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Italy: End of the Road for Berlusconi · Global Voices
Ylenia Gostoli

This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.
At the end of a dramatic week in its recent history, Italy has witnessed what many of its citizens thought they'd never live to see: after 17 years in power, Silvio Berlusconi, the country's embattled prime minister, handed in his resignation last Saturday.
Last Tuesday, Berlusconi's coalition lost its majority after a crucial budget vote, and the country needed to calm the financial markets in order to keep interest rates on sovereign debt under control. On Monday morning (14 November), the economist Mario Monti formally began consultations as head of the new technical government, backed by most of the country's political and financial players.
“Thank you Napolitano” and “Finally”, read the signs held up by the protesters who had surrounded all the main political buildings in Rome: Palazzo Grazioli, Palazzo Chigi, Montecitorio, Quirinale [it]. Outside Berlusconi's private residence, a choir was singing the Halleluja.
After the Senate approved stability measures [it] with a wide majority of 380 to 26 on Saturday afternoon, a crowd gathered in front of the Palazzo del Quirinale, where at 8.30pm Berlusconi was expected to formally hand in his resignation to the President Giorgio Napolitano. On his arrival, the crowd jeered and shouted “Buffoon”, as shown in this video. Italians took to the streets in Milan too, where they sung adaptations of Italian stadium anthems waving national flags, as shown in the video below:
Slogans include “resignations”, “mafioso”, as well as a number of references to the many trials against the former prime minister: “in jail”, “are you going to arrest him or not?”, and “we have a dream in our heart: seeing Berlusca at San Vittore” [an infamous prison in Milan], as if his resignation could suddenly repeal amnesty laws and resume trials that had been invalidated by the statute of limitations. Someone sings the popular WWII partisan song Bella Ciao and the national anthem. The crowd waits for Berlusconi's return after his meeting with the President, but he leaves from a side exit.
Online reactions
On Twitter, the most popular hashtags were #finecorsa (end of the road),  #maipiù (never again) and #graziegiorgio (thank you Giorgio):
@ezekiel: Il centro di Roma è in modalità “vittoria ai mondiali”: gente avvolta nel tricolore ecc. #maipiù #finecorsa
@Neclord: E domattina tricolore appena lavato e stirato alla finestra! #maipiù #finecorsa
@fabiux: Questa sera il bungabunga te l'abbiamo fatto noi. #finecorsa
Someone threw coins at Berlusconi, an act reminiscent of the fall from grace of another well-known Italian politician, Bettino Craxi, following the “mani pulite” (clean hands) corruption scandal in early 1990s. On Twitter, many alluded to this historic episode.
@civati [it] writes:
Stasera non gli tireranno monetine ma Buoni del Tesoro. #maipiù
@tomasoledda [it] adds:
Nessuno lancia monetine per via della #crisi. #graziegiorgio #finecorsa
On Facebook, there were several attempts at organising the celebrations in a number of Italian cities [it]. Just before Berlusconi stepped into the Quirinale palace, Luca Cuman [it] wrote on a page titled “Party for Berlusconi's resignation”:
Fra pochi minuti si concretizza la seconda “Liberazione d'Italia” proponiamo il 12/11 come FESTA NAZIONALE!!!!!!
Celebrations in front of Congress buiding
On the “liberation day” issue, @tigella [it] draws attention to the fact that the day might be better compared to when Mussolini was arrested in 1943, only to be freed shortly after to form a puppet state in the north of Italy, than to liberation by partisan forces on April 25, two years later:
[ci tengo a ribadire] oggi è il 25 luglio, non il 25 aprile: occhi aperti!
Likewise, @Groucho68 [it] ironically addresses the fact that the Berlusconi era might not be over quite yet:
Se ne va, ma convinto di risorgere il terzo giorno. #finecorsa
Despite Saturday's celebrations then, concern about the profound political and economic crisis that engulfs the country is manifest in both the street and the web. In Rome, as well as the Hallelujah and the national anthem, one could hear “kick the banks out of the State”. Last Friday however, the hashtag #rimontiamo (“let's rise back up”, anagram of Mario Monti) was a top trend on Twitter, symptom of a general consensus that the Monti medicine, however bitter, might be necessary.
The journalist @sandroruotolo [it] writes:
#rimontiamo. Oggi si dimette Berlusconi. E’ un bel giorno per l'Italia. Adesso tocca a Monti. Speriamo che ce la faccia. God Save Italy!!!
@ggrch [it] writes:
Italiani godiamoci questa notte perché da domani c'è da ricostruire l'Italia #rimontiamo #finecorsa
Others, such as the student network Rete della Conoscenza (The Knowledge Network), are less optimistic. Referring to the expected cuts to the education budget that the government has been planning to implement, @reteconoscenza [it] tweets:
Si annuncia un'infornata di bocconiani al governo. Nelle università pubbliche non c'è niente da festeggiare… #nosaycat #maipiù
Similarly, the anonymous blogger of  One Big Onion [it] reflects on the implications of a technocratic government imposed by the markets and the EU:
Dice che Berlusconi oggi se ne va. Non staremo certo qui a rimpiangerlo noi, quelli di Genova, i compagni di Carlo e dei ragazzi che stavano alla Diaz e a Bolzaneto (…)
Facciamo a questo punto una proposta, oltre al pareggio di bilancio nella costituzione ci mettiamo una regola per cui quando lo spread sale di oltre 500 punti da Bruxelles e Berlino ci mandano un commissario della Goldman Sachs come premier. Oppure che la Trilaterale con un decreto di urgenza ci vende anche Palazzo Madama assieme ai beni dello Stato da mettere all’asta.
On Sunday 13 November, Italians woke up in the #doposilvio (literally, after-Silvio). Simona Melani's blog [it] grasps the tone of many of the online conversations on such an crucial day in the history of the country:
Stavolta proviamo a metterci a correre, noi che abbiamo 20, 30 anni. Facciamo sì che queste dimissioni siano l’inizio simbolico della nostra Italia e non la fine di un incubo. Perchè se ci rilassiamo, l’incubo continuerà. (…)
Tocca a noi, corriamo, con le borse pesanti sulle spalle perchè c’è un sacco di lavoro da fare. La prima cosa da rimettere in piedi è la Politica. Senza pupazzi di gommapiuma e imitatori da Bagaglino. Stavolta tocca a noi. Alziamo il culo dalla sedia. Twitter lo possiamo aggiornare dallo smartphone, mentre finalmente corriamo per costruire un Paese, con la presunzione gioiosa di essere migliori di quello che abbiamo visto negli ultimi anni.
It’ s the end of the world (as we know it). Abbiamo 5 minuti 5 di felicità. Mettiamoci al lavoro, finalmente.
This post is part of our special coverage Europe in Crisis.

author: Ylenia Gostoli


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Macedonia: Anglophone Online News Sources · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

GV Author Filip Stojanovski has compiled a list of English-language online news sources about Macedonia on his blog, Razvigor :-).

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Macedonia: Veles Says “No” to Lead Poisoning, Government Remains Ambiguous · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

After the massive protest against restarting of the lead smelting factory in the city of Veles, the citizens feel cheated by the declarative support shown by the politicians from the ruling parties, and demand clear answers from PM Nikola Gruevski on whether the poisoning will continue.
The protests announced in the previous Global Voices article took place on November 9, 2011. Estimates of the number of the protest participants range from 10,000 to over 15,000 [hr], a huge turnout for this community of less than 44,000 inhabitants.
Samoglaska and Vancho Dzambaski published Creative Commons-licensed photo galleries from the event:
Protest march through Veles streets. Photo by Samoglaska (CC-BY).
People gathering on Veles square. Photo by Vancho Dzambaski (CC-BY-NC-SA).
Twitter tags #Veles or #Велес are still in use, and the seasoned local blogger Jovan Petrov provided comprehensive coverage of the protest:
…the families, school children and elders joined forces. Being there I saw people from all backgrounds –  the non-governmental sector, doctors, blue collar workers, politicians including former and current mayors and members of the parliement and local council, mothers and daughters, from all ranges of age, social and ethnic background. They protested in unison, NO RESTART! for the smelting factory.
I was never good at guessing numbers, but the group of NGO's called “Green coalition” have managed to gather more participants than any party on a political rally even when they want to boast with numbers carrying people from other cities to enrich the scenery. Some guesses were in the range of 10.000 participants.
The organization was quite good, the people were loud but very polite, the whole process finished without any recorded  incident. The protest was lead by an excavator, symbolic image of the vision of the citizens – to dig up the old shadow factory and plant the perimeter with trees in order to decontaminate the land from cancerogens and active chemicals that modify the DNA of the unborn children.
The message was clear and far-reaching – NO MORE POISONING! Now, the state should show its support for the locals not only by speeches and through columnists, but by clear actions. And the solution is simple – rejecting the application of the investor to restart the factory – which everyone is sure that must be done based on strict following of the environmental legislation. Even the investor has admitted that they will pollute in their environmental impact study submitted to the Ministry of environment of Republic of Macedonia (image of the table follows, and remember the fact – the author of this document is the investor itself):
Table on environmental impact from the study with added explanations in English.
After this night – it should be clear to all, whoever tries to do more harm to the citizens of Veles will be punished severely.
A short documentary about the protest [mk] is available on YouTube:
And while the area's politicians and religious leaders turned out in force for the photo-op, they expressed declarative and noncommittal support for the Veles’ cause. However, not all protest supporters received media attention, and were not credited at the event.
Vladimir Milchin, the executive director of the Foundation Open Society Institute, wrote [mk] on his Facebook profile:
Yes, members of GEM (Citizens for European Macedonia) were at the protest. And the Soros’ foundation supported the NGOs that organized it by supplying funds for 2,000 vests. Just like it supported them in the long bygone year of 2003 with a USD 6,100 grant for the first analysis that proved presence of the toxic materials in the hair of 80 local children.
Dimce Velev, one of the organizers, added a comment:
A reason for this is that road to the truth around the environmental exodus started with FOSM support at the point when the smelter was a taboo topic!
Milchin concluded:
And now some people want to use the protest to build their careers.
GEM activists in the crowd during the Veles protest. Photo by Vancho Dzambaski (CC-BY-NC-SA).
Several Twitter users shared a screen capture of a statement [mk] by former Mayor, Ace Kocevski, published on his Facebook profile [mk]:
Citizens of Veles expressed their position against restarting of the smelting factory with dignity. But statements of the representatives of the Ministry of the Environment indicate that the appeal has not been taken seriously.
Self-censorship of the speakers at the protest and pointing fingers at Metrudhem only did not produce the expected results.
The goal is clear: Veles without a smelter.
The battle for healthy living environment in Veles must continue in more organized, more realistic manner, without improvisations, through the institutions of the system and if needed outside of them.
The municipality must urgently change the General Urban Plan and enact an Detailed Urban Plan to change the zoning of the area into light nonpolluting industry only.
The court process of Veles and the Green Coalition against Republic of Macedonia must continue. EUR 50,000 must be found for judicial analysis of the impact of pollution over the health of the citizens, and the level of intoxication of the soil and waters.
Ask the [Macedonian Bar Association] for pro bono representation.
The pressure must be directed towards the Ministry of the Environment and the Government – they must stand on the side of the people of Veles, to correct the errors of decade-long pollution and selling of the smelter, and to prevent its restart. They must provide funds from the state budget and from international donors to solve the problem of the slag landfill, and to clean the poisoned soil.
In the days after the protest, organizers and participants started expressing concern via the official Facebook group. Nenad Kocic shared the above video and asked the following questions:
1. Is Veles in Macedonia?
2. Does this state have a Government?
3. Does the Government work for the people or not?
After the Minister of the Environment failed to come to the protest and stated [mk] that it was too early to say that the request for license by the factory owners would be denied, the Green Coalition of NGOs asked to hear the truth in person from the “big boss” – requesting a meeting with PM Gruevski, who keeps maintaining detached, eery silence on the matter.
The news [mk], that the PR agency Republika will commence an advertising campaign on behalf of investor, has been taken as a clear sign of support for the investor by the government. During the past few years, this company has been the dominant implementer of numerous advertising campaigns that funneled millions of Euros from the state budget to pro-government media and other beneficiaries (in a setup compared [mk] to the collusion of the Croatian ruling party and Fimi Media).
Veles protester holding a cartoon. Photo by Samoglaska (CC-BY).
In other news: another Macedonian city has been subjected to a similar environmental disaster [mk], apparently due to criminal negligence. On Friday, Nov. 11, Kriva Palanka received an influx of poisonous slag full of lead, arsenic, zinc, cadmium and other toxic materials from the upriver mine Toranica.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Malawi: Meet Global Voices Author Steve Sharra · Global Voices
L. Abena Annan

