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Mauritius: Facing Their Past in South Africa’s Footsteps · Global Voices
Abdoulaye Bah

South Africa came up with the idea for a national commission for justice, victim rehabilitation, and national reconciliation in order to heal the wounds left by the apartheid policy, implemented from 1948 to 1991.
In an article on Togo from July 21, Kodjo Epou explained [FR] the justifications and goals of a Truth, Justice, and Reconciliation Commission on the site afrik.com:
La recherche d’une co-existence pacifique d’anciens ennemis a conduit, dans une trentaine de pays à travers le monde, à mettre sur pied des structures éminemment politiques appelées : Commission Vérité-Justice et Réconciliation (CVJR). La plus connue sur le continent africain, est celle d’Afrique du Sud. Des pays comme le Rwanda, le Ghana, le Maroc, le Nigéria, la Sierra Léone, la Centrafrique l’ont choisie pour paver la voie vers la réconciliation. Le Kenya a crée sa propre commission après les violences électorales de décembre 2007.
In South Africa, thanks to the goodwill of leaders such as Nelson Mandela, FW de Klerk and Msgr. Desmond Tutu — all three of whom have received the Nobel Peace Prize — the results were generally positive. The country made a smooth transition from a policy that was racist towards the majority to a majority government without a hint of vengeance. As Claude Wauthier recalled [FR] on the online version of monde-diplomatique.fr in 2005:
Le principe en était simple : bénéficieraient d’une amnistie tous ceux qui viendraient devant la commission « confesser » en quelque sorte leurs exactions – il s’agissait surtout de membres de la police qui avaient torturé, et parfois tué, des militants des mouvements de libération noirs, principalement le Congrès national africain (ANC) de Nelson Mandela. L’amnistie des requérants était soumise à deux conditions : d’abord de ne rien omettre de leurs crimes et délits dans leur déposition, ensuite d’avoir agi sur ordre de leur hiérarchie tout en croyant servir un « objectif politique » (une prétendue défense de la race blanche, par exemple). Contrairement à ce qu’avait publiquement craint l’ancien président Frederik De Klerk, la révélation des sévices souvent atroces infligés par les bourreaux n’a pas entravé la réconciliation entre les communautés noire et blanche. La Commission a ainsi réussi la catharsis qu’elle s’était fixée comme objectif.
Flag of Mauritius by timparkinson on Flickr- CC license 2.0
In 2008, Mauritius decided to follow South Africa's example to think about injustices with even older origins. A bill for the establishment of a Truth and Justice Commission [FR] was passed by Parliament in 2008. It started its work in April 2009. The site grioo.com thus explained [FR] the wounds that need healing:
L’Ile Maurice a connu dans un premier temps l’esclavage, avec plus de 66 000 esclaves venant non seulement d’Afrique mais aussi d’Inde et de Malaisie. Après l’abolition de l’esclavage, en 1835, le système de l’engagisme y a été mis en place, en même temps qu’à l’île de la Réunion ou qu’aux Comores. Travailleurs africains, antillais, indiens et malais étaient exploités et même s’ils avaient retrouvé la liberté première et brisés leurs chaînes. C’est ainsi que l’Ile Maurice s’est construite, développée et enrichie.
Gérard Cateaux thus reported [FR] on the establishment of this CVJR and on the Prime Minister's speech to the Parliament on the blog Le mauricien:
Dans son intervention au Parlement, mardi dernier, en présentant le projet de loi sur l’institution de cette Commission Justice et Vérité, le Premier ministre, le Dr Navin Ramgoolam, n’en a pas été plus clair : il ne s’agira pas de règlements de comptes à rebours de l’histoire, mais d’aller à la recherche de la ’réconciliation, de la justice sociale et de l’unité nationale à travers le processus de rétablissement de la vérité historique… ’
Ces mots ont leur importance : ’Réconciliation’, ’Justice sociale’ et ’Unité nationale’. Nous en ajouterons quelques-uns : ’Rassembler ce qui est épars… ’ Cette Commission aura la lourde tâche de se réunir pour établir et prévoir – si tant est que la démarche soit possible – de mettre en lumière ce que sera le citoyen mauricien du siècle présent et la qualité dominante préludant à son bonheur.
These words are important: ‘Reconciliation’, ‘Social Justice’ and ‘National Unity’. We will also add: ‘Gathering the scattered…’ This Commission will have the difficult task of getting together to establish and plan – that is if it is possible – to highlight who the Mauritian citizen of this century will be and the main quality preluding his or her happiness.
This article provoked the following response from Louis-René Dalai highlighting the differences between the cases of apartheid slavery and the indenture [FR]:
Je trouve l’idée de créer une “Commission Justice et Vérité” à Maurice, une excellente initiative, à condition que le but final soit d’aider à construire une “Vraie Nation Mauricienne”, et non pas de diviser notre population en “descendants d’esclaves”, en descendants “d’Engagés”, et en descendants de “Méchants Colons”…..
D’essayer de copier la “Commission Justice et Vérité”, mise en place en Afrique du Sud, avec un résultat très bénéfique, puisque ceux qui sont venus témoigner, étaient responsables “eux-mêmes”, des “deux côtés”, des crimes commis contre “leurs frères Sud Africains !!!….Mais dans le cas de l’île Maurice, les responsables de l’Esclavage, ainsi que leurs victimes, ne sont plus là, aujourd’hui, pour apporter leur témoignage !!!…..
Etant, moi-même, descendant d’ancêtres” esclavagistes”….avec le décalage des générations depuis la période 1835/1840…..Je ne me considère nullement responsable des “crimes” commis, éventuellement, par mes ancêtres !!!…tandis qu’en Afrique du Sud, la situation est totalement différente !!!…
I think the idea of creating a “Truth and Justice Commission” is an excellent initiative, provided that the final goal is to help build a “True Mauritian Nation,” and not to divide our population into “descendants of slaves,” descendants of “soldiers,” and descendants of “evil colonists”…..
To try to copy the “Truth and Justice Commission,” established in South Africa, with a very beneficial result, since those who testified, were “themselves” responsible, from “both sides,” for the crimes committed against “their South African brothers”!!!….But in Mauritius’ case, the people responsible for slavery, as well as their victims, are no longer here, today, to give their testimony!!!…..
Being, myself, descended from “slave owner” ancestors….with the generation gap since the 1835/1840 period…..I do not at all consider myself responsible for the “crimes” committed, possibly, by my ancestors!!!….whereas in South Africa, the situation is totally different!!!…
On August 25, lexpress.mu online reported that:
Des 350 dossiers enregistrés à ce jour à la Commission Justice et Vérité, la majorité concerne des revendications de terrains. Sur les six cas entendus ce mercredi 25 août, devant le président Alex Boraine, cinq font état de réclamation de terrains, allant de 100 toises à 78 arpents. Pour Jacques David, l'un des assesseurs de la Commission, chaque cas a son importance et il fait bien ressortir qu'un titre de propriété est seulement le début d'une longue série de recherches.

author: Abdoulaye Bah


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Pakistan: Death Of MQM Leader · Global Voices
Rezwan

Dr Imran Farooq, one of the founding leaders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was assassinated in London yesterday. This gruesome murder in a foreign capital ignited the rumor mills in Pakistan, informs Adil Najam.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Rezwan


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Pakistan: Facebook And The Flood · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sonya Rehman describes the use of Facebook and other social media tools in fund-raising and for coordination of relief for the victims of Pakistan floods.


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Panama: 10 Things You Have to do When Visiting Panama · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Rob Rivera shares “10 Things You Have To Do While in Panama.” He goes into detail about each point, offering specific suggestions on how to fulfill each of these ten things.

author: Silvia Viñas


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Russia: Bloggers Create Alternative Website to Discuss Police Reform · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

In addition to the official website to discuss police reform [RUS], bloggers had created an alternative one [RUS]. After proposing and discussing the amendments (the list with the illustrations here [RUS]) to the police reform draft bill, the bloggers managed to promote them to #1 position [RUS] in the official site's rating.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Russia: Cyrillic Domain Reveal Putin’s Plans for 2012 · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Federal Security Service (FSO) had registered more Cyrillic domains than any other company in the country (including  “блог.рф” (“blog.rf”) and “письма.рф” (“letters.rf”), see full list), Vedomosti.ru reported [RUS]. Lenta.ru adds that FSO also registered “Путин2012.рф” and “Путин-2012.рф” (“Putin-2012.rf”). Blogger wunder_bar suggests [RUS] the domains reveal Vladimir Putin's plan to re-elect in 2012.


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Russia: Vladikavkaz Market, Sept. 12 · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Twenty-one photos from the Vladikavkaz market, three days after the Sept. 9 terrorist attack – by LJ user farniev-kostya (RUS).

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Sierra Leone: Sierra Leone Fragments · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

A video of everyday life in one of the richest diamonds mines area, Kono District, in Sierra Leone.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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South Africa: Last Chance to Vote in South Africa Blog Awards 2010 · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Public voting in South Africa Blog Awards 2010 closes in 7 hours. South Africa Blog Awards bring South African bloggers to the forefront of peoples attention, both locally and internationally, increasing exposure for South Africa's great bloggers.


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South Korea: The Family Reunion Deal May Lower the Inter-Korean Tension.  · Global Voices
Lee Yoo Eun

A South Korean Red Cross delegation departed to North Korea today to discuss the reunions of families separated by the Korean War ,South Korea’s Yonhap reported.  It was a rare suggestion made by North Korea and some experts read this as a sign of improvement on InterKorean relationship.

