1987년 노태우 후보와 김영삼 후보가 경쟁적으로 새만금 개발 사업을 공약으로 내걸었을 때부터 20년째 반복되고 있다. 악순환도 이런 악순환이 없다.… 논의와 검증이 이뤄지고, 사업이 중단될 듯하다, 개발 공약이 발목을 잡아 다시 사업이 재개되는…. 새만금에서는 선거가 민주주의의 꽃이 아니라 민주주의의 무덤이었다.
Everyday politicians announce new public promises. Those guys have special abilities to make people laugh. Why wouldn’t they be comic script writers? A candidate Kwon Young-gil from the Democratic Labor Party is the only person who insists on enlivening the shores of Saemangeum.
These crazy public promises haven’t disappeared since No Tae-woo and Kim Young-sam competitively started the public promises of Seamangeum development project. It causes vicious circles. After discussions and verifications show it impossible, it seems that they will stop the project. Everytime the public promise changes, the project starts with the new promise. To Saemangeum, the election is not a flower of democracy, but a grave of democracy.
A rock festival for the Saemangeum project was held regardless of criticisms and appeals this summer.
새만금 간척사업은 이미 완전히 진행되가고 있습니다.
또한 예전에 ‘뻘'로 되돌리기엔 너무 늦엇습니다. 이미 수많은 생명들이 머물고 있었던 자연에 땅은, 딱딱한 콘크리트더미에 숨을 잃었으니까요. 또한 갯벌주위에 머물고 있었던 사람들도 보상금 때문에 푹비박산 나고, 어민들은 도시 빈민으로 쫓겨날 신세입니다. 보상금이 주어진다고 하지만 턱없이 부족하구요. 그런데 수많은 생명에 온기가 아직 가시지도 않은 죽어가는땅 그곳에서 록 페스티벌을 연다고 합니다. 물론, 세계최고라는 새만금 간척지를 축하하기위해 열수도 있다가 하지만, 아픔이 체 가시지 않은 그 슬픔에 땅에서 꼭 페스티벌을 열어야 하는걸까요. 록 페스티벌은 아마도 새만금 주위에 주민들을 위한것이 아니라 간척으로 인해 생긴 이익을 얻은 사람들의 축제일것입니다. 아직도 새만금의 아픔은 가시지 않았습니다. 꼭 이런 아픔을 우롱하면서 까지 록페티벌을 여는건 옳지 않다고 생각합니다. 록 페스티벌을 멈춰주세요.
Some netizens send appeals to rock singers who decided to participate and to question the meaning of rock festivals.
그들은 과연 알았을까? 이른 바 ‘락’ 가수라고 하여 8월에 열리는 그 축제라는 것에 초대된 그 가수들은 과연 그 축제의 의미를, 자신들의 동참의 의미를 충분히 알았을까? …그들이 이어받은 것은 소위 락 음악의 정신이라야 했다. 국가주의나 애국심에 휘둘리지 않은 채, 제 나라 병사들의 헛된 죽음 때문만이 아닌, 그들 손에 죽어갈 ‘적국'의 사람들을 위해, 그저 모든 존재들의 평화를 위해 베트남전 참전 반대를 노래하던 그 락 가수들의 정신이라야 했다. … 자본의 논리에 따른 선택이 아니라 ‘락'의 이름을 위해, ‘친환경'의 선한 취지를 위해 동참하고자 한 것이었다면 자신이 노래하려는 ‘락'과 자신이 실현하려는 ‘친환경'의 의미가 무엇인지, 자신이 실현하려는 선의가 어떤 것인지 지금이라도 돌아보면 될 것이다. …
People who are interested in the environment organize small groups to have fieldworks or activities against the reclamation project try to pass on more information to others through their own blogs.
새만금, 돈과 정치 앞에 죽어가다.말도 많고 탈도 많았던 새만금 간척사업지에 도착했다. 세계최대규모의 간척 사업지를 방문한다는 기대감과 동시에 많은 환경 생태적 문제점을 가진 곳에 간다는 생각이 교차했다. 십년 전 쯤만 하더라도 많은 바다생물이 살았을 그 넓은 갯벌은 이제는 바다인지 갯벌인지 구별 못할 곳이 되어있었다. 버스를 타고 한참을 지나다 보니 눈에 띄는 문구 하나가 들어왔다.
“친환경 사업, 새만금”
친환경 사업, 방조제 위로 푸른색 식물이 가득 했다. 이것이 친환경 사업일까? 갯벌을 막아 매립지를 만드는 것 자체가 우리의 해양 생태계를 망치는 것이 아닌가? 라는 의문이 들었다. ….눈앞의 목돈에 새만금 간척 사업을 동의 했던 지역 어민들은 이제는 새만금 간척 사업을 두고 이렇게 이야기 한다고 한다.
“보상금은 얼마든지 다시 돌려 줄 수 있다. 할 수만 있다면 방조제를 다시 걷어 달라!”
방조제 공사 이후 갯벌이 말라서 갈라지고 그 많던 조개도 사라지고 있다고 한다. 상상했던 것보다 훨씬 변화가 심할 것이다…
개발과 보전은 항상 대립된다. 개발을 하게 되면 환경 파괴는 어느 정도 감수 해야 되고 환경보전을 하면 다른 나라에 뒤쳐지게 되는 것이 현실이다. 이 문제에 대해 답을 낸다는 것은 너무 어려운 문제이다. 어쩌면 영원히 답을 낼 수 없을 지도 모른다. 이러한 생각과 함께 과연 누구의 자연이며 누구를 위한 새만금 간척 사업인지 다시 한번 생각해 보게 된다.
“Green Environment Industry, Saemangeum”
Green environment industry, it is full of green plants on a tide embankment. Can this be called green environment industry? I was wondering that blocking the shore and building up a reclaimed land are destroying oceanic ecosystem…. Local fishers who agreed with the reclamation project due to big money now talk like this,
“We can return the compensation. If it is possible, please get rid of the tide embankment.”
After its construction, the shore has gotten dry and cracked, and shells disappeared. Its change is much bigger than we thought….Development and preservation are always controversial. If it starts development, we should put up with the destruction of the environment. If we try to preserve the environment, the nation will be behind. Obscuring the answer about this question is a very difficult problem. Maybe we can’t find answers. Through thoughts, I think about for whom the reclamation project goes on and whose nature it is, again.
Others put more emphasis on the environment.
사람들은 함부로 쓰레기를 버린다. 상인들은 영업 명함과 광고 전단을 길거리에 뿌린다. 과대 포장된 싸구려 플라스틱 장신구가 자판기에서 팔린다. 사람들은 오랜 시간 동안 자동차 엔진을 공회전시킨다. 그리고 개발론자들은 분명한 목적도 없이 (새만금사업처럼) 대규모 공사를 한다.
그러면서도 한국은 왜 ‘동북아 중심’이 못 되는지 의아해한다. 정부의 대책은 늘, 새 항구, 자유무역지대, 정유공장 또는 여러 개의 골프장 건설 따위이다. 하지만 이 나라의 운명을 결정할 문제는 바로 환경의 질(質)이다….
정부는 환경 오염을 일으키는 사람들에게 벌금을 물림으로써 오염을 줄이고 수입을 늘릴 수 있을 것이다. …정부는 가능한 어떠한 수단을 쓰든지 간에 환경의 질(質)이야말로 오늘날 한국이 당면한 가장 중요한 이슈라는 점을 국민들에게 확신시켜야 한다. 그것이 이 나라의 내일의 운명을 결정할 것이다.
Then Korea is wondering why they can’t be the center of Northeast Asia. Strategies of the government are to make new ports, free trade zones, gas factories, or golf fields. But what will decide the destiny of this country is the quality of the environment…
The government should penalize people who cause environment pollutions, and then the pollution will be lessened and the profits will go up….The government should assure that the quality of the environment is the most important issue to people, using any means. It will decide tomorrow’s destiny of our country.