Linda Annan talks to Malawian Global Voices Author Steve Sharra. Sharra is a blogger, freelance journalist, lecturer and educational editor.  He blogs at Afrika Aphukira. He has published poetry and fiction, radio plays (Malawi Broadcasting Corporation) and a radio short story (BBC); and authored a children's book, Fleeing the War, which won the 1995 British Council Write a Story competition. In 1997 he became Honorary Fellow of the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa (USA), after Prof. Emeritus Steve Chimombo (1983), and the late Edison Mpina (1984) and in 1998 he was writer-in-residence at the University of Iowa (USA).
In this interview, Steve Sharra talks about the Malawian social media space, his professional background and his interest in education, teaching and writing.
Linda Annan (LA): Can you briefly tell us about yourself?
Steve Sharra (SS): I was born in a place called Bawi, in Ntcheu district, Malawi. At the time my father was attending a police training college, so my mother went to live with her parents. My grandfather, a reverend, was teaching at Bawi Primary School. We moved to Zomba Police Camp when I was about a year old. That’s where I grew up. Zomba was the capital of Malawi going back to the colonial days in the 1890s, until 1975 when Malawi’s first president, Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda, moved it to Lilongwe. I attended Police Primary School, St Stanislaus Prep School, Nankhunda Seminary, and Police Secondary School. After secondary school I went to Lilongwe Teachers’ College, from 1990 to 1993, where I qualified as a primary school teacher. In 1994 I left teaching at became an editorial assistant of educational materials at Malawi’s national curriculum centre, the Malawi Institute of Education. In 1998 I went to graduate school, first the University of Iowa, and later Michigan State University, both in the United States. At Iowa I studied English Education, while at Michigan State I studied Teacher Education, and wrote my dissertation on curriculum aspects of peace studies in education. My doctoral thesis argued for the adoption of a concept in the school curriculum which I termed uMunthu-peace, a type of social justice based on African definitions of being human, and our interdependence as human beings. I returned to Malawi in May 2010, after spending three years as a visiting assistant professor of peace and justice studies in the Department of Philosophy at Michigan State.
LA: What’s the meaning of your blog name Afrika Aphukira? Is there a particular reason why you chose that name?
Malawian blogger and Global Voices Author Steve Sharra. Photo courtesy of Noelin Zawazawa.
SS: Literally “Afrika Aphukira” translates as “Africa will be reborn.” I chose that Chichewa name for my blog as my way of expressing optimism for Africa; optimism for an African Renaissance.
LA: What is the state of Malawian blogosphere?
SS: I think the Malawi blogosphere, in the narrower sense of just blogs, is lagging behind the larger Malawi social media sphere. I wonder if that’s exclusive to Malawi alone. On a number of times a Malawian blogger has broken big impact news, for example Boniface Dulani who was the first person to write about the University of Malawi academic freedom struggle just hours after it broke. That was February 12th, 2011, when the Malawi Police Inspector General, Peter Mukhito, summoned a university lecturer, Dr. Blessings Chinsinga, to question him about a lecture in which he had used the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt as an example to illustrate a point. More recently, Mabvuto Jobani has been blogging breaking news about police involvement in the murder of University of Malawi Polytechnic student, Robert Chasowa, on September 24th. Otherwise, it’s facebook mostly, and twitter to a lesser extent, that’s the most thriving form of new media in Malawi.
LA: You seem to be a big advocate of Malawi. Besides the fact that you’re Malawian, what else could be the reason?
Steve Sharra dancing at a wedding. Photo courtesy of Mpatso Chabwera.
SS: That’s an interesting question, Linda. We have a Chichewa proverb that says “Nankununkha saadzimva.” It means something like one doesn’t detect one’s own smell. But I think my conspicuous advocating for Malawi comes from a particular personal history and identity politics. A number of my early classes in graduate school, 1998-1999, required us to do serious intellectual self-reflection. Once I started looking back to where I was coming from, I started noticing a number of very peculiar aspects of what it meant to be a Malawian and an African. I had never had occasion to do so when I lived in Malawi. I guess leaving your country and going outside your continent seems to do that to a number of us. That’s when being of Malawian and African identity started taking on a big significance. It made me very conscious and sensitive to any suggestions of identity deficiency and racial denigration. I think it was tied to being a black person, and an African. That’s when I also began reading Pan-Africanist theory, so it all started coming together. I have come to see it as part of my responsibility, as a Malawian, a black person, and an African, to promote and advocate for a more complex understanding of Africa. Paul Tiyambe Zeleza calls it the imperative of every African intellectual. I see much of what ails Africa today as originating in the image that has been constructed for the continent in the 500 years that Europe has enjoyed global supremacy.
LA: Why do you choose to approach your musings from an “African epistemological perspective” as your blog suggests?
SS: Somewhere along my studies, I read about ways of knowing, knowledge systems that mediate the process of producing knowledge. It dawned on me that what was categorized as school knowledge was a product of a particular way of knowing, a European epistemology. Much knowledge is human knowledge, but Europe has developed a way of producing and consuming knowledge that privileges European heritage and civilisation. This would not be a problem, were it not for the manner in which that privileging process undermines and denigrates other societies’ ways of knowing. In my doctoral research I read Malawian philosophers such as Harvey Sindima, Augustine Musopole, and Gerard Chigona, who have worked on uMunthu as an African epistemology, and political scientists such as Richard Tambulasi and Happy Kayuni who have argued for uMunthu as an African political ideology. I learned from these scholars that what ails Africa is a direct consequence of being at the receiving end of Eurocentric epistemology. In order to address that problem, I think we need to learn African epistemologies, so as to understand the world from an African perspective. It’s what Mahmood Mamdani calls “dealing with the global from the perspective of the local.” Right now we are doing it the other way round, and Africa is suffering terrible consequences. But things are looking up now, I think. I see more and more people realising why Africa must develop self-confidence and deal with Europe, America and Asia from the vantage point of Africa. But it will take a lot of intellectual effort and political will; a radical change in the leadership.
LA: Tell me about “Fleeing the War.” I know it was a children’s book but what was it about and what inspired it?
SS: Fleeing the War was a children’s story I wrote in 1995. It is about a group of Malawian adolescents who are hunting along the Malawi-Mocambique border, which is where their village is located. They are surprised to meet two little children, a boy and a girl, who are apparently lost. They have been fleeing from Mocambique’s civil war. They set off in the night, with their parents, but soon they get lost. The parents go one way, and the children go another. The Malawian children take the Mocambican children home, and make them comfortable. After six months of searching, the children’s parents make their way to the Malawian village, and find their long lost children. The story was inspired by true events. There was civil war in Mocambique between 1976 and 1991. A million Mocambicans fled into Malawi and settled down. Many of them spoke Chichewa already, a common language along the border between the two countries. Many of them returned after the war, but many also stayed behind and became Malawian citizens. The first school where I taught in Ntcheu district served as a rationing centre. UNHCR officials came and delivered supplies to the refugees. They came from far, and on their way to the rationing centre they would sit down to rest under a huge tree next to my uncle’s grocery store in the village. I would sit down and talk with them about their experiences. I crafted the story from those encounters.
LA: You are involved with the Malawi Teacher Professional Development Support (MTPDS) project aren’t you? What is it and how did you get involved?
SS: It is a project of the Malawi Government, through its Ministry of Education, Science and Technology. We are establishing a teacher professional development system for primary school teachers, most of whom have no such opportunity once they graduate from teachers’ college. I got involved through my participation in a prior, related project.
Steve Sharra at work. Photo courtesy of Speaker Nkhonjera.
LA: Why the interest in education and teaching? Why not something else?
SS: The teaching came rather by accident. I failed to make it to the University of Malawi, the only university operating in Malawi at the time. About 36,000 students sat the secondary school leaving certificate examination in those days, but there were 700 spaces in the University. My father suggested teaching. I was away vacationing in my my father’s home village when the government advertised for a teacher training programme. He mailed me the advert, and I applied. I realized I had a passion for teaching. It gave my life meaning. I particularly enjoyed being in control of the process of learning new things, and helping children learn. Since then, I look at the world through the eyes of a teacher.
LA: It’s obvious that you’re drawn to academia. Why is that?
SS: I was initially drawn to creative writing; that was my first intellectual calling. One of the earliest lessons I learned, in secondary school, was that literature provided powerful ways of making sense of complex realities. I learned this from Malawian poets Jack Mapanje, Anthony Nazombe, Garton Kamchedzera, Frank Chipasula and Steve Chimombo, among others, and their influence rubbed off on me. They all wrote poetry, but being literary scholars, their writings, both the poetry and the scholarship, opened a window through which I saw Malawi quite differently. Particularly, it was the political oppression, social injustice and inequality that made me realize that a better Malawi was possible. All of this happened as I transitioned from being a secondary school student to being a student-teacher. I became a teacher, and together with the passion for writing, academia became a compelling interest.
LA: What do you do now as a profession and where are you currently based?
SS: I am a teacher educator and educational researcher. I’m based in Lilongwe, Malawi’s capital.
LA: If you had an empty schedule one Saturday, what would Steve Sharra be doing?
SS: Ha ha. Saturdays don’t come empty anymore, as they used to. I would probably be reading some really good fiction, or creative non-fiction, which I haven’t done in years. Or I would be playing chess with my kids.
LA: Did you get accepted into the Shuttleworth Fellowship? What did you wish to accomplish with that?
SS: I was very disappointed when I didn’t get accepted for the 2011 Shuttleworth Fellowship. It’s such a unique fellowship where somebody asks you to describe what you think is wrong with the world, or at least in your society, and then gives you as much money as you require to go about addressing that problem. I was hoping to design a project whose sole aim would be teacher empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa, through global dialogue with teachers elsewhere, and through teacher-led intellectual production.  I still hope to get funding to do this one day.