author: Lee Yoo Eun


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Thailand Medical Tourism Blog Contest · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has launched a new blog contest to promote medical tourism.
Are you a blogger who is experienced in writing on the subject of either tourism, medical or/and medical tourism related blogs? If the answer is yes, then step aboard, you have exclusive rights to compete in this year’s ultra amazing Medical Blog Contest!
An overview of the contest:
12 qualified bloggers, also known as Finalists, will be selected to experience for themselves pre-selected key medical and health service providers from five randomly selected destinations over the course of 4 consecutive days,  and then 3 more in Bangkok. The TAT and/or Organizer will also arrange a variety of sightseeing tours for Finalists, so further encouraging Thailand’s attractiveness as a medical tourism hub.
Each Participant will be asked to share his/her daily experience with a global audience by posting blog posts, photos, videos and travel stories (in English language and/or his/her own local language) with social media tools in order to inspire other travelers to learn more about and take interest in visiting those destinations for the purpose of medical tourism.
This youtube video provides more details
What are the reactions of bloggers? As of this writing, there are 12 participating bloggers. The decision of tourism authorities to embrace social media is appreciated by many bloggers but some are questioning the strategy for this particular blog contest.
Jon Russell describes the contest as a “truly bizarre campaign”
I have to wonder just how many “experienced blogger writing on tourism, medical or medical tourism” actually exist in the world?
I honestly can't believe the top offer is an “ALL-INCLUSIVE SEVEN-DAY MEDICAL TOURISM FAMILIARIZATION TRIP IN THAILAND”!!
Yes, people want to come stay in Thailand… but most want to be on a beach… not touring medical facilities
While it is true that this is just one of many campaigns to promote Thailand overseas, but I am genuinely surprise at how poor the concept behind the strategy is
Richard Barrow agrees with Jon
I think it is great that the TAT have moved more into digital media to promote Thailand. But, like you said, their efforts recently have been more miss than hit. They certainly have plenty of money to throw around on campaigns but it would seem like they are being advised by the wrong group of people. Or are they just spending the money blindly just to justify their huge budgets?
But commenter You must be joking defends the blog contest
What's hard to understand about the strategy? They are attracting people who already write about medical tourism. Dry stuff that requires — let's be charitable and say simply “a certain mindset” — and you'll probably find as little interest in beaches and mainstream tourism as if you offered a trainspotting blog contest. We're just seeing lab coats instead of anoraks this time.
Long story short, the appeal is to a certain type of geek who the TAT expect will go home and pimp for them for free with months of free content.
Not a word will be said about the utter absence of any malpractice law here or the minuscule probability of success in suing a doctor or medical facility.
The medical tourism blog campaign has a Twitter and Facebook account.
Thailand has embarked on an aggressive digital campaign to win back tourists who were discouraged by reports of political violence in the country this year.

author: Mong Palatino


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U.S.V.I.: Internet Access · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“The Virgin Islands have scored a quartet of federal grants, totaling $67.1 million, which offer the promise of low-cost Internet access throughout St. John and the other islands”: News of St. John hopes it happens.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Uganda: Can Online Media Help Development?  · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

This is the end of three-year coverage of the Katine project in Uganda through Katine Chronicles Blog. Readers are asked to post final thoughts on a venture linking online media with development.


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Ukraine: “Let’s Make Kyiv Clean!” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Info on the upcoming Let's Make Kyiv Clean! volunteer initiative, scheduled for Sept. 25 – at letsdoit.org.ua (UKR). During the previous clean-up event, held on June 5, some 500 volunteers worked in 18 Kyiv's parks and gathered 2,280 kg of glass and 371 kg of plastic bottles.


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Brazil: World’s Largest Graffiti Inaugurated · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Graffiti at Foz do Iguazu
Brazil's President Lula da Silva inaugurated the world's largest graffiti at over 37 000 square feet in the area of Foz do Iguaçu. This area; famous for the Iguaçu falls and the triple border where Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina meet, will now be home to a decorated highway honouring children and teenager's rights.
ClickFoz, a regional online news portal for the waterfall region had special coverage of this artistic effort meant to de-stigmatize graffiti, improve the city and raise awareness of children's and teens’ rights.  The  following video shows the unveiling, with  President Lula inaugurating the project with a spray painted signature and artists discussing their work with the brightly painted highway as background:
Odee.com has the story and pictures of this tri-national endeavor:
Graffiti artist from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay have been working on  the highway for 10 days nonstop getting ready for the event. From  Paraguay, graffiti artists involved in the project include Eddy, Ataq, Oz, and Priz which belong to Paraguayan colective “Jopara”. On the Argentinian side there’s the Grupo We! collective and from the Brazilian side there’s Pontello, the Infames Crew and the Ya Basta collective made up by Sica, Lalan, Michel and others.
Priscila Benitez (Priz) from Paraguay made a video of the graffiti work in process. Please note the skateboards: they were vital for paint and artist transportation along the length of the highway or viaducto:
In her blog Punkgodangell Priz tells all about her experience as the only girl in this international crew of graffiti artists, of undertaking the titanic endeavor of painting this enormous mural with the clock ticking, the grueling schedule, how she learned new skills (including riding a skateboard) and how they all dealt with working in a multi-cultural environment:
Es todo un tema trabajar en equipo con gente que conoces por primera vez. Las relaciones humanas son complicadas y mas todavia cuando se trata de una triple frontera; cada artista tiene un estilo distinto, una manera de trabajar distinta y un lenguaje distinto. Conseguir que todo eso llegue a un acuerdo no es fácil, pero lo conseguimos. El objetivo final era uno en común y unimos fuerzas.
You can see more pictures of the finished viaduct in the different artists’ pages: Eddy, Oz, Priz, Pontello and Infames Crew.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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CEE: Books and Reading Notes · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

War and Peace posts a mini-review of Sholem Aleichem's Tevye the Dairyman; Csíkszereda Musings reviews William Blacker's Along the Enchanted Way; Poemless wonders why there are “so few translations of contemporary Russian authors available to the English speaking world.”


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Iran: “Shiva sentenced to lashes and Prison” · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

According to  [fa] several news sites, Iranian jailed blogger and human rights activist, Shiva Nazar Ahari was sentenced to 74 lashes and six years prison.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Lebanon: Beirut Tweets · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Beirut Tweets is a blog covering the Lebanese Twittersphere (or Twitosphere). It reports about the social, cultural and artistic events and tweetups of the Lebanese Tweeps.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Bloggers with Battle Scars · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“It was always embarrassing to attend Arab bloggers’ conferences as a “Lebanese” blogger. Everyone else had real battle scars… So we really had nothing to contribute to discussions of activists who really put their neck on the line facing Arab tyrants,” wrote Jamal who was commenting on the arrest of Bahraini blogger Ali Abdulemam.


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Lebanon: Civil War Missing Revisited · Global Voices
Antoun Issa

Courtesy of Le Liban
Twenty years have passed since Lebanon's warring factions called it quits. Not soon after, all grievances and memories of the bloody Lebanese Civil War were swept under the carpet.
Amnesty was quickly (self-)granted to the country's warlords, hands were shaken, and the approximately 150,000 war dead were in turn forgotten.
Lebanese families were left to quietly mourn their dead and missing. The problem here is, of course, we do not truly know exactly how many Lebanese died or are currently missing from the civil war, because no credible official investigation has ever taken place. NGO estimates place the number of missing at roughly 17,000.
Lebanon's political elites have continually refused the post-war reconciliation commissions or investigations into war crimes that have, in recent years, become a trademark of United Nations operations in the Balkans and Rwanda. Among the myriad of public and religious holidays in Lebanon, not a single day is put aside to commemorate the war dead.
Indeed, Beirut's political heavyweights and the media have opted to forget the country's brutal civil war, and force grieving families to do the same. Unfortunately for many, the pain of war is not so easily swept aside.
That explains why a small demonstration held in Beirut on September 3rd and 4th this year for the war's missing went completely unnoticed in the media, amidst the daily squabbling between Lebanon's bickering factions.
It was only until one blogger accidentally stumbled on a poster for the demonstration some weeks later that any news of the event saw light.
Franco-Lebanese blogger, Frenchy, explains on his blog, Le Liban, why the media avoids stories concerning civil war grievances:
Le visuel rappelle également le nombre de disparus de la guerre, 17 514, il ne s’agit pas seulement des libanais disparus en Syrie mais aussi en Israël et d’un point de vue interne, par l’intermédiaire de nos milices bien libanaises. Ainsi, on pourrait mieux comprendre le boycott médiatique et notamment de la presse locale, il ne s’agit pas d’accuser seulement la Syrie comme d’habitude mais tout le monde, chose inacceptable.
Qu’on mette actuellement sur les bans des accusés, Israël, les Palestiniens dans la première partie guerre civile libanaise, que certains tentent aujourd’hui d’implanter et que cela soit nos dirigeants actuels, nos « saigneurs » de guerre ayant racheté leur virginité sans même nous demander grâce à nos lois d’amnésie… non, en plus il faut boycotter, ne pas en parler dans les colonnes d’une certaine presse libanaise.
So not only do some people want to accuse Israel or some Palestinians as many are trying to do now regardless of who is in power, for the first part of the Lebanese civil war, the same people who are the warlords who have purchased a brand new clean slate without having the courtesy to ask us for forgiveness, courtesy of our amnesia laws … but we also have to observe a boycott, a censorship to not mention in the columns of the Lebanese press.
Mentions of Lebanon's civil war dead and missing on the blogosphere remain sporadic, reflecting social attitudes in general to the forgotten past. But failure to address open wounds risks an unstable future, and unsurprisingly, Lebanon has endured anything but stability since the civil war ended in 1990.
Blogger, Sietske in Beiroet, commented on the matter in April:
April 13 has come (and gone); it marks the official beginning of the Lebanese civil war.
It was a regular working day. It’s not that I am advocating for yet another public holiday. We’ve got lots of public holidays in this place. And we just gotanother one added to this plethora of celebrations & commemoration. We celebrate(d) the Liberation of the South (for a while). We even celebrated/ commemorated (depending on what side you’re on) the Hariri assassination of February 14, 2005 (for a while).
Courtesy of This Is Beirut
But if there’s one day that should be remembered, then this is April the 13th. I asked my son if he knew what was special about that day. He didn’t know. “An unlucky day or so, because it’s the 13th?” Well, unlucky it was.
My son can tell you when the WWI was, and  WWI. He may give you some estimate on the Vietnam war. But he cannot tell you about the Lebanese Civil War. And it is not like we do not discuss the matter ever in our household. But does anyone really ever talk about it?
It’s a day when we should commemorate all the victims/vanished of the (civil) war. Yet we don’t.
In Holland we remember the victims of WWII on May 4 (dodenherdenking); that’s some 65 years ago! In France and England they still remember the casualties of the First World War on November 11 (Armistice Day ); almost 100 years ago!
I went to an exposition, MISSING & IN A SEA OF OBLIVION, which commemorates the 35th anniversary of the beginning of the civil war in Lebanon with the pictures of people that went missing during the civil war.
I was surprised though that there were not more than that. And you know the funny part? Even at the exhibition, they do not tell you how many are hanging there. ‘Many hundreds of individuals,’ the brochure reads. Well, how many is ‘many hundreds’? Two hundred? Nine hundred. And from stories I’ve done in the past, I know there’s some 2,000 that disappeared in 1982 on empty arrest warrants signed by certain judges. And does that include Palestinians, like the ones in Karanthina? We have a friend who lost his brother there; and he was Lebanese. I don’t think he was hanging there.
So how many exactly are missing. Can’t the population register answer that?
Quite a few disappeared while in Syrian hands, but a huge numbers just ‘disappeared’. They fell into the hands of the wrong militia at the wrong time. Some were taken for ransom, others for revenge, a number was ‘arrested’ by those that were in power at that time, and some just happened to get caught in the crossfire, and were never claimed, because nobody could keep track anymore.
And tragically, in May this year, a mother who had been living in a protest tent in Beirut for the last four years, in search for answers on her lost children in the war, was killed in a car accident. Nihil Declaro noted:
For people like Audette, any truth which is uncovered about the war will have come too late.
She lived in her protest tent for 1,495 days, giving up the comforts of a real home to brave hot summers and blustery winters in the company of others who had lost relatives.
But last May she was killed by a speeding car as she crossed the road near her tent.
At her funeral, held at the tent, more than 100 friends gathered to pay their last respects.
They also came to deliver a message to the government: Audette spent the last 25 years searching for news of her children and died no closer to finding it.
Despite wishes to the contrary, the Lebanese Civil War still remains a case unresolved. For the majority of Lebanese who lost loved ones, their bitterness continues to fester beneath the surface.
For more information on the campaign for Lebanon's war dead and missing, please visit UMAM D&R's website.

author: Antoun Issa


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Lebanon: Forty New Things  · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

This is Beirut posts a list of 40 new things that she learned in Lebanon in the nine months since she moved from Miami to Beirut.


