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Trinidad & Tobago: Blogger Karen Walrond is All About Love  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Love is in the air; today is Valentine's Day and lovebirds everywhere are causing sales of greeting cards, chocolates and flowers to skyrocket, while those looking for love may be hoping that Cupid points his bow in their direction. But love is so much more layered than the romantic love of Eros; what better gift for Valentine's Day than to talk about love with a Caribbean blogger whose entire mission revolves around sending love and positive energy into the blogosphere?
Karen Walrond, better known as chookooloonks, is a Trinidad-born, diaspora photoblogger whose images and words explore the beauty, passion – and yes, challenges – of life to uncover the sacred in the everyday. And the love she puts out has come back to reward her in droves. Here's what Karen had to say about love, fear…and blogging!
Karen Walrond, who blogs at chookooloonks
Global Voices: Your blog has always had a joy about it, even when you were still wrestling with whether or not to keep being a lawyer. How did your online voice evolve and well…what did love have to do with it?
Karen Walrond: I actually started blogging in 2004, and back then, the traditional “voice” for personal blogs (particularly parenting blogs) was sort of wry, sarcastic and snarky. Because of this, I felt like I had to write in a wry, sarcastic and snarky way — and while I certainly have that side, I found writing that way incredibly exhausting and depleting. Over time, I realized that (a) I didn't want to be seen that way, (b) I didn't actually view my life that way, and (c) I certainly didn't want a “permanent” record on the Internet of my being that way. I did a bit of soul-searching, and realized I'd rather follow the lessons from my good Trini parents and grandparents that love is what should guide our actions. And so, I changed how I wrote on the web. And the way I write now feels much more authentic for me.
GV: Love is a recurring theme for you – for example, your Love Thursday feature. Why is this important to you, what developments and opportunities have you seen come out of it and how does your photography complement it?
KW: Love is really, everything, and for me, it's the source of finding beauty around me. As a photographer, this is imperative. And so many opportunities have arisen from this — most notably my recent trip to Kenya with ONE.org. I was tasked with photographing the beauty I found around me, and happily, falling in love with Kenya (and ONE.org) was easy.
GV: Your book was a labour of love and was really well received. Tell me about your latest initiatives.
KW: It definitely was! One of the happy things that resulted from the book was my new online ecourse, Path Finder — a way of identifying the wonderful things there are to love about yourself, and how they're very likely your superpowers. Secondly, I also started my subscription gratitude practice this year, gratitude.2012 — which is a way to chronicle the things you're grateful for in your life through photography, while simultaneously helping the entrepreneurs in developing countries. So I'm really excited about all of this — the love is spreading!
GV: The way you look at love is refreshing. You deal not only with romantic love, which, let's face it, is the primary marketing focus of the day, but also on familial and platonic love. Tell me about your perspective on love.
KW: I've always thought that it was a pity that romantic love gets an entire 24 hours, yet there's never been a day set aside for all the other types of love that there are in the world — as you say, familial and platonic love, but also just the kindnesses that often occur between strangers. I think it's that kind of love that can really change the world. So while I certainly welcome romantic love (and my husband and I will celebrate), I try to be mindful of all other kinds of love on my website on February 14th. Because I think it's extremely important.
GV: I think that people are motivated by one of two things: love or fear. True? And if so, how do you manage to be so brave online? You put everything out there, from innermost thoughts to family photos – and the Internet is not always a loving place.
KW: Oh, I don't know about that — I wish people were motivated by love, but I think fear is more common! I think it takes a conscious effort to be motivated by love: a friend once told me that love isn't an emotion, it's a decision, and I think she's right.
Also, while I'm flattered you think me brave, I actually don't put everything out there. For example, even though I certainly often deal with challenges in my life, I try really hard to make a habit (and trust me, this is a conscious decision) of focusing as much as possible on what is going on that is good in my life, even if it feels like what's good is being greatly outweighed by what's difficult. I don't try to make my life look perfect (and am, in fact, very open on my site that life is anything but), but I try very hard to minimize the complaining that I do online.
And I think because I'm very open about this, that I acknowledge pain and suffering, but am making a conscious effort to maintain a gratitude practice through my words and images, people respond well. I'm lucky, but I have only very rarely had someone be unkind to me or other people on my site. But the people who visit my site, thankfully, know I won't tolerate unkindness there. It's a mean-free zone.
GV: Does having Trinidadian roots, an American upbringing and an English husband influence how you express your love online? (I'm asking in the context of this post about the entryway.)
KW: Oh, I don't know — I think love is sort of universal language, don't you? :)
GV: What are the three things you love most about being a blogger?
KW: It's hard to narrow it down to just three! Let's see: I obviously love using the medium as a way of self-expression. I've been doing this almost daily for 8 years, and I can't imagine my life without it anymore — it has become a wonderful way to chronicle the good there is in life. Secondly, I love the way that some of my very best friends in life are people who I met because they visited my blog, or I visited theirs. Without blogging, I would've never met many of the most important people to me. And finally, I love all the opportunity that blogging has afforded me — from my book deal to traveling to Kenya, none of it would have been possible without my blog.
GV: Any Valentine's Day messages?
KW: Absolutely: I wish everyone a day — and a life — filled with love.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Trinidad & Tobago: Carnival Culture?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“What it has become and where it is going?”: The TnT River looks at the history – and the future – of Trinidad Carnival.

source: news-globalvoices

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


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Tunisia: Social Media Campaign to Legalize Marijuana Underway · Global Voices
Ahmed Medien

Legalize It was an album by the Jamaican and pro-marijuana consumption, Peter Tosh, in 1976. Now Legalize It! is a social media campaign for the legalization of marijuana in Tunisia.
Many Tunisian Facebook users set an event [fr] on Facebook to meet up in front of the headquarters of the Parliament in Bardo, on Saturday February 18, 2012, to demand stopping legal prosecution for smoking marijuana in the country. To date, more than 4,600 Facebook users have signed up to attend the ‘event,’ to which another 25,400 have been invited.
The Facebook page is updated daily with dozens of wall posts that support the consumption of weed. Support photographs, scientific articles to argue in favour of the benefits of marijuana and videos are shared and “liked” by users every day.
Many Tunisians are aware of these scientific facts. Their only comment is “The world is upside down!” Satirical comments are also not strange to social media, where people denounce the harsh legal punishments imposed on the consumption of marijuana in Tunisia. Legal punishment for its consumption can go up to 1 year in prison and a 1000-Dinar ($750) fine.
On Twitter, users also shared their opinions about the legalization of weed. @BoukornineBlog tweeted [fr]:
@BoukornineBlog: C'est tout de même insensé d'interdire la fumette dans un pays qui part en fumée. #LegalizeIt #QuelGachpit fb.me/1JEUBEuJ2
Another video was uploaded on YouTube not so long ago to condemn this legal punishment. The video, in Arabic and French, has so far been viewed more than 7,300 times:
In the video, uploaded by bassethkimi, the person being interviewed argues that marijuana has no proven negative effects on its consumer. He also argues that the legal punishment is too harsh for young Tunisians who often want to try joints but then find themselves incarcerated for one year or longer.
The video introduction reads [ar]:
The interviewee also says:
Bring Ben Ali back and try him for drugs circulation and then ask me for a urinal test.
Urinal tests in Tunisia are arbitrary. Policemen may hold anyone in the street and ask them for urinal test without their consent. And since marijuana and other herbal substances remain in human blood stream for 40 long days, it is easy to incarcerate youngsters and accuse and try them for using drugs.
On Facebook, users are serious about their demands. Another Facebook page [fr] was even created for the sake of informing social media users about international law concerning the use of marijuana. The page states the demands of the protest:
Principales revendications du #18fev :
1) Abolition de l'analyse bilogique arbitraire (car illégale et anti-constitutionnelle). 2) Abolition de la peine de 1 an de prison et 1000 dinars d'amende (car contraire à la déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme et plusieurs lois tunisiennes dont la constitution).
3) Maintenir l'interdiction de la consommation dans les endroits publics sous peine d'amende à petit montant (pour contourner la corruption).
4) Restructurer la brigade des stups, concentrer la lutte anti-drogue aux frontières et au démantèlement des réseaux de blanchiment d'argent associés.
5) Création d'un observatoire national de toxicomanie afin de prévenir les addictions et relever des statistiques capables de mieux cener, analyser et remédier au fléau.
6) Favoriser le tissu associatif dans ce sens, promouvoir l'art et les activités sportives en plein air (street).
Bloggers also had their opinion about the legalization of marijuana in Tunisia. Mehdi Ayadi, web editor at Tunisian radio Mosaique FM, writes in an article [fr] on nawaat.org that legalization of weed could be beneficial to all parties:
Mais bien plus, soutiennent d’autres études scientifiques qui mettent en avant l’effet thérapeutique d’une utilisation modérée et à petites doses de ces drogues tel que le traitement des migraines, allégement des nausées et des douleurs liées à la chimiothérapie, empêchement de crises d’épilepsie, maitrise de la paralysie en cas de sclérose en plaque…
Mehdi also states how the legalization of marijuana could be beneficial for governmental authorities too:
Une légalisation partielle et contrôlée par l’Etat, peut contribuer à mieux lutter contre les trafics et les dealers.

author: Ahmed Medien


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West Papua: A Different Side of the Independence Struggle through Video · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

A video letter from a woman in West Papua to an Indonesian soldier echoes the stories of many other women in the area. In this case, she asks the soldier, who was once based in her village, to please write and return to meet his daughter.
This video is part of the efforts Engage Media is making to give coverage to the issues in the region, along with other project partners.
The Papuan Voices project overcomes political, geographical and financial barriers – as well as lack of technology – to bring important Papuan stories to the world. In doing so, it shines light on the injustices that regularly occur behind the closed doors of this resource-rich and restive province.
Love Letter to a Soldier is subtitled in different languages, including English, Tagalog, Malay, Indonesian, Thai and Tetum.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Bahrain: Tweeting the Revolution’s First Anniversary · Global Voices
Mona Kareem