author: L. Abena Annan


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Mexico: Citizen Detained Over Politician Helicopter Crash Joke Tweet · Global Voices
Geraldine Juarez

‘Mexico rules out engine failure in helicopter crash that killed government’s No. 2 official’ reads the title of a Washington Post article, which explains the Mexican government sees all evidence pointing to weather conditions in relation to the recent helicopter crash in which Interior Secretary, Francisco Blake Mora, passed away.
The Washington Post also informs that 16 aviation specialists are investigating the fatal accident, the second air crash to kill an Interior Secretary during the administration of President Felipe Calderón.
On Sunday November 13, the Mexican Twittersphere exploded with demands for explanations and the release of Mario Flores [es], a graphic designer who was detained without an arrest order outside his parents’ house  by agents from the PGR (the investigative body of the Mexican General Attourney's office), allegedly because of a message he tweeted last Thursday, November 10:
"I hadn't left for work so early since Mouriño's plane fell. Be careful, flying officials."
His Twitter bio read before the incident:
Soy el ángel de la muerte de los panistas voladores.
PAN (National Action Party) is the party of President Calderón.
The tweet made reference to the accident involving former Interior Secretary Juan Camilo Mouriño, who also died in a plane crash three years ago, which happened in front of Flores’ workplace.  He even published a post in his blog [es] about it back then, in the black humor style that also characterizes his tweets.
Some Twitter users warned against “speculation” over the reason behind his violent detention without a warrant and by five cars and twelve agents. However most were pointing to his tweet as the main reason for his arrest.
Popular Twitter user @plaqueta later tweeted [es]:
Especulamos @mareoflores se lo llevó la PGR por hacer un chiste sobre helicopterazo. ¿Qué hacemos?
Gonzalo Fragoso (@Gonzalopolis) informed in more detail about the situation [es]:
Los papás y un abogado de @mareoflores están afuera de la PGR y no los dejan verlo. Supuestamente está declarando. Pasen la voz.
Human rights defender and prominent Twitter user Jesús Robles Maloof (@roblesmaloof) spoke with the relatives of Mario Flores [es]:
Hablé con el padre de @mareoflores informa que fue detenido afuera de su domicilio por 5 vehículos de la PGR. #MareoFlores.
“Speculations” by Twitter users were right. The PGR later published a press communique whereby it confirmed the detention over a tweet [es], specifying the goal was to “exhaust all lines of investigation” over the event in which Minister Blake died.  PGR said Flores was taken as a “witness”:
Una vez que rindió su declaración sobre los motivos por los que publicó en su cuenta de twitter el comentario “no salía tan temprano desde que se cayó la avioneta de Mouriño, anden con cuidado funcionarios voladores”, se le permitió retirarse de las instalaciones, toda vez que hasta este momento, no existe relación entre la publicación del tweet y el accidente aéreo.
But Mario Flores was not the only one to make a joke in reference to Mouriño's accident coinciding with the helicopter crash that killed Francisco Blake. Twitter user @morf0 [es] also joked about it:
Mañana a las 11/11 les caerá un secretario del cielo… evite reforma.
Clearly, he was making reference to Mouriño's accident and in the context of 11/11/11 posts on Twitter.
The dynamic of social networks
CNN interviewed @morf0 to “explain” his joke where he said it was “ a terrible coincidence”. (VIDEO).
Oscar García (@Ciudadanooscar) mentions the worrying trend of media calling out Twitter users as suspects:
Detención de @MareoFlores se da en el marco de una prensa imbécil como la de Aristegui o Rafael Loret que pide q twitteros sean investigados
The famous and internationally acclaimed journalist Carmen Aristegui asked during her news show to consider investigating @morf0's tweet: (Video in Spanish)
Es un mensaje que debe tomarse en cuenta por los investigadores
Columnist Rafael Loret de Mola also described [es] @morf0's tweet  as “cyberterrorism” in his article about the death of Francisco Blake Mora.
Users have recognized the negative impact of journalist that don't understand the dynamic of social networks and take jokes as evidence. @Morf0 tweeted [es]:
Periodistas como Aristegui o de Mola se han dejado llevar por un tremendismo digno de la nota roja. No están preparados para hablar de Inet.
@mlucascir thinks that media can't handle Twitter in Mexico:
TW le esta haciendo daño a los medios, sólo así se entiende su estupidez d querer ligar bromas banales con predicciones o planes.
Flores’ release
Mario Flores was released later in the evening. He tweeted [es]:
Estoy completamente bien. Gracias a todos, todo se aclarará en un momento. GRACIAS.
In the video he said a person approached him outside his parents’ house asking: “Do you remember me?” and then asked for ID. Twelve people were involved in his “levantón”, a neologism used in Mexico for this type of illegal arrest.
Flores explains: “They didn't beat me but they grabbed at me.” He confirmed that his order of detention was not created until he got to the PGR: “They never even tried to bring me here in a cordial way,” he says.
He added:
I don't feel I need to apologize for what I tweeted. I'm free. They asked me if I knew engineers that could destroy a helicopter; if I am involved with subversive groups. I thought the worse, I thought they were going to give me “tehuacanazos” [slang for a type of waterboarding with soda.]
Flores gives more details about his detention in these YouTube videos: one, two.
Netizens denounce detention
Twitter users have been indignant about this worrying development that shows the systematic abuse of power and impunity exercised by the government of Calderón— which was denounced by Human Right Watch last week:
@ruidoexplicito:  En México puedes quemar un casino o una guardería, pero no puedes tuitear algo porque la PGR va a tu casa y te saca a golpes. #MareoFlores
Pepe Flores (@padaguan): Empero, la detención de @mareoflores confirma el clima de temor a la represión de la libertad de expresión y la nula credibilidad en el gob.
@enricoescalona: ¿Será que si andan buscando a gente que “tuvo que ver” con lo de Blake, entonces no fue tan accidente? Ya queremos ver a #mareoflores
Roman Cotera (@romancotera): No sería la primera vez que el presidente @FelipeCalderon utiliza a la PGR para escarmientos morales: #matrimoniodf #derechoadecidir
@thinkmexican: The detention of @mareoflores should be seen as an act of intimidation meant to silence critics of @FelipeCalderon and his administration.

author: Geraldine Juarez


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Mexico: Netizens React to “Good Weekend” Initiative · Global Voices
J. Tadeo

On November 9, 2011, Mexican President Felipe Calderón announced the implementation of the initiative “Good Weekend : ) the cheapest weekend of the year” (El Buen Fin) [es], which will take place between November 18-21, 2011, and is expected to be repeated in subsequent years.
According to official information [es], the “Good Weekend” consists in the application of discounts in all retail stores as well as the advancement of the year-end bonus for government employees. According to this official source, the idea came from the private sector and will promote the welfare of families, as well as boost all sectors of the economy, creating more jobs and economic growth for the country.
Felipe Calderón's announcement has generated diverse reactions among bloggers and social network users in Mexico. Diego from Blog de Blogs [es] says the announced initiative bears some resemblance to Black Friday (implemented in the United States the day after Thanksgiving). He also doubts that businesses will set effective discounts and questions the timing of the initiative:
Hoy el Presidente Felipe Calderón, presento la iniciativa “El Buen Fin” que viene a ser una copia mexicana de el Black Friday (Viernes Negro) que es el dia que las tiendas en Estados Unidos, ponen grandes ofertas al dia siguiente de el “Dia de Acción de Gracias“.
Supuestamente dice que se pusieron de acuerdo con organizaciones de comercio y servicio que ofrecerán, del 18 al 21 de noviembre, los precios y las tarifas más bajas al año.
A ver si los comercios mexicanos, si le siguen el rollo al presidente, por que al modo un dia antes van a subir los precios, para que con el gran descuento que den durante ese fin de semana, nos sigan costando igual.
La idea es beneficiar al comercio y a los consumidores.
Creo que esto es un signo de miopia política con matices electoreros, haciendo las cosas buenas al final, cuando bien las pudo hacer al principio de su mandato. (sic)
Today President Felipe Calderón presented the initiative “Good Weekend” which is the Mexican copy of Black Friday, the day that stores in the United States offer big sales the day after Thanksgiving.
Supposedly he says they agreed with trade organizations and service organizations and they will offer, from November 18 to 21, the lowest prices and rates of the year.
We'll see if Mexican stores follow through with the President's initiative, because they might raise prices the day before so that with the big discount they offer during that weekend we end up paying the same.
The idea is to benefit commerce and consumers.
I think this is a sign of political myopia with shades of electioneering, doing good things at the end, when he could have done them at the beginning of his term.
Querétaro, México. Image by Flickr user broc7 under an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) license
Meanwhile, Eduardo S. H. in El Gerundio del Ocio [es], with an apparently more optimistic tone,  predicts the possible results of the implementation of this initiative:
La iniciativa es sin duda interesante, tanto para los consumidores como para los empresarios y el gobierno mismo. Es decir que esto podría darle empuje a la economía interna, ayudar a las empresas y reducir (o por lo menos estabilizar) la tasa de desempleo en México. Incluso cuando no estoy muy de acuerdo en que se promocione el consumismo, creo que una iniciativa como El Buen Fin, en caso de funcionar correctamente, podría traer algunos ligeros beneficios al país. Después de todo, consumistas ya somos, lo único que nos falta para llegar a los niveles ridículos a los que han llegado en Estados Unidos es más poder adquisitivo.
Bombusterrestris1 of La Trapaleta [es] took the opportunity to give readers some suggestions for better shopping.
Compara precios, no te dejes llevar por las emociones, establece prioridades como el pago de tarjetas, ahorra y, por ningún motivo, compres más de lo que puedes pagar, porque ello hipoteca el salario del próximo año.
On Twitter, user Celiaalviso (@Celiaalviso) questions the relevance of the initiative at the expense of a culture that encourages savings:
¿Y si Gobierno Federal mejor fortaleciera la cultura del ahorro en lugar de orquestar “grandes ofertas en tiendas del país”? #BuenFin
Other users like Gerson Obrajero (@tlalocman) regretted not being public workers and not benefiting from the “advance” of the bonus to take advantage of discounts:
Yo si planeo comprarme algo en el #BuenFin. Lástima que no sea burócrata para tener algo de aguinaldo en noviembre!
Kid Buda (@kidbuda) commented on what an actually “good weekend” would be like for him:
no se…llámenme Hippie o comunista…pero un #BuenFin chido, de a de veras, sería un fin de semana lleno de buena voluntad, generosidad…
On the other hand, without losing sight of the current climate of insecurity in Mexico, Hugo Cedeño Tenorio (@sonidototal) said the following about the initiative announced by the President:
Solo espero que ese tan llamado #buenfin no se convierta en el fin de semana mas violento de todo el sexenio.
As seen here, Mexicans’ reactions to this initiative are plural and interesting, although we will have to wait until the last days of the month to see if the objectives for the “Good Weekend” are met.
Lastly, it should be noted that  the “Good Weekend” will not happen at the same time as Black Friday, at least this year, because the 2011 Thanksgiving will be celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of the month of November, one week after the start of “The God Weekend” in Mexico.

