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Congo: The Coltan Conflict is in Our Hands (and Cellphones) · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

Coltan, columbo-tantalite, is a mineral used to make resistors  in our cellphones, video games, computers and home electronics.  Likened to blood diamonds, its mining has not only caused ecological damage, human rights abuses, but some say is also fueling the conflict in the Congo.
First, ConflictVoice points towards Blood Coltan, a 52 minute long documentary by Patrick Forestier. The 2007 film, shows the ins and outs of the coltan trade, the militia situation and the how the lives of everyday citizens are affected by this ore they mine sometimes as their only source of income in impoverished villages isolated from other settlements, and whose use they might even ignore.
Back in 2006, we mentioned Congo's Bloody Coltan, the Pulitzer's Center on Crisis Reporting documentary piece on the mineral and the crisis in Congo:
Global Post posted in late 2009 a gut wrenching photo documentary and interview with a Congolese Coltan miner, a story which might be every single miner's story:
Tristan McConnell, in his Global Post article Cell phone minerals fuel deadly Congo conflict  points out why we should care about this issue:
The seemingly endless and faraway nature of the wars in Congo make them easy to ignore.
Until, that is, you realize that the internet-enabled smart phone beeping in your pocket, or the handheld games console that whiles away dull hours contain inside them little pieces of eastern Congo.
Jonathan Gosier, TED fellow, writes in Appfrica about how he mashed up information from Ushahidi crisis reporting maps with areas where Coltan is mined, noting a definite overlap between violence and the mines.
As you can see in the graphic above, red indicates reports of incident captured at drc.ushahidi.com while the blue illustrates areas where coltan is mined.
Coltan isn't only produced in DRC, although they are a major source.  Gosier gives some examples of actions some of the companies using coltan are taking to ensure they aren't aiding the conflict:
Many of the worlds leading technology companies use coltan in the consumer electronic products we use everyday (the Wii, Playstation, iPhone, Computers etc). Since the turn of the century most have implemented measures to ensure that most of their coltan is not coming from Congo. Who are some of them? Apple, Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Sony, Nokia, Nintendo.
However, on the Conflict Minerals blog they have quite a different story regarding the purchase of coltan from the DRC:
Once the coltan is processed and converted to capacitors, it is then sold to companies such as Nokia, Motorola, Compaq, Alcatel, Dell, Hewlett-Packard , IBM, Lucent, Ericsson and Sony for use in a wide assortment of everyday products ranging from cell phones to computer chips and game consoles.
There are others who believe that although conflict and minerals are related, the approach to seeing the minerals as the source of conflict in Congo and addressing only that issue is flawed. Such is the case of the following video Ask the African – Kambale Musavuli, Friends of the Congo:
So what CAN be done about coltan? It seems that at the moment, positive actions are to pressure consumer product manufacturers to ensure that their coltan sources are conflict-free and also to keep ourselves informed so history is not repeated. This becomes quite interesting at this moment, particularly since it seems that neighboring nations Colombia and Venezuela, who have a history of conflict and animosity between their presidents, have discovered coltan in areas near the border.

author: Juliana Rincón Parra


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Coup in Niger: Bloggers sigh in relief at the ousting of President Tandja · Global Voices
Elia Varela Serra

A mural of Mamadou Tandja hanging in the office of President (Photo by Jacob Silberberg for Panos Pictures)
On Thursday, February 18th a coup took place in Niger in which President Mamadou Tandja was captured after a gun battle in the capital, Niamey, led by led by Col. Abdoulaye Adamou Harouna (who was was the former aide-de-camp of Niger's previous coup leader Maj. Daouda Mallam Wanke). In a quite unpoplar move, a few months ago Tandja illegally changed the constitution to allow him a third term in what was generally considered a mass fraud referendum (see Jen Brea's roundup on the reactions caused by that decision).
For a few hours, confusion reigned about what was going on. Raffaella Toticchi in Niamey wrote on Thursday afternoon [Es]:
Se han oído también disparos y algunas personas han sido heridas y trasladadas al hospital más cercano, pero de momento no se sabe mucho más.
In a televised announcement, spokesman for the plotters Abdoul Karim Goukouyé said Niger's constitution had been suspended and all state institutions dissolved. Instantanés du Niger [Fr], the blog of a French expat in Niamey, reported that the the national TV station ORTN broadcasted military music for most of the evening leading up to the announcement. She also reported that the rest of the evening and the following day were calm.
Blogger Texas in Africa gives some background on the reasons for the coup:
First, about 7.8 million (3/5) of Niger's citizens experience severe or moderate food insecurity. Mass starvation is never a stabilizing force.
Second, and more importantly, President Tandja had angered many Nigeriens in 2009 when he dissolved parliament and enacted constitutional reforms that gave him broad powers with few checks or balances. Tandja was constitutionally required to step down from office in December, as that was the end of his second five-year term in office, but the changes he made to the constitution allowed him to stay in office for three more years. These moves were extremely unpopular; 10,000 protesters came out on Sunday to dispute Tandja's actions.
Clearly, this coup is the result of the ongoing political crisis.
As put by Nigerien commenter Ali Dan-Bouzoua  in a discussion list about internet in Niger, unfortuntely there hasn't been much citizen media covering the event:
Tres peu de blogs ou de tweeter, de photo … sur la situation au Niger.
On consomme sur le net mais on ne produit rien. Les guinéens sont tres actifs et tres present sur le net.
We consume online [content] but we produce none. Guineans are very active and present online.
However, Nigeriens have expressed themselves through comments left on news sites such as tamtaminfo.com seemed to approve of the ousting of President Tandja albeit with some reservations for the transitional government:
Ousman Diallo Yacoubou:
Militaires de notre cher pays tout le peuple nigerien vous salut vous avez prouve que vous etes les vrais garants du peuple et de la democratie. Mais il y'a une chose jusqu'a present on ne connait pas la duree de votre transition.
Sabitou Oumarou:
C'est domage que des democrates comme nous applaudisse un coup d”Etat. Mais nous devons savoir qu'il y a deux manière de combattre : l'une avec la raison et l'autre avec la force. La première est propre aux hommes la deuxième nous est commun avec les animaux. Mais quand la première montre c'est limites il faut bien recourir a la deuxième pour remettre l'ordre et fait respecter la loi.
Likewise, a few African bloggers and tweeterers have reacted to the coup, mostly expressing relief or celebrating Tandja's removal due to the illegal constitutional changes he approved last year. Like Ato Kwamena Dadzie from Ghana, who echoed a common sentiment:
Awada Ehemir from Chad [Fr] thinks the reactions to the coup are hypocritical:
Tony Cassius Bolamba from the DRC [Fr] shows some understanding for the coup plotters in his blog:
Si je me penche du côté de la raison je condamnerai tout putsch et tout tripatouillage de constitutions en Afrique, mais la compréhension m’oblige de comprendre certains putschistes.
Raison aux pensées de Pascal ? « Ne pouvant justifier la justice, on a justifié la force ».
L’Homme ne récolte ce qu’il sème et t il faut avoir le flair de quitter les choses avant qu’elles ne vous quittent.
Espérant que ce nouveau coup de force au Niger bénéficiera au vrai détenteur du pouvoir: le peuple !
Was Pascal right? “Not being able to justify justice, we justify force”.
Men reap what they sow and they need to sense when to leave things alone before things leave them.
Hoping that this new coup de force in Niger will benefit the real power holder: the people!
In a similar vein, the blog Guinée 50 [Fr] hopes for the coup to restore democracy in Niger:
Ni lui (Tandja) ni les militaires qui l’ont renversé, ne portent le manteau de la légalité constitutionnelle. Il n’est donc pas question pour nous citoyens africains, de juger la manière dont nous en sommes soulagés.
La bonne question n’est pas non plus de d’applaudir aveuglement ces militaires. Mais, d’exiger leur neutralité dans la restauration de la démocratie dans un bref délai.
[…]
Nous sommes optimistes pour la suite, car à force de mal aller, tout ira bien dans le sens voulu par nos peuples qui sont les seuls souverains.
At the citizen media portal Sahara Reporters, many commenters from Nigeria drew parallels between the situation in Niger and the one in their own country. Here are two samples:
OHYN:
This is what happens when civilian and civil institutions are too weak, too cowardly, too much “talk-talk-only,” to defend their own freedom from usurping so-called leaders. This describes Nigeria perfectly: so, Nigeria is next in the coup movement: it is only logical and ripe.
Toyin Ade:
There is no difference b/w what has happened in Niger & Nigeria b/c in Nigeria, we have souless, wicked & unpatriotic cabals holding us to ransom as Tanja did in Niger. If there should be any coup at all in Nigeria, it should be targetted at those useless clowns calling themselves Yar'Adua's kitchen/toilet cabinet that have arrogated to themselves what they don't have.
Daniel Hongramngaye from Chad, also draws a parallel between Niger and his own country at the blog Makaïla [Fr]:
Ce qui se passe sous nos yeux chez nos voisins nigériens doit à plusieurs égards inspirer nos officiers supérieurs, nos militaires, nos dignes soldats s’il en existe encore. […]
La situation politique au Tchad est pourtant plus exécrable que celle du Niger.
En effet, Idriss Deby Itno est identique à Mamadou Tandja si non pire.
The political situation in Chad is more execrable than the Niger's.
Indeed, Idriss Deby Itno is identical to Mamadou Tandja if not worse.

source: news-globalvoices

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

author: Elia Varela Serra


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Croatia: A New President, A New Path · Global Voices
El Hud

On Friday of last week, Ivo Josipović took office as Croatia's third president, replacing outgoing two-term president, Stjepan Mesić.  The BBC ran an extensive article covering what the new president symbolizes as well as the hurdles that Croatia faces in getting ever-closer to EU membership in 2011 or 2012.  But, let's look at what bloggers are having to say about this large change of power that has coincided with Prime Minister, Ivo Sanader, suddenly stepping down last year and completely withdrawing from politics.
Funky Business writes (HRV) of the inauguration:
I very much liked today's inauguration of the new president. The whole ceremony was very culturally active, upscale and European.
On a previous post, the day the results were announced, Funky Business also wrote (HRV):
Croatia has elected justice. Croatia has chosen light. Croatia has chosen a better tomorrow. Croatia has chosen educated, European president. Croatia has chosen wisely. Finally!
Others are more cautious as fra gavun (french melt) wrote (HRV):
Tonight I am happy, happy but not euphoric.  Happy because I was not disappointed, happy because he won the mind.
Naturally, there are detractors, such as some of these comments (HRV), especially one by Vidi pisme ove (see this song):
All this is just a performance, nothing more…
we are all long since bought and sold…
politicians are just actors, who work in someone's script…
anything we do not choose, unless you want to watch the show or not,
that's all…
And it is echoed by a longer comment by Dosanjani:
Although I was too young to have participated in them, I remember the elections in the former Yugoslavia when we were offered the party candidates – on a piece of paper of five to six so that you, choose the selection. It is the same now.
Josipović has a daunting task ahead of him as Croatia is in a massive recession and the country has very large goals to reach EU membership. It is understandable that comments haven't been terribly forthcoming from Croatians at large as they wait to see if new leadership will bring new economic growth and stability.

author: El Hud


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Estonia: Lessons of the Ukrainian Election · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Itching for Eestimaa writes that “the underwhelming victory of Viktor Yanukovich over Yulia Tymoshenko last week has caused all sorts of soul searching in Estonia and, in general, the West”: “Indeed, there are lessons to be learned.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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EU, Greece: Greek PM Parody · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Greater Surbiton mocks the the Greek prime minister's comment on the EU-Greek relationship in the time of financial crisis.