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Lebanon: Hamra Festival · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Beirut's Hamra Street Festival began on Friday, September 10th and ended on September 12. The Unofficial Hamra Street Festival Blog  covered the festival with images and links to other blogs which wrote about the event.


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Nepal: Power Internet Users Targeted · Global Voices
Rezwan

XNepali  Blog informs that the Nepali police are snooping on high-speed internet users in the country.


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Philippines: President answers Facebook note · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Reyn Barnido’s facebook note, “Mr. President, something in you has to die,” was reposted by many users in the Philippines. Even President Noynoy Aquino responded via facebook.
Barnido aired his frustration with the two-month performance of the new government. His take-off point was the hostage tragedy in Manila last month which left nine Hong Kong tourists dead. He also expressed his disappointment with the Cabinet members of Aquino.
An excerpt of Barnido’s open letter
Mr. President, we did not switch from cheerleaders to cynics because of a singular incident caused by a madman. Our process was a metamorphosis catalyzed by a series of excuses and inconsistencies over the past two months. They don’t paint you as a man in control; rather they portray a group of helpless officials in utter disarray like rats scrambling from the basement of a burning building.  You are the hub of a bunch of incompetent fools whose idea of honesty is withholding the truth until someone slips and whose interpretation of transparency is to let the media and the public wrestle the facts from their mouths like fishes dangling from hooks.
This is not a flaw in the character of your administration; this inefficiency has become your defining trait.
Believe it or not, your cheerers may have become cynics, but they are still your companions in this journey. I, for one, will not abandon you Mr. President.
An excerpt of Aquino’s reply which was posted on his official Facebook account
First of all, thank you for your note on Facebook. Such insights from concerned citizens are vital in a maturing democracy such as ours, where all avenues and technologies should be explored in order to raise the level of public discourse.  However, thoughts expressed in such sites, which can sometimes be incendiary, spread easily without the necessary validation. This is why I felt the need to respond to your letter
I understand that much of your frustration stems from the unfortunate crisis that befell our nation, but my administration will not be defined by this tragedy. It will be defined by what we have already achieved and what we will still achieve in the future.
Here are some Facebook comments.
Ronald C. Rosas praises Barnido’s “nice and truthful” letter
been wrestling with the same feelings of disgust towards pnoy (Author’s note: Aquino prefers to be called PNoy, short for President Noynoy) for his seeming lack of control and weak governance and this piece hit the target right on. yes, i'm not yet giving up on him, but i hope he get his act together pretty soon. or else, the cynics would turn real bad critics.
Cheryl L. Daytec appreciates the quick reply of Aquino
That Pres. Aquino or his team would take time to respond to an issue raised on FB is a bit encouraging. At least they listen to a vigilant citizenry.
Ditas Garchitorena describes Aquino’s response as proof of transparent governance.
Now this is what we call transparent governance…Thank you, Mr. President for your honesty and humility. God bless you!
Jerome Locson notes how technology can help citizens articulate their sentiments
See how technology can help voice-out our concerns? Glad that Pres. Aquino responded to this note.
Peter Paul Carim appeals to Filipinos to be patient with the new government
I’m glad that PNoy was open to this kind of criticism and responded in a positive way. I think we Filipinos expected to much from his government and expected an “immediate” transformation or change. Be reasonable Pinoys. It’s not going to happen in just a few days or months. And let’s just wait after 2 (two) years like PNoy said. If you want our country to change for good, weather you like our President or not, you should do your part too as a citizen of the Republic of the Philippines.
Balatucan is not worried if Barnido will no longer support the president
The note is disguised as an advice to the President.  But glossing over the entire note, it is very evident that it is actually a sugar coated attack on the President
Well, if Barnido sees that everything is over for Pnoy in just two months then losing him in the group is a good riddance.  What are needed are people made of steel.  People who will not buckle down at the first sign of distress.
Creed of Goop analyzes both the letter writer and the president
Me, I'm just surprised (or jealous) that Noynoy actually replied to a random person on the web…I do believe, however, that Noynoy is taking too much value on impressions and, subsequently, saving face. I cannot help but generalize this overt sensitivity as a sign of weakness, a student of Psychology that I am. Though Reyn's hasty logic is no less erroneous, Noynoy cowering behind heaps of excuses is obvious either. Nevertheless, the blogger did affirm his support for the president. The lack of strong will is probably just one aspect of himself that needed to die.


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Russia: A New Gang War? · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

In Moscow's Shadows writes about the possible consequences of the attack on the mafia boss known as Ded Khasan in Moscow.


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Russia: “Luzhkovectomy” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Moscow Diaries, The Power Vertical, and The Kremlin Stooge weigh in on the Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov scandal.


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· Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

In Destino Cuba [ES], blogger Carlos Manuel Álvarez Rodríguez writes about the concert Cuban singer and songwriter Silvio Rodríguez offered in Havana dedicated to the bicentennial of Chile's independence: “Something is always absent in concerts. There is a desire to capture everything, but this is impossible in a theater with hundreds of people around you. There are just short instances, too fast for the senses.”

author: Firuzeh Shokooh Valle


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Argentina: Boca Juniors, Passion for Football · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

One of many football (soccer) fans’ dreams is to attend one of the Argentinian Boca Juniors’ matches in their famous stadium, “La Bombonera.” Football fans all over the world have many things in common, but the Argentinian – and Boca Juniors – fans in particular are one of the most passionate fans in the world, if not the most passionate.
This photo was take in La Bombonera in August 2005
Phoebe-K, who is an American blogger living in Argentina, wrote about Argentinians’ passion for politics and football.
The Turkish bloggers Gülen & Murat – and football fans know that Turks surely are passionate about football – wrote about their eagerness to visit La Bombonera
La 12 and La Bombonera
In Spanish, groups of supporters at football matches are called “Hinchadas” or “Barras Bravas;” but Boca Juniors fans are usually referred to by the nickname “La 12,” or “The 12th Player.” Such nickname was given to them back in the 1920's. Barras Bravas Mundial elaborates more on the origin of the nickname [es].
La calificación de la 12 (“el jugador número doce”) que se ganó la parcialidad de Boca Juniors data del año 1925, con motivo de la gira europea  que realizó ese año. En esa oportunidad, el equipo fue acompañado por un fanático boquense, Victoriano Caffarena, perteneciente a una familia adinerada, que financió parte de la gira. Durante la misma Caffarena ayudó al equipo en todo … estableciendo tal grado de relación con los jugadores, que éstos los nombraron “Jugador Número 12″. Al volver a la Argentina, Caffarena era tan conocido como los mismos jugadores.
…
En la actualidad, este apodo se utiliza principalmente para nombrar a su barra brava, conocida como La 12.
Facundo Ronchel in Jugada Preparada once wrote [es] about “La 12″ and how they keep chanting continuously in stadium “La Bombonera” throughout their team's 90 minute-long matches. This might be a normal thing for almost all football supporters around the world, but Boca took it to the next level and created their own musical band. Al Chopin wrote about the musical band [es] and listed some of their chants or “Cantitos.”
Una de las barras más coloridas de Sudámerica y el mundo, cuenta con una banda compuesta por más de 50 músicos que acompañan a la 12 (Barra oficial de Boca Juniors) y que le dan ese sonido espectacular que remece la Bombonera.
And when their team scores, supporters don't just sing but they literally shake the stadium. Gulen and Murat wrote about the famous shake of the Bombonera.
One of the chants that the supporters sing for Boca is called “Ni la muerte nos va a separar, desde el cielo te voy alentar,” which means “Not even death will separate us. From heaven I'm going to support you.” And in fact it's not just a song, as there are coffins made specially for Boca fans. The coffins only come in two colors – blue and yellow, and fans can have their team's logo engraved for an extra fee.
With such an atmosphere, even advertisers surely don't mind altering the colors of their brands’ logos to suit it:
This photo was taken during Boca Juniors match against Pumas in December 2005
Special preparations have to be made to preserve the safety of the away fans, as Señorita Dewey Decimal explains in her blog:
However, sometimes such preparations are still not enough:
Finally, if you too are now interested in attending one of Boca Juniors’ matches, becoming a member of the club might secure your tickets to the game, but you – just like Miss Dewey Decimal – will have to wait for a while in the membership waiting list.