This post is part of our special coverage Bahrain Protests 2011.
This Tuesday 14 February, 2012, Bahrainis practiced their daily habit of protesting but this time with larger numbers trying to reach the former epicentre of demonstrations in 2011 – Pearl (Lulu) Roundabout in the capital Manama.
February 14 marked the one year anniversary of their revolution, which has been severely repressed by the regime backed by the troops of the Gulf Cooperation Council's Peninsula Shield Force.
Since the revolutionary protests started, tens of people have been killed either by bullets, tear gas suffocation, torture, or by police cars running them over. Many opposition figures, medics, athletes, students, netizens, journalists and unknown protesters are still in jail or facing trial. Yet, oppression has not succeeded in holding the protests back.
The virtual flower that IFEX designed in a supporting campaign for Bahrain's revolution
Hacking for Bahrain
The day of the anniversary started off with the online group ‘Anonymous’ taking down the websites of a United States tear gas manufacturing company, pro-government newspaper Al-Ayaam, and the Bahrain government.
Anonymous published a statement about what they called #OperationBahrain – part of their #HackVDay:
So you war profiteering all crazy, selling mad chemical weapons to militaries and cop shops around the world, thinking you will get away unscathed by the rising tides of insurrection? Think again, assholes. Combined Systems, lay down your arms: you just lost the game. In the past we have marched on your offices in Jamestown, Pennsylvania: now it is time to march on your websites. All your “less than lethal” arms were simply no match for our 9000 cocks and mad black hat technique. We came, we saw, we rooted and rm'd your website. Umad?
Marching and tear gas
Pictures of protesters attempting to reach Pearl Roundabout were published through Twitter. The roundabout, where major protests took place in 2011, was demolished by the regime to erase the memory of the revolution; the site was enclosed by wires before Tuesday to prevent any gatherings.
These were some of the early pictures of the protests:
Attempting to reach Pearl Roundabout. Photo posted by Twitter user @A7med_BH
@Moawen: Bahrain government attacked a school in Sitra with tear gases
@Moawen: Youth continue their peaceful march to Lulu
One of the notable pictures of the day was posted by Twitter user @Moawen from Sanabis:
Bahraini activist in exile, Maryam Al-Khawaja, kept carrying out updates online:
@MARYAMALKHAWAJA: Two young men, Mohammed AlHaiki and Mohammed Jaffar, who walked to pearl square carrying only a #bahrain flag were arrested.
News of tear gas and police presence came from different parts of the country:
@drFatimaHj: Shooting is continuous now #BaniJamra sound grenades and tear gas although there is no crowd to disperse!!
Mohammed Ashoor tweeted updates from different parts of Bahrian. He posted:
@mohdashoor: Sanabis village has been under heavy attack since early morning & many arrests, house raids & teargas showers reported!!
Twitter user Ashoor (@mohdashoor) posted this picture from Daih Village:
Image by Twitter user @mohdashoor
Other pictures were tweeted of tear gas filling several villages. This one is from Sanabis:
Image by Twitter user @Fatima_xc
This video (uploaded to YouTube by KhabbazoOo [ar]) shows a house burning because of security bombs, according to the description:
Stopping political naturalization has been one of the main demands by protestors in Bahrain. This tweet came in relevance:
@JShahryar: Bahraini just asked me on Twitter how to say “Don't Shoot!” in Urdu so the Pakistani/Indian cops won't shoot them
Countless arrests
As usual, the police did not hesitate in blocking or arresting protesters. One Twitter user posted:
@ba7rainiDXB: An blonde expat was just roughed up by the police next Gufool traffic light !! He was walking towards lulu.
Others wrote:
@BHRS2001: Nine women arrested this morning from Sanabis village, being kept at AlHoora Police Station
@BHRS2001: Isa Ibrahim has broken both his legs after being run over and is in AlQal'aa hospital
@iFattema: Teargas enters to the house. we can't do anything. anything..they still shooting in an exaggerated manner.
This is a picture of protesters laying down before getting arrested:
@Lulu_Geek: Hidden for safety
Detaining activists
Nabeel Rajab, a well-known human rights activist who moderates the Bahrain Human Rights Center and the Gulf Human Rights Center, has been calling on people to show up and use the revolution's first anniversary to let the regime know that the struggle is not stopping and that the people still demand democracy, freedom and justice, as he said in this video:
The role Rajab has played in leading the uprising in past months has irritated the regime; he was beaten up last month and as he was marching this Tuesday, he was detained for several hours alongside some American activists who came to monitor the situation.
Activist Nabeel Rajab marching towards Pearl Roundabout. Image by Twitter user @WLEXT
Reuters correspondent Andrew Hammond posted this picture of Nabeel Rajab saying the activist was sitting after what appeared to be an illegal stroll, with riot cop guarding:
Image by Twitter user @Hammonda1
‘Witness Bahrain’ is a team of Americans who went to document violations during the revolution's first anniversary. Six of them were arrested and will be deported according to their website statement. One of them is activist Radhika Sainath who has talked to Los Angles Times describing the details of her arrest.
Zainab Al-Khawaja was arrested two days before the anniversary for the second time in few months. She is a prominent blogger and the daughter of opposition leader Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja who is hunger striking as he serves a life sentence in jail. This tweet came in remembrance:
@Freealkhawaja: As @angryarabiya spends her 3rd day in prison 4 attempting 2 return 2 Pearl Square, #Bahrain govt renews violence against protesters
News of slow Internet and disrupted television channels has also circulated through social media sites. One of the BBC's shows tweeted in this regard:
@BBC_WHYS: British expat says #BBC World Service has been shut down in Bahrain.
This post is part of our special coverage Bahrain Protests 2011.

author: Mona Kareem


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Bermuda: 88 year old Citizen Publicly Acknowledged for Spreading Happiness · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Johnny Barnes is an 88 year old citizen of Bermuda who every morning spends 6 hours waving and greeting people, just to let them know that they are loved. The documentary by Matt Morris Films, Mr. Happy Man,  shows what an important part of the island he's become. (via Neatorama)


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China: Bum Rushing The Bus · Global Voices
John Kennedy

On a Baidu forum, one user has posted photos of what is apparently now a common sight surrounding certain buses in downtown Beijing's Guomao area: so many people gathered in the cold that passengers have begun climbing through windows just to get some space on the bus.

author: John Kennedy


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China: Cosplay Star Loses Battle With Cancer · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Wang Lin (aka Feng Jianya), a prominent member of China's grassroots cosplay scene throughout the past decade and winner under the individual category in a cosplay competition at ChinaJoy 2007, passed away February 13 just following her 30th birthday after more than a year-long battle with cancer. See some of her work here, here and here.


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Cuba: Cleaning Up for Papal Visit?  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

El Cafe Cubano reports that residents who live close to the Basilica of the Patron Saint of Cuba, a destination that is on Pope Benedict XVI's itinerary when he visits Cuba next month, are being evicted in en effort to “[cover] up the prevailing misery that the Cuban people are suffering in the island.”


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“Dying to Live”: Khader Adnan’s Hunger Strike for Palestinian Rights · Global Voices
Leila Nachawati Rego

“By the time you read these words, Khader Adnan could be dead.”
This is how Palestinian activist Ali Abunimah starts his piece on the 33-year-old Palestinian baker and graduate student who has been on hunger strike in an Israeli prison since December 18, 2012. Adnan is on strike to protest a raid on his family home by Israeli occupation forces and to bring worldwide attention to the fact that Palestinians are held without being charged on a daily basis.
After two months of refusing any food, Adnan's vital organs may cease to function at any moment, but his spirit remains unbroken. On a message widely shared by human rights organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, he asserts:
An image calling for Khader Adnan's freedom
I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on.
Clashes between Israeli forces and Palestinians have occurred in front of Ofer prison, where Adnan remains in detention. The tension will probably increase over the next few days, since demonstrations are being planned all over the country in solidarity with the striking prisoner. Palestinian activist Thameena Husary [ar] tweeted:
دعوات للانضمام للفعاليات الاحتجاجة. غدا في الناصرة 19:00 مساء. في شفاعمرو يوم الجمعة 19:00. يوم السبت أم الفحم 16:00. #Respect4Khader
Clashes at Ofer Prison (photo credit: Fadi Arouri)
On Twitter, under several different hashtags–such as #khaderanan, #respect4khaled, #hungerstrike, #freekhaderadnan and #dying2live–netizens have expressed their outrage at the injustice Palestinians suffer under Israeli apartheid. The Internet is also flooded with videos such as this one called “Solidarity, Dying to live,” where people from all over the world stand in solidarity with Adnan and demand his immediate release:
Several netizens have referred to the fact that other imprisoned Palestinians have also started a hunger strike. Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin tweeted:
@ASE:Palestinian inmates join #KhaderAdnan, who has gone w/out food or water to protest arbitrary detention aljazeera.com/video/middleea…
Gaza TV News brings attention to the messages of support Adnan has received:
Khader Adnan receives message of support from former Hunger Striker Tommy McKearney! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G1iwWZJPl_k&feature=youtu.be #dyingtolive
Netizens are also using attention brought to Khader Adnan's critical condition to share other cases of human rights abuses by the Israeli forces. Palestinian activist Maat Musleh highlights:
IOF snipers just target another child after hitting a child in the eye, both are rushed to the hospital #FreeKhaderAdnan
While solidarity from citizens all over the world increases, political representatives such as British Foreign Minister William Hague remain silent as the longest hunger striking Palestinian prisoner in history enters his 60th day on strike.  As Ali Abunimah tweeted:
Sarkozy, Ban Ki-moon & others met with family of Israeli ex-POW but ignore #KhaderAdnan & other Palestinian prisoners.

author: Leila Nachawati Rego


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France : Dozens of Anti-ACTA Protests  · Global Voices
Suzanne Lehn

Despite freezing temperatures, a few thousand netizens joined the Saturday Feb. 11 worldwide protests against ACTA, in Paris and some 40 other cities in France. One can find pictures on clubic.com, a video of the protests [fr] on Madmax's blog, an  Anti – Acta France Facebook page and the  details [fr] of a petition on the Gizmodo blog.

author: Suzanne Lehn


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France: Racial Profiling by Police Officers   · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

The Local blog posts a Human Rights Watch report that states : “French police use broad powers to conduct abusive identity checks on black and Arab young men and boys despite the absence of any evidence of wrongdoing, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.”

