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Saint Lucia: Jounen Kwéyòl Festivities (Creole Day) · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

On Sunday, Saint Lucia celebrated its annual Jounen Kwéyòl (Creole Day). The day of activities were the culmination of Creole Heritage Month. Other activities during this month included the Lawenn Kwéyòl Pageant (Creole Queen Pageant), Woulé Laba (underarm cricket) competition and the launch of the Harold Simmons Folk Academy. On Jounen Kwéyòl, selected communities host a fair where the Creole culture is celebrated through dress, music and most of all, food. The communities which hosted officially sanctioned events this year were Marigot, Patience (Mon Repos) and Vieux Fort.
Crowd gathering at the Marigot Playing Field to enjoy the festivities.
In the online group Saint Lucians Aiming for Progress (S.L.A.P) there were various comments about the continued significance of the Creole heritage and the way to develop the Jounen Kwéyòl celebration.
Felicia Browne called on Saint Lucians to embrace the language and the culture:
Embrace our mother language. It is a language in which our social and political culture have continued to shape our heritage and destiny. It is a language that our fore parents left behind to remind us that we must persevere against all odds. Kweyol is not ‘broken french’ but our very own African ancestral spirit which has continued to survive generation after generation. It is our way to connect and embrace each other.
lè ou di “bon maten ‘yon moun-li se yon fason ou nan di,’ mwen kontan ou se vivan. ‘Fè yon bon kweyòl jou.
(when you tell someone – ‘good morning’- it is your way of saying – ‘I am happy you are alive.’ Have a good Kweyol day :)
Brenda Paul-Jules felt that Jounen Kwéyòl gets more attention from the public than even Independence:
Imagine the hype over jounen kweyol and independence goes almost unnoticed. Is it because we simply don't identify with the concept and values of Independence? I've heard many stories of long ago. Jokes that make my belly hurt from laughter the story of Independence? I dont know! Doesn't it show that our heritage means more than our political achievements?
Megan Scapin, a student-teacher based in Saint Lucia wrote about her Jounen Kwéyòl experience at the Monchy Primary School:
Monchy Primary celebrates by allowing students to dress in their Kweyol fabric, which is basically different kinds of colorful plaid, instead of their uniforms. There [were] no classes on Friday, instead the day was spent playing, dancing, telling stories, and eating!
Tambou and bamboo
Men operating Cane Juice extractor
Frank Charles felt that the annual Jounen Kwéyòl celebration was so firmly entrenched that it no longer needed to be funded by the Government:
Observation: As I move around yesterday I notice lots of persons out there doing their own thing when it come to jounen kweyol. I believe the St. Lucian people [have] taken ownership of this celebration and it's time that the GOVERNMENT SHOULD GET OUT OF IT. In this…economy, since jounen kweyol is walking its own path, I strongly believe the government can use the money some[where] else.
Boy pushing a kabowé (toy car)
Jerry George posted photos and this video of a musical performance on his Facebook page.
Men tuning their banjo and violin
Man in the Castries Market making “lanmant” (mint) candy, known colloquially as “bull” and “comfort”
Breadfruit, green figs, plantain, cucumber and saltfish

author: Matthew Hunte


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Spain: Journalists Fined After Revealing Corruption in Catalonia · Global Voices
Violeta Camarasa

This article is a follow-up to ‘Spain: Two Journalists on Trial for Revealing Corruption in Catalonia‘.
Marta Sibina and Albano Dante, editors of the Girona magazine Cafè amb Llet were fined 10,000 euro on Tuesday October 23, 2012, as compensation to Josep Maria Via, president of Barcelona MAR Health Park Consortium and healthcare advisor to Catalan President Artur Mas.
The presiding judge, Maria Millán Gisbert, decided that the video the two journalists had uploaded to YouTube last February, ‘El major robatori de la història de Catalunya‘ (Greatest theft in the history of Catalonia) [ca], which strongly criticized the lack of transparency in public healthcare financing, was an act of libel against Mr. Via.
Poster from before the sentence, supporting the two journalists, editors of the magazine “Cafè amb Llet”.
Since February, when Sibina and Dante published the video, several high-profile figures who were referenced – like Ramon Bagó [es], Carles Manté [es] or Josep Prats [es] – have been implicated in alleged cases of corruption in the public healthcare system. Some of the more grievous accusations expressed in the Cafè amb Llet video have already been independently investigated and confirmed, but none of the men have been brought to trial yet.
Even though the video didn't levy any concrete accusations against Mr. Via, Sibina and Dante did reference an article [es] Via had published in El País, in which he argued that regulations on the distribution of public money complicates management of the healthcare system – an article they described as “shameful”.
In the video, Ms. Sibina addressed Mr. Via directly: “Maybe it would be more comfortable for you to have tax dollars deposited right into a private back account in Liechenstein?”
She referenced, “people like you [Mr. Via], Bagó, Manté [both now implicated in corruption charges] and so many others who have gotten rich at the cost of tanking our healthcare system.”
According to the judge, this constituted a baseless accusation, and therefore libel, against Mr. Via.
The newspaper La Vanguardia [es] described the sentence [es] in the case:
La sentencia aclara que “esto ya no puede considerarse una opinión”, y, por tanto, quedar amparado por el derecho de la libertad de expresión, “sino que es más bien una atribución de hechos que no estaría amparada por la libertad de expresión, sino por el derecho a la información”. El auto judicial aclara que este derecho no se puede aplicar en este caso porque la revista cafeambllet no demuestra las acusaciones vertidas contra el alto cargo sanitario.
In reaction to the sentence, the Cafè amb Llet editors have uploaded a new video [ca] to YouTube, explaining their understanding of the situation. The 10,000 euro fine not only endangers the viability of their publication, but also their personal finances. Ms Sibina, a nurse, and Dante, who receives his salary from the magazine, are a couple and publish the magazine from their home [ca].
This may help explain the apparently “amateur” style of Dante's and Sibina's video, which resembles more closely “investigative citizen journalism” than the kind of content produced by mainstream media outlets. Sibina and Dante did not study journalism and did not had any previous professional experience as journalists before founding the magazine Cafè amb Llet. They cannot afford a legal advisor and did not take any precautions to avoid being accused of libel.
Asked whether they feel identified with the “citizen journalism” label, Dante reflects: “I don't know how to name what we have done […] I don't know if what we have done is journalism. I know it had to be done”.
The question, however, is not whether the Cafè amb Llet editors’ accusation against Mr. Via actually constitute a form of libel – that is up to the judges – but rather, if Via's lawsuit and the subsequent fine were meant to impede the diffusion of information and questions that are relevant to Catalan society, rather than protect Mr. Via's reputation.
In the wake of rising separatism, Catalonia's President, Artur Mas has called for early elections on November 25. He is campaigning on the notion [ca] that his political formation, CiU, needs an absolute majority to effectively fight for Catalan independence. CiU is Catalonia's largest party and closely tied to many of the high-profile figures implicated in these cases of corruption.
Sibina and Dante, who had previously highlighted [ca] perceived attempts to impede their investigative work, have argued that Mr. Via's ultimate goal was not to protect his honor:
Ens va sorprendre que fos ell qui posava la denúncia. […] No ens hagués estranyat tant una denúncia dels altres personatges que surten al vídeo, ja que el vídeo sí que posa en qüestió la seua actuació en el maneig dels diners públics.
Amb el pas del temps, però, hem entès per què tots els altres guardaven silenci: tots estaven implicats en casos fins i tot molt més grans del que nosaltres imaginàvem.
El senyor Josep Maria Via ha estat fins fa poques setmanes, company de Bagó al consell d'administració del Consorci Hospitalari de Catalunya, que és, justament, una institució implicada en que Bagó rebés contractes per valor de 12 milions d'euros de manera irregular.
El senyor Josep Maria Via ha estat soci en diverses empreses del senyor Josep Prat, el mateix que està actualment imputat per haver pagat, presumptament, els 700.000 euros a Carles Manté de manera irregular. Està defensant el seu honor el senyor Via o està defensant l'opacitat i els negocis poc transparents de la gent del seu entorn?
Mr. Josep Maria Via has been, up until a few weeks ago, a close colleague of Bagó at Barcelona MAR Health Park Consortium's administrative council, which is an implicated institution in Bagó's suspiciously received multimillion-euro contracts.
Mr. Via has been a partner in various companies with Josep Prat, the same man who has been implicated for curiously paying Carles Manté 700,000 euro. Is Via defending his honor or is he really working to conceal shadowy dealings of his colleagues?
On Twitter, the hashtag #MésCafèAmbLlet (#MoreCafèAmbLlet) has been used in defense of the editors, as well as a handful of others, including #volemlesdades (#WeWantTheData) or #BoomerangCafèAmbLlet:
@Nitsuga000: La censura es l'unica defensa dels culpables. Necessitem #mescaféambllet son tot un exemple de tenacitat i dignitat http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wNNawj7MMVo# …!
@a_llado: És massa greu per callar. Amb @_cafeambllet i @marta_sibina Escric alt i clar: ‘El que tenim és fàstic’ http://diarimaresme.com/2012/el-que-tenim-es-fastic/ … Tota la força!
@paullonch: Si fas factures falses i desvies caler públic, et posen a llistes d CiU. Si ho denuncies, et multen amb 10.000 euros @_cafeambllet #CiuFacts
@PeopleWitness: La condena de @_cafeambllet tiene un nombre: CENSURA. Difundamos el vídeo que CIU no quiere que veamos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VNLMY40MkU … #MesCafeAmbLlet
@Fisiofan: Volem #méscafeambllet! Volem transparència i premsa digna. Volem justicia social. Volem #absoluciócafeambllet!
@Laiaortiz Cal ajudar a “@_cafeambllet: VÍDEO: Ens han condemnat :-( http://youtu.be/wNNawj7MMVo” difusió i a sumar 10000€ entre tots i totes. Ánims!
@AdaColau: @_cafeambllet Us necessitem més que mai, digueu com podem ajudar. #Catalunya mai serà lliure amb una classe dirigent corrupta
@Sonia_Farre: #CorrupCiU Condemneu a @_cafeambllet i @marta_sibina i només aconseguireu que us torni! #BoomerangCafeambllet
Read a transcription of other parts of the video [ca] in reaction to the sentence here.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Violeta Camarasa


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Syria Destruction in Photos · Global Voices
Rami Alhames