author: Hyejin Kim


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Kuwait: The Sky’s Policy  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Kuwaiti blogger Ma6goog (Ar) is looking for the grey areas in our perception of good and evil and the struggle between black and white. Is there an absolute good and evil? Or is it the fusion of both which makes people the way they are. Also, how are stories from our childhood shaping the ideologies of Kuwaitis today?
He writes:


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Kyrgyzstan: Opposition Activists Attacked · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

The Azamat Report says that impunity is the reason of blatant violant attacks on the activists from Atameken, SDPK, Asaba parties by unknown people ahead of the December 16 vote.


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Kyrgyzstan: Santa’s new home · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

CXW reports on a Swedish consulting company’s conclusion that Santa Claus should move to Kyrgyzstan in order to be able to – mathematically and practically – visit all kids on Earth overnight.


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Latvia: Government Resigns · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On the resignation of Aigars Kalvītis’ government – All About Latvia, Marginalia, Latvian Abroad, and Baltic Bulletin.

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Lithuania: No Devaluation · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Lituanica reports on the Bank of Lithuania's statement that “Lithuania has no reasons to devalue the national currency.”


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Protest From Egypts Civil Servants · Global Voices
D B Shobrawy

Members of the Real Estate Tax Authority and thousands of Egypts tax collectors are gathered in Cairo this week to protest their wages and to demand a transfer of their positions to the Finance Ministry.
Baheyya has more
As with the second Mahalla strike in Ramadan, hundreds of women civil servants are out in full force, braving the cold winter air and shattering tired stereotypes; they're camping out day and night alongside their male co-workers. What do state feminists, “women's empowerment” do-gooders, and assorted ladies who lunch have to say about that? Oh that's right, nobody cares what they think.
Also out in full force is the indefatigable Kamal Abu Eita, citizen-activist extraordinaire. Like Kamal Khalil, Abu Eita is a fixture at nearly every street protest in Egypt in the past 10 years. But he does have a day job, and it is in fact as a tax collector for the Real Estate Tax Authority, so this protest hits very close to home. Abu Eita is a walking treasure trove of information and insight about this most unusual and most significant of public protests.
Protests have become extremely popular in Egypt as frustrations grow and multiply over any number of issues. The international media has taken notice and reports on these civil servant protests.
M&C Business News
The workers had similarly protested last October. According to the workers, who are all members of the property tax department, their counterparts in departments run by the Ministry of Finance receive better benefits, a notion which they deem ‘unfair.’
The protestors picketed the cabinet, organizing a march that started from its headquarters, demanding that discrepancies in wages be eliminated and asking for bonuses ‘in compensation for the years of hard work’ where their rights were abused, according to local newspapers which ran a preview of the picket.
In Arish, 380 kilometres north-east of Cairo, tax workers told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that state security personnel have given them orders not to strike or join their fellow workers in Cairo.
However, a source from the tax department who requested anonymity, said that a group of employees had already traveled to the Egyptian capital to join the larger protests there despite of the ban.
In the past Government officials have attempted to diffuse protests by claiming they were organized by the Muslim Brotherhood but organizers have preemptively responded to those claims.
Zeinobia
Ironically I saw some representatives speaking on Dream TV 2 from couple of days , one of them said that it was not a strike organized by Muslim Brotherhood before anyone would say so because most of the employees are Christians !! “You see in the previous strikes the government and its official media blamed and accused the MB of being behind them in order destabilize the country !!”
To the protests , the protests are in the Cairo university , now it is the professors themselves ,who do not like the security and governmental intervention to the fact that several university professor are arrested whether from the MB or from the activists like Dr. Laila Swaif.
In addition to low pay the collectors face penalties for missed quotas which lower pay even further even though they face understandable difficulties in collecting.
Earth Times
“Sometimes, they deduct 50 per cent of our efforts benefits because we do not meet the desired tax collection quota,” Rashed told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa.
The tax collectors usually face difficulties during money collection.
“Some people refuse to pay, and we follow them around. But sometimes, we fail to collect. What do we do then? Shoot the citizen (who refuses to pay)?” Rashed shouted at the top of his voice.
“I work in the countryside collecting taxes from farmers, and we face a lot of dangers there too. We are beaten up sometimes, and others are even shot when they pursue the farmers for payment,” a tax collector from Monofiyah province agreed.
In the end it will get resolved one way or another, possibly not how the protesters expect but something has to budge. Till next time.

author: D B Shobrawy


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Russia: Central Election Commission’s LJ · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow posts a roundup of his election-related reading, which includes the Russian Central Election Commission's LiveJournal community.