author: J. Tadeo


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Nicaragua: Opposition Youth Affected by Hacktivism · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In The Nicaragua Dispatch, Tim Rogerts reports that opposition youth “have discovered that trying to organize  protests using social media networks such as Facebook […] can be harmful to  one’s health in Nicaragua. ‘They are monitoring our Facebook and  Twitter accounts, and they’ve hacked our accounts and our emails,’ says  activist Israel Lewites, of the opposition youth movement Nicaragua2.0.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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North Korea: Did Gaddafi’s Execution Scare Kim Jong-il? · Global Voices
Lee Hyun Min

Joo Sung-ha is a North Korean defector-turned-journalist who runs a blog named North Korea RT (Real Talk) [ko]. Mr. Joo was born in North Korea and graduated from Kim Il-sung University, one of top prestigious universities in North Korea. He defected from the country in 1998 and four years later obtained South Korean citizenship. He regularly publishes long detailed posts about his North Korean experience to give a true insight into the hermit kingdom.
This post [ko] is his critique of numerous news reports suggesting that Kim Jong-il, North Korea's dictator, was scared to hear of former Libyan leader, Colonel Gaddafi's, fall. Beside both being amongst the world's most notoriously brutal dictators, they shared lots of similar traits and it is widely believed that they were friends.
Image of Gaddafi and Kim Jong-il, two of the world's most notorious dictators, Posted in Mr. Joo's blog, used with permission.
카다피가 망한 뒤 각 언론사 사설 칼럼을 통해 김정일이 떨 것이라는 분석이 많은데, 저는 ‘No’라고 말하고 싶습니다.김정일이 과연 떨까요? 천만의 말씀입니다. 김정일은 오히려 카다피를 비웃고 있을 가능성이 크죠. 바지 벗어주고 뺨 맞은 바보 같은 놈이라고요. 카다피는 솔직히 나토가 개입해서 죽은 것입니다. 내부 시민혁명으로는 절대 망할 리가 없었죠. 김정일은 북한에서 내부 시민혁명이 일어나기는 리비아보다 백 배 더 힘들고, 일어나면 외국에 알려지기 전에 다 진압해버릴 수 있고(아무리 큰 봉기도 불과 반나절이면 끝)…
무엇보다 가장 중요한 점은 외세가 절대 개입 못한다는 점을 알고 있습니다. 북한엔 핵도 있겠다, 200만의 대군이 있겠다, 중국이 버티고 서주겠다, 석유도 없겠다…누가 북한을 공습할 수 있을까요. 그러니 리비아를 보면서 떨 일이 뭐 있겠습니까. 콧방귀를 뀌고 있겠죠. 다만 김정일도 리비아를 보면서 대비는 하고 있겠죠. 기동타격대를 조직했다던가, 국경 통제를 아주 강하게 한다던가, 중동 소식을 절대 알리지 않는 다던가, 쿠데타 못 일어나게 정치위원 더 강화시킨다던가 하는 것이 대표 사례입니다.
김정일의 가장 큰 불안은 자기가 죽고 김정은이 버틸 수 있을지 여부겠죠. 하지만 설명이 길어져서 더 쓰진 않겠지만요. 저는 지금처럼 노는 한 절대 2년 이상 못 버틴다고 봅니다.
북한 체제가 인위적으로 망할 수 있는 가장 가능성이 큰 방식은 두 가지 정도가 아닐까 봅니다.
하나는 위에서 쓴 것처럼 주민들과 말단 간부들까지 태업하면서 점점 곪아 문드러져 쓰러지는 것이죠. 하지만 시간은 꽤 걸리겠죠. 허울뿐인 정권도 누가 직접 무너뜨리지 않는 한 존속하기 때문입니다. 하지만 허울만 남겨지면 쓰러뜨리기가 훨씬 쉽죠.
둘째는 백성들의 원성이 하늘을 찌른다던가 권력 암투가 심해지면 제2의 안중근, 김재규가 나오면 되겠지요. 박정희 정권이 그리 끝날 줄 불과 하루 전까지 누가 알았겠습니까.
하지만 이 둘 보다 훨씬 더 확실한 것은 김정일은 늙었다. 그러니 죽는다. 언제? 곧….이것이 아니겠습니까.
북한도 이미 카운트다운에 들어간 겁니다.
After the fall of Gaddafi, each media outlet published opinion columns suggesting that Kim Jong-il would be shocked by the news. But that is NOT what I think. Would he be terrified by the news? Not a chance. Actually, Kim would rather mock Gaddafi for ‘putting out and get slapped anyway’ [slang].
To be frank, it is NATO's intervention which drove Gaddafi to his death, not the civilian revolution from inside.
In Kim's case, it is much harder, about a hundred times harder for an internal civil revolution to rise up inside North Korea by its people. Even if they ever did, his loyal army could quell the uprising easily, even before the news spread to the world.
Plus, Kim fully understands that it is not easy for foreign powers to intervene in North Korean internal matters: he’s got nuclear weapons, two million soldiers. And also he is backed by China, and North Korea doesn't have oil… Who would be willing to take a risk attacking North Korea when doing so would likely lead to nothing but trouble? So there is no single reason he would be terrified to hear the updated news on Libya.
Without a doubt, however, Mr. Kim must be busy preparing for the future: He would have started organizing security forces, tightening boarder control, blocking any news from the Middle East and empowering his political camp to lessen any chance of coup d'état, etc.
Kim Jong-il's biggest concern is whether or not his son and soon-to-be-successor, Kim Jung-un, will maintain a grip on power after he dies. I think the chances are bleak. If he [the successor] keeps acting this way, the regime will not last two years.
As far as I foresee, there are two scenarios as to how the North Korean regime might collapse.
First scenario: Ordinary citizen and government officials are so corrupt and have been so negligent in their duties that [if they continue their usual behaviour] the regime becomes rotten to the core and finally collapses. But of course, it will take some time. A rotten government, even if it is in name only, can still exist unless it is physically overthrown by some power.
Second scenario: Nationwide anger from ordinary people may erupt or there may be internal power struggles. Who knows? We may see a North Korean version of Ahn Jung-geun or Kim Jaw-kyu. [Ahn Joong-gun is a Korean activist who assassinated the Prime Minister of Japan, who was about to annex South Korea; Kim Jaw-kyu was a South Korean Army General who killed former South Korean President, Park Chung-hee, who is remembered both as a competent leader and a dictator.]
But the most obvious fact other than these two scenarios is this: Kim Jong-il is old and he will die eventually. The remaining question is ‘when’ and I guess it will be ‘pretty soon’.
The countdown has already begun in North Korea.

author: Lee Hyun Min


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Puerto Rico: Homicide Rate  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“Unfortunately, this year Puerto Rico is going to establish a new record for the number of murders”: Dondequiera says that “it will take decades to reverse these trends, and any political candidate that says any different is lying.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Russia: Interview With LJ User Politrash-ru · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

A Good Treaty interviews [ru, en] “the author behind one of LiveJournal’s most popular anonymous blogs” – Politrash_ru.


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Russia: The Communist Party Today · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

On Nov. 7, Mark Adomanis at Forbes and Vladimir Gelman at OpenDemocracy.com wrote about the Russian Communist Party.


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Sahel Region: Slavery still very much a Reality for Some · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

In an interview carried out by François Mauger with Mme Sophia Lakhdar [fr], Director of the Comité Contre l’Esclavage Moderne (Comittee Against Modern Slavery) published on the mondomix.com blog, she states: “Today human trafficking has taken over as the notion of modern slavery, which is a bit contrived.  However it helps raise awareness and mobilize public opinion in the 1990's.  That does not mean that in certain countries slavery no longer exists.  I am thinking most notably of Mauritania, Sudan and Niger”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Saudi Arabia: Outrage Over 10 Lashes for Female Driver  · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Six months ago, Shaima Jastaniya drove her car in one of Jeddah's streets before getting arrested by the police. In September, Jastaniya was sentenced to 10 lashes for challenging the driving ban but a few days later, news spread that she received a pardon from the Saudi monarch himself.
When interrogated, she said she drove her car because she had no means of public or private transportation and needed to get to the hospital. Over the past 48 hours, Saudi tweeps confirmed that Jastaniya received the court's lashing order and has 30 days to appeal. Unlike other women who drove in Saudi Arabia, such as Manal Al-Sharif and Najlaa Hariri, Jastaniya did not video-tape herself when driving to post it online.
What came as a bigger surprise to Saudis was actually the leaked document that the court sent to Al-Watan newspaper summoning two female journalists to court for writing the news article on the lashing sentence Jastaniya received two months ago. The two female journalists are Nissrin Najm Al-Din and Samya Al-Essa and here is a link to the story they wrote about the lashing, where they refer to the first two letters of Jastaniya's name.
An illustration by Emirati Wafa Al Marzouqi in support of Saudi "Women to Drive" campaign. The caption reads: I have the right to drive.
On Twitter, Saudi Fahad (@Solidus_Fahad) was enraged by the news. He tweeted:
@Solidus_Fahad: If a woman can be whipped just for driving could you imagine what would happen to her for speaking her mind out loud?!
@Solidus_Fahad: Saudi woman with great progressive beliefs will be whipped in public in the name of religion and male supremacy! Because of driving!
From Jeddah, Noha Aldhahri (@MsNohaAldhahri) tweeted the news on the two female journalists called to court. She wrote:
@MsNohaAldhahri: #Saudi Ministry of Information suing two #reporters for covering #Shaima #lashing case.
Saudi Human Rights activist Waleed Abu Alkhair (@abualkhair) who was taken to court last September, posted the leaked document that called the two reporters to court:
@abualkhair: The document from #Saudi Ministry [of] Info Suing 2 Reporters 4 publishing #Shaima lashing case http://twitpic.com/7dzqgi
From Riyadh, (@Anwaar33) criticized what she described as the corrupt system in Saudi Arabia [ar]:
A Saudi-American tweep nicknamed (@Ana3rabeya) referred to Princess Amira Al-Taweel, the wife of Prince Waleed Bin Talal, who tweeted two months ago saying that Shaima got her sentence dropped:
@Ana3rabeya: Fictional TruthSeeker: “Was there, or was there Not, Royal Pardon issued 4 #Shaima Lashing Sentence?”, Ameerah Al-Taweel: *Crickets*.
Blogger Majed Al-Enizi (@QMajed) criticized the laws in Saudi Arabia [ar]:
Hala Khalaf (@tbaish) too wanted to see a change. She wrote [ar]:
Farah Al Ibrahim (@farah_alibrahim), a female Twitter user based in Dubai, UAE, wrote [ar]:
Several Twitter users, mostly writing under pseudonyms, have cheered for this decision saying whoever crosses the law should be punished. Others used the opportunity to bash “liberals” and those seeking reforms in the Kingdom. This Twitter user used the discrimination card against women activists [ar]:
Abdullatif Mohammad (@AboLa6eef) was complaining of tweets in favour of Jastaniya, saying she deserved her punishment [ar]:
He added:

author: Mona Kareem


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Slovenia: Election Campaign Updates · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Updates on the Dec. 4 parliamentary elections campaign in Slovenia – at Sleeping With Pengovsky, here and here.