This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.
Syrian photographers from around the country are revealing, sharing, and archiving Syria's uprising through photographs which showcase destruction. Despite the limited media sources, what comes out from Syria shows the horrific reality Syrians on the ground face as they see their country being literally torn apart. Although there is no liable resources to confirm the locations of the photographs nor the number of victims, the next few pictures are just a sample to consider of how Syria's infrastructure and residential areas have been affected.
Among hundreds of photographers, Yazan Homsy shares with us scenes from the destruction of Homs. He describes himself as:
يزن الحمصي – ابن حمص العدية – ناشط في الثورة السورية من حي الخالدية ثورة حتى النصر أو الشهادة …
@YazanHomsY: Yazan Homsy, son of the great Homs, activist in the Syrian revolution, from Khalidya neighborhood. Revolution until victory or martyrdom
He has posted his pictures on his Facebook, illustrating the destruction of buildings in Homs city. Here are two of his photographs, used with permission.
Homs: 139-days siege of 14 block in the city. Six months and Assad militia used all kinds of explosives and missiles to destroy the besieged neighborhoods of Homs. Source: Yazan Homsi Facebook page. Used with permission.
Old market in Homs after been bombed and burned. 06/13/2012. Source: Yazan Homsi Facebook page. Used with permission.
Syrian News Network S.N.N [ar] has also been active in updating its website and posting photographs recording the destruction in Syria´s three main cities – Aleppo, Homs, and Damascus – on a daily basis.
Here is a selection of pictures:
Syria – Homs – 10/21/2012 – Destruction as a result of the bombing of Al Assad forces- Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim – SHAAM NEWS NETWORK | SNN reporter (108). Used with Permission
Syria – Homs – 10/21/2012 – Destruction as a result of the bombing of Al Assad forces- Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim – SHAAM NEWS NETWORK | SNN reporter (102). Used with Permission
Syria – Homs – 10/19/2012 – Destruction as a result of the bombing of Al Assad forces- Photo by Mohammed Ibrahim – SHAAM NEWS NETWORK | SNN reporter (39). Used with Permission
Syria – Aleppo – the old city – 13/10/2012 – Destruction and fire as result to shelling on Umayyad Mosque (12). Photo source SHAAM NEWS NETWORK | SNN Used with Permission
Syria – Aleppo – 09/23/2012 – Destruction as a result of Jet Raid bombing and heavy shelling. Photo Source SHAAM NEWS NETWORK | SNN Used with Permission
Syria – Damascus – Tadamon – 07/09/2012 – Destruction in the neighborhood as a result of Assad forces bombing (6). Photo Source SHAAM NEWS NETWORK | SNN Used with Permission
Syria – Damascus – Erbeen – 29/10/2012 – Destroyed Building as a result of Assad forces bombing of civilians neighborhood. Source SHAAM NEWS NETWORK | SNN. Used with Permission.
This post is part of our special coverage Syria Protests 2011/12.

author: Rami Alhames


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Transcript of Catalan Journalists’ Video Against Their Libel Fine · Global Voices
Violeta Camarasa

This post accompanies ‘Spain: Journalists Fined After Revealing Corruption in Catalonia‘.
Please find below a transcript of some parts of the video that the editors of the Catalan magazine Cafè amb Llet uploaded to YouTube to comment on their libel sentence and fine [es].
They were fined 10,000 euro on Tuesday October 23, 2012, for libelling Josep Maria Via, president of Barcelona MAR Health Park Consortium and healthcare advisor to Catalan President Artur Mas.
The presiding judge, Maria Millán Gisbert, decided that the video the two journalists had uploaded to YouTube last February, ‘El major robatori de la història de Catalunya‘ (Greatest theft in the history of Catalonia) [ca], which strongly criticized the lack of transparency in public healthcare financing, was an act of libel against Mr. Via.
An image from the editors’ video commenting on their sentence.
(The links are ours).
Al vídeo denunciàvem diversos casos d'opacitat a la sanitat pública catalana que implicaven alts càrrecs de CiU i poderosos empresaris afins al partit. Al vídeo, denunciàvem que els hospitals de Blanes i Calella estan amagant, entre d'altres dades, el destí d'1,5 milions d'euros públics gastats en informes. Denunciàvem que Ramon Bagó havia rebut contractes milionaris per les seves empreses privades directament de l'ens públic que ell mateix dirigia. Denunciàvem que és impossible saber el destí de 424.000 euros en 5 anys de l'apartat “despeses de protocol i representació”.
Al cap de poques setmanes de penjar el vídeo, va arribar a casa nostra una carta del jutjat alertant que un dels assessors del President de Catalunya, el senyor Josep Maria Via, ens havia denunciat per haver danyat contra el seu honor. Segons aquest senyor, el vídeo atempta contra el seu honor perquè al títol apareix la paraula “robatori” i ell no ha comès cap robatori.
Ens va sorprendre que fos ell qui posava la denúncia. Qualsevol que miri el vídeo, veurà que al senyor Via no se l'acusa de cap tipus de delicte, sinó que se'l cita, simplement, com a autor d'un article [es] publicat al diari El País. No ens hagués estranyat tant una denúncia dels altres personatges que surten al vídeo, ja que el vídeo sí que posa en qüestió la seua actuació en el maneig dels diners públics.
Amb el pas del temps, però, hem entès per què tots els altres guardaven silenci: tots estaven implicats en casos fins i tot molt més grans del que nosaltres imaginàvem.
Al vídeo pel qual ens han condemnat, demanàvem pels contractes que els hospitals de Blanes havien adjudicat a Ramon Bagó. Encara avui no sabem la resposta, ja que tant la direcció com els alcaldes de la zona amaguen la informació. Però fa dues setmanes, una investigació [es] va confirmar que Ramon Bagó, ex-alt càrrec convergent i Creu Sant Jordi, va rebre 12 milions d'euros de la sanitat pública de manera totalment irregular. 12 milions d'euros que van arribar a les empreses de Bagó saltant-se diverses lleis.
Al vídeo pel qual ens han condemnat, parlàvem d'uns informes que han costat 1,5 milions d'euros als hospitals de Blanes i Calella, uns informes que no hi ha manera que apareguin. Doncs bé, la setmana passada, el que fins fa quatre mesos era president d'aquests hospitals, va ser imputat per haver cobrat 700.000 euros en informes a la ciutat de Reus, uns informes que mai ha vist ningú. Aquest senyor, de nom Carles Manté [es], era gerent de l'ICS. Quan va deixar aquesta feina a la sanitat pública, va muntar una empresa de consultoria sanitària. Al cap de 8 dies, començava a rebre aquests contractes, que en només 4 anys li van reportar 700.000 euros. Per aquest cas també està imputat Josep Prat [es], qui fa pocs dies va dimitir com a president de l'ICS per diversos escàndols descoberts i destapats per l'únic regidor que té la CUP a Reus, David Vidal.
Al vídeo pel qual ens han condemnat també demanàvem el sou de la gerent dels hospitals de Blanes i Calella, la senyora Núria Constans. Doncs bé, un mes després de publicar el nostre vídeo, vam poder saber que ella està implicada en les irregularitats que van causar pèrdues de 2,7 milions d'euros als hospitals de Blanes i Calella.
I no ho diguem nosaltres. Un informe de la Sindicatura de Comptes, va revisar els comptes d'aquests dos hospitals i va trobar un desgavell enorme. Un desgavell que té, entre d'altres protagonistes, el senyor Xavier Crespo, ex-alcalde de Lloret de Mar. Segons aquest informe, fet per auditors de la Generalitat, Xavier Crespo i la seva dona van rebre 209.000 euros en pagaments irregulars. A l'informe, per exemple, es pot veure com Xavier Crespo va pagar les seves quotes del Club d'Hoquei Patins Lloret amb els diners de la sanitat pública. Es pot veure com va comprar per 77.000 euros un consultori públic que als ciutadans ens havia costat 154.000 euros.
Tot això, però, no es va fer fins fa poc, ja que CiU i PSC van pactar perquè aquest informe mai veiés la llum. Quan la nostra revista va descobrir aquest informe, els possibles delictes que recollia ja havien prescrit. Ara CiU ha premiat el senyor Crespo amb el número 4 a les llistes per Girona. Així doncs, el tindrem una altra vegada de diputat.
Veient tot això, no estranya que ni Bagó, ni Manté, ni la gerent dels hospitals de Blanes i Calella posessin cap denúncia. I llavors apareix l'assessor de Mas, el senyor Via. El senyor Josep Maria Via ha estat fins fa poques setmanes, company de Bagó al consell d'administració del Consorci Hospitalari de Catalunya, que és, justament, una institució implicada en que Bagó rebés contractes per valor de 12 milions d'euros de manera irregular.
El senyor Josep Maria Via ha estat soci en diverses empreses del senyor Josep Prat, el mateix que està actualment imputat per haver pagat, presumptament, els 700.000 euros a Carles Manté de manera irregular. Està defensant el seu honor el senyor Via o està defensant l'opacitat i els negocis poc transparents de la gent del seu entorn?
Sigui com sigui, avui hem rebut una condemna a pagar de 10.000 euros. Per anar acabant, hi ha una cosa que ha de quedar totalment clara. Portem dos anys publicant informació [es] sobre l'opacitat i la manca de transparència a la nostra sanitat. Hem publicat vídeos, articles i fins i tot hem fet un còmic. Doncs bé, ningú, absolutament ningú, ha pogut demostrar cap mentida.
In the video for which we have been fined, we denounced a seemingly prevalent lack of transparency in Catalonia's public healthcare system that imputed CiU senior officials and important businessmen associated with the party. We denounced that the hospitals in Blanes and Calella are hiding, among other facts, the destination of 1.5 million euro worth of tax dollars that were spent. We denounced that Ramon Bagó had received multimillion euro contracts for his private businesses directly from the public funds he oversees. We denounced that it no one knows the destination of 424,000 euro over five years of so-called “protocol and representation expenses.”
A few short weeks after we uploaded the video [ca], we received a letter from the courts alerting us that one of the advisors to the President of Catalonia, Mr. Josep Maria Via, was suing us for libel. According to this man, the video constituted a defamation of character because the video's title included the word “theft” and he hadn't “stolen” anything.
It surprised us that Mr. Via himself brought the lawsuit. Anyone who watches the video [ca] will see that we never accused Mr. Via of anything – we simply criticized him for an article [es] he published in El País. It would not have been suspicious that such a case would have been raised by other high-profile figures in the video, since we had actually questioned their role in the movement of public funds.
As time has passed, however, we have come to understand why figures across the board have kept quiet: everyone has been imputed in cases more severe than we could have ever imagined.
In the video [ca] for which we have been fined, we asked that Ramon Bagó's contracts at the hospitals in Blanes be released. No one has answered that request and the private and public leadership in the region have concealed the information. However, two weeks ago, an independent investigation [es] confirmed that Mr. Bagó had suspiciously received twelve million euros directly from public healthcare funds, twelve million euros that funded – extralegally – Bagó's private businesses.
In the video [ca] for which we have been fined, we spoke about certain reports that costed 1.5 million euro according to the budget of the hospitals at Blanes and Calella. Last week, Carles Manté [es], the former president of these hospitals was imputed for receiving 700,000 in reports in the city of Reus. Mr. Manté was also the manager of the Catalan government's Institute for Public Health (ICS). When he left this position he founded a private healthcare consulting firm. After eight days, he began to receive contracts from these hospitals, reportedly worth 700,000 euro in only four years. Mr. Josep Prat [es], who a few days ago stepped down as ICS president because of various scandals, is also imputed in this case.
In the video [ca] for which we've been fined we also asked that the salaries of the hospitals’ current manager, Núria Constans [ca], be released. One month after uploading our video, we now know that she's also been implicated in the suspicious dealings [ca] that cost the Blanes and Calelles hospitals 2.7 million euro.
And that's not our accusation. An independent audit reviewed the finances of the hospitals and found enormous chaos – chaos that includes, among other protagonists, Mr. Xavier Crespo [ca], Lloret de Mar's former mayor. According to the report, conducted by government officials, Xavier Crespo and his wife received 209,000 euro in clandestine payments. The audit revealed, for example, that Mr. Crespo paid his membership dues to Lloret de Mar's hockey club with tax dollars meant for our healthcare system. He also spent 77,000 euro on an office that would have cost average citizens 154,000 euro.
However, all this wasn't clear until very recently, because CiU and PSC had made a pact [ca] so that this report would never see the light of day. When we discovered this report, the possible crimes that it revealed had already expired. CiU has awarded Mr. Crespo fourth-place on the party ticket in Girona. Therefore, he will once again “represent” us.
Taking all this into account, it isn't strange that neither Bagó, Manté nor the manager of the Blanes and Calelles hospitals brought a lawsuit against us. Enter President Mas's advisor, Mr. Via. Mr. Josep Maria Via has been, up until a few weeks ago, a close colleague of Bagó at Barcelona MAR Health Park Consortium's administrative council, which is an imputed institution, since Bagó had suspiciously received multimillion-euro contracts.
Mr. Via has been a partner in various companies with Josep Prat, the same man who has been imputed for curiously paying Carles Manté 700,000 euro. Is Via defending his honor or is he really working to conceal shadowy dealings of his colleagues?
Today we were fined 10,000 euro. In conclusion, one thing must remain totally clear. We have spent the past two years publishing information [es] about the lack of transparency in our healthcare system. We have published videos, articles, even a comic. No one – absolutely no one – has been able to prove that we have lied at all.
Per cert, els 10.000 euros que hem de pagar no els hem de pagar al senyor Via, ja que aquest senyor és molt solidari: ha donat els 10.000 euros a una institució sanitària, els hospitals de Blanes i Calella.
Els 10.000 euros de la condemna són un cop dur per a una revista com la nostra, amb només dos treballadors i que viu exclusivament de la publicitat que posen els negocis de la zona. El Cafè amb Llet no rep subvencions milionàries de la Generalitat ni contractes amanyats pagats amb diner públic.
Però tot i això, volem deixar absolutament clar que, lluny de callar, lluny de fer un pas enrere, continuarem denunciant la enorme opacitat, la impunitat i la manca de transparència del nostre sistema sanitari.
By the way, we don't have to pay our 10,000 euro fine to Mr. Via. Since this man obviously cares, he has donated the fine to a healthcare institution: the hospitals in Blanes and Calella.
10,000 euro is a serious blow to a publication like ours, with only two workers who live exclusively off the publicity from local businesses who support us. We receive no subsistance from the government — no public money whatsoever.
We want it to be absolutely clear that, far from shutting up, we will continue speaking out against the enormous level of opacity that shrouds our public healthcare system.
No pararem fins saber el destí de tots i cada un dels euros dels nostres diners. Perquè mentre ells amaguen en què s'han gastat els nostres diners, la gent pateix llistes d'espera, pateix manca de metges i paga euros per recepta.
We will not stop until we know the destination of each and every euro of Catalan tax dollars. Because while they are hiding how they are spending our money, people suffer from waiting lists, they suffer from a lack of doctors, and they pay 1 euro to get a prescription.