author: Tarek Amr


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Armenia: The British Ambassador blogs · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Charles Lonsdale, the British Ambassador to Armenia, has started up an official blog on the web site of the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In his second post, the diplomatic blogger compares British and Armenian art against the background of the seventh Biennale in the country's second largest city of Gyumri.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Australia: Muslim Dress Code Backlash · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Last week while we were enjoying a few days away from the blogosphere, a disturbing debate erupted about swimming costumes of all things. No prizes for guessing that multi-cultural tensions would be involved. The controversy started in a Melbourne suburb:
DANDENONG’S mayor has called on residents to embrace a Muslim event at which people will be forced to cover up.
The event, to be held after hours at the public Dandenong Oasis pool on August 21, 2011, will require all participants older than 10 to follow a dress code of knee-length shorts and T-shirts.
Women and men attending the event, aimed at diverse backgrounds, will be required to cover their torsos, extending to the upper arms and from waist to knee.
Mayor defends Dandenong pool cover-up order
Julie Joy Clarke of Anything but human is concerned about the media role in beating up the reaction:
Rather than smoothing the waters between different religious groups, yet another wave of discontent has been created through media misinformation.
Perhaps she had Melbourne's Herald Sun in mind:
A PLAN to force families to cover up to avoid offending Muslims at a public event has triggered furious debate.
An overwhelming 94 per cent of heraldsun.com.au readers disagree with the legal ruling approving the contentious ban during next year's Ramadan.
They seem to know their audience. The first comment (of 773 so far) on this story by Stevo of melb typifies the negative reaction:
so starts the islamisation of Australian society. Soon it will be a request to have Sharia courts run parallel to the Australian legal system like now exists in the UK. I am all for having request for other peoples rights/beliefs, but the bottom line is Muslims need to accept they come to a non-Islamic country and while free to practice their religion, they should accept it can't be the same as in an Islamic country.
Cover up for pool event during next year's Ramadan
Julie Joy's commonsense view:
…if you find the idea of covering up whilst swimming ~ and I certainly do, then don't attend, there are thousands of hours of swimming time available to you
Untitled
Despite this advice, Dan Zaremba at Australian Islamist Monitor, ‘Islam Under Scrutiny’, exposes his naked truth:
Equal opportunity for Muslims means LESS equal opportunity for you and this means that the Sharia based rules of dhimmitude are already being implemented in Australia.
And this is how Sharia creeps in. SLowly at first, then it gains momentum and then, before we know it we have to start penalizing non-Muslims for not following rules imposed on us by the Muslim PATH.
No naked flesh at the Dandenong Oasis pool
Apparently one member of the Islamic Council Victoria,Shereen Hassan, has expressed concerns:
I appreciate the efforts of the YMCA to promote goodwill among Muslims and non-Muslims. My concern is that this event will cause disharmony as already evidenced over the last few days by the public outcry.
The ABC TV's Stateline program canvassed this reaction and other issues with Matt Feutrill, Chief Operating Officer of the YMCA, a co-sponsor of the event.
JOSEPHINE CAFAGNA: Were you taken aback at the public response?
MATT FEUTRILL: We are because we think this is representation of modern Australia and our inclusive – our inclusive, embracing, inclusive mixed cultural diversity within our communities is important. We know that immigration to Australia is going to continue to be important to our future productivity. We know we need to continue to reach out and look at new ways of living in harmony together.
Pool ruling justified (Video & Transcript)
Millsie presents a lengthy analysis of the use of comments on a radio station blog. He focuses on the practice of trolling on Blah Blah Blah, ‘Animation, Comic Books and Other Stuff’. He attacks the manners of one commenter who posted, “Can’t believe the rudeness of these pple. I am Australian and I feel like a foreigner in my own country”:
The rudeness of the people posting Islamophobic comments? No, the rudeness of Muslim women who expect people to adhere to a dress code at a private event.
He also questions whether the radio station should be held accountable:
Could 3AW be held responsible for the comments that have been allowed to be posted on their page? Especially if they are found to be offensive.
Islamophobia & Trolling On The 3AW Comments Page
A final word from Matt Feutrill:
We've been working with the women's only swim group for the past two years in the city of Dandenong. It is a multi-faith group, multi-nationalities, multi-disabilities who feel comfortable swimming together. This Ramadan, because there are members of the Muslim community, the members felt it was such a rewards experience to share the celebration of Ramadan together that they would like to extend next year, that session, as a one-off to their broader family to join in, to join with this group of people of mixed faiths, mixed nationality, to enjoy the celebration of Ramadan.
Pool ruling justified
This author might just go along next year to enjoy their hospitality. Hope it's a heated pool, since it's winter.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Bangladesh: Digitizing Land Records to Combat Corruption · Global Voices
Aparna Ray

Corruption is rampant in Bangladesh. In 2009, the country ranked 139 out of 180 in Transparency International's  Corruption Perceptions Index. Of the various sectors in Bangladesh that are affected by corruption, the Land Management System is among the worst. Corruption has been highlighted as the main reason behind slow, poor quality and faulty land related services in the country.
Given the absence of a transparent system, bribery and other irregularities are common. People in the administration who are responsible for creating and maintaining land records often prepare incorrect records intentionally, and land owners are forced to pay bribes to officials to get the records approved. Officials and surveyors are often in cahoots with touts and land sharks; cases abound where people have paid bribes to officials and/or surveyors and gotten land ownership transferred/recorded illegally in their names, leaving the real owner(s) running pillar to post to get justice. In 2006 alone, bribes worth about 83 billion Bangladeshi Taka were paid for land related services such as registration and altering of records.
Over 3.2 million land-related cases are pending before the judiciary in Bangladesh.  This huge figure does not take into account the large number of the aggrieved who do not feel empowered enough to approach the courts for litigation. Land disputes often lead to violence and criminal offenses. It is said that 80 percent of criminal offenses today stem from land disputes.
To deal with these problems of fraud and corruption,  the government is working to digitize the land records and the land management system to infuse some level of transparency and accountability into the sector and curb the rampant corruption. Currently, a digital database has been created for Dhaka city, and over 0.42 million land records have been uploaded into the database, which is soon to be inaugurated by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Other initiatives, either private or public sector led, are being actively considered. For example, Terra Tech Ltd, a conglomerate of 10 local IT Companies, has proposed a digital mapping and land revenue management system, which has received the green light from the government. The department hopes that these initiatives will be steps in the right direction for implementing the government's Vision 2021 of a Digital Bangladesh and will usher in a more effective land management system in Bangladesh.
However, concerns have been raised regarding the limited success of past endeavors, which were localized and used different assumptions and follow-up actions. There is a growing realization and acknowledgment of the fact that isolated initiatives will not do much good. A consolidated plan has to be worked out under the public-private partnership (PPP) umbrella. In a recent dialogue [BN] on the effective use of ICT in the arena of Land Management, the Assistant Country Director of UNDP Bangladesh, Mr. K.A.M Morshed, presented a paper titled “Strategic Priorities of Digital Bangladesh: Land”, which stressed the need for a correct database through proper surveys, the creation of digital land zoning systems (namely GIS based maps with zones), a digital land registration system, and an up-to-date digital land information system integrated with the voter/national ID database that would offer easy access, search and verification facilities, and a digital land revenue tracking and management system.
In one of his articles on Digital Land Systems [BN] on the blog Blogymate, Mustafa Jabbar, who is the proprietor of the Bijoy Bangla software and keyboard in Bangladesh, has pointed out that the mere digitization of land records will not be enough to achieve transparency and accountability. According to him, a complete overhaul of the land related laws and the current mechanism of service delivery  is needed, as the current system is pretty much archaic. Mr. Jabbar states that the new, automated land information system should have an integrated approach so that a person searching the database can get all information pertaining to the land at one glance: ownership, registration, mutation, transfer, disputes, judicial cases, land map, taxes paid and pending, land related wills and such other legal documents. Furthermore, he feels that having all of this information is not enough.  It needs to be made accessible to people in an easy, user-friendly manner, not only via the Internet but through the telephony system as well. According to him, just as a consumer can now access his/ her telephone bill from home through the interactive voice response system, it should be as easy for a person to access land related information.
There is a lot of hope riding on the effective use of ICT in the Land Management System of Bangladesh to usher in modernization, user-friendliness, transparency and accountability in this very important sector.

author: Aparna Ray


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Indonesia: Local government closes church defying court order · Global Voices
Juke Carolina

A Christian protestant church, GKI Taman Yasmin in the regency of Bogor, Indonesia was forced to cease activities by Bogor's regency on Sunday night. The police and Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) surrounded the church, disbanded a church meeting, then sealed the building by the city's order.
The Public Order Agency's main purpose is to help the police and local government maintain public order. However, given the rather militaristic and sudden action, some fear the church closing is actually inspired by a broader Islamist campaign against Christians and church groups in the Muslim majority nation. Last week, two church leaders were stabbed in Bekasi Regency, on the eastern border of the capital city, Jakarta.
Local mainstream media have so far showed little interest. Twitter once again became a great reporting tool for those directly involved.
On early Sunday morning (September 19), Bona Sigalingging, one of the church's member, posted a string of tweets:
Polisi makin banyak, denpom akan dikerahkan. Alasannya keamanan. Kalo alasannya keamanan, kenapa kami yg diusir? Kami yg punya IMB lengkap!
Update 1:Jemaat msh dilokasi Gereja.Polisi makin byk,ultimatum jemaat pulang.Jemaat btahan ddpn pagar.Mbl polisi mulai pepet jemaat.
Update2:Pukul1.03jemaat GKI bnyanyi dan bdoa dbwh ancaman polisi utk bubar.Jemaat tetap btahan.
Update3:Pukul 1.07.Anggota Detasemen Polisi Militer mulai tlihat dilokasi.Kehadirannya mengintimidasi jemaat.Jemaat bertahan.Nyanyi dan doa.
Update4:02.47wib.Jemaat GKI msh btahan ddpn gerbang gereja,mencegah dtutupnya areal trotoar dan areal dpn gerbang oleh mobil2 polisi.
Update5:Pencegahan dtutupny trotoar oleh polisi hrs dlakukan agar ttap ada ruang bagi jemaat utk ibadah hari minggu sekalipun di trotoar lg.
Update6:Jemaat tampak tidur beralaskan tikar,dgn keyakinan penuh utk mptahankan iman dan hak beribadah yg dijamin konstitusi.
Update 7: 03.51 wib. Polisi:gerbang gereja digembok lagi adalah krn ada ancaman keamanan hari minggu ini bila jemaat ibadah didalam gereja
06.54 wib:mobil anti huru hara datang!Tp tetap saja Tuan-Tuan,kami ibadah 8 wib, mski hanya di trotoar ini http://plixi.com/p/45892275
Entah mengapa Anda kirim mobil anti huu hara ini.Kami hanya ingin ibadah,menyapa Tuhan yg disp o/ milyaran orang di dunia dlm beragam nama!
More police arrived, military police detachment (Denpom) will soon arrive. Security reasons (they said). If it's security, why are we the ones who are driven out? We have the proper building permit.
Update1: Congregation are still on location. More police arrived, they told us to go home. Congregation stayed outside, between the fence and the police cars.
Update 2: 1:03 AM, the congregation sings and prays under the police threat to disperse. The congregation stayed put.
Update 3: 1:07 AM, members of the military police detachment (Denpom) are seen on the location. Their presence is to intimidate us. The congregation stayed put, singing and praying.
Update 4: 2:47 AM. The Presbyterian church congregation is still outside the church's gate, trying to stop the police cars that blocked the sidewalks and front gate areas.
Update 5: Congregation trying to stop the police blocking the sidewalks where they planned to perform their Sunday service.
Update 6: Congregation sleeps on top of straw mats, still with confidence to defend their faith and right to worship which is protected by constitution.
Why did they send the anti-riot vehicle? All we want is to worship, greeting the same God that is greeted by billions of people in the world, whatever their religions are.
GKI Taman Yasmin begun their Sunday service singing the national anthem. Photo uploaded on Plixi by @bonasays.
The church building permit was first revoked by the Bogor Administrative government on February 14, 2008, two years after the issuance of their permit. The administrative government cited public disturbance as an excuse to close down the place of worship. However, the court of justice overturned the Bogor administration's decision, and the church was reopened August 27 only to be re-closed a few days after.
Last Friday, at an inaugural meeting of the U.S.-Indonesia Joint Commission in Washington DC, the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, told Indonesian Foreign Minister, Marty Natalegawa, that she has been impressed by the Indonesian Government’s protection of individuals exercising different religions.
Clinton brought up the importance of religious tolerance as very important for the Indonesians and the Indonesian democracy. In response, Natalegawa said:
“Indonesia is, obviously, a very diverse country. We celebrate our diversity, as a matter of fact. And therefore, when we promote our democracy, nowadays, it is very much in full recognition of the need to ensure that people of all faiths continue to enjoy the freedom to exercise their faiths.”
However, some people fear that President Bambang Yudhoyono's administration is not delivering on this promise. As said by an interfaith activist and Jakarta resident, Trisno Susanto on a public Facebook profile:
“Malam ini, GKI Taman Yasmin di Bogor digembok lagi. Beberapa orang yang mencoba berdialog malah dikepung satpol PP atas perintah Bupati. Sungguh absurd, karena PTUN sudah memenangkan gugatan sehingga IMB GKI Yasmin sah. Negara ini bukan lagi tunduk pada preman, tapi sudah menjadi preman sendiri!”