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India: Twitter In Social Activism · Global Voices
Rezwan

Pratham Books, a non-profit trust engaged in publishing of children books, informs in their blog how Twitter helped them to reach books of a mobile van to a number of children in Kolkata, India.

author: Rezwan


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Latvia: “Cyber-Security ‘Killer Incident’” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Telecoms in Latvia reports that in order to “expose government waste, unjust wage differentials and possible corruption by analyzing data filed by state agencies and public sector,” individuals calling themselves “the Fourth Awakening People's Army” have obtained some “7.4 million records from a database linked to the web-based service for filing income tax returns and other information with Latvia's State Revenue Service.”


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Lebanon: Stolichnaya and the Girl in the Bathtub · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanese blogger Rami at “Plus961” posts some photographs of Stolichnaya‘s latest advertisement which included a girl in a bathtub in the streets of Beirut.

author: Layal Al Khatib


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Lebanon: The Return of the Kamikaze · Global Voices
Layal Al Khatib

Lebanese Blogger and Illustrator Maya Zankoul shares her story of watching a mother crossing a very crowded and dangerous highway with her two children on foot.


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Niger: Dusk to dawn curfew imposed · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Niger's political turmoil: “A dusk to dawn curfew has been imposed, but local reports indicate the capital Niamey was calm today. Tandja changed the constitution last August to stay in power beyond his legal term limit.”

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Palestine/West Bank: Peace Protesters use Avatar Movie Visuals · Global Voices
Filip Stojanovski

Recent protest against land appropriation of the West Bank village of Bil'in included Palestinian and Israeli activists masked as Na'vi characters from the controversial Avatar movie, which they consider anti-imperialist. Video clips posted by NGO “Friends of Freedom and Justice – Bilin” show Israeli Defense Forces using tear gas and sound bombs to protect the barriers. Comments to the blog post by Susan Stark reflect diverse stereotypes held by many American readers.

author: Filip Stojanovski


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Poland: “Better Say Nothing” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

The Economist's Edward Lucas posts his article about Poland and follows up with “this exasperated response” to counter “the furious reaction to the earlier piece on the Polish blogosphere.”


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Singapore: Foreign workers · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

According to a finance committee report, Singapore will continue to welcome foreign workers. Foreigners comprise more than a third of Singapore population

author: Mong Palatino


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Singapore: Higher education spending · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Blogger Blowin’ in the wind writes about higher education spending in Singapore. The city state spends more than 1 percent of its GDP on higher education.


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Singapore: New voters · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Seelan wonders whether Singapore's new citizens will vote for the administration or opposition party.


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Slovenia: Carnival in Ptuj · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Adventures in Wheelville posts pictures and video and writes about the carnival in Ptuj: “The carnival was a good time like a mini Mardi Gras and it gave me hope that at least some people in this country know and want to have a good time.”


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The Balkans, Italy: Berlusconi’s “Albanian Girls” Comment; Doctored Photo · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Balkan Travellers re-posts a Balkan Insight piece about the Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi's comment that “his country would accept only pretty Albanian girls as immigrants.” Belgraded writes about the photoshopped photos of Berlusconi and Slobodan Milosevic: “Fours days after the [doctored] photo was published, Milosevic lost the elections by a close margin. Maybe it will be the same for Berlusconi, who is probably the politician with the biggest resemblance to Milosevic-style politics in European Union today.”


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Australia: Vindaloo Against Violence Goes Viral · Global Voices
Kevin Rennie

Migrants are always praised for broadening the food we eat. The multicultural cuisine cliché is being put to good use this Wednesday 24 February. This follows the furore caused by violence against Indians living in Australia. Better community relations are being promoted through our restaurants:
Melburnians have always been known as foodies, but now they have a new reason to eat out.
The city's reputation has taken a battering in the last 12 months amid reports surfacing of racially-motivated attacks targeting Indian students.
Fed up with violence and the bad wrap her city was receiving, Mia Northrop decided to embrace Melbourne's love of food in a show of support for the Indian and migrant community.
On February 24, she is encouraging people all over Australia to take part in Vindaloo Against Violence.
Aussies urged to vindaloo against violence The Age
There is a dedicated blog, Vindaloo Against Violence:
Dine at your local Indian restaurant on Wednesday 24 February 2010.
This violence threatens all Melburnians’ sense of safety and pride in their home. I want the Melbourne Indian community -and all immigrant communities – to know that they are welcome and entitled to feel safe here.
How cool would it be if Melbourne displayed a show of force by all going out and eating Indian food on a certain night, to embrace and show solidarity with our local Indian community?
Protest racially motivated violence in Melbourne.
There is even a thread at JamieOliver.com.
The FOOTSCRAY FOOD BLOG aims “to illuminate Melbourne's maligned western suburbs and reveal them as the treasure trove they really are.” They have embraced the idea:
Now you may be thinking this is all a bit pat, that it's a lazy, empty gesture towards a serious problem.  I disagree!  This is a 100% grass-roots movement, started by one woman with no political aspirations or connections, because she was appalled at recent events.
Vindaloo Against Violence
FoodstuffMelb echoes these sentiments:
The debate continues to rage as to whether or not these attacks are racially motivated, however racially motivated or not, one thing is certain, the world’s attention has been turned to Melbourne and questions are being asked about the safety of our streets; particularly for those in our Indian community.
So what are you waiting for? Head on over to their website, register your interests and hopefully together we can all send a powerful message that Melbourne is proud of its Indian community and all that it offers.
Vindaloo Against Violence
There’s a Facebook Event that you can sign up to.
It’s also on twitter, of course, at http://twitter.com/VagainstV. One tweet among myriad positive responses: “a stranger just invited me to a home-cooked Indian meal at their place on 24 Feb. humbled. so glad this event means something to so many.” 1:12 PM Feb 16th  from web
If you Google Blogs for this alliterative phrase, there are hundreds of posts. They include many from across the globe, as the idea has spread virally.
Indian online media have taken up the story with gusto:
A Melbourne web designer's Internet campaign to protest attacks against Indian citizens in Australia, “Vindaloo Against Violence”, has turned into a runaway success.
According to reports, more than 10,000 people have signed up on the Internet for Mia Northrop's campaign, some from as far away as New York.
… Dinners will be held in Amsterdam, Thailand, Malaysia and all Australian capital cities.
Oz anti-Indian violence ‘vindaloo’ campaign proves runaway red-hot global success ANI
It’s a refreshing to spread a good news story for a change.
Come on! Join us in a ‘pappadum for peace’, as one wag suggested.

author: Kevin Rennie


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Azerbaijan: Almost a year old… · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Scary Azeri in Suburbs approaches it's first birthday, but wonders why most search engine referrals come from queries on sex and prostitution.

author: Onnik Krikorian


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Azerbaijan: Healthcare · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Emotions on Air, Mind Mute comments on healthcare in the oil-rich republic. Despite legislation guaranteeing access for all, the blog says, the situation is far from perfect and especially when it comes to bone marrow donors.


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Azerbaijan: In this part of the world · Global Voices
Onnik Krikorian

Flying Carpets and Broken Pipelines comments on the lack of democracy in the Caucasus in general. However, the blog says, some progressive youth are struggling to effect change and are the key to the future as they are the future.