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Slovenia: Photography Under Legal Attack · Global Voices
Vilhelm Konnander

Stefan Geens of Dliberation discusses how photography is under legal attack in Slovenia, since the country's information commissioner has decided that all faces in published panoramic photography should be blurred out – a  decision with great consequences for the Slovenian photo scene.

author: Vilhelm Konnander


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Sri Lanka: Perils Of Promising Jobs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Serendipity is concerned that the Sri Lankan government is unable to create the promised jobs for graduates and the blogger asks “whose responsibility is it to provide jobs for all unemployed Graduates?”

author: Rezwan


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Syria: Reports of Slow Internet  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

On Twitter, Syrian blogger Anas reports [ar]: “The Internet has been unbeliveably slow for a few days in Syria. I think it is something done on purpose and not just a technical issue.”

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Trinidad & Tobago: You’re No Batman · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Outlish says that Ian Alleyne (the TV host suspended for airing footage of a child being sexually assaulted) “thinks he's Batman” but that “his story has more parallels with Booster Gold’s”, explaining: “Any champion for the people, super hero or non-super hero, can never let his cause be about him. The very nature of his mission requires that he strip personal pride, and not seek praises…a champion for the people goes about conducting missions, with humility, compassion, and grace.”


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“Twitteristan”, a Country Where Everyone Talks but Few Listen · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Peruvian Global Voices author and translator Gabriela García Calderón writes in her blog [es] about “Twitteristan”, describing Twitter as if it were a country and arguing that the strangest thing about this “country” is that you have to limit your messages to 140 characters: “I say that in Twitteristan people express themselves, they don't communicate because everyone there talks, but not everyone necessarily listens.”


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UAE: Detained Activists Begin Hunger Strike · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Seven months ago, five activists were arrested in the United Arab Emirates and put on trial on a number of charges such as using the Internet to insult their rulers, to call for a boycott of Federal National Council elections and to call for demonstrations against the state.
Blogger Ahmed Mansour and activists Nasser bin Gaith, Fahid Salim Dalk, Hassan Ali Khamis and Ahmed Abdul Khaleq have issued several statements to voice their refusal for their trials, saying that they have been mistreated, denied their basic rights, threatened, and insulted. The detainees refused to show up at the court's hearings because they consider the trial unfair, knowing that a verdict will be made on November 27, which  they cannot appeal.
Picture of a group of Emiratis protesting against the five activists several months ago. Image by angelashah.wordpress.com.
The five have now started a hunger strike, which they announced in a joint statement saying their open-ended strike aims to reveal the truth to the Emirati people and to demand conducting investigations regarding the seven months they have so far spent in prison.
The activists have also referred to the mistreatment and frustration their families are having to endure as they have been targeted by campaigns such as the campaign run by anonymous persons nicknamed Lethal Character (Shaksiyya Fatake) and Proud Emirati, which have fomented a climate of general hostility to them and their families. They say this campaign has even interfered with a judicial proceeding.
International organizations have offered more attention to the case of the five UAE activists than netizens. One can find few reactions towards their case in social networks. Also, instead of support, one can read many insulting messages towards them written by anonymous accounts that use the pictures of UAE rulers as their Twitter avatars or Facebook profile pictures.
Some of the sympathatic reactions also came from outside the UAE. Iraqi activist Khalid Ibrahim (@khalidibrahim12) reported the news of the hunger strike with the following tweet:
@khalidibrahim12: UAE: The Five detained human rights defenders to start a hunger strike tomorrow to protest against their ill-treatment and unfair trial.
Twitter user @ResistPrevail mistakenly thought the five activists started the strike on November 11, when their joint statement came out, and commented:
@ResistPrevail: 11/11/11 was the first day of the #UAE prisoners of conscience hunger strike.
The Gulf Center for Human Rights (@GulfCentre4HR) tweeted in solidarity:
@GulfCentre4HR: The GCHR considers all five activists as HR defenders at risk and call on the UAE government to release them immediately and unconditionally.
Lamis Shejni (@lamisshejni) thought the case of the activists can be seen as an indicator for change:
@lamisshejni: My thoughts are w/ oppressed rights activists in #UAE #KSA #Bahrain #Oman #Kuwait … to #GCC I say, revolution is coming! #arabspring
Dhabya Al Mehairi from the UAE (@Dhabyaa) expressed doubt:
@Dhabyaa: The 5 activists began a hunger strike. Will this change their fate ? I'm not so sure. Their life is practically over in this country.
Matt J. Duffy (@mattjduffy), a professor of communication at Zayed University, in Abu Dhabi, criticized how media is covering the case of the five activists:
@mattjduffy: I do not applaud @TheNationalUAE for ignoring hunger strike of #UAE5. Perhaps they will after the F1 crowd clears out. #badjournalism
Emirati journalist Aliya Al Ghaith (@AliyaAlGhaith) [ar] referred to the mistreatment the activists went through:
Taher Al-Baghli, from Kuwait, (@taher_albaghli) [ar] has been one of the few Twitter users who constantly followed updates on the five cases and tweeted to advocate for their release daily. In this tweet he reacts to their hunger strike decision:


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Bermuda: “Occupy” Movement at its End · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Respice Finem comments on the de-occupation of Wall Street, here.


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Brazil: Online Campaign to Protect Xingu Against Belo Monte · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

A new movement called Gota D'Água (Drop of Water) [pt] has launched an online campaign to discuss Brazil's energy planning through the analysis of the Belo Monte dam project. The campaign includes a video featuring public figures and a petition, that has already gathered 1923 signatures, to be handed over to the government.

author: Sara Moreira


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Chile: Changes in University Student Leadership · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Robert L. Funk blogs about the recently elected president of the Catholic University Student Federation (FEUC), Noam Titelman. Titelman belongs to “the same political faction as the outgoing president, Giorgio Jackson”, Robert explains.


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China: “Elimination of ‘Ai Weiweis’ is the Trend of Society” · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Siweluozi translated Chinese government's mouthpiece Global Times‘s commentary on netizens’ action in lending money to prominent artist-activist Ai Weiwei for paying his tax.

author: Oiwan Lam


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China: Photo Captures Plight of 58 Million ‘Left Behind Children’ · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A photo showing a little girl carrying her baby brother in the classroom created a stir online in China last month. It reflects the long-standing social problem of children left behind in rural villages by their parents.
The discussion has been harmonized on online platforms and the key term “Little brother wants to sleep” (弟弟要睡了) has been filtered away and become unsearchable in major online platforms such as Sina, Baidu and Sohu since November 7, 2011, as the discussion has become more and more political. It has been estimated that there are about 58 million “left behind children” in China.
Little brother wants to sleep
The name of the 10-year-old girl in the photo [zh] is Long Zhanghuang, her two-year-old bother is Zhang Junjie. Their parent are rural migrant workers working in the city and the siblings are living with their grandparent. The class room is located in a village in Fenghuang county, Hunan province.
"Little Brother Wants to Sleep". Image from Sina Weibo user Mian Qu, also widely available in public domain.
Blogger Shichengke explains [zh] the social and political context of the photo:
《弟弟要睡了》是缩影、是隐喻，也是叩问。在不经意间，它展示了不少农村空心化甚至荒漠化的冷酷现实。农村空心化的背后，存在诸多体制性难题，比如户籍困局，再比如社会保障不完善。
Media commentator Yanlong elaborates [zh] on the need for social welfare reform:
农村留守的“弟弟”，显然不只有“睡觉”的权利。但是，社会保障的触角，并没有伸向社会的每个角落，于是属于儿童的福利，很多就成了纸上的描述。尤其在贫困的农村，所谓儿童的福利，直接与家庭个体的经济状况相挂钩。这种情形下，即使农村不出现空心化，疲于奔命的父母也未必能够有足够的时间照顾孩子，姐姐带弟弟上学的悲酸一幕依然不可避免。
之于女童的爷爷奶奶，同样有诸多缺失的权利可以观照。比如老有所养的权利。与城市职工不同的是，农村老年人没有“退休年龄”，归根结底，是薄弱甚至于空白的社会保障，让这个群体没有能力放下耕作而颐养天年。一定程度上，“幼无所依，老无所养”的农村，才是《弟弟要睡了》这张照片所传递出的最催人泪腺的问题。
The issue as stake is of course not about the right to sleep. Our welfare system has not reached the grassroots of society. Children's welfare has become mere talk, in particular in poor villages. The benefits that children enjoy depend totally on family income. Even though degeneration has not taken place in the villages, parents still don't have time to take care of their children; similar sad stories [to the photo] are unavoidable.
The grandparents of the little girl are also deprived of their rights to enjoy their retired lives. Different from their urban counterparts, the elderly in the villages do not have a retirement age because of the lack of social welfare protection. They have to keep on cultivating their land at a very old age. “The children have no one to depend upon while the elderly have no one to be fed by” – that is the sad message delivered by the photo.
58 million ‘left behind children’
To follow up on the story, QQ news sent a video team to the village and produced a very touching documentary report [zh] (with English subtitles).
The video documentary has attracted more than 5,200 comments. Below is a selected translation of the popular ones:
黑暗幽灵 社会总是在关注着留守儿童，把责任归于父母，可社会看到了没，那些家庭处于什么样的收入水平，不出去能有钱养活整个家庭吗，能供得起孩子上学吗，社会一直在那呼吁呼吁，也就那么点能耐了，不干实事·····
顽石 大批农民工为城市的建设，为经济的发展，为生活所迫。由于政策的滞后，由于管理的缺失，由于有些官员人行的泯灭，使得大批儿童不能跟随父母到工作的地方一起上学。我们那些政府官员们他们的子女肯定不会有这样的问题，他们该好好的反思了
芝麻湖 不要责怪进城打工的父母，他们只不过为了能很基本的活着，同时给孩子更好的未来。谁也不想背井离乡，谁也不想在外漂泊，没有好的农村政策和农业扶持措施，在这个放弃了发展农业的国度，小康基本生活需求则没法实现。高物价，高房价让很多人连气都喘不上，更别谈好好地在农村活着。当孩子在贫困中生活，首先就要怪责国家，然后就是省级和地方政府。不要强词夺理说需要帮助的人太多，高昂的税收不用来给有需要的人民，那要拿来做什么？不要忘了，中国是一个税收极其高的国家，孩子们的生活本来应该更好的，和爸爸妈妈在一起。
Reporter Fu Jianfeng highlights [zh] a quote in the video made by the teacher about an episode in the classroom:
一位孩子很大声地说：“我讨厌春天。”老师问他为什么？她说：“因为春天爸妈就出去打工了。只有到了冬天，爸妈才会回来。”这是发生在“姐姐抱着弟弟上小学”故事的对话http://t.cn/SZsUU4。我是含着泪看完的，这是5800万留守儿童的命运。这个社会、这个时代、这个国家，欠了他们


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Cuba: Honouring the Island’s Patron Saint  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Havana Times reports on the celebration of an outdoor mass this past weekend “in honor of the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, considered by Catholics to be the ‘Patron Saint of Cuba'”, explaining: “Next year will mark the 400th year since the discovery of the image; it seems that this important anniversary is what made Pope Benedict XVI decide to visit the island next year.”