author: Juke Carolina


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Japan: A new cabinet, again · Global Voices
Scilla Alecci

Tobias Harris at observingjapan comments [en] on the new cabinet that was formed after Prime Minister Kan won the DPJ party leadership election last week.

author: Scilla Alecci


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Japan, China fishing boat row: a war of words · Global Voices
Andy Yee

Just as the Diaoyu Islands row between Japan and China intensifies over the detention of a Chinese fishing captain, whose detention has just been extended by a further 10 days, a war of words has broken out between prominent bloggers Yoshikazu Kato and Zhang Wen.
Yoshikazu Kato, bilingual in Japanese and Chinese, is currently a student at Peking University and writes extensively on international relations, including a column for FT Chinese and a popular blog on iFeng. Meanwhile, Zhang Wen is a leading Chinese journalist, media commentator and blogger, with experience in leading Chinese and Western media such as the Guardian.
Kato recently commented on the incident in a blog entitled ‘The fishing boat row is a good learning opportunity,’ which is viewed by Zhang as a specious argument used for defending aggressive Japanese behaviors.
A good learning opportunity?
First, Kato comments that the incident is a good opportunity for China to learn about how the Japanese government operates:
过去，多数中国人不关心日本的行政制度和司法制度，把政治家、公务员、外交官、检察官全当成笼统的“官” 来看待，觉得他们既然是官就会受到某种统一领导，中国外交部门只要和这个统一的领导机关交涉就行了。但是这次事件与以往东海上的巡逻船、调查船之间的对峙不同，船只毕竟相撞了，日方已经采取了法律措施，把撞船事件的处理变成了一个涉及外交、司法和行政的综合性问题，单靠外交手段已经很难奏效了。日本的体制是，外交由政府负责，而司法系统完全独立于政府，而决定拘留渔船船长的检察官和法官，甚至在司法系统内部都有相当高的自主性。
In the past, most Chinese don’t care about how the Japanese executive and judicial systems operate. They rarely distinguish between politicians, civil servants, diplomats and prosecutors, but rather view them as a single group under the order of one department. Hence, they think that the Chinese Foreign Ministry only needs to deal with one Japanese department. But the current incident is different from past ones. After the crash, Japan has employed judicial measures, which means that the incident is not only a diplomatic problem, but also involves judicial and executive aspects. The Japanese system is that diplomacy is under the jurisdiction of the government, but the judicial system is completely independent. Even the prosecutor and judge, who make the decision to detain the captain, enjoy a high level of independence within the judicial system.
Zhang criticizes the argument as complete non-sense:
这段话真是荒唐，逻辑错乱。且不说在钓鱼岛主权存有争议的形势下，日方以国内法来处置中方船只已经是极不妥当之举，暴露其司马昭之心。再者，对中方而言，这就是一起由日方挑起的外交事件，不靠外交手段，难道加藤是建议中方派出检察官、政府官员甚或干脆出兵？
This paragraph is completely illogical. It is inappropriate for Japan to handle the Chinese captain with Japanese domestic laws, not to mention the fact that the sovereignty of the Diaoyu Islands is disputed. Furthermore, this is a diplomatic row initiated by Japan. If it should not be resolved through diplomatic means, are you saying that China should send in prosecutors, officials, or even soldiers?
在这件事情上，加藤拿“日本司法系统独立于政府”来说辞，是本末倒置了，或者说是在诡辩。固然我承认日本的体制优于中国，但就事论事，在钓鱼岛主权存有争议的情况下，日方不应该使用国内法，这里没有司法机构什么事。
By claiming that the Japanese ‘judicial system is completely independent,’ Kato is putting the cart before the horse. Although I admit that the Japanese system is superior that the Chinese one, Japan should not employ domestic laws and judicial measures in the first place, especially under the situation that the sovereignty of the islands is under dispute.
The Chinese government and nationalism
Kato then praises the Chinese government for its control of anti-Japanese protests within China, so that the strategic and economic relations between the two countries will not be damaged:
越是在这样的情况下，中国政府肯定越要约束民间关于外交的态度，而不愿被一部分政治投机者“狐假虎威”。政府希望人们认识到：无论国家在外交上取得了什么进展，都取决于政府创造和拥有的强大政治、军事、经济实力，并非归功于少数具有冒险精神的“保钓人士”或“反日人士”，所以应当“先谢国家”。而如果暂时不能“亮剑”，已经具备了“亮剑”能力的政府也不愿意被这些人推着陷入被动。
The more difficult the situation is, the more the Chinese government should do to control citizens’ attitudes on foreign affairs, and not to let political opportunists to benefit from the incident. The government should let the people know that achievements in foreign affairs are dependent on political, military and economic strengths, not the adventurism of a few Diaoyu Protection and Anti-Japan activists. Therefore, citizens should first thank the state. Even if the government has the ability for a military showdown, it is not willing to be forced by these activists to do so.
Zhang again claims that Kato’s argument is dubious, and has hidden agenda:
这段话充分证明了加藤的日本人属性：大大的狡猾。在看似肯定实则暗讽中国政府的同时，也极大地贬低了中国的民族主义。并且挑拨了两者的关系。可谓一石多鸟。
This paragraph shows the cunning nature of the Japanese. Beneath the praise, it is satirizing the Chinese government. It is also belittling Chinese nationalism and damaging its relationship with the state. Killing two birds with one stone.
不可否认，这段话的确包含中国政府的意思，但夹带着加藤自己的私货，借中国政府去打压“反日人士”。诚然，我反对极端的民族主义，但认同理性的民族主义，例如在此次事件上，如果中国人保持沉默而不抗议，那才会令我失望呢！我要纠正加藤的是，此次“反日人士”不在少数，而是很多。尽管由于管制的原因，反日抗议未能大范围爆发，但被侮辱的感觉相信很多人都会有。
No doubt, this paragraph describes the intention of the Chinese government, but it also has a hidden agenda of using the Chinese government to clamp down on anti-Japanese activists. I am opposed to extreme nationalism, but I support rational nationalism. I will be disappointed if the Chinese keep quiet in this incident! I have to correct Kato that anti-Japanese people are not only a few, but many. Although anti-Japanese protests are not wide-spread due to government control, I believe that many Chinese feel humiliated by the incident.
加藤自作主张地替中国政府为某些“反日人士”定性：政治投机者。更不堪的是，加藤竟不知其为谁地为中国政府代言起来：（中国）政府也不愿意被这些人推着陷入被动。
By his own dubious conclusion, Kato equates anti-Japanese people with political opportunists. Worse still, he is speaking on behalf of the Chinese government: the [Chinese government] is not willing to be forced [into a military showdown] by these activists.
The verdict
Finally, Kato concludes that this incident is a good opportunity for both countries to understand each other better:
日中之间围绕着撞船事件展开的交涉是一个案例，给了两国国民深入认识，并学习对方国内政治的机会。如果此事得到比较圆满的处理，它必将成为日中两国走向相互理解的一个契机，甚至反过来推动双方解决各自内政中涉及对方的问题。
The fishing boat row is a good chance for the citizens of Japan and China to learn about each other’s domestic politics. If it is dealt with satisfactorily, it will be a juncture for a rapprochement, and could even further lead to solutions to internal domestic problems which involve the opposite side.
And Zhang reiterates that Japan should be held responsible for the row:
我固然也严厉批评了中国政府以往的“无所作为”，导致日方一步一步掌握了钓鱼岛实际控制权。但我的立场是清清楚楚、明明白白的，日方主动挑起事端，要对由此导致的中日关系大倒退负历史责任。正如当年的侵华战争，在这上面，没有什么可以辩护的余地。
I criticize the Chinese government for not acting more toughly, with the result that Japan is gradually grasping material control of the Diaoyu Islands. But my stance is real clear – that Japan starts the incident, and should bear historical responsibility for the deterioration of Sino-Japanese relations. Like the Japanese aggression on China during World War II, there is no room for Japan to defend.

author: Andy Yee


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Peru: Mayoral Candidates, Twitter and an Intercepted Phone Call · Global Voices
Juan Arellano