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Russia: Kaluga’s Central Market · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scraps of Moscow posts photos from Kaluga's Central Market.


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Russia: KPRF’s Election Claims · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Perspectives on the New Russia reports on the Russian Communist Party's claims with the election commission.


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Saudi: Xmas Blues  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Nzingha, who is married to a Saudi, discusses how she and her children will feel about Christmas, when she visits her brother in the US.


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Sri Lanka: Cost of a humanitarian operation · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

groundviews on the civilian cost of a humanitarian operation by the Sri Lankan armed forces.


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Sri Lanka: Sign Language Dictionary · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Found in Ceylon on “Sri Lanka’s first-ever conversational sign language dictionary, with more than 350 illustrated signs categorized by topic area..”


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Tajikistan: Labor migrants as a political tool · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Vadim reports that Tajik labor migrants have become a serious leverage in the hands of Russia against Tajik government, while the “presence of Tajik migrant workers in Russia remains a sensitive issue for both sides”.


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Ukraine: Coal Miners’ Video · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Ukrainiana posts and translates “a video of real people who tell us how the smell of profits sucks the safety out of the Ukrainian mining industry.”


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Afghanistan: Small Breadwinners · Global Voices
Adil Nurmakov

Nasim Fekratْ  has a touching photopost, reflecting on the destiny of many children in Afghanistan, who are in the street to work and earn money to feed themselves and their families.


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Armenia: Arrested Leaflets · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped expresses his concerns with the latest act of political and economic oppression and victimization ahead of next year's presidential election.


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Armenia: More Earthquake Recollections · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped also remembers the day of the Armenian Earthquake which happened 19 years ago on 7 December 1988.


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Armenia: Quake Anniversary · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

On the 19th Anniversary of the 1988 Armenian Earthquake, The Armenian Observer recalls the day of the quake when he was at school in his native Gyumri.


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Barbados: Drug Recall · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Underground is concerned about the recall of a prescription drug, saying: “We are forced to question the role of the Barbados Association of Medical Practitioners, our Association of Pharmacists and most of all the Ministry of Health.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Barbados: Film Festival  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Gallimaufry is attending the Barbados International Film Festival.


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Bermuda: Upcoming Elections  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

A Limey in Bermuda reports that both parties running for the island's upcoming elections will be “releasing their platforms on Monday 10 December, just one day before advance polling and one week before the main voting day.”


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Brazil: Shocking image of a cruel reality · Global Voices
Paula Góes

PE Body Count published today a very shocking picture that illustrates one of the cruelest Brazilian realities. “Think about it”.