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Cuba: The Church, The Government & The Dissidents  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bloggers question the approach of the Catholic Church in Cuba here and here, while Pedazos de La Isla reports on recent crackdowns on dissidents, here and here.


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Egypt: Commemorating 40 Years of Pope Shenouda on Twitter  · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.
Pope Shenouda III celebrated on Monday the 40th anniversary of his ordination as Pope of the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt. The 40th anniversary coincided with the end of the 40 day mourning period after the Maspero massacre, where 27 Egyptians, mostly Coptic Christians, were killed.
In the Egyptian tradition, the 40th day after death is normally a mourning day, so many Coptic Egyptians did not expect Pope Shenouda to celebrate his ordination anniversary this year.
Naglaa Atef Beshay (@Nanyatef) wrote comparing the two events [ar]:
Pope Shenouda III, Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of Saint Mark Episcopate. Image by Mahmoud Khaled, copyright Demotix (14/09/11).
استشهد قبل حوالي 40 يوما 27 شهيدا في يوم دامي مورست فيه ابشع انواع العنف ضد متظاهرين سلميين خرجو تنديدا بحرق كنيسة.
في الوقت الذي ثار الثوار احتجاجا علي مذبحة ماسبيرو و ادانوا المجلس العسكري بشكل واضح و صريح، استقبل البابا شنودة و المجلس المقدس المدبر و القاتل و المحرض بالابتسامات و الترحيب في صفقة اعتادنا عليها بين السلطة و السلطة، السياسية و الدينية.
About 40 days ago, 27 martyrs died in a bloody day when one of the most brutal acts was committed on peaceful demonstrators, who went out to condemn the burning of a church, which happened earlier.
At the same time the revolutionaries demonstrated to clearly and directly condemn the Maspero massacre and SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces), Pope Shenouda and the Holy Synod met with those who planned, instigated and committed the massacre with a welcoming smile, in a deal we are used to see between the two authorities –  the political and the religious authorities.
She then compared the stance of Alaa Abdel-Fattah – an activist who is currently detained [ar] – to that of the Church:
Seeing this Diana and Mina Zekri decided to create a new hashtag on Twitter to celebrate the Pope's 40th ordination  anniversary in their own way:
@minazekri: @_TaMaTeM_ or #40fuckinyears
Diana started by criticizing how religious figures in Egypt want people to follow them blindly.
The Egyptian law makes it harder for Christians to build new churches, and that's why some people called for a unified law for building places of worship for all religions. But according to RunGeo, Pope Shenouda had a different opinion.
Mina Zekri added that sectarianism and hatred for other religions and sects in Pope Shenouda's era reached an unprecedented level. He then continued to explain to Rehab Bassam (@hadouta) what he means.
Nany Atef shared the same opinion with Mina about Sunday Schools [ar].
When it comes to the Pope's political role and relation with the regime, Hany George wrote that the Pope was against the Maspero protest. Wael El-Moghany described Pope Shenoda's era as 40 years of deals with the regime and Mina Samir criticized the Pope's preference for the Copts to be protected by the regime's politics and police instead of them being protected by the love of the people around them.
And Mina Zekri reminds us:
Michael Makary added:
@iMakary: #40FuckinYears of not perusing prosecuting anyone who killed Christians in cold blood. #fact
Zekri then noticed that almost all those who are participating in the hashtag are Christians, so he called on Muslims to participate too [Ar]. So Mahmoud Kassem compared the Coptic Church's ideology to that of the Salafists.
Mohamed Fouda added his two cents to the hashtag:
@mohamedfouda: We should learn that no man is above criticism even those who call themselves clergy men, as no man is divine #40FuckinYears #Salafis
Finally, Dalia Ezzat called it “an amazing courage by some Egyptian Copts criticizing their religious leadership”, while Sotsoy – like many other users – found it “distasteful”. Peter Gamil said he is against ordination celebrations now, but he is also against the way people criticized the Pope in the hashtag. He also added that they Pope did not forget the Martyrs of Maspero, however in the Christian traditions they should be happy for the martyrs and celebrate their martyrdom instead of mourning it. Beshoy Naeem called it “social hypocrisy” and Fadi Mckean sees it as a way for some Christians to prove how secular they are.
And Heba Khafagy added:
@HebaKhafagy79: #40FuckinYears I really feel that this hashtag is uncalled for..plz u guyz show some respect..criticize but i must draw a line for cursing
This post is part of our special coverage Egypt Revolution 2011.

author: Tarek Amr


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El Salvador: A Sustainable Alternative to GMO Crops · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Colleen O'Brien in Locavore del Mundo reports “the Salvadoran government is considering trials of genetically modified crops.” However, she argues “a more sustainable solution would be to implement other types of  technology – such as micro-hydro irrigation projects that could extend  the growing season and give the farmers more stability for years and  years to come.”


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Georgia: Voting in absentia · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Tamada Tales comments on a video posted on an online site of parliamentarians voting for absentee colleagues. The blog notes that while the practice is common elsewhere, it is taken to new levels in Georgia with one parliamentary faction leader even having his vote made by an underling sitting next to him.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Greece: Giving Aid to Inmates of Elaionas Women’s Prison · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

A team of bloggers [el] is cooperating with social workers at the Elaionas women's prison in Thebes, Greece, in order to give aid to imprisoned mothers and their children. The blog lists the team's actions, as well as inmates’ current needs, for anyone wishing to volunteer material aid.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Greece: Send Your Tale of the Financial Crisis · Global Voices
Asteris Masouras

Sendyourtale is a Greek blog that invites readers, in the manner of the PostSecret project, to send in their personal tales of the financial crisis, to be published anonymously in Greek and English.

author: Asteris Masouras


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Guinea: A Guide to Flirting in Conakry · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Alimou Sow lists 10 rules [fr] for flirting in Conakry in his blog entitled ‘Ma Guinée Plurielle': “Like everywhere else, flirting in Conakry follows rules which evolve over time. Here are 10 of them, drawn from a small sample survey and expanded upon through my own personal experience.  Guys: get ready, get set and get flirting!”


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Haiti: Cholera Compensation or Opportunism?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Stanley Lucas has a few questions about a court case that is seeking to compensate Haitian cholera victims, saying: “At worst, it seems an opportunistic attempt to capitalize on a tragic situation for fund raising purposes. What is equally concerning is [the] approach to this challenge.  Rather than offer the Haitian Government the technical and legal support to file and organize this case, [they] circumvented the government and pursued this project on [their] own.  This has been exactly the approach that has resulted in the failure of foreign aid in Haiti.”


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Honduras: National Popular Resistance Front Forms New Political Party · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

The National Popular Resistance Front (FNRP for its initials in Spanish) has formed a new political party called Libre (short for Libertad y Refundación, “Freedom and Refoundation”). The blog Honduras Culture and Politics explains how the party was founded and provides an English translation of its declaration of principles.


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Kuwait: Video Campaign to Teach Citizens about the Constitution · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

Logo of "Sout Al-Kuwait" group
To mark the 49th anniversary of the Kuwaiti constitution, a group of activists decided to remind citizens of the different clauses of the constitution. Under the theme of Tadry [ar] (Did you know?), Sout Al-Kuwait (Voice of Kuwait) produced six videos, each spanning a few seconds, explaining to citizens six select articles from the constitution.
Formed a few years ago by a group of activists and young liberals, Sout Al-Kuwait aims at promoting awareness regarding democracy and civil rights. The group meets regularly and communicates through social media to organize different events geared at targeting a wider audience and educating them about democracy, the constitution and civil rights. Their work comes at an important time as the Kuwaiti political sphere gets more and more tense as the parliament continues to clash with the prime minister.
On the 11/11/2011, Kuwait celebrated the 49th anniversary of its constitution which was the first constitution in the Gulf region, alongside its parliament that came to life as the first parliament in the GCC back in 1963.
Sout Al-Kuwait's team independently worked on producing the following videos, which have all been uploaded to YouTube, to commemorate the occasion.
The first video explains Article 29, which states: “All people are equal in human dignity and in public rights and duties before the law, without distinction to race, origin, language, or religion.”
The second video focuses on Article 17, which stipulates: “Public property is inviolable and its protection is the duty of every citizen.”
The third tackles Article 33, which states that: “Punishment is personal.” It explains: “Did you know that if your neighbour is a thief, his son should not be punished for his crime.”
Article 35 is the focus of the fourth video. It says: “Freedom of belief is absolute. The State protects the freedom of practicing religion in accordance with established customs, provided that it does not conflict with public policy or morals.”
The fifth video focuses on Article 44, which says: “Individuals have the right of private assembly without permission or prior notification, and the police may not attend such private meetings. Public meetings, demonstrations, and gatherings are permitted in accordance with the conditions and manner specified by law.”
And the last video pays attention to Article 48, which reads: “Payment of taxes and public fees is a duty in accordance with the law which regulates exemption of small incomes from taxes in such a way as to maintain the minimum standard of living.”