text:
Abuse Photos Attest the Need for Child Protection Law in China · Global Voices
Gloria Wong

A photo, showing a female kindergarten teacher, with a smile on her face lifting a child by his ears who bursts into tears, has become viral online soon after it was uploaded on October 24, 2012. Yan Yanhong, later found out to be an unlicensed kindergarten teacher, told the journalists that her behavior were “simply for fun” and did not expect it would make such a splash online.
Angry netizens “human flesh searched”Yan’s private information including her home address, cell phone number and other social media accounts. They further dug out 700 photos of kindergarten children on Yan’s blog, many of which arouse more anger among netizens, such as Yan sealing the children’s mouths with tape and tossing the children into trash bins. The Chinese police have taken action and arrested Yan under the charge [zh] of “causing public disturbance”.
A kindergarten teacher's child abuse photo has exposed and gone viral online. Public domain photo
The viral pictures just show the tip of an iceberg regarding the situation of child abuse in China. Every month people can find a number of serious child abuse incidents reported in mainstream media, for example a 61-year-old kindergarten security guard in Guangdong Province was just arrested on October 30, for assaulting a two-year-old girl in kindergarten.
On October 15, a female teacher in Shangxi Province was caught repeatedly slapping children in the class because the students failed to calculate 10 plus 1.
Many parents expressed their concern about allowing such teachers to teach their children on their micro-blogs [zh]:
@ＳALＳA莎莎 大家网友人肉这个没有人性的女人、如果我们的孩子在学校这样受虐待，我情愿我孩子不去这样的学校读书。这样对孩子心里会有阴影的、支持的顶吧！
@ＳALＳA shasha All netizens, human flesh search this inhuman woman. If our children are abused like this at school, I’d rather my child doesn’t attend a school like this. This will cast shadows in children’s hearts and traumatize them later. Those who agree please support me. [She received 9,105 supports at time of translation].
Famous actor Tengyuan Liu, who is also a parent, called on the society to be pro-actively and prevent such incidents from happening again:
@演员刘腾远 身为一个父亲，如果这类事情发生在我女儿的身上，我会毫不犹豫的踹上几脚！！！让你们也体会一下孩子当时的心情是有多恐惧！由此我呼吁社会各界人士都能积极的行动起来，坚决抵制此类事件的再次发生！
@Actor Liu Tengyuan if the same incident happened to my daughter, as a father, I would kick those teachers without hesitation. Try to make them feel the fear of our children at the time. I hope that people in all fileds can step up efforts and resist child abuse.
A legion of netizens began a conversation on the reasons behind so many abuse cases.
Child protection law missing
@ 瑟以 教师虐童事件的发生，从微观上来说是教师爱的缺失和幼儿园的监管不力；从宏观上来说，是我国法制的不健全和执法部门的监管不力……
@Se Yi From a micro perspective, what lead to child abuse in the kindergarten are the lack of love and care of teachers and the lack of regulation of the kindergarten, while from a macro perspective, are the imperfections of our law and the lack of regulation of law enforcement.
In fact, there is no existing laws in China that protect children from abuse, that's why the police can only charge Yan with “causing public disturbance”. Apart from legal protection some netizens also pointed to the lack of qualified kindergarten teachers.
@布呀么布丁丁：很多幼儿园老师都不是正式编制，在一些小地方因为工资低门槛低，也会有相当一部分是跟教育完全无关的人去当幼师，这个是虐童案多发的主要原因。
@Pundit：Many kindergarten teachers have no formal preparation. In some small counties and cities, due to the low entry qualifications and low salaries, those who do not have any background in education also became kindergarten teachers, which could be viewed as the main cause of the frequent child abuse cases.
According to a local news report [zh], 60% of kindergarten teachers do not have the teacher’s certificate. During recent years, private kindergartens have sprung up while the pace of fostering qualified kindergarten teachers has not kept up. Due to low salary and lack of incentives, kindergartens, especially the private ones, always failed to attract qualified kindergarten teachers for the future generation.
Many netizens admitted that they have been abused when they look back upon their school years.
@三尺一阳光：又是冰山一角。建议幼儿园孩子，小学生的家长问问自己的孩子有没有被虐待的经历。我还记得小学时因为调皮经常被一个男老师打，还有各种人身攻击。那时候小，都没跟家长说。
@Three feet of Sun: It’s merely another tip of the iceberg. I suggest that the parents of kindergarten children and elementary school students ask their children whether they have been abused. I still remember I always encountered personal attacks and was often beaten by a male teacher when I was in elementary school. But I didn't tell my parents. I was little and knew little about the abuse.
According to an online survey conducted by Sina Weibo on child abuse phenomena, 5,043 respondents said that they had experience of being beaten by teachers at school while 1,926 respondents said they did not.

author: Gloria Wong


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Africa’s Top Political Tweeters? Let’s Fix The Guardian’s List · Global Voices
Pernille Baerendtsen

On 30 October 2012, the Guardian published ‘Africa's top tweeters: political pioneers in the digital debate’. Did The Guardian’s David Smith get away with this piece too easily?
The Sub-Saharan Africa bloggers of Global Voices think so.
Several countries are omitted and not a single Francophone or Lusophone politician appears on the list. And where are the women? Africa's female politicians are on the rise. Currently, Malawi and Liberia have female presidents while a Ugandan female teenager recently became Africa's youngest Member of Parliament.
Are key people and countries really identified in The Guardian's list?
Which politicians* should really be on the list? There is also the issue of followers vs engagement. Some of our community members have pointed out that there can be a huge difference between a number of followers and debate/engagement since the list is really about ‘political pioneers in the digital debate’. One member said:
Politicians like Martha Karua in Kenya are more engaging on Twitter even though they have less followers than other top politicians.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame visiting kids at the Ibirunga Tennis Court in Musanze Town after accepting Twitter invitation sent by a Kenyan blogger in March 2011. Photo courtesy of SavyKenya
We decided to crowdsource an alternative comprehensive list and you can contribute here.
When you add a politician to the document, please add provide the following information:
Please join us by adding to the list or by suggesting the best mechanism for selecting who should be considered political pioneers in the digital debate in Africa.
*We are focusing on active politicians (not political tweeps or public leaders).

author: Pernille Baerendtsen


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Six Month Jail for Insulting Bahrain King on Twitter · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

One of four Twitter users, detained in Bahrain and reportedly charged with insulting the country's king, was sentenced to six months in prison today.
Bahraini lawyer Mohammed Abdulameer tweets [ar]:
@wastilawyeR: One of those accused of insulting the King of Bahrain was sentenced by the Criminal Court to six months imprisonment and the confiscation of his laptop and telephone, which were tools in his crime

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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BlogFest Asia 2012 Opens in Cambodia · Global Voices
Sopheap Chak