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China: A blow to citizen bloggers · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Below is Zola's recount of what he's been through over the past few days and his abrupt conclusion. In a second blog post since his forced return earlier this week he talks of redirecting the space to focus more on blogger education, but also mentions some unfinished business related to his time in Shenyang.
It's not the specific type of violence he claims he encountered at the hands of police while in custody there, he seems to have brushed that off. Nor is it having been in custody for more than the legally allowed 24 hours or possibly having been turned in by the ant farmer he was trying to help. Zola, reminding readers of his rural socioeconomic background, wants back the USD160 he says security agents confiscated while he was being held; in this message to readers, he threatens to sue to get it back.
In his Dec. 6 account of the previous few days’ events, Zola writes of an angry police officer punching him several times in the neck and all the events leading up to and following the night he spent in detention. His first day in Shenyang was largely uneventful, food with online friends and the arrangement of a meeting with one ant farmer for the following day:
第二天，我准备去辽阳，睡到十点才起来。临出发时拍了一段自拍，说要去辽阳了。为了感谢小众软件的scavin 的昨天的款待，我就拿小众软件的LOGO作为背景录了这句话。然后去网吧检查一下是否有新的朋友的留言需要审核，拍了蚁力神官方网站的画面。然后坐车去辽阳，再换车去佟二堡（当地话读”同二卜”），两点左右才见到网民叫”村长”的蚂蚁养殖户，才见面，他就接到电话说有公安局的要去他家。我说要想听他们谈什么，于是一起去了他家。准备把相机放在他家的某个角落录音录像，结果他老婆怕我给他们带来麻烦，于是被阻止了。我就去他家楼上的仓库回避了，正好在阳台上拍到警车，也看到了蚂蚁的箱子。后来也看到”村长”跟警察一起坐车走了。等他们走了，我再下楼和”村长”老婆聊了几句，拍了他们的QQ群里的蚁民对法院宣布蚁力神破产的公开信的”几点看法”，然后上楼找活蚂蚁，结果都是死的，不知道饿死的还是冻死的。
然后我就离开他家了，走到一个路口再坐三轮摩托回到了佟二堡这个小镇。心想天都快黑了，回辽阳这个大点的城市的住宿费还贵些，于是找了一个小店，老人家说要收15元一个隔间，我说十块，他说十二，然后我给他二十元，他找不开零钱，于是只收了我十元。我觉得冷，就睡了一觉，晚上九点多才起来。然后出去找东西吃才发现下雪了。吃了一个面，然后去网吧上网，上网才五元。征得网吧老板同意，我接上网线到自己的电脑，然后编辑视频，上传照片和视频，发表了《周曙光在沈阳寻访黑蚂蚁养殖户2007-12-02》。
天亮后，没法坐车去葫芦岛见另一个蚂蚁养殖户，我又回旅舍睡了两三个钟头，然后听路人的建议坐车去茨榆坨换乘葫芦岛的车，到了茨榆坨才发现葫芦岛有蛮远，葫芦岛的人建议我在辽阳找一个当地的养殖户。他答应联系一下辽阳的同命人。后来我就等到李先生的电话，他说他就住在苏麻堡，我问他家还有没有活蚂蚁，他说可能有，回家找找看。他让我坐回佟二堡的车，然后在苏麻堡路口下车。我说我听不清是哪几个字，让他发短信给我，李先生就发短信”苏麻堡路口”给我。我坐车到苏麻堡路口，然后打电话给他，他说就是在”村长”家再过去100米。我再坐摩托车到了以后，推着自行车的李先生就出现了，我们正走着，后面一辆普通小车里出来一个白胖方脸大个子，让我们站住，先问我叫什么名字，我说我姓周叫周曙光，他说你跟我们走，然后另一个瘦一点的出示了一个证件，没看清。我就不慌不忙的跟他们上车了，李先生也上车了，我们坐后排，没挨打也没带上手铐，也没多说为什么带我们走。在车上，他们只让我关了手机，把手机还给了我。一路上我和李先生聊东北和湖南的差异，而那个白胖方脸大个子则接了五个电话，每次都是说”在路上，他们跟我在一起呢”。看来是几道来自上级的金牌在督办抓我的事。估计我一来沈阳就被重视了，昨天找”村长”就是冲我来的，我的短信和通话都被记录了。也有要能是李先生协助警方找我。
差不多半个小时后，开车到了灯塔市公安局。上到四楼，是经侦，五六个人站在两三个办公室门口”欢迎”我。然后把我和李先生分别安排不同的办公室。过程中一直没有粗鲁行为。房间里是一个领导的办公桌，桌上一台联想电脑。左侧是一个茶几和两张小沙发，右侧是一张小床，估计是他们常加班用来休息用的。我坐在一个办公室左侧的沙发上，一个多小时里只是守着我，没问任何问题。我只确认了当时的时间是2点，确认传唤每次只能是24小时。我还跟他借了一本刑事案件相关的法律来消磨时间。
后来，开始有一个小伙子开始询问我在沈阳的细节，跟哪些人接触，和哪些人打过电话，受何人指使，有何目的。我当然是坦白啦，我又没做错任何事。做了一份笔录后，然后让我打开背包，他们就一件件检查啊，我就一台电脑、一个黑莓7230、一个小手电筒、一把五元钱从天桥买的来类瑞士军刀、一个” 蚂蚁工坊” 和三只活蚂蚁、一个三脚架、SD卡、还有一个索尼记忆棒、一个U盘还有几个读卡器，那个索尼记忆棒把他们弄糊涂了，明明我没有相关设备，怎么会有索尼记忆棒，让他们去猜测吧。他们要看我的QQ里的记录，结果我的TM版的QQ是前天才下载的，我根本没有和谁聊过，那天加入的QQ群也被解散了，最近联系人里啥也没有。上卫生间是有人陪的，想喝水人有帮我打来水。手机不让玩，把电池取下来了。
一晚上来来往往不少人陆续进来旁听，提问，或质问，我和他们舌战啦。舌战的焦点不外乎”言论自由””新闻自由””观点客观””采访资格””有否有法律约束我的行为”这些焦点。虽然他们会假装生气来质问我，我又初生牛犊不畏虎，我当然不会输啦：
1. 他们认为”没有绝对的言论自由”，我说我不需要绝对的自由，只是法律允许下的自由；
2. 他们认为”你不了解蚁力神所以不要说”，我说我正因为不了解我才去试图了解；
3. 他们认为我的观点不够客观，我就说事情有多个面，我的观察面只是采样统计的一个采样，按统计学的方法，只给足够多的采样才接近真实和客观；
4. 他们认为我”自称采访却不承认冒充记者”不能自圆其说，我说”采访”不是记者的专利，我不是记者我也有资格和任何人对话，中国的法律规定任何采访只需要征得被采访对象和所在单位的同意；
5. 他们认为我拍摄了警车是违法的，我说你们怕因为办案被照相或录影受到犯罪分子报复，那是你们的内部守则，请找出相关的法律条款证明条款对我有约束力；
6. 我报道敏感新闻影响国家形象，我就举出飘移大赛的事例证明不宜提到国家民族高度来说事，如果有人受到伤害，那不是被我伤害的，是被事实伤害的，要想不被报道影响自己的形象，请自己避免做出影响自己形象的事；
7. 言论自由能监督小错识，避免小错误发展成不可收拾的大错误；
8. 言论自由是愿意承担自由的言论自由，即使是明知有何效果，只要他愿意承担相应后果，他就可以选择造成后果的表达方式，比如，有人知道说真话会被打击报复，这个时候他就有选择的自由：要么沉默，要么呐喊。如果愿意呐喊就要承担后果他就要选择呐喊的言论自由。
1. They felt that “there is no absolute freedom of speech,” and I said that I don't need absolute freedom of speech, just that which the law allows;
2. They felt “you don't understand Yilishen, so you shouldn't be speaking about it,” and I said that it's precisely because I don't understand that I'm trying to understand;
3. They felt that my views weren't objective enough, and I said that there are different sides to everything. My objective side is but one sample within a statistical sampling set, and according to the laws of statistics, only with sufficient samples can one approach truth and objectivity;
4. They felt my “pretending to be conducting interviews, yet refusing to admit to imitating a journalist” wasn't plausible, and I said “interviewing” is not patented for journalists only: I may not be a journalist, but I am qualified to speak to anyone I want. Chinese law stipulates that any interview only requires agreement from the interviewee or location involved.
5. They felt that the act of me photographing their police vehicles was illegal, and I said ‘fear that in investigating a case, photographs or recording might lead criminals to exact revenge would make this an internal regulation; please produce the relevant provision in the law to which I'm bound;
6. I report on sensitive news, which apparently affects national image, so I mentioned the motorcar finals drift incident as an example of the inappropriateness of over-emphasis on ethnicity when making arguments: if someone winds up hurt, it won't have been me who hurt them, but fact. Those who wish to not have their image affect by reporting should please avoid engaging in events which effect their image;