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China: Prisoner of Conscience Map · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

A google map marking and reminding people of the whereabout of the prisoners of conscience in China.

author: Oiwan Lam


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Colombia: President Calls on Citizens to be Crime Informants · Global Voices
Cati Restrepo

At the end of January, Colombian President Álvaro Uribe made some statements about the importance of reporting violent crime. Specifically, he called upon university students in the city of Medellín and taxi drivers in the city of Cali, as possible informants. This caused a national debate, which was also reflected on the internet. This specific idea comes at a time when violent crime around Colombia has been increasing. For example, the number of homicides in Medellín in 2009 more than doubled from the number of homicides in 2008. The difficulties to maintain public order is happening in various cities across Colombia.
Xady of the blog Expresáte [es] writes about a recent episode where he was unable to play a game of football outside with his friends in a neighborhood of Medellín  because of this uncertain security situation:
Hace 8 días llamaron los muchachos:
Quince minutos más tarde me llama alguien y me dice, no salga de la casa porque esto se va a prender… y claro una fuente de confianza nunca falla. A los cinco minutos de haber recibido la llamada doy varios pasos para salir a la puerta y al frente de mi casa….
Eight days ago, my friends called:
Fifteen minutes later, someone calls me to say, don't leave the house because it is going to get bad outside…and of course, a trusted source is never wrong. Five minutes after receiving the call, I take a few steps to leave my house and in front of my house…
Uribe's proposal appeals to “respect for the norms of co-existence”  and that this information is necessary so that the Security Forces can help reduce the number of violent crimes, of which students have been the victims. However, Uribe's idea does not come without additional incentive. He proposed that those who acted as informants could receive 100,000 Colombian pesos (approximately US$50) per month.
Vladdo, of the blog Havladdorías [es], writes:
Muchos analistas y medios se han referido ya al espinoso asunto de los informantes que quiere reclutar el gobierno, y la verdad es que volver a hablar de las inconveniencias que conlleva transformar a la ciudadanía en un ejército de soplones es llover sobre mojado.
Many analysts and media outlets have already made reference to the thorny issue of the informants that the government wants to recruit, the truth is that we return to talking about the inconvenience that it means by turning citizens into an army of informants, it makes no sense.
Some are worried about whether or not the students place themselves at risk for providing information or the quality of information that might be provided. Paloma Valencia of El Diario del Huila who said:
Hay un temor ante lo que se ha denominado la satanización de profesores y compañeros, ahí hay que distinguir la acción de proveer la información y la manera como las autoridades públicas van a utilizarla.  Será necesario tener procedimientos de verificación.
The statements from the President have been the object of numerous reactions that could be seen on Twitter, as from Mauricio Mosquera (@mauromosquera), who writes that there could be a better use of the money:
100 mil pesos mensuales para los estudiantes que no falten a clase!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In the same manner, Uribe also called upon the 31,000 taxi drivers in the city of Cali, another group that has been hit especially hard by violent crime. The website for W. Radio opened up a forum where citizens could respond to the question [es]: What do you think of the proposal by President Uribe to link the taxi drivers of Cali as government informants?”
152 Alexa | 02/03/10 06:37:03 writes:
Pues me parece bien . es un deber de todos los cidadanos informar a las autoridades los hechos delictivos lo que sucede es que a medida que los dias pasan en este pais la delicuencia va tomando mas fuerza. y aveces nos vemos obligados a callar muchas cosas que se ven y se saben . por las represarias hacia los nuestros.
139 Castro | 02/02/10 17:57:39 writes:
Esta es la seguridad democratica? mas bien deberian pensar en seguridad educacional el pais necesita gente que piense en grande con educacion se termina el flagelo de la violencia aaahh y empleo empleo porque hay mucho desempleado sin saber que hacer.
In addition, Vladdo expresses himself in this manner, by saying that it is a bad idea [es]:
Las propuestas del Presidente han llegado a tal extremo, que hasta los propios furibistas están aterrados, o por lo menos sorprendidos, con la sola idea de convertir en informantes a los universitarios de Medellín y a los taxistas de Cali. Después seguirán los loteros de Pasto, los artesanos de Leticia o los vendedores ambulantes de Bogotá. El argumento de que quien no es informante es cómplice de los crímenes que crecen sin cesar en las ciudades (cosa previsible, tras ese retorcido proceso de paz y la supuesta desmovilización de las AUC) se cae por su propio peso.
The President's proposals have reached the extreme, in that even the furibistas (his supporters) are terrified, or at least surprised, with the single of idea of turning university students in Medellín  and taxi drivers in Cali into informants. Later, he will ask the LOTEROS in Pasto, the artisants in Leticia, or the street vendors in Bogotá. The argument that whoever is not an informant is an accomplice to growing problem of crime in the cities (which is to expected after this twisted peace process and the supposed demobilization of the AUC) falls under its own weight.

author: Cati Restrepo


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Japan: Thoughts on Longevity · Global Voices
Tomomi Sasaki

As the most rapidly ageing country in the world in addition to having the highest life expectancy, Japan has a lot to think about concerning quality of life and a sustainable society. However, it's rare that one contemplates about it on a personal level. In Long Life is a Risk (長生きはリスクである), blogger Satonao shares his unique perspective that perhaps longevity itself is not to be celebrated.
Note: The post was translated in its entirety with permission from the blogger. All links were added by Tomomi Sasaki for reference.
Lately, I keep getting into conversations with various people about how “long life is a risk”.
This is probably because my closest friends are entering their forties and fifties and I regularly hear stories that hit close to home: she's had a breakdown from having to take care of her parents, his father is always in different hospitals for cancer, or her mother has dementia and requires full time care. On top of that, our salaries aren't getting any higher and money is tight. Everyone has their worries and troubles. Many people who go through a lot eventually conclude that “a long life doesn't necessarily equal happiness”. The preposition that long life leads to happiness is one that has long been passed on among the Japanese people. It seems inevitable that at some point this idea, which has been stuck in our heads since the Showa period, will have to change.
An acquaintance in their 70's has started a “slow suicide”.
In other words this person, who has so far lived a healthy abstinent life, has started doing whatever they want, including things that they stopped doing precisely because they are considered “bad for you”. Living a long life is a risk. The line of reasoning goes: rather than live a longer life, do what you want without regard to the fact that you might die sooner.
I've been so busy this month that I've neglected to take care of my body.
Even if one lives a long life by tracking health related stats and diligently ‘saving’ oneself from overdoing it, one may still suffer from dementia, become bedridden or wracked with illness at the end. Any of these are painful and may be a strain on the children. There is a need to think more seriously about how to balance moderation and excess because illness is not to be treated lightly. For now, however, I'd like to break free from the idea that “long life equals happiness”. Long life doesn't necessarily mean happiness. Live life one day at a time and when the time comes, die with a quiet dignity. This is how I'd like to go. My affairs are in order and I do mental exercises that today may be the last, but what remains to be seen is how to die. Obviously, this is a very complex matter.
Please note that I'm not making light of having been born or of life itself. I'm not writing about suicide, either. I'm writing about how to greet the end of life. Thinking about how one will die is thinking about how one will live. I simply want to think a little bit more strictly and specifically about appreciating the miracle of life while being able to welcome the death that we will each inevitably experience.
Remember, it's live long and prosper.
Related reading: Japan: Momus, on This Ageing Country

author: Tomomi Sasaki


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Philippines: Outrage over Arrest of 43 Health Workers · Global Voices
Karlo Mongaya

On February 6, 43 community health workers holding a medical training mission in Morong, Rizal, Philippines were arrested by the military on accusations of being armed communist rebels.
On that day around 300 soldiers and police forcibly entered the private resthouse of Dr. Melecia Velmonte, Philippine General Hospital infectious disease expert and University of the Philippines College of Medicine professor emeritus.
The health workers were lined up, frisked, blindfolded, and brought by force to Camp Capinpin to be detained. They were refused legal counsel, subjected to various forms of torture, and prevented from meeting their relatives.
This latest case of human rights violation under the Arroyo government has caused public outrage and international condemnation and spawned a running legal drama with the military initially defying a Supreme Court ruling to present the victims in court.
With my white uniform rebuts a military spokesman’s statement in a television show justifying the illegal arrests, the points of which were (1) the low educational attainment of the arrested, (2) lack of publicity for the training event, (3) vocal leftist support for the 43, and (4) their revelation of their NPA affiliations during their detainment.
The first two reveal how ignorant the military is regarding the prevailing approach towards community health. Educational background is irrelevant in health skills training. You do not need a college degree to be able to protect you and your community's health. You do not need to be the brightest one in the community to be able to pick up these skills. That is the purpose of the training anyway.
Trainings of community health workers are not publicized or advertised in the usual ways. It is not only due to the effin high expense to do these things but also the uselessness of these publicizing modalities… These are not huge events needing humongous number of attendants. They don't need to tell everybody, they just need to tell the involved communities…
For the fourth, confessions made during torture is and should be invalid. Under torture and extreme stress, a normal person can be made to do anything. Given that the detainment seem to be one big torture fest, why give weight to their confession?
And for the third. That's one of the stupidest things I've heard in a long time (and I frequently read posts regarding quackery in SB). These groups are supporting the Morong 43 not because they are necessarily involved in them. Rather, they saw that attack on HR and the illegal nature of how the AFP handled the Morong 43 from capture to detainment. If you can let go of your bias against the left maybe you can realize that your attempts at hiding your mistakes is failing, greatly.
Carol P. Araullo writes on the incredulity of the military’s arguments. She also  contrasts the government’s treatment of the 43 health workers to that of the Ampatuan clan, former ally of the Arroyo administration and main suspect to last year’s gruesome Maguindanao massacre:
This is the same Secretary Ermita who, along with other Arroyo henchmen, immediately invoked the right to due process of the Ampatuans, Arroyo’s warlord allies in Muslim Mindanao suspected to be behind the gruesome mass murder of relatives and supporters of their political enemies, a bevy of media personnel as well as innocent bystanders.
The illegal detention of the 43 makes kape’t yosi sick:
Consider these: forcible entry to a private place of domicile, a search warrant that was only produced after the operation and was issued by a Cavite court for a person that the house's owner – a respected consultant at the Philippine General Hospital – has never heard of, finding a grenade under a pillow, a so-called witness who miraculously came out and pointed fingers to his “comrades”. It gets more incredulous every day the arresting military unit tries to stick the “NPA” tag to those they are currently holding that even include two pregnant women.
Daily Musings reposts and comments on an anti-communist Philippine political party’s statement on the arrest of the Morong 43:
…it’s understandable that [PDSP] would defend the military in its actions. For me, though, the fact that the military saw fit to deny legal representation to the 43 members, who have yet to be proven to be NPA cadres, is rather disturbing, and could be a prelude of things to come.
The other thing that I'm bothered about is the fact that the military saw fit to delay the observance of the writ of habeas corpus. The PDSP email follows the military line that security details had to be prepared, considering the number and the sensitivity of the supposed ranking of the detainees. Still, considering that the military should observe the legal remedies available to the detainees, shouldn't they have considered that the detainees would file for a writ, and have the necessary security measures all planned out in advance? Contrary to what the PDSP communication says, I think that the delay in complying with the writ of habeas corpus is a show of defiance; the military could be testing the limits of how far they can push legal remedies.
Wawam! Afterhours doubts the military’s accusations that the Morong 43 are communist rebels:
first thing that came to our mind – since when were the NPAs that stupid?
they hold a seminar for bomb making in morong, that is almost metro manila, in big numbers, without any kind of security preparation?
the NPA have been soldiers for decades. they are one of  the most organized and most trained, perhaps matching the skills of the Philippine Armed Forces. they have been pursued by the law for as long as they have existed, through those decades, they should have mastered the art of hiding and not getting caught.
all of a sudden, they are lazy, incompetent and extremely careless. really?
Marya Salamat speculates that the Philippine military may well be aiding the communist movement with its recent brazen acts:
The AFP tries to malign the 43 health workers by calling them communists. Instead, it is suggesting to the country that NPA guerrillas are dedicated and seriously serving the people, against all odds. Come March 29, when the NPA celebrates another anniversary, their leaders can simply choose to link to the AFP’s website to show the international community how good they are in providing services for the Filipino people. Maybe it is time other countries stopped calling the CPP-NPA as “terrorists” and start giving them the aid money that are currently being given to the Arroyo government. This aid seems destined to be really put to good use by the NPA. Just imagine the health services the guerrillas would be able to provide with some funding?
The Four Eyed Optimist Blog thinks that the military’s treatment of the Morong 43 is outrageous:
One of my nephews is in the army and he'd been ambushed several times by these terrorist rebels. I have no sympathy for the NPA and whatever the heck they are fighting for (communism, really?) is nonsensical to me. But even if the so-called Morong 43 are in fact members of the NPA, they still have rights under our constitution and the military should respect those rights.
Achieving Happiness attacks the Arroyo government for its horrific human rights record – “human rights which also includes the right to benefit from adequate and affordable health service.”
Who isn’t aware of how expensive medicines are, how difficult it is to get treatment for even the simplest illnesses because of the exorbitant rates hospitals charge? Instead of increasing allocations for health and developing the country’s public hospitals, the government resorts to privatizing these same hospitals, making health services way beyond the reach of ordinary Filipinos. Now here’s the AFP illegally arresting and harassing health personnel and professionals, people who have done nothing but dedicate their lives and efforts to providing health care for the poor and marginalized and making health services more accessible to these sectors.
Council for Health and Development (CHD) staff Terence Krishna Lopez introduces two of his CHD colleagues who became part of the Morong 43, Dr. Merry B. Mia-Clamor and Ma. Teresa Quinawayan. Adarna’s attic quotes Dr. Clamor:
“I was doing this with the purest intention—to train volunteers and to give them skills so they themselves can help others in their community. It’s a shame… I chose to stay here in the Philippines instead of going abroad. I chose to stay [despite] the knowledge it would be a thankless job.”
For Filipino cultural critic E. San Juan Jr, the arrest and torture of the 43 might just be a dress rehearsal for a desperate scheme by the Arroyo regime to declare emergency rule and perpetuate itself in power:
The case of the Morong 43 may well be a none-too-subtle maneuver to warn opponents, deflect public attention from the Ampatuan carnage, and assure her supporters that she is not a “lame-duck leader” but a clever  politician determined to perpetuate her putrid and moribund dynasty. However, there are signs that the rising upsurge of public anger in the media, as well as a multitude of unreported grassroots mobilization in the provinces, will surely not allow this to happen.
Like a Rolling Store reposts a fact sheet on the arrest of the 43. Nobody.Else.Like.Me notes a suggestion for the Morong 43 to file a case using the Anti-Torture Law. Asteroid-B612 calls for the release of the 43. Meanwhile, the Free the 43 blog has been put up to gather facts and statements on the issue.