During the evening of Thursday September 15 the word “Lourdes” became a Trending Topic on Twitter for a couple of hours, but unlike other times when Peruvian Twitter users tried to make a word or phrase a Trending Topic without success, this time they did it practically unintentionally. In fact, almost no one was proud of it and there were doubts about it. The blog Plan H explains [es]:
¿Un logro peruano? … Obviamente no somos los únicos que hemos conseguido que se convierta en trending topic, alguien màs en el algún lugar del mundo ha usado la palabra Lourdes … ¿Por que? Porque … tuvimos la suerte, por así decirlo, de usar esa palabra todos los limeños twitteros a la vez mientras alguien en otro lado también lo hacía.
But why where Twitter users from the capital Lima using the word “Lourdes” so much? The explanation lies in the realm of politics and in the context of the current campaign for mayor of Lima. Lourdes Flores is the candidate that up to a few days ago had the best chances to win the elections, but a recent poll [es] placed her second. These ups and downs in politics are not unusual, but what was unpredictable was the release during a TV show hosted by Jaime Baylyn [es] of an audio segment where Lourdes shows her anger about the poll's results using unguarded language. Sergio Fernández (@SerchAndGo) wonders [es] on Twitter:
lourdes flores: “metanse la alcaldia al poto” omg. sera un audio trucado?? sera ella quien lo dice??? LA CAGADA                    11:29 PM Sep 15th vía TweetDeck
Reactions were numerous and varied given such a phrase. Journalist Ronny Isla gathered what he considered were the best tweets on the subject. These two come from his selection [es], showing that Twitter users didn't limit themselves to repeating the phrase in a mocking tone, but that they tried to go beyond that and analyze the situation:
@angelpaezs Ahora cualquier delincuente cuelga un audio de una conversación “chuponeada” y cambia la agenda de los medios. Porca prensa.                 11:31 PM Sep 15th vía web                                   Retwitteado por 5 personas
@orbisa35 El fondo del asunto es que hay una mano que está meciendo la cuna para el lado que quiere. Y hacia allá nos está empujando.                 11:29 PM Sep 15th vía web                                   Retwitteado por 3 personas
However, the legality of the intercepted call and the obscure interests that lie behind its disclosure to the public are not the only issues Peruvians are worried about. There is also the fact that during the intercepted conversation they mention the possibility of going to the polling agency to “move the numbers a little bit” in favor of Lourdes Flores. This casts shadows on the veracity of this and other polls, and although Director de Apoyo, the polling agency, has declared [es] that “There was no attempt to tamper with the [numbers],” the doubt persists.
During the 2000 presidential elections, the re-reelection of Alberto Fujimori, the power circle of Alberto Fujimori and the head of Peru's intelligence agency, Vladimiro Montesinos (what is now known as the “mafia fuji-montesinista,”), used questionable tactics to bring down candidates. Peruvians were reminded of these thanks to the release of the audio this week. Edson Baldeón, from the blog with the same name, asks a series of questions and offers his thoughts on the issue in the post “On the “butt-audio” by Lourdes Flores [es].” He wonders how the audio reached Bayly, what this shows about Lourdes’ personality, and he also comments on the explanation given [es] by Lourdes:
8. ¿Prácticas montesinistas?? Sin duda,  pero el tema de que el asesor y amigo de Lourdes Flores, Xavier Barrón,  proponga presionar al director de una encuestadora –Alfredo Torres- y  que Lourdes acepte se vea involucrada en esto no es un tema menor.  Seamos claros SON TAMBIÉN PRÁCTICAS MONTESINISTAS.  Aquí la candidata  del PPC tiene que dar las explicaciones del caso. No parece coherente  condenar las prácticas montesinistas y a la vez practicarlas cuando les  convengan.
10. ¿Qué fundamento se tiene cuando se acusa al  fujimontesinismo de este audio??? En mi opinión, los antecedentes son  suficientes para sospechar de esta gente y que lo hace para favorecer la  candidatura de Keiko Fujimori.
The release of something similar to this audio brought down Fujimori's third term in office: the vladivideos [es]. The “valdivideos” were a set of videos which show Vladimiro Montesinos bribing political, business and media leaders to cooperate with the government of Alberto Fujimori.  Jacqueline Fowks from the blog Notas desde Lenovo remembers this, but also wonders [es] about Bayly's motives in making the audio public:
1) Bayly está en un canal que tiene dueño y que permite y aprueba dichos contenidos.  2) La productora de El Francotirador trabajó con Carlos Raffo en los mitines de Chino, chino, chino! 3) Bayly trata con favoritismo la candidatura de Keiko Fujimori y 4)  Ofreció al ex candidato Kouri tiempo que parecía ‘espacio político  contratado’, fue una entrevista en la que le dio largo tiempo para  contar chistes y mostrarse doliente por la muerte del padre.
Finally in the blog Mate Pastor, Juan Sheput says that “We are doing worst than in the decade of the Fujimontesinismo [es]” and after mentioning several points to back his opinion, he reflects on the quality of Peruvian journalism and concludes that:
Se utiliza la máscara de la democracia para justificar una falsa  libertad de prensa, con un falso periodismo encargado de demoler  candidaturas que no son cómodas para los intereses que defienden. Se ha pasado de la geisha al sicario mediático, ambos cobran por sus favores, usan métodos distintos, pero igual se ponen al servicio de quien los  convoca, por miles de verdes razones.
All this took place before an election debate between the 9 candidates for mayor of Lima. Although in the audio Lourdes threatened to quit, she did not do it. Instead, she participated in the debate, saying [es] the attacks on her candidacy will not break her and presenting her plans for the administration of Lima. Everything seems to indicate that the impasse is over, but whether she gets over her decrease in the polls is still to be seen. This video [es] shows the segment during Jaime Baylyn's show where the audio was released.

author: Juan Arellano


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Russia: Intellectual Property Rights as NGO Prosecution Tool? · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

Rebecca MacKinnon calls for revising software copyright policy following the story in Irkutsk, where local authorities used the excuse of struggling against illegal software to confiscate local NGO's computers. Irkutsk case represents a wider problem of using intellectual property protection as a justification for prosecution of human rights activists all over the world which might increase after ratification of the controversial  Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

author: Gregory Asmolov


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USA and Ghana: The most powerful black men on twitter · Global Voices
Eremipagamo Amabebe

Abena links to a list of the “100 Most Powerful Black Men on Twitter“, but is disappointed that so many of the names come from the entertainment industry. “Are black men with the most impact on the planet likely to be rappers and sportsmen?” she asks.

author: Eremipagamo Amabebe


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· Global Voices
Firuzeh Shokooh Valle

Artist, blogger and journalist Carlos Antonio Otero condemns the recent censorship [ES] of political caricatures by the Electoral Commission of Puerto Rico: “Who ever said that caricatures have to be politically correct?”


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Africa: The Witches of Gambaga · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kajsa posts a link to a clip of a new movie ‘The Witches of Gambaga’ by writer and filmmaker Yaba Badoe.

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Armenia: Business as usual · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Unzipped comments on Friday's rally by the extra-parliamentary opposition led by the former president, Levon Ter-Petrossian. The blog concludes that nothing new was said and that the opposition in the country lacks inspiration and offers no real alternative to the current authorities. It also questions the involvement of Gagik Jhangiryan, Armenia's former military prosecutor, and his speech about harsh conditions, hazing and deaths in the army, despite being singled out by human rights organizations in the past for allowing such practices to continue.


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Bermuda: Battling Hurricane Igor · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Remaining true to its most famous namesake, Hurricane Igor has, thus far, been the biggest and strongest storm of the 2010 Atlantic Hurricane Season, battering the tiny island of Bermuda even as it maintains its course towards Newfoundland, Canada.  A handful of Bermudian bloggers managed to get information out in the midst of the barrage…
Before the storm's impending arrival, Breezeblog posted video of one of the island's beaches, noting that the island was battening down “for what looks like quite a blow”:
I’ll be posting on Facebook and Twitter (@gobber) as long as the power permits.
He also provided several links to online sources that were covering Igor's progress.
Bermuda Blog was fascinated by the size of the waves that the hurricane managed to produce, even 60 hours before it made landfall.
The weather got progressively worse, as evidenced by this video from Breezeblog, who reported:
Got blown about a bit while taking the dog for walk this morning. Winds now at tropical storm level, as can be seen from this clip, shot from Salt Kettle ferry stop, looking across Hamilton Harbour to the city.
Twitter, as is usually the case in these types of situations, was an efficient platform through which to get information out; Politics.bm used it quite consistently:
Don't think I've ever been ready for a Hurricane so early. I even gave the dog a bath.
Wind speeds and direction up on Gilbert Hill http://bit.ly/97Xhs6
There goes power and here comes a dripping skylight. Thanks #Igor
If my patio doors could talk they'd be saying “Ouuuccchhhhh!”. Edge of the eyewall right now.
Still howling now from the west high up here. Doesn't look like any roof damage around Smiths and Dev. The eye took forever to pass over.
Shawn & Sue offered even more information, perhaps because they were off-island:
About now hurricane Igor is pummeling Bermuda with stupid winds, torrential rains and chaos.  Last reports were that more than half of the island was without power, there are down trees everywhere, lots of flooding, and there is still a full 24 hours of high winds and mostly bad weather in store before the storm is likely to pass.
This week  we found ourselves asking what would we have done leading up to the storm if we were still there.  It’s not so much a fear of complete destruction.  The houses and roofs in Bermuda are very strong and there is little risk of widespread damage.  But the high heat, lack of water and electricity would have made life pretty miserable.  During Fabian, the causeway which connects the largest parts of the island with the eastern end and most importantly the airport was completely washed away.  That could mean you could be stranded without power for days.
We still have lots of friends there and have been following the storm closely and hope it passes without much of an incident. The royalgazette was doing a good job of live blogging things but they finally went off line and so we’ll have to wait and see how tomorrow finds them.
It may be too early to discern the level of damage the island is facing post-Igor, but Breezeblog still decided to look on the bright side, posting an entertaining list of ten things to love (and yes, hate) about hurricanes.  At the top of the list should probably be the fact that it's over…at least for now.

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Brazil: Real Estate Speculation Threats the Cerrado · Global Voices
Luis Henrique