7. Freedom of speech supervises small mistakes, and prevents them from becoming unmanageable large mistakes;
8. Freedom of speech is willingness to take on the freedom that freedom of speech brings; wherein even if the consequences are clearly known, as long as one is willing to accept the consequences, one can choose to express one's self in a way which brings said consequences. For example, if someone knows that to speak the truth will bring retaliation, at this time he has the freedom to choose: stay silent, or speak out. If being willing to speak out means accepting the consequences, he will choose the freedom to speak out.
24小时内共做了五份笔录：
1. 关于辽宁所见所闻所接触的人和事的详细记录，包括和scavin一起的活动，包括liumiao、梅同学和许同学给我的赞助费用；
2. 关于网站为何建立在国外的原因、动机、目的、费用来源、支付方式，我告诉他们我的alouz.com是被要求删除文章过的，我当然要顺便批评一下 “非营利网站备案制度”啦，我估计那份笔录会至少让省级别的领导看到，我要趁机传递我的观点给那些当领导的人，假如他们当领导的人还有开明的，我还能算得上自下而上配合他们的改革；
3. 关于《谁愿意去沈阳报道蚁力神养殖户的相关情况？》的动机、目的笔录，他们打印出来问我的动机和目的，我当然如实交待一方面是为了对敏感新闻的好奇，另一方面是为了卖广告位增加浏览量和知名度；
4. 关于手机里的联系人的笔录，我手机里有六百多个联系人，国保承诺不删除我的电话号码后，我才输入黑莓手机的解锁密码，当着我的面检查，只抄下十来二十条名字，如时代周刊的许小姐、香港陈剑青、德国之声等人的情况，我就告诉他，许小姐采访过我，陈剑青是因为我去香港的时候往在他家里，德国之声的电话是他们在评选最佳中文博客时用那个电话打电话采访过我，估计他们是调查我是否有海外关系，是否有境外资金支持；
5. 关于我在今年元旦的《新年第一篇：我反对共产党，反对一党专政》一文的动机、目的的笔录，这篇文章是有理有据的，不算号召和煽动，主要是讲没有媒体的外部监督的情况下容易让小社会问题变成大的社会问题。对了，他们很聪明啊，打印的版本居然是mobile版本的
1. A recording regarding everything I'd heard and all the people I'd come in contact with in Liaoning, including activities with my net-friend Scavin, also including the financial assistance received from net-friend Liumiao and classmates Mei and Xu;
2. Regarding the reasons, motives, goals, funding sources and payment methods for my overseas-hosted blog. I told them that my previous alouz.com was ordered to have posts deleted, and of course I'm critical of the regulation that non-profit websites must be registered. I'm sure that at least this recording will be seen by the provincial-level leaders. I hope for chances to pass on my views to these leaders. If any of these leaders were open-minded, I might just be assisting their reforms from the bottom up;
3. Regarding my post “Who's willing to go to Shenyang to report on the situation of the ant farmers?”, a statement on my motives and aims; they printed it out and asked me what my motives and aims were. I of course told them the truth, on one hand I came out of curiosity toward sensitive news, and on the other hand to sell ad space, raise readership and my level of fame;
4. A statement regarding the contacts in my cellphone, of which there are over 600. After the state security agent promised not to delete my contact numbers, I unlocked my Blackberry and let them inspect it while I watched. They only wrote down 20-something names and info for people like Ms. Xu from Time magazine, Chan Kim-ching in Hong Kong, and the Deutsche Welle people. I told him that Ms. Xu had interviewed me, that I'd stayed at Chan Kim-ching's home when I went to Hong Kong, and the Deutsche Welle number was the one they used to interview me while they were choosing the Chinese contender for their Best of Blogs. I guess they're checking to see if I have connection to overseas groups, or if I receive funding from overseas;
5. A statement regarding my motives and aims in my New Year's Day post this year, “Against the communist party, against one-party dictatorship”. This post was balanced and fair, and doesn't amount to calling for action or instigation; it mainly speaks of the ease, in absence of external media oversite, with which small social problems become large social problems. Right, they're very smart. The version they printed out was actually the mobile version.
整个晚上，灯塔市公安局的灯光彻夜未熄，我能见到的就有来来往往十多人，有当地公安、经侦、国保。晚上九点左右吃了一个他们送来的盒饭，盒饭里有火腿肠、有鸭脖子、青菜、红烧肉、豆腐干。我常常是躺在沙发上小睡一会儿，做完前面三份笔录时已经是凌晨五点多了，他们让我到另一个房间的小床上睡了一会。
12月4号早上七点左右，被叫醒，一起去楼下食堂吃早餐，有小米粥，有卷子，有咸菜，每桌六个人左右，共五桌，估计有三十个一起整夜未眠。吃完早餐，又断断续续做笔录，做完后面两份笔录后，有一个领导来找我，约六十岁左右，头发都灰了，戴眼镜，很和气，他进来就气氛不同，别人说这是李处长，估计是沈阳或是北京对我关注的最高负责人，我和他握了一下手，然后聊，他只说了湖南的人打来电话，然后不记得聊了什么重要的内容了，后来他接了一个电话就走开了，没有继续和我聊。我估计是想和我做一个总结谈话，然后放了我。
12月4号中午的时候还在做笔录，我和记录员都没有吃中饭，然后一点左右他们给了我一个康师傅方便面。对了，做最后一个笔录的时候，有一个人说”你是真正的勇士”，我没听清楚，他又说了一次”你是真正的勇士”，估计他是看我敢因为媒体管治而写反对一党专政文章能把他的胆吓破，也估计他是真正在赞赏我而不是在嘲笑我。后来也有人评价我，我也问一句”是嘲笑我还是赞赏我”，然后说声”谢谢”。
They woke me up at around 7am, now Dec. 4, and we went down to the canteen for breakfast. They had millet congee, steamed buns, salted pickles. Each table sat six people, and there were five tables, so around 30 people didn't get any sleep that night. When we finished breakfast, it was off-and-on again with the statements. When we finished the last two, one higher-up came in to see me, he was around 60, hair was all grey, wearing glasses, and very polite. The mood felt different after he walked in. This is Director Li, someone said, and I guess that between Shenyang or Beijing he was probably the highest-ranked person involved in my case. I shook his hand, and we chatted for a while. He only said that their Hunan office had phoned, and I don't remember anything else important in what he said; he went to take a phone call, and then left without saying anything more. I guess he just wanted to give me a summary talk before they let me go.