author: Karlo Mongaya


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Russia: Media Portal Undergoes Check For Extremism · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

Logo of the Grani.ru, Grani.ru website
The war on extremism has become a universal formula used by Russian authorities to fight the freedom of online expression. On February 11, police started an inspection [RUS] of the opposition media portal Grani.ru trying to figure out if it promotes extremism. Grani.ru is well-known as an open platform for liberal journalists and civil right activists. The site is supported by an oligarch in exile Boris Berezovsky [ENG].
The case illustrates the recent “War on Extremism” policy in action. The policy was “launched” in 2006 and became wide-spread during the first term of Dimitry Medvedev's presidency. More and more, this is being applied against online media.
President Dmitri Medvedev established [RUS] Anti-Extremism Police Departments (so-called “‘E’-Centers”) in September 2008. The term “extremism” is vaguely defined by 18 activities [RUS] (causing civil disorder and defamation of the authorities are among them).  This broad definition gives a lot of freedom of interpretation for the authorities. During 2009, for example, 548 crimes were defined as extremism, Grani.ru reported [RUS].
Both individual activists and whole groups fell victim to the broad definition of the term. The prosecutor's office published an online list of “extremist materials” [RUS] that currently consists of 490 items and continues to grow. Since the introduction of the president's decree, civil rights activists have been continuously insisting [RUS] on changing the definition of extremism and disbanding “E”-Centers.
The recent inspection of Grani.ru started with a telephone call from the local “E”-Center representative Alexander Skripnikov. He requested a personal meeting with the Web site director and asked for documents indicating that the site is registered officially (common practice for online media in Russia). The “E”-Center representative also stated that the site is under investigation for alleged extremist activities. Grani.ru editor-in-chief and the director refused to meet personally and requested an official response from the authorities that was delivered to the Web site's office the next day.
During the inspection, the police and prosecutor's office plan to establish if the articles published on the Web site contain calls for ethnic conflicts or promote the regime change. It is the second time that the authorities have inspected Grani.ru for publishing allegedly extremist materials. The first inspection was conducted in 2007-2008 and was aimed against one of the Grani.ru's authors Andrey Piontkovsky [EN], Russian scientist and political writer.
In an interview in “Ezhednevny Zhurnal” [RUS], Vladimir Korsunsky, editor-in-chief of Grani.ru, commented on the situation:
«Грани.Ру» проводят настолько взвешенную и сбалансированную информационную политику, что более сбалансированная — это будет уже неприлично. Непонятно, на что похожа вся эта история. Сначала они вообще хотели неформально с нами пообщаться — встретиться и поговорить. О чем — непонятно. Поэтому пришлось им сказать «нет». Мы же не друзья. Если у них есть к нам дело, пусть обращаются официально, мы будем официально отвечать. Я глубоко убежден, что такие контакты должны происходить строго в рамках закона. Невозможно вести с оперативным работником разговор по душам. Тем более что он не говорит, чего он хочет. Вполне возможно, что он ищет: а вдруг ты что-то такое скажешь в разговоре, за что он зацепится и начнет: «А, вот зачем я тебя проверяю!» Пусть сам нам скажет.
Interestingly enough, the online censorship and increasing Internet regulations go along with Medvedev's projects of modernization (like the ambitious Russian “Silicon Valley”). But is it possible to create an innovation-based society without freedom of expression? It looks like authorities think of something good and inspiring at the same time thoughtlessly oppressing and condemning the last providers of independent information.

author: Alexey Sidorenko


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Singapore: Netizens angry over pastor’s comments on Buddhism and Taoism · Global Voices
Mong Palatino

Pastor Rony Tan of Lighthouse Evangelism, an independent church in Singapore with 12,000 members, has already apologized for attacking Buddhism and Taoism in his sermons. Pastor Tan apologized after receiving a call from the Internal Security Department. Despite the apology, the issue remains a controversial topic in the blogosphere.
Part 1 of the infamous video sermon of Pastor Tan
An excerpt from Pastor Tan’s statement of apology
I have received a number of emails from people who have been saddened and hurt by the testimonies of an ex-monk and an ex-nun. I realized that my presentation and comments were wrong and offensive. So I sincerely apologize for my insensitivity towards the Buddhists and Taoists, and solemnly promise that it will never happen again.
When we have received those emails, we immediately removed the video clips from our website. I urge those who have posted those clips on the YouTube to remove them as well.
Like many Singaporeans, Choo Zheng X was angry after viewing the videos
I felt deeply angry when I saw the videos of Pastor Rony Tan deriding Buddhists in his church. A place of worship was used to propagate misinformation and ignorance. A faith of love and acceptance was being used as a vehicle of intolerance.
Other Singaporeans were angry too, so angry that a large number were calling for Pastor Tan to be jailed under the Internal Security Act or the Sedition Act. But I held myself back
But the author is hesitant about using the Sedition Act to punish the pastor
It’s telling that when controversy like this occurs, Singaporeans immediately look to a punitive measure to solve the problem. That’s how simplistic our attitudes towards faith and ethnicity have become.
Sadly, laws like the Sedition Act encourage Singaporeans to take the path of least resistance, short circuit important social dialogue, and retard the process of seeking richer inter-faith/cultural confidence building.
Alvin Phoon warns against using exaggerated legal and punitive actions against the pastor
Bigots of different religions and persuasions squabble all the time. Normally I’m happy to sit back and watch because they make for good entertainment. However, in this case, threatening legal action against one party for making religiously insensitive comments is rash and will bear serious future consequences. Instead of being so adamant on imprisoning a man for mere words that were probably not even well thought out in the first place, why can’t we just take a step back, and move on with our lives? Pile on the humiliation if you must. But remember that the day Rony Tan goes to prison is the day religious tolerance and freedom of opinion ceases to exist.
Shawn Lim wants the pastor to be punished
What they should have done, instead of warning him, was to punish him. Fine him; send him to jail, whatever. If it takes a show of power to prevent this kind of incidence from happening again, by all means, do whatever that is necessary.
So why are the authorities so lenient when what Pastor Rony was clearly out of line with the first rule of religious harmony; which is to show respect for other religions? Do they not realise that a ‘warning’ in an increasingly vocal society is not enough?
dhamma musings does not believe that the current practice of holding inter-religious dialogues in Singapore can promote religious and racial harmony
I doubt that inter-religious dialogue, at least as it is conducted in Singapore, really brings about a change in how the different religions feel about each other. The participants are already respectful of other faiths. The ones who could do with a bit of tolerance – the bigots, zealots, fundamentalists and the evangelicals, won’t come
i.justrealized notes that religion is a sensitive issue in Singapore
Actually the interviewees are quite funny if you watch it with an open mind. One of the interviewees revealed that he had some bowel problems causing blood during defecation. In a moment of fear, he prayed to Jesus and was totally healed.
I should point out that religion is a sensitive issue, especially in Singapore, where the risks of tensions are high. We will not want to jeopardize peace in the process. Singapore has been strict on religious harmony.
In the church I frequented, there is a strong belief that Christianity is the only true religion and all other religions are Satan attempting to bring away people from the Christian God.
Pastor Tan’s lectures were contradicted in several websites and blogs: Half Time Adventurer, sgfrag.net, and the National University of Singapore Buddhist Society.
Facebookers posted comments on Pastor Tan’s facebook fan page. An Arrest Pastor Rony Tan facebook group was also created.