Cambodia is hosting BlogFest Asia 2012 which is expected to gather around 200 individuals from several Asian countries. The event on November 1-5, 2012 will take place in the historic town of Siem Reap. This is the third BlogFest which was earlier held in Hong Kong in 2009 and later in Penang, Malaysia in 2010. The event organizers hopes the BlogFest will continue to be a venue where people actively share information about media and technology:
BlogFestAsia has been organized twice in Hong Kong and Malaysia in order for technologists, bloggers, social media enthusiasts and tech lovers in the region to come, share, learn and exchange information related to technology development in the region.
Phin Santel, who blogs at Khmerbird, is excited about the event:
The fun days will be coming soon. It’s the BlogFest Asian 2012 which will be organized for the first time in Siem Reap, Cambodia.
During the registration period which is now closed, Myanmar blogger Kyaw Zay Ya who joined the two BlogFest Asia activities in the past, encouraged his readers to participate in the Cambodian event:
If you want to meet with bloggers from around the Asia it’s not too late to apply. I had attended 2 times in Hong Kong 2009 and Malaysia 2010, truly interesting, Now Cambodian bloggers are organizing the BlogFest Asia 2012 in Siem Reap on November 1-5.
Andy Brouwer, a blogger based in Cambodia, also sees the BlogFest activity as a venue to interact with the region's bloggers
if you are a blogger yourself then a meeting with hundreds of other bloggers from Asia may be the thing that will inspire you.
Participants are expected to share the various issues confronting netizens in their respective countries. But aside from documenting the development of the cyberspace community in the region, this year's BlogFest Asia will also bring together experts on internet empowerment, online civic engagement, mobile blogging, and internet security. The Global Voices Lingua project will be highlighted as well in the program.
The event will be officially opened by the host University, Build Bright. The closing ceremony, meanwhile, is to be presided by the Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith.
Below are some photos highlighting the preparation for the BlogFest Asia 2012.
The secretariat preparing to hang a banner in front of the university. Photo by author
The banner of BlogFest Asia 2012 is almost ready for public posting. Photo by author.
Filipino participant Tonyo Cruz shares his expectations:
Perhaps the highlight of this event are the country reports where we would have a chance to get a view of what’s happening across many parts of Asia. Inasmuch as we Filipinos wish to share what we have been doing and what we do best, it is always better and great to listen to how our neighbors in Asia are faring.
At the end of this gathering, we should have made new friends and strengthened solidarity among us Asian bloggers, knowing better our common concerns and making social media work for ourselves and our national communities. National boundaries (and controversies over them) may separate us, but our passion for free expression whether thru text, video, photo or the technology bind us together.
The twitter hashtag for the event is #blogfestasia12. The event's proceedings can be monitored on Facebook as well.

author: Sopheap Chak


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Bolivian Radio Journalist Set on Fire in Yacuiba · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Bolivian journalist Fernando Vidal and radio technician Karen Arce from Radio Popular in Yacuiba, a city on the Bolivian border with Argentina, were attacked by four masked men on Monday, October 29, 2012. The men threw petrol bombs inside the station and poured gasoline on Vidal and lit him on fire. Arce was also injured in the attack.
Vidal, the radio station's manager and owner, and Arce are being treated for their burns as the investigation on the arson attack moves forward. Early theories indicate that the attack may have been related to Vidal's outspoken criticism of corruption and contraband.
Vidal's son-in-law, journalist Esteban Farfán Romero, has been actively reporting on the journalists’ health and on the developments of the case. On Monday, October 29, Farfán reported on Facebook [es]:
DENUNCIA GRAVE: Radio Popular de Yacuiba ha sufrido un atentado terrorista. 4 personas con barbijos ingresaron al estudio de la Radio y rociaron gasolina al rostro del periodista Fernando Vidal. Don Fernando Vidal esta siendo atendido en el Hospital. ya esta estable.
SERIOUS REPORT: Radio Popular of Yacuiba has suffered a terrorist attack. 4 people with masks entered the studio at the Radio and poured gasoline on the face of journalist Fernando Vidal. Mr. Fernando Vidal is being treated at the hospital. His condition is stable.
He also shared pictures of the radio station after the attack on Twitter [es] and Facebook [es]:
Radio station after attack. Image shared by Esteban Farfán Romero on Twitter.
Radio station after attack. Shared by Esteban Farfán Romero on Facebook
Estamos trabajando para reconstruir la Radio. En este momento estamos sacando todo lo quemado para volver al aire como nos dijo don Fernando Vidal antes de partir a Santa Cruz. Asi quedo la Radio después del atentado
We are working to rebuild the Radio Station. At this moment we are getting rid of everything that was burned in order to go back on the air as Fernando Vidal told us before leaving for Santa Cruz [for treatment]. This is the Radio after the attack.
On October 31, Farfan (@EstebanFarfanR) [es] tweeted the latest report on the detentions:
@EstebanFarfanR: LO ULTIMO: La Policia acaba de detener al cuarto implicado en al atentado a Radio Popular.
@EstebanFarfanR: THE LATEST: The Police have detained the fourth person involved in the attack on Radio Popular.
Reporters Without Borders has “taken note of the progress apparently being made” in the investigation of the arson attack. They also report that they spoke with Farfán, who told them that,
Vidal believes that two Tarija department government officials were behind the attack. Interior minister Carlos Romero supports the theory. The attack was clearly designed to halt Vidal’s programme, which he was dedicating that day to discussing local contraband cases.
Farfán confirmed [es] that the family shares this theory on his Facebook account.
The article by Reporters Without Borders adds:
A former Yacuiba mayor and municipal councillor, Vidal has never hesitated to speak out about corruption in Tarija department and has always criticized the way public funds are managed at both national and regional level, where they have increased significantly now that the Chaco region is earning more than 100 million dollars a year from the sale of its natural gas.
The Bolivian government, the United Nations, and various press organizations have condemned the attack. Furthermore, Farfán reports that citizens of Yacuiba marched to demand justice. He shares photos from the march on Twitter:
March in Yacuíba, October 30, 2012. Photo shared by Esteban Farfán Romero on Twitter.
“No to delinquency”, march in Yacuiba, October 30, 2012. Photo shared by Esteban Farfán Romero on Twitter.
March in Yacuiba, October 30, 2012. Photo shared by Esteban Farfán Romero on Twitter.

author: Silvia Viñas


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D. R. of Congo: Human Rights Activist Assaulted, Guard Killed · Global Voices
Anna Gueye

Denis Mukwege, a Human Rights Activist and gynecologist particularly known for his work protecting women against sexual violence, was victim of an assault at his home [fr] in Bukav on October 25, 2012, during which his guard was killed.
In 1994, the genocide in Rwanda (which has a common border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC) forced around two million people to move to the Eastern DRC. These people were mainly Hutus with some extremist militia from interahamwe, responsible for massacres of Tutsi and moderate Hutu opponents. These militia used mass rape as a weapon of war – the deliberate, planned damage of women's and girl's genitals.
In a speech to the United Nations on September 25, 2012, Dr Mukwege, who has made known to the world the atrocities suffered  [fr] by the women who had been victims of rape in his country, told of the scale of the horror:
500.000 Congolaises violées pendant 16 ans.
Doctor Mukwege is not just known for his stance on this issue and his repeated criticisms of armed groups who reign with terror in the Eastern of DRC but also because he cares for victims free of charge.
Denis Mukwege on Wikipedia by Radio Okapi (under Creative Commons Licence-NC-2.0)
Denis Mukwege told [fr] of the assault to which he was subjected:
Hier soir, j’ai été attaqué à la maison autour de 19 heures. Des hommes en armes se sont introduits dans ma parcelle quand j’étais sorti pour déposer des visiteurs qui étaient chez moi pour prendre un taxi. Donc ils se sont introduits, ils ont neutralisés les sentinelles, les enfants qui étaient dans la maison ; et donc ils attendaient au salon, quand je suis arrivé ils ont quitté le salon ils se sont précipités dans mon véhicule, m’ont arraché les clefs de contact. Tous étaient armés, fortement armés, et donc un des leurs est sorti de ma voiture quand on m’avait déjà fait descendre de la voiture et c’est lui qui a tiré malheureusement sur mon gardien puisque quand on m’a amené le gardien a commencé à crier … Ils n’ont rien pris sauf le véhicule.
It is believed the doctor and his family have abandoned their home.
Yesterday, on October 31 in Bukavu, people called for a day of closures to protest against the insecurity,  [fr] which was a success.
Here is a video of Denis Mukwege by VOACongoStory that explains his fight to protect women against sexual violence [fr]:
These rapes, which were committed in a climate of general indifference and have remained unpunished for so many years are corrupting society at all levels. In August 2011, an MP who threatened a journalist with rape (video) [fr] aroused a public outcry, with the result that the MP ended up making an apology (video) [fr]).

author: Anna Gueye


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Germany: Satire Magazine Calls for Complimentary Ph.D.s · Global Voices
Katrin Zinoun

After a series of scandals surrounding the academic achievements of German politicians who cheated on their dissertations, the online satire magazine“Der Postillon” is now calling for a complimentary Ph.D. [de] for all politicans:
This way, the embarrassing and politically dishonorable rescinding of doctorates can be avoided. The Ministry of Education has already given the green light for the “Dr. pseud.”

author: Katrin Zinoun


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Grenada: Government In Crisis · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

With more MPs opposed to the regime, than supporting it; with the ruling party divided down the middle; with the economy in free fall; with salaries late again – Prime Minister Thomas has lost the moral authority to govern.
Hamlet Mark feels that Grenada's Prime Minister Tillman Thomas should either reconvene Parliament or call a general election.


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Honduras Truth Commission Releases Coup Report  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In early October 2012, the Commission of Truth [es] -created in June 2010 to “clarify the facts of the June 28, 2009 Honduran coup d’état“- released its report “The Voice of Greatest Authority is that of the Victims.”
The blog Honduras Accompaniment Project summarizes some of the findings and also explains how the Commission carried out its investigation.
In total, the Commission of Truth received “1,966 reports from citizens about human rights violations by state agents and armed civilian apparatuses protected by state institutions” between June 2009 and August 2011. Based on these reports, the Commission analyzed 5,418 human rights violations and categorized 87 forms of aggression.


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If Catalonia Declares Independence From Spain, Invasion? · Global Voices
Lourdes Sada