By noon on Dec. 4 I was still giving statements, and neither the recorder nor I had had lunch. At around 1pm they gave me a bowl of Master Kong instant noodles. Ph yeah, as we were doing the last statement, someone said to me: “you're a true warrior.” I couldn't hear clearly, so he said it again, “you're a true warrior.” I guess seeing me dare write a post in opposition to one-party party dictatorship because of its controls on media scared the balls off him. I think he actually was giving me praise, and not just mocking me. Later, someone else gave me their own assessment, and I asked: “are you mocking or praising me?”, and then I said “thank you.”
做完最后一份笔录，我仍然不知道他们会怎么处理我。然后又问我打算怎么办，我建议他们给我一份官方的态度，然后由我的BLOG转发，可以一定程度上安抚蚁民的情绪。但他们基层的人说很难让我的BLOG 有承担官与民对话的机会，这需要层层上级审批，并且是极大的给我面子的事，可行性不高。除非上层领导能够认识到我的BLOG的作用，但估计他们的领导不太不机会和时间来了解我。
然后他让我写一份保证书，我就保证不给政府添乱，保证不煽动情绪，劝导群众给政府时间来登记和清算蚁力神公司的资产，蚁民的损失只能由蚁力神公司、蚁民、政府各承担一部分，比如，蚁民说自己损失了四十万，其实只是投资十万，他们可能会要求得回四十万，政府会认为这算法是不对的，最终结果只能是三方各担一部分。政府知道蚁民的情绪有些不理智，所以要求蚁民不要去北京上访，不要去拦铁路。这是我从他们对话中听到的政府的态度和作法，具体有多大的受灾面积和涉及资金，我只听说有人在统计数字时看到了会流泪，我没有得到任何具体数据。
估计可以离开了，他们的记录员和其它熟悉电脑的人来跟我聊天，说我是电脑高手，要跟我多学学。记录员说想看国外的黄色网站，问我怎么能看到，我就告诉他们有一个开源的免费的TOR可以使用，使用TOR+FIREFOX+FoxyPorxy就可以访问大部分国内外网站了，我还告诉他们VPN的大概工作方式。他们早就知道安静的和没边的这些软件。我也不怕他们”知已知彼”来加强封锁，反正TOR是封锁不了的，除非到了”全民皆匪”的那一天。
Then they made me write a letter guaranteeing that I would not create disturbances for the government, that I would not instigate people's emotions, and that I'd encourage people to give the government time to make their records and liquidate Yilishen Co.'s property. The ant farmers’ losses could only come from Yilishen Co., the ant farmers and the government each taking on their own part of the burden. For example, ant farmers were saying they'd lost 400,000 RMB, when really they'd only invested 100,000 RMB. They can demand 400,000 in compensation, but the government will not see this amount as correct, and in the end it can only be all three parties taking their own share. The government knows that the people's emotions are a little irrational, and that's why it hasn't let them go to Beijing to petition or block the railways. This is the government attitude and approach that I heard from their conversations; as for how widespread the disaster is and how much money is involved, I only heard that there was someone who, when they saw the total figure, started to cry. I was not given any concrete data.
When it seemed I could leave, the recorder and the other familiar computer people came to chat with me, saying that I was a computer master, and they wanted to learn a few things. The recorder said he wanted to see some foreign porn websites and asked me how. I told them there's this open source free thing called Tor that they can use with Firefox and FoxyProxy that will allow them to see most overseas websites. I even told them the basics of how to use a VPN. They knew all about software like Silence and Wu-jie. I'm not worried about them “knowing the enemy” and stepping up censorship. Anyway, Tor is unblockable, unless there comes a day when everyone goes “bandit.”
后来，他们的局长和记录员找到一个能连接外网的电脑，要求我删除最近两篇文章，理由是里面出现了警车，会让人产生联想影响警察形象，我说，如果删除了反而会引起人们的更多联想，我的个人品牌也会受到质疑，我之前的言论自由和之后的言论自由都会消失，我以后无法在朋友面前立足，我说我无论删除和不删除都会承担责任，我让他们给我一个能转达给网友的理由，我让他们告诉我如果不删除我将承担什么样的后果，我会在后果和删除文章之间作一个选择。但他们不告诉我不删除会怎么样，只给我一个选择就是删除，没有用任何恐吓。我告诉他们，我吃软不吃硬，你得告诉我删除文章的理由，你得告诉我是根据哪条法律对我的行为有约束力。他们也没法找相关依据，最后不了了之。所以文章没有删除。
12月4号下午三点多，有一位着警装的人要我的身份证，还问我在身上有多少钱，我说我只有1235元了，他说要我把钱给他买飞机票送我回家，我说我不想坐飞机，我自己坐火车回去好了，我的钱来之不易。他们就凶起来了，说”我们是对你太仁慈了是吧？”着警装的警察边喝连一拳打在工的锁骨和脖子之间的部位，我怕他打坏我的眼镜，我就把眼镜取了，旁人就开始把门关上。他又敲了一下我的脑袋，然后继续骂我，最后还一掌砍在脖子上，我说不出话来了，我想起来孙志刚死的时候全身是没有外伤的，我决定沉默，先保住小命再说。这样一来，之前他们给我的正面印象全改观了。我不跟他们闲聊了，我说我还是不相信你们。
下午四点左右，四人送我上警车，我坐后排，夹在两人中间，自始至终没有看见过手铐。到了机场后，他们花4650元买了三张到沈阳的飞机票，我看到他们拿了一摞钱，估计是一万元整。我也看到他们交接时把我那1200元和身份证是放文件夹里的，我估计他们拿走我的钱并不是真的缺办案经费，而是防止我突然跑掉然后潜伏在辽宁继续记录蚁力神事件，我估计他们会把钱还给我。
At around 4pm, four people put me into a police vehicle. I sat in the back, squished between two people; throughout all of this I didn't see a single pair of handcuffs. When we got to the airport, they spent 4,650 RMB on three plane tickets to Changsha. I saw them take out a big stack of money, which looked like ten thousand flat. I also saw them put my 1,200 yuan and identity card into an envelope. I assume they took my money not because they needed to cover travel costs for the case, but to stop me from running off and going underground to continue doing my reports on the Yilishen incident. I assumed they'd give me my money back.
上飞机前，另一个人开车把我的笔记本电脑送回来了。这台电脑被人他们检查了近二十个小时。还好电脑里没什么大不了，能把机器还给我，我就喊万岁了。
上飞机，我仍然坐他两位国保的中间，一个年轻的姓王，一位年长的姓翟（zhai)。在合肥半路停下的时候，可能是手机自动开机了，也可能是没关，正好接到BBC的电话，我就说我在送回长沙的路上，他们不让我乱说，我又把电话关机了。
九点四十，到达长沙黄花机场，有长沙省安全厅的来接。见面时发现是省厅直接安排宁乡县的国安来接我们，直接送到宁乡，国保让煤炭坝的公安来宁乡接我回煤炭坝，结果煤炭坝的人不来，只好再把我从宁乡送到煤炭坝。宁乡的国保姓欧，另一个民警在宁乡下车去安排王同志和翟同志的住宿了。可他们下车时，把三张机票和王同志的身份证明掉在车上了，我把机票和那张纸转交给欧同志，然后问他要身份证后1200元。他说王同志和翟同志没给他，回宁乡后再问问他们。
在煤炭坝派出所，我又被煤炭坝的干警黄同志作了一份笔录，记录我在沈阳的行踪。然后他告诉我煤炭坝也有很多不稳定因素，告诉我不要乱说话。还主动提出如果我的店开张了，可打电话让他在开张的时候邀请他去镇镇场，有什么治安问题也可向他反应。但近段时间不要出远门，要出去要给他打个电话。
On the plane, I was still sitting between the two state security agents, one young surnamed Wang and another older surnamed Zhai. Halfway there we stopped in Hefei, and it might have been that my cellphone turned itself on or that it was never shut off, but right then the BBC called. I said I was on the way back to Changsha. They wouldn't let me say too much, and I turned the phone off again.