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Ukraine: “A Family!” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Scenes from the Sidewalk shares a story of another formerly homeless Ukrainian child who now has a home.


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Bangladesh: Communal Attack On Jumma Villages · Global Voices
Rezwan

Unheard Voices reports of the attack of Bengali settlers on Jumma indigenous villages in Rangamati district of Bangladesh which left 5 indigenous people dead. The blog is following the developments and the subsequent protests.


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Barbados: Cricket Industry  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

From Barbados, Allegiance blogs about the possibilities for a regional cricket sector: “The idea is not for Government to throw money at cricketers or to interfere with the rules of the game. It is about building an industry in which we appear to have a competitive advantage.”

author: Janine Mendes-Franco


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Barbados, Haiti: The Widening Gap  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Barbados Underground says that “the recent catastrophic earthquake which rocked Haiti has exposed one of the weaknesses of modern civilization; the failure to narrow the gap between rich and poor countries.”


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Bermuda: Accountability  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Bermuda's Vexed Bermoothes bemoans the fact that “government’s debt is scratching the ass of $1 billion dollars now”, but takes heart “that some of Bermuda’s institutions are doing their job to blow the whistle and put on the brakes.”


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China: Mobilizing mothers for censorship · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

On January 19th 2010, the Beijing Association of online media established a group called Mama Jury to censor obscene and pornographic information online. According to report from Southern Weekend, the idea of organizing mothers to “protect” the children from pornography is originated from Western countries. However, the Chinese mother group is run by the CCP associated organization rather than by independent civic group compared to its western counterpart.
Yang Heng Jun questions the legitimacy of the “government-mother cooperation system”:
第一，谁授权给你们来“评审”互联网内容的？第二，你认为自己未成年孩子不能看的内容就应该删除？网站就应该关闭？难道全中国人民都不能看？哪怕那内容是《宪法》保障我们看、《刑法》不禁止我们看的内容？
让我们进一步发挥所谓“孩子利益优先”的原则，既然你们用这个原则来治理整顿虚拟的互联网，那么我有理由质问你们：为什么不用这种方式对付更多孩子们生活其中的真实社会
你 可以限制自己的孩子上互联网，但你不能以“儿童利益优先”的名义把互联网变成一个只适合你孩子的学习园地和迪斯尼乐园，那是违反《宪法》也违反人性的。……当我们把互联网和社会 变成只适合儿童的时候，儿童不但不会成长，而且，我们成人也会变成“儿童”……
Hu Yong elaborates on Yang's argument:
政府的这一举措明显是要“花季护航”全国人民，把自己摆在为人家长的位置上…    “深入整治低俗”是一场无情的运动，不知有多少网站在去冬今春的寒风中哀号，然而，妈妈们在运动中的出现不仅为之涂上了一层温情色彩，似乎也赋予其更多的正当性。这是因为，妈妈们竖起的大旗是“保护未成年人”，占据了社会道德的制高点。
To many concerned citizens, “Children's interest comes first” is a mere hypocritical political slogan to censor the Internet. When confronted with real issues, such as the melamine poisonous milk scandal, the government is not on the side of the parent and children. Chang Ping points out that the father, Zhao Lianhai, who investigated on the melamine poisonous milk incident was arrested in November 2009. Chang Ping resents why all these pro-censorship mothers who claimed that they loved their children did not step out to support Zhao? And more ironically, the former head of General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), Li Changchun, who resigned after the poisonous milk scandal, has recently been appointed as the vice head of the working team against pornographic and illegal information.
Laotuzaizi echoes with Chang Ping's comment and suggests that the government should opened itself to the monitoring of “mothers”:
何不将“妈妈评审团”改为“妈妈官员监督团”派下去，派到卫生部、质检总局、工商总局，让她们去像监管网民那样监管部长局长处长那些当官的，准管用。别不放心，老秦不跟你们争权夺利，“妈妈官员监督团”可由全国妇联代行管理。
“妈妈官员监督团”完全可以请些下岗女工、家庭妇女，还能解决不少就业问题。“妈妈官员监督团”比起成立国务院食品安全委员会要更省钱，更实用，更解决问题。一物降一物，官员怕民妇。
You can hire the laid-off woman workers, housewives to the Mother Monitor team. It can solve a lot of employment problem. It is more economical and practical than setting up the State Council Food Safety Commission. Every kind of being has its natural enemy. Chinese government officials are naturally fearful of ordinary women.


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China: Shanxi earthquake rumor · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ten of thousands people in Shanxi Qingxu evacuated to the street on 21 of February after midnight because of an earthquake rumor. (via ESWN)


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China: Typology of GFW networks · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

GFWrev has an article (cn) with a bilingual graph explaining how the Internet censorship works in China.


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Haiti: Thoughts on Power · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Following an incident in which children were reportedly taken from their legal guardians and placed in a UNICEF camp, Tara at The Livesay [Haiti] Weblog says: “I am so sad to have learned (as a result of the earthquake) that most everything in the world is based on money and power.”


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India: Fighting For The Forest · Global Voices
Rezwan

Indian Tribals Blog  reports about a struggle of the tribal people in the reserved forests of Udaipur district in Rajsthan, India who fighting to avoid displacement from their ancestral land.


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Peru: New High School for the Country’s Top Students · Global Voices
Gabriela García Calderón

In early 2009, Peruvian President Alan García announced the creation of the President of Peru High School [es] located in Huampaní, about 25 km east of Lima. The idea consists of an ambitious educational project, targeting the 500 best high school students from 47 of the best public schools from across the country. Those admitted will complete their last two years of high school and will have access to some of the best teachers and facilities in the country.
Admission is based on a competitive tests, and the results have been in the process of being announced. However, some are concerned about the access to the information about the application process. For example, Saravia, from the blog Autoeducación Digital [es] raises some concerns about the process:
Un capricho presidencial como lo llamamos desde el inicio a la creación del Colegio Mayor se ve envuelto en algo que de haber sido transparente su concepción y proceso, se hubiera evitado. Desde el inicio, el Prospecto costó mucho “bajarlo” de internet por la forma cómo había sido diseñado. El Lima, tal vez quienes tienen internet en su casa, fue fácil, pero quienes recurren a cabinas, tuvieron que gastar varios soles para bajar el Prospecto como para imprimirlo. ¿Se imagina cómo sería en provincias?
In addition, Pedro Martínez of the blog El Arte de Enseñar [es] raises some other concerns about the legality of the process, since the High School will be a public school:
Según la Ley no está permitido que los colegios seleccionen o discriminen con evaluaciones el ingreso de los estudiantes y si se va a escoger a los mejores alumnos de segundo año de secundaria de las instituciones educativas a nivel nacional a través de exámenes sicológicos y académicos, entonces se requerirá un régimen legal excepcional.
Some Peruvians welcome this new educational process, and one commenter at Peru 21 [es], Arturo writes:
Estupenda idea. En un mundo cada vez más competitivo necesitamos inculcar en nuestros escolares brillantes el deseo de superación (tal olvidado hoy en nuestro país) y de competitividad. El derecho a la educación gratuita está garantizado para todos, pero es de justicia que los mejores alumnos de todo el país también tengan las mismas oportunidades para desarrollarse y desarrollar el Perú. Ojalá que la currícula no sólo esté dirigida a “informar” sino a una completa “formación”: intelectual, física y espiritual.
Wonderful idea. In a world, more and more competitive, we need to instill in our brilliant students the desire to overcome (something forgotten in our country) and competitiveness. The right to free education is guaranteed for everyone, but it is fair that the best students from across the country also have the same opportunities to develop themselves and to develop Peru. Hopefully the curriculum will not be based on “informing,” but rather on a complete intellectual, physical, and spiritual “development.”
With the new school year beginning on Monday, March 1, tmedia announced [es] the name of the student who got the highest score in the admission test. Her name is Yazmín Lazo Cahui [es], she is 14 years old and lives in Arequipa.
In the Peruvian educational system, 20 is the highest grade a student can obtain, and Yazmin received a grade of 17.5. She scored third place on her written test, but her essay about global warming and its implications on our daily lives was judged to be so well written, that she earned the highest overall score.
The announcement that Yazmin, the daughter of a mechanic and a housewife, received the highest score, was well received in the country because of the disparities between education in males and females in Peru. Illiteracy affects 17.5% of women, while only 6.1% of men are illiterate, as stated at the website of the feminist movement Flora Tristán [es].
In addition, the 2nd and 3rd highest scores also went to girls: Wendy León Espinoza and Pamela Rojas Huamanlazo, and both got a grade of 17. The three of them, as well as the other students who earn their admittance to President of Peru High School will report to their new school on February 26.

author: Gabriela García Calderón


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Russia: Keith Gessen’s LRB Piece on Khodorkovsky · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Robert Amsterdam's Blog and Foreign Policy Association's Russia Blog link to and comment on Keith Gessen's review of Richard Sakwa's The Quality of Freedom: Khodorkovsky, Putin and the Yukos Affair, which appeared in the London Review of Books. On his blog, Gessen explains how to pronounce Mikhail Khodorkovsky's last name.


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Russia: Sakha (Yakut) Language on the Internet · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

AskYakutia.com posts a Q&A item on the Sakha Wikipedia and the use of the Sakha (Yakut) language on the Internet.


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Sri Lanka: Censorship And Pertinent Questions · Global Voices
Rezwan

Sanjana Hattotuwa at ICT for Peacebuilding (ICT4Peace) blog discusses about the presidential order of “the suspension of a plan by Sri Lanka’s telecommunications regulator to censor anti-government websites” and raises some questions.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Do The Math · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Mango Media Caribbean does the Beyonce/bmobile math, following the recent concert in Trinidad: “Great product + poor planning – expert events management + huge advertising  spend – marketing thinking = 1  of the most spectacular event/concert  failures in recent history…”; while Underground Trini Artiste gives a rundown of his concert experience.