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Greece: 13th International Guitar Festival in Volos · Global Voices
Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni

On 18-19 February, 2012, the 13th International Guitar Winter Festival will take place [el] in Volos, Thessalia, with participants both in classical and electrical guitar competitions. The event's aim is to bring together guitarists of all ages from Greece and abroad to develop their musical skills and be united under their common passion, music.

author: Veroniki Bacharidi-Krikoni


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Honduras: Prison Fire Kills Hundreds · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

A blaze broke out on Tuesday night, February 14, in a prison in Comayagua. The blog Honduras News has published several posts (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ) on the fire, while Adrienne Pine recommends watching “Oscar Estrada's film El Porvenir for background.”

author: Silvia Viñas


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Introducing Bloggers and Twitter Users from Ecuador · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

From October 19 to 23, 2011, two thousand “campuseros” (bloggers, developers, and other technology enthusiasts) gathered in the Ecuadorian capital to participate in Campus Party Quito [es]: “the world's largest technology, leisure and digital culture event”. Global Voices was present during the event in order to give a brief presentation [es] of our activities in the BarCamp of the Campus Party, as well as to establish good connections with members of the Ecuadorian blogosphere.
The following interviews with outstanding Ecuadorian bloggers and twitterers were recorded during the event and they try to describe the wealth and variety of ways in which Ecuadorians use the Internet and social media.
Fiorella Álvarez is @FioreAlvarez on Twitter and she has two blogs: Bitácora de Fiore Álvarez [es] (Fiore Álvarez´log), a personal blog, and Ciencias Sociales en breve [es] (Social Science in brief) where she writes about issues regarding her studies.
Roberto Esteves writes about computers, social networks and other related issues in his blog Roberto Esteves – Blog [es], and he also collaborates in the collective music blog The Wildchildren [es]. On Twitter he is @restevesd.
Andrea Rodríguez, who turned out to be a gamer, is an active participant and administrator of Ecuagamers [es], the web site and forum of the Ecuadorian gaming community. She also blogs, although not very frequently, on her personal blog El Blog de Yunie [es] (Yunie´s blog). On Twitter her nickname is @yunie5.
Pablo Garzón, better known as @pgarzon on Twitter, is a lawyer and a very active user of this social media site trying to take advantage of the possibilities to interact and create discussions with his followers, especially regarding politics and current events in Ecuador.
Galo Pérez writes about the city of Quito, its peculiarities and anecdotes, in his blog Quito Escondido [es] (Hidden Quito). You can follow the blog on Twitter: @QuitoEscondido. You can also follow Galo at @galoperezc.
Adriana Albán presented [es] about Internet users rights at the Barcamp of the Campus Party. In her blog El Blog de Adriemilia [es], she normally touches upon issues related to the Internet. Her nickname on Twitter is @adriemilia.
Finally, Efrén Guerrero has two blogs; a personal one, Aura Neurótica [es] (Neurotic Aura), and Fundamentos de las Ciencias Sociales [es] (Foundation of the Social Science), which corresponds with the courses he teaches at university. On Twitter you can follow him through @auraneurotica.
You can find more Ecuadorian Twitter users on this Twitter list; as well as a photo sequence made by Carlos Correa showing Twitter users with their corresponding @.

author: Juan Arellano


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Italy: New Volunia Search Engine Intrigues Blogosphere · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Volunia is a brand new search engine which encourages interaction between people searching for the same topics in different languages. Although news of its creation was made public just a few days ago, on Monday 6 February, 2012, Volunia has already caused a stir in the blogosphere, ranging from enthusiasm to disappointment in many languages. The new search engine tool was created by an Italian professor of Computer Science.
Jean-Marie [fr] of website presse-citron.net seemed amazed not only that the project  [fr] had seen the light of day, but also that it had originated within a university:
Créer un moteur de recherche ! En 2012 ? Dans un marché planétaire phagocyté par des monopolistes géants qu’on peut compter sur les doigts de la main. L’imaginer, au plan conceptuel, en développer toute la technique, extrêmement sophistiquée, pour le plus dans un contexte académique, en impliquant des étudiants dans ce beau projet, ambitieux, trouver des fonds, puis tenter de le déployer au niveau mondial, d’emblée en 12 langues (allemand, anglais, espagnol, français, italien, portugais, polonais, arabe, russe, japonais, chinois, coréen), tel est le défi accompli par Massimo Marchiori, professeur  à l’Université de Padoue.
Smriti Jha, writer on the blog crazyengineers.com explains the origins of the name:
Deriving from the Italian words volo (flying) and luna (moon), Volunia is the fruitful result of three years of hard work put in by Marchiori.
On the blog abondance.com Olivier Andrieu [fr] gave his opinion [fr] following a performance review of this new search engine:
–       Que nos premiers pas semblent prometteurs : le site est rapide (encore heureux en version bêta, ceci dit…), les résultats de recherche sont plutôt pertinents à première vue, bref, l'outil semble bien né…
- Volunia transformera-t-il l'essai ? Sans parler de véritable révolution, ce nouveau moteur de recherche est agréable sans réellement changer nos habitudes. Il a en tout cas l'avantage de proposer une alternative à Google. Quant à dire s'il va le concurrencer dans les mois qui viennent, c'est une autre question. C'est en tout cas ce que l'avenir dira lorsqu'il s'ouvrira de façon plus large à ses utilisateurs. Ce sont eux qui jugeront. Mais nos premiers tests semblent plutôt positifs…
- First impressions seem promising – the site is rapid (that said, it is still in beta mode), search results seem pretty accurate so far. This search engine seems to have been well thought out….
- Will Volunia transform the Internet search? Although not exactly a revolution, this new search engine is pleasant to use, while not dramatically changing how we do do things. At least it has the advantage of offering an alternative to Google. Whether it will be able to compete with it in the months to come is another question. The future will reveal all, as, when Volunia is more widely available, users will judge its potential. I would say our first trials have been fairly positive…
This article unleashed a wave of commentary, including the following [fr] from a user named Kershin [fr]:
Personnellement, je suis aussi un power user et, bien que l'idée soit sympa, je trouve l'interface ultra lourde. Il y a trop de barres partout, trop de fonctions. Quand on vient de Google et son style épuré, on est vite surchargé par l'interface. A mon avis, ils gagneraient à laisser l'utilisateur activer ou désactiver certaines fonctionnalités..
A French tech website [fr] gave the following opinion:
L'index de Volunia ne souffre pas (encore) la comparaison avec de plus gros moteurs, et les SERPS n'affichent pour l'instant que des sites ayant une certaine autorité. Les discussions entre power users sur le chat font état d'un certain manque de pertinence sur les recherches de personnes (ahhhhh… les premières requêtes d'ego surfing pour s'admirer dans le miroir virtuel ;-)
A user named Andy said [fr]:
Je disais qu'on déloge un grand concurrent, non pas en l'attaquant de face, mais en introduisant des petites améliorations “pas menaçantes”. Sur ce plan Volunia a aussi des points positifs : l'idée de créer une sorte de “réseau social” entre personnes qui se sont intéressées au même sujet, et de les inviter à communiquer entre elles (et sans doute à donner aussi des informations à Volunia, de manière nettement plus intelligente que Knowl), est une bonne idée. Elle a ces caractéristiques : amélioration, sans attaque de front. En ce qui concerne les résultats des requêtes, pour l'instant c'est ridicule. Il vaut mieux que Volunia signe tant que c'est possible un accord avec “un des grands moteurs”. (Si je veux inventer un nouveau moyen de transport avec des roues, je ne vais pas mettre une équipe d'ingénieurs sur la réinvention de la roue…)
Bobbie Johnson wrote the following in an article entitled “Is Volunia Italy’s answer to Google — or just hot air?” published on the blog gigaom.com:
To me, everything from Volunia so far seems to suggest it’s trying to solve a problem that nobody needs to solve right now. I can’t wait to see it open up and find out whether I’m right or wrong.
This opinion was also shared by Jian who posted this comment after the article:
I am a power user too and tried it.
You said well, it does look like it is trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist yet.
But anyway, I hope it could make an impact, since we don’t want to have just a Google to take over the whole market…
Another reader of this article, Nebil Kriedi, not sharing this opinion, responded:
A problem which doesn’t exists? [sic]
Do you really think that searching for something on the web ends up on showing a dozen of links like most search engine does?
I personally think that your search ends when you find the CONTENT you’re looking for, not just a stupid and chaotic html.
For what I saw, volunia seems to be be designed for that kind of search, a search which brings you straight on the content by following your navigation inside the website.
The idea behind its design (awful) it’s brilliant to me and I hope the execution would be fine too.
A user named Liz left the following comment:
I like the idea of a way to interact with other visitors on a page. Question is how would it be monitored for security and safety reasons?
I’m always curious who will rival G[oogle]. The bigger you are the harder you fall… eventually…
After analysing the various aspects of this new search engine, online services specialist Paola Bonomo highlighted the new features which set it apart from other search engines. She did not seem terribly impressed in her review [it] on her blog pandemia.info:
Ha veramente senso commentare una pagina con gli altri utenti che la visitano? Se cerco informazioni, sono più interessato ai contenuti della pagina o ai commenti lasciati da altri pochi utenti? Forse più i primi che i secondi. Non necessariamente deve essere social ogni momento passato in rete, soprattutto se siamo già abituati a commentare con un tweet su Twitter o con una segnalazione su Facebook o usando uno dei plugin social di Facebook. Perché cambiare? Qui l’integrazione con Facebook e Twitter dovrà essere spinta per far cambiare comportamento agli utenti.
A Spanish-based tech website, danilodellaquila.com, recorded its verdict:
Volunia adds new concepts and ideas about the web, also it adds the “Social” concept to the search engine. Also Google is doing it, with its +1 and G+ but I prefer the Volunia way, it feels closest to real life.
A Russian social media blog smm-promo.ru warned [ru]:
Итак начинается тестирование новой поисковой системы Volunia, представленной на 12 языках. Mail.ru и Яндекс берегитесь.