This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.
4 Bedroom property advertising in the street. Photo by Reverbe, used with permission.
Real estate speculation is taking over Brazil as the country experiences a boosting economy and a new round of consumption extravaganza: people are having access to more credit and are willing to pursue dreams like getting rid of rent and buying their own home. In this scenario, constructors, their suppliers and other companies involved in the real estate chain are taking over every free square meter in the cities and converting them into apartment buildings, commercial buildings and condos – all quickly built with the aid of new technologies in construction and easily sold thanks to the easiness of credit access. Such a phenomena poses some threats to nature and to society itself, as it changes the way people nest.
In Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, this theme is gaining momentum as property projects multiply, invading the last remains of the typical savannah vegetation, known as cerrado.
Brasilia is a modern city, a product of the creative minds of Lúcio Costa (the urbanist responsible for the Pilot Plan project) and Oscar Niemeyer (the architect responsible for the city´s architectonic projects). In the Pilot Plan, the superblocks (blocks 300m long) hold buildings no more than 6 floors tall so that everyone can admire the sky and, where possible, see the lake Paranoá; the ground floor (pilotis [pt]) is considered public space – it does not belong to the private space of the  buildings – and is supposed to be shared by the community (based on the idea that people should circulate freely and that the  buildings should float above everything [pt], according to blogger Daniel Duende, “not occupying the spaces but rather placing themselves harmonically above them”). All these were part of an urbanistic trend in the 1960´s. For Fernando Serapião, an architect and an urbanist, the peculiar traits of Brasilia will find no parallel:
Apesar das virtudes, nenhuma outra cidade terá uma área residencial como a da capital brasileira. Suas contradições e problemas foram fundamentais para a evolução do pensamento urbanístico. Desde os anos de 1960, os urbanistas não rezam mais a cartilha que gerou Brasilia.
Original image of the Pilot Plan, Brasilia, available from the Ministry of Culture of Brazil under a CC license Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Brazil.
For Roberto Segre, who is also an architect as well as a critic and historian of Latin America architecture,
(…) a cidade expressa agora as contradições políticas, econômicas, sociais e culturais existentes no país.
The contradictions Segre mentions have hurt the utopia concepts of the capital of Brazil. Professor Carpintero (p. 4-5) citing [pt] Brasilia's conceptual standards as proposed by Lúcio Costa, the urbanist responsible for Brasilia's Pilot Plan, summarizes the global idea of what a city means (or could mean):
Ela (a cidade) deve ser concebida não como simples organismo capaz de preencher satisfatoriamente e sem esforço as funções vitais próprias de uma cidade moderna qualquer, não apenas como URBS, mas como CIVITAS, possuidora dos atributos inerentes a uma capital … a cidade não é apenas construção – urbs -, mas lugar de cidadãos, – civis, civitas.
"To trade savannah's plants for millionaire property plans is bad a bargain for Brasilia (Federal District)". Photo by Daiane Souza, used with permission.
The free areas left by Lúcio Costa, the bucolic scale, are now threatened by corporate plans that are taking advantage of Brasilia ever growing real estate market. Bloggers like Pedro Júnior [pt] believe there's a property bubble in Brasilia. With property offer rising, greater are the environmental costs. Construction sites are multiplying and this is happening against strong criticism: activists have denounced in a series of videos (watch video: 1,  2, 3) the impact (on nature and on the lives of an indigenous community located in the green area) of building Setor Noroeste (Sector Northeast),  advertised as the first ecovillage [pt] of Brazil.
During the process of public hearings that discussed the Noroeste project, even the indigenous presence in the lands of Setor Noroeste – in the place called Terra Indígena Santuário dos Pajés [pt] or Reserva Indígena do Bananal [pt] – has been questioned or treated with contempt. The former governor of the Federal District (where Brasilia is located), stated  [pt] (1min37sec) in a public hearing in 2007: “in that area (…) where Setor Noroeste will be built (…),  there are exactly six indians living in that area”.
Indigenous protest against the construction of Setor Noroeste. Photo from Movimento Cerrado Vivo, available in the blog Os Verdes de Tapes.
In order to build Sector Northeast, an area covered by cerrado is already being deforested. Soon, in another expansion planned for Brasilia, the Setor Sudoeste (Southwest Sector) might host 22 new buildings with 6 floors each, in spite of community protests [pt] and legal concerns [pt] regarding the project, which was the result of an exchange between the Brazilian Navy, owner of the public land where the Southwest expansion might take place, and a construction company, which has offered to the Navy, in turn, a certain share of apartments in Águas Claras (a district 20 minutes far from Brasilia).
Protest against real estate speculation in Setor Sudoeste and for the savannah (Cerrado). Photo from blog Grupo Currupião, 2009.
The speculation context contrasts with the fact that Brasilia was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987. Cidadania Online remarks [pt] that
O tombamento assegurou que as premissas urbanísticas do Plano Piloto não podem ser desfiguradas, nem pela especulação imobiliária.
On September 11th, Brazil commemorated Cerrado's day. Some environmentalists and activists claim there's not to much to celebrate, though. The tropical savannah is also the stage upon which farmers are boosting agriculture. Cerrado, though rich in its biodiversity, is not as famous as the rain forest. The efforts to protect it are more diffuse, or, somewhat less coordinated in global terms. The statement on a recent report on The Economist accounting that Brazil “is often accused of leveling the rainforest to create its farms, but hardly any of this new land lies in Amazonia; most is cerrado”, probably could be expressed by the average Brazilian who doesn't know that particular environment or who is not directly affected by its deforestation. It might be the case in Brasilia, where people and the government might not value the local vegetation.
In fact, SOS Parque Ecológico do Guará regrets [pt] the lack of interest of the government of Brasilia for the environment and for quality of life.
Brasilia is not the only region where real state speculation is taking a stand. Dimas Santos, deputy mayor of the municipality of João Alfredo in the state of Pernambuco, on his blog says [pt] that people  consider him to be “against progress” when he reflects on the negative  impacts of real estate speculation on nature. He also questions the role of speculators in Brazilian society and discusses the use  of public funds to build the basic infrastructure in certain regions  that, later on, have those benefits privatized by speculators who bought  the land to do exactly that: wait for improvements and sell. From Dimas point of view, the current situation is summed up in a song by Chico Science, a local composer, who says that
a cidade não pára, a cidade só cresce: o de cima sobe, o de  baixo desce.
To the global audience I ask if real estate speculation is taking place in your regions, too. Use the comments to answer, if you feel like sharing your stories.
This post is part of our special coverage Forest Focus: Amazon.

author: Luis Henrique


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Cambodia: Khmer Rouge and Nazi · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Keo Kounila compares the similar experience of Cambodians under the Khmer Rouge regime and the Germans during the Nazi era.

author: Mong Palatino


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Cambodia Tourism Magazine · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

The Mirror reviews the September-October 2010 copy of the Cambodia Tourism Magazine. The blogger points out some errors in the paper but also praises the relevant tourism news about Cambodia. Tourism is Cambodia's second largest foreign exchange earner.


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Chile: Police Break up Display of Mapuche Flag During Bicentennial Celebrations · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Montserrat Nicolas shares a citizen video of an incident during the bicentennial celebrations; the video shows police breaking up a display of a Mapuche flag and apprehending those involved.

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: Redefining the Great Wall · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

“The Great Wall is not a ‘wall’ but rather an ancient Chinese frontier ‘town'” – DANWEI translates an article that argues for a new definition and translation of China's Great Wall.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Ghana: Rubbish Politics · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Osabutey analyses the stupidity of Ghanaian politics: “The decency in Ghanaian politics has obviously been sacrificed to sheer stupidity. Since the space of the so called democracy was opened more than ten years ago, all that has been going on is stupidity.”


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Honduras: Video of September 15 Protests in San Pedro Sula · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Hibueras [es] shares a video of the September 15 protests led by the Resistance Front, showing how police responded to what the narrator in the video calls a peaceful protest.


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India: The Greed For A Baby Boy · Global Voices
Rezwan

AmreekanDesi shares a bizarre news  where a mother's claim on a baby boy born within a few minutes of the delivery of her baby girl was turned down after DNA test. This shows the desire for male child by many Indian mothers.

author: Rezwan


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India: Wither Kashmir? Or Is Reconciliation Possible? · Global Voices
Rezwan

Protests in Kashmir. Image by Flickr user Kashmiridibber. CC BY-NC-ND
After the recent deadly protests in the Indian controlled Jammu and Kashmir region the Indian central government has woken up and sent a delegation of  Indian MPs for talks. The 40-strong fact-finding delegation is headed by the Home Minister and it includes lawmakers from all major political parties of India. They have started their two day mission in Kashmir today amidst prolonged curfew and finally succeeded to start talks with the separatists leaders, who earlier refused to meet them.
The Indian blogosphere has finally come alive on Kashmir issue and they talked about deeper insights and scopes for reconciliation and peace. Indian Political Blog recognizes the challenges of the Government:
The Central Government (also) seems totally unable to do anything significant, since it does not know whom to negotiate with, and cannot just simply drop (Chief Minister) Omar Abdullah since there are not too many alternatives.
Words from Solitude analyzes the steps of the Indian central government:
The Prime Minister has gently floated a statement that the Centre is ready to “consider” the demand for autonomy in the state “if political parties were unanimous on the issue” knowing fully well that nothing is going to happen since the main opposition party BJP is totally against it.
BBC has highlighted some reactions of the Kashmiris who shared their fear, concerns and their anger against the government, and the ‘unlawful and cruel Indian rule’ in Kashmir. Their rage against the Indian army was also evident.
However, veteran journalist M J Akbar questions Omar Abdullah's current stance to blame the Indian army and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA):
For which sin? Not a single death in the present crisis has resulted from an Army bullet. Those bullets came from the guns of the J&K police and CRPF. Why has everyone chosen to obscure this fact with silence and raise dust against the Army?
Why is the Indian Army the one-point target of those who want to break India? The answer is uncomplicated. The police, whether state or central, cannot defend the territorial integrity of India. The Indian Army can. It is therefore in the interest of secessionists and their mentors in Islamabad to create discord between the Indian Army and the Indian state.
Meanwhile KashmirGlobal depicts the sentiment of the Kashmiris:
Throw a stone and get a bullet. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. But, it is like this in Kashmir. Over a 100 lives later, there is still no stopping the hot lead from freezing the Kashmiri’s hot blood. How many fathers have to bury their children? How many mothers will have to sit stone-faced for the rest of their lives?
Somik Raha at Desicritics looks afresh at the Kashmir situation:
In the refrain of the Kashmiri youth and their leaders, there seems to be a big cry for space, for the fresh air of non-coercion. Whether that non-coercion will lead to inner freedom is uncertain, but we can be certain that coercion is going to remove all chances of getting to freedom. How is the coercion of India justified? Is it really the security situation?
Aparna Pande at Pajama's Media stresses the need for reconciliation, peace and integrity:
As Indians, we pride ourselves on our secularism and our democracy. Right from Prime Minister Nehru onwards, our leaders have always insisted that Kashmir is a part of India — and Kashmiris want to be part of India because of these very attributes. In our 64th year of independence, let us strive to adopt these ideals in our policy towards Kashmir before it is too late.
“Indian government must immediately start a public diplomacy campaign to correct the distorted narrative about Kashmir,” reminds Pragmatic Euphony.
Words From Solitude is hopeful about the efforts of the all party delegation and the blogger has this message to the Kashmiris:
We want to believe that the initiative will help to open an almost closed door and generate an atmosphere for sustained political dialogue with all sections in the state, From the deep of our hearts we want to express our sympathy for the families who has lost their near and dear ones in the recent turmoil and extend solidarity to our Kashmiri brothers and sisters. We appeal to them for pursuing their protests peacefully. [..]
We want to tell you that we really care. We also want to make a heartiest appeal to the political class of India to look into all the wrongs committed in the past and make corrections.