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Ukraine, Russia: The Plight of Chekhov’s Yalta Museum · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

Rosamund Bartlett, Anton Chekhov's English biographer and director of the Anton Chekhov Foundation, writes about the plight of Chekhov's house-museum in Yalta, Crimea, at OpenDemocracy.net.


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Africa: Homophobia is the problem · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Simon argues that homophobia and not homosexuality is the problem in Africa.


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Africa: MILEAD Fellows Program for African Women · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Moremi Initiative for Women’s Leadership in Africa is pleased to announce its call for applications for the 2010 Moremi Leadership Empowerment and Development (MILEAD) Fellows Program for young African women leaders.


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Bahrain: Blog Hacked?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini blogger Mohammed Al Maskati suspects that his blog has been hacked and here‘s what he did.

author: Amira Al Hussaini


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Bahrain: Lymphoma and Leukaemia Support Group  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Bahraini Dr Nabeel Tammam has formed a Facebook group entitled Bahraini Lymphoma and Leukaemia Support Group.


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Bangladesh: Protecting The Pahari People · Global Voices
Rezwan

Faisal at The Spittoon highlights the recent violence against the Paharis (hill people) in Bangladesh and asks: “what good is having a secular liberal democracy if you don’t protect your minority communities?”


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Chile: Annual Viña del Mar Festival is Underway · Global Voices
Silvia Viñas

This year the annual Festival de Viña –short for Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar (Viña del Mar International Song Festival)—opened at its traditional venue, La Quinta Vergara in Viña del Mar, Chile on February 22, with the performances of Chilean humorist Coco Legrand and Canadian singer Paul Anka. The festival continues for five more days with performances by artists like Ricardo Arjona, Raphael, Don Omar and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs among others. But despite the appearance of these well-known international performers, many Chileans expected more out of this year's festival that coincides with Chile’s bicentennial celebration.
Felipe Camiroaga and Soledad Onetto as hosts of last years’ festival; they are this years hosts also. Picture taken by Flickr user alobos iphoto, and used under a Creative Commons license.
Blogger Vito [es] from Valparaiso, wanted this year's festival to reflect the celebration of the bicentennial by including more renowned artists.
Años anteriores se usaba el conocido dicho “¡que no se note pobreza!” y la Ciudad Jardín era invadida por un montóooon de artistas que, si bien no es Madonna ni Shakira, lograban llamar mucho la atención. Pero ¿qué pasó este año? ¿dónde están esos grandes artistas que celebrarían con nosotros el Bicentenario?
Journalist, television host, and blogger Eduardo Fuentes [es] points out that bringing artists like Shakira is just too expensive; and that the criticism aimed at the artist pool is part of the festival’s culture.
Como todos los años hay voces críticas respecto al festival. De seguro, muchos de ustedes quisieran artistas como Jonas Brothers, Tokio Hotel u otros que lamentablemente están fuera de presupuesto. Siempre ha sido igual. A mí me hubiera gustado ver alguna vez a Shakira, Michael Jackson (si sé, ya no se puede) o Pearl Jam, pero simplemente no se puede, entendámoslo de una vez, son muy caros. Pero como en la vida todo es opinable lo más seguro es que siempre escuchemos voces disidentes sobre la parrilla festivalera, eso es parte del encanto también de este certamen.
The Chilean blog Chile Liberal [es] provides a perspective –albeit not a very positive one—of what really attracts Chilean viewers to the festival:
El carácter del Homo chilensis está plasmado en el Festival de Viña. Éste es en esencia un programa de TV que nadie admite verlo, pero al final todos lo vemos, aunque sin prestar atención, menos aún disfrutándolo. Es como masoquismo. Está como ahí, pasando en la tele, pero nadie lo pesca. La única gracia es esperar los abucheos y pifias de los pelusones en la galería, que van ilusionados a presenciar un espectáculo de categoría mundial, pero al ver las proporciones liliputienses del escenario en la Quinta Vergara, se decepcionan. Y peor aún, muchos de los artistas no son sino relleno ante las falencias presupuestarias de la municipalidad de Viña del Mar. Todos lo vemos, sin verlo. Viña “es lo que hay”, y por eso es chileno hasta la médula. […] quizás lo seguimos viendo por atavismo, porque de chicos lo hemos visto, y no sabemos otra cosa. Pero al fin y al cabo, todos sabemos que lo mejor son las pifias
Audience at the 2008 Festival de Viña. Picture taken by Flickr user alobos iphotos and used under a Creative Commons license.
A post from the popular Chilean blog Zancada [es], where the blogger lists the reasons why she won’t be watching the festival, received many comments, mostly agreeing that the quality of the festival has declined. However, the decline in quality does not necessarily reflect its popularity. Marco Perez D (Twitter account @bichomaldito) says that if the festival was really not as popular as they advertise it to be, then it wouldn’t be broadcasted throughout Latin America.
User LA Julieta responded to the post at Zancada with a positive spin:
Trato de mirar el evento con un poco mas de cariño, si al final nos parece rasca pq tenemos la comparacion con eventos mega increibles gringos o europeos, pero hey, no nos parecemos en nada con ellos, en esto tampoco, y en vdd encuentro bkn que haya gente q le saque el jugo, y lo encuentre alucinante, importante y elegante.
Personalmente me resto, creo q nunca he visto un dia entero, pero reconozco que el dia que fui (hace mil años) lo pase increible y bailé y grité, aunque el invitado del dia fuera Cristian Castro, al que ni conocía ni he vuelto a escuchar  hay q buscarle la buena onda al asunto, creo yo.
User Nachoop, the opposing view among festival-haters, simply said, “I love watching the festival. It it so, I don't know, like, etertaining!”
Finally, Muricio Jürgensen, a blogger and journalist, says that despite the usual criticism, Chile’s attention inevitably turns to the festival during this week.
Lo curioso es que esto que parece desagradar a tantos, que este evento al que le dan duro como a ningún otro en cualquier época del año, termine obsesionando de manera casi patológica a un país entero. Durante seis días y con lo que sea que hayan logrado contratar los organizadores, siempre pasa lo mismo: nadie logra abstraerse del todo. Para bien o para mal, Viña en verano siempre está en boca de todos. Atorado como si en esto se nos fuera la vida.

author: Silvia Viñas


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China: Netizens make fun of charges for hacking Google · Global Voices
Robert Woo

The so-called ‘Operation Aurora’, which attacked Google and at least 33 other western conglomerates, allegedly originated from two Chinese universities, according to a recent New York Times story. One of these ‘universities’ is, in fact, an obscure 4- tier vocational school in Northern China. It is Shandong Lan Xiang Advanced Vocational College, which hitherto was known only for training automobile technicians.
The immediate surprise in Chinese cyberspace is not so much focused on the fact that Google’s recent accusation has been partly confirmed by the article, but that a school like Lan Xiang could even be considered as a candidate for carrying out such a sophisticated attack. Many have speculated that Lan Xiang’s administrators must have been filled with joy since their school has been rocketed to international fame without spending a penny on advertising. The following are some comments taken from QQ.com
找工作，到蓝翔！
山东蓝翔技工学校学生水平竟然超过老美电脑专家吗？
给山东蓝翔高等技工学校做了免费广告了！
你就不能说个清华北大之类的？说个山东蓝翔，美国人面子也算丢尽了，中国一所职业技术院校学生可以随意攻击国际一流搜索引擎，中国NB了。
On Lan Xiang’s public webpage in Baidu.com, people came from everywhere to pay their tributes. Typical entries were “Chinese student delegates from Kyoto University congratulate Lan Xiang” and “Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics send their congratulations”.
The story also provides perfect material for more overt satire:
望而却步的美国人，借攻击谷歌事件污蔑我国第一名校，企图降低我校在国际上的地位。蓝翔技校发言人对此表示，虽说该校学生已经具备攻克美国政+府网站的能力，但该校管理严格，学生素质甚高，更重要的是，学生正在攻克艰深的科学研究，不会浪费时间攻击一个普通的互联网搜索网站。
Despite all the sarcasm, is Lan Xiang really behind all this? A casual look at the posts in the same public page written before the New York Times report seems to suggest that Lan Xiang is a very ordinary school indeed!
学习方面：理论多实习少且设备陈旧，好的紧供参观，（勿动嗷要罚款的）～收费方面：学费一次付清，学校出理不掉的东西强买强卖，杂费不断，没发票～火食方面：食堂混乱吃饭不便，想吃得没有，就大锅饭，比监狱还操蛋
老子也是那来毕业的，那个烂学校我都没法说了。就会骗钱。
Is there really enough evidence to implicate Lan Xiang? Furthermore, will the evidence matter at all amidst the overall surge of nationalistic public opinion in China? We must wait and see how this drama plays out.

author: Robert Woo


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Dominica: Going Green  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Dominica will be hosting a Green Investment Conference later this year: Repeating Islands reports.


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Egypt: Fan Page for ElBaradei  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Egyptian fans formed a Facebook group in support of Mohamed El Baradei – whom they hope would run for President. The group has so far attracted more than 6,300 fans.


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Haiti: 4.9 Tremor · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

“When houses are barely standing after an earthquake and a tremor like this comes along more houses crumble and more lives are lost”: Pwoje Espwa blogs about Haiti's latest tremor.


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India: The Influence Of Local Language News Channels and Media · Global Voices
Rezwan

“The recent expansion in Indian language news channels and media, preceded by the expansion in the Indian language newspaper market has brought television to the fore, as a powerful new force in the evolving Indian society”, comments Vikram at An Academic View Of India.

author: Rezwan


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Italy, Russia: Berlusconi’s Russian Style · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

IZO links to LJ user maratguelman‘s post (RUS) and writes: “Silvio Berlusconi travels round Rome in a Russian-made VAZ-Patriot car and likes to wear a commando jacket given to him by Putin.”

author: Veronica Khokhlova


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Jordan: Taxed to Death?  · Global Voices
Amira Al Hussaini

Are Jordanians being ‘taxed to death'? Read Naseem Tarawnah's take here.