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Madagascar: The Aftermath of Cyclone Giovanna in Videos and Photos  · Global Voices
Lova Rakotomalala

Cyclone Giovanna made landfall in Madagascar [fr] on February 13, 2012, at 20h00 local time. The cyclone is classified as a category 4, with winds of up to 194 km (120 mph) ripping up trees and electricity pylons.
Official reports have stated that there are at least 10 casualties as of now. The two main cities in Madagascar, Antananarivo and Toamasina, were out of power for long stretches of the darkest Valentine's Day yet in the country.
People affected by floods in Madagascar. Image by Minosoa Paniela, used with permission.
Despite the drastic conditions, citizen media users were able to report on the impact of the cyclone in their region. About 1,100 Twitter updates mentioned the cyclone in the past 48 hours. Malagasy residents were posting Facebook photos in their neighborhood  and a crowdsourcing interactive map was set up to collect reports from social networks, emails and SMS. A blog solely dedicated to posting photos of the Cyclone in Madagascar was also created.
A crowdsourcing interactive map by a collection of Malagasy bloggers
Here are a few photos and videos that provide a snapshot of the extent of disaster:
Citizens still smiling despite the flood caused by Cyclone Giovanna by Twitter user @aKoloina
The River Imamba floods home and cars in Sabotsy Namena by giovanna77.blogg.org
Queueing in the flood. Image by Madaplus.fr

author: Lova Rakotomalala


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Martinique: All together around Creole · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

The Creole language in the Caribbean and the cooperation between islands were recently discussed during the Creole-speaking Regions Days, as explained in this post on Tous Créoles [Fr Cr/Fr]. One of the most debated issues was a visa waiving program between the French Caribbean islands and the rest of the West Indies.

author: Fabienne Flessel


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Martinique, Guadeloupe, France: MP Letchimy Against Minister Guéant · Global Voices
Fabienne Flessel

Bloggers and mainstream journalists around the French-speaking blogosphere have been buzzing once more about French Minister of Home Affairs, Claude Guéant. He is notorious for suggesting extreme right-wing policies about national identity, religion and immigration, as confirmed by this headline [fr] from French mainstream information website Le Monde:
Claude Guéant, habitué des polémiques
which covers different ideas developed by Guéant like:
La ‘croisade’ en Libye
or
Pas de ‘signes religieux’ pour les “usagers du service public”
One of his extremely controversial ideas regarding the visas delivered to foreign graduates in France has been discussed here on Global Voices.
With the tense atmosphere of the upcoming French presidential elections, every word uttered by front-rank politicians from all parties are closely examined and judged – no surprise, then, that this sentence from Guéant in a meeting organized by a right-wing students’ union on January 6, 2012, has unleashed a fury among the public opinion:
Toutes les civilisations ne se valent pas…
The reactions have been numerous and varied, some agreeing and others vehemently disagreeing – even in his own political family – but to this day the most memorable response has come from Serge Letchimy, a left-wing MP from Martinique, French West Indies, who condemned Guéant's words and ideas in a letter published on his own blog [fr] and read before all the MPs:
Vous nous ramenez, jour après jour, à ces idéologies européennes qui ont donné naissance aux camps de concentration, au bout du long chapelet esclavagiste et colonial.
Monsieur Guéant le régime nazi, si soucieux de purification, si hostile à toutes les différences, était-ce une civilisation ? La barbarie de l’esclavage et de la colonisation, était-ce une mission civilisatrice ?
Here [fr] is the video showing Letchimy reading his letter, the content of which caused a wave of indignation among the right-wing MPs and members of the French Government, who left the benches of the French National Assembly under the pretext that Letchimy was outrageously associating the Minister with the Nazi regime. They later asked for official apologies, to show their support to Claude Guéant.
However, his words visibly inspired a movement of opposition against the Minister of Home Affairs among French West Indian and French bloggers and readers alike. In a post at Montray Kréyol [fr], renowned Martinican author Patrick Chamoiseau explains why Letchimy's ideas deserve to be defended.
M. Letchimy a donc vu juste et a dit ce qu'il fallait dire comme il fallait le dire.
Et il a fait honneur non seulement à la Martinique mais à la France et à son Assemblée Nationale toute entière. Car enfin, sans lui, le « célébrant des civilisations supérieures » serait venu, se serait assis, aurait écouté je ne sais [quelle] politiquerie, et serait reparti sans que rien ni personne ne lui trouble la conscience.
On No apologies, no disciplinary measures, full support to Mr Letchimy” and “Petition in support of Serge Letchimy” [fr].
Coincidentally or not, this controversy took place a couple days before Claude Guéant visits Martinique and Guadeloupe, in order to launch the presidential campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy in the Overseas regions of France. Grabbing the opportunity to show their ideological and political opposition to the Minister, two Guadeloupean political personalities, a left-wing Minister of Parliament and a Senator, released a statement [fr], published by Caraib Creole News:
Nous avons été informés de votre prochain déplacement en Guadeloupe et nous sommes au regret de vous faire savoir que nous ne pourrons vous y recevoir.
They conclude their statement with a reminder of a similar decision made by the late Aimé Césaire in 2005.
En décembre 2005, afin de marquer son indignation suite au vote d’une loi reconnaissant « le rôle positif de la présence française outre-mer », Aimé Césaire avait refusé de rencontrer le ministre de l’Intérieur de l’époque, Nicolas Sarkozy, en déplacement en Martinique. Nous avions alors tous, outre-mer, salué la portée de son geste.
Nous choisirons par conséquent, en toute modestie, de lui emboîter le pas.
The conclusion is worth noting since Aimé Césaire was the political mentor of the MP Letchimy and his letter to Mr Guéant was highly inspired by Césaire's “Discourse on Colonialism“.


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Morocco: Student Jailed for Insulting King in Video · Global Voices
Hisham Almiraat

This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.
On Monday 13 February, 2012, a court in the Moroccan city of Taza sentenced 24 year-old student Abdelsamad Haydour to three years in jail and a fine of USD 1,200 for criticizing the king of Morocco in a video [ar] posted on YouTube. According to the official state news agency [fr], Mr. Haydour is accused of “attacking the sacred values of the nation.”
According to one Moroccan news website Mr. Haydour had no legal assistance during the hearing and the Court did not appoint a lawyer to defend the accused in accordance with the Moroccan law. Under Moroccan law the king is considered “inviolable.” But the Moroccan constitution also guarantees (Article 25) “freedom of thought, opinion and expression in all its forms.”
The incriminating four-minute clip was posted in early January, during a week of social unrest and violent clashes between demonstrators and anti-riot police in the unemployement-stricken city of Taza. In the video, Abdelsamad Haydour is seen talking to a group of people in the street, harshly criticizing the king and his entourage (video posted by zawali66):
The ruling comes less than a week after an 18-year-old appeared before a court in the capital Rabat accused of committing a crime of lèse-majesté by posting pictures and videos on Facebook mocking King Mohammed VI.
The news of the sentence against Mr. Haydour provoked some strong reactions on social networks.
Rasta Basta tweets:
@Basta: just a thought: in #Morocco defaming God does not lead to prison, defaming the king does, for 3 yrs; any conclusions? #HR #ArabSpring
Samia Errazzouki tweets:
@Charquaouia: I've lost count of the people jailed in Morocco since the new constitution and elections for merely expressing themselves with words.
Burrito tweets:
@Burrito_SB: How many people should get arrested for simply expressing their opinion do we need to realize that nothing has changed in #morocco #maroc
Despite sustained growth, Morocco still suffers from high unemployment, especially prevalent among the youngest with more than a quarter of graduates unable to find a job.
Many Moroccan cities witness daily demonstrations over unemployment often led by university graduates who wish to integrate the public sector. Last month four of these protesters set themselves on fire in the capital Rabat. One of them lost his life.
But it is in the city of Taza where the social tension reached its peak. The city witnessed several weeks of violent clashes between demonstrators and anti-riot police, culminating on February 1st when the police proceeded to a house-to-house search, arresting several suspected rioters.
On Tuesday, 17 individuals from Taza were sentenced to up to eight months in jail for “vandalism and destruction of public property,” the local media reported.
This post is part of our special coverage Morocco Protests 2011.

author: Hisham Almiraat


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Pakistan: Hate Campaign Against Products Of Ahmadi Owned Companies · Global Voices
Rezwan

Imran Jattala exposes more hate campaign against minorities in the capital of Pakistan as an association of bigoted lawyers recently banned products made by a minority-owned business from courthouses.

author: Rezwan


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Poland: Gossip Portal Accuses Mainstream Media of ACTA Ignorance · Global Voices
Kasia Odrozek