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Iran: Jailed blogger, Hossein Derakhshan (“Hoder”) may face death penalty · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A reliable source has told Global Voices that Tehran's prosecutor is seeking the death penalty for jailed Iranian blogger Hossein Derakhshan (also known as “Hoder”). The presiding judge, named Salavati, has not yet ruled in the case. Derakhshan has been accused of “collaborating with enemy states, creating propaganda against the Islamic regime, insulting religious sanctity, and creating propaganda for anti-revolutionary groups.” He was arrested 22 months ago, and his trial began in June 2010.
The reasons for Hoder’s initial arrest upon his return to Iran from Canada in 2008 remain unclear, but many speculated that his two (highly publicised) trips to Israel were the primary reason.
Derakhshan holds a Canadian passport, but Iran does not recognize dual citizenship and visiting Israel is frowned upon by the government.
Confusing in this case, is that Hoder gained worldwide notoriety as a leading Iranian blogger and free speech activist (even blogging for Global Voices in 2004 and 2005). Later he changed tacks and wrote favorably of President Mahmoud Ahmedinajhad's policies regarding the United States, nuclear weapons, Israel, and even intolerance for public dissent from human rights activists.
In April of 2009, Iranian president, President Ahmadinejad, issued a letter calling for Hossein Derakhshan’s case to be processed in a timely and legal fashion. The Canadian government has not been publicly vocal on Derakhshan's case. A Free Hoder blog was created by online free speech activists shortly after his arrest in 2008.
On Twitter, Sanam Dolatshahi tweeted the news of a possible death penalty, and a site in Persian called Kamtarin has also mentioned it, noting that despite previous rumors that Derakhshan was being held for “spying” in Israel  this is apparently not one of the accusations for which the prosecutor seeks his death.
In a blog created by Derakhshan's family, Edalat Baraye Hossein Derakhshan (meaning justice for Hossein Derakhshan) there are still no reports or updates on this topic. The last post on the family blog is dated August 15, and says that Hossein's trial ended weeks ago [Fa]:
We are waiting for the verdict. He had not got even one week vacation out of prison to come home… It is the second Ramadan that he is not at home… He told us the quality of food since last Ramadan became better in prison… His mother is very worried… It is said this month God answers the prayers easier… Please do not forget our Hossein.
Iranian Blogger Z8tun summed up  [fa] the situation about two years ago:
“Other Iranians have been caught visiting Israel, but were released after a few hours of interrogation. Some speculate that Derakhshan, who in recent years became a supporter of President Ahmadinejad’s government, was arrested because he insulted some religious leaders in the country. He has himself argued in Western media, despite multiple testimonies of jailed bloggers, that nobody goes to jail in Iran because of the content of their blog.”
The Islamic Republic has cracked down on the blogosphere in recent years, and there are several other bloggers sentenced to prison in Iran including human rights activist Shiva Nazar Ahari. On 18 March 2009, Omid Reza Mir Sayafi became the first blogger to die in suspicious circumstances in an Iranian prison.

author: Fred Petrossian


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Iran: Prosecutor seeks death penalty for Derakhshan · Global Voices
Fred Petrossian

A knowledgeable source told Global Voices that Tehran's prosecutor seeks death penalty for Hossein Derakhshan, jailed blogger. Judge Salavati hasn't ruled yet. He has been accused of “collaborating with ennemi states, doing propaganda against Islamic regime, insulting religious sanctities and doing propaganda for anti-revolutionary groups.”


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Lebanon: “Freak Marriages” · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“… if you guessed they seen each other’s pictures on Facebook, liked each other and set a date for a wedding, you guessed right!” reports BeirutiAdventures about the “quick, rushed and weird marriage” of an acquaintance.

author: Moussa Bashir


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Lebanon: Let’s Talk about Movies · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Anis Tabet gives his snappy reviews and ratings of movies in his blog “Let's Talk About Movies“.


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Lebanon: Remembering Sabra and Shatila · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“‘History is written by the victors’ wrote Winston Churchill. We emerged from civil war with a slogan of exhaustion: ‘No victor, no vanquished.’ How do we write our history? We don't know,” concludes Oussama Hayek  in a post about his memories and thoughts on the Sabra and Shatila Palestinian Camps Massacres which happened from 16 to 18 September, 1982.


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Lebanon: “The City that Never Sleeps” · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“I felt safer than I had ever done in London, a city that has one CCTV for every twenty or so people, a city that stands as a beacon of Western capitalism and success. The West was wrong, I thought. This country no longer deserved a reputation of violence and aggression…” wrote Modestvote after experiencing nightlife in Beirut.


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Lebanon: Websites of Political Parties · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

Since September 1, 2010, The Oak of the South (Ar) began reviewing the websites of the various political parties in Lebanon. Each review includes the evaluation of the content, accessibility, general design, etc. Links to the posts are indexed here.


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Lebanon: Why in the Name of God? · Global Voices
Moussa Bashir

“Show me a single religion condemning; As blasphemy, the biggest sin of all, Speaking in the name of God. Puny avatar; Why in the name of God?…” are the first few lines of a poem written by Adonis49.


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Mexico: What is the Country Doing to Address the Oil Spill? · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

Pepe Flores answers the question [es], “What is Mexico doing to address the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico?” He says the Environment and Natural Resource Secretary (Semarnat) has dedicated a specific place [es] on its website to share this information.


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Middle East: Iran Launches New Movie Channel in Arabic · Global Voices
Tarek Amr

Iran inaugurated its first Arabic language movie channel during the Muslim feast of Eid-ul-Fitr, which commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. The new channel is meant to target about 300 million Arabic speakers according to the press release published on the website of the Iranian news and broadcasting network, PressTV.
The new channel, dubbed iFilm, will begin airing programs, mainly movies and television series, on Thursday afternoon Tehran time, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), Mohammad Sarafraz, told reporters on Monday.
The September 9 launch of the 24-hour television network is meant to familiarize some 300 million Arabic speakers in the Arab world with Iran's history and art.
According to Ya Libnan the new channel will also show documentaries on film making and movies reviews.
Amir Taheri also wrote in Uskowi blog about iFilm and how the equipment used there is assembled in Iran.
The iFilm international channel will broadcast on Badr 4 (Arabsat), frequency: 12169 MHz, vertical polarization, symbol rate: 27500, FEC 3/4. It can also be received on Atlantic Bird 4A (Nilesat), frequency: 11393 MHz, vertical position, symbol rate: 27500, FEC 3/4; and Eutelsat W6, frequency: 11564 MHz, vertical position, symbol rate: 3214, FEC 3/4.
And in Egypt, Hossam Eid wrote a tweet to his Egyptian friends about the new channel and its frequency:
Ya Libnan then continues that such a channel is believed to be one of the Iranian regime's tactics to break the siege on Iran:
This channel is not the first Iranian channel targetting the rest of the world.
Finally, as mentioned in Ya Libnan,  it's strange how Iran is trying to break the siege on them and launch satellite channels in different languages while the use of satellite receivers is still illegal in Iran.

author: Tarek Amr


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Pakistan: Do You Care About The Plights Of The Flood Victims? · Global Voices
Cindy Yang

Try this on Google: search ‘Pakistan flood’ in English and you’d find around 21,400,000 results. But you would find only about 1,760,000 results when you search the keyword in Chinese. The difference in attention is striking.
Is it possible to make the assumption that English-speaking people have bigger hearts to pity poor countries? Just like Britain's Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg claimed on the 17th August, 2010 that Britain had taken a leading role in the relief effort and the international response to the devastating Pakistan floods was ‘absolutely pitiful’.
The Sound of Hope, an international radio providing news concerning Asia, also agreed that UK as a country was inspiring other countries to offer more funds for the victims of Pakistan floods.
Aerial view of flooding in Pakistan. Image by Flickr user DFID – UK Department for International Development. CC BY-NC-ND
But surprisingly, on Aug 19th a blogger called  K^se mentioned in Pakistan Defense Forum that with $105m (£67m) in aid “Saudi Arabia has overtaken the US as the largest donor to Pakistan's flood relief and rehabilitation efforts. Britain is giving £31m, and the US is giving $76m in cash.”
Yet more perspectives are there on the internet arguing that those who ‘should’ help haven’t offered enough. Take for instance the quotes from the BBC News article “Who cares about Pakistan”, which state that Muslim countries need to do more in helping Pakistan.
While the media was provoking countries on this issue, a quiet Chinese blogger defended his country on his blog:
“It seems like nothing the 60 million RMB (about $1million) our government is donating comparing to others when China has the tightest relation with Pakistan. Maybe Beijing knows how much problem we have in our country, or maybe it just knows Pakistan needs more substantial goods instead of cash.”
If there was a contest about ‘the kindest country of the world’, maybe we could announce a winner by measuring each country by how much it has contributed to a particular relief fund.
Based on Wikipedia stats, if we take a formula of  a country’s kindness= contribution for flood relief/ total nominal GDP2009, we come up with a result:  The Saudi Arabia (0.0255) > UK (0.00458) > India (0.002) > Bangladesh (0.0019) > USA (0.0011) > China (0.0008). Even though it is obvious that this hypothesis was made for fun, it is still a wonderful example telling us:
Your country or your religion cannot make you a better person, and even though other counties might have certain problems such as corruption or terrorism, it doesn’t make its people less of a human.
On 18 September the UN again launched an appeal for US$ 2 billion in aid to Pakistan, when not even 80% of the previous pledges ($460m) were actually delivered. It is unusual how slowly people responded to this issue. Perhaps this is because of what Dr. Elizabeth Ferris said at BBC news: “people are less likely to donate to any country seen as a haven for terrorism”.
Fazal Mowla stands in front of his collapsed house in Faizabad village in Swat. Image By Oxfam International. CC BY-NC-ND
These people who are crying out loud for aid can’t possibly all be terrorists, can they? Oxfam Hong Kong uploaded an album of 42 pictures on flickr, and each picture contains a face, and a story of gratitude behind.
We need to stand together as human beings, as Saif Rana, a university student in Lahore, Pakistan said in an email which was posted in my own blog:
“It’s a myth that countries are recognized on the basis of their leadership and policies that they made and decisions they take. Truly speaking, we are not about them. They are not the mirror of the society”
He also encouraged to consider the human sides:
“People classified the nations as Pakistanis, Indians, Taiwanese, Chinese, Russians and etc. unfortunately we forget that we are human beings first !!! It’s the time when nature is testing not only Pakistani people (Pakistani human beings) who lost their home, children and almost everything in recent deadly floods; but also a test for the people living in various parts of the world that how much they can contribute towards the welfare of the people of Pakistan.”
We, as individuals can do many things, but the first step is to think that everyone should focus on his or her share in caring Pakistan. Or we can choose to think just like the following video of “The ‘Don’t’ Help Pakistan Campaign”:
The video was filmed under the supervision of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Charity Foundation, the largest charity foundation in the Middle East based in Dubai.  The event “Charity Suhoor in Aid of Pakistan” was held on 7th of September, 2010 at Monarch Hotel in Dubai, and 200,000 Dirham ($54451) was collected for the Pakistan flood relief.
Quotes from the campaign video:
“Only a fifth of the country is under water.”
“Who cares about Pakistan?”
You know the answer; as you are free to see things and feel for people. Also because, you are a human being who is free to give a hand.

author: Cindy Yang


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Pakistan: The Economics Of The Electronic Media · Global Voices
Rezwan

“Pakistani media’s financial shortfall is compensated either by mysterious sources or the electronic-media bubble is heading for a big burst” opines Riaz ul Hassan at Cafe Pyala, in his analysis of the economics of the electronic media of Pakistan.


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Portugal: Monthly “Green” Blogging Competition · Global Voices
Sara Moreira

Every month, LX Sustentável [Sustainable Lisbon, pt], a blog focusing on “urban sustainability”, runs Green Blogger Awards. The organization nominates the best five posts from Portuguese blogs tagged with #lxsustentavel, and the winner is voted by the online audience. In August the award was given to José Mota from Amigos d'Avenida blog. [all links in pt]

author: Sara Moreira