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Kenya: What does Kenya really need? · Global Voices
Ndesanjo Macha

Kipsang asks, “What does Kenya really need?”: DEVOLUTION OF POWER. We’ve been asking for a new constitution for a very long time & God knows we need it. The current constitution carries in it all that’s wrong with Kenya…

author: Ndesanjo Macha


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Poland: “Plenty of Money” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“Years ago, when the inflation in Poland was in triple figures, we were all multi-millionaires,” writes the POLSKI blog and links to a Flickr set of photos of the Polish banknotes from the 1980s and the early 1990s.


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Poland: The End of Winter · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

“8 things we’ll miss about winter when it’s gone” – at Polandian.


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Puerto Rico: Artifacts Seized  · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

The Voice of the Taino People Online notes that “the French authorities confiscated a piece of the Taino culture valued as high as one million euros…”


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Russia: “Best of Russia” Photo Exhibition · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

IZO writes about Best Of Russia '09 photography exhibition at Winzavod Contemporary Art Center in Moscow: “The wide range of amateur or semi-pro content and the big turn-out reminded me of what the Royal Academy Summer Show in London used to be, before professional artists squeezed the non-professionals out: a chance for amateur artists from all over the country to see their work on the walls of a top institution.”


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Russia: “Merry Gnome” · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

IZO links to LJ user postoronniy-cb‘s post (RUS) and writes: “When prez Medvedev visited Omsk recently, a sign advertising a play for children called We Await You, Merry Gnome was removed from his route in great haste at the last moment.”


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Russia: Online Media Competition Lacks Transparency · Global Voices
Alexey Sidorenko

The Russian Federal Telecommunications Agency announced [RUS] a competition to support online media. Adindex.ru reports [RUS] that requirements for  lack transparency and suggests the competition is a way to encourage new media loyal to the government.


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Russia: Torrents.Ru Shut Down · Global Voices
Veronica Khokhlova

IZO reports on some Russian bloggers’ thoughts (RUS) on why “the massively popular Russian file-sharing site torrents.ru has been shut down.”


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Russia: New Military Doctrine and Information Security · Global Voices
Gregory Asmolov

In February, Russia published its updated military doctrine [RUS] for the next ten years (English translation is here). Although not mentioning cyber security or Internet directly, the document deals with informational aspects of security that, by definition, imply Internet, media, and cyber security.
The most significant unclassified document related to information security, the doctrine was published for the first time ten years ago. The current document provides an interesting opportunity to evaluate the role of information from security perspective. This perspective may apply to the issues of cyber security and Internet, as well as other information platforms (e.g. mass media).
This article provides translation of the Russia's military doctrine paragraphs related to information security. It also briefly analyzes the current doctrine in regards to the issues of cyber security and Internet.
4. Военная доктрина отражает приверженность Российской Федерации использованию политических, дипломатических, правовых, экономических, экологических, информационных, военных и других инструментов защиты национальных интересов Российской Федерации  и интересов ее союзников.
The fourth paragraph acknowledges Russia's intent to use information measures to defend the country's national interests and those of its allies.
The ninth paragraph of the document, “The major internal military threats” (Основные внутренние военные опасности), defines a threat as follows:
в) дезорганизация функционирования органов государственной власти, важных государственных, военных объектов и информационной инфраструктуры Российской Федерации.
The 12 paragraph names some characteristics of the modern military conflict (Характерные черты современных военных конфликтов):
а) комплексное применение военной силы и сил и средств невоенного характера
г) усиление  роли информационного противоборства
The 13 paragraph of the doctrine elaborates on the nature of information struggle. It defines characteristics of the modern warfare (Особенности современных военных конфликтов)
г) заблаговременное проведение мероприятий информационного противоборства для достижения политических целей без применения военной силы, а в последующем – в интересах формирования благоприятной реакции мирового сообщества на применение военной силы.
The 19 paragraph lists the main goals of the Russian Federation in the field of deterrence and prevention of military conflicts (Основные задачи Российской Федерации по сдерживанию и предотвращению военных конфликтов). According to the document, the first goal is:
а) оценка и прогнозирование развития военно-политической обстановки на глобальном и региональном уровне, а также состояния межгосударственных отношений в военно-политической сфере с использованием современных технических средств и информационных технологий;
The 30 paragraph defines the main priorities of a military organization (Основные задачи развития военной организации):
к) совершенствование системы информационного обеспечения Вооруженных Сил и других войск;
The 41st paragraph lists the main tasks equipping the Armed Forces and other troops of arms, military and special equipment (Задачи оснащения Вооруженных Сил и других войск вооружением, военной и специальной техникой):
в) развитие сил и средств информационного противоборства;
г) качественное совершенствование средств информационного обмена на основе использования современных технологий и международных стандартов, а также единого информационного поля Вооруженных Сил и других войск как части информационного пространства Российской Федерации;
Analysis:
One of the main points of the doctrine in the information field is a lack of definition of the information struggles elements. Consequently, cyber security, Internet (including any kind of Internet-based activity), as well as traditional media, can be approached as a part of information security from military perspective.
The broad definition of information security is a traditional part of Russian approach toward this field. It has to be noted that the current strategy should be approached with difference between Russian and Western perspective in mind.  The U.S. and Western approach to cyber security tends to focus primarily on regulation of cyber crime and legislation that may provide exterritorial jurisdiction to follow cyber criminals.
The western countries look for strategies to restricts the threat caused by individual actors. In contrast, Russia is primarily concerned with information threats that caused by state actors and makes efforts to develop international agreements that will restrict the states – and not individuals – in the informational security field.

author: Gregory Asmolov


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South Africa: What do bloggers think of Zuma’s child out of wedlock? · Global Voices
Muhammad Karim

I will deter from making another sarcastic remark about just how much Zuma seems to feature in my posts. Although, there ceases to be anything else which catches so many headlines with such boldly indecent behaviour.
I will keep it simple: The South African President Jacob Zuma has had a child out of wedlock despite having 3 wives of his own. What do South African bloggers think of a president with 3 wives, who has been married 5 times and now has a child out of wedlock?
WE'll start off with Blog South Africa:
I often wonder what goes through the heads of some of these ‘leaders’ in South Africa. Today I opened up IOL as I usually do and found this article about Zuma wanting to initiate a national dialogue on what constitutes South Africa’s “moral code”.
At first glance I thought that this was probably a good idea – especially cming from a man whose morals are dodgy at best. Perhaps he was having a pang of guilt regarding his recent misdeeds. It didn’t take long however, for me to see another side of this plan.
In the article he talks about people respecting other cultures, but what I think he means is that all cultures in South Africa need to accept all the things that HE believes is culturally right, while disparaging everyone else’s beliefs.
The problem I have with Zuma and this morality ‘conversation’ is that they are probably going to come up with a set of morals which THEY believe are correct and then put that into law. The result will be a slew of ‘moral’ crimes and crimes against culture. This is precisely what has already happened in many of the Islamic states. Does this mean that we too will get a ‘morality’ police, where the morals of the chosen few are forced onto the rest of us?
From “The Wild Frontier”, we get some interview insight into Zuma:
JACOB Zuma really he can hide his bizarre sexual behaviour (impregnating multiple women out of wedlock) behind the fig leaf of “culture”.
He appears blissfully unaware of how this whole thing is playing out there. He has lost respectability and is the standing joke at the taxi rank.
Instead of accepting this he wants to accuse those who are unhappy of disrespecting his culture. Is he seriously arguing that it is good idea for a 67-old man to have frequent unprotected sex with multiple partners half his age? This in addition to several marriages?
Yep, he is. Read this extract from the Sunday Times interview with him today:
“We need this conversation that must help us reach a common understanding as South Africans,” he said.
He appeared shocked and surprised by the outrage that followed the scandal, telling the Sunday Times: “There are Muslims, Christians, Jews, Pedis and so on … How do we live together with an understanding that we understand each other?
“Values may not exactly be the same, but how do we bring harmony to this?
“Since Madiba (Nelson Mandela) said we must live together in harmony, we have not taken that discussion further.”
He said that while the constitution championed “unity in diversity”, South Africans were still looking at “things differently”.
In an apparent reference to concerns about his polygamous marriages, Zuma urged “all (South Africans) to respect all cultures”.
“How do we judge our values as a society? How do we judge other communities with whatever they practise? We need to create some platform to strengthen the respect of one another. We need to create a platform where there is no community that does not respect another.”
Tannemys en Sinterklaas post up Zapiro's extremely funny cartoon on Zuma.
Synapses gives us this response which includes some thoughts on Zuma's uninspring State of the Nation address:
February is turning out to be a rather uncomfortable month for South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma. First we had Babygate, and now it appears that some of his goons have taken to abusing and arresting those whom they believe to not be showing sufficient respect to the Father of the Nation (or at least, a growing proportion of it). Last week, JZ gave a completely uninspired State of the Nation address, which included the embarrassment of being laughed at by some parliamentarians when he mentioned the father of his most recent (known) lover/ prospective wife.  And, to top it all off, it appears that the trade union Solidarity’s campaign to highlight the dissatisfaction felt by some (many? most?) South Africans on the Government’s response to crime “has no basis in fact”, at least according to Presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.
Although too long to post here, SoapBox.fm gives a very humorous account of what the State of the Nation address should of said.
Common Dialogue gives another humorous account of a jogger who flipped the bird at the presidential convoy:
I think National Intelligence made a meal out of a molehill regarding the Cape Town jogger who may or may have not flipped President Jacob Zuma the birdie.
The poor guy, Chumani Maxwele, told Times LIVE that he made a dismissive gesture to a VIP convoy taking President Jacob Zuma to his Cape Town residence.
Maxwele says he was simply expressing his annoyance at the excessive noise caused by the convoy.
He was detained but not charged and shunted from one police station to the next, and even spent the night in the cells as a bonus. He says he was told that the NIA wanted to interview him, and they were coming all the way from Pretoria (soon to be or not to be Tshwane).
When the man in black finally came the following day, Maxwele says they asked him what his views were on Zuma. Now, methinks there was no need to fly all the way from Pretoria to ask the guy what he thinks of the President.
When I listened to the audio interview, I expected Maxwele to reveal some serious questions posed to him before he was released.
He says he was released when he told them that he respected Msholozi as the president of the country blah, blah, diblah.
He was lucky he didn’t live in Lybia, Zimbabwe or the United States of America.
And finally… Biltong shares a joke with us… Zuma and a Psychiatrist:
A noted psychiatrist was a guest speaker at an academic function where Jacob Zuma happened to appear.
Jacob took the opportunity to get close up to the good doctor a bit and asked him a question with which he was most at ease..because he did have something..well ”troubling” his mind..
‘Would you mind telling me, Doctor,’ he asked, ‘ Some people think I am a bit ..well, you know..’ ehh stupid’..How do you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?’ Im really not liking it when people are thinking I have lost my marbles..
Well Mr Zuma ‘Nothing is easier,’ the Doc replied. ‘You ask a simple question which anyone should answer with no trouble. If the person hesitates, that puts you on the track..then you have a feeling as to whether you are actually having a stupidity problem, or not.’
‘What sort of question?’ asked Zuma.
Well, you might ask something like, ‘Captain Cook, the greatest ocean explorer… made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one did he die on?”
Jacob thought a moment, and then said with a nervous laugh, ‘ Hehhe you Doktor…eishhh, you are trying to trap me with a trick question right?? You wouldn’t happen to have another example would you? I must confess I do not really know that much about history.’
(If you don’t know the answer..it’s time to worry too:)
You cannot disagree with one thing. Zuma is one very colourful character, but whether the final judgment will be to mar or to benefit will remain to be seen.  However, in my view, any economic prosperity without a moral foundation will be short-lived and lead the country into greater dangers.