In what kind of country are we living and how pathetic are the media here, if an article like this had to be written by an Internet portal with a poodle in their logo?
With these humble words a popular Polish gossip portal, Pudelek, decided [pl] to join the ACTA discussion with a post on February 10, 2012, accusing the Polish mainstream media and local celebrities of missing the point and of ignorance in the debate about the controversial legislation.
Meanwhile, on February 11, ACTA protesters took the streets in many European countries, including Poland.
It has been almost three weeks since January 24, when Polish netizens started their protest – which soon turned Europe-wide – against the international agreement that, according to them, presents a threat to Internet freedom. Numerous Internet initiatives [pl] and massive live protests on the streets of many Polish cities induced a debate [pl] about the “generation acta” and their motivations.
While major information services published political analyses and focused on the events that shaped the debate (e.g., Anonymous attacks [pl] and deputies of a certain party wearing [pl] Guy Fawkes masks in the parliament), the most popular Polish gossip portal decided to speak up [pl] on the “real motives of the raging young people” in an article called, “ACTA: How celebrities lost contact with reality”:
The biggest Polish gossip portal decided to speak up for young people. Screenshot of http://pudelek.pl
So let's write about what is not being spoken out – about what is the real reason for the protest and anger that suddenly surprises everybody now: the Internet “piracy” for private use is today the only way for millions of young Poles to live at least a bit like their collegues from Western Europe. To have access to culture, entertainment, to be able to watch a movie on the computer with the girlfriend. This is actually not only a Polish problem. This is a problem of the whole young population in Europe that doesn't have any chance to do a career like their parents did and buy the same apartments they once bought. Everyone who went lately to Italy, Spain, Portugal or even France or Great Britain and took a look at something more than monuments, knows that. In Poland, where almost everything is more expensive than in the West and salaries are three times lower, it is especially visible, like looking through a magnifying glass. But for some people it is apparently not clear enough, even after massive demonstrations with -10°C cold.
The portal criticises some celebrities for their statements about the protests and for defending radical copyright and calling file-sharing a “theft” – while being so well off with money. The authors also ask [pl] why the media coverage of the movement isn't big enough considering such a massive scale of the protests:
Why aren't TV stations shouting about it? 30,000 people chanting, jumping on frost in Krakow! What happened in the last years that, according to them, was more important than this?
The portal recalls [pl] a couple of YouTube videos showing the recent protests, stressing that these are just a few examples out of many, many more. Here is an example showing 30,000 protesters in Krakow, uploaded on YouTube by skitowiec on January 26:
These are just a couple of videos. Do they make you reflect? If somebody doesn't appreciate this, belittles it, it means that he's completely not up-to-date and doesn't understand what actually happened here. What does this civilisation offer to young people if it takes cheap culture and entertainment away from them? Does it offer a good job? Perspectives? You got to be kidding me.
The reaction to the post was enormous: the article has reached nearly 7,000 supporting comments and 8,000 shares on Facebook. The compelling post caused also an immediate reaction from the mainstream media. A journalist from Gazeta.pl [pl], Pawel Wronski, published a mocking article titled, “On the barricades with a poodle” [pl], in which he stressed the tabloid character of the medium and its attempt to comment on a serious matter. The reaction of the readers in the newspaper's forum was devastating [pl] for the journalist.
Pudelek itself answered  [pl] with another post:
It's hard to accept the truth, especially when it comes from a pink gossip portal. But what does it have to do with anything? It's just about millions of people who can read it now. Because it's not our own opinions we wrote down here. We wrote down what you [readers] have been sending to us in thousands of emails. […] The problem is that we wrote the very thing that you [the media] were afraid to write […]. How can you be sure that you're expressing somebody's voice, that you can look down on millions of our readers with distaste and that you are an authority for anybody? Do you think that smart people don't read gossip?
Aleksandra Jabloonska supports [pl] Pudelek's post on Facebook and talks about her experience:
I'm impressed that somebody finally had the courage to write it – it's just a pity (no offense) that it had to be the editors of “Pudelek” and not “the free TV and facts for people.” I will give a real-life example: I'm studiyng film and theater. We are required to know all the film history. If I had to watch legally all these movies that they need me to know, I would have to spend [too much money]. But that's not a problem for the state or the university as long as I have internet access – because they assume that I can afford it. I wonder how they imagine such education after implementing ACTA, if the university is not able to make these materials available and the state doesn't give a damn. It's sad, really sad.
Young Poles protest against ACTA but also against the everyday reality. Image by Alexey Sidorenko, used with permission.
Karolina, for whom the article was the first she read on a gossip portal, comments [pl] under the post:
For the first time I've read an article on “Pudelek.” A wise and balanced text. A text describing the world of celebrities whose only contact with poverty is limited to attending a charity gala. It's a weird country, Poland.
Martyna Tina comments [pl] on Facebook:
I was very happy to see that you took our opinions under consideration and wrote about the ACTA problem. Because although this doesn't concern only young people, the older didn't make the effort to read even a bit. They watch TV and there of course the cameramen film in a way to show the least people (seriously!) and they don't say: Poles went on the streets – but they say: somehow not so many people showed up for the protest. They marginalise the problem, labelling it to youth, to the internet, to pirates, to thieves. Thieves are the big corporations, bankers and dishonest politicians.
Blogger niekontent doesn't believe in charitable intentions of the gossip portal and reminds [pl] them that the mainsteram media actually provided a pretty big coverage on ACTA:
Here is the news: with all my respect for the talented editors, but “Pudelek” doesn't touch upon such topics as ACTA unless they become relevant (meaning “interesting,” meaning “clickable”) for the street. This is the logic behind a service that achieved a huge success based on this simple mechanism.
A truth hard to deny, but still, the immense reaction to the post on a portal that normally writes about movie stars’ break-ups and best Grammy outfits, should make the media reflect on their overall condition. Are they mirroring the voice of the young generation, are they able to listen? To some extent, young Poles consider the protest an occassion to express their anger against the political elites and the reality they have to live in day by day.
Blogger niekontent finds [pl] the discussion somewhat sad:
It's sad how much Gazeta Wyborcza, one of the most important representatives of the so-called “old media,” stopped to understand the young generations of Poles, those who grew up with the internet. What is worse, sometimes I'm afraid that Gazeta Wyborcza (generally speaking, not individual people) stopped to understand what internet is about. […] It's sad that one of the most aggresive and uncompromising tabloids, which “Pudelek” is, became an authority for a mass of young Poles. […] What is also sad is that the voice of “Pudelek” in this debate sounds just stronger, more honest.

author: Kasia Odrozek


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Russia, U.S.: An Overview of Alexander Ovechkin’s NHL Career · Global Voices
Donna Welles

Alexander Ovechkin is a Russian-born NHL hockey player who is surrounded by controversy due to his aggressive style of play, but who remains in the public spotlight because of his talent and pure sensationalism.
At the age of 26, Mr. Ovechkin is the only player ever named to the 1st NHL All-Star team in each of his first five seasons. He's also the only player ever to have received the Art Ross Trophy for leading the league in scoring points, the Maurice Richard Trophy, which is given to the league's leading goal scorer, the Lester B. Pearson Award, which is given to the NHL Players Association most outstanding player, and the Hart Memorial Trophy, which is the Professional Hockey Writers’ pick as the league's most valuable player – as well as win all four in a single season.
Alex Ovechkin addresses the crowd in front of the Wilson Building in Washington DC after receiving the key to the city in honor of his winning the NHL's Hart Memorial Trophy as league MVP for the 2007–2008 season. He has just said, "Everybody have fun. No speed limit today." Photo by 1995hoo – June 13, 2008 (CC BY-SA 3.0; Wikimedia Commons)
Although he was the first overall selection in the 2004 NHL draft, due to the NHL lockout during the 2004-2005 season, it was not until October 2005 that Mr. Ovechkin scored two goals in his first game for the Capitals in their 3-2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Less than two years later, in January 2007, Yahoo Sports Blog announced that Mr. Ovechkin had been named team captain:
And enough with the talk of him not accepting it a few years ago because of his poor command of English. Ovechkin himself confirmed it Tuesday that he just wanted to get more NHL experience and earn the respect of his peers and teammates before accepting the honor. Becoming the sixth Russian captain in NHL history, Ovechkin will try to be the first to actually win the Cup. Until recently Don Cherry's myth that a team can't win a Stanley Cup with a European captain was alive and well. Not anymore […].
The post went on to quote Ilya Kovalchuk, the only other Russian who was at that time serving as a Captain of an NHL team:
I would like to congratulate Alex on being named captain. He is a great player and a leader of their team, so I think he is a great choice and deserves to be their captain. I am proud that another Russian is getting this honor.
After his rookie contract ended in 2008, Mr. Ovechkin signed a 13-year deal with the Washington Capitals worth $124 million – the most lucrative in NHL history. In an April 2008 post on his Russian-language LiveJournal blog (now dormant), Mr. Ovechkin discussed the contract along with how his NHL career would affect his participation on the Russian National Team:
Another popular question – the [Russian] National Team. I've already agreed to play, as long as it does not conflict with Cup games. […]
[…] A 13-year contract – it's excellent! I play for Washington and I want to do this in the future, I want to keep winning with this club, and [me getting tired of it is out of question]. After all, there are many players who play for a single club throughout their careers.
A year later, in March 2009, Yahoo Sports Blog captured the controversy surrounding Mr. Ovechkin in a post entitled “Ovechkin's ‘stick on fire’ goal celebration ticks off coaches”:
Faced with recent criticism about his boundless enthusiasm by both Canadian blowhard Don Cherry and arch rival Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Alexander Ovechkin did the punk rock thing tonight and celebrated his 50th goal with the theatrics of an NFL touchdown celebration.
Ovechkin's first-period goal in Tampa Bay gave him the third 50-goal season of his young career; and to celebrate, he dropped his stick to the ice and treated it like it was made of lava.
The post went on to provide Head Coach Bruce Boudreau's reaction to the incident:
“We had a little talk,” he said. “I won't say what we talked about, but we talked.”
After a pause, Boudreau added: “It's the first and only time I've seen that happen in all the time I've been watching Alex. I've never seen him do a celebration like that. But I don't expect it to happen again.”
Russian Machine Never Breaks Blog posted last fall that Mr. Ovechkin had become the second NHL player ever to be immortalized by Madame Tussauds Wax Museum:
Alex Ovechkin, sporting 10 stitches on his forehead after taking an errant puck to the face during Caps practice, traveled into DC this afternoon to celebrate his new wax immortality.
Surrounded by children from the Fort Dupont Ice Hockey Club, who were all rocking The Great 8′s signature gap-toothed smile, Ovechkin unveiled the figure to a horde of media and a few hundred passersby. To the surprise of no one, the wax figure’s resemblance to the Capitals captain is uncanny.
And rightly so. Ovechkin spent hours over the summer allowing studio artists from Madame Tussauds to take more than 250 precise measurements and photographs, capturing the two-time MVP from every angle. The artists then began work on the figure in early July and finished it just a few weeks ago. Ovi donated his Capitals uniform, pads and equipment – in which the figure is dressed – to ensure its authenticity.
ESPN Blog quoted Madame Tussauds Washington DC's General Manager Dan Rogoski as he paid tribute to Mr. Ovechkin:
Alex Ovechkin is a tremendous athlete who has captivated hockey fans not only in the Washington D.C. area, but across the nation as well,” Madame Tussauds Washington D.C. general manager Dan Rogoski said Monday in a statement. “We are honored to add a figure of Alex to our roster of sports icons and know our guests will enjoy interacting and lining up alongside him for photos in our Sports Zone.
And then last month Mr. Ovechkin was suspended for three games as a result of his hit on Pittsburgh’s Zbynek Michalek. ESPN blog included analysis of validity of the suspension in their Daily Debate between Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun.
Burnside:
This is the fifth suspension/fine for reckless behavior Ovechkin has incurred in his career or roughly one a year. I didn’t like the hit. […]
Well, hard to imagine that three games is anything more than an extended All-Star break for Ovechkin. […] You know what might have made an impact? A 10-game stint on the sidelines. Time to start making both teams and players pay for their dangerous work.
LeBrun:
Ten games? That is crazy. I actually think that hit didn’t warrant more than one game, but Ovechkin got three because of his two prior suspensions and two prior fines. […]
In light of his suspension, Mr. Ovechkin decided not to attend this year's NHL All Star game. The Washington Post Blog quoted Mr. Ovechkin:
“My heart is not there. I got suspended, so why I have to go there?” Ovechkin said. “I love the game, it’s a great event, I love to be there but I’m suspended.” […]
[…] “My game is play physical, my game is play hard, and I don’t think it was bad hit, dirty hit. Yeah, I jumped, but he don’t get hurt. I don’t get two minutes. I don’t think it was three-game suspension.” […]
Dmitry Chesnokov translated a 2009 article from SovSport.ru for Yahoo Blog, where Mr. Ovechkin articulated the real meaning of controversy:
I do not get angry with criticism. It's a good thing. If you are talked about, that means that you are liked and respected. But not in an ordinary form.

author: Donna Welles


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Rwanda: Sharp Poverty Reduction  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Edward Ojulu wrote on The Rwanda Focus blog: “…. over the last five years, more than one million more Rwandans gained access to adequate food, safe drinking water, good health and education services among others.”