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Peru: Reflecting on Anti-Mining Protests · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

Last week was rather complicated for Peru's government. No sooner had Ollanta Humala's government marked 100 days in power, three social conflicts related to problems with mining activity were exacerbated: a farmers’ strike in Andahuaylas demanding the withdrawal of two copper processing plants and the suspension of mining concessions and activities in the area; protests in Cajamarca against the Conga mining project because twenty lakes could disappear [es] due of this project; and road blocks [es] in Huari and Cátac, in the northern Ancash region, to demand the compliance of environmental commitments by the Antamina and Huallanca mining companies.
Out of all these conflicts, the conflict in Andahuaylas escalated the most; after failing to reach an agreement with the high level commission, the protests left fires in several businesses and around 38 protestors and policemen injured. All this occurred while the media was paying attention to a case of alleged peddling by vice president Omar Chehade [es], and with President Humala outside of the country
Media editorials and opinion columns were quick to mention that the honeymoon between the people and the new government had ended, and that all this was part of a new anti-mining conspiracy.
But in the blogosphere opinions and views are somewhat different. For example, in the blog Consulta Previa (Prior Consultation), after analyzing [es] the protests based on the election promises of Ollanta Humala, they delve into the heart of the matter:
El tema de fondo es si la minería puede desarrollarse en el acuífero. Nuestra respuesta es NO. Una vez que eso esté claro, recién se podrá hablar de un diálogo justo. Que ese punto de partida va a traer mayores costos a los inversionistas, sin duda. Pero no se trata de desecar lagunas y humedales o de contaminar cabeceras de cuenca y aguas subterráneas, como condición para el desarrollo. El mundo ya lo tiene sumamente claro. ¿Por qué el Perú no debería tener derecho a reclamar modernidad a este respecto?
In the blog ¿Estamos jodidos? (Are we screwed?) they raise [es] concerns about mining in itself, but for reasons related to the truthfulness of the reported production:
Hemos insistido montones de veces que en los proyectos mineros debe de estar el Estado participando de las extracciones por dos razones:  primero el control de lo extraído y en segundo lugar por el medioambiente en toda su afectación, por cuyo motivo sean o no impresionantes las inversiones deben estar hechas al 50 ó 51% representado en el consejo de administración por parte del gobierno, y si tan rentable es, con mas razón la participación queda controlada por el Estado.
Yanacocha Mine, Cajamarca, Perú. Image by Flickr user FeFe (CC BY 2.0).
But this distrust is not going in one direction, there is also suspicion against the government [es]:
Humala no es tonto. El se da cuenta perfectamente del daño que hace al país todos estos desmanes sociales y que se necesita su presencia al interior y no en el exterior […] ¿Entonces que está tramando?…. No será que se llegué a una situación de desgobierno y que salga luego a decir que estando así la situación y para bien el país se determina la expropiación de las principales minas y bancos del país. Ojo, ojito ….el militar-presidente no es nada tonto
In the same vain, in the blog Políticamente Incorrecto (Politically Incorrect), Víctor Roble criticizes [es] the actions of Prime Minister Salomón Lerner:
El mensaje que ha dado es el mismo que dieron Simon y Del Castillo: “Si quieres que te escuchemos y atendamos tus reclamos, solo tienes que sitiar ciudades, bloquear carreteras, saquear mercados y apedrear autobuses”. ¿Esta es la Gran Transformación que nos ofreció Ollanta Humala candidato? […] Con justa razón, muchos nos preguntamos si acaso este clima violento contrario a la inversión privada no está siendo alentado soterradamente desde el propio gobierno.
In the blog Gran Combo Club, Silvio Rendón also criticizes [es] President Ollanta Humala, but from another perspective:
Vamos camino a una dictadura perfecta, o una nueva “superconvivencia”. Ollanta Humala no va a honrar sus promesas de hacerle el pare a las mineras, ni va a hacer nada sobre los abusos contra los trabajadores. Humala hoy es el mismo perro (o gato) del hortelano de antes. Ha dado un golpe blando, un “golpe de timón”. […]  Claro, Humala se saldrá con la suya, si la gente le deja. […]  Pero si la gente reacciona rápido, y entiende que Humala YA deshonró sus promesas y le saca tarjeta roja rapidito nomás, se podría evitar el hecho consumado. Toledo tuvo que retroceder, García tuvo que retroceder. A Humala no le quedaría otra que retroceder.
Linking the votes from the last elections with the current protests, Rendón adds:
La gente está harta de que la engañen. […] No importa que algunos, principalmente en Lima, justifiquen y disfracen el desacato del voto popular de “madurez politica” o “aprendizaje democrático”. Se necesita un gobierno que cumpla lo que promete. Los grandes empresarios tendrán que renunciar a algunas explotaciones mineras, como tuvieron que renunciar a privatizar la electricidad de Arequipa. […] Si Humala hace lo mismo que hicieron los gobiernos anteriores, tendrá los mismos resultados que éstos: una sublevación de la ciudadanía. No le aceptarán el desacato al voto ciudadano.
Analyzing the case of the Yanacocha mining company, owner of the Conga mining project in Cajamarca, Jacqueline Fowks of Notas desde Lenovo summarizes [es] the company's at times arrogant and proud position:
la historia reciente de Yanacocha-Newmont acerca de su relación con las comunidades, en cuando a seguridad y medio ambiente los coloca en la situación que enfrentan hoy: es decir, sus opositores tienen argumentos. Vale recordar que la empresa no reconoce totalmente su responsabilidad por las secuelas del derrame de mercurio en Choropampa o logró arreglos extrajudiciales no proporcionales a la dimensión de la afectación. En cuando a seguridad, un informe del año 2009 evidenció las prácticas ilegales e irregulares de personal de Forza y también de policías remunerados por la empresa, especialmente por lo ocurrido en Combayo. Cuando en 2010 solicité una entrevista para indagar qué prácticas de seguridad habían cambiado a raíz de esa evaluación y las recomendaciones, la empresa se negó a responder sobre el tema.
In the mean time conflicts are far from over. In Andahuaylas the protest [es] continues [es] despite the farmers’ truce, as a faction continues their striggle, while different sources mention the probable manipulation [es] by infiltrated groups [es]. Citizens of Cajamarca are denuncing [es] the Regional President for calling the strike, while the Yanacocha mining company continues to receive criticism [es] related to the environment [es]. Clearly, these are not easy matters, as illustrated in this video interview [es] where Congressman Javier Diez exposes several issues related to problems with mining.

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: FC Anzhi Makhachkala and the Yeltsin Era Money · Global Voices
Donna Welles

Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union 20 years ago, the world has watched Russia's transition into capitalism with great interest. The Yeltsin era of the 1990s was characterized by a struggle over who would emerge from the transition with holdings of Russia's major sources of wealth, such as its natural resources. The victors in that struggle are known as the ‘oligarchs’ because they possess a degree of wealth that surpasses most people's ability to conceptualize.
The January 2011 acquisition of a Russian Premier League soccer team FC Anzhi Makhachkala, in the most volatile region of Russia – Dagestan – by Suleyman Kerimov, a billionaire politician native to the region, is the most recent display of how that wealth is being used.
Vladimir Putin‘s rise has had unexpected effects on the power of the oligarchs in that he has been able to enforce limitations on them and to direct their activities. In August 2011, Jonathan Wilson wrote in a sports blog associated with The Guardian about Putin's influence:
[…] It's a fairly open secret that oligarchs are encouraged by Vladimir Putin to invest in sporting ventures. Kerimov may be a diehard Anzhi fan, but it seems just as likely that he was advised to invest. After all, if Anzhi do well, it ‘normalises’ the situation in Dagestan, just as Terek Grozny's ongoing presence in the top flight supposedly makes Chechnya a more palatable place. Decentralisation, reaching out to the regions, has been a cornerstone of Putin's policy in all spheres (its success in football is seen in the fact that none of the last four champions have been from Moscow).
The issue of funding is a tricky one. Moscow pumps millions of pounds each year into developing the Caucasian region. If some of that money ends up being used to fund football clubs, it's little wonder that fans from Moscow feel aggrieved: why should their taxes indirectly subsidise Eto'o's wages? Kerimov, after all, didn't buy Anzhi; rather he was given it by the president of Dagestan, Magomedsalam Magomedov, in exchange for a promise of £120m of investment in infrastructure, including a new 40,000-capacity stadium. […]
This is not the first time, however, the oligarchs have delved into the sports world. Mr. Wilson reminded readers that in 1999, Mr. Kerimov entered into a business arrangement with fellow oligarchs Roman Abramovich and Oleg Deripaska:
[…] The three became notorious for their aggressive takeovers. Abramovich, of course, as well as buying Chelsea, funds the Russian state youth academy at Togliatti, as well as contributing to funds to pay for the 2014 Winter Olympics and the 2018 World Cup. Deripaska, who has been linked with takeovers of Arsenal and West Bromwich although his representatives have always denied any links with any UK football clubs, was a part-owner of Kuban Krasnodar until 2008. […]
The FC Anzhi venture is unique, however, in that the region is simply so volatile. Writing for a blog associated with Time Magazine in September 2011, Ishaan Tharoor quoted a Washington Post article to describe this volatility:
[…] Police have killed 100 people they identified as rebels since the beginning of the year, Interior Ministry officials said in June, and human rights activists accuse police of killing first and then finding a crime to assign to the body.
Local journalists estimate that 1,000 to 1,500 armed men are in the forest at any one time, with perhaps 5,000 others prepared to join them. The forest shelters organized terrorism as well — the U.S. government has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Doku Umarov, a Chechen terrorist with al-Qaeda connections suspected of hiding in Dagestan who has been accused of terrorist attacks on Moscow. […]
It has not yet been two decades since the brutal Chechen Wars of the 1990s. Mr. Tharoor later described an incident where a Russian FC Anzhi player was heckled when he stepped out to play for the Russian national team, due to his affiliation with FC Anzhi:
[…] Nor is the rest of Russia all that pleased with Anzhi's emergence. When recent Anzhi arrival Yuri Zhirkov, formerly of London's Chelsea, turned out for the Russian national team, he was booed savagely by his own country's fans. They were angry about the perceived political leg-up afforded to a number of North Caucasus sides — a sentiment likely tinged with longstanding prejudices against those from the Caucasus. […]
Tatyana Bokova-Foley wrote on Russia! blog about the Suleiman Kerimov Foundation, which was established in 2010 and has since donated about $60 million to charitable causes. She explained that the Foundation does a variety of good works in Dagestan, many of which are not intended to earn a profit:
[…] The Kerimov Foundation continues to work in the [Dagestan] region. At a meeting about Dagestan, Medvedev praised the installation of computers in all the region’s general education schools. At some schools this was financed by the foundation, which spent around $1 million on modern computers and the total reconstruction of three general education schools in Derbent. […]
Kerimov is directly involved in the foundation’s operations, and uses his business skills to ensure it meets its goals, even if those goals are not to make money but to help people. Experts say that it is a model for the most effective nonprofits in Russia and the world.
In February 2011, FC Anzhi acquired the Brazilian World Cup champion Roberto Carlos as well as Jucilei da Silva. Moroccan Mbark Boussoufa was then signed in March. This summer, however, marked a truly defining moment for FC Anzhi when it signed Cameroonian phenomenon, Samuel Eto'o, who is considered to be one of the very best strikers in the world – as well as the highest paid.
Roberto Carlos of Anzhi (R) vies for the ball with Roman Shirokov of Zenit (L) during Russian Premier League match between FC Zenit St. Petersburg and FC Anzhi Makhachkala. Photo by Mike Kireev, copyright © Demotix (21/03/2011).
Soccer Village Blog described Mr. Kerimov's commitment to recruit world class talent in an October 2011 post:
[…] Roberto Carlos himself was in fact the club's first high profile signing when he joined back in February as a player.  Following the sacking of their coach, Gadzhi Gadzhiyev, in September Carlos was installed as joint caretaker manager.  The 2002 World Cup winner spoke further about Kerimov and stated quite matter of factly that the billionaire owner will continue to aggressively pursue more top international players.  He said: If Real, Barcelona or Manchester United cannot pay the transfer fee, we will pay it. Suleyman Kerimov can offer what he wants.’ […]
The post also mentioned that none of the FC Anzhi players live in the region. Instead they live over 1,000 miles away near Moscow and must commute at least 15 times per year in order to play their home games.
The official FC Anzhi Facebook page, which now has over 10,000 followers, posted a link to a Russian language article, which described the plane they use to travel. The article mentioned that former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov was once a patron of that same plane. Two comments just below this article express contrasting views of Mr. Eto'o's decision to move to Russia:
Ewodo Dominic:
samuel eto'o always makes the difference everywhere he goes. He is the best footballer the world!
Ian Mellor:
what an idiot to go to Russia to waste his talent

author: Donna Welles


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Russia: Official List of Extremist (Forbidden) Materials Grows Over 1000 Items · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Sova center publishes [ru] another update of the list [ru] of extremist materials (run by the Ministry of Justice). After the update, which includes 1 YouTube video, kavkazcenter.com (radical separatist website), 2 videos dedicated to Tatar nationalism at tawba.info, and radical leftist limonka.nbp-info.ru, the list consists of more than 1,000 items (articles, videos, newspapers, files, and whole websites).