[All links lead to Spanish-language websites unless otherwise noted]
It is well known that Catalan independence is a delicate issue in Spain, with many vehemently in favor as well as against. But the issue has taken a surreal turn with some speaking of a possible military intervention in Catalonia if the region attempts to secede. Among them, the Colonel Francisco Alamán in the online newspaper Alerta Digital, the minority Association of Spanish Soldiers on its website, and the euro-parliamentarian Alejo Vidal-Quadras on the program Intereconomía, all media with a conservative bias.
Just when it seemed the issue could not be stoked any further, four Catalan euro-parliamentarians directed a letter to Viviane Redding, vice president of the European Commission, expressing their fears in light of supposed military action:
Alejo Vidal Quadras, vice president of the European Parliament and Popular Party euro-parliamentarian. Photo from blog NoticieroDC.
Nos dirigimos a usted a fin de transmitirle nuestra alta preocupación por una serie de amenazas sobre el uso de la fuerza militar contra la población catalana.(…)
Este tipo de amenazas limitan (…) derechos de libertad de expresión y manifestación de las personas que viven en Cataluña. En estas circunstancias, es la Unión Europea quien debe intervenir de forma preventiva para garantizar que la resolución del conflicto catalán sea pacífica y democrática.(…)
Le pedimos así que evalúe los riesgos reales de una posible intervención militar en Cataluña y el tono que están utilizando miembros del Partido Popular Español y del Gobierno de España.(…)
We are writing to you to convey our strong concern over a series of threats to use military force against the Catalan population. (…)
These types of threats limit (…) freedom of speech and protest for the people that live in Catalonia. Under these circumstances, it is the European Union who should take preventative action to guarantee that the resolution of the Catalan conflict is peaceful and democratic. (…)
We ask you to evaluate the real risks of a possible military intervention in Catalonia and the tone that members of the Spanish Popular Party and the Government of Spain are using. (…)
María Badía, Socialists’ Party of Catalonia euro-parliamentarian and ex-secretary of the socialist delegation. Photo from her European Parliament webpage.
As a consequence of this letter, one of the signers, Socialists Party of Catalonia euro-parliamentarian María Badía, has already resigned her post as secretary general of the socialist delegation for the European Parliament, though she retains her seat in the parliament.
The conflict has not only earned commentary from members of the military and politicians, but it has also sparked an avalanche of commentary from netizens, who have approached the matter with a strong sense of humor and, in a way, have diffused the tension surrounding the issue.
Brandon Monguer III opted for a practical perspective:
@brandonmonguer: EH. Que yo no pienso pagar una invasión de Cataluña. Que allí no hay petróleo ni nada.
Meanwhile, Salvador Ruiz Huete had his own version of the supposed invasion, making reference to dreadful creatures from The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien:
@salvigranada: Parece que un grupo de Orcos está apostado en Aragón [comunidad limítrofe] esperando ordenes de Saruman para invadir Cataluña.
Pedru asked:
@pedrovillapalos: Por lo visto el ejército español quiere invadir Cataluña ¿nueva versión del Call of Duty?
Isabel Pérez didn't want to miss out:
@isabel_ecogest: Oye, ya os vale… La próxima vez que hagáis planes, avisad. Vais a invadir Cataluña y no contáis conmigo, perros.
You can also count Domingo Molina and Aigor in, but they have a slight scheduling problem:
@domingo_molina: Sr. Presidente si vamos a invadir Cataluña que sea a partir del lunes que este finde tengo cena con los amigotes. Gracias.
@MipWik: me voy a sacar la licencia de armas por si mi patria me pide ir a invadir cataluña y tal pero que no sea en puente eh !
arquitecnico78 already has experience with this:
@Arquitecnico78: Yo también intente invadir Cataluña el año pasado, y acabé de sangrías por el barrio Gótico de Barcelona.
Luis A. Calleja saw insurmountable challenges:
@DrLuisco: @moedetriana@elboletinmadrid Si no hay ni gasoil para los desfiles!!, invadir Cataluña está por encima de nuestras posibilidades
But M. S. had the solution:
@msanlorenzo: @Tonicanto1 Nuevos vehículos con lanzamisiles para invadir Cataluña
Taladreker brainstormed how to organize the troops:
@Taladreker: En la invasión de Cataluña, el ejército deberá invadir y defender a la vez. Los soldados de la A a la J atacan, de la K a la Z defienden.
And jimmi romeu ||*|| was on the lookout for more soldiers:
@jimmiromeu: Oferta de feina [trabajo]: Se necesitan soldados para invadir Cataluña, imprescindible nivel C de castellano y siempre garaje. http://www.vilaweb.cat/noticia/4048194/20121017/catedratic-complutense-calcula-quants-soldats-calen-ocupar-catalunya.html …
One of the signers of the letter, Raül Romeva, stated in an interview for radio channel Onda Cero that:
los vuelos que ha habido estas últimas semanas por parte de aviones militares [le hacen pensar] que estas cuestiones pueden pasar de anécdota a hechos preocupantes (…)
Usted está infravalorando una situación que la población catalana, le guste o no, vive con una sensación de gran preocupación. Cuando a uno le pasan los cazas por encima de la cabeza, y no se lo espera, eso en el momento actual genera incertidumbre.
The flights that have happened these last few weeks by military planes make one think that these matters can go from anecdote to concerning fact (…)
You are underestimating the situation that the Catalan population, like it or not, lives with great worry. When fighter jets pass overhead unexpectedly, it generates uncertainty in that moment.
This provoked another stream of tweets, many of which explained that the military planes fly over the whole country, so no one should worry. Elena Martín knew of more dangerous planes than those of the military:
@HellenMDV: Lo peligroso no es que pasen cazas por el cielo de Cataluña. Lo peligroso es que pasen los aviones de Ryanair….
anestesia local paraphrased a famous movie:
@fazuku59: España de pandereta: ¿Teléfono rojo? Volamos hacia Barcelona -
Elrichal saw things through the lens of science fiction:
@Er_Richal: Atención: Inminente invasión de extraterrestres en Cataluña, la población debe ponerse gorros de papel de aluminio para protegerse. GENCAT
Paula Cervilla and miguel bermudez had some suspicions:
@pauliscervilla: Vamos a invadir cataluña por tierra, mar y aire… Di que si.. Alli en cataluña que fumais? Droga de la mala no?
@telemako777: el alcade del pueblo catalán que denuncia vuelos de cazas, se ve que le gustan los cigarritos de la risa

author: Lourdes Sada


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Indonesia: Apps for Sustainable Palm Oil Production · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The World Resources Institute has developed two online mapping tools to track forest change and sustainable palm oil production in Kalimantan, Indonesia. Deforestation in many parts of Indonesia is blamed on expanding palm oil plantations.

author: Mong Palatino


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Jamaica: Creole and Jamaican Identity · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Our educators don’t seem to understand that as long as we tell children that they ‘chat bad’ when they use their mother tongue, we are planting the seeds of low self-esteem.  And we will reap badness.  Or, perhaps, we do understand and that’s why we refuse to acknowledge Jamaican as a ‘proper-proper’ language.
Professor Carolyn Cooper explores the connection between Jamaican Creole and the African Diaspora.


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Madagascar: Tear Bomb Thrown into a University Classroom · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Madonline reports [fr] that a tear bomb was thrown by military forces into a classroom of Ankatso University where students are protesting [fr] the delay in the disbursement of their scholarships.  The same protests are currently happening at the University of Toamasina (East Coast of Madagascar).

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Founder of Banned Militant Group in Pakistan Offers Aid to U.S. · Global Voices
Sidra Rizvi

After causing wide spread damage along the Atlantic Coast in United States, Super storm sandy is being labelled as the costliest storm ever. With estimates running as high as $45 billion for reconstruction and rebuilding, the country prepares to cope with the losses. At least 33 people have been reported dead and scores displaced across the East Coast.
Amidst the furor, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of banned militant organization Lashkar e Taiba (LeT) and head of Jaamat ud Dawa (JuD) offered a considerable amount of humanitarian aid to the US to bear losses.
Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc on the Rockaways and Breezy Point in Queens. Many lost their homes, businesses and possessions. Image by Kevin Downs. Copyright Demotix.
Pledging help of every kind, he said “Jamaat-ud-Dawa is ready to send its volunteers, doctors, food, medicines and other relief items on humanitarian grounds if the US government allows us.”
Known as the mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the JuD founder also carries a $10million US bounty on his head.
The American Embassy in Pakistani capital Islamabad however refused to accept help from Saeed. Using their Twitter account,  the embassy made it clear that while they appreciate the gesture of Muslims to help, they clearly did not take his offer seriously.
@usembislamabad (US Embassy Islamabad): We respect the Islamic tradition of help to the needy, but we can’t take Hafiz Saeed’s offer seriously.
Following the tweet, a spokesperson for JuD posted the following replies:
@JuD_Official (Jamat ‘ud’ Da'wah): @usembislamabad Our offer was precisely due to the seriousness of the matter. We hope Muslims in #US will keep the tradition alive. Inshallah
@JuD_Official (Jamat ‘ud’ Da'wah) @usembislamabad Our Help offer is for the American people, we will engage Muslims in US to be at forefront to help their fellow countrymen.
@JuD_Official (Jamat ‘ud’ Da'wah): @usembislamabad #USAID Rajiv Shah took us serious when he visited our relief camp in 2010 & distributed relief goods there – #Hafiz Saeed
The US embassy went as far as calling Saeed a suspect for his involvement in Mumbai attacks and also labelling his organization JuD as a ‘designated terrorist’ organization.
@usembislamabad (US Embassy Islamabad ): Saaed is wanted for suspected involvement in the Mumbai attacks, which killed 166. JuD is a UN&US-designated terrorist org.
The Twitter account for JuD was once more ready with a response.
@JuD_Official (Jamat ‘ud’ Da'wah): @usembislamabad US govt has conceded to the fact of inadmissible evidence against Hafiz Saeed. UNSCR hearing is pending. Leaves nothing behind.
Reactions over this offer remain mixed. While many term it as generous, some also see the irony behind it.
@Rifaqat_Mir (Rifaqat A. Mir): In spite of the enmity the US poses to Hafiz Saeed he still has the generosity and benevolence to show compassion for his enemy
@humayusuf (Huma Yusuf): They say Muslims don't have a sense of humour, but Hafiz Saeed's offer to help #Sandy victims is HILARIOUS http://www.thenews.com.pk/Todays-News-13-18499-Hafiz-Saeed-offers-humanitarian-aid-to-US …
@anDYRude (Anirudh Malladi): Just read that Hafiz Saeed, a dreaded terrorist, has offered “Help in the form of food, doctors etc” to victims of #HurricaneSandy. LMAO!
@nidak_ (Nida Khan): Entertaining exchange of trolling going on between Hafiz Saeedand the US embassy Islamabad. 1-1, I'd say. #NextRound?
@anamzehra86 (Anam Zehra): US Embassy's response to Hafiz Saeed's offer is their way of saying ”we take your religion seriously,you should too”

author: Sidra Rizvi


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Saint Lucia: 25 Proposals to Help Move Forward · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

Amatus Edwards has a comprehensive list of 25 proposals to help move Saint Lucia forward.