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Singapore: Politician’s Expulsion Triggers By-Election · Global Voices
Kirsten Han

Following the emergence of allegations of extramarital affairs, the opposition Worker's Party of Singapore has expelled Yaw Shin Leong from the party, thus triggering a by-election in the Single Member Constituency of Hougang.
Both Yaw and the party had previously been criticised for their handling of the allegations, namely by refusing to respond or address any of the rumours. The WP cited a lack of accountability on Yaw's part as a reason for his expulsion:
Shin Leong has been accused of several indiscretions in his private life.  By continuing not to account to the Party and the people, especially the residents of Hougang, he has broken the faith, trust and expectations of the Party and People.
For a country where citizens have rarely had a chance to vote (due to walkovers), so many elections in such quick succession – the 2011 General Election, the 2011 Presidential Election and now the upcoming by-election – has proven to be very exciting indeed. Reactions quickly emerged on Twitter as Singaporeans discussed the upcoming contest in Hougang, many using the hashtag #hougangbyelection.
@RealSingaporean: Imagine if the whole Singapore gets to vote for the #hougangbyelection; then we can really see how many people really support the PAP (Singapore's ruling party).
@adesabrina: I think I hear a lot of champagne popping in one party. #hougangbyelection
@talkkok: I can already think of ten diatribes PAP is going to use against WP in the 2016 elections based on this ysl affair. #hougangbyelection
@Ee_Justin: WP VS PAP, hopefully no other parties come and dilute the votes again. Will lightning strike twice? #hougangbyelection
Ng E-Jay of SGPolitics praised the WP's move on his Facebook page:
4 days ago, I made the call that Yaw must either come clean, or he must resign. Since he did neither, WP has done the right thing by sacking him. I applaud WP for making the right decision. The ugly episode can finally be put to rest, because of this decisive action by WP that shows, courage, foresight, and integrity. Kudos to WP!
However, some did not see the move as purely for the sake of accountability and transparency:
@ctham: Sacking someone for not explaining his private life is political expediency and giving credence to rumour, not accountability.

author: Kirsten Han


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South Korea: Online Petition Requestiong Presidential Pardon to His Vocal Critic  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

South Korean net users have created an online petition [ko] requesting the Korean President to grant a presidential pardon to his vocal critic, Chung Bong-ju, who was jailed for raising stock price manipulation allegations against the president. Within less than a day, this petition has already gathered more than 8 thousand signatures.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Armenia: Former foreign minister returns to politics · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

As Armenians prepare to go to the polls in May to elect a new parliament, Unzipped comments on the return of former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian to active politics. The blog especially criticizes the ex-official for his position on bitterly disputed elections in the past.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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China: A Portrayal of Portrayals of Cultural And Ethnic Stereotypes · Global Voices
John Kennedy

Zhang Xu (“Nick in the House”), a comedic vlogger from northeast China, recently put together a video to showcase different cultural and ethnic stereotypes from a distinctly Chinese perspective.
Mostly in English with Chinese subtitles, Zhang's video blends different accents, pop culture references, and dramatic background music as he portrays a caricature, respectively, of a person from Japan, Korea, India, Britain, France, Italy, America, Russia and China, each trying to introduce their own culture or country to a foreigner.
Offended yet? In just four days, Nick's video has received more than 17,000 comments and 500,000 views.


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China: iPads Now Officially Banned · Global Voices
Jacky

Apple has lost the first round in a trademark dispute brought by Shenzhen-based computer monitor manufacturer Proview. Although Apple has appealed the ruling, iPad devices have been required to be removed from shelves in some Chinese cities.

author: Jacky


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Colombia: Through the Eyes of Expat Bloggers  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

On February 20, 2012, Colombia's ‘official travel guide‘ will launch a platform where foreign bloggers writing in Spanish, English, German, French, and Portuguese will share their experiences living and traveling in Colombia. The site aims to inspire travelers, investors and anyone interested in the country to discover a side of Colombia that tends to get lost amidst negative press.
All participating bloggers are listed by language on the website, which links to their personal blogs and a short profile. One of these bloggers is Kristin Rads, a math teacher living in Cali who blogs in Coffee, Calculations & Colombia. She provides some context in a post about the project:
Leading the charge in this is a company named Proexport.  Since November 1992, Proexport has been in charge of promoting exports, foreign investments, and international tourism within Colombia – and for 2012, they are stepping up their game in a big way.
Pairing up with 30 expatriate and/or travel bloggers, Proexport aims to provide potential tourists with a complete, updated look at a country with so much opportunity for growth in the tourism industry.
"Official Blogger" logo found on the personal blog of participating bloggers
Blogger and Community Manager, Eloy Quiros, blogged about the first gathering of the “official bloggers” held in Bogotá. He shares some photos in his blog [es].
Blogger and freelance journalist Richard McColl was also there:
And so, a day like today, I did not feel all alone as a voice in the wilderness (read: the wilds of Mompós or the urban-scapes of Bogota) trying to sell this country despite all of the negative media surrounding it. I got to meet other like-minded souls all promoting their own particular enterprises be it guide literature, travel agencies, restauranteurs and travellers.
And why today? Well, today was the launch of the Official Blogger for Colombia launch held by Proexport in the remarkably swish Hotel de la Opera in Bogota’s scenic if congested colonial Candelaria area.
Apparently we number 33 in total and represent the expat community that has been the basis for the new gambit being used by the travel promotion community here: Colombia, el Riesgo es Que Quieres Quedar….Colombia, the Only Risk is Wanting to Stay.
Food blogger Diana Holguín from Bogotá Eats + Drinks, who also attended the event, explains:
33 bloggers, yours truly included, will share their stories about Colombia with the world, through their eyes, ears and taste-buds, enticing tourists and investors alike to come and experience Colombia. […]
Each blogger will be required to post at least twice a month and in exchange we’ll increase web traffic to our blog page and have the possibility of receiving invitations to special events and trips to some of Colombia’s hottest destinations.
'Official Bloggers' meeting for the first time in Bogotá. Image courtesy of www.seecolombia.travel/blog, used with permission.
José Luis Pastor and Marcela Mariscal from See Colombia Travel Blog describe it as “a very international affair”:
with writers coming from Peru, Colombia, Spain, the US, the UK, Belgium, France and many more countries. Each blog or page also has a very different genesis – some are hostels in Colombia, some are webpages about Colombia, some are blogs about Colombia, some are travel agencies in Colombia. All, however, have a united goal: to promote Colombia and encourage fellow travellers to explore this fascinating, diverse country.
Mike Ceaser also introduces the project in his blog Mike's Bogotá Blog. In his opinion it is:
a good, low-budget strategy for Colombia, and something which would have been near impossible just a few years ago, when the news was dominated by bombings, kidnapping and narcotrafficking and the country was off limits to all but real thrill seekers. Certainly, Colombia still has problems, but those are now secondary to the nation's economic growth, its cultural diversity and its tremendous biodiversity.
You can read more posts about the initiative from bloggers Antoine Perret [fr], Kelsi Mills, Anny Vasconcelos [pt], and Leandra Felipe [pt]. You can also keep up with the bloggers on Twitter through the hashtag #CTBlogger.


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Guinea: The Indifference Towards Women with Disabilities  · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

Boubacar Sanso Barry wrote for the site Yanous [fr]: “Example of the indifference and the negligence in Guinea towards disability issues: It is almost impossible to find an organization that is capable or likely to concern itself with the lives of disabled people, or that would think to tackle those types of problems.”


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India: A Platform For Women Entrepreneurs · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shital Shah reports that Google has recently launched a portal aimed at giving women entrepreneurs of India the tools to increase their online presence.


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Nepal: Major Constraints Faced by Firms Operating in Nepal  · Global Voices
Rezwan

Shortfall on energy and political instability are two major constrains faced by manufactures and businesses operating in Nepal. Chandan Sapkota has the detailed statistics.


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Peru: The Water March Arrives in Lima · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