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Hidden Camera Reveals Illegal Electioneering in School · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.
A scandal caused by a hidden camera recording at a school in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia has highlighted a serious problem in Russian schools: teachers campaigning for the ruling party, United Russia.
Underpaid and dependent on government funding, teachers are one of the pillars of the current political system. Local and regional elections often take place in school buildings, and the electoral committees in Russia often consist mainly of teachers. Whether it's from fear of losing funding, or belief in United Russia's promises, this often leads to illegal electioneering in schools.
One brave student takes on the authorities
On 15 November, 2011, 15-year-old Matvey Tsivinyuk, uploaded a video of himself being scolded by his school principal, Alexandra Pronina, at Krasnoyarsk Gymnazium number 3 (the website went offline after massive interest from bloggers).
United Russia posters in Krasnoyarsk school. Photo by Matvey Tsivinyuk
Tsivinyuk had been caught defacing political posters that were hanging in the school hallways. The posters with a Russian tricolor flag in the background bore portraits of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, President Dmitry Medvedev and two local politicians (see photo right).
Before meeting the principal, Tsivinyuk turned on the video recorder in his smartphone. The dialogue captured by the device has been widely cited as evidence of unlawful actions from school authorities, and also lends a narrative to explain the support for the current political regime.
Later that day, Tsivinyuk removed the video from his own profile but bloggers have not let the video disappear:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9mqnH3JTzo
Here is a translation of what is said:
Principal: Do you know what this means for you?
Tsivinyuk: It means nothing to me because, according to the point 5 of the article 9 of the Law on Political parties… [Matvey correctly cites the law that forbids interference of the political process in education]
Principal: Enough, enough, Matvey. There's no article number 9, number 10, they [the police] will write that you damaged the poster. […] Does your family have lots of money to pay for the fine for the damage?
Tsivinyuk: A fine for the piece of paper?
Principal [screaming]: For the hooliganism! You understand it's not just a paper, it's a political poster!
Tsivinyuk: It can't be in school. Because the activity of political parties on the territory of schools is forbidden.
Principal: You understand, it's not campaigning.
Tsivinyuk: So what is it then?
Principal: It is not campaigning. People put it there so that everyone could read the biographies [of Medvedev, Putin, and local politicians]. From now on I forbid you to do anything to these posters. You've spoiled several posters. If you will spoil more, I will call the police.
Tsivinyuk: And what will they do to me?
Principal: I don't know. […] But I have warned you. […]
Then the principal compared Tsivinyuk to Lenin, and reminded him of Lenin's expulsion from his school and the university. After a digression about Tsivinyuk's religious beliefs (he's an Orthodox Christian) the Principal exclaimed:
Principal: How can a Christian person perform such non-Christian actions? [speaking of defacing a political poster]
Tsivinyuk: Political views and religious views are different spheres of life.
Principal [screaming]: If you don't understand this, let's meet with your leader [of the Orthodox Christian group Tsivinyuk belongs to]
Tsivinuyk: He has nothing to do with this.
Principal [screaming]: How is that? For example, I think that no one is teaching you this in school. No one teaches you in school how to do such nasty things, to write bad things on posters. Where and who teaches you then? Where did you get this into your head? We should find the place where you were taught this. […] Once again, the minimum is a fine.
Tsivinyuk: For what?
Principal: You still don't understand?
Tsivinyuk: Well, tell me the article number of the administrative code I have violated.
The principal did not explain to Tsivinyuk why the defacement of illegally hung political posters would be cause for administrative or police charges.
The case may have never reached the public had it not been for Moscow blogger and journalist Vladimir Varfolomeev who published [ru] the story in his blog (the post attracted more than 2,000 comments). Siberian and federal websites quickly re-published the story.
Vice-Governor of Krasnoyarsk, Sergey Ponomarenko, said [ru] that Tsivinyuk's actions were “mean” and this attracted critical comments from bloggers who said United Russia and Ponomarenko himself were the “mean” ones.
By the end of the day, Tsivinyuk removed his video (there is no information regarding what pressure was put on him). On his Vkontakte page (Russian equivalent to Facebook) he wrote [ru]:
Я не сдался, но я больше не занимаюсь политикой. Надеюсь, вы меня правильно поймёте, не лезьте в дерьмо, думайте о будущем, берегите друзей.
There have been many incidents of this nature leading up to the Russian election in March 2012. Kartanarusheniy.ru [ru], a website that crowd-sources reports of electoral fraud, currently lists 737 cases of “Authorities creating preferential conditions [for candidates]”. And last year, a video [ru] on YouTube showed teachers in one school giving first-graders gifts while talking about how great United Russia is.
The dialogue between the hysterical principal versus the calm, tech-savvy Tsivinyuk who knows the law, represents a huge generational gap, and a hope that the obscurity and ignorance (for instance assuming that all knowledge comes from school) can be exposed and defeated.
This post is part of our special coverage Russia Elections 2011.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Bull S**t Artists  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Plain Talk explains why he thinks that Trinidad and Tobago needs a National Bullshit Council.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Fight at Project Launch  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

B.C. Pires comments on a fracas that broke out, allegedly among rival gang members, at the launch of a government project: “It would be shocking if it wasn’t par for the course. The shameless use of the UNC-yellow-like orange in the attempt to, um, curry the favour of the semi-literate/fully violent.”


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United States: What Your Kids Talk About on Facebook · Global Voices
Solana Larsen

For the online exhibition “Voices of Motherhood” by the International Museum of Women, Kathy Halper in the U.S. was inspired by the experience of “friending” her own daughter on Facebook to embroider copies of photos posted by teenagers on the social network. The embroideries show drunken parties, sexual innuendo, and raunchy humor.

author: Solana Larsen


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Zambia: Porn Video Sparks Debate on Gender, Culture and Morality · Global Voices
Gershom Ndhlovu

Recently a video clip of a young female student at one of Zambia’s expensive colleges, the Zambia Centre for Accountancy College (ZCAS), having sex with her boyfriend surfaced on a hardcore pornography website (link and site name withheld) and went viral among Zambian netizens who liberally shared the link.
Zambia is a culturally conservative and Christian nation in which such a video clip is considered immoral and also illegal under the Penal Code Act Chapter 87 of the Laws of Zambia, which makes it an offense to make and distribute obscene materials. Offenders face a five year jail sentence upon conviction.
The case has generated a lot of debate on blogs, Facebook and Twitter. Zambian blogger Lwanga Mwilu brought out the gender dimension to the debate. The female subject in the video, who is apparently related to a top Zambian politician, has been the one who has received the most condemnation.
Zambia Centre for Accountancy College in Lusaka. Photo source: Nahum Pembu Muwowo Facebook page.
Lwanga Mwilu wrote:
When it comes to issues of “morality”, there is quite something to be said about male immunity against being tried and condemned in the courts of public opinion…and women’s lack of such immunity. And so when consensual sex finds itself being categorised as a scandal, you can be sure you will hear the woman’s name much longer after her partner has even forgotten he was ever part of the case.
I suppose some context is in order here. For several days now, Zambian cyberspace has been abuzz with reactions to a “sex tape”, featuring a college couple from the Zambia Centre for Accountancy Studies (ZCAS) that has been leaked and circulated online. The comments, which are well in their hundreds or even thousands if you count across different online platforms, are varied yet their recurrent theme is the censuring of the young woman. She has been called lots of names, some of which even professional hookers would take offence at. I went through some readers’ comments on a few sites and I was so struck by the inequality in apportioning blame; the woman was taking all the flak, lots of it, while there was heavy silence about her partner. It was as though she was all alone in the video.
Mwilu also took a swipe at the intolerance of the women against their fellow women caught up in adultery-related issues:
Sometimes women seem to be the most intolerant of fellow women’s supposed failings. Consider concurrent sexual partnerships and what happens when some married men are discovered by their wives. A married man is discovered to be cheating by the wife, she goes after the woman he is cheating with, roughs her up, calls her all those colourful names and leaves her with a stern warning of what she will do to her if she dares go near her husband again. Then she goes back home, cooks for her husband, cleans up after him, laughs at his dry jokes and just pretty much preoccupies herself indulging her amnesia.
On Twitter, one tweep, @tatendaprobert, wonders where the women’s groups are as the girl continues being attacked for her role in the video:
@lwangamwilu I surely think it is unfair for society to treat her like that where are women groups: WfC(Women for Change, an outspoken gender advocate NGO)?
Another tweep, @missbwalya, denounced the hypocrisy of women who berate a man’s girlfriend when he is caught cheating:
@lwangamwilu ZCAS story has made it all the way out here too & the response is the same – Woman affixed w/ a scarlet letter.
@lwangamwilu wrote:
The 1% where the guy is mentioned is largely about how good he was in the video. Says much about much. #ZCAS sex tape
On Facebook, Richard Banda Lcgi Meiz started a campaign which he hoped would result in a petition that would be presented to the authorities to save her, ostensibly from prosecution:
”SAVE THE ZCAS LADY CAMPAIGN” – Let's sign a pettition and see how many love justice for the poor lady. If you say “YES” comment on this thread by just one word “YES” and post. Lets save the lady and we will petition the authorities to save the lady.
On Tumfweko, an online news site, which reported the story, a response to the story by someone calling himself Zambia read:
Ba zedi, ubu fontini mwa chilamo [Zambians you are too sleepy]. If youve never filmed yourself with your girlfriend, i guess ure still living in the 20s when a camera was hard to find. That video was not meant to become public, as you can clearly see, it was filmed from a webcam, if you know what that is. Which children are those? I doubt that there are any 7 year olds at ZCAS. Society has always had it bad and good sides, nothing is new. If our parents dint have sex, we wouldnt be here. Infact, back in the days when there was no AIDS, people were much more naughty. Dont make this seem like such a big thing. Dnt blow this out of proportion. They are not “actors” and no money changed hands. The only person who could have made a b(u)ck from that is the guy who stole the video and uploaded it onto the net, which i also highly doubt. Wake up!! …

author: Gershom Ndhlovu