At 9:40, we arrived at Changsha Huangji Airport and the Changsha provincial Security Department was there to pick me up. While we met I noticed that the Department had sent security agents straight from Ningxiang County to pick me up, and take me straight back to Ningxiang. The state security agents had the Meitanba police come to Ningxiang to pick me up and take me back to Meitanba. Turns out the Meitanba people wouldn't come, so they had to take me from Ningxiang to Meitanba as well. The Ningxiang state security agent was surnamed Ou, and there was civilian cop who stayed in Ningxiang to find places to stay for comrades Wang and Zhai. When they got out, they dropped the three plane tickets and comrade Wang's identity card right in the open, and I picked them up and gave them back to comrade Ou. Then I asked him about my own identity card and my 1,200 yuan. He said comrades Wang and Zhai hadn't given them to him, but that he would ask when he got back to Ningxiang.
At the police station in Meitanba, I did yet another recorded statement for a Meitanba cop, comrade Huang, a record of my movements in Shenyang. Then he told me of many unstable factors here in Meitanba, telling me not to say anything crazy. He even went out of his way to say that if I do go ahead and open my own vegetable shop, to give him a call when it opens so he can come take a look, and that if there are any crime issues to let him know. But for now, he said, you're not to go too far from home. If you need to go out, you have to give me a call first.
然后我们西峰仑的保卫处的何同志开摩托来接我回去，送我到楼下。
回到家，已经是两三点了，弄了点东西吃，就睡了，睡到五号下午才起来。都两天没睡好了，还是家里舒服啊。
12月5号，啥事也没干，上网，在饭否和TWITTER上和朋友简单说了一下，就说安全。检查一下电脑有何异动，结果只发现删除了与蚂蚁相关的照片和视频，也不知道是否打开过我的Gtalk或skype，这需要我的线上好友来查证了。我从3号下午到四号凌晨是没有上过线的，如果有朋友见我在那段时间上线，请告诉我。我好去做改密码之类的措施。
12月6号，今天，答应中午要写东西，先打电话给黄干警问他有没有欧姓的国保的电话，他说没有，再打电话给湖南省安全厅的李处长，问我那1200元是怎么回事，能不能给我欧同志的电话，他说不关他的事，你自己想办法联系上他们。我只好写在BLOG上喽。我估计灯塔市的公安、网监们能看到我的 BLOG，希望你们把钱还给我。我这一写就两三个钟头。
希望看到这篇文章的灯塔市国保zhangqicheng和wangqingyou能与我联系一下，把飞机票钱还给我，坐飞机不是我的意愿，坐飞机时已经超出24个小时传唤时间限制，你们已经超期限制我的人身自由，如果不把钱还给我，我去告你们贪污或非法抢夺公民的财产。
When I got home it was already 2 or 3. I got something to eat and then went to sleep, waking up on the afternoon of the 5th. For two days I didn't sleep well, and it's always more comfortable at home anyway, so..
Dec. 5, did nothing. Went online and put a few lines on Fanfou and Twitter to let friends know what was up and that I was safe. I checked my computer for anything unusual, but only noticed that they'd deleted all photos and video related to ants. I don't know if they turned on my GTalk or Skype, I'll have to check when friends come back online. I wasn't online from the afternoon of the 3rd to early morning of the 4th, so if friends saw me online during that time, please tell me. Of course I'll be changing my passwords and taking related measures.
Dec. 6, today, I said at lunch that I'd write something. First I gave officer Huang a call to ask if he had security agent Ou's phone number. He said he didn't, so I phoned Director Li at the Hunan Province Security Department, asking what was going on with my 1,200 yuan and if he could give me comrade Ou's phone number. He said it was none of his business, telling me to figure out my own way of getting ahold of them. All I can do is blog this. I assume that the Dengta City police and internet monitors can see my blog, so I hope you give me my money back. Writing this took me 2-3 hours.
I hope that if Dengta City state security agents Zhang Qicheng and Wang Qingyou see this, that they can get in touch with me and give me the airplane ticket money back. Taking the airplane was not my idea. The time the flight took already put you over the 24 hour time limit on detaining me; you already overstepped your limits on my freedom of person, and if you don't give me my money back, I'll sue you for corruption or the illegal plundering of a citizen's property.
If you've been following Zola's blogging career, you might have read of the controversy this autumn over payments he received from those whose stories he blogged, with one subject in Xining accusing him of theft. Zola addresses this briefly at the end of this post in a manner which suggests the matter is quite complicated. All parties concerned seem to have made their sides clear in different places online, and Zola's peers from within the active blogging community seem to have left the issue behind.
In closing to the above post, Zola lists several ways readers can continue funding his blogging pursuit or support his possible upcoming legal battle, from adding money to his mobile phone card to buying ads on his blog. For those seeking to deposit to his bank or PayPal account, he provides a disclaimer:
请不要付款时给我除广告位置之外的任何其它要求。如果被警察认为我收受不明巨额资金，他们会把你当成境外反动势力的资金支持，所以，请不要给我捐太多钱，更不要在捐款时要求我的资金的使用是透明的，也不要对有其它要求，不能管我怎么去花你捐给我的钱；
我以后不会再重出江湖了。授人以鱼不如授人以渔，我已经用半年多的时间以身作则告诉大家方法了：
1. 写BLOG 真实的表达自己的想法是合法的，
2. 权利来自意识的觉醒，只有自己才能救自己；
3. 压迫是正常的，放弃抵抗是不正常的；
4. 履行公民义务，维护公民权利；
5. 建立市民社会，维护公共空间。
6. 改革是自下而上的，别指望英雄来救你，即使有英雄–如果是自上而下，他也只会成为下一个独裁者，狼去虎再来；
7. 普及民主意识，提高国民文化教育水平。
拯救你们自己的任务就交给你自己了。我对目前任何人的生死没有责任和义务，能救你们自己的只有你自己。别来我这里寻找正义和真相，正义和真相都是唯心的定义，你认为是真相那就是真相吧，关我屁事。
The task of saving yourselves is in your own hands now. I have no responsibility or obligation to anyone currently in a situation of life or death; the only person who can save you is yourself. Don't come to me looking for justice or truth; justice and truth are things of idealism; if it's the truth to you, then the truth it is; it's certainly none of my damn business.