author: Muhammad Karim


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South Korea: 10th Birthday to Ohmynews! · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

Ronda Hauben from Ohmynews international  wrote a review on Ohmynews! at its 10th anniversary. And here you can watch the organization's birthday party.


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South Korea: Police’s crackdown on migrants · Global Voices
Oiwan Lam

CINA published the details of a police's crackdown action against Nepalese migrants when they are having a dinner meeting at a restaurant in Dongdaemun during the Lunar New Year.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Being the PM · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

This Beach Called Life admonishes his fellow Trinidadians to “leave the Prime Minister alone”.


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Trinidad & Tobago: Observations · Global Voices
Janine Mendes-Franco

Diaspora blogger Jumbie's Watch focuses his attention on a few developments – from politics to crime – in Trinidad and Tobago.


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Uganda: On the screening of gay porn in church · Global Voices
Haute Haiku

Has Pastor Martin Ssempa gone too far?
Over 300 people were gathered in church last week by the controversial anti- gay bill supporter Pastor Ssempa to watch gay porn for back up support for the anti- gay bill. His strong attempts to make the bill relevant even after it is clear that the President Museveni has trashed it and his publicized “million man march”  was supposed to come to a halt as it was obstructed for “security concerns”.
The church was packed as many people came to see what homosexuals really do in their bedrooms, pastor Ssempa then went on to show graphic images of men in situations.
An interactive Kenyan site capitalfm.co.ke discusses the issue:
KAMPALA, Uganda, Feb 17 – A pastor seeking to bolster Uganda's anti-gay laws which already make homosexuality punishable by life imprisonment screened gay porn in a packed Kampala church Wednesday in a bid to drum up support.
The screening was attended by around 300 supporters crammed into an evangelical church in the Ugandan capital after plans for a “million-man march” were thwarted by police:
“We had planned to have a million-man and -woman march in Kampala but unfortunately we were told that we could not march because of security concerns,” Martin Ssempa told the crowd.
Police in the Ugandan capital Kampala blocked the demonstration that was due on the same day and he moved the rally to Jinja:
On Sunday, Police moved to halt a planned demonstration in support of the controversial Anti-Homosexuality Bill saying that the government is still sorting ‘issues out’ as pro-gay activists under the Unitarian Universalist Church of Kampala secretly met to condemn the same bill.
…[Inspector of Police Major General Kale] Gen. Kayihura confirmed that he hasn’t cleared the demonstration and said, “We asked them to postpone the demonstration because government has some issues to sort out and they agreed,”.
Homosexuals in Uganda are still vulnerable to his attacks as he continues to advocate the killing of gays and life imprisonment. His support for the bill is so overwhelming by a show of his organized march and screening of gay porn in church to expose gays to more hate; the legislation to demonize homosexuals is so strong as more people embrace his articulate and charismatic power to influence. Changing attitude highlights from GUG blog on how people applaud to his sermons on how the bible says gays should be killed:
In his report about Ssempa’s gay pornography Ash Wednesday in church, gug says he has heard that some mainstream Christians have had enough and are going to publicly oppose the bill. They are Anglicans and their strongly heart-felt opposition will be in marked contrast to the ‘wishy washy hypocrisy’ of the Church of Uganda. If they are to have any more credibility, says gug, Christians will have to claim back their Church.
Gug watched the programme Agenda Uganda on NTV last night, in which Pastor Solomon Male justified the killing of gay Ugandans because they have refused to change. He said gays should be killed because the Bible says so, and the audience applauded – another extraordinary message for Ash Wednesday.
The debate continues on how culture rewards people who advocate the killing of gays and the pastor airing his sentiments and how he has gone to far. Below are some of the comments left on Capital FM by readers:
Haiya.This whole issue can be looked at in two perspectives,one-A church as a group of people have the right to give out their views as far as homosexuality and lesbianism is concerned.This is because one of the purpose of the church is to mold and produce upright people of the nation. Since police deny them an opportunity to match and air their views in open places, there was no other way of informing the poor/innocent citizens of the facts of homosexuality life,other than to enter into there places of work and teach them there followers. On the other side,the pornographic films are not supposed to be shown inside the God's temple.It could have been maybe at Mandela stadium where,though not sure,any group can demonstrate. Therefore let us not only see that part of showing porn at church but how will the common man in the village know what is good and /or bad of homo/heterosexuality? Lets not deny pastors of talking about the issue.
This is one of the results of being a mediocre church. The devil is very tactical so he knows how to do ‘infotainment’ even on the pulpit. Satan has used Martin Ssempe to entertain people who came to praise their creator, He has also used the pastor to educate people on bedroom gay instead of teaching God's word. Jesus is coming sooner than we think. That Kampala church is not a congregation but a crowd of onlookers and idlers. No wonder the reporter calls them crowd. How can they sit and watch,instead of ousting the pastor?
It is very worrying at this moment in Uganda to see a “man of God” i hear “Dr,Pastor Martin Ssempa” doing a disgrace to the Christians of Uganda and East Africa as a block. In Uganda to start with promoting pornography is illegal, Un christian/un Godly if its done in church, To worsen matters its un cultural/ un African to talk about sex in public irrespective of being homosexual or heterosexual porn. This makes me wonder, Do we really have law enforcement people in Uganda? or the Right wing Christians are becoming untouchable simply because the state house is full of right wing Christians starting with the Big man to the gardener? Having met one on one with the LGBTI activists in Uganda several times, i have come to believe and respect them for the work they are doing, simply because one has to step on them for them to wake up and say we are being stepped on. These people do not condone Defilement and pedophilia irrespective of sexuality. So that leaves me wondering How is it the church's business for what 2 consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom? Is the church out of work or its clergy men are just too obsessed with sex and how people have it? Fellow Christians, lets get our facts right about the responsibilities of the church and the state. lets not mix the two otherwise we shall find ourselves having canon laws or Quranic laws governing us. I am not saying they are bad, but they don't fit anymore because they are not fair to the non believers. “Give God what belongs to God and to Ceaser ………”
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author: Haute Haiku


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365: A video a day from Cartagena, Colombia · Global Voices
Juliana Rincón Parra

A group of videobloggers from Colombia decided to make 2010 into the year for videblogging, and set out to make a video a day during 2010. Today we bring you a selection of videos from the city of Cartagena in Colombia: UNESCO World Heritage Site and a top travel destination according to Frommer's travel guides.
Erika Pao and Luisa Santiaga are two girls who live in Cartagena and wished to show Cartagena from the perspective of those who live there, seeking to bring out the daily events and commonplace to light:
contar a través del video toda esa cotidianidad e historias anónimas que nos rodean; toda esa riqueza cultural y social en las que estamos inmersos pero que muchos desconocen de nuestra ciudad
Part of the successful national Colombian campaign to increase tourism has been related to their slogan: Colombia is Passion. But the efforts are not only seen outside the country, inside, it has also been employed to strengthen the national pride. Such is the case with their promotional event in Cartagena: in one of the plazas of the walled city, they placed sculptures and images that reflect the campaign. The song used to accompany the video is a joint effort between many Colombian artists for the campaign and is called Colombia es Pasión:
January 2nd is the Candelaria Virgin procession, where Catholics climb up to the convent at the top of Popa hill and then bring down the Virgin on their shoulders to the chapel at the bottom of the hill:
In Cartagena, near the Carriage Plaza there is a covered passageway that used to be where slaves were sold. At the end of the XIX century, it started selling much more palatable wares: candy. The Candy Portal sells many of the traditional sweets produced in the region: Tamarind, coconut and sugar cane concoctions.
There are also other commonplace images, in this next video, barefoot children play soccer on the dusty streets under the midday sun in the “Cheap Rice” neighborhood.
These next videos show a bit about the food in Cartagena. First, a mysterious drink made of rice, milk and flavorings, with nutmeg, sweetened condensed milk, chocolate chips and ice, it is described by the vendor on his sign as : Exquisite, nourishing and refreshing:
Another traditional food staple in Cartagena is the “patacón pisao”, a squashed double fried plantain that is eaten at every meal. Luisa Santiaga takes us through the step by step process of peeling, cutting, frying, squashing, dunking, and frying plantains:
This last video takes us out of the walled city and into the streets where locals live, shop and move around:
If you want to see more of Cartagena through the eyes of these two women, you can visit and subscribe to the Cartagena 365 page or follow @luisasantiaga and @erikapao on twitter where they twit about their latest uploaded videos.
In future posts, we will bring you videos from other Colombian vloggers participating in the 365 project. Do you know of any videoblogger we should write about on Global Voices? Please write to us and let us know!

author: Juliana Rincón Parra