[All links lead to Spanish language pages except when otherwise noted]
Finally the water march arrived in Lima [en]. In the previous post [en] we had left them in the city of Huacho, which is approximately two and a half hours from Lima. They left Huacho at dawn on February 9, 2012, and they entered Lima in the morning.
The Observer Group blog posted some photos of the march arriving at Puente Piedra:
Water March – Puente Piedra
Water March – Puente Piedra
Simultaneously, Cajamarca carried out mobilization in support of the marchers in Lima. The Cajamarca Environment Defense Front blog reports:
Los manifestantes que asistieron a la movilización portaban gigantes banderolas y pancartas, a la vez que vestían diversos polos con consignas en contra del proyecto Conga y consignas en defensa del agua, se coreaban consignas como: ¡ Aquí, allá, Conga no va !, ¡ Ollanta traicionero, el agua está primero !, ¡ Agua, plata y cobre, Cajamarca sigue pobre !, ¡ Ni un paso atrás, el pueblo vencerá !, ¡ Siempre de pie, nunca de rodillas !, etc.
The estimations of the amount of people that arrived in Lima as part of the water march varies between 500, 600, 1200, 1500 and 2000. After focusing on the Plaza Dos de Mayo, the marchers, led by former priest Marco Arana and the Cajamarcan leader Wilfredo Saavedra and accompanied by supporters of Lima, went all through the city center on foot. Then they went to the district of El Augustino, where they had lunch, before meeting at 03:00 pm at the Plaza Bolognesi to leave for the district of Pueblo Libre, where they carried out the Water Forum “Water, Mining and Development in Peru today.”
The Yfrog user, Goomez, posted a photo that illustrates the police presence in the Plaza Dos de Mayo when the people and delegates gathered for the Water March:
Water March – Plaz Dos de Mayo, image by Julio Gomez, goomez on yfrog
The Observer Group report for the day records, among other things, the following:
Después de almorzar y descansar, la gente se dirigió al Foro Hídrico, donde fueron recibidos por pobladores de La Oroya, Cerro de Pasco, Cusco, Puno, Tacna, Chimbote, Piura, Arequipa, Loreto… en un encuentro masivo, que congregó también a ambientalistas, organizaciones de derechos humanos, y personalidades como Hugo Cabieses y José De Echave, ex vice ministros del ambiente del gobierno de Ollanta Humala, el congresista Javier Diez Canseco del Partido Socialista y Peter Koenig, experto del Banco Mundial.
Water March – Lima
One incident that quickly jumped out to the media was the police confiscation of a young marcher's banner with the symbol of the hammer and sickle. The youngster stated that it was a banner of the military party, Patria Roja, which is unrelated to the Shining Path terrorist movement. The journalist Raul Weiner called this incident delusional McCarthyism given that communism, whose symbol is the hammer and sickle, has not been banned in Peru.
The following day, February 10, the March returned to focus on the Plaza Dos de Mayo and they went via Avenues Colmena, Wilson, Paseo de Los Héroes Navales, el Parque Universitario y Abancay, to get to Congress, but the tight security prevented them from reaching their destination. Nor were they greeted by President of Congress. However, a committee of Congress came to them and they received two legislative initiatives from the national commission for the Water March. Then they went to the Plaza San Martin where a closing rally was scheduled for the night hours.
The following videos, the first submitted by YouTube user Demoliciontv and the second by vladimirteran, capture different moments of the rally in the Plaza San Martín.
In the hours of the morning the National Tribunal of Water Justice was carried out, with objectives including:
Identificar y visibilizar los conflictos hídricos que hay en el país, las demandas y propuesta de los pueblos que luchan por la protección, defensa y gestión justa del agua, y por el derecho a decidir su modelo de desarrollo, a ser previamente consultados y preservar su modos de vida y culturas.
The Court will issue some resolutions that will be delivered to the International Observer Mission of the March and released by the Organising Committee for the National March. The Observer Group, meanwhile, posted its report of the tenth day of the march, with some photos and stories of what happened during the day:
En una interminable serpiente humana de más de 2 kilómetros de longitud (30 cuadras), unas quince mil personas recorrieron el centro de Lima. Salieron de Plaza 2 de Mayo a las 3:30 de la tarde y tras una largo itinerario por las principales avenidas de la capital llegaron a la Plaza San Martín, donde se celebró un mitin multitudinario, como acto de cierre de la Gran Marcha Nacional del Agua.
Water March – Lima
Water March – Lima
Water March – Lima
La entrevista acordada con el ministro del ambiente fue demorada en sucesivas ocasiones, por la reunión de emergencia del Gobierno que, al durar todo el día hasta bien entrada la noche, acabó desplazando el encuentro a la semana que viene.
Meanwhile the Cajamarca Environmental Defense Front blog graphically reports about what happened in the Plaza San Martin with some pictures:
Water March – Lima
Water March – Plaza San Martín
Although the Water March is over, the struggle for water resources in the country will continue for some time. Wilfredo Saavedra, President of Cajamarca Defense Coalition indicated that “we are proposing to the government a deadline of the third week of March to declare Conga unviable and review everything that has to do with the mining legislation, water and environment.” Culminating he said, “the people of Peru are being summoned to Cajamarca for the first assembly of the people of Peru.”
But not everyone is in agreement with the attitude of the activists. Ronald Ancajima of the Sustainable Water Management blog discusses several arguments and he thinks:
Por ahora creemos que la marcha por el agua ha servido de alguna manera para sensibilizar en la necesidad de cuidar el agua, pero es necesario estar avisados y sobre todo alertas con nuestros jóvenes que movidos por su ímpetu de cambio pueden acceder de manera fácil a discursos sin propuestas de desarrollo.
Juan Archiof in The innocence of Reason blog, reflects on the usefulness and importance of the marches today:
Toda marcha nacional es la expresión de una fuerza simbólica que ejerce una parte de la ciudadanía, para decirle al conjunto de la misma que hay problemas que involucran y afectan a la gran mayoría de los ciudadanos. Por ello no es casual que una de las consignas que se escuchaba a lo largo de la Marcha Nacional del Agua, a saber: “¡Hay oro! ¡Hay cobre! ¡Y el pueblo sigue pobre!”, generaba mucha empatía entre los transeúntes que no eran indiferentes al paso de la enorme movilización nacional. Madres y padres de familia, jóvenes y hasta niños, curiosos o no, asentían con la cabeza que las consignas lanzadas con ahínco ese día tienen una gran significación en la reproducción de la vida cotidiana.
And Magaly Vera commented on the campaign, discrediting and belittling the information that certain media forms were making towards the Water March:
Alguien por ahi decia que era una marcha que no lograría congregar masas, que la población esta consciente que la mineria es importante en el desarrollo de un país, y hasta intentan meternos un chip en el cerebro pasando un spot y gastando millones en publicidad en señalar que la mineria es más vital que el agua. Esta, es la respuesta de los peruanos: Una imagen habla mas que mil palabras
Water March – Plaza San Martín
You can read more information on the Water March on Facebook and Twitter.
Other posts about the topic:
Peru: Preparing for the Great Water March [en]
Peru: Following the Water March [en]
Peru: The Water March approaches Lima [en]


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Spain: “We Have Memory, We Want Justice” · Global Voices
Chris Moya

Spain's National Audience Magistrate, Baltasar Garzón, has been charged and barred for 11 years [es] from the legal profession for allegedly illegally ordering the placement of wiretaps in jailhouses to record conversations between inmates and their lawyers in the Gürtel case. This was a case about the embezzlement of public funds which ended with two dozen members of the Popular Party (right-wing party currently heading the government) dismissed.
Judge Garzón was also accused of prevarication since he pledged his competency to investigate the crimes committed during the Spanish Civil War and Franco's dictatorship; all which has caused the international media, politicians [es] and hundreds of citizens [es] to express outrage and shock with the sentence. The crimes committed during the Civil War and under Franco's dictatorship remain unpunished.
Judge Garzón himself declared his disapproval of the conviction in a press note: “I emphatically reject the sentence that has been notified to me today” [es], published minutes after he heard the ruling against him:
Former Congressmen, Federico Mayor Zaragoza was interviewed about the case. Since he is a relevant public figure who is actively supporting the social movement #15M, we reproduce his interview:
Citizens, press and even the international press cannot believe the eleven years disqualification sentence given to Judge Garzón, a National Audience Magistrate. In a few words, what do you think about the conviction?
Lamentable. Como ya había manifestado en varias ocasiones, y hoy lo hago de nuevo, nunca he luchado en favor de un Estado de Derecho sino de un Estado de Justicia. Y el Derecho que permite que una entidad impresentable y antidemocrática acuse al Juez que logró descubrir sus turbios manejos, debe modificarse radicalmente y de forma apremiante.
Regrettable. As I have already said in several occasions, and I repeat, I have never fought for a State of Law but for a State of Justice. And it is the Law which allows that an unworthy and anti-democratic entity accuse the Judge who managed to uncover its unlawful business, the one that should be changed.
Do you think it is logical that 40 years after Franco's regime ended no impartial investigation on the crimes committed during this time has been opened, like in other countries such as Germany, Argentina, Chile, etc?
Es totalmente ilógico. La memoria histórica es imprescindible para la auténtica democracia y dignidad de todos los ciudadanos sin exclusión. Es una vergüenza que se siga impidiendo conocer en profundidad lo que aconteció. Ayer los manifestantes que apoyaban a Garzón, coreaban “Tenemos memoria, queremos justicia”. Como no quieren que haya justicia, impiden que tengamos memoria.
It is totally unreasonable. A historic memory is essential for an authentic democracy and for the dignity of all citizens without exclusion. It is embarrassing that the truth of what happened is being covered. Yesterday, protesters who supported Garzón chanted “we have memory, we want justice”. Since they don't want justice, they are preventing us from having memory.
Judge Garzón was cheered by half the world when he opened the case against Augusto Pinochet (the deceased former Chilean dictator) and the crimes of the Chilean regime. In this country, do we applaud foreign actions while failing to see or avoiding to see our internal injustice?
El Juez Garzón tiene ya un prestigio a escala mundial absolutamente insólito. He contemplado al mundo desde una atalaya que me permite hoy asegurar que el prestigio del Juez Baltasar Garzón en el mundo entero no se empañará por esta sórdida sentencia hispánica.
Judge Garzón has already an absolutely extraordinary high regard around the world. I've seen the world from a watchtower that allows me to guarantee that Judge Garzón's worldwide prestige won't be tarnished by this sordid Spanish conviction.
You can read the original interview here.
[1]
Federico Mayor Zaragoza was undersecretary of Education and Science in the Spanish Government (1974–1975), UCD deputy for Granada region in the Spanish Parliament (1977–1978), Adviser to the President of the Government (1977–1978), Minister of Education and Science (1981–1982) and CDS deputy in the European Parliament (1987). Lately, he served as Director-General of UNESCO from 1987 to 1999 in two consecutive legislatures. He is currently the Chairman of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace and member of the Honorary Board of the International Decade for the Promotion of a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence for the Children of the World.

author: Chris Moya


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Sri Lanka: The Current Situation On Human Rights · Global Voices
Rezwan

DBS Jeyaraj posts a video interview of Sunila Abeyesekera, a well-known Sri Lankan human and womens rights activist, who talks about the current situation in Sri Lanka.