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China: Don’t Go to Macau · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

The news about Mainland tourists beaten up by police in Macau has spread very quickly in the internet. William long blogs his own experience in traveling to Macau and urges others not to travel to Macau(zh).

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: HIV Test Accused of Discrimination · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Josie Liu from China in Transition blogs about the recent criticisms on the HIV test on Chinese citizens returning from overseas.


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China: Keyboard on a Building · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Kenneth Tan from Shanghaiist blogs an eye-catching architecture photo: keyboard on a building.


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China: Tourists in conflict with Macao police · Global Voices
Bob Chen

Mainland tourists broke into a conflict with riot police in Macao. (In a new statement, Macao denied they were riot police, but only special police training nearby )
It is reported that over 100 people of a mainland tourist group had controversy with the local tour guides on a tour spot in Macao when, according to the tourists involved, the guides forced them to pay for excessive activities not on the schedule (so that the guides may earn backhander). Otherwise, the guides threatened, they would have no food for dinner as well as no place to live. The furious tourists disputed with the tour guides, and soon a police arrived, but during the chaos one of the four tourist leaders was pushed onto the ground, consciousness lost. Some tourists accused the police of using violence while it’s also reported that a group leader slapped on the face of the police. More than 10 police officers soon arrived.
When the irritated tourists surrounded the original police to prevent him from leaving, the two sides came under conflict. After that, 30 additional riot police reached there. The situation fell uncontrolled until 9, PM. Four tourists were detained for questioning.
The senior woman accused the riot police of subduing citizens with no weapon
The tourists surrounded the police.
A tourist lost consciousness during the shoving.
A male tourist alleged he would reveal this scandal to the public after going back home.
Pictures cited from www.chinanews.com.cn/
For a full coverage, please see here.
Voices from the internet
The breaking news involved 2 key words, Macao and mainland, that soon aroused reactions on the internet. The first tide of replies was an expression of fury and discontentment.
In 163.com, there are over 500 replies on the incident. The locations of the repliers are presented on the net.
A netizen from Guangzhou(广州) said:
澳门、香港这两个地方属于中国，而我们堂堂中国人竟然还要专门办所谓的“通行证”，每次去要签证才能去一趟，这是什么意思？他妈的，坚决抵制去这两个地方旅游！
Macao and Hong Kong belong to China. However, we Chinese have to apply for so-called “permit” every time we are going there. What the hell does that mean? Firmly boycott travelling to the two places.
A netizen in America said:
澳门的导游太黑了.
The tour guides in Macao are so mean.
A netizen from Hei Longjiang(黑龙江) said:
妈拉个巴子的，给你澳门断水，断电，断供应，看你们还神气吗？！饿的你满地爬！！！
***, let’s cut the water and electricity supply and see if you can still be above yourself? You’ll be starving to crawl on the ground!
A neitzen from Shi Jiazhuang(石家庄) suggested:
把驻港、驻澳部队全换成大陆城管，看他们还猖狂！
Replace the garrison in Hong Kong and Macao with mainland City Enforcement. Dare you be still so presumptuous?
But not all voices exclusively sided with the mainland tourists. Some appealed to the public for understanding the tour guides’ grief.
A netizen from Jin Hua(金华)  said:
哈 哈,回扣都给香港导游拿光了,澳门导游能不急吗???他们这种团叫做自费购物团,一个人到港澳七日游的费用是2000块左右,想想就知道..你如果不买东 西,光来回的机票都不够的.
Ha, the Hong Kong tour guides had taken the entire backhander and how won’t those in Macao worry? The tour group they joined is called “self-expense shopping group”. It costs each person about 2000 RMB for a 7-day trip around Hong Kong and Macao. Think about it! If you just buy nothing, the cost can’t even pay the round-trip ticket.
A netizen from Guangzhou(广州) replied:
天下没有免费的午餐！几百元游澳门，你也参加？活该！
There is no free lunch in this world. A trip to Macao on a few hundred RMB? You deserve it!
This reply is from Hubei(湖北):
归根到底是现在港澳旅游制度和环境的不合理（用低价吸引游客，欺骗游客消费提成）。
In the final analysis the problem lies on the preposterous tour system and the environment of the two cities. Namely, they charm tourists with low price and earn backhander by deceiving us of shopping.

author: Bob Chen


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Cuba: Church Attack  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Child of the Revolution, Uncommon Sense, La Primera Generacion and The Cuban Triangle all blog about an incident in which “plainclothes police kicked their way into a Roman Catholic church in Santiago, beat up a group of dissidents attending Mass inside and then took them away.”


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Guyana: Drive Time  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Guyana-Gyal and her mother take a drive around Georgetown.


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Haiti: Reviving Tourism? · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Haiti Innovation has a few ideas about how to revive the island's tourism industry.


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India: Economy and Rights · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Despite all the buzz around India's growing economy, Arthshastra feels that returning to India requires deeper thought, given the current state of civil liberties. Uber Crazy voices in on the same issue.


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India: On an Epic · Global Voices
Neha Viswanathan

Reading the re-telling of the Ramayana by Ashok Banker gets Lightning Strikes Everyday to reflect on the epic.


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Indonesia: Travel Mindmap · Global Voices
Preetam Rai

Trinity shares her Singapore travel plan on her blog as a mindmap.