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Saudi Arabia: First Reactions to the Riyadh Explosion  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

A huge explosion rocked eastern Riyadh this morning, sparking a discussion on mainstream media coverage and praising Twitter for being a source of instant news.
Initial reports said that a tanker carrying flammable liquids crashed into a flyover in the Saudi capital. At least 10 people have been killed and over 50 were injured in the accident, which caused the collapse of a bridge and an a multi-storey factory, which was almost levelled by the blast. Video footage shared on video-sharing site YouTube also shows the charred remains of cars and extensive damage to surrounding buildings.
At first, the complaints on Twitter were about lack of news:
Saudi blogger Yazeen Al Mogren writes:
الإنفجار له أكثر من ساعة حتى الآن ولا اي موقع الكتروني جاب أي معلومة عنه (جريدة الرياض-الوطن-سبق)بس قناة العربية والخبر مغلوط
@Yzd8: The explosion happened about an hour ago and until now not a single electronic site has covered it (Al Riyadh newspaper, Al Watan, Sabaq). Only Al Arabiya covered it and the news is incorrect
In return, Bader Aujan credits Twitter with breaking the news:
بعد ٣٠ دقيقة من أول تغريدة عن #انفجار_الرياض يظهر الخبر على قنوات الأخبار! شكراً تويتر
@bader_aujan: 30 minutes after the first tweet on the Al Riyadh explosion, and the news finally makes it to news channels. Thank you Twitter!
And when news outlets started covering the story, more confusion followed:
Ibrahim Al Qahtani tweets:
من العربيةوعدم وجود وفيات..إلى رويترز وانفجار مبنى..مرورا بالمنار و تفجير متعمد..وصولا إلى القنوات السعودية اللي مكبره راسها
@brhom: From Al Arabiya, there are no deaths, to Reuters and the explosion in a building.. to Al Manar and a deliberate explosion to the Saudi channels, which are ignoring the story
Hadi Al Mnis shares this photograph:
A body lying next to the Riyadh explosion site. Photograph shared by @hadialmnis on Twitter
#إنفجار_الرياض #إنفجار_شرق_الرياض القناة الإخبارية تصرح بأنة لا حالات وفاة وعارضين هالصورة pic.twitter.com/nT5H70CA
@hadialmnis: Al Ikbariya says there are no deaths and they are showing this photograph
And Syrian The 47th chimes in:
@THE_47th: Alarabiya says “limited deaths” have happened in Riyadh. As opposed to what? The death continuum?
Saudi veteran blogger Ahmed Al Omran sums up reactions to the coverage, saying:
@ahmed: Many people in my timeline seem skeptical about Al Arabiya and Saudi TV reporting of Riyadh explosion as a gas truck accident. Pics look bad
On YouTube, Hussain Dawood shares this video, of the explosion:
Ahmed Al Omran comments:
@ahmed: This seems to be on of the first videos following explosion in Riyadh. Govt sources say it is a fuel truck accident http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmAlmQgRFbQ …
This video, by Zaid Mohsen, shows the extent of the damage at the explosion site:
And Amr Alamri shares another video of the explosion site, showing part of the damage:
The explosion garnered a lot of reactions from across the Arab world.
Egyptian blogger Marwa Rakha asks:
هي السعودية مالها اليومين دول؟ تفجيرات و ضحايا كل شوية!
@marwarakha: What's wrong with Saudi Arabia nowadays? Explosions and victims on a regular basis
And Yazeed Al Mogren shares this shot from a Blackberry message being circulating, which blames Iran for the explosion:
A screenshot of a Blackberry message blaming Iran for this morning's Riyadh explosion. Photo shared by @Yzd8 on Twitter
The message reads [ar]:
Urgent:
An Iranian nuclear missile explodes in East Riyadh.
May God curse the Shia
Meanwhile, @DesertFlower26 urges social media users:
@DesertFlower26: please guys be considerate & stop sharing photos of the victims! It's inappropriate. It's heartbreaking for their families.


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Talking About Hurricane Sandy on Social Networks  · Global Voices
Robert Valencia

After slamming the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy came to the east coast of the United States on October 29, bringing rainfall and even snowfall in its path. The eye of the hurricane landed in southwest New Jersey, 10 kilometers from Atlantic City. Millions of dollars in property damage were reported, in addition to unofficial reports of 62 deaths and millions of residents without electricity in various states throughout the country, including Washington D.C.
Sandy has also paralyzed the entire city of New York. Its subway service, one of the most extensive in the world, has been suspended since the evening of October 28 and it is presumed to take approximately four to five more days to restore its function fully, while buses are the only transit system that is gradually getting back to regular service. Likewise, LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark Liberty airports are expected to resume air traffic control by the end of this week, while ferry services that connect to other towns in New Jersey and Connecticut have been cancelled and the Holland and Lincoln tunnels that connect New York to New Jersey remain flooded. Events like the Halloween Parade and the New York Marathon on November 4 will possibly be postponed until next week. The Stock Exchange, whose operations closed for the first time since the attack on September 11, 2001, re-opened on Wednesday, October 31.
Despite the fact that the presidential candidates have promised to focus on recovery efforts, the “superstorm” has not escaped the political scene. Editorials in some of the most important newspapers in the country accuse former governor and Republican candidate Mitt Romney of wanting to cut funds to FEMA, the agency responsible for responding to natural disasters, once he takes presidential office. Nevertheless, Romney denied these accusations and affirmed that rescue teams should receive more funding from the state. In a sign of bipartisanship, Republic governor of New Jersey Chris Christie and President Barack Obama applauded each other's immediate response to the catastrophe caused by the hurricane.
As expected, Sandy became a trending topic on Twitter and users like Raúl Avila Durán (@Raulavilad) took note of it:
@Raulavilad: El huracán #Sandy sigue siendo lo más leído. Aquí los vídeos más impactantes de la tormenta http://w.abc.es/jkqit4
@Raulavilad: Hurricane #Sandy continues to be the most read story. Here are the most shocking videos of the storm http://w.abc.es/jkqit4
Other users like Socrates García (@SocratesG21) witnessed the destruction that Sandy caused:
@SocratesG21: El frente de este edificio cae durante #HuracanSandy 15th & 8th Ave in NYC http://instagr.am/p/RbaREylRAH/
@SocratesG21: The front of this building fell during #HurricaneSandy 15th & 8th Ave in NYC http://instagr.am/p/RbaREylRAH/
Juan Jaime Flores (@juanjaimefl) talks about how some users on social networks have posted fake photos of Hurricane Sandy:
@juanjaimefl: “De 10″ La verdadera historia de las 10 fotos falsas del huracán Sandy: Por las redes sociales ha… http://bit.ly/Vb9xUd  #Datosquevalen
@juanjaimefl: “From 10″ The true story of the 10 fake photos of Hurricane Sandy: On social networks … http://bit.ly/Vb9xUd #Validstats
End Isolation (@endisolation) points out that immigrants are the ones who have been lost to the natural phenomenon:
@endisolation: Huracán Sandy: Inmigrantes latinos los más afectados (VIDEO) http://huff.to/QSneTK  via @HuffPostVoces
@endisolation: Hurricane Sandy: Latino immigrants were the most affected (VIDEO) http://huff.to/QSneTK via @HuffPostVoces
Accounts like that of GeoSolution Consult (@Geo_Solutions) explain Sandy's origin:
@Geo_Solutions: La supertormenta Sandy fue resultado de la casualidad de la confluencia de un Huracán tropical y un frente frío desde el norte.
@Geo_Solutions: Superstorm Sandy happened by chance as a result of the confluence of a tropical hurricane and a cold front from the north.
Below are a few images of the vestiges and chaos generated by Sandy in New York City, all taken by the author.
Fallen trees were reported throughout the city.
Security tape closing off rubble left by Sandy.
The New York City subway system has not provided its services since October 28.
Buses look to alleviate city traffic.

author: Robert Valencia


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Thailand Offers Online Birth Registration System · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

In partnership with Unicef, the Thailand government has launched an online birth registration program that is currently implemented in 44 hospitals across the country. The government is also offering a one-stop birth registration service. About 5 percent of children born each year in Thailand are not registered at birth.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Taking Steps To Combat White Collar Crime · Global Voices
Matthew Hunte

This crisis is an important opportunity to decide if we want to do differently.  Do we?  If not, crapaud smoke we pipe.  If we really want to do differently, we have to start thinking differently and stop the point-scoring games.
Afra Raymond thinks that decisive action needs to be taken to combat white collar crime in Trinidad & Tobago.


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Wedding Party at Petrol Station with Greece in Crisis · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

In a blog post entitled “Crisis wedding in Greece”, Belgian freelance photographer Nick Hannes posts the story of a bride and groom in Patras, Peloponnese who decided to hold their wedding party at the groom's petrol station. “This is how we respond to the crisis”, a family member said to him. The entire image gallery can be viewed in the blog.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Will Hurricane Sandy Stop the New York Marathon? · Global Voices
Richard Wanjohi

Hurricane Sandy's arrival in New York City and has affected many lives and ended in tragedy for some too. Sporting events have not been spared, and one of the world's most famous marathons is destined to be affected by the aftermath of the storm. Various bloggers have expressed their views on the New York Marathon scheduled to take place on November 4, 2012.
NYC Marathon 2008, by Barry Yanowitz on Flickr (CC BY-NC 2.0)
Hip as I Wannabe, a New Yorker who is hoping to run the marathon, captures the imagination with her post, “Hurricane Sandy is Messing my Marathon”:
As I write this blog the great state of Maryland is experiencing the beginning onslaught of Hurricane Sandy, the “superstorm of the century.”
Stores have run out of supplies. Children have been called out of school. The government has been shut down. Power outages are expected. Tubs have been filled with water.
People are hunkered down waiting for her to hit.
In my own city, we are under a flood and severe wind warning. It’s been raining ceaselessly for hours.
Oddly enough, none of that worries me. All I can think about is how this storm is going to affect my marathon. (If there is even going to be a marathon.)
I know, I know…. most ridiculous concern ever.
I just can’t help it. I’m supposed to travel to New York on Saturday morning. I’m worried about the train station being shut down and power outages.
What if our hotel is without power?
What if the whole city is a disaster?
Have they ever cancelled the New York Marathon before?
The Run Lounge, another blog, asks a similar question in the post, “Will Sandy stop the New York marathon?”:
So it was with some surprise that the RunLounge read that Mayor Bloomberg had announced that despite the damage and chaos, the New York Marathon, scheduled for this Sunday, would go ahead.
The logistics of a big city marathon are daunting enough, without the thought of trying to accommodate thousands of runners in a city where so much of the infrastructure is damaged or out of action. The New York Road Runners naturally defended the decision to go ahead with the race, stating that it was more important than ever that a race designed from birth to bring together the boroughs of the city and create unity, should help New Yorkers come together once again as the race did in 2001 after the 9/11 tragedy. But in that case the race was a couple of months after the event and most of the infrastructure in the city that was affected was back up and running. In New York the tunnels that lead to the start of the race in Statten Island are still full of water and the ferries to the island cannot run – how will people even get to the start?
Runner's World blog adds an interesting angle to the dilemma facing race organisers on why the marathon should go on:
Adapt the race, improvise, work with the city, change the course, cut the trimmings, do without banners and bleachers and choppers and even bib numbers and times, whatever it takes, but let the race happen. Don't let it sink because we have made it too big and too high-tech. Keep faith with all these people like Kurt who have come, often at great difficulty, from Newcastle NSW or funerals in Wellington, from Kuala Lumpur and Nairobi, every city around the world. They're marathon runners, they know what difficult means.
To go ahead with such a big race after such a huge storm will be very very difficult. To cancel it is unthinkable.
I'd love to see it finish, just this once, alongside the beautiful James Farley Post Office Building on 8th Avenue, with its inscription borrowed from Herodotos:
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds.”
The blog I Run These Towns defiantly publishes a post, saying “You can flood our streets, but you can't take our marathons!”:
As Hurricane Sandy has ravaged NYC, the fate of the NYC Marathon hangs in balance. The New York Road Runners have committed to holding the race as scheduled on Sunday, but it's going to be a challenge for a city recovering from a devastating storm. I'm sure to a lot of people the New York City Marathon is not high on the list of things to worry about. But this is an eve that brings in approximately $340 million in revenue to the City. That's not something you cancel lightly.  Holding the marathon is a testament to the resiliency of the City of New York and their commitment to this important event. As the city and region continue to clean up from the storm, I will keep my fingers crossed that the marathon runs smoothly on Sunday. Sandy you can destroy our boardwalks, but you will not take away our marathons!

author: Richard Wanjohi


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Chile: Mapuche Win Big in Municipal Elections · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In indigenous online newspaper Azkintuwe [es], Pedro Cayuqueo [es] points out that 9 Mapuche mayors and over 30 Mapuche councilmembers were elected in the October 28 municipal elections in Chile. Cayuqueo argues that this big win means several important things, for example:
Far from the “violent” and “anti-system” caricature, the Mapuche have shown their commitment to the institutional paths and an exemplary civic behavior.