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Sri Lanka: What Makes a Qualified Social Media Marketer? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sri Lankan Tech blogger Amitha Amarasinghe lists the best possible qualifications and characteristics of a social media marketeer


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Uganda: The Anti-Gay Bill That Won’t Go Away · Global Voices
Haute Haiku

Uganda has again re-tabled the controversial anti-gay bill. Ugandan member of parliament, David Bahati, who proposed the bill back in 2009 has again considered tabling the draconian bill but with changes. He claims to have dropped the death penalty and jailing of family members who fail to report homosexuals to the authorities.
RedPepper  [dead link]:
Ndorwa West Member of Parliament David Nahati behind the proposed draconian anti-gay bill that sparked an international outcry has said he wants to drop clauses that would see the death penalty introduced for homosexual acts.
“There will be no death penalty at all…that will go,” Bahati said. Bahati said he wanted to scrap proposals to punish “aggravated homosexuality,” which includes
someone deemed to be a “serial offender” with the death sentence.
The report continued:
However Bahati said the proposed legislation was already in the process of being changed, following recommendations made during the last parliament. “The death penalty is not part of the process that we are talking about,” Bahati said, adding he was also dropping proposals to jail family members if they failed to report gay relatives to the authorities.
However, Warren Throckmorton noted that the death penalty has not been removed from the bill:
As an aside, the BBC just can’t seem to get their reporting right. They again are reporting that the death penalty has been removed from the bill. Yesterday, Parliament spokeswoman Helen Kadaga told me that the bill was the same as was introduced in 2009. Bahati has said he would be open to removing the death penalty but this has never been done. In a 2011 report done by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee, the death penalty remained in the bill.
This morning I got additional confirmation that the original bill without amendments was introduced yesterday from Charles Tuhaise, Parliamentary Research Service staffer. Tuhaise said that all proposed changes to a Bill are first brought to the floor of Parliament where they are debated by the MPs. Any revisions are accepted to a bill after a majority votes in support of the revision. For now, the original bill is with the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs committee without amendment.
Melanie Nathan blogged:
Reports are divided as to whether the Bill will include the death penalty as initially tabled. Many believe the Bill cannot pass in its current form, as it is too onerous and controversial, yet members of Parliament remain defiantly homophobic and either way the future for LGBT people in Uganda is clearly in danger.
[…]Ugandans in Parliament who remain defiant and determined to pass the legislation, do not seem to care at this point whether or not the death penalty is finally excluded as they express homophobia and ignorance in no uncertain terms
In May last year, Warren discussed section 3 of the bill, which deals with the death penalty:
For now, I am going to focus on section three of the report which is where the death penalty can be found. Here is section 3 from the bill:
3. Aggravated homosexuality.
(1) A person commits the offense of aggravated homosexuality where the
(a) person against whom the offence is committed is below the age of 18 years;
(b) offender is a person living with HIV;
(c) offender is a parent or guardian of the person against whom the offence is committed;
(d) offender is a person in authority over the person against whom the offence is committed;
(e) victim of the offence is a person with disability;
(f) offender is a serial offender, or
(g) offender applies, administers or causes to be used by any man or woman any drug, matter or thing with intent to stupefy overpower him or her so as to there by enable any person to have unlawful carnal connection with any person of the same sex,
(2) A person who commits the offence of aggravated homosexuality shall be liable on conviction to suffer death.
(3) Where a person is charged with the offence under this section, that person shall undergo a medical examination to ascertain his or her HIV status.
Call Me Kuchu is a documentary that focuses on gay rights in Uganda. Image source: Call Me Kuchu Facebook page.
The bill has ridiculous clauses such as revoking registration of NGOs promoting or distributing homosexual materials and jailing the director, jailing persons who say they are married to a person of the same sex and prohibiting Uganda from becoming a party to any new international instruments that expressly include protection for homosexual behavior. Donors threatened to cut aid to Uganda citing that infringing rights and freedom of gays:
Gay sex is illegal in Uganda and MPs supported their colleague to have it banned. However, human rights activists and the international community protested the Bill saying it was infringing on the rights and freedom of gays.
The donors also threatened to cut their aid to Uganda if such a Bill was passed into law.
The bill does not make sense, said the former South African president Thabo Mbeki:
“I mean what would you want? It doesn’t make sense at all. That is what I would say to the MP. What two consenting adults do is really not the matter of law,” he said. Mr Mbeki also responded to a series of questions about the failure of Africa’s present day intellectuals to cultivate ideas for progressive movement of change on the continent and the weakness of the African Union in defending and promoting the interests of Africans.
Help Stop Uganda anti-gay bill. Image source: www.humanrightsfirst.org/
Some churches in Uganda are against the bill:
“I am very disappointed with the return of the bill,” former Anglican Bishop Christopher Ssenyonjo of West Buganda told ENInews in a telephone interview on Feb. 8 from Kampala, Uganda’s capital.
A significant change is the removal of the provision for the death penalty, but the new bill still increases to life imprisonment the punishment for homosexual activity, which is illegal in Uganda, with many faith leaders rejecting it as sinful and contrary to Scripture.
Melanie Nathan interviewed David Bahati:
I asked about the death penalty and he told me that the Bill will be first introduced in its original form. What happens after that, he said, “would please you people as it would be more moderate.” Yet he could not confirm what would be changed.
He told me that the most important thing is that once the Bill passes there can be no more “promotion of that behavior” in Uganda. That the government will clamp down on organizations and NGO’s which promote homosexuality.
He said, “but don’t worry the bill will not be harmful to you people; and it will protect the children of Uganda. “ We cannot mess up the future of our children.”
He told me that Ugandans will not be blackmailed by the West. He said that the West is bringing the idea of homosexuality to Ugandan and telling Africans what to do about homosexuality and that he said is “Imperialism; we will not be blackmailed by your few dollars.”
I asked Bahati about tourism, “are you concerned people will stop visiting Uganda if you pass the Bill?” He said, “no Uganda has been voted the best destination in Africa last year. I am not worried about that.”
He told me that the purpose of the Anti-homosexuality Bill is to “protect our children from promotion of that behavior.” I then asked what about consenting adult in private. He said that is outlawed “because they are doing the wrong thing.”
Mark Widdicombe pointed out that the bill is based on a false premise:
Apart from the barbarity of penalties envisioned, the entire Bill is based on a false premise. The first paragraph of the Bill states:
This legislation further recognizes the fact that same sex attraction is not an innate and immutable characteristic.
But same sex attraction has been shown in numerous peer-reviewed research papers to be precisely an innate and immutable characteristic.
Here are some examples. But even if homosexuality were a choice and not an immutable characteristic, it would still not be excusable to pass legislation of this sort which seeks to criminalise consensual sexual behaviour between adults.
It seems reasonable to ask why Mr Bahati has such an antipathy to those who prefer the caresses of their own sex. He says it’s because homosexuality was introduced to Africa by the colonial powers, and he wants it eradicated and Africa’s traditional strong family values reasserted. An examination of African folklore, as, for example, embodied in Indaba, My Children by Credo Mutwa gives the lie to that assertion. Homosexuality was known millennia before the arrival of European colonists, and was well tolerated.
As part of a global campaign to support gay rights in Uganda, a documentary called Call Me Kuchu has been released:
Filmed over the course of two years during three visits to Uganda starting January 2010, Call Me Kuchu is a documentary that focuses on gay rights (to be precise – the absence of them) in the “Pearl of Africa”. Co-directed by video journalist Malika Zouhali-Worrall and award-winning photographer Katherine Fairfax Wright, the film premiered yesterday, 11th February in the 62ndinternational Berlin Film Festival Panorama Documentary programme.
This film follows the life of David Katos, Uganda’s first openly gay activist, and his pledge against the Anti-Homosexuality Bill that religious groups in Uganda were trying to pass in 2011. Devoid of one of the basic human rights – the right to openly love whoever they wish, and not be afraid of getting killed on the street or be imprisoned for 7 years because of that, as the Bill would allow – David and three fellow activists (“kuchus”, as homosexuals are called in Uganda) share their painful life stories and day-to-day encouragements. They believe the situation can one day be changed, if they only keep fighting and take pride in who they are. At the same time one of the most popular Uganda’s tabloids, Rolling Stone, keeps printing hateful articles that disclose gays who did not wish to come out of the closet under the current situation, and openly encourages violent acts against them.
Human rights activists have created an online petition, Stop The Kill The Gays Bill, as part of their campaign to stop the bill.
Here is the full text of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill 2009.

author: Haute Haiku


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UK: Video Series to Showcase Local Poets · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Highest Point is the first video in a series of nine which will showcase the work of poets in the United Kingdom.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Uruguay: Ice Cream Parlor’s Lacking Twitter Strategy  · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

In the blog El Cielo es Verde [es], Fernando Bernini critiques the Twitter strategy of La Cigale (@HeladosLaCigale), a well-know Uruguayan ice cream parlor.


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Video: Showcasing the Beautiful Landscapes of Chile and Patagonia · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

A moving short film by Gnarly Bay Productions follows a couple travelling through Chile and Patagonia, showing the beautiful landscapes found in this corner of South America.


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Arab World: Mourning Anthony Shadid · Global Voices
Jillian C. York

On February 17, 2012, the tragic news that New York Times Middle East Correspondent Anthony Shadid had passed away in Syria at the age of 43, reportedly as a result of a severe asthma attack triggered by an allergy to horses, saddened news readers the world over.
Shadid, an American of Lebanese descent, was widely respected for his balanced reporting in the region, and was honored in both 2004 and 2010 with the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the American invasion of Iraq and the ongoing conflict there, respectively. In the past year, he had reported from Egypt, Libya (where he was arrested along with three Times colleagues), and most recently, Syria.
Photo by Terissa Schor (CC-BY-SA 2.0)
Lebanese entrepreneur Habib Haddad tweeted:
We mourn the loss of a genius today! RIP #AnthonyShadid http://bit.ly/zohXFW
Anissa Helou mourned Shadid, saying:
so so sad about anthony shadid. his articles were really great and he understood both the people and the situations. RIP
Journalist Ahmed Shihab-Eldin, who had earlier tweeted his admiration for Shadid, expressed sympathy for the deceased's family:
Tonight I will sleep thinking of Anthony's wife Nada Bakri, and their kids and the incredible legacy #AnthonyShadid leaves behind.
Saudi philanthropist Muna AbuSulayman shareda similar sentiment:
my deeepest condolences. Mr. Shadid was a role model to journalists..your loss is one that is shared by all of us Arab-americans @nadabakri
Journalist Tamer El-Ghobashy also spoke for the Arab-American community, noting that Shadid did a difficult job with few detractors. He added:
Anthony was the most prominent Arab American of our generation and he did it without making it a brand or a mission. Great by merit alone.
Referring to Shadid, Cairo-based writer Ashraf Khalil stated:
We all wished we could be like him, but without any jealousy or resentment because he was so damn sweet and deserving.
Palestinian @Falasteeni wrote of Shadid:
So sad to hear Anthony Shadid has died. Has always been a cut above the rest in mainstream journalism, and a brilliant writer.
And from Syria, the location of Shadid's final assignment, @BSyria put it simply
I really don't know what to say. Thank you @anthonyshadid.

author: Jillian C. York