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Chinese Media’s Report on the Superstorm Sandy · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Jing Gao from Ministry of Tofu picks some online comments that mock at the Chinese state-run media's coverage of calamity caused by Superstorm Sandy in the West Coast of the U.S.A, saying that they are serving the interest of U.S rather than Chinese as they often ignore local protests and disasters.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Citizen Monitoring in Nicaragua’s Municipal Elections · Global Voices
Eduardo Avila

Seventy-two hours before voters head to the polls in Nicaragua, the country is observing “electoral silence,” meaning that political parties cannot hold public gatherings until after the November 4 elections. On that date, approximately 3.3 million Nicaraguans will head to the polls to elect mayors, vice-mayors, and council members in the 153 municipalities across the country.
There have been some changes for these elections including a record number of candidates, more than 33,000, as a result of a change in the law that has increased the number of seats on municipal councils. Another change in the law has also provided more opportunities for women to participate in local government requiring that 50% of the parties’ candidates must be women [es].
As has been more commonplace across the globe during an election cycle, citizens are eager to use digital technologies to play a role in monitoring and reporting the election. And in Nicaragua, a platform called “Plataforma de Observación Electoral Ciudadana Independiente” [es] (Independent Electoral Citizen Observation Platform”) is gearing up to encourage citizens to send reports via a web form, by SMS, or other social media sites, which will then be mapped using the Ushahidi platform. The team behind the project will utilize Frontline SMS to receive and process the citizen reports.
They describe the platform [es] as “a tool for democratic empowerment of Nicarguan society.” The project is organized by the citizen journalism site Huella Libre [es], in conjunction with La Brújula [es], which helped with spreading the word. The site was designed by Paulo McNally.
In addition to the direct reports to the site, they are encouraging netizens to use the hashtag #YoObservo [es] (I Observe) before and during the election day.
One of the organizers of the project, Orlando Rizo (@orlandorizo) [es], recently spoke about the plans for the platform:

author: Eduardo Avila


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Foreign Journalists Covering Ningbo Anti-PX Protest  · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Chinese journalists were banned from covering Ningbo anti-PX protest in China last week while foreign journalists were standing side-by-side with the protestors at the frontline. China Digital Times translated some tweets that tell the grateful feeling of the Chinese netizens toward these group of foreign journalists.


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Former French Defense Minister “Gives the Bird” to a Recognition of Colonial Crimes in Algeria   · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

DNA Algérie reports [fr] that Algerians are outraged by the behavior of former French Defense minister Gérard Longuet who when asked what he thought of a possible recognition of French colonial crimes during the Algerian War gave a “bras d'honneur” (the equivalent of giving the bird). M. Longuet thought he was off the air when he made the gesture.
Former french minister of defense “flips the bird” to a recognition of french colonial crimes in Algeria – via DNA Algérie -Public Domain


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Iran: Netizens Remember Nasrin Sotoudeh with “Dog Roses” · Global Voices
Hooman Askary

A new campaign has started within the Iranian cyber space and social networks in support of prisoner of conscience, Nasrin Sotoudeh who has been on hunger strike since October 17. Many Iranian netizens have posted photos of white flowers in solidarity with Nasrin whose name in Persian means a specific type of flower from rose family, namely the “Rosa Canina” or “Dog Rose”.

author: Hooman Askary


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Macedonia: Documenting Online Protest Against Censorship · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

On October 9, nearly 200 Macedonian websites participated in a day-long blackout, protesting the censorship-inducing provisions [mk, en, sq] that the Government “sneaked in” within the Draft Law on Civic Liability for Defamation, presented as approved by the EU and COE. Activists from Free Software Macedonia, who provided the JavaScript code for the initiative, also documented the Blackout initiative [mk] on their wiki.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Nicaragua: Nothing Goes to Waste at ‘El Gansito’ · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Adriana Díaz [es] and Gustavo Salinas wrote a guest post for The Nicaragua Dispatch on ‘El Gansito’, a small business in Managua “that makes products out of recycled plastics and rubber.”
There is no doubt that this small business is one of the many “green jewels” we can find in Nicaragua. By mixing profit motive, sustainability, and entrepreneurship, El Gansito has set an example for others to follow in Nicaragua.


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Palestine: President Abbas Abandons Palestinian Right of Return · Global Voices
Afef Abrougui

In an interview given to an Israeli television station, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has relinquished his “right of return” to his birth town Safed, now a district in Northern Israel.
“It’s my right to see it [Safed], but not to live there,” said Abbas. “I believe that [the] West Bank and Gaza is Palestine, and the other parts (are) Israel,” he added.
What is the Palestinian Right of Return?
Abbas's declaration represent a blow to and an abandonment of the Palestinian “right of return.” Supporters of this principle believe that tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants have the right to return to the home towns they were displaced from, and reclaim any property they were dispossessed off as a result of the 1948 occupation of Palestine and the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Indeed, during the 1948 Ethnic Cleansing of Palestine , as described by Israeli Historian Ilan Pappe, hundreds of Palestinian villages were destroyed and tens of thousands of Palestinians were forcibly expelled from their homes by the Jewish  paramilitary organizations Haganah and Irgun in order to establish the State of Israel.
Also, as a result of the  1967 Arab-Israeli War, during which Israel fought its Arab neighboring states of Egypt, Syria and Jordan, thousands of more Palestinians were displaced out of Gaza Strip and the West Bank, when the Israeli forces occupied these territories.
According to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), the number of Palestinian refugees is estimated at 5 million. For decades, the formal Palestinian demand for the “right of return” to what is today known as the State of Israel has represented a key obstacle in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. A Palestinian return on such a scale would drastically shift Israel's demographics and increase the Palestinian population there at the expense of the Jewish one, something Israel would not allow to happen.
Social Media Reactions:
Munnera, a Palestinian living in Qatar, tweets:
#Abbas speaks for himself and only himself. Palestinians will never give up their ‘right to return’.
Rafeef Ziadah, a Palestinian performance poet and activist based in London, shares the same view:
Abbas does not speak for any Palestinian refugee, we did not elect him…
Shaima asks whether Abbas is giving up on the Palestinian demand of the “right of return”:
#Abbas says he has no right to return to the place of his birth (Safed) as a resident but visit it as a tourist. Is he conceding the ROR [right of return]?!
“My name is Zina, I will return to my home town Ijzem in Haifa”, “My name is Yasmin, I will return to my home town Ijzem in Haifa” photo via twitter user @SafaAMadi
Abbas’ declarations did not surprise Ahmed Masoud, a Palestinian writer and academic, also living in London.
Why is everyone surprised about what #Abbas said but never do when he goes to negotiate? The guy sold out ages ago #Palestine #Belfour
Asa Winstanley, Electronic Intifada editor called Abbas Kalb [Arabic for dog] for such televised renouncement. He writes:
Abbas goes on Israeli TV and personally renounces his right to return. And yet he still didn't grovel enough for Israelis. Bow lower, kalb [dog]
On Electronic Intifada, Nour Joudah, a Palestinian teacher based in Ramallah, answered Abbas:
My father is almost 80 years old and he has more than the right to visit Isdoud. I, and my siblings, have more than the right to see the grass of where a village once stood. I have the right to return and rebuild Palestine from the ground up. All of it. And so does every refugee and their descendents.
The kids from Safad living in Shatila and Ein el-Hilweh, and all the camps of Lebanon, are not dreaming of your Ramallah, Mr. President. They are dreaming of their Safad.
If I or they want to sign away our right of return, we will let you know.
Don’t mistake your people’s exhaustion and frustration for surrender. Don’t mistake the young people’s re-organizing and re-acquainting themselves with their own history for lack of vision.
Balfour Declaration:
Abbas’ televised statements coincided with the 95th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration of 1917, considered as “the first significant declaration by a world power in favour of a Jewish “national home” in what was known as Palestine”.
The declaration (dated 2 November, 1917) was a letter written by  the then British Foreign Secretary, Arthur James Balfour and addressed  to Lord Rothschild, a leader of the Jewish community in Britain. In the letter, Balfour expressed the British “sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations” and approval of the “establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people”.
Asa Winstanley  tweets:
The 95th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration that led to the destruction of Palestine. I have unending contempt for British Empire
He adds:
As a Welshman I feel I must point out it's a disgrace David Lloyd George was the Prime Minister responsible for the Balfour Declaration
Twitter user @Tsharrafna commented:
#Abbas’ treacherous statements coincided with the anniversary of history's most treacherous incident: the Balfour Declaration. #Balfour

author: Afef Abrougui


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Peru: Analyzing the Motives behind Violence at La Parada Market · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

On the afternoon of October 25, a series of violent acts occurred in Lima that the city has not been witness to in years. An operative from the Metropolitan Municipality of Lima, along with support of the National Police, placed cement blocks [es] at the intersection of Aviation Avenue and July 28 Avenue to prevent supply trucks from entering the wholesale market La Parada that is currently being moved. Clashes [es] between approximately 2000 traders, informal workers and security personnel, along with over 100 police officers followed.
Local television released shocking images [es] of a police officer that was beaten by vandals after falling from his horse. These vandals were part of a group of people, some carrying firearms [es], that impeded the operation and resisted [es] the police that can be seen in these images [es]. Violence continued until that night as local businesses were looted in the neighboring area of Gamarra, the textile clothing emporium of Lima.
The toll of the operation was two deaths and 108 injured [es], 66 of whom [es] were police officers. The few concrete blocks were removed and the supply trucks entered the market [es] that functioned normally during the morning and attended to the public [es] the following day. The public prosecutor that visited the area concluded [es] that there are none of the necessary guarantees to proceed with the operation.
La Parada, Lima, Peru. Photo courtesy of Flickr user fokus Lima (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
These events were widely reported, disseminated and discussed on Twitter where the hashtag #LaParada [es] became a trend in both Peru and worldwide [es]. But it wasn't the only hashtag that was used. Mayor Susana Villarán could not be found anywhere in the country during all the chaos and prompted the hashtag #DondeEstaLaAlcaldesa [es] (#WhereIsTheMayor).
Facebook and blogs also addressed the issue. For example, the journalist Dante Castro, on his blog La fruta del cercado ajeno (The fruit outside the fence), provides some insight [es] about the complex environment that is the wholesale market La Parada.
Alrededor de los grandes negocios de prósperos comerciantes, se teje una extensa red de intercambios que involucran a muchas personas y familias. Estas personas viven en los alrededores de La Parada y han constituido sus diversos sistemas de vida en torno a ella. En esa galaxia de constelaciones de intereses económicos, tenemos a pequeños comerciantes, vendedores ambulantes, reducidores, recicladores, estibadores, trabajadores, guachimanes y… ladrones, asaltantes, proxenetas, traficantes de drogas y alcohol barato, etc. Los ricos pueden aceptar mudarse a Santa Anita, pero los pobres y marginales no.
Around the big businesses with their wealthy merchants, an extensive network of exchanges involving many people and families is woven. These people live near La Parada and have formed their various ways of life around it. In that galaxy of constellations of economic interests, we have small merchants, street peddlers, receivers, stevedores, laborers, watchmen and…thieves, muggers, pimps, drug and cheap alcohol dealers, etc. The rich can accept moving to Santa Anita, but the poor and the marginalized cannot.
Santa Anita is the new wholesale market that is currently being put into motion. To this end there have been countless studies, dialogues [es] and delays that come even from the previous municipal administration that built the market. And although at first glance the market has many advantages [es] over the current one, not everyone is convinced [es] by the way things are being done, and not just the merchants and workers that are affected. On the blog TV Bruto, Julio Gómez commented [es]:
Sancionarán al comerciante que venda al menudeo, por kilos, por unidad, como actualmente se vende a cualquier persona en La Parada. El Nuevo Mercado de Santa Anita es solo para compradores acreditados por EMMSA, o sea, para “amas de casa” de monedero extra ancho:
“La gente pobre, ya no podrá acceder a este mercado, porque el monto mínimo de compra es S/.2000 por producto, ¿a dónde irán ellos?, a un intermediario, elevándose así los costos.” [Comentario LR]
They will penalize the merchant that sells at retail price, by kilos, per unit, like products are currently sold to any person at La Parada. The New Market in Santa Anita is only for EMMSA accredited buyers, or rather, for “housewives” and their extra wide purses.
“Poor people, who can no longer access the market, because the minimum purchase amount is S/.2000 (USD$800) per product, where do they go?, to a middleman, and the prices increase.”  [Comment from La República [es]]
It is obvious that many interests are involved in the movement of the wholesale market. Another point that is not so clear is the outcome once the land that La Parada currently occupies is vacated. While some say that it will continue to operate as a market on retail level, the city mayor stated [es] they would build a park and the district mayor has plans to build hotels [es]. The Facebook page Lugares Comunes (Common Places) delves a bit deeper [es] into the issue:
La prensa ha venido cubriendo el tema como un conflicto entre ‘buenos’ (los que quieren la reubicación) y ‘malos’. Se ha insistido sobre los intereses de quienes no quieren moverse, pero no se ha dicho casi nada de los intereses de quienes quieren que el terreno del mercado en La Parada cambie su uso (los ‘buenos’). Hay rumores sobre la venta de ese mercado, pero se ha investigado muy poco.
The press has been covering the issue as a conflict between ‘the good’ (those in favor of the relocation) and ‘the bad’. They have insisted on the interests of those who do not want to move, but they have said almost nothing about the interests of those who want the land that La Parada is situated on to change its use (the ‘good’). There are rumors about the sale of that market, but very little has been investigated.
However, returning to the issue of violence, the execution of the operation has been harshly criticized. Although it was not an eviction, in practice, knowing that the merchants were holding vigil [es] since Wednesday the 24 to prevent the blockage, it was logical to anticipate that some form of violence would occur, even more given the socioeconomic situation in the area. Furthermore, there was no warrant of fiscal support [es] for the operation.
On the blog Voz Liberal del Perú (Liberal Voice of Peru), Dante Bobadilla said [es] indignantly from a political position opposing mayor Villarán:
La Parada, Lima, Peru. Photo courtesy of Flickr user fokus Lima  (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
La zona de La Parada es sumamente densa por la cantidad de negocios de todo tipo que se concentran en varias cuadras de calles y avenidas aledañas. Por eso está permanentemente llena de multitudes. Pero además es una zona donde existen edificios multifamiliares donde vive gente de escaso nivel cultural que apenas se ganan la vida como ambulantes, estibadores o ladrones al paso. Así que llegar allí un día de semana a las 4 de la tarde a cerrarle el paso al mercado mayorista de La Parada con bloques de concreto, es un acto que ya ha pasado al registro de acciones más estúpidas hechas en la historia de la humanidad.
The area of La Parada is extremely dense because of the number of businesses of all types that are concentrated on several blocks on surrounding streets and avenues. That is why it is permanently filled with crowds. But it is also an area with multifamily buildings where people live at a low cultural level that barely make a living as peddlers, stevedores and thieves on the street. Therefore, getting there on a weekday at 4 in the afternoon to close off the wholesale market of La Parada with concrete blocks is an act that has already surpassed the record of the most stupid actions in the history of mankind.
Meanwhile, El Blog de Binario (Binary Blog) posted [es] on their Facebook page some things that, in their opinions, need to be discussed and clarified in regards to what happened at La Parada:
4. El alcalde de La Victoria ha informado en entrevista que muchos de estos vándalos han sido contratados por 100 soles. 5. Susana Villarán no se encuentra en Lima, no por capricho sino porque su nieto ha tenido una operación de emergencia pero ya estará de regreso en Lima hoy viernes. ¿Quieres que el caos y el desorden en medio de delincuencia siga reinando en La Parada? ¿Sí?, adelante, entonces culpa de todo a Susana Villarán.
4. The mayor of La Victoria has reported in interviews that many of the vandals were hired for 100 soles (around USD$40). 5. Susana Villarán is no where to be found in Lima, not on a whim but because her grandson has had an emergency operation but she will return to Lima on Friday. Do you want chaos and disorder amidst crime to continue reigning at La Parada? Yes?, go ahead, then blame it all on Susana Villarán.
The truth is that coincidentally or not, it was a terrible day for the mayor because that morning she discovered that the minimum requirement of signatures to request her recall [es] had been obtained. On his blog, writer Gustavo Faverón comments [es] from this perspective:
desde hace por lo menos cuarenta años está claro que La Parada es un foco de criminalidad, manejado por mafiosos, que vive completamente al margen del sistema legal peruano, comenzando por el rubro más básico en cuanto a comercio se refiere, que es el sistema impositivo. […] (Villarán) es la primera autoridad en nuestra historia que coge el toro por las astas, diseña un plan alternativo y trata de ponerlo en práctica.
A nadie debería sorprender, de hecho, que las acciones de Villarán sean combatidas inmediatamente por una banda lumpen de asesinos a sueldo reunida por un grupo de comerciantes mafiosos, y, al mismo tiempo, por gente de las filas del aprismo, el fujimorismo y Sendero Luminoso.
For at least forty years La Parada has been a center of crime, run by mobsters, that live completely outside the Peruvian legal system, starting with the most basic area of business, the tax system. . […] (Villarán) is the first authority in our history to grab the bull by the horns, designing an alternative plan and trying to put it into practice.
No one should be surprised, in fact, that Villarán's actions are immediately combatted by a band of underprivileged murderers for hire brought together by a group of merchant mobsters, and, at the same time, by people from the ranks of APRA, Fujimori, and the Shining Path.
It remains to be seen how much the mayor will deal with the recall process and with what happened at La Parada. Public opinion seems to see clearly that the administration made a mistake but also that moving the wholesale market is something that should happen no matter what. Although the following day there were thousands of police officers in the area, apparently ready to carry out the operation that was cut short, at about 7pm on Friday, October 26, they retreated from La Parada [es] without taking any action.

author: Juan Arellano


text:
Russia: Blogging Conference Draws Regional Participants · Global Voices
Andrey Tselikov

On October 29th over 200 Russian bloggers convened in Moscow to attend the so-called “UnForum [ru]” — an informal blogging conference organized by RIA Novosti, with support of LiveJournal. While the fact that the state-owned news agency is attempting to actively engage new media is interesting in its own right, other aspects of the conference were even more intriguing.
UnForum opening panel. Moscow. Youtube screenshot. November 1, 2012.
In particular, the UnForum emphasized its regional credentials. Indeed, attendees came from a wide range of Russia's federal regions — from Samara to Vladivostok — with groups of bloggers “representing [ru]” each region at the conference (some participants came from outside of Russia — there were several bloggers [ru] from Transnistria). Bloggers listened to presentations from RIAN and Russia's Minister of Communications, as well as representatives of LiveJournal. They also attended a variety of seminars [ru] on blog monetization and personal branding led by celebrity bloggers like Ilya Varlamov and Anton Nosik.
The news agency overture to diversify away from Moscow and St. Petersburg markets, where Russian internet users are still largely concentrated, was backed up by a concrete offer. At the conference RIA Novosti announced the creation of a “Blogger Club,” which would give members access to agency news archives as well as photographs in exchange for active participation and exclusive content. What would RIAN get out of the arrangement? A blogger from the Altai region explains [ru] one theory:
Фактически сейчас РИА начинают активную экспансию в регионы, им нужны, как сейчас модно говорить “люди на местах”. С кого начать? […] Очевидный ответ – блогеры. […] Сегодня нам предложили фактически стать еще дополнительной сотней корреспондентов РИА в регионах.
In essence RIA is starting to actively expand into the regions, they need, as they say “people on the ground.” Where do they begin? […] The obvious answer is bloggers. […] Today they offered us to essentially become an additional hundred RIA regional correspondents.
Astrakhan blogger agaffonov, who did not attend, finds [ru] that the blogger benefits of participating in this club are unclear at best:
блогер это явление, при котором очень сильно играет роль его индивидуальности. Если блогер использует чужие материалы, пусть и уникальные, то он всё равно проиграет.
a blogger is a phenomenon which is strongly influenced by its individuality. If a blogger uses other people's materials, even if they are unique, he will still lose.
Some attendees went further in their criticism, like Krasnoyarsk blogger Ilya Labunsky, who wrote [ru]:
блогеров из регионов изо всех сил хотят от политики отвадить. Переформатировать, заставить писать на позитивные, или на худой конец нейтральные темы. […] Откровенно говоря – провинциальных блогеров пытались купить […]
they are trying to drive regional bloggers away from politics. To change their format, make them write about positive, or at least neutral topics. […] Frankly speaking – someone was trying to buy the provincial bloggers […]
RIA Novosti representative, Svetlana Mironiuk, responded to critics saying their suspicions are unfounded, and that the conference was an independent initiative:
никто нас не просил блогеров созывать, чтобы на них как-то воздействовать, делать их лояльными или ими манипулировать.
no one asked us to convene the bloggers, to influence them in some way, to make them loyal or manipulate them.
Incidentally, Labunsky caused a minor stir at the conference which he so criticized. During presentations the organizers employed a popular gimmick of using the stage background to display tweets with conference hash-tags  When the Minister of Communications read a congratulatory greeting to conference participants from Prime Minister Medvedev during the opening panel, Labunksy petulantly tweeted [ru]:
#neforum идите нахуй со своим Медведевым!
#neforum fuck off with your Medvedev!
To the merriment of many, the ill-fated tweet was promptly displayed on the screen [ru].

author: Andrey